No Light, No Light
1118 words [SOLO24]
There was something odd lingering in the air, even now.
At least, to General Fluorite, there was. Their defeat on the surrounding was still fresh on her mind, and something that was heavy on her mind even now. She wondered what she had done, what she
hadn't done, what she
could have done, to have kept what seemed like such a sure victory from slipping out of their hands so suddenly.
They'd underestimated the senshis and the knights. That much was clear. They'd underestimated them and it had cost them everything. It had been radio silence since then... No meeting, no nothing.
Which was worrying in itself. It was calm. It was
too calm.
The calm before the storm. It seemed inevitable, in the young general's mind.
And now, in a very worrying way, the failure had been
hers. She was a general. She should have better guided the lieutenants and captains present. She could no longer hide behind her rank from any wrath that might come.
The responsibility suddenly felt very, very heavy on her shoulders, and so she'd been laying low. Perhaps not the best reaction, but she'd yet to be summoned by Tanzanite or Zinkenite and chewed out.
Through it was perhaps foolish to think she could stand here, in the Rift, and not think Tanzanite knew exactly where she was, and what she was doing. One thing, at the very least, had been clear to her – she was strong, but she needed to be stronger. She was good, but she needed to be better. She certainly wasn't as smart as she could be, and she needed to be.
Thinking had never been Fluorite's best point. She was better at doing, at action – perhaps why she was in the arena of the rift, beating up on whatever youma showed up to face her. They were some of the best sparing partners, really – they didn't hold back, she had no need to hold back, and if she actually killed one, well, they regenerated quickly enough, so she had no fear of accidentally dusting a youma that might have been waiting for their 'match' to come seek it.
She still preferred to fight the General Queen, when she allowed it. In a way watching the area they were fighting in crumble around the Youma Queen's power was a nice trill... But she had to admit that the biggest thrill came from the fact that she was now causing some of it herself.
A year ago, Ashley would have never even dreamed of owning such strength, such power, but now it was a reality.
The large feral youma was running off, and the general took a moment to wipe the blood off her blades and catch her breath. She wasn't unshattered, far from it, but nothing some energy wouldn't fix quickly. But then, suddenly, she felt it.
The feeling that she was watched.
Fluorite had let her guard down one second too long, but what came for her was not exactly what she expected. She had taken her blades back before the shape of the youma had come, but... She froze a moment when she saw it. White skin, white hair, white everything, save for brightly glowing yellow eyes similar to those who so often stared her down when she walked the hall leading to the Rift proper. Even with two blades pointed at it, the youma did not move – only stared at the general in the same creepy way the guardians did, as if trying to peer down to her very starseed, head only tilting after a moment.
Fluorite found herself staring back, suddenly captivated by this one particular youma. She did not move to attack, and neither did it do. They stood, once to each side of the area, for what seemed like forever, staring each other down, each apparently thinking exactly the same thing.
Where they what the other had been looking for, for so long ?
It was the youma that did the first move – walking toward the general even as she stiffened, blades rising in defence. She had learned quickly to not trust these youmas here. They weren't 'tame' like those outside the Rift. But it stopped, right in front of her, and that was where Fluorite noticed it was just barely taller than she was.
“So you guys do come in midget-size too, uh.” The words were out before she could think about it, and the youma said nothing, only kept staring.
Then it reached an hand, touched her shoulder before she could move away, and that was then that she felt it. Something of the youma came into her, and something of her left for the youma. It was too late, too late, and she screamed, more out of shock than true pain.
Quiet, mistress.
Quiet...“...Quiet, mistress.” The youma said, softly, as suddenly features took form on it's face. A mouth to smile softly, a nose where there was once none, color suddenly leaking over the pale, lifeless white. A light tan, first, for the skin. Short white hair suddenly turned into a long braid, white darkening into purple, but... no, the color was off. Just off enough, just a little
too pale. The eyes turned to green, but not enough, not nearly enough, the glow dimming but not vanishing completely. The ripped rags turned into a too familiar, yet too pale, uniform, through not the katars Fluorite had been holding a few seconds ago, but that had now clattered on the ground.
“I am here now, mistress. There is no need to scream.”
Fluorite, for her part, could only stare like if she'd just seen an alien land in front of her, and suddenly stepped back. “W-What the ******** ?!”
This only earned a chuckle, that sounded eerily like her own, even if the words that followed next did not. The voice was lower, “My power, mistress. I like this form...” It flexed the gloves, and smiled. “Very lovely. I like it. I will keep it.” That didn't sound up for negotiation.
....Auuugh. “Okay, so. So.” She still couldn't help but stare, green eyes wide. “I guess... You're my youma then ?” She couldn't shake the thought that this was creepy as all hell. “What's your name, then ?” They had names, right ? Uh. Actually, she had no idea.
“Flujocrium, mistress.” The youma answered with a bow.
...Flujocriwha ? “Uh.” She blinked. “Flujo then.”
It laughed again, this time in it's own voice. “However you wish, mistress.”
...This was going to be a very wierd experience, Fluorite could already tell.
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