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 Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 5:43 pm
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Vivianite was not supposed to be out. Uranophane had not mentioned patrolling, which meant that Vera was supposed to stay home and study (probably math). Uranophane didn't take her everywhere, all the time, but there was an unspoken expecatation that she wouldn't go anywhere without her keeper. Unfortunately for said keeper, Vivianite sometimes left and went out into Destiny City's dangerous night on her own. Not to patrol, not to collect starseeds, and certainly not to find any senshi.
No, what Vivianite was looking for was a guardian cat named Grendel. She'd met him, once, and he'd given her a pen and an ability to use. He'd not been able to tell her anything else, and that was fine. She just...he was a cat, and while Vera had never particularly felt one way or another about cats, Grendel had struck some long hidden note within her and the corrupted senshi wanted to figure out why.
So she stalked outside the park Vivianite had been introduced to him in, although it wasn't likely he'd come back there. But she kept returning there, sitting deep within the trees in the dark. By herself. Unknowingly emitting more dark energy than a Negaverse officer would, a beacon anyone with the right senses could follow. Maybe that was why Uranophane didn't want to let her out alone...
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Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 6:09 pm
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Alkaid tried to tell herself that following that beacon was a stupid idea. She really tried. She had stood at the center of the park, where she'd frozen when she first felt it, and argued with herself mentally. She had a dozen reasons not to go and no good reasons to actually do so. Saiph wasn't here, it might be Tanzanite with her new monster arm, or it might be a trap. All of those were outweighed by the fact that duty sang clearly in her heart and curiosity had her by a leash.
It was with all these worries in mind that she had fled along the well known paths of the park, closing in closer and closer to the beacon, leading herself deeper into the trees. A feeling of uneasiness began to creep up over her as she continued to dash through the grasping branches of this part of the park, stopping only at the last second as something, no, someone caught her attention. She stopped where she stood, uneasy as she stared at who she was sure was the source of that beacon that had been calling to her. In this part of the park there was very little light, but even in the darkness she could make out bits and pieces of the person sitting before her. A senshi's fuku was highlighted by a mass of vibrant pink hair, only there was something so terribly.. off. And then there was that beacon of what Alkaid could only describe as darkness.
"Who?" She began, drawing herself in the darkness and trying to appear as brave as her Super Senshi persona said she should be. But even as she started to speak, the gears of her mind were whirring and she was thinking back to the Senshi meeting. A dark beacon, a black fuku, and if she looked close enough.. were those holes in her head and chest? The whirring gears locked into place and a wave of cold panic washed over her. Had she just walked into a trap set by a corrupted senshi?
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Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 6:22 pm
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Vivianite hadn't been sitting for very long, back against a tree with her eyes closed, when Alkaid approached her. She hadn't moved, had hoped that her dark fuku would keep her mostly hidden (the bright pink hair hadn't been taken into consideration). But Alkaid was a bright glow in her mind, and Vivianite opened her blank purple eyes to stare at the other senshi.
She looks scared, a thought whispered, her first impression. Vivianite looked at her, could easily spot her light colored fuku even through the dark of the trees. Obviously she hadn't been intending to sneak up on anyone, and overall demeanor indicated she really hadn't wanted to find what she had found. Black amusement slowly filled Vivianite's eyes as she stood up, hand held lightly out to her side, a precursor to her attack. She didn't want to attack, but if the other senshi tried anything...Well, if she thought it was dark now, she'd be in for a big surprise.
"Vivianite," she answered, head titled slightly to one side in curiousity, not knowing that 'Vivianite' wasn't a proper senshi name, that it was a Negaverse name for a Negaverse agent. Which she was, but clearly she'd been meant for something else. "And you?"
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Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 6:52 pm
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Alkaid tried to pull herself back together, lifting her chin up a little and putting her hands down at her side to resist the urge of curling them protectively around her torso. From the way they had been speaking about corrupted senshi at the Senshi meeting, they were things of nightmares with outrageous power. She'd yet to do anything, but Khalla's muscles were still tensed to flee at the smallest indication otherwise.
"Alkaid," she said slowly, her brows drawing down as the Senshi answered her with what she had assumed was solely a Negaverse type of name. Did corrupt senshi change their names over to their style and abandon their celestial bodies? "Super Senshi of Guidance," she added after a moment of contemplation, finding that it was only polite and this girl didn't seem to want to kill her, not yet anyway. Besides, she'd given her name and sphere to Uranophane and nothing bad had come of that. She was convinced that the negaverse couldn't really do much with her Senshi identity alone.
She moved slightly away from the tree she had partially jolted behind when she first come upon the corrupt senshi, not any closer to her but into a better view for her to see. She wasn't any less apprehensive, but this was a rare opportunity that she wanted to take advantage of.. as long as she didn't get seriously injured in the process (or worse) and regret it later. How often did a senshi gather information on this?
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Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 7:13 pm
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Vivianite said nothing, did nothing as Alkaid pulled herself together. There was still that curious blankness mixed with amusement in her eyes as she watched the other girl. So, Alkaid. She made a mental note of the name; not that she'd ask Uranophane about it, since that would mean questions about where Vivianite had heard it, and what was going on. She couldn't stand up to that kind of questioning (she was actually rather horrible at keeping secrets from her best and likely only friend), so her keeper would end up knowing everything. And that wouldn't do. Vivianite: expert liar by omission.
But then Alkaid continued her introduction, leaving the corrupted senshi off-balance. "Super?" What was a super senshi? And what did she mean by 'of Guidance'? Vivianite, as far as anyone had been able to tell her, was not the senshi of anything. That was a dull ache everytime she transformed, a feeling that something was missing. Something important.
...Maybe Alkaid would be willing to answer a few questions. Vivianite sighed lightly and dropped her arm. "I won't attack," she offered, shifting her feet slightly, which almost made it seem like she was lying. But there was a rock under her shoe, and it was uncomfortable, and so she shifted it away from her, never taking her eyes off of Alkaid.
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Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 7:38 pm
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Alkaid only grew more confused by Vivianite's reaction to her prolonged introduction. Where was there something wrong here? The answer to that question smacked her hard in her head - of course something was wrong, Vivianite was a corrupt senshi. What wasn't wrong?
"Alright," she said warily, noticing the small shift of her feet. It was only a glance down at the movement and then back up at her face. "Me either, alright?" She relaxed her arms at her side the best that she could, though she still felt so wound up that she thought she might start twitching at any moment. This had to be absolutely unheard of and she expected Astraea to come barging in here any second to start screaming at her for some Senshi and Negaverse social disaster.
"Super means I'm - " she paused, trying to think of the right word to describe this " - upgraded from a regular senshi, if that's what you're asking? A level above the regular senshi, kind of." She tilted her head a little as she watched Vivianite, wondering why she seemed so lost on the subject. At least, she assumed that's what that simple questioning had been about.
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Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 7:48 pm
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Alkaid was still tense, still wary, but that suited Vivianite just fine, for the moment. Oh, there was a little core of her that felt saddened by the mistrust, but it was easy to ignore it. She'd gotten rather good at ignoring that sad little center of herself. It hadn't been something she was aware of before Charonite -- Vivianite's thoughts skittered off of that topic quick enough. It still wasn't something she liked to dwell on. Nor was it something she'd quite forgiven her best friend for setting up.
And while Alkaid seemed hair-trigger tense regarding the meeting, Vivinaite was rather unconcerned about what would happen if anyone interrupted. If it was backup for the super senshi, well, that could be dealt with; Alkaid was barely close enough to grab under the cover of Vivianite's attack, and a hostage would make everything easier. If it was backup for herself, however, it was entirely likely that the same thing would happen, except with less chance of Alkaid living. But it wouldn't come to that. Would it? She sincerely hoped not; even though Alkaid was an enemy, she didn't want to hunt and hurt senshi. She would, if ordered, like she had with Uranophane and Hematite. But not on her own initiative. "Feel free to leave at any time," Vivianite offered with the ghost of a wicked smile.
"Upgraded? There are levels to senshi power?" Vivianite knew there were levels to Negaverse power; she served under a Lieutenant, who answered to a Captain, who had to report to the General-King. And the Queen. "Does it change anything?" If she could learn how the senshi upgraded themselves, maybe...maybe she could figure it out for Grendel. He'd seemed about as lost as she was, when it came to this senshi business.
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Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 8:20 pm
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Vivianite seemed untouchable. Either she had no fear, or she didn't see Alkaid as a threat, and Alkaid wasn't sure which of those options was worse. She could only smile, very faintly, at the odd 'get out of jail free' card that Vivianite tossed her way. She still wasn't sure if she trusted her, especially not with that ghostly smile, but you know what they say about beggars. "Thanks for the offer," she said, that thin, weak smile still stretched over her lips.
The question struck Alkaid odd, and for the first time she wondered if there was something this corrupt senshi could gain from this knowledge. Surely the Negaverse had to know some of this from the previously corrupt senshi? Hadn't one of those been a super? Sadly, Alkaid had no idea that amnesia was a frequent companion to corruption for senshi. For a moment, she considered not telling her, but she had to wonder if she could really leave or if Vivianite would get angry at a lack of answer. In the end, she figured there couldn't be that much harm in it - it seemed like fairly general knowledge.
"There are multiple levels, but it's a little unclear to me. I've only ever met other Supers, regular senshi and.." She trailed off as she narrowed her eyes just slightly on Vivianite, not quite able to bring herself to say 'and corrupted senshi'. "You get a new power, but it's basically just an upgrade of your first one." The fear was still deeply rooted in her and she was still tense from being in Vivianite's presence, but growing in her heart was this.. sadness. She wanted to reach out and help this lost sister, but she didn't know how. She didn't even know what had been done to make her the way she was.
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Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 8:49 pm
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Vivianite wasn't sure if she considered Alkaid a threat or not; she had no idea what the other senshi was capable of, having no idea the relationship between sphere (or, truth be told, what a sphere was) and attack. But if she made a move, if she started a fight - Vivianite had a plan to end it, and that gave her confidence. That, and a sort of resigned sadness that usually came across as apathy. No response to the thanks, except an echo of the same slightly chilling smile, which never quite reached her eyes.
While amnesia was common among corrupted senshi (okay, there were currently two, and a third had died), Vivianite had lost none of her memories (that she knew of). She simply had had nothing to lose, the first example of what would happen if the Negaverse tried to recruit someone who was meant to be a senshi. They'd still get their recruit, but not the way anyone expected. So any knowledge was new to her, and if Alkaid had chosen not to answer, Vivianite would have accepted it; she'd learned something already.
"And?" she echoed back, politely curious. There were other Super Senshi? Regular, and Super. And something else. That was worth knowing, as was the information regarding attacks. So, Alkaid had two attacks, but they were very similar? That was reassuring, just in case they ever met again under less pleasant circumstances. "Are you stronger, then?" Captains were stronger than Lieutenants, and Vivianite was still trying to make the senshi fit into the framework of the Negaverse.
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Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 9:18 pm
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Alkaid could feel the chills crawling over her skin from that unnerving, never-changing smile. Alkaid could see the blankness in Vivianite's eyes and that, she thought, was the worst of it all. What could this strange, dark version of a senshi even feel? Slowly, fear was beginning to be overwhelmed by that sadness, mixed with pity. This was one person she would never be able to help and in that moment, she just wanted to find Saiph and see her smile. She wanted some reminder that beyond this darkness and this creepy senshi, the moon court still existed.
"No," she frowned a little at the question of strength, and had this been anyone else she would have laughed at herself. She wasn't strong in any sense of the word, but did she want to let Vivianite know that? Maybe Alkaid's sense of self preservation was completely lost right then, because she felt a need to explain. The girl just seemed so lost - did she know anything about who she was? "I'm not an offensive senshi, my power is kind of more.. supportive. My sphere doesn't deal in damaging attacks."
She shifted slightly, scuffing the heel of her boots against the soft earth beneath her. She'd exposed herself and exactly what she wasn't capable of. It was a stupid move on her part, but she hoped Vivianite's curiosity held out long enough for her to get away safely.
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Posted: Tue May 04, 2010 1:13 pm
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Vivianite did not, in fact, know much of anything about who she was and what being a senshi actually entailed. So when Alkaid mentioned that her 'sphere' did not deal with doing direct damage, that she was...a supportive? senshi, instead of offensive, the first real flickers of emotion stirred within those purple eyes. While the corrupted senshi remained curious, her eyes indicated that it was possibly the same curiosity a predator had for prey.
"What does that mean, sphere?" she asked, eyes curious and intent on the other girl. Vivianite shifted slightly, as if to take a step forward and shake the answers out of Alkaid, but that probably wouldn't work; Alkaid would freeze and be of no use to anyone, more than likely. But she was already shifting as if to run, and while Vivianite would love to hear an answer to her question, if Alkaid fled now, there was plenty to think about already.
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Posted: Tue May 04, 2010 6:25 pm
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Posted: Tue May 04, 2010 6:57 pm
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A thought flickered into Vivianite's mind then, breaking the agressive gleam in her eyes, replacing it with lighter humor. Alkaid was the Senshi of Guidance? She was certainly living up to that right now, with all the information she'd given out. A black gloved hand moved slowly up and brushed a strand of her hair beind an ear as she digested the information.
"So every senshi is different," she said slowly after a moment. "How do you know what your sphere is?" Was it something that a senshi just knew, or were they told? Perhaps they figured it out from their abilities instead, though that struck Vivianite as rather inefficient and prone to mistakes.
The question about a cat snapped her attention back to Alkaid, eyes narrowed slightly. She waited before replying, debating whether or not to tell the other senshi that the Negaverse had guardian cats. "He wasn't much help," she finally decided to say. "I didn't see him for very long." Maybe, hopefully, Alkaid would take that to mean she'd been a senshi for a short time before the Negaverse had gotten ahold of her. But if she didn't - Alkaid had shared information that she probably shouldn't have told an enemy, and Vivianite felt bound to answer at least a few questions honestly.
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Posted: Tue May 04, 2010 7:45 pm
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Alkaid's mind was still too on edge to notice the small change in Vivianite's demeanor. It was too small of a change and Alkaid was more concentrated on her body language, watching to see if she was going to suddenly try and attack. Movements were noticed, small changes in emotions? Not so much.
"The guardian cats tell us," she said with a small frown, her brows furrowing in a clear indication of confusion, "at our awakening. They tell us our name, our sphere, and our first attack. They're here to help us." She was trying to figure this girl out, but without asking questions all she could do was make assumptions. "If they didn't tell us, I don't think there would be a way to know."
Though she was missing the smaller shifts in Vivianite's demeanor, she didn't miss that small narrowing of her eyes. Nor did she miss the space of time it took for her to answer, holding her breath as she waited for the corrupt senshi to make up her mind. The answer she received wasn't quite as detailed as she'd hoped, but what could she expect? Vivianite obviously had more sense about what and what not to tell the enemy.
And yet, the fact that she had met a guardian cat that hadn't told her who she was? The name, and no knowledge of spheres or levels? She couldn't help but feel like there was a lot more to this story that she didn't know, a lot more that she wanted to know. Sadly, she wasn't willing to risk Vivianite's anger again. So instead she just nodded and pursed her lips together slightly, biting back all the questions she wanted to ask.
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Posted: Tue May 04, 2010 8:21 pm
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