|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 3:09 pm
Three grueling weeks of soul-searching chewed Europa up and spat her out the other end like a freight train, going a million miles per hour. Conviction was the best motivator, always had been and always would be. With her recent conversations with Chibimoon and Tomlin fresh in her mind, Sailor Europa was determined to to be the best leader the Jovians could possibly need or want. She was going to be caring and personable and aware. She was going to lead her team to victory, and no one would be left behind. The guardian cat had been right - Europa had never lost a senshi in her command, and this team was no time to start.
She sought out Ganymede for an evening of patrol, intent on catching up with her fellow Galilean. She'd already spoken to Callisto and had been in touch with her intermittently since, but she thought it was important to be in touch with both of them - and by extension the entire team, but it seemed important to make sure things were solid with Ganymede first; he was the second most experience senshi on the Jovians, but she felt somewhat shaky with him: especially after his confrontation with Kallichore.
There might have been an element of forced cheeriness in her voice when she invited the red-ribboned senshi to join her in making her rounds, but being falsely happy was preferable to being miserable. Europa had seen a Peanuts strip about that once - that good posture could improve your mood.
"So, want to place bets?" she asked, trying awkwardly to make conversation as they zipped across the roofline of a shopping center. "On what we'll see tonight? My money's on a youma with a face like butt."
Was it just her, or were they getting uglier? She vaulted off an AC housing. "What about you, Ganymede?"
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 11:08 pm
He was incapable of coming up with a single word to sufficiently describe his mental and emotional state as of late. "Miserable" didn't quite cut it, though he definitely felt that. "Empty" was good, too, but still lacking. "Dead" was, perhaps, a bit too strong and over-dramatic, but there were times when he definitely felt as if he'd be better off that way, and he thought that was saying something, considering he didn't think there was anything he feared so much as death, except, perhaps, being alone.
It was hard to convince himself now that he wasn't alone, though he wasn't without company, and, truth be told, Europa's company was preferable to any of the others right now -- even anyone in his civilian life, a life he very much wanted to leave behind for as long as possible. Heading out with Europa meant he had something to focus on, a clear path to follow. The Jovians... focus on the Jovians... focus on improving... focus on finding strength and purpose... and, above all, escape, escape, escape.
He never would have thought he'd come to appreciate having a double life, but recently he'd grown to be glad of it in certain ways. With his father sick and his boyfriend now his ex, he thought he'd much rather seek out monsters to fight and destroy than deal with the drama in his normal life.
Ganymede ran a bit faster than usual, pushing himself so that his legs burned and his lungs could barely get enough air. Sweat had already broken out along his brow, dampening his bangs, and they hadn't even come across a single youma yet. Even so, the effort it took to keep himself going, the speed with which he ran and the anticipation of what could be out there, made him feel more alive than he had over the last few days spent crying over movies and losing himself in the midst of a party.
"With my luck, it'll probably be something nasty," he replied, jumping here, leaping there, sure that he would collapse in exhaustion before the night was through, but finding that he didn't particularly care. "Maybe something with no skin, just bone or muscle, or something with a creepy long tongue. Or it could spit goop at us that smells like rotten eggs."
Neither image was all that appealing.
"Or maybe we won't see anything. That'd be too good to be true."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2011 2:27 am
The enemy they would encounter was not a youma. He lacked a face like a butt; some might argue that he was fairly attractive. His skin was alabaster pale and smooth, and his tongue generally stayed in his mouth. Also, nothing about him smelled like rotten eggs. The enemy, though, did have an especially strange and turbulent aura, the kind that attracted all the wrong attention when you were a Corrupted Super Sailor like Spinel, the Senshi of Bells.
Still, for now he wasn't paying attention. He was thinking, gritting his teeth and thinking; how in the world did he always end up finding that damned brunette sailor senshi? He couldn't kill someone that young; he'd let her go twice now. Once the steel-haired senshi had tried to protect her, which he supposed was fine and dandy. But all the same, it bothered him that she was appearing so often.
Hopefully she never hit Super. That would just be unfortunate... for her.
The energy globes in his hands sparkled as he examined them; he stood surrounded by the occupants of Destiny City's taxicabs, the bells on his hair ornament jingling forebodingly as he left car and passengers behind. Foreboding, that was a good word. He rather liked it, he decided, and he tucked the small glowing spheres away before turning to face a rather large approaching Order aura; he'd left the small group of victims behind, and stood alone along the sidewalk of an empty side-street. "Lovely," he said, as they came into earshot. "It's a party."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2011 12:46 pm
The energy signal hit her like a ton of wrong bricks. Europa had a general idea of what they were coming up on even before the Dracula-esque corrupted senshi of bells came into view. She shot Ganymede a warning glance, suddenly regretting betting in the Youma: they'd probably jinxed themselves. "Corrupted senshi, twelve o'clock," she murmured as they dropped from the rooftop. "Careful, I've tangled with this one before."
"Well, now that we've walked in," said Europa, landing delicately, with one hand on her hip. She quirked her head to the side. Confrontations with Spinel were beginning to confuse her, as his style didn't seem to involve any kind of immediate fighting at all. Furthermore, he didn't have his long, pale fingers anywhere near a civilian tonight.
Sailor Spinel was, for all intents and purposes, minding his own business. Sailor Europa wasn't content with this answer, though. Rule number one: never, ever trust a corrupted senshi or a negaverser. They lied like rugs. "What are you up to tonight?" she asked. No good, undoubtedly.
She held out her free hand to give Ganymede's arm a steadying pat. Let him make the first move, it seemed to say.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2011 8:15 pm
Ganymede felt the energy signature at the same time Europa did and nodded in response to her warning. A corrupted senshi? Yes, it did feel wrong, like the one he’d seen during the battle at summer camp, though he hadn’t known what it was at the time, just that it didn’t feel right at all. Would the senshi of the Dark Mirror feel the same? If they did, how was he supposed to tell which was which without seeing them face-to-face?
He wanted to ask. They’d at least learned how to visually recognize a corrupted senshi during the initial Jovian meeting, but he couldn’t remember if anyone had said anything about one form of corruption feeling different than that other.
He came to a stop beside Europa, landing gently and quietly, except for the heaviness of his breathing, which he quickly attempted to get under control. Exerting so much energy simply running had been a dumb idea, he decided, when they’d run the risk of encountering youma or Negaverse officer or some perverted form of a senshi at each leap and turn. He should have been saving his strength, not pushing himself because he was too incapable of pushing his civilian problems out of the forefront of his mind. He’d been determined to keep these two parts of his life separate, and he’d been doing a pretty poor job of it over the last few days.
Ganymede glanced sideways at Europa and gave her another shallow nod in response to the hand on his arm. In his cowardice, he stood an inch or so back, his fingers instinctually curling towards his palms so that his hands form two fists instead of hanging slack. He said nothing but stood there and waited. It wasn’t his style to make the first move anyway, not if he could help it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
