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Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2011 6:18 pm
She hadn't really thought about her first and only encounter with Zinkenite too much once other Senshi had put to rest the doubts and worries he had instilled in her heart. It wasn't until when, on a walk home from a friend's house, she had by chance passed the spot where they'd "fought" (read: he schooled her in the consequences of mouthing off to a Negaverse General) that those memories resurfaced. Lene didn't recognize it at first, only felt a strange familiarity when she glanced up at the fire escapes and unstable balconies from the sidewalk. Then she'd realized with a sudden rush of discomfort that she was standing exactly where he had been when Euanthe, like some dumb cat, had curiously peeked around the corner of a building at him.
Euanthe couldn't explain why she was drawn back to the spot the next night when she henshined up and went on patrol. Maybe because deep down she was proud of what had happened there. No, not proud of being squarely beaten by Zinkenite (though there was no way she could have won). At the time she had refused an invitation to something far more twisted and horrible than she'd understood. Maybe it was just dumb luck, then, but in retrospect it still reassured her that even if she was a fairly worthless Senshi at least her heart could tell right from wrong even when her brain couldn't.
She kicked over a trashcan idly and squinted at the ground like she was expecting to find those funny little cystals he'd used... but of course there was no sign at all of their battle ever having taken place. Even if magic hadn't played a part the months since then would have erased all traces of the fight. Damn, had it really been so long? Euanthe flushed when she realized that if she met him again in this same alley she would be equally defenseless tonight as she had been that night. Months, and still useless...
With the quietest steps she could manage Euanthe set out again, masking herself in the long shadows between street lights. The cloak of shadow made her feel safer, even if walking on the street level made her an easy target for anyone or anything on the rooftops. Perhaps taking that risk made her feel less like a coward.
Zinkenite was out there somewhere, taking energy or beating up Senshi - her allies - and it brought on feelings she couldn't decipher. She thought of Lina, of her pain in reminiscing over her time in the Negaverse. The warping of reality... Lina had been deep in it too and then she'd reformed. The Jovian Court would want the same thing for him. Somehow... that didn't seem likely for Zinkenite.
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Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2011 6:04 pm
“Did you return to this spot by chance? Or to find me again?”
The voice was familiar though the power more oppressive than the last time they had spoken. His voice as civil at least, perhaps more so than the last time. The wind snapped at the long coat, tugging at it like it wanted to set free the smoke designs that curled more smoothly along it than before. Much was the same but subtle things were different as well, he had changed for better or for worse. “I should have brought tea, unless you mean to fight again.” He tilted his head watching you, patient and calm. His eyes flicked over your uniform and he gave a small shrug, as though he’d had some small expectation that had not been met but to what end he gave no comment.
“You look well, have you grown more accustomed to this ‘fight’? This war between doctrines?”
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Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2011 6:26 pm
The pink-haired Senshi literally jumped at the sound of his voice. "Z- Zinkenite!" She gasped out, dancing away from him. Speak of the devil... He'd startled her so badly that the changes took a moment to register. Then the rush of energy that came with his rank hit her all at once, and nearly overwhelmed her. It made her heartbeat quick with panic.
"No!" Euanthe raised her hands in front of her defensively, a preemptive white flag. "Peace, peace! I- I definitely do not want to fight." Though she would have mentioned that tea sounded especially nice, she didn't see how they could acquire some now. It wasn't like either of them would be welcome in a tea house dressed as they were. Terrorists and what not. Not to mention...
"What- what happened to you?" She asked, his own questions about her forgotten, her voice quiet and almost horrified. That kind of power... it was great and terrible. It turned her face pale. She had no doubt that she'd be able to feel it anywhere in the city. Euanthe had never encountered a Royal Senshi before, though she'd heard of them, and no one had even mentioned General-Kings and Queens. It frightened her more than anything else she'd encountered as a Senshi.
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Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2011 6:38 pm
He tilted his head watching her reaction, from the stammering to the blood running out of her face. “Happened?” He glanced down at himself in a distracted sort of interest. “Quite a lot of things. Some a great deal more pleasant than others, I’m afraid the new uniform rather straddles a fine line between those areas.” He replied enigmatically and smiled all the same from behind his mask.
“You do like tea though, I don’t think I’d miss recall that detail. If you’ll grant me just a moment I’ll fetch us some?” He tiled his head to the other side almost bird like. Quizzical and studious as though nothing of any real importance had changed. It would hardly do after all to tell her that there had been any manner of infighting that had lead to his promotion. A unified front was of utmost importance to keep the senshi from sinking in the claws of doubt.
“I promise that It will be a very peaceful tea, and that I will bring a sealed box of treats along with it, alright?” He’d be lying if he didn’t admit to enjoying the slight game of cat and mouse that he his rank gave him over the lower ranks of senshi. Particularly the ones that didn’t make a flat our run for it, which he personally hoped made them more susceptible to reason. If nothing else their logic was always interesting.
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Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2011 7:12 pm
"I do very much like tea," Euanthe confirmed, her voice a little hollow. She was still trying to process what he'd said. The cryptic smile and vague choice of words wasn't making that happen any faster, either. To obtain great and terrible power something great and terrible had to happen apparently.
A sealed box of treats? "Why would that-" she started, then the implications dawned on her and she felt something like a heavy stone in her stomach. It was so deadly serious. In the end, this really was a war. How did she always manage to forget? Yet even as she acknowledged that, somehow the prospect of eating treats and drinking tea with Zinkenite was incredibly appealing. Maybe because it felt like hope. Like there might be a way out of this war that didn't involve every last one of the people involved dying a painful, tragic death. If a General (or whatever he was now) could meet with one of the weakest White Moon Senshi and they could part ways still alive, not only once but twice, didn't that mean there was a peaceful resolution somewhere?
Poor, stupid little Euanthe. She wanted to believe it so badly, if only for the cause of her court.
Nervously she nodded her assent, a conceit. As if when push came to shove Euanthe could really assert her will against such a powerful opponent. "Let's have tea then," she said quietly. It kept her voice from shaking. "I trust you."
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Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2011 7:20 pm
He gave a small bow, polite, old fashioned, and vanished. It was likely he had come the same way. While she wouldn’t know how much of a waste of energy such showing off could be, he considered it an investment in ‘their relationship’ such as it was.
A handful of minutes later, just this side of the ‘nervous’ edge when one begins to wonder if they have been abandoned or worse he re-appeared. The small gust of wind from his appearance tugging at the tiny butterflies that graced her ribbons and the fine veil in her hair like they might want to fly away if given the freedom to.
What he carried was perhaps not so glamorous as it could have been. Paper cups with thick ‘sleeves’ to insulate hands and a tin of butter cookies in a plastic bag, but it was an offering of a sort of peace, and to the trust she offered him. He removed his great overcoat and spread it for sitting, it didn’t do much to deprive him of layers but it was again a polite thing to do.
He plucked the plastic seal off the edge of the cookies and offered her the first choice of the crumbling morsels and then offered her first choice of the tea in its paper cups. “Orange zest, I hope you don’t mind…I’m a little tired of peppermint this late in the season.”
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Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2011 5:56 pm
She considered walking away (running away) as soon as he left. When he teleported away it slowly dawned on her that maybe this kind of 'fraternizing with the enemy' business was not particularly well-liked amongst her allies. Not proper Senshi conduct, as it were. But surely leaving now wouldn't be in favor of her overall goal, which was... well, she didn't really know what it was. Indecision kept her rooted like a tree to the pavement however and he reappeared in the split second before she was about to settle on a plan of action.
"I wondered if you were ever coming back!" Said Euanthe with a slight nervous laugh. "Oh, butter cookies!" Her tone sounded mildly surprised. Butter cookies, not evil-chaos-skull cookies. Imagine that. Well, her mind was made up now anyway. Butter cookies were god damn delicious and Euanthe was about to take part in probably the weirdest tea party of her life. Zinkenite was proving himself to be a real gentleman at least. "Thank you," she said.
Euanthe accepted the first cookie once she was settled nicely on the impromptu picnic blanket he'd laid down. It had such pretty designs on it that she almost felt bad for sitting on it. Well, at least it would get cleaned the next time he did the Negaverse equivalent of henshining up. But now came the problem of what to talk about. Not sure how what topics might be considered polite in this situation, Euanthe pulled out the ultimate awkward conversation starter: "So... unseasonably warm weather, isn't it?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 03, 2012 6:25 pm
“It takes a little time to gather things for proper tea, I do apologize for the wait.” He replied and took a cookie for himself, brushing at the slightly burnt edges of it where the mold had dribbled and made a fine brown rim.
“It is rather warm for the season, I think we’ll see plenty of snow soon though, I’m betting more through July though and February. I can’t say I’m not looking forward to it at least a little.” He let the amusement creep into his voice at the many layers of clothing that he possessed. It amused him that most senshi wore so little as far as their costumes were concerned, though the same could be said of a number of Lieutenants as well. Still when it came to being dressed for colder weather the Negaverse as a whole held an edge.
“I admit having watched many of the side of Order last winter I’m amazed at how well so many of you can function in slippers and high heels when there is black ice or sleet to contend with.”
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Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 6:46 pm
"Yeah," she said with a crooked, insecure smile. "You're wearing like five coats. Summer must be hell for you." Even Euanthe was a little overheated in her opaque tights at times during the warmer months when she had first been awakened. "But I know what you mean. I like the snow too. I like the smell. That snow smell the air gets just before it starts," said Euanthe, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. Her smile seemed to waver less now. "But with the shoes thing, maybe it's just part of the magic? Though if it was I don't see why it couldn't make us just not cold in the first place. Honestly I am not looking forward to snow with these shoes. They'll get soaked! Maybe I'll get better shoes later on. I like the butterflies though. Oh, and your new, um... shoulder thingies. They're new right? I don't remember them, anyway. But they look nice."
Yes, talk fashion with the enemy. She slurped her tea awkwardly and deliberated on what to say next. Even the shortest moment of silence seemed threatening. "It's good," she announced.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 7:09 pm
“ONE coat, the rest is…some assortment of shirts and vests, several belts though, apparently the Chaos tailor enjoyed those.” He chuckled softly and then shrugged, setting the small ornamentations on his shoulder boards swaying. “They aren’t inconvenient, I suppose that counts for something, I’m glad It wasn’t a cape to be honest, that’s just asking for someone to take a good handful of it.”
He turned his gaze skyward thinking for a moment about snow. “I rather enjoy that sound it makes, like static, white noise.” He shrugged before turning his attention to your shoes. “I did know a senshi for a time with sandals, and I believe there was a young woman who had no shoes at all, I think she put on galoshes.”
He watched you sip the tea for a long moment, studious and patient. “Make you rather nervous still do I?” He asked softly.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 7:47 pm
She laughed. Galoshes was a practical solution. And she laughed nervously enough to prove his point. No use trying to hide it anyway. "Can you blame me?" Said Euanthe. "I was seriously outclassed the first time we met, which - I think you remember - wasn't exactly all sunshine and rainbows. And now..." Euanthe shrugged.
"But I don't mean that to be a judgment," she followed up quickly, her hands raising in a placating gesture. "Even after I learned about how... when I heard things about the Negaverse- I mean-" The pink haired Senshi knotted her fingers together and drew in a breath. How to make sentences? Especially how to make sentences without giving too much away. "All I mean is that I don't think that you're a bad person. Even if you did give me a sore throat for like a week." A smirk was delivered with the last bit, a teasing sort of look that said 'I forgive you' nonetheless.
Euanthe of course had no way of knowing that Zinkenite and Lina Knight of Mercury had ever known each other. But given what Lina had said about what the power of Chaos was like, and given that Zinkenite was probably not going to enjoy any mention of someone who had left the Negaverse - whether he knew her personally or not - Euanthe decided it was probably just better not to elaborate on why she felt the way she did.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 8:19 pm
“What they’ve told you about it?” he said sounding amused. “What those swayed by ‘order’ have said of it? How we’re tools of some great evil thing, terrible minions set to oppose the greater good that is the side of Order. The same side of order who tortured, killed and abused so many of us, who can’t even find structure in its ranks and has no care to hear that it, as a side, may be just as swayed by the ‘views’ of their power source as they say we are?” He shook his head. “No, I can’t say I’m surprised, or that I can fault you for your nervousness, If I were confronted with a senshi of my own rank I think I would be nervous as well, I don’t like the idea of being at their mercy, not after what I have seen that order is capable of.”
His words were soft, his eyes downcast towards his tea cup as he spoke and he shrugged, looking in that moment very young.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 8:47 pm
Euanthe winced with every accusation. True, these things happened long before she was awakened but when he remarked on them so pointedly she still couldn't help but feel guilty about it. Especially after her talk with Lina, who had changed sides but still said the same thing. Being on the side of Order did not mean that a person was inherently good, just as she didn't find Zinkenite to be inherently evil.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly, her brow furrowed. It was distressing to see him look that way. The change in their conversation was jarring, and it evoked a desire to put him at ease again. "What was done wasn't right. And I don't... I don't really entirely understand what happened to the people who did those things, but I know that the Senshi who have helped and supported me don't believe in doing such terrible things."
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Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2012 11:06 am
“Don’t be sorry.” He said and placed a light hand on her arm, barely touching her. Polite but trying not to intrude or make her uncomfortable. “It was not you who did those things, or I wouldn’t be sitting here. I may be willing to sit and talk but I have no deep love for what happened, or love for those who would do it again.”
“The only thing I can ask of you now is that you consider both sides, that’s more than many will do at all. I’m pleased you are with senshi who don’t believe in doing that, but never forget that the senshi are no less fallible than we are. We all fight for what we believe, it’s a question of how we do that.”
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Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2012 11:40 am
"I'll consider it," said Euanthe quietly, her gaze alighting on where he touched her. It felt like an admission of treason, even if Euanthe didn't believe it in her heart. She doubted she would ever have cause to seriously doubt her faction... and the truth was that Euanthe was still second to Linnea, even if she didn't know it consciously. The escape into "real life" into a normal life was always hovering at the back of her mind. She had done it once before, buried her henshin pen in a drawer and pretended it didn't exist. Even Lene, with her stubborn determination, could admit defeat and choose the easy option of running away.
"Th- This is a very dark conversation," she blurted suddenly with a small, lopsided smile. "Important, of course. But not very fitting for tea and cookies - which are great, by the way. Thank you."
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