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 Posted: Tue May 29, 2012 11:18 pm
"Let's see what this planet is all about."
Grus and Chaonis stood together in the night, the wind dying down to almost nothing but the occasional tickle around the female senshi's bare legs. Her blue eyes flashed with humor, dancing with the thoughts of returning to space after such a long absence and the curiosity of what another senshi's planet looked like. What did Chaonis's planet have? What kinds of plants? Were there even plants? Animals? Her planet didn't have animals, but that didn't mean that others couldn't.
A familiar bubbly feeling rose from her stomach, filling her with a sense of anxiety. What if they didn't make it? What if they ended up somewhere else entirely? Could that even happen? The anxiety was strangely comforting. She wondered why for a moment before the answer materialized. Fear meant danger. Anxiety meant something new. Something was about to happen that would change how she saw the world.
Anxiety meant excitement.
Grus let the anxiety turn to excitement with no resistance, until she felt like her smile could light up the entire block. Her voice held no trace of the excitement. It didn't shake or falter. She could totally travel to another planet. And with Chaonis there, she knew she'd be safe. His sphere may be danger, but he was a safety net in case something out there went wrong. Her voice was clear and bright.
"Shall we go?"
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Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 6:58 pm
Chaonis was grinning ear to ear, his usual expression when he wasn't scowling, and his arms were folded over his chest. He was at ease, feeling good about their plan and about his company. For some reason, he had been wanting to take her to his planet.
Even if it was a useless dust ball of a place.
He never questioned how they got to their planets, or if they'd get there safely. He imagined if something bad could happen it would have already. Of course, he was a senshi of no fear, one that thrived on danger. Whether he thought about it or not, apparently.
He imagined that those hanging out with him understood that they were hanging out with danger.
"Let's do this thing, then." He offered her his hand, grinning. His phone was in his hand, and he was ready. He punched in the numbers, not really asking her if she was ready before they were off across time and space, to the planet Chaonis. The asteroid, anyway.
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Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 7:28 pm
Grus took the offered hand from the equally as excited Chaonis, and felt her excitement jump into her throat as she felt the beginnings of space travel. To her, it felt like pressure squeezing her on all sides. Like she imagined toothpaste would feel. The only solid thing she felt was her hand in Chaonis's, and when she focused on that, the pressure didn't seem as bad.
Just when she thought that it was taking quite some time to get there, they landed. A plume of dust rolled out from their landing site and twirled up their legs.
Grus kicked at the dirt, scrunching up her face as it coated her boots, dulling the vibrant red hue. She raised her eyes, and got her first glance at the asteroid of Chaonis.
"Wow."
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2012 10:11 am
Chaonis looked around the familiar enough planet. They had arrived somewhere new, not down a hole this time at least, but it still all looked the same. Rocky. Barren. Dusty. Boring. He grunted, folding his arms over his chest in annoyance.
"Wow nothing. This place is pointless. But let's explore, see if there's anything we can find that's actually worth our time."
He was a little gruff, though he had wanted to bring her here. He wanted to show off and there was not much to show off. They would just have to go and look around. Why couldn't his place be like hers?
He nodded his head toward a looming rock formation in the distance. It was high and dark, and it seemed to be oddly shaped. Natural enough, like those weird rocks in the deserts that everyone had to take pictures of because it was oh so arty. But he wanted to take a look at it up close, in case there was something cool.
He doubted it, but what else was there to do?
The terrain was jagged and uneven, falling into deep ravines or rising up into high, rocky mountains. Where actual 'ground level' might be was anyone's guess.
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2012 11:57 pm
She shivered, her eyes locked on the horizon. The asteroid was definitely not like hers. The colors were warm; browns, oranges and red covered her field of vision. Rocks jutted up to the sky, creating a haggard skyline. She felt the urge to trace a section with her finger, but resisted. Instead she placed her gaze upon a gruff looking Chaonis.
His tone hinted that he wasn't entirely happy with his place of origin. Grus could see why. After visiting a place flush with greenery and plenty of places to explore, he must feel like his own place won't match up. Maybe it doesn't in his eyes already. She didn't see why. Sure it was different, but something about it seemed to match her friend.
After all, he was the senshi of danger. How would it look to have a home made of fluffy bunnies and rainbows?
His head indicated a specific jagged peak. Her gaze traced his to the formation, and her face went from uncertainty to a smile.
"There has to be something to find!" She took a few bouncy steps and looked back over her shoulder. A few feathers tickled her chin and she could see the white tips of the wings on her back in her peripheral vision.
"And if there isn't, then at least you got to hang out with me!"
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Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2012 10:31 am
"Yeah, yeah," he grunted, though really he was glad for that consolation prize. Mostly because it wasn't just the booby prize he took away from another boring trip to his planet: he liked hanging out with her, and had only come here because they'd planned it.
He jogged toward the strange rocks, kicking up dust as his feet fell over ground that had not been disturbed in ages. Their footprints were alone here, and would be so after they left.
As they drew closer to the rocks, they would see glinting metal. It was a natural structure, but it looked as though it had been built into, creating supports. Chaonis stared up at the rocks. It was the first sign of life, or previous life, that he had found on this rock.
He didn't know what it was, but it was there.
"I wonder if this thing has a door," he looked at her, grinning. If it did, they were going to go inside.
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Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 11:51 am
Grus picked up her pace when Chaonis jogged past her, intent on reaching the peak before being covered from head to do in powdery dust.
The rocks turned out to be more than just organic. Silvery metal sparkled out from in between the rocks. Grus squinted as one piece reflected light into her eyes. Placing a hand up to shield her face, she could see that the entire structure had metal supports.
The more profound meaning that Chaonis had was lost to her. The comment about the door had her leaning this way and that, searching for something that looked like a door. She stepped to the left, reaching out almost as if to touch the rock.
"A door huh? Well that can't be too hard to find."
Their searching brought forth the door in question, partially hidden by rock. It was also metal, and large. Grus's finger grazed the shiny surface. She suddenly looked at Chaonis.
"Wait, you don't plan on going in there do you?"
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Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2012 12:48 pm
Chaonis grinned as they came to the door, looking it over in approval, he nodded his head, and didn't stop when she asked her question. He looked at her, still grinning, though now there was a distinctly wicked look in his eyes.
"Of course we're going in. You think I just came here to look at it? You're missing the point of a door."
He patted her hard on the shoulder, then moved to the door. It was mighty and looked solid, unmoved by time save for some erosion and wear. It looked mostly superficial, nothing that would aid in opening it if it didn't want to open. He hoped it wasn't locked. Grabbing on to the handle, which was a strange shape in itself, he pulled on it with all his strength. It wasn't moving but he was not going to give up.
He was going to open this damn door.
After straining, changing his position, and straining again he managed to push it open just enough for the two of them to slip inside. He grunted from exertion, looking at her and then grinning again. This time he looked winded.
"Alright, let's go in! Ladies first."
It was pitch black inside. Whoever went first would get a nasty surprise. The door hadn't been booby trapped, but just beyond it there was a pressure plate still wired to what seemed to be a rudimentary trap system. Stepping on the plate released a swinging boulder. It was not over sized however, and there were no spikes or other things that would kill. Maybe it wasn't designed for that.
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Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2012 12:37 am
Her heart rate started to increase. It was bound to be dark in there. And probably a small, confined space. Oh how she hated the dark! But her pride certainly wouldn't let her admit that to Chaonis. He would no doubt spend the rest of the trip mocking her. She stuck her tongue out at his quip, choosing to mask her pounding heart with humor.
Because he decided to be sarcastic, she chose to watch him open the door rather than help. She waited while he pushed and pulled, shoved and grumbled. Her gaze occasionally strayed to lock onto his muscles. She wasn't sure what part was the senshi increase in strength and what part he was just normally gifted with, but he certainly looked like he could open the door all by himself. At this point in her thoughts she would rapidly change her view to focus on some rock in the distance or a particular crack in the rock to her right.
Yeah, let him catch you oogling him. He will never shut up then.
By the time he had managed to get the door open, her face was a faint rose color. Maybe the dark wouldn't be so bad after. At least he wouldn't see her stare.
She nodded, and gingerly edged past the tired looking Chaonis to peer into the bleak looking entrance. She couldn't see the walls, the floors, anything. Placing a foot inside, she looked back at Chaonis as if to say Are you sure about this? before flashing a grin and plunging into the dark.
Almost immediately she heard a grating sound, and her heart dropped. There was a rumbling sound. A trap?
You have GOT to be kidding me!
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Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2012 5:36 pm
Unfortunately for Grus, Chaonis could always find something to mock her about the whole trip, be it a fear of the dark or something he just made up. But fortunately he was distracted by this strange new discovery of theirs.
He hadn't been here last time.
In fact, he had never seen anything like this before.
He would love to know she was watching him work, though. He'd been so busy actually trying to open the door, he had been too distracted. That was a rare feat, as he generally did not apply that much effort to much. If anything. But being a senshi had grown on him and, in its way, had helped him grow up just a little bit.
Not too much, of course.
"Watch it!" he heard the sound and, a step behind her, saw the trap a fraction of a second before it was triggered. Enough time for him, out of the line of fire, to react. It swung at Grus and he leaped at her. He slammed his shoulder into hers.
The boulder swung just over them as they crashed to the dark floor. It slammed into the opposite wall and then swung back with less force, and less each time it swung until it came to a stop. The door behind them slammed shut the moment the rock hit the wall.
"Well s**t," Chaonis said, getting to his feet. It was pitch black for a moment, but then a soft orange glow spread across the room, dancing along the walls in strange patterns. Writing? Or pictures of some kind. Or maybe just natural curves in the rocks themselves. Whatever it was, it was strange. Chaonis looked around. They were in a chamber of some kind, and there were stairs going up. They were carved out of the stone, rather than built, and followed the flow of the rocks themselves. The levels were built the same way: the place was constructed from what had already been there, and supported with metal beams of some kind.
They just looked metal to Chaonis. He wasn't too concerned about what they were called or how they were made.
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Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 11:04 am
She twisted to look at him as he called out, the rumbling getting louder. She was taken aback when he slammed into her, sending her sprawling onto the ground, where the rock bit her her knees and scraped along her gloves. She hissed, feeling the skin break on her leg.
The boulder swung lazily above her when she finally rolled over onto her back with a deep intake of breath. It didn't look like it could have killed her, but it certainly would have hurt like hell to be hit by it. She heard Chaonis swear as the room when dark, and she squeaked. But the darkness was penetrated by a glow that came from the walls. She stared at the markings as she lifted herself off of the ground into a sitting position, pressing a palm against the wall when she rose to her feet. The glow was so pretty..
"Are you alright Chaonis?" she called out softly, much more cautious about the entire place now. her fingers traced one of the lines, feeling the hard rock underneath. She let her body follow one of the lines until her leg bumped a stone slab. Which turned out to be stairs. These drew her eyes upward, and she marveled at how they flowed and moved with the rock itself.
One foot stepped onto the stair gingerly, as if to feel for any other pressure traps. When nothing happened, she continued up a couple more steps, pausing to look back and make sure Chaonis was following her.
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Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 11:18 am
Chaonis was not the kind of guy who noticed things like pretty markings. They registered to him as sources of light. Something in the back of his head told him he should wonder what they were, why they were there.
What they meant.
But he didn't, not right now.
Grinning ear to ear, he nodded his head as he sat back from her, scuffed maybe but no worse for wear. He was excited as much as he was annoyed: it wasn't like they were stuck in here regardless of the door closing. And even if they were, he would probably still be excited. Things were happening. There were things to explore.
This place wasn't as boring as he thought it was.
He saw her on the stairs and watched her for a moment. He wondered if this all had something to do with her. Cool things were happening because she was here. Or maybe it was just her good luck to be here when they did. He was not going to spend too long thinking about it, following her up the stairs and letting her lead.
In case there were more traps.
So far there weren't. The glowing lights continued and they reached the next floor. It opened up into the rocks deeply, creating a much wider expanse for them to explore. There was old, mostly broken, equipment here. The ravages of time had worn them down but the metal had been strong when new and resisted the wear of the dust.
It looked kind of like a rudimentary, earth made gym.
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Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 11:57 am
His excitement was contagious and, despite the near death experience just minutes ago, Grus found herself peering ahead, intent on seeing what came next. She didn't connect adventure with being with Chaonis. She chalked it up to being a senshi in general. Being with Chaonis made it more fun and less terrifying.
The stairs ended in a larger cavern with all kinds of stuff in it. She immediately sheared away from Chaonis to examine the first thing she found. It was a large contraption of metal. There was a piece hanging down, and she tugged at it experimentally. It resisted her pull, though from age or weight she wasn't sure. She pulled again, using both hands this time, and she felt something move just slightly. Sighing, she released her grip and moved on to the next pile of metal, which proved to be so broken that she doubted whoever had made it would recognize what it was supposed to be.
There were things that looked strangely like hand weights tossed carelessly on the ground some feet from the metal. She touched one with a foot, rolling it over with her boot.
"So either people on your planets were metal smiths, or total meat heads." she remarked, picking up one of the smaller weights after failing to pick up the one she had rolled over. It was totally solid, and she ran her finger over the outline of it.
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2012 12:48 am
"I think it's probably both."
He had seen a lot of metal, and a lot of rocks. Now there were a lot of things to work out with, and he was sure was all hand made. They were metal workers and rock carvers and body builders here? Maybe.
He grinned.
"So they booby trap their gyms? This is a strange place, man. Now, the door's shut but there has to be another way out of here." He had clearly gotten bored with the scenery.
He wanted to find more.
There were no more stairs, but rather a kind of ladder built into the rocks, an arc of glowing symbols nearby illuminating the carvings. He moved toward it, looking up and then looking of at the weight Grus was holding. "Working on your physique, huh?"
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2012 1:03 am
She smirked, rolling the smaller weight in her hands. "Oh you know, it's swimsuit season. Gotta look my best!" The equipment didn't keep her partner in crime entertained for long, and she dropped the weight on the ground with a muffled THUMP.
"Hey it's your planet. Maybe they are super exclusive gyms or something. Like secret ones?" Now Grus was imagining a planet of ninjas. But ninjas wouldn't wear bright freakin orange would they?
The rock ladder was far more interesting [than the slowly decaying piles of metal. she moved to stand next to Chaonis, staring up at the carved rock piece. "I wonder if the carvings warn you of the booby traps?" she hypothesized, wanting to reach out and touch them again. Instead she clasped her wandering hands together, and waited for the other senshi to alight the ladder. She almost died going first last time, it was his turn to risk his life.
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