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 Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2015 10:01 pm
One of the biggest problems with winter? Ok besides the cold--it was a perfect excuse to wear layers thank you--and yeah she wasn't a huge fan of snow all the time but... the biggest problem? It got dark. Fast.
Cassie checked the time on her cell, cheeks puffing a bit as she confirmed, yep. It was barely five in the afternoon, and the street lights were on, shadows were creeping crawling across the streets and melding into the alleys. She gave those openings plenty of room, keeping herself far from them as the sidewalks would allow. The keys to her apartment were held between her fingers, hidden under the long sleeves of her coat. Fluffy layers kept her comfortable even as she saw her breath puff in small clouds before her. Really, she wasn't sure what would make anyone want to try and mug her--or anything else that the media threatened would happen to anyone caught defenseless on the streets at night.
Or worse. Word of monsters was plastered everywhere, hissed and hushed, along with the talk of costumed terrorists that caused way too much property damage within the city. Never mind all the disappearances rumored to be connected...
Really, it was a wonder they let anyone walk the streets at any hour, never mind in the dark. Or in this twilight, with its strange shadows. She blamed her evening classes at DCU. Nothing but trouble.
Amber eyes flickered, caught by a switch in the lighting. A burnt out bulb? Curiosity pulled her forward, multi-colored hair drifting into her vision as she tried to peek around the corner of a building to peer into the alley. Just a cat, she figured, or maybe someone coming out of a side door? She stood beneath a lamp, lingering within the safety of the light. The last remaining colors, tints and shades, of the day streaked across the sky, the sun below the horizon.
That was the worst part about winter. She was afraid of what lurked in the shadows at barely five o'clock.
Kyuseisha no Hikari HAVE A SUNSET FOR YOUR SUNSET BBY
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Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2015 10:10 pm
Five was early—too early, Adria was worried. But he could have sworn that he saw something…odd. And it was dark enough outside—and getting darker by the minute. He could have run if he needed to, or hid in the shadows. Just as long as no one was being eaten by or attacked by monsters, he could justify it.
…If he hadn't made a bad judgment call and run almost straight into some girl walking.
He let out a surprised yelp and narrowly avoided running into her; his need to be silent and discreet clashed with his need to be polite so he blurted "Oh—jeez, I'm sorry, I didn't—"
…And then remembered that he wasn't Malcolm, he was Sailor Adria. Who was supposed to be fighting monsters, not socializing.
He held a hand over his chest as if to calm his startled heart, and one other hand up in apology.
"Sorry, bye," he said, backing up towards the shadows awkwardly.
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Posted: Thu Dec 10, 2015 10:08 am
She'd just stood there, eyes narrowed as she peered into the shadows, fingers tight around her keys. News reports flooded her brain, and when a blur of purples and gold rushed into view, she wasn't sure if she'd confused the sky with the ground or what, stumbling backwards a bit to avoid getting rammed into. But the figure spoke and her brain caught up, and Cassie's mouth popped open in an 'o' as she stared at the youth.
His outfit was amazing--did she interrupt a photoshoot? Was that the light she'd seen? The fist around her keys laxed, and she slipped them into her pocket to keep herself from looking bad to the guy. Looked like she'd freaked him out about as much as he'd startled her...
"O-oh! No, no you're fine--" She tried to reassure him, and just like that he was heading off..? Her curiosity didn't appreciate that, and despite manners she stepped forward a little after him. "Wait, please? Just a quick sec?" Ok so that second ticked by but she held her hands out to the side a little, trying to show she didn't mean any harm. "I'm sorry, I just... um... why are you dressed like that?"
Well that came across great. She winced a little. "Er, I mean.... um, your outfit looks really cool. Are you doing a photoshoot or something..?"
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Posted: Thu Dec 10, 2015 11:53 pm
Immediately, the guy looked a bit self conscious. He was still getting used to this outfit, himself, so when she asked what he was wearing he was worried he'd put on his sweater backwards or something stupid. All that bright color reminded him that, once again, he was not Malcolm.
"No," he blurted, not even thinking to lie. It hit him a split second later and he cleared his throat. "—No, I mean, yes, I am. That's—that's exactly why I'm wearing this outfit."
…No, it wasn't.
And he couldn't stick to a lie.
"…No," he finally repeated a few seconds later. "—Look, it's a long story. I don't think it's one you really want to hear. It's—I've got a reason for dressing like this, honest. I just. I don't know if it's a good one."
It probably sounded stupid—like he was a raving lunatic, honestly. How could anyone who wasn't involved in this war understand? Even he was involved in this war and wasn't sure he understood.
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Posted: Sun Dec 20, 2015 12:32 pm
Cassie's eyes went a bit wide, awkwardly freezing as she stared at him. No--yes--no. No seemed to be his answer, and her head tilted. Why the lie? Long story?
A giggle broke out and she smiled. "I've got time for a story. Besides," she added, her face softening in sympathy. "It sounds like chatting about it might help you sort things out? I mean, in terms of if it's a good reason or not." Her curiosity was burning in her throat, wanting to ask countless whys, whos, whats. But she tried to contain them for now.
Besides... if he was so troubled by it all, maybe having an outsider would help to figure his mind out? At least that was her thought on it all as she lingered there, arms crossing behind her back.
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Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2015 12:02 am
He laughed awkwardly and looked confused, like he wasn't quite sure what he should say—or what he could say. But he didn't want to be rude and just blow her off, so he was having a bit of an internal struggle with what to talk about.
He squired while he stood, and reached for the sash around his waist to tug at it as he tried to collect his thoughts. "Well, I don't know," he began slowly, "There's really not a good reason that makes sense. It's probably better if you believe in aliens and magic and superheroes, but I figure most sane people over the age of twelve sort of outgrow that."
…Though, he'd never outgrown it, and he was planning on making a career out of people who wanted to live in fantasy worlds, too. So this was…right up his alley, except he couldn’t believe it was real.
"…But it sort of has to do with those, you know, Terrorists. Who aren't terrorists! That's just what people are saying because they don't understand—or don't want to believe—that there are people like them around."
It was still 'them' to him; he didn't quite feel like he belonged to their group.
"…So I'm dressed up to try and keep the city safe, and this just so happens to be my disguise." He stood, almost meekly in front of her, waiting for the criticism or the insults or the bullying. It wasn't like she knew who he really was, and he could leave at any time, so he didn't know why it was so important to get approval.
…Except, he knew the exact reason was because there wasn't exactly anyone else he could tell about this—so why not a stranger who didn't know his true identity anyway?"
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Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2016 9:45 am
A flush had crept across her face as he'd mentioned believing in aliens, magic, and superheroes. Did she believe? Well. Maybe on some level. A childish--ha... he did say people under twelve...--desire to believe the folklore and legends she studied had kernels of truth. She'd written papers already on overlap of lore across different regional and cultural expanses, and while she wasn't quoting Ancient Aliens on their reasonings...
So Cassie listened with intent interest as he continued on with his explanations. The terrorists? Yeah she'd heard of them. Everyone had, surely. Though she wasn't sure if she believed the extent of some of the stories, to hear him talk about it now...
Amber eyes wide, she looked down when he finished, the color still staining her cheeks. Either he was... a few screws loose in the head, or making fun of her, or super deep in LARP.... or believed what he was telling her. Hesitant eyes flicked back up to his, nipping at her lip as she weighed the pros and cons of... continuing this. Her curiosity was burning in her throat, begging for more information, begging to let her ask more questions.
Finally, she let... one slip out. "What... what are you protecting... the city from?"
Glancing down again, she picked at her clothes before a small, airy laugh lifted from her. "I'm... um... I'm an Anthropology student over at DCU. So... stories of magic, fantasy, and superheroes... that's... that's sort of always been things I've loved. But... people say they're made to be representations of morals of the times they were written in. But... that... doesn't seem to be what's going on... with the stories of those terrorists..." Her blush darkening, she looked back up to him, as much waiting for the punch line as he was.
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Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2016 12:00 am
"Oh!" he blurted, and looked immediately apologetic. "I didn't mean to offend you! I wasn't trying to be cruel or insult the things you loved. I'm sorry. I—I love them too, if that helps. The stories, I mean. I love fantasy. It's just—"
He looked incredibly embarrassed and was almost stumbling over his words to try and correct his mistakes. "—I mean, if…It's hard to…believe…uhm. Uhm. I'm protecting the city from monsters," he finally blurted, eyes locked with hers and face red.
"Like, real monsters, okay. And this group of bad people who wants to—I don't know—enslave humanity or take over the earth or something bad. I'm still learning, but, uhm. I'm not joking and I'm not making fun of you and I'm sorry if it came out wrong. I just feel really stupid because I didn't think anyone would ever believe me and I don't want you to think I'm crazy because I feel crazy, but I'm pretty sure I can do magic and I know I've seen a monster and a talking cat, so it's real, it's just really, really messed up—"
He might have kept talking if he hadn't run out of breath and had to take a huge gulp of air.
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