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 Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2016 12:28 pm
Eternal Sailor Virtus had not been powering up very regularly these days. He had fallen out of contact with most of his faction, and did not really find himself as utterly devoted to their 'cause' as he used to be. At the moment, he could not think of what he was devoted to, if anything at all. Really, only the basic thought that had always been with him seemed to be lingering in his mind.
He just wanted to help people.
After his meeting with Sinistra, and copious hours of thinking and wandering around on his own, Virtus was doubting the darkness in his starseed, and his ability to do true good with it there. The White Moon had always been kind to him, after all, and he heard time and again that he was not what people expected when they felt Chaos in the air.
It felt like maybe he should pursue the thought of purification, but for a rare moment in his life he found himself hesitant. Even scared. Was it the right choice? Would he be letting people down if he left? Hurting them? Disappointing them? Would he be making more trouble than he would cause good if he tried? The very last thing he ever wanted to do was cause pain or make people upset.
It was a hard balance to maintain, sometimes, and it was weighing him down. even his own relentless positive attitude and happiness was beginning to be impacted by it. His smile tonight, as he wandered around thoughtfully, was dimmer than usual. Not a frown, not yet, but there was a little light missing in his gaze as he looked around the park.
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Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2016 11:47 am
Really, Navi shouldn't have been terribly surprised when someone from her past turned up that night. It wasn't the first time it had happened, it wouldn't be the last. She might have changed her civilian name, the color of her fuku, but there was no escape from who she was. The city was only so large, of course. It should have been more surprising, really, that she hadn't run into more shades from her past. This one, however, carried a particular amount of painful baggage. A certain amount of guilt for the person she used to be. That selfish, callous person that had placed herself above anyone else. Her happiness. Her desires. She wasn't that person anymore, but... "You look a little lost." They stood at opposite ends of a small square in the park marked in the center with a fountain. It wasn't a place she frequented much on her own, but she had company tonight in the small cat that was laying over her shoulder. His presence masking her own. It was how she had managed to get so close without him noticing. How long had it been since she'd let him go? She couldn't remember.
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Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2016 5:45 pm
Virtus looked up at the familiar voice, blinking in surprise and wonder as he looked Navi over. Everything about her was different, but nothing quite as stark as her aura. He hadn't been able to feel it until he saw her there, and even then it was masked due to the cat sitting on her shoulder. She no longer felt like Virtus himself did: and the obvious answer was a pure as the white of her fuku. She had purified, and joined the White Moon.
Just like Sinistra had said, though he had not really thought it was a thing the DMC could do.
"Oh, Navi! It's so good to see you! How have you been? You look amazing! You've joined the White Moon! That's so good for you! I'm really glad!" He bounced over to her, almost forgetting every care that had settled on his shoulders the moment he had something else to focus on. If he remembered that they had ended their relationship a little awkwardly, he didn't seem phased by it at all.
Hadaya watched Virtus with wide eyes. He knew Navi had lots of contacts in the DMC, so he wasn't as on edge as he might have been with a nega. Still, this guy was very excitable and very... nice? Did he act like that when he got excited? Hadaya felt like it was more acceptable for a cat... and decided to ignore the similarity.
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Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2016 7:16 am
Whatever Navi might have been expecting from the young man, this wasn't it. Although it really should have been, given how well she had known him once upon a time. Hazel eyes remained carefully neutral has he bounced nearer, proclaiming his excitement for her, and in the end it was impossible not to smile. No way for him to know her purification was a bitter sweet thing. It had come long well after their relationship had ended. "Thank you." It was hard not to appreciate how genuinely good natured he was. It twisted the knot of guilt in the pit of her stomach just a little bit tighter. But he didn't seem upset with her. He hadn't before, either. Definitely too good for this world. Reaching up, she slid a soft, thin war between her fingers, head tipping so she could bump the cat's head with her cheek. "Haddy, this is Virtus. An old friend of mine." She kissed his cheek before smiling at the DMS again. "This is Hadaya, my guardian."
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Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2016 12:25 pm
"Virtus? That's a nice name," the cat said thoughtfully, eyes wide as he watched the dark mirror senshi carefully. He was not too sure about all these DMC, and worried that maybe they would want to convince Navi to go back to them.
He would not want that to happen. He couldn't be connected to her any more, if she left the white moon. She wouldn't be his senshi any more, and then where would he be? All alone, and miserable, and without anything good in the whole wide world. At east, that was what it felt like would happen, and it was definitely something he had to avoid.
At all costs.
"Hello Hadaya! May I pet you?" He reached carefully and waited for the Guardian Cat to nod his little head meekly before scratching Hadaya's ears sweetly. Virtus looked at Navi again, smile unwavering.
"Are you okay? You look a little sad, I can see it in your eyes," he could guess why, not so oblivious as to have forgotten the things that transpired between them. He just hoped she didn't think he held any sort of bitterness or anger towards her, because he didn't. Couldn't. And never would.
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Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2016 4:26 pm
Of all the Dark Mirror Court, Virtus would be the last one Hadaya would ever have to be scared off. The young man was utterly harmless, the epitome of a pure soul. It made what she'd done to him that much worst, even if he didn't know it all, and didn't hold a grudge for what hurt she had caused him. She blinked up at him as he addressed her, and gave a very small shake of her head, glancing away. How she'd ever managed to hide anything from him...well, maybe she really hadn't. But it wasn't just that putting that sad look in her eyes. It was her own bitter sweet feelings of the court, how much she missed everyone, the original, close-knit family unit they had been once upon a time. How wonderful had the first Christmas been in her and Leto's apartment. "It's just been a long time," she finally settled on. It wasn't exactly a lie, but it certainly wasn't the whole truth. "But what about you?" She deflected, reaching out to lay a hand on his arm. "What's got you looking so very lost tonight?" If it was within her power to help, she'd do it.
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Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2016 6:40 pm
Hadaya looked a little worried, but it seemed like Virtus was nice enough and Navi liked him. He saw that his senshi was sad, like the DMC said, so the kitty moved to cuddle against her reassuringly. His soft purrs added to the effort, reminding her that he was there.
He did not know the history between these two, but that was probably for the better.
Virtus smiled and, against his nature, looked sad at her question.
"I don't think... I don't think I... well. It's hard to say, now, because it feels like I'm letting everyone down but... I was talking to a senshi, and now here I am talking to another one about it, and... well. I don't think I'm in the right place. I'm not sure... I'm meant to be a Dark Mirror Senshi."
He sighed when he said it, feeling oddly at peace with the admission. The guilt he felt was lifted a bit with the knowledge the he was talking to someone he trusted, despite everything counting against it, and with someone who had been through the same thing. His reasons might not be for love, but it didn't really matter, did it?
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Posted: Wed May 11, 2016 9:11 am
She had to smile, head tipping to press her cheek into the top of his head as she brought up a hand to rub fingers along the velvet softness of his ears. Taking the offered comfort from her guardian, and offering reasurance in return. A seamless give and take that had existed from their first meeting. Most of her relationships were, or had been complicated at one point in time. Not this one. But her attention wasn't just for Hadaya. She listened to Virtus as he tried to express what he was feeling, and that soft smile slipped away as he got to the root of it. He didn't belong. Had she done that? Had she taken away the home he had felt in the Dark Mirror Court? Not with her purification, but before that, when she'd left him. Was it vain to consider it? It was impossible to ask, because Navi simply wasn't sure if she wanted the answer. However, she could help him. A little late, perhaps, but was it ever truly too late for atonement? She didn't think so, or at least hoped not. "What if I told you there was a way out?" She wanted all the best for the court, but that included everyone in it as well. If anyone was unhappy, and she could help, age would do it. "I can't promise the grass is greener on this side, and the path is difficult, but there is a way."
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Posted: Tue May 17, 2016 4:41 pm
Virtus smiled brightly, as he always did, nodding his head.
"I was kind of hoping you would say that, though I know it's not your responsibility! I know you purified. I mean. The proof is right there. Sometimes I wonder, maybe, I'm meant to do that, too. Are you happier because of it? Are you... better?"
He wasn't sure if that was the word he wanted to use. He didn't think he was bad, or that the Dark Mirror Court was bad, necessarily. They just had ideals that he could not find a way to believe in, and though he had tried his hardest to make it work, he felt like he could be doing a lot more good if he was somewhere else. The White Moon, who always talked to him about how they saved people, how they helped each other.
And he could help them. His healing powers would allow him to do that, and he wanted to share them with anyone that needed them. To be honest, it seemed the White Moon needed them a lot more than the DMC did. They got into a lot more fights, or were forced into them, after all.
Maybe he was just over thinking it, trying to justify it. He needed someone to make him feel like this was the right decision, and he really wanted it to be Navi.
"Do you think you could help me... join you guys?"
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Posted: Mon May 23, 2016 4:47 pm
That was kind of a tricky question. There was no black or white answer to that, and another of those sad little smiles flickered across pale pink lips. "I'm happy," she settled on after a moment, because that was the simple truth. No matter how else she felt about her purification, or how much she still regretted giving up, she was genuinely happy with her life. Reaching up, the senshi lifted the small cat from her shoulder and settled him in her arms, against her chest, so she could lay her forehead against his star. As much as she'd had to give up, it felt like she had gained almost as much. Looking up again, she lay her chin between soft ears. "I can tell you how I did it, but I don't know how similar it'll be for you. It wasn't an easy journey." Even after she'd stumbled on where she needed to go. That was possibly the hardest part. "There are parts you'll have to do alone. No one will be able to help you, and your resolve will be tested."
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2016 3:49 pm
Hadaya happily looked up at Navi, nuzzling her chin gently as she rested against his forehead. He was happiest when he was near her, so he was definitely all for being carried around and cuddled at all times of the day. He was not even feeling too bad about this other senshi, who did actually seem like he was as nice as he said he was.
And any friend of Navi's...
Virtus, meanwhile, listened intently, almost wishing he had brought something to write with just in case he needed to take notes. This was something he wanted to take very seriously, as much as he was able to, and though it might have been a selfish thing that he was just doing for himself, he wanted to be able to become more. Anyway, doing one thing for himself, so he could then do a lot more for others, was ultimately not selfish, right?
Right.
"I think I can do it. No, I know I can do it. I just have to believe in me, and look at everything you've been able to do! I know that with you helping me, this is something that is meant to happen. I really appreciate it, no matter how much or little you think you can do to help! Everything is going to take me one step closer, and I know, eventually, I'll get there!"
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2016 4:05 pm
Hadaya was a comforting presence, always, and Navi was always more at ease when she had the guardian cat with her on patrol. It was rare she left the house without him, or Chaonis himself. Still not terribly used to life on the other side, still nervous and perpetually on edge over a certain blood thirsty general that had it out for her. But Virtus didn't cause any similar feelings of trepidation. He would never hurt her, and the cat in her arms could feel her calmness as she stood face to face with him. "You'll have to go to Mirror Space," she told him softly. "It's never the same twice, and it's constantly changing, but if this is really what you want, you'll be able to find your way." She'd felt herself compelled to continue. Hours upon hours within the mirror that had seemed so much shorter to the girl as she'd journeyed deeper and deeper. "It'll take a long time, but you have to keep going. You'll be looking for something, something that looks a little like a starseed, but silvery and reflective like it's made of the same substance of Mirror Space itself. You'll know it's your's, though." There had been no doubt, no confusion. When she'd found her shard, she'd known it instantly. "After you find it, after you bring it out of Mirror Space, you'll need help." Here she'd smile, because here she would finally be able to offer some manner of assistance. "I can help you find someone to purify it, and when they do..." A pause, and Navi licked her lips. "It hurts, I won't lie to you. It feels like you're being torn apart, and you'll be vulnerable after, because you've been with the court a long time. But we can protect you." She could, and Camelot, and if she asked it of him, Chaonis as well. "But it'll change you. You'll be like me."
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2016 4:16 pm
Virtus listened quietly, looking confused for a moment, then calm. He nodded along, trying to imagine what it was like, and not shying away from the sparks of fear her words brought out in him. It was obviously not an easy thing, to purify and take out all the chaos that had been inside him for so long, but... he had not imagined something like she described.
He had not really imagined anything, he supposed, as his mind could not really picture what he was trying to do. All he knew was that his heart told him it was right, and he needed to do it. No matter what.
"Hurts?" Virtus, like any one else, he imagined, did not like pain. But he was also not scared of it. He would suffer it in the name of others and, in this case, for the sake of being able to join the side he felt he was supposed to be on. "I think I can do this. I want to. It sounds hard, but... if I fail, then I guess it wasn't supposed to be. I can't give up before I try." He smiled at her, nodding his head, determined.
Hadaya perked up, having been listening, ears pushed forward toward Virtus.
"I hope you can do it," he mewed softly, not wanting to interrupt, "you'll make a really good senshi!"
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2016 4:53 pm
Lips pressed together, features apologetic, the senshi nodded. "Yes. Purifying comes at a price." Well, the pain wasn't the only thing that would serve as currency, but Virtus would learn the rest when the time was right. Or maybe he wouldn't. Maybe he'd carry less regrets than her. Whatever the outcome, she hoped he would find happiness and peace in his choice. "When you decide when you'll do this, you'll have to find me when you emerge from Mirror Space." Successful or not, she'd feel better knowing. "And we can proceed from there." Frowning thoughtfully, she wondered how she;d be able to make it easier for him to find her. "I tend to stick to the same patrol route. Within a few square miles east of here, if not in the park itself. If he could narrow his search, he could find her by her aura, she hopped. Well, unless Hadaya was masking it. She'd feel him, though.
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2016 5:01 pm
Virtus nodded.
"I'll come up with some kind of plan and I'll let you know... I mean if it can be planned. Anyway, I think I need to think everything over a lot, and make sure I do as much as I can right. I really do want to do this. I should probably get going, though. I know that it might be bad for someone to see us chatting too long, and the last thing I want to do is cause anyone any trouble! I'll see you soon, okay?"
He smiled and then offered her a hug. He was not much for handshakes, after all, and he was always the dopey, touchy-feely sort. He was careful not to upset the cat in her arms, though Hadaya took to the hug and snuck in a good face rub for Virtus as a good luck wish.
The Dark Mirror senshi backed up and smiled, waving before glancing around and picking a direction to wander off in. He would definitely think more about everything, and talk to her, and maybe anyone else that might be able to help him, before trying for his own. He understood he had to undertake it alone, but it was so important, he just could not let himself be unprepared.
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