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 Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2017 6:15 am
Aslög sighed with near bliss as she carefully broke into the Botanical Gardens. She already knew that there'd be no alarms. And besides, all she wanted to do was sit in the warm, surrounded by plants while she considered the incredibly odd turn her life had taken. Smoothing out the silky, ivory 'petals' of her skirt, Aslög frowned slightly. She'd never asked for this. She certainly didn't know how to be a magical warrior of justice.
"For ******** sake," she muttered to the nodding flower above her head, "All I ever wanted to do was write, garden and play with steampunk costumes. I'm not cut out for this hero nonsense."
Though, if she was going to be completely honest with herself, she couldn't help but think about all of this in terms of fan-fic. There was just something about magical warriors fighting a millenia old war....
Whimsical Blue Promised start~ I'm sorry it took me a little.
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Posted: Fri Mar 24, 2017 12:39 pm
Ida had felt the glow of a first level signature and it had been habit that had sent her off after it, following it to the botanical gardens. She was surprised to feel it not on the other side or on top of, but inside the building, leading her to wonder if it was one of the workers powering up off hours, or someone being somewhere they should be, because the gardens were very much closed by this time.
It was good it wasn’t an officer down there, with the inherent risk of property damage if she confronted them, but whomever it was really shouldn’t be skulking around. If nothing else, powered and alone was always a risky business at the lower stages. It took a bit of hunting for the eternal to find a way in that wasn’t breaking anything to do it, but she managed as she hit the ground with a soft thump as she landed.
The greenhouse was silent as she slipped through the dark, even the fountains turned off overnight to conserve electricity. When she opened her senses, she could just make out the basic senshi, hidden somewhere beyond the foliage.
“Hello? Don’t worry, you’re not in trouble! I’m like you and I wondered if we could talk.” She said as she walked slowly down the path, trying to make enough noise her arrival wasn’t a surprise. Ida didn’t really want to scare off the new person, or get something thrown at her head.
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Posted: Sat Apr 15, 2017 4:17 am
Aslög had simply sat amongst the flowers as a strange aura grew closer and closer. Since it didn't feel inimical, she had decided not to worry about it. Instead, she sat and watched and listened with a tiny smile on her face. Maybe it was another lover of gardens coming in to relax.
She would have been content with that assumption and simply retreated mentally to craft more fics. Except whoever else had broken in seemed to know she was there and was talking to her. Smile became frown as she listened and then snorted in amusement. Now that her eyes had adjusted slightly to the darkness, she could see a slight form on the path.
"Wasn't worried, but I thank you for the reassurances," she called out, deciding that politeness would rule the day here. "I'm back here if you want to sit down for that talk."
To help show where, precisely, here was, Aslög raised a hand and waved cheerfully, trusting to the rustle and movement of the plants to help identify her location.
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Posted: Thu May 11, 2017 11:57 am
The small lights along the path gave sparse illumination, shining upwards like cheerful little stars. They picked out the whites, golds, and purples of her boots, but only a small bit of the browns of her tights before they failed. Its likely they weren’t for much more than making sure someone didn’t go stumbling off the path into the delicate plants on either side of it. She felt those plants brushing her hip and shoulder as she came around the corner, a hand lifted to keep them out of her face.
“Ah! Hello.” She called as she saw a waving hand and heard a pleasant voice. Her boots tapped on the paving stones of the path as Ida came around and the other was revealed; what seemed to be a young woman, dark haired, in a white and red fuku. Her skirt layered like petals and Ida smile, waving back.
“I’m sorry if I’m disturbing you. I’m Ida. What are you doing here, if I may ask?” It certainly didn’t look like she was up to anything nefarious. Just sitting in the gloom, surrounded by greenery and flowers. “I don’t usually see senshi in here after hours.”DaisyMilk I’m sorry this took nearly a month. I’ll try to be better.
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Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2018 9:34 am
Smiling reassurances, Aslög scooted just a bit to make room for Ida and fussed a bit with the edge of her skirt.
"You're not disturbing me at all! It's a pleasure to meet you, Ida. I'm Aslög, according to the kitty I talked to. Senshi of Poppies at your service!"
This was all said so cheerfully that anyone might've assumed that she was delighted by the twists and turns that had led her to being a magical girl. Though, it wasn't bad, per se. Just... mildly inconvenient.
"I wanted a pleasant spot to just sit and think," she answered. "You know, just to sort of... decompress, I suppose. I love gardens, but my place doesn't really have one big enough for me to hide in when I'm like this," here, her hand swept out slightly to encompass her fuku. "I do rather stand out, don't I?"
Then, she tipped her head slightly to get a good look at Ida before chuckling.
"What about you?"
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Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2018 10:50 am
Room was made for her and the orchid senshi warmed to the other immediately. The feeling only deepened when she shared her name and Ida couldn't help an immediate feeling of kinship with her. She might barely know her, but they were both flower senshi, and if she remembered her names right, that one was a Koronis name to boot. It filled her with a low, bubbling excitement that brought a smile to her face that refused to be put away again.
Ida settled down neatly beside her, tucking her skirts under her as she sat.
"It can be hard..." She ventured as she stretched her legs out, crossing her boots at the ankles. "To find a quiet, peaceful place when we're powered up. I know how that is. We put out an aura of energy other people can sense, and it can be hard to hide with it just out there, glowing."
She braced her hands on the earth and leaned on them. "This garden is a pretty good choice... not many people come out here, so there isn't a lot of reason for the Negaverse to keep tabs on it. And there is some decent cover... but that's a very military way to think about it, huh? I love gardens too, just for themselves, really. So I suppose its good we're both flower senshi, huh?" Her hand touched her chest for a moment, over the flower-shaped bow. "Orchids, here."
"As for me, I'm here because I come here a lot in my normal life, and I felt you, so I thought I'd come say hi. Its good to meet people when we're out like this, because we're a lot stronger in numbers than alone. I try to make it a point to do it as much as I can, in case I ever need help, or someone else does. I also just wanted to sweep the place to make sure anyone from the Negaverse hadn't set up shop while I wasn't looking."
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Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2018 6:35 am
Listening politely, Aslog nodded where it seemed appropriate, drinking in Ida's words. Some of the things she said had never even crossed Aslog's mind as potential concerns.
"Would they really try to take over a garden?" she asked, outraged by the thought. "I mean, what would be the point? Just because they could? They'd ruin something just because?"
Aslog had yet to encounter anyone from the Negaverse and simply couldn't understand a group of people being horrible just to be horrible. It was mind boggling. Maybe not quite as much so as being a magical girl with literal flower powers, but still. Sighing heavily, the girl realized just how little she really knew about all of this. And lurking in gardens wasn't going to teach her.
"Well, I'm pleased as punch that you did stop to say hi. All of this is rather overwhelming, you know?" Aslog paused a moment and then began to chuckle softly. "Of course you'd know. You've already been through it all by the look of you. One question though, if it isn't rude. Why are you glowing? You are literally glowing."
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Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2018 5:37 pm
Ida touched her cheek and blushed, remembering suddenly that she was glowing, and it wasn't something people normally did. It was so every day now, so normal. She didn't know when she had stopped noticing it.
"Well... I've seen the Negaverse set themselves up in lots of places and I can only guess at the reasons behind it. As far as I know, they want energy and they're creative in their approaches to getting it. I suppose a place like this, that doesn't get a ton of people, could be assumed to not need patroling by us as much, which would make it safer for them, even if they got less people?" She shrugged. "I don't know. But its always good to check, just in case they've come up with some new scheme."
Ida stretched her arm out and spread her fingers, slowly turning her arm to trace the light curling around it.
"Its sort of a thing that happened when I was on my planet. I did an old ritual I remembered, sort of burial rights for my past life, and made a commitment to myself... and my planet responded. The energy from it flows a bit easier through me now and I can share it when I want to. Its easier to go to my planet more often, and Ida protects me from Chaos. Not from officers trying to beat me up, but like... when one tries to push chaos into me to corrupt me to their side. Its not so rare any more... I'm racking up quite a list of people I know who have also 'transcended', as we call it. It happens a little differently for everyone, but its always something to do with their planet or wonder." Ida explained as she dropped her arm to lap.
"The glowing thing is just sort of a physical sign. Some people get more marks than me, or less, and in different patterns and styles. I don't know how they decide what pops up, I certainly didn't get to choose it."
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Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2018 3:54 pm
Shifting slightly so that she could better face IDa, Aslog listened intently as things were explained to her. She had practically no idea about half of what Ida was talking about, but she was still learning. Therefore, being super confused was okay!
"It all seems rather complicated," she said frankly. "And it doesn't seem much of an advantage in a fight to be as well known as it seems you're becoming. You must be super popular at raves though."
Grinning a little to show she was teasing, Aslog leaned back slightly and carefully considered her companion's words. This transcending didn't sound common. But it also sounded like there was a pretty decent trade-off in return for becoming a living Glo-Stik™.
"So what's this Negaverse like anyway? I haven't really met one yet, though it sounds like that might be a good thing."
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Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2019 6:17 pm
Ida flushed and shrugged, the smallest of smiles in the corners of her mouth.
"Raves aren't really my thing, but I can imagine. It hasn't been directly a disadvantage in battle, really, though I've had my share of close calls. Mostly, its people I've had run-ins with in the past, who take a particular notice of me. I'm not that well known." She said. It felt awkward to be called popular or well-known... even if the list of people she knew was rather long. And even if it was a gentle tease.
The question that followed cooled her embarrassment though, and Ida's face softened.
"The Negaverse is ruled by Metallia. I don't know anyone who's seen or met her, no one I've talked to has, but what I gather is that she is the source of their chaotic power. The whole organization is set up like a military, with Lieutenants, Captains and Generals. The Lieutenants aren't so bad... some don't want to fight or are willing to talk. Some enjoy the power they have and are happy to take advantage of anyone weaker than they are. But... from what I've seen, it gets worse the higher in rank they go." She said, the senshi's thoughts drifting to the generals she knew. Painite, Laybrinthite... Titan. A prime example of someone who had been reasonable once, aware of right and wrong, or at least willing to listen. Now?
"Don't ever try to get too close to a General without back up." She said firmly. "Most of them are very dangerous, especially when you are a lower level than they are. They're the ones with the most chaos in them, who've done the most in service of Metallia. Not all are bad, and I'm sure not all will attack on sight, but you can't be guaranteed they won't decide to later."
Ida waved a hand and grimaced. "I don't want to say they're all bad, or that there isn't a good person in there, doing what they think is right, or that they can't come to realize what they're doing is wrong... but the Negaverse, in my experience, has always been violent and dangerous to some extent. And its particularly dangerous for senshi like you, when you're still new and learning."
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Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2019 7:40 pm
Eyebrows shooting up in alarm, Aslog sat in stillness for a moment, trying to envision the thing Ida was explaining. It all sounded... alarming to say the least.
"Are none of them redeemable?" she asked in a tiny voice. "I mean, if some of them aren't so bad, don't they see what's going on around them? There have to be some people in there who have self-awareness, right?"
The idea that a relatively decent person could be part of this nasty little club and not understand the pain they were causing sent chills up the senshi of poppies spine. And this was, apparently, a club that made a pastime of hurting (or worse) people like her.
"I may have to throw up shortly. I honestly can't imagine living like that. But I'm also not so naive as to imagine our side is all daisies and sunshine dust. If there are not-so-bad officers, then there have to be not-so-good senshi, right?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2019 10:16 pm
Ida's eyes widened and she rushed to reassure the younger girl, spreading her fingers as she waved her hands.
"Oh no, I don't mean they're irredeemable!" She said quickly. "I'm sorry, I... got a little caught up in trying to warn you."
Biting her lip, she pressed her hands together, thinking through what she wanted to say. "I don't think any of them are past saving... even the worst of them have a spark of... life, inside of them that's worth saving." A hard thing to apply to a creature like Alkaid, or in the face of Labyrinthite's cruelty... but she couldn't pick and choose, if she wanted to take this stance. "But the chaos in them... I think it clouds their reasoning. The deeper they are, the harder it is to see what they're doing is wrong. People can justify a lot of bad things they do for reasons that seem good to them. Its like... us, saying they're all monsters, and not considering some of them are only following orders, or think we're the ones threatening the city and they have to do what they do so they can fight us."
Ida sighed then. "Some of us aren't very gentle with them either, and it doesn't help. I've met senshi who can be so strict in their view, or who think violence has to be answered in violence. Who think taking out one of them could save countless others... Its not a black and white situation. But I wanted to warn you to be careful, and not trust the Negaverse too much, because I don't want you to get hurt. I've been hurt, more often than I can remember, and I don't want that for anyone, if I can prevent it."
"We can think they're good people worth saving, while still understanding that until they purify, they can still hurt us." Ida shook her head. "I'm sorry that got so serious."
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Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2019 6:27 am
All things considered, Aslog rather thought that Ida was an extremely fair person. She knew enough herself to understand tribalism and it seemed that the other senshi didn't subscribe to that particular newsletter. Good. Aslog would rather know that there were s**t people out there who were senshi than to have the group as a whole blindly defended.
It was, weirdly, the thing that reassured her the most in light of Ida's warnings.
"I'd rather serious and truthful, to be perfectly honest," she said before clasping her hands over one knee and looking thoughtful for a moment. "So, if I am understanding this correctly, cautiously friendly is okay. Just be alert and smart and never fully let my guard down. And if I'm very lucky, I might be able to find one that has a stronger spark than most and help them? Does that sound about right?"
All things considered, Aslog would much rather help than fight. Though, she supposed that she was at least physically capable of fighting. Or at least intimidating a little. Then, almost out of the blue, she added in a tiny voice, "I really don't want to see anyone die if I can help it."
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Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2019 2:42 pm
Ida paused at that last, small comment and felt a deep well of sadness rise in her chest.
It would happen, whether she wanted it or not If she stuck around long enough. As hard as they tried, and even if they did everything right, the odds were just too stacked. There were always losses, and sometimes what happened to people was as bad as dying.
"I work very hard for that goal, too." She said softly. "I've seen a fair number of agents, and Dark Mirror senshi, purify, so I know there are people who can be helped to our side. Its a good purpose to have, helping them. You might even find some of them just by being that cautiously friendly. All they might need is someone to be kind to them, to want to take a chance and reach out."
Ida glanced over the dark, sleeping garden and felt a little better about things, even if her chest still ached just a little. They had to move on despite the pain. She had to keep going.
"I still need to finish my patrol, so I suppose I should leave you in peace now." Ida said in a lighter voice, summoning her phone out subspace to hold it up. "May I take your picture? And I encourage you to take mine. So you can call me, if you need help, or just want to talk. It really was good to meet you, and I hope I see you again soon."
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Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2019 3:12 pm
Sensing some of Ida's sadness, Aslog wondered if she'd said something wrong. But before she could ask, Ida summoned a phone and asked to take her picture.
"Oh!" she exclaimed clumsily. "Yes, of course. Umm..."
She concentrated for a moment on her own phone and felt it pop into existence in her waiting hand. Smiling in giddy accomplishment, she fumbled for a moment to find the camera button.
"It's been lovely talking to you as well, Ida," she said, her sincerity evident. "It's actually helped me feel a bit better about this senshi business. And if you're going to patrol, I think I might head home and try to get some sleep. I have a lot to think about."
Finding the button she wanted, the senshi of poppies snapped a quick photo of Ida and smiled.
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