Nuxaz
Themisto was a man of his word - despite Denebola’s number in his possession and the myriad of things he could do with it, the young man did not send n***s, or anything inappropriate. In reality, she was taken, and it wasn’t surprising given how lovely she was. With an inward sigh, Zach had marked Denebola as his third failure since powering up. Quite the (depressing) track record, but he’d get over it.
Instead, he spent a good six days mentally and physically preparing for jettisoning himself into space. Zach was positive he had a very low percentage chance to survive, but Denebola had explained she’d been to her star at least once. Didn’t stars have super-hot surfaces? Zach didn’t know much about space but he was pretty sure someone would get vaporized if they got too close. But, as he concluded when he first met the dragonfly senshi, being vaporized in the arms of a lovely space-woman was a pretty satisfying end.
With his paltry affairs in order in case of death upon leaving the Earth’s atmosphere, Zach had sent a simple text to his senshi mentor.
[[ Hey denebola! It’s zach. Hope you’re doing ok! I was wondering if you were still up to doing that whole space thing? I’m free the next couple nights. Plz don’t let me die tho. I’d be really sad. Talk to you soon! -- Z ]]
--
In truth, Denebola didn’t expect to see much of Themisto after their first meeting. Not because she didn’t believe that he wanted to learn from her but because she knew that people got busy and that, despite genuine interest, most didn’t ever make it back around to her and she could only offer so much support before she had to let the other party make the decision of what they were willing to pursue.
So, when she finally got the text from Themisto, or Zach as he went about revealing his name, she was surprised.
[Text to Themi: If you’re ready, we can go tonight]
Her response was quick, coming only minutes after his message, and Fiona stopped the casual reading she’d been allowing herself to snag her bag, the one she’d deemed the adventure bag for outings such as this and slipped out of her house without disturbing either of her two housemates.
[Text to Themi: Let’s meet around Meadowview, for a central location.]
--
Zach was actually quite surprised to get such a quick response. He had loaded up his old school backpack a few days ago, supplying it with water bottles, sunscreen, a jacket, crackers and snacks and his trusty bike helmet. One never knew when head protection might be pivotal - Zach knew there were all manner of space-crap just flying around willy-nilly up there. Best not to be clocked on the noggin when taking his first steps into space.
Slipping out of the house was simple - his father wasn’t home at Zach’s insistence. The man had been working too hard and needed a break, so his son suggested grabbing a drink at a favorite watering hole. Zach locked up the house before powering up and heading out for the evening. He left a note on the fridge, stating Gone out with a friend, be back soon!
Meadowview was a familiar place for Themisto, having graduated not too long ago. Donning the bike helmet and ditching the stupid geta in favor of his Nikes, he made his way through the neighborhood and towards the high school. Themisto felt more than saw Denebola at first - her powerful signature was recognizable once he got close enough for his radar to pick it up. Backpack at the ready, he found it oddly easy to jump the outer fence and traverse the grassy fields of the school, making his way towards the gym rooftop. Once there, Denebola was a welcome sight. He waved to her.
“‘ey Denebola! Man, you’re real quick. Do we get super speed at uh… super? Haha!” Truthfully, he was pretty nervous about the space thing but he’d made peace with space-death a while ago.
--
Denebola had attended Crystal Academy as the daughters of old money tended to here in DC, but she was familiar with the public school’s layout. Outside of new construction or developments, there was very little of the city that the woman didn’t know her way around. Beating Themisto wasn’t difficult, because she still remembered the best ways to slip in and out of the ground and, since she had picked the meeting location, she had known where to head immediately.
Unfair advantage really.
He was calling her name and she turned towards him, ponytail whipping around as her blue and green eyes looked for him. “Looks like you came prepared,” she observed, looking at the shoes he was wearing and the helmet while also noting the bag that he’d brought along. “Which is good. I mean,” she laughed, pushing hair out of her face as she adjusted the strap of her own bag. “I don’t think we’re planning on staying for long but...just in case. There’s nothing really..edible up there.”
Well...Denebola hadn’t tried to eat anything she found up there and she wasn’t keen on finding out i it would be safe to or not.
“You get boosts, yes. A lot of it depends on your existing level of fitness. We’re just ‘enhanced’. Think...a less intense version of the super soldier serum?” She only knew the minimal amount of things about comic books but she figured it was something he would be into. “You ready?” She asked, holding out her hand.
--
Themisto blinked. It was an enhancement of pre-existing fitness? Dang! The young man made a quick mental note, underlined, highlighted and bolded it in his brain - train harder, be buff, git gud. He was fit enough to be comfortable walking around shirtless but not much more than that. If he was going to impress any ladies with superpowers, he needed to really work on his physique.
With a sigh, Themisto gripped the straps of his backpack. Helmet? Check. Shoes? Check. Denebola?
Double check.
“Ready as I’ll ever be, I guess. Just… if I die, can you make sure total badass is on my tombstone? I mean, I know that’s not really true… yet. But it’s a goal of mine.” He gave Denebola a wink and braced for sudden space travel.
--
While Themisto checked himself, Denebola watched him with quiet consideration. She let him speak and offered a soft smile in response before she spoke. “You trust me right?” She asked him, all kind and serious at the same time, stepping into his space and taking his hand. “Then trust that I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
The redhead understood that he was joking, but underneath the joke...she felt like there was a very real fear and she wanted to do her best to displace it.
“As long as you don’t eat anything from Denebola, there’s nothing that’ll kill you.” Denebola promised, squeezing his hand before pulling out her senshi phone. It didn’t take her long to find the homing app. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply to focus on the melody that called to her very core.
The shift from earth to the ‘planet’ that orbited her star, her lifeforce, was both easy and difficult all at once. Moving from one place to another was disorienting but somehow the super senshi remained perfectly calm, eyes opening slowly as she registered the large platform that they now stood on.
There were several large cracks in the stone with vines and moss creeping out from beneath it like it was trying to grow and survive. All around them were trees in varying stages of growth or decay and it was hard to see too much past what remained of the foliage.
Somewhere, in the near distance, was the bright light of her sun.
“Welcome,” she said quietly, hand pulling free and heels taking her back. “To Denebola.”
--
Themisto was not at all prepared for this journey.
Seeing Denebola fiddle with her phone and take one of those zen deep breaths confused the senshi before the ascent began. The earth beneath them seemed to shift and churn and undulate without predictability. Themisto thought about screaming but several things halted that process: shock, the thought that perhaps there would be no air to take into his lungs, and screaming like a ninny in front of Denebola would not endear her to him in the slightest. He kept his mouth clamped shut.
That is, until they came to a stop on a platform, surrounded by a vast swath of vegetation and trees. With a very unmasculine squeak, Themisto lost his tenuous footing and fell straight on his behind. He stayed on the ground, back against the rocky platform on which Denebola stood, steadying his erratic breathing.
They were in space. He saw space above them, a sun that was not the one he was used to, Earth practically melted underneath them holy god.
And he didn’t die - Denebola was right.
Not that he didn’t trust her, but that he didn’t trust the giant vacuum of skull-crushing deep freeze that housed trillions of stars. With some effort, Themisto rolled over and shakily stood, having enough presence of mind to remove his helmet and gaze out around them.
“....oh my god.” was all he managed to mutter. “It’s… this is real, right? This… we’re on a star?!”
Themisto.exe has stopped working. Restart?
--
Out of all of her passengers, Themisto handled the travel the most poorly and Denebola bit down on her lip to suppress her amusement at the situation. Even then, he still handled it okay, despite the falling of course. “Hey, it’s okay,” she said gently, both hands extended before her to caution him.
Realizing she was treating it like he might have been a wounded animal she lowered her arms and smiled instead. “Yeah. I mean, technically we’re not on the star, but the little...it’s not quite a planet but something inhabitable that the star keeps alive to make sure I’m alive.” Denebola knew it was more complicated than that, but she didn’t know how to explain it any better.
But, at least Denebola, the star, was warm unlike the cold nights of the city.
Because she was a creature of touch, Dene stepped into Themisto’s space and grabbed him by the shoulders. “Hey, focus on me. It’ll get easier, I promise.”
--
Themisto didn’t seem to respond to Denebola, though he seemed to at least acknowledge her presence. He blinked, muttered to himself, took a deep breath and turned around.
“I’m in effin’ SPACE!” he cried to the heavens.
That seemed to do the trick. Themisto shook his arms, then shook his legs and took several deep breaths. Shake it out, Themisto. You’re in space, you’re not dead. Denebola’s not gonna let you die. You’re in space, everything is fine. Everything is fine. You can breathe, you’re not melting to death. There’s trees here for some weird reason. Denebola’s fine, nobody’s dead. Shake it out.
This probably looked like the dance of a crazy homeless man in downtown Destiny City that smelled like a dumpster. A few more calming breaths and the senshi turned around sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. “Uh… sorry about all that… I uh, I mean I believed you when you said you can take people into space and everything but uh…” He stared up at the star that the super senshi mentor had explained actually was Denebola, finding the small planetoid on which they stood was far better (and less melty) than the actual star. “...experiencing it is somethin’ else.”
Themisto then took a long, wide look at the trees and growing vegetation on this tiny planet that apparently orbited the star for which Denebola was named. “So… this is Pern, huh? What does one do on Pern, Denebola?”
--
Watching Themisto was like seeing a child open their first present on Christmas; bright, excitable, and alive. Moments like this, when she got to see the unadulterated joy and enthusiasm, reminded her why she liked being a senshi and why she fought so hard to protect what she could. It was nice, seeing a newer senshi still mystified by it all and Denebola longed for the days where she’d been just as easily impressed.
Before war had worn her bones weary.
“We’re in space,” she agreed, head tipping back so she could look up at the sky above and breath in everything that was her homeworld. It’s life thrummed in her veins, so vibrantly alive and soothing while being saddening at the same time.
“Well...kinda.” She laughed, dropping her chin and looking Themisto in the eye. “The first time, I was actually in space. This man - being? - named Kurma, he took us to space to try and keep us safe and - “ Her voice cracked as she thought of Elysion and the battle that had plagued the heart of the Earth. “Chibimoon, the moon princess - not ours, but a future one? It’s complicated - she took us somewhere else and - “ No, now wasn’t the time for those memories.
“I’ll tell you all about it another time, but I was in zero gravity space, with an old friend. It was marveling. Way more exciting than this place just - “
Stop - No, don’t -
Elu!
Denebola jerked back into the present, stumbling forward and looking stricken.
Of course the memories would start right away this time. “Sorry, just...give me a minute.” She squeezed her eyes shut and tried not to focus on the flashes that tried to overtake her senses.
--
Themisto now had physical, experiential proof that Denebola wasn’t going to lead him astray, but she started spouting things he couldn’t place - Chibimoon, Kurma, moon princess, future… His eyebrows started lifting, not because he didn’t believe her, but because this was more narrative he had no relationship to.
It was then that Denebola seemed… rocked? Shaken? Something was wrong, and he reached out to lightly touch her arm. “Denebola? Are… are you okay?” His concern was genuine and he was worried perhaps she was struck by severe pain or exhaustion, having brought someone so far from Earth all by herself. No rocket ship necessary.
“I brought some water with me, and a blanket. Here, lemme get that for you and you sit down and chill out, okay?” He trotted back to his backpack to retrieve the bottled water and cozy, well-loved blanket. He laid it out immediately for Denebola and opened the bottle to present to her.
Themisto cast a look back at his supplies. “I… don’t think I brought any painkillers but maybe there’s something here we could use?”
--
Denebola knew that Themisto’s touch, the way he reached for her, was meant to be calming and yet she jerked back and away instinctively. Her heart was erratically alive in her chest, so much so that thinking past it’s roar in her ears was nigh impossible. “I’m - “ she tried, stopped then swallowed. Squeezing her eyes shut, she focused on the inhale and exhale of her breathing and the slight breeze that wrapped around them and left goosebumps along her skin.
When her eyes opened, she smiled tiredly at Themisto and the blanket that he laid out for her.
“That’s very sweet of you,” she said in a quiet sort of voice, “but I don’t think that’ll help -
ELU!
The shout make her wince, body automatically turning as she looked for the captors she knew didn’t exist. She could feel all of her past self’s fear and strength, even as she locked eyes with Themisto and took a step forward, arms reaching -
Denebola stopped herself before she tried to shove him out of the way.
“Sorry it’s - remember how I mentioned the memories? I can’t- I can’t ignore them.”
--
The young man was shocked as he was helpless, trying in vain to reach out to Denebola, to comfort her against something he couldn't see and couldn't experience. “Ah… okay…” Themisto sounded defeated. He backed up a few steps to give his superior some breathing room. “Is… is there any way we could stop them?”
Anything he could do to help, really.
Denebola seemed so afraid, trying desperately to appear calm in the face of danger only she could see. He admired that about her, and feared simultaneously going to his own piece of the solar system. Would he too be overwhelmed with visions of a past he didn't recall living? Would he be able to keep it together like the senshi of dragonflies was doing? Themisto thought not.
He tried not to pace, unsure of what to do. “Maybe… maybe I can distract you from it?” He hesitated, then nodded to himself and began to explain the intricacies of one trade skill he actually had - screenprinting. The different inks, laying down of color layer by layer… maybe that would be enough of a distraction for Denebola to get some relief.
--
Whatever memory was trying to push against her seemed to fade for the moment, tension seeping from Denebola’s form as she stumbled closer to Themisto, one hand outstretched and reaching for him. She was a woman who used touch as some sort of grounding. “I’m fine,” she insisted, doing her best to reassure him.
She wanted him to be in awe, not fear, of the homeworld even if it was filled with unburied dead.
“It comes and goes. Those were...echos of the last time I came.” The time that had reduced her to tears in the middle of a field of skeletons. Still, she moved over to the blanket he had laid out for her, grasping the wrist of a free hand to pull him down with her as he spoke.
“I had hoped that they would come later. They don’t - “ she sighed, “they don’t usually happen on the platform unless I remember the senshi I’m with.” Like Remarque.
--
He gladly accepted Denebola’s touch and laid his hand upon hers, incredibly concerned for her. His ranting about screenprinting didn’t do quite as much as he’d hoped. The vision plaguing the super senshi must’ve been intense, and he was quite frightened (though tried desperately not to show it).
And he followed and knelt next to her, Themisto’s brows furrowed. “Remember the senshi you’re with? You mean like… you knew them in the past?”
Did Denebola know the past Themisto? The Themisto before Zachary?
The senshi shook his head and sighed deeply. “Well… the last thing I want is for you to be all... “ He waved his free hand about in a wild gesture. “...haunted and whatever. If I’d known that would have happened, I wouldn’t have asked you to take me. It’s… really messed up.” Themisto frowned, unsure just how much this conversation was helping Denebola. He knew so very little about… everything.
“We can go home, if you like. I mean, if that’s easy to do…” He wanted to give her an easy out without any obligations to him. She’d done enough already.
--
“Yeah,” she answered distractedly, still mentally cursing her inability to stave off the memories. “It doesn’t happen often, but…” she shrugged. So far, she’d only remembered Remarque and Altais, though she’d been without him at the time. “Hey,” she said, firm but gentle. “I’m fine, I promise.”
Carefully, she climbed to her feet and tugged him up with her.
“It’s a little bump in the road. It’ll get better and...it’s not bad not really.” The initial ones were always the worst in her opinion. “We don’t need to go and I apologize if I startled or scared you.” Being on her homeworld always left the senshi reeling not matter what. “I brought you here to share, so, let me share.”
--
Themisto could do little else but nod and stand when tugged to do so. He was obviously still worried about Denebola, but being that she had quite a bit of time on him in terms of tenure, she must know what she was doing. With a sigh, he brushed himself off. “Alright. I’m ready to be uh… shared… to.”
He screwed up his face. Nope, not the best choice of words.
“Anyway, are there any cities here, or is it all like… jungle and stuff?” he asked, peering out over the edges of the treetops. Maybe the people of Denebola lived in the trees? Or underground, since the star this chunk of rock was orbiting was rather bright. It felt so much like a sci-fi movie. It was incredible!
--
Denebola’s smile might have been strained, but it had more to do with the lingering emotions that had burrowed their way into the top layer of his skin than the boy that looked at her with fondness and concern. She held her hand out to him, fully expecting him to take it and started to lead them both through the foliage that had managed to make a rampant return in the wake of the destructive force of chaos that had obliterated the fauna and her people.
Her people…
She would have to keep him away from parts of the village, where the skeletons remained hidden in the thick grass. Temple, they would start at the temple.
“No, there’s not really cities but...villages.” Predominantly one, but she hadn’t explored the entire world yet, just the immediacy and what she thought was the main structures. “Stay close and...watch your feet.” Blue and green eyes skirted across the grass, the husk of a dragonfly barely visible. “I’ll explain as I go.”
She just hoped he was receptive enough.
