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 Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2017 11:50 am
Remarque had been exploring the castle, trying to make a mental map of things. He wasn’t much of an artist on paper, but he’d always been pretty good at mapping things out. So far, he hadn’t found anything particularly interesting, but he knew he’d barely scraped the surface. There were entire wings of the castle open to them that he hadn’t been able to make his way through.
Yet.
He hadn’t eaten anything and could feel the threat of sluggishness on his conscience. His stomach occasionally made a small noise at him and it was now just a matter of pride and stubbornness that stopped him from eating one of those crystals.
He was looking for a supply room or something—anything—else that he might be able to eat. The crystals were a last resort, but he wasn’t going to let himself starve to death.
Another Dark Mirror Senshi was close; he turned a corner and found Kibirev.
Another of Lesath’s, he realized, so naturally he needed to check on her-wellbeing.
“These hallways seem to go on forever,” he mused as he approached; he seemed casual, hands in his pockets. He almost even seemed like he wasn’t up to no good. “You getting lost or managing all right?”
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Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 12:57 pm
Kibirev jumped when she was addressed by the blonde guy that Lesath was always with. He hadn’t ever spoken with her before and she stared blankly at him for a few moments, before glancing behind her, just to make sure that he was indeed talking to her.
She wasn’t sure she really wanted to talk to him, even if he was friends with Miss Lesath…he never really looked friendly. He looked moody.
Slowly, the senshi began twisting one of her pigtails around a finger, shrugging. “Yeah, I’m managing okay. I kind of like it here and I think that the Queen is very, very nice…she gave me a dress…but…”
Kibirev looked away. “I do miss home a little. Not that I’ll tell that to LJ, but I really, really want some French fries…I dreamed about them last night, I think…”
She always ate the crystals, she had no issues with them. They kept her feeling…well, maybe not full…but they kept her much more energized than Lovejoy…besides, she didn’t want to turn down the hospitality of such a wonderful queen. “The crystals are good…but they don’t taste like anything. I miss tasting things.”
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Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 1:17 pm
Remarque sighed longingly and nodded. “I miss food,” he agreed.
Meat.
Burgers. Steak. Chicken. Maybe even fish. Lamb.
His stomach growled, so he pursed his lips and cleared his throat.
“I might kill for some fast food,” he said. He was only half kidding.
After a second, he planted one hand on his hip and looked up to the ceiling. “You’ve spent a lot of time with the queen?” The two had seemed friendly enough during dinner, and he didn’t mind if she was going to try and make friends with her, he just wanted to make sure she was safe—just in case this was all a trap. “I’m glad you two are getting along so well. I figure, this has to be pretty eventful if it’s your first big foray with the Dark Mirror Court. Have you had time to get settled as a Senshi? Lesath mentioned wanting to make sure you were at least a little prepared to defend yourself—just in case. Have you found anyone to spar with while you’ve been here?”
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Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2017 4:14 pm
Kibirev gave a tiny smile, at least he was as eager for real food as she was, and quietly she shrugged. “She’s very, very nice. She gave me a beautiful dress…I think she’s just super lonely so…I don’t know. She’s a queen, so why shouldn’t we be trying to be friendly? I…” She shrugged again. “I mean…I was there when those strange crystals were first found…so I…I have to confess…I really don’t like it to be honest…everything’s trying to kill me and it’s all so scary and…I don’t know. I wish Miss Lesath wouldn’t have brought me or Lovejoy into this…”
He mentioned sparing and her nose wrinkled. “I mean…Lovejoy tried to get me to fight her, but I really, really don’t like fighting. It just makes you sweaty and gets your clothes torn…I can’t see why people enjoy doing it.”
And honestly, she hoped that he wasn’t planning on asking her to do so…with LJ it was one thing…but this guy…he was strong. She would have no chance at all against him.
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Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2017 8:29 pm
Though Remarque still held suspicion for the queen, he kept it to himself. Kibirev seemed fond of her and he wasn’t going to do anything to agitate her or threaten that affection towards Altea. There wasn’t any reason to get her worked up—at least, not until he could prove that they needed to watch themselves.
“I know it’s probably frustrating to be caught into this whole mess, but if you think about it from the other side of things,” he shrugged, “At least this way you have powers to defend yourself. Otherwise, you’d be just an ordinary civilian living with the same risks. Youma, Negaverse. They’d target you just the same. Only, now you can protect yourself and those you care about—and take shortcuts across town with the mirrors. So, there are perks, even if you aren’t putting your whole heart into it.”
He could tell, easily, that she wasn’t particularly fond of the idea of fighting; the nose wrinkle was as much of a giveaway as anything, even if she hadn’t simply told him her thoughts on it.
“Not all sparring has to be physical,” he said after a moment. “Though, that is my forte. Even if you don't want to learn how to fight, you should learn how to defend yourself. Though, if you aren't interested in that, and if you’ve got time, I’d like to see what your magic can do. I won’t make you work up a sweat, and I certainly won’t tear your clothes, but sometimes just practicing your magic can be enough to help you get stronger. Sometimes, you don’t even need to raise a hand—not when your magic does everything for you.”
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Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2017 7:52 pm
Kibirev nodded slowly. Trying to process his words, though she honestly didn’t…want to think about them. If this hadn’t happened to her, nothing bad would have. That was how she had to keep thinking. There was a less than zero chance that anything bad would have happened, and she would have continued to be a normal, ordinary girl paling around with her less than ordinary best friend and…nothing bad would have ever happened.
Ever.
At least he had capitulated about the fighting…she could do the whole using magic thing. “That’s what I did with LJ when her and I sparred…I’m not sure it really did anything…but we danced after, so that was really nice.”
She felt her cheeks warming at the memory and her hands slowly lifted to cover them. “But, seriously, my magic doesn’t really...do anything, but I’d be happy to try it out on you...don’t expect a lot though...okay?”
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Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2017 9:20 pm
Remarque nearly raised a brow when she mentioned that they had danced afterwards, but he figured he wasn’t going to criticize her for taking small comforts where she could find them. He offered a kind smile and tried to look as encouraging as he could manage. He’d had a lot of practice over the years and liked to imagine he was at least decent at it.
“All magic has a point, don’t worry about how much it seems to do or not. There’s no set bar for how much it ‘needs’ to do to be effective. I’m only curious to see what it can do. My sphere is Puppetry,” he explained, “And I rarely use it. All it does is string people up, but they can break out of it if they try. What’s your sphere?”
He moved a way a bit, just to give her space so she could cast her magic whenever she was ready.
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Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2017 9:20 pm
“My sphere? Uh. Foxgloves. Like the flower.” Kibirev had looked it up after finding out, and it was a very pretty flower at least. She would have been even more unhappy had it been an ugly flower...but she supposed that in a way, the sphere suited her. At least a little.
She watched, somewhat interested as he explained his own sphere…puppetry was kind of cool, kind of. It almost made his outfit make sense, sort of.
“All right. Well, I’ll try my magic on you, and that’ll be it? I’m really...I really don’t like fighting.” Holding her hand up, Kibirev sighed. “Soothing Foxglove!” When the small flower appeared, she gave a little smile and blew it towards Remarque, eager to see if it did anything...since clearly it had been useless against Lovejoy.
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Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2017 9:22 pm
Truthfully, Remarque had never heard of foxgloves, but he nodded anyway. Perhaps Lesath would have known more about it, but his knowledge of flowers was based on the ones that Lesath liked, and the ones that appeared in some form on the antiques he dealt with—but even then, he couldn’t find any picture to associate with the name.
Except, of course, for a fox wearing gloves, but that was just ridiculous; he banished the thought quickly.
Now was not the time to imagine animals in clothes; usually that was Chloe’s hobby, not his.
And Raven’s, according to the pictures on his phone of their dog all dolled up.
No. No, he was back to thinking about animals wearing clothes and Kibirev was already getting ready to use her magic and he couldn’t even focus…
He really needed a good meal.
Remarque drew in a breath and tried to focus again, just barely catching what the girl said.
Her magic came at him and for a few seconds, he didn’t feel anything—and then, suddenly, calm slipped over him. It was like he’d slid into a warm bath, or just had a good workout; his muscles relaxed and his breathing came a little easier. He closed his eyes and rolled his shoulders, just taking it in.
“Soothing is right,” he said after a few seconds.
“…I feel pretty soothed. With magic like that,” his voice trailed off a bit; the sensation wasn’t unlike being tucked into a nice, cozy bed, without a worry in the world. He had to force his eyes open so he could look at her again. “…You might not have to fight. I don’t know how anyone could want to if your magic makes them feel so peaceful.”
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Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2017 9:23 pm
He looked...really happy. But..again, it really seemed as though the magic didn’t do anything. He was still standing there. Still doing the same thing he had been doing but...he said it made him feel peaceful? But…that was kind of a cop out.
Kibirev sighed. “Are you sure it even did anything? You don’t seem like you’re feeling very magically attacked...and if all it does is soothe people...I’m not sure how that’s going to help me...I’m pretty sure that people will still want to attack me…”
She sighed, and even her pigtails looked as though they were drooping. “I’m just hopeless. That cat and Miss Lesath should never have bothered to bring me into this. I’m just a disappointment, that’s all.”
Scuffing her foot on the floor, Kibirev slumped against the wall. “I’d rather just go live in a fairy tale, not be a part of a war…”
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Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2017 9:23 pm
Remarque grunted his initial response and, as the magic began to wear off, finally nodded. “I’m certain it did something. I’m usually always on edge. But it was the calmest I’ve felt in quite some time. You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself,” he said after a few seconds. “We didn’t ask for these magics, and we don’t get to decide them, but I’m sure there’s a reason you’ve got that. Maybe you aren’t supposed to fight. Maybe you’re supposed to soothe.”
He moved over to her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Soldiers aren’t the only ones who play a role in war. I won’t lie, I’d like to make sure you know how to defend yourself in case someone targets you, but you being a Senshi wasn’t a mistake. You’re not a disappointment—you’re new. And young. You have to find your place in the world and the war. And the idea is, after all of this, we’ll get a fairy tale ending. But you don’t get the magical, happily ever after without the conflict in the middle of the story, Kibi. Somebody’s gotta fight to get it. And if you don’t want to, you don’t have to. It’s enough if you just want to support the ones who will. And I’ll fight so you don’t have to, and if you stick around, I’ll make sure you get the fairy tale ending you’re after, too. But don’t beat yourself up because you don’t have offensive magic—and don’t undervalue yourself just because you’re still getting into this. You might have more powerful magic down the road, anyway, but you’ve just got to get stronger to unlock it. You don’t get handed a grenade launcher until you know how to fire a gun, you know? It’s all about practice, and sticking to it, and doing what feels right to you.”
He spoke, gently, but seriously. He was trying to reassure her; he knew that this, of all things, would weigh heavily on new members and he didn’t want it to chase them away. “If you don’t want to fight, it’s all right. It just means you were destined to do something else. Maybe you’re better off helping people, is that something you like to do?”
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Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2017 9:24 pm
Kibirev was quiet for a long moment, then finally sighed. “You kind of remind me of a less stinky version of my big brother. Not that he smells, but he’s kind of a hobo right now, so by all rights, he should smell.”
She nodded and pulled away from him. “When...if we get home I guess I should really think about all of this...and I think I will...but...I don’t know. You’re right about the story having some bad things in the middle but...if you want to know a secret...I’m normally the one who skips the middle. I’ve never been a fan of the trials, just the happy endings. Even Hallmark movies concern me sometimes, because if you’ve ever watched any of those, there’s always horrible conflict in the middle, and it always gets so much worse before it gets better.”
The senshi let out a heavy sigh. “Sometimes it’s just too much for me. My heart can’t take it...but I’m glad you think that my magic is useful...that makes me feel kind of happy, I hope you know. So...thanks. Also, Miss Lesath is pretty lucky to have you for a boyfriend...or are you her husband? I’m not really sure.”
She gave another shrug. “But...we’ll get home soon, don’t you think? Maybe when we get there you can have me and LJ over for dinner and maybe we can watch a Hallmark movie or something.”
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Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2017 9:25 pm
“Uh, thanks,” Remarque said after a second; a less stinky version of her big brother was…probably a compliment. He wasn’t going to question it. “Lesath’s probably already said, but you’re welcome over anytime you’d like. We’re engaged, but we’ll get a move on for the wedding eventually. Has she told you about Chloe, yet? Our little girl. She’s got a thing for long hair, she’s learning to braid, so if you come over you should be prepared. She’s, ah.”
He reached up to rub at his scalp. “She’s getting better. A little gentler.”
A fond smile drifted onto his face as he thought about the girl, and he sighed contentedly. “But you go ahead and take some time to think about it. Just remember that whatever’s in the middle, no matter how rough it is, there are people here who will help you. Whether you’re helping the Court fight its battles, or whether you’re fighting your own, we’ll have your back. So don’t hesitate to ask for help if you need it, okay?”
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Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2017 9:25 pm
Kibirev’s eyes widened and she nodded mutely. They had a baby? Had she known this? If she had known it…she had obviously forgotten…but she wanted to cuddle a baby! That sounded like the very best thing in the world to do right now…and if Remarque was offering…it would be terribly rude to not…take him up on it. “Oh! She can braid my hair if she wants to…though maybe I’ll keep it already braided and out of little fingers reach…”
Falling quiet for a moment, the senshi looked around, trying to find something useful to say, and finally shrugged. “Thank you for taking the time to make sure I was okay…I appreciate it…though I’m not really sure that any of us are okay in here…so…I think I’m going to head back and make sure that Lovejoy is doing okay…she’s kind of been acting stranger than normal, and that’s a scary thought indeed.”
She gave a little wave, and even managed a small smile. “Take care…tell Miss Lesath I said hello, okay?” She wanted the blonde to like her still…even if sometimes she was still made about the whole…giving them magic thing. She didn’t want to be disliked. “I’ll see you later!”
And with that she darted off in the direction of the room she shared with Lovejoy, at the very least she had learned that her magic wasn’t totally useless after all…that had to count for something!
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