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 Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2018 6:50 pm
When it came down to it, Leon Nohrenberg was looking for something to spice up his life. As it stood, things were nice, but boring. Classes were so-so; he handled them well enough and, by some miracle, had some time to handle projects of his own. He felt he could do more with his time, but what? He didn't think he necessarily had to figure out his calling, but in a way, he wanted to. He wanted something new, cool, and interesting to show up. Sure, that weird stuff with the gem snow and aurora was cool, but it didn't directly impact him that much. When he'd had trouble sleeping, he'd stayed awake daydreaming about all the interesting things that could possibly happen to him. However, when he walked home from the library late one night, he had no idea that his fate was going to take a very interesting turn indeed. He had asked for a great happening, and he was about to get it.
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Posted: Mon Jan 15, 2018 10:34 pm
Youma were something Remarque still hated. After all these years, after knowing what they were, he just hated them.
And, having one young daughter with an affinity for all things ‘cute’ and ‘fluffy’, he took it personally when a youma had the gall to appear in Destiny City looking the way this one did.
Though only in the form of an Eternal Senshi, it had been easy to chase it down the alleyway it had run down, and while it managed to elude his blows for a good few seconds, and while it almost managed to escape past him, he managed to deliver one final, powerful kick to its backside that sent it flying down the alley and smacking into the wall in a puff of smoke.
Satisfied, he smoothed down his clothes and brushed himself off before casually strolling out of the alley—right in front of Leon.
“Oh,” he blurted, and while he hadn’t expected company, he didn’t seem too jostled. A second passed and, as if making casual conversation would make this civilian forget the youma’s dust, or Remarque’s odd outfit, he added, “…Evening.”
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Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2018 7:17 pm
What? Well, honestly, Leon had a high tolerance for weirdness, mostly due to his own very anime and fantasci-fi sensibilities, but this guy sure had quite a getup. The guy seemed quite as surprised to see him as he was to see the other guy, however. Maybe this guy hadn't been expecting anyone in "plain clothes" to be in the area? Must have been some kind of cosplay group. LARP? Only one way to find out. Leon shot an uneasy smile back at the stranger and nodded, acting as though he understood what was going on. "Evening! Looking for something in the area? I might know a cafe or two where you can have your buddies meet you." It was true that he was a patron of bunches of coffee shops; free wi-fi and delicious coffee meant a nice place to work. If it weren't so late, he'd go get some coffee right now. But what was that puff of dust that came before the guy? Weird.
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2018 9:14 pm
“What?” Remarque asked instinctively. “…No, I’m not looking for anything around here. I’m not out for coffee, and I’m not planning on meeting anyone.” He looked at the man somewhat suspiciously, and then glanced at his outfit. “…Do you think I’d be walking around in public, interacting with society, while wearing something like this?” he asked after a brief pause.
He seemed suspicious, though not unfriendly; he was used to people questioning the outfit or giving him a hard time about the getup—those were usually the civilians with no idea what was going on. But for a civilian to be particularly casual about it was uncommon—and yet, he didn’t suspect that this guy knew about the Dark Mirror Court.
Still, he was curious enough to stick around, even if only for a moment.
“Either you’re very open minded about odd fashion choices, or I’m not the first Senshi you’ve met,” he prompted.
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Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2018 5:31 pm
"Uh... maybe? Sometimes there's no such thing as common sense in Destiny City." Leon chuckled nervously and put his hand around the back of his neck. "Senshi? The term sounds kind of familiar, but I can't place it. I do have an open mind, though! You kind of need it around these parts. Weird is kind of par for the course here. It wasn't too long ago that we had diamond snow and weird auroras far away from the north or wherever, you know?" It occurred to him that maybe he was being a bit too blithe about something that this guy took rather seriously. "...You don't happen to know something about the weird stuff that's been going on, do you?" He hoped that question would bring things back down to earth a bit.
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Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 8:42 am
Remarque watched him for a moment, considering his answer. He didn’t let the silence drift into anything awkward and found himself suddenly shrugging.
“I might,” he said coyly. It was clear that Remarque certainly knew more than he was saying, but he was toying with the idea of actually sharing it. He wasn’t so loose with his information and regarded the stranger curiously.
“Why do you ask, is that the sort of thing you’re interested in?”
Remarque had planted his hands on his hips and tapped two fingers contemplatively as he waited for his answer.
Curiosity was something he could work with. If Mirrorspace would let him.
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Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2018 7:53 pm
"You might? There's really answers for this sort of thing?" Leon's eyes might have sparkled a bit. Free knowledge on weird stuff? Sign him up! One of the pitfalls of being a knowledge seeker, he supposed. "I mean, yeah, I'm interested in this stuff. I don't understand people who aren't. If I could explain the weird stuff that happens in this city, that would be awesome." Somewhat unconsciously, he leaned towards Remarque, his curiosity getting the better of him. "So, yeah! If you know what's going on and it's not some kind of government secret, I'd love to hear about it. Please?" He hoped there was something cool on the other side of this teaser. There was a thread hanging off the sweater of reality, and boy, did he want to pull it!
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Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2018 7:28 am
Remarque watched for a moment longer and then laughed softly, shaking his head. “All right,” he decided, and gestured for the male to follow him. He didn’t try to lead him down the alley he’d come from; instead, he set his course towards a grove of trees before them. Hidden within its depths was a mirror, but it would take a moment to get there.
Remarque didn’t think he’d have an issue holding the civilian’s attention for the duration of the walk over there.
“There’s no government secret,” he began. “But there is a fair share of secrets involved. Even if I told you everything,” he paused and glanced at the male out of the corner of his eye. “You wouldn’t be able to tell everyone. Can you be satisfied with sating your own knowledge, ah…what’s your name?”
A name he would discard if the mirror rejected him, but something at least to pass the time while they walked.
He could see where the mirror was hidden already; they would be in Mirrorspace soon enough.
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Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2018 11:30 am
"The name's Leon," Leon chimed in helpfully. "Did I get yours? I might have spaced on it, sorry." He was starting to notice that the city was thinning out around him. Where was he being taken? Hopefully nowhere too shady. That was what he got for being curious, he supposed. He needed a moment to think Remarque's request for secrecy over. "Yeah, I guess I'd be okay with it. If my questions are answered, I'll be happy. This doesn't sound like something that could easily be explained to most people, anyway." It was a bit of a bummer, but it happened. Esoterica was fine too.
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Posted: Sun May 13, 2018 3:50 pm
"I hadn’t offered a name, no. But you may call me Remarque," he said, leisurely meandering towards the mirror. Within only seconds, they stood before their own reflections. Remarque waited for Leon to be close enough behind him that he could easily reach out and grab his wrist; he didn't give the man much time to protest or pull away and simply instructed, "Hold your breath."
He gave him just enough time to gulp a fresh breathe of air, but didn’t take the time to make sure he'd actually done so before he took a step towards the mirror.
Through the mirror.
The surface rippled for the split second it took Remarque to walk through the cool surface, out of Destiny City and into somewhere else. The sensation may have been odd to anyone who had never experienced Mirrorwalking before, but he had done it a thousand times. It felt like passing through water--like jumping into a cool pool. The sensation was far from unpleasant, it was just different.
Magical.
One second they were in town, and the next they were surrounded by white--white walls, white floors, white furniture. A thin tendril of gray smoke seemed to curl up near the ceiling, far out of reach. Mirrors hung on the walls, though some seemed larger and more ornate than others. Remarque didn’t seem interested in any of these and instead directed his gaze to the giant twin doors across the room.
His eyes suddenly shifted to his guest. "Doing all right so far?" he asked, with what almost even sounded like he actually cared. At least a little.
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Posted: Mon May 21, 2018 3:21 pm
"What-" Boy oh boy did Leon regret not taking that breath of air. He let Remarque take him by the wrist and pull him through the mirror, and the sensation was unlike anything he had ever experienced. It was a very distinct feeling of passing through something, like popping through a liquid membrane, but there was air instead of water on the other side. Still, since the "membrane" was "liquid," Leon's breath was cut off, making him wheeze a bit when he emerged with Remarque on the other side. Once he caught his breath, he gazed as the bizarrely white area around him. The area was loaded with mirrors. This was unfamiliar territory, and a man of evidence like Leon wasn't about to deny that something had definitely just happened. Something that defied his knowledge of the world as he knew it. "Wow," he murmured, trying to let everything sink in. "Uh, yeah. I'm fine. Lead the way, Remarque."
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Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2018 6:30 pm
Despite Leon affirming that he was fine, Remarque gave him an extra few seconds to take in the sight and compose himself. He pretended to be dsistracted by brushing off his uniform and glancing around the place, if only to ensure Leon didn’t feel rushed.
“This way,” he said, gesturing for his guest to follow him.
He moved across the room and towards the great doors that lead into the other room; they looked immense and immovable, but Remarque pushed against them and pried them apart with ease. A metallic echo radiated through the room as the doors scraped against the floor but it wasn’t so loud or unnerving that it was worth any sort of alarm.
This room was not so unlike the room they had started in; there were mirrors and oddities, a throne, a crystal—and a mirror.
A great, black mirror that had some powerful, unnatural aura swirling around it.
“The Black Mirror,” Remarque explained as he approached it; he kept his pace slow enough that Leon could trail along while still taking in the sights. “The source of immense power. Which, it will share with you—if you deserve it. Come, stand in front of it.”
He moved to stand next to the mirror and eyed the reflection; it looked like him in every way, except he could always swear there was some extra glint that wasn’t there in any other mirror.
And yet, he introduced the mirror as harmless—a gateway to power and opportunity. If it was a lie, it was one he’d told so well that he’d convinced himself of it.
It was a small price to pay if it meant their Court could grow.
“I want you to stand here, just take a good look. Tell me if you see anything.”
If you feel anything.
The mirror would welcome him, invite him in, if he was worthy.
Remarque tried to look like he wasn’t immensely interested—like he wasn’t hoping desperately to have some success tonight.
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Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2018 7:11 pm
As Leon followed behind Remarque, he felt his pulse quicken. Even as a normal civilian, he knew this was a place of great power. When Remarque confirmed that notion, his mouth might have been hanging open just a little. "If I deserve it...?" he said faintly, taken aback by the notion of being offered such an opportunity. Having played way too many RPGs, he had a feeling he knew what was coming: this was his call to adventure. What kind of idiot would he be to refuse the call?! "Okay, here I go," he said to Remarque, standing in front of the mirror and squinting at it a bit. "Great Black Mirror, I would like to learn your secrets," he whispered reverently. It was then he felt the call. Something beyond the mirror was calling to him, pulling him in. Well, if an eldritch horror was going to take his soul, at least he would go in an interesting fashion. He looked over at Remarque and mumbled a hasty "just a moment" before stepping forward, into the mirror. He was plunged into pitch blackness; there was a floor of some sort beneath his feet, but nothing around him. He reached out, in case there was a wall nearby, but again, nothing. It was then he saw a light; since there was no other indication, he walked towards the light. After several paces, he stepped through the light, and when he emerged... Leon was so stunned at his new getup that he jolted, and his glasses nearly fell off. "Wh-whoa," he stammered. "Did... did you just turn me into a warlock? Some kind of disciple of a dark ultimate power? Are my stupid RPG dreams really coming to life?!"
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Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2018 3:30 pm
The mirror had called, and he’d heard it. Remarque found he was holding his breath when Leon entered the mirror, but his face remained impassive.
He was forever hopeful; he couldn’t count the number of civilians he’d brought here only to find the mirror reject them.
Even the ones that had seemed like such hopeful candidates.
Every step was small, but in the right direction. He’d take a hundred failed attempts even if it meant they could still find one unawakened Senshi in the batch.
Time ticked slowly, and Remarque was left puzzling why he didn’t ever bother to bring a watch with him. It felt like minutes passed, and the itch of impatience began to crawl across his skin. He wanted to move, wanted to pace, wanted to stick his head in the Mirror and see what was going on—and then, Leon stepped out.
Or, he assumed it was Leon.
At the very least, it was a Dark Mirror Senshi he didn’t recognize and, coming out of the Black Mirror, that was usually a good thing.
A smile broke out across his face, something between smug and genuine.
“Something like that. While you were in there, did you hear anything? A name, a word?”
He wanted to know the Senshi name, wanted to know the sphere.
…Or else they were going to have to track down a cat by the end of the evening. Even the prospect of hunting one down didn’t seem so grim though, not when they had someone join their ranks.
A part of Remarque, though he wouldn’t admit it, was glad the Mirror had accepted Leon. He was grossly outnumbered by the female population in the Court, and even if this guy seemed a little awkward, it was still something.
Sami-Fire Sorry this took so long! ;;
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2018 11:56 am
The newly-minted Dark Mirror Senshi grinned back at Remarque, hoping his... superior? his sensei? His partner in the dark arts. Whatever. Hoping Remarque was proud of him for whatever had happened. "Hmm, now that I think about it..." He tapped his foot and tilted his head as he searched his memory of awakening for any trace of something audible. "I think there were two things. 'Mundilfari' and 'Command.' I guess one's my True Name now, or something? Please be kind when summoning me." He chuckled. He was gonna cram as many dorky RPG jokes into this event as he could, because this was definitely the time and place for that. Kyuseisha no Hikari Let me know if he wasn't actually supposed to hear anything!
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