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 Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2020 2:58 pm
It was not the most common of positions to be sat in, but his calves were suffering from both of his workouts that evening and sitting normally just didn't work for him at the moment. Thus, the senshi could be found hunkered down on top of the wall, balanced carefully on the balls of his feet with his knees bent outwards.
He'd chosen this spot for a reason of course, it was dark and kept him fairly shrouded from view, but it also provided him with a considerable vantage point to observe what was happening below him. This evening he'd come early, a risk in many respects as there were several parts of the city still bustling with life at this time and it wasn't the best of ideas to get caught. However there was method to his madness - based on what he'd heard in the grapevine while working in his normal day-to-day life... He'd come to realise that while some individuals tended to prowl the more questionable parts of town there were also those who chose to come to brighter areas.
As much as he was loathe to admit it; this evening would not be one in which he could intervene. To attack anything now would have been the equivalent of starting a war in broad daylight and that would do no one any favours.
No... This evening would be for learning purposes only.
For now he would simply wait, identify his targets and then watch what they did and how they did it. They were operating in a way that went under the radar to everyone around them and this was in stark contrast to how the others had operated. On this occasion it would be more advantageous for him to learn how they were doing this, and what happened to their victims in the process. For example, did they target the already frail to avoid suspicion, or did they have an even more nuanced approach that he hadn't been exposed to yet.
The senshi settled in for the long haul - only time would tell and he would have to be patient while he waited for something or someone to show up and reveal their secrets...
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Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2020 3:27 pm
Narcissus was familiar with how most of chaos conducted their activities. Their affairs were to be kept private, which made it most convenient to go out in the dead of night and pick off lonely stragglers to drain for their energy and abandon alone in an inconspicuous place, where no one would find them. He understood the thought process and even agreed that they should keep a low profile so as to avoid panicking civilians.
He agreed less with the methods, though.
Two AM was no time to be outside the home. Even on an uneventful day, he still had work in the morning and often long into the afternoon. Basyl couldn't be up and active at all hours of the day and night with his already-unhealthily-scant sleep schedule. And some senshi were just teenagers, youngsters with a family at home who would be frightened to come across an empty bedroom at two in the morning while their child was out stealing the life out of strangers. Going out in the evening was fine, instead of the pitch of night as most recommended.
And he couldn't really get behind the victims some of his court-mates chose. Basyl liked the thought of 'quick, easy, and convenient' as much as anyone, but... It seemed dangerous to sap a wraith-full of energy out of one civilian. And the thought of leaving someone passed out in a dark alley where any number of bad things could stumble across them was unwelcome.
Even an unconscious civilian could attract a youma, and as far as Narcissus understood it, they didn't use simple, harmless wraiths to drain energy. It seemed to be more of a 'teeth and talons' business. Or if not a youma, humans, even unpowered, could be just as predatory and dangerous to a prone body left unguarded. He didn't want to think of how many victims he'd seen firsthand who had come into the hospital confused and delirious about how they'd been unexpectedly maimed and didn't have an explanation for it.
Narcissus didn't want to be the cause for any of that. He didn't need to be.
He was among the fortunate few that the base of his fuku was mostly standard wear: a loose, sleeveless top and simple dark pants. Besides some eccentric accessories, he thought he looked relatively normal, particularly for someone going out in the evening. He fancied the thought that he could be going to a club or a themed bar or some kind of event downtown.
Regardless, Narcissus didn't believe he needed to be invisible, just inconspicuous.
He had his compact out as he walked, looking as though he were checking his reflection as he strode through the scattered passerby. But his gaze was on the sidewalk behind him. Being a Sunday evening meant even well-populated areas weren't especially crowded at this hour. Most people had work tomorrow. It suited Narcissus fine. He didn't need to fight a sea of people.
His wraith skirted close along the walls of the buildings behind them, sticking to the shadows cast by the evening's dying light. It flitted briskly through each passerby before clinging to the walls again. Narcissus thought he saw a few people turn their heads as if they'd seen something, but the wraith moved on quickly, little more than a shadow, and no one questioned further than that.
Somewhere along the road, he felt it: the aura of something not of his court. It felt suspiciously White Moon, so he didn't... think they would rush to challenge him here in the open? He angled his compact, searching until he spotted a shadowy, person-like-shape on a nearby roof. Narcissus swallowed.
He slowed as the wraith grew slightly less translucent, giving it time to catch up to him as it gained a more corporeal form, and Narcissus ducked down an alley to call it back to its mirrorshard once it had gathered all it could.
Narcissus recognized the risks. He did! Any other powered person could see him and know what he was. Someone could spot his wraith or worse- hit it and shatter it, rendering it and everything it collected useless. He could start a fight with just his presence out her in public, but...
Wasn't that better than risking some stranger's life?
He tucked the shard in his space pocket and glanced up to the man crouched along the wall.
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Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2020 6:59 am
At first he had thought nothing of it, his senses somewhat dulled as he peered down from his vantage point...but then it struck him, the jolt of a chaos signature. Somewhere within the crowds they were here, powered up, and walking about in what was arguably comparable to broad daylight. Unsurprisingly his eyebrows raised and he gazed down at the crowd with much more interest - if there was something with a chaos signature in this midst then where was it?
Nothing struck him as unusual for a period, each individual seemed to look as they should have, but eventually something out of the norm did catch his eyes. A flicker of something resided in the shadows, weaving periodically in and out. Occasionally it seemed to reach out and touch one of those walking along the pavement and yet they seemed entirely oblivious.
...Completely unaffected.
Intriguing.
Whatever the entity might have been it seemed that he had caught its attention, or more accurately, as he continued to observe what lay below him he seemed to have caught the attention of whomever controlled it. No longer quite so difficult to spot, it had followed someone into a more obscure and darker alley. To be fair, the brief glimpse he caught of whomever controlled the entity did seem to be rather subtle... It was almost as if they weren't meant to stand out.
He moved slowly, leaping from one building to the next. Unlike Narcissus he couldn't move quite so freely in public, at least not at this time of the evening. However, even with this handicap it wasn't much of a challenge for him to catch up to the individual in question. No sooner had Narcissus drawn his wraith safely back into his shard than Athalia had gently lowered himself into the alleyway to meet him.
...It was a rare moment in which the injured senshi was not inclined to be quite so aggressive.
"What have you done to them?" he asked calmly.
Now that he had the opportunity to observe the Dark Mirror senshi's attire more closely it made sense that he had the capacity to blend in much more easily. However, given this was the first of his kind he had met, Athalia remained concerned as to what his wraith may have done. If his beast hadn't necessarily done anything to draw attention to them then what had it done.
...Did it inflict them with an illness, a parasite, or something else?
"They may not have seen your beast, but I did." He clarified. It was the only description he had for the ethereal entity he had observed, in time he might come to learn of what the Dark Mirror could do, but for now his descriptions and queries would remain quite simple!
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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2020 7:11 am
Oh.
The senshi was a bit taller and broader than Narcissus had initially expected of the man he'd seen crouching on the wall. It wasn't an immediately reassuring discovery, though at least he didn't leap fist-first, as so many others from the White Moon did. Narcissus' magenta gaze darted perhaps a bit too-tellingly to a pile of crates and trash bags and the glint of something reflective farther down the alley, before his focus returned to the man standing in front of him.
Narcissus didn't mind answering questions. He didn't mind when members of the other factions were curious and inquisitive. Being eager for knowledge seemed mostly like a positive thing. But the second something seemed more sinister, he would bolt.
He hadn't had any positive experiences with the White Moon such that he felt comfortable enough to not be wary. When Kibirev had warned him about how dangerous the White Moon and Negaverse could be, he'd told her he couldn't just assume their motives and intentions based on the color of their bodice. It wasn't fair to treat people like that. Then he'd been attacked on multiple occasions, and it became a little more difficult to be so trusting.
Narcissus took a stiff step backwards, fumbling his fingers into the translucent fabric of his fuku as his gaze darted away. "Oh, it's... n-nothing they'll ever even notice," Narcissus answered quietly.
He spared another quick glance up. "My wraith can-" 'Steal' didn't seem like a reassuring word here. "-harvest energy from civilians by touching them. Um. It seems like as long as it's very quick and only passes through them once, no one is any worse for wear from it." He rubbed at his neck. "It's late enough that I hope most people are going home to sleep, anyway... It shouldn't affect them at all."
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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2020 12:31 pm
Silence reigned supreme for a short while - he didn't intend to look imposing but what Athalia may have wanted and what another might perceive were entirely different. Truth be told the senshi was just tired and given he felt rather drained he probably looked rather 'done' with quite a few things at the moment. Hell, he'd probably even give a thousand yard stare at a poor shop assistant while purchasing a soda.
The silence was not intended to be menacing though, it was simply the product of a senshi who was digesting the information he had been provided with, no matter how sparse. After all, he'd just been given a particularly frank answer and more importantly, the one who had provided it had also revealed why he took such actions.
...He was in the company of someone who may have chosen to take what wasn't his, but he'd pursued a method that he implied was harmless. In fact, he'd even gone so far as to target a time of day that would naturally ensure that within a short while these individuals would be quietly ensconced within their homes and curled up in bed.
"Prove it," he said at last.
He could take the Senshi's word for it, but more often than not he deemed it necessary to have supporting evidence. It wasn't an aggressive tone, nor one that was particularly challenging, it simply sounded unconvinced. He returned his gaze to Narcissus and nodded.
"If what you say is true then it should do nothing to me, yes?" he continued curiously and pursed his lips. "You have my word I won't harm your companion, but if you are to be believed then you will need to provide evidence," he stated.
"So have it walk through me," he ordered thoughtfully.
All being well nothing would happen and at that point, Narcissus might very well have a little more than just his attention!
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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2020 1:13 pm
'Prove it.'
The hairs at the back of Narcissus' neck prickled in warning, and he glanced away with a muted sound of discontentment. He may not be able to be offended at the White Moon for not trusting him, but neither was he expressly comfortable with them, either. He didn't mind sharing what he knew in order to help others better understand his actions, but he couldn't reveal anything that would be burdensome to others in his Court down the line. And while Narcissus was sure knowledge of the wraiths wasn't a secret, he probably didn't need one being inspected by a White Moon in such close range.
Not if it could be damaged.
Narcissus thinking things over was not a quiet or still process. He fiddled with the loose ends of his hair while his magenta eyes roved over the surroundings almost aimlessly. A quiet, high note slid from his throat, until he decided after a moment of consideration, "Um. N-no. I can't. Sorry."
He twisted a lavender lock around his finger and grumbled at the ground. "You don't have any proof I'm not hurting anyone besides what you have already actively witnessed, which is more than I have towards believing you when you say you won't hurt my wraith." His magenta gaze flicked rapidly and pointedly to where the senshi appeared to be injured- no doubt from a fight. "But even barring that issue, wraiths can only hold a finite amount of energy. That one has already collected its fill and will need to deliver it to our crystal before it comes out again."
"S-sorry. If there's something else you have an interest in, I don't mind answering your questions. But not at the expense of or threat to my Court's resources." He wasn't about to bank on not losing his wraith just because a random senshi promised he wouldn't hurt it.
And it would be disastrously inconvenient if he lost his and had to request another shard. At the rate Narcissus collected energy he was sure everything his wraith had ever gathered wasn't worth the creation of a new Mirrorshard...
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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2020 1:29 pm
Athalia raised both eyebrows at Narcissus's rejection, to the Dark Mirror Senshi's credit, his points were entirely valid. Athalia had shown nothing, he had lurked within the shadows and then he had come to face the more lithe senshi with very little warning. All things considered they were on opposing 'sides', or at least that was what several would have had him believe. Given he had nothing to dispute this and these individuals did have to drain to 'survive' in much the same way as the Negaverse, it was safe to say that he could at least understand Narcissus's view.
"Fair," Athalia conceded after a moment, a statement of fact. Narcissus was entitled to a measure of respect at the very least. The senshi hadn't been rude in his reply, he had merely responded with facts and even provided further context. If he was to be believed then his companion had gorged enough and could no longer contain any more energy; taking this in to consideration, Athalia assumed that even if it was to walk through him then perhaps he would feel nothing.
...It might even do nothing.
"You are right I have given you no reason to trust me and generally speaking I'm not really the type," he admitted after a few moments. The only reason he hadn't acted so aggressively to begin with had been existing injuries, but now he had other reasons for a more measured approach.
"Then again I don't typically encounter individuals who are otherwise inclined to be considerate towards their victims," he explained and shook his head. "It rather dampens the mood when you find several prone victims and a gloating entity, satisfied that they have had their fill for the next few hours," he continued.
There was a pause as he peered down briefly at the ground in thought before returning his gaze towards the Mirror Senshi.
"So why have you chosen this path?" he asked curiously. "I assume this is less efficient than the norm, so one has to wonder what drives you to be quite so mindful of those around you when what rules you is considerably less benevolent," he pointed out.
...Clearly he wasn't aware that when it came to the Mirror Senshi, they weren't ruled by the same 'parasitical entity' than the agents were.
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Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2020 12:11 pm
Narcissus rubbed at the back of his neck, glancing sidelong to the brick building that made up one of the alley's borders as his brows knit in confusion. He fidgeted with his hair, smoothing a flyaway strand behind his ear before turning back to the White Moon senshi again. "I... don't really understand?" He admitted uncertainly. "You aren't the type to want people to trust you? Doesn't that seem like it would make things, er... more difficult?" He understood that there were things worth keeping close to his chest (like the importance of his wraith, and the limitations it had), but not everything was a secret. Communication and willingness to understand weren't worth nothing.
They were (mostly) all just people doing what seemed right. There was no reason to stubbornly make an enemy out of everyone who didn't follow the same path.
"Senshi like me face opposition over everything we do. We can't afford to do anything too... jarring..." He understood the White Moon's mistrust for Mirror senshi. He wouldn't try and deny that it would be unfortunately easy to make a mistake that could leave someone worse for wear in their wake. But even the Negaverse, their alleged allies, didn't always seem- Well, they could be aggressive, Narcissus had realized. Something in the past had left a terse acceptance between the two factions, but agents were far from friendly, and abusive at worse.
The Dark Mirror Court was stepping on glass wherever it went. Care and caution were top priorities.
Narcissus tried a hesitant smile as he shrugged. "I must have been fortunate to never see anyone behave like that," he replied. He thought of Kibirev, Arnica, and Nischal and had a hard time imagining any of them gloating over a fallen person. They had all been senshi far longer than him and must be practiced at using their wraiths, but Narcissus doubted any of them enjoyed it. It was just something that had to be done.
"As for me, I-" He twiddled his fingers together, unkempt hair dropping into his eyes again as he rocked back on the balls of his feet. "-prefer not to leave 'victims' behind when I t-tend to duties for my court." Narcissus looked back out toward the road, where a few sparse strangers passed along the sidewalk and smiled almost fondly. "They're just people trying to go about their lives like you or me. None of them have done me any disservice. And I've only been a senshi for a few months. Before then, I was focused much more on being a force a good in this world. I still am, I think."
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Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2020 12:46 pm
"I don't really play the politician," Athalia replied calmly as Narcissus queried why he might behave in the manner he did. In an ideal world people could see eye to eye and find a common ground, but that would have involved one of those parties refraining from excessive pain and suffering, something that they didn't seem convinced by. If some in the Negaverse had benevolent side to them then he wasn't overly concerned, the truth was in whether or not they had the courage to step away from the very thing that demanded they cause harm.
...The Dark Mirror though, he honestly didn't know.
"There isn't any point in pretending to be friendly when you know where things need to lead," he continued and shook his head. "They have their needs, a hunger that must be filled in order to satisfy their rather peculiar overlord," he paused briefly and pursed his lips. "Despite their questionable intentions though, they are entitled to a measure of respect... And that requires that I refrain from false promises or lies," he finished.
In a manner of speaking it was similar to Narcissus, if things were destined to go poorly then it was inappropriate for Athalia to lull him in to a false sense of security. What might have been a preferred strategy to another senshi was one that he avoided, it was the 'right' thing to do as it were.
Narcissus did provide a measure of detail in regards to why he choose to act in the manner he did. In the grand scheme of things, despite what path he might have been on, he still seemed to have a sense of right and wrong. Benevolence and compassion demonstrated through a careful and measured approach towards his 'duties' as he referred to them.
"So your kind need energy too," he clucked his tongue.
Did he know what to make of that? Not really; but it would be safe to assume he wasn't surprised by it either. Parasitical entities and existences seemed to be a bit of a common theme when it came to anything that 'thrummed' with elements of chaos. This one still had his heart through, untainted and otherwise still 'whole' for want of a better description so there was something different between both parties.
"I don't suppose you're going to tell me what peculiar beast your kind happen to be feeding?" It wasn't rhetorical, but Athalia had a mind to treat it that way. He wouldn't have been offended if the senshi elected not to answer him in that respect.
"At the very least I will express gratitude for your attempt to be considerate towards your peers though," he nodded towards the passing crowds, oblivious to the encountering so close to them. "I've spent far too much of my time removing individuals from areas where they haven't been quite so thoughtful towards others," he admitted. "Your approach is refreshing to say the least..."
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2020 11:36 am
If Narcissus had been uncomfortable before, the sensation only grew as the White Moon senshi continued to talk. It sounded like what most of the senshi who attacked him would say: 'no time to talk. If something doesn't agree with me, I'll fight it.'
He swallowed, and rubbed his thumb against the metal of his bracer. "I think most people probably prefer not to 'play the politician.' They get a bad rap for oftentimes being selfish and stubborn and making disagreeable choices that affect a lot of people... But in this sense, it's not so much trying to cater to the other side as it is simply allowing yourself the opportunity to listen and- even if not agree with- understand why other parties behave as they do. I realize not everyone is a good person with the well-being of the majority at heart, but I strongly doubt you 'know where things need to lead.' You have your beliefs. That doesn't make them right."
"Not to say what the agents do is right, but you have no way of knowing if their only goal is to sate chaos' hunger. I would bet most of them probably don't know or care about their overlord at all, besides maybe to be frightened of it. So many things are often so much more personal than that..."
Narcissus didn't have the dedication and passion for the magical side of things that so many others did, but his 'goal' was to keep his Court safe. The draining was just a necessity to that end.
An awkward burble of laughter escaped his throat and Narcissus smiled sheepishly, giving a tiny shrug. "Everything needs energy," he replied. "You take your planet's energy every time you power up. And when you power down, you rely on the energy gathered from some unknown farmer or rancher's harvest. Whatever you take and use is something someone else can't have." He gave another shrug. "I try to be sparing."
"But I take what I feel like my world needs to be a safe haven for senshi like me. We don't each have our own planet we can retreat to when something threatens us."
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Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2020 7:24 am
"How naive," Athalia replied simply.
He'd heard this spiel more times than he cared to admit now and he had been warned that chaos warped and transformed the mind into something devoid of critical thought when it came to any remote possibility that their goals may be wrong. That being said, he didn't know whether this senshi was in a similar position or if his intentions were genuine. There was little that could be done to convince Athalia that the Negaverse were anything but a scourge, but for the time being he hadn't yet been provoked in a similar capacity by the Dark Mirror Court.
...The remarks regarding his home planet though did make him roll his eyes.
"Chaos, regardless of where it comes from, does seem to get a kick out of mentioning things they can neither see, touch or ever access," he mused and shook his head slowly. "Energy freely given is considerably different than energy stolen," he pointed out. "And without me my planet will die, we are symbiotic in that respect. One cannot be without the other, and I might note there is only one of me as opposed to thousands of me," he continued.
"Chaos is much like humanity itself, polluted and inclined to over consume to the point of total annihilation," he shrugged. While Chaos could eat, while it was fed, it would continue to grow to the point that it ran out of food and then what would happen?
...If its troops couldn't even see that eventually it would consume them, then they would be in for a rude awakening at the end of their days. Should they ever 'win', their existence would be short lived and fruitless.
"You may try to be considerate in the amount you take but what happens when your companions are not quite so thoughtful in their approach?" he asked curiously. "What happens when you've eaten and drained everything and there's nothing else for you to take?" he pressed.
"What are you supposed to feed on then? Thin air seems unlikely."
Not that he couldn't appreciate the need to protect a home, Narcissus had mentioned a safe haven and if it was genuinely the only place they had to go then surely they had thought about this already...
"Perhaps your particular sect is much more considerate but if you share the same methods for acquiring your power source and the other is less benevolent... then eventually one will over consume and leave the other with nothing," he warned.
"Fear of an unknown master is not an excuse to torture others and to leave them vulnerable, regardless of whether we are in this powered state or if we are no more than normal people. At some point fear stops becoming an excuse and simply makes you a part of the problem," he pointed out gently.
He wouldn't provide the Senshi with a history lesson, goodness only knows he'd spoken more than enough by now, but there had been several instances in history where fear had led to catastrophe and the future generations hadn't been kind to those who had used this particular excuse...
Instead, he merely looked to his right and hopped up on one of the crates in the alley to take a seat. He certainly seemed much more casual and ill inclined to assault the senshi, on this occasion he really didn't seem to think hostility was warranted!
"I suppose I'm not entitled to your name," he shook his head. "But I will at least introduce myself, especially now that I've talked your ear off," he smiled wryly.
"My name is Athalia, and generally speaking your caution would be smart and warranted. I'm probably not the friendliest individual for anyone with inclinations towards Chaos to meet." He conceded.
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