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Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2020 9:12 pm
Quote: Prompt 5: Though Destiny City is a busy metropolis, dense forests encircle the city. It's uncommon for wildlife to wander into the city--especially larger creatures--but something is making its mark on Destiny City. Large footprints, humanlike but far too large to belong to any ordinary human, are appearing around Destiny City. They always lead to the woods, and back again--and the strange part is that no one seems to be able to see what has caused them. Cameras distort, and anyone who thinks they've come into contact with the creature can only make out a thick, white fur and something easily nine feet tall. Oddly enough, any surface near the tracks are covered in a sheet of ice, as though whatever passed close to them was so cold it left a frosty trail.
Sailor Arnica had plenty of reasons to be out tonight, even with the unpleasant chill in the air. He wasn't particularly keen to have to deal with the chill, but when there were reports of some strange creature lurking in the night leaving a frosty trail behind, he didn't think he really had that many options.
Ordinarily, he would have been investigating this while powered down, if only because of the ease of moving around unnoticed.
But...when he had this power available to him, why squander it?
He'd tucked a camera away in subspace and had been travelling through the city, both by foot and by mirrors, looking for any sign of the oversized footprints in the snow, or buildings with only one side frosted in a strange sheet of ice.
Only, there was nothing. The night was so still, he wasn't seeing people, wasn't feeling powered signatures...
It was eerie.
And yet, he kept looking. He moved from one mirror to the next, trying to brush off the bitter chill when he spotted an open fireplace, and a bright, warm, inviting flame.
...There were no footprints, no ice trails.
No enemies, either.
A moment's reprieve by the heat wouldn't hurt.
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Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2020 10:22 am
With her long soft fur coat, Xyla was naturally well equipped for colder weather. But that didn't make her any less of a heat-seeking missile when it came to searching for a warm place to curl up. A couch in the Dark Kingdom would have been nice but almost everyone had their office doors closed while they spent time with friends and family for the holiday week. If anything, this winter season has been quite boring all things considered. There was no gossip or idle chit chat for her to eavesdrop on since it was too cold for officers or corrupt to patrol. Then again, because she remained an unattached mauvian there, was no home for her to go to this time of year either. While she could go bug Pendor for loves, there really was nobody to hold or pet her. Such a pity that normal house cats got more attention than a "cat" one that could speak. No matter. The outdoor fireplace had done its job in keeping her warm, however, it seemed that she was not the only one it would be offering its kindness to. Without warning, there was a curious energy signature close by. It was unlike the corrupt or agents that she was so familiar with but at least the owner's aura somewhat resonated with her so she didn't feel inclined to flee when they started to approach. Instead she rose to her feet and stretched, almost double the size of a standard house cat and definitely twice as long. Xyla yawned lazily then blinked up at the pink-haired Dark Mirror Senshi. "Such vivid colors in a world painted in white." She jumped from her perch and circled the young mans legs. While he stood there, a senshi of equal status or rank os a basic lieutenant, Xyla noticed that his potential was at it's current peak and with a slight nudge could be someone greater. "What does the wayward wanderer seek this time of night?" She purred.
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Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2020 4:23 pm
Arnica seemed a little surprised; he hadn't seen the cat, or felt her energy signature until he was almost right on top of it. If she'd been some sort of lethal enemy, he'd have been screwed. Briefly, he cursed his lack of attention, but it was short lived; she was winding around him and he answered, "Heat, mostly. You don't mind company, do you? It got a little chilly. I've been out for a few hours and saw the flame, but. I didn't see you."
A second passed and then, out of courtesy, he introduced, "I'm Arnica. I'm sorry for sneaking up on you."
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Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2020 4:39 pm
Xyla looked up at him with amused yellow slitted eyes and a Cheshire-like grin. Despite her size and color, she very much liked that she could still surprise someone. "I think it is I who snuck up on you." "I am Xlya." She jumped back up on the stone seating and patted the warm spot she had been laying. "Come, join me." The mauvian patted the concrete slab with her front paw.
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Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2020 5:10 pm
Arnica did not pass up the invitation; he followed her to the concrete slab and shuddered against the initial chill it brought. He leaned towards the fire, rubbing his hands and relaxing a bit as he felt the glow of the fire on his skin.
"It's going to get colder tonight. I hope you aren't planning on staying out for much longer? You've got all that fur, but I can't imagine the snow is comfortable on your paws."
But then, he was assuming. One for answers, he tilted his head. "Or, do you like the cold?"
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Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2020 5:38 pm
Without so much as an invitation, Xyla settled herself comfortably half in his lap; since there was no possible way for all of her to fit her tail just hung lazily off the side. "I like the cold as much as a polar bear likes summers at the zoo." Meaning, she would survive but didn't particularly enjoy it. She tucked her paws beneath her, evidence that his former assumption hit the nail on the head and that her little toe beans were in fact freezing. "My choices are limited on where to go." With freedom from being bound to any one agent or corrupt also came with several closed doors. Xyla was not well known in the Negaverse yet but come this next year she was sure that things would change. "You are an enigma, Arnica." Her head canted to the side curiously as she looked up at him with inquisitive eyes. "Not a corrupt but something within you resonates with me. Can't quite put my paw on it but you are special. Would you humor a Cheshire like myself and tell me more about who you are and what you aspire to. Help me solve this curious riddle will you?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2020 3:01 pm
Arnica didn't seem to mind the sudden weight in his lap; she was warm, and given that she had taken the incentive to sit in his lap, he thought it was only fair that he be permitted to stroke her fur. He did so cautiously, knowing that all cats could be peculiar.
He hummed contemplatively, thinking she had a very peculiar way of answering.
"I'm a Dark Mirror Senshi. I've heard there's not a lot of us, so I can't fault you if you haven't met one of us before. I thought the Negaverse would at least equip you with a bit more knowledge though. Are you new?" he asked, with no intent to shame; he just smoothed the fur on her back and kept petting her gently.
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Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2020 3:21 pm
"Ish," she replied vaguely. Aside from Cybele, and perhaps Valeria, nobody else really knew her name which was fine. Xyla much preferred the role of the silent observer; sadly there haven't been any large-scale meetings in almost half a year it seemed so the opportunity to make herself known was honestly severely lacking. "I've read about certain incidents regarding your Court." Stories recorded in the Negaverse database that was accessible in the Mauvian Headquarters. But that's really all they were, stories. Recordings from the victor that highlight half-truths and white lies. Xyla knew that there was always more to be gleaned if only you know the right questions to ask and who to ask. "You are, however, the first Dark Mirror I've encountered face to face." The mauvian admitted, granted there may have been one or two in that strange town but none she had taken the time to speak to. "Curious, why are you out here alone if you have access to those wraith like creatures?" Perhaps they were not as effective as a personal youma.
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Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2020 4:54 am
"Ah, for a few reasons! They're brittle, like glass. They dart through and gather energy, but they aren't really useful for anything else. And, they don't make for good company. They don't talk, they don't listen. You point them in the direction of some energy and they take off--and that's it. And...I'm out for personal reasons tonight, anyway."
He continued to stroke her fur, easy and light.
"I heard rumors about some creature coming out from the forest. That it's huge, and leaves ice on the side of buildings, and footprints in the snow. I wanted to investigate. I love a good story," he confessed, "But I like discovering the truth even more. I don't suppose you've heard anything about that in your databases, have you? Or seen anything while you were out?"
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Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2020 8:41 am
A Journalist, how fascinating. She smiled up at him and purred as his hand passed over her soft coat. Seemed she wasn't far off in her assumption that their ghost-like creatures weren't as useful as youma. It made her curious as to how these wraiths were originally created if they didn't even have much of a mind of their own. "I've heard of similar rumors but not see anything myself, no." Her head turned to the side and with startling yellow eyes, she scanned the immediate area for a shine of ice from the light of the fire off a place where it wouldn't typically be. Xyla neither heard nor sensed anything until he arrived which made her wonder if this creature was in some other part of the city or if there might be multiple roaming around. "I suspect it could be one of our own." However, the lack of aura was a bit concerning. Surely a General or Sovereign would have stepped in and commanded it back to the rift if it was one of their own. "Unlike your Mindless Ones, our youma can think for themselves. Some more feral than others, yes. But others are frighteningly intelligent." She recalled scanning through the known database and seeing a tall bipedal one that resembled a yetti. Its name escaped her but it was a possibility it might be out causing some michief.
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Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2020 11:55 am
Arnica nodded contemplatively before looking down to meet her gaze when he felt her eyes on him. "Maybe," he said, somewhat absentmindedly. "I've been all around town and haven't felt or seen anything. I've met my fair share of youma, but the thing is--if it is a youma, why didn't it drain anyone? It's not like there's ever been a trail of bodies, and the people who have said they've seen it didn't report making any contact with it. So," he shrugged.
"It makes it more interesting, I think. I figured the Negaverse wouldn't want to waste resources by letting a youma run around and play in the city, but I don't claim to understand the Negaverse."
He didn't claim to understand much of anything, honestly.
"If I can't solve that mystery, at least I've found you. You're pretty interesting, yourself. I haven't gotten to really talk to a Mauvian."
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Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2020 12:11 pm
"Hmm," Xyla's tail swayed lazily. "Quite the conundrum," and oh does she love riddles that are hard to solve. "You are right though, the Negaverse isn't one to waste resources." In that regard they were similar to the Dark Mirror Court, each faction sought out energy for their own reasons. Unless there was some greater benefit, it wasn't worth the risk or resources to let a youma run amok. "Nonetheless, whatever it is, it isn't around here." And she wasn't really of the mind to get up and leave this warm spot just yet in hunt of something that might be nothing more than a child's imaginary friend. "However, I am curious. What questions do you have for me then?" There was plenty she would like to ask him but she already had her turn and his answer confirmed some of what she read so it was an acceptable reply. The specifics of their behavior was something new that would need to be added to her notes later. Now... if only she could see one and test her beam on it without angering anyone just to confirm how fragile the creatures were.
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Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2021 9:14 am
"Hmm, we could start with the 'what now'?" Arnica suggested, teasing his fingers in her fur and smoothing it out.
"I've been doing this whole Senshi business for a while now. Obviously I have direction from my own Court, but it seems like everything I need to do is locked behind a power wall. I want to explore Mirrorspace--this whole, hidden world between mirrors. But I can't get there without being stronger, and I don't know what else I have to do. I've tried. I've been doing this for a while. So...you're a cat. You deal with Senshi. What am I missing?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2021 9:58 am
Ah, it made sense now. Arnica stood at the threshold between his current form and the next with enough power and experience to send him over the edge into his next stage. However, there was a barrier there, a door that was locked, and she was the key to opening it. Xyla was still new enough to the whole awakening and promotion duties impressed upon her, so it took a hot moment to recognize when it was time to step in. "You're not missing anything. You have all that you need right here." She replied to him cryptically and smiled up at him with a Cheshire-like grin.
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Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2021 5:31 pm
Arnica raised a brow as he looked down at her. "...All right, color me intrigued. You see something that I don't."
He leaned back a bit to get a better look at her.
"If I'm not missing anything, where is what I need? What am I supposed to do? Because, until I figure that out, I feel like I'm still stuck." He seemed amused though, and nearly laughed. "So what's that look for?"
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