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 Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2020 9:55 am
Quote: Poinsettias are common during the winter seasons, so it isn't unusual to see them decorating windowsills and local establishments. What is unusual are the unique Winter Star Poinsettias that seem to have accidentally mixed into the bunch. They look like ordinary Poinsettias reflecting a bit of glow from nearby lights--only, the leaves themselves are emitting a soft, silvery glow. They look like they are covered with a fine morning dew, only with fine silver glitter peppered in to give it a unique sparkle. They seem to have gone unnoticed by most of Destiny City and the landscapers, and it's not clear how these plants were selected, but anyone with a keen eye might recognize them as the catastrophe of Destiny City Botanical Garden's 2016 Winter Extravaganza. Thankfully, these variants are far less dangerous than their counterparts, however, these plants have a strange pollen that acts like an allergen and can cause agitation, oversensitivity, and sneezing to anything with much of a strong smell. Anyone who comes into contact with these plants may also find themselves suffering from flu-like symptoms such as fever, coughing, fatigue, and nausea and no medicine will relieve it, but the symptoms gradually fade. The leaves of the poinsettia are sharp and can sting like a papercut, so be careful! ...If you're worried about an all-out attack again, it might be a good idea to destroy these poinsettias--if you can manage to do so without getting caught.
Backdated to December ??, 2020
Devlin yawned outright, rubbing the back of his head. No, scratch that. Loke yawned and rubbed the back of his head. Grey-blue eyes narrowed at the glove and golden armband on his other arm. It'd been a long a** time--months, maybe almost a year... more than?--since he'd taken on this uh... guise.
He'd pulled out the box he kept the pen in on random on a day off. Actually trying to tidy up his apartment had lead to odd rediscoveries, this amongst that category. It'd left a sour taste in his mouth, seeing it again, and he'd shoved it back in the box, back into the closet, and left it there for a week.
Then he'd pulled it back out, went for a walk, and mumbled the words he hadn't even tried to remember in ages.
It felt alien to be wandering around as Loke again. He was a bit older now, but the uniform was still the exact same as it'd always been through the years. Sure, fit him just fine, but...
It was like time stopped as Loke. Or. Reversed. Or something. It was just weird.
He'd practiced a little with his wraith again, and walking through mirrors to get around to spots he used to know. Most didn't work any more, he found. There was still that compact mirror in a pouch off his belt he could try to call others of the Court with, but he wasn't even sure of names any more. Who was even still around?
Such thoughts had lead him to mindless wandering, recalling the wraith and keeping himself as inconspicuous as possible. He wasn't sure what the status was these days concerning the war. Beyond what random s**t showed up on news reports and online forums.
It'd been the sight of smoke that had dragged him out of his head and back to the present. Was too dense a plume to just be a random small fire, he figured, and the location, as he trailed onward to the source, seemed to be a gardening store. Specifically, the greenhouse. "...not a typical place for a bonfire," he murmured with a quirked brow.
Something very... bright was on his mental radar, too. He shook his head a little, the sensation making his skin prickle. It wasn't bad, it just... it was like standing a bit too close to a fire. Warm, inviting on some levels, but get in too close... and it started to get more than a tad uncomfortable. He wanted to step back, retreat back to the cold, comforting darkness. Easier to observe a bright, cheery fire at a distance.
So, there was a senshi there. One that was definitely stronger than he was. Loke frowned all the more. If they were trying to put out a fire, the worst he could do would be to shrug and walk away. He wasn't sure the extent of damages, or how it could spread. Just one person might not be enough.
Since when did he give a flying ******** about that?
Boots barely scuffed along the pavement as he began to approach, eyes flicking about as he searched for another figure. Never mind the fire belching out all that smoke...
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Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2021 1:46 pm
On this occasion the Senshi was not so benevolent as to be putting out the fire. No, in a rather amusing twist of fate he was the one committing arson and seemed to have made it his mission to annihilate every Poinsettia that existed within the city. He had done his best to pull the bulk of the plants away from flammable regions, setting them out into the street to burn in their pots when necessary... But given he'd just set fire to a rather large display of them it was a little more noticeable.
That being said, while those flowers were still largely 'whole' they still posed a risk and he was beginning to suspect that whatever was in them might very well be carried out in the smoke. Not one to be beaten by a shrub, the man had already picked up the lid from a trash can and was tossing it back and forth between his hands as he took stock of what was in front of him.
Theoretically this was just a giant frisbee, the weight distribution was a little different but he should be able to curve it in a way that hit a fair number of them.
This in mind he spun on the spot and unleashed it in a fashion that would have made Captain America proud, launching the trash can lid through the smoke to decapitate the poinsettia. The curve was there and it was coming back round, but that didn't mean it would necessarily miss the Dark Mirror senshi that happened to be directly in its path.
...Not that he hadn't noticed the aura, it had at least twigged, he had simply ignored it for the time being in favour of removing something from the environment that would probably kick his own backside if he came to blows with whoever happened to be nearby. He had his priorities and for now, plant life was number one.
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2021 9:31 pm
The closer he got, the more he wished he had something substantial to cover his nose and mouth. He tried bunching up wads of the translucent cloth that hung from his uniform, but that did, as honestly expected, extremely little to help block the smoke that occasionally drifted in his direction. Faint wisps, but he wasn't sure how thick it was going to be where he was going.
Something, he shortly realized, that was to be the least of his concerns.
Out of the underlit bulk of the smoke, a briefly lit object sparked in the fire's light, catching Loke's eye as a weird whoooosh also caught his ear... perhaps mere milliseconds before something heavy caught him right in his gut. The trash can lid clattered to the ground with a bang and ringing clang, while Loke himself stumbled and fell to his knees, arms wrapped around his middle as he tried to gasp for air. Seeing as all that'd previously filled his lungs had been bashed right on out of him. His eyes watered, and he was almost aware of the presence of charred pollen and other plant material on the lid, and him... and now his arms...
Seething, thinking for sure that'd been some hell of a first strike--not entirely uncommon from Order, or the Negaverse, so he couldn't be super angry he figured--he managed to catch enough of his breath to unfold his arms, his hands glowing a dull orange as he hissed, "Betrayal of the Family..." and pushed out the shard of energy in the direction the lid had flown from.
Was it stupid to use the magic without being able to see the target? Duh. He also was aware there wasn't an ally around, but it might at least keep them from further attacking him...
Epine de Rose Sailor Scout Attack: Betrayal of the Family
Visual: Uttering the name of the attack, Loke's hands glow a dull orange. A streak of that dull orange energy flares out to a target and compels them to attack the target's nearest ally.
Effect: The single target is compelled by Loke's magic to harm one of their allies rather than a member of the opposing side. The compulsion lasts for five seconds. It is the target's will that determines the success of Loke's magic, repeated exposures does not weaken the compulsion's effect on them.
Downfall: The target can dodge the energy flare from Loke, and it is possible to break free of the compulsion. The attack is not necessarily a magical one, and Loke has no means of controlling how, when, or where the target attacks their ally... assuming they do at all. Those of a higher level than Loke have a far easier time breaking free of the compulsion. There is a cool-down period of a minute and he can only use this attack three times per battle.
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Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2021 9:13 am
It had looked like a flicker in the smoke, a spark of flame that might well have come from the plant life he had cast in to oblivion; and had it not come hurtling towards him this would have made for a viable explanation. Alas, no sooner had he become aware that it was coming towards him than he was struck by something that felt oddly familiar. Not that he was intimately aware of who might own the magic, but he'd felt such urges and compulsions before.
...Not quite the same, but similar.
With no allies to attack it had little 'effect' in that respect, but the familiarity of it all had drawn the senshi to a halt as he took a soft breath and grimaced. Had he missed the memo where each senshi was meant to have changed their magical abilities to control minds? He wasn't entirely sure but they were certainly more common for him to encounter than deadly ones at this stage in his life.
Five to ten seconds later and he seemed to have regained control of all of his faculties. No further 'attacks' forthcoming he turned his attention back to the smoke and where his trash can lid had flown (and failed to return). With work still to do he had little choice but to walk through the smoke towards where it had landed and perhaps towards his new visitor. The signature of chaos was more obvious now, but then again this really should have been of no surprise since it had just shot at him.
He wouldn't charge yet, but he was certainly prepared as he strode through the smoke and finally emerged on the other side.
A side that held a Dark Mirror Senshi.
A momentary pause and he did have to wonder -
"Have we met...?"
The apology would come after of course, but there was certainly something about this one that seemed a touch familiar even if he couldn't quite place why. All that was for certain was that based on the proximity of the trash can lid, this Mirror Senshi had had the great misfortune of being hit by it!
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