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 Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2021 7:04 am
Quote: The Meteor Shower (9): One of the hallmark features of the Star Festival is the week long meteor shower that kicks off at the beginning of the celebrations. The first night is usually a little slow, and it picks up more on the second and third evening, but tonight is different. Within the first hour of the first visible falling meteor, something hits the ground with enough force that the ground trembles and power is lost for a few seconds. The impact can be heard throughout the city and the news reports that a small meteor made impact--only, they don’t report that they can’t find any damage and have no idea where it landed. Maybe that’s enough to convince some people, but anyone who knows about this powered war might expect that nothing good ever comes from space.
A meteor fell, two nights ago when the meteor shower first started, causing the ground to tremble and the power to flicker. Misha barely paid attention to it at the time, too busy with other things, but the more he heard about it, the more determined he became to find where it landed. Suspiciously, the local news refrained from reporting any damage, and he could find no information about where it made landfall.
It was a small meteor, they said, but with the impact it made, it couldn’t be so small as to leave no trace behind. Something was going on, likely something magical, and potentially nefarious.
So Misha — relatively new to all this but eager to dive right in — went out into the night to search.
If only his older brother would listen when he said he wasn’t out looking for trouble.
“I’m not going to do anything stupid,” Misha said, walking backward to smile up at Lev, showing Lev his empty hands. Well, empty but for the pair of violet star charms he'd gotten for the both of them from a vendor several minutes before. “I don’t even have my camera with me.”
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Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2021 12:57 pm
“You’re doing something stupid by walking backwards. Turn around before you hurt yourself,” Lev scowled down at his baby brother, who was really good at getting into trouble, despite what he said. He almost didn’t believe him when he said he didn’t have his camera with him. But there were other ways he could record video. His phone, for one.
“Why are you even interested? It’s just a rock. You’re always out doing things at night. You should be at home, asleep, or doing homework.”
Because Lev was delusional and thought Misha was younger than he really was. Okay, he wasn’t actually delusional, but he wished Misha could just stay at home and do homework. It was neither their faults they grew up the way they did, either their childhood basically taken from them. No child should suffer that, and Lev hated that Misha had been left behind when he escaped to the States ahead of him.
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Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2021 1:09 pm
“What homework?” Misha asked, eyes bright with amusement and wide with fake innocence. “Are you still going on about how I should go to college?”
It was not a frequent topic of conversation between them, but it came up sometimes. DCU was a good school, local, with tons of degree programs to choose from. Even so, it didn’t interest Misha in the least. He could make a living without a college degree, despite what anyone else said.
“Maybe I’m a night owl.” He sort of was. “Maybe Destiny City has a great nightlife scene.” It did. “Have you been to any of the clubs around here with your model friends?” He sincerely doubted it, but maybe Lev would surprise him.
From the moment Misha was born, Lev had always been overprotective. Back home in Russia, Lev looked out for him when they were kids, when their parents were too busy satisfying the whims of other people and their nannies didn’t care enough to offer the sort of attention two lonely children needed. Misha loved his brother for it, but he also didn’t think it was necessary anymore. He was grown up now, and perfectly capable of taking care of himself.
If anything, Lev needed the looking after, what with all the poor decisions he’d made relationship-wise.
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Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2021 6:29 pm
“Turn around before you hurt yourself,” he grumbled, followed by some muttering under his breath in Russian.
It wasn’t his fault he was overprotective. Misha was a good kid and Lev didn’t want to see anything bad happen to him. Being in Destiny City, as much of a disaster of a place as it was, was a major improvement over their lives in Russia. And Lev was still feeling guilty for leaving Misha behind when he had the chance to get out.
“What friends?” he grunted in response to Misha’s question. And even if he had gone to clubs, he wasn’t going to tell Misha that. Just like he wasn’t going to tell Misha that he was in Destiny City with the sole purpose of hunting Seth down, only for the cowardly b*****d to ghost him for a second time.
“Let’s go home. I can show you nice rocks on internet,” Lev suggested instead, because he still thought it was a horrible idea to be galavanting around Destiny City at night.
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Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2021 6:44 pm
“On the internet, Lyova. You know how to speak English,” Misha chided him cheerfully.
But he did turn around, just so Lev wouldn’t develop an ulcer or something. Or start getting wrinkles. He was too young and too beautiful to start looking old at twenty-four. How was he supposed to make a living if he lost his good looks?
In all seriousness, Misha knew exactly why Lev moved to Destiny City. It wasn’t because of work, and it wasn’t because he had friends here. It was because he’d decided to marry someone who clearly wasn’t worthy of him, and then, when that someone left, Lev actually went after him instead of taking it for the obvious sign it was. Naturally, Misha had to come live with him to make sure it didn’t happen again. He was protecting Lev from himself.
(And also escaping their parents, but that wasn’t the point right now.)
“I don’t want to see rocks on the internet,” Misha argued. “I want to see the one that fell here. Don’t you think it’s suspicious that there isn’t a lot of information about it? What if it’s the aliens?”
It was definitely the aliens.
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Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2021 7:05 pm
“I can speak English however I want, Mishenka,” he grunted again, but there was too much fondness in his voice to really be considered angry or frustrated. Despite being overprotective, Lev was also of the assumption that Misha could do no wrong. He just… did things that were more dangerous than necessary.
His eyes narrowed a little at the mention of the aliens. For Misha being the one to give him an English lesson, shouldn’t his brother know that aliens were usually spoken of in broader terms? Saying the aliens made it seem as though he knew a specific group of aliens.
“You haven’t been looking at those ridiculous conspiracy theories about this city, have you?” Lev asked with a roll of his eyes as they walked. “Absolutely--” and then he muttered some more in Russian that equated to how it was stupid that anyone would belive aliens not just exist but live in that very city.
“I do not think it’s suspicious. I think not many people are interested in rocks from the sky. Look, there’s a rock,” he pointed at the loose piece of concrete they passed.
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Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2021 7:29 pm
“Ha ha, you’re so funny,” Misha countered, sarcastic, kicking the loose piece of concrete with the toe of his shoe so it went skittering across the ground.
He turned, walking backwards again, smiling bright and knowing as he said, “I’m not convinced they are ridiculous conspiracy theories. You have to admit, a lot of weird stuff happens in this city. Remember the marshmallow bath bomb? And Yuuri told me about this new shop that’s all the rage, selling cookies that make your eyes look like they’ve got galaxies in them!”
It was a shame Yuuri’s friend hadn’t been able to find the shop again after his first trip there. Misha was dying to try the cookies. Yuuri’s friend left some around Negaspace, but they were gone by the time he got there.
(Also, what was with all these friends Yuuri had that Misha didn’t know about?)
“If you didn’t want me looking into all this stuff, you shouldn’t have moved to Destiny City,” Misha continued. “But you just had to come after what’s-his-name.”
Like he didn’t know his name. Misha just didn’t want to utter a name he likened to a curse, especially after everything what’s-his-name put Lev through.
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Posted: Sat Jun 26, 2021 9:05 am
Lev scowled at his little brother, especially when he started walking backwards again.
“Maybe it would be better if we move to another city,” he suggested, because really… he was doing just fine in New York City before he discovered where what’s-his-name had been hiding, and moved to Destiny City just to confront him. And now what’s-his-name had up and left again, so really, there was nothing keeping Lev there except his brother.
And nothing really keeping his brother there except maybe his friend that moved in with them.
“Have your friend move with us too,” he very generously offered, even if he rolled his eyes as he spoke. “We can get a bigger space so you don’t need to share a room.” Although maybe not directly in the city. The cost of rent was so high in New York, but they could probably manage it. They had quite a bit saved up from living in a less expensive city.
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Posted: Sat Jun 26, 2021 9:53 am
Misha’s teasing grin diminished — not for any other reason than it was replaced with a small, fond smile.
His brother liked to act tough, resentful when wronged and frequently belligerent even when he wasn't, but Misha knew him as kind, generous, and helpful. As much as Lev complained, he would do anything for Misha, and, by extension, Misha’s friends. (The one that he had, anyway, though Misha was convinced Lev would do the same for any others he happened to collect.) Misha only wished he could return the favor more often than he was able to, but Lev didn’t present him with as many opportunities.
“We could, if that’s what you want,” Misha agreed. “I’m not sure Yuuri would be too thrilled about the idea, though.”
Yuuri had more of a reason to stay than Misha and Lev did. Not that Misha didn’t have his own developing reasons, but he could work for the Negaverse in New York as easily as he could in Destiny City, right?
He tried to imagine it, wondered if it might help alleviate some of the stress Lev constantly put himself under.
Probably not. Lev liked to stress about anything and everything, even if he had no reason to — a product of their abnormal childhood, no doubt.
Before Misha could continue, he was struck by the sense that something wasn’t quite right, and he came to a stop in the middle of the sidewalk. The streets in this area of town were mostly empty; they passed a man cursing and sputtering into his phone a few minutes ago, but since then there’d been no one. Just the moon, and the streetlights, and the occasional breeze.
And a rustling of abandoned junk, like a plastic bag being torn open and a metal can clanking as it fell, then rolling into the street.
Something irritated the hairs on the back of Misha’s neck.
“Stop for a second,” he whispered, catching Lev by the arm, cautiously peering into the shadows. “There’s something here.”
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Posted: Sat Jun 26, 2021 12:41 pm
Lev was surprised to feel relieved when Misha so easily agreed to moving out of the city. They didn’t need to be in Destiny City. His job could put them anywhere they wanted.
“Where would you want to live?” he decided to ask, because they might as well talk about their preferences. “Milan? Berlin? We could move across the country to California,” he suggested with a small shrug. “San Francisco or… I think I heard Palm Springs…”
He wasn’t sure how much Misha had looked into the possibility of living in other places around the world, but if they did move, he wanted to make sure Misha was comfortable and safe to be himself. None of the bullshit they both had to live with in Russia, where it was dangerous to even suggest that they happened to be different than what others wanted from them.
And he obviously wanted Misha’s friend to feel comfortable too, if he decided to move with them. Lev was fairly certain that Yuuri would be easily convinced by Misha to do just about anything.
But he didn’t get a chance to explain his thought process, because Misha stopped him. Lev looked from Misha to the shadows where he was watching, his eyes narrowing to try and see what.
Whatever it was, he also didn’t like how it made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.
“Get behind me,” he growled, taking a step forward so he could stand in front of his little brother.
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Posted: Sat Jun 26, 2021 1:07 pm
“Don’t do this right now, Lyova.”
Misha clutched Lev’s arm with both hands, refusing to allow his brother to place himself in front of him. With any luck, it was just a stray animal rummaging through garbage, and they could be on their way once it scampered off.
What a stupid thought, he told himself. How naïve. In this city, it was never just a stray. Misha had no idea why he bothered trying to delude himself in the first place. The second he heard the noise, goosebumps broke out along his arms, and he knew the presence for what it was.
“Step back slowly,” he said, whispering still. “We have to get out of here.”
Out of the shadows came a series of rattling breaths.
Even as Misha urged Lev back, the youma crept out of the darkness — tall and thin, all gray-tinged flesh, stretched taut over spindly arms and legs. Its hands bore long, spidery fingers tipped with razor sharp claws. Ragged lips drew back in a snarl, exposing a series of pointed teeth.
“Go away,” Misha told it. “Go back to the Rift.”
Naturally, it didn’t listen.
The youma screeched high and loud, and lunged for them both.
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Posted: Sat Jun 26, 2021 2:41 pm
The rough translation of what Lev hissed in Russian was ‘What the ******** is that?’ but despite Misha’s relative calm, Lev’s fight or flight reflex was almost perpetually on fight.
Misha was small compared to Lev, in height and in weight, so even with Misha trying to hold onto Lev’s arm to keep him from pushing him out of the way, it really was very little effort to jerk his arm out of Misha’s grasp so he could throw a punch at the creature.
He managed to make contact, sending it careening across the cement, but it also managed to swipe its claws across Lev’s chest and arm. Lev let out a growl from the pain, along with a string of curses in Russian, and blood soaked quickly into his clothing. He reached up to try and press his hand over the open wound, but the damage was spread too wide for just himself to tend to.
And to think that could have been Misha. He would have happily done it again, and he would if the creature tried attacking once more.
“Get back,” he hissed to Misha, ignoring the drops of red that fell to the ground and on his pants and shoes. Breathing was already difficult, but adrenaline kept him standing and ready for more.
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Posted: Sat Jun 26, 2021 6:03 pm
“Lev!” Misha shouted. “You idiot!”
Just because he was shorter and lighter didn’t mean he was a weakling, nor did it mean he had any intention of standing idly by while his defenseless brother took on a ******** youma all by himself.
While the youma was picking itself back up, jerking its head slowly from side to side as if to dispel stars from its vision, Misha grabbed Lev by the arm again and yanked him away, turning down a side street and ducking into an alleyway. Blood trailed behind them from Lev’s wounds, which Misha examined as soon as they had a spare moment, but the lighting was awful in the alley and he couldn’t get a good look.
He didn’t need one. He saw the attack. Lev was going to need medical ******** ******** ********,” Misha mumbled in Russian.
The youma screeched again, knocking into things as it searched for them, getting closer by the second.
“Do me a favor and don’t freak out,” Misha said. “And don’t try to attack it again. Are you insane?”
He never wanted Lev to find out about his part in the Negaverse, but Misha didn’t think he had any other choice if he wanted to get both of them out of there alive. He quickly transformed, appearing before Lev in his dark catsuit, hair long and partially braided around his head. If Yuuri was here, he would insist that Cymophane cut it, but they didn’t exactly have anything at their disposal at the moment.
Before he could witness Lev’s reaction, the youma came careening into the alleyway. Cymophane swore again, shoved at Lev to get him moving, and tossed a nearby trashcan into the youma’s path.
“Go back to the Rift!” he tried again.
But he was a corrupt Senshi, and a youma would not take his orders.
“Go, Lev! Run! I can handle this!”
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Posted: Sat Jun 26, 2021 6:39 pm
By no means did Lev think that Misha was a weakling. He wanted to protect his baby brother because they’d spent years in absolute hell, and he hadn’t been able to do anything about it.
But now, he was capable of keeping Misha from danger, at least as long as possible. He wasn’t sure if this creature would end up killing both of them, but he would do whatever it took to make sure at least Misha survived.
And how things were going, it didn’t seem too great for him.
Luckily for Misha, Lev was in too much pain to freak out when all of a sudden his little brother, whom he carried around since he was just a little baby, the one who shared a birthday with him, suddenly changed into some skimpy catsuit and--
Yeah, okay he was well enough to freak out just a little bit.
“What the ******** are you wearing??” he cursed, all in Russian of course, because it was more natural than figuring out the right amount of horror in English, even if he was perfectly fluent. But Misha had already tried shoving him away, had told him to run.
He growled the Russian equivalent of “********, no” because he was absolutely not about to run. Misha said he could handle this creature, and while Lev wanted to believe him, he also didn’t want to give the creature a chance to prove him wrong.
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Posted: Sat Jun 26, 2021 6:55 pm
Whether Lev wanted to run or not, Cymophane gave him no choice. While the youma was temporarily distracted by the noisy garbage can, Cymophane used his magically enhanced strength to shove his older brother down the opposite end of the alley, back out into the open streets.
Panicking but trying to hide it, Cymophane summoned his communication device and pressed the button for a distress message. “This is—”
But the youma caught up to them, lurching out of the alley with another ear-splitting screech. One clawed hand closed around Cymophane’s shoulder, tearing through collar, sleeve, and skin. Cymophane cried out and jerked away. Pain flared down his arm, so sudden and sharp his hand went numb from it. The communication device dropped out of his grasp, rolling down the sidewalk.
“Leopard’s Strike!”
Three long claws of black energy appeared between his fingers. Cymophane swiped at the youma, which screamed, thrashing about as its skin split open, clawing at itself like it was trying to stem the flow of its wounds, only it was causing itself more damage in the process.
It flailed around angrily, its movements erratic, swatting at Cymophane, which he successfully dodged, before outmanoeuvring him and going after Lev.
“Lev!”
Why the ******** wasn’t he running away?
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