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.
The first night Lavendulan left the Dark Kingdom she had been too distracted by the odd puddles and the feisty redheaded Squire to take notice of the meteor shower. Had she’d been aware of the astronomical event then perhaps she would have found some place to stargaze rather than run around looking for out of place reflections in the aftermath of a sudden rainfall.
A few days later she had returned to Destiny City with Kat, but this time it was during the day.
As a half-youma, so much time was spent in the Dark Kingdom either in her home outside the barracks or in her office space working on the glamour project for General Queen Laurelite. It wasn’t uncommon for a solid month, or in this case a full season, to go by before she decided to stretch her legs and actually be around normal people or go to an internet cafe to figure out what’s been going on lately.
So, it was no surprise that despite her recent frequent visits that there was anything unusual going on. That was until she felt the ground shake and the power in the cafe flickered. There were startled shouts and some cursing; a few patrons lost their footing and stumbled into each other while waiting in line.
“Well, that can’t be good…” Marissa put her laptop away in the side bag she had brought with her and finished off the last of her coffee before tossing the cup in the waste bin and stepping outside.
People along the street seemed visibly shaken and the stoplights were blinking forcing traffic to treat it as a four-way stop and take turns going until power could be restored. It was chaotic, but fortunately, it seemed that the roads and buildings remained unscathed. “Wonder what that was all about…”
While it was probably time for her to return to the Dark Kingdom before her glamour wore off in such a public place, Marissa walked away from the crowd of people and found a safe place to power up unseen.
Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2021 6:09 pm
Ignacio usually loved the meteor shower.
It was an astrological event that he usually got to enjoy, even if the events in the Star Festival afterward could occasionally be a bit weird. Eagerly, he set out a blanket to watch from a nearby small park, leaning back and glancing up to the air when he thought that the show was about to begin.
And he watched.
He watched in peace until, suddenly, the lights all around him went out and the ground quaked as if there had just been an earthquake. He jumped to his feet and looked around to make sure nothing was collapsing and he didn't need to get himself into a shelter, but to his relief, found that the power came back to life and he was still very much alive. He didn't know what that was. Couldn't be anything good. Not during a meteor shower, anyway.
Ignacio opened up his phone and immediately went to social media to see what the first initial reports said -- reports of a meteor actually making some impact against the surface, alarmed posts asking if there had been an earthquake, a few frustrated reports under the hashtag #dcproblems that there were probably going to be widespread outages again, because when were there not outages--
Ignacio knew better, and Ignacio as Encke knew how to deal with it.
He quickly transformed and started toward where he hoped was the source of the shaking.
Of course, how the hell was he supposed to know where that had come from, he wasn't a seismologist--
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Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2021 7:58 pm
One moment she was alone and the next, bam, there was an order aura so close she nearly jumped out of her skin. The strength of it rivaled her General's, Lopezite; however, it wasn't quite as strong as Axinite's.
Curious of who, or perhaps what, the aura belonged to, Lavendulan shifted into her water form and approached with caution. While hiding would do her no good, perhaps making sure a wall or something solid was between them would mitigate any damage if they decided to throw any magic her way. She was, after all, a half-youma; and it wasn't often that White Moon Senshi or their Knights took kindly after those like her.
At the very least, if an object came flying at her it would just pass through rather than doing any serious damage. With the exception of Wolframite's claws after he had coated them with poison, there was little else that really harmed her in this form, at least not anything that she's experienced anyway.
Magical: Aqua Shift While still retaining her actual form Lavendulan's entire body transforms into water.
When in this form she is one with her element; physical attacks pass through her unaffected like putting your hand into a flowing stream her body morphs around it. Her movement speed is increased, like a river upstream weaving through rapids, but not to exceed the next highest stage allowing her to change location quickly. While metamorphosis is active Lavendulan can bend water around her in a 7' radius. It takes one of two shapes; a sphere similar to size and weigh of a medicine ball or a thin whip. Both are used more defensively like a harsh shove to push someone over or a snapping sensation. At most there might be a bruise in the morning unless the character she's attacking lands on something unfortunate.
Additionally, since becoming Captian, Lavendulan is able to pull water into her own form to mend up to moderate injuries sustained before initiating the Aqua Shift.
Duration: 20 seconds Usage: 3 Note: Certain magic attacks still work but will need to be discussed before a battle. At general stage the movement increase while in water form will not match that of a General King or Queen.
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Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2021 9:30 pm
He caught the sensation of a captain's aura that felt just a bit off--reminded him of Faustite's before he lost the pipes, actually--on the edges of his senses. It seemed unlikely that any captain could have caused that much of a ruckus, so Encke ruled out the possibility that they were the source of the shaking. Was probably some other space nonsense--
Encke scanned the environment for the half-monster.
... Oh.
He didn't know what to do about this very watery woman in front of him. She was clearly an agent. She felt like one, anyway. Probably not a complete monster. She didn't seem to be attacking anyone, or draining anyone. She didn't seem to be approaching him as if he was a threat but rather with apprehension. And if she was approaching him as a threat, he knew his abilities were made of electricity. He'd be alright.
Probably.
Hopefully.
But she wasn't approaching him as a threat. The half-monsters always made him feel the most uneasy, mutations of humanity by the Negaverse to become things that they should not have been. She was no different.
But if she wasn't attacking...
"You feel that too?" he asked, not coming any closer.
Could she even speak?
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Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2021 12:41 pm
Lavendulan stood beneath a street lamp where her form shimmer and shifted beneath the overhead light. “It wasn’t you that caused the quake?” She asked warily. The senshi’s intimidatingly strong aura suggested he just might be capable of such a feat.
Noting that he was not advancing towards her and seemed to be more in the mood to talk, at least for now, she reluctantly let her magic fade yet still maintained a semblance of distance that would allow her to teleport away if he decided to charge or throw at her unexpectedly.
Despite having a watery form, both her hair and uniform were completely dry once when her magic dissipated. Light blue hair shifted behind her and when she moved, light glanced off the metallic bracelet on her left wrist.
Ever cautious with this one, the air immediately surrounding her grew chill, almost as if someone had turned the AC on beside her, and at her feet a radius of frost slowly expanded outward coating the sidewalk, the base of the light pole, and small planter box beside her. Very rarely did this magic activate; usually, it was linked to emotions such as loneliness or despair; however, as of late it seemed to activate when she felt like she might be in serious danger and running might be her only option.
While this Path of Frost was non-threatening and could not reach him from where they stood apart from one another. It would, however, make life incredibly difficult if they got into a fistfight while standing, or slipping, on ice.
Passive Powered Enhancement: Path of Frost The air around Lavendulan cools and as she moves a path of frost follows behind her. It lasts for about 10 minutes in cold weather, while in the summer it might linger for about 2 minutes before melting.
Seiana_ZI
Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2021 1:19 pm
"Not me," confirmed Encke, putting his hands up to show he wasn't currently a threat, at least. She hadn't yet given him a reason to be.
She was a captain, which implied that she had done something to get into that position, but she wasn't currently draining anyone or stealing starseeds. She seemed about as clueless as he was, if not utterly afraid of him.
Something that backed up her fear was the sudden chill he felt on the edge of the senses.
This half-monster seemed very different from Faustite. More afraid than willing to take anything that they had decided was theirs.
"Sounds like you're just as surprised as I was. Were you," he shifted uneasily, "watching the meteor shower too? Did you see anything?"
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Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2021 2:03 pm
The tension in her shoulders eased, however, the ring of frost around her remained as did the cold air that circled her.
“No, I was getting a gift for a friend and was about to leave when I heard the crash. Honestly, I wasn’t really paying any attention to the meteor shower. Until today, I wasn’t even really aware it was going on.” Just goes to show how out of touch she was with current world events. She really needed to get out more, pick up a newspaper or take her laptop to a cafe and read up on some yahoo articles.
“I thought the meteors usually burned up in the atmosphere. Did you see one actually hit the ground?” You'd think there would have been some sirens going off or an emergency alert system that would let everyone know that evacuation may be necessary.
Seiana_ZI
Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2021 6:28 pm
How had she not noticed there was a whole meteor shower going on?
... Of course, he then remembered what Faustite implied. The half-monsters had very little access to any form that could have been called human, and he himself lived in the Negaverse full time. It was why he had to watch over him the way he did --
No point in thinking about any of that right now.
He still wasn't entirely sure that had been the right choice.
"Damn. Thought you might have had a better track of where that shaking went," because he definitely didn't. Encke tsked quietly under his breath, crossing his arms and observing the environment around them. She wasn't a threat. He wasn't the source. She seemed to want to know what it was just as badly as he did. She also seemed more interested in keeping him away than attacking him.
"Usually," he confirmed, glancing around him for a moment, "but that shaking implies one was actually big enough to hit, and hit us well. Kind of surprised there wasn't some sort of smoke or debris cloud. Usually, a meteor that big would leave something behind..."
And yet, it seemed even the power was already coming back on.
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Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2021 7:17 pm
"I don't know then." Unfortunately, her eyesight wasn't any better than his. and from where she stood nothing looked to be out of place or missing. Just as he said there were no plumes of dust or debris from impact or a demolished building. "The only thing I could suggest is teleporting us someplace where we could get a better view of the city." Top of a parking garage or apartment building might work well but it would require a lot of trust on both their parts.
As it was, Lavendulan was quite comfortable with the current distance between them and, with good reason, worried that he might take advantage of her weakened state if she passed out again after teleporting someone with her again. Last time didn't go so well, this time might not either.
Seiana_ZI
Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2021 8:00 pm
Trust that Encke didn't have, not in a captain he had just met, not unable to decipher anything about her usual habits. For all he could tell, the nerves she was showing at the moment were just a way to ease him into comfort before that teleportation just became teleportation into the Negaverse, a place he wasn't certain he would be able to escape without Caedus' magic. A place he wasn't sure he'd get the chance to try and escape before they either killed him or attempted to use him a battery until he ran out of energy.
The only comforting thing about that was the fact that Encke's transcendence meant they couldn't take his starseed even if they wanted to.
"Hm. Think I'm good here, thanks," Encke put his hands up. "Appreciate the offer, though."
He glanced around them. The idea of a higher vantage point wasn't a bad one, though. Perhaps he could find a building where he could get a better view of the vicinity. One of the apartment buildings, perhaps, or maybe one of the office buildings if he could get into them. They usually had a better view of everything.
"Think I might take you up on that higher ground though," Encke jerked his thumb toward one of the taller buildings. "Gonna see if I can get up some of the floors of that."
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Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2021 8:09 pm
Lavendulan looked over to where he pointed and nodded her head. "I can meet you at the top then," The distance wasn't too far away and should still leave her with enough energy to get back to the Dark Kingdom once they were done searching.
If not... Then she would have to use her shadow pass gem before reaching out to either Lopezite or Tinaksite and asking if one of them could come to pick her up and take her back home. It would be an inconvenience but she was still getting used to her limits when it came to teleporting.
Seiana_ZI
Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2021 8:17 pm
Fair enough. She didn't seem to be a threat yet. He guessed he could allow her to meet him there...
At least, maybe those half-monster eyes of hers could see better than his.
If she actually told him what he saw.
Encke let out a quiet sigh, let out a "Sure," and turned around toward the building.
He felt uneasy, but he started heading toward the building nevertheless, heading toward the building he had indicated. Thankfully, the door was unlocked -- perhaps from a few people scrambling outside -- and he was able to hit one of the escalators and head up toward the roof.
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Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2021 9:00 pm
On the rooftop, Lavendulan waited patiently for the White Moon Senshi to arrive and in those several moments of silence, she scanned the horizon for anything out of place.
Not long after his aura feathered the edge of her senses did her mind begin to touch on curious questions that left her wondering if it would be rude of her to ask. His reaction to her, for one, was abnormal, to say the least. He didn't insult her appearance or lash out with any rude or ignorant remarks. Instead, he just talked to her as if they were two strangers sitting on the bus together. Wary of intentions but trying not to escalate a potentially dangerous situation.
When the door to the rooftop opened, Laven remained perched atop what looked to be a control panel shed or a place to store maintenance equipment for cleaning the exterior windows, the ring of frost was no longer present, at least for now.
She pointed with a sharp claw in a northeastern direction, "Over there." From up here, she could see a part of town where the street still ran dark. "My guess is whatever it is that fell landed somewhere over there, probably knocked out a power generator which is why the lights haven't turned back on yet."
Seiana_ZI
Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2021 9:13 pm
Seemed logical.
He noticed he could get a bit closer to her now without feeling a chill, but Encke had no real interest in getting in her personal space. His primary interest was in how their temporary partnership could be useful; where had the meteor landed? Was there something dangerous happening over there? It clearly wasn't Negaverse-related, or if it was, it hadn't made it down to their captains.
Encke went a bit closer to the edge of the room, placing his hands over the railing and taking a closer look at the area she pointed out. Mostly still dark. Probably had just knocked out a power generator, or maybe a substation. He couldn't see anything from where he was stationed that might have indicated any shenanigans; it didn't seem like anyone was running around on the ground, nor could he pinpoint anything that looked distinctly inhuman from this distance (not that he'd be able to see much else, like an agent simply using the distraction to snatch a few starseeds--)
"Think you're right, but I still don't see much." Encke scrunched his nose. "Maybe it just hit in the exact right spot."
Odd.
He knew it could hardly just be that, but what else could it be, then?
Perhaps he would need to be wary over the next few days.
Perhaps what had landed was already gone.
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Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2021 9:32 pm
Lavendulan took note of the Senshi's expression, the way his nose scrunched seemed to indicate that he was displeased by what he did, or didn't, see. "If you're anything like our Generals, then I assume you can sense aura's much further out than I can." It was more of a statement than a question but she wasn't opposed to being corrected. Whatever information he freely gave would be greedily committed to memory in case she ran into another like him.
"Can you tell if there is anyone out there?" This city had its fair share of extraterrestrial activity which often brought with it creatures nobody could sense like the shadow hounds or the more recent creature that lurked at the bottom of the reservoir. But that didn't rule out the possibility that this could have been the result of Senshi shenanigans or even agents on some secret mission that she was not privy to.
