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 Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2022 5:31 pm
Albireo came back to consciousness slowly, confused as to what had happened. She was laying on the ground, a warm hand tangled with her own, and for a moment she wondered if she was home in bed and it was Tavi’s hand in her own. She gave a small smile and squeezed the fingers, turning to look at the person laying there, and saw a prone Cybele.
Memory rushed back to her and her eyes flew open, sitting up and shaking her friend. “Cybele? Cyb? What–” Her eyes fell on the starseed in the mint haired senshi’s hand and she gave a loud curse and carefully picked it up, placing it back against her chest and breathing a little easier only when it slid inside back where it belonged.
Thank goodness…
Gently she tapped the girl’s cheek with a gloved hand. “Hey, hey Cyb…Wake up okay? Come on…you’re okay…you have to be okay…
How had…things come to this? She…the corrupt had pulled her starseed…but now she was okay it seemed and Cybele had suffered the same fate but…
“Cybele…please wake up…we…we should get milkshakes! Or…or something…” Albireo’s voice faltered and she swallowed back a sob. “...Please…”
If she didn’t wake up…no…that wasn’t something she could think of right now.
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Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2022 5:49 pm
There was a hand in her chest, and then there was nothing. Then there was someone calling her name, a thousand miles away. Cybele's eyes fluttered open, slowly. She wasn't dead. Had she been dragged to Axinite's office, despite all the begging? Even seeing Albireo's face wasn't much comfort, at first. Had they both been dragged back? Were they going to be stripped down and made into tools of the Negaverse again? It was only when she saw the streetlights and the buildings around them and the stars overhead that some of the panic that had been welling up in her throat started to die back down, just a bit. She was still shaking. Her heart was still beating as fast as a rabbit. There were still fresh tears on her cheeks. She turned, though, and wrapped her arms around Albireo, holding her tight, maybe too tight, and pressing her wet face into her friend's shoulder. "You're here," she whispered. "You're still here."
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Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2022 5:56 pm
Albireo returned the hug, stroking the soft pigtails. “Of course I’m still here…you’re still here too. We’re both still here…what…what happened? There was a corrupt senshi and she looked so sad and I thought…I could help her and I…she took my starseed…”
Swallowing, she pulled Cybele closer, nuzzling against her. “I’m here.”
Albireo let out a breath and sighed, closing her eyes and just focusing on holding her friend in her arms. “...I was so scared. I woke up with you beside me…and your starseed was in your hand…what…I guess…she gave mine back…? Or someone did…”
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Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2022 6:20 pm
"You were dead," said Cybele, although being able to touch Albireo like this made it seem more like this was real and not some dream, or afterlife. Her trembling slowed. "I found you on the concrete. I couldn't get your starseed back. She was an Eternal. She sent if off before I could even get to her. A lot has been happening. I panicked after that." It seemed awkward, if they were both still alive and free of Chaos, to tell Albireo how she had begged for death, so she did not. "I couldn't fight," she nodded towards her arm in the sling, that she was still ignoring the aches from, "So I tried to talk, but," Her grip loosened slightly, but her weight relaxed against Albireo's chest while Cybele struggled to take deeper breaths. "She got mine, too. I don't know why we're still here. I'm glad, though." Somehow, she hadn't run out of tears yet. "I don't think I could take losing anyone else right now."
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Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2022 6:32 pm
“You won’t lose me…I’ll be more careful next time, I promise. I just…she looked so sad and I couldn’t…just not try and help…”
Albireo swallowed and then drew away slightly. “Oh! Cyb! Cyb, I went to my homeworld…ah…with another corrupted senshi…I…I’ve been really trying to help them, and this one says she wants to purify and is going to come live with Sieg and me…though I guess I should tell him first but…oops…”
She shook her head and snuggled closer to Cybele again, finally relaxing the shock clearing up somewhat. “...There are fireflies. Cyb…my world has fireflies. I love them…they’re all sorts of colors! My favorite is this fat blue one that I named Roy…you’ll have to come up and meet them, you’ll love them!”
It was the first time she had spoken of her homeworld in anything but a subdued tone, and it felt good…good to be excited about such a big part of her…besides.
Hopefully it would get Cybele’s mind off of what had happened.
Albireo leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of her friend’s head. “I really am okay. You won’t ever lose me. I promise you.”
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Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2022 7:07 pm
Despite everything, Cybele's lips turned up into a smile. "You're so sweet, Albireo," she said. "You'll save a lot of people. I know it. Perhaps you can even get through to her." When Albireo pulled away, Cybele did, too, steadying herself with her good arm on the concrete, instead. "I'm sorry if I'm being clingy," she said, softly. "The Negaverse ambushed my family last week. I lost two people." Her voice shook once more, but she swallowed against it. Instead of dwelling on that, she let herself listen to stories about fat blue space fireflies. Albireo was even naming them. That was sweet, too. It was hard for her to get excited about space the way that other people did, but her friend's enthusiasm rubbed off on her a bit. Fireflies in general sounded interesting. She didn't think she'd heard of many people talking about more than just plants up in space before now. "I'd like to see," she said, and nodded. "When can we go? I'd like to find a firefly to name Evangeline, if that's all right." That sounded nice. That sounded like it might be able to calm her down, even after everything.
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Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2022 7:13 pm
Poor Cybele. Albireo couldn’t imagine how that must be…losing two family members…that was enough to kill a person by grief alone. She thought for a moment and nodded. “I think I’ll be able to go up again next week if you’d like to come with me? We can pack a picnic and maybe go get milkshakes beforehand? I know…that going to my homeworld won’t be able to bring your family back, but you can name as many fireflies as you’d like after whatever you’d like! I don’t mind at all!”
Roy would be happy with the friends she was sure.
“I want to see my homeworld come alive again…and now…now I think that it might be completely possible…Zinkenite was so very wrong…it was all a lie.”
She sighed softly. “...I hope I can help to get through to her. I don’t even know her name though. She didn’t say anything to me. I hope she finds happiness soon though…I hate seeing people look that…dead inside. Like how I felt when I was with the Negaverse…”
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Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2022 7:35 pm
"Milkshakes sound perfect," she said. Milkshakes with Albireo had made her feel better before, when it had felt like the fate of the world was sitting on a knife's edge. Maybe it could help, even now. "I'll see if I can find some fun flavors." It would give her mind something to hang onto in the moments that she couldn't be searching the city for Ganymede. Cybele was coming down most of the way from the panic, now, but the adrenaline was replaced by an exhaustion that went as deep as her bones. "I think I need to rest a bit," she said. "I need to go home. I don't have much more in me, tonight, and I need to tell my brother something she said." It had sounded like Lysithea was implying that Ganymede was alive. Slowly, shakily, Cybele drew herself up to her feet. "Next week, though, all right? We'll go meet Roy."
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Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2022 7:38 pm
Albireo pushed herself to her own feet and hesitated. “If you want help getting home, I don’t mind at all. I want to know that you get there safe.” And then she would get home…and might just spend a little time crying on Tavi’s chest. That sounded like it might be rather therapeutic…
This was the second time she had her starseed taken…and she really…
…Really didn’t enjoy the sensation.
Perhaps she would find a way to make sure that it couldn’t happen a third time. Maybe she and Cybele could work together on that problem.
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Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2022 7:45 pm
"That would be nice," said Cybele, reaching out to place a hand on Albireo's shoulder. She wasn't so exhausted that she didn't think she could walk, but even under the best of times, it was good to stay together for safety. It would also be nice to have Albireo in her line of vision for a few minutes more, just to be well and truly sure that she was alive, that nothing unexpected was going to happen. "I can get you a snack, if you want something to help calm down, after everything." There was always a lot of nice food in the Gallo's kitchen. It always helped Cybele after fights, eve if it didn't quite help as much with the grief. With that offer open, she started leading the way towards her home.
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