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 Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 4:37 pm
The Food Truck was parked. No one had been home, but Evan had texted that he was going out with Ana. He didn’t give more information than that, he didn’t want anyone to worry. He didn’t even know what he was going to try and say, and every time he thought about it his mind sent him into something of a panic.
He kept it simple. If something happened to him, they knew Ana. Or, of her. Malcolm would know.
The entire time they were walking to the park, Evan had been squirming. No one had been home when he left the truck, he’d just given his dog a kiss on the forehead and walked out. Probably a good thing Soleiyu wasn’t out and working on more of his projects, they were spread over the entire dining room table.
The park was surprisingly empty, and Evan had been squeezing the Henshin Pen in his pocket the entire time they’d walked out there.
“So,” he said, when he finally picked a discreet place far enough away from everything else. “You haven’t been to space before? Or, have you? Because, it’s kind of weird to get there, but um.”
He was stalling. He looked at Ana and swallowed.
“Please don’t tell anyone. That’s all. I trust you, Ana. I don’t usually do this. But I trust you, and I want you to be okay. I want you to be able to see Ilse again, she misses you.” He hadn’t missed the bag. He just hoped Ana was serious. He took her hand and looked her in the eye.
He sucked in a breath and powered up.
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 4:38 pm
“Not that I can remember, but I heard about it before…and it sounds amazing.” She had left her bag in the truck, tucked gently under the dashboard and had walked quietly with Evan, knowing that he was nervous about this whole thing…though she wasn’t sure how best to help him calm those nerves. Watching him power up was..kind of amazing, and when she saw who it was that stood in the place of Evan, who’s hand she was holding…
She felt stupid for not guessnig.
Malus, the senshi she had saved from Faustite, the one who had looked so tormented and happy to see Lysithea…
Oh. That just. Made a stuipd amount of sense and caused her eyes to burn from sudden hot tears. “...I won’t tell anyone, Evan. I promise…you…You’re really pretty as a senshi, you know…I love those colors…”
She would talk more freely when they were out of the park. When they were safe up on…
Up on Malus, she supposed.
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 4:42 pm
Okay, this wasn’t going badly yet. He tried to smile, even if it was forced and brief. “I got lucky, I didn’t pick them. I didn’t even want to be a Senshi at first. I just wanted to stay inside and not be a part of the world. Kinda doesn’t seem fair, but. I tried to make the best of it. I had good people helping me,” he said, because he didn’t do it on his own.
He didn’t know where he’d have been if Lysithea hadn’t been there to support him.
“Um, it’s going to be weird,” he said; he took her hand. “It kinda feels like running really fast, and falling, but you know your feet never leave the ground. I won’t let go. But it’s not totally safe for anyone to see you with me out here, so I’m going to go now. It’s really pretty up on my world, I’ll show you.”
He squeezed her hand, once; his phone was in his hand.
He pressed the home button.
Between one blink and the next, they arrived.
The sky was dark, as if it were night, but there was no moon to be seen. Instead, a myriad of colors twisted through the sky like the Northern Lights and illuminated the world in a haze of pinks and purples and blues.
Tall mountains in the distance seemed black at a glance, but as the light caught them it was apparent that they glistened like fire opals. There was snow on the caps, but even that seemed to glisten like tiny little glass shards. The trees had bark and needles and leaves and flowers, but they were still unlike any tree on Earth.
The bark on all the nearby trees seemed opalized, but some trees had needles that were thin and glasslike and, when the wind blew, it sounded more like wind chimes than a tree. On other trees, the leaves were nearly entirely transparent, like thin, clear crystal. Many of the trees had soft, pastel flowers.
A river was nearby, judging by the sound of running water. On the ground, small, beadlike glass pebbles were speckled throughout the dirt.
“There are some buildings not so far away, but I like this spot,” he explained. “This was the first place I landed when I first traveled here. It’s peaceful, we can walk around or sit down if you like.”
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 4:43 pm
Ana looked around in wonder, her eyes wide as she tried to take everything in. “...This is the most amazing place I have ever been…this…this is your homeworld? You can literally come here any time that you want to and just…relax in this beauty and peace?”
It had been an odd feeling, but not completely terrible. And it had been so very worth it.
After taking a long few minutes to just see all that she could, she looked to the senshi and grinned. “Malus, what are you the senshi of?”
Too late she realized she had used his name, something that she hadn’t been told but…hopefully in all of the excitement he wouldn’t realize…but. Regardless, she was going to tell the truth anyway, right? This was her proving time.
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 4:43 pm
He didn’t think he’d given her his name. It was a red flag, but no more than any of the others he’d pieced together. He didn’t make a big deal out of it, even if he was nervous.
“Glass,” he answered, rubbing at his arm. He released her hand to give her a little space to appreciate it all and–
What were those lights. Those lights weren’t there before.
Little pastel orbs, bobbing up and down. Far away. Near.
They looked like fireflies, and he stared for a long moment. There were rocks rattling in his stomach again, what were they doing here? Were they dangerous?
There were a few nearby, and if he’d been on Earth he wouldn’t have thought anything of them, except that they looked less yellow and more pastel, like the pinks and purples and blues of his uniform. They seemed harmless, they seemed–well, alive.
He stared at them, temporarily distracted by that more so than her calling him Malus.
“I don’t come up here often, I don’t like to come alone,” he said, somewhat wistfully. “Lysithea would come up here with me, we’d have picnics. The trees sound like wind chimes when the wind comes through, it’s really nice. Safe. You’re safe here.”
He looked at her again, and he didn’t ask out loud, but his eyes were full of questions.
She knew who he was, who was she?
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 4:44 pm
“I feel safe here. With you. Always have, Evan.” She gave a long, soft sigh, withdrawing her own henshin pen from her jacket pocket and twirling it between her fingers for a moment. “...You found me, you know. Even if I didn’t know it, your food did call to me, I suppose.”
In an instant she powered up, and it was Lysithea who stood next to the male, looking around at the flickering insects, with a small wonder. “...Have you been to Lysithea too? What’s it like? I want to go there, Evan. I want to see it, and get to know you again and…”
Swallowing, Lysithea took hold of his hands. “...I want to come home. I miss Ilse…she’s really okay? She was able to get out? I knew you could help her…I just knew it…”
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 4:45 pm
Oh.
No, but–
Oh.
Evan couldn’t breathe. He was seeing stars at the same time the corners of his vision was fading.
He was looking at her. At Lysithea. Here. Anastasia. Here.
She wanted to leave. He’d outed himself, but she was still here. She knew who he was, all of who she was.
She was here.
He couldn’t remember how to breathe, much less talk, so he did the first thing that felt right, and took two steps forward so he could embrace her tightly.
He didn’t know how long he held her for but he hoped that everything he wanted to say was in that hug.
He missed her. He loved her. He had been afraid for her. He was glad to see her. He was proud of her.
“Ilse’s there. Everyone’s there. She’s okay, just worried about you. There’s space for you at home,” he promised, but there was something jarring in his mind.
Their home. Airi and Tobias and himself were fine. Maxim wasn’t any trouble. Soleiyu wasn’t any trouble.
Zac had shared his room with Cambria, but Ana–
She had Rosie.
Zac didn’t know. He’d been there when Ilse purified, he was intent on having her hold her end of the bargain to rescue Lysithea. Malus had pieced things together, somewhat unwittingly, but now that they were all out in the open he had to accept them.
Zac–Michel–wasn’t going to stop until Lysithea was rescued.
But, she didn’t know him. She’d moved on. There was no telling if she’d know Rosie in this, but if she knew she loved her, or Ilse, something of that–something was going to stick.
Even if they got Lysithea back, Zac had still lost her.
Malus was glad he could keep his face buried against her, he was sure it would have given him away.
But, he knew this was still what Michel would have wanted.
Lysithea wasn’t meant for Chaos. She’d worked so hard to break free. She deserved to be herself.
“It’s beautiful there, Lysithea. You’ll love it. I can show you around, if you want. Me, and Malcolm, and Soleiyu, we’ve all been. We can start over.”
Again. It sounded impossible, and hard, but she deserved to have a choice in all of this.
He just hoped that she’d still want to be in their lives after she came back.
…But then, anything would have been better than letting the Chaos smother out her light.
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 4:45 pm
Lysithea didn’t quite know what to expect from Malus when she had powered up. Would he be disgusted? Afraid? Would he kick her off of his world and tell her to just get lost?
But then he was hugging her and she felt as if the whole world had simply floated away. And then she was hugging him back, and crying and…
“You can really bring me home? Please, Malus…I want to get out. I want to go back home and see you all every day…” She sniffed and hugged him tighter. “...Is Malcolm a senshi too? Are you both senshi who just…were looking for me and decided to befriend me again? Nerds…”
The words were so fond though and she clung to Malus and just sobbed. “I’m sorry I made you think I hated you…I didn’t hate you. Never hated you…”
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 4:46 pm
He held her tighter and rubbed her back as reassuringly as he could manage. “I was so afraid of scaring you. I didn’t want to chase you away, Lysithea. You mean the world to me. I have so many stories for you. I’ll tell you everything. I promise, no lies. I just want you to be okay. I’m sorry for what happened. I’m sorry that we couldn’t protect you. But I’m so, so, so glad you’re coming home. It’ll be okay.”
He drew away, if only so he could see her face to properly reassure her.
“We are,” he said, and prayed that this wasn’t going to backfire really badly for all of them.
“Both Senshi. We were all looking for you. Not just us, there were others. We just–we were desperate, we’d have taken anything we could have gotten. But to have you here, like this–do you know how to do it, has anyone told you? –Will you come back with me? I mean, I can call Rosie so she can come see you, too. But we can do this now–we can go back home tonight. Together. You won’t be alone.”
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 4:47 pm
Lysithea nodded and looked happier with the knowledge that they were both senshi. It made sense. “...How can I come home today? Can you…can I get out now? Can you help me with that? I’m not sure how the whole thing works but…” She wanted out. She wanted to be out of chaos and back to a point where she could visit her own homeworld and eat Evan’s food and do…anything and everything she had missed.
And Ilse. She wanted to see her again. Wanted to see just how beautiful she looked when she was free of chaos.
Quietly Lysithea wiped her eyes. “I’m ready to leave, Evan. I’m ready to go home. I tried to convince Faustite to leave too…I…I wanted him to come with me but…I know he won’t. I know he…”
Shuddering she whipped at her eyes again. “...I’ll keep trying with him though.”
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 4:47 pm
Malus nodded, if only because he didn’t know how to tell her that he didn’t think Faustite was ever going to purify. He didn’t think he’d leave the Negaverse–he had a chance to. And instead, he’d taken Lysithea. He didn’t try to help her, he tried to swallow her up into the folds of the Negaverse.
Tried to destroy her. Tried to hurt Malus. Tried to erase who she was.
He lied to her.
Now wasn’t the time or place to talk to her about Faustite’s deception. He didn’t think he was lying to her by avoiding the topic now, it’s just–she had enough to think about now. And he didn’t know what she was going to remember after all of this.
“It’s not that hard,” he assured, holding her hands tightly.
“I can’t do it, but Cosmos can. She’s this great keeper of starseeds. But she listens for them. She can hear when someone needs help. She can get the Chaos out, she’s done it before. She was there when I needed to be saved. She helped me be human again. She can help you. You just–”
He drew in a steadying breath. “You just need to focus, you need to think, real hard, about wanting to be free. You have to want the Chaos gone. If you call for help, she’ll come.”
She had to.
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 4:47 pm
Cosmos…for some reason the thought of the name left a slightly bitter taste in her mouth, but she nodded and kept hold of Malus’ hands, closing her eyes and trying.
“I don’t know what to say…but I want to be free. I want to go home. I want…I mean. I can’t be Cambria again…but I want to be with you all again. You love me, I…I don’t belong somewhere where they kidnap people and attack for no reason…I don’t believe in torture…”
Her hands squeezed Malus’ as she spoke, trying to call out with her heart? With her starseed, though she had the horrible feeling that Cosmos wouldn’t come. A doubt that…that this was all a false hope and she was stuck.
That she would never get out.
Another sob escaped.
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 4:48 pm
Malus didn’t know what she had seen, but he knew that she had seen enough of it. He held her tightly, careful not to crush or hurt her. He wanted her to know that she wasn’t alone.
It didn’t matter if she wasn’t Cambria. It didn’t matter who she became, in name or appearance.
She was–herself.
Chaos might have taken her memories, but she was still her. She still wanted the right things for the right reasons.
“It’s going to be okay,” he promised. He’d have done anything to make sure that it was.
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 4:49 pm
Lysithea didn’t have to wait long for her call to be answered. It wasn’t like there was any difference when it came to traveling to Earth or another world, Cosmos simply came when a starseed called loud enough.
Lysithea’s was screaming.
There was always something a little safer when she didn’t have to worry about a Negaverse ambush, but she arrived with her staff in hand anyway.
Cosmos recognized Lysithea. She hadn’t known the Chaos had taken her, and something that almost looked like it could have been surprise briefly crossed her features.
“Tell me I am here to help you,” she said, because even Cosmos could hope.
Chaos wasn’t easy to see through, not when it took so much from you.
She would give whatever she could, if only someone asked.
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 4:49 pm
Lysithea very nearly moved to hide behind Malus when Cosmos arrived. The aura of the woman was overwhelming and very nearly made her feel sick. It was terrifying. She felt wrong. Too much.
Even Ganymede didn’t inspire such a reaction, but then again, when she had been near the princess they had been surrounded by chaos and that might have been why it hadn’t been so oppressive but.
She swallowed, her grip on Evan’s hand growing stronger. “...You…you know me?”
The question slipped out before she really thought about it, but this woman…this…deity? She seemed to know her. Seemed to be afraid that she had been called here for any reason but to help her.
“...You can help me? You’d be willing?”
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