Homeworld Visit Date: 28th February 2022 (Backdate)


He wasn't sure if it was ready to receive any visitors in any capacity, but given he wasn't sure how his new abilities worked, his options were limited. With the Page slung over his shoulder he had departed with reassurances that the Mauvian would ensure the Velencian returned home safely. It was the most he could do in the given situation, having inflicted as much damage as he had been capable of before the accursed agent had managed to slip through his fingertips. Alas, it seemed that she had not been adverse to using the reputation of his kind to her advantage and the well lit streets had become her sanctuary.

He would reassure himself that she would do little damage for the foreseeable future. Bones had been shattered, muscles and ligaments torn, he hadn't held back. She might have managed to get away from him but she would not be in a condition to pursue others for months. Strong as they all were in these powered states, healing still required time, and he had given her plenty of healing to do.

One day, he'd ensure she never stood up again.

However, priorities required that he arrange for the safe transport of one individual while he took another to receive further care. Not that he knew much about this 'further' care beyond the fact he had the ability to give it, and it was this conundrum the senshi found himself facing as his sandals settled on familiar ground.

A wave of heat washed over him and he sucked in a breath, an opportunity to gain his composure against the sudden shift from ice cold wind to the warmth a blazing sun. A cursory glance told him that things were healing, there would be plant life that would never be as it was, but for others there was hope... and sure enough that life he had thought imaginary happened to remain. The occasional pause from these strange creatures before they continued about their day, evidence that he was as much of a curiosity to them, they were to him.

"Let's get this over with," he murmured softly, moving swiftly towards the pyramid and into the warrens that lay within. A respite from the shade, now delicately lit by the steady and soft glow of crystals that another knight had managed to activate. Another sign of recovery, and yet he still hoped for more in time.

He knew his intended location though and no sooner had he swept into the warrens than he had already begun to descend the stairs towards the peculiar rooms that held much of the preserved furniture he had become familiar with. Truth be told it was also the place he tended to go when he, himself, chose to retreat to his Homeworld. It would afford this rather reckless soul some comfort as she recovered, with assurances that nothing would pop out of the shadows to consume her or her soul.

Said reckless soul gave a small groan as she was lowered to the ground, weary eyes fluttering open before shuddering to a close once more. A peculiar behaviour if he had ever seen one, but given he had never actually had his starseed torn from his chest, he wasn't exactly in the position to relate to the weakness that Serenitatis seemed to exhibit. Still, Serenitatis did seem to settle as she touched the pillows.

Warmth, a rather important requirement for healing had been established.

Comfort, yet another.

Now it was of importance for him to ensure that the young woman received the energy she had lost, something that he understood came from touching her, though the explanation had been rather vague at best. A hand reached out to press against her shoulder and with his head bowed, he afforded his planet the opportunity to guide him on what it was to give his strength to another...

****

Don't be a hero.

You are of no use to anyone if you are dead.

She hadn't done anything to seek out trouble on this occasion. Given that she had encountered several rather narrow escapes she had understood why The Code had told her to avoid it. Gather her strength elsewhere, find friends, and run should she encounter trouble. She'd seen that woman before, that fleeting glimpse as someone tore her apart gave her enough of a glimpse to remember her and yet...

A warmth began to flood through her as the semshi's magic began to take hold. Soft and reassuring, the heavy limbs began to loosen and the sense of overwhelming haze of dread lifted. She knew nothing of those who had intervened when they had. All unknowns to her and yet they had been there, whether by coincidence or intelligence was irrelevant. She would need to find a means to express her gratitude when she found them again.

If she found them again.

Her eyes opened slowly, at first a blur. The word was dark, the faint hint of a glow upon the walls nearby and to her left, a much brighter ripple of light. In time her eyes adjusted and it was then that she settled her gaze upon the man before her. He looked familiar, that flash of red that had swept passed her and her rescuers to descend upon the one who had struck an almost fatal blow.

He looked a little like Encke; or rather, he had markings that implied they may have come from a similar place.

"Who -?"

****

"Athalia," he kept his hand on her shoulder, though he had at last turned towards her to acknowledge she was conscious. The colour was returning to her cheeks at least, and that reassured her that she would recover.

"And you," he finally lifted his hand away from her and pulled something out of a bag nearby to set on her lap. Bizarrely, he then set a bottle of water beside her.

"Need to pick your battles better," he pointed out gently and motioned to the water and whatever he had placed in her lap. "I mean this with the greatest of respect but your kind are not the best at war in the form you have taken," he smiled wryly and sat down once more, resting his back against the wall.

"Knights are bad at war?" she asked softly as she looked down towards her lap, on it, what seemed to be a bar of chocolate.

"As a Page, yes," he didn't bother to mince his words in that respect. He had never really met a Page that could put up a genuine fight. He was sure they existed and he was grateful for those that did exist, but the majority... Well, they were lucky they hadn't met the fate that this particular one had almost found herself in.

"I wasn't looking for a fight," she said after a moment, picking up the bar in her hands to sniff at it. "Did you save me?"

There was a pause.

"No," he said softly. "I would have been too late," he pursed his lips in thought. "A velencian saved you, one of the oddly skinned aliens you may be familiar with."

"I'm not," she shook her head. It was true, Naeria had been her first encounter with an alien and she hadn't even been awake to see it.

"Well, perhaps you may be able to locate them again to extend your thanks," he shrugged. "I am scarcely aware of them but she intervened when you needed her most," he clucked his tongue softly at that. They had certainly done an substantial amount of damage to Order but it was hard to deny that there were those in their collective that seemed to have a degree of honour. Though he knew nothing of Naeria and her disposition, she had exhibited that through her actions.

"If you weren't looking for trouble then why were you in an alley?" He might as well ask it.

"I wanted to help where I could," she nibbled on the chocolate and sighed softly. Even that had gotten her in trouble, giving socks and gloves to homeless people had led to this. "Not by fighting, just by making sure people were ok. It's cold outside."

"I see," he didn't seem to be judging her, much to her relief, but the otherwise tall man seemed to be holding back on some of his views.

"I really wasn't looking, I promised I would run away if I got in trou -"

"You can't sense them properly can you?" he said finally and turned his gaze back to the page, his expression thoughtfully.

"You mean the soul stealer?" she asked in confusion. "I can sense them when they're there, beside me..."

"But not before."

"I don't think so."

Another pause, a thoughtful expression on one individual and something akin to shame on the other. Was she supposed to have known how to sense them from a distance? The Code had said that she should be able to, that it would feel like there was something wrong and yet she couldn't. She had tried, but even if she felt 'something' she never knew quite where it was.

Another thing dropped in to her lap after a few moments and she blinked. A strange, golden beetle had been thrown at her and she didn't know quite what to make of that.

"It's a transponder," Athalia motioned to it. "The Mauvian I'm bonded to created it, it flashes up a map of the city and shows any chaos activity," he clarified. "There will be blank regions and I would advise you avoid them as it means I haven't been there yet to place their counterparts," he flicked another odd looking, twitching beetle into his fingertips.

"If you can't see anything on it when you open it up, it means you're safe," he continued. "If you can see activity on it, then should be able to work out what it is based on the legend on the hologram," he slipped the little beetle back into his bracer. "Depending on what it says you will be able to decide if you want to stay or leave before you have visitors," he finished.

She picked it up, rolling it over in her palm carefully.

"Does everyone have one of these?" she hadn't heard about it, but if this existed then why didn't everyone have one.

"Not that I'm aware of, very few have asked for one to my knowledge," he admitted. "But on this occasion it seems fitting that you take mine. I can always get another," he added with a small smile.

"So blank areas on the map should be avoided," she managed to activate the keychain with a startled gasp, though the hologram was hazy given how far they were away from the city. She could at the very least seen regions that were lit up, districts that seemed familiar, while others were nothing more than a black mass. Every now and then something would pop up on the screen but out here, even the legend was fuzzy.

"Correct."

"And then I should see enemies here, what about friends? Can I see if people need help?"

"Eventually, perhaps... But I don't believe Orias has managed to patch that utility in," he admitted after a moment of consideration. If Orias hadn't patched it in then perhaps he could ask Realta or Namielle to make some modifications that might allow for it.

"But you can be fairly confident that if you see chaos then it's highly likely someone needs aid, it's just whether you can provide it," he pointed out gently. "And perhaps for now, it might be in your best interests to consider your options carefully," he added.

"Otherwise I could end up -"

"Yes, unless you are incredibly lucky and have as many lives as a cat," he mused thoughtfully. "Might I suggest you don't try that though?"

"Heh," she didn't seem particularly amused, but then again, she did have other things in mind as she slowly found the means to deactivate the 'picture' in front of her. It was a valuable tool, but the fact still remained that she was ill equipped to provide more than supporting words for now and that didn't sit particularly well with her.

"What happened to the uh...Velenian?"

"Velencian, and I requested that my Mauvian companion ensure she returned home safely. You can be assured that the agent won't be ready to cause havoc any time soon," he reassured her. "Though Namielle may be able to afford you some clarity on who the Velencian is if you wish to extend your thanks," he added. Namielle tended to have the means to find a way to make contact with others, she certainly networked better than he did.

...She networked better than anyone in his household actually.

"So you didn't kill her?"

"Unfortunately not, but that comes as no great surprise as they have always been rather good at conveniently exploiting our reputation," he waved his hand dismissively. "However I am aware of that one and her nature, she will not walk freely." His expression darkened, the Page didn't need to know of his intentions but given that Cristobalite was rather partial to hunting the vulnerable and those what wouldn't be 'missed', he deemed it of the utmost importance to find a means of getting in her way.

Where no one else would protect them, he would.

"I see," she continued to pick at the chocolate. Normally she would have devoured it and yet the desire to ruminate was strong. At least as she began to recover she was able to take note of where she was and the unusual murals on the wall, the paintings and artwork that seemed to gaze down upon her. "I'm not on earth anymore am I?"

"You're on Athalia."

Another somewhat awkward pause, though she was grateful that he seemed to be staring at the wall as opposed to her while she collected her thoughts.

"I am largely unfamiliar with my new powers, particular when it comes to sharing my strength with others," he admitted after a moment. "I needed to ensure I was in a place where we would be safe in case I miscalculated," he sighed softly. "It seems to have taken hold though, you look better at least. I assume you've got a name?"

Ah, yes, right.

"Serenitatis, Page of the Moon."

"Page of the -" he sighed again. "Of course the Moon has knights now," he muttered. What else had changed while he was asleep that he wasn't yet aware of? He'd have been incredulous, but she was simply yet another part of an ever growing list of new 'things'.

"I get that a lot," she finally smiled. "Thank you for taking care of me."

"You're welcome," he replied softly. "Drink up, as wonderful as sugar is there are several in the medical profession who might lecture you about what's arguably most important."

"Mmmm, stay hydrated kids," she chuckled as she picked up the bottle. He seemed friendly, just like Encke, and that brought her some comfort.

"Rest up. Once you're feeling better I'll take you home... But for now, nothing can reach you here, you're safe," he promised, just as one of the rather large Hercules bugs meandered into the room and tapped lightly at the wall.

"You have life here."

"Yes but at this point in time I don't think it bites," he murmured. He didn't seem entirely sure of himself, but the insect did meander back out eventually, leaving the pair in privacy once more.

"It's nice to have hope," she remarked softly as she returned to her water. She would do as she was told and regain her strength. Silence reigned for a time, but as she grew accustomed to her surroundings it didn't feel quite as uncomfortable. If anything it sparked curiosity, after all, she was on another planet and it was brimming with life. If she was afforded time here, she had to wonder what secrets she might find. It was food for thought, and she twirled the tiny little keychain in her free hand as she pondered over the possibilities...

Word Count: 2,697
Athalia: 1,717
Serenitatis 980