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 Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2022 2:29 pm
set after thisWhen Lysithea ran, Cybele watched her leave. She didn't follow, even though she wanted to try to keep talking, to reaffirm that she wasn't upset. The purification meant something. Maybe that purification would have been sweeter if she'd brought Ganymede with her, but- All those words stayed stuck in her throat as she stared, unblinking, at the spot where Lysithea had vanished around the corner. She kept staring even as her knees buckled, on at a time. From the ground, she sighed deeply into the cool night air, her shoulders still in knots. When she finally stopped staring, it was because she was reaching for her phone. She needed to talk to someone so that she could process this. She needed to talk to someone who was less of an emotional mess at the moment, someone who knew a bit more about how to relate to people. She needed to talk to Albireo. She sent the message and then waited a moment before clarifying, Quote: I ran into Lysethia. Purified, but it was- strange. Quote: I don't know. I might cry? Her shoulders were certainly shaking, although that didn't make any sense given what had happened.
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Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2022 7:24 pm
Albireo was always around. Especially when Cybele needed her. Funny enough she had just been heading towards the aura of the Eternal and Super Senshi that she felt, eager to see if it was someone she knew, and when she looked at her phone and saw that Cybele needed her...she paused in walking, sending back an answer.
Quote: I'm always here for you, Cyb. Where are you? What do you need? I can be there soon, I'm on patrol anyways. Did she hurt you?
No...why would she have hurt Cybele? Especially if she had purified? That...was a good thing, wasn't it?
She hesitated for a moment. She had to wait on a reply, so she decided to continue to head towards the aura, and when she saw that it was Cybele, on the ground looking weak and afraid, Albireo broke into a run, skidding to a halt and kneeling beside her friend, wrapping gentle arms around her shoulders. "What the hell happened? Did she hurt you? I'll break her face!"
There was an anger in Albireo's voice which didn't surface often, she was one who preferred talking to fighting, but she couldn't stand to see her best friend, her Cybele upset.
She shook with anger as she drew the Eternal closer, squeezing lightly. "I'm here."
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Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2022 3:57 pm
Cybele was so caught up in staring at her phone, trying to think how to explain what had happened in a way that was both honest and fair, and coming up with nothing, that she only caught a hint of a glimpse of blue ribbons before someone was throwing arms around her. She didn't have to ask who it was behind her, even before she heard her friend's voice. She knew. Her body knew. She wasn't often one for touch. She'd started exchanging hugs with her family members but they were usually brief. Everyone else got stiff handshakes, nothing more. Except, Albireo. Cybele melted into her embrace. Even the heavy knots in her shoulders began to unravel a bit. This felt right. "It's not that," she said. "I know how to deal with getting hurt. I know how to break faces. It's more complicated than that. That's why it's hard." Leaning her head back against the other senshi's shoulders, she gave a deep sigh. "She told me she had the chance to rescue Ganymede and didn't," she said, and that was when her voice caught. "And I want to be angry, but then afterwards she got out. She purified. I'm a hypocrite if I get upset about things people did while in the Negaverse when I should be happy that they left." She shouldn't be upset, and yet her chest still felt hot.
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Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2022 6:14 pm
Albireo listened, letting the fingers of one hand lightly play in Cybele’s minty hair, nodding every few moments. “She hurt you. She hurt the both of us, but she pushed you to the edge that you didn’t think you would go to…I don’t see why you would think it would be easy to just forgive her. Especially if she remembers the things she did. If she wouldn’t have, that would have been a different story…but she’s like us. She remembers the darkness…and that means that she’s still the one who hurt you. Your anger and fear and mistrust aren’t going to vanish just because she’s wearing white now.”
Pressing a kiss to the top of Cybele’s head she pulled the Eternal senshi into a more comfortable embrace, sitting herself on the ground and hauling the other woman into her lap, cradling her carefully.
“There’s nothing wrong with anger. I was angry. I was ready to rip apart whoever hurt you. Anger…is just an emotion…maybe one day you’ll be able to forgive her, but…everything’s still way too raw…and she’s a stranger.”
It made sense to Albireo. It made sense that emotions were stupid. But…stupid as they were…you couldn't blame yourself for having them. No matter how hard of a lesson that had been to learn.
“When we rescue Ganymede, I’m sure that will make a big difference. I know that’s still worrying you half to death, Cyb.”
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Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2022 7:06 pm
There was something magic in Albireo's fingers, something that didn't have anything to do with the fact that she was a senshi. As she played with Cybele's hair, the adrenaline and anger seeped out of her body all at once. Exhaustion replaced it. It was as if she'd run a few miles instead of having a short conversation. Her chest felt like it was full of rocks. Her breath was shallow, but she allowed herself to rest heavily against Albireo. The kiss to her head was a surprise. Cybele certainly didn't remember having ever been kissed before, even like that. She tilted her head to look up at her friend, and a smile came to her lips, tired as it was, as a strange soft feeling came over her. "I've been trying so hard to find her," she said, her eyes fluttering shut. "I can't sleep. It's too empty now at her house, and at Momma's. So I go out looking, hunting for her, an there's nothing out here, either." That was the real problem here. She shifted so that she could throw an arm of her own over Albireo's shoulders. "Perhaps-" she trailed off, eyelids fluttering. "Can I come to your house, Albireo?" She knew it was a lot to ask, but the other woman had always been so kind. "Perhaps I just need some distance so I can work on processing all this." A moment passed. "Or sleep. Probably sleep." She could almost go to sleep right then, with the way Albireo was holding her.
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Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2022 4:03 pm
“Of course you can come stay with me. I wish you would have asked ages ago. We have another guest there right now, but honestly, you can share the bed with me, I know that Tavi won’t mind taking the couch for a while. He’s sweet like that. And he knows how important you are to me.”
Carefully, Albireo got to her feet, working hard not to jostle Cybele too much, holding her bridal style in her arms as she began walking in the general direction of her home. “You can stay for as long as you want, Cybele. Forever, if that makes you happy. I can go with you tomorrow to get clothes or whatever you need from your other house or…hell, we’re almost the same size, you can just borrow my things. I don’t mind sharing when it’s you!”
She walked slowly, being far more careful than she normally was, and wondered if she would be able to keep this up as Olivia…most likely, if she only had to hold her for a short distance…
She wasn’t weak after all. “If you want to nap while we’re going home, you can. Go ahead and change into my Ellie. I’m here. I’ve got you, and you’re safe. Soon you’ll be snuggled against me sleeping and in the morning I’ll spoil you with a big breakfast.”
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Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2022 4:23 pm
"Just for tonight," murmured Cybele, but it was a weak argument. She knew it would be wrong to abandon her family entirely. She knew it would be wrong to take Siegfried's, Tavi's, wife and bed from him for too long. It would be nice, though, to do it for a while. For one thing, she just needed to spend some time somewhere that wasn't a house of mourning. For another, with Albireo's arms around her, with the warmth of her friend's body pressed up against her, Cybele felt more relaxed than she had in weeks. Her eyes fluttered closed. She'd almost never let herself be picked up before, but right now, she didn't even flinch. Usually she was careful about where she powered down, but at Albireo's request, she did it right then and there, her ribbons and antlers fading down into a flannel and leggings. "Thank you," Ellie whispered. Then, the warmth and exhaustion overtook her and a few seconds later, she was asleep.
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