It was the most prominent thing that greeted the pair of them as the tug from the magic that pulled them to Antisana's wonder subsided. Blackness, silence, solid earth beneath their feet, a still chill in the air, a dusty musk. Antisana had never claimed his namesake was hospitable, but it was quiet. There were no monsters here. When he moved to take a step, he felt the twinge of a subtle sort of breathlessness as the energy of carrying a passenger along was sapped from him. But it had been months of visiting by now, and he'd expected that having a guest might be tiresome on his already-exhausted body.
He shook it off as he focused on how to orient them. "Forgive me," he murmured as touched two tentative fingers to her arm so that she would know where he was and that she was not alone. "It can be difficult to navigate initially." And difficult to know exactly where he had landed on his wonder.
The hovel where he had made his personal sanctuary had candles and LEDs for light comforts that he'd brought from home once he'd realized he couldn't function without them, but it had seemed senseless to leave such things lying around where he might never make use of them. Instead, he thought of the tear in the void that was his subspace, and knowing what he was looking for, produced a battery-powered lantern. A flick of the switch bathed the pair of them in a dim glow, but there was little else to see beyond what other senses had already revealed.
Antisana was a cavern of dark stone, a tunnel tall enough for someone of average height to completely stretch their arms above their head, but little more than that. Ahead, the tunnel twisted into blackness, and behind was not much different. The lantern light revealed no other paths besides the one they were on, though Antisana, at least, seemed to know where to go from here.
It was far from as cared for and as lived-in as some of the other places he'd been permitted to visit.
"It does not seem like much," he admitted as he strode ahead, "But there are a few different forks along the tunnel. Most seem to lead to what might have been living quarters? But there is still very much I am unsure of. I have not traveled every path, yet." Could she blame him for that? It seemed like all he wanted to do was sleep when he arrived here. It was always right on the heels of an attack, as it was this time. "It is an easy place to rest, I think. ...If you do not mind the dark, and the confines, and being alone."
xShanyume
Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2022 1:59 am
Eleonora was grateful for the lantern he produced from his subspace pocket because, even as the Senshi of Heat, her magic did not emit any flame or light aside from the faint glow of her hands which wasn’t nearly bright enough to see anything with. “Fortunately you’re not alone,” a silver lining she supposed, unless he preferred the solitude then he was kind of even more s**t out of luck after bringing her along.
Fortunately, the dim light and long cast shadows did wonders for hiding the worry in her expression. Unfortunately, the quiet tunnels did nothing to hide it from her voice, if anything it amplified it despite her hushed tones. “Are you sure you don’t want to sit down for a while?”
“Those youma, despite their size, they were no joke.” The small swarm of tiny ankle bitters with fae-like wings and malevolent laughter was upon him like bees on honey. “I can’t really tell, but I’m concerned that my magic hit you by mistake.” The cone of heat had only been used once before and she worried that it might have grazed him; burns and blisters were definitely something that shouldn’t be ignored, even if they were caused by magic and didn’t always leave a lasting mark.
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Posted: Tue May 03, 2022 4:36 pm
The dim glow of the lantern cast ahead, but it seemed as if they would perpetually face only more dark, winding tunnel. He'd promised more paths, but from where they stood, it certainly didn't look it. "We will rest," Antisana replied in a murmur. "Just somewhere more comfortable." Provided she could make it. His quizzical expression focused on Eleonora, as if trying to judge if she was more injured than expected, but with a little cant of his head, he dismissed the thought. She seemed fine. She'd had magic to protect her.
"I have first aid supplies stashed in my base," he muttered, given how often he'd needed them upon his arrival. "And more reliable lighting to assess whatever damage there is. Better we make it there, instead of sitting here. Come on." He gave a notch of his chin to indicate she could follow as he set off down the path.
It frequently felt as if he was woefully unprepared to handle Chaos' monsters when they appeared. Sometimes, like this time, it happened that another sensed the youma's presence and came to his aid. They were significantly easier to contend with when there was even just one additional person present. But more frequently, he dealt with them alone. With no particular fighting ability, no magic, and no real weapon. His little glass jar was about as useful as a trinket from a gumball machine, so being injured during scuffles was kind of a given. He could try to avoid them at any given opportunity, but it just seemed like youma were relentless in their presence, regardless of whether he was powered up or down.
But nothing like that was here. They blessedly weren't here.
"I usually prepare more before coming," Antisana admitted. "So that I can make the most use of the time I can be here. I apologize for not having it... nicer... for guests."
Shanyume
Posted: Wed May 11, 2022 12:05 am
“No need to apologize,” so long as he knew where they were going and that he would rest upon arrival, then she had no reason to protest or insist he sit down here for a while before continuing. “It’s difficult to prepare for something you couldn’t have anticipated.”
Afterall, she was an impromptu guest.
Fortunately, Eleonora was unafraid of the darkness and trusted that he would lead her there safely. Bugs or other creepy crawling creatures suddenly falling on her would no doubt elicit a startled scream but from what she understood, no Homeworld or Wonder could support life. Silver lining she supposed but didn’t stop her from lifting her hooded collar over her head.
Low hanging ceilings or rocks out of place, however, were reasons for concern. She was of slightly taller than average height but not quite as tall as him and so she cautiously reached out and placed a hand upon his shoulder blade only to be able to tell if he were to duck suddenly since both he, and much of their surroundings, were cast in silhouette or long shadows.
Open-toed sandals in a cavern such as this were a poor choice in footwear for this kind of adventure and a reason why she shuffled her feet rather than taking longer strides. It wasn’t that she was clumsy but stubbed toes hurt like a b***h and she did not have the level of grace her twin had to keep from falling into Antisana or swearing if she got hurt by some unseen stone.
“Believe it or not, in the last five years I have yet to visit my homeworld.” A sad fact since she enjoyed visiting others. “My sister is the Senshi of Cold and hers is a world covered in ice and snow. It’s… pretty. But-” Eleonora bit back a humorless laugh and clicked her tongue instead. “Nearly froze my a** off." An understatement to say the least.
"I guess, if hers is an extreme version of her sphere, I’m concerned that mine would be covered in active volcanoes or deserts and I’d be cooked alive…” Popsicle or burnt kabob; neither sounded like a pleasant way to go. At least with Alcor’s world, she could always bring warmer jackets and actual boots whereas heat was a different kind of beast; only so many layers could be removed and her own uniform was already breezy.
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Posted: Wed May 11, 2022 12:33 pm
She may be an impromptu guest, but Antisana should be well and able to anticipate that he would come here whenever necessity struck, whether someone was with him or not. He always waited to use the visit for when he would inevitably need a reprieve from Earth's monsters, so they were almost always "impromptu." Being mostly just whenever he needed to recover from a youma attack. Maybe it should be more standard of him to expect the likelihood of having a tagalong. Regardless, there wasn't much he could do besides keep a supply of nonperishable snacks on hand and make sure batteries for his lanterns were replenished.
They'd be okay today, he thought, even if the decor around his quarters was dreary and unlit and maybe slightly treacherous from the craggly stone. He couldn't stay for days with a guest, regardless of how he might've liked to, so anything he had on hand would simply have to be enough until Eleonora was ready to leave.
Her touch at his back, feather-light, gave him only a shred of pause before he opted against addressing it. They weren't far from his quarters, and if she needed the security of his presence between now and then, she should have it.
"You... have never seen your world?" He repeated, incredulous. Antisana was no bigger than Destiny City. It had its secrets and places of intrigue, but it was all relatively uniform in terms of terrain and weather. But a world? A whole world must have so much to experience. Even if her world was mostly volcanos or deserts (and maybe she was right to expect it was, if her fuku was any indication), it must have been hospitable enough for some kind of life to survive there in the past? "I cannot speak from experience on the matter," he admitted as he walked, "But I think it is reasonably unlikely your world would put you in immediate peril, such that you would be unable to call yourself back to Earth."
Because that was how they did it, right? They had cellphones to beam them there and back, as opposed to the mantra Antisana had to speak to get him here. He thought to offer, 'I will go with you, if you do not wish to go alone,' but he pinched the tip of his tongue between his teeth at the thought. It seemed intrusive to suggest she would want to go at all, if she hadn't in the past five years, let alone with him: some stranger she barely met.
Perhaps more importantly to him and his current predicament with the youma, "You have been a senshi for five years," he whispered. In his mind, from his experience with memories he had while he, he understood that senshihood and knighthood were lifelong experiences.
...But he felt trepidation for living like this for the rest of his life. It seemed like one bad injury from any of the attacks would surely set him into a downward spiral of being unable to defend himself that would end in his expiration. And the fatigue he currently felt would only get him there quicker. He swallowed, rubbed at a faint scar along the side of his neck from the very first attack, and tried not to think about it.
"Oh, here we go," he invited as he stepped up to a hanging curtain of glossy red and deep onyx beads that obscured a large circular opening into a relatively spacious room, considering they were in a cave.
Antisana's knight quarters looked, as far as Anti could tell from his memories, almost exactly as they had for his past self. Centuries of being buried with little by way of life to disturb them had left everything in better shape than Antisana might have expected. The entryway opened into some combination of study and living quarters, with a great stone desk and shelving carved out of the walls. The shelves were lined with tomes, stoppered liquids, and the tendrilly, desecrated remains of aesthetic plants. The folding chair at the desk, clearly something Indra had brought from home, was less impressive. A stone stairway molded from the earth led to another cavern toward the rear, but it was darkened. The lantern light didn't even come close to showing any of that off.
Antisana swept into the room, reaching for matches to light his myriad of cinnamon-scented candles, and to flick the LED lanterns he'd hung around the room to bring some more light into the space.
With those lit, the things he'd brought on his visits were much more obvious, given the small stash of supplies tucked under the desk: three cases of bottled water, as well as five more gallon jugs. A battery-powered burner so that he could boil water and cook if he needed to, a supply of canned vegetables and cups of instant noodles, a waste bin for garbage, packs of AA batteries, a rolled up sleeping bag and pillow, a first-aid kit, a Switch case, a laptop, a small stack of books that he could actually read (because nothing on the shelf was in any language he'd ever seen before).
"I have been making it more hospitable in the ways that matter to me," he admitted. "But it is nowhere near as impressive as some of the other places I have been invited to."
Shanyume
Posted: Wed May 11, 2022 2:51 pm
“My sister awakened almost a full year before I did. However, because the mauvian she was with had told her not to tell anyone she kept it a secret from me.” It wasn’t that she didn’t understand the necessity of being cautious but Breanna didn’t like being kept in the dark. It hadn’t even been a gradual change in her twin’s mood; just one day Fiona started looking over her shoulder; paranoid that someone was perhaps following her. Until one day without warning or even a hint of an argument, her sister had broken up with her high school sweetheart.
Joy had left her sister’s eyes and in its absence, a dark cloud hung above her head. She lived to work and worked to live where the ice rink was both a sanctuary as much as a prison. At least until Fiona started skating with Nataniel; but that change only happened within the last two years.
Eleonora followed Antisana into the dimly lit great room and for a moment she allowed her gaze to wander around the astonishingly well-preserved space; a mix of old with hints of new that were slightly out of place but not so much to make it worth mentioning. There were some amenities that homeworlds and wonders did not have access to and even if they were available, there was no knowing how well they would function after centuries of unuse.
“We definitely had different ideas on how to approach our role or duty as a senshi. Even after I had awoken, my sister, Alcor, wanted nothing to do with it. I truly believe that accepting the henshin pen is her biggest regret.” They used to joke that she and Fionan were going to get married someday but it seemed that Destiny had other plans for her future.
“I wanted to be more active.” Eleonora wandered around the desk over to the shelf with various tome’s arranged in what she assumed to be numerical order; at least for the ones with similar bindings. “I wanted to visit as many worlds and wonders as possible. But for my sister's sake, I avoided powering up unless she was there with me.”
“The ambush, however, made us both see the error in that way of thinking. While I was nearly forcibly corrupted, Alcor almost turned into something… other.” A frost-covered youma with black-tipped claws and twin trails of tears frozen in place on her pale cheeks. “Only recently have we become more active in patrols.”
“Sad to say I’ve only been to her world and some shadow-realm.” A harrowing experience in both cases but one was learned from and the other had never invited the denizens of Earth back after the dragon-like beast had been slain. “I hope to visit more if time and opportunity allow but I hope your experiences have been well so far.”
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Posted: Wed May 11, 2022 3:23 pm
"It is a long time," Antisana murmured as he shook a matchstick free of its flame and discarded the husk into the waste bin under the desk. Nearly six years for Eleonora's sister, though he understood the need for her secrecy. There wasn't anyone he'd shared both sides of himself with. None of his family, who probably never paused to think he was in danger (why should they?), and none of his employees, who could probably benefit from knowing why he disappeared every three weeks for a few days at a time. "Even if you never visit your world, it still must be nice to have someone you can confide in."
Someone to be by her side during attacks or ambushes, someone to call for aid, sisters who could look out for each other. Antisana was happy to have met the people he did, and to have had their help when he needed it, but it was far from having a partner.
Antisana slid to a sit against the wall, leaving the singular folding chair at the desk for Eleonora, if she wanted it. "You are free to have a closer look at anything, if you wanted," he offered as she meandered toward the bookshelf. None of them felt very personal to him, and he hadn't had any luck with deciphering their contents, so if the Senshi of Heat had any interest in stray artefacts from Antisana, he wouldn't begrudge her curiosity.
He did find himself eyeing her from his own intrigue, though. "She regrets becoming a senshi?" He asked. "She would prefer to be ignorant? Or to be a victim to any monster that wanted her starseed?"
Because any monster could come out of nowhere at any time, and simply decide to make someone a victim. "I would have died if I had refused my weapon," he admitted. And while he was sure the situation wasn't similar for everyone (and senshi seemed to have it particularly easy, since they just got the talking cat treatment), he couldn't imagine wanting to be ignorant of what lurked around Earth. Or ignorant of his world. Antisana was far from hospitable, but it felt homey to him, safe. He liked it here, limited amenities, and all.
A feeling at war with the other, gently nagging notion in his chest. The ambush was something he'd not been present for. He'd heard of it during short run-ins with others, and the picture was grim, but... alluring in a morbid sort of way.
"Sometimes I wonder if that would be easier," he admitted softly, voice so low it was nearly lost in the cavernous space. 'Easier' to simply be corrupted. The youma would have no reason to hunt him, then. But Antisana would be gone; he feared losing the peculiar sort of safety he felt here, and he was... selfish of it. Selfish in his powered exploits at all. He didn't take this guise to protect other people, after all, not like many of the senshi and knights did.
But he wouldn't say that to Eleonora. Antisana knew better than to admit that much out loud.
He cleared his throat and tugged the first aid kit from under the desk toward him. Now that he was seated, and bathed in the warm glow of lanterns and firelight, he looked to the stinging reminders of what had caused them to come here: a small myriad of scratches on his side from tiny fae-like talons, where the creatures had tried to climb up him. These were shallow. Overtop of those, his skin felt warm, but evidence of burns was harder to make out on his dark skin in this lighting.
Something he didn't have was any ice packs. Even if he kept a cooler, he doubted any would last during the three week layover period. A little burn gel was the best he could do.
"Were you injured at all?" He asked as he glanced back to her. "Even if just a scratch, we should still wash anything the youma caused. Who knows what poison they carry..."
xShanyume
Posted: Thu May 12, 2022 12:29 pm
“I-” she looked down at herself, at the thin red lines that cut down the ridge of several welts. “Eh…It could be worse…” Eleonora replied dismissively then grimaced, not out of pain but knowing that in better light she probably looked like she fell into a blackberry bush.
Unfortunately, like him, her uniform didn’t cover much, leaving her with bare legs, arms and midriff exposed. Both her skirt and sash had micro-tears from where the tiny youma claws found purchase and clung to them like a lifeline until she managed to kick them off. In addition to that, one of the chains on her bodice that connected to her broach was broken; it was thin anyway and nothing more but decoration, however, it appeared that the blue beads had fallen off.
More disheveled than injured.
She looked over to where he sat against the stone wall; alert yet his posture suggested that he was at least mildly fatigued if not exhausted from the struggle. However, she had no idea if it was from the adrenaline or because the youma managed to steal energy from him in their frenzy.
“Let's take care of your injuries first before we worry about mine,” Eleonora suggested as she walked over to the cases of waterbottles and selected two from the open pack, one for each of them, before taking a seat on the floor directly across from Antisana to a point where their knees almost touched.
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Posted: Fri May 13, 2022 1:46 pm
It could always be worse, and given what they did and how she'd come upon him, it only felt like a matter of time before cuts and scrapes were the absolute least of their worries. As far as Antisana was concerned, if they wanted to maintain optimal performance during future attacks, current injuries, regardless of severity, should be tended to as promptly as possible. And he was concerned for what sorts of toxins might be on their fangs and claws... Nothing felt poisoned, yet, but who knew what time would tell. The least they should both do was wash off the scratches. It wouldn't even take but a moment.
Even less than a moment if he had running water, but that was neither here nor there. Bottled water would have to suffice
His expression was purely neutral as Eleonora dismissed concerns over her injuries, but his soft huff was proof enough of the mild indignation he felt. It wouldn't take both of them to tend to a few slight burns and small lacerations. If they were being efficient, she would take care of herself, and he would handle himself. Antisana had to remind himself that she was probably just worried that she had hurt him with her magic, and once those concerns were alleviated and he could assure her he was well, she would focus more on herself.
With a tiny, tight nod as she settled in front of him, he agreed to the terms of her aid.
Antisana dragged one of the lanterns nearer for better lighting. "Most of the injuries are minor," he murmured as he extended his right arm toward her, palm up so that she could see where the side that had been closest to his torso as she'd used her magic to dispel the creatures had been burned. No scratches anywhere but on his side, but when he squinted, he thought he could make out a redness on his dark skin that was certainly warm to the touch.
With his other hand, he flicked open the first aid kit and procured an aluminum packet of burn gel. "I am sure this will suffice just fine. It feels hardly worse than a sunburn." He figured it was probably polite to not add that it had felt significantly worse while she'd been casting. It did her little good to know that.
Shanyume
Posted: Sun May 15, 2022 10:34 am
Eleonora grimaced, her lips pulling into a deep frown. “I’m so sorry…” True remorse laced her quiet apology as she reached out to carefully touched the edge of the reddened area with the back of her fingertips. “I should have been more careful.”
Unfortunately, her upgrade to super was more recent and she hadn’t had many opportunities to practice her magic. “Definitely made an a** out of myself with this one…” While her basic magic relied on touch, her new ability had a bit of a cone-shaped range. She’d assumed that magic of this kind could be controlled, that if she willed it then her cone wouldn’t harm allies.
Appears she’d been wrong or too inexperienced to make that distinction mid-fight.
“Here,” Eleonora shifted into a more comfortable position and opened her subspace pocket. From it, she produced a snowy ornament that looked like something that should have been boxed up with the holiday decorations but got missed by mistake. “In case the burn gel doesn’t seem like it’s helping you can use this as an ice pack.” The spherical shape might be a bit inconvenient but at least it would stay cold for as long as he’d need it.
“Just, be careful with it.” The Page would understand once he held onto it.
Snowy Ornament - A pretty glass ornament that looks like it is is filled with frosty snow and is slightly cold to the touch. The ornament hangs on a little golden string and the snow-like filling swirls naturally on its own. If the ornament is thrown against the ground, all hostile enemies within a ten foot radius will be affected by a chilly winter storm that can freeze and buffet them with cold winds for 45 seconds. This magic can only be used once but, after the magic ends, the ornament is returned to its original form. It might not have any magic, but it's a nice memento!
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Posted: Tue May 17, 2022 5:19 am
Antisana stared at her quizzically, slate eyes blinking slowly at the senshi at the delicate touch of her fingertips to his warmed skin. “This was the right call,” he assured her, letting the palm from his uninjured arm settle over her hand in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. “What was the alternative? To swat at them like bees and hope they dispersed?” That probably would’ve worked as well as swatting a swarm of bees, he was sure. “You have nothing to apologize for.”
The pain was mild, and it wouldn’t leave any trace behind once it healed. The damage was temporary. The group of small youma probably wouldn’t have killed them, but it would’ve been problematic if Eleonora and Antisana were left in a compromised situation wherein something bigger or more dangerous would have an easier time doing away with them, so…
It just was the right call. He didn’t think she had grounds to argue the point.
He brushed her away as he flapped the little packet of burn gel to settle the contents to the bottom before tearing into the top with his teeth. Antisana hated arm injuries. It always felt inconvenient and strange to tend to anything one handed, and no matter how slight this was, it was no exception. He squirted a dollop onto his forearm and slathered it around with his free hand, instantly feeling something like… a minty sensation on his skin. Pleasant to the irritated burn.
It was only after bed folded the top of the aluminum packet to conserve the rest of its contents and tucked it back into the kit that he turned obviously confused eyes back to Eleonora.
“I… am not sure I understand,” he admitted as she held a random Christmas decoration out to him. He was already in the process of reaching back, hands instinctively accepting anything passed to him, when the tips of his fingers grazed the cool surface of the snowy orb. “Oh,” he breathed quietly, tone immediately lighter. “It is something magic. I have never seen just- items that have magic in them.” And something so mundane! He accepted the ornament as Eleonora passed it over, and cradled the small globe in his palm. “It’s pretty.” But probably more importantly: useful. It was cool to the touch, and he delicately tried to settle it somewhere it would touch as much of his burned skin as possible.
But he couldn’t linger like that forever. They had made an agreement, after all. He nudged the first aid kit toward her with his knee. “Now you.”
Shanyume
Posted: Thu May 19, 2022 12:55 am
In the same way that friends often said that they were fine when they obviously weren’t, it was difficult to parse whether he was being sincere about her making the right call with using her magic especially since the dim light made it hard to clearly see his expression. However, Antisana’s comforting touch and kind tone suggested that he held no ill-will or grudge.
“Ah.. um…” again she looked down at herself and thought to herself how much this was going to suck.
From his first aid kit she pulled out a piece of gauze which she soaked with about a quarter of the water from the bottle and began dabbing at the visible welts. Fortunately, nothing was deep enough to freely bleed but a few of the rips left spots of blood on the piece of cotton.
Eleonora was thorough in checking over her arms and legs, especially where the little pixie-like gremlin youma had torn through the fabric of her skirt. That was probably the worst of them. Four parallel marks ran from her knee to ankle from trying to kick one off her. Had she been wearing her former uniform, it likely would have taken her shoe off when it was flung several feet away from them.
“Could you- um,” almost embarrassed to ask, she diverted her attention to some arbitrary spot on the ground between them. “Would you check my back for me? Please?” Eleonora added, lips twisted in a rueful grin. While she felt no pain in the general area, she couldn’t exactly twist around to see if the youma that hand broken the chain off her bodice caught her in its frenzied swipe.
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Posted: Fri May 20, 2022 9:23 am
Shanyume
Antisana’s gaze was neutral, but very firm on her as the senshi reached for the kit and prepared her supplies. The darkness concealed what the extent of her injuries might be, but he was sure it was easier for her to feel for places that needed attention. His focus followed in the wake of her fingers, watching her blot a cloth over scratches he couldn’t see down her arms, her stomach, her legs, and-
And that was rude, wasn’t it? His brows pinched together marginally, slate irises narrowing as he looked up from her hands to her face in question, as if trying to judge how comfortable she was with him sitting there, staring at her. But she was engrossed in her task, as she should be, and seemed oblivious- or perhaps just unconcerned?
It was difficult to tell. He wasn’t very good at this.
His gaze fell away from her, instead focusing on rolling the delicate chilly ornament against his skin, spreading the cool sensation and smearing the burn gel already applied there.
He glanced up only at the uncertain tone she took, and the doubt set him immediately on edge again, like maybe she had found one of the creatures hiding in her skirts or something. But it was dispersed only a moment later as she sheepishly asked him to check her over more thoroughly in places she’d have difficulty reaching.
Seemed reasonable to him.
“I think I can manage that,” he murmured, passing the ornament back to her in exchange for the gauze cloth she was using to dab her wounds. He shifted them so he was behind her, and touched the gauze to a small scrape on her shoulder, probably where one of the pixie-like youma had clung to her. And then he dusted the back drape of her collar away to survey the bared swath of skin before him.
She was pretty. Antisana didn’t think it was inherently wrong of him to think that Eleonora was classically pretty and effeminate. With delicate curves and smooth, sun-kissed skin, pale hair that he brushed over her shoulder, and shining blue-grey eyes.
“They must have attacked mostly from the front,” he whispered, letting her collar fall back into place as Antisana looked back up at her eyes. “You seem mostly uninjured.”
Posted: Mon May 30, 2022 3:49 am
“I appreciate you checking.” At least she wouldn’t have to worry when laying down.
Eleonora combed fingers through her ponytail and moved it so it hung behind her instead of over her shoulder. “Here,” she offered him the ornament once more. “You should hold onto this until the burning sensation goes away.” Hopefully, it wouldn’t take too long since it was caused by her magic rather than an object she could have heated up instead.
Only once did she ever use a method like that; on a trash can lid of all things. Probably would have branded the youma she’d hit with it if it wasn’t that a corrupt had dusted it.
She watched him for a moment in what could be considered an awkward silence, but it didn’t phase her in the way most would feel. Despite them being strangers, Eleonora didn’t feel uneasy or uncomfortable in any way.
If anything… she felt safe.
Perhaps it was misplaced trust, similar to how she believed that the Vanguard was good and that the aliens were on their side. But something in his eyes spoke of kindness that made him seem like an old friend instead of someone she’d just met. “Is there anything I can get you?” She asked out of genuine concern. He’d need to instruct her where things were at but if he had what he needed here then she would happily get it for him.
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Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2022 7:20 am
"It is no problem," he murmured as she righted herself. "You have been more than just as helpful to me." It would've been troublesome to fend off so many small youma by just swatting his arms around, and her concern for his injuries more than made up for what her magic could do. Antisana still accepted the ornament back with a grateful nod, but he didn't think he would need it for much longer. Between the burn gel and the cooling magic, he really did feel mostly better. It was hardly more than a sunburn at this point, anyway.
Now it was more important for them to just get comfortable. He still wanted to spend as long as he could in the safety of his wonder. There was nothing here to attack him, unlike Destiny City.
"Hm? Oh." He blinked quizzically at her, canting his head slightly. She was offering to retrieve anything he might need, but Eleonora was the guest here, and it should be Antisana's duty to be hospitable to her. It wasn't like she could just leave if she needed something. "Let me try and get the room a little more situated," he offered.
Most things were tucked beneath the desk nearby, and they were already seated on the ground. Antisana reached over to grab the rolled up sleeping bag. He undid the clasps that kept it contained and unfurled it with a flap to spread it out on the ground in front of him. It was easily the nicest, plushest sleeping bag he could've found, and quite warm in the chilly dampness of his dark wonder. ...And piles better than the aged sleeping arrangement the last knight had left behind farther back in the cave.
He drew their water bottles closer to them, and grabbed for the packaged snacks stored with the rest of the supplies: bags of seasoned popcorn and boxes of breakfast bars, jars of nuts and bottles of protein shakes.
Not usually the kind of snacks most people grabbed for when they were feeling peckish, Antisana knew. "Feel free to help yourself to anything you might want," he offered, voice quiet and gaze lingering on the packages before him. He thought to add, 'If you can think of anything else I should keep stocked for when others visit...', but he again kept the thought pinched between his teeth. It wasn't like he expected very many people would be interested in more than one visit to Antisana, and no one besides him would want to hang around for very long.
