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Heatwaves (11) : An unfortunate dry spell has come over Destiny City, and a heat wave has made it all but unbearable. The heatwave is only projected to last for a week but it’s been rough. Plants are wilting, people are wilting. The city is experiencing blackouts, which isn’t helping. Thankfully, the reservoir is always open. Just, crowded. It might just be the worst part of the summer. People are passing out regularly, and the hospitals are getting too many admissions to keep up with. It’s probably just the heat and not anyone up to anything nefarious, right? Better stay hydrated and try to keep cool, and maybe avoid everyone in weird costumes, just in case.
Hylonome, Corrupt senshi of Edelweiss.
The name rang through the black-clad senshi's mind as she attempted to find just a small patch of shade that she could call her own. While the sun was in the process of it's evening soiree of setting below the horizon the evening was still much too hot to deal with. Any viable patch of shade now was a blessing to the basic corrupt. She had been trying to at least get a handle on draining energy from civilians but it was not that easy to get within reach in order to activate the process. Without much success the basic senshi was a work in progress. Hylonome lamented the fact that once again it would probably fall to her housemates to pick up the slack that she was experiencing. Why was she finding it so difficult to drain energy? She had been present at the new recruits meeting. Even the book explained the process, and yet, whenever she tried to do something as her powered self, it was met with failure.
Wiping a hand across her brow she glared at the setting sun, almost as if the bright orb were mocking her. The fact of the matter was that maybe this heatwave was just too much effort to try and do anything in. Would it not be easier just to wait until the spell of beyond warmer temperatures ceased to exist to go out and try again? There would be no harm in that logical assumption. It would not do Reed and the others justice if she were to keel over in a heat-related faint and be taken away to be treated at a hospital, would it?
Rubbing her nose the senshi sighed before attempting the judge the distance between her current location and from whence she had come from. Better to retrace her steps and power down away from prying eyes instead of luring the risk of trouble to Prehnite's abode. Wincing as the last of the day's heat washed over her Hylonome attempted to summon her water from her pocket of subspace before she felt the world tilt dangerously. Stumbling the senshi of edelweiss would have ended up face down on the ground if it had not been for the unconscious individual that she instead landed on top of. Almost in disbelief she felt her hand sink into the civilian's chest and she felt a surge of raw energy and grasped at it. If this was to be her lifeline, than so be it. Withdrawing her hand from the cavity in which it had sunk into Hylonome stared in shock at the tiny crystalline structure that she now held up into the air. It shone with an unusual brilliance and for one moment the young woman was transfixed by its beauty. Reality asserted itself moments later and she gasped before pushing herself to her feet. This, this, this ... this was a starseed. She hadn't meant to pull it from the civilian and if she could just get away with acting nonchalant maybe she could just keep it. Hylonome thought back to the presentation that had been given to all those members that had swelled the ranks of the Negaverse after the enormous battle that had taken place outside the city limits. How did that one general put the starseed back? Was it something that she should do? Was the starseed really the soul of the civilian? Wouldn't Prehnite be proud if she brought back a starseed instead of energy?
What was the right course of action to take?
Disappearing the crystalline structure into her subspace pocket Hylonome searched the civilian's pockets for any identification before stealing the wallet that she found. At least now - just maybe - it'd make it harder for the authorities to identify him. Coughing suddenly as bile burned the back of her throat, Hylonome bent over before losing what meager contents had been in her stomach. This forcible taking of a starseed, even if by accident, was it the same as murder? Wiping a hand across her mouth she moved as quickly as she could from the scene of the crime that she had committed before rifling through the contents of the wallet and removing all the cash. If the civilian truly was going to die, he wouldn't have need for any money. Throwing the wallet into a dumpster Hylonome once again summoned the starseed to her hand to inspect the crystal before banishing it back to subspace. Her ability to move quickly was taxed by the heat still gripping the air but she moved as quickly as she could. There was much to think about. Perhaps, if she could be careful, she could get away with this new method of subduing others. But in this first instance of a starseed pull, she was inwardly freaking out. What would Prehnite say? Would he keep the starseed? Rejoice silently that she was learning what needed to be done?
Was it even feasible to be proud of one who had essentially committed a murder?
Finding that she probably had put enough distance between the scene of the crime and Reed's domain Hylonome dispelled the power that granted her the ability to transform and resumed the trek to Reed's as her civilian self. She gently fingered the bills from the dying man's wallet before pocketing it. If anything she'd slip the cash under Reed's door with a small note claiming that she had "found" the cash while out on patrol. It was a half-truth but also a half-lie at the same time but Reed would not have to worry about that. Walking up the drive to the apartment that she shared with the others Amora fished her key out of her pocket and took a giant, calming breath before opening the door and walking into blessed coolness of an air-conditioned location. Morally it was probably the best idea to tell Reed what had happened but yet Amora was still too freaked out to make any mention of it. Perhaps keeping it under wraps for now would be best. She'd compose herself, act normal and then approach Reed when the time was right.
