Welcome to Gaia! ::

She stood there in the empty park unsure what to do. Botein knew she needed to practice. She knew she needed to patrol. She knew that she had to be a senshi and yet she really wasn’t entirely sure what to actually do. That encounter a few nights ago really made it hit home for her that she had neglected any type of training or skill that could have helped her better at being ‘Botein, Senshi of Amulets!’

The young woman stood in the darkness and absently fiddled with the fur on her top as she delved into her memories to remember that crash course she got from that knight years ago. She tried to remember tips and tricks but all Botein recalled clearly was, ‘improvised weapons were still weapons’ or something like that. So what she needed now was something that could reasonably be considered a weapon.

After a few moments of searching all she could find was a branch, more like a stick considering it’s size and with. It wasn’t much but it was better than nothing. So, now what? Unsure of what to do now Botein absently swung the stick around, oddly pleased with the swish it made as it whipped through the air.

The strawberry blonde was not expecting anyone to show up let alone someone sneaking up on her! With a yelp the senshi spun around, her stick whipping out as she swung it about in a sad attempt to ‘protect’ herself. The switch zipped through the air with a satisfying zip. It would definitely hurt at least.

“Oh gosh! I’m sorry! Are you ok?” She asked the other person who had startled her. She had been caught unaware but she still held on to her only weapon, the stick. Botein wasn’t entirely sure if the person who had teased her was a good person or a bad one. Also, how did he end up sneaking up on her?

“Oh no, I really am sorry,” Botein dropped her ‘weapon’ and took a hesitant step forward before she stopped herself. She needed to remember that she didn’t need to use physical means to heal people now, not while she was a senshi at least. “If it really hurts I can heal it if you want.” The young woman offered, her skill was a form of healing magic but what she remembered is that not everyone wanted to be helped, hence one of the first things one did for first aid was ask if they needed help… after making sure the scene was safe that was.

Speaking of a safe scene, the petite woman glanced around the empty park. Deep blue eyes searching the shadows for anything that moved or even looked somewhat suspicious. She had already been targeted by two youma at once recently, Botein would prefer not to have to do that again. Although the nice lady with the spear really was pretty awesome.

Botein quickly retracted her earlier step forward. He was being creepy. Very creepy. “Uhhhhh, you have a little,” She made a gesture to her own face before pointing at his head, “It's like you bit into a pen and it's dribbling out.” She didn’t trust him since he was being SUPER strange but she had kind of smacked him in the face with a stick so maybe she should cut him some slack. Just not a lot.

Especially since he mentioned her starseed. While Botein might have been a young senshi, and out of the loop for several years, she wasn’t that out of it. She remembered the warnings. She knew the cations. She wouldn’t forget. That's why she kept her eyes on him even as she slid towards the bag she had put down before her search for a weapon had truly started. “What kind of entertainment? Like cards? Charades? I do a mean game of Charades. How about a snack? I’ve got a Snickers bar and some water in my bag. And a towel, you know, to help with the ink problem.” She gave a strained smile even as she snagged the small backpack, it was one of those ‘trendy’ mini backpacks that didn’t hold much but it held just enough for her to be prepared. First aid kit, a snack, water, and towel. Small things but important things. She pulled out the candy bar and held it up. “What do you think? Or are nuts not really your thing?”

“Would you prefer ‘like you just bit into an octopus’? Either way it's kind of gross.” She gave a slight shrug knowing what she just said was mean. Honestly she didn’t normally curb her phrasing but he gave off the ‘battier then great aunt Patty’ kind of vibes so it was best not to irritate him too much. Not if she actually wanted to see her 21st birthday in a few months. Botein’s chin raised slightly at the almost growl, her deep blue eyes narrowing slightly. At just over five feet tall she was objectionably small but that didn’t mean that she wasn’t stubborn as hell. Besides, short people were scarier because they fought dirty, or at least that's what everyone said. She also knew that showing fear and running were two of the biggest 'no-no's' when it came to dealing with wild animals, somehow she figured they would work the same with this guy.

Nut allergy, that was good to know. She stored that little tidbit into her brain even as she put the candy bar away, “Oh well. Sadly I didn’t bring anything else but the water is still available.” Kill them with kindness after all. It was hard to really torment someone who was being super nice to you. That vibe was quickly crushed by one particular word, “PET?” Botein glared at him and crossed her arms in anger. “I am not a pet! I am a human being. I might be short. I might be little but I. Am. NOT. A. PET!” She enunciated those last few words with a stomp of her foot. Then the wagging finger of disappointment came out, “Look here you… you…. Man, you!” She had no idea what his name was. “I said I was sorry for the stick to the face, I even offered to heal you. Offered snacks and water but then you call me little. And a PET! Who does that? It's not nice that's what it is! Just rude! Rude and disrespectful!” She was building up a rather nice head of steam and kept going even as a small part of her was pleading for her to stop. “And another thing! I can run if I want to! I’m a good runner! I’m not even in heels so I can run all I want! The only reason I’m not is because you're nuttier than a peanut factory-” She cut herself off with a gasp and her hands over her mouth as she realized she might have crossed a line there. “Ooops,” it was almost a breath, a murmur in the stillness of the park. Botein’s eyes wide as she stood there to see what he would do.

If she needed to run she would only have a split second. One moment in time to book it.

A yelp was all she got out before a gross phlegm glob of tar-like stuff exited the nutty guy's mouth and…. Gag… touched her! Instantly she was running. Sprinting across the park as fast as her legs would take her, moving and dodging around the trees and bushes. Running from the shadows that were coming for her. The shadows that were going to devour her. Swallow her up whole without a trace. Nothing left behind. No one looking for her. No one caring about her. Gone. Vanished. Not even a passing thought in her closest companions. Endless void reaching out for her. Bottomless darkness without light. Nothing. No one. Desolate. Barren. Empty.

She ran.

She raced from that.

She would not be swallowed up by The Nothing.

She just wouldn’t!

She kept running until suddenly she was no longer being chased by the darkness, by The Nothing. Botein stumbled through a scratchy screen of bushes, into the middle of a street where a truck came to a rapid stop, a horn and the screech of tires breaking the night’s quiet. Her eyes went wide and she froze, like a deer in the headlights…. Literally.

It wasn’t until the driver started to swear and climb out of their truck that she seemed to snap out of it. “I’m fine!” she shouted before she ran further away. It was time she went back to her apartment, it was past time. Besides she was starting to shiver as the sweat that had drenched her rapidly cooled. She had no idea what that man did to her but she definitely didn’t want to encounter him again. Never, ever!