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 Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2022 8:44 pm
Malus wasn’t often out on his own, and he wouldn’t have been tonight either if fortune favored him kindly. (But, it didn’t. Really, when did it ever.)
This was the third time this month that he was sure he’d seen a youma and had to power up to take care of it.
…Except, this time it was just a raccoon. A cranky, overfed raccoon, that had the audacity to chase him even after he’d backed off.
This was not his week. Or month.
And, to top it all off, there was an Order Senshi aura nearby and he panicked, worrying that they might have seen him running away from a forty pound raccoon, waving his disgusting little hands at the Eternal Senshi as he ran after him.
Malus tried to calm down, tried to be cool, but the only thing he do was try to slow his trot to a normal walk and figure out if there was any saving his reputation with whatever White Moon Senshi was so close to this whole situation.
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Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2022 4:33 pm
Mary had been a witness to the older eternal senshi running away from a raccoon who seemed to be chasing him, and while she knew that she shouldn’t simply go up to him and laugh…the whole situation did make her honestly…feel better about a lot of things.
He was older than she was, he was stronger than she was…and yet, he was freaking out about an animal. A big animal to be sure but…still. Just an animal.
It hadn’t felt like anything else.
Finally, Mary made her way over to the other senshi, shaking her head and holding out a hand. “Hi! I’m Mary…it didn’t bite you, did it? Do you think that our magic protects us from rabies if it did? I mean, seriously, if it bit you, I think you maybe should go to the hospital to get checked out just in case! It’s nice to meet you!”
There. That sounded quite sensible of her, and let him know that yes, she had seen him running away from a raccoon…but no, she wasn’t going to make fun of him, and she was taking the situation as seriously as she could.
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Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2022 6:49 pm
Malus’ face was red and he was obviously mortified to learn that she had seen him. He was more than just embarrassed, he seemed humiliated and scatterbrained. “It–it didn’t, no,” he answered, clearing his throat as he tried to regain some of his composure.
He stretched out his hand to accept hers. He shook, still a bit flustered. “I’m sorry you had to see that. If it was a youma I would have fought it, but it’s just an animal, I didn’t want to hurt it. It seemed cruel to just use my magic on it. Um, I’m Malus. Senshi of Glass. I’m fine, just. You know, I guess, spooked.”
Once more, he cleared his throat, and glanced over his shoulder to make sure there were no beady eyes staring at him from the bushes. “I’m okay, though. Thank you. It’s nice to meet you.”
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Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2022 4:10 pm
Mary nodded, biting the inside of her cheek to try and keep herself from laughing, though she did end up with a little smile. “Look, it actually makes me feel better to know that even someone as strong and grown up as you are doesn't quite have everything together…it…makes me feel better about myself, honestly.”
The smile she gave now was just slightly self deprecating and she shrugged. “Like I said, I’m Mary, Senshi of Sheep, but as you can see, I’m seventeen years old and still a chibi because I’m dumb and still new at all of this and until recently…didn’t have much of a drive to do anything, but!”
She absolutely grinned now. “I’m doing better, and now I’ve met you, Malus, Senshi of Glass, and I know that nobody really has it all together, no matter how impressive they look…and that makes me feel a lot better.”
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Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2022 10:38 pm
Malus still looked visibly embarrassed but was doing everything in his power to try and pull himself together. “I’m sorry,” he apologized again. “I really do not try to pretend like I am put together. This is all really embarrassing, too. But–no, being an Eternal Senshi doesn’t always mean someone knows what they’re doing. I don’t even like powering up alone. I thought I was helping.”
He shuddered and tried very hard to compose himself.
“But I guess. I would rather be embarrassed than risk someone else getting hurt. I’m sorry–this might be weird, but–you said sheep? Like, all sheep, or just Earth sheep? Because I’m actually having a sheep problem on my homeworld, so it’s so weird that I would run into you right now. Not that there’s anything wrong with still being a chibi senshi or anything! Just so you know. You can still be new at things, no shame. Life isn’t always kind, I get it.”
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Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2022 3:28 pm
Mary reached out and patted his shoulder, frowning slightly. “I wasn’t trying to make fun of you, I’m sorry if I upset you, I didn’t mean to…um…I guess all sheep?”
She blinked in some confusion, tilting her head. “What’s wrong with your sheep?”
How come he got sheep up on his homeworld? He wasn’t the senshi of sheep…that just. Didn’t really seem very fair to be honest. “Um, I’d be happy to try and help if I can, I’m not like. A sheep expert but. They’re really cute and fluffy, and I have done some research in my spare time, I won’t lie about that…I…it made me feel like I was being useful but…what are they doing? How come you have sheep? That doesn’t sound like something you’d want around glass, yeah?” She did try to keep the judgment and jealousy out of her voice but, some might have bled in despite her best efforts.
“When I went to mine, I don’t think there was anything alive up there but me and Soleiyu…”
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Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2022 4:54 pm
“No, I’m not upset. It’s okay,” he said, and flashed a quick smile in a quick effort to convince her. There were more important things to talk about than him being embarrassed.
“You know Soleiyu?” he asked, and sounded a little excited–and a little relaxed. “I know Soleiyu, too. The Mauvian?” There was only one so far as he knew. “The sheep weren’t always there, they just showed up. From what I’ve gathered, when your world reaches a certain stability, some life pops up. I’ve got some little things–some mice, some bugs. The sheep are definitely the biggest. They’re kinda cotton-candy looking. A lot of light pinks and purples and blues. Well–”
He paused and gestured to his outfit. “I mean, we match. And their wool is really fine and sparkly, but I didn't really get the chance to interact with them much. I want them to be safe, but they seem really agitated with me. I don’t know if they’re scared, or if I’m doing something wrong, but–do you want to see them? I mean, if you’re the Senshi of Sheep, I’d love any advice. I just want them to be safe and happy. I do have a lot of glassy things on my world, and–there are a lot of traps, I don’t know what’s up with that. But I just don’t want them to get hurt. I’m desperate for any help I can get.”
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Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2022 8:00 am
Mary’s eyes lit up and she nodded. “Yeah! He went with me to my Homeworld and he’s so soft and warm and wonderful! He knows everyone doesn’t he? That’s so cool!” She gave a little sigh and felt rather wistful. “I hope that…I get some sheep sometime too! I would love to come meet them…I don’t know what I could do, but I’d like to try! Maybe there’s something that’s hurting them or maybe they’re just in a bad area…”
Looking thoughtful, Mary nodded, suddenly eager. “Can we meet up again tomorrow? I can get some things together and can try to help you figure out what’s going wrong with them!”
She was the senshi of sheep…and she should be able to do something. This was her job, after all!
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Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2022 10:58 pm
Malus looked both excited and relieved, partly because they had a shared connection and significantly because she was so enthusiastic. “I don’t know what could be causing it,” he admitted easily, “But I’ve literally never met a sheep in my life. I’ve never left the city. So–yeah, anything would be welcome. I’d love to meet up again tomorrow. I’ve been watching, like, YouTube videos, so I’ve got a list of things to look out for, but–seriously, yeah. I would love that. Can we meet here at, I don’t know, nine? I’m flexible! I can do whatever works best for you.”
Really, it was the least he could do if she was willing to go out of her way to help him. He’d have to talk to Talia when he got home and explain the situation–although, of course she was invited to join him. He couldn’t imagine leaving her behind.
“Do you like cheese? Oh, sorry. That’s probably a weird question. I have a food truck, I make a lot of, like–mac and cheese? Grilled cheese, broccoli and cheese soup. I can bring you dinner, since you’re helping me out. I just–I really appreciate this, Mary.”
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Posted: Sun Sep 04, 2022 8:56 am
“I love cheese!” Mary looked so excited, nodding eagerly. “I love all of the things that you’ve mentioned and would be happy with any or all of them, honestly!” She shifted from one foot to the other. “Nine sounds fine to me, I’ll bring whatever I can to try and help, we’ll fix this sheep problem, I promise, Malus!”
Or, she’d try as hard as she could, and if she couldn’t fix it with this visit, it would be fixed on the next one.
“I’ll see you tomorrow at nine! Right here!”
Hesitating for a moment, Mary hugged him, squeezing tightly. It was an impulse, but one that she didn’t quite see any need to fight. After the hug, she ran though, eager to start collecting information and working to help these mysterious sheep.
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Posted: Sun Sep 04, 2022 10:00 am
Though Malus wasn’t expecting the hug, it wasn’t the least bit unwelcome; he found himself instinctively wrapping his arms around her to return it. “Okay,” he said, and a little bit of a laugh came out after he spoke. “That sounds like a good plan. Thank you, Mary. I’m excited. Be safe going home, okay? I’ll see you soon.”
He had a lot of research to do between tonight and tomorrow night.
Whatever was going on with the sheep on his homeworld, he wanted to help them.
There was a lot of work to be done up there, but this was important, and time-sensitive.
He didn’t want anyone to get hurt.
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