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 Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2022 6:36 pm
When the screech of the bird again brought Lysithea to wakefulness, she once again started in surprise and sat up, rubbing her eyes and blinking, her mind once again trying to catch up to where she was and what was going on, but upon seeing Varuna laying beside her, a smile crept across her face. Right. Today was the day they were going to find the unicorn and do some exploring as a team. As a court.
As a family. Leaning down, she softly stroked a strand of hair away from Varuna’s face and kissed her temple before leaving the tent and rummaging around to get something put together for a quick breakfast, while also filling her subspace pocket with enough snacks to get them through the day. Ideally, they’d be back home for dinner and could just stop and eat somewhere, it would be nice.
Today was going to be perfect! Last night had already been pretty perfect what with seeing the goats and the other…whatever it was.. Though…as for where they would go…she was honestly thinking towards that big castle…showing Malus the stained glass window might be fun, and there had been some overgrown hedges she had seen around the place, so that would be fun to explore.
“No rush, but I’m up and have food ready for breakfast if any of you are ready!” Her voice wasn’t…loud but it was clearly excited. There might not be any rush but it would have been nice for them to hurry. There was a lot to see, after all!
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2022 7:01 pm
Sleeping in uncomfortable positions in uncomfortable places wasn’t anything new to Varuna. The tent and company was at least better than her old, beat up truck. She thought she could probably sleep pretty comfortably in her newer truck, but didn’t need to, so wasn’t going to test that out.
She’d been dozing when Lysithea got up, but didn’t say anything. She thought that Lysithea might like some time to herself without anyone following her around, telling her what she should do on her own World.
Still, Varuna thought she should be careful. The animals there might be friendly, or they might not. They just didn’t know.
She couldn’t help but smile to herself over the kiss, and once she heard Lysithea call to them, she pushed herself up so she could make her way outside.
“Do you need help getting anything set up?” she asked, wanting to be at least somewhat useful.
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2022 7:09 pm
Adria and Malus had slept okay; Malus was exhausted from having worked all day and even though he twisted and turned a lot in his sleep, he’d at least gotten some good rest. Adria had laid with his back to Malus for most of the night but sleep hadn’t really come easily to him. Every little sound woke him up, and he found himself criticizing how heavy he was breathing, or how much noise he made when he shifted positions.
He and Malus weren’t really close, so it felt a bit like being invited to a sleepover where he wasn’t really wanted. Which was his own fault! Malus just hadn’t seemed like he wanted to talk or anything, and Adria really hadn’t done sleepovers in the first place.
When Lysithea called for breakfast, he was glad to have an excuse to get up.
He came out first, if only because he’d been awake before he heard her call. Malus was only a moment behind him, and when he came out of the tent he was fixing up his hair.
“That smells good,” he said, rubbing at his eyes. “...That was weird, I’ve never gone to sleep while powered up. There are too many pokey things on this costume,” he yawned. “I was too tired to take anything off, though.”
Adria flashed a quick, apologetic smile to him, and then a warmer smile to Lysithea and Varuna. “Did you two sleep okay?”
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2022 7:13 pm
Lysithea nodded, smiling at Varuna.”I’ve got it all handled, pull up a seat Ruru. I slept fine until the bird decided I wasn’t allowed to sleep anymore. I guess…it kind of makes sense for me to feel comfortable here but, I feel you on the sleeping while powered up, it is a little awkward, I don’t normally wear shoes to sleep in..or skirts for that matter.”
And the tiara, that wasn’t even worth talking about. It made rolling over a dangerous thing, especially with someone else in the tent with her. Scooping out some food for everyone, she began to eat hers, staring out towards where she knew the castle to be. “There’s a stained glass window that’s still completely intact in the place we’re going. Mal, I’m half wondering if maybe the past you made it. That would be pretty cool don’t you think?”
It was just small talk, but, it was good to think about. Interesting to think about. They had known each other and he was the Senshi of Glass so it wasn’t too far fetched.
“One of the walls is mostly collapsed in the castle though…I’m not sure how I’m supposed to go about fixing that. It’s far out of my sphere of things I know how to do…”
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2022 7:23 pm
While Lysithea caught up with Malus and talked to him about the stained class window, Varuna moved to take hold of Adria’s hand and lead him over to sit next to her as she sat with Lysithea on the other side. He looked tired, so she wanted to give his back a little rub and maybe just give him some reassurance.
She quietly thanked Lysithea for setting things up for them, and made sure that Adria knew he could grab something to eat along with them.
Maybe next time they should look at getting a tent for all of them to stay in, but she’d also enjoyed the time she had alone with Lysithea.
“Might just need to clean it up,” she suggested as she pulled her knees up some, with her dress tucked under her.
“Have you taken any pictures? It might be good to try and preserve as much as possible. Maybe replicate places that have been ruined.”
She didn’t know anything about architecture and building things, but her cousin’s husband and his family were much better versed in things like that. She was cautious about volunteering them for things, though.
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2022 7:29 pm
“That’s a good idea,” Adria said, hoping he didn’t sound obnoxious–especially if they’d all been thinking about it. He sat close to Varuna and picked at his food, taking small bites to give himself time to chew and swallow between each of them. “And–I mean–you might not know how to fix things, but maybe there are other Senshi or Knights who might know how to? If you have pictures, maybe they can give you advice.”
Evan yawned again but continued to quickly scoop the food into his mouth. He suspected Lysithea was going to be raring to go soon and he wanted to make sure he had as much energy–and time to wake up–as possible.
“I didn’t know there was a castle. With a stained glass window, no less. You’ve been keeping secrets,” he teased. “But I want to see it, yeah. I mean, I don’t know if any past life version of me actually had anything to do with it, but if we were friends, maybe. If you need help fixing it up–and figure out how to–let me know. This place is like a scene in a fairy tale book, there has to be some way to get it all fixed up. So I can ask if anyone has any tips, too.” He scooped a few more bites up quickly. “I want to see the stained glass, though. This whole place is magical, I bet it’s great.”
Whether or not it came from Malus, he was still excited about seeing her world, especially since she was so excited to share it with them.
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2022 7:30 pm
“I mean I had to leave some mystery for you guys to see! Besides, it definitely took second place to the unicorn and the transcending, so, you can’t really blame me. But, no, I hadn’t even thought about taking pictures. That’s a fantastic idea. I’ll bring a camera up the next time I come.”
She managed to wait until they were all finished eating, though she was excited to go, clearly evident by the way her feet kept tapping against the ground, how she kept glancing around.
One of the winged rabbits hopped near the camp and that provided a good distraction for a moment, but the second they had all finished eating, Lysiteha had jumped to her feet. “All right. All right let’s do this, yeah?” There was almost a nervous feeling about her, and a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach, though she attributed it to the lingering excitement.
“If you’re all ready, let’s head out!” She made sure that the tents were tucked into the tubs, and she put the dirty dishes into a plastic bag and into her own subspace pocket, pleased that it was so simple to clean up the campsite.
“Follow me, it’s not that far of a walk!”
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2022 7:33 pm
Varuna wiped her hands on her skirt after making sure everything had been cleaned up properly. Lysithea was excited to get going, but Varuna wasn’t going to risk them leaving any trash for the animals to eat. She made sure the embers were put out and covered with some extra sand, just in case.
She was feeling a little wary. Maybe it was nerves. Maybe it was just the unknown that bothered her. They were going to look for a potentially injured unicorn, and she hoped it was okay. She had her medical supplies with her in her subspace in case they had any use of it, but she hoped not.
Lysithea wanted them to follow, so Varuna took hold of Adria’s hand. But she also took hold of Malus’ hand. She didn’t know him, but he was important to Lysithea, so she wanted to make sure he knew he could count on her if he needed anything.
She squeezed Adria’s hand in reassurance, and offered Malus a small smile.
On the plus side of holding both of their hands, she didn’t have to take off her shoes. She just needed to make sure her heels didn’t sink into the dirt while they followed after Lysithea.
She wasn’t sure where they were going, but there seemed to be something up ahead…
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2022 7:38 pm
Adria had to hurry and shovel the last few bites of food into his mouth to keep up, and Malus rapidly did the same. Malus had to take an extra moment to stretch and get ready for a walk; he rubbed at his knees and shifted his weight from foot to foot.
He and Adria made quick work to clean up their sections, and both seemed equally conscientious about leaving Lysithea in good condition.
Adria was already awake, and he’d rather go now while he knew he still had energy so he smiled politely and waited for Lysithea to lead the way. Varuna’s hand in his own earned another smile, and Malus seemed a bit surprised, but the gesture was enough to earn a smile from him, too.
Both of them seemed comfortable, and were mindful to slow down or give her an extra moment while she navigated the terrain in her shoes.
Malus had been here many times, but it still felt different. He kept glancing around, trying to piece together everything that had changed. Taking pictures of his own world seemed like a good idea, especially now that he was considering he might not even know how much it had changed since he first arrived.
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2022 7:39 pm
As they neared the castle, there was a stone path which made it easier to walk in heels. Lysithea had been thankful that the ground at least wasn’t muddy like it had been on Alastor, but the stones did make for a satisfying clicking sound as she stepped on them. “Here we are, I told you it wasn’t that far of a trip, it’s…honestly it’s pretty amazing if I say so myself…I wish I could have seen it before, like…”
Lysithea gave a small, sheepish grin. “Well, you know. When it wasn’t a thousand years old.” It must have been beautiful during Lysithea’s heyday…
“That’s the window I was telling you about, it’s lovely, I’m not sure if it’s from Malus but…it’s lovely and it’s lasted this long so, I’m thankful.”
As she looked at the shining glass with the other Lysithea looking back out at her, she felt peaceful. Happy.
When she heard a whinny coming from somewhere on the other side of the castle, she broke into a smile. “I guess the unicorn is around here! Perfect!”
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2022 7:39 pm
She really hoped that whenever she got more power, if she got more power, that she would be given boots or something she was used to walking in. She liked her stilettos, of course! But those were usually worn on a flat surface where the heels wouldn’t get scuffed up.
“It’s very beautiful,” Varuna agreed, looking up at the stained glass, and then around at the ruins of the castle. It was still standing, of course. It could have been a lot worse. After all, the glass survived, so surely so much more had survived as well. Maybe with a little love and attention, they could get things cleaned up.
Varuna heard the whinny as well, and glanced up as if she could maybe see where they were heading, just in case she needed more help with her shoes, or if she could take them off.
“Is it the only one?” she asked, frowning a little. It seemed like a lonely existence. And how did it come into being…? Just… magic…? She’d heard about worlds slowly getting bugs and small creatures, but a single unicorn?
“If it is, you’ll want to make sure you visit as often as possible,” Varuna suggested. “Horses are highly social animals and would never live alone by choice. I’m… going to make the assumption that unicorns are the same.”
She gave Adria and Malus’ hand one more little squeeze before she let them go, and took a couple steps closer to Lysithea. If she had three hands, that would be ideal. But she would just have to trade off, while also making sure she didn’t pull Lysithea to the ground if she stumbled.
Varuna placed an encouraging hand on Lysithea’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “I’m proud of you, just so you know. You have a beautiful world and a big heart. I look forward to meeting your unicorn friend.” She glanced over her shoulder at Adria and Malus with a smile. “We all do,” she decided for them, but why else would they be there if they didn’t want to see what Lysithea wanted to show them?
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2022 7:43 pm
Malus stared up at the stained glass for a moment, but he knew very little about the process of making such art now. He couldn’t imagine how it would have been done a thousand years ago. There was a familiarity to it, but he couldn’t tell if it was just because he was somewhat familiar with this world or if it was more than that.
In the end, he’d shrugged it off quickly so he could follow Lysithea’s attention.
Adria thought the castle was gorgeous now; he couldn’t imagine it being any prettier. A thousand years ago it might have been in better condition, but there was something magical and ageless about how it was now. He stared for a moment longer than he meant to and had to shake his head to make sure he kept up with the others.
He knew very little about horses in general, much less unicorns–except the fictional versions that he’d read about. And written about, once. But he wasn’t broadcasting that last part.
“I’m excited,” Adria said, returning Varuna’s smile. He was still a bit quiet, but maybe it was less about being nervous and more about being afraid of spooking it.
Malus moved closer, trailing just behind Lysithea enthusiastically.
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2022 7:45 pm
Lysithea shrugged. “I don’t know if it’s the only one or not, but I’ve only seen the one, I’m really not sure how they get here, but…with the goats at least, I saw just the one the first time and now as of last night at least there was a whole pile. Maybe there will be more unicorns soon, I’ll be hopeful that such is the case, at least. Glancing at Varuna, Lysithea returned the smile, and absolutely beamed at both Malus and Adria. “I’m so glad that you three are with me…I know I’m…a bit much right now but I hope that you guys will get this excited too…and if you have unicorns I hope that you’ll show me, won’t you?”
She laughed, half hoping that they would, and wondering just what kind they would all have…
Varuna's would have to be big and thick, if her world was as snowy as Lysithea imagined it to be, and the idea of a furry winter unicorn was…
…Adorable.
She wondered if Malus would have some that were shiny like glass, and Adrias would like swimming she hoped…there was nothing better to do at a beach than swim and run on the sand.
As they walked, they neared some large, overgrown hedges, it must have been a garden at one time, and perhaps with some care and the right tools it would be again.
The garden was still paved with the same stone that the walkway had been, and Lysithea brightened when she heard the clip clopping of hooves against it. “I think it must be inside! It might not be very pretty in there anymore, but there could be some pretty flowers…pretty…wild flowers.” She laughed and led the others into the hedges, surprised by the fact that it seemed almost like a maze when they got inside.
It made some sense of course, a thousand years of growth would do that to anything, but she wasn’t daunted and kept following the sound of hooves.
“I think I’m going to have to get into gardening at this rate, this is amazing, and I want to get it back into what it could have been when it isn’t overgrown!”
Laughing again, Lysithea turned towards the others and began to walk backwards, slowly.
Suddenly, there was a scream of equine defiance, different from the one Lysithea had heard when the unicorn had fallen, but still…familiar enough that it made the Senshi pause and stiffen utterly.
The gasp of horror that escaped her lips when the unicorn stepped out from one of the openings in the hedge was unmistakable. It…it was the same unicorn…but well. Maybe it wasn’t. When she had seen the one from the other day, it had been a beautiful pure white, silver horned and silver hooved and this one was a sickly black, almost looking like an oil slick. It’s tail and mane were black too, but seemed lank and limp…it…
It looked awful.
“What…” Lysithea swallowed and took a step forward, feeling almost a physical sickness to see the unicorn like this. The only thing that was the same was the eyes. Though they were no longer the soft, kind eyes, but they were the same color. The pale pink they had been.
“What…what happened?” The words were ripped from Lysithea, and they clearly weren’t for any of her companions, and of course the unicorn couldn't answer.
There was a moment though, at the sound of her voice that the creatures ears twitched and moved, almost as if to hear her better, but then the unicorn gave another shrieking whinny and reared back, thrusting its front hooves in the air before it began to charge, coming right for the four Senshi.
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2022 7:48 pm
Varuna wasn’t leaving anything up to chance. If Lysithea was worried about hurting the unicorn, she might not react in time. And if Varuna hurt it, well… she was also likely going to be the one who could help it.
Provided that Lysithea’s magic wouldn’t just take care of healing it.
“Snow slide!” Varuna called out, reaching out her arm to make sure Lysithea was behind her, doing whatever she could to keep the unicorn from attacking.
“Get back to the garden --” she quickly suggested, because if a large animal like a unicorn couldn’t fit, it would have a harder time attacking them. They were better off taking a step back and figuring out what to do than they were to get attacked and possibly injured. Or worse.
“Watch out for the horn and hooves. Horses can’t see well directly in front or behind, so it might startle if it can’t see us.” Which would make things worse. Varuna cursed under her breath that it didn’t have a name yet. It would have been useful to try and calm it down some. Quote: Snow suddenly materializes within a eight foot radius, twelve inches deep beneath the feet of Varuna's opponent(s), pushing them up and off solid ground, then rolls out from under them at the speed of a fast treadmill, lasting only about ten seconds. Very high potential for the opponent to slip and fall and get soaked with snow even as it disappears after it melts. Twenty-five foot attack range from Varuna. Can be used three times, four times her final limit.
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2022 7:51 pm
Neither Adria nor Malus needed more instruction than that; they were both quick to act. Malus grabbed Lysithea’s hand, trying to tug her out of the way a bit in case she was too transfixed by the creature. If they could get away, they could plan. If she was too distracted by whatever had happened to it…
If she got hurt...
Getting back to the garden–or anywhere the unicorn couldn’t reach–seemed like the smartest idea they had. They could hope that the snow would slow it down, and if that didn’t then both Adria and Malus had magic they could use to help.
But, neither of them were particularly well-versed in the area, and one wrong turn now seemed like it could have had a lot of consequences. “Where’s the best place to go, Lysithea?” Malus asked.
Adria was following quickly, but this time he’d reached a hand out to make sure Varuna had something to hold onto–and if they had to run too quickly, he didn’t want her to have to worry about toppling over. He was more than ready to scoop her up so she didn’t have to think about it, but he wasn’t sure how dire their circumstances were.
Yet.
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