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 Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2023 7:18 pm
Either Malus was regularly covered in darkness or they just had unusually lucky timing. The moon was high in the sky, and pale, iridescent clouds drifted leisurely across it. It was a cool night, comfortable and well lit.
Malus had spent a decent amount of time up here, though his world had only so much to show for it. He’d cleaned the white stone pathway up to the pale, marble castle in the distance, but he’d yet to explore it. It was cold and unnerving inside, and he avoided it in favor of the open spaces when he could. Tall grass danced in the wind by the river, but the blades were soft and moved easily if anyone were to pass through them.
Windchimes tinkled in the distance, but every tree here sang in the breeze.
There wasn’t much difference since the last time she’d visited, except a fair few places were marked off with small posts–more traps, he’d found–and fluttering crystal butterflies that cast as much color on the ground as the clouds did from above.
Malus’ flock of sheep were on a faraway hill, and they’d done a phenomenal job of clearing out the overgrown grass.
“I think I’ve cleared out most of this area,” Malus explained; they’d arrived on soft grass, freshly chewed, near the river. The clearing was big enough that they could see everything around them and have plenty of space to move about. “There are no traps here. I’m still working the perimeter around the castle, but it’s time consuming.” And boring, and dangerous.
Soleiyu shifted from his Mauvian form to his humanoid form–something that Malus still seemed to be getting used to, given the double take. Soleiyu hadn’t been up here in a bit, though; he crossed his arms and looked around with what Malus wanted to believe was an approving nod.
And yet, eventually, their attention both returned to Lysithea.
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Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2023 7:26 pm
Lysithea couldn’t help but gaze around with wonder, her eyes lighting up at the sight of the sheep, something she had been itching to see and…oh she wanted to get closer and to pet one, but…she was up here for a reason. “It’s so beautiful up here, Malus. I love it, thank you for inviting me, I know like, this is doing me a favor and I do really appreciate it.”
Her eyes lit up when Soleiyu shifted forms and she moved towards him to give him a hug, squeezing the would be cat man. “...I do like you when you’re fluffy but. You give good hugs like this…so um. Any advice to figure out what…I should do to…do the…uh.”
Lysithea drew away and waved her hands, shrugging and looking more than a little lost. “...How do we test this? To make sure that it wasn’t just a…Lysithea world thing…?”
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2023 9:07 am
Malus nodded, partly because he agreed that it was beautiful up here, but Lysithea had nothing to thank him for. He liked the company, and he liked making sure she was safe.
Soleiyu’s tail twitched, more magnificent now with its greater size, but he returned the hug like it was natural. He returned the hug but was quick to move into business. They’d come here for a reason, and he was sure Lysithea was just as curious as he was. “Well, I suppose it would be just like powering up.”
She was already an Eternal Senshi, so if there was more power to tap into, it had to be accessible from here, right?
“Can you look inside yourself, do you feel any source of energy? It should feel like a string you can pull on, I think.” He was guessing but practically speaking that would have been consistent at least.
“Just relax, clear your mind. Tell me if you feel anything else there, and if you can tap into it, try.”
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Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2023 8:11 pm
Lysithea closed her eyes for a moment, trying to relax. They had good advice, but she was just so sure that…it wouldn’t work. No matter what they thought…no matter what wild ideas that they had…it just…
She wasn’t royal.
It had been nothing but her own Moon granting her the power that she needed to keep it safe. To fulfill some duty that hadn’t been done in goodness knew how long.
Still, still Lysithea tried, if only to put their minds at rest. She reached inside of herself, reached for whatever power might be hiding there. It helped her to envision the crystal that had appeared before her the last time, the way it shined the way…
A sudden warmth seemed to flood Lysithea as she stood there, and her fuku transformed once again into the dress that she had worn before. When she opened her eyes, Lysithea drew in a breath, her hands outstretched, the crystal resting lightly in them. “…Oh.”
Well. She had been wrong before and…now she had been wrong again. “…Interesting.”
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Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2023 9:37 pm
Malus stared at Lysithea in silence. There wasn’t any danger now and his adrenaline wasn’t muddling his mind. The change in he rappearance was confirmation that something was different, that she had changed.
Her power was overhwelming at first. It wasn’t something he couldn’t overcome and adapt to, it was just something new.
She’d done it before, he wasn’t surprised. It was like stepping out of a warm house on a snowy day.
He’d been so used to her previous outfit that now it felt like he had to get to know this one all over.
Soleiyu looked at her with pride, similarly taking in her appearance. “There you go, see? I told you. Look at you! How does it feel?”
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Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2023 7:08 pm
Lysithea took some time to try and inspect herself, taking in the flowing sleeves and the long skirt of the dress she now wore, but…
There was a strange twinge of fear that niggled in the back of her mind and she hesitated. “...So…I hope this…I mean. I hope you guys both agree that we have to keep this as quiet as possible. Like. For as long as possible, at least until I know what I’m doing…Faustite…”
Looking away, Lysithea bit down on her lip, her mind flickering to Ganymede and how everyone was so hellbent on capturing her and keeping her locked up since she was a Royal Senshi. It.
“They’ll be after me even more so if this gets out.
He was going to be so pissed but…at least now she had the power to really help him…
“Thank you…for not just letting me insist that it was just a homeworld thing…by the way. Both of you.”
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2023 5:12 pm
Malus looked up at her quizzically, like he was trying to figure out who she thought he’d tell. His lips were sealed, he was decent enough with keeping secrets. “Well, yeah,” he said. “I won’t tell anyone. I mean, you’ll have to let me know who you tell, but–yeah. No, I wouldn’t go running my mouth. I’m happy you got your answers.”
Soleiyu seemed a bit more smug, but that was to be expected. His tail sashayed behind him. He liked being right, but more than that, he liked that Lysithea and her world had such a strong bond.
Keeping things a secret was a good idea. She was an ace in the pocket. If they had someone they needed to help, they didn’t just have to hope that they’d be able to–she had the strength to make it a reality.
“We’ll have to spend some time practicing,” Soleiyu mused. “To make sure you’re comfortable with everything. Will you take me with you when you go back to Lysithea? It’s no rush, though. But I’m proud of you.”
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2023 5:13 pm
“We can tell our group, obviously but…but after what happened with Ganymede, I don’t want it trumpeted around everywhere that I’m…” Lysithea hesitated and gestured to herself. “That I’m like this. Anyone that we want to help can be taken up to one of our homeworlds…they can think that we’re calling for Cosmos and it’ll be so much safer that way…”
A shiver went through her and she glanced to Soleiyu, giving a little nod. “Yes please. I’ll take you there whenever you want to go…both of you. Hopefully now it won’t be…ah.”
Giving a grim smile, Lysithea closed her eyes, willing away the second transformation and stood there once more in just her Eternal Fuku. “As much of a dangerous adventure…at least, I hope not. But, if there’s any more hidden secrets or pockets of…yuck...I’ll be happy to have you guys to help me fix it up.”
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2023 5:20 pm
Once more, Malus nodded; Solieyu did the same, but he exhaled. "We'll have to be proactive about all of it. If we've already found one Knight of Lysithea, who knows how many more there might be out there? We should find them before they can get into any trouble."
Though, he wasn't quite sure what to do about it. At the very least, they could try to slow the spread of information while she got situated and figured out what new abilities and powers she had to work with.
"I'll have to talk to Stirling and let her know. I want her to be safe, too. But, you've got this, Lysithea. You can do it. Although, I hope your world doesn't have any more dangerous adventures in store. I think, after all of this, you deserve a break."
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2023 5:35 pm
Lysithea’s nose wrinkled, but she nodded. “I hadn’t even thought of that…well…for that at least we…or I can just deny whatever if it comes to it…so long as they don’t see me...not right away…”
She reached up and rubbed the bridge of her nose, but finally just looked to Soleiyu and pouted. “Can you go back to my fluffball so I can just hold you and deal with my feelings that way? As much as I’d like to, and as much as I think you’d like it…I can’t very well take you in my arms while you’re like this.”
It was something to redirect the mood, and it worked a little, at least for her. The smile she threw to Malus was filled with some mischief. “...We’ll figure this out like we do everything else. I’m just glad I don’t have to figure it out alone. But now…the hard part of the day is over, what would you like to do, Mal?”
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2023 5:42 pm
Soleiyu's ear twitched and he huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. He didn't often pout--or, if he did, it was far less obvious in his other form than it was like this. "I never get to be in this form." He sighed, with perhaps a bit more enthusiasm than was necessary, but shifted quickly and moved close to her so she could pick him up.
A smile pricked at Malus' face and he resisted the urge to laugh. "Well. I'm pretty sure I saw you eyeing those hills over there. Were you looking for the sheep? I've still got some snacks on me. If you want--I mean, while we're up here--maybe I could introduce you?"
She'd mentioned it before, and he doubted she'd put up much resistance, especially since she knew how cute they were. And, they did deserve an easy day. A little walk around his world, and a visit with some of its inhabitants sounded good enough for him.
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2023 5:47 pm
Lysithea didn’t laugh…though she kind of truly wanted to, and as payment for Soleiyu having to get back on four legs and be furry again, she scooped him into her arms and planted kisses everywhere, all over his cute fuzzy face, his head, his ears, his paws…hopefully it would make shifting forms worth while.
As for Malus’ suggestion, Lysithea’s eyes lit up with it and she nodded eagerly. “Sheep! Yes! Oh my God yes! Show me the sheep! I want that so badly Malus!” All in all…it was a good day. It was going to be a good day, and they’d figure everything else out.
Together. And. Eventually.
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