The heat of the day hadn’t yet fully dissipated, it was both nice and boded ill for high summer. If it was this warm in spring, summer was going to be sweltering. It was going to be worse since the city trapped heat. He was not looking forward to it but for now he could enjoy the cool evening air as he just absently watched the skyline twinkle with lights.
Whoever lived or worked in the building he was currently lounging on had furnished their little rooftop sanctuary with a few benches and a fire pit. Tortuga was using one of the benches to rest and contemplate. Contemplate what you might ask? Well, just about everything and nothing. Honestly he was mostly just letting his mind wander as he absently played with one of the two rings he was wearing. One a simple gold band with a yellow stone setting the other a gold signet ring. It was the ring with the yellow stone that he was playing with, the signet ring was practically a part of his hand now and he honestly didn’t even realize he was wearing it, the other one was still something he had to get use too.
Most of the time the ring was worn around his neck on the same chain that held his ‘weapon’ but ever since he had actually figured out the usefulness of it he had been trying to wear it more often than just periodically. Tortuga might have gotten the ring years ago but that didn’t mean he trusted it, or what it could do. There was still so much he didn’t know about it.
Still so much he didn’t know about a lot of things. The ring was just one of many.
Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2023 11:45 pm
There was nothing more relaxing to Lacerta than just being able to enjoy the evening as it came on unimpeded like always. There were the usual sights and sounds of those residents of the city going about their evening routines, and sometimes, just a small part of her, was jealous that at least for some folk, life was relatively mundane. Even as she leapt from one rooftop to the next on a well-memorized route did the eternal dark mirror contemplate the fact that at times, all she desired, was to be normal like those people on the streets below. But then common sense would kick in and Lacerta would recognize that this life that she led was only the correct one to lead. The ring that she always wore glinted in the dying rays of sunlight and one such glint had her blinking away the glare that flashed into her eyes. So much had changed in her short life and so many people had come and gone ... and so many strange things had happened that it was getting harder just to remember every small detail of her life as a senshi.
Feeling the aura of one that was weaker in signature than her Lacerta cocked her head to the side before categorizing the potential thread. Seemed like one individual, and of the order persuasion. The owner of the aura that she had sensed seemed to be static and not moving and Lacerta for a moment considered that it could have been a trap, but curiosity won out and she headed in the direction that the signature was coming from before landing silently on the rooftop. Her gaze took in the layout of the rooftop sanctuary before casually finding an open spot to simply observe in silence. Something about the other's hair struck a chord within Lacerta and she hastily took a step back before giving a polite cough.
"Is this a private party or can anyone join you? I'm a little tired and wouldn't mind being able to sit for a few minutes to get off my feet as it were."
Tortuga was rather lost in his thoughts, distracted and not paying attention to his surroundings, not that one would expect company up there on the rooftop… sort of. There was a very dark part of his mind that muttered about not passively monitoring auras was tantamount to asking for death. And yet he completely ignored that dark part, the same part that urged him to do more than look over the edge of tall buildings. That little part was one of the reasons he saw a shrink now. That and some pretty messed up runs he did while on the job, his civilian job that is. He knew things he didn’t want to know, saw things no one should see, and at least tangentially experienced heartbreak more often than most others in the city. It wore on the soul. Weighed him down like nothing else did.
And yet he still wished to help. To heal. So when the cough drew his attention to the newcomer, a newcomer wrapped in what appeared to be black bandages, his first reaction was to get to his feet. He had opened his mouth up to ask if she was ok and if she needed help when a few things clicked for him. First, she had an aura which meant she was a senshi… not chaos per say but not order like his cousin and niece. Second, her appearance was part of her uniform, not an indication of injury. And third, since she didn't just jump him when he was mentally wandering she was probably at least neutral, and didn’t particularly relish a fight. “Sure. Please sit,” He gestured to one of the other seats before sitting back down himself.
He wasn’t as relaxed as he was before but nor was he tense and poised to attack. Weary at best. “Just enjoying the evening and mulling over the mysteries of the universe.” Tortuga explained even if it was more like the horrors of the city than any mystery.
Posted: Fri May 12, 2023 6:25 pm
Lacerta's gaze took in the appearance of the stranger before memories surfaced about the identity of this individual. Instead of possibly freaking out Tortuga though Lacerta meekly took a seat on one of the open benches before stretching out her lithe frame. It was pleasant to simply just be able to sit and stare at the sky and she enjoyed doing so for about a minute or two in complete silence before bringing her attention back to bear on the Squire that had trusted her enough to join him.
"Thank you," she sighed before bending forward in a stretch before returning to a more comfortable sitting position before she glanced around at the location in general. "Nice place to be able to sit and mull about the mysteries of the universe, that's for sure."
Lacerta's eyes twinkled for a moment in silent mirth before she decided that with everything that had gone on in her life since she'd last seen anyone of the others that had rings, Tortuga might not recognize her anymore. She knew it was him, but not the other way around. She let out a sigh before absently running a gloved finger over her own ring before deciding that it was rather silly to pretend to be something that she wasn't. While she hadn't seen the others in a while, it wouldn't do her any good to burn those connections that past experiences had created. "Mysteries huh, that's kind of interesting. I could add another one to your plate if you would like, Tortuga. That's the mystery, how do I know who you are .. and who might I be?"
Tortuga nodded but remained silent while the newcomer sat down and took a load off. He honestly didn’t really want to talk about some of the things his mind turned to, not even to his therapist… which he knew defeated the purpose but still. There were just some things that couldn’t be told, and even more that he didn’t want to discuss. And still he remained weary of his company but it wasn’t until she actually mentioned his name that he really studied her. Did he know her? She said she did but that might have just been a feign of some sort. He had interacted with quite a lot of people, both civilian and powered, over the years. Could she have been one of those people?
With a head cocked almost like a curious puppy he just scrutinized every part of her outfit, frowning as he went. There was an inkling of an idea but it faded away as he continued to study her. Nothing was triggering any memories. No fights that he remembered, no encounters that occurred, no reason to have an idea of who this female was. “I don’t know you,” he shook his head slightly before adding apologetically, “at least I don’t remember you. How did we meet?” He did actually want to know how she was acquainted with him at least. Maybe then he would be able to put a name to a face.
Posted: Fri May 19, 2023 4:04 am
Lacerta's grin grew just a little bit wider before she took pity on the Squire as he really looked nonplussed about where they might have met before. Lacerta's mind glossed over the battle in that strange space before she found the perfect clue to perhaps guide Tortuga on the right path to lead his guesses. But it wouldn't do to just put the obvious answer into his path so readily. For a moment the eternal senshi was lost in her own memories before she brought her gaze to even level with Tortuga. "Well, I have one clue that might spark an avenue that you can go down but it's really an old reference. Everyone there got it at the time and well maybe it'll jog some neurons free."
For a moment she was contemplating the words needed before she chuckled, "okay so your clue is: by your powers combined, I am Captain Planet."
There hopefully was enough of a hint in that quote that Tortuga could grasp the meaning behind it, and the adventure that had seen five individuals trying to solve why they'd been space-napped and coming up short on answers. That she now wore black instead of white wasn't a concern she hoped. The last time that she had sighted Scylla was just shortly after she had turned to the dark mirror and ever since the second meeting that Castor had called, Lacerta had not seen anyone else from the group either. Hopefully all of them still fared well. She gave a soft sigh before watching Tortuga ... eagerly awaiting the moment that the answer might dawn on his mind about who she was.
Tortuga’s confused frown deepened as he muttered her ‘clue’ back to himself. “‘By your powers combined’... the hell?” He knew the reference, grew up watching the show but how exactly was that connected. It wasn’t like he was Captain Planet or a Planeteer- That's when it hit him. He understood, and yet he didn’t really.
He sat up straight and while fiddling with his own ring asked the Mirror Senshi, “Earth or Air?” Those were the only two females that took part in that particular strangeness. Both had been ‘White Moon’ so something must have happened, either to them or to their rings for this woman to have it. Honestly with all the context clues it was likely that this lady was the original owner of the ring which made him wonder just why she had turned towards the Dark Mirror. Not that he had any animosity towards her, just curiosity. Considering her uniform she was likely ‘Earth’ since the other one had some scary a** tentacle powers which didn’t really work with the bandages look the Mirror senshi was rocking. It had been years but he still remembered them. All of them. The bossy Castor, the hot headed Celsus, the scary, and busty, Scylla, and what had felt like the youngest of the group… Lacerta.
Posted: Sat May 20, 2023 6:58 pm
"Not really earth, but more stone I think. That I know of I can't summon earth with the ring, it just makes me more durable. I can hit harder and I believe it makes it so that I take less damage when I'm hit. I think that clue might have made it too easy on you though. But it was the only thing I had at the top of my mind. I guess now you have figured it out, who I am."
Lacerta's gaze was pensive for a moment as she cast her own gaze skyward once more before she sighed. She raised her ringed hand so that Tortuga could catch a glimpse of it before she lowered it again. Dark Mirror or not these rings still connected the quintet and Lacerta moved to pace the length of the rooftop patio, or whatever people called the space, for a circuit or two before resuming her seat. How much would Tortuga want to hear about what had happened?
"Let's just say .. that a lot has happened since that last meeting with Celsus, Castor, you and myself. I'm willing to explain if you want to listen ... it's totally up to you."
At times she had to still wonder what the others were up to. After she'd corrupted, all that seemed to matter was looking out for her new family as best as she could. But here was someone from the past, who'd shared an adventure with her and she almost felt it was necessary to try to catch-up with the others.
Tortuga kept a straight face when Lacerta, it had to be her since she was the one with the stone ring, didn’t really get the joke when he asked which ring she had, but it was hard since he wanted to grin at her. Celsus had fire and Scylla, air, Castor had the ‘water’ ring in the form of ice, Lacerta had ‘earth’ because of stone… He was the odd man out since lightning was definitely not ‘Heart’. Although if you wanted to be pedantic since the heart was a mass of electrical impulses lightning did sort of make sense for the heart ring. “I mean it is pretty hard to forget that particular space-napping. Sadly not the only one but hey,” he shrugged, “this is Destiny City.” One of the main things that really stuck in his mind, other than the people he ended up working with, was the little ‘prize’ he got at the end of it all. Most ‘napping’s of various sorts only left him injured and nursing some PTSD. So the ring really was quite a stand out. It's why he remembered it so well. “Mine mostly makes me a walking power bank. Useful but not all that necessary.” He had figured out that he could generate a small charge with it as well but hadn’t really found a use for it other than as a party trick.
“Sure, it would be nice to know why you…” he paused and just generally gestured to her outfit, “decided that black was the new white?” How did one ask why you chose a chaotic transfer? Tortuga really had no clue. It was kind of a question that you didn’t ask, like asking when the baby was due unless you were beyond certain the person in question really was pregnant. Yeah, that was one good way to get slapped that's for sure.
Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2023 12:52 am
Lacerta wrapped her arms around her middle before she glanced back to Tortuga when he indicated that he'd be open to hearing what had led to her changing sides. The only thing was that besides some of her fellow dark mirror colleagues, hardly anyone really had wanted to know why she had corrupted. Most of those on the side of order now just saw her as a potential enemy but Lacerta was still who she was at heart, and that was a kind person.
"I could be cliche and say that it's a long story but the truth of the matter is that my life seemed to change a few years ago in the blink of an eye. After our last meeting of our group, minus Scylla, I'd managed to cement a friendship with a dark mirror senshi. She was always very frank in her discussions with me and we sort of became friends. I mention this now because it'll become relevant later on. So after I became a super senshi I was trying to do the right things all the time. One night while I was on patrol I heard screams so I went to assess the situation as the screams had sounded awfully familiar to me. Even though the threat was that of a Negaverse agent ... it was whom the victims were that kept me rooted to the rooftops for far too long."
Lacerta stood for a moment before walking to the edge of the rooftop and gazed down into the alley that bordered the building. She turned to face Tortuga before continuing in a sotto voice, "needless to say my delay in acting probably didn't help the situation at all. The agent took my parents' starseeds and I was left with the fallout. They were taken to the hospital ... and I tried my best to track down whom I had seen in the alley with them but I just had no luck," Lacerta pushed down the grief before she continued, "so since I failed as a senshi, and a daughter ... it cost me the only family I'd known. I didn't feel as if there was anyone that I could turn to on the side of Order but there was someone that I knew would be able to help me."
"Things came to pass and now I wear black. But I'm still the same individual that you remember from before. ... Just older, wiser," and she chuckled softly even if it sounded a little hollow, "and apparently stronger. But I'm still Lacerta."
((Events and life really make things get away from you ^.^ so its all good))
Tortuga silently listened as Lacerta explained. Quietly contemplated what she revealed. He understood, probably more than she would believe. She built her family from the only group that she knew. It was a shame, but he understood. “Do you know what one of the hardest parts of being an EMT is?” He asked quietly once she was finished, not looking up at her. Rather he watched as he spun his signet ring around and around on his finger. “It's not seeing death day in and day out. It's not knowing what that bruised look in a child’s eyes means. It's not even hearing the cries of a mother who just lost her child. They are all hard but what haunts almost everyone I know is the knowledge that the next call, the next accident, the next fire could contain one of our family members. Being the person who holds a loved one’s life in your hands is a heavy task. One that should never happen but it does and when it does it's like your world drops away. All your training, all your knowledge, everything just doesn’t exist anymore.” He paused and took a bracing breath, “And yet every day we go out, every night we work, and every time we pray that the call isn’t one that will break us. That the next call wasn’t going to be the end of our hearts. Hoping that we are able to keep ourselves under control enough to actually be able to save them and fearing that we can’t.”
The redheaded squire finally looked up and locked eyes with Lacerta. “You lived through the nightmare. It’s not your fault. What happened would have broken many people, the fact that you're still standing here proves that you're stronger than most.” Silently he wondered if he would ‘still be there’ if he faced the same thing she did. It was those kinds of thoughts that liked to haunt his dreams, the ones that sat in the shadows and whispered darkness even while he stood in the sun. “You did what you had to in order to survive. Rebuilt what you could. I can’t fault you for that,” He gave his head a slight shake. “You didn’t succumb to the void. No matter how much it hurts, you are still here. That's a win in my book.”
Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2023 6:29 pm
Lacerta's gaze tracked down to watch as Tortuga spun a ring around on his finger before he began to speak. The words that he spoke resonated within her and she nodded along to the summary of the image that was painted. A noise of agreement was emitted from a throat that was becoming choked with a little bit of emotion. She could see his viewpoint fairly clearly and she definitely understood the reality that those in the medical field had to contend with.
"I don't think the others would have been as accepting as you seem to be. I distinctively remember striking Scylla by accident after I had corrupted. I don't think she knew it was me but I'm not exactly sure how things work after a person changes sides. And I have no idea if Castor or Celsus would have approved."
It was Tortuga's words about being strong that had really touched her deep inside and she made the smallest noise of what could have been a choked off sob before she looked at the squire, really looked at him before she simply nodded, "those words mean a lot coming from you Tortuga. Thank you. I don't think I would ever be willing to fall into that void because it's like taking the easy way out of a situation. My parents always believed in the adversity builds character scenario. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I had been able to save them after all."
“Sometimes people don’t see any other way but the void,” Tortuga admitted quietly. First responders might not be the highest rate of self inflicted wounds but they weren’t exactly low on the list either. Even he- no… he shook his head and took a breath. Getting stuck on those thoughts would just cause a spiral and that was never good.
With a shrug the redhead just looked at Lacerta. “Honestly, after this long in this nutty situation, as long as me and mine aren't harmed-” He trailed off and just made a ‘meh’ gesture with his hands. It might not exactly be the ‘best’ thought process considering his position as a knight but very little in this fight of theirs was quite so black and white. Being straight up vicious or murderous, that was a step too far for him but putting some muggers to sleep for the night… it didn’t seem like too bad of a trade off to him. “Can’t blame you for what you did. Why would I when none of us know what will happen in the future. Given your options? Who knows.”
All Tortuga knew was that if his entire support system was torn away like hers seemed to have been then he too might just grasp at anything that provided comfort. “All things considered… are you happy? Are you content with your choice?” He asked in all honesty, wanting to know that she was ok with her current situation. There were always those who requested help, he might not be the best person to provide that help but he at least could find someone who would be better suited.
Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2023 12:49 pm
Lacerta had gone quiet as Tortuga had spoken about how some couldn't see anything else but voids and she suppressed a shudder. Perhaps if she hadn't found Acubens and the Dark Mirror Court that void could have easily swallowed her up. No, having made connections had kept her tethered to the Earth after the unthinkable occurred. She paced the rooftop edge before moving back to the benches before taking another seat on one. Her sigh was audible and she gave Tortuga a wan smile. "I don't think you have to worry about me coming after you or yours. And if by chance I made an error and did ... the worst that I could do is take a little of their energy. That's probably the worst excuse in the book to justify something, but it's the truth."
Lacerta honestly couldn't come up with any other ideas on what worse things they could do unless it meant stealing someone away from Tortuga and bringing them into powered fold on the opposite team. But since she'd never been witness to an awakening of a member of their court, she wasn't exactly sure how things like that worked.
"I think though, to answer your other query, I'm relatively at peace with my decision to have joined the Dark Mirror Court. The senshi that I made friends with so very long ago allowed me to be a part of her family, both as Lacerta and my new civilian identity. I lost my original family but I gained a new one in the process. I don't think I'll ever forget our little family either but I think what I ended up doing ... was for the best."
Tortuga could only nod, suppressing the smirk that he felt tugging at his face, “If that's all the damage that can be done then I‘m sure a little energy is the least of their worries.” He could think of several of his family that would be more of a danger to Lacerta then the other way around anyway. A rather rabid bunch if he did say so himself.
“That's good, can’t really ask for more.” Technically he could but even he knew that the harsh world wasn’t always conducive to absolutes like ‘good’ and ‘evil’. As long as she wasn’t hurting anyone… Was there any harm? That was another little question that liked to plague him on dark nights. Why exactly was he fighting so hard in this ‘war’?
Before he could get too lost in his own thoughts Tortuga decided to try to lighten the mood some. “Hey, Lacerta… watch that can over there.” He pointed to an empty soda can that was sitting on the edge of the roof. In the dark it was just a silhouette outlined by the city lights but it was still the perfect target. The redhead got off his bench only to kneel on the stony rough roof, placing his ring decked hand on the ground. Between one breath and the next a small little spark arched into the air off of the can. Nothing more exciting than some static electricity discharge but it became clear that it was being done deliberately when several more sparks erupted from the can, one after the other. The empty aluminum can rocking slightly with each strike until its own momentum sent it tumbling off the roof, clattering down the building face to land with an echoing clang in the alley below.
“Finally figured out a use for it, it just took a while.”
((The stone in this ring is a vivid, bright yellow and the ring grants the spark of Electricity. When the ring is equipped, the wearer can be in any form and will have the passive ability to function as a small emergency battery that has an undying charge. When wielded it is just strong enough to recharge a phone or other small electronic. It is not strong enough to short circuit anything or cause damage. Its true power shines while in powered form, though! Striking any inorganic surface with the ring will send an electrical charge through it up to ten feet away. The spark is just enough to startle the first person it reaches but it is not strong enough to cause any lasting damage. The target may feel a tingling sensation but all symptoms should fade within thirty seconds. While there is no limit to how many times the ring can be used, only one spark can be released at a time. The ring cannot be used directly on any organic material.))
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