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 Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2023 7:18 pm
They arrived without much trouble. It felt like an awkward procedure, where he wasn’t quite sure what he was supposed to be doing. He’d had the invitation–some magical passport that gave him the energy or power to bring someone with him.
He was glad he didn’t have to do this alone.
When they arrived on Dering, a thick fog had rolled through the forest. It was chilly and moisture clung to them. There were clouds in the sky, heavy enough to obscure the sun but not so thick that a ray of sunlight didn’t occasionally try to peek through.
There was something mysterious about the place, and while it wasn’t unwelcome it felt like they were being watched.
And yet, the mist swirled steadily, undeterred by anyone or anything.
Dering was a bit winded from the trip, or maybe it was just the majesty of the place. The trees seemed ancient, with wide trunks and sprawling branches. The grass was tall and pale, not quite white but it was too misty to make out many details. It looked like dew had collected on some of the flowers. The most visible of them resembled some fusion of foxglove and bluebells, but they grew on tall stems like daffodils.
There were no castles in sight; it appeared as though they had simply arrived in the middle of a forest with no path.
It was cool. It was eerie.
Dering might have been uncomfortable if he’d come alone, but Stirling was here and she brought him comfort. After a moment of glancing around and taking in everything that he could see, he looked back at her. “Does any of this look familiar to you?”
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Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2023 1:31 pm
Stirling couldn‘t help the grin on her face as she glanced around, shaking her head as she did so. “Not even a little bit!” What about you? Is it anything like what you saw of Lysithea before?” This place felt…strange but very magical, and she liked that about it. It was…spooky, but the right kind of spooky that made you want to do things, have a campfire and tell stories that gave people the creeps.
“I know that this has to be your Wonder so you will most likely feel at home here sooner or later, I’m a little jealous that you have your own spooky forest! I love that for you. Do you think that there were unicorns here before? I bet so. I bet that Lysithea was filled with them! And if it wasn’t, it should have been!”
She sighed and reached out, taking hold of Dering’s hand for support. “I want to see a unicorn really bad. I hope that Lysithea brings me up sometime…”
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Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2023 2:06 pm
“Um, no, it wasn’t so forest-y when she brought me up. It wasn’t spooky, either.”
Was that a bad sign? He wanted a nice, peaceful, magical fantasy forest, not a creepy spooky one. It didn't feel uncomfortable or anything–well, no more so than being in any other strange, magical place. He just wasn’t used to the forests or the fog. Yet.
He had a feeling he’d be spending a lot of time up here. The weather wasn’t bad but he was afraid of tripping over one of these giant tree roots. The flowers were pretty, though.
“Are unicorns real?” he asked, suddenly feeling a bit foolish. Lysithea said she was the Senshi of unicorns but he’d been so overwhelmed by everything else that he hadn’t actually thought they might see some.
“I didn’t even ask her. I didn’t see any when we were talking. But this–it does seem like it could be a unicorn-y forest, right? It feels magical here. Or maybe it’s just because I’m out of the city, wow. The air is so clear.”
…It was so peaceful. He couldn’t remember the last time a breath of air felt so good.
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Posted: Tue May 02, 2023 3:33 pm
“I love it!” Stirling was beaming as she looked around, though perhaps looking at the ground would have been more beneficial as she tripped on a root and swung her arms like a windmill. “Oh, watch where you’re walking though, so that’s good. Um! As for unicorns….they had better be or I’m going to be a little upset. I mean Lysithea’s the Senshi of unicorns…if they’re not real…then does she even have a purpose?”
Sheesh, even saying that out loud made Stirling feel…more than a little uncomfortable. “I’m sure that they are, like…they have to be real! And it does feel magical, my Wonder is the same way but…it’s a castle so…it’s got all the fairy tale vibes with it too. I love this place though. It would be so fun to go camping here.”
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Posted: Tue May 02, 2023 7:24 pm
Dering nodded, but it seemed like he was still taking in so much that he was a little behind on wading through his thoughts to get to a response.
“I don’t know a lot about magic,” he said apologetically; he hadn’t wanted to upset her with the notion that unicorns might not be real. He was sure there was a purpose, even if he hadn’t seen them yet. Maybe all the Earth unicorns had escaped to Lysithea to be safe or something! He wasn’t exactly an expert on unicorn lore but seemed suddenly aware that he should at least go home and google them.
If he ran into one he didn’t want to offend it or scare it away.
As he began to slowly meander through the forest, he was mindful of the roots, and often put one hand against a tree as he walked.
It felt old. It felt magical.
He couldn’t get enough of it
“I’ve never been camping, have you? Is your castle like a real castle, like books and dresses and beds? Like you could actually just move in and live there?”
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Posted: Tue May 02, 2023 7:28 pm
“I’ve never been camping either, no! But this forest looks like a fun one to make a campfire and roast marshmallows like in the tv shows about it…” Stirling grinned and quickened her steps, walking side by side with Dering now, but kept her eyes on the ground more than she had been.
“It is a real castle but it’s really old and kind of crumbling? But…I don’t know, it’s mostly in one piece, though it could use some fixing up, I’m going to figure out how best to do it and then maybe I will move in, if I can. At least, that’s the plan. Kind of. That’s what I wanted the plan to be. Still want the plan to be? I don’t know. I just don’t wanna go back to my shitty foster family. Like. I’d live just about anywhere but there.”
She was quiet for a moment. “What’s your family like?”
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Posted: Tue May 02, 2023 9:32 pm
“Um,” Dering said, like it was a good substitute for a real answer. He used the excuse of maneuvering through the terrain to buy himself a few seconds. The grass and branches crunched beneath him, and he was extra careful not to crush any of the flowers.
“Kinda busy and caught up with their own things, I guess.”
It didn’t seem like a topic he was ready to jump into discussing but neither did he seem to really shy away from it. He didn’t seem uncomfortable, just delicate.
“We don’t really have a whole lot in common. We don’t really talk much. I’d like to, I think, it’s just kind of complicated. I’m not staying with them right now but if things work out maybe we’ll get to be together. I don’t know, I’m not supposed to get my hopes up but,” he laughed, a bit nervously, and rubbed at his arm. “I guess I can’t help it. I’d like to go home, though. I don’t really fit in where I’m at right now.”
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Posted: Thu May 11, 2023 7:37 pm
Stirling was quiet for a long moment, taking time to really mull through his words, something that she didn’t often give herself time to do. “Well…I hope that it works out for you, and if it doesn’t…you’re my age, aren’t you? Fourteen or fifteen I thought, or hoped…we can always just…get ourselves out of the system soon…and then we could like. Get a place together. Unicorn home for unicorn knights or something like that. I mean, we’re pretty much siblings already because of this, no take backs, by the way. You’re stuck with me!”
Idly, or at least trying to be as nonchalant as possible, the Squire moved closer to Dering and slid her hand into his, squeezing it gently. “If you’re okay with a sibling, that is. If you’re not we’re going to at least be besties, so that will work for me if nothing else!”
Still. First she got Cara as a sister and now this.
The idea of family was still as intoxicating as it always had been…
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Posted: Fri May 12, 2023 11:05 am
The expression on Dering’s face shifted somewhat, mostly to surprise. He was used to keeping to himself and laying low, so the idea of someone eagerly inviting him into their family was–
Well, he hadn’t really known what to think about it, and that much was clear. He wasn’t opposed to the idea! Never mind the fact that he was a people pleaser anyway, but it was still not at all what he’d expected and his face flushed a bit while he tried to process all of it.
“I’m–I’ll be fifteen in October.”
Practically speaking, he wasn’t sure he could afford to get out anywhere, and he doubted anyone would believe he was old enough or capable enough to be taking care of himself. Brooklyn seemed much more self assured and confident in herself though, and he admired her for that. He didn’t even mind that she’d taken his hand, even though he was usually squeamish and jumpy. Maybe there was some sort of camaraderie that stemmed from being Knights of Lysithea.
“I’ve never thought about having a sibling,” he admitted. “I have no idea how adopting one works! I have no idea how to be a brother.” He laughed and tugged at the sleeve of his other arm with his free hand. “I don’t even know if I’m that good at being a friend! You’ll have gotten the short end of the stick, I think. But I’m excited, I think. I’ll do my best. I’m sorry, this is all just still so much to take in. I feel dizzy. It’s not bad,” he insisted quickly, and maybe squeezed her hand a little tighter to reassure her. “My life just changed so much in such a short time period, and not in any of the ways I ever thought it could. This still feels like a dream. Or,” he paused and looked around the forest. “Like a fairy tale.”
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Posted: Fri May 12, 2023 12:59 pm
“Well!” Stirling seemed pleased by his answer, and just a little smug. “Lucky for you, you’ll be the younger brother. I’ll be fifteen at the end of May, so that just means I’ll protect you and all that.” Good, doing protecting was so much easier than being the one who was protected, and Stiling found it all the more palatable because of that.
“It is kind of like a fairytale, but there will be witches and evil queens just like in a fairytale too, so you do have to work on. Learning to keep yourself safe. At least for when me or Lysithea aren’t around! I’m super scrappy so I’m a great teacher, if I do say so myself, but. It is a lot. I get it. It was a lot for me and I would have given anything to get it…and now I have it but, it’s overwhelming, for sure.”
She took a moment to look around the forest once more and squeezed his hand back in return. “The one thing to remember is that you’re not alone, and you’re never going to be alone in this. I think that makes it much easier.”
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Posted: Fri May 12, 2023 5:35 pm
A bit of dread had settled in the pit of his stomach. He didn’t want to be reminded that he’d have to fight, but…that was the whole reason he’d gotten special powers anyway, wasn't it?
To help protect people and save the world and whatnot?
He liked the idea of just being some fantasy forest explorer much more, but he knew that this gift came with a price. Thankfully it wasn’t some deal to sell his soul or anything.
And, it was easier to remember that he wasn’t alone. There were people who wanted to help him–a lot of people. He didn’t want to let them down. As soon as all of this stopped being so overwhelming he was going to start practicing more. He didn’t want to learn how to fight–or, really, didn’t want to hurt anyone, but it was different if you were protecting someone. He hoped.
“I’m not really scrappy. I’ll have to practice a lot. I don’t want to bring anyone down, I’ve just never been in a fight before, at all.”
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Posted: Sun May 14, 2023 5:04 pm
“That’s okay too! That’s why we stick together, so the ones who are scrappy can get out there and scrap…or…” Stirling paused and then gave a shrug. “Or whatever it’s called when I’m not trying to be fancy.” She looked thoughtful and then grinned. “I’ll introduce you to some of my friends too, if you’re up to it, and then you can see how different people react and everything. My friend Casablanca is super nice, she’s a Cosmos Squire and she’s kind of my mentor in life! But she’s doing her best like we are, and I have two other friends too, I’m sure you’ll like them. They’re about our age and are Moon Knights.”
There was the other Lysithea page too but, they weren’t really friends...not yet so that didn’t count.
“I’ll help you with everything, I promise!”
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Posted: Sun May 14, 2023 9:03 pm
Cosmos? Moon Knights? He hadn’t heard of either of those yet, so he offered another appreciative smile. “I think I’d feel better about meeting new people if you were there. If that’s not too much trouble! I really do want to do this right. I want to make Lysithea proud. She saved me when a youma attacked me, so I just want to make sure that…I don’t know. If someone needs help, I’d like to be able to help them.”
He didn’t have a lot of confidence in himself but Stirling seemed to have more energy and faith in herself and her friends. He didn’t want to let her down, either. He could learn. He could get better.
“Maybe you can teach me how to be scrappy some time? If that’s not too much trouble. I don’t think I’m good at much sporty. I don’t run, I don’t fight. I’m always the first out in dodgeball and most people don’t want me on their teams anyway, so I know I need to put a lot of work into this. But I’m willing to do my best. I want to do my best. If you think anything will help, I’ll do it.”
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Posted: Mon May 15, 2023 2:43 pm
Stirling nodded, looking eager. “That’s all that really matters. That you want to help. Getting stronger and getting more confident will come later, but you have the want to do your best so…you will. That’s just how it works.””
She took a moment to listen to what he was saying and nodded eagerly. “I’d love to help you get scrappy, and for what it’s worth, you’ll be my first choice for patrols. My first choice for someone to go out and protect the city with me. We’re the same, you and I. I want to make sure you get to be as strong as I am so we can be unstoppable!”
It was a nice thought, and one that she knew could become reality. There was no point in holding back, not when your own safety relied on your own mind, your own strength…and thankfully, she’d be able to help keep Dering safe.
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