|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Tue May 02, 2023 1:09 pm
After being promised something special planned for breakfast, Orien was almost tempted to pass on the last fountain and just head home. But the more change they could collect, the better. It might be the difference in being able to get a second box of cereal or a load of laundry. It wouldn’t be enough to cover rent, but at least other expenses could be taken out of their fountain money.
“Oh, this one,” Orien grimaced as he pulled off his shoes while sitting on the edge of the fountain. “I’m pretty sure birds just like to… swim and poop in this one. We’ll definitely have to shower after all of this. Gross,” he groaned. He could see a handful of quarters already, so he would just have to suck it up and get his feet wet. At least this one wasn’t as big as the other.
“So something special, huh? Do I get a hint? Do I need to be extra rested?” he hummed teasingly as he watched Kaelan out of the side of his eye. He was trying not to grin but didn’t exactly manage that.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 02, 2023 1:49 pm
“We were going to shower anyway, I don’t know what people have done in these fountains,” Kaelan answered. He might have made a face at Orien’s description, but he tried to swallow any potential disgust, because. Money was money, and if he had to deal with bird germs and grossness, so be it.
Better to do it now while they knew they had the chance to get washed up back at home. He wasn’t going to get squicked out just because it wasn’t clean water–he’d been to lakes! To the ocean! That water was filthy!
He was hurrying, though, just because he was worried that they might have pushed their luck a bit already tonight.
“You should be clean for tomorrow. And you could be extra rested if you wanted. I could tease you more about it, but I was actually just thinking about making a nice breakfast. I got a few things while I was out, super cheap. And I need some iron, so I thought it was a good excuse. But I could serve you breakfast in bed.” He shrugged, and sucked in a breath before he started trudging through the water to a nice spot of coins. “We could see what else happens.”
Assuming, of course, that they made it to tomorrow.
Remarque heard the voices well before he saw them, but curiosity demanded he investigate. He’d stepped out of the mirror only a moment ago, making his rounds to see if there were any lone souls out here ripe for draining, but the park seemed surprisingly quiet tonight.
It made these two stick out so much more.
As if they didn’t already. He recognized them from the other day; they’d come into the shop and then left abruptly. He’d suspected something was off, but they both seemed like they were doing well.
…Sort of. They were splashing around in a filthy puddle. But they seemed healthy. For now. Hopefully there weren’t any parasites in the water.
In a way, he’d regretted not keeping them around for longer; if he’d had known they were Senshi before they walked in, he would have taken them to the back and offered them a trip through the mirror. Instead, the Mauvian who had been visiting decided to tell him after they were already gone, and Jett wasn’t going to go chasing after them.
Especially because he didn’t even know if he wanted any more firecrackers in the Dark Mirror Court.
…Although, beggars couldn’t afford to be choosers.
So, maybe he was reconsidering. And, he had a good opportunity for it; he crossed his arms and leaned against a tree, watching the two as he mulled over his options.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 02, 2023 1:55 pm
Orien groaned even more when Kaelan commented on what people have done in the fountains, and he turned to peer into the water. “Be careful where you step. Like. I don’t know if there’s broken glass or any other dangerous things people threw in here,” he warned.
Great, now he was going to have to worry about that. He hadn’t thought about that before. There were so many things that Kaelan mentioned that seemed to have thoughts click into place for Orien.
He wondered what kind of helpless cloud he’d been wading through before he’d met Kaelan.
“Breakfast in bed sounds nice. But it sounds like you’re going to need to be the one resting up, if you’re going to make breakfast and see what else happens,” he teased as he stepped into the water behind Kaelan so he could scoop out some coins.
He sighed as he shook the cup and let the water drain out, but looked up at Kaelan after a few moments.
“Thank you, Kay. I know I say something similar probably every day, but… I’m glad I get to build this new future with you. Before I met you, it was like I was trapped. Now…? I don’t care about what happened to me before. And you’re an excellent cook, so the near future is looking pretty good.”
He shook the cup of change and shrugged. “We’ll figure things out. We’ll build everything from the ground up, and nothing can stop us.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 02, 2023 2:17 pm
Kaelan was hunched over, probably not in a very attractive position as he tried to stick his arms in enough to scoop up coins while simultaneously trying to prevent his loose hair from dipping into the water.
“That’s what I was thinking. About nothing stopping us,” he clarified. He’d considered glass, but so far the worst he’d found was some sandpapery cement. “If there’s an obstacle, we’ll just overcome it. Between you and I, we’ll make it work.”
They’d already accomplished so much, even with all of the obstacles stacked against them.
“You know, you’re really romantic sometimes. Whether you want to be or not. Makes my heart all fluttery. And I like that you say nice things every day. It gives me a reason to be happy, every day of my life. I hope I can say something that makes your heart skip a beat every day. But only in a good way. You make me all sappy, too. Oh, somebody threw some old coins in here, Oreo. Look how weird this one is.”
He pulled out a handful of coins–some were black and tarnished with age, but one was clearly a half dollar. “We should go through these before going to the bank and see if there’s anything really neat. I think some old coins have silver, they might be worth a few dollars.”
He held a few coins up for Orien to see, but he promptly deposited them in the bag and scooped up the rest.
Which was interesting to Remarque, who was perfectly silent as he observed the two. For all of the Chaos Orien seemed to come with, he didn’t seem so wild right now. And, from a simple observation, the two seemed resourceful. Hardworking. Maybe clever, but it’s not like that had ever been a requirement to be a Senshi.
…He just wasn’t sure if it was really one or the other. The Mauvian had said the both might be, but only one was certain. The cat hadn’t had enough of an opportunity to get a good reading before they were gone.
It was risky to try and send them both through the mirror; if it were only one, things would be different. One, he could trust. If it was only one person and they weren’t a Senshi, he’d just drain them to unconsciousness and let them think it was a dream. Two, not so easy, because they could corroborate the dream if they weren’t a senshi. And if one was a Senshi and the other wasn’t?
…At least they seemed loyal to each other.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 02, 2023 2:27 pm
It didn’t matter how strangely Kaelan was standing. Orien thought he was the most attractive person to have ever existed.
He laughed when he was told he was really romantic sometimes, a bit of color filling his cheeks. He couldn’t say he meant to be romantic. It was just how he felt about Kaelan, so it was easy.
“You make me happy, Kay,” he promised as he peered over at the strange coins Kaelan had pulled from the water. He couldn’t say he was very well versed in different coins, so seeing new things was interesting. It was especially interesting if it was something Kaelan was interested in.
“Just being around you makes my heart skip in a good way. You’re my reason to be alive. Also, you’re making breakfast, so that’s definitely another way to my heart. Which you already have. No questions asked,” he laughed again, scooping up his own bucket of coins to add to their collection.
“That’s a good idea about the coins. It makes sense that some might be worth more than their face value if they’re old.”
There was something on the edge of his senses that made the hair raise on the back of his neck, like someone was watching them, but he was hoping it was just an animal. He didn’t want to alarm Kaelan, or make Kaelan think he was paranoid.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 02, 2023 3:03 pm
Kaelan was entirely oblivious to any alarm he should have had; he was far too distracted by the strange, interesting coins he’d just found–and the rest of them that he’d hadn’t yet collected. “And they’re neat,” he said, but it didn’t matter how cool the idea of an old coin was–if they could make a few extra dollars on it, he’d certainly pass it on to someone else.
The backpack was going to be heavy, but that was a good thing. If it was too much, he and Orien could just swap out carrying it, but Kaelan would have been dishonest if he’d said he wasn’t looking forward to going through their coins and seeing what they found.
It was supposed to rain tomorrow, what else was he going to do?
Remarque gave them a moment longer; he wasn’t really one to waste his time, so when he’d made up his mind, he shifted positions and pushed himself away from the tree.
The downside to not having any influence over his Senshi uniform was that he got stuck with something a bit gaudy and over the top–a flamboyance that some might have appreciated, but that made it difficult to immediately assure someone of his professionalism.
It just meant he had more work to do when it came to talking.
He stepped out of the shadows of the treeline, mindful to approach from the side opposite of their backpack. They’d worked hard to collect it, he assumed they’d work hard to protect it, too.
But, aside from such conscientiousness, he made no effort to conceal his presence when he approached. “I’ve seen a lot of things in Destiny City, but I think this is the first time I’ve come across anyone looking for old coins in a fountain. Are you two adventurous, or just desperate?”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 02, 2023 4:21 pm
Orien would have smiled at Kaelan’s comment about the coins being neat if the feeling of being watched hadn’t persisted. It turned out that he was right.
Despite being on alert, the calmness of the voice startled him, and Orien immediately moved to put himself between the stranger and Kaelan. He didn’t care how this person was dressed -- his priority was determining how much of a threat they were.
“What do you care?” Orien growled, holding out his arm to make sure Kaelan stayed back. The guy didn’t look like any kind of security guard or cop, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try to attack them. He was either going to mock them or threaten them -- why else would he bother saying anything in the first place?
“Go on and get your shoes on, I’ll keep an eye on him,” Orien said to Kaelan under his breath. He could run without shoes, but he didn’t want Kaelan hurting his feet.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 02, 2023 5:55 pm
The arrival of someone else made Kaelan’s blood run cold. It wasn’t the police, that was good. Nothing else about it was, though. He didn’t argue; he immediately went back towards the bag and his shoes, but he walked carefully so he could keep an eye on Orien and the stranger.
There weren’t cameras here, and there weren’t any witnesses. If someone tried to hurt Orien now, there wasn’t really any reason for him to hold back. Kaelan dropped the entire scoop, coins and all, into the bag and quickly began to redress.
And yet, the stranger didn’t move from where he stood. In fact, he seemed almost comfortable keeping his distance. He didn’t sense any immediate threat but that didn’t mean there wasn’t one.
“Because I’m looking for adventurous people, and if you’re desperate I can offer compensation,” Remarque answered. He’d already known Orien could be prickly, so he expected some sort of resistance to conversation, but before anyone could start assuming that he was soliciting them for some sort of indecent rendezvous, he clarified, “Destiny City’s got a lot of weird s**t going on. Missing people, monsters, strange deaths. I’m looking into all of that, and I’d be foolish not to be looking for help, too. You two happen to be out late at night, in an area where weird things keep happening. So maybe you’ve already seen something, or maybe you will. Have you been keeping up with the news about it all?”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 02, 2023 6:05 pm
As Kaelan moved towards their bag, Orien took a few steps back as well, but he never let his eyes leave the stranger. The suggestion of compensation for desperate, adventurous people had Orien tensing even more--
But the stranger continued.
Weird things going on? Monsters? He was looking for help? And… had they seen anything…?
There were flashes of something in his memory. Maybe his heart rate had been elevated. Had he been running? He couldn’t remember. The time he spent without Kaelan was often little more than a haze.
Orien feared that one day his time with Kaelan might just be a haze as well.
Frustrated, Orien rubbed at his head as he continued baring his teeth at the man. As if that would keep him from doing anything threatening.
“Maybe,” Orien snapped, defensively. He hadn’t been keeping up with the news, and there was no telling if he would remember even if he had been. “Depends on how much you’re going to pay.”
Sure, he could make up some crazy stories if the man gave them some actual cash, but Orien wasn’t going to allow Kaelan to become one of those strange deaths or missing people.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 02, 2023 6:45 pm
Remarque’s eyes dropped to the coins in the fountain briefly; he raised a brow before returning his gaze to Orien. They were already working so hard for loose change, so he couldn’t imagine that there was a chance he wouldn’t be able to get together enough funds to catch their interest.
But then, he wasn’t really looking for information.
“Well, that’s negotiable. I’m not here to give you a hard time. It’s just a sensitive topic. And most people don’t believe there’s more to it than just rumors. But. There’s a hefty bit of magic at play.”
Which was probably enough to make them think he was crazy, so he thought he’d give them a convincing display.
Eternal Sailor Remarque shifted into Prince Remarque in a matter of seconds. This was not new to him, and there weren't any energy signatures nearby. For now. He knew what attention this form could attract, but he couldn’t summon mirrors without it.
Kaelan recoiled at the change; his shoes were on and he’d just picked up the bag but he stiffened immediately because he knew he hadn’t imagined that. “Orien,” he said quickly, trying to summon him to his side so they could just leave.
Of course the offer of cash for information was appealing, but all this talk of murder and monsters and magic was alarming. He’d heard the news, sure. Not much, not when they didn’t have a television or internet, but some. He hadn’t really worried about it until now.
But, the strange man spoke again before Kaelan could grab Orien and bolt. “It’s nothing to be alarmed about. Not with me. Like I said, I’m looking for help. Not trouble. If you don’t want to take up my offer, there will be others. We’ll part ways and you can forget this ever happened. But, if you’re interested, I can promise you a lot more than a few coins. Just hear me out.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 02, 2023 6:59 pm
It had been difficult to see the black wings before, but when they suddenly grew and the man shifted his entire outfit, Orien’s eyes widened in surprise and stumbled backwards--
Luckily it was just against the edge of the fountain, so instead of falling, he simply made it look like he was sitting down (it did not look like he was sitting down, he definitely almost fell). But Kaelan was right there, and he wanted to make sure he was protected.
And part of being protected meant being able to eat and have shelter. And they couldn’t do that without enough funds.
The idea of magic was so far-fetched -- out of one of Kaelan’s stories. And yet… they were looking at proof that magic existed. Or at least it was a really neat trick with smoke and mirrors.
His heart was racing, and he reached out to Kaelan to place a hand on his arm, just to remind him he was there (or to convince Orien that he was okay). The man said they had nothing to be alarmed about but… Orien wasn’t sure he could trust that. He especially didn’t want to risk Kaelan.
“Alright, we’ll hear you out,” he agreed as he finally righted himself and stepped out of the fountain.
“If he does anything weird, we’ll run okay? Well… anything else weird,” he whispered to Kaelan.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 02, 2023 7:22 pm
When Orien stumbled backwards, Kaelan’s hands were immediately on him in an attempt to keep him upright.
The stranger was already doing weird things, he wasn’t sure he wanted to see how weird they could get. But, he nodded anyway, and kept one hand on Orien’s arm. “Well, put on your shoes,” he added quietly.
If they were going to run, it would be better to be prepared.
And, Orien had stayed alert for him, he could do the same now.
The stranger hadn’t come any closer, anyway. Yet.
“Thank you. So for starters, my name’s Remarque. I’m part of the Dark Mirror Court.” He gestured to his side and a full sized mirror manifested next to him.
“There are others like me. With access to powers unavailable to anyone else. There’s no cost to access them. It’s painless. It’s fast.” He turned to the mirror and placed his hand on the surface; it rippled, and his hand passed through. He withdrew it when his demonstration was finished, and turned back to face them. “And it might save your life. We could wait for a youma–one of the monsters–to show up. There’s one not too far off, I can feel it. But I don’t recommend waiting for it to get closer. It will attack you, if it can. Their only purpose is to drain. To kill. They’re disgusting creatures, and they come in all shapes and forms. Dangerous only to those not under certain protections. Which, I can offer you, in addition to magic like mine. I suspect you’ll think me crazy, but.” He shrugged, and seemed rather calm about it all. “I can chase away all of your doubt if you come over to this mirror and take a look inside. I’ll even step away if you’re worried about me being too close. But this opportunity isn’t going to last forever. I’ve found you. I know there’s a magic inside of you. If you don’t trust me now, someone else will find you, and I can’t promise they’ll be as interested in your well-being as I am.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 02, 2023 7:30 pm
Orien fished around for his shoes with his foot, not wanting to take his eyes off the man-- Remarque. There were weird magical things happening, and whether or not they were fake, Orien had no idea.
But there was a mirror that appeared out of thin air, and then Remarque put his hand through the mirror??
He didn’t know if he thought Remarque was crazy. What he did know was that he didn’t want any dangerous, disgusting creatures showing up to hurt or kill Kaelan.
His chest was tight. He’d managed to squeeze his feet into his shoes at least, but the tongue was shoved down into the end. That didn’t matter. He could be uncomfortable for a little while if it meant keeping Kaelan safe.
The strangest part was this man telling them they had a magic inside of them. How could he possibly know that? Was this one of those everyone is magical bullshit?
“What do you think…? I don’t know if he’s telling the truth, but if he is...” he asked Kaelan quietly.
Orien doubted Remarque would entertain too many questions. Like who else there was that could find them. Those who might not be interested in their well-being. And did that mean Remarque was interested, or was it just a line they were being fed.
Was he putting Kaelan in further danger by not immediately running away?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 02, 2023 7:49 pm
Kaelan had no idea how there could be magic in them. They’d been through too much trouble for there to be something good in them.
Oh, but Remarque hadn’t even said it was good.
It wasn’t that Remarque seemed untrustworthy; he was too confident, too smooth talking to sound like he was just rambling or trying to prank them. And he had changed clothes in the blink of an eye. And summoned a mirror. And stuck his hand through it.
There was a lump in Kaelan’s throat that made it almost impossible to talk. Remarque hadn’t moved to attack them. He didn’t even seem particularly judgmental. Everything he said was just strange. Unnatural.
…But how much magic could you be shown before you had to accept it? And, hadn’t Kaelan always wanted to be a part of some magical world? How many books had he read with Orien about some fantasy realm?
“Well, if he’s lying, we’ll kill him if we hit him with this bag,” he said, and grunted as he shifted the backpack so it was on his back. It was so heavy that it hardly even jingled when he moved.
Kaelan might not have distrusted him, but he didn’t trust him enough to leave it unprotected.
“I don’t know. It doesn’t make sense.” He didn’t seem like he was drunk, or like he’d hit his head. And, he was watching them. Patiently.
He had too many questions to ask in any reasonable time frame, but…
What if they could have magic? What if this was their one chance and they were throwing it away?
It was stupid. He knew it. There was no such thing. But, he took Orien’s hand and squeezed it. “I mean. Yeah. Whatever.” They should try. And if it didn’t pan out, they could just throw this guy in his own magic mirror and take off. If this was a prank show, they had to get compensation anyway, right? So–yeah. They could go along with it. So far as he could tell, this guy had no weapon–no gun, no knife. Just a big, flashy costume that was probably really hard to move in anyway.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 02, 2023 8:01 pm
If this was a trick, it was a pretty damn good one. It wasn’t as though Orien and Kaelan had much to lose -- just each other.
But Orien squeezed Kaelan’s hand back and nodded. It didn’t matter what happened, because they were together. If this man -- Remarque was tricking them into something, then they would just have to beat him up. Or kill him as Kaelan suggested, although Orien didn’t think Kaelan had it in him to do something like that.
Orien, on the other hand…
“Alright, but ******** us over and we’ll ******** you up,” Orien warned as he made the first step towards Remarque. But not before he could switch hands holding onto Kaelan’s so he could help lift the heavy bag higher onto Kaelan’s back.
If he wasn’t about to fight this guy with the weird outfit and wings, he would have taken the backpack from him.
“Alright, what’s up with this mirror. What are we supposed to see?” he asked as he led Kaelan over so they could peer into it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
