|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2023 7:38 pm
[immediately follows the dawning of the age of aquarius]
Jupiter Butterfly--no, Sonora of Ida, whatever that meant and whoever that made her (all she could guess was "something like Kaifeng, maybe?", but he'd said he was Kaifeng of Saturn, not Ida, and--oh, she really didn't know, and there was no time to be worrying about that!!)--was not lucky.
The beast that had chased her, that had led to her getting her fan and becoming magical, was still on her heels. Her smacking it had startled it, made it back off for a moment with whimpers of pain that honestly made her feel terribly guilty, but now it was right back on her heels, and she couldn't seem to shake it.
She stopepd when she got to a more open area of the park, looking around fro any kind of help--but she could feel all kinds of strange things around her, and she wasn't sure what she meant, and really, Sonora, Page of Ida, felt very overwhelmed and very scared, despite her little wisp's best efforts to float up and press against her cheek in a way she was sure was intended to be comforting.
Running wasn't working. Sonora did not want to fight. But amybe--maybe someone else might scare it off? She wasn't sure.
All she knew was that it was her best idea. So, she took a deep breath, and put all the air into her lungs into screaming--
"HELP!"
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2023 9:00 pm
Reiki probably could’ve gotten away with not powering up right now. Between all the packing and moving, the looming threat of needing to explain to the family what was going on—never mind needing to tell Sibyl and Cherry—the fact that even Yuki didn’t entirely know what was happening or why (and Asher didn’t know damn near anything, having also moved in with Yuki)? So little time, so much to do, and nobody could have blamed Reiki for skipping out on all of his normal magical girl patrols and “try to keep Mirrorspace from getting too much of a clue that it was going to be abandoned in due time” visits under the circumstances.
Strictly speaking, that probably applied to his life more generally as well. Reiki could have all too easily stopped powering up at all, ever. He could’ve behaved himself appropriately, done no magical girl shenanigans, gotten into no hijinks whatsoever (certainly not of the sort that set his heart fluttering about a guy whom most of society would have called monster (derogatory)—in fairness, they could have said it about the assorted atrocities that Faustite had to his name, rather than about him existing while half-youma—but who had consistently treated Reiki better than his fully human ex-fiancé had). He could have listened to Blonde Elsa instead of Real Elsa, and let it all go, and gone back to simply being himself instead of trying to make Murikabushi happen.……
But, well, that simply wouldn’t have been him, would it. Maybe someone else could choose not to power up. Maybe someone else could know about what was out there and be perfectly content without hopping around the roofs and traipsing through the fine parks of Destiny City every night, chasing after Negaverse officers and Nega-senshi who needed foiling, or youma who needed to head back to the Rift for nap-time instead of nomming on innocent civilian starseeds, or whatever happened across their paths.
Reiki, on the other hand, didn’t perk up until he felt the youma aura popping onto his senses (and a White Moon aura to go with it, but even if they proved pretty aggro, they only had a first-stage power level, so Reiki couldn’t imagine they’d be too much of a problem). He didn’t get that rush of feeling alive until he heard the scream for help. Didn’t feel right if he wasn’t out here, running up to meet some White Moon girl in purple and a terrified expression, with a youma hot on her heels.
First thought: Reiki recognized the golden symbol all over this girl’s outfit. He’d seen it glowing bright on Ida-hime-sama’s forehead, multiple different times.
Second thought: at least this girl seemed a good deal smarter than the other first-level Knight with a folding fan whom Reiki had met in recent months.
Third thought—“Get behind me,” he told her, shifting into a power stance. Just because he’d meant it when he’d agreed with Jet that youma deserved to be treated decently, didn’t mean Reiki wouldn’t defend people against them when the were acting a fool. “I need it a little closer, then I can stop it.”
Damn magic, having distance limits on it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2023 10:45 pm
Sonora was all too happy to see someone show up. Especially someone tall, and muscular, and also very attractive--wow, honestly, this person was...gorgeous. Long legs, cute skirt, and the black and red and purple, with its little flairs of pink--wow, the whole ensemble really looked amazing.
Sonora was all too eager to follow their--his?--instructions, too, moving to stand behind her much, much taller savior. Clearly she was very, very lucky, to have practically summoned someone so pretty, and cool, and experienced. Victory!
But then, it hit her--
"Ahh, wait, don't hurt it too badly," she said, "it can't help what it is, it's just an animal--it's probably hungry or hurt or scared!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 18, 2023 3:32 am
Inhaling deeply—but not pursing his eyes because wow, talk about the stupidest things that he could possibly do while staring down this youma—Reiki resolved to just……be ******** nice about this. As nice as possible, anyway. The little Page was clearly new to all this. It wasn’t her fault that she didn’t know anything yet, or understand yet that sometimes, youma didn’t give you the option of playing nicely.
“It’s probably at least two of those three options, yeah,” he said, getting his arm into place for his casting gesture. “And what I do—it’ll go away. For naptime, basically. But it won’t be pleasant to watch, so just……close your eyes and I’ll explain later, okay?”
Ideally, he would’ve had a moment to check that the Page actually closed her eyes.
Unfortunately, the world was ever determined to avoid being its best and most ideal self, and as the youma crossed into the range of his magic, Reiki didn’t hesitate. He yanked back, tugging on the same invisible string as always, and called out, “Ravenous Hunger!”
Indeed, as Reiki had warned the little Page, the visual of how his magic affected the youma was distinctly unpleasant. First, the youma fumbled to a halt. Then, it dropped onto its haunches, wailing and whining as if it hadn’t eaten in weeks. Then, in spite of the fact that a precious, doe-eyed Page and a whole-a** Super Senshi stood there before it—both full of energy and tasty, tasty starseeds that it could consume—the youma started biting and clawing at itself, until it did enough damage to crumble into dust, headed back to the Rift.
Reiki sighed softly and discontentedly. No matter how much he knew that, A., full youma did not, per se, die in the ways he’d previously believed, and B., dusting them was justifiable self-protection, he still didn’t exactly relish doing it, in the same way that he’d once done. Not since getting to know more about them, and more about the Negaverse in general.
Not since Faustite had almost become one.
Still, with a small shake of the head, Reiki gently offered, “Hope you listened to me about closing your eyes, sis.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 22, 2023 3:34 am
Sonora did not ask questions. She closed her eyes, and covered her mouth, and braced.
She wasn't entirely sure she believed him, that it would just "go away for naptime." That sounded like the type of thing you told a child, to cover up a thoroughly unpleasant truth. But, well....maybe Sonora wanted the unpleasant truth covered up. Because even though she wasn't watching, the sounds she was hearing....those were more than bad enough.
It sounded awful, and it made her stomach lurch, and when it was over, she opened her eyes and there was no trace of the monster.
"So, that's....it? It's gone?" Her voice wavered a little, and her knees shook. "And what--who are you? Who am I? What does Page of Ida mean??" She paused. Considered. "....Do you know Kaifeng, or Demeter? Are you like them?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 22, 2023 3:14 pm
At least, however unpleasant Reiki’s magic was, it certainly took care of the youma problem. With it gone, Reiki turned back to the new baby knight, cautiously holding out his hands. He wanted to offer her support after such an ordeal, or a hug, or something, but didn’t full-out touch her yet. Had to let her set the pace for things so she didn’t get totally overwhelmed or anything. She’d probably had more than enough of such things tonight.
Either way, Reiki took a deep breath and told her calmly (as calmly as he could manage), “That thing that was just chasing you? It’s called a youma. They’re magical creatures used by a group of people called the Negaverse. And you’re right that they’re usually some kind of hungry, scared, or hurting—but they’re also very dangerous and very powerful. If people like you and me—senshi and knights, that is—don’t stop them, they’re happy to not only drain our energy but also eat our starseeds.”
Here, Reiki paused a moment to lift up his brooch and tap his chest. “A starseed sits in your chest and it is your soul—very literally. More specifically, a starseed is the part of a soul that reincarnates and remains consistent across multiple lifetimes. Youma like to eat those, and when they do?” He mimed a “poof” sort of gesture with one hand. “No more reincarnation, no more new lives, a soul is completely removed from the cycle of rebirth forever. So, not only do people like us have to protect ourselves from youma, we also need to protect everyone else. Most people have no idea what’s going on, and even if they did know, they wouldn’t have any real means of protecting themselves.”
……Not that this really helped when the poor girl had been so upset about the idea of Reiki hurting the poor youma. “I don’t know if this will help or not,” he offered, “but nothing you or I can do is actually capable of killing a youma. What we do may not be pleasant or anything—my magic definitely isn’t—but all we can do is temporarily take them out. It’s like……did you watch Steven Universe at all?” Reiki briefly took off his glasses to rub at the bridge of his nose. Headache building with no clear and ostensible cause……and he couldn’t think of when he’d last “eaten” something that hadn’t actually been green tea.…… ******** s**t dammit.
He needed to clear things up with Miss Sunset Hair, Page of Ida, then get himself somewhere he could, like? Eat. An actual food, preferably.… Reiki didn’t want to abandon this new Page to her own devices, but……oh, she had said “Page of Ida,” hadn’t she? And those were copies of Ida-hime-sama’s orchid symbol all over her outfit.… Maybe Reiki could just……take her to Kerberos, and then Kerberos could call Ida.
“What we can do to youma is like poofing a Gem on Steven Universe: they get temporarily knocked out of commission, then they can respawn later. There’s a place in the Negaverse called the Rift? That’s where youma live and as far as I understand, where they respawn after we stop them.” With a sigh, Reiki tried to wrap up the introductory lecture: “And, uh—I do know Kaifeng and Deme? I’m more like her, and you’re more like him, just speaking in terms of what kind of magical we are. He’s a Page of Saturn, and being a Page of Ida is the same concept but for a different planet. I’m, uh.”
Reiki. Reiki. My name is Reiki, I don’t even know HOW to be—“Murikabushi. Senshi of hunger. And……I’m sorry this is all so much for a first night? And I’m sorry that my aura right now probably isn’t helping? It—” Shaking his head, he waved a hand at nothing in particular. “It means I’m with the Dark Mirror Court instead of the White Moon like you, Demeter, Kāifēng, and your planet’s Princess. And, like, I’m working on not being with them anymore, but……it’s just this whole thing, there’s a process, and it’s all, like—whatever.”
He shook his head again. No sense making the poor girl worry about all that on her first night as one of Ida-hime-sama’s Knights. “Don’t worry about it. I……I can’t call Ida myself? But I have another White Moon friend, Kerberos? He hangs out not too far from here. I can take you to him and he can call Ida, if you want to meet her?” Offering her a small, hopeful smile, Reiki added, “She’s a lovely person. And I’m sure she’d love to meet you.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2023 6:01 pm
Sonora didn't hesitate--this handsome, tall, muscular dude in his amazing outfit looked like he gave fantastic hugs, and so with one offered, she practically launched herself forward, seeking the comfort and security of human touch. Even if ti was touch from a stranger who could apparently make a monster....
Sonora shuddered. She didn't want to think about it. But maybe it was the only way, and from what he was saying, even if ti was bad, it wasn't...it wasn't like the poor thing was permanently dead.
Also? What this thing was capable of...it sounded really, really terrifying.
"So..I mean...these youma...they eat people? Like, to survive? Can they eat...anything else? Or....is it like cats, where even if you're vegan, you can't feed your cat vegan?" A thing that Jupiter had once lost a friend and gained a cat over, so it always loomed heavy in her mind. Mr. Mistletoe was waiting for her at home, and he would probably be worried because she was late, which meant she'd have a very snuggly kitty...
But that wasn't necessarily relevant, was it?
"Ah...when I met Kaifeng, he mentioned that someone close to him was also a Page of Ida..." A connection, already. Perhaps she was lucky, or perhaps that meeting with Demeter and Kaifeng, too, had been the machinations of fate. Things clicking into place to align properly so that when she became Sonora, all would be set for her to be as safe as possible.
"I...would really like to meet your friends." She made a thoughtful "hm" noise, and considered. "And your aura isn't that bad. You're such a kind person, it makes up for any bad circumstances."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2023 11:04 pm
Reiki caught Sonora when she came crashing forward for the hug. Like, what else was he supposed to do here? He’d offered, and after everything she’d been through tonight, it seemed like she desperately needed to crash into the arms of someone safe. So, he tried to give her the best hug that he could—especially since she seemed sort of like the type for whom dusting a youma……didn’t really appeal as an option, even with the reassurance that all it actually did was send them back to the Rift for a while.
“I don’t entirely know? There’s a lot about youma I don’t really understand; they’re with the Negaverse, not with the Dark Mirror Court.” Not that Mirrorwraiths were any better. If anything, Reiki vastly preferred youma at this point, because at least you could SEE youma. At least they (more or less) came out in the open and announced what they were doing, instead of flitting around secretly like Mirrorwraiths. At least youma had <********>. “I don’t actually think I’ve ever seen a full youma eat in the same way you do for food? But they go after human energy and starseeds, which is why we have to stop them from going after innocent people who can’t protect themselves.”
Of which there were so very many in Destiny City, and they all needed people to watch out for them.
Nodding slowly, he gave Sonora a gentle pat on the back and hoped that it was reassuring. “Yeah, I met another Page of Ida recently,” he said, thinking of poor Selenga. He couldn’t—and absolutely would NOT—say too much about Selenga; as he’d told Selenga that night, what they’d talked about wasn’t Reiki’s to disclose or not. “But……okay. Ida-hime-sama’s going to be thrilled about getting to meet you. And do you like boba? There’s a boba place on the way to Kerberos’s bench that doesn’t look at you funny when you come in powered up.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
