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 Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2023 8:04 pm
Quote: Equivalent Exchange ( 18 ) - It seems as though this place has been forgotten by the world for a long time, and those laid to rest here were forgotten along with it. Some graves have been given small, strange little gifts, and some have flowers that are old and withered. There are many graves that have nothing. If you bring a gift down to the graves, you will be filled with a soft warmth, and it feels as though your worries are lifted. The sensation follows you home, and when you sleep that night, you have pleasant, safe dreams. When you awaken, you will find some sort of strange gift next to your bed–a dried flower, a string of beads, a small charm–something strange and dated. It is not often something of value, but there is a warmth in the object. It feels like a gift given with love.
As he reached the entrance he looked around, it was pretty scary actually. More so than he'd thought it would've been. The kids at school were either really brave or just didn't think things through when it came to something like this. But he was totally up for the adventure he wasn't scared at all nope.
Though he did wish there was someone to go with him. It'd make this a little less intimidating. Not to mention he'd have something cool at school to talk about so he gathered up his courage and the child headed down the path. "Boy, it sure is dark." He muttered as he wondered down where the cemetery was suppose to be.
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Posted: Wed Jan 22, 2025 6:54 pm
Travelling around graveyards wasn't especially new for her. The quiet, peaceful atmosphere most held was a balm against the hectic and wild temperament of the city at large. Much as she adored the latter, too, a rest was needed to recharge and set herself back on the right course.
There was an interesting rumor about this one in particular, though, if she could find it. Bringing a gift would grant a relief, a warmth. It was a sweet notion, and Realta couldn't help the curiosity that drove her to bring along her would-be gift as she trotted into the graveyard.
A small bag was looped gently around her neck, within being a few small toys--little plastic animals she'd found in some of her wanderings. Tiny things, sure, but the sort a child might involve in scenes with other toys or dolls. Or perhaps just appreciate the cute, little thing on its own.
Her nose itched, though, and the Savannah cat paused, ears twitching this way and that. A voice? And something... else pulled at her senses, directing the feline along at a casual trot. Something called to her, and she had a pretty good idea what that was.
What an interesting location, indeed: a place of ends, but also, new beginnings, it would seem.
Spotting the child, though, Realta did pause a long moment, watching him as he made his way in the same direction she had been heading. He looked young, and that concerned her, made her... consider. Pearlesque eyes focused on him, and finally the Mauvian let out a small sigh, trotting forward to catch up.
"Mrrrrow~" she trilled, hoping to not startle him too much. At least her grasp at faking Earth cat sounds was getting a lot better....
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Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2025 11:48 pm
Taki was still slowly making his way down the stairs listening to the echo of his own footsteps. He was trying not to be scared of this place, but it was cool here, cooler than he expected and wondered how far down the cemetery went.
He didn't hear the cat approach him but when there was a meow that sounded he jumped some whipping his head around he sighed softly when he saw it was just a cat, "Oh! I hope I didn't startle you kitty."
He didn't really want to admit he was the one startled but was looking at her as he held out his hand offering it to her, "Are you here to visit to?"
The child was curious, and admittedly if the cat would join him he wouldn't feel so scared. Though he knew it probably didn't understand him as he talked to it, "Would you join me kitty? I'd feel better about visiting and leaving this if I had a friend with me." He showed her the plush that was in his occupied hand.
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Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2025 3:12 pm
Realta winced slightly as the child whirled about, not meaning to startle the poor thing. Still, as he held out his hand to her, she gave a faux "Mrrrow~" again, trotting forward to bunt her head against his hand. She was tall for a cat, over a foot tall at her shoulder--he didn't have to lean far, at least. Her gaze flicked to the stuffed toy and her tail swayed in feline delight, aware of the small pouch around her own neck. So he was braving the rumor, too, hm?
"Mrrrrup~" Yes, she could certainly feel that pull of magic dormant within him, though she wasn't sure speaking up was... quite good for him in this moment. Instead, she moved to rub against his leg, stepping onward towards the graveyard. A silent attempt to say yes, I'll go with you, or... at least so she hoped was conveyed.
Ugh. Trying to play an Earthling cat was exhausting.
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Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2025 11:13 pm
Taki grinned when it seemed she agreed to go with him, at least the cat didn't run away. "Okay lets go!"
He was felling better about going into the graveyard. As they traveled the last few stairs he looked into the wide expanse that was underground. "This is amazing."
He whispered as finished stepping down onto the grass. Looking at the cat, "I guess we should find a grave to leave the plush." He paused looking at her bag, "I assume you have a present for someone as well?"
There was a moment, "I can help you place it if so." He was curious as to why the cat had a bag, wondering if it was trained much like a dog could be.
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Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2025 12:20 pm
Catacombs, or so she assumed these were. Of sorts. Her paws tread on the cold grass silently, taking a moment to appreciate their surroundings as the boy voiced his own awe.
Her ears swiveled this way and that--one part listening to the child, the other listening out for... whatever odd sounds echoed or whispered through these grounds. Just soft winds thus far, perhaps the movement of small, unbothered creatures going about their lives. Her tail swayed, and Realta looked up at his offer to help her with her gifts, offering a chirp in agreement.
He was kind to offer, and being quite brave. This was... far from the sort of dangers and troubles he would face, if she went forward with what she was planning. Yet she still knew the likely cost if she didn't--eventually, an unawakened starseed would attract youma attention, or perhaps when a bit older, he'd be snagged up by the Negaverse...
She was not overly keen to awakening ones so young, but she far preferred they be protected as possible, and given proper aid as they learned about the extents of the world--and worlds beyond--around them.
The feline took a few steps forward again before looking to him, waiting to see which of the graves he would pick. She spotted a few some rows down that looked... especially small, and felt her ears pull back slightly. Children, it looked like. Perhaps younger. Likely taken by some disease or another. Were any of the larger ones near them their parents..?
Tragic, but realistic, train of thought.
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Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2025 11:31 pm
Taki was looking around hoping there wasn't any scary monsters here, but if he was with the tall cat maybe it wouldn't be so bad. He moved on towards one of the graves that didn't have any little trinket on it.
"There's a lot of graves." He said softly as he walked remembering that his mother would always tell him to be respectful of the dead and not be too loud. There was one in particular that seemed to draw him to it from the row she'd noticed, "I think this is a good one to leave the plush with, what do you think kitty?"
He looked towards his feline companion waiting to see if he could expect a meow, he felt like she understood him or at least he was pretending she was able to understand him.
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Posted: Wed Jan 29, 2025 11:45 am
The Savannah sat down carefully in the grass beside where he stood, long tail wrapping around her paws delicately.
Her gaze moved over the inscription on the stone, worn after so much time and lack of care. His willingness to come to a place like this at least gave her a bit of assurance she was doing the right thing--she could run herself in logical circles for a millennia if she wanted, the ethical debate behind awakening children like this was an extremely understandable and deeply concerning thing.
But she didn't want to risk the chance of this boy facing a worse danger alone and unaware. So when he looked down at her to ask about the plushy, she gave a feline smile.
"I think it would be perfect," she said gently, watching his reaction keenly. A thought struck though, and one of her ears flicked. "Ah--and no, I'm not part of this place, or anything like that. I didn't want to frighten you, as it were."
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Posted: Sun Feb 02, 2025 11:44 pm
At first Taki didn't realize she'd spoken and smiled placing the plush on the grave before pausing and looking back at that cat. He knew he had a heck of imagination but . . . a talking cat??
"D..... did you just talk?" He asked as the words she spoke registered, saying she didn't want to frighten him. To be fair he'd probably be startled by a gust of wind walking down in here alone.
He was still looking at the cat, "I feel like I've ended up in an air bud movie or something." His mom insisted on watching the movies with talking animals and it very much compared in his mind.
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Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2025 12:12 pm
Realta smiled in only the way cats could, laughing in genuine mirth to the comparison to Air Bud... yes, she'd surfed enough channels and binged enough movies to know what that was.
"Yes, I did just speak, and am doing so now, but no, you're not quite in a movie. My name is Realta, I'm what's called a Mauvian--a guardian cat, if you will." Raail-ta was said simply as she could, but the lit of her accent still carried on it. "Might I ask your name?" Gently, she continued to watch him, aware of how startling this could be for anyone...
"And... tell me, have you heard about any of the other... oddities, or scary things happening in the city?" Were he older, she'd have come right out about the old terrorist news, or strange sleeping occurrences, or whatever else was highlighted on the news.
"Any talk of strange creatures, or people in strange uniforms running around?"
Plus, depending on what he had heard, it might help her determine how to best... explain all this... Just doing a backflip and tossing him a pen would only do so much-- hm.
Focusing on that old, deep magic, Realta pulled it towards herself and cast it about towards him, in a sort of way. Pulling on what gleam of his starseed she could feel, let it influence the flow of the magic, its form, it's all... she pushed herself up into the air, a graceful swirl of black and lilac, pearlescent light gleaming between the curve of her body and condensing into a simple pen that hovered in the air just above her. "This might help to show you some of what I mean."
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Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2025 12:16 am
Taki was looking enamored at the talking cat. He hadn't expected to end up as if he was in a movie. She introduced herself, "Oh Nice to meet you Realta" He tried not to stumble over her name, a guardian cat?
"Ohhh what's a guardian cat do? Is it sort of like a guardian angel?" He asked curiously and paused when she asked his name, "Oh I'm Takehiko Youta, you can call me Taki if you want."
There was a pause as he thought about strange creatures and people in strange uniforms. "Yeah, I've seen some strange folks out and animals that - - well aren't quite animals. Most of the time I'm at home so I can get inside fast before mama worries."
He paused, "I wasn't sure she'd let me come here but she needed me to run some other errands for her since she was busy and said I could come here before I came home from shopping for her." While he was only ten his mom did occasionally need him to go shopping for her when she had to work late and they needed food.
He stopped though watching Realta do a back flip, she looked so graceful doing such and started clapping, "You're amazing!" He was looking at the pen that appeared, as if it was a magic trick and he slowly took it in his hand, "Oh, can I really have this?"
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Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2025 12:12 pm
The comparison to a guardian angel wasn't overly shocking, but she still grinned and laughed lightly. "Not quite--more like a councilor or librarian," she offered, taking into consideration the sort of roles he might be familiar with from school. "We help guide and inform our charges, to the best of our ability."
Realta's tail swayed, an ear flicking as he mentioned his mother worrying--understandable, and she hoped she wouldn't be advising this youngster how to slip out of curfew or some such...
"That was smart of your mother, Taki, coming up with a compromise like that." Concerns about her young one in this city were more than reasonable to the feline, and she nodded lightly as she processed his way of talking about what she assumed must be powered folks and youma. Though her fur puffed slightly at that--he was lucky to not have been noticed sooner.
"Yes, that pen is yours, Taki." She soothed away her more troubled thoughts, smiling up at him. "You see, part of why I'm here is because I could hear your starseed calling to me. It's something everyone has inside them, though they can't always be seen. Some are a bit different than others, however."
She pulled her magic through her once more, this time centered on herself. The air around her shimmered and her form shifted, the lilac Savannah's form transforming into that of a young woman who knelt peacefully in front of the boy. Lilac cat ears twitched atop her head, a similar tail swaying behind her. The delicate chains over her abdomen and around her hips twinkled, and she smiled to him. "You see, part of my duty as a guardian is to find people with those special starseeds, and you are one. If you focus on your pen, the phrase you need to say to unlock that special part of your starseed will come to you."
She couldn't sense any Chaos in the area, and was aware the aura she was throwing off in this form was a potential beacon, but she wanted to prove to him the magic was real--and if need be, she could step in easier in this form to keep him safe once he was powered up.
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Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2025 12:22 am
Taki made an ooo face when she said she was more like a councilor or librarian, "Ohhhh a librarian like that show my mom watches!" He knew she liked that show about these four librarians finding artifacts and having crazy adventures.
He wondered what she'd think of all this. When Realta mentioned that was smart of his mother, "Yeah, we make compromises like that all the time. I try to be close to home before dark when I can. Sometimes I run a little late but since she works weird hours she doesn't always notice. I make sure to let her know where I am though." He showed her his cellphone which had a case with a dinosaur on it.
When Realta said the pen was his he grinned largely and was looking at it. He thought it was a pretty pen not expecting there to be more to it. There was a pause when the cat explained that there was something called a starseed in people and that some are different than others. He tilted his head a bit looking over to her and suddenly she'd changed from a cat to a pretty lady.
He blinked a couple of times in awe of how that worked, "Ohhhh wow! That's amazing magic!" He gave a small clap too to show he was impressed how easy she made that seem.
The next moment though she was explained she needed him to focus on his pen and he nodded determined not to let her down. "Okay!"
He realized focusing on the pen with his eyes open might be trying to hard after a few moments of just intently staring at the pen. There was a small pout but he decided to close his eyes and see if he could feel what she was talking about that way. After a moment it was like something sparked. "Totoro, Power Make-up!"
After a few moment there was a bright light and sparkles that surrounded him and after he blinked a few times he found himself dressed as a racoon. "Ohhh does this mean I'm a super hero?" He looked at the gloves on the back of his hands and turned so he could look at the tail on his costume.
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Posted: Mon Feb 17, 2025 8:26 am
Realta kept any commentary on considering how easily that schedule could be worked around, when Taki brought up his mother's odd-houred work life. Were he older, she'd have brought it up, but she wasn't coaching a child on how to circumvent parental care and protection. If anything, she shifted her train of thought into how to explain things to his mother, if that might be a better avenue in general to go down...
Yes, it would open up a civilian to potential dangers, but if she knew what her son was doing, she'd be arguably better prepared to handle the aspects that impacted her life beyond her child's involvement... and likely better help him handle the inevitable weight of it all.
When he focused, though, and found the correct phrase--Totoro? Hm. She'd need to look into that one--Realta's smile brightened all the more. Somewhat in pride that he managed it, another... well. The uniform was rather adorable...
"Of sorts," she agreed, the wide smile causing the corners of her eyes to crinkle. "You're what's called a Sailor Scout, or a senshi is another term you'll hear most often. You draw strength and power from a place far from Earth--in this case, Totoro, which is why you are called Sailor Totoro. You take on its name, and it's power, to protect and help people. Or you will--right now, you're a Chibi Senshi. You're in training to be a full senshi. You possess magic--if you focus on it like you did with the pen, I'm sure you'll be able to reach out and find out what that is, too. But this magic isn't nearly as strong as it can be, and will be when you're older."
One of her ears flicked, and she frowned slightly as a more serious expression slid into place. "But please know, just because you are a Chibi Senshi, does not mean you are any less deserving of your power than any other, or any less able to help people around you once you learn how to best use your strengths. There are people and creatures, monsters, that will try to hurt you and others, no matter your age. They would have been drawn to your starseed, as I was, but now that you've awoken as Totoro, they will not be able to find you when you are as your regular, civilian self. But they can find you--and others!--when you're powered up as you are now."
Realta gestured to herself, her smile returning as her head tilted slightly. "You can likely feel my energy signature--all powered individuals have one, but over time, you'll be able to better identify what type of signature comes from friends, or dangers. I realize this is a lot, but know that while I'm going over the main parts now... I will go over anything you have questions on, to the best of my ability, as many times as you think will help. That's my role, as a guardian, to help keep you informed so you can become the best superhero you can be."
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Posted: Mon Feb 17, 2025 10:53 pm
He picked up his tail when he finally got to see it and was impressed with how soft it felt, he was listening to Realta explain he was sort of a super hero which was pretty awesome in of itself. "A sailor scout?"
He had powers from somewhere in space and his eyes narrowed a bit, "Sooooo my power is related to . . ." There was a pause as he was thinking, "Raccoons?" He guessed he should've expected it since there was a whole raccoon tail in his hands but, it was still interesting.
He nodded when she said his powers weren't as powerful as they should be because he was a chibi, "So a padawan...." It was the easiest thing he could relate this too that he knew about since his mom was kind of a star wars buff.
His mind was racing as he tried to take in all the information that Realta was giving him mentioning that he wasn't any less deserving of his power than anyone else, and he needed to learn to use his strengths. He'd also be safer this way than if he was still just a normal kid. "So I have to keep this a secret like Batman and Superman?"
He was curious as his attention was drawn to her mention of energy signature, now that she mentioned it . . . there was some sort of weird feeling coming from her direction. He took one hand and scratched the back of his head, this was a lot of information but she promised she'd go over questions and try to keep him informed about stuff so he could be the best superhero that he could be.
"Also, if I tell my mom, does that mean she worries more or less?" He knew she worried if he was out after dark which is why he tried his best to always be home before dark and before she got home so that maybe she wouldn't worry as much.
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