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 Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2024 5:01 pm
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Quote: Prompt 5 (Ice Bath): Rainfall is rare in Destiny City during Winter; there have been a few light showers between the occasional snow but it’s never been enough to be significant. In some places, it’s just enough for a thin layer of ice to cover the ground and make it a little slippery, but ultimately it’s not enough to worry about. In an inconspicuous place in town, you step into one of these icy puddles and the thin layer of ice shatters. The hole itself seems maybe three feet wide and if you’ve ever been in the area before you know it’s just a pothole a few inches deep at most. Except, when the ice shatters, you fall, plummeting into it as if it were a lake of icy water. It’s pitch black around you and only pale blue lights shimmer above you. The darkness is never ending and you can’t make out the details of anything except the shrinking hole above you. Maybe you remember how to swim and pull yourself out, maybe you black out and feel someone else pulling you out--either way, your frozen, soaking body is pulled from the puddle. The chill is immense, but if you look at the hole after being pulled out, all you can see is the ground below. There’s no sign that what you just experienced is real--except for the fact that you’re still soaking wet.
There was a Mauvian in the area. Vilenius couldn’t see it, but he could feel it. It felt like he hadn’t seen one in ages. He’d heard they existed, of course, but still.
Mauvians were like that, able to sneak and wander without drawing much attention to themselves. That might have been why he was having such a hard time locating one.
Something moved in the bushes nearby, and he thought it might have been the cat. It was too big to be a rodent–probably–but before he could open his mouth, he heard something crack.
There was little light; though the air was crisp and clear in the cold winter night, the moon was covered by clouds. He didn’t need much light to see something glint beneath his feet. For a few seconds, he stayed frozen, perplexed by the strange noise.
The hair on the back of his neck was standing up. He didn’t know what was wrong but he knew something had just happened.
And then, he fell.
The ground shattered beneath him and he was suddenly plummeting down. In his panic, he hardly registered the ice cold water gripping at his clothes. He let out a strangled cry and dug his nails into the concrete beneath him, desperately clawing as he tried to drag himself out.
Something was gripping the fabric of his uniform. He might not have felt cold but he felt claws, or talons. Pinching, slicing, stabbing into him.
The Mauvian was all but forgotten. Vilenius was scrambling to escape whatever icy depths had opened up beneath him, but he was helpless against it.
He could find no purchase, nothing to grip or cling to. With a splash, Vilenius disappeared in the icy puddle.
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Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2024 7:30 am
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Lucien was quickly learning that Devyn, Michael, and Soleiyu hadn’t been exaggerating in the slightest when they said strange things happened in Destiny City. Not that Lucien had any experience outside of Destiny City, but it wasn’t difficult to believe that anomalies happened there -- likely due to the high concentration of Senshi, Knight, and Chaos, although there was no proof of that. Currently.
Unfortunately, the anomaly this time had to deal with water.
Still, Lucien couldn’t just leave a Senshi to drown. He’d been curious about the aura and had been following at a safe distance. Until ice seemed to break under the Senshi on the sidewalk of all places, and fell through.
Lucien did not want to jump into icy water, and not only that, but he doubted he would actually be able to help by jumping in. So he looked for an alternative --
There were some wooden pallets that had been stacked up in the nearby alleyway. They weren’t much but they were something.
He jumped over to them and quickly pushed one towards the puddle, grateful that it managed to reach across the opening. He left enough room for when the Senshi surfaced again, and hopefully enough for something for him to grab onto.
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Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2024 7:26 pm
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“No, you’re not,” Lucien agreed as he watched the Senshi finally power down. “But your health would be at risk otherwise.”
Hmm… but something still wasn’t right. From what Soleiyu told him, the Senshi that arrived on Earth were supposed to be given a way to disguise their non-Terran features.
“You don’t exactly blend in,” Lucien said in response, his tail swishing this way and that as he continued to watch the Senshi. “Have you been in contact with another Mauvian yet? We are able to provide you with means of taking on Terran features -- nothing permanent, just a disguise of sorts. And a way to return home, should you choose. My name is Lucien, and I am not from this place, either.”
This one seemed untrusting. Good. That meant he would likely survive longer than someone who did trust easily.
“And neither is my bonded.”
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Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2024 7:41 pm
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For a few seconds longer, he stared at Lucien. His lip twitched again, and he finally jutted out his hand. Around his wrist was a thin silver bracelet with a blue gemstone, and when the light caught it just right, it had the pale silhouette of a Mauvian inside.
“I have met one. But we have not spoken since my first night here. I did not want to speak.”
Mechanically, he sat up. It almost looked as though he were a marionette, tugged by his strings into a seated position. His eyes never left Lucien. “This is not my native language.”
But it let him communicate, which was better than nothing.
With a clear distaste for the device around his wrist, he prodded at it harshly with one finger until the pale blue of his skin faded to a less intrusive color. He rubbed an ear with the palm of his hand and seemed further dissatisfied at the odd shape.
“This world is so dirty but I cannot go home. I hate it there, too.” Though he spoke with venom in his voice, there was almost something longing there. He hadn’t been back since he first arrived on Earth. He didn’t know if he wanted to go back at all. There wasn’t anything there for him, anyway.
“I am Vilenius,” he said, but there was no politeness. It was a forced introduction and he huffed at the end of it. “You are from Mau,” he assumed. “Where is your bonded? Is it better off than Earth?”
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Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2024 7:52 pm
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“Mau is the homeworld of Mauvians, yes,” he agreed, although he didn’t seem to have any fondness in his voice. “My bonded arrived on Earth before I was recovered from his world. Although forgive me for not sharing his name.”
It wasn’t that he distrusted Vilenius, but he’d just met him. And there was no telling if this Senshi had heard of and believed the stories about Alastor. The last thing Lucien wanted to do was to rile up bad blood based on rumors and lies.
Well, perhaps that wasn’t the case before Devyn, but that was why he had to be careful.
“My bonded is very protective of his world. It had been cursed by Chaos until not too long ago. He and many others fought to cast the Chaos out. Restoration is a long, slow process. I am pleased to see you were not left completely on your own. Sticking out is not always a good thing here. The Negaverse would likely have its attention drawn to you quicker. Do you have somewhere you are staying? I have a blanket, and some snacks. My bonded makes sure those in his care are always prepared,” Lucien said with a puffed chest of pride, and then fiddled with some invisible space in front of him to withdraw a wrapped candy bar and blanket as promised.
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Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2024 7:58 pm
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Viconius was absolutely not a man who cared to be pitied, and had Lucien delivered the items with any sense of sympathy, he might have rejected them. Instead, he shamelessly accepted the blanket and draped it around his shoulders, and he couldn’t really say no to snacks.
He had manners. Not now, but sometimes. He tore open the wrapping and all but inhaled its entire content before he slumped forward a bit and drew the blanket tighter. He grumbled his gratitude and it was sincere despite how reluctant he sounded.
“I have a room. With people who understand.” It probably wouldn’t have been fair to out them to a Mauvian so he didn’t mention that they were Knights.
He’d been on Earth for long enough that he understood the language, but the shock of cold to his system made it a bit tedious to translate them. “What type of Chaos? Is it like here on Earth?”
He picked at the thread of the blanket; it wasn’t loose, but the texture gave him something to focus on. Better than staring at the Mauvian expectantly, probably. He didn’t care, but he was trying to be respectful. Sort of.
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Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2024 9:48 am
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Lucien stood once it seemed as though Vilenius was settling down, although he would have preferred if he got comfortable somewhere, well… not in the middle of the sidewalk. His tail swished this way and that, and then he moved forward, his tail leaning enough to brush against Vilenius as he moved passed him.
“We should find somewhere else to rest. Are you able to move?” he asked, because he didn’t want to rush him, but he also didn’t want to linger, despite the aura being hidden for now.
“It was a Chaos that seeped into everything. A dark shadow that fell over the world. That burrowed into people’s hearts. Made them see things that weren’t there, believe lies, trust traps. The Chaos here has manifested in other ways. It seems to be isolated within people and those creatures they call Youma. More tangible. More morally ambiguous.”
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Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2024 10:26 am
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“I can move,” Viconius huffed, pride too delicate to allow him to answer any other way. He forced himself to his feet but looked like the effort alone had paled his skin further. Moving felt like setting every muscle afire.
Better than being wet, and frozen, at least.
His lip twitched as he moved, but he forced himself to smooth out his outfit and brush off any snow that hadn’t yet melted on him.
For a moment afterwards, he didn’t speak. It wasn’t that he couldn’t find the words, or even that he was afraid of Lucien hearing the pain in his voice–he just had too many questions. He couldn’t figure out which one to ask first, as if choosing one before another would void the opportunity to ask more.
Finally, he asked, “How did you stop it? My world is dark. Quiet. Unclean. Empty.”
He sounded almost torn, like he wasn’t sure if he should be concerned or if he thought this was a becoming fate.
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Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2024 6:32 pm
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Lucien’s tail swished back and forth as the man looked like he was straining himself to get to his feet. He looked like he needed to rest, and warm up. There weren’t many places that Lucien felt comfortable bringing someone who clearly needed some extra space and patience, but he knew that it was significantly warmer down one of the alleys close by. Thanks to the restaurants with ventilation from their ovens.
And it had nothing to do with the scraps that ended up in the nearby dumpster. He had plenty of snacks with him! Sometimes it just smelled good, and he had to tell Michael and Devyn to get him a plate the next time they were in town.
“I was not there when they stopped it,” Lucien shared, not wanting there to be any misunderstanding with what he was saying. He looked around to make sure they weren’t being followed, and trotted towards the warm part of the alley and paused to wait for the Senshi. They could at least get out of the cold and wind for now.
“They gathered together many others. They fought together against the Chaos that had rooted itself into the World. It was not easy, and there were many challenges they had to overcome, but in the end the world was cleansed of the Chaos that corrupted it. It was once empty as well, but animals and other creatures have started to return. We could help you recover your world as well,” he offered, knowing for a fact that Devyn would absolutely agree to helping.
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Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2024 6:41 pm
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Though Viconius was a bit slow as they moved, he followed the Mauvian without question or protest. He was happy to be away from the hole in the ground, and even if he was dry in this form, his bones still felt frosty.
“Is there a point?” he muttered. There was a bitterness in his voice, a venom that stung himself more than anyone else. He carried anger and resentment and hurt and lashed out easily.
“It’s in the water, I think. It moves like snakes over your skin. Bites like them, too.”
He had not had the opportunity to explore much of his world when he was free, and maybe it was a bit dramatic to assume he was all alone there. That was impossible, wasn’t it? The main city–his home–seemed empty. Evacuated, at worst, he thought. It made sense, given the brief sights he’d seen after he escaped the caverns he’d been trapped in.
They were not thoughts he dwelled on often, and though he only vaguely considered them, his lip still twitched as he pondered.
“My world was not there for me,” he said suddenly. “Why should I be there for it? Or anyone on it? They have all forgotten me.”
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Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2024 1:24 pm
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Lucien looked at Viconius with sympathy in his eyes. He’d seen a lot of Senshi in his life, trying to come to terms with the power awakened inside them--
A sharp pain in his head ended the thought, and Lucien was barely able to hold back a wince.
What a strange thing to think… Yes, he must have seen many Senshi in his life prior to what he’d learned was called The Fall, or some version of that. But he couldn’t remember specifics. Certainly not if other Senshi were having trouble with their new powers. That was to be expected though, right? Surely many would have trouble…
“Even a parasite needs a host to survive. Your world survives because of you, not the other way around,” Lucien said gently. He didn’t know anything about what happened with Vilenius, but for a world to turn on its Senshi? It was likely the people of his world that turned on him, and his world protected him. But Lucien knew his memories weren’t very good and he knew he was capable of being wrong.
“If you want it to suffer and die, that is your prerogative. But if you change your mind and want to restore your power, then you will have many willing to help.”
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Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2024 1:44 pm
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Though Viconius had some resistance towards the Mauvian’s words, it was because he didn’t want to hear them and not because he doubted the validity of them. He held great reverence for Mauvians, and though he’d only just met Lucien he couldn’t imagine that there was anything to gain by trying to deceive him.
Especially when he wasn’t even pressuring him to revisit his world.
Lucien made no effort to untangle the net of emotions that clung to Viconius, he just gave him a thread to untangle.
Viconius had no intention of admitting that it was something of a relief. He was carrying so many thoughts already that too much pressure might have had to reject the idea entirely.
Still, it wasn’t something he was interested in covering now. He huffed and looked away, but when he went to brush some of his hair behind his ear he noticed that it was getting crispy. He grabbed a fistful of his hair and squeezed it, making a face as the ice in his hair crunched.
“...I want my power back,” he grumbled. He had to speak around chattering teeth, but that seemed to alarm him, too. He hadn’t realized he was that cold, but now that the adrenaline was wearing off he realized he was frigid, and exhausted. He wasn’t doing a very good job of upholding his promise to stay safe and take care of himself. “...I don’t know what I want,” he finally admitted, but he said it so quickly, and so hushed, that it was almost difficult to make out.
He wrapped his arms around himself but it did little to relieve his chill, and the sound of cracking ice in his hair made him shudder in annoyance. “I’m leaving. But I’ll think about what you said. I don’t see why I should go out of my way to help. Or ask anyone else for help.” He shuddered again and sneered at the thought, but he lingered for a second longer.
“...Thank you.”
It was awkward, it was reluctant. It was spoken quietly, through gritted teeth and a growl.
He turned and left before Lucien could answer; he didn’t want to give him the chance to say anything else. The gears in his mind felt like they’d frosted over and rusted, but something had just clicked.
He wasn’t ready for things to start moving.
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