Welcome to Gaia! ::

“I’m over here,” Sage answered Lenka’s call with a subdued voice. Though still shaken, she had gathered enough strength to move from her spot against the tree to a bench illuminated by the light of a nearby lamppost.

She should have stayed powered until her friend arrived but couldn’t shake the worry that the Squire would return with reinforcements. He had been right about one thing: he was stronger than her. However, at his core, he was still merely a child, younger than she was and less certain, unaccustomed to the role of a bully in such an imbalanced confrontation.

“I’m sorry to make you come all this way Miss Lenka, I just…” Sage paused to swallow the growing lump in her throat that threatened to silence her. “I just didn’t know who else to call.” her voice became even quieter but still audible.

Her lips twitched in an attempted smile at Jaina's kind words but guilt loomed over her in waves at the worry she’d caused her friend.

“No,” Sage shook her head slowly. “Just a few bumps and bruises,” and perhaps a small scrape on the side of her hand from when she initially fell but in this light, she couldn’t tell and honestly wasn’t concerned by it. “Just spooked more than anything.”

“My wraith just finished gathering energy when we ran into a Squire. He didn’t get close enough for me to see the symbols, but his uniform looked like it belonged at a Renaissance fair. It’s kind of hard to describe, but was pink and purple- mostly. And he had a whip for a weapon.” Looked like a thin braided horsetail, honestly.

“He summoned a unicorn,” She paused to laugh at how ludicrous it sounded especially since she was a Veterinarian. “It ran at me, I thought I was going to be trampled but the kid left before it had a chance to hurt me.”

“With how it appeared and disappeared, I’m certain it was just magic. But not all magic is like mine.” Magic was temporary in most situations and unlike hers which just caused a series of unfortunate events to take place, a vast majority of Senshi were either offensive or defensive and could cause physical or mental anguish.

“The Squire approached me first unprovoked.” There was no way he’d seen the body of a man her wraith had drained. “I thought if I stayed hidden he’d go away, but he didn’t and when he got close I used my magic as a deterrent. But- that just made him angry.”

“It’s for reasons like this that I stopped powering up for several years.” Shoulders sagged in shame, Sage hazarded a glance towards Jaina. “Unless there is a mirror nearby, there is no escape and Mirrorspace is locked to me despite how long I’ve been a part of the Dark Mirror Court. It is no sanctuary unless I’m invited in.” But she had already been invited once, the day she stepped through the mirror and was given the name Hekate. If she knew then that the moment she stepped back out into Destiny City the door to Mirrorspace would close behind her, Sage was certain she would have declined the offer.

Magic or not, these last several years had been lonely despite her efforts to form some sort of connection, or bond, with her wraith.

Sage knew why she hadn’t been promoted yet, or at least had a strong suspicion, and it didn’t involve a guardian cat.

Almost seven or so years ago the Dark Mirror Court had met Queen Altea, but events remained blurred since so much time had passed. What she remembered were vague recollections of crystal soldiers, many empty rooms, treasures and trinkets, but most of all knowing that she was trapped along with the rest of them.

They were prisoners, and Sage knew that if something happened to her, there would be no way her family would learn of it.

Because of that incident, Sage tucked her pen away in a shoe box that she kept at the top of her closet and focused on what she could control. School took top priority, high school first then college which moved her out of state. On occasion, she powered up when she returned home for holidays or a short vacation.

Making friends or playing with magic was so far removed from everyday thought that there were times she forgot it was even an option.

That was- until she met Lenka.

Recently Sage had powered up more often, in hopes of earning her first upgrade and becoming a Super Senshi so she can go into Mirrorspace to help her friend gather more crystals and grow her island. Alas, recent encounters reminded her why doing so was a dangerous task; wraiths were useless and one misstep could cause all the efforts of an evening full of energy gathering to fall to oblivion and be wasted.

“I just- hope for a day where I can meet you there instead of making you come to me first.” Sage's shoulders sagged as she leaned to the side against Jaina where she pulled comfort from her one-armed hug.

“That doesn’t sound stupid or selfish.” For the first time in the last few hours, Sage managed a smile. “You’re the first person I can honestly call friend, Miss Jaina. I could never forget about you.” she nudged the Eternal in a reassuring gesture.

“I know it’s late, and there aren’t that many places open, but if you’re feeling hungry…” She paused, not wanting to impose on her friend’s time more than he already was. “Maybe you’d like to get something to eat?” She cautiously asked.

Now that she felt a bit more sure of herself when standing on her own two feet, Sage rose from the bench and stretched a bit to make sure her former statement still held true. Adrenaline was a powerful thing and with it now but gone she felt fairly confident that the aches she felt were merely soon-to-be ugly bruises and maybe a pulled muscle in her shoulder.

Sage moved beside Jaina and linked an arm through hers. “Lead the way!”