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The Fireflies (6) : In the warm summer nights, little glowing lights begin to bob and dart through the city. Fireflies are mating, so this isn't uncommon in itself; in the past few days you've probably seen hundreds of fireflies. What makes these lights so unique is that they seem to change color; you might see a blue one, a green one, a red one. They flicker randomly, and something just seems off with them. If you come into contact with one, you will find yourself with a strange electric jolt. They cannot be caught, and will flicker away if you pursue too aggressively. This isn’t the first time they’ve appeared in Destiny City, but no one’s been able to tell where they came from or where they’re going. No matter how quickly you chase them, they always seem to disappear before you can find any answers.
The Senshi of Friendship was, to be blunt, ******** gobsmacked. She knew about fireflies. Had seen fireflies plenty of times in the past. But these fireflies were weird. She was used to the ones that had the faint, whitish yellow glow. But these freaky little guys… she’d seen an impressive array of color just since finding a quiet patch of park to sit in. Flipping a lavender star charm she’d found in the grass between her fingers, Tololo found herself fascinated by the fireflies. She’d already tried to catch one in her hands to get a better look and the dang thing had managed to zap her somehow. She’d never heard before that fireflies could shock people.
But it had been enough of a warning for her to stop her chase and simply sit and admire. So far, this new approach seemed to be working. The fireflies seemed happy enough to flit by her face so long as she stayed still and kept her hands to herself. It was mildly annoying, but if it meant fewer jolts, she was happy to take the L. And really, this wasn’t so bad. Throwing herself back into the grass, Tololo cradled her head against her arms and watched the miniature light show.
“That’s right, little guy,” she murmured to one particularly enthusiastic looking firefly with a bright purple butt, “let that freak flag fly. Get the girl!”
As she saw it turn from purple to pink, she closed her eyes and told herself sternly that she was not going to allow known biology to ruin her enjoyment. Maybe this was a weird new sub-breed! Or very tiny, mostly benevolent youma! Who knew?!? She sure as hell didn’t! But they were pretty and as they did their glowy butt routines, she allowed herself to relax further. In fact, if she squinted her eyes just right, the lights seemed to sparkle and trail, creating a living kaleidoscope above her.
After a while, she sat up and stretched her back out. She really wished she had a jar, but given her lack of success in using her hands to catch anything, she wondered if a jar would even have worked. Folding her arms over her raised knees, Tololo watched the lightshow and sighed. Why was she trying to think of ways to catch these little guys? What would have been the point, other than they were unusual. Fireflies had such little lives, let them enjoy what they had out in the open air. She wouldn't bother them, they wouldn’t shock her. Everyone came out a winner in that arrangement. Besides, she was the senshi of friendship! It wouldn't be very friendly to catch a bunch of innocent bugs and let a lot of scientists poke at ‘em with sticks.
Much as she wanted a Disney Princess moment of holding up her hand and letting the pretty, sparkly thing land on her finger, she knew it would only jolt her. And she’d never been into hurting herself.
“You all just keep on dancing and I’ll keep watching,” she whispered. “We can still be pals.”
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