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 Posted: Wed Jul 10, 2024 9:10 pm
Aruna stepped lightly across rooftops as she made her way to a park. Her new found friend, Sonora, had told her to seek out someone who frequented this particular location, and she had finally decided to act on the advice. It took her a few days to build her courage, the anxiety of an unknown person making her procrastinate, but she was feeling a bit more bold than usual today and figured she had waited long enough. Landing lightly on the ground not too far away from her destination, she carefully made her way towards the bench in question this person was supposed to be occupying. She hoped that she wouldn't be an annoyance, or worse, be seen as a problem or someone needing to be told their place. Thoughts of that nature twisted through her mind like choking vines, making her heart race and her throat feel tight, but she made herself keep walking, clearing her throat softly when she got closer.
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Posted: Sun Jul 14, 2024 6:36 pm
It was, luckily for Aruna, one of the nights where Kerberos had chosen to take his customary seat on that lonely bench in North End Park. Perhaps less lonely, of late, as he gained more regular visitors. But there was no one else tonight, just an Eternal Senshi with long blue hair and glowing pink markings on his skin, and when he heard footsteps approaching along the path, he turned towards them and waved.
This wasn't someone familiar--and it was someone on his own side. Maybe she'd been referred, for some reason or another--Kerberos wouldn't start making guesses until she approached. If she was even here to see him.
He stood up, with a broad smile.
"Hi there! I don't think we've met before--I'm Kerberos."
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Posted: Sun Jul 14, 2024 6:55 pm
The person before Aruna was visually striking and it took her a moment to respond as she visually took him in. "You really do glow!" The words left her mouth before she realized what she was saying, her cheeks reddening at the accidental exclamation as she clapped a hand over her mouth.
She cleared her throat and approached him properly. "I'm so sorry, I didn't-." She cut herself off and took a breath before continuing. "I uh. A friend recommended I meet you, actually. I'm Aruna." These words were said much more meekly and with an embarrassed, awkward smile. Despite the embarrassment, she still couldn't help stealing glances. Something told her, however, that Sonora would likely have a laugh if she told her. "I'm...new and Sonora suggested I introduce myself to you."
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Posted: Thu Aug 01, 2024 6:14 pm
Oh, good, Kerberos wasn't a total presumptuous a*****e for maybe thinking this Senshi was here to see him. Because if she'd heard he glowed, someone had probably told her about him, thus.
"I do, yeah. It comes from having spent a lot of time bonding with my planet, and it's got other fun side benefits, but....yep, glow." He sat back on his bench, and gestured for her to sit next to him if she wanted.
"It's lovley to meet you, Aruna, and I'm glad Sonora sent you my way. She's adorable, isn't she?" That precious, bright light of an Ida Knight--ah, Kerberos really should have told Ida about her, but there had been so much going on that he'd totally forgotten. "So, is there anything in particular you're looking to learn? Because I've been a Senshi for a very long time, and I'm happy to help."
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Posted: Thu Aug 01, 2024 9:43 pm
Aruna was thankful that no offense seemed to be taken at her blurted excitement and she visibly relaxed a little, the tension in her shoulders seeming to dissipate. She smiled brightly when he called Sonora adorable. "She's very kind and is the first friend I've made in a long time." She listened as he spoke, chewing the inside of her cheek as she thought. "I... honestly have no idea where to even start. I'm not even quite sure what you mean by 'bonding with your planet.' So... if you have any suggestions or pointers, anything to point me in a good direction, I would be very grateful to you." She truly had no idea what she was doing and the idea of trying to navigate this whole new life she found herself thrown into was mildly terrifying, to say the least. "As long as I'm not causing any trouble for you, that is! If you're busy or already have your hands full, I don't want to add any extra burden!" The anxiety and inner doubt already started swirling in her head before she even finished her previous thought, quickly tensing her shoulders right back up as she started to worry that she was being too presumptuous.
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Posted: Fri Aug 02, 2024 1:47 am
"Oh, you are new," Kerberos said, but there was no malice or mockery in it, just a sort of admiring fondness. "But really, it's not any trouble, and you're not inconveniencing me. I'm happy to help." Really, it was nice, to get to help someone out right from the beginning. Set them on the right path.
"Bonding with your planet is exactly what it sounds like. I assume the Mauvian who Awakened you gave you a phone?" He pulled out his, and tapped next to the app that would teleport him to his planet, while not pressing it properly since they didn't exactly want to go to space right now.
"All the apps on it are useful, but that one is especially important. Once every few weeks, it'll take you up to whatever space object you're named for--there's an Aruna somewhere in the universe, and it's yours." He smiled, fondly, thinking of his world. "It'll probably be pretty dead when you first get there--a thousand years of neglect and all--but the more time you spend and the more effort you put into it, the more it'll recover. Plants, first. Then insects. Eventually, animals."
There was a warm wonder in his voice. It felt good to be able to tell Aruna that her world would come back to life--to not have to hedge and say that it might bloom, but nothing would ever really live there. Because they'd been given a gift, all of them, and their worlds would get to truly be alive again.
But she'd asked for advice. And there was indeed serious advice to give.
"Otherwise, and this is going to sound really serious after all that? But my biggest pointer is--don't listen to anything anyone Chaos promises you." He exhaled. "I'm not saying throw down on sight. But I am saying that if one of them makes you an offer, don't trust it. Anyone who serves Chaos serves an entity that, ultimately, exists solely to consume and destroy--be it the Negaverse or the Dark Mirror. And even if the person seems kind, or friendly--it's likely they have superiors who aren't, and the Negaverse at least is all too willing to take people in by force."
He touched the center of his chest.
"Right here? This is where your starseed is. Your soul, basically. And a Negaverse officer or Senshi can reach right into your chest and pull it out. So do your best not to get too close, and if you have to brawl, do your best to keep their hands away from your chest."
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Posted: Wed Aug 21, 2024 6:47 pm
Aruna listened intently, making mental note of everything she could. At the mention of a phone, she fished it out and fussed with it, trying to find what he had indicated. "That is.....incredible." She looked at him with awe and wonder, the idea of it hard for her to grasp but thrilling none the less. The smile quickly faded, however, at the next words. Her hand subconsciously moved to touch her own chest, a sick anxiety settling into the pit of her stomach. "They can...pull out your soul?" She did her best to hide the utter terror that knowledge ignited in her, though her brow still knit in fear. This was far, far more than she ever could have bargained for, and it truly, deeply terrified her.
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Posted: Sun Sep 15, 2024 5:05 pm
It would have been easier, if all Kerberos had to tell her was about phones and fun things, like going to space and contacting your friends. But that wasn't everything. He would have been giving her a thoroughly distorted picture if he'd focused on the sunshine and rainbows and ignored the much, much worse things lurking beneath.
"They can, yes. Which means you need to be smart and careful, and never be afraid to call for backup if you think you're outmatched." He exhaled. "I don't want to scare you, but I want you to understand that getting into a fight with the Negaverse is dangerous, and you have to remember: you'll always be able to do more good alive. So you have to make it out alive."
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Posted: Mon Oct 14, 2024 2:43 pm
Aruna nodded and swallowed hard, not having anticipated this at all. "Right....call for backup and....prioritize getting out alive. Got it." She tried to ignore the horror and anxiety that was bubbling up inside of her.
She took a deep, calming breath, counting to ten in her head before speaking again. "How do I know if someone is Chaos, then? I... assume they won't be wearing a big shiny badge or anything." So far, she had been fortunate enough to not have run into anyone from the opposing faction, but she was sure that her luck wouldn't hold forever.
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Posted: Fri Nov 22, 2024 2:30 pm
Ugh, Kerberos had...maybe seen too much to be the one doing introductions to magic for new people. But it felt important, to him, to not let Aruna run off thinking this was a fun, sparkly, magical lark. That there was real danger here.
"You'll feel it," Kerberos said. "One of your inherent abilities is that you'll be able to sense other peoples' magical auras, when they're powered up--and Chaos feels...bad. Wrong. Trust me, you'll know. But if you need a visual indicator, Chaos usually wears dark colors. Order is lighter--you'll definitely be able to tell with a look. Also, Chaos Senshi have some really obvious tells. Negaverse Senshi will have stupid long hair--like, knee length or beyond--and cracks here," he tapped his glowing forehead symbol, "and here," he tapped his chest. "Dark Mirrors have black outfits and these translucent, gauzy overlays--it'll make sense when you meet one. Dark Mirrors are also a lot less dangerous; they can't do the starseed thing, and most of them are just sort of....I don't know, misguided." He huffed.
"It's complicated, sorry."
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Posted: Fri Nov 22, 2024 4:29 pm
Despite the alarming information she had received, Aruna managed to stay calm. Somehow. Most likely she would process it all later and having a freak out then.
"I'll....feel it. Huh." She trusted his words, despite how vague it sounded. At the mention of Chaos wearing darker colors and Order wearing lighter ones, she almost smiled. That was quite the cliche. "So basically if it looks like a bad guy, it's probably a bad guy?" The mention of a third faction made her frown, however. "Dark....Mirror? Are they aligned with Chaos too? Or is there...something else out there to worry about too?"
She shook her head, giving him a small smile. "Don't be sorry. I appreciate you even trying to explain it to me. It's....more than I knew to start out with. How long have you been a senshi? I-if you don't mind my asking that!? Is that okay to ask? Or is that like asking a girl their age?" She worried she had put her foot in her mouth, unsure of the etiquette around such questions.
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Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2024 2:17 pm
"Most of the time, yeah," Kerberos said. "Magic's convenient that way. Don't always assume, and don't assume anyone in white is automatically a potential bestie--we've got assholes, assholes are everywhere--but that's a good rule of thumb."
A tiny sigh passed his lips. "Dark mirrors are Chaos, but they're separate from the Negaverse. There's lots of nasty little seeds of it out there in the universe, and the Negaverse and the Dark Mirror are related and equally poisonous trees, if the metaphor tracks." Here he was, with plant metaphors while Senshi of Asphodel, like some kind of stupid cliche Druid. "Anyway, it's not rude to ask. About a decade, now."
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