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 Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2025 7:35 pm
Destiny City was always fairly active at night. At least the more interesting factors within it were. Rhysi, standing around in a handmade raincoat, scan out and waving side to side, certainly wouldn't admit that she'd led her colleagues into a dead end. Surely there should be a Knight or Senshi roaming about nearby. Surely.Turning to the other two, she called out, "Anything?" She'd also given them each a handcrafted raincoat, feeling that every project deserved some sort of uniform, especially one that involved group effort. It also wouldn't be inaccurate to say that she'd gotten overenthusiastic in their production and was glad to finally offload them onto others. Giving her scanner, GPS tool open and seeking, an impatient series of taps, Rhsyi used her imperfect, grossly organic eyes to also look around. The effects of the recent phenomena had dimmed though not entirely disappeared. There was still data to collect. And the more data they could collect the more likely they would be able to harness whatever was phasing into Earth and use it as new generator for Velencya. Well. She was sure they could put it to good use. info from mule regarding velencian investigations If they can find people to take them to their Homeworlds/Wonders, them can also get good readings from the storms occurring there, which will have identical readings to the storm on Earth. The data transmitted from the Vanguardians: While the storms are active, they release high bursts of energy and seem to enhance standard energy gathering techniques and they may note some rapid plant growth, however the lightning can be destructive so it may be difficult to get clear results. Anyone who has been in close contact with the lightning may produce more energy to gather for a few hours up to three days, depending on how much time they spent in the storm and if they were struck by lightning. These people may seem more tired but will be giving off more energy, some of which is notably not their own.
The residue of the storms in the area leaves a strange, latent energy and upon examination it is clearly unstable. Plants may appear to rapidly age or wither, and animals avoid the area.
While the energy bursts can result in available energy, it is too erratic and unpredictable to be considered a reliable source; it’s unclear if this energy can be harnessed or utilized long term but in the present, being in the right place at the right time can be quite bountiful.
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Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2025 2:13 pm
The longer she was on Earth, the worse Caelyna felt. It seemed as if she was bogged down, making little progress, struggling to live up to the faith that had been placed in her by Velyria and by Lyndin when he granted her promotion to Corporal.
But there was an opportunity now, and though Caelyna still felt weighed down by her black mood of late (as if "of late" hadn't been for...quite some time) she was making an effort to show up, so here she was, helping look for more information on the strange storms.
She sighed, eyeing her GPS, but did perk up a little when she saw something pop up--with the color-coded vibrant teal she had chosen for Knights.
"Ah, I see someone--not far; we can perhaps see if they have intelligence to share?"
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Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2025 6:14 pm
Daesva clicked her tongue, sea-green eyes bright beneath the shade of the hood from the gifted raincoat. It'd been... appreciated, and she'd offered Rhysi a small smile for the effort. It was beneficial that people were engaging in... hobbies, of sorts.
Her own curiosity towards Earth's various road racing vehicles, for instance...
She kept her gun holstered at her hip, not trusting the city or its teaming Chaos entities. The storm's made her even more wary, eyes frequently scanning the sky for any hint of a rising threat of another bout of lightning.
Rhysi's question drove her gaze from surveying their surroundings, trying to keep track of every shadow and shape, down to her ComTech. A small frown stretched her white facial markings as she located the ping Caelyna had alerted them to. "Worth a shot," she confirmed, noting at least the scans were showing White Moon; Knight in the detections.
It wasn't a Negaverse agent. Her shoulders lost a bit of their tension.
Glancing to the others, she began to trudge off in that direction, alternating between scanning the area for movement, watching where she was actually going, and confirming the other two were still with her.
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Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2025 7:26 pm
”One day at a time,” the Knight murmured as she meandered about the currently barren streets of Destiny City. Having only just gotten out of a little…slump…it felt good to fall back into the familiarity of an average patrol. With the storm still going she fully expected to run into weirdly-charged youma or something of the sort, but tonight had so far been pretty uneventful.
It was a good thing, overall, though admittedly there was some small part of her that wanted something to happen.
Nothing bad, of course. Just a peaceful run-in with someone, maybe?
“Or someones…” she murmured, squinting up the street a short distance ahead of her where three people seemed to almost suddenly turn their attention in her direction and make their way over. It could have been pure coincidence, but…well. There was no such thing, as far as she was concerned.
Still, they didn’t seem like they were rushing over so she tried not to stress too much, and when they got within a reasonable distance that maybe a greeting might ease the slowly growing tension in her shoulders she waved randomly. It was awkward at best, like she was hesitantly waving back at someone who looked like they were waving at her but could very well have been waving at someone behind her. She smiled all the same.
“Evening,” she greeted, quietly noting their skin colors and the vaguely familiar gadgets they were all carrying. Two others came to mind, and she relaxed a bit more. “You guys researching the storm?” Because both times she’d previously encountered their kind, there was some kind of studying going on–one was looking into plants, the other into Wonders.
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Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2025 7:50 pm
Perking up at the not far, Rhysi started speed walking and then trotting in the direction of the signal. A Knight was a very good find. They should be stronger and more knowledgeable, which meant they wouldn't need to spend much time on things like explanations. When the Knight came into view, Rhysi's expression turned into what a human might call a 'grinch-like' smile. A Mercury Knight! Mercury!!! And she already knew what they were about. As expected, no explanations needed. "Your Wonder too?" Rhysi gestured first to the sky, then waved her scanner.
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Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2025 8:30 pm
Caelyna went with the others, glad that they'd had luck. Even with Rhysi's lovely homemade raincoats, the poor weather wasn't something that she wanted to stay out in for long. Certainly the storms had fascinating properties, but...
Well. At least they'd found their Knight quickly. Caelyna tilted her head to the side, taking in the uniform--Mercury, it seemed. Well, that was a bit of luck.
"You'll forgive my colleague's abruptness," she said, taking a step forward. She was the highest ranked person in the group--so perhaps it felt natural to take the lead, even given everything else going on. "I'm Corporal Caelyna, and these are Cadets Rhysi and Daesva." She gestured to each in turn.
"If you happen to have any knowledge, your cooperation or collaboration would be much appreciated."
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Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2025 11:26 am
The approach felt casual enough on both sides--even if Rhysi's brisk jump into business got a small snort of amusement from her. Caelyna's more sociable introduction was reasonable, and the redhead bowed her head in silent greeting when indicated.
"The storm's been a tad concerning, yeah. The more we all can learn about it, the better." She pushed the hood back of the raincoat, finding little reason to be keeping herself more undercover now that she was speaking to a Knight.
There wasn't the need to glower and glare like there probably would have been had they ran across a Nega...
She eyed the emblem spotted around the Knight's uniform. Mercury was very interesting... perhaps this knight's wonder might have more suitable tech to such investigations..? She might be a bit too hopeful on that, but hey. She could dream.
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Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2025 7:06 pm
Between the question, the gesture at the sky, and the waving of the device on hand, Ekstrom more or less got the gist of what was being asked. The enthusiasm broadened and brightened her smile, though, her amusement easing her all the more. They seemed friendly enough, and when one made more formal introductions Ekstrom nodded to each in turn.
“Ekstrom of Mercury,” she introduced herself first, then turned back to Rhysi with an answer to her question. “Actually, yeah. My Wonder, too.” Concern soon clouded her expression as she went on. “I don’t have too many answers myself, to be honest. Just that it’s putting a bit of strain on my Wonder, so I’m trying to find a way to put up defenses against it."
“It’s probably because of all the metal, but my Wonder’s a bit of a hot zone. If you guys wanna get a closer look I can take you with me? As long as you share your findings with me, if anything.”
She paused as if to give them time to consider her offer and reply, but then quickly broke the silence herself because she realized she hadn’t given the usual cold weather disclaimer she decided would be a prudent thing to provide any potential guests. “And before you agree, you probably should know that it’s cold up there. Just putting it out there for full disclosure, in case that changes anything.”
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Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2025 8:02 pm
Nodding with effusive enthusiasm, Rhsyi, answered, "Adequate." In answer to both the exchange of data for the trip, as well as the warning about extreme cold. Their uniforms might appear less insulated than the layers humans prefer, but they were designed and constructed with the rigors of space exploration in mind. Though perhaps their hands and heads may suffer... But at worst, they could simply use a source stone to heal or regrow frozen pieces. A worthwhile risk. Most especially where the apparent abundance of metals was concerned. This was truly a wonderful circumstance that was almost entirely due to her choice of time and place. Everything was coming up Rhysi.
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Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2025 9:22 pm
Hm. The warning about temperature made Caelyna briefly wish that she'd packed gloves, but that was a note for the future. She'd have to start carrying them in case of any future off-world excursions to places that were cold. Perhaps she could sew a pocket into her skirt to carry them--that shouldn't be too hard.
There was a sort of bubble of excitement, beginning to bloom inside her, now that she was out working with other Vanguardians and their Knight potential temporary ally. There was research to be done, all her emotional turmoil be damned.
"A pleasure, Ekstrom," she said, "and thank you for the warning. We'd be glad to collaborate with you on discerning how this strange storm is affecting your Wonder. Concerning, that it's reached so far."
It spoke of bigger things. More dangerous things. She didn't like it.
Still, she extended her hand.
"I believe we have to be touching to be transported to your Wonder, yes?"
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Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2025 2:21 pm
Well this was a more promising encounter than she'd figured. Trying to put up defenses against the storm? Perfect. If the Knight didn't mind them joining to look into such technology, to see what types were effective (or not, though hopefully that wouldn't be the case) was still progress in her mind. Information that could be extracted and amplified, applied to new technology or types they could adapt into stronger renditions...
Of course, that was just from her own mental wanderings. The actual results to all of this would largely depend on what they could actually find and learn. Daesva only nodded along with Caelyna, appreciative of the warning for the weather, but excited to get moving to the other planet nonetheless. As the other held out her hand to the Knight, though, she frowned somewhat, unsure how the process worked for knight teleportation. She placed a hand lightly on Caelyna's arm, but looked to Ekstrom, "Do we all need to be touching you, or will it suffice to make contact with someone already in contact with you? Sorry, I haven't had a chance to experience this type of teleportation yet, so I'm unsure the specifics."
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Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2025 10:25 pm
”I’m happy to share. From the way things are looking, it seems like an all hands on deck sort of situation, so.” Hopefully that meant Chaos and Order would come to a truce in the interest of mankind, though she hadn’t heard of any such thing yet. “But even after this,” assuming there even was an after, all things considered, “I love bringing people over.”
Since they didn’t seem too concerned about her weather warning, once they were all agreed, Ekstrom extended her hand and took hold of Caelyna’s. “Yes,” she replied simply, and once everyone’s hands were in, she closed her eyes, focused, and they were off.
– [] –
The familiar cold and metallic smell was a welcoming sign (at least to her), though it wasn’t until she opened her eyes did she see exactly where they wound up this time–right at the front entrance, in front of the elevator. She’d been trying to be more specific about where she landed whenever she made it. More often than not she popped up in some random room, but sometimes she managed to land where she wanted to go.
It was a relief that it worked out while she had guests.
The lights were thankfully on, revealing the dusted over state of the space. There was evidence of a battle having ensued at some point, with damaged walls, panels, and overturned and equally damaged furniture strewn about. Remnants of clothing and armor were swept off to one side, with a small collection of cleaning supplies just beside them. There was no immediately apparent way out of the space, though with a trained eye one could spot markings and other such indicators etched into the walls.
“Sorry,” she gave a nervous little laugh, looking slightly embarrassed as she made her way to the main entrance. “I’m still working on repairs and general clean-up. I can give you guys a tour of the inside once I’ve made a little more progress, if you’d like.” Placing her palm at the center and channeling just a bit of her magic, the doors opened wide, welcoming in the frigid cold of a Mercurian night. She stepped outside ahead of them, disappearing into the darkness beyond for a few moments. She was back in minutes, her nose and cheeks gone slightly red due to the extreme cold.
“Stairs are up," she said, smiling and looking plenty proud. “It’s a bit of a trek, but if you want the storms, it’s the only way up.” And with a smile and a gesture to follow, she disappeared again.
Some notes (bc I dun wanna move people’s characters too much but wanna give you guys things to work with ;; ): The stairs are about five feet across and completely made of ice, but as long as Ekstrom’s with them they’re grippy-grippy with little chance of slippy!
At nighttime there’s lighting on the outer edges of the stairs, but also there’s thin, glowing data lines traveling through the steps.
It’s probably a 15 minute climb!
The stairs are hidden beneath what looks like a frozen lake in the middle of the shelf. This camo (which Ekstrom will soon be turning off) will be behind them as they surface.
It's a flat tundra up above, and at night I think it’s supposed to be extra cold on Mercury.
There are some exposed metallic surfaces from devices she hasn’t looked into yet. They can range from completely fried from taking too many lightning hits to perfectly pristine.
I’m cleared for above average lightning activity at her Wonder, so have at it~ Feel free to have Ekstrom agree to them exploring and all such things, and for whatever lightning things to happen as they come up and start to spread out.
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Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2025 1:15 pm
The Mercury Knight may prove to be a future collaborator in regards to world exploration? Excellent. Rhysi provided her hand eagerly, wondering how much of the planet's tech was intact and in working order. Not that it mattered, as what made tech superior to organics was that it was innately created in a matter that meant it could be fixed and improved upon as long as the correct resources were at hand. Rhysi took in the change of environment and eyed the surrounding room with much the same avarice as when she gazed upon the scrapyard she supposedly was employed at. Perhaps she could offer some help in restoration in return for 10...no 15% of the resources at hand? Well. plans for later. The door opened, revealing the outdoor status of the wonder. It was a tower of sorts? Rhysi gave Ekstrom a look better suited for a month ago, on Valentine's Day. She followed the knight out toward the stairs and pulled out her scanner, gesturing to Daesva and Caelyna. "Before, during, after." Looking up, it appeared there wasn't much activity in the sky, but who knew how long that would last? It lasted about twelve minutes, until they were nearly to the top and sky came crashing down to meet them.
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Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2025 1:15 pm
Mercury was stunning.
This was the first time Caelyna had been to a Knight's Wonder, and the vistas did not disappoint. Certainly it looked a little ragged, but a thousand years of likely neglect were not going to be fixed quickly, and so it was difficult to judge what were clearly well-intentioned and caring efforts.
(These places were recovering. Perhaps...perhaps there was something special about them. Perhaps there was something to be learned.)
So far, no storms. Caelyna nodded at Rhysi's observation, and pulled out her ComTech to take some initial readings, since they had the benefits of being able to get a baseline. She kept it running as they climbed, which was beneficial--because the storms arrived when they were almost fully up.
"Oh," she gasped, watching the energy readings spike. "This really is...quite remarkable." And perhaps dangerous, if they weren't careful. She clung a little extra tightly to the railing, doing her best not to think about how far down it might be if she got unlucky.
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Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2025 6:51 pm
As her vision cleared and she registered new terrain under her boots, Daesva blinked her eyes before scanning the area, intrigued by the space. Her attention snagged on the evidence of a fight, and her curiosity itched to examine things, try to tell what happened, but the Knight's apology only got a shrug from the Cadet. "It's a large place, and you're a single person. It is commendable you are taking the time and effort to fix and clean things up at all." She debated offering to assist her if she ever wished, but held the words for now. See how things went on this trip, first, or else she might regret the offer...
She followed the others out, grateful for her suit's protections from the elements at large. Still... if she did come back, some additional gear wouldn't hurt.
It was cold, yes, but it was beautiful. Daesva was in a momentary awe as she walked, marveling at the stairs of ice. There was still power here, clearly, and she peered at the exposed metal with a growing curiosity to examine and explore.... Another time, though, and she pulled up her ComTech and poked at it to bring up the scanner, though also began recording as she held her arm up, crossed somewhat at her chest level.
Allowed her to get quite the shot of when the lightning streaked across the sky, purple blooming through the darkness and snow-laden world. She lifted her arm a bit higher for more of a view, watching as more bolts cut through the air, illuminating the dark, heavy clouds above. "What is the weather normally like here? We know the storm is an anomaly, but for a comparison, what is the typical you encounter?"
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