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.
There were always so many different things going on in Destiny City. Tonight, Karakorum had wandered into a park and plopped down at a picnic table, and all around her were fireflies.
Rainbow fireflies, in a hundred different colors.
She was getting used to magic. She'd been to space. Seen another planet. Hell, she'd slept with a thousand year old hot deer dude from beyond the stars.
But still, there were little moments of wonder, and while she'd sat down with the intent to poke at her signet ring and see what could be done with it, she'd ended up distracted by the rainbow fireflies, leaning her cheek on her hand and just..watching.
So beautiful. So special. Such a piece of...quiet. Peace. Wonder.
eldritch stardust
Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2025 8:52 am
Cuan had decided to take a mostly deserved night off. Esfir was off at a sleepover for her class and things were so quiet on the war front. Yes, she could afford to take some time for herself. And she knew just the thing.
Making her way through the park, the kitten caught the feel of an order aura that wasn't too far off. She debated ignoring it, but knew that she'd never be able to forgive herself if she did that and Something Happened. With a tiny sigh, she followed the energy signature until she came across a young lady seated at a table surrounded by the prettiest fireflies Cuan had ever seen.
And since this girl didn't really give Senshi vibes, it was probably safe enough to assume she was a knight. But a knight of whom, Cuan really couldn't guess. Padding over and leaping lightly onto the table, Cuan sat and began grooming her face. Once she felt that she was showing at her best, she glanced at the unknwon knight.
"Mind if I join you? I've never had the time to watch fireflies before."
...Ah. Karakorum wanted to be surprised by a talking cat, but Lanting had mentioned those were a thing, and here was the confirmation.
"I don't mind at all," she said, smiling over at her new feline companion. "Aren'tt hey cool? "She gestured, broadly, at the fireflies. "Don't touch them, though, they kind of...shock you a little if you do. So, y'know." She'd learned that the hard way, which was a little funny, all things considered. Hold out your hand expecting a firefly to land on it and get zapped instead.
Alas. Magic bullshit.
"Hey," she said, "my brother says you Mauvians know a lot about tech, right? My signet ring came with this weird blueprint and like, I am a business major. I have no idea how this works."
eldritch stardust
Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2025 1:25 pm
Lightning bugs that actually zapped you? Cuan wanted to be surprised by that, but she knew better. And she couldn't help chuckling and shaking her head a little. It was just so delightfully, benignly stupid.
"I'll be careful not to touch them, promise. They are pretty though. As far as weird things go, they're not so bad."
She would have been happy to wax eloquent on the subject when the knight rather suddenly (it seemed) turned and began asking questions. Ears perking forward with interest, Cuan broke into a smile.
"Well, I would say we know a bit," she temporized. No point in looking stuck up after all. "May I see this blueprint? I'm more than happy to help."
"Oh for sure," Karakorum agreed. "There's way more dangerous stuff out there."
Like a massive monster that ate entire worlds and the dark star it served. Suddenly, the summer night felt very cold, and Karakorum shivered briefly. But it was locked away in its prison and its master was surely somewhere out in the universe, far from them, and thus not a real problem she had to worry about. Probably.
She exhaled and focused back on the Mauvian.
"Sorry, I've just been staring at this since I got the stupid thing," she said. "And, uh, I'm Karakorum." She pushed over the blueprint. "Thanks for your help, I really appreciate it."
eldritch stardust
Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2025 1:49 pm
"Cuan Oilean," the kitten introduced herself with a graceful nod of the head. "Though you may call me Cuan. Now, let me see..."
Standing up so that she could read the blueprint more comfortably, Cuan's bright blue-green eyes scanned over the words and diagram. Oh, this would be very easy indeed! Poor Karakorum, though! This wasn't the sort of upgrade a human could do unaided.
"Yes, I can definitely help you. And frankly, I wish whomever you'd gotten this from had told you right off to find a Mauvian to assist."
Mentally the kitten was calculating time and distance if she ran. She would need to take Karakorum's ring to Headquarters for a short time. She hated the idea that she might be leaving the girl without a means to call for assistance, but as long as she stayed here watching fireflies, it should be okay?
"Will you trust me with your ring," Cuan asked seriously. "I won't have it for long, but I do need to take it to Mauvian HQ in order to get it all synced up and working."
Karakorum shrugged, looking a little sheepish. "It just sort of...appeared? So I think there was some magic involved. And I could have asked my brother about it, he's been a Knight for a lot longer, but I also don't want to go running to big brother for every problem ever, you know?"
Probably dumb, but whatever, she'd found the answer anyway, so it all worked out.
Without much fuss, she passed her ring right over, shrugging. "Sure. I'll be here anyway, can't imagine anything getting too weird when it hasn't yet." Okay, someone could show up and make problems, but she had her bow and arrows for that. And she'd gotten this far without the stupid ring, she could definitely make it for however long it took for Cuan to take it and get back.
"Thanks again," she said. "I really appreciate you helping me figure it out."
eldritch stardust
Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2025 2:17 pm
Well, Cuan thought, Karakorum was rather new. It made sense that she might not think to ask her own brother, who was also a knight, but... The kitten sliced the thought off. She didn't know what the situation was between the two siblings and it wasn't her business.
Things were being taken care of now.
"You're quite welcome, dear. I think you'll be pleased once I've finished. Right. I will be back as quick as I can."
Taking the ring with her teeth, the kitten mouthed it a bit to make sure it couldn't be dropped by mistake and with a nod, leapt from the table and raced into the darkness. She thought it would take about ten minutes to reach HQ if she ran. Maybe, maybe another five to ten to get things synced. Another ten to get back to Karakorum.
Honestly, it was easy to just...sit and wait. To enjoy the peace and quiet, and know that the big thing she'd been worrying about was being taken care of. Anything else with that fancy new ring, and Karakorum would just...figure it out eventually. It wasn't like there was a time limit on being a Knight!
And anyway, now that she had her ring and everything, there would be no reason to get bothered about going to her Wonder. All nice and neatly wrapped up with a bow.
(The less she did, the less real this felt. The less it felt like,a t twenty-one, she'd given up her whole life to a magical war she barely understood. The less it felt...overwhelming.)
Soon enoguh, though, she swore she heard feline feet coming back, and she turned to look.
"Cuan? All good?"
eldritch stardust
Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2025 2:46 pm
Well, that had been easier than expected! The sync had taken less than five minutes and the run back had taken exactly ten. Not bad for short little legs. No, not bad at all.
And judging by the soft call, Karakorum hadn't moved from the table at all. Jumping up, she set the ring down carefully and grinned.
"All done! I think you'll find this upgrade makes communicating much easier, my dear. Practically instant and no need to wait on those funny little bits of parchment to show up anymore."
Cuan sat down, and began to groom her ears, practically radiating self-satisfaction.
Karakorum picked up her ring once Cuan set it down, turning it over and looking for any evidence of the upgrade--visually, t ere was none. What incredible tech--or magic? Both? Maybe? Ah, Kara didn't know.
"That's super cool," she said, "thank you so much! Sounds like my life's gonna get a lot easier."
She'd have to find Achird again. Maybe they could figure out an easier way to hook up. In both senses.
