The Lantern Festival (7) : Scientists have been hard at work trying to understand the strange, glowing qualities of the luminescent caterpillars found in the caves by the reservoir. The caterpillars still shrivel up if they are taken out of the caves but their glowing secretions have been processed into an organic paste that can withstand the outside world. The city is selling paper lanterns infused with various seeds. The glow paste is full of minerals to support healthy plant growth without risking damage to the environment; all lantern purchases come with a small packet of activating power that will heat the paste up enough to mimic the effects of a candle without the concerns of flammability. When the glow paste loses its heat, the lantern will return to the Earth and upon the first rain (or any contact with water) the paper will dissolve and the seeds may begin to grow. All proceeds from the lanterns are put right back into the community to support local conservation and environmental protection efforts.
She'd been here before, both by herself and with others. It had seemingly become a ritual to visit at least once every year. This year Illyria wasn't trying to design a paper lantern design or even steal one to release on her own like in years past. In her heart she knew that Meissa was still out there, and she yearned to even catch a whiff of any rumor that would put her paws on the right path but reality sometimes loved to rear its ugly little head. Meissa had been lost to her for over a year now. If the Negaverse hadn't outright killed her, then it was unlikely she would even remember who Illyria was.
But now was not the time to dwell on the past. There was generally no set time in which people would come to design and release lanterns but Illyria was hoping that if she were to simply curl up and wait that her patience would be rewarded. It was with that thought in mind that the sleek, cream-colored Mauvian began to scout out a possible location in order to watch the entire sky come alive with lanterns.
She just had to wait and be patient. There were various powered auras springing up as the sky darkened and even though she told herself not to chase after every chaotic aura nowadays, the urge was still present as ever. It would probably never truly go away until answers were provided to the questions she yearned to ask.
itspao_
Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2025 10:54 pm
For Ekstrom, Summer in Destiy City had become a bittersweet season. From her awakening and through the gradual progress she'd made since to get to where she was now, so many of the most memorable events of her powered life happened during the summer, both good and bad.
"Though that first year was particularly bad," she sighed as she made her way through a clearing in the hopes of getting some peace and quiet to light up the few lanterns that she'd gotten earlier that day. She certainly could have done this at home, but somehow it just felt…wrong. The light pollution would probably put a damper on the light coming from her lanterns, not to mention the risk of it getting caught on something on its way up.
So here she was, powered up because that also just felt safer all things considered.
The Knight settled soon enough, though for a second she glanced toward an Order aura nearby. It wasn't the first she sensed but she found it curious that despite them being in the periphery of her sense they seemed to be nowhere in sight.
"I've got a spare lantern, if you're interested," she called out, a small, welcoming smile on her face as she waved what had essentially become a bribe to come out of hiding.
In truth, Illyria had fallen asleep while she waited for darkness to fall sufficiently enough to be able to watch for the various lanterns that would light up the sky. The voice that tried to cajole her out of hiding was instead the voice that roused Illyria from her impromptu cat nap. Experiencing the befuddlement of a well-rested individual that was suddenly woken up did Illyria feel herself puff out in size before registering just what it was she was sensing: an auric presence of Order. Deflating a little Illyria's whiskers twitched as her mind began to process what it was that had been said before she crept forward to peer out from under the bush she had decided to nap under. The woman that sat there looked vaguely familiar and for a moment it was all that the Mauvian could do to stare at the knight before tilting her head back and forth.
There was no danger that would make her inch forward slowly, and yet the young cat did just that until the flash of recognition appeared in her violet orbs. This was a Mercury Knight. Illyria knew of at least one member of the Mercurian knight order and given that there was some familiarity she had a hunch that she knew exactly who it was that was offering her a spare lantern: Ekstrom.
"If you want to keep your spare lantern for yourself, I won't mind." Illyria began to purrs softly as she tread up to sit primly at Ekstrom's side before she noted that the knight still wore her ring. "I'm curious to know how your ring is functioning now," if Ekstrom could recall the Mauvian who'd worked on it, she would know who she was addressing. It hadn't seemed like a long period ago so if she remembered the knight there was a good chance that Ekstrom would remember her as well.
itspao_
Posted: Wed Jul 09, 2025 9:35 pm
Illyria was not an easily forgotten cat, and despite having only met her once before, Ekstrom recognized her immediately. Her expression brightened significantly, and she was absolutely beaming down at the Mauvian when she settled in the space beside her.
"I've got two more, so if you want it, it's yours!" she said as she set it down in the space between them in case she changed her mind. The lantern was followed by a small container filled with some homemade cookies, which Ekstrom opened and gestured for her to take one (or more!) if she wanted.
"I've got water, too, if you want."
The sound of rustling came next as she pulled out another lantern package. "As for my ring," she started to say only after she got the new package opened, "it works great!" She paused and slipped it off, offering it to her for inspection while tapping lightly on the portions where additional upgrades were added.
"Even got a few more upgrades after the one you finished–connection to senshi things, as well as a meter to measure my energy levels and vitals. Kind of an all-in-one little powerhouse of an accessory."
The idea that she cold release a lantern, even if she hadn't planned on doing so this evening had Illyria glancing up towards Ekstrom with an expression that was close to gratitude. Her whiskers twitched as she took in everything that the Mercury knight was explaining to her but her attention had zeroed in on the offering of baked goods and hydration. Reaching into the container with her paw she daintily fished out a cookie before placing it down on the grass in front of her. The water bottle was eyed before she pondered the situation. There were options open to her and while she would have preferred to stay in her feline state, perhaps this would be a time to show off another simple look to Ekstrom. The knight had seen and experienced her human form before, with the expanded energy signature when she had worked on her ring but Illyria wasn't sure that Ekstrom wished to be on edge for the entire time they would be in each other's company this evening.
Summoning the keychain that she had made a long time ago had Illyria picking up the item before she flashed a mischievous glance at the woman, "I'm glad tht the ring works wonderfully and that it now has more functions than what I was able to help unlock," she nosed her own item before she darted into the bushes, with the device clamped in her teeth. Her "I'll be right back," was muffled but she was gone.
Taking the keychain Illyria sighed before pressing the button in order to activate a glamour that would last for three hours. Ekstrom would probably notice that her aura suddenly disappeared as a result but she emerged quickly from the direction she'd run off into adjusting the bag that was over her shoulder before she sat down again. "There, that's better and now I can properly enjoy this evening without putting you or I in danger."
Illyria reached for the cookie she'd chosen earlier before nibbling on the treat and she reached for the bottle of water before she stretched out. "It's not often I employ this alternative look, as I lose the use of what senses I have as a Mauvian, but it does come in handy if I want to pass as just your average civilian."
itspao_
(the link shows what Illyria programmed as her Mauvian glamour appearance. she still has her curly hair but it's just of a blue ombre style, still curly like her human Mau form... she can't use any of her Mauvian abilities, but I figure it is okay if it's just her an Ekstrom)
Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2025 10:22 am
Ekstrom was just unpacking a lantern package on her own when Illyria gave her muffled "be right back" notice, and she was gone before she could ask any questions about the item that the Mauvian had in her mouth. No doubt some other neat kind of device only a Mauvian could come up with. They really were such an impressive species, she thought with a little smile as she continued to work.
The disappearance of the energy signature made her pause and look in the direction it had been coming from, the smallest worry starting to eat at her when a civilian jumped out from the same area and came toward her. Ekstrom's eyebrows disappeared into her bangs as she watched the young woman approach, silently questioning until Illyria spoke.
"Oh, wow," she said, leaning back a bit to get a fuller view of the civilian glamour. "That's really neat. I mean, maybe a little not ideal with the whole sense thing, but yeah. Definitely handy!"
Pausing on her lantern for a moment, the Knight grabbed a cookie and started nibbling on it, her mind lingering on the idea of energy signatures. "Sometimes," she said after finishing one and grabbing a second. She was a fiend when it came to cookies. "I kinda wonder if there's a way to know who my allies are when I'm in civilian form," she mused out loud. "Y'know, in case something happens on the street. Imagine how useful that would be, not to mention reassuring."
Opening the bottle of water Illyria took a sip of the liquid before selecting another cookie. She placed it in her lap before letting Ekstrom's words register fully. The key chain that held the ability for her to look like a human was promptly laid flat on her palm for the knight to examine if she wanted to. Illyria's other hand scratched the back of her head before stopping. Given what the Mercurian knight had just admitted had Illyria watching the other woman in silence for a moment. The chip technology that Order Mauvians had constructed would definitely be able to help in that regard and it almost seemed as if it would be an easy sell to get Ekstrom chipped up. Her gaze was thoughtful even as she returned her attention to finishing off the second cookie she had snagged.
"Yeah, the loss of everything that helps me be a Mauvian while in this form takes some getting used to. But sometimes it is handy to just walk around and believe once in a while that I actually belong among the normal, day to day, average civilians," she admitted before sighing. "Still, I'd rather be my feline self or the other form that you've seen before than a human. This device just allows me a bit of freedom from things at times."
Illyria glanced at the lanterns that Ekstrom had brought out before she thought back to the previous year. She had stolen a lantern and released it hoping that, like in Tangled for Rapunzel, it would have eventually led Meissa back to Order. It was hard to admit that it'd been a full year since the debacle. She gave a heavy sigh as she reached for one of the lanterns that was being offered for her to release. "I've done this a few times before with some powered friends and yet the hardest release I did was last year, when I didn't have anyone to release a lantern with. But last year I wasn't releasing the lantern for myself but for someone else lost to me a few months earlier."
Illyria drew her hands back abruptly almost as if she had been burned. "I don't know if I deserve to do this."
Reaching out for the key chain Illyria deactivated the glamour before laying down on the ground, a picture of a miserable feline. "You shouldn't have to worry about being attacked and I have to step up in what I can offer to those I don't actively watch over. You expressed interest in something that would allow you to identify allies while in civilian form ... we've, that is a group of Order Mauvians, made something that could help in that regard."
