The Wishing Tree (1): A Destiny City Star Festival Tradition to be held every year; In Town Square, there is a beautiful tree with spreading branches. It is tall, but the lowest branches are easily reached. The city has decorated the tree with small, starlike ornaments and glistening lights. Thick leaves and beautiful purple flowers dangle from the branches, along with a myriad of different colored papers with handwritten wishes. Next to the tree is a stack of blank paper with twine attached, and a handwritten sign that explains:
Write your wish on a sheet of paper and tie it to the tree. Take one wish off the tree and do your best to grant it. When you have granted the wish, bury the paper in the park.
The papers are biodegradable and filled with seeds. There are no rules for wishing, but you are encouraged to wish for something vague enough that it can be interpreted in many ways so that it can be granted; you do not write your name on it, but it is encouraged to write something that doesn't wish for self gain, but rather something that can make the world a better place. Some wishes dangling from the tree already include things like “I wish there wasn't so much litter in the park,†“I wish someone would clean the graffiti off the old historic buildings,†and “I wish there were more volunteers at the shelter.â€
If you choose to use the Wishing Tree, what do you wish for? If your wish is private, you may write it on the paper and choose a spot in the park and bury it yourself instead of hanging it on the tree.
This is ******** stupid, was his initial thought. His second thought was But magic exists. Clearly, if he tied his dilemma to a tree in the middle of everywhere, during a city-wide celebration rumored to be cursed with strange magical happenings, then he might somehow wake up the next day and remember everything. And if it really] wanted to seek his approval, then he'd also wake up looking like he used to — or, at least, let him look in the mirror without recoiling like something implacable was missing.
Had Eles been younger, maybe less frustrated with the world, he might've found the tradition romantic in some manner. Something coined and sponsored and spread with the intent to bring the community together. However, he couldn't help looking at it like an anonymous 'help wanted' board with a lot of extra twine and flowers to the face and a stern expectation that you chip in if you expect to have your s**t fixed.
While he was still standing on his toes, barely tying off the twine with the tips of his fingers, he plucked one of the violet flowers from their bushels. No, he decided. He wouldn't stop at one. Maybe a few. Maybe a handful.
It was, after all, far easier to weave and knot stems together when he could actually reach them. While he was still fashioning his little project, he began to walk back toward The Boy, with his little diadem and shawl and an ever-present air of superiority. For a boy whose name meant misfortune, he was certainly lucky that the one damn tree for this stupid community ritual grew purple flowers that suited his Dark Mirror ensemble scandalously well. It was ridiculous, really.
With the makeshift (and very biodegradable, thank you mildly condescending sign) bracelet assembled, Eles held it out wordlessly in expectation of helping him don it.
Behind him, as a breeze gently rustled the lowest branches, one of many colored papers fell to the ground. In it was a message scrawled in almost knifelike font: I wish I remembered who the ******** I was.
lizbot
sara draconia
Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2025 1:07 pm
Already on the tree, positioned for someone a little taller, and secured firmly was a piece of paper bearing the whimsical script of, I wish you would volunteer at the animal shelter. A benign, altruistic wish that was asking a stranger to go pick up s**t. The slip of paper he’d brought back didn’t have text so much as a scrawled little picture of a cat and what was presumably a hand with a remarkable number of fingers.
Hybris loved the Wishing Tree. Having had his fill of peeking at (and judging) other people’s wishes, he settled in to wait for Eles with a thin book in hand. A battered old Harlequin he had just barely enough light to read by. The heroine was just about to experience The Uncertainty stage of the relationship when suddenly flowers blooming in the corner of his eye, or at least a ring of them were suddenly presented by somebody who decided to be very charming tonight.
Holding out his wrist, eyebrows raised and smile dimpling, Hybris asked, “Well this is lovely. A wish? Or are you trying to make my heart go all aflutter?” It hadn’t, but in his chest there stirred something warm and tarlike, which he considered much the same.
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lizbot
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Sara Draconia
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Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2025 1:12 pm
Things had been going well, too well, she had thought. The last meeting to bring that cryptic woman over to the proper side of things had gone smoothly, leaving just two more tasks and meetings remaining. So Desiree decided to take some time to put that worry of the witch on paper up alongside some of the other tags which hung from the foliage. Something short and simple, written in the flowing script she used when writing music, aside from the horrible scrawl she had no idea about.
What does j̸̧̩̱͎͓̪̗̰̪̰̃̅̈́̿̽̊̌͆̌͛͌̓̽̃͐̿͆̔̐̉͗͐̚͝͝͝ͅö̵̢̨̧̢̟̞̟̬̺̮̬͉̤͓͔̫͔̟́͒̀̊́̅̔̍̑̓͗̆́̽̇̓̕͠͠͠ͅḥ̵̨͇͎͉̩̝̠̖͇̐̑̀͛͂̍̈́̃̈́͌̿̅̒̇͒̾̚͘͝͝v̵̢̡̡̜̙̗͉̤̜̈́̉̓̓͑̆̅̇͂͗̉̓͌̎͒͝z̸̛̛̮̤̰̭̜͎̗̲̪̣̱̔̐͂̈͛̆̄̀̅̇͒͛̍̾͑͋̃́̐̂͂͂́͗̕͘͠ mean?
It didn’t fit what she usually saw on the tree, but it was worth a shot, and she could see a few others nearby putting their wishes up as well. One of which she knew was a powered individual, even if she wasn’t able to feel them as she was in this moment. One of the mirror, how quaint, and hopefully not as lackluster as the one she’d been trying to get whipped into shape.
Noticing one of the tags falling, she took the time to move closer and pick it up. It wouldn’t do well to be on the ground, even if she felt mildly concerned over the fact that someone was having amnesia. For a moment, she looked between the tag and the two standing there. Did that civilian know about things, were they aligned one way or another yet? The question chewed at her as she shifted to get a look at the pair as casually as she could with her one good eye. “Did one of you drop this?,” she asked before moving to tie it back up. Noticing the flowers, she added a quick apology as well. “Apologies if I interrupted anything.”
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Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2025 1:15 pm
Eles blinked at Hybris owlishly. After fitting the delicate bracelet around a similarly delicate, bangled wrist, he signed perfunctorily. Thought it matched your aesthetic. That ******** smile always brightened his mood, however. Even with the pretension of a Wishing Tree, he couldn't hold onto his anger for long.
Then he, too, would have a seat. Scowling at what was effectively a vintage smut rag, he continued. Better to preserve some of them now, anyway. Was thinking it'd be fun to burn the whole tree down. All those wishes… He animated a pop with his hands, then wiggled his fingers independently as if they were ribbons of detritus burnt away into ash. Imagine how convenient, too, if you'd wished for more light.
Then orange eyes shifted to some newcomer who — hopefully — didn't know enough sign language to realize that Eles was discussing arson and destruction of public property. But all of that was forgotten as quickly as it started when he'd caught a glimpse of the paper this girl tied up.
Handwriting looked familiar enough. Like someone wrote it with an ink-tipped dagger. Eles sighed through his nose, shoulders deflating ******** the Wishing Tree, honestly. Thanks he signed, and even if she couldn't understand it, he assumed Hybris would translate.
lizbot
sara draconia
Strickenized
Garbage Cat
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lizbot
No Faun
Online
Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2025 1:19 pm
He’d have to treat Eles to something nice later for being so sweet, maybe an art exhibition? Or a trip outside of the city. Make a bonfire…probably cause a forest fire between them. He touched the petal of a flower on his wrist, then carefully let it be. It really was sweet wasn’t it? And so thoroughly unearned and unprovoked on his part. Of course, that didn’t have to mean anything. It was one of his colors after all.
“Who knows? It might be connected to some tree entity that would come to earth and fight you for being such a big meanie.” He leaned closer to the other boy to list a few more names and titles he’d earn through such a heinous act, but a woman approached them and Malory rather liked her eyes.
Before he could ask her if she had an injury or if it was an aesthetic choice, she offered up a slip of paper and oh…oh oh oh!
“He says thank you SO much!” Malory translated. Even without looking, he was sure he knew what was on that slip of paper. Thinking it over, his face took on a wistful cast. “I don’t suppose you’ve seen any talking cats around here?” Half serious but all in jest, he turned to glance at Eles and gave a little shrug. It was worth a try. This was the Wishing Tree, after all.
And magic is real.
Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2025 1:20 pm
For a moment, her eyes narrowed, understanding some of the motions from the classes she snuck in on, but not enough for all of what they were signing. It didn’t seem pleasant from the little she could tell, but it wasn’t exactly something she could easily ask about without proving she was eavesdropping.
While she’d gotten that they’d said thanks, she appreciated the exaggerated translation by the mirror senshi. Their question put things in a potentially tricky position, considering she wasn’t out as the mauvian Desiree right now.
Fiddling with one of the strands of her hair as she considered things, she looked between the pair. “I may have, did you lose one?” If they already had someone to work with then she wasn’t going to interfere, at least without proof that the other mauvian was a slacker.
“I saw one while looking over the various wishes. Just over somewhere there, I believe.” Pointing in a general direction, near some of the decorations and set up tables full of tags and things to write with, it wasn’t the best distraction she could think of on the fly but hopefully it would give her a moment to step behind the tree and click her keychain once more.
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Sara Draconia
Wheezing Loiterer
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Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2025 1:25 pm
The shifting expressions on Eles's face spoke more of the mentions the boy made in his ear. Some earned a look, others earned a Look. Then, as was ever his whim, the conversation shifted. Eles, perpetually playing catch-up, needed a moment to remind himself that, yes, that conversation was real. It happened, and now this one was happening.
Asking about talking cats like they were ******** commonplace. In a tone that may as well have said pass the tea, please. What the ******** was wrong with this city? And how could she so nonchalantly comment that she saw one back by the ******** tree? For a moment, he simply stared between them. One, then the other, then the one again.
He was reminded — involuntarily — of the talk they'd had the night when Malory revealed that he was Hybris. Before there had been such a rude little introduction, they discussed Eles having had a psychotic break. Hallucinating. That what he'd done to himself could put him in an asylum.
No evidence could placate that everlasting suspicion that he was living a hallucination right now. Talking cats and magic and a perfect-looking boy who could change masks and become unrecognizable until one knew his secret. This life — living comfortably in Malory's house, going out on these tawdry little misadventures, finding ways to get themselves and each other into trouble that never actually reached out and touched them — what was to say these weren't all symptoms of an incurable, diseased mind?
Each day he woke up, Malory was still there. Hybris was still there. The shadows still turned about them like they had sentience.
The girl was off, though, presumably to get the cat. Feeling a little needy, Eles sought the boy's flower-crowned hand.
Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2025 1:26 pm
“No, we just need to ask one a question,” Hybris answered slowly, the joke in his voice fading into something more solemn. “If one’s about looking at wishes, maybe they can help us with ours.” Considering this was Destiny City, he’d give good odds that she had, in fact, seen a talking cat nearby. And it was entirely possible that the Wishing Tree actually helped along such a kismet encounter.
Taking Eles’s hand, Hybris paused for a moment when he felt the tension in it. Still careful of the flowers, he gave it a playful little swing. “Thank you so much, miss! We’ll keep looking around here then.” With a little wave, he started pulling Eles away, calling back, “I hope your wish gets granted!”
Brushing up against Eles’s shoulder, he decided to be reassuring for once, “Don’t worry, the talking cats almost never beat anybody up.” He’d heard things about a sinister black mau of impressive size, but that sounded more like an urban legend to Hybris. Don’t patrol with food in your hand or Evil Garfield of the White Moon will come and dropkick you with its grimy litter paws.
“Hopefully she didn’t just see a youma,” Hybris sighed. “You’re really not in any condition to rescue me from one.” Craning his neck up at the tree, he tried to pick out any cat-shaped shadows.
lizbot
No Faun
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Sara Draconia
Wheezing Loiterer
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Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2025 1:31 pm
At least they were polite, another good trait that she wished more senshi had. It was frustrating when she had to drag the one mirror senshi she was in charge of out of a cafe to do patrols and get nattered at like she was the problem.
Once they were otherwise distracted, she pulled her keychain out after checking the timer on her watch. There would be enough time left for her to wander and poke into a few other places after this, at least. It was always a frustrating little change; she did enjoy the height advantage she had as a civilian, but she couldn’t work properly like that. And when there was work to be done, she prioritized it over her little outings.
Tucking away the scarf she’d been wearing, the only thing not part of what she’d programmed, she slunk around the tree and followed the pair, throwing her side into the mirror senshi while looking up at the other boy.
Hopefully, they’d be strong enough to handle her side checking them, if not, she’d get a laugh at them stumbling from her attention. “Hello, dearies.” Flicking her fluffy tail against their leg, she plopped down and settled in to see what they actually needed.
Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2025 1:33 pm
Leave it to Hybris to hit all the pleasantries and vapid statements that were expected in polite conversation. It left him rather glad that he hadn't begun speaking to people at the outset; it gave him more time to observe and learn. The girl seemed fine with their exchange, though Eles still thought it incredibly strange to have such a benign conversation about a talking ******** cat. But, like Hybris said before, magic was real.
So he'd dutifully followed The Boy, even as he was checking if Eles's arm fit snugly in its socket. How bad could a cat be? He asked with his free hand. It is a cat, right? They could be tiny terrors. Eles might end up with scratches down his arms, but he doubted a cat could put either of them down for good.
Well, maybe Hybris. But Eles was almost certain that was by choice.
He could concede the point about youma, though. Eles could figure how he'd fight a person, but youma weren't people. Nor were they standard shapes and sizes like cats. They ran the entire gamut of Weird s**t, so he doubted he could come up with any reasonable game plan for dealing with one. Well, aside from making friends with one of their handlers and hoping for the best. Maybe he should've asked that goth cheerleader with the shattered head about that before letting Hybris have thoughts again.
Where Hybris checked the tree, Eles let go of him to check around the roots. With a tree this old and established, there were likely several burrow holes made from the rising roots alone —
But that voice caught him, and Eles turned around with the very reasonable expectation of seeing a person. Except there was no person. So he looked down, and there, at Hybris's feet, was the biggest cat he'd ever seen. Eles's eyes widened in wonder.
He couldn't believe how enormous this cat was! It was at least the size of Breakfast and Lunch put together. That settled it — he'd call this one Brunch.
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Garbage Cat
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lizbot
No Faun
Online
Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2025 1:34 pm
“I think they shoot laser beams sometimes?” Hybris offered mildly. “And they’re apparently tech wizards of a sort. But anyway, if you see a stupendously overweight black cat, I’ve been told to be…respectful. And fast.”
Hybris did, in fact, stumble! The blood caps he typically kept in subspace were planted as well, just in case any vague sort of violence threatened to do more than bump into him. He glanced down to see his potential attacker, expecting a stealthy youma and instead finding…!
With a gasp, Hybris clutched at his chest, “Why Miss Mau!” And then he was immediately squatting so she wouldn’t be forced to look up. Finally noticing the faint chaos aura, his smile widened further. “We’re so fortunate to have crossed paths with you!”
He held out his palm to her for a shake or bap, or in case she demanded a cash down payment. “I’m Hybris, Dark Mirror of Reflection. And this is Eles, my fourth best boy.”
Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2025 1:35 pm
Hearing the comment about laser beams, she felt that wasn’t a good idea in most cases. Size and backup were her preferred methods, aside from taking on that more human form and clawing at someone.
Chuckling as one stumbled and the other looked at her with wide eyes, Desiree nodded and accepted the two names. Though the mention of a hierarchy of boys left a bad taste in her mouth. Even if she preferred some people over others, it wasn’t proper to say that aloud or in front of one of the ones on the list. “Desiree, under Melpomene, the Dark Mirror of Bleeding Hearts, when it comes to business relating to the mirror.” Though she had a few other senshi she’d helped, it didn’t matter much right now as she looked between the pair.
“How may I help you, dearies? It is a pleasure to meet you both, Hybris and Eles.” Nodding her head slightly to remain polite, she did wonder if this fourth-best boy was of the mirror or like her musician. But she would wait to see, let them make the moves for now.
Sara Draconia
Wheezing Loiterer
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Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2025 1:36 pm
Eles, being a pile of poor impulses, had taken leave of all of his sense once he'd laid eyes on such a big, beautiful, talking cat. Encroaching a little further, he reached down to scoop the feline up into both arms in hopes of squishing that cat and enjoying the luxuriously maintained softies.
Suddenly, it didn't matter if he was magical or not. There was a cat existing in his general vicinity. He simply had to Get That Cat.
Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2025 1:40 pm
Desiree was proving exceedingly ideal for clearly having experience with the Mirror! Business with it even! But unlike the clearly superior being before them, when it came to advocating for himself and his situation, Eles was doing his best to demote himself to Fifth Best Boy by losing his ******** mind and manhandling Desiree to truly awe-inspiring degree.
This was truly a boy both without fear or nearly enough experience with cats to commit such sins against her fluffy person.
“Eles lost his mind…I mean his memory recently in a very mysterious way.” Malory hoped she used the laser beam. “And I was wondering if there might be something with his starseed or energy signature that a Mauvian such as yourself could detect.” To be fair, he also wanted to squish the huge fluffy cat and resented his own very good and well-mannered self a little. But mostly he resented Eles.
lizbot
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Sara Draconia
Wheezing Loiterer
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Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2025 1:44 pm
Tensing at the intrusion, she huffed and kicked with her back paws to try and not fall from Eles’s grasp. This was a new person, and she would rather not be dropped. She was a refined older cat and didn’t like the idea of getting hurt while out.
They weren’t picking her up like Liam did, something she’d gotten used to and preferred, so she grumbled and squirmed until she climbed her way up onto their shoulder instead. With another huff, she tried to shake her head and right her fur a bit, only slightly digging her claws into their shoulder in the process.
It was their choice to hold her, so if they were going to complain about her being heavy, then the scratches were in order anyway. She still had half a mind to bite them for the rudeness of manhandling her, but if they’d lost their memory, maybe it would be best to be a bit gentler to them.
Focusing on Eles as she kneaded on their shoulder, her expression shifted from annoyance to confusion. There wasn’t anything there, not like with senshi, so either this person was a liability by being a knight with a lost memory, or they were an agent.
Eyeing Hybris, she didn’t like this, not one bit. “I feel nothing wrong, but Eles seems not to be a senshi.” Leaving things vague for now because she didn’t like the possible implications, she considered hopping down. It was always hard to judge with her depth perception off, so hopefully one of them would let her down gently.
“Losing one’s memories is unfortunate, but not something I can help with unless we have more information. I apologize.”
