|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2025 12:04 am
Starfish Scares (13) : Starfish live in the sea. They do not live in freshwater rivers, lakes, or reservoirs with no connection to the ocean. Starfish are also not social creatures. And yet, here they are–in hoards. They can be found near any water source–and far from it. These starfish seem to be a unique species that are eager to travel and don’t seem quite bound to water, though they will seek it out. The starfish will latch onto just about anything they can to hitch a ride, even though they’re fast. They secrete an itchy, oozy slime after they’ve latched onto something, and though it seems as though they can absorb nutrients from any living creature, these starfish have an odd penchant for blood. You might as well have a colorful leech stuck to you as soon as you think one of these things crawling your way. Their bites are sharp and will leave the nearby skin itchy and painful. They are a bit difficult to remove but they can be killed; as soon as they have perished, they will rapidly dry out and crumble. However, it’s far more likely that they’ll escape before you can get your hands on them. Be vigilant; these things are pests–and smart enough to cling to people and vehicles alike if it means getting to where they want to go.
On closer inspection, it would be very clear that he was not, in fact, having any kind of fun.
Kiringul was, in fact, in pain. And from what?
There, on his back, were not one, not two, but three starfish of varying sizes. He wasn't sure when or where or how they'd latched onto him, but before he knew it his back had become unbearable itchy and painful, not to mention the sensation of something warm and wet where the starfish were currently attached. The Squire was flailing about, trying to reach for the starfish currently stuck to him and ultimately failing.
"C'mon, c'mon," he said, face beet red for all his fruitless efforts. What was worse, he was starting to get a little lightheaded, too, though he didn't imagine it was because of anything super serious. He'd been bouncing and moving around for a while now, and it was hot and uncomfortable and he was wearing layers.
"That they're biting through?!" he went on, now flopping onto the ground out of desperation. He went from flailing and failing to wriggling and inching about on the ground like a colorful little gummy worm. Optics were the last thing on his mind, though, so he wriggled on in the hopes that it would irritate the ******** on his back enough that they'd finally let go.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2025 1:19 pm
Minkowski was sincerely trying to get better about patrolling. She had tried to avoid it for the majority of our time and she was powered, and honestly her lack of experience for her time as a senshi showed. She knew her outfit's lack of any special bells and whistles would have pinned her as a newbie if not for the stories she could tell. It was what brought her out today. It wasn't for any determination to fight better and stronger, necessarily. She did, though, wish she could show as someone who could be helpful in a way that was more obvious to anyone but herself. That didn't resolve the way she walked, one arm held by her opposite hand, every step taken with the kind of caution someone would take if they were walking over hot coals. There was no particular desire to be out here, emotionally. It would be better to get back to work, making delicious pastries, finishing those cookies she had mentioned to Odainsaker, and ignoring this world yet further. Perhaps it wouldn't be better, though. Her brows knit as she saw the Cosmos squire bouncing in the distance, and while at first it may have appeared he was dancing to nothing, it was hard to miss the pained expression as she tread just a bit closer. It was hard to make out his complaints clearly, but was he trying to pull at a-- Oh no. He fell. Minkowski's hands went to her mouth in a silent gasp before she ran over as fast as her legs would let her sometimes she forgot how fast she was when she donned this uniform. "你很痛苦吗?" Minkowski took a deep breath as she realized babbling in other languages in her nerves would not help her. "I'm sorry. Can I help get that off?" He was squirming. "Is that a starfish?" Minkowski bent down to get closer to the squire as he flailed. Would reaching out cause it to bite her instead?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Codebreaking Conversationalist
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2025 5:47 pm
The presence of an Order signature had gone inadvertently ignored as the Squire continued looking ridiculous in his efforts to rid himself of the very toothy starfish. It was only when she came running up to him that he finally took notice. He had rolled onto his side and was again trying to reach the starfish on his back when she spoke, and he turned his head to try and get a better look at his potential savior. With what little he knew of the language she first spoke in, he responded, "有啦，不过不多..."
The smile and beads of sweat that had formed on his forehead and were now rolling down his reddened face as he said this, on top of his light tone despite his discomfort, hopefully made it more than obvious that he was joking.
Of course, in case it wasn't, or that she wasn't great with little jokes like that, he added, "But seriously. If you could, I would really appreciate it." He fully rolled onto his stomach, groaning the entire time, and turned his head so he could speak clearly (and not eat dirt in the process). "I honestly had no idea starfish could even bite. Unless this is just another one of those things that happens in Destiny City..."
Which, all things considered, really wouldn't surprise him if that was the case.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2025 11:59 am
Minkowski had not been legitimately expecting a response in Chinese, and hearing it surprised her. It took her a second to realize that she may have been talking to somebody who at least had some fluency in Chinese, and it was almost a relief that she had not just babbled words at somebody who would have no idea what she was saying. That ended in a giggle. "Not much?" Minkowski's tone was light in response, attempting to do something of a tease back, though the moment she said it she was feeling a bit bad and self-conscious for doing so. Maybe she should have just leapt to action instead of joking- The squire made her self-conscious streak a bit easier by rolling over and asking for the help he clearly needed by the way he was reddening and sweating and struggling. Minkowski nodded, almost tiptoeing closer in an attempt not to shock the starfish. Maybe if it didn't know she was coming? Did starfish work like this? She was pretty sure they didn't work like this. "I think it is just Destiny City craziness," she murmured, considering all the things that she had seen over the last upwards of a decade. There was a reason why she tried to concentrate on other things occasionally, it was easier to pretend her life was normal and that her only real struggle was getting her life as a baker running. That was clearly untrue all things considered. Minkowski slowly reached out to the starfish to grab it as if that would fix the problem by itself. Her hands were finely shaking as she grabbed it by the edge and attempted to yank it off the squire so it would stop trying to make a meal out of it. She was positive this wasn't how starfish worked ... She yelped as she watched the starfish's attention--were they able to think that deep?--shift toward whatever was trying to yank it off. Which was her. Scrambling, Minkowski attempted to throw it before it decided she was the next meal.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Codebreaking Conversationalist
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2025 9:22 pm
The giggle seemed like a good sign, and it brought the smallest bit of relief to know that he was dealing with someone who could appreciate his attempt at humor in a semi-foreign language. "Just figuring it could be a whole lot worse. As in, potentially a nightmare-inducing amount all over my body."
Kiringul sighed quietly when she confirmed it was likely just a DC thing. Apparently a normal summer was just too tall an order for the universe when it came to this city, and this year the choice creatures to sick on innocent citizens were chicken-esque hellspawn and people-eating starfish. And this wasn't even including the fiasco just a couple of months earlier with the world-ending serpentine visitor that they just barely managed to deal with. It was by the skin of their teeth, but they won.
So maybe he should be grateful this year's summer festivities were at least more manageable than that.
The pain of the starfish getting plucked off of him jarred him from his thoughts, and a resounding, "OWOWOWOWOWowowowowowowow—!!" cut the air as she started to help ******** sake," he said, glancing up and moving just enough that he saw her chuck the starfish. Even from where he lay, he could swear it was giving her a look, and he got into position again.
"Sorry. Something tells me we should get this done quickly before these things come for us. I'm ready, just rip 'em off like a bandaid and then we'll book it."
He wasn't ready, but then he hadn't been ready for any of this knight stuff either when it happened, so that wasn't exactly a new feeling for him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
