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 Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2025 4:39 pm
Quote: 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.
He'd brought them somewhere with a marginally lower chance of being too new and bright and confusing for someone that Rakovanite expected was fairly unaccustomed to all the sights Destiny City had to offer. It was barely a park: more accurately, it was a lone gazebo on a little plot of grass with a swath of dense trees as a backdrop. A parking lot out front, with a small scattering of vehicles. A walking trail on the other side of the lot that led down, down, down a hill to a playground at the bottom, and slightly more distantly: the lights of Destiny City.
The Outlook wasn't private by any stretch of the imagination. There were people here: a couple still in their car, a couple headed down the trail, and a group of four girls sitting on the curb next to a lone food truck. All spaced out enough that Rakovanite didn't fear being noticed. He and Feronia didn't stand out among those gathered, and it was dark enough that most people had the good sense to mind their own business.
"Sit," he commanded softly, gesturing to the bench in the gazebo. "I will get you something to eat from the truck." He motioned to the food truck at the edge of the parking lot. "And I would prefer you not be seen. It will only take me a minute."
That was the only warning he gave before he went, though Rakovanite did so with no small amount of anxiety. He wanted to interact with civilians as little as possible while he was powered up. Some people did it with such ease and confidence that the General simply could not understand. He didn't want anyone to see him, he didn't want anyone to hear his voice, he wouldn't use his personal cell number for take out and then pick it up as Rakovanite- No. None of that. And he certainly wouldn't be powering down in front of Feronia. This was literally the only thing he could think of to mitigate as much damage as possible, and even this ratcheted his anxiety up into the stratosphere.
But at least without his coat and vest and cape, there were very few hallmarks of his status as a Negaverse agent. Just a tight, black short-sleeved tee-shirt, pants, boots. He could get through this.
Despite having no idea what sorts of food Feronia enjoyed, Rakovanite was not nearly so concerned about making selections for him. It wasn't like food trucks had a large menu, so he picked only a small handful of things and headed back to the gazebo, shrugging off the worst of the discomfort of having to interact with the civilian truck owner that he really had not wanted to interact with. But it was fine. It was over. Now just... Feronia.
"Here," Rakovanite offered, extending a cup full of smoothie and a little cardboard tray full of veggie-and-rice bowl to the Senshi. "I was unsure what you would enjoy, but there were not many options, anyway." He set a cup of fresh-sliced fruit, a bottle of water, and a wrapped egg salad sandwich on the bench next to Feronia. "Try whatever you like. Oh. And the stall was giving these out. Have one. They are very popular at this time of year." He absolutely could not escape all the vendors handing out star charms. And if he had to suffer them, so did Feronia.
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2025 6:06 pm
It had been dizzying, that much had been true, and Feronia found himself stumbling slightly as he followed along while they held his hand at first. Truck? Following what he mentioned, he was surprised again as to what it might be, it wasn't something he had ever seen, but to keep out of sight to not cause any trouble, he nodded and sat quietly where directed to. Focusing mainly on wringing the water from his clothing as best as he could, he felt bad that some of the dirt and mud from his clothing was spreading to the coat they loaned him. But hadn't they left the other pieces of clothing back where they had been? Maybe they were easily replaced? Focusing his eyes down towards his feet, he kept his ears and horns covered as he'd been told and started to wonder more about the way this world was. It seemed much less based in nature than his had been, and from the small glance he'd chanced at the few other people by that truck thing, there was no unified clothing style like back home either, which made him uneasy. When the man returned, he looked up and then took the offered cup first. Sipping at it slowly at first, he then brightened and continued at it enthusiastically. It was sweet and reminded him of some things from home, but so much sweeter than he had had before. Fruits this sweet were only after the best harvests and were rare to have often. The rest of the things seemed sort of familiar, though not exactly. Fruits and veggies were normal, but the yellow mixture between what looked like some sort of spongy material had him confused. Opting for the fruit and then picking the veggies from the odd white kernels, he smiled widely as he ate. It really was good, and it helped him feel less worried about this world and whether he might be able to manage here. Looking up from his meal as they offered an odd little charm, he hesitantly reached out for it and accepted it. For them saying they weren't friends he was very confused why they were presenting him with a gift and being so kind otherwise. Was this how things were on Earth? Were they this kind here? "Thank you! It's very good, the food and the charm. I am confused as to what some of the items are, though, but fruits and veggies are what we had each meal so I am glad to see they exist here." Shifting slightly, he knew his tail was twitching happily as he ate. "What should I call you?" Thinking on it since they didn't like friend, he just wasn't sure what else was proper here.
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Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2025 8:26 am
Rakovanite didn't sit, instead simply standing over Feronia and staring at him with perfectly blank, practiced neutrality as the Senshi riffled through the offerings he'd been brought.
This was a lot of ******** effort and patience and tolerance to go through for someone he could not stand on a fundamental level, for a goal that did not necessarily align with his own. He could think of- dozens of agents and Negaverse Senshi who would go to great lengths to win their enemy over rather than killing them. And Feronia, being clearly alien was certainly a prize more valuable alive than dead.
But Rakovanite really struggled to understand how this method was efficient or useful. And he was undoubtedly one of the least suited to the task of befriending this creature. Cervantite, maybe, would have better luck. He could at least make a serviceable effort into being friendly, glean whatever scraps of knowledge about the cosmos existed in this one's tiny head- But Feronia didn't even know what bread was if the uncertainty flickering through his eyes was any indication as he looked over the sandwich. And Cervantite had the unfortunate tendency to be overwhelming. Loud and vibrant and chatty...
Hessonite would be the best to call. Rakovanite expected she would have a no-holds-barred way of handling someone like this.
"Hm?" His focus slanted back up from Feronia's fingers, where Rakovanite had been watching him pluck scraps of cabbage out of the rice bowl. And as the General had expected, Feronia was confused about the food. Which made Rakovanite feel like the Senshi couldn't possibly have been starving, or he wouldn't be picking through it like a little bird. It also made him think that whatever civilization this alien hailed from either had wildly strict dietary needs or they were just incredibly ill-advanced. "I apologize. Someone-" Not Rakovanite. "-will be able to help you pick out what is safe for you to eat."
And here was a moment he should have anticipated, though he'd perhaps mistakenly believed it could be avoided. "You should call me-" 'Nothing. I have no interest in my name falling from your lips, and you will have no reason to address me further once this is done.' No one friendly would say that. Rakovanite bit the tip of his tongue, then said the first not-his-name that he could conjure: "Arakahn."
He was confident that only Basyl had ever even heard that name, and as much as Rakovanite would've preferred it stay something secret and intimate between the two of them, he wasn't prepared enough or creative enough to come up with something new on the fly. It should've been so easy to just say the most basic name he could think of- Dave, Ben, John- but in that moment nothing was forthcoming.
Just that one ridiculous name he'd had before.
Fine. Whatever.
He shook his head. "How long have you been here?"
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