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 Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2026 7:24 pm
Quote: Snowbunnies (1) : Winter seems to bring out the cutest of all rodents; this isn’t the first time that small, white rabbits have infested Destiny City. They’re small, rarely larger than a guinea pig, and have large eyes and wiggling noses. They are always pure white and seem to show up whenever there’s snow. They aren't menacing or evil, they're just everywhere. They seem strangely domesticated; they are sweet, curious, and friendly creatures that will eat anything you give them. They always seem cold to the touch, and when they shake, little snowflakes sprinkle off of them. While they seem to be social creatures who seem to appreciate anything warm and will cuddle up to steal body heat, they are too skittish and fast to be kept for pets. They can show up just about anywhere, either alone or--often--in pairs. They tend to wander off on their own without any trouble, but if you surprise them or try to catch or hurt them, they may bite. Their little teeth are enough to break skin, but after one bite they run away. The bite itself isn’t bad, but the effects are a bit unpleasant: for roughly two days after the bite, the injury is cold and the victim will feel random, cold, shooting pains. Their core body temperature will drop and they will often be sent into random fits of shivering. No medicine seems to help, and no amount of blankets or hot baths can soothe the chill. You're just going to have to deal with it and hope it gets better… Most experiences with the bunnies are perfectly pleasant, you just have to worry about them burrowing. There are holes peppering Destiny City, and with the fresh fallen snow it can be impossible to tell where they are hiding. The holes range from small holes to several feet deep, so can be a minor inconvenience to a potential hazard. On the bright side, sometimes you wind up covered in bunnies looking for warmth from their sudden guest. On the other hand, there are a rising number of trips to the hospital for twists and sprains. The bunnies always leave with the snow, so best to enjoy them--or avoid them--for as long as you can.
Honestly, all around Carterhaugh couldn't help but feel at peace. This was nice, to see these friendly little creatures that just wanted love and affection. His little wisp even seemed to like them, too, though it had only hovered for a moment before vanishing to wherever it went when it wasn't following him.
And though he could feel a Chaos aura approaching, he let himself relax. If he was friendly first, maybe they would be, too.
"Come and sit down," he called, "these little guys are pretty friendly."
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Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2026 7:42 pm
Tyndareus couldn't believe his good luck when, on a night shortly after his excursion to Pyrrhus, he ran into Carterhaugh again. Someone from the other side, whom he could talk to freely, despite everything their initial encounter had been. Slowly, over the course of a few weeks, somehow, things had thawed a little there, and Tyndareus was genuinely glad to see Carterhaugh. The bunnies gave him pause for a brief moment, but he moved forward with ease at the kind and friendly greeting Carterhaugh gave before he even knew who was behind him. "Hopefully a little friendlier than the sheep, and a little less hungry," he said with a short laugh as he very carefully sat in the snow next to his... friend? Perhaps? He wanted to say more, but his throat closed up with nerves—a phenomenon he had not experienced in many, many years—so he tried to relax and offered his hand to a bunny. It nuzzled his palm and he very gently scratched it behind its ears.
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Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2026 7:47 pm
"Tyndareus!" Carterhaugh was, honestly, genuinely glad to see the Senshi that came to sit with him. He wouldn't have thought so, after how their first meeting had ended, but, well...
In many ways, Tyndareus reminded him of a stray dog. The kind that had been through hell before getting dumped onto the street, and was like to bite you as anything else. But he'd gotten lucky, with this stray; a little kindness had warmed him up. And Carterhaugh hoped that he could keep doing that.
"How have you been? No more accidentally offending mysterious snowdrifts?" His voice was light, playful. A little teasing.
Honestly, he had missed genuine friendship. It had been so long since he'd really had it.
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Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2026 8:00 pm
Tyndareus blinked, a little shocked by the enthusiastic greeting. Surely he didn't have such an effect on a person when they'd started out hating each other, especially not so quickly? Well. Perhaps some people on the other side really did believe in all that forgiveness and niceness garbage. "Hah. No more of that, no. And what about you? Any more hallucinated snowballs?" he jabbed, snorting as he shifted to hold one of the bunnies and scratch under its chin. He would never admit to the way his heart melted as the bunny flopped into his arms, clearly feeling safe enough to cuddle into his warmth.
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Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2026 8:09 pm
"The snowballs were very real," Carterhaugh protested, "just magic. Of some kind. Probably." He still wasn't entirely sure, but it was such a silly little thing, it was hard to be upset about it.
And, it was equally hard to feel anything but fond, seeing the bunny comfortably flop in Tyndareus's arms. Really, he was better than he seemed to want to pretend to be. Better than he'd been forced to make himself.
"I did get to visit my Wonder, though. It's gorgeous, all covered in snow."
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Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2026 8:20 pm
"Oh? I suppose a forest covered in snow would look pretty pretty much anywhere. Yes, I googled Carterhaugh," he said a bit dryly. "I was a little curious." He sighed, looking up to the sky. "I learned some things about Chaos," he muttered, trying and failing to find a good lead-in to the conversation he wanted to initiate. "...It's not pleasant."
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Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2026 8:39 pm
"Oh, it's not a forest," Carterhaugh corrected. "Well, there's a forest around it," he clarified, "but the Wonder itself is a manor and a rose garden. According to my memories--from my previous life, you know, as you do--the roses are magical. But I haven't really seen much of them yet, just a look at how they used to be. Looking forward to springtime," he confessed.
He tilted his head to the side. "You know, I didn't actually look up Tyndareus. Maybe I sohuld have. Brought you some knowledge." His tone was amused, but his expression quickly turned serious.
"No," he agreed, "it's not. I very nearly learned that the hard way. Fortunately, I'm a coward, so I remain here as a Knight."
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Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2026 8:45 pm
Tyndareus's eyebrows lifted as he was corrected on the knowledge—so the actual Wonder may not be exactly what the place on Earth was named for. Fascinating. He wondered what the roses would look like, too. "Perhaps if I had been introduced to the world of magic, things would have gone differently," he said with a sigh, lips twitching a bit as a second bunny decided his lap looked nice and hopped right in. "But the night I learned it all, was the night I was corrupted. General Axinite found me." He inhaled slowly, remembering just how painful that had been, just how free he had felt. Bitter at being at the bottom of the rung, perhaps, but exultant all the same. "I don't know how to be a coward and leave."
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Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2026 9:24 pm
Carterhaugh's expression was gentle. Sympathetic. Of course Tyndareus hadn't had any other experience of the world, of course he hadn't known any other option.
"I don't know exactly how to leave," he admitted. "I know that a General-King was supposed to come and...change me. Bring me into the Negaverse. But I ran away before they could arrive. I thought that if I joined the Negaverse, I could help someone else, who really needed it. But I...I was going to sacrifice myself, everything I was, to do it."
His shoulders sagged, a little. "I lost it all anyway. She--the girl I thought I was willing to give it all up for--knew who I was, under the magic. So I got a new identity. Spent a couple years in England, laying low. And when I came back, I had to be someone different. If you make the choice to leave--and I don't think it would be cowardly, I think it would be very brave to choose for yourself--you'll have to give up your old life, too. Become someone new. But you'll get to choose who that person is."
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Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2026 9:39 pm
Tyndareus blinked in shock at Carterhaugh's story. But he'd seemed so... self-righteous. This was one of those times when he was quite rudely reminded that every single person had as complex an inner life as his own. "Well then...." He sighed, putting a bunny down. "That's what I did when I came to Destiny City in the first place. I rode in on my connections to the, ah, typical criminal underworld, and people know to leave me alone, but I try to have very little to do with them. I enjoy being in control of myself. Now, though... I have simply been caught in another spider's web." He sighed again, watching his breath puff in the air. "I don't relish the idea of losing immunity from the regular criminal activity. But I find it preferable to the ones who can feed me to youma if they don't like the way I look at them. At least none of the regular criminals have tigers in their basements here."
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Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2026 9:43 pm
Carterhaugh was glad fort he little bunnies, if only because they gave him something to do with his hands while he listened to what Tyndareus had to say. It all tracked with everything he'd heard before, filling in the colors on the picture of the kind of life the man next to him had had.
Messy. Painful. Difficult.
"No matter what you've built, it's hard to give it all up," Carterhaugh acknowledged. "I can look, for you. Try to find answers. I think a Princess is involved, but I've never had the chance to ask for all the details." Surely he had to know someone who would know. Someone who could help Tyndareus escape.
"But yes, the freedom to decide for yourself what you want to do is preferable to being on someone's leash, I think."
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Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2026 9:46 pm
"I would appreciate that." Tyndareus frowned a little. "I just don't know how to guarantee we run into each other again. It's not as easy as exchanging phone numbers on burner phones. Is it?" He had no inkling of the magical rules regarding keeping one's identity safe, after all, other than tell no one from the other side.
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Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2026 9:49 pm
"I can send you a letter," Carterhaugh said. "You won't be able to reply, but a Knight's signet ring can reach anyone, from any faction. And I'll just have to trust you, beyond that."
He felt like he could, truth be told. Tyndareus really seemed to be thinking about things. To be doubting. To be...considering what he actually wanted out of all of this.
Carterhaugh hoped he made the right choice, in the end.
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