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 Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 2:11 pm
He wasn’t really thinking when he ran from the Chaos signature that registered as more powerful than he was.
All Themisto in that instant remembered was Cetus’ warning - stay away from Chaos signatures that felt worse than the piddly ones sometimes skirting the edges of his mental radar. Cetus said, the worse the feeling, the more powerful the person holding the signature. The more powerful the person, the exponentially more dangerous they became. It was in Themisto’s best interest to stay as far away from powerful Chaos signatures as possible, but this led to an interesting power-play of Destiny City Tetris for him - dodging and weaving and powering down when the heat got to be too intense.
Tonight was no exception. Whoever owned the Chaos signature was dancing in and out of the edges of his mental perception, and that worried the newbie senshi. He was acutely aware he was in no position whatsoever to take on any of those militaristic agents at his power level. Really, his only defense was to run.
However, tonight was slightly different - in the distance, just on the horizon of his perception - was a more powerful Order signature. This signature felt as Kari’s did - bright, soothing, strong. Instead of running, Themisto sought out that signature, hoping either the person was in fact Super Sailor Kari, or someone who would be receptive to his sudden approach. He had to learn to keep himself alive, one way or another, and let his ego go when it came to asking for help.
Jettisoning himself from roof to roof, always keeping one eye over his shoulder (for he knew that if he could sense the Chaos agent, the agent could very easily sense him), Themisto made his way towards the Order power. He found them -- a woman in bright green (definitely not Kari) -- standing there in the crisp moonlight. Themisto tried to clear his throat but was exhausted from running all that way, and likely appeared shaken and disheveled. Not his best look.
“Ah…” he started, coughing a bit with the exertion. “...sorry to bother you but… Whew.” Themisto leaned over to prop himself up by his hands on his knees. “...Hope uh… hope you don’t mind me hangin’ around… for a bit… There was this agent…” He vaguely pointed behind himself before he had to take a break for a breather.
---
Denebola often prefered surface streets to rooftops, but tonight she had made an exception. It had been a while since she’d focused on more of a bird’s eye view and she had found that the people she ran into on the streets were more aggressive than she would have liked but…
She hadn’t even gone very far after she had climbed the ladder and begun crossing the expanse of one of the roofs belonging to a large apartment complex when she felt something on the corner of her senses.
It was always so difficult to pinpoint where the source of an aura was with the way it encompassed so much and hardly anything at the same time. If there was anything she would fix in her magical capabilities, it was that.
Sailor Denebola had turned on her wedged heels just as the boy - man? - had found her with his heaving chest and the panic that she could read so clearly on his being. “Slow down,” she said immediately, stepping towards him with a furrowed brow and outstretched arms. “You’re fine,” she added hastily, reaching for his arms to give him something to anchor with.
Perhaps it was naivety on her end, allowed someone she didn’t know so readily into her space, but she could tell that the senshi was worried and who was she to turn her back on someone that might need her.
“Focus on breathing okay? We’ll worry about the agent later.”
--
After a few coughing fits, Themisto realized he’d never achieved such a breakneck pace before. Even his new magically-enhanced stamina didn’t seem like much when adrenaline was pumping through his veins and his muscles spasmed with the fight or flight sensation of prey being stalked by a predator. At her insistence, he focused on just catching his breath for a few moments. Once breathing with regularity was reestablished, Themisto stood up to his not-very-impressive five feet and nine inches to gaze at quite the lovely sight.
A little embarrassed (being saved by pretty women again, that ego blow stings), Themisto chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “Ah… thanks! Sorry about just jumping in like a loony…” He couldn’t help but look over his shoulder, even though his magical senses would give him much more accurate information. “Seems a bit stupid on my part to just… you know, pew pew power up and then run like a little kid away from the playground bullies.”
He shook his head. No, they were much worse than any schoolyard punk. Agents could very easily kill you if given the chance, or so it seemed. The young man would have put out his hand for a friendly shake, but pretty women get a bow instead. “I’m Themisto, Senshi of the Lost. Whatever that means.” came the shaky introduction. His outfit was quite a bit less impressive than hers was. Maybe male senshi just got boring outfits in general? Then again, Cetus looked pretty neat himself. “I’m pretty sure it’s obvious that uh… I’m not so good at this…”
She probably had better things to do, best not to be rude! Themisto put up his hands in a sort of apologetic gesture. “This whole war thing is pretty intense but…” He eyed her outfit and tried to match it up to the signature he felt from her earlier. She had a power level like Kari did. “...you’re a Super, right?” Themisto appeared to be quite dazzled with her eyes - two different colors. “Ah, that means you’ve got beauty and butt-kicking powers, right?”
He couldn’t help the dopey smile afterwards.
--
Themisto might have been preoccupied with how he was inconveniencing her, but Denebola was focusing on making sure that he was fine. Blue and green eyes searched his body, then his face for any signs of injuries or danger before meeting his light brown ones. “It’s okay,” she said gently, offering him a soft smile as she pulled her hands back and gave him some space. While her general demeanour was relaxed, there was still tension locked in her spine as she kept her senses open and aware of any encroaching energy signatures that might come into worrying vicinity.
“Starting off is difficult, especially when you feel like a fish out of water,” Denebola offered, trying to recognize that his concerns were valid while also offering him some reassurance that he wasn’t alone. “Everyone’s got different motivations for powering up and well, you have to be smart about when and where you engage.”
She had gotten in over her head too many times when she was still just a basic senshi. “I think you’re doing just fine, especially if you’re on your own.” There was a hint of frustration, not directed to the boy, but to the idea that there was yet another newer senshi on out on their own without a clue of what they were doing.
Really, she could strangle a cat or two at this point.
“Super Sailor Denebola,” she offered once he’d give her his name and she shook her head, playfully rolling her eyes at his compliment. “Sphere’s are weird and tricky, but you’ll figure it out soon enough,” she assured him, reaching up to brush strands of red out of her eyes. “It’s good to see that you’re equipped with some information, which is better than I can say for the gaggle I’ve run into lately.”
--
Themisto chuckled a bit. Denebola was unlike Kari in the warm, confident way she was interacting with him. She seemed empathetic, knowledgeable. That knowledge was something he was painfully lacking. He nodded to himself when she confirmed her rank. Bingo! “Another Super saved my life. I almost got squished by this crazy demon-rhino thing while I was downtown. But jeez, do you do this on a regular basis? When you hit Super, do you get like… eye-lasers or something? I wouldn’t mind a couple’a those.”
Denebola then mentioned a gaggle of other senshi she’d run into who were equally as clueless as him. That statement gave Themisto significant pause. Knowing this, it gave Katya’s statements even more weight than they had before. “So… cats are just poofing people with powers willy-nilly without teaching them anything? So Katya was right.”
He felt it best to explain who Katya was, in case of any confusion. Since Denebola was technically his senior and outranking him, could senshi dole out punishments to those of a lesser rank who transgressed? Was that a thing? “See, I… I met this… other cat.” Themisto seemed to stumble around the words, as if confessing a sin to a disapproving parent. “She… she was on the agent’s side. You know? She had a dark star on her forehead instead of the bright one I saw on Horatio that one time.” His awakening was somewhat of a disaster, one he ran from. “Anyway, Katya said that the military has ranks and trains their people and keeps them safe, but our side doesn’t. What’s up with that? They have a Queen and Generals and everything.”
The young man gave a world-weary sigh. “I mean, I guess…” He stopped with a shrug. “I have no idea what I’m doing.”
--
The dragonfly senshi had lost track of how many senshi she had stumbled upon lost and confused or sorely inexperience and it made something hot and fiery swell within her. “I’m glad someone came to your aid,” she managed though her gloved hands curled into fists reflexively before she unfurled them and smoothed her palms against her skirt. “Depends on the magic, but I highly doubt you’ll get eye lasers.”
In truth, in all her years of being a super senshi, Denebola had never used her super magic and wasn’t quite sure what it did, but she had no intention of telling him such
When the discussion swivelled over to the topic of cats, the woman visibly tensed, jaw ticking as she reigned in her frustration. “Seems like it.” She could distinctly recall Liryn and how he had seemed baffled by the notion that cats kept running off without giving senshi proper instruction.
Mismatched eyes blinked at the boy curiously, uncertain of who he was talking about but was unable to hide the way her face fell at the thought of a corrupted guardian cat. “Oh.” She shook her head, forced a smile out to assure Themisto that nothing was wrong. Of course chaos had cats, how else did the corrupted senshi shift between ranks?
“They’re not really safe, Themisto,” she said quietly, a hint of sadness in her voice. “Their friends and families are held hostage. If you fail, someone else in your life suffers for your mistake there. They may seem structured but...sometimes a dictatorship seems ‘safe’ but it’s all a lie.” She shook her head, thought about how Mag Mel and Midgard had suffered before they’d been free.
“It changes who they are at the core, warps them from the person they are into someone darker. At least here, like this,” she gestured to her fuku, then his, “we have a voice and a say.” She shrugged. “There was a queen once, but she doesn’t really exist anymore, the cauldron hasn’t returned her and maybe...maybe it’s because we’re supposed to form our own destinies this go around.”
--
Themisto swallowed the heavy lump in his throat, watching as Denebola’s demeanor changed and evolved into one of a concerned superior. “Katya didn’t mention a dictatorship. I mean, I guess that makes sense, given the fact that they have a Queen… but still.” England had a queen too, but operated more like a democracy and the queen herself was more or less symbolic. Themisto had hoped, perhaps, that the agent’s military worked in a similar fashion. “They hold family and friends hostage? Jesus…”
He raked a hand through charcoal hair and started pacing unconsciously. The more he spoke to people, the deeper the darkness of the war seemed to stretch. “Katya, she said… she said that if someone like me were to go over to their side, willing or not, you’d lose your memories.” Themisto looked up at Denebola with a fragility he rarely chose to show to anyone else. He was truly frightened. “...Katya said people sometimes go willingly, but not always, and that people die out here. Both sides. But who would willingly choose to do that? Katya said a General-King or Queen comes to get you when you switch sides…”
The more information he had, the more muddled his resolve became. On the one hand, Themisto desperately desired to be someone’s knight in shining armor, to save the damsel in distress and ride off into the sunset. Conversely, even powering up in the wrong place at the wrong time could get him outright killed.
“Denebola,” Themisto hesitated a moment, quietly contemplating his options before shaking his head. “You seem pretty… I dunno… well, I mean, you are real pretty,” A good-natured chuckle. “...but uh… You seem like a veteran of… all this.” Themisto gestured wildly to the city in general. “Would you mind, you know, teaching an ol’ schmuck like me a few things?”
Then the realization struck him that Denebola mentioned something about their own queen, a cauldron, and our own destinies this go around. He reached out momentarily, as if to physically pluck the answers from thin air. “What... what’s that all about? Destiny?”
--
There were a lot of things the super senshi thought about saying, but after seeing the way Themisto’s own demeanour shifted, she held her tongue. The woman took a moment to compose her thoughts in what she felt would be the most eloquent manner that, hopefully, didn’t scare the poor boy off. “Maybe it’s a little more complicated than that, but…” she sighed, thinking of Midgard, who’d lost his sister because of the war.
“I’ve seen what being on that side of things does to someone Themisto, they’re not bad people, but chaos is parasitic.” Because touch was a grounding mechanic for her, Denebola reached for one of his hands. “Any...change from order to chaos or vice versa comes with memory loss. I can’t say for certain why, but I can speculate that it’s a result of the trauma to the starseed.”
Memory loss varied for each of them too, she knew that for a fact. Mag Mel remembered his civilian life and Midgard only remembered his powered.
“I believe in choice above all things and having a voice,” she told him firmly, resolute in her beliefs. “But, a good friend of mine told me that they, the negaverse, like to prey on you when you’re lost and confused and lonely. They promise you so many things at the cost of everything you are, but they don’t tell you that.” With a shake of her head, she continued, “I don’t know much about this cat you’ve been talking to, but I wouldn’t trust what she says.”
Though, her distrust extended to most of the mauvians that left them high and dry.
“If that’s what you want, yes.” Her acceptance was automatic, because Denebola would never turn her back on people who needed her. Her smile was very gentle as she looked at him. “I don’t know how much I can offer you, guidance wise, but I’ll do my best. Even if all I can do is make sure you know you never have to go it alone.”
She had spent too long doing it all on her own to want anyone else to do the same.
“Well,” she said slowly, wry smile on her lips, “do you believe in reincarnation and rebirth Themisto?”
--
Even the word was disgusting - parasitic. It made his skin crawl.
While the young man, nineteen at most, was doing his best to flirt with Denebola, her compassion and wisdom enchanted him more so than anything else. Instead of worrying about a date, Themisto found himself worrying about much more esoteric and serious things such as the parasitic nature of Chaos, its agents, and what their militaristic forces might do to someone like him on an individual level. Denebola holding his hand only solidified the seriousness of the discussion.
“Any change?” came the next question. “So if… someone wanted to leave the military -- the Negaverse, right? -- and become someone like us, they would lose their memory too? Jeez… It’s like, what if you get caught by a cat like Katya, and then you realize how bad things are and you want to change… You lose all your friends and family? Even if you’re making the right choice?”
Themisto shifted uncomfortably and (metaphorically) spat. “Pardon my language but that’s effed up!” He seemed less offended and more outraged on behalf of those corrupted individuals who opted for the greater good, rather than the lies that seemed to be steeped in Chaos. It seemed, to Themisto, that being awakened by a cat in the first place was bad news no matter how one looked at it.
Her question about reincarnation and rebirth left Themisto uncomfortable and confused. He cocked an eyebrow at Denebola. “You mean like… Buddhism? If you’re an a*****e then you get reincarnated as like, a rat or something? I mean, I’m all for the higher power and everything but I dunno about rebirth and stuff. Why, are you Buddhist, Denebola?” Not that he really minded. Denebola was very smart and very pretty regardless of her religious preferences.
--
Regretfully, Denebola nodded, squeezing the hand gathered in her own. “Unfortunately. Part of it is to protect the individual, magic works in many ways that I still do not, and likely will never, understand.” She hesitated, trying to decide on the best way to describe it. “You know how people don’t recognize you like this,” she gestured to his uniform, “even if they know you as whomever you are behind the uniform? It works the same way. Glamour, is that they call it and it’s a magical barrier that keeps you from associating someone familiar with you with your other identity.”
Chewing on her bottom lip she frowned. “I feel like I’m talking in circles,” she admitted with a hefty sigh, because she didn’t know how else to explain. “But, when presented with that information, it keeps people from abandoning the ‘cause’ or whatever the Negaverse feeds it’s recruits.” She had no idea what the fundamentals were behind the faction. “You leave, then your whole family could whine up dead. From my experience, you don’t pick what you remember or what you forget.” That was the hardest part.
“You can’t ever have your old life back, either way you jump.”
To associate with old comrades, powered or civilian, was to risk a leak of identity.
“No. I mean literal reincarnation.” At least she was smiling, sort of, again. “We’ve lived hundreds, probably thousands of lives before this one with this same role in a different place.” Her thoughts drifted to Elu, who was so much stronger than herself. “You…we have a homeworld for each of us. Sometimes it’s a star, sometimes a comet, or an asteroid, possibly an entire constellation. But there’s one for you and....if you ever go. I think you’ll understand a little better.”
--
The look Themisto was leveling at Denebola evoked the image that she’d grown three heads, one of which was a man, and they were all singing terrible disco hits from the height of the 1970’s. And while he liked Denebola, Themisto wasn’t a big fan of disco in any way.
Best to stick to the easy-to-digest bits of information first. “Okay, jumping from one side to the other, in any direction, is bad. Sort of. Mostly.” He repeated, obviously mentally stumbling over every gentle hurdle Denebola was attempting to keep out of his way. The super senshi couldn’t help it, compassionate and understanding as she was. The marathon of information was new and incredibly complex, difficult for Themisto to wrap his otherwise-mundane mind around.
“We’ve lived other lives before this one?” He was utterly perplexed by this notion. Themisto’s eyebrows were slowly rising into his hairline. “...and there’s a… space world. For each of us.” Now what Horatio was yammering about makes more sense. Themisto inwardly kicked himself for not paying more attention in science class when they covered space. The young man didn’t think it would be important later since he had no aspirations about being a scientist or astronomer. “So that’s where we get our names, huh? I thought they were just random that the cats came up with…”
He turned away from her for a moment, contemplating, before swinging back around. “So what is Denebola? Is it dragonfly-shaped?” Suddenly, space seemed a great deal more interesting.
--
“Complicated. Magic is very complicated from what i’ve learned,” Denebola offered, smiling a bit tiredly at Themisto. It had been so long since she’d had the opportunity to properly explain things to someone who asked active questions. Andromeda was so young that she wanted to shelter the girl the best she could and Caia had been bright-eyed and curious.
She worried about him, but had to trust that he would call for her if he needed her or that the cosmos would let their paths intertwine again.
“Yes. When you go back, you’ll understand,” she reiterated because how did she explain the assault of a memory that was but wasn’t hers? “I can teach you, if you want. Maybe not tonight, but later. It’s...it’s something that can really only be explained by experiencing it.”
Tucking hair behind her ear, Denebola watched curiously to see how he might act. When asked about her homeworld she laughed. “It’s the second brightest star in the Leo constellation. The homeworld that I originate from orbits it. Not quite like Earth does the sun, but the concept is similar. It’s not a dragonfly, but there were dragonfly mounts once upon a time.”
She looked sad after, torn between telling him that the world was a mess of decay now or not.
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Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 2:12 pm
Themisto couldn’t help but laugh when the older and more experienced senshi explained that one could just travel into space to visit a star. The concept seemed utter lunacy. “So, do I need to go find Horatio again so I can get my space suit, or…?” He laughed again, clearly not believing such travel was possible without a rocket ship and an extensive, televised countdown. Wasn’t NASA in Florida anyway? He then wondered if just any old cat could provide the space suit upgrade, or if specific ones were licensed to dole out such things.
“Your star is like The Dragonflies of Pern or something? That’s kinda neat.” That part was genuine, whether Themisto believed the story about the mounts to be true or not. Hell, as far as he was concerned, the entire concept of the supernatural war raging in the city for years on end was a bad dream that eventually he would wake from.
But the thought of Denebola offering to see him again, now that he could get behind. “Sure! I’ll take another lesson from a pretty dragonfly, any day of the week.” Themisto gave her a good-hearted chuckle then. For whatever reason, her presence was quite soothing. It didn’t feel so life-and-death out here with Denebola around.
--
Space was always Denebola’s favorite thing to show someone, to a degree, because it had been so well, magical in a way that just being a sailor scout wasn’t. She hated the decay and ruin that often littered a homeworld but...there was also something about being there, being home that reminded her of all of the promise that she stood and fought to keep alive.
“No space suit, just need a cell phone. Did the cat at least give you that?” She concentrated and reached into that subspace pocket to access hers.
Holding it out towards him a red brow was raised and her lips were pressed together as she waited for a response. “As for the pern thing...sort of. You’ll see.” The carcasses of her mounts were scattered across the whole planet.
“We could go now if you want, or we can pick a day to go later.” She couldn’t go super frequently and last minute trips were a terrible idea but…
If he wanted, what would it hurt?
--
Okay now she was really losing him. Scratching his head, utterly perplexed, Themisto mimicked the super senshi and concentrated lightly to pull his (admittedly pretty crappy) senshi cellphone from subspace. It was one of those slide phones that looked horribly outdated. Embarrassing.
“Yeah, I remember this whole thing but… what, is there like a jettison me into the vacuum of space so I'll choke to death and my head’ll pop like a grape app on this thing? Does this thing even get apps?” Themisto started to fiddle with the clunky piece of Mauvian technology. His own civilian phone was way better than this thing. “Do we need to keep this thing for like two years and then see a cat for a new contract and upgraded phone?” He chuckled again.
Then, Denebola offered to take them both into space and Themisto nearly choked. “Uhh… like right now? I uhh…”
He stopped to really analyze the situation. He was already powered, therefore he was already on the radars of all other people in the vicinity with superpowers and most people on the other side wanted him dead. He had a gorgeous lady offering to take him somewhere special. He would probably choke to death in space. But at least he'd be in the arms of a gorgeous woman?
Yep, that would be a pretty awesome way to go.
Themisto gave Denebola a thumbs up and a wink. “Ready when you are!”
--
She frowned at his phone, nose wrinkling when she shook her head. “Ugh, we’re going to have to find a cat. Great.” She sounded thrilled about the prospect. Not. “Okay, we’ll get you the touch screen upgrade.” Her own was the latest, thanks to that cat she’d run into months ago. “I mean, we can still use it, it’s just...there are some new features that are really helpful.”
Denebola knew that some of the cats had created new apps and, well, travel was so much easier with an updated phone.
“Well,” she paused to give him a considering look, “do you trust me Themisto?”
The ginger wouldn’t have been offended if he said no, because they had just met but Denebola had learned that a lot about magic, and people, was having the courage to take a leap of faith and believe in something you couldn’t be certain of.
“Maybe…” Her brow furrowed when she wet her lips and pursed them together. “We should go later, next time. After you’ve gotten time to think and process. It’s...it’s an experience.”
--
At least there was the possibility of upgrading his phone. Themisto smiled at that, since having one of these sliding gizmos was considered a mortal sin among the youth of the city. A touch-screen like his civilian phone would be greatly appreciated. “Maybe Horatio’s in need of an upgrade too if she’s giving these outdated clunkers to new senshi. Do I need a data plan with this too?”
He answered Denebola’s next question without missing a beat. “Of course I trust you. You’ve given me no reason not to.”
Themisto kept the idea of dying in the arms of a beautiful woman in space on the forefront of his mind. If he was going to perish, he wanted that on his tombstone. Pretty space woman. So worth it.
Fiddling with his phone to find the apps, the super senshi then decided it was best to visit space some other time, when they had prepared for it. While Themisto was prepared to jettison himself at a moment’s notice according to Denebola’s whim, he was secretly relieved to have a day or two to think about it.
“So… if we wait a little bit…” Themisto dropped her a wink. “That means I get your number, right? I promise I won’t text you naked pics or anything. I’m classier than that.”
--
“I think that magical space network covers most of that. It’s not…quite like a regular cellphone,” Denebola shot back, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at his attempts at jokes. It was all harmless, really ,and it wasn’t like the dragonfly senshi wasn’t capable of taking care of herself if things went south.
Still, she couldn’t help the fond smile when he told her he trusted her.
“Okay, then trust that I’ll do my best to keep you safe. Or wouldn’t lead you into danger without informing you.” Denebola could be horribly reckless, with her fight instincts so much stronger than her flight, but she did her best to never, ever put her friends in the line of danger.
“There better not be any n***s, not sure my boyfriend would appreciate that.” Not that Pat knew about her life as Sailor Denebola, but still. “Stay classy and I’ll let you have my number, just don’t abuse your privileges and I’ll make sure to be accessible.” If he called, she’d answer. Especially if it was an S.O.S.
“Here, you can let me know when you want to go and I’ll make sure my schedule is free.”
--
Themisto was laughing with Denebola, taking all the information she had to provide in stride. She seemed like a great friend and mentor, knowledgeable and compassionate. They could make jokes together, she would roll her eyes but smile just a little bit…
Then came the mention of a boyfriend and Themisto visibly deflated like a balloon with a puncture. That was zero-for-three in his book. Terrible luck! But it made sense - gorgeous magical warrior women would get snatched up like hotcakes in Destiny City, no doubt, and Zach had kept his head down to study and graduate high school. Go figure.
He tried not to let the gentle rejection get him too down. Rubbing the back of his head, he gave Denebola a genuine smile. “Yes ma’am, classy it is. I’m usually free in the afternoon after work so… you can ping me whenever you’re up for some Dragonflies of Pern space travel. I’ll be sure to bring a helmet.” Like that would help but… you never knew.
It was getting late and Themisto performed a mental scan for the first time since stumbling upon Denebola. All seemed clear. Rather than overstay his welcome, Themisto gave his superior a salute. “Take care of yourself, Denebola. I’d like to see the dragonflies!”
Without any Chaos signatures in the immediate vicinity, Themisto took to leaping over the side of the building to make his way down to the street. He was fairly far from home, but not above taking the bus!
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