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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.
Sailor Bacchus had spent more time than he would have liked ruminating on the godsdamned nocturnal caterwauling that had kept him up for the past week and a half. It was still too much.
Too godsdamned much.
As many things as this world had to offer, it couldn’t afford him the luxury of a single night of silence. Sure, the voice had only put in a single live performance for him, but that didn’t stop it from creeping unbidden into what dreams wandered through his tired mind. The deep space senshi rubbed his eyes, trying to ignore the fact that he couldn’t remember the last time that he’d managed more than a few minutes of sleep in one night. The standard “concealer” the humans had to offer was all but useless in his attempts to disguise the darkness pooling under his eyes, its hues limited to the natural range of human skin. True, Rowan had ordered him something that was a closer match to his own skin tone, but dealing with delayed gratification wasn’t exactly his strongest skill. Hopefully meeting up with Somniorum would be a suitable distraction. Nervous as the boy was, he was entertaining company. Aside from that, he very obviously needed someone to look out for him since the Moon hadn’t given the page much more than a paper ball on a stick and a dusty ruin to maintain.
Bacchus dropped unceremoniously onto the concrete ledge that marked the boundary of one of Destiny City’s generously distributed parks to wait for his young friend.
Somniorum’s path meandered through the city, since his unfortunate discovery that there was no place that Destiny City’s monsters wouldn’t put in an appearance if they had a mind to he had resigned himself to the fact that he might as well take the scenic route. The warnings of his allies about the oddness that accompanied holidays around here had given him at least a small degree of preparation for what he had or could encounter this time of year. If nothing else, he had yet to encounter the mangy hell poultry Tempesti had warned him about so many times in the past. Hildegard was more than enough spicy chicken for his liking.
The sudden twitching of an unstable aura announced the deep space senshi’s presence as Somniorum approached. Rounding the corner, he couldn’t help a brief mental comparison between his friend atop his narrow perch and a grotesque clinging to the side of a cathedral. He opted to keep that juxtaposition to himself as he approached with a slight wave. It seemed they’d both had some unusual experiences in the past several days, though Bacchus certainly looked worse for wear than he did.
It was easy to forget.
Well, not exactly forget.
But it was easy to not always consider the centuries of…all that…that the senshi carried with him. Made sense that some things would hit him harder than others. Music had that power.
At least Somniorum was fairly certain that it was one of those phantom singers that had gotten under Bacchus’ skin. He couldn’t imagine that physical irritation would be enough to leave him in a rough enough emotional state for him to look quite so…like that. With a small wave, he managed to draw the alien’s attention from wherever it had wandered.
“Hey,” a tired smile crossed Bacchus’ face at Somniorum’s arrival, broadening slightly as the page’s heel caught on a crack in the ground. Some days it felt like a wonder that he managed to make it across the city in one piece if wearing that uniform was such a trial for him. “Hey, save some for the youma. It won’t be as fun if you’ve already lost a fight with the sidewalk.” He grinned, “You alright?”
“Heh, I’m OK.” Somniorum gathered himself a bit, absentmindedly straightening his waistcoat. At this distance the bags under the alien’s eyes were far more pronounced, his already light grey skin bearing an uncharacteristic pallor. However the page attempted to soften the words in his head, he couldn’t avoid the fact that his friend looked…if not ill…then undeniably off. “You look…unwell though.” However the page attempted to soften the words in his head, he couldn’t avoid the fact that his friend looked…if not ill…then undeniably off.
Bacchus’ face twitched into a scowl at Somniorum’s observation. The page wasn’t necessarily wrong, but it was hardly any of the boy’s concern. “Long night, don’t worry about it.” The senshi waved off the question.
“You heard that song.”
The Moon Knight didn’t bother phrasing it as a question. As devoted as the other man was to presenting an unbothered façade, he’d come to know him well enough that even without the obvious tics, his agitation would be clear.
“What song?”
“You know which song.” Somniorum sighed. “I heard it too.”
“Doesn’t mean it was the same one.”
“Doesn’t mean it was the same one.” Bacchus avoided the probing gaze he knew the knight cast his way.
“You know what I meant.”
“Maybe.” Grey lips shifted into a rough approximation of a smile, refusing any meaningful acknowledgment of what he’d heard. Better consigned to the unquiet reaches of the past, lose it in the noise.
“I tried to replicate it. On my dulcimer I mean. Somniorum shook his head. “I couldn’t get it right, couldn’t even really get close to be honest.”
Before Bacchus could respond, an unfamiliar glow in the distance demanded his attention. Part of him was entirely aware that he was simply eager to seize any momentary distraction from this conversation.
“C’mon, let’s take a look at that. Who knows? It could be another chance to improve your combat skills.” The deep space senshi grinned as he began trotting toward the mysterious lights, leaving no room for protest.
“Hey, come on-” Somniorum found his brief objection cut off by his friend’s rapid departure. Hurrying along after him, he resolved to continue the conversation despite Bacchus’ attempt to evade the subject. But for now he found himself unable to speak, dazzled as he was by the strange glowing insects. “I don’t think these fellows would make very good practice targets.”
“Anything is a good practice target if you want it to be.”
“You’re avoiding the subject.”
The scowl returned to Bacchus’ face as Somniorum spoke. “We found something like this and that’s what you’re worried about?”
“It was weird, you know it was weird. I know you know there was something, I don’t know, off about it.” The page struggled to find the words to describe the deep, visceral ache that voice had forced into his body.
“So? There’s something off about everything here. You should be used to it by now.”
The senshi’s chest tightened with Somniorum’s challenge, anger, guilt, and anxiety rising within him in equal measure. He forced his gaze to follow the lights flitting about between them, willing them to capture the knight’s attention.
“Did it sound like anything you’d heard before?”
“No. My music was in better taste.”
“Your music?”
“Not important.”
“Sounds important. Do you still play?”
“No.”
“It might be nice…to play again.”
“It wouldn’t.”
“But-”
“Drop it.”
With a sigh Somniorum let the subject drop and the two men watched the fireflies in silence.
