2026 Star Festival Prompt
The Reservoir (4) : The Destiny City Reservoir opened about two years ago and is an easy escape from the big city. It's a five minute drive outside of the Eastern side of town and features clear water and sandy beaches--although, the sand here is notorious for squeaking when you step on it. It's a hot spot for all fun summer activities, but it's been in the news for mysterious reports of some strange, aquatic monster. Some accounts say they've spotted a twenty foot long, snake like creature capable of rearing a long neck high above the water. It's hard to tell if the videos are doctored, but there are too many rumors to dismiss easily. Something strange might be lurking deep in the water. Or it's just a hoax to get people out to the Reservoir!

But–Sometimes, people feel like something is grabbing their ankle, even if they are just wading in the shallow end. In the deeper parts of the water, it gets a little more intense: something has been said to grab onto ankles and pull. People have been warned about dangerous pranks, but so far no one has been caught. In the shallow end, anyone unfortunate enough to be targeted may feel themselves being knocked off their feet and tugged into the water; anyone in deep water may feel a firm grip on their ankle, tugging them lower and lower. Somehow, anyone it targets is freed--either by wriggling and fighting, or because someone intervenes and pulls the would-be victim up. No one has drowned in the lake. Yet. It's impossible to see who, or what, is doing this, but it usually gives up after one failed attempt. Usually.

While you may find yourself harassed by the supposed cryptid, or see something visibly odd in the distance, you cannot take any pictures of the creature. Who knows if you're even being attacked by the cryptid–or just another youma?

Kissling held his breath and dove underwater to pick up a shining sapphire star charm on the bottom of the reservoir shallows. He had mostly come to the reservoir that day to relax and enjoy himself, though he'd wanted to see if, when he tried to go swimming while powered up, if it would enhance his swimming abilities as it did his running, jumping, climbing, and other abilities as well. It turned out that it did. So it seemed prudent to look into the rumors that were circulating around the Destiny City Reservoir while he was powered up in case the rumors happened to be true and something happened to him. It was Destiny City, after all; one could never be too careful.

Luckily for Kissling, his senshi fuku wasn't too heavy and he had shorts, so he could have easily pretended they were swimming trunks. His top was a little harder to explain, but thankfully no one bothered to try to stop him to have him explain about them anyway. Sights like him were probably too common to Destiny City residents to bother looking into much, anyway. There were so many 'weirdos' running around, and if you knew, you knew. But if you didn't, well...you at least learned to stop asking questions after a time. There were far too many things to question and far too few answers to gain, particularly if you weren't in the know about the war.

Heck, Kissling was part of the war and there were still a great many things about it and Destiny City he didn't understand. Cryptids and monsters that weren't youma, for example, like the strange giant smelly bird with the eggs that he had fought with Sailor Storm or the odd giant lily pad frogs he had more recently fought off - also with Sailor Storm. How those creatures came to be or where they were from or what they even were, Kissling doubted he would ever find out. But that was just fine with him so long as it didn't interfere too much with his enjoying his best life.

Kissling was just about to head up to the surface after retrieving the sapphire star charm when he felt his ankle get caught by something. No - something had grabbed it! The Dark Mirror Senshi struggled to try to kick his assailant and tried to turn in the water to see who or what had grabbed him, but it was too blurry to make out without underwater goggles and he couldn't tell what had a hold of him. With enough kicking, he eventually managed to get away and breech the surface, gasping as he broke through to sweet, fresh air, but then diving back under to try to see if he could find what had come after him. It couldn't have gone far, could it have? It might even have thought to try again, whatever it was. He hoped it was just some random kid trying to pull a prank, but his stomach lurched at the thought it might be another monster no one had any explanation for.

flowykid
((Please let me know if you’d like me to change anything!))