Welcome to Gaia! ::

Vauxite led the way through the winding alleyways with a familiarity born from careful observation. Although he’d only spent a few evenings watching this part of the city, he had already managed to memorize every shortcut, exterior stairwell, blind corner, and convenient place to disappear should the circumstance require it.

Luck had never been something Vauxite was willing to rely upon, especially when his sister’s safety was something he had to consider. Careful preparation in situations like this had served him far more faithfully, and this neighborhood was no exception.

At half past ten, the neighborhood had already settled into its nightly routine.

Storefronts had long since closed, heavy steel rolling shutters had been pulled down over display windows, while doors were locked behind scissor gates as a means to protect their shop from vandalism and break-ins.

Neon signs from liquor stores, pawn shops, and late-night take-out restaurants cast washes of red, blue, and green across the pavement. Each one dark inside, save for the faint red glow of a camera that was always watching, and the illuminated CLOSED sign mounted by the entrance.

Vauxite kept a steady pace without appearing hurried so that anyone watching would have mistaken them for three people simply walking home after a long night.

The truth was much different.

With Markeb here and a new Lieutenant he knew next to nothing about, Vauxite had to be more diligent than if he were on patrol alone.

Every glance toward darkened windows or high-gloss surfaces had a purpose. Reflections revealed more than what lay ahead; they allowed him to catch movement behind them without needing to turn his head.

While Markeb tried to quietly engage Liebthenite in conversation, Vauxite remained alert to everything around them.

He had long since memorized the soft sound of his sisters’ footsteps and was quickly learning to recognize the distinct cadence of the Lieutenant’s heeled boots. Knowing what belonged made it easier to notice anything that didn’t such as the rattling sound of an empty can rolling down the sidewalk or the rustling of wrappers caught in a storm drain.


“What was that?” He glanced over his shoulder at his sister with a raised brow.

“See, I told you he had good hearing,” Markeb nudged Libethenite’s arm. “I know you heard what I said.”

She’d been sharing with him one of the rare occasions her brother had allowed his more gentle side to surface- the compassion and care he had shown after a Knight had nearly broken her leg several years ago.

To most, Vauxite’s stoic mask of indifference seemed impenetrable and was often a reason to leave him the hell alone. But Markeb knew that there was so much more to him and genuinely wanted his comrade to know that side of him existed. It just might take time, and a sizeable amount of patience to get him to open up.

“Stop trying to be something you're not,” he cautioned, “The wishes you can grant are limited, and they don’t include matchmaking.”

Vauxite didn’t need to turn around to know his sister was glaring at him from behind. The reflection in the storefront confirmed it a moment later, when he caught the very mature response of her sticking her tongue out at him.

“a*****e…” she muttered, though it lacked any real bite. If he took offence, he chose to ignore it.

“The place I mentioned earlier is just up ahead.” He came to a stop at an intersection and pointed at the convenience store several blocks away. Beside it was an empty parking lot with streetlamps flickering overhead. Both in front of the store and across the street were bus stops, each with routes that continued through the night.

Most of what he’d observed the last few days had been the sort of activity that rarely drew attention from passing patrol vehicles. Quick exchanges beneath broken lights, teenagers lingering outside far later than they should have been, but because it was summertime, it wasn’t out of the ordinary either.

“I don’t have a description of anyone specific we’re looking for, so I suggest we find a higher vantage point and observer for a while before deciding who deserves our attention.” Though the words were directed primarily towards his sister, Vauxite’s eyes shifted briefly toward Libethenite as well, making sure they were all in agreement before moving on.

“We’ll use this one for now and move closer as needed.”

Vauxite rounded the side of the building into a narrow space between brick walls. At the end sat a rusted dumpster over flowed with bags of garbage so that the lid remained propped open. The sounds of claws against metal as raccoons, or perhaps even opposums, rummaging around for a meal could be heard from where he stood.

He stopped beneath the roof’s edge and turned toward his sister.

There was no fire escape on this side so he interlaced his fingers and lowered his hands to help propel her to the ledge. “Ready?”

“No peeking,” she winked at Libethenite.

In such a confined space Markeb only had enough room to get a few running steps before reaching her brother. Once she placed her foot into his grasp, Vauxite lifted her smoothly, giving her just enough momentum and height to catch the edge. Being powered, she pulled herself onto the rooftop with ease before disappearing from view.

Her wraith needed no such aid and regarded both men with an impassively dull expression before silently floating upward to where the Dark Mirror Senshi waited.

Vauxite merely shrugged and lowered his hands before looking toward Libethenite. “Your turn,” he said as he stepped back into position and laced his fingers together, silently offering the same assistance.

The sounds of muffled conversation, stilettos against concrete, and a man coughing after a fit of laughter drifted down the narrow alleyway.

Vauxite silently retreated another step into the shadows, pressing his back against the brick wall. His passive ability, the same one that had startled Libethenite earlier, became active once more, causing his form to become static-like to help him better blend in with his surroundings and meld into the darkness.

The voices grew louder.

Several long seconds passed before the couple stepped into view.

At that exact moment, a scrawny tabby burst from the dumpster in a cacophony of noise. High-pitched screeching meows combined with the metallic bang of the dumpster lid slamming shut and the frantic rustling of plastic sounded far louder than it truly was.

It took a moment to realize the source of the commotion was because the cat had gotten caught in a to-go bag. It bolted out of the alleyway with astonishing speed, causing the woman to shriek loudly and stumble backward into her companion. The man swore under his breath as he caught her by the arm before hurrying her to a more well-lit area where they’d be safe.

A moment passed before Markeb peeked over the edge of the rooftop, “All clear, they’re gone now.” She spoke in a loud whisper.

Vauxite didn’t hesitate. He sprinted toward the dumpster, planted a foot against its edge, then pushed off the adjacent wall to redirect his momentum upward before catching the ledge with practiced ease.

“That was uncomfortably close. I almost sent my wraith down there to scare them off if they’d seen you.” Markeb looked to her brother for praise for having already come up with a Plan-B so quickly.

“I would have been fine,” he dismissed her concern. Though after a moment, he sighed and quietly amended, “...but thank you.”

Vauxite moved to stand between the two and pointed to the familiar green and orange stripes of the 7-Eleven ahead of them.

“That’s where we’ll be watching.”

Beside it stretched a large empty parking lot with several overhead lights long since burned out. A handful of vehicles remained scattered throughout, some with more trash than treasure piled up in the back seat. At the far end was an old RV with a charcoal grill and a folding chair that were both currently unoccupied.

“We’ll just observe for now,” Vauxite instructed. “If either of you notices something strange or strikes you as odd, say something. We will decide together if they warrant our attention.”

“Agreed?” He was by no means a leader, but he would do everything in his power to make sure the three of them stayed safe.

Markeb chuckled at the idea of Libethenite trying to mimic her brother's parkour moves. For years she’d watched Vauxite scale walls and cross rooftops, making the impossible look effortless. To him, it was as natural as breathing.

Though he didn’t respond to Libethenite, it was less out of indifference than it was caution. Their objective was to observe unnoticed, not announce their presence with idle conversation. Instead, he listened to Libethenite complain about the weapon he’d been given and the strange looking senshi he’d recently run into.

Only when something finally caught the lieutenant’s attention did Vauxite motion for his sister to follow him over.

“Possibly, they could just be looking for a dark place to sleep,” not wanting to be hasty and jump to conclusions, he reasoned that they didn’t have any windowcoverings to block out the light. “Keep an eye on them for a few minutes and see what they do.”

“What about that person,” Markeb pointed to an individual loitering in front of the store next to the 7-Eleven. “They’re far enough away from the bus stop but keep looking down at their phone like they’re waiting for someone.”

“Could be nothing, or it could be a meeting. Wait to see who shows up.” They could just be waiting for an Uber.

“Drunks are definitely more amusing,” Markeb agreed. “You either get the ones sitting on the curb crying, or tough talkers that s**t their pants when this thing shows up beside them.” She gestured toward the wraith with her thumb.

If the creature heard her, it gave no indication that it particularly cared what she had to say about it. Its corporeal form hovered beside the Dark Mirror lazily with an impassive expression.

“There’s the couple from the alley,” Vauxite pointed out as the same man and woman who had run from the terrified feline exited the 7-Eleven. He held a six-pack of beer while she carried a bag of snacks. Either way, it looked like at least one of them was going to have a good time tonight.

As predicted, a few minutes later, a black Escalade rolled up to the bus stop, and in its rear window was an Uber light. “Kind of a fancy car to be driving…”

“In this neighborhood, it’s strange. But downtown during rush hour, it’s not uncommon.” Especially for businesspeople who choose to commute to work in a luxury vehicle rather than a simple UberX or Comfort.

The individual Markeb had marked as her first potential target, approached the car. From the distance they were at, it was impossible to hear what was said, but a few seconds later, they opened the back passenger seat and climbed inside. Another moment passed before the break lights went out and the vehicle pulled away, heading down the main street and taking a left about three blocks away.

“Well damn. I guess you were right.” She sounded more than a little disappointed at having to admit that, clearly feeling a little competitive with Libethenite, who had picked someone first.

“Not necessarily. It just means that if they were up to something shady, they had no intention of doing it here.” For all they know, it could be a robbery about to happen down the street, and they’d be none the wiser until alarms started going off.

“Any change with the car you spotted?” He asked Libethenite, hoping he hadn’t been distracted by what was happening on the other side of the convenience store.

“Perhaps.” Vauxite brought a hand up and pressed his index finger against his lips, signaling for them both to remain quiet for a moment.

Although she didn’t say anything, Markeb looked positively delighted by the offer of boba. The wide grin that spread across her face and the small cheering motion she had made were more than enough for an answer.

A minute passed… then another.

On the third, the RV door opened and light spilled out into the parking lot. It reached as far as where the passenger stood, but they made no indication they were going to approach.

Instead, they turned and headed back toward the car.

Vauxite watched as they opened the rear passenger door and stepped aside. For a moment, nothing happened. Then another figure emerged from the back seat, pausing beside the vehicle as the first person remained nearby.

The second passenger looked toward the RV before making their way across the parking lot.

“This is why we wait. That puts us four to three, and that’s assuming there isn’t a second person in the trailer.” He didn’t count the wraith because, in his experience, the thing had no real combat skills unlike youma, but neither he nor Libethenite were eligible to have one because they weren’t Captains yet.

“I can try to even the odds and scare the driver away.” Markeb motioned at her personal companion. “It’s quite effective.”

“I don’t think that’s how it works.” Then again, Vauxite had never had that particular conversation with Rakovanite before. Youma were still more or less an enigma to him; beyond knowing they existed, he never really engaged with any.

Markeb spoke up to select her target next. “I’m assuming you’re pointing to the one on the left. So I’ll take the one on the right. This way, we don’t have to compete for energy.”

Dressed in what looked to be all black, the original passenger had a lean, almost wiry build, lacking the bulk normally associated with hired muscle. He looked far less imposing than whoever it was they had opened the door for.

“I’ll tentatively take the one in the doorway, then. If they duck inside and shut the door, then I’m not going to break inside.” That was just asking to get hit in the chest with a shotgun, and last time he checked, their uniforms weren’t bulletproof.

“Let's get down from here and station ourselves in a place where it will be easy to cut them off.”