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this is literally from last summer. forgive us.
strick
With new hires came free time once again, and Kaðlín had been released from her indentured servitude to the Food Pillow to finally pursue her own aims. Frustrating as it was to be so dependent on a job that barely paid her, she knew that participating in this war was a luxury she wouldn't be able to afford without food, water, and a roof over her head. It was only by the grace of so many overtime hours that she was able to enjoy the end of the Star Festival from a very different perspective.
She — Celadon — sat down on the precipice of a hotel that featured a simple rooftop landscape. Dwarf trees in large pots and broad troughs of brilliant flowers brightened up an outdoor pool that was now covered over with a net. It was closed for the night, as was rooftop access, so Celadon had the dwindling evening hours to enjoy her vantage over the festivities.
She'd been given a StarCharm on her way, through, too. Poised between her fingers, Celadon turned it about restlessly while she tried not to assign more meaning to it than it likely had. That vendor could not have known what Celadon carried on her shoulders, nor could he have known about Eileen. It was all happenstance.
But violet was her favorite color. Celadon glanced down at the beautiful little charm as she reminded herself, once again, that it meant nothing at all.
She — Celadon — sat down on the precipice of a hotel that featured a simple rooftop landscape. Dwarf trees in large pots and broad troughs of brilliant flowers brightened up an outdoor pool that was now covered over with a net. It was closed for the night, as was rooftop access, so Celadon had the dwindling evening hours to enjoy her vantage over the festivities.
She'd been given a StarCharm on her way, through, too. Poised between her fingers, Celadon turned it about restlessly while she tried not to assign more meaning to it than it likely had. That vendor could not have known what Celadon carried on her shoulders, nor could he have known about Eileen. It was all happenstance.
But violet was her favorite color. Celadon glanced down at the beautiful little charm as she reminded herself, once again, that it meant nothing at all.
Blarney had told Aruna that he would try to do better about not going patrolling alone, and so he was following through on the promise to try with the girl herself - only a little bit to make sure Aruna didn’t go out by herself either. It was - nice, though, and kind of surreal to be taking her on one of his favorite powered-up hobbies: she was the girl who had descended from on high to save him from that youma, and now they were jumping from rooftop to rooftop together, as close to flying as any human could get without wings.
Well. Okay. As close as Blarney could get without wings. Aruna - Eternal Sailor Aruna, now - did actually have wings, though they didn’t let her actually fly. He did still think it was cheating, though, and he said so, after she outpaced him by like 50 feet on the landing for the third or fourth time.
“No fair,” Blarney whined playfully, “you’re beating me at my own game, I call shenanigans,” he said with a laugh. He knew, ostensibly, that they were supposed to be like - on the lookout for evil and the forces of Chaos, and the memory of saving Eles from the pink-haired energy vampire that had knocked him out was still plenty fresh in his mind, but this was just - it was just fun. It made him feel like a little kid again, except better, because he had someone to play with and talk to other than his sister.
Blarney was just about to take a running leap to the next roof when something caught his eye - and his little inner radar, which he realized belatedly had been screaming for his attention; maybe he’d been following it subconsciously when he picked these roofs in this part of town, or maybe it was sheer dumb luck, but either way, there was another person on that rooftop.
And they did not look like they were having a good and fun time. They, in fact, looked freaking despondent, actually.
“Wait,” Blarney said, jogging to catch up with Aruna. “Look.” He nodded in the other person’s direction; distantly, he realized that if he were Mason, he might leave them alone, as people rarely hung out on rooftops to meet new friends, but as Blarney…
What if they were hurt? What if they needed help?
There was no question, then. Maybe they’d tell him to go away, maybe they’d run away themselves, or…maybe he could talk to them. Maybe he could help. Maybe he could make a new friend, if he got really lucky.
“Come on,” Blarney said, skipping over the part where he asked Aruna if she had any interest in coming with him. He leaped onto the roof, managed not to fall flat on his face this time (he was getting better at roof-jumping, which was a weird thing to get good at, but it pleased him nonetheless), and cleared his throat, just in case the sounds of his arrival hadn’t been enough to get their attention.
“Hey there,” he called, taking a few steps toward the stranger but not too fast or too far - at least not without Aruna, and he didn’t want to startle them or make them think they were under attack. “I’m Blarney, Page of Earth. Are you…okay?”
lena
Aruna felt the most free like this, powered up and jumping from roof to roof like a magical glittery force of nature. She would never tire of it, she knew, and it felt exhilarating every time she felt herself going further and faster.
Laughing as she landed, she turned back to face Blarney. ”When you hit third stage you'll probably be even faster than I am! I've been doing this for a year already though, so don't feel too bad.” When he had invited her out with him, she agreed immediately. There wasn't a single time she would ever turn him down, no matter what. Spending time with him made her feel lighter, made her feel like everything was right for the moment. He made her feel good about herself, and that was a feeling she couldn't get enough of.
When the boy stopped his pursuit, Aruna frowned, coming back towards him as he called out to her. Her eyes followed his gaze and she tilted her head, trying to pin down why the figure seemed familiar. As she followed him and got closer, she finally recognized the person, and moved to sit beside her with a warm smile.
”Hello Celadon.” Her tone was soft and friendly as she spoke. ”Is everything alright?” She remembered this one, back from the gathering. It had been her whole brought everyone together there, to try and make an effort to get things rolling. Aruna wasn't sure if Celadon would remember her, however. ”It's been a while since I've seen you. We met briefly when you held that gathering.”
Laughing as she landed, she turned back to face Blarney. ”When you hit third stage you'll probably be even faster than I am! I've been doing this for a year already though, so don't feel too bad.” When he had invited her out with him, she agreed immediately. There wasn't a single time she would ever turn him down, no matter what. Spending time with him made her feel lighter, made her feel like everything was right for the moment. He made her feel good about herself, and that was a feeling she couldn't get enough of.
When the boy stopped his pursuit, Aruna frowned, coming back towards him as he called out to her. Her eyes followed his gaze and she tilted her head, trying to pin down why the figure seemed familiar. As she followed him and got closer, she finally recognized the person, and moved to sit beside her with a warm smile.
”Hello Celadon.” Her tone was soft and friendly as she spoke. ”Is everything alright?” She remembered this one, back from the gathering. It had been her whole brought everyone together there, to try and make an effort to get things rolling. Aruna wasn't sure if Celadon would remember her, however. ”It's been a while since I've seen you. We met briefly when you held that gathering.”
strick
Celadon stirred from her thoughts, looking up at the pair in muted surprise that anyone had joined her, much less two people. One, a Page, and the other — Celadon glanced at the wings at her back — an Eternal Senshi. Right, she looked familiar, but Celadon couldn't recall her being an Eternal Senshi back at the meeting.
"I'm fine," she nodded to Blarney. Her accent had softened in the tine she spent in Destiny City and she was grateful for it. "I don't think I've met you before. Celadon, of Cybele."
To Aruna, she added, "I remember you. Congratulations. Another Eternal Senshi is always a blessing." Their numbers always felt so few, whether Pages or Eternal Senshi or Mauvians or anything of the sort that didn't wear some sigil of chaos. Aruna may have lacked the glow that so many of the other Eternals had, but Celadon was certain she was no less a formidable force than them. They were, after all, part of the reason that so many had survived the end of the year.
Celadon stood, dusting herself off as she rose. The antlers made her seem taller than she really was, but her stunted emotional responses often balanced that out.
"I was just thinking," she explained as she glanced down at the violet StarCharm. She then slipped it into subspace with a flick of her wrist. "I thought the kidnapping was the most this war would amount to. By that, I mean we wouldn't see more of a coordinated attack than what we faced then. But after…" Her gaze rose to the stars. "We fought Jörmungandr's cousin in a place beyond my imagination. It's so impossibly different from where I began.
"Do you two feel the same?"
"I'm fine," she nodded to Blarney. Her accent had softened in the tine she spent in Destiny City and she was grateful for it. "I don't think I've met you before. Celadon, of Cybele."
To Aruna, she added, "I remember you. Congratulations. Another Eternal Senshi is always a blessing." Their numbers always felt so few, whether Pages or Eternal Senshi or Mauvians or anything of the sort that didn't wear some sigil of chaos. Aruna may have lacked the glow that so many of the other Eternals had, but Celadon was certain she was no less a formidable force than them. They were, after all, part of the reason that so many had survived the end of the year.
Celadon stood, dusting herself off as she rose. The antlers made her seem taller than she really was, but her stunted emotional responses often balanced that out.
"I was just thinking," she explained as she glanced down at the violet StarCharm. She then slipped it into subspace with a flick of her wrist. "I thought the kidnapping was the most this war would amount to. By that, I mean we wouldn't see more of a coordinated attack than what we faced then. But after…" Her gaze rose to the stars. "We fought Jörmungandr's cousin in a place beyond my imagination. It's so impossibly different from where I began.
"Do you two feel the same?"
Blarney glanced at Aruna as she sat merrily down by the stranger - or not so stranger, apparently, as Aruna knew her, at least somewhat. He tilted his head as the girl, Celadon, spoke, a frown creasing his face as she spoke; she sounded like she came from another time. Which, given the weird magic stuff going on, wasn’t, like, impossible, Blarney realized, so he accepted it without question and sat down on her other side.
“I’m new,” Blarney began, voice quiet. “But…yeah. Impossibly different is one way to describe all of this,” he said, gesturing at the three of them - what an odd sight they must be. “I–I wasn’t around for the kidnapping, or the giant snake guy,” he added, figuring that was what ‘Jörmungandr’s cousin’ referred to, “but…I’m around for the fallout from those things.” Blarney pursed his lips slightly and leaned back on his gloved hands, looking up at the sky.
“I know one person who was physically scarred by the snake, not to mention emotionally and mentally.” Was he talking about Aruna when she was sitting five feet away from him? Yes. He didn’t know the depth to which the snake had hurt her, psychologically, but he could tell that it certainly had; the way she kept talking about wanting to be ‘strong enough’ and ‘able to protect her people’, the pale, far-away look in her eye whenever it came up. The deep circles under her eyes. He may play it, but he wasn’t actually a fool, and it hurt him that one of his friends was hurting.
“And I know one person whose whole…world got messed up by the kidnapping, and the domino effects of that…” Blarney shook his head and let out another sigh. “The domino effects of that could result in good guys suffering. I can’t tell if that’s karma or if it’s eye-for-an-eye-world-goes-blind, but I just…” Blarney sighed once more and closed his eyes. He probably shouldn’t be unloading all of this on a perfect stranger who seemed to have her own troubles, but–well, she’d asked.
“I don’t know. Three months ago I was just, like, worried about fitting in at college. Now I have magic. Not a lot of magic, but it’s about a million percent more magic than I had before,” Blarney chuckled softly, “and I just can’t help but feel like–like all of us with all of these abilities, if we could just…talk to each other like human beings? Or, like, human-ish beings, since I guess aliens exist and walk among us, y’know? Like, it can’t be that every single Chaos person wants to obliterate every single Order person, and if that’s true, there’s got to be some common ground, some way to…” Blarney shook his head. “To lessen the cost of all this nonsense.”
lena
Aruna listened quietly, standing back up as well when Celadon did. Nodding, she spoke softly. ”I've only been a senshi for a year. I didn't have any experience with any of this prior to it, and had no expectations. But….somehow fighting the Calamitous Hollow was….beyond anything I could have possibly imagined.” She sighed softly and shook her head. ”The kidnapping was…..human. Humans do horrible, awful things and I've come to expect that. But the literal end of the world in the form of a mythological serpent? Not so much…”
As Blarney spoke, her expression softened and she smiled, feeling proud that he seemed to have a similar take as herself. ”Exactly. No side or faction is all good or all bad, as with the people within it. People are always shades of grey, some lighter and some darker, but still grey. I….. it sounds silly to say it out loud…. But my hope is for one day to have a neutral faction of sorts. With people from all sides who cooperate and work together. Especially if there are more of those things that could threaten our planet. Not all within the opposing faction are coldhearted ruthless killers, or even inclined to fight us at all unless provoked. There are some who would hopefully want the same thing as I do….” She thought of Ako as she spoke, the fiery senshi with the sad eyes, who had talked with her rather than attacked upon their first meeting, who had saved her friend, and who seemed by all measures to be agreeable. ”But then again, there are also those within each faction who would rather fight to kill than try and talk things out….” Her mind drifted to Grieve, at that. To how she had been taken off planet to assist in dumping a body.
”But…..I definitely feel everything is so very different now than when I awakened as well, even in such a short time. It's enough to make my head spin sometimes…”
As Blarney spoke, her expression softened and she smiled, feeling proud that he seemed to have a similar take as herself. ”Exactly. No side or faction is all good or all bad, as with the people within it. People are always shades of grey, some lighter and some darker, but still grey. I….. it sounds silly to say it out loud…. But my hope is for one day to have a neutral faction of sorts. With people from all sides who cooperate and work together. Especially if there are more of those things that could threaten our planet. Not all within the opposing faction are coldhearted ruthless killers, or even inclined to fight us at all unless provoked. There are some who would hopefully want the same thing as I do….” She thought of Ako as she spoke, the fiery senshi with the sad eyes, who had talked with her rather than attacked upon their first meeting, who had saved her friend, and who seemed by all measures to be agreeable. ”But then again, there are also those within each faction who would rather fight to kill than try and talk things out….” Her mind drifted to Grieve, at that. To how she had been taken off planet to assist in dumping a body.
”But…..I definitely feel everything is so very different now than when I awakened as well, even in such a short time. It's enough to make my head spin sometimes…”
strick
Steeling her expression, Celadon nodded to the Page. That had been such an incomprehensible fight that so many people — herself included — had to take time away to process everything. To endure their grieving for the planet they nearly lost, for all their loved ones on it, for the futures they would have lost. To let loose the fear and panic they had been holding back from the battle itself. To celebrate their hard-earned victory, even if some would have rather perished in the fight. It was so much for anyone to handle, especially if they were alone.
"Scars mean your friend is still alive," she consoled. "I know it sounds like cold comfort. If they had the strength to fight a battle like that, then they have the strength to overcome its aftermath. Even if that's a longer, harder battle overall." A war like this, a war of attrition, was the hardest on those who fought the longest.
Though, she shook her head at the news that someone else's life was upended by the kidnapping. "I'm… Partly to blame for that kidnapping. I'm sorry it's affected you by proxy. I'm sorry your friend was caught up in it, too. I'm trying to make amends." Not that there was much she could do on her own.
She was just a Squire, and this fight was always looking for ways to grow more complex. Every time she thought she caught up to it, she was left behind in a whole new way.
Her attention lit on Blarney again when he explained his reasoning. How hopeful he sounded — that there was a simpler solution, something they could all agree on, and they just had to find that single thing. And maybe that was true. Maybe there was a way to coexist with the Negaverse and the Dark Mirror Court, but she knew what those terms would have to include. And she could not abide them, not ever.
Then Aruna spoke, and Celadon looked to her next. She grew quiet, almost forlorn in her response. "I'm glad you have hope for a neutral faction. But… Chaos cannot thrive in a vacuum. The Dark Mirror Court, the Negaverse — they need energy. Without it, they wither and die. Any neutral faction would have to accept energy draining as a necessity."
"Scars mean your friend is still alive," she consoled. "I know it sounds like cold comfort. If they had the strength to fight a battle like that, then they have the strength to overcome its aftermath. Even if that's a longer, harder battle overall." A war like this, a war of attrition, was the hardest on those who fought the longest.
Though, she shook her head at the news that someone else's life was upended by the kidnapping. "I'm… Partly to blame for that kidnapping. I'm sorry it's affected you by proxy. I'm sorry your friend was caught up in it, too. I'm trying to make amends." Not that there was much she could do on her own.
She was just a Squire, and this fight was always looking for ways to grow more complex. Every time she thought she caught up to it, she was left behind in a whole new way.
Her attention lit on Blarney again when he explained his reasoning. How hopeful he sounded — that there was a simpler solution, something they could all agree on, and they just had to find that single thing. And maybe that was true. Maybe there was a way to coexist with the Negaverse and the Dark Mirror Court, but she knew what those terms would have to include. And she could not abide them, not ever.
Then Aruna spoke, and Celadon looked to her next. She grew quiet, almost forlorn in her response. "I'm glad you have hope for a neutral faction. But… Chaos cannot thrive in a vacuum. The Dark Mirror Court, the Negaverse — they need energy. Without it, they wither and die. Any neutral faction would have to accept energy draining as a necessity."
Blarney only barely heard what Aruna said about a neutral faction; his ears had started ringing the second Celadon had admitted to being involved in the kidnapping. He felt a bit sideways about it, and he had to keep himself from jumping down her throat with a million and two questions about it.
“Can you, please, tell me about the kidnapping,” Blarney said, trying to keep his voice neutral - because she seemed so…gentle, sweet, sad. The idea that she’d been part of that whole debacle was so incongruous, but…well, appearances could be deceiving. Maybe she was more brutal than she looked.
“How did that idea - come about,” he asked, “and how did–how did anyone think that that would be a good idea?” Blarney paused, and added, making his voice more gentle, because god she just looked so sad. “And…when you say you want to make amends…?” Blarney asked, “What do you mean by that? What–who do you want to make amends with?” Blarney’s first instinct was to keep her as far away from Albite as possible, to protect her, since she was of Order and he was very angry and of Chaos, but–maybe a conversation…? Maybe that would help everyone…maybe…or maybe it would just lead to more waste, more bloodshed, more nothing that was worth anything at all.
But he’d asked enough for the moment - he needed answers, and a lot of them, now.
lena
”Give her a chance to talk.” Aruna gently rested a hand on Blarney's shoulder. Internally, she was wincing as she remembered outright calling out the kidnapping at that meeting. She was still so fresh and new at that time that it hadn't occurred to her that it could have been rude or uncomfortable.
She gave Celadon a warm, encouraging smile. ”You don't have to answer anything you don't feel comfortable with, I promise. As for my hope….I know it's not a likely possibility. I would likely get called a traitor for trying to cooperate with them, so it probably will just stay wishful thinking.” She knew her family would definitely be displeased if she tried to make that hope into a reality, at the bare minimum.
She fell silent, allowing Celadon to speak as she kept a gentle hand on Blarney's shoulder. She knew he wanted answers, and so did she for that matter, but being overly eager would do no one any good at the moment.
She gave Celadon a warm, encouraging smile. ”You don't have to answer anything you don't feel comfortable with, I promise. As for my hope….I know it's not a likely possibility. I would likely get called a traitor for trying to cooperate with them, so it probably will just stay wishful thinking.” She knew her family would definitely be displeased if she tried to make that hope into a reality, at the bare minimum.
She fell silent, allowing Celadon to speak as she kept a gentle hand on Blarney's shoulder. She knew he wanted answers, and so did she for that matter, but being overly eager would do no one any good at the moment.
strick
When he asked, Celadon nodded. Then, before she'd begun, there came an outpouring of questions from him — some halting, some blurted — and she waited, holding each one in her head until he thought he had asked enough. For there to be such a surfeit of questions, she had to wonder if he'd heard about it before, but he could have been that invested in the goings-on of a magical war. He was young, after all; she wasn't much older than him when she began this strange second life and it still charmed her, if rarely, to this day.
The reassurance Aruna offered was kind; this wasn't an interrogation, she knew, but she felt she owed Blarney answers as much as anyone of Order. Particularly since he was new. When she started as a Page, there were no guides or mentors available to her; her Princess only knew so much of knights and how they made do with their power. And there were no magical newspapers Blarney could read to know that danger was on the horizon.
Falling silent for a spell, Celadon ordered her thoughts. "Hy-Brasil — an Earth Knight — approached me about it. I knew her from helping her clear the Sidhe from her world; she transcended after that. She said she learned of a Negaverse senshi's identity from a trusted source. This Negaverse senshi was suspected to be close with Faustite, who is one of their highest ranking officers. One of their General Kings.
"She had a grudge against Faustite for killing a Squire in front of her. She thought this would help her get even, maybe cripple him for a while. He's ruthless, but he's at his most dangerous when he's calculating about it. But that's not answering your questions."
Drawing a breath, Celadon reset herself on the path. "She wanted to take this person, Heliodor, alive and unpowered. I don't know that she had a plan for what to do with him after she took him hostage and Faustite learned of it. But I did." Then she bowed her head. "Or I thought I did. I had thought that I could understand why he was in the Negaverse if I could talk to him. But it didn't matter what, or how, I asked; he wouldn't budge. All I could gather was that he had a fundamentally different sense of priorities than me, and he wasn't giving up anything to someone he could only see as an enemy.
"That was the point Hy-Brasil called for counsel. A lot of people came with different opinions on what to do with him. They reached a consensus, that it was better for Heliodor to die. Faustite is too volatile to bargain with, even using someone close to him. But before anyone could act on that decision, Faustite had come with an overwhelming force. He seemed to know exactly where Heliodor was. Then… It was chaos. So much fighting in close quarters. So much fire." Celadon rubbed the back of her neck. "Everyone I was with survived."
She paused, taking another breath. "So I want to make amends to everyone on our side who was hurt, or became a target for it, or was touched by it in some way. He's the type to stop at nothing until everyone's dead, so I wanted to make amends by connecting people together, strengthening their bonds, and giving them the tools to overcome that relentless rage. Without having to bend the knee or break."
The reassurance Aruna offered was kind; this wasn't an interrogation, she knew, but she felt she owed Blarney answers as much as anyone of Order. Particularly since he was new. When she started as a Page, there were no guides or mentors available to her; her Princess only knew so much of knights and how they made do with their power. And there were no magical newspapers Blarney could read to know that danger was on the horizon.
Falling silent for a spell, Celadon ordered her thoughts. "Hy-Brasil — an Earth Knight — approached me about it. I knew her from helping her clear the Sidhe from her world; she transcended after that. She said she learned of a Negaverse senshi's identity from a trusted source. This Negaverse senshi was suspected to be close with Faustite, who is one of their highest ranking officers. One of their General Kings.
"She had a grudge against Faustite for killing a Squire in front of her. She thought this would help her get even, maybe cripple him for a while. He's ruthless, but he's at his most dangerous when he's calculating about it. But that's not answering your questions."
Drawing a breath, Celadon reset herself on the path. "She wanted to take this person, Heliodor, alive and unpowered. I don't know that she had a plan for what to do with him after she took him hostage and Faustite learned of it. But I did." Then she bowed her head. "Or I thought I did. I had thought that I could understand why he was in the Negaverse if I could talk to him. But it didn't matter what, or how, I asked; he wouldn't budge. All I could gather was that he had a fundamentally different sense of priorities than me, and he wasn't giving up anything to someone he could only see as an enemy.
"That was the point Hy-Brasil called for counsel. A lot of people came with different opinions on what to do with him. They reached a consensus, that it was better for Heliodor to die. Faustite is too volatile to bargain with, even using someone close to him. But before anyone could act on that decision, Faustite had come with an overwhelming force. He seemed to know exactly where Heliodor was. Then… It was chaos. So much fighting in close quarters. So much fire." Celadon rubbed the back of her neck. "Everyone I was with survived."
She paused, taking another breath. "So I want to make amends to everyone on our side who was hurt, or became a target for it, or was touched by it in some way. He's the type to stop at nothing until everyone's dead, so I wanted to make amends by connecting people together, strengthening their bonds, and giving them the tools to overcome that relentless rage. Without having to bend the knee or break."
Blarney flashed a brief, annoyed glance at Aruna, but he fell silent anyway, reasoning that she couldn’t answer any of his questions if he never stopped talking long enough to actually hear them. After a beat, she did begin to speak - to explain.
Freaking finally. Someone was explaining how this could have possibly happened - the logic that would lead to something like this happening at the hands of supposedly Good Guys, even if not all the Good Guys were actually…good.
But…he had to admit, Celadon seemed…at least…remorseful. Cool motive still murder and everything, but…at least she seemed to understand the breadth and depth of the mistake that they’d made, the consequences that had spooled out from it.
“...I want to do that too,” Blarney finally said, after taking a few moments to turn all of his information over in his head. It would do no good to lay into her about it, not only because she already knew it had been a mistake that lead to problems, but because it hadn’t been her idea. Not really, not at its core. No, that dubious honor apparently rested solely with Hy-Brasil, one of his very own Earth Knights. The guilt and sorrow that had hit him when Albite first mentioned the truth of this rolled back through him, but he forced himself to stay focused, for once in his life. “I want to…connect people. I’ve been on a whole…thing about that.” Blarney thought of Mr. V, so tired, so ready to give reasons why something like what he had in mind wouldn’t work. He could only imagine what he’d say about including one of the people who’d been involved with the kidnapping in it, but… “I want to talk to you about that, once we’re done talking about this.” Blarney’s mouth pressed into a thin line, and he reminded himself that he didn’t have to agree with everything everyone on his team did, as long as they showed up when it mattered, and Celadon seemed to be trying to show up now.
“Setting aside the fact that the initial plan was ‘abduct a major player’s significant other, question-mark question-mark question-mark, profit’,” Blarney said, returning back to the original discussion, “what did you think you could–like, if Heliodor had spilled his guts about why he’s in love with the Dark Side, what would that have gotten you? Do you want to, like, figure out their motivations and try to, I dunno, use that in some way? To like, get them on our side or something?” Blarney frowned slightly, trying to figure out for himself what good ‘why do you subscribe to evil’s newsletter’ would do, but he was, at least, willing to hear her out about it. “Or, like, figure out their different priorities so we can combat them, or…? I’m not trying to like–I know we just met, I promise I’m not like, trying to be a jerk or anything, or get all up in your business, but this is like–” Blarney went to run a hand through his hair, got caught by the flowercrown, and dropped his hand.
“I wasn’t even–awake when this happened. I wasn’t awake for the spacesnake dragon world-eating guy either. But I’m awake now, and seeing the consequences of all this stuff play out in real time.” Everyone who was involved with the snake thing needed, like, so much therapy. “And like…if Faustite is as ragey as everyone says he is, if he’ll want vengeance,” Blarney thought of Albite, who wanted to ‘just talk’ to Hy-Brasil and Grieve, sure, just talk, “then…yeah, on the one hand, strategy and tools are staying cool under fire are the only way to beat someone like that. But–on the other, like…wasn’t this kind of our fault?” Blarney looked from Celadon to Aruna and back again. “Like, Hy-Brasil just got this hare-brained idea and acted on her own and then roped everybody into it. Like, we threw the first punch here, even if Faustite did kill a Squire and that’s messed up, but you can go back and forth over we did this and they did that till the end of time and we all just blame the Big Bang or whatever gave us our powers in the first place. That’s not–you can’t just say ‘I did this because they did that’, because then they’ll come back and say ‘we did that because you guys did this’ and we’d be here all day.” Blarney sighed, tried to refocus. Tried. “Y’know the full version of the expression ‘an eye for an eye’? It’s not about fairness, it’s–’an eye for an eye and the whole world goes blind’. We gotta…we gotta find a way to just–apologize, I think, and see if we can keep this whole city from going blind over a stupid game of magical back-and-forth. And if they won’t come to the table about it, or hear us out, or in any way deal, then…then that’s on them. But if we’re the good guys, shouldn’t we at least try to resolve this as painlessly as possible? And not by like–not just to keep us from getting hurt,” he continued, all of these words pouring out of him, finally addressing the real thing he had an issue with, “but because–like, it wasn’t okay, what Hy-Brasil did. It was not cool. It wasn’t fair. She just wanted to hurt one particular guy, and she used other people to do it, and that’s not right, no matter how much she says she was trying to ‘destabilize’ him or whatever. It wasn’t fair, what she did. We gotta own up to that somehow, and we gotta do it in such a way that doesn’t feel like we hit them and then went ‘waahhh don’t hit us’, like we’re trying to avoid or evade responsibility. Justice. Whatever you want to call it.” Blarney paused. “There should really be a Geneva Convention. Rules in place. It’s a war, right? But even wars in real life have rules, rules that everybody agrees on and more or less tries to follow. That’s where the whole ‘war criminal’ thing comes from. Maybe we could figure out a way to keep us–and the regular old humans who have to live here with us–and the bad guys all…sort of playing the same game. Nobody wants their partners getting kidnapped, right?”
Without even consciously realizing he’d done it, as he was speaking, he’d pulled his trusty notebook and purple sparkly pen out of his subspace, and was scribbling away as he spoke, his eyes not leaving Celadon and Aruna as he spoke. Would he be able to read his notes later? Unlikely. But at least they were there for him to try.
lena
”It’s more than just back and forth over one kidnapping. It's a war, full stop. One that reaches back further in time than I could fathom.” Aruna might not know the origin of it all, but from the memories she had gleaned while on her planet, it had been going since long before Aurelia was alive. ”What people look for is any weakness possible to exploit, on either side. And I'd assume that that's what this was, right? Trying to utilize a potential weak spot.” She hated talking like this, so black and white, so tactical. She hated that she even could put herself into the mindset of it.
”Its war, Blarney… I don't think either side is willing to have a sit down about what's acceptable and what isn't, especially when we're talking about people capable of reaching into chests and yanking souls out. I wish it were different. I wish there was a way to find common ground. More than anything. But even if the majority of them were to be amenable to working together, there will always be those who oppose it with everything they are.”
She addressed Celadon next, speaking quietly with her gaze trained on her feet. ”They knew where he was, because one of us tipped them off. That's why they came so quickly, with so much fury and power and organization. They were given the information by one of our own who didn't want it to go any further. And….. I'm not sure I wouldn't have done differently. While I know it's war, and that we need every opening we can find….. I can't say I wouldn't have tipped Faustite off myself had I known and been able to. Something in me is deeply, deeply opposed to what happened. And so was the person who aided Faustite. I…. Think they wanted to avoid loss of life. And…. while their heart was in a good place, I don't think they realized how bad things could have gotten.” Aruna rubbed the scar that trailed down her left arm as she spoke, thinking back to that night as well as the following day when she learned that her coworker and friend was not only a senshi, but that it had been him who had tipped Faustite off himself. She knew Murikabushi, knew that no matter what, he was a good person down to his core. There was no circumstance under which she would believe anything else about him, so she knew that his intent wasn't to cause harm to Order. But she also knew that his feelings for Faustite played a large role in his actions, and likely caused him not to think about just how bad things truly could have gotten. ”The person who alerted them…..he's a good person. Truly. I don't think he meant any harm to come to any of us. I….don't think he would have done what he did if that was, in fact, his intent.” Aruna could never think that about Murikabushi. There would never be a world in which she would believe he intended harm to them.
She sighed softly, finally looking back up at Celadon. ”I…. I've spoken with Faustite before. One on one. I….don't think he's an unreasonable person. But I think his reaction to what took place was justified, as well as a terrifying display to remind us why we should be more careful. I don't know if amends are possible to be made…..and I know he's currently missing as well.” The last part was said quietly. ”I haven't been able to find anything out so far, haven't heard a single word of what happened or where he might be. But his team is on edge because of it, I think, so it would serve us well to be careful of that. To tread carefully and be mindful of anything that might make things explode.” She didn't say that she had been trying to find and bring Faustite home because she worried about him or cared. That could be her own personally little ******** up thought. But, she figured, the notion of a General King just vanishing would be concerning to anyone enough to want to know what happened.
”Its war, Blarney… I don't think either side is willing to have a sit down about what's acceptable and what isn't, especially when we're talking about people capable of reaching into chests and yanking souls out. I wish it were different. I wish there was a way to find common ground. More than anything. But even if the majority of them were to be amenable to working together, there will always be those who oppose it with everything they are.”
She addressed Celadon next, speaking quietly with her gaze trained on her feet. ”They knew where he was, because one of us tipped them off. That's why they came so quickly, with so much fury and power and organization. They were given the information by one of our own who didn't want it to go any further. And….. I'm not sure I wouldn't have done differently. While I know it's war, and that we need every opening we can find….. I can't say I wouldn't have tipped Faustite off myself had I known and been able to. Something in me is deeply, deeply opposed to what happened. And so was the person who aided Faustite. I…. Think they wanted to avoid loss of life. And…. while their heart was in a good place, I don't think they realized how bad things could have gotten.” Aruna rubbed the scar that trailed down her left arm as she spoke, thinking back to that night as well as the following day when she learned that her coworker and friend was not only a senshi, but that it had been him who had tipped Faustite off himself. She knew Murikabushi, knew that no matter what, he was a good person down to his core. There was no circumstance under which she would believe anything else about him, so she knew that his intent wasn't to cause harm to Order. But she also knew that his feelings for Faustite played a large role in his actions, and likely caused him not to think about just how bad things truly could have gotten. ”The person who alerted them…..he's a good person. Truly. I don't think he meant any harm to come to any of us. I….don't think he would have done what he did if that was, in fact, his intent.” Aruna could never think that about Murikabushi. There would never be a world in which she would believe he intended harm to them.
She sighed softly, finally looking back up at Celadon. ”I…. I've spoken with Faustite before. One on one. I….don't think he's an unreasonable person. But I think his reaction to what took place was justified, as well as a terrifying display to remind us why we should be more careful. I don't know if amends are possible to be made…..and I know he's currently missing as well.” The last part was said quietly. ”I haven't been able to find anything out so far, haven't heard a single word of what happened or where he might be. But his team is on edge because of it, I think, so it would serve us well to be careful of that. To tread carefully and be mindful of anything that might make things explode.” She didn't say that she had been trying to find and bring Faustite home because she worried about him or cared. That could be her own personally little ******** up thought. But, she figured, the notion of a General King just vanishing would be concerning to anyone enough to want to know what happened.
strick
Celadon nodded when Blarney indicated he wanted to discuss tightening the bonds between different members of Order. Any help, she decided, was better than none — and the more people got involved, the easier it would be for people to find some central person around whom they could gather. It didn't have to be the Princesses, or the senshi who were around the longest, or her. As long as everyone had someone else they could turn to, or contact? That was so much more than they had before.
However, she could only shake her head at Blarney's assumptions. "I wasn't trying to change his mind. I understand where you would come up with that. It makes sense to find a common thread and try to infer it across the faction."
Casting her gaze toward the dwindling festival lights, Celadon drew a sigh. "I wasn't completely honest with you. My best friend is dead. I think the Negaverse had something to do with her death. So when I asked him why he was in the Negaverse, I was asking him as someone who, like my best friend, was in love. But that wasn't all I asked him.
"I wanted to know if he, or anyone else in the Negaverse, kept records of his victims. If they logged any identifying information when they took a starseed, so I might know — with certainty — that they killed her. But that was wishful thinking. The Negaverse doesn't keep those kinds of records. Human life doesn't mean that much to them."
Then she looked back at Blarney. "I understand your point. I knew a lot less about Faustite at the time. You have the benefit of knowing how it all unfolded, so it's easier to see how our decisions at the time were bad. There was a lot we didn't know. And had we known what we do now, I can't say how we would have approached it.
"I see what you're saying about wrongs, grudges, and scores. They don't need a reason to attack us, though. They do so without provocation. If we didn't do what we did, they'd have struck out at us regardless.
"Maybe you haven't met him and that's why you think an apology will work. If you saw him like I did, you might change your mind." She looked kindly on the Page despite her words; sometimes she wished she could hold such warm convictions. She wished she could sway people with a kind word or gesture. But she didn't have that gift and she hadn't met anyone who did — if this Page had it, she'd kneel to his leadership just to see him put that gift to work.
"If you have ideas on how to get everyone playing by the same rules, I'd love to hear them," she said, and she meant it, even if she couldn't affect much emotion anymore.
Aruna had excellent points of her own, too. This war had likely been going on longer than any of them had been alive. By Celadon's measure, she was right about what Hy-Brasil had in mind. And, as much as the Earth Knight would hate to hear it, she had that bit of hotheadedness in common with the General-King that she so opposed.
Celadon found that, after Aruna's revelation, she felt no hate toward the person that tipped off Faustite. Maybe they didn't know how he'd react. Maybe they thought they were doing the right thing. But, for as much as she could give them the benefit of the doubt, she felt an enduring sadness. As far as she knew, this person didn't broach the idea of releasing him to the group first. Unless it was the cat who spoke up, but Celadon hoped that wasn't so. If it wasn't, then that was a vote of no confidence in their Order counterparts. They trusted Faustite more, which was a result that Celadon could not stomach. She saw what he did to that Eternal Senshi who was unlucky enough to be caught by him.
Breathing a sigh, Celadon nodded resolutely. "As far as I know, everyone escaped with their lives. I imagine that wasn't an easy call for them to make."
She didn't know what to make of Faustite being missing, though. "Do you think someone killed him?" It wasn't Cybele — Celadon would have heard of it by now. And while she didn't doubt that Aruna found him reasonable, Celadon knew many more who felt quite the opposite. And if his team was anything like their leader, then they were liable to see an uptick in attacks while they looked for him — or whatever was left of him.
However, she could only shake her head at Blarney's assumptions. "I wasn't trying to change his mind. I understand where you would come up with that. It makes sense to find a common thread and try to infer it across the faction."
Casting her gaze toward the dwindling festival lights, Celadon drew a sigh. "I wasn't completely honest with you. My best friend is dead. I think the Negaverse had something to do with her death. So when I asked him why he was in the Negaverse, I was asking him as someone who, like my best friend, was in love. But that wasn't all I asked him.
"I wanted to know if he, or anyone else in the Negaverse, kept records of his victims. If they logged any identifying information when they took a starseed, so I might know — with certainty — that they killed her. But that was wishful thinking. The Negaverse doesn't keep those kinds of records. Human life doesn't mean that much to them."
Then she looked back at Blarney. "I understand your point. I knew a lot less about Faustite at the time. You have the benefit of knowing how it all unfolded, so it's easier to see how our decisions at the time were bad. There was a lot we didn't know. And had we known what we do now, I can't say how we would have approached it.
"I see what you're saying about wrongs, grudges, and scores. They don't need a reason to attack us, though. They do so without provocation. If we didn't do what we did, they'd have struck out at us regardless.
"Maybe you haven't met him and that's why you think an apology will work. If you saw him like I did, you might change your mind." She looked kindly on the Page despite her words; sometimes she wished she could hold such warm convictions. She wished she could sway people with a kind word or gesture. But she didn't have that gift and she hadn't met anyone who did — if this Page had it, she'd kneel to his leadership just to see him put that gift to work.
"If you have ideas on how to get everyone playing by the same rules, I'd love to hear them," she said, and she meant it, even if she couldn't affect much emotion anymore.
Aruna had excellent points of her own, too. This war had likely been going on longer than any of them had been alive. By Celadon's measure, she was right about what Hy-Brasil had in mind. And, as much as the Earth Knight would hate to hear it, she had that bit of hotheadedness in common with the General-King that she so opposed.
Celadon found that, after Aruna's revelation, she felt no hate toward the person that tipped off Faustite. Maybe they didn't know how he'd react. Maybe they thought they were doing the right thing. But, for as much as she could give them the benefit of the doubt, she felt an enduring sadness. As far as she knew, this person didn't broach the idea of releasing him to the group first. Unless it was the cat who spoke up, but Celadon hoped that wasn't so. If it wasn't, then that was a vote of no confidence in their Order counterparts. They trusted Faustite more, which was a result that Celadon could not stomach. She saw what he did to that Eternal Senshi who was unlucky enough to be caught by him.
Breathing a sigh, Celadon nodded resolutely. "As far as I know, everyone escaped with their lives. I imagine that wasn't an easy call for them to make."
She didn't know what to make of Faustite being missing, though. "Do you think someone killed him?" It wasn't Cybele — Celadon would have heard of it by now. And while she didn't doubt that Aruna found him reasonable, Celadon knew many more who felt quite the opposite. And if his team was anything like their leader, then they were liable to see an uptick in attacks while they looked for him — or whatever was left of him.
“He’s not dead,” Blarney insisted, though he didn’t really have any hard evidence about it. “At least, nobody’s copping to it, and people on the other side are looking for him too. Wouldn’t they know or be able to feel it if someone that important just–you know,” he said, pulling a finger over his neck in an exaggerated gesture. “And I feel like if we’d done it there’d have been a party in the streets by now.”
Blarney sighed, swallowing his arguments about the earlier comments - everyone was so sure that what he suggested was impossible, and maybe they were right, or maybe they were wrong and he would just have to out-stubborn them, because for all Aruna talked about learning from her mistakes, maybe some things he would only believe if he was there to see it fail for himself (or, at least, know about a modern attempt, even if he himself wasn’t there to witness it).
“I’m sorry,” Blarney said, his voice genuinely sorrowful. “About your friend. That’s awful. I’m so sorry. What was her name?” Blarney asked, because something inside felt strongly that it was important - knowing the names of the fallen, whether they were soldiers or not.
lena
”No. I agree, he's definitely not dead. If he were, especially if it was one of us who did it, we would have heard something from someone.” Her heart clenched at the grief it would cause Murikabushi if that were to have happened, and she banished the thought immediately. ”Someone would have told someone, and word would have gotten out, if it had anything to do with any of ours. That much I am certain of. All we can do about it now is just…..be watchful and aware.”
Aruna’s features softened as she listened to Celadon, her heart aching for her. ”You think they might have corrupted her rather than killing her?” Wheels in her head turned as she thought about it. While limited, even more so lately, she might be able to find at least something out through the few connections she had. ”May I….ask her name? Both powered and civilian? I…. Might be able to do some digging.” Tiptoeing once again around potential traitorous behavior, it seemed to be a habit of hers lately of crossing lines to help people. ”I don't know if I'll be able to find anything myself but …..I might know someone who could.”
Aruna’s features softened as she listened to Celadon, her heart aching for her. ”You think they might have corrupted her rather than killing her?” Wheels in her head turned as she thought about it. While limited, even more so lately, she might be able to find at least something out through the few connections she had. ”May I….ask her name? Both powered and civilian? I…. Might be able to do some digging.” Tiptoeing once again around potential traitorous behavior, it seemed to be a habit of hers lately of crossing lines to help people. ”I don't know if I'll be able to find anything myself but …..I might know someone who could.”
strick
Celadon wasn't in love with that prospect. She didn't want the unease that came with knowing that Faustite wasn't dead. That his whereabouts were unknown, and they could become known right as he was killing her Princess or corrupting someone near and dear to the majority of Order. But, they were possibilities she had to accept for as long as one of their stronger enemies remained unaccounted for. She doubted they would be so lucky as to learn he purified.
Steeling herself, Celadon nodded in receipt of that information. "Disappeared, but not dead," she confirmed. Sounds like we will all have to stay extra vigilant." Though, she wondered how much it would matter when their enemy could teleport and force chaos inside a person against their will. Watching in grim acceptance as an avalanche came down on her sounded worse than being buried in one while blissfully unaware.
Swallowing, she tried to explain. "I don't know for sure. I thought she'd gotten really secretive with me a couple months before she died. Then she started saying things that didn't make any sense. She sounded paranoid, which wasn't like her. Then I was…" She drew a steady breath. "Notified by the hospital.
"I know she started seeing someone new. I've been wondering if her boyfriend at the time pulled her into the Negaverse. I thought, maybe she joined from infatuation. Then — I don't know. Maybe it was something simple, like she couldn't keep up with her quota. Maybe she broke up with the guy she was seeing. My point is, something happened, and then they took her starseed.
"Her name was Eileen." Celadon looked down at her cupped hands, where the StarCharm from before had materialized. "And she loved trying to get all the free collectibles during Destiny City festivals." Her hands closed over the charm.
"I never knew if she had a powered name. This was before I found out I was a knight."
Steeling herself, Celadon nodded in receipt of that information. "Disappeared, but not dead," she confirmed. Sounds like we will all have to stay extra vigilant." Though, she wondered how much it would matter when their enemy could teleport and force chaos inside a person against their will. Watching in grim acceptance as an avalanche came down on her sounded worse than being buried in one while blissfully unaware.
Swallowing, she tried to explain. "I don't know for sure. I thought she'd gotten really secretive with me a couple months before she died. Then she started saying things that didn't make any sense. She sounded paranoid, which wasn't like her. Then I was…" She drew a steady breath. "Notified by the hospital.
"I know she started seeing someone new. I've been wondering if her boyfriend at the time pulled her into the Negaverse. I thought, maybe she joined from infatuation. Then — I don't know. Maybe it was something simple, like she couldn't keep up with her quota. Maybe she broke up with the guy she was seeing. My point is, something happened, and then they took her starseed.
"Her name was Eileen." Celadon looked down at her cupped hands, where the StarCharm from before had materialized. "And she loved trying to get all the free collectibles during Destiny City festivals." Her hands closed over the charm.
"I never knew if she had a powered name. This was before I found out I was a knight."
“Eileen,” Blarney echoed somberly. There was no way this ended happily for Celadon, which in spite of her semi-indirectly causing a fair bit of grief for a lot of people, he felt bad about. Either her friend was dead (big bummer), or had become Chaos-ified, which meant - from his admittedly limited understanding - that some or all of her memories had been put through the shredder. Even if Eileen was still alive, she probably wouldn’t even remember Celadon. Once again, the wave of revulsion washed over him; he simply could not fathom that ever happening to himself. He couldn’t imagine himself as anything other than a twin, Madeline’s brother; how did people just…leave their whole lives behind? How could someone take someone else’s whole life from them, even if they didn’t actually kill them?
Blarney forced himself away from those thoughts; if he lingered too long, he’d just have to sit down and cry, and that wasn’t helpful at the moment. He’d just give Mads a really big hug when he got home.
“If she’s out there…I’ll help you find her, if I can,” Blarney said, voice still serious. It was a most solemn vow, as far as Blarney was concerned. He glanced at Aruna, knowing what he was about to say was true without even having to ask. “We both will.”
