Eleventh Prayer: Burning Brightest [Action/Video] May 26th to June 1st

[faithfulflame]

[Rei's head swam, her entire body swaying dangerously as she staggered through the forest. Something wasn't right. Nothing was. The last thing she remembered was talking to Helios, and then...nothing. The kidnapping had thankfully been quiet, and she'd been taken in her sleep but the return? This...this was something new. Her body felt off, too tall and heavy. Lean. muscular. Older. She had new memories, her head a jumble of them. Being young in Luceti...leaving it...and returning older. Almost as if it'd been no more than an afternoon or two.

Her body, still not adjusted to the changes suddenly brought by an extra fifteen years, found something else. The wings she remembered. But not the enormous ones. And from what she remembered they were grey, not orange. Making her way out of the forest, she felt a sense of loss. And a cooling sensation as well. And then there was the heat. The sheer raw heat that surged in her. She could feel Eferin even more keenly than she had before. Something was not right, she could feel that. But the power and heat? She wanted that. Walking out of the forest, heat shimmers distorting the air around her, Rei made her way home. To what had once been her home anyway, some...eighteen years ago.

Staggering inside, she all but collapsed onto the floor in her New Feather Dress.]

I'm...back.



Video

[After she's had some time to collect herself, Rei makes a short broadcast. The voice and accompanying video are a good deal older than when last she was here. Her elegance and beauty are only amplified by time. Maturity has been quite kind to her, it seems. To say nothing of the angelic wings sprouting from her back. Angelic things patterned in red and gold that wrap around her as she addresses the camera.

Her voice is somewhat brusque but excited as well, her eyes sparkling with interest.]

Good Afternoon, Luceti. This is Rei Hino, and I seem to have returned. It seems that I've only been away for a few days here, but it's been a number of years for me. But it seems there are quite a lot of strange things going on. I don't remember the wings being quite so large.

I'm pretty certain that unless I'm imagining things...there's something going on. I'd like for anyone with information, or experiencing strange symptoms with their Filial magic to please contact me or come by the shrine. Unless of course some fool's managed to burn it down or the caretakers didn't bother to keep it up while I was away.

[There's a rueful tone there, as if she didn't really expect anyone to do what she asked.]

If you want to catch up, I'll be there as well. It's been a while for me, and I'd love a chance for a tea ceremony or even Western tea with old friends, teachers, or even family. I will be providing fortune telling too, for...[Her smile grows nostalgic] old times sake.


[Rei'll be at the shrine during most afternoons, but she'll also be taking some time to explore the town again, curious to see what's changed while she's been away. Of course...it's only a kidnapping, but she believes she's been at home for 18 years. Feel free to catch her pretty much anywhere, though Sona and Twila possessed people beware. She's got a strong connection with Eferin and it's amplifying her already strong tendency towards being argumentative and zealous about dealing with what she perceives as darkness!]

((ooc note: Rei is returning from a mallynap for a while as well. She's currently 35 years old, under the full belief that she returned home and came back. That is to say she'll be played based on the end of the manga, mixed with a bit of her Parallel AU self.))

Comments

[Video]

[geniustheveil]

[As expected, Ami's water alignment is even stronger these days; so it may be best that she happens to respond the moment she sees the video post, instead of in person first.]

Rei-chan?! Did you say it was years?

[This happens now and then in Luceti, so while it comes as a shock to realize Rei had apparently been sent away when she'd thought the droids had just taken her instead, it isn't unthinkable to Ami's mind.]

You remember when you were here before, then, don't you? And...

[Well maybe she should save that news until they see each other in person.]

[Video]

[faithfulflame]

Yes, Ami-chan. It was eighteen years, at least.

[She smiles warmly at her old reliable friend, brushing aside a lock of her long hair]

And yes, I do. I remember everything.

[Video]

[geniustheveil]

Where are you? [Because for the rest of this, she's totally coming right there right away.] I'll come right now.

[Video]

[faithfulflame]

I'm at home, Ami-chan. I'll see you soon, don't hurry on my account.

[Meaning yes, she knows.]

[Video]

[geniustheveil]

It's not any trouble. Besides, I want to see you. I want to hear about everything.

[And within a short while, she'll be at the house - she's even set aside paperwork to greet Rei's return.]

action

[aerialassault]

[Cliff had been wondering about what happened with Rei in recent weeks. They hadn't spoken for a while, and the recent passing of his birthday had him thinking about certain things more than normal. The feed that she posted on the comms, though strange, was enough of an excuse for him to touch base.

There was an obvious Shift going on, and he had a hunch that Rei was affected by more than just one.

He found her at the Tsukino Shrine that afternoon, and knocked casually on the wood to announce his presence.]

Knock knock. [He lingered in the doorway, grinning.] 'Sup, Rei?

action

[faithfulflame]

[Turning, Rei rose at the familiar voice, one that touched deep in the recesses of her memory. Cliff Fittir. Some sort of uncouth brawler, but a good man.

She's a lot taller, older, and more filled out than she was before.]

Hello Cliff. How are you?

action

[aerialassault]

[She had grown into a fine woman, in Cliff's eyes. Someone who was just as beautiful and strong as before, but with the air of controlled power and the wisdom that only experience could grant. A small, petty part of him hoped that Maria would grow into a woman like this-- and, in his gut, he knew that she would.

But this was Rei, and she presented him with a more immediate question that he had to find the answer for.]

Pretty good. Just trying to make heads and tails of what's going on with this place. It happened overnight, and there's people 'round here using magic that weren't the other day.

It's weird.

action

[faithfulflame]

Yes, I noticed. The Filial spirits seem much, much more active now, and much stronger.

[She holds up her palm, a brilliant blaze forming just over it]

This is a small thing, but it was beyond my control when I was here last.

[Without Mars, anyway]

And the wings...

action

[aerialassault]

[The wings, and the amped up power, were definitely a sign that something was off. He was reminded of the soldiers he fought on the Terrace, and he was able to infer, with the little that he knew, that this wasn't the work of the Malnosso.

Something native to the land was at work.]

Word has it that something happened with the tunnels the other day. I haven't checked it out myself, but that might be involved in this.

There's also more. People are acting differently from normal. Now, I don't know much about these Filial things, but don't they all have different personalities too?

[Video]

[misterbrief]

You too huh. And what lucky magic did you end up with? [He honestly couldn't sound more irritated and sarcastic at that statement.]

[Video]

[faithfulflame]

[She responds just as sarcastically]

Flame. Nothing new. What about you?

[That hair, man...]

[Video]

[misterbrief]

[afj;klafjkl; it's always the hair that gets people]

The very same. Glad to hear you're used to it. [He spits that out. He burned the hell out of his body, and through the video it's visible.]

[Video]

[faithfulflame]

Oh, goodness. I take it you weren't ready for it. Have you been to the clinic for ointment?

[The least she can do for a fellow firestarter]

If not, I can bring you some. My housemate is one of the village doctors.

[Video]

[misterbrief]

I don't need ointment. [He went to go get aloe vera from the shop. He feels like it isn't helping at all.] And the last thing I want to do is see a doctor, the previous one was out of her mind.

[Action]

[magicalesbian]

[Rei... went home? Kari doesn't even know what to say to that. Surely she's glad that Rei is back -- not that she even knew she was gone, mind you -- but... she sounds so different. How many years had passed for her? You'd think as a world-jumper, she'd be more accustomed to things like this, but given her traveling in relation to time tends to follow her own existence linearly, she's never had to deal with such a dramatic change.]

[She doesn't respond, instead making her way to the shrine. She's vaguely aware of an experiment going on, her own wings currently looking a bit odd -- Twili's still having some trouble gaining complete control as the Hoshiko spirit continues to put up a fight. Unaware of it all, Kari's just left feeling a bit dizzy. And her wings, though mostly black by now, still have the occassional pink feather holding on.]

[As she approaches the shrine and peeks inside to see if Rei is there, she starts to feel a bit uneasy, though can't quite place why that is...] Uhm. Rei?

[Action]

[faithfulflame]

[Rei's been sort of expecting Kari, remembering that they were good friends and all. Seated by the fire, she turns and rises gracefully to her feet the moment she feels Kari enter the shrine grounds. Inwardly, she frowns at the sight of the dark wings. Something in her wants to act and expel...something but she keeps a tight reign on that for the moment.

Instead she opens her arms wide in a gesture of welcome. The older woman looks at the younger and offers a warm smile]

Kari-chan. It's lovely to see you. Please, come in and sit.

[So she can feel out that spirit more...]

[Action]

[magicalesbian]

[This is... weird. Graceful aging aside, it was obvious to Kari that Rei was much older that she was before. How well could she even remember Luceti with all that time under her belt? Eve for Kari, her first time here was still rather fuzzy in her memories, and she had only been gone a year.]

Uhm. Yeah, sure. It's... good to see you, too. [Despite the discomfort in her voice, she's still smiling, even as she goes and sits down -- which is a little more uncomfortable to do with the big wings, urk.]

So, uh. When you said it's been a few years, just how long were you home?

[Action]

[faithfulflame]

[The Silver Millenium's return changed quite a lot, including aging. Rei actually leans over to offer her old friend a hug. Time's done wonders for her issues with touching and being near people.]

Eighteen years. I just turned thirty five.

[Action]

[magicalesbian]

[Unfortunately, Twila's not doing much for Kari. Without the usual influence provided from the Hoshiko spirit, Kari's normal personality has been showing itself more and more -- and with a revelation like this, she's not much in the mood for returning a hug.]

Thirty-five? [Staring. And then looking up and down.] No way.

[Video]

[thebellthatbinds]

[When Sabriel answers the broadcast the video turns on to the young lady sitting by one of the rivers, the water bubbling and gurgling softly in the background. Sabriel herself doesn't seem too different at first from what Rei might remember but at the moment the smile she offers her friend is faint, cooler than usual. Perhaps it had something to do with the large, deep blue wings sprouting from her back.]

Hello Rei. You look well.

[Video]

[faithfulflame]

[If truth be told, Rei barely recognizes Sabriel with the eyepatch, wings, and the distance of time. Eighteen years is a long, long time. But that doesn't stop a bright smile from flickering across her features. Rei can't not be glad to hear that voice after so long. Even with the cool distant. And the gathering storm of Eferin inside her...]

Thank you, Sabriel. It's been some time, hasn't it? How are you, dear?

[Video]

[thebellthatbinds]

To be honest, very tired. I've just been returned by the Malnosso as well but from a mission.

[Leaning back against a nearby tree trunk she slips the journal into one hand to let the other dip into the nearby water.]

I hope your return to your home world has been agreeable.

[Video--Filtered]

[faithfulflame]

[Rei takes a second to put up a filter.

She leans back in her seat, thumbing her chin and studying the camera.]

It's been eighteen years, Sabriel. We had a lot of battles, and fought many enemies. My...sisters and I. But we won peace, if that's what you mean. The Silver Millenium was restored. Queen Serenity...Usagi...used the Silver Crystal to bring back paradise.

So...you could say it was agreeable.

[Video--Filtered]

[thebellthatbinds]

[Eighteen years...certainly enough time for many major developments in one's life. Sabriel nods as Rei summarizes the lot of them, her smile gradually warming a little by the end of it.]

Very agreeable if you ask me. I'm glad.