faithfulflame | Thirteenth Prayer: A Flash of the Future [Video/Action]

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Thirteenth Prayer: A Flash of the Future [Video/Action]

[It's been nearly two years in Luceti, and Rei's come to realize that things are very different for her than they were initially. Then, she'd been so focused on getting home, getting back to the fight, and finishing what she'd started. But everything that'd happened since that time had given her other things to focus on, other people to care about besides just the Senshi, and a semblance of happiness she'd not had at home. People to trust, a shrine to call her own, and a way to grow stronger without having to rely in the power of Mars and that link to the past. It was nice, having that life, even the experiments and friends randomly disappearing were better than being dead.

Haruhi's departure had been a little shocking, but then...every time someone left it meant they were just going back to the life they'd been stolen from. Even as much as she'd grown attached to the place, going home still felt right, like it was the way things should go. After all, destiny could only be put off for so long. Which she knew all to well applied to her, that she shouldn't wish too hard to delay the inevitable, but all the same she couldn't quite bring herself to hope for that. Even if you knew you'd come back, and everything would be alright in the end, there was something oddly morbid about wishing for death.

Rather than dwell on it, though, Rei does what she does best: she moves on with her life with a sigh. Today is Setsubun after all, so inevitably, she finds herself in the shrine. After a while she decides to perform a flame reading of her own future, something she's been putting off for a while. Unsurprisingly the results are too much of a jumble to make much sense, though Fenimore is beginning to feature more prominently in them. Disappointed that she couldn't get more, she decides to set up a broadcast because even if she can't get a proper Setsubun ceremony going this year, Rei feels she should at least do something.]

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Good afternoon, Luceti, and welcome to any New Feathers that have just arrived. For those of you that do not know me, my name is Rei Hino and I run Tsukino Shrine, across the river from the Flame building. It's a peaceful place and it's open to visitors at any time, regardless of spiritual beliefs.

As today is a sort of traditional festival day in my world, I'll be offering fortune telling and flame readings to anyone who visits today. If you have an interest in knowing a bit more about your future, your luck, or other things, feel free to come by and I will be happy to help you.

Also, I was wondering if anyone knows much about carpentry. There are some parts of the shrine that are beginning to get a little worn and some improvements I'd like to make, though I need some help with that. Any assistance or advice would be appreciated. I'm more than happy to offer what services I can in return. Baking, limited enchanting, exorcisms, omamori and other charms, or even just help with yardwork.

[And she bows to the camera before turning off the feed.]

[As promised, Rei is at the shrine, and while she'll be replying to journals she'd prefer in person visits!]

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[Her eyes widen as her expression shifts almost instantly into one of shock. She was aware that there were others like her -- soon to die, or already dead. But the ones she'd known of before had been people she didn't really know, or people who she'd known were dead before she'd become friends with them. She would never have guessed she'd find out that someone she was close to held the same kind of secret. Rei, in particular, she would never have guessed after they'd talked about her dreams for the future.]

What...?

[Rei nods slowly, her arm moving up to wrap around Fenimore's shoulder. She's taking advantage of the shock to hopefully move things away from Fenimore getting angry to trying to make this into something good. There's no point in fighting over it, especially not when there's some commonality there. It doesn't stop the hurt, and it doesn't stop the fact that she's worried that Fenimore might just start snapping anyway. But she guesses that it may be the best way to deal with and diffuse the situation.]

Yes. At home, when I arrived in Luceti, I was in the middle of a battle. And I died. Look at my first journal broadcast, if you want.

[She bows her head slightly, and looks away.]

I...I know in the end that my friends and I win, and I...reincarnate. Ami-chan and Usagi-chan told me I do, but when I arrived here, I was dead. And I don't know if they're lying to me...or if they're telling me the truth.

[She presses one hand against her chest, trying to suppress a choking cough of sadness at the knot suddenly forming in her throat.]

So yes. I do know what it's like, Fenimore.

[Fenimore doesn't move immediately. At first, she almost does snap anyway, but, after a moment, her stiff pose relaxes and she leans against Rei -- not enough to put her weight on her: just enough to press against her. She's not exactly returning the hug, since she keeps her hands in her lap as she continues to squeeze them together, but she's at least trying to signal her acceptance and appreciation of the gesture.]

That's not fair.

[Her voice is choked up and she doesn't clarify what she is saying isn't fair. That someone like Rei died young in battle? That Rei gets to reincarnate, when Fenimore is going to stay dead? That Rei really understanding denies Fenimore the opportunity to take out her feelings on her? Truthfully, it's a mixture of all three, especially the first and last.]

I'm sorry.

[She normally is against people saying they're sorry over things that aren't their fault, even if it's clear that's not what people mean when they say that. But she doesn't know what she can say to that.]

[Rei pulls Fenimore a little closer, if she doesn't resist or seem opposed to it, and sighs heavily. Swallowing, she leans her head on her shoulder, trying to find words.]

It's...alright. I just try not to think about it. That's really for the best.

[She squeezes Fenimore's shoulder gently, wracking her brain for something to say or do to make these feelings go away. Because none of it's fair. Fenimore shouldn't be allowed to die, and Rei dying is just as unfair now as it was when she decided to give her life for the princess.]

It's fate. It's...what was meant to happen. But maybe we'll have a way to change that, here.

[She rather firmly believes that such a thing is possible. That's what the Senshi did: Changed destiny.]

Can I...tell you another secret?

[Fenimore doesn't resist being pulled closer, but rather welcomes it. There's still a part of her that wants to pull away, to deny that she needs the comfort, but it's currently being overtaken by the part of her that wants the comfort of closeness.

She does frown when Rei calls it fate, and tenses slightly.]

I don't want to think of it as what was meant to happen.

[To her, saying it was meant to happen makes it sound as though their deaths, and the deaths of other people she'd known and cared about, were for the best or at least right, and that was something she won't accept. But she doesn't say it in a particularly angry tone and she doesn't try to turn it into an argument. She knows that Rei didn't mean it that way, and she supposes that someone who can see the future sometimes would have a different idea about fate.

She also doesn't think there will be a way to change it, but she really doesn't want to argue that point. That would require her to acknowledge that she thinks she's doomed to die, so she doesn't even say anything about it as she lets some of that tension ease back out -- though she's still a bit tense.]

To be honest...I'm a little sick of secrets after the last couple I've heard today.

[It's supposed to be something of a joke, even if even she doesn't find it funny and the best tone she can manage is pretty sardonic.]

But I'll listen.

[Rei huffs a little laugh and shakes her head. Fenimore's right on that one point.]

You shouldn't. Even if something's meant to happen, destiny is never written in stone. That's something Usagi-chan taught me. And it's something that my friends and I change every time we fight. I've seen visions of people who's fate was to die, and I've stopped it before. I...sometimes think that's why I'm able to read the future.

[She reaches into her pocket, and pulls out a small red pen, showing it to Fenimore before pulling back and standing up.]

This secret is something I...should have told you before. But it's something I don't tell people I don't really, truly trust. [She smiles gently.] We met before, on a mission, about a year before Billy-san's dating event. You just wouldn't remember, because of this secret.

[She raises the pen into the air and shouts out]

Mars Power! Make Up!

[A flare of heat fills the room, and an instant later, after a transformation sequence, Rei is replaced by her alter-ego. Sailor Mars.]

Fenimore.

[Mars' gaze is somewhat intense as she comes out of the daze that is transforming, and she stares right into the other girl's eyes. There's a weight to her that wasn't present before, a sense of purpose, divinity, and power that's partly Rei, but someone else as well. The Goddess of War, Passion, and Flame. A superhero from Tokyo, and a warrior-princess from a paradise long, long gone.]

I am sorry, but I don't often reveal my secret. I am two people, in a sense. Rei Hino, and Sailor Mars. And I know it may be sudden, and it may be a surprise to see me like this, but I want you to understand. I'm sworn to protect a princess, along with three others. And together we've changed destiny time and time again. If there's any way to stop what we saw from happening, I swear to you, in the name of Mars, that we'll find it.

Edited 2014-02-15 09:22 (UTC)

[Fenimore is glad that she was slow enough to stand up after Rei, as she's not entirely sure how steady her legs would have been after that surprise. She'll stay on the floor for the moment, looking up at Rei, and that only makes the impression of weight and intensity behind Rei's gaze even stronger, making her seem taller -- and not entirely because of the heels. She never would have guessed this, as even the mention of battle passed her by without thinking how Rei might have been involved. Rei could have been involved indirectly, like Fenimore's own work in triage and running errands in a battle in her world, or involved somehow with her magic. She's rendered speechless at first.

If she was told this by most people, she would argue against it. If it was Rei alone, she would have argued, even though the speech would have felt comforting at first. To Norma, and to Shirley last she was here, and maybe to some of the others, her death had already happened. Even if destiny could be changed, how could the past be changed? To try to change it was fruitless and the promise to change it was just empty words.

But it's harder to argue with someone with this strong of a presence and this much apparent experience in changing destiny.

Once some of the shock passes, a flood of emotions rush in. There's a sense of awe at the intensity from Sailor Mars, a kind of remnant from the shock. There's a warmth blossoming in her chest at being trusted like this. There's some curiosity, with questions about things like how being two people works and what is a Mars. There's even a nagging sense that something about this seems familiar, since she has actually read magical girl comics before. And there's a tiny little feeling of hope.

But that hope brings its own problems. She starts to tremble again and she breaks eye contact with Mars, looking down to the floor and gritting her teeth as she tries to keep the tears filling her eyes from flowing over. Her voice is shaky when she speaks.]

I...I don't know if I can stand to hope it could change. It's -- easier, when it's inevitable. All I could do was be resigned to it. So I could ignore it. I could just think about here, because -- because no matter how much I missed home, or the people I left there...that part of my life was over. Because when I left here, I would --

[Her voice hitches, and she swallows hard. As she continues, she speaks more quickly, as though the words are tumbling out of her mouth without her really thinking about them.]

But if it's not inevitable, if I could be saved, then...it feels like it's something that's going to happen. It feels like a -- a danger hanging over my head, and I don't have enough hope to think it's not probably going to happen anyway, and it's like I can't ignore it now, and I --

[She stops. She hates admitting to weakness directly, and that she's already shown a lot of it today makes it worse. But, after bowing her head even lower, she continues in a small voice.]

I'm scared.

[Hope, even just small hope, brings with it the chance of that hope being dashed, and over the past several years she's come to think that maybe it's better to just not hope at all.]

[That reaction is generally what she'd expected, given the circumstances. Coming to terms with the fact that there may be hope is never easy, as Mars has learned in her own life. Telling people that the fate they see is inevitable may be altered by the intervention of a group of five very determined magical girls is generally met with disbelief, but the fact that Fenimore admits that she's willing to hope...even if it's just a bit...is something she takes as a sign. At least some sort of acceptance is only encouraging.

She'd never have guessed that Fenimore might be familiar with magical girl comics, but then, given the nature of Luceti she'd not be entirely surprised either. Kari's explanation of multiple realities, for instance, stands out.

The heat in the room rises for the moment, though Mars' gaze softens as she bends down to offer a gloved hand to the other girl. Confidence and power practically radiate from her as she speaks, and her voice is pitched in a low, hopefully encouraging tone.]

That's understandable. I certainly don't think you're wrong for it, because I'm scared too. The thought of going back scares me too. Because this stuff is scary, but it's something we can overcome. I know I'm asking you for a lot of faith, but trust me, alright? If there's a way, we'll find it.

[Fenimore will be some glad if she makes the connection that her Malnosso-experiment-induced stint at attempting to be a magical girl was long before Rei arrived in Luceti. Though the costume is still in the back of her closet. Alongside a pile of porn that includes a few examples from an unrelated magical girl series. Long story, Christmas elves hate her, and she hasn't read it. Just...don't look in her closet, Rei.

Fenimore looks up when Mars offers a hand -- not crying, but her eyes are still quite wet even when she blinks away some of the unshed tears. The aura of confidence and power does make her feel like, just maybe, things would work out for the best. At this moment, if Mars were talking about anyone else in Luceti, she would completely believe that she would save them, but Fenimore has seen a lot of hopeless situations and it makes it hard for her to not be pessimistic. She's heard about some of the amazing things people in Luceti have accomplished in their home worlds and has come to see a separation between herself, as someone "ordinary," and the "special" people that are so common in Luceti. Miracles are things that happen to other people.

Then again, there was one time that she'd been rescued from a seemingly hopeless situation. Maybe having someone "special" on her side changed things.]

I --

[She stops. She could just say that she will trust her, even with her doubts, but...she feels she should be honest. Her gaze flicks away to the side, not quite meeting Mars's gaze.]

I have a lot of doubt that there is a way. I want to think there is, but -- I can't make myself really believe it.

[She'd heard Shirley say something like this a long time ago, before she'd known that she was one of the people in need of saving. As before, she can't really believe that such a convenient solution exists in this world, but, also as before, there is one thing she can trust.

She meets Mars's eyes again and tries to give a smile. She doesn't succeed, but the effort is there.]

But...if you're asking me to trust that you'll find it if it exists...I guess I can do that.

[And she takes the offered hand.]

[~~And it's something Rei wouldn't mind seeing that outfit...~~

Mars hand doesn't waver, and it's warm to the touch, the kind of warmth one doesn't find in normal people. A gentle, pulsing heat that matches the mien of unshakable certainty and power, a soothing strength that permeates her entire self. She knows she can't ask for more than that, and she won't press for anything beyond that. She knows enough about Fenimore to understand that she's quite jaded, a trait that Rei herself shares despite the faith Mars displays. She may not have Usagi here to help with the Ginzuishou, or Serenity here with all her power, but there's got to be a way. A light of shining hope for her friend, and for her own...admittedly somewhat arrogant and selfish...happiness.

She gently tugs Fenimore up, and pulls the suddenly shorter girl into a tight hug. Her eyes shine with unshed tears of her own, as well as with a light of kindness. Leaning closer, the senshi brushes a hand down Fenimore's cheek. A mysterious smile flickers across her lips for a fraction of a second as she debates what to say. After a quiet moment, she speaks softly.]

That's all I'm asking. Trust me to find a way, if I can. Because you're someone important to me. If it can be done, it will be done.

[And then she leans just a little closer and brushes her lips against Fenimore's in a gentle kiss. If the other girl resists or pulls back, she'll freeze before reaching, because it's not meant to be forced, she just wants to show she cares.]

Edited 2014-02-17 08:21 (UTC)

[The warmth is comforting and when Mars pulls her into the hug, Fenimore returns it just as tightly. If she thinks about this later when alone in her room -- though she will try to return the thought of her death to something she ignores -- she'll probably return to her pessimism. But in Mars's presence, it feels like it could be possible.

When Mars brushes a hand down her cheek, the thought crosses her mind that they're nearly close enough to kiss and her heartbeat quickens. She dismisses the thought, so she's surprised when it turns out that it seems she wasn't the only one thinking it. Her eyes widen in surprise and, for half a second, she doesn't react, but after that moment, she closes her eyes and shifts to better return the kiss, matching the gentleness. She wants to show that she cares about her, too.]

[Mars' smile grows for just a moment when the kiss is returned, and she playfully kisses the other once more before tilting her head to let Fenimore rest against her. That'd been nice, one of the few non-shifted kisses she'd ever given, and it made her heart swell, knowing it'd been returned by her crush.]

Thank you, Fenimore. Just...forget about it and leave it to me.

[Mentally, she's already starting to think, working out possible scenarios and solutions that are for the moment nothing more than fantasies. But with time, Mars is certain it'll work out. Provided they don't vanish on one another, of course.]

And I am sorry, that I never showed you this side of me.

[Fenimore is able to smile this time as she rests against Mars, doing so without really meaning to. She's received quite a few non-shifted kisses before, but they were pre-Luceti and thus were all from more than four years ago. It had been nice to be kissed by her crush -- or, well, at least the alter-ego of her crush? She's not entirely sure how that factors into things, but it's close enough.

Her smile does fade a bit when Mars brings up about forgetting it. As much as the kisses and all made her feel good, there was still the reams of less pleasant emotions from the things from before that. She's going to try to concentrate on the pleasant parts, but there's a pretty weird mess of emotions in her right now.]

I'll try.

[She will probably be able to forget about it, for the most part. She has a lot of terrible things from her past that she ignores most of the time, except sometimes in the middle of the night when she wakes up from a bad dream. It'll probably take her a while to get there, first, though.

And she shakes her head at the second part.]

It's fine. Everyone has their secrets. [She has a few things from her past she doesn't want to share unless she has to.] But I'm glad that you trust me enough to show me now.

[Mars nods again, and extends a hand towards the brazier that'd been the catalyst to all this. Fire leaps up, swirling around her fingertips and curling up her arm. She seems a bit distant, eyes focused on the flame rather than the girl held against her.]

It's not just my secret, or I'd have told you much sooner. This...part...of me, Sailor Mars, has a duty to protect someone. It's just better that not everyone knows, but I know you'd never do anything to hurt Sailor Moon, even if she was here.

And if she was here, I just know she'd be laughing at me like an idiot for not sharing with you sooner.

[Normally, Fenimore might be a little frightened by being so close to fire moving unnaturally like that, but when being held by Mars, who clearly has it under control.... Well, okay, maybe she might have just shifted a little away from the fire out of pure instinct while remaining against Mars, as though being ready to hide behind her, but she's mostly watching the fire with a mild sense of awe. Even if her instincts are pretty clear on the idea that fire is dangerous, it really is a beautiful sight.

This time when the word Sailor is mentioned, she's not too shocked to wonder about the word choice, especially since she also recognizes the word Moon, if not Mars. She vaguely wonders if they have a ship. And then she makes an amused sound at the last sentence, a small grin on her face.]

She sounds like an interesting person for a princess. [Or so she assumes that Sailor Moon is the same as the previously mentioned princess.] But I can understand the need for caution.

[After all, it took her a while before she felt ready to tell her about being Ferines. Though that one's closer to being just her own secret, since the other Ferines around don't seem to have the same worry.]

And besides: if you don't tell many people about it, that just makes me feel more special for being one of the people to learn it.

[Mars let's the flame go after another moment, a little comet streaking back into the brazier. It was all just for show, really, but if it's making Fenimore visibly uncomfortable it's time to stop.]

Some people know out of necessity. I'm a lot stronger, like this. The divine power of Mars is a lot more than I can handle normally, so I've had to use it to fight. I tend to just stay like this, when there's a draft.

[It's easier that way, she doesn't have to worry as much, even if she's not as versatile as she would be in her normal form.]

It's sort of a shame that Sailor Moon is gone, honestly. She'd definitely like to meet you, since you're so close to me. Your hair is even similar, when you wear the two pigtails.

[She was only a little uncomfortable, but it is true that she would rather be slightly farther away to watch such a display, at least until she gets a little more used to it.]

So that's why you were like this when we met on that mission. But...when you say the divine power of Mars -- is Mars a god of some kind?

[Is it related to her status as a miko? But then where does the sailor bit come in? Hmm.]

Ah, well...maybe she'll come here one day. I wouldn't mind meeting someone as important to you as that. She must be a good person for you to go so far for her. [And then, her tone changing to a joking one:] And, apparently, she has good taste in hairstyles.

Mars...is a lot of things.

[She laughs lightly, glad to move away from the somewhat heavier topic onto something easy.]

Mars is a planet in my solar system. Another world, far out in space. Mars was also a god in legends on Earth, the god of war. And in a sense, this...Mars, me? Is both. A long time ago, she was the princess of the planet Mars, a goddess in her own right and a guardian to the princess of the Moon, Serenity. So, when I say the divine power of Mars, I mean the power of a god and the power of the planet.

[Fenimore pulls back slightly to better look Mars in the face.]

Wait. You're a princess? And a goddess? Or...half one, or -- or however that works, being "two people in a sense"? I'm...not really sure I get how it works.

[Does this mean she just kissed a goddess? Even just the princess was a startling enough potential revelation, but she's not at all sure if she had a reference point for kissing a goddess.]

[Mars laughs and shakes her head. That's not a reality she'd willingly accept, where she and Mars were the same.]

No, no. Remember, I said was. That was a long, long time ago. She's been reborn already, and I'm not the same person. I can draw on her power...but I'd rather not think of myself that way. I am Rei Hino, not Princess Mars, and our experiences are different. I just happen to have access to some of her power.

[Now, in time that may change, once Serenity brings back the Silver Millenium, but now she's pretty much dead set on being Rei.]

[Fenimore nods. She thinks she has a better understanding of how it works now -- she'd been a bit confused by the two people comment.]

Good. I'm glad. I mean, when you're like this, you're really cool, but I like you the way you are best.

...Er, that is -- you already are you even when you are Sailor Mars, I guess. I didn't mean you weren't. I meant -- I'm glad you aren't also someone else, because I'd rather -- it's not that there's anything wrong with Princess Mars, I'm sure she's fine, I just don't know her and I --

[...She's lost where she was going with this. But maybe she can salvage it by masterfully changing topic, like maybe those extra characters she wrote earlier.]

It's just...good. Um. I guess while we're sharing secrets already, I could show you -- ah, the parchment was already burned up. But I could write it again if -- can I borrow another piece?

[Masterful.]

[Mars can't help but smile a bit at Fenimore's fumbling. It is oddly endearing, in a way. And she admits that it's a little complicated, certainly.]

I don't know her either. I know she was kind and passionate and committed, but that's all I really know. So, I'm glad you agree.

[She'll learn more as time goes on, if she ever returns home. But for now, she's only got base memories.]

And certainly, you can have as much as you need. [She lets go and heads over to her supply box and takes out more paper, and a pen. Just because she's nice like that.]

Here you are.

I guess you two have some things in common, then.

[Pens are such a nice invention. She takes it gratefully and, much more quickly and neatly this time, rewrites the two characters on one of the sheets of paper. Once she's finished, she holds it up for Mars to see.]

You probably noticed these when I gave you the parchment before. It's my true name, and I wrote it since you said that the way I write my name has a lot of meaning in the rite.

[After a second, she goes over what she said and notices a potential misunderstanding.]

Ah, but when I say "true name," that doesn't mean that Fenimore is some kind of fake name. A true name is different from the kind of name people call each other. It's more of a ceremonial name to indicate the true nature of the bearer. Every Ferines has one.

My true is Xelhes. It means "blessing."

[The X is pronounced like a Z, despite the fact that Ze has a different character and means something completely different from Xe. Languages.]

Thirteenth Prayer: A Flash of the Future [Video/Action]

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