It's not a problem. And don't worry, they're well behaved.
[Rei's eyes track every move Inaba makes, calculations running in her head. The girl was clearly bothered, or had something heavy on her mind. Rei's emotional senses, the psychic inner eye, was on high alert for changes now.
Lapsing into Japanese is easy enough, and the question earns a scrutinizing glance.]
[ Even though her voice sounds rather relaxed, her emotions are intense, caught in a swirling pit of constant worry and anxiety. There's a small bit of hope within that though, but it's masked by all of the other emotions, regardless of how calm Inaba might be speaking right now. ]
And that'll make my explanation a lot easier, then. I've... [ There's a slight pause, some reticence in her tone and then she presses her lips together, firmly. She has to show more confidence. She's already prepared for this, right? Biting on a nail, her gaze shifts, away from Rei for a moment, tinkering with the pendant around her neck before sighing. ]
There's something that I want to talk about. It's a bit personal, I have to admit, but I think if I tell someone about it, then maybe... I don't know. [ Her words sound as sad as she feels, clearly hurt. ] I'm risking my life saying this. Before I actually start, can you promise me two things? The first being not to tell anybody else about this and the second... I need you to remind me of this conversation forty-eight hours from now.
[ She laces her fingers together, uneasy, twiddling her thumbs. ] There's a possibility of me forgetting this conversation and anything in relation to it, so I need to be absolutely sure that there's a way for me to possibly remember. I've already written the events in five different notebooks, my laptop, my cell phone, and even the CEREVice. It's probably overdoing it, but I'm just being cautious. I can't... I don't want to forget anything.
[That spiral of emotion, that heady swirl within the younger girl wasn’t missed or disregarded. Rei leaned forward, expression intent, eyes locked onto Inaba’s. The calm mask peeled back to reveal something naked, all raw emotion and boiling fear. It’s not all that different from when she’d helped Naru deal with experiencing her first Youma attack, or when Fish-Eye had so splintered Ami’s psyche that she couldn’t fight. This was something important, something Inaba had kept from everyone, and it changed the category Rei put her in. Whenever a conversation like this happened, the Senshi in her reclassified the individual into ‘potentially threatened’ and ‘potential harbinger of a threat.’ Should she be on edge, prepared to fight? Or should she be on edge and scanning for threats?
When the first words out of Inaba’s mouth involved risking her life, the tension in Rei thickened, her eyes suddenly flaring to life and growing more intense. Her jaw set, nose twitched, and she nodded slowly.]
Inaba. If there’s a threat to you, to your life, then I’ll do more than that. Should it come to it, I will fight to defend you. I will tell no-one, and I will contact you in forty eight hours, and I will leave Phobos and Deimos here until that time passes. I can see through their eyes, and if anything comes to threaten you, I will be here in less than five minutes.
[There’s a kind of zeal in her voice, a fiery passion and heat to her statement, and one that’s laced with a subtle psychic nudge. Rei had little in the way of Michiru’s capacity for stimulating the mind, but she’d learned to do little pushes like that to engender trust…or at least make her words seem less outlandish.]
Don't worry... it's not my life, or rather, it's not my physical life that's at stake here.
[ She chews on her lower lip; while Inaba herself has no abilities of her own, she can tell when somebody is trying to use any sort of psychic abilities, especially if it affects her mind. But even if she can sense it, that does not mean that she can do anything to prevent it. ]
At least, I'd hope not. I just don't want to become my past "me", all cold and dark... a person who has no friends. [ Her words come off tersely, slightly rushed. ] Anyway. Back in my world, there's a being who calls itself "Heartseed". Yes, like the plant. I don't know if they're here, but that's only because Heartseed- he- they don't have a physical body. Heartseed is probably not even their real name. Plus, there's more than one of them.
Everyone in my club, we... all of us, were forced to experience various supernatural phenomena. Basically, we were guinea pigs. The first thing we experienced was having our souls ripped out of our bodies and placed into another person's, for a whole month.
[Rei couldn’t help but do it, it’s a subconscious thing that happened when she was worried or afraid, and now she’s worried. But it’s subtle, not at all potent, and should probably go unnoticed by anyone who wasn’t a fellow psychic. Taking in that information quietly is difficult, because it reminds her in a lot of ways of some of her old enemies. Experimenting and toying with humans, playing with emotions and interfering with the course of their daily lives.
Her fist clenched, hard, knuckles going white against the teacup. Could it be Tomoe and his minions at work in another reality? Or an alien being? When Inaba finishes speaking, Rei set down the cup with a clink and took a breath. Willing calm into her words, the priestess replied…]
It does not have a physical form, so is it some sort of astral being? Did it ever take a corporeal shape at all or did it interact entirely with you through psychic impressions?
[Is it something she can detect or destroy? She’s done that before, punished entities that had no physical form.
This certainly went a long way towards explaining something else too. Like why Inaba was so wary around anyone with supernatural abilities.]
It usually took over the body of our teacher when it... communicated with is. I tried to punch it once while it was in his body, but no dice. It isn't a single entity, however; rather, there's more than one of it.
[ Does she sound a little bitter? Maybe, just a little. ] But the five of us persevered each phenomena. For almost two years, we dealt with that crap, unable to say anything to anybody outside our group. There was a time where Taichi forgot everything about me.
[ She clenches a fist, balling it up tightly. ]
I don't want that to happen to me. Even if the phenomena were bad, if they didn't happen, I... would have kept my feelings hidden forever. Taichi, he would have probably ended up with Iori. Sometimes, I think about that, of those alternate scenarios.
I'm always constantly checking to see if it shows up on my CEREVice, if any hint of him appears when new arrivals show up... Since I've always wanted to find out the truth. I want to know exactly what Heartseed is, why they did all of this. And back home, I'm the only one who can do it.
[Rei's fists balled up even harder, nails digging into her skin in frustration. She didn't like hearing this. It sounded entirely too familiar to her. An outside force exerting control over simple high school students? A collective group of entities that overrode human will, for what? To what end?]
Inaba, Does it have a goal or did it keep you entirely in the dark?
It said that we, collectively, as a group were... "interesting" [ air quotes included ] to it. Basically we were its entertainment. But I always thought there was something bigger... A more important reason why we were chosen.
Yeah. [ It's definitely more than a little disturbing, if you ask her. ] I was thinking that it might have something to do with, well, emotions. Whenever it took over Gotou's body, it seemed... lifeless. Its voice was monotonous.
And it did. It says it can kill us, but... I don't know how much I can trust that. It took over my friend's body once, Iori... and forced her to jump off a bridge.
[ Her tone turns stern as she presses her lips together, looking directly at Rei with clarity in her eyes. ]
I... when it comes to trust, it's not easy. [ Even as her voice remains even, her emotions become melancholic; it seems that she's definitely recalling something from the past. But in regards to Rei's question? ] But yeah, I trust you enough to risk this much. And as for believing... it's hard not to, when I've been through all of the bullshit this place has to offer for half a month.
[ That statement... it causes her to freeze up, tense slightly, and just stare at Rei blankly, unable to form words... for a moment. But it soon dissipates. ]
[Rei's hand is warm. Unnaturally so. And through the contact, she's able to form a link. Closing her eyes, Rei concentrates and pushes an image towards Inaba.
An image of fire, a burning sigil of a heart pierce by an arrow, and a ruddy red ball floating through the vastness of space.
And then bringing her finger up to her heart, she concentrates harder...and her chest begins to glow.]
Do you remember the flood?
[You're smart, Inaba, can you put the pieces together with the clues she's giving?]
[ Of course, she twinges slightly at the mental image; while she's used to seeing things in her head and instinctively wants to push it away - she's seen hopes, the dreams of others, other people's invasive thoughts - but this is more natural, and it's unnaturally warm, but not burning.
She takes deep breaths. In, out, and in again. The subtle hints cause her to pause, and she can't help but gape slightly. ]
... Yeah. I was pretty annoyed back then. [ Understatement of the year. ]
[The transformation is just as swift, Rei's outfit changing from the miko robes to that of Eternal Sailor Mars in a flash of orange light. And that transformation brings with it something else, a sheer presence that weighs on the entire room, a subtle mental pressure unconsciously settling in.]
You had every right to be. Maris wronged us all. [Her lip curls upwards.] But that's not what we were talking about, were we. [A finger taps her tiara, a confident smile finally blossoming.]
If it comes here, Heartseed may find itself a bit overmatched in me. I cannot be possessed or controlled in any way. Gods have tried and failed. And I've destroyed entities with no body. I can touch the realm of the mind and spirit, and in the name of Mars, I swear I will punish them for what they did to you.
[ There's definitely a presence in this room that intimidates Inaba herself, but it's different from that of Heartseed. He seemed to be cold, cruel; that much she could tell. But Rei -- no, Mars? -- brought something different to the table. ]
It wasn't. [ Yet she can't help but feel a little bitter about it. ]
... Thanks, though. Ah, but I don't want it to be destroyed until I know the truth. I need to know. Even if the events caused the five of us to be stronger, to change in a better way, well... I don't know.
[ All she can do is shake her head. ] Heartseed, it's-- also the reason why I've been extremely wary of CERES to begin with. I've never trusted them. Because they messed with my head, just like it, on the first few days of myself being here.
[ She can remember it clearly, too. Arriving, playing a game, getting a tarot card, seeing people's personalities shift dramatically, seeing hers shift not so much - it was subtle, but it was enough for her to tell that she was acting different. ] So even if Heartseed has stopped like it said it would, that doesn't change the fact that this world still rouses up glitches every now and again that can effect a person in various ways, psychologically or physically, and not one person has gotten close to being able to stop it, or even hack into their systems.
And I don't like the fact. That CERES. Can get into my head. Share all my memories around to other people. And reveal all of my secrets and weaknesses to the world. [ That last part, right there? It's spoken in rushed Japanese, clipped. It seems she has personal experience on this front. ]
[Mars shakes her head, letting go of Inaba's hand and smiling sharply. A reasonable answer, but not one she can fully...buy into. Not if her own thoughts are even half true.]
If it arrives here, you should tell me. It sounds much the same as some of my oldest foes, and if the theory of multiple universes holds true, it could very well be one of my old foes in your reality. I need to be aware of it, because now that you've told me, I can't ignore the possibility. If any of them got loose in the colony, they would make CERES seem kind by comparison.
[Mars voice remains firm, steady, unruffled. She hated CERES just as much, of course. She hated CERES with every fiber of her being, but...she can empathize.]
We all have problems with them. They've given us no reason to trust them and every reason do distrust them, frankly. I regard them as much our enemy as I would some from home, after the raid. I was in their facility, as you might recall, and they are keeping spirits hostage and shadow creatures freely roam their halls. There's nothing trustworthy about them.
Plus, as you yourself have said there's been no mention of these aliens that supposedly killed our worlds. It's a poor cover story, all in all, and it adds up to us being effectively imprisoned on a hostile world by a potentially hostile force. For all we know the glitches are intentional, after all.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
permission to read emotions? lmk how Inaba is feeling, Rei's on high alert.
[Rei's eyes track every move Inaba makes, calculations running in her head. The girl was clearly bothered, or had something heavy on her mind. Rei's emotional senses, the psychic inner eye, was on high alert for changes now.
Lapsing into Japanese is easy enough, and the question earns a scrutinizing glance.]
Hai. Absolutely.
go right on ahead!
[ Even though her voice sounds rather relaxed, her emotions are intense, caught in a swirling pit of constant worry and anxiety. There's a small bit of hope within that though, but it's masked by all of the other emotions, regardless of how calm Inaba might be speaking right now. ]
And that'll make my explanation a lot easier, then. I've... [ There's a slight pause, some reticence in her tone and then she presses her lips together, firmly. She has to show more confidence. She's already prepared for this, right? Biting on a nail, her gaze shifts, away from Rei for a moment, tinkering with the pendant around her neck before sighing. ]
There's something that I want to talk about. It's a bit personal, I have to admit, but I think if I tell someone about it, then maybe... I don't know. [ Her words sound as sad as she feels, clearly hurt. ] I'm risking my life saying this. Before I actually start, can you promise me two things? The first being not to tell anybody else about this and the second... I need you to remind me of this conversation forty-eight hours from now.
[ She laces her fingers together, uneasy, twiddling her thumbs. ] There's a possibility of me forgetting this conversation and anything in relation to it, so I need to be absolutely sure that there's a way for me to possibly remember. I've already written the events in five different notebooks, my laptop, my cell phone, and even the CEREVice. It's probably overdoing it, but I'm just being cautious. I can't... I don't want to forget anything.
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When the first words out of Inaba’s mouth involved risking her life, the tension in Rei thickened, her eyes suddenly flaring to life and growing more intense. Her jaw set, nose twitched, and she nodded slowly.]
Inaba. If there’s a threat to you, to your life, then I’ll do more than that. Should it come to it, I will fight to defend you. I will tell no-one, and I will contact you in forty eight hours, and I will leave Phobos and Deimos here until that time passes. I can see through their eyes, and if anything comes to threaten you, I will be here in less than five minutes.
[There’s a kind of zeal in her voice, a fiery passion and heat to her statement, and one that’s laced with a subtle psychic nudge. Rei had little in the way of Michiru’s capacity for stimulating the mind, but she’d learned to do little pushes like that to engender trust…or at least make her words seem less outlandish.]
Please, go on.
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[ She chews on her lower lip; while Inaba herself has no abilities of her own, she can tell when somebody is trying to use any sort of psychic abilities, especially if it affects her mind. But even if she can sense it, that does not mean that she can do anything to prevent it. ]
At least, I'd hope not. I just don't want to become my past "me", all cold and dark... a person who has no friends. [ Her words come off tersely, slightly rushed. ] Anyway. Back in my world, there's a being who calls itself "Heartseed". Yes, like the plant. I don't know if they're here, but that's only because Heartseed- he- they don't have a physical body. Heartseed is probably not even their real name. Plus, there's more than one of them.
Everyone in my club, we... all of us, were forced to experience various supernatural phenomena. Basically, we were guinea pigs. The first thing we experienced was having our souls ripped out of our bodies and placed into another person's, for a whole month.
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Her fist clenched, hard, knuckles going white against the teacup. Could it be Tomoe and his minions at work in another reality? Or an alien being? When Inaba finishes speaking, Rei set down the cup with a clink and took a breath. Willing calm into her words, the priestess replied…]
It does not have a physical form, so is it some sort of astral being? Did it ever take a corporeal shape at all or did it interact entirely with you through psychic impressions?
[Is it something she can detect or destroy? She’s done that before, punished entities that had no physical form.
This certainly went a long way towards explaining something else too. Like why Inaba was so wary around anyone with supernatural abilities.]
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[ Does she sound a little bitter? Maybe, just a little. ] But the five of us persevered each phenomena. For almost two years, we dealt with that crap, unable to say anything to anybody outside our group. There was a time where Taichi forgot everything about me.
[ She clenches a fist, balling it up tightly. ]
I don't want that to happen to me. Even if the phenomena were bad, if they didn't happen, I... would have kept my feelings hidden forever. Taichi, he would have probably ended up with Iori. Sometimes, I think about that, of those alternate scenarios.
I'm always constantly checking to see if it shows up on my CEREVice, if any hint of him appears when new arrivals show up... Since I've always wanted to find out the truth. I want to know exactly what Heartseed is, why they did all of this. And back home, I'm the only one who can do it.
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Inaba, Does it have a goal or did it keep you entirely in the dark?
[Important questions.]
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And it did. It says it can kill us, but... I don't know how much I can trust that. It took over my friend's body once, Iori... and forced her to jump off a bridge.
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You don't think you can trust it's word? Did your friend survive?
.... fuck i mean to type in *can't kill us, my bad
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[Rei's lip peeled back into something akin to a sneer.]
And you never found a way to fight back? This is why you're so uncomfortable around the supernatural, I take it?
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[ It's... the same as some of the glitches in this place, really. ] And yeah. It's one of the reasons why supernatural things bother me. A lot.
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You're taking a big risk, as you see it, then. Telling me this. Does that mean you trust me? Despite being something supernatural, myself, I mean.
[More importantly.]
And would you believe me if I told you beings like this...Heartseed...exist in my reality as well?
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[ Her tone turns stern as she presses her lips together, looking directly at Rei with clarity in her eyes. ]
I... when it comes to trust, it's not easy. [ Even as her voice remains even, her emotions become melancholic; it seems that she's definitely recalling something from the past. But in regards to Rei's question? ] But yeah, I trust you enough to risk this much. And as for believing... it's hard not to, when I've been through all of the bullshit this place has to offer for half a month.
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Would it surprise you to learn, then, that I've also fought beings like that? Things with no physical form that twist hearts and steal bodies.
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You-- really?
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Take my hand, I'll show you what I mean.
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... Alright.
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An image of fire, a burning sigil of a heart pierce by an arrow, and a ruddy red ball floating through the vastness of space.
And then bringing her finger up to her heart, she concentrates harder...and her chest begins to glow.]
Do you remember the flood?
[You're smart, Inaba, can you put the pieces together with the clues she's giving?]
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She takes deep breaths. In, out, and in again. The subtle hints cause her to pause, and she can't help but gape slightly. ]
... Yeah. I was pretty annoyed back then. [ Understatement of the year. ]
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You had every right to be. Maris wronged us all. [Her lip curls upwards.] But that's not what we were talking about, were we. [A finger taps her tiara, a confident smile finally blossoming.]
If it comes here, Heartseed may find itself a bit overmatched in me. I cannot be possessed or controlled in any way. Gods have tried and failed. And I've destroyed entities with no body. I can touch the realm of the mind and spirit, and in the name of Mars, I swear I will punish them for what they did to you.
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It wasn't. [ Yet she can't help but feel a little bitter about it. ]
... Thanks, though. Ah, but I don't want it to be destroyed until I know the truth. I need to know. Even if the events caused the five of us to be stronger, to change in a better way, well... I don't know.
[ All she can do is shake her head. ] Heartseed, it's-- also the reason why I've been extremely wary of CERES to begin with. I've never trusted them. Because they messed with my head, just like it, on the first few days of myself being here.
[ She can remember it clearly, too. Arriving, playing a game, getting a tarot card, seeing people's personalities shift dramatically, seeing hers shift not so much - it was subtle, but it was enough for her to tell that she was acting different. ] So even if Heartseed has stopped like it said it would, that doesn't change the fact that this world still rouses up glitches every now and again that can effect a person in various ways, psychologically or physically, and not one person has gotten close to being able to stop it, or even hack into their systems.
And I don't like the fact. That CERES. Can get into my head. Share all my memories around to other people. And reveal all of my secrets and weaknesses to the world. [ That last part, right there? It's spoken in rushed Japanese, clipped. It seems she has personal experience on this front. ]
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If it arrives here, you should tell me. It sounds much the same as some of my oldest foes, and if the theory of multiple universes holds true, it could very well be one of my old foes in your reality. I need to be aware of it, because now that you've told me, I can't ignore the possibility. If any of them got loose in the colony, they would make CERES seem kind by comparison.
[Mars voice remains firm, steady, unruffled. She hated CERES just as much, of course. She hated CERES with every fiber of her being, but...she can empathize.]
We all have problems with them. They've given us no reason to trust them and every reason do distrust them, frankly. I regard them as much our enemy as I would some from home, after the raid. I was in their facility, as you might recall, and they are keeping spirits hostage and shadow creatures freely roam their halls. There's nothing trustworthy about them.
Plus, as you yourself have said there's been no mention of these aliens that supposedly killed our worlds. It's a poor cover story, all in all, and it adds up to us being effectively imprisoned on a hostile world by a potentially hostile force. For all we know the glitches are intentional, after all.
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