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Post by Lilith Nevermore on Aug 22, 2020 6:18:56 GMT -8
Inside, the House of Mirrors lived up to its name. Nearly every surface, save for the floor, was more or less reflective. Wherever one looked, a cartoonishly distorted caricature stared back with identical bewilderment. ...Or disdain. Near the entrance, a set of decorated looking glasses offered kids and selfie enthusiasts a quick laugh. Further in, a life-sized Pilaf cutout welcomed visitors to try the Massive Mirror Maze, patent pending, if they dared. Several speakers blared the same joyful tunes that filled the rest of the park. Sharp ears could occasionally catch mischievous snickering between the notes. Or was it just the chorus of the song...? A couple of small ki signatures moved within the walls behind the mirrors, as the workers ensured the maze stayed safe and clean. Lilith was the last of the mismatched group to enter. Her reflection twisted and stretched as she walked along. Only her sour expression remained consistent between all of them. She stopped in front of a mirror that squished her beautiful figure into a fat, little gremlin. Her icy glare narrowed. Hmph, the sooner they got out of this madhouse, the better... She shifted her stare onto the two... she wanted to say servants, but... helpers...? Helpers. The two helpers ahead of her. Why were they so eager to stick their nose into a matter that didn’t even concern them? She wanted to ask, but something told her that she might not like the answer... Or understand it for that matter. The young witch continued following along. Eventually the silence inside her head turned unbearable. Her voice rang across the air like the soft chime of a silver bell. “So... You two seem... well-acquainted...” Every single word was picked with careful tact, neither to assume nor accuse. “Have you known each other for long?” In the back of her mind, the green-eyed monster grinned at the writing between the lines. She ignored it. This was nothing as useless or childish as... a date... They were hunting a thief. And when she found that filthy monkey, he would regret ever crossing her path. Words: 349 | 349 Natural PL at start: 11,951 Tags: Ty Kiryu
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Post by Ty on Aug 22, 2020 9:16:52 GMT -8
When Kiryu asked her about the funnel cakes, that was the teenage magus she once knew, and she was perplexed by his indifference towards Lilith, simply answering.
“All the food is delicious. I have no complaints about Pilaf Land. I wish I could live here but…” Ty sighed, “I have a responsibility to help find my father’s missing twin. Well...he never asked me to but I feel obligated to since there is a chance I might find my aunt while tuffle bunker hunting with my friends.”
In the distance a recognizable shoe was on the floor on one of the halls of mirrors, she rushed over at first, and realized it was being reflected, so she turned to pick up Lilith’s shoe, and walked over in front of the teenage witch to kneel down like her valiant knight to allow her to slip the shoe back on. Ocean teal eyes looked up, she could tell she was being hesitant with Kiryu around, and she smiled at the revelation.
“Uh, Kiryu, do you mind turning around for a second?” Tiger Lily implored, “Okay, his green eyes are now averted Lady Nevermore. Please allow me to be of assistance. We’re friends after all.”
Tiger Lily was a ray of sunshine, her mother Calla Lily raised her to be absolutely kind to everyone, explaining that is usually the people who are unkind who are in need of a friend the most just like her father was long ago; a cold, angry saiyan, upset for being separated by his twin at five years old until he met his future wife who supported him emotionally and eventually married each other as soon as they old enough to.
“There, all's right with the world with proper footwear. You can look now, Kiryu.” Tiger Lily stood up, she tilted her head when Lilith struggled to find the proper words to ask about her relationship with Kiryu.
“Well, I fist met him at the coast of the main island of the southern islands archipelago, along with the most beautiful pink haired Aisling,” A blush turned her cheek pink recalling the moment, Aisling had the most luscious long pink braid of hair, that would be the envy of any girl who struggled with long hair but of course her expression could be misinterpreted on the initial encounter, “Together we sailed the seas, fought vicious pirates, avoided under age drinking, trained on a baseball field, and competed against the candidates for the Path of Joy in a tournament at an oasis full of nasty bugs in the southern lands. Then, Kiryu helped me find my best friend in some weird sea temple off the coast of Pilaf Land, and we parted ways after that. I haven’t seen him since then but he has my complete trust and I can depend on him if I ever find myself in trouble---which I easily seem to find for some reason.”
“How about you Lady Nevermore? How did you meet Kiryu?” Tiger Lily smiled and gasped realizing they were going to lose catching the monkey boy if they took too long searching. “Hold that thought, I am gonna go grab this kid.”
The red head took off, using her ability to smell the boy rather than rely on looking at the mirrors to search for him, and she caught the monkey beast boy wearing an orange gi who pelted her with his tail. The Pilaf Land security was just outside the house of mirrors, the red and blue flashing lights reflected on the mirrors, and Tiger Lily walked outside holding the boy tightly then turning him in to security. The personnel thanked her for capturing him and asked her if she was still missing any items in which she replied that the item was recovered. The boy was secured in the back of a hover car and a crowd began to gather around the scene, the Pilaf Land employees kept everyone far enough away, for security to safely leave the area. The crowd began to clap at Ty, who felt rather embarrassed, and retreated back to the entrance of the house of mirrors to rejoin Kiryu and Lilith.
“Let’s find the exit. There is a crowd forming on the entrance,” Tiger Lily took Lillith’s hand with her right and Kiryu’s hand with her left so they could finish the maze together. “This is so much fun. Look how silly we look.”
[738] Starting PL: 17,906 Kiryu Lilith Nevermore
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Post by Kiryu on Aug 22, 2020 22:43:01 GMT -8
Kiryu, ever the gentleman, acquiesced to Ty's request, turning his back. He was only human, so he was, of course, tempted to sneak a peek, even if it was all relatively innocent... it was simply the nature of things. He was, however, able to resist the urge, and he busied himself with patting Duchess' head as he waited for the women to be done. Soon enough, they were ready to continue. Before Kiryu could answer Lilith's question, Tiger Lily jumped in with her usual warmth and enthusiasm. It made Kiryu forget his decorum for a moment, and he raked a hand through his black hair, grinning at the remembrance of his first few encounters with Ty. Certainly the first one had been... interesting, seeing as how Kiryu had been traveling with, of all things, an actual faerie... which, now that he thought about it, was something that Lilith might know something about. He should bring it up. Then, his mind turned to one of their other encounters, and... Jeez, had I actually been doing a keg stand at a party?It was mere months ago... but it felt like several lifetimes had come and gone since then. Kiryu had been... transformed. He was still the same person, underneath, but he was much more than he had ever imagined. Lilith was, in a roundabout way, one of the individuals that had led him to realize that. "Yeah, I met Ty on the road... I'll be honest, though, her boyfriend kinda scares me. Good dude but I hear rumors that he likes to break spines? He and I are on decent terms but I definitely wouldn't want to get on his bad side! Not precisely unlike..."Kiryu paused, cleared his throat a bit, and most definitely did not make a point of not looking at Lilth. "Some other individuals I've crossed paths with."Kiryu walked in front of one of the mirrors, looking into it and smiling like a goofy kid as it distorted his body and made him appear squat and rotund. "Ha! Check this out! I look like I doubled waaaaay down on ordering pizzas. Guess I'm not as lucky as you, Lilith... no matter what these mirrors send back at you, it's still pretty."Kiryu moved about a bit, seeing how his body moved in the reflection... And then it hit him. A flash, a vision... High Inquisitor Miyazawa. Stepping out of a mirror... attacking Kiryu, meeting him stroke for stroke with the power he had wrested from the perversion of his Gift... Kiryu stopped moving. He fell silent, looking down at his hands. It was then that he realized that Tiger Lily had left for the moment, and he and Lilith were alone for a moment. "Do you remember that temple?"Kiryu's voice was a hushed whisper. It was tight; his pain was wound around it, making it hard for Kiryu to breathe. "I remember seeing you there... not knowing what to think. Not knowing if I could trust you as I trusted some of my other allies. I wanted to. I feel like there's... so much in you that could...."Kiryu bit off whatever he had been about to say, shaking his head. "I'm sorry. This isn't the time or place for such a conversation.
What I mean to say is... I was called there. By some greater power. And what I saw... what I fought... what I suffered, it changed me. I'm not the same as I was before. I learned then how... feeble I was. How weak. How pathetic. And I learned how very far I had left to go.
And that made me think of you. I don't think I would have come to that realization if I hadn't met you, hadn't learned just how vast and deep this art is, if I hadn't opened my mind to the possibilities of being more than I was. I still don't think you should have... you know... but still.
Thank you. I'm glad to see you again."Tiger Lily returned, then, forestalling any further, deeper commentary from Kiryu. She stepped between them and grabbed them, for all the world like a kid holding their parent's hands, and Kiryu couldn't remain fully in his malaise... the smile found it's way back to his face, even if it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Definitely! And to answer your question... uh, I met Lilith when she was looking for an item that I had in my possession. At that point, though, I needed it... and I think I was meant to have it.
For a time."Kiryu then turned his head to look Lilith in the eye. "I don't, anymore, by the by. But I do know where it is. I might even be convinced to help you find it, if, of course, it pleases you."
[WC=809] Starting PL- 56,000 Ty Lilith Nevermore
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Post by Lilith Nevermore on Aug 23, 2020 22:50:14 GMT -8
Upon entering the house of madness, Lilith had inadvertently pushed over the first imaginary domino. Now she could only watch the rest fall in rapid succession. Her expression lit up with distinct relief when she too spotted her beloved shoe. For those wondering why she simply hadn’t conjured a new one... First, that wasn’t how it worked. Items materialized with magic had strict limits. Second, all these clothes had been passed down her family for generations! A true testament to the careful care every owner gave them! ...And the powerful magic used to keep them clean. Granted, she should have outgrown these ones several years ago, but... Look, it didn’t matter. Witches aged slowly anyway. Hmph. So it was no wonder the young witch was so glad to have her dear memento back. Only one tiny detail soured the situation. Her calm facade cracked with disbelief when the tall girl strutted up to her... And knelt? “Uh...” The line of words got stuck in her throat, unsure which one was supposed to go first. She shifted her incredulous stare between the two helpers, latter whom oh so politely turned his back. Were... were they mocking her...? Erm, yes, this was technically all proper decorum, but... Well, she felt mocked. No one had ever done anything like this for her. Not even the sleazy nobles who had courted her years ago. They had all been interested in something else than proper manners... Wealth, power, or things too scandalous to mention... So perhaps this girl too... However, one look at the walking ray of sunshine dispelled such shadows. The word choice accompanying it left an echo in her mind. Friends... Lilith’s doubts deflated like balloons past their prime. Right... Perhaps she shouldn’t attribute to malice what could be explained with simple ignorance. Oh how she hated that look... Like an excited puppy trying to be helpful. “Fine...” With a resigned sigh she allowed the valiant knight to complete the courtly gesture. Though her icy demeanor froze over again, a soft pink hue peeked through and highlighted her cheeks. While she would never admit it, she had deeply missed being treated like this. Eager to accept any distraction, the witch welcomed the change in topic. The spark of gratitude slowly died behind her eyes as the energetic girl shared the tale. No wonder the two seemed so close. They had been through a lot together. “I see...” The mutter came out as a venomous hiss. She didn’t understand why that blush bothered her so much... Or why each happy event pierced her chest like a dagger. Yet one particular word made it all go away. When the mage clarified that the girl’s boyfriend scared him, all the animosity suddenly faded. “Oh. Hm, I would not be surprised if those rumors were true. The savages of the islands are violent and territorial.” One barely shaved gorilla in particular came to mind... Now that the stolen property had been returned, the excited puppy dashed off to hunt down the culprit. The frigid noble watched her actually sniff the air before deciding she didn’t want to even know. Rather she directed her attention back onto Sir Miyazawa. ...A mistake, really. His teasing words hit hard. “Tch, spare me your hollow jest.” Fortunately, the sudden shift in tone didn’t go unnoticed. She met the whisper with a mere nod. Of course she remembered. Her memory was flawless. Lilith settled for simply listening. By the end of the pained explanation, she lowered her head... And scoffed. “Hmph... You truly are an amateur.” The cold comment was like an echo from when they first met. “All that talent and arcane might constrained by pitifully wavering sense of self.” She looked at him pensively, as if quietly appraising something. “You could be a god.” Until her shoulders sagged with a deep sigh. “Yet here you are, mingling among mortals and wasting your time with menial tasks. You even have the nerve to thank me of all people. I do not understand you and most likely never will.” Perhaps that was for the best. At least this way he couldn’t poison her mind with his strange philosophy... The mention of the events in the temple stirred suppressed memories. Unfortunately, her memory was flawless... Even now she could vividly recall what she had seen... How he had held her... Suddenly she shook the thoughts out of her head. “Tch, no matter.” Regaining the frost in her tone, she swept her gaze over the mirrors that twisted her image. Oddly fitting... “That temple was nothing more than an overgrown illusion meant to trap idiots in a daydream. Or a nightmare.” She wasn’t quite sure which one her trap had been. “I saw the other side... There was nothing there for me...” And frankly she didn’t care. So she silently assured herself. To say Tiger Lily’s timing was impeccable would’ve been selling her short. Lilith cast a quizzical glance at Kiryu as he danced around the subject of their first meeting. Her glare narrowed when the cheeky man tried to strike a bargain of sorts. Oh no, she was not going to let him gloss over the key fact like that. “To clarify what Sir Miyazawa is struggling to say... I attempted to kill him.” There was a chilling pause, just long enough for the admission to sink in. ...But in true Tiger Lily fashion, the energetic girl grabbed the gloomy witch by the hand and popped the tension like a soap bubble. Disbelief shattered her focus again. Fun...? She tried to protest. “Hmph, I had fun once. It was awful. And I do not see how this maddening collection of mirrors would be any different.” She truly didn’t understand these two. Words: 958 | 1307 Natural PL at start: 11,951 Tags: Ty Kiryu
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Post by Ty on Aug 24, 2020 10:48:37 GMT -8
Ty laughed when Kiryu admitted to being scared of her boyfriend, he was hardly scary looking, so he clearly meant his ability with strength and power was terrifying; she felt the same about it anytime there was training, since he never held back. The mirrors were fun to look at, the magus was finally removed of his prince-like shell from earlier, and Lilith was right to feel suspicious of his decorum because that was not the person either of them knew him as.
“I can understand why you feel that way about him. Heh.”
The further through the maze of mirrors, the more the red head was excited to see more, and she released their hands to look at the last set of mirrors, she managed not to catch the conversation about the mysterious temple on the island on the Pilaf Land gulf. When she rejoined them she listened to Kiryu explain when she first met Lilith and how she was searching for an item he possessed and the only thing she could think of was the necklace he wore around his neck.
“That crystal ball right?” Ty pointed at his neck, it was gone, she wondered if he lost it, retracting her finger to tap her chin while she mused.
Lilith explained that she attempted to kill the teenage magus, there was an eerie silence in the air, Tiger Lily had a concerned look for a minute, placing her hands on her hips then tilting her head.
“I fought with Kiryu, too. Did you manage to land a hit?” She began to chuckle, “He is so fast! If you did hit him, good for you, just look at his face, I can barely give him a nosebleed no matter how hard I try and I keep training nearly everyday.”
Finally they reached the end, Ty was the first to arrive, her dragon ball shard began to react to the mirror in front of her which pulsed in the same rhythm releasing a bit of its magic for it to change. Her own reflection changed first, to Lieutenant Kuri Kalabasa who served under Inquisitor Kiryu against the Tuffle Invasion, that was when Kiryu’s own reflection changed to that of an alternate version of himself from the shadow anomaly within the temple, and then Lilith’s reflection changed to Inquistor Kiryu’s wife from that alternate timeline.
Ocean teal eyes kept staring at the reflections for a while, she wondered if anyone else could see it, more specifically the mirror imagery was Tiger Lily’s encounter in the temple. When she confirmed their reactions, she nodded, and decided to explain the unexplainable.
“I think there is a dragon ball shard in this mirror, it reacted with mine, and now it’s showing me the people I crossed paths with in that mysterious temple. I met a different version of myself, who was leading a team to rescue captives, under Inquistor Kiryu’s command to save people from the tuffles.” Tiger Lily pointed at Kiryu’s reflection of an alternate version of himself and then pointed at witch who used a fencing sword as a wand, “That’s his wife, she used powerful magic to defeat entire tuffle armies. Just when I was going to help Lieutenant Kuri, everything went black, and the temple was crumbling. We found Achido and the missing students as well as anyone else who was trapped there and helped them all escape. Do either of you think any of it was real? Perhaps they are still alive as long as we still are? It felt like a bad dream...I have trouble remembering everything exactly.”
[596] [1,334] Kiryu Lilith Nevermore
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