raisetheearth | 040 ♦ open

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040 ♦ open

[A | action: Shepherd's Haven | open | 8/6, early evening]

She hadn't realized how much she appreciated the radio silence until she had to start hiding out in her second home. Reporters couldn't get to her here, not unless they were Numbered themselves. And that meant at least a little bit of peace and quiet, or so she'd been counting on.

Today continues that trend. Her usual trip to Gateway City has been put on hold while things blow over, so she's just been roaming the village, looking for something she can do to be helpful. Not that she can't find a task on her own, of course, but she likes the feeling of helping others just as much as she always has. It's what brought her here in the first place, when everything fell apart.

As the sun goes down and the stars begin to twinkle, though, she starts to slowly realize that their little village is awfully full all of a sudden. There are more people walking about than usual, some she doesn't recognize. A few, she sort of knows, if she squints a little behind her glasses. But one gives her pause as she goes by, enough to make her stop cold and whirl around to look. Short hair, a vibrant pink that seems to somehow be natural. Bright eyes and a huge smile. Not much shorter than Winter herself. Casual, and walking around in a shirt and skirt despite the cold day. No, she knows exactly who this is, and with a fake smile, she starts back in the direction she came, shivering from something decidedly different than the cold. Maybe she can find Lily and talk to her for a while, until she can forget what she saw. Or maybe until she can fall asleep and push dealing with things off until the next morning

It's not often you come across the ghost of someone from a distant time and place walking beside you, after all, let alone someone who was your past self's best friend.

[B | action: Locke City | open | 8/6, late morning]

Winter might not have gotten a place with a pool, and Summer isn't quite crazy enough to put a kiddie pool in front of her house - not that she hasn't considered it - but there's a city pool she can get to. Nobody will look a second time if she claims to be her original in her home town. And it's hot this summer, so the water will do her some good. With liberal application of sunscreen between herself and Rose, and a new black bikini that she's certain will turn a few heads, Summer is ready to hit the streets.

Or, at least, that's her cover story. In reality, she's here - at least, in part; she really does want to swim - to make sure Thunder Corporation isn't up to anything she and her keeper, let alone the rest of the Numbered, would take offense to. She trusts them about as far as Rakka could throw any given goon, except perhaps a little bit less than even that. Needless to say, this means she has a vested interest in giving their activities a long, hard look.

The house is well cared for, considering its owners are across the world from here most of the time; Summer employs a caretaker to make sure everything is in order between the couples' visits. While she doesn't necessarily mind doing the cleaning, it's a bear to mow the lawn and dust the house when she does want to come back. Besides, it's a good way to pretend she does something nice for Winter and Lily on occasion. Even if it's a self-centered one, it still counts, as far as she's concerned.

With a wrap around her waist and a pair of sandals, carrying only a small handbag and a towel sticking out the top, Summer stretches in the sunlight. A pair of sunglasses glints in the light as she slides them over her eyes, and turns back toward the door. "Hey, you ready yet? I'm melting here!"

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Well, more strange goings on... but on the bright side, it isn't goo, at least? Not just this isn't weird... The first thing she noticed that all of these extra people don't have a scent, or make much sound at all. What a time to pick for her visit...

There was Winter, though, looking rather spooked. "Winter?"

Winter's guard is slammed way, way up after running into that particular specter, so Emi doesn't really catch her off guard as much as surprise her by being there at all.

False cheer giving way to real confusion, she glances at the vampire in question. "Emi? What are you doing here? I... did something happen?" Recognition dawns in her eyes, and her mouth drops open in horror. "Is this happening somewhere else, too?"

"No... I wanted to visit. I mean, I'm not likely to move here." It's very like her to simply travel across the globe on a whim.

"It's... just here, as far as I know," Emi continued, as a sour looking ghost in a red dress with white detached sleeves comes into view.

"...Um."

"Well, I'm glad you came... although perhaps today wasn't the best day." She's trying to find cheer to share with Emi, she really is, but her heart just isn't quite in it. Give her a minute or two.

She does notice the expression on Emi's face change a bit when a particular ghost girl passes them, and she sighs. "Someone you knew?"

"What wonderful timing..."

Emilia was quickly distracted by this ghostly grump and the echo gained, after a moment she shakes it off and responds. "Yeah... She's a shrine maiden. And... maintains a barrier?"

Jasmine was doing an early evening flight when all of this started; it was a custom that she'd taken up back when she was still in Locke. Somehow, it felt appropriate... though the people of Woodend had been telling stories about a giant bat or bird swooping around. Jasmine could easily clarify things... Numbered and her were familiar there, but she enjoyed actually having a secret of her own again.

She saw Winter in a hurry and her eyes widened. Dipping low, she swooped down towards Winter.

"Hey Winter, you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost...!"

Edited 2015-08-09 04:02 (UTC)

The specific dark form coming toward Winter reassures her, and she lets her walls down just a little bit - enough that Jasmine can see real concern in Winter's eyes. "I've been better. Ghosts are one thing, but ghosts of people that can't exist are a special case. Hi Jasmine, I'm freaking out just a little bit. Don't mind me." She might be shaking just a tiny bit.

Give Jasmine a moment to unpack all of that, Winter. Juuuust a moment.

"... People who can't exist..." she said, eyes wide. "You mean... you really did see a ghost?!"

Winter manages an extremely thin smile that's at least partly because being a wreck about things wouldn't really help at the moment. "Well, there's no other way to explain one of Rikka's partners walking Shepherd's Haven, is there?" There's a certain wry tone in her voice, even as she's still worried about what it all means. The Echo didn't help either, of course, considering what that historically meant for their continued long lives. But... she'll get through. Probably.

Jasmine... Jasmine didn't exactly calm down whatsoever. Her hands tightened into a fist, and she looked about fearfully. She still remembered that one night in her family's old house.

"Maybe we should get inside, then," she said. Her voice was fearful, not timid. That fighter's instinct was reactivating in her, something that had only gotten stronger since accepting Dark Precure as part of herself.

Edited 2015-08-15 19:33 (UTC)

Another is doing whatever he can to help in Shepherd's Haven, determined to prove beyond a doubt that he's trustworthy and that no one has anything to fear from him. When his chores and responsibilities are tackled with gusto and finished, though, he likes nothing more than to sit in the garage that houses their vehicles and tinker happily with them.

He peers out the window and stares, slack-jawed, at a ghostly figure of a pallid man with long white hair, masked and wearing armor as he's accompanied by two ghostly white-clad women.

He bursts out of the garage so quickly that he doesn't quite watch where he's going. He bumps unexpectedly against someone who's corporeal, and gapes around at the figures drifting past.

"H-hey! What's going on? When did this start happening?"

"Oh-!" Winter's not really seeing what's in front of her, either, so while she doesn't do anything to get out of the way, her reflexes catch her in time. She wobbles just a bit before landing heavily on her back foot.

She knows Luca- ah, Nux well enough, though. Or, at least, enough not to react badly. "Hi... I think it's just starting? I haven't noticed it before sunset, I don't think." Really, how much attention had she been paying at that time? She's not sure, and her eyes slide out of focus as she tries to think about it.

Nux is already reaching toward his belt for a knife. "They seem like they might attack?" he asks breathlessly, just spoiling for a chance to actually prove himself by actively defending someone. Even though Winter can probably defend him much better from any possible threat, the sentiment is important to him.

"I think... my person knew that guy," he says, hand leaving the leather pouch-sheath at his side. "Him, with the white hair. His name's Immortan Joe."

She frowns at the immediate combative response; while it's sensible, it doesn't seem necessary at the moment, and that just adds tension to an already crazy situation. "I don't think so," she allows out loud. "I'm not even sure they notice us."

He knows this person, though...? "Really? I mean, it's not impossible, but...?" She'd seen Mana. The odds were terrible it'd be just her.

Whether or not it's sensible isn't really the question; it's that he's desperate for some kind of chance to show his loyalty to practically every Numbered in existence, and it's incredibly difficult for him to sit by idly and be patient for them to come to trust him in their own time. He's part of this, damn it, and he wants to be one of the heroes. He can be fierce for that.

He exhales, relaxing somewhat when there doesn't appear to actually be any need for immediate violence. "Yeah, I guess they're... just kind of floating around minding their own b-business," he says, scratching his bald head and scrunching his brow.

"But what? You saw someone your person knew, too?"

Strange things are happening again. Not that their lives have ever been normal, not since the moment she saw that pink light in the sky almost three years ago. And the past year had been... interesting. With the rebuilding, all of the destruction and chaos and picking up the pieces after the fact... At times, Lily felt a little bit selfish, in a way. She'd been able to be happy, to do something that made her feel like the happiest girl in the world, even as the world was reeling from such a devastating attack.

Of course, she knew that she could only do so much. Perhaps that's part of why she'd put herself out there like she had? Either way, gears were turning again. Something was coming, and it was hard to not realize that even if just on a base level.

On this day, she hasn't done terribly much, except avoid answering her phone. She'd stayed indoors under the pretense of doing some writing, but that didn't really happen. Nothing really happened, honestly, her mind constantly going back to the day on that ship. Their doppelgangers, that goop, and... that moment of pure, unadulterated anger from Winter, something she hadn't truly seen in awhile.

There's a worry there, but for as verbose as she may be, she can't seem to articulate it. Hasn't been able to, not yet. Evening creeps up, and she realizes it's just her there. Absently, she begins to wander out of their home. There's a chilling feeling, creeping up her spine, but she can't pinpoint why. So, she takes a breath of fresh air, and begins peering around to see if she can catch sight of the woman she shares her life with.

It's not hard for her to find Winter. She's working her way toward the house as it is, after all. In the minutes that takes, she's managed to internalize her worry, and while her smile is still just a tiny bit pasted on, she's more calm than she was. Her steps aren't any less absent, though, lost in her own thoughts and memories that aren't really hers. In a long, heavy skirt, brightly colored scarf, and a jacket, she looks kind of lost.

But the shock of purple hair pulls her out of her trance, and she smiles truly. "Hi, Lily. Out for a walk? I thought you were going to do a little work today." Not that she minds, but work is work. She's still a little stiff while she works her concern out of her system, but Lily being there will help with that well enough.

At first sight of Winter, she notices that she appears... well. A little bit off. When you're around a person long enough, you start to pick up on those things. Still, at the sight of her face shifting into an honest smile, she lets out a little breath of relief, coming up to meet her.

"Tried to, didn't exactly... manage." She attempts her own smile, and shrugs a little. "It happens. But... are you alright? You looked a little bit out of it..."

A puff of breath comes out in a cloud of steam as Winter realizes she didn't fool Lily. Which is... probably to be expected by now, huh? If there's anyone other than her parents - and maybe Banagher - that would know her moods by now, it's definitely her.

"I'm okay," she answers quietly, looking down but still with a small smile. "Something spooked me a little, earlier. But if I'm with you, I'll be okay. Just... let me stay with you for a little bit?" She'd been more than a little spooked, admittedly. But with Lily, she really will be fine. She's sure of it. "It's been a little while since we've had time to ourselves, hasn't it? We've been so busy, with Precure things, and your book, and my not being able to leave well enough alone..."

"Well, I'd rather hope you want to stay with me for more than a little bit, at this point," she says, before reaching down for Winter's hand, aiming to tug her back towards the house. She's more than a bit concerned still, but she figures offering a comforting presence is most important first of all. "We haven't, at that. We really should rectify that, just..."

She glances back the way Winter came. She doesn't see anything, but that only means so much in their experiences. "You don't want to talk about what spooked you?"

"W-well, of course, but... I meant now. When I- when I really need it." It's a little bit telling, but it's not like she could have hidden her concern from Lily anyway. She just shuffles along when Lily pulls her to the house, not wanting to say anything.

After she's called on it, though, she sighs. "I can manage, really. I just... there are things I don't want to see in this world. People I don't want to see. I don't want to ruin the day, though. I'm a bit girl, Lily. I like being able to talk to you about my problems, but I don't want to burden you with every little thing. My shoulders are broad enough to carry a little bit of weight." Her smile becomes a little more sure as she says it.

Lily pulls her a little closer as they walk, smiling a little bit as Winter stumbles over her initial response. At the sigh, and as they near the door, her smile dips a little bit though. More and more as she continues, and once she's through, Lily heaves her own sigh.

She lets go of Winter's hand, stepping in front of her. She reaches for her face, attempting to tilt it up to look her in the eye.

"Winter, how many times do I have to tell you? It's not a burden. Nothing like that could ever be a burden. It's not like we're just starting out here - I'm your wife. In sickness and in health and all of that fun stuff. If there's anything bothering you, for any reason, I want- I need to know."

And her hands drop away a bit then, slowly. She diverts her gaze a bit. She's been worried. The weird things starting to crop up again, and certain things that happened on that ship... She hasn't been sure how to voice it herself, so she knows she's a bit hypocritical there, but...

"It's not about you being able to. I don't doubt that. I never would. But I don't... I don't want to be kept in the dark, Winter. No matter what it is... and even then, with what you're saying, how you looked before... This isn't a 'little' thing."

Finally she looks back. She looks just a bit lost herself, now. "And when you say things like that, it scares me a bit. I only worry more, then."

For half a second, she thinks she'll be able to put everything aside, deal with it later. And she's sure things will be fine. When she's ready to deal with things, she can take care of them. No need to bother-

-ah. Okay, maybe not. When Lily starts in, Winter starts to feel a little bit like a heel, which... is probably intended, honestly. In some ways, she hasn't changed since three years ago. Taking things upon herself, piling on responsibility and stress until she snaps. Her better half is starting to iron those things out, but... evidently, she's just as stubborn to resist change there as anywhere else.

"Well, it's not the first time I've made a stupid decision," she starts quietly, after a second. "It won't be the last. It's hard, to remember that I don't need to protect you from myself. That you signed up for it, in a way..." In the biggest way. The digest of mistakes Winter makes on a regular basis, as far as she's concerned, is not a low-volume list. But then, Lily can take it all, and keep going. It'll all... it'll all be fine.

"I'm sorry, Lily. I didn't want to worry you. I never wanted that." Mulling for a second over the best way to put things, she lets herself stop and look to Lily again. "I saw Mana, walking around the city. Others have seen people their past selves knew, too, but... my head still associates her with some memories I'd just as soon put behind me. I'm yours until the day time unravels around us and we don't have any more days, and yet-" How to put this elegantly... well, whatever. "Pulses can do funny things to a girl's personality. Whether she wants them or not."

If she's to be honest, the last thing Lily wants to do is make her feel bad. However, she'd felt more than a mild rush of frustration there, and knew the only way to deal with it is put it out there.

"I'm not exactly one to complain about making stupid decisions," she says, her voice quieter now, reaching up again to Winter's cheek. "We do need to protect each other, but not... from each other. It's more than 'in a way,' Winter. I did sign up or this. I pledged the rest of my life to you, for the good and the bad. Any bad."

Then, she listens to what Winter actually did encounter. She shivers, her gaze shifting back out into the town. Okay, that's disturbing. Super disturbing, actually - she recalls a time a couple years ago, shortly after her injury in Vegas, when ghost-like entities wandered the streets of Locke City... and households. This may not be the same thing, but...

That it was Mana...

She lets out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, before looking back to her. "We should probably head back inside then, considering," she manages quickly, before turning and leading Winter to do just that. Once past the threshold of their house, she lets out another long breath before turning to her, planting both hands on her shoulders.

"I know that they can, even if I can't relate to the exact situation..." She bites her lip. At a time, Lily had been kind of jealous of Mana Aida, no matter how long dead and gone she may be. The woman she loved remembering loving someone else very vividly was not the greatest thought to her in the world. It's still not, but she's tried to make her peace with that. Bringing it up like this, Winter attempting to avoid it... Those things are making their best attempts to gnaw at her again, even as she tries to push forward. "But... what do you mean by that?"

She's not sure how happy she is that Lily's letting it blow over already, but... eh. At least she's not truly mad? "Sorry," she offers lamely. "I think it's just habit, by now." She'd spent so long trying to mute and suppress her own issues, that it just kind of happens now.

What she's not expecting, though, is Lily's sudden insistence that they head back inside, and she doesn't resist as she's tugged along, though she's a little concerned. "W-wait, Lily, I-"

And then Lily starts to worry after things, and Winter wonders if she made a mistake trying to hide it in the first place. Or trying to talk her way out of it... really. she's not sure what's going to hurt most, even if the irrational fear just won't go away. "I'm... afraid," she eventually manages. "I don't want something to come along and make me someone I'm not. I don't want to have something else make stronger memories than the ones I've fought for. I... don't want anyone else in my heart. You're there, and you're important to me, and I don't want anything to change that!"

It's a very personal sentiment, and she draws inward a little bit when she finally gets it out. If someone else had mentioned they felt like this, she'd be understanding, but she wouldn't really... get it. It's only when it's her at the eye of the storm that it makes sense, and it's enough that she's shaking a little.

Lily braces herself as the words leave her mouth initially, emotionally at least. She kind of has an idea of just what she's asking, just what Winter is afraid of, and just how hard saying it might be. She understands that more than she believes Winter might realize, which... is kind of why she wants to hear her say it.

When she does, say says nothing at first. Her eyes glisten a little, and... she just leans forward, wrapping her arms around Winter's neck and pulling her into a hug.

"I know. That's something we've always been afraid of, with so many different things. But... hearing you say that, knowing how much it worries you... I don't have any fear of that, Winter. Jasmine once had that same fear, I had that same fear for her... It controlled me, tore me apart, and yet, what did you tell me?"

She pulls back slightly, smiling, though tears are forming just a bit in her eyes. "Winter. I love you. I married you because I want us to spend the rest of our lives together, and I'm going to stand by that no matter what. That I'm there in your heart, that you want so much to protect against that... I have no doubt in you, there. Also, on top of that... I don't think that Rikka or Mana would want that for you. You made me realize that Jasmine would be okay, because she was my sister, and because our bond couldn't be rendered so easily, and... we had to fight through that by force."

Something that had nearly killed Lily, after she'd beaten Jasmine's doppelganger.

"That works for you too, Winter. You're my wife. I swore myself to you. I'll walk barefoot through hell itself to protect your heart, and I know you have the strength to keep it where you want it." There's a beat, and she tilts her head to one side with a slight sigh. "We're going to have to work on that habit of yours, though."

While she takes some comfort in Lily keeping her close, what really pulls her out of her mood crash is the surety that everything will be okay. Lily is bulling straight through all of Winter's worries, and it's more freeing than she'd expected. "I... it still makes me really happy to hear that, you know. That I mean that much, that you trust me. So, I- I want to make sure I'm always here for you. It's weird, but I worry about little things like that. Even before we were officially us, I've wanted to keep your heart safe and warm... and I have to be myself to do that. That's why I panicked. Knowing you're going to keep me safe is definitely good, though."

She shakes her head after a second, once Lily finishes, laughing ruefully. "I know we do. I think we need to work on a lot of my habits. They're all bad."

"It's alright if you panic, you know," she says, trying to give her a bit more of a wry smile. "We all do it, sometimes. Hell, I do it a lot more than most people, but... Just be sure to let me in on it when you do, okay? I can't always make it go away, but at least we can figure out something... That's kind of what I'm here for, isn't it?"

She manages a bit of a laugh herself, and shakes her head. She then reaches up, poking her in the nose. "Not all of them are bad. I'm no prize myself, but... I take you for you, Winter. Good and bad, it doesn't matter - I just want to be there for everything I can. You protect me, and I'm going to protect you, no matter what. It's as simple as that, in the end."

"Keep your panties on, I'm coming!"

Long purple hair tied back behind her neck, and wearing a dark red swimsuit just as new and potentially fascinating as Summer's, Rose emerges from the house a couple seconds later, shutting the door behind her. To some degree, it struck her as really weird in a way that maybe it shouldn't - which is where Lily's memories, even a year removed now, sometimes butt heads with Rose's own nature. Even if her attitude was "so long as she was with Summer, nothing else mattered," there's a certain level of hanging around this house that feels weirdly... domestic.

She's not even sure if that's a bad thing, it's just something she has a hard time wrapping her brain around.

"Or don't keep them on, and we can save ourselves a trip~" She smirks as she slides her own sunglasses over her face. "C'mon, let's--"

Suddenly, there's a sound from far away. It's like a loud, crashing noise, and... ah. It's probably just a car. Right?

She shrugs halfheartedly. "Yeah, lead the way, that sun's only gonna get hotter."

Summer chuckles lightly at the half-hearted complaint. "I'm in a swimsuit, silly, I'm not wearing any as it is." She prepares to start walking when she hears the same crashing noise, and pauses briefly. It's not exactly a common occurrence, even here. And yet... keeping an eye on goody-goody civilians is a job for good little Diamonds. Summer is above such petty concerns. "Music to my ears," she allows after a pause. "I've got an extra bottle of sunscreen, just in case it stays bright. Burning is a pain."

Light, relatively unimportant banter. Just what she needs to keep her mind off what could actually be happening right now... She is curious about what that sound could have been, but it probably wasn't important. She's far more interested in Rose, and in her large body of cool water.

Positioning a bag with towels and whatever else they might need on one shoulder, she reaches out with her opposite arm to loop it through Summer's. "Don't tempt me like that, or we won't make it there in the first place."

Much as she actually might not mind the tempting, to be honest. It won't get them very far, however, and Summer really did seem to be set on this. Why disappoint her? There'll be plenty of time later--

Another crash, and Rose's brow furrows. If that keeps up, something does seem set on disappointing her. Still, she tries to ignore it and moves along, even if the glower sort of remains. "Well, you know. We certainly don't want that, it'd ruin the fun."

Unfortunately, she'd inherited rather fair skin from Lily anyway, so that's as much if not more of a worry for her as it is Summer. "And I'd be more than happy to ... ah, re-apply it if need be."

Because she's not going to miss the chance for such a comment even as she continues to ignore the sounds of distant commotion.

"I guess I'll lay off, then. It's too hot not to-" The crash is enough that Summer's actively prepared for something to happen, and she tenses a little bit. Something's off, and she doesn't know what it is.

"Anyway, yeah, I like my skin smooth and fair. Much like I prefer yours. So in a couple hours, we can take turns with it. I'll get you all covered up~♥" Somehow, the heart is audible; as much as of an ass as she can be with most people, and especially with Winter, she lets her guard down with Rose. And while it's a chance to let herself go in public, she also does worry about her partner. Their lives don't really get any less crazy with the passing days, and-

Something in her peripheral vision drives her to action even before she processes what it is, and she throws her other arm around Rose in a diving tackle, sending them on a low arc into their well-groomed lawn. A car passes through the space they'd occupied half a second ago, a few strands of her long hair being pulled out by jagged metal as it goes by, coming to rest in the landscaping of the real estate agency two doors down with a large crash and a crackle of something lighting ablaze. Summer's mouth works in silent protest at the sight, but there's no time for that. Someone wants them dead, and that's just not going to stand.

Her first concern is Rose; after a brief visual inspection and a pat-down she takes surprisingly little pleasure in, she forces herself to her feet, turning to face the direction the massive projectile came from. "Hey, asshole! What do you think you're-"

What she finds makes her eyes go wide. It's not a person at all - it's a... snake? Walking on two legs? And it's. Pink....... oh, no. Winter knew what this was. And it represents a problem, in a very large way. "Rose?" she starts, barely louder than a whisper, and with a tiny bit of real fear in her tone. "Get my Commune. And get ready. We've got trouble."

One moment, Rose is actually looking forward to the rest of the day, and night, an awful lot. While her disdain for most others is pretty rampant and evident, Summer still remains one of the very few exceptions in the entire world. That promise then, is more than enough to get her pretty excited.

Then comes the commotion. Maybe she's just too distracted by Summer, but the abrupt interruption is none too pleasing. She's about to just let off an awful string of expletives when they both spy what they're dealing with. She grits her teeth, shoving a hand into her bag and tossing Summer said Commune, while retrieving her own device.

"Son of a bitch," she growls. "Why is it always something?! This crap never happens in Paris!"

That's the most she gets out before slamming her Precure Seed into place, and another bright flash later... well, she's wearing an awful lot more now.

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[A] Guess who came to visit?

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Would seeing people from past lives cause memories of them?

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