star_kingdom_logs | I dream of gardens in the desert sand

Entry tags:

I dream of gardens in the desert sand

WHO:

innerflow, closed
LOCATION: Agrabah; just out in the desert.
TIME: Around noonish on Saturday, the 24th of September.
WHAT: Magus has gone to Agrabah; Mercury is there. Line-facing will ensue.
RATING: Ah, PG-13? Possible R, but I doubt it.

For a number of reasons, and not just because he wanted to find a place for himself and Schala to start a new life, Magus had been learning about the other worlds around and visiting them. And while he had found that he could teleport to other worlds, it would leave him drained for a while. As such, he had been taking such explorations at a slow pace.

His current exploration was Agrabah. He has intended to arrive in the city of the land, but he had never been there before and pinpointing his teleportation from this distance was a fool's game. Which is what landed him in the middle of the desert.

Of course, for all of his magic and all of his power, it was still draining on his power to teleport like this. It took him a moment to gather himself after arrival, which gave time for several Crimson Jazzes to appear, hopeful to pray on the dark heart of the weakened mage.

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That brought a bit more irritation to his scowl. "Sailor Mercury, then."

If she wanted to lie and claim some other name, let her. If she, in this form, wants to distance herself from Ami, let her.

"Why are you hunting them?"

"That's our role, mine and my comrades. We protect the people here and push back the Darkness. We also support ourselves this way." The second was decidedly secondary - albeit needed here, where they were girls living on their own without families to support them.

Oh, by that ever-loving Entity. Red eyes rolled in their sockets. She could call herself Sailor Mercury, but she was still spouting the same things she had as Ami. Protect the weak. Save the fools who cannot save themselves.

"How altruistic," he said, his words slow and sarcastic.

The sun was hot on his pale skin and he pulled up the cowl he generally left to lay at his shoulders. The last time he'd worn it, he had been passing himself off as the Prophet to his mother, a woman he had discussed for some length with the girl near him now.

It was her duty. Mercury shielded her eyes against the glare of the sun.

"This group seems to have retreated. However, there may be others nearby. Shall we go together?" It was a sincere enough offer. "I'd be happy to accompany you to town, too. I know you're strong enough to handle these, but it doesn't seem right to wander alone, either."

Go together. Just what he always wanted.

"What else is there, aside from the town?" He did not really wish to go with her but if she had knowledge, he might as well make use of it.

"There isn't much. There are a few other oases in the desert. There are cave systems as well, and some areas of quicksand." She hadn't yet learned about the Cave of Wonders included among the other caverns.

"A cave system, huh."

Magus thought for a few moments. A cave would be cooler, although it would remind him of the hovels the Earthbound Ones lived in.

"Have you been through many of the caves?"

"No, not yet," she admitted. "I'd like to explore them, but I haven't had the chance yet. I'm not sure what equipment it would require, or other preparations." This, however, would be a good opportunity. Even if the cave was hard going, they could always turn back - and both of them should be able to manage well.

"Hm. Then, we will go and look at the caves."

If nothing else, it would be something to pass the time until his magic came back enough for him to teleport.

"We should bring lights at the very least." What else... "Possibly some water." Of course, the water, she could provide herself; and it'd be a long way back to Agrabah just to get a flashlight somewhere.

He held out a hand, a ball of fire floating just over the palm of his gauntlet. What did he need another light source for when he could create his own?

"As to water, you can clearly create your own."

It would have been rude to simply expect of him; and she isn't sure of his specific powers anyway. Now, as long as he's willing, she nods.

"Then we can go right away."

And yet, he simply expects her to provide water. Of course, he can create ice. Ice melts.

"Yes. Lead on."

Normally, he isn't willing to follow along with someone, but she knows the way and he does not.

"It's approximately three kilometers away. It shouldn't take us long." Even allowing for the desert heat and sun, they should be able to go at a decent pace. Mercury squinted up towards the sky, shading her eyes with her hand. "This way."

He didn't quite know how long a kilometre was, but from what she said, it didn't seem as though it was very far. He followed her, shaded from the son within the folds of his cloak.

Occasionally, he muttered under his breath and frost crystals appeared in the sky around them. Either he was intentionally working to keep them both cool, or Mercury is just getting an effect from a large area effect spell.

"I could learn a lot from you." The words came out without thinking, but she wouldn't have taken them back anyway. Seeing him using his frost abilities that way made her resolve to experiment with her own powers, to think of new ways to use them.

"Yes, you could."

It wasn't just arrogance. He was nearly twice her age and had been studying magic, with little thought beyond saving Schala since he was eight. Although he hadn't really focused on ice magic. His focus had been shadow magic, the combination of lightning, fire, and ice.

Arrogant or not, she had to suppress an urge to laugh at the words the way she might laugh at Usagi's antics, slightly embarrassed.

She'd already seen some of his capabilities, though. "I'm glad for the opportunity," she said simply. "The caves should just be a few more minutes - you can almost see them on the horizon now."

He looked ahead and yes, he could see them on the horizon. He supposed they seemed the same as any caves one might find in a desert, but how many deserts had he been to?

They'd be cooler, at least, presumably; away from the beating sun, and insulated from the heat. Mercury quickened her pace slightly. "We'll make sure it's sturdy first, and then-" She stopped abruptly.

"It's enormous!" The view she'd had earlier hadn't prepared her for the close-up. "And doesn't it look a little... sculpted?" Like a giant, gaping maw and a yawning throat.

He looks up at the entrance to the cave. It was certainly not natural.

"There is much magic here." He could feel it. It was in the sands, in the cave, in the sculpture. He pulled his cloak around himself, as though to shield himself from it.

"The entrance is rather feline looking."

"Do you think it should be safe? A shape like this seems like it must be man-made," and thus imply it was intended to be explored; "however, we can't even be sure how long it's been here, or how much it might have eroded in that time."

Though looking at it, it looked remarkably fresh for something out in the desert. She stepped closer, but did not cross the threshold. Instead, she conjured a small ball of ice, and threw it inside the cave.

It tripped no traps.

"Yes, I would think it is man-made. There is only one way to know if it is safe."

He watched the ball of ice go. When it tripped no traps, he floated up and landed on the lip of the cat's mouth. Somehow, the wind seemed to only be so strong around him, and his cape whipped out behind him.

Seeing no immediate danger, he settled a bit more firmly, the wind dying down.

"It appears safe enough. Although, I'm sure there are Heartless in here, somewhere."

"If there are Heartless, forcing them out of this cave might push them towards the town," Mercury worried. "We'll have to be careful of that." A way to confine them, maybe? That would be better, to her mind.

She eyed the opening almost nervously. "It isn't very inviting." Nonetheless, they'd chosen this route. And she was certainly curious. This cave seemed likely to be man-made; what might its maker have left inside?

"Then we force them to the back." It would leave the Heartless cowering deeper inside and might send more of them out at them, but it was a solution. And really, he could handle it.

"Did you expect it to be?"

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