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 Posted: Sat May 02, 2026 11:17 am
Windsor was pleased with their haul. The Taco Bell app had a deal for a group meal? And the massive amount of food was going to be perfect for the two of them. They had run into the pharmacy next door and picked up a few boxes of fun bandages, some cotton pads for cleaning, and some antiseptic spray, then spent a few minutes doctoring up Halia’s knee as they waited for their feast at the pick up window.
Now, the two of them were back in their powered forms, chilling at the park with Windsor giving Aruna absolute puppy eyes. “Come on, I’m hungry let’s head to your place!”
Taco Bell was only good for the first thirty minutes or so, and it had already been close to fifteen!
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Posted: Mon May 04, 2026 3:53 pm
Aruna laughed softly and nodded, taking hold of Windsor's hand before pulling out her phone and transporting them to Aruna. They arrived in a marble-like chamber and she smiled a little. “Welcome to Aruna. This would have been the receiving chamber where mourners or visitors were greeted. It's the least impressive of all of the parts of Aruna I've discovered so far, and yet it's still gorgeous.” She gestured at the veined marble-like material making up everything in the room, clearly proud.
“Cmon, I know where we should go to eat.” She grinned and linked her arm with theirs before leading the way down a hall, then down a long flight of stairs. At the end, it opened up into a large cavern. Within it sat a lake that seemed to glow somehow, as well as various glowing plants and flowers. “This is my favorite place on the entire planet.”
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Posted: Mon May 04, 2026 3:56 pm
It took a surprisingly short time to travel millions of miles up to Space, and Windsor was impressed by that. There was no real jet lag either.
“Before we dig in, like, is this true to like…the time? Like it’s still the same time we just left Destiny City? I’m not even asking because the Taco Bell will be bad if it’s not but like…you’d think there would be a time difference…it…”
Defied logic, but. It was magic so…they supposed…that made some…backwards sense.
“It’s amazing. By the way, I absolutely wasn’t trying to minimize that. This is stunning, it just…feels like I don’t know, a hundred or so Earth years should have passed in order for us to get here…more than that, I suppose…”
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Posted: Mon May 04, 2026 3:59 pm
Aruna thought for a moment before nodding. “I'm pretty sure it is? Never noticed any differences myself. I chalk it up to magic and teleportation. Just like how we can breathe up here.” She shrugged and smiled before leading the way into the cavern, heading towards a nice little area full of lush vegetation to sit on.
Plopping down, she gestured for Windsor to join her. As she settled, a few little glowing moths flittered over and landed on them both, making her smile brightly. “Aren't these little guys sweet? They were the first living thing that came back on Aruna.” She gently coaxed one onto her finger and held it up for Windsor to see properly.
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Posted: Mon May 04, 2026 4:00 pm
Alexi nodded, looking around but hesitated slightly before going into the food.
“They’re super cute, and this place? Is amazing but…like, won’t us eating disrupt the ecosystem? Like, I read online that someone brought chips into a cave and like, that could mess everything up, and you know as well as I that Taco Bell is right next to like, toxic sludge, this isn’t going to ******** this place up is it? Because if a crunchwrap was responsible for killing the stuff in here and these cute little guys…”
The idea of bugs around the food was also absolutely a factor, but they were cute, and a packet of Fire sauce could absolutely do them in too…
If you think it’s okay I’ll believe you I just…don’t want you to get mad if you find out that this was a mistake…”
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Posted: Mon May 04, 2026 4:02 pm
Letting her transformation drop, Halia gently set the moth on her friend’s knee before pulling her food out. “I’m not worried. Magic brought them back, so I’m pretty sure they’re a bit more resilient than Taco Bell. Plus, it would be on me, not you, if anything happens to them. Don’t worry about it, I promise.”
Taking a bite of her food, she sighed happily. “This is nice. Really really nice. I needed this.” That sad look was back in her eyes as she stared at a little moth that landed on her thigh.
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Posted: Mon May 04, 2026 4:05 pm
“Well, all right! Elemental and environmental disasters, thy names are Taco Bell.”
Windsor didn’t bother powering down, there wasn’t a point when their outfit would just…regenerate. If a glob of meat covered in nacho cheese were to fall on the pristine opaline white of their outfit. So be it.
With a grin, they tore open their own Crunchwrap and took a large bite, sighing in bliss. “Yeah. Taco Bell nights with friends are priceless. Thanks for inviting me along!”
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Posted: Mon May 04, 2026 4:07 pm
“Never had one before so i dont have much to compare it to, but I’m definitely enjoying it so far. You’re like a breath of fresh air.” She smiled and ate her food, careful to not drop anything. After a few moments of silence, she spoke again, but quieter this time. “I had a breakup somewhat recently and I just….my only other friend is his twin sister. So I’ve just been sort of shutting myself away. I’m either hiding at my grandpa’s farm, or I’m here on my planet. So…..I really needed this, more than you know.” She didn’t look up as she spoke, eyes staying glued to the food in her hands. It had been a good two months since things ended, but god, her heart still ached.
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Posted: Mon May 04, 2026 4:09 pm
Windsor gave a little grin and shrugged. “Told you when I met you I’m God’s gift to the world. Can’t make that s**t up!”
Alas, God’s gift or not, the glob of cheese and meat plopped right onto Windsor’s front and they pouted slightly before shooting a glance at Halia and scooping it up, with a finger and eating it. “Five second rule. I’m sorry about your breakup, those suck. My older brother. Needs to go through another one. A permanent one but.” The sigh that was released was genuine and Windsor shrugged again. “Relationships and feelings are. Complicated. I get it. But. You’ll find someone. You’re super sweet, at least from what I’ve seen.”
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Posted: Mon May 04, 2026 4:12 pm
“Thank you, I really hope you’re right. The worst thing is that he was my best friend. It…I think I ruined things by confessing my feelings to him. We agreed to give things a try but…anyone could tell he didn’t feel the same. And I wasn’t going to force him to pretend otherwise.” She sighed softly and shook her head. “It just sucks because I really did love him……and now being around him feels like a knife in the heart.” She wrinkled her nose as a moth landed on it and gently relocated it to her hair.
“If you don’t mind my being nosey, what’s up with your older brother?” She tilted her head curiously. Halia was no seasoned veteran in romance, but she still liked hearing what was going on. Maybe that was a leftover learned behavior from a former coworker, but she couldn’t help herself.
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Posted: Mon May 04, 2026 4:23 pm
Windsor nodded in sympathy and had to take a moment to answer, having just shoved the last large bite of Crunchwrap into their mouth in order to stop the assault of more food on their clothing, but…it wasn’t a question that they wanted to answer and it wasn’t something that she could do anything for.
Swallowing, Windsor shook their head. “It’s too much to really talk about. But like. Has super put me off any kind of cheating. Boundaries are a relationships best friend, consent is king, polyamory is cool so long as it’s all discussed…”
They sighed and glanced away for a moment before drawing out their quesadilla. “Feelings and relationships are complicated, and you, my girl, sound like you fall way too fast. Maybe put some guards up?”
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Posted: Mon May 04, 2026 4:28 pm
Halia winced at the vague explanation. “I’ll never understand why people cheat. Polyamory is one thing, but that’s all done with clear consent. Cheating…..I just can’t understand. If you’re not content with your relationship, then you should end it. If for no other reason than out of respect for your partner.” She shook her head.
Laughing softly, she nodded. “Maybe. This was……very different though. I’d never felt like this before, not for anyone. He… okay to condense it real good, we attended the same school though he was a few years below me. I saved him from a youma, we got close, he ended up being a knight later on, and I fell for him. Hard. Like really really hard. And believe me when I say that I tried with everything I had to shove those feelings down and pretend they weren’t there. But some stuff happened, I ended up making a moron of myself and confessing, and….yeah…” She sighed and made a face before taking another bite of her 5 layer burrito. “So I’m not sure it was necessarily me falling too fast, but more of a very different, unusual situation I suppose? But….you’re not wrong about needing to have my guard up. I think I’ve become too comfortable with trusting people with my heart…”
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Posted: Mon May 04, 2026 4:31 pm
Windsor nodded and scooted a bit closer, patting Halia’s knee. “It sucks. I know I–and this might surprise you, but I absolutely go all in with things too. And it’s. Hard when things don’t go the way you think they’re supposed to go. I guess that’s the best way to say it. Like, even if the guy is over seven feet and climbable…maybe being an alien means that he doesn’t want to like. Settle. And doesn’t care about consent and like, it’s not going to be as grand as you think it will…but you? You’ll find someone great, I’m sure of it.”
Another pat to the knee, and Windsor went back to tackling their quesadilla, hoping that the conversion could be dropped, and that they wouldn’t be questioned.
It was too soon, and really, they didn't have all of the information yet so. That was that.
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Posted: Mon May 04, 2026 4:39 pm
“You deserve to find happiness too, you know.” She smiled a little and gave them a one armed hug, holding her food in her free hand. “You’re really sweet, you know that?” The brightness and warmth was back to her smile. “Though now I’m curious. Is he seven feet tall even in his human appearance? Where does he even find clothes if that’s the case?” She tried to imagine where on earth anyone would get pants that would fit someone that tall. “Deep space senshi are just… they’re so incredible, yknow? I’ve met a few of them and not a single one of them that I’ve met so far is the same. Makes me want to know more about them all.” There was a wistful look in her eyes as she thought about all of that information. “Makes me wonder if Aurelia would have had any information about any of them. Aruna was sort of this giant burial grounds for anyone and everyone, and Aurelia, the previous Aruna, made a point to learn as much about the cultures of other planets as she could.”
She smiled as she chewed thoughtfully, making a mental note to go through the record room next time she was on planet. She was disturbed from her thoughts, however, by a rustling in the nearby foliage. A second later, a small, round, palm sized cat looking creature emerged and mewled at her almost indignantly, making her laugh. “Ah, there you are. I was beginning to wonder if you guys found a new hiding spot.”
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Posted: Mon May 04, 2026 4:41 pm
“Yeah, he’s that tall normally too. I don’t know, I miss the fangs when he’s just human him…but…” Windsor shrugged, listening, and then the cutest little distraction popped out and they glanced at it, grinning. “Oh my god. See, I see that and I’m like, who cares about an ecosystem, I should feed it some of my burrito!”
That would be dumb but…it was so small! And round. And Windsor bet it was soft and warm too. Ugh. Maybe they’d get themselves a cat one day...
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