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He sat on top of the building next to his apartment, having pulled out the confiscated goods from Buddy, turning the starseeds over in his palm. The energy balls had been long gone- he hadn't noticed at the time that they'd dissipated almost immediately after getting bashed in the skull as the Captain had beat a retreat. But the starseeds, souls of people somewhere, now in the palm of his hand...they had not vanished. What was he going to do?

His head hurt so much. But he couldn't just put those on the counter next to keys and his wallet.

I've .....there's nothing in the primer about what to do with these. Just that the enemy rips these out of people. What do I do? Who would know what to do? He could feel panic rising, looking at the piercing little lights. He'd not talked to many other senshi, though a few of them had seemed experienced adn senior enough they should know in theory. An Eternal should have dealt with plenty of stolen starseeds right? So....Athene? Maia?

Maia had mentioned she was around the University grounds sometimes, so there was a chance of maybe finding her. What about just CALLING? It was a phone, right? Why didn't any of them ever just call each other? Like coming over for pizza, innocuous- 'hey what do I do with starseeds?'

Thraen selected Maia's name, his hand shaking as he held the phone up. He fisted his other hand so as not to drop the precious burden.

"please pick up. please be there. Pleasepleaseplease"

"Maia!" God's breath she's there. "Do you have time?"

She might be busy. Thraen spit out words quickly, in case she was.
"Starseeds. Is there any way to find who they belong to ? I took some from an officer's pocket, and I have no idea what to do with them. They're souls. Is it possible to put them back? or ...find who they belong to? or some proper way ....to put them to rest? "

"There's nothing about this in the primer. I don't know what to do with a starseed. I shouldn't even have starseeds. But I couldn't just let him keep them if I had him at my mercy."

That doesn't sound promising, but it makes sense. Like a coma and then you die. "There was no one around. He was just relaxing on a park bench...I think trying to blend in to gather easy energy. Maybe the start or end of his night. "

"I don't......think...if its a short time." His tone fell, the implications of the realities of time more than apparent. They're dead. These lives in my hand ended probably before even found the Captain. But what then do I do with them?

"Between the parks district and the University now, " Thraen grimaced looking out, back towards the parks before making his way to street level again. "I've been treating them like glass."

They were souls after all.

"Is there a proper way to ....send them on...or...'dispose of' sounds callous. I don't want to destroy them, they should go where...souls go." This was an awkward conversation for religious metaphysics. As awkward as all the implications of reincarnation were regarding visions while on their planets. Not that he was particularly religious or ascribed to anything staunchly- he hadn't really given it much thought other than in studies of history and art where throughout the old ages religions tended to be the greatest patrons of public works and art. And usually the subject matter.

"I can search around. But if I don't find anyone or its too late? What do you do with starseeds?"

Maybe it was something he should have a more serious conversation with himself about if he was going to wander about with people's souls in his hand. Seemed a tiny bit pertinent.

Thraen trotted along the path he'd taken out of the park, tracing back to the edge of it and starting onto the grass and amid the manicured brush. "I only know *********. "

She's never had to dispose of one. Where they always used by battle end? It seemed likely in combat against an eternal. Maybe she'd just never had an officer under boot peacefully enough that they didn't get broken. The only beneficial threat and effect of being the Wicked Witch of the West with poppy-powers.

"I've never met any other cats."

"I don't know how to find ********* that does seem a possibility for...who might know. It was seven months between times I saw her last. " Did souls keep that long on the shelf? Egads that's morbid. I really hope not. Are they aware? Can they sense anything? It was right to take them, wasn't it? So they weren't....used. Does being used destroy them forever, as if they never were? Are they reincarnated? How does any of it work? "Nothing but to try to get a hold of her. Could I...call you back? I don't think these things talk and text at the same time."

"I'm so sorry, Maia...this is a lot to throw someone into after not seeing them five months. It was either you or Athene that I could think of to ask. I can try a message to him as well."

Brevity, Thraen. Brevity.

He switched to text Athene and ********* class="quote">

It was a couple of moments, agonizing waiting, and he busied looking over the park more. It was no use- he'd reached the bench again, and hovered his handover the back of it while looking around. The scuffs in the grass were there from Buddingtonite's prone body and Thraen's own wooden boots, as well as the indention of force as he'd broken the captain's hand.

A jingle from his phone, a return sms, startled him away from any brooding:



Rather than interrupt her further with a call again already, Thraen texted to Maia the news.


And so he did, walking in a spiral search pattern from the epicenter of the bench for any unconscious civilians that were noticeably lacking in the soul department. His phone buzzed, and thankfully it was from the tailess ball of cute-




Well, it was a little of a reiteration, but that was the accepted trouble with text or phone tag. He typed an immediate response to *********, wondering if she was using paws or fingers-

A reply came back from ********* again, cold comfort but an answer nonetheless-


Thraen finally dialed Maia back, waiting for when the other senshi picked up. "She said if there's no body to be found, the light fades and there's just a rock- and give it a funeral as seems fit. I'm not finding anything in the park, So I'll power down and try and do a walk through the hospitals. I think these may have been harvested before he was out tonight, so there's a slim chance if they are from people with families ....they were found and taken to the hospital. "

Otherwise...the most depressing vigil waited- holding a soul, waiting and watching it die.

A brother? And a doctor...well, its certainly convenient...her name is most liked 'Jacobs' as well, at least if unmarried, not adopted, or belonging to some step-sibling arrangement. That's incredibly trusting of her. Not that he figured she had much to worry about on his account. " Dr. Xander Jacobs, got it. So..."

"Tell him 'Maia sent me', and he'll know who I'm talking about? " There was no way he'd ever tell Stroud he was a senshi. He'd never live down the flowers. If Maia had told her brother her secret, that was some sibling love right there.

He considered her last question a long moment, silence hanging on the line like a too-fat carrion bird. The answer came out dream-like, only half attended by the rest of his thoughts, "No, I don't think I will be."

" I'll see it through. " The second was more present, conviction and drive returned to the tone that was usually in his demeanor.

"Thank you, Maia, it means a lot to have had someone to get a hold of. I'll send you a text tomorrow or so once I've made the rounds to let you know if there was any luck. You don't need to reply to it or anything, but after all this, I figure you deserve to know how it turns out. "