TO SAY THAT walking across levitating platforms made completely out of magic while being suspended in the air was something that wasn't on calliope's brain when she first found the diadem at fourteen.
initially, there was concern about slipping and falling, but with each step she took, that worry descended to the pit of her stomach, replaced by a strange surge of courage. new steps materialised before each new step she took. it felt relieving, in a way.
the smell of smoke had begun to infiltrate her senses. her sight. her smell. her feeling. it had begun to wrap around her like an everlasting coil of a snake. asteria shook her head, coughing, when she inhaled too much and almost fell face forward onto the bluish platform beneath her. after, she began to run faster as a way to get out of the smoke cloud in that particular section.
just as she broke through the cloud and inhaled so much air into her lungs that they might've exploded, she caught sight of a figure below her. she paused and examined him. he was clad in a black, leather cat suit with messy blonde hair. the unicorn heroine watched as the cat guy walked across a silvery baton.
asteria descended a step, eager to approach the guy when a yell from behind caught her attention. before she could fully turn, she was abruptly pulled away from the platform, only to find herself colliding into the cat guy with a startled yelp.
"what the?" she muttered, eyes widening in alarm. panic surged through her as she squirmed to break free from the string constricting her. asteria glanced upward, spotting a black spotted yo-yo connected to the cat guy's staff, before she realised she was linked with him and a polka-dotted girl.
"well, hey there. nice of you two to drop in." the guy greeted, wiggling his eyebrows which in turn caused the unicorn hero to recoil.
"oh, i'm sorry. i didn't do it on purpose." the polka-dotted girl admitted sheepishly. asteria froze up, recognising the voice. but it couldn't be her. it just couldn't be. she refused to believe it.
"don't worry. we almost died, but hey, it's all good." the unicorn hero remarked sardonically, giving a small shrug. "fortunately, your weapon of choice seemed to have saved our asses."
the cat guy snickered slightly and the dotted hero froze up for a second before she relaxed. "like I said, i'm sorry. guess I'm still getting used to this." her shoulders sunk slightly and the cat guy's emerald eyes met asteria's blue ones.
