"What the-?" Hotaru said looking at the weird silver gauntlets instead of the cuffs that now adorned her hands. "Janus, what are these?" Looked up then around. "Janus? Where'd he go?"
A shadow covered her eyes for a minute. Hotaru brushed whatever it was out of her eyes. She soon discovered that the shadow was her now silver bangs that reached the tops of her cheekbone under her right eye. She had rectangle glass that she could easily peer over the top if she felt like it. Hotaru had to look at her body. She was wearing a purple and black version of Kalia Nasaki's Utena armor and a cape that stopped mid calf. She had no weapon but maybe that was what the Wraith Silver was for. She had high heeled boots and armor on her calves and knees as well as her upper arms, elbows and shoulders. Her black hair was in a bun and the band around her neck had changed. It was now a long thick chain with a sword charm. The hung ¾'s down her torso and strangely felt warm when it hit her bare stomach.
"What did that guy do to me?" Hotaru asked inspecting herself a little more. Something nudged her from behind, startling Hotaru enough to active the Silver. When the small spear like head of a jointed whip coming from the back of her gauntlet looked back, Hotaru closed her eyes and could see what It was "seeing". A horse stood behind her, fully reigned and saddled. The Silver returned to Its place in the back of her gauntlet as she turned around. "Huh? A riderless horse? What's it doing way out here alone?" Hotaru stretched out her hand and rubbed its nose. "Where'd you come from? Where's your rider?"
The horse lipped at her bare fingers as Hotaru stroked the horse's beautiful black coat. She looked at its reigns and discovered a name.
" "Nalor'…Nalor? Is that your rider?" The horse shook its head lightly. "Then it must be your name." The horse neighed and nipped at her necklace. "I'm to take this as I'm your rider, right?" Nalor pulled gently on Hotaru's necklace. "Okay, okay, Nalor. I'm mounting, I'm mounting." Hotaru gathered the reigns in one hand and used the other to help pull herself in to the saddle. "There, I'm up. Happy?" Nalor snorted with a nod. Hotaru rubbed Nalor's neck. "Alright, my new friend. Let's find the nearest town. I've got a feeling that whatever made Janus bring me to this place, it'll be there."
Nalor turned with barely any direction from Hotaru and headed in the opposite direction than they had been facing. It had been years since Hotaru had last ridden a horse. Michiru had talked Haruka into abandoning the paved roads and vehicles of the modern world for a week and they went into the countryside. Setsuna had Hotaru take riding lessons so the poor little girl wouldn't get thrown off if the horse was startled. Nalor seemed to sense this and actually seemed to understand what Hotaru was trying to do.
I have a feeling Nalor came from Janus. Maybe that's why Silver didn't strike. Or maybe It didn't strike because it sensed that I wasn't in danger. Hotaru looked at one of her hands, taking it off the reigns. There's a small chain like whip that comes from my palm and a larger one that comes from the back of my hand…and they react to my emotions…just like the Silence Glaive and my element. Silver's just like the Glaive, an extension of my conscious mind with subconscious reactions. It's apart of me, just like my talisman. She sighed and closed her eyes momentarily. It was so odd…I could see through Silver when Nalor surprised me. It acted like my eyes…I wonder if I could do it again…
