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Aogashima, Page of Cosmos + Hakodate, Page of Polaris

Aogashima, quite frankly, had no qualms about giving energy to help the aliens' cause. She had plenty of it to go around! And if it was for a good cause, then why not? Of course, before she could do as much as take five steps forward to offer her assistance, the teen very quickly found herself being yanked back by a certain 'overbearing' older sister. Pouting, Aogashima looked back at her sister pleadingly, as if that might win her sister over, but was met with the usual disapproving look and shake of the head. “But why?” she whined, wishing her sister wasn’t so… stuck up in times like this. “You’re always such a stick in the mud, big sis.”

Such woe! Such injustice! Hakodate wasn’t even the oldest of the Shimotsuki siblings, and yet she always acted like she was in charge.

“You know why,” Hakodate warned, wondering why it always fell on her to have to keep people in line. First Mariel, and now her own little sister. “We don’t know if we can completely trust them yet. How can you be so sure that what they say is 100% true? You could be walking straight into a trap.”

And then came the dreaded words that Hakodate knew her little sister hated to hear, “You need to take things more seriously. Blindly rushing into things will get you into trouble, which I have no doubt that you’re no stranger to at this point.”

Even if she hadn’t been present for some certain more recent events, and even if Aogashima wouldn’t tell her all the details, Hakodate had no doubt that the younger Cosmos page had been getting herself into some pretty sticky situations. Honestly, what was she going to do with this girl? Both Aogashima and their father had natural whitish silver hair, but Hakodate was pretty certain that between her best friend and her little sister, she was going to end up with quite a few grey hairs… from stress. How becoming Hakodate, Page of Polaris had turned into a ‘professional babysitter and wrangler’ of people close to her, she would never know.

“The answer was, and still is, ‘no’. Let’s go home.” Hakodate told her sister, and it was with that, with much reluctance on a certain little sister’s part, that the siblings left, and started to make the long trip back home.

[exit]

Sava looked at Ein with a soft smile that made her feel rather warm all over. The comfort that was being offered...was entirely welcomed and appreciated, and she made good points with what she said, though…

“It does feel too good to be true...maybe not wrong, but you’re right about the energy thing...and the memories...like, what’s the real cost that this will bring...It’s not that I don’t want to trust them...and not that I don’t want everyone purified but...what if it goes wrong and it just...kills everyone. That...is a terrifying concept.”

The Cosmos knight chewed on her lip for a moment and nodded slowly. “I met her...yeah, but it was another senshi who called her...We talked for a second or two but…” With a sigh, she watched as the ringleader of the plan went back inside and shrugged. “...Maybe we could figure that out. You want to come over? Spend the night? We can...talk about this where there aren’t so many people.”

Caedus seemed both appreciative and overwhelmed by the volunteers he had; he smiled to each of them and carefully held the Source Stone in his hand.

He didn’t quite squirm under Megrez’s scrutiny, but he was, perhaps, a bit anxious. The longer she looked, the more antsy he seemed to become. “If you are willing to offer, I would be most grateful.”

He smiled at her, and Pendour, though he still seemed a bit visibly worried. It appeared as this was just a habit, and might have been something not easily shaken. He seemed more confident with Lyndin beside him, and though he had been in front of a crowd before, fatigue had withered him a bit.

He held the stone out and made sure she knew the instruction, the same as before--just a second at a time to make sure she didn’t give too much and get overwhelmed.

“I will not let it hurt you,” he promised. “If you need to sit down afterwards, I will make sure you are safe. I can get a blanket if you need, too.”

He seemed prepared for the worst, just in case, but held the stone out so they could touch it of their own volition. He seemed prepared to draw it away, though--ready to retract it to ensure they were safe, and ready to tend to them if it was more than they expected.

Pendour was long-limbed, and even from where she was sitting cross-legged in the grass, she could reach up to touch the Source Stone that Caedus was holding out to her. She offered him a gentle smile as she did so, a simple attempt to try to ease the worry etched into his face.

He'd said to only touch the stone for a second, so she did.

Well, maybe it was a second and a half. It was hard to count time, really, and there weren't any clocks out here that she could see. There was no discomfort, either, nothing that told her she should have been stopping.

There was just a sort of heaviness that settled over everything all at once. She wasn't sure if she lowered her hand in the end or if it fell away. Her head felt heavy, too, and so did her shoulders, far too heavy to hold up. She drooped a little, and then a lot, and then she was sinking down into grass that suddenly felt as soft and cozy as a feather pillow.

Her eyes didn't open again, but she did manage a whispered, "I'm okay," before she drifted completely off to sleep.

Siegfried Knight of Neptune

Siegfried let out a sigh and squeezed her hand back. Albireo had been through so much, even more than he had, in dealing with the Negaverse. A chance to completely remove that? A chance to free so many from that same pain and corruption? Would it burn like his purification had? Would they be in pain once Metallia was destroyed? Caedus and Lyndin said no one would die, no one would be in pain, but Siegfried remembered the excruciating pain when Cosmos burned the Chaos out of him.

He remembered losing memories and his sense of self for a moment. Would that happen here, as well? He didn't know.

What Siegfried did know, as several people talked over one another and Cybele took off, was that he was going to follow his swan no matter where she went, or what she did.

"If you want to do this, Albireo, I'm with you. Forever, and always," he said, kissing her head. He tugged her a little out of the group and in the direction of home. Things were winding down anyway. "We'll help them destroy Metallia once and for all."

Orangeish Sherbert

--

Bifrost Transcendant Knight of Chronos

Bifrost backed away slightly to allow others to talk to Caedus and Lyndin, turning to face a super senshi who'd come up to the group. Her eyes widened at the little tail wiggle, a sudden rush of excitement in her chest she'd thought was lost. Bifrost wiggled her butt in response, for the tail that wasn't there but she could... sense it? The wings too. It was that phantom limb sensation that amputees had, but without ever have lost a limb. Given the aliens in front of her, she wondered if her bloodline was actually descendant of some alien race that were pseudogryphons? Maybe she'd asked Caedus about it some time.

She'd really been gone from people for too long...

Regardless, some one was talking to her. "It's a pleasure, Monoceros! I am Bifrost of Chronos," she said to him with a smile. Then more people started talking. Some with valid points, some with not so valid points - Prince Castor being Prince Castor as he did - and general talking over each other. Destroying Metallia was their best bet at ending this war once and for all. Once Metallia was gone, maybe the Surrounding would begin to heal. Maybe they'd all begin to heal.

And stop being a nexus for cosmic powers maybe.

genovianprince

I am so sorry this took so long!

Eternal Sailor Ganymede

There was much to consider, and much still to discuss, but Ganymede did not know what more could be accomplished here that night. Lyndin was gone, and though Caedus continued to answer questions and talk among the lingering crowd, Ganymede had to wonder how much influence he actually had on the plan.

She could not stop thinking of his interactions with Lyndin, could not stop her mind from constantly drifting back to the past.

If only her memories would offer her something more useful on this occasion.

Still, she had smiles for those around her, welcoming and supportive — and somewhat amused, at least by Asphodel’s response. Ganymede had to wonder what a Negaverse meeting would be like. Surely Laurelite lorded over them all. Perhaps Benitoite threw himself into the discussions with the same passion he seemed to possess whenever he found Ganymede in battle. She hoped there was infighting; with so many differing personalities and conflicting motivations, they couldn’t be as organized and cohesive and they liked to appear.

In an effort not to derail the topic of that night’s gathering, Ganymede saved that conversation for another time and responded to the Page of Ganymede’s greeting with a friendly, “It’s nice to meet you, too, Tikal. I wish it was under less ominous circumstances.”

Hopefully she was being paranoid, and the aliens’ arrival wasn’t ominous at all.

Judging the full extent of her powers no longer necessary, Ganymede powered back down to Eternal. Gone was the ruffled white dress and large wings, back to the white, red, and black attire that helped her blend in more with the few knights of Ganymede in attendance.

Before they could disperse too far, Ganymede summoned her phone from subspace and began to scan whichever of her allies would allow her to do so, ensuring she had as many of them in her contacts as possible.

“If any of you need anything, or have any questions, you can contact me at any time,” she said. “Our alien guests seem like they’ll be hanging around for a while, so… if you’re not too sure about any of that, you can throw your concerns my way if it’ll help. But don’t feel like you have to. If you don’t want to have anything to do with me, that’s fine. I just… thought I’d offer.”

It was difficult sometimes to decide how much to put herself out there without appearing as if she were trying to take control of things or tell people what to do. She could offer advice and support, but at the end of the day, she couldn’t make anyone listen to her. Their choices were their own.

But Valhalla was with her. When she was done entering senshi and knights into her phone, Ganymede took his hand again and smiled up at him.

“Ready?”

There was much to be done before this alien weapon was ready.

Potential EXIT post

Super Sailor Sidouer

While Sidouer waited for Acrucis’ message, she stood somewhere between the outskirts of the wary individuals and the epicenter. Far enough away to flee if something were to happen behind that strange barrier, but close enough to pick up on most conversations.

Caedus, she recognized. Not by name but by his general appearance. Unlike the youma and half-youma she was accustomed to seeing, he had no aura. Stood taller than most who had gathered on this hillside; at least it made it easier to spot both him and Commodore Lyndin, as he was introduced.

Head leaning to one side Sidouer shifted her weight to one foot as she crossed her arms in front of her. Interesting, she mused.

Of all the Senshi and Knights she’d spoken with over the last several years, not one of them had life on their homeworld or wonder. Well, not humanoid life at least. Some had small creatures and, according to Acrucis, ghost-like monsters. Signs of life but nothing really worth writing home about and definitely not something that could rival an elite military group.

From what she could recall, Caedus had been trapped in the Rift for years, decades even, before his eventual escape. It made her wonder how old his race lived to be. Lyndin did not appear to be a spry young thing and it had been maybe what? Somewhere between three and five years since His Highness had left Desiny City. So either the aliens aged very quickly or they have been out there this whole time.

Kind of a harrowing thought but not unexpected. It did, however, make her curious as to how they had survived whereas everyone else here was either reincarnated or reborn after the fall of the places they’d once been destined to protect.

Questions best saved for when the visitors were not swarmed by so many people.

Eventually, Sidouers senshi phone rang and on the other end, Acrucis profusely apologized for not answering sooner. The hospital was short-staffed that evening and she had to cover part of a co-worker's shift. “It’s fine, really.”

“Why don’t we meet up by the cafe near your work? Maybe go to your world so we can talk about this in private?” Someplace where they wouldn’t have to worry about aliens or anyone else eavesdropping on their conversation. Acrucis sounded inclined to agree and so Sidouer left the hillside with the strange barrier-like-dome that hid the Vanguard from view.

[Exit]

Sailor Alcor

Without looking at her phone or watch, there was no real telling how long Alcor stood sentry at the furthest outskirts of the gathering while her sister bobbed and weaved between the more condensed group of powered individuals.

Perhaps she was as cold and heartless as her sphere might suggest.

I’m not my sister's keeper, and yet there have been countless times where she felt the need to step in because her twins' haphazard ways would likely get her killed. Magic might be fun to play around with, and their homeworlds may be something worth exploring, but at the end of the day… they were tangled in a war not of their making or choosing.

Although these aliens may be able to influence the outcome of the next battle, Alcor feared that in the end they will fail and this fight between Order and Chaos will become more bloody before they see peace. Light can’t exist without darkness, so the mere thought of obliterating the Negaverse seemed almost laughable. A nice consideration or a hopeful wish, but not something she could see happening very easily.

There was nobody here with whom she knew but the lack of contacts was her own doing. Intentionally neglecting her powered responsibilities out of the desire to live a normal life had left her with only two she could turn to for help and or advice; Athene and Liryn.

While the Mauvian could be as excitable as Eleonora, Alcor hoped that Athene might see things as she did. Or at the very least look at the situation with a level of skepticism that would allow him to see all the potential shortcomings of this foolish plan.

Lips pursed into a thin line, Alcor lifted her hood up over her head and took Eleonora’s advice to leave. No use fretting over someone who frequently failed to see reason and in the end would go off to do her own thing.

[Exit]