Arthuradel didn't know what had happened one minute she thought an explosion was about to engulf them and kill everyone but the next she was being pulled to some unknown space with all of order and a handful of the aliens. There were many strange things going on around her mention of a Queen and the Code. The prince alien who had been attacked seemed to be getting back up but Arthuradel didn't know him so it was not at the forefront of her mind. No she was too busy thinking about Guinevere about seeing her taken, made evil. It was all too much.
"I just want to go home is that too much to ask for." She wanted to hug her mom wanted to play video games and just be a kid for a little bit and forget this horrible day, then maybe she could process what she had to do next. She spotted Hania and the preteen senshi was quick to make her way over and pick up the guardian cuddling into his fur. "Hania thank goodness you're safe. Do you know where we are?" She also addressed the question to Morgan as she looked up at her sister, thankful to God or Cosmos or whoever that at the very least she had not been taken as well.
Yomi had seen his life flash before his eyes, what little he could remember of it, when that Captain attacked. He tried his best to defend but his magic was exhausted and he was holding his brother.
Plus there was so much Chaos in the air he was sure she was even stronger than she would be normally. He was thankful when the two of them were wisked off to some unknown place.
Yomi performed the route muscle memory task of cleaning and sheathing his blade and dispelling it to subspace, despite the fact their was no blood and he had no sheath for some reason the motion was engrained into him.
"Nii-san do you know where we are? Who this Queen is?" He was uncomfortable his experience with Queens was not so great as he thought back to the monstrous titan of power that is Laurelite. But this place seemed safe, not like Chaos had touched it at all.
Anyone who wants to overhear Scylla explaining what she knows about the place is welcome to, you don't have to interact with her / quote me in response.
THERE was Myrrha, and Scylla, with no hands and only one free shoulder, waggled her head in a weird sort of greeting to the senshi of scents. "I'm SO glad you're okay." She looked over the other senshi, trying to catalogue any unexpected wounds. Inhaling, she decided to address what was going on- to help, if she could.
"So a few weeks ago a few of us- Athalia, Hawara, Metis, Aogashima, and myself- were trying to contact Cosmos. We wanted some outside perspective on what was happening here. Or I did, anyways. I'm not going to speak to their motivations. Instead, we found... this place. The Celestial Theater. The computer told us that this is a... lecture hall. For 'Cosmic resources'. It wanted to help us get some knowledge, but it's about a thousand years out of date. And it's rattling- if any Mauvians want to take a look. During the course of our conversation, it tried to set an appointment with Queen Serenity for noon. I guess it just... didn't take into account noon of what day." She paused, then muttered, "Or when noon actually was. Probably for the best."
Caedus spoke, then, and Scylla's head jerked down to him. "You," she told her friend fiercely, "were trying to help. Your heart was in the right place. I don't understand why he would choose that moment, of all times, to try and strike. If he had thought-" she exhaled. "Once he had decided we couldn't help, did he re-approach them, since he couldn't... extract your..." Her voice was low, horrified. "That explosion was too big to have just been a fragment."
Removing her arm from around Nephthys, she reached out and wordlessly touched Oberon's bloodied hands, gently trying to press some of her energy to them, to help them heal. She had shared some of the energy with Lyndin, though, so there wasn't as much as she would have liked to give. But he looked tired, and wounded. Scylla felt... anything but. Instead of freeing her to relax, their rescue was leaving her wired. Anxious.
"Computer," she said at last, "Did you ever get a reply from Earth regarding that Chaos infestation we talked about?"
Beta looked at Lepus, seemingly without even seeing her in the first place. It took her several moments of speechlessly opening and closing her mouth before she finally stammered, "Sh-she's gone..." She glanced at Scylla, her eyes still wide and wet, as though asking the other Senshi to confirm what she was saying. As though she didn't totally believe it herself.
"Th-they took her. She's not... she's not herself... um..."
It was evident, in her voice, that Beta was doing a lot of work trying to keep herself together, but it was also evident in her visibly trembling that she was failing to do so. She glanced again between the two of them and then down at her own trembling hands.
"They m-made her into a monster."
And then Scylla explained what the center console was. It seemed to have broken whatever dam she was trying desperately to build so that she didn't totally lose her mind. With an absolutely wrecked sob, she tore away from the group. staggered over to the console, and with a shaking voice she blubbered out something that she hoped the console would be able to understand.
"p-please, I need help. My-my-my sister... the Negaverse took her they-they turned h-her into a monster and... and I need to find her and-and-and fix her. Is there any w-way to d-d-deyoumafy a s-s-senshi? Wh-wh-where is she now? H-her name is-is-is Alpha Leporis and I-I-I n-n-need to fix-x her I just..."
In the end, her voice devolved into loud, shaking sobs as she lost control of herself, sinking to her knees in front of the console.
Agrippa followed dutifully behind Valhalla and Ganymede as they moved to something... else...
This is the Code
The code? What code? Who's code?
"If the balance is heavily Chaos, then I suppose it's not much of a balance, is it," she scoffed, side-eyeing the thing with visible distrust. "And if it can see all of that, why were we allowed to be sucked into that bullshit down on earth? Why didn't it intervene? Or like... I dunno... warn us," she finished emphatically, leaning around from behind Valhalla, but still hidden firmly behind in case this... code thing... decided to lash out at her.
Knights were gathering elsewhere, and Lourdes would be lying if she didn't feel drawn to that same room. She couldn't put her finger on it, but the feeling was there.
"Okay Asphodel. We're getting up off the floor," she grunted, straining on shaking legs while she threw his arm around her shoulder and guided him around with the rest of the knights in a different room, where she arrived in time to see whatever that was directly neg some other knight for lack of knowledge.
"Awful big fighting words for something without fists," she scoffed, readjusting Asphodel against her body for better grip and less strain. "Maybe do you have something helpful to offer?"
cibarum
The Space Cauldron
Sweenys_Revenge
Dangerous Lover
Offline
Epine de Rose
Offline
Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2021 4:27 pm
Namielle - Guardian Cat (Order)
She was tired, so tired... and yet as Scylla spoke and Beta wept and slammed her palms against the keys in a desperate attempt to communicate with whatever was in the console, the Mauvian remembered what her duty was. Tired as she might have been, she was here to assist the Senshi, to guide them towards answers they might seek and ensure they had everything they might need. Whether that be ensuring their phones worked, their henshin pens responded correctly...or even attempting to fix technology she had very little experience with.
Yes, it was Moon Tech.
...That didn't mean her stasis addled brain had any memory of it.
Nevertheless the Mauvian very carefully walked towards the small group near the console. She wasn't terribly quick and she swayed unsteadily every now and again, but she eventually made her way close enough to the console to inspect it in greater detail. Suffice to say it was very old, beyond out of date, and she didn't exactly have all of the tools she might need to investigate but while the tears still swept down Beta's face and her distress was clear, the Mauvian couldn't simply ignore it.
She had to try.
"Perhaps it would be best to take a step to the side and we shall see if the console responds to a Mauvian's presence?" she offered gently. "We will see if it will permit us to understand what the clacking is," she peered at Scylla. She would have preferred a slightly more detailed explanation of the problem, but given the circumstances, she could only assume this was the best that Scylla could manage.
"I just need to find my little..." she attempted to fish in her subspace pocket for the screwdriver.
Suffice to say that Namielle was not adverse to the assistance of other Mauvian in this, but she would at least take a stab at it on her own until the others were able to afford a moment or two of their time.
Infinities
Tired kitty for you. x_X
Sweenys_Revenge
Shhh don't cry Beta, we'll try to fix it. ;-;
The Space Cauldron
Mauvian with a screw driver staring at the console...
Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2021 4:36 pm
The senshi stared at the talking Mauvian the same way she stared at Lepus. Several moments of gaped-mouthed silence passed before she finally nodded, still shaking, and shuffled out of the way, leaning against the console and holding herself as tightly as she could. Honestly, she didn't give a s**t if the console got fixed or not. Rationally, she should since then it would be able to answer her questions more effectively, but at the moment if I couldn't manifest her sister, whole and complete and human right this second, then it was essentially useless to her.
The... thing... the Code... on the pedestal. It could speak. And Saqqara listened, eyes wide. And then, indignantly, she replied to it- "Oh?" Was her tone indignant? Was it hysterical? Did she know? "Now that I am here, Code, perhaps you can-"
A large knight- Page? was- stripping? And Saqqara was not too embarrassed to stare blankly at Vígríðr. "The blood is not mine," she told him dully, still staring at those tunic-deprived shoulders, "One of the Negaverse stood too close to a generator at the end. They exploded." She did not push him away, but did not want him to bandage Faustite's blood to her skin. She wanted it wiped away, not tied to her. "I am uninjured. Just filthy. Save your bandages for the wounded- and thank you."
Another knight- one of the glowing ones (Valhalla)- seemed to catch on to the general confusion as he entered the room, and a quiet explanation was had. Knights are sworn to protect our Wonders and the Code. It observes the balance of everything which--... is heavily Chaos. At least that’s what the piece at Olympus told us Knights years ago.
The Bubblegum Page, Connie, followed not far behind him, chirping cheerfully; Saqqara relaxed where she was slumped, letting her body melt further against the pedestal. Good. The page was still cheerful, and bright. She must not have seen, must not have looked. And she seemed uninjured from the blasts- also good.
"Huh." It was no question, it was just a tired, blank stare. "As someone who was a member of Chaos until... about ten minutes ago? Fifteen? How long did that battle last?" Saqqara rubbed her hand over her chest, as though she could touch her starseed, make the stinging stop. "I do not approve of the balance being heavily Chaos."
Another pause. "Who chose my uniform?" she asked at last, and squinted up at the Code. "I have a bare midriff, and the Negaverse has very stabby weapons. This is a very impractical design for defense." Complaints aside, however, she had a hundred questions popping up and flowing out of her brain like water through cheesecloth. "Uniform aside, Code, this is a chance to properly educate new guardians. Do not waste it."
Somewhere deep in her chest, Pendour could feel the pain coming off of Caedus's apology. She could feel the deep regret. No, it was not actually Caedus's fault that some people had chosen to view his starseed as some sort of world-saving resource. Still, she did not want to brush all that off, so instead, she accepted it, nodding softly as she whispered, "It's okay."
She had positioned herself carefully so that Oberon could draw himself away from her if he wanted, but when he wrapped an arm around her, instead, she drew closer into the embrace.
From this angle, it was hard to miss his hands, probably in worse shape than her own. She tried not to stare, but despite her best efforts, her good eye lingered for a few moments on the hint of bloody palm that she could see peeking out from under one of his gloves.
"Can I try something?" she asked him in a whisper. "I might be able to take the edge off of that."
Encke might have gotten that offer, too, but at this point, he was beckoning over the suspiciously Richard shaped Uranus knight, and said knight was pointedly ignoring him.
It was probably obvious that she was watching them. With her eye how it was, she had to crane her neck a little to steal glances.
When she wasn't looking at them, she turned back to Caedus, though. "It's okay to rest," she told him, "But if there's questions I can try talking to the Code? It probably knows more than that poor computer."
She glanced briefly in that direction after Scylla spoke to it.
When Ganymede squeezed her hands, Cybele smiled. The Ganymede knights that had fought alongside her approached, and Cybele smiled at them, as well. No, it didn't reach her eyes, but it was the best she could manage with how somber some of the others looked, and how violated she still felt.
She had to brush her fingers against her chest, again and again, just to make sure it was staying whole. No matter how much she tried to focus on Valhalla's explanation of the Code, her mind kept drifting back to the battle that they'd all just been pulled from.
When the other Transcended Knight (Erberus)approached, Cybele found herself wanting to argue that Ganymede should take the energy. However, she also found her eyelids trying to flutter shut again.
It was likely best to take advantage of this moment of respite while it lasted.
"I'll take a bit, if you're offering," she said. "Not too much. The others deserve it, too."
When introduced by Oberon, Encke lifted his hand in greeting to the Velencians. They seemed mostly distracted by a conversation at the moment, except for the two near them. No reason to interrupt that.
... Ah. Basiluzzo came closer, but he also wouldn't look at him.
Perhaps it was fine -- maybe that made him feel, to some degree, the gravity of why Encke had been telling him to stay home. Of course, not that he had any idea they would show up only for the Negaverse to overwhelm them. Of course, not that he had any idea that Lyndin would simply go for Caedus' starseed with some kind of infinity gauntlet and leave. Of course, not that he had any idea that so many of their own would fall to corruption.
But it was the principle of the matter.
But he should have known better, in any case. Encke was fairly sure the only time Basiluzzo had listened to even the faintest concept of staying behind was the brief period in which Encke was known as Encke and Basiluzzo hadn't yet awoken.
He sighed, though, to see him like that, as much as he felt upset at seeing Caedus like he was, and when Basiluzzo gazed anywhere near his direction, he held up his thumb and his pointer finger, crossed over each other in the shape of a small heart.
(Was Pendour watching them--)
In the end, they were both alive, and there were bigger priorities.
For one, the way Caedus croaked an apology of all things rending Encke's heart to shreds, and he couldn't help the immediate, "You didn't know," because if anything, he knew that Caedus hadn't intended that. He didn't know if the reality of Lyndin's plan and the reality of what Caedus knew about Lyndin's plan was different, but no part of him could believe that the chaos that had befallen them was in any part Caedus' plan. Couldn't believe that Caedus' starseed being ripped out as part of the chaos was part of Caedus' plan.
Oberon launched into a series of things, and Encke couldn't help his wince at the concept of saying so much when Caedus was just stirring. And after telling him to be quiet, too-- Didn't say anything about it, well, except for, "Youma and senshi aren't," he grunted, "fond."
Scylla reinforced what Encke said in more words, stumbled over the reminder of what Caedus' starseed was -- as Oberon said, a senshi. Caedus was supposed to be Sailor Velenia.
"For what it's worth, saw the way you shook your head," Encke offered an attempt at a stronger smile, even in spite of his exhaustion. "We're friends. Likely to try and help anyway." Okay, he was teasing. "Don't leave me to just assuming what I can do."
The air had gotten hot, and Realta had ducked herself down against the Knight, hackles raised and tail puffed up at how horribly Caedus reacted to having his starseed back. It'd not been happy about it, but he'd gotten it back.
And then it seemed like they all might really die.
The sensation of floating that happened not even a second later, though, reminded her so much of the vague memories she had of before awakening in the forest where she met Caedus. Just... floating, warm and safe, a gentle current pulling her along.
And just like that, they were in a place she'd never seen, and Caedus was awake. Panicking. But... he calmed. Sort of.
"Thank you for protecting us," she called to the Knight in question (Sessrumnir) as he went to check on someone else. Focusing on Caedus, her heart broke seeing his current state. The Eternal in brown (Oberon) and Transcended Eternal in blue (Scylla) said more than enough to convey most of her own thoughts towards Caedus' apology, but the Mauvian... she felt guilty.
She nudged up against him, as only a cat might, curling herself somewhat against his side before she got up onto her hind legs. Her paws rested on his upper arm. The Savannah used her height to her advantage now. "I... cannot truly say how sorry I am, Caedus. I wish I'd known. I could have tried to look into things concerning... your awakening." Her voice faltered then. Again, she felt nothing from him. Nothing to suggest a Mauvian even could try to help him. But it infuriated her. It was their job. It was one of their prime missions.
Why couldn't she do that for him? Why hadn't she sensed anything that first night, or now?
"Though, it sounded like you've already tried avenues with Mauvians. I'm still... I'm so sorry we failed you."
Her gaze was still apologetic as she looked to the other aliens that approached (Lixian and Vaylin) before she pushed herself up a bit more to give Caedus a quick press of a feline nose against his cheek. "But I am so, so grateful you're awake again, my friend. I hope to speak to you more later," she added gently before hopping down and heading in the direction of the Console...
While she greatly wanted to hear Caedus' answers about his starseed, she'd heard what the Transcended had said about the machinery perhaps needing a little feline assistance. Her guilt pushed her towards that, perhaps a problem she could help solve.
And a face she was extremely happy to see.
"Nami!"
Realta's trot burst into a run, lilac and black fur blurring as she all but tackled the other Mauvian. The Savannah's purr was loud, rubbing her head against the other in open feline affection. She was still gentle, though, mindful that her friend might not be in the best of states. "You're awake. How are you feeling?"
There were questions she was sure Namielle had in turn, though she wasn't sure if the Mauvian would make... inquiries.
Instead, she looked between Nami's screwdriver, and the Console, and her brain hummed and whirled as she eyed the broken, sorely outdated Moon Tech.
"...mind if I lend you a paw? This poor thing needs a few upgrades."
It was very strange being back in the Theatre suddenly. It was the confirmation from others that assured her she knew where she was. And immediately, she searched for her loved ones. She spotted Realta quickly enough, near Caedus. He... was understandably shaken. She lifted a hand, and mouthed a silent I'm sorry. Talk later? Please rest. He was already answering questions, and there were others who seemed more capable of assisting him right now.
She didn't want to crowd him. Any of her questions could wait till he'd time to recover.
When Realta moved away, Metis followed. It worked out--she spotted Nami and let out a sigh of relief, moving towards the Mauvian and the console Athalia had been fighting with last time. "You're alright," she breathed, crouching briefly to gently pat the cat's back. She wanted to pick up Nami and give her a hug, but the Mauvians seemed intent on the... haphazard machine. Again, not something she wanted to interrupt.
Standing up, it was only then she spotted Erebus. Her heels clicked rapidly as she crossed over to her cousin, quickly catching him in a hug. That he'd been speaking to others (Ganymede and Valhalla) meant very little to the senshi who usually kept her manners about her. "There you are! I thought you'd catch up to me. I wasn't sure if you'd... gotten caught in something," she finished with a wince. The Chaos that had seeped into nearly everyone, the generator blasts, attacks from agents... the list went on. "Are you alright?"
Natsuko-neko
Erebus
Epine de Rose
Nami
The Space Cauldron
Caedus
Guine
Val proxy--IDK I think you two moved out of the area??
Sunshine Alouette
Gany proxy--THINK you two moved out of the area, but just in case.
It was a blast her magic couldn't remotely stand against and wouldn't be remotely buffeted in its path on Arthuradel and Hania. It was a fact that frightened Morgan the most. She'd just held her sister, keeping her body as much between the console and the young senshi as she could.
And then. It was all gone.
She blinked up at the ceiling, at the brilliant star sparkling up there. Gwen wasn't here. She... knew that. She'd seen the purple haze around her and that other corrupt. She was where Rigel also was, she figured. Morgan felt sick.
There was some mention of meeting a Queen and she bristled, only thinking of the teal-haired Negaverse lady.
But then she saw Hani as he was being picked up by Arthuradel, and Morgan booked it over to the two. She pulled both into a tight hug, pressing quick kisses against both heads. "You're okay," she breathed, both for her own confirmation, and a haphazard attempt to comfort them.
Arthur's question made her shake her head. "No idea. I think someone just called it the... Celestial Theatre?" It wasn't something she was familiar with, that's for sure.
She was grateful, though, to see Caedus was still kicking. "Wonder what it was that pulled us outta there."
Dunwich looked around what someone identified as the Celestial Theatre, a place she would have been fascinated to explore... but she was too preoccupied with the fact Tobias wasn't with her. He'd been pulled away by that purple fog, pulled away with the other Negaverse agents.
She wanted to scream, but she made herself get up on shaky legs. Something... was drawing her onward, and she had questions. Maybe whatever it was could answer some? A girl could hope.
The Neptune Page came up near the group by the Code in time to hear one of them, someone who felt far stronger than her in a rather pretty uniform (Saqqara) had just been part of the Negaverse. And now she wasn't.
Dunwich's eyes went wide, and her heels clicked lightly as she moved closer to the woman. "I'm sorry, did you say... you were a member of Chaos? A Negaverse agent?" Her hands wrung, twisting anxiously together. "How... how did you change that? Can someone else do that?" As she spoke, she looked towards the glowing... thing (the Code), and the other knights around, before turning her gaze back on the Knight. "I just... I just learned my fiance is... an agent. And he knows I'm a knight. I want to know how I can help him get out of the Negaverse. I can't lose him, and that whole fiasco just confirmed this uniform is not better in black," she added with a wry smile. "So he'll have to be the one to change."
Quote:
Any around the Code are welcome to have heard Dunwich!
One purple eyebrow raised in mild amusement, that this piece of the Code did not seem to know what Archideus had been. Interesting. Or that it had other pieces of the Code. She turned to the page (Vígríðr) and the rather confused knight (Saqqara) and smiled at them. "Andronicus, Knight of Uranus. And trust me," she said to Saqqara, "I sympathize about the fact the Negaverse has pointy weapons and we have... very little in the way of armor. Welcome to the knights of Uranus; they like to give us little layers and exposed skin."
She gave a nod to Valhala as he approached, and stepped to the side to allow give more people space. Andronicus gave a shrug at the Code when it asked her why she was sad about Archideus' loss. It was a little like this piece of the Code was more like a child; innocent and naive. It kind of made her want to protect it.
"It exploded. It's gone. I suppose... I feel sad for those that won't be awakened as knights of Archideus again. That's sort of weird, isn't it?" Green eyes traveled to Dunwich asking the other Uranus knight about leaving the Negaverse. So Saqqara had been part of the Negaverse, then left huh? During the battle? Jeez. That was impressive.
Two more knights appeared as well, and Andronicus felt just a little claustrophobic. She snorted at Lourdes' comment; oh she liked this one. Lourdes had sass towards the Code. Good good.
Asphodel came to, quite begrudgingly, and staggered to his feet off of Lourdes's shoulder. Honestly, he had been tempted to pretend to stay asleep the whole time -- but he didn't want to be that much of a burden on the Squire who had pulled him to safety.
So they'd been deus-exed into some cosmic museum? Alright, fine. More fun surprises from Destiny City. He decided to wait and listen and observe as well as he could for now. It was starting to get really irritating to have no clue what the hell was going on, and he was getting more and more clueless every god damn day.
"Thanks," he mumbled to Lourdes while steadying his footing.
Sweenys_Revenge
cibarium
Noob
Offline
a-disgruntled-dragon
Offline
Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2021 7:51 pm
Cadet Neryn
Someone's voice called to them about Caedus being awake, and Neryn's attention snapped to his form across the way. They wanted to see him, wanted to understand, wanted to know if he was okay. If they'd made the right choice. In a moment, though.
They sniffed a little and smiled at Valnyr. She may have said there was no need to apologize, but Neryn would only be able to atone for their actions in their own time. There was no excuse for firing on her, even if it was due to orders or loyalty. As if that loyalty really got them anywhere now...
"Neryn is what I am called. It is a pleasure to meet you Aogashima," they said in polite greeting. Valnyr explained that they were on the moon - Earth's moon - and there was something about an appointment. At least they were alive, not dead, and not lost. It stood to reason the rest of the cadets and Lyndin were with the Negaverse, as prisoners or allies. That made their stomach roil. To have sided with such a force...
"I wish to see our King... Join me?" they asked, waiting a moment before moving to where Caedus lay with senshi and knights around him. He looked to fragile, as if a single touch would shatter him. It made Neryn's heart ache.
"My King... I am sorry... if... if I had known the Commodore would do something like this... if I'd known... I... I wouldn't have faltered. I would have.... I would have..." they stammered, shaking and coming to their knees in their shame and anguish. What could they have done? Defected from the start? Sabotaged the plan? Tried to reason with Lyndin about a better plan? There was nothing they could have done. They were only a Cadet. There was no way they could have known any of this would happen. "Have... have I betrayed Velencya, my King? I just... it didn't feel right to just leave these people to that fate..."
