Welcome to Gaia! ::

It was only by chance that Acrucis had even spotted the other senshi. A glimmer of white against an otherwise black backdrop as moonlight illuminated her elegant form. Had her fuku been of a darker pallet, she would have simply left the girl to her own devices and headed home; mingling with chaos was a dangerous game to play especially this late at night.

Yet curiosity lined with a healthy amount of concern is what ultimately drove her to power up for the first time in several months.

Acrucis paused before finally stepping between two bushes. “Hello?” her voice was quiet, almost as if she were scared that if she spoke any louder it would break the tranquility that surrounded the lake.

So many walls had been built up over the last few years that when Albireo asked her to take a seat, Acrucis nearly declined. Like a cold lance to the heart she actually felt numb by her instant response.

How did things get so bad? She wondered to herself as the cold reaction melted and bled into that of guilt. Years ago, when she had been newly awakened, she would have been all too eager to meet someone new no matter their faction; but now… Acrucis was sure her reluctance showed. It was an unfair response to give someone who had been nothing but polite so far and so, with great hesitation, the Senshi of Prayer took a seat, just a few feet away, from Albiero.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you. I was honestly just wanting to make sure you were ok, that you weren’t hurt.” No matter how badly her heart had been broken, that was one facet of her personality that couldn’t be broken; the genuine care and worry she felt towards others who who may be hurt or in need of help. It is why, despite not powering up for quite some time, she had chosen a career in the medical field.

Just because she was a Senshi it didn’t mean she could rely on magic for everything. A hard pill to swallow but was something she had learned to accept a while ago. “My name is Acrucis.” she offered her name in kind with a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips but didn’t quite reach her eyes. “ I’m the Senshi of Prayer. Or rather healing…”

“I wouldn’t say that’s useless. Going out alone might make things difficult but I do think your abilities may be more suited for a group or team.” Unlike Sidouer who could handle herself flying solo with offensive magic, there were others, like herself, who did not fare well when patrolling alone.

“I’ll admit, my healing really isn’t something to be envious about. I find that it’s never as strong as I need it to be.” Turning her head to look out across the lake, Acrucis’ gaze became distant if not sad. “It is only really helpful towards moderate injuries but useless against ailments.” Which is why she had been gathering pearlescent beads from her homeworld. So far she had collected two but planned to search for more when time allowed.

"I'll continue to do what I can though." The smile on her lips fell short of reaching her oceanic colored eyes that looked near black had it not of been for the reflection of the moon of the surface of the lake. Her expression spoke of turbulent times that have not been forgotten, a heavy weight on her frail shoulders and yet, somehow, here she was still standing.

Acrucis blinked back in surprise, but after a moment's hesitation, allowed herself to lean into Albero’s gentle embrace. How long had it been since someone other than her family actually gave her a hug or a partial one at that, she wondered. Too long, she realized, with how foreign it felt.

“Whatever your relationship is with him.” The Senshi of Prayer’s soft-spoken voice broke the pregnant silence after some time had passed. “Keep him close, and keep each other safe. This war… it is heedless in the way it tends to destroy what is most important to us.”

“You know that better than most though, don’t you?” She didn’t miss the way Albiero took the blame for her own memory loss. Though Acrucis had never actually spoken to someone who had switched sides, she was aware of one of the consequences of doing so. Despite only being a super senshi, you don’t survive this long without learning a few things along the way.

The Senshi of Prayer turned to look at Sailor Albireo, her head tilted to the side with her brows furrowed in a confused fashion. “Don’t be sorry.” Her tone was lightly scolding but almost in a motherly kind of way, which was probably odd given that they were around the same age.

“Those people weren’t really good friends to you if they weren’t willing to take time and listed. Especially during these difficult times as you’re trying to figure things out.” Then again, she knew full well that not everyone was equipt with the patience to allow someone to unburden themselves; and those that did often found it difficult to not take on that weight as their own. “It’s poisonous to your health to keep these things inside.”

“At least you don’t have to carry the weight of keeping secrets from your loved one as many of us often have to do.” How many times had she nearly let her own parents in on who she was or what she could do? Same with Tristan; three years they had been going strong but separation due to school had inevitably been what had caused them to part ways.

Thankfully there was Delilah, for a time at least. But as all good things often do, that too came to an abrupt end. In a single moment, their paths diverged in opposite directions. Both fighting on the same side but their values and opinions strongly differed from one another, and that had been the wedge that ripped them apart.

It had left a hollow spot in her already broken heart, a place that had yet to be filled.

"Just be yourself. No one can fault you for that." Acrucis offered her a soft smile then reached over to give her hand a gentle squeeze to reassure Albireo that she truly meant what she had said.

"I'd like that," Acrucis smiled warmly at the other senshi then powered down beside her.

Her aura vanished instantly and in place of the blue and white fuku was nothing more than a simple pair of jeans, a dark grey coat and a comfortable pair of black Sketchers.

"My name is Hannah," reaching into her purse she pulled out her phone. "We can swap numbers if you would like."

“No worries,” Hannah entered her contact information into Olivia’s cell phone and handed it back to her.

“I’ve been picking up extra hours at work, so as long as we plan something a few weeks ahead of time I can make sure to leave the day open.” One of the downsides of working in a hospital and a clinic is that they both seem to always unexplainably be short staffed. Not that she minded the over time since it kept her mind busy and filled the void of loneliness.