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Babylon

"No," said Babylon to the page at his side. "Not the Code." The Code would have no reason to take this form and feign ignorance like this. The Code was omniscient. When it had awoken, it had had no need to ask them for the cliff notes version of the last thousand years... or whatever. "Something ancient and powerful... but not the Code."

Raising his voice, he addressed the shadowy figure - "Sir, Babylon Knight of Mercury at your humble service. How long have you been gone, so we know where to start? And where have you been?"

Respectful listening. Thoughtful questions. That was what he'd learned from the Code.

"Truthfully," he added, still to the ancient creature, "We serve our own interests. Whatever banner motivates our continued survival - but they are all different names for Order. Our ultimate goal is to restore balance to the universe, to reach dynamic equilibrium with Chaos."

Fancy words. He'd listened well - but Babylon knew he had no authority here. He'd no sooner finished speaking than he expected someone to contradict him.

Scylla, Kraken (late arrival, rudely stuffing her butt through the crowd as politely as possible)

The Negaverse agent that she had been following had slipped away from her, and even the Ashen Lilac Crystal had been unable to help her in her pursuit. Scylla's head was thumped against a wall in irritation when the energy signal had come. A beacon, of sorts, so strong and so... odd. So she followed it, unsure of what danger she was walking into. But wasn't that the long and short of it, lately? Every breath was a danger.

When she arrived, there was already a crowd. Being short, Scylla took advantage, trying to squeeze around and weave through the taller people. (Lucky taller people.) She didn't know almost anyone here- she spent too much time out of the city and out of the country, but it seemed that the basis of the Order side hadn't much changed. If she wasn't so invested... The necklace from Andromache's tomb burned at her throat, and the Ashen Lilac crystal hummed, dangling from a clumsily-made bracelet at her wrist; the two clanked together as she gripped the jewel, eyeing the stranger.

The stranger rose, un-hunching, eyes glowing. And for a while it watched, and Scylla watched in return, ignoring the waves of voices and the questions being thrown at the figure. Her power stirred under her skin, as it always seemed to, the more that Scylla came back to life and repair, impatient for use. At last the figure spoke and she started, listening to the gravelly disused voice, ears almost twitching at the accent. A male, then, unless it was a woman with a very deep voice. She was leaning towards male. He was a professional speaker, it seemed, or had been preparing this speech for a very long time, and not native. The words were too careful, the sentences too shortly structured. There was a contraction that struck out oddly to her- I won't waste your time., when there were other places he elected not to contract- But perhaps his linguistic choices weren't the point.

His questions were, and her lips curled wryly at them. It was not derision, for many of the questions had been asked before. And the answers were varied, and as individually dependent as a few others seemed to be already indicating. There were still more murmuring their own inquiries to him, and Scylla was unable to hear those. He might be able to- who knew?

It was both reassuring and disheartening to feel that the White Moon was as fragmented as it ever was. At least the Blood Moon had been united under a leader, organized... But perhaps that was what had led to Ares' corruption. Pride, and greed for battle. It was something Scylla had thought about far too much. Her own mistakes, and the loss of so many she had loved and held dear, and how she had driven away the rest in her grief. Still, those regrets were not the purpose here. The fragmentation and separate goals of the Court was not, either. At least, so far, they were only snipping at each other. There was no throat-cutting or lifelong vendettas being sworn.

What had he expected to see, when he came here? What did he remember? He had spent so much time planning, yet the world had changed- where had he been planning, to have not seen it? And what had he missed? Oh- she hoped that if they chose to educate him, she got to tell him about the 20th century and Rock'n'Roll. (Not that it had anything at all to do with saving the world, but she would get a kick out of introducing a stranger from the past to David Bowie, the Rolling Stones, and Queen.) Who they served, and what their goal was- those were things that no one could answer as a whole. What he had missed depended on so very much- though he had shaken his head right after, so perhaps that question was unimportant.

He offered information, but how out of date was it? Or was that information related to powers? So many questions, so many ways this could go wrong. And yet, Scylla was expendable. So what did it hurt her to open her mind to the possibility that for once, for the first time ever, something might go right? She gripped her right elbow with her left hand, letting the gem fall, and her fingers instead twisted with her crystal, thoughtfully gazing at the stranger. She could speak, but her voice would, surely, be lost in the crowd. It usually was- she was no one important, and there were still those who remembered the mistakes she had made as part of the Blood Moon Court, and her association with the parallels. Even those who eyed her unusually colored and shaped eternal 'wings' as a sign of corruption- that opinion had been a surprise!

Instead, she nodded simple, quiet acquiescence to the stranger's hope and simple appeal for alliance and the sharing of information. An expression of interest, a promise of nothing. She would listen, and she would watch, and would be willing to share as she could, should it be information that could be harmless. She could even offer him a certain level of hospitality. He said he couldn't walk unnoticed, but there were always things to do about that while he attempted to regain his bearings. Scylla, too, had questions that answers would be expected to.

As she knew- she was expendable. If it was betrayal, well- then they would know, at minimal cost.

Teide is following Hvergelmir to stand by Castor

Trailing behind Hvergelmir like some kind of pastel shadow was Teide Knight of the Cosmos, who still viewed herself as some kind of padawan learner to the older girl despite being full-rank herself. Teide didn't mind that Hvergelmir had made a beeline for Castor upon their arrival - she rather liked Castor, even if he'd scared the bejeesus out of her during her purification. More, she was uncomfortable with how close to the front they were - and to the strange man. Man?

She had a suspicion that he wasn't human. The eyes were all wrong. Like Voldemort.

She didn't like his aura, either.

It wasn't Chaos, dark and loamy, tinged with the iron smell of blood, sharp with the suggestion of ragged corners and filed teeth. It wasn't Order, either, warm like a blanket fresh from the dryer on a cold night, sweet like fresh bread but never cloying, the comfort of kind calling to kind.

No. He was neither. He was off, the medicinal smell of trying to cover up rot.

"I don't like this," she whispered to Hvergelmir. "He doesn't feel right."

Thraen, Eternal of Gardens

The waving of good and fundamental questions that would show the very trust the being was declaiming was a warning bell- it was a redirection tactic. And the voice had too much honey in it. Knowing a who or what you are, as part of an introduction is not only courtesy, but necessary if you want petitions of any Others. Yet this one skips it? Why. Not even a name, false or otherwise given. At least Wolframite gave an alias as the white phoenix. 'Who do we serve' is of the same vein. We are found lacking then? An announcement given only to that one, and preferring to treat with them?

The voice from his side was impressive as well. Scholomance had found some way through his burgeoning panic to calm, speak and think. A good sign. The other words coming out were equally good- returning to the stepped over questions circuitously. If you demand information out of trust from us, then give it forth- your time and date. And some information may come out more with it by necessity.

There were more still arriving. Some speaking. There was Babylon, Hvergelmir. An eternal he didn't know. Another knight. Many upon many. Was the geas still active, then? Or a function of so many in one spot?

The purposeful 'mystery' smacks of being evil. Either a set up in the making, or asking for an alliance. Like Wolframite. Finally, Thraen spoke in volume courteous but enough to cross a lecture hall to reach all, and especially the cloaked figure. "A Petitioner (Cloaked Figure) begins trust to prove faith."

Hvergelmir Knight of the Cosmos, standing near the front between Teide and Castor

It was a difficult thing, in some ways, to be in a group. Most of what Hvergelmir did was done alone. She didn't ask anyone else to walk in the cage with the lion -- just herself. Of all the risks she put on others, it was the only one she was used to assuming for herself and only herself.

If this was dangerous, it was dangerous for everyone here -- not just her. And she couldn't exactly ask the rest of them to leave. What made Hvergelmir any more qualified to represent them all than anyone else was?

Castor was wrong. She was not a leader.

She was also, though, not someone who was inclined to ever tell someone to ignore their instincts entirely. Hvergelmir believed in the principle of the gift of fear -- and that if Teide felt unsafe, she ought to be encouraged to feel that there was no shame in heeding her mind's warnings.

"Caution is a wise thing," she said gently to her fellow knight. "We'll try to learn what we can here -- but safely. It takes bravery to find the balance between hardening our hearts and ignoring our fears."

Talking cats... Talking cats were new.

Sintashta looked down at the feline, silent for a moment.

"Ah, hello.." He said finally, after clearing his throat.

Sintashta wasn't sure what else to say to a cat, but then his attention was again divided when he sensed something, someone, and he couldn't describe the feeling. It was strong, yet felt more meaningful to him than the others. He looked around, despite his eyes did not know what they were looking for. Realizing this, he looked back to the cat. Then to the being. Then the crowd again.

How does one compute?

There seemed to be so much going on all at once, but Nirvana six what he could to keep focused. He gave a gentle nod to Sabine and the other young page at her side. If nothing else he could be cordial.

He was about to speak once more to Phact when she was lifted and spun away from him. In confusion, he cocked his head, even as a smile formed in his lips. So, she had someone to protect her. This was a blessing, even if it meant that he would need to back off.

"A pleasure, Havasu. Phact had been a kind guide for me in the ways of this war. I am glad i am meeting the one that fills her heart with joy." Even as he spoke the words, they did not seem to reach his eyes. He did his best and wad only ask the more grateful when the hooded figure began to speak.

A proposition? An alliance? Things like this to be offered so very soon, even before knowing exactly who this man was, was brazen to say the least. He took it upon himself to add to Phact's words "We serve The Code, or some personal representation of it. Mussels i hips to the code of old. Protecting those that need it, and holding true to kindness and chicory l chivalry where due."

He took a gentle bow to the figure, his eyes meeting his wirh a strong resolve. "Nirvana, page of Pluto. I keep the balance where i can."



Kastra would have had a moment to reply to the other, had she not been calories by the sound of that dark whisper. She turned her head to their host, her eyes wide as she caught a glimpse of those glowing eyes. "Wow..." She looked to the other, showing him her confusion. She was do new to this, she knew so little. This was an adventure.

Glitnir, Knight of Mars

Glitnir was quite intrigued by the notion of a proposal, but also by the figure's questions. He wanted to hear this mystery man out, and perhaps answering his questions (though he had been beaten to it multiple times over) would open the way for further negotiations. It might also start him off on the right foot towards becoming a proper guide, if not exactly in a conventional way. "As some of the others have said, our 'masters' and goals are wide and varied. I think most of us can agree, though, that Chaotic forces are our enemy, or at least the Negaverse is. As for what you've missed... I think it'd take more time than we all have to give you a full history lesson of however many years you've missed, but if you look around, you can at least see the surface changes, right?"



Eternal Sailor Megrez, Sailor Sadachbia

Sadachbia perked up and leaned in, trying to absorb the mysterious figure's every word. Somehow, the man's mention of trust particularly struck a chord with her; he barely knew the faces of the current forces of Order, and yet he sought an alliance with them. "It's kind of flattering that you want to put all that trust in us, but what I'd really like to hear is your proposal. It sounds like you've got something really big in the works for us, and we kind of have to hear it before we can say yes or no. Everyone else is trying to answer your questions, so maybe you should answer some of ours, right?"

Megrez gave Sadachbia a nudge. "Don't be rude to mystery men," she said, before scanning the crowd. As she did, she caught sight of Elpis, and shot a wave back at her. When the Senshi of Metal spoke, she couldn't help but smile a little inside at how noble that girl's intentions were. Stay gold, Ponyboy. It would be really sad if something happened to tarnish that spirit.

Super Sailor Cor Caroli

Cor Caroli had kind of been farting around, watching Fornax go about his business and periodically scanning the crowd. He did spot Elpis waving at him, and he waved back with a goofy grin. He needed to take her to that cafe he'd found on his wanderings, for sure. Meanwhile, closer to him, Fornax seemed to be doing well, despite his initial nervousness. "Looks like you're hitting it off," he said to Fornax, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "You sound like a smart cookie, kid," he said to Cadmus. "Maybe for us less experienced folks, it would be best to just listen and pick up what we can and let the stronger folks do the talking."




Sailor Porrima

Porrima couldn't help but feel a little awe at the apparent ease with which Elpis stated her objectives. Surely, it came with experience, as Porrima still had no idea what she was doing but clobbering the occasional agent or youma. "Great job, Senpai," she said with a joking twist to her smile as she let her inner weeb out for a second. "No, really. You make it sound so cool." It was nice to have someone better at the senshi thing to do do the talking for her; she was more of the listen and learn type, and it seemed that she was going to have a lot of learning to do from this event alone.