|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 4:06 pm
Next to Sailor Pyxis, Sailor Europa was practically shaking from how high she was trying to raise her hand. Apparently she was under the impression that this meeting functioned like a fifth grade science classroom. After Pyxis's question, it was up to the other member of Team Anglerfish to make their duo not look totally stupid, so when Luna nodded in her direction, she hopped to her feet and blurted, "My question is not dumb or about cell phones."
"The negaverse don't fight fair," she prefaced, nodding to Sailor Libra. Her friend knew what she was talking about. "They attack to kill, and I was wondering, are we to attack to kill as well? What's the appropriate amount of force to use in fighting them?"
She, personally, was not sure how she felt about killing people. Wasn't that what they were trying to prevent from happening? Well, at least it wasn't a question about cell phones.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 4:35 pm
"Force?"
It sounded as though Luna was puzzled, at first. Europa's fingers had stretched to the ceiling: it had been a little unkind to ignore her through Sirius' question, too, but maybe Astraea had a little Severus Snape in her in the face of Tallulah Granger. At least she'd called on her. "Force, Europa? Force. You ask about force."
Silence had fallen now. There was something about Luna's slightly bugeyed gaze. Some of the irritation had shed off. Astraea almost looked dignified: she turned away, and she said: "Chloe. Get me a pen. Ophelia -- the board."
Chloe had seen something Astraea, and they knew enough of each other to do it: the other golden-haired, golden-skinned guardian cat had padded over to go and retrieve the whiteboard used by the gym team for basketball strategies, and was already scrubbing everything off it. Apparently Astraea didn't bother enough with Montecristo or Abel to give them orders, and took the pen from Chloe's outstretched hand --
She wrote on it for a long while.
In the end, on it was a list, which everyone craned their heads to read:
Usagi Tsukino Ami Mizuno Makoto Kino Rei Hino Minako Aino Haruka Tenou Michiru Kaiou Setsuna Meiou Hotaru Tomoe Mamoru Chiba
Alistair McGill
(Aries did not put her hand on Chronos', just put her fingers next to hers)
Jude Lawson Sidra Winters Danika Cybele
Beneath that was written:
Barren Pines
And underlined.
"These people are all dead," said Luna. "Why are they dead, Kunzite? Why don't you answer Sailor Europa?"
There had been no accusation in Kunzite. No recrimination, not even the vaguest undertone of loathing.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 4:58 pm
There was a moment of silence as Kunzite's pale-shod feet crossed the distance between her chair and the whiteboard, silver sword at her side. This meeting was the first time most, the vast majority of them, had seen the Cavalier, though it was not the first time many had heard of her: word of Sidra Winters' death had traveled, as had word of the peculiar senshi (or not-senshi?) who looked like a general of the Negaverse. She looked impassive, but she took the pen from Astraea's hand without hesitation and wrote under it:
The people of Earth, in dozens, hundreds and millions
"I wasn't aware you were running a nursery school here, Luna."
She turned to face the crowd.
"Or perhaps just a gaggle of spoiled lackwits who wouldn't know the value of human life if you murdered their own mothers in front of their slackjawed faces."
Now she underlined Usagi Tsukino; after that, Rei Mizuno; and each name on the list, until she reached The people of Earth and that she underlined once, twice, three or four or five times, and then circled it.
"Perhaps you are not aware. Perhaps you are not aware of what they did to your Prince, the Prince of Earth. Or his bride, the Princess. Or their soldiers. Or your own soldiers. I'll grant that that's true," she sounded icy cool at the moment, a poised mezzo, "and perhaps it is. I wouldn't put it past your current level of perceptiveness, soldiers."
Then her words came thundering out, like a drill sergeant, in what had to be mostly a snarl: "There is no excuse to be unaware of the people they murder every day. Force? You're asking about force? You're asking about force when they rip the life out of the men, women, and children of Destiny City? When their precursors murdered the Moon Court wherever they found it? When their precursors slaughtered the kingdom of Earth on the strength of a betrayal? To hell even with what you have to avenge," she spat, smacking her hand down hard on the whiteboard with a loud crack, "think of what you have to protect. Consider this. Every time you fail to kill a soldier of the Negaverse, they will murder ten more. Every time you let them go again, they will murder another ten. Do you feel a sense of responsibility to your fellow human beings? Or are you more concerned with getting blood on your hands?"
There was an even louder thunk as Kunzite brought her fist down on the desk of the first unlucky senshi she passed in her pacing. "You will use all the force that you have," she said, now back to coldness: "You will use the strongest force you have. You will use the deadliest force you have. You will make them bleed into the pavement, you will rip out their throats, you will run them through and nail them to the walls. You do anything less and more people will die. I never thought I would have to explain this. Have I made myself absolutely clear?"
This was possibly the most words anyone had heard Kunzite say at one time. She stepped back, pale eyes glaring out at the crowd, mouth in a thin line.
"It has never been any different for the Cavaliers," she said in a more even voice. "Nor the senshi, lest you think you can exempt yourselves by thinking me bloodthirsty. That is the force the Moon Court showed me when I was a General of the Negaverse. That is the force you will show them unless you intend to be an utter disgrace. Like I said," she folded her arms and stepped next to Astraea again, like a marble soldier in a chess set, "I had no idea this was up for discussion."
It didn't look like she was taking questions.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 5:09 pm
There was another long moment of silence. Captain Aries had to be restrained by her Princess, who had no compunctions about putting her hand on her Captain's own in order to do so: otherwise the meeting might have been terribly hijacked then and there. The silence was long and awkward. Eventually, Luna said: "If anybody has any questions on that, you can ask the Cavaliers."
Which was like saying: or maybe you should jump off a building and save yourself the trouble.
"The Moon Court agrees with the Captain's stance."
Or at least the one representative.
Another hand had risen from the crowd: Luna gestured to the dark-haired girl in the green skirt, curtly. "Sailor Alcyone. Yes?"
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 6:52 pm
Bellatrix could live with being called inarticulate. She could barely stand, however, finally knowing the facts behind this Negaforce they were warring against. And to think she had ever once wondered why she fought, or whether she was on the right side. A part of her felt like she should have known - the same part of her that had always known. Bell still considered herself and Bellatrix to be two different people in the same body. The more she learned though..the more she saw and the more she fought the more that Bell knew that they were, indeed, one in the same. Bell was Bellatrix - Bellatrix was Bell. This wasn't just a role for a play. And there was no running from this fate that she had tried to deny since being awakened.
For once the Senshi of Fortitude had what she needed to go forth and accept her duty. She was one with herself and her sphere. Though her pale blue eyes held tears, the look in them was steadfast, and ready for any challenge. Bellatrix would never...never more..disgrace those fallen in this longstanding war. She'd no longer disgrace...their memory.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2010 7:53 am
It felt like an intensely heavy static to Sailor Alcyone as she entered the room that was filled with the people that she had been searching for in her patrolling nights. It was a burning bright lightbulb causing sunspots to her eyes; she almost wondered if this was a dream. There were so many of them. How could she have missed any on those long and lonely nights? There were very few familiar faces to the senshi of storm, though she managed to sift through them all to find the one that mattered most to her.
She sat down next to Sailor Atlas, though Astraea/Luna began her riveting speech before she had a chance to say hello. There was a lot for Alcyone to take in: she had no idea that the guardian cats had the power to transform into cat-eared people, or to create magical tracking cellphones (she tested its ability on Atlas to find it working in tip-top shape). There were waves of questions that were tossed to Astraea's begrudging intellect, all important in their own way; well, some of them, anyways.
A thought had struck her early on: she already has broken her own dino-phone through her mini tempests a dozen times; it was amazing the thing could still function, though she's sure the phone-repair station with her provider were not pleased to see her dark face enter the store, time and time again, with the same problem. Seeing that all the questions were about the phone, she tentatively raised her hand high, and waited with each passing answer.
That is, until Kunzite came onto the stage. She couldn't help but freeze at her "teaching" antics, and when it was all said and done, she almost forgot that her hand was raised, and would have, had the guardian cat not called on her name.
Well, what a shitty time to be asking her not-important question.
"Er," She hesitated, suddenly very aware of every face that filled the gym. "I....er...I'm sorry to be changing the subject, but I was wondering if these phones were attack-proof. You mentioned they were water-proof; what about a lot of water?" What about a downpour of angry rain fall?
Damn her bad timing. She looked forward, waiting for that eye-roll and berating that Astraea was so well-known for.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2010 12:34 pm
"Your attacks are devastating magical attacks," said Luna, though now she sounded wearily as though the world was too much with her rather than ready to throw Alcyone into the cornfield. "They are your offensive energy. These cellphones are made of plastic with a few magical defenses. If your cellphone gets in the way of an attack, it will break. If anyone comes up with a magical substance that can block attacks, they can come to me and I will give them a lollipop."
Another hand had risen, without embarrassment or shame. The guardian cat inclined her grey-tressed head towards a girl dressed mostly in near-blacks. "Sailor Corvus. If anyone else asks about cellphones I will have the person sitting next to them hit them with one."
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2010 1:28 pm
She had come to the summons, as they all had, finding her place on the bleachers amongst them. There were three out of this entire auditorium that she knew; one who had saved her through awakening her and two who she had fought alongside. Only one of those two did she currently consider friend enough that she would have found a place to sit beside her had she not been gathered with the other Guardian Cats.
She had listened patiently through the Question and Answer session, the answers (the attitude) only serving to fuel her frustrations at being pulled away from bed for this. It was one thing to know that somewhere out there the Negaverse was at work, the youma were roaming and god only knew what was still lurking in the park that they should be out fighting at this hour, but no... Instead here they were, raising their hands so that one by one they could ask some of the most pointless questions that she'd ever heard.
Once or twice she'd rolled her eyes. Once or twice she'd pondered what sort of consequences there would be, and how big of a scene it would make, if she just stood up and walked out now that she'd been presented with her tracking device.
It was the list that struck a chord deep within the Senshi of Vengeance. All of those names... All lost.
There was a sense that somewhere amongst it all should be a moment of silence, some time to reflect, but instead they were all treated to a lecture from Kunzite who, then and there, she decided that she did not like at all. She could hardly believe that the beautiful, sweet, serene Moon Princess of her dreams would agree with him. If she did why on earth would every dream she'd had so far of her leave her feeling so at ease?
When her name was called she stood, glancing around for a moment before speaking.
"I have no doubt that these 'cell phones' will be of great use to those of us who wish to use them, but what if we don't? I have no interest at all in being traceable by anyone who gets it in their head to scan my body with their phone on chance." God only knows it was bad enough that in speaking she'd singled herself and her opinions out, and with so many phones? Ugh.
"What if we just don't play well with others?" Despite the slight trace of a smirk on her lips it was quite clear that she was serious about the question, whatever her reasons may have been for having it.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2010 1:35 pm
"You have three options there, Corvus," said Luna, who was smoothing out the daffodil-yellow folds of her pretty dress and looking irascible about having it in the first place. "The first option is that you become so amazingly super-powered that you can face down the General-King in one-to-one combat, floss your teeth with his dreadlocks and declare yourself God-Emperor of Earth." She had taken the whiteboard marker again to point it at the pretty, dark-eyed, dark-haired girl, whose face was marred by that arrogant twist to her mouth. "The second option is that you die. The third option is that you suck it down and learn to work together. Find someone who doesn't make you completely nauseated. Ask around. If anyone thinks they would like to work with the, ahem, goddamned Batman over there, go and talk to her after the meeting."
The marker swung to the others. "That goes for anyone thinking that they're hot s**t. There's a fate worse than death, you know. Charonite can corrupt senshi. Charonite can turn you into one of his own. He turned two of our most powerful senshi to his side, and it took Kunzite to bring one down. We're still after Tisiphone.
"You're going to be traced. You'll probably thank the phone one day."
Corvus did not look as though she felt this would happen any time this century.
The pen swung around to a green-haired girl. "Sailor Saiph."
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2010 4:30 pm
Saiph had been leaning against the wall, simply listening to the buzz of conversation around her. At first, she'd felt a certain weary relief that this meeting had been arranged. That had been at first. Before Astraea/Luna (here her mind shortened the name to Astruna for easier mental processing) had turned out to be quite possibly the world's snarkiest walking geek fetish. She hadn't missed the anger in the one red-haired senshi's voice when her group hadn't been granted phones and privately she agreed with what had been said. Why isolate a group? Particularly if they had a princess with them? ********, weren't they all supposed to be hunting for a princess to protect?
And then the insults had started flying. Saiph felt her lips thin out in anger until you could have used them to draft the perfect line for geometry. This was who was in charge? Someone who couldn't seem to manage a single civil word? What would she do for an encore? Rip off a baby's head for whimpering and then drink its blood? Granted, her own patience at some of the questions was being strained, but at least she knew how to make nice with the other kiddies in the sandbox.
It was only when the slim brunette, Kunzite, began to speak that Saiph felt as if her evening wasn't going to be an entire waste. She might not agree with the idea of killing anyone, the very thought made her sick, but she did agree that the problem had to be faced and tackled head-on.
And so it was that her body language managed to convey an odd mixture of respectful deference in Kunzite's direction and absolute disdain in Astruna's when she was called on. Pushing herself upright, she stared at the catgirl with unblinking, flat eyes, her ruined voice grating out the words.
"Why now? Why didn't we have something like this before we lost two of our own? And why don't they," here her chin jutted in the direction of the Zodiacs, "get them? We're all on the same ********' side, right? So why isolate a faction? Especially if there's a Princess involved? Seems kind of like inviting disaster to me not giving all of us the same edge in this fight."
Crossing her arms belligerently, she her entire posture conveyed the words far more loudly than her voice could have, You are a b***h. I don't like you, you don't impress me and I sure as ******** don't respect you.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2010 7:14 pm
"So the dumbass parade has reached its zenith," said Astraea. "Zodiacs, here's one for you. Do you want it? Are you sure? All right."
Aries had not in fact said anything, face stony, but the blue-eyed catgirl put her hands on her hips as she squinted over at the Primordial senshi in the bleachers. Her voice started out softly -- "The Zodiacs do not get your cellphones because they can't use them, Einstein. Your phones are connected to your senshi identity. They are a different faction. They are the Zodiac Guard. You are the Moon Court. It took me three, that's three, hours of my life just to get Captain Kunzite's phone to sync with him and it still doesn't work properly! That is three hours of my life I want back."
Ophelia was edging closer and closer, perhaps with a tranquilizer. Luna's tail was lashing. "If you have a magical solution to how we can streamline the Zodiac power with our own, I will hail you as the most unlikely genius to have ever lived."
Now the golden-haired cat was gently easing the marker out of Astraea's clamped fingers, which was apparently difficult job. She herself wiped beads of sweat off her forehead again. "I'll let the Zodiacs introduce themselves at this point. Aries."
Captain Aries stepped off of the bleachers and walked to the guardian cat, giving Kunzite a remarkably chill nod as her red cape fluttered behind her like a banner. You could never accuse Aries of not looking the part. She said: "I am Aries, captain of the Zodiac Guard. This is our princess, Chronos."
Heads turned towards the smallest princess ever.
"We are a different faction, related to the Moon Court by blood," she said. "We have been your distant allies in the past. Traditionally, the Zodiacs have worked alone. I am not talking in arrogance when I say that the Zodiacs are all more powerful than a normal senshi -- but the way this war is being fought means we can't draw the lines so cleanly between Zodiac and Moon Court."
She drew one knifebound hand out to gesture at the Zodiacs again. "These are the Soldiers," she said. "We're the survivors of Barren Pines. Most of us have already died once. We're thirteen strong plus our guardian, Zue. We're down one man from a sneak attack by Captain Obsidian, who you probably already know as a psychotic killer! We do not let this stand!" The hand was dropped. "But we are your allies. And I'm ending our isolation here. If you want to -- patrol -- with us -- " It sounded as though it was a little difficult to get out. "Talk to me. Talk to the Princess. Don't know how to fight? We'll teach you. But I will not lose anyone else through isolation."
Her gaze swung around to Corvus. "Fight alone and you'll die," she said bluntly. "It's the stupidest thing you could possibly do. The Dark Kingdom's more organised. The Dark Kingdom knows how to coordinate. Look at you! Look at all of you! Around fifty strong and you're dithering about working in groups? You are a brotherhood. A sisterhood. So act like one, not a damned collection of ego-ridden superheroes."
She turned away. "I won't say more. If you want to die and waste your chance of doing something, of saving the world, go out alone. If you don't, start doing what the Negaverse are doing: working together and planning an offensive."
It was one of the Zodiac's own hands who had started to raise now. Aries said, ignoring an eyeroll from Luna: "Soldier Virgo. Go ahead."
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2010 7:24 pm
Virgo had spent most of the meeting so far alternately consoling Pisces over lack of cell phone, holding Leo's hand, and smiling at the Princess. Once or twice she'd blushed at the actions of the Captain, but those weren't things she could question or hope to change. Instead, she sat and listened--got a little teary at Kunzite's description of necessary force, at Jude's name on the bulletin board--hugged her Princess and then raised her hand.
The title she was given was familiar, made her stand a little straighter in her place between Leo and Pisces; she linked her hands behind her back and, after a look from Zue to Aries to Astraea, she finally said, "I don't... understand. I know I should know who Luna is, but I don't. So, um, I wanted to know... I know it's important, but why?"
Someone smacked her on the back of the head. "Ow!"--she turned and frowned at Zue--"I'm not trying to question your authority! I just want to know."
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2010 7:58 pm
"Oh, for Serenity's sake, I can introduce myself," snapped Astraea as Aries opened her mouth. "I am -- I will be -- I was -- I am again -- Luna, the advisor to Queen Serenity of the Kingdom of the Moon. I am the guardian of Sailor Moon, the Moon Princess, and the future Moon Queen. I am -- "
Her voice took on that odd, not-Astraea quality again, though it seemed that Astraea knew what she was doing. In a tone less filled with the wrathful implication that she would enjoy sticking all of their heads in ovens, she said: "I served Sailor Moon in Japan, in the 1980s. I am now reborn in Astraea -- me -- to find her again. In the Silver Millennium I guarded her mother. I am sworn to the Moon Kingdom. I'm your guide. Bunny would have wanted it this way."
After a moment she said, in a more normal voice: "That is, Sailor Moon." And she seemed awkward as hell, glad to fill it with: "Sailor Foramen, you've got a question?"
(Aries was now standing next to Kunzite, both of them assiduously staring straight ahead.)
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2010 8:50 pm
Against his better judgement, Foramen was indeed present. Rather than hiding in a dark corner, he was instead lurking close by the Zodiacs, or rather, close by Zue, who Foramen had needed a double-take to recognise. Much as he didn't respect Team Failure - how many times had they died now? - he at least knew them from Barren Pines. They were a safer bet than the other misfits in the room.
So he was here, unobtrusive and quiet (and therefore unoffensive), soaking up the rare tidbits of useful information that were presented. And boy, did he mean rare. The cellphone got barely a glance, and Foramen didn't much care what it could or couldn't do. He tossed it over to Zue to have a look at, since the Zodiacs were phone-less. Lucky bastards.
But there was some useful information to be had. This 'Kunzite' character had some interesting knowledge, and Foramen was certainly filing Astraea's other life (and failure to keep any of those senshi alive) away for future use.
But yes, he had questions. He eyed Astraea, voice calm despite their mutual dislike. "I won't bother asking for the Senshi 101 information handout, since I'm guessing no one received that from you, and the basics I've worked out for myself." He wouldn't bother to speak of the embarrassment of having to ask his opponent in battle who the hell they were and what they were after. Clearly the answer was 'Negaverse', judging from a few comments here and there through the meeting so far.
"What I would like to know is why the Negaverse is after starseeds. If their only goal was to eliminate millions of the people of Earth - as the whiteboard there suggests - then why not just kill them? Instead, they're harvesting crystalised souls. Why?"
Foramen would like to know what his starseed-gathering rivals were up to. And hey, sticking a wrench in their plans would just be the icing on a very satisfying cake.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2010 9:25 pm
"It's life energy, you dipshit," said Luna succinctly, having reverted to form. "I thought you had a quarter of a brain, considering you've zomg worked things out. What do you think they power themselves and their youma on? Five vegetables a day?"
She had taken the marker pen back from Ophelia, and now she jabbed it over in the direction of Miriam Jacobs. "If everybody is so lost as to what the plot is," she said, "I think it's time to explain the cavaliers, Captain. Floor's yours. Stab anyone you don't like if it's not in their vitals."
(She didn't sound like she was joking.)
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|