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"Not if you've got us around." Zue hadn't really thought about it when he said it, just blithely corrected the Princess - but a few beats later, his thoughts still scrambling to catch up, he nodded and continued. "Princess... the way I see it, there's lots of nasty stuff out there. When we were out there, on the line... do you remember any of that?" Zue didn't, not by much. Just little glimpses in his dreams, especially recently, little invasions of memories. What he did remember, though, was rarely anything short of terrifying. "The Negaverse is just a piece. I don't think it's even supposed to be our jurisdiction. But the Zodiacs right now... the way we are...."

How the hell was he supposed to explain this? He couldn't even tell if this was his personal opinion, or the Zue of the Silver Millennium chiming in from the background. All he could do was run with it and hope, though - and pray that he didn't look as fidgety as he felt. (He might have been doing a good job of covering his nerves, by the way, except for his tail - it liked to twitch around when he got nervous, and he had no control over that.)

"We aren't supposed to be scattered. Virgo's running with the Moon Senshi, she gets hurt. Sagittarius... you know, I never even met him before he died? The Zodiacs aren't standing together, and it's disgraceful. When we're alone," he grimaced, thinking of his own battles, "we get plowed over." You could have called me for help, Zue was thinking; I would have been at your side. But he didn't say that part aloud, opting instead to fix his gaze on her and adamantly declare: "We're a team, Princess; we can fight for each other, and we'll be strong. But I don't think we can fight alone, not without getting hurt or scared or defeated. Not even the strongest or bravest among us."

Was it helping? Zue didn't know if that was helping yet. Maybe it wasn't going to help. Maybe he'd been too lecture-like about it. But damn it, it was the truth, and the Princess had to see that!

"So we'll do it, then. The day after Virgo gets released, we'll call everyone together. Tell them about the new enemy, discuss plans. We will get the Crystal back, but we'll do it all together. And Princess...." Was there a delicate way to say this? Zue thought about it carefully, but couldn't find one. "Way I see it, until we know more about the Serenity who stole your Crystal and whether she's the Moon Kingdom's, we need to be careful. Don't count on the Moon senshi, not until we know." The last thing he or anyone else wanted was the Zodiac Court in conflict with the Moon Court - but neither did he want for any of his Zodiacs to get stabbed in the back while they were out on patrol with would-be allies. He would be looking for Astraea and trying to get answers out of her, but until he caught up with her, they needed to be cautious.

Until that time, though - and until the meeting - there was just one issue left to take care of. "Give Elke a call, go and see her," Zue urged Serenade. "Don't make me drag you out of here by your ear. You're too big for that." Not in this form, anyway - but, given that he seemed settled into this form (and, more to the point, didn't think he could switch into either of his other forms yet), he'd just pretend that possibility wasn't of any consequence.

This answer seemed to appease the Guardian, who nodded his head in curt approval. "Good." Serenade was back on her feet now; Zue could relax. They hadn't gotten this second (or third?) chance at life to be miserable - they had to rise above it. There was to be no more screaming into pillows, no more staring at ceilings. Once the Princess had pulled herself back together and the team was prepared, they would hold together and strike back!

For now, though, the challenges were much simpler. Serenade needed to rejoin daily life - and Zue, well....

The cat rose, his gaze going uneasily back to the windowsill. It had been a difficult trip up, and going down, he knew, was going to be even worse. Still, he couldn't exactly hang around here all day, could he? "... I'd better get going, I guess," he commented reluctantly, not quite able to will himself to go jumping out the window and put himself at the mercy of gravity just yet.

"Uh--" Zue seemed to freeze up then, caught without the right words to say. It wasn't a small feat, considering he'd been stiff and unmoving already - it was like watching the Tin Man being caught in a rainstorm without his oil can. His brain sure felt like it was rusting over just then, gears refusing to budge. "... Riiiight, well. That'd be the thing to do, wouldn't it?"

Gee, Zue thought, This'd be a real convenient time to be able to change again!

Long pause. Running on too long, now; the Princess was sure to be getting suspicious.

I SAID, THIS WOULD BE A REAL CONVENIENT TIME TO--

"Well, way I see it," Zue said aloud, just the slightest trace of panic in his voice, "I gotta learn to do this sometime, right? Might as well be now." And without any further ado, he launched himself up onto the windowsill - teetered there a moment, getting his bearings - and launched himself across the gap. The tree shook as his paws latched around the branch he'd chosen, and his heart went right into his throat when the limb gave a terrifying snapping noise - but it must have just been bark cracking, because the limb did not fall.

This time. There'd still be an number of those jumps to go, and Zue was feeling a bit weak-kneed at the moment. Better for him to sit here, just a bit, to get his nerve back. Taking one glance back toward the Princess's window, he moved further in toward the tree, hoping to hide behind the foliage. With any luck, Serenade would think he'd made it out on his own and would go about her business without worrying about him. Certainly, with any luck, she wouldn't get to thinking exactly what that insincere quaver in his voice had been, when he'd made up his excuse and gone flying out the window....