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 Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 6:11 pm
One brow arched smoothly in a curious expression as Lyra questioned just how close death was. For any other senshi, it would have been the moment she'd walked through that door. For any other member of the Blood Moon Court, the General Queen would have ripped through their body like tissue paper and left whatever remained when she was done on Ares' doorstep with a bright red bow.
As Scheelite spoke, Tanzanite busied herself with changing the bandages. She had spent years treating her own wounds, and basic first aid was easy enough. The greatest difficulty she had those days was trying to remember her own strength. What had once been a gentle, reassuring squeeze could now break bones. The power and glory of the Negaverse had always come at a price, and for the woman who had very little ability to push the power back out of her now, it would take some getting used to.
She listened quietly, unwrapping the old bandages and cleaning them off. It was surprising to see something so monstrous handle something as gently as Tanzanite did as she changed Scheelite's bandages. Something had changed in the woman. Though her appearance was infinitely more monstrous than it had ever been as a General, her attitude towards the Negaverse had changed. They were her life now. Her family.
They had rescued her from the depths of Hell, and the only humanity and compassion remaining in her corrupted body was reserved only for them. Face to face with a senshi, even with the traitorous Linarite, there would be no scrap of pity. No sign of mercy.
“If it was our intention to kill you, Sailor Lyra,” she murmured, her claws slicing cleanly through the bandages as she taped them off, “I assure you, we would not be taking the time to explain ourselves. I explain myself to no one but Metallia now, not even Beryl.” She did not even offer the woman the title of Queen anymore. It was simply... Beryl.
“Yet here we sit. Having this pleasant conversation. Death is certainly one option, if you would prefer it.
But there is also another.”
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Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 6:35 pm
As scheelite spoke, the look of pity on her features just grew more, and more. She could understand... when they killed Dioptase right before her, she had to stop herself from leaping in... from stopping what was happening. They were humans, they were all human beings. Scheelites story had made her want to reach out, and comfort someone whom she hated with all her guts. No one needed to have seen that, no one. What probably made her watch more curious.. was Lyra picking up to how different Tanzanite acted around her fellow negaversers.
She was almost... motherly. Homely. It was a side of the woman Lyra could have never expected to be there, it came as a shock. "You guys really are a family, huh?" It was something she had forgotten a long, long time ago.
"We don't have that in the Blood Moon... Comrades sure, warriors sure, but i would not trust my back turned to anyone, or to sleep near any of them....let alone bandage my wounds."
Lyra recalled back to the time when her mother would clean her first senshi wounds, the bruises and scrapes she would blame on PE in school, or tripping over herself. She remembered how nice it was.... knowing when things got rough, when times sucked, there was always someone there to watch over her. Someone that she could always go to when she needed this.
In the blood moon court.... she never had this.
She had not been her self for quite a while. Blood, gore, torture, aiding the act of torture, lying... things she used to pride herself on not doing. The easy going, lovable child, she once was was now gone. What happened to it? It was still there... touching her fingers and always slipping away as she tried to grasp it. Gone... she would never be able to go back to that.
Would she?
"I dont deny that you would have killed me, General Queen Tanzanite." A show of respect? Was it truly meant, or more to try and avoid irritating the purple haired female? To be honest, she was wondering why they had yet to kill her.
" I wake up and from the way you opened the doors each time, the door was unlocked. You bring me food... drink... and are just talking to me. My question to you is... Why? Why did you just not kill me straight up?...What do you mean by options?"
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Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 6:46 pm
"What makes you think that some of us don't want you in the family... wouldn't you like that, belonging... a family..."
He pulled his mask down, and half of him wished she might know him, might realize some hint, the stupid little braid that SHE put there when they were very young that had stayed since... a scar, an expression, something...
But if she refused...
If she died...
He didn't want her dying with that knowledge, somehow that just couldn't happen. It would hurt more than knowing she died ignorant, he even thought it might hurt more than knowing that she would forget everything if she accepted.
"We're offering a choice... we...would very much like an answer to that offer."
It was a gentle push but in truth his want for her to answer was as much for HIM as it was for her.
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Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 6:56 pm
Scheelite was quite thankful for Tanzanite's first aid help. The angle was weird to work with, and if he had bandaged them himself the bandages likely would have been quite loose and ineffective. With Tanz though the bandages were gently cleaned and rewrapped, and the boy didn't even flinch when the monstrous youma arm came close. He, afterall, had nothing to fear from it. Tanzanite would never hurt him, not any of them.
The captain remained silent a few moments, simply listening and doing his best to calm himself down from his story. It was something that deeply troubled him, and it always took a bit to drive the memories from his head long enough to carry on with conversation. When he finally did speak again, the first thing was a "Thank you Tanzanite", followed by a move to hug the General Queen. He had always been the more touchy feely of the officers, and as family she definitely deserved a hug for helping him with his wounds.
"We really are a family Lyra. Maybe we weren't at first, but we grew that way and I wouldn't have it any other way. How....how do you work in an environment that doesn't allow you that? They call us monsters...but if being a monster means I get to have a family that cares about me I'd pick that any day."
He paused a moment, considering what his partner was saying. Right...Zinkenite's plan for Lyra all along. Once upon a time he had been against it, viewing it as stealing his opponent away from him. Her death should have been in his hands.
Now? After all the events, the death and blood, the fighting that he still didn't know if he could leap back into any time soon. After all that...
"I would welcome you into our family. With open arms."
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Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 4:35 pm
"...Why... "
"Why of all the senshi you could have chosen, the eternals.. the newlings... the NON BMC members. Why choose me?" She was baffled, not knowing what to say as she looked into the expressions of the three negaversers. A captain, a general... they wanted her here? Hell even the general queen, whom Lyra was still very much afraid of, had to want here SOMEwhat... to not kill her right off.
Something about Zinkenite removing his mask made her look closer> It was something he never did, choosing to stay hidden... She only ever saw his face from the tip of the mask, up. So thats what your face looks like... Deep down, something was poking at her. TELLING her she knew this person...
but the good thing about sailor moon magic, she had no idea who the hell he was still. Just an eery feeling.
Lyra still eyed the food warily.
Face still black and blue, she looked between them all. "So my choice is literally, Die... or join the family? I have two questions... If i may."
"One... What does this joining mean?" She had a hunch, OH boy did she have a hunch, but she wanted to know the terms.
"....Two, what about my brother. Either way. May i see him?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 4:51 pm
"One..." he replied "You have met other Senshi whom have joined us, I think you know what they are like...they believe in what they are fighting for...like we do, like you do. You would serve another queen, you'd be accepted, cared for... you would NOT be left behind."
He paused, tense for a moment at her request.
"Do you... -really- want to see him brought here Lyra... do you want him brought to the heart of the very thing you have been blindly taught to fight? Remember...I only said 'if you want to see him again, I never actually said we -took- him."
It wasn't even a lie when he put it like that, it was just a clever twist, a question with a question, did she want to -really- see him here?
"I think you must know we can't risk bringing you back to peer in windows like the Ghost of Christmas Past..."
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Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 5:34 pm
Scheelite approached this an entirely different way.
For one, he finally left Tanzanite's side and stepped over to the food to get some. Hey! If no one else was going to eat then he sure as hell was going to, because as his stomach was now telling him he was really hungry. The Captain nabbed himself a biscuit and bit into it to edge away the hunger before continuing.
Thankfully he remembered to swallow before speaking.
"Who's your brother?" Acid eyes shifted to Lyra, head tilted in curiosity. "I know I'm just one Captain, but I run a team! If I knew who your brother was, I promise I'd do everything in my power to be sure he stays off the radar and no harm comes to him. Though I can't promise for the other side."
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Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 7:28 pm
"...You know." She said a second after they were finished speaking. The red head just realized something, something that made the terror within her grow. It only grew with each statement or question the two of them flung at her.
She did not CONFIRM they had her brother.
All Zink had to say was 'if you want to see your brother again' and Schee just now to ask for the identity, for her to realize this. How STUPID could she have possibly been, to fall for such a trick? Was this all a trick? A lie? Were they pulling her leg? She followed Zink with no question back there.... she should have known better.
"…Zink, would you kindly tell Schee my brothers identity?" A test… if he answered wrong, she would know this was all a bat s**t lie and she would scream holy murder, and die fighting. If the answer was right? …..She might be willing to listen more.
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Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 7:31 pm
"Half Brother..." He said and paused just for a heartbeat before saying "Zac Bantock..."
The pause alone should have warned Scheelite that -something- was up, but all the same he cast a meaningful glance at Scheelite to PLEASE keep his MOUTH SHUT.
The last thing she needed to know was that their erstwhile 'hostage' was neither a hostage, nor 'safe at home', but that he'd held himself 'hostage'... somehow he doubted that would go over very well.
Probably less so than her offer to 'meet Chloe'.
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Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 7:41 pm
Scheelite had been enjoying another mouthful of biscuit. At least until he heard the identity of Lyra's brother. Then he immediately choked and forced himself to hastily swallow the biscuit before he managed to suffocate himself.
WHAT?!
Seriously just...WHAT. Lyra probably caught the rather confused look on his face as he STARED over at Zink. If...if Zac was Lyra's brother...
"Beth?"
Just a single word, gasped before Scheelite could stop himself. But that look hit him and the Captain quickly shot his hands up to his mouth to cover them.
BETH?! Lyra was Beth?! No no no no no no no NO. If Lyra was Beth....all this time he had been trying to kill his friend. And that night she rescued him from the burning house? He knew he had killed Beth's mom, on accident of course, but....well this certainly explained why Lyra hated him so much! It all made sense, and it all hit Scheelite at the very same time.
Slowly he uncovered his mouth, hands shaking a bit as he did so. Really, these past few days had just been...a bit much on the boy's nerves.
"I...w-would never hurt Zac Bantock."
And then he fell silent once more.
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Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 7:57 pm
The look of suspicion and anger she was giving zink washed away as he muttered the name. It was true... they did know who he was. Even if she tried to play fool now, deny he was her blood relative... it would not save her skin anyways.
"I guess telling him really did bring him in to the war." She had no idea how they found out who he was. Lyra would never blame him, never.. if he was asked for information on who she was. Rather than have him die, if that bit of information saved his life... she would have gladly given up her own for his.
Thankfully for Scheelite, the name muttered under his breath was not heard by the senshi. She was too busy lost in her own thoughts to really do anything else. It was either Die, Or take on the darkness... join this 'family'. Ares words came to mind as she looked at the three of them, the Geneal Queen having gone silent.
Would Lyra be able to stop the darkness? Or be consumed by it...
"If i join your family will you promise to... leave Zac out of this? No..killing, no corruption just... let him live a normal life? As normal a life you can live in Destiny City... I know i am in no way in the position to make demands.... so this is just a request." One if they those to ignore, they could.
Lyra was about to make her verdict...
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Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 8:04 pm
ZInk paused... but nodded "I... swear I won't change anything about his life as it stands." He said with a bow. "Whatever fate falls on him, will be by his own choices and actions... and I promise, your telling him did not bring him into this, it only tied you and he together... I watch a great many people for a great many reasons."
He held out a hand... he wanted to hold her, hug her, he wanted very much to say it would be 'alright', but... it wouldn't be, because 'Beth', would be gone, there would be only 'Lyra', and even that a malleable shell of what she had once been.
"...It's your choice." He said quietly.
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Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 8:11 pm
"Zink..."
His partner's voice was just loud enough to be heard, rather than the overly energetic tone it held in days of old. Acid eyes met with Zink's, it was easy to see what it said
She should know
Just as he had once told Zinkenite that Lina deserved to know about the captured Negaversers. Beth...Beth deserved to know who they were. Wouldn't that simply make her joining that much easier? Even if she'd forget...at least she would have known who they were, and in the simplicity of Scheelite's mind it surely would have worked out for the best.
He never thought of the downsides. It just wasn't something he tried to make a habit of, it quickly led to depression like that which Primase's death had flung him into.
But he still said no more. The look was enough and he held no authority to tell Zink anything anyway. It had to be hard on his partner, and Scheelite was trying not to make it any worse. Biting his lip, he stood by and let the siblings work this one out.
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Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 8:37 pm
Lyra nodded, and for some reason? She felt she could trust the General. Call herself crazy, call herself worn and tired and bloody and bruised. But she trusted the man, he had yet to lie to her at all in all these....talks they had had.
He was the one whom first planted the seed of doubt.
He was the one whom fed that seed, feeding it words rather than water and sunlight... coaxing it to grow, teaching it to root itself in deep. Eventually the seed would blossom, that time? That time was now. She wondered what sort of flower it would look like. Secretly, she hoped for a Hibiscus.
Shaking, she raised her hand up and clasped the Generals tight, using him as a anchor she lifted herself to her feet. They were around the same height, only she was a inch of two shorter. Not enough really to tell for certain...
Sending a glance towards Scheelite, someone whom she thought she would never be able to sit down and chat with like a normal human being... not until a few months ago. She gave a small smile, one he would know as Beths.
Looking between the three of them, eyes settling finally on the General queen.... she clasped the hand she held tightly in fear.
"What do i have to do?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 9:47 am
Tanzanite had never been the touchy feely type. Hell, General King Marthozite had to be on the edge of death for her to even hold his hand while she took his life. She allowed Scheelite to hug her, but the sentiment was not returned. Motherly though she might have seemed, Tanzanite never could nor would be that kind of a person. She'd tried, and failed, before.
The General Queen listened quietly as the other spoke, offering the young woman their own explanations. In truth, she was doing this for Zinkenite's benefit. Sailor Lyra would not remember so much as a word of the conversation in a few moments, but the young General would. It was for his sake that she handled the girl gently. It was for his sake that she listened in silent as that information hung in the air like a white elephant. It had always disturbed her how magic concealed their identities, how they could live and work with senshi without ever realizing it.
Well... once upon a time. Such a life was no longer an option for her.
Tanzanite rested a hand upon Scheelite's shoulder to help settle the boy's nerves, before glancing back to the super senshi as she gave her answer.
“Just try not to scream too much. It's an unpleasant sound.”
Before Lyra would be given a chance to second guess her decision, the General Queen's hand shot forward like lightning. It was the most uncomfortable sensation, the most violating of feelings. Of all the people a senshi would trust to hold their life quite literally in their hands, Tanzanite should have been at the bottom of the list. It was a struggle to overcome the desire to tear it from her chest and be rid of another member of the Blood Moon Court, but this wasn't her endeavor.
She was simply the means to Zinkenite's end.
“General?” She questioned, as though suggesting he add his hand to her own, “It might do you some good to see what this feels like.”
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