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She had at least managed to get Zia to stay, though she wasn't sure if that's what she wanted anymore when Zia addressed her. Yes, her words were harsh, insulting even, and while Tsui would have wanted to snap right back, maybe even lash out, she had to restrain herself. Because Zia wasn't wrong, about any of those things. The more she was reminded of her old self, even if it was only a few months ago, the more she hated that brash, thick-headed brat, but she felt she had no right to say anything to defend herself. Just... accept the mockery, the criticism wrapped in harsh barbwires, and try to hope that she had enough wit about her to be able to say something coherent and not just break down.

Tsui hated crying, more than anything else, and as right as Zia, and Zirconia, were, she'd be damned if she'd allow them to see her beg and cry in the same night. So, she tried to focus more on listening, knowing that to be one of her flaws and trying her best to overcome it.

When Zia had said her fill, Tsui took in a breath and asked, her words taut. "Alright, so, we can agree that talking to them, smartly, is the answer. I'm... not sure if I'm able to get over what they did after the meeting, but... nothing good comes over holding a grudge forever, right?"

She wasn't sure if Zia knew about the ambush, and Tsui would try to enlighten her, if she showed any interest. The way she fiddled with her phone seemed to indicate that Zia had no intention of wasting anymore of her time, so Tsui figured she had to get her questions out quickly, and just accept whatever answer might come. "How do you talk to people who... truly think they're in the right? How do we convince them that they're corrupted or brainwashed?"

It seemed like a hopeless endeavor to Tsui- she was gung ho about it much earlier, thanks to Sutai's pleas, but after her encounter with the Dark Mirror Court and just how... close... she felt to wanting to just slip away with them, had done a wonderful job in snuffing out that flame fairly quickly. If Zia didn't know, then who would?

The Tiger Senshi shrugged, crossing her arms but not really angry at Zia- in fact she was grateful that she seemed willing to talk in some fashion, even if what she had to say, especially about the Dark Mirror Court, wasn't what Tsui wanted to hear. "I've talked with a few already, on both accounts... a lot of crazies, but... also a lot of normal, everyday fellas. Which makes it hard to think of them as the enemy sometimes..."

She could name a few off the top of her head that she had trouble with, some of which she almost wanted to call friends, but given Zia's disposition about the Dark Mirror Court, Tsui wasn't too willing to give out their names. Not that they might consider her a friend, but... she liked to think that they weren't at bitter ends with one another. Even if the peace between them wouldn't last much longer before their Queen decided to drop the act and gave the order, anyway.

It honestly depressed Tsui to hear about the hopelessness of the Dark Mirror Court's corruption, and months ago, she would have scoffed at the notion and simply said that Zia or others weren't trying hard enough. But now, she couldn't help but see the wisdom in Zia's words, as Zia's knowledge, as well as Tsui's own experience and hardships in pursuing a method of purification for them. She had always suspected that it was a losing battle, but hearing someone else say it... didn't make it any easier to swallow.

And yet, what could Tsui do about it? It wasn't as though she could change the rules of this 'game' by herself, and throwing a temper tantrum over it certainly wouldn't have helped. "Well, it's going to break Sutai's heart to know that there's no purification for them, but... that doesn't mean the situation's completely hopeless, right? That just means finding a way to co-exist with them, maybe... surely there are a few that wouldn't mind us trying to get along?"

Of course, that still left Ares, whom Tsui didn't know but suspected wouldn't allow such a thing, but if removing Ares would help, then it was worth pursuing, right? So long as they were careful... which was something Tsui always needed more advice in.

Tsui was not distracted by Zia's glance upwards, as, for once, her attention was completely focused on Zia and her words. She didn't want to repeat her same mistake from the meeting, so she exhausted the full strength of her attention span, mustering up as much as she could and hoping to do better. This wasn't like the classroom at St. Mag's; what Zia was telling her was much, much more important. And what she heard confused her, a little, but she felt that she had gotten the gist of it.

"So, it's like... a parasite, this seed of Chaos?" Tsui asked, trying her best to understand everything and trying to put it in a tangible format that she could process. "It's placed inside of them at some point and over time, it eventually consumes them? Do they eventually die, or does Chaost just completely takes over?"

She wasn't a biologist, but she had seen her fair share of documentaries about parasites and how certain ones affected insects, especially in the rain forest. Whether it was an accurate interpretation or not, Tsui wasn't entirely sure, but that was certainly the first thing that came to mind. Then there was the talk about the Dark Mirror Court, and she could not hide her grimace as well. "Does it work like every other parallel universe? Where what's bad is good and good is bad? Is that why the White Moon is considered their enemies here, because they think we're... like the bad White Moon in their universe?"

She knew she was grasping at straws and that she should have just taken Zia's advise and consider them a lost cause, but Tsui was still trying to humor the thought of finding peace with them, or in the very least understand them. "I mean, if they can't be purified, then... do you think there's a way to at least not be enemies with them, or is that as hopeless as purification?"

Tsui had suspected that corruption had done a lot to an individual and had seen a lot of their powers first hand. The ability to rip out starseeds from another person's chest, the ability to teleport or pass through mirrors, the power to corrupt an individual... while she hadn't seen the last one herself, she had heard about it happening before, and Tsui couldn't help but feel how... unfair... it was. And she wasn't afraid to show it. "They can do a whole lot with their powers thanks to Chaos... a lot of stuff that I don't think we can. How fair is that? They're the ones running around, corrupting or ripping out starseeds, and yet call us the bad guys."

It made no sense, and it only served to frustrate her. And Tsui was getting tired of being frustrated. But what could she do? Fighting them on her own? Stupid idea. Trying to talk sense to them? Stupid, coming from her. It was all too annoying, but Tsui was trying to overcome her own inadequacies and do good for the White Moon Court, though even that she was beginning to wonder if it was worth it. For those she knew, personally, and those she sought to protect, of course it was worth dealing with, but as far as her Court as a whole? There were times where she wanted to walk away from it... but where would she go?

The thought of ridding the Dark Mirror Court of their problematic leader brought Tsui some comfort, and she couldn't ignore the gleam in Zia's eyes as well. It seemed to be one thing that the two of them were willing to share equal grounds on, and any victory, no matter how small, was a good one to Tsui as of late. "But how do we get rid of Ares without hurting the others that might want to be free of her rule? Or not end up looking like the bad guys... I'm willing to fight her, but even stupid me knows I'm no match for her." She added with a huff. "Not alone, anyway."

The parallel universe did sound appealing, but Tsui had a feeling she wouldn't have felt welcomed there. If it was as peaceful that as Zia made it out to be, then she, a warrior or even just a grunt, wouldn't have much use there at all. Which only served to make Tsui all the more frustrated with her current situation. "Fighting's the only thing I know how to do, and I don't even do that well... I don't think I'd have a place in your world. I barely have a place here sometimes."

Now she just sounded pathetic, even to herself, and Tsui was simply tired of it. She had apologized to Zia and gotten a lot off her chest, but all of those burdens were simply replaced with new ones, and she wasn't willing to run her brain in circles anymore. "Thanks for telling me more about the Negaverse and the Dark Mirror Court. There's still a few things I don't get, but I don't think I'm meant to get it... it's probably for the best, otherwise I'd sympathize with them too much and it'd make fighting them even harder."

It was all too complicated, too heavy, but Tsui knew that she couldn't just fall into the protective hole that she made for herself. Zia was right- she wasn't a hardened warrior, at least not yet, which meant that even though she had heard her wings, she still had a lot to learn. A lot to do. Zia didn't give her a clear-cut answer besides to keep fighting, but then again, it wasn't exactly Zia's job. It was no one's job to guide the Tiger Senshi, except for herself.

There was no Moon Queen to order her around, and Tsui wasn't planning on looking for one. Especially one that, had she ever laid eyes on her, she wasn't sure if she'd want to hug her, or punch her outright to abandoning them in her war. No, the Senshi of Tigers was going to find the answers for herself, but not tonight.

Tonight, she was merely content with having a chance to talk to Zia and clear the air between them (though, not necessarily between herself and Zia but herself and Zirconia). She was also pleased to be coming out of this encounter with more knowledge of her enemy, and once she had time to rest and think, she'd consider her options on how to approach them. For now, she was content to go home, roll under her blankets, and hope that these thoughts wouldn't keep her up all night. After all, she had a test tomorrow... a test that she was likely going to fail. Miserably.

Between learning about the French revolution verses valuable information about the Dark Mirror Court? Tsui didn't care if she failed her history exam...