Welcome to Gaia! ::

The shadow of a smile crossed Lyndin’s face when Vyn denied him the opportunity to die before his mission was completed. So, he nodded. “I’ll do my best.”

He hadn’t planned to die here, he wasn’t ready to die here.

Velencya still needed help. The Cadets still needed help.

He looked at all of them, took in their conditions. He glanced around the room, observing the space, the resources. There were a few blankets stacked in a corner. The stairs to the second floor were visible from where he sat, and he could make out the entrance to the kitchen.

He seemed to be considering things, weighing their options. Planning.

“You’ve had a long night already,” he said, and his tone was gentle despite how heavy things were. “I’m going to stay down here. If you need to rest, find a place and make yourself comfortable. I’m not asking anyone to make any hard decisions tonight. Think about it, take what time you need. Rest. Take care of yourselves, and each other. Don’t feel bad for asking questions. I’m fine,” he said, but he’d have said it if he were bleeding out in front of them.

He watched Aliez work, watched Naeria seem to draw into herself. Watched Andreiya look lost.

He seemed grateful to those that wanted to stay but seemed to hold no disappointment for those who had yet to make up their mind.

“I need time to recover, it’s nothing I can’t replenish with a bit of time.” Time that they didn’t have, probably. “I thought the generators would stay up for a while more.”

He glanced at his ComTech, pressed a few buttons, looked like he was searching for some information. His attention returned to the Cadets.

“I know this is hard. I know you’ve seen things you didn’t want to see. Lost people you didn’t want to lose. I don’t wish this hardship on you. I am sorry that we are so desperate that I have to ask more from you.”

He looked at their tear-streaked, or blood-stained faces. He looked remorsefully at Vyn and Caelyna.

“Take some time to clean up. I have supplies, if you need a change of clothes. If you’re hungry. If you need first aid.”

He was tired, he stayed by the door. It didn’t seem as if he had any intention of moving from there. Logically, it was the best way to make sure they were safe; there were windows, but they were closed. It seemed as though this was the only door in or out. The barrier he’d set up for the house was a comfortable, familiar energy.

Eso said he wouldn’t be alone, but he didn’t want any of them to be alone.

He nodded to Lysvi. “I don’t know that they don’t have a Senshi. Only that they don’t know where they might be. Earth is larger than any world you’re used to. I know you’ve studied that. But, look into that, if you can. I want to know how--and why--Earth is thriving. I want to know if there’s any other reason it’s still here when all the others failed.”

To Silvera, he also nodded. “We don’t have the resources to remove starseeds, not like they do. Not safely. A long time ago, we had the means. That’s how they were able to remove Caedus’ when they tried to awaken it. They used crystals, but all the energy has long since burned out. Or, they’re still embedded in him. I have the gauntlet, it’s effective. It can get the job done.”

He didn’t want to give the Negaverse any more credit or blame than they deserved, so he said, “I didn’t expect Caedus to slip away from them. I have to say, I am impressed he survived in the Rift. I don’t know how. The stories he told me,” Lyndin paused, trailed off, and then seemed to shift his weight again to rest more against the door.

His lips pursed and he sighed again. “I know he suffered. I can’t think of a time when he wasn’t, in some way. He would be better off if he had the chance to be reborn. Not just for himself, but for all of us. I don’t wish to force it on him, but I cannot understand his choices. I wanted things to be different for him. He deserved better. You all do. Velencya does. If we’re going to move into the future, we have to do so together. I don’t know how we’re going to have a future without him, but.”

He looked at each of them again.

“I suppose we have a chance to find out.”

Lyndin didn’t put much faith in chances, he never had. He needed facts, he needed evidence, he needed guarantees. He had a goal, he knew what would work.

But the Cadets weren’t without hope. They weren’t without dreams. They weren’t without wishes, and fresh ideas.

Maybe they could find a way to do what he couldn’t.

Cadet Yddagen

Lyndin had answered his questions, and they were thorough answers, but they were not answers that necessarily helped. He had not been implying that Lyndin should have told them Caedus was not to be listened to. He also did not quite see why the alliance with the Negaverse was so utterly essential. The bare information in the answers was there, but it did not... it did not give him any measure of satisfaction.

He understood.

Yet, he did not.

He understood, logically, that their world might have needed Sailor Velenia to awaken to live. It had been something he had understood for well over a hundred years. At the same time, he did not understand why violating someone's sanctity of self was necessary for that purpose. Caedus did not wish to die. They may perhaps need to find a different way. The needs of the many might outweigh the needs of the one, but if there was not an immutable guarantee that Sailor Velenia would be reborn and awaken, then what was the point?

Why torture Caedus for a chance that might never pan out?

When Lyndin reminded them all about the terrors the Rift held, Yddagen couldn't help the thought that if The Rift was anything similar to the strange space they were currently in, he desired no part of it.

Lysvi, as they always did, was already off talking about things they wanted to research; Lyndin saw that and encouraged it. Yddagen had noticed, though, in Lysvi's determination, that they had also not agreed to stay on Earth. Lyndin offered it as an option to them; if any of them wished, he could get them back home. They could stay in Velencya with their people and work from there. No further questions would be asked.

Yddagen was uncertain. He wanted to see his parents. On the other hand, he had been chosen for a great mission with The Vanguard, and the fascinating case of Earth was clearly the biggest mission yet.

(ignore this I am dumb--wrong thread!)

Eso locked eyes with Nessa when she searched them out and he tried to offer her a gentle smile. He had no clue what was going to happen, but he was here to listen and try to think of ...anything that would help.

Rest wasn't going to come easy, even if he felt safe. Eso's brain, like many of the other's, was going to be going a thousand miles an hour trying to figure out all of the events that unfolded today. He could understand, sort of, why they went to the Negaverse to help. It still felt scummy, working with them while using the Senshi to gather data and energy. It had been effective though.

One hand went to his face, rubbing it hard, digging the heel of his hand into his eye and rubbing. It was almost like he would be able to rub the wariness or day's events off himself. He just wanted to sleep. Sleep away until everything was settled, like he did when he was overwhelmed as a wee one.

He snatched up one of the blankets and found a comfortable spot near Nessa and Tenoch before reaching out to both of them. "Hey, come here. Let's..." He motioned to the blankets he and Nessa had secured. "Let's get comfortable. This is probably going to be a long talk, and you two have to be exhausted." Eso squeezed their hands he had in his own and gave a gentle tug. Nothing that would knock them over should they be standing, but hopefully enough of a tug they got the message and came closer. These two were his people.

"You two should rest."

Cadet Aliez

Aliez winced and felt heat in his cheeks rise when Nessaela got up and moved away from him. Was his explanation too complex? Or maybe she already figured it out and was fine taking care of the others without his assistance. It wasn’t surprising that she went over to Eso and Itztenoch. They were always close it seemed, and maybe the mission made them closer.

He continued to focus on Naeria, making sure any damage done to her head had his first priority, but once he was confident that he did the most he could with that amount of time (rushing it wasn’t going to make the healing any faster, it was just going to waste energy), he pushed himself up so he could also retrieve a blanket.

“Andreiya, can you stand?” he asked, holding out his hand to his friend, the blanket tucked under his arm. “There might be beds upstairs. I think Naeria will be more comfortable on something soft.”

He was listening to the Commodore, of course. Listening to how Vyn insisted that the Commodore should rest, how Caelyna and Fae-Fae should rest.

“Yes, I can check on everyone,” he agreed, watching as Vyn first offered the Commodore the blanket Itztenoch tossed at the Commodore’s feet, and then Silvera do the same. The blankets were rather small. The Commodore might need a few more just to get comfortable.

“We can take care of each other. That’s what we do,” he said softly, looking around the room at the others. He knew some might begrudge him and Vyn for asking them to hold their questions until the morning, until they all had a chance to rest, but that didn’t change the fact that he cared about each of them dearly, and how he would give up his life for any one of them.

“Would you mind passing out blankets, please? You should also rest,” he said with concern to Fangnyl.

When no one answered Vyn about taking first watch, Aliez nodded to him. “I’ll help. Commodore, you should rest,” he insisted. “I’ll pull out the Vanguard’s regulation book on medical priorities if I must,” he warned, but there was obviously nothing he could actually do if the Commodore refused.

Itztenoch

Oh...well...

"Thank you Lysvi. What is it then - when there are too many of them, all over the place? That's what they have here. Too many --- all in this one place and all on one side or another." Tenoch sighed, it was hard to keep track at this point, friend or foe or -- if he only focused on the Vanguard. On their home and little else. Simplified it all for himself as he idly wondered if maybe that was what he meant. Except no, he didn't mean for any of them to be dead. Except maybe for the ones he had fired upon - those ones who had attacked his people - those maybe he hoped to be 'pushing the daisy's up from the dirt' - regardless of the side they were on.

Hummed in some fashion for finding himself moved gently along by Eso. Cast his friend a greatful glance because he was, in so many words, exhausted. Didn't wish to say it, not for all the chances at home in the world. His pride wouldn't let him.

He knew Eso was right though. Knew Nessa, who had nearly scraped by her own demise had to be beat -- physically -- mentally --- Slid down by her side and praised her for picking a spot with a good vantage point. Backs to a wall and no one would get a jump on them. He could fire at anything that tried to get in any of the few entrances that lay in view.

"So we should, and so should you?" soft words as he pulled Nessa close, offered a shoulder to rest on, better than a wall at the back of her head, better to offer warmth than what the stone and floor would surely leech with time. "Thank you Eso...between you and Nessa we can have a fairly defensible nest." Made themselves into a neat bundle and pile as he inevitably dragged Eso down with him. Held tight where their hands were intertwined, fingers interlaced and how that made him feel warm between them. How he laughed just a little while he made haphazard attempts at arranging himself neatly - to try and swaddle and hold; to ignore the way his body screamed for sleep and twinged with soreness for every new motion.

Would stave off the heavy tug of it just a bit longer.

"Someone wake us when it's our turn to take watch....kick me up if you must...." words that were nearly yawned now that he was finally sitting down. Now that he felt some modicum of safe and warm with the barrier at his back and his friends whole and hale at his sides.

Tenoch only wondered if Vyn would finally tuck the commodore in with the rest. If between the lot of them they could make the man take some much needed sleep for himself. Wondered if Silvera would be bold enough to smother him into sleep beneath the blankets that were steadily being piled around him. If Aliez would make good on their knowledgeable passive warnings, well meaning words from their healer. Surely if they ganged up on Lyndin they would have had the strength to do it - to put their leader to bed once the words were well and truly done.

Cadet Fangnyl

Fangnyl wasn't quite happy with his answers. He had more questions, more to discuss, but he started letting himself feel himself again, and the exhaustion swept through him like a tidal wave.

However, Aliez asked him to help make sure everyone else was comfortable first, and while he really really wanted to be selfish, he took a deep breath and didn't give in to that feeling.

"Of course," he said, leaning in to give Aliez a soft kiss on the cheek. "Once we're done, though, I'm probably gonna just drop on one and pass out. As much as I'd like to stay up and talk with you."

He smiled wryly and gathered up some blankets, passing them around. Hang on a little bit longer. You'll be able to sleep soon, he told himself.

Cadet Ny

That woman.

Ny had pretty consistently not been impressed by any human, regardless of what their place in all of this was. The civilians were ignorant, and the Order and Chaos had their war that she was not interested in partaking in. It shouldn’t involve her world or her people, and it definitely shouldn’t have been enough to come between them. Shouldn’t have been worth any of their lives. That they would ally with either group, both which had Valencyan blood on their hands-

-But she was getting off topic. Humans sucked. She didn’t like any of them, wasn’t impressed by any of them-

Except for that woman.

The one who’d been standing at the front of the room looking completely nonchalant. Ny hated that condescending tone, that saccharine little smile, the amount of confidence oozing off of someone who had half the numbers of her enemy. If coming from anyone even slightly lesser, it would’ve been foolish. Alas, Ny found herself reaching for Cypher, concerned for him after he dared to open his mouth and speak to her.

Ny disliked the woman as she disliked any other human, but she couldn’t in good conscience say she wasn’t impressed. Maybe on a good day, the Commodore could’ve felt more capable of protecting them from all the Chaos in the room. …It just wasn’t a very good day, and Ny didn’t think it was reasonable for Cypher to draw attention to himself or anyone else.

They left with the Commodore quickly after that, and Ny felt relieved to be away from all of… that, even if they weren’t yet free of this world. She walked between Fysarius and Cypher as they were escorted away by some creature. One of her arms hook through Fysarius’ and the other looped through Cy’s.

Boys. Talkative and impetuous. She would have to keep her eye on them, for sure.

Once they were… as settled as could be expected, given the turn of events, with Fysarius sliding to the floor, Cypher wandering away, and the other cadets offering their various complaints and opinions, Ny only let out a tiny sigh as she settled back against the wall. She hardly thought they deserved explanation or coddling, given how useless and uncoordinated they’d been as a group. Everyone could complain that if they’d known, it would’ve been different.

But would it have been, though? How many cadets were outright not here because they valued this world more than their own? Would an explanation have done them any good? Or would it just have sent them faster into the humans’ arms.

Might have been better on their own terms than on the battlefield, but… Ny didn’t know. And it didn’t really matter. It was done.

…It was done. Nothing else was more relevant than just… acknowledging where they stood now. Never mind the why or the how. Just focus on now and the whole “being trapped in an inescapable Chaos plane” situation. She patted Fysarius’s head, not unlike she had when they’d first arrived, and pushed from the wall.

Everyone was so upset or hurt or tired. But Ny hadn’t been attacked. Her body hadn’t revolted against her. She hadn’t seen what the others had to the same degree. The losses… hurt, but most were impermanent. They would not be gone forever. It was okay, or if it wasn’t right now, it would be.

She settled on the other side of Vyn and beckoned to herself. She was not injured. She was awake. She could watch. She didn’t mind. And he looked…

Well, it looked like he should spend his time doing something else.

Ny caught the side of his head in her palm and shoved him unabashedly over into the Commodore on Vyn’s other side. He should rest, and she would watch.