Welcome to Gaia! ::

Alkaid seemed to be losing her sense of time by the day. Days blurred into weeks and hours were so infinitesimal that she could only guess at times. She supposed it was all relative anyway, but she was still late. Per usual.

As she slipped in to the meeting of ragtag soldiers of the cause, WP had just begun to silence the bickering with details of his plan. She came to a grinding halt, tucked back by the entry as she digested the information. All the while her bright eyes stayed glued to the face she had come to recognize as their leader, wondering secretly at who could have taken up the reigns of this battle. He was brave, she would give him that, but bravery alone wouldn't propel this army.

As his words ended and the group picked up their banter once more, she began to walk silently through the arrangement of chairs to a corner - fairly empty, probably due to its distance from the goodies on the table. Food really wasn't that interesting anymore. She sat delicately on the seat, back straight and one foot tucked behind the other ankle. As she folded her hands over one another amongst the ruffles of her lap, her eyes drifted from face to face. The conversation seemed to be happening in the background for her - she was studying everyone, every detail.

And she wore no mask.

There was no point, she could not hide who or what she was given anything but a giant plastic bag. She just stared into faces, drinking in features as her own cracked face lay bare.

"If you don't think you can work with us, then you should simply leave." Her words were sudden and to the point. "We can only be as strong as our weakest link and they will be a force like nothing you have ever seen." Her gaze drifted up to WP and the curiosity lay bare on her face once more. She wanted to know, and she wouldn't hide that from anyone. She was committing her faith to a stranger as well.

"You have my aid, whatever you need. I fought Ares before she brought this dark reign to Destiny City, before they had true power." Her face hardened and the fingers in her lap twitched as if she wanted to dig them into something. "They are nothing to ignore and the longer we waste time fighting with each other the stronger they will get, the more they will take."

Her eyes drifted back out to the senshi, lingering on a few she was more familiar with.. for differing reasons. There were some here that had real reason to hate her, and others that just wanted to save her soul. They were all the same to her. "You can work with us now, or lose yourselves to a plague on your kind. It seems like an easy choice."

Captain Labyrinthite had been present for some time, while the bickering had erupted and arguments ensued. He had kept to the back of the factory, away from the others so that he could survey and observe the collective. He wore a dark cloak which draped over his uniform in it's entirety and trailed along the floor as he moved, the pink of his boots visible from the small slit as he walked. The hood of his uniform had been pulled tightly over the pink of his hair (the easiest trait to recognize him by) and the hood of the cloak was pulled over it, shadowing the V for Vendetta-style mask over his face.

He didn't react as Bischofite removed his mask and tossed anonymity to the wind, nor did he offer any sort of agreement, or arguments until Alkaid arrived and made her voice known. Immediately his disposition shifted and his stance became more rigid. His shoulders straightened and his arms folded over his chest, beneath the mask he was scowling. The words of their last meeting burned in his mind brightly. Figured I couldn't avoid you forever. He had said. You probably could have, the universe is big enough. She'd said. Liar.

He kept himself from moving toward her, because he was still masked and his identity unknown but he did speak. "Alkaid is right," he voiced, deepening as he talked. "The Dark Mirror Court is a parasite. An open wound that must be cauterized before it infects everything else." There was venom in every word he said.

Labyrinthite had never trusted the DMC, even when they'd been ordered to. Now that the formal alliance had crumbled, he saw no reason to keep from eradicating them. "They've always been useless," he continued shaking his head as he strode forward, joining the crowd. "They cannot control their powers and wreck havoc up all of us. Their wraiths have attacked all of our factions, including their own. If you cannot commit to the goals of WP then get out because Alkaid is right. We are only as strong as our weakest link and I will not let hinder my faction with your indecisiveness."

His gaze, though masked, swept across all of the faces in the room. "I'll set the record straight, I do not like any of you white moon senshi and were this a different situation," he paused to let his words settle a bit. "I would probably try and dispose of each and every one of you but there is a bigger enemy at hand, who I despise more than you which means I'm willing to work with you if it will mean giving us the army we need. If it means that we will have the force we need." Working with the enemy of his enemy was necessary at times. This appeared to be one of those times. "Take me at my word, or forever worry that I will double-cross you but I'm saying it now. I swear, that during this mission I will be your ally and do what it takes to reach our end goal. I will not turn on you, I will fight by your side and even defend you during all of this because I can see the bigger picture."

He swore to god if they continued to b***h as they had, or refused to stand by them, he'd force them out himself. He had no patience for these petty arguments. There was too much on the line for him and his fellow officers given one of their General-Kings was a DMC supporter and they'd been instructed to not kill the DMC when the alliance ended. He would not have one of these senshi ******** it up for them.

Makemake accepted the guardian cat(Cora) on to her lap, and idly petted her while listening to the words spoken around her, making sense of what her little mind could.

It was just like Pravoski said - bickering, even amongst their own faction. Especially amongst their own. It was one thing hearing it from her guardian cat, but another seeing it first hand. She could understand Order not trusting Chaos, but surely order should try to get along with one another! But....from what she'd been told, it was Order that birthed the Dark Mirror Court. So really, shouldn't it be Order trying to clean up the mess they'd created? In her mind, it was kind of order's fault, even if that wasn't really the case, but she was a child.

It was complicated, and yeah, she didn't fully get it, but here she was, whether she should be or not. She wondered what good her powers would be? She was largely there as a 'morality test' to the opposition. Yeah - toss a child in front of an opponent, see how they draw back. Even if only for a split second, it would be a second enough for their side to take advantage of.

Yes, she was a pawn, and it was a gamble, but ....but.... yawn.

Even with all the warnings Pravoski had given her, they had just been words to her. Now that she was experiencing things, it made it more real. She began to wonder what she was getting in to. She was beginning to know why she was supposed to be afraid....

She'd been taking stock of those who had gathered - those with dark auras, and those with auras like her own, but stronger. There was the odd aura of the shape-shifting Zirconia, and then there was the odd dark aura of the crackled corrupts senshi, Alkaid, who made Makemake most curious.

Pravoski had told her about all the different types of senshi, but none of those included the broken-doll look that Alkaid sported. And Makemake was a nosey girl. She began to get eager for the meeting to dismiss so maybe she could catch the corrupted senshi before she left.

"Thank you, Zirco-" And then WP sneezed once. Then twice.

"Excuse me." He said, sitting down and pulling out a tissue. Okay, so much for looking powerful and intimidating when you were allergic.

Alkaid's eyes drifted to Thraen out of instinct, drawn by the feeling of eyes lingering just a little too long. It was not an abnormal feeling for her - Senshi often cried out to her what a horror she had become. It was a condition of her existence. Yet she let her eyes settle on him for a long time, in turn studying him out of curiosity. She only glanced away as a new cloaked figure began to speak, but not before she gave him a knowing, thin smile.

She seemed content, for a while, just to listen and study her allies.

Though she could not be truly sure who this new figure was, the voice sounded familiar and there were those flashes of boots with every step.. She said nothing and made no guesses. Her own lack of anonymity was her choice, it wasn't her right to give anyone's name - right or wrong. Instead she simply brought up a marbled hand and motioned at a seat next to her, seeking out the eyes behind that mask.

Yet still she remained in silence, waiting her turn with patience until she had something else to add. It was WP's words that finally got her thoughts whirling again. His caution to the negaverse about disguise, secrecy and punishment was admirable - he was warning them outright that he was defying orders. She was putting a lot on the line for this cause, not least of all her life or her integrity. Her head bowed then, to him alone. As Zirconia finished her speech, muttered comments unheard, she finally spoke up.

"My masked companions are wise," she said softly, bringing her eyes back up to meet those around her. The would-be allies. "I can't hide from my superiors, nor from whatever punishment I will likely incur. That alone should be enough for you to take me at my word." Her eyes drifted back to Thraen, but then to Europa. She was a powerhouse, Alkaid could see the determination in her. It turned to Ganymede, Zirconia, others..

"I may die for this cause. This small war might win you one less enemy to deal with even if you don't defeat them, but," she raised a hand from her lap and pointed one long, marred finger directly at WP, "if that is so, I sacrifice myself willingly for him." Her hand fell away and she leaned back against her chair for the first time, though her posture was far from relaxed. "Just don't fail him, this may be your only chance."

Her gaze slid past bold Bischofite, whom she knew only by reputation. She smirked, pleased with his presence though it was unclear why. Perhaps she was just amused by chaos. The last soul she addressed before she fell back into silence was Zirconia. "If you would take me, I have no fear of fighting them in their own territory," she shrugged her shoulders slightly, rustling the cape that had settled around her in pools, "I have very little left to lose."

A spare glance was made for Penthesilea and Makemake each, but she did little more than that. She could antagonize them all later, when she wasn't busy convincing them that she would stop trying to eat their starseeds for breakfast (if only for a little while).

While the mix of Order and Chaos alike began to speak freely about the mission at hand, Tyrus' attention was on one person and one person only. His mouth fell open slightly at the sight of the corrupt Senshi with the broken flesh, the Chaos practically leaking out of her. Remembering to chew and swallow the mouthful of cookies that he had, he hopped down from the table that he was seated upon. Weaving through various legs, his back end pressing lightly against people as he walked, he made his way over to Alkaid.

The Corrupt Senshi were the sole reason for him being a part of this ragtag group; it was his job to protect them. And this Senshi- the black and gold clad girl with dreadlocks- was the most amazing Senshi he had ever seen.

Ty blinked his large, bright green eyes up at her, forgetting in that moment that he was supposed to be here to conceal the group's power signatures. His mouth fell open a second time as he watched her, not making a single noise.

Ganymede could not have been happier to be released from Bischofite's temporary restraint. Though she would have liked to remain standing not-quite-tall and proud at least long enough to seem as if his close proximity hadn't affected her at all, she ended up sitting down again soon after and made no effort to be covert about the way she wiped her hands along the red train she pulled around and gathered in her lap.

Suddenly she couldn't wait to go home and take a bath. He reeked of evil, of blood and death and all manner of dark things she wanted absolutely no part of. Nothing he said was reassuring or convincing.

The rest of it faded into the background. She was aware of others arriving, aware of others speaking, some faces and voices she'd never seen or heard before and some of which she had. She picked up on bits and pieces, but most of it passed as little more than white noise. She kept her gaze focused on Bischofite, staring him down. All the while her hands fidgeted in her lap; her fingers twisted together, broke apart, her gloved palms sliding against one another, rubbing the feel of his touch off of the back of her hands.

None of it really worked. Ganymede swallowed heavily, forcing down the revulsion with a stubborn resolve.

Finally, when the conversation seemed to settle somewhat, when the plan was out in the open, when she'd taken the time to catch her breath and soothe what frayed nerves it was possible for her to salvage, Ganymede's eyes flicked around the room, taking in those faces she'd not yet studied. She spied Buddingtonite but could feel neither annoyed by his presence nor amused by it; she looked to Zirconia, tried to pay attention to what she said even if she didn't pay attention to anyone else, and was glad she'd chosen not to tell Valhalla what she'd agreed to, though Ganymede thought of him and suddenly wished he was there anyway; she spared Europa another worried glance, almost reached out to take her hand again, but the way she talked about Leto made Ganymede cringe inwardly.

Put her down? How could she even think of doing that to her own cousin?

“So you've given up then?” she asked her teammate sadly, quietly, so as not to disturb the conversation occuring around them any more than she already had. “You've decided she's not worth trying to save?”

“I don't believe that.”

Part of her couldn't believe it; the rest of her didn't want to. Ganymede couldn't pretend to be any more knowledgeable than a teammate who'd been around longer, who'd had much different experiences, and who'd seen firsthand what corruption could do to someone's family, but she wasn't without hope. Other people might call it ignorance. Naivety, too. Maybe it was foolish to hold onto it after all this time, after three years of experiences that should have beaten it out of her.

But it was there, and it was perhaps stronger now than it'd been when she'd first awakened. She held to it persistently. The more she had to fight for, the more it grew; without it she didn't think she'd have the will to fight at all.

Family was everything to Ganymede. She wouldn't abandon hers, and she couldn't bear to see anyone else abandon their own.

“And I don't think you do either,” she insisted. “Maybe now it seems like it's all you can do, and maybe, if you suceed, you'll feel better for a while, like you've avenged her or whatever. But later... when she's gone, you'll think about all the things you could have done differently, and you'll regret it.”

Eventually Ganymede did reach out for Europa's hand under the table again. “Do what you have to,” she said. “I'll be here either way.”