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Vindemiatrix poked his way through the senshi to go join the other Jovians; he was outgoing enough, but he could only be so comfortable in a crowd of unfamiliar faces. It was only natural he wanted to gravitate towards the ones he knew best.

He came near Pasiphae as she finished voicing her thoughts, and gave her a broad smile and a nod, then crossed his arms as he took in Lina's words with a bit more reluctance. The Negaverse was wrong in their methods, and, it sounded, far too harsh in their discipline, but ... there was something to be said for a bit more organization. Vin knew he could not avoid fault since he had been out of the loop for a good long while, even with his own team mates. He glanced at the other Jovians, scanning their faces and taking in their reactions to all this.

Vin did like the idea of living on his planet, at least the part of it he had seen. His cheeks colored involuntarily as he thought of the time he had spent there with Babylon. But reviving a world was not something anyone could do alone; he doubted even all of the Jovians together would be able to cultivate Europa again within their lifetimes.

Asclepius, on the other hand, took to Lina's argument with greater resolve. She was loathe to kill anyone - after all, doing so would make them no better than the Negaverse - but forcibly purifying them had been on her mind, as well, and the Senshi of Medicine was reassured to see that at least some of the others agreed.

She remained quiet, for now, observing the reactions of the others, and made note of whom she might wish to speak to in the future. Polaris had already offered some help. Perhaps she could try to meet with Lina, or Virgo again, sometime soon.

Talk of homeworlds made her shiver slightly. No, Asclepius preferred to stay on Earth. Clearly, someone had already failed on Asclepius, and she felt her efforts were better set to working where there were still living people. Growing seeds was one thing, but she wondered what Europa would think of the hospital asteroid, filled with halls and halls of those who had failed the first time.

Taking up his usual position as a wallflower, Red Cliff watched as the assembled soldiers of Order argued. He was here primarily for the information - having been less than active for some time, he felt he had little to offer. And he found that deeply frustrating, as voices rose. He wished he had something to say, so the Page of Mars could step in and try to settle things down. The disunity was as troubling to him, as well, but Red Cliff lacked the real position to stand up and try to do something about it.

As for home worlds .... He was supposed to have a place on Mars, wasn't he. Red Cliff was still avoiding making that trip, for whatever reason.

Ambrosia’s words left Pomona flailing for a minute, trying to think of a diplomatic response. “ It’s… definitely interesting, yes.”

Pomona’s attention was torn, trying to pay attention to multiple threads of conversation at once. It was the argument that she ultimately paid attention to, mostly because it was the loudest and biggest and thus hardest to ignore. Not having a firm stance on the Negaverse herself, she mostly stayed quite. She’d certainly prefer a diplomatic route, but thinking that it’d actually work seemed a bit naïve. Not that she liked Lina’s answer any more, but she figured that the Knight was probably one of the most knowledgeable about the Negaverse.

“ Considering her history and all, I ‘d think Lina Knight would know what she’s talking about.” She muttered, shaking her head.

Then Polaris spoke, and Pomona found herself agreeing on most of what she said. Heck, even if they could restore the abandoned planets, they’d probably be looking at living in medieval conditions at best. After all, what was the likelihood that they’d be able to produce things like electricity and medicine on their planets? Besides, there was still one other problem.

“ Even if we could leave for our planets, what guarantee could the Negaverse and Dark Mirrors make that we could believe? Leaving Earth would mean leaving it in their hands, having to be able to trust them both to take care of Earth and to not to pursue us off it.” She shrugged, then added,“ Could be wrong, but I don’t think Elysion and The Surrounding count in their favor with the latter problem.”

“ I suppose diplomacy is worth a shot, keeping in mind it may end in death or corruption. And getting more information never hurts.” She said of the diplomacy plans and Tsui's stance.

Not the most passionate argument – hell, part of it wasn’t even an argument, more of her argumentative Irish side playing Devil’s Advocate – but she just wanted to make sure people were thinking things through.

Sailor Aquarius had no idea what she was doing at this meeting. She was doing as little senshi work as possible, the bare minimum required to keep guilt from eating away at her. No pep talks or shows of team spirit were going to keep her from remembering everything that had happened to her, or from envisioning all of the bad things that could still happen. And she didn't really expect the meeting to accomplish much of anything. With so many people there, they would be lucky to agree on adjourning, much less matters of life and death.

But Tara Kavanaugh was not the kind of person who stuck her head in the ground and ignored what went on around her- at least, not when she wasn't fleeing for her life. Information was its own kind of power, and she wanted all that she could get. The next time she found herself in danger- and she had no doubt that such a time would come, probably sooner than she was ready for- her life might depend on what she heard. That was the only reason that she was there, standing by herself on the edge of the group looking uncomfortable.

It was difficult to keep her mouth shut. Every time someone spoke, she wanted to scream at them. Endless bickering wasn't going to help anyone, why didn't these people understand that? Why couldn't they shut up long enough to think things through? Why had she even bothered to come, if she wasn't going to learn anything useful?

Somehow, through sheer willpower, she managed to stay quiet. Instead of staying in one place, ready to boil over, Aquarius milled around, making notes and taking pictures with her fancy phone. It was easier to keep from shouting when she was busy and not engaging people, but a small part of her hoped that someone would try to talk to her. It was hard for her to stay calm, and she could do with a chance to blow off some steam, even if she knew it wouldn't help anything.

***

Even in the big battle in space, Sailor Irene wasn't sure she'd seen this many senshi in one place before. Then again, that had been chaotic and crazy, and this... well, at least it was a benign sort of chaos. People were agitated and disagreeing with each other, which naturally made the Senshi of Peace uncomfortable, but she knew they were only arguing because they all wanted to do what was right. That made it okay, didn't it?

A lot of the issues her senior senshi were talking about went over her head. Going to space? She knew it was possible, but didn't really think that living there long-term was feasible. Then again, she had never been herself; every time she tried, something seemed to get in the way. The Negaverse's motives? She couldn't begin to guess. Did their motives matter in the long run, when they were hurting people? Irene hadn't taken ethics yet, and didn't want to think too deeply on it, at the risk of missing other points that were raised.

Diplomacy? Purification? Irene liked those ideas, but had no idea how to implement them. So far, all the meeting had done was show her how much she didn't know. She stood with the other Asteroids, shifting from foot to foot anxiously as she tried to comprehend everything that was being said. At this point, there was nothing that she could really contribute, and that fact infuriated her. If she continued on like this, Iris would have been right to leave her out of things. How could she protect people when she couldn't even understand the war she had found herself fighting in?

"The US government taxes its people to provide for various functions, such as school, road work and even to fund our army," Tsui pointed out to Hug-Bell. "No one likes taxes, but the higher ups justify imposing them onto the people because they feel like they have to, otherwise, where else will they get the funds they need to function. Apparently, that's what the Negaverse is probably thinking; stealing energy, or starseeds, whatever THOSE are, from the populace so that they can protect the people from what they consider the greater evil. Not saying they're right, but if I had to sacrifice my energy to give to someone else to protect my world, or home... it'd seem like a 'worthy' cause."

Finally, a use for social studies, though Tsui was certain that she butchered the concept in some manner or another. She held no anger against Hug-Bell, because at least Hug-Bell was providing excellent points and reasons. "What I'm saying is that if they are evil and killing, or purifying, them is the only way to go, then what's wrong with using a little 'diplomacy' to infiltrate enemy lines, see what they got going on and what big evil they're supposedly planning to unleash on us. Those on the other side that want diplomacy will seek us out, maybe give us the chance we'd need to purify them," she glanced back at Pasiphae, Ganymede and Valhalla to stress. "If they want to be purified...."

"And those that don't want diplomacy or cannot be purified, then we'll know exactly where they stand. It's a risky gamble, but if you need someone to send out, I'll gladly go. Even if I die, or get corrupted, then at least I'd feel better knowing I did something proactive, and not just sit in a meeting flashing my own feathers like a peacock."

Niflhel's suggestion to power down was met with momentary thought, causing Polaris to turn her eyes away from the crowd for a brief moment. It was true that her boots were WAY more comfortable then these heels. And it was definately safer to lower her aura if possible. The cats were working hard to dampen their energies and the last thing they needed was a huge and blazing one.

Considering the fuss some people seemed to have with her being powered up, it might be a good thing anyway. With all the reasons there to convince her, Polaris didn't think about it for too long before the power level in the front of the room dipped suddenly, leaving behind the Eternal senshi of magnetism. This was how she looked most of the time anyway, if anyone came looking for her after the fact it was probably best they knew what she looked like in this form.

Brushing back some of the strands of her now more wild hair, she turned her attention back to the crowd and happened to catch the tail end of the tiger senshi's words. Did she seriously just accuse her of not doing anything proactive? Of sitting around like a showy peacock? Polaris was flabbergasted. How was setting up a huge meeting for everyone to TRY and get together when no one else would nothing? MAYBE that senshi should know who and what she was talking about before she went around accusing anyone of not doing their job. Polaris had been hard at work being a senshi for the last three years of her life now. She had crippled her own social life to dedicate to patrolling five and six nights a week. Whether she was more or less important then any other senshi was stupid and subjective to even argue about.. but to claim that she'd done NOTHING when she had absolutely slaved away at her responsibility was insane.

She was livid, and the senshi of magnetism bit her tongue until she could taste the light tinge of copper in her mouth. But she did not bother attempting to defend herself. What good would it do? Be the adult and count to ten.

"I know the conversation right now is mostly on right and wrong, and diplomacy and purification. All very important topics. But does anyone else have anything they wanted to share reguarding knights or aspects? From what I've seen it looks like they could be a great asset in furthering our goals, whatever they might be."

Juno was polite enough to offer back a small two fingered wave as she was greeted by Valhalla before shifting to place herself more comfortably. She paid a little more attention as Small Lady talked about the Dark Mirror Senshi, considering her past with them. But mostly she just looked bored, and chill, her eyes glancing around every once in awhile.

Pasiphae accepted Valhalla's affection far more readily than she ever had before, and in response to his question, she put on a brave face and whispered back, so as not to interupt the conversation going on around them, "Yes... I'm fine, really." To say anything else would be a burden on her teammate, and that was the last thing that she wanted. It wasn't a lie so much as a half-truth. She was fine... other than the fact that she felt like she somehow responsible for derailing the entire, carefully planned meeting that Polaris had arranged. She offered that same smile as both Vindemiatrix and Babylon as they approached, even nodding to the green-haired girl she did not know who seemed to be sticking close to Chibimoon.

Europa was her teammate and one of the Senshi most responsible for molding her into the person she was today. She would not say anything against her or her desire to recultivate her moon, to which she obviously had a large connection. Pasiphae's history with her own moon was more... complex. Every time she visited it, dreamt of it, it made her afraid. It inflicted pain, for reasons she had yet to understand. And if it hadn't... at heart, she was linked to the Earth. Polaris, when she spoke, said it better than she ever could. The Earth was her home, all that she knew, the place that she wanted desperately to protect. Maybe after that was over, if it was ever over... but that was another question that kept her up at night. Would it ever be over?

The Senshi of Shame tuned back in to all of the conversation on the floor, and she drew her knees to her chest as she listened to one person after another throw in their observations. A guardian cat that she didn't know spoke up before Zirconia, and she could not disagree with anything that they said. A chibi also got into a conversation with Tsui, and she had to admit that, although she was on the side that favored diplomacy... the chibi's words made sense to her. She had been bullied, had followed trends--she could relate to the examples the younger girl was using. The Tiger Senshi's voice, however, was just as well used. Pasiphae bit her lip and rested her head in her hands. It was so hard, to pick sides, to allow a debate to sway her, but she continued to listen, to try and see where her own experiences fit.

Polaris and the words of the two Guardian Cats stuck with her the most. She remembered, only too vividly, how Ares had swept into the Surrounding, corrupting the innocents without asking for any type of permission. She didn't know if the Negaverse's Queen worked the same way... but it was a sobering realization. No. These leaders were not people with which they could reason, even if the ones that followed them might be. She half wanted to not speak at all, after all of the conversation, but she did chime in after the Senshi of Magnetism did,noting how she powered down with some amount of worry. Was all of this proving to be too stressful for her? Pasiphae could certainly understand that, and she wanted to do her best to try and keep the peace, "Um... I just want to thank everyone for their opinions and their insights. You've all raised very good points, and... I, at least, need to think about them more. But I think Polaris is right. I'm sure... there's much more to discuss here. I'm very interested... in learning anything else any of our Knights have to share."

Goodness! How everything was getting quite tense! ********* remained in the line, doing her job as she was supposed to, but easily noticed as other guardians seemed to abandon the post and move onto other perches. She would have done the same if it weren't for the fact she was concentrating her energy mostly on keeping the location hidden.

When she was able to spare a glance or two, she did manage to notice that Irene was looking extremely absorbent at the moment. It was as if she was trying to take in all the information was about to start spewing out information-juice if she took any more in.

"Irene... would you mind picking me up for a bit and scratching a couple spots behind my ears... this is growing to be a bit tedious, not being able to scratch that spot, despite how much it bothers me..." She honestly wasn't making such a request solely for herself, but perhaps to lighten a bit of tension on one of her youngest girls.



Iris' face was quite scrunched up. She couldn't hear everything in the room, but she was quite familiar with all of the signs. Gaggles of girls (and guys that were lacking in balls) whispering their own little groups, eying others, small snorts of amusement at the expense of others.

Casually nudging Eunomia with her elbow, she commented "...ya know... I got enough of th'gossip bullsh*t when I was in high school..." As Ellie, she had never been a popular girl, nor actually wanted to be. Popularity did weird things to nice people. She didn't know what sort of popularity hierarchy there was within the senshi, and in all honesty, she was brazen enough to not care about it.

Speaking of not caring, though nobody seemed to prompt her for an opinion on the current onslaught of topics, the blonde spoke up loud enough for many others to hear.

"I gotta agree with body-suit chick a bit... and Princess Snowball a bit too... more so with Princess Snowball..."

Yes, that was a respectful name for the one addressing the group.

"I'm an Earthling. Born on Earth, raised in Destiny City... I just happen t'have th'starseed... th'soul of someone who didn't live'ere once. I say f*ck movin' back to th'hunks of rock we called home at one point. The past is th'past... the present is th'present... and th'future if we play our cards right. Don't know 'bout ya... but I fight t'make sure my home stays safe. Fer th'future of Earth!"

She shrugged, then said in a lower tone to nobody in particular "...if some a*****e Nega wants t'misinterpret that, go right on ahead..." So far, Polaris did seem to have Iris' support in certain aspects, especially in regards to the homeworlds.

Nysa still remained standing attentively, taking in everything going on about him. However, the one thing that was bothering him was all the blatant levels of disrespect occurring in this short amount of time. It honestly made him wonder what sort of heathens had raised each individual who was acting so condescending. Especially to such an upstanding young lady as Princess Polaris.

She had earned his respect far before he had learned she was a princess. She was ultimately the reason why he had come to have the power he currently had as a Page. This pale-haired girl had essentially saved his soul by righting a wrong that had been committed by the General Painite.

Even now, amidst the petty commentary on the sidelines, she was acting as a strong young woman.

In a mindful tone, he did seem to speak up with a request that was vaguely related to the current topic.

"Though I am unfortunately unable to add anything insightful to the topic of knights, since I am still merely a Page, I would like to request aid from any more experienced members of the faction to come find me, Nysa of Neptune, after the meeting. Any assistance and insight is greatly appreciated."

Giving a slight bow of his upper body, he then returned to his relatively quiet observation, keeping a keen eye out for any of the Celestial Shepherds.