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"I'm positive they knew." Kairatos growled, still frustrated and defensive. "There were marks and signs of excavation, they went looking for something down there, and it showed. I don't think it's any kind of coincidence that the code didn't start talking like some kind of Rift Recruitment agent until fairly recently, Easter. Even in a goddamn war full of magic, that's way too damn much coincidence."

And entirely too much underestimating their intelligence and organization for him, but he wasn't sure much what to make of her anyway, or that... well... rather horror movie lumbering bear.

"I don't even remember if it's a full moon." He added, with equal frustration. "Be nice if holding hands and singing Kymbaya worked, I've been wondering it there was a way to do that without..."

He was about to voice his opinions on the Trancendance process, which were... unflattering, but instead he let his eyes drift over the glowing marks on HugBell with an noncommittal noise in the back of his throat. "I"ve been wondering about that. The Negaverse can do a version of it, and they're pretty much the corrupt version of... well so far everything we are."

They'd seen Ascended's before they'd seen Transcended. And they'd seen Caedus's crystals, which, whatever they were, did not feel like Chaos... but that was as far as he'd gotten in all his wondering.

"Ring anyone you can think of though... worst comes to worse they tell us there's no full moon right? And we don't know that we need permission to jump back just to get here."

They could always take her back with them, dangerous as that might be, it was no less dangerous than being trapped here... right?

Super Sailor Thrymr, Senshi of the Southern Lights


He knew, somewhere in the back of his mind, that he was being unfair; that Hugbell could not possibly have understood the extent of what he had gone through down there. But that was the problem in and of itself, Thrymr thought, as he wiped a little more blood off of Cosmos' face. She did not know, and she was pretending to know, pretending that she understood, pretending that they had all gone through the same thing. That they could somehow relate.

He didn't want to relate. He didn't want to be around anyone.

He wanted to go home.

Thrymr did not answer Hugbell's offer verbally, but he gave a tight nod of his head; he wasn't quite sure that he could trust himself to speak, not when he was trying so desperately to just hold onto what little sanity he had left. The calm and gentle personality he had was slipping away into something more tense and pained, less controlled.

He felt sick inside.

There was a voice somewhere above his head. Thrymr turned slightly, catching sight of a young man with wavy brown hair, a water bottle extended out towards him. He hesitated, then reached out and accepted it, awkwardly unscrewing the cap one handed, as Cosmos was still resting with her head against his hand.

"Thank you," he said quietly, and managed a strained flicker of what might have been a ghost of a smile before it faded again. "And I...is that where we are? The moon?"

There were others gathering now, a young redheaded boy among them, something in his arms. Snarky, angry comments were being thrown, people snipping at one another - and at Cosmos - but Thrymr glanced back at Cosmos herself, holding out the bottle of water towards her.

"Here," he said softly, "You should drink something, he's right."

Tomlin, Guardian Cat

The sunlight-warmth and peace of the journey passed, but Tomlin was used to harsh outdoor weather. The cold drew no comment from the exhausted cat. His eyes flickered open for only a moment upon landing, noting the castle grounds, the layout. A safe place. Using the energy beam took far too much out of him, he thought. There had to be a better way… He let his heavy eyelids fall shut, drifting into a catnap far deeper than he’d intended.

He didn’t twitch when Chibi Oort joined him on the chilly courtyard stones.

His ear flicked at Oberon’s voice calling to him, but his eyes remained closed.

His tail swished slightly as Oort apologised and lifted him up, but his defences were so far down, all he could think was ‘warm’, and he snuggled against the arms that held him with a faint purr, something he would never do when properly awake, and would vehemently deny later. His groggy mind slowly caught up with what was going on, but before he was fully aware enough to form a protest, he was set down.

There was a lot of talking going on, and that was what finally persuaded Tomlin to open slitted eyes to the world, blinking slowly at Cosmos and those gathered around her. She didn’t look any better than those she’d rescued, but with everyone pooling their magic to help her, it was hopefully a temporary situation. He glanced at Hugbell’s phone, but made no move towards it. Better to let someone more techno-savvy than him play with that. Or someone with enough energy left to break out the opposable thumbs.

The starseeds. Yes, that was top priority. He yawned wide and toothily, and began retrieving the hidden gems from his subspace one by one, gently batting them into place beside the larger piles the others were depositing. His was a small haul, but each one was a life, a soul, a precious person, and he treated the ten he’d pocketed with as much care as if they were newborn kittens. The last he withdrew had a brighter shine to it, and he pushed that one forward, closer to the injured senshi in white, so it wouldn’t get lost. He didn’t know what that brightness meant, but if there was any hope at all, surely Cosmos would know what to do. Oort had found a similar one, he noted, but he couldn’t spot any others in the piles. Let this be good news, he thought.

Goretti

Goretti debated for a moment; he did not want to leave her side, but he did not want to leave Cosmos without the starseeds she had requested. He figured for as long as he was there, he'd probably be a distraction and prevent her from clearing her mind, so he finally nodded. "Okay, I'll go drop them off real quick. But I'll be right back," he promised. He gave her shoulder a quick, gentle clap and then bolted towards the front of the crowd.

He was delicate with the starseeds, but he didn't waste time. It took him a moment or two, even in his haste, before he'd deposited all of them in the pile collecting for Cosmos—and then he ran right back to Aptera. "I'm here! Okay! Show me your back! What am I looking at!" he asked. He didn't know how bad it was, but he was still running on an adrenaline high and didn't want to let her down.

He wanted her to be okay. For all the people that weren't.




Newgrange

Newgrange glanced at the male and was quiet for a moment before he nodded. "I'll do that," he promised, but there was no certainty to it. He didn't want to ask for help and he was happier to pretend like everything was fine. But holding his arm at that angle was doing it more harm than good, so he kept his body slightly turned so as not to draw anymore attention to it than necessary.

Falias had seen through his lie, and it was as plain on the male's face. He wasn't going to waste the effort to maintain the lie if he'd already been caught.

His arm hung by his side and he slowly clenched and unclenched his hand into a fist, as if he needed to keep doing it to assure it was still there. He scanned the crowd before shaking his head. "I don't think I know anyone who can share energy." Most of these faces didn't even look familiar. He didn't like being of no help, so he gave the other Squire an apologetic look. "Sorry. I don't think I'll be of any help, unless anyone has a sweet tooth back home."

Mauvian Ash

Silver ears perked, catching someone mentioning phones and allowing cats to use them. Ash snorted out loud and reached out to squeeze Mont Blonc's shoulder before she left him to rest, her sailor form slipping away to the normal humanoid form she'd had for a few months now. The new henshin experiment was a rousing success, she concluded, but it was limited. That battle had been very much a trial-by-fire, but she had held up decently well through it. Far better than simple cat or human form would have.

Being teleported out of the Rift had been startling and arriving on the moon had been both relieving and exciting. She'd only been here the one time and space travel would always have a secret place in her heart. Relief had been an exhausting flood of emotion expressed best by Aegir's bear hug of doom. Ash had been content to keep Monty company and clean the both of them up as best she could, but hearing all the talk as motivation enough to get up and pace barefoot towards the crowd around the shining white senshi, pushing her way between them.

"If anyone wants to go, then go." She called as she went. "Its like any other Moon visit, just concentrate on Earth and press the Moon button on your phone. Duh. Knights might need to hitch a ride, but I think if you concentrate like you do when you go to your wonder, it might probably work."

It wasn't long before she had wormed her way over to Thyrmr where he tended Cosmos, her tail flicking behind her.

"I can mass contact senshi, but I don't think it'll do any good. Its not a full moon, so there isn't any way for them to get up here to help us... we're on our own while we're here." Her face fell as she looked down at the fallen senshi and she dropped to sit on her knees beside her and Thrymr.

"I wish I could help you more. That was very powerful magic you did, pulling us, ALL of us, out of the rift at once. I haven't heard of anyone being able to do that before and I can only imagine what the cost was... but you have anything from me that I can do for you." She said softly.

A mass message was not a bad idea though... there were a lot of friends and comrades who weren't here, who needed to know they were okay. A touch to her headset called up her holographic keyboard and Ash punched in a quick message, activating a protocol she had set up ages ago for this. It pinged softly as she sent it and all around, senshi phones began to go off with messages.

Cosmos nodded to each person that brought the starseeds to her; while she herself did not seem rejuvenated by their presence, some of the starseeds began to light up, flickering lightly.

Some that looked dead looked alive again. They floated—they sparkled.

They were ready to go home, and they knew she would take them.

Faintly, Cosmos smiled. Perhaps it was with the starseeds, or perhaps it was Kairatos' attempt at humor.

Bifrost's information made the woman tilt her head just slightly as she considered the thought, but she did not speak of Caedus. Not yet.

"You do not have to thank me," she murmured to Cordoba, offering her as kind a smile as she could manage. To Gevaudan, a bit louder, "I would appreciate avoiding an early grave. I'm afraid I have a lot of work still, and no one to replace me. I am feeling better already, though."

She didn't look much better, but it was a start.

Sabine gave her enough information than Cosmos seemed to slowly be piecing things together; she nodded once more after the girl spoke and thanked her, as well. "Everything you can tell me is helpful."

And every magical boost helped. Oort's magic might not have lasted for long, but its effects were immediate; the boost in strength, even if only for a few seconds, seemed to aid her recovery process.

Even as she was taking in a few deep breaths, she placed a hand on Maia's. "Go, I will be fine, I think. Thank you."

Her hand fell back to her side and she addressed Delphi, next. "I will be well enough to see them home. They will be safe with me.

Cosmos did not speak to Paris, though. She did not look at the woman, or wherever she had disappeared off to. There were many words she imagined she could deliver the girl, but she did not have the energy to deal with such hostilities. Paris could be angry, or upset, but Cosmos' duties were not a choice.

The Cauldron was a responsibility that had taken everything from her.

She missed the comforts of Earth, but there were some obligations you could not hide from.

Not when the continued existence of life relied on you doing your job.

Perdita's voice drew her from the quiet contemplation she had found herself in and she offered a small smile again. "I can take them home. I can take them somewhere safe. They will sleep, and they will heal, and then they will live again. And then they will live long, happy lives, I hope."

Her gaze turned to Hugbell and she offered one more reassuring squeeze. "You have done enough for me, do not apologize. Take care of yourself."

Thrymr was more reassuring than she had words for; she appreciated his dutiful maintenance and had a smile just for him. She raised one hand cautiously to take the water and sipped at it tiredly. She did not manage to swallow much, but she lowered the bottle, caught her breath, and took another small sip. "We are on the moon, yes. It is only temporary," she tried to reassure; these people had been through enough. The last thing she wanted was for them to think they were going to be trapped here forever. Her eyes moved to Chris, and she was quiet for a moment, watching him, but finally shook her head. "No. I could not reach them. I could not hear their voices at all. I am sorry."

She nodded to Ash. "It is not an ability most have. I borrowed energy from the Cauldron. A single person, alone cannot teleport, but…" She was quiet for a moment. "There are methods. Sometimes, the Cauldron shows me things. I wish it were under better circumstances, but if you give me a moment…perhaps I can teach you something. If there are those that wish to listen." Her words were soft, then, as though she were considering perhaps keeping quiet until everyone calmed down—or broaching the topic some other time, when hostilities were not so high.

Still, she made no effort to silence Aegir. Perhaps, because he had said what she never would. She was tired, but offered him a kind smile. "I am not mad at you," she said, speaking to those around her—and to him because he had been loud. He had a voice she did not, and perhaps he could make some use of her words. "Not at any of you. I know what war does to people. I know how desperate it makes you. You did what you had to do. War is not easy. You made a hard decision. All of you. You cannot change what has happened, but you can learn from it. You will be stronger from this."

There was liquid in her eyes, but she wore her tired smile still. She spoke, trying to raise her voice for everyone.

"Whatever was done, for whatever reason, you have left with victory." Friends might have fallen, and that was not an easy thing to handle. But there were starseeds here—hundreds. "If you had not done what you did, the Code would still be suffering. These starseeds—these lives—would be lost forever. You have given all of them a chance at new life."

One tear fell, but she was still smiling.

"How could you think I would be mad at you? This is not a time for anger."

It was not a time for celebration, but it was not a time for anger.

She moved one hand to rest on Aegir's knee. "Do not hurt yourself for me. If your friend cannot get help here, he should be taken to a hospital. You should be looked after, the same," she said, taking a second to glance at all the injured soldiers who had gathered around her. She drew in a shaky breath. "It should not cost you much energy. Clear your mind and you can go home. Just think of Earth and the magic will do the rest."

Cosmos' hands folded into her lap once more and she took a deep breath before she seemed to relax a bit more.

"I do not know who Caedus is," she added. "I have never met him. Be wary of him is all that I ask of you. I do not have energy to confront him, now. But I hope that you will be my eyes and ears, and I hope that you will call me if something seems amiss. The Negaverse will be angry. I will listen closely for you all. Just in case."

Chris Gallo

“Will you shut the ******** up?” Chris spoke up from over his shoulder when he heard someone telling Paris to shut up and sounded like he was accusing her of making it a contest for who used more energy. Did this person just not do anything, meaning they didn’t realize Paris was standing up for every last person who put their lives on the line, using every last bit of energy, every last attack that they had at their disposal to try and clear the path to safety?

Chris pushed himself up from where he’d knelt down beside Paris and Harmonia, his head still spinning from the recent transformation. He turned to see who could have possibly known Paris, and not just Ganymede, and think that she would ever try to make anything about herself. They obviously didn’t know her at all if they thought that way.

He was only slightly surprised when it was the eternal (Aegir) from before, the same eternal who so haphazardly grabbed onto the other senshi (Thrymr), interrupting the other as he tried to help Cosmos. The same one he’d snapped at as knee-jerk reaction when Cosmos was in danger of being trampled on.

“I don’t know how you know Paris, but yelling about how Cosmos saved our lives isn’t helping anyone. Don’t be such a hypocrite. You didn’t even notice, or maybe didn’t care, that she was on the ground and in pain earlier, when I told you to be careful,” he pointed out. Chris had moved passed the senshi’s carelessness as just happiness of seeing his friend, but for him to come back and act all high and mighty now? Like he actually cared before?

Chris’s expression eased just slightly, although he was still irritated that this man would so brazenly yell at Paris without realizing that she was making sure everyone who actually fought and risked their lives weren’t overlooked when taking the sacrifice Cosmos made into account.

“Here, catch,” he said, taking the vials meant for himself and Paris from Alexandria, and tossing one to the senshi (Aegir). “You don’t look so great, either. It’ll help with the pain. Alex,” he turned to his friend. “That knight he’s talking about. He needs it more Paris or myself. He saved Paris from getting killed.” Chris paused to look for the knight in question, holding onto the vial so that Alexandria wouldn’t try to do something with the vial, himself. “Would you mind taking it to him…?,” he said softly, almost a whisper as his head continued to spin.