Welcome to Gaia! ::

It was exceedingly rare that Aree left the door open. She had always been so careful when it came to covering her tracks, especially when it came to the fact that she was now living in the Hillworth gym after hours. Getting found out and kicked out of the place would mean she was out on the streets. Right now, she just didn't need that. Each and every day, Lieutenant Tanzanite was overpowering Aree Cadence for control. The human side was slipping away bit by bit, leaving little more than sparse moments of compassion filled by long intervals of hatred, anger, and cold-blooded murder.

Aree Cadence was losing herself, body and soul, to the Negaverse.

It was during one of those rare human moments that Aree heard the voice. She was tucked into her sleeping bag, propped up on her elbows with her chin cradled in the hollow of her palms. On her small, stolen mini-TV there was some documentary about life in the deepest, darkest parts of the ocean. A place so cold that only the most well-adapted and cunning of creatures seemed to survive there. Aree watched with both interest and sympathy; how well she knew their plight.

The voice brought her to her feet in a heartbeat, her breath freezing in her lungs until it sounded again. It was so familiar that Aree actually laughed with her relief. She didn't bother transforming. If she was wrong, and this was a Senshi, then she might be able to get away with playing the part of an innocent victim. With a broken rib and a body still full of bruises, she was in no shape to be taking on yet another battle.

As Aree stepped out from beneath the bleacher, leaning on a piece of the tall meta frame, she looked nothing short of terrible. Her long, dark hair was loose, falling around her face like some wild purple mane. Her eyes were ringed with circles that nearly matched those deep indigo locks, and her skin was pale enough that her light gray eyes looked dark in comparison. Here and there bruises covered her exposed arms and legs, ranging from yellowish green to a purplish-black. Aree wanted nothing more than to lay down, to curl her limbs around herself and just rest, if only for a day.

Tanzanite would simply not allow it. She screamed in the back of Aree's mind at the slightest hint of provocation. No matter how bad the injuries, no matter the number of opponents, the Negaverse Lieutenant was relentless. For Aree Cadence, there was no such thing as “calling upon” her power. She fought every second of every day to hold it back, lest she lose what little part of her humanity remained. Even her voice sounded exhausted when she finally spoke.

“Hello, Captain.”

There was a sharp inhalation as Nealite's arm looped with her own. Every moment provoked the dull aching into a sharp stab of pain, and Aree's hand flew to the spot where her ribs protested with agony. Beneath the loose-fitting camisole her torso was wrapped tightly so that the ribs would heal properly. As a Negaverser, there was no such thing as an emergency room or a doctor's office, no x-ray's or painkillers. Doctors asked questions and, when your answers just didn't match your injuries, they called in authorities to investigate.

When you were part of the Negaverse, you left the human world and all of it's comforts behind.

“I'm fine, I'm fine,” she said with a weak smile, turning the both of them towards the small encampment she'd made beneath the bleachers. With Nealite's help she would collapse into a sitting position, leaning with a wince to turn off the small TV. With the screen no longer illuminating the dark underside of the bleachers, only the single strand of Christmas lights that she'd hung on the rafters the day before illuminated the both of them in a multi-colored glow. “I just.. have a hard time saying no to two versus one fights these days. Or Tanzanite does, at least.”

She gave a wink, masking the fact that she feared that she was losing an already weak grip on herself. She then wrapped her arms around Ursula and, ignoring every bit of ache it caused her, pulled her into a tight hug.

“Where have you been,” she whispered. It was rare that Aree ever confided so emotionally in anyone, but when she pulled away to lay a hand gently upon either side of the Captain's face, her watery eyes displayed an overwhelming mix of relief and sadness, “I though I'd lost you, Ursula. And you know I.. I can't lose you. You know that, don't you?”

Aree grinned despite a gash in her bottom lip that was just barely healed over, and pride shone in her eyes.

“But I did!” She said, her voice strained to keep it from coming out as one exuberant, joyous shout. She squeezed Nealite's hands lightly, and in her eyes there was something beyond happiness. Beyond joy. There was something in her that verged on a religious sort of revelation as she stared back at Nealite, leaning in to whisper, “And I won.”

Well, sort of. There was really no such thing as winning in the Negaverse. The senshi were always saved. They always found a way to run away or they were dragged out by the damnable, grey-haired witch. But when a Senshi tried to stop you and you came out of it alive and with the starseed they were trying to stop you from stealing, you considered it a win. She was still recalling the events, the first battle against Atlas and Thuban and the second against Alkaid and Saiph. Only when Nealite asked what was going on, and mentioned leaving, did Aree's eyes go wide.

“But I... I don't have anywhere to go...” she said, her words toned with shame. She seemed shaken, as though the simple question of what was going on had broken the carefully constructed dam between Aree and her memories, “I can't go home... I mean I went home. And I couldn't help it, Nea. I promise I couldn't. I tried and I tried but I lost control and I... they kicked me out. I almost killed him, Ursula. I wanted to kill him.”

She quieted, and she looked up at Nealite with a wide, almost terrified gaze. Aree Cadence, always so very composed and gathered, looked shaken, as though a sudden realization had begun to overwhelm her.

“There's no going back, is there?” She whispered, as though confirming the notion rather than suggesting she would ever even desire such a thing. It was as though every bit of emotion and humanity that she'd ever had was compressed into the human form of Lieutenant Tanzanite, in some attempt to finally rid herself of such fickle fears and silly terrors. Someday, somehow, she would find a way to rid herself of the need for Aree Cadence. When she did, every last trace of humanity would die alongside her.

Shaking, Aree slowly stood, glancing around the small area. There was nothing there that she needed. Her uniforms were stuffed in her locker, her other few belongings hidden in other places. She nodded to Nea, taking one deep, calming breath as though to pull herself together.

“I.. I'm sorry,” she whispered, shaking her head, “Let's go.”

The process of Aree gathering her composure was a visible one. Her hands smoothed the fabric of her pajamas, her features seeming to slide slowly from that wide-eyed stare and pursed-lip frown to the calm, collected expression that Nealite had likely become so accustomed to seeing. She took in a deep breath, pressing one hand to her stomach to try and quell the sudden wave of nausea that had always accompanied teleportation. She was only partly successful, but managed to swallow down the bile the rose in her throat.

Half-lidded eyes glanced around the apartment as the light flooded it, immediately picking up on the sudden lack of decorations. All of the things that she had previously associated with Ursula were gone. The walls were barren, only nail holes and the occasional scuff mark showing that there had ever been anything there at all.

“Ursula, what are you doing,” she sighed, pulling herself up. Her momentary breakdown had now been shoved back into it's proper place, replaced by concern for the woman she called her best friend. Her body protested every movement, a cracked rib shooting pain through her side. Even now, she seemed incapable of thinking about herself. Above and beyond being her closest (only?) friend, she was Nealite. A captain of the Negaverse, and thus her life was of greater importance. She pressed a hand against the refrigerator for balance and drew herself up, “Go sit down, I'll not having you kill yourself over me.”

Aree smiled, but the expression did not reach her eyes. It never did. “I'll get you something to drink. And while I do, you can tell me where the hell you've been.”

Aree rolled her eyes, and was just about to comment on something having to do with dedication to the Negaverse and other such crap, but she was cut short when Ursula dropped the bomb. She was in the middle of pouring some wine into a large plastic cup (the choice of classy ladies everywhere), when her hands froze in place. Her eyes widened, mouth slightly agape at the news. It wasn't that Ursula had landed a kiss. She knew there must be dozens of men dying to kiss the red-headed woman, but there was only one who Ursula would ever let that close.

And that one was a man who Aree found it nearly impossible to imagine kissing anyone.

“So did it give you mouth cancer from nicotine transfer ooooor...?” She trailed off, grinning like an idiot. That was the thing about Ursula. No matter how down and out she felt, time with Ursula seemed to alleviate whatever problem seemed to be picking at her. That was why girl time was becoming a vital part of their double lives.

“Well, start talking!” She handed the cup to Ursula, pouring another for herself, “I know a kiss didn't take a week, unless you had to write him an instruction manual.”

Aree wouldn't be surprised.

Perhaps it was the blinding pain in her side every time she took a breath, or perhaps it was just the borderline psychotic week that she'd had. Likely a combination of the two. Whatever it was, Aree hadn't thought to bring up the sudden change in – or lack of – decorations. When prompted, she stole a glance around the apartment. She would have rolled her shoulders in a gentle shrug, but the bruise that spread across her collar bone protested the very thought.

“I assumed,” she said with a smirk,taking a moment for a sip from her glass, “That you were just redecorating.” That was a lie. Nea didn't doubt her own sense of style long enough for a full blown redecoration. And why would she? Of all the women Aree knew (all... four?), Nealite was by far the most fashionable of the lot.

“Or did he just steal all of your stuff and move it to the Negaverse.” Aree cleared her throat, and began her best impression of the General King, “You will live in the Negaverse! The Negaverse is your home now! The Negaverse is your life! The Negaverse is your lover! When you breathe, you breathe the Negaverse. When you ********, you ******** the Negaverse. Rabble rabble get me a ******** cigarette!”

It was an impressively accurate impression.

As Aree watch Alderaan explode, she couldn't help but feel a small ache in her chest. There were families on that planet. Children. Small, harmless animals with nobody to defend or protect them. How cruel and unjust that they should be cut down in the prime of their l- WHAT THE ******** was a rare thing to catch Aree off guard. Getting a surprised look out of her was about as likely as getting a Buckingham Palace Guard to strip naked and do the macarena. Thus, when she went slack-jawed and wide eyed at Ursula's news, it was a moment to remember. Aree stared at the older woman as though she had just grown a second head. Then a third head. And then the third head was eating the second head in a territorial display of dominance.

“You.. he.. bwuh?” She stammered, unable to comprehend this news. It wasn't that she lacked excitement for the news. Nor that she was unable to comprehend the sheer impact of this news. It was just that her brain had taken a sharp left into WTFville (population: the entire ******** world) and was now imagining General-King Charonite trying to take his vows.

I ******** take this ******** woman to be my mother ******** lawfully wedded wife, god damnit!

“Oh... oh my,” Aree said in a rather anticlimactic manner. And suddenly she was up, pacing despite the pain that every step caused, “Ursula there's so much to do. We have to go shopping for your dress and figure out how we're going to get Charonite to wear a suit. Oh we have to pick colors and it can't be green because green clashes with orange and we can't have yellow because yellow clashes with purple and oh dear lord he's going to give your children orange dreadlocks and they're going to look like carrot top!”