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 Posted: Mon May 02, 2011 12:15 pm
Asclepius sat on the edge of a building overlooking the wreckage where the great battle with the dark phoenix youma had taken place. She was still several blocks away from where she had fought, but it was not like there was anything left to obstruct the view from her vantage point.
Ilmenite's words echoed in her mind - about torture, and how the Negaverse had been there to rescue their own. She could recall Labyrinthite telling her to go home, and also "home" itself, with the corridors of fallen bodies.
Really, why was she even in uniform tonight, the Senshi of Medicine wondered, dangling her little white backpack with the red cross sign from one hand, off the edge of the building. That was really it, though; the little white backpack that she had taken to carrying around, in case she ran into another senshi who needed help. Or anyone, really. But apparently she was not fully aware of just what all she was helping with.
With a sigh, the girl closed her eyes, trying to sense if any other senshi were in the area. Maybe just having someone to talk to would help.
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Posted: Mon May 02, 2011 6:08 pm
It had taken Nemesis a little while to fall back into the groove of things. The BMC's loss had set everyone back, and reasonably so. Her own injuries had just recently stopped hindering her every move, and that included the mental inflictions that had been given to the Soldier of Decay. Nemesis was fortunate that she hadn't run into any real threat these few nights she had been forcing herself to patrol. The only Negaverse agent she had run into was Alkaid, and for some reason they hadn't fought. Considering the fact that Nemesis had almost killed Alkaid... it was astonishing that the corrupted senshi hadn't been at her throat.
There was the possibility that Nemesis was more worked up over Alkaid not attacking her than she would have been if the girl had tried to take her out while she was down. Whatever, she wanted to stop thinking about Alkaid. What she really needed to do was find a Negaverse agent and take care of some s**t, because she was itching to even the score after the BMC catastrophe. They had taken Lyra, and that was unforgivable, almost as unforgivable as Lyra going with them so ******** it." She just really needed to beat something up. Perhaps that was why she was headed towards the scene of the BMC's stand against the Negaverse. Perhaps some idiot had wandered back to that spot to reminisce on the losses. Nemesis didn't feel a Negaverse power, per say, but she definitely felt a power. It wasn't near the level of her own, but it was definitely a senshi, and Nemesis was curious to see who it was.
If it was one of the BMC Nemesis was going to have to make some excuse about being late for a dinner date and high-tail it out of there. "You know, sitting around like that is just begging for someone to come up, stick their hand in your chest and make you a worthless sack of flesh." So... it wasn't the nice 'hello' that someone would expect of a senshi, but Nemesis was still a step up from any Negaverser. The black and blue styled senshi had just made it to the top of the building, observing Asclepius with a judgmental gaze.
Her fuku was nice?
That was about as far as Nemesis got in her observation of the girl before she decided that Asclepius' stupidity for just sitting around would outweigh any pro about the girl that she could find.
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Posted: Tue May 03, 2011 1:15 pm
Asclepius turned to look over her shoulder as she felt a more powerful senshi approaching, but was still quite guilty of sitting when she arrived. At the sound of the stranger's voice, though, she got to her feet, smoothing her hands over her skirts and nodding.
"Criticism taken," she replied, and crossed her arms, letting the first aid kit backpack hang at her side from the crook of her elbow. "I was mostly just waiting for calls, though, tonight," the Senshi of Medicine added. It was partly true, at least. Powered up, she would have her senshi phone handy just in case any of those who had her number required help.
She did feel a little dumb, though, being caught like that, and by a more experienced senshi, too. But Asclepius tried not let it show. Saying that she had felt none of the Negaverse nearby just felt like an excuse. But maybe if the other girl thought she was stupid, then it was a good time to pull out the stupid question that had been nagging her since she had spoken with Ilmenite outside the run-down bus shelter.
"What do they need that energy for, anyway?"
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Posted: Wed May 04, 2011 9:02 am
Nemesis had the presence of mind to look as if she was completely unimpressed by the weaker senshi. Cocking her head to the side, Nemesis eyed the first aid kit with mild interest. Did that mean that this senshi wasn't a fighter? She hoped, for the girl's sake, that she did know how to fight instead of just patch her friends up. "I never wait for calls," she finally responded. "It's called, uh, taking initiative. It's a waste of time sitting around waiting for someone to call you for help. It is far more productive to try and seek the enemy out for yourself, and if someone calls you during your hunt, sure, you can go and help." Apparently Nemesis wasn't fond of Asclepius' method. Nemesis had better things to do with her time than wait around for her phone to ring like a lovesick teenager waiting for her first love to pick up the phone.
"Think of energy as fuel - that's what I do." She didn't know the specifics, and perhaps she should. All Nemesis knew was that they had stopped, for the most part, stealing starseeds and feeding them to themselves and their pets. It was a step up, and maybe it meant that not every Negaverser was out killing people every night. But, the truth remained that people were still dying, and it was Nemesis' duty to protect the civilians of Destiny City. Some really didn't deserve it, but hey, Nemesis was being sort-of nice by trying to protect them still.
"I am Sailor Nemesis, Eternal Senshi of Decay, by the way." Well, her fuku would have been a clear hint as to what her power sphere was, or at least that it wasn't a cutesy sphere like Puppies or Rainbows or Leprechauns.
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Posted: Wed May 04, 2011 8:38 pm
Asclepius did not expect to impress anyone, but was not terribly pleased with the insinuation that she was lazy. This senshi thing was not her life. She had things to do for school, as well, and at home. And on top of that, it was not like her senshi power was as dramatic and destructive as, say Chaonis'. Even Iris' rainbows seemed to do more damage than Asclepius could. The best she had, really, was her fists and feet. And she was hardly a martial arts master.
"I'm a doctor, not a warrior," she replied, crossing her arms. "I haven't been at this as long as you have, and so I guess I haven't really found my niche yet. Or much of a team."
At the introduction, the brown-haired girl stepped forward and extended her hand. "Sailor Asclepius, Senshi of Medicine. Nice to meet you." She sounded sincere, if not necessarily excited.
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Posted: Wed May 04, 2011 8:45 pm
"The battlefield is no place for a doctor, so I'd uh... suggest you learn how to fight," Nemesis scoffed. If she wanted to be a doctor, she could sit at home and wait for a call. Like this, she had to be hoping that some sort of enemy would meander her way. It would still be considerably more productive to move away from that single spot instead of remaining perched for the rest of the evening. This was why regular senshi annoyed her. They didn't become of much use until they were Super, and knew the ropes and what they wanted to. At this stage, Nemesis was constantly worried she'd get roped into some sort of babysitting gig.
"You'll figure things out, if you survive long enough. When I was first awakened, I got by through sheer dumb luck." Nowadays, it was less likely that a senshi could get away with that. The Negaverse was growing more serious, and were less likely to screw up when they wanted a senshi dead or corrupted.
Nemesis glanced down to the hand stretched out to her, and after a few seconds she reached out to shake it. "Ah, you sphere would explain why you think you can just play doctor." Still, Asclepius should learn quickly how to take care of herself, because Nemesis doubted she'd be able to patch herself up after a Negaverser was through with her.
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Posted: Sat May 07, 2011 2:58 pm
Asclepius' stomach turned slightly at the other senshi's harsh words, feeling more than a little foolish. It really had been dumb luck so far that had kept her from getting beaten up too badly, and by the likes of Labyrinthite instead of the general-queen who had been born here. The Senshi of Medicine was always in fear of the day she ran into something she could not handle that would not allow her to call for help. Still, though, she did not believe herself to be fully the naive newcomer to this battle that she had been some months ago:
"'No place for a doctor'?" she repeated. "I am not playing at this. I study medicine when I am not in this uniform." Asclepius gestured to the industrial wreckage behind her. "In the middle of that battle, I was able to save another senshi who had a spike in her leg. Or has no one told me that we're just supposed to leave our injured behind?"
Her tone was impartial, not accusatory, for now; she was just asking a question. Part of her wanted to ask what did have a place on the battlefield, however. Only soldiers? Or - her lip curled slightly at the thought - torturers? Of course, Asclepius had no idea whom exactly Ilmenite had meant when he told her about the torture that had been going on here. Or even if he could be trusted. Instinct said no. But then it was true that there did seem to be an awful lot that she had not been told.
... Asclepius wanted to bring that up, too, if she could, but it did not quite seem like the right moment now. She would probably end up getting told off by this Nemesis anyway.
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Posted: Sun May 08, 2011 7:47 pm
Nemesis still had the indecency to look unimpressed. Those who wanted to heal could stand on the sidelines of battle, but Nemesis didn't much see the point of focusing one's whole attention in that one area. Why weren't they going out and fighting? Asclepius should trust the other senshi to take care of themselves long enough for her to finish off a Negaverser. Sure, Nemesis knew that there were few senshi who'd share her viewpoint, but she was a person of action. "I am sure that senshi would have survived, even if you didn't rush to her aid." A spike through the leg sounded painful, but that wasn't life threatening. Nemesis had been through just as much throughout her years of fighting. "You would have been much better use if you had done more than just cater to the fallen."
Her eyes swept towards the wreckage that had been the BMC's stand against the Negaverse. It had been a devastating loss, and even Nemesis hadn't been able to accomplish much. What had she done? It was nothing more than trying to kill a corrupted senshi, and that she had failed in. Still, she put her actions at higher value than Asclepius'. There was some value in being able to heal and help partners, but there was more value still in being able to walk onto a battlefield and take care of enemies.
The more enemies one wiped out, the less chance there was of friends getting hurt in the battle as well. "Do yourself a favor and learn how to fight, it's far more practical. You can do your fancy helping the injured s**t on the side. Maybe, if you had known how to fight, we wouldn't have lost so terribly..." She looked Asclepius over, and decided to renounce that statement. "But, probably... definitely not."
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Posted: Sun May 08, 2011 8:25 pm
Even if Nemesis tried to take back her blame on Asclepius for the loss, the junior senshi had still heard the accusation. She frowned, the only indication that she would be upset about it later when she was alone. It really could not have possibly been entirely her fault that they had not been victorious, but Asclepius was keenly aware that she had gone too long without truly learning to fight. She had wished that she would not have to, and part of her nagged every time she hopped out her window that she would not always be lucky, but she still was not sure she was willing to be the one throwing the punches.
Still, though, Asclepius was unwilling to believe she had done nothing. "Maybe, if I had been fighting and ignored the girl in the brown seifuku, she might have bled out, or lost the ability to walk, or, worse, been left behind when we were forced to retreat." She crossed her arms, giving Nemesis her space on the rooftop as she turned to look out at the mess of rubble as well.
Asclepius was silent for a long moment, then finally inquired, "Is it true that agents of the Negaverse were being tortured here? And that this battle stemmed from their rescue operation?" She chewed her lip, worried about the answer, and, moreover, that this other, more experienced senshi, might further criticize her for not knowing. Or for asking about it.
But she had to know for sure.
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Posted: Sun May 08, 2011 10:15 pm
"As you must have learned by now, senshi are surprisingly durable. We heal a little better than humans, so I have no issue with thinking that girl would have been fine. If she hadn't been fine, sucks to be her." Nemesis shrugged her shoulders, a small frown tugging at the corners of her lips. While Nemesis did care about the lives of others... she made it a point to show that as little as possible. She had struggled for over a year learning the ropes, surviving, and finding her place. Other newbie senshi could do the very damned same. It'd make them stronger, in the end.
Nemesis paused for a moment, debating on whether she should tell Asclepius what had went down that night. Ares probably wouldn't approve, but the plan had been foiled a bit. "Yes, it was necessary, though. Who knows how many lives could have been saved with the information gathered. And I can assure you, that given the chance, the Negaverse would do the same." Nemesis believed completely in the actions that the BMC had taken. If she hadn't believed in it, she wouldn't be a member of that court.
They were the only group of senshi in Destiny City that were capable of doing anything to fight the Negaverse. They were trained, not only in battle, but in gathering information. If only they hadn't had that ******** towards the end of the operation. If only they hadn't let Tanzanite and her buddies live. It was her only qualm, every last Negaverser they had captured deserved to die for what they had done to humans and senshi.
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Posted: Sun May 08, 2011 10:43 pm
The Senshi of Medicine mulled over this information for a long moment. She was not sure if the feeling in the pit of her stomach was upset or anger, or some combination of the two; it was easier to think about that than to consider her own emotions, though. Looking sidelong at Nemesis surveying the wreckage, she wondered if this was what her destiny meant. Clearly not all of the senshi were like this, at least as far as the brown-haired girl knew, but ... Nemesis was the only Eternal she had yet encountered. This Nemesis had been in the fight the longest.
How long had this war been going on?
"So," she began, her voice barely audible as she realized her throat was dry. Asclepius licked her lips nervously and swallowed, then tried again. "So, am I supposed to learn to accept the necessity of torture? Because it gathers information, or because they would do it to us?" Asclepius hesitated a moment, then continued, her voice a bit stronger now. "Out of this uniform, I am learning how to save lives as a doctor. Am I supposed to wear this pretty white skirt and injure and kill in the name of a centuries-old war, and then go to the hospital in my scrubs the next day and possibly end up stitching back together the people I've just hurt? Maybe the Negaverse would kill us without a second thought, but I thought we were supposed to be the ones with good on our side. So don't we need to be better than them?"
Maybe this other girl would think Asclepius naive - very likely so, with the other harsh words she had offered - but the Senshi of Medicine refused to believe that a war that had raged since the day the men in the halls of her hospital-asteroid had perished would end anytime soon just because the combatants had been reborn. Killing had not worked; would more killing yield any better results now?
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Posted: Sun May 08, 2011 10:59 pm
Nemesis was beginning to grow irritated. Her blue eyes narrowed, her fingers that were once lax now curled up into the palm of her hand. She hated hearing 's**t' like this, seeing senshi who weren't quite willing to do whatever it took to save the world. "We're not trying to conform the world to our standards, we're not trying to take over and change it. We're preserving the world as it is, without the Negaverse's interference. That is what makes us good, not this stupid bullshit about not hurting the enemy because it makes us no better than them." For Nemesis, there was nothing more aggravating than seeing someone who wasn't willing to go all that far to save the world.
"You want to save the world? Oh, but you don't want to get your hands dirty too? Tough s**t, you aren't going to do a damned thing without dirtying your hands. Will you watch someone you care about die instead of acting in every way possible to save them? Would you not prevent harm coming to them by taking some goddamn initiative and getting rid of the threat before it reaches them?" She was ranting, and she very well knew it. But she was driven to thrust it into Asclepius' mind, that by taking no harsh action against the Negaverse, she was doing more harm to the people who didn't deserve injury than good. Every Negaverser that Asclepius let go was just one more chance someone else died that night.
"I am all for finding your own beliefs, coming to your own discoveries about this war. But damn, you are being stupid. Half the people in the hospitals now are there because of the Negaverse. Are you scared that without the Negaverse you'll be out of a future career since there'll be no bodies filling the hospital?" That was too far, but Nemesis did not quite give a s**t.
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Posted: Tue May 10, 2011 10:50 am
"Well, I'm glad we're not trying to conform the world to whatever standards we apparently have," Asclepius shot back, finally starting to let her discomfort show as anger. "If the evil and corrupted ones are the ones sending rescue missions, and here I am being reprimanded for not leaving one of our own behind."
She uncrossed her arms, glaring down at her own clenched fists. "I do want to help and learn how to fight. I'm not here to just watch. I- I'll get my hands dirty, so to speak, if I have to, but I am not out hunting for blood." The girl turned her head to look over to Nemesis again, her brown curls bobbing at the sudden motion. "Just how long has this war been going on, anyway? Thousands of years? Is all the extra suffering of torture strictly necessary?" A pause, then a hesitant metaphor: "Is it somehow better for a doctor to batter all the tissue around a tumor to remove it?"
If the experience Nemesis held over the junior senshi of Medicine said yes, then Asclepius wanted to hear it. Either way, she was still unwilling to believe that the other girl's way was the only way. Doubt still lingered, though - would she have to go against her nature eventually? Asclepius knew she had it in her to hurt people, but it was not something she was proud of.
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Posted: Wed May 11, 2011 6:17 pm
Nemesis' patience was beginning to wear thin. She could deal with Asclepius when the girl was exhibiting a bit of pleasantness, but the moment Asclepius began to sour, Nemesis seemed to do the same to a larger degree. "We're not sending rescue missions for all the starseeds they've stolen, all the senshi they've forced on their side, because we can't find them. We can't get to them. Again, I am pretty damned sure that senshi you are convinced you saved could have handled themselves even with the aforementioned injuries. We're durable, at least the good ones."
Again she shrugged her shoulders, less inclined to give Asclepius information now that the other senshi had riled her up a little bit. "Who knows how long it has been going on. Everything that the senshi are doing, that the BMC are doing, is absolutely necessary. You're not looking at the lives that are being saved, only the lives that are being ruined, and those are lives that doesn't deserve saving. Anyone who willingly uses the starseed of another human being is no longer good enough to be considered human themselves."
She was ranting and raving about the subject, if only because what she was defending was her beliefs, something she had struggled to find and now held dear. Nemesis had found her place, and it seemed like there was little that could shake her beliefs now.
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Posted: Fri May 13, 2011 5:49 pm
"So all of the torture is in desperation, then?" the junior senshi inquired. "We're 'durable', but like cornered animals." It all had seemed rather dire for her allies when this battle had actually gone down; Asclepius had felt the dark power coming from the great youma, from the General-Queen, from all of the amassed Negaverse soldiers. But there had been enough of the Senshi as well.
But something Nemesis had mentioned caught her attention. "The senshi they've forced to their side?" she repeated after a moment. "Is there anyway to turn the Negaverse back? Force them to ... to reclaim their humanity?" The girl crossed her arms again as she realized right after saying it that her superior might not like the idea of doing anything but killing the enemy. Asclepius hesitated then amended, "I mean, do you know if anyone has tried to make them realize just what they're doing? They were humans once before, weren't they?"
Marcella had her own beliefs, certainly, but Asclepius was still not fully sure what she believed as far as the war went. It all seemed to be getting more and more complicated.
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