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Tanzanite lurked.

It was one of many things she was known for doing. Also quite high on the list were: brooding, contemplating, screaming like she was going to so Super Saiyan at any moment, staring longingly at things that reminded her of Linarite, making fancy speeches, and just general unpleasantness. Hiro, however, had usually seen a different side of the General Queen. It was no secret that the Chosen Senshi Alkaid held a special place in the womans heart. Whatever was left of it, at least. Alkaid had been among Tanzanite's first opponents, the first of many misguided souls that Tanzanite would be forced to eliminate.

Until her conversion, she hadn't been of any significance. It was how she had taken to her role as a Chosen Senshi. It had never felt to Tanzanite as though they had destroyed Alkaid, as Nemesis so vehemently claimed. It felt as though she had finally, truly been woken up. There was a void in Alkaid's heart, and it had been slowly filled with purpose. Tanzanite had watched with pride as Alkaid fought Nemesis, and in horror as she suffered beneath her touch. It was a pain she knew all to well by then, a pain that still burned fresh in her memory.

Never again.

It was her own watchfulness over Alkaid that caused her fondness for the little cat who had pledged himself to the same. He had helped Lyra move closer to her potential, pulled her further into their growing family. Like the senshi he guarded, Hiro had taken to his role as a Dark Guardian with surprising enthusiasm. It was... charming.

“In here,” came the distinct double voice. Down a long hallway, a small side room existed that Tanzanite had taken as her own. There was no fancy throne, no elegant dais. Tanzanite had no use for some grand throne room. It was a place of little light, where the shadows didn't quite match up with the soft glow of the crystals embedded in the rock. They ran in glowing veins along the wall, clustering here and there like pale white nightlights. One needn't see to know that things moved in the shadows. The crystals softly glowed, and Tanzanite's pale silver irises peered from where the woman sat quietly.

Her throne was not a throne at all. It was a simple cluster of rock and crystal, only roughly shaped like a seat at all. The self-proclaimed Youma Queen sat sideways on the stone, her legs thrown over one slab of rock that served as an arm. Between her blackened fingers dangled her necklace; a silver hammer with a tiny green stone. Her hand closed around it as she sensed Hiro's presence, and she focused her attention on the doorway.

“Come in, Hiro. I don't bite.”

She corrected: “Well, not that you need to worry about.”

Several comments danced on the tip of Tanzanite's tongue, each of them more insubordinate and disrespectful of their disgraced ruler than the next. She swallowed them down; now was not the time for petty feuds and separation. Beryl knew her place, and their tenuous agreement would hopefully keep the Queen from throwing her officers into battle as though they were nothing but cannon fodder.

Nevertheless, his words made her smile.

Tanzanite leaned her head forward, tilted slightly to one side. Her movement were quick and almost birdlike, an effect of the youma that had been used to save her life. While the Black Phoenix had been put to rest in the Blood Hill battle, it lived on in the General-Queen in a very obvious way. As Hiro jumped up, the spikes along her heels seemed to shift briefly towards him, as though trying to identify the strange presence. They settled only a moment later, apparently satisfied.

“Oh?” Tanzanite smiled, sitting upright just enough to scoop Hiro up under his two front legs and pull him into her lap. Youma Queen or not, Hiro was adorable. Tanzanite had no particular love of animals in general. However, Masahiro was not just an animal. He was a Guardian Cat of the Negaverse, which meant... he was adorable.

“And what brilliant scheme has our most handsome Guardian Cat come up with?”

Tanzanite scratched behind one black-tipped ear... because he was so ******** adorable holy s**t what the hell why so adorable, Hiro?

Tanzanite listened with one brow raised, seemingly intrigued by Hiro's rather clever scheme. It was difficult not to be charmed by a cat that looked like a pirate and spoke like a Bond villain, even for a woman who looked like a monster and spoke like... well, a monster.

“I suppose they wouldn't,” she murmured, smiling down at the wide-eyed cat. He was like a little fuzzy youma with ittlw bittle baws. Which was something probably only Tanzanite would actually find cute.

“You'll need to know more about the senshi. Which are new, which aren't. And you'll need to stay away from the Blood Moon Court,” she said quietly, lifting a hand to tap a claw against her chin, “I believe I know just the man to assist.”

For Beryl, the response would have been immediate. For Tanzanite, it took a moment. The General-Queen closed her eyes, and for a few seconds became so utterly still that she might as well have turned to stone. She sifted through a dozen power signature, like pins on a map that extended across the globe. She could not immediately identify the one she sought, but after a short while found General Zinkenite's energy signature, and tapped into it with her own power.

The result was Zac Bantok being unceremoniously ripped from where he was to find himself standing in the Negaverse.

Hiro eyed the newcomer with interest. He seemed familiar, though no information popped to mind as it would if Hiro had properly met the young man. Perhaps Hiro had only seen him in passing? Perhaps they'd crossed paths during the rescue strike on the BMC? Yes, perhaps that was it... Though something niggled at him that said there was something else important he was forgetting. Ah well, it would come later. For now, it was time for Hiro's Most Awesome Of Sneaky Plans (trademark pending)!

"I'm going to be doing a little infiltration among our enemies," Hiro all but purred in anticipation. "Unfortunately, the older and more experienced senshi have no doubt been learning to detect corrupt energy from all the youma and officers they've faced, so that leaves me targeting the new and clueless."

There was a pause, where Hiro traded looks with Tanzanite. He would be sure to heed her advice and stay well away from the Blood Moon court. His Alkaid would worry herself to death if she thought he was going anywhere near them.

"Our lovely General-Queen says that your knowledge of the senshi will be most useful in determining appropriate targets, as well as those to avoid."

His piece said, Hiro settled back down on Tanzanite's lap. He kept his eye on Zac, watching for the young man's reactions, as they waited to see if Tanzanite had anything to add.

His eyes danced to the cat, whatever emotions didn't show in his face danced there behind the pale blue of his eyes. "Of course..." he said with the vocal intonations that said //As you wish//, though the look in his eyes...

They were bright, attentive and focused like splinters of glass. He would have given much to see Sailor Castor taken down... but he wasn't going to be foolish about it. He'd had a hard enough time with Castor before he was 'elevated' to the rank of Prince. It had taken surprise for him to even touch the man...more than that it had taken Luck and that wasn't something that could be counted on.

"We'll be sure to keep on our toes General Queen." His eyes almost danced, fever bright as his gaze darted between them. There was a fierce satisfaction to be so called upon, almost as much to find another with similar desires. Perhaps... just perhaps cats were not 'so very terrible' after all.

"Agreed..." He grinned behind the dark fabric of his mask, eyes glittering. "I have some papers that might interest you we can go over names, and I'll have my 'eyes' make rounds to be sure of rank's before we place you in their paths...I think you'll like what I have to offer."

Always proud do demonstrate the information network that they had successfully established with little more to start with than a cork board, he lead the way towards the start of what promised to be many great things.