Welcome to Gaia! ::

He set a book carefully onto the table, minerals and their many forms, squaring it up against the edge of the table with a curious precision before glancing up at her with a ‘meaningful’ stare, or what was intended to be such. His eyes were similar to her own, a frosty colder blue, washed out almost beneath the indigo bangs that half obscured his face. “I was looking for a chess partner, I heard from a reliable source that you’d be someone good to ask for.” He tapped the cover of the book lightly and then almost distractedly flipped to a folded page. It showed a bright blue stone, a feathery almost needle like composition. Serpi---- could just be read from under the press of his thumb before he removed his hand and let the thick paperback close itself again with a small shrug.


“I wasn’t sure if you were free though, I can wait if you prefer.” He blinked at her almost owlishly, intense though his face was younger, perhaps 16 or 17. He already had the slight hint of future scowl lines faintly between his brows. “I’m simply hoping we can talk strategy, I might be able to share a few things to help your ‘game’.” He offered a very slightly smile that should have been warm but somehow looked just a little, well, dark.

“Tea would be lovely.” He said almost automatically and then paused. “But whatever you’d like as well, it would be rude not to at least offer to share.” He made his way to a seat and sat carefully at first as though he were ready to move again at a moments notice but then shifted and seemed at least to relax slightly.
He lifted the book again and turned in a page before silently handing it to her, a metallic silvery stone formed much like the bright teal blue of her own ‘namesake’, needles and sharp edges. Zinkenite it read at the top of the page before listing the associated properties of the stone. A rather quite introduction that could have passed as nothing more than a hobby if they needed it to be that for prying eyes.

“If it’s inconvenient, I can schedule a different meeting.” He offered, glancing her over as though he were trying to pull every detail from her that he could before she even spoke. “Zac’ He said offering a hand after a moment. Something offered up either out of legitimate friendliness or for people who might be listening in, hard to say. “I was curious about you, and I thought I might see if I could answer some questions regarding that project we seem to have in common.”

It seemed he was waiting for her to be sure that they weren’t being observed, and even then he might not speak freely. “Black or white?” he asked with a little bit of ‘predatory’ creeping into his smile at the chessboard.

“I believe you know one of them at least.” He said in reply, which divided his ‘reliable resource’ into at least two people if not more. How many people knew? What kind of sources were there that took this information to whom and how fast? “I’m sorry that you couldn’t save him.” He said and picked up the tea, nothing to sweeten it yet, just tasted it and savored the flavors it offered before adding just a touch of mint to it.

He turned the chessboard so that the white pieces faced her and nodded carefully. “The best way to cure inexperience is to keep trying. I have a book I can recommend, but I’m afraid that my copy of it is rather abused, are you familiar with the pieces?” He waved a hand at the board but something about the way he asked, something about the look in his eyes hinted that the question might extend beyond the board between them.

“I could tell you something of the history of the game as well, it might be good to test my memory on such matters, but I should like to know what you’re already familiar with. I’d hate to make this dull.”

“ I’m exceptionally good at talking too much.” He admitted in regards to the subject of ‘boring’, he at least recognized that he could go from broodingly quiet to pontificating at great length. “But I’ll do my best to make this make sense and be at least somewhat concise.” He reached out to tap one of the light pieces.
“Best known, public, their name and their costumes caught by many on camera, the senshi. They use various kinds of what can only be called ‘magic’ to fuel these attacks. Some are more dangerous than others, there are resources available that record known senshi and their attacks, sometimes ways that they can be countered but it’s seldom practical given how quickly they can utilize those powers.”
He rocked the piece slightly and tipped it over.

“Senshi, though they seem human are tied to other worlds entirely, reborn I think would be the best word for why their here. Their own worlds are…ruins. They’re happy enough to blame us for that, though without senshi we can’t leave earth. That along should say something about the nature of what we fight. They say they fight for love, for justice, I haven’t yet heard there was a level they wouldn’t, as a whole stoop to, though some are more easy to ‘deal’ with then others because their human morality hasn’t been utterly enveloped by whatever drives them. They search for their missing queen, Sailor Moon. It’s her who…” he paused.

“Have you been to the Dark Kingdom yet?” He asked pausing; it was an important piece of the lesson as a whole.

“The most immediate chambers you will find upon entering are those where Queen Beryl dwells for the time being.” He nodded slightly, if dismissively at the word ‘Queen’ before continuing. “Be aware that anything you say in that place will likely make it back to her ears, or to the General Queens, or King’s ears.” There was a slight sideways glance towards the door as he spoke, a twitch at the corner of his mouth but whatever amused him was quickly pushed aside. “The queen is your greatest worry, so be mindful.”

He paused as he sipped his tea and formed the next words, the continued story of their strange safe haven. “There is now though, through recent events a great door, that door leads to ‘The Rift’, in that Rift lies what remains of the once great Earth Kingdom, in it dwell the youma. The first of them made by the Moon Queen Herself, punishment for not kneeling to her, for not accepting her seduction of the love blinded Earth Prince. Youma were once human, but they have lost all that made them human. They crave only energy to try and sooth what has become of their star seeds, an enteral hunger that is on par only with their hatred of senshi. They will take Energy where they can get it, less from us which allows us to visit so long as we are careful and respectful but they can and will kill anyone who is too foolish.”

He tapped his fingers on the table thinking and then traced a fingertip over the table. “The path down to the Earth Kingdom though, in the walls are trapped many other souls, souls once again bound there by the Moon Queen’s wicked magic, they have such a hatred for senshi that they will even take those who have sworn to serve with us, those whom have broken free of the magic that blinds them to reason. They will not draw you in, but as a Lieutenant you can not safely guide any Corrupted Senshi with you, you’ll need someone with a more powerful energy signature for help.”

He paused and met her eyes again to see if she had questions.

“No.” He said with his eyes darkening at the words. “But there are times when we have to be objective no matter how we feel.” He said setting his tea down carefully but firmly, mouth a thin line that spoke of emotions kept tightly under lock and key.

“It takes time, to turn it beyond a blind rage at the injustice that might make you careless, might make YOU the next youma they send to curl with us in the dark, but it will come.” He said his voice growing more even again as his eyes drifted down to his tea. He gazed down into it as though he could read some answer or secret there in the smattering of dark leaves that rested at the bottom of the cup. If it held some answer for him though it was a leafy obscurity to anyone else when he raised his eyes and his cup again.

“I promise I have every ‘appreciation’ for what the Youma have suffered, for what was taken from them. If ever their precious moon queen falls into our hands I’d as soon rip out her star seed as I would see her turned into a youma herself so she would know what she took away from those who dared disagree with her and hers.” His words were a dark fire, so hot they felt like ice, a razors edge that didn’t sting till it had already done its work.

“I’m just trying to make sure you’re prepared, I don’t often get the chance to spend this time with new recruits, even ones I have drawn into this.”

“Don’t be sorry, you didn’t know and I’m aware I can seem callous.” He said dipping his head slightly in his own apology. He blinked down at the hand that took his own as though it were a strange thing, but did not remove his own from her hand. “Did you have other questions?” He asked after a moment’s pause and reflection. “There are things I’m sure I’m forgetting if only because it’s been what seems a long time since I was a Lieutenant. I’m sure there are things that I’m taking for grated knowing about.”

He paused again and tilted his head before explaining. “I don’t believe that anything is ‘just’ information, I collect it, if you ever need, we’re collecting information, information on senshi, on recruits, the better we know strengths and weaknesses on both sides the better we will be able to combat the senshi as a whole. They outnumber us, but to date there has only been one truly organized team of them, at least that posed any great threat, and they or at least a few of them saw the error of their ways. They haven’t apologized as such, but they are proud. They are our allies now, the few who have seen the light.”