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Confidence. That was something that Super Sailor Tsui was never short of, even before she had gained her second rank, or even before she had ever been awakened as a Senshi. Tsui had complete faith in her own abilities, regardless of what they were or what she'd have to do. She trusted herself to be able to sneak in and out of classes, school, even her own apartment to do her nightly patrols, and when one is a Sailor Senshi of the White Moon Court, there were more important things to worry about than homework and dates (not that she'd get the chance at St. Mags, unless one swung that way).

So confident in her newfound and, in her opinion, hard earned strength, Tsui had begun venturing outside of her usual turf and actively seeking out youma to dust. This not only kept the civilians of Destiny City safe, but it also drove under that smarmy General Benitoite's skin, and if that was the only way she could ever drag him through the dirt, then she'd continue her little 'kill all youma on sight' code.

It wasn't long before she found herself on top of a building, peering over the edge and putting her feelers out for youma of various strengths and distances, as well as other potentially dangerous auras. The last thing she wanted was for the hunter to become the hunted, but she was certain that she could either fight her way out, or, if she couldn't fight, she'd be able to escape at least. Yes, Tsui was confident that she could manage any situation that was thrust upon her. After all that she had recently survived, how could she not have such confidence?

To say that Tsui was taken completely by surprise would have probably have been the biggest understatement in the history of the world, and while normally Tsui prided herself in being one with a good poker face, there was nothing she could really do to hide the surprise in her golden eyes or the stiffening of her shoulders when she felt such an aura hit her. Her senses hadn't been that overwhelmed by Chaos since the ambush, and no sooner did she feel the cold chill pass through her did she hear his voice, and her mind scrambled to pinpoint not only its location but the speaker's identity.

The Negaverse officer she looked at was vaguely familiar to her; he was at the ambush, definitely, but Tsui had absolutely no idea who he was, or what kind of trouble she had invited that evening. When it came to the Negaverse and fights, all meaning of the word common sense and rank mention nothing to Tsui, and she was proud of herself for managing to keep her voice gruff and steady, despite how much she wanted to tremble at the aura alone. "Oh please... Macavity nor Growltiger have a thing on me. Nice to see the Negaverse have a good grasp of culture; didn't take you guys for fans of anything that wasn't unwanted mayhem and destruction."

And Tsui did not take kindly to the insult to her upgraded fuku. Tsui was hardly the type to be vain; arrogant, ambitious, petty even, but her appearance was something she hardly cared for... until now, anyway. She figured she'd return an insult with one of her own, not once thinking of how deep her own grave would be. "Well, at least I don't have to hide my face with a bandanna. I sure hope you brush your teeth- I heard a ninja's worse enemy is his bad oral hygiene."

Tsui was rather proud of herself with coming up with any kind of witty comeback, given the stiffening aura she felt oozing out of the Negaverse officer, and perhaps too much of her pride had shown on the outside, as she didn't put two and two together until he had tossed the bomb at her feet. The sound of it clanking on the rooftop and rolling towards her was enough to bring memories of the ambush, the moment she saw one land at her feet and had tried to kick it away. And yet, for all her courage and lightning reflexes back then, Tsui almost felt her body paralyzing with fear, not because of remembering the effects that this bomb had had on her that night, but just... the entire experience in general.

Tsui had managed to kick it away but was still affected by the blast, and with no one else to defend besides herself, she took a different course of action. She tried to flee the blast, berating herself for turning her back to the enemy but knowing full well that whomever she was dealing with was a powerful foe. Her method of escape was to leap onto the other building, knowing that if she could just get to the parapet and leap in time that she'd make the jump, but she had spent too much time lost in memories. She went to jump when it went off, and the concussive blast came from behind, lifting her up and into the air at the same time that she was going to jump. That completely ruined her trajectory and how she had managed to even grab onto the side of building after she had slammed her stomach over the side and perhaps her head as well. She could feel herself falling, but she barely managed to grab onto the window sill, and despite her back being turned during the blast, she could feel herself choking and her stomach churning, the bile rising and leaving a horrible taste in her mouth.

Though, that was the least of her concerns. The biggest of her concern was her dangling on a windowsill of a rather tall building, barely able to breathe, fighting the unimaginable urge to vomit, and all the while there was a very strong, very powerful Negaverse officer, perhaps that strongest she'd ever meet, behind her. The thrill of the fight that Tsui usually indulged in was quelled, and so quickly...

"D-Dammit..." It was the only thing she could say, trying to reorient herself and looking back to see where the Negaverse officer was. What had she gotten herself into now?

'Just... who the hell is this guy?' Tsui could feel her grip slipping and him suddenly appearing above her didn't help in the least. Her shoulder began to burn from the wait, but before her fingers could slip, she had enough strength to bring her other hand up, though where could she go? His words may have been mocking, but he raised an excellent point; Tsui may have been the Senshi of Tigers, but even at this height she'd break a leg. Which meant that she could only go up, straight into his hands, and that was some place that Tsui knew she didn't want to be.

He was offering her a hand, but Tsui couldn't tell if he was mocking or not. He was a Negaverse officer; his version of 'helping' could easily have been 'let me help you fall to your death', or even worse, 'let me help you convert to the dark side', and Tsui wasn't going to take that chance. Kallichore, Pasiphae... the Jovians would never forgive her.

Which left her with one choice. It was a foolish choice, and it might not even have worked, but what else could Tsui do? The alternative sounded like a rather painful death, or in the very least, a very painful and embarrassing situation to have to explain to her sister should she survived. She reaffirmed her grip on the windowsill and pressed her booted feet against the side of the building to get some kind of grip. What she was going to do was either very brave, or very stupid, or even a mixture of both, and it would not be said that Super Sailor Tsui was not going to go down without a fight.

In response to his question, if she'd land on her feet or crumble, she offered him a different path, and white aura had gathered around her arms and hands, the only warning sign before she initiated her attack, her risky gamble. "No, this tiger's going to do what tigers do best: pounce! Striking Tiger FLURRY*!"

And with that, she launched forward, hoping for either two outcomes; striking her enemy and pushing him back, or in the very least, shooting over him and sparing herself from a rather gruesome death. Either one would have made her day...

Super Sailor Scout Attack: Striking Tiger Flurry.
SailorTsui’s Tiger Fist Strike’s power is enhanced significantly, as not only is her blow knocks the enemy back, but it also stuns them if she is able to make it connect, leaving them open for attack. This attack still requires her to be in close range combat, much like the first attack, but she puts more ‘umph’ behind her blows to physically stun the enemy, in hopes of preventing an immediate retaliation. Her time spent honing her powers has allowed her to aim at particular body parts, giving her the time to aim for an arm or leg to strike to immobilize that part of their body for 5 seconds, though at the cost of her having a more likely chance to miss. If she connects, she can knock the enemy back with a chance to stun.

*Knocks enemies back 4 feet
*Chance to physically stun enemy for 5 seconds
*Can attack twice turns per battle

She was more or less surprised that she had managed to hit him at all, but she couldn't account for the damage her pride had taken in the process when he barely even seemed phased by it. That only confirmed just how powerful this particular enemy was, and though she had managed to get back onto the rooftop, she was far, far from danger, as he kindly demonstrated to her with his display of power. Somehow, even after him throwing the weapon, practically teleporting from one spot to the other (or in the very least, moving so fast that he might as well have teleported), and his brushing off her attack, this seemed to be the final straw for Tsui to realize just how <********> she was right now.

In response to his question, she answered truthfully, pulling herself to her feet and clenching her fists out of habit. Despite the fear she felt within her (an unfamiliar sensation for herself), she made sure to hide it behind snark. "A really, really strong Negaverse officer?"

And she wanted to openly laugh at the notion of choosing her actions wisely, but it wasn't really directed towards him, but at herself. Super Sailor Tsui, choosing her actions ahead of time AND wisely? Yes, those didn't seem to mesh well at all, but even she knew that taking this guy on in a one-on-one fight was foolish, if not downright stupid. And yet, she couldn't run away. She wouldn't run away. Even if she wanted to, she had a feeling that she simply wouldn't get far with this guy... if Benitoite could catch up to her with his short legs, then this guy would have likely appeared behind her the moment she turned her back.

If one could not fight, then retreat. If one could not retreat... Tsui's mind drew a blank, and she only had herself to blame. Why hadn't she memorized "The Art of War" by now?!

She openly spat at the notion of torture, and she could not refrain from expressing her curiosity, despite how morbid it might have been. Perhaps she could talk her way out of this? "You know, one of your generals told me that you guys really hate us White Moon members, but I don't think he ever went into that great of detail. You're obviously a lot stronger than him, so... safe to assume that you'd know a whole lot more, right?"

His words made her shoulder stiff and her initial reaction was to immediately reject the offer to join them. After what she had seen at the ambush, what she had been told about corruption and all that entailed with it, why would Tsui have even considered the option? She didn't step forward to accept that hand, but she didn't take a step back either, holding her ground as she threw him a question. Maybe she could bide her time, wait for another member of the Order faction to sense her and perhaps help her either defeat him, or escape. "Are you even sure I fit the qualifications? I did kill my fair share of youma and I've punched a few of your fellow officers in the face. And likely do it again, if I thought I could get away with it."

She was balancing on a paper-thin rope, and Tsui could imagine that she simply had no room to go, except forward, down a path that she wouldn't have forgiven herself for going to, or remaining exactly where she was... and welcoming a whole world of hurt and pain. The thought of her friends, Kallichore, Pasiphae, her partner Sutai, and others... perhaps the pain would be welcoming?

"Besides not being tortured, what would be in it for me?" Tsui asked when the silence was too great, and she made sure to speak loudly. All she could do at the moment was bide her time. Surely someone would hear her and help... surely...

"Come and see? Not likely. It's like signing a contract without reading the 'Terms and Conditions', and as inexperienced as I am compared to you, I'm not that stupid." Tsui crossed her arms when he made the gesture, her attempt to protect her chest and the starseed that was hidden on the inside not as subtle as his motions were, and when he took a step forward, she immediately took a step back, knowing that her route of escape would likely be blocked if she even tried.

His aura was so powerful, so overwhelming that Tsui was certain that even if there were any allies nearby, she wouldn't be able to feel them, and if they were smart (smarter than her, anyway), they would have felt his power and stayed the hell away. And she couldn't blame them. The gravity of the truth had hit her and made her hands tremble, even when they were hidden beneath her defiant gesture. There would be no rescue for her. No one would, or even could, come for her. She was alone in this, and she only had herself to blame for not listening to Iris.

'Can't fight, he'd kill me instantly. Can't run, he'll catch up to me. Can't join him, as I might as well be dead. What to do, what to do...' Tsui thought to herself, knowing that she'd have to make her decision, and quick. A thought came to her mind, and figuring that she couldn't very well dig her grave any deeper, she rolled with it. "Before you either kill me or brutally torture me to the point that I'm begging for death, may I ask a question? How does it feel to be working with the Dark Mirror Court, knowing that they're only using you for your superior numbers and strength?"

It was a shot in the dark, but it was her last card to play. And there was some sincerity behind it, as well.

'Well... s**t.' It was all Tsui could really think right now, and just like that, she was back to square one with this guy. Had she ever gotten off square one? Even her own pride failed to think so, and she hadn't once dropped her arms from their defensive gesture. If anything, she kept her arms crossed to hide just how much her hands shook, and she couldn't hide the disappointment in her golden eyes as she looked for a way out. "What am I hoping for? You want an honest answer?"

Tsui could give one an honest answer, though she found that most people didn't LIKE to hear what she truly felt. But, given how there was no one here to impress (as she was certain that whomever this powerful foe was, she could do nothing to impress him, even submitting to him would have likely been looked over as being weak to him), what did she have to lose?

"Fine. Honesty time. I enjoy living. I enjoy being a Senshi, the power that comes with it, but not so much the responsibility. Before the ambush, I really just wanted to cruise around Destiny City, maybe kill a few youma that might have hurt some civilians, help my friends out. Had a nice deal with one of your general, Benitoite, that I wouldn't openly attack any Negaverse officer I saw. Sure, I'd observe them, but I wouldn't attack them, so long as they weren't going to cause trouble or hurt anyone."

It was a lot to get off her chest, and it wasn't well rehearsed. At all. But what else could she do? Honesty was all she really had, until another opportunity came. "Then, you guys attacked us at the meeting, and that really angered me. I wanted to just roam around, explore, see other Senshi and Knights, maybe even make a few friends on the other side, but that's ruined now. It's obvious that neither side really wants peace, AND to coexist... watching members of the DMC killing pages really pissed me the hell off. And of course, your officers killing senshi as well... it just made me realize that there can't be peace between Order and Chaos. And honestly? I don't want there to be."

It was the honest truth. And despite the painful death, or torture that awaited her at his hands, she felt oddly better to admit to it. "I want to live, and fight. I like being a Senshi, and I like seeking out opponents and fighting them."

And with that, she felt like she had just signed her death warrant, but he had asked for what she wanted. "So, is this the part where I die now?"