Welcome to Gaia! ::

The Tiger was on the prowl, but not necessarily for blood, or to be doing any serious damage to any Negaverse officer, or Dark Mirror Court, or even a youma. She'd take one down if they were running about and civilians were at harm, but for the most part, Super Sailor Tsui was trying a different tactic this evening. Her recent talk with Sutai, as well as the meeting she attended, had left some kind of lasting impression on the normal battle happy Tsui, at least in regards to the Dark Mirror Court. No, she certainly wasn't sympathetic to their cause, nor did she truly trust them, but she couldn't ignore the possibility that some of them may not have wanted to follow Princess Ares rule. Maybe some of them were forced into the corruption and secretly hated it?

She regretted coming to this conclusion so late, as she had completely blew off what a lot of them were talking about during the meeting (the parts that weren't clouded by the ambush that followed right after it). And while she still wasn't up for outright purification, she figured that there had to be a way to get through to the ones that didn't like what they had become, what they were forced to do. And somehow, she'd find a way to help them.

So when her senses caught whiff of what she suspected to be a strong Dark Mirror senshi's energy, she followed it, keeping her eyes and ears open for an attack but also attempting not to appear as threatening as she usually would. 'The first step in improving yourself is to overcome your flaws. Acknowledge them and correct them. I will NOT charge at the DMS blindly... nope!'

That was, until she saw who it was that she was being 'drawn' to, and Tsui, never the type to wear a good poker face, let her disgust be seen by the way her shoulder slumped and her loud, resentful sigh. "Oh... it's you. Dammit!"

Why? Why, of all the Senshi she promised she wouldn't blindly charge at with fists swinging did it have to be Eternal Sailor Remarque?

"Who else I was expecting? Someone who I wanted to actually talk to and not want to punch in the face," Tsui admitted, crossing her arms and making it obvious that she wasn't going to blindly charge at him this time. Which, given their past record, would have been enough to floor anyone who thought they knew the Tiger senshi, but she didn't care what they or Remarque might have thought. If anything, she knew that even being in the same general radius of the Dark Mirror Eternal was a bad idea; after all, he owed her a few socks to the face, if her memory served her correctly, and he was welcomed to try for them, as far as Tsui was concerned. If he threw the first punch, then she'd gladly drop her little act and defend herself.

But for now, she made a promise to others that she would not (intentionally) pick fights with opponents that were out of her league, and as much as she despised it, Eternal Sailor Remarque was still leagues ahead of her. For now. So for the time being, she'd have to grin and bear it, and it was slowly killing her to exchange civil words with him instead of curled fists and kicks. "Haven't seen you in awhile. What you been up to? Well, besides your usual silver tongue ways and attempts to recruit more to your cult?"

She would talk with him, but that didn't mean she wouldn't use snark. It certainly wasn't her forte, but Tsui was willing to try anything once.

It was a losing battle, a battle of words and wit with Remarque, at least for Tsui. She was never the type to talk out her problems, not without eventually wanting to resort to her fists. And perhaps some of that frustration showed, as the way she curled her fingers into fists and her shoulders tensed was a clear sign that she was really not enjoying this encounter. At all.

"Like I care who's right and wrong. It's a war, we're all wrong, as far as I can figure." Tsui said with a growl, crossing her arms in some attempt to mask her anger though it only served to broadcast it even more. "What I find annoying and 'garish' about the Dark Mirror Court is how your leader allowed her own weakness to not only doom herself, but dragged others down with her."

She trusted Kallichore's words on the matter, more than she'd ever trust Remarque's, or anyone else with chaos pulsing through them. If what Sutai said was true and Princess Ares was as powerful as they'd say, then it was likely that she found a way to distort their logic and twist their own memories as well. She wasn't sure how corruption worked, and honestly, she didn't want to. "I get why the Negaverse doesn't like us; apparently our 'benevolent' queen scared them and supposedly enslaved them. But what's Ares' damage? What did the Moon Queen do to her to get her panties in a bunch to the point that she forcibly converts others with her?"

"Then perhaps her forced corruption ritual happened before you were 'invited' to her little clan," Tsui said, not thinking too deeply about his words and what he was implying. In truth, she had no idea which Senshi were involved in that event, but when it came down to it, she trusted Kallichore's take on the tale before she'd ever trust anything Remarque or anyone with Chaos running through them. Kallichore had earned her trust, not so much the others. Not that she could tell Remarque who had told her; she didn't want to put Kallichore at risk, though she knew the Senshi of Madness could defend herself if the time came.

When he admitted to worrying about her, she openly scoffed at the notion. He may have worried about her, but she was certain that it was only to fill up some quota of possible recruits. Not that Tsui would ever willingly join the Dark Mirror Court. She couldn't ignore the cool, sugary sweet tone of his voice as he brought up their recent encounters, and she couldn't believe that he would still be trying to convince her to join their side, even after what they've done, after what she experienced in that ambush. "I have thought about all the fights I've picked with you. And the only one that I sort of regret was that encounter with Endymion... and that was only because I didn't have the strength back them to just plow through both of you."

Yes, it was harsh of Tsui to say that, but she meant it. If there was one thing that Tsui could be relied upon, besides punches and a fight, it was the truth, and she was determined to leave nothing out when talking to Remarque. "Remember that ambush a few months back? Need I remind you who threw the first punch between Order and Chaos? Did you really think that me, or anyone else present there, would willingly WANT to join your side after you murdered countless pages and senshi? Sure, you can stand there and try to sweet talk me or anyone else that your side is the 'right' side, but I'd have to be a fool to completely forget that event. Other White Moon Senshi might be willing to forget, or forgive, but I can't. And I won't."

In retaliation to his cool and collective manner, Tsui was livid, ferocious, and she cared nothing for his feelings, or anyone elses, for that matter. She was mad, and he might use that against her, but she was impulsive and cared nothing for the backlash. If there was anyone she COULD be honest with in the enemy's side, it was him. "So, her idea of 'saving' someone is to shove them through a mirror, or kill them? And you honestly believe her? I know Ares is crazy, but I didn't think she'd spread her crazies to others..." She shook her head, her voice a growl. "This whole 'it's a choice' dribble is an illusion... one that I'd rather not be a part of. Ever. And it's depressing to see others wanting to view the world with her insane-tinted glasses on."

It certainly made their quest to save members of the Dark Mirror Court all the harder, if they truly thought they had a choice in the matter. It was much easier to think that they were forced into it, or even tricked, but if what Remarque said was true... this would be a lot harder than Tsui thought. But still, she made a promise to those who sought salvation, and Sutai, to try. "What the hell is she even 'saving' us from? A moon queen whose reign is over and is no where to be seen? From stopping us White Moon senshi and Knights from protecting civilians being attacks by the Negaverse's youma? What? I'd love to know her side of the story..."

"What is it that I want?" Tsui repeated the question, one that was asked of her not too long ago, but someone who was much, MUCH more powerful than herself, than even Eternal Remarque. Back then, she had answered with the truth. She wanted to fight, to use her Senshi powers in combat, to keep up the fight. Yet, as much as she wanted to tell Remarque that, she couldn't. Yes, she still wanted to fight, especially those that she knew could not be reasoned with. But now, ever since that meeting, ever since talking to Sutai and hearing her pleas, she didn't want to fight aimlessly. Not when some of them could be saved... somehow. How does one save one that doesn't WANT to be saved? It was all too complicated for Tsui.

The Tiger senshi wanted to keep her anger red hot and directed at the Dark Mirror Eternal, but it wouldn't stick. Why wouldn't it stick? Did he have a point? Was he right? She refused to think so; she may not have been the biggest supporter of the White Moon Court, but she knew that she could go no place else. As sympathetic as the Negaverse' cause might have been, as 'right' as the Dark Mirror Court thought they were, Tsui could follow neither. Not when she witnessed their brutality during the ambush...

She gave a grunt, and, unable to think of anything else to say to counter his statements, she merely looked away. She didn't turn his back on him completely, because that would have been just as stupid as charging at him blindly, like she had done many times in the past, but she kept him in her line of sight. She wanted to leave, but not if it meant giving him the victory. Not so easily. "What I want is to free some of you from that crazy princess you follow... it's not even what I want, really, but what others want. People I care about enough to do what I really think can't be done... no matter how hard we try."

There was no point in hiding some of that despair; what was the use? As much as she despised Remarque, he was someone that she could be truthful to, open to. As strange as that seemed. What she had said to Zinkenite was still the truth; she wanted to fight. Not kill, not maim, but fight... did that truly make her as dark as the enemy she was fighting?

In truth, she didn't want to walk with him, much less talk to him, but what else could she do? After previous encounters, Tsui had accepted that she wasn't at his level, so she couldn't fight him, though she wouldn't think twice if it meant to protect a civilian or her friends and allies. But she didn't want to really talk with him, not when she suspected that he would feed her lies, sweet, sugary lies, like more silver tongued villains had a want to do. Whether he planned the ambush or not, he was involved, and Tsui couldn't overlook that. But what else could she do?

Even if she thought purification was useless for the Dark Mirror Court, she could at least try for the next impossible thing: peace. She told herself that she wouldn't allow his words to seep in, that she'd fight corruption, even as she gave in and followed him. She only hoped that none of her allies were present to see this... that'd be something she could never live down.

When asked about Ares and her problems, Tsui scoffed. "No, because there's still the Negaverse to contend with, but at least I understand their brand of crazy. Supposedly, a ruthless Moon Queen enslaved them in the past and they feel as if they're defending Earth... a Moon Queen that's gone and likely never to show up again... but I suppose I've seen my fair share of crazies on my own side in regard to wanting her back."

Tsui shrugged, doing nothing to hide her frustration. "She's gone... whatever she did in the past is beyond me. I don't know her, though I assumed that my past self swore some sort of alliance with her. But that's the past... the WAY past... I guess because I had the luxury of forgetting it that it doesn't bother me... not like the ambush."

She said that last part with disdain in her voice, and it brought some of that anger back out, though it wasn't completely directed at Remarque. "Probably shouldn't tell you, but she'd want others to know. Maybe Princess Ares didn't force you to convert, but she forced others. Maybe some older than you- I haven't met all of your court, though there's a few I'd like to never see again. Ever." She shook her head- that was besides the point. There were plenty in her own court that she'd be happy to never run into again, to be fair. "I know someone who was able to escape that encounter, thankfully... maybe your Princess has changed since then, but after what I saw at the ambush... I doubt it."

She wasn't sure what she saw in regards to Ares. There was so much smoke, so much fighting, movements, screaming... she may have caught a single glimpse of her, but the memory didn't stick. But she knew she was there... someone powerful, far more powerful than Remarque, was there, and who else would it have been?

"In her moment of weakness, she dragged others down with her, instead of rising above it. Maybe she had her reasons, but... I'm just worried that she's going to do the same to the few good members of your court."

Tsui considered Remarque's words but tried to take them with a grain of salt. No, she didn't trust him, but she was never opposed to finding out what the other side of the story was. She trusted Kallichore, but perhaps Kallichore didn't know everything that happened... it couldn't hurt to hear things from the other side of the fence, so long as she wasn't foolish to believe it to be 100% truth, right?

"What was she liberating herself from? The White Moon Court?" Tsui asked, walking alongside him but still keeping an eye on him, as well as her surroundings. No, she didn't want to be lured into an ambush, though part of her welcomed it. If anything, it'd justify her anger towards the Dark Mirror Court in general and make it all too easy for her to fight against them again. When he had mentioned her being tired of having no idea what she was fighting for, Tsui could... sympathize... with her. "I can understand being annoyed with not knowing what to fight for. The meeting was one big, jumbled mess, and I was hoping that it'd be enough to enlighten me what I'm suppose to be doing as a White Moon senshi myself. It didn't teach me much... if anything, it made me disgusted with the lot of them."

She had no shame in admitting this. Faces and names came to mind, but she didn't state them. Not to the enemy. Best to leave it ambiguous, in the case if might come back to bite her, then it wouldn't involve them as well. She'd rather walk through the coal alone for the moment and not drag others with her, otherwise, wouldn't that make her like Ares? "Especially the high and mighty ones that make you think they have everything figured out, but really, they know just as much as you do. Nothing."

Then, she added, "But when the ambush happened, that's when I realized what we were fighting for. I finally felt like I had some idea of what I was suppose to do, and... as shameful as it is to admit it, I'm... glad the ambush happened. Otherwise, myself and many others might have considered walking away from the White Moon Court. Maybe even given up our Senshi duties, if possible."

Did that make her a bloodythirsty monster, to want to have a cause to fight for, or rather, against? She still didn't feel as though she were part of the White Moon as a whole, but the ones she fought alongside, prior to that event, during and even after... they were worth defending, remaining to a cause that she felt was simply too disorganized, too individual to be a solidified unit. She had faith in the Jovians, and perhaps the group that Polaris and Sutai were a part of, but the rest? Where were they? What were they up to? It brought up too much anger within her, and she wanted to push it aside. It wasn't anything she should be sharing with the enemy, but she felt that it was so obvious that there was really no harm in telling Remarque anything. Saying that the White Moon Court was unorganized was like saying a cat was a fickle creature; common knowledge, as far as Tsui was concerned.

"Well, there's some hope yet, if you didn't like the ambush. But still, there were quite a few there that looked like they were having the time of their lives. Still... I'm sorry for the first punch, though," Tsui admitted that last part with a grumble, as though she didn't WANT to say anything but felt compelled to. "But everything else, I don't really regret. I'm sure you'll get the chance to return the favor... eventually..."

When he mentioned mirrorwalking, she could not hold back her interest, and she arched a brow as she asked, "How do you manage that anyways? Seems a little unfair that the powers of darkness get all these nifty abilities and we don't..."