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To say things had changed for the better wouldn't have necessarily been correct, but it wasn't a completely wrong statement either. Ever since gaining her decorative butt wings, Eternal Sailor Tsui, proud Senshi of Tigers, knew that things had inevitably changed, though she wasn't quite sure if it was for better or for worse.

For starters, she has grown in power, which meant that now there were few things that would make Tsui quake in her new super fuzzy boots. Eternal was the highest rank she could realistically go, which meant that she was finally on the same level as a few of her foes, namely Generals and other Eternals, and most youma were intent on avoiding her rather than taking their chances. Not that Tsui didn't go hunting them down- old habits died hard, but Tsui still had a duty to fulfill, and for the most part, she felt that she was strong enough to take them on her own, if need be.

Tonight she wasn't necessarily looking for a fight, but she wasn't going to turn one down if the occasion arose. She branched off of her given patrol route and found herself in a familiar place, a run down and abandoned store, long since the home of hooligans and vandalized beyond recognition. The last time Tsui was here, she was nothing more than a Basic senshi, and she had foolishly picked a fight with a Super, the Senshi of Moths, to be precise. The details of the fight were fuzzy; after all, a kick to the head would do that to anyone, and even now, Tsui couldn't be too angry with the Dark Mirror Senshi. Lesath had left her with her life after rendering her unconscious, after all... which brought her mind to aspect that she knew had changed, but wasn't sure how much.

The Dark Mirror Court. Were they still hopeless to salvation, or did they just not try hard enough? Tsui didn't want to think about it. Some of the members were perfectly content with their lot in life and in truth, weren't as evil as she originally thought them to be. But then there were others...

"Grr... it's all too complicated and stupid." Tsui said, giving an abandoned beer bottle a kick and ignoring how it smashed against the wall, right next to a few mirrors, dirty and one of two cracked but still intact. She kept her senses on alert, but she was Eternal now... besides a General-King/Queen or Princess Ares herself, who did she have to fear?

Tsui didn't want to admit that she was taken by surprise with his sudden entrance, and the thought of Remarque, or anyone for that matter, slipping through that mirror came much too late. It was enough to make the Eternal Senshi of Tigers want to groan, not at his arrival like she would have done, but more at how foolish a mistake she had made, despite her new rank. "Oh, right... Dark Mirror Senshi travel through mirrors... of course."

Which brought her mind back to their last encounter, and something uncharacteristic began to try to consume Tsui from the inside. Growing apprehension, one that could have easily been mistaken for fear, and now more than ever, she clung to Chaonis' words. The last time she saw Remarque, it had dawned on her that she was killing former humans. But, the keyword here was formerm she reminded herself, though what did that matter now when the one she was facing with now was neither an agent of the Negaverse, nor a youma? No, he was a Dark Mirror Senshi... a completely different matter all together, and perhaps, more deadly.

Months ago, she would have charged at him with reckless abandon and tried to fight him off, but now, things were different, whether Tsui liked it or not. Yet, she wasn't sure if she hated the idea of being 'friends' with the Dark Mirror Court, at least not the members that she felt she could trust to not harm knights. However, she didn't want Remarque to see that things had, in fact, changed, so she kept up a brave front, hoping to do such a good job that she'd fool herself in the process. "No, I wasn't trying to break the mirrors, though I'm keen on getting rid of a few in my house. The last thing I want is someone trying to sneak in and give me a surprise."

'Or poor Maddy... lord knows I can't imagine the thought of her being dragged into this mess. Especially by Ares or Leto...' Tsui thought to herself with a barely visible grimace, before forcing the thought from her mind. "So, you like the new buttwings? That puts me on the same level as you now, you know..."

"Tigers don't toot horns. They roar, loudly and proudly," Tsui said with a huff, allowing that to be her way of challenging his statement. Of course she knew that she's only be attracting stronger opponents- she almost welcomed it. She was no longer the confused and vulnerable kitten that she was when they last met, and she had a feeling that she'd be having to remind him soon enough. She couldn't ignore the rising tension, nor could she ignore just how close she had come to stepping over the last time they had talked. The fact that he mentioned she'd look better in black confirmed that he must have thought the same thing too, and while the offer was once tempting...

"Look, about the last time we met, I'm going to be brutally honest with you." Tsui started, trying to keep her bold font forward and not allow him to see, or take advantage of, any of that nervousness or fear. Not like he had done last time. "I was feeling pretty weak, and sensitive, and I might have said or done things that I didn't mean to say or do. What got me all panicked at the end was..."

It had bothered her so long ago, yet now, her revelation seemed like it was nothing. Yes, she was still killing former humans, but they were no longer human, and there was likely no salvation for them. At least none of the ones that Tsui fought seemed willing to change or allow themselves the chance to be purified... she fought the thought aside, and continued her confession of sorts. "It had dawned on me that... in a way, you're right about the White Moon Court. We're lost... lost as hell, and likely there's no way of fixing that. Not to mention I've been killing youma left and right, knowing NOW that they were once human, but... not anymore."

She kicked at a piece of debris, the outward manifestation of her growing anxiety as she knew that she was going to anger Remarque, and by angering him, enticing a fight. But... she oddly welcomed the thought. "Maybe I would do better in black, but then, where would that leave the ones in the White Moon that I care about? I've made a lot of friends there... a lot of which your court considers useless. How could I guarantee their safety if I'm on the other side?"

Maybe there was a way, and Tsui was willing to try. But if there was no way for peace, or the costs were too great... she was trying to brace herself, yet leave it open to chance. Diplomacy first, then fight when diplomacy failed. It wasn't her style, but dammit, she said she'd try!

Remarque managed to hide his surprise perfectly, as Tsui didn't suspect a thing. Then again, she was neither the most observant of Senshi, nor was she really paying attention, as she was still doing her best to overcome such a revelation a second time. She trusted Chaonis, blindingly so, and it was for the best. To question it would simply leave her conscious vulnerable, and Tsui couldn't stand feeling vulnerable. Not again. Especially when the person across from her seemed to have been blessed with a silver tongue, as well as purpose that she knew her Court couldn't even begin to counter.

She scoffed when he brought up Virtus- despite their opposing alignments, she liked Virtus, trusted him. As well as Aurora. Which made it a pity that they were on opposing sides in this war and the day would come where she'd have to simply strike against them. Or perhaps there was a way to keep a friendly stance with the few good members of the Dark Mirror Court? Still, it was something that was beyond Tsui's control for now, and she tried to keep her focus on Remarque, trying not to allow her defenses to drop as she knew the consequences would be dangerous.

"Leto and others don't feel the same way, though. Especially about knights," Tsui pointed how, unable to let go of the sight of the Eternal Senshi of Camouflages beating down on the defenseless page weeks ago, but she tried not to allow some of that anger show. It wasn't Remarque's fault, and it was something that the two of them supposedly agreed with. Too bad for Tsui that it wasn't the only thing that they agreed on, and she couldn't help but feel the truth behind his words.

She didn't like the White Moon Court, at least not in the direction it was heading now. Or rather, the lack of direction. Everything Remarque said only drove the stake deeper and deeper in, and yet, Tsui could not feel herself slipping down the path that he wanted her to take. Even if it was right, even if it was for her own good, she simply could not walk away from the White Moon Court. As doomed as they were, the Tiger's place was with the white moon court. If she didn't stand for them, then who would?

But she allowed him to talk, much to her own dismay. It was a mistake to do so, and by the time he reached those last few hurtful words, Tsui could not contain the pain she felt and allowed it to show as she tried to turn away to hide it. Her fists curled into tight balls and her shoulders tensed so much that she felt her entire body begin to ache, and if Remarque was as observant and intelligent as she feared him to be, he would know that a strike would come soon.

"Y-yeah, so? So what?" Tsui snapped back, knowing she should have just kept her mouth shut and just focused on fighting him, but damn her. She was trying to talk to the Dark Mirror Court, trying to be diplomatic but damn herself for being too stupid, too emotional, to truly handle it! She tried to cling to Zia's words, even when everything within Tsui screamed for her to attack! "I don't see how things would be any better if I was in the Dark Mirror Court... if people like Leto want me to go around, murdering pages instead. It's... not the same. The youma are nothing more than monsters now, and they can't stop themselves. Pages and knights... they're still human."

Just when she thought she had everything figured out about the Dark Mirror Court, Tsui found herself feeling as though she had learned nothing at all. What was Remarque going on about? When did knights try to kill Ares or the Dark Mirror Court? All of the knights she had met were pacifists, pages with harmless weapons or squires that had just begun to tap into their magic. The knights she met were more content of protecting their own kind, no hunting down their enemies. When did this happen? Tsui held nothing back. "I'm... I'm sorry, but have you seen some of the knights? Their weapons? How much of a threat could they possibly be... one has a perfume bottle as their weapon. Unless you're allergic to perfume, that's... that's not very fatal at all!"

Yes, it did sound as though she were demeaning her allies, but Tsui couldn't think of any other way to counter his statement. None of the knights acted that way, at least none of the knights that she knew of. Then there was the tale of Leto, and Tsui regretted ever bringing her up. She didn't like what she heard, and she immediately objected, "Just because she was part of a bloodthirsty group of White Mooners that might have existed at some time, doesn't justify her acts right now! Kallichore was once part of a group... maybe that same group, but she walked away from it... on her own accord. Why couldn't Leto have done the same?"

His words stung, and it was her own damn fault for ever lending him her ear. She should have known better. Anything Remarque said was simply poison, only meant to lure her out and confuse her. The way her fists curled into tight balls was a clear sign that she wasn't willing to listen to him anymore- she was tried of not knowing everything that went on, and she was tired of hearing of a past that she had no part in. It only confused her, and she couldn't stand being confused.

And yet, she refrained, trying to hold onto some self-constraint, not wanting to ruin her Court's reputation anymore or become that aimlessly enraged monster that she before. She held onto what Zia and Pippin had said, if only to stop herself from completely ruining this situation. "I don't want to be your enemy, Remarque. Or anyone's... but it's obvious that things won't get better between our courts, not with Ares spreading lies to you. I'll admit, there's a few members of your court that I like, that I'd even consider friends..." She gave a spat, a noise mixed between frustration and anger. "It sucks that Ares is in charge... because I don't think she's telling you everything. I don't have a Queen, so I obviously don't know everything that's going on... but you do, so what's your excuse?"

There may not have been 'salvation' for Remarque as far as purification went, but that didn't mean she couldn't try to salvage a situation. Not striking him was hard, painfully so, but she was trying to do good for her court. Even if it'd blow up in her face. At least she tried... before everything went to hell.

The situation was growing more and more hostile by the second, and Tsui knew that a fight was inevitable. And she would have looked forward to the fight, as she did many, many times before, but now was different. Now, she didn't want to fight- not because she was afraid of him or his power, but he didn't want to hurt him. Well, that wasn't a complete truth- she wanted to beat him up, maybe bruise him up a little, but nothing like she had done to Euclase or poor Carnelian. Months ago she wouldn't have cared for the consequences of her action, but now...

It was the one thing that was keeping Tsui from just storming up to him and trying to deck him in the face. But her grip on that was faltering, and it wouldn't be long before the Tiger senshi simply struck out, because she knew she couldn't just walk away from this. He wouldn't allow her, and she would never allow herself to show her back to the enemy...

Yes, enemy. Because it seemed inevitable that Remarque would always be one to her. He was simply too clever, too powerful to allow him to be considered a friend. Tsui gave a spat, "I don't need to talk to Ares to know that she's using you. I don't need to talk to her or even see her to know that she's dooming her entire court for her own selfish desires. Abandoning your court is bad- I'm not going to lie. I hate my leader and if I ever saw her, I'd probably try punching her in the face for abandoning us. But to have a leader that's actively using you... and you're allowing it to happen... isn't that worse?"

When Remarque said that she and others were beyond hope, she wasn't as angry about it as she thought she'd be. If anything, it only drove her sorrow deeper, and as strong as she was and wanted to be, she couldn't help but feel herself wanting to hold back tears right now. If she was beyond Dark Mirror's 'salvation', then perhaps he was beyond purification. Zia had said as much, but part of her wished she was wrong or that there was a way that neither of them knew. But Remarque was beyond it, and there was no point in thinking otherwise.

"What's the point?" Tsui asked, her sorrow transforming into anger, and she curled her fist, letting that be a clear sign that she wasn't going to talk about it anymore. She hated talking, especially to someone who she knew could talk circles around her if she allowed it. No, all she could do now was fight, and so she threw the first punch, charging at him and knowing that she was inviting herself to danger but hoping to have enough speed to dodge should he be quick with his retaliation. "You'd never believe me anyways!"

Tsui had hoped that her Eternal status would have given her an edge and would have at least put her on the same playing field as Remarque, but it seemed that she simply had not trained enough, as he countered with speed and finesse that Tsui could barely keep track of it. She found herself thrown against the wall, dazed for the moment but not rendered unconscious. No, she was awake and aware enough to take in his words, and the anger that laced them, but not conscious enough to retaliate against them.

As she slumped to the wall, she tried not to allow some of that self doubt to rise up and consume her again, but it was already too late. She was confident that she'd at least get a blow in, but that was thwarted easily, just as her attempts to keep this diplomatic had failed her. Any chance of outwitting him was shot down, too, which left Tsui with... what, exactly?

"I know that... some of your members were taken against their will... apparently before you became one," Tsui said, when he asked for information. It wasn't solid information and she didn't even have names to those claims, but she still trusted Kallichore's words, as well as Zia's account. She may have doubted the White Moon Court as a whole, but certain individuals? Never. She spat, trying to bring herself to her feet to face him again. "They were once called the Blood Moon Court... and they did terrible things. Not sure what, exactly, but... enough for a member to leave the court, and maybe... enough to chase Leto away from the White Moon Court as a whole."

It was a theory, nothing that Tsui had solid proof about. But it was something, and if Remarque wouldn't accept it, then what alternative did she have but to fight? Oh, she could join him, of course, but... that was an alternative that she couldn't bring herself to, especially when she suspected that there was no turning back. "Yeah, I'm wrong about a lot of things... I'll admit that. But... your side isn't right either. Nor is the Negaverse... the fact that you have to rely on Chaos should be enough of a clue that something's wrong!"

Finally, she was able to stand on her own and the moment she pulled herself off of the wall, she charged at Remarque again, this time going for a blow to his gut, hoping her knee would connect. She didn't want to use her magic yet- not in such a closed in space, not when she could do serious harm to herself or Remarque. She was holding back, and she knew it, but... she couldn't bring herself to use her full strength, though she wasn't sure why. "Sorry, but I can't join your side!"

Part of Tsui wanted to consider his words, even if it meant that Zia (and Zirconia) might have been wrong. But she was done second guessing her allies- she should have listened to them, not question what they had to say but perhaps question their methods, but Tsui was too stubborn and prideful to hear a word. She was determined to overcome that somehow, but once again, she found herself struggling to keep up that resolve.

All because Remarque had her beat when it came to talking. He could talk circles around her, and try as she might, she could never think to be his equal on those grounds. Remarque seemed like one of those that were in a league of his own, and the same could be said for his punches. Tsui was surprised to get a blow in, but no sooner did she land her first blow on him, he retaliated, and the impact of the hook to her gut sent the Tiger senshi flying back, slamming against the wall a second time. Despite her increased rank, she couldn't bring herself to move, and she curled into herself, wrapping both hands over her stomach and trying to will away the pain, all the while keeping her eyes on him.

She wasn't sure if it was saliva or blood that was in her mouth, but she swallowed it down, and tried to talk, despite her injury, despite how he could take her words and twist them around to suit his needs. There was still some fight left, even if it was out of sheer desperation. "So... long as members like Leto... keep killing others... who they think is useless to them... then the Blood Moon Court is active. At least... their lust to kill..."

Given her own rage against Carnelian, would she have been a prime member of their court? No... she told herself. Because she had restrained. She chose not to kill him, just as Remarque had chosen not to kill others. If there was a Blood Moon Court left, it was exclusive to either side. Now was NOT the time to be coming to that conclusion, when imminent danger was before her... but her stomach hurt too much to reveal this to him. What was the point of having a revelation if it hit you when it was borderlining too late?