Welcome to Gaia! ::

It was dark; the twilight time had come and gone, leaving Destiny City cloaked in moonlight, stars and shadows. It was Captain Moonstone's favorite time to be out patrolling for potential victims...as well as for stray Senshi. With her braid pooling on the cement, the dark-eyed woman couched atop the roof, scanning the night with sharp eyes and sharper senses. Currently she was hidden in the shadows above one of those siren-logo'd coffee shops that were a dime-a-dozen; having one on every corner usually annoyed her, but when it came to 'hunting'...well, they became fantastic traps!

She had already drained two civilians of their energy, ripping out their star-seeds and tucking them safely away as she went looking for another mark.. Some of the agents of the Negaverse only drained energy, leaving the civilians with their lives...but not Captain Moonstone. At least, not unless she had no other option or one of her superiors told her not to remove the star-seed(s).



Some distance from where Captain Moonstone was lurking above the coffee-shop, current Order-Senshi, Sailor Aegir was also out and about in the darkness. He wasn't "hunting", however, he was just patrolling, trying to help keep Destiny City safe. As long as he didn't find any Negaverser doing horrible things, he was absolutely fine with leaving them alone...or maybe going to talk to them (more information was always a good thing, right?).

Escorted by a myriad of pungent scents from the coffee shop cam a winsome female; she seemed preoccupied even at a glance - all the better for the Captain's work. Moonstone leapt down from her perch quickly, so skillful was she that the only sounds caused by her landing were the soft fwumps from her shirt-tail and braid. The dark-haired girl started on her way - Moonstone was certain she was on her way home, where else would such a neat and put-together girl be going at this hour? - but she would never make it.

Pandora Sagan, aka Captain Moonstone of the Negaverse, was going to make sure that she didn't. Two steps brought her behind Faith, two breaths and Moonstone had laced her fingers together, raised her linked arms above her head and then brought them crashing down upon the back of Faith's head with great force. If that didn't knock the girl out, it would at least send her crashing down...and downed prey was as good as dead prey, to Moonstone.



Aegir pulled out his cell phone, the one that Pray had given him when she'd awakened him; there were auras out there, he could feel the different powers tingling along his spine, but wasn't sure exactly where they were coming from. The phone had a handy program on it that would pin-point the energies and identify them. Well, it would at least tell him if they were "Order" or "Chaos" - and knowing was always good.

Once he'd gotten the program working, he frowned. The Chaos-signature had moved briefly, then stilled...and the other one was rapidly moving towards the former; looking at the screen, Colin felt as though a freezing rock had been dropped into his guts. He had a very bad feeling about the two energy signatures...noting the location of the Chaos signature, he snapped the phone shut and set off to intercept.

"Please oh please don't be right..." Aegir's long legs ate up the distance with little to no effort, but he wasn't close to the Chaos signature by any means...he just hoped that he could get there in time.

Before whatever was happening, happened.

Her prey went down hard and even had enough spunk to try sending a weak donkey-style kick her way, but Moonstone was in the clear and Faith's attempt did nothing but cause a blood-chilling chuckle to come from the dark-haired Negaverse Captain. Pandora felt the energy signature of Pethesilea but dismissed it in favor of flipping Faith's prone body over, hand hovering over her chest with fingers like claws.

Moonstone would have plunged her hand into Faith's chest and ripped her star-seed out quickly and with little fan-fair, but that female senshi was barking at her. "Barking dogs should know their place." In the woman's tanned hand appeared her weapon, a large totem-pole styled bludgeon that was sort of like what one might expect from the mating of a totem pole and an over-sized base ball bat.

"When they forget, they must be reminded." Quickly, violently and all over the place, even. Dark eyes glanced down, the girl she'd smashed was still conscious - barely so - but a well placed kick to her head would take care of that. With Faith taken care of momentarily, the dark-eyed Captain turned her full attention to Penthesilea.

"Well, Dog. let's do this. It's training time!" She didn't bother introducing herself, she didn't care who this newcomer was...all Captain Moonstone knew (and needed to know) was that this was the enemy. A weak, foolish one, at that...similar to the energy signature that was swiftly advancing towards them. Time to break some bones!

Moonstone surged forward with all the preternatural speed afforded to her by her rank and status; she would seem to flash out of view for the female senshi, only to seemingly phase back in behind Penthesilea even as her totem-bat came whistling through the air for the other woman's head. This Negaversian agent didn't play around, every blow she attempted would be violent and keen to hurt.



It seemed that Moonstone would be able to bash on Penthesilea for a bit before Sailor Aegir arrived; he wanted to be there as quickly as possible but knew that he must also try to pace himself lest he be too winded to actually help. This was the sort of damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't type situation that the dancer hated...there was just no winning. Much like this war, really.

But he kept his heading, gritting his teeth when a stitch in his side made him slow further. Close...so close, but not quite there yet.

Maddening.

Such a snappy little thing, wasn't she? Moonstone did so hope that Penthesilea's little claim of having teeth were true; so many of the Senshi she encountered were spineless wimps that served absolutely no discernible purpose to her but as cannon fodder. Dying seemed to be one of the few things that the senshi were universally good for beyond cheap tricks and cheesy one-liners that set her teeth on edge. Obnoxious and useless, Captain Moonstone had made it her sworn duty to destroy as many of the senshi as possible so they would cease wasting the Earth's precious resources.

There was a very satisfying crack as her totem-bat connected with the red-head's skull and the vibration that was transferred through the material into her hands just made her smile all the more; a smile that faltered only a bit when Penthesilea's foot connected with her taut stomach. So the girl hadn't been lying, she did have some fight in her! The dark-haired Negaverse Captain had moved in to follow the senshi as she'd stumbled under the blow and hadn't managed to dodge the kick aimed her way.

"Oof--" Her teeth snapped together as the force of the kick forced air from her lungs and forced her back. Moonstone retreated a few short steps all on her own, looking down at the impression the girl's shoes had left in her tanned skin - that would leave a nasty bruise! Wonderful! "Then I'll just have to muzzle you, won't I?" She tapped the totem-bat in her hand and started to advance upon the other woman, eyes fever bright and gaze unwavering. Clearly she felt she would be able to deal with one senshi before the other joined in.

But that was not to be, 'cause even though Sailor Aegir had finally come close enough for his voice to be heard, he wasn't really close enough to help attack Captain Moonstone..or was he? Aegir saw Moonstone starting to approach Penthesilea and scooped up a large rock - crude, but classically effective - and as he continued forward, sprinting now that he was close enough to see the girl on the ground and the two battling women, he chucked that rock with all the force he could put into it.

Too bad she heard his footsteps and caught the movement out of the corner of her eye, she was able to leap backwards and swing her weapon so it hit the rock like a baseball and sent it speeding right back at Aegir, who barely managed to dodge it.

"Jesus--" The curly-haired menshi had nothing more to say - he was shocked by the violence and also worried: this Negaverse agent looked rough, like she ate senshi for breakfast and then had a chaser of nails for brunch. He spotted the girl on the ground, the blood in her hair and clenched his fists at his side - Sailor Aegir might have looked like a delicate fairy, but he was a scrapper. They'd take this Nega-b***h down or he'd die trying!

"Why dont you try me on for size, Coyote Ugly?"

Moonstone rolled her eyes and crouched, ready and wary of any approach from either of the useless magical meat-bags. If she'd thought Penthesilea looked like a fun punching bag, this new senshi - a guy, but barely - looked like he belonged in one of those weird Vegas shows, like Cirque de So-Lame. "So, two bitches needing obedience training, huh? No matter - I've got the time if you've got the bones."

Sailor Aegir put the breaks on and skidded into a defensive crouch at an angle to the female Senshi, making the totem-bat toting Negaverse agent the point of their odd little triangle. “Any time!” He huffed, lungs burning from the run in a manner that he couldn’t yet ignore; he was at a disadvantage if Moonstone attacked but wasn’t about to back down. “Aegir.” Green eyes focused on the Captain even as he gave his name to Penthesilea - if they were going to work together, she should have something to call him

Other than b***h, which the dark-haired girl seems to think they were both named.

Moonstone shook her head and spat in the menshi’s direction - what a joke! “Bring it, if you can, but the only lessons to be learned here are for you.” She swung her bat teasingly, the bird-topped totem cutting through the air with a heavy whooshing sound before smacking into her open palm again. “Welcome to obedience school, bitches. Lesson one: Pain!”

She went after the weaker of the two, Aegir was still panting and although the senshi was male Penthesilea seemed to be the stronger of the pair. Moonstone’s movements were fast - so fast that the blond was barely able to bring up his arms to block a blow meant to take his pretty little head off. He definitely wasn’t able to block the savage kick to his solar plexus that came after, though he did manage to nearly yank her totem-bat away as the force of the blow sent him reeling backwards.

It wasn’t much, but maybe…maybe it would give Pen an opportunity to strike a blow to the Captain.

With his diaphragm temporarily seized due to Captain Moonstone's vicious kick keeping the blond from drawing in more than the barest of wispy breaths, Aegir had to fight to retain consciousness. Due to the pounding of blood in his ears he almost didn't catch her name. Penthesilea. It was certainly evocative, or would have been were Sailor Aegir an any position to be using his brain for anything but trying to draw a full breath.

When the female Senshi came forward, it gave the blond a chance to catch his breath and regroup while Moonstone was distracted fighting off Penthesilea's advance. "Christ--" He croaked and straightened, shaking his head to clear the dark spots at the edges of his vision. Neither of them had the luxury of time to fully recuperate from any injuries gotten (though he was the injured party currently) - such were the realities of battle and war.

With the red-headed female Senshi throwing herself bodily at Moonstone, the raven haired Captain turned her attention away from the delicate looking boy. Aegir. Penthesilea. Two names she wouldn't forget. Two names she'd like to add to her tally of dead Senshi, if possible; carve the lines into the dark wood of the mask worn at her waist. Another notch on her belt, as it were.

Braid whipping around, Captain Moonstone pulled her Totem bat (though really it was far longer than a bat, she just choked up the carved wood and swung it like one) up so Penthe would slam into it, rather than just the Negaverse Captain's body, but for all her speed she was unable to block completely and went flying back, twisting and spinning to land on her feet some distance from the pair of Senshi.

"Tsk..tsk..bad dogs. Oh, but it's been some time since I crushed a Senshi's star seed in my fist..." Moonstone stood and wiped a thin trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth, where her weapon had hit when Penthe had slammed into her. "I think I'll enjoy destroying the pair of you...weak, pathetic little bitches."

Aegir had recovered enough to be moving again while Moonstone had been knocked back into the air and while she righted herself and began spewing vitriol at them, he decided he'd had more than enough of the woman's nasty mouth.

"You talk too much, but I've got something to fix that! Aegir Golden Hush!" He did it quickly enough that Moonstone, having dismissed him as less of an opponent than Penthe, didn't have time to block the softly glowing golden strands that settled about her throat and tightened as Aegir hauled back on the ends in his hands. "I can't hold her for long!"

Aegir's magic settled around her throat, constricting painfully and Moonstone opened her mouth to savage him verbally; upon finding she'd lost her voice the Captain snarled soundlessly and grabbed for the lines around her throat with one hand, ignoring the growing tension on the lines as she leaned back and tried to haul the boy off his feet. Dark eyes glittered with rage and madness - she couldn't haul him in or throw him about unless she dropped her weapon (not happening) but she couldn't draw in a full breath without attending the ropes around her neck.

The girly looking little s**t was stronger than he looked. A lot stronger. But not strong enough that she couldn't kill him, if not today, then some day. 'Damn that little s**t-- I'll rip his tongue out and make him eat it! And that red-headed b***h, too.'

Moonstone continued snarling at Aegir and the red-headed Penthesilea from the edge of her tether, fingers digging into the softly glowing ropes around her throat. Her eyes promised the pair a slow and painful death - once she got free.

Which wasn't something that Aegir was willing to let happen, especially not with a civilian's life in the balance - it was one thing to get himself beaten up by a Chaos agent, but entirely another with a non-combatant involved. And of course there was Penthesilea to keep in mind too! So he dug his heels in and grit his teeth, muscles in his arms and legs standing out from the strain of holding the violent, dark-haired Captain.

'Just a minute'. Okay, he could hold out that long. He'd have to, for both their sakes! Aegir could tell that the fall had hurt the female Senshi, but she soldiered on and drew upon her magic. Aegir kept one eye on Moonstone and the other on Penthe, knowing that if he was in the line of fire he'd probably get hit by whatever she threw at the Negaverser and also knowing that if it came down to him getting hurt or the tanned woman getting away...he'd take the hit.

Moonstone's gaze cut to Penthesilea when she heard the strident call for Senshi magic, once more the intended target. Her voice returned, she shrieked and spit every disgusting epithet she knew in English and Haida even as Penthe's magic slammed into her from the side and Aegir released his. The strength of the attack sending her flying in one direction while her weapon went another, flickering and disappearing as her consciousness wavered from the pain and shock of having several ribs cracking all at once.

The chaos agent hit the ground hard and rolled, fighting to keep awake, to get to her feet before one of the b*****d Senshi tried closing in. Captain Moonstone hissed as she forced her body up, one arm tucked tight to her side to help hold her ribs in place. Everything was swimming, but she stayed up and hissed at the two Senshi.

"Dirty trick from the red-headed b***h...sure you're on the right side?" <********> - there was no way she could continue fighting either of the Senshi with busted ribs, not if she wanted to keep her lungs from being punctured. Aegir started towards her and Moonstone lept back and onto one of the nearby buildings, putting a decent amount of distance between herself and both Senshi.

"Don't think I'll forget either of you. Better keep your eyes open, little Senshi, 'cause you'll die by my hands, mark my words!" And then she teleported out, leaving the pair with nothing but a dark, nasty laughter to chase.

Sailor Aegir glared up at the now-empty space the Captain had occupied recently, then looked over at Penthesilea with a small, tight smile. "She's gone to lick her wounds, I think I heard some ribs crack. Good job." His gloves were ripped at the palms from holding at the ropes while Moonstone had sawed them back and forth trying to escape; he looked down at the blood welling up and sighed - that was going to need to be cleaned when he got home.

"We should see if that girl needs a doctor. A kick to the head's pretty severe...." The curly-haired blond sighed a bit and went to crouch by Faith's body, concern written all over his face. "Want to call 9-1-1 or take her there? I guess we could bring her closer, then call the ER..." Walking up to the Destiny City ER with an unconscious civilian in your arms could be dangerous. It wasn't as though Senshi were universally liked...and walking up to law enforcement or emergency services could be just as dangerous as walking around with a sign that said "I'm a Senshi! Come kick my a**!" if one wasn't careful. Or lucky.

He didn't like the idea of just leaving this poor girl there, but he also knew that it would take a helluva stretch for him to actually be able to carry her five feet, let alone to the ER. Aegir shook his head, "I doubt I'd be able to manage it right now."

Pursing his lips a little, the blond made up his mind. "If you want to head out, I'll make the call, stay with her until an ambulance gets here." Naturally, he would power down and pretend (to the emergency services) that he'd stumbled up on her as she was, rather than try to explain the reality of things. Penthesilea nodded and took off, figuring the girl was in good hands. Aegir seemed the nice big-brother type and she'd helped save the girl from having her starseed ripped out, that was the most she could do for anyone, really.

He pulled out his non-senshi phone and made the call to 9-1-1, giving their location as he knelt by the girl who's eyes fluttered open for only a few seconds before falling closed again. "Hey, hang in there - help's on the way." Aegir stayed on the phone with the operator, powering down when the coast was clear and waiting for the ambulance to arrive. Sirens announced the eminent arrival and jarred his nerves - what if they thought he had anything to do with her current condition?

EMTs swarmed from the bus to where Colin was waving them down, the operator in his ear asking his name and thanking him for his assistance. As he hung up the lead EMT asked him what had happened and he gave the story he'd come up with. "I heard a scream and came running...she was on the ground when I found her, I think she has a head wound..." Did he know her? Nope, not at all.

Faith was loaded onto a yellow-framed stretcher and then onto the ambulance by two of the EMTs while Colin was questioned (not that he could be very helpful). With the knowledge that he could give them nothing more than he had, they scrambled, leaving him standing with the glow of the lights and the shriek of the siren receding quickly.

"Man, what a night." Exhausted beyond belief but also happy that Faith still had her starseed and was now in good hands, he made his way home.