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 Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2014 3:57 pm
The night was winding down, or that was how Sailor Europa appraised it. The church down the street had just rung one in the morning, and she was finishing up her last circuit of the neighborhood before heading home. Sleep was calling, and it was tempting to skimp on the last bit of her round, but if she did that and missed a youma - or worse, an actual negaverser or dark senshi wandering around in the dark - then that would be on her to deal with. So, tired as she was, she kept going, and soon after came into range of a powerful chaos signature. Europa sighed and pinched her cheeks vigorously, trying to wake herself up. She really did not want to fight at this time of night, but if came to that, then she wanted to be awake. And if she'd sensed the general (she was assuming it was a general), then the general had probably sensed her. Feeling marginally more prepared to deal with trouble, the eternal senshi set off in the direction of the power signature. Maybe, she thought optimistically, they weren't up to no good. Maybe they just wanted to talk! Fat chance. "I know you're there," she called down the alley. MoonKitsune I hope this works! Let me know if it doesn't.
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Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2014 9:29 pm
The dark energy signature was Chaotic, powerful, but had stopped. It did not run. It did not flee. It did not approach as Europa approached it. There, in the end of the alleyway, was a figure. It was dressed in a black cloak, hood up, and a capelet about the upper half of it's body. Underneath was a black uniform lacking much in a way of details. Overall, it was just dark and the cloak hide much in regards to it's figure. One thing for certain, it wasn't very tall. From what little could be seen of it's face from the shadows created by the streetlights revealed it was wearing a white mask.
It stood there, and as Europa approached, it raised it's gloved hands. "I'm not here to fight." It said, voice muffled by the mask but masculine.
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Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2014 12:41 am
It wasn't anyone Europa recognized, but then, she had the inkling that he was going out of his way to keep his identity a secret, by layering on more clothing over his uniform. Negaverser? Almost definitely. But, like he said, he wasn't here to fight - and the raised hands were a pretty clear universal signal. "Good," said Europa, trying to not let her tiredness show, lest he decide she was an easy mark and change his mind. "Because I'm not here to fight, either." It wasn't like she was familiar with enough generals to have the first guess about who she might be dealing with, and if they were sneaking around with their identity carefully concealed, above and beyond the capabilities of the glamour every combatant wore, then she doubted he was about to tell her. "What's going on?" she asked. "Why all the creative use of layers?"
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Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2014 8:29 am
He lowered his hands slowly, pulling them back under his capelet. In reality, he was touching his chest, taking deep breathes under his mask. He was doing something, taking this first step right now, into a very dangerous territory. The Hall of Traitors constantly flashed behind his mind's eye, and he mentally shuddered at the memory of it.
This was against orders. This was against the loyalty to his family that he so strongly dedicated himself and worked to protect. However, it was for his family that hew as doing this.
It was this one time that his leaders did not know better.
"Because what I am doing goes against direct orders and I would be destroyed for it."
He looked at Europa, and debated his phrasing. He wasn't as slick as other people he knew who could perfectly phrase what they wanted easily. What he knew was that he couldn't directly as for help until he gauged if this person was a DMC sympathizer or even remotely interested in engaging them. For the most part, the senshi seemed lazy and uninterested in fighting.
"Do you know about the Dark Moon Court?" He asked.
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Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2014 10:14 am
Europa nodded, sensing the seriousness of the situation. While the exact workings of the Negaverse's rank structure was beyond her grasp, treason was pretty easy to grasp. Whoever it was behind that mask, he was risking everything to be here talking to senshi - and she was going to respect that. Besides, last she'd heard the DMC and the Negaverse were in bed together, so she could puzzle out what he was risking his life to ask her about pretty easily, even if he didn't say so in as many words. And if she'd guessed correctly, then he'd come to the right place. There were other senshi who hated the Dark Mirror Court more than Sailor Europa, but there weren't many. "I know that they followed a false princess into darkness," she said. Chibimoon was long gone, and had never lived up to Europa's expectations of some kind of lunar messiah, but she'd shared enough knowledge to keep Europa going. Perhaps she'd sworn herself to a false princess, too. She knew better now. "I know that they took someone very important to me and caused my family unimaginable amounts of pain." She'd never forgive herself for not engaging her cousin sooner, from keeping tabs on what allies she was making and what her activities were. She could never look her aunt and uncle in the eye again. And that was just how it was. "And I know that they must be destroyed," she said. "They're a cancer on this universe." Or: put that thing back where it came from or so help me.
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Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2014 10:22 am
Behind the mask, he smiled. He knew that the senshi were disorganized, but he had also hoped they also had dislikes for the DMC. Despite the fact they should take responsibility for the fact they allowed the DMC to even start in their organization, he was willing to put everything on the line in order to associate with the senshi and let them work for him. As repugnant as it was, he needed them. He couldn't risk his own family, that of the Negaverse, and tie them to the same dangers he was taking on. He needed to make the other side work for him, alongside him, to work as an army he didn't have.
For once, the vast number of the opposition would be a good thing. It meant more fighters hopefully WITH him than against him.
"Then I'm speaking to the right person. There is a very sticky situation on the other side that keeps the DMC protected where they deserve none. They have made their mistakes and have yet to be punished for it. They don't deserve to live."
He took a step, raising his hands to show he was still unarmed, but came just a bit closer. "If you are willing to work towards a common goal, then we can destroy them once and for all."
He lowered his hand for a handshake.
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Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2014 10:35 am
So the honeymoon was over and the bloom was off the rose. Europa had no mask to hide behind, so she did her best to not let her emotions show - even if it pleased her to know that the forces of chaos were not nearly as united a front as she'd always assumed them to be. She stared at the offered hand for a moment, debating whether this could be a trap. No, she decided. This was real secrecy and real urgency. It was almost palpable. "I have one condition," she said, raising a hand towards his, but not shaking yet. "When the time comes, I want to have a personal hand in killing Sailor Leto. I let her down and she's my responsibility." She owed it to Kat to destroy what she'd become. Even if she'd never killed before. Even if she was not certain that she could.Europa steeled herself, then continued, "If you can promise me that, then the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and I'll bring as many loyal senshi and knights as I can to the fight." And she shook his hand. "How will you be contacting us?"
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Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2014 10:49 am
He shook the hand, glad to find someone who wanted to tear Leto apart as much as he did. Still, he had hoped at some point he could encounter Ares as well. She had been the one to pull the strings for most of it. "Deal, but leave a piece for me. I have a responsiblity to those who died by their hands to do them justice. In the end, you can tear out her heart. I'll tear out her starseed. That way she may never exist ever again to torment others in another life. She does not deserve a second chance." There was no redemption for that type of wicked.
While he felt his shoulders hunch, like a cat touching cold water, when he touched her hand, he knew he had just aquired a ally. One down. So many more to go.
Reaching into the pocket of his cloak, he pulled out a prepaid phone. "It already has my number in the address book. I have yours." He'd just have to update the name on the phone he owned. "Whoever you can find to join us, call me. I can give them a phone as well. We need as many as we can. I have seen their numbers during a meeting. they aren't that small that only we can take them on ourselves. I'll be searching my own ranks and the others."
He took out his phone, changed the name on the address book to the phone she owned, which he marked with a 1 on the back to easily reference, and then called it to make sure it worked. The name "WP" came up. It was the only name he could think of when he thought of that day. When he thought of Tanzanite. When he thought of her now.
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Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2014 11:06 am
Europa nodded. "Fair enough," she said - instinct told her she could not crush star seeds, even though she'd never tried. She'd only ever handled them once or twice, always delicately, to put them back into the chests of their owners. But whatever Leto's starseed was now, it was so polluted by chaos now that she felt no remorse promising it to this mysterious general. It wasn't her cousin's anymore. That girl was long dead. Still, when she looked at her gloves, she imagined them momentarily red. "I look forward to destroying her with you," she said, trying to bluff courage long enough that she'd actually feel it. The phones were a clever idea, and she figured that if he was assembling an army and buying a prepaid phone for each one, then he was sinking a lot of personal resources into this project - it just made her more certain that this was genuine, not some trap waiting to be sprung. "WP?" she asked, smiling just slightly. She hadn't expected him to give her his real name, of course. "I don't suppose that stands for anything I should recognize, does it?" "My name's Europa," she told him, because he'd already seen her face and chances were they'd met before and chances were he already knew it. She palmed the phone. "I'll keep you updated on any others I can bring to the fight," she said, "And I hope you'll do the same for me." "And I look forward to working with you," she added, which, as unlikely and chilling a thought as it was, came from a place of total truth.
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Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2014 11:25 am
He let the pad of his thumb run across the keypad of his phone, distantly thinking to himself. "It means White Phoenix." He said, looking up at her. To others, it might seem like a stupid name. A egotistical name, but he saw it as a name of putting something to rest. To let those who died finally ascend to a better place. That night had been dark, and Tanzanite had sacrificed herself in many ways to help her family. Now he was going to do the same for them. His rank. His life. His power. His loyalties. He was not as powerful as Tanzanite had been. He would not attain that power and could not change into something as large and as strong, but he had hoped with numbers and will, he could be a force to make the DMC tremble.
He gave a curt bow of his head. "I will keep you updated, Sailor Europa. Text or call me anytime. I am at your service as much as you are to me. When we have amassed enough numbers, we will assemble our troops and prepare for the end."
Putting his phone back into his pocket, he turned. "Good luck to you. Together, we will make them pay." With that, he took one great leap, capelet and cloak billowing up, as he jumped up to a fire escape.
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Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2014 11:48 am
The symbolism was lost on Europa, but it must have meant a great deal to the general, if he was going to make his last stand under the moniker. "Sure thing," she said, nodding her head back to him. She tried not to let his wording make her hesitate - the end, like he was prepared to die for this. Europa was not ready to die. She had a lot of other things she still planned to do with her life. But, she supposed, if it meant taking down Leto, then sacrifices would have to be made. And it was her fault that Leto had fallen in the first place. So, certain in her resolve, she watched him vanish into the night.
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