Four days… five hours… twenty one minutes. The amount of time that lapsed since she last met with her Dove.
Kazenite stretched her arms above her head as she stifled another yawn. Her fault for showing up so damn early. Still, before sun rise tended to be quite vague and it wasn’t like there was anything else she had going on. Curious of the time, the teal haired woman leaned over the ledge to see what time it was. There, across the street, silver roman numerals illuminated by spot lights, was a clock above one of the bookstore entries. 4:18 AM…
Very few people walked the streets this early in the morning, and those that did most definitely did not do so alone; several walked in small groups of three to four while others jogged with their uncomfortably large dogs. It would be easy, almost too easy, to go down, strike up a conversation with the group of young civilians and syphon some of their energy while she’s at it. People who were weary tend to not notice when they speak a thought out loud. Oh the things you learn.
“You’re staring.” Xyla mused with a purr in her voice. Piercing yellow eyes gazed upward to where the general queen sat on the ledge staring down unblinking at the people below. There was something she had heard the other agents say time and time again in jest and for once it seemed mildly applicable to the currenting timing of things, yet she held her tongue for now. Though it didn’t stop her from thinking why so serious?
“I’m watching.” Came Kazenite’s quick reply. Slightly annoyed at waiting but otherwise unphased by the observation, the General Queen did little to mask the underlining tone that seeped into her voice now hush…
The guardian cat merely smiled that all too wide grin and if at all possible shrugged her shoulders with little more than a “Hmmm.” then closed her eyes once more concentrating on dampening Kazenite’s aura till she gave the okay to lift it.
If the senshi didn’t show soon, there very well may be hell to pay for waiting till the last god given minute.
4:18am.
By normal human standards, this was far too early on a Saturday morning to be awake. That was unless you were just now heading back home after an extremely long night. Based on the smell of the two people Delilah was running past, that was the case there. “I will never understand a person’s love of beer.” The young woman sighed as she passed into the shadows of several trees. When she emerged from the otherside, Eternal Sailor Phact was still shaking her head.
Her pace began to slow as she turned the corner and came into view of the plaza. As she expected, no one was there. Well, Human wasn’t there. A feeling came around a she got closer. Kazenite was there but where, Phact didn’t bother to pinpoint. The woman would find her when she was ready.
4:20am and she stood in the center of the plaza with her eyes close catching her breath. Why has she picked this time? Because this was her normal morning jog. What she wouldn’t admit was that drunk couple she saw walking by was the same two people she had watched last night for several hours. She could tell you right now that the one acting the drunkest hadn’t touched anything last night. It was all an act. His partner was going to disappear on their way home...she just smiled.
Kazenite sat up straight closing her eyes as she tilted her head back just slightly before drawing in a deep breath. A half hour before the sun would begin it’s ascension into the morning sky and the senshi finally… decided to grace the district with her presence. Slivers of teal-blue irises peaked out from behind dark colored lashes.There on the furthest edge of her senses skirted that beloved Senshi of Doves, white and red uniform adorned with several feathers.
Tired of waiting the General Queen waited till Phact slowed her pace before placing her hand on the cats soft fur, neglecting to so much as check to see if her feline companion was awake, and teleported the distance that spanned between the two women. Rising from her previously crouching position no more than a foot in front of the raven haired woman, Kazenite reached out with one hand grabbing Phacts wrist while the other wrapped around her throat before teleporting them a fair distance away; one of her choosing.
Far enough away from the open city Kazenite used only a fraction of her strength to push Phact up against one of the many surrounding trees, pinning her between the rough bark and her own well toned body. Leaning forward so her cheek brushed against her little Dove’s she whispered “You’re late…” before nipping none too gently at her pierced ear to reinforce just how displeased she was.
The split second in which Phact had to react would never be enough when one was up against the wind. The two interactions she had been allowed with this woman meant that there was still much the senshi did not know about her demon partner. Like the wind, it could change at a moment’s notice from a light breeze, to a fierce storm. All it depended upon was the mood of the source. And from the pressure around her, this was one of those storms.
Seeing as she was already out of breath from the first half of her early morning run, the senshi of doves could feel her lungs suddenly catch on fire as the ability to breathe was stolen away. The hand around her throat had her full attention as her one free hand came up to it, trying to rip the fingers away. All this managed to get her was small gasps as her back smacked against something hard and unforgiving. By the time she was allowed just enough air to fill her lungs, the pain from being slammed backwards hit her. Phact could not break free and it felt as if the more she tried, the tighter the hold became. There would most likely be bruises by that afternoon from this.
Pulling back, teal-blue eyes locked with Phacts ruby red gaze letting her words sink in just a fraction of a moment before loosening her grip around the woman’s throat just enough for her to draw in a gasping breath though in compensation the hand around her wrist tightened pressing that sensitive flesh against the sharp piercing bark behind her. She had been patient enough for the past hour wasting her time waiting around for what?
“Whatever news you bring better be worth it.” Kazenite’s words were spoken with such finality that it left little room for hope that there would be anything pleasant that became of this meeting. Ice laced her voice and seeped into that gaze of hers completely overpowering the ‘General’ Phact had come in contact with the previous two encounters.
Haven clearly established which of them is in control at the moment the General Queen let go of the senshi and took one step away, then another till her head came level with that of Xyla who had found a perch upon a low hanging branch.
Now off balance, it was all Phact could manage not to slump forward and land square into the toned form of the woman shoving herself up against her own slender body. She was grateful for the wrist hold, until she realized the pain truly shooting up her body was from that. Kazenite was establishing dominance. Like two lions for the fighting for their territory and Phact felt herself losing that battle. Kazenite was the stronger lion and Phact suddenly felt as if she was being made submissive.
Once fully released, her legs gave. Against the hard surface, she had been supported. Now, the fact she did not have her balance became clear. Dropping to her knees, the woman in white took a moment to catch her breath. ”Good Morning to you too.” With a tone of slight amusement, in between rapid breathing, Phact dared to look at her wrist. No blood stained the glove so that was a plus. However, she could see intentions and something dark stuck to it.
Jerking her head to the right to look back at what she had been pinned against, Phact’s eyes went large. “A tree?” The comment was more to herself as she turned to look back at Kazenite. The woods appeared all around her. ‘Mari’ was up in a tree and Kazenite stood next to them. The look on both their faces made the morning seem colder, stiller, deadlier. Phact felt like a mouse in a trap and it was then reality sank in. If she did not prove useful, she would not leave this place.
“By all understanding, I said before sunrise.” She was trying to keep her composure, to restore the calm mask she wore to her face. It was too early to be scared.
Kazenite stood by watching, just watching as Phact struggled for breath crumpled on the ground staining that pristine white outfit of hers with dirt and dust. The expression on her face was a hard one to read; there was no amusement, for she did not particularly enjoy watching the scene before her, nor was there a seething hate that one would expect to see after that show of dominance. The look in her eyes though, they held a silent command ‘get up’.
“Technicalities aside, were you completely blind to the growing number of civilians that had begun walking the streets twenty minutes ago?” Kazenite crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back against the coniferous tree. “No matter how quickly I got us off the streets, only time will tell if someone saw. Public places only serve to aid those who are not powered. For us, I’m certain we had both agreed that a level of caution should be taken; or did you forget?”
Standing up and brushing the fallen leaves from her body, Phact was coming back into her own. Her eyes were still down on her attire, brushing what loose dirt and dust off she could, a few places came back to their pure white form. “Trust me I knew. It was why I picked that place.” Phact’s eyes shot up strong and fierce. “I know every person and every route people take that morning. I know when that plaza is empty and when it isn’t. I also knew something different was happening that morning and wanted to make sure it took off without a problem.”
In a smooth even tone, only one word escaped those glossed lips. A single command that held an amount of weight that left little room for debate, it held no amount of surprise though it was peppered with a hint of curiosity.“Explain...”
Whatever it was she expected to happen, was lost upon the General Queen making her believe that this change in routine her Dove spoke of had something to do with the Resistance.
Red eyes shot up and locked onto the icy face before her. There was no mistaking that tone in the voice of the woman before her but Phact only smiled softly. “It has nothing to do with you.” Her own voice held no fear as she denied to answer the explanation. Phact was still a senshi and as such, had obligations that did not just fall under watching agents of Chaos. “It has already happened and will go on with little to no notice of such.” Allowing a simple shrug, Phact’s eyes crossed the space between them saying she would speak no more of the matter.
“You would willingly keep such information from me?” she tutted. Oh how the pads of her fingertips itched with the undeniable desire to summon her beloved weapon; to allow Xyla to release her dampening magic and truly show this Dove that it is no gentle playful breeze she is dancing with. “You tread a dangerous line my Dove. If you’re not careful that thread may turn itself into razor wire.”
“I will have to take my chances then.” Phact commented once more with a shrug as she crossed her arms under her chest and looked around taking in the location. She had never been to this part of the words before and wondered, were they even in the city anymore? “Because I do not just work for you, Ms. Kazenite.” Phact put on her best business woman persona as she answered. “I had duties before this arrangement as well. If I were to let them slip, do you not think suspicion would be raised in my general direction? I would rather avoid that and continue to work in what little freedom I have left.”
Reaching up to rub her eye almost lazily, Phact felt the twitch in her wrist once again. Even as she gazed down at the joint, her voice spoke evenly “As for the information I have gathered for you, I’ll let you be the judge of its worth. What would you like to start your morning with? A cup of hidden agents or a plate of agents working on turning new members onto purification?”
Her throat and wrist were starting to really hurt the more she tried to sound normal. Air was still working its way back into her blood. And yet, Phact stood there determined, knowing her information was good and knowing that she would not betray her duties as a senshi to protect what people she could. What Kazenite thought of all this, well, she was sure that she would not be guessing for long.
Feeling the tension between the two women go taught, Xyla turned her head and raised an eyebrow at her Queen curious how long she planned on letting this senshi’s attitude slide. Had this been an agent, she’d no doubt have been back handed into yester-year for talking like that. Then again the little Dove wasn’t entirely theirs yet so she still had a bit of an upper hand.
Temporarily ignoring the yellow gaze of the teal and black striped cat Kazenite tilted her head back slightly; regarding Phact and her outright defiance. “Save the Purification for last.” she finally replied, leaving the second command unspoken as she waited for the Senshi of Doves to reveal her secret treasure trove of information.
Dropping her eyes back to her wrist, Phact began to exam it through the glove as she started to speak. ”There is a group of about four agents who have set themselves up to feed bad information back to the general group.” Looking up again, she shook her hand a few times. “They have leaked in under radar and set themselves up in different areas. Their prime goal is to keep other agents away from what is really going on in the city. Two have aligned with you, two others are normal civilians. But they have been feeding you all bad information for awhile.” Finally, she leaned back against the tree. “They have not been a help to either side. Frankly, their efforts to keep you confused have backfired a few times resulting in deaths on both sides.” The Eternal gave a shrug. “The human names are Rebecca Lane and Jakob Coady.” She spoke with little care to for them or concern to what saying this would bring them. “They are lovers and live in an apartment south side of the city. That’s where the group normally meets on Tuesday nights.”
“Then come this Tuesday we will see is what you say is true.” Teal-blue eyes glanced sideways and locked with Xyla’s yellow slitted ones. With a curt nod of her head there was a silent understanding, an unspoken conversation between the two; together under the veil of signature dampening, they would seek validity to this claim. “Continue” she said smoothly, refocusing her attention back on Phact.
The senshi expected that much as she watched the two gaze towards one another. Much like she had not taken their word on Acrucis and sought to confirm it herself, she knew this woman would not act until 100% sure that her information was good. While it was a tad bit insulting considering she had been acting as a Watcher now for years, there was nothing she could do about it.
“The other bit of information is what I take you are really interested in.” Phact said coldly as she leaned back against the tree she had already be pinned against. “There is a lieutenant in your police force that is doing double duty. My sources say he watched his sister be killed by the negaverse soon after accepting ‘the fame and power’ that came with his new role. Reason for her death had never been determined but they say a guardian cat was following her around. But I digress.” Phact commented rolling her shoulders back. Her head started to lean back against the tree and she looked up into the branches. “Since he feels it was unjust and he was lied to, he is going after newly turned members having them seek out senshi in order for them to find the light claiming that they are all useless worms who don’t have a chance in the world to do anything. Long story short, he’s out for revenge and doing so by trying to reduce your numbers. He goes by a short form of his name. Deman.”
This is the kind of information Kazenite looked for. Though without looking into it, if his sister was killed either she was a senshi or knight, or she was in some way helping the resistance. Either way it didn’t matter.
Without truly thinking of it, the ‘general’ reached up and wrapped her hand around the starseed that hung from her choker as she had so many time in the past when thoughts brought her back to her own sister. ”Tell me, where did you hear about him and did you witness this first hand or was it all heresay?”
“Both.” Phact confessed in an almost bored tone. Her eyes closed as if remembering the day. “I caught wind of the news by chance passing and followed it up. I was able to use the notion of a stole object to get close. And let’s say it helps to know people in high places so I got him assigned to my case.” Her eyes opened into slits that gazed over at Kazenite. The grab to the necklace surprised her. People only did that when there was some value to it. What had she said that triggered an emotion deep within the woman’s mind. Making a mental note to keep her eyes out, Phact continued “So he talked to me about it.”
“What did he say?” she inquired, slightly irritated by this verbal delay. She didn’t want just bullet points, what Kazenite wanted was the details without having to pull teeth to get them. “Is he going to be bringing potential converters to you now?” If so this might have more potential than she had originally thought.
Seeing as she had no experience dealing with this woman, Sailor Phact was going over the general topics. If Kazenite wanted more information, she would indeed need to ask for that way, Phact would now know what she needed to pay more attention to. It already appeared a name was not enough so now things could get interesting. “Of course he spoke negatively about the Negaverse but he wasn’t too keen on the senshi either. Feels that ‘if they were as high and mighty as they claim, they should have prevented his sister’s death’.” Phact’s shrug and tone showed little care for this. She knew the numbers and that in the end, they had so many to protect already. “But he feels they are the lesser of the two evils. And before you keep going, he doesn’t have a clue that I am a senshi so no, he isn’t bringing anyone to me. I work to keep my hands clean of that area as my powers are limited.” Protecting people was hard when she didn’t have a shield or weapon to work with. She could disorient but that only worked when others could run. “But considering the ‘thief’ that broke into my home has not be caught, I am able to fish more if you really wanted. It sounds like his junior partner is also in agreement with him. I was also told that he goes through partners ‘quickly’.”
“He seems to be quite the fool to confide in a civilian.” There may be more to this than what he’s letting on. “Either he has an immediate death wish or he’s hiding something. The story of his sister could just be an elaborate sympathy act. That aside for now, tell me more about these partners.”
“I had the same thoughts.” She admitted slowly. “But I did not wish to question them at the time. Though I do know for a fact he had a sister. Public records are very helpful.” A smile creeped over her face.
“You’re also assuming that he provided you with his actual name.” Far too many times have people used other’s profiles or just copied their information onto other social media and just replaced the images, or took photos of themselves with friends families. Something wasn’t feeling right about this agent…
Phact once more shrugged her shoulders. “You do have a point. I mean to win him over, I did slightly tell him I had ‘lost’ my sister to this war.” Which while Acrucis was still very much alive, their relationship was no where near the same as it had been. Some days, that really did hurt. “But look, I can tell you the truth that I do know from both him and other people in the department that his partners go missing far too often. Not one has made it more than 6 months. No bodies have been found so thus it was just accepted they were not cut out for the job. Why then do I say purification? Because about the same time this all started, I noticed a number’s growth in the Resistance.” And then Phact bit her tongue.
Now that was something Kazenite couldn’t debate. Instead she clicked her tongue and made a hmm sound “Intriguing” she commented as her lips curled into a smile much like the ones Xyla often wore. “I’m inclined to agree with you, your assumption seems sound enough. One of the perks or downsides, depending on how you look at it, when changing sides be it through corruption or purification is that nobody recognizes the individual even if they were standing face to face with them.” Fortunately this, by now, was common knowledge with all the side swapping going on these past few years. Though it seemed the chance to reconnect with those who were otherwise lost was significantly higher when the individuals were privy to eachothers powered identities.
For a moment it seemed like she had completely forgotten the senshi was still there as she mentally catalogued all this delicious information; when the silence was abruptly broken once more. “This will require further looking into. When do you see him next?”
In the silence, Phact felt herself begin to shut her eyes and drift off. It was Saturday after all and normally by now, her run would have been over and her day started. However, just standing there talking was lulling her back into dream world. A dangerous thing with what stood before her.
The words shook her back into the waking. Covering a yawn, Phact responded “Either when he finds something, which won’t happen, or Monday around six in the evening. Since it’s still a new case, and he feels for a single woman living alone, he checks in on me weekly.“ Phact gave a sly smile to say what she was hiding from admitting verbally. While there was no physical contact, Phact knew the man was into her. It made things easier when she played a damsel in distress to men who had egos.
There was immediate approval in that otherwise pale face of the General Queen. One eyebrow raised understanding the implications as her lips lifted into a smirk. The benefits of being a woman. Nodding her head, silently accepting where this was going she gave her Dove a simple instruction “Find out more about these missing partners; dates, names etc. Chronologically would be best so I can cross reference it to any of our missing agents. See if you can figure out who else he’s been talking to, civilian… powered doesn’t matter which.” If this information she gave proved to be true, there was no way in hell she’d let her Dove be pinned for being a leak should she get caught. Not when there were others that could just as easily been the ones to spill the beans. Even if it meant she had to go out and personally capture and torture the individual till they shared with her the same information Phact just offered.
The senshi would remain safe... for now. Good information deserves an equally just reward. “Otherwise I suggest you have fun.” She added; no reason for both of them to not get ‘lucky’ as men liked to put it so eloquently.
The smile on Phact’s face was amusement. So her point of contact wasn’t as crazy as Phact first thought. Just the cat was. Her eyes flicked from Xyla back to Kazenite. “Easy enough. The man can’t stop staring at my backside so a little wine, a little music, a little dinner….” She trailed off and let the rest remain in the air. “But a word of warning, I know the current partner has been around about five and a half months. From your end, might want to keep an eye on him. From mine, I’ll continue to play a helpless, heartbroke damsel.” Ruby eyes rolled at this. “At least the perk of being a cop is that he’s well built….”
Phact did not intend to sleep with him but if it got the information she needed, well there were worse things in the world. One might say it was a reason she stayed single for so long. When dealing with other men, there was one thing she knew about them: the p***s talked.
“Enjoy it while it lasts, they all get fat eventually…” Kazenite tutted shrugging her shoulders for there really was no denying it. Though the chief of police had been doing a pretty good job as of late keeping his officers in shape eventually they get lazy sitting in those vehicles eating whatever they can get their sausage size fingers on.
Pushing herself off the tree she reached up and picked up Xlya, cradling the feline in her arms. By now the sun was already peaking over the horizon and lighting the woods in it’s warm orange hues.
One step after another, Kazenite closed the distance between them and cupped Phacts cheek “You did good,” she praised “I’ll inform the appropriate parties of this news, but for now I’ll take you back” and that was all the warning the senshi got as the General Queen teleported them to a wooded park close to where the business district was at.
“Wednesday at midnight, here! I want to know what you find out. In the mean time, enjoy your weekend my Dove” with that said the teal haired woman and yellow eyed cat disappeared as if they had never been there in the first place, leaving the senshi alone, for the time being…
