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It wasn't often that Palatine got to be angry.

She didn't have that luxury. Her professional life was spent helping other people find their happiness and welcome their children home, and her personal life these days revolved around her youngest child. Coloring, playing games, baking cookies. Dressing up in frilly clothes and exploring the playground. Marissa spent so much time and put so much effort into the feelings of other people, she didn't often have the chance to express her own.

But she was angry now. Beyond that, even. She was furious. She'd never hated anyone so much as she now hated the Negaverse and every last one of its agents; she'd never wished harm on anyone the way she now wished harm on those who'd taken her child from her.

She'd not thought herself capable of inflicting pain before, but she wanted to now.

She'd not thought herself capable of killing another human being before, but she wanted to now.

By night, Palatine scoured the city for answers. By day, she sat at home and held her youngest daughter and tried not to lose herself to the guilt that ate away at her. If she'd not been drinking that night, if she'd only tried harder to find Paris in the crowd, maybe Paris wouldn't be missing now.

And she had to be missing. Because “dead” wasn't an option.

Palatine wandered through the park this evening, her pace rapid and hectic, keeping her eyes open for any sign of Negaverse activity. But things had been strangely quiet in the city since New Year's Eve—not a good sign at all, in her opinion. What were they up to if not out on the prowl?

There wasn't such a thing as a restful night. She'd already called out of work sick for a few days, something Flo hadn't argued about but Danika hadn't questioned. Her employer had known she'd gone to the disastrous ball. Danika wasn't against using whatever excuse gave her the most access to free hours as Themiscyra.

Trying to assist shoppers at the boutique, or trying to work on random projects, or even curling up on the couch with Dom... none of it was taking her mind of everything. Xanthus... The empty space in her apartment was a gaping gash, flaming red and impossible to ignore each time she stepped into her home. The cats kept staring at her, as if demanding they be returned their human care taker. A demand she wished desperately to fulfill.

Her sandals caught briefly on the curb as she barely registered the shift from the street to the sidewalk as she approached the park. Her chest ached, a throb and a pressure she couldn't make go away. Her first response was to call Chris and Paris, ask for their help--but in the same moment she'd heard of Kairatos being abducted, she'd learned they were taken as well. Even the Cosmos Knight she'd seen with Kairatos--remembered with Kairatos. The same woman she remembered finding out had died while she'd.... <********>. Her hands fisted, rubbing against her eyes before she glanced to the Squire (Andro) with her. The park was always the place where powered energies seemed to gather. Other people had to be looking. Others had to be trying to find the same answers they were.

The Martian didn't miss the sensation of another knight in the area, and with barely more than a quick head gesture towards the source to signal Andronicus, she headed off. It burned more than she wanted to admit. She'd been unable to stop them from taking Kairatos before. She'd ran away both times. She'd been unable to help any of her friends before. Her chest burned and she could only keep up a prayer this time would be different.

"Looking for anything in particular?" she called out carefully to the pink knight (Palatine) when she caught sight of the woman, the six-foot knight barely able to keep herself from marching towards her to do something. The woman could have been here for completely unrelated reasons. Big city. Lots of powereds. But a person with a working brain potentially meant someone who'd heard something, knew of something. At this point, she'd take anything she could get.

She turned hearing a noise mask still in hand. Her eyes went a little wide at the sight of the child. "Uh," she started feeling a little tired, "I'm fine, but what are you doing out so late?"

She looked at the child and frowned , "didn't your parents tell you its not safe to be out after dark especially in the park. I came here to find one of the people from the ball. You probably shouldn't be around here, just in case something bad happens. They call them ... er terrorists. I don't want to see you get hurt."

Glitnir hadn't been entirely sure what do with himself after the ordeal, so he simply ambled around town under the pretense of an attempted patrol. The paths eventually led towards the park, and curiously, there were powered auras there. Knight auras. Such a phenomenon merited investigation (didn't all chances for possible comrades merit an investigation?), and so he approached the group. He was surprised to see that not only had he actually met one of the Knights before (that'd be Palatine), but there was another Mars Knight there- a lady Knight! "Hello, ladies," he said innocuously enough. "I take it there's more to this than just patrolling to this meeting?" If there was a plan being hatched, he wanted to hear about it.

Megrez, meanwhile, was shambling about town in a stupor after her breakdown. Her mind was swimming to the point of incoherency, like an over-stirred drink. Somewhere along the way, she sensed some auras and wandered towards them; only when she got closer did she realize they were Knight auras. A Squire and two Pages, to be precise. "Knights? What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice hoarse and cracked from all the crying and screaming. Her train of thought took as abrupt turn as she realized that these people were not the only people she had passed in the park. There was someone else that she had seen but dismissed in her stupor. "Wait. There was a civilian I saw on my way in. A civilian out so late at night in a place like this is suspicious. Feel free to come with me if you also find it suspicious." With a cough from her sore throat, she turned and headed back the way she came, finding that the civilian was still there, but a Chibi Senshi was with her. "Excuse me," she said to the mysterious woman. "What are you doing out here at this hour? It can get dangerous."

Chaldene had come out seeking answers, he couldn't sleep either. he couldn't sleep as the images of Ganymede and Valhalla turning themselves over continued to circulate within his head as it played out over and over again like some broken movie. It was a horrid thing to continue to witness and hear over and over again and yet he suffered it. He hadn't told Tsui what had happened, he would, but it was still too personal as he felt anger for the first real time. He felt anger for those who had hurt Valhalla and who had made Ganymede surrender and then Valhalla.

he had to find them, to find anything which could help, and so he was out and wandering the ever so popular park. He'd heard how often it was frequented by people of all sides and how dangerous it was. He was hoping to run into someone of the Negaverse, he would relish it tonight, as he needed to know where the two were...and he actually wanted to strike whatever agent of chaos he came across. Ganymede and Valhalla had turned themselves over to keep him safe.

What he wasn't expecting was to sense other people in the park who felt like order. Following his senses he let them guide him as he made his way through the park, ever cautious of any other auras that might belong to others roaming the park.



(Anyone wanna come across Chaldene is more than welcome to.)

A Venus knight. Themiscyra at this point was giving up trying to figure out where she'd seen people before--trying to keep it straight if she'd seen them before here in passing or at some meeting, or before in whatever that was she remembered was just... impossible. Her mind was too jumbled by it all trying to organize the differences, the memories in pin-point detail. She didn't know this one by name, so it was what she was running on.

Her thoughts were scattered by what the woman (Palatine) said. Blood ran cold. Her kid? Themiscyra's stance softened, brow knit as she gave a small nod. "I was getting some civilians out, couldn't get back in time but I was there. Trying to find some of my friends that were taken." None of them were her child of course, yet Themiscyra would like to think she could on a smaller level relate to the woman's pain. Finding a loved one was finding a loved one.

More approaching auras, and Themiscyra turned to see who else was entering the park this eve. It really was the rule of thumb with parks. Where one powered was, many more had a tendency to gather. What was it about parks? Her smile had been an automatic one, simple and flat in this more troubled time... but when her eyes landed on the young man (Glitnir) that approached, garbed in red and gold, she straightened and the smile widened. A Martian. Her smile flickered, faltered, as her first thought was wait till I tell Kairatos! ********. Still, she pushed the smile back into place. She was happy to meet another from their red planet, even if the circumstances weren't the best. "Probably going to be a lot more to any meetings these days. Name's Themiscyra, by the way," she added, first looking to the Venusian knight, then to the Martian.

The second to approach made Themiscyra lift a brow, recognizing the Egg senshi (Megrez) rather quickly from when she'd lashed out at the Cosmos knight that was with Kairatos. Her name escaped her, but her bigger concern was the status of the senshi. Before she could try to ask her why she was even out of bed--she sounded sick god damn--the senshi had mentioned a civilian and... Themiscyra gave quick shrugs to the other two knights before following the senshi. "Nothing else perking up around here. Not unless the Negaverse can suddenly cloak themselves."

Spotting the young girl with the young senshi (Perdita), Themiscyra wasn't going to bother asking why the chick (NPC) was out there. Her eyes had focused in on something else, something that made her approach carefully. "Why do you have that mask?" Her voice came out sharp, certainly sharper than intended. Swallowing, she tried again, "Why would you be looking for any of us?" From the hotel? She wasn't going to blame them was she? Why anyone would even have a mask after what had happened at the masquerade bothered the hell out of her. Part of her was pretty sure she'd never even look at Phantom of the Opera the same way again after that bullshit.

Glancing up at the approach of another aura, she lifted her hand in silent greeting towards the senshi (Chaldene) whom had apparently decided to join the party. Glancing back to the girl holding the mask though, she took a slight step back, trying to not crowd her. The senshi and knights were growing in number... probably better not to freak her out--she stopped herself from adding a mental too badly.

She took a step back from the girl that looked like she was a gladiator, he eyes widening with fear. She gripped the mask more tightly, feeling a little more fatigued the longer she held onto it, not fully realizing it. "It's proof," she said, "that I was there. And I think everyone got there's taken. I have some information I think. I don't know if it is useful, but um it might help."

She sighed lightly, "I don't feel very well right now, but it's important. They took your friends." She tried to make it so they understood she wasn't trying to cause any trouble, she wanted to help. She was scared right now and probably risking her life, as far as she was concerned. The rumors of the park had to have come from somewhere.