Wordcount 1166!

It was Caedus' suggestion she try again. That she enter her homeworld again, to see it. If it weren't for friendship, she probably wouldn't have come back. But, it was a quiet time and Elpis felt that was as good a time as any, and so with the press of a button, the touch of her finger, that returned her to the silence. To the ruins and so, so many flowers.

Elpis moved through the field of rockflowers once more, the coarse, hard tulip-shaped flora brushing her skirt and legs, the senshi sighing as she made for the building that alarmed her before.

The buildings were the same ruins. Stone, petrified wood, metal decorating like some somber soldier's tale. This time, Elpis looked more, upon faded white square cloths and rectangles bleached by the sun and hung like flags. Elpis lifted a hand, touching one, rubbing the fabric between her fingers. It was soft, smooth - a light fabric made from the fibers of a plant she didn't identify - likely one native here. She breathed in, watching ivies with star shaped blossoms of yellow climbing the walls of buildings, and she shook her head.

Reentering the structure brought no new terror, no fresh sights, merely the frescos preserved so perfectly Elpis could swear she'd stepped onto the site of Pompeii. She could not read words, merely examined the pictures - picturrs of metals, pictures of combat, pictures of armies and soldiers. These seemed to be war tales, and Elpis shook her head, looking around.

The building looked like a school, the sort used to train officers, but with clearly alien twists. Elpis shook her head and looked to the pictures, and sighed again before exiting, making her way to a large central structure.

This time it was slow, the surroundings fading from dead and silent to another view.

The sounds came first, voices filling her ears, calls and cries she couldn't make out before Elpis was in a crowd of people.

The Elpisians were known for their long ears and sharp teeth. Their skin was tinted many colors and their clothing scarce yet ornate - nothing crass wso much as tasteful. Swaths of violet, silver, blue, gold, copper, and more fabrics draped across bodies, dotted by jewels amd crytals traded in from other worlds. The soldiers following, accompanying were dressed smartly in their own apparel - many in hard armor of metal and cloth mixrd.

Generalissamo Elpis regarded them fondly. While she was aught but a Super Senshi, she was still a senshi, to be afforded the power her magic demanded of the metal-loving culture as she moved to address one of her soldiers - one of the Kingsguard whom had borne witness to the battle raging on their borders. The war fared poorly with the enemy, but the Generalissimo was trained for this. Trained and prepared to do what was needed. She had allies and she had the tactical knowledge and the training, and approaching the Kings Guard, she looked down upon him, and the Super Senshi looked sympathetic, touching his chin and lifting his head to look at her delicately.

"The battle. Were they driven back?"

It was all Elpis hoped. To drive them back, to drive them away again. The Kings Guard nodded, before looking away, Elpis frowning.

"Then what is wrong? What happened?"

"The King is dead."

The Generalissimo froze, eyes going wide.

The King had been young, his young wife still yet to bear a son, or daughter, and the loss was catastrophic, if not a risk all knew. And all knew the Constitutional contingency until an heir was found... Or named.

The Generalissimo sank, shaking her head as she motioned for her aides, hugging the Kings Guard comfortingly, even understandingly as she looked up, and sighed.

"I will address the people shortly. We need time."

The sounds faded. The people faded into a large empty building, just as the others were, and Elpis shut her eyes, groaning before shaking her head, and moving to walk through the building. It was still eerie, having the visions, but she promised to look. To try.

Elpis passed through each room briefly, finding many rooms in-situ, left as if the owner was returning any moment, before finding one room that was different.

She entered a large changer suited to a soldier, bu it was not heartless. What appeared to be small momentos scattered the room, sketches on the faded papers scattering the room, along with unknown handwriting and materials. Time ravaged even this room, as Elpis sighed, examining her surroundings before sitting and touching the desk silently.

Had this been...

Elpis banished her wondering and shivered, looking around. What had happened to the people?

Elpis rose once more, exiting the building before walking out a back door, finding a new half of the City.

The entrance to it however was a graveyard, and Elpis paled.

The funeral was difficult. The King was to recieve full military honors, the Generalissimo to return his body to the spirits and to the planet itself. Only then would their Asteroid produce new metals, if the spirits and gods were pleased with them.

Elpis was trained for the act yes, but prepared... No. It was a tragedy, losing the king. While Elpis was Generalissimo, the super senshi was not a royal. She sat on the Council, She was just a Councilmember...

And in charge of the Military. In a way, she felt responsible, ascending the steps, standing before the gathered people of Elpis - her people, as she gave the eulogy. She went through the rites, the service, the Sending.

But she did not feel closure. There was, instead, intense guilt. She could see their allies among the crowds and she could feel the weight of the mauvian that bonded to her on her shoulder in feline form as she spoke, and her heart was heavy.

She eagerly awaited the end of her duties hiding it in her mind as she spoke, trying to assure and guide, and ensure all was smooth.

But Elpis was not allowing another royal to die. The future Elpisian ruler, nor their allies, her mind churning and roiling.

Elpis stood before a decorated grave, eyes half-closing as the vision - memory? Took over, and knelt, sighing. She could not read it nor did she understand her visions, triggered by places, but clearly she needed to find someone who did understand.

They sound of marching feet in the visions was reverberating in her memory; dancing with the words of Cosmos about the strength of Senshi in groups, and she bit her lower lip, looking out across the unexplored half of her Homeworld's city, and the Senshi nodded.

She would try it. See if gathering others would help. Surely no harm could come of others' involvement, and she was so tired of fighting alone more than not, and so... She would look. And with that, the senshi sighed,pressing the button to return her home.