Welcome to Gaia! ::

Ptolemy would feel the prickling burst of two Order signatures scaling the building not too far away from his position. The signatures moved quickly, in tandem with each other, jumping from ledge to ledge, gaining altitude as the clock ticked slowly towards the appointed time. They could feel him, just as he could feel them, one more powerful than the other.

Themisto reached the rooftop before his companion, and perhaps it was purposefully so. The Senshi of the Lost had felt Ptolemy and was honestly surprised the Dark Mirror Senshi was early. He wasn't sure exactly what to think about Ptolemy. Part of him was distrustful simply based on the fact that Ptolemy's starseed was full of Chaos. On the other hand... he didn't seem so bad on the surface.

The Super Senshi did his best to be friendly, at the very least. The Dark Mirror was outnumbered and was technically taking a risk that Themisto initially didn't think much about. "Ptolemy! Hey, dude. Glad you could make it." I guess. Maybe. I dunno what to think anymore. "You held up your end of things. I held up mine."

Behind him stood an eternal senshi, whose body glowed with supernatural markings indicating her transcendence. Themisto was visibly trying to avert his eyes from them - they made his skin crawl. She, on the other hand, seemed right at home, offering a slight bow to Ptolemy. She didn't seem at all averse to Dark Mirrors.

Voice even, demeanor calm. "You must be Ptolemaeus. Themisto told me about you. You... have some questions about the Dark Mirror Court? There are few of us who remain that remember their creation. I'm happy to answer what questions you may have."

She cast a glance up to Themisto, who stood a good two inches taller than his companion. He looked away sheepishly. "....yeaaaahhhh so I didn't really listen to the whole mirror-walker schpiel... I remember Ares. Ptolemy said she's gone or somethin'. Look, I thought you were just... makin' stuff up. Bein' creepy."

Kallichore seemed to chuckle lightly. "I'm not surprised. Ptolemaeus," The eternal turned her attention back to their Dark Mirror counterpart. "Are Remarque and Leto still the rulers of the Court in Ares' absence? I saw them a few months ago, dealing with something in the park."

Kallichore didn't seem too phased by Ptolemy's interest, even if it did seem to irk Themisto slightly. "Knowledge more than art, I'm afraid, but thank you. Have you not seen something like this? I can explain, but I feel your search for knowledge of the Dark Mirror Court supersedes it."

Themisto made to sit on the nearby air conditioning unit, leaning over to rest his elbows on his knees. The jab at being easily creeped out earned Ptolemy a quick and immature raspberry, to which Kallichore seemed to chuckle. "...I got my comfort zone. Eyes on people where eyes shouldn't be is kinda outside that comfort zone, dude."

The fact that Ptolemy hadn't met Leto personally seemed to confuse the eternal. She tilted her head at him, curious. "Oh? Leto was the first to be... baptized, as Ares called it. You are correct - she is a Princess. Perhaps she disappeared, like Ares has? It's hard to say. She is the senshi of camouflage, after all." Another short and light chuckle shook her shoulders, but otherwise Kallichore seemed more serene than amused.

She shifted her weight, quietly regarding Ptolemy as he explained his rather positive relationship with, and regard for, Remarque. The other half of the Dark Mirror royalty. "...guidance is very important, in all things."

The fact that members of the Dark Mirror Court weren't aware of their own royalty rolled about in Kallichore's head. Perhaps Remarque wasn't so keen on revealing these specifics to the Court members. Perhaps Leto was not nearly as hands-on as Kallichore had assumed.

"Princess Leto became a Super Senshi that night, six years ago. Ares was once a Parallel - a type of senshi who hailed from another universe, one parallel to ours. Their senshi wore black just as we wear white. I don't know everything about that place, however, Ares used to tell me stories."

"---Ares n'... Serene?" Themisto echoed, picking through his brain to try and fish out the bits he'd actually bothered to remember from this bedtime-story-turned-reality.

"Selene." the eternal gently corrected. "Selene, Ares, Aphrodite, Gaia. All Greek names. Zirconia was their cat and mentor, of sorts. Ares briefly mentioned a Prince, but I don't recall her ever naming him."

Themisto wasn't sure what to do with Ptolemy's admission to being touchy-feely and being called babe. The Dark Mirror really was in a league all his own, and it wasn't one Themisto felt comfortable playing in. Maybe eyes on people's bodies didn't bother Ptolemaeus because he'd seen worse. Or maybe weird stuff just didn't bother him. Maybe, for Ptolemy, weird was fun and exciting.

Kallichore seemed unphased by the two boys' conversation, instead nodding to the Dark Mirror's assumption. "I thought the same, though I have no way of confirming such a thing. Ares mentioned that she was trapped here, with no way to return to her universe, once her Princess had been killed. I can only assume their planets were named for the Greek gods, instead of using Mars and Venus like we do. I never met Aphrodite or Selene, but Gaia used to be a member of the Court. She became a Dark Mirror with Ares' ascension. Is she gone as well?"

If Gaia also disappeared, perhaps she was with Ares. The two of them, aside from Zirconia, were the only ones who remembered the world they came from.

The eternal nodded again at Ptoelmaeus' confusion. "All the Parellel senshi I personally knew of had Greek God names, but Zirconia did not. She was their cat, and didn't seem to follow the same rules. Though," Kallichore trailed off for a moment, gazing at a spot somewhere above Ptolemaeus' left shoulder. "...Zirconia did not change when Ares ascended to Princess. She did retain the ability to manipulate mirrors. Last I saw her, she was researching something odd having to do with your starseeds."

Themisto looked up from his position on the air conditioning unit. "Their souls? Everybody's, or just the Dark Mirror ones? I wouldn't want anybody messing with my soul, no thank you. Cat or no, that s**t's gotta stay in my chest."

Turning back to Ptolemaeus, Kallichore crossed her arms and shifted her weight on her heels. "Ares briefly mentioned a Prince but I cannot confirm what his name was. Perhaps it was Greek as well, but why Zirconia did not have a Greek name, I do not know. I do know she had powers that no other cat seemed to possess, and she was manipulating a starseed last I saw her. Evidently, Dark Mirror Senshi have a strange, reflective coating over their starseeds that is wholly unlike anyone else's."

The Super Senshi sat straight up. "You mean... you saw this cat messin' with some Dark Mirror person's soul? How'd she get it? Can this Zirconia just... pull that s**t outta somebody's chest? Like the Negaverse does?!"

Kallichore shook her head in the negative. "No, Zirconia happened upon this one because a Negaverse officer named Wolframite had taken it from someone else, and hoped Zirconia would crush it. She did not, and rather wished to unravel the secrets of the Dark Mirror, rather than snuffing out the soul."

Ah, then perhaps Gaia disappeared with Ares. Perhaps they found a way back home.

Kallichore nodded slowly, brows furrowing slightly as she watched Ptolemaeus. He seemed like a wealth of trivia, which she appreciated. Themisto just thought their Dark Mirror counterpart was a nerd, but he didn't voice it. Instead, he tucked away that little bit of info in case it came in handy during Bar Trivia Night.

The question of Ares and Gaia's energy signature had Kallichore tilting her head. He was astute, and she appreciated that immensely. "Their energy signatures were wholly unlike yours or ours. It was... something in-between. Difficult to describe, since no one else possessed a signature quite like that. I'd say... gray, perhaps, would be the closest thing I could think of. Neither light, nor dark completely, but something in between." Nodding, the eternal thought that might be a satisfactory answer. Without something immediately to show him, it was difficult to describe the energy signatures long lost to time.

"Zirconia did not have a star, but a black crescent moon. Its points faced downward, and she wore a choker with a winged eye. As far as I'm aware, Zirconia was unique in her ability to manipulate mirrors. I've met a few others cats, and none of them seemed to possess the same qualities."

The Dark Mirror senshi's demeanor changed, and rightfully so. Alarmed he must have been, to find that his starseed possessed a mirror-like coating that no other starseeds seemed to have. Themisto was shocked as well, eyes widening and casting a confused glance at Ptolemy. Did it hurt to have a mirror-coating like that? Did that mean Ptolemy was something other than a senshi?

The eternal drew a breath, beginning slowly and steadfastly. "...I do not know why Wolframite had given the starseed to Zirconia, unfortunately. The Negaverse must've attacked the Dark Mirrors at some point to retrieve the seed, or Wolframite was acting on his own. I'm not sure if he could have devoured or crushed it himself - and yes, Negaverse agents can and do ingest starseeds, Themisto."

The super senshi visibly paled and gulped thickly at the thought.

"That being said, Zirconia could manipulate this coating on your starseeds, to some extent. It shrieked when she attempted to remove it, as if it were some living entity. Unfortunately, her research was in its infancy when I saw her last, and I have not seen her since. That is all I know about the reflective finish on your starseed."

It might have had something to do with Wolframite's run-in with the Blood Moon Court, for which Kallichore was not present. She frowned for a moment, casting her eyes to the sea of stars above them. "Ptolemaeus, have you ever heard of the Blood Moon Court?"

Kallichore looked up at the sky for a moment, sifting through the fuzzy memories she had of Ares' physicality prior to her corruption. She wore a tiara, just like the rest of them did, but... "...hmm... no, I don't recall her having a crescent moon symbol. She wore a tiara and the same regalia most of the rest of us do, though hers and Gaia's were considerably more... fancy? Lace accouterments and the like. But no, I don't recall her or Gaia wearing crescent moons or any symbol in particular."

She folded her hands over her stomach and watched as Ptolemy worked through this information on his own. She had no reason at all to lie - and if Ptolemy collaborated with others who witnessed the same event, he would come to the same conclusion. She tilted her head at his next question - the symbology of the eyes and crescent moons were peculiar in Kallichore's opinion as well. "Ares' corruption and Zirconia's research seemed, to me, to be independent of one another. Zirconia did not corrupt when Ares did, and her research did not begin until quite some time after the fact. A year or so, perhaps more? From what I recall, Zirconia went into hiding after Ares and Gaia corrupted. Her signature did not change, while Ares and Gaia's did."

She reached up to tap her chin. Something Scylla had mentioned months before... What was it? "...someone else from the Blood Moon mentioned Ares' transformation pen was taken from her, for some reason. The Blood Moon operated somewhat militarily, with a higher council acting as a judiciary council, if you will. I was never a part of it - the council, I mean - but that group decided rewards and punishments. If they decided Ares was a danger to herself and others, there must've been a good reason for it."

Themisto sat up and crossed his arms, frowning at the eternal. "...so, this Blood Moon Court, they're not around anymore? They got disbanded when Ares went bonkers and decided to corrupt? Can you do that? I mean, I thought somebody had to come in and, you know, pump ya full'a Chaos and all that to get the deed done. How'd Ares like... corrupt herself? Why would you wanna change like that?" It makes no sense to me, to just... succumb? Is that the right word? Dammit... The Super Senshi looked to Ptolemy and shrugged in apology. "...I dunno, Ptolemy, it's kinda confusing to me. Not that you're like... super evil or anything..."

"Evil, just like good, is on a spectrum." Kallichore explained, voice calm and even. "I can't claim to know exactly what drove Ares to change like that, and to pull others in with her, I imagine loneliness was a contributing factor. Ares and some other senshi came together to form the Blood Moon Court, in an effort to maintain some kind of brutal force against the Negaverse. I was one of their cadets, and a personal recruit of Ares herself. This is where my information originates."

The Senshi of Madness nodded to Ptolemaeus, listening intently as he audibly worked through all the information she had to give. It was quite a bit to sort through. His questions were valid and she patiently answered each one.

"The Blood Moon Court was a sub-group of White Moon Senshi. They came together under a united cause, and came before the birth of the Dark Mirrors." How long before? Kallichore would have to think on that. It was near the beginning of her tenure as a senshi, some six years ago. That night, she and Ares had been chased by Alkaid and General Serandite and nearly lost their lives. If it weren't for Ares' quick thinking and mirrorwalking capabilities, she and Ptolemaeus wouldn't be having this conversation. "None were corrupted, it was simply a... union, of sorts. Some Parallels were part of the group - Ares, Gaia and Zirconia were the ones I saw myself, but I heard Ares speak of others. I do not know who they are. For the most part, the Blood Moon was comprised of like-minded White Moon Senshi with Ares as part of the ruling council."

"As far as I am aware, Ares and the other Parallels existed before the formation of the Blood Moon Court." Themisto was intently watching his elder sibling, though he tried to hide it from Ptolemaeus, lest the Dark Mirror correctly guess their relation, despite the glamour. He was sure she could hold her own, but didn't wish to risk anything, regardless. "The fact that the Negaverse was continually victorious lent many senshi the idea to form their own group that was more... bloodthirsty than the White Moon typically is. While most of the faction at that time was searching for a Moon Princess or some kind of crystal, the Blood Moon performed tactical strikes against important Negaverse officers or strongholds. Ares herself destroyed one of the Negaverse General-Kings named Marthozite, though I was not present for that particular operation."

"The Council was comprised of several individuals, including Ares. I myself was not a part of it, though Birhan Isat was one of the members. Albali was as well, though I have not seen either of them in many years. The Council was a ruling committee, since the White Moon did not operate in an organized fashion the way the Negaverse does. I get the sense that the Dark Mirror Court lives by the same principle."

She listened quietly as the Dark Mirror Super began putting the pieces together. Their history was a long and sordid affair, and with Ares gone and Remarque having come far after her ascension, much of that history was lost or disregarded. She nodded in places and made mental note of gentle corrections. It was easy to get lost of misunderstood with the breadth of history they were dealing with.

"You are mostly correct, yes." Brown eyes were cast skyward, searching for the names of the Princess and Princess. Scylla knew one of them at one time, the prince. What was his name? "Yes, Gaia, Ares, Aphrodite and Zirconia, along with the prince and princess, came into this world to search for something. I am not positive what that something happens to be. Scylla was one of my Blood Moon comrades, and she mentioned having met the Prince. A blonde man, though I don't recall her mentioning his name. The Prince died somehow, as did the Princess, which, I assume, cut off the Parallel's ability to return home. I do not know those details, but Sailor Scylla may very well."

"Yes, you are correct, in that Ares helped to create the Blood Moon Court with the hopes that we could strike back against the Negaverse with a united front. Ares was a member of the ruling council, though the other members ruled to take her henshin pen from her. I'm not entirely sure why, though I recall the whispers being that the decision was not taking lightly. Ares was a highly respected founding member of the Blood Moon Court, and voting to take her pen away must not have come easily. Ares must have done something to alarm the other members to have them choose to react in that fashion. Ares was still a Parallel when her pen was taken. She had not corrupted at that point."

Themisto leaned back and seemed more confused that ever, doing his best to follow Ptolemaeus' line of thinking. This was years' worth of nonsense they were separating, layer by layer, and neither of the two men were present for any of it. "...I dunno, I always thought that you can't just corrupt yourself, you know, something has to start it. Like, a mechanism. Maybe somebody else started the process and Ares just went Super Saiyan in front of the Blood Moon because... well, that's pretty badass, and maybe she wanted revenge or something? Maybe the Negaverse wanted to break up the Court, so they got to Ares."

"It's quite possible. I don't know for certain why she corrupted, or through what mechanism. She appeared to us during a standard meeting, and corrupted on the spot, without any obvious outside influence at the time. It could be that she was poisoned by Chaos, in a way, or let it overtake her in some fashion. I truly don't know the answer to that." Oftentimes, she wished she did, though the knowledge would not change what had happened that night, so many years ago. Knowing the why did not prevent the birth of the Dark Mirror Court, and the corruption of so many. "...The Blood Moon attempted to reform after Ares and Gaia corrupted, and they took Requiem and Leto with them. I did not return. Scylla made mention of Birhan attempting to regroup with everyone who survived, but I don't know much more than that on the subject."

"I can only make assumptions as to the why behind the Dark Mirror Court. My most prominent theory is to recreate the Parallel Court here this universe, since Ares' ability to travel to her original world was lost. I'm sure it was quite lonely to be trapped in a world that isn't yours. But, like I said, I can only theorize. Only Ares knows the real answer."

Kallichore tilted her head, finding it quite interesting that Remarque seemed to be leading the Court, and in what direction. Themisto, on the other hand, folded his arms and shot Ptolemaeus a curious look. "Good to know you're not brainwashed. That s**t's messed up. You either get loyalty cuz you're a great leader, or you don't. Brainwashing people... that's what cults do. Then your organization's chock full of crazy folks who don't do any thinking for themselves. Real bad for PR, if you ask me."

"I've no doubt Ares' actions were partially in retaliation for the Council voting to take her henshin pen, but since I wasn't part of the Council, I don't know for certain. I do wonder if everything is cyclical..."

Kallichore nodded, parsing things as they came through. Ptolemaeus seemed to be grasping the proper history of the Dark Mirror very well. It was a murky thing, deep and twisting. "Zirconia was a part of the Court, yes. She was the cat who tended to us as need be, I assume. She and I didn't have many interactions during my tenure for the most part. I was merely a cadet. Scylla was closer to Ares, as they both served on the Council. Scylla has been an eternal longer than I've been a senshi, and I've been a senshi for a very long time."

What events led to the confiscation of Ares' henshin pen remained a mystery, at least to Kallichore. Without being a part of the ruling Council, she had no business being involved in the politics that drove the upper echelons of the court. Her job was to go on missions on behalf of the court and train to become more powerful so that she may serve it better. She longer to become an Eternal and wear wings like those that adorned Scylla and Ares. They were her idols, back then, when she was still bright-eyed and hopeful for a violent future.

"Yes, I believe it is that tragedy, combined with the loss of her henshin pen and the profound loneliness that Ares must've felt, that caused her to become one with Chaos. But... yes, she corrupted in front of us. I was an eyewitness, as was Scylla. Nemesis was there, I believe, as well. I haven't seen her since then, I don't think. It was a meeting of the entire Court. Ares called us all together. She must've gotten her pen back at some point, since she was transformed when I saw her. What happened between her and the Council... Scylla would very likely know. Gaia corrupted without Ares' help, it seemed. She simply said she stood by Ares, and became a corrupt before our eyes. That was the last time I saw her, as well. What mechanism was used to corrupt Gaia, I am not sure. Ares didn't touch her, she simply changed, just as Ares herself did."

Themisto seemed queasy by the idea that people could become youma. He had an inkling that evil officers of the Negaverse could become those bloodthirsty beasts, but he didn't think much more on it than that. The thought gave him gooseflesh. "Maybe she was strong enough not to become a monster, you know? She sounded hella powerful. If she just POOFS and becomes royalty AND starts forcibly corrupting people? That's mega powerful. She sounds... real scary."

Kallichore nodded to him, stoic. "She was incredibly powerful. To create the first Dark Mirrors, aside from Gaia, Ares summoned a mirror and threw both Leto and Requiem through it. They emerged the other side as Dark Mirrors. She called them baptisms. She asked that we submit and become her new Court under her rule. Once she corrupted, she assumed the form of Princess Ares. It was instantaneous. I don't mind the questions. It's rare that a Dark Mirror is interested in the Court's history."

"We started to escape after Ares corrupted, though it seemed to me that the corruptions were forced. Whether or not that's true... you have to take that with a grain of salt. I was barely a Super then, and running for my life from an oppressive, choking force. If we did not submit, I'm certain we would have suffocated from Ares' smoke. Requiem and Leto might have been within arms' reach, or they might have been the first few Ares laid eyes on. I'm not sure how or why they were chosen in particular. I would not be shocked to find if Ares hunted down other members of the Blood Moon for corruption. She came after me for that reason, but I managed to escape a second time."

"From what I understand, Birhan Isat and Scylla, and perhaps a few others, attempted to regroup after Ares' corruption. I was contacted, but chose not to go back. I suspect not many were willing to gather again after what happened, but I'm not certain. Scylla would know more than I on the subject."

She looked down at her hands, turning them over, examining nothing in particular. Something Ptolemaeus said about Zirconia not understanding parts of Mirrorspace made her relive memories and theories she hadn't touched in ages. In the meantime, Themisto shifted in his seat and shrugged.

"Maybe Dark Mirrors weren't a thing in Parallel-land, or Dark Mirrors are just different enough that, you know, Zirconia might not have known what she was lookin' at. Like... you think you're gettin' a dish full'a spaghetti but you find out it's actually chow mein. Kinda looks the same, but it's actually real different? I dunno, but I'm with Ptolemy - if you came through a mirror into this world, you'd think they'd know more about 'em."

"That's my theory - that the Parallels had a connection to mirrors, but not one as strong as a Dark Mirror's. However, it's just a theory. As to how I knew Zirconia had a starseed from Wolframite? She told me. I stumbled upon her by accident. I think, perhaps, a Parallel's starseed is somehow fundamentally different than a Dark Mirror's, which might explain Zirconia's unfamiliarity with them. The timeline is very confusing, and I apologize for that.

I assume Zirconia was hiding from Ares and the other Dark Mirrors. I imagine they wished to have a cat of their own, but I'm not too certain. Zirconia's past with Ares and the Parallels was a very touchy subject. She seemed to me to be quite heartbroken over their deaths or corruption. When I found Zirconia and she told me of Wolframite giving her the starseed, it was years after Ares' corruption. Whether the Blood Moon even existed at that time, I do not know. Ares and Gaia disappeared before Zirconia did."

In a way, Themisto felt a little camaraderie and sympathy for Ptolemaeus. Being the Senshi of the Lost, the irony was fairly apparent. "...just survivin', like us, I guess. Weird that you guys are Chaos, which makes you sound bad from the get-go. Still, the Negaverse is bad news bears and even though you guys are both Chaos, you probably shouldn't hang out with them much. They seem a lot worse, to me, anyway."

Kallichore sighed quietly and smiled to Themisto, though very faintly. "...they might be Chaos, and we may be Order, but there is still so much gray in between."