Welcome to Gaia! ::

As frustrating as being earthbound had become in the weeks since she was no longer free to travel to her other home planet as she pleased, Sailor Tempesti still cherished the quiet interludes that came with an evening patrol. Granted, these moments were frequently punctuated with physical and magical violence, but the fleeting stillness was a comfort nonetheless. The soft rustling of the park’s greenery, the seemingly endless birdsong briefly overpowering the hum of traffic in the world outside, the knowledge that the youma who frequented these parks might pay her a visit at any moment, all contrived to create the not quite tranquil atmosphere that had come to define her evenings.

But all almost peaceful episodes had to come to an end, and for now she needed coffee. Nocturnal ramblings came at a price, and for now she paid that bill in caffeine. The part of her that remained logical was entirely aware of this habit’s unsustainability, but until her body proved that in a way she couldn’t ignore, she was going to push this as far as it would go.

As she cut through the park, Tempesti sensed the presence of another, their energy signature more powerful than hers. It didn’t feel threatening, at least not in terms of being aligned with Chaos. Scanning the park as she walked, her gaze landed on an unfamiliar figure beside a lamppost. A knight, from the look of it, though she didn’t yet know enough about knights’ symbolism to immediately identify his homeworld. Momentarily distracted from her quest for a caffeinated beverage, she made her way over to the man with a friendly wave. As the senshi drew closer she could see the weariness written on his face and wondered if her own appearance mirrored his fatigue.

“I thought I sensed someone by the park,” she offered him a friendly smile, “I’m Sailor Tempesti.” Hopefully she hadn’t interrupted anything important.

“Nice to meet you,” she unconsciously tilted her head in the direction of the coffee shop, “I’m mid-patrol but I was about to grab some coffee. Some strong coffee.” Tempesti found herself feeling self-conscious at the tacit admission of her own tiredness particularly to someone visibly more experienced than she was, but she was a poor liar and she wasn’t about to insult anyone’s intelligence by pretending otherwise. “You’re welcome to join me, if you’d like. I’m always happy to meet others in our…situation.”

Tempesti was a bit surprised by the knight’s suggestion. Some of the others she’d met were far more reticent about that sort of reveal and while she did find that understandable, she was of the school of thought that allies should be able to trust each other. Naïve or not, it felt like a good way to build connections in their community. Besides, this person might well need a friend right now.

“As long as you’re comfortable with powering down. I could run in and grab some for both of us if you’re not.” She smiled earnestly and somewhat self-consciously. This was unfamiliar territory and as much as she wanted to know as many of her allies as possible, she didn’t want to do so at the expense of their comfort. “I’m buying, either way.”

Tempesti thought briefly. Sometimes she powered down, sometimes she didn’t and pretended she was just a slightly unusual cosplayer who needed a coffee. “Well, it depends on the day, honestly. But as long as you’re comfortable with it.” She glanced around. Not seeing or sensing anybody else she allowed her henshin to drop, leaving her in a saffron yellow skater dress. “I’m Rowan, when I’m not Tempesti.”

She wouldn’t pressure the knight around his transformation either way, “Do you want to come in?”

“Nice to meet you, again.” The young woman followed him, thanking him as she passed through the door. “Just a few months, but it’s been… a lot. With the storms and everything. Wait, one sec. Vanilla cappuccino, right?”

She ordered quickly, a vanilla cappuccino for her companion and an iced mocha for herself, handing the drink over to him before sitting down at a table in a quiet corner of the café. Whatever they spoke about was likely too outlandish for anyone uninvolved to take seriously. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to take a spot where they could see anyone who might be listening. “So, how long have you been involved in all of this?”

Rowan listened intently to the knight’s, mystified, curious, and horrified in turn as he spoke. She’d heard of people losing memories from…something to do with side swapping, she wasn’t entirely clear on the matter, but from the sound of it that wasn’t the case with him. And being able to sense youma as a civilian? Useful as that could be, it would be downright terrifying if you didn’t have the capacity to fight them. As for being considered a terrorist, she was more than a little bit grateful that nobody had drawn those conclusions about her. She wasn’t exactly a mastermind when it came to hiding while she was powered up and despite what she would have liked to believe, she knew that wouldn’t have gone terribly well for her.

“Sorry if I brought up painful memories, I hope things are better for you now.” She gave a slightly apologetic smile before continuing, “I awakened a few months ago, and I only knew about all of this,” the young woman gestured vaguely between the two of them, “For a few months before that. A youma almost got me around Halloween and a senshi was nice enough to keep me from getting eaten. My magic was a bit…off...wobbly…whatever you want to call it because I guess I was older than the average senshi starting out. Then that thing in the sky showed up and I was at the battle when everyone managed to shove it back in its cage and I finally managed to stabilize everything after that. It’s been…eventful, nothing like what you’re talking about though.” She realized how quickly she was talking, glossing over the Dark Star as she described a near deadly encounter with what she could only think of as a cosmic horror with the speed she might an uncomfortable or embarrassing personal anecdote.

Rowan nodded sympathetically at the man’s words. Even with the bits and pieces of Elysia’s bloody memories, her own life, this one, hadn’t left her with the sort of scars he carried. “I’m so sorry, that sounds…terrible. The words felt woefully inadequate as they dropped from her lips. Her youth weighed heavily on her as she searched for a way to express her feelings in a meaningful way. Hopefully he had people he could lean on when those old wounds tore themselves open. “I know we just met, but if there’s anything I can do to help let me know. I’m not an expert on…any of that, but I’m a good listener.”

Constant attempts on someone’s life definitely seemed like they would leave a lot of scars, physical and otherwise. She didn’t envy the situation he described. The Negaverse people she’d encountered certainly hadn’t seemed friendly, though Sailor Ako had been helpful, but no one had been outwardly murderous. “No, the only one trying to kill me was that.” She pointed upward in the general direction of the Calamitous Hollow’s prison. “And it didn’t seem personal. An agent did hit me with a briefcase though. Then he ran away.” She smiled slightly at the absurdity of the situation.

“It hasn’t been bad since that fight. I’m glad you and your friends got out in one piece.” At least, she assumed they had, given that he didn’t describe any gruesome deaths.

The idea of restoring life to a knight’s wonder sparked a new light in her, “I feel the exact same way about my world, I’ve been making progress lately. A few bug species have even shown up in the past few months!” The young woman was practically bouncing in her seat as she spoke, “And the plants, there’s so much more color there now.” She thought briefly before an idea leapt forth, “If you like, I could help out on your wonder too! I don’t think it could hurt to have a pair of extra hands. If you want the help, anyway.” She hoped that she didn’t seem overeager, but helping another spot in the galaxy see some of the progress Tempesti had was something she couldn’t pass up.