Ami blinked and looked around, slowing her pace as something suddenly
seemed to be dangerously amiss. A dark chill ran down her spine as a feeling
of dread filled her, warning her that she was in danger.
"Hey, you alright?" Leda asked, turning slightly to give her an odd look.
"Something's wrong," Ami said quietly, looking around again. "This....
this shouldn't be here. We shouldn't be here."
"Bah," the brunette said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I think
you've just had too much to drink tonight. C'mon, we just follow this road
until we hit the bazaar, then it's a straight-shot west to the Palace."
"Leda...." Ami persisted in a shaky voice. "This is all wrong. Can't you
feel it?"
"The only thing I feel is my bladder starting to wake up," Leda grumbled
as she continued to walk, forcing Ami to either keep up or be left behind. "I
really don't know what you're getting all hyper about."
Ami almost whimpered as the chill in her veins deepened. The feeling of
dread was almost suffocatingly heavy, and Leda's obliviousness to things only
made it worse. Couldn't she feel it? Didn't she know that everything looked
so dark and foreboding? That something awful was about to...?
Her vision promptly shattered into sparks, like shards of glass blown out
from a window by an explosion. The pain registered a microsecond later, the
back of her neck feeling like it had been snapped by a blow to the base of her
skull. The ground leapt out from under her feet to rush up to meet her, and
she was saved from a broken nose only by the fact that her forearm got in the
way and absorbed the brunt of the impact.
The icy slush in her veins became solid ice as she was roughly picked up
and slung over someone's shoulder, the roaring buzz in her ears not able to
completely muffle the sharp yelp of protest as Leda was also struck from behind
and likewise carried off. She knew what was going to happen to them, even as
they were carried into a dark alley and unceremoniously dumped on the rough
ground.
She tried to scream as she felt hands clawing at her clothes, ripping
buttons and yanking hard on seams. Her voice failed to respond, however, and
it was only a matter of seconds before she was almost completely naked. She
felt a pair of hands grasp her wrists and hold her down while someone else
grabbed her ankles, forcing her legs apart to expose her.
The terror was unlike anything she had ever felt before, knowing what was
about to be done to her and being unable to do anything about it. Whispered
voices echoed around her in a mad cacophony, and out of the corner of her eye
she could see that Leda was being subjected to the same horrific treatment.
How can this be happening? she thought as she tried to struggle. Why am
I here? This is all wrong, how did I end up here? When? Why is it all so
dark like this? Where am I?
She blinked and looked up, her eyes widening as she saw her captor unzip
the front of his pants to release a massive erection, aiming it directly at her
exposed sheath. She could hear Leda's screams next to her, calling out her
name and begging her to do something. But what truly terrified her was the
sight of Alex standing at the edge of the alley, looking at her with seething
hatred as she pressed one hand to the side of her neck, a torrent of blood
flowing around her fingers as she tried to seal the twin puncture wounds.
"Vampire," she whispered, her voice distorted by the light froth of blood
spilling from her lips. Her other hand reached up to her shoulder, withdrawing
her saber from the invisible sheath. But that was a secondary concern, as the
man holding her legs grinned as he yanked her closer, spreading her legs even
wider as he got ready to rape her with his enormous member....
....and the world suddenly exploded into focus around her as a hard slap
across her cheek jolted her out of the depths of the nightmare.
"AMI!" the voice yelling in her ear said yet again. "Wake up, damn it!"
"What?" Ami tried to say, gasping hard as both her lungs and her throat
promptly protested with a searing wave of pain. It felt like she hadn't taken
a breath of air in an hour, and her mouth was dry enough to make her wonder if
someone had shoved a roll of paper towels down her throat to try to keep her
quiet while she was busy screaming in her sleep.
"Ami?" the voice said in a far more gentle tone, causing her to blink as
she recognized Leda's voice. "Are you awake yet?"
"Leda?" Ami said slowly as she blinked hard, finally realizing that it had
only been a horrific dream and that she hadn't been half a second away from
being raped. The sudden drain of tension and adrenaline left her body feeling
deathly cold inside, producing a series of hard and uncontrollable shivers.
"Hey, easy," Leda said soothingly as she draped the sheets around Ami's
quivering body and drew her into a very tight hug. "It was just a nightmare,
Ami, just take it easy. I'm right here, okay? Everything's fine now...."
She had no idea how long it was before she could stop shivering, the dark
images replaying themselves over and over in her mind. She knew it wasn't just
a dream she had seen, but something far more sinister. Leda's presence didn't
help very much, reminding her of the brunette's unfortunate role in the scene.
"It wasn't a dream," Ami finally managed to say after she was quite sure
the muscles in her upper body had finished trembling. Her stomach and legs
were another matter entirely, but she could deal with those later.
"What?" Leda said, lifting her head from Ami's shoulder. "Run that past
me again, Ami. What do you mean, it wasn't a dream?"
"It.... it wasn't really a dream," Ami whispered as she closed her eyes
and briefly shuddered again. "It was a memory, memories twisted into an even
worse nightmare. And they weren't even my memories...."
"Slow down," the brunette protested quietly, reaching up to gently massage
Ami's neck and back. "You're not making any sense. Just take it easy and
relax, okay? I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere."
"What I.... what I saw.... wasn't a dream," Ami explained very softly as
she drew her knees up to her chest and hugged her legs tightly. "They were
memories from the past, viewed in a dream. Alex's memories."
Leda paused as a faint chill flowed through her. "Alex's memories?" she
echoed quietly.
"Yes," Ami said softly. "When I took her blood earlier, she.... she had
a flashback to the incident in the Moon Kingdom where she.... she was...."
"I get it now," Leda said quietly, gently squeezing Ami's shoulder as her
own stomach suddenly did a back-flip. "So in other words, you dreamed what she
apparently dreams on a regular basis?"
"Oh, god, Leda...." Ami whispered as the full-body shivers returned with
a vengeance, chilling her inside yet again and bringing tears to her eyes. She
closed her eyes as she was wrapped in a fierce hug, unable to get the mental
images out of her mind. "If this is what she remembers when she sleeps, time
and time again.... I don't know how she's still sane...."
"Ami, sweetie, it's okay," Leda said quietly in her ear, trying to fight
off her own impulse to shiver. She had snapped Ami out of nightmares before,
but this was by far the most distraught she had seen her over anything. "Just
take it easy, alright? It was just a dream, trust me...."
"It wasn't a dream," Ami countered in a soft whisper. "It was simply too
real to be a dream. I could feel the cold air on my skin, I could feel their
hands on me, holding me down, I could hear.... oh god, Leda, I could hear your
screams.... and then he pulled me close and was about to...."
"Ami!" Leda snapped, shaking her shoulders gently but firmly. "Stop it!
It's just a dream, let it go. It's just a dream because it never happened to
you, remember? Just breathe slow and deep, try to calm down. We both know you
tend to sleep poorly whenever you take someone's blood, so just calm down."
"Leda...."
"Listen," the brunette said very gently. "I know you can taste an awful
lot when you sample someone's blood, but just take it easy. Do you really
think you can delve into someone's darkest memories like that? I think it's
just a coincidence, your subconscious having a bad day and working overtime."
Ami blinked and looked up at her. "What? Leda.... I thought we already
established that I can do that," she said in a subdued tone. "Remember how I
called you Thunderheart that one night?"
Leda froze for an instant before she closed her eyes, trying not to show
any visible reaction as the nickname flayed her heart open like one would peel
a potato. "I.... had forgotten about that," she said in a hollow tone.
"Leda, I'm sorry!" Ami blurted out in horror. "I didn't mean to...!"
"Ami," Leda said very quietly as she reached up to very lightly press her
fingertips against the softness of Ami's lips. "Just relax. I know you didn't
mean anything by it, so don't worry about it." She studied the look on her
face for several moments before sighing quietly and leaning forward.
Ami barely had time to blink in surprise before she felt the fingertips
on her lips move, being replaced by a pair of lips in a decidedly warm kiss.
It felt oddly comforting in a way, and she found herself yielding to it just
slightly. She blinked again when Leda pulled away with a gentle sigh, not
entirely sure what to make of the gesture.
Leda looked at her for several seconds before shaking her head and laying
back down on the bed. "I'll never forget her, or what she meant to me," she
explained in a soft tone. "And yes, it still hurts when I think of how she was
taken from me. But I also have you now, Ami. Maybe not in the way that I'm
used to having someone special in my life, but you're very much in my heart
nonetheless, and that helps with the pain. I just wish you'd let me return the
favor, to find a way to ease your pain in life."
Ami blinked hard, trying to figure out which summer sky this snowball had
come flying out of to nail her in the back of the head. "Who says you don't?"
she said, pausing to blink again at the realization of just how true it was.
It would have been a lie for her to think of Leda as simply a friend, but she
certainly didn't think they qualified as lovers or even romantic interests. At
least, not from her side of the equation.
A faint smile passed across Leda's face for a few moments. "You rarely
say anything to that effect," she pointed out. "Or if you do, you do it when
I'm distracted or something. Bah," she grunted as she rubbed her face with
both hands. "I guess my point is that it's some unholy hour in the morning,
and if you're finished having your nightmare I think we should go back to bed
and try to get some sleep."
Ami paused as her surroundings registered on her mind once again. They
were in one of the guest bedrooms in Susan's keep, having little recourse than
to share the admittedly massive bed. The sheets had to be shared as well, but
they were large enough to allow some room between them. She had a nightgown
on, but Leda was completely naked and had told her point-blank earlier that she
had been sleeping in the nude for years and had no intention of changing her
sleeping habits for anyone.
"Ami?" Leda's soft voice cut through her train of thought. "I know I've
said this several times before and all, but I really hate it when you get that
look on your face...."
Ami blinked and sighed. "Sorry, I was just thinking," she murmured. She
paused as Leda flexed her abdomen hard, bringing her up into a sitting position
and causing the sheets to tumble into a pile around her waist. She blinked
again as the brunette leaned forward to stare into her eyes, their noses only
separated by a few inches. "What?" she ventured carefully, unsure of what was
going through the other woman's mind at the moment.
"Mind if I try to give you something else to think about while lulling you
back to the comforts of sleep?" Leda asked calmly.
Ami paused as a faint shiver ran down her spine that had little to do with
the nightmares that had wracked her barely ten minutes ago. "I'm not sure,
that sounds an awful lot like seduction," she replied in a flat tone.
Leda shrugged casually in dismissal. "I can do that too, if you want, but
I didn't think it was something you would want to enjoy at the moment. Hold
still," she added as she reached down and started to hike Ami's nightgown up
to her chest. She paused after a few seconds and looked up, sighing quietly at
the look in her steel-blue eyes. "You want to cooperate here or what?" she
prodded.
Ami stared hard at her for several moments before slowly raising her arms
up over her head, allowing Leda to draw the nightgown off completely to leave
her clad only in her panties. She then waited in edgy silence as Leda ran her
fingertips through Ami's short blue hair before smiling and gently pulling her
down on the pillow next to her.
She paused as Leda carefully tucked the sheets around them before rolling
over on her side so that they faced one another. She then felt Leda's arms
slide around her waist, pulling them tightly against one another and resting
Ami's head against her shoulder.
"I'm right here, Ami," Leda whispered very quietly as she began to slowly
and methodically massage the tension out of Ami's neck and back muscles. The
embrace was more than a little intimate, but she figured that it wouldn't be
much of a problem as long as she didn't do anything without advanced warning.
"Just relax, okay? Nothing's going to happen to either of us as long as we
have each other. I'll protect your dreams if you'll protect mine."
"Hmm?" Ami murmured in slight confusion as she closed her eyes. Leda's
experience in massage was already starting to have an effect, making her more
keenly aware of her body's desire to withdraw into sleep once again. The soft
warmth of their bodies pressed against one another was perfectly trapped by
cocoon of sheets, slowly driving out the lingering chills that she could still
feel in her blood from the effects of the nightmare.
She heard a soft buzzing noise in her ear as Leda said something else to
her, but her mind was already in the process of switching off. She was right,
it was still either dangerously late in the evening or entirely too early in
the morning for her to be awake. She knew that she would have to talk to Alex
about it in the morning, as she had to find out for sure just how much she had
accidentally gleaned from her blood.... and just how deep Alex's pain was.
She couldn't help but smile as a curious warmth started to flow across her
ear and down to her neck. It felt good, whatever it was. Almost as good as
the pair of warm hands touching and rubbing her bare back. Leda really did
have a nice touch. Of course, she mentally added through the growing veil of
mental fog, so did Tolaris, and he could also make her skin tingle with his
electrical powers, but.... he wasn't here at the moment, was he? He'll be back
soon enough, either on his own or after she went back into the Negaverse to
find him, but until then.... Mmmm, that was warm, whatever it was. She would
ask in the morning as well. Once it.... got.... here....
Leda chuckled very quietly to herself as Ami's breathing changed pitch in
a very subtle way and evened out. "Works every time," she murmured to herself
as she continued to gently massage Ami's back before she herself drifted back
off to re-enter the subconscious world of dreams.
* * * *
Darian grunted quietly before his eyelids finally parted, allowing the
room to come into bleary focus. He closed his eyes for a few moments before
opening them once again, able to focus better this time. He knew that it was
far from time to get up, and in fact he had every intention of going back to
sleep in extremely short order, but first he wanted to figure out just what in
the name of all that was holy he had gotten himself into.
He glanced down and grunted very softly again as he noticed the profusion
of gray ribbons draped across his chest. It took him a moment to remember what
they were, and more importantly, who they belonged to. While there wasn't a
light source in the room that he could locate, there was still a sort of dim
haze in the air that allowed him to discern one object from the next.
Serena was sleeping quite peacefully next to him, her forehead marked by
the gold sigil of the Royal House of the Moon. Both the sigil and her denizen
wings were oddly quiescent, only the faintest hint of a glow visible in either.
He blinked as he realized that he could see distinct points of color flowing
through her wings at a very slow pace, pinpoints of light that were maybe a
fraction of a lumen brighter than their surroundings.
He cast a quick glance at the small table in the far corner of the room.
He could make out the darkened outline of the shard of dimensional crystal Mina
had forged for Serena earlier, taken off and gently tossed across the room once
she decided it might be easier to sleep with her wings 'turned off.' That had,
of course, rendered her voice all but useless as well, but by that time nothing
more needed to be said....
He closed his eyes and sighed as he thought about what he had done. She
was no longer a virgin anymore, and part of him dreaded what she might have to
say about it in the morning. It would have been an outright lie for him to say
that he hadn't enjoyed it, and he was fairly sure that she had found it to be
to her liking as well, but there was still a seed of doubt that simply would
not go away no matter how hard he thought about it.
He sighed again as random memories began to resurface, not just of Serena
but of his previous experiences with the joys of making love. His first kiss,
the first time he had intimately touched his first serious girlfriend, how one
simple touch evolved into so much, looking into her eyes as he slipped inside
her and into a whole new world....
The faint lines on his face deepened as the random scatterings of his
memories progressed, Rebecca's face and body becoming that of Queen Beryl's,
remembering being under her influence and how he had rediscovered the intense
pleasure of love-making in her bed, how the feeling was vastly improved when
you didn't need to worry about condoms or contraceptives since you were from
two separate species....
His expression darkened considerably as the memories continued to replay
themselves in his mind's-eye, unable to stop them or think of something else.
Almost every night after that had been spent in Beryl's bed, euphoric with
exhaustion after losing himself within her depths, flooding her womb with his
seed until she had declined him one night because she was feeling ill, only to
find out days later that her light nausea was not a virus but a message....
A light touch on his cheek came dangerously close to shocking his bladder
into activity. He twitched as if jolted by electricity and turned his whole
body to one side, relaxing as soon as he recognized the source of the highly
unexpected disturbance. "I'm sorry," he whispered as the pair of gold-irised
eyes widened dangerously at his reaction. "You just surprised the hell out of
me, that's all."
"Sorry," Serena whispered very faintly, her voice rasping in her throat.
A soft smile crossed his face as he leaned over to kiss her, savoring the
naturally sweet taste of her lips. He wasn't sure if it was related to the
recent awakening of her denizen blood or if he had simply been too dense to
notice it before, but the taste was definitely something to enjoy. And if it
could only be obtained by kissing her.... well, he could always get something
for his lips later if he made them raw from constant kissing.
A deep tingle ran through his blood as Serena responded, pressing herself
closer to him and making a very soft noise deep in her throat. Her motions
reminded him that they were both naked as well as suggesting that she was still
more than willing to pick up where they had left off earlier.
He chuckled very softly and dipped his head down to kiss her throat. "I
take it I woke you up somehow?" he murmured to her as he leaned back to look
into her eyes. He found the gold irises to be interesting to look at, but he
had decided earlier that if given a choice he would take her original blue eyes
over her current ones.
She wrinkled her nose for a moment, making a slight face that could have
been taken several different ways. She wasn't sure what had woken her up, but
it wasn't anything that she could immediately point out. While she was keenly
aware of a slight tenderness in a few places, she doubted it was what had drawn
her out of the Dreamworld and back into semi-consciousness.
She sighed in dismissal and cuddled up next to him, extremely content with
both his presence next to her and the still-fresh memories of how he had made
love to her. The pain hadn't been nearly as bad as she had feared, and just
like Mina had promised her it had left for the most part in very short order.
She figured that the lingering soreness would persist for a day or two, also
as Mina had warned, but that once she was completely healed....
Their eyes met for several long moments, a faint blush spreading across
her cheeks at the mental image forming in her mind. He seemed to pause for a
moment before raising an eyebrow, acutely aware that she was thinking something
and not entirely sure he wanted to know what. She just shook her head slightly
and leaned forward to kiss him again. If he didn't know, she thought with a
small smile, he would find out soon enough....
Darian felt his soul sigh quietly at the look in her eyes before he felt
her lips on his once again. I am in so much trouble now, he thought as his
body started to react. Don't get me wrong, I love her deeply, and if spending
the rest of my life with her is going to be torture, please get the chains out
now.... but at the same time.... do I want to go through with this again? Can
I go through it again?
He absently ran his fingers through her unbound hair as she sighed and
curled up against him, the beginnings of what might have been a yawn stirring
deep inside her chest. It was only a matter of moments before he felt the
change in her breathing, settling into a perfectly even rhythm as she drifted
back off to sleep in his arms.
I had a child once, he thought into the silent darkness of the room. I
willingly slept with Beryl and she conceived. She.... we.... we were going to
be parents, to have a daughter who would rule the world one day. Then she was
gone as soon as she came. Now I'm in bed with another woman with denizen blood
in her body, a woman who means far more to me than Beryl could ever possibly
have. A woman who will also one day bear a daughter who will rule a world, a
woman who wants me to be the father of her child. How can I not say yes to
something like that.... but....
He sighed and closed his eyes as the darkness wrapped itself around his
soul once again. I lost one child already, taken by death before she could
even have a taste of life. Dare I try to have another, carried by a woman who
seems to be a magnet for violence and death, who is indeed herself marked for
death by the same world that gave her life? Can I really risk going through
this all again, becoming a father only to lose it all in one fateful instant?
Or worse.... have her taken from me by another world?
The doubts swirled around his mind like a cloud as he tried to find some
semblance of comfort in his sleep. Neither the troubled prince from Earth nor
the sleeping princess born from two worlds were aware of the faint red sigil
that continued to glow on his forehead, flickering very gently like the embers
in the ashes of a fireplace long after the blaze had burnt itself out....
* * * *
"Attention on deck!" someone called out sharply, causing the flight bridge
to snap to rigid attention as a single unit.
"As you were," Nop'tera said very quietly as she gingerly made her way
across the metal deck. It was obvious that she was in a great deal of pain,
something which few could honestly recall seeing her in. They all knew that
her regeneration usually worked at a rapid pace, and for her to still be like
this meant that something significant was wrong.
She paused to lean on the back of the command chair, glancing behind her
to make sure that both Freya and the medical IV were still with her. The clear
plastic bag was filled with a pale green solution that slowly dripped into her
veins, helping numb the worst of the pain and try to aid her body's natural
rate of healing. An exam showed that her internal injuries wouldn't be fatal
unless another sharp crystal object was introduced to her chest cavity, but it
would still take a great deal of time to heal due to the light acid used in the
life-saving surgery.
"Status report," she said, mentally sighing at how weak her voice sounded.
That she even had enough lung power to use her voice was a testament to her
inner strength, but her chief medical officer had made it quite clear that rank
would be pulled if she didn't take it as easy as possible.
"Ma'am," Sor'en said as calmly as possible, trying not to worry about her
mother's condition. "The V'ral is currently cloaked with both mains and the
deck rotors idled. The gravity shields are at maximum and the sails have been
deployed to keep us balanced as quietly as possible. Helm has been released
for station-keeping with a minimum altitute requirement of forty angels, no
specific course currently set. There is moderate shock damage throughout the
ship, but the radiation shields are holding. We are currently unable to signal
the rest of the fleet and are awaiting further instructions."
"Excellent," Nop'tera breathed as she slumped against the chair, more out
of relief than a need for support. "You have done well, all of you. General
Rune tried her best to destroy us, and you can see that it has failed due to
your heroic efforts. I am truly proud to count myself as one of your number."
"General Nop'tera...." the helmsman said in a concerned tone.
She waved a hand in dismissal and stood up straight. "You need not fear
for my health, I've only been scratched by Rune's weapon. It will take far
more than a simple stab wound to consign me to the grave, I assure you," she
added with a faint twinkle in her featureless yellow eyes.
"A scratch on your lungs, perhaps," Ar'kanis rumbled quietly from the back
edge of the deck. "We are grateful to know you still live, my general, and
while we know your recovery is assured.... I respectfully suggest that you do
not press the issue for the time being."
Nop'tera couldn't help the soft chuckle that fell from her lips. "Indeed
I shall not, General," she said with amusement. "Helm, what is our current
heading with respect to the north magnetic pole?"
The helmsman turned around to consult his instruments. "Ma'am, the V'ral
is adrift on an east-north-east jet stream with no fixed bearing at the moment.
The northern magnetic pole is an estimated seventy-four degrees off the port
bow, range estimated at four-four-zero thousand ke'shels."
"Very well," Nop'tera replied after a moment of thought. "Helm, chart a
course to the center of the northern magnetic polar region. You are not to use
any of the engines except to maintain altitude above thirty angels. If we're
running quiet at the moment, I see no reason to change that. There is no rush
to reach our destination, as I intend to wait and see what Rune's next move
will be. The only requirements are that we remain stealthed and fly as high as
the winds permit. Communications."
"Ma'am!" the communications officer said crisply.
"Keep an ear out for the rest of the fleet," the vampire instructed. "I
doubt they will try to contact us directly or on an active channel, but they
may get creative on me and try to ascertain our condition without giving either
us or themselves away. Also monitor the oceans as well in case the sub-surface
groups try to assist in the effort."
"Understood, ma'am."
"Brigadier Sor'en, I've got a change in plans for you," Nop'tera said to
her daughter. "Order your squadrons to land somewhere in the open, preferably
away from any runways or other military installations. They are to go dormant
until we can recover them later. I fear that attempting to recover them now
will only complicate things."
"I will see to it, ma'am," Sor'en replied with only the slightest hint of
dismay to her voice.
Nop'tera smiled gently at her disappointment. "Take it easy, Sor'en, we
will recover your fighters in due time. As with Ar'kanis' tank divisions, it
is best to leave them where they are rather than risk losing everything trying
to get them back. But we will try soon, that I promise you. For now, we must
make sure that the V'ral is completely and entirely operational before making
our next move."
There was a hollow grunt from within the depths of Ar'kanis' helmet as he
shifted his weight slightly. "And what is our next move?" he inquired.
"Are you familiar with the Earth game of strategy called chess?" Nop'tera
asked as she turned around and slowly made her way over to the lift in the back
of the bridge. Freya remained right behind her elbow the entire time, casting
a slightly startled glance at Ar'kanis.
"Only in passing," Ar'kanis rumbled quietly.
"It is surprisingly intricate," the wounded general explained. "There are
several kinds of pieces on the board, each with different capabilities. For
the moment, General Ar'kanis, we are going to wait until we can see the board
a little more clearly and determine which pieces are where.... and who the real
players on the field are. After that is sorted out, then we will see who gets
to make the next move. You have the bridge, Ar'kanis. Carry on," she said as
she and Freya got into the lift, vanishing from sight as the doors closed.
"I tried playing chess with Freya once," Sor'en muttered quietly. "Took
two hours to explain the rules to my satisfaction, and fifteen minutes for her
to kick my ptanka clear across the board."
A soft rumble of sepulchral laughter echoed around the bridge. "And did
you learn anything from that experience, aside from humility?" Ar'kanis asked
with genuine curiosity.
"Yes," Sor'en growled quietly. "I learned that the only thing worse than
waiting for something to happen is waiting for your enemy to quit playing with
you and put an end to things. We can probably kill Rune right now if we just
opened up with the mains and cratered the castle...."
"Patience, Sor'en," Ar'kanis mused. "After having talked with Admiral
Si'ren before Rune's insane strike on the airfield, I'm starting to wonder if
there is far more to this than a simple rivalry. There may indeed be more to
this than meets the eye, and so it might be best if we were to wait for the
time being to see which hands are pulling on what strings."
"More waiting," the young brigadier fumed in frustration.
"I don't like it either, Brigadier, but we both have our orders," the
armored general reminded her gently. "I suggest you start looking for a place
to land your squadron while they still have the fuel to cooperate."
"Yes, sir," Sor'en replied sullenly. She knew that there was no danger of
the fighters crashing from a loss of fuel, as they would automatically enter a
landing cycle and park themselves on the nearest level surface if they reached
a critical point. Of course, it was preferable that a more conventional site
was picked ahead of time, as there had been more than one instance of such an
automated emergency landing made on a populated sports field or other similar
civilian venue, much to the chagrin of the general civilian population.
"Helm," Ar'kanis called out. "Estimated time to our destination?"
The helmsman paused and lifted his head up from his console, casting a
dubious look over his shoulder. "Due respect, sir? I have no idea, we'll just
have to see which way the wind blows and how strongly."
A deep grunt echoed within Ar'kanis' helmet. "Very well, just do your
best. I will be down in Medical for a few minutes, Brigadier Sor'en has the
bridge until I return," he informed them as he strode towards the lift.
"I have the bridge, aye, sir," Sor'en said. She waited until the doors
closed behind him before sighing heavily and looking up at the ceiling. "This
is going to be a very long day," she muttered.
"Better a long day than a final day," someone suggested.
Sor'en blinked in surprise before shrugging her shoulders. "True. Oh,
well, let's get this over with," she grumbled as she crossed the bridge to sit
in front of one of the auxiliary terminals. "I just hope we don't end up with
grass in the air intakes like we did the last time we had to land in an open
field."
"Better some grass than a bird," someone else suggested with a faint grin.
Sor'en paused to cast a sidelong glance over her shoulder. "Keep it up
and I'll send you outside to scrub the flight deck with a toothbrush," she
grumbled as she called up the remote controls for her fighter squadron and
started to look for a place to set them down. She sighed softly as a scan of
the local terrain showed nothing but grassy fields for miles around. Yeah, she
thought with another soft grunt, this is definitely going to be a very, very
long day....
* * * *
Alex sighed heavily to herself and cracked one eye open, trying to decide
if she should kill her lover or simply leave her broken and bleeding in a dark
corner of the room. What she wanted to say was, I love you dearly, but what
the hell do you want at this hour? Her vocal chords, however, had other ideas.
"Gwa humphn neh?" she said aloud in an extremely fuzzy voice.
Michelle smiled warmly as she leaned over to kiss her again, taking her
time enjoying the softness of her lips. Her other hand came up to gently trace
the slight contours of Alex's chest, able to feel the softness of her petite
breasts. While there wasn't a whole lot to see in terms of feminine curves,
she knew that her nipples were still every bit as sensitive as her own....
There was a soft grunt as Alex edged her head back a few inches. "Mich?"
she said quietly in a voice that was only marginally more awake, "Do you have
any idea what time it is?"
"Time to get up," Michelle purred softly in reply before leaning forward
again to nuzzle the blonde's lips.
Alex had to suppress a groan of resignation. In all the times they spent
the night together, Michelle had somehow never failed to wake up 'on time,'
whatever that might have been. It was an uncanny knack that bordered on the
supernatural, and had more than once made Alex wonder just how in the hell she
did it. That question was almost always put out of her mind moments later,
however, as Michelle more often than not tended to wake up in a playful mood
and usually shared her good spirits in a most tantalizing fashion....
"Do I have to?" Alex grumbled as she pressed her head back against the
pillow and closed her eyes. The electric sensation of Michelle's lips on her
nude body that followed her question produced a slight disconnect in her mind
from one moment to the next, jolting her into a fully-awake state that left her
more than a little disoriented as to what had just happened.
"Mmm?" Michelle purred quietly, leaning back to study her.
Alex blinked for several moments before shaking her head to herself, one
hand coming up to run through the short shock of blonde hair to check for any
nocturnal tangles. "Nevermind, hon, I give up," she muttered with a yawn. "So
what time is it, anyway?"
Michelle shrugged. "I don't know, really," she admitted. "It should be
close to breakfast, however, so we should be getting up soon anyway."
"Thanks, babe," Alex sighed. "I really didn't want to enjoy that nice,
peaceful dream I was having anyway."
Michelle paused and regarded her carefully, not entirely sure how much of
it was sarcasm. She knew that Alex tended to be a little touchy very early in
the morning, but that she was fine once she fully woke up. "Anything I should
know about it?" she ventured.
There was a slight pause as the blonde tried to recall anything about the
fragments of the dream that were already fading from her mind like so much sand
slipping through an open hand. "Nah," she finally said with a gentle shake of
her head. "Hell, I forgot what it was already. At least it wasn't another
nightmare," she said with genuine gratitude.
"I'm sorry," Michelle murmured as she leaned over, brushing her lips over
Alex's collarbone. "Come on, we should have plenty of time for a morning soak
in the hot tub before breakfast is ready."
"Aha!" Alex chuckled quietly, startling Michelle. "See, I knew there was
a reason for this. Mich, honey, if you wanted to go play in the water, you
could have just left me asleep to frolick in the tub by yourself...."
A faint wry look crossed Michelle's face as she tossed the sheets aside
and started to climb out of bed. "There's a difference between taking a bath
and relaxing in a hot tub," she said as she stood up and stretched, making sure
to lean back in a provocative fashion to get Alex's attention.
Alex raised an eyebrow as she gazed at her lover. "Okay, babe, what's the
difference? A bar of soap?" she suggested.
Michelle stopped stretching and leaned across the bed to kiss her again.
"I can take a bath by myself," she said softly. "But it's hard for me to relax
without you, my love. Come soak in the tub with me, please?"
"What am I going to do with you?" Alex sighed as she tossed the rest of
the sheets aside to stand up. She paused to stretch for a moment, making a
slight face as she felt no less than four kinks in various joints. This is
what I get for not practicing for a few days, she thought to herself as she
started to work the kink out of her sword arm. Might have to set something up
outside in that foggy crap to use as practice....
She paused in mid-motion and closed her eyes as she felt Michelle's light
touch on her back and arm. It never ceased to amaze her just how something as
simple as her touch could make her feel so incredibly warm and pliant on the
inside. The feeling grew stronger as she felt Michelle's nude body press up
against her, the hardened points of her nipples rubbing against her back in a
deliberate fashion.
"Mmm," Alex purred deep in her throat as Michelle's hands came up to cup
her petite breasts, very slowly rolling the blonde's nipples around in circles
in her palms. "So much for an early soak in the hot tub, I take it?"
Michelle giggled very quietly and lightly nipped the nape of her lover's
neck. "We can soak together and still cuddle," she whispered.
Alex tried not to roll her eyes. "I swear, I'll never figure out what it
is with you and water," she teased as she reached up to rub her hands against
Michelle's.
"Seventeen years together and you still don't know?" Michelle mocked in a
soft tone, an impish smile crossing her face. She pressed herself even harder
against Alex, moving one leg suggestively and intimately tickling the blonde
with her supersoft pubic hair.
"Bah," Alex grunted very softly. "I just know that once you pass away,
I'm not going to bother having you put in a coffin or anything. Maybe in a
kiddie pool, perhaps...."
"Alex!" Michelle gasped in partial shock.
"Could have you cremated and put into one of those water-ornaments Susan
gave us a few years ago," Alex continued causally. "You know, the ones you
shake and it looks like it's snowing? Just think, you'd always be on my desk,
and you'd always be surrounded by water...."
"ALEX!!" Michelle gasped again, a fierce blush springing to her cheeks.
Alex chuckled quietly and turned to kiss her slightly-mortified lover.
"Just teasing, hon, you know I'd never do anything like that to you," she said
with a soft smile.
"Sometimes I wonder," Michelle muttered, giving her a slightly unamused
look and still blushing hard.
"Seventeen years and you still don't know?" Alex teased her, flashing her
a wicked smile.
Michelle just looked at her and sighed heavily, the edges of her mouth
curling downward in a slight pout. "Just tell me what you did with the bath
robes from yesterday," she grumbled in resignation.
"Huh?" Alex said, pausing slightly. "Last I remember, we left them in a
pile on the grass outside when we were getting our gowns made."
"Oh," Michelle replied with a nonplussed look. "That's right...."
"Just grab a towel, love," Alex said with a shake of her head. "We can
grab more of that Ether fog from the window by the tub to make more robes, it
shouldn't be that hard."
Michelle nodded in understanding as she went over to the far side of the
room to quickly sort through the small wardrobe. "Here we go," she said as she
came back with two large white towels. She passed one to Alex and wrapped the
other one around her body, neatly tucking it in beneath her armpit.
"Thanks," Alex replied as she wrapped the towel around her waist, leaving
her breasts exposed. She looked up and paused at the dubious look she got in
response. "What?"
"Nothing," Michelle said with a soft sigh and a shake of her head.
"What?" Alex demanded.
"You shouldn't be walking around like that," Michelle said in a somewhat
plaintive voice.
The blonde just rolled her eyes at the ceiling. "Who's going to see what
little I have, babe? Darian? Please, he's already seen it all, so it's not a
big deal. And none of the others will so much as blink should they be up at
this hour. C'mon, Mich, you worry too much sometimes," she chided her gently
as she headed for the door.
They strode out into the corridor, noticing that Susan had kept her word
and returned the corkscrew-elevator to the living room level. The room was
just as they had left it yesterday, with all the furniture pushed against the
far wall to make room for the massive hot tub that dominated the center of the
floor. An odd and sticky residue framed the corner where a spider-like hammock
still hung, the remains of the sound-proof barrier from yesterday. The metal
defibrillator that saved Serena's life was still all but forgotten in the other
empty corner next to the small mattress, while Mina's new synthesizer took up
the remaining space against the back wall.
"Ick," Michelle shivered as she passed her hand through the water in the
fiberglass basin. "It's cold."
"So turn the heater on," Alex suggested as she came up next to her and
searched around for the controls. "Hmm, let's see what we've got here. Oh,
good, Mina was smart enough to label the damn things. Okay, main pump reads
off, want to turn that on...."
Both girls jumped slightly as there was a heavy clicking sound, followed
by an extremely low-pitched hum of water being pumped into a small chamber,
filtered of impurities, and forcefully ejected out of dozens of small jets.
"Well, that's a start," Alex said as she examined the rest of the pump
controls. "Okay, help me out, babe, I see two temperature readings here."
Michelle reached out and tapped a short fingernail against the display.
"Desired temperature and actual temperature," she explained calmly. "This one
is set at one hundred degrees Fahrenheit, which is what we want it at, but the
current reading says seventy-one degrees. Ooo, wait, see how it's starting to
go up?"
"Ah, I see," Alex replied with a bob of her head. "Looks like it'll take
a few to warm up. Now might be a good time to go see if we can go make the
bath robes and all." She suddenly blinked as she felt a slight tug on the
towel around her waist, her eyebrows arching up slightly at the gentle rush of
air that caressed her when the towel hit the floor.
"Maybe," Michelle purred very softly as she leaned forward to brush her
lips across Alex's shoulder, her hands coming up to lightly caress her stomach
and hips. "Or maybe we can see if we can warm the water up a little faster,"
she suggested in a softer tone as she shifted to one side and bent down to take
a slightly hardened nipple into her mouth.
A soft sigh escaped Alex's lips as she grabbed the side of the hot tub
with one hand, the other coming up to gently run her fingers through Michelle's
aquamarine hair. She knew that now was probably not the most ideal time to be
yielding to one of her lover's early morning moods, but it was hard to argue
when a pair of soft and incredibly warm lips was on your body in a place that
was extremely sensitive to the touch.
She blinked as she caught motion out of the corner of her eye, lifting her
head up to look just as Michelle's tongue started to work a most delightful
brand of magic on her nerves. It took her an extra moment to fully focus on
Leda's figure paused in the doorway, her green eyes widening slightly with the
realization that she was interrupting something.
Alex blinked hard and made a subtle gesture with her free hand at Leda
before gently tapping Michelle on the shoulder. "Mich, honey," she said in a
low tone, not bothering to conceal the husky edge to her voice. "Now might not
be a good time for that, I think I just heard a door open in the hallway."
Michelle's head immediately perked up, causing Leda to blink and silently
disappear back down the hallway. She cast a reflexive glance over her shoulder
before looking back up at Alex, giving her a slightly uncertain look.
Alex sighed and bent down to kiss her deeply for several moments. "You
know I love you, hon," she murmured. "And we can pick this up again later on
today, but now might not be the.... Oh, hi, Leda," she said loudly as she cast
an obvious glance over Michelle's shoulder.
"Hey," Leda said as she came back around the corner, pretending as if she
had just arrived. "Someone read my mind about a morning soak, or is it just
one of those obvious things?"
"You got a better idea on how to wake up in the morning?" Alex said, only
half-kidding as she winked at Michelle. She glanced down at the temperature
reading and decided to risk it, throwing one leg over the edge of the tub to
test the waters.
Leda just shrugged as she drew closer, absently loosening the sash on her
white bath robe. "Hey, I'm just saying. Morning, Michelle."
"Good morning," Michelle replied demurely, a faint blush still evident on
her cheeks.
"Woooooooo," Alex shivered as she climbed into the tub and sank down into
the water. "Still not overly warm yet, but it's not too bad if you camp out in
front of one of the vents."
Leda snorted in amusement as she drew off her robe and tossed it against
the wall to fall into a heap on the floor. "Bah, that's what wakes you up.
The hot water part is just an added bonus. Whoa, hello!" she yelped as she put
her legs in the water.
"Good morning," Alex said dryly.
"Well, it was up until a few seconds ago," Leda sighed as she eased into
the lukewarm water. "You do have the heat turned on, right?"
"Trust me, babe," the blonde replied with a faint smirk. "Mich, honey,
you going to stand there looking pretty all day, or are you coming in?"
Michelle paused and raised an eyebrow. "I'll wait for it to warm up past
ninety degrees first. I like water, but I don't care for cold water too much."
"Speaking of which...." Leda said slowly before turning around and leaning
out over the edge of the tub. "Hey, Ami!" she called down the hall. "Might
want to put it in gear while it's still cool!"
Both Alex and Michelle winced slightly at the sudden change in volume.
"Damn, hon, you want to tone it down a notch? It's Mich's fault I'm up this
early, but you can at least let everyone else try to enjoy their sleep."
Leda grunted softly as she turned back around and sank down until she was
up to her chin in the water. "Please," she muttered. "Serena sleeps like the
dead, so she won't be up until well after breakfast, and Mina will do her lazy
bed slug impression until someone tempts her with food. Darian might be dense
for a guy, but he's not stupid, so he won't dare disturb Serena, so that just
leaves Rei. And I'm sure after the day we all had yesterday, Rei will try to
use whatever extra rest she can find."
"Good morning, Ami," Michelle said as Ami came around the corner wearing
a white bath robe. She paused as she noticed Ami's expression and gave her a
concerned look. "Are you alright?" she ventured carefully.
"It was a rough night," Leda spoke up as Ami remained oddly silent, her
expression visibly downcast and weary. "Just leave her alone. C'mon, Ami, the
water's fine. A touch cool at the moment, but that's your style anyway."
"Thank you," Ami said very quietly as she slipped out of the robe and got
into the hot tub, not looking at any of the occupants.
Alex raised an eyebrow as she studied the blue-haired girl. "So what's
the problem, babe?" she asked in a guarded tone. "You look like you spent the
night drinking or something."
Ami sighed softly and remained silent for several moments before finally
lifting her head to look at the blonde. "I need to talk to you," she said in
a very quiet voice.
Alex exchanged concerned glances with Michelle before looking back at Ami.
"I didn't do it, babe, honest," she said warily, absently moving aside to make
room for Michelle. She could feel a definite warmth in the water now and could
even make out tiny wisps of steam coming from the far end of the hot tub, but
something about Ami's demeanor was chilling her on the inside.
Ami opened her mouth to say something and suddenly paused, turning around
to stare at the gap between the corner of the room and the edge of the silk
screen partition that had been put in place yesterday. She sank lower into the
water as both Darian and Serena poked their heads out from around the corner,
blinking in surprise to find the hot tub populated this early in the morning.
"Whoops," Darian said very quietly, holding the towel around his waist a
little tighter. "We'll come back later."
"Morning, your Highness," Alex called out to them. "Both of you can come
on in, the water just started to warm up."
Serena paused to exchange glances with Darian before she moved forward,
wearing only a towel very loosely wrapped around her that left her incandescent
wings floating free. "Good morning, everyone," she said quietly, unwrapping
the pair of wings that were coiled around Darian's free arm.
"Morning, your Highness," Michelle replied with a slight bow of her head,
still holding the towel firmly around her body.
"I'll see you girls at breakfast," Darian said with a casual wave of his
free hand before turning around.
Alex sighed and crossed her arms. "Darian, you wuss, get back in here,"
she growled. "What part of 'you both can come on in' didn't register?"
Darian paused and glanced over his shoulder. "You're kidding, right?"
Alex sighed even heavier and looked up at the ceiling. "Why me?" she said
to herself before looking back at him. "Look, D, this isn't a very difficult
concept to grasp. This is a huge tub of warm water, there's room enough for
everybody. Yes, we're all naked. It's a soak in a hot tub, last I checked you
aren't supposed to wear clothes in a pool of water. You have a concern with
that, you can go frolick over there by your lonesome," she said, waving her
hand at the far end of the pool. "We all know you're a decent gentleman, D,
so unless you have bad intentions this morning, we trust you enough to behave
and not do something that would get you seriously injured in another setting."
"We?" Leda muttered very softly, drawing a sharp look from the blonde.
"Hey, if you have an objection, speak up," Alex prodded her.
Leda paused for several moments, glancing over at Darian before looking
around the rest of the group to gauge their reactions. She automatically wrote
off Serena, knowing that she of all of them wouldn't object to being able to
cuddle up to Darian in the hot tub. Michelle was blushing fairly hard as she
fidgeted with her towel, but she otherwise didn't appear to be uncomfortable
with the idea. Ami was looking down at the water with a haunted expression, a
sight that deeply worried the brunette. She knew that Ami normally would have
voiced a very strong objection by now, but in her current depressive state
didn't appear to care either way.
Leda cast a quick glance back at Darian before shaking her head to herself
in resignation. "Hell with it," she muttered to Alex. "I'm not going to toss
him out of the tub if nobody else seems to mind."
"Good, so it's settled," Alex said firmly before she gestured to Serena.
"Come on over here, starlight, and we'll give you a hand with that."
Darian paused for several moments as Serena set the towel aside to climb
into the hot tub. Both Leda and Ami turned their backs to him as they edged
to one side to make room for Serena, while Alex stood up to offer her arm to
Serena for balance. Sighing quietly, he quickly made up his mind and averted
his eyes from Alex's curves, moving over to the far side of the tub. He paused
for a brief moment to glance over his shoulder to make sure nobody was actively
watching him before he yanked the towel off of his waist and climbed into the
water as quickly as he could.
Everyone paused as a startled yelp seemed to echo across the room. The
girls all exchanged glances before turning to look over their shoulders in
unison, giving Darian an array of concerned glances. "Step on something?" Leda
called out to him, giving him a moderately curious look at the slightly pale
expression on his face.
"The water was cold," he said in a subdued voice.
"Ah," the brunette replied knowingly while trying not to think too hard
about it. "Give it a few, the water will warm up soon enough." She blinked
as there was a decidedly unusual multi-harmonic squeal from Serena as her wings
came into contact with the water. "You okay?" she asked as she whirled around
to give the winged princess a startled look.
"Brrrrrrr," Serena muttered quietly, her triple vocal chords making the
rolling sound decidedly musical.
"Yeah, that about sums it up," Alex sighed as she stretched. She cast a
glance over her shoulder at Michelle and frowned. "You coming in or what?" she
prodded gently.
Michelle visibly hesitated, giving Darian an uncertain look. She blinked
as he snorted quietly to himself and turned around, resting his arms on the
back edge of the hot tub and laying his head down. She cast a quick glance at
the rest of the group before she blushed and took off her towel, carefully
climbing into the hot tub and sinking down until just her head was above the
slightly steaming waterline.
"Sleep well, Serena?" Leda asked as she stretched her legs out.
Serena blushed unexpectedly and looked down at the surface of the water,
one hand absently coming up to toy with the shard of crystal hanging from her
neck on a fine silver chain. "Actually, yes," she said in her new triple-tone
voice. "I had to take the crystal off to make it easier to sleep since my
wings were driving me crazy, but after that...." she said, her voice trailing
off and ending with a shrug of dismissal.
Leda chuckled quietly. "You'll be alright."
"Let's hope so," Alex added as she casually squeezed Michelle's leg. "So
what did you want to talk to me about, Ami?" she prompted in a careful tone,
giving Ami a cautious look.
Ami blinked and looked up, giving her a confused look before suddenly
seeming to remember and withdrawing once again. She sighed heavily and looked
back down at the water, bringing one hand up to tap her fingertips against the
surface of the water to create tiny ripples. "I was woken up by a nightmare
last night," she said quietly before she glanced up at the suddenly leery
blonde Viking. "I'm fairly sure it was yours."
"What?" Alex said slowly as the rest of the group paused in mid-motion to
look at her.
"I probably picked it up from you when I took your blood yesterday," Ami
explained quietly, her expression still visibly haunted. "I've had bad dreams
before, but nothing like this. It was.... almost too real to be a dream. More
like a dark memory in the form of a dream."
"Wonderful," Alex sighed glumly, ignoring the gentle embrace Michelle was
trying to draw her into. "Ami, listen. If you can flush that out of your mind
or something, I suggest you do it and quickly. Bad enough I have to deal with
it, but you don't need to suffer as well."
"Alex, I'm deeply worried about your state of mind now," Ami persisted in
a gentle but urgent tone.
"Hey, easy," Leda said gently as she reached out to take hold of Ami's
wrist. She blinked as she saw a pair of wings coil around Ami's other wrist
and cast a glance at Serena, nodding in acceptance at the look on her face.
"What do you want, Ami?" Alex said in a deeply bitter tone, taking them
all by surprise. "I was raped, okay? Nothing's ever going to change that, and
short of blowing a hole in my skull I'll never be able forget it either. Yeah,
the nightmares are probably going to send me to an early grave, but what the
hell am I supposed to do about them?"
"There has to be something," Ami pressed on.
"Look," Alex sighed quietly, absently rubbing the trembling hand that was
tightly wrapped around her waist. "I'm fine, okay? If I wake up, I just roll
over and go back to sleep. That usually works. I don't think about it all the
time, I'm not curled up in some dark corner each night whimpering in fear that
the dreams will return. I don't have that every night, you know, just now and
then. I'm used to it, pathetic as that sounds, but I'm fine. Honest. Anyone
know where we left the soap from yesterday?"
Everyone blinked at the blatant attempt at changing the conversation,
exchanging concerned glances before looking around for the bars of soap from
the previous bath experience. "Hey, there's one," Leda said, pointing to the
green oval of soap perched on the edge of the hot tub behind Serena.
"Good, might as well put it to use," Alex said in a neutral tone as she
extracted herself from Michelle's protective embrace and edged behind Serena to
retrieve the bar of mint-scented soap. She picked it up and dunked it in the
water before pausing and looking up at the corridor. "Morning, sunshine," she
called out.
"Well...." Mina said in a slightly sleepy voice as she surveyed the room.
"I think we have the morning part going, but the sunshine just isn't happening
very well. You girls are up early," she pointed out.
"Your point?" Leda said archly as she glanced around, trying to locate the
other bar of soap.
"That you rarely see Serena out of bed at this hour?" Mina countered with
an amused wink at Serena. She paused as a realization hit her and she cast a
startled glance at the other end of the hot tub. "Umm...." she said, lowering
her voice to a very quiet whisper, "What's he doing in here?" she asked with a
gesture of her chin towards Darian's back.
"Soaking, same as the rest of us," Alex said tartly. "Don't like it, come
back on your own time."
"Okay...." Mina said very slowly. She blinked hard as Rei calmly walked
past her and drew her robe off, casually handing it to the blonde before she
sat down on the edge of the hot tub to soak her ankles while she pinned her
waist-length hair up in a tight bun. Mina cast a slightly irritated look at
the priestess as she tossed the robe into the pile against the wall.
"Morning," Leda said to Rei as she scooted over a few feet.
"Morning," Rei replied very softly as she continued to fuss with her hair,
completely naked save for the silver brooch of the Imperium Silver Crystal that
hung around her neck. She cast a neutral glance at Darian's back for several
seconds before she slowly eased into the water up to her neck, apparently not
concerned about the Crystal's exposure to the heated water.
Mina glanced at Darian's back and sighed softly before shrugging off her
robe and quickly climbing into the water. "Hey, Serena, how you doing this
morning?" she asked in a cheerful but quiet tone as she moved past the winged
blonde.
Serena smiled and let her wings float freely on the surface of the water.
"Doing a lot better than yesterday," she replied.
"Great," Mina chuckled. She cast another quick glance over her shoulder
at the opposite end of the hot tub before sly asking, "So how was he?"
"What?" Serena said, pausing in mid-motion and giving her a startled look.
"You know what I'm talking about," Mina said coyly. "We're not stupid,
you know. Well, not most of us, at least," she added, casting a playful look
at Leda.
"Go screw yourself," Leda growled in reply. She paused for a moment and
shook her head. "On second thought, don't, you'll probably enjoy it...." she
said, actively ignoring the pointed look she was getting from Ami.
"Hmm, interesting choice of words...." Mina said languidly. Whatever else
she had to say was cut off as Leda grabbed her shoulder and promptly shoved her
underwater. A profusion of bubbles immediately rose to the surface as Mina
thrashed around wildly, caught off-guard by the somewhat unfriendly gesture.
"Hey, hey, hey, watch the legs," Alex said sourly as she jumped back to
avoid getting involved in the melee. "Come over here, your Highness, so I can
start scrubbing your back and all. Any luck on that other bar of soap?"
"Darian might have it," Leda grunted as she was kicked in the shin.
Ami sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Just let her go," she said quietly.
The brunette shrugged with indifference and backed off, resulting in a
truly massive eruption of water half a second later as Mina surged to her feet.
She immediately spat out a mouthful of water and greedily sucked in a fresh
lungful of air, giving Leda a decidedly unamused look.
"PLEAGH!" Mina gasped as she coughed for a few moments. "What the hell,
you wake up on the wrong side of the cage again?" she demanded as she sank back
down into the water, mindful of both her nudity and Darian's presence at the
far end of the hot tub.
"Settle down," Alex sighed, passing the bar of soap to Michelle before
soaping up Serena's arms. "If you have a question to ask, just come out and
ask it already. Damn," she fumed quietly to herself.
"Darian!" Leda called out, causing Darian's head to lift up from his arms
and cock at a slight angle. "You see a bar of soap around there?"
All motion came to an absolute halt as Darian rose up and leaned over the
edge of the fiberglass tub, presenting them with an almost complete view of his
backside. He settled back into the water a moment later and tossed the small
heart-shaped bar over his shoulder to land with a small splash on their side of
the hot tub.
"Thanks, D," Alex replied, seemingly unfazed by the image. She scooped up
the rose-scented soap and held it out to the rest of the group. "Okay, who's
first? Mich and I can finish with the princess while the rest of you girls
sort it out.... what, why are you all looking at me like that?"
"Hang on," Leda growled quietly. "I'm trying to reset my brain."
"Now what?" Alex inquired in a guarded tone.
Leda gave her an odd look before gesturing to Darian's back. "You have to
ask?" she said incredulously.
Alex blinked in surprise before her expression twisted into one of severe
disbelief and contempt. "What the hell is with you today? Okay, so we got to
see Darian's butt. Big deal, we all have one of those. Yeesh, grow up," she
fumed as she tossed the soap at the startled brunette.
Leda caught the soap by pure reflex before it could slam into her chin,
pausing for several seconds before exchanging bewildered looks with the rest of
the group. Mina looked back at her and shrugged helplessly while Rei's face
remained utterly devoid of expression. "Okay...." Leda said slowly before she
gestured to Ami. "Ami, want to go first?"
Darian remained perfectly motionless as he listened to the idle chatter
start back up at the far end of the hot tub, the girls starting in on another
round of their usual social banter and antics. He didn't think that he would
have had to stretch that far to reach the soap or he wouldn't have bothered to
try. You win some, you lose some, he thought to himself as he closed his eyes
and went back to trying to relax.
He was positioned in front of a pair of heated water jets, one directing
a stream of water at his chest and the other down lower to a sensitive area.
The warmth of the currents helped calm his nerves, not to mention helping him
forget the earlier icy shock of hopping into the tub without taking the time to
get acclimated to the room-temperature water. That had been more embarrassing
than painful, but as any guy would say, any situation that results in shrinkage
is never a fun one to be in.
So much for discretion, he thought darkly as he heard Mina make another
coy inquiry about what Serena thought of last night. The sudden silence that
followed told him that the others had finally caught on to what she was asking,
and the sudden lowering of voice tones told him all he needed to know. Just
what I need, he sighed. Okay, so Leda basically asked me point-blank to make
love to her, and of course both Rei and Susan knew what was going to happen in
advance, but still....
He half-listened to the muted conversation in the background, trying to
visualize what was happening without turning around. Alex and Michelle would
be soaping up Serena, probably taking their time when it came to her wings. He
could easily picture Leda rubbing Ami's back with the soap he had just tossed
in their direction, and he could imagine Mina coming over to help while Rei
just sat and floated in isolation for awhile.
He sighed softly as he thought of Rei, knowing that the priestess had an
incredible amount on her mind as of late. She probably wouldn't come within
arm's-reach of anyone unless she had to, remaining just outside their range
while trying to turn her mind inward to search for the answers to the countless
questions besieging her spirit. So close to her friends, but yet so far from
them at the same time....
An unexpected surge of water brought him out of his idle musing, listening
carefully to determine what was going on. He heard the nearly silent sound of
a towel being used, followed by decidedly wet foosteps on the bare floor that
didn't sound like they travelled very far. Sounds like someone got out to grab
a handful of Ether, he thought. Makes sense, grab a third bar of soap and
maybe another bottle of shampoo to make it easier on everyone. In that case,
she should be getting back in the tub right about.... now.
His timing was off by five or six seconds, but the expected surge of water
being displaced by a heavy object told him that he probably had been right in
his guess. A slight chill ran down his spine as the conversation abruptly died
down to a single voice. He couldn't tell if it was Alex or Leda, as it was too
soft to truly make out, but it seemed a question was being asked that made the
others stop and think about something.
Even when whispered, it was hard to mistake Rei's voice for anyone else's.
The soft reply was brief, but it was enough to produce a heavy silence for a
number of seconds. A sigh of resignation finally reached his ears, followed by
a muted grumble from Alex before she asked Mina a question.
Why do I have a bad feeling about this? he thought to himself as he heard
a series of gentle sloshing noises, slowly getting louder as the source of the
disturbance approached him. The water level bobbed around him in an odd rhythm
for several seconds before calming down as the movement-induced waves bounced
off the edges of the tub and headed back away from him.
He decided not to react when he felt a hand lightly touch his back for a
number of seconds before sliding down along his spine to the water level. A
series of handfuls of water were gently splashed and rubbed across his back
before there was a pause and a slightly liquid sound reached his ears. He had
just figured out what it was when he felt the hands return, gently spreading a
layer of soap lather across the expanse of his back.
He sighed very softly and held perfectly still as he allowed his visitor
to wash his back, his head still in his arms and leaning on the edge of the hot
tub. He held his breath for a moment as he heard a second series of sloshing
noises, followed by another disturbance of the water level as someone else came
over to his side of the oversized tub. He opened his eyes as there was a bit
of a pause before he felt a pair of hands on each elbow, gently tugging on him
and drawing him back away from the wall.
Blinking in slight confusion, he cast a glance to his left to see Alex's
face looking back at him with a neutral expression. Turning his attention in
the other direction, he wasn't surprised in the least to see Rei standing next
to him as well, the tips of her fingers still coated with the slightly pink
soap lather.
"Mind if we give you a hand, your Highness?" Alex asked quietly.
Darian blinked in surprise before shrugging with indifference. "If you
want to," he replied. "I didn't want to ruin anything, so I was just going to
soak here for a few before breakfast."
"Bah, don't worry about it," the blonde replied with a dismissive wave of
her hand, creating a slight wave in the water. "I keep trying to tell them
that this isn't anything new, but they're still getting their panties in a wad
over it. You want to toss that soap over this way, hon?" she said to Rei.
Rei glanced at Darian for a moment before she picked up the floating bar
of red soap and wordlessly passed it to Alex. She then dipped just the tips of
her fingers in the water and edged back behind him, her hands coming up to
resume a series of gentle scrubbing motions up and down the length of his back.
A soft grunt rose up from Alex's throat as she dunked the soap and started
to work up a decent lather, producing a slight but noticeable waft of Damask
rose scent. "Not in a talkative mood this morning, I see," she groused mostly
to herself before she reached out and started to soap up Darian's arm.
Darian sighed and held still while they worked him over. "Did that plant
extract do anything for you last night, Rei?" he asked quietly, referring to
the sleeping aid Susan had provided for them after dinner.
"I'm not sure," Rei replied in a faintly raspy voice. "I fell asleep
right away, but then the Imperium Silver Crystal woke me up in the middle of
the night. I have no idea how long it took for me to shut it up and try to go
back to sleep."
Both Darian and Alex paused to exchange discreet glances. "Do we want to
ask why it woke you up, hon?" Alex ventured in a slightly guarded tone.
"Oops," Darian said in a very quiet voice, drawing an odd look from the
blonde. "Rei, if it's what I think it was, I'm deeply sorry."
"Don't worry about it," the priestess replied in a hollow tone. "I know
how much you care about one another, and part of me is glad the two of you
finally worked things out."
There was a heavy sigh from Alex as she scooped up a handful of water and
idly poured it across Darian's chest. "Alright, what the hell happened?"
"I think you know what happened," Darian said quietly.
"The Crystal reacted when Serena's soul reacted," Rei added calmly.
"I don't think that was her soul that was reacting," Darian pointed out.
"Oh, my god...." Alex whispered, flinching as she finally realized what
they were talking about. "You mean when Darian made love to the princess....
the Imperium Silver Crystal started screaming as well?"
Rei and Darian exchanged glances before they both turned a deep shade of
crimson and looked away. "It wasn't a scream," Rei muttered as she resumed her
task. "More like.... a series of whispers, the voices of all the personalities
that comprise the collective consciousness. And yes, I knew exactly when it
started and when it stopped," she sighed.
"Rei?" Darian said very quietly. "I am so sorry. If I had any idea that
the Crystal would have reacted like that, I probably would have waited until it
was back in Serena's hands."
"Don't worry about it," Rei repeated softly. "I was assured that it only
reacts like that for the first time. Take her all you want, it won't ever try
to tell me about it again."
"Rei!" Alex said, stunned at the flatness of the statement.
"Jealous?" Darian inquired calmly.
Rei paused and glanced back up at him, ignoring the way Alex's jaw sagged
open at the question. "You have to ask?" she replied in a neutral tone.
"Well, I didn't want to make any assumptions here," he said with a slight
shrug. "I'm not trying to be mean or cruel, Rei, honest. I'm just trying to
figure out how exactly I'm supposed to deal with you now."
There was a hollow snort from Rei as she scooped up some water and poured
it across his arm. "I'm not sure you ever really knew how to before," she
muttered darkly as she rinsed some of the soap suds away.
Darian paused only long enough to cast a look over his shoulder at Alex to
indicate she should remain silent before he reached out to Rei, grasping her
wrist very gently. "Look, I really don't want us to start fighting or have any
bad feelings between us," he said in a soft tone.
Rei sighed quietly and closed her eyes. "Honestly, Darian? I'm not sure
it can be helped at this point. I tell you that I love you, and I not only get
rejected several times, but I'm later forced to basically listen to an audience
all talking at once while you take Serena's virginity. I know it's not either
your fault or Serena's, but it hurts like hell nonetheless."
"So what am I supposed to do, Rei?" Darian replied quietly. "You are and
will always be a great personal friend in my book, more so than everyone except
Serena because of what you and I shared together when we were dating. If you
can come up with something that will ease your pain that won't result in pain
being inflicted on anyone else, name it and I'll see what I can do."
A truly derisive snort rose up from Rei's chest as she leaned forward to
grab the floating bar of soap. "You can do me, that might help," she said in
a tone as dry as any desert.
Darian blinked hard before he sighed. "You're not finished with your
period yet, are you? That was crass and crude, both of which are not like you
at all," he pointed out in a flat tone.
"Hon, are you drunk or something?" Alex demanded. "Sleeping next to Mina
give you a contact-high from whatever drugs she's usually on?"
Darian blinked hard as Rei's head snapped up to give him a truly evil
glare, her eyes seeming to burn with an inner fire that bordered on rage. "My
period stopped yesterday," she said in a glacial tone, her hand tightening
around the bar of soap hard enough to deform it. "Thank you for asking. Funny
you should mention being crass and crude."
"So how are the cramps that seem to be kinking your mood?" Darian asked
calmly, giving her a level look.
Rei's eyes narrowed dangerouly at him. "Still with me," she said flatly.
"They should be leaving in a day or two. Abdominal muscles are a bit tense at
the moment, but a decent heating pad and a nice massage has been known to do
wonders for them."
"And of course rubbing them from the inside will work a lot better than
trying to rub them from the outside, right?" he asked with a faint sneer.
"GODDAMMIT, DARIAN!!" Alex exploded, slamming her hand against the surface
of the water and creating a small geyser. "What the hell is with the two of
you today? Or do you both want to start a war up in here?"
"I'm trying to decide if one has already been started," Darian muttered,
never taking his eyes off of Rei's darkened expression. He reached out and ran
his fingertips along the side of her face, causing her to blink in surprise.
"Or is this merely a result of a bad night's sleep and a rattled cage from an
unexpected reaction from intimate exposure to the Imperium Silver Crystal?" he
asked in a far softer and gentler tone.
"I could feel it, Darian," Rei whispered as a single tear suddenly slid
down her cheek. "It's like how you feel things in a dream. I felt it from her
perspective, how you entered her, the pain of being stretched too far and being
torn, then being filled like I've never been filled before, over and over and
over again until my senses shattered like glass. You simply can't imagine how
badly I wanted you at that moment, how I would have literally done anything to
feel that for myself, to feel you inside me instead of feeling you inside her
in a mere dream...."
Darian said nothing as he moved forward, just enough to put his arm around
her shoulder and draw her into a loose but comforting hug. He blinked when she
promptly latched onto him like a drowning person would hold onto a flotation
ring, burying her head into the crook of his shoulder and pressing herself hard
against him. The silent sobs followed a moment later, drawing a soft sigh of
resignation from him.
He was somewhat surprised when he felt Alex's hands on his back, picking
up where Rei had left off and remaining uncharacteristically silent. He cast
a quick glance over his shoulder, getting a helpless shrug in response when she
finally looked up to make eye-contact with him. Not sure what else to do, he
remained motionless as Alex continued to wash his back and sides even as Rei's
tears dripped down the front of his chest.
"Rei?" he said softly once Rei's breathing had calmed down. "There's not
a lot I can do for you in that regard. I'm sorry that's the way it has to be,
but I really don't have much control over it."
"I know," Rei whispered very quietly in response. She tensed slightly as
she felt a something brush across her back, causing her muscles to twitch in a
tickle reflex. Frowning slightly, she lifted her head up to give Darian a
questioning look before glancing over her shoulder.
Serena gave her a gentle look as she scooped up a handful of water and
poured it across the priestess' back. The two girls looked at one another in
silence for several moments before they both blinked in unison, each feeling a
gentle surge of energy on the inside that caused the golden crescent mark of
the Moon to glow on their foreheads. As before, the sigils seemed to dim and
brighten in turns, one becoming stronger before fading and allowing the other
to glow prominently.
Both Serena and Rei blinked again as Darian sighed and reached beneath the
waterline, his hand gently brushing against Rei's breast as he carefully took
hold of the stylized brooch that hung around her neck. He brought it to the
surface and carefully shook the water free from it, making sure not to tug on
the chain. "You could help, you know," he said quietly to the glittering gem
imbedded within the brooch.
"I would imagine it would if it could," a voice spoke up quietly from the
edge of the silk screen partition, causing heads to whip around in surprise.
Susan was leaning heavily on her staff with a weary expression on her normally
youthful face. "However, I'm not sure there has ever been an instance where
the power of the Crystal has been divided like this between a Crown Princess
and a Regent," she continued.
"Sue, are you alright?" Alex spoke up in a concerned tone. "Not to sound
rude or anything, but you really don't look too good...."
"It was a rough night," Susan allowed with a slight shrug of her shoulder.
"I had forgotten what some brands of champange did to my demonic side, but you
need not concern yourself for my well-being. Perhaps I should be asking the
rest of you how you are feeling this morning," she observed, giving the scene
in the hot tub a somewhat disturbed look.
Rei and Serena exchanged glances for a moment before Rei sighed and looked
away, her expression slipping into a mask of unreadable emotion. Serena cast
a quick glance at Darian before blushing slightly, several of her wings coming
forward to wrap around both him and Rei as she picked up the forgotten bar of
Damask rose soap. She quickly worked up a decent lather and started to gently
scrub Rei's back, drawing a surprised look from her.
Darian sighed and looked down at the faintly glowing gemstone nestled in
the brooch in his hand. "Let's just say that this thing is full of surprises,"
he said ruefully before looking back up at Susan. "And you could have warned
a few of us about just how sensitive it is to emotional states," he added with
a faint edge to his tone.
Susan tilted her head at a slight angle as she puzzled over his meaning.
Her gaze suddenly seemed to alternate between Serena, Rei, and Darian before
her eyes went wide and her complexion turned pale, a look of horror briefly
crossing her face before she could get her emotions back under control.
"Had I remembered about.... that, your Highness," she said very slowly,
"I assure you that I would have ensured that the Crystal would have been placed
in Serena's care for the night. Your Excellency, I sincerely apologize for my
negligence," she said as she gave Rei a deeply humbled look.
"Don't worry about it," Rei replied softly. "As I told Darian, I've been
given assurances by the Crystal that it won't happen again."
"That what won't happen again?" Serena asked quietly, pausing her gentle
scrubbing of Rei's back. It only faintly bothered her that Rei's arm was still
around Darian's waist, as she knew that Darian was hers now and that she could
afford to overlook minor things that could easily be discounted as things that
friends do. Of course, she never thought that she'd be soaking in a hot tub
with her best friends, all naked and soaping each other up in Darian's presence
no less, but Darian's speech yesterday about how they were all beyond being
friends or family had a very solid ring of truth to it....
She tightened her wings' grasp on Darian's arm and tugged ever so gently,
trying to draw his attention over to her. She blinked as Rei untangled herself
from both Darian and her wings before turning to face her, a slightly haunted
look forming in her bottomless black eyes.
"I know Darian made love to you last night," Rei said very quietly. "The
Crystal reacted quite strongly to it, and it shared your perspective of it with
me. I saw it through your eyes and felt it all just as you felt it."
Serena's golden eyes promptly became as wide as dinner plates, her jaw
falling open in shock and her wings twitching randomly as if she were being
electrocuted. The sporadic motion ceased a moment later as her wings seemed to
wilt, slowly drifting downward to float on the surface of the water like a bed
of glowing seaweed.
"Oh, my god...." Serena whispered, her triple-tone voice sounding oddly
flat and muted. "Rei.... are you alright? That didn't hurt you, did it?"
Rei blinked hard at the seemingly genuine concern, not sure what to make
of it. "Not really," she said after a few moments of surprised silence. "It
was.... actually pretty good," she stammered, her cheeks suddenly exploding
into a violent crimson blush. "As far as losing your virginity goes," she
added with distinct irony, looking away from everyone as her blush seemed to
defy physics by both darkening and brightening at the same time.
"Well...." Darian said slowly, his own cheeks tinted pink again. "What
can I say? It's not every night you get to please two women at the same time
like that...." he said, trying to inject a note of humor into the situation.
It became obvious that he had chosen his words rather poorly when a pair of
hands suddenly clamped around the back of his neck with the strength of steel
and promptly yanked downward, plunging him beneath the surface of the water
with no warning whatsoever.
"I take it back," Alex said acidly as she continued to submerge Darian's
head underwater. "Apparently he's just another male chauvinstic pig like the
rest of his species. I can't believe he just said that...."
Susan just sighed quietly. "Alexis Ten'ou, will you kindly cease and
desist before you end up drowning the Crown Prince?" she said in a weary voice.
"What's that, you say something?" Alex said loudly at the water as a very
large bubble came up to the surface. "Talk louder, D, I can't hear you."
Rei sighed quietly and cast a faintly rueful glance at Serena. "I think
he said he's enjoying the view from down there," she suggested archly.
Alex blinked hard and glanced down at the water, suddenly realizing just
how close she was to him and where his head was in relation to the rest of her
body. Muttering something toxic beneath her breath, she let go of his head and
backed off, giving him room to resurface.
Much to everyone's surprise, Darian remained underwater for a few more
seconds before his head slowly broke the surface. He turned to one side to
spit out a mouthful of water before brushing his hair out of his eyes, not
seeming to be in any great hurry. He finally finished finger-combing his hair
back before he took a deep breath and sighed. "Okay, so I deserved that one,"
he said in a calm voice. "Didn't mean to trivialize the importance of this
unexpected event, ladies."
Rei cast a sidelong glance over her shoulder at the far end of the giant
hot tub. The rest of the girls seemed to be content with minding their own
business as much as possible while taking their time getting clean. That was
fine with her, as it meant she only had to deal with four people at the moment
instead of eight.
"It was interesting," she said slowly and quietly to Serena, ignoring the
others for the moment. "Am I jealous of you for being able to have him? Of
course I am, I wanted him for months, and I just wish Chad could have been half
as gentle with me as it seemed Darian was with you. If this is the only way
I'll be able to have such memories of his touch.... well, it certainly is a lot
better than nothing. I'm not going to fight you for him, Serena," she said as
she stood up, her breasts rising out of the water as the waterline came to a
rest a few inches above her navel.
"Rei...." Serena said quietly, one wing arching up to try to wrap around
her wrist.
Rei brushed off the touch and turned to Darian, reaching out to take the
brooch back from him and letting it dangle back down in her cleavage. She saw
his gaze briefly flick downward to glance at her breasts, sending the faintest
of tinges through her blood and causing her nipples to start to harden. "You
and I have already talked," she said quietly to him. "So I really don't think
anything more needs to be said between us."
"If you insist," Darian replied, just as quietly.
Rei looked at him for several moments before she glanced over to Alex. A
sudden thought popped into her mind and she refocused back on Darian, one dark
eyebrow arching up at him. "On second thought, perhaps there is...." she said
very softly before leaning forward to whisper something in his ear.
Darian blinked hard as she leaned back to study him, giving her a deeply
unsettled look. "I will.... take that into consideration," he said in a very
subdued tone. "Not that I'm going to consider much, mind you, but...."
Both Alex and Serena blinked hard as Rei leaned forward at the waist to
give him a soft kiss, effectively silencing him. "Like it matters to me at
this point in time," she replied with a faint edge before she turned around to
look at Susan. "Chancellor, can you find a towel for me, please?" she said as
she started to get out of the water.
"Of course, your Excellency," Susan said demurely as she moved to grab the
nearest available towel and white robe. She waited until Rei was fully out of
the hot tub before she began to towel her dry, both women seeming to ignore the
collection of looks from the rest of the group.
Darian blinked as Rei turned around to look at him, letting Susan dry her
back while giving him a full-frontal display of her nude body. Sighing with
resignation, he turned around and focused his attention on Serena, not in the
least bit surprised to see a deeply upset and confused look on her face.
"Don't ask," he said softly to her, pre-empting the question that was on
the tip of her tongue. "I'll tell you about it later once I have it all sorted
out and the headache taken care of, I promise."
"Tell me about it," Alex grumbled from behind him as she furiously rubbed
her sinuses. "I barely know a third of this story, and it's giving me a royal
headache. No pun intended, your Highness," she added in an abashed tone.
"Hey, Darian?" Leda's voice called out from the other side of the pool.
"Do us a favor and study the wallpaper or something for a few? A couple of us
are getting out."
Darian nodded in understanding and stood up, the water coming up to his
hips as he moved over to the spot he had occupied by himself before both Rei
and Alex swam over to visit. He rested his arms on the edge of the tub and
settled into place, a feeling of mild bliss flowing through him as he felt the
gentle jet of warm water against his groin again. Even with a significant
tension headache, he thought, few things can relax you faster than the feeling
of warmth on the old fire engine....
He sighed quietly as he felt Serena press up against him, her arms sliding
around his waist and several wings coiling around him both above and below the
waterline. He reached underwater to rub his fingertips along the back of her
hand in a slow and gentle rhythm. "You alright, my love?" he said quietly.
"I'm confused by all this," she admitted, her voice seeming to resonate as
she whispered in his ear. "I mean, I know Rei wants.... wants to make love to
you, but.... I'm really worried about her. She's been acting odd for the past
few days, and I think she's hiding something."
"What do you mean?" he asked as a faint chill ran down his spine. He
blinked and closed his eyes as he felt her lips roam across the side of his
neck for a few moments, her hands gently rubbing the abdominal muscles beneath
her fingertips.
"I don't know," Serena admitted after a few seconds of silence. "If I had
to guess.... I'd say something is hurting her. Physically," she added. "I
keep getting the impression that she's in pain of some sort, and that's what's
making her so.... irritable."
He laughed very quietly. "Rei is like Leda in that regard, they're both
easily irritated by something," he said in an amused tone.
Serena giggled quietly before she ran the tip of her tongue behind his ear
in a slow motion. "I mean worse than usual," she amended, her hands creeping
downward until they encountered the leading edge of his pubic hair. She gently
twirled her finger around to create a coil of hair and idly toyed with it,
carefully listening to his breathing to see if she could detect any changes in
his mood.
"Hey, now," he protested very softly. "You really don't want me getting
excited right now, especially with other people about."
She giggled again and hummed very softly in his ear, her triple-harmonic
voice producing a rather pleasing sound that sent shivers racing up and down
his spine. "They already know we made love last night," she said softly, her
wings gently squeezing him where they were wrapped around his arms and legs.
"They don't need to be shown what it was like, which is what is going to
happen if you don't quit that," he replied with audible amusement.
"Mmmmmm," Serena purred very softly. She continued to toy with the coil
of pubic hair before letting go and bring her hands up to rub across his chest.
"If I get to make love to you again, my prince, I don't think I'd care who is
around to see us," she whispered in a husky tone.
"Great," he grunted in reply. "I'll have to ask Susan about finding a
decent video camera, then." He paused as he noticed that she had suddenly quit
breathing for a moment before he chuckled quietly. "I'm teasing, love."
She let her breath out in a sigh and grumbled something to herself, her
cheeks tinted pink at having her bluff called so easily. She paused as she
felt another grumble in her abdomen, this one having very little to do with her
desire to make love to him again.
"That time of morning again?" Darian spoke up, having felt the rumbling of
her stomach against his backside.
"Yeah," she sighed as she let go of him and stepped back, uncoiling and
trailing her wings behind her in the process.
"Must be nice, having a stomach clock like that," he teased, casting an
amused glance over his shoulder. He blinked hard as he could see Leda trying
to towel Ami dry in the background and quickly averted his gaze before any
pertinent details could register on his mind.
"Leave me alone," Serena grumbled as she poked him in the back before she
stood up. She paused and looked over her shoulder at her wings, studying them
for several moments before carefully trying to shimmy the water from them.
"Goddamn it!" Alex growled as she was splashed with droplets of water just
moments after having dried herself off. "Serena, sweetheart, you know I love
you, babe, but couldn't you have done that before I dried myself off?"
"I'm sorry," Serena apologized with a blush as she waded over to the edge
of the hot tub and climbed out, still gently shaking the water off the glowing
ribbons that were her denizen wings.
"Here, I've got a towel for you," Mina offered as she came forward with a
towel in hand. She paused as she realized that simply wrapping the long-haired
blonde in the towel wouldn't work because of her wings. "Okay, let's think
about this one for a moment. Susan, you have wings, how do you usually deal
with them getting in the way after a bath or the like?"
Susan paused for a moment before resuming her gentle motions along Rei's
legs. "To be perfectly honest, Mina, I usually absorb my wings before trying
to get dressed," she said in a faintly apologetic tone.
"That's not saying much," Alex muttered as she finished drying herself off
for a second time and began to help dry Serena's arms, not bothering to find a
second towel or a spare robe for herself.
"Whoops," Mina sighed quietly. "Okay, back to Plan B. Anyone see where
I left that cordless...? Nevermind," she added as she heard the sound of the
hair-dryer starting up behind her. She cast a quick glance at Darian to make
sure his back was still turned to the group before she looked over her shoulder
to see who had her hair-dryer.
"Three minutes," Leda promised as she quickly passed the business end of
the device back and forth over Ami's blue hair.
"Okay, I can deal with that," Mina replied with a quick bob of her head.
She cast another glance over her shoulder at Darian's back before turning to
Susan. "Susan, just how stable are clothes made from Ether? I know we used
them to make gowns and all last night, but what about wearing that stuff on a
constant basis?"
A faint smile crossed Susan's lips, the first sign of positive emotion she
had shown in a number of hours. "The Ether will destabilize on its own in a
period of time dependent on its volume and density. However, it will certainly
hold together for a few days if shaped into casual clothing. You need not be
concerned about any such dissolution accidents for the present," she explained
as she finished drying Rei off and headed towards the open window.
Half of the group watched as she picked up the small garden hose that was
hanging just inside the window. She carefully spooled a length of hose into
the room and carried the nozzle end back over to where Rei was standing. "Rei,
would you please focus your mind on what you would like to wear today?" Susan
asked gently as she aimed the nozzle in Rei's direction. She waited until Rei
nodded in reply before she squeezed the handle, spraying a light layer of the
fog-like Ether over the priestess' nude body.
Nobody was surprised in the least when the fog promptly congealed into the
dark red pleated skirt and white ceremonial robes that Rei usually wore around
her grandfather's temple. Rei carefully patted herself down to make sure it
was all in place before she reached up to unbind her hair, fluffing it out and
letting it spill down her back in a glossy black cascade.
"Yeah, that'll work," Alex observed as she resumed drying off Serena.
"Mina?" Susan said, gesturing with the nozzle in the blonde's direction.
Mina cast a final glance over her shoulder at Darian's back before she
slipped off the white bath robe and nodded. She waited until her body was
completely engulfed in the Ether before she concentrated, willing the fog to
form into a comfortable pair of sweatpants and a cute pink T-shirt that had a
message scrawled in a fancy blue script over her chest. A pair of ankle-high
pink socks formed on her feet, each with a small red poof on the back seam.
"Not even going to ask," Leda said with a shake of her head as she cast a
quick glance at what was written on the shirt.
"Huh?" Alex said as she paused. She squinted to make out the words from
halfway across the room. "I'm sexy? No duh!" she read aloud, adding a snort
of contempt at the end. "Yeah, real cute, hon."
Mina giggled and winked at her. "Well, it was either that, or 'Objects
beneath this shirt are larger than they appear,'" she said with an impish grin.
"So much for truth in advertising," Leda grumbled quietly before she ran
her fingertips through Ami's hair and shut the hair-dryer off. "Okay, Ami, I
think you're pretty much finished now."
Leda stepped back as the slow-moving stream of Ether emerged from the end
of the nozzle and drifted over to where Ami was. The brunette watched in mild
curiosity as the fog swirled around Ami for several seconds before finally
coalescing into a dark blue blouse and skirt, both dotted with tiny adornments
in the shape of miniature snowflakes. A pair of dark blue nylon stockings
formed along her slender legs, also dotted with tiny white speckles.
"Going for the wintered-over look again, babe?" Alex spoke up as Ami ran
her fingertips through her medium-blue hair and gave Leda a grateful look.
Ami paused for a moment before she glanced down and shrugged absently.
"I happen to like snow and winter," she said in a neutral tone.
"Trust us, babe, we know," Alex said with a faint smirk. She blinked and
looked over Ami's shoulder before sighing quietly. "Mich, honey, c'mon. We
know you just love water and all, but it's time to quit playing in the tub. It
will still be there later in the evening for an after-dinner soak, I promise."
"Alright," Michelle sighed quietly as she rose up out of the water. She
paused to let it cascade off of her body before starting to climb out, abruptly
freezing in mid-motion before casting a horrified glance at the end of the hot
tub. She breathed a silent sigh of relief as she realized that Darian wasn't
looking at her and quickly climbed out, grabbing the nearest towel she could
reach and wrapping it around herself.
"Alex?" Susan prompted, aiming the Ether hose in her direction.
"Give me a moment, your Highness," Alex said to Serena as she took a step
back, making sure Susan had a clear line of sight and couldn't accidentally hit
any of Serena's ribbon-like wings. The fog seemed to shape itself the moment
it hit her body, forming into a pair of gray sweatpants with a matching tank
top that left her both barefoot and showing an impresive amount of muscle on
both arms. "Thanks, Sue," she said as she moved back over next to Serena to
resume helping her finish drying off.
"So what's for breakfast?" Mina inquired idly, impatiently toying with a
lock of her hair as she waited for Leda to finish blow-drying her own hair.
"I'm thinking," Leda replied as she fluffed out her hair. "I don't recall
seeing any cereal in the cabinet earlier, but I really wasn't paying too close
attention at the time."
"Leda?" Darian spoke up. "You got a moment?"
Leda paused and turned off the hair-dryer, giving his back a surprised
look. "Sure, hang on a sec," she said as she gestured to Mina with the dryer.
"Trade you, this for that," she offered, pointing to the white robe on the
ground next to her feet.
"Deal," Mina said as she scooped up the robe and tossed it over to the
brunette. Leda caught it with her free hand and gently chucked the hair-dryer
over to the waiting blonde, already putting the robe on before it landed in
Mina's waiting hands.
"Leda, perhaps...." Susan started to say, holding up the Ether hose for
emphasis.
"It can wait," Leda interrupted her as she padded over to where Darian was
and squatted down, making sure to keep the robe neatly tucked in front of her.
"So what's on your mind?" she asked quietly. She blinked and cocked her head
to one side as he rose up out of the water just enough to whisper in her ear,
seemingly unaware of the slightly wide-eyed looks his movements drew from the
rest of the group who could see his backside again.
"Well," Mina muttered quietly to Ami and Michelle as she turned away with
a fierce blush on her cheeks. "At least he keeps himself in shape...."
"Yeah, we can probably do that," Leda replied as Darian sank back down
into the water. "Might have to ask Susan to make a quick trip to Earth to raid
the cooking cabinets, but that shouldn't be any trouble at all."
"Thank you," Darian replied with a nod of his head.
"Heh," Leda chuckled as she stood up. "Don't worry, Darian, I've got your
back on this one," she added with a wink and a knowing smile. She moved away
from him and made sure he had returned his focus away from the group before she
removed the robe and cast it aside. "Okay, Sue, let's see what I can find in
the closet today," she said, holding her arms away from her body.
"Let's hope it's better than some of the things I've seen hanging in your
closet," Mina muttered as Susan sprayed Leda with a thin layer of Ether.
Leda cast a guarded look over at the blonde as the fog formed into a pale
green dress with short sleeves. "Mina, I know you're not talking trash about
my wardrobe, as I've seen you come out of the mall carrying stuff you couldn't
pay me to wear," she growled as a pair of soft green socks formed on her feet.
"Like what?" Mina challenged.
"That purple dress with the green glitter on the shoulders, for one," Leda
promptly replied. "You know, sleeves out to here, but with the hem this high
up?" she said, making a gesture that was barely below her groin.
Mina sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "That wasn't for me, you goof,
that was for a friend. Honestly, you know I have better fashion sense than
that. The only reason I even got it was because she wanted it and I was able
to get it at an eighty-percent discount that day. Rei, what are you doing?"
"Move," Rei said as she grabbed the end of the silk screen partition and
started to drag it around, pivoting it at the other end to rotate it ninety
degrees to form a barrier that divided the room in two.
"Hey, careful," Alex protested as both she and Serena edged out of the
way. "What are you trying to do with that, anyway?"
Rei set the partition back down and glanced over at her. "Giving Darian
some privacy to get out and dry off," she said tartly. "Or do you think he's
going to just climb out on his own with all of us standing around here?"
"Well, she has a point," Mina observed lightly with a shrug before she
thumbed the switch on the hair-dryer and started directing the heated air back
and forth over her waist-length blonde hair.
"Umm.... thank you," Darian said hesitantly, not sure if he could look
over his shoulder yet to see what was going on.
"Michelle, why don't you finish drying off over there?" Mina suggested
with a wave of her free arm. "That way, Darian can sneak out of the tub over
on that side without having to worry about any bad angles."
Darian paused and counted to twenty before risking a quick glance over his
shoulder. He breathed a silent sigh of relief as he saw only the broad expanse
of the silk-screen partition and a couple of very indistinct shadows cast on
it. Standing up, he shook the worst of the water off of himself and climbed
out of the hot tub, looking around for a towel or a robe he could use. "Umm,"
he started to say.
"Catch," Leda said, moments before a towel came sailing over the top of
the partition.
"Thanks," Darian said as he caught it. He had to stretch to grab it,
causing him to momentarily lose his balance and windmill his free arm for an
instant. He glanced up at the partition with a faint blush, grateful for the
fact that nobody saw the rather ungraceful movement.
"Hold still, Serena," Mina said as she turned the hair-dryer on maximum
and began to play it back and forth along her wings.
"Ooo!" Serena yelped, arching her back in a reflex. She sighed blissfully
a moment later and began to coo very quietly to herself, obviously savoring the
warmth of the air current flowing over the surface of her wings.
"That good, eh, your Highness?" Alex observed with a faint grin.
"Very much so," Serena purred quietly.
"Michelle, are you ready?" Susan inquired as she pointed the hose over at
her. She received a nod in reply and squeezed the handle, directing a small
jet of Ether over in her direction. She nodded in approval as the fog formed
into a casual aquamarine blouse and skirt with matching stockings.
"Thank you," Michelle said with a grateful smile.
"Looks good, love," Alex said. "Now, that just leaves our little glowing
firefly here...."
"Hey, I've got an idea," Mina said coyly as she moved over next to Serena
and started whispering into her ear. It took several seconds to explain it
all, accompanied by a few hand gestures that raised several eyebrows among the
rest of the group. The end result was a rather delicate blush on Serena's
cheeks and a protracted stretch of silence before she nodded in understanding.
"You don't have to if you don't want to," Mina reminded her. "It's just
an idea, nothing more."
"I know," Serena replied, her blush darkening a shade as she cast a quick
glance at the partition. "But I don't think anyone will mind...."
"Oh, lord," Leda said in a guarded tone. "When blondes conspire...."
"Excuse me," Alex huffed.
"I must admit to feeling a modest degree of trepidation at the moment
myself," Susan spoke up in a slightly dry tone.
"Do I want to ask?" Darian's voice drifted over the partition.
"You'll find out soon enough," Mina called back with an impish grin before
she turned to Serena. "Whenever you're ready, girl."
"Your Highness?" Susan prompted gently, raising the Ether hose a fraction
of an inch to indicate she was ready.
The blush on Serena's cheeks darkened another shade as she glanced to her
sides to make sure nobody was too close to her. Taking a deep breath, she
flicked her wings completely behind her and nodded to Susan, focusing her mind
on the image that Mina had concocted for her. She had a few cosmetic changes
in mind, but the end result would still essentially be the same.
Everyone waited with a slight degree of tension and anticipation as the
Ether swirled around the winged princess, everyone but Mina wondering what the
final form would be. The fog finally congealed and solidified after what felt
like a minor eternity, causing the entire group to blink hard in unison.
The Ether around her legs had formed into a pair of light pink and almost
perfectly transparent pantaloons from her hips to her ankles, puffed out just
slightly at the joints. A shoulder harness of sorts formed around her upper
body, encasing her arms from her wrists up to her shoulders in another puffy
cocoon of light pink and extremely see-through fabric. Both sets of material
were slit lengthwise and ran the entire length of her arms and legs, leaving
narrow but discernable gaps between the edges of the cuts. Two bands of sheer
fabric coiled around her waist and rose up to cross over her breasts, one band
pale pink and the other a very light shade of yellow. The dual layer of fabric
created a slight distortion effect, but did little to prevent the pale circles
of her areolae from being seen through the material.
"Serena!!" Ami gasped in shock, her eyes widening significantly.
"Very interesting, your Highness," Susan said, tilting her head slightly.
"Hot damn," Alex whistled softly, her eyebrows arched clear up to her
hairline. "All you'd need is a veil and you'd look like.... mmphgh?" she said
as a hand clamped around her mouth.
"Don't spoil the surprise," Mina said quietly, giving her a wink. She
looked back at Serena and shook her head in awe, knowing that was what she had
in mind but not realizing that Serena looked *that* good in the sheer harem
outfit. The spectral nature of her wings only added to the sense of unearthly
beauty, suggesting that she could offer more than just forbidden delights.
"Well, that was unexpected," Leda commented, openly studying Serena's
blushing figure. "Tell you what, Serena.... if that doesn't draw a reaction,
I honestly don't know what will. Speaking of which.... you dry yet, Darian?"
"Maybe," Darian's voice came back in a distinctively guarded tone.
"What a wuss," Alex grumbled quietly to herself as she walked over to
Susan and grabbed the hose from her. "C'mon, D, quit playing with yourself and
just hold still," she said as she walked around the edge of the partition.
"Hey, hey, HEY!!" Darian protested sharply before there was a soft whoosh
of Ether being dispensed from the nozzle. The rest of the group traded weary
looks of resignation before seeming to collectively sigh in unison.
"Men," Alex grumbled as she came back around the partition and handed the
hose back to Susan. "Can't do a damn thing by themselves anymore."
Heads turned as a slightly flushed Darian came around the silk-screen
barrier, wearing a casual T-shirt and comfortable jeans with the towel draped
over one shoulder. He briefly scanned the room and came to a dead halt the
instant his eyes landed on Serena, his irises widening dangerously.
"Yeah, that's what we said," Leda said with a faint smirk.
"Serena?" Darian said very slowly.
Serena giggled quietly and shivered her wings for a few seconds. "Well,
it seemed like a good idea," she murmured as a delicate blush quickly spread
across her cheeks.
Darian glanced up and down at her barely-covered body for several seconds
before looking over at the rest of the group in stunned disbelief, seeming to
be at a loss for words.
"Don't look at me," Leda said with a helpless shrug. "I know I wouldn't
look that good wearing something like that. Hell, I don't think anyone else
would be able to achieve the same effect," she added, casting a quick glance
around the room.
"Rei might," Darian said quietly, causing the priestess to blink hard in
surprise. "But be that as it may.... Serena.... all I can say is you're simply
beautiful," he said, shaking his head slightly as he tried to throw off the
mind-numbing effects of her stunning and unearthly beauty.
"Thank you," Serena said softly as she drew close to him, leaning up to
kiss him as her wings enveloped him in a gentle embrace.
"Breathe," Mina said quietly as she poked Ami in the shoulder, almost
causing her to hit the ceiling. "Take it easy, girl, there's nothing wrong
with teasing the hell out of your boyfriend like that."
Ami blinked hard and gave her a decidedly unsettled look. "Late at night
when you're getting ready for bed and it's just the two of you alone, maybe,"
Ami countered very quietly. "But not surrounded in public by your friends."
Mina sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "We need to loosen you up a
little," the blonde grumbled softly.
"I think she looks incredibly beautiful," Michelle spoke up as she watched
Darian and Serena continue to kiss. "I mean, I personally would have suggested
a darker shade of fabric so it wasn't so easy to see through it, and I don't
think anyone would consider wearing that in public, but if all you're doing is
spending the day lounging around in the bathhouse or the royal suites, I don't
see much of a problem with it."
Darian smiled warmly as the kiss was finally broken for air. "I figured
I would take a shot at making breakfast this morning. With Leda's help, of
course, just so I don't burn anything, but I thought I'd try to come up with
something special for you," he said softly.
"Darian, I'd love that," Serena whispered with a soft smile of her own.
"Thank you."
He chuckled quietly and kissed her hand. "Maybe you should wait and see
what I come up with first," he teased dryly. "I know how to cook for myself,
but I'll be the first to admit that my standards are fairly typical for a guy
who usually only cooks for himself."
"That's what I'm here for," Leda spoke up as she grabbed his sleeve and
tugged gently. "Like I said, I've got your back. Now let's get going, I think
I can hear her stomach rumbling from here."
"Leda!" Serena gasped, giving her a decidedly amused look.
"C'mon, kids, go cook," Alex said, making a shooing motion towards the
kitchen. "I don't care if you can hear her stomach or not, I know I'm starting
to get hungry. Besides, we need to figure out what we're going to do today.
Oh, good morning," she added as she saw motion coming down the hallway.
"Fair morning, child," Master Healer Maq'i said as she slowly entered the
room wearing one of the soft white bath robes. "I trust the rest of you slept
well last night?"
There was a sudden silence as awkward glances were exchanged between the
rest of the group before Leda chuckled quietly. "You probably don't want to
ask that question, as you're liable to get six different answers. We're all
fine, Maq'i, honest. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go make sure Darian
doesn't have a blonde moment in the kitchen this morning...."
"Excuse me," Mina interrupted in a faintly edged tone.
"That reminds me," Susan spoke up as Darian and Leda headed into the
kitchen to start breakfast. "I was able to dislodge the worst of the bread
dough from the water pipes, but the smell will take a considerable amount of
time to fully dissapate. The shower is now available for personal use, but I
do not recommend attempting to do so for a number of hours."
"Thanks, Sue," Alex said with a faint blush on her cheeks, glancing over
at Mina to see an identical blush on her fellow blonde's face.
"Excuse me, dear child, but why are you.... dressed like that?" Maq'i
asked Serena in a slightly cautious tone as she gently took hold of her wrist.
A pale white glow infused itself into Serena's skin beneath the Healer's hand
as she used her healing powers to briefly examine Serena's overall health.
The blush on Serena's cheeks immediately darkened by several shades as she
held still, allowing the denizen physician to examine her. "Well.... it was
Mina's idea...." she hedged.
"Oh, come on, Serena," Mina replied with a patient sigh. "Yeah, okay, so
I thought that since Darian was supposed to be Arabic that you'd make a cute
couple if you were all dressed up as a harem girl. You're the one who made the
conscious decision to shape the Ether like that, so don't try to pin the blame
on me."
"Interesting," Maq'i said very quietly before she looked up at Serena.
"Your Highness, would you mind if I conducted a more in-depth examination for
a few minutes? Nothing is wrong, dear child, I assure you," she added.
Serena paused for a moment before nodding her assent. "Sure."
"If I may, Master Healer?" Susan spoke up carefully. "Perhaps you should
examine the Princess over there where the screen can offer some privacy," she
said, gesturing with the Ether hose to the partition. "At the same time, you
should be able to be dressed in something more comfortable than a simple robe.
Ami, would you be kind enough to assist her and show her how the Ether works?"
she said, turning to the blue-haired girl and offering her the garden hose.
Ami blinked in surprise and cast a quick glance at Maq'i, getting a soft
chuckle and a nod in response. "I know you are the equivalent of a medical
student, child, I don't mind your presence as an observer," the elderly woman
said in a gentle voice. "And I don't believe your princess does either."
"Of course not," Serena replied with a smile.
"Okay, Sue, question for you," Alex said as the three women went around
the edge of the partition with the Ether hose in tow. "What exactly are we
supposed to do today? I mean, I know Serena's here to rest and heal and the
like.... not that she seems injured or anything, but still...."
Susan absently picked her staff up from where it had been leaning against
the edge of the partition, startling the rest of the group who hadn't been
aware of its presence. "Well," the succcubus said slowly, obviously thinking
as she rested most of her weight against the staff. "I intended to spend at
least part of the day telling Serena about what I knew of how she came to be.
Depending on how often I am interrupted or breaks need to be taken, it should
take the better part of the day. As for what lies after that.... well, I am
quite open to suggestion at this point."
"Practice," Alex said instantly as she started flexing arms. "I woke up
with a few kinks in my sword arm, and I know it's been a few days since I had
a serious chance to sit down and get in a decent workout."
"Uh-oh," Mina said very quietly to Rei. "The vibe sensor is starting to
peg in the red zone all of a sudden...."
"That might actually be a good idea, Alex," Susan said with a slow nod of
understanding. "In fact, given the rather elastic and mutable nature of this
demiplane, it should be a very simple matter to construct a suitably dynamic
training environment."
Rei and Mina exchanged slightly worried glances, knowing what Luna tended
to put them through as training when she felt that they weren't keeping the
proverbial edge honed just right. The realization that Susan had probably been
the black cat's instructor hit them both at the same instant, producing almost
simultaneous heavy sighs of resignation.
"Cool," Alex said with a smug grin. "I've been meaning to find a good
excuse to toss Leda around for a few. At least this way it'll stay friendly
for the most part."
"Or so you hope," Rei muttered beneath her breath, drawing knowing looks
from both Mina and Michelle.
"Just remember," Mina spoke up in a faintly edged tone of warning, "What
comes around, goes around. Usually with compounded interest," she added.
"Heh," the blonde Viking chuckled as she flexed her sword arm, making the
muscles bulge impressively. "Don't worry, honey, I'll go easy on you."
"What flavor should we make the mattress?" Mina countered with a sly look.
"I figured you'll be ending up face-down on it quite often, so I want to make
it as comfortable for you as possible...."
"Mina!" Ami's voice could be heard on the other side of the partition,
followed by a hearty laugh from Alex.
"I like that one, hon," Alex chuckled. Rei and Michelle exchanged weary
looks before shaking their heads to themselves. They all blinked at the soft
whooshing sound of Ether being dispensed before Ami came out from behind the
partition, carefully coiling the hose up into a loop as she went.
Maq'i and Serena stepped out a few moments later, both looking slightly
embarrassed for some reason. Maq'i was wearing a variation of the simple white
robe she had worn last night, a sawtooth pattern of red triangles lining the
cuffs and edges of her sleeves and hem. A hood was neatly folded at the base
of her neck, also decorated by the sawtooth pattern around the edges.
"I thought so!" Mina suddenly exploded without warning, jabbing a finger
forward to point at Maq'i and startling Michelle hard enough to elicit a very
sharp whimper from her. "White Mage!"
"Wait, what?" Alex demanded, lowering her hand from the hilt of her Soul
Saber where she had grabbed it entirely by reflex.
"Is something wrong?" Maq'i asked in a very cautious tone.
"All last night, something about the design of your robe was bugging the
hell out of me," Mina babbled at a rapid pace. "I finally realized what it was
just now. That design is the same pattern used by the White Mage class in the
Final Fantasy series of console games!"
"Huh?" Serena gasped, turning to look closely at Maq'i's robe. Her eyes
went wide a moment later as hit her. "Wow, you're right!"
"Perhaps you should slow down and explain it a little further," Susan
suggested carefully. "What exactly are you talking about?"
Mina took a deep breath and rubbed her temples, visibly trying to keep her
temper under control. "Okay, there is a series of console games for various
platforms called the Final Fantasy series, put out by a company that is partly
based in Japan and partly based in America. In the games, which up until
yesterday I believed were purely fictional, there usually exists some type of
magic-using character who specializes in healing magic, the White Mage. And in
a few of them, including in the original Final Fantasy, the robes worn by the
White Mage looked exactly, and I mean *EXACTLY* like that," she said, pointing
a finger at Maq'i's red-on-white robes.
"Coincidence?" Susan inquired in a perfectly neutral tone.
Mina shot her a dark look. "I might believe once is a pure coincidence.
Okay, so the red triangle thing is a simple enough pattern, let's chalk it up
as just sheer luck. You weren't with us when we ran into the chocobo, so I'd
like to hear your explanation for that one. Twice? Again, maybe. Okay, then
what about the lightsaber?" she added as she dug around inside her Lunar Space
pocket to bring out the hilt of her borrowed plasma sword. "This a coincidence
too? Sorry, demon, where I come from, it's three strikes and you're out, and
this White Mage thing is most definitely the third one across the plate in my
book," she finished flatly.
Susan paused to digest that and regarded Maq'i carefully. "Very well.
Just for the sake of argument, let us presume that you are correct and that
there is a direct correlation between those events. Extrapolate for me the
significance of the correlation," she instructed.
"It means the Negaverse has been tampering with our world," Mina growled.
She paused for a moment and cast a neutral look at Maq'i. "Don't take any of
this personally, Master Healer, I know you have nothing to do with this. I'm
just going to vent in general terms for a few, that's all."
"I understand, child," Maq'i replied with a nod. "I must admit that I am
not entirely comfortable with the notion of any cultural interference, should
that be proven to be the case."
"Continue, please," Susan said gently to Mina.
"I think this one is pretty obvious, you know," Mina sighed and she looked
up at the ceiling. "If we start finding all sorts of instances in our world of
things and events and the like that just *happen* to be found in the Negaverse
in some way, shape, or form, wouldn't that mean that our culture as a whole has
been toyed with? Used as some grand xeno-social experiment? We already know
they've been trying to blend in for a number of years now. At least two, since
that's when I first ran into those bastards back in England," she added with a
sour huff. "Artemis and I never figured out just how long they had been there
before they started causing trouble."
"In Liverpool, I presume?" Susan inquired in a neutral tone, drawing a
decidedly sharp look from Mina.
"Yeah, something like that," the blonde said very slowly in an extremely
suspicious tone. "You know, something tells me that you know far more about
this one than you've let on as of late, especially for someone who supposedly
just got into town a few days ago and didn't know who Sailor V was until I said
something to you about it. I don't suppose you have anything to add about what
went down in jolly old England, hmm?"
Susan shook her head sadly. "I only know what you've told me, Mina, and
from reading a newspaper article dating back to roughly the same time period."
"Right...." Mina said slowly, casting an unfriendly look over her shoulder
as Ami nudged her in the shoulder. "What?"
"You're overlooking one possible explanation," Ami said, seeming to choose
her words with care. "In all instances, these events have ocurred within the
entertainment industry. While it may be possible that the concepts and ideas
are of denizen origin, it could be a denizen agent simply looking for a way to
blend in and earn money working as a creative designer. That in of itself
wouldn't necessarily mean that an effort has been made to tamper with our way
of life or otherwise unduly influence it."
"That's still a cross-culture contamination," Mina growled.
"With what social impact?" Ami persisted, causing Mina to pause for a
moment to think carefully. "That which is fantasy can be disregarded as just
that, fantasy. I find it rather disturbing myself to think about it, but I'm
not about to start second-guessing everything about our world just yet."
"You also have to keep in mind one thing," Rei spoke up calmly. "Not all
cross-culture contact is bad. I believe Serena is a perfect case-in-point,"
she said, turning to look at the blonde girl with glowing ribbon-like wings.
"Ooooh," Mina said quietly, wincing as she remembered her comment about
contamination. "Yeah, good point. Serena, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to try to
suggest anything bad...."
Serena sighed very quietly and looked down at her hands, studying the
highly refractive properties of her diamond-like fingernails. "Even after
hearing about it from my parents, I never truly thought of myself as having
denizen blood. At least, not until yesterday," she added in a soft whisper.
Everyone looked up as there was a very faint whispering sound, blinking
hard as a canopy of darkness unfurled behind Susan. Her wings took shape an
instant later, fluttering slightly before folding neatly against her back. The
damage from the encounter with the succubus two days ago seemed to have healed
completely without any trace of scars or other marks.
"If anyone understands the implications of having mixed blood, it is I,"
Susan said very softly, deliberately flexing her wings. "You must not ever
consider yourself to be a result of 'cross-cultural contamination,' as Mina so
tactlessly phrased it," she said, causing the blonde to cringe again. "What
you are is the loving union of two worlds, given life by two people who loved
each other very much. That the union turned out to be fruitful was very much
a surprise, granted, but that did nothing to lessen the desire for your birth
or reduce the love your mother had for you. My mother was just as surprised by
her pregnancy, but I have never doubted for an instant that I was welcome in
her life and the reality of her world. And so it must be the same with you,
your Highness. Your body is both human and denizen, but your heart will always
remain what you will it to be, and only you can ever change that."
Serena blinked and looked down at her nails for a moment before she lifted
her head back up with a soft smile. "Thank you, Chancellor," she said as she
moved forward to hug her, gently wrapping her angelic wings around Susan's
demonic wings in an unconscious gesture. Susan seemed to return the gesture in
kind, her wings arching forward to carefully surround Serena in a leathery
shroud that couldn't conceal the glow of her wings.
Rei and Mina exchanged glances before the blonde shrugged. "I'd love to
have a picture of this," she murmured very quietly. "An angel hugging a demon.
That'd give the Archbishop of Canterbury a Maalox moment to remember...."
"Mina," Ami sighed quietly, gently poking her in the back in the general
area where her kidneys were. She blinked as her vampiric hearing picked up a
very distinctive rumbling sound, causing her to blink at the volume.
"Hey, Darian?" Alex called out over her shoulder as a very embarrassed
Serena pulled away from a visibly amused Susan. "You might want to hurry up
with breakfast. You know how the Princess gets when she's hungry...."
"Yeah," Mina sighed quietly to a faintly blushing Michelle. "Things are
definitely starting to get back to normal around here...."
* * * *
"Ooo, what's that smell?" Alex drooled as a decidedly savory aroma wafted
around the banquet room the moment the corridor quit rotating and came to a
rest on their level. They were all sitting down at the large table and were
awaiting the arrival of the breakfast cart with varying degrees of hunger.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait," Mina said as she bolted upright, sniffing the
air intently. "Tell me that's not what I think it is...."
"That depends," Darian said as he and Leda rolled a pair of covered carts
over to the table. He moved his cart over between Serena and Ami while Leda
rolled her cart over to where Alex and Michelle were. "First things first," he
said as he whisked the cover off and picked up a large plate.
"Mmm, pancakes," Serena said, her eyes lighting up. Her eyes promptly
doubled in diameter as the smell registered on her nose, staring hard at the
tiny flecks imbedded within the thick, fluffy pancakes.
"Chocolate pancakes," Darian explained as he set the chocolate-chipped
breakfast in front of her, causing the rest of the table to sit up in almost
perfect unison. The pancakes were covered in a thin layer of what appeared to
be whipped cream liberally covered in rainbow-colored chocolate sprinkles. He
set a small squeeze bottle filled with a thick and decidedly viscous syurp next
to her plate and popped the top open. "With hot fudge chocolate syrup, and I
do mean very hot, so be careful."
"What the hell...?" Alex breathed quietly in surprise.
"Your Highness, that might be a bit much at this hour," Susan cautioned.
Serena looked up at him, her lower lip quivering slightly and a single
tear forming in her eyes as she gave him a starry look. She tried to think of
something to say when he leaned forward, giving her a gentle kiss.
"I know you love chocolate, my beloved," he murmured softly. "And after
all we've been through together recently, I figured you deserved to be indulged
a little bit. Hope you like them."
"I love you...." Serena whispered as she shifted her attention down to the
chocolate-chip pancakes, doing her best not to openly drool with anticipation.
Mina cleared her throat gently, her eyes riveted to Serena's plate as she
watched the long-haired blonde reach for the chocolate syrup. "Darian, old
friend, you are going to hook up the rest of the team with some of that, aren't
you?" she inquired slowly, also trying not to drool at the thought of being
able to have chocolate like that for breakfast.
"Nah, I thought I'd make you suffer," Darian said casually as he carried
a plate over and set it down in front of her. "Here's your tofu. Enjoy."
The horror was quite visible as it passed across Mina's face for all of a
quarter-second before she realized that there was more of the chocolate-chip
pancakes on her plate. She breathed a sigh of relief and stood up to give him
a very solid kiss before she sat back down and quickly attacked the decidedly
warm mass of chocolate and sugar.
"You're welcome," Darian said dryly as he went back to the cart and began
to pass out more of the pancakes to that side of the table. Leda had already
taken the cover off of her cart and was likewise busy sharing the chocolate
pancakes with the rest of the group.
"Easy," Leda chuckled as Michelle's gaze tracked the movement of the plate
with an intensity that bordered on the fanatical. She set it down in front of
her and carefully backed off, half-expecting the pancakes to be attacked with
ferocity at any moment now.
"Thank you," Michelle whispered very quietly as she reached for her knife
and fork, unconsciously licking her lips. She paused in mid-motion and glanced
to her side as she heard a hard snicker, giving Alex a dubious look.
"Don't mind me, hon," Alex continued to chuckle. "You just go on ahead
and enjoy your chocolate chips."
"Leda explained to me how giving chocolate to a denizen was not an overly
wise idea outside of controlled conditions," Darian said to Maq'i as he brought
another plate over to her. "However, blueberries are both safe for and rather
delicious to denizens, so she mixed up a batch of blueberry pancakes for you
and anyone else who doesn't feel like eating chocolate at this hour."
"Thank you, dear child," Maq'i said as the plate was set in front of her.
She paused for a moment before looking up at him with a deeply curious look.
"If I may ask from a purely medical standpoint, what exactly is the nature of
the hazard that chocolate poses to my kind?"
Darian blinked and cast a sidelong glance over his shoulder at Leda before
he leaned over and whispered a brief explanation in her ear. A delicate white
eyebrow rose up in response as the ancient Healer gave him an intrigued look,
tilting her head at a slight angle. "Really...." she said with deliberate
slowness.
"So I've been led to believe," Darian replied in a neutral tone.
"And the effect is the same on women as well as men?" Maq'i inquired with
what seemed to be genuine interest.
Darian blinked again and edged to one side, casting a questioning look at
Ami. Ami blinked in surprise at the sudden shift in attention and exchanged
glances with Mina, getting a helpless shrug in response. "I would imagine so,"
she said in a careful tone. "The only ones who might be able to answer that
for you are Whisper and Ra'vel, and I'm not sure Ra'vel would count since she's
an avian. I never thought to ask Whisper about it, but I know she's tried some
of Mina's chocolate on several occasions."
"Very interesting," Maq'i said, mostly to herself.
"Here's a disturbing thought," Darian said quietly to Ami as he passed her
on his way back to the breakfast cart. "I know chocolate doesn't exist in the
Negaverse, at least not in the form we know it, but what if it ends up being
the denizen equivalent of Viagra? Can you imagine the social and economic
benefit it could have if we started a small business exporting chocolate to the
Negaverse? It just might end up keeping certain people like Rune busy enough
to leave us alone...."
"Darian!" Ami gasped, her cheeks suddenly turning bright red. Next to
her, Mina came dangerously close to inhaling her forkful of chocolate pancake
down the wrong pipe as she burst into a fit of coughs.
Darian chuckled quietly and gave her a wicked smile. "Hey, it's just a
thought. You want chocolate or blueberry?"
Ami blinked for a moment before casting a sidelong glance at the chocolate
residue on Serena's plate that was all that remained of her first helping of
the breakfast pancakes. "Blueberry," she said in a weary tone. "I'm not sure
I want to risk having to fight Serena for the chocolate ones. Or Mina," she
added, glancing over her shoulder as Mina downed an entire glass of water in
just under three seconds, still spluttering slightly.
"Take your pick," Leda said to Alex as she held her hand over her cart.
"Blueberry," Alex said, casting another amused glance at Michelle just as
she took a humongous bite of the chocolate-chip pancakes. "Fruit is always
good for you, and like Ami said, I'd rather not have to fight anyone over the
other kind."
Leda chuckled and plunked a plate of blueberry pancakes down in front of
the blonde Viking. "I figured as much. Here you go. Susan?"
"Blueberry, if you please," Susan replied calmly with a faint smile. "I
am not nearly as inclined to indulge myself with chocolate in the morning as
her Highness is. Nor should we let her become too over-indulged," she added,
giving Darian a mild look. "All things in moderation, Prince Darian."
"Including moderation," Darian replied calmly as he reached down to gently
squeeze Serena's shoulder. "Relax, Susan, this is just one of those rare
special occasion deals." He paused and glanced down at Serena's plate before
sighing very quietly to himself. "Want some more, I take it?" he asked in a
muted tone.
"Please," Serena replied with a large smile, giving him a warm look.
Leda just shook her head as she pushed her cart over to where Rei was.
"Didn't take long for Serena to get him paper-trained," she muttered quietly,
drawing a startled look from the priestess. "Which one you want, Rei?"
Rei blinked and thought for several seconds before sighing quietly. "I'll
go with the blueberry," she said softly. "Chocolate really isn't my thing. At
least, not for breakfast," she amended.
"Tell me about it," Leda chuckled as she handed Rei a plate of blueberry
pancakes and set the last bottle of maple syrup on the table. "I figured that
would be the case, so I made sure we had more blueberry pancakes then chocolate
ones. Not that I expect they'll last long," she added ruefully as she took a
seat with a plate of blueberry pancakes for herself.
"Heh," Alex chuckled quietly as she leaned over to whisper in Michelle's
ear. "Chocolate pancakes for breakfast as a special occasion? If that happens
every time he gets laid, you'll probably get sick of them within a week...."
Michelle didn't even bother turning to look at her. She reached out with
her hand to deliver a very solid open-handed smack to the center of Alex's
forehead, rocking her back in her seat. She waited until Alex had recovered
before turning to give her a truly glacial glare, her cheeks burning a very
vivid shade of crimson with embarrassment.
"Umm, is everything alright over there?" Mina called out, giving them a
look of guarded curiosity.
"Peachy, babe," Alex grumbled back in a subdued tone as she focused her
attention on her pancakes, a faint blush of shame spreading across her cheeks.
"If only I could discipline her as effectively as Michelle can," Susan
mused to herself as she sipped on her mug of English Breakfast tea, a faint
smile forming on her lips as her mood finally started to lighten.
* * * *
"Come on, you p'tai, work with me," she grumbled as she continued to yank
hard on the wrench with both hands. She could feel it give ever so slightly
with each forceful tug, fueling her determination to work the jammed cylinder
free without resorting to calling for backup.
"You want help?" a gruff voice called from somewhere behind her.
"I got it," she growled back as she paused to readjust her grips on the
wrench, the hood, and the frame of the ground vehicle. She was essentially
topless, as were all the women in the construction bay, wearing only a pair of
steel-toed work boots and a coarse but sturdy pair of overalls that somehow
managed to keep her large breasts confined. Six massive tentacles sprouted
from her bare back, arranged in pairs to either side of her spine and comprised
of nothing but muscle. Each was easily a good five feet long and around eight
inches in circumference, ending in a slightly bulbous pad that was somewhat
prehensile.
She was using two of her tentacles to hold up the hood of the vehicle
while she worked on it and was using the other four to brace herself. Taking
a deep breath, she got as firm a grip on the chassis as she could and brought
both legs up to brace against the front of the grill, leaning forward to make
sure she had a solid grip on the wrench before putting her full weight behind
a series of yanks that bounced the vehicle on its front tires.
"Easy, Chief," the other woman cautioned as she continued to hold onto a
truly heavy chain block-and-tackle lift that kept another vehicle's engine
suspended in place. She was close to seven feet tall and was physically built
like an ogre, which did very little to accent any lingering trace of feminine
beauty she might have had at one point in her life. She was wearing a pair of
overalls identical to the other woman, the front flap of the material likewise
strained to the breaking point over her chest where her sizable breasts were
locked in competition with her massive pectoral muscles for space. In the open
engine block in front of her, a thick pink goo was moving back and forth as it
tried to secure all the joints so that the nearly half-ton engine didn't have
to be held up by someone.
There was a heavy squeal of metal as the cylinder finally gave way, the
sudden change of momentum almost throwing Master Chief Octane onto her butt.
She quickly put her feet back down on the ground and released her four-point
grip on the vehicle chassis, allowing her to steady herself before standing up
with the wrench in one hand and the jammed cylider in the other. "Aha!" she
said in triumph. "Got the little rakketh."
"The smallest victories are usually the important ones," the woman in the
far corner said demurely behind her welder's helmet. Like the others, she too
wore only a pair of boots and an open-backed pair of overalls, exposing the
silky-smooth and utterly flawless skin of her back and shoulders. She held a
metal plate over a large gash in the sheet of metal in front of her and brought
her free hand up, a small arc of plasma emerging from her exposed fingertip
where she had cut the tips off of the heavy welder's gloves she wore. She
carefully fusion-welded the patch to the metal sheet before taking a step back
to wait, content to let the weld to cool before inspecting it.
"Thank you, T'Del," Octane said with a chuckle.
"No need to make some victories harder than necessary," the hulking brute
holding the engine chain grunted. The strain of the weight was starting to
show, causing the almost obscenely large muscles of her arms to shiver very
faintly from the tension.
"I told you I had it, Gravija," Octane chided the woman as she reached
behind her with a tentacle to pick up a large screwdriver. Grasping objects
with them was slightly awkward, but it was enough to allow her to pick up most
tools and even use some others independently of her hands. "Besides, you're
still occupied with that engine mount."
<Almost done,> a very soft psionic voice whispered in her mind as the blob
of pink goo suddenly oozed over to the far end of the engine housing. A small
crescent wrench emerged from within it and was gently put back in its proper
place in the toolkit by a small pink tendril. The tendril immediately grabbed
a different size wrench and drew it back into the middle of the mass.
Gravija grunted quietly as she shifted her weight slightly. "Take your
time, want to do this right," she said in a calm tone despite the incredible
amount of weight she was holding up.
"Not like it's going anywhere without that engine," Octane reminded them
with a slight chuckle as she set the malfunctioning cylinder on the workbench
next to her. She started to turn away and paused, looking back at the device
as she heard it rattle slightly. Blinking in confusion, she leaned forward to
get a closer look, frowning as the cylinder continued to rattle slightly as if
it were being shaken.
She reached out to touch the table with a tentacle, knowing that they were
more sensitive to vibrations than her fingertips. She sighed heavily as she
could feel the slight tremor in the entire table and cast an irritated glare
over her shoulder. "Alright, where's that nympho-slut? If she left her stereo
on again, I'm going to beat the green right out of her skin...."
"Mint is with Glitter," T'Del explained calmly as she picked up a small
magnifying glass to examine the weld. "They are still out field-testing the
repairs we made to the Eighth Mountain Division's ground transport, and I know
for a fact that her stereo is unplugged at the moment."
Octane paused and glanced down at the table, blinking as she realized that
the shaking sensation was getting stronger. "Okay, so what's causing the floor
to shake then? An earthquake somewhere?"
T'Del paused before she reached up to lift up the visor to her helmet,
revealing a lock of flaming red hair and a pair of piercing green eyes that
could put the Irish to shame. Her beauty was the kind that tended to make most
men (and more than a few women) want to fall to their knees and beg for her
attention, and she was consistently ranked among the top 100 most beautiful
women in the Negaverse.
She took off the heavy gloves and knelt down, very lightly pressing her
fingertips against the reinforced concrete floor. She half-closed her eyes to
concentrate for a moment before giving Octane an intrigued look. "It's too
steady and even to be a natural seismic disturbance," she said slowly.
<Very low frequency,> the psionic voice said in their minds as the blob
finished up its work and oozed out of the engine compartment. It crawled down
the front grill and hung from the bumper for a moment before letting go to hit
the floor with a wet splotch. It quickly spread out into a wide circle shape,
its surface starting to ripple ever so slightly from the ground vibrations.
"Can I let go now?" Gravija inquired calmly.
<Oh! Yes, sorry,> the voice apologized. <Just do it slowly so you don't
stress-shock the bolts, please.>
Gravija grunted quietly as she slowly began to ease off the pressure. The
engine compartment started to creak and groan as the weight of the engine began
to settle, but it otherwise held perfectly. The metallic noises persisted for
another few moments before Gravija relaxed completely, allowing the metal chain
to go slack and hang loosely from the tackle. The chain started to rattle a
moment later as it was shaken by the vibrations that was starting to make more
than a few loose tools rattle as well.
<It's getting stronger,> the psionic voice warned as the ripples playing
along the surface of the puddle of ooze became more pronounced.
"Meaning it's getting closer," Octane grumbled as she looked around. She
headed towards the closed bay doors and slapped a tentacle against the control
panel, instructing the central shutter to start retracting.
The pink blob drew in on itself and started to ooze over to a corner of
the construction bay where a pair of empty boots stood next to a rather small
pair of overalls of the same design that everyone else wore. The goo crawled
into one of the boots and promptly swelled up, increasing in size and starting
to take on a roughly humanoid shape. A foot was slipped into the other boot as
the pink mass solidifed into the nude body of a very petite girl with pink eyes
the color of cotton-candy and a darker shade of hair the color of bubble-gum.
Most people often mistook her for a young child, despite the fact that she was
almost three hundred years old now.
"What do you think it is?" the girl said softly as she knelt down to grab
the pair of overalls, quickly climbing into them. She knew that the nearest
male was probably a good hundred miles away on the other side of the burning
desert sands that comprised the mountainous valley, but she still didn't care
to be naked for any longer than necessary.
"We'll find out, Taffy," Master Chief Octane grumbled quietly as the bay
doors rolled up enough to expose her to the blinding glare of the afternoon
sun. A puff of decidedly warm wind washed around her, sending a faint shiver
through her body. She squinted as she tried to see past the ever-present veil
of shimmering haze caused by the heated desert sands, wondering if she could
spot anything on her own without resorting to the filtered binoculars. She
blinked as she suddenly saw a plume of dust not too far away, realizing that it
was most likely from the repaired ground transport being taken on a shake-down
test-drive by Glitter.
"Huh," she said quietly as she noticed two things. The first was that the
cloud of dust seemed to be moving towards her, indicating that the vehicle was
making a bee-line back towards the repair facility. She knew that it could
simply be an illusion, the distortion effects of the desert air making it seem
like it was heading this way, but a little voice in the back of her mind was
telling her that the vehicle was indeed returning back to the bay.
The other thing she noticed was a very faint but noticeable feeling in the
air, almost as if there was a soft sound out there that was pitched too deep
for her ears to pick up and process. She absently reached out to touch the
shutter frames with a pair of tentacles, frowning as she realized that the
vibrations were definitely getting stronger. This probably isn't good, she
thought to herself as a single droplet of sweat rolled down from the mass of
her dirty blonde and extremely curly hair to run right between the uppermost
set of tentacles on her exposed back.
She glanced to her side as T'Del moved to stand next to her, holding a
pair of binoculars to her eyes. The special lenses automatically adjusted to
filter out the glare of the desert, allowing her to see with clarity. "Mint
and Glitter are returning," she reported calmly. She paused for a moment and
the very edges of her mouth seemed to twitch downward into a frown. "Judging
from the size of the dust plume, however, I would almost think that Glitter has
the throttle cracked open to maximum and is in a considerable haste."
"Now I know I have a bad feeling about this," Octane growled as she cast
a glance over her shoulder at the far end of the repair facility. Their main
communications unit had decided to suffer a rather spectacular failure of the
processing crystals last night, leaving them without a viable means of talking
to the rest of the planet in real-time. A cargo drone had been dispatched to
Sector One with the damaged crystals and a note asking for replacements, but
she knew it would probably be sunset before the drone returned back to their
facility.
T'Del lowered the binoculars and raised a delicate red eyebrow, watching
as the dust plume drew closer with each passing moment. "We may wish to step
back," she advised in a suddenly guarded tone as she started to edge away from
the open doorway. "I think she is in a most extreme hurry and may miscalculate
both the braking distance required and the spray-zone from a sudden change in
forward velocity."
"Great," Octane sighed as she ducked back further inside the facility.
"If she drags any sand in here, I'll bleach her ptanka...."
Both women suddenly flinched as the loud roar of the turbo-charged engine
reached them without warning, revving at a very high speed before suddenly
down-shifting. The heavy grinding-squeal of brakes assaulted their nerves a
moment later, followed by the unmistakable sound of a great deal of sand being
sprayed behind the skidding tires.
Octane looked down at her boots as a tiny wave of sand rolled over the
lip of the doorway and spread out across the floor. It was probably a handful
of sand at the most, easily swept back outside with a flick or two of a broom.
Okay, I can deal with that, she thought to herself as she looked up to find the
left-side of the transport not more than three feet away from the open doorway.
The door promptly opened up and a green blur seemed to explode out from
inside, suddenly talking at an incredibly fast pace that Octane couldn't even
begin to keep up with. Sighing heavily, she reached out with a tentacle and
wrapped it around the blur just as it shot past her. The end result was not
unlike a running person encountering a clothesline without warning.
"YAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIII!" the girl yelped as she went sprawling, saved from
a very painful encounter with the floor only by a quick grabbing motion from
two more of Octane's tentacles. "MasterChiefyouhaveGOTtocomeseethis!"
"Mint, slow down!" Octane growled as she hauled the naked girl to her
feet. She was almost identical in size to Taffy, having medium-green skin and
dark green eyes with long, dark green hair to match. Her body felt dangerously
warm to Octane, blinking hard as she realized that the petite nymphomaniac was
covered in sweat. She was used to Mint's penchant for running around without
any clothes on, at least when she wasn't working on something where she needed
the heavy overalls to protect her skin, but her unusually high body temperature
was another matter entirely. "Wait, what's wrong with you? Air conditioner
fail on you two again?" Octane demanded in a guarded tone.
"Three minutes out of the garage," Mint panted as she tugged herself free
from the snake-like grasp and waved both hands in front of her face at a rapid
pace. "But that's not the problem. Chief, you have got to see this...."
Octane looked over her shoulder as Glitter climbed out of the vehicle's
cockpit, just as naked as Mint and likewise covered in sweat from head to toe.
Her skin was as black as night, the sheen of sweat seeming to make her body
shine like polished obsidian. Her featureless eyes were also a uniform black
and devoid of color, making it extremely hard to tell what she was looking at
at any given moment. Her body was completely devoid of hair, her bare scalp
decorated with lines of metallic filigree that formed circuit-like patterns
that ran from her forehead clear across her skull and down her back, almost to
the base of her spine. Her fingernails had been replaced with special silicone
implants that allowed her to directly connect her nervous system to almost any
type of standard Type-II or Type-III interface.
"There's an SMT on the horizon," Glitter said without preamble, leaning
forward to rest her hands on her upper thighs. Like Mint, she too was panting
slightly from being exposed to the desert heat when the air conditioning unit
failed on them. "A big one," she rasped. "And I mean k'vesi huge."
"It could probably fill the entire valley!" Mint gushed as she leaned
against the wall, taking a measure of comfort from the cooler air inside the
repair facility.
"No SMT is that big," Octane pointed out.
"Master Chief?" Glitter said very slowly. "I might have to disagree with
you on that one. Listen carefully," she said, gesturing out to the open desert
behind her. "Hear that heavy noise? That's caused by thrusters. Big, heavy,
super-massive thrusters. And the range-finder said it's still a good ten miles
away from us."
"I believe she is correct," T'Del said quietly as she listened carefully
to the very faint, muted roar seeming to whisper out from the desert valley.
"If those are cruiser-class thrusters and they are that far away, then for us to
hear them would require that their energy output be on the highest order of
vented plasma."
"Perfect," Octane sighed wearily. "Someone decides to let a transport
traverse our airspace, and our communications gear just happens to be down so
they can't really warn us about it ahead of time." She paused for a moment and
cast a guarded look over her shoulder at Mint. "I don't suppose you were smart
enough to try using the comm-set inside the 8th MD's transport to see if you
could pick up anything?"
"Oops...." Mint said very quietly as an abashed look crossed her face.
Octane sighed and cast a reproving look at Glitter as she brushed past her
to climb into the open cockpit. She was greeted by a wave of searing heat that
made her start to sweat almost instantly, causing her to wrinkle her nose in
disgust. She knew that the vehicle wasn't suited for desert use, as the air
inside the cockpit would become dangerously hot without some form of cooling
mechanism.
Gotta make this fast, she thought as she scooted over to the controls.
She carefully moved the pair of overalls out of the way, knowing that Glitter
had probably wriggled out of them ten seconds after the AC failed. She found
what she was looking for and powered up the communications antenna, checking to
see if there was anything currently being broadcast over the airwaves that she
needed to know about. She blinked hard as the speaker promptly crackled to
life, a light on the panel indicating that it was an automated hailing routine.
"Dragoon Legion to Sector Seven, please respond.... Dragoon Legion to
Sector Seven, please respond...."
Dragoons? Here? she thought as she grabbed the microphone and thumbed a
suitable channel open. "Dragoon Legion, this is Master Chief Octane of Sector
Seven, go ahead," she said, waiting to see how long it would be before she got
a live response.
Much to her surprise, the speaker promptly crackled back with a reply.
"Sector Seven, this is DCX-Zero," a flat, somewhat feminine voice answered.
"Be advised that we are en-route to your location with a Level-2 condition in
effect requiring a five-mile exclusion zone around our immediate area. We are
requesting guidance and landing instructions to the eastern edge of your area
of operations. Be advised that this is a Priority-2 emergency event, over."
Octane blinked hard and sat back for a moment to think. A Level-2 alarm
meant that there was something dangerous going on, and a large exclusion zone
usually meant something truly nasty was taking place.... like a biological or
radiological hazard. The high priority level only added to her suspicion that
whatever was being dumped in their laps wouldn't be good for them.
Great, she thought darkly. What better place to keep something isolated
than in the middle of a desert valley surrounded on all sides by very high
mountains? That way, if it's dangerous and it gets loose, it won't survive
outside the environment for very long....
"Sector Seven copies," she said as she thumbed the switch. "Be advised
that our primary communications system is unavailable and we're having to use
a vehicle-mounted communications array. We will contact you as soon as we can
with a vector for landing. What are your requirements for landing and any
possible repairs, over?"
She waited for several seconds in edgy silence before the speaker started
to reply to her. "Sector Seven, we only require a valid approach vector to a
suitable landing site near a body of water," the emotionless voice said in a
level tone. "The five-mile exclusion zone requirement will remain in force
until we are able to certify the hazard is negated. Be advised that the local
airspace is now designated as Restricted until the Level-2 situation is safely
downgraded. We will keep you informed of any change in our condition, over."
How kind of you, Octane thought with a dour sigh. "Acknowledged, Zero,"
she said simply. "We will contact you as soon as we have a landing vector
worked out for you. Sector Seven clear," she said, putting the microphone back
on the cradle but leaving the channel open.
"Well?" Gravija grunted as Octane climbed back out of the vehicle cockpit.
Octane sighed and tossed the pair of overalls to Glitter before wiping the
minor river of sweat off of her forehead. "Ay'cha navidshi, I don't see how
you girls could stand that heat in there," she grumbled. "I've got bad news
and more bad news."
The rest of the group paused and exchanged concerned glances, knowing that
the gruff Master Chief was rarely so blatantly pessimistic about a situation.
"They aren't here to see the sights, are they?" Glitter grumbled as she slid
back into the somewhat form-fitting overalls.
"We need to give them a landing vector to the edge of the valley near the
river," Octane explained quickly. "The problem is that they must have some
kind of on-board emergency, because they've got a quarrantine around the area
for five miles. That includes both us and air traffic, so this one might be
with us for awhile."
"What's the nature of the hazard?" Taffy spoke up in a quiet tone.
"Unknown," Octane replied with a shrug. "Whomever was talking didn't say,
nor did she sound like the talkative type to begin with. At least, I think it
was a she. DCX-Zero was the call-sign. You know it, T'Del?" she added as the
redhead suddenly straightened up, her eyes widening slightly.
"DCX-Zero is the call-sign of the Dragoon Headquarters Complex," T'Del
said in a slightly awed tone. "The SMT must therefore be the actual facility
of the Dragoon Legion itself. No wonder it's so huge...."
"Waitwaitwaitwaitwait," Mint blurted out. "You're trying to tell me that
the Dragoons just attached some thrusters to their headquarters building and
started flying it through the mountains?"
"Pay attention, both of you," Octane interrupted, poking both Mint and
T'Del with her tentacles. "We can worry about the details later. Right now,
we have a Priority-2 emergency situation to deal with, and for us that means
finding them a suitable landing vector. They said they'll deal with the rest,
but we need to tell them were they can park first. T'Del...."
"Working," T'Del said as she turned around and strode towards the nearest
computer terminal, already starting to map out the local terrain in her mind.
"Glitter," Octane said without missing a beat. "For the moment, the only
working comm-unit we have is in that beast," she said, gesturing with a pair of
tentacles over her shoulder at the 8th MD's ground vehicle. "See if you can
get the AC unit working so we don't roast in there while talking. Grab Taffy
if you have to get deep inside."
"Understood," the dark-skinned woman said as she only paused long enough
to grab a generic tool-kit before heading back outside with the soft-spoken
Taffy right behind her.
"Mint, go run through a shower or something," Octane said absently as she
paused to think what else needed to be done. "You're still sweating, and I'd
rather you cooled down now before you start to reek later."
"Thanks," Mint muttered before she scampered off towards the barracks at
her usual high-energy pace.
Octane paused and looked up at Gravija, getting a casual shrug in reply.
"Yeah," the Master Chief grunted softly. They both knew that the true brain
power of the team was centered around T'Del. While both Glitter and Taffy
could more than likely hold their own against the redhead, the balance would
still favor T'Del's superior intellect and capacity for thorough and measured
analysis. While Octane knew that neither she nor Gravija were stupid, she also
knew that their capacity for problem-solving only applied to the field of
mechanics, where things tended to be far more predictable. And as for Mint's
tendency to think with her k'vesana....
She snorted quietly and headed back over to the ground transport she had
been working on minutes ago. T'Del would return with a solution soon enough,
at which point they would try to implement it. And until then.... well, the
engine block wouldn't fix itself, would it?
"So now what?" Gravija prodded as Octane picked up a screwdriver and used
a pair of tentacles to lift the hood up higher again.
"So now we wait for the others to finish," Octane said simply as she stuck
her head back in the engine compartment. "I'm not about to try to direct a few
gigatons of airborne SMT to a landing site without knowing how exactly we're
going to do it. Aw, great, the socket threads are melted! No wonder that
bastard didn't want to come out. This'll be a bitch to replace...."
Gravija just grunted quietly to herself, knowing that it had already been
a long day and that by the look of things, it had just gotten even longer....
* * * *
"You alright, hon?" Alex asked in a faintly amused tone as Michelle paused
to lean on the wall, one hand coming up to hold her abdomen.
"I'm fine," Michelle murmured in a distracted reply.
Darian gave her a concerned glance as the hallway quit rotating with a
soft thump that shook the floor. "Pancakes were just a little too dense, I
take it?" he inquired carefully, casting a quick look over his shoulder at both
Serena and Mina.
"Just a little," Mina allowed in a neutral tone. "But then again, good
chocolate is supposed to be dense. What do you think, Serena?"
Everyone blinked hard as Serena opened her mouth to reply, only to blush
as bright as a tomato as a disturbingly heavy belch suddenly echoed without any
warning. Her hands immediately flew to her mouth, but it was of course far too
late to do anything about it.
There was a moment of silence before Darian just shook his head. "I'll
take that as a compliment," he said dryly as he patted the deeply embarrassed
blonde on the back, making sure not to accidentally crunch a wing.
"Perhaps your Highness should take more time to enjoy breakfast so as not
to ingest a greater quantity of air than is normal," Susan spoke up in a tone
even drier than Darian's.
"I'm sorry...." Serena whispered, still clearly mortified.
"You're fine," Leda grumbled as she nudged her in the shoulder. "C'mon,
keep walking. Does anyone have any idea how we're doing to do this?" she added
over her shoulder to the rest of the group. "I tried to do the math in my
head, but even with the couch and three bean-bags, we're still going to come
up short a few cushions."
"What, think we can't use the Ether to come up with more furniture?" Mina
replied as they walked down to the end of the corridor and entered the living
room area.
"Where are you going to put it, babe?" Alex pointed out as she gestured
with one hand. "I mean, it looks like the floor is pretty crowded as it is."
"Move to another room?" Leda suggested, eyeballing the room.
"Can we put a solid cover on the hot tub?" Ami said a moment later. "That
way, we could use it as a sort of couch or at least a place to sit."
"Just as long as it's easily removed," Michelle countered, drawing a few
surprised looks at the outburst. "A cover sounds like a good idea, if only to
keep the water from getting dirty, but just look how big the surface is. You
won't be able to support the center without a brace of some sort."
"What about a partial cover?" Darian suggested. "Maybe rest a sheet of
plywood or whatever just over the edge here," he said, gesturing to show the
approximate dimensions and location. "See, that way you'd have support here,
here, and here, and as long as you're just using it as a bench or something,
your body weight should rest along here where it's the strongest."
"Well, maybe I can do that...." Mina said slowly.
"Susan, you said you had another hot tub somewhere in here?" Rei spoke up
in a neutral tone, causing the rest of the room to pause for a moment.
"I do," Susan replied with a nod. "It is smaller than this one appears to
be, but not by a significant factor. It will, however, take a fair amount of
time to prepare in advance as it is in need of some minor maintenance before I
can restart the heating unit."
"That'll work," Rei said as she strode forward, both hands reaching up to
her chest to touch the silver brooch around her heck. The golden crescent mark
of the Moon flared into existence on her forehead as she tugged gently on the
Imperium Silver Crystal, removing it from the brooch and holding it in the palm
of her hand.
"Wait," Mina blurted out, a sudden icy chill flooding her veins. "Rei,
what are you doing?"
"Removing the Ether," the priestess replied calmly as she held the Crystal
up to the light. "That which was brought into a sanctified area can just as
easily be expelled. Cosmic Moon Power!" she intoned as the glittering gemstone
suddenly burst into brilliance.
Everyone gasped as a shockwave of blinding light erupted outwards from the
Crystal, rushing past them with the intensity of gale-force winds. The room
was immediately filled with a thick, dense fog as the physical structure of the
hot tub was reduced to Ether, only to start breaking up at a rapid pace moments
later. The blinding glow lasted for a few more seconds before fading away,
leaving the room filled with a veil of fog that was quickly evaporating.
"Umm, guys...?" Mina's voice emerged from within the fog, pitched a full
octave higher than usual. "I've got some bad news here, and I mean REALLY bad
news...."
"We know, hon," Alex sighed heavily as she heard Michelle whimpering in
shock. "Just hold that thought for a moment. Darian?"
"Don't worry," Darian replied, sighing just as heavily as he untangled
himself from Serena's wings and headed over to the nearest wall.
The fog finally dissipated enough to let everyone see their surroundings.
The hot tub was now just a memory, having been completely blown away by the
unleashed power of the Imperium Silver Crystal. The couch and the three bean
bags were gone too, as were the forgotten defibrillator, spider web hammock,
Mina's synthesizer, and the silk screen partition. The only problem was that
when the fog lifted, Susan was the only one who was still wearing anything, as
her clothes were genuine and hadn't been fabricated from the Ether.
"Brilliant move, pyro," Leda said acidly as she glanced around the room.
Much to her relief, Darian was facing the wall with his back to the group, both
hand casually clasped in front of his groin. That did almost nothing to reduce
the intensity of the blush of embarrassment on everyone's faces, and it wasn't
very long at all before Rei found herself on the receiving end of a number of
decidedly hostile looks.
"I'm.... sorry...." Rei stammered, her cheeks almost literally glowing a
cherry red color. "I was focusing on the hot tub, not everything else...."
"We'll torture you later, hon," Alex promised with another heavy sigh.
"Quick question.... should we try this again, or should we send Susan back to
Earth to find some real clothes for us? Speaking of which.... Serena, babe,
the nude angel look is good on you, honest, but how'd you wind up losing your
little see-through harem outfit but still keep that crystal shard?"
"Huh?" Mina said, whirling around to look at Serena. She blinked hard as
she realized that the Ether-based clothes were indeed gone, but that the shard
of dimensional crystal she had forged from the Ether was still quite intact.
"Now how'd that happen?" she inquired, her sense of curiosity briefly going
into overdrive.
"Perhaps the Princess was able to resist part of the effects from the
Imperium Silver Crystal," Susan suggested. "While she may not have dominion
over it at the moment, she is still of royal blood and retains that power."
"That's nice," Alex said, casting a glance over her shoulder. "Speaking
of nice, good to see you keep yourself in shape like the rest of us, Darian."
"Thank you," Darian replied in a distinctly flat tone as he kept his focus
on the wall in front of him.
"Anyway," Leda prodded the rest of the group, "Let's focus on our problem.
Should we use the Ether again, or try to find more stable clothes to wear?"
Mina sighed and quickly jogged over to the open window, grateful to see
that the Ether was still swirling just outside. "We can use the Ether again,"
she said as she stuck her hand inside the faintly pink-tinted fog and focused
her mind on creating another garden hose. "I'm sure Rei won't be doing that
little stunt again, now will she?" she added over her shoulder, giving Rei a
very glacial look.
"I'm sorry," Rei stammered again as she glanced over at Darian, absently
resetting the Imperium Silver Crystal back into the winged torch-shape of the
brooch. The glow of the golden crescent moon sigil on her forehead slowly
faded away, but the blush on her cheeks remained in full-force.
"C'mon, Mina, hurry up," Leda said, likewise casting a glance at Darian
and trying not to stare too hard at his exposed backside.
"Please," Darian said emphatically, his nose pressed against the wall and
both hands firmly held over his nether region.
Alex shook her head slowly and looked up at the ceiling. "See, I told you
he knows how to behave like a gentleman in bad situations," she muttered. She
blinked as she heard a soft whooshing sound, turning to look just in time to
catch Mina being enveloped in a small cloud of Ether.
"There we go," Mina sighed in relief, reshaping the fog into the same
clothes she had worn before the Ether-dispersing incident. She looked up at
the group and adjusted the setting on the nozzle before aiming it at them and
bracing herself. "Okay, everyone think fast so we can get this all done at
once," she called out as she held down the trigger.
The room was promptly bathed in a curtain of fog for several seconds,
obscuring vision once again. Visibility was restored moments later as it began
to thin out, reshaping itself into individual garments around various people.
As Mina had done, almost everyone decided to go with an exact replica of what
they had chosen the first time. The only exception was Serena, who went with
the same harem outfit as before but using significantly darker shades of blue
and yellow to reduce but not entirely eliminate the see-through effect.
"Much better," Alex sighed as she patted herself down, absently noticing
that the rest of the group seemed to unconsciously be doing the same. She
paused as she noticed that Darian still had his nose to the wall and sighed
again. "You can turn around now, D, we're all decent again."
Darian cast a quick glance over his shoulder before relaxing and turning
around, leaning back against the wall with a slightly haggard look on his face.
"Well, that was an adventure," he grumbled quietly, reaching out with one arm
to draw Serena into a casual hug. "I don't mind a policy of not letting things
come between friends, but that one was just a little too extreme for me."
"Oh, give it a rest," Mina grumbled as she rejoined the group, carefully
spooling the Ether hose behind her. "You would just love to see all of us
standing around completely naked and you know it."
"You'd be surprised," Darian countered quietly, casting a sidelong glance
at Serena. Serena blinked and gave him a slightly suspicious look before
shaking her head and deciding that she really didn't want to know.
Leda sighed and rubbed her temples. "Just get on with it, kids," she said
in a weary tone. "Okay, so now that the floor is cleared out, how about we
stop and think about this one for a moment? How exactly do we want this new
furniture setup to turn out?"
"Individually?" Mina suggested, toying with the diameter of the nozzle.
"Each person gets whatever they want? That way, it'll be the most comfortable,
as we all don't share the same ideals about such things."
"That might be prudent," Susan said with a nod.
"And I can make a love-seat or two for the various love-birds," Mina added
before Alex could open her mouth. The Viking smirked and settled on a nod of
agreement, drawing a soft smile from Mina. "Okay, great. Objections?" She
waited for a few seconds to see if there would be any before her smile widened
and she brought the hose up. "Didn't think so. Okay, Susan, you're going to
be the center of attention for this one, so you go first."
"Very well," Susan said with a slight nod of her head. She waited until
Mina had dispensed a large blob of the Ether before passing her hand through
it, willing it to condense into a small but decidedly plush armchair.
Alex raised an eyebrow as Susan sat down and made herself comfortable.
"Feeling a little regal today, are we, Chancellor?" she inquired idly as she
studied the Victorian design of the armchair.
Susan gave her a slightly unamused look. "I happen to favor the design,"
she said in a faintly arched tone.
"Don't worry about the color of the cushions," Leda grumbled. "Mina, just
toss out another lump of fog, someone will grab it soon enough so we can get on
with this. What?" she added as she felt someone lightly grab her elbow.
"No need to be impatient," Ami said quietly. "Remember, we're not going
anywhere anytime soon."
"Whatever," the brunette replied with a soft grunt.
"Serena?" Mina said as she formed another spherical ball of fog.
Serena looked up at Darian and smiled before she stood up on her tip-toes
to give him a deep kiss. She then crossed the room to stand in front of the
mass of Ether, idly twitching her wings as she thought about what to do. She
tilted her head for a moment before she straightened up and passed her hand
through the swirling fog, causing it to condense into a very large wooden frame
in the shape of a goblet with a very short and thick stem but with a shallow
and extremely wide cup. The inside of the cup was composed of thick strands of
nylon rope, woven together like a spider web and padded with very large red
satin pillows. The end result looked slightly odd but obviously provided more
than enough room for two people to snuggle together in comfort.
"Huh," Alex said slowly as Serena grabbed the base of the frame and tilted
it slightly, angling it so it looked more like a wicker chair than a short-
stemmed goblet. "That actually looks pretty cozy, to be honest."
"It should be," Serena said in a somewhat sly tone as she gingerly sat
down and scooted back, making sure not to snag her wings on anything. She
paused and looked around at the frame before extending her wings out to very
carefully wrap them around the web-like supports, anchoring herself in place.
Satisifed that her wings were both secure and now out of the way, she looked
back up at Darian and gestured for him to join her.
Darian blinked in surprise before crossing the room to sit down next to
her in the oversized chair, blinking again at how soft it felt despite being
made out of hard wood and nylon webbing. Shrugging to himself, he fluffed up
a pillow for his backside and tucked his legs in, trying to make himself as
comfortable as possible. He blinked yet again as his weight caused the frame
to roll back on the mount, returning the cup to a horizontal position that left
him pressed up against Serena in a most inviting fashion.
"Anyway," Alex said with a rueful shake of her head, ignoring the look of
surprise on Darian's face and the slightly mischievous look on Serena's. "Not
my idea of a good place to curl up, but to each their own. Next one, Mina."
"Tag, you're it," Mina smiled sweetly in reply as she swept the hose back
and forth, creating a low-lying rectangle of fog.
"Mina?" Michelle said hesitantly as she took a step forward. "Can you add
a little more, please? Over here?" she said with a gesture. She watched as
Mina nodded and pressed the trigger again, adding more of the fog to the rough
shape to make an L-shaped mass of Ether. "Thank you," Michelle said with a
smile as she focused her thoughts.
"Do I want to ask, hon?" Alex said in a guarded tone as the fog began to
solidify into a couch. She blinked as it retained the L-shape, looking like a
couch that had gotten bent between the first and second cushions. "Okay...."
she said slowly as a series of pillows suddenly sprouted up like mushrooms.
"Here," Michelle said as she sat down on the short end of the couch. She
curled up part-way, tucking one pillow behind her back and another one in her
lap. She patted the cushion next to her and waited for Alex to sit down. As
soon as the blonde did so, she reached up to grab her arm and gently pull her
down until her head was resting in her lap. "Stretch out," she said softly.
"Ahh, I get it," Alex cooed as she stretched herself out, taking up the
entire long portion of the L-shape. Michelle remained curled up on the short
side, her legs streched out several inches for comfort and able to still keep
Alex's head resting in her lap at the same time. "I like this one, love. Good
thinking," she said, giving her lover a smile.
"I knew you would," Michelle purred softly as she leaned over, giving the
blonde a soft kiss.
"Next?" Mina offered as she started to spray the Ether into another blob.
It was apparent she was simply going around the room in a circle, creating each
item in such a way as to allow the occupants to view the rest of the group
without having to unduly twist any necks.
"Just a sec," Leda spoke up before Ami could draw in a breath. "I think
I see how you've got this one planned out here. Why don't you see if you can
fluff out that cloud and move it over there?" she said with a gesture. "You
can make something for someone there, put a couch for me over here, maybe put
another chair over this way, and what you can do is set up shop along the back
wall there. You know, leave you plenty of room for your synthesizer and all."
"Hmm...." Mina said, narrowing her eyes as she remapped the layout of the
furniture in her mind. "You know, that might just work. Okay, fine, we'll do
it like this," she said as the blob of Ether in front of her congealed into a
bean bag. She picked it up and casually heaved it against the far wall to get
it out of the way before she carried the hose over to the other side of the
room. "Okay, now let's try this again...." she said as she opened the nozzle
on the hose. She paused and blinked hard as nothing came out, causing her to
repeatedly squeeze the trigger. "Umm...."
"Mina?" Darian spoke up as both he and Serena suddenly sat up hard. "I
think I see the problem here," he said slowly, pointing to part of the hose.
Mina turned around to look, blinking hard as she saw a very large bulge in
the middle of the garden hose as if something was stuck. "What the hell?" she
demanded, scowling at the unknown clog. She unscrewed the sprayer nozzle from
the end of the hose and set it down, keeping one eye on the open end of the
hose while she carefully approached the bulge in the line.
"I'm not even going to ask," Alex muttered as she watched Mina gingerly
poke at the swelling. She blinked as Mina muttered something toxic beneath her
breath and went over to the window, returning after a few seconds with a large
wooden rolling pin commonly found in most kitchens.
"Mina, that may not be wise," Susan cautioned as Mina tied a knot in the
hose well behind the clog.
"Trust me," the blonde grumbled as she held the rolling pin down against
the hose and began to roll her way along its length.
"Prince Darian," Maq'i spoke up very quietly. "Perhaps you should take
the princess into the hallway for the moment. I do not have any precognitive
powers, of course, but I suddenly have a rather unpleasant feeling about this
situation."
"Relax," Mina sighed as the rolling pin encountered the clog. It resisted
her motions for several seconds before slowly being driven down to the open end
of the hose. "I think I know what this is. Aside from pretty damned silly,"
she added sourly.
"Perhaps you should enlighten us, then," Susan suggested archly as they
all watched the blockage approach the end of the hose.
"You'll see," the blonde grunted as the lump reached the end and remained
stuck. Taking a deep breath, she rolled the pin back a few inches before she
lunged forward, putting an incredible amount of pressure on the swelling. It
resisted for a moment before it suddenly shot out of the end of the hose as if
fired from a cannon, impacting against the far wall as a pink blob of goo with
a truly sickening splattering sound.
"Oh, that is so gross," Alex winced as Michelle turned away, making quiet
gagging sounds to herself. "I had a bad pimple once, but not that bad." She
blinked hard as Michelle promptly curled up into a tiny ball, shivering hard
at the mental image. "Whoops. Sorry, hon...." she apologized.
"Ick," Ami moaned as she likewise fought off a case of the shivers. "Ick,
ick, ick, ick, *ICK!*"
"Ewwwwwwww," Serena whimpered quietly as she also curled up into a ball as
best she could while keeping her wings anchored to the back of the oversized
chair. Darian patted her shoulder consolingly while he stared at the mass of
ooze that seemed to take its time sliding down the wall to pool on the floor.
"That was not necessary, Lady Uranus," Susan said flatly as she cast a
look of disapproval at her.
Mina casually tossed the rolling pin in the corner and moved over to the
end of the hose, screwing the nozzle back on before going back to untie the
knot at the far end. "Hello, Myst, so glad you could join us," she growled
over her shoulder as she returned to the business end of the hose and very
carefully squeezed the trigger, producing a small fluff of Ether.
"Umm, guys?" Alex said slowly as the blob finally reached the floor and
didn't move. "If that is Myst, we might have a problem. I mean, I remember
her doing that last night and all, but she at least seemed alive then...."
"She's alive," Rei spoke up quietly, staring at the puddle.
"She might not wish she was, though," Darian said slowly, leaning forward
to try to get a better look. "I don't know about this one. Susan, can you
tell if she's hurt or something?"
Susan blinked and started to rise up from her armchair. "I might be able
to," she said slowly before Maq'i moved over to kneel down next to the puddle.
"Master Healer?" she inquired carefully.
"Let me see," the denizen said quietly as she carefully reached out to
brush her fingertips against the goo. It was sickeningly warm to the touch,
causing her to wrinkle her nose in disgust at the contact. She held her hand
in place, however, and began to send her healing energies into the mass to see
if she could determine anything of remote value.
The soft white glow of her powers spread throughout the puddle for several
seconds before it began to quiver beneath her fingertips. Not able to sense
anything at all, Maq'i carefully withdrew her hand and continued to observe the
pink puddle as it very slowly started to draw in on itself. The process slowly
continued until the goo had formed a roughly spherical shape before seeming to
explode outwards without warning, shaping itself into the familiar form of a
gray Lunar kitten.
"Myst, are you alright?" Susan called out carefully.
It took several agonizing seconds for the kitten to respond, her eyes
remaining firmly closed. "Never again...." she moaned almost inaudibly.
"Let me guess," Mina grumbled. "You were poking around outside in the
Ether, saw something of interest and went to check it out, and ended up getting
sucked into the intake of the Ether pump I just created?"
"Never, ever again...." Myst whimpered as she finally cracked her eyes
open, trying to focus on her surroundings while a truly massive headache ran
rampant in what passed for her skull.
"Heh," Alex chuckled quietly. "I guess curiosity really does kill the
cat," she said to the room, drawing a very unhappy look from Michelle.
"That's not funny," Michelle pouted.
"Nothing wrong with curiosity," Mina countered with a faint frown. "How
else do you find out about neat and cool stuff if you never check it out?"
"Ask someone else from a safe distance?" Darian muttered, drawing a very
faint giggle from Serena.
Leda sighed heavily and walked over to Myst, carefully scooping the kitten
up and cradling her in her arms. "Just make the damn couch already," she said
to Mina, ignoring the reproving look on Ami's face. "You alright, kitty?"
"That hurt," Myst said quietly.
"Most learning curves tend to do that to you," Leda agreed as she waited
for Mina to finish dispensing the mass of Ether. She paused and looked over
her shoulder as Ami edged past her to touch it before she could, forming the
fog into a low-lying and well-cushioned couch. "Thanks, I think," she said as
Ami sat down on the far end of the couch and curled up, leaving enough space
for Leda to claim at other end without feeling cramped.
"Master Healer?" Mina spoke up as Leda sat down with a soft grunt. "You
have something in mind, I hope?"
"I do," the ancient denizen replied with a nod. She waited until Mina had
finished dispensing the Ether into a spherical shape before she made her way
over and passed her hand through it. The fog started to reform into a large
oval shape before solidifying into a modest chair that looked like an egg with
a cushion jammed in the hollow center.
"Now there's a design you don't see every day," Alex commented as Maq'i
eased her weight into the chair. Everyone blinked as it made a slight creaking
noise as she settled into place, suddenly having second thoughts about the
stability of the eggshell-like design. "Umm, is it supposed to do that?" she
spoke up, giving Maq'i a concerned look.
Maq'i chuckled and made a casual gesture of dismissal. "Not really, dear
child, but it is modeled after the chair in my personal quarters back in the
Imperial Castle. The chair in question was fashioned from a ter'aka egg, and
is probably as old as I am. And, I must admit, tends to creak just as much,"
she added with a dry chuckle.
Mina looked at her for a moment before nodding in understanding, privately
wondering just how old the Healer was but not wanting to be rude by asking in
public. "As long as it's comfortable," she said in a cheerful tone as she
turned and aimed the nozzle in Rei's general direction. "You're next, pyro,"
she teased, giving her an impish look.
Rei gave her an unamused look and watched in silence as a slow-moving jet
of Ether was directed across the room. "That's enough," she said after only a
moment, causing Mina to blink in surprise before she cut off the flow.
"You sure?" Mina prodded her as the fog began to form a low-lying swirl on
the floor, barely a third in size of any of the other constructs.
The priestess said nothing as she concentrated, not even bothering to try
to touch the Ether. It continued to swirl around in a slow circle before it
split up, forming a single cushion set in the center of a ring of a dozen very
long red candles. She went over to the cushion and sat down without another
word, closing her eyes and turning her focus inward for several seconds. The
candles arrayed around her all began to smoke briefly before igniting in unison
with a soft whoosh, casting a series of oddly-colored shadows around the room
as the wicks started to burn with green fire.
"Hey!" Alex protested as she sat up, staring at the dark green flames.
"Rei, you soak the wicks in boron or something? What's with the color?"
"Hmm?" Rei said as she opened her eyes. She glanced at the nearest taper
and blinked hard before regaining her composure. "Interesting," she said in a
quiet tone. She studied the odd glow for several seconds before shrugging in
dismissal and turning her focus inward once again.
Mina gave Rei a puzzled look before she glanced over at Susan. "Ignis
Fatuus?" she inquired in a very cautious tone.
"Possibly," Susan allowed in a very guarded tone. "However, as it is a
construct of Rei's will, it is simply what she wants it to be. And seeing how
her Excellency does not appear to be concerned about it, then perhaps neither
should we," she suggested before settling back in her chair.
Alex sighed quietly and exchanged glances with Michelle, getting a blank
look and a helpless shrug in response. "Okay, do I even want to ask what that
Ignit Fat-whatever is supposed to be?" the blonde asked slowly.
"Ignis Fatuus," Susan corrected gently out of sheer reflex.
"Swamp gas," Ami spoke up, drawing an odd look from Mina. "Organic matter
decays in a swamp, gas bubbles up to the surface, and sometimes ignites either
on its own or from an external source. The glow is called the Ignis Fatuus,
and more often than not it's green."
"I thought that was a Willy-wisp," Leda spoke up.
"Will-o'-the-wisp," Susan said with a very quiet sigh of patience.
"They're the same," Ami replied.
"Umm, not exactly," Mina countered quietly as she began to spray down a
line of Ether. "Fire burns orangish-yellow because of the warmth of life,
drawn from the wood and organic fuels it consumes. That which burns green is
taken from the seeds of the soul. Ignis Fatuus, the flames of the spirit," she
explained in a soft, almost reverent tone.
"Ooooooookay...." Alex said slowly, giving Michelle another odd look.
Susan tilted her head to one side for several seconds, observing Mina as
she finished recreating her synthesizer. She knew that the decidedly chaotic
blonde girl was essentially the same as the energetic and somewhat explosively
outgoing Mina she had known back in the Moon Kingdom, but with more than a few
surprising differences. Her own knowledge of the supernatural and the arcane
bordered on being encyclopedic, having been exposed to it all since birth and
the seven centuries since, and it was an understatement to say that she was
quite intrigued as to how a normal human such as Mina's grandmother could have
learned so much about things which were actively kept as secretive as possible
by those who knew of them.
"Okay," Mina said cheerfully as she set the Ether hose aside and grabbed
the bean bag from the far wall, tossing it behind her synthesizer's keyboard
and plopping down on the gelatin cushion. "That's everyone, right?"
"Unless Susan has someone hiding in a closet I don't want to know about,"
Leda replied dryly as she absently scratched Myst behind her ears. She paused
as she saw the subtle flicker of emotion across Susan's face and felt an icy
chill form in the pit of her stomach. "Susan, don't tell me you ARE hiding
someone else in this keep...." she said very slowly.
Susan sighed and shook her head slowly. "Only a semi-intelligent plant
suspended in cryo-stasis and my collection of soul runes," she replied. She
raised a hand to forestall the expected outburst from Alex and Michelle, as
well as the questions from the rest of the group. "Suffice it to say that the
only living creatures in this demiplane are within this room, and the rest you
need not be concerned about. Despite what misinformed views some of you may
have about the nature of my soul rune collection, possession of them is not
inherently evil."
"No, only using them is," Alex spoke up in a truly acidic tone.
Darian cleared his throat gently as he sensed the sudden shift in mood.
"We don't want to ask about this one right now, do we?" he spoke up in a rather
cautious tone, absently squeezing Serena's hand.
"Indeed, now would not be a good time to discuss such things," Susan said
with a gentle nod of her head. "It is a rather sensitive topic and quite prone
to volatility, especially when misunderstood," she added, casting a brief look
at Alex and Michelle.
"Sure, Sue," Alex replied coldly. "Whatever you say."
"Guys?" Leda spoke up. "Take it easy, okay? We can sort it out after
dinner or something. For now, I want to hear about Serena's parents and how it
all came together. Such as it were," she amended with a faint blush.
Susan smiled gently and looked around the room, seeing if anyone else had
something to say. Satisfied that the previous topic would be deferred, she sat
back in her armchair and closed her eyes for a brief moment. The memories she
sought to unlock were not that old, but even recent memories tended to be very
easily buried in the depths of her demonic mind.
"I have already told you part of the story earlier," she said in a quiet
but still clearly audible voice. "About how the Negaverse first came into
contact with the Moon Kingdom. I didn't meet Captain Raijen until a number of
hours later in the evening. Dana was still a good hour away from delivery, and
so I was able to try to take care of some personal business in the medical
wards before the evening's festivities...."
* * * *
Pluto crossed her arms and sighed darkly as she noticed that the medical
ward was empty. She had a pretty good idea where the ward's occupant was at
the moment, despite stern medical orders to remain in bed. Part of her really
couldn't blame her for sneaking out yet again, but at the same time, she knew
that she had to get her to understand that such willful violation of medical
authority had consequences.... both social and medical.
She was about to turn around and head over to the nursery when the door
opened up and a young girl slipped into the room, carrying a white kitten in
her arms. She took all of three steps into the room before freezing in place,
her jet-black eyes widening in unpleasant surprise at finding Pluto standing
next to the bed. "Oh, Susan...." she stammered quietly, her pale face losing
even more color.
"Hotaru Tomoe," Pluto said very slowly in the universal tone of severe
disapproval that every mother knew and every child dreaded hearing. "What are
you doing out of bed?"
"I was only going to the bathroom, I swear," Hotaru blurted out quickly.
Pluto paused for the moment, knowing that she had only been in the room
for less than a minute and that it was entirely plausible that the young girl
had indeed merely stepped out to use the toilet. "And what of Artemis?" she
asked in a neutral tone, giving the kitten a slightly guarded look.
"I found him wandering the hallway when I came back," Hotaru explained as
she quickly crossed the room and set Artemis on the foot of the bed. She then
climbed back into bed and made herself comfortable before reaching down to
scoop the kitten up and snuggle him in her arms.
"She did," Artemis piped up, reflexively purring as he was scratched just
behind his ears.
Pluto sighed quietly and shook her head to herself. While it was possible
that the kitten was lying to keep Hotaru out of trouble, she had a hunch that
they were both telling the truth and that she had merely caught the girl at an
inopportune moment. "Very well," she replied in a slightly relaxed tone. "So
how are you feeling?"
Hotaru briefly rubbed Artemis' stomach before sighing and looking up at
her guardian. "Not too good," she admitted in a somewhat pained voice. "I'm
having a hard time keeping my balance when standing up."
"Which is something you should not be doing on a frequent basis," Pluto
immediately countered in a somewhat gentle tone. She knew that Hotaru's health
had been rather fragile since her birth, an extremely problematic event that
cost Hotaru's mother her life to deliver and had almost claimed the infant's
life as well. "How much time did you spend in the nursery earlier?" she asked
in a careful tone, trying to avoid upsetting the girl.
Hotaru blinked and looked away, a very pale splotch of color tinting her
cheeks that made Pluto feel very uneasy. While Mercury's almost hourly scans
of the girl indicated that her heart was moving her blood around at a normal
pace and pressure, her seeming inability to blush properly had more than a few
of the medical staff deeply concerned.
"Until I got Alexis to calm down after the alarms went off," Hotaru said,
her voice tainted with a tone that Pluto had come to recognize as an indication
that she was deliberately trying to be evasive. She knew that the girl would
never lie to her, having personally raised her and making quite sure that she
understood the importance of trust and speaking the truth, but she knew that
Hotaru had also picked up on her tendency to be somewhat evasive when put in an
uncomfortable position. Fortunately, she knew how to deal with that....
"Hotaru," she said in a flat but gentle tone.
"Well.... I don't really know," Hotaru replied, looking up at her with a
somewhat abashed look on her face. "I didn't look at the clock or anything, I
just kept Skye and Alexis company until Alexis went back to sleep. Amelia was
here with me the entire time as well," she added plaintively, nervously rubbing
Artemis' soft white fur and drawing a soft purr in response.
A soft, almost subvocal sigh rose up from the depths of Pluto's throat as
she looked at the young girl. "You are going to exacerbate your condition if
you persist in exerting yourself," she warned gently, knowing that it was a
futile battle but feeling compelled to fight it anyway.
"Does it matter?" Hotaru replied quietly, causing Pluto to blink hard in
surprise. She sighed and looked down at the sheets surrounding her, absently
running her fingertips through Artemis' extremely soft white fur. "Every time
I read the cards for my future, I get the same thing. A reading like that may
have been simple luck of the draw the first time, and perhaps a simple fluke
the second time, but three times? Four? Five?"
"Hotaru...." Pluto said in a deeply worried voice. She was fully aware of
the girl's innate, almost supernatural attunement with the underlying forces of
the universe. It was the legacy of the House of Saturn, although it had been
three hundred years since the last Sailor Saturn had been gifted with as strong
a sense of astrology as Hotaru currently possessed. Never consciously shaped,
the attunement could be read and interpreted through various mediums, and as
with her ancestor, this Sailor Saturn also favored using a deck of tarot cards
as the focus for her predictions and divinations.
Hotaru sat up and carefully set Artemis in her lap before reaching beneath
her pillows to withdraw the ancient deck of tarot cards that had once belonged
to her great-grandmother. She quickly shuffled the deck with practiced ease,
her hands moving almost too fast for even Pluto's demonic eyes to follow before
dealing out five cards face-down in an arc in front of her. She then looked up
at the succubus and slowly began to flip the cards over, her jet-black eyes
never leaving Pluto's red eyes for an instant.
"The Moon," she said before she flipped over the first card to reveal the
image of a dog and a wolf howling up at a gigantic full moon. "Death," she
whispered before she touched the second card and turned it over, revealing the
image of a red-robed being holding the banner of a white rose.
"Stop it," Pluto said very quietly as an icy chill gripped her.
"The Lovers," Hotaru continued, still staring at Pluto as she flipped the
third card over to reveal the image of a man and a woman holding hands as they
basked in the sunlight in naked glory. "The Wheel of Fortune," she added as
the fourth card was flipped over to show the picture of a cosmic wheel, the
symbol of destiny and fate.
"Hotaru, please," Pluto whispered. "Cease this at once."
Hotaru's eyes narrowed slightly as she reached for the last card, still
never taking her eyes off of Pluto. "Judgment," she almost spat as the last
card was flipped over to reveal the card that often denoted the final reckoning
of whatever it was associated with. "That's six times now, Susan, six times
I've gotten this exact same reading."
Pluto swallowed hard and looked down at the cards, acutely aware of the
deep chill still surging through her veins. "Very well," she said softly. She
continued to stare the cards for several seconds before returning her focus to
Hotaru. "So tell me what it means," she instructed gently, preparing herself
for the worst.
Much to her surprise, the young girl merely sighed heavily and looked down
at the kitten in her lap. "That's what bothers me the most," she replied in a
sullen tone as Artemis looked up at her with deep curiosity. "I haven't been
able to figure out what it means in its entirety. I know it means I will die,
however, and soon."
"Sailor Saturn, listen to yourself," Pluto said briskly, startling both
Hotaru and Artemis. "How many times have you had to explain to others that the
sign of Death means change and not literal death?"
"Tends to mean change," Hotaru corrected quietly, giving her a saddened
look. "I know what it means in this context, Susan, it's the direct influence
card. What keeps throwing me off is the presence of The Lovers in the center
of this, I simply have no idea what shape, form, or impact it has. I've never
run across a reading this.... this...."
"Ambiguous?" Pluto suggested carefully.
"Unreadable!" Hotaru blurted out, her eyes widening slightly. "I honestly
have no idea what it means, and it's been driving me crazy for three days!"
"Hotaru...." Pluto started to say.
"Susan, I've *NEVER* had a reading I couldn't interpret!" Hotaru continued
speaking at a frantic pace, causing her breath to start to rattle in her chest.
"Sure, there have been a few times where it took me a bit of time to figure it
all out, but I've never had a reading like this. Never!"
"Calm down," Pluto said quickly as she suddenly realized what the abrupt
increase in stress was doing to Hotaru's condition. "Hotaru, lay down before
you have a relapse. Breathe through your nose and don't inhale too deeply."
The girl blinked and sighed in resignation as she laid back against the
pillows. The surge of anxiety left her as quickly as it had come, leaving her
feeling drained of strength and causing her lungs to rasp quietly with each
drawn breath. "I'm sorry," she whispered to Pluto. "I just...."
"Take it easy," Pluto said reassuringly as she reached out to take her
hand in her own. "You must understand, you cannot exert yourself for too long
without the strain taking a toll on you."
"Hotaru?" Artemis spoke up as he leaned forward, putting his front paws
on her stomach for balance. "What's wrong?" he inquired, giving her a curious
but deeply concerned look.
Hotaru managed a wan smile as she reached out with her free hand to rub
his head. "I'm sick, Artemis," she said, choosing her words carefully in an
effort to explain things to the kitten. "I have to rest a lot if I want to get
better, but I haven't been doing that very well lately."
"Why not?" the kitten protested, giving her an upset look.
A very faint and pale blush sprang to her cheeks as she cast a sidelong
glance at Pluto, the blush darkening by a fraction of a shade as she saw the
look of veiled amusement in Pluto's eyes. She knew that it meant Pluto would
refrain from saying anything, leaving it up to her to try to explain herself to
the kitten. She figured it was a form of punishment, but one that she thought
she probably deserved anyway.
"It's not easy," Hotaru said carefully. "I can't just curl up anywhere
and sleep away half the day like you can. Even though I'm sick, I'm still a
Sailor Scout and I still have duties to do."
"Duties which you have been relieved of until you get better," Pluto said
in a neutral tone.
"Official duties, yes," Hotaru countered. "But I still have to help out
when needed. Like when the security alarms went off earlier. I couldn't join
the others to protect the Queen or investigate the disturbance, but I could
still help Amelia by keeping Alexis calmed and occupied. That left Amelia free
to secure the ward and made Skye feel better knowing that her baby was being
protected."
The words had been directed to Artemis, but Hotaru was keeping a careful
eye on Pluto's reaction. A faint change in her expression and a slight tilt
of her head told Hotaru that the succubus was mulling over her words, and that
her initial impression was not one of negativity. The mood suddenly shifted
when the inner doors opened up to discharge a somewhat harried-looking Sailor
Mercury. "Move," she growled at Pluto as she started to charge past her.
"Something wrong?" Pluto inquired calmly as she took several steps back,
forcing Mercury to pass near Hotaru's bed.
"Lucille says Dana is in labor," Mercury sighed as she paused, pulling her
diagnostic computer out of a pocket of the large white coat she had pulled on
over her dark blue Sailor Suit. "I don't think it's true labor yet, just a
series of pains from her body fighting the herbs, but I promise you that her
daughter will be born before midnight, so I may as well get ready now. What?"
she blurted out as she glanced down at the readings on her computer.
She blinked hard and looked up at Hotaru before she glanced at where she
was aiming the medical scanner at. "Oh, of all the things," she growled as she
reached down to pick up the white kitten by the scruff the neck, holding him up
so she could look at him at eye-level. "Which one are you?"
"Artemis," the kitten whimpered quietly, knowing he was in trouble.
"Ahh, Chamomile's son," Mercury replied in a stern but patient tone. "Let
me explain this one to you, Artemis. This is my medical ward, Sailor Saturn is
my patient, and you're interfering with my medical scans of her. I don't mind
your presence here as long as you stay out of my way and don't shed any fur.
I find one white cat hair and I'm going to restring my harp with you. Are we
clear on this?"
"Yes, Doctor," the kitten replied in a very chastised voice.
"Good," she said as she gently set him down at the foot of the bed. "Now
you stay put for a few minutes while I finish up here," she instructed as she
reset her computer and tried to scan Hotaru again. She studied the readings
for several seconds before sighing heavily and giving the young girl a very
reproving glance. "Do I have to tranquilize you to keep you calm?" she said
in an openly exasperated tone.
"I'm sorry," Hotaru said in a quiet voice. "I just...."
Mercury sighed and held up a hand to forestall the explanations, putting
her computer away in the coat pocket before running both hands through her mane
of dark blue hair. "Hotaru, work with me," she pleaded quietly. "I can only
do so much for you, the rest you have to do on your own. Yes, I can try having
you put in restraints and kept under sedation, but we both know that will do
more harm than good in the long run. You have to remain in bed and keep your
exertions to a minimum if you want to get better. And you could help," she
added, turning to Pluto and jabbing her in the shoulder with a finger.
"I'm trying," Pluto replied in a dry tone. "She's about as easy to rein
in as you were at her age, and I believe that is saying something."
Mercury just grumbled quietly to herself and ran her fingertips through
her hair again. "Some friend you are," she muttered quietly. She sighed to
herself again and turned back to Hotaru. "Do you think you need anything in
terms of herbs or poultices?" she inquired in a somewhat softer tone.
The young girl thought about it for a moment before shaking her head. "I
don't think it will do any good at this point," she replied sadly. "I just
need to rest like everyone keeps telling me to, that's all."
Mercury just looked up at the ceiling in resignation. "Believe me, young
lady, if I could put rest in a syringe, I'd load you up with 50cc every hour,
on the hour, for the next week. Just stay in bed and try not to move around,
okay? I know it's boring, but boring is better than comatose or worse."
"I know," Hotaru replied in a subdued tone.
"Spoken like a true teenager," Mercury muttered before the outer doors of
the ward were pushed open as Sailor Mars stuck her head in.
"Amelia?" Mars prompted. "Lucille says you should hurry up, and I'll not
repeat what Dana suggested you do," she said in a remotely amused tone.
"Tell her to cross her legs and breathe deep, I'll be there in a moment,"
Mercury growled. "Just as soon as Hotaru understands the error of her ways."
"You're in a mood today," Pluto observed to her best friend as Mars just
shook her head ruefully and disappeared back into the main hallway. "I haven't
seen a bedside manner this rough since...."
"Susan?" Mercury said flatly, cutting her off with a sharp gesture. "In
case you haven't noticed, I've been busy all day dealing with that doctor of
theirs and I haven't eaten a thing since dinner last night, seeing how we all
got distracted during breakfast and never bothered to break for lunch."
"Shame on you, Doctor," Pluto admonished her.
"Stuff it, Chancellor," Mercury grumbled back with a faint blush.
"And you expect me to take better care of myself?" Hotaru muttered beneath
her breath, causing Pluto's eyebrows to arch up and Mercury's complexion to
take on a distinctly purple tint.
"You must be running a fever," Mercury said as she looked around the room.
"Here, let me take your temperature. Where'd I put that rectal thermometer?"
"Amelia," Pluto said flatly as Hotaru's eyes widened dangerously, "Go see
to Dana, as I assure you that Hotaru will still be here once you've been fed
and your temper allowed to cool. We both know how unreasonable you tend to get
when you haven't eaten," she reminded her gently.
Mercury paused to inhale very slowly through her nose before letting it
back out in a heavy sigh. "You're right," she said quietly, casting a glance
at Hotaru. "But she still needs to rest."
"Go," Pluto ordered in a neutral tone as she took the blue-haired woman
by the elbow and ushered her towards the door. She accepted the glare she got
in the general spirit of the deep friendship that existed between them and
waited until Mercury had left the ward before sighing quietly.
"Are we still in trouble?" Artemis inquired carefully.
"Depends on how much chocolate she has during dinner," Hotaru replied.
"Hotaru!" Pluto exclaimed, a faint smile tugging on her lips.
Hotaru giggled quietly and sat up, making a face as her weakened body
protested the move. She carefully scooped the tarot cards up and began to
shuffle them again, her hands unconsciously moving at a rapid pace out of pure
reflex. "Let's see what our future Sailor Neptune will be like," she said as
she flipped over a single card, revealing the image of a young girl standing on
a beach holding a golden goblet in her hand. "Hmm, Page of Cups."
"That usually denotes the birth of a child, does it not?" Pluto spoke up
with obvious humor in her voice. "Seeing how Dana is in labor, I would think
that the birth of a child in her future is patently obvious."
"Wrong context," Hotaru replied with a smile of her own. "In this case,
it means that she will be a rather artistic and free-spirited child. Hmm, what
if I expanded this just a bit?" she said, mostly to herself as she flipped a
second card over. An acrobat walking a tight-rope had a sphere in each hand,
a five-pointed star etched into each and a ribbon wrapped around them both to
form a Mobius strip. "Odd.... the Two of Pentacles. The Balance... of what?"
"Draw a third card?" Artemis suggested innocently, prompting faint smiles
from both women. "What, what's so funny?"
"I believe that she intended to draw a third card when she decided to draw
the second," Pluto explained calmly.
Hotaru winked at the kitten before she flipped over another card, this one
of a young girl wearing a pair of winged boots holding a large sword in her
hands. "Page of Swords. Insight and Perception? Well, if that's the focus
of balance, then I guess she'll be quite the handful to deal with, as she'll
be both artistic and perceptive. Susan, is something wrong?"
"Odd indeed...." Pluto said slowly, tilting her head to one side. "Didn't
you draw the Page of Swords last month when you did the reading for Alexis?"
Hotaru blinked and looked down at the cards, furrowing her brow as she
thought about it. "It's possible," she said. "I don't remember, to be honest,
but the suit of Swords is associated with the House of Uranus in many ways...."
They both looked up as they heard a loud yell, followed by the outer doors
of the medical ward being flung inward to admit a wheeled gurney pushed along
by Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus. Sailor Mercury was right behind the gurney,
talking soothingly to a very pregnant and obviously laboring Lady Dana Kaiou of
the House of Neptune.
"Move," Mars sighed as she and Venus wheeled Dana into the inner ward.
"This is going to take awhile," Mercury said to Pluto with a weary look on
her face. "Feel free to inform her Majesty that she should not expect any of
us to attend the banquet tonight. And if you can find Master Healer V'lent'u,
please let her know that Dana has agreed to allow her to observe."
"Can I watch?" Hotaru spoke up, her expression brightening. Her sudden
change in mood lasted for precisely two full seconds before Mercury turned to
give her a piercing look that made her wilt.
"You are in no condition to be out of bed," Mercury said sternly. "You
got to see Alexis being born last month, so there isn't anything new to see.
If you behave and stay in bed, I will take you to see Dana's newborn in the
nursery after everything has calmed down. Now if you'll excuse me...."
"Artemis," Pluto said as Mercury entered the inner ward. "Would you be so
kind as to pass word along to her Majesty? I believe she is either in the main
throne room or out on one of the balconies."
"Okay!" the kitten said excitedly as he leapt to the floor and ran out of
the room, slowing down only long enough to squeeze past the outer doors before
vanishing into the hallway.
Pluto and Hotaru looked at one another and both opened their mouths to say
something when the inner ward doors opened back up. "Hotaru!" Mercury called
out as she stuck her head into the ward. "Lie down before I tie you down!" she
said before disappearing back inside and allowing the doors to close again.
Hotaru blinked hard and gave Pluto a dubious look before sighing heavily
and reluctantly laying back down on the pillows. "She's mad at me, isn't she?"
the young girl muttered quietly as her expression twisted into a mild pout.
Pluto smiled gently and shook her head. "She's about as upset with your
intransigence as the rest of us, but she's not mad," she said in a moderate
tone. "We all are worried about you, Hotaru, and we all would like to see you
get better. Which will not happen unless you start heeding medical advice,"
she added in a faintly edged tone.
Hotaru sighed and nodded reluctantly, rolling over onto her side so she
could bend down to scoop up the ancient tarot cards. She carefully eased her
weight onto her back and absently started shuffling the cards, a low-stress
activity that Pluto had come to realize was surprisingly cathartic for her.
"Susan, how long do you think I'll live?" Hotaru spoke up, the question
completely catching Pluto off-guard.
"What?" Pluto blurted out before she regained her composure. "Hotaru
Tomoe, what in the name of the Moon are you talking about?"
The young girl briefly paused shuffling the well-used cards to give her a
saddened look before resuming her habitual activity. "I'm not stupid, Susan,"
she said very quietly, looking down at the cards. "We both know I'm not strong
enough to fight this indefinitely, and lately I've been getting weaker with
every passing day. Amelia can't figure it out, even with her computer, which
means she can't truly help me."
Pluto said nothing for several seconds, torn between wanting to lash out
in anger at Hotaru's acceptance of her fate and wanting to tell her the truth,
which would crush any lingering spark of hope left. She knew that Hotaru's
health would continue to degenerate over time, eventually leaving her without
the ability to walk or even move. Hotaru herself had once said, if only as a
joke, that she wished that she could remain healthy just long enough to yield
her virginity to a suitable lover when she was of age. She knew that she would
never be able to bear a child, or at least survive the attempt, but had joked
that she should at least have the good grace to try when she was older....
The joke had drawn a faint smile from Pluto, but Mercury almost suffered
a full-blown seizure from the comment. The resulting backlash of raw emotion
from the normally mild-mannered physician, while understandable, only convinced
Hotaru that she had no sense of humor and reinforced Pluto's judgment not to
allow the joke to be repeated to the Queen or anyone else.
Pluto nearly jumped as she felt a hand take hold of her own, looking up to
see Hotaru sitting up and giving her a concerned look. Sighing quietly, Pluto
squeezed her hand gently before making a gesture. "You should not be sitting
up, young lady," she said, unconciously using the motherly tone she had seemed
to develop over the years.
Hotaru didn't move, looking at her intently. "What are you thinking?" she
asked softly.
Pluto sighed again and chose her words very carefully. "We both know your
health is not what it should be," she said slowly. "While I am not under the
illusion that your time in this world will be a protracted one, I am confident
that you will still be with us for some time. Granted the nature of your state
of health is an unknown, even to me, but it is certainly not a death sentence
that requires us to start searching for a limestone slab with your name on it
to place in the Royal Crypts."
Hotaru looked at her for a moment before giggling to herself, drawing a
decidedly uncertain look from the succubus. "Of course you don't have to go
search, they're all stored in the House of Saturn vaults," she said with an
impish smile, referring to the storage location of the unfinished tombstones.
"Hotaru!" Pluto exclaimed, slightly dismayed by the dark nature of the
girl's sense of humor. In another time and place she might have found it more
deserving of a chuckle, but under the current circumstances, the downshift in
her mood spoke a great deal about her bleak outlook of the future.
They both looked up as the inner ward doors swung open to discharge a
visibly disturbed Sailor Mars. She strode past the other women and entered the
outer ward without a single word, seeming to trail a proverbial stormcloud over
her head as she went.
Hotaru turned to watch the doors close behind her before looking up at
Susan, her eyes widening slightly. "Wow," she said quietly. "Aria looked to
be upset about something."
A faint hint of a smile touched Pluto's lips as she shook her head. "As
she didn't appear to be inclined to either grab the nearest solid object and
throw it across the room or set fire to something combustible, I would say that
she was sent on a quick errand that she would rather not be doing."
Hotaru nodded slowly in understanding before glancing down at the deck of
tarot cards in her free hand. Disengaging herself from Pluto, she started to
shuffle the cards again and was poised to flip one over when Pluto reached out
to put her hand over the deck.
"Perhaps you may wish to avoid asking that question," Pluto suggested in
a faintly amused tone, drawing a startled blink from the girl. "If I had to
make an educated guess, I would say that Aria is paying a brief visit to Kayla
in an attempt to find something that will settle both Dana and Amelia's nerves.
Seeing how it is almost time to get ready for tonight's banquet, I would guess
that she will return with tea and crackers for Amelia and perhaps a small piece
of dense chocolate for Dana."
"Oh," Hotaru said quietly. "Okay, then...."
They both blinked hard as the outer doors opened back up to allow Mars to
re-enter the ward, holding a small steaming pot in one hand and a small covered
tray in the other. She cast a dour look at Pluto as she passed by, grumbling
something inarticulate beneath her breath as she gently kicked the inner doors
open and went inside.
"That was fast," Hotaru commented before she turned to look at the still-
open outer doors. "Oh, hi, Kayla!" she called out, waving a greeting.
"I was wondering when someone would convince Sailor Mercury to eat," the
young woman replied with a faint smile. She glanced over at Pluto and shook
her head gently. "Chancellor, I know the good doctor is busy, but you still
need to take better care of her," she chided.
Pluto chuckled quietly in acceptance of the observation. "How are the
preparations for the banquet coming along?" she asked Serenity's personal chef.
"Almost done," Kayla replied with a nod of her head. "It's going to take
slightly longer than usual because we're trying to avoid using anything that is
on Lady Mercury's list of ingredients that would have an adverse effect on our
guests. Would you believe that includes virtually every spice in my cabinet?"
she added, giving the green-haired woman in incredulous look.
"They are from another world," Pluto reminded her gently. "Would you
honestly expect our respective digestive systems to be that similar?"
Kayla sighed wistfully and shook her head. "No, of course not, but we
should have *something* in common, aside from breathing air," she pointed out.
"I can't even use any paprika or basil, how am I supposed to make a decent
dinner without those?" she complained.
"I'm sure her Majesty's trust in your cullinary skills is not misplaced,"
Pluto said diplomatically, drawing a dour look from the auburn-haired woman.
"And I am sure that any minor deficiencies that happen to be noticed will be
more than overlooked should our guests find it to their satisfaction. Just do
your best, Kayla."
"Thank you, Chancellor," she grumbled as she started to head back out into
the hallway. She paused and took a step back into the ward, looking down at
the ground with a surprised look. She then took another step back and moved
off to the side, holding the door open to allow a heavily pregnant gray cat to
enter the room carrying a decidedly wet Artemis by the scruff of his neck.
"Diana?" Pluto inquired as she walked over, her eyebrows arching up in
surprise. "What happened?"
The gray cat carefully set Artemis down and made a face, spitting out a
small wad of wet white hair. "Pleagh. Artemis here thought he could take a
short-cut around the fountain in the courtyard and fell in," she grumbled.
"I'm sorry," Artemis coughed as he braced himself. He blinked hard as he
was promptly picked up by Pluto before he could shake more of the water out of
his fur.
"Not even going to ask," Kayla sighed as she edged around Diana and went
back into the hallway.
"Artemis, unless you desire to become part of Amelia's harp, I strongly
suggest you don't attempt to shake yourself dry in here," Pluto warned as she
strode over to the supply closet to find a blanket. "Did you find the Queen?"
"He did," Diana spoke up as she gingerly picked up the small hairball and
flung it into a ballistic trajectory that terminated perfectly in a trash can.
"In fact, I believe her Majesty may be on her way here once she finishes with
her new acquaintance."
Pluto blinked hard, momentarily distracted from her task of rubbing the
slightly-coughing kitten dry. "Oh?" she inquired, deeply intrigued as to what
the cat was referring to.
"One of the guards for our guests," Diana explained as she surveyed the
room. She blinked as she saw Hotaru looking at her and sighed quietly. "Oh,
what are you still doing here?" she grumbled good-naturedly as she made her way
over to the bed and looked up at the edge to gauge the distance.
"Tell me about it," Hotaru sighed as she moved away from the far end of
the bed. She watched as Diana crouched low for several seconds before leaping
up, amazed that the cat could still jump that high even with the extra bulk and
weight of her pregnancy.
"Am I to presume that her Majesty has started to take an interest in one
of them outside of the normal diplomatic channels?" Pluto inquired in a very
delicate tone as she continued to rub Artemis dry.
Diana glanced at the door before clearing her throat. "I am not privy to
her thoughts, of course, so I can only make conjectures based upon what I see
and hear on my own. He said his name was Raijen and identified himself as a
captain of one of their guard units, the Dragoons I believe. Serenity, being
the diplomatic monarch that she is, offered the services of our tailors to him
to provide a suit of formal wear for tonight's ball as well as offering to
personally instruct him in the basics of dancing."
Both Hotaru and Pluto blinked in surprise, knowing that the Queen was more
than capable of holding her own on the ballroom floor but was not quite skilled
enough to teach others the art. The look on Pluto's face darkened slightly a
moment later as something else came to her mind, resulting in a very faint
chill running down her spine.
"Well, that's certainly nice of her," Hotaru said carefully as she leaned
forward to run her fingertips along Diana's back.
"It is," Diana allowed with a soft purr, arching her back by reflex at the
young girl's touch. "I believe he was more than surprised by her offer, but
before he could say anything we had to mount a rescue mission for Artemis."
"I'm sorry!" the kitten whined plaintively.
Pluto chuckled very quietly as she continued to rub the damp kitten. "So
what happened after that?" she inquired.
Diana sighed and laid down, taking the bulk of her weight off of her feet.
"This is where it gets interesting," she explained. "Raijen puts his helmet on
and leaps off the balcony, hops into the fountain to grab Artemis, and then
leaps back up to the balcony railing. Boom, splash, boom, just like that."
"What?" both Pluto and Hotaru echoed in the same instant.
"That's what we said!" Diana exclaimed. "It's almost twenty feet straight
down to the ground from the balcony, but he just jumped down and right back up
like it was nothing! Well, almost nothing," she amended. "I think that second
jump did something to his armor. It seemed to spark and vent some green gas
when he landed, and he didn't look too happy about it. Then again, with the
way he looks with that helmet on...." she said, trailing off and shivering hard
to herself.
"Huh," Hotaru said slowly, her eyes wide with wonder.
"A booster, I would imagine," Pluto said thoughtfully. "And it sounds
like it shorted out after being exposed to water. That might have posed a
hazard to him...." she said, her voice trailing off as she turned her thoughts
inward.
"Serenity ordered me to take Artemis here to have him checked out after
that, so I have no idea what was said after I left," Diana finished with the
feline equivalent of a shrug. "But just between the four of us, I think that
a connection of some sort was made between them."
"Are you kidding?" Hotaru said with a soft giggle. "After saving Artemis
from drowning? Trust me, he'll definitely be on the Queen's good side for
quite awhile...."
"Hotaru," Pluto admonished her with a soft smile, knowing it was almost a
guaranteed truth.
"Well, I'm just saying...." Hotaru giggled again as she carefully ran her
hand along Diana's swollen abdomen. She blinked as she felt movement beneath
her fingertips and paused to try to get a better feel for it. "Oh, Diana!" she
exclaimed, her expression brightening.
"Yes, I know," Diana said dryly. "Active bunch, aren't they?"
"Are you in any discomfort?" Pluto inquired, knowing that the cat was due
to give birth almost any day now.
Diana paused before flicking her tongue out to briefly preen her whiskers.
"Well, I'm not sure," she said slowly. "They've gotten awful active lately,
and I swear they're taking turns using my bladder as a kicking bag. It's been
driving me insane for a week."
Pluto finished rubbing Artemis dry and carefully set him on the floor,
keeping one eye on his movements to make absolutely sure he was fine. "They
aren't cramp-like feelings, are they? Spaced out at regular intervals, even if
it's an hour or so between waves?"
"Well...." Diana started to say before becoming as still as a statue, her
chest barely rising and falling as she breathed. "I haven't been paying much
attention to that, really, but now that you mention it...."
"Uh-oh," Hotaru spoke up.
"Don't say that," Diana sighed heavily.
"If I may suggest," Pluto spoke up with a faint smile, "I would urge you
not to try to have your litter until Amelia is finished with Dana's delivery.
Otherwise, you may find yourself under someone else's care for the duration."
"I'll see what I can do," the gray cat said in a tone as dry as any Earth
desert. "And if you can find a way to hold them back for a day or two, I would
of course be extremely grateful for your help."
"Do they make corks that big?" Hotaru teased, drawing a dark look and a
playful swat from Diana's paw.
"Hotaru," Pluto sighed quietly. She shook her head to herself and put the
blanket in the used linen bin and sorted through the supply cabinet, finding a
tube of moderate-strength burn gel in the back of one of the shelves. The bulk
of the pharmaceuticals were kept in a locked storage room elsewhere in the
medical ward, but more than a few common herbs and medications were available
for use by the other medical staff.
"Diana, could you remain here with Hotaru for awhile?" she inquired as she
tucked the tube into her Lunar Space pocket. "I am going to consult with her
Majesty to ensure everything is ready for tonight."
The cat nodded in understanding and made herself comfortable. "Of course,
Chancellor, I'll keep her out of trouble. And if she doesn't cooperate, my
claws still work just fine," she added, giving Hotaru an amused look as she
flexed her paws to reveal the ivory claws.
"Gee, thanks," Hotaru muttered. She looked down as Artemis leapt up onto
the bed and snuggled next to Diana. "Oh, phew," she gagged, waving her hand in
front of her face. "Artemis, you reek...."
"What?" the white kitten blinked, starting to sniff himself intently. "I
don't smell anything," he protested.
"Wet cat fur," Hotaru said dourly, drawing a faint smile from Pluto.
"Just lay down and you'll be alright," Pluto instructed her as she headed
for the door to the outer wards. She knew that Diana was just as concerned for
Hotaru's health as the rest of them and would strive to keep her as relaxed as
possible. She might even be able to convince the girl to lay down and take a
nap, daunting task that it was.
She sighed quietly to herself as she left the medical wards and headed
into the Royal Palace proper, her thoughts already darkening slightly as she
sorted out a new twist in their current situation. Something hadn't sounded
right about Diana's story about Serenity's new acquaintance, and she wanted to
sort it out for herself in case things were not as they seemed.
Of course, she reflected as she walked, few things really were as they
seemed, but that was another matter (and another headache) entirely....
* * * *
It took slightly longer than expected to find Queen Serenity, but Pluto
eventually ran into a pair of palace guards who pointed her over to the Royal
Suites in the western part of the palace. A guard was standing post outside
one of the rooms, which seemed like a good place to start as any. Nodding to
the guard, she pressed the door chime and listened carefully for a response on
the other side.
The door promptly opened up to reveal the lavender-haired figure of Queen
Serenity. "Susan," she said slowly, a slightly confused look forming on her
youthful face. "What are you doing here? I was led to believe that you were
with Hotaru in the medical ward."
"Your Majesty," Pluto replied with a curtsey. "Diana is watching over her
for the time being. Are you busy at the moment?" she inquired carefully.
Serenity blinked and blushed gently before shaking her head. "No, I am
merely seeing to our guests," she said as she stepped aside, gesturing for her
best friend to enter. "Please, come with me for a moment," she said, leading
Pluto into the suite.
Pluto nodded and followed her inside, blinking as she suddenly felt a very
faint but still discernable chill in the air. It wasn't related to the room
temperature, and it took her several seconds to realize that the feeling was
spiritual in nature. It wasn't the spectral chill of the spirits of the dead,
but it was still enough to raise the hair on the back of her neck.
They entered the equivalent of the living room of the suite to find a man
wearing a suit of heavy armor carefully sitting on one of the chairs. A large
helmet was set on top of the table, and several pieces of armor from his leg
were neatly laid aside as he worked with what appeared to be machinery on the
inside of the armor.
He looked up at their entrance and immediately stood up, wincing slightly
as his weight was put back on his leg. "Your Majesty," he said with a bow of
his head, causing a stray lock of his shoulder-length blonde hair to tumble
into his line of vision.
"Raijen, I would like you to meet Lady Susan Meiou of the House of Pluto,
Chancellor of my kingdom and one of my most trusted advisors," Serenity said
as she gestured to Pluto. "Susan, this is Captain Raijen of the Negaverse."
"Captain," Pluto said with a respectful nod of her head, keeping her
expression perfectly neutral.
"My lady," Raijen replied with a nod of his own.
"I understand we have already had a minor adventure this evening?" Pluto
said as she turned to Serenity, giving her a slightly curious look.
An odd smile spread across Serenity's face as she glanced over at Raijen.
"You could say that," she replied. "A kitten ended up in the fountain in the
courtyard, and Raijen was kind enough to rescue him for me."
"Some calls to action must always be heeded," Raijen rumbled quietly. "No
matter whom is doing the calling."
Pluto glanced over at the odd smile on her Queen's face before mentally
shaking her head to herself, knowing that Hotaru's comment was exactly right.
"I assure you that we are most grateful for your efforts, Captain," Pluto said
with a soft smile. "In fact, your Majesty, I looked over Artemis myself and
could find no health concerns to worry about. Save for the minor problem of
having wet fur," she added with a note of humor, causing Serenity to giggle
very softly to herself. The giggle was hardly expected, drawing yet another
mental head-shake from the succubus and making her reassess the situation.
"That tends to happen when a kitten gets wet," Serenity allowed with a
soft smile.
Pluto nodded and turned her attention back to Raijen, pausing slightly as
the faint chill reasserted itself for a moment. "However, Captain, I have been
told that you may have damaged something in the effort?" she inquired in a very
careful tone, studying him intently for his reaction.
Raijen sighed quietly and nodded before sitting back down, apparently
trying to make sure that the weight of his armor wouldn't overburden the chair.
"Indeed," the said with a faint grunt. "I apparently neglected to ensure that
the weather seals on my joints had been properly secured before entering the
water, and I believe I suffered a booster failure because of it. It is of no
great importance, I assure you," he added quickly.
"But you injured yourself as well," Serenity spoke up, her voice clearly
laced with concern.
"Be at ease, your Majesty," the armored figure replied. "It is a minor
burn at worst that shall heal itself within days."
"Be that as it may, Captain," Pluto said slowly as she pulled the tube of
burn gel from her Lunar Space pocket and held it out to him, "We do try to take
proper care of our guests. This gel should aid the healing process as well as
numb the pain."
Both Raijen and Serenity blinked in surprise, briefly exchanging glances
before the Dragoon rose to his feet to accept the gel. "Thank you, my lady,"
he said with a deep bow of his head. "The gesture is most appreciated."
"Susan?" Serenity inquired as the tube was handed over. "How exactly did
you know about the burn? Diana and Artemis left before it was discovered."
Pluto hesitated for a brief instant as she noticed Raijen's head coming up
to look at her, his bright blue eyes narrowing slightly with the faintest hint
of suspicion. "A logical deduction, your Majesty, nothing more," she explained
to them both. "Diana told me about a spark and some escaping gas, and I took
that to mean some sort of mechanical failure. As such failures are typically
accompanied by a burst of heat, I thought it likely that our guest suffered a
moderate burn of some degree from the event and prepared accordingly."
Serenity blinked before turning to give a warm smile to Raijen. "Now you
see why I value her counsel so highly," she said in a soft tone.
"A wise woman indeed," Raijen said with a nod of his head before returning
his focus to his armor.
"If I may, Captain, do you require assistance with that?" Pluto offered,
studying him intently again. "While neither her Majesty nor myself have any
great knowledge of armor such as yours, I'm certain I can find someone among
the guards who can help with the repair work."
"Thank you, my lady, but that is not necessary," Raijen replied with a
shake of his head, causing his hair to spill out from inside his armor and flow
around his shoulders in a blond cascade. "At your Queen's insistence, I will
escort her to this evening's dinner and save the repair work for tomorrow. I
may need to request access to a workshop for a short duration, but that is all
I would require. I assure you that your hospitality is more than sufficient
and greatly appreciated."
"As I said before, we try to take proper care of our guests," Pluto said
in a diplomatic tone. "I will make arrangements to have you escorted to our
metalworking facility tomorrow at your leisure. If you will be so kind as to
excuse me, I have to consult with her Majesty about...." she started to say,
only to pause as there was a loud knock at the door.
"That should be the tailor," Serenity said demurely.
"I see," Pluto said slowly. "If you will excuse me for a moment?" she
said before withdrawing to answer the door. She was almost at the door when
she paused for an instant, casting a quick glance over her shoulder to catch
Serenity smiling rather warmly at Raijen. Sighing quietly with resignation,
she turned her attention back to the door and opened it, knowing that things
had just gotten decidedly more interesting.
"Good evening, Chancellor," the middle-aged man said with a bow. "Her
Majesty sent for me to help attire one of our guests, and I was directed to
report here."
"Indeed," Pluto said demurely as she stepped back to allow the tailor to
enter the suite. "The Queen and her guest are inside the main room. Please,
come with me," she said as she bade him to follow her. She led him into the
suite and into the living room, pausing in the open archway. "Your Majesty,
the tailor you have sent for has arrived," she announced quietly.
"Your Majesty," the tailor said as he gave the queen a deep bow.
"Thank you for coming," Serenity said with a soft smile. "This is Captain
Raijen of the Negaverse Dragoons. And as you can see, he is in need of a suit
of formal wear for tonight's ball."
"It would be a pleasure, your Majesty," the tailor replied before giving
Raijen a respectful nod of his head. "Evening to you, good sir."
"Good evening," Raijen replied with a respectful nod of his own.
"Your Majesty, perhaps we should let them take care of business while we
discuss a few matters of business ourselves?" Pluto suggested in a delicate
tone with a casual and indirect gesture towards the door.
Serenity seemed to sigh quietly before turning to Raijen. "It never seems
to end," she said gently. "I look forward to seeing you again tonight at the
banquet, Captain. Thank you once again for saving Artemis."
"The pleasure is mine, your Majesty," Raijen rumbled softly with a slight
nod of his head.
"Rest assured, your Majesty, I shall have him properly attired within the
hour," the tailor promised with a deep bow.
"Assuming this joint seal didn't melt," the armored figure muttered as he
cast a decidedly dark glare at the exposed mechanics of his leg armor.
"Your Majesty?" Pluto prompted gently, drawing a distinctly odd look from
the queen before both women headed towards the door. Pluto cast one final look
over her shoulder just as they left, still able to feel the faint spectral
chill in the air and not liking it one bit.
"Susan...." Serenity said slowly as Pluto closed the door behind her, "Is
it just me, or are you being unusually impatient for some reason?"
"Impatient, your Majesty?" Pluto replied in a somewhat surprised tone,
allowing the emotion to briefly be seen on her expression. "I'm not sure I
understand what you mean."
Serenity sighed and shook her head to herself. "Nevermind, Chancellor.
So what matter of business do I need to attend to?" she inquired in a slightly
weary tone.
Pluto paused for a moment before turning to the guard that had quietly
started to follow them as an escort. "I will escort her Majesty to her private
chambers to assist her in getting ready," she said in a neutral tone. "Our
guest will need an escort to the ballroom, and he should be ready within an
hour. Please see to it that someone will be waiting here."
"Understood, ma'am," the guard said crisply with a salute before returning
to her previous post outside the suite door.
"Susan?" Serenity prompted in a suddenly guarded tone as they resumed a
casual pace towards the palace proper.
"There is something about your new acquaintance that deeply bothers me,"
Pluto said very quietly, drawing a hard blink of surprise from the monarch.
"To begin with, he was not among the eight individuals I encountered when we
first met the representatives from the Negaverse, nor were any of them wearing
any sort of heavy armor such as that."
Serenity paused as she thought about it, almost causing Pluto to ram into
her elbow. "Perhaps he was called in as relief for the other guards?" she said
in a hesitant tone. "If they operate in shifts as ours do, it make sense to
see different faces at different times. And if he is a guard captain, I don't
see why he wouldn't wear ceremonial armor. After all, ours do...."
Pluto sighed quietly, realizing that this was definitely going to be one
of the rare uphill battles against a preconceived notion. "Serenity, I think
you need to look past your initial feelings on the matter and think objectively
about this. The armor he was wearing was hardly ceremonial, as ceremonial
armor doesn't come equipped with booster mechanisms or triple-layer metal
sheeting around the joints. I wouldn't expect you to have noticed that, of
course, but the armor he wore is too heavy to be anything other than combat-
oriented armor."
Serenity stopped dead in her tracks and turned around to face her best
friend, a distinctly uneasy look forming on her face. "Susan, what are you
trying to say? You think he's lying about who and what he is?"
Pluto shook her head and chose her words carefully. "I am not saying that
at all, I am merely pointing out discrepancies as I notice them. Another such
discrepancy is who he claims to be. He says he's a Dragoon and that he is a
captain of the guard, but if you remember earlier, Colonel V'Kaar introduced
Lieutenant Commander T'Cer as a Dragoon, but as his intelligence officer. One
does not mix Security and Intelligence in a division, as they perform vastly
different functions."
Serenity raised a delicate lavender eyebrow. "You're making an assumption
that their military is organized along the same lines as ours," she pointed out
in a faintly edged tone.
"That is entirely possible," Pluto conceded with a nod. "However, given
the extensive integration of their military in their society, I find it highly
unlikely that they would be combined in a single division."
The queen was silent for a number of moments as she contemplated what this
might mean. "So what do you suggest I do?" she finally asked very quietly.
Pluto sighed softly and shook her head again. "I only ask you to remain
vigilant and exercise caution, Serenity. I do not have any conclusive proof or
anything to validate any suspicions I have. May I remind you that this is a
first-contact situation between cultures, and it is prudent to err on the side
of caution and not allow personal feelings to cloud your better judgment."
Serenity blinked and cast a somewhat piercing look at Pluto. "I will try
to keep that in mind, Susan," she said in a slightly cool tone. "What exactly
do you mean by personal feelings?"
"A generalization, your Majesty, nothing more," Pluto replied demurely.
"You are, by your very nature, and open and loving individual, and I would not
like to see that become abused or otherwise taken advantage of by our guests.
It may be easy to assign benign motives to them, but you must still be wary of
all the possibilities. I am not suggesting that you don't trust them, merely
that you take your time in extending a greater degree of trust than may be
warranted at this time."
Serenity looked at her in silence for several moments before looking off
into the horizon, staring at the cloud-swirled blue planet hovering low in the
evening sky. "Very well," she said quietly.
Pluto felt herself age ten years as she stifled the urge to sigh again.
I might as well get this over with, she thought to herself as she slowly took
a deep breath. "You like him already, don't you?" she said softly.
"What?" Serenity blurted out, turning around to face Pluto with a startled
look on her face. She caught the knowing look on the succubus' face and felt
a blush start to creep up into her own face. "Susan, I'm not sure I understand
what you mean...."
Pluto merely raised an eyebrow at her. "Perhaps that might work on the
rest of the Kingdom," she said in a reproving tone. "That may even work on
Amelia if she's distracted. But you still have a lot to learn if you think you
can lie to someone who not only assisted with your birth but spent the next two
years changing your diapers," she pointed out. "You may amend your statement
at your leisure."
A faint smile of irony touched the corners of Serenity's mouth, knowing
that only Susan could possibly get away with chastising her like that. "What
do you want me to say, Susan?" she said in a faintly tired tone. "He didn't
know who I was when he came across me on the balcony. He treated me not just
as a lady, but as a woman. I found that to be.... distinctly refreshing from
always being treated as the Queen."
Hotaru's comment about being on Serenity's good side bubbled up in Pluto's
memory, prompting her to bite the tip of her tongue for a brief moment to keep
herself from either smiling or shaking her head. "And was that before or after
he rescued Artemis from the fountain?" she prompted carefully, trying to get a
feel for just how genuine Serenity's feelings appeared to be.
Serenity blinked at the question, a very faint blush springing to her
cheeks. "That was before," she said in a somewhat soft tone. "We had a short
conversation before that took place. But I'm sure Diana told you all about it
already," she added in a faintly accusing tone.
"Diana is, as we all are, concerned as always for your Majesty's state of
health and well-being," Pluto said diplomatically. "Which encompasses far more
than just your physical health."
"Spare me the platitudes, Chancellor," Serenity said in a dry tone. "I
know everyone is keenly interested in all that transpires in my social life,
regardless of how trivial or mundane it might be."
Pluto permitted herself a very quiet laugh. "Very well, your Majesty, I
will desist until I am convinced that you no longer know what you are doing in
regards to your interactions with our guests."
"Thank you, Susan," Serenity said with a measure of heartfelt relief and
gratitude. She began to walk towards her private chambers in the palace when
she suddenly paused and looked over her shoulder at her best friend and most
trusted advisor. "Susan.... seeing how this is a first-contact situation....
can any of us truly say we know what we're doing?"
"I see your Majesty understands the situation," Pluto deadpanned as she
made a gesture for Serenity to continue. "Now then, if you will forgive my
impatience, we do have to get ready for the festivities in an hour. If you
will allow me to escort you to your chambers...?"
"Thank you, Susan," Serenity muttered softly as she wondered, not for the
first time, what exactly she did to deserve having the green-haired and often
mysterious woman as a pillar of support in her life.
* * * *
The rest of the room was deathly quiet for a number of moments as Susan
quit talking, bringing a faint smile of satisfaction to her lips. She often
used the length of silence following one of her stories as a sort of gauge of
just how intrigued her audience was by her narration. And if past stretches of
silence were any indication of success, this particular story was definitely
one of the better ones.
"Wow," Mina said quietly. "It's starting to sound like a love-at-first-
sight story. Wouldn't that be a trip?"
"Hardly," Darian spoke up, causing half the room to blink in surprise.
"You and Maze fell in love at first sight. This just sounds to me like your
typical boy-meets-girl story. I don't mean that in a bad sense, of course,"
he added hastily as Mina shot him an unamused look.
"Prince Darian," Susan said slowly with a faint smile of amusement, "I
hardly think that a man from another world encountering the Queen of the Moon
Kingdom would qualify as a 'typical boy-meets-girl' story."
"C'mon," Mina protested. "A dark and handsome knight in shining armor
meets a beautiful queen? That *has* to be one of the greatest love stories of
all time. The love story of the millennium, in fact," she added with a wink.
Alex and Michelle just looked at one another before sighing very softly to
themselves and shaking their head in unison. Serena merely sat back in the odd
chair and drew Darian down slightly, resting the back of his head on her bare
shoulder with a faint smile on her lips. Ami and Leda exchanged glances before
seeming to shrug in casual agreement, the brunette still idly stroking the gray
kitten in her lap.
"Absolutely fascinating," Maq'i breathed softly.
"That it is," Alex said, nodding her head in agreement. "And not just
because we're about to be introduced to Michelle in a whole new way...."
"Alex!" Michelle protested with a deep crimson blush.
"Hey, guys?" Mina spoke up carefully. "As embarrassing as bringing out
the baby pictures and all sounds, that stuff can wait. I'm guessing Susan is
taking a break for a reason...."
"Indeed I am," Susan replied with a smile and a nod. "It is almost time
for lunch, and I don't think it would be proper to continue the story while
anyone is preoccupied in the kitchen."
"Huh?" Leda said as she sat up straight. "Lunch-time already?"
"Time flies when you're having fun," Darian suggested with a casual shrug,
reaching down to idly caress Serena's leg through the slit in her translucent
pantaloons.
"Damn," Leda replied with a shake of her head. "And me without a lunch
menu. Anyone have any ideas?"
"Soup and salad?" Mina suggested.
"We had salad for lunch yesterday, babe," Alex countered. "The soup part
sounds interesting, depending on what's in it, but I'll pass on the vegetation
for today."
"Salads are good for you," Michelle prodded her lover quietly.
"I'm not a rabbit, hon," Alex countered with a faint growl.
"Got any ground beef?" Darian inquired. "Could always make burgers for
lunch. Might have to make-do with the buns, but you can layer them with what
you want in terms of lettuce and tomato and onions or the like. One way to
sneak a small salad in," he added with a chuckle.
"Now there's an idea," Leda mused as she set Myst aside and rested her
elbows on her knees. "I can make the buns from scratch, that shouldn't take
too long. I'm pretty sure I can find something suitable to grind up some of
those beef slabs I saw in the back...."
"I'm not sure I want to ask," Mina said in a slightly unhappy tone.
"And I know we've got potatoes around here, so I could probably even whip
up some skillet fries to go with 'em," Leda continued without missing a beat.
"Baked, please," Ami said. "Frying them in oil is not healthy."
"Slice-and-dice, then bake?" Darian suggested. "Maybe coat them in some
seasoning first before popping them in the oven? Ami has a point about frying
them. Don't need to clog the arteries, even if it does taste good...."
Leda nodded as she stood up. "Yeah, I can do that. Okay, so burgers and
oven-baked fries it is?" she asked the room in general. She received several
nods and murmurs of assent before deciding it was settled and headed into the
kitchen to begin the preparations.
"So now what?" Darian inquired as he surveyed the room. "If she's making
buns from scratch and has to grind the meat up first, it'll probably be a full
hour before lunch is ready."
"Hmm," Alex said slowly, pausing to glance up at Michelle as she felt her
fingertips idly working through her hair. "Something on your mind, love?"
"Susan? You said you had to do something with your hot tub before it can
be used, right?" Michelle asked tentatively.
"Heh," Alex chuckled. "Babe, you have a one-track mind sometimes, you
know that?"
"There is some minor maintenance that needs to be done," Susan allowed
with a soft smile. "And I do believe I can have that work accomplished before
Leda is finished with lunch. That is actually a rather wise suggestion to have
made, given the time available," she added.
"Need a hand with the repair work?" Rei spoke up from her sitting position
on the floor, surprising everyone. The circle of candles around her were still
burning with odd green flames, seeming to leave the wax virtually untouched.
Susan paused for a moment to mentally review what she believed needed to
be done to restore the pumps to functionality. "Repair work might be an apt
description, as I do anticipate a small amount of manual labor to be needed,"
she warned the priestess.
Rei finally opened her eyes to look up at her. "I can do that," she said
as she slowly got to her feet. The green flames immediately winked out as soon
as she left the cushion, small wisps of blue smoke curling up from the ends of
the blackened wicks.
"Very well," Susan replied with a nod of her head. She made a snatching
motion at the air, pulling her staff out of the temporal flow to land solidly
in her hand. "I will leave the corridor on this level to allow everyone access
to the bathroom should it be needed."
"It will be," Darian promised her, drawing a faint round of chuckles.
Everyone looked up as Leda entered the room and made her way over to the
open window, reaching out with both hands to grab hold of the impenetrable fog
that swirled outside. Her arms seemed to sag downward a moment later as if a
heavy weight had been placed in her hands. When she withdrew from the window,
she was carring a medium-sized, roughly cylindrical object that she promptly
began to carry back into the kitchen.
"Meat grinder," she said over her shoulder by way of explanation as she
disappeared around the corner.
"Yum, yum," Mina said sourly, turning her attention to the synthesizer in
front of her. She powered up the mainboard and started to fiddle with the
settings, seeming to tune out the rest of the group for the time being.
"We shall return shortly," Susan said with a soft sigh as she held her
staff out to Rei. She waited until the priestess had reached out to grab hold
of it before she turned her focus inward for a brief instant, wrapping four-
dimensional space around them and vanishing in a muted flash of light.
"Okay...." Alex said slowly as she sat up. She was about to ask what
everyone else wanted to do when she noticed that Darian and Serena had already
started to indulge in some casual light snuggling, safely nestled inside the
cup-like webbed chair that Serena had designed earlier. Ami had her computer
pulled out along with a set of miniature screwdrivers, and was already in the
process of removing the outside cover of the damaged device. Myst had leapt
off of the couch and moved over to the eggshell chair Maq'i was sitting in,
both Shinma and denizen healer studying one another intently.
"Nevermind," Alex muttered to herself as she laid her head back down in
Michelle's lap. She closed her eyes as she felt Michelle's fingertips begin a
light scalp massage, lulling her into a relaxed state. Soft music registered
on her mind several moments later, a series of tranquil compositions gently
drifting out from the synthesizer speakers at a low volume.
"Hey, hon?" she asked quietly, quite content with the current mood of the
moment. "Do me a favor and wake me up for lunch if I happen to conk out."
"Of course," Michelle replied with a soft smile. She paused for a moment
before looking down at the relaxed contours of Alex's face. "I know you don't
remember Hotaru, of course, but do you think Artemis does?"
"He might," Alex replied in a slightly fuzzy tone. "But keep in mind he
was barely old enough to talk back then, so he might not remember too much.
Shoot, he might not even remember being half-drowned in the fountain," she
pointed out.
"Remind me to ask him once we return to Earth," Michelle said quietly.
Alex cracked one eye open to look up at her lover. "Something on your
mind about it, love?"
"Maybe," Michelle said in a very soft tone. "But we haven't heard the
rest of the story yet, so it'll just have to wait. Just call it a hunch," she
said with an absent shrug as she resumed massaging Alex's scalp.
"Heh," Alex chuckled very lightly as she closed her eye. "Going to have
to call it lunch first, then the rest of the story. Yeech, speaking of lunch,
I think I can smell the bread already," she said with a faintly sour look.
Michelle paused and glanced down at the blonde. "I thought you liked
freshly-baked bread," she protested.
"I still do, babe," Alex replied with a soft sigh. "I just don't care for
the smell of bread dough anymore. Can't imagine why, though...."
* * * *
Admiral Si'ren sighed heavily as she leaned forward against the railing,
putting most of her weight on her arms. "Say again, Olox, the signal is not
holding on this end," she said to the monitor.
The avian image on the monitor was barely discernable, completely shot
through with a heavy amount of static. The warbling voice that emerged from
the speakers was likewise filled with the soft screeches and howls of intense
radiation-induced interference, rendering the repeated message just as utterly
incoherent as the first one.
Si'ren sighed again and resisted the urge to bang her fist on the nearest
solid object. "Lieutenant?" she prompted as she cast a pleading look over her
shoulder at the communications officer.
"Ma'am, I can barely hold the satellite itself," the officer replied in a
weary tone. "There is simply too much background interference, and if I boost
the signal any higher it'll start to physically damage the receiving antenna.
Keep in mind that the uplink station itself is most likely toasted to a nice
golden-brown at this point, and just between you and me, I fully expect it to
become charcoal within a few minutes."
Si'ren just sighed and rubbed her sinuses for a few moments. "We'll try
again in half an hour," she said loudly to the monitor, fairly sure that her
image and voice would be just as incoherent to the Southern Division commander
as his currently was to her. "Imperial Castle out."
The image lingered on the monitor for a few seconds before it winked out,
being replaced with a standard loss-of-signal test pattern that seemed to be
subjected to a moderate amount of feedback. Si'ren scowled at the unsteady
display and turned to face the new officer. "I know I'm hardly an expert in
communications, but even I know it's not supposed to do that," she protested,
gesturing to the graphic.
The young officer nodded sourly. "Yes, ma'am, you're absolutely right.
As far as I can tell, it's reflective-scatter caused by the transponders of the
roof arrays all bouncing off the ForceWard barrier. And even if the barrier
wasn't there, we'd still be getting intereference, either directly from the
radiation itself or indirectly as the lingering energy seeps into the signal
beams and refracts the signals all over the spectrum. Until the level of
background radiation drops off significantly, we're in a no-win situation."
The white-haired admiral slowly drew in a deep breath through her nose and
held it for a number of seconds before exhaling just as slowly. "Thank you,
Lieutenant, just keep doing what you can," she managed to say in what passed
for a neutral tone. She wasn't happy with having to cope with a relatively new
communications officer, especially one who didn't even come close to having the
skill and experience of his predecessor.
Si'ren muttered a very quiet oath beneath her breath again, wondering not
for the first time how D'mer had accidentally killed herself. It hardly made
sense to her, knowing that the young lieutenant was quite skilled in working
with communications hardware. To improperly wire something by accident and
cause a short is one thing, but to completely mis-wire the power supply in such
a way as to be fatal? She should have asked for a deeper investigation, but
after seeing her carted off to the morgue with a hole burned into the side of
her temple.... well, the cause of death seemed to be pretty obvious.
She sighed and rested her forehead on the edge of the railing, doing her
best not to give into the sudden impulse to bang her head against it in sheer
frustration. Rune was under house arrest, Nop'tera and the Red Wings were most
likely alive and out there somewhere in a *very* bad mood, and she was stuck
trying to deal with a lethal shroud of radiation outside the front door of the
castle and with no functional communications to the rest of the planet. She
didn't mind the fact that she would be in charge of the Central Division for
the visible future, but she would have strongly preferred for things to have
taken a different path.
She didn't lift her head up as the door hissed open behind her, figuring
it was some nameless junior officer coming or going on some errand. She became
tense as she heard footsteps directly behind her and felt a light touch on the
back of her neck, but quickly relaxed as she only felt a wave of relief wash
through her body, almost completely erasing the throbbing headache that had
taken up residence in her skull.
"Thank you," Si'ren said with genuine gratitude as she lifted her head up
and turned around.
"Save it for when this is over," Al'vexi grumbled quietly. "Besides, I
think I heard your headache from two floors away. How are things going?"
Si'ren sighed again and rubbed her sinuses, knowing the telepathic-based
feeling of relief would be transient at best and trying not to think about how
soon the monster headache would return. "Well, I thought we had established a
communications link to Olox a few moments ago, but I think it lasted for about
twenty seconds," she grumbled. "I'm pretty sure he knows he has full command
of the rest of the military for the time being, so I'm not all that worried
about what he might do."
"How bad is the radiation?" Al'vexi asked in a weary tone.
Si'ren just waved a hand towards the wall. "Right now, I wouldn't want to
put a potted plant outside," she sighed. "It'll probably be days before it
decays to below lethal levels. Unless, of course, someone can coax a hurricane
to wander out of one of the oceans and park overhead for a day or two," she
added, only half-kidding. "That would clear the air and wash the worst of the
contamination off everything. Of course, the run-off would make the rivers
glow in the dark for a month, but you can't win them all."
"Now there's a thought," Al'vexi said slowly, causing Si'ren to blink in
surprise. "What is the weather forecast for the next week?" she said, turning
to address the question to the tactical officer.
"Ma'am?" the officer asked, his eyebrows arching up in surprise.
"You heard me," Al'vexi growled.
"Ma'am, it's not that simple," the officer protested. "The effects of the
blast and the shockwave have completely disrupted both the regional jetstream
and the pressure boundaries on all sides. It will be days before the jetstream
fully reforms and any weather pattern can emerge from the east. The best I can
predict is a stable high-pressure system that won't move for at least forty-
eight hours, and even that is just a rough guess at this point. I can't even
query any of the weather satellites for information relating to other regions."
"Okay," the retired telepath said, clearly unhappy with the information.
"Let's try it like this.... do we have anyone in the castle with any weather-
related abilities?" she asked Si'ren. "Preferably wind or rain?"
Si'ren shrugged helplessly. "We could always ask. Communications!"
"Ma'am?" the communications officer replied crisply.
"Send out an internal all-personnel memo," Si'ren instructed. "Anyone in
the Imperial Castle who has some control over any weather-related element is to
contact General Al'vexi immediately."
"Yes, ma'am," the officer replied as he turned to his console to start
drafting the memo.
"Contact me?" Al'vexi echoed, giving Si'ren a startled look.
Si'ren shrugged. "It's your idea, Al, and I'm a little busy trying to
figure out how to keep our collective k'vesan from getting caught between a
solid-metal anvil and a very heavy hammer," she said with a sigh. "You don't
have any suggestions, by chance, do you?" she asked on impulse.
Al'vexi grunted quietly. "Only to do what I did. Retire."
Si'ren permitted herself a soft and hollow laugh. "Trust me, that sounds
very tempting right now. I do have a small estate on the West Shore of the
southern ocean, I could probably manage to retire there," she mused absently.
She paused as a thought clicked into her mind and she cast a glance at Al'vexi.
"Speaking of estates, yours isn't too far from here, is it?"
"Don't remind me," Al'vexi sighed quietly. "V'Sari was here with me when
the blast went off, so nothing of true importance was left behind. At my age,
all that one has left are material goods and sentimental items, and all of the
material goods are duly cataloged and insured. They will be missed, but it's
nothing I can't live without."
"Are you sure it's destroyed?" Si'ren wondered. "If I remember right, you
are situated on the other side of a small hill."
Al'vexi shrugged with indifference. "I'm sure I'll find out sooner or
later. Yes, the military was kind enough to install a shield generator in the
basement that should deflect most casual ordinance in the event of an attack,
but I honestly have no idea if the auto-sensors would trigger in the event of
a nuclear blast or if the shields could defend against radiation."
"Excuse me, ma'am?" the tactical officer spoke up in a hesitant tone. "I
ask your forgiveness for interrupting like this, but do you happen to know the
generator type installed in your estate?"
Al'vexi blinked and raised an eyebrow at him before turning her memory
inwards for a few moments. "A standard Type 4P7 model, I believe," she said.
"I could be wrong, as I really didn't pay close attention to what they said the
specifications were."
The officer consulted his display for a moment before inputting a command
into the system, changing the image on the central monitor. The image was of
very poor quality, apparently an orbital picture taken at an oblique angle.
The graphic was distorted with flickering horizontal bars of static, but the
image of a small building surrounded by a glowing hemispherical dome of light
blue energy could still be made out.
"Ma'am?" the officer said as he gestured to the screen. "Our sensors are
seriously degraded because of the radiation, but we're still able to detect a
number of small-scale energy shields in place scattered around the local area.
This is part of an image feed we've managed to gather from a geostationary
satellite hovering just outside the Central-Eastern demarcation line. The
output signature from the region on the monitor reads as conforming to a 4P7
generator emission, and it appears to be repelling the surrounding radiation."
"That's it, alright," Al'vexi breathed, visibly sagging with relief.
"Congratulations," Si'ren said with the barest hint of humor. "Perhaps I
should look into purchasing a shield generator for my estate as well."
The telepath just shook her head slowly, still staring at the remote image
of her intact estate. "It is worth the cost, I assure you," she said quietly.
She blinked and sighed, giving Si'ren a faintly embarrassed look. "Perhaps I
have come to value my material possessions more than I had realized," she
confessed.
"One always becomes attached to one's home," Si'ren replied with a casual
shrug of dismissal.
"Indeed," Al'vexi murmured quietly. She glanced around Operations for a
moment before leaning over to Si'ren. "We need to discuss a few things," she
said in a very low tone. "In private," she added in an even lower tone.
"That bad?" Si'ren said softly in reply. She got a solemn nod in response
and sighed quietly, glancing around the room. "Lieutenant," she said aloud to
the tactical officer. "General Al'vexi and I will be in Conference Room Two,
you are to page me immediately if there is any change in communications status
or if anything significant develops. And if we come under attack, shoot back
first and warn me about it when you get a free moment. Remember, Nop'tera and
the Red Wings are probably still out there somewhere, and they might not be so
kind as to ask for an approach vector to the castle this time."
"Understood, ma'am," the officer replied with a brisk nod as both Si'ren
and Al'vexi turned around and left the command center. The trip down the main
hallway and into the conference room was a short one, and it was only a matter
of moments before Si'ren found herself finally able to sit down in a chair for
the first time in a number of hours.
The Fleet Admiral watched in slight disinterest as Al'vexi first locked
the doors, then engaged a protective forcefield over the archway, then entered
a complex string of characters into the control panel. Si'ren raised a slender
white eyebrow as a soft hissing noise of static promptly filled the room, a
sort of sound shield that would make it difficult for any microphones hidden
inside the room to function. Not that either woman expected there were any, as
Security swept the room at least twice a week with a very fine-toothed comb,
but apparently Al'vexi wasn't in a mood to leave anything to chance.
"That bad, Al?" Si'ren casually inquired as the retired telepath sighed
before slowly easing herself into a chair next to Si'ren.
"One must be careful when discussing treason," Al'vexi replied, sending a
deep chill through Si'ren's veins and causing her to sit up sharply.
"Treason?" Si'ren echoed in a deeply guarded tone.
"I'm not planning anything, if that's what you're worried about," Al'vexi
replied with a weary sigh. "I think we have been betrayed, however, and I want
to have my suspicions taken apart under a microscope before I consider trying
to go public with anything."
Si'ren paused for a moment, privately relieved that she wouldn't be placed
in the very uncomfortable position of having to denounce one of the few people
she considered a friend as being a plotter of treason. "And you of course have
some proof to go with this?" she inquired carefully.
"I will let you be the judge of the merits," Al'vexi sighed as she leaned
back in her chair and closed her eyes. "Let me begin by saying that once again
the Imperial Castle has been breached, as I encountered Prince Darian and a
pair of Sailor Scouts in the hallway as I returned from the NegaForce."
There was a heavy sigh from the admiral as she leaned forward and let her
forehead encounter the conference room table. "Not altogether unexpected," she
allowed in a decidedly disgruntled tone. "We are holding their Princess, after
all."
"Were," Al'vexi said quietly, casuing Si'ren to slowly lift her head up.
"She is no longer in the medical ward, and we are still unable to locate Master
Healer Maq'i. It is entirely possible that they kidnapped Maq'i or otherwise
found a way to convince her to go with them. I personally think the latter is
the case, as Maq'i is a very compassionate woman who well and truly cares for
her patients. All of them," she added.
"You think the Healer has betrayed us?" Si'ren inquired.
"No," Al'vexi countered with a shake of her head. "I expect that if she
is alive and well, she will be returned to us once her services are no longer
necessary. I am not worried about Maq'i, but I am deeply worried about what I
saw when I left the tunnel."
"When you encountered Prince Darian," Si'ren said slowly, feeling a deep
chill seep into her veins.
The telepath nodded slowly. "As I said, he had two Sailor Scouts with him
as escorts. I recognized one from pictures, the pyromancer. I believe she is
known as Sailor Mars. The other I have never seen before, however, and I have
seen virtually all the images we have of them, both from previous visits to our
world and from surveillance on Earth. I also cannot remember seeing anyone
like that in Prince Darian's memories when I last examined the contents of his
mind. It's possible that they've managed to find or recruit someone else to
join their team recently."
Si'ren might have laughed if she wasn't both stressed-out and dangerously
depressed at the moment. "Wonderful," she sighed. "I remember being quite
intrigued when both Jedyt and Nephlyte had problems dealing with just three of
them. Now there are how many, seven?"
Al'vexi sat back and shrugged in dismissal. "Does it matter, Si'ren?" she
said in a bitter tone. "We can't even take care of our own problems right now,
let alone try to focus on them. I discovered how they managed to get into the
castle, however, and I'm sure that their entrance would have made a lot more
noise if it hadn't been drowned out by that nuclear missile launch."
Si'ren merely made a soft grunting noise deep in her throat, starting to
feel the monster headache slowly return to the front of her skull. "I don't
suppose they did something we can prevent in the future?" she asked in a hollow
tone, not much in the mood to truly care at the moment. She paused as she
realized that the retired general wasn't answering and carefully looked up at
her, the chill in her blood turning even colder at the expression on Al'vexi's
weary face.
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," Al'vexi said very quietly.
"Treason, you mean?" Si'ren said, her eyebrows arching up. The telepath
nodded slowly and Si'ren sat up straight, her eyes widening. "You mean to
suggest that somebody let them in here? From inside?"
Al'vexi stood up and moved over to the wall display, tapping a series of
commands into the panel. "The extent of damage that can be directly attributed
to the Sailor Scouts is this: a blast door they destroyed in an access tunnel;
an armed security sensor they blasted off the ceiling; a Security response team
was moderately bruised by a surge of water that knocked them back into their
tunnel; a wooden partition for the security tunnels was burnt down; and both
the blast doors and the containment fields inside the Royal Medical Suite were
thoroughly ruined. Aside from that? They touched nothing else and harmed
nobody else, with the possible exception of Master Healer Maq'i, who as I said
earlier is missing. They came in, got their Princess, and left all without
doing more than putting a few holes in a few walls and roughing up a few of the
guards. Last time they came to get someone.... well, you know what happened."
"General Al'vexi," Si'ren said very slowly and distinctly, "Is it your
contention that someone inside the castle cleared a path for them?"
Al'vexi pressed a button on the panel and took a step back. "This is what
we were able to recover from the security sensor in the main nexus," she said
in a neutral tone. "Observe and judge for yourself."
The screen was briefly filled with static for a moment before it showed
video footage of one of the main entrance annexes to the Imperial Castle. A
small status bar in the lower-left corner informed anyone reviewing the tape
that the sensor in question was armed and instructed to shoot at any humanoid
target not bearing a security beacon.
The camera suddenly panned to the right as it sensed motion, orienting on
the source of the disturbance. A young girl wearing a white suit with a red
skirt and bow was running into the room, and it only took a quarter-second for
the sensor to decide that she wasn't supposed to be there. It immediately
powered up the pulse-laser and entered Active Target mode, trying to zero in on
the center of the girl's chest. It fired a shot and missed as the girl darted
to the side, leaving a small crater in the floor. The sensor tracked the girl
and tried firing again, hitting the wall as she dodged again.
The sensor was lining up for a third shot when a second girl ran into the
picture, this one wearing an orange skirt with a blue bow. She raised her hand
up and pointed to the camera as she ran under it. The camera started to track
her motions and aim downward when a beam of white energy lanced up and struck
the camera, ending the recording in a burst of dazzling static.
"Okay...." Si'ren said slowly, shaking her head. "So they blasted their
way into the lobby and took out a camera."
"Your eyes followed the movements of the two in the foreground," Al'vexi
pointed out. "Which is what I did, until I viewed it frame-by-frame and saw
what was in the background. Observe," she said as she keyed in a few commands
to the display unit.
The image on the monitor began to move in reverse-motion very slowly for
a number of seconds before halting, the sensor camera frozen in the process of
shifting its focus from the red Sailor Scout to the orange Sailor Scout. A
filter was applied to the image, blotting out all but the upper-right edge of
the field of view to highlight several blurred shapes. The shapes slowly began
to resolve into focus as the picture was digitally enhanced, eventually being
revealed to be another pair of Sailor Scouts accompanied by a familiar face.
Si'ren blinked hard and sat up straight. "I know her," she blurted out.
Al'veni nodded slowly and sighed. "Whisper, formerly the Captain of the
Psi-Corp. I'm sure you remember why she was exiled."
"I do," Si'ren said as she chewed on the edge of her lip, staring at the
frozen picture of Whisper. "But even if she is with them on their side, how
does that help the Sailor Scouts make it into the castle and back out again
without making too much noise? Everyone knows she's a traitor, so none would
be willing to help her. Or are you suggesting that someone is sympathetic to
her and would betray us on our side?" the admiral asked in a low tone.
Al'vexi drew in a slow breath and appeared to choose her words carefully.
"Keep in mind that the Psi-Corp were all but wiped out by the Sailor Scouts a
year ago," she reminded Si'ren. "While I strongly doubt anyone in the Psi-Corp
would be overly willing to help them, I have to concede that Whisper herself is
obviously doing so, which means I cannot rule anyone out. However, the only
members of the Psi-Corp in the castle at the moment are Captain Ael'ien and a
junior aide, and both were clearly occupied elsewhere at the time. However,
you must do what I did and take a look at which tunnel they are exiting."
Si'ren blinked in surprised and looked at the frozen image for a moment
before the realization set it, turning her already chilled blood into a solid
mass of ice. "The Dragoon Headquarters Complex tunnel," she whispered.
"Let me summarize," Al'vexi said quietly. "A year ago, Dragoon Commander
Tolaris was dispatched to Earth on an assignment and returned a traitor. Why
he turned his back on his world after two days on Earth we may never know, but
Queen Beryl sealed him in Eternal Crystal for punishment and exiled him to the
Wastelands. Shar-Tei was appointed in charge, but refused a promotion.
"A couple months later, Prince Darian was kidnapped by General Zoicite and
brought here. He was brought to me and I was ordered to erase his memories so
that Beryl could have her way with him. I did, and she did, and that led to
the Sailor Scouts taking the battle directly to our world. The repercussions
can still be felt today. Beryl died at the hands of Sailor Moon, General Rune
assumed command, and Prince Darian unknowingly became our Crown Prince.
"Not long after that we experienced a Bloodmoon Conjunction, during which
we discovered that Lieutenant-Commander Shar-Tei possessed a Class A-2 reflex
ability. The damage was kept to a minimum due to Rune's wisdom of sealing all
who were contaminated in crystal, but a very chilling discovery was made less
than a month later as it was determined that Sailor Mercury had very likely
become infected with denizen vampirism. We still don't know how it happened,
but I should like to point out to you that Tolaris himself is contaminated, and
that Sailor Mercury is the one he betrayed us for."
"But Tolaris was frozen in crystal at the time," Si'ren interrupted.
"At the time," Al'vexi echoed before continuing. "Shortly afterwards,
Shar-Tei applied for the full promotion to Commander, citing Tolaris' death as
justification. A later check revealed that she had used her Class A-2 reflex
powers to obliterate the Eternal Crystal that imprisoned Tolaris. A reprimand
was filed in Shar-Tei's records, and the full promotion was granted.
"Rune, deciding that the vampiric Sailor Mercury needed to be dealt with
even more immediately than Sailor Moon, received a report of an unusual energy
signature and dispatched a special hunter-scout to examine it. What it came
back with were not only bio-readings of our vampire and possibly Sailor Moon,
but unrefutable evidence that Tolaris was alive and well on Earth, and in the
company of the Sailor Scouts. How this is possible, again we simply don't
know, but we know that Tolaris was and still is a very resourceful individual.
"Rune then began to lay a trap in the anticipation that Tolaris would be
returning to the Negaverse to retrieve something he valued. She took over our
cataport project and used it as part of the trap, requesting by name Dragoon
Lieutenants Maze and Ra'vel to assist Captain Whisper in making sure the new
target zone was clear of people before test-firing the cataport. Three people
who were rather close friends with Tolaris.
"Whether or not the trap ultimately failed is up for debate, but the end
result was that both Psi-Corp Commander Ts'ani and Dragoon Commander Shar-Tei
were killed in duels against Whisper and Tolaris, respectively. It was also
revealed that Sailor Moon is the daughter of the legendary Captain Raijen,
although this information was suppressed until very recently."
That brought Si'ren completely out of her seat, her eyes as wide as dinner
plates. "WHAT?!" she roared, coming dangerously close to going into shock.
"The Moon Princess is the daughter of Dragoon Captain Raijen," Al'vexi
said very clearly. "Rune herself was there when it was revealed. To be fair,
Sailor Moon herself did not know up until that point, and neither did Tolaris
nor any of the others. Whatever caused Tolaris to become a traitor to our kind
did not originate with her heritage."
"But it might with the rest of the Dragoons," Si'ren whispered softly,
feeling the burning fever of shock drain away to be replaced with the chilling
horror of realization. "Tolaris is alive on Earth. Three of his best friends
became traitors as well for his sake and were exiled to Earth with him, two of
which were prominent and upstanding Dragoons. Now when the Sailor Scouts come
to our world to rescue Sailor Moon, they enter the castle from the Dragoon
Headquarters and manage to bypass most of our defenses? Al, do you mean that
the entire Dragoon Legion can't be trusted? That an entire *division* of our
most elite Intelligence officers and soliders would become traitors just for
the sake of one girl from Earth?"
"Commander K'tal knows," Al'vexi said in a very quiet voice. "I told him
myself about the Princess. Please, listen," she pleaded as Si'ren's eyes came
within millimeters of popping out of her skull, the admiral's face turning as
white as her hair as she grabbed onto the back of the chair with both hands in
a white-knuckled grip that left her shaking hard.
"Go.... on...." Si'ren whispered, her voice barely audible.
"There was an accident yesterday and somehow a permanent psionic bond was
forged between Captain Ael'ien and K'tal," the telepath explained. "They came
to me to see what I could do about it, and during the course of my examination
I was exposed to K'tal's mind without any safeguards. He had been in contact
with Tolaris for a short period of time and was deeply worried about what the
arrival of General Nop'tera would do to the social structure of our world. I
shared with him my memories of a conversation with someone, which included the
revelation of Sailor Moon's heritage."
"Al'vexi, what have you done...?" Si'ren breathed as she closed her eyes.
"I didn't believe K'tal would act on my information alone," Al'vexi said.
"We both know he is too much of a professional to base anything on unfounded
speculation, no matter how good it sounds. What I expected him to do was take
a few days to independantly corroborate as many facts as he could before making
any decisions. However, if Whisper returned to the Negaverse with the Sailor
Scouts, it is reasonable to assume that Tolaris did as well. And if Tolaris
got together with K'tal and could thus provide reliable first-hand knowledge of
Sailor Moon's heritage...."
"An entire division," Si'ren moaned quietly as she put her head in her
hands. "Al, have we been betrayed by the entire Dragoon Legion now? Can I not
trust any of them anymore, or their information?"
"It's possible," Al'vexi allowed. "Notice they aren't around right now."
"No!" Si'ren barked as she bolted to her feet, startling Al'vexi. "That
one I will not accept. The Dragoons didn't begin their evacuation until AFTER
the warhead was launched, and I refuse to believe that someone like K'tal would
knowingly and willingly allow a nuclear missile to be targeted at the Imperial
Castle. If he had any advanced warning, he would have acted or at least warned
us the instant he became aware of it. I might believe he is capable of treason
by helping the Sailor Scouts sneak into the castle to rescue Sailor Moon, but
I don't believe he is capable of the kind of treason that would result in the
deaths of tens of thousands of innocent civilians. No, Al'vexi. No."
"Very well," Al'vexi said quietly, privately holding the same assessment
of K'tal's sense of morality and justice but feeling that she had to bring it
into question regardless. "As I said, I merely wanted to run my suspicions and
evidence past you first to get your assessment." She blinked hard as Si'ren
started to laugh very softly to herself and immediately became deeply concerned
for the admiral's mental health.
"I would thank you for the information, Al, if it didn't make me want to
scream myself hoarse," Si'ren sighed wistfully when the stress-induced laughter
faded. She paused and regarded Al'vexi very carefully. "I am, quite frankly,
at a loss for words at the moment, and thinking hurts too much. Tell me, what
do you think the Dragoons will do from this point forward?"
"What they view as the right thing to do," Al'vexi replied. "That's what
they've trained themselves to do since Raijen founded the Dragoon Legion. Our
sensors are still useless, but from what we've been able to coax from various
imaging satellites, it appears that their airborne complex survived the blast
and is heading north into the mountains."
"A safe place to be as any, I suppose," Si'ren mused, rubbing the bridge
of her nose as the entire front half of her skull began to throb in time with
her pulse. Tension headaches were hardly an unknown to her, but this was the
first one she could remember that was a literal head ache. She paused for a
moment as a thought formed in her mind. "If they follow proper protocol, and
I don't see why they wouldn't, they will probably try to find a place to land
and do something about the radiation on the hull."
"They'd have to coordinate with the Northern Division," Al'vexi pointed
out. "Or at least Air Traffic Control North. There aren't too many places to
set down a cruiser of that magnitude, either."
"Your point?" Si'ren replied, causing Al'vexi to blink. "I don't think
the Dragoons will bother trying to hide from anyone. After all, where are they
going to go? We will try to hail them as soon as the air clears, which could
be a few days. And in the meantime...."
Al'vexi waited for the admiral to finish, a slight frown forming on her
well-lined face as there was only a heavy sigh that lingered in the air for a
number of seconds. "In the meantime, Admiral?" she prompted.
"I don't know, Al," Si'ren said in a subdued tone. "I don't think anyone
knows at this point. For now, all I can do is see if we can do something about
this haze of radiation blanketing us. Let me know if you find anyone with any
weather skills," she said as she wearily rose to her feet. "I'll try to reach
Olox again, and should I be so lucky to get a reply, we'll just take it from
there and see where it goes."
"And the Dragoons?" Al'vexi inquired carefully.
"Do you have proof that they let the Sailor Scouts into the castle?" the
admiral wondered aloud. "Or was that just the point of entry they happened to
have used because Tolaris could help them bypass things? Let's save the blame
for another day, General. K'tal might have a valid explanation for things."
"Si'ren...." the telepath said in a concerned tone as Si'ren seemed to sag
against the chair for several moments.
"Not now, Al," Si'ren whispered. "I really don't want to think about what
it would mean if the Dragoon Legion really did betray us. One headache at a
time, okay? Let them head off to the mountains for now, we can deal with them
later. We have bigger problems to deal with...."
Al'vexi remained perfectly still as Si'ren made her way over to the door
and almost smashed her face against it. She watched as the admiral bashed her
fist against the lock, unsealing it and allowing the door to open. It closed
behind her after she exited, leaving the telepath alone in the room with her
deepening doubts about whom she could really trust anymore.
* * * *
It was, at least in Susan's personal view, a rather interesting tableau
that might have been worth the effort of turning into a painting if she had
been inclined to do so. Serena was frozen in mid-bite, a full third of the
burger jammed in her mouth and her eyes as wide as saucers. Both Darian and
Leda were on the cusp of swallowing, both with distinctly uneasy looks on their
faces. Rei was casting a very guarded look at the burger in her hand, while
Mina was carefully prying the top of the bun off to look at the cheese-covered
patty. Alex and Michelle, however, were both calmly chewing on their burgers
and didn't look to be disturbed in the slightest.
"Say that again?" Darian said very carefully.
"This isn't beef," Ami repeated firmly as she gestured with her burger, a
bite-sized chunk already taken out of it. She had the disassembled chassis of
her computer in the other hand and was trying to scan the meat as best she
could with the barely-functional device.
Darian exchanged guarded glances with Leda before swallowing. "Okay, so
what is it then?" he asked warily.
"I'm not sure," Ami sighed.
"Take it easy, guys," Alex spoke up around a mouthful of burger. "I'm
pretty sure I've had this before, but I'm just trying to remember what exactly
it was called."
"It's not vension or veal," Leda said as she swallowed and carefully
sniffed the ground meat patty.
"It's not horse, either," Alex added, drawing a collection of sour looks.
"Well...." Darian said slowly before shrugging and taking another bite.
"That's brave," Mina commented quietly.
"It's not bad at all," Darian pointed out as he chewed slowly.
"I really should know this one," Alex grunted softly. "It's got some real
strange name that I can't think of right now." She continued to think about it
for another few seconds before shaking her head to herself and looking over at
the stuffed armchair. "Okay, Sue, I give up. What is it called again?"
Susan sighed quietly and tilted her head at a slight angle as she looked
over at Leda. "It depends on which cryo-stasis field the meat was stored in,"
she said, causing Leda to cringe.
"Bottom row, far left drawer," Leda said slowly.
Susan thought about it for a moment before nodding. "Bison, then."
"Bison?" several voices echoed in surprise.
"Some people call them buffaloes," Susan added.
"Yeah, that's it," Alex said with a nod of her head.
"Buffalo burger?" Darian said, his eyebrows arching up to his hairline.
"This is a buffalo burger?" Everyone watched as he turned to regard his burger
carefully before taking another bite and chewing thoughtfully.
"Well?" Mina prompted.
Darian shrugged and swallowed before reaching for one of the baked potato
chunks that Leda had diced up as a side-dish. "It's pretty good for a burger,"
he replied absently. "You should at least try a bite for yourself." He cast
a sidelong glance at Serena as she made a somewhat contented noise, starting a
moderately-paced demolition of the unusual burger on her plate.
Mina glanced around the room for a moment before she put the bun back on
top of the patty and took a careful bite. "Hmm," she hummed to herself as she
chewed. "Interesting flavor."
"It makes a better steak than a burger," Alex pointed out as she finished
the last bite of her burger and started in on the diced potatoes. "But like D
said, it still makes a good burger. Thanks, Leda."
Leda allowed herself a quiet, dry laugh. "You're welcome, I think," she
said before popping a pair of diced potatoes into her mouth. "I guess I really
should have asked Susan before grinding her steaks up into burgers...."
"I do not stock anything in the kitchen that is harmful to humans," Susan
said demurely as she nibbled on a potato chunk. "And as your skill with the
culinary arts quite clearly surpasses my own, I thought that you would be able
to adequately cope with whatever foodstuffs you should happen to encounter."
"Trust me," Darian chuckled quietly, "We already went through a sort of
learning curve when it comes to rooting around inside a refrigerator containing
other-world or otherwise unidentified foods. The second rule is simple.... if
you can't identify it within five seconds, you don't touch it."
"Tell me about it," Mina muttered with a faint blush on her cheeks, trying
not to remember what her curiosity had led her to sample the first few times
she had examined the contents of the denizen refrigerator back on Earth.
"Wait a moment," Alex spoke up carefully. "If that's supposed to be the
second rule, what's the first?"
"If it walks out of the fridge...." Darian said slowly.
"...Let it go," three voices finished for him in perfect unison.
Both Alex and Michelle blinked hard before exchanging glances. "You, uh,
have that problem often?" she ventured in a leery tone.
"Rule three," Leda spoke up around a mouthful of buffalo burger. "As nice
as she is, don't ever ask or let Ra'vel cook for you. The avian idea of lunch
has been known to be decidedly unsettling, even to denizens."
"The same can be said for Felinoids," Maq'i said as she entered the room
and started to sit back down in the eggshell chair.
"Cat!" Mina blurted out quickly, almost spewing lunch over her keyboard.
Maq'i immediately lurched upright and turned around, sighing heavily as
she realized that she almost sat on the gray kitten. She carefully picked up
Myst and sat down, putting the dozing kitten in her lap and absently stroking
her with a withered hand. Myst's ears twitched for a moment before becoming
still again, never leaving her slumbering state. "Thank you, dear child," the
ancient Healer said to Mina.
"More than welcome," the blonde replied as she wiped a few stray crumbs
off of the synthesizer. "I sat on Artemis by accident once, and it took a week
for the claw-marks on my butt to heal. I figured you really don't need to be
dealing with something like that yourself."
"Want some potatoes?" Leda offered as she held out a plate stacked with
the diced potatoes. "I made this batch without using any seasonings, since I
know how your digestive system is. However, you should be able to use some
ketchup with them for flavor, but don't use too much," she cautioned.
"Thank you, Leda," Maq'i said as she accepted the plate and carefully took
a bite out of a potato chunk. She paused and raised her eyebrows at the taste.
"If you don't mind my saying so, this reminds me of baked sha'lan roots."
"Well, potatoes are tubers. You have to dig them out of the ground where
they grow like roots," Leda explained as she got a blank look in response.
"Ah, I see now," Maq'i replied with a nod of understanding.
"So back to the story...." Alex prodded Susan as she set her empty plate
aside and leaned back against the L-shaped loveseat she shared with Michelle.
"Patience, Alex," Susan admonished her.
"That's asking a lot," Leda muttered, drawing a prod in the shoulder from
Ami as she absently nibbled on her skillet potatoes.
"C'mon," Alex protested. "People have been asking to hear the story about
Serena's birth since I was born. Shoot, I don't think I'm even a full month
old at this point in the story, and Michelle's clock hasn't even been started
yet. Seventeen years is a long time to be patient," she added.
"A good love story is always worth the wait," Mina countered with a smile.
"But we won't know if it's good or not if it's not being told," Alex shot
back with a soft grunt.
"Settle down, girls," Darian sighed quietly, wiping his hands on a napkin
before gently rubbing a knuckle against Serena's leg.
"It is a most captivating story," Maq'i pointed out.
Susan nodded her head slightly in acknowledgement and set aside her plate.
"Very well, then," she said, absently wiping her fingertips on her napkin. "As
you know, a formal banquet had been arranged for that night even before V'Kaar
and the others arrived. Their presence only required minor adjustments to be
made to accomodate, at least in terms of staffing. When suddenly reminded that
we were not only hosting guests from Earth at the same time but that most of
the Sailor Scouts would be unavailable to attend due to Dana's delivery, things
suddenly got a little complicated...."
* * * *
"Susan!" Grace blurted out as she dashed across the hall as fast as her
ballroom gown would permit. "We need to talk, and quickly!"
Susan sighed quietly and turned her attention back to Colonel V'Kaar, once
again admiring the decidedly crisp lines of his full-dress uniform. "If you
will excuse me for a moment, Colonel?" she said in an apologetic tone.
V'Kaar chuckled quietly and bowed his head. "But of course, Chancellor,"
he said in a somewhat silken tone. "Constant distractions and interruptions
are but one of the many prices one must pay as a leader of others. And they
are always purported to be of vast importance," he added with a faint chuckle.
"Indeed," Susan said dryly as she nodded to him before moving away from
the small group of denizens. She absently smoothed out a tiny wrinkle in her
jet-black ballroom gown and gestured to the ambassador. "I take it something
is amiss, Grace?" she asked in a low tone.
"Not yet," Grace warned softly. "I just ran into Duke Howley, who is, of
course, most eager and restless about his intention to propose to Lucille. I
just heard, however, that she won't be coming tonight...."
Susan paused as the realization suddenly clicked in her mind. "Oh, yes,"
she said softly. "I completely forgot about that. She is in the medical ward
with Aria and Amelia helping with Dana's delivery. However, I don't anticipate
it taking all night, and I'm sure I can arrange for his lordship to encounter
his heart's desire before the evening is over."
"That's only half the problem," the redhead said, lowering her tone even
further. "How exactly do I explain to his lordship about.... them?" she said
with a flick of her eyes over Susan's shoulder.
"You don't," Susan replied after a horrid moment of realization, followed
by a moment of frantic thinking at virtually the speed of light. "Her Majesty
intends to use us as a buffer between Earth and our alien visitors. Nobody on
Earth should be allowed to discover this, and in this venture we simply cannot
be allowed to fail."
"But how....?" Grace started to say.
"Leave that to me," Susan said, remaining outwardly calm while her insides
quivered like jelly. She continued to think for a moment before a flash of
insight hit her. "We will pass them off as explorers from a distant land, one
that his lordship will not be encouraged to inquire too deeply about. Just as
we choose very carefully who we reveal our kingdom to on Earth, so too do we
guard our cultural contacts from one another to prevent contamination. If he
asks, you may convey the impression that there was a scheduling conflict, but
he is to understand that we will not allow personal contact in the boundaries
of the kingdom between two Earth cultures that hasn't already been made on
their own."
The ambassador thought about it carefully before exhaling softly. "That
might work, Chancellor, but it will not be easy," she warned.
"I have the utmost faith in your diplomatic skills," Susan assured her in
a gentle tone. "While we cannot and will not forbid his lordship from making
an appearance at the banquet, we can ensure that he does so after our other
guests have been announced."
"Very well," Grace said, nervously smoothing out her gown. "I really hope
things go as smoothly as you say they should."
"Likewise, Ambassador," Susan muttered quietly, drawing a dubious look.
"Relax, Grace. While I think tonight will be one for the historical archives,
I do not believe it will ultimately be recorded in a negative sense."
"Depends on who's holding the pen," Grace muttered.
"Ambassador," Susan chided her with a faint sigh.
"I'm sorry, Chancellor, just nerves. Speaking of which," she added as she
cast a quick glance over her shoulder. "His lordship is probably crawling the
walls by this point."
"Perhaps you should convince him that he should take the time now to make
sure his bladder is fully empty to ensure that he doesn't disgrace himself on
bended knee later," Susan suggested with a faint twinkle in her eye. "That
should keep him distracted for a few moments as well as providing a minor delay
to help shuffle the chairs, as it were."
"I will do my best, Chancellor," Grace replied with a brief bow of her
head before turning around and heading back down the hallway.
Susan took a moment to recompose herself before turning around and heading
back over to the group of uniformed denizens. "My apologies for the delay,"
she said to them with a subtle nod of her head. "I believe the banquet room
has now been prepared for tonight. If you would come with me, please?"
"It would be our pleasure, Chancellor," V'Kaar replied as he gestured for
Susan to lead the way. "I trust that Master Healer V'lent'u is not making a
nuisance of herself in your medical facility?" he inquired as they walked.
"I have not inquired, to be honest," Susan admitted, "But I have yet to
hear of any complaints thus far. To my understanding, she has been invited as
an observer to witness Sailor Neptune giving birth tonight. With Neptune's
consent, of course," she added with a note of humor.
"I would hope so," T'Cer spoke up in a decidedly dry tone. "I don't have
any children of my own, but I'm not sure I would want an audience around when
I go to do so."
"There is something to be said for having close friends at hand during a
time of intense physical and emotional stress," Susan replied as they turned a
corner. "Commander T'Cer, may I ask a question about your division?" she said,
almost as an after-thought.
T'Cer blinked and cast a quick glance at V'Kaar. "Depending on the nature
of the question," she said in a slightly guarded tone.
"I am curious about the function and history of the Dragoon Legion," Susan
replied calmly. "I have already spoken at length with Major Tar-Nul about the
general organization of your regional divisions, and I'm curious as to where
your division fits in."
T'Cer cast another quick glance at V'Kaar and got a subtle not of assent
in reply. "We're a global division, not a regional one," she explained. "The
Dragoon Legion was initially founded as a counter-balance to the Security
division, but we eventually became focused on intelligence-gathering and data
analysis."
"Ah, I see now," Susan mused as she made a mental notation and tucked it
away in a corner of her mind. "Thank you, Commander, that clears up a minor
point of misunderstanding for me."
"The Dragoons have loyally served the throne with distinction for well
over four thousand years now," V'Kaar said smoothly. "Believe me when I say
that the military as a whole is grateful for their dedicated service."
Susan's eyebrows arched up at the mention of the length of time they had
been in service. Four *thousand* years? she mused, knowing that it was a very
impressive length of time, even from her eternal standpoint.
She was spared from the need to make further idle chatter as they drew
close to the double-doors that led to the banquet hall. A pair of guards stood
post on either side of the doorway, and a well-dressed attendant bowed to her
as they drew close. "Good evening, Chancellor," he said in a deep voice.
"Good evening," Susan replied with a faint nod of her head. "I present to
you our guests, Colonel V'Kaar and his exploration team from the Second Front
Mountain Division."
"Welcome, honored guests," the attendant said, offering a bow to V'Kaar.
"Please allow me a moment to announce your arrival. Guards," he said over his
shoulder. The double doors were promptly opened wide by the guards, and he
stepped through the doorway to stand just inside the banquet hall.
"Lady Susan Meiou!" he called out, his deep tone seeming to make the room
resonate. "Lady Pluto and Chancellor of the Kingdom of the Moon!"
Susan nodded her gratitude to him and entered the room, offering a soft
smile and a gentle bow of her head to the assembled guests as they all turned
to greet her entrance. She then stepped aside and gestured for the attendant
to continue.
"Lords and ladies! I present to you Her Majesty's honored guests, Colonel
V'Kaar and his exploration team from the Second Front Mountain Division!" the
attendant thundered, drawing a round of generic murmurs of welcome from the
room.
"This way, please," Susan said demurely, gesturing for the denizens to
follow her over towards the prepared banquet table. "Colonel V'Kaar, I trust
you will forgive me for not announcing your origin more explicitly, but I fear
we are also currently hosting a number of guests from Earth tonight, and her
Majesty thought it wise not to invite confusion by advertising your presence
too deeply."
"We understand perfectly," V'Kaar replied with a nod. "Her Majesty is a
wise woman to take such precautions," he added.
Susan nodded as she led them over to the table. "Among all the kingdoms,
we are in a rather unique position given our location and advanced culture. As
such, we have always found it prudent to ensure that we play a rigidly neutral
role in cross-cultural relations to avoid undue influence. It is thus a very
rare event that we host more than one culture at a time, and I must confess
that your arrival was a rather interesting and unique surprise."
V'Kaar chuckled quietly as he sat down, idly examining the array of china
and silverware laid out on the table. "I assure you, we were just as surprised
to discover this kingdom of yours tucked away on the moon. If I may, is this
the only moon?" he inquired with open curiosity. "I must admit I haven't paid
much attention to the celestial mechanics of your planet and thus am ignorant
of the existence of other such moons."
Susan shook her head. "No, Earth only has one moon. There are several
other planets in our solar system, however, mostly gas giants, and they all
possess multiple moons. None of them habitable," she added.
"Interesting," V'Kaar mused. "Our world has three, but due to the rather
unpredictable and intense gravity fluctuations, only one is even remotely
suitable for consideration of terraforming. We are still in the process of
establishing a base there, but the construction has been.... problematic. I'm
afraid we are still a number of centuries away from being able to construct a
kingdom such as this one," he said with a gracious gesture to the room.
"His lordship Reginald Howley, Duke of Cambridge!" the voice from the
doorway thundered as a pair of figures entered the room. "Lady Grace Baker,
Ambassador to Earth!"
"Our other guests arrive," Susan murmured to V'Kaar. She then spent the
next several minutes giving him a rough explanation of how the English kingdoms
worked, and how the Duchy of Cambridge figured into the equation. By the time
she was finished explaining to the denizen's satisfaction, a number of waiters
had trickled into the banquet hall and were pouring various wines into the
glasses of the assembled guests.
"Chancellor," a waiter said with a deep bow of his head as he and another
attendant approached with several bottles. "Lady Kayla sends her regards, and
based on the advice of both Sailor Mercury and Lady Mercury, she has suggested
that we provide our guests with a selection of apple ciders."
"Very well," Susan said, nodding her head in approval as she gestured to
the glasses on the table. "While it is customary to serve a light form of
alcohol or other fermented drink during dinner, we are still not sure what the
effects would be on your metabolisms," she explained to V'Kaar. "Rather than
run the risk of poisoning you, we thought it best to share with you a mulled
form of fruit juice made from apples. I think you will find its flavor to be
to your liking."
V'Kaar nodded and picked up the glass that was filled in front of him.
"Your caution is most appreciated, Chancellor," he said as he carefully sniffed
the cider. He then steeled himself and took a small sip, knowing that he was
taking a considerable risk in drinking an unknown substance. He had been given
a rather thorough set of orders from Queen Beryl herself, however, and so he
decided it would be far better to be poisoned by accident than to be subjected
to Beryl's unholy wrath.
The cider was decidedly warm and was quite pleasant to his sense of taste.
"Very interesting," he said after taking a second sip, relaxing enough to be
able to enjoy the experience of tasting something new. "It is indeed a taste
I find most agreeable. I apologize for not being able to offer an exchange in
kind at the moment."
"The situation is more than understandable," Susan reassured him with a
gentle smile.
"Lady Electra Kino of the House of Jupiter!" the attendant announced as
Sailor Jupiter entered the room. She was still wearing her Sailor Suit, which
caused Susan to raise an eyebrow in both surprise and concern. While it was
hardly forbidden for the Sailor Scouts to attend social or formal functions in
the role of Sailor Scouts instead of noble ladies, it was not very often that
they chose to do so. At least, not without a very good reason.
The reason became clear a moment later when a hushed silence swept across
the room, almost as if by instinct. All attention turned towards the doorway
as the attendant took one step into the room and immediately stepped to the
side. "Her Majesty, Queen Serenity of the Royal House of the Moon!" he said in
a voice that fairly echoed throughout the ballroom.
Everyone who was seated rose to their feet in unison, all but the denizens
bowing their heads in respect as Serenity entered the room. She was wearing a
silver-colored gown that seemed to sparkle gently like the evening sky, her
long lavender hair brushed out and pinned up in the hemispherical buns that she
had favored since she was a child.
Susan's eyebrows arched up slightly as she saw Raijen standing just inside
the doorway, looking decidedly striking in his tuxedo. His shoulder-length
blond hair had been neatly combed and tied off in a simple ponytail, and she
could see the blue of his eyes from halfway across the room.
Serenity turned to say something to Raijen, reaching out to brush her hand
against his arm for a moment. Raijen replied with a gentle shake of his head
and brought her hand up to his lips. He kissed her hand for a moment before
making a sweeping gesture with his other hand and bowing, as if indicating that
he was no longer needed after escorting her through the palace.
It was a rather bold move in Susan's view, as she knew that Serenity would
have little choice but to proceed alone to avoid making a social scene. The
smile on Serenity's lips was genuine as she nodded her head to Raijen in casual
acknowledgment of his apparently minor service and made her way to the center
of the room, pausing briefly here and there to share a word and a smile with
various ministers and other nobles.
"That is a lovely gown," T'Cer murmured in appreciation to Susan.
"One befitting a lovely Queen," V'Kaar added with a soft smile. "We also
enjoy an occasional social function where the dress code does not involve any
uniforms, but such events tend to be few and far between."
"Certainly not often enough to try to have a gown made like that," T'Cer
said almost wistfully. "Not that I personally would go with that color, but I
can easily imagine myself in a moderate shade of dark blue...."
A faint hint of a smile brushed across Susan's lips. "I am sure we could
arrange a consultation with her Majesty's seamstress if you desire to have a
template drawn up to take with you later," she offered. As expected, T'Cer's
eyes widened slightly and the eyebrows on both V'Kaar and Tar-Nul rose up in
surprise at the gesture.
"Chancellor Meiou...." T'Cer started to say before trailing off.
"Unless I am mistaken," Susan said carefully, "The intent of making social
contact between two vastly different cultures was to foster exchanges of one
form or another. Surely an exchange of cultural clothing and designs can only
benefit both our societies, as it would serve as inspirations to those who are
artistically inclined and thus would further enhance both our worlds."
"Well said, Chancellor," V'Kaar said with a nod of his head. "I feel that
I must apologize for not having the wisdom or forethought to bring such samples
of our culture with us to offer in exchange," he added with a humbled bow of
his head.
"There is no need to berate yourself over such a thing," Susan replied in
a diplomatic tone. "Given the fact that this is a first contact situation, one
can hardly prepare for every possible event that may or may not even come to
pass. I should like to point out that we can only offer such things to you
because we are your hosts and thus have far greater resources to draw upon than
even the most well-prepared exploration team."
"Truly well-spoken, my lady!" V'Kaar said with a laugh. "With all due
respect, I may have to convince you to return to the Negaverse with me, as our
own Queen would do well to have an advisor so steeped in wisdom as yourself."
"Take her, by all means," a voice said from behind Susan, causing heads to
turn. "I'm sure she would be of great use in explaining our culture to yours
in ways that make absolute sense."
"Minister Harken," Susan said dryly as the Interior Minister drew close.
"While I will not ascribe your endorsement to a gesture of benevolence, I will
nonetheless thank you for vote of confidence in my ability to convey ideas and
information to others."
"You are, of course, more than welcome as always, Chancellor," he replied
in a casual tone before turning his attention to the denizens. "I trust you
are finding everything to your satisfaction so far, Colonel?" he inquired.
"Very much so, Minister," V'Kaar replied with a gracious nod of his head.
"Again, I must thank you and her Majesty for your kindness and hospitality."
Susan glanced to her side and took a step back. "If I may, I believe her
Majesty would prefer to hear such words herself," she said demurely, watching
as the monarch approached the banquet table. "Your Majesty," she said with a
curtsey.
"Chancellor," Serenity replied with a nod of her head. "Minister," she
added as Harken bowed deeply. "Colonel V'Kaar, I trust all is well?"
"Assuredly, your Majesty," V'Kaar purred as he kissed Serenity's hand.
"As I was just telling your advisors, I must thank you once again for all of
the kindness and generous hospitality you've shown us."
"Our world subscribes to the view that you should treat others as you
would have them treat you in return," Serenity replied with a smile. "And as
you have demonstrated that you are quite the civilized society, I see no reason
not to treat you as such."
"I assure you, your Majesty, that we shall definitely remember your kind
words and deeds," V'Kaar promised her with a charming smile.
"I apologize for the lateness of my arrival, but I was delayed for several
minutes," Serenity said unexpectedly, causing Susan to blink. "However, I do
believe that both Minister Olan and Kayla are ready to begin serving dinner.
Kayla has assured me that you will find the menu to be to your liking, as she
has spent most of the day in preparation for the banquet and has taken steps to
ensure that our cooking won't have an adverse influence on your bodies."
"Your Majesty is most kind," V'Kaar said. "Our first team of explorers
had the misfortune of learning the hard way what some of your vegetables could
do to us. I believe they were called 'peppers'."
"Ah," Serenity, Susan, and Harken all said in near-perfect unison. "They
can be quite the nasty problem for us as well," Harken added with a chuckle.
"Are they going to be alright?" Serenity inquired carefully.
V'Kaar paused and cast a questioning look over his shoulder at T'Cer, who
made a very quiet reply in what was apparently her native language. V'Kaar
seemed to wince in sympathy before turning back to Serenity with a slightly
pained look on his face, pausing as he sought how to best phrase things.
"They are expected to recover," he said cautiously. "It took our Healers
some time to realize that they were having digestive issues instead of having
a reaction to a biological weapon. The standard treatments are distinctly
different for both," he added.
Serenity wrinkled her nose for a moment before nodding in understanding.
"I do hope they recover soon, Colonel," she said with genuine sympathy. "And
I assure you that we are taking every precaution to ensure that nothing even
remotely similar happens to any of you."
"We have already noticed some of your precautions," V'Kaar replied as he
made a gesture with his wineglass, gently swirling the apple cider around.
"And I must admit that I do find it very much to my liking."
Susan turned to briefly survey the room, half-listening to the diplomatic
exchange in the background. She could see Kayla and Minister Olan engaged in
a quiet discussion in the corner with Minister Dejanna and one of the guard
captains, apparently hashing out one final detail before serving dinner. Even
as she tried to figure out what it could be, the group seemed to nod in general
agreement and dispersed, Olan and Dejanna heading towards their respective
seats along the banquet tables while Kayla disappeared into the kitchen.
She was intrigued to watch the guard captain approach Raijen, who had
taken up a decidedly unobtrusive position along the wall next to the attendant
standing post at the door. The distance was too great to read lips with any
reliability, but if forced to make a guess she would have suggested that the
guard captain was inviting Raijen to join the table she and some other guards
were sitting at. The hesitation on his face was obvious before he nodded in
acceptance and followed her to the side table that had been positioned to allow
the occupants to keep tabs on the room in general with relative ease.
Interesting, Susan thought to herself, knowing that the guards tended to
keep to themselves during social functions they attended when off-duty. The
guard captain in particular who approached Raijen was also known to be more
anti-social than most, which only increased Susan's curiosity. A thought came
to her, and on impulse she decided it might be worth investigating.
She shift her focus to the conversation around her just long enough to
make sure that nothing of true significance was taking place before she very
casually and unobtrusively made her way over to T'Cer's side. "Do you have a
moment, Commander?" she said in a very quiet tone. "This is nothing offical
or even remotely important," she added.
"Of course," T'Cer replied with a nod.
"Did you happen to notice her Majesty's escort earlier?" she asked in a
curious tone. She received a slow nod in reply and she continued. "I can't
say I recall encountering him before, or at least in a memorable way. One
woman to another.... what do you think?" she said, her tone suggesting that the
question was motivated by the simple desire to indulge in some universally
feminine gossip.
"I think your Queen has excellent taste in men," T'Cer replied in a quiet
tone that did little to conceal a hint of envy. "I'd like to say I've met him
somewhere before, but that must simply be mistaken identity."
"Or wishful thinking," Susan prodded gently with a twinkle in her eye.
"Mmm, I don't know what you're talking about," T'Cer said with a straight
expression, her eyes still focused on Raijen. She paused for a moment and cast
a quick glance at Susan, their eyes meeting in mutual understanding before a
faint smile crossed their faces.
"It appears your kind and ours has a great deal in common," Susan said
demurely. "The similarities are almost frightening."
T'Cer nodded. "Indeed. When we first made contact on Earth, we thought
at first that we had simply opened a portal to another part of our world, or
at least until we looked at the sky. There was a great deal of confusion until
it became apparent that we were indeed in another world, and that the blue in
the atmosphere wasn't just a temporary disturbance."
Susan raised an eyebrow and was about to ask what color their world's sky
was when she heard someone call out her title. She quickly turned around and
noticed that Sailor Jupiter was making a beeline toward her, the back edge of
her tiara folded down over her right ear to act as a speaker.
"Chancellor," Jupiter repeated in a more subdued tone as she approached.
"Your Majesty," she added as she gave her queen a quick nod of her head.
"Is something wrong, Electra?" Susan asked in a cautious tone.
"Dana," the brunette said simply. "It's time."
"Ah," Susan replied with understanding. "Very well, I shall be there in
a moment," she said before turning to a visibly worried Queen Serenity. "Your
Majesty, I apologize for the interruption, but I believe I am needed in the
medical ward," she explained calmly. "I should be able to return with good
tidings before the evening has expired."
Serenity nodded in understanding and appeared to relax, knowing why Susan
was excusing herself. "Very well, Chancellor, we will wait to hear the news
upon your return. You may have to apologize to Kayla later, however," she said
in an amused tone. "Especially after all the trouble she went to in order to
make dinner for our guests."
"It will not be the first time I had to wash the pots to make amends,"
Susan replied dryly, drawing a round of laughter from the rest of the group.
"I shall see you soon, your Majesty," she added with a formal curtsey before
she headed for the door.
"If you will forgive me," she heard V'Kaar say very quietly behind her,
"I am having a hard time imagining a woman like Chancellor Meiou scrubbing the
pots in the kitchen like a first-year cadet pulling kitchen duty."
"With a woman like Susan?" Serenity said dryly. "We have to have *some*
way of keeping her humble."
"Your Majesty," Sailor Jupiter sighed, bringing a smile of amusement to
Susan's lips. Then with a rueful shake of her head, she slipped out the main
double doors and headed over to the medical ward.
* * * *
"Took you long enough," Mercury growled as she looked up for half a second
before returning her attention to the moaning woman on the table.
"Have I ever been late?" Susan said quietly, her face hidden behind a
surgical mask and a disposable surgical apron tied over the front of her gown.
She glanced up to notice that Mars and Venus were hovering excitedly on either
side of Dana, their faces and suits likewise hidden behind disposable surgical
garb. Standing behind Mercury and out of the way, Master Healer V'lent'u was
also covered in surgical garb and was watching the process intently.
"Dana, just breathe easy," Mercury said as Dana tensed up. "Going to have
another one in a few seconds here, okay? Just breathe slowly, okay? Easy....
remember, you're going to push until I tell you to quit, okay? We're almost
done here, I promise. Just take it easy...."
Susan winced as Dana let loose with another sharp yelp as the labor pain
took hold. Venus and Mars were holding her hands tightly, both completely
willing to ignore the discomfort of having their hands crushed in a frenzied
grip as Dana fought to push as hard as she could. The wave of pain seemed to
subside after a moment, followed by Mercury's order to quit pushing and try to
breath deep once again.
The process was repeated twice more before Dana's scream suddenly changed
pitch, tensing hard enough to almost yank Venus off her feet. "Push, Dana!"
Mercury called out as she moved forward, reaching up to steady Dana's legs.
"C'mon, you have to keep pushing.... push, push, push, push.... okay, stop!"
She waited until the explosive breath had left Dana's body before she rubbed
her groin muscles gently. "Her head is down, this will be the last one! When
it comes, give it all you got and hold nothing back! I mean it, this is it!
Just breathe, breathe, breathe.... okay, push!" she yelled as Dana tensed up.
It always utterly fascinating to Susan how a process as old as life itself
could be so identical and yet so unique every time it happened. She had been
in attendance for the birth of every single Sailor Scout and Princess since she
was nine, and it never ceased to be a wonderous experience. She watched in
rapt attention as the focus of Dana's attention narrowed down to one of the
most basic and fundamental instincts of humankind, drawing upon a reserve of
strength that was only tapped in life-or-death situations. However in this
instance, the situation was clearly one of life....
...And with a shout that rattled the walls, a new life was delivered into
Sailor Mercury's waiting arms. The echo of Dana's primal scream had barely
faded away when a new sound arose, this one of a baby only seconds old making
it known to all that her lungs were clear and that she was not in the least bit
happy to have gone through the trauma of being born.
Mercury quickly wrapped the blanket around the infant and leaned forward,
carefully setting her down on her mother's chest. "Congratulations, Dana," she
said quietly. "It's a girl."
The spate of tears that followed was hardly unexpected. Dana was quite
thoroughly exhausted from the delivery, barely able to reach up to steady the
still-screaming bundle on her stomach. Her expression seemed to melt from one
of pain and suffering to one of unimaginable joy, the tears starting to trickle
out from the corners of her eyes.
Both Mars and Venus were distinctly misty-eyed as well, staring at the
newborn with identical looks of loving wonder. Mercury was still occupied,
tying off the umbilical cord and waiting for Dana to expel the placenta before
trying to cut the cord. It was clear, however, that she was obviously trying
not to cry as well, the soft smile on her face plainly evident even behind her
surgical mask.
"Fascinating," V'lent'u whispered as she took a few steps forward to hover
behind Mercury's elbow. "Had no-one told me you were not my species, I would
not have been able to tell much of a difference."
"Any obvious signs?" Mercury inquired idly as she massaged Dana's groin
muscles, not in any great rush to deal with the messy after-birth that was due
to follow in a few minutes. "Easy, just relax," she spoke up quickly as Dana
moaned softly, her body tensing up again. "That's supposed to happen, Dana,
don't fight it. Your body is just getting rid of the placenta, just relax."
"Cosmetic signs," V'lent'u said with a shrug. "We don't have hair on our
groins as you appear to. At least, denizen females don't. The males sometimes
have a sparse patch of hair."
"Huh," Mercury replied noncommittally. "That's it?"
"As far as I've been able to determine," the denizen replied with a nod.
Susan carefully moved over to stand next to Venus to get a better look at
Dana's newborn daughter, who had already quieted down. "How are you feeling,
Lady Neptune?" she asked in a quiet tone, adding subtle emphasis to Dana's new
title of nobility.
"I think I feel better," Dana whispered, reaching up to run a fingertip
across her baby's cheek. "Ask me in a few hours, though," she added as she
glanced up at Susan with a faint twinkle of amusement in her sea-green eyes.
She blinked hard and grimaced as another wave of cramps shot through her body,
adding yet more stress to her already exhausted abdomen. "Amelia...." she
whimpered as the cramps grew stronger.
"Just let it flow through you, Dana," Mercury said soothingly. "Like I
said earlier, it's just the placenta being expelled. We're almost done here,
I promise. You're doing great, Dana," she added, gently squeezing her leg.
"Hey, honey...." Venus whispered as the infant briefly opened her eyes a
few millimeters to reveal a pair of aquamarine irises. "Hi there...."
"Heh," Mars chuckled very quietly as the infant squinched her eyes shut
and made a distinctly sour face. "I don't think she likes you."
"Oh, don't be a meanie," Venus fussed as she squeezed Dana's hand. "I'm
sure she's just not used to the light or something."
"Precisely," Mercury spoke up as she picked up a sterile bowl and held it
beneath Dana's groin. "I'll do the full in-depth scans just as soon as I'm
finished making sure Dana won't hemorrhage on me or something, but I have every
reason to believe that we now have a very healthy baby on our hands."
"Have you decided on a name for her yet?" Susan inquired. "I'm sure her
Majesty and the others are eagerly waiting to hear how you both are doing."
"Niall wanted to use Michael if it was a boy," Dana murmured, referring to
the Gypsy she had fallen in love with and later sought to have a child by. "I
didn't try to tell him that we were guaranteed to have a daughter, and he had
no idea what to suggest if it was a girl. He probably figured he'd leave it up
to me to decide."
"Typical male," Mercury muttered quietly.
"What's the feminine form of Michael?" Venus inquired.
"That would be Michelle," Susan replied.
"Michelle," Dana repeated softly, looking down at her daughter. "That is
a very pretty name indeed. I don't think he'll object too strongly."
"Hit him with a stick if he does," Mercury grumbled. "After all, you can
blame it all on him if you want."
"Doctor," Susan said with open amusement.
Heads turned as the door suddenly banged open as Hotaru pushed her way
inside, her expression dangerously pale. "Doctor?" she panted, leaning hard
on the door for support.
"Hotaru!" Mercury snapped. "If this isn't an emergency, I'm going to tie
you up, glue you to the bed, and staple the sheets around you for a week!"
"Diana just went into labor," the young girl wheezed. "And I can't find
Doctor Niles anywhere...."
Mercury blinked before sighing heavily. "I'm not finished here," she said
in a low tone to Susan. "I still have to make sure both Dana and Michelle are
fine, and I've never delivered kittens before."
"I will take care of it," Susan assured her as she headed for the door.
"If I may assist?" V'lent'u asked quickly, gesturing to Susan.
Susan hesitated only for a moment before nodding, knowing that there were
some universal aspects to being a doctor. "Very well, Healer, thank you," she
replied as she moved towards the door. "Hotaru, I want you back in your bed
immediately," she said as she passed the young girl.
"Where do you think she's at?" Hotaru grumbled quietly.
"Then find something to sit down on," Susan countered gently as she headed
down the hallway towards the medical ward. The sound of a cat in pain echoed
the length of the corridor, seeming to warble like a siren as the pains came
and went at very rapid intervals.
"Diana!" Susan called out as she entered the room. She found the gray cat
huddled in a ball on the bed, along with a white kitten who had his fur puffed
out in fright, making him seem like a giant cotton ball.
"Aaaah!" Diana gasped, her body wracked with tremors. "Chancellor, I'm
sorry, I couldn't.... aaaarrrrhhhh!"
"Just remain calm," Susan said as she paused only long enough to grab a
large towel from the linen cabinet before darting over to the bed. She very
quickly wrapped the cat up and looked for a suitable place to carry her, not
wanting to have her make a mess on the bed.
"Allow me," V'lent'u said calmly as she reached out, laying her hand along
the cat's spine. A pale white glow started to surround her hand, causing both
Susan and Diana's eyes to double in size. "I'm not going to do anything about
the contractions, little one, but I can at least ease the pain they cause."
"Aaaahh!" Diana gasped before she suddenly held perfectly still, save for
a series of tremors at the tips of her whiskers. "Oooo! Oh.... ohhhhh.... oh,
yes, yes, thank you, oh, that is definitely better...."
"Excuse me, Master Healer, but what exactly are you doing?" Susan demanded
in a quiet but faintly edged tone, keeping both eyes on the white glow infused
around the denizen's hand.
"I am a Healer," V'lent'u replied, giving Susan a measured look. "I have
the power to induce a state of regeneration in others, and I am using it to
help dampen the pain in her body. I'm not interfering in the actions of her
muscles, however, as that would be both counter-productive and unhealthy."
"Susan?" Hotaru said very quietly, staring hard at the white glow.
"Not now, Hotaru," Susan replied absently. "Artemis, please get off the
bed. It is up to Diana if you can remain here, but I don't want you anywhere
close to the kittens when they are born."
"I've got him," Hotaru said quickly as she darted over to scoop him up,
cradling him in both arms as she leaned against the wall.
"Ow, ow, this is not.... oooh," Diana gasped as she felt her insides try
to twist into knots. "I hope that wasn't one of them using their claws...."
"Remain calm," V'lent'u said as she carefully rubbed Diana's neck with her
free hand. "Just let it progress on its own. I've aided Felinoids in labor
before," she added. "I've never met one so small as yourself, however, but I
don't see any reason why the process would be different. Chancellor, I think
we will need a number of additional towels for this," she said to Susan.
Susan nodded and headed over to the linen cabinet to retrieve half a dozen
sterile towels. She paused for a moment as she realized that she had never
taken the time to ask Diana if she knew how many kittens she was carrying. I
suppose we shall find out in very short order, she mused to herself as she
returned to the bed and started to lay out the towels.
The next five minutes seemed to blur together as Diana continued to make
muted noises of mild pain and severe discomfort, V'lent'u's glowing hand never
once leaving the base of her spine. Susan split her time between keeping an
eye on the denizen physican and keeping an eye on Hotaru, knowing that the girl
would most likely incur a serious relapse of her condition.
"Oh, my," Diana panted as she screwed her eyes shut, her ears flat against
her head. "Oh my, oh my, oh my, ohmyohmyohmyohmy...."
"I think it is time," V'lent'u said soothingly as she unwrapped the towel
and carefully laid Diana on her side. She reached for one of the towels Susan
had laid out and carefully held it in her free hand, forming a sort of scoop
intended to catch the kitten as it emerged.
"Yeech," Artemis complained with a sour expression as Diana convulsed,
disgorging a tiny bundle of soaked fur with a truly sickening liquid sound.
V'lent'u's wrist twitched gently, causing the edge of the towel to flip up and
over to neatly ensconce the newborn kitten in a secure package. She set the
quivering towel-ball next to Diana's abdomen and reached for a second towel,
forming it into a scoop as she did with the first one.
"Easy now," V'lent'u said in a soothing tone, lightly squeezing Diana's
back muscle with her glowing hand. "That was an excellent job, little one.
The next one should be ready to deliver in a moment...."
"I.... take it back...." Diana moaned as she tensed up again. "I don't
want.... a dozen.... let's just.... call it.... a day here.... AAAAAHHHH!"
Susan waited and watched in silence as Diana proceeded to give birth to
four more kittens at regular intervals, each deftly bundled up in a towel by
V'lent'u and placed in front of Diana where she could see them. Hotaru seemed
to be fascinated by the delivery, while Artemis was clearly unsettled by the
experience. He continued to watch, however, and it wasn't long before Diana
expelled the remaining placentas into the last towel Susan had laid out.
"Bah.... hah.... ah-hah...." Diana panted as the pain and pressure finally
left her body. "That.... was.... not amusing...."
"Child-birth rarely is," V'lent'u said soothingly as she rubbed the gray
cat's fur for several moments before removing her hand. The white glow faded
from her skin a moment later and she turned her attention to the collection of
writhing balls of fur tucked away in the five towels. "So let's see what we
have here, my furry friend...."
"Will you excuse me for a moment?" Susan said to the denizen, making a
gesture with the towel she was holding. She received a nod of understanding
and Susan quickly carried the towel over to another room to dispose of the
contents in a sealed container that she knew would be incinerated by sunrise.
She was about to leave when the door opened up to admit Sailor Mercury
into the room, carrying a disposable parcel of used medical items. "I take it
everything went okay?" Mercury sighed as she unsealed the container to toss her
bundle inside.
"Five kittens, all apparently healthy," Susan reported as she stepped over
to the sink to scrub her hands.
"Good," Mercury sighed again as she stripped off her gloves and tossed
them into the disposal container before sealing it shut again. "Both Dana and
Michelle are doing just fine. Seven pounds, four ounces, and a whole lot of
lung-power."
Susan just smiled, knowing that Amelia's grandmother had essentially said
the same thing when she helped her daughter deliver Amelia. "It is a healthy
sign, Doctor," she said demurely.
"Believe me, I know," Mercury said as she started scrubbing her hands in
a second sink. "I still think Skye is going to wind up with tinnitus if she
lets Alexis cry for longer than ten seconds. Very piercing," she grumbled.
"I shall convey the state of Dana's health to her Majesty momentarily,"
Susan replied as she dried her hands off. "Just as soon as I am sure that
Hotaru won't collapse on us in the immediate future."
"Don't get me started," Mercury growled sharply, causing Susan to pause at
the level of frustration in her voice. "I honestly don't know what her body is
doing with all the energy it produces or why it's not being stored. She's not
malnourished or diabetic or anything. I just simply can't figure out why her
body is losing so much energy all the time. Well, not rationally, at least,"
she amended with a snort of contempt.
"Perhaps you should speculate irrationally for a moment?" Susan suggested
in a neutral tone.
Mercury glared at her for a moment before she sighed and shook her head in
resignation. "Sometimes I'm tempted to say that when Mizuki died giving birth,
Death tried to grab Hotaru as well. He missed, of course, but it seems he's
somehow still holding on. Dammit, Susan," she growled a moment later. "Don't
get that look on your face, it's just a hare-brained notion that you get when
you're halfway through a bottle of spirits, don't even start."
"Very well, Doctor," Susan replied quietly, trying to fight off the chill
that had blown through her a moment ago. She realized that it was possible for
there to be some truth to Amelia's "irrational" speculation, as she was fully
cognizant of the spiritual realities of the universe.
"Just have her lie down," Mercury sighed as she grabbed another pair of
disposable gloves and slipped them on. "I'll come check on her once I'm done
moving Dana into recovery and Michelle into the nursery. Might have to have
Kayla lend me another cast-iron skillet to swat the first person who tries to
defy orders to stay the hell out of the nursery until I say it's safe for
visitors," she added in a low growl.
"As soon as I change the linens," Susan promised her, drawing a very dark
look in response. "We didn't have time to relocate Diana before she began to
deliver the kittens," she added.
"Wonderful," Mercury sighed. "I don't want her spending the night in the
general ward."
"I will see she is properly bedded down tonight," Susan replied.
"And attended," Mercury persisted. "I'm willing to bet she'll have a
relapse before sunrise. Damned uncooperative child...."
"That's enough, Amelia," Susan said sternly. She merely raised an eyebrow
in response as Sailor Mercury gave her a truly hostile stare before the blue-
haired woman snorted in contempt and left the room.
Susan paused for a moment to make sure her composure was intact before
returning to the medical ward. A quick glance at the bed revealed that Diana
was doing just fine, meticulously examining each of the kittens that were now
huddled in a group around her ribcage.
"Well, Diana," Susan said in a humorous tone as she drew close. "What do
you have to say for yourself this time?"
"It's a pity there are children about," Diana replied calmly as she began
to preen a pure black kitten. "Otherwise I might be able to express myself a
little more clearly."
"Now, now," Susan said with a soft chuckle, glancing over at Hotaru and
making absent note of the puzzled looks coming from both her and Artemis. "Is
there anything in particular I should convey to her Majesty when I report to
her in a moment?"
Diana paused and looked down at her newborn kittens, wrinkling her nose as
two of them began nuzzling her swollen nipples. "Three girls, two boys, but
only one possesses the Lunar mark," she replied.
"What?" Susan said, clearly surprised by the declaration.
"See for yourself," Diana sighed as she flicked her tail.
Susan frowned as she stepped close enough to examine the foreheads of each
kitten. The only outward difference between a normal Earth cat and a Lunar cat
was the presence of a crescent mark on the forehead. The differences were far
more profound when examined closer, as only Lunar cats possessed the ability to
talk and a level of intelligence that was easily on par with that of humans.
As Diana had stated, the only one to possess any such mark was the pure
black kitten. The other four were primarily black and mottled with splotches
of white. Susan was naturally curious as to who the father was, but it was
rather obvious to her that it had been an ordinary Earth cat that Diana had met
somewhere in recent history.
"Why don't they have the mark?" Artemis asked carefully, a gold crescent
mark clearly visible on his forehead.
"The Hand of Fate works in mysterious ways," Hotaru spoke up before Susan
could fathom an acceptible reply. "Why is a person born the way he or she is?
There are no answers to that one, unfortunately," she added wistfully.
"Oh," Artemis replied, seeming to accept the explanation at face-value.
"You are wise for one seemingly so young," V'lent'u spoke up as she gave
the young girl a measured look.
Hotaru blinked and blushed in embarrassment, a very pale spotch of color
tinting her cheeks. "I had a good teacher," she murmured, glancing over at
Susan. She suddenly blinked again and sighed, seeming to wilt against the wall
as she leaned heavily against it.
"Is something wrong, dear child?" V'lent'u said in a concerned tone.
"Just tired, that's all," Hotaru replied in a subdued tone.
Susan just shook her head and sighed, knowing the onset of a collapse was
most likely in the immediate future. "Come, Hotaru, let me get you to bed if
you are in need of a rest," she said, using a gentle tone laced with just the
right amount of iron to convey that the subject wasn't open to debate.
"Hotaru?" Artemis spoke up in a worried tone as he carefully sniffed her
skin. "You don't smell too good right now."
"I probably just need a shower," Hotaru murmured as she carefully set him
down on the ground and tried to stand back up. She succeeded in doing so, but
the effort quite obviously took a heavy toll on her body.
"Please, hold still for a moment," V'lent'u said as she moved over to very
lightly take hold of Hotaru's wrist. A pale glow surrounded her hand a moment
later, slowly spreading across Hotaru's wrist as the denizen Healer used her
curative powers.
"Master Healer...." Susan said in a warning tone as the hair on the back
of her neck suddenly stood up.
"I am only examining her, nothing more," V'lent'u said in a soft tone,
gently looking into Hotaru's widened eyes. "And I do not like what I see. I
know nothing of humans, of course, but I know significant energy loss when I
feel it. Your name is Hotaru, correct?" she said softly to the young girl.
"Yes," Hotaru replied. "Lady Hotaru Tomoe of the House of Saturn."
"Well met, Lady Hotaru. I am Master Healer V'lent'u," the elderly woman
said in a calm voice. "I am able to be trained as a Healer because I possess
the ability to induce a state of healing in others. It is not an overly common
ability among my kind, but there are enough of us to make it worthwhile to form
our own institution dedicated to medicine and the treatment of others. You can
say I am my world's equivalent of a doctor."
Hotaru paused and glanced down at the white glow surrounding her wrist.
It was producing a decidedly warm feeling, a sensation that she seldom was able
to feel as of late. "What are you doing to me?" she whispered.
"What I am doing is seeing how your body reacts to my healing powers. I
can usually infer a person's state of health from the reactions, and from there
try to treat whatever ails them," V'lent'u explained in a reassuring tone. "As
I said, I've never treated a human before so I don't really know how to read a
human's vital signs. I can make educated guesses, however, seeing how we are
biologically quite similar. If you were a denizen, I would say that you are
suffering from a rare phenomenon in which the pair of Chaos genes in the body
constantly draw more energy from the cell's.... I'm not sure I can translate,"
she apologized. "Anyway, genes try draw more energy from the cell than it can
normally generate, and when it can't get enough, it turns to neighboring cells
to try to satisfy its need."
Hotaru gave her a startled look before exchanging glances with Susan, who
was visibly just as surprised as she was. "Susan?" she asked quietly.
"That is.... not far from the truth," Susan said demurely, not entirely
sure what to make of the situation. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean
by 'chaos' genes in this context, but that can be discussed later. Does your
world have a treatment for this?"
V'lent'u visibily hesitated before composing herself. "It depends on the
individual and the nature of the drain. The short-term remedy is a measured
infusion of energy, which is easily accomplished in a number of ways. Finding
a longer-term solution would require a complete genetic analysis of her....
again, I don't have a proper translation," she apologized again. "I think the
best term might be genetic core."
"With as much blood as they've taken from me to analyze?" Hotaru muttered
quietly to herself. "They should have it all taken apart by now."
"Hotaru," Susan admonished her gently.
V'lent'u reached up and very gently placed her other hand on Hotaru's
shoulder. "I know this may be asking a lot in terms of trust, dear child, but
will you allow me to attempt a minor energy infusion into you? I am a Master
Healer, which is not a title granted lightly or on a whim. While I am an old
woman and no longer so full of the vibrant warmth of life that I once had, I am
still more than capable of sharing that energy with others."
Hotaru paused and glanced over at Susan, not sure what to make of the
offer. The uncertainty was clearly echoed on Susan's face as well, not sure if
she should allow things to continue without medical guidance, or at least not
without Amelia's presence in the room. Of course, as the saying went, it was
likely that Amelia would be having kittens herself at what was going on between
the dangerouly-ill Sailor Saturn and the denizen Healer....
"Susan?" Hotaru prompted very softly.
"It is up to you, Hotaru," Susan replied very carefully. "While you may
be young, you are hardly a child and can thus make most of your own decisions
for yourself. Bear in mind that there are risks when dealing with the unknown,
risks that not even I may be able to mitigate," she cautioned.
"I would not be offering if I didn't have confidence in my abilities and
likelihood of success," V'lent'u said gently. "Yes, this is an unknown, as I
have never done this with a human before, but I am a Healer. I would rather
take my own life than bring harm to another, either through negligence or by
direct willfulness."
Hotaru blinked and cast a glance over her shoulder at the bed. Diana was
watching her carefully as she nursed four of the kittens. Surprisingly, the
pure black kitten was also watching her, her eyes fixated on the white glow
surrounding V'lent'u's hand. The gold crescent symbol on both mother and
daughter seemed to twinkle faintly with reflected light from the healing glow.
"Okay," Hotaru said on sudden impulse, turning to look at V'lent'u. "Go
ahead and try it."
The Healer nodded soberly. "Very well," she said quietly. "But let me
know the instant that you feel any discomfort or feel anything amiss," she said
as she slowly drew in a deep breath. The glow surrounding her hand suddenly
became brighter, sending a wave of warmth coursing through Hotaru's blood and
causing her eyes to widen in wonder.
"Hotaru?" Susan said nervously, not sure what to make of the change in her
expression.
"Oh, wow...." Hotaru breathed very softly.
"I think, dear child, that everything will be just fine," V'lent'u said
softly as a faint smile tugged on her lips. "It seems that you humans are not
all that different from us after all."
"Oh, thank you," Hotaru whispered in heartfelt gratitude as she felt the
dull ache in her body recede for the first time in a number of months. It was
almost like her blood was being replaced with warm syrup, very slowly flowing
through her veins to revive the rest of her body. A bright purple sigil flared
into view on her forehead without warning, causing Susan's eyes to widen.
"Hotaru!" the succubus gasped in awe.
"I can feel it," Hotaru whispered with a smile. "Oh, Susan, you have no
idea how.... how *strong* I feel now...."
"A little energy can do wonders for a starved body," V'lent'u said with a
smile of her own. "I must caution you, however, that this is only a temporary
respite, and that I am not strong enough to offer you much more energy at the
moment. Is this normal, by chance?" she asked, gesturing with her free hand to
the vibrant purple sigil glowing on Hotaru's forehead.
"It is for the Sailor Scouts," Susan said with a nod. "It is.... a sort
of birthmark, if you will. The signs of the Houses usually only manifests in
very strong emotional situations, but they can be willed to visibility," she
explained, closing her eyes for a few seconds to concentrate. The sign of
Pluto flared into view on her forehead a moment later, glowing a medium shade
of green before fading away.
"Fascinating," V'lent'u said as she studied Hotaru's sigil. She blinked
and looked down at her hand before sighing softly. "I'm afraid that's all I am
able to share with you," she apologized as the glow faded away.
Hotaru looked down at her hands and flexed them carefully before looking
back up at the Healer. "Thank you so much!" she said, leaning forward to give
the elderly woman a tight hug. "You have no idea how much better I feel right
now! Susan, this is simply amazing!"
"Indeed it is," Susan replied with a slow nod. "Perhaps it would be wise
of you to conserve as much of that energy as possible, as she did caution you
that the effects would be temporary."
Hotaru blinked and gave her a classic 'you have got to be kidding me' look
before sighing and nodding sourly in understanding. "I know," she said before
giving V'lent'u a brilliant smile. "I don't think I can thank you enough. I
haven't felt this good in months."
"And that, young lady, is why I became a Healer," V'lent'u replied with a
soft smile of her own.
Everyone turned to look as the outer doors creaked open and a blonde head
was cautiously poked into the room. "Someone had kittens?" Sailor Venus said
in a curious tone.
"Lucy!" Hotaru said cheerfully as she darted over to the door to greet her
with a hug that completely took Venus by surprise.
"Whoa!" Venus yelped as she almost lost her balance. "Take it easy, kid!
Huh?" she gasped as she saw the sign of Saturn glowing on Hotaru's forehead.
"Oh, wow, look at you! Susan fed you some new vitamins today or what?"
"It appears that being a Master Healer entails more than having a firm
grasp of bureaucratic management," Susan observed in an amused tone. "As you
can see, Hotaru has been somewhat rejuvenated by a power that denizens seem to
possess and are able to grant to others."
"Not all of us," V'lent'u corrected gently. "While we are each touched by
Chaos, it takes shape quite differently in each individual. I just happen to
be fortunate enough to possess such a healing ability."
"That's great!" Venus said, briefly returning Hotaru's hug with distinct
enthusiasm. "Had us worried for awhile, young lady. Almost enough to make
Amelia want to get drunk again...."
"Lucille," Susan sighed quietly.
"Oh, relax, Chancellor," Venus giggled as she knelt down to scoop up the
white kitten hovering around Hotaru's ankles. "And what do we have here, hmm?
Nice, pretty little white kitty...."
"I'm Artemis," the kitten spoke up with a soft purr.
"Hey, Artemis, how you doing?" Venus said cheerfully as she looked around
the room. "Ohh, Diana...." she breathed, her eyes lighting up in delight as
she saw the gray cat still curled up on the bed. "Look at you, that is so
precious. How are they doing?"
"They seem to be fine, if a tad hungry," Diana chuckled very quietly as
the kittens continued to nurse with enthusiasm. She winced briefly as she was
nipped in a tender spot before glancing over at the pure black kitten. "She's
starting to worry me, however," she added with a gesture with her tail. "She
hasn't really done much of anything yet except stare at everyone."
"Well, what do you expect, it's all new to her," Venus replied as she very
carefully leaned forward, making sure to hold onto Artemis. "Hey, honey, how
are you doing?" she whispered softly to the black kitten. She blinked as the
kitten promptly started edging back before nearly tripping over Diana's paw.
"Don't take it personally, Sailor Venus," Diana chuckled as she picked up
the kitten by the scruff of her neck and deposited her next to her siblings,
who immediately started searching for an unoccupied nipple.
"That's two for two today," Venus sighed as she stepped back, absently
scratching Artemis' ears.
"I trust all is well with Dana?" Susan inquired casually.
"Resting comfortably," Venus replied with a nod. "And Michelle is in a
crib right next to her. Amelia promptly chased us away so they could get some
rest, so I think we're finished for the night."
"Good," Susan said. "Perhaps you would be willing to come with me, then?
I am about to inform her Majesty about recent developments, as she is eagerly
awaiting word about Dana's delivery."
"Bah," Venus sighed. "Aria already told Electra, so Queen Serenity should
have heard the news by now. And I'm not exactly dressed for a ball...."
"Come with me anyway," Susan suggested in an odd tone that drew a raised
eyebrow from the blonde. "Better yet.... why don't you take Hotaru over to her
room and see she is put to bed, then go change into something suitable. I'm
sure that you will be able to join us in time for a late evening surprise."
That caused both Hotaru and Venus to pause in mid-motion. "What sort of
surprise?" Venus inquired in a deeply wary tone.
Susan merely smiled as she tilted her head to one side. "If I divulged
that sort of information, Lady Venus, it would no longer be a surprise," she
said in a diplomatic tone. "Rest assured that you will undoubtedly find it to
your liking. We do have special guests in attendance, after all," she added.
Venus continued to hesitate for several moments before sighing and nodding
her head. "Alright, Chancellor, I'll try to make this one quick. You've got
me curious now, although I suppose I should know better by this point."
"Amen," Hotaru muttered quietly.
"Hotaru!" Susan sighed, giving her a slightly unamused look.
"Heh," Venus chuckled as she nudged Hotaru in the shoulder. "Okay, girl,
let's not make a mess of this one. Great to see that you're feeling better and
all. C'mon, let's get you out of this antiseptic environment before they can
change their mind."
"Okay," Hotaru agreed. "Master Healer, thank you again so much, I really
do feel a lot better."
V'lent'u smiled warmly back at her. "You are more than welcome, child.
If I may, I would like to see you again in the morning to see how well you're
doing. And as Chancellor Meiou cautioned, you really should do all you can to
conserve as much of that energy as possible."
"I know," Hotaru replied with another smile. "Good night, everyone!"
"Good night, Hotaru," Susan said with a slight nod of her head as both
Hotaru and Venus left the ward, still carrying the white kitten with them.
"Diana?" she said as she turned to the gray cat. "How are you feeling?"
"Much like our dear Lady Saturn, a great deal better now," Diana said with
an amused chuckle. Two of the kittens had finished nursing and were already
curling up into tiny balls of fur to sleep. "I'll be fine here, Susan. I'll
probably fall asleep as soon as they're done, and I suspect that they're not
going to do much of anything tonight except sleep. Sunrise might be another
matter entirely...."
Susan nodded in understanding. "I will locate Doctor Niles and have him
come here before then," she promised. "I suspect, however, that her Majesty
and Amelia are both likely pay you a visit tonight as well."
"Just as long as nobody is woken up," Diana said with a dry chuckle. "As
much as I love the Queen, I am going to need all the sleep I can get now."
"Duly noted," Susan replied with a smile. "Master Healer, would you be so
kind as to come with me? I believe her Majesty is waiting for my report."
"Just as soon as I wash my hands," V'lent'u replied as she headed over to
a sink to scrub herself. The process only took a few minutes before they were
both heading out the doors of the ward and into the long hallway.
"If I may, Master Healer," Susan said carefully as they walked, "Can you
explain to me how exactly you have that healing ability of yours?"
V'lent'u nodded and cleared her throat. "I will try, but please bear in
mind that there may not be proper translations for a few things," she warned.
"Denizens are born with a pair of latent genes we call the Chaos Factor, and
once we reach puberty it becomes active. The ultimate configuration of the
genes are, as far as we can tell, completely random with significant results.
In my case, I developed the ability to use the energy my body generates to act
as a sort of catalyst in others, causing their cells to regenerate and produce
new energy."
"Interesting," Susan commented.
"As I said, the process is completely random and usually occurs without
any forewarning," V'lent'u continued in a somber tone. "It is.... far from a
perfect process, and there are.... a high percentage of instances where the end
result of the.... what's the word?"
"Change?" Susan suggested.
"Change will work," the Healer nodded. "The changes are not always for
the best, and often times the results are.... not biologically feasible. Those
who survive must then learn to control their new powers if they are to have any
true chance of living in our society."
"What sort of powers can develop from this?" Susan inquired carefully, a
sudden chill working its way down her spine.
"Anything," V'lent'u replied with a shrug. "I know of denizens who can
breathe fire at will, change shape, project energy from a distance, teleport,
speak directly with other minds.... the results are virtually limitless."
"Interesting," Susan said absently, suddenly extremely leery about leaving
the Queen alone with their alien visitors. She knew that she wasn't strictly
alone, as there were some fifty or so guests in attendance at the banquet with
Sailor Jupiter hovering within earshot the entire time, but the mere thought of
their guests being able to do things on a whim that defy conventional physics
was more than enough to chill her blood.
She looked up and paused as she felt V'lent'u's hand on her wrist, a look
of guarded concern visible in her ancient eyes. "This worries you," she said
in a low tone.
"It does," Susan admitted frankly. "Were you to have less-than-friendly
intentions, this could pose an extremely serious hazard for us, and while I am
certainly not suggesting that you are anything but a civilized society seeking
peaceful and meaningful contact.... I would be remiss in my duties if I didn't
take a worst-case scenario into consideration."
A faint hint of a smile crossed V'lent'u's face. "I am not offended, my
friend," she replied quietly. "Indeed, in your place I would most likely be
taking the same precautions. For what it is worth, I am not a member of the
Negaverse military, merely an experienced field physician who was more than
willing to assume the risk of exploration for the sake of being able to do some
first-hand research in the biology of another world."
"If you will forgive the question, Master Healer, what of the others?"
Susan asked as delicately as she could, recognizing goodwill when she saw it
and doing her best not to trample on it.
"They are the military," V'lent'u said with a shrug of dismissal. "What
they want or intend, I neither know nor truly care. My role here is one of a
Healer and researcher, and assurances have been extracted from the military
that no steps will be taken to change that. You may be best served starting a
conversation with Lieutenant-Commander T'Cer, as I have always found Dragoons
to be.... approachable with a problem, if a touch odd," she added with another
faint shrug of dismissal.
"If I may," Susan said in a carefully calculated tone of mild interest,
"What can you tell me about the Dragoon Legion? I have already spoken with
T'Cer, of course, but I would expect that pride in one's unit would tend to
slightly bias a viewpoint...."
"You need not concern yourself on that account," V'lent'u said with a soft
chuckle. "Dragoons as a whole make it a point to be as objective as possible
when discussing their organization, including faults and other things that most
others would gloss over as being little more than inconsequential and somewhat
embarrassing. They are an admittedly eccentric division, at least by the rest
of the military's standards, but their effectiveness is such that most would
perfer to overlook minor oddities rather than lose such talent."
"Interesting," Susan commented absently, trying to decide just how big a
risk she should take. Taking a deep but subtle breath, she added in a casual
tone, "I heard mention earlier of a Dragoon Captain...."
"It figures," V'lent'u smirked, drawing a slightly surprised glance from
Susan. "I would be surprised if T'Cer didn't take the opportunity to extoll
the virtues of their founder to a new audience. No matter," she said with in
idle wave of dismissal.
"Their founder?" Susan inquired carefully, feeling a faint chill seep into
her blood. "I was under the impression this was a recent Dragoon Captain...."
"Exceedingly unlikely," the Healer replied with a shake of her head. "As
far as I know, there has only been one Dragoon in history with the rank of
Captain, as none of the successors would accept it."
"And that would be Captain Raijen?" Susan prodded gently, doing her best
to remain outwardly calm while her insides suddenly turned to solid ice.
"Indeed," V'lent'u replied calmly. She looked up as Susan came to a stop
and lightly placed a hand on her wrist.
"Just so I have this all sorted out," Susan said slowly. "The Dragoon
Legion was founded over four thousand years ago by this Captain Raijen, and to
date he is the only Dragoon Captain to hold the position."
"Correct," V'lent'u said with a nod of her head.
"Ah," Susan sighed with a slow nod of apparent understanding. "I must
have missed part of her explanation then. Idle curiosity, if I may.... what
became of him?"
V'lent'u sighed quietly and looked away. "The Dragoon Legion was viewed
by the Security Division as interfering in their unofficial domain, and after
several attempts to try to limit the activities of the Legion, they tried to
have him assassinated," she said quietly. "They succeeded in killing him, but
the attempt was badly executed and the plot was exposed. The fallout of that
incident led to an unprecedented series of reforms in the military structure,
most of which are still in-place today. While the Security Division is still
very much around to this day, they are no longer the political force that they
once were."
"I see," the succubus said in a netural tone as she sought to sort out her
thoughts as quickly as possible. "At least it should bring some measure of
comfort to the Dragoons that his murder was not in vain."
"They were not happy about it, but they had the good grace to let the
wheels of justice turn unhindered," V'lent'u replied. "And when justice was
finally delivered, they seemed to take it in stride and collectively moved on
to making their founder's visions a reality."
"Sometimes a scandal is for the greater good," Susan offered as they began
walking down the hallway again. "Now that I think about it, it seems that we
are overdue for another political scandal ourselves. They tend to help pass
the time and make things more interesting...."
"Chancellor Meiou...." V'lent'u said in an uncertain tone.
"A joke, I assure you," Susan replied, giving the Master Healer a small
smile. "I am certain that her Majesty would be highly upset with me if I were
to suggest that we are in need of such an unfortunate event. I believe we are
at our destination," she added as they drew close to the double doors of the
palace ballroom.
"Interesting," V'lent'u commented as Susan carefully opened one of the
doors, allowing a strain of music from a small chamber quartet to drift into
the hallway. It was a rather lively piece, one quite suited to dancing to, and
a simple glance inside revealed that most of the nobles and guests were doing
just that.
"Chancellor Meiou," the doorman said quietly as he turned around.
"I have good news for her Majesty," Susan explained. "But I should like
to wait for an opportune moment to announce it."
"You should not have to wait long," the doorman replied. "I'm fairly sure
the piece is about to end in a minute or two. Shall I announce your news?"
Susan thought carefully before shaking her head. "No, only that I have
returned. However, I should like to ask a favor of you. If you encounter
Sailor Venus, detain her outside until you find a suitable moment to announce
her entrance. There is a surprise in store for her, and I think it best if she
is the focus of attention for this one."
"I will see to it, my lady," the doorman promised with a short bow. He
then cocked his head over his shoulder to listen as the music swelled to a
crescendo before falling silent. "Ah, I was right. If you will excuse me?" he
said before fully opening both doors and moving to stand in the center of the
archway. He waited until he was absolutely sure that there was a break in the
music and dancing before raising his voice to be clearly heard.
"Your Majesty!" he thundered, causing heads to turn in unison. "Lords and
ladies and honored guests! Chancellor Meiou has returned and bears good news!"
"Chancellor!" Serenity spoke up from the center of the ballroom floor, her
cheeks flushed from dancing. "Don't delay, tell us!" she demanded with a large
smile.
"Your Majesty," Susan said with a formal curtsey. "It is my pleasure to
announce that Lady Dana Kaiou of the House of Neptune has just given birth to
a healthy baby girl." She waited for the expected burst of applause and cheers
to end before continuing. "Lady Michelle Kaiou was measured at seven pounds,
four ounces, and both mother and daughter are in the best of health.
"As an added surprise, her Majesty's feline companion Diana has also just
given birth to a litter of five kittens," Susan continued, making note of the
way Serenity's face lit up even brighter than before. "Three girls, two boys,
and all are quite healthy as well."
"A productive day indeed," Minister Dejanna chuckled.
"I think you mean reproductive, my dear," Minister Svetlana added with a
sly grin, drawing a round of laughter from the group.
"That is absolutely wondeful," Queen Serenity said with a genuine smile.
"Indeed, your Majesty," Minister Olan said gracefully. "I would say that
this calls for a celebration.... but begging your Majesty's pardon, we're not
finished with the current one!" he proclaimed with a lopsided grin.
"Bah," Minister Harken said with mock-disdain. "So open another casket of
wine and let us toast to their health. Here's to good tidings and blessings to
the House of Neptune!" he said as he raised his wineglass in the air.
"To the House of Neptune!" the group echoed as various drinks were raised
in tribute before being up-ended in unison.
Susan smiled quietly at the minor increase in volume as the group started
to return to their festivities. An attendant came over and offered to escort
V'lent'u to a seat at the table next to Major Tar-Nul, who was quite obviously
enjoying things. A series of soft footsteps behind her caused Susan to cast a
glance over her shoulder, her smile widening as she saw Lucille coming down the
corridor dressed in a vibrant white gown.
"I could hear that from down the hallway," Lucille panted as she hurried
over, seeming to be slightly hobbled by her shoes. "I hope I'm not late for
the surprise."
"Far from it," Susan assured her with a slightly predatory smile. "In
fact, I would say that your timing is quite exceptional tonight. Please, come
with me," she said as she gestured for the blonde to enter the room. Lucille
took all of three steps into the room before freezing in place as the doorman's
voice thundered around her.
"Lady Lucille Aino of the House of Venus!"
Lucille blinked hard and cast a glance at the doorman, her face taking on
the color of ripe tomatoes. "What are you doing?" she hissed quietly as the
room turned its collective focus on her.
"Surprise," Susan whispered very softly.
"Lucy!" a voice called out, causing the blonde to blink. "Lucy, my dear,
I was afraid you would never show up tonight...."
"Oh, Duke Howley," Lucille stammered as the Duke of Cambridge approached,
taking her hand in his and kissing it softly. "What are you doing?" she asked
in a very soft tone that only the Duke and Susan could hear.
"It seems tonight, my lady, is a very special night indeed," the duke said
to the room at large. "Chancellor Meiou has just informed us of the birth of
a girl to your esteemed colleague, Lady Kaiou, as well as the birthing of a
litter of kittens to her Majesty's pet cat...."
"I wouldn't let Diana hear him say that," Susan murmured very softly to
the doorman, who promptly bit the tip of his tongue to keep from laughing.
"...And I only thought it fair to further add to tonight's festive mood,"
the duke announced. "This is not something I would ask of you lightly, but I
have decided to ask you tonight. Given all that we know about one another and
all that we've shared together, I think the question finally needs to be asked
and an answer delivered."
Lucille's blue eyes promptly became the size of dinner plates as the duke
reached into his pocket to pull out a small black box. He then went down on
one knee before her and opened the box, revealing an extremely well-crafted
silver ring inset with a dazzling diamond. Her hands suddenly flew to her
mouth as it sagged open in shock, finally realizing what was going on.
"Lucille Aino, will you marry me?" Duke Howley asked simply, loud enough
for the rest of the room to hear.
The air was extremely still and silent as Lucille visibly struggled to
remember how to talk again. "I.... I.... Y-Your Majesty...." she stammered,
turning to look at the queen.
"Don't look at me," Serenity said dryly. "You're the one he's asking."
The blonde blinked hard and turned back to look at the duke, still quite
surprised beyond coherent words by the development. The duke raised an eyebrow
as he noticed the expression on her face and made an absent gesture with the
box. "Well, if you need to think about it...." he said as off-handedly as he
could manage, giving her a faint smile.
"*YES!*" Lucille exploded as she lunged forward, wrapping him in an almost
literally bone-crushing bearhug. The room erupted into applause moments later,
drowning out the sound of the air leaving the duke's lungs as his chest was
forcefully compressed. There was a slightly embarrassed pause as the duke had
to break the hug to extract the ring from the box and put it on her finger, but
any lingering embarrassment was more than swept away by the fierce kiss that he
suddenly found himself entrenched in from his newly-betrothed.
"A good way to end the day as any," Susan mused to the doorman.
"Aye," the doorman agreed with a soft chuckle. "However, as with all good
things, there comes a price to pay. I don't know about you, my lady, but I am
not looking forward to having to carry some of these besotted nobles home once
they're finished toasting the baby, and then the kittens, and then the ring,
and then the kiss, and the food and the fire and...."
"I assure you that all will be taken care of," Susan replied with a faint
chuckle, knowing that there would be more than a few hangovers come sunrise.
"I imagine her Majesty will be able to walk on her own," the doorman added
casually. "Of course, with all the dancing it might not be wise, but that's
what escorts are for."
"Indeed," Susan said, trying not to react as her blood turned to ice yet
again. She glanced over to the table with the guards, able to see Raijen in a
slightly animated conversation with the rest of the group. Nothing seemed to
be out of the ordinary, but the echo of V'lent'u's words in her memory simply
wouldn't go away.
Only one can claim the title of Dragoon Captain, she thought to herself,
and he was assassinated thousands of years ago in another world. So then, my
intriguing guest, what does that make you...?
* * * *
"Chancellor," Serenity said in a reproving tone as she leaned against the
wall for a moment, "I am quite capable of walking without any assistance."
"If you insist, your Majesty," Susan said demurely as she clasped her
hands behind her back. The ballroom was almost empty now, only a scattering
of nobles lingering at the tables to nibble on the remains of what had been a
truly lavish desert selection.
"Your Majesty?" Sailor Jupiter inquired with a soft rumble deep within her
chest, keeping a very wary eye on her monarch.
Serenity grunted to herself and gave the brunette a slightly unamused
look. "I'm fine, Electra. The chocolate cake was a little denser than I had
anticipated, nothing more."
"Figures," Jupiter replied with a sour grunt of her own, having had just
a little too much of the cake herself.
"Perhaps you should go to bed," Susan suggested, more to Jupiter than the
Queen. "You will be fine in the morning. If you feel you will need an herbal
mixture for your stomach, I strongly suggest you get it now as I don't believe
Amelia will be in a civil mood for much longer. She has been busy since before
dawn, and I would not like to disturb her right now for any reason short of a
definitive crisis."
"Noted," Jupiter replied with a curt nod. She blinked as the right edge
of her tiara suddenly folded down in place over her ear, making a very soft
chirping noise. She reached up to touch the star-shaped adornment on the green
ribbon around her throat, pushing it inward to catch on a small hook to open
the channel. "Jupiter," she rumbled quietly.
"Most likely Aria informing us that our guests have settled into their
rooms for the evening," Susan murmured to Serenity, having recognized the soft
and distictive pattern of chirps coming from the tiny speaker. "Something I
believe all of us should be doing after that banquet," she added casually.
"Thank you, Chancellor, I will take your advice into consideration, as I
always do," Serenity replied in a slightly dry tone.
"Copy," Jupiter said with an absent nod of her head. She paused as the
voice in her ear continued speaking for a few seconds, causing her to raise an
eyebrow. "Maybe," she countered with a soft harumph before reaching up to her
throat to unhook the star adornment. "Out," she said with a sharp flick of her
thumb. She sighed softly to herself and looked over at Susan with a slightly
unamused look on her face. "Aria," she said simply.
"Let me guess," Susan said slowly. "She not only told you to inform the
Queen that our guests have settled, but she made the suggestion that you should
also drop by the nursery to see how adorable Dana's newborn is before you head
off to bed?"
Jupiter promptly blinked hard before sighing heavily to herself, clearly
nonplussed by the accuracy of Susan's comment. "Predictable," she grumbled,
pointedly ignoring the very faint giggle of amusement from Serenity.
"Be that as it may, I would strongly suggest you wait until the morning to
try to see her," Susan cautioned. "Amelia is liable to be in a mood again, and
I have a rather unsavory hunch that she was not making an idle joke when she
spoke of borrowing one of Kayla's pans to use on those who attempt to disturb
either Dana or Michelle tonight."
"Fun," the taciturn brunette muttered.
Susan chuckled quietly and lightly patted Jupiter on the back. "Go get
some sleep, Electra. I suspect Amelia will be up late tonight and thus won't
be out of bed until well after breakfast tomorrow, and likewise for Lucille.
I will handle the night-watch until you and Aria wake up in the morning."
"Sleep well, Electra," Serenity added with a soft smile.
"Your Majesty," Jupiter replied with a curtsey. "Chancellor," she added
before casting one final look around the room for good measure. Satisified
that there were still four guards present to deal with anything that might crop
up without warning, she turned around and headed for the exit, pausing only for
a brief moment to scoop up a small morsel from one of the dessert carts.
Susan and Serenity looked at one another for several long moments before
the lavender-haired queen sighed and blushed. "Yes, Susan, I intend to go see
what our future Sailor Neptune looks like," she murmured. "I won't stay long,
I promise."
"While I don't doubt your intentions in the slightest, your Majesty, I
think it best if I were to accompany you for the time being," Susan replied in
a moderate tone. "After all, I am still a Sailor Scout and we are in a rather
unprecedented first-contact situation. I would respectfully suggest that you
not move about the palace without at least one of us in close proximity as an
escort at all times, save for when privacy is called for."
"Very well," Serenity sighed quietly. "While I have yet to receive even
the slighest suggestion or hint that our alien guests are anything but peaceful
explorers, your precaution is most likely a wise one. Let us then.... oh, my
goodness," she exclaimed as she was startled by the sound of what seemed to be
seriously rusted machinery starting up.
Susan glanced around for the source of the disturbance and blinked in mild
surprise. "I see Minister Eldred thoroughly enjoyed himself tonight," she
observed in a humorous tone. The Minister of Agriculture was slumped back in
his chair with his head tilted back, snoring rather loudly. A pair of maids
were starting to clean up the table around him, both giving him a wide berth so
as not to disturb him.
Serenity gave her chancellor a pained look before sighing quietly and
heading towards the door. "Just as long as he is in possession of his wits by
sunrise," she muttered, acutely aware of the brilliantly unobtrusive fashion
the guards had carted an inebriated Minister Harken off to his quarters without
causing a scene. It was not the first time she had noticed such a skillful
maneuver done during a social scene, and she often wondered just how many other
instances there had been where she had not noticed by chance or coincidence.
"Your Majesty," a voice said next to her, causing her to almost leap out
of both her gown and her skin. She whirled around to find Raijen standing at
the edge of the doorway, his eyes widening with horror at the realization that
he had just caught her by complete surprise.
"By the gods!" Serenity panted as she sought to calm her nerves. She
quickly glanced around to see who had noticed her reaction, her cheeks turning
a dark shade of red as she realized that she had also completely failed to see
the pair of security guards flanking the doors just inside the hallway. "Are
you SURE you are not one of my captains?" she demanded as she lightly rubbed
the exposed part of her neckline. "You certainly seem to be able to blend in
to the very walls like the rest of them...."
Raijen paused to glance over Serenity's shoulder at Susan before taking a
slow breath to frame his reply. "It is not as difficult as you would think,
as those who are often preoccupied with matters of importance tend not to take
notice of that which is not important," he said. "I apologize for disturbing
you, your Majesty."
Serenity sighed and shook her head gently. "No, you're right, I was more
than a little distracted. And that certainly doesn't mean you don't have any
importance to me, merely that I was momentarily careless," she added with a
faint hint of a smile.
"A moment's carelessness can have dire consequences, your Majesty," the
denizen reminded her in a respectful tone.
The queen paused for a moment to regard him carefully. "Surely when I am
surrounded by such gentlemen as you and such advisors as Susan, I am in rather
safe and secure hands," she said with a slight hint of coyness.
"Even secure hands cannot grasp what is out of their reach, even if it is
only for a moment," Susan said dryly as she came up next to Serenity. "I have
been trying to instill that one into you for years now."
"Yes, you have, Susan," Serenity said with a faint blush. "But surely I
am not the worst or the most unruly Queen you have served."
"Far from it," Susan replied, making absent note of the slight twitch in
Raijen's eyebrow. "However, even the best of them have their rare moments in
which the hair of their advisors is tempted to turn gray. Nobody is perfect,
your Majesty, just as long as you don't make it a habit of neglecting to keep
a casual eye on your immediate environment."
"Thank you, Chancellor," Serenity muttered as her blush deepened.
"I hope I am not detaining you from anything of importance, your Majesty,"
Raijen inquired carefully. "I know the hour is late, and I should not like to
delay you if you have further business to attend to tonight."
A faint smile spread across Serenity's lips. "Only to see for myself how
Dana and her new baby are doing. That, and I simply have to see what Diana's
kittens look like. She said she thought she had another week, but I guess life
had other plans."
There was a soft snort of amusement from Raijen. "Yes, life can be like
that at times," he rumbled.
"Will you come with me, then?" Serenity inquired. "If your duties permit,
at least," she amended quickly. "I would imagine that part of your security
team would remain awake through the night, and I would not like to cause any
sort of problems for you...."
Raijen paused for a moment and glanced over at Susan, studying the subtle
change in her expression. "I have no desire to be a burden if Chancellor Meiou
has further business she would like to discuss with you in private," he said in
what he hoped was a neutral tone.
Serenity blinked and cast a quick glance over her shoulder. "I am sure
that if there was anything of significance, I would have been informed of it by
now," she said in a light tone as she turned her attention back to him. "And
as we discussed previously, I could use the company this evening. Even if it
is only for something as brief and simple as a walk to the medical ward."
"Indeed, your Majesty, there is nothing of importance that I am aware of,"
Susan spoke up in a neutral tone. "I trust you will, however, understand if I
continue to insist on the presence of a Sailor Scout in immediate proximity of
your person for the visible future," she added gently.
"But of course, Chancellor," Serenity replied, managing to keep her tone
free of any hint of disappointment. She gave Susan a small smile of acceptance
and understanding before turning to Raijen, the smile growing significantly
warmer as she did so. "Shall we go then, Captain?"
"My lady, it would be an honor," Raijen replied with a bow before offering
his arm to the queen. She gently slid her arm around his and started walking
down the corridor towards the medical ward.
"Serenity?" Susan spoke up, causing both Serenity and Raijen to halt in
mid-motion. They blinked at her tone and briefly exchanged surprised glances
before turning around in unison to look at Susan. "Forgive me, but I seem to
have had a momentary lapse of memory," she apologized quietly. "There is, in
fact, something that I believe you will find to be of significance that I have
yet to mention. Hopefully Captain Raijen will be able to further explain the
matter to clarify something for me."
Raijen exchanged glances with Serenity again before clearing his throat
gently. "If my assistance is needed, I will of course be more than willing to
offer my help," he said in a faintly guarded tone.
Susan nodded once before taking a deep breath. "When Diana went into
labor, Hotaru ran off to get assistance and in doing so over-exerted herself.
When she started to suffer a relapse of her condition, Master Healer V'lent'u
took hold of her wrist to examine her. Both her hand and Hotaru's wrist began
to glow with energy, and after infusing Hotaru with additional energy, it seems
that Hotaru's condition has been put into significant remission. V'lent'u went
on to explain to me that she is able to do so because of a uniquely denizen
genetic construct called the Chaos Factor."
Serenity blinked hard at the explanation, her lavender eyes doubling in
diameter. "What? Susan, what are you saying?"
"It is nothing to be concerned of for the moment," Raijen reassured her
with a gentle squeeze of her hand. "V'lent'u is a Master Healer, a member of
a somewhat ancient order of individuals who all have some innate powers of the
body to heal others. It is almost a religious order in the sense that they all
share a common discipline and dedication to the care of others, without regard
to outside or political considerations."
Susan nodded in understanding. "That much was explained to me. What I am
unsatisfied with is my understanding of the source of their healing powers."
"The Chaos Factor can take many forms," Raijen rumbled quietly. He paused
as he saw the look on Serenity's face and sighed very quietly. "Chancellor,
what you ask will take a considerable amount of time to explain in detail, and
I must caution you that we as a species have yet to fully understand the exact
mechanics of how it works, save that it simply does. I will explain what I
know, but that may not be enough to answer your questions."
"Can you explain as you walk?" Serenity inquired gently.
A faint smile crossed Raijen's lips briefly as he kissed her hand. "But
of course, my lady," he murmured as they resumed walking at a moderately slow
pace towards the medical wards. "The Chaos Factor is a genetic mutation that
occurs within every denizen roughly around what you would call adolescence. As
with that, there is no one trigger or cause that can be isolated, and there is
rarely any advanced warning that the change is about to occur.
"The results of the mutation are, quite simply, unpredictable and can take
literally any form imaginable. Some denizens sprout wings and can then fly,
others grow new arms or legs, others change shape or form. In virtually every
case, the body is granted the ability to do something that it was unable to do
previously. A lot of times, this power has the ability to influence what you
would call reality. I know of a young woman who can cause stable molecules in
the air to reconfigure into a dangerous poison. I know of at least two others
who can cause the wind to shift at their whims. An old friend of mine could
easily be mistaken for a Felinoid because of the way his body mutated and grew
fur. Literally anything is possible."
"Wait," Serenity said, coming to an abrupt halt again. "This happens to
every one of your kind? They all change?"
Raijen nodded. "Yes, we do. The change isn't always visible, of course.
Do you remember how I was able to jump earlier today?"
"Of course," Serenity replied, her eyes widening slightly. "You jumped
off the balcony down to the ground, and then right back up. That had to have
been a good twenty feet of vertical height."
"That is how the Chaos Factor manifested itself in me," Raijen explained
with a soft squeeze of her hand. "Or did you think that everyone from my world
can jump like that?" he added with a faint hint of humor. "As I said, part of
the effect was due to the boosters in my armor, but they can only augment what
is already there."
"Amazing...." Serenity whispered.
"We are, up to this point, fortunate that we have yet to concern ourselves
with how such things could be used in a negative fashion," Susan spoke up in a
tone devoid of any semblance of emotion. "You will forgive me, I trust, for
having to take all possible aspects into consideration...."
"Susan!" Serenity gasped as the realization suddenly hit her with the
force of an aluminum baseball bat.
A very soft grunt rumbled up from the depths of Raijen's chest. "Indeed,
you would be quite remiss for not taking that into consideration," he replied
very quietly. "I will not waste your time with the details of how battles are
fought in my world, save that conventional warfare tends to be the exception
rather than the rule. We have military technology to augment our powers, but
they do not even remotely guarantee an even match on the battlefield. What use
is metal armor against one who can heat it to the melting point with but a few
moments of concentration? Or who can project a stream of acid? Or who fights
with enhanced powers of the mind, which no physical armor can defend against?"
"Captain, what is the current level of danger to us at the moment?" Susan
asked flatly, giving the Dragoon a level stare and ignoring the shocked look on
Serenity's face.
"The potential for utter annihilation is always present when a denizen is
nearby," Raijen replied off-handedly with a casual shrug. "The results of the
Chaos Factor make predictions literally impossible. All that is available to
base true risks against are intentions. I am not a telepath and thus cannot
see into the minds of others, so I can only speak for myself in this instance.
Standing before you both, here and now, I swear upon my honor and the honor of
the Dragoon Legion that I harbor no ill feelings or intentions. I will, of
course, take up arms to defend myself against any attack from any source, but
I have no intentions of inflicting harm upon anything or anyone, nor will I
allow any such harm to come to others if I can prevent it."
"I believe you, Captain," Serenity said softly, placing her hand on his
and returning the gentle squeeze of comfort.
"As do I," Susan added quietly. "However, I will still insist that all
appropriate precautions and measures are to be taken with regard to our guests
in light of what we have just learned."
"As you should, Chancellor," Raijen replied with a nod of understanding.
"I strongly doubt that Colonel V'Kaar will voice any objections, as one isn't
promoted to such a rank if one doesn't possess a level of understanding."
"A pity the same can't be applied to past royalty," Susan said demurely,
deliberately attempting to disrupt the darkening mood with a note of humor.
"Susan!" Serenity gasped, giving her chancellor a stunned look.
"Indeed, not all the queens I have personlly met appeared to have savored
a deep drink from the fountain of wisdom," Raijen rumbled quietly, trying his
best to keep a straight face. He saw Susan's ploy for what it was and thought
it best to play along for the moment.
The muscles in Serenity's face seemed to twitch for several moments before
she finally realized that they were simply teasing her. An exasperated sigh of
resignation slipped past her lips as she glared at both her best friend and her
alien escort, trying to decide what to do with them.
"If the two of you are finished," Serenity finally said in a mock-acidic
tone, "I should like to go see how Dana and Diana are doing."
"But of course, your Majesty," Susan replied with a soft smile. Raijen
merely bowed his head to Serenity and held his arm out again to her, resuming
a moderate pace as soon as she accepted his offer.
"Susan," Serenity said carefully as she turned a corner, "Tell me again
what happened with Hotaru earlier? I know Amelia moved her into the ward for
observation last week, and I'm deeply worried about the lack of progress...."
"As I said, Master Healer V'lent'u examined her," Susan said carefully.
"She said that, if Hotaru were a denizen, that she was suffering from a rare
energy deficiency that has been known to be related to the Chaos Factor. While
that is clearly not the cause, the symptoms appear to manifest themselves in a
similar fashion."
"Chaos drain," Raijen growled quietly. "It is not a pleasant experience."
"You had it, then?" Susan inquired with a surprised look.
"Not naturally," the denizen replied with a shake of his head. "I once
encountered a warrior who acted as a sinkhole for energy. All who approached
within a spear-length of him suffered a sharp drain of the energy supply used
by the Chaos Factor. The draining effect ceased with his life and the energy
restored shortly thereafter, but the feeling of Chaos drain was.... enough to
make one desire an intense shower," he muttered with a sour grimace.
Serenity blinked and paused, taking a half-step back to regard him very
cautiously. "You killed him?" she asked tentatively.
"That happens when one is engaged on the battlefield," Raijen replied in
an even tone. "I will spare you the details, save that it was his intent to
deprive me of my own life. I merely defended myself with equal force."
"Perfectly justifiable," Susan commented absently.
"If I may, Chancellor, have you ever been on a battlefield before?" Raijen
inquired out of curiosity, trying to gauge how much merit there was to her
seemingly casual judgment.
Susan paused and cast a glance at Serenity. "It is not a topic I would
care to discuss in significant detail, given her Majesty's feelings about the
matter, but I am able to assert with authority that I am no stranger to any of
that which resides in the realm of combat," she said diplomatically. "I was
not seeking to make light of your explanation for your actions. Is something
wrong, your Majesty?" she added as she saw the look on the Queen's face.
"It is nothing, Susan," Serenity replied in a slightly tired tone. She
blinked and looked up as Raijen gently brushed a single fingertip across her
chin, drawing her attention to him.
"You do not approve of my choice to be a warrior in my world," Raijen said
very quietly.
"It is not that," Serenity replied in a soft whisper. "I am not a violent
woman at heart, so I would rather not deal with such things. There are others
who would willingly go in my place, sometimes with more enthusiasm that I am
comfortable with. No, what bothers me most is that I couldn't go to take my
rightful place if need be, even if I wanted to. I am merely a woman who can
only send others out to die in my stead."
"Merely a woman," Raijen mocked quietly, causing Serenity to blink. "In
my world, most of those who lead are women. Only those who can know what it is
like to nuture life can truly understand what it means to have to order a life
to be ended. I did not seek to attain the rank of Captain as a means to have
others take risks for me, but some have taken them for me nonetheless in the
hopes that I would still be able to continue to lead others.
"You are a Queen, Serenity, you were born to be that which everyone else
looks up to, to draw strength from, to find a purpose in. I know I willingly
chose my own path in life, so I can only imagine what it must be like for you
to not have had that choice, but you are on that path regardless. You may not
like being surrounded by warriors and feel weak by comparison, but try to view
things from their perspective.
"You are what they were born for, to serve and to protect you. It is the
highest honor to serve you directly, to act in your place and in your name. It
does not matter if you personally cannot lift the same sword they do, for they
know that your hand holds not one sword but the combined arms of the entire
kingdom. Ask them, Serenity," he added softly. "You have but to set foot into
one of their barracks and ask them why they serve you so willingly. You may
receive as many different reasons as you have warriors, but they will all have
a common purpose. You give them life. Not as a mother does to a child, but
you give them a reason, a purpose."
Susan quietly came up to stand next to Serenity, gently laying a hand on
her shoulder as the Queen looked to be in imminent danger of crying. "He is
right, Serenity," she said softly. "I was not born to be Chancellor, but I was
born to be Sailor Pluto. The Sailor Scouts are all born to serve the throne,
and we all do so quite willingly. You should not feel guilty for that which is
very much beyond your control, nor should you feel guilty for accepting such
service when it is freely offered or given."
"Thank you, Susan," Serenity said very quietly to her best friend before
turning to look at Raijen. "And to you, Captain. I am most grateful for your
words. If even a fraction of those who live in your world are as wise as you
are, then I fear we would have far more to learn from your kind than you would
have to learn from us."
Raijen merely shook his head slowly. "I am not a wise man, my lady, else
I would surely have found an alternate way to serve my Queen with the same
effectiveness as I do now, only without the violence my position entails," he
said in a faintly amused tone. "I merely had a wise mentor who taught me how
to act as a mirror, reflecting wisdom from the true sources to those who would
best make use of such things."
Serenity blinked in surprise before laughing very softly to herself. "It
seems our worlds are not all that different after all. Now where have I heard
that particular comparison before?" she asked rhetorically as she cast a very
amused glance at Susan.
"Some messages bear repeating," Susan replied demurely as briefly glanced
away from the Queen, a faint hint of a blush coloring her cheeks. She paused
as she saw something further down the corridor and blinked hard. "Excuse me,
your Majesty, but I believe that we have company."
"Oh?" Serenity said as she turned to look down the corridor as well. She
blinked in surprise and squinted her eyes as she tried to fully make out the
dark shape. "A kitten? I don't recall Chamomile having any dark kittens...."
"Chamomile didn't, but Diana just did," Susan said quietly, watching very
carefully as the kitten seemed to slowly edge closer.
"What?" Serenity said, blinking hard. "But I thought that happened only
an hour ago! Surely no newborn kitten would be moving around so soon!"
"She bears the mark of a Lunar cat," Susan pointed out in a soft tone.
"While I am unable to hypothesize how she could have gotten down from the bed
without either injury or alerting Diana, or how she could have possibly managed
to get past the closed doors of the medical ward, she nonetheless appears to be
standing in the hallway as we speak."
"You have a lot of kittens in the palace," Raijen muttered quietly. "Not
counting the white one I rescued earlier, I have encountered four more of them
wandering down a hallway under the escort of two adult felines. None were all
black like that one, however."
"Perhaps you should introduce yourself, your Majesty," Susan suggested in
a whisper as she took a step back, still focused on the tentative approach of
the kitten.
Serenity gave her a surprised look before she nodded and took a couple of
steps forward, slowly moving into a sitting position against the wall. She
absently flicked her knee-length lavender hairstyle behind her before reaching
out to wiggle her fingertips against the marble floor.
"Hello there," the queen said in a very soft voice as the kitten paused,
focusing intently on the motion of her fingers. "I'm not going to hurt you,
little one. Come closer, I want to get a better look at your forehead. There
you go," she said as the black kitten very cautiously started to edge closer,
her nose twitching hard as she tried to sniff from a distance.
"Your Queen is a very patient woman," Raijen rumbled very quietly to Susan
as he watched Serenity coax the kitten closer.
"I would imagine so, seeing how she has been taught since birth that it is
a very wise trait to actively cultivate," Susan replied, equally as quietly.
"With all due respect, you and I need to have a very quiet conversation in the
immediate future about a few things. I will not say anything to her Majesty
just yet, as I know she seems to favor your company, but I suspect you are not
who you claim to be."
Raijen blinked and cast a sidelong glance at the green-haired woman before
returning his focus to Serenity, watching as she very slowly extended her hand
out for the kitten to sniff at. "It is not the who that has changed, but the
what," he muttered, almost too softly for her demonic hearing to pick up. "As
I swore to you earlier, I intend no harm to anyone. And certainly not to your
Queen."
Susan raised a delicate eyebrow in response, still idly watching as the
kitten edged to the side to stare at the long streamer of lavender hair hanging
down from Serenity's distinctly unusual hairstyle. "Having found ourselves on
the topic of intentions, what are your intentions toward her?" she inquired in
a moderate tone, tempering her genuine curiosity with concern and wariness.
"I.... do not know," Raijen murmured. "She is unlike any woman I have met
in my lifetime, and I am unable to explain how. I hardly even know her, and
yet I find myself wanting to do so with a most curious sense of.... I hesitate
to say urgency, but I am not sure 'need' is the proper word either."
"Interesting," Susan said demurely, a faint smile touching her lips as she
saw Serenity reaching out to touch the kitten. The kitten tensed for a moment
but seemed to relax as she was very lightly scratched behind her ear, tilting
her head to one side. "What exactly does your lifespan encompass? I was told
that Captain Raijen was assassinated thousands of years ago," she said as
casually as she could, watching him as intently out of the corner of her eye.
"I was," the denizen said in an almost regretful tone. "Between the depth
of the wound and the mixture of poison and acid used to coat the blade, it took
an hour for me to die. The pain was beyond words. My.... essence, I think is
the word, was entombed in a crystal lattice that later decayed into a shard.
That shard is now here, in this world, held by someone else. Who holds it, I
do not know, nor do I know how I am.... animated a mockery of life once again,"
he said in a low tone. "I'm not even sure if I'm alive or dead. I can feel
pain, it seems, and have my flesh burned, but am I truly alive now?"
"Impossible...." Susan whispered as a wave of pure ice flooded her veins.
She casually reached out with one hand to steady herself against the wall as
her sense of balance suddenly wavered, threatening to send her tumbling to the
ground.
"Is it, Chancellor?" Raijen said, casting a brief glance at her. "Chaos
knows no bounds. While I find it unlikely that someone in my world has the
power to restore a semblance of life to the remains of one who has long since
departed it, I am not about to discount it just yet. Not without first knowing
who has my crystal and what powers they possess."
The Crystal, Susan immediately thought to herself. It simply has to have
exerted an influence for some reason. A living soul, trapped in a crystal
shell.... how could it not feel some sort of resonance?
"Susan?" Serenity said very softly as she stood up, gently cradling the
newborn kitten in her arms. "Are you alright?"
"It has merely been a long day for me, your Majesty," Susan said demurely
as she pushed herself off of the wall to stand up straight. "I see your innate
sense of innocence has won the heart of yet another kitten," she added with a
faint smile that was only partially forced.
"I think she's just frightened," Serenity admitted as she glanced down at
the black kitten. "If she was just born recently, she probably doesn't have a
clue what to make of everything."
"It seems that her instincts tell her you can be trusted," Raijen pointed
out in a gentle tone.
"The Royal House has always had an aura of innocence around them," Susan
replied. "An innate sense of charisma, if you will."
"All the more reason that she is a special woman," Raijen murmured very
quietly to Susan, knowing that Serenity would be able to hear the comment.
Serenity promptly blushed a delicate shade of pink and absently cuddled
the kitten. "We should take her back to her mother immediately," she said in
a faintly embarrassed tone. "I'm sure Diana would be quite frantic by now if
she knew that she had wandered off."
"Does she have a name yet?" Raijen wondered as he took a half-step closer
to Serenity, ostensibly to get a closer look at the kitten. The kitten's ears
flicked up as she turned to stare at him, her nose twitching intently again as
she started sniffing.
"Unlikely," Susan said slowly. "Perhaps Diana has had sufficient time to
think about it, but given that she didn't know how many kittens she would be
having and of what gender, I doubt she has truly considered it yet."
"Do you have something in mind?" Serenity asked quietly as Raijen slowly
reached out to brush a fingertip against the kitten's nose. He replied with a
slightly harsh word in an unknown language that made her blink in surprise, not
entirely sure what to make of it. "What does that mean?" she inquired.
"Of the moon," Raijen explained. "I don't know the proper translation in
your language."
"Lunar?" Serenity suggested. "They are called Lunar cats, after all."
"Perhaps in this case, we shouldn't look to the derivitave, but instead to
the origin of the word," Susan said carefully.
"Luna?" Serenity said, her delicate eyebrows arching up in surprise. She
blinked as the kitten made a quiet rasping noise to herself, seeming to try to
meow. "Oh, my, I think you like the sound of that one...."
"Either that, your Majesty, or she is giving consideration to using the
bathroom," Susan suggested with a faint smile. Both she and Raijen made very
quiet and restrained chuckling sounds to themselves at the brief look of horror
that crossed Serenity's face at the idea.
"Yes, I think it's time we returned you to your mother," Serenity said in
a slight haste as she turned around and headed down the hallway, her hairstyle
streaming behind her.
Susan and Raijen paused for a moment before they regarded one another very
carefully. "If you wish to talk, Chancellor," he rumbled quietly, "I will of
course make myself available to you for conversation. The only plans I have
for tomorrow are to repair my armor and possibly take Captain Hale up on her
offer of a little weapons practice. Wooden weapons, I assure you," he added.
"And in regards to her Majesty?" Susan inquired in an even tone.
"Whatever she desires," he replied with a faint gesture of dismissal. "As
I told you earlier, I know virtually nothing of how or why I have been woken
from a supposedly eternal slumber. Or how long it will last," he added with a
faint hint of warning.
"If the cause is what I suspect it to be," Susan replied slowly, choosing
her words with great care, "I think your physical body will persist until your
spiritual sanctuary leaves the boundaries of this kingdom. Suffice it to say
that if you are indeed a departed soul who has been awakened again, it is most
likely for a purpose deemed to be of some importance to one of the fundamental
powers that is directly tied to the Royal House of the Moon."
Raijen regarded her in silence for a number of moments, visibly mulling
over her words and what they could possibly mean. "You do not strike me as
being a mere advisor," he said very quietly. "You seem to know far more than
you would have others believe you know, and that makes me wary. There is no
knowledge that is not power, and I wonder now just where the true power in this
world lies."
Susan glanced down the hallway to make sure that no-one else was around.
"Very well," she replied quietly. "You are correct in the sense that I am not
exactly what I seem to be. I am who I claimed to be, Lady Pluto and Chancellor
of the Kingdom of the Moon. What I am not, however, is entirely human. My
mother was a Sailor Scout, but my father is a demon from the Underworld. I
suppose you can call demons the minions of those higher powers who oversee this
world's afterlife."
"The afterlife?" Raijen said, his eyebrows arching up. "So it is you who
is responsible for my reanimation, then?"
"No," Susan said with a shake of her head. "While I have occasionally
escorted a living soul into the afterlife, there is no mechanism for doing the
opposite. At least, not one that is within my domain. I do know of a cosmic
power that should be able to do such a thing if it chooses or is otherwise
commanded to do so by its keeper. However, as her Majesty is the only one who
can make such a demand, I strongly doubt that the latter is the case."
"The Queen commands this power?" the Dragoon said, blinking in surprise.
He looked away for a moment, seeming to briefly slip into a state of deep
concentration before turning back to look at her. "It doesn't happen to have
anything to do with a sacred crystal sphere, does it? Unbelievable," he said
as he saw her eyes widen in surprise.
"Your world has an identical power?" Susan said once the inital shock had
worn off. "A sort of collective consciousness that is governed by the royal
bloodline?"
"It is called the NegaForce," Raijen rumbled quietly. "I am starting to
become deeply disquieted by the nature of the similarities between our worlds,"
he added in a low tone.
"Indeed," Susan said with a slow nod of concurrence, suddenly feeling a
somewhat burning desire to return to the Underworld in order to converse with
her true master, Lord Hades. Her instructions were to serve the throne of the
Moon Kingdom as she would serve him, but there were times in which she felt it
necessary to briefly return to his side for one purpose or another.
"Chancellor?" Serenity's voice drifted down the hallway, causing Susan's
head to turn. The queen was poking her head out from inside the medical ward,
still carefully holding the black kitten. "Should I inquire what you are doing
to my escort?"
A brief surge of ice rushed through Susan's veins as she thought that the
queen had said "consort" instead of escort, but she quickly collected herself.
"Merely discussing the similarities between our worlds, your Majesty," Susan
replied diplomatically with an apologetic bow of her head. "I assure you that
we shall be along in another moment."
Serenity seemed to sigh quietly to herself before nodding understanding
and stepping back inside the medical ward, leaving Susan alone in the hallway
with Raijen once again. Taking a deep but subtle breath, Susan turned back to
give him a somewhat neutral look.
"I see even her Majesty's patience has limits," Raijen observed with what
might have been a hint of a smile on his lips.
"This is a unique situation," Susan replied. "And one can hardly fault
her for being somewhat.... excitable. Can I trust you, Captain?"
"Depending on the nature of the trust," he countered carefully. "I will
not presume to act as anything other than a welcomed guest, of that you have my
word of honor."
"And in regards to her Majesty?" Susan prodded carefully.
Raijen was silent for a long time before finally speaking up. "If I have
been reanimated for a purpose, as you say, and Serenity is the one who holds
that power in her hands.... would it not be reasonable to assume that, if she
seems to indicate that she is in need of a friend, one who would treat her as
a woman instead of a queen, that I should try to be the friend she needs?"
It was a question that she had no ready answer to, and one that kept her
standing in the hall long after he quietly departed to join Serenity inside the
medical ward. The Hand of Fate works in mysterious ways, she thought as she
remembered the words Hotaru had spoken earlier. Is this, then, the desire of
the Imperium Silver Crystal? A way of finding someone for her? A friend? Or
something more?
The questions kept echoing inside her skull for several minutes before she
was able to refocus her thoughts, heading into the medical ward to rejoin the
woman she not only served but considered one of the best friends she had ever
made in her entire life. The question of what to do with her friend, however,
was one that would not easily be answered.
* * * *
"Look at her," Serenity whispered very softly as Susan caught up with her
and Raijen. They were standing outside the nursery, looking through the glass
wall at the pair of cribs parked next to one another. Pink blankets lined both
cribs, and the occupants were likewise swathed in pink linens. A small card
was attached to each crib, one marked with the dotted and arrowed circle of the
House of Uranus and the other with the trident sigil of the House of Neptune.
Susan said nothing, absently making note of the way Serenity was leaning
against Raijen's arm with a soft smile on her face. The look on his face was
a curious one, seeming to mellow considerably in the presence of the newborn
infants while at the same time appearing to be slightly uncomfortable with the
blatant display of Serenity's maternal instincts.
"Oh, you are just so adorable," Serenity whispered as she gently pressed
a fingertip against the glass. Both Alexis and Michelle seemed to be sleeping
at the moment, a situation that all three of them knew could easily change in
the span of a few seconds. Alexis was starting to sleep through most of the
night now, but even a slight disturbance would probably rouse her into crying
consciousness.
Raijen glanced over at Susan with an almost pleading look, causing Susan
to raise an eyebrow in response. "Do you have any children, Captain?" she said
in a quiet tone. The glass wall of the nursery was fully insulated against
sound, but the urge to speak softly so as not to disturb the newborns was not
easily dismissed.
"No, I do not," Raijen replied quietly. "When one is a warrior who deals
with life and death on the battlefield, there is rarely the opportunity to try
to enjoy a meaningful relationship off it. You do not know when, or even if,
you will be able to return to them. That is no way to have a family."
Serenity blinked and looked over at him with a look of sadness in her
lavender eyes. "That sounds incredibly lonely," she said quietly.
"Were I to hunger for such things, it would be," he replied with a nod of
his head. "However, the feeling of.... solidarity, of unity between those of
us who serve together should not be discounted. One cannot ask to be in the
company of better people than those who are willing to fight alongside you, to
share in the risks of life and death for a common good or purpose."
"I envy you, Captain," Serenity said very quietly, causing both Susan and
Raijen to blink. "I am surrounded by friends such as Susan and Amelia, yet I
am unable to truly share that kind of bond between them. We share our joys and
our pains, our hearts and our thoughts, but I am under no illusion that I will
ever be their peer or equal."
"Serenity...." Susan started to say.
"Enough, Susan," the queen replied with a gentle shake of her head. "What
mentor truly becomes equals with her students? What craftsman truly becomes
equals with his apprentices? Even years, decades after they have left on their
own to pursue their craft separately, is there not that residual influence when
they reunite once again?"
"Does it matter if there is still formality?" Raijen asked her in a quiet
tone. "I am a leader myself, where a few words from me can cause hundreds to
react with a purpose. Yes, there is the respect due to rank and the chain of
command, but there is also genuine respect. The kind of respect that can only
be earned, never demanded or forced. Do you not think that you have that sort
of respect from them, the kind where they would choose to follow you into the
maw of the unknown simply because they wish to be with you no matter what?"
"She knows," Susan spoke up in a faintly edged tone. "She just chooses
not to acknowledge it for some unknown reason."
"Susan, please," Serenity said with another gentle shake of her head. "It
is not that I am unaware of it, but that I do not feel worthy of it."
"Humility serves a purpose, Serenity," Raijen said in a low tone. "Just
as long as you do not allow it to blind you to that which can help you in a
time of need. There is no dishonor in relying on others when you have to, so
long as others can rely on you when they have to. That is the true power of
friendship."
Serenity blinked in surprise before she nodded in understanding, a faint
blush starting to spread across her cheeks. "Thank you," she said in a muted
tone. "I suppose I need to be reminded about that every now and then." A soft
smile touched the corners of her lips as she looked up at him, staring into his
blue eyes. She looked like she was about to say more when she blinked and cast
a sudden glance over his shoulder, suddenly cringing. "Oh, my...."
"Your Majesty?" Susan inquired in a curious tone before she leaned back a
fraction of an inch to see past Raijen's shoulders. "Perhaps now would be an
excellent time to vacate the area...." she murmured.
"Chancellor Meiou," Sailor Mercury growled as she approached the group, a
cast-iron skillet held in one hand. "What part of off-limits did you fail to
understand? You've already seen them both, now get out of my sight. See the
sleeping babies, Serenity? Cute, aren't they? You can see them some more in
the morning after they've been fed, I promise. Now go to bed and leave them
alone. You, who the hell are you?" she added, tapping the edge of her skillet
against Raijen's chest.
"May I introduce Lady Amelia Anderson of the House of Mercury," Susan said
with a straight face. "Her Majesty's Chief Medical Officer."
"My lady," Raijen said in a very cautious tone with a bow of his head.
"This is Captain Raijen of the Negaverse Dragoons," Serenity said with a
very faint edge to her voice. "He is my escort for the evening."
"Nice to meet you," Mercury said in a flat tone. "However, I explicitly
said that no visitors were to be allowed in here, and that means you. Kindly
escort her Majesty elsewhere before I summon the guards and have all three of
you tossed into the hallway."
"Doctor, when was the last time you got some sleep?" Susan inquired in a
weary tone, studying the dark circles under Mercury's eyes.
"I was doing just fine until some fool tripped the sensors I placed in
here," Mercury growled back, waving the metal pan at the archway just a few
feet behind them.
"Your adherence to duty is commendable, Healer," Raijen said in a somewhat
edgy tone. "We meant no transgression, and I apologize for disturbing your
slumber. With your permission, your Majesty, I believe we should depart this
facility with expediency," he said, gently taking hold of Serenity's elbow.
"By all means," Serenity sighed quietly. "Get some sleep, Amelia, and I
will see you in the morning. Good night."
"Good night, your Majesty," Mercury replied in a slightly more subdued
tone as she watched both Raijen and Serenity made a calm, if slightly hasty,
exit from the nursery. She grumbled something inarticulate to herself and
looked expectantly at Susan, tapping her boot against the marble floor.
"Yes, Doctor?" Susan said in a guarded tone.
Mercury looked at her for several seconds before sighing and shaking her
head, rubbing her eyes with her free hand. "Nothing, Susan, it's just been one
of those really long days for me."
"Perhaps sleep would be in order, then," Susan suggested archly.
"Don't make me perform an emergency colonoscopy on you with this skillet,"
Mercury sighed. "Just leave both me and the newborns alone. Hey, stay put for
a moment," she said, reaching out to snag Susan's sleeve as she started to move
past her.
Susan paused and raised an eyebrow. "Make up your mind, Doctor," she said
in a mild tone.
"So who was that again?" Mercury asked quietly, absently gesturing behind
her with the skillet. "I don't know where she dug him up, but he looks more
than a little handsome in my book...."
"It is a very long story," Susan said after several moments of silence.
"Suffice it to say that his presence is having a rather unusual effect on her
Majesty, and that it might be wise to allow it to continue for the present."
"What?" Mercury said, her somewhat bloodshot eyes blinking in confusion.
"What kind of effect?"
Susan looked at her and sighed quietly. "Just go back to bed, Amelia,"
she said in a decidedly weary tone, feeling herself age a full century in the
span of a few moments. "We will discuss it in the morning when I have a better
understanding of this and you have the mental focus to follow along."
"Alright, alright," Mercury growled as she waved her hand in dismissal.
"Have it your way, Chancellor. Just don't come back here until after breakfast
at the very least."
"Sleep well, Doctor," Susan replied quietly, gently squeezing her friend's
shoulder before turning around and heading down the corridor. It was hardly a
surprise to realize that both Raijen and Serenity were not lingering in the
area, which meant that she now had to discern where they were. Fortunately,
she knew Serenity well enough to make a few educated guesses as to just where
they might have wandered off to.
The nearest balcony was less than a hundred yards from the medical ward,
and that was the first place she headed to. She knew that it had been decided
that the almost nightly fireworks displays would be cancelled for the next
several days while engineers performed a series of maintenance operations on
the array of launchers, but that had very little effect on the spectacular view
of the planet Earth this time of the month.
She wasn't surprised in the least to notice that virtually all of the
glowstones lining the hallway had been deactivated. Those hallways that ringed
the outermost edges of the Royal Palace were usually kept dimly illuminated to
begin with so as not to add any light pollution to those who wished to view the
heavens from the balconies. The darkness simply made her task easier, allowing
her to hide in the shadows to make an undetected approach to the balcony.
She stopped at the very base of the small set of stairs that led up and
outside on to the balcony proper, edging as close to the faint illumiation as
she dared while still remaining concealed in the shadows. She could clearly
see Raijen and Serenity sitting on one of the small pillowed benches, her hand
lightly resting on his as he talked quietly about his past.
Already it begins, Susan thought to herself with a silent sigh. She had
only seen that look in Serenity's eyes twice before, both when she was keenly
interested in someone in the romantic sense. The first instance had been but
a fleeting event, hardly worth calling a relationship, but her second interest
had progressed to significant levels. The strain of her duties had eventually
pulled them apart, but not before learning a few memorable lessons about life.
Should I allow this? Susan asked herself, only half-listening to the soft
rumble of Raijen's voice in his chest as he continued to speak to Serenity.
It has been several years since she was able to express this much of a social
interest in someone, and she is in need of such.... company.... but at the same
time, she is still the Queen and he is.... wait, what did he just say?!
"What?" Serenity gasped as she bolted to her feet, her eyes wide.
"I was assassinated," Raijen repeated himself very quietly, looking over
at the marble walls. "I was attacked from behind as I passed an agent of the
Security division, and I was stabbed in the back with an envenomed weapon. I
did not survive my wounds," he added in an even quieter tone.
"But.... but...." the Queen stammered in visible shock and confusion.
"My body was placed in a crystal tomb," he said quietly. "Such a method
of disposal is common. Over the course of a century, the crystal decays and
shrinks until it is but a mere shard of what it once was. The essence of my
spirit remained imprisoned inside, and even now I can feel the link that binds
me to it. That crystal has been brought to this world, and something in this
world has woken me up, giving me this physical form you see now."
Serenity remained frozen in place, the shock clearly echoing across her
face. It took Susan a great amount of willpower to remain where she was and
not go charging up to the balcony. She had a clear line of sight to Raijen and
could easily blast him with her demonic blood stars if she felt the need to
intervene in a direct fashion, but she still felt distinctly uneasy about the
entire situation. He was revealing his true nature to Serenity, and how she
ultimately reacted would determine where things would go between them.
In what seemed like very slow motion, Serenity brought her hand down to
the small of her back and made a peculiar gesture with her fingertips. Even
watching directly and knowing what was going to occur, Susan was still unable
to fully track the crescent-shaped wand as it slid out of a dimensional pocket
to land perfectly in Serenity's hand.
Even before it was fully brought forward into view, the gemstone nestled
in the very center of the Crescent Moon Wand seemed to suddenly catch fire with
a vibrant white radiance. The golden sigil of the Royal House flared into view
on Serenity's forehead, causing Raijen's eyes to nearly double in diameter in
shock. In an instant, he put as much distance between himself and the glow of
the Imperium Silver Crystal as he could on the tiny balcony and dropped to one
knee, pressing his hands flat against the ground and bowing his head.
Serenity blinked hard and froze in place, surprised by his reaction. She
studied him for a moment before turning her attention to the Imperium Silver
Crystal, a faint frown forming on her lips. "Are you responsible for this?"
she asked very softly, her voice barely audible to Susan's ears.
The reply wasn't a verbal one, discernable instead as a faint pulsing of
the glow coming from the Crystal. The sigil on her forehead seemed to gently
pulse as well in a steady rhythm. Susan knew from past experience that the
Crystal was speaking directly to Serenity's soul, choosing to reply in a way
that could never be overheard.
It seemed that the Crystal took its time in answering, as Susan figured
that at least a full minute had passed before the brilliant glow finally began
to subside to a more restrained level. She cast a quick glance at Raijen and
wasn't overly surprised to see that he hadn't moved a single muscle yet.
"Enough," Serenity said very quietly. "I will deal with the matter from
now on. We can discuss it once this is over. Hmm?" she added as the Crystal
flared up again for a brief moment. "NO!" she gasped, her eyes widening in
horror. "You will NOT do such a thing! I forbid it!"
A faint icy chill crawled down Susan's back as she continued to observe
events, still hidden in the shadows. So the Crystal did bring this about, she
thought to herself. Had I to guess, I would say it just offered to put an end
to what it started, but her Majesty does not care for the idea. Perhaps I am
already too late and that intervention is no longer an option....
"Very well, then," Serenity said with a soft sigh as the Crystal pulsed
brightly once before the inner glow faded away. The golden crescent mark on
her forehead faded away moments later, prompting another soft sigh from the
Queen. She continued to stare at the glittering gemstone attached to the wand
before returning it to the dimensional pocket at the small of her back. She
then sighed for a third time before looking over at Raijen, her expression
slowly changing from resignation to something else.
"Captain?" she called out quietly.
"Your Majesty," Raijen said in a very subdued tone, still staring down at
the marble floor.
"It seems that the Imperium Silver Crystal was right," she said as she sat
down on the edge of the pillowed bench. "You are a sort of.... lost soul, if
you will. Please, stand up."
It was several seconds before his head slowly lifted up to look at her.
"Indeed," replied quietly. "Forgive me, your Majesty, but I was not aware that
I was also in the presence of the cosmic entity of this world."
Serenity sighed heavily and seemed to be on the verge of tears. "Must it
always be like this?" she whispered. "Can we not move past the formalities for
a moment? Am I never to be released from the trappings of the throne?"
Raijen looked at her in silence for several moments before slowly rising
to his feet. He walked across the balcony to sit next to her on the pillowed
bench, clearly revealing his uncertainty at the situation. "Serenity...." he
started to say in a hesitant tone, blinking hard as she suddenly reached out to
grab hold of his hand.
"You say you are dead," she said quietly. "The Crystal says you are a
lost soul. But your skin is warm, and I can feel the pulsing of your blood in
your body. You have a beating heart, and you're breathing air as I do. You
were in pain earlier when your leg got burned. That says to me that you are
far from dead, that the warmth of life still flows through you."
"Again, perhaps," he countered gently. "But not still."
"You are alive," Serenity whispered fiercely, squeezing his hand hard as
a single tear trickled out of the corner of her eye. "How can you simply be a
lost soul when you are alive?"
The silence stretched on for several seconds before he finally spoke up.
"I think, Serenity, you know what it is to be alive and still be a lost soul,"
he rumbled gently. "As I said to Chancellor Meiou earlier, how or why I have
been.... given life once again, or how long it will last is all unknown to me.
She said that it was likely that there was a purpose behind that action, that
it was likely of importance to you."
A faint echo of a laugh rose up from Serenity's throat. "Even after all
this time, I still have yet to figure out how she does it," she mused. "Susan
is a very wise woman, and her sense of foresight is.... uncanny. The Crystal
did not make it clear as to why it did what it did, but I am grateful that it
did so nonetheless."
"As am I," Raijen replied quietly, looking into her lavender eyes. They
stared at one another in silence for several moments before he reached up to
very gently brush away the remains of the single tear she had shed earlier.
"Serenity, do you think...?" he started to say before becoming silenced by a
pair of fingertips against his lips.
"At this point, I'd rather not think," she whispered very softly in reply.
She leaned forward slightly to rest her head on his shoulder, squeezing his
hand even tighter than before. "I just want to enjoy what I have right now,
even if it's only for a moment." She blinked and looked up as his hand came
down from her cheek to the base of her chin, tilting her head slightly.
"Perhaps you mean what we have," he suggested quietly.
Serenity seemed to pause for a moment, her eyes softening. "Do you.... I
mean, can we.... make this work?" she inquired cautiously. "Do we dare try?"
"Do we dare not to?" he replied softly before he leaned forward, just
enough to brush his lips against hers.
Susan edged back from the stairs and leaned back against the wall, trying
not to sigh loud enough to be heard. Too fast, she thought to herself, things
are going entirely too fast at the moment. Not that I don't trust Serenity to
have at least have some idea of what she's getting herself into, but something
like this simply cannot be allowed to become public. How am I going to try to
manage this one?
A sudden memory bubbled up from the depths of her mind, almost causing her
to turn around and bang her skull against the stone wall. Sometimes a scandal
is for the greater good, she had said to V'lent'u barely two hours ago. Now
that I think about it, it seems that we are overdue for another scandal....
Mother was right, Susan thought to herself as she slipped deeper into the
darkness of the hallway and headed towards the main portions of the palace.
You should be very careful what you wish for, as you just might get it....
* * * *
"Wait, that's it?" Mina demanded as Susan stood up and gently stretched
her back muscles.
"Of course not," Susan replied in a moderate tone. "That is merely all
that took place that night that I am personally aware of. Serenity later told
me that they spent some time in silence on the balcony before she decided it
was time to go to bed. He offered to escort her, she declined and bade him a
good evening, and thus they parted company."
"Mmmm," Mina hummed quietly to herself as she examined the synthesizer
keyboard in front of her. "Okay, so what happened in the morning?"
"I will explain in a moment," Susan assured her. "However, I am in need
of a brief break, and I suspect that others are as well."
"Timing is everything," Leda muttered as she stood up to stretch, making
sure not to disturb the mass of computer parts arranged in a wide arc next to
Ami. "I get dibs on the toilet after Susan."
"Third," Serena spoke up from the cup-chair as she started to carefully
unwind her wings from the various points she had anchored them at.
"Maybe we should grab some of that foggy stuff and make a ticket booth,"
Alex chuckled as Susan disappeared down the corridor. "Either that or make a
second toilet."
"No port-a-johns, please," Leda muttered.
"Heh," Darian chuckled quietly as he rubbed Serena's lower back. "Nine
women and only one toilet? Somebody wasn't planning ahead...."
"Someone smack him," Mina sighed quietly.
"Okay, time to humor the Viking," Alex grumbled. "Someone want to explain
to me what the hell is a port-a-john?"
* * * *
"That...." Master Chief Octane said very slowly, "Is a big p'tai."
"See, I told you it could fill the whole valley," Mint persisted as they
stood on the crest of a small hill overlooking the river plain. The airborne
Dragoon Headquarters Complex could be seen lumbering in the distance, making a
low and extremely wide turn to starboard.
"Yeah, whatever," Octane grunted. "Just look at all that plasma venting
from the thrusters. That's going to leave one hell of a mark on the terrain."
"Black glass?" Taffy suggested quietly.
"Glow-in-the-dark glass, you mean," Gravija rumbled. "I'll be surprised
if the backwash of heat doesn't melt all the sand in a fifty ke'shel radius of
the vents."
"Think we can use it to make sculptures?" Mint wondered.
"And put it where?" Gravija countered.
"Stuff a rakketh in it, girls," Octane sighed before she turned around to
peer into the cockpit of the ground cruiser. "T'Del?"
"Stand by, chief," T'Del replied before she re-opened the communications
channel. "Please repeat your last message, Zero," she said into the microphone
before cocking her head to listen to the voice in her headset. "We copy that.
Be advised that, while we are a repair facility primarily for surface units, we
still have a limited capacity for heavy machinery repair. Can we offer our
assistance in mitigating the radiation hazard?"
"Radiation?" Octane hissed. "Aww, k'ves...."
"K'ves what?" Mint said, perking up out of reflex.
"Like I said," Gravija sighed. "Glow-in-the-dark glass."
"Eww," Mint shivered. "Why would I want to make a glass...?" she tried to
say before a thick tendril wrapped around her throat.
"Mint, just sit down and shut up for a moment," Octane growled.
"We might be able to assist with that," T'Del said into the microphone.
"I will confer with our team leader and get back to you in a few minutes. Be
advised that the landing site is primarily comprised of compacted sand and that
the thrust from your engines could liquefy it. You are free to land using any
means available to you and that a low-powered approach is only a suggestion."
"This is not going to be pleasant," Glitter said very quietly, both hands
still securely connected to the interface units that controlled the cruiser.
"I don't care how gentle they say they can land, we're still going to have to
deal with a minor earthquake once they settle the weight of that thing...."
"Like I'm worried about the ground shaking," Octane replied as she stood
up straight and crossed her arms over her chest. "Okay, let's think about this
one for a moment. They're coming in hot, which probably means they've got a
leaky reactor on board. We're mechanics, not reactor engineers. We might be
able to build a remote drone to go inside the shrouds, but that's about all we
can do."
"The problem is external," T'Del said as she slipped off the headset and
gingerly climbed out of the cockpit. "They say that they were exposed to a
nuclear blast and that some of the radiation leaked through their shields to
contaminate the hull. The internal readings are nominal, so they just need to
have their hull scrubbed clean."
"Someone nuked the Dragoons?" Mint said, her eyes widening into perfect
circles. "But they're right next to the Imperial Castle!"
T'Del seemed to hesitate before running a hand through her mane of flaming
red hair. "There was an incident a few hours ago," she started to explain in
a very careful tone. "A nuclear missile was launched at the Imperial Castle
with the Red Wing carrier V'ral as the target."
"WHAT?!" five voices chorus in shocked unison.
"The short version is that the castle is still intact and the Dragoons
evacuated the region just before the detonation," T'Del continued in a subdued
tone. "Hence their radiation problems. Scrubbing their hull will take some
time, but it can be easily done. The only concern is the sheer size of their
headquarters complex."
"Who nuked the castle?" Mint demanded, her eyes still dangerously wide.
"Save it," Octane sighed quietly. "I'm sure we'll hear all about it just
as soon as we get the communications gear fixed. Right now, we have a more
immediate crisis on our hands. Okay, so we need to come up with a way to help
hose off that SMT, preferably from a distance. Suggestions?"
"Drone," Glitter spoke up at once. "I think we have one working hardsuit
at the moment, and we might be able to repair two more in a few hours, but I
don't think getting close to it is a viable option."
Octane nodded in understanding. "Think you can direct it by remote?"
"Please," Glitter scoffed.
"Just checking," Octane replied with a rueful grin. "So, a drone it is?"
"Hmmmm...." Mint said, casting a studious glance over her shoulder. "How
about a water cannon? One that could lob a water slug from a distance? Don't
have to get too close to the radiation, and we can trail a hose into the river
to act as a feeder...."
Gravija shook her head slowly. "It'd have to be a steady stream instead
of a slug," she pointed out. "The idea is to thoroughly wash it off, and for
that you need pressure."
"Okay, so just retool the cannon to full-auto instead of single round,"
Mint countered. "If we can do that with a rifle, why can't we scale it up in
size to a larger bore? There will probably be a lag time between slugs, but
that can actually be a good thing as a pulsing action might be better than a
straight stream...."
"Mint has a point," T'Del spoke up. "We may be able to modify a rotary
cannon to fire water slugs in rapid succession, and the pulse action is indeed
preferable in this situation."
"What about that QuadStar we have sitting in the junkyard?" Taffy spoke up
in her usual soft tone. "It will definitely take some work to get it mobile
again, and I have no idea what condition the launching mechanism is in, but it
has four bores that we can probably rotate between at a decent rate...."
"We should probably include a heating mechanism," T'Del added. "Hot water
might aid the process, especially if a cleansing solution is added to each slug
to help remove any radioactive particles. Runoff may be a problem, as it will
definitely be contaminated and we might not want that to reach the river," she
pointed out.
"Flash-heat the water before it gets loaded?" Octane inquired. "That way,
we have additional steam-pressure in the bore? And I wouldn't worry too much
about where the water goes, as most of it will end up being filtered by the
sand once it hits the ground."
"Just as long as we don't end up drawing in contaminated water through the
feeder hose," Gravija pointed out. "That would defeat the purpose."
"Add a filter?" Mint replied with a casual shrug.
"Let's build the p'tai first," Octane interrupted. "We have to hash out
a viable design first, then haul it into the shop so we can play with it, then
we have to get the drive mechanism working, THEN we have to turn it into a
drone so Glitter can make it run. Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves."
"When one wants to plan their route, one has to know where their final
destination is," T'Del said in a diplomatic tone. "It is best to lose half an
hour now in the planning stages than to potentially lose even more time during
the construction phase when a flaw is discovered or an objective left out."
Octane sighed quietly and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Tell me again
why you're not a school teacher or something, T'Del," she grumbled.
"I like working with my hands," the redhead replied demurely.
"Whatever," Octane replied in absent dismissal. "Okay, someone run this
one past me again so I know we're all on the same blueprint. We're going to
build a high-pressure water cannon using that broken QuadStar battery as the
frame. We have to make it mobile and controlled by remote. It has to have a
feeder-line dropped in the river, and the water has to be flash-heated before
it gets injected into the bores."
"Filtered first, then heated, then mixed with a cleanser," Glitter added.
"Do we even HAVE any anti-radiation cleansers?" Mint inquired dubiously.
"Not enough to coat that thing," Gravija grunted with a gesture over her
immense shoulder to the still-turning SMT. "And I don't think we have enough
raw materials to synthesize an alternative."
"What about adding sand?" Taffy spoke up carefully. "Enough to make it
abrasive, but not enough to blast the plates off...."
"That may degrade the bores after a short period of time," T'Del pointed
out. "However, we can prolong the process if we moderate the amount of sand
added to each water slug."
"Coat the bores first?" Mint suggested. "Add a layer of metal sealant to
take the brunt of the sandblasting so we can use it longer?"
"And if you inject the sand into the chamber after it's already flooded
with water, that should reduce the internal friction," Taffy added.
Octane grunted and reached up with a pair of tentacles to massage the base
of her neck. "Slow down," she growled. "So you want to have the water loaded
first, then the sand loaded, then ejected together.... we still haven't tried
to figure out how we're going to do that yet," she warned.
"Try it like this," Mint said, squinting her eyes as she stared off into
the distance. "Hose goes into the river, draws water into a pump, water is
flash-heated, water gets split up and pumped into each chamber. The pump runs
constantly, we get a steady pressure. The input to each is a split-valve that
switches over to inject the sand from a hopper or something mounted above it.
In goes the sand, we get a momentary hold on the water, the back-pressure is
about doubled or more when it gets turned loose, there's our pulse-effect. A
slug of sand and hot water goes out, and by the time it clears the bore the
tube is full again and another dose of sand is injected. All four bores, all
the time, all off-set by a fraction of a second. Kinda like spark-plugs being
fired in constant sequence."
There was a slight pause as everyone looked at everyone else to gauge the
rest of the group's opinion on the summary. "We'd need another intake device
for the sand," Glitter spoke up in a quiet tone. "Which should be easy since
we're in a k'vesi desert. Aside from that.... I think we have a plan now."
"I concur," T'Del said, nodding her head in agreement.
"Alright, then," Master Chief Octane said slowly. "Let's give this one a
shot. Glitter, you worry about making the drone components, Gravija and I will
worry about making it mobile again. Taffy, I'm going to need you to retool the
firing mechanisms to cope with water as well as coat the bores themselves to
keep the sand from tearing it apart. Mint, you worry about the sand aspects,
and T'Del can worry about dealing with the water supply. Any questions?"
Glitter promptly raised her hand. "Just how long is this thing supposed
to last?" she inquired. "That, and how much time do we have to build this?"
"The Dragoons are in no imminent danger," T'Del reported. "However, the
potential for hull damage or a breach exists as long as the contamination is
present. Speed would be advisable, but not at the cost of efficiency."
"Make it fast, but make sure you take enough time to do it right," Octane
said with a curt gesture. "I don't want any welds coming apart on me or any
parts falling off because they were held in place with Mint's chewing gum. We
may be doing this on short notice, but we still have a reputation to maintain."
"Copy," Glitter replied with a nod of understanding.
"That it?" Octane asked, glancing around the group. "Alright then, so
let's get to work."
"That reminds me," Mint whispered to Taffy as they all climbed back into
the ground transport to head back to the repair facility. "You remember what
I did with that case of gum I picked up last month?"
"You ate it," Taffy replied with a sour expression.
"Oh," Mint said, clearly nonplussed with the answer. "Why are you looking
at me like that?"
"Because that flavor gave you gas," Glitter said flatly as she revved the
engine. "No more d'ael-flavored gum for you, or you'll wake up one morning
with both your head and your ptanka encased in plastic sealant. Now hold on,"
she added before activating the neural interface that allowed her to control
the transport as if it was a part of her.
"Tell me again why I like my job," Octane grumbled quietly to T'Del, just
before she was mashed against the back of the seat by the laws of physics as
the transport's drive-train sudden went from zero to eighty-five percent in the
span of precisely two full seconds.
* * * *
"I have a question for you, Susan," Darian spoke up as he gingerly held
onto the edges of the cup-chair he was sitting in. Serena was in the process
of climbing back inside, and her motions were causing the webbing to rock back
and forth in a decidedly unsettling manner. "What did you do that night? I
know you said you rarely sleep or something like that.... Ooof!"
"Sorry!" Serena apologized as she quickly rolled off of where she had lost
her balance and ended up falling down. She quickly scooted over and curled up
next to him, reaching out once again to anchor her wings at several points in
the mesh-like webbing that supported the cushions.
"I spent the night painting," Susan explained as she sipped a fresh mug of
tea that Leda had brewed for her. "If you remind me later, I can show you the
portraits. One of the duke proposing to Lucille, one of the nursery with the
two newborn Sailor Scouts sleeping next to one another for the first time, and
a portrait I had agreed to do for one of the guards after her shift was over."
"Ooo, ooo!" Mina squealed with delight, her eyes lighting up. "I want to
see that first one!"
"Later, babe," Alex spoke up as she ran her fingertips through Michelle's
aquamarine hair. They had switched positions, letting Michelle stretch out on
the long end of the L-shaped couch and leaving Alex partly curled up on the
other half with her lover's head resting comfortably in her lap. "I'm curious
as hell about this now, so I want to hear what happened in the morning."
"Morning-afters tend to be interesting," Darian commented, blinking when
he found himself on the receiving end of a number of curious looks. "What?"
"Anything you want to tell us?" Leda inquired with a wry chuckle.
Darian glanced over at Serena, a faint blush appearing on their cheeks in
almost perfect unison. "None of your business," Darian said as evenly as he
could manage.
"Spoilsport," Leda teased.
"You going to tell us about all your morning-afters in exchange?" Darian
prodded with a faint edge.
Leda blinked and seemed to edge back slightly, casting a leery glance over
her shoulder to find Ami giving her a very guarded look. "Maybe some other
time, guys," she replied in a tone of resignation.
"I will never understand these creatures," Myst said to Maq'i with a very
disgruntled expression. "Every time I think I do, they do something strange
that completely confuses me."
"Our world has known about the humans for a thousand years," the denizen
Healer replied with a soft chuckle. "And we still haven't figured them out
either. You'll get used to them, I'm sure."
"Wonderful," Myst sighed.
"So back to the story...." Rei prodded dryly.
Susan permitted herself a small smile before taking another sip of tea.
"I knew her Majesty well and figured that she would awaken on her own in due
course shortly after sunrise. Sometimes that would require a little prodding
to accomplish, but I knew that her concern about the situation in the Kingdom
would prevent her from trying to get some extra sleep. What I was most worried
about by sunrise, however, was just how well others had slept...."
* * * *
Pluto listened intently at the door for another few seconds before trying
to open it. It didn't surprise her in the least to discover that the door was
not locked, as the residential wing of the palace was guarded just as well as
the Queen's suite was. Under normal circumstances, she might not have bothered
to raise an eyebrow over it, but given recent developments....
She very carefully opened the door and peered inside, looking for some
indication that anything was amiss. Seeing nothing, she pushed the door open
further and slipped inside, gently closing it behind her. She started to move
towards the open doorway on the other side of the room before she paused, her
demonic hearing picking up faint sounds of motion.
"Hotaru?" Pluto called out carefully as a faint chill ran down her spine.
A head promptly popped out from around the edge of the doorway. "What...?
Oh, Susan! Good morning!" Hotaru said, relaxing as she recognized her guest.
"Good morning," Pluto replied, discreetly letting her breath out of her
lungs in a silent sigh of relief. She had been worried that Hotaru might have
suffered a relapse of her condition earlier and had wanted to check on her, but
didn't want to disturb her if all was well. "I trust I am not interrupting
anything?"
"One moment," the young girl said before her head disappeared from view.
The sound of rustling fabric could be heard for several seconds afterward,
followed by the soft sound of a zipper being sealed. She stepped back into
view wearing a light purple summer dress with matching sandals, one hand still
running a brush through her short black hair. "Just had to finish getting
dressed, that's all," she explained. "Those medical gowns were starting to
drive me crazy."
"I can imagine," Pluto replied demurely. "How are are feeling today?"
"Ohh, you have no idea," Hotaru said with a blissful smile. "I really,
really need to thank V'lent'u for her help. I slept like the dead, I had a
nice dream, I didn't wake up feeling any aches or pains, it was wonderful!"
Pluto couldn't help smiling in return at the outpouring of enthusiasm.
"I am quite gratified to hear it," she said. "Hopefully this will mark the
beginning of a recovery for you." She paused and blinked as Hotaru sighed,
shaking her head slowly.
"It won't," she said in a subdued tone. "I know the aches and weariness
will return in a day or two. But still, I'm enjoying it while I still can."
"Such pessimism is unbecoming, young lady," Pluto chided her gently.
Hotaru paused and cast a visibly wary look at her mentor. "Aren't you the
one who taught me the value of trying to remain both objective and realistic?"
she muttered darkly, causing Pluto to blink again. "I know what V'lent'u said
yesterday about it being a temporary solution, Chancellor. I'm young, but I
wasn't born yesterday. Umm, speaking of which...."
"I will speak to Amelia as soon as she wakes up," Pluto promised, knowing
that the over-worked doctor had already promised that Hotaru would be allowed
to see the newborn Sailor Neptune sometime today. "I suspect, however, that it
will have to wait until both she and Master Healer V'lent'u are satisified that
your health has been stabilized for the moment."
Hotaru made a sour face before resuming her task of brushing her hair out.
"I suppose that's fair," she grumbled quietly, not looking forward to yet more
medically-oriented poking and prodding. She froze in mid-motion and blinked as
she heard a soft knocking on her door, giving Pluto a surprised look.
"Allow me," Pluto said gently as she turned around and answered the door.
"Good morning, Gretchen," she said with a faint note of surprise in her voice
as she stepped aside to allow the dark blue-haired visitor to enter.
"Good morning, Chancellor," Doctor Gretchen Anderson replied in a gentle
voice before she looked around the room. "And good morning to you, Hotaru,"
she added as she spotted the young girl she came to see.
"Lady Mercury!" Hotaru said, her expression brightening considerably as
she darted forward to give the elderly woman a hug.
"Oooof!" Lady Mercury protested. "Easy, my dear, osteoporosis is taking
a strong hold these days. My, my, I see you are feeling better today," she
said as she reached into a pocket and pulled out her medical scanner.
"You are taking calcium supplements, I trust?" Pluto inquired carefully as
Lady Mercury started to pass the scanner back and forth over Hotaru's chest.
"Calcium and phosphorus," Lady Mercury replied calmly. "That's something
I recommend the both of you do as well, as your bones are either busy growing
or self-repairing at all times. Or at least until you reach my age," she added
with a dry, ironic chuckle. "So tell me, Sailor Saturn, what exactly happened
to you last night? Lucille tried to explain it to me, but the poor dear was
blabbering a mile a minute and was constantly distracted by her new ring...."
"What new ring?" Hotaru inquired, giving both women a confused look.
"Oh?" Lady Mercury said in surprise before turning to look at Pluto.
"I haven't had the time to mention it yet," Pluto explained. "And even if
the opportunity to do so had presented itself, I would have allowed Lucille to
explain it herself."
"You mean that Earth duke proposed to her?" Hotaru gasped. "The Queen is
going to have an absolute fit when she finds out! You know she doesn't like
him at all...."
Pluto allowed herself a quiet chuckle. "Her Majesty is fully aware of the
engagement," she said lightly. "In fact, the entire ballroom was witness to
his lordship's public proposal."
"Wow," the young girl breathed quietly, shaking her head in wonder. "I'll
have to ask her about it at breakfast. Assuming she gets up in time for it,"
she added wryly.
"I suspect that you will only find Aria and Electra awake at this hour,"
Pluto said with a faint twinkle of amusement in her red eyes. "Speaking of
which, I expected that at least one of them would have contacted me by now to
check in for the morning watch."
Hotaru blinked and traded looks with the elder Mercury. "Wait for it,"
she said in a low tone. "Call it a hunch. Let's see.... five, four, three,
two...."
Both Lady Mercury and Hotaru blinked hard as Pluto's tiara suddenly began
to unfold a slender rod from the back edge. It settled into place directly
over her ear canal and began to make a soft chirping noise that all three women
recognized as coming from Sailor Mars' communication channel.
"Excuse me," Pluto said demurely as she stepped away from the group, one
hand reaching up to the star-shaped adornment on her collar.
"That was decidedly unsettling timing, my dear," Lady Mercury whispered to
a visibly disturbed Hotaru.
"Tell me about it," Hotaru grumbled back.
"Go ahead," Pluto said quietly as she thumbed the channel open.
<Morning, Chancellor,> the slightly scratchy voice of Sailor Mars said in
the tiny speaker in her ear. <Sorry for checking in so late, but I'm over at
the eastern barracks and there's a.... I don't want to say fight going on but,
I don't have a better word for it.>
"Oh?" Pluto inquired, her eyebrows arching up. She could barely make out
a series of cracking sounds in the background, as if two sticks were being
slammed against one another in a distinctly discordant tempo.
<Captain Hale and one of our guests are going at it,> Mars reported. <I
*think* it's just practice, but they both look kinda serious, and nobody else
is doing anything about it. You want me to try to put a stop to it?>
"You could ask them directly," Pluto suggested archly, casting an absent
glance over her shoulder. Hotaru had a disgruntled look on her face as she
explained yesterday's events to Lady Mercury, still being scanned the entire
time.
<It's not that easy,> Mars protested. <They're making a lot of noise, and
I mean a LOT of noise. I can barely hear you as it is, and I'm standing a good
twenty feet from them. And from the way they're whipping those staves around,
I would really rather not get any closer to either of them.>
Pluto thought about it for a moment before taking a deep breath. "I will
be there as soon as I can," she said. "Just keep an eye on them. As long as
it appears to be practice, let them continue. If blood is drawn, put a stop
to it immediately. We don't permit bloodshed in training, and we certainly do
not want any harm to come to our guests."
<Acknowledged,> Mars replied. <See you in a few moments. Out.>
"Bloodshed?" Lady Mercury echoed as Pluto closed the channel on her end,
causing the speaker to refold back into her tiara.
"It seems that one of our guests has taken up one of our guard captains
on her offer of a little competitive weapons training," Pluto sighed. "Sailor
Mars was merely concerned about the inherent risks to our guest and asked for
guidance. If you will excuse me, I will go see to the matter personally. I
trust she is in reasonable health, Doctor?" she added.
Lady Mercury glanced down at her scanner and shrugged helplessly. "All
things considered, I'd say she is in remarkable condition for the present,"
she replied. "Given her medical history, however, both past and very recent,
I would still prefer for her to be under observation."
"Okay," Hotaru said cheerfully. "That means you can come with me to the
nursery to see Dana's baby and Diana's kittens, right?"
"After breakfast," Pluto said sternly before Lady Mercury could even open
her mouth. "Bear in mind that Dana is most likely either nursing or is trying
to get some sleep at the moment, and I'm sure Skye is feeding Alexis as well."
She found it remotely amusing to see Hotaru make a face at the thought of
nursing while a faint smile crossed Lady Mercury's face at the memory of having
to do so. She herself had often wondered what it would be like to lactate and
breast-feed a child, but was hardly curious enough to try to have a child just
to find out.
"Very well, Chancellor," Lady Mercury said as she put her medical scanner
away. "Will you be joining us for breakfast?"
"I will try," Pluto promised. "I expect I will be delayed for a number of
minutes, however, as I have yet to ascertain the seriousness of this practice
battle in the barracks. I suspect, however, that I will be back before her
Majesty makes an appearance."
"Someone had fun at the party last night," Hotaru muttered quietly.
"Hotaru," Pluto chided her.
Lady Mercury laughed very softly to herself before she laid a hand on the
young girl's shoulder. "Come, my dear, let's go see what Lady Kayla has ready
for us this morning. I suspect she'll be glad to see you again, as you are one
of the few people who actively enjoys her blackberry-and-peach cobblers...."
"I can't help it if they're good," Hotaru protested as she was nudged in
the direction of the door. "And if nobody else wants it, that just means more
for me...."
Pluto waited until they disappeared down the hallway before shaking her
head to herself, feeling a sense of gloom creep over her soul. She knew that
Lady Mercury's health was starting to degenerate, and only part of it could be
attributed to her age. Being a Sailor Scout was not easy, and it tended to
take a devistating toll on the body as one grew older. While most lived to see
fifty as Gretchen had last year, it was not often that one lived to see sixty.
Enough, she told herself as she shook her head again. It is beyond your
control, and you have work to do. Strange that they started so early today, I
thought he said that he would repair his armor first. No matter, let me go see
to this before somebody else does....
* * * *
The noise could be heard from dozens of yards away, the unmistakable sound
of two wooden training staves striking against one another in extremely rapid
succession. The sharpness of each blow meant that each was driven by a strong
force, one sufficient to shatter a normal wooden quarterstaff. The training
staves were fashioned from a very resilient type of wood, however, and treated
with a blend of chemicals that further increased their resistance to breakage.
Not surprisingly, there was a huge crowd gathered together inside the
barracks, forming a very large ring around the two combatants. The crowd was
oddly silent as they watched, giving off a sensation of tension that could be
almost literally felt in a physical sense as Pluto stepped over the threshold.
"Stand aside," Pluto ordered in a calm tone, not bothering to raise her
voice over the almost constant thunder of wooden weapons. It took maybe a full
second for a path to form in the ring, allowing her a clear view of what was
going on in the center of the room.
Raijen was stripped to the waist, wearing only a pair of sandals and what
appeared to be a pair of sweatpants. Second Watch Captain Carmen Hale was
likewise stripped to the waist, her modesty preserved by a dark gray sports bra
that was heavily stained with sweat. Both captains were armed with the treated
training staves and were very much engaged in full-power combat, the ends of
the staves quite literally moving too fast for the living eye to follow.
Pluto's eyebrows arched clear up to her hairline as she tried to follow
the pace of strikes, blocks, and counter-strikes. She herself was proficient
in the use of a quarterstaff-like weapon in battle, probably to the point of
being able to claim the title of grand-master. However, after watching the way
Raijen moved with fluid grace and almost terrifying speed, she was starting to
have second thoughts about her mastery of the weapon.
It was obvious that Raijen was winning the battle. Hale was very much on
the defensive at this point, and her level of fatigue was starting to show.
Pluto mentally calculated the time it had taken her to arrive after Mars had
told her about it, blinking hard as she realized that it meant Hale had been
holding off defeat for well over ten minutes now. And if she had started out
under such an onslaught as she currently now faced....
The end came so quickly that she almost missed it. Hale blocked a sharp
downstroke with the center of her weapon, only to have Raijen whip the other
end of his staff around in a blur. The base of his weapon slammed into the
underside of her weapon at the mid-point, shoving it upwards hard enough to
force it out of her hands. Both combatants suddenly froze in place as the
realization hit them, staring at one another with wild-eyed looks and both
breathing extremely hard.
The clatter of the disarmed staff falling back to the ground caused both
captains to nearly hit the roof, seeming to be caught off-guard in their moment
of mutual disbelief that the battle was suddenly over. They both seemed to sag
down to the ground in unison, Raijen leaning heavily on his staff as he fell to
one knee and Hale bracing both hands against the floor to keep herself from
falling on her backside.
"H.... H.... H-H-How...." Raijen panted heavily. "How.... old are you?"
Hale blinked in surprise and looked up at him, trying to brush a lock of
sweat-soaked hair out of her eyes with a very shaky hand. "Wh.... What?"
"How old are you?" Raijen demanded as he tried to summon the strength to
stand up properly. He was putting virtually his entire weight on the staff,
causing it to bend rather dangerously in the center as he started to rise to
his feet. The effort proved to be too much for him, however, and he quickly
collapsed back down to one knee.
"Thirty," Hale panted in an unsteady tone, still barely able to talk.
"Thirty-one," one of the nearby guards muttered.
"*THIRTY?!*" Raijen yelped as he suddenly shot to his feet, his eyes going
dangerously wide. "You have learned to fight that well in just thirty years?!"
"What?" Hale said as she slowly rose to her feet, quickly reaching behind
her to grab the wall for support. "I joined the ranks when I was seventeen,
and I didn't take up the staff until I was twenty."
"Ten?" Raijen whispered as his staff suddenly clattered to the floor. "I
spent five hundred years trying to achieve that sort of mastery, and you say
you did it in ten?"
Hale promptly blinked hard. "Wait, say that again? You're how old?"
"Enough," Pluto said calmly, causing virtually the entire room to blink
hard at the realization that she was there. It was a reaction that she found
rather disturbing, given the fact that she had basically announced herself when
she had ordered them to make a path for her earlier.
"C-Chancellor Meiou?" someone blurted out. "Company, ATTENTION!"
Pluto sighed quietly as the entire barracks snapped to rigid attention.
"At ease," she said calmly. "Captain Raijen, are you alright?"
"No, I am not," Raijen whispered hoarsely, still struggling to get over
the shock of Captain Hale's age. "Captain, I must ask you something.... can
all of your kind obtain that great a degree of skill in that short of a time?
Or have you been singularly gifted in this regard?"
Hale blinked hard in surprise yet again and glanced over to Pluto, giving
her a very uncertain look. She paused for a moment as Pluto gestured for her
to answer before taking a deep breath. "I'm not sure I understand," she said
very carefully. "I had a very good teacher for a few years, and I was able to
keep my edge after we parted ways. It doesn't take long to learn how to really
fight with a quarterstaff, it's just a matter of being able to adapt to how
your opponent fights."
"But in ten years?" Raijen persisted, wiping the minor river of sweat off
of his forehead. There was a slight disturbance among the crowd as those who
were closest to him suddenly started to edge back, all doing their best to keep
a straight expression at the strength of the smell.
"That is a good period of time for a human," Pluto spoke up in a cautious
tone. "It would be the equivalent of somewhere between a sixth and a tenth of
your lifespan spent in daily training and occasional live practice."
Raijen blinked hard and cast a stunned glance at Hale. "Incredible," he
breathed. "It sounds like you humans are potentially even more dangerous than
I had thought. Attaining a degree of skill like that in ten years?"
"And here we were thinking she was a little slow on the upkeep," one of
Hale's lieutenants whispered loudly to his partner. "Talk about scary...."
"Blow it out your...." Hale started to growl.
"As you were," Pluto said firmly, causing the soft whisperings to abruptly
fall silent. She waited for a few moments before continuing. "I must say that
I am quite impressed myself with your skill, Carmen. I would almost think that
you have been holding back on me during the occasional practice session," she
added in a light tone.
Hale laughed very softly to herself as she finally pushed herself off of
the wall to stand upright. "Hardly, Chancellor," she replied with a rueful
grin. "I never hold back, even in training. Your style of fighting is quite
different than our esteemed guest's style, however. No disrespect, sir, but
you seemed to adapt rather slowly to changes in tactics," she said to Raijen.
"Unarmored combat is different than armored combat," Raijen rumbled in a
subdued tone. "One must play a more aggressively defensive role when one is
unable to absorb any impacts that would allow you a decisive return strike if
you were to permit your opponent to connect."
"You use a quarterstaff with heavy armor?" Hale inquired in surprise.
"I use a symipa," Raijen replied. "A form of metal spear," he translated
at the blank looks he got in response. "I find swords to be too limiting in
terms of agility and required space to wield properly, not to mention the fact
that they are not suited for an airborne strike."
"Huh," Hale grunted quietly, pausing to try to wipe away the worst of the
sweat still dripping down from her forehead. A faintly acrid breeze drifted
past her nose, causing her to make a very sour face. "Yeech, I think I need a
shower now," she grunted.
"Perhaps it would be wise if you both were to do so," Pluto said gently,
acutely aware of the heavy stench of sweat in the air. She paused as she saw
that there was now a rather wide berth around Raijen, the guards having edged
back as far as they could go while remaining unobtrusive about it. "Would one
of you be so kind as to escort our guest back to his quarters so that he may
enjoy a shower?"
"Or at least find a garden hose," somemone quietly muttered in the crowd.
Raijen grunted quietly in amusement to himself. "That might be easier,"
he replied with a visible smirk. "While I did not anticipate having to break
this hard of a sweat, I do expect to become somewhat dirty once I start the
repairs on my armor. It makes little sense to soil a shower when one is only
going to become dirty minutes later."
"Heh," Hale chuckled. "You just thought you'd kick my butt and be done
with it, is that what you're trying to say?"
"Oh, lord," one of the guards muttered. "Here we go again...."
"Shush, I want to hear this," her partner replied.
"Chancellor," Sailor Mars said quietly as she came over, still keeping a
wary eye on the two sweat-soaked warriors.
"I think our presence is not needed here any longer," Pluto said demurely.
"And I am sure her Majesty will be relieved to know that her guards are still
able to reasonably hold their own against an unknown opponent. How long were
they engaged in combat?" she inquired, deeply curious.
Mars made a sour face. "Before I showed up, and I only came over here to
check out what all that banging noise was."
"Impressive," Pluto said, raising her eyebrows. "It has always been my
experience that her skill with the quarterstaff was exceptional, but not to the
extent of being able to endure an engagement of any extreme length. Perhaps
you may wish to move a little further to your right," she advised as she took
a single step away from the combatants.
"What?" Mars said in confusion, turning to look at the sudden disturbance
at the far end of the room. She blinked hard and hissed, jumping back to try
to avoid being caught by the harbinger of a rematch.
"Bucket!" a voice sang out in warning before two large blobs of water were
flung through the air, splashing against both Raijen and Hale. The immediate
result was a burst of profanity in two different languages, cursing the chilly
water temperature as it ran down their backs.
"Just you wait, Jenkins!" Hale growled as she furiously shook as much of
the water off as she could. "Just as soon as I finish with him, I am going to
give you such a whooping...."
Raijen just laughed as he flicked his shoulder-length blond hair over his
shoulder and caught the training staff that someone tossed back to him. "Is
that a challenge, Captain?" he said languidly.
"Nah," Hale shot back with a grin of her own as she was handed her staff
back. "Just a pontification of just how fast we're able to adapt and overcome
an opponent."
There was a slight cough from within the group as it quickly reformed into
the circle around them. "Actually, ma'am, I don't think that word means what
you think it means...."
"Time for breakfast?" Mars inquired quietly.
"Indeed," Pluto chuckled as they promptly exited the barracks before the
expected rematch could start. "Hopefully this means that the rest of the day
will be just as amusing to observe."
Mars just shook her head ruefully. "I think someone needs to have a long
discussion with you about your definition of amusing," she grumbled.
* * * *
"Amusing," Sailor Jupiter grunted quietly as she absently leaned against
a marble pillar, carefully watching the semi-controlled chaos as it erupted
around her in the throne room.
"If you insist," Mars sighed in return, absently scratching a primarily
orange Lunar cat behind the ears. They all watched in mild disinterest as yet
another heated political debate raged on between the various ministers, this
one about what to do with their unexpected guests in light of the realization
of their unpredictable abilities.
"And to think her Majesty puts up with this on a daily basis," the cat
commented with a shake of his head. Queen Serenity was slumped back in the
throne with a very weary expression on her face, one hand idly toying with the
Crescent Moon Wand while she tried to follow all sides of the surprisingly
vehement debate.
"What part of 'dangerous' do you fail to grasp?" Minister Harken thundered
at the group. "If what Chancellor Meiou says is true, it would represent a
very clear threat to our security! Just how in the name of Creation are we
supposed to defend against that if they decide we are too weak to resist a
military action against us?"
"You mean your vaunted security forces aren't up to the task?" Minister
Dejanna shot back.
"There is ancedotal evidence that our weapon skills are every bit as equal
as theirs," Sailor Pluto spoke up with a faint suggestion of a smile. "There
was one such demonstration this morning in the eastern barracks between one of
their guards and one of ours. A friendly demonstration, I assure you."
"So already they're testing our defenses?" Harken growled.
"What would you have us do, then?" Dejanna prodded. "Toss them out?"
"At once," Harken replied instantly. "They are not of this world and have
no true business being in it."
"And ejecting them would accomplish what?" Minister Svetlana spoke up in
a calm and measured tone. "If they were hostile, which I have yet to see any
such indication from anyone or be presented even the slightest hint of proof,
do you really believe they would go back to their world and leave us alone? I
think if they were serious, they would simply return to Earth to resume their
activities, whatever they might be."
Queen Serenity sighed and lifted up her head to glare at the group. "I am
not about to sour cordial relations between anyone by expelling them from our
kingdom without a very good reason to do so," she sighed. "Mere suspicion is
hardly enough, especially in the absence of any semblance of proof of any bad
intentions. However, I am just as concerned as Minister Harken is for the
safety and security of our kingdom given the nature of and the potential for
this development to cause problems. I emphasize the word potential in this
case, as Minister Svetlana is correct in pointing out that we have yet to even
glimpse a suggestion of ill-will or other bad intentions towards us."
"Finally," the cat muttered as the discussion was brought to a stop, at
least for a moment.
"It's not over yet," Mars warned quietly.
Heads turned as the double doors at the end of the room opened up to admit
Ambassador Baker into the room, escorted by one of the guards. The guard took
up post just inside the room while the ambassador made her way over to the rest
of the group. "Your Majesty," she said with a curtsey to the queen.
"Tell me you have good news, Grace," Serenity sighed quietly.
"I'm afraid not, your Majesty," Grace replied with a soft sigh of her own.
"Our guests would like me to inform you that they are experiencing minor, and
I am told to emphasize very minor, digestive issues arising from last night's
dinner, and that to spare everyone the embarrassment of sharing in their pain
and discomfort, they are regretfully forced to decline your invitation to
attend breakfast with you and your court."
"Oh, my," Serenity said in a concerned tone. "Are they alright?"
"Assuredly, your Majesty," the ambassador replied. "They stress that it
is merely a minor case of.... how should I put it?" she hesitated, a delicate
blush forming on her cheeks.
"Gas," Jupiter spoke up with a distinctly sour expression.
"That.... may suffice," Grace muttered, blushing hard with embarrassment.
"Ouch," Minister Eldred muttered, wincing in sympathy.
Serenity blinked in surprise before casting a sidelong glance at Sailor
Mercury. "I think that, given the nature of their discomfort, it is more than
appropriate for us to pay no attention to their absence this morning. Amelia,
I thought we tried to prevent this very scenario from happening...."
"I could only catalog what would obviously give them digestive problems,"
Mercury replied in a guarded voice. "Their digestive processes are still a
complete unknown to us. While some things would have had obvious consequences,
such as trying to digest ham or pork, I have no idea what's giving them gas."
"We need to find out," Minister Olan spoke up in a concerned tone. "It
would be extremely problematic if were were unable to properly provide for our
guests, not to say highly unfortunate...."
"There is a positive to this," Dejanna mused. "Stop and think about it.
Would you want to bother invading a kingdom where the food gave you gas cramps
or worse?"
"If it was an outpost kingdom, yes," Harken countered with a quiet growl.
"And we would be their first objective if they were to try to conquer Earth.
Stop and think about this instead, woman.... if they can defeat us, how long do
you think the rest of the Earth kingdoms would last? Shall we count it in days
or simply hours?"
"You're getting antsy again, old man," Svetlana warned him. "Superiority
doesn't always equate with hostility. Look at us compared to Earth. Would you
have them lash out at us just because we are capable of conquering any of their
kingdoms if we had the motivation and will to do so?"
"Would you have me turn a blind eye, then?" Harken snarled.
"I would have you moderate your tone, Harken," Minister Gilmett suggested
archly. "You are addressing your peers today, not your subordinates. If you
would kindly get off your battle horse, you will find that we are all actually
in agreement that we need to remain extremely vigilant with regards to our
other-worldly visitors."
Minister Harken seemed to pause before regarding Gilmett very carefully.
"If Finance has something that they would like to discuss with the Interior in
regards to the way we do things," he said very slowly, "I'm sure you are well
aware of the proper venue for that. I don't tell you how to balance the tax
books, and you certainly don't tell me how my guards should do their duty. And
last I checked, their number one duty was to protect this kingdom, which is all
that I am trying to do here!" he roared, his complexion turning livid.
"That will be enough, Minister," Serenity said in a cool tone. "You may
rest assured that your concerns have been duly noted and will be actively taken
into consideration. As I instructed earlier, you are free to surround our
guests with as much overt and covert security as you wish, provided that their
presence does not impede our guests. They are just that at the moment, guests
who will be treated in a properly courteous and friendly manner until I say
otherwise. Is that clear, Minister?"
"It is, your Majesty," Harken said in a faintly subdued tone.
"Good," Serenity said lightly. "Now then, shall we move on to the next
topic of business?"
Minister Olan nodded and cleared his throat lightly. "I believe, your
Majesty, that it would be...."
"Breakfast," Sailor Jupiter interrupted with a faint edge to her tone.
"I beg your pardon?" Olan said, only slightly miffed at the interruption.
"I believe Lady Jupiter has a valid point," Pluto spoke up in a faintly
amused tone. "Unless there is further business of immediate importance, we can
easily resume this discussion once we have eaten. You would be surprised how
well a full stomach can smooth rough edges and settle early morning flares of
the temper. And I am sure that Lady Kayla is waiting as we speak," she added.
"Indeed," Olan nodded, appearing to be willing to wait until later to
bring up his latest concern.
"Very well, then," Serenity said before standing up and glancing over her
shoulder at the pair of Sailor Scouts. "Aria, would you be so kind as to let
Kayla know we are on our way?" she said gently.
"Let me see to that," the orange cat said as he leapt out of Mars' arms.
"I need to make sure Lady Kayla isn't giving milk to the kittens when Cammy
isn't looking."
"Is something wrong, Tigris?" Serenity inquired carefully.
"Depending on how you look at it," the cat said sourly. "Artemis is able
to drink milk, and Sable can handle it in small doses, but the others seem to
have inherited Chamomile's intolerance for milk. Your Majesty, do I want to
speculate as to why you suddenly look guilty?" he asked in a guarded tone.
Serenity blinked and cast a sidelong glance at Pluto, a hint of a blush
tinting her cheeks. "What happens if they have milk?" she asked in a delicate
tone, pointedly ignoring the raised eyebrow look coming from Sailor Mercury.
"They smile at you, thank you for giving them something tasty to drink,
then curdle the paint on the walls a few hours later," Tigris replied in a dry
tone. "Please don't tell me you're the one I have to claw about this...."
"I am sure you are aware of her Majesty's generous nature," Pluto spoke up
as the queen's face promptly turned a vivid shade of crimson. "I am certain
she meant no harm in occasionally indulging your kittens, as she has been known
to do for the children of others as well."
A soft purring-sigh filled the air, audible over the very faint chuckles
from the rest of the group. "I simply can't wait until it's your turn to try
to raise a child," the cat grumbled to Serenity. "We're all going to spoil her
like you spoil our kids, then sit back and smile when you start banging your
head against the wall because you don't know what to do with her anymore."
"Tigris," Pluto chided him gently, a faint smile tugging on her lips.
"I'm sorry," Serenity replied, doing her best to suppress a giggle and
failing miserably. "I won't do it again, I promise. And give my apologies to
Chamomile, I never intended for anyone to suffer like that."
"All part of being a parent," the orange cat sighed as he flicked his tail
back and forth for several seconds. "If you will excuse me, your Majesty, I'm
off to convey your message to Lady Kayla."
Serenity smiled and nodded to him before glancing over her shoulder at
Mercury. "I didn't know," she said in a quiet tone, cringing slightly at the
dark look on her friend's face.
"Serenity, what are we going to do with you?" Mercury sighed heavily.
"Careful, Doctor," Eldred spoke up with a laugh. "Depending on how you
phrase the answer, you might either be congratulated for solving a mystery or
thrown in a dungeon for high treason!"
The general laughter went on for several seconds as they gathered together
and made their way out of the throne room in an informal procession. The walk
to the banquet hall where they usually had breakfast was a short one, and in no
time at all they were encountering the delicious smells of a freshly cooked
breakfast.
"Wait, I know this one," Minister Olan purred quietly, deeply inhaling the
tantalizing aroma. "It's that bread-like breakfast again, isn't it?"
"Pancakes," Serenity said with delight, giving Pluto a soft smile. "Thank
you, Susan."
Pluto made an absent gesture towards the kitchen. "Perhaps you should
enjoy breakfast first, your Majesty, then thank Lady Kayla when you're done."
"I will indeed," the Queen replied before turning to survey the occupants
already present in the room. "Good morning, Gretchen," she said before doing
a double-take. "Hotaru! What are you doing out of bed at this hour?"
Hotaru giggled and curtseyed. "Getting out for a change, your Majesty,"
she replied. "Thanks to Master Healer V'lent'u, I'm feeling a lot better."
"Oh?" Minister Dejanna inquired mildly, giving the young girl a surprised
look. "May I ask what has changed, Lady Saturn?"
"Excuse me," Sailor Mercury said quietly as she made a beeline towards the
side table Hotaru was standing next to, pulling her medical scanner out of her
Lunar Space pocket. She blinked and paused as she was greeted in German by her
mother, prompting a lengthy conversation in the same language between the two
physicians.
"I dislike it when they do that, Chancellor," Minister Harken muttered to
Pluto. "It makes me wonder what they are saying that they don't want anyone
else to understand."
Pluto raised an eyebrow in response and have him a mild look. "They are
merely discussing the changes in Hotaru's medical condition," she replied in an
equally low-key tone. "That is not something a doctor tends to do publicly.
In this case, they are merely using Lady Mercury's ancestral language to hold
a public conversation and still reasonably safeguard medical privacy. I speak
the language myself, and you may rest assured that, should it be deemed to be
of relevance to the Ministry of the Interior, it will be promptly brought to
your attention to be dealt with accordingly."
Harken paused and cast a leery glance at her, knowing a diplomatic rebuke
when he heard one. "Very well, Chancellor, thank you for your assurances," he
replied quietly.
They both turned to look as there was a slight commotion at the doorway,
raising their eyebrows in unison as a slightly flustered Sailor Venus entered
the room. "Oh! Good morning, your Majesty," she said, making a hasty curtsey
to the Queen. "My lords and ladies," she added to the rest of the group. "I
hope I'm not late...."
"Good morning, Lucille," Serenity said dryly. "Slept well, I trust?"
"Too well, your Majesty," Venus replied with a darkening blush.
"Hey, at least she's here before breakfast is over," Hotaru said quietly
to Lady Mercury. "That's an improvement...."
"Hush, child," the elder Mercury said in bemusement.
"I heard that, kid," Venus smirked.
"Ooo!" Hotaru said, her eyes lighting up as she spotted the new ring on
Venus' finger. "Let me see it, let me see it!"
"Take it easy," Venus chuckled as she walked over, letting Hotaru see the
sparkling diamond up close.
"Impressive," Lady Mercury said in mild awe.
Sailor Mercury grunted quietly to herself. "This is probably as close to
a diamond ring as I'll ever get," she muttered sourly. "It must be nice to be
that rich."
"You will find someone soon enough, Amelia," Lady Mercury said soothingly.
"Thank you, Mother," Mercury sighed as she rolled her eyes.
"Bah, you just need to get out more," Venus spoke up, wrinkling her nose
impishly. "Speaking of which, assuming I can get her Majesty's permission, I
will be returning to Earth with Reginald once he's finished with business. You
should come with us for a couple of days, if only for a change of pace."
"I've got too much work to do," Mercury grumbled. "Besides, knowing you
two, I'd just be in the way."
"Oh, pooh," Venus countered. "C'mon, it's no fun going to Earth alone.
Besides, I'll need a bridesmaid or two while I'm down there," she added with an
impish wink.
"What?" Lady Mercury said, clearly startled.
"You're getting married already?" Hotaru added, her eyes wide. "Wow, can
I come along to watch?"
"I don't know, kid," Venus said cautiously. "I know you're feeling better
and all, but I don't know about cross-country travel...." she said, trailing
off as she suddenly realized that everyone was looking at her. "Ummm.... yes?"
"You're getting married.... when?" Minister Svetlana inquired.
"I, uh.... well.... we, uh...." Venus stammered as the blush on her cheeks
returned with a vengeance. "Reginald and I were thinking.... well.... soon."
"Not a word, Chancellor," Serenity said with heavy resignation, casting a
weary look over her shoulder at the green-haired woman.
"As you wish, your Majesty," Pluto said demurely, the corners of her lips
turned upward in a knowing smile of satisfaction.
Serenity sighed quietly to herself and looked over at the blonde-haired
Sailor Scout. "Lucille?" she said in a careful tone. "While I think getting
married immediately is somewhat rushed, I will leave the decision up to you.
I only ask that you try to keep your honeymoon to a reasonable period of time,
as we will only be left with four Sailor Scouts in your absence. Three if you
manage to convince Amelia to take a vacation to journey with you," she added.
"Bah," Sailor Mercury grumbled quietly. "I've got too much work to do."
"When did you last travel to Earth?" Lady Mercury inquired. She blinked
as she got a decidedly resentful look from her daughter, followed by a polite
but clipped response in German.
"I have a question, your Majesty," Hotaru said as she carefully edged away
from the quiet argument rapidly building between mother and daughter. "I know
Skye and Dana won't be able to resume their duties anytime soon, but what about
me? I'm feeling better, and I could probably stand post while Lucy is on Earth
getting married...."
Serenity blinked in surprise at the question. "Hotaru, I'm not sure...."
"We will discuss it at a later point in time," Pluto interrupted gently.
"For the moment, you are still under medical restrictions, and I am sure her
Majesty will not go against a doctor's instructions. I assure you that you
will be given the opportunity to present your request for a reassessment to
Doctor Anderson in the very near future, and that she will give it her full and
undivided attention. Excuse me, Doctor Anderson?" she added.
"Yes?" both blue-haired women said at the same time, blinking in surprise
and exchanging slightly abashed looks.
"The plan for Sailor Mercury's workload to be temporarily transferred to
Lady Mercury can be sorted out at your convenience later," Pluto said in a tone
that everyone in the room was quite familiar with. "For the moment, however,
we have a more immediate concern on our hands," she added, gesturing to the
first of several breakfast dishes being carted out from the kitchen.
"Thank you, Chancellor," Mercury muttered in resignation, realizing that
the subject of her previously theoretical vacation was now academic.
"Indeed, thank you," Lady Mercury added in a far more satisfied tone.
"Sorry, doc, can't win them all," Hotaru spoke up with a giggle. She then
blinked hard as she suddenly found her mouth covered by a white-gloved hand.
She quickly glanced up to find a mane of blonde hair brushing her cheek as its
owner leaned forward to quietly speak in her ear.
"Word of warning, kid?" Venus said lightly. "The toes you tread on today
could be connected to the hand that gives you a full-body physical tomorrow.
In other words, you might want to avoid needlessly antagonizing our lovely and
hard-working Chief Medical Officer," she added, flashing a charming smile at a
visibly dour Mercury. "That's Pluto's job," she added with a wink at Pluto.
Mars just sighed and leaned over to whisper in Jupiter's ear. "Tell me
again how we avoid having daily riots between Sailor Scouts some weeks? Lucy
might want to take her own advice for once. At least, she should if she wants
to live long enough to get married...."
"Fun," Jupiter grunted quietly in response.
* * * *
"Your Majesty!" Dana said in a quiet but cheerful tone as she looked up,
still cuddling her newborn daughter in her arms.
Serenity smiled warmly as she carefully made her way over to the bed to
get a better look at the infant. "Good morning, Dana. I trust you're feeling
a little better today?"
"A lot better," Dana laughed softly. "Now that Michelle is born, I don't
wake up every morning feeling like a beached whale. Good morning, Chancellor,"
she added as Pluto entered the room, shortly followed by Hotaru. "And hello to
you, Hotaru. Feeling a little better today, I presume?"
"I am," Hotaru said in a hushed tone, her eyes sparkling with delight as
she edged closer to get a look at Michelle. "She's absolutely adorable...."
"Thank you," Dana replied as she carefully shifted her daughter's weight
in her arms. "I think you came at a good time. She just finished feeding and
has had time to settle down, so hopefully she won't make a fuss. And feeding
her is not as easy as Skye said it was," she added ruefully, giving Pluto an
abashed look.
Pluto gave her a gentle smile in return. "Not having had a child of my
own, I am unable to give you any advice on the matter. However, since breast-
feeding is essentially as old as life itself, you will find that you will learn
on your own soon enough. Practices makes perfect," she added lightly.
"I don't think practice will be an issue," Dana said with a soft chuckle,
reaching up to lightly brush a fingertip across her daughter's cheek.
"Hello, there," Hotaru said very quietly as Michelle opened her eyes a
little, trying to focus on the world around her. "Oh, wow, you have pretty
eyes...."
"Let me see," Serenity said gently as she leaned over to get a look for
herself. "Oh, my," she whispered, studying the newborn's aquamarine irises.
"That is pretty indeed. I can tell she's going to be a heart-breaker when she
gets a little older," she said with a wink to Dana.
"Who says she's not breaking hearts now?" Hotaru murmured with an impish
smile. "Tell me you're not thinking at this very moment what it would be like
if you were to have a princess...."
"Hotaru," Pluto said in a quiet tone of warning.
Serenity made a non-commital noise in her throat as she straightened up
and took a step away from the bed. "It might be nice," she allowed in a tone
that was somewhat difficult to read. "But a lot would have to take place long
before that can become an option."
"If I may, your Majesty," Pluto spoke up in a cautious tone, "Perhaps now
would be an ideal time for you to verify Michelle's spiritual resonance with
both the House of Neptune and the Imperium Silver Crystal."
The queen blinked in surprise before nodding. "Ah, yes, that's right,"
she said as she reached behind her, withdrawing the Crescent Moon Wand from her
Lunar Space pocket. "Dana, do you have any objections to performing this now?"
Dana shook her head and sat up a little straighter in the bed. "No, of
course not, your Majesty," she said demurely, adjusting Michelle's weight in
her arms to bring her into a sort of sitting position.
Serenity smiled gently at Michelle she brought the Crescent Moon Wand up
to the infant's eye-level. The glittering gemstone imbedded in the base of the
crescent shape began to glow very softly with a gentle white light, easily
drawing Michelle's attention. She seemed to stare at the glow with fascination
as a tiny aquamarine sigil began to glow on her forehead.
"Your Majesty?" Hotaru spoke up in a very careful tone. "I don't mean any
disrespect, of course, but was there honestly any doubt about that one?"
Serenity cast a glance at Pluto to indicate that she should remain silent.
"I never doubted it for an instant, Lady Saturn," she said gently to the young
girl. "However, it is still a good idea to always double-check some things,
especially when they are as important as this. Also, I am not just checking to
see if her aura responds, but to see how strongly it does so. It is a good
indicator of her spiritual health, which in this case is perfect," she added,
giving Dana a reassuring smile.
"I'm pretty sure it was," Dana replied with a slight nod of her head to
Serenity. "But I am of course glad to know for certain." She blinked as the
Crescent Moon Wand was raised slightly higher and angled towards her, causing
her own sigil to visibly react to the subtle command of power. Her sigil was
proportionally larger than her daughter's, which was hardly unexpected, but was
also noticably dimmer in strength.
"Umm...." Hotaru said cautiously. "Dana, are you feeling okay?"
Dana blinked before sighing quietly, holding her free hand up to her head
to try to gauge the strength of the glow reflected off of her skin. "Oh, don't
tell me I'm coming down with something. Not now...."
"The loss of intensity is expected," Pluto spoke up. "Bear in mind that
you gave birth less than twelve hours ago. Your spirit was weakend by the toll
it took on your body and is still just as exhausted from the effort."
"You have no idea, Chancellor," Dana muttered quietly. "Just as soon as
Michelle decides to go to sleep, I'll be passed out right next to her."
"Not in the same crib, I trust," Serenity teased her gently. "I imagine
that would be a most uncomfortable fit...."
"At this point, your Majesty, I probably wouldn't care," Dana shot back
with a faint smile. She blinked along with the rest of the group at the faint
but distinct sound of Pluto's tiara unfolding the tiny speaker unit again.
Hotaru made a quiet noise to herself. "That's probably the one thing I
don't miss," she muttered very quietly to both Serenity and Dana. "Having that
thing go off in my ear and scaring the hell out of me."
"It takes some getting used to," Dana replied with a shrug.
"Go ahead," Pluto said quietly as she thumbed the switch on her collar.
<Hope I'm not interrupting anything,> the scratchy voice said in her ear.
"Of course not, Sailor Venus," Pluto replied calmly.
<Good,> Venus said with obvious relief. <I'm in the residential wing with
our guests, and Major Tar-Nul would like to pass word to her Majesty that they
are feeling better for the most part.>
"That is good news indeed," Pluto said with an absent nod of her head.
<The others would prefer another hour or two to themselves to make sure
they're finished.... umm, to ensure that their digestive issues have fully run
their course,> Venus amended with an audible blush. <The good major, however,
believes that he avoided the worst of it by some random factor of luck and is
available for a resumption of various discussions should you or one of our most
respected ministers desire to pick up where they left off.>
"Very well," Pluto said with another absent nod. "You may inform him that
I will pass the word to her Majesty and that I shall be there as soon as I have
concluded business here. Would he be willing to allow Amelia to examine him to
see if she can determine where we miscalculated in our selections for last
night's dinner?"
There was a faint click on the line as a third microphone was connected.
<Mercury here,> the new voice promptly said. <That has already been taken care
of and the problem isolated. Would you believe it was the mulling spices in
the apple cider?>
"A pity," Pluto responded with a soft sigh. "I will leave the task of
explaining the details to Kayla to you so that we may avoid a repeat of this
incident. And if she has to make everything without using a single spice, then
so be it. The focus should be on the needs of our guests, not our sense of
taste. I'm sure her Majesty and the others will both understand and forgive if
we have to sacrifice variety in favor of comfort for a short duration."
<I'll do that,> Venus spoke up.
<No raiding the chocolate cabinet while you're in there,> Mercury warned
with a faint edge to her voice.
There was a dry snort on the line. <Sounds like you need to experience a
wedding night more than I do,> Venus muttered.
Pluto just sighed silently to herself as the speaker was flooded with raw
noise for the next thirty seconds, trying not to imagine how exactly Mercury
was expressing her displeasure this time. "If the two of you are finished?"
she said testily when she was able to get a word in edgewise.
<Major Tar-Nul will be waiting for you as soon as you and Serenity finish
making eyes at Dana's newborn,> Mercury replied in a slightly flat tone as the
other channel closed with a soft click. <Do me a favor and find where Hotaru
ran off to. I want to see her in my office as soon as I'm finished here.>
"I will inform her," Pluto promised.
<Thank you, Chancellor. Out.>
"Susan, is everything okay?" Hotaru inquired with a disturbed look. "We
could hear that burst of static from here...."
Pluto shook her head as she closed the channel with a flick of her thumb.
"It is merely more proof that Amelia is overworked and in need of a period of
time to relax. It seems that I finally have some good news for you, your
Majesty. Our guests are reporting that their discomfort has lessened, and that
the culprit in this case was the apple cider served to them."
"Oh, my," Serenity replied with a slightly pained expression. "I was led
to believe we gave them that because we thought the wine would be harmful...."
"A first-contact situation means both sides are constantly learning," the
green-haired woman replied in a reassuring tone. "I am sure that Kayla will
simply increase her vigilance to ensure that this accident is not repeated in
the future. Major Tar-Nul has asserted that he has completely recovered from
the incident and wishes to continue our conversations from yesterday."
"That is good news indeed," the queen said with a nod. "I will probably
be dealing with Minister Harken and Minister Olan until at least lunch, if not
longer, but I have every intention of meeting with them this afternoon if they
are feeling better."
"I will convey the message, your Majesty," Pluto replied with a slight bow
of her head. "And speaking of messages.... Hotaru, you are being summoned to
Amelia's office for an immediate examination," she said to the young girl.
"Oh, man," Hotaru sighed quietly, casting an almost mournful look at both
Dana and Michelle. "So soon?"
"I thought you wanted to be examined?" Serenity asked in a confused tone.
"Examined, yes, your Majesty," Hotaru grumbled. "I just don't want to
have to wear yet another paper gown while I'm being examined, that's all."
"I am certain Amelia will allow you to wear a bathrobe if you bring one
with you," Pluto said demurely as she headed for the door. "And if she decides
to be intransigent on the matter.... consider it incentive to try to keep your
activities to a minimum and conserve your strength," she said lightly.
"Thank you, Chancellor," Hotaru said in a tone as flat as paved asphalt.
"You are quite welcome, Lady Saturn," Pluto replied graciously.
Serenity giggled quietly and turned to look at Michelle, a soft smile on
her lips yet again. "And this is what you have to look forward to when you
grow up," she said with slightly wicked twinkle in her eye. She blinked hard
as the baby promptly made a face and spit up. "Oh, my...." Serenity said in a
visibly unsettled tone.
Someone had apparently already warned Dana about the possibility of that
happening, as she immediately pulled a small wad of tissues out from beneath
her pillow and wiped up the mess. "Relax, your Majesty," Dana said with a wry
smile. "That's probably an appropriate response, if you stop and think about
everything that we Sailor Scouts have to put up with...." she teased.
"What?" Serenity said, blinking hard in surprise.
"Dana," Pluto's voice drifted in from the doorway.
"Born yesterday and already with the program, huh?" Hotaru muttered as she
followed Sailor Pluto out the door. "She learns fast, I'll give her that...."
* * * *
Susan sighed quietly and waited patiently for Alex to quit rolling around
on the floor with laughter. Michelle was curled up on the oddly-shaped couch
with a look of patient suffering on her face, her cheeks tinted neon red. Both
Ami and Mina were shaking their heads in resignation while Serena seemed to be
somewhat bemused. Rei's face was utterly impassive from her position on the
cushion inside the circle of candles while Darian leaned back in the cup-like
chair with a relatively neutral expression. Maq'i was idly stroking Myst and
seemed to be content to merely listen to the story, while Leda had gotten up
from the couch and headed into the kitchen for something.
"Are you finished, Alex?" Susan inquired calmly once Alex finally picked
herself up off the floor, faint glittering trails visible out of the corner of
her blue eyes.
"I'm sorry, guys," the blonde Viking panted, still clutching her stomach.
"But that was just too funny...."
"Whatever," Leda growled as she returned with a large bag. "Yo, Michelle!
Heads up!" she added as she pitched the bag across the room.
Michelle blinked and reached up to intercept the bag with both hands, her
eyes widening when she realized it was a bag of pretzels. "Wow," she gasped,
"I didn't know they made them this big. Thank you, Leda."
"Thank Susan," Leda grunted as she sat back down, pausing for a moment to
make sure she wasn't sitting on a rogue component from Ami's computer. "I ran
across that in one of the cabinets and thought it might come in handy."
"Wha'cha got there, hon?" Alex inquired in a mildly curious tone as the
bag was gently opened. Her eyebrows promptly arched clear up to her hairline
as Michelle reached in to pull out a thick baked pretzel the size of a plum.
"Holy crap, is that what I think it is?"
Mina snorted very quietly to herself. "One woman's snack-food is another
woman's pacifier," she murmured.
"So what does that make chocolate?" Darian inquired with a smirk.
"Careful," Serena warned him with a soft smile.
"So back to the story...." Leda prodded as there was a series of crunching
sounds, followed by a distinctly muted hum of content.
Susan nodded to the brunette and sat back in her chair, casting an almost
wistful glance at the empty tea-cup next to her. "The next several hours were
relatively routine and not worth mentioning in significant detail," she said.
"Serenity's meeting with the ministers lasted until mid-afternoon, after which
she began another meeting with the Negaverse delegation. Most of the questions
that were asked had to do with basic background information about our world and
about Earth. How our economies worked, how agriculture was handled, how we
managed the general population, international relations, and so forth.
"The adjournment for dinner was likewise unexceptional, as Colonel V'Kaar
insisted that another formal banquet need not be held if it hadn't already been
planned before their arrival. A casual dinner was served, modified by Lady
Kayla to conform to their dietary concerns, and much to everyone's relief it
appeared that another digestive incident would not arise from the meal. Her
Majesty offered to continue the conversation after dinner, but our guests said
that they had received a great deal of information already and that they would
like to spend the rest of the evening organizing their notes so that they knew
where to resume in the morning.
"It was a reasonable request, and so once our guests had been escorted to
their quarters, we found ourselves without any unusual or unexpected demands on
either our time or our attention. To some, such as Amelia, this was quite a
blessing, as it allowed her a chance to get a handle on other concerns. To
others, such as her Majesty, it became a rather unexpected opportunity...."
* * * *
"Your Majesty?" Susan prodded quietly for a second time, becoming more
than a little concerned about the vacant look on the queen's face. She sighed
and glanced around to make sure nobody was in the immediate area before she
altered the tone of her voice. "Serenity," she said with a measure of force.
"What?" Serenity said, blinking hard as she snapped out of whatever it was
she had been thinking about. "Oh, sorry, Chancellor, I was just.... thinking."
"Of...?" Susan prompted in a far more gentle tone.
"What to do," the lavender-haired queen admitted with a blush. "I hadn't
planned on things ending this soon, and there isn't any other official business
to deal with until the morning."
"Heaven forbid her Majesty should have some time to herself," Susan said
in a dry tone, causing Serenity to laugh quietly.
"I know, I'm awful when it comes to things like this," Serenity said with
a deepening blush. "Usually you have a schedule neatly laid out for me so that
I don't wonder what needs to be dealt with next. Sometimes I think you even
plan my bathroom breaks," she added with an impish smile.
"You have no idea," Susan replied with a perfectly dead-pan expression.
She waited until Serenity blinked hard and appeared to have momentarily quit
breathing before giving her an amused glance. "A joke, I assure you," she said
lightly with a faint smile.
"Sometimes I wonder," Serenity replied with a wry look.
Susan paused for a moment as the Queen's mood seemed to change in a very
subtle way as she cast a seemingly absent glance down a particular hallway.
She thought about where that hallway led for a moment before a very faint chill
of realization settled around her shoulders. "You're thinking of him, aren't
you?" she asked in a very quiet tone.
Serenity blinked hard, seeming to be caught completely off-guard by the
question. "What?" she gasped before she got herself under control. She sighed
and gave her chancellor a distinctly unsettled and uneasy look. "Who?" she
asked in a blatant attempt to stall.
"Serenity...." Susan rebuked her quietly, letting her tone say the rest.
The queen sighed heavily and looked away. "Are my thoughts to be laid out
in a script penned by you as well?" she muttered bitterly.
"Of course not," the succubus replied quietly. "I merely wish to be kept
informed of such.... developments in case action needs to be taken. You must
bear in mind that you are still the Queen, and that some types of behavior are
simply unacceptable from the monarchy. In public," she added casually, almost
as an afterthought.
That drew a very sharp look from Serenity, her eyes narrowing down to mere
slits. "What do you mean, Chancellor?" she demanded in a dangerous tone.
"You are a woman, Serenity," Susan said quietly, pointedly studying the
marble architecture of the hallway. "And women have needs for various things
just as much as men do. It would be.... unhealthy if you didn't tend to these
needs every so often, but it would be highly unfortunate if such indiscretions
were to be known to the public. Hypocracy, granted, but that is the way things
are at the moment. There is an Arabic saying.... you are not in trouble until
you are caught."
Serenity blinked and raised a slender eyebrow. "Go on," she said in an
extremely guarded tone.
"You may take it as an article of faith that if I happen to inquire about
such things, I am doing so with your best interests in mind," Susan explained,
tilting her head back to study the pattern of glowstones on the ceiling. "If
I am aware of such things, I can take steps to ensure that they are kept at a
very discreet level. Surely you are aware of the fact that guards are sent on
minor assignments all the time while on post, being temporarily relieved by a
Sailor Scout with proper authority...."
"Or instructed to pay no attention to something?" Serenity muttered, her
cheeks turning bright red as a memory of her youth came to mind.
"See no evil, hear no evil," Susan said lightly. "I prefer that nothing
be seen in the first place, as then they can truly swear they know of nothing
having taken place and sleep with a clear conscience, but there have been more
than once instance in which various circumstances...."
"Enough," the queen said quietly, still blushing fairly hard. "Am I to be
saddled with an intermediary or a chaperone as well?"
"How long has it been since I ceased following you into the bathroom to
make sure you took care of your personal business in a proper manner?" Susan
countered quietly. "You are not a child who needs her hand held, Serenity, nor
are you a rebellious adolescent trying to find her own path. You are your own'
woman, and as Queen there are none who can tell you that you cannot make your
own choices. Some like myself seek to guide you, but your decision is final.
However, since you are the Queen, you must be protected at all times.... even
from yourself, if need be. If you are under escort or observation, it is for
your own good. And should the situation be deemed to be sufficiently free of
threats to your person, you may expect that such observation can and will be
withdrawn until needed."
Serenity sighed and looked away, her blush partially fading. "Was it like
this with Mother?" she inquired quietly.
"And all the Queens before her," Susan said very gently.
"Do I have any privacy at all?" Serenity muttered darkly.
"The bathrooms are not monitored in any fashion," Susan replied calmly.
"There is an observation point in the anteroom of your suite, and there is a
motion sensor set in the hallway to warn the guards of your presence. No other
devices are present, and I personally sweep your bedroom suite twice a week for
anything else in addition to the routine sweeps done by the guards."
Serenity paused and cast a dubious look at her chancellor. "That's it?"
"That is it, your Majesty," Susan said with a nod of her head. "It is
believed to be a fair and adequate balance between the concerns for your safety
and security against your rights to and desire for privacy."
"I figured there was more than that," Serenity said quietly, clearly taken
aback by the information.
"I am sure I can arrange for an increased level of monitoring if you do
not feel comfortable with the current..." Susan started to say.
"NONONONO no no no, Chancellor," Serenity quickly blurted out. "I assure
you that I am quite satisfied with things the way they are."
A faint smile touched Susan's lips. "Excellent, your Majesty, I am quite
grateful to hear you say that. Now then, shall I escort you to the armory, or
would you prefer a contigent of guards?"
"Wait, what?" Serenity said with a suddenly confused expression. It took
her a moment to catch up with the smoothness of Susan's words and the unspoken
meanings behind them. "Dammit, Susan," she sighed quietly.
"Your Majesty?" Susan inquired patiently.
"I.... feel like a teen again with all this nonsense," she said in a flat
tone, more than a little flustered. "All I want is to talk to someone who sees
me as a woman first and as a Queen second. Is that asking too much?"
"Only if you haven't learned anything from your teenage years," Susan
replied with a faint smile, causing Serenity to grumble quietly to herself and
blush even harder than before. "Or do you not trust me, Serenity?" she added.
Serenity blinked at the question and sighed quietly. "You know I trust
you, Susan," she muttered as she waved her hand in front of her face, trying to
cool what felt to her like dangerously overheated skin. "That doesn't make it
any less embarrassing to be discussing it with one of your best friends."
Susan chuckled quietly and made a gesture for Serenity to proceed in the
general direction of the corridor. "May I remind you that there is no-one in
the kingdom better suited than I to talk about s...?" she started to say.
"Thank you, Chancellor," Serenity blurted out in a feverish attempt to put
an end to that particular topic of discussion.
"As you wish, your Majesty," Susan said demurely as she followed the queen
down the length of the corridor. They walked in silence, Serenity still too
flustered to make idle conversation and Susan actively wondering just how she
was going to keep anything that happened from becoming public knowledge.
The sound of rasping metal reached their ears just as they turned around
a corner in the hallway, bringing them almost face-to-face with a heavily
armored figure. The sudden encounter made all three of them jump back, but the
sight of featureless white eyes in the helmet sent a bolt of horror shooting
through both women before they could recover.
It took only an instant for Susan to interpose herself between her queen
and the armored figure, commanding the Key to Time to emerge from the temporal
flow to take physical shape in her hands. The dimensional disturbance caused
by its appearance was virtually undetectable, making it seem that the oddly-
shaped staff had simply materialized out of thin air instead of slipping out of
a miniature dimensional conduit.
A faint tearing sound filled the hallway an instant later, the emergence
of Susan's demonic wings ripping open the back of her gown at the deliberately
weakened seams. Repairing it later would be a trivial effort as the fabric
itself hadn't been broken, only the few threads holding them together. The
sight of her leathery wings extending outward in a sort of shroud in an attempt
to further protect Serenity caused both the queen and the armored figure to
gasp sharply.
"Do not move!" Susan snapped, her dark red eyes taking on a faint glow.
"Susan, wait!" Serenity panted behind her once the shock had worn off and
her mind allowed to fully catch up with events.
The white lenses of the helmet blinked hard as the armored figure took a
step back, raising both hands to show that they were empty. "Chancellor...?"
he said in a very wary tone, his voice seeming to rumble inside the confines of
his chest plate.
It took a full second before the realization sank into Susan's mind and
she relaxed a tiny fraction. "Captain?" she inquired in moderate disbelief.
She blinked hard as Serenity edged past her to approach him, carefully laying
one hand on Susan's arm to keep her steady.
"I see I'm not the only one who is.... unsettled by that helmet of yours,"
the queen said in a quiet tone.
There was a soft grunt as he reached up to unlock the helmet, removing it
completely and hooking it on a clip on his armor. "My apologies," Raijen said
very quietly, absently tucking his shoulder-length blond hair behind him. "I
was testing the repairs and did not expect to encounter anyone."
Susan and Serenity exchanged glances before Susan visibly relaxed, laying
her staff against the wall and folding her wings behind her. "I must admit to
being surprised as well," the succubus said in a faintly abashed tone. "Have
you found everything that you require to fully repair your armor?"
"All except the compressor gas," Raijen replied, warily eyeing her wings.
"That I do not expect you to know how to make. The booster can function using
compressed air with only a moderate loss of efficiency, so I ask that you not
concern yourself with it further. Everything else has been restored, and I
thank you, your Majesty, for allowing me access to your facility," he said with
a bow of his head to Serenity.
"It is the least we can do after you saved Artemis," Serenity replied with
a soft smile. The smile faded after a moment as she studied the look in his
eyes. "What's wrong?" she asked in a cautious tone.
Raijen shook his head for a moment. "Nothing," he replied quietly. "Your
Chancellor warned me that she was not fully human. She said nothing of having
wings, but I should not be unduly surprised as a number of denizens are able to
manifest wings of one form or another as well."
Serenity blinked before she cast a glance over her shoulder. "Ah, that,"
she said in a quiet tone, slightly unsettled at the reminder of Susan's nature.
Susan sighed very quietly to herself, absently flexing her wings before
pulling them even tighter against her back. There had been a time when she had
only worn open-backed gowns, not caring who saw the dark scars on her skin or
what others thought of them. The moderate discomfort of successive queens and
princesses over time eventually had an influence on her choice of wardrobe,
wearing instead closed-backed gowns with loosened seams or thinned-out weaves
of fabric over where her wings would emerge. Most soon forgot that she was a
human-demon hybrid, reminded only when she did something blatantly obvious that
no ordinary human could have done.
"A reflex, your Majesty, nothing more," Susan replied demurely, turning
her focus inward for a moment. Her wings shivered briefly before melting and
becoming absorbed by the scars on her now-exposed back. A simple tug on a pair
of apparently loose threads under her armpits pulled the fabric on her back
taut, keeping it held together for the most part.
"Reflexes like that are good," Raijen said in understanding. "They keep
you alive in unknown situations. My apologies for startling the both of you."
"I suspect your helmet was designed to achieve that very effect," Susan
replied in a diplomatic tone, absently fluffing her hair out to flow down her
back.
"Indeed it was," the armored denizen said with a faint laugh.
"It works," Serenity said in a flat tone, giving him an amused look. She
looked like she was about to say more when she paused, cocking her head at an
angle to try to make out the odd noise that had just reached her ears.
"Get back here!" a raspy voice drifted around the corner, accompanied by
the sound of running feet. "C'mon, this isn't funny, just give it back!"
"Susan...." Serenity suddenly said in a deeply worried tone.
Susan just sighed heavily. "If she is exerting herself, I will be forced
to have her confined to the medical ward again," she promised in a dark tone.
Three sets of eyebrows were raised as a mottled gray-and-white kitten ran
around the corner, holding an iridescent satin bow in his mouth. The golden
mark of a Lunar cat was clearly visible on his forehead as his head came up,
his powder-blue eyes widening dangerously as he suddenly realized that he was
about to run full-tilt into the group.
The sound of twenty claws being deployed on the marble flooring made them
wince. Susan took a single step back, narrowly avoiding a collision between
the kitten and her ankle. The kitten had already tried to adjust his course,
however, but the lack of traction on the floor made it virtually impossible to
stop on his own.
"Oooh!" Serenity winced in sympathy as the kitten slammed into Raijen's
leg, producing a very solid metallic echo. "Sable! Are you alright?"
"Oww...." the kitten groaned quietly as he sat back on his haunches, the
bow still held tightly in his mouth.
"Dammit! Where'd you...!" the voice said as she came charging around the
corner, only to have her arm grabbed by a visibly upset Susan. Susan allowed
the inertia to spin her around, pivoting on her heel while keeping a firm grip
on the young girl to keep her from a stop that was liable to be as painful as
Sable's sudden encounter.
"Whoa!" the girl gasped before she blinked and got her bearings. "Sorry
about that, I was just.... Oh, Susan...." she stammered as she went pale.
"Hotaru Tomoe," Susan asked in a deathly calm voice, "What in the name of
the Moon do you think you are doing?"
"Umm.... getting my bow back?" Hotaru replied in a very small voice.
Serenity sighed quietly as she knelt down, picking up the kitten by the
scruff of the neck with one hand and holding her other hand out. "Spit it out,
Sable," she said in a patient tone.
"Oh, your Majesty!" Hotaru said breathlessly, her eyes widening.
"I would not worry about her Majesty's presence at the moment," Susan said
in an ominous tone. "I would be more concerned about the fact that you are
running around the Royal Palace as if it were a playground, to say nothing of
the fact that you are in direct and flagrant violation of medical orders."
"Captain?" Serenity said in a mild tone, casting a slightly disgusted look
at the damp bow in her hand. "I should like to introduce to you Lady Hotaru
Tomoe of the House of Saturn. Hotaru, this is Captain Raijen of the Negaverse
Dragoons."
"Hi," Hotaru said in an abashed tone, acutely aware of the proverbial
spotlight still on her.
"Lady Tomoe," Raijen replied with a nod of his head.
"If she would be so kind as to act like a lady," Susan grumbled.
"Well, I'm sorry," Hotaru started to explain, still breathing hard from
the exertion of running. "It's just that he grabbed my bow and ran off, so I
kinda had to chase him down before he could ruin it and all...."
"I am sure Amelia will understand perfectly, young lady," Susan countered
in a flat tone. "You may explain it to her yourself."
Hotaru blinked hard and started to visibly sweat. "Is that necessary,
Chancellor?" she said quickly. "I'm sure she's rather busy at the moment and
doesn't need to be bothered...."
"Hotaru is the youngest of my Sailor Scouts," Serenity explained as she
saw the dubious look on Raijen's face. "Not counting the newborns," she added
as an after-thought.
That drew a startled look from the Dragoon. "A warrior, at her age?" he
said incredulously.
"Wait, what?" Hotaru said, visibly confused.
"If need be," Susan spoke up in a careful tone. "She is technically still
in training as a Sailor Scout, but the power in her bloodline is still hers to
command."
"I see," Raijen said quietly, studying the young girl. "May I ask how old
you are, Lady Tomoe?"
"Thirteen," Hotaru replied in a guarded tone. "That's old enough to be a
true Sailor Scout. Technically in training, my backside," she added in a very
quiet whisper to Susan with a sour expression.
"Thirteen?" Raijen blurted out, the forcefulness of his exclamation taking
everyone else by surprise. "A denizen child of that age would still be in
diapers, and you already have the training of a warrior?"
"Still in diapers?" Hotaru echoed before anyone else could say something.
"Are you kidding? Why would it take so long to learn how to cross your legs?"
"Hotaru!" Susan said sharply.
Raijen merely chuckled quietly to himself, both at Hotaru's undiplomatic
rebuttal and at the look on Serenity's face. "You have a keen wit for someone
so dangerously young," he mused. "Perhaps you indeed have learned to be a true
warrior in so short a time. I must admit to being fascinated by the potential
you humans have, even when compared to denizen Chaos."
"Can you put me down, please?" Sable spoke up in a quiet tone. "My neck
is starting to hurt...."
"Serves you right for stealing my bow," Hotaru grumbled.
"I was just going to show Mom!" the kitten protested.
"After slobbering all over it," the young girl countered as she reached
out to lean against the wall.
"Enough," Susan sighed quietly. "I will speak with Chamomile about this
incident later, Sable. You should know better than to run off with other
people's things. And as for you, young lady.... Hotaru?" she said slowly.
"Yeah?" Hotaru replied quietly, leaning harder against the wall.
"Are you alright?" Susan asked in a concerned tone as a faint chill ran
down her spine.
Hotaru looked up at her with a weak smile. "It's just a drop in blood
pressure, that's all," she said quietly. "Not used to running like that."
"Hotaru...." Serenity spoke up in a worried tone as she set the kitten
down on the floor.
"I'm fine, your Majesty," the young girl said. "I just need to rest for
a bit, that's all. I'm fine, really," she added.
Raijen took a step forward to regard her carefully. "A warrior knows when
she can carry on the battle, and when she is in need of the aid of others," he
said in a gentle tone. "As I explained to Serenity earlier, relying on your
comrades is not dishonorable in the least. What else are they for, but to aid
you in your time of need as you would aid them in their time of need?"
Hotaru blinked in surprise before casting a brief glance at both Susan and
the queen. "Yeah, that sounds about right," she replied in an odd tone. "You
aren't by chance a graduate of the Susan Meiou School of Personnel Management,
are you?"
"Hotaru," Susan groaned quietly, rubbing the bridge of her nose.
"Your Chancellor is a wise woman," Raijen replied quietly. "Even one such
as I who knows more about weapons and battle than basic common sense can see
that words of advice given by such people are best heeded."
"Alright, I get the idea," Hotaru said with a soft sigh. She paused and
cast a sidelong glance at Susan before looking down at Sable. "I guess I do
need to go lay down after chasing you across half the palace," she grumbled.
"I'm sorry," the kitten apologized quietly.
"Bah, see if I let you in my room again," the young girl muttered. She
turned to leave before pausing and turning back to face the group. "Excuse me,
your Majesty, but can I have my bow back, please?" she asked cautiously.
Serenity just shook her head ruefully and handed over the iridescent bow.
"We're all deeply concerned about your health, Hotaru," she said gently. "You
really do need to be especially careful about exerting yourself."
Hotaru accepted both the bow and the gentle rebuke with a subdued nod of
her head. "I know, your Majesty, and I'm sorry if.... I.... worried...." she
said, her words trailing off as the color left her complexion.
"Hotaru!" Susan said sharply as the young girl suddenly slumped against
the wall.
"No, no, I'm fine," Hotaru protested weakly, her voice barely audible.
"I just need to catch my breath, that's all...."
Susan sighed quietly and moved over to her side. "I believe you will find
it if you start your search in the medical ward," she said in a tone of quiet
resignation. "Come on, let me help you...."
"Allow me," Raijen said as he stepped forward, scooping Hotaru up in a
fluid motion.
"Whoa, hey, hey, hey...." Hotaru protested.
"Susan...." Serenity said in a deeply worried tone.
"I will take her to the medical ward," Susan promised. "Captain, please
come with me."
Raijen grunted quietly. "You are lighter than I expected," he said to
Hotaru as he followed Susan down the hallway. "That is not good. A warrior
should have heavy muscles, the better to strike the enemy down with."
"I'm a girl," Hotaru whispered softly in protest. "We're not supposed to
have big muscles. Big chests, maybe...."
"Hotaru," Susan sighed out of pure reflex.
The trip through the palace corridors was a moderately long one, but the
level of concern and haste made it only seem like a matter of moments before
they were entering the medical ward.
"Oh, not this place again," Hotaru grumbled as she was laid down on the
bed that she was intimately familiar with.
"That will be enough, young lady," Susan said as she looked around the
ward. "Your Majesty, would you be so kind as to remain here with her until I
can find either Amelia or Gretchen?"
Serenity nodded in understanding. "Of course," she said quietly, moving
over to stand next to Raijen. She reached out to him, laying one hand on his
wrist in a gentle but firm grip.
"Susan, is that really necessary?" Hotaru protested with a faint grimace.
"We've been through this before. I have a relapse, I end up in here, they come
over to harass me for a few hours, they end up leaving in frustration, and all
that really happens is I get to heal on my own."
Susan hesitated for a moment at the door, turning to cast a very guarded
look over her shoulder at the young girl. The gesture didn't go unnoticed by
either Serenity or Raijen, both turning to look at one another in resignation.
"Now you see why I thought you were one of mine," Serenity said quietly.
"Indeed," Raijen grunted softly with remote amusement.
Hotaru blinked and looked at them both before giving Susan an odd look.
She looked back at the queen and her armored escort before furrowing her brow
in mild confusion. "Something's not right," she said, mostly to herself.
"And you just now discerned this?" Susan said archly as she approached the
bed again. "You have always been a bright student, Hotaru, but I must admit to
being dismayed by your lack of progress with the learning curve associated with
your state of health and your persistence in pushing the limit."
"No, I mean something else entirely," Hotaru replied quietly as she tried
to summon the strength and energy to sit up.
"Cease this at once," Susan sighed as she gently pushed her back down.
"It is widely known and recognized that you do not give up or yield without a
fight, and that is to be commended. However, what you obviously have yet to
learn is when it is time to do so. If you do not lay down and remain there, I
will not only be forced to summon Amelia but to have you sedated as well."
"Susan?" Hotaru said very slowly in a tone that made the succubus blink.
"Something is not right. I can feel it in my blood, and this has absolutely
nothing to do with my condition right now."
Susan paused, casting a very brief glance over her shoulder at Serenity
and Raijen. "Very well," she said quietly and calmly. "Just for the sake of
discussion, let us presume that you are correct and that something external to
your health is amiss. What would you do to ascertain more information?"
Hotaru paused and reached up to brush a lock of jet-black hair off of her
face. "I would consult my deck of tarot cards," she replied calmly. "However,
I don't know where they're at right now," she admitted, a very faint hint of
what might have been a blush of embarrassment appearing on her pale cheeks.
"Most likely where you last left them," Susan replied archly.
The young girl looked at her for a moment before carefully slipping a hand
beneath the pillows. She sighed in resignation as she pulled the ancient deck
of cards out from under the pillows, giving Susan an abashed look. "Whoops,"
she said very quietly.
"I have had lapses of the memory such as that," Raijen spoke up calmly.
"They tend to be more of a source of amusement to your comrades than anything,
and things that make others laugh in good nature is always a positive."
"As have we all," Susan spoke up.
"Heh," Hotaru puffed quietly. "Anything you want to share with us?" she
inquired as she started shuffling the well-used cards.
Raijen paused and cast a sidelong glance at Queen Serenity before clearing
his throat. "I once spent hours looking for my favorite symipa, only to have
my second-in-command calmly point out that it was attached to my belt. This
was, of course, after he and most of my command staff observed me taking apart
my office down to the bare walls trying to see if it had ended up on the floor
or behind something that masked its presence."
Serenity blinked in surprise and giggled quietly. "Did they know where it
was the entire time?" she asked carefully.
"They did," Raijen grumbled. "We were getting ready to head down to the
training grounds as a team for a routine exercise, so they were in no rush to
proceed." He paused for a moment before adding, "I, of course, had to salvage
my honor by soundly defeating them in personal duels."
"Did you win?" Hotaru inquired.
A very sour grunt welled up from his chest. "I did, but there was no true
challenge in doing so, as they were all too busy laughing the entire time to
fully concentrate," he muttered.
"That happened to me once," Hotaru replied. "Lucy was trying to teach me
how to use her whip, and I kept screwing it up so badly that she could hardly
aim straight when it was her turn. She was too busy choking on random air
molecules trying to keep from wetting herself with laughter."
"Hotaru!" Serenity exclaimed in amused shock, a faint smile on her lips.
"Alright, let's see what we have here," Hotaru said as she dealt out five
tarot cards face-down in an arc in front of her. "Something is wrong here, and
I need to know what. So tell me," she said as she reached out to flip over the
first card. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw the Moon card looking back
up at her. "Oh, god, no...." she whispered. "Don't do this to me...."
"Hotaru?" Susan asked in a very guarded tone, able to see the card as well
and knowing that it was most likely not a good omen.
"Hang on," Hotaru said as she flipped over the next card. The sight of
the Death card caused her to bolt upright into a sitting position, her eyes
becoming even wider than before. "Oh, no, no, no, please don't let it be like
this," she whimpered.
"What is wrong?" Raijen asked in a somewhat ominous tone, his whole body
becoming tense.
"Hotaru...?" Serenity prodded her gently, knowing that Hotaru's ability to
read omens and fortell the future from the cards was beyond uncanny and openly
bordered on the supernatural.
"Wait," Hotaru said slowly, her expression changing from horror to deep
suspicion. She quickly flipped over the third card, her expression changing
yet again to extreme confusion as she saw the Lovers card. "Now hold on," she
demanded as she immediately flipped over the remaining two cards to reveal the
Wheel of Fortune and Judgment cards. "What the hell is this? This can't be
right!"
Susan exchanged deeply unsettled looks with Serenity before making a very
subtle gesture to a visibly wary Raijen. Serenity blinked in confusion before
she realized what Susan meant and nodded back in understanding.
"Take it easy," she said quietly to the Dragoon, gently squeezing his arm.
She made a slight face as the armored plating didn't even budge, making it very
unlikely that he even noticed the gesture. "Hotaru has a natural gift with a
power we call astrology. The results tend to be confusing to most, even to her
at times, but it is something that we cannot take likely."
"I understand," Raijen replied quietly, seeming to relax somewhat. "We
too have such.... future-seers," he said, pausing as he tried to find the right
words. "It is a limited power, granted, but as you said, one we do not take
very lightly at all. Lady Tomoe, tell me what you see," he asked gently.
Hotaru shook her head back and forth in disbelief. "I don't get it," she
said, seeming to be talking to herself. She quickly scooped up the cards and
began shuffling at a furious pace, muttering softly. "That was supposed to be
for the problem, but that was my reading earlier. Is the problem me, then? I
don't think so, but.... damn it, what will happen? What has to happen?"
She made a flicking gesture with her wrist in mid-shuffle, sending a lone
card flipping through the air to land face-up in front of her. "Well, that's
rather straight-forward," she grumbled as she saw the Death card once again.
"I'm not even going to bother asking for the direct influence, but what will
that accomplish? What will be the direct result?" she demanded of herself as
she sent another card flipping through the air.
The Lovers card landed face-up in front of her, a few inches away from the
red-robed being known as Death. The realization caused Hotaru to sit back with
a very surprised look on her face, her head tilted to one side in unconscious
imitation of her mentor's habit of doing the same thing when confronted with an
unknown or an enigma.
"Hotaru?" Susan inquired carefully. A decidedly icy chill was starting to
make its way down her spine, leaving her feeling uneasy about the situation.
"Hush," Hotaru replied absently, seeming unaware or uncaring of her tone.
That prompted a hard blink from both Susan and Serenity, both women realizing
that something was seriously wrong now for her to be so focused as to disregard
basic manners like that. "Okay, but where does this end? I know the cause and
can trace the effect, but where does it resolve? What is the purpose?"
She carefully drew the top card from the deck and looked at it, her eyes
widening as she saw the Moon card once again. She looked down at the other two
cards before looking at the card in her hand. She then looked up at Susan in
confusion before turning to look at Serenity and Raijen. Her gaze fell down to
where Serenity's hand was on his wrist, and in an instant everything became as
clear as crystal.
"Ohhhhh, I get it," she whispered very softly, a slow smile forming on her
face. "This is simply incredible. Wait, wait, I need to make sure I've got
this one because this is one of those.... hmm," she muttered, putting the three
cards back in the deck and shuffling as fast as she could.
"We're waiting, Lady Saturn," Susan said in a warning tone.
"Wait, just let me make sure," Hotaru replied as she dealt out three cards
face-down in front of her. She quickly flipped them over to reveal the Death,
Wheel of Fortune, and Judgment cards laid out in a neat arc. That prompted a
soft giggle from her that the rest of the group found to be deeply disturbing.
"Is everything alright?" Serenity asked carefully, suddenly feeling sick
to her stomach for no apparent reason.
"Well, that depends on how you look at it," Hotaru replied with a somewhat
unhappy look. "The good news is that I think I have this one sorted out, and
to borrow Lucy's term, it's a doozy. I mean really major implications."
"So what's the bad news?" Susan asked in a wary tone.
"I'm going to need my Wand for this one," Hotaru said carefully. "May I
have it back, your Majesty?"
"What?" Serenity said, giving her a startled look.
"Absolutely not," Susan spoke up an instant later. "You simply do not
possess the strength to empower a transformation, let alone sustain it."
"I think I do in this case," Hotaru replied. "In fact, I know I do."
"Hotaru, you are going to have to explain it to me first," Serenity said
in a firm tone. "That, and I will have to insist on Amelia's approval before
I even consider allowing you to call on your Sailor Scout powers."
Hotaru blinked hard and glanced over at Susan before looking down at the
deck of tarot cards in her hand. She began to absently shuffle them as she
gathered her thoughts together. "I've served you all my life, have I not, your
Majesty?" she asked very quietly. "In that time, I'm sure you've seen me grow
from a tiny baby rescued from my dying mother's womb to what I am now, raised
by the other Sailor Scouts as a group under Susan's guidance. I know my health
was broken from the beginning, and I have done my best not to be a burden on
you or Susan or Amelia or anyone else. I haven't always succeeded, of course,
but I have still tried...."
"You have never been a burden, Hotaru," Serenity said quietly.
"I need to do this, Serenity," the young girl replied, surprising both
Serenity and Susan with the informal use of her name. "This is something that
only I can do, and I have to do it alone. I do have the strength for this, at
least for the moment, and the window of opportunity for this is almost closed.
I've known about this for days, but only now realized what it meant, and what
it requires me to do. I have to do this while I still can, and while there is
still time. Please.... I need my powers for this. I need you to trust me."
"Hotaru...." Susan said in a quiet tone of warning.
"Enough, Chancellor," Serenity interrupted with an absent gesture, still
looking at the young girl sitting in the medical bed. "Hotaru, I have to know
what you're doing," she said quietly. "The risk is...."
"Trust me," Hotaru implored in a nearly silent whisper.
Serenity paused and cast an uncertain look at Susan before blinking in
surprise as she felt a gentle touch on her hand. She glanced up to find Raijen
looking at her with a soft expression on his face.
"As warriors must have trust in their Queen not to send them to die for
selfish or dishonorable reasons, so too must a Queen have equal trust in her
warriors to know what they are doing," he said quietly. "These are not words
to be attributed to a wise man, but merely the views of a simple warrior as he
sees things."
The lavender-haired queen looked at him for a moment before nodding in
understanding and casting another glance over at Susan. She waited for her to
indicate her feelings in one way or another, sighing softly to herself when she
saw no such signals being given. "Very well," she said quietly.
Everyone watched as Serenity reached behind her, opening her Lunar Space
pocket to pull out three small silvery wands. She brought them up to where she
could see them, glancing at the glass bubbles tipping each one to discern one
Wand from the next. It was set into law at the very beginning that a Sailor
Scout who becomes pregnant must immediately surrender her Wand to the throne as
soon as the discovery is made, lest the transformation energies cause harm to
the embryo when they are called upon. The Wands were later returned once they
were deemed to have recovered from child-birth and that the infant can survive
without her mother, but it was also not unknown for very ill Sailor Scouts to
be asked to surrender their Wands until they recovered, lest they stress their
health to the breaking point or worse.
The Uranus and Neptune Wands were returned to her Lunar Space pocket for
safe-keeping, leaving her holding the Saturn Wand in her hand. The small sign
of Saturn spun in a slow pirouette inside the glass sphere, indicating that the
power was both present and sleeping. When activated, the sign would start to
spin faster and faster until the energies lashed out, surrounding the one who
called upon it with raw elemental power. The power could potentialy be fatal
unless it was wielded by someone of the proper bloodline, merging with their
spiritual essence to unleash the truly formidable elemental entity that was
known as a Sailor Scout.
The problem, Serenity knew, was that not all the powers were truly equal.
The traditional elemental domains of fire, ice, and lightning were quite strong
but evenly balanced, as were the domains of the sea and sky. The domains of
light and darkness were somewhat unpredictable, but were still balanced by one
another's presence. The power of death, however, was focused into a single
domain, and that had been granted to the House of Saturn. There could be some
moderating influence, as the power of life was the domain of the Royal House of
the Moon, but there was no true outside control. And right now, that power was
in the hands of a thirteen-year-old girl, one who was no longer a child but was
not quite yet a woman.
It was, as Susan had once confessed awhile ago when they both had somewhat
overindulged on a rare brand of wine, not the most comforting of thoughts.
"Your Majesty?" Hotaru's voice intruded into her momentary reverie.
Serenity blinked and sighed quietly, casting a glance at Susan. "I will
admit to being unsettled by this, Hotaru," she said in a soft tone. "You say
you know what you are doing, but the risks in attemping to use this power are
extremely high."
"I know, your Majesty," Hotaru replied with a solemn nod. "But now that
I know what the cards mean, I'm not worried about the risks. It's simply too
important to risk not doing it."
"You have yet to tell us what you intend to do," Susan spoke up in a tone
devoid of any semblance of emotion.
"Some things can't be explained ahead of time," Hotaru said with a soft
sigh. "You yourself taught me that one. All I can say is I intend to call
upon the powers of my House to make sure that the right path is taken. And I'm
almost out of time. Please, your Majesty, you have to trust me on this."
Serenity looked down at the silvery wand in her hand and sighed quietly,
feeling the weight of ultimate responsibility bearing down on her shoulders.
"Very well," she said in an almost silent whisper as she held the Saturn Wand
out to Hotaru.
A soft smile touched Hotaru's lips as she gently accepted the Wand. She
glanced down at it for a moment before looking back up at her Queen. "Thank
you, your Majesty. Hopefully this won't take long. Would everyone take a step
back, please? I don't want you to get caught in a backlash or anything." She
waited until then others had edged a few feet away from her before she took a
deep breath and held the Wand up to the air. "Time to see if I've still got
what it takes," she muttered. "Saturn Power!"
Raijen's eyes widened as the room was suddenly veiled in deep shadows, a
dark shroud seeming to creep over Hotaru's body. He was giving very serious
consideration to drawing his symipa when he felt Serenity tugging on his arm,
giving him a reassuring look.
"Relax," she whispered. "It's only an optical illusion. Just watch."
The darkness covering Hotaru started to brighten, slowly turning to gray,
then to white. A shower of radiant sparkles seemed to float down from above
her, bathing her in shimmering light. The light seemed to take on a vibrant
purple coloring before solidifying, forming into a purple skirt. A purple
ribbon of light brightened further to maroon before splitting in two and coming
to rest on her chest and back, twisting into knots to form bows. White gloves
formed on her hands while a pair of knee-high purple boots formed on her legs.
A bright flash of light erupted around her, breaking apart into tiny shards
that quickly coalesced into a golden tiara and crystal-like amethyst earrings.
The light continued to surround her for a moment, ripping apart the shroud of
darkness before fading away as well.
"Ouch," Sailor Saturn said quietly, seeming to wince slightly at the surge
of raw energy flooding her body. "Okay, maybe this isn't such a hot idea after
all. I forgot how all that bright light hurts my eyes...."
"Amazing," Raijen whispered in awe. "Certainly only a true warrior can
command such powers...."
"You like?" Saturn said, turning her body slightly to show off her white
Sailor suit. "It's not perfect, of course, and Susan appears to be right in
the sense that I probably won't be able to maintain this for very long, but I
only need a few more moments. Okay," she said, taking a deep breath. "Let's
get this one over with before I can change my mind."
"Hotaru...?" Susan said in a guarded tone, her blood starting to chill.
"Sorry, Susan, but I don't have time to explain," Saturn apologized as she
gave a truly saddened look to her mentor. She held her arms out with her hands
facing up, turning her focus inward. "Maybe we'll meet again, and hopefully by
that time you'll have it all figured out on your own."
"What?" Susan gasped as the chill deepened. "What are you doing?"
"Hotaru?" Serenity whispered as she was likewise filled with dread at the
sudden change in Saturn's demeanor.
"I'm sorry," Saturn said quietly. "Just don't forget how much I love you
both. Saturn...." she started to intone.
"Your Majesty, you must intervene!" Susan blurted out in pure horror as it
finally hit her. "The Crystal, now!"
"What?" Serenity gasped, momentarily paralyzed with confusion.
"Circle of Life.... Revolution," Saturn said as she closed her eyes. The
room became filled with shadows again, a large wheel-like image forming behind
her. It seemed to spin around a central axis before coming to rest, the top
section of the wheel turning blood red before fading to black.
"Hotaru, no!" Susan screamed, knowing it was already too late.
A spectral figure rose up from behind Saturn, wearing a heavy shroud and
holding a large scythe in its hands. Two pinpoints of harsh red light glowed
from inside its hood, seeming to burn brighter as it swung the scythe back to
strike. Time seemed to come to a halt as the scythe swung forward in slow
motion, passing through Saturn's chest like a ghost through a wall.
Sailor Saturn's eyes snapped open for a moment, her breath leaving in a
soft exodus of surprise before her eyes closed for the final time. Her body
slowly fell backwards until she landed on the pillows, her arms falling at her
sides and her chest deflating with her final breath. The spectral image behind
her faded away, and the light was restored to the room.
"HOTARU!" Serenity screamed in pure horror, realizing what had happened.
"Stop!" Susan snapped at Raijen, realizing that he had pulled what looked
to be a metal spear from somewhere and had assumed a defensive posture.
"What is this?" Raijen demanded with a snarl. "What manner of creature is
attacking? Speak!"
"Silence!" Susan commanded harshly, causing the Dragoon to blink hard.
"I will explain it to you later, now put that weapon away before the guards
arrive. Serenity...."
"By the gods, Susan, what have I done?" the queen whispered in fright, her
gaze fixed on the motionless body of Sailor Saturn. "Hotaru, why...?"
"Queen Serenity, get control of yourself," Susan said in a low tone. "We
can discuss this in a moment, but you must act quickly. Use the Crystal, while
her soul is still present."
"What? Oh, yes...." Serenity said, blinking hard to try to clear her eyes
of the first of what would undoubtedly be many tears. She reached behind her
to pull the Crescent Moon Wand from her Lunar Space pocket, using her free hand
to detach the glittering gemstone from the base. "Susan...."
"There is no time," Susan urged her. "Her life was taken, but her soul
still remains. Command the Crystal to draw it in before it leaves on its own
and becomes lost forever."
Serenity swallowed hard and nodding, trying not to think about the last
time she had to do such a thing. Taking a deep breath, she held the Crystal in
an iron grip and directed her will into it, commanding it to respond.
The Crystal began to emit a blinding white glow, suddenly becoming almost
searingly hot in her hand. She gapsed and took a step back, releasing her hold
on the gemstone by reflex. Instead of falling, however, the Crystal remained
hovering in place. It very slowly began to rise higher in the air before it
suddenly turned a deep purple color, a deep hum filling the air as a swirling
vortex of energy surrounded it.
A tiny spark of intense purple light formed over Saturn's chest and began
to drift towards the Crystal. It floated halfway across the room before it
suddenly halted, seeming to be caught between two tidal forces. It swayed back
and forth for several moments before faint arcs of energy began to play between
it and the Imperium Silver Crystal.
Serenity blinked hard as she heard a soft giggle, turning around to find
the image of a smiling Hotaru Tomoe standing a few feet away. "What?" she
gasped, her eyes widening in shock. "Hotaru? But...!"
"Your Majesty?" Susan asked as Serenity started to stare off into space.
I'm sorry it had to be like this, Serenity heard Hotaru's voice saying,
But this was the only way I could think of to make sure it happened. Don't
cry, Serenity, I know what I'm doing, honest. Who knows, maybe you'll be able
to thank me for this one day. Bye now! she added with a wave and an impish
smile before vanishing from Serenity's sight.
The ripples of energy surrounding the Crystal and the odd point of purple
light persisted for a few moments before the spark of light pulsed once and
promptly solidifed, dropping towards the ground like a rock.
Susan immediately lunged forward to catch it, blinking hard in surprise
when she found herself holding a small amethyst pendant on a very fine silver
chain. The Imperium Silver Crystal quit humming as the vortex faded from the
edges, continuting to float in mid-air before likewise falling to the ground.
It hit the floor before Serenity could catch it, making a muted clinking sound
as it bounced twice before coming to a rest. A deep, almost mournful sound
echoed throughout the room a second later, persisting for a number of moments
before fading away.
"No...." Serenity whispered in dread, knowing that something had gone
wrong with the process. "Susan, what happened? Why didn't it work?"
"I.... don't know for sure," Susan replied as she slowly stood up, staring
hard at the amethyst pendant in her hand. She blinked as a distant and quite
detached part of her mind reminded her of something, causing her to glance up
and survey the room. "Both of you, move away from the doors," she whispered.
"What?" Serenity said as she stooped down to pick up the Imperium Silver
Crystal. She blinked hard as she could hear the sound of running footsteps,
immediately followed by both doors of the medical ward being slammed open hard
enough to dent the hinges.
"WHERE IS...?!" a frantic Sailor Mercury yelled before she came to a halt,
her eyes widening in pure horror as she saw Sailor Saturn's body lying on the
bed. "Oh, my god, no.... Susan, what happened? Why is she transformed?" she
demanded as she turned on Susan.
"Doctor...." Susan started to say.
"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?" Mercury screamed as she grabbed the front of
Susan's gown.
"Amelia Anderson," Susan said very quietly in a dangerous tone, "If you do
not release me at once and calm down this instant, I will have you relieved of
duty on medical authority."
"Susan...." Serenity said in a whisper, her voice cracking with emotion.
"It's my fault, isn't it? I shouldn't have given it back to her...."
"You did what?" Mercury gasped, whirling around.
"Doctor Anderson...." Susan said firmly.
Further conversation was interrupted by a storm of running footsteps,
followed by the frantic entry of Sailor Venus, Sailor Mars, and Sailor Jupiter
into the medical ward. It only took them a second to realize why the Crystal
had cried out in mourning, the unmistakable sound clearly audible to the entire
kingdom. The realization shocked all three, rendering them speechless for a
number of moments.
"I have one question," Mars said in the heavy silence, her eyes fixing on
Raijen. "Do you have anything to do with this?" she asked in a level tone.
"He does not," Susan spoke up, the firmness of her tone making Mars blink.
"Then what happened?" Mercury asked in a very quiet tone, tears starting
to spill down her cheeks.
Heads turned at the sound of heavy footsteps and rattling armor, a full
platoon of armed guards rushing into to the medical ward to find out what was
going on and to protect the Queen. They all stopped in near-perfect unison as
Sailor Jupiter turned around to face them, her eyes narrowed to mere slits and
a truly fierce look on her face.
"Out," she said in a flat snarl.
"Your Majesty...." one of the captains started to say.
Jupiter took a single step forward, bringing her arms up. The pair of
copper plates on her wrists suddenly split apart into a series of sharp spines,
fluffing up at an angle to her body like a porcupine's quills when threatened.
A slender lightning rod emerged from the center of her tiara and began to
crackle ominously, tiny arcs of electricity gathering around both the rod and
the copper spines. "OUT!" she repeated in a roar.
"Return to your posts," Susan said in a calm tone.
"Ma'am," the guard captain said in acknowledgement, casting a very leery
look at the visibly angry Sailor Jupiter before turning around and making a
gesture to her platoon.
Susan waited until the guards had left and Jupiter calmed down somewhat
before taking a deep breath. "I believe it was Hotaru's will," she said in a
subdued voice, looking down at the pendant in her hand. "She said that she
knew what she was doing when she called upon the power of her House. Though
her reasons remain a mystery to me.... I think she did so for a reason," she
added quietly.
"What?" Venus said quietly. "You mean she took her own life?"
"It's all my fault," Serenity started sobbing quietly. "I shouldn't have
let her have her Wand back. Susan, I am so sorry...."
"Enough," Susan replied quietly. "Serenity, it is not your fault. Her
death was no accident, it was something she intended to happen. You saw the
power she called upon, and you know she can command the Circle to stop wherever
she chooses. She stopped it on Death, and with herself as the focus."
"Insanity," Jupiter muttered quietly, a single tear forming at the corner
of her dark green eyes.
"Why?" Mercury said softly, shaking her head in disbelief as her own tears
started to flow. "She was doing better! You all saw her this morning. She
was the happiest and most cheerful I've seen in years. Why now? Where did it
all go wrong?"
"Amelia!" Lady Mercury's voice said breathlessly as she hurried into the
medical ward. She paused to catch her breath and froze, her eyes widening as
she realized what had happened. "Oh, no...."
"Aria," Susan said calmly. "I want you to summon her Majesty's council to
the throne room, I will be there in a moment to explain the situation to them."
"Very well," Mars said quietly, casting a deeply saddened look at the bed.
She paused for a moment to gently squeeze Venus' shoulder before leaving the
medical ward in heavy silence, her footsteps almost inaudible on the marble
floor despite wearing low-heeled pumps.
"Lucille," Susan said next. "I want you to escort her Majesty back to her
chambers and make her comfortable. I will be there as soon as I am finished
with the others. Your Majesty, please," she added softly to the crying queen.
"It is not your fault, you have to understand that."
"But I...." Serenity started to say.
"Serenity," Raijen rumbled quietly, causing the rest of the room to blink
at the informality. "You saw what I saw and heard what I heard. She said she
knew what she was doing, and you must take her at her word. If she does have
the power to see what lies head, she may have seen something that required her
to take such action. Only time will tell us for sure. You must have faith in
her as she had in you. Even for one so young, she had the heart of a warrior,
and that needs to be honored and respected."
Serenity blinked hard and looked at him, trying to focus on him through
the watery veil of her tears. The details were blurred beyond recognition, but
she was still able to make out the blueness of his eyes as they gazed at her.
"I'll try," she said in a soft whisper before she felt a touch on her elbow.
"Your Majesty," Venus said very softly. "Please, come with me."
"I'm sorry, Susan," Serenity whispered as she allowed herself to be led
out of the medical ward. "Amelia, Gretchen, everyone, I'm so sorry...."
"Electra," Susan said quietly once they had left. "Please escort Captain
Raijen back to his quarters in the Royal Suites, then return here. I'm sure
both Skye and Dana are deeply concerned about the situation right now, and they
could probably use the companionship after this."
"Understood," Jupiter said curtly before casting a wary eye at Raijen.
"Chancellor," Raijen spoke up in a concerned tone. "I fear her Majesty
does not believe you at the moment and will continue to blame herself for this
tragedy."
Susan sighed and nodded. "I know," she replied quietly. "I will do my
best to remedy that, but there is only so much even I can do. I will talk to
you later to explain things better, but now is not a good time. It is likely
that the funeral will be tomorrow evening, and there is much to be done before
then. Please, do not worry too much about the Queen, she is a strong woman."
"I understand," Raijen replied with a deep bow of his head.
"Captain," Jupiter said in a neutral tone, making a gesture with her chin
to indicate that he should precede her out the doorway.
"Susan?" Mercury said in a quiet tone, still trying to come to terms with
the realization that Hotaru was dead.
"There is nothing to be done anymore," Susan replied with a gentle shake
of her head. "I apologize if I sound cold or unfeeling, but there simply isn't
much time. Can you have her ready for interment by sunset tomorrow?"
"What?" Mercury gasped. "She passed away a few minutes ago, and already
you want her buried?!"
"Amelia," Lady Mercury said quietly, laying her hand on her daughter's
trembling shoulder. "What sense is there in delaying the inevitable? We are
all deeply shocked by this, and I know we will all mourn her loss for a long
time to come, but you must be objective about this. Her funeral will be a time
for her Majesty to bring her kingdom together, to unite them as one during a
dark moment, and in doing so will not just lessen her pain but start the long
healing process. I will do the post if you feel...."
"No," Mercury replied, cutting her off with a wave of her hand. "I knew
that I'd have to do this when I became a physician, and I'm not about to run
away from my duty because it hurts."
"I'm sorry, Amelia," Susan said quietly.
Mercury just sighed quietly and looked up at the ceiling, trying to blink
away the worst of the tears. "It's funny how this job goes some days," she
said to the room in general. "One day you're delivering a new life, the next
day you're getting ready to bury a close and personal friend. Funny how it all
seems to balance itself out, isn't it?"
Lady Mercury sighed quietly and gave Susan a look of understanding. "We
will take care of matters from here, Chancellor," she said quietly. "I think
it's best you inform the ministers now and then try to calm her Majesty."
"I shall do so," Susan replied softly with a faint bow. She was halfway
to the door before she paused, turning around to regard the body of the girl
she had essentially raised as her own daughter since her birth, torn from her
mother's body as she lay dying in childbirth.
Where is your soul, Hotaru Tomoe? she thought to herself, knowing that it
certainly wasn't within the Imperium Silver Crystal. She glanced down at the
amethyst pendant she was still holding, studying it intently. Nor is it here,
as I cannot sense its presence. But yet, this pendant was formed from it, the
last conscious act you did before surrendering to apparent oblivion. What is
its purpose, Sailor Saturn? And what did you mean about us possibly being able
to meet once again? What did you see in the cards beyond your death?
It was a question that would bother her for the rest of that night, the
unsolved mystery tugging at her thoughts like the whisper of a ghost that would
haunt her soul for all the years that would follow.
* * * *
The silence in the room was almost suffocatingly heavy as Susan paused in
her narration. A glance around the room revealed that most were shocked and
deeply saddened by the tragic ending to that part of the story.
"Susan...." Mina asked very quietly. "Do you know why she did that?"
Susan paused to consider the question. "In part, yes," she said slowly.
"That will be revealed shortly, but there is still much that I categorically
fail to understand. It is not something that sits well with me, but as there
is presently nothing that I am aware of that can be done, I do not dwell upon
it very often. Would you excuse me for a moment?" she added as she picked up
her empty cup and started to rise to her feet.
"More tea?" Leda asked quickly as she leapt off the couch.
"Please," Susan replied.
"I'll get it," the brunette said as she took the empty cup and darted off
into the kitchen to brew some more.
"Do you still have that pendant?" Serena asked very quietly, her triple-
harmonic tone sounding oddly flat.
A soft snort rose up from the L-shaped couch. "Please," Alex muttered,
mostly to herself. "Sue is the penultimate pack-rat. I'm surprised she throws
used tissues away. Trust me, hon, I think she still has the pendant."
Everyone blinked as Susan calmly stood up and made a snatching motion at
the air, disappearing in a muted flash of light the instant her staff appeared
in her hand. Uneasy glances were exchanged among the rest of the group as a
plastic crinkling noise was heard. The source of the sound became obvious a
moment later as Michelle withdrew another plum-sized pretzel from the bag and
basically rammed it down Alex's throat.
"I wonder if Leda knows how to bake those things," Darian spoke up in a
dry tone, casually gesturing to the bag of pretzels.
"I know three different recipes by heart," Michelle replied, giving Alex
a dark look. "I'm sure we can come up with something."
"Hwaz'at?" Alex mumbled around a mouthful of pretzel.
Everyone looked up as another flash of light heralded Susan's return to
the room. She wordlessly moved over to the cup-like chair Darian and Serena
were nestled in and held out her hand to the blonde.
Serena immediately sat up, her eyes widening as she was handed a small
amethyst pendant and an iridescent bow. The bow appeared to have seen better
days, as it was somewhat tattered around a few of the edges, but it was still
reflective enough to scatter tiny rainbows around the palm of her hand. The
pendant, however, appeared to have been created yesterday, the silver chain
untarnished by age or wear and the gemstone polished like glass.
Darian carefully sat up as well to peer over her shoulder. "Can you feel
anything?" he quietly asked the winged princess.
"I don't know," Serena replied just as quietly.
"Both Serenity and myself tried to discern what it was," Susan said as she
moved back over to her chair and slowly sat down. "The Imperium Silver Crystal
failed to react to it, but Amelia said she was unable to scan it for an unknown
reason. If there is a dormant power inside, we have not been able to detect it
or determine its nature. However, you see the condition it is in, despite its
age. I cannot rule out anything at this point, nor can I prove it harbors a
secret. It is, as I have said, a most enigmatic and sometimes vexing problem."
"Is it a problem?" Rei spoke up softly, staring into the green flames of
one of her candles.
"Not in a troublesome sense," Susan replied. "But it is a mystery."
Alex made a slight rasping noise as she swallowed the last remains of the
pretzel. "I don't want to get near it, then. I mean, if it's a secret that
someone like Sue can't figure out, who knows what could happen if we started
fooling around with it? Didn't you just say that she had the power to unleash
raw death?" she asked Susan.
It took Susan several seconds of uneasy silence to determine how to best
respond to the question. "It is true that the House of Saturn had been given
dominion over the.... elemental force of Death," she said carefully. "However,
you must stop and consider that the other Sailor Scouts are quite capable of
visiting death upon their enemies as well. With the elemental powers of the
House of Saturn, the resulting demise of the target merely tended to be more
straight-forward and direct than the others."
A soft grunt rose up from behind the synthesizer keyboard. "So in other
words, she just killed them outright instead of doing something like Crescent
Beaming a hole in their chest to kill them, right?" Mina muttered.
"If it makes it easier to understand, then yes," Susan replied in a calm
tone. She looked up as Leda entered the room and wordlessly passed her a fresh
cup of tea, the brunette's gaze focused on the pendant and bow in Serena's lap.
"Thank you, Leda."
"Sure, no problem," Leda replied distantly. "Is that what I think it is?"
"Probably," Darian said, idly reaching up to rub Serena's lower back. He
paused for a moment as he heard a series of very soft snaps and clicks, leaning
back slightly to see around Serena's hairstyle. "Ami?"
"Yes?" Ami replied, pausing her task of reassembling her computer to look
up at him.
"You're awful quiet," Darian pointed out.
Ami blinked and cast a quick glance around the room before looking back
down at the various electronic components scattered around her. "I.... don't
have anything to say," she replied quietly before picking up another computer
chip and snapping it back into place. She blinked hard and looked back up as
Leda grunted a somewhat rude word before plopping down hard on the end of the
couch. "What?"
"You heard me," Leda growled. "One of our own just up and offs herself
like that, and you don't have anything to say about it? Don't feel anything,
don't give a damn, nothing?"
Ami blinked again and glanced around once more, seeming to withdraw into
a shell as she realized that everyone was looking at her. "What do you want me
to say?" she said in a distant tone. "I think she believed she knew what she
was doing when she sacrificed herself."
"Sacrificed?" Mina spoke up in an odd tone. "You think it was a sacrifice
and not a suicide?"
"Why would it be a suicide?" Maq'i spoke up quietly, absently stroking the
gray kitten curled up in a perfect sphere in her lap.
"Well...." Mina said slowly. "It sounds like she was in constant pain all
the time. That alone would drive a person to the brink. And if you knew that
there was no hope for the future.... well...."
"Do you know which one it was, Susan?" Rei asked calmly.
Susan sighed softly and sipped at her cup of tea. "I am fairly confident
she did not view her actions as suicide," she said carefully. "However, nor do
I believe she felt she was making a sacrifice. I will never forget the last
words she said to me, and it will require a great deal of evidence to convince
me that she didn't hold the hope of seeing me again."
"In this life or the next?" Darian inquired, drawing surprised looks.
"That, your Highness," Susan said very quietly, pausing to sip at her tea
again, "Is the mystery."
"Susan?" Serena spoke up, still staring hard at the pendant and bow in her
lap. "You said that Mother saw Hotaru briefly after she died and heard her
voice. Did you see or hear anything?"
"No," Susan replied with a gentle shake of her head. "Serenity told me
about that later. I know that the wielder of the Imperium Silver Crystal is
briefly able to see the souls of those it protects as they leave the body. A
sort of final parting, if you will. Is something wrong, Serena?" she added as
the blonde closed her eyes and seemed to sigh in relief.
"No," she whispered quietly. "When.... when we went into the Negaverse
last year, to confont Beryl and rescue Darian, I.... I thought I was losing my
sanity because I thought I heard.... the others when they.... when they died.
I remember hearing their voices, seeing them in front of me before they faded
away. I was.... afraid I had gone crazy."
"So that's it," Rei said very quietly, sitting on her pillow with her eyes
closed as well. "I remember seeing you when Susan released your soul earlier.
You were.... so beautiful. Like an angel."
Serena opened her eyes as she felt Darian's hands on her shoulders, gently
giving her a comforting squeeze. "Easy, beloved," he murmured softly in her
ear. "That was a long time ago. A lifetime ago, you might say," he added.
"Darian, you have no idea," Leda sighed quietly. "Does anyone remember
what life was like before meeting up with Serena and becoming a Sailor Scout?
Aside from you guys," she added as she heard Alex take a deep breath.
"Bah," the Viking grumbled quietly, eyeing the bag of pretzels.
"How do you think I feel?" Mina grumbled quietly. "I was dealing with the
Negaverse long before Serena was. And yes, it feels like I've been doing this
for ages," she admitted.
"Same here," Ami spoke up quietly. "What about you, Rei?"
Rei was silent for several moments before she opened her bottomless-black
eyes to look at Susan. "You said that you were able to figure out part of the
reason Hotaru sacrificed herself?" she asked calmly, seeming to ignore the rest
of the group.
"It became obvious later," Susan replied. "In retrospect," she added.
"Tell me," the priestess said simply.
Susan paused to regard her carefully, wondering what was motivating her to
ask that particular question. She knew that there was a great deal weighing on
Rei's mind, far more than she let on, but she wasn't sure that she knew enough
about her in this time period to guess what those concerns were. Her apparent
desire for Darian only added to the sense of uncertainty, making it all the
harder to see past her mask of impassive emotions.
"Very well," Susan replied after taking a small sip of her tea. "The next
hour was one I would rather not dwell on in detail. Suffice to say that I met
with her Majesty's council and informed them of Hotaru's death. I was then on
my way to the Queen's chambers when I was intercepted by a guard, who informed
me of our guests' extreme state of unease after hearing the cry of the Crystal.
I made a short detour to explain the matter to them as well. Master Healer
V'lent'u was somewhat upset by the news, but she seems to accept it in stride.
"After reassuring our guests that they need not be concerned for their
safety, I returned to the palace. My detour had taken me far enough away from
the Queen's chambers that my return route would take me past the Royal Suites
first. I thought that it would be wise if I stopped to explain things as best
as I could to Captain Raijen while I was there, before returning to seeing to
her Majesty as promised...."
* * * *
Susan slowed down considerably as she approached the Royal Suites, trying
to discern the source of the rasping noise she was starting to hear. It was
oddly rhythmic in a way, seeming to come and go at a steady pace before falling
silent for a few moments, then picking back up again. Curious, she tried to
trace the sound to the source, unconsciously slipping into the shadows of the
darkened hallway in the process.
The noise became louder as she went, soon identifying themselves as a pair
of very heavy footsteps. They seemed to be armored, but it also seemed that
whomever was making the noise was trying to dampen them as best as possible.
She paused at an intersection to listen carefully before peering around the
corner to look.
Raijen was pacing a narrow service corridor that led to one of the small
mechanical closets, his expression one of severe restlessness. He seemed to
stalk back and forth like a lion would patrol his den, his eyes narrowed to
slits and muttering something in his native language. His hands were tightly
clenched and occasionally twitched in a gesture that, if ascribed to a human,
would indicate he was deeply upset about something.
He continued to pace back and forth for several minutes before pausing at
the junction with the main corridor, turning to cast a wary glance down the
length of the hallway. His expression slowly changed to suspicion as he began
to stare hard at the shadows, looking up and down both sides of the hallway.
Susan frowned slightly, knowing that the change in behavior indicated that
he was aware of being watched, but wasn't sure from where or how. He is a
veteran warrior, she reminded herself as she remained perfectly motionless in
the darkness. If what he says is true, then it is likely he has learned from
his mistake about not keeping himself aware of the shadows. Very intersting,
as one doesn't usually survive being stabbed in the back to learn from it....
A very soft growl emerged from his throat as he reached down to his belt,
unclipping his helmet and locking it into place on his collar. The hallway
became faintly illuminated by the white lenses of his helmet as they switched
on, giving him a distinctly demonic look. He first cast a studious glance at
the far end of the hallway before turning around to survey the other side, the
lenses visibly widening as he looked straight at Susan's hiding location.
"Step into the light," he commanded in a low tone as his hand went to the
small of his back, removing a short, thick cylinder. It began to lengthen as
he squeezed it, slowly forming into the metal spear that she had briefly seen
him wield in the medical ward. He twirled his weapon around before settling
into a defensive position, still staring directly at her.
Two can play this game, the dark part of her whispered as she gave in to
the impulse to summon her staff. It appeared in front of her without making a
sound or betraying itself with light, landing in her palm with a gentle touch.
She then unlocked her demonic side, allowing her wings to once again push aside
the loosely-held back flaps of her gown. The dim coloring in the hallway took
on a slightly hellish cast as her eyes began to luminesce, seeming to burn in
the darkness like a pair of red-hot coals.
The dark part of her smiled as she saw his reaction, the white lenses of
his helmet widening in surprise again as he edged back a fraction of a step.
"Captain," she said in a calm tone as she stepped out of the shadows. Had he
not seen her with the thermographic vision properties of his helmet, it would
have seemed that she had simply melted out of the darkness, betrayed only by
the demonic glow of her eyes.
"Chancellor Meiou," he rumbled quietly in what might be best described as
disconcerted relief. He relaxed his stance and set the base of his weapon on
the ground, resting the bladed end against his shoulder. "I do not wish to be
rude, but do you have a habit of sneaking around in the shadows like a thief?"
he inquired in a faintly edged tone.
"Only when I do not wish to disturb people," Susan replied calmly. "And
honored guest or not, I would advise caution in comparing a high-ranking member
of her Majesty's court to a thief. I will admit to having been instructed in
a few.... questionable arts by a self-proclaimed master of the practice, but I
certainly have never used them with dishonorable intentions or contrary to the
laws of this Kingdom."
Raijen grunted quietly and looked away, the look of restlessness crossing
his face once again. "I meant no insult, Chancellor," he rumbled softly. "I
ask your forgiveness if I have offended you."
"You have not," she replied. "I take it you do not find your quarters to
be comfortable at the moment?"
"Walls remind me of the trappings of command," the denizen said in a low
tone as he glanced around. "Always boxed in, nowhere to go. I am a warrior,
I would vastly prefer wide-open terrain over a small stone enclosure. The room
is generous in its accomodations, and I am grateful for the privilege of being
able to use it.... but it offers me no respite at the moment."
Susan nodded in understanding before tilting her head at a slight angle.
"So what exactly is bothering you so much?"
A very soft snarl rose up from his chest as he picked up his spear and
absently began to pace the main hallway, still keeping the bladed end pressed
against his armored shoulder. "None of this makes sense," he muttered. "She
was so young, Chancellor, a child! In my world, barely a toddler. And yet she
possessed not just the power of a true warrior, but the respect of her elders
and peers. Surely a prodigy who had a great future ahead of her. Perhaps even
one day Queen in her own right. And yet she.... she deliberately throws it all
away in an instant, and for what? What cause, what purpose could she have in
ending her own life? Even if she can see the future, what could she possibly
have seen to make her do such a thing?"
Susan said nothing as he strode past her, knowing that he was merely doing
what the guards call 'venting his spleen' as he struggled to make sense of what
he had witnessed. The questions he was asking were the very same questions she
herself would pay dearly to have answered for her, but as one of the pillars of
support for both the Queen and the other Sailor Scouts, she couldn't afford the
luxury of a public airing of her doubts.
"Surely you have witnessed such sacrifices before," she said in a gentle
tone. "Incidents in which their intention was not made clear until well after
the fact."
"I have," he replied with a soft grunt. "I have lost count of the number
of such events, having their life-blood running between my fingers as I tried
to keep them anchored to life. Bathing in the blood of your enemies is one
thing, Chancellor, but being bathed in the blood of your allies is another. I
understood most immediately, and was able to discern the purpose of others once
the heat of battle had subsided to allow rational thought once more, but this
time.... a mere child.... and for what?"
She said nothing as he resumed his slow pacing, absently making note of
the fact that he indeed appeared to be trying to tread as softly as possible
in the metal boots. She knew that the marble flooring would be able to easily
withstand the weight and abuse, but made a mental note nonetheless to have a
cleaning team stop by the hallway later to see if it needed repolishing.
"If she had seen the future, surely she could have warned somebody," he
continued. "She made mention of running out of time, but certainly she had
enough to say something to Serenity. Something, anything. If she had time to
apologize in advance, would that not be enough time as well to caution? I am
far from a wise man, and I am accustomed to being confused by the complexity of
certain things, but this.... this is beyond confusing to me. I categorically
fail to see even the slightest hint of reason to her actions...."
He suddenly froze in mid-motion and turned around to look at her, the
white-tinted lenses of his helmet narrowing slightly. "Does this not bother
you, Chancellor?" he inquired in a faintly leery tone.
"It bothers me greatly," Susan admitted with a soft sigh. "I am likewise
unsettled by this development, and I am as devoid of any insight as you are as
to her reasons for taking her own life like that."
He stared at her for several seconds before grunting quietly and looking
away. "You hide your emotions well, then," he rumbled. "The others have shed
tears already, and I suspect that many more will follow in the days to come.
But you.... I have yet to see you do the same."
Susan sighed very quietly, listening to the faint screaming sound echoing
in her mind's ear. "There is a time and place for everything," she said in a
quiet tone. "Rest assured I will grieve when I have time to do so. For now,
I must take care of other matters. Serenity is understandably distraught at
the moment, and now is not the time to burden her with petty details or other
things what will only further disturb her. I still need to arrange for Hotaru
to be interred in the House of Saturn crypts with her ancestors tomorrow at
sunset, and that is not something I wish the Queen to be involved in."
"If I may ask," Raijen inquired in a somber tone, "Is that normally done
on such a short schedule?"
"It depends," the succubus replied with a silent sigh. "In this case, I
think it best that her Majesty be given the opportunity to bring her kingdom
together as soon as possible. Hotaru was the last of her House, and without
having had a daughter of her own, the power of the bloodline ends with her. I
have lived for a number of centuries and know far more than most do about the
cosmic power behind the Sailor Scouts, but I am unaware of any mechanism that
will allow a new bloodline to be created. I don't think the realization that
there will never be another Sailor Saturn has set in yet, but once it does I
fully expect it to be catastrophic, and that will require all the time I can
muster to heal."
"And Serenity will blame herself all the more," he growled to himself in
frustration. "What warrior who walks the path to leadership and command has
not felt that way several times over? I have seen fine warriors crumble under
the weight of their own guilt, and I do not wish to see Serenity suffer the
same fate. The worst enemy is not one you find at the other end of a weapon,
but the one you find at the other end of a mirror."
Susan nodded in understanding. "She is a strong woman, Captain, and she
has us to draw her strength from. Another reason I do not and cannot grieve
now.... seeing me as such would only weaken her resolve. She knows I am not
fully human, and should she think that I am not strong enough to stand against
the pain and the grief, she may fall into despair. She would think that if a
demon can't withstand it, then a human like her would have even less hope of
doing so. Flawed reasoning, I assure you, but one that she will nonetheless
accept if allowed to."
"Perhaps," he rumbled quietly. "I am not fit to comment on such things,
or to cast judgment on others, but I should like to say this.... it may be wise
for you to remain so seemingly stolid in the face of tragedy, but it may be
just as wise to reassure them that you are still as human as they are. It is
hard to find camraderie with one who is so vastly different that you."
"I have spent my life looking for such a balance to strike," she said in
a soft tone, looking away from him. "It is a goal I have yet to achieve. I am
no more human than I am demon, never entirely accepted by either world. It is
not an easy thing to live as such, but.... no matter," she said with a shake of
her head. "Rest assured I will grieve when it is time to do so, and perhaps it
will even be a time in which I will need to draw strength from them instead of
the other way around."
Raijen nodded and leaned against a marble pillar, staring off into space.
"In my youth, when I was.... vexed by something, such as now, I would take a
short break and venture into the terrain, searching for a spot that I had never
been in before. Sometimes I would have to fight something along the way, but
more often than not I simply found peace. I would find an open spot and sit
down, letting the sounds of my surroundings enfold me. After awhile, I became
attuned to it, I could pick out how many animals were around me and of what
kind. It became a sense of belonging, that I was accepted as part of it all.
Shortly after achieving that.... awareness, I would think about what had been
bothering me, and I would not leave until I came to an answer or conclusion."
Susan turned to look at him, studying him carefully as he talked about a
small piece of his past. She knew that some of the most profound wisdom came
from introspective moments such as these, more often than not an unintentional
by-product of some subconscious musing or further spleen-venting.
"I once spent three days in a forested glade in the West," he continued
to quietly talk. "It rained for most of it, but I remember being bathed in a
sunbeam near the end of the third day, after the storm started to break up. I
am not a superstitious man by any means, but something about that event made me
think it was a sign of some sort. Not quite a blessing, but.... something of
significance. I actually forgot the question that had been burning in my mind
at that point, and when confronted with it again later, I simply ignored it.
It was, in end, the best choice to have made. Chancellor...."
"You may call me Susan, if you wish," she interrupted quietly.
He paused for a moment before looking at her. "If I may ask, Susan, what
do you do to calm your mind at troublesome moments?"
Susan paused for a moment to think. "I suppose I paint," she said with an
absent shrug. It was a genuine toss-up between painting and sex, as she was a
succubus after all, but she decided that painting had a little more emotional
focus to it than casual sex designed to distract the mind for a few hours.
"An artist," he mused softly. "Creation just for the sake of creation is
significantly better than destruction simply for the sake of destruction. It
sometimes bothers me how closely the two are related, but as long as an equal
balance is reached in the end...."
"May I paint a portrait of you, Captain?" she asked, purely on impulse.
He paused for a moment to regard her carefully. "Now?" said cautiously.
"Unless you have an objection," she replied as she stood up, leaving her
staff leaning against the wall. "It will only take a moment for me to retrieve
my painting supplies."
The Dragoon thought about it for a moment before shrugging in dismissal.
"If you wish," he said simply. "I have no objection to you doing so."
"I shall return in a moment," Susan promised as she picked up her staff
and turned her focus inward for a moment. It was a simple matter for her to
open a conduit into the eternal flow of Time, drawing her inside with a small
flash of light. Navigating it was likewise a simple matter, as she only needed
to traverse three dimensions to reach her destination. From her perspective,
it literally only took the blink of an eye before she emerged from the flow in
her room, accompanied by another flash of light.
Her easel and painting supplies were exactly where she left them, neatly
stored for future use. She already had the image she wanted to paint in mind,
so she decided against taking her sketch book. Instead, she carefully picked
up her paints in one hand and held onto the easel with the hand holding her
staff, absently grateful for the fact that she had already prepared a clean
canvas ahead of time. Pausing for an additional second to make sure that she
had everything she needed, she opened the dimensional conduit once again to
retrace the path taken not even twenty seconds ago.
"Hmm?" she heard Raijen grunt quietly in surprise as the flash faded away.
"That was quick," he commented.
"I did say it would only take a moment," she replied calmly as she set the
paints on the ground for a second. She then made a quick adjustment to the
legs of the easel, extending them outward so that the canvas would be raised
higher up so she could paint while standing up. Once finished, she perched her
supplies on the small under-shelf below the canvas and started to remove the
lids to the various jars.
"If I may," Raijen said slowly, watching her in idle interest. "I don't
see how you can have wings if you are also able to teleport like that. Surely
flying would be a great exertion when compared to teleportation."
"No doubt that it is," she replied calmly as she made sure that both her
brushes and her palette were cleaned. "However, I am only half-demon, and as
such my wings are not fully developed when compared to other succubi. I lack
both the muscular capacity and aerodynamic lift required to fly. I am able to
glide from a height, but not maintain or gain any altitude on my own."
"I see," the armored denizen replied. "My apologies."
"It is of no major significance to me," Susan said absently as she did a
final once-over of her supplies to make sure she was set to begin. "Would you
take your helmet off for me, please? I mean no disrespect, but I find that I
do not care for the intimidation factor of its design."
A soft laugh rose up from his chest, the featureless white lenses going
dark as he unlocked his helmet from his collar. "I trust you will forgive me
if I mention that I feel the design functions as intended," he said with an
amused look.
"There are few who would argue against it," she replied demurely as she
set her staff against the wall and started to mix the paints together on her
palette. The amount of light in the hallway was not very high, but it was more
than enough to suit both her needs and her mood. "Tell me about your world,"
she asked softly as the first dab of paint was applied to the canvas.
He grunted and leaned back against the marble pillar, absently hooking his
helmet to his belt. "What do you wish to know?" he rumbled, staring off into
the darkness.
She paused at his shift in mood before resuming her work. "Tell me about
the colors," she said. "I understand your sky has a different color than what
is seen on Earth."
"Indeed," he said quietly. "Our atmosphere is more purple than blue, and
our sun is more red than yellow. If you love to paint, then I think you would
find one of our sunsets to be worthy of trying to capture. The sky seems to
catch fire before fading to embers, then cooling down to darkness. There is an
ancient religious order that occupies one of the mountain peaks in the North,
a site called Ka'an-Nul. The air is quite thin once you reach the top, and it
is almost always bitterly cold, but the view from their monastery is.... well,
it is one that would make anyone feel the religion at times."
"Interesting," she mused, absently pondering what sort of atmospheric
conditions had to exist for the color to be shifted beyond blue. She paused
for a moment as she realized that it was possible once you factored in the red
sun before mentally nodding in satisfaction at the answer. "There are a few
desolate places on Earth like that, where the natives tend to believe they can
touch the roof of the world. Now that I think about it, there happens to be a
religious order occupying the region as well. They call it Tibet."
"T'Bet?" Raijen echoed, giving her an amused glance. "That almost sounds
like a denizen name."
"It is from an Earth language called Chinese," Susan explained.
"A language or regional dialect?" he inquired with a slight frown.
Susan paused for a moment to look up at him. "A language," she replied,
studying the details of his armor. A series of short, stubby spines ran along
his arms and shoulders, their purpose not immediately obvious to her aside from
being purely decorative. "Are there many languages in your world?"
"No," he said with a shake of his head. "There are distinct dialects for
each region, as well as dialects used in history that have yet to fully become
extinct, but there is only one true denizen language. There are the languages
used by other species, but it is rare that they don't know the denizen language
as well, or at least are able to understand it."
It took Susan a great deal of effort to keep her hand perfectly still and
not create a wide blot of silver-blue on the canvas in shock. "Other species?"
she asked in what she thought was an intellectually curious but otherwise non-
judgmental tone.
Raijen paused for a moment, giving her a sidelong glance before returning
his focus to the marble pillar opposite him. "Our world is but one of many,
each a self-contained.... bubble, if you will, set adrift with others in a sort
of cosmic sea. Every so often, two will rub against one another for a period
of time. If done hard enough and for long enough, a rift will form that can
bridge the two worlds. History has recorded at least four such stable rifts
being discovered, three of which having closed later. Through these rifts we
have encountered other civilizations, and some of their natives have taken up
residence in our world to form both stable and successful populations."
Susan blinked and set her brush down, knowing it was highly likely that
there was far more to the story than was being revealed. "Go on," she said,
giving both him and his explantion of Negaverse history her full attention.
"These all took places tens of thousands of years ago," he said. "Very
few to this day remember their race-names. One such species is a race of what
looks like shadows, able to blend in to their namesake as if they were one and
the same. Avians are bird-like tribal beings who have taken up residence in
the Western Forests region of our world. Felinoids are cat-like warriors of
amazing grace and power. All three are just as sentient as we are, and have
become an inseparable part of our society."
"Four sentient species in co-existence?" Susan breathed, her eyes slightly
wide in wonder. "And is there any conflict between them, any sort of cultural
bias or animosity?"
"There was at first," Raijen said with a faint chuckle that Susan found to
be somewhat disturbing. "But things settled down after a few thousand years.
These days, there are no racial hatreds or biases. They are all denizens and
are treated equally by all."
"Fascinating," she whispered, mostly to herself as she resumed painting.
"And how do you find our world to be in comparison with the others?" she asked
out of pure curiosity. She paused after a few seconds when she heard only
silence in response, looking back up at him to study his expression.
"Your world is not part of our dimension," he said quietly. "Where there
were naturally-occuring rifts in our world, we did not know of yours until the
discovery of the crystals lying in the heart of an extinct caldera in what is
known as the Silkworm Range in the Northern Mountains. Oddly enough, while we
can contact your world with them, we are unable to re-contact the worlds that
we once.... got to know."
"Conquered?" Susan said softly, knowing it was a risk to say it openly.
"Thousands of years before my time," Raijen replied, equally as softly.
"I take no pride at the thought, but what is done is done. I have nothing more
to say on that subject."
She nodded in understanding, trying to mask the chill that was crawling
down her spine. "Very well," she said quietly. She continued to paint in the
silence that followed, noticing that his expression had slipped back into one
of deep, if unsettled, contemplation.
"Susan...." he said quietly several minutes later, "May I talk to her?"
"Hmm?" Susan said absently, her mind having wandered elsewhere during the
silence and not fully catching his question.
"Serenity," replied in a subdued tone. "I can't help thinking about how
she blames herself for this tragedy. If anyone is to be blamed for this, it is
I. I did recommend that she trust her warrior-child, and it is likely that I
swayed her opinion away from her initial stance...."
Susan sighed quietly as she changed colors on her palette. "Hotaru made
her own choice, just as I often urge her Majesty to do. In this case, I think
most are not seeking blame, but rather guilt. Yes, this will sit most heavily
on her conscience for a great deal of time, but I honestly do not believe she
should be blamed for anything. Nor do I believe should you be. I happened to
agree with your suggestion that she should trust us as we trust her. I am not
suggesting that there is a lack of trust to begin with, but as with all things,
sometimes a reminder is needed."
A faint grunt of understanding rose up from his chest. "But was I right
in being the one to remind her? I am a warrior and a leader of warriors, but
even I should know better than to interfere with another's leadership. Did I
cross the line, Chancellor? Should I have not made that suggestion?"
Susan paused for a moment to take her time adding a dab of yellow to the
portrait, not wanting to run the risk of ruining a minute detail. "You have a
Queen as well," she pointed out. "Surely she listens to all sorts of advice
and suggestions from all sides, weighs them accordingly, and makes her own
decisions on the matter. What makes you think it is any different with our
Queen?"
"Serenity seems to care," he replied softly, almost startling Susan into
making a large blot of yellow in the center of the canvas. "Far more so than
our current Queen. Both will be held responsible for their decisions, as is
proper and just, but Serenity.... I can't explain it," he said with a shake of
his head. "There is just something about her that makes her seem so strong,
yet so fragile and delicate at the same time. And oddly enough, it is not seen
as a weakness in her. It is.... most intriguing."
Susan remained still for a few seconds as she thought about the matter.
"I cannot let you see her tonight," she finally said, turning her focus back to
the painting. "She is grieving, and in her current state of mind, I simply
cannot allow any visitors. It is also exceedingly likely that she will not be
available to the public for a number of days after the funeral. Should you
have any messages you wish to have conveyed to her, I will of course see that
they are conveyed in private. But until such time as I am convinced that she
is emotionally stable and ready for visitors once again...."
"I understand, Chancellor," he said in a quiet tone.
Susan said nothing as she finished adding the final few strokes of yellow
with a gentle flourish. She dipped her brush in the cleaning solution to rinse
the paint off before taking a step back, absently fluffing her wings to create
a gentle breeze to speed the drying process. "I think that is sufficient," she
said quietly as she studied her latest creation.
"May I?" Raijen inquired as he pushed himself off the column, absently
squeezing the shaft of his weapon to return it to the compact form.
A faint smile played across her lips as she took a pair of steps to the
side. "But of course," she replied. "I will have it destroyed if you feel it
does not represent your likeness to your satisfaction, but I have rarely been
requested to do so by others."
That caused him to pause for a moment. "Why would anyone wish for such a
work of art to be destroyed, even if they don't care for it?" he inquired.
A soft smile touched the corners of her mouth. "When given the option, I
prefer to paint nudes," she explained, causing Raijen to blink. "I feel that
the natural human body is one of the most exquisite expressions of art to begin
with, and I am merely capturing it in another medium. My policy stems from an
attempt to spare a model any embarrassment if they don't feel comfortable with
what is painted, especially when they are in the nude."
"I see," the denizen said quietly before he came around the easel to look
at the painting. His eyebrows promptly arched up to his hairline, giving the
image on the canvas a measured look. "Very impressive, Chancellor," he said
with a slow nod of his head. "Given your eye for detail, I can hardly imagine
anyone not feeling comfortable with your paintings unless they were not very
comfortable with themselves to begin with."
"As I said, I am rarely asked to do such a thing," she replied demurely.
"I trust you will not object my adding this portrait to my private gallery? I
assure you that no-one else has access to it, and I will only allow others to
view it if you wish."
"A private gallery?" Raijen echoed in quiet confusion. "Forgive me, but
what purpose is a gallery that no other can enjoy?"
Susan tilted her head at a slight angle. "The vast majority of paintings
I do are done solely for the sake of doing so. Others, such as the nudes, must
not be made public to protect the privacy of those I have painted. I call my
collection a gallery simply because I do not feel words like archive or libram
properly describe it."
"I see," he said quietly as he turned back to study the portrait again.
"Will she be able to see it?"
"If you wish," Susan replied just as quietly. "It will not be kept in a
place where anyone can see it, but I can make it available to her if she has a
desire to view it every so often."
"Very well," he said with nod of his head. "I have no objections to you
keeping this portrait, then. If you will pardon my saying so, it is quite an
agreeable likeness of me."
"Thank you," she replied with a small smile. "If you will excuse me, it
is late in the evening and I have procrastinated long enough. I will send an
escort tomorrow evening to accompany you to the funeral ceremony. Until then,
I ask that you not wander about without a purpose, as the guards are liable to
be quite unsettled tonight."
A quiet grunt rose up from his chest. "I think after that demonstration
of skill this morning, your guard force and I understand one another enough to
avoid any misunderstandings. Nonetheless, I shall honor your request to stay
out of everyone's way."
"Thank you, Captain," Susan said quietly as she repacked her painting
supplies and picked up the portrait.
"Susan?" he asked quietly just as she turned to leave.
"Yes?" she said, casting a curious look over her shoulder.
"Thank you," he said in a quiet tone.
She paused for a moment to wonder what she was being thanked for. "You
are quite welcome, Captain," she replied, deciding that it didn't matter what
it was. "I am sure that you would have done the same for me. One warrior of
sorts to another," she added on impulse.
A very quiet laugh echoed in the confines of his armor. "Indeed. Good
night, Chancellor."
"Good night, Captain," she murmured as she watched him enter his room and
quietly close the door behind him. She looked at the empty hallway for several
moments before sighing quietly and returning her focus to the present task at
hand. The painting would be placed in her room with the others until she had
enough time to properly store them. For now, however, there was a lot of work
that needed to be done.
A poem came to mind, written by a man who would not be born for another
nine hundred years but was known to her through her time-travels into the very
distant future. The woods are lovely, she thought, dark and deep, but I have
promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep....
* * * *
The evening passed quickly into true night, and it was during that time
when most others slept, taunted by dark dreams, when she got most of her work
done. The guards outside Queen Serenity's chambers informed her that Sailor
Venus has departed half an hour ago, saying the Queen had finally cried herself
to sleep. Realizing that disturbing her now would be counter-productive, she
left the palace and headed north to the edge of the kingdom.
She was surprised to find a group of people gathered around the entrance
to the House of Saturn crypts, holding what appeared to be a vigil of sorts.
Even more surprising was the presence of Sailor Mars, sitting in a meditative
position behind a large cluster of candles.
"Aria," Susan said very softly as she approached.
Mars blinked and looked up at her, a deeply haunted look visible in the
bottomless black depths of her eyes. "Chancellor," she replied quietly.
"You should be asleep at this hour," Susan chided her gently.
Mars sighed and shook her head. "I saw the lights from my room," she said
in a subdued voice, gesturing to the soft glow coming from the various candles
held by the others surrounding her. "I figured that if they can sit through
the darkness of the night, trying to keep her soul company, surely one of her
fellow Sailor Scouts can do the same. Don't worry about me, Susan, I will be
fine. We will rest once she is put to rest."
Susan said nothing for a moment, gently squeezing Mars' shoulder in quiet
comfort. She looked around the assembled group, recognizing most of the faces
in passing and even remembering a few names, but not having dealt with any of
them in an official capacity. She strongly doubted any of them had gotten to
know Hotaru in any sense either, but their presence and show of support was
deeply moving nonetheless.
"Thank you all," she said, making sure to speak just loud enough so that
they could hear her, but not so loud as to overly disturb the somber quiet of
the night. "I am sure her Majesty is just as grateful for your compassion as
I am, and I will make sure she knows of your efforts in the morning. I cannot
stay long, as I have to make the final preparations inside for tomorrow, but I
must confess to being moved by your willingness to stand with us in one of our
darkest hours."
"Ye've done the same fer us, m'lady," a man spoke up quietly. "We feel
'tis only fittin' that we do the same. Ye be heading into the crypt to carve
the marble for her, are ye not?"
"I am," Susan replied with a gentle nod of her head.
"I ask that ye take me with ye, then," the man replied, holding up a small
chisel and hammer. "I've worked with all sorts o' stones and marble all me
life, and it would be an honor if ye'd let me take care o' that task for ye."
"Thank you," Susan said with a deep bow of her head. She was capable of
doing the carving herself, but she knew she was hardly as skilled a craftsman
at the task as he seemed to be. That it would free up an hour of her time to
take care of other tasks was an additional blessing. Part of her felt guilty
at not taking care of it herself, but she knew that some things could be safely
left in the hands of others. "Please, this way," she said as she gestured to
the ancient gates of the crypt.
Time seemed to blur past her without warning, only having the vaguest of
memories of leading the stone-cutter and a young girl holding a large candle
into the crypts. The empty sarcophagus was pointed out, and after pausing for
a moment to say a prayer of respect to the spirits of the dead, he started in
on the tedious process of chiseling away at the marble covering. She watched
him work for a moment before leaving, knowing that neither he nor the girl with
the candle would disturb anything else in the crypts.
Night blurred into the earliest hours of dawn as she went about her other
business, conversing about the funeral with various individuals who were either
up far too late or were awake far too early. What was supposed to have been a
brief stop-over in the underground section of the medical ward stretched on for
an indeterminable period of time, unable to turn her gaze away from the sight
of a peacefully composed Hotaru lying on the mortuary table. She was wrapped
in white gauze with her arms folded over her chest, seeming to simply be asleep
instead of forever empty of the warmth of life.
Dawn blurred into day as the palace slowly woke up, a sullen cloud of dark
and somber emotion seeming to have over the kingdom like a shroud. The morning
meeting of the Queen and her Council of Ministers was short and muted, empty of
any semblance of positive emotion. Her Majesty hardly spoke to anyone, only
nodding her head in mute acceptance as Susan laid out the funeral plans.
The council meeting seemed to blur into another meeting, Susan explaining
to a somewhat conciliatory Colonel V'Kaar about what would take place later in
the day and offering to have them escorted to an out-of-the-way location if
they wished to observe. He indicated that they would be indeed interested in
being allowed to watch from a respectful distance, and so another hour passed
in the seeming blink of an eye as she made the proper security arrangements.
The blurring of time around her suddenly snapped back into crystal-clear
focus as a hand grabbed her arm in a firm grip and gently propelled her into a
chair. She blinked in confusion for a moment before she finally reoriented on
her surroundings, looking up at a pair of deeply concerned green eyes.
"Eat," Electra said flatly, gesturing to a small side-table set up with a
minor assortment of foodstuffs.
Susan blinked again, trying to remember the previous five minutes. "I'm
sorry, Electra, but I simply don't have the time," she said in a gentle tone as
she started to stand up.
"Orders," the brunette said with a faint growl as she firmly shoved Susan
back down in the chair.
Susan raised a slender green eyebrow, giving her a slightly suspicious
look. "And whose orders are they?" she prodded.
Electra crossed her arms over her chest, giving Susan a measured look.
"Mine," she grunted. "Eat."
"Very well," Susan sighed quietly, suddenly remembering that the last meal
she bothered to eat was lunch the day before. It was not often that she chose
to skip a meal, let alone three in succession, and the realization bothered her
deeply. Her apparent inability to distinctly remember events since Hotaru's
death only added to her sense of unease, making her wonder just how hard she
was truly taking the young girl's passing.
She quickly compiled a nutritionally-balanced selection from the table and
ate it rapidly as she could, while doing her best to observe proper manners.
Electra hovered over her the entire time, the taciturn woman's attention split
between making sure Susan was eating and studying the mortar of the walls as
she contemplated something.
Susan found that her own focus was starting to drift as well. She knew
that the preparations were almost complete, and would most likely be done with
an hour or two to spare, but she was unable to completely dismiss a sense of
urgency. She passed away a few minutes ago, Mercury's voice echoed inside her
mind, and already you want her buried? Why indeed? Surely another day would
not have mattered....
<Something on your mind, Chancellor?> a voice said as a young woman with
light brown hair sat down at the table next to her.
"That's putting it mildly," Susan said quietly, drawing a startled look
from Electra. She didn't intend to speak aloud, but the words fell from her
lips just as easily as they had back in the past.
<Mmm,> the woman mused as she absently assembled a small sandwich. The
hair at her temples was a forest-green color, gently fading to brown after an
inch or so of growth. It was a decidedly unusual coloring to encounter, but it
was just as naturally-occuring as Susan's dark green hair. <Anything you want
to talk about?>
"If I knew what it was, I would consider it," Susan replied quietly, idly
staring down at her plate. She completely missed the visibly disturbed look
crossing Electra's face, the brunette suddenly wondering about the state of
Susan's mental health.
<Sometimes it helps just to talk,> the woman from the past suggested in a
neutral tone. <Not many of us really know you, Chancellor, and we can't help
you if you don't open up to us every now and then.>
Susan just shook her head sadly, unconsciously mimicking the gestures she
made at the time. "The problem, Fae, is that I often don't understand myself.
How then are others supposed to understand me?"
The memory of Fae snorted quietly in contempt. <How indeed, if you don't
give us a chance?> she countered. <Yes, you're unique, Lady Pluto. But aren't
we all unique in our own ways as well? Yet the rest of us somehow manage to
understand one another, and that is because we share our thoughts, we seek each
other out for guidance when we have a problem or something we aren't able to
understand. Or do you think that, just because you are unable to understand
something, that nobody else can possibly make sense of it?>
Susan blinked and looked up, finding the ghostly memory of a past Sailor
Jupiter fading away to be replaced the confused visage of her nine-generations-
removed descendant. "Very well, Sailor Jupiter," she said quietly.
"Chancellor?" Electra prompted in a deeply guarded tone.
"Have a seat," Susan said, gesturing to the empty chair next to her. She
waited until Electra grudgingly complied before continuting. "I must confess
that the past few hours have.... not sat well with me. My memory is somewhat
indistinct, I can't remember things I've said or done with the same clarity
that I've been able to remember everything else in my life. It is.... quite
disconcerting," she admitted.
"Tired?" Electra suggested in a gentle tone.
"No," Susan replied with a shake of her head. "I am far from fatigued or
otherwise in need of rest. It has only been four days since I last slept, and
I am quite sure I won't need another nap for at least a week."
"Emotionally," the brunette added in an odd tone.
Susan paused to consider the suggestion. "I.... honestly don't know," she
said in a very quiet tone. "I am, of course, deeply upset at Hotaru for her
behavior.... not angry, really, but more saddened that she did what she did.
While I do not understand why she did so, I am of the belief that she did, in
fact, have what seemed to her was a valid justification for doing so."
"And?" Electra said, making a continuation gesture with her hand.
A soft sigh rose up from Susan's chest. "I have no idea what her reasons
were," she said. "It is.... quite frustrating," she added, her words slowing
down as she realized that she was indeed feeling highly frustrated at the way
things were going. "It's almost as if...."
Electra frowned at the sudden ending. "If...?" she prodded.
"Almost as if things were not playing out on their own, but instead being
directed," Susan said, tilting her head to one side and narrowing her eyes.
"She did say that her 'window of opportunity' was almost closed, so that means
she had to have acted quickly. Not necessarily with undue haste, but with a
sense of urgency. And if her death was but the first card in a chain of events
that she saw not once but several times.... wouldn't that indicate an event of
true significance?" she asked, looking up at the brunette.
"Huh?" Electra said, giving her an unsettled look.
"She did say she believed it to have major implications," Susan said, her
words coming faster now as her mind started to race. "And when asked about it,
she specifically said that some things could not be explained ahead of time.
What if she meant time in a literal sense?"
"Okay...." the brunette said, clearly confused by now.
Susan shook her head absently to herself as she continued to think as fast
as she could. "What would time accomplish? She thought she had to die, and
that was the first link in the chain. No, wait, Death was the second link in
the chain. The Moon came first. The second card ususally serves as a major
influence on the first, and the third.... acts as.... the.... key...."
"Susan?" Electra said tentatively, not liking the way Susan's demeanor
kept changing every few minutes.
"What did you see, Hotaru?" Susan whispered to herself. "You looked at
the cards, then looked around you, and you suddenly understood something. You
looked at me first, then at the Queen, and then.... but the card was...."
"Hello?" the brunette said, slowly edging away from Susan. She blinked
hard as Susan's head lifted up to look at her, her pupils widening fast enough
to make her red irises seem like they were melting away.
"That's it.... that's what she intended to have happen...." Susan said as
she slowly rose to her feet. "But why did she have to kill herself to bring it
about? Had she told me of what she saw, I could have arranged things.... and
I still can.... But can I make it happen? Do I need to? Or now that she has
set things in motion, will they not...?"
"Chancellor...?" Electra sighed as she stood up as well, fully intending
to have Susan escorted down to the medical ward for a psychiatric evaluation.
She blinked hard as was suddenly wrapped in a gentle hug by the succubus.
"Thank you, Electra," Susan said quietly. "I think I understand it all
now. It appears your ancestor was right about me after all. Come, we still
still have much to do, and time is more precious than ever. Let's go," she
said, pausing only long enough to wipe her mouth on a napkin before making a
beeline for the nearest door.
"...Sure," the bewildered brunette said before giving up and following
what she now firmly believed was an insane individual out the door.
* * * *
Time blurred quickly once again, refocusing itself once the sun began to
loom low on the horizon. A constant monotone buzzing sound had started up in
the palace at some point, a very soft and deep noise that barely registered on
the conscious mind. To Pluto's demonic hearing, however, it was as curious as
it was audible.
"Chancellor," Sailor Venus said quietly as Pluto emerged from her room.
"Evening, Lucille," Pluto replied, noting the usually cheerful blonde's
sullen mood. It was hardly unexpected under the circumstances, but it stood
out in stark contrast to how she usually behaved. "I have a rather curious
question for you."
Venus paused and raised an eyebrow. "I didn't do it," she replied, wary
about any questions that made mention of her strong sense of curiosity. The
fact that her curiosity tended to be the main culprit when she found herself in
any sort of trouble always seemed to escape her she she tried to figure out why
everyone else "keeps picking on" her curious nature.
"I should hope not," Pluto said, her tone tinged with sincerity. "Do you
hear a low-frequency sound, by chance? A persistent, if unstable, sound?"
The blonde looked at her for a moment before blinking as the proverbial
light clicked on. "Oh, yeah, that. You need to see this for yourself," she
said, making a follow-me gesture as she headed towards the nearest balcony.
More than slightly curious herself, she followed Venus down the hallway.
Her boots created a steady clicking sound against the marble as she walked,
sending a somewhat hollow echo down the length of the corridor. She came to
the balcony in short order and moved up the stairs, coming to an abrupt halt
once she was able to see over the low-cut walls.
The cobblestone path to the House of Saturn crypts was a virtual straight
line due north from the Royal Palace. A group of workers had apparently taken
an armada of cleaing brooms and the like to the stones, removing every single
trace of dirt and dust between the marble steps of the Palace and the doors of
the crypt itself. The normally dull-gray stones seemed to shine like polished
glass, providing a path that gleamed in the setting sun like a ray of light.
What took her breath away, however, was the throng of people lining both
sides of the path. One might easily believe that the entire population of the
Moon Kingdom had gathered together in that small area, all to watch and mourn
and lend their support to the throne. The realization was enough to bring a
single tear to Pluto's eye, its passage down her cheek catching her completely
by surprise.
"That's what we said," Venus said very quietly as she saw Pluto's tear,
trying very hard not to start crying herself once again. "Her Majesty stuck
her head out a window about twenty minutes ago to see what the noise was and
almost started bawling on the spot. This is going to be very hard on her."
"Her Majesty will persevere," Pluto said quietly.
"Just as long as someone has plenty of tissues handy," Venus muttered.
"Are we ready to begin?" Pluto asked calmly as she surveyed the crowd once
more before turning around and descending the balcony steps.
Venus made a face and hurried after her. "I think so," she said in a very
subdued tone. "We might have a problem, however. Skye insists on going with
us, even if she's not allowed to transform. She said that Alexis will be safe
with Dana for the moment, as this is something of importance to her, and has
informed the medical staff in no uncertain terms what will happen if they try
to prevent her from leaving the ward."
"Not altogether unexpected," Pluto said in absent dismissal. "The four of
us will escort the cart, and Skye may join Gretchen in escorting her Majesty.
Evening, Aria," she added as a visibly weary Sailor Mars stepped out from one
of the suites ahead of them. "Please tell me you've gotten some sleep since
last night."
"I have," Mars assured her quietly. "Is it time?"
"We shall see," Pluto replied as she headed towards the northern entrance
to the Royal Palance. The other two Sailor Scouts walked in relative silence,
the weight of their thoughts betrayed only by their heavy footsteps. They soon
reached the entrance foyer, where a full platoon of guards in ceremonial armor
stood in grim silence in a perfect circle around the small cart that carried
the body of Sailor Saturn, still wearing her purple Sailor suit.
"Guards," Pluto said quietly as they approached. "We will stand watch
until her Majesty is ready. Please go ensure that a path is cleared. While I
strongly doubt any will intervene, we must take precautions nonetheless."
"Ma'am," the guard captain said with a sharp salute before turning around
to address his platoon. "Detail, fall out and form up a column of two's," he
instructed. The formation changed with crisp efficiency and with very little
excess motion, neatly lining up in two single-file lines that were ready to
head outside. "Forward, march."
"Chancellor," a voice called out as the guards filed outside.
Pluto looked up and sighed very quietly to herself as a fully-transformed
Sailor Uranus entered the room. "Skye, you really should be resting," she said
in a gentle tone to the blonde.
"Believe me, I will as soon as this is over," Uranus promised, making a
sour face as she tugged on the front of her blouse yet again. Her uniform was
just as form-fitting as the rest of the Sailor Scouts, but the swelling of her
milk-laden breasts made the fabric dangerously tight against her chest. "Tell
me again who designed this suit?" she asked in an embarrassed tone, acutely
aware of the thin layer of padding stuffed in her blouse that would prevent any
accidental leakage from staining the fabric.
"Someone who believed nursing mothers have no business transforming," the
distinctly flat voice of Sailor Mercury drifted down the hall as she came into
the room, followed by Queen Serenity and Lady Mercury.
"Don't start with me," Uranus sighed, casting an unhappy glance over her
shoulder at Mercury. "Remember, I can still blame a lot of bad reactions on
the hormones. This is only temporary, Mel, I promise."
"Enough," Serenity said in a subdued tone. She was wearing a dress that
was so deeply purple as to almost appear black, a somber color that did not go
very well with her pale lavender hair. Her eyes were bloodshot from recent
crying and she held a dark-colored handkerchief in one hand.
"Your Majesty," Pluto said quietly with a bow of her head. "We will be
ready to begin as soon as Electra arrives."
Serenity nodded sadly. "She will be with us in a moment. I sent her to
the maternity ward to bring Dana's mirror back."
"I'll carry it," Lady Mercury offered. Her gown was similar in style to
Serenity's, made from a shade of midnight blue fabric that was more midnight
than actual blue. "That way, the House of Neptune can be represented. I'd be
wearing my own Sailor Suit if I still had the strength to do so," she added.
"That would be dangerous," Pluto immediately spoke up. "No disrespect,
Gretchen, but given your age...."
"Yes, Chancellor, I know," the elder Mercury sighed quietly. "It was a
fanciful thought, nothing more."
Everyone looked up as they heard a pair of heavy footsteps echoing down
the hallway. Sailor Jupiter entered the foyer a few moments later, carefully
holding the birthright of the House of Neptune in her hands. She wordlessly
handed it to Serenity before walking over to take her position next to the
burial cart, absently rubbing the copper plates on her wrists.
Serenity looked down at the mirror in her hands before sighing heavily,
her expression changing to one of even deeper sadness. She appeared to hover
on the brink of crying again for several seconds before visibly regaining her
composure. Sighing again, she turned Lady Mercury and offered her the ornate
Soul Mirror with a gentle look.
"Thank you, your Majesty," Lady Mercury said quietly.
"Let's go," Serenity said softly, gesturing to the doorway.
Pluto nodded and turned to face Jupiter, Venus, and Mars. They all took
a deep breath before nodding in unison, each one reaching out to grab one of
the small handles on the side of the cart. A small and super-quiet motor on
the underside would assist in moving it, reducing the force required to roll it
along so that a single child could push it by herself, but it first had to be
carried down the marble steps.
"Ready," Pluto said very softly. "Set. Lift."
The cart barely made a sound as it was lifted up a few inches off the
ground. The weight was not all that great, but the emotional burden of it was
another matter. Another whispered command from Pluto started them in motion,
moving forward at a slow and steady pace. Serenity followed close behind them,
Lady Mercury and the remaining pair of Sailor Scouts taking up positions behind
their queen.
The low rumble from the assembled crowd had been audible to Pluto's ears
the entire time, but the sound increased dramatically as they approached the
entrance archway. The rumble started to fade the instant the procession became
visible to the crowd, a wave of silence spreading out from the palace like a
ripple in a pond.
The trip down the marble stairs was the most dangerous part, having to
heft the entire weight of the cart at an angle as they moved. Jupiter and
Pluto had taken opposite ends of the cart for that reason, being the strongest
of the Sailor Scouts and thus able to balance the brunt of the weight between
them. They found the utter silence around them to be somewhere between eerie
and downright chilling, broken only by the soft sounds of their boots on the
marble steps.
The cart eventually reached the bottom of the stairs and was gently set
down on the rollers, the four of them pausing for a brief moment to catch their
collective breath. The sharp call of a captain ordering his platoon to present
arms almost made them jump, the sound of sixty swords being drawn in unison
sounding more than a little ominous.
"Forward," Pluto said very quietly as they each took a handle in one hand
and began to move the cart along the cobblestone path. The stones in the road
were uneven but fairly level, producing a relatively traversable surface. The
shock-absorbers on the rollers reduced both the bouncing motion and the noise
to a very quiet minimum, but the sound was still quite audible in the pervasive
silence lining the path.
The procession moved at a moderate pace, not seeming to rush in the least
while crossing the distance at a reasonable rate. Heads bowed all around them
as they passed, more out of respect for the deceased Sailor Scout than as a
sign of deference to the Queen. Palace guards lined the route, their swords
drawn and held up in a salute as the cart moved past them. More than one tear
could be seen, both among the guards and among the faces in the crowds.
Pluto looked off to her right as they approached the crypts, making note
of the small group standing apart from the masses. Colonel V'Kaar and the rest
of his denizen soliders were all standing at attention, their dark uniforms
standing out in stark contrast to the ring of polished ceremonial armor of the
guards escorting them. Much to her surprise, she noticed Raijen standing just
behind them, wearing a formal suit that was different from the one he had worn
to the ball the other day.
The rest of Serenity's council stood next to the denizen visitors, all
wearing dark suits and dresses adorned with their sashes of office. Pluto knew
that both she and Sailor Mercury could have worn their sashes with their Sailor
Suits if they wanted to, being the Queen's Chancellor and Chief Medical Officer
respectively, but by unspoken consensus had decided not to.
They came to a halt at the front entrance of the crypt itself, the iron
double-doors closed for the moment. They would remain closed until the eulogy
was finished, usually timed to conclude within a few moments of sunset. The
sun was already starting to brush the horizon as they stepped back to regard
the funeral cart for several moments before looking over to the queen.
Serenity gave them a saddened look before she nodded to them, taking a
single step back to give them the space they needed. Lady Mercury remained at
her side, still holding the aquamarine mirror engraved with the sigil of the
House of Neptune, while Sailor Mercury and Sailor Uranus stepped forward to
join the others. They seemed to communicate wordlessly with one another for
several seconds before reaching out to to form a circle of joined hands around
their fallen friend.
A quiet murmur seemed to ripple through the crowd as the air surrounding
the six Sailor Scouts began to shimmer. Something seemed to spark inside the
circle and without warning a great column of pure light rose up into the sky,
a pillar of radiance that stood out against the dimming light of sunset. The
Sailor Scouts all closed their eyes to avoid being blinded from the glare as
they bathed the body of Sailor Saturn in the light and warmth of their love,
but even the intensity of the light couldn't conceal the trails of tears that
ran down their faces.
Serenity sighed quietly as she fought back her own tears, tightly holding
the Crescent Moon Wand in both hands. "I consider myself a fortunate woman,"
she said. She didn't raise her voice any louder than usual, but the power of
the Imperium Silver Crystal acted as a speaker, amplifying her words so that
the entire crowd could hear her as if she were only a few feet away from them.
"I am always surrounded by the power of love. The love of my friends, the
love of my Sailor Scouts, and the love of my people. There is no greater love
than that which is freely given from the heart, and there is no greater pain
than when a source of that love is taken from us.
"We are here today to say farewell, not just to someone I loved as deeply
as she loved me, but to someone everyone loved and was just as strongly loved
in return. Few, if any, had a bigger heart than Hotaru Tomoe, who served this
kingdom as Sailor Saturn. It was known from birth that her time with us would
be precious, a fact that she was quite consciously aware of, and in spite of it
all she never failed to make the most of it.
"I'm sure you all remember the events of seven years ago, when my mother
passed away from illness. Few of you know how I spent three days doing little
else but crying, seemingly inconsolable even to the most compassionate souls in
the Royal Palace. Hotaru came to me after the funeral, just six years old at
the time, and wanted to know why I was crying so much.
"I told her I was sad that my mother had left us forever, and she got a
very confused look on her face. 'But I thought she became part of you,' she
said. I explained to her how my Mother's soul became one with the Imperium
Silver Crystal, and she said, 'So she'll always be with you, right?'
"That made me think for a moment. 'It does,' I told her. 'So she's not
sick anymore, right?' she asked. 'No, she's not,' I replied. She just looked
at me for a moment like I had done something foolish, and then she reached out
to smack me on the arm. 'So if she's not sick anymore, and she'll always be
with you now, why are you still crying?' she demanded. 'You can still talk to
her in the Crystal whenever you want, right? And if she's not sick, you won't
have to worry about her, right?'
"Six years old, and already she possessed a sense of wisdom that made all
who heard her sit back in awe. Her words made me realize that I really didn't
have too much to cry about. Yes, I was still sad that I had lost my mother,
but knowing that her love would always be with me made the pain bearable. To
this day, I haven't forgotten how Hotaru's words and love helped me, and I owe
it to her to make sure that others are helped in the same way.
"Which is why I say to you now.... do not grieve for her passing. That is
not an easy thing to ask, and I am myself still struggling not to do so, but
she is no longer in pain now. She knows true peace, and her love will always
be with us. As her ancestors have before, she will continue to watch over us
in the night while we sleep, guarding our souls as she once guarded our hearts.
None will feel her loss more than I will, but I know that her love is still
with me, even if her unique brand of wit and wisdom will not."
Serenity's voice faltered for a moment as she turned to face the column of
light, able to clearly make out the composed form on the cart. "All that we
can say now is rest well, Hotaru Tomoe. You have done your duty and served us
well, and you will be deeply missed. Go now, and join your ancestors in their
eternal slumber, to bask in their love as we have basked in yours for so long."
They waited until Serenity's voice faded away before ceasing their group
focus, dropping their hands to their sides and allowing the beam of light to
gently fade away. Mercury and Uranus moved forward to open the metal doors as
the other four Sailor Scouts surrounded the cart. They each carefully grabbed
the white linens around Hotaru and lifted her up, waiting for the crypt doors
to fully open before carrying her inside.
The sarcophagus had already been prepared for them, the heavy marble lid
neatly etched with Hotaru's name, date of birth, and date of death. They very
carefully laid her to rest inside the stone coffin and stepped back, trails of
tears visible on their faces save for Pluto. They remained silent, not sure
what to say anymore as Pluto and Jupiter moved over to the marble covering.
It only took a moment's effort for the lid to be lifted up and set down on
the sarcophagus, the corners wedged back and forth until it settled into place
with a soft rasping noise. The noise seemed to echo throughout the crypt like
a sigh, almost as if the spirits of the dead knew that the last of their House
had come to join them.
"We will speak of this later," Pluto said very quietly, seeing the looks
on their faces. "Our task here is done. Rest well, Hotaru."
"Rest well," the other murmured quietly as they all exited the crypt in
somber silence. Pluto was the last to leave, pausing for a moment to cast one
final look at the sarcophagus before following the others outside. She turned
around at the entranceway and sealed it herself, the heavy sound of the iron
doors clanging shut echoing like a death-knell from a heavy bell. She sighed
quietly as she felt the weight of finality settle around her shoulders, turning
to give Queen Serenity a subtle nod to indicate it was time to end things.
Serenity nodded back in understanding before turning to face the crowd,
visibly fighting back her tears. She glanced up at the horizon just in time to
catch the last glint of the sun as it slid out of view, realizing that Pluto's
sense of timing was impeccable as always. "The sun has set," she intoned, her
voice once again becoming amplified by the Imperium Silver Crystal.
The assembled crowd seemed to speak with one voice as they replied, "The
hour grows late."
"Twilight is upon us," Serenity said.
"The darkness is coming," they replied.
"But we will not fear its approach."
"We are protected by the light."
"The light brings comfort to us."
"As it does to all who embrace it."
"We have lost a light today," Serenity whispered, her voice cracking.
"The light is lost, but the comfort remains," the crowd replied.
"I can't feel her comfort anymore."
"She still guides our path and protects us."
"Even though she has become lost to us."
"She remains in spirit, and her spirit is the light."
"She will never be forgotten, ever," Serenity said firmly.
"We will remember," the crowd promised as one.
Queen Serenity bowed her head in acceptance. "Thank you all," she said in
a soft whisper, one that only those closest to her could hear. She looked up
to find herself surrounded by the Sailor Scouts, all giving her tearful looks
of understanding and gratitude. "Chancellor?" she said quietly.
"We are finished here, your Majesty," Pluto replied with a solemn look.
"Then let's go," Serenity said as she led the procession back towards the
direction of the palace.
* * * *
"Chancellor Meiou?" Susan heard as someone knocked on the open door of her
bedroom. That she was just stepping out of the shower and was wearing little
more than a thin sheen of water didn't bother her in the least as she opened
the bathroom door to see who it was.
Sailor Venus paused for a moment, her eyebrows arching up in surprise at
obviously catching the succubus at the wrong moment. "Umm, I can come back in
a moment if you want," she said, a delicate blush springing to her cheeks as
she glanced away.
"That is not necessary," Susan replied, calmly fluttering her wings dry as
she crossed the room to grab a clean towel. "I don't suppose her Majesty has
changed her mind about not wishing to be disturbed?"
"We wish," the blonde sighed quietly, idly studying the wet footprints on
the marble floor. "Colonel V'Kaar has informed us that he and his team will be
leaving in the morning, and that they desired to do so without formality or
fanfare so as not to disturb her Majesty in her time of mourning."
"Oh?" Susan said, pausing in mid-motion with the towel wrapped around her
dark green hair. "That is most unexpected. While it is obvious that he will
not be able to meet with the Queen again for a day or so, certainly we should
still be able to continue our cultural exchanges to some degree...."
Venus just sighed again and held up her hands. "Hey, don't look at me,
I'm just the messenger here. Not that I don't understand the sentiments, mind
you. Reginald and I were considering putting off the wedding for a couple of
weeks so I could remain here with her Majesty...."
"You will do no such thing, Lucille," Susan interrupted in a gentle tone
as she started drying her chest off. "Hotaru's death is a shock to us all, but
I must point out to you that life can, will, and certainly must go on. Your
time spent away from the Moon Kingdom and in the arms of your husband-to-be
will do you far more good in your personal healing process than would remaining
here to mourn with the rest of us."
"You sure about that?" Venus inquired in a cautious tone. "Seems to me
like Queen Serenity needs us now more than ever for support."
"The throne will still be here when you and Amelia return," Susan assured
her as she continued to towel herself off. "I anticipate a significant amount
of resistance from Amelia about the issue, but I believe Serenity will concur
with my assessment. And, I might add, so would have Hotaru."
"That's low, Susan," Venus pointed out with a sour look. She blinked as
the back edge of her tiara began to unfold over her ear and started making a
quiet chirping noise. "Oh, now what?" she grumbled as she turned around to
offer Susan some privacy while she got dressed. "Venus here."
Susan finished drying off as quickly and as efficiently as she could. She
paused for a moment to absorb her wings before drying her back, idly wondering
how Sailor Mercury would protest and what would be the best ways to counter her
concerns.
"That's not going to happen," Venus said flatly. "You know as well as I
do that she simply is not.... Well, I can ask Susan if you want, seeing how
she's right behind me, but.... Okay, okay, you don't need to yell," she said
as she wrinkled her nose. "Oh, by the way, Susan says I'm expected to leave
with Reginald tomorrow and that you're supposed to come with me. Ow, ow, not
so loud, dammit!"
A faint smile tugged on Susan's lips as she set the towel aside and began
to get dressed. She would have preferred to have told Amelia the news herself
so as to spare anyone else the brunt of her initial reaction, but if Venus felt
obligated to handle that task for her, she was not about to turn down the kind,
if unintended, gesture.
"Hey, you talk to her," Venus protested into the collar-based microphone,
still rubbing her ear. "That's exactly what I said, and I mean word-for-word
verbatim, and I'm still going to be asked to leave for a few days. I'm just
the messenger tonight, okay? Oh, speaking of messages, what exactly did you
want me to say to her...? Okay, got it. It'll be a few moments before she'll
be there, as you know how it is when it comes to her and clothes...."
"Lucille," Susan said in a warning tone over her shoulder as she selected
an outfit that would blend right in with the society of seventeenth-century
Baghdad. That particular era was a favorite hunting ground for her when she
desired to tend to her needs as a succubus, and she had made plans last week
for the time-travel expedition. She had also tentatively planned to include
Electra and Lucille if they wanted to spend the night visiting her host and
good friend Oman, who ran a semi-public bathhouse, but given the sudden change
in mood she felt it was best to consider taking them along another time.
"Anyway," Venus said, pointedly ignoring the three-quarters nude succubus.
"I'll tell her, so you two just sit tight, okay? Great. Oh, and I think you'd
look lovely in blue as a bridesmaid.... Ow, ow, okay, okay! Out," she sighed
as she closed the channel with a flick of her thumb. "Yeesh, some people just
don't know when to relax. I tell you...."
"I presume Amelia has a message for me?" Susan inquired as she slid the
somewhat heavy sand-resistant fabric over her body.
"Yeah," Venus said with a nod. "Some captain is making a ruckus about
needing to see her Majesty right now, and I mean right bloody now. Says it's
extremely important that he gets to speak to either her Majesty or you, and it
sounds to me like he's not taking no for an answer."
That made Susan pause and blink in surprise. "Oh?" she inquired in a
concerned tone. "That wouldn't be Captain Raijen by chance, would it?"
"Yeah, that's it!" Venus said, nodding frantically. "I wasn't sure what
exactly she said, but that sounds about right. Something I should know about?"
she inquired carefully.
"No," Susan replied as she quickly settled the nomadic dress into place
and smoothed the wrinkles out. "I will speak with him. Where is he?"
"South hallway, just before you get near her Majesty's suite," the blonde
replied, frowning as she eyed Susan's attire. "What's with the baggy dress, or
do I even want to ask?"
"There is a saying," Susan replied demurely as she stepped into a pair of
dun-colored calf-high boots that would serve quite well. "When in Rome, dress
as the Romans do. I will see you in the morning, Lucille," she added as she
moved past her. "Try to get some rest tonight, for you will have a great deal
of travelling to do tomorrow. Good night."
"Good night, Chancellor," Sailor Venus said in a wary tone, not sure what
to make of the parting words and trying to decide if she really wanted to know.
Susan didn't exact hurry along the corridor, but her pace was nonetheless
a slightly rapid one. She could have "side-stepped" the distance between her
room and her destination using the dimensional shifting abilities of her staff,
but she preferred not to unless there was a valid and pressing need to do so.
"Chancellor!" two voice said in perfect unison as she turned a corner and
came into view of a visibly disturbed Dragoon Captain Raijen and an equally
unsettled Sailor Mercury. "We need to talk," Mercury added in a flat tone.
Susan sighed quietly as she absently ran a hand through her damp hair.
"His lordship leaves tomorrow," she said very slowly and clearly to Mercury.
"He will, of course, be taking his recently betrothed with him to Earth to be
properly married in Cambridge. As his bride-to-be in question is Lucille, she
needs to be escorted by a fellow Sailor Scout given the current state of civil
unrest among the local population. You are in need of some time off in order
to rest your mind and relax your body. In light of our current situation, we
will therefore deal with two concerns at once. You will go with Lucille to
Earth as her escort, if not as a bridesmaid, where you will be fully encouraged
to find something to do that will take your mind off any concerns you may have
about your duties here. You will not be permitted to return without her, and
she will be afforded a reasonable period of time for a honeymoon so as to enjoy
the company of her new husband. Are we clear on the matter, Doctor?"
Both Raijen and Mercury blinked hard at the decisiveness of the monologue.
They briefly exchanged sidelong glances before Mercury took a deep breath and
released it through her nose. "Is that an order, Chancellor?" she asked in a
tone best described as bitterly acidic.
"Yes, Doctor, it is," Susan replied evenly. "You should go pack, as the
Bridge will be ready to open before the tenth hour and I should not like to see
any unnecessary delays."
Mercury snarled something beneath her breath in German and stalked past
Susan, her boots clicking loudly on the marble floor. She paused and cast a
dark glare over her shoulder as Susan quietly called out her name. She then
blinked as Susan spoke to her in a subdued German dialect, causing her to sigh
in heavy resignation.
"That was low, Susan," Mercury said quietly.
"You know I am not being mean or malicious," Susan replied. "I am merely
doing the best I can in an unsavory situation, as are we all. I will see you
in the morning, Doctor. Sleep well."
"Good night, Chancellor," Mercury said softly. "Captain," she added with
a faint nod of her head to Raijen before she turned around and vanished down
the corridor.
Susan sighed quietly and turned her attention to Raijen, pausing as she
noticed him shaking his head. "Something on your mind, Captain?" she inquired
in a somewhat neutral tone.
"There are never enough people like her," Raijen said quietly. "Give me
a hundred such warriors with her focus and dedication to duty, and I can create
a legacy that will last for thousands of years. Give me a thousand of them,
and I could lay the entire world at the feet of the Queen."
"Your world or mine?" Susan asked archly.
"Either," the Dragoon replied flatly. "Speaking of queens, I must speak
with Serenity immediately. I fear I do not have the time to repeat myself to
the both of you, so I will only say it once. Your world is in danger now, as
it seems the plans for an invasion have already been set into motion."
Susan blinked hard before giving him a sharp look. "And you know of this
how?" she demanded in a guarded tone.
"I overheard V'Kaar's words during the funeral," Raijen stated. "I must
warn her of this now, Chancellor, while there is still time."
The words and fragments rushed up from the depths of her memory in a mad
cacophony of images and sounds, briefly threatening to overwhelm her. All I
can say is I intend to call upon the powers of my House to make sure that the
right path is taken. And I'm almost out of time. Six years old, and already
she possessed a sense of wisdom that made all who heard her sit back in awe.
If she does have the power to see what lies ahead, she may have seen something
that required her to take such action. Only time will tell us for sure. I
need to do this, Serenity. This is something that only I can do, and I have
to do it alone. I have to do this while I still can, and while there is still
time. Please.... I need you to trust me....
"Chancellor?" Raijen said carefully, watching as Susan's expression became
vacant for several seconds before refocusing. He blinked hard and took a step
back as she made a grabbing motion at the empty air, the odd silvery staff he
had seen earlier suddenly appearing in her hand as if by magic.
"Very well," Susan said as she held out her staff to him. "Take hold and
come with me."
He hesitated for only a moment before he reached out, firmly grasping the
staff. He blinked in surprise at how warm it felt in his hand, then blinked
even harder as they were both briefly drawn into an eleven-dimensional conduit
in a flash of bluish energy. Traversing the flow of Time only took a cosmic
instant before he found himself standing in an anteroom of sorts.
"Remain here," Susan instructed him firmly as she gently tugged her staff
free from his grasp. She then turned around to enter the hallway that led to
the inner chambers, jumping back in surprise as she came within a few inches of
accidentally clocking Serenity square in the head with the looped end of her
staff. "Your Majesty!" Susan exclaimed, slightly rattled by the unexpected
encounter.
Serenity's expression immediately settled into a dark frown. "I trust you
have a good reason for disobeying my instructions?" she inquired flatly. She
had changed into a full-length nightgown of a dark pink satin-like fabric with
a fairly low neckline, obviously made more for comfort than for modesty. She
glanced over at Raijen and blinked hard, her eyes widening slightly and a pale
blush rising to her cheeks. "Raijen? What are you doing here?"
"Bringing a warning," Susan said before Raijen could speak. "You will, I
trust, hear him out before calling my judgment into question, your Majesty?"
Serenity blinked at Susan's tone and cast another glance at the denizen.
"I will listen, of course," she said cautiously.
Raijen nodded solemnly. "I apologize for disturbing you like this, my
lady, but I feel compelled by honor to warn you now. I was standing behind
Colonel V'Kaar and his team during the funeral ceremony for Lady Tomoe. While
you were speaking, they were talking amongst themselves in what sounded to me
like a version of the Central Plains dialect. I cannot say I understood the
entire conversation, for the accent has obviously changed since my time, but I
know their intentions.
"They viewed your public display of emotion as a weakness, one that Major
Tar-Nul said could be exploited in future operations. He said that they needed
only to assassinate someone close to you first, before a strike, in order to
paralyze you with grief when they began. When asked about the difficulties of
getting close, he specifically said that two agents were being integrated into
the kingdom as they spoke, with more planned to follow in a few years."
"What?" Serenity gasped hard, her eyes going wide.
"Sleeper agents?" Susan asked flatly.
Raijen paused and gave her a slightly confused look. "I am.... unfamiliar
with that term, Chancellor, but they are what we call embedded agents.... those
who blend into a society for a great length of time before being called up on
to act as needed."
"So they will attack, then?" Susan asked, holding her staff in a white-
knuckled grip.
"So it seems," Raijen replied with a solemn nod of his head. "I strongly
doubt it will be right away, however. Better to allow you time to forget about
events first and become complacent. Given your brief lifespans, it would also
make tactical sense to wait a number of years beforehand. You would all age in
that interim, far more so than we would, and would thus be less physically
capable of resistance. Moreover, it would be additional time for the Negaverse
military to train up against a specific opponent."
"Why?" Serenity implored in a shocked whisper. "Why invade us? We mean
no harm to anyone, and we certainly aren't a threat to your world...."
The Dragoon shook his head sadly. "I cannot answer that, my lady, for I
am not privy to the thoughts of others. Greed, perhaps, a desire to conquer
and expand our domain. As a soldier, I can understand the strategic and even
tactical benefits of neutralizing your kingdom before Earth can be invaded. In
the larger sense, however, I fail to see how invading would be practical, as
the only method of access I am aware of are the few Silkworm crystals known to
exist. I do not know how they function, though, nor the scope of their powers,
so I cannot say for certain how much of a limitation that would pose."
"We are, of course, grateful for this warning," Susan said slowly. "But
I trust you will forgive me if I ask your motivations for doing so. Surely a
warrior such as yourself, one with a long and distinguished history of service
to your world and your queen, would not seek to undermine or betray it...."
"Susan!" Serenity gasped in shock.
Raijen seemed to pause for a moment before turning around, absently pacing
the length of the small anteroom. "It is not a question of loyalty," he said
quietly. "I have lived a full life by anyone's standards, dutifully serving
Queen Metallia for centuries until my assassination. I have done all that was
ever asked of me and more, to the best of my ability. And through it all, I
have learned of the true value of things like honor and integrity."
He suddenly stopped and turned around to look directly at Serenity. "I
had no control over my life crystal being brought into your kingdom or over my
subsequent reanimation, as it were. I was nonetheless welcomed as a guest and
treated with respect, and my honor demands that I return that respect in kind.
Colonel V'Kaar and the others came willingly here, however, and I have learned
of their not just dishonorable but unconscionable intentions to bring ruin to
the world that in good faith extended to them the hand of friendship."
He moved over to Serenity, gently taking hold of her hand as he gazed into
her lavender eyes. "That is not something I can allow to pass through willful
inaction on my part," he added softly. "I would not hesitate to strike down
any in your world who would seek to do harm to mine, but absent a just cause or
valid threat, I cannot allow unprovoked harm to come to an innocent, be it to
a beautiful kingdom such as this.... or a beautiful woman such as you."
Serenity blinked and blushed, her cheeks taking on a delicate pink tint
that went rather well with her nightgown. "Will you remain with us, then? To
help me and the others organize a defense against your world?"
"For as long as I can," the denizen replied with a slow nod.
"Which may not be for long," Susan spoke up carefully, immediately drawing
a pair of surprised looks. "Lucille has informed me that Colonel V'Kaar wishes
to leave tomorrow morning without any ceremony or fanfare, ostensibily so as
not to disturb her Majesty's time of mourning."
"What?" Serenity blurted out, her eyes widening. "But.... but that would
mean...."
"That I would most likely cease to exist in your world once my crystal is
returned to my own," Raijen finished for her in a subdued tone.
Susan only needed a glance at the crestfallen expression on Serenity's
face to know that the emotional burden on the Queen had just doubled. This is
not going to be a pleasant evening, she thought to herself as she gave serious
consideration to putting off her time-travel expedition so as to focus on the
remaining time at hand. She blinked as Hotaru's words suddenly sprang to her
mind, the realization turning her blood dangerously cold for a moment before
she truly grasped the significance. So that's it, she mused. Perhaps I need
not postpone my trip after all....
"Perhaps the two of you should go sit down together," Susan found herself
saying without truly thinking about it. "If time is short, then there is most
likely a great deal that you wish to discuss about our situation, and it seems
that tonight will be the only opportunity to do so."
"Susan?" Serenity said, blinking hard as the succubus started to turn
around and walk down the hallway. "Wait, where are you going?"
"Ensuring that there will be no disturbances tonight," Susan said over her
shoulder. "Please, excuse me for a moment, your Majesty," she added as she
resumed walking. She reached the doors of the suite a few moments later, her
demonic hearing able to hear the faint chime outside that would warn the guards
that someone was approaching. She opened the doors and took a single step past
the doorway, looking directly at the pair of armored figures.
"Chancellor," the senior guard said as she straightened up, only somewhat
surprised to see her. She knew that none had passed through the doors since
Queen Serenity had some time ago, but also knew that things like guarded doors
seldom posed a barrier to the mysterious woman.
"Her Majesty has just gone to bed," Susan said calmly, making sure that
they both heard her. "No-one is to be permitted entry until she herself steps
outside or until I personally say otherwise. And when I say no-one, I mean not
a single soul, living or otherwise, save for either Sailor Mercury or Lady
Mercury claiming a medical emergency. Should it not be an emergency, they are
not permitted entry. Is that clear?"
"Clear as crystal, Chancellor," the senior guard replied with a salute.
"Thank you," Susan replied with a nod of her head. "Carry on," she added
as she stepped back inside and closed the doors. She then engaged the lock as
quietly as she could, trying not to make enough noise to alert Serenity. The
guards, of course, would know that it was being locked, and they could unlock
it from the outside if they truly needed to, but she doubted that anyone would
consider trying to disturb the queen at this point in time.
She very slowly walked back down the hall towards the anteroom, taking her
time in doing so. She paused to study the oil paintings hanging on the walls,
idly wondering if she knew any of the artists. I must remember to archive the
paintings on my return, she absently thought to herself as she was reminded of
the small stack of completed paintings sitting in the corner of her room.
She sighed quietly as she moved over to the far corner of the anteroom,
trying to listen to the environment around her. She could barely make out the
faint rumbling sound of Raijen's voice as he spoke quietly to Serenity, and she
was completely unable to hear anything Serenity might have said in reply. I
hope I am not miscalculating anything, she thought as she pried open a hidden
panel set into the marble column.
It hadn't been a lie to tell Serenity that there was an observation point
in the anteroom, as that was exactly where it lay hidden. That it was a source
of observation and not the target was something that she had failed to point
out when it was being discussed, a minor discrepancy that would not bother the
succubus' conscience. Built long before her birth, the observation point had
gradually become forgotten to both the throne and the palace guards, becoming
just another one of the countless and closely guarded secrets she held as the
last living member of the House of Pluto.
The angle was far from ideal, and the focus was slightly blurred from dust
coating the one mirror that she was unable to gain access to, but she was still
able to see the reflected image of Serenity and Raijen holding one another as
they sat on the low-lying couch.
I don't want you to go, Susan translated as she did her best to read their
lips. Nor do I wish to go. You are.... something I have quietly searched all
my life for. What? It is difficult to explain, Serenity, but as I hold you in
my arms, I feel.... Feel what? I don't know, I do not believe I have ever
felt this way. I am no stranger to a woman's touch, but there is something
about yours that.... Go on. Perhaps I can explain it like this....
Susan blinked as she saw Raijen's hand move down to Serenity's chin, very
gently tilting it up at just the right angle. The deep kiss that followed was
enough to raise her eyebrows, not at the kiss itself but at the expression on
Serenity's face as she yielded to him.
She watched anxiously, almost eagerly for Serenity's reaction when the
kiss was finally broken. Lavender eyes looked up at crystal blue eyes for a
number of seconds before she reached up to touch his face, gently bringing his
lips back down to hers for another minor eternity.
Susan sat back and closed the access hatch, absently making sure that it
was perfectly flush with the rest of the marble column. "Very well, Hotaru,"
she said in a soft whisper to the empty room. "I will trust your judgment on
this issue and not intervene. Not that I don't believe you when you said you
knew what you were doing.... it's that I just hope they know what they're doing
as well."
Casting a final glance around the room, she picked up her staff from where
it had mysteriously appeared leaning against the wall. Taking a deep breath,
she cleared her mind of the present and focused on the future, commanding the
Key to Time to open a conduit so that she could tend to her own needs in what
would not be for another seven hundred years.
The muted flash of blue light lasted for only an instant before fading
away, leaving behind two people from two different planets to explore feelings
for one another that, oddly enough, existed in both worlds.
* * * *
"I returned the next morning at a reasonable hour," Susan said quietly to
the spell-bound group surrounding her, intently listening to every word. "Our
visitors must have left before sunrise, for Serenity was alone and the guards
said none had entered or left her chambers. I was afraid to disturb her, but
she awoke on her own. The conversation was.... unimportant, but I remember how
she looked at me with a soft smile on her face, even as she started to cry. I
could only hold her gently as she told me what he had said to her before he had
been forced to leave, about what he knew of the Negaverse military and how to
prepare against it. He also said that he loved her, a meaning that he hadn't
been able to truly learn until coming to her kingdom and holding her.
"It was as if a storm had passed inside her heart. She mourned for his
loss as well as for the loss of Hotaru, but one could see that something had
changed for the better. She was there when Lucille and Amelia left the Moon
Kingdom, destined to return in two weeks. For a number of days she was prone
to unexpected tears at seemingly random intervals, no doubt a result of having
a heavy heart. She appeared to be back to her usual self by the time Skye was
deemed fully recovered and allowed to return to duty, but it was obvious that
she was clearly preoccupied with something. I tried several times to discern
what it was, fearing anxiety about the situation with the Negaverse, but she
assured me that it was not the case and that it was nothing of importance.
"However, it became obvious upon the return of Lucille and Amelia that
whatever had been weighing upon her mind was far from trivial...."
* * * *
"Perhaps I should have worn sunglasses," Serenity muttered to Pluto as she
watched a radiantly cheerful Sailor Venus emerge from the swirling vortex of
the Bridge. She was shortly followed by Sailor Mercury, looking distictly more
relaxed about life than when she had departed.
"Be nice, your Majesty," Pluto replied with a faint smile. "After all, it
is not often that one gets to bask in the jubilant glow of a new marriage."
"Still...." Serenity chuckled. "Welcome back, Lucille."
"Your Majesty!" Venus said joyously as she made a brief curtsey before
giving the queen a decidedly enthusiastic hug.
"I see you enjoyed your honeymoon," Serenity said dryly as she tried to
unobtrusively extricate herself from the vigorous embrace.
"Oh, you have no idea," Venus said with a dreamy smile.
"I'm sure she'll hear about it soon enough," Mercury said with a smirk as
she curtseyed before the queen. "And I'm glad to see you're feeling better,
your Majesty."
"For the most part," Serenity replied with a faint wrinkling of her nose.
"You seem to be doing better yourself."
Mercury blushed unexpectedly and glanced away. "Yes, well, I...."
"Had a good time after she got carted off," Venus interrupted with a saucy
wink. "Reginald almost sent some of his guards after her and her new friend
before he realized that she wasn't being kidnapped by a bandit."
Both Serenity and Pluto blinked hard, exchanging uncertain glances while
Mercury seemed to blush even harder. "Should we inquire about the details, or
will it suffice to say that a purpose has been served?" Pluto inquired in a
delicate tone.
"That will suffice," Mercury said quickly.
"Heh, more like a purpose has been serviced...." Venus teased, giving the
blue-haired woman a gentle elbow.
"Lucy!" Mercury said sharply.
"Admit it, you found a cute guy you liked and he swept you off your feet,"
Venus countered. "And I mean literally swept off your feet."
"Yes, I found someone I liked," Mercury grumbled. "Now go away."
Serenity and Pluto exchanged looks again, knowing smiles tugging on the
corners of their lips. "That is excellent news to hear," Serenity said in a
gentle tone. "I don't suppose this will lead to something more permanent?"
"Well, I...." Mercury started to say.
"Seeing how it took us four days to find her hidden away in a country inn
a good fifty miles down the road, I think... YEOW!" Venus yelped as her foot
was firmly stomped on.
"You should go have that looked at," Mercury said calmly as Venus winced
when she tried putting her full weight on her foot. "Now go away."
"Damn," Venus whimpered. "You probably got laid more than I did, and you
still are acting like a sourpaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"
"Let her go, Amelia," Pluto sighed, wincing at the piercing volume of the
blonde's scream at having the bottom edge of her Sailor Suit yanked clear up to
the base of her shoulderblades. The tension on the fabric caused it to try to
follow the path of least resistance, resulting in an extremely uncomfortable
sensation in Venus' posterior.
Mercury growled something profane in German as she let go and took a step
back, crossing her arms over her chest. "Are you finished?" she asked acidly,
giving Venus a dark look.
"I'vegottagoI'llcatchyoualllaterokay?" Venus blurted out in an unusually
high-pitched voice, trying to tug her skirt down as discreetly as possible.
"We look forward to hearing about the wedding at dinner," Pluto said in a
diplomatic tone. "Perhaps you should return to your quarters to rest from the
journey from Cambridge to the waypoint."
"Thank you," Venus said, pausing only to make a very awkward curtsey to
the queen. "Your Majesty," she added before quickly waddling down the hall,
both hands still trying to tug her Sailor Suit down to a more modest position.
"Was that necessary?" Serenity muttered, averting her eyes from the sight
of Venus' essentially exposed backside.
Mercury snorted quietly in contempt. "She wasn't listening to me, so I
felt a more direct method of getting her attention was needed," she growled in
reply.
"Your secret is safe with us," Pluto assured her as they all started to
head in the general direction of the medical ward. "And I shall see to it that
Lucille keeps the matter to herself."
"That's not the point," Mercury muttered, the blush returning to her face
with a vengeance. "And this is why I don't bother with vacations anymore. You
do one thing that people view as out-of-character, and that's all they gossip
about for months. It's not like she went to the marriage bed as a virgin...."
Pluto exchanged knowing glances with Serenity, causing the lavender-haired
queen to blush faintly. "Very few of us do, Amelia," Pluto said calmly. "And
we certainly don't hold it against anyone. I trust you enjoyed the sum total
of your vacation?"
"The wedding was nice," Mercury admitted. "I probably gained a few pounds
from the reception, though, so I'll probably join Skye on the modified exercise
regimen for a month or two. You could probably use the exercise as well, you
know," she added, casting a glance at Serenity.
"Bleh," Serenity replied, making a sour face as she absently rubbed her
stomach. "Maybe once this virus goes away, I'll consider it."
That stopped Mercury in her tracks, causing her to blink and turn around.
"What? Stomach flu or something?" she inquired as she immediately reached for
her medical scanner.
"Just an unsettled stomach these past few days," Serenity replied with a
soft sigh. She blinked hard as Mercury's computer chittered hard the instant
it was opened, eliciting a profane comment from Mercury. "Amelia!" she gasped
in offended shock.
"Sorry," Mercury replied, giving her an abashed look.
"I thought that had already been done," Pluto absently mused in a casual
tone, causing the other two women to blink hard before blushing.
"Susan!" Serenity sighed in resignation.
"Okay, so I deserved that one," Mercury said ruefully as she typed in a
command on her computer. She paused as it chittered hard again and flashed a
warning on the screen, causing her to sigh heavily. "Great," she sighed. "I
think the Bridge is leaking quantum radiation again. The diagnostic says all
the sensor functions are corrupted. The hardware checks out, it's just all the
software that's.... well, you know," she said, blushing yet again.
"I assure you that there is no radiation leakage," Pluto said calmly. "I
personally check the detectors at least once a week, both in the Moon Kingdom
and at Stonehenge. However, I am inclined to agree with your assessment that
traversing the Bridge may have had introduced the somewhat delicate electronics
of your computer to something it wasn't sufficiently shielded against."
"Lovely," Mercury sighed, glancing down at her computer with a decidedly
unhappy look. "Think the main computer core can repair it?"
"Providing the problem is strictly the software, yes," Pluto replied with
a confident nod. "You should be able to utilize the interface link in your
office."
"Lovely," Mercury said again with another sigh. "So what have I missed
while I was away?" she asked as they resumed walking down the hall.
The explanation of recent events took a good ten minutes to relate as they
reached the medical ward and went inside. Mercury continued to listen as she
pulled out a small shelf from the corner of her desk, putting her miniature
computer into the molded groove and instructing it to connect to the computer
core located deep underground below the Royal Palace. The connection was made
within seconds, and without prompting the device began to download new software
components from the archives to repair the damaged files.
"That sounded like a fun one to deal with," Mercury said absently as she
kept an eye on her computer's tiny display screen. "So how'd Electra end up
reacting to it?"
"Head on, with both fists," Serenity said dryly. "Aria never even got a
chance to say anything, and it took her and three guards to pry Electra off of
the poor fool."
"Ouch," Mercury winced, knowing what the brunette's temper was like when
she was truly upset about something. Granted she usually had a few seconds of
extra tolerance for people who were obviously drunk and probably wouldn't say
such a thing when sober, but there were still things you simply don't ever try
to tell a woman....
"He should have healed by now," Pluto observed with a faint smile. "And
I doubt he will spend nearly as much time patronizing either taverns or women
in the future."
"Something to be said for learning curves," Mercury replied with a quiet
chuckle. She blinked as her computer made a soft, almost complacent chime to
itself to indicate that it had finished repairing the software. "Took you long
enough," she muttered as she shut off the access node and extracted the device
from the groove.
"Patience, Amelia," Pluto said gently. "Bear in mind that the technology
behind that device is a full eleven centuries ahead of the current level of
planetary technology, and even then some things are best left alone to run at
their own pace."
"So I'm spoiled," Mercury countered with a soft sigh as she flicked her
wrist to open the cover out of sheer reflex, pausing slightly as she realized
that it had already been opened. "Anyway," she muttered as she typed in a
diagnostic routine and aimed the edge of the scanner at Serenity. It beeped at
her and she sighed, moving closer to bring the sensor suite to within a few
inches of Serenity's chest and stomach. "Try this again.... hmm?" she said,
her eyebrows arching up as it beeped again.
"More problems, Doctor?" Pluto inquired.
"I'm not sure," Mercury said as she chewed on the edge of her lip. She
glanced up at Serenity and restarted the program she was using, adding several
new requirements to the algorithms. The device hummed very quietly to itself
as it scanned deeper before coming back with another soft beep.
"Amelia?" Serenity prompted quietly, not liking the sudden change in her
best friend's expression.
"It's not a stomach virus, I'll tell you that," Mercury replied absently.
She continued to stare at the display for a moment before clearing the data and
flipping the computer around in her hand, passing it back and forth over her
own abdomen for several seconds.
"Doctor?" Pluto said in a warning tone as the device beeped and Mercury
visibly came within a fraction of an inch of dropping it on the floor.
"Either it's broken or we're in trouble," Mercury said in a flat tone as
she took a deep breath to calm herself. She seemed to pause to think for a
moment before suddenly whipping around to face Pluto, causing Serenity to jump
back in surprise at the unexpected movement. "Susan, come here," she said as
she reset her computer yet again.
Pluto raised a delicate green eyebrow as she approached. "May I remind
you that my physiology is sufficiently different from yours that you are unable
to use my readings as a baseline for anything?" she said gently.
"You'd be surprised," Mercury said in a distracted voice as she passed the
edge of her computer over Pluto's abdomen for several seconds. She paused for
a moment when it failed to beep, giving Pluto a startled look before casting a
glance over her shoulder. "I think we're in trouble."
"Oh, my," Serenity said quietly as she turned pale. "What is it?"
"One moment," Mercury said as she quickly reset her computer and did a
second sweep of Pluto's abdomen before checking herself and then doing a third
scan of Serenity's abdomen. She sighed quietly and closed her eyes as it made
a pair of soft beeps once it finished the analysis. "Yeah, we're in trouble."
"Out with it, Amelia," Pluto said in a flat tone.
"Sit down, Serenity," Mercury sighed as she sat down in her own chair and
waved for the queen to take the empty one against the wall. "You're going to
love this one."
"Doctor...." Serenity started to say as she moved to sit down.
"You're pregnant."
"WHAT?!" Serenity gasped as she bolted back upright as if stung by a bee.
"Apparently, so am I," Mercury added as she looked at her queen.
"But.... but...." Serenity spluttered in shock.
Both Serenity and Mercury promptly blinked hard as there was the sound of
tearing fabric, followed by the sound of something heavy hitting the floor.
They turned around to find a winged Sailor Pluto square on her backside in the
center of the room, her eyes wide and a look of stunned disbelief on her face.
"Chancellor?" Mercury said tentatively.
It took a few moments for Pluto to react, slowly rising back to her feet
and absently brushing her hair back behind her wings. "Amazing," she whispered
to the room in general. "Absolutely amazing." She then blinked and seemed to
refocus, giving Serenity an incredulous look. "Congratulations, your Majesty,"
she said simply. "And to you as well, Amelia."
Mercury and Serenity exchanged looks before the queen sighed and seemed to
collapse into the chair, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees. "I
didn't think it was possible," she whispered quietly.
"Serenity...." Mercury said in a gentle tone. "As your physician, I have
to know. Who?"
"Susan...." Serenity started to say, giving the succubus a queasy look.
"It will remain between the three of us, if you wish," Pluto replied in a
comforting tone. "An explanation of some sort will eventually have to be given
to the public, but I am sure details can be left out to protect both your honor
and his."
"Very well," Serenity whispered as she turned her attention back to her
other best friend. "You remember our other-world guests?"
"Doctor," Pluto said sharply as Mercury's jaw promptly hit the floor and
her eyes became as wide as was physically possible.
"But.... but...." Mercury spluttered.
Serenity sighed and nodded, knowing exactly which detail was causing the
other woman's mind to get caught in a loop of denial. "That's what I thought
myself," she said, reaching up to hold one hand over her abdomen. "Amelia, are
you absolutely sure I'm pregnant?"
Mercury shook her head rapidly, more to try to clear her mind than reply
to anything. "Serenity, this is the doctor in me speaking, so don't get upset
with me when I ask this. What are the chances that someone else could be the
father?"
"Zero," Serenity replied with conviction. "Unless this happened years ago
and I'm just now feeling it.... no," she said with a shake of her head. "This
can only be Raijen's child."
"But *HOW?*" Mercury demanded as she bolted to her feet.
"I think, Doctor, that you know how it happened," Pluto said delicately.
"GODDAMN IT, SUSAN!" Mercury roared. "You know that is NOT what I mean!"
"Nor was that what I intended," Pluto countered dryly. "If you will stop
and think for a moment, you will realize that this situation directly involves
a member of the Royal House of the Moon, and as such, one who has access to the
powers of the cosmic force that binds this universe together."
"The Imperium Silver Crystal," Serenity breathed softly as her eyes went
wide. "Is it possible? Could the Crystal have allowed me to bear his child?"
"With all due respect, your Majesty," Pluto said slowly, "Does it truly
matter? You are now pregnant with a Crown Princess and future Queen, and by
someone you apparently have very strong feelings for. Serenity?" she added,
her expression changing to one of concern as she saw the proverbial flood-gates
open without warning.
"I'm.... I'm fine," Serenity sniffed as tears started to fall. "I knew
something wasn't right since he left, but I didn't imagine I could be...." She
paused for a moment to try to regain her composure before looking up at the two
women she considered her best friends in her entire life. "Do you think I can
do this?" she whispered softly.
"What a stupid question," Mercury growled, causing Serenity to blink.
"Actually, I must concur with Amelia," Pluto added in a gentle tone. "It
is hardly a question of if you can, but rather will you. I must caution you,
however, that it will not be an easy path for you to take, as your state of
health is of extreme importance to the Kingdom. However, I believe that you
have already made up your mind...."
Serenity sniffed quietly as she nodded, casting a look over at Mercury.
"I'm going to need your help with this," she said quietly. "I don't even know
how to change a diaper."
Mercury chuckled quietly and stood up, her own eyes brimming with tears.
"Trust me, I'll be right there next to you," she replied, very gently patting
her own stomach. She looked into Serenity's lavender eyes before shaking her
head to herself. "I don't know what else to say," she said helplessly.
Pluto tilted her head to one side, a faint smile appearing on her lips.
"I believe, Doctor, that given your penchant for crude suggestions at the most
inopportune times, the phrase you are looking for is, 'we're screwed.'"
Serenity and Mercury blinked before exchanging glances, both starting to
blush hard as the full meaning sank into their minds. "Susan," Serenity tried
to say in a stern tone before she started to giggle.
"Well," Mercury said, likewise trying to keep a straight face with little
success, "That I was. Quite well, I have to say...."
"Amelia!" Serenity gasped before they both started to laugh.
Pluto remained where she was, content to observe with a soft smile as the
other two women hugged one another, their laughter mixed with tears as they
struggled to come to grips with their new situations. She knew that an uproar
was less than an hour away, as she was required by law to convene the Council
of Ministers to deliver the news that Serenity was now pregnant. She figured
she could keep it quiet for a week or so, two at the most, before the word was
spread to the general population. She knew the people would support the throne
no matter what, but the political entities in the kingdom would be a different
matter entirely.
She waited until both the giggles and the tears had abated for the most
part before attempting to return their focus to the present reality. She took
a deep breath before clearing her throat. "Doctor Amelia Anderson," she said
in a formal tone, immediately drawing guarded looks from both Mercury and the
Queen. "In accordance with written law and by Royal Decree, as Chancellor of
the Kingdom of the Moon I am hereby relieving you of uniformed duty as a Sailor
Scout. You will immediately reverse your transformation and surrender your
Power Wand to the throne until such time as you are pronounced medically fit
for duty once again following the birth of your daughter."
Mercury blinked hard. "What?"
"You know the rules, Amelia," Pluto said gently. "As with Skye and Dana
when they became pregnant, I have to forbid you to use your powers so as not to
bring harm to your daughter. Even at this early stage," she added.
Sailor Mercury sighed and muttered something beneath her breath as she
rubbed the bridge of her nose for a few seconds. She glanced over at Serenity
before making a face, reaching behind her to retrieve her Mercury Wand from her
Lunar Space pocket. "This is just uniformed duty, right?" she inquired warily
as she handed the Wand to Serenity. "I can still perform my duties as Chief
Medical Officer, correct?"
"As long as you can see your toes," Pluto replied in a rare display of
overt humor. She chuckled as Mercury froze in mid-motion and glared at her,
a dark scowl starting to form on her face. "You will have to take that up with
your mother, as I am not authorized to make medical judgments like that. I
imagine you will be permitted to continue until you are in your third trimester
of pregnancy, at which point you will be placed on administrative duty only."
Mercury blinked hard, her eyes widening at the mention of her mother. The
expression remained frozen in place as her Sailor Suit began to glow, becoming
a field of aqua-colored light that seemed to melt off her like running water.
"Oh, god," she whispered as the reversal of her transformation was finished,
"Mother is going to kill me when she finds out I'm pregnant...."
Pluto chuckled quietly and shook her head. "She will do no such thing,
Amelia," she said in a comforting voice. "After all, it would be hypocritical
of her to make an issue of having a child out of wedlock."
A dark blush sprang to Amelia's cheeks. "That's not why she'll kill me,"
she said in an abashed tone. "She's been wanting a grand-daughter for awhile
now, although she's never come out and said it to my face."
Pluto blinked and exchanged puzzled looks with Serenity. "Be that as it
may," the succubus said slowly, "Why do you think she would try to harm you?"
The blush on Amelia's face promptly darkened by four shades of red. "She
will be upset with me because I had asked her for the recipe for her herbal
contraceptive potion, and I apparently didn't mix it right...."
"You asked about contraceptives before you left?" Pluto said, her eyebrows
arching up in intrigue. "Amelia, you surprise me...."
"Back off, it was for Lucille," the furiously blushing doctor countered,
her cheeks almost incandescent by this point. "I didn't think I'd have to use
it myself, you know. And if you don't quit giggling, I'm going to hurt you,"
she added, casting a remotely amused look at Serenity.
"I don't know what to say," Serenity replied with a soft smile, a single
tear still visible at the corner of her eye. "I'm actually glad I won't have
to go through this alone."
"Same here," Amelia replied with genuine relief. They both paused as they
looked at one another before turning in unison to give Sailor Pluto a decidedly
appraising look. "Chancellor Meiou...." Amelia started to say.
"Out of the question," Pluto said firmly, taking a guess at what had just
gone through their minds. "Due to the stress that the late stages of pregnancy
place on both the body and the mind, it is highly likely that the Council will
demand that her Majesty yield executive power for a period of time in order to
devote her full attention to the task of giving birth to the Crown Princess.
As Chancellor, the duty of maintaining the Kingdom in the interim would fall
upon my shoulders. Were I to be pregnant as well, that would pose an extremely
significant problem in terms of who would be designated responsible for both my
current duties and the duties of the throne itself."
Amelia snorted quietly in distain. "Sounds like a cheap excuse to me,"
she muttered.
Pluto sighed quietly and absently fluttered her wings. "Rest assured that
I will have a child of my own when I am truly ready to, Doctor. You have my
solemn promise on that."
"That's not the point," Amelia said, more to herself than anyone else.
"Perhaps I should put it to you like this," Pluto said in a faintly amused
tone. "If we are to assume that the gestation period of my daughter would be
identical to the length of time between my conception and birth, it would take
eleven months for her to come to full-term and I would be in what Skye called
'bitch mode' for the last five. Labor would last for three days, and because
of my demonic side's resistance to medication, a dosage of sufficient size to
counteract the pain would necessitate a purity and concentration factor that
would be almost guaranteed to cause harm to the fetus. Since I clearly could
not be given any medication under those circumstances, the resulting situation
would likely be.... problematic. That scenario, of course, doesn't take into
account the personality shift I would undergo as a result of being physically
unable to have sex near the end of my pregnancy," she added in a disturbingly
casual manner. "A succubus in withdrawl is.... not someone you would wish to
spend a great length of time being around."
"Eleven months?" Amelia asked, her eyebrows arching up in disbelief.
"Oh, my," Serenity said quietly. "That doesn't sound pleasant."
"I have every reason to believe it is not," Pluto replied. "While I have
encountered a great number of succubi who have borne children, they all are in
agreement that it was not something they would ever consider doing again."
Amelia and Serenity exchanged glances, both visibly reconsidering their
initial thoughts of trying to convince Pluto to have a child of her own. "It
is ultimately up to you as to the timing of such a thing," Queen Serenity said
slowly. "I, of course, cannot and will not order you to do such a thing, but
I do ask that you take the time to consider the prospect at regular intervals."
"I will do that, your Majesty," Pluto replied with a faint smile and a nod
of her head. The smile left her face as quickly as it had come as she decided
that there was no use in trying to put off the inevitable. "Your Majesty, as
members of your Council of Ministers, I must remind you that both Amelia and I
are legally obligated to convene the Council immediately to inform them of this
rather significant change in your health and well-being."
"What?" Amelia said, blinking in surprise.
"Susan, is that truly necessary?" Serenity blurted out quickly, her eyes
widening in heavy concern.
Pluto sighed quietly and looked away. "It is, Serenity, and you know just
as well as I do why. You could, of course, issue a Royal Decree that I not do
so, but you would have to issue a public statement saying that you are, which
would itself defeat the purpose. While the law uses the word 'immediately,' I
can state out of simple practicality that it will take some time, regardless of
the speed desired, to locate and inform all of the ministers of the unexpected
summons. I can do so personally and discreetly, if you desire, but even if I
were to be deliberately casual with my time it would still only take two hours
at the most. And just between the three of us, I see little point in going to
all the effort of trying to stall something that will not be affected by any
sort of delay."
"I think she's right," Amelia said very softly as Serenity gave her an
unhappy look. "You are pregnant, Serenity, and that changes things."
"It will not be discussed," Serenity said quietly but firmly.
Pluto blinked, caught off-guard by her defiance. "Your Majesty...."
"The Queen will be happy to announce the news that she is expecting the
birth of a Crown Princess in several months," Serenity said, still using the
same quiet but firm tone. "There will be no questions about the timing of any
of this, nor will I tolerate any public speculation on his identity. If that
has to be made a Royal Decree, so be it, but that will be the end of it and I
mean it."
"You will need to tell them this yourself," Pluto said softly.
"So be it," the queen replied without hesitation.
"Then with your permission, your Majesty, I shall go summon the Council
of Ministers," Pluto said with a deep curtsey. She had turned around and was
halfway to the door when she heard Serenity call her name in an unusually soft
tone. "Your Majesty?" she said, turning to look at her.
"No-one is to know," Serenity said. "Only the three of us."
"You have my word, your Majesty," Pluto replied with a nod.
"Must it be like this?" Amelia ventured carefully.
Serenity sighed and regarded her carefully. "It must, and it will," she
replied. "I will not allow his honor or memory to become tainted by this, and
I expect you to remain silent as well."
"As you command, your Majesty," the doctor said quietly.
Serenity blinked at the formal phrasing and gave her a deeply saddened
look. "Don't fight me on this, Amelia, please," she pleaded in a whisper.
"You know I'm not going to, Serenity," Amelia said with a weary sigh. "I
just hope you're ready for the political bloodbath that will follow this."
Pluto raised an eyebrow in concern. "Do you forsee a problem, Doctor?"
she inquired in a cautious tone.
"You mean you don't?" the blue-haired physician countered.
"Enough," Serenity said. "Susan, go convene the Council and tell them I
will address them at the eleventh hour. Hopefully we can settle any political
concerns then so we can then move on to other business."
"I will see to it, your Majesty," Pluto promised with a bow of her head
before she headed towards the door. It opened just as she reached it, almost
bumping into her nose by accident. "Oh, good morning, Gretchen," she said as
she recognized the elderly doctor.
"Good morning, Chancellor," Lady Mercury replied as she stepped aside to
allow Pluto to pass. "Good morning, your Majesty," she added as she made a
brief curtsey to the queen.
Serenity and Amelia exchanged looks, both suddenly experiencing an acute
sensation of approaching doom. "Morning, Gretchen," Serenity said, her voice
wavering just slightly.
"Mom," Amelia said by way of greeting, her face turning pale.
Lady Mercury paused, something in the back of her mind warning her that
she had just walked into an unpleasant situation. It dawned on her a moment
later that her usually reserved daughter only called her 'Mom' when she was
feeling ill or was otherwise in need of the kind of emotional support that only
a parent could provide. "Is something wrong?" she asked in a careful tone.
Pluto decided that now was an ideal time to vacate the area. As she left,
she could hear the audibly unsteady voice of Amelia saying, "I think you need
to sit down for this one...."
"Amelia Anderson, what did you do now?" Lady Mercury replied with heavy
resignation as the door closed, preventing Pluto from overhearing whatever else
was said.
I don't envy her at the moment, Pluto admitted to herself as she set off
down the corridor towards the throne room. But then again, I would rather be
in her position than in Serenity's. This is not going to be pleasant....
* * * *
The idle conversation in the throne room came to a halt as the double
doors opened up to admit Amelia and Queen Serenity. There was the expected
murmur of greeting as the Council of Ministers all bowed and curtseyed as the
Queen walked up the short dais of steps to sit on the throne. She did so in
uncharacteristic silence, prompting the exchange of a few subtle glances of
unease among the assembled.
"Your Majesty," Sailor Pluto said in a slightly guarded tone.
Serenity sighed very quietly to herself. "As I am sure we all have other
matters of business that can be tended to, I shall try to make this as short a
meeting as possible," she said in a tone devoid of any hint of emotion. "You
may proceed, Doctor."
Everyone blinked in surprise and turned to look at Amelia, more than one
minister feeling a faint chill in their blood. Pluto had declined to state the
purpose of the meeting when she informed them of it, save that it would be a
formal one. The realization that the young physician wasn't wearing her Sailor
Suit as was customary only added to the unease.
Amelia nodded and drew in a deep breath. "As you know, Sailor Venus and
I have returned from a two-week vacation on Earth. The duty roster has been
modified to reflect her return to duty.... as well as my removal from active
duty as a Sailor Scout."
Her statement prompted the raising of fourteen eyebrows in virtual unison.
"Is there a problem, Doctor?" Minister Harken inquired carefully. Although the
Sailor Scouts were members of Serenity's court, the details of their schedule
of duty fell under the Ministery of the Interior, which meant that Harken also
had to be officially notified of any drastic changes to it.
"That depends on your perspective," Amelia replied tartly. "I have been
relieved of uniformed duty as a Sailor Scout because I am now pregnant."
A soft laugh rose up from the group. "Congratulations, Doctor," Minister
Svetlana said with genuine warmth, a slow smile spreading across her face. "I
take it you discovered you like having the nursery populated?"
Amelia blinked at the casualness of the comment, trying to decide on the
best way to reply to it. "Let's just say that the time seemed right," she said
in a neutral tone. "I am still fully-qualified to be Chief Medical Officer,
and I will remain as such until I'm relieved of that position based on medical
authority from another physician."
The rest of the ministers looked at one another in silence, knowing that
only Minister Svetlana and perhaps Minister Olan wouldn't think anything of a
member of Serenity's court having a child without being married. Of course,
that issue had already come up twice before in the past year when both Sailor
Uranus and Sailor Neptune announced their pregnancies, and there was still a
slight undercurrent of tension in the council because of it.
"We, of course, wish you the best, Doctor," Ambassador Baker spoke up,
drawing nods from the rest of the group.
"Just as long as nobody else is bitten by the bed-bugs," Harken added in
a distinctly ironic tone. "At least, not until Sailor Neptune has returned to
uniformed duty."
There was a distinct shift in Amelia's mood as she exchanged glances with
Sailor Pluto and the Queen, resulting in another collective chill among the
assembled ministers. "Actually, Minister Harken...." Amelia said slowly.
"Don't tell us Sailor Venus is pregnant," Minister Dejanna said, her voice
laced with concern.
A soft snort of contempt rose up from Minister Eldred. "She wouldn't be
the first bride to end up in the maternity ward after her honeymoon," he said
dryly. "I really don't see what the problem would be."
Amelia shook her head, stalling for time as she tried to figure out how to
explain the situation. "Venus is not pregnant," she said carefully.
"So who is?" Harken asked with blatant impatience.
"I am," Serenity spoke up quietly.
The room became as quiet as a tomb as everyone except Pluto and Amelia
blinked hard, eyebrows arching up to hairlines and several fingers discreetly
touching their wrists to verify that they still had pulses.
"Your Majesty...?" Minister Olan said very quietly in the heavy silence.
"Amelia has already performed a blood test," Serenity said in a measured
tone that betrayed no hint of emotion, raising her arm slightly to show the
virtually invisible needle mark over a vein. "And a detailed sonogram from her
medical scanner confirms the results."
The silence returned to the chamber with a vengeance, again lasting for a
number of seconds while the ministers digested this revelation. "If I may,
your Majesty...." Minister Gilmett started to say.
"I am aware of your concerns," Serenity said, cutting him off.
"Be that as it may, your Majesty," Eldred spoke up with a faint scowl,
"There are a number of questions we would like to see answered...."
"I have no doubt that you do, Minister," Serenity replied in a cool tone.
"Let me summarize things for you, and I suggest you pay close attention as I
will not repeat myself. I am now pregnant. By whom is none of your concern,
and I will not tolerate any inquiries or speculation about his identity. He
was a noble man who meant a great deal to me, and I will not stand for having
his honor brought into question. That he is no longer with me was not of my
desire or choosing, but it is not important. What is important is that I will
have a daughter soon, and the kingdom a new Crown Princess."
The rest of the group exchanged a wide array of startled and stunned looks
before Minister Harken cleared his throat loudly. "While I believe the Kingdom
as a whole is willing to overlook the odd indiscretion from the nobility," he
said in a very cautious tone, "I am not so sanguine about their willingness to
do so for the throne. After all, you are the Queen, and thus your actions set
an example for both present and future generations."
Serenity narrowed her eyes at his words. "What exactly are you suggesting
here, Minister Harken?" she asked in a dangerously calm voice.
He paused for a moment as he noticed the wide-eyed look on Amelia's face
and the very subtle warning look from Sailor Pluto. "It is well-known that the
people of this kingdom love you with open hearts," he said. "As such, I have
every reason to believe they would be accepting of the situation if you were to
name your consort. If memory serves, it is hardly an unknown for a noble or
even a Queen to find love and companionship among the common masses...."
"I see you failed to clean your ears in your bath this morning," Serenity
said acidly, prompting hard blinks from half of the assembled group. "I said
he will not be named, and that will be the end of it."
Harken nodded in understanding. "Perhaps, then, it would be prudent for
you to reconsider allowing this to continue," he replied calmly.
Serenity blinked and sat up straight, a confused look crossing her face.
It took a second for her to realize what he was suggesting, and the shock was
enough to paralyze her for another full second. It only took half a second to
leap to her feet, and even less time for her expression to explode into a rage
that was intense enough to frighten even Sailor Pluto.
"YOU DARE?!" Serenity yelled, causing Harken to blink and take a step back
from the suddenly enraged monarch.
"Your Majesty!" Pluto said quickly, moving forward a step to put her in
Serenity's line of sight. "Please, you need to...."
"*GUARDS!*" the Queen roared, her face tinted a dangerous shade of purple.
"Your Majesty, I must protest, you are...." Pluto tried again, glancing
off to the side as the four guards rushed over to the throne with their hands
on the hilts of their swords.
"Seize this bastard!" Serenity demanded, pointing at the visibly surprised
Minister Harken. "Take him outside and...."
"Serenity, that will be enough, you...."
"I will *NOT* tolerate this! Guards, I said...!"
"QUEEN SERENITY, *SIT DOWN!!*"
The room became deathly quiet as the shout echoed throughout the chamber.
Serenity stood as still as a statue, holding the Crescent Moon Wand with both
hands hard enough to turn her knuckles white as she looked at Pluto. The back
of Pluto's suit had been neatly torn in two places by the emergence of her dark
wings, slowly flexing in time with her deep breathing. Her silvery staff was
held tightly in her hands and her eyes seemed to glow with crimson fire.
"Please, your Majesty," Pluto said quietly and calmly as she struggled to
regain her composure. "Allow me to handle this matter."
It seemed an eternity passed before Serenity slowly sat back down on the
throne, her entire body taut with barely-contained tension. Pluto gave her a
deep bow before straightening up and casting a glance to her side. "Guards,"
she said quietly. "You may return to your posts."
"Ma'am?" one of the guards said warily, looking up at Serenity. He wasn't
sure what to make of the situation, and he knew he wasn't the only one with a
hand still on his weapon at the sight of a visibly demonic Sailor Pluto.
"You may go," Serenity replied in a hollow tone.
Pluto waited until the guards had returned to their posts before turning
around to face the distinctly uneasy Minister Harken. She paused for an extra
moment before speaking, trying to further calm herself while adding to Harken's
state of unease. Her razor-sharp fangs were rarely visible to others when she
spoke when her demonic side was made apparent, but even the small glimpses that
could be seen was enough to disturb those who weren't already deeply bothered
by the fierce red glow in her eyes.
"Minister Harken," she said with deliberate slowness and emphasis. "It is
with understanding and regret that I accept your resignation on behalf of the
throne. We all wish you the best in your future pursuits."
"What?" Harken said, furrowing his brow. "Have you gone mad, Chancellor?
Neither you nor the Queen can force me to resign. Dare I even ask what...?"
"Perhaps I should explain it to you like this," Pluto cut him off with a
gesture of her staff. "You just made the suggestion that her Majesty should
not continue with her pregnancy, correct?"
Harken paused as he suddenly sensed that he was standing in a minefield.
"And if I did?" he inquired in a very wary tone. "Or am I not allowed as her
Majesty's Minister of the Interior to make suggestions that she may or may not
care to have said aloud?"
"Very well, I will spell this out for you in simple words," Pluto replied
in a moderate tone. "Speaking only for myself, I would be of the opinion that
you just advocated the removal of the embryo from her Majesty's womb with the
intent of destroying it. Such an action could constitute murder, depending on
the stance one has regarding when life begins."
"Murder?" Harken scoffed. "Ridiculous...."
"Careful, old man," Minister Dejanna warned him softly.
"May I remind you that it is not a matter of what you believe, but what a
magistrate believes on this issue?" Pluto added. "And in any case, surely you
realize that the ultimate appeal of an arbitration of law is not made to the
courts, but to the throne itself. I believe her Majesty's stance on the issue
is readily apparent."
Harken blinked hard and cast a nervous glance at the still-scowling queen.
"Go on, Chancellor," he said in a guarded tone. "What is your point?"
"The point, Minister," Pluto said in a dangerously calm tone, "Is that to
openly advocate the murder of a member of the Royal House, born or unborn, is
high treason and a capital offense punishable by death."
"Treason?!" Harken roared. "You dare accuse me of treason?"
"Enough," Pluto growled, narrowing her still-glowing red eyes. "I grow
quite tired of your argumentative posturing. Perhaps I should stand aside and
allow her Majesty deal with your 'suggestion' herself."
"By all means," Serenity spoke up in a tone cold enough to make the arctic
tundra of Earth's polar ice caps seem hospitable by comparison. "If he would
seek to deprive me of the life I carry, then I think it is only fitting that he
should be deprived of his own life."
"Your Majesty!" Minister Harken blurted out as the full realization of his
situation finally registered. He darted forward to kneel before the throne in
supplication. "Please, I beg your forgiveness, I certainly didn't intend...."
"I know what you intended," Serenity interrupted acidly.
"Minister Harken," Pluto said quietly, "It is only out of genuine respect
for your thirty-eight years of dedicated and unwavering service to the throne
that I offer you the opportunity to make amends by resigning your position from
the government in an honorable fashion. It will be announced that you felt it
was time to retire, and I assure you there will be no mention of any possible
reasons why. You would then be free to say what you will about the Queen and
her decisions, just like any other private citizen has the freedom to within
the current laws."
"That's blackmail, Chancellor," Harken growled quietly.
Pluto snorted in contempt and turned her back to him, fluttering her wings
absently. "More arguments," she said to the room in general. "Very well, you
shall have it your way. Your Majesty, I am finished attempting to reason with
him. Shall I go select a proper executioner for you?"
"Excuse me, your Majesty, but may I speak?" Minister Eldred said quickly.
Serenity nodded. "You may, Minister," she said simply.
"Thank you, your Majesty," he replied with a bow before looking over at
the white-faced Harken and sighing quietly. "Face it, Harken, your tactless
words have finally gotten you into trouble for the last time. Have the balls
to admit that you've lost and resign while you still have your head on your
shoulders. You know as well as I do that Chancellor Meiou has little reason to
be kind to you after all the grief you've given her over the years, and so I
suggest you make the best of her generosity before the last vestiges of her
patience with you runs out."
He sighed quietly and turned back to the throne. "However, your Majesty,
I must agree in part with Minister Harken's assessment of the morality of this
situation. Granted your mother never married your father, but I am certain she
eventually would have were it not for his untimely death shortly after your
conception. I cannot in good conscience support the disturbing trend of your
court's bearing children outside of the sanctity of marriage. It is bad enough
that two of the Sailor Scouts.... soon three," he added with a subtle gesture
to Amelia, "Will have children without a father-figure to guide their lives,
but for our Queen to do so as well is unconscionable. If it is your will to
proceed regardless, then I have no choice but to tender my resignation to you
in protest over the direction you will have taken."
Serenity blinked in surprise and sat up straight. "Eldred, are you sure
you wish to do this?" she asked carefully. "I have always valued your counsel
in most matters, most especially your wisdom in matters relating to our farms
and agriculture. Not even Chancellor Meiou matches your diverse knowledge and
experiences in those areas."
Eldred nodded sadly. "I am deeply flattered by your words, your Majesty,
and I am grateful for the chance to have served the throne for this long, but
this is a matter in which I feel very strongly about. If you wish to view it
as such, you may think of it as being time to change the guard, to obtain some
new perspectives and opinions once the Princess is born. Her birth will change
things, as such royal births always have, and I find it fitting that it would
result in a change of government as well."
Serenity seemed to sigh quietly as she exchanged glances with Pluto. "If
that is truly the way you feel, Minister, so be it," she said in a remorseful
tone. "I would rather not accept your resignation, but I am not about to keep
you here against your will. I ask, however, that you delay this until you have
found a candidate to replace you that you feel comfortable with. As I said, I
strongly value your agricultural advice, and I would like to have someone who
is as equally gifted with such matters are you are."
"I will do my best, your Majesty," Eldred promised with a bow.
Serenity sighed and sat back in the throne, distractedly toying with the
Crescent Moon Wand. "If anyone else feels compelled to resign because of this,
I ask that you take a few weeks to consider your decision carefully. As I will
be a mother in a number of months with a host of new problems to worry about,
I will be needing your guidance more than ever. Even if it's only teaching me
how to change a diaper," she added with a faint note of humor.
"A tutorial can be arranged, your Majesty," Minister Dejanna spoke up with
what might have been a suggestion of a smile on her face. "In the meantime, I
assure you that we will take everything into consideration in regards to this
most unusual situation."
"Please do," Serenity replied with a nod of understanding. "As I imagine
that you all now have a considerable amount weighing on both your minds and
your consciences, I will not detain you further today. Unless there is an
objection, I will not ask for another meeting until the start of next week, as
by then everyone should have come to terms with this."
She sighed and looked down at the Imperium Silver Crystal imbedded in the
curve of the Crescent Moon Wand. "I must admit I'm still trying to grasp the
magnitude of this myself, but know this," she said, looking back up at them.
"I very much welcome the prospect of bearing a new life, as that is simply the
most precious gift I could have ever hoped to receive. If there is any anger
or resentment, you will direct it at me and not her. She is a true innocent,
and as gentle and as loving as you have come to know me to be, I promise you I
will be most unforgiving should any of you cross me in this. I am not a greedy
woman and I have never asked for much from anyone, and so I do not view it as
being selfish when I ask to have this much for myself and to do so in peace.
Just let me be a woman first and a Queen second for once in my life."
"We will do our best, your Majesty," Minister Gilmett said quietly. "With
your Majesty's permission, we should like to take our leave for the day."
"My thanks to all of you for your support," Serenity replied.
The Council all bowed and curtseyed to the throne before turning to leave
as a group. They were halfway to the double doors when Serenity's voice caused
them to stop dead in their tracks.
"Chancellor Meiou, I should like to have a word with you," the Queen said
in a neutral and utterly unreadable tone.
Eight sets of eyes promptly focused on Pluto as she turned around to face
the throne, her face impassive. "Begging your Majesty's pardon, I should like
to first informally address my peers outside for a few moments. This shall not
take long, I assure you."
Serenity raised an eyebrow before she settled back in the throne, making
good use of the small back cushions. "Very well, Chancellor," she replied in
a somewhat cool tone.
Pluto bowed her head in understanding before turning back around to face
the group, fluttering her wings gently. "Shall we proceed?" she inquired in a
casual tone, gesturing towards the doors.
The guards opened the doors as they approached, waiting until they had all
filed outside before closing them again. The noise seemed to sound unusually
loud as they settled together, almost sounding like the knell of a heavy bell.
It was more than a little ominous, sending yet another brief chill through the
veins of the assembled.
"I do not envy you at the moment, Susan," Svetlana spoke up in a cautious
tone, wondering if she was pushing things with the casual use of her name.
"Indeed," Pluto replied frankly with a small sigh of resignation. "As I
keep reminding others, there is a consequence for everything that is said or
done. While I am sure her Majesty is displeased with me at the moment, I doubt
I am in any danger of losing my life," she said, casting a sidelong glance at
Harken.
"You set me up back there," Harken growled softly.
"You set yourself up, old man," Dejanna countered. "What in the name of
the Moon were you thinking?"
"Trying to prevent a scandal from ruining this Kingdom," Harken shot back
with a snarl. "Or am I the only person standing here who sees the potential
for a major uproar from this?"
"Of course you aren't," Eldred said with a scowl. "You are, however, the
only one who needs to learn a lesson in tact and diplomacy."
"Not to mention a lesson in gratitude," Amelia spoke up, giving Harken a
dark look. "The way I see it, Susan just saved your life. Had you made that
same suggestion to me as one of my aides dared to earlier, I'm not sure anyone
could have intervened like my mother was able to."
"Dare we ask, Doctor?" Grace inquired carefully.
Amelia shrugged in dismissal. "She was able to grab the scalpel before I
could, so he was spared the ordeal of having his heart cut out and promptly
reimplanted inside his cranium through his nasal passages."
"Touchy this morning, aren't we?" Pluto observed lightly.
Amelia paused and shifted her focus to Pluto, studying the now-dim glow in
her eyes. "It's probably the hormones," she said. "Let's see you go through
the tornado of emotions once you become pregnant, then see how well you react
to someone offering in all seriousness to kill your daughter."
"Duly noted," Pluto replied with a solemn nod, wondering if it was indeed
the hormones having an influence already and trying not to think how much of a
toll it will eventually take on the blue-haired doctor. Or, for that matter,
what it would do to Queen Serenity....
"I don't suppose there will be a marriage in your future?" Eldred asked
Amelia in a slightly wary tone. "I do not wish to be poking into your private
life, of course, but as I told her Majesty, I find myself becoming.... somewhat
unsettled by this recent trend of unmarried births."
Amelia sighed and glanced away. "I'm not adverse to the idea," she said.
"If I can find him again, and if he loves me, and if he can be brought into the
Moon Kingdom where I know he'll be safe from harm, and if he's willing to stay
out of trouble...."
Several sets of eyebrows arched up in slight confusion. "May I ask where
he is from?" Grace inquired.
"You may not," Amelia replied with another sigh. "Let's just say that he
is a knight on a journey and leave it at that."
Harken snorted quietly in contempt. "You surprise me, Doctor," he said.
"I didn't think you were the type to indulge in casual flings like that...."
No less than three hands promptly took hold of Amelia's arms, keeping her
from making any sudden movement toward him. "That's your problem, old man,"
Dejanna snarled. "You don't think before you open your mouth."
"I think, Minister," Pluto said coolly, "That it would be best if you were
to return to your home to contemplate what direction you wish to take in the
future. As with Minister Eldred's stated intent to resign, you are expected to
find a suitable replacement that you personally feel comfortable with. Should
he or she also share your perspectives about life, so be it."
Harken scowled and looked around at the rest of the group, his expression
darkening further as he realized that he would find very little support among
them. "Very well," he said in a low tone. "But do not think I will forget any
of this, Chancellor."
Pluto tilted her head at a slight angle as she flexed her wings, causing
everyone else to discreetly edge away from her. "Is that a threat, Harken?"
she asked calmly, the demonic glow starting to return to her eyes.
"A warning, Chancellor, nothing more," Harken replied coldly.
"I should hope so," Pluto said softly. "And I should hope that your....
warning is directed at me personally. Should it become known that you are
plotting true treason against the throne...."
Nobody dared move a muscle as Pluto leaned forward slightly, lowering her
voice so that only Harken could hear her clearly. "Strike at the Queen or the
Crown Princess, and I promise you that I will feast on your soul after I rip it
free from its fleshy moorings," she whispered to him, pulling the edges of her
lips back to clearly expose her demonic fangs.
"I would never do such a thing," he whispered back at her. "Never."
Pluto stood up straight and gave him a soft smile as she folded her wings
against her. They seemed to shiver before deflating and becoming absorbed into
the dark scars that marred the skin on her back. "Then it seems neither of us
needs to worry about matters," she said lightly. "Good day, Minister Harken."
"Good day, Chancellor Meiou," Harken responded in a tone devoid of any
warmth. He promptly turned on his heel and departed the group, ostensibly to
return to his home in the northeastern part of the Kingdom.
"I think now would be an excellent time to take our leave," Minister Olan
spoke up in a subdued tone. "Does anyone know if any of the bars have opened
for business yet?"
"A little early to be hitting the bottle, don't you think?" Grace prodded
him gently.
A soft sigh drifted up from Gilmett's chest. "I don't know about you,
Ambassador, but I could probably use a shot of something myself. Come on, you
old goat, let us go see if we can convince a proprietor to unlock a door for
us," he said to Olan. "Anyone else want to come with us?"
Eldred chuckled quietly to himself. "If I could do so without the wife
giving me any grief about it, I would. However, I think it best if I were to
head back home."
"Likewise," Dejanna muttered, rubbing her eyes.
"Want to go see if Lady Aquelin has any special surprises for us today?"
Svetlana said to both Amelia and Grace.
Grace shook her head. "Thank you, but I don't have time for a soak just
yet. I need to finish packing for an extended stay on Earth, and I have yet to
check with her Majesty about a few details."
"Where to this time?" Svetlana inquired.
"The Far East," the redhead replied. "The Song Dynasty of China covers a
significant amount of terrain, and the emperor is eager to show it off to me."
"Who's going with you?" Amelia asked.
"Either Sailor Jupiter or Sailor Mars," Grace said with a slight shrug.
"It was still being discussed the last time I talked to her Majesty."
"Take Aria," Pluto suggested. "She would probably appreciate the beauty
of the region more than Electra would. Plus, I imagine Aria would be able to
blend into the native population far better than either Electra or yourself."
"Tell me about it," Grace chuckled as she ran her fingers through her red
hair. "They can usually see me coming a mile away. Alright, I'll ask her
Majesty about it when I go to finalize the details with her."
"Shall we go gossip with Lady Aquelin then, Doctor?" Svetlana said as she
gestured to Amelia. "I'm sure you have some catching up to do."
Amelia blinked and visibly hesitated. "I've got work to do," she said in
a cautious tone.
"Which you can do after a relaxing soak," Svetlana purred quietly as she
tugged on Amelia's sleeve. "Besides, I want to hear about how Sailor Venus'
wedding ceremony went, and I'm sure the rest of Lady Aquelin's staff does as
well. Come, come, Doctor, let us leave the good Chancellor in peace while she
prepares for her own execution at the Queen's hands...."
"Thank you, Minister," Pluto said dryly as a series of very faint chuckles
rose up around her. "I shall see you all later," she added with a slight bow
of her head before she turned around and opened one of the doors leading into
the throne room.
"The Queen really won't hurt her.... will she?" she heard the tentative
voice of Minister Olan behind her as she slipped inside.
"Like I warned earlier," Amelia replied in a flat voice, "You need to be
careful when you're around a pregnant woman, as the hormones we become burdened
with tends to make life.... interesting."
Indeed, Pluto thought to herself as the heavy door closed behind her. And
things are going to be getting very interesting around here in the weeks and
months ahead. The question is, are we truly prepared to cope with it?
* * * *
"I never did find out what Serenity had wanted to say," Susan said quietly
to the spell-bound audience surrounding her. "When I returned to the throne
room, Serenity was preoccupied with a visit from Tigris, Chamomile, and their
kittens. She gave me a rather weary look before she dismissed me and returned
to playing with them, no doubt not wanting to upset them or expose the kittens
to anything that their parents might not wish them to hear. When I asked her
about it later, she merely shrugged and told me not to worry about it.
"Ami was born thirty-five weeks later, delivered by her grandmother and
with a heavily pregnant Queen Serenity in attendance. Amelia was worried that
it might send Serenity into sympathetic labor, but it would be another three
weeks before her Majesty finally went into labor. Neither Amelia nor I could
say if the delay was due to Serena's denizen side, but the rest of the Kingdom
merely thought of it as the Princess' natural reluctance to leave the sanctuary
of her mother's womb.
"On the day of Serena's birth, Ministers Harken and Eldred announced that
they would be retiring in order to make way for a new generation of advisors.
It came a mild surprise to the public, but was nonetheless met with sense of
understanding. They were given the customary accolades befitting their long
service as ministers, and only a handful in the palace knew their true reasons
for retiring. Their replacements were properly vetted and approved by the time
the Princess was sleeping through the night, and life went on."
The silence that followed the conclusion of her narration was expected, as
were the slightly wide-eyed looks of wonder and amazement. The story-teller in
her always disliked coming to the end of such a narration, but the rest of her
rejoiced in the satisfaction of having entertained yet another audience in a
truly captivating fashion. Although she would not have cared to admit it, it
was one of the few things in life that provided her the emotional satisfaction
she knew she needed, but was somehow unable to provide for herself.
"Wow," Mina's soft voice said, breaking the gentle silence and startling
everyone out of their own quiet thoughts.
"Tell me about it," Darian spoke up as he absently ran a fingertip across
the back of Serena's neck. "I know some people were destined to be a pain in
the butt at birth, but this one sort of takes the cake," he teased gently.
"Darian!" Serena gasped as she sat up straight, her face contorting in a
grimace as the gesture yanked hard on her wings. She quickly unwrapped them
from their anchoring points around the edge of the chair and turned around to
give him a decidedly unamused look.
"Damn, D," Alex chuckled. "Even I know that you're not supposed to go out
of your way to upset your girlfriend."
"I beg to differ," Michelle muttered quietly, drawing a round of chuckles
from the rest of the group.
"Just means you're all the more special, my love," Darian murmured as he
drew Serena down to him for a soft and protracted kiss.
Leda shook her head to herself and glanced over at the other end of the
couch, blinking hard at the look on Ami's face. "Ami, you okay?" she asked in
concern.
"I'm fine," Ami replied in a hollow tone as she stared at her miniature
computer's display. She absently typed in a few diagnostic commands, running
it through a series of tests to make sure it was fully functional again.
"You sure?" Leda persisted. "You don't sound too happy about something."
"I'm fine, Leda, just leave it alone," Ami replied quietly.
Susan cleared her throat gently. "Ami, I think...." she started to say.
"Leave her alone," Rei spoke up, cutting the succubus off. "Let her cope
with the notion of being conceived by accident."
"Rei!" Leda snapped, giving the priestess a sharp look.
Rei ignored her and slowly opened her eyes, staring into the odd green
flames of the candle in front of her. "That's what it is, isn't it?" she asked
calmly, studying the spectral fire before shifting her focus over to Ami. "You
heard Susan relate your mother's confession that she was actively trying to
avoid from becoming pregnant, made a mistake, and wound up with you. That's
not sitting well with you, is it?"
"What the hell, Rei?" Alex demanded as she sat up, a dark scowl forming on
her face. "Did Ami piss on your pancakes this morning or what?"
"What do you think?" Ami whispered to Rei as tears started to well up.
"Does it matter what I think?" Rei replied as she stood up. "I honestly
could care less what happened. You were conceived and your mother gave birth
to you. I don't know what she was thinking, of course, but if I had to guess
I'd say that it meant she wanted to have you. After all, she's a doctor, she
could easily have aborted you if she didn't want to have a child. So what if
you weren't planned out on a calendar or pencilled in on some work schedule?"
"Rei...." Leda said quietly in a warning tone, keeping one eye on Ami's
severely rattled expression.
"What does it change, Ami?" Rei said flatly, causing everyone to blink at
the faint edge creeping into her tone. "You didn't know until a few minutes
ago, and neither did the rest of us. Okay, so now we know. So what? If you
want another example, just look at Serena. Her conception was just as much of
an accident as yours was, but do you see anyone else getting upset about it?
She is now what she was five minutes ago, and has always been since we first
met her. And I could care less about the wings," she added, giving Serena a
sidelong look before looking back at Ami. "You haven't changed, Ami, and I
don't think anyone here cares about the details of your birth. And if any of
you do, now's the time to speak up so we can put this one to rest," she added
with a growl as she turned around to glare at the rest of the room.
The room was deathly quiet for a number of seconds, everyone trying to
figure out what exactly had lit the fuse on Rei's temper. The heavy silence
continued to persist before it was broken by the creaking sounds of the odd
cup-like chair as Darian carefully climbed out of it.
"Honestly, Rei," he said in a neutral tone. "Was that really directed at
Ami, or was that one for your own benefit about your own past?"
Rei seemed to pause before glancing back at Ami. "I'm not sure, now that
you mention it," she said calmly. She continued to study the look on Ami's
face, a mixture of stunned disbelief and uncertain acceptance. "That sort of
took me by surprise as well. Or is this your influence?" she added, one hand
reaching up to touch the brooch that housed the Imperium Silver Crystal.
"The wisdom of the Crystal has been known to make itself heard from time
to time," Susan spoke up quietly. "It will not hesitate to speak out when it
feels the need, but there are other times when it seems to prefer to borrow the
voice of its mistress instead."
"Figures," Rei muttered as she glanced down at the brooch. "You never
pass up any opportunity to use me as a pawn, do you? No matter," she added in
apparent dismissal. She sighed quietly and looked up at Ami, staring into her
medium-blue eyes. "You do understand what I'm saying though, right?"
"I think so," Ami said very quietly. "But it still hurts, Rei."
"Just imagine what the pain would be like if you knew even less than what
you know now about your origins," the priestess replied. "I'm not saying it
doesn't hurt, Ami. I understand your pain, believe me. Just take comfort in
the fact that you know more than you used to, and keep in mind that we are your
friends. We don't care what happened, especially when we know it was totally
outside your control. You're one of us, that's all that we care about."
Alex just shook her head to herself as Ami nodded and wrapped Rei in a
tight hug. "She had me worried there for a moment," the blonde muttered to
Michelle as she sank back down on the L-shaped couch, reaching out to caress a
lock of aquamarine hair.
"Question for you, Serena," Mina said as she toyed with the settings on
her synthesizer. "What's the difference between an accident and a surprise?"
The room suddenly became very quiet as Serena blinked in confusion. "Umm,
I don't know," she said in a guarded tone, wondering if there was some sort of
a hidden punchline she should be leery of.
"Good, neither do I," Mina replied cheerfully, playing a triple-note chord
as emphasis. "So I guess it doesn't matter, then, does it?"
There was a slightly awkward silence before Alex sighed and looked up at
the ceiling. "Remind me never to play cards with you, hon," she said. "You've
got entirely too many wild cards shuffled into your deck."
"Ummm.... thank you?" Mina replied with a blank look.
"Anyway," Leda sighed as she rubbed her temples. She paused and made a
sour face as she rubbed her stomach. "Yeech, it must be late or something,
'cuz I'm hungry as hell now. Anyone else think it's past dinner-time?"
Susan nodded as she sat back in her chair. "It is rather late," she said
in a faintly apologetic tone. "I honestly did not anticipate that it would
require this long to relate the events leading to Serena's genesis."
"Hey, I'm not complaining," the brunette replied with a chuckle. "I think
it was a wonderful story to hear, to be honest, and one worth delaying dinner
for. My only question now is what should I go hunting in the kitchen for?"
"Not this one again," Darian chuckled softly as he reached out to gently
take hold of one of Serena's wings, very lightly stroking the glowing ribbon.
"I assure you nothing in the kitchen needs to be dealt with in an unusual
fashion," Susan said dryly. "As I said earlier, I don't stock anything that
would be harmful to or problematic for humans."
A smirk crept across Leda's face as she stood up. "Be that as it may...."
"Hey, Sue?" Alex spoke up. "Think we should push dinner back further for
tonight? I still want to get a good workout in, and you know that's not wise
to try to do on a full stomach. Not like we need to work up an appetite first
or anything, but still...."
"Honestly?" Mina said with a slightly sour expression. "It can wait until
tomorrow. I don't know about you, but I'm starting to get super-hungry myself,
and the idea of putting it off for another few hours while we see who can win
the 'Collect the Bruises' training game doesn't exactly appeal to me."
"Whiner," Alex grumbled quietly, drawing a gentle poke from Michelle.
"Hey, you can go play outside if you want," Mina replied with a shrug of
dismissal. "I might even come watch after I've eaten something. But I'm not
going to work up a hard sweat tonight. Save that for the morning." She paused
and cast a slightly guarded look at Susan as she heard her chuckle quietly to
herself.
"The morning it is, then," Susan said casually. "I shall ensure a proper
training environment is constructed out of the Ether before you wake up."
There was a long pause from the rest of the group as they all exchanged
uncertain and unsettled glances. "Why do I think I just made a mistake?" Mina
said very quietly to Rei.
"We will see," the priestess replied simply.
"Guys?" Leda said, tapping her foot gently. "I need ideas for dinner.
Maq'i, you have any preferences?" she asked the ancient Healer, causing the
rest of the room to blink at the reminder of her presence.
"I doubt you have any denizen foods stocked here," Maq'i replied with a
casual shrug, one hand absently stroking Myst's silky gray fur. "No matter, I
have found everything you have made so far to be quite to my liking."
"How about chicken?" Serena suggested. "Haven't had that lately."
Ami nodded in agreement. "Baked chicken sound good, and it's safe for
denizens to eat."
"Barbecue it?" Alex added a moment later. "That's always tasty."
"You always make a mess with that, though," Michelle pointed out.
"C'mon, love, that's what napkins are for...."
"You had three napkins on you the last time Lady Kayla listened to one of
your dinner suggestions and made some barbecued ribs, and you still managed to
stain your clothes with that fruity sauce or whatever it was that you used."
"It was Mom's pineapple-and-honey glaze, thank you, and it was delicious."
"Oh, definitely, but it still make the laundry hamper reek...."
"There's a thought," Leda said to the room in general. "Baked chicken
with an orange-and-lemon glaze. Might be able to come up with a rice pilaf to
go with it, if I can find a steamer and the right vegetables...."
"Ooooh, yummy," Serena purred, her triple-tone voice making a decidedly
pleasing harmonic.
"Hey, wait a second," Alex protested quietly to Michelle. "How'd we go
from using pineapple and honey to using oranges and lemons?"
"I don't know," Michelle whispered back. "But it sounds good...."
"Stir-fry it?" Darian suggested.
Leda wrinkled her nose. "I didn't see a wok in there," she said, making
a gesture to the kitchen.
"So improvise," Rei said calmly as she sat back down on her pillow in the
circle of candles.
"You're a lot of help, Rei," the brunette grumbled quietly.
Rei paused and looked up at her. "Don't tell me you need someone to show
you how to fry rice in something that's not coated with Teflon," she said in a
casual tone.
"Ooooooooooh," both Mina and Alex said in low tones, their eyes twinkling
with amusement at the implied challenge.
Leda frowned and jerked her thumb over her shoulder. "Whenever you're
ready, pyro," she said in a neutral tone. "I'll take care of the rest if you
want, but the rice is yours. And if you burn it, you eat it."
Rei said nothing as she rose back to her feet, pausing for a moment as she
looked down at the flickering green flames arrayed around her. She stared at
one for a moment before passing her hand over it, one delicate eyebrow arching
up in surprise. She hesitated for a moment before reaching down, apparently
trying to pick up the flame with her fingertips.
"What the hell...?" Alex gasped as she sat up straight.
"Rei?" Serena whispered in confusion, her golden eyes wide as she watched
the priestess cup the small green flame in the palm of her hand.
"Interesting," Rei said quietly, staring at the small wisp of green fire
that formed a small ball in her hand. It appeared to still be burning like a
normal tongue of fire, only without producing any heat that she could feel.
She continued to stare at it before making a fist, crushing the flame out of
existence with a very faint puff of green smoke.
Darian and Ami traded weary looks before seeming to sigh in unison. "I
give up," Ami muttered as she closed the lid on her computer and tucked it away
in her Lunar Space pocket. "I'm not even going to bother trying to figure out
what just happened."
"I know exactly what you mean," Darian replied with a nod. "Mind if I
have a moment of your time?"
Ami paused and regarded him carefully. "If it's a pep-talk about coming
to terms with my past, I appreciate the sentiment, but I'm fine," she said in
a faintly edged tone. "Honest."
"That's good to hear. Can I have a moment of your time anyway?" he asked
calmly, making a gesture towards the residential hallway.
She gave him a slightly suspicious look before standing up. "Alright,"
she said quietly as she walked towards the corridor. He began to follow her,
both disappearing around the corner several moments later.
"Yeah, whatever," Leda said, shaking her head to herself. "C'mon, pyro,
let's get dinner started. The bird isn't going to cook itself, you know. Oh,
and don't forget to wash your hands," she added casually. "I know you like to
play with fire and all, and I have to admit that was a neat trick you just did,
but we don't need any extra carbon on the food.... Oh, lighten up," she sighed
as Rei brushed past her without a single word.
"Okay, Sue," Alex said slowly as she sat back down on the couch, absently
putting one arm around Michelle's shoulders. "So if we're not going to have
any practice until tomorrow morning, what are we supposed to do for the rest of
the evening?"
"There's always the hot tub Susan said she repaired," Michelle immediately
spoke up before Susan could even draw a breath.
Alex paused for a moment, giving Michelle a sidelong glance before looking
over at Serena and Mina. "Okay, I think I walked into that one," she said to
the room at large. "Any other options availble?"
"Maybe we should ask about the game-plan for tomorrow," Mina pointed out
as she stretched. "I'm pretty sure we can all find ways to keep ourselves duly
occupied after dinner. And a protracted soak isn't a bad idea, either."
Susan thought carefully for a moment before speaking up. "I will probably
wake everyone up at what would normally be daybreak, and the training program
should take an hour or two to fully execute. Depending on how things go, we
will discuss how things went after breakfast and perhaps spend some extra time
going over a few important points. I believe that we need to return our guest
to the present soon, however, as by lunchtime tomorrow we will be two full days
out of synch with the rest of the flow of Time. While the strain on the rest
of you would be virtually undetectable, it is a documented fact that the longer
one is exposed to the steady current of Time without interruption, the harder
one feels the effects of being out of synch."
"Meaning...?" Alex prompted with a slightly confused look.
"It means that I am an old woman," Maq'i spoke up with mild amusement.
"And as such, I am not nearly as resilient as someone who is your age."
"Right," Alex said slowly, giving Maq'i an appraising look. "Remind me
again just how old you are?"
"Let me see...." the Healer said thoughtfully as she sat back.
"Nevermind," Alex replied with a sigh. "If you actually have to stop and
do the math to find out how old you are, that says it all right there...."
"Alex," Susan admonished the blonde with a quiet sigh of her own.
"Twenty-two hundred years is as close as I can get," Maq'i spoke up in a
gentle tone, causing Alex to blink in surprise. "If you want me to refine that
further, I'd need a denizen calendar and my medical records."
"You're over two THOUSAND years old?" Alex said as her eyes widened.
"Give or take," the denizen replied off-handedly.
"Holy crap," Alex said, shaking her head in disbelief. "That makes Sue
sound like a teenager again...."
"Thank you, Alex, that will be more than enough," Susan replied dryly.
"Oh, come on, Sue, you know I mean than in a good way...."
"Michelle?" Serena spoke up, making a pointing gesture with a pair of her
ribbon-like wings. "Is that bag empty?"
Michelle immediately leaned forward to grab the forgotten bag of pretzels
off of the ground. "Nope," she said cheerfully as she grabbed a plum-sized
pretzel from the bag.
"Oh, hey, I forgot about thommmmmph!" Alex started to say before she was
somewhat forcefully introduced to the baked treat.
"Finally," Mina muttered quietly to herself, drawing an amused look from
Michelle.
Serena gently cleared her throat, blinking along with everyone else at the
decidedly unusual sound her new vocal chords made. "Bleh," she grunted quietly
before looking back up at Michelle. "Could you please toss me one of those?"
she asked, making another pointing gesture with a softly glowing wing. "I'm a
little hungry myself, and I figured that it'd make a suitable snack...."
"Oh, sorry!" Michelle said quickly as she stood up with the bag in hand.
"I thought you just wanted me to keep Alex quiet. Here you go, your Highness,"
she said as she held the bag out to Serena.
Serena gave her an odd look for a moment before shaking her head. "Thank
you," she said as she extracted a pair of pretzels from the bag. She brought
one to her mouth and was a fraction of a second away from biting into it when
she heard a noise behind her, turning her head to look with the pretzel still
in her mouth.
Both Ami and Darian seemed to pause for a moment, their eyebrows arching
up in unison at the sight of a large pretzel hanging out of Serena's mouth.
"Well, at least her appetite is back to normal," Ami muttered quietly as she
retrieved her miniature computer from her Lunar Space pocket.
"Or what passes for normal," Darian quipped as he came over to Serena's
chair and kissed her shoulder. "Hungry, I take it?" he asked lightly. He got
a loud cruching noise in response and chuckled quietly. "Just thought I'd ask.
Susan, do you have a few moments?" he called out.
"Unless I am required to rescue my kitchen from another culinary disaster
the likes of which I have not seen in four centuries, I do," Susan said with a
hint of dryness as she stood up.
"Ugh," Mina muttered sourly. "Was a reminder of that really necessary?"
"Mwhaphmhin," Alex added with a nod, still chewing on the pretzel.
Susan paused and raised a delicate green eyebrow. "Perhaps not," she said
in a casual tone. "However, as Alex is fond of pointing out, everyone needs to
be laughed at occasionally, as humility is good for the soul."
Alex immediately started to make a rasping noise as she was startled into
swallowing a small fragment of pretzel down the wrong pipe. Michelle promptly
thumped her hard in the back, resulting in a minor explosion of pretzel debris
that made everyone wrinkle their nose in disgust.
"Thanks for sharing," Mina sighed as she looked up at the ceiling.
"Whoops, sorry," Alex apologized as she cast about for a napkin to use,
still rasping quietly as she tried to finish clearing her lungs.
A faintly disturbing smile appeared on Susan's face. "Thank you for your
perfect demonstration of my point, Alex," she said lightly.
"Anyway...." Darian said, pointedly ignoring the scene.
Susan smiled to herself and absently ran a hand through her hair. "So
what can I do for you, your Highness?" she said to Darian.
Darian glanced at Ami for a moment before taking a deep breath. "Well, I
have an idea that might help the situation, but we're not sure it'll work, so
we would like a volunteer to use as a guinea pig first," he said carefully.
Susan paused and regarded Ami carefully. "We?" she echoed.
"Darian wants to see if I can use my vampiric hypnosis to force Serena
into a purely human form," Ami explained, giving Serena an uneasy glance. "We
know your natural form has wings and that you can absorb your wings at will, so
it's possible Serena can do this as well."
"I know we sometimes tease her for not being the world's fastest learner,"
Darian added, giving the blonde a reassuring smile, "But I'm not exactly sure
that time is on our side, given the situation in the Negaverse, so it might not
be wise to wait and see if she can figure it out on her own."
"Hey!" Serena protested, purely out of reflex before she paused and sorted
out what exactly he was saying. "Well.... maybe you're right...."
Susan immediately shook her head. "That is exceedingly dangerous for a
number of reasons. First and foremost, we have no idea if such a masking of
her denizen side is even possible. Second, any attempt at dominating her will
is almost guaranteed to provoke a reaction from her aura that could be harmful
to Ami. Third, even if Serena's aura fails to react, Ami will still have to
pit her willpower against Serena's, which will hardly be an easy task and is
likely to put a considerable strain on the both of them. Were I to lay odds,
I would put it at seven-to-three in favor of the Princess."
"Whoops," Darian said very quietly.
"Not exactly something you want to be taking to Vegas," Mina muttered.
"Where?" Alex asked quietly.
"Tell you later," Mina replied with a not-now gesture.
"Susan?" Darian said carefully. "Does that take Ami's vampiric nature
into account? I've been hit with her hypnosis before and I doubt anything else
would have had a greater impact, short of dropping a full sandbag on my nuts.
Don't look at me like that," he added as Ami blinked hard.
"Was it that bad?" she asked in a small voice.
Darian shrugged in dismissal. "It got my attention, I'll tell you that.
Do it to me again without warning and we will have words, but if Serena both
expects and accepts it...."
"Be that as it may...." Susan started to say.
"I trust Ami," Serena spoke up quietly.
"Your Highness," Susan spoke firmly. "Your faith and trust in Ami is not
at issue here. What is, however, is her ability to do so without causing any
harm to either you or herself in the attempt."
Darian held up a single finger. "Which brings us back to our question
about a guinea pig for testing purposes. This way, you get to gauge Ami's
willpower, Ami gets to see if she can force a change, and we learn if the Law
of Unintended Consequences appears to be poised to bite us on the backside in
the process."
Susan remained silent for a number of moments, briefly studying Ami before
turning her focus to Serena. She seemed to take her time looking over Serena's
denizen wings before turning to face Darian with a soft sigh. "Very well," she
said calmly. "But I must point out that testing this on me will not help Ami
prepare herself for coping with Serena's protective aura."
"I think I understand the risks," Ami said quietly.
Susan raised an eyebrow in response. "I am not so sure that you do, but
no matter. You may begin when you are ready," she said as she took a step back
from the group and seemed to steel herself.
Ami nodded and slowly drew in a breath, pausing as Darian leaned over to
whisper into her ear. She blinked hard and turned to give him a guarded look.
"And that's supposed to be encouragement?" she demanded.
He gave her a moderate look and leaned close to whisper quietly again. He
then moved over to Serena's side and carefully curled back up in the chair, one
hand reaching out to gently grasp several of her wings.
"I.... never thought of that," Ami admitted with an embarrassed blush.
"We can discuss it later," Darian replied as he stroked the full length of
one of Serena's glowing wings, causing a blissful smile to spread across the
blonde's face.
"I suppose," Ami said as she turned back to Susan and slowly drew in a
deep breath. Her medium-blue eyes darkened to a steel-blue shade as she let
her vampiric nature assert itself, unlocking her powers of hypnosis. A faint
gleam appeared in her eyes as she directed her willpower at Susan, trying to
force the succubus to reveal her true nature. You will let your demonic side
show, she thought as hard as she could. You will display your wings for us.
Susan's eyes widened as she felt the impact of the hypnosis, making her
blood feel like it was a boiling gelatin that seared her body. Her demonic
side fairly screamed inside her skull, writhing and clawing at the mental box
she had constructed to keep it contained. The feeling was hardly a pleasant
one, and she soon found herself fighting a losing battle against a force of
will that she had vastly underestimated. The urge to relent was overwhelming,
and she felt her control crumbling like a sand castle encountering the tide.
The demonic wings didn't so much unfurl from her back as erupt like an
explosion. The transformation took place so rapidly that the surrounding air
was pushed aside all at once, producing a sharp snapping noise that sounded
like a whip being cracked. She staggered forward from the force, almost being
driven to her knees before managing to recover her sense of balance.
"Holy crap!" Alex gasped as both she and Michelle darted to their feet.
"Susan, are you okay?" Michelle said an instant later as the green-haired
succubus seemed to wilt, reaching out to grab the nearest solid object for
support.
"Fascinating...." Susan panted quietly. She continued to hold onto the
couch for a number of seconds before pushing herself upright, flexing her wings
very slowly to ease the sudden tension in them. "Perhaps I have indeed failed
to take your vampiric powers into account, Ami," she said in a steady tone as
she gave the blue-haired girl an appraising look.
"Are you alright?" Ami asked in concern, her eyes filled with worry.
Susan merely chuckled as she stood up straight and brushed her hair back,
making sure it fell neatly into the space between her wings. "I believe I now
understand what Darian meant when he compared the experience to having a heavy
object dropped on a sensitive portion of the anatomy," she said with amusement.
"It was a somewhat unsavory experience, but one I found to be enlightening."
"Right...." Alex muttered as she sat back down on the L-shaped couch,
slowly shaking her head. "Darian calls it a kick in the nuts, and you call it
enlightening. You're definitely a piece of work, Sue, you know that?" She
paused as she heard an odd warbling noise and leaned forward to get a better
look at the chair. "Serena, was that...? Oh, nevermind," she sighed quietly.
"Darian, stop that. Get a room or something."
"Sorry," Darian apologized as he quit the super-gentle nibbling of the tip
of the glowing wing he was holding.
"Ignore her," Serena whispered, her eyes closed and with a truly blissful
look on her face. "She's just jealous she doesn't have sensitive wings like
that. Mmmmmm...."
Mina and Michelle exchanged pained looks before shaking their heads in
unison. Ami cast a quick glance over at Serena before looking away with a
faint blush on her cheeks, looking behind her to find a decidedly amused Maq'i
still stroking a ball of fur that seemed to be little more than a pair of eyes
and a pair of perked-up ears.
"I presume you will now attempt the reverse of your hypnotic suggestion?"
Susan inquired, privately sharing Serena's sentiment about jealousy and having
sensitive wings. "I believe that it should be.... somewhat less traumatic of
an experience, but I have been proven wrong once already."
Ami nodded in understanding. "Just a moment," she said quietly.
"Headache?" Darian asked carefully.
"Somewhat," Ami replied in a faintly sheepish tone. She blinked as she
suddenly felt something coiling around her arms, gently pulling her a little
closer to the cup-like chair. "What? Serena, what are you...? Oh, thanks,"
she said as she felt several of the glowing ribbons start to rub the back of
her neck in a decidedly fluid rhythm.
Mina giggled quietly to herself. "I take it you're really getting the
hang of those things, eh?" she spoke up.
"I think so," Serena replied with a faint blush. "It really feels weird,
to be honest, but at the same time it feels.... normal, I guess."
Mina smiled in response. "See, who says you're not a quick learner?"
"Darian," Alex spoke up with a wicked chuckle.
"Leave me alone," Darian grumbled quietly.
"I have a question, dear child," Maq'i said to Susan as she gently set
Myst aside to stand up. She paused as she heard a muffled snort from Alex,
turning to regard her carefully. "Is something the matter?"
The blonde just shook her head. "Not really," she replied. "I just find
it odd that anyone could possibly call Sue a child and get away with it."
"Alex," Susan sighed quietly.
Maq'i laughed softly to herself. "Once you reach my age, anyone who lacks
facial wrinkles is probably young enough to be your grand-daughter," she said
with amusement. "If I understand her age correctly, which I am not certain I
do, she would indeed be both young enough to be a grandchild and old enough to
make someone a great-grandparent."
"That still wouldn't make her a child," Alex pointed out.
"All things in perspective, Alex," Susan explained patiently.
"Whatever, Sue," Alex sighed. She turned her head to see what the soft
crinkling noise was, only to blink hard as she found herself encountering yet
another hard-baked pretzel.
"Sorry," Michelle apologized quietly, more to the rest of the group than
to Alex. She set the nearly-empty bag aside and sat down, curling up on the
short end of the L-shaped couch to lean against Alex.
"I was wondering about the similarities between your wing structure and
the Princess' wings," Maq'i said slowly. "Physically they are different, of
course, but I was wondering about the nature of the dimensional component that
you seem to possess."
Both Maq'i and Susan blinked as Ami muttered something toxic beneath her
breath. "I knew I forgot to do something," she growled quietly. "Susan, when
this is over I'd like to sit down with you and try to figure out how to design
a better sensor suite. I'm able to detect the physical structure of Serena's
wings now that I know what to look for, but I can't definitively map it out."
Susan nodded in understanding. "It is a logical impossibility for a map
of a four-dimensional object to be made by a device limited to three dimensions
of geometrical understanding. I suspect that you are able to scan her wings
with your current sensor suite by sacrificing depth-perception in order to use
the data from the planar dimension."
"Dammit, Jim, I'm a doctor, not a cartographer," Mina said quietly to
herself as she toyed with the settings on her synthesizer. She paused and
looked up as she found herself on the receiving end of a number of confused and
odd looks. "What, nobody else here ever watched Star Trek?"
"Mina?" Darian said with a sigh of resignation. "Do us all a favor and
go enjoy a pretzel or something."
"Oh, pooh, listen to you guys...."
"Back to Maq'i's question," Darian said, pointedly ignoring the blonde.
"What do you wish to do?" Susan inquired.
"A simple comparison," Maq'i replied. "If your wings are in a similar
phased-dimensional state as the Princess' wings are, then it would stand to
reason that they could likewise be.... folded, if you will, into that other
dimensional existence."
"Logical," Susan replied as she turned around to let Maq'i examine her
leathery wings. "We already know her wings are phased between two planes of
existence, and that they were forced into the mortal plane while inside this
keep, so it stands to reason that they can be forced into the Ethereal plane
in their entirety as well. Interesting," she added as she felt Maq'i's hand
lightly grasp her wings, sending a gentle surge of healing energy into them.
"As I thought," Maq'i said after a few moments of concentration. "It
seems that your wing structure is not all that different from Serena's. At
least in dimensional terms," she added as she let go of Susan's wings and took
a step back.
"Interesting," Susan said again as she turned around, fluttering her dark
wings for a brief moment. She paused to compose herself before looking over
at Ami. "I am ready when you are," she said as she seemed to brace herself.
"Umm, excuse me for a moment," Mina spoke up quickly. "Ami, I'm not sure
if I fully understand how your little Jedi mind-trick works, but I happen to
know a thing or two about hypnosis myself. You'd be surprised how handy it can
be in Sailor V's line of work...." she added.
"Whatever do you mean?" Ami said dryly, giving her a knowing look that was
only partially amused.
"Like I said, you would be amazed at what you can get away with when the
other guy is distracted," the blonde replied with a cheerful smile. "Anyway,
as I said, I don't know how your hypnotism works, but I think you're going
about it the wrong way. The idea isn't to dominate with your willpower, but to
gently persuade with your charisma. Try to be subtle about it. Don't try to
use brute force to make them do it, charm them into wanting to do it."
"Hmm," Ami said quietly to herself, giving Susan an appraising look.
"Here, let me show you," Mina said as she gracefully rose to her feet and
walked over to the group. She reached up and seemed to adjust her hair bow for
a moment before her hand came back down, holding a small object between her
fingertips. "Darian, do you have a moment, by chance?"
"Uh-oh," he said calmly as she approached. "My turn to be the guinea pig
for a demonstration, I take it?"
"You gotta love karma," Mina cooed as she held up her hand. "See this?
Nice and shiny isn't it? Pure cubic zirconium, would you believe? I had this
custom-made last year," she said, her voice growing softer with every word.
"Beats the old pocket-watch trick, eh?" Darian said as he climbed out of
the cup-like chair, eyeing the button-sized coin-like object.
"Glitters like a diamond in the light," she replied, her voice lowering
even further to a mere whisper. She continued to speak, her words too soft for
anyone else to hear as he stepped closer to her. He seemed to study the disc
with fascination, reaching up with one hand to very lightly touch it. His hand
then drifted over to hers, very lightly brushing his fingertips against her
wrist. Six sets of eyebrows rose up as Darian gently took hold of Mina's arm
and drew her close, dipping his head down to hers.
"Whoa," Alex blurted out as Mina was given a rather solid kiss, seeming to
take her by surprise and visibly raising the hair on her arms. The kiss only
lasted for a second before his head snapped back up, his eyes going wide.
"What...?" he rasped, blinking hard as his mind suddenly cleared.
"Wow," Mina said very softly, briefly giving in to the impulse to shiver.
"That's not quite what I had in mind, but I'll take it."
"Ahem," Serena said, loudly clearing her throat.
"Mina?" Darian asked in a calm tone. "What just happened?"
"What do you think?" the blonde countered with a satisfied look. "I was
aiming more for a hug than a kiss, but still.... wow," she said again, seeming
to be slightly breathless. "And I thought I was jealous of Serena before...."
Alex smirked. "That good, huh, babe?"
Mina paused and looked over at the expresion on Serena's face. "Sorry,"
she said to Alex, her cheeks taking on a faint blush. "I may be sexy, but I'm
not the kind to kiss and tell."
"Anyway," Serena said in a slightly miffed tone.
Darian paused and regarded Mina carefully. "You do that with your parents
to get what you want, by chance?" he inquired as he watched her tuck the small
zirconium disc back into her hair bow.
"You have no idea," Mina replied with a mischievous twinkle in her blue
eyes. "But being their only daughter and all, I'm spoiled to begin with, so I
really don't need to do much else to get the extra mileage."
Ami smirked. "We'll not talk about you and extra miles," she said in a
casual tone, drawing a muffled giggle from Serena and a pair of reproving looks
from both Darian and Susan.
Mina paused for a moment and gave the blue-haired girl a sidelong look.
"We will pretend you never said that," she said evenly. "In any case, I trust
I made my point well enough? Finesse, my dear vampire, finesse."
Ami nodded as her mood turned serious. "I'll try," she promised.
"If you need another guinea pig...." Darian offered as he headed back over
to the chair, giving her an amused look. His expression abruptly changed as
Serena flicked her wings across his arm, producing a mild snapping sound. "Ow,
easy, beloved...."
"Wuss," Alex said with a smirk. "You asked for that one."
"Thank you, Darian," Ami replied dryly. She seemed to sigh for a moment
before she looked over at Susan. "I'm not quite sure if I can make this work
like that," she said in an uncertain tone.
Susan merely fluttered her wings for a moment before folding them against
her back. "I doubt any harm will come from trying," she reassured her. "In
any case, learning how to use your abilities in a different fashion is always
a good thing. Take your time and proceed when you are ready."
"Ami?" Mina said as she fluffed out her beanbag and sat down. "Umm, don't
take this the wrong way or anything, but don't be afraid to think sexy. Not
like that, mind you, but.... hell, you're pretty, use it. Think seductively.
Charming. Sexy. Mind over matter."
Ami blinked in surprise and glanced over at Susan. "Right...." she said
very slowly. "I'm trying to get her to absorb her wings, not rile her up or
give her the impulse to kiss me."
"The willing mind is rather pliant," Mina purred softly. "Right, Darian?"
Darian grumbled very quietly to himself. "Please tell me that was your
idea and not mine," he sighed.
"Like I said, I was aiming for a hug, but maybe I over did it...."
"Enough," Ami sighed quietly as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. She
paused and sighed softly with relief as she felt Serena's wings caressing the
back of her neck again, trying to relieve the tension. A sudden thought popped
into her head and she looked up at Susan. "Hmm...." she said slowly.
"Yes?" Susan inquired as she studied Ami's vampiric eyes. She noticed the
gleam reappear in their depths and braced herself for another onslaught. She
blinked as she instead found her blood slowly warming up, producing a decidedly
pleasant sensation. "Interesting," she said. "What exactly are you doing?"
"Patience, Chancellor," Ami said quietly. "You'll feel it soon enough.
That is, if I'm doing this right," she added as an after-thought.
"I believe you are," the succubus replied softly as she felt the warmth
spread to her wings. She closed her eyes for a moment and slowly flexed them,
increasing the sensation of warmth and pleasure. The feeling grew stronger
with each passing moment and she found herself focusing her mind on just how
good her wings were feeling.
"Ami?" Alex spoke up quietly, not entirely sure what to make of the odd
smile spreading across Susan's face. "I imagine whatever it is you're doing is
making her feel good and all, but keep in mind it takes a lot of pleasure to
keep a succubus preoccupied and happy...."
A soft sigh rose up from Susan's lips. "That will be enough, Alex," she
said in a faintly dreamy tone. She paused as the sensation peaked and started
to fade away, opening her eyes to give Ami a somewhat curious look.
"What?" Ami said slowly.
Susan opened her mouth to say something when she noticed that the gleam
was no longer present in Ami's steel-blue eyes. She paused for a moment before
she tried flexing her wings, blinking hard as she realized that they had been
absorbed without her conscious knowledge. "Fascinating," she whispered as she
stretched her back muscles.
"You keep using that word," Mina said, pitching her voice unusually low.
"I don't think it means what you think it means...."
"Mina?" Darian spoke up in a slightly leery tone. "Please tell me that
was salt you sprinkled on your skillet fries earlier and not raw sugar."
"Oh, come on," Mina replied with a roll of her eyes. "That's one of the
many classic lines from the movie Princess Bride. You need to get out more."
"I know what it was," Darian countered with a faint grimace. "And I get
out on my own on a regular basis, thank you very much. You, however, need to
sober up or something because now I'm starting to get worried about you."
Mina paused and regarded him carefully. "You're upset with me about the
hypnosis bit, aren't you?" she asked slowly.
"Kids, if you're going to argue, take it outside," Alex sighed as she
leaned back against Michelle. "Okay, so now it seems Ami can push the button
that sends Susan's wings into hiding without blowing a fuse. I take it that
means she can teach Serena the same trick?"
"Perhaps," Susan said. "If she employs the same techinque she just used
instead of her first tactic, then I don't forsee any significant threat from
Serena's aura. Bear in mind that it still may react regardless," she warned.
"What do you think?" Darian quietly asked Serena as he rubbed her lower
back gently. Serena glanced over her shoulder to look at him before looking
down at her denizen wings, prompting a soft chuckle from Darian. "I understand
your hesitation, beloved. After all, you do seem to have grown somewhat....
attached to them," he teased with a waggle of his eyebrows.
"Darian," Mina moaned as she leaned forward, lightly banging her forehead
against her synthesizer. "That was bad. That was really, really bad."
"Heh," Darian chuckled as he glanced around the room, smirking as he saw
the looks of pained amusement on their faces. Deciding it was worth the risk,
he added, "You got it all wrong. It's my puns that are bad, and my poetry that
is verse."
"Baaaaaah," Serena groaned in mock-disgust as she climbed out of the cup-
like chair, giving him a look of restrained amusement. She flicked her wings
at him for good measure, thumping him somewhat solidly on both shoulders.
"Easy, starlight," Alex chuckled. "Okay, so maybe he does deserve to be
slapped around for that one, but there's no point in leaving bruises."
"I'm sure I could heal any light bruising he might acquire," Maq'i spoke
up with a twinkle in her eye.
Darian just shook his head. "Thank you, Master Healer," he said dryly.
"A pleasure, my Prince," Maq'i replied with a bow of her head.
Susan smiled gently and took a step back to give both Serena and Ami room.
While she was fairly confident that Ami wouldn't trigger a defensive response
from Serena's aura, she still would rather not be any closer to such an event
than absolutely necessary if it should indeed occur. "If you are ready, your
Highness?" she asked Serena.
The blonde nodded and brushed her wings behind her. "I think so," she
replied, pausing suddenly as the glowing ribbons all started to sway back and
forth for no discernable reason. "Hang on a second," she grumbled.
Ami paused and regarded her carefully. "Something wrong, Serena?" she
inquired, feeling a faint chill creep down her spine.
Serena blinked and gave her an odd look. "You can't feel that?" she said
in a slightly confused tone, trying to align her wings behind her. They seemed
to refuse to cooperate, repeatedly drifting off to one side despite the firm
flexing of newly-formed back muscles created specifically to control them.
"Feel what?" Ami said very slowly, exchanging uncertain glances with both
Susan and Darian.
"That sudden draft in here," Serena replied, her own words slowing down.
She frowned and looked over at both Susan and Mina, noticing that their long
hair was still perfectly in place. She then looked over her shoulder at her
own ankle-length hairstyle, blinking as she realized that it wasn't being moved
like her wings were by the breeze she was feeling. "Now wait a minute...."
"One moment, your Highness," Susan said as she quickly made her way over
to the open window. She peered outside into the Ether, her expression changing
as she noticed that the pinkish fog was swirling around at a faster pace than
usual. "Ether storm," she reported. "Most likely just a light one."
"Say that again in King's English, Sue?" Alex prompted her as she sat up.
"Serena's wings are partially phased into the Ethereal plane," Susan said
as she returned to the group. "As such, they can be affected by events that
happen on that plane. As there are air currents in an atmosphere, so too are
there such currents in the Ethereal plane. What I suspect is happening now is
that an Ether storm has moved into the region where it intersects this pocket
dimension. If you will look outside, you will see that the Ether is being
stirred up as if by a breeze."
"Whoops," Mina said, giving Serena's wings a worried look. "Is this going
to be a problem for her or anything?"
"Depending on the strength of the current," Susan replied calmly. "Very
strong Ether storms are extremely rare, as they are not subject to variables
such as solar heating or cooling as a terrestrial atmosphere experiences on a
daily basis."
"It doesn't feel bad," Serena said, turning her body to get a better sense
of the direction of the spectral wind. "I'd probably have to pin my hair back
if I ran into this kind of wind back home, but I can manage. I'm fine now that
I know what it is," she assured the group. She paused and looked down at her
fingertips, flexing them gently as she stared at her diamond-like fingernails.
"It feels a bit odd, though," she admitted.
"Susan?" Michelle spoke up hesitantly. "If there's some sort of storm
going on that she can feel, is it really a good idea to try to see if she can
do anything with her wings right now?"
"Indeed not," the succubus replied with a soft sigh. "If fact, I would
strongly advise that you phase yourself entirely out of the Ethereal plane if
the storm starts to make you feel uncomfortable. As this keep is shielded from
the Ethereal plane, you would simply have to remove that shard of dimensional
crystal from your person," she said, making a gesture to the small pendant that
hung from Serena's neck.
Serena blinked, one hand coming up to touch the shard. "I'll keep it in
mind if it gets too bad," she said after a moment of silence. "But I'd rather
put up with a stiff breeze for a few than lose my voice again."
"Heaven forbid something should keep you quiet," Rei said as she came out
of the kitchen. Her hair had been wound up in a bun and tied off with a dark
blue satin ribbon, causing everyone to blink at the way it seemed to highlight
her beauty in a noticably exotic fashion. "Dinner is almost ready," she said
to the rest of the group. "Leda is finishing up the glaze now."
"Thank you," Susan replied.
"Rei?" Michelle asked, giving the priestess an odd look. "You alright?"
"I'm not sure anymore," Rei replied, the casualness and candor of her tone
taking everyone by surprise. "Leda and I had a bit of a talk while we were
cooking, and it raised just as many questions as it provided answers."
"So what's the bottom line look like, babe?" Alex prodded carefully.
Rei paused and cast a sidelong glance at her. "I think I need a vacation.
A real one, something that will take my mind off things like the Negaverse and
winged princesses and responsibility for the fate of the world."
A very soft snort rose up from Mina's chest. "You don't ask for much, do
you?" she muttered as she toyed with the settings on her synthesizer.
"Actually, Lady Venus, what her Excellency is asking for is reasonable
given the events of the past few days," Susan said carefully. "I had hoped
that such rest and relaxation would be found here in my keep outside of the
normal flow of Time, but it seems that it will have to be found elsewhere."
"So what do you suggest?" Darian asked quietly as he leaned back in the
cup-like chair, making a slight face as the shift in weight caused it to roll
back on the mount a few degrees.
"That's what I'm still working on," Rei replied in a weary voice as she
walked over to her cushion and sat down. The circle of red candles surrounding
the cushion promptly lit up with green flames again, causing her to freeze in
mid-motion. She stared at them with veiled suspicion for a number of moments
before she shook her head to herself and sighed in open resignation.
"You sound tired," Darian said softly.
"You have no idea how I tired I am," Rei said with another sigh.
"Maybe," he countered.
Rei just closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind. "I doubt it," she
muttered. "Sleep would be nice. Nice, quiet sleep. No snoring blondes next
to you trying to steal the sheets, no spectral voices screaming inside your
skull, no vivid images of losing your virginity destroying what few good dreams
you have left, no tainted auras around to disturb your concentration. Just a
few hours of rock-solid, blissful, mind-numbing sleep is all I ask."
Serena and Ami exchanged deeply concerned looks, both knowing that it was
rare that Rei ever opened herself up this deeply. That she was doing so in
public and without any discernable attempt at masking her emotions was the
equivalent of a big red strobe light to those who truly knew her.
Everyone blinked and looked down as Myst silently approached Rei, her tail
gently lashing back and forth. She paused to examine one of the candles for a
moment before stepping inside the circle, stopping just short of actually
touching the priestess.
Rei's eyes opened a few seconds later, blinking in slight confusion before
focusing and looking down. "Yes?" she said quietly. She blinked as the gray
kitten promptly climbed into her lap without saying a word and curled up into
a ball, purring very softly.
Rei hesitated before she looked around the room, visibly unsure of what
exactly to do. Seeing no definitive reaction, she carefully reached up to run
her fingertips through Myst's silky fur, resulting in an increase of the volume
of the monotone purring noise.
"Hey, Rei?" Alex spoke up. "I know you think life sucks the big one right
now, and you might actually be right for the moment, but sometimes all you need
is a cat in your lap for a few hours to put things in perspective. Or at least
take your mind off everything except the warm fuzzy parked on your crotch."
"Right...." Rei replied slowly, giving the blonde an unsettled look.
Mina just shrugged to herself and returned her attention to her keyboard.
"Hey, it sounds good to me," she said idly. "Not that I agree with the exact
phrasing, mind you, but petting a cat can be.... what's a good word?" she said,
looking over at Ami.
"Cathartic?" Ami suggested before wincing at the unintended pun.
"That'll work," Mina replied with a smirk. "Let's be honest, Rei, you've
had Artemis or Luna in your lap how many times in the past week? And don't try
to tell me they weren't invited or that it wasn't relaxing for you."
"You might have a point," Rei said slowly, looking down at the purring
kitten in her lap. She paused for a moment to remind herself that it wasn't
really a kitten, but rather a type of demonic entity disguised as a kitten.
But even so, she admitted to herself, she could barely sense what she thought
of as the spiritual sinkhole caused by the Shinma's inhuman presence, and that
was with Myst literally sitting on top of her. Of course, it might simply be
masked by the much larger sinkhole generated by Susan's presence....
"Ooooh, that smells good," Serena's multi-harmonic voice intruded into her
thoughts, causing her to lift her head up in mild irritation.
"Indeed it does," Susan said a moment later, gently testing the air.
"Heh," Alex chuckled quietly. "So I take it Rei didn't burn the rice?"
Rei snorted quietly in contempt and closed her eyes, one hand still idly
toying with Myst's fur. "I've only over-cooked rice once since I was eight,"
she said in an edged tone. "And even then that was only because it was the
first time I ever used an electric stove."
"Settle down, hon, I'm just giving you a hard time," Alex replied with a
rueful shake of her head.
"A pity you don't know what you can do with your hard time," Rei said in
a calm tone, causing the rest of the room to abruptly hold their collective
breath. "It might keep that mouth of yours busy for a few hours, and would
probably improve your disposition to boot. Now shut up and leave me alone."
"Damn, babe," Alex said with a frown. "What's got your.... whoa, hold it,
love," she blurted out, quickly holding her hand up to block Michelle's as she
reached for the almost empty bag of pretzels. "Those things are good and all,
but I don't want to spoil dinner here, okay? Save 'em for later."
Darian and Serena just looked at one another before he shook his head to
himself. "What scares me is she still thinks they're just for snacking," he
muttered quietly, drawing sour nods of agreement from both Serena and Ami.
"Dinner!" Leda's voice echoed out from the kitchen. "Nothing fancy, just
chicken and rice and veggies, so come get a bowl and find a place to park."
"Be right there," Mina called back as she rose to her feet.
Darian started to head towards the kitchen, pausing as he noticed that
Serena was still standing in place. "You alright?" he asked softly, noticing
that her wings still appeared to be blown off to one side as if by a moderate
breeze.
Serena sighed and nodded her head. "I'm fine," she replied quietly. "I'm
just worried about everyone else." She paused to glance at Rei and lowered her
voice so only Darian and Ami could hear her. "I think Rei has a point, we all
need to try to find a way to do something about this.... tension, I guess, but
I don't see how. Once we return to Earth, we still have to find a way to get
in touch with Tolaris and the others to make sure they're all right."
"And it doesn't end there," Ami added in a sullen tone, drawing concerned
looks from both Darian and Serena. She sighed and looked down at the pleats of
her skirt. "Nop'tera," she said quietly.
"One headache at a time, Ami," Darian said firmly, causing the blue-haired
girl to look up at him and blink. "If that missile was aimed at her, then she
probably will have her hands full for some time while she tries to deal with
the situation. I don't think we should forget her, but I wouldn't worry about
her just yet, either."
Ami blinked again before nodding slowly. "I suppose you're right," she
said, seeming to relax slightly. She then made a startled squeaking noise as
she suddenly found herself entangled in Serena's wings, more surprised than
anything.
"Sorry!" Serena said quickly as she darted a few feet away, scooping her
wings up in a bundle she went. "I think the wind just shifted or something."
Darian just shook his head, a faint smile brought to his lips at the look
on Ami's face at being half-buried beneath the glowing ribbons. "I'll say this
much," he said lightly. "There's never a dull moment when dealing with you
girls, is there?"
"Darian?" Ami grumbled. "Just be quiet and give me a hand with this."
"Sorry!" Serena repeated as she continued to try to get her wings back
under control. They were blowing back and forth at a very rapid pace, as if
caught in a very strong and chaotic current.
"And me without my camera," Mina giggled quietly as she headed into the
kitchen to see what Leda had decided to call dinner tonight.
* * * *
As always, he started to count the seconds when he entered the mess hall,
wondering how long it would be this time before someone noticed his presence.
It seems that everyone was on edge today, as he barely reached two before he
heard a rather strident voice cut through the low-level noise.
"The Dragoon Commander!" someone announced.
"Sit down and eat," K'tal said loudly a fraction of a second later as he
slowed down to look around the room. He found what he was looking for rather
quickly, as there was a somewhat sizable empty space surrounding the occupants
of one table. Given the fact that the mess hall was almost filled to capacity
at the moment, any large empty spaces tended to stick out and be noticed.
"Sir," Maze said respectfully as K'tal approached. Tolaris said nothing
as his mouth was full, instead nodding his head in acknowledgement. Ra'vel's
head remained firmly over her large ceramic bowl as she ate, not wanting any of
the gelatin-like creatures trapped inside to escape.
K'tal paused as he saw what was on their respective plates, his eyebrows
arching up to his hairline in surprise. "They not feeding you three on Earth
or something?" he inquired.
"Quite the contrary," Maze replied as Tolaris resumed chewing. "Sailor
Jupiter is an excellent cook with both human and denizen foods. I'm giving
serious consideration to asking her for a copy of her recipe for baked fish
with d'nai sauce to give to the mess sergeant, but that's just me."
"Sounds good to me," K'tal said. "So why are you trying to empty the
kitchen shelves, then?" he asked with a gesture at their almost overflowing
plates.
"No disrespect intended to her," Maze said, pausing to grab a quick bite
of a dark blue piece of meat, "But her cooking, while excellent, isn't exactly
home cooking. You just can't get any better than fresh-off-the-farm food, even
if it is from a mess hall. And good luck finding avian food on Earth," he
added, making a gesture to Ra'vel. "You want to stop and breathe for a few
moments, Ra'vel?" he added in a slightly concerned tone.
<Fresh fresh fresh ne'ahk,> the psionic voice said in their minds as she
continued to remain beak-first in the bowl.
"No, you go ahead and enjoy that," K'tal said quickly, knowing what she
was eating and trying very hard not to think about it. Of the top five things
that readily turned his stomach, watching an avian eat ne'ahk was second only
to watching a Felinoid eat something that had been brought down twenty seconds
ago and wasn't entirely deceased yet, let alone properly cooked.
Tolaris finally finished chewing and swallowed, making a slight face as
the sound was louder than he would have liked. "So how's the landing coming?"
he asked as he carved up another chunk of the dark blue meat.
"Almost ready to give it a shot," K'tal replied as he sat down in one of
the many vacant seats surrounding them. "D'Nina is still taking the terrain
apart with the sensors, trying to see if she can find a spot solid enough to
support our weight without sinking the struts. It doesn't look good, though,
so we'll probably have to settle on the hull itself to distribute the weight."
"Tractors?" Tolaris inquired as he took a quick nibble.
"Chief Engineer is taking a hard look at them right now," K'tal replied
with a sigh. "He says they were designed for station-keeping and guidance, not
supporting our weight. Add to the equation the fact that the only things we
can use as a brace are wide swaths of sand, and you'll start to get an idea of
why he keeps muttering to himself and why D'Nina remains awfully quiet."
"How's the Chief holding up?" Maze asked as he wiped his lips on a napkin.
"I mean, I know she's still jacked into the CPU core, but how long can she keep
that one going?"
"She should be fine," Tolaris assured him.
"Indeed," K'tal added with a nod of his head. "She'll probably need to
rest for a day or two once she disconnects, but she's hanging in there. You
mind?" he asked as he pointed to the small pile of steamed vegetables on one
side of Tolaris' plate.
"Please," the elder Dragoon chuckled quietly.
"Just checking," K'tal replied as he grabbed a small piece of sha'lan root
and popped it into his mouth. He looked around the room as he chewed, making
note of the somewhat subdued level of activity around them and catching more
than one discreet glance in his direction.
"Problem, Commander?" Maze asked casually.
K'tal paused and gave him a measured look. "You have to ask? We're not
parked where we should be, the outside of my hull is coated with radiation, I
still haven't gotten a firm answer from Engineering about how long it'll take
to remove it all, I'm not sure we'll be able to land in one piece since D'Nina
can't find a proper place to set down, and I'm still trying to figure out what
our good friends in Sector Seven are going to do, let alone what our not-so-
good friends Rune and Nop'tera are going to do. Yes, Lieutenant, I think I do
have a minor problem or two. It shouldn't be all that funny, Commander," he
added as he heard a very soft chuckle from the other side of the table.
"I know," Tolaris replied as he took a sip of talan juice. "Still, you
have to put things in perspective. It could always be worse," he added with
another rueful chuckle. He quit laughing and sighed as Ra'vel reached out to
swat his shoulder without lifting her head up from the bowl. "Yes, I know."
"Point-blank, Tolaris," K'tal said in a low tone. "You going to be with
us for the long-haul, or should I find a safe place to drop you off so you can
return to your lawful exile on Earth?"
There was a startled hiccup from Ra'vel, causing her to lift her head up
to give K'tal a wide-eyed look of disbelief. <Say how?> she demanded as she
absently reached out to the edge of the bowl, using a talon to casually shove
a thrashing translucent tendril back inside.
"I think it's a valid question," Tolaris replied with a shrug. "I'm not
sure I have an immediate answer for that, as I'm not sure how long we will be
allowed to remain here, but I have no desire to leave while there is still a
very clear and present danger to our world's existence."
K'tal snorted quietly in mild amusement. "I'm not going to kick you out,
if that's what you mean," he pointed out.
"The sentiment is appreciated, Commander," Maze spoke up. "However, you
need to keep in mind that we have a few.... I wouldn't call them obligations
just yet, but we will sooner or later have to check in with our good friends
back on Earth."
"Ahh, yes, the Sailor Scouts," K'tal replied languidly. "I take it Sailor
Venus has you wrapped around her finger, or so I've been led to believe?"
Maze blinked in surprise before casting a sidelong glance at Tolaris. "No
worse than the hold Sailor Mercury has on Tolaris," he muttered. "But yes, she
and I have a bit of a vested interest in one another's continued health and
overall well-being."
A knowing smile crept across K'tal's face. "I'm sure there are a great
number of women who would be disappointed to hear that," he said dryly.
"Jealousy is a pain in the ptanka, isn't it, Commander?" Maze replied in
an off-handed manner.
Tolaris just sighed and took another bite of his meal. "Take it outside
already," he grumbled as he chewed. "If I want to be in the audience for an
argument, I'll go listen to Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars."
K'tal made a face as his mood suddenly changed. "Funny you should mention
the Moon Princess," he said quietly. "We still can't get in touch with the
Imperial Castle, but I can still hear Ael'ien's voice inside my head. Last I
heard from her was that they discovered that the Princess isn't in the Royal
Medical Suite anymore, nor can they find the Healer that was tending to her."
"Both are probably safe on Earth," Maze commented as he took a deep draft
from his glass of freshly-squeezed fruit juice. "Who was the Healer?"
"Master Healer Maq'i, I believe," K'tal replied, rubbing his temples. "At
least, I think that's what Ael said. She started to fade out on me as we began
the mountain transit and I haven't heard from her since."
"Maq'i?" Tolaris said with a blink of surprise. "Wait, I know I've heard
that name before...."
"Sailor Jupiter?" Maze prodded him gently.
"That's right," Tolaris replied with a nod as he remembered. "If they did
run across her, then I know she's safe with them. They'll bring her back here
once everything has settled down."
"Should I ask?" K'tal inquired, glancing over at Ra'vel as he heard a very
soft squeal of protest from somewhere in the depths of her bowl. He was fairly
sure that ne'ahk didn't have the capacity to scream, but he also knew that odd
things could be inspired to happen when one was being eaten alive.
Tolaris shrugged. "Not my story to tell. Suffice it to say that Maq'i
and Sailor Jupiter have already met, and that Jupiter is not one to forget who
her friends are. The Master Healer is in good hands."
"Speaking of stories," Maze said slowly, "Could you run this one past me
again, please? You got your mind fused to Ael'ien's or something?"
K'tal snorted very quietly in remote amusement. "Something like that," he
muttered. "She did a mink-link when I was patching my arm up," he said as he
rolled his sleeve back to show them the bandaged part of his arm. "My dumb
ptanka thought it was a good idea to use my mimetic ability and mirror the link
back at her. Something went click and she's basically been only a thought away
since."
"You going to be alright?" Tolaris inquired.
"Probably," K'tal replied with a shrug. "It'll be awhile before I let her
cook lunch for me again, but that's not important. What is important, or at
least to Little Q, is what the three of you are going to be doing in the very
near future. He wants to know if he should go ahead and assign you temporary
quarters in the officer's section."
Tolaris blinked and traded looks with Maze. "You know Mercury is going to
throw a serious fit if you don't return to her soon," Maze warned his friend.
"And we both know she wasn't kidding about coming back over here to find you if
she doesn't hear from you."
"I know," the elder Dragoon replied quietly. "I don't suppose the phase-
link network connection still works?" he asked K'tal.
"I'm sure it does," K'tal replied with a shrug of dismissal. "What I am
fairly sure does not work is our connection to it. The actual physical link is
situated in a vault in the Imperial Castle. We were able to access it through
a hard-wired conduit that ran alongside the entrance tunnel."
Tolaris grunted quietly to himself. "So much for that."
"Mmm," Maze added in a disgruntled hum. "Sounds like the only way we'll
be able to get in contact with Earth is to use a Silkworm crystal to punch a
hole between worlds, and if we do that we might as well go ahead and just walk
over to say hello in person."
"And they won't be happy in the slightest if we tell them that we have to
go back," Tolaris finished the train of thought. "Or if we try to tell them
not to come along with us."
"We still have to do it sooner or later," Maze pointed out. "At least, we
do if we want to avoid another incursion, even if it's with good intentions."
"One major concern at a time, Lieutenant," Tolaris sighed. "Any word yet
from General Olox?" he asked K'tal.
K'tal shook his head. "Not really. He said he was glad to see we made it
to relative safety and that he would let us know if he had any instructions for
us. We have been ordered to take care of our radiation concerns first and let
him know once that has been dealt with. Aside from that? Nothing."
Maze nodded in understanding. "Sounds like he's still in damage-control
mode. Makes sense, he knows we're not going to do anything except find a solid
place to land and wash ourselves off. That frees him up to worry about more
important things, like what exactly is going on around here."
"Any word from Nop'tera?" Tolaris asked quietly.
"Nope," K'tal replied with a sour sigh. "It seems that all the Red Wing
fighters landed in a grassy field in the south and haven't moved since. Their
armor units are still parked on the parade field, assuming they haven't been
turned into puddles of slag from the blast by now, and none of the long-range
sensors has caught even the slightest whiff of an airborne carrier's presence.
I don't know who designed those radar-evasion screens, but I'll admit that I'm
impressed by them."
"Not even a noise signature?" Tolaris persisted with a slight scowl.
"Trust me," K'tal replied with a faint drawl. "Sound, light, heat, not a
k'vesi thing. Like I said, I'm impressed by the effectiveness their screens."
Maze just shook his head in amazement. "What about the rest of the Red
Wing fleet?" he inquired as he picked up another forkful of the denizen version
of shredded cabbage.
"That's the head-scratcher," K'tal sighed. "We finally managed to get in
touch with our satellites and got some decent overhead images. The other two
carriers are now parked in the middle of the open oceans, but they're clearly
visible and aren't making any attempt at hiding. Not that anyone is going near
either one, mind you, but still. We don't know what they're doing, but they
clearly aren't trying to bother anyone else. At least, not for the moment."
Tolaris remained silent for a number of moments as he resumed eating his
meal. "That's actually good news," he said thoughtfully as he chewed.
"I'm starting to think so, too," K'tal said. "It means that Nop'tera is
going to keep things on a personal level and not try to trigger a full-scale
war over the missile incident, right?"
"Hopefully," Tolaris replied, nodding in agreement.
"Hope," K'tal mused with a soft sigh. "My favorite double-edged sword."
Tolaris paused and regarded him carefully. "Would you prefer despair?"
K'tal thought about it for a moment before making a dismissive gesture.
"At least with despair, you know exactly where you stand," he replied.
Maze made a quiet huffing noise to himself. "You need to go see what life
is like on Earth, Commander," he said in a level tone. "You'll probably find
something in that little blue world that will give you a new outlook on this
thing called life."
K'tal raised an eyebrow. "The voice of experience, I presume?"
"Everyone in this room would gladly eat a round from a plasma rifle if it
would help save this world," Maze said calmly. "And after living on Earth for
a few months and seeing what those humans are like, how they live their lives
and all from a personal viewpoint, I know I wouldn't hesitate to eat another
one if it would help save their world. Don't ask me to explain it, don't ask
me how much of it is Sailor Venus' influence, but there is just something about
their world that grows on you. You just have to see it for yourself."
"We'll see," K'tal replied in a neutral tone. He paused for a moment
before casting a wistful glance down at Maze's plate and sighing. "Great, all
this talk of eating is making me hungry now," he grumbled.
"Well...." Maze said slowly. "I don't know about feeding you a round from
a plasma rifle, but I'm fairly sure the mess sergeant can find you something a
little more palatable."
"Thank you, Lieutenant," K'tal said dryly as he stood up.
"I'm here to serve, sir," Maze replied with a large smile.
K'tal was halfway to the door leading to the mess hall kitchen when a loud
chime came from the overhead speakers. "Postal Watch!" the agitated voice of
his Communications lieutenant said a moment later. "Operations to Commander
K'tal!"
The level of ambient noise in the room promptly dropped to dead silence as
K'tal changed course to stride over to the nearest wall unit. He punched his
cipher into the panel and activated the tiny microphone. "K'tal here."
"Sir," the audibly edgy voice replied. "The Northern Mountain Division
has just issued another Postal Watch. The dispatch says that they will launch
a modified Type-4 ballistic missile on an orbital trajectory in thirty minutes,
and they emphasize that R&D booked this flight window three weeks ago."
K'tal blinked and cast a quick glance over his shoulder, acutely aware of
the veil of silence that had fallen over the mess hall the instant they heard
about the Postal Watch. "Lieutenant, how solid is this one?" he asked loudly.
"Solid, sir," the voice came back. "We got a copy of the mission profile
four days ago. Experimental re-entry test of a new material, test pilot is a
retired major by the name of Corona."
Maze frowned slightly and leaned over towards Tolaris. "I've heard that
name before, but I can't exactly place it," he said in a low tone.
"Space-jumper," Tolaris replied calmly. "She made the news three years
ago when she was the only one who didn't need rescuing from an accident during
the launch phase. Orbital booster checked out during the burn and everyone had
to bail out while they were still in the atmosphere. They all survived, but
almost everyone splashed down out in the ocean. Corona was somehow able to
angle herself to end up touching down on dry land without breaking anything."
"Just keep a very close eye on things," K'tal said to his Communications
lieutenant. "If it so much as looks like it's thinking from deviating from an
outbound orbital trajectory, tell D'Nina to get us out of here. I don't like
being trapped in the mountains if we don't have a lot of room to maneuver in
case of emergency. Also, see if you can raise Sector Seven. I know their
communication gear is down, so they likely won't hear the warning."
"Copy, sir," the voice replied. "Operations out."
K'tal nodded to himself and looked around the room, making note of the
sudden undercurrent of tension in the room. "What's the problem?" he asked in
a casual voice.
"Another missile launch, sir?" a voice from the back called out.
"Yes and no," K'tal replied. "It seems that our brothers in white suits
over at R&D want to do a test of something that requires tossing a ballistic
missile into an orbital path. Seems that we've known about this one for a few
days now, so I wouldn't worry too hard about it."
"Payload?" another voice asked in a cautious tone. "I don't like the
sound of this 'experimental re-entry' thing...."
"Just the pilot as far as I know," K'tal replied honestly. "I know the
timing of this leaves a lot to be desired given the day's events, but keep in
mind that orbital flight paths don't have very long shelf-lives. I suspect
their choices are launch now or wait another few months, and I'm not about to
second-guess anyone just yet for deciding to go ahead with the launch. As I
told Lieutenant T'Pri, we're going to keep a very close eye on this one and
will take all appropriate steps to defend ourselves if something goes amiss.
Any other questions?"
There was a very long pause before a cadet spoke up from a table near the
doorway. "Sir, about Commander Tolaris...." he said slowly.
K'tal raised a finger, waiting for the cadet to fall silent before moving
to point at Tolaris. "Commander Tolaris is over there," he said simply. "If
you have a question about him, you really should ask him yourself. He won't
bite you. In fact, let's do this the right way, Cadet. I want see you and the
rest of your classmates in my office in half an hour for an introduction."
The cadet promptly turned as white as a sheet but appeared to retain his
composure. "Yes sir," he said simply.
"Good," K'tal replied with a satisfied nod. He seemed to pause for a
moment before glancing down at the cadet's half-empty plate. "What exactly is
that, anyway?" he asked, pointing at a mass of neon purple he didn't recognize.
"Sir?" the cadet asked before glancing down at his plate. "Oh, umm, it's
the seafood salad, sir, I just added a blend of s'car puree and White N'Taki
Two instead of using White N'Taki Four."
There was a slight pause as the rest of the room seemed to unconsciously
recoil at the thought of blending the two. "Is it good?" K'tal ventured in a
distinctly uncertain tone.
The cadet blinked in surprise. "I.... don't have any problems with the
taste, sir," he replied cautiously.
"You didn't have any problems eating week-old v'etu, either," one of his
immediate neighbors muttered quietly, making a sour face.
"Hey, I like crackers," the cadet protested.
"But it wasn't intended to be a cracker," she shot back. "Someone just
left a few slices out and they became crackers the hard way."
"Settle down," K'tal said with a weary sigh as he headed towards the mess
kitchen. "If Ra'vel can eat a bowl of transparent grubs and call it delicious,
I don't see how some outdated bread can be all that bad so long as it's not
cultivating a new type of medicinal growth. Or mixing fruit pulp with sandwich
filler," he added. "Still, I'm curious now, so we'll see how it goes."
He paused half-way in the door before turning back around, pointing to the
still-pale cadet. "You and your class, my office, thirty minutes," he said in
a neutral voice before heading inside.
There was a loud thumping sound barely an instant later as a dark gray
Felinoid tail lashed out, delivered a solid smack to the back of the cadet's
head. "Thanks a lot, Sash," the tail's owner growled over his shoulder.
"Leave me alone," the cadet grumbled in resignation.
Maze and Tolaris exchanged bemused look before shaking their heads. "I
remember what it was like to be a cadet," Maze mused quietly. "Sometimes it
seems like it was just last week."
"Life was a lot simpler then, wasn't it?" Tolaris said as he drank the
last of his talan juice. "Come on, we need to find V'Lan. If we're going to
be formally introduced, the least we can do is be wearing proper uniforms."
That caused Maze to blink. "You're kidding, right? You really think he
can tailor two sets of uniforms in half an hour?"
"Not from scratch," Tolaris replied with a casual shrug. "But this is the
Quartermaster we're talking about. I'm fairly sure he kept spares for us in a
cargo module or something. Call it a hunch," he added. He would have said
more but paused as he felt something wet trying to crawl across his wrist.
"Hmm?" Maze inquired, feeling a sudden chill at the change in Tolaris'
expression. He glanced down at the table and sighed quietly, feeling a faint
knot form in his abdomen. "Ra'vel?" he said quietly. "You want to do us both
a favor and keep your lunch in your bowl?"
"Don't worry about it," Tolaris said in a weary tone as he received a soft
chirp of apology. He kept his gaze focused on the wall in front of him as she
scooped up the translucent creature and tossed it in her mouth. He counted to
ten before looking down at his hand, making sure that a mess wasn't left behind
before wiping his mouth on his napkin.
"Almost ready," Maze said quickly as he turned his attention to his plate
and began devouring the contents at a furious pace.
"We have a few minutes, Lieutenant," Tolaris replied, one eyebrow arching
up in vague amusement. "You can slow down to taste that if you want. Or are
you starting to take lessons from Serena now?" he added.
Maze came dangerously close to choking as he glared at his best friend.
"Now that's just wrong," he grumbled once he was sure his throat was clear.
"Okay, so I've never seen someone eat that fast before, but then again, we've
never met anyone like her before, have we?"
Tolaris chuckled quietly and shook his head. "She is unique, I'll give
her that," he said. "Definitely a one-of-a-kind individual...."
* * * *
"Bah," Alex grumbled sourly. "I give up, just gimme a damn fork."
"Patience, Alex," Susan sighed quietly as she deftly plucked a small chunk
of chicken out of her bowl with her chopsticks. "It takes a bit of skill and
a fair amount of practice, but you can learn if you persevere."
"Bah," the irritated blonde repeated. "Who eats with sticks, anyway?"
Leda snorted quietly in contempt. "A little over a billion people," she
said flatly. "Plus the however many other tens of millions who happen to be
eating Oriental take-out at the time. Settle down, there's silverware in the
kitchen if you want."
Alex sighed and exchanged looks with Michelle, grumbling yet again as she
noticed that her lover seemed to have no problems eating dinner with the set of
plastic chopsticks. "How do you do that again?" she asked in a weary tone.
"Alex?" Darian spoke up. "You've got the grip right, you just need to use
a different approach. You can pick up large chunks like chicken, but when it
comes to the rice, you have to use a scooping motion. Like this," he said as
he held up his bowl to demonstrate.
"You doing okay, Serena?" Ami asked quietly as she leaned back to take yet
another studied look at the blonde's inert wings.
Serena sighed and nodded. The Ether storm had apparently gotten stronger
earlier, forcing her to remove the shard of dimensional crystal in order to
keep her wings from being damaged. The light gray ribbons hung limply from her
back at the moment, gathered together and neatly bundled up in a small package
of sorts that was tied to her back with a silk sash that ran across her chest.
"You'll be fine," Mina cooed around a mouthful of chicken-and-rice. She
had designed the silk harness that kept Serena's wings bound, and after seeing
how the fabric looked tied to Serena's chest had designed one for herself as
a sort of fashion statement. The tropical design of the weave had prompted a
minor wardrobe clash that was resolved by doffing the pink shirt from earlier
and wearing the sash like a sarong. The dimensional crystal she had made for
Serena was tied in the center of her hair bow, more for effect than for safe-
keeping.
Serena just made a face as she continued eating, not in the least bit
happy about losing her voice again. She took a small measure of comfort from
the fact that her taste buds worked just fine, allowing her to enjoy a truly
delicious bowl of fried rice and glazed chicken. She knew the chicken was
Leda's doing, but the brunette had firmly insisted that she hadn't touched the
rice at all and that all compliments were to be directed at Rei for the way it
turned out.
She paused as she glanced over her shoulder, noticing that the priestess
had yet to move from her sitting position on the floor cushion. The bowl of
rice next to her was untouched, tiny wisps of steam still occasionally visible
as they wafted up from its contents. She wasn't sure what bothered her more,
the perfectly delicious rice apparently going to waste or the fact that Rei
seemed to be ignoring the rest of the group as she continued to stroke Myst's
fur at a slow pace.
Part of her wanted to reach out to Rei, to sit down with her and find out
what exactly was bothering her so much. She knew that Rei tended to get real
quiet and introspective when something weighed heavily on her mind, trying to
turn her focus inward to find her answers. She also knew that whatever was on
Rei's mind was taking a heavy toll on her, both in terms of body and spirit.
The raw outbursts of emotion and anger from earlier still lingered in her mind
like the ghost of a whisper, sounding to her soul's ears like the softest of
cries for help.
But at the same time, she realized that the portions of Rei's anger that
wasn't directed inward was directed at her. She was almost afraid to find out
what was causing Rei's volcanic outbursts of raw emotion, knowing that she was
somehow part of the problem. Neither was she looking forward to finding out
just what Rei's proposed solution would be. Someone once said that love and
hate were the opposite sides of the same coin, and while she believed it to be
somewhat true, she was more than a little worried about what their situation
would be once the coin quit spinning too fast to be truly seen....
"This is good," the weathered voice of Maq'i said, momentarily disrupting
her train of thought. "If I didn't know better, I would have thought that you
were studying avian cooking as well."
"So I've heard," Leda said with a chuckle. "Ra'vel keeps telling me that
white rice is one of the best things she's ever had, and I think she's serious
when she says she can't understand how we can call it bland."
Maq'i nodded in understanding as she carefully plucked a small chunk of
unspiced chicken out of her bowl of white rice. "It is decidedly flavorful,"
the elderly Healer said. "I am almost curious enough to see what it would be
like if I were to add the spices the rest of you like...."
"Unwise," Ami promptly replied.
"Not a good idea," Mina added a microsecond later.
Alex chuckled quietly to herself. "That bad, eh?" she asked Ami as she
made another focused attempt at scooping up some rice with her chopsticks.
Ami took a moment consider how to best phrase things. "Let's just say
that, while it would probably agree with your sense of taste, it most certainly
wouldn't agree with your digestive system," she said delicately.
"A pity," Maq'i said quietly.
Everyone almost hit the ceiling as a sharp popping sound echoed throughout
the room, immediately followed by the sound of roaring fire. Nine heads turned
in unison to look at the source of the noise, eyes going wide as they saw Rei
sitting on her cushion surrounded by a ring of seething black fire. The dark
flames continued to surge out from the candles around her, seeming to shoot up
like water from a fire hydrant with the lid removed.
The ring of black fire seemed to subside as quickly as it had come, taking
on a dark blue color and fading away until only the tips of the candles were
still burning. The flames continued to fade in color until they became a very
soft shade of green, matching the color of the spectral fire that had taken up
residence the first time Rei had caused them to ignite.
Rei, for her part, was sitting perfectly motionless on her cushion, her
bottomless black eyes as wide as saucers. Myst was curled up in a ball in her
lap, her fur at right angles to her skin and looking like she had just been
through the dryer. The stylized brooch hanging from her neck was glowing a
bright shade of white, almost as if were raw jewelry still being worked on a
metalsmith's forge. Most disturbingly, however, was the fact that the Imperium
Silver Crystal didn't appear to have reacted at all, still set in the top part
of the brooch like an ordinary gemstone.
"What the hell?" Alex demanded as her bowl hit the floor, somehow avoiding
spillings its contents all over the immediate area.
"Susan?" Rei said quietly, her voice surprisingly calm. "I think I need
to talk to you."
Susan frowned and slowly stood up, absently wiping her mouth on a napkin
before setting it aside. "Is everything alright, your Excellency?" she asked
in a guarded tone.
"I am not sure," Rei replied in an odd tone, still remaining perfectly
motionless. "How far back in time are we right now?"
"Three hundred years," Susan said. "Do you need me to be more precise?"
Rei shook her head very slowly. "No, that will be sufficient. I need a
question answered, however, a technical and precise one that requires an answer
of equal technical precision."
The rest of the group traded uncertain looks, suddenly feeling uneasy at
the formal shift in Rei's tone and language. It might have been expected from
Ami when confronting an unknown, but it was hardly expected to be heard coming
from the temperamental priestess.
"I will, of course, answer to the best of my ability," Susan replied in a
calm and measured tone.
"Very well," Rei said. "If an event of cosmic significance happens in the
future, and the Imperium Silver Crystal is sequestered in the past, how long
will it take for the effects to propagate through the temporal flow and trigger
a suitable reaction?"
"Uh-oh," Mina said very softly.
Susan blinked and tilted her head at a slight angle, studying the glow of
Rei's brooch. "That is a theoretical question that I have not been able to
study as of yet," she said, choosing her words very carefully. "Drawing upon
my own experiences with temporal resonance and temporal overlap, there seems to
be two distinct speeds of propagation through the flow of Time. If an event
were to be felt at a displacement of three hundred years, it would dictate that
the event in question would have to take place six hundred years in the future
or at any given point in the past. However, any event that would have a direct
influence on the flow of Time as an entity would propagate instantly in both
directions."
Alex snorted in contempt and peered into her bowl to look for more chunks
of chicken. "Well, that narrows it down a little," she muttered as she reached
down to pick it up.
"Rei?" Ami asked in a worried tone. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Rei said as she gently removed Myst from her lap and set her
down on the ground next to her. "However, I'm not sure about the Crystal. I
heard it speak for a moment, and now...."
"Your Excellency?" Susan prodded gently as Rei fell silent.
"I can't hear anything now," Rei said, her voice starting to take on a
faint hint of horror. "I can still feel it, but.... it's like...."
Susan waited patiently for Rei to find the right words to explain what she
had just experienced, doing her best to keep her own composure perfectly calm.
Inside, however, a very cold chill was wrapping around her heart. She had felt
the temporal shockwave as well, seeming to eminate from a downstream vector.
She had spoken the truth about how far into the future a event would have to
occur for them to feel it in the past, but something in the back of her mind
warned her that the propagation speed had likely been instantaneous.
"Like an empty radio broadcast," Rei finally said. "You know it's putting
out a signal, but there's nothing in it but silence and random static. That's
what the Crystal feels like right now. Susan, I think something just happened
in the future, something that has to do with the Crystal," she blurted out.
Susan nodded in understanding. "It is possible," she said slowly. "May
I see the Crystal, please?"
Rei seemed to hesitate for a moment before nodding and reaching up to her
chest. She blinked hard as the brooch suddenly disintegrated without warning,
causing the Imperium Silver Crystal to tumble into her hand. A fine shower of
sparkles cascaded into her lap a moment later, only to fade into nothingness.
"Hey!" she protested. "What gives?"
"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Alex said in a low tone to Mina,
drawing a very unhappy nod of agreement. She paused for a moment before giving
Michelle a concerned look. "You okay, hon?" she asked softly, getting a very
sad look and a quiet whimpering noise in response.
"Easy," Darian said gently to Serena, reaching out to lay a hand on her
shoulder. He could see the look in her gold eyes, knowing that she was just as
worried about Rei as she was about the Imperium Silver Crystal.
An even colder spectral wind blew through Susan's bones as she was handed
the Crystal, the corners of her mouth tugging downward in a frown as she felt
for herself the sensation of emptiness Rei had described. She focused her mind
and directed her thoughts to the Crystal, seeking to draw a response from it.
In the name of the Moon and the blood I have served all my life, I ask that I
be given a sign that your powers are intact and that you can hear me....
"Huh," Alex said quietly as the gemstone in Susan's hand suddenly flared
into a bright golden color. "Maybe it just had a gas cramp or something....
Whoa, easy, starlight!" she gasped as Serena suddenly shot to her feet, her
eyes widening dangerously.
"That will be enough, Alex," Susan said in a very quiet tone. "You need
not worry, your Highness, the Imperium Silver Crystal is fine, if slightly....
confused at the moment."
Leda snorted quietly to herself. "I'm not sure I like the sound of that,"
she said in a somewhat ominous tone.
"What?" Serena rasped quietly, making a face at the pain caused by forcing
her out-of-phase vocal chords to produce audible sound.
"To be honest, your Highness, I am not sure," Susan admitted, carefully
studying the gemstone in her hand. The Crystal had quit glowing and seemed to
be inert again, showing no signs of being anything more than a very large and
exquisitely crafted diamond sphere. "It responded to me, but.... I am not
entirely sure it knew who I was. It was almost as if it was simply reacting
to my summons in a reflex. Odd that it would do so for me, but not for Rei."
"Take it easy, Serena," Darian said as Serena stumbled forward, moving
towards Susan. She crossed the room in a slightly unsteady fashion, almost
tripping over her hairstyle as she reached Susan's side.
Susan wordlessly held the Crystal out to her, a mixture of curiosity and
dread filling her as she wondered how it would react to her presence. The icy
chill in her veins deepened as Serena touched the gemstone and concentrated,
failing to produce a discernable reaction after several seconds.
"What the hell?" Alex demanded as she stood up, almost dumping her bowl
of rice into Michelle's lap. "It'll work for Sue, but not for the Princess?"
"Your Highness," Susan said very softly at the look of visible panic in
Serena's eyes. "Please, try to remain calm. Yes, it seems that there is a
definite problem with the Crystal, and that the source appears to be somewhere
in the future. I doubt anything can be done at this point, so there is little
use in worrying needlessly about it. We will learn more once we return to the
present era tomorrow."
"Umm, excuse me...." Mina said slowly, holding her hand up in the air.
"This is the Imperium Silver Crystal we're talking about here. You know, the
most important power in the universe or something like that? If you have even
the slightest clue about what's going on, you really need to tell us."
There was a soft grunt from Rei as she got to her feet. "You may consider
that an order from your Regent, if not from the Princess as well," she said in
a level tone, giving the green-haired woman a flat glare.
Susan blinked and gave her a slightly surprised look before taking a deep
breath and bowing her head slightly. "As you wish, your Excellency. I do not
know what has just occurred, but it seems that the Imperium Silver Crystal is
in a state of confusion. It won't react to either you or Serena, and it only
reacts blindly to me. The fact that it won't react to the one who has full
dominion over it is very troublesome, as I believe it means something else is
trying to call upon the powers of the Crystal. I cannot say if the call has
been successful or not, but it appears that the call is.... valid enough, if
you will, to confuse the Crystal."
"Wait, back up," Leda said slowly. "What do you mean by a valid call?"
"Only those who have dominion over the Crystal can force it to act," Susan
explained carefully. "A Sailor Scout may gain an audience with the cosmic
consciousness at any time to seek information and guidance. When you try to
transform, what you are really doing is using your Power Wands as a focus to
contact the Crystal and ask to be empowered. This call is very rarely ignored
by the Crystal, and in fact requires a conscious effort to block or refuse."
There was a slight pause as the rest of the group exchanged wary looks.
"Okay, I think we're with you so far," Darian said carefully. "I take it this
is not a future Sailor Scout calling for her powers?"
Susan paused for a moment to compose her thoughts. "I do not believe the
summons is from a future period in this sense, but instead originated from the
present. We are out-of-phase by three hundred years, but we are still tied to
our point-of-origin in temporal terms."
"Wait," Ami said slowly as she tried to digest the ramifications. "So
what you're saying is that a Sailor Scout just tried to transform? But we're
all accounted for, and none of our Wands are missing. Right?" she added as she
cast a quick glance around the room.
There was a brief scramble as everyone checked their Lunar Space pockets
before nodding in response. "We got 'em all," Leda assured her.
"So if it's not us...." Mina said slowly.
"Hence the confusion," Susan finished for her.
Rei shook her head. "If it's just confusion, then why won't it simply
ask us?" she countered. "I can understand it not wanting to talk to me, but
Serena is the Moon Princess. How can it ignore her?"
"Susan?" Michelle suddenly spoke up, her voice audibly shaky. "Does....
Do you think this has anything to do with the brooch I.... I...?"
"Whooooopsie...." Mina said very quietly as Susan's expression changed.
"Either that's my blood going cold or that's my kidneys trying to make me pee
ice crystals in a few minutes."
"Bathroom's down the hall, babe," Alex said with a casual jerk of her
thumb over her shoulder. She paused before sighing quietly. "And it's not
just you getting a case of the willies, either," she muttered.
"Enough," Susan said quietly. "I don't know what caused this, nor will I
indulge in wild speculation without further information. We are sequestered in
the past and are safe from events in the present. Yes, there will be a time
gap of a few hours once I return us to the normal flow of Time, and yes, it is
possible that something of significance has happened in the interim. We will
not know until we return, and it is best that we not attempt to return until
tomorrow afternoon. That way, our body clocks will not be out of synch with
the flow of Time on an hourly scale and the disruption to you will be minimized
as much as possible."
Leda growled quietly and crossed her arms over her chest. "So what are
we supposed to do until then, just sit here and eat like nothing happened?"
"That may be prudent," Susan replied calmly. "When events are not within
one's control, what use is it to burden yourself with needless anxiety?"
"It's called being human," Rei said quietly as she sat back down on her
cushion, casting a brief glance at the ghostly green flames that still burned
on the candles around her.
Susan paused to regard her carefully before dismissing the comment. She
took a step forward and knelt down, gently placing the Imperium Silver Crystal
in Rei's lap before standing back up and turning to face Serena. "I ask that
you not worry, your Highness," she said calmly. "I realize that this is rather
upsetting, and I will admit to a fair degree of trepidation myself, but I do
not believe any good will come from excessive worry at this point."
"Serena," Darian said quietly, gesturing to the empty spot next to him in
the webbed chair. "Susan's right, you probably should at least try to finish
dinner. There's still plenty of rice left," he added, gesturing to the large
bowl parked next to the couch.
Serena cast a reflexive glance at the food before giving Susan an unhappy
look. She received a gentle smile of encouragement in response and sighed,
nodding in understanding to the succubus before making her way back over to the
cup-like chair. She paused in mid-motion just as she was about to sit down,
raising one eyebrow at something that had caught her attention. "Rei?" she
rasped quietly.
"Yes?" Rei said absently, still staring down at the gemstone in her lap.
She paused as she realized who was talking to her and looked up, turning her
head to follow Serena's pointing gesture. "Hey!" she protested sharply.
Myst froze in mid-chew, lifting her head up from Rei's forgotten bowl of
glazed chicken and fried rice. A good portion of the contents had already been
eaten, leaving a faint stain on the tips of her feline whiskers.
Mina giggled quietly as Rei's eyes narrowed down to mere slits. "How many
times do I have to warn you guys?" she said lightly. "You'd be surprised what
looks edible to a cat. Besides, nothing wrong with sharing, right Rei?"
"Fine, she's sleeping with you tonight," Rei growled as she stood up and
headed into the kitchen to find a new bowl.
Mina paused for a moment before shrugging in dismissal. "Hey, that's fine
with me. Going to sleep with a cat in my arms is hardly a new experience for
me or anything...."
"You're overlooking one thing, Blondie," Leda pointed out.
"What, that she's a demon instead of a cat?" Mina countered. "Okay, so
that's a little unsettling, but after all we've been through, I really don't
think she's going to try anything funny."
"That's not what I'm talking about," the brunette replied.
Mina blinked and remained silent for several seconds, visibly thinking
about what Leda could possibly be talking about. "Okay, I give up," she said
in a guarded tone. "What am I missing here?"
A faint smirk crept across Leda's face as she gestured to the kitten as
she resumed eating out of the bowl. "You really need a reminder about what
happens when you give a cat fried rice?" she said languidly.
"Oh, no," Mina said rapidly, her eyes going wide as she started shaking
her head vehemently. "Uh-uh, I'm not putting up with that, no ma'am. She'll
be sleeping outside tonight, then...."
Myst suddenly paused in mid-chew again, her tail starting to twitch back
and forth. "What are you talking about?" she asked slowly.
Darian chuckled very quietly to himself as Serena snuggled up to him, a
very disgruntled look on her face. "It seems that cats and fried rice don't
mix together very well," he explained to the kitten. "I don't know if it will
have the same effect on you, since you're not really a cat, but you might not
want to eat any more of that."
"What effect?" the Shinma echoed, giving Mina an uncertain look.
"How does marathon camping on the litter box sound?" Alex spoke up.
"On a litter box a few dozen yards downwind," Mina added, making a sour
face at the thought. She glanced up in time to catch the look on Rei's face as
she entered the room, just in time to catch the last part of the conversation.
"Oh, sorry about that," she apologized.
Rei just looked down at her empty bowl and sighed quietly as what was left
of her appetite quickly vanished. "I give up," she muttered as she tossed the
plastic bowl towards the kitchen sink and headed towards the bathroom. "Let me
know when dessert is ready, hopefully nothing will upset my stomach then."
"Rei, are you alright?" Ami called out in a concerned tone.
The priestess paused in the doorway and looked over her shoulder. "Let's
just say that I'm ready to throw up, simply because I know for a fact that I'll
feel better when I'm done. And at this point, I'll take whatever feelings of
relief I can get. Excuse me."
"That's raw," Leda commented with a rueful shake of her head.
"Hey, Sue, I got a wild idea for you," Alex said carefully. "You think
one of your cigarettes would make her feel better?"
"What?" Ami blurted out, coming dangerously close to expelling a mouthful
of glazed chicken.
Susan paused and regarded the blonde Viking carefully. "I will give it
some thought," she said in a cool tone.
"Wait, this is the herbal stuff, right?" Mina said in a flat tone. "The
demonic version of marijuana?"
"Essentially," Susan replied. "As I explained before, it is cultivated
for use by succubi to dampen our sex drives for a period of time, but it also
appears to have an equal impact on humans."
"Now there's a thought," Leda said as she scooped out the last few grains
of rice from her bowl. "If it turns a girl off, maybe giving Rei a few hits of
that stuff will get Darian out of her mind for awhile and let her calm down."
"LEDA!" Ami gasped in a mixture of shock and outrage.
"I'm just saying," the brunette replied with a shrug. "Desperate times
call for desperate measures, and I'm fairly sure Rei's a little desperate for
some action or something like that. WHOA, hey, I'm being serious!" she yelped
as Ami reached out to solidly thump her shoulder.
"Can't you see she's just been under a lot of stress?" Ami said in a flat
tone. "I've had a queasy stomach myself since this whole mess started.... two
days ago?" she asked, turning around with a blank look on her face. "Just how
long has it been, anyway? I can't seem to keep track of time anymore."
"Time travel is a little disorienting to the uninitiated," Susan replied
in a gentle tone. "Your sense of the passage of time will rebalance itself
once we return to the present and discharge our temporal coefficient."
Leda snorted quietly to herself. "That sounds messy," she muttered.
"Not really," Alex spoke up. "You'll feel better after a shower, though,
that always seems to get rid of any lingering unpleasantness."
"Wonderful," Leda replied with a soft growl. She paused for a moment to
look at Ami before setting her bowl aside and rolling up her sleeve. "Damn,
girl," she said quietly as she examined her shoulder. "Take it easy next time
so I won't have to return the favor, okay?"
"Hmm?" Ami said before gasping as she saw the faint marks already starting
to darken on Leda's exposed shoulder. "Oh, my god, Leda, I'm sorry!"
"Bah," the brunette grunted as she rolled her sleeve back down. "Don't
get your panties in a wad, it's only a minor one. Still," she added with a
faint edge to her tone. "Don't do that again, alright?"
"I'm sorry...." Ami repeated in a remorseful tone.
"Vampires do exist," Mina said quietly, mostly to herself as she studied
her synthesizer keyboard, "And this one we fight, this one we face, has the
strength of twenty or more people, and you can testify to that...."
"But he can also control the meaner things in life," Susan spoke up in a
faintly amused tone, drawing a startled look from the blonde. "The bat, the
rat, and the wolf. He can appear as mist, as smoke, or as fog.... If I may
ask, Mina, do you really believe what Abraham Stoker wrote about vampires in
his novel about the one he called Dracula?"
Mina blinked hard and regarded the succubus warily. "Why do I have the
funny feeling that you're about to tell me everything I know is wrong?"
"As I am not sure about the depth or accuracy of your knowledge, I can
hardly make such a statement," Susan replied. "Suffice it to say that Stoker's
writings bear some grains of truth to them, but are otherwise largely comprised
more of fiction than of fact."
"I don't want to hear this," Mina said in a sullen tone. "Ask me about it
some other day, but I really don't want to have to cope with a migraine from
having my world turned upside-down."
Darian made a very quiet coughing noise to himself as he rubbed Serena's
arm gently. "You say that as if we've been living stable lives for the past
week," he muttered, drawing resigned looks of agreement from everyone else.
"Very well," Susan said. "I shall defer the question for the moment."
"Here's a question," Alex spoke up. "What's for dessert? I know Rei will
probably want something to eat once her stomach settles, and we all know the
Princess looks forward to anything with sugar in it...."
Michelle just sighed and poked Alex in the ribs as Serena stuck her tongue
out. "Leave the Princess alone," she said quietly.
"Don't we know it," Leda chuckled, drawing a look of amused exasperation
from both Serena and Susan. "Well, whatever it is, it'll probably have to be
made from scratch like everything else. Any suggestions?"
"Perhaps I should tend to that," Susan said. "As any dessert will take at
least an hour to prepare, if not longer, it might be a good idea to make use of
the heated pool Rei and I repaired earlier. A relaxing soak after a meal will
aid in digestion as well as removing the bulk of tension from your body."
"Mich, honey, take it easy," Alex said as Michelle immediately perked up.
"What?" Michelle protested with a slight pout. "I like the idea."
"Trust me, babe, I know...."
Leda just chuckled quietly to herself. "Pavlov would be proud," she said
to Ami, drawing a reproving look.
A soft sigh rose up from Mina's chest as she looked around the room. "I
like the idea of a warm soak too, but then that sort of brings up the question
of just how exactly we're going to go about doing this."
"If I may," Susan spoke up quickly before anyone else could speak. "As
opulent as my bathing facilities are, they were not designed for large crowds
and will thus not be able to accomodate everyone at once. At least, not unless
you desire a personal sense of intimacy," she added lightly.
Mina wrinkled her nose at the thought. "I'll pass at having someone in
my lap, thanks," she muttered.
"Two groups should suffice," Susan continued. "As modesty will likely be
a driving concern, I think it would be best if Darian, Serena, Rei, and myself
were to wait until the rest of you are finished as a group before taking our
turn. Unless, of course, anyone else wishes to bathe with Darian," she added
in a somewhat casual tone.
Darian blinked and sat up slightly. "Hey, listen, I'll stick with using
the shower down the hall if it'll make things easier on everyone."
"There would still need to be two groups," Susan replied. "I believe my
facility can reasonably accomodate six individuals at the most before space
becomes a noticable concern. Do you feel better, your Excellency?" she added
as Rei walked back into the room.
"For the most part," Rei replied quietly as she strode over to the floor
cushion and sat down, casting a dark glance at Myst as she did so. She paused
for a moment as the green flames from the candles flared up briefly before
settling back down to their usual gentle burn.
"So run this one past me again," Leda said slowly, casting a quick glance
at both Rei and the odd green candle flames. "You're going to go make dessert
or something, and while that's happening the rest of us are supposed to go soak
in the hot tub together?"
"Unless anyone has an objection," Susan replied with a nod. "As I said,
I think it best if you, Ami, Alex, Michelle, Mina, and Maq'i were to go first,
and for Darian, Rei, the Princess, and I to do so later once the six of you are
finished for the evening."
A quiet chuckle rose up from Maq'i chest. "Thank you for the offer, my
friend, but I think I will settle for a simple shower and retire to bed for the
evening. Frolicking in the water is more a sport for youthful women than for
one as old as I am," she explained with an amused twinkle in her eye.
"Heh," Alex said with a faint grin. "You're never too old to enjoy a good
soak. Just look at Mich here. Five bucks says she could be eighty years old
and she'd still act like a teenager everytime someone talks about playing in a
bathtub or something...."
"Alex," Michelle protested with a casual swat on the blonde's shoulder, a
faint blush springing to her cheeks.
"So where is this thing, anyway?" Mina inquired as she stood up and slowly
stretched.
"This way," Susan said as she gestured to the hallway. "I will have to
rotate the corridor, so if anyone needs to use the bathroom on this level, now
would be an ideal time to do so."
Mina blinked and cast a quick glance around the room. "Uh, wait," she
said cautiously. "There's a bathroom up there, though, right?"
"Of course," Susan replied with a faint smile. "That comment, however,
was primarily directed at those who will be remaining here for the moment."
"Just checking," Mina said as she visibly sighed with relief.
Darian looked over at Serena, nodding in understanding as she gently shook
her head. "We'll be okay, Susan," he called out, sighing quietly to himself in
absent contentment as Serena snuggled up to him.
Susan nodded her head. "Very well, then, I shall return shortly. If the
rest of you will come with me?" she said, making a gesture to the hallway.
Darian watched in silence as the rest of the group got up from their seats
and followed the succubus down the corridor. He gave Mina a curious look as
the blonde stopped to pick up Myst, cradling the kitten in her arms and leaving
him alone in the room with Serena and Rei.
Uh-oh, he thought to himself as the realization sank into his brain. This
might not be such a hot idea after all if they decide to finally hash things
out between themselves. Of course, I can think of far worse places to be than
in a hot tub with three women when things go to hell in a handbasket, but I can
also think of far better places to be.... like behind a wall of sandbags....
Still, he thought as he absently ran his fingertips through the length of
blonde hair casually draped across his chest. It might be for the better if
they finally deal with this mess. Question is.... how? And do I really want
to be involved in this one?
Of course, he added with a sigh, how can I not be...?
* * * *
"Aw, k'ves!" a voice called out just as Tolaris and K'tal strode into the
main area of Operations. "Heat bloom on the pad, looks like a launch...."
"Stand by," K'tal ordered, causing the rest of the staff to blink hard at
the realization of his presence. "Tactical, talk to me."
"Confirmed," the Tactical officer said without lifting his head up from
his display. "Sir, a Type-4 ballistic missile has just been launched from the
Northern Mountain range. I can't determine if it's an orbital or polar track
just yet, it has another ninety seconds of stage-one burn time."
K'tal sighed quietly and exchanged glanced with Tolaris. "This is going
to be a very long ninety seconds," he muttered.
"Tactical, any signs of a warhead?" Tolaris called out.
"Not yet, sir," Tactical replied after a brief delay.
"What's the burn-rate look like?" someone asked quietly.
"Fairly high," the Tactical officer said slowly. "You know, this might be
just a simple orbital launch after all. It's moving faster than a satellite
launcher would, which means it's not toting nearly as much mass...."
"Yeah, but how fast does a Postman move?" someone muttered darkly.
K'tal just shook his head to himself. "Remind me to have a word with R&D
the next time we have a divisional staff meeting," he quietly said to Tolaris.
"I understand their concerns with orbital scheduling and all, but this kind of
timing could cause some serious problems...."
"Thirty-five seconds," someone called out.
"Go straight, you p'tai, go straight," someone else muttered.
"Commander?" the Communications lieutenant said carefully.
"Yes?" Tolaris and K'tal said in perfect unison. They briefly exchanged
glances before K'tal cleared his throat. "Go ahead," he said.
"There's a small group of cadets waiting for you in your office," she
explained with a gesture to the closed door. "They said you were expecting
them, and I didn't have any reason to think otherwise, so I let them in."
K'tal nodded his head. "Thank you, Lieutenant."
"Ten seconds," a voice warned as everyone turned to stare at the large
wall-mounted display that was currently showing the telemetry of the missile.
The numbers seemed to change at a steady pace for a few seconds before there
was a very slight pause, followed by a rapid increase in speed of changes.
"Cut-off," the Tactical officer said, his voice filled with raw tension.
"Okay, there's the separation.... stage-two ignition.... Steady course," he
said, breathing a heavy sigh of relief. "Sir, the missile is maintaining an
outbound orbital track and is not, repeat, not on a ballistic path."
"Let's hear it for R&D," K'tal muttered softly. "Thank you, Lieutenant.
I still want that thing watched until it reaches orbit, however, just in case
someone has a very cruel sense of humor."
"Understood, sir," the officer replied crisply.
"Some sense of humor," Tolaris commented as he followed K'tal to the door
that led to the Commander's office.
K'tal paused to give him a measured look. "Surely you know what I mean,"
he said in a guarded tone.
"Unfortunately, I do," Tolaris replied with a faint sigh, absently tugging
on his dark blue uniform. Little Q hadn't disappointed him in the slightest,
producing a pair of tailored uniforms for both himself and Maze within the span
of three minutes. There was a slight moment of embarrassment as he realized
that the uniform was dangerously tight, a warning sign that he was putting on
more weight than he had realized. The issue was resolved a few minutes later
as V'Lan made a few quick seam adjustments, saying that he always had a little
extra leeway crafted into each uniform for just such an occasion.
The sound of five sets of boots snapping together in unison echoed around
the office as K'tal strode inside, followed by Tolaris. He waited until the
door was closed before casting a critical eye at the group, nodding his head
slightly in approval of the crispness of their uniforms.
"Sir," the first cadet said as he saluted. "Dragoon Cadet Squadron Six-
Four reporting as ordered."
K'tal returned the salute before moving over to his desk. "At ease," he
said as he sat down, making a subtle gesture to Tolaris.
Tolaris paused for a moment as he studied the group. "Only five of you?"
he said in a slightly uncertain tone. "Explain, Cadet."
"Sir," the cadet replied crisply. "Only the best of the best are allowed
to become Dragoons, and the five of us proved to be the best this cycle."
"A touch of arrogance, Cadet?" Tolaris pointed out with a hint of humor.
"Fact, sir, which is what Dragoons deal with," the cadet replied without
hesitation.
Tolaris exchanged bemused glances with K'tal before nodding his head to
the cadet. "Well spoken. I am Dragoon Commander Tolaris. I ask that each of
you tell me your name and current duty assignment."
"Sir, Cadet Sash, assigned to Engineeering," the first cadet said with a
sharp salute.
"Ah," K'tal said languidly as he leaned back in his chair. "I thought you
sounded familiar. Thanks again for your help during the cannon incident."
"I heard about that," Tolaris commented absently. "Very good work indeed,
Cadet. Keep it up and you'll have a very bright future ahead of you."
Sash blinked and gave him a slightly uncertain glance. "Sir," he said,
not knowing what else to say.
"Sir," the second cadet said with a sharp salute as Tolaris moved over to
him. "Cadet J'alan, Defensive Armament Maintenance."
Tolaris returned the salute as he studied the cadet. He appeared to be
extremely young for a Felinoid, with solid dark gray fur the color of wet ash.
His paws were about the size of Tolaris' head, which meant that he still had a
fair amount of growing left before reaching full size. "You enjoy working on
the heavy machinery?" he inquired.
The Felinoid nodded in response. "Yes, sir, I do. The instructors say
that I have a natural affinity for mechanics, and I find the job to be both
demanding and rewarding."
"Good to hear," Tolaris said. "I know maintenance isn't among any of the
high-profile or glorious jobs, but I am glad to know we will be in good hands.
Welcome aboard."
"Sir," J'alan replied with a nod of understanding and a hint of pride.
Tolaris nodded back and moved further down the line, blinking in surprise
as he realized that the third cadet was a shadow-like being. "Cadet," he said
calmly by way of introduction.
"Sir," the cadet replied with a salute, his voice seeming to be unusually
soft and sibilant. "Cadet V'Neer, Field Operations Specialist."
"Field Ops?" Tolaris echoed. "Now there's an interesting choice to have
made. Any particular reason why?"
V'Neer's dark gray eyes seemed to flicker slightly. "Sir, my kind are
well-suited to stealth and silent operations," he explained quietly. "I felt
it wise to make the best of my natural talents and abilities."
"Wise indeed," Tolaris said. "Forgive my asking, but you're the first of
your kind to join the Dragoon Legion, correct?"
"The first of my kind to be accepted, sir," the shadowy being replied.
"Two others have applied but failed to pass the final tests."
"History will remember you well, then," Tolaris pointed out in a gentle
tone. "Unfair as it may seem, I hope you will be up to the task."
V'Neer nodded in understanding. "I know, sir, and I will do my best to
leave a legacy that both my kind and the Dragoon Legion will be proud of," he
replied calmly.
"Indeed," Tolaris replied before he moved down the line. He blinked hard
and came to a halt at what he saw, his eyebrows arching up to his hairline.
"Sir," both women said in perfect unison as they saluted. "Cadets T'Hai
and T'Mir, Information Compilation and Analysis."
It took Tolaris a few seconds to recover from the sheer surprise of the
situation. "Identical twins?" he breathed in awe as he studied them. They
appeared to be mirror images of one another, identical in every detail down to
the cut of their light brown hair and the shade of their rust-colored eyes.
"Yes, sir," the twins replied, again in perfect unison.
"Amazing," Tolaris said. It was a rare event when a set of twins were
born, and in virtually every case they were fraternal twins developed from two
different eggs. Identical twins, however, were so rare as to be unheard of in
living memory, perhaps one set born every five thousand years or so.
"Good luck telling them apart," K'tal spoke up with a rueful grin. "They
tried explaining it to me, but short of making them wear name-tags, I haven't
figured it out yet."
"Tell me about it," Sash muttered beneath his breath, drawing a faint look
of reproach from Tolaris and a surprisingly discreet tail-slap from J'alan.
Tolaris looked at the twins for a moment before turning to K'tal. "Do me
a favor and get Maze up here," he said. "If he can't figure something out, I
doubt either of us would be able to. Speaking of which," he said as he turned
to face the twins, "Could you tell me which one of you is which?"
They both seemed to smile in the same way in the same instant. "Don't
worry about it, sir," they chorused, "We're used to it."
"Excuse me," Tolaris said, holding up a finger with a slightly pained look
on his face. "You are individuals, correct?"
"We are, sir," they replied, causing Tolaris to sigh heavily.
"You get used to them," K'tal spoke up with a soft chuckle as he turned
his attention to his computer terminal for a few moments.
"One at a time, please?" Tolaris said in a faintly pleading tone.
The twins glanced at once another before nodding in unison. "I'm T'Hai,
sir," the one on the left said.
"And I'm T'Mir," the one on the right added.
Tolaris nodded in understanding, having the sneaking suspicion that he
would lose track of them within the next five minutes, if not sooner. "So why
Analysis?" he inquired carefully.
"Well, sir, we...." they started to say before pausing at the look on his
face. They again exchanged glances before speaking in turns.
"As you've noticed, sir, we think alike in most situations...."
"...Which is good when trying to come to a unified conclusion...."
"...But we do have slight variations in thinking patterns...."
"...So we can analyze a problem from two perspectives at once...."
"...Which means we can formulate a conclusion based on two tangents...."
"...And thus have a very solid base to work with...."
"...Which is makes our analysis reliable information."
Tolaris briefly gave very serious consideration to asking K'tal where the
nearest bottle of headache reliever was before drawing in a deep breath. "So
I take it the two of you are psionically linked?" he ventured.
"No, sir, we're not," the twins replied calmly.
"You're not?" Tolaris echoed in surprise. He paused for a moment and cast
a very unamused glare over his shoulder as he heard K'tal's soft laughter fill
the relative silence in the room.
"They're linked, alright, but it's not psionics," K'tal said as he made a
gesture to the wall display. The panel flickered briefly before displaying a
pair of three-dimensional brain-wave trace patterns, highlighting the level and
location of synaptic activity. "Trust me, these two have been through more
psionic tests than any three Psi-Corp members combined. What you see on the
display is a recording of an in-depth brain scan done on them recently."
"Looks normal to me," Tolaris commented as he studied the seemingly random
flashes of light denoting synaptic activity.
"Here's where things get interesting," K'tal said as he typed in another
set of commands, causing the image to take on three new colors. "The green on
the left is M'Tir's brain pattern, the red on the right is T'Hai's pattern."
Tolaris paused as he studied the display, seeing two sets of yellow points
of light shown on both sides of the display. "And the yellow?" he prompted.
"That's where identical synapses are firing at the same microsecond," the
other Dragoon commander said calmly. "In other words, a shared thought or
mental process. And when we isolate the matches...."
Tolaris' jaw fell open as a third trace appeared in the center of the
screen, appearing to be nothing less than a complete pattern in of itself. "A
third mind?" he said, giving the twins a stunned look.
"No, sir," they replied calmly. They paused to exchange looks before they
started taking turns talking again.
"We really are individuals in our thinking...."
"...We do think alike, however, but our thoughts are our own."
"...I cannot read her mind...."
"...Nor can I read hers...."
"...We can usually guess what the other thinking, however...."
"...But it's not always reliable...."
"...We can usually score two out of three in that regard...."
"...And as for the third brain-wave pattern, we're not sure...."
"...We think it might be a subconsciousness on the quantum level...."
"...But we can't prove it...."
"...Nor are we interested in going to all the trouble to find out...."
"...We are who we are, Commander...."
"...And that's all that matters, sir."
Tolaris slowly let his breath out, waiting for his brain to quit spinning
in a small circle as he digested all of the information. "I will have to do a
review of your academic studies and analyses first, but something tells me that
the two of you will be a tremendous asset to the Intelligence division. Your
shared uniqueness, such as it were, is going to take some getting used to, but
that should be a challenge that we all should look forward to."
The twins smiled and nodded in unison. "Thank you, sir."
A firm knock was heard on the door a moment later, prompting an exchange
of glances between Tolaris and K'tal. "Enter," K'tal said loudly.
The door swung open to admit Maze into the room, wearing a freshly pressed
uniform marked with the twin silver bars of a full lieutenant. "Sir," Maze said
crisply as he closed the door and saluted. "Dragoon Lieutenant Maze reporting
as ordered."
"At ease," K'tal said, making a gesture to Tolaris. "Commander Tolaris
seems to think your expertise would be useful in this situation."
"Sir?" Maze replied, giving Tolaris an openly leery look.
Tolaris chuckled and made a gesture. "Meet Cadet Squadron Six-Four," he
said casually. "This is Cadet Sash."
Maze chuckled and smiled. "We already met down in Engineering," he said
affably. "He has a lot to learn, but so did I when I first started out. He's
doing just fine," he added with a grin.
"So I've heard," Tolaris said in a neutral tone, causing a faint hint of
a blush to appear on Sash's cheeks. "This is Cadet J'alan."
"Cadet," Maze said with a friendly nod of his head. "Please tell me that
you're not into playing Field Squares, as I'd hate to encounter those hands on
the opposing team...."
A very soft growling purr rose up from J'alan's chest. "I'm not, sir."
"Glad to hear it," Maze replied with an exaggerated chuckle of relief.
Tolaris just shook his head. "This is Cadet V'Neer," he continued. "Our
newest Field Ops recruit."
"Field Ops?" Maze echoed, giving V'Neer a respectful look. "Maybe I need
to be saluting you instead of the other way around. That's a dangerous choice
of a career, Cadet, but if you've got the k'vesan for it, more power to you.
Just remember.... I'm on your side," he added as he lowered his voice.
K'tal just shook his head to himself. "Maze, you should be in Public
Relations," he said dryly.
"I'll stick with Network Administration," Maze replied with a chuckle.
"Less of a.... hassle...." he said, his voice trailing off as he saw who was
next in line.
A faint hint of a smile crossed Tolaris' face. "And these are Cadets
T'Hai and T'Mir," he said casually. "The reason I asked you to come up here
is to help us determine a way of telling them apart."
Maze blinked and looked over at Tolaris. "You're kidding, right? You
can't see the difference? I mean, yes they're identical twins.... at least,
I'm guessing you are and not a pair of clones," he added, giving the twins a
slightly uncertain look.
"We're not clones, sir," they replied firmly.
Tolaris and K'tal exchanged looks before they both sighed. "Okay, Maze,"
K'tal said wearily. "Humor us for a moment and tell me which one is which."
Maze chuckled quietly. "Patience, Commander. Quick question, ladies," he
said in a curious tone. "I presume you have hobbies that are listed in your
personnel files?"
The twins blinked in surprise and briefly exchanged glances before nodding
in unison. "They should be listed, sir."
"Thank you," Maze replied graciously. "Commander K'tal, would you be so
kind as to tell me what the record says these lovely cadets do for fun?"
"Maze," Tolaris said in a reproving tone as K'tal consulted his computer.
"Sir?" the purple-haired denizen replied in a guarded tone.
"Nevermind," Tolaris sighed as he looked up at the ceiling.
"Try this, Lieutenant" K'tal spoke up as he read the screen. "Cadet T'Hai
likes to run and is in fact cleared to use the outermost tracks at the High
Velocity Arena. Cadet T'Mir is a two-time p'sa'na champion, winning both the
unarmed and armed combat titles in her division at the Academy."
"Impressive," Maze said, his eyebrows arching up in genuine appreciation.
"That will do, Commander. It's clear to me that our combat champion T'Mir is
the lovely cadet on the right, and that the equally lovely and probably super-
sonic T'Hai is on the left."
K'tal promptly came out of his chair as if bitten, while the jaws of the
rest of the cadets sagged open in surprise. "Correct, sir," the twins said
with soft smiles on their faces.
"Lieutenant Maze," K'tal said flatly. "How in the name of the NegaForce
did you just do that?"
Maze paused and regarded his fellow Dragoon cautiously. "You're kidding,
right? You honestly can't tell them apart?"
"Lieutenant," K'tal growled in a dangerous tone. "Answer the question."
"Muscle tone, sir," Maze replied calmly. "If I may demonstrate without
offending anyone, look at the structure of their upper arms and leg muscles.
T'Mir's arm muscles are slightly more developed than T'Hai's, as one tends to
use them more for martial arts than for running. The reverse is true for their
leg muscles, as T'Hai's running at super-sonic speeds would build up the muscle
mass far more than T'Mir's relatively stationary combat skills."
K'tal exchanged looks with Tolaris before the elder Dragoon shrugged in
dismissal. "I'll buy that explanation," Tolaris said calmly. "I was a runner
in my youth, and he's right about what it does to your muscle mass. Not that
I ever got past fifth-track clearance for the HVA," he added, giving T'Hai a
respectful look. "If I may ask, what's your top sustainable speed?"
"Unknown, sir," T'Hai replied. "I was asked not to exceed the speed of
sound in the arena, and I haven't been able to schedule a free-range session in
the Lexeri Desert yet."
"Ay'cha navidshi," Tolaris breathed softly, shaking his head.
"Which type of weapon do you use in the armed p'sa'na tournaments?" K'tal
asked T'Mir.
"Dual plasma swords, sir," T'Mir replied, her voice identical to T'Hai's
in every detail.
"Two of them?" K'tal echoed in surprise. "Why not use a plasma lance?"
"Flexibility, sir," T'Mir explained. "I tried to use a lance, but I found
it to be too cumbersome in the heat of battle. With the swords, I can direct
them independantly as the situation requires."
"Maze, you're a bit of p'sa'na student, correct?" Tolaris asked as he idly
scratched his chin.
Maze snorted quietly in contempt. "Yes, but I'm about as good at that as
you are at running these days. Don't get me wrong, you could easily leave me
in the dust as easily as I could sit you down on your ptanka in a match, but
I'm certainly nowhere near competitive levels. However, I think I know who
might be interested in a friendly little match...."
The twins exchanged glances before T'Hai nodded her head. T'Mir blinked
and nodded back in acknowledgement before turning to face Maze. "I believe we
can make arrangements for that, sir," she said in a neutral tone.
"Maybe," Tolaris spoke up. "Maze, why do I have the funny feeling I know
who you're talking about?"
The Dragoon lieutenant just chuckled quietly to himself. "Come on, boss,
you know she'll give it a shot on the curiosity factor alone," he replied. "It
might take a bit of work to set up and all, but it should be worthwhile."
"Excuse me, Lieutenant," K'tal interrupted in a faintly guarded tone, "But
could you go ahead and name this individual for us?"
Maze paused before clearing his throat gently. "That would be Sailor
Jupiter," he said carefully. "She told us how she has attained mastery in two
different types of martial arts, and I thought it would be interesting to see
how T'Mir's style compares to hers."
"Sir?" the twins suddenly blurted out in shocked unison.
K'tal slowly sat down in his chair and leaned back, giving both Tolaris
and Maze guarded looks. "Now that the introductions appear to be over, I think
we need to move on to the reason I have the seven of you taking up space in my
office. Have a seat, everyone," he added, gesturing to the row of chairs that
were against the far wall. He waited until everyone was seated before making
a gesture to Sash. "I believe you had a question earlier, Cadet?"
"Sir," Sash said as he bolted upright in his chair, his expression turning
slightly pale. "I didn't intend to...." he started to say before being cut off
by a gesture from K'tal.
"Let me say this one again," K'tal said in a faintly edged tone. "If you
have a question about Commander Tolaris, you may ask him yourself. I've known
him for quite some time now, and believe me when I say that he will not lop off
your head if you happen to ask a question he doesn't like. You may be a cadet,
but you're still a Dragoon, and a Dragoon shouldn't hesitate to ask the hard
questions if he or she believes the answer to be important." He paused for a
moment and added, "Be polite about it, though."
"Sir," Sash said as he swallowed hard. He glanced over at Tolaris before
rising to his feet, clasping his hands behind his back. "Commander Tolaris....
sir, how do we know we can still trust you?" he asked in a voice that had just
a hint of wavering tension in it.
Tolaris nodded in understanding as he rose to his feet as well. "That is
a fair question, Cadet," he said, likewise clasping his hands behind his back.
"I know what I've done, but I would like to hear your understanding of what I
have been purported to have done."
"Sir," Sash said as he paused to choose his words. "You knowingly and
willfully disobeyed Queen Beryl's orders to capture the Sailor Scouts. You
gave direct and tangible assistance to our declared enemy, which is treason by
definition. When charged, you pled guilty and were sentenced to be frozen in
Eternal Crystal. You later escaped from your lawful prison and joined forces
with the Sailor Scouts, leading them into the Dragoon Headquarters Complex.
There they assaulted several Dragoons and stole our most sacred artifact, the
life-crystal of Dragoon Captain Raijen himself. You then killed Commander
Shar-Tei before returning to Earth, taking Lieutenant Maze, Lieutenant Ra'vel,
and the captain of the Psi-Corp with you."
Tolaris nodded once the cadet fell silent. "That is essentially correct,"
he said simply. "I should like to point out that no Dragoon was truly harmed
during that event, save for Shar-Tei. She initiated the duel, however, so I
had no choice but to defend myself and our honor. I will say that you have a
solid grasp on the what, Cadet Sash. Now let us see if you have an equal grasp
of the why. Or do you believe that the why is not important?" he added in a
genuinely curious tone.
"Sir, the why is best left for those who are fit to cast judgment," Sash
replied evenly. "You knowingly and willfully committed treason on multiple
occasions, collaborating with those who assassinated Queen Beryl. With all due
respect, sir, I could care less why you did it. My concern is that you could
betray us again if we were to trust you."
Tolaris raised an eyebrow, giving the cadet a decidedly cool look. "You
may wish to think very carefully about that tenet of yours. If you were to be
suddenly expelled from the Dragoon Academy without warning, don't you think you
would want to know why? Or would you simply accept a judgment without knowing
what facts were presented and how?"
A heavy silence fell around the room for a number of seconds before Sash
bowed his head slightly. "I see your point, sir," he said quietly.
Tolaris nodded in acknowledgement before turning to look at the twins.
"The two of you are to be information analysts," he said in a measured tone.
"How useful do you think the why would be to your field?"
"Essential," they both chorused without hesitation.
"It is impossible to analyze information without a context," T'Hai added.
"And knowing why would aid in determining future patterns," T'Mir said.
Tolaris nodded again and looked over at the Felinoid in the room. "What
do you think, Cadet J'alan?" he asked calmly.
"Sir?" J'alan said, clearly startled by the question.
"How useful is the why in your field?" Tolaris inquired.
J'alan blinked for a moment before the realization clicked in his mind.
"Well, sir," he said carefully, "I can replace a part that's broken, but if I
don't know why it broke to begin with, I won't know how to prevent that same
problem from recurring in the future."
"Makes sense to me," Tolaris said before returning his focus to Sash. "I
am not trying to berate you, Cadet. You are here to learn, and in the process
of learning a great number of mistakes are made, both minor and significant.
As long as you are capable from learning from mistakes, both your own and from
witnessing the mistakes of others, you have little to worry about."
"Yes, sir," Sash said in a slightly chastised voice.
Tolaris nodded and started to absently pace the room, drawing a faintly
amused look from K'tal. "A little over a year ago, I volunteered to personally
travel to Earth for a field operation after having seen the results of several
previous operations that failed rather spectacularly. I was not prepared for
what I encountered, and in retrospect, I believe nobody else was either. The
humans live their lives at a frightening pace and with an intensity that still
dazzles me to this day.
"I soon found myself to be inexplicably enchanted by them, swept up in the
flow of their lives despite my best intentions. I had even warned Beryl that
it was possible that there was something on Earth that could be affecting our
judgment, and yet even armed with that knowledge I still didn't know how or
understand why my view of things was changing. Even now, with as much as I've
come to understand humans and their life in their blue-skied world, there are
so many things I know I don't know. That is a hard thing to discern, I might
add," he said to the cadets. "To know is one thing, but to know what you do
not know is something else entirely."
Tolaris sighed quietly and resumed pacing at a slow rate. "Bear in mind
that when I finally confronted the Sailor Scouts, I only had Sailor Moon and
Sailor Mercury to contend with, as well as their ally Tuxedo Mask."
"You mean Prince Darian," K'tal spoke up quietly.
"Yes," Tolaris replied with a nod of his head. "But remember, nobody knew
of his identity at the time. Sailor Moon herself wouldn't find out who he was
until much later, but that is a minor detail. At the time I was sent to Earth,
we knew little about this Sailor Moon, next to nothing about this new Sailor
Scout that had joined her, and only had unconfirmed reports of a mysterious
caped figure helping them both. Needless to say, I was not nearly as prepared
for the encounter as I otherwise might have been.
"I was able to subdue both Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon, but when it came
to Sailor Mercury.... I couldn't do it," he said very quietly. "Not for a lack
of power or ability, but because I had gotten to know her. It was and still is
one of the bitterest ironies in my entire life that the one who was the most
helpful to me when I first arrived on Earth would be the one that I would have
to try to face down in battle.
"Perhaps my mind was clouded by whatever it was that made me so interested
in her life, both as a human girl and as an individual. Perhaps it was a sense
of honor conflicting with a sense of duty. I didn't know what it was then, and
even today I doubt that I truly grasp what it was. Even as we fought, I could
sense no true hatred for me, merely an active desire to defend themselves and
to be left in relative peace. Mercury even attempted to forbid Sailor Moon
from using lethal force on me in self-defense, asking that mercy be shown. I
doubt such a thing would cross any of our minds, which only intrigued me all
the more about her."
"And so you let them go," a voice said, saying it as a statement instead
of a question.
Tolaris paused for a moment, glancing over at Maze and wondering why he
had spoken up like that. "Yes, I did," he replied quietly. "And after doing
so, I immediately returned here to face Queen Beryl. I didn't attempt to flee
or run away or lie to anyone about what I did. She accused me of treason and
I saw no purpose in denying her charge. I faced her with a clear conscience
and with the belief that I had not acted dishonorably. She didn't agree with
me, of course, and I was promptly frozen in Eternal Crystal as punishment."
He quit pacing back and forth and sat down on the edge of K'tal's desk,
his face slipping into a mask of weariness and pain. "Eight months," he said
in a quiet tone. "For eight months I was trapped in that crystal. You cannot
begin to imagine what it was like to be alive and aware, but unable to move,
unable to blink, or breathe, or change the focus of your open eyes.
"The one thing that kept madness from taking hold was the spiritual link
I had left behind on Earth, a tiny fragment of my spirit entrusted to Sailor
Mercury. I could project myself across the dimensional barrier for only a few
hours once a month when their planet and moon were aligned just right. That
tiny thread of energy, held in her hands, is why I'm still here today. When
Shar-Tei used her powers to destroy my crystal prison in an attempt at giving
me peace, I was able to escape oblivion by sending my spirit through the link
to be reintegrated on Earth.
"She helped me when I first arrived on Earth, sent as an agent to kill or
capture her. She helped me again by sustaining the conduit that allowed me to
first retain my sanity, then later to escape death. What man or woman with a
sense of honor, what Dragoon could possibly turn his back on someone who had
done so much for them in their darkest hours? I am indebted to Sailor Mercury
in many ways, and for that alone I will always remain with her. That we have
grown fond of one another is another reason, forging an intense bond that glows
with her human emotions that I willingly try to mirror. Between honor and the
human feeling they call love, you may take it as a given that I will do my best
to see that she is always protected."
A very faint grunt rose up from K'tal's chest. "So are the two of you
life-mates yet?" he inquired in a neutral tone.
"Not yet," Tolaris said. "But we will be once she is truly ready. She is
hardly a child, but neither is she fully a woman. Humans mature at what for us
would be a terrifying speed, so I would give it another seven years before we
will be formally married. Cadet Sash, I trust this is starting to answer part
of your question?" he added, giving the cadet a curious look.
"In part, sir," Sash replied very carefully.
Tolaris nodded and took a deep breath. "Very well. One doesn't become
friends with a Sailor Scout without having to deal with the others. When I was
finally freed from my crystal prison, through no direct action of my own, their
number had grown to five Sailor Scouts. Only Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury
knew me, but the others had been told about me and what had transpired eight
months ago. They were cautious, of course, but they gave me the opportunity to
prove myself to them, that I had no hostile intentions and was serious about my
relationship with Sailor Mercury. They trusted me, and I made sure I didn't do
anything to invalidate that trust.
"I honestly did not expect them to demand to accompany me a few days later
when I stated my intention to briefly return here to gather the few personal
effects I truly valued," he went on, rubbing his face as a sense of weariness
settled around him at the memories. "Sailor Mercury wouldn't take no for an
answer, and the others came with me for her sake. That we ran into Whisper,
Maze, and Ra'vel was unexpected as well, not to mention problematic at first."
"Tell me about it," Maze muttered. "Sailor Venus had me lined up in her
cross-hairs when Tolaris finally got everyone to settle down long enough to
hash things out. I'm fairly sure I ran headlong into the same snag that he ran
into with Sailor Mercury, as Venus and I got to be pretty good friends in very
short order. The Sailor Scouts were a cautious but friendly bunch, not exactly
something one would expect from a group reputed to be cold-blooded killers and
assassins. In fact, they were more than willing to help bandage us up after we
got nailed pretty hard by General Rune's new crystal fragmentation artillery
grenade. That's probably what convinced me the most that they truly didn't
intend any unjust harm."
"And that's when you turned rogue as well," Cadet Sash spoke up quietly.
"Did I?" Maze said idly as he leaned back in his chair. "The way I see
it, I ran across a very good friend of mine, both personally and professionally
as a Dragoon. He explained to me what he wanted to do, which was nothing more
than collecting his personal items as quietly as possible so he could then go
back to his self-imposed exile on Earth. I say self-imposed because I have yet
to see an official, signed order expelling him from the Negaverse. Or me, for
that matter," he added casually.
Both Tolaris and K'tal blinked hard before exchanging slightly startled
looks. K'tal glanced over at his computer terminal for several seconds before
shifting his full attention to it, accessing the central computer database.
"So anyway," Maze continued, "This good friend of mine needed some help,
and after listening to what he wanted, I didn't see anything morally wrong with
his intentions. The presence of his allies was problematic, of course, and so
to avoid creating a truly hideous mess or otherwise making life extremely hard
on a number of people, I felt compelled to aid him for the greater good. Which
would you prefer, two dozen people being painlessly and harmlessly rendered
unconscious for a few hours, or a raging battle that could easily result in a
number of fatalities? My conscience said the former. I knew I would likely be
court-martialed for it, but with as much as I owed Tolaris for all the times he
helped me keep my life straight...." he said, trailing off before shrugging in
apparent dismissal. "The bottom line is I have no regrets about what I did.
Especially in light of the fact that Rune used the entire Legion as a pawn in
an elaborate trap set to snare both Tolaris and Sailor Moon."
"Sailor Moon killed Queen Beryl," Cadet V'Neer spoke up softly. "Should
she not be held accountable for that?"
"If she attacked without just cause," Tolaris countered. "Keep in mind
the sequence of events at that point. General Zoicite had Tuxedo Mask stabbed
in the back and brought to our world against his will. Some might call that
kidnapping."
"Or the capture of a prisoner of war," V'Neer replied calmly.
"War declared on what grounds?" Tolaris inquired. "What did Earth do to
warrant an invasion? From their perspective, they were defending their world
from an unknown aggressor, and their actions were consistent with that. They
only went on the offensive once we had taken one of their own, and even then,
who did they kill? Only those who attacked them. They passed near two small
villages on their way to the Imperial Castle and they didn't so much as cast a
dirty look in their direction. And when they finally did manage to breach the
Castle's defenses, did they kill everyone they could find? No, only those who
shot at them first. If Beryl declared war on the Sailor Scouts, then she was
a valid target herself. They came in, recovered their kidnapped ally, dealt
with the ones who kept attacking them mercilessly, and promptly left."
"And notice how things have been awfully quiet since then," Maze added.
"Rune suspended operations against Earth, and amazingly enough things became
rather peaceful. Granted there was one incident in which Sailor Jupiter came
into our world by herself to spend a few days visiting a friend she had made,
but did you hear of anyone getting killed? Any buildings blown up? Was the
rest of the planet, aside from a select few, even aware of the fact that she
was there? The answer to all of the above is a flat no. Think about it," he
added lightly. "The Sailor Scouts are not our enemies, nor will they become
our enemies unless we want them to be. In fact, they're great friends once you
get to know them."
"And the Moon Princess?" one of the twins asked.
Tolaris sighed and shook his head slowly. "As I said, neither she nor I
knew of her heritage until we were confronted with Captain Raijen's spirit in
the storage bay. Nothing up to that point was based on my respect for her
father, but instead was based on our friendship."
"Speaking of her Highness," K'tal spoke up from his desk, furiously typing
away at his computer keyboard, "Next time you see Sailor Mercury, let her know
we're all waiting for that genetic sample she said she had. I personally have
few doubts that Sailor Moon is Raijen's daughter, but as a Dragoon I have to
insist on receiving some valid evidence to back up that statement."
Tolaris nodded in understanding. "You'll get it," he promised.
"Sir?" Sash said carefully. "So far, everything you've told me indicates
that you intend to side with the Sailor Scouts no matter what. That doesn't
sound to be objective in the least, and certainly not deserving of trust."
Tolaris raised a single finger. "Everything I have done, Cadet, every
decision I have made, has been with the best interests of this world in mind.
I will admit to taking the interest of Earth into consideration as well, but
you will be surprised by how often the two have coincided as of late. The way
I see it, we would be inviting further death and destruction if we as a world
were to continue to try to invade and conquer Earth. There are eight Sailor
Scouts now, and I'm sure you know what just five of them can do when they set
their minds to it. Five young girls, Cadet, against the military might of the
Imperial Castle's internal guard and defenses, and they won without question.
Do you truly wish to provoke them when there is no just cause and no benefit to
be gained in the end?"
"Wait," K'tal said as he paused in mid-type. "Eight Sailor Scouts? I
only saw six of them at Mar'ken, and Sailor Moon makes seven...."
"Check again," Maze suggested with a faint chuckle. "I suppose you could
say there are nine, but Sailor V doesn't exactly count...."
"Nine?" K'tal echoed. "Ay'cha navidshi, I forgot about V too."
"Don't worry about Sailor V," Tolaris said. "She is...."
"A true rogue?" Maze suggested as the elder Dragoon trailed off.
"I suppose that'll work," Tolaris replied with a shrug. "In any case,
Cadet, the reason I returned to this world was to help rescue a kidnapped girl
who was being held by General Rune, and to do so in a way as to keep the number
of casualties to an absolute minimum."
"Which is also why I did what I did," K'tal spoke up, his eyes still on
his computer display. "I honestly believe a major crisis was averted when they
were able to rescue Sailor Moon without having to fight their way through the
entire Central Division military. Of course, we ended up with a new crisis in
our laps, but that had nothing to do with the Sailor Scouts."
A very soft growl rose up from J'alan's chest. "Sir, if your objective
was to rescue Sailor Moon, why are you still here?" he asked cautiously.
"You expect me to turn my back on my world when it is in danger?" Tolaris
replied in a faintly edged tone, causing the cadets to blink. "I came here to
prevent a disaster from happening, which I believe we were successful in doing
so. Another disaster sprang up while I was here, however, one that directly
threatened both good friends and the division I have served for virtually my
entire military career. I did what I could to help, and that's brings us to
why I'm standing here right now. I intend to continue to help until the danger
subsides or I am asked to leave. I am still a Dragoon, Cadet, and I know where
my loyalties lie. Even if it's not obvious to everyone else," he added.
"Computer," K'tal suddenly said loudly as he thumbed the small microphone
open.
"Venta," D'Nina's voice said from the speaker, reminding them that she was
still linked to the main computer core.
"Report the duty status of the following Dragoons: Commander Tolaris,
Lieutenant Maze, and Lieutenant Ra'vel," K'tal instructed.
The speaker made a very soft humming noise to indicate it was working on
something before D'Nina's voice returned. "Dragoon Commander Tolaris has been
relieved of command of the Legion and is currently on administrative leave,"
she reported. "Dragoon Lieutenant Maze is currently on administrative leave.
Dragoon Lieutenant Ra'vel is currently on administrative leave."
Both Tolaris and Maze shot to their feet as if electrocuted. "That's a
joke, right?" Maze said, clearly stunned. "We're still listed on the roster?"
"So it seems," K'tal said with a satisfied nod. He typed a command into
the system and chuckled quietly at the results. "The truly amusing part is
that your monthly stipend was never suspended, so you both should have a rather
tidy sum parked in your accounts right now."
"Unbelieveable," Maze said, shaking his head in amazement.
"Something to be said for the ponderous pace of bureaucracy and paperwork
after all," Tolaris mused with a soft chuckle.
"So...." K'tal very slowly. "Do I return you three to active duty, or do
you still need to think about what you're going to do?"
Tolaris and Maze exchanged uneasy glances in silence for several moments.
"That needs to be discussed with several others," Tolaris said softly. "That,
and we need to learn what the Legion as a whole will be doing. If things look
like they will settle down, we will probably return to Earth and stay out of
everyone's way. If it looks like things will degenerate into a civil war...."
K'tal nodded in understanding. "That sounds fair to me. So what do the
rest of you think?" he added, addressing the cadets.
"Sir?" five voices said in near-perfect unison, causing the three fully-
commissioned officers to blink hard.
"You two I can understand," Maze muttered to the twins. "The rest of you
need to stop that."
K'tal grunted very quietly to himself. "I brought the five of you in here
for a reason," he said. "And it wasn't just for the chance to meet Commander
Tolaris. You've heard his story, asked him questions, and heard his answers.
While the Dragoon Legion is not a democracy, I'm not about to put everyone out
on a very serious limb without a consensus of sorts. If I'm going to go to the
trouble of bringing him back, you better believe I'll put his seventy years of
experience as a division commander to good use. This isn't going to work very
well if nobody is willing or able to trust him, however, so I need to get that
dealt with front and center. So what's it going to be?"
"Commander?" J'alan asked carefully. "With all due respect, sir, why are
you asking for the opinions of five cadets instead of the Legion as a whole?"
K'tal glanced over at Tolaris before edging his chair back a few inches.
"Well, first of all, the five of you are closest. Second, I suppose I should
have mentioned earlier that everything that is said in here is being recorded
and has been broadcast live to various duty stations...."
Tolaris came dangerously close to landing on his backside as he pushed off
of the desk and whirled around to face K'tal, tiny arcs of lighting starting to
run up and down the length of his arm. "Commander K'tal...." he started to say
in a dangerously flat tone.
"Sit down, Tolaris," K'tal replied. "You know as well as I do that people
behave differently when in public than in private. I wanted everyone to hear
the real you talk for awhile, not the formal administrator you tend to be when
giving a public speech. That, and I knew you would be more relaxed and open
with cadets you never met instead of with people you've known for centuries."
Tolaris just glared at him for several seconds before crossing the room
to sit down in an empty seat. "P'tai," he muttered quietly to himself.
K'tal just chuckled. "I've been called worse," he pointed out.
"And rightly so," Maze said in a dry tone.
"As you were, Lieutenant," Tolaris said quietly.
K'tal smirked in response and turned his attention back to the cadets.
"So what'll it be, hmm?" he asked. "As with everyone else, I will take what
you say under advisement and in the proper context, but I would still like to
hear what you have to say as this will affect you directly. You may still be
in proverbial diaper-training, but you are still Dragoons and can expect to be
treated as such."
"Such as it were," Maze muttered quietly.
"Is there a problem, Lieutenant?" K'tal asked flatly.
"Let's see," Maze said coldly as he stood up and began to tick off his
fingers. "You used cadets as bait in a minor trap for a fellow Dragoon, you
failed to properly notify us that we were being recorded as per military law,
you violated several privacy statutes with the transmission of said recording,
you're also looking at potential accusations of conspiracy if you planned this
in advance with anyone else, conduct unbecoming of a Dragoon.... shall I use
my other hand to continue, sir, or do you see my point?" he added darkly.
"Just as long as you use more than one finger," K'tal replied casually as
he leaned back in his chair.
Maze blinked and looked over at Tolaris before shaking his head. "I'll
just leave it at that," he muttered as he sat down and crossed his arms.
Tolaris just sighed and gave the cadets a weary look. "The five of you
may safely assume that you are not catching your senior officers at their best
at the moment. If we weren't a few thousand feet off the ground and surrounded
by a haze of radiation, I'd give these two some training weapons and toss them
outside to work out their frustrations in a productive manner. A lesson to be
learned here is that it is not enough to learn how to work together as a team,
but you must also learn to be able to do so in a stressful situation and still
accomplish your mission without having to injure anyone."
K'tal raised a single eyebrow. "Trying to tell me something, Tolaris?"
Tolaris sighed again and looked up at the ceiling, idly wondering if he
was still being recorded. "Idle banter has its uses, K'tal, but now is not the
time for it. If you are serious about your offer to return us to active duty,
it means that you trust us to do what we think is for the greater good of this
world. And if you trust me with that much, to help lead the Dragoon Legion
through this darkening time, then what would make others lose their faith and
trust in me? I can understand the hesitation and concerns of these cadets, as
they have never worked with me, but what about those who have?"
K'tal snorted quietly to himself. "As I said earlier, I'm not going to
open us all to the possibility of grand conspiracy and treason charges without
a general consensus. You want to know what everyone thinks? Fine, give me a
day or two and I'll call a mass formation. You'll get your answer there."
"Hey, boss?" Maze spoke up, making a come-here gesture to Tolaris. He
waited until Tolaris was standing next to him before speaking up very quietly.
"I just had a thought. If everyone is together in the same room, that might be
an ideal opportunity to sneak the Sailor Scouts in here for a face-to-face
meeting. We can grab Ami's computer data and put it up on the screen for all
to see and let it run a genetic scan in real-time. And once it validates what
we've been saying...."
"We'll see," Tolaris replied softly. "I'm not sure I want to run the risk
of something happening to any of them. Keep in mind that the moment they come
into the Negaverse, everyone for a radius of two thousand miles will know."
Maze shrugged in reply. "Have them leave their communicators at home,
then?" he said. He then froze and looked up at Tolaris, both men blinking hard
as the realization hit them in the same instant. "Ay'cha navidshi, how'd we
miss that one?" Maze moaned softly as he pulled his communicator out of his
tunic pocket.
"Problem?" K'tal inquired warily as he noticed the sudden change in their
demeanor.
"I think we just made a tactical mistake," Tolaris sighed as he pulled out
his own communicator and tossed it across the room to K'tal. "We forgot we had
these with us, and it's likely that the signal is being picked up by everyone."
"Hmm," K'tal said slowly as he studied the odd device. "Well, let's just
hope that the radiation shields, the radiation itself, and the mountains are
masking or at least degrading the signal. Don't suppose you can turn it off?"
"I think Sailor Mercury said we'd have to use atomics to take out the
power unit," Maze sighed. "Not that I know what it is or where it's located,
but I'd rather not take it apart to see if I can find out. She tends to be
somewhat protective of her hardware," he added in a somber tone.
K'tal shrugged and set the communicator down on the desk. "We'll think of
something," he replied. "In any case, back to where we were...."
"Commander, why don't you schedule the formation for a week from now?"
Tolaris said slowly. "That should give us enough time to procure a copy of
Sailor Mercury's information and set up a suitable presentation."
"Not a problem," K'tal replied with a nod of understanding. "We should
have landed by then and scrubbed all the radiation off the hull, so unless
someone decides to send us another special delivery, we should have everything
of immediate concern taken care of."
"Let's hope so," Maze muttered.
"Stow it, Lieutenant," K'tal grumbled as he stood up. "Alright, the five
of you are free to return to your stations," he said to the cadets.
"Sir!" they said as they scrambled to their feet and snapped to attention.
"Bear in mind this really isn't how we do things on a day-to-day basis,"
he said to them. "However, unusual situations call for unusual tactics, as I'm
sure Cadet V'Neer has already learned the hard way during the various Academy
field exercies...."
"Indeed, sir," the shadowy cadet replied with just a hint of amusement to
his whispery voice.
"Just keep your minds open and don't be afraid to ask questions," K'tal
added with a nod. "As Tolaris said, you're here to learn and various mistakes
will be made, so don't sweat it too hard. Dismissed," he said with a salute.
The cadets all returned the salute before filing out of the office in an
orderly manner. The door was left open, however, and the reason why was made
obvious a few moments later. "Commander?" a voice growled as a black-furred
head was poked into the room.
Tolaris and K'tal traded looks before K'tal shook his head ruefully. "I
take it you mean me?" he asked in a slightly wary tone.
"Sir, the missile they launched just settled into orbit," Asrial reported.
"Distance is three hundred miles up and seems to be trying to hover over the
northern ocean. There's also an increase in signal traffic from the ground
stations directed to it, so it's likely they're up to something."
K'tal shrugged in dismissal. "R&D isn't likely to waste any time with
whatever it is they're testing. Just keep watching it and let me know if it
drops a payload or something."
"Yes, sir," Asrial replied with a nod. She paused to cast a measured look
at Tolaris and Maze before turning around, reaching out with her tail to grab
the doorknob.
"Asrial!" a voice from Operations called out. "I think they just dumped
something, you want to come see this?"
The Felinoid's tail promptly became as rigid as steel. "What? Sir...."
she said as she turned around to face K'tal.
"I heard, Lieutenant," K'tal interrupted with a gesture. "Go try to find
out what it is so we know if we need to think about moving or anything."
"Sir," Asrial replied as she scrambled over to her station, leaving the
office door open.
"Already?" Maze inquired as his eyebrows arched up. "I know you just said
they're not likely to waste any time with this, and I agree with your opinion
about this one, but usually you want to take a few minutes first to make sure
you're situated where you want to be."
"It's a re-entry test, remember?" K'tal reminded him as he headed towards
the door, motioning for them to follow. "In this case, it seems that all they
needed was to be at or above a certain height. Let's find out what this is,
shall we?" he said as he led the others into the main Operations room.
Maze snorted quietly to himself and leaned over to Tolaris. "Any bets
it'll be what Mina calls a 'Maalox moment?'" he muttered.
"No bets," Tolaris replied quietly as he followed K'tal out the door.
"Yeah, I didn't think so...." Maze said with a worrisome sigh.
* * * *
He stood at the edge of the treeline, studying the small cathedral with a
critical eye for several minutes. While he was no architect, he knew what he
liked when he saw it.... as well as something that didn't originate from this
world. At least, he added with a mental chuckle, not without consuming a few
mushrooms of a very peculiar nature first.
He knew this was the right place, however, as he could still sense the
presence of the marker beacons he had created awhile ago. The gentle resonance
was definitely coming from inside the cathedral, as there was simply nothing
else within miles that could even remotely interfere with the signal. Not that
it meant she was still inside, but merely that she had at least visited it in
the recent past. That meant it was likely the life-forms he could sense inside
would know where she might have gone if she wasn't there.
Sighing quietly to himself, he moved out from behind the trees and headed
up towards the front door of the cathedral. He figured that taking the direct
approach would be best, as most people tended to react rather badly to finding
someone unknown inside their building without any warning. If things didn't go
very well, he figured he could get away with passing himself off as a simple
nature-lover who had gotten a bit lost during a stroll through the woods and
ended up finding the cathedral by sheer accident.
He had crossed the gravel path and was drawing close to the door when he
felt a surge of energy behind him. He stopped in his tracks and cast a very
guarded look over his shoulder, blinking as he saw a winged figure swooping
down from the sky to make a somewhat hard landing on the gravel.
It seemed as if time froze for several moments as she lifted her head to
look at him, identical looks of surprise and faint recognition on their faces.
He knew a succubus when he saw one, and he was fairly sure that it had only
taken her a moment to realize what he was.
"Good afternoon," he said calmly as he turned to face her. His words had
a soft Slavic accent to them that could have been from any number of eastern
European countries, a subtle hallmark of where he had learned his first human
language.
"Afternoon yourself," the succubus replied coolly as she fluttered her
wings before folding them against her back. "If you are what I think you are,
you might want to go back to where you came from before someone with more time
on their hands than I discovers your presence and deals with you."
"And what am I?" he inquired with a slight tilt of his head.
"Shinma," the succubus replied flatly, "Like the other one."
His eyebrows rose up slightly. "Is she here, then? I have been looking
for her and her companions, but I cannot sense her presence," he said slowly.
The succubus frowned as she regarded him carefully. "Who exactly are you
and who are you looking for?" she demanded in a neutral tone.
"You may call me Mephisto, if you wish," he replied with a faint bow. "I
am merely here to make sure Alexis and her friends are safe, nothing more. The
Shinma you speak of calls herself Myst, and she should be in the company of a
succubus like yourself. A woman named Susan."
"Ah, yes," the succubus replied with a disgruntled sigh. "My sister and
her cat. They are not here, Shinma, nor do I know when they will return."
"But they are safe, yes?" he inquired gently.
Megan raised a slender green eyebrow. "As far as I know," she said in an
edged voice. "I take it you are the one who helped them escape The Dark?"
"I am," Mephisto replied with a slight bow of his head. "If you are truly
Susan's sister, and I believe you are for you share the same hair color, would
you be so kind as to give her a message the next time you encounter her?"
Megan paused and narrowed her eyes at him. "I'll think about it."
He regarded her carefully, wondering what it would take to get past her
cultural hostility towards his kind. They stared at one another for several
moments before he finally shook his head. "I will return another time, then,"
he replied calmly. "Thank you for your time, my lady."
She watched in silence as he turned away from the cathedral and headed
back to the treeline, feeling more than a little uneasy at the encounter. She
sighed quietly to herself and absently fluffed her wings, wondering if things
were going to get even worse than they had already gotten. "I have a question
for you, Shinma," she called out in a wary tone.
He paused and cast a measured look over his shoulder, waiting for her to
continue with a slightly curious look on his face. "Yes?" he asked calmly.
"A powerful relic was stolen yesterday," she said, trying to keep any hint
of suspicion out of her tone. "One that the pantheon as a whole would keenly
like to have returned. Do you know anything about it, by chance?"
"I only left the confines of The Dark half an hour ago," he replied in a
distinctly cold voice. "I know nothing of what has recently transpired in this
realm before then, and you have but to ask any number of my kind to verify the
truth of this as I maintain a rather prominent presence there. I assure you
that you will have to seek elsewhere to find your thief, demoness. Good day."
She said nothing as she watched him disappear behind the line of trees,
feeling a very faint surge of energy a few moments later as a dimensional hole
was briefly ripped in the fabric of space-time. She strongly doubted that he
had lied about not knowing anything about the stolen brooch, but she would
still mention it to Lord Hades when she returned to the Underworld. There had
been some recent speculation that a number of Shinma had managed to escape from
their prison-like demiplane, but nothing definite had been proven.
Until now, she added to herself as she glanced over her shoulder at the
denizen cathedral. She could feel a sort of spiritual presence around it, as
one would expect from sanctified ground, but this one was of a type she had
never encountered before. She was not barred in the slightest from entering
the building, unlike the majority of holy buildings and places of worship.
No matter, she thought in dismissal. Susan obviously hadn't returned yet,
which meant that she was still taking care of something of importance to the
pantheon. Lisa was likewise elsewhere, undoubtedly preoccupied with her own
tasks. She didn't know what that might entail at the moment, as the pantheon
was in an uproar the likes of which she had never seen in all her life, but she
knew that it was something that was not to be taken lightly. Like her own task
of trying to find the missing brooch or the succubus who stole it....
A sudden burst of fire next to her caused her to blink in surprise. She
watched as a being composed entirely of elemental Fire took shape and beckoned
to her, bright red eyes staring out at her from within the roiling mass of
humanoid flames.
"Found something?" she asked the creature, raising an eyebrow as she was
rewarded with a slow nod. "Very well, let's go see what you've discovered."
They both disappeared in bursts of light, leaving behind the acrid tang of
carbon and brimstone to drift on the wind. The front door of the cathedral was
opened moments later as a very wary Psi-Corp Captain Whisper stuck her head out
to look around.
"Yeech," she muttered as she made a face. "Is something burning?"
"I don't see any smoke," the white cat perched on her shoulder said as he
scanned the sky for any signs that a fire was nearby. "You sure you felt some
sort of energy disturbance?"
"Positive," she said flatly, still looking around the horizon with a dark
scowl on her face. "The sensors twitched as well, but it wasn't strong enough
to reach the warning threshold."
"Maybe it was far away," Artemis suggested with a flick of his tail.
"And this burnt smell?" Whisper prodded, still stiffing at the air.
"I don't know," the cat replied. "But I'm fairly sure whatever caused it
isn't nearby. You can tune the cathedral sensors to pick up something like a
heat bloom from a fire, right? Angle the atmospheric radar lower?"
Whisper thought about it for a moment before shrugging her unoccupied
shoulder. "I can give it a shot," she said. "Might have a problem because of
the tree line being so high, but that shouldn't impact the thermal sensors."
"Let's try that," Artemis said with a nod. "And if we do pick something
up, I can make a quiet call to a fire department or two to have them check it
out. Hopefully it's nothing serious."
The telepath just shook her head and went back inside. "Now is not the
time to be talking to me about hope," she muttered before she closed the door.
* * * *
Darian blinked as he lifted his head up and opened his eyes, not entirely
sure what to make of the tinkling sound that had disrupted his idle daydream.
Serena was still cuddled up next to him, apparently having dozed off earlier at
some point. He could feel the almost burning warmth of her somewhat scantily-
clad body pressed up against him, giving him a feeling of comfort even as he
tried to reorient himself to his surroundings.
"I hope I didn't disturb you," Susan said very quietly as she moved the
dessert cart next to the cup-like chair.
A very soft laugh rose up from his chest as his eyes finally refocused.
"Trust me, we're already disturbed at this point," he replied in a soft tone.
"Tell me about it," Rei spoke up calmly from her meditative position on
the floor, drawing a slightly surprised look from Darian. As far as he could
tell, she hadn't moved in the slightest since Susan's return and subsequent
disappearance into the kitchen to make dessert.
Susan chuckled very quietly to herself and held out a small metal dessert
bowl to Darian. "Be that as it may, your Highness, would you care for some
dessert?" she offered.
Darian carefully slid his arm out from under the inert ribbon-like wings
draped across his chest and reached up to accept the bowl. "Whoa, cold," he
muttered as he felt the low temperature immediately chill his fingertips.
"As it should be," Susan replied demurely as she reached out to bury a
small spoon in the center of the semi-frozen mass.
"Huh," Darian said slowly as he looked at what he was holding. He brought
it up to his face and sniffed at it, blinking in surprise as he was rewarded
with the tantalizing aromas of several different kinds of fresh fruit. "Oh,
man, this smells good. What is it?" he asked, trying to keep his voice low so
as not to disturb Serena.
"Fruit sorbet," Susan replied. "I acquired this particular recipe from a
good friend in seventeenth-century Baghdad. The political climate of that era
was.... unsettled at best, but the local cuisine was one of the finest I have
ever encountered in all of my travels," she explained.
"Huh," Darian said again slowly. He glanced down at the frozen dessert
before looking over at Serena, trying to decide if he could manage to eat it
without waking her up. Figuring it would be a lost cause, he held the bowl a
few inches away from her nose and gently blew at it, sending the fruity smell
drifting in her direction.
"Mmmmmmmmm," Serena purred softly as she started to stir. Her voice was
a disturbing blend of triple harmonics and an audibly dry rasp, a result of her
vocal chords having been forced into a single-dimension state.
"Prince Darian," Susan admonished him gently as she carried a small dish
of fruit sorbet over to Rei.
Darian just chuckled quietly to himself as Serena's eyelids slowly parted.
"Hey, if you know a more effective way to wake her up gently...." he replied.
"Thank you," Rei said quietly as she accepted the dessert.
"Mmmmm?" Serena said as her brain started to become fully aware again.
Darian just shook his head to himself. "Susan made dessert," he replied
with a slight gesture of the frozen treat. "I figured you'd want to be woken
up when it was ready."
"Thank you," she rasped as she slowly sat up and started to stretch, her
golden eyes never once leaving the small dessert dish. "What is it?"
"A chilled mixture of several fruit juices," Susan explained calmly. "It
is far better for you than a more conventional dessert would be, as it is not
overloaded with sugar or fat calories. It should also help ease any soreness
you might have in your throat from trying to talk," she added in a gentle tone,
subtly reminding the blonde that she shouldn't try to talk at the moment.
A very soft hum of satisfaction drifted up from Rei's chest as she sampled
the sorbet. "It's surprisingly good," she admitted as she licked the spoon.
Darian blinked and raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you ate it already?"
he ventured, absently handing the frozen dessert bowl to Serena.
Rei paused in mid-lick and tilted her bowl at an angle, showing him that
a considerable amount of the frozen dessert still remained. "I'm not Serena,"
she retorted in a cool tone, giving him a dark look.
Serena made a very faint warbling noise of confusion and curiosity as she
looked up, the musical sound muffled by the spoon in her mouth. Her bowl of
sorbet was only two-thirds full, the missing portion apparently carved out by
a single stroke.
Darian paused as he first eyed the bowl, then glanced up at Serena, then
turned to give Susan a slightly unsettled look. "Nevermind," he said quietly
as he accepted another serving of sorbet from the slightly resigned succubus.
"So how long does this take to make, anyway?"
"It depends on the temperature of the ingredients," Susan replied as she
closed the lid on the dessert cart. "In this case, as I had already set aside
several portions of blended fruit puree for just such a purpose, it only took
an hour to mix it to the proper consistency and return it to an appropriate
temperature."
The rest of the group promptly froze in mid-motion at the mention of how
much time had passed. "An hour?" Darian echoed, a spoonful of sorbet barely an
inch away from his lips.
Rei made a quiet grunting noise to herself as she set her half-empty bowl
aside and slowly stood up. The edges of her lips twitched downward in a frown
at the level of stiffness in her joints, drawing another nearly silent grumble
of protest. "Ami's right about one thing," she muttered sourly. "It's getting
to be difficult to keep track of time in this place."
Susan shook her head gently. "The problem is not so much the location of
this keep as the fact that we are out-of-phase by three centuries. That I am
the Guardian of Time, and thus am immune to temporal lag, means that I am not
always as aware of the full impact being out-of-phase has on others as I might
otherwise be. If you would like, I can endeavour to keep you cognizant of the
passage of Time until we return to the present tomorrow afternoon."
"A simple wall clock should suffice," Rei grumbled quietly as she slowly
stretched her arms and legs. A deep popping noise suddenly echoed from a joint
in her leg, causing her eyes to double in diameter and her breath to briefly
catch in her throat. "Ow...." she whispered very softly.
"Oooh," Darian said, wincing in sympathy. "That didn't sound too good."
"You're telling me," the priestess grumbled.
"I am fairly sure a protracted soak in a heated pool will help ease any
lingering stiffness," Susan said as she started to push the dessert cart over
to the central hallway. "As it was a number of minutes before I could start
making dessert, it has probably been close to ninety minutes since I took the
others upstairs to my bathing facility. They should be finishing up by now,"
she added.
"An hour and a half?" Rei said, blinking hard. "No wonder this hurts so
much, I usually don't spend THAT long sitting in one position."
"Great," Darian grumbled quietly as he tasted the desert. "Now I'm afraid
to get up. This is some good stuff, by the way," he added. He paused and gave
Serena a wary glance as she leaned over to kiss his cheek before gently taking
hold of his bowl. Her actions made sense a moment later when she set his bowl
inside her empty one, neatly stacking the two together before handing it back.
"Thanks," he said dryly.
She gave him an impish smile as she leaned forward, putting most of her
weight on the edge of the chair and causing it to roll forward on the mount.
She then gingerly climbed out and carefully began to bundle her wings back up,
gently stacking the individual ribbons on top of one another to make it easier
to fold them up.
"Would you like a hand with that, your Highness?" Susan offered.
Serena sighed and shook her head as she continued her task. It took less
than a minute to bundle them together in an orderly fashion, carefully holding
them in one arm as she reached for the length of tropical silk that Mina had
used earlier to secure her inert wings against her back.
Darian's eyebrows arched up impressively at the apparent ease in which the
winged blonde finished the task, tying the trailing ends of the weave over her
chest in a snug but comfortable knot. "You seemed to have gotten the hang of
dealing with those pretty quickly," he commented as he scooped out the last
remaining spoonful of sorbet.
Serena paused and gave him an odd look before reaching out to grab her
hairstyle and gesturing with it. She sighed at the blank look on his face and
turned around, giving Rei a slightly disgruntled look.
"It's not difficult, Darian," Rei said as she gave Serena a nod. "What
she's trying to tell you is that once you start spending your mornings dealing
with hair as long as hers is, tying a bunch of wings up becomes fairly simple."
"Oh," Darian replied quietly. "I guess I can see how that would work."
Serena and Rei traded knowing looks before shaking their heads, each fully
aware of what needed to be done to wash and maintain overly long hair. "It has
to be a guy thing," Rei muttered, knowing that Ami had readily understood the
required mechanics behind it despite not having had shoulder-length hair of her
own since she was five, let alone ever having hair that came down to her
backside or lower.
"Hey," Darian protested quietly as he started easing himself out of the
cup-like chair. His progress was slowed by the fact that he was holding the
stacked pair of dessert dishes in one hand and was actively trying to keep his
center of gravity as balanced as possible so as not to roll the frame around
on the mount.
Rei just sighed as she moved forward. "Men," she grumbled as she took the
dishes from him and held the frame steady with her other hand. "Always have to
do things the hard way."
Darian paused for a moment before resuming his careful exit from the cup-
like chair. "You're in a mood, I see," he pointed out in a faintly sour tone.
"Or should I say still?" he added, drawing a dark look from the priestess.
"Don't start," Rei growled as she brushed past him to take the bowls into
the kitchen. "I've had a lot on my mind lately."
"And the rest of us haven't?" Darian countered, having to raise his voice
slightly to make sure she could hear him from the kitchen. "Not to make light
of your headache, Rei, but last I checked everyone took the same trip up the
river in the same leaky canoe."
Susan and Serena exchanged slightly uneasy glances as the clattering sound
of dishes being thrown into the sink could be clearly heard. "Look," Rei said
flatly as she stormed back into the living room. "I can deal with a headache,
even when it's caused by the Negaverse. I can deal with the monthly cramps
when they start up. I can even deal with Serena doing something nobody expects
her to do that screws our lives up yet again. And you know, I just might even
be able to handle dealing with Susan and her demonic side.... BUT NOT ALL FOUR
AT ONCE!!" she yelled as her face turned purple.
Darian blinked hard at the outburst and sighed, one hand coming up to rub
the bridge of his nose. "Okay, I'll buy that," he said calmly. "So which one
bothers you the most right now?"
Rei just closed her eyes for a few seconds, breathing hard through her
nose as she struggled to get her temper back under control. "It would be nice
if things would slow down for a day or two," she said very slowly. "The cramps
are largely gone, but I'm still sore in a few places and the constant aching
doesn't help. The headache will go away when my blood pressure drops, and I'm
sure that will happen as soon as I find the time to relax instead of having to
worry about what the hell is going on every few hours."
"Funny, I think I know what you mean," Darian replied with a slow nod. He
paused for a moment and gave her a faintly abashed look. "At least, everything
you listed minus the cramps...."
"I assure you that they can be quite debilitating at times," Susan spoke
up, drawing a nod of agreement from Serena.
Rei snorted quietly in contempt. "And how much blood do you lose?" she
grumbled.
Susan blinked in surprise at the question. "Only a minor amount at most,"
she replied in a slightly guarded tone. "Whether that can be attributed to my
regenerative abilities or not is a question I have never been able to answer,
however, as it varies from one succubus to another just as it does with humans.
If I may inquire, your Excellency, have you been experiencing a significant
blood loss during those times?"
The priestess sighed and glanced away, her expression slowly turning from
anger to weariness. "I don't know what qualifies as significant," she said in
a quiet tone. "I already made arrangements to have a talk with my doctor in a
few days about it. Go away," she added as Serena moved over to her, one hand
coming up to light rest on her shoulder.
"Hey, Rei?" Darian said gently. "Being a guy and all, I really don't know
what to say or tell you about that kind of thing. I know that if I was leaking
blood for a few days, I would be stressing out pretty hard myself, so don't go
thinking that I'm not totally clueless. I'm just worried that there might be
more to your recent moods than that."
"Oh, god," Rei sighed as she looked up at the ceiling. "Darian, didn't
you hear a damn thing I said earlier? It's not just the cramps, you blockhead,
it's a lot of things. Several little things all happening at once, which just
makes them all seem twice as bad as they really are. Serena...." she sighed as
the blonde wrapped her in a gentle hug.
"She cares about you," Darian pointed out. "We all do."
"Look," Rei said as she gently pushed herself away from Serena and stared
into her eyes. "I appreciate your concern, but you're not helping. Part of me
wants to just haul off and smack you around until my hand bruises. We're stuck
in this situation because of you. If you hadn't run off and ended up getting
kidnapped after that meeting with Jedyt, none of this mess would have happened
and we'd all still be on Earth."
"Rei...." Darian said in a warning tone.
"You need to bite your tongue as well," Rei snapped back. "You're the one
who started this entire mess by hurting her."
Darian snorted in contempt and crossed his arms over his chest. "If you
want to play the blame game, Rei, we can play. Just don't try to overlook your
role in this mess. After all, if you hadn't panicked when Jedyt dropped in to
say hello, we wouldn't have come tearing across half the city to see what was
getting your panties in a wad. Jedyt wouldn't have been able to upset Serena
into flight and none of this would have happened the way it did."
He waited until Rei blinked hard and took a step back before he continued
in a far more gentle tone. "To be honest, I prefer to think about this mess as
being nobody's fault, just one long chain of incidents that snowballed as it
went and got us to where we are now. Either way, it's all academic debate at
this point in time. We're here, Rei, so our main focus should be on getting
back home without doing anything deliberately hurtful to one another. We're
all still friends, right?"
Rei paused and looked over at Serena before sighing very quietly. "For
the most part," she said in a resigned tone. "But I'm still not overly happy
with either of you at the moment," she added in a faintly edged tone, giving
Darian a level look.
Darian chuckled quietly to himself. "Trust me, I can live with that," he
replied, giving the priestess a look of remote amusement. He blinked as he
noticed Susan waiting patiently by the hallway entrance, her face composed in
a calm mien. "You're awful quiet about this, Susan," he said to her.
"I have no desire to become involved in the situation the three of you are
rather solidly enmeshed in," the green-haired woman replied calmly. "That is,
in my view, something that can only be worked out on a personal level. I can
offer a neutral environment, if you wish, but the last thing anyone needs is a
referee who cannot guarantee utter impartiality. I do not mean to change the
topic, but the dessert cart can only maintain freezing temperatures for a short
period of time and the others are likely finished by now. Shall we proceed
upstairs?"
The rest of the group traded slightly wary looks before heading over to
the hallway. "Tell me again how this is supposed to work?" Darian asked in a
distinctly leery tone.
"It should not be overly different than before," Susan explained as she
pushed the cart into the center of the hallway. She made sure everyone was
well away from the end of the corridor before she reached up to trigger the
rotation process, sending the entire hallway sliding upwards in a corkscrew
fashion. "I will recycle the pool before we begin, and while that is being
done we will scrub one another to remove any dirt that might be present. I
doubt you will find the procedure to be unpleasant," she added lightly.
"The four of us together, eh?" he prodded, giving her an uneasy look.
Susan gave him a faintly reproving look. "May I remind you that you have
already bathed with Rei and I earlier, and that you are already quite intimate
with the Princess in many senses of the word?" she said coolly. "That being
the case, I hardly see what you are concerned about at this point."
"What?" Serena rasped, her lips tugging downward as her out-of-phase vocal
chords began to painfully protest their usage.
Susan blinked in surprise, giving Darian a brief look of unease. "When
the rest of you went outside yesterday to fabricate gowns for dinner, Darian
remained behind in the living room to bathe himself in the hot tub. When I
returned to tend to dinner, Rei asked to return with me. Once I was sure that
all the needed cooking was done, I found it necessary to refresh myself as well
before dinner. As the shower was unavailable due to the bread dough mishap, it
only made logical sense to use the hot tub as well despite of Darian and Rei's
presence."
"Don't look at me like that," Darian protested as Serena gave him a very
unhappy look. "It wasn't my idea to begin with, and I think the whole process
lasted for about five minutes. And before you get any ideas, nobody touched
anything of importance," he added with a very faint edge to his voice.
Serena looked at him for several moments before sighing through her nose
and glancing away, making a face as she briefly pouted at the thought.
"Alex and Michelle told us about the bathhouses in the Moon Kingdom," Rei
said as the corridor slowly rotated to a halt, resulting in a dead end at one
end of the hallway and a pair of double doors at the other. "I take it you
have a similar setup here?"
"The process is identical, yes," Susan replied as she pushed the cart to
the end of the hallway. "A thorough scrubbing followed by a relaxing soak in
heated water, usually supplemented by a massage afterwards. It can be a time-
intensive experience, but if the idea is to relax and forget one's concerns for
the moment, is not the unnoticed lapse of Time a desired result?"
Rei and Serena looked at one another before Rei gently took hold of the
blonde's arm, pulling her over to the far side of the hallway for a very quiet
conversation. Darian blinked in surprise and gave Susan a worried look, even
less sure what to make of the situation than before.
The double doors suddenly opened up with a soft creak, releasing a small
cloud of steam into the hallway. The fog momentarily obscured vision before
fading away to reveal five white-robed girls who had various forms of relaxed
looks on their faces.
"Huh," Darian said quietly as his eyebrows arched up. "I see someone had
a lot of fun in there."
"Mmmmm, you have no idea," Mina purred, her eyes half-closed and a truly
dreamy smile on her face. Her hair bow was held in one hand as she seemed to
float down the hallway, her unbound hair cascading down her shoulders like a
blonde waterfall. "That really.... really.... hit the spot."
"Told you," Leda said with a smirk. Like Mina, her hair had also been
unbound from her usual ornament to hang free down her back, the green barette
loosely wrapped around her left wrist. "People don't believe me when I say
that a good massage is often better than sex. Isn't that right, Ami?"
Ami suddenly paused in mid-motion, almost causing Michelle to bump into
her. "Honestly?" she said, her cheeks taking on a faint blush. "I haven't
decided yet. But I do feel a lot better, I'll say that much," she admitted.
Alex and Leda traded knowing looks. "You'd think she never visited the
bathhouse before," the blonde muttered with a shake of her head.
Leda just sighed and raised an eyebrow. "She hasn't, remember?"
Susan just smiled gently. "I trust everything went well?" she asked as
she opened the cover to the dessert cart.
"We're going to build a room like that in the cathedral," Mina said as she
edged closer to the cart. "Don't ask me when, don't ask me how, but after an
experience like that, I guarantee one will be built. What do we have here?"
"Fruit sorbet," Susan replied as she handed Mina a small dessert bowl and
a spoon. "I have found that it compliments a visit to the bathhouse nicely."
"Ooo, thank you!" Michelle said as her eyes lit up.
"Oh, yeah," Alex said as she craned her neck to peer over Mina's shoulder.
"Sue's right, that fruity stuff is pretty good."
"Hey, Darian?" Leda asked in a low tone, casting a concerned glance down
the hallway. "They're not still fighting or anything, are they?"
"What?" Darian said as he turned around to look. "Oh, umm.... I'm fairly
sure they're not fighting, just.... having an overdue meeting of the minds."
"Ooooookay," Leda replied slowly. She blinked as something distinctly
cold was pressed against her arm, causing her to reflexively jump back. "Yo,
hey, easy with that thing. What is it, anyway?" she asked Alex.
"D'lish'ous," Alex muttered around the spoon jammed in her mouth, holding
her bowl in one hand as she offered a second one to Leda with the other. "Try
it, 'kay?"
"Mmmm, that was yummy," Mina purred as she licked her spoon and set the
empty bowl back in the dessert cart. "Thank you, Susan."
"You are welcome, of course," Susan replied dryly, casting a mild look at
the empty bowl.
"I'm going to bed now," Mina announced as she stretched. "That really,
really felt good, and I want to see if I can get to sleep before the feeling
wears off. Oh, Darian?" she added. "I left Serena's little crystal shard back
in the dressing room, can't miss it."
Darian nodded in understanding. "Thanks, I'll let her know. Sleep well."
"Oh, I will," the blonde replied with a dreamy smile. She moved over to
him and stood up on her tip-toes to kiss his cheek. "Good night," she purred
as she headed down the hallway towards the bedroom doors. She paused to cast
a curious glance at Rei and Serena huddled in the far corner before shaking her
head and slipping inside one of the rooms, not wanting to disturb them if they
were finally sorting things out.
Darian watched her disappear from sight before turning around to regard
the rest of the group carefully. "Okay, who did what to her?" he asked in a
low tone.
"Heh," Leda chuckled. "Not much, to be honest. We just hosed her off,
tossed her in the pool for awhile, and then probably gave her the best body
massage of her life. You'd be surprised how good it feels when you've got four
people working on you at once," she added.
"Damn straight," Alex added as she finished the last bite of sorbet. "I
know Mich here has a wonderful touch when it comes to such things, and it seems
Leda also knows exactly what she's doing with the massage oil, but you still
simply can't beat the team effort thing. You're going to love it."
"Okay...." Darian replied slowly, giving Susan a slightly unsettled look.
"Leave him alone," Leda said as she set her empty bowl in the cart and
tossed the spoon in the dirty silverware bin. She paused for a moment before
she started to stretch as well, putting a considerable amount of strain on the
front of her robe. "Blondie's got a point about bed, though," she admitted.
"If I manage to conk out feeling like this, it's going to be a very pleasant
night in terms of dreams and all. Lord knows we need it, too."
"Tell me about it," Alex muttered as she reached up to idly toy with a
lock of Michelle's aquamarine hair. "You all set, love?" she asked as Michelle
finished the last scoop of fruit sorbet.
"Thank you, Susan," Michelle said with a soft smile as she put the empty
bowl and spoon in the cart. "It was absolutely delicious."
"As I said, you are more than welcome," Susan replied with a faint nod of
her head. She paused for a moment before asking, "I trust nobody left behind
a mess of any sort?"
"Time to go," Alex said hastily as she tugged on Michelle's sleeve.
"Alex...." Susan sighed as she closed her eyes. "What happened?"
"Nothing serious," Leda spoke up. "A fair amount of water got sloshed out
of the pool, but I noticed you have a series of drains around it, so it isn't
all that big of a deal. We couldn't find a squeegee or anything to shove it
back, and we didn't think you wanted us soaking the towels to mop it all up."
Susan seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as she nodded in understanding.
"There is one in the utility closet for just such an occasion," she replied.
"I will tend to it before we begin."
"Great," Alex said as she gently tugged on Michelle's sleeve again. "So
unless anyone else has anything to say, I'm going to head off to la-la land.
Try not to have any more fun that we did, alright your Highness?"
"Right," Darian said slowly, not entirely sure what to make of that one.
"Sleep well, both of you," he said.
"We will, your Highness," Michelle replied with a smile. "You too."
"Remember," Susan spoke up in a tone of gentle warning. "There will be a
training session in the morning."
"Good," Alex said with a smirk as she ushered Michelle down the hallway.
"We'll be there, Sue. Night, everyone."
"Night," Leda echoed, still keeping one eye on Serena and Rei. She was
fairly sure it was a primarily one-sided conversation, as Serena's voice would
be dangerously raw from trying to speak and would hurt whenever she tried to
say anything. Still, she knew that Serena was probably the most expressive
person she had met in years and would most likely be able to effectively convey
her feelings to the priestess without words.
A rather pronounced yawn caused her to turn her head, giving Ami a rather
amused look. "Damn, girl," she said once Ami had finished, "You trying to set
a record or something? I don't think I've seen Serena's mouth opened that wide
before, not even when she's eating."
"Hush," Ami replied, a dark blush spreading across her face.
"Perhaps it would be prudent for you to retire for the evening as well?"
Susan observed with a faint smile.
"Leave me alone," the vampire muttered quietly, glancing away.
"Ami?" Leda said in a slightly weary tone. "Just admit that you enjoyed
everything and that it was far more relaxing than you anticipated."
Ami gave her a wary look for several seconds before sighing quietly and
looking up at the ceiling. "Okay, so I was wrong," she replied. "Happy?"
The brunette just chuckled quietly to herself. "Settle down, girl," she
said lightly. "Nobody's going to scream from a mountain top that you liked
getting rubbed down by four other girls in a steaming hot tub, and even if some
fool does, nobody's going to give a damn."
"Sounds like fun to me," Darian commented casually, drawing an amused look
from Susan and a dark look from Ami.
"If that is the case, your Highness," Susan said slowly, "Then why are you
so recalcitrant to relax about the prospect of enjoying a similar experience
with three women?"
"Well...." Darian started to say, casting a guilty look down the hallway
towards Serena and Rei.
"Good night, Darian," Ami said with a faint hint of frost to her tone.
Darian blinked and watched her leave, heading down the hallway towards an
empty bedroom. As with Mina, she appeared to hesitate to say something to Rei
and Serena before deciding it was better not to disturb them. She sighed very
quietly to herself and disappeared into the room, closing the door behind her.
"Is she okay?" he asked in a low tone.
"She was.... a little hesitant to let us soap her up and all," Leda said
in a quiet voice. "I guess it was a little more personal attention than she
was comfortable with, but she didn't say anything about it or otherwise let us
know she was having a cow."
Darian shrugged in dismissal. "I don't blame her," he replied. "I know
I would start to trip out something fierce if a bunch of guys started to soap
me up in a bath."
"Anyway," Leda said, trying to clear her mind of that particular mental
image. "You guys take it easy and enjoy it. I know I had a blast, and damned
if I haven't felt this de-stressed in a long time. Thanks for the fruit slush,
Susan," she added, giving the succubus a grateful look. "I might have to swipe
the recipe from you once we get back to Earth."
"I will be happy to share it with you," Susan replied with a soft smile.
"Sleep well, Leda."
"Night," the brunette said, reaching out to briefly squeeze Darian's arm
before heading down the hallway.
Darian watched her disappear into the same room Ami had entered before
sighing and turning his attention back to Susan. "Yes?" he asked in a guarded
tone at the look on her face.
"If I may, Darian, what exactly is your concern with this?" she asked in
a gentle tone, tilting her head slightly.
He blinked and cast a sidelong glance down the corridor to make sure that
nobody else would be able to hear. "Honestly?" he said in a very quiet voice.
"I'd rather not cause any embarrassment when this starts and my body decides it
would be fun to react to my new surroundings...."
"Ah," Susan replied with a knowing nod. "If you believe that would be of
concern to anyone, I can offer the same temporary solution I suggested to you
before dinner yesterday."
Darian paused as he briefly searched his memories. "Energy drain?" he
said in a very leery voice.
"A mild one," she said calmly. "You do not remember, of course, but I
have been exposed to the strength of your soul before and have a fair idea of
how much energy needs to be taken. I personally would not be bothered in the
least if you were to react to anyone's touch, as it is perfectly natural for a
man to react to a woman as such, but I will aid you in this manner if it will
make you feel comfortable with yourself."
He sighed quietly. "You really know how to make a guy feel at ease with
his rampant sexuality," he muttered, feeling a fierce heat rise to his face.
"I am a succubus, Darian," she reminded him gently. "The male sex-drive
is hardly an unknown to me."
"Believe me, that has never been called into doubt," he replied. "Remind
me again what you would need to do for this to work, as it were?"
She gave him a reassuring smile. "A simple kiss, nothing more," she said
gently. "You will likely feel a cold tingle after a moment, but the sensation
will pass in due time and you should not notice any effects other than a very
difficult time becoming physically aroused for a number of hours. To phrase
things as Alex might.... the mind may become willing, but the engine will not
be started so easily."
Darian paused to take a sobering breath before glancing over at the pair
of girls still apparently in conversation at the other end of the hallway.
"Yeah, I think we'll go with that for the time being," he muttered, feeling the
blush on his face intensify.
"If I may," Susan said slowly, causing him to blink at her tone, "I will
need to assume my demonic form for this, and I should not like to attempt this
without advising either Rei or Serena beforehand. I believe the ideal time for
this would be once I return from draining the pool and we prepare to undress."
"Sure, whenever," he sighed as he rubbed his face with his hands. "I'll
let you explain that to them so they don't blow a fuse when you kiss me."
"It should not be a difficult task," Susan replied with a soft smile.
A faint grunt rose up from Darian's chest. "What, explaining it to them
or kissing me?" he muttered.
"Either one," the succubus said with a faint purr to her tone.
Darian paused and regarded her carefully. "Now you're really starting to
scare me," he said slowly. "You sound like you're looking forward to this."
The faint smile on her face seemed to grow slightly wider. "I would be
lying if I said that the notion of being able to briefly taste your soul again
isn't an appealing one. You have a very strong and sturdy soul, Prince Darian,
more so than your average human male."
"Thanks, I think," he replied in a dubious tone. He paused and cast a
glance over his shoulder as Rei and Serena rejoined them, neither girl seeming
to be overly thrilled with life at the moment. "You guys alright?" he asked in
a cautious tone.
"We've had better days," Rei replied calmly. "But we've also had worse.
I take it everyone went off to bed?"
Susan nodded in response. "They all felt it to be the most prudent course
of action," she explained. "I trust the two of you are ready to proceed?"
Rei and Serena exchanged identical looks of remote unamusement. "Soon as
we hunt down Mina and get Serena's crystal back," Rei grumbled as she cast a
glare down the empty hallway.
"She said she left it in there," Darian said with a jerk of his thumb over
his shoulder. "Said we couldn't miss it."
"Typical," Rei grumbled as she started to head for the double doors. She
stopped as Darian gently touched her arm, giving him a startled look.
"Hang on a sec," he said carefully. "There's something I need Susan to do
first, and I think now's a good time as any for her to explain it."
Susan blinked in surprise before nodded her head in acquiescence. "Very
well, your Highness. Due to the fact that we will be bathing in mixed company
and that the rest of you are not likely to be entirely comfortable with the
environment, Darian has asked me to use a mild energy-draining kiss on him so
as to keep the biological embarrassment to a minimum. I thought it best to
inform you of this ahead of time so there wouldn't be any misconceptions about
what I was attempting to accomplish by kissing him."
Rei and Serena both blinked and exchanged glances before the blonde sighed
quietly to herself. She cast a somewhat dark glare at Darian before brushing
past the group, heading into the outer chamber of the bathing facility.
"Uhhh...." Darian said slowly, clearly nonplussed by the reaction.
"She'll be alright," Rei replied in a weary tone. "She's just not happy
with the idea of having to share, that's all. Susan, I hope you realize what
will happen to you if this kiss hurts him," she added in a neutral tone, her
face slipping into an impassive mask of concealed emotions.
Susan paused and raised a slender green eyebrow in response. "It shall
not," she replied in a somewhat cool tone. "It will dampen his body's ability
to physically respond to sexual stimuli, accidental or otherwise, for a period
of time. Nothing more."
Rei blinked and glanced over at Darian, her cheeks taking on a pink tint
as she saw the vivid blush rising to his face yet again. "Oh," she said very
quietly. "Well, umm.... is that really necessary? I won't say anything if
nobody else will...."
"It is," Darian said flatly. "Lead me not to temptation, for I can find
it myself."
Rei glanced over at a visibly bemused Susan before looking away, feeling
the blush on her cheeks darken by several shades. "Okay...." she said slowly.
An awkward silence followed for a few seconds before she shrugged and headed
off after Serena, privately wondering what he had meant by temptation.... and
by whom.
"This way, your Highness," Susan replied calmly as she gestured towards
the open double-doors. She got an odd look from Darian before he started to
follow Rei into the anteroom, leaving her alone in the hallway to make sure the
dessert cart was secure and wouldn't roll away by accident.
"Huh," Darian said quietly as he entered the anteroom, looking around at
the marble walls and flooring. "She wasn't kidding when she called it opulent,
was she? Any bets that's real gold in the trim?"
"No bets," Rei replied succinctly. "Serena?" she called out, causing the
blonde to halt in mid-motion. "Over there," she said as she pointed.
Serena blinked and turned to follow Rei's fingertip, making a beeline for
the small crystal shard that had been laid atop the pile of towels bundled up
on the end of the cherry wood bench. The shard seemed to shimmer slightly as
her hand closed around it, causing her fingernails to suddenly start refracting
light with the same intensity as cut diamonds.
The rest of the group watched intently as Serena hung the pendant around
her neck and idly smoothed the silver chain out. She glanced over at Rei and
seemed to hesitate for a moment before reaching up to unbind her wings, very
carefully letting them fall freely down her back. She then started to remove
the harem-like outfit she wore, removing the sleeve harness from her shoulders
and unwrapping the ribbon-veils to bare her breasts.
She was in the process of unwinding the pair of ribbons from around her
waist when she froze in mid-motion, closing her eyes as the warmth started to
sink in. A pale glow began to infuse itself along her wings, flowing out from
their anchoring points on her back in a slow progression.
"Serena?" Susan inquired gently as she closed the doors behind them.
"That feels better," Serena whispered, her voice sounding extremely fluid
and musical. The glow had finished spreading to the tips of her wings, still
seeming to hang limply from her bare back. She seemed to pause and glance over
her shoulder at them, making a slightly confused face before trying to flex her
new back muscles. "Ahhh," she sighed softly as they started to float upwards
in the air.
Darian blinked as Rei moved forward to stand next to Serena, one hand very
gently caressing the nearest wing for a few moments. They looked at each other
in silence for a number of moments before Serena nodded. Rei glanced over her
shoulder at Darian before she began to finish undressing Serena, stepping to
one side so that she wasn't blocking Darian's line of sight.
"Susan?" Darian said very quietly as he glanced over at her. He blinked
hard as he realized that Susan was already in the process of undressing, the
front of her dress falling away to reveal her well-formed breasts.
"One moment, your Highness," she purred at him, an unmistakably predatory
twinkle visible in her dark red eyes. She finished stepping out of her dress
and regarded him carefully, wearing only a pair of black panties and a pair of
low heels. A canopy of darkness seemed to unfurl behind her, quickly forming
into the broad shape of her wings. She stretched them out to their full length
before neatly folding them against her back, her eyes never leaving his for a
moment. "There, I think I am ready now," she said in a slightly husky tone.
Right, he thought to himself as a tendril of ice crawled down his spine.
He didn't dare glance behind him at either Rei or Serena, acutely aware of the
rapid increase in his body temperature and the building warmth in his pants.
Okay, so she's nicely between a B and a C, he thought as his gaze reflexively
slid down to her bare breasts. His attention shifted back up to her face an
instant later, his blood turning even colder at the faint red glow in her eyes.
The wings and the eyes, however....
It was an almost surreal experience, seeming to happen just outside his
conscious memory and senses. He remembered her drawing close to him, one hand
coming up to touch his cheek and steady his head. Then he felt her lips brush
against his, lightly at first before melding into something deeper. The tingle
that shot through his very being was unlike anything he could remember feeling
before, filling him with a honeyed warmth that was quickly followed by a chill
that he thought could give a corpse a case of the shivers. His conscious mind
reconnected back to reality a few moments later, producing an almost electrical
shock that left him faintly disoriented and wondering just what had hit him.
"Darian?" Susan purred very softly as she licked her lips. The glow in
her eyes was noticably stronger than before, a sight that he found to be deeply
disturbing.
"That should work," he found himself saying in a hollow tone. There was
still a deep chill that seemed to traverse his bloodstream like a ghost, not
staying in one place for longer than a split-second. He blinked as he realized
that his anatomy was quite inert now and showed no intention of stirring in the
slightest, despite the fact that he was now only a few inches away from a very
well-formed and exposed female chest.
"Darian?" he heard Rei whisper in a somewhat shocked tone. He turned to
look at her, blinking when he saw the haunted expression on her face. "I felt
that from all the way over here. Are you sure you're alright?" she asked in a
deeply concerned tone.
He sighed quietly to himself and gave her a slightly abashed look. "I'm
fine," he replied. He paused for a moment before adding, "I think. I'm sure
we'll find out soon enough."
"I assure you that you have not been harmed," Susan said in a gentle tone
as she briefly leaned against the wall to step out of her heels. "And if it is
any consolation, I was not able to detect any changes in the strength of your
soul since the last time I was able to perform such a test."
"Thanks, I think," Darian replied. He blinked as Susan proceeded to strip
off her panties as if his presence didn't matter to her, casually laying them
aside next to the rest of her clothes. He quickly glanced away, blinking again
as he found himself looking at Serena as she likewise finished removing the
last of her clothes with Rei's help.
Well.... he thought to himself as he felt the heat rising to his face yet
again, Susan must've done something right because I'm not feeling anything from
downstairs yet. Man, where was this trick when they were teaching us about
human anatomy in school?
He nearly hit the ceiling as he felt a pair of hands start tugging on his
shirt, gently untucking them from his pants. He cast a startled glance over
his shoulder to find a completely naked succubus looking at him with a slightly
disturbing look of amusement in her still-glowing eyes. "Umm...." he started
to say.
"Prince Darian," she said in a somewhat stern tone as she continued to try
to undress him. "This is a bath, nothing more. One does not wear clothing in
a bath unless your laundry facility is inoperative. As that is clearly not the
case in this instance, I ask that you cooperate with us for the present."
Darian paused and glanced over his other shoulder, suddenly accutely aware
of Rei's penetrating gaze. Her eyes never left his as she slowly untied the
sash to her robe, letting it fall from her shoulders to reveal her dull gray
sports bra and panties.
"Are you sure about that?" he said very quietly to Susan in as low a tone
as he could manage.
"I only speak for myself and my intentions," Susan replied almost too
softly for him to hear. "While I will not permit any blatant sexual activity
to take place, there is little else I can do to moderate anyone's behavior. I
do not envy your position in this love triangle, if you will, but neither will
I attempt to intervene in its resolution. As I said, I am not able to make any
guarantees as to my neutrality in this situation and thus must recuse myself
from offering guidance or advice. Regardless, Darian, I will still need you to
cooperate with me at the moment," she added in a faintly edged tone.
Darian blinked and glanced back over at her before grumbling quietly to
himself. "Thank you, Chancellor," he muttered as he edged away from her a few
inches and stripped off his shirt. He paused for a brief moment as his gaze
fell back on Rei just as she was removing her sports bra, the motions of her
arms causing her full breasts to briefly jiggle back and forth in an admittedly
alluring fashion. "Tell me again how I wound up in this situation?" he sighed
softly as he set his shirt aside and reached for the front of his jeans.
Susan paused for a moment, giving him a look that seemed to be a blend of
surprise and amusement. "Which one?" she asked demurely, her wings fluttering
ever so briefly.
"Nevermind," he grumbled as he carefully unzipped his jeans, doing his
best not to look at Rei as she used one arm to hold onto a completely naked
Serena while she used the other to remove her panties. The one thing that kept
him from completely blowing a mental fuse was the fact that his anatomy had yet
to react anything, thus sparing him what he felt would be a truly mortifying
embarrassment. The problem, of course, was that he knew things had only just
started and that it would only get worse....
He hesitated for a moment as he stood there in just his underwear, acutely
aware of the presence of three very beautiful and stark-naked women nearby. I
am going to burn in hell for this, he thought in resignation. He added a few
more choice words to his mental diatribe before steeling himself as best he
could and stripping off his underwear.
"This way," Susan said, making a gesture to a nearly invisible door off
to one side. The rest of the group blinked in surprise, having failed to see
it themselves earlier. They all exchanged uneasy looks as the full force of
the situation sank into their minds, acutely aware of both their own nudity and
everyone else's.
"Please watch your step," Susan said as she stepped through the somewhat
narrow doorway. "The tiles are surfaced at intervals for traction, but there
is still a fair amount of water to deal with, so please be careful."
Darian blinked as Rei gently took hold of his hand, her expression utterly
unreadable as she pulled him after her. Serena moved up behind him, taking his
other hand in hers as well as wrapping several of her wings around his upper
arm. Their actions made sense a moment later as Rei stepped through the open
doorway ahead of him, her grip suddenly tightening as she tried to gauge just
how much traction she had on the wet marble floor.
"Careful," the priestess grumbled quietly as she moved forward at a slow
pace. The flooring had been roughed up slightly by some sort adhesive, almost
like the strips of material found in some showers used to reduce slippage. It
felt slightly odd beneath their bare feet, but enabled them to retain enough
traction to maintain their sense of balance.
"Yiiii," Serena whimpered as her feet hit the tiled floor. The ground
temperature was somewhat lower in the chamber than in the anteroom, making the
tiles seem slightly cold. The air temperature, however, was significantly
warmer than the floor with a moderate degree of humidity.
The chamber itself was slightly smaller than the living room, the center
of the room taken up by a sunken pool that looked to be half the size of the
hot tub Mina had created earlier. Small wisps of steam rose up from the still
surface, indicating that it was quite warm.
"If you will remain here for a moment?" Susan said as she headed over to
one wall. She seemed to press on a wall tile that looked no different than any
of the others, causing part of the wall to slide back. Inside was a simple
utility closet that one might expect to find near any pool, holding a number of
maintenance supplies and small machinery.
Darian paused for a moment to look around the rest of the room. The pool
wasn't perfectly circular but was more of a smooth-bottomed heart shape, with
a circular recess near the top of the heart where a partially-submerged chair
was positioned. The far end of the room was occupied by a pair of low-lying
benches, while the area next to the anteroom door was taken up by a half-moon
shaped niche stocked with several large clay jars. A series of thick rubber
mats lined the inside of the niche over a series of drains, obviously a place
where both greater traction and greater drainage were needed.
A large bubble-like sound from the center of the pool drew his attention
to it, blinking in surprise as he noticed that the water level was rapidly
receeding. He edged forward a few inches to get a better look, able to make
out the large drain at the bottom of the pool as the water started to swirl
around. "Huh," he said quietly to himself, not entirely sure if he should have
expected anything more dramatic or not.
He looked back up as Susan emerged from the utility closet, holding a
large push-squeegee. She immediately began to sweep around the edges of the
draining pool, trying to shove as much of the previously-splashed water as she
could manage. "This should only take a few moments," she called out over her
shoulder, flexing her wings for balance as she moved the squeegee around.
"No rush," Darian replied, absently eyeing the way Susan's dark green hair
hung behind her and neatly fit in the space between her wings. He blinked as
he felt a gentle squeeze on his right side, caused by several of Serena's wings
contracting in unison. He gently squeezed her hand in response, briefly giving
her bare shoulder a soft kiss. "You alright?" he quietly asked.
Serena seemed to be caught off-guard by the question, blinking in surprise
and taking a half-step back to look up at him. "What? Oh, yeah," she said in
a quiet tone. "I'm just.... not used to this," she confessed, a deep blush
spreading across her face as she glanced down at him for a split-second.
Darian paused as he felt a faint shiver crawl down his spine, not sure if
it was a lingering after-effect of Susan's demonic kiss or not. "What do you
mean?" he asked in a faintly guarded tone.
"Everyone being together like this," Rei spoke up quietly, still holding
his hand in a gentle grip.
"Tell me about it," he muttered without thinking.
"Do you really need me to?" Rei said in a near-whisper.
Darian just looked at the tiled wall opposite him for a moment before he
sighed very quietly and turned to look at her. "I don't know, you tell me," he
said slowly, absently squeezing both her hand and Serena's.
Rei cast a quick glance behind his back at Serena before looking back up
at him, her eyes seeming to bore into his. "As I said awhile ago, I will take
what I can get," she said evenly. "And as I told Serena a few minutes ago, I'm
not going to fight her for you. What I will do, however, is enjoy moments like
these as best I can, and to be perfectly blunt, I'll be damned if I let either
you or her ruin that for me. I'm not going to go out of my way to eroticize
things, but I'm not going to play the shy and modest maiden either. It works
for Ami because she genuinely is that kind of girl, but not for me."
Darian just looked at her for a moment as his subconscious mind digested
her statement. "Okay," he said very slowly, "I suppose I can deal with that."
"Good," Rei replied as she squeezed his hand tightly. "Now relax. You
too," she added, leaning back to address Serena.
A silent and disgruntled sigh rose up from his chest as Rei's bare breasts
arched upwards at her movement, briefly drawing his attention to them. He did
his best not to actively study them before looking over at the far side of the
chamber, wondering if Susan was almost finished with her task.
"Sorry," Serena said quietly, a pair of wings reaching out to brush up
against Rei's arm. The glowing ribbons appeared to hesitate before gently
coiling around the priestess' bicep, squeezing the muscle gently. "Is it me,
or is it just a little cold in here?" she added as she shivered the tips of
her unoccupied wings.
"The floor is a little cool, yes," Darian replied, doing his best to keep
a straight expression as a somewhat wrong thought popped into his mind. He
resisted the urge to turn around to check her nipples for a reaction, settling
instead for squeezing her hand. It all evens out, he thought to himself as he
reminded himself how guys tend to react when exposed to cold temperatures and
how uncomfortable such shrinkage really was. I wonder if it's just as bad for
them as it is for us....
"There, that should suffice," Susan said as she paused to study the floor.
She tilted her head at an angle for a moment before nodding to herself and
taking the squeegee back to the utility closet. "The pool will require half an
hour to refill itself," she explained over her shoulder as she stepped inside.
"I believe it," Darian commented as he craned his neck to get another look
at the now-empty pool basin. "The question I'm almost afraid to ask is what
we're supposed to do until it refills."
Susan stepped out from the closet and triggered the door, the panel moving
back into place until it was flush with the rest of the tiles around it. Had
they not seen it in use, the rest of the group wouldn't have been able to tell
that there had been anything there to begin with.
"As I said earlier," she explained in a patient tone, "We will first have
to scrub one another clean before we can soak in the pool. This serves several
purposes, the least of which is general hygiene. This way," she said, making
a gesture to the half-moon shaped niche.
Darian blinked as Rei immediately headed off, gently pulling both him and
Serena along behind her. Serena gave him a slightly surprised look but said
nothing, retaining her wings' grasp on both his arm and Rei's.
"I will explain each stage as we go," Susan said as she folded her wings
flat against her back and began to remove the lids to the clay jars. "We can
either do this individually with one person as the focus at a time, or we can
do this in pairs. As neither time nor physical space are a concern, I suggest
that we try the former so as to maximize the relaxation effects."
The rest of the group looked at one another in slight confusion before Rei
cleared her throat gently. "So it's either three-on-one or two-on-two?" she
asked Susan. She got a simple nod in reply and nodded back. "Okay, I think we
get it now. Just as long as we take turns," she added in an even tone.
"Rest assured we will all both give and receive our fair share of focused
attention," Susan replied with a faint smile. "Darian, do you object to going
first as a demonstration?"
"Nope," Darian replied, gently squeezing both Serena and Rei's hands. He
carefully disengaged himself from them and took a step forward onto the hard
rubber matting, casting a quick glance around just out of simple curiosity.
"We will first douse him in warm water," Susan explained, gesturing to a
line of buckets next to a water spigot. "Once he is sufficiently wet, we will
apply a layer of soap to his entire body. As the soap contains an extremely
mild form of acid, it is suggested not to take an inordinate amount of time in
applying it. That is not to suggest it shouldn't be done as thoroughly as
possible, only that you not be overly slow in doing so.
"Once in place, the acid will loosen dead skin cells and entice the pores
to open up. This may cause a light tingle, but it will not pose any hazard to
you unless left in contact with the skin for longer than thirty minutes. As
soon as the application is finished, we will then remove the soap using these
stones," she said, gesturing to a small collection of smooth rocks that had all
been given a fairly straight edge on one side. "The idea is to be gentle but
firm in scraping the soap off, which will thus remove the dead skin cells and
other impurities from the body. Once the soap is removed as best as possible,
we will then rinse him off with more warm water and use wash-cloths as needed
to fully cleanse his skin. Soaking comes after that, but one stage at a time.
Are you ready, your Highness?" she added as she began to fill the buckets.
"Douse, soap, scrape, rinse," Darian summarized. "Sounds easy enough."
"Umm...." Serena said cautiously, peering into one of the clay jars.
"What?" Rei asked as she moved next to Serena to look in the same jar.
Both girls paused to look at one another before Rei reached inside, coming up
with a handful of a decidedly gelatinous substance. "This is soap?"
"It is," Susan replied. "Liquid soap is the easiest to work with in this
sort of environment, as it reduces unnecessary abrasions and does not require
mixing or rehydration. Here, your Highness," she added, handing a bucket full
of warm water to Serena.
Serena accepted the bucket with both hands, peering inside for a moment
before glancing over at Darian. A faint blush sprang to her cheeks as she
studied his nude body carefully, absently dipping the tip of one wing in the
bucket to test the temperature.
Rei grunted quietly to herself as she tossed the blob of soap back into
the jar and rinsed her hand off in Serena's bucket, drawing a slightly unamused
look from the winged princess. "This should prove interesting," Rei said as
she likewise openly eyed Darian's figure. "How do you want to do this?" she
asked Serena.
Serena thought for a moment before shrugging. "You take one side and I'll
take the other?" she suggested.
"Deal," Rei replied as she accepted a second bucket from Susan.
"If there are no objections, I shall handle the majority of his front side
while the two of you handle his sides and back," Susan spoke up as she finished
filling a third bucket and closed the spigot.
"Real quick question here," Darian said, eyeing the buckets of water and
the sudden change in both Rei and Serena's expressions. "Just how thoroughly
am I to be scrubbed with that acid stuff?"
"Thoroughly," Susan replied with an air of authority.
"Right...." Darian said slowly as a faint chill ran down his spine.
A small smile crossed Susan's lips as she gestured to the other girls.
"Whenever you are ready," she said.
Rei and Serena exchanged glances before Rei shrugged and promptly upended
her bucket over Darian's head, sending a deluge of water cascading around him.
She then stepped aside to let Serena do the same, the blonde taking her time in
pouring the water over his shoulders to thoroughly wet his body down.
"Humor me for a moment," Darian said as Susan stepped over to him to douse
him with a third bucket of water. "Wouldn't a simple shower be easier than a
bucket or three? You know, just yank a chain for however much water you need
or something?"
"Most likely," Susan replied calmly as she set the empty bucket aside and
slid her hands across his body, making sure his entire body was wetted down.
"However, there is something to be said for both tradition and a fair amount of
physical effort. If you seek a shower, you are invited to take one. If you
want a different experience, however, you require different methods."
He shrugged in reply. "Makes sense when you put it like that," he said,
idly watching as three hands reached into three jars. Three large handfuls of
oddly-colored goo were extracted and carried over to him, Serena and Rei both
waiting to see how Susan would do things.
Darian blinked as Susan calmly splattered her handful of soap against his
chest and began to spread it around, making sure to spread it thin enough so it
wouldn't ooze off his body of its own accord. Serena and Rei exchanged looks
before shrugging and moving to flank him, each dividing the blobs of soap into
half in each hand before applying it to his arms and back.
Oh boy, he thought to himself as he felt his blood grow warm at their
touch. It was hardly an unpleasant feeling, being soaped up by the three of
them, but he was deeply worried about just how effective Susan's demonic kiss
would be. Let's just hope we finally encounter some truth in advertising, he
thought as his blood continued to warm up at the intimate attention.
His sense of apprehension began to fade after several seconds as his body
showed no signs of even thinking about physically reacting to their touch. It
was oddly relaxing to feel six hands sliding across his naked body, slowly
coating his skin with the jelly-like soap. He blinked as he began to feel a
very faint tingle in his chest, wondering if that was the acid that Susan was
talking about. The idea of being bathed in acid, no matter how mild or gentle,
was not exactly the most comforting of notions.
He glanced to one side, making note that Rei's expression had slipped back
into the expressionless mask of guarded emotions. He knew that tended to occur
when she was preoccupied with a given task regardless of her mood, and so he
tentatively passed that off as simple habit. Still, he realized that he would
have to tread very carefully with her under the present circumstances.
He turned his attention to his other side, his eyebrows arching up in mild
surprise as he realized that Serena's expression was just as withdrawn. Not
that she appeared to be upset or bothered by anything, but that something was
clearly occupying her thoughts as she rubbed the soap across his lower arm.
The feeling of fingertips sliding across his lower abdomen caused him to
shift his focus in front of him to Susan. Her wings were slightly spread for
stability and balance as she leaned forward slightly at the waist, using both
hands and a series of very efficient strokes to rub the mass of soap over his
stomach. Unlike the other two girls, her expression was one of studious focus
as her eyes followed the movements of her fingertips, seeming to be content in
her ministrations.
His eyes nearly popped out of his head as Susan suddenly knelt down in
front of him, her hands moving down a little further to gently rub the soap
across his manhood. Her touch was light but firm, moving in an impersonal way
as if she were still working on his chest or abdomen.
It didn't surprise him in the least when he noticed he motion of the hands
working on his wrist and upper back came to an abrupt halt as well, wide-eyed
looks of surprise being exchanged between their owners. "Susan?" Rei asked in
an utterly calm tone, sounding distinctly at odds with the look on her face.
"I did say thoroughly," Susan replied casually as she gently massaged the
soap into his pubic hair. She continued for a few more seconds before standing
up and moving over to the jar of soap, returning with another handful of the
gooey substance. She knelt back down in front of him and began to apply the
soap to his inner thighs, seeming to ignore the exchange of unsettled looks
between the rest of the group.
Darian looked over at Rei for a moment before she shrugged, apparently not
sure what else to say. She briefly ran her hands over his lower back before
gathering up a few large blobs of soap and moving her hands lower, kneading the
soap over his hips and buttocks.
A glowing ribbon brushed across his face, momentarily obscuring his line
of vision and causing him to blink hard. He looked over at Serena, feeling a
twinge in his chest at the look of unease and guilt on her face. Guilt? he
thought as he blinked again, studying her golden eyes curiously. She sighed
and brushed several more of her wings across his face in a feather-light caress
before looking away and returning to her work.
"Serena," he said very quietly.
"Later," she whispered in reply, shaking her head gently.
Susan paused her motions and regarded the blonde carefully. "Is something
bothering you, your Highness?" she asked in a careful tone.
"I'm just.... not used to this, that's all," Serena replied, her triple-
tone voice sounding unusually subuded. "I'm fine, really."
Darian glanced down as he felt Rei's fingertips sliding along his thigh,
ostensibly to spread more of the soap around. This is going to be fun, he
thought wryly to himself, feeling the tingle in his chest and upper body grow
slightly stronger. And that doesn't even count the payback....
"Is everyone finished?" Susan inquired as she stood up, moving over to the
water spigot to rinse her hands off. She finished her task and stepped aside
to allow Serena and Rei to do likewise, casting a critical eye at the layer of
soap covering Darian's body. "How are you feeling, Darian?" she asked.
"Like somebody's art project," Darian replied with a dry chuckle, drawing
looks of amusement from the rest of the group. "You're right about the tingle
on the skin. It's not bad or anything, but I guess you can say I'm not overly
keen on the idea of being soaped up with acid."
"It shall be removed momentarily," Susan promised as she shut off the tap
and picked up one of the scraping rocks. "Remember," she said as both Serena
and Rei likewise grabbed a rock, "Firm but gentle strokes. I'm sure he will
advise you if you are too rough with him."
"Trust me," Darian said with a chuckle, carefully eyeing the edge on the
rock in Rei's hands. "What kind of rock is that, by the way?"
"River-worn," Susan replied as she moved over to him and began to scrape
off the layer of soap with a series of long and gentle strokes. "They are not
of any special type, save that they do not fracture easily when dried out."
"Which river?" Rei asked out of idle curiosity as she started to scrape
Darian's shoulder, occasionally glancing at Susan's hands to see how she did
things.
"Egypt's Nile river," the succubus replied, very carefully scraping the
soap off Darian's collarbone.
"Serena?" Darian spoke up, causing the blonde to freeze in mid-motion.
"No, relax, you're doing fine. In fact, I was about to suggest that you use a
little more pressure, that's all. This might sound odd, but I think my skin is
feeling a little.... healthier, I guess, after this soap is removed."
"Alright," Serena replied, giving him a curious look as she tried to press
a little harder.
"I know it's making my hands feel weird," Rei commented as she worked.
"If the feeling becomes unpleasant, you should rinse your hands off under
the faucet," Susan said as she worked lower on Darian's chest.
"I'm fine," the priestess replied as she continued scraping.
Darian remained silent as the three women worked to take all the soap off
of his body. His skin continued to tingle even after the soap was removed, but
it also felt decidedly cleaner than before. Maybe there is something to that
acid stuff after all, he mused.
He felt the edge of Susan's stone brush across his belly, causing him to
tense up at the thought of what was next. Man, I really hope she doesn't think
about using that rock down there, he thought as he began to sweat. I don't
care how gentle a touch you have, you simply don't.... whoa.... he silently
gasped as she suddenly cupped him in the palm of her hand.
Under ordinary circumstances, both his conscious mind and his body would
have taken that as an invitation to play a most inviting game. That his body
completely failed to react to being intimately held and very lightly abraided
with a rock surprised him enough to overlook the fact that she was using a rock
to clean him down there. He didn't dare glance to either side to look in Rei
or Serena's face, but his peripheral vision was good enough to make out two
separate patches of pink on their faces.
His thoughts of what was going on in front of him were suddenly pre-empted
by what was going on behind him, his muscles starting to twitch in a reflex as
Rei scraped her rock across his backside. "Hey, hey, hey, easy," he said in a
soft tone as he tried to get his hips to hold still.
Rei paused and looked up at him, giving him a dubious look. "That hurt?"
"Nope," he replied with a faint blush. "It just tickles, that's all."
Rei blinked and traded looks with Serena, getting a slightly surprised
look in response. The priestess looked down at her rock for a moment before
studying his backside for several seconds. She then shifted the rock over to
her left hand and reached out with her right, goosing him gently.
"HEY!" Darian yelped as his nerves twitched in a purely reflexive action.
"Just checking," Rei replied calmly as she switched the rock back over to
her right hand and knelt down to finish scraping the soap off of his legs.
Serena blinked hard and looked over at Susan, getting an idle shrug of
dismissal. Sighing quietly to herself, she returned to her task of cleaning
off his arms, her wings starting to droop towards the ground like the stem of
a wilting flower.
The rest of the scraping was finished in silence, the edges of the rocks
being carefully rubbed over his ankles before everyone moved back and stood up.
The three girls headed back over to the small spigot to rinse off their hands
and the rocks before grabbing the waiting buckets and some wash-cloths.
"Hold still," Rei said to Darian as she slowly tilted her bucket over his
back. She paused when the bucket was half-empty and looked over her shoulder
at Serena. "Can you give me a hand with this?" she asked. "I can't rub him
down and hold this thing at the same time."
"Okay," Serena replied as she set her bucket down and moved over to them,
running her hands up and down Darian's back as Rei continued to pour.
"Wow," Darian said quietly, mostly to himself. "When you said this stuff
would open up your pores, you weren't kidding."
Susan raised a delicate green eyebrow in amusement. "There are times in
which humorous exaggeration is warranted," she said lightly. "This, however,
is not one of them. Would you tilt your head back, please?"
Darian did so, sighing quietly as the warm water was poured over the base
of his throat and quickly rubbed downwards to rinse the rest of his front. He
blinked as he felt a hand brush up against his neck, squeezing him gently for
a moment. He couldn't tell if that was Rei or Serena, but he figured that it
wasn't overly important.
He blinked again and sighed as he felt Susan cup his manhood in her hand,
very gently rubbing him with the wet wash-cloth before moving further downwards
to his legs. You know, he thought to himself, this could be a hell of a lot
more fun under other circumstances. Maybe Mina is on to something about the
idea of seeing about setting up something similiar like this back home....
"Susan?" Rei spoke up, disrupting his train of thought. "You said we used
to do this all the time back in the Moon Kingdom?"
"Very much so," Susan replied as she finished washing the last traces of
soap off and stood up. "It was rare that the Princess was unattended when she
bathed, and you yourself tended to visit the bathhouses at least twice a week
if not more often. While Prince Darian was not the kingdom's most frequest
visitor from Earth, he tended to patronize the bathhouses whenever he found the
time to do so. Did we miss anything, Darian?" she added.
"Well...." Darian replied slowly. "Aside from the bottom of my feet, I
think everyone scrubbed everything that I've got. Thank you."
"It was a pleasure, I assure you," the succubus replied with a faint purr.
"Would you be so kind as to assist us in tending to the Princess next?"
Darian glanced over at Serena and gave her a warm smile, bring a smile of
her own to her lips. "I think I could manage to do that," he teased.
"Serena?" Susan said as she carried her empty bucket back over to the tap
and started to refill it. "You may wish to bind your hair up for the moment.
We will wash it thoroughly in the next stage, but for the moment our focus is
on our bodies as a whole."
"Sure," Serena replied as she started to loop her ankle-length hairstyle
into a series of rings that she tied to her "meatball" buns.
"That's one way of looking at it," Rei muttered quietly, casting another
glance at Darian's backside.
"Play nice," Darian said softly, drawing a dark look from the priestess.
"I am playing nice," she retorted, pausing to look at Serena as she felt
several wings brush up against her back. "That reminds me," she added, giving
the blonde a neutral look. "Can you try to put those away or something? Not
to be mean, Serena, but they're starting to irk me now, not to mention the fact
that they'll be in the way for all this scrubbing."
Serena blinked hard and flicked her wings behind her, giving Rei an upset
look. "How?" she said simply.
Rei just sighed and closed her eyes, reaching up with one hand to rub the
bridge of her nose. She thought about it for several seconds before an idea
suddenly blossomed in her mind, causing her to slowly lift her head up to look
at the winged blonde. "Well, try it like this," she said calmly. "You can't
use what you don't have, so instead of trying it with your mind, try it with
what we all know you do have.... your heart."
"Rei," Darian said in a reproving tone.
"Sit down and shut up, cape boy, this might take a bit," Rei said without
turning around. "Come here, Serena," she said as she knelt down on the cool
marble floor, gesturing for the blonde to do the same in front of her. "Hold
your hands out like this," she said, raising her hands so that her palms were
facing outward.
Serena hesitated for a moment before slowly kneeling down, following Rei's
instructions. She blinked when Rei reached out to grab her hands, pressing
their palms together and intertwining their fingers in a firm grip.
"Breathe," Rei said in a soft but commanding tone. "Breathe slowly and
deeply. Focus your heart. When you breathe in, I want you to breathe in not
just the air around you, but the power you feel as well. You know what I mean,
even if I don't know what you're feeling. Slow, deep breaths. Feel the tips
of your wings curling inward, rolling up inside itself until it's inside your
heart. Your heart is your center, everything you know, everything you feel
flows out from it in a gentle wave. Breathe in and reverse that flow, breathe
in and return that energy to your heart where it belongs, where it's safe and
nothing can harm it. You can feel the power, I know you can. Just breathe."
Darian glanced over at Susan, wondering what she thought of Rei's attempt
at helping Serena control her angelic form. He wasn't overly surprised to see
that the succubus was watching both girls intently, a look of understanding and
what might have been encouragement on her face. Her bat-like wings seemed to
flex gently with every breath she took, unconsciously drawing inward when she
inhaled.
He looked back over at Rei and Serena, noticing that the priestess seemed
to have already slipped into a meditative trance of some sort. Serena's eyes
were closed and her expression was one of gentle concentration, the glowing
ribbons of her wings lazily drifting behind her at random.
The very tips of her wings began to pulse gently, the glow seeming to grow
stronger before fading back to normal. As he watched, he noticed that the odd
pulsing seemed to spread further down her wings with each slow breath she took.
It only took several moments for the pulsating glow to encompass the majority
of her wing surface, a gentle strobing action that caused both Susan and Darian
to raise their eyebrows in amazement and mild awe at the beauty of it.
"Serena," Rei spoke up very quietly. "Not so hard, okay? I can feel the
way you're straining. Just take it easy. Think about a river, a nice, slow,
gentle current of water. Let it flow smoothly, don't force it."
"I feel a barrier of some kind," Serena whispered. "It's like what I ran
into trying to go outside."
Susan absently nodded to herself. "You probably feel the barrier between
the material and the Ethereal," she spoke up. "Part of you exists in both, so
you can pass between the two. Think of it as a box, and right now your wings
are outside the box. Try to slip your wings through the barrier and into the
box, putting them to sleep in a safe place."
"Focus," Rei said firmly. "You know where the power is, Serena. It's in
your wings, your eyes, your voice, your very fingertips. Draw them inside your
heart. That box is your heart, a vast oasis of peace and calm."
Darian watched in silence as the pulsing glow in Serena's wings started to
intensify. He blinked hard as he noticed that her diamond-like fingernails had
started to glow in time with her breathing as well, making her seem to be a
human glow-bug. The brief thought was almost enough to make him laugh aloud,
forcing him to bite the tip of his tongue to remain quiet and not disturb her
concentration.
The change happened so quickly he almost missed it. Her wings continued
to gently pulse at a steady rate before she seemed to pause for a moment. She
then took in a deep breath, her bare chest expanding in an inviting fashion
that briefly drew his attention away from her wings. His eyes caught motion
behind her and automatically shifted focus, just in time to witness the glowing
wings shimmer like the noon-day air in a desert before vanishing from sight
with a very faint ripple-effect.
Both Serena and Rei's eyes snapped open in the same instant, their irises
widening dangerously. They let go of one another's hands and stood up, Serena
blinking first with uncertainty at what had just happened. Rei blinked hard a
moment later as she realized that the color of Serena's eyes had changed, once
again tinted the shade of blue everyone was familar with.
Serena looked down at her fingernails before glancing back up at Rei, her
expression one of stunned disbelief. Very carefully, she reached behind her to
try to rub her shoulderblades. "Oh, wow," the blonde whispered in awe, her
eyes becoming as wide as dinner plates as she heard the sound of her original
single-tone voice once again.
"Took you long enough," Rei replied in a slightly gruff tone as she looked
at the palms of her hands. She flexed her fingers gently before looking back
up at the now-wingless blonde. "You're welcome," she added in a neutral tone.
Serena promptly stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Rei, giving
her a tight hug that seemed to catch the priestess off-guard. "Thank you," she
whispered in Rei's ear. "You have no idea how glad I am for your help...."
"Well done, your Highness," Susan said gently as she moved over to Serena,
trying to examine her back carefully. "Would you please hold still for a few
moments? I am merely checking to see if any marks are visible from where your
wings emerged."
"You can let go of me now," Rei said in a voice as flat as paved concrete,
causing both Serena and Susan to step back. The priestess sighed and ran her
hands across her waist, wincing slightly at the feeling in her fingertips as
they glided across her skin. "Maybe I shouldn't have tried to keep track of
your spiritual energy," she grumbled. "That.... I want to say burned, but I'm
really not sure what it is. I just know I feel like I need a shower."
Everyone looked over at Darian as he started laughing softly to himself.
"You're certainly in the right place for it," he said dryly as he went over to
Serena. "Welcome back," he murmured as he leaned forward to kiss her gently.
"Thank you," she replied with a soft smile and a loving look in her eyes.
She turned back to Rei and gently shook her head in wonder. "Rei, I don't know
what to say. I was.... frightened that I wouldn't be able to do anything with
my wings or my voice, that I would have to try to explain this to everyone once
we returned to Earth."
Rei snorted quietly and looked away, her expression turning impassively
neutral once again. "Trust me, I'm used to covering your butt at this point,"
she muttered. She blinked and looked up as Darian very gently cupped her chin
in his hand, tilting her head up.
"Not this one again," he said calmly. "You really should settle down and
try to let go of that anger, Rei. Serena is extremely grateful for your help,
as am I. She was almost in tears at one point earlier when she was telling me
about how worried she was about returning to Earth. She doesn't have to worry
now, thanks to your wisdom and insight in teaching her to control her denizen
side. Or does her gratitude really not mean that much to you?"
"It does," Rei replied softly. "I just wish it wouldn't hurt so much when
I try to help her. I know it's not her fault in the least, but it doesn't make
it any more pleasant to keep going to bed each night with a different set of
aches and pains."
"Rei?" Susan spoke up in a moderately concerned tone. "How exactly were
you harmed a few moments ago? I felt nothing in spiritual terms."
"Just a burst of raw energy, that's all," Rei replied as she glanced down
at her hands again. "I don't know if it was spiritual or not, but I definitely
came into contact with something."
"Sure it's not the acid in the soap?" Darian suggested. "I mean, not the
acid itself, but if you mix acid-stung hands and raw energy, you might get a
reaction. You know, like when you burn yourself with hot coffee and later go
take a warm shower?"
"Maybe," Rei admitted with a slight shrug. "It just feels really weird,
that's all. More annoying than anything. Like Serena at times," she added,
casting a knowing look over Darian's shoulder.
"Thanks," Serena muttered, the corner of her lip curling down in a slight
frown. She sighed and glanced over at the forgotten buckets of water, an idea
forming inside her head. "Hey, you want to go next for this shower thing?" she
offered as she picked up a full bucket. "Just so you don't have to deal with
the soap for a few minutes."
"A prudent idea, your Highness," Susan said, nodding her head.
"Alright," Rei replied with a casual shrug of indifference.
Darian glanced over at Serena, suddenly getting the funny feeling that he
was missing something. He watched as the blonde carried the bucket over to Rei
with an odd look in her eyes. He turned to look over his shoulder as Susan
filled one of the buckets with warm water before it suddenly hit him.
"Serena, wait, that's...." he started to say.
A loud splash filled the room as Serena dumped the bucket of water over
Rei's neck. Rei promptly arched her back and gasped for air in shock, suddenly
realizing that the temperature of the water had been lowered by sitting on the
cool marble floor for several minutes.
"...Not a good idea," Darian finished in a subdued tone.
Rei turned around very slowly, her eyeballs looking to be ready to pop out
of their sockets at any moment. She just stared at Serena, breathing slowly
through her nose at the look of feigned innocence on the blonde's face while
the water finished dripping off her back. "Bitch," she said very calmly.
Serena's smile widened a little further as she said nothing. The smile
lasted for a full second before a bucket of water was sloshed against the base
of her neck, the cool temperature causing her to make a decidedly shrill sound
of shock. She whirled around to find Darian holding an empty bucket in his
hands with a look of reproval on his face.
"There," he said calmly. "Now you two are even. Again."
Serena blinked hard and stared at him for a few seconds before she turned
around to look at Rei. They looked at one another in heavy silence before a
faint smile crossed Rei's face.
Darian just stood there and watched as Serena started to smile as well,
then both girls started to giggle quietly. He shook his head and cast a pained
look over his shoulder at Susan as the laughter started up, wondering just what
exactly he had done in life to deserve moments like this.
"Do not argue, your Highness," Susan said gently as she handed him a warm
bucket of water. "Tension between friends is expected, and they appear to be
fully capable of working it out between themselves. Shall we begin?"
They started to work on Serena first, pouring another bucket of warm water
over her body to make sure she was completely wetted down. They then grabbed
a handful of the soap and started to gently apply it to her body, Darian taking
care of her neck and back while Rei and Susan concentrated on her arms and
front.
"Ooooh," Serena purred softly as she felt the tingle start up across her
shoulders. "You're right about that tingle. Feels good, though."
"No worse than some dandruff shampoos," Darian commented as he rubbed the
soap across her shoulderblades where her wings once were. He paused for a
moment to make sure he wasn't seeing things before sighing quietly. "Serena?
I hate to tell you this, but you can see the marks on your back from where your
wings emerged. Not like Susan's scars, but just a pair of thin white lines."
"You need not be concerned with them," Susan gently assured the blonde as
she started to soap up the top of her chest. "They are not prominent, nor are
they likely to be immediately visible to anyone in a position to look at your
back. I must admit a small degree of envy, however," she added lightly. "I
was not so fortunate to have someone in attendance to assist me when my wings
finally emerged."
"Thanks," Serena replied quietly, looking over at Rei. Rei glanced up at
her for a brief moment before returning her gaze back to Serena's arm, gently
spreading the soap around. She sighed quietly to herself before blinking hard
as Susan began to rub the soap across her breasts. "Umm...." she said in a
very soft tone, feeling a blush spread across her face as her nipples began to
instinctively react to the contact.
"I can let Darian handle this if you prefer," Susan offered, her hands not
pausing even for a moment as they moved downward to gently cup the base of the
blonde's breasts.
"Hmm?" Darian said, looking up as he heard his name. He blinked as he
realized both what Susan was doing and the unintentional effect it was having
on Serena, reminding himself of his own biological situation. He bent down to
very lightly brush his lips across Serena's ear. "Just relax," he whispered.
Serena made a noncommital noise to herself as the six hands began to work
progressively lower on her body. She had to bite the edge of her lip as she
first felt Darian's hands gently squeezing her backside, then felt Susan's hand
cupping her hairless sheath with a firm touch. She looked over at Rei, both
girls exchanging somewhat uncertain looks at the idea of being washed in such
a personal manner by someone else.
Rei stepped back to make room for Darian and Susan as they knelt down to
tend to Serena's legs, privately wondering just how in the hell Serena could
get away with consuming so much sugar and other less-than-healthy foods and
still manage to retain a slender body. She knew she was far from blimping out
herself, but she was consciously aware of a minor amount of extra softness on
her hips and thighs despite the exercise routine Luna put them through twice a
week.
She blinked and refocused as they stood up, the succubus moving over to
the niche to collect the scraping rocks while Darian paused to give Serena a
soft kiss. Sighing quietly, she tried to put the image out of her mind as she
went over to Susan to grab a stone. She was tempted for a cosmic microsecond
to conk it against Darian's head, but the impulse passed as quickly as it had
come. Probably a waste of time anyway, she thought as she headed over to the
soapy blonde, dense and hard-headed as he is at times....
"Ooo, ooo, ooo, careful," Serena protested as the edged stones were gently
scraped against her skin.
"Settle down," Rei grumbled. "It's a rock, not a razor. What?" she added
as she heard Darian grunt unexpectedly.
"I should find one of those soon," he commented, pausing for a moment to
scratch his chin. The short stubble made a loud rasping sound as he scratched,
highlighting his point about needing to shave in the near future.
"You'll be alright," Rei told him, making a mental note to pick up a few
more disposable blades the next time she went shopping. Her grandfather shaved
every morning, even when she pointed out that she didn't think it was really
necessary. Habit, was his usual response. They both used the same kind of
disposable razor for their needs, which made buying replacement blades all the
more easier when their supply ran low.
"I can take care of that for you later if you wish," Susan offered as she
gently scraped the soap off Serena's throat. "It would not be the first time
I've shaved you, although I can't say I've done so while still in the bath."
Darian paused for a moment before resuming his gentle scraping motions.
"I'll think about it," he said in a neutral tone. "I don't think I've ever let
anyone else near my throat with a razor of any kind. Not that I doubt in your
abilities," he added quickly. "It's just the comfort factor, that's all."
Rei snorted quietly in remote amusement. "He says as he stands naked next
to three equally naked women, all busy soaping one another up," she muttered.
Darian paused again and looked at her before giving Susan an abashed look.
"Okay, I think you've got me there," he said in a low tone, feeling yet another
blush starting to rise to his face. He just shook his head and went back to
work as he felt a hand brush up against his thigh, squeezing his leg gently.
A very soft noise rose up from Serena's throat as Susan began to scrape
the stone across her breasts, causing her nipples to tighten with an almost
painful intensity. She knew that the stimulation was purely accidental, but
that didn't help in the slightest as a series of electrical shocks ran up and
down her spine.
The tingling sensation suddenly changed without warning, turning into an
overwhelming urge to jump forward. She came dangerously close to doing just
that, her leg and hip muscles flexing of their own accord as Darian scraped his
rock over her backside. "Yeeeep!" she protested in a strangled voice.
"Sorry," Darian apologized as he tried working with a lighter touch.
Rei shot her an irritated look before returning to her task of scraping
the last bit of soap off of Serena's wrist. She was almost finished when she
felt Serena's hand twist around, clamping down hard on her own wrist. She
blinked and looked up, getting ready to chastise her when she suddenly realized
why the blonde had tensed up.
Ouch, Rei thought to herself as she tried not to stare at the way Susan
was brushing the rock against Serena's groin. She was fairly sure it wasn't
hurting her, but the feeling was probably driving her up the wall in ways she
would most likely not appreciate. At least, she added as she cast a sidelong
glance at Darian, not unless Darian was doing it....
She blinked as Darian glanced in her direction, their eyes meeting for a
brief moment before she looked away. She sighed quietly and finished her task
before standing up, moving back to give Darian and Susan more room. She felt
a light touch on her wrist and looked back up at Serena, staring impassively
into the depths of her blue eyes.
Both girls turned to look as Susan stood up, fluttering her demonic wings
gently. "Are you finished, Darian?" she asked calmly.
"I think so," Darian replied as he brushed his rock across Serena's calf
one final time before standing up as well. "And if not, it'll come off in the
rinse. How's the tingle?" he asked Serena.
"A little intense," the blonde admitted as she glanced down at the skin on
her upper arms and shoulders as best she could. "But not in a bad way."
"We shall rinse it off momentarily," Susan promised as she moved over to
the water spigot to rinse off the stone. She then stepped to one side to let
Darian and Rei do the same, waiting for them to finish before starting to fill
up two of the empty buckets with warm water.
Rei accepted the first bucket and carried it over to Serena, waiting for
Darian to catch up with her before slowly pouring it over the blonde. She did
her best not to let her emotions show as she watched him run his hands across
her body, seeming to caress her more than rub the last traces of soap off. She
finished emptying the bucket and stepped back, allowing Susan to step forward
to repeat the procedure.
"Is that everything, your Highness?" Susan asked gently once the last bit
of water was both poured out and brushed off Serena's body by Darian.
"What?" Serena said, seeming to snap out of a very light daydream. She
nodded as a faint blush rose to her cheeks. "Oh, sorry. Darian's right, that
was.... definitely thorough. Thank you."
A knowing smile crossed Susan's face for a number of moments. "As with
Darian, it is a pleasure to serve," she replied with a faint purr to her tone.
"Are you ready, your Excellency?" she said as she turned to Rei.
"Sure," Rei replied in a neutral tone, reaching up with both hands to make
sure that her hair was still securely tied up in a bun. Satisfied that the
dark blue satin ribbon was holding just fine, she lowered her arms and moved
forward to take Serena's place on the heavy rubber matting.
The slow deluge of warm water poured across the nape of her neck was a
most delightful sensation, sending a series of light shivers up and down her
spine. The shivers only increased as she felt Darian's hands on her back, very
gently spreading the water around as best he could while it dripped off.
The second bucket of water poured against her chest at the base of her
throat took her by surprise. She knew its delivery was hardly unexpected, but
what truly surprised her was the sudden, almost violent reaction of her nipples
at the sensation of the water running over her bare chest. The tightness was
almost painful in intensity, leaving her somewhat short of breath for a few
moments.
"Something wrong, Rei?" Susan asked very quietly as she brushed the palms
of her hands over the priestess' neck and chest.
It took Rei a moment to remember how exactly her voice worked. "Not that
I know of," she somehow managed to say in what she thought was a level tone.
She felt the heat rising to her face as Susan's fingertips lightly brushed over
her breasts on their way down to her abdomen, glancing off to her side to see
Serena looking over at the clay jars of soap with a faint blush of her own.
Then again, she thought to herself as she felt Darian's hands glide lower
down her back and briefly across her backside, we just might have a problem
after all. Did she put something in that fruit sorbet? Why in the hell am I
so sensitive all of a sudden?
A sudden thought popped into her mind, quickly chilling the warmth in her
veins. Or am I just that desperate for physical attention that I'll react to
anyone's touch? she thought flatly. Her mind flashed back to yesterday when
she had taken a short bath with Darian and Susan, remembering how much she had
enjoyed the brief experience of being bathed by them.
The slightly cool touch of semi-liquid soap being spread across her body
in three places suddenly snapped her attention back to the present situation.
Her eyebrows promptly arched up in surprise as she felt the soap start to react
on contact, producing a very light tingling sensation. "Hey," she said in a
quiet tone, causing all motion on her body to cease. "How fast am I supposed
to be feeling this acid to go work?"
"A few seconds," Darian replied as he resumed soaping up her back. He
exchanged knowing looks with Serena as the raven-haired priestess sighed with
relief, unconsciously leaning back slightly against his hands.
"Just checking," Rei said as she closed her eyes, trying to focus on the
sensation of being soaped up. It wasn't nearly as erotic as she had feared it
might be, initial reaction to the water to the contary. It was easy to tell
one touch from another without looking. Darian's hands moved with a gentle but
firm strokes, Serena's touch was rather light and hesitant, and Susan's hands
seemed to move with speed, efficiency, and self-confidence.
She had to bite the tip of her tongue as Susan's hands slid across her
breasts, gently spreading the soap around without hesitation. Impersonal as
the contact was, it still sent a sharp tingle running up and down her spine
that she had a hard time repressing. Feeling Darian's hands gliding over her
back in just the right spot a moment later helped ease the feeling, but it only
served to increase her apprehension at what else was about to occur.
Maybe I should have asked to be energy-drained as well, she thought with
a sigh as four hands continued down her abdomen and hips to her nether regions.
She felt Serena squeeze her hand gently as she held as perfectly still as she
could manage, her breath snarled in her throat from both Darian's attention on
her backside and Susan's hand rubbing the soap into her mound of pubic hair.
Lucky me, she thought as she felt a new type of heat rising to her face.
Being naked together meant that they could easily compare the sometimes quirky
results of biology and nature. Serena's sheath was utterly devoid of hair, no
doubt due to her denizen side, and Susan's labia were only concealed by a small
strip of dark green hair that didn't appear to be artifically trimmed. She was
acutely aware of how completely masked her own sheath was by a thick forest of
jet-black hair, making her feel self-conscious about possessing so much of it.
At least with guys, it's expected, she mused as she opened her eyes to
look around the room. Acting purely on impulse, she flicked her fingers back
to brush up against Darian, blinking as she actually managed to caress the dark
delta of his pubic hair. She felt him edge back from her an instant later, his
hands briefly tensing on her backside before he knelt down to work on her legs.
If either Serena or Susan noticed the exchange, they gave no indication of
it. Serena quickly moved over to her other side to finish soaping up her arm
while Susan knelt down as well, her hands gliding along her inner thighs and
legs as she worked. The soaping up process lasted another few moments before
Darian and Susan stood up, stepping back to wait for Serena to finish.
Serena looked up at Rei as she finished, one hand lingering for a moment
to squeeze her wrist gently before backing away. Rei looked at her before she
nodded her head slightly in understanding. I don't think I'll ever understand
you, she thought as she watched the blonde head over to the niche to retrieve
one of the river-worn edged rocks. With all the fighting we've done, with as
much as I wish Darian would leave you to come to me, with all that binds us and
pushes us apart at the same time.... you still want to reach out to me. And I
don't have the strength or the courage to truly push you away, to try to start
healing on the inside after all the hurt and pain being with you has caused me.
How wretched a soul I've become....
The gentle touch of the stone's edge against the back of her neck took her
by surprise, a faint blush springing to her cheeks as she realized she had let
her awareness of her surroundings fade away yet again. The light feeling was
almost like a kiss, gently moving downward to scrape away the thin layer of
acidic soap and dislodged skin cells. She felt a second stony touch on her
throat a moment later, followed by a third on her shoulder.
"Darian?" she said in a very quiet voice as she closed her eyes.
"Hmm?" he replied, pausing his motions for a moment.
She hesitated for a moment before pressing onward. "Can you press harder,
please? I want to make sure all the dead skin gets taken off."
"Sure," he said, increasing the pressure against her skin as he slid the
rock's edge back and forth across her upper back. The tingling sensation was
likewise increased, opening up her pores even further as the topmost layer of
skin was gently abraided by friction.
"Rei?" she heard Susan's voice say in a faintly cautious tone. "How hard
do you wish us to be?"
A brief chill lanced through her as both Darian and Serena stopped their
motions, waiting to see what her reponse would be. Part of her knew what she
wanted, but the other part was scared to say so, scared at what they might end
up thinking about her.
Enough of this, she told herself as she gathered her willpower together.
"As hard as you can without tearing the skin," she said, her voice barely more
than a subdued whisper. That she had been able to say it without tripping over
her tongue was a minor feat in of itself, and one that she would settle for.
She tried to ignore the sudden burning sensation in her face caused by a deep
blush, knowing that she probably couldn't have staved it off even if her life
had depended on it.
"Uh, Rei...." Darian started to say.
"Sometimes a solid scrubbing is best," Susan interrupted him gently. "It
all depends on the individual. Just use your best judgement, and I'm sure she
will speak up if we are too rough."
"Okay," he replied in a slightly non-plussed tone. She heard him take a
deep breath before she felt the stones against her back and chest once more.
Her skin immediately began to protest as it was scraped raw, lines of fire
being traced across her body in steady, even strokes. She knew that it would
leave her skin red for awhile, but the low-intensity pain was oddly cleansing.
She could tell that Darian was hesitant in his motions, but continued to move
his arms up and down in a smooth motion across her back.
Her breath caught in her throat as Susan's focus shifted lower down to her
breasts, almost savaging the ultra-soft skin with unceasing motions. She felt
Susan's fingertips against her nipples, pressing the hardened nubs inward and
holding them in place while the rock's edge swirled around her areolae, almost
but not quite abrading her nipples.
The pain was best described as exquisitely sharp and delicate, blending
with the icy shocks of raw pleasure to make her senses reel. It was as if she
were suspended between two forces by delicate threads, barely one step removed
from being ground between them both. Serena's presence at her side helped her
retain a grip on what was left of her senses, the hand on her arm keeping her
balance in equilibrium. The rock brushing across her arm didn't do so with the
same level of intensity as the others, but that suited her fine as she didn't
expect the blonde to be as willing to risk injury to her skin as she was.
A very soft whimper emerged from her throat as the brisk scraping motions
dipped lower, leaving a very light sensation of tenderness in their wake. It
took every ounce of her control not to melt back against Darian as he began to
work her lower back and backside, her skin protesting rather stridently the
entire time. Even so, she couldn't prevent her back from arching gently in a
reflex, thrusting her slightly raw breasts and diamond-hard nipples forward.
She was somewhat relieved when it became apparent that Susan didn't intend
to try to use the rock on her groin, instead wiping most of the acidic soap off
of her sheath with a wash-cloth. The rapid motion tugged rather painfully on
her pubic hair, serving to bring her partially out of the oddly euphoric state
she had slipped into a few minutes ago. While she found pain to be desired to
a certain degree in some things and for some occasions, that particular type of
pain wasn't one of the overly welcomed sensations.
Much like being caught and dragged along by a rogue wave at the beach, the
feeling of erotic pain finally peaked and began to slowly recede as the focus
of the rocks dipped down to her legs. It felt distinctly odd to have both her
inner thigh and outer thigh scraped at the same time, but the mixed sensation
of pain, pleasure, and purification still lingered behind. It seemed that time
passed rapidly after that, the stones scraping against her ankles before she
realized it and everyone stepping away from her moments later.
Rei looked up and blinked as her senses finally reoriented on reality as
she knew it. Susan was already half-way to the water spigot to fill up the
buckets for the final rinse while Darian and Serena glanced over her body with
identical looks on their faces.
"Rei, are you alright?" Darian asked in a low tone, his voice clearly full
of deep concern.
"I'm fine," the priestess replied as she very carefully stretched her arms
out. She blinked as it felt as if her skin started to scream in unison as a
single entity, begging for some sort of relief against the literally hundreds
of microscopic breaks in her skin. "Thanks," she added softly.
"Darian?" Susan said as she approached with two buckets in her hands. She
hefted one up and began to slowly pour it across Rei's back, standing off to
one side to allow someone else enough space to work.
Darian blinked as he realized what he was being asked to do. He cast a
quick glance at Serena, receiving a startled look before getting a soft nod of
understanding. He blinked again in surprise before nodding back and stepping
forward to stand behind Rei, sliding his hands across her reddened skin to wipe
away the last traces of soap.
Rei gasped silently at the contact, his fingertips creating tiny sparks of
searing electricity whereever they touched her skin. She held still for him,
however, doing her best to keep her facial expression under absolute control
and starting to wonder if asking for what she felt she needed had been a wise
thing to do.
She blinked hard as Susan set the first bucket down and began to pour the
second one over her shoulder, having expected her to hand it to Darian. She
closed her eyes and did her best to empty her mind of all other thoughts and
sensory input, focusing exclusively on the feel of the hands that had just
brushed off her legs.
There was a noticable pause for a few moments, most likely as he tried to
assess the situation and how everyone would react. She felt his fingertips on
her throat after what seemed like an agonizing delay, very lightly wiping away
the remaining traces of soap.
Time itself seemed to freeze like a river in the dead of winter, becoming
a thick slush that oozed rather that flowed along. It felt like hours had gone
by before his hand started to descend downwards, brushing the sheen of water
off of her upper chest before coming down to her breasts. She could feel an
almost searing heat from his hands as he worked, warming her skin in ways she
had only rarely dared to even dream about.
Even as slowly as things felt they went, it seemed that his hands moved
down to her abdomen entirely too quickly. The burning warmth in his hands
remained as he worked, taking an eternity to inch downwards until they were at
her navel. She dared not even breathe at that point, fearful of doing anything
that would break the intensely electric enchantment of anticipation that she
found herself wrapped in.
The sensation of her breath leaving her lungs surprised her, a slow and
gentle exhalation of air as the warmth of his fingertips brushed against the
mass of super-silky hair that surrounded her sheath. The word electric didn't
even begin to describe the feeling as his fingers sifted in-between the raven
strands, ostensibly seeking to remove all traces of the soap. Had she been
alone with him, she would have taken him on the spot right then and there, by
force if necessary, and potential repercussions be damned.
She was dimly aware of his touch on her inner thighs, quickly but gently
gliding downward to her legs and taking the soapy residue with it. The veil of
fog around her senses lifted soon after, restoring her perception of the flow
of time to normal and allowing her brain to listen to what the rest of her
senses were telling her.
"Rei?" Susan asked gently. "I trust that everything is in order?"
It took her a few moments to remember how to talk again. "Thank you," she
replied quietly as she blinked hard, her eyes seeming to take an extra second
to focus properly. "I feel.... distinctly cleansed now."
A soft smile crossed Susan's face. "Which, I remind you, was the primary
objective of this exercise," she said. "Would the three of you be so kind as
to indulge me in returning the favor?"
"I think we can manage," Darian spoke up as he scooped up the empty bucket
and headed over to the spigot to refill it.
Rei and Serena exchanged uneasy glances for a number of reasons before Rei
gently took the empty bucket from Susan. She made a follow-me gesture with her
chin to Serena as she headed over to where Darian was. "Quick question," she
said in a low tone as she began to refill the bucket.
"How should we handle this?" Darian ventured in a wary tone.
"Exactly," the priestess replied.
"Split it with Serena?" he suggested as the blonde approached. "I don't
think Serena would care to have me soaping up her front."
"Exactly," the blonde said in a flat tone, giving Darian an unhappy look.
Rei grunted to herself as she turned off the spigot and hefted the bucket
up, not entirely comfortable with the notion of soaping up another woman in an
intimate fashion either. "We'll manage," she said before turning to Serena.
"Just do what I do like a mirror, okay?"
"Umm, alright," Serena replied, not entirely sure what she meant.
"Just follow me," Rei grumbled as she carried her bucket over to Susan.
She paused for a moment to wait as Susan finished binding her hair up in a bun,
blinking hard as the succubus then started absorbing her wings. The dark bat-
like shapes seemed to blur for a moment before deflating in the blink of an
eye, disappearing into the scars on her back. I don't need this, she sighed
quietly as she approached Susan and began to douse her with water.
The process took less time than earlier, the three of them moving with a
greater degree of confidence after having done it twice before. The buckets
were emptied and Susan's skin brushed down to make sure it was wet before they
returned to the niche to retrieve large handfuls of soap.
"Serena," Rei said quietly, gesturing for the blonde to stand opposite her
with Susan between them. She then reached up to start smearing the soap over
Susan's shoulders, indicating that Serena should do the same. It only took a
few moments for the blonde to catch on, focusing most of her attention on what
Rei's hands were doing in order to mirror their movements.
Darian just shook his head to himself as he worked on Susan's back, doing
his best not to follow the motions of their hands. He was tall enough to see
over Susan's shoulder, able to follow the curves of her breasts down to her
nipples. He couldn't help but notice how they immediately started to harden as
Rei's hand glided over her right breast, shortly followed by Serena's hand over
her left.
Oh man, he thought to himself with a mental sigh. Now I'm REALLY glad I
asked Susan to unplug the machinery. Lord knows how bad this would get if I
had to start keeping a bit of separation distance between things. And so much
for not eroticizing things, he added darkly, casting a glance over at Rei.
He blinked as Rei glanced back at him, her hand seeming to squeeze Susan's
breast suggestively before sliding lower. He did his best not to think about
what she might have meant, feeling a heavy sigh rise up from his chest as the
back of his mind started to fantasize anyway. Gee, thanks, he thought with a
dour sigh as he did his best to return his attention to Susan's back.
Serena alternated quick glances between Rei and Darian, knowing that Rei
was up to something in some way. She had very few doubts that Rei had been
honest with her when she said that she wasn't going to try to fight for his
attentions, but at the same time she couldn't get Mina's voice out of her head
from an earlier conversation. There's more than one way for a girl to get what
she wants, she had said with a sly smile.
But just what exactly does she want from him? she thought to herself as
she kept one eye on Rei's hands, making sure to mirror their movements with her
own. She says she loves him, and I can't really blame her in a way, but he's
*my* Prince. I know he loves me and not her, but what if...?
Her train of thought was interrupted as she realized that Rei's hands were
very carefully soaping up Susan's groin, prompting a fierce blush to rise to
her cheeks. I'll let her handle that, she decided as she settled for starting
to rub the soap across Susan's thighs. I mean, I know Susan washed everyone
like that, but still.... and why did she let Darian rinse off Rei like that?
I know he didn't do anything wrong and I guess I said it was okay with me, but
still.... why her and not me? And what else is going to happen tonight?
She almost hit the ceiling when she felt something poke her squarely on
the tip of her nose. She blinked hard and looked up to find Rei giving her an
irritated look, already halfway finished soaping up Susan's leg.
"You want to pay attention for a few minutes?" Rei grumbled.
"Oh, sorry!" Serena replied as she hastily tried to catch up, feeling her
cheeks start to burn with embarrassment.
"There is no rush, your Highness," Susan spoke up gently. Her eyes were
half-closed as Darian finished soaping up the back of her legs, seeming to
enjoy the attention as much as they had earlier.
Not that I blame her, Serena thought to herself as she finished up her
task and stood back. She glanced up at the well-formed nude body in front of
her and blushed, suddenly feeling self-conscious about her own body. She knew
that she could use a B-cup bra if it was fresh out of the dryer and hadn't had
a chance to stretch out from normal use, but she was keenly aware of the fact
that she was obviously nowhere nearly as well-endowed as either Susan or Rei.
It didn't matter to her that they were both taller than she was, but that they
both possessed hair where she didn't only further added to her feelings of
self-consciousness and physical inadequacy.
It could be worse, she thought as the image of a topless Alex crossed her
mind for a brief moment. Still, she added as she headed over to the niche to
grab a scraping stone, as long as the plumbing works when you have children and
need to nurse them. Oooh, wait.... I know they get larger and all when you
start to produce milk, and I might end up with a chest like Rei's for awhile,
but how large would Rei get when she has a daughter? All that added weight on
her chest won't be good for her back.... ouch....
She sighed quietly as she started to scrape the soap off Susan's skin,
making sure to follow Rei's motions once again. Damn it, why do I keep having
all these doubts? she fumed silently with a soft sigh. I know he loves me, I
certainly love him, and if last night is any indication of what life with him
in the future will be like, just marry us now so we can spend the rest of our
lives together without questions being asked. And you'll have to ask me later,
of course, but I'm not sure I'd be willing to settle for having just one child
with him.... I mean, yeah, Sammy and I fight alot, but what else are siblings
for? He was fun to play with when he was younger....
Serena blinked as her mind refocused on her task again, realizing that she
was about to work on Susan's breast again. She traded a quick glance with Rei
before following her movements, reaching up with one hand to cup the ultra-soft
flesh and keep it steady while using the other to gently scrape downwards. She
blinked and hesitated as she saw Rei use her thumb to press the hardened nipple
inwards, making sure that her rock wouldn't scrape Susan there.
When in Rome, she thought with a sigh as she followed suit. She tried not
to think about what Susan must be feeling as she carefully pressed inward on
her nipple, knowing that she had gotten more than a little excited herself when
it had been her turn to be intimately tended to. Okay, I can see Alex doing
something like this without blinking, and maybe Mina and Leda, but I know that
Ami would probably flip out if she was asked to do this. Now that I stop and
think about it, I wonder how she handled things when she was in here? Hmm....
"Darian," Susan spoke up quietly, startling her out of her idle musings.
"You need not be concerned, they are no more sensitive than the rest of my
skin. You may continue using a firm touch."
"Just checking," Darian replied in a quiet tone.
Serena blinked and edged to one side to see what he was doing. She sighed
quietly in relief when she realized that he was carefully scraping the soap off
of the dark scars on her back. See, you can trust him, she told herself as she
returned her focus to Susan's abdomen with a faint blush. Alex was right, he
knows how to behave himself in awkward situations. Like when Rei blew away all
the Ether this morning....
She sighed and refocused her thoughts yet again as they reached Susan's
groin, carefully applying the edge of her rock to Susan's thighs while Rei used
a wash-cloth to remove the traces of soap from the thin strip of dark green
hair. It must not grow often like that, she found herself thinking. Ami's got
hair like that, but everyone else is triangle-shaped. Hmm, I wonder if their
hair color has anything to do with it? Well, wait, Michelle has a rare hair
color as well, and she's got.... what does she have? I don't think I paid any
attention in the bath earlier. Huh. Wonder if I can ask her about it without
embarrassing either one of us?
Scraping the soap off of Susan's legs only took another minute before the
task was done. Well, I'll say this much, Serena thought as she stood up and
headed over to the niche to rinse off the rock. This is a fair amount of work
to be doing, but it's certainly worth it when you're on the receiving end of it
all. Maybe we really should discuss setting up a room like this back home....
"Don't get too excited," Rei muttered quietly to Darian as she passed one
of the full buckets of water to Serena and hefted the second one herself.
"And if I do?" Darian countered with a raised eyebrow, causing both girls
to abruptly freeze in their tracks.
Rei blinked and glanced at Serena before shaking her head ruefully. "I
suppose I set myself up for that one," she said in a low tone as she carried
the water over to Susan. She waited until both Darian and Serena caught up
with her before starting to pour the water over Susan's back in what might be
best described as a heavy trickle.
Darian paused and looked over at Serena, wondering just how much trouble
he was going to be in by the time this was over. She looked up at him with a
weary expression before sighing and nodding her assent, taking a step back to
give him room to work.
I am definitely going to go to hell for this, he sighed as he began to use
his hands to wipe the last traces of soap off of Susan's body. That, and I
might end up having to sleep on the couch tonight. Dammit, I really didn't ask
for this, I just wanted a simple shower....
Rei said nothing as she finished pouring and stepped back, watching as
Serena edged forward to start pouring her bucket over Susan's shoulders. Her
eyes never left Darian's hands as they hesitantly began to brush across Susan's
front, rubbing the soap residue away as quickly and as carefully as he could.
The priestess sighed as she felt a minor pang of jealousy bubble up from
somewhere in her guts, watching as his hands slid over Susan's breasts. Part
of her could still feel his touch on her own breasts earlier, idly wondering if
that lone memory would have to suffice for the present. How wretched I've
become, she thought yet again as she watched him fleetingly rub the soap off of
Susan's groin. I'd do anything for his touch, even if it means doing harm to
someone like Serena. Maybe I'm not worth his time after all....
"Thank you, your Highness," Susan said demurely as she took a step back
once he was finished. "And my thanks to the rest of you as well," she added
with a soft smile to Serena and Rei.
"You're welcome," Rei replied in a calm tone. "So what's next?"
Susan nodded as scooped up one of the empty buckets, carrying it back to
the shelf in the niche. "The next stage is a soak in the pool," she explained
as she put the lids back on the jars of soap. "We will all remain immersed in
the heated water while we tend to our hair and nails in turn. One of us will
recline on the bench while another sits in the alcove behind it to wash his or
her hair. The remaining two will trim and buff fingernails if needed, and if
that is not required it is merely more time for you to float and relax."
The rest of the group promptly turned around in unison to look towards the
pool, various looks of intrigue forming on their faces as they noticed that it
had refilled itself. Tiny wisps of steam wafted up from the still surface,
clearly indicating that the water was heated.
"So what's the temperature set at?" Darian wondered aloud. He blinked as
Rei grabbed his wrist and started to drag him over towards the pool.
"One way to find out," the priestess said curtly.
Darian just sighed in resignation and allowed her to lead him, reaching
back to gently take Serena's hand in a comforting grip. The distance between
the niche and the pool was a very short one, and it was only a matter of a few
moments before the found themselves standing at the edge of the basin.
Rei looked like she was about to lean down to test the water when Serena
reached out to lightly tap her shoulder, making a gesture to the shallow steps
near the alcove and reclined bench. Nodding in understanding, the priestess
made her way over towards them and carefully stepped down onto the first stair.
"Ooooooooooooh," she purred quietly, her expression melting from guarded
curiosity to blissful relief in an instant. "Hot, but not too hot," she added
as she slowly descended into the pool one stair at a time.
Darian looked over at Serena and shrugged, kissing her cheek before taking
a careful step into the pool. The water was only ankle-deep at that point, but
he could already feel the tension draining out of him. "Oh, yeah," he said in
a relaxed tone, very gently pulling Serena over to him. "You'll love this."
"Mmmmm," the blonde sighed as she stepped into the water. She looked up
as Susan approached, moving off to one side to give her enough space to use the
stairs as well.
Susan smiled at them as she descended into the water without hesitation,
unfazed in the least by the level of heat in the pool. The water level only
came up to her hips as she waded over to the alcove, calmly stepping over a
concrete barrier of some sort before taking a seat on a shelf in the circular
niche. "I will need a few moments to prepare everything," she said as she made
a gesture to the rest of the pool surface. "The three of you should try to
relax and float until then."
"Don't need to tell me twice," Darian quipped as he headed deeper into the
pool, carefully drawing Serena along with him. They both moved at a slow pace,
content to let their bodies adjust to each increase in temperature and depth
with each step before taking the next.
Rei was already near the center of the pool, crouching down so that the
waterline came up to her chin. She seemed to float for a few seconds before
standing back up, a surge of water cascading off of her body in a gentle wave.
She cast a quick glance at both Darian and Susan, seeming to hesitate before
reaching up to untie the satin ribbon that bound her hair.
"Problem?" Darian asked after a few moments of watching Rei fuss with the
ribbon, an irked look crossing her face.
"I think I tied the knot too tight," she grumbled as she looked over her
shoulder. "Serena, can you give me a hand with this?"
"Sure," the blonde replied as she squeezed Darian's hand before letting
go, taking the last step into the pool and wading forward. She moved behind
Rei and reached up, very gently probing the knot in the ribbon to see if she
could figure out how it was tied.
"Thank you," Rei said softly as she felt a gentle tug, followed by the
sensation of her hair being released from the tight bun. The raven strands
spilled down her back like a dark waterfall, settling into the water a moment
later. She edged away from Serena and leaned back, soaking the entire length
of her hair in a single motion.
She felt Serena's fingertips brush against her exposed stomach and nearly
leapt out of the water, not expecting the touch in the least. She did her best
to keep a neutral expression on her face as she rose back up into a standing
position, feeling her scalp protest as the added weight of the water in her
hair made it feel three times as heavy as it should.
Serena just smiled at her as she reached up to unbind her own hairstyle,
first uncoiling the loops of ankle-length hair, then undoing the distinctive
spherical buns that made the style so unique. Her blonde hair started to float
on the surface of the water, spreading out like so much yellow seaweed.
Rei looked down at the virtual cloak of hair behind Serena before looking
back up at the blonde. "Give me your hand for a moment," she said as she held
out her own. "I want to you try to release your wings."
"What?" Serena said, blinking in surprise. She hesitated for a moment and
cast a questioning look over her shoulder at Susan.
Susan paused and looked up from the pair of plastic bottles she was trying
to mix together, a deeply intrigued look on her face. "Time is hardly of the
essence, your Highness," she spoke up. "If you wish to experiment with them,
now is a good time as any given the comforts of the environment we are in. It
is actually a wise idea to practice now instead of waiting until later when the
situation may not be so accomodating."
"Alright," Serena replied with a nod of understanding. She blinked and
looked over her other shoulder as she felt a light touch, a soft smile tugging
on her lips by reflex as she saw Darian standing beside her.
"Take your time, beloved," he said softly to her. "I'll be right here."
"I know," she whispered back. She sighed and closed her eyes as he leaned
forward to kiss her deeply, feeling her heart melt yet again at the contact.
Rei waited patiently for them to quit kissing before reaching out to the
blonde again, gently grasping her hands as she did earlier. "You need to move
back a bit more," she warned Darian. "We don't know how her wings will emerge
or where."
Darian paused and gave her a measured look. "I'm pretty sure they'll be
coming out of her back," he said casually as he moved off to the side.
The priestess just snorted quietly. "Don't start," she grumbled, giving
him a dark glare. She then took a deep breath and tried to clear her mind,
setting side her thoughts of him and focusing instead of trying to feel the odd
energy that she had encountered earlier. "Go ahead, Serena," she said quietly
as she closed her eyes. "You put your wings in the box, now it's time to let
them about again. Open your heart as you did before."
She began to feel the energy almost immediately, starting out as a very
light tingle where her palms was pressed against Serena's. She immediately
ruled out it being spiritual energy, being intimately familiar with it and able
to recognize it when she felt it.
So what are you? she thought to herself as she methodically ignored her
senses one by one, slipping into a light meditative trance. Her sense of inner
calm lasted for roughly five seconds before a shockwave of energy swept through
her hands, briefly searing her nerves and completely blowing her concentration
out the proverbial window.
Her eyes snapped open just in time to witness an explosion of sorts as
countless ribbons of light seemed to burst out from Serena's shoulderblades.
The blonde's dangerously wide eyes clouded over in an instant, her blue irises
taking on a vibrant gold color. A sharp intake of breath came next, sounding
like three voices gasping in unison. The crystal shard hanging around her
throat seemed to sparkle for a brief moment before becoming dormant once again.
"Whoa!" Darian yelped as he shot to his feet, the waterline barely up to
his navel. He saw the idential looks of shock on the girls' faces and quickly
made his way over to them. "You alright?"
"Amazing," Serena whispered in awe as she let go of Rei's hands, reaching
up to touch the base of her throat. She blinked as she refocused on what was
around her and gave Rei a very worried look. "Rei, you okay?"
Rei sighed as she sank lower into the water until it covered her breasts,
staring down at the palms of her hands. "I'm fine," she said softly as she
carefully flexed them. The skin didn't appear to be damage or burnt, but her
nerves were trying to tell her a different story. She looked up as she felt a
hand gently take hold of her wrist, staring into Darian's dark eyes.
"What did you feel?" he asked calmly, lightly rubbing her wrist.
The priestess shook her head. "It's not spiritual, I know that much," she
replied. "I don't think it was dimensional, either, and I'm almost positive it
wasn't her aura reacting to a threat."
"So what does that leave?" he prodded gently, looking up as he felt a hand
and several glowing wings wrap around his other arm.
Rei looked over at Serena for a moment before looking down at her hands
again. "Well," she said slowly, "It might be from the Chaos Factor.... or it
could be the power of her emotions. I don't know, I can't remember ever being
in physical contact with a denizen like Tolaris when he was using his powers."
"Darian?" Susan spoke up from the alcove. "Would you and Serena be so
kind as to bring Rei over here, please? Everything is ready now."
"Gotcha," Darian replied as he briefly traded glances with Serena. She
nodded back and they both gently took hold of Rei's arms, slowly pulling her
towards the submerged bench in front of the alcove. "Just float for awhile,
okay?" he said to Rei.
Rei glanced over at him for a moment before sighing and trying to relax,
letting her body's natural buoyancy keep her afloat. A soft sigh rose up from
her chest at the way the warm water coursed around her as she was pulled along,
eventually bumping into the reclined chair. She felt six hands and at least a
dozen wings take hold of her at various points, lifting her up slightly to move
her further forward and settle comfortably in the chair.
"A little more, please," Susan asked softly as they scooted Rei's head up
another few inches. "Thank you," she said as she gathered Rei's mane of hair
together, making sure it was completely on her side of the concrete divider
that kept the water of the alcove separate from the rest of the pool. "As I
said earlier, I will wash her hair here while the two of you tend to her nails.
If you look at the pool's edges, you will see a pair of panels that lift up.
Everything is waterproof except for the emery boards, so please try to avoid
getting those wet. Do you have any objections to a lilac-scented shampoo?" she
asked Rei.
"No," Rei replied softly as she shifted her weight gently. Most of her
body was still submerged to one degree or another, but not enough to allow her
to truly float. She sighed and leaned back against the padded curve pressed
against her neck, trying to ignore the fact that only her face and breasts were
exposed to the air. The air was hardly cool but the constrast in temperature
with the heated water was enough to be felt, causing her nipples to start to
tighten in response to the perceived coolness in the air.
She heard a pair of whispering noises as the storage panels were lifted
up, followed by the muted sound of something being taken out of one of them.
"Umm, stupid question time," Darian spoke up as someone took her hand in a very
gentle grip.
A faint giggle rose up from Serena's chest. "Come here and I'll show you
how to do it," she said, causing Rei to crack open an eye to see what she was
talking about. The blonde was using one hand to steady Rei's hand while the
other held an emery board, obviously preparing to show Darian how to use it.
Typical, Rei thought as she closed her eye and tried to relax. She felt
a gentle stream of water on her scalp a moment later, sending a wave of warmth
surging through her spine. Mmmm, she thought as she could feel the muscles in
her neck start to unwind. Too much more of this and I'm going to wind up as
spoiled as Mina is.
Her sense of time started to blur once again as she felt a pair of hands
start to massage a thick gel into her hair, slowly and methodically washing the
full length of the raven strands. Her fingertips began to vibrate shortly
afterwards as Serena started to file and buff her nails, taking her time as she
tried to teach Darian how it was done. She figured he caught on pretty fast
for a guy, as it was maybe a minute at most before her other hand was lifted
out of the water and gently tended to.
I'll probably have to re-do it myself the right way later, she thought as
she tried not to imagine how much of a mess he would make. She didn't mind
being used as a teaching aid for something like that, but only as long as the
damage caused by his inexperience could be repaired afterwards.
The motions of the three of them made for an oddly rhythmic experience,
despite the fact that none of them were in synch with one another. She soon
found herself slipping into a light daydream, acutely aware of the presence of
Serena and Darian's hands on her own. The burning sensation in her palms was
largely gone by now, but just enough of it remained to remind her of the odd
pulse of energy she had felt.
Power, she mused. Is that why I don't want to fight you, Serena, because
I know what power you wield? Even with most of it in my hands for now, even
with the power of the Imperium Silver Crystal under my control, I still can't
bring myself to challenge you. Are you that strong, or am I that weak? Is it
both, perhaps? Or is it something else entirely?
Perhaps it is that, she thought as she felt one of Serena's wings brush up
against her leg as it floated on the surface of the water. Susan obviously has
a great deal of power in her because she's a demon, but I'm not afraid of her.
You, on the other hand.... you are an angel. Is that it, Serena? That I can
fight a demon, but I can't bring myself to strike at an angel? Of all the many
things you could have been, for all that the Chaos Factor could make you evolve
into, you just HAD to be an angel. The embodiment of all that is pure and holy
and loving in this world....
A gentle flow of water over her scalp and neck disrupted her dark musings,
reminding her of her current situation. The surge of warmth seemed to dispel
part of the darkness brooding within her, washing away some of the negative
emotions she was feeling. How wretched am I? she thought with a soft sigh that
could easily have been mistaken for contentment. I can't even stay in a funk
for very long....
"Rei?" a soft voice whispered in her ear. It took her a moment to realize
that it was Darian, very gently holding her hand beneath the surface of the
heated water.
"Mmmm?" she replied, her voice barely audible.
"You alright?" he asked. "I don't mean to pry, but you've had this dark
look on your face for the past few minutes. It's starting to spook me."
"Sorry," she murmured as she opened her eyes. She glanced over at him,
surprised by how close he was. Acting purely on impulse, she lifted her head
up a few inches as she drew him down to her, giving him a soft but deep kiss.
A tingle shot through her as he didn't resist, letting the kiss linger for a
moment before she leaned back against the chair.
A gentle curtain of air washed past her as he sighed. "You need to quit
that," he said in a low tone. He didn't appear to be angry or upset with her,
but at the same time she could clearly feel an undercurrent of tension in him
that hadn't been there a moment ago.
She said nothing as she settled back and readjusted her weight again, a
very faint grunt rising up from her chest as her breasts wobbled slightly from
the motion. She disengaged her hands from both Darian and Serena, scooping up
a handful of water on each side to pour over her slightly chilled chest. She
then scooped up a second handful to splash directly over her nipples, briefly
rubbing them to try to warm them up.
"One moment, your Excellency," Susan said demurely as she reached out to
hold Rei's head still. She waited until the priestess had quit moving around
before raising the small shower-like hose, directing a stream of decidedly warm
water over her scalp for a final rinse. The few remaining suds that came out
remained on her side of the concrete barrier, leaving the rest of the pool's
water shampoo-free. "There," she said as she shut off the hose and sat back.
Rei made a soft noise to herself as she carefully sat up, making sure not
to move too quickly in case anything was caught in her hair. She blinked when
she felt it brush against her back, producing an extremely silky feeling that
she had rarely felt before. "What did you use?" she inquired, reaching back to
scoop up a handful of her hair to marvel at its new softness.
"Merely a few conditioning oils in a simple shampoo base," Susan replied
with a faint smile. "I assure you that you will not find this exact blend in
a commercial product. At least, not in one that most people would likely be
able to afford," she added lightly.
"Wow," Serena breathed softly as she reached out to run her fingertips
through a lock of Rei's hair. "It really feels nice and soft."
Darian looked at Rei for a moment before reaching up, very slowly running
his hand through her dark mane of hair. "She's not kidding," he said, his
eyebrows arching up in surprise.
A faint chuckle rose up from Susan's chest. "As I explained earlier," she
said in an amused tone, "While there may be a proper time and occasion for an
indulgence in overstatements and gratuitous extollations, precious little that
takes place in a bath is deserving of such. Would you be so kind as to switch
places with Rei?" she added with a gesture.
Darian nodded and stepped back, waiting patiently as Rei slid out of the
chair and back into the water. He stood up and started to climb into the seat,
pausing in mid-motion as he felt Rei's hand on his elbow. He cast a glance
over his shoulder at her, giving her a somewhat questioning look.
Rei let go of his arm and looked down at her fingernails, comparing the
two sets side-by-side. "Okay, nevermind," she said after a moment. She looked
back up at him and added, "I was going to harrass you if they were a mess, but
it looks like you did a fairly good job with them. Thanks."
"You're welcome," he replied dryly as he sat down and leaned back. "This
good enough, Susan?"
"Move towards me a little more, please," Susan replied, reaching out to
guide his head so he wouldn't bang against the lip of the concrete barrier.
"That should suffice," she said as he scooted back a few more inches. She ran
her fingertips through his hair for a moment before picking up the shower-hose
again, slowly soaking his entire scalp in warm water.
Darian sighed and closed his eyes at Susan's touch, knowing it had been
some time since he had let Serena wash his hair for him. A warm feeling of
contentment settled around him as he felt Serena and Rei gently hold his hands,
lifting them up to examine briefly before starting to buff his nails. Now that
I think about it, he said to himself, I can't remember ever having someone do
my nails like that. Let's just hope they don't go overboard or anything and I
wind up having nails like Serena....
The combination of warm water and personal attention from the three women
soon lulled him into a semi-conscious state, lazily drifting back and forth in
a realm that was't quite reality, but wasn't exactly a dream either. The slow
and rhythmic motions of Susan's hands on his scalp were coming dangerously
close to putting him entirely to sleep, kept awake only by the vibrations in
his fingertips as the nails were smoothed and buffed.
It took a few moments for it to register when the rubbing motions stopped,
obviously a sign that they were done. A silent grunt wafted up from his chest
as he tried to open his eyes, surprised when he encountered some resistance.
Man, I either must be tired or I've been needing something like this for a long
time, he mused as his eyelids finally began to part with agonizing slowness.
Eh? he suddenly thought as he began to register new sensations. Most of
his right side began to report a gentle tickle-like feeling, realizing a moment
later that it was caused by Serena brushing her wings against the full length
of his body. A couple of the glowing ribbons began to snake across his chest,
rubbing him very gently in a circular motion.
His left hand felt slightly different, however, and it took him an extra
second to figure out why. He realized that Rei was gently holding his hand in
both of hers beneath the waterline, very gently pressing his fingertips against
the swell of her breast. Her fingertips seemed to ripple in an odd pattern on
his knuckles, gently moving his fingers in turn. It was a very subtle motion,
and even without fully opening his eyes he knew that the gesture wouldn't be
immediately obvious to either Serena or Susan.
Why me? he thought with a mental sigh, his fingertips twitching gently in
a minor spasm. He was about to tug his hand free from her when he felt a hand
run along his jaw, probing his skin with a very light touch. He blinked and
fully opened his eyes, expecting to see a gently smiling blonde angel looming
over him with a tender look in her golden eyes.
"If I may, your Highness," the green-haired succubus said quietly, "Would
you be willing to hold still long enough to be shaved? I have, as I said, done
this service for you several times already, and you do appear to be in need."
"Thanks," Darian muttered, feeling an unexpected blush rise to his cheeks.
He lifted his head to look over at Serena, finally finding the smiling visage
that he had expected a few moments earlier. "You mind?" he asked softly.
"Not at all," she replied with a gentle shake of her head, several of her
wings squeezing him in various places. "It should be fun to watch," she added
with a twinkle in her eyes.
He couldn't help a soft chuckle in response. "Gee, thanks," he said in a
tone of dry sarcasm. He glanced over at Rei, noticing that she had a somewhat
interested expression on her face as well. Her eyes remained on his as he felt
her grip change, turning slightly to one side as she pressed the palm of his
hand against her nipple. He felt a scratchy sensation in his hand a moment
later as she started to work his palm in a slow circular motion, the look in
her eyes remaining unchanged in the slightest.
Wonderful, he sighed as he leaned back against the padded rest and focused
his gaze on the tiled ceiling. I am *definitely* going to be burning in hell
for a few years once this is over. Don't get me wrong, this feels oddly nice
and all, and in another time and place.... bah. Focus, Darian, focus.
He blinked as a hand passed over his line of vision, holding a small puffy
brush of some sort. A decidedly hot lather was applied to his face a moment
later, causing his eyebrows to arch up at the sensation of semi-liquid warmth.
The musky smell tickled his nose a moment later, prompting him to make a soft
hum of intrigue at its origins. "What is this?" he asked, trying to keep his
face as still as possible while speaking.
"As with the shampoo, nothing you will readily find elsewhere," Susan
replied calmly as she built up a decent lather along his jaw and chin. "Not
to belittle the advancements and developments of the current era, but I have
found that a number of things were better done in previous centuries than what
is accomplished today."
"Let me guess," Rei spoke up calmly. "Both the shampoo and the lather are
from seventeenth-century Baghdad?"
"There is a saying," Susan replied with a faint hint of a smile. "They
simply don't make things like they used to. The lather I acquired from a local
barber in the old quarter, while the shampoo base was the result of a series of
experiments performed by a friend I had made in my youth. He frequently played
host to travellers and guests, being a man of considerable means and influence,
and it was from my time spent with him that I came to become.... enamored with
the bathing experience we are undergoing at this moment. The shampoo came from
his personal bathing facility, and he was kind enough to reveal the secret of
its manufacture to me."
"Anyone we might know?" Darian asked out of idle curiosity. He cast a
split-second glance over at Rei as she continued to discreetly knead his hand
against her breast. He blinked and looked over at Serena as she leaned against
him, resting her head against his chest as she watched Susan lather his face.
Susan shook her head as she finished her task and put the brush away. "I
strongly doubt it. He was more of a merchant than a politican, and so history
would most likely have glossed him over for the most part. I am not completely
sure I will ever have the opportunity to see him again, as visiting someone in
a past era is significantly different than trying to visit someone in a future
era. Darian, please try to hold still for this," she said lightly as she held
up a slender ivory device.
Three sets of eyes widened as Susan flicked her wrist, flipping the razor
open and locking the blade in place with a soft click. "Whoa, wait a second,"
Darian said as he turned slightly pale. Serena's head bolted upright while Rei
suddenly quit moving his hand around, her eyes fixated on the straight-razor.
Susan sighed patiently, giving him a reproving look. "If you do not feel
comfortable with this, your Highness, you have only to say so and I will not
proceed. You need not worry about being cut as long as you hold still and
avoid making any sudden movements without some kind of warning."
"Yeah...." Darian said slowly, warily eying the blade. He paused as he
felt both Rei's hand and a number of Serena's wings squeezing him gently in
encouragement, causing him to stop to carefully consider the decision. "Where
exactly is that from, anyway?" he asked, more to stall for time than out of any
genuine curiosity.
"The handle is made from African ivory," Susan explained. "As for the
blade, however, it is a contemporary carbon-tempered titanium razor. While it
is said that they do not make things like they used to, sometimes it is best to
make use of what was not available in previous eras. Between the fine edge and
the properties of the lather, I assure you that you will not encounter any
'razor-burn' once I am finished."
Darian slowly let his breath out as he absently reached out with his right
hand, aiming to caress Serena's ribs. His aim was off, however, resulting in
a slightly awkward pause for a moment. "What the hell," he said aloud as he
very gently began to massage the ultra-softness of her breast, casually rolling
her coral-pink nipple between his fingers. "Might as well go for it."
Susan nodded in understanding, deciding not to attempt to discern why the
Princess' face was tinting pink as she sank lower into the water. She leaned
forward a few inches, resting her lower abdomen against the barrier for balance
as she began to glide the blade along his face. She made sure to take her time
with each stroke, lightly scraping the stubble from his face without irritating
or breaking the skin beneath.
This is insane, Darian thought to himself as he assessed his situation.
Both Serena and Rei were watching Susan intently, their eyes transfixed on the
sharp straight-razor's motions despite the fact that they were both being very
lightly massaged in a sensitve area. Neither appeared to be aware of what he
was doing to the other, which only further increased his feelings of guilt and
impending damnation. I've got a C-cup in one hand, an A/B-cup in the other,
and a pair of B/C-cups pressed against my head as their owner shaves me with a
freaking straight-razor of all things. Any second now, someone's going to get
a clue and I'll end up tasting that carbon edge the hard way.... so tell me why
I'm still rubbing them? he added with a heavy mental sigh. Maybe they're right
about men being inherently stupid as a species....
"There," Susan said calmly as she leaned back, absently rinsing the razor
in a tiny basin off to one side. She closed the blade and put it away before
reaching down, using both hands to scoop up some water to rinse his face off.
She lightly ran her fingertips along the shaved surface, trying to find any
spots she might have missed or accidentally nicked. Finding neither, she sat
back with a soft smile of satisfaction and looked up at the rest of the group.
The smile promptly slid off her face as she could clearly see where both
of his hands were. "Prince Darian," she said in a faintly edged tone. "May I
remind you that this is a bath, nothing more. Unless you are occupied with a
given task that requires their usage, kindly keep your hands to yourself."
"Sorry," Darian muttered as he discreetly let go of them. Both Serena and
Rei blushed faintly, casually edging away from him while avoiding eye-contact
with anyone else. He tensed for a moment, fearing an emotional explosion from
someone at being caught red-handed, as it were.
Susan studied the situation carefully for a moment before largely putting
it out of her conscious mind. "I trust you didn't experience any discomfort
from being shaved?" she inquired calmly.
"Nope," Darian reported as he reached up to rub his jaw. "Damn, that was
pretty good, too," he added with just a slight hint of awe. "Thank you."
"You are welcome, of course," Susan replied with a faint bow of her head.
She paused for a moment to observe as Serena reached up to him, first running
her fingertips along his jawline, then using a wing to repeat the procedure.
"Nice," the blonde purred softly, a faint hint of embarrassment still
coloring her cheeks. She blinked as Rei moved over to Darian's other side,
reaching up to run her hand along his jaw as well.
"Indeed," Rei said, nodding her head in agreement. She then turned to
look at Serena, giving her a measured look. "You're next, I take it?"
"Well...." Serena said slowly, giving Susan a quick look.
"If you wish, your Highness," Susan replied with a gentle smile. "I am
content to wait my turn if you would like to go next."
"Thank you," Serena said gratefully. Her wings spread out behind her like
a fan, several ribbons arching forward to brush across everyone's arm gently.
She waited until Darian had scooted off the bench before moving forward to take
his place, several of her wings brushing across his chest in a gentle caress.
"Here, you forgot this," Darian teased her as he scooped up the mass of
blonde hair that floated behind her.
"I will handle that, if you please, your Highness," Susan said demurely,
leaning forward at the waist to accept the soggy mass of hair. She carefully
brushed out the tangles until it finally hung inside the alcove in a single
massive coil. She then sat down on the shelf-like bench and grabbed the heated
shower-hose, directing a stream of deliciously warm water over Serena's scalp.
"Ooooooh, that's warm," the blonde purred as Darian and Rei took hold of
her hands, carefully studying her fingernails.
"Whoops," Darian said quietly as he glanced over at Rei. He watched as
the priestess reached for the storage bin, bringing out the emery board and
holding the sanded side against one of Serena's glittering fingernails. She
drew the board across the edge of the nail, producing a hard rasping noise that
caused the priestess to blink.
Rei's eyebrows hit the proverbial roof as she looked down at the emery
board, staring at the deep furrow carved in it. She glanced over at Darian
with an amazed look that quickly melted into disgruntled resignation. "Guess
what, meatball head?" she said in a flat tone, prodding Serena's calf with the
end of the emery board.
Serena blinked and lifted her head up, causing a minor cascade of soapy
water to spill down behind her. Her three vocal chords made a curious chirping
noise as she looked at Rei, unaware of the slightly upset look that briefly
crossed Susan's face as the soap suds spilled out over the wrong side of the
concrete water barrier.
"Your nails are too tough to deal with," Rei said, holding up the damaged
emery board for emphasis. "If you want us to do anything with them, you need
to put your halo back in the box."
Serena blinked again as a confused look crossed her face. "What halo?"
she asked, giving the emery board a surprised look.
"She means you need to change your dimensional state again," Darian spoke
up quickly as a dark look crossed Rei's face like a stormcloud. "You know, do
something with your angel wings and all."
"Oh," the blonde replied. "Okay, I'll try...." she said slowly, casting
a brief glance at her glittering fingernails.
"Angel wings?" Rei echoed in a quiet tone, giving him a mild look.
Darian paused and regarded her carefully. "You have a better suggestion
as to what to call them? They look rather angelic to me," he pointed out.
Rei snorted quietly in remote amusement. "Glowing spaghetti ribbons," she
muttered. "To go with the meatball hair."
"Hey!" Serena protested as a hurt look crossed her face.
"Jealousy is a bitch, ain't it?" Darian said in a level tone.
The priestess just sighed and rubbed her face with both hands. "Yes, it
is," she replied in a sullen tone. She looked up with a slight frown as she
felt a glowing ribbon brush against her arm. She stared hard into Serena's
golden eyes before sighing quietly again and reaching out, very gently grasping
the wing in her hand. "Sorry," she said in a tone almost too soft to hear.
Darian glanced up at Susan as he felt the weight of her gaze, nodding his
head fractionally at the look of warning in her eyes. Let them hash it out on
their own, I get it, he thought with a silent sigh of his own. Man, this is
simply one hell of a mess I've gotten myself into, now isn't it? Damn....
"Umm...." Serena said quietly, a look of deep concentration on her face.
"This feels awful hard all of a sudden...."
"Take it easy, your Highness," Susan said gently, holding up Serena's long
blonde hair and doing her best to keep the mess inside the alcove. "It doesn't
surprise me that entering a single-dimension state would be more difficult for
you, as your natural form is a dual-plane state. Just keep working at it and
take your time. Remember, you succeeded once before, which means you know you
can do it again."
Serena nodded and closed her eyes, doing her best to focus her mind. The
very tips of her wings began to glow brightly a few moments later, starting to
pulse in time with her breathing. The increased glow seemed to spread along
the length of her wings at a fairly moderate pace, encompassing them in their
entirely after a full minute. The strobe-like dimming and brightening of the
glow continued for several more seconds before her wings abruptly shimmered out
of existence, fading away with a ghostly ripple of visibly-disturbed air.
"Damn it," Rei grumbled sourly as she looked down at her hands, a look of
extreme irritation marring her exotic beauty. "I wasn't even touching you that
time and I still felt it."
"What?" Serena said as her eyes finished changing from gold to blue, her
original voice audibly laced with concern.
"You heard me," the priestess growled as she submerged her hands in the
heated water of the pool, flexing her fingers carefully. "It wasn't as bad as
it was when I was touching you, but I could still feel a surge of energy. I'm
starting to get pissed now. What kind of energy *IS* this?" she fumed. She
froze in place and slowly looked up at Darian as he started to laugh quietly,
her eyes narrowing to mere slits.
"Oh, man," he chuckled as he shook his head in disbelief. "What if Rei
got it right the first time? That just might explain a few things."
Serena blinked in confusion while Susan tilted her head at a slight angle,
giving him a decidedly curious look. "What are you referring to?" the succubus
ask him in a cautious tone.
"Rei?" Darian asked softly, giving her a gentle look. He figured he had
to defuse her temper quickly before it started to boil the water around her.
"Think back to what you asked Serena to do the first time she tried to conceal
her wings, what you had her try to draw on."
It took Rei a moment to speak. "The power of her heart," she said, her
voice a perfect monotone that betrayed no emotion whatsoever.
"Exactly," Darian replied with a nod. He reached out to lay a hand on
Serena's shoulder, squeezing her gently. "And what is the one thing Serena has
in almost infinite abundance in her heart that seems to figuratively burn you
when you think about how it's used?"
"Her love," Rei replied in realization, casting a very unhappy look at the
blonde. "Of course," she went on to say in a neutral tone, "It wouldn't be
spiritual energy, which I know how to deal with, nor would it be dimensional
energy which Susan might have been able to feel. It just has to be the one
part of her that nobody can either truly understand or stand against."
"You mean that you can't seem to do," Darian added softly.
Rei blinked and glanced back over at him, her face slipping into a stony
mask of concealed emotions. "Be glad I lack such power," she said in a voice
that betrayed no hint of emotion whatsoever. "I would probably use it."
"Please," he countered with a snort of contempt. "Are you trying to tell
me there is no love in your heart, Rei? I doubt that is the case, given your
misguided feelings towards me. Why don't you let go of a hopeless dream that
you will never be able to reach and turn that energy towards something more
tangible? You're a student of fire, try channeling what burns inside you into
something that you can wield to burn on the outside?"
Both Serena and Susan blinked hard at the harshness of his words, casting
reflexive glances towards Rei to see what her reaction would be. Even hidden
behind her featureless expression, they could see hints of pain and anger in
the depths of her bottomless black eyes.
"Go ahead, Rei," Darian pressed on in a flat tone, his eyes never leaving
hers. "Let it out. You'll never have me, okay? Just get it all out of your
system now. Make it burn if you can, bring forth the fires of your rage. Take
your best shot, pyro."
"Prince Darian...." Susan warned in a clearly uneasy voice as both she and
Serena started to edge back.
He ignored her and continued to focus on Rei, acutely aware of the way her
jaw was set and her hands balled into tight fists. "C'mon, Rei, let's see what
kind of power you have," he prodded. "Or is this why you're the Regent, only
second-best in the scheme of things? Can't even cough up a little fire without
needing a jump-start or a match. What, you're getting pissed now, is that it?
C'mon, I know you can do better than that. Here let me help you.... well, now
that I think about it, maybe not. How am I supposed to piss you off when you
don't make it easy on me? I mean, I'd try saying something about your mother,
but you don't seem to know who she was...."
"*DARIAN!*" Serena screamed in pure terror as Rei's temper finally snapped
like a twig, sending her into a rage that frightened even Susan. Rei's hands
suddenly became engulfed in fire as she reached out, the flickering flames in
her palms almost as intense as the burning anger that seethed in her eyes. A
sheet of fire surged out from her hands a moment later, bathing half the room
in crimson flames.
Darian dove beneath the surface of the water, escaping the worst of the
blaze. The top quarter-inch of his hair hadn't been fully submerged when the
searing flames washed over him, singing the ends to mere ashes. The backwash
of heat could still be felt underwater, making him exhale sharply as his entire
back started to sting from the heat.
The gout of flame vanished as quickly as it had erupted, leaving behind a
tableau of frozen motion. Serena was curled up in a small ball near the top of
the recliner. Susan had leapt out of the alcove to grab Serena, her demonic
wings spread wide to shield them both as best as possible against the heat.
Rei stood as still as a statue, her hands still held out and her eyes as wide
as dinner plates with a truly shocked look on her face.
Darian's head broke the surface of the pool a few seconds later, rising
up until his nose was high enough to allow him to inhale without flooding his
lungs. He looked at the stunned priestess for a few seconds before slowly
rising to his feet.
"Regent Hino," Susan said in a dangerously calm voice, still keeping her
wings firmly wrapped around Serena, "What in the name of the Moon do you think
you are doing?"
Rei slowly looked down at her hands, clearly shocked beyond words. She
carefully flexed her fingers before looking up at Darian, her pupils so wide
that they completely blocked out the color of her irises. "My god...." she
breathed in a hoarse whisper. "Darian...."
He reached up to pat the top of his head, making a face as his hand came
away with a light coating of ash. "Okay, maybe that wasn't a good idea after
all," he said quietly. He glanced up at her with open respect as he rinsed his
hand off in the water. "See?" he said simply. "You'd be surprised what you
can do when you truly put your heart into it, Rei."
"Darian?" Serena whimpered as she peeked out from behind Susan's wings.
Her complexion was the color of chalk and her blue eyes were even wider than
Rei's, filled with a mixture of shock, fear, and horror.
"I'm fine, Serena," Darian replied as he waded over to her. He blinked as
she seemed to explode into motion, lunging forward to wrap him in a tight hug
that drove the air from his lungs. He glanced over at Rei and Susan before he
gently put his arms around the trembling blonde.
Susan seemed to slowly exhale in relief as she folded her wings against
her back, giving Rei a measured look. "Do you feel better, your Excellency?"
she asked in a calm tone.
"I'm sorry," Rei whispered as she closed her eyes, allowing her body to
sink into the water. She let herself go underwater until her body's natural
buoyancy asserted itself, raising her back up until her face and chest bobbed
gently on the surface. "I.... don't know what that was...."
"You alright?" Darian spoke up, trying to gently pry Serena's arms off of
him so he could breathe properly. Her grip finally eased enough so that he
could inhale without hurting himself, but she still clung tightly to him as her
body continued to shake.
"I don't know," Rei replied listlessly. "I was.... mad at you, and I felt
this rage build up inside of me. You continued to hurt me, and all of a sudden
everything went red. I could feel the fire inside of me, and I.... I...."
"Wanted to show me that fire?" he suggested.
"I wanted to hurt you," Rei whispered as her eyes started to fill with
tears. "I wanted you to feel the pain I was in, the pain of being in love with
you and.... hurt like that. I felt the fire in my heart, and I wanted you to
feel it the way I did. And for a moment.... I thought I became the fire, that
I was coming to you, to show you how I felt. And now.... now I feel so.... so
cold inside. So empty. So.... so alone."
Darian blinked and glanced down at Serena, still able to see the fear and
uncertainty in her eyes. He very carefully extracted himself from her embrace,
giving her a soft kiss meant to comfort her before wading across the pool over
to Rei. He carefully sank into the water before reaching out to her, holding
her in a gentle embrace.
"You're not alone," he said quietly. "Your friends are here with you."
"Friends," she muttered, the bitterness in her tone making him blink hard.
"I just tried to hurt you, Darian, I could feel my blood burn with the desire
to see you suffer. You don't want me, and you don't need me. I don't deserve
to be your friend anymore."
"You sure about that?" Darian replied. He looked over his shoulder as
Serena approached, moving over to his other side to take hold of Rei's hand.
"Rei?" Serena said in a soft voice, squeezing hard.
"Go away," Rei whispered back as she righted herself and tried to pull
away from them both. She paused as both grips remained firm, keeping her held
close to them.
"We're your friends, Rei," Darian said gently. "We're not going to just
let you go or abandon you. We can work things out if you want to try, but we
won't turn our back on you just because you're in a mood."
"I need you, Rei," Serena added, squeezing her hand even tighter. "I know
we fight alot and sometimes hurt one another, but you've always been there for
me when I needed you the most. You've done things for me that go beyond what
friends do. I...."
Both Rei and Darian looked at her with slight unease as she paused, her
face taking on a very faint blush. "Go on, Serena," Darian urged her gently.
"Say whatever is on your mind."
"I love you, Rei," Serena said in a near-whisper, causing the priestess to
blink hard enough to be heard. "Not like I love Darian, of course, but.... I
don't know what I would do without you, without your strength and your power.
I sometimes feel we're sisters, and that we've been sisters since we first met.
You've always been there for me, and I'll always be there for you when you need
it. Times like now, when you're hurt and.... and frightened."
Rei just looked at her, clearly on the verge of a significant emotional
breakdown. "Why?" she asked before her voice failed her.
"Will you get this into your head, Rei?" Darian growled, causing everyone
else to blink hard at the sudden shift in his mood. "There isn't an answer to
that one, simply because love doesn't need a reason. 'Just because' really is
a valid answer, you know. And if that's not good enough for you, then try the
proverbial Golden Rule: treat others as you would want them to treat you."
Rei blinked again and looked at Serena, staring into the depths of her
blue eyes in silence. Serena smiled gently at her and moved forward, wrapping
the priestess in a hug and resting her head on Rei's shoulder.
Darian just sighed quietly as the tears started, flowing down Rei's cheeks
in surprising silence. Finally, he thought as her eyes closed, reaching up to
return Serena's hug. He paused as Susan moved up behind the blonde, her wings
neatly folded against her back as she started to rinse off the lengthy coil of
still-soapy hair. "Susan?" he said quietly.
"Yes, your Highness?" she replied equally as quietly as she calmly tended
to Serena's hair, apparently unconcerned in the least with the emotional scene
taking place between Serena and Rei.
"You could help out, you know," Darian said in a pointed tone. "I know
you don't want to look like you're taking sides or anything, but for someone
who claims to have been a royal advisor for seven hundred years, I find your
silence to be somewhat disturbing."
Susan paused to give him a look that he found to be slightly chilling.
"What would you have me say, your Highness?" she inquired in a neutral tone.
Darian sighed quietly and glanced over at Rei, not exactly sure what he
wanted her to try to do. Something suddenly clicked in his mind and he turned
back to look at the green-haired woman. "Try this," he said in a steady tone.
"Explain why Serena made the best possible choice to have Rei as her closest
friend and her proverbial right hand when it comes to matters that count."
Both Serena and Rei suddenly stood up straight and edged back a few inches
from one another, exchanging startled looks. Susan blinked in surprise at his
request and regarded him carefully, her head tilted to one side as she thought.
"I believe I understand what you mean," the succubus said slowly, a look
of guarded understanding starting to take shape on her face. "Very well, I
shall attempt to do so. In short, Rei and Serena are essentially two sides of
the same coin. They are diametrically opposite in many ways, but at the same
time, they also share identical views in others.
"As with waveform physics, this can be both good and bad. Should they
encounter one another 'head-on', they will cancel one another out and we are
left with only static. Should they blend together, however, the result is an
amplification greater than the sum of them combined. While there is a similar
form of synergy with the others, it is not as strong as with Serena and Rei.
To put it in a slightly different context, an even more concise summary can be
obtained: Opposites attract by nature, and usually with good reason."
Serena and Rei gave Susan slightly confused looks before looking at one
another, both girls clearly not able to fully grasp the meaning of her words.
The both looked over at Darian as he sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose,
a minor headache visibly taking up residence in his sinuses.
"Does the word 'soulmates' mean anything to you girls?" he said in a very
weary tone. "I don't mean in the romantic sense, of course, but two sides of
the same coin indeed. I'll bet you girls have favorite seasons that are the
opposite of one another."
Serena and Rei looked at one another again before they both spoke out in
virtual unison. "Spring," Serena said quietly.
"Autumn," Rei added a microsecond later. Both girls blinked in surprise
before they both blushed faintly, nodding their heads slightly in recognition
to one another.
"See my point?" Darian spoke up, casting a faintly unamused look at Susan
as she silently resumed rinsing Serena's hair. "Look, you only have to look at
past history to figure out that the two of you are rather inseparable. And
when something happens that does split you up, like, say, Serena getting taken
captive by the Negaverse, the other one fights like mad to get her back. Who
was it that kept prodding everyone to keep going along the trail to Mar'ken, or
kept running down the tunnel, or pushing up the stairs in the Imperial Castle,
or who blew out the whole wall near the medical ward to get to Serena?"
Rei said nothing, casting a very brief glance over at the look on Serena's
face before looking down at the surface of the water. A single tear slid down
her cheek as Serena gently wrapped her in another hug, one hand coming up to
hold her as the blonde rested her head on Rei's bare shoulder again.
"Very well put, your Highness," Susan said quietly, nodding her head in
approval. "The minor personality conflicts that seems to arise between them at
frequent intervals is just that.... a minor conflict, and hardly unexpected.
Even the most tightly intertwined of couples, if I may use the term loosely,
have their off-days in which they have arguments. And as you pointed out, they
are focused as one in situations of dire significance or importance. Serena,
would you please let go of Rei and lean back so that I may finish rinsing your
hair?" she added without missing a beat.
"Oh, sorry," Serena replied in a slightly abashed tone as she took a step
back and tilted her head back. She blinked as Rei took hold of her wrists and
braced, realizing a moment later what she was doing. She smiled at the raven-
haired priestess and leaned back as far as she could, letting Rei's support
keep her from falling backwards while she soaked her entire scalp in the pool.
Ouch, Darian thought to himself, first at seeing how the blonde's back was
steeply arched in a way that would probably hurt him if he tried, then at the
way it prominently exposed her breasts. It took him a great deal of effort to
sit on the impulse to reach out to her, either to caress the supersoft skin of
her breasts or to lightly tickle her exposed abdomen.
Susan quickly ran her fingers through the entire length of Serena's hair,
trying to dislodge any lingering traces of shampoo. She would have preferred
to keep the suds confined to the alcove, where the water could be flushed and
drained without affecting the rest of the pool, but given the current level of
emotional tension being worked out she thought it was best not to disrupt the
process.
"There," she said quietly as she took a step back, making sure that she
wasn't entangled in any of the extremely long strands of hair. "I believe that
is everything, your Highness. It will need to be brushed out, of course, but
that should wait until we are finished with this aspect of the bath."
"Thank you," Serena replied as she stood up straight and scooped up a lock
of hair. She rubbed it between her fingers and made a soft purring sound to
herself, delighting at the silky feel it now had. "Ooo, this is nice. I might
have to steal some of your shampoo before we leave," she added with a twinkle
in her eyes.
Susan chuckled quietly to herself as she moved over towards the submerged
recliner. "I can arrange for a limited quantity to be made available for use
once we return to the present," she said lightly. "That will take some time,
however, as a number of the oils are not easy to procure. In fact, I am almost
certain that at least one has been made illegal in most countries, and I think
the source for a second one is nearly extinct if not already so."
That caused both Serena and Rei to blink hard, exchanging visibly uneasy
glances. "Ummm, what's in...?" the blonde started to say.
"Nevermind," Rei interrupted with a shake of her head. "I don't want to
know, and I'm sure you don't either," she added, giving Serena a very light
poke in the shoulder.
"Well.... okay...." Serena replied, still not looking overly comfortable
about the new development. She blinked as Darian started chuckling to himself,
giving him an uncertain look. "What's so funny?" she asked carefully.
"Nothing, really," he replied as he waded over to the recliner and edged
past it, apparently intent on going into the alcove. "I just figured that if
you girls had your hair washed in it, so would the others."
"Okay, and...?" Rei prompted in a wary tone.
"So now we have something to torture Mina with if she gets out of hand,"
he said with a wink. "You know how she is when it comes to cute critters being
used as hand lotion or something...."
"Darian!" Serena gasped.
"'Cute critters' hardly qualifies in this case," Susan said dryly as she
sat down on the recliner and stretched out. "Both oils I made reference to
earlier are derived from different species of whales. You will find the hose
controls off to your right," she added absently as she closed her eyes.
"Oh, okay," Darian said as he peered into the alcove. He hesitated for a
moment before swinging his leg over the concrete barrier, trying to move as
carefully as he could so he wouldn't crush anything of importance as he went.
He climbed inside and turned around, getting his bearings and taking a quick
look to see where everything was before sitting down on the small seat-like
shelf. "You girls want to take care of her nails while I do this?" he called
out to them. "I mean, I can probably buff her nails, but I'm not exactly an
expert or anything...."
"You did fine," Rei replied as she glanced down at her fingernails. "For
a guy," she added in a neutral tone as she tilted her hands at an angle to let
Serena see the way the dim light reflected off of them.
Serena giggled quietly and gave her a smile before she crossed the pool,
moving over to the other side of the recliner to tend to Susan's nails. Rei
just shook her head and moved up a few inches, taking Susan's hand in hers and
reaching for the emery board with the other.
Time seemed to blur past in relative silence, Darian carefully washing out
Susan's dark green hair while the other girls buffed and trimmed her nails.
All four seemed to be lost in their own thoughts, looks of casual concentration
on Darian and Serena's faces while Rei's expression seemed to be one of quiet
brooding. Susan, for her part, appeared to be quite relaxed as she enjoyed the
experience of having Darian rinse her hair.
"Okay," Darian said slowly as he ran the shower-hose over the full length
of Susan's hair for a third time. "I think that covers it."
"I believe it does," Susan replied softly as she slowly sat up, taking her
time so as not to whip herself in the back with her wet hair. She reached up
to grab her hair, gently squeezing the worst of the water out before brushing
it over her shoulder. "Thank you, your Highness. The cycle mechanism is off
to your left," she added as an after-thought.
"Off to the left.... okay, this looks promising," Darian quietly muttered
to himself as he grabbed a large metal switch. He carefully twisted it in the
opposite direction, resulting in a gentle thumping noise that he felt more than
heard. He blinked as he felt the water level recede rapidly, emptying out from
a drain on the floor he had somehow missed earlier.
The water level was almost at the bottom when a series of jets fired up,
sending hard streams of water coursing along the walls to rinse everything off.
"Hey!" he yelped as he shot to his feet, the lukewarm spray stinging his skin
like a series of blunt needles. The water continued to swirl around at the
bottom of the alcove for a number of seconds before the drain handle clicked
over to the shut position, allowing the alcove to slowly be refilled.
"Wonderful," he said as he gingerly climbed out of the alcove and briefly
submerged himself in the heated pool. "Now I know how the toilet feels every
morning," he grumbled when he resurfaced for air.
Serena and Rei exchanged pained looks, both girls briefly wrinkling their
noses at the mental image. "Thanks for sharing that one with us," Rei said in
a sour tone as she tried fluffing her hair out behind her.
"Sorry," Darian apologized as he stood up, brushing the worst of the water
off of his face. He paused as he noticed that faint traces of ash could still
be seen on his fingertips, causing him to glance up at Rei before trying to
wash it off.
"Unless anyone wishes to soak for a longer period of time, we are finished
with this stage of the bath," Susan explained as she waded over towards the
steps. "Normally what would happen next is that we would dry one another off
before heading over to the benches and massaging ourselves with oil. However,
I should like to point out that the hour is rather late, as we seem to have
taken more time than I had anticipated, and so I will leave it to the three of
you to decide if we should continue."
Serena and Rei looked at one another in silence for several seconds before
glancing over at Darian. "I will if you will," Rei said very quietly to the
blonde as she looked over Darian's body.
"Alright," Serena replied in an unusually soft voice, her gaze likewise
focused on Darian.
"We'll do it," Rei spoke up loudly enough for Susan to hear.
Susan nodded in understanding, pausing for a moment to absorb her wings
before climbing the shallow stairs to leave the pool. "Very well, then, if the
three of you will follow me, please?" she said, making a gesture towards the
pair of low benches on the far side of the room.
"Why are you guys looking at me like that?" Darian said quietly as Serena
and Rei waded over to him, each gently taking hold of his arms.
"Settle down, we don't bite," Rei replied calmly as she started to drag
him towards the stairs.
Darian gave her an odd look as he followed her up the stairs, trailing
Serena along right behind him. All three of them began to tread carefully once
they reached the marble tiles of the floor, moving slowly so as to not run the
risk of slipping on the cool surface.
The three of them followed Susan's lead, crossing the room to reach the
benches on the other side of the pool. The floor in this part of the chamber
had been layered with rubber tiles instead of marble, improving their traction
but doing little to change the temperature of the ground.
Susan knelt down to pick up a small stack of white towels, handing a pair
to everyone. Darian was about to ask why the second one was necessary when he
noticed that all three women immediately began to use the first towel to wrap
their hair up. Duh, he thought to himself with a mental shake of his head as
he began to dry his own hair off.
He nearly hit the ceiling as he felt a hand grab his arm in a very solid
grip, holding him still. He was about to ask what the problem was when he felt
someone start to brush him off with another towel, causing him to relax. He
left the towel wrapped around his head and lowered his arms to his side, intent
on letting whomever it was finish towelling him dry.
Make up your mind, he thought with a soft sigh as someone lifted his arms
back up, holding them at a slight angle away from his body. He felt a second
towel brush over his chest, seeming to work in concert with the towel working
over his back as they dried him off. Yeah, I think I could get used to this
kind of thing.... well, except that, he added as the hand holding the towel in
front gently grabbed his crotch.
He held still long enough for them to finish before reaching up to remove
the towel from his head. Someone beat him to it, however, as he felt a pair of
hands grab the towel and briskly rub his head for a few seconds. The towel was
lifted a few moments later, letting him see his surroundings once again.
Serena looked back at him, her blue eyes widening slightly as she looked
at his hair, then looked down at the towel. He grunted quietly as he noticed
the faint but discernable layer of ash left behind on the white towel, trying
not to visualize what exactly Rei's pyroclastic burst of anger had done to him.
Not that I didn't deserve it, he thought, but there are easier ways of getting
a haircut....
"Sorry," Rei spoke up very quietly from behind him, her voice seeming to
waver ever so slightly with emotion.
"Don't worry about it," Darian replied as he gently took the dirty towel
from Serena and pitched it in the corner. "You ever do that trick before, by
chance, or did I just win the lottery back there? Hand me that towel, please,"
he quietly asked Serena as he turned around to regard Rei carefully.
"As Sailor Mars, yes," Rei replied in a subdued tone. "But not on my own
like that."
"Think that's something you can practice doing?" Darian inquired as he
accepted the towel from Serena and started to dry the priestess. "As part of
your normal meditations, not just something you can whip out whenever you get
pissed off," he added casually.
Rei remained silent as she lifted her arms up, allowing Susan and Darian
to completely dry her off. She absently tugged on the towel wrapped around her
hair, making sure that it wouldn't slip off or come undone on its own. "We'll
see," she finally said after several moments of quiet contemplation.
"Bear in mind that the domain of elemental Fire is ingrained into your
soul," Susan spoke up as she finished drying Rei off and moved over to start
working on Serena's back. "While it requires a great deal of power to not only
draw upon it but consciously shape it, it seems that your spirtual meditations
have enabled you to at least attempt to do so. I would advise caution should
you desire to experiment with it and remind you that the power needed would be
a significant strain on the uninitiated."
"Meaning it might sting the first few times," Darian summarized in a dry
tone as he shifted his attention over to Serena. He paused for a moment as he
realized that Susan was doing her back, which meant that he had to dry off the
blonde's front. He cast a brief glance at the succubus before gently starting
to towel off Serena's neck and chest. "Still.... if it's possible to tap into
the power of a Sailor Scout like that, you would probably be the only one of us
who could even attempt to do it. Hold still," he said very quietly to Serena
as he started to lightly rub her breasts.
"Perhaps," Rei said quietly, her face slipping into a neutral expression
as she watched him intimately dry off Serena. She could easily see the blush
form on the blonde's cheeks at the attention, her blue eyes filled with an odd
mixture of embarrassment, pleasure, and concentration as she tried not to let
her tickle reflex get the best of her.
Sighing quietly, Rei scooped up an unused towel and edged behind Susan,
carefully starting to dry her back off. She found it to be a slightly unusual
task to perform, her attention repeatedly drawn to the pair of prominent scars
on Susan's bare back.
She lifted her head up slightly as Darian finished drying Serena off and
they turned to look at Susan, exchanging awkward glances with one another for
a moment before Serena blushed and took the towel from him. The blonde then
stepped forward to dry off Susan's front, the pink tint to her cheeks getting
progressively darker the further down she worked.
Sighing quietly to herself, Rei finished her task and stepped back, idly
checking the towel wrapped around her hair by sheer reflex. All three women
had their hair bound up in the same way, tightly wrapped in white towels that
were twisted into a sort of turban with the trailing edges neatly tucked in at
the nape of the neck. Something to be said for universal truths, Rei thought
to herself as she cast a curious glance towards the benches.
"Thank you, your Highness," Susan said once Serena had finished and took
a step back, the blonde's cheeks still fairly pink with embarrassment. "This
way, please," she said as she led them over to the low-lying benches and knelt
down, prying up the edges of one of the rubbery floor tiles.
The rest of the group formed a loose semi-circle around her as they knelt
down as well, watching as she withdrew a pair of clear plastic bottles from a
storage bin and closed the tile. She opened the lid on one of them and gently
squeezed the sides inward, creating a gentle puff of air that she carefully
sniffed. "This should suffice," she said as she passed them the bottles to
sample on their own.
Darian grunted very softly as he detected at least four distinct aromas
wafting up from the bottle, only two of which he could readily identify. "So
how are we going to do this?" he inquired as he passed the bottle to Rei.
"That depends on how much time you wish to spend with this," Susan replied
calmly. "If you are tired, we can use both benches to speed the process along.
Otherwise, we can go with the same three-on-one method we've used so far."
"Fine with me," Rei spoke up. "Just as long as you show us how it should
be done, as I've never really done this before. Serena, I think it's your turn
to be the guinea pig."
"Thanks," Serena replied dryly as she moved over to the bench and started
to lay down. She paused and backed up when Susan held up a finger, watching as
the succubus leaned forward to grab a clean towel and lay it out on the bench.
"Sorry," Serena apologized as she laid down on her stomach once Susan indicated
it was okay to continue.
"I would like the two of you to sit here and here," Susan said, making a
gesture to either side of the bench. "It would be best if you were to try to
mirror one another's movements in order to make this as smooth as possible. I
will deal with her back and sides while you deal with her arms and legs. The
objective is to achieve a constant rate of motion so that the sensation isn't
allowed to end or otherwise become interrupted. As neither of you are trained
in physical therapy, I ask that you not attempt any deep pressure massage. If
you encounter a knot of tension, let me know and I will tend to it. Do either
of you have any questions?"
"Just how far are we taking this?" Darian inquired with only a very slight
hint of wariness to his voice.
A single eyebrow arched up in response to his question. "As this has been
a full bath experience, it is only proper that a full body massage is offered
as well," she replied in a slightly cool tone. "As I have been professionally
trained in this, I assure you that there will be no untoward activity. Is that
sufficient, your Highness?"
"Just checking," he replied in a low, rueful tone.
"Coward," Rei muttered beneath her breath, giving him a dark look.
"Let's just say I'm not used to an audience for this sort of thing," he
growled back in a very soft tone.
"Practice makes perfect, your Highness," Susan said absently as she poured
a measure of oil into her hands and rubbed them together briskly.
Rei and Darian traded slightly startled looks before Darian just shook his
head in resignation, looking like he was ready to conk his head against the
nearest solid object. He watched as Rei poured out a small amount of the oil
in one hand before holding out the bottle to him. Sighing quietly to himself,
he accepted the bottle and dispensed a small handful of the massage oil.
The next sixty seconds was more than a little disconcerting for both Rei
and Darian, carefully applying the oil to Serena's arms as Susan began to rub
her back in large circular strokes. A decidedly pleased hum started up shortly
afterwards, sounding exactly like a purring kitten that made the rest of the
group momentarily wonder if Myst was somewhere nearby.
"Serena?" Darian inquired very softly.
"Mmmmmmmm?" Serena purred absently, already lost in relaxation.
"Nevermind," he said with a rueful shake of his head.
Rei shrugged in dismissal as she slowly rubbed Serena's arm, keeping one
eye on Darian's movements so she could mirror them. "I thought it was a cat,
too," she commented in a very soft tone. "Speaking of which...."
"I believe Myst was with Mina," Susan replied as she carefully worked the
new array of muscles on Serena's back, trying to get a feel for how they were
shaped and how best to massage them. "Don't ask me where she might have been,
as I can only speculate at this point," she added as an after-thought.
Darian just grunted quietly as he rubbed lower, carefully working over the
blonde's elbow joint. The purring sound had faded some, but it was still quite
discernable if he paused for a moment to listen. Funny, he thought to himself
as he worked his thumbs in small circles, I don't recall ever getting her to
make that kind of noise before. Maybe Susan's got the right idea....
They continued to work in silence, content with their own private thoughts
as they worked in concert. Susan seemed to be pacing herself to match Darian
and Rei's progress, taking her time on Serena's lower back as they carefully
massages her wrists. They both looked up as Susan made a gesture, motioning
for them to start on Serena's legs.
Darian nodded and scooted over slightly to change his focus, pausing for
a moment as Susan shifted her own position. She gently parted Serena's legs
and knelt between them, her hands sliding down to start massaging the blonde's
well-formed backside. She looked up at them, giving them a patient look as she
made a quick gesture for them to resume their work.
Right, Darian thought to himself as he traded glances with Rei, trying to
determine how they wanted to do this. He blinked as Rei stared back at him as
she reached down, starting to massage Serena's inner thigh and working her way
outwards. Her dark eyes never left his as she worked, only looking down at her
hands once he had started mirroring her motions.
Well, if that isn't a message, he mentally grumbled as he worked. He did
his best to keep his attention focused on where both his hands and Rei's hands
were, trying to mirror her movements without being distracted by the parts of
Serena's body that he wasn't working on. It was a surprisingly uphill battle,
however, as he suddenly found himself thinking about last night and how he was
able to explore her body in a whole new way.
Down, boy, he thought with a very soft sigh, once again grateful for the
energy-draining kiss Susan had given him earlier. Shaking his head to himself
to try to clear the mental cobwebs, he worked his hands down lower to massage
Serena's calf muscles. Damn, she has great legs....
He looked up a few minutes later as he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder,
noticing that Rei was also being nudged by the succubus. Susan gestured for
them to take hold of Serena's arms and legs on one side, indicating with hand
motions that they were going to gently roll Serena onto her back. Darian and
Rei briefly traded looks before nodding in mutual understanding.
If anything, the soft monotone purr in Serena's chest only got louder as
she was gently put on her back. She appeared to be half-asleep, a more than
slightly dreamly smile crossing her face as she breathed at a slow and steady
pace. Her chest rose and fell with an almost hypnotic rhythm, drawing Darian's
gaze to her curves before Rei reached out to flick a fingertip against the side
of his head to get his attention.
He shot her a dark look before he glanced over at Susan, blinking as she
indicated that they were to resume massaging Serena's lower body. The bottles
were quickly grabbed and more oil dispensed before they went back to the slow
and surprisingly exhaustive process of massaging the blonde princess.
Darian's first warning sign of what was to come was the change in pitch of
Serena's constant purring, deepening slightly before her breath started to very
faintly rasp in her throat when she inhaled. It took him a moment to realize
that it had changed, causing him to glance up at her face to see what sort of
expression she had. Not entirely sure what to make of the look on her face,
he glanced over at Susan to see what she was doing.
It took an incredible amount of willpower for him to look back down at his
hands, trying his damnedest not to let the image of Susan's fingertips gently
swirling around Serena's hairless sheath in a delicate massage become seared
into his memory. He didn't dare look up at Rei to see what her reaction was at
the thought, already feeling his blood chill at the potential implications this
development would have down the road.
Well.... he thought with a mental shrug as he started working his way up
Serena's leg, when she says full-body, she really takes it seriously. Oh, no,
not now, he added as he began to feel the slightest hints of warmth starting
back up in his groin. We're not done here, go away. Sit, stay, good boy....
His situation didn't improve any as they continued to work their way back
up Serena's body, taking Serena's hand in his and starting in on a very slow
massage of every single joint. He glanced over at Rei to make sure they were
doing things in tandem, nodding slightly as he noticed that they seemed to be.
His mind completely vented his train of thought as Susan scooted forward, very
carefully straddling Serena's hips as she started in on an abdominal massage.
There's a large wall in front of me, he thought to himself as he looked
back down at what his hands were doing to Serena's wrist. It's a solid brick
wall with a firm layer of rubber matting hanging from it. I am now beating my
head against said wall, and the dull thump-thump-thump sound is echoing in my
mind. This is good, for it keeps me focused and not thinking. Thinking is bad
right now, don't need to think about anything, just rub this, and rub that, and
keep rubbing in slow circles, we're not thinking, no thoughts here....
He actually managed to keep his mental focus long enough to work his way
up to Serena's shoulder, absently looking over at Rei's hands to make sure they
were on the same page. A faint feeling of satisfaction filled him as he saw
that they were despite his actively not paying attention to his surroundings.
That feeling was short-lived as his eyes automatically shifted to follow the
movements of Susan's hands, apparently just finishing up a deep-tissue muscle
massage of Serena's pectoral muscles. The catch, however, was that the muscles
in question were directly beneath the supersoft skin of her breasts.
Tokyo, we have a problem, he thought to himself as he felt the tingles of
warmth start back up again. He glanced up at Susan, making note of the calm
expression on her face that suggested she was extremely comfortable with doing
that particular procedure. Perhaps she is, he thought with a mental shrug as
he glanced over at Rei. He wasn't surprised in the least to see that a fairly
moderate blush had taken up residence in her cheeks, her eyes carefully averted
from Susan's ministrations.
Both Darian and Rei blinked in surprise and looked up as Susan started to
move, carefully sliding off of Serena and quickly moving around to kneel down
behind her head. Her motion made sense a few seconds later as she began to
very lightly massage Serena's face and jaw, causing the purr in Serena's chest
to change pitch yet again.
"That should be sufficient," Susan said in a near-whisper to them as she
worked. "Unless you feel compelled to go over something else that you think
needs more attention."
Darian and Rei exchanged glances before Rei shifted her focus, reaching
down to pick up Serena's hand again to massage the joints some more. Darian
watched her work for a moment before moving to do the same, noting that there
was still more than enough oil present to work with. It seemed that a good ten
minutes passed before Rei gently placed the blonde's hand on her stomach and
sat back, studying the way Susan's fingers worked over Serena's facial muscles.
Susan waited until Darian quit massaging Serena's hand as well before she
likewise sat back. "Serena?" she said very softly. She blinked in surprise at
the duration and volume of the purr of contentment she received in reply, a
soft smile appearing on her lips. "I take it you enjoyed that?" she inquired.
"Can I go to sleep now?" Serena murmured with a truly blissful sigh.
Rei arched an eyebrow. "Sure, but if you're not awake when this is over,
I'm taking Darian with me," she said in a slightly flat tone.
Darian just sighed as Serena's eyes promptly snapped open, moving into a
sitting position a few moments later. "That was cruel," he said quietly as he
started to rub his sinuses, wondering what was causing them to throb so much
all of a sudden.
"It worked," Rei replied simply. "Susan, you can go next if you want."
"As soon as we are finished with the Princess," Susan said demurely as she
started to unbind the towel wrapped around Serena's head. A minor tidal wave
of blonde hair spilled down all around her as she fluffed out Serena's hair.
She organized it into a loose coil before flipping up the floor tile again,
reaching inside to remove a fairly large brush.
"That reminds me," Rei said quietly as she stood up, making her way over
to Darian. She paused next to him and leaned over, putting one hand on his
shoulder to keep him still while she studied the top of his head. A soft grunt
rose up from her chest a moment later as she saw just how much damage her fiery
outburst had inflicted.
"Ow, hey, careful," Darian spoke up, the corner of his mouth twitching as
the pressure of her hand on his shoulder started to sting.
"Now what?" Rei said, giving him an irritated look as she lifted her hand
from his shoulder. Her expression abruptly changed as she saw the areas of
pink skin across his upper back that she hadn't noticed before. "Damn," she
said in a low whisper, very carefully reaching out to press a fingertip against
one of the pink areas. "This hurt any?"
"It stings a tiny bit, that's all," he replied.
"Flash burn," Rei grumbled.
Darian just shook his head. "Relax, I'm fine."
Rei said nothing as she glanced over at Susan, watching with disinterest
as she carefully combed out Serena's hair. The blonde was sitting down, which
made the task slightly more difficult given the length of her hair, but Susan
didn't seem to be concerned about it as she worked.
"You ever think of growing your hair that long?" Darian asked quietly,
likewise watching Susan brush out Serena's hair.
"Please," Rei replied with a quiet snort. "I have enough problems keeping
my hair this long as it is. I really don't see how she does it."
"So why keep it long?" he inquired out of curiosity.
"Who knows," the priestess said with a half-shrug of a shoulder. "Every
now and then I'll get the impulse to cut it back, but I tend to get over it
before I can actually do anything about it. Mina said pretty much the same
thing awhile ago, saying it's sometimes a pain but it has its uses. Like when
she can cajole Maze into brushing it out for her," she added casually.
Darian glanced over at her, pausing as he noticed how close she was to him
and just how well he could see the details of her nude body. "Anyone ever tell
you that subtlety isn't your strong suit?" he said in a very dry tone.
She glanced down at him with an unamused expression on her face. "Do I
want to ask what the hell you're talking about?" she asked in a flat tone.
"Just talking about the transparency of your comment," he replied.
"What?" she demanded crossly as she turned to face him.
He sighed and leaned back slightly, giving her a measured look. "Tell me
you didn't have a purpose behind mentioning how Mina likes having Maze brush
out her hair," he said, trying to keep his tone as neutral as possible. "Yeah,
that's what I thought," he added as her expression suddenly melted into an
unreadable mask of concealed emotions. "You know, Rei, sometimes it's better
to just come out and ask in plain language if you want something. Maybe not as
bluntly as Leda and Alex have been known to do, but you get the idea. I take
it you want me to brush out your hair when this is over?"
"If you want," Rei replied quietly, her tone devoid of any emotion.
Darian just leaned forward and put his head in his hands, sighing heavily
to himself. "Why do women have to be so damn complicated?" he muttered, more
to the room in general than anything.
"Perhaps you are taking the wrong angle to your situation," Susan spoke up
calmly, causing Darian's head to snap up. "One might instead ask why men as a
generalized whole insist on thinking in simple terms and constantly seek the
lowest common-denominator, which puts them at a disadvantage when it comes to
understanding various universal truths and givens which otherwise might make a
reasonable amount of sense to them."
Darian looked at her for a moment before looking up at the tiled ceiling.
"Thank you, Chancellor Meiou," he said in a resigned tone.
Susan glanced up at him with a faintly unamused expression as she resumed
her task. Serena was giving him an odd look, a mixture of curiosity and idle
bemusement on her face. Her skin had a very nice rosy glow to it, the layer of
oil making her entire body seem to gleam slightly in the dim light.
"That should suffice, your Highness," Susan said quietly as she finished
brushing out Serena's hair and scooted back, giving the blonde plenty of room
to rebind her hair.
"Thank you," Serena replied with a warm smile as she started to do just
that, dividing her hair into two long coils. She quickly tied them up into
spherical buns with practiced ease, carefully tugging and patting them down to
make sure they were securely in place. Once that was finished, she began to
gather the ankle-length streamers together into a series of loops, using a lock
of hair to tie them into place around the "meatball" buns to keep them from
dragging on the ground as she knelt.
"I don't see how she does it," Darian quietly said to Rei.
Rei cast a sidelong glance at him before starting to walk towards the
massage bench. "Whatever," she muttered. "Just get over here and give us a
hand with this."
Serena paused for a moment with her hands on her hairstyle, giving Rei an
odd look before she finished double-checking the tightness of the buns. She
nodded to herself in satisfaction before she got up from the bench, grabbing
the towel as she went and moving aside to make room for Susan.
"I realize that none of you are overly proficient in massage techniques,"
Susan said quietly as she spread a dry towel over the bench before laying down
on it. "Just do what you feel comfortable with, as even casual attention such
as this is distinctly relaxing."
Darian nodded as he took up a position next to her, reaching for one of
the bottles of massage oil. "Did you want us to try to rub your wings as well,
by chance?" he asked carefully.
A somewhat rueful chuckle drifted up from the bench as Susan laid her head
down. "I appreciate the offer, Darian, but with all due respect.... not unless
you know what you are doing with specificity and certainty. While my wings are
very sensitive to the touch, they are also somewhat delicate."
"Just asking," Darain replied with a shrug as he poured a small amount of
oil into his hand and held out the bottle to the others. He gave Rei an odd
look as she leaned forward to grab it, taking up a position opposite him on
Susan's other side.
"Serena," Rei said quietly as she made a gesture with the bottle. "Hold
out your hands."
"You could always let her take care of that," Darian said archly as he
rubbed his hands together to warm the oil.
Rei looked up at him with a faint look of contempt on her face. "I'm not
in a mood to clean up an oil spill," she countered as she poured a measured
amount of oil into Serena's hands, ignoring the perturbed look on her face.
"Thanks," Serena muttered as she turned to look at Susan's back. She gave
Darian a slightly hesitant look before moving forward, carefully straddling
Susan's lower back to get in a workable position.
The three of them began a very slow and careful rhythm of massage strokes,
Darian and Rei once again doing their best to work in mirrored unison while
Serena used the palms of her hands to work in wide circular motions. The tempo
was slowly increased as time passed and they began to become more comfortable
with their silent coordination, letting Serena set the pace of downward motion.
There was a slight hesitation when she reached the dark scars, but seeing no
reaction from Susan at her touch she continued to massage her at an even pace.
Darian and Rei continued to work on Susan's wrists as Serena reached the
midway point, pausing just long enough to scoot back and reposition herself to
continue on Susan's lower half. They waited until Serena had restarted her
work before shifting their attention down to Susan's legs, once again starting
on the inside of Susan's thighs and slowly working outward.
This might not be such a bad idea after all, Darian thought to himself as
he continued to work. Jury is still out on the whole group-effort thing, mind
you, but I can see a lot of honest fun and relaxation being enjoyed if it was
just me and Serena in some quiet little spa-like room of the cathedral. Might
have to see just how hard it would be to convince Mina to take her studio-room
apart so we can put in a jacuzzi or something. Either that or find out where
Dyvach went and see if he could possibly burrow a small room or something in
the basement. Speaking of which, I wonder if he's okay in the Negaverse...?
He was jolted out of his idle musings by a tap on the shoulder, looking up
to find both Serena and Rei gesturing for his attention. He nodded back as he
realized that they were finished and it was time to turn Susan over onto her
back. She was distinctly heavier than Serena was but otherwise didn't require
any great amount of effort to roll her onto her back, revealing a soft smile of
contented relaxation.
Guess that means we're doing something right, he thought to himself as he
waited for either Serena or Rei to make the next move. It became apparent that
Serena had the same idea, as she gave them both a slightly uncertain look as to
what to do next. Oh, settle down already, he mentally grumbled at the look on
Rei's face, her exotic beauty marred by her expression of irritation as she
made a curt gesture for Serena to start on Susan's legs. Maybe Serena telling
her that she felt they were sisters was a bad idea, seeing how Rei's starting
to act like a classic bossy elder sister....
He paused only long enough to grab more of the strangely-scented massage
oil before returning to his task, keeping one eye on Rei's hands to ensure that
they were working in relative tandem. His focus lasted for about ten seconds
before he noticed what Serena was doing, tentatively repaying the favor of a
groin massage as best she could without getting too personal. That's brave, he
thought as he saw a blush on Serena's face that was somewhere between heinous
and violent in intenisty.
Doing his best to clear his mind of the image, he looked back down at his
hands and resumed working at a steady pace. The constant pressure on his hands
and fingertips was starting to take a toll on his joints, making him wonder if
he would be able to keep this up long enough to take care of Rei. He blinked
as a minor lightbulb went off over his head, suddenly realizing why Rei gave
extra attention to Serena's hands earlier. Now that's thinking ahead....
He looked up as Serena shifted positions again, carefully moving forward
to straddle Susan's hips to work on her abdomen and upper chest. Darian cast
a quick glance over at Rei, receiving a subtle nod of agreement. They both
waited for Serena to resume again before they shifted their focus to Susan's
arms once more, again trying to keep in rough harmony with Serena's pace.
He almost laughed to himself at the look on Serena's face when her focus
had moved up far enough to encounter Susan's breasts. Yeah, I can see why Ami
would have issues with this sort of experience, he thought to himself as the
blonde very carefully used her fingertips to try to massage Susan's pectoral
muscles as best she could. The blush on her face wasn't nearly as intense as
it had been a few minutes ago, but it was still enough to make him wonder just
how much of her blood supply had migrated into her face at the moment.
Time seemed to blur his memories as they continued to work, soon finding
himself working on Susan's shoulders as Serena finished lightly rubbing the
base of the succubus' throat. She carefully got up and started to move around
to kneel behind Susan's head, freezing in place as Rei scooted over to perform
the task herself. Giving Darian a slightly confused look, Serena moved over to
take Rei's place at Susan's side to see what was next.
Darian and Serena exchanged glances as Rei started in on a gentle facial
massage, the priestess' expression completely blank of any hint of emotion or
an indication of what was on her mind. Shrugging in dismissal, Darian moved
back down to lightly massage Susan's fingers and joints, making a gesture for
Serena to do the same. As before, he estimated that the facial massage lasted
for a good ten minutes before Rei sat back, indicating that she was done.
"Susan?" Darian said quietly as he gently laid Susan's hand on her bare
stomach, absently watching as Serena did the same.
"Perhaps I have underestimated your skills," Susan said quietly as she
opened her eyes. She glanced up at Rei with a distinctly curious expression on
her face before she flexed her abdomen, bringing her into a sitting position.
"That was distinctly refreshing, I assure you. My sincere thanks to the three
of you," she said in a soft purr as she stretched.
Rei said nothing as she reached up, gently unbinding the towel that held
Susan's hair in place. She waited for it to finish falling around her before
she picked up the brush, making a face as she glanced at it. She cast a dark
look at Serena as she spent a few moments picking out several strands of very
long blonde hair before starting to brush out Susan's dark green hair.
Serena smiled at Susan and squeezed her arm before she got up and made her
way over to Darian, motioning for him to stay seated. She sat down behind him
and wrapped her arms around his chest, gently leaning him back against her.
"Are we having fun yet?" he murmured quietly to her.
She giggled quietly in his ear as she squeezed him tightly. "Of course,"
she replied softly. "I ever mention that you have a wonderful touch?" she said
in a soft purr, brushing her lips against the side of his neck.
"I think you've said that in passing once or twice," he allowed, trying to
keep himself from smiling too broadly. He was sure that Susan could hear every
word being said, and he thought the odds were pretty much even that Rei could
as well, so he thought it was best not to antagonize the priestess needlessly.
He blinked as Serena pulled him tighter against her, gently rubbing her
chest against his back. He could feel the hardened points of her nipples as
they moved back and forth, seeming to scrape across his skin despite the thin
layer of massage oil coating them. A quick glance off to his side showed that
Susan was both aware of and bemused by the situation, while Rei appeared to be
completely focused on her task and oblivious to Serena's attentions.
Well, he thought slowly as he reached up to lay his hand on hers, maybe
being rubbed down like that put her in a mood for.... no, wait, wrong thought,
stop that! he thought as he felt a minor bloom of heat start up in his blood.
He wasn't sure how much time had passed since Susan had drained part of his
energy, but he was starting to worry that the effects were wearing off. C'mon,
you can hold out just a little longer, he thought as he willed himself not to
react. The warmth faded away after a few seconds of concentration, leaving him
feeling both relieved and wary about future reoccurences.
Close one, he thought as Serena let go of him, kissing his cheek before
standing up and heading back to her spot on the other side of the low-lying
bench. Rei finished brushing out Susan's hair and stood up, taking a step back
to give the green-haired woman enough space to bind her hair up if she wanted.
"Thank you, Rei," Susan said demurely as she fluffed her hair behind her,
apparently content to let it hang unbound for the moment. "Would you care to
go next?" she offered as she stood up, removing her towel as she went.
"Thanks," Rei replied as she handed her the brush and switched positions.
She paused to grab one of the few remaining clean towels to use before she laid
down, giving Darian a piercing look as she did so.
Uh-oh, Darian thought as he sat up straight, wondering just what she was
trying to tell him this time. He blinked hard as she gestured for him to do
her back, causing Susan to momentarily pause as well. They both looked at one
another for several seconds before Susan nodded to him, moving over to take his
place at Rei's side.
Right, he thought as he slowly moved over to the bench, looking down at
the back half of Rei's nude body. Okay, *this* is where I start along the road
to a very long stay in a flaming hell, he thought in resignation as he gingerly
knelt down, wondering if he had enough room to work on her back from a position
off to the side.
He glanced up at Susan as he felt her tap his leg, finding himself on the
receiving end of a subtle shake of her head and a faint warning look. Sighing
quietly to himself, he moved up to very carefully straddle Rei's hips, casting
a reassuring look at Serena while doing his best to ignore the feeling of his
inert manhood brushing against the topmost edges of Rei's backside. Not going
to eroticize things, my butt, he thought darkly as he accepted the bottle of
oil from a visibly uneasy Serena.
Trying to clear his mind as best as possible, he began to spread the oil
across Rei's upper back and shoulderblades using the same circular motions he
had noticed Serena using. They seemed to work pretty well, allowing his hands
to glide across large swaths of her back in a fluid motion without a great deal
of pressure or strain on his wrists.
"Darian?" Rei spoke up very quietly.
He said nothing as he leaned forward, putting most of his upper body's
weight on his hands and arms. The increase in pressure forced him to move his
hands around slower, but he figured that was what she wanted as she didn't say
anything after that. He wasn't sure just how long he could maintain this sort
of pressure without straining anything, but he figured he'd still give it his
best shot.
Massaging her back felt distinctly different than massaging Serena's arms.
The muscle shapes were more defined, allowing him to use his fingertips to
trace their curves when he moved his hands. He noticed that he could actually
feel a difference in muscular tension after a few passes, giving him a boost of
confidence that he wasn't screwing anything up just yet. Maybe this one isn't
going to be so bad after all, he mused as he started to work his way lower,
following the curve of her spine as fluidly as he could.
A slight frown crossed his face as he realized that the closer he brought
his hands towards him, the less direct pressure he would be able to apply. He
pondered his options for a moment before stopping to scoot back several inches,
allowing him to readjust his weight on his arms for more direct pressure. It
occurred to him that he would be in significant trouble if Rei sneezed or had
reason to arch her back suddenly, the resulting motion of her backside against
his groin liable to put them both in a compromising position at best and in an
intimate if unsavory position at worst.
Yeech, he thought as a dark chill briefly coursed through his veins. Now
there's a mood-killer of a thought. No matter, he sighed as he refocused on
Rei's lower back. His eyebrows arched up slightly as he could feel a rather
significant difference in the amount of tension in her back muscles the lower
he went. Let's hope this doesn't hurt, he thought as he began to probe them
with a light touch at first, followed by increasing amounts of pressure.
"Darian," Susan spoke up in a quiet but attention-getting tone. "Do not
directly press on her spine, but off to the side. If there is a problem, let
me assess it first in case there is an undiagnosed condition."
"Thanks," Darian replied softly, adjusting the placement of his hands by
a few inches. Rei remained silent as he continued to work her over, slowly
removing the tension from her back one muscle at a time.
He eventually worked his way down to the base of her spine, forcing him to
either change position again or quit using so much pressure. He glanced over
at Serena to assess her mood, making note that she seemed to be having a fair
amount of fun. He then looked over at Susan just as she lifted her head up,
wordlessly exchanging glances before she tilted her head at a slight angle to
regard him carefully.
Alright, already, he thought with yet another silent sigh of resignation.
Who says you have to use telepathy to read someone's mind? he mused as he moved
back even further, pausing for a moment to nudge Rei's legs apart so he could
comfortably kneel behind her. She seemed to readily comply, making him wonder
if he was reading too much into the situation.
Oh, will you stop that already? he nearly said aloud as he felt the faint
hints of warmth start up again as he began to firmly massage her backside. He
had to lean forward slightly to get the right angle, putting him in a decidedly
intimate position that he might have found far more interesting under different
circumstances. He focused on his task of de-stressing the muscles of her lower
back and backside, trying to ignore Serena and Susan's hands as they gently
rubbed down Rei's thighs.
He found himself finishing up before the others, making note that their
hands were still manipulating the back of Rei's knees. Sighing quietly, he
spread his hands out as wide as he could and began a series of slow and gentle
upward strokes. The edges of his thumbs barely brushed her spine as he worked,
leaning forward as he glided his way across her back. His fingers curved down
on the return stroke, lightly running along her sides as he moved his hands
back towards him.
He continued to gently massage the broad expanse of her back until both
Serena and Susan were finished, the three of them edging back as a group to
gently roll the priestess over. They all blinked as they noticed that a sigil
was visible on her forehead, a dark red crescent moon that was identical to
Serena's sigil in every way but color. They exchanged surprised looks before
Susan shrugged in dismissal and gestured for them to pick up where they left
off, grabbing one of the forgotten bottles to dispense a little more oil.
Darian followed suit, accepting the other bottle from Serena and pouring
a small amount into his palm before handing it back. He turned to face Rei
when he suddenly froze in place, the full realization of the current situation
hitting him with the force of an aluminum baseball bat. Rei was essentially
spread out for him, her legs parted slightly and giving him an unobstructed
view of her dark forest of pubic hair.
Darian blinked and cast a plaintive glance over at Susan, his discomfort
and embarrassment at the situation clearly etched on his face. Susan looked up
at him as she felt his gaze on her, giving him a reassuring look as she made a
gesture for him to continue. Not feeling comforted in the least, he turned to
Serena to find a pair of slightly wide blue eyes staring back at him. They
looked at one another for several long moments before she nodded to him and
sat back, absently warming her portion of oil in her hands.
Sighing heavily, he edged forward until he was almost kneeling on top of
the priestess, reaching out to rub the majority of the oil on her abdomen. He
tried to take his time, but there was only so long that one could rub before
the oil was evenly coated. Oh, hell with it, he thought as he gathered what
was left of his nerves together. Let's just get this over with.
Taking a deep breath, he moved his fingertips downward to brush a light
coating of oil around the outside edges of Rei's groin, trying to feel for any
muscles that he could work with while avoiding getting too personal. He almost
hit the ceiling as Susan leaned over his shoulder, taking his left hand in hers
and guiding his thumb to a point barely an inch away from Rei's nether lips.
He gave the succubus a distinctly uneasy look as he carefully pressed down and
wiggled slightly, pausing after a moment as he realized that he could feel a
fairly large muscle at that exact location.
"Thank you," he muttered under his breath as he brought his other thumb
over to an identical location on the other side. A single glance down at what
he was doing was almost enough to blow a mental fuse on the spot, forcing him
to close his eyes and try to navigate by touch alone. Somewhere in the grand
scheme of things, he thought as he gently started to rub the muscles in very
slow and tight circles, there is a hot coal being etched with my name and will
be kept nice and toasty warm on a lava vent until I arrive to sit on it. The
throne of a prince, he mused darkly as he worked.
It took him several moments to realize that his ministrations were having
a discernable effect, the tension in the groin muscles slowly being worked out
until they felt like putty beneath his thumbs. Still keeping his eyes closed
he began to work his way upwards, following the path of muscles and tendons up
to her lower abdomen. He soon reached a point where his sense of balance began
to whisper a quiet warning in his mental ear that he was getting close to the
point where his center or gravity would tip him over, possibly resulting in an
embarrassing situation that would need a lot of explaining and maybe even end
up necessitating a sacrifice of blood as an apology to Serena.
Opening his eyes and looking down to get an idea of just where he was, he
realized that he was actually well past her navel and was halfway up to her
breasts. He pondered his options for a moment before deciding that trying to
straddle her hips was a red line he wouldn't cross under any circumstances. An
idea hit him a moment later, causing him to sit up and quickly consider just
how well it might work. Deciding that the risk was minimal, he scooted back
and stood up, motioning to the others to remain put.
He made his way over to Rei's head and knelt down behind her, rubbing his
hands together again before leaning forward at the waist and reaching out. As
he suspected, he was able to reach the spot where had left off without feeling
like he was going to tip over and possibly introduce himself to the priestess
in a very deep and personal manner. Not that I think she would object much, he
thought ruefully as he resumed gently rubbing her ribcage, but I don't think
that would go over well with anyone else....
He sighed very quietly to himself as he brought his hands closer, gently
sliding his palms over the large swells of her breasts. He could feel her
nipples react on contact, tightning up until they pressed against his palms
with the firmness of large erasers. He ignored the feeling as best he could
while he concentrated on the pectoral muscles beneath his fingertips, his task
made difficult by the sheer amount of supersoft flesh in the way. He soon
discovered that using just his fingertips was impractical, requiring more force
than he felt comfortable with applying in such a direct manner. Sighing once
again, he pressed his hands firmly against her breasts and applied a moderate
amount of pressure, slowly swirling them around in his palms.
The change in her breathing was almost immediate, a perfectly silent but
deep sigh drifting up from her mouth to warm his abdomen. He paused for a
moment to glance down, making sure that he wasn't going to poke her in the eye
or anything as he worked in a leaning position. That'd be a fun one to try to
explain, he mused even as he tried to get the dark image out of his mind. He
continued to massage her breasts until he felt the muscles relax, allowing him
to glide his hands further upward to the top of her chest.
He glanced up at Serena as he felt her hand brush against his, realizing
that the blonde was now working on Rei's shoulder using a series of circular
strokes. Deciding that she would handle that part, he moved his hands further
up to lightly caress and massage Rei's throat. A soft smile tugged on his lips
as he could feel a very soft vibration beneath his fingertips, no doubt a very
quiet hum of satisfaction and contented relaxation.
He continued to massage her neck for another few moments before moving his
fingertips up to her face, doing his best to massage everything with as light
a touch as he could manage. He paused when her eyes fluttered open, looking up
at him for a brief moment before closing once again. Much to his surprise, he
could feel most of the tension suddenly drain away from her facial muscles as
if a switch had been thrown.
Figures, he thought with a mental shrug. Relaxation has always been one
part physical and one part psychological. Just as long as it works....
Time blurred past him once more as he worked, blinking in surprise when he
looked up to find Serena and Susan laying Rei's hands on her stomach. Already?
he thought as he sat back, briefly rubbing her temples with a very firm touch
for a few seconds before scooting back. "Rei?" he prompted when the priestess
showed no signs of moving.
"Serena's right," Rei whispered. She slowly opened her eyes, studying the
ceiling to focus properly before tilting her head back to look at him. "You do
have a nice touch. Thank you."
"You're welcome," Darian replied, casting a slightly uneasy glance over at
Serena. The blonde merely smiled gently at him before she reached out to scoop
up the hairbrush. He nodded in response to her and scooted back even more,
letting her take care of the task of brushing out Rei's hair.
He came dangerously close to wetting himself when he felt Susan touch his
shoulder, completely unaware of her perfectly silent approach behind him. He
heard a very soft laugh of amusement at his reaction before she leaned close,
her lips barely an inch away from the edge of his ear.
"You are holding up remarkably well, your Highness," she said in a very
soft whisper. "I understand the level of tension in this situation, and I am
grateful for your continued cooperation."
He turned his head to give her a wary look. "And you say I used to go
through this all the time?" he said in a very low tone.
She nodded slowly, giving him a look that bordered on sadness. "You did,"
she replied quietly. "Granted your cultural background was.... different back
then, as you were used to such things as harems and attended baths."
"Harems?" he echoed, giving her a slightly queasy look. Serena froze in
mid-motion as she looked up, giving the succubus a startled look while Rei's
eyes reopened to focus on a spot on the floor.
"You never had one, of course," Susan replied quickly. "And neither did
your father, but I was led to believe you were aware of your uncle's harem. A
distant cousin of yours was also known to bring.... entertainment with him
whenever he visited your father, and you were of course well-acquainted with
the bathhouses, both in your native land and in the Moon Kingdom."
"Right...." Darian said slowly, casting a glance over at Serena and Rei.
"You need not worry, Prince Darian, you were quite well-behaved while in
what you would might call intimate situations such as this," Susan assured him
in a gentle tone. "I can only recall two instances where you needed a reminder
about proper protocols and limitations, and neither of the incidents were ever
repeated or even appeared to be contemplated again."
"I think I've heard about one," Darian muttered, feeling a rising heat in
his face as he glanced at Serena. "Something about sneaking into one of the
baths to give Serena a hand, right?"
"Indeed," Susan said, a small smile crossing her face as Serena blushed
and resumed brushing out Rei's raven-black hair.
"And the other?" Rei quietly spoke up, causing both Darian and Susan to
blink in surprise.
Susan paused for a moment, casting a sidelong glance at Darian before
speaking up. "A minor incident during his first introductory visit to the Moon
Kingdom," she said in a careful tone, appearing to choose her words with some
degree of caution. "Long before he was introduced to the Princess, he had a
chance meeting with someone from a geographical region he had never visited
before and ended up indulging in a rather protracted private conversation."
Serena, Darian, and Rei all exchanged leery glances before Darian cleared
his throat with a light cough. "Why does that sound like I had pulled someone
aside and was hitting on them?" he ventured.
"Well...." Susan replied slowly before hesitating. She glanced over at
Serena before sighing quietly, clearly not wanting to upset the blonde with the
story. "Let's just say that when I finally located you, it took a moment to
extract your new acquaintence from your embrace and another moment to determine
precisely where her blouse had migrated to," she explained calmly.
"D'oh," Darian muttered as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his
legs and putting his face in his hands. He glanced up a moment later at the
sound of a soft giggle, giving Serena a somewhat disbelieving look as she gave
him a smile that was a mixture of amusement and embarrassment.
"Susan?" Rei spoke up, her tone as flat as an airport tarmac. Her eyes
seemed to harden into chips of obsidian, fixing Susan with a piercing gaze as
she stared at the green-haired woman. "Who was with him?"
Susan blinked at the sudden shift in mood, feeling a small thread of ice
work its way into her bloodstream. "Is that relevant, your Excellency?" she
said in a neutral tone.
"Answer the question, Chancellor," Rei demanded in a glacial tone, her
bottomless black eyes never leaving Susan's dark red eyes. "Who was it?"
Susan sighed and looked down at the tiled floor, staring at one of the
nearly invisible seams for a number of moments before looking back up at her.
"It was you, Rei," she said quietly.
Both Darian and Serena blinked hard, the blonde nearly dropping the hair
brush she was using. Rei didn't appear to react at first, her attention still
focused on Susan. Her focus slowly shifted over to Darian after a number of
seconds, her expression smoothly melding into a neutral mien of guarded and
unreadable emotions.
"Thank you, Susan," Darian said in a very weary tone, not bothering to
look over at her. "As if I didn't feel enough guilt about the way things are
going between Rei and I as it is. Remind me about this the next time I try to
prod you into saying something after you repeatedly warn me you're trying to
stay out of it."
Susan glanced over at him, not sure of what to say. "I shall endeavor to
do so, your Highness," she finally said in a quiet tone. "Prince Darian...."
"I don't want to hear it, Susan," Darian interrupted gently, looking over
at her. "I basically asked for it, so spare me your comforting words."
"As you wish," the succubus replied calmly.
Rei said nothing as she edged forward a few inches, pulling her hair over
her shoulder and starting to wind it up into a bun. She cast a neutral look
over her shoulder as Serena moved forward to help, causing the blonde to blink
hard and edge back with an upset look on her face. Saying nothing, Rei resumed
her task and soon finished tying her waist-length hair up in a large bun that
kept it off of the back of her neck.
"Your turn," she said calmly as she got up, grabbing the towel as she went
and making a casual gesture to Darian.
"Umm, I think I'll...." he started to say.
"Shut up and lay down," she interrupted him, her voice remaining calm and
measured. She moved over to one side of the bench, absently laying out the
towel for her to kneel on. She cast a quick glance over at Serena, making a
curt gesture for the blonde to take the position opposite her. "Susan, I have
a favor to ask of you," she added casually.
Rei paused as she heard only silence, looking up to find Susan regarding
her very carefully with her head tilted to one side at a rather steep angle.
They looked at one another in silence for a few moments before the priestess
spoke up to continue. "I would be grateful if you could go boil a small kettle
of water for some tea. Serena and I can take care of Darian."
Susan remained perfectly motionless for a number of seconds before she
smoothly rose to her feet. "As you wish," she said quietly in a subdued tone.
She paused to give Serena a look that was somewhere between apologetic and
pained before she turned around, crossing the room in perfect silence to leave
through the marble doorway at the far end of the room.
Darian watched her leave, then turned to look over at Serena. He could
see the looks of confusion and uncertainty reflected on her face, making his
guts like they were filled with liquid lead. He swore he could physically feel
the weight of Rei's stare, boring into his temple until he finally turned to
look back at her.
"Lay down," Rei said calmly, gesturing to the massage bench.
He sighed as his feelings of guilt tripled in intensity. "Rei...."
"Look," Rei shot back with a minor look of irritation on her face. "Just
quit being a wuss and get your butt over here. I'm not going to hurt you or
try to rape you or anything that would ruffle Serena's feathers. Yes, I want
to have the chance to put my hands on you like you did to me, and after all the
three of us have been through in the past twenty-four hours you damn well owe
me this much. Now get over here and lay down before I get pissed again."
Darian blinked hard and traded looks with Serena, feeling what was left of
his soul darken when she gave him a very subtle nod of assent. And so begins
the journey of the soul into the fires of hell, he thought as he rose to his
feet and moved over to the bench. He paused only long enough to grab the last
clean towel and spread it out over the bench before laying down on top of it,
resting his forehead in the circular groove he only now realized was there.
"Just do what I do," he heard Rei say to Serena as the sound of a bottle
being opened reached his ears. A second bottle-sound was heard shortly after
that, followed by the liquidy sounds of oil-covered hands being briskly rubbed
against one another.
He felt their bodies brushing against him as they scooted close, kneeling
on either side. The sensation of unusually warm oil was felt a moment later,
spreading across his upper back in two distinct waves. It soon became obvious
that Rei was taking the massage seriously, pressing down on the muscles of his
back with a moderate amount of force. The pressure on his other side increased
a few moments later, Serena apparently following Rei's lead and technique.
The two girls worked in silence, apparently not needing to communicate in
a way that he could discern. Of course, he reasoned, that since he couldn't
see with his back turned and his eyes closed, they just might be communicating
to one another in a quiet or otherwise subtle way. Regardless, they appeared
to be doing an excellent job, as it was only a matter of moments before he
could feel his muscles start to relax of their own accord beneath their firm
touches and strokes.
It figures, he thought to himself, unable to get the mental images out of
his mind. I hadn't been enchanted by Serena yet, so of all the young girls I
run into back in the Moon Kingdom, who do I end up taking to a seculded corner
for some intimate snuggling? Rei, of course. Damn it, just when I think I've
gotten a grip on things....
He paused his dark musings as an odd sensation registered on his nerves,
eventually realizing that it was caused by Rei and Serena's fingers working
over the same muscle at the same time. It took him a few moments to realize
that they were basically holding hands to do so, their fingers intertwined with
one another as the worked.
What is she up to? he wondered, able to feel a change in pressure against
his sides as both girls rose up to their knees to lean forward. Most of his
thoughts became distinctly fuzzy around the edges a few moments later, driven
out by the sheer relaxation of having his back massaged with firm strokes and
motions. Bah, I'll find out soon enough, he grumbled as he did his best to
empty both his mind and his heart of thoughts.
"Serena," Rei said very quietly sometime later, drawing him out of the fog
of blissful relaxation to somewhat refocus on his surroundings. "Don't worry
if you can't keep up with me. I'm just.... trying to work out some tension in
both him and me."
"I'm sorry," Serena said quietly as the pressure on the left half of his
lower back started to drop off.
"Don't worry about it," Rei replied in a faintly tired voice. "Of course,
if you had spent the past few years working hard like I have, you'd probably
have a better appreciation for this kind of work, but no matter."
"Hey, Rei?" Darian muttered, pausing as he realized that it now took a
considerable amount of effort to speak coherently. He blinked hard as he felt
a hand slap down on his backside, not hard enough to hurt but with enough force
to make a sharp sound.
"Quiet, I'm talking to Serena," Rei said calmly. "If I had known how good
rubbing you down like this made me feel on the inside, I would have had you
stripped naked and face-down on the floor by our third date. Now stuff a sock
in it and let me talk to her while I still have the strength to do so."
Now what? Darian wondered to himself, completely taken aback by the change
in Rei's usually reserved demeanor. I hope she hasn't blown a fuse on us....
Rei remained silent for a few moments while she continued to massage his
back, using both hands in a series of broad and very firm strokes. "Just out
of curiosity," she said quietly to Serena, "Is this doing anything for you as
well? You know, making you feel.... I don't know, warm inside, I guess."
Serena blinked and gave her an uneasy look, absently shifting her focus
over to Darian's shoulder and upper arm. "I guess," she replied. "I'm not
sure I can keep this up for too long, but it is a bit of a workout."
"And about Darian?" Rei mused as her fingertips started to swirl in a very
tight circle around the small of his back.
"I.... don't know what you mean," Serena ventured.
"I probably don't either," Rei openly admitted with a slight shrug of her
shoulders. "Working with you like this.... I just feel like talking for some
reason. I'm tempted to ask who's really supposed to be relaxed by this."
Serena glanced down at Darian, clearly not having the slightest idea of
what to make of the situation. "So.... what's on your mind?" she asked.
Rei sighed heavily as she turned a few degrees to the left, sliding her
hands down further to firmly knead Darian's buttocks. "I'm ready to give up,
Serena," she said, her voice suddenly filled with audible weariness. "On him,
I mean."
"Darian?" Serena said, blinking hard.
"Who else would it be at this point?" Rei responded with a hint of dryness
to her tone. She heard an intake of breath and casually reached down, taking
a firm hold of the sac of flesh lurking beneath the curves of his backside.
"I"m not going to say this again," she said as she squeezed his testicles just
hard enough to get his full attention. "Stay out of this or I hurt you." She
waited for a few seconds to make sure he would remain silent before letting go
of him, bringing her hand back up to resume the firm kneading motions.
"Rei...." Serena started to say in a deeply concerned tone.
"This is twice now, Serena," Rei cut her off gently, not bothering to look
up at her. "Twice now he spent some.... quality time, if you will, with me in
his arms before setting me aside to pursue you. Granted I don't remember the
Moon Kingdom incident Susan just mentioned, but it's the thought that counts,
right? Do you have any idea how frustrating that is?"
"I'm sorry," Serena said in a near-whisper, her eyes filled with sadness.
Rei sighed and looked up at her. "And you know what really, really blows
my mind about this? I know without a doubt that you sincerely mean that. Here
I am, part of me praying to every higher power I can imagine that he would up
and leave you to come to me, and you genuinely feel sorry for my situation. I
simply don't know what to say in response to that, and at this point I don't
even know if a response is humanly possible."
It took Darian an incredible amount of willpower to remain both silent and
motionless as Rei started to massage the back of his legs, her fingers pressing
hard as she kneaded his muscles. The pressure was firm enough to make him want
to wince, but not truly hard enough to count as pain. He found the attention
to be oddly relaxing as she went, even as she spilled her proverbial guts to
Serena and let her heart bleed all over them both.
"It must be nice to feel so secure in your love for him," Rei continued
after a short stretch of silence. "To be honest, if I had someone in my life
like him, I'm not sure I could handle sitting back and watching him get worked
over by two other naked women. Maybe I'm just the jealous type by nature, but
still. You've got my respect for not flipping out so far," she added in what
seemed to be a genuinely sincere tone.
"....Thank you," Serena replied, still deeply unsure of where things were
going or how to take what was being said.
"I wish Chad had stuck around after that night," Rei said quietly as her
hands moved lower on Darian's legs, still working with very strong and firm
strokes. "The only reason I probably won't run a sword through his skull for
what he did to me was because I was begging for him to take me halfway through
it all. I don't think of it as rape. It was rough and violent, yes, but I
willingly yielded to him."
Serena blinked hard and cast a quick glance at Darian's back. "Do you....
regret it?" she ventured, trying to get a feel for Rei's mood.
"I regret it wasn't Darian, I'll say that much," Rei said frankly. "And
just between the three of us, I wasn't too keen on all the cuts and bruises I
had to deal with either, but.... I probably wouldn't mind if it happened again,
just without physical marks this time. That's something I probably will crack
my boku-toh over his head for," she added with a quiet grumble.
"So you.... want to see him again? Chad, I mean," Serena said carefully.
Rei laughed very softly to herself, a distinctly bitter tone as she moved
down to massage Darian's ankles. "Who else do I have, Serena? Like I said,
I'm this close to truly giving up on Darian and I don't have anyone else in my
life at this point. Not like Ami or Mina does, or even Leda. Damn, that's a
big cat she picked up," she muttered to herself with a shake of her head.
Darian simply couldn't help it. "Just as long as she has him properly
litter-box trained," he spoke up quietly.
"Tell me about it," Rei replied absently. "Well, unless you feel like
changing your mind about taking me as a mistress during those days when Serena
has a headache or whatever, I really don't have many options. Roll over."
"Do you love him?" Darian asked softly as he gingerly rolled over, looking
up at Serena to try to gauge her mood. She smiled gently at him and squeezed
his hand before starting to massage it, her face still clouded with a feeling
of uncertainty at the conversation.
Rei sighed quietly and picked up the bottle of oil, pouring more of it
into her hands before starting to firmly massage his shins. "Certainly not in
the way I feel for you," she said calmly, appearing to finally be at ease with
completely opening herself up to both him and Serena. "Enough to sleep with?
Probably, unless someone better comes along."
Darian exchanged glances with Serena before laying his head back and
closing his eyes. He knew that Rei was finally letting her emotions out in a
non-destructive way, and despite the intimacy of the situation thought it was
best to let it continue.
"Rei, what do you want from Darian?" Serena suddenly spoke up.
The priestess paused in mid-motion and glanced up at her, surprised by the
directness of the question. "Well," she said slowly as she resumed her work,
"A night in bed with him would be nice, since I know he'd still respect me in
the morning. Despite what he keeps saying," she added, directing a pointed
glance in his direction. "But that probably wouldn't help ease anything in the
long run, except for maybe a little-used muscle or two. Speaking of which, I
have to confess that I really appreciated that massage you gave me down under,
Darian. It sort of blew my mind, and I don't mean in a sexual sense at all.
It just felt really, really relaxing."
"You're welcome," Darian replied quietly, not sure what else to say.
"Idle curiosity about that," Rei continued as she worked her way up his
leg. "You practice that one a lot, or you just get lucky?"
"Susan showed me where to press," he said after a slight hesitation.
"Just wondering," Rei replied before sighing quietly. "To answer your
question, Serena, I really don't know. And at this point, I'm not sure I give
much of a damn anymore. I guess I'm just being jealous when I say I want the
same kind of love you have, one deep enough to cross time and death and solid
enough to be unshakable in the face of things like doubt and temptation."
"As do we all, Rei," Darian said gently. "Sometimes it's just found a
little easier or a little faster than others."
"Yeah, yeah," the priestess replied with a dismissive wave of her hand.
"I know in my mind that I'll eventually either find where Chad ran off to and
hash things out with him, or I'll find someone else to fill the void. That
still doesn't make it hurt any less. Don't take this personally," she added.
He was about to ask what she meant when he felt her hands very gently cup
his manhood, the tips of her fingers working in very slow and gentle circles.
"Uh, excuse me...." he started to say as he opened his eyes.
"Settle down, I already told you I'm not going to rape you," Rei chided
him in a faintly irritable voice, one that was distinctly familar to both him
and Serena. "Just returning the favor from earlier. Besides, I never really
had the chance to examine a guy like this, so I'm just a bit curious as well.
Serena, you want to come give me a hand with this?" she offered calmly.
Serena gave her a startled look before glancing over at Darian. Their
eyes met in silence for a number of seconds before she gave him a faint smile,
squeezing his arm gently before moving over to sit next to Rei.
"You ever do this before?" Rei asked softly as she brushed her fingertips
over his length.
"No," Serena replied in a whisper, her cheeks turning bright red.
"Some help you are," Rei grumbled. She reached out with her other hand
to start massaging his groin, carefully probing around to locate the major
muscle groups. "Let us know if this hurts or anything, okay?" she called out.
"Believe me, I will," Darian replied in a voice as dry as any desert.
"Try here," Rei said to Serena, gesturing to a particular spot that was
opposite where her fingertips thought they had found something. "That feel
like a muscle to you? Good," she said when the blonde nodded. "Same way as
before, just mirror what I do and don't worry if you can't press as hard or
keep up."
"Rei.... are you sure you're okay?" Serena asked, looking up at her with
a deeply concerned expression. "I've never seen you act like this before."
Rei sighed and sat back slightly. "I'm tired, Serena," she replied in a
subdued tone. "I'm tired of all the fighting, the tension, and hurting myself
trying to grasp something that won't ever be within my reach. If I wasn't a
coward, I might even think of doing something stupid to end the pain."
"What?" Darian said as he lifted his head up. "Rei, you...."
Rei tightened her fist around his manhood, causing him to abruptly fall
silent. "A passing thought, Darian, and one that will continue to pass by me
without stopping. Or do you think you're the only one who's given that any
thought in a dark hour?" she added in an edged tone. "I promise the both of
you that I won't try anything like that. It's a nice thought once in a blue
moon, but that's all it will ever be. Now settle down."
She waited until he had put his head back down and closed his eyes once
more before releasing her grip, very lightly caressing him for a few moments.
She paused when she thought she felt him react, just the slightest of feelings
of movement beneath her fingertips. Dismissing it, she brought her hands back
together to resume massaging his groin muscles, keeping one eye on Serena's
motions as well.
"Anyway," Rei said quietly to Serena once their hands had worked upwards
to Darian's abdomen. "I guess you could say I want a night with Darian. Not
just for sex, but to be able to sleep in his arms. A night of real sleep for
once, not just the mess of fleeting dreams and shallow sleep I've had lately.
I think that plant extract of Susan's might have let me have that last night if
the Imperium Silver Crystal hadn't gone bananas when you two made love."
"Sorry," Serena muttered as a truly vivid blush rose to her cheeks.
Rei chuckled quietly to herself. "At least someone got to enjoy him," she
mused. "And as long as he's happy. Speaking of which...." she said, her tone
changing as she cast a sidelong glance at the blonde, "I hope you realize what
will happen to you if you hurt him. I know things like arguments and all are
a normal occurence, so they don't count, but I mean willfully hurting him."
"I know," Serena replied, looking back at Rei. The two girls stared into
one another's eyes before the both nodded in mutual understanding, seeming to
reach an accord that didn't require further verbalization.
Rei looked away and shook her head, sighing softly to herself. "What the
hell am I going to do with the both of you?" she muttered as she scooted up a
few inches, angling herself slightly to massage his chest muscles.
"You want me to answer that?" Darian murmured quietly.
"No," Rei replied curtly. "Now pipe down."
A soft laugh rose up from his chest as he opened his eyes to look at her.
"You're in a bossy mood tonight," he observed casually.
"Frustration will do that to you," Rei pointed out archly. She blinked
hard as he brought his arms up, grabbing both girls by the waist and pulling
them down to him so that their heads were resting against his shoulders. "Hey,
we're not done yet," she growled.
"Give it a rest, Rei," Darian sighed quietly as he closed his eyes, giving
both girls a gentle squeeze. He paused as he felt Rei move, rolling over on
her side to curl up against him. Her fingertips slowly slid across his chest
and up to his head, very lightly tracing the contours of his face. He wasn't
surprised when Serena twisted her body around to do the same, her fingertips
idly running through his sparse chest hair in random patterns.
He had no idea how much time passed after that, feeling quite relaxed as
Serena and Rei caressed his face and chest with feather-light touches. The
warmth of their bodies pressed together only added to the feeling of comfort
and security, tempting to lull him to sleep.
His senses refocused themselves when he felt fingertips lightly running
through the dark triangle of his pubic hair, not able to immediately tell who
was doing it. A second hand soon joined the first, making him start to wonder
if one was simply mirroring the other or if something else was happening. He
immediately bit the tip of his tongue a moment later as he felt the heat start
up in his groin again, only this time it showed no signs of abating.
"Finally wearing off, I take it?" Rei said very quietly in his ear as he
felt himself start to react.
"Susan did say it was temporary," he replied as calmly as he could manage,
resisting the urge to make a sound as he felt a hand start to caress him.
"Good," Rei said as leaned forward, giving him a light kiss on the cheek.
"I was starting to worry you didn't find either of us desirable."
Darian just shook his head gently. "Trust me, that was never in doubt,"
he muttered. "Why do you think I asked for it in the first place?"
"It's the thought that counts," Rei replied with a shrug. "Serena, it's
not broken anymore, so you can quit playing with it unless you want to start
something."
Darian blinked and lifted his head up to look down, following the hand
that was holding him in a very intimate grip back up to its owner. He found
himself looking deep into a pair of blue eyes, the skin around them tinting a
deep shade of crimson as she blushed. She squeezed him gently before bringing
her hand up to rest on his chest, her head still resting on his shoulder.
"Sorry," Serena murmured faintly, the edges of her mouth turning upwards
in the beginnings of a smile.
"You guys have a room for that," Rei grumbled quietly as she glanced away.
She paused and looked back over at Darian, a slightly worried look filling her
eyes. "Darian.... we can still be friends after all this, right?" she asked in
a hesitant tone. She blinked as she felt his arm rise up beneath her, pulling
her into him for a soft and rather deep kiss that made her hair stand on end.
"I've been saying that since this whole mess started," he said quietly as
he broke the kiss, looking into her bottomless black eyes. "Yes, Rei, we're
still going to be very good friends. I don't think that we'll ever end up in
a situation like this again, but the three of us will definitely be friends."
"Thanks," the priestess whispered as she laid her head back down on his
shoulder, looking across his chest at Serena. She couldn't help but smile in
return as she saw Serena smiling at her, one hand reaching out to take hers in
a tight grip of true friendship.
"Rei?" Serena said quietly. "I haven't seen you smile like that in a long
time. I take it you're feeling better now?"
"I am," Rei admitted with a subtle nod of her head. "Talking to the both
of you like that.... felt pretty good."
"Thought opening up to us would hurt?" Darian inquired softly.
"With as bad as I hurt inside when I think of you?" Rei replied, her smile
fading away to be replaced with a serious expression. "Yes, I thought it would
hurt like hell. And in some ways, it still does. I will never stop loving
you, Darian, but I don't think I will be able to hold on to hope anymore. I
think that was what was hurting me the most."
He nodded in understanding and squeezed her gently. "I understand, Rei.
Giving up is never an easy thing to do, but sometimes you really don't have a
choice. I'm not going to forget the memories we have, so we'll always have
that much."
"I know," Rei replied in a whisper, squeezing both him and Serena. The
gesture somehow evolved into a sort of group hug that nobody bothered to try
to figure out how long it lasted, all three content with the feelings of warmth
and loving friendship that existed between them.
The hug was eventually broken up when a soft rumbling sound was heard,
causing everyone to edge back in order to look at one another. The sound was
heard again, causing Darian and Serena to look over at Rei as a delicate blush
spread across her face.
"Sorry," she said very quietly.
"See, I'm not the only one who does that," Serena said with vindication.
"Hungry, I take it?" Darian ventured carefully.
"A little," Rei replied. "I never got around to eating any of that fried
rice from earlier, and that sorbet only went.... so.... far...."
Darian frowned as the priestess trailed off, lifting his head up to follow
her line of vision. He grunted quietly as he noticed Susan returning to the
group, wearing a simple white robe and holding a large silver tray.
Susan paused as she neared the group, visibly trying to determine what was
going on as she studied the way they were wrapped around one another. "I hope
I am not interrupting anything," she said quietly.
"No, we're done," Rei spoke up before Darian could say anything. "We're
just letting the rest of the stress bleed off before going to bed."
Susan nodded in understanding as she knelt down, setting the tray on the
unoccupied massage bench. "That is encouraging news to hear," she said. The
tray was mostly taken up by a stack of white fabric, leaving only a small space
available for a small pot of tea, three porcelin cups, and a small plastic bowl
filled with the remaining portions of the fried rice from dinner.
"Susan?" Darian said as all three of them moved into a sitting position,
discreetly untangling themselves from one another. "Honestly.... do you have
this room bugged or are you a mind-reader and haven't bothered to tell anyone
you can do that?"
Susan paused and gave him a slightly curious look. "What do you mean?"
"What's with the rice?" he asked with a jerk of his chin.
"Ah, that," she replied as she turned her focus back to the contents of
the tray. "I do not recall Rei eating much of anything during dinner, and so
I figured that her appetite would have reasserted itself by now. She asked
that I make some tea, and the robes are for the three of you to wear to bed."
Rei paused as she gave Susan a slightly suspicious look. "What kind of
tea did you make?" she inquired. She blinked as she was given an answer in a
rather harsh eldritch language, momentarily disorienting her. "Wait, what?"
Susan repeated the demonic word before continuing in a mortal lanugage.
"It is possible to find it on Earth, but I doubt anyone has attempted to brew
it as a tea in a number of centuries. Suffice it to say that it is related to
the same plant that the sleeping extract is derived from. A single cup should
be enough to assure that you find at least a few hours of rather solid sleep."
"You do remember what sleep is, right?" Darian teased Rei gently as he
stood up, making his way over to the tray to grab a robe.
"Don't start," Rei growled quietly.
Darian just chuckled to himself. "Yeah, you sound better, alright," he
said, giving her a grin over his shoulder as he scooped up the stack of robes.
He quickly slid the first one on and tied the sash shut before holding out the
second one to Serena.
Susan said nothing as she observed the group, trying to determine their
overall mood. She could see right away that all three were physically relaxed,
no doubt from the bathing and massage experiences, but having left them for a
period of time she couldn't be entirely sure about their mental state. She
eventually decided that the situation between them was significantly improved
and that intervention would not be needed after all.
Rei knelt down to pick up one of the porcelin cups, filling it with the
dark green tea contained in the pot. She studied it carefully for a moment
before taking a cautious sip. "Strong," she said absently before taking a
second sip of the steaming brew.
"You expected a sleeping tea to be weak?" Darian inquired as he helped
Serena slip on the robe. He paused to tie it shut for her, leaning in to give
her a deep kiss that elicited a deep purring hum of pleasure from the blonde.
He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek once they broke apart before he carried
the last robe over to Rei, holding it open for her as well.
"No, but I didn't expect it to be this strong," she countered as she put
one arm through the sleeve. She paused to transfer the teacup to her other
hand before slipping the other arm through the remaining sleeve, giving him a
slightly measured look as he tugged the front shut and tied the sash.
"We'll be fine," he assured her, gently squeezing her shoulder before he
knelt down to pick up the other two porcelin cups.
"I will be rotating the floor down to the ground level once you have all
returned to your rooms," Susan explained as she watched Serena unbind her hair
from the loops, fluffing it out to her usual ankle-length style. "Given the
lateness of the hour and the potency of the tea, I will wake the three of you
at a suitable hour in the morning. The others will have already been woken up
and run through a series of warm-up exercises, but I will hold off on running
the assessment tests until you are ready to join us."
"How kind of you," Rei muttered into her cup.
Susan paused and tilted her head to one side. "I can wake you up as well
when I go to rouse Mina, if you wish," she offered. "That will be in roughly
seven hours or so."
"We'll see," the priestess replied as she drained the teacup and set it
back down on the tray, exchanging it for the bowl of rice. A pair of dark red
plastic chopsticks had been stuck inside, allowing her to immediately put them
to productive use.
"Just how late is it?" Darian asked in a wary tone as he handed a cup of
tea to Serena.
"Later than I had anticipated," Susan replied diplomatically, clasping her
hands behind her back.
Darian and Serena exchanged guarded glances as they both sampled the tea,
blinking at the intensity of the taste. "Rei wasn't kidding," he said in a low
voice to her.
"It's not bad," Serena replied as she took a second sip.
"Let's just hope it doesn't have the same pipe-cleaning effect like the
last batch of strong tea I drank," Darian muttered darkly.
"Now what?" Rei inquired archly, giving him a guarded look as she ate her
rice at a fairly rapid pace.
Darian gave her a causal shrug. "Let's just say that more liquid came out
than was initially put in," he explained as he took another sip of tea. "Not
that I mind being flushed out every so often, but I don't like having to stand
in front of the toilet for three full minutes wondering if I was going to end
up dehydrating myself."
"Poor baby," Rei replied with a roll of her eyes.
Darian just shook his head. "See if I rub your back again," he said in a
low tone, the dryness of his comment almost causing Serena to choke on her tea
with laughter.
Susan paused as she regarded the group carefully. "If you will forgive my
asking, your Highness, are you sure the three of you have rectified the rather
delicate situation you were apparently enmeshed in?" she ventured.
Darian and Rei glanced at one another before they both seemed to sigh very
quietly to themselves. "An understanding has been reached, Chancellor," Rei
spoke up in a somewhat flat tone. "You don't need to worry about it."
"Very well," Susan replied calmly, seeming to accept the answer.
Darian tossed back the last of the tea before sighing again, glancing over
at Serena to see how she was doing. He waited until she had finished draining
her cup as well before gently taking it from her, returning both porcelin cups
to the silver tray. "Thanks for the tea, Susan," he said as he stood back up.
"A pleasure as always, Prince Darian," the succubus replied demurely. "If
you and the Princess are finished, I think it is best that you try to get some
sleep tonight. While I don't anticipate an overly strenuous day of events in
the morning, I will nonetheless be testing your abilites to their fullest in
order to develop a properly challenging training regimen."
Darian and Serena looked at one another before sighing in unison, neither
looking forward to the experience. "We'll be there," Darian replied as he put
a gentle hand on Serena's shoulder and started to usher her towards the door.
Rei made a disconcerted grumbling noise to herself as she finished wolfing
down the last of the chicken and rice, absently licking her lips as she set the
empty bowl down on the silver tray. "Thanks," she said quietly to Susan as she
started off after the others, catching up to them after a few paces.
"Careful," Darian warned as he felt Rei grab his other hand. "The floor
is still wet and all."
"Tell me something I don't know," Rei countered in a moderate tone.
"What tomorrow will bring?" he offered lightly.
"Anyway," the priestess grumbled as they all gingerly stepped over the low
edge of the anteroom doorway. They entered the small room and paused as they
noticed that their clothes from earlier where nowhere to be seen.
"Damn it," Darian sighed quietly.
Rei and Serena exchanged looks before Rei spoke up. "What's the problem
this time, Darian?" she said in a faintly irked tone.
Darian paused before giving her a mild look. "I can't find my underwear,"
he replied in faintly embarrassed tone.
"So?" Rei countered, crossing her arms over her chest.
"So I don't sleep in the nude," Darian protested. "It might work for you
girls, but us guys tend to want to keep things neatly confined at night, if you
know what I mean."
Rei exchanged remotely amused looks with Serena before looking up at the
ceiling. "Wimp," she muttered. "You know if you quit keeping it penned up all
night, you might not keep having problems with it wanting to be let out during
the rest of the day."
"Thank you, Doctor Ruth," Darian replied dryly as Serena tried to muffle
a giggle and failed miserably.
"Anyway," Rei sighed as she headed for the double doors. They opened just
before she could touch the handle, briefly startling her before she got herself
under control again. "Typical," she muttered as she strode down the hallway.
Darian and Serena exchanged glances before he shrugged, leaning down to
kiss her gently. She responded with genuine warmth and love, the kiss lasting
for quite some time before they broke apart to look at one another.
"I love you," Serena said softly.
"And you know I love you with all my heart, my beautiful princess," he
murmured in reply, brushing his lips across the side of her neck.
"Love me with your body as well?" she whispered to him, closing her eyes
at his touch. She shivered at the very soft chuckle in her ear, his breath
tickling her as it washed over the shell of her ear.
"Tonight might not be a good night," he apologized quietly. "We both need
our rest, and I don't think Susan's kiss has truly wore off yet. But believe
me, beloved, I will definitely give you a few nights to remember soon...."
Serena made a soft noise to herself that was a bizarre mixture of a soft
moan, a quiet whimper, and a deep sigh. She continued to coo softly at his
touch before an unexpected sound make her open her eyes, blinking as she saw
what she thought was an essentially naked figure walking towards them.
Darian apparently heard the sound as well, pausing his nuzzling of the
blonde's throat to cast a glance over his shoulder. He blinked hard as he saw
an extremely rumpled-looking Alex walking down the hall with a glazed look on
her face. She was technically wearing a white robe but the front had been left
untied, which left everything of importance exposed. The sign of Uranus was
clearly visible on her forehead, glowing a soft yellow color.
"Ev'nin'," Alex grunted as she moved past them, pausing to briefly kiss
Serena on the cheek. She cast an openly appraising look at Darian before she
resumed walking, casually swatting his backside in the process. She entered
the anteroom and turned the corner, disappearing from view a moment later.
Darian and Serena looked at one another before shaking their heads. "I
really didn't need to see that," Darian said quietly as he tried to clear his
mind of the images of Alex's nude body and the most likely reason she looked
like she had just stepped out of a minor tornado.
Serena shrugged helplessly, her cheeks taking on a cherry-red blush. "I
didn't need to see it either," she murmured. "As long as they're happy with
one another."
"True," he said as he kissed her ear softly before taking her hand in his.
"Come on, beloved, let's go to bed. I don't know if it's the massage or the
tea or both, but I'm getting sleepy all of a sudden."
"Mmm, me too," she purred softly as she leaned against him. She held onto
him as they wandered down the hall to their room. Their senses started to blur
around the edges before they got to the door, growing fuzzier with every step.
Their last conscious memories of that night were of shedding the soft white
robes as they fell into bed, their arms around one another with nothing between
them but a thin layer of massage oil and the warmth of their eternal love.
* * * *
EPILOGUE
He had many names over his existence, most of which being lost among the
countless grains of sand that had flowed through the hourglass of Time. For
now, he was content to be known as Amman, and it was this name that he heard
drifting across the still air of his research labratory.
He slowly opened his eyes, adding their faint luminescence to the dim
light of the room. A soft grunt rose up from his bandaged chest as he could
make out the slender figure of a woman entering through one of the side doors,
followed by the immense bulk of her golem-like servant. He waited until they
drew close enough to him before attempting to speak.
"Countess MacDara," he said, his parched voice sounding more like the dry
whispering of the desert winds than true speech.
"My lord Amman," the countess replied with a respectful nod of her head.
"I hope you will forgive this rather abrupt intrusion, but I did not receive
any answer to an earlier attempt at reaching you."
A deep grunt rose up from his chest, more out of a sense of reproachment
at himself for losing track of time rather than at the intrusion. He knew that
he was currently mired in a temporal sink, condemned to exist at a ponderously
slow pace while the rest of Time flowed around him like a river courses around
an immovable rock. He usually could keep up with events that happened in his
presence, but it was not unknown for a moment's rest to be taken and a decade
to subsequently slip past him unnoticed while he sat on his throne.
"So what brings you before the Pharaoh Amman?" he inquired slowly, his
voice sounding even deeper than her minion's was known to be.
The countess raised an eyebrow, wondering if he was feigning ignorance or
if he was unaware of the situation. "A simple matter, my lord," she said in an
even tone. "You have something that belongs to me, and I would be grateful to
have it returned."
He nodded in understanding as he remembered. Even as skewed as his sense
of time had become over the centuries, he was still able to differentiate that
which took place in ages past from that which happened recently. "The succubus
Lorelei," he rumbled quietly. He received a simple nod in reply and he raised
his withered arm to point to a sealed sarcophagus leaning against the wall.
"Cale," the countess said over her shoulder, never taking her eyes off of
the ancient presence in front of her.
"I should warn you," Amman spoke up as he watched Cale make his way over
to the sarcophagus. "She was near death when she arrived here, and I put her
into the healing sleep. She will not be ready to awaken yet."
"Your kindness is appreciated," the countess said gracefully, pausing at
the heavy scraping sound of the sarcophagus' lid being ripped free. "However,
I am not overly concerned with the details of her condition, save that she is
still alive for the moment."
"She is," Amman assured her. "For the moment."
"My lady," Cale said quietly as he slung a cocoon-like object over his
shoulder like a sack of wheat. A pair of large bat-like wings protruded from
the back of the bandaged body, the only indication of who or even what had been
bundled up in the linen swaths.
The countess glanced over her shoulder to nod at him before returning her
attention to Amman. "Thank you for cooperation, my lord," she said with a bow
of her head. "Unless there is something you should like to discuss, I shall
depart immediately and disturb you no further."
Another deep grunt rose up from his chest at the curtness of her words.
He knew of her nature as a vampire, which meant she had literally all the time
in the world in which to conduct her business. "Very well," he said slowly,
unsure why she was being uncharacteristically impatient with him today but not
presently inclined to inquire further. "Good day, Countess MacDara."
"Lord Amman," she replied with another bow of her head before she turned
around and followed her minion out of the room.
Amman leaned back in his throne, idly wondering about the situation. He
briefly considered taking a momentary rest to think about it when he suddenly
felt a presence in the room. He knew he was among the most ancient of mortal-
born beings still functioning in all of Creation, and as such had gathered an
immense amount of power since his mortal birth. The power he felt now easily
dwarfed his own, however, which could only mean that he was no longer dealing
with anything that might have once had mortal origins.
"They have taken the succubus Lorelei," he said slowly to the open air.
<She has served her purpose,> an inhuman voice replied, making the very
air seem to resonate slightly. <She is of no further use to me.>
"I could have used her," Amman pointed out.
<I doubt you would have been able to keep her disciplined firmly enough to
keep her under your dominion,> the voice countered. <That you are also prone
to temporal distraction would make keeping one under your control even harder,
as succubi are quite the free-willed creatures.>
A soft grunt drifted up from his chest, recognizing a simple statement of
fact when it was spoken. "And the amulet?" he inquired, his sense of curiosity
roused by the spate of recent activity around him.
<You do not need to know its purpose,> the heavy voice replied.
What was left of his mouth twisted down into a frown. "You came to me to
ask for my services," he said very slowly. "I have provided them without the
usual questions as a courtesy, but now I would like to have them answered."
The voice was silent for a number of moments before it finally returned.
<Very well. Suffice it to say that I intend to use the powers sealed away in
that brooch to create an avatar, one powerful enough to rival the others and
ultimately bring all of Creation to bow at my feet.>
As slowed as he was, both by his ancient form and by the effect of the
temporal sink, he could still move with blinding speed when required. He shot
to his feet in an instant, tearing a few of his body's bandages as they became
caught on the edges of his throne. "What?" he demanded in stunned awe, able to
truly grasp the implications of the unholy voice's stated intention.
<I have spent a thousand years setting this into motion,> the voice warned
in a chilling tone. <Ever since the opportunity arose when the first avatar's
soul was delivered into my hands, I have done everything I could to ensure that
all would be ready when the time was right. That time now draws near, and all
that I have cultivated has begun to bear fruit. Your help has been invaluable
to me, Pharaoh Amman, and rest assured that you will be richly rewarded once
this comes to pass. You who where King once shall be given a new throne and a
new kingdom to rule, this I promise to you in exchange for your assistance.>
Amman didn't so much sit down in his throne as collapse back into it, a
great cloud of dust billowing out around him. It took him so long to snap out
of the stunned daze that he momentarily feared he had slipped into a timeless
coma again. "I care not for a kingdom," he said in a very slow and ponderous
tone, "But I yearn to be free from this mire of Time. If you can do as you
claim and bring the pantheon to heel, then surely it would then be within your
limitless power to grant me this single boon."
<Then it shall be done,> the inhuman voice replied with just the faintest
hint of a smile. <Aid me in binding the cosmic power to my will, and I shall
in turn unbind you from the threads of Time.>
The ancient Pharaoh nodded his head slowly, a genuine smile touching his
face for the first time since his ceremonial burial and reanimation into his
current form. "Then speak, my master," Amman said to the open air. "Tell me
what needs to be done, and I shall make the Seas of Sand themselves flow once
again to do your bidding."
The soft sound of laughter persisted long after the unholy presence faded
from the air, leaving only the feeling of anticipation behind.
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