"Eh," the Crone replied, then waved her hand.
 Amatheia has been revived. The party returns to full health.

Her old eyes paused on the bear comforting the brunette, and continued on grumpily, "Well, you certainly made a mess of the place, didn't you?" She hobbled over towards Andromeda, though did not address her directly, "Stairs? What stairs, we can plow through the ceiling, no problem," she spoke to herself in light-hearted mockery as she stopped and stooped to the floor to pile the dust left by the chaos seed. "The more mess the more fun, eh?"

She smiled sheepishly at the Crone’s remark about the stairs. A part of her had felt the need to destroy the spire as well, and it had actually felt cathartic in a way. “Can’t say that I entirely regret it. So… is that it? Can we go back into town now? Are the enemies below also dead?” she inquired, wondering where they would emerge if they actually took the stairs this time.

"You lied," Sailor Makemake said plainly to the crone. "I wasn't lucky at all. I was dumb. I was tricked by the enemy and..."

She couldn't say it. She couldn't say how she couldn't trust Sailor Enyalius and the others after they brutally attacked the siren without a single thought. Pieces of the monster were still splattered on her face. She saw that Sailor Amatheia was also knocked out. It didn't seem like she had merely fainted. She looked up at Sailor Sedna ominously. For some reason, she was starting to suspect she was a liar too.

But then a sense of warmth came over her. Sailor Callisto sat next to her as a show of comfort. She instantly felt a great sense of peace. In the chaos and sadness in the attempt to save Planet Andromeda, here was something she truly gained for herself. A friend.

"Soft," she said as she nuzzled the clean side of her face against Callisto's fur.

There was one person she still could trust after all.

Amatheia moaned faintly as she came to, blinking unsteadily. She pushed herself up, yet was surprised to find she wasn't as tired as she had expected. She felt relatively sore from the beatings she had taken, perhaps bruises would form later, but she felt..strong. And calm. She smiled privately at this in relief. She had been far too close to losing control. Then she remembered what had happened. The seed, the siren, her near break down! She looked around quickly, only to realize the siren and seed were missing. It seemed only sludge and dust were left. She carefully picked herself up off the ground, and was relieved to find her standing steady.

“Was the siren unsaveable?” She half lamented, looking around once more. Now she fully realized the crone from before was there. “Ah. You.” She blinked lightly, then her gaze landed on Andromeda and since it was quiet, she took the moment to smile at her with something surprisingly close to warmth. “Thank you. I was dangerously close to doing something very regrettable. It is never good when I lose control of my emotions...and that touch with Chaos....” She frowned, her expression darkening a moment before she waved it away and turned to the crone once more. “Why have you come back here?” She questioned.

"Eh?" the crone said, turning her attention back to Andromeda after scooping the dust into her belt pouch. "Oh, yeah," she waved her hand casually, "Town's ready for you. The chaos dust will return to the microscopic creatures they were before; tower'll stay though." She stopped talking to look up, as though appreciating the structure, "Could be nice... could be nice."

The Crone listened carefully to Makemake, then shrugged her shoulders, her clear eyes focused solely on the girl with the bear. Her voice was quiet as she mused, "You all survived, didn't you? I'd call that lucky." 

Old hands waved off the question of the siren, dismissing it fully, "Chaos manipulation of bacteria to create a lifeform it could manipulate, and through it, you all," she explained drolly, despite lack of attention by the questioner immediately following. 

"Oh that! Before I forget - " with another wave of her hand, Nocturnus's bracers unbuckled and slid off, returning to the Crone's hand along with a peculiar die from Andromeda, the MP Amulet from around Callisto's furry neck, and the same amulet from around Amatheia's. "Won't be needin' these anymore," she went on to mumble, "they were rentals anyway. Hoped you liked the potions."

As strange as the pair looked, Bear!Callisto and Sailor Makemake actually looked kind of cute.

She narrowed her eyes at Amatheia as the senshi woke up and addressed her. Dangerously close to doing something very regrettable? Well, that certainly didn’t sound good. As if Andromeda needed more of an excuse to knock her out… she felt even more justified for doing it and just shrugged. Whatever the siren’s deal is, Andromeda was too tired to deal with it right now.

“Well, who wants the best drinks this planet has to offer? My treat,” she spoke to the group as a whole. She hoped Callisto would turn back soon, they had a strict no-animal policy in the pub.

Just like that, it was as though they had all the time in the world as the crone toddled around this way and that; Enyalius did not miss the immense amount of energy the woman expended in restoring their health and renewing their strength, but the stress in her heart-of-hearts was only mounting. Planet Enyalius was still in danger, and so was Leviathan. She watched the crone closely, listening as she answered random questions as she went about her business, collecting the dust from the chaos seed and their leftover accouterments besides, offering nothing for future course of action. 

She pressed the feeling in her chest from her mind, ignoring it as best she could, but the question of time had come to mind several times since they had been told they had had 27 hours to get the job done, and she could not hold that back.

"How many hours did we spend capturing the spire?" she asked.

The crone looked to her and tsk'd loudly, folding her arms as though she did not agree with Enyalius even being there, but no less replied, "'bout 10 hours, all in all," she replied.

"Your original warning estimate said we had 27 hours, but honestly we could have been more efficient here," her gaze moved quickly to the stairs the crone had used; if they had known those were there... "It was never that close. Why quote that much time?" Before she let the crone answer she continued with her own guess, the idea that had been gnawing at her from the back of her mind, "Was 27 hours the total gestation period for any chaos seed dropped onto a planet at that time? Chaos seeds elsewhere - will they come to fruition 17 hours from now?"

The crone looked her dead in the eye, "Yes."

Enyalius turned to Achelois, "We need to get to Leviathan."

Leviathan...that name sounded familiar. Ah yes, it was one of the senshi that had been considered missing with some of the members of her current group. 

"If Levithan is anything like Andromeda, you'll need all the help you can get. I'll go with you," she offered, standing firm.

It seemed like they had no time to rest, after all. Leviathan...

She definitely cared for the senshi, but her planet... it had just been freed, and the reason Chaos got to it in the first place was because she left. She was not there to protect it. And after this, surely there were some things to be done. Like making sure everyone was alright. And destroying this unattractive spire with bad memories since apparently it wasn't going anywhere.

“I think… I’m more needed here,” she said, feeling a tad guilty for choosing to stay. But she could not handle leaving the planet right now. “I wish you all the best of luck, and once things here are settled, I’ll see about helping you guys again.”

She was a little saddened by the crone's answer. The siren had never truly existed? Then there had been no point in saving her. But then, there was little point in dwelling either. She gave a little breath then  a nod of acceptance. Though she did wonder why the crone was gathering the chaotic dust. She opened her mouth to question, but Enyalius had interjected her own. She blinked a bit alarmed at the answer. There were more Chaos seeds to disperse?

But Andromeda had made an offer for drinks. She was intrigued by such a concept, and what different culture this planet could hold. But Chaos was ever the enemy, and she would dearly love to see as much of it eradicated as possible. “Yes. Chaos cannot be allowed to run free. I will come as well.” Her expression turned to a vaguely wry sense of humor. “Though I do hope my luck will be better on this other planet, and I will not be rendered unconscious so often.”

"Stay and rebuild your planet, you will be stronger for it." Smiling, she approached the exhausted senshi. "With your permission, I would like to visit Andromeda to see her in her glory when all of this is over."

She could see the beauty in the planet and once Chaos was fully ride from their system, she had no doubt that it would be beautiful.

She smiled warmly at Sedna and nodded. “You would be most welcome here,” she answered. “Always.”

After all, she owed a debt to those who had helped her rid her planet of Chaos.

Enyalius nodded to Sedna, glad to have her volunteer, as her versatility was a godsend, and then to Amatheia, the tactical advantages of having a natural-born swimmer coming with them to Leviathan was another boon. She wondered who else would come with them; she would request Nocturnus came with them to guide them to Leviathan, and from there... if the little senshi wanted to return to Andromeda and help out here, that could be better for her, but something told Enya that Nocturnus wasn't thinking down that path.

Andromeda was right. Andromeda cared for her world - she had demonstrated as much time and time again, had shared that much during their brief stint in jail together. Andromeda was needed here, with her people, to set things to right, and while Enyalius enjoyed having Andromeda by her side, she knew Andromeda was better off doing what she felt right. The discomfort in her heart grew as she walked over to Andromeda, as though forcefully trying to remind her that she, too, had somewhere else she needed to be, but Enyalius ignored it, just as she ignored the brief glance from the crone, and smiled at Andromeda. 

She reached out and took the young woman into a hug, squeezing her briefly. "Be safe," she said, almost into Andromeda's teal hair rather than her ear, before she stepped back and let go. She briefly remembered the first time she had met Andromeda, over a year ago at that introductory party back on Earth, wherein the Court of Crystal Tokyo had been kidnapped. Relatively inexperienced, Andromeda had nevertheless volunteered to go with her to rescue Neo Queen Serenity and her kin, and had been a constant companion in her ventures ever since. She had grown a lot in those experiences, but she was still as dedicated as ever. She was an excellent Sailor Guardian.

Sailor Nocturnus

It was over. She felt like she could finally stop holding her breath, and that sense of relief only increased when the Crone appeared. Not only did she feel relief, she felt restoration as well. It was something in the old woman's strange and ancient magic that restored all of them--even the fallen Sailor Amatheia. Sailor Nocturnus was glad to have a distraction rather than to be stuck in the depressing ruined nursery that had once housed the Chaos seed that threatened Andromeda.

She stood quietly behind the others when the conversations went back and forth, idly fidgeting with the bracers on her arms... and then they were unbuckled, floating back towards the Crone.

The small sailor soldier-in-training gasped, reaching towards them, her ears barely registering the stooped form's comment about the items being rentals. There were tears gathering in her dark eyes, wide with anguished confusion.

"But, but those were a gift from..!" she thought, but there was no way to form the words and nothing she could do about it.

The conversations around her about Chaos seeds on other planets were more important, and she was glad no one would notice her. Sailor Nocturnus could at least pretend that she didn't mind, even if she felt like the one slight connection back to what she wanted most had been taken away. She tried to listen to the other discussion, swallowing her feelings and faking a neutral smile.

They didn't have time to celebrate their victory here. Planet Leviathen was still in danger. And that was where Nocturnus would be headed next. She was somewhat surprised when Andromeda decided to stay on her planet instead of coming with them, but at the same time she did understand it. There would be a lot to do here and so many people who relied on Andromeda. As the others said their farewells to the teal sailor soldier, the smallest one waited off to the side until there would be a moment for her to do so as well. She tiptoed forward, suddenly shy and unsure of what to say.

"Good luck with everything, here," she faltered, tugging nervously at her long dark hair. "I hope we meet again soon."

That she most truly did hope.

She was surprised when Enya actually hugged her, having never seen her do it with anyone else but Achelois. She was touched, but tried her best not to let her emotions overwhelm her. She longed to be with the others—it felt wrong not to come this time after months of seemingly endless adventures—but she knew what felt right to do and she had to follow her heart like always. She hugged Enya back gratefully, then smiled and nodded. “You, too.”

When Nocturnus in turn came toward her, Andromeda thought she looked somewhat sad, though she wasn’t sure why. Nevertheless, as the smaller senshi wished her luck, looking a bit nervous, Andromeda didn’t hesitate. She pulled her into a tight hug, too. “You are so brave,” she whispered. “I’m holding you to that promise, okay?”

She most certainly did not want this to be their last goodbye.

Sailor Makemake listened idly to the others' conversation. She watched on as the others lamented. She couldn't understand why Sailor Nocturnus looked so upset. They were just items after all. They could easily be replaced. She had no idea of their significance.

"Planet Leviathan," she said with a tinge of nostalgia. "It's under water and not the good kind of water. Salty water. My friends and I would be terribly sick in such a place. I can't go. I'll... take you up on that drink offer, Andromeda. My plants could use some water.

"I think... I think I'd like to go wander again. I've been helping people I've bumped across for a while now. Be safe at the Leviathan place. I don't know why but I have a memory of a Sailor Leviathan. She was... nice to me and my friends. I met another girl named Sailor Leviathan recently. She was nothing like her at all. She didn't like our hugs very much."

Given that her "hugs" were actually vine twisting death attacks, that was no surprise. Still, Makemake's words might have alarmed the other senshi. Was this "kind" Sailor Leviathan one of her delusions or a hint at a greater truth?

She hugged Callisto again tightly, regardless if she was a bear or not. The soldier truly was the one thing that kept her going the whole journey.

"Thank you, Callisto," she said warmly with tears in her eyes, "for everything."

Sailor Nocturnus

She forgot the distress at the loss of the bracers when Andromeda pulled her into a hug. This young woman was nothing like her mother, but she had become like a family member to Nocturnus. After all, they had been through so much together, alongside several of the others. She returned the embrace with equal caring and friendliness as it had been delivered. Sailor Nocturnus knew that even though Sailor Andromeda wouldn't be joining them on Leviathan, they had to cross paths again someday. They were sailor soldiers who had shared missions together; that was a bond that would not be broken.

She nodded in response to Andromeda's comment.

"Yes, it's a promise."

Callisto felt content to just sit there for a while as the group said their goodbyes and hugged, happy that she had at least helped someone out. But if there was chaos on another planet, she wanted to assist with it as well. Feeling the magic of her transformation start to wear off, Callisto stood up just as it faded, and then almost stumbled as Makemake hugged her. She blinked in surprise, and then hugged her back.

"I need to get going now, okay?" she said to Makemake, smiling and ruffling her hair. "Stay safe here, and maybe we will meet up again."

Achelois sighed so deeply that she had to breathe in again to catch her breath.  The seed was destroyed and the threat from Chaos was gone.  Not much had been said when the old woman showed up.  She walked around collecting the dust, asking questions and answering others.  Achelois hung back, though she felt rejuvenated, content to listen to the others explain and watch how easily the old woman moved around doing what needed to be done, how easily she had restored everyone to full health and strength, even reviving Amatheia.  Achelois remained astounded by how powerful this old woman was.  Andromeda was safe and they had been clear of the hour limit.  However Enya had guessed why they had been clear of the hour limit, it was for all the planets.  Andromeda was safe but Leviathan and Enyalius were still in danger and they only had 17 hours left.  

Achelois met Enya's eyes, knowing that she would go along.  Seemed like they would never get a break, but when they finally did...  She listened as others volunteered and smiled with relief when Andromeda decided to stay on her planet to help it recover.  Slightly surprised, a smirk took over Achelois's face as Enya gave a comforting hug to Andromeda.  Afterward Enya and Nocturnus said goodbye, Achelois also walked over and hugged Andromeda, everything having been said, she gave the girl a look that knew that everything would be alright.  Then she turned to Nocturnus whose arms looked bare without the bracers and offered the senshi a hand on her shoulder.  Now they would head towards Leviathan, and maybe... She glanced to Enya.

With a small wave to Andromeda, Enyalius dropped through the hole in the floor, summoned her wings to catch her descent, and shot out the breach in the wall to emerge in the dark of night. From what she could tell, the hurricane was still whirling, but it should dissipate soon. As the rest of their team regrouped, she looked to Nocturnus and asked her quietly to use her Stellar Map to locate Leviathan.

As the beam of light emerged from the asturlab, pointing them on their way, they chased it into the heavens towards Leviathan, and the Chaos Seed there.

---

The crone floated beside the spire, watching the team leave alongside those who remained on Andromeda. "Well, I'll be going now," the crone said to no one in particular, looking to the stars and the retreating forms of the team. "More deals to make, more items to divvy out - an old woman can't get any rest, can she? Even after she's earned it!" the woman scoffed, then checked her pockets and her satchel before adding offhandedly in a grumble, "But what else can you expect? Sailor Wars, peh."

She disappeared.

The Hardcore Event, Andromeda Spire, has ended successfully.

Participants are free to collect their bumper for their participation!
January will herald the return of these Hardcore Events as the group makes its way to Leviathan!

Quote :

Brownie Points!
Callisto earns 2 brownie points!
Callisto has 8/40 towards lvl 4
+BEARS BEARS BEARS BEARS
+WOOT BARRIER
+Cause Bear
+Vote Sailor Bear for the 2016 Presidential Elections
+Because bear. And also cute. Oh there was the whole barrier thing as well - super useful


Andromeda earns 2 brownie points!

Andromeda has 27/40 towards lvl 4
+B*tchslap!!!
+FOR DEALING WITH HER PLANET STUFF AND BEING AWESOME
+Her planet has been saved!

Nocturnus earns 2 brownie points!
Nocturus has 25/30 towards lvl 3
+Nocty baby lost her armour so sad
+YOU GO TINY WARRIOR
+For being super brave and determined and never giving up


The following are other brownie point nominations~


+I have favourites, okay.




+She was one of two people who attempted to discover if the siren was being controlled by evil or not. Given the past history with these events, it wasn't automatically clear if the siren was innocent or not. I liked that line of thinking.




+Makemake has the best name. Also, I'm not CJ and I'm totally not voting for my own character. Totally, no really. Really. 
(I am.)