Soul has entered dreamland.

 Sailor Chalybs has entered the Dream World.

 Sailor Bastet has entered the Dream World.

Sailor Bellatrix has entered the Dream World.

Sailor Nocturnus has entered the Dream World.

Sailor Andromeda has entered the Dream World.

I want to give Alshain a break so I adopted Sailor Vulkan, I'm getting her profile ready for this event XD

[Verdi] Sailor Valdis- 11/05/2017

Hadley squeezed the hand in her own, willing it to squeeze back. The hand remained as nearly life-less as it had been for hours now. If it wasn't for the warmth of the skin, and the steady rise and fall of Ari's chest...
 
Her heart constricted at that train of thought, and Hadley quickly pushed it away. She stared at Ari's soft breathing. Asleep, she reminded herself. Ari's just asleep.
 
She hadn't left Ari's side since she fell into this unwakeable slumber. Though remaining at her dearest friend's side hadn't amounted for much. Hadley didn't know what to do, didn't know how to help. Why wouldn't Ari just wake up? She missed the other girl's sweet smile, the way that being with her made any situation feel special.
 
What if she never wakes up again?
 
That cold pervasive thought chilled Hadley to the bone, and, determined, she pushed it away once again. No. No. Ari would wake up, Hadley insisted to herself as she clung tightly to Ari's hand.
 
She had to.
 [Kyra] - 11/05/2017
They had all been moved - all twenty-seven comatose bodies. She had seen to that. Every room had been searched, every senshi awakened from natural sleep, every body that would not stir gently taken from where they were found to be laid out on cots provided by the hotel, gathered together in the central room they had originally met in, and checked over first by senshi with healing powers, then Mercury with her scanners and medical history. They had contacted biologists and medical staff from this world to make sure it wasn't a reaction to a virus native to the planet.
 
Nothing had come of it.
 
Quietly fuming at herself, Mars strode around the conference room with her arms crossed, stopping before the doorway, expectantly, then roaming back through the room. So far, everyone was stable. Unable to awaken, but stable. Something had gotten to them - something they had not prepared themselves against, some oversight on their part - on her part. She was grateful Venus had not fallen with them, but there were so many there for whom that was not true.
 
Nearly a quarter of their number.
 
A quarter.
[Light] Sailor Nyx - 11/05/2017
What happened? Girls were falling left and right -- as Tatrarus was down, she instinctively dove to catch another one, though she was a second too late and she awkwardly hit the ground. She glanced around; they seemed to be breathing, at least. Well, actually, she wasn't all that sure about Tartarus, but surely she was, too, right? Maybe it was not very evident. She was not a trained medic or something.
 
Right. Everyone was okay. Definitely so.
 
That sounded like wishful thinking, but at the same time, they did seem okay... Other than not waking up and all? Nyx called for help -- luckily, there were several others that were still up and well too, and they gathered all the fallen girls.
 
Thankfully, she did not see her sister among the slumbering girls... Where was she? She had to find her. She has to convince her to go back. This was not looking good.
[Verdi] Sailor Valdis- 11/05/2017
With the cots laid out  in the central room, Hadley had made certain that all of her sleeping -- just sleeping -- friends were laid down near each other so that she could keep an eye on all of them. It hurt, to see Ari and Sam, lying there so still. She wished she could do something for them, but she wasn't good at this kind of thing. She didn't realize just how much she relied on her friends until, suddenly, they weren't there any more.
 
Without something to do, Hadley simply tried to ensure that each of them were comfortable. She tried to lighten her thoughts by thinking about what each of them would say in this situation, and how, after this was over, they would all laugh about how strange it had been.
[Jasper] Shadow - 11/05/2017
On a self appointed mission to discover more context behind the fainting spell, Shadow had wandered over the accessible areas of the hotel in search of context. He had discovered more of the comatose senshi, and even one of them who had fallen asleep near a swimming pool and had tumbled inside. He sought out Mars to report the situation after rescuing the fallen soldier, carrying the unconscious senshi in his arms. Once he fished the girl from the pool waters, Shadow administered CPR to ensure she could still breathe autonomously. His reward for his troubles was a thoroughly drenched uniform, which even now was still damp.
 
Once the choice was made to relocate the sleeping senshi to a common room, Shadow had personally seen to carrying Bellatrix there without further assistance. Having little else to do in the time span, he volunteered himself to carrying other senshi to the safe room as needed.
[Bubbles] Sailor Hemera- 11/05/2017
Hemera burst from outside into the room where everyone was sleeping, her gaze roaming the bodies strewn all across the spacious area, searching for something. When it landed on a familiar dark blue-clad uniformed senshi, she took a sharp breath and rushed toward her, practically ambushing her. She hugged Nyx so hard her sister might have trouble breathing and pass out herself. "Oh gods! Amaya, I thought... I couldn't find you... and everyone was falling and someone said something bad was happening and... and... I was so scared!"
 
Her eyes glistened with unshed tears as she embraced her sister tighter. This must be how Nyx felt when she died.
 [Kyra] - 11/05/2017
The door opened and Mars rushed over, her high-heeled boots striding across the carpet with purpose to intercept the hotel staff member that had entered, looking around worriedly; they spoke together in low voices, Mars's gaze glancing over to where Mercury was set up with constant scans going for the sleeping forms. She nodded, straightened, and the consierge left.
[Light] Sailor Nyx - 11/05/2017
Unfortunately, she spotted others from their original group among those that fell victims to this weird... attack? Illness? Whatever it was. With all the ruckus going on, it was more likely that Inara would get here and thus more likely to lose her if she went off searching for her, so she decided to stay near them instead.
 
Her thought process proved correct, and as she was about to approach Valdis, her sister practically jumped on her and nearly caused her to fall over. Hemera's tight squeeze though easily prevented that.
 
"Hey hey now, it's okay, I'm fine," she tried to reassure her as she began rambling. "I... you're okay too, right? You're not feeling drowsy or tired or anything or..." she asked. Pausing for a moment, she pointed towards the others. "Those two... We should probably go to them. Valdis must be so worried." She could understand how she must be feeling. Even if they were not sisters, she could tell she still had formed a rather special bond with Bastet after all.
 [Kyra] - 11/05/2017
"They're going to be okay," Crysdal said quietly from Hadley's side, her hand resting [Light] Sailor Nyxly on the other girl's shouder. Her stomach lurched and she squeezed through the other's uniform gently, a wavering smile forced into place, "They're just sleeping. They'll figure out whatever this is - some of the senshi here are hundreds of years old, right? They'll figure it out and everyone'll be okay."
 
Her heart pounded hopefully, catching sight of Mars going to the door - there had been a rumor going around that she knew how to fix this, or was bringing in someone that did, but to Crysdal? She still looked worried.
 
Fake it til you make it, though, right?
 
While glancing around at the groups surrounding there, she caught sight of Inara and Amaya and stepped back so Hadley could see them better, grateful to see both of them up and moving.
[Bubbles] Sailor Hemera- 11/05/2017
She nodded at her sister, stepped back, and wiped the tears, telling herself to be strong. Their friends from their first mission were there. Her concern immediately shifted to them. She approached Hadley and Crysdal, looking at SAM and Ari's prone forms. "Do you guys know what's going on? Are they going to wake up?" she asked.
 [Kyra] - 11/05/2017
Crysdal glanced from Inara to Hadley and immediately nodded, "I'm sure they will - they have to, right?" she said with forced cheerfulness. "The rumor going around is that Mars is bringing in a specialist to figure out what's going on."
 
She skipped over the part where Mars was supposed to be a specialist.
And Mercury.
[Verdi] Sailor Valdis- 11/05/2017
Hadley looked up to Crysdal, leaning in to the warm weight of her hand. She nodded at what the other girl said. It made sense, and she knew that Ari and Sam were in good hands. And at least they weren't all left alone. She still had Crysdal, and now Hemera and Nyx too. They would be able to figure this out together.
 
At Hemera's question, Hadley could only shake her head sadly. She didn't know anything. "They have to wake up," she said in a quiet voice, eyes straying back to Ari's face.
[Light] Sailor Nyx - 11/05/2017
"They're strong. They've proved it time and time again, right? It's going to be alright, don't worry", she smiled softly at the other girl. Well, she believed it to a point. They did make it all the way to the end, after all, but... She had no idea what this was.
[Bubbles] Sailor Hemera- 11/05/2017
"You know, in stories, people who fall into a deep sleep they can't wake up from are said to have fallen under a curse. And the only thing that could wake them up is true love's kiss. I wonder if that's worth a try..." she pondered out loud, then scratched the back of her head and blushed. "Maybe not. That was silly, wasn't it?" She had clearly been reading too many fairy tale books.
[Jasper] Shadow - 11/05/2017
Shadow leaned back against a wall to observe the sleeping senshi, collecting his thoughts.  He was mildly impressed by the sheer mass that Sailor Chalybs had possessed. Her suit certainly added to the challenge of bringing her to this one safe room, prompting the (s[Light] Sailor Nyxly) shorter man to gather his breath once he had laid Chalybs on a spare cot.
 
He glanced briefly towards Crysdal, then approached the general congregation. Hemera's choice description seemed silly, but only partially so. To the brighter of the twins, Shadow mused openly on his thoughts. "I could get behind the idea of a curse, at least."
[Light] Sailor Nyx - 11/05/2017
Inara, the hopeless romantic. She resisted the urge to scoff or make any remark on her theory, and hoped that perhaps it would lighten the atmosphere a little bit if anything. But the look on her face was most certainly screaming "oh please".
[Verdi] Sailor Valdis- 11/05/2017
Hadley blushed at Hemera's comment, even as she looked once more at Ari. True love's kiss? Her heart fluttered at the thought, bringing with it images and emotions of the sweet girl sitting next to her. That was just silly though, she reprimanded herself as she blushed even harder. The feelings she had with Ari were still so new, in the grand scheme of things, and who was she to even begin to assume that she could be Ari's one true love?
 
As seemed to be the pattern for these past few hours, Hadley pushed those particular thoughts out of her mind. There was no need for them here. Emotions and romantic feelings didn't have a place here. All that mattered was to find a way to make these poor sleeping senshi wake up.
 [Kyra] - 11/05/2017
Crysdal's brow quirked expressively at Inara's suggestion, liking the idea, but realistically not sure if it would work. Anything to make Hadley feel less worried, though. "Not silly," she commented quietly.
 
The tall man in dark clothing approached and remarked on the curse aspect, making Crysdal a little uncomfortable - curses... that wasn't how the real world worked, right?
[Bubbles] Sailor Hemera- 11/05/2017
Venus returned from outside, where she had stepped out briefly to interrogate all the guards for the thousandth time. She couldn't believe it. She had anticipated everything. She had covered all her bases when it came to protecting this place, from the mundane to the outrageous possibilities like a sudden invasion by fluffy white creatures with rounded antennaes. Her contingency plans had contingency plans. An infiltration and an attack - especially at this scale - was simply impossible.
 
That left one possibility.
 
There was a traitor among them.
 
As she stepped back into the conference room and looked at all the senshi gathered there, she let that possibility sink in. A senshi that worked for Chaos. It wouldn't be the first time. But... which one? Her eyes roamed over them, wishing she had the ability to read them better, to figure out their motives. Maybe she should start questioning them. Not let anyone leave until this matter was dealt with. Her gaze finally met Mars', and she walked toward her partner.
 
"Anything?" she asked simply in a low voice.

[Kyra] - 11/05/2017

"Somnus has entered the system," Mars replied quietly, "Enlil said she used the most secure channels to call her in, but Enlil, Quetzal and Wuluwaid went out there to watch the approach to make sure nothing else does enters our knowledge. Did anything...?" she trailed off, knowing the answer even as she spoke it.
[Bubbles] Sailor Hemera- 11/05/2017
The senshi of dreams. Venus nodded. Perhaps she would know what was going on. "Nothing," she replied tersely, her tone clearly annoyed at the lack of information. She glanced at the group of worried senshi. "Should we...?" Then she paused, remembering her theory. "...tell them anything? One of them... or several even... may be..." she trailed off, frowning. Could someone be listening right now? If they were, she didn't want them to catch on that they might have been found out. She hoped Mars understood her enough from what she'd said; they always understood each other well without words.
 [Kyra] - 11/05/2017
Mars caught what Venus meant, her teeth clenching and mouth straightening into a tight line as her eyes swept the assembly. A traitor amongst them. After all their precautions. After warning everyone only to invite people they trusted, to keep the conference the tightest-kept secret in the entire galaxy, the only explanation for what had happened was that someone had failed the vetting process and invited something terrible in in the guise of an ally. She looked back to Venus, "Maybe not just yet."
 
The door opened again, admitting Sailor Enlil and another senshi, the girl wearing a collar atop a spaghetti strapped, pleated short dress in purple with matching purple sandals and thick white bracelets. Her pale blonde hair fell in ringlets around her, tied into place with bows just above her shoulders, her collar a tight dark piece of fabric around her neck. Violet eyes swept over the area with alarm, her fist going to her chest worriedly, "They're all...?"
"Can you help them?" Mars interrupted, her gaze jumping from Venus to the new senshi before the girl could say anything else.
[Jasper] Shadow - 11/05/2017
It was more than a little bit annoying to sit back and listen to Mars and Venus communicate with a minimum of words. Sure, it was a security measure, but it also reminded Shadow that he ultimately fell outside the Earth senshi's inner circle and was by default a security risk. Not to mention certain personal relationships that were, well, best left forgotten. There was no sense in dwelling on things that were simply never meant to be.
 
He merely nodded to the new arrival, having precious little to say at the moment. Shadow resumed his staring match with the opposite wall, determined to win the next round and go on to best of three.
 [Kyra] - 11/05/2017
"I.... maybe?" Somnus replied, turning her attention to Mars and Venus, her eyes widening in recognition as she gulped down her hesitation. "If they're all really dreaming I can try to wake them up, or give them a message, at the very least. Who..." she looked around, "Do you want me to start with?"
Crysdal saw the new arrival, trying to remember whether the girl had been their earlier that day or not, her hopes rising in response to that earlier rumor - was this the person that could help? She nudged Inara and tilted her head towards the door quietly, not wanting to get Hadley's hopes up just in case she was mistaken.
[Light] Sailor Nyx - 11/05/2017
She caught sight of Mars and Venus, but she couldn't really make out what they were saying. Well, obviously they would be trying to make sense of the situation, but Nyx couldn't tell if they had made any progress.
 
Then another senshi arrived - Nyx did not recall seeing her before, but perhaps she just didn't remember everyone either way. If they're dreaming... They think that they're not simply unconscious? Are they trapped in a dream? Or a nightmare?
 
Try to wake them up... Somehow she doubted it would be that simple, but perhaps Mars and Venus had already figured something out. It would be worth a shot. She trusted they knew what they were doing.
[Bubbles] Sailor Hemera- 11/05/2017
Mars understood, which was a relief. And she seemed to think it was best to keep any information for now. Venus felt for the senshi that were genuinely worried for their friends, but sometimes difficult decisions had to be made for the greater good. She was the person who knew that best.
 
As Sailor Somnus entered the room and Mars asked her question impatiently, Venus suppressed a wry smile. Always so in a rush, except maybe when it came to her own feelings.
 
She felt her hope rising at what Somnus claimed she could do, and turned her attention towards the group of senshi as the dreamweaver asked who they should start with. Who indeed? That was a very good question.
 
She looked at Mars. "Maybe... the most senior senshi in the group?" That was what made sense strategically, anyway.
[Verdi] Sailor Valdis- 11/05/2017
Hadley, though sitting down next to Ari's cot, noticed the movements Crysdal made towards the new arrival to the room. Hadley didn't know who the girl was, but she did catch the tail end of what she was saying. Eyes widening, Hadley stood up and let go of Ari's hand, gently placing it over the sleeping girl's chest. She mentally told Ari she would be back soon enough, and then walked over to join Mars, Venus, and the new senshi.
 
"Um, excuse me?" she  said, the nervousness quieted her voice, and Hadley forced herself to stand up straighter. To speak a little louder. This was for Ari. That thought strengthened her and helped quell her anxiety. "Did you say that you could help send a message to someone?" She looked over to where she'd left her friends, eyes seeking out familiar purple hair. "Could... could I send a message to someone?" She stopped there, then remembered to add, "Please?"
 [Kyra] - 11/05/2017
Mars nodded thoughtfully, turning her neck to quickly glance down the aisles of beds; the senshi from their sector that had fallen had all been relatively young... but Andromeda could be a good place to start. ... but she was sure Enlil had her own thoughts as to whom would be best to attempt to wake first. Venus's suggestion of seniority was the most politically sound. The oldest then, and they'd just have to hope that the person they chose would accept Somnus's help as genuine and write her off in being jaded --
 
"Um, excuse me?"
 
Mars snapped back, furious at herself again for not feeling the girl's approach - no matter how small she was. She made adjustments to her posture and Mars shot a look at Venus as the girl continued, putting the decision on her. Logic and strategy was one thing, but if there was one thing they had learned from Usagi-chan, it was not to discount heart.
[Bubbles] Sailor Hemera- 11/05/2017
Hemera had no idea who the man that had approached them was - they hadn't shared any panels together - but he agreed with her idea of a curse, and she offered him a grateful smile. Crysdal, too, said it wasn't silly, which made her feel better. And Hadley... was Hadley blushing? She looked back and forth between Hadley and Ari's sleeping form, putting the pieces together...
 
It was while she was in the middle of this that Crysdal nudged her, and she looked up to follow her gaze toward the new arrival. She was saying she might be able to wake them up? Or give them a message? That was good!
 
Before she could say anything, Hadley had stood up to join the group of senior senshi. She seemed to be requesting to send a message. It must be for Ari. Hemera scooted closer to Nyx, and whispered in her ear, "Is it just me, or are those two in love?"
[Jasper] Shadow - 11/05/2017
Shadow lowered his head, musing on exactly what would constitute seniority in such a diverse group. He knew exactly who had fallen asleep, given his efforts in relocating the senshi into this room. His own accounts might be considered with some favoritism in hindsight, but to be fair, his first choice was anything but playing favorites. Andromeda was a competent senshi, and Shadow's own particular grievances wouldn't change that fact.
 
He also had no damn clue as to what the sleeping senshi were facing. In his eyes, dreams were images conjured up from the heart; he would entertain the idea that a strong spirit could potentially compensate for any shortcomings of experience.
[Light] Sailor Nyx - 11/05/2017
She observed as Hadley took the initiative to request aid from the newcomer. Rather uncharacteristic of her, actually. Perhaps seeing Bastet like that has given her resolve to be more determined or something. She tried listening in, see if anything would come out of this, as Hemera whispered something.
 
"First the true love's kiss and now this... Have you been reading a romance novel or something recently? They're probably just good friends," she replied dismissively, thinking how naive she was, though that got her thinking for a few seconds. She hadn't really thought of that before, actually? It wouldn't be such an improbability, all things considered.
 
"Probably..."
 
Was she the naive one?
[Bubbles] Sailor Hemera- 11/05/2017
Their discussion was cut short when one of the senshi approached; she struck Venus as someone who was new and just starting out, who was trying so hard to appear much put together and braver than she felt. Her heart went out to her and her heartfelt plea. She recognized that tone, the way she looked, it reminded her of what she felt for Mars, and as the self-appointed goddess of love, she liked to think she knew love when she saw it. Her expression softened as she looked at the girl. "Of course. What is your name, and who would you like to send a message to?"
 
Then she turned briefly to Somnus, "How many people can you reach out to in their dreams?"
[Verdi] Sailor Valdis- 11/05/2017
She hadn't been immediately sent away, and for that, Hadley was thankful. "My name is Hadley---" she cut her self off there. It didn't seem the appropriate response, especially not to such impressive figures, no matter how strange it still felt to think of herself as her senshi name. "I'm Sailor Valdis, and I would like to send a message to Sailor Bastet, if it's at all possible."
 [Kyra] - 11/05/2017
"Each dream is different," Somnus replied, glancing from the red-headed arrival to the Eternal Sailor Venus, "but I should be able to get to everyone's eventually - I just have to get in tune with their waves and insert myself into their dreamscape. If I'm just sending a message I can speak it and leave - do you want me to answer any questions?" she asked, partially trailing off, her hands clasped in front of her nervously in the presence of such esteemed heroes.
 
Valdis introduced herself and Somnus nodded, but looked back to Venus for her decision.
 
Mars nodded, showing Venus her support.
[Bubbles] Sailor Hemera- 11/05/2017
"You're no fun," Hemera nudged her sister, still watching the group closely. "One of these days we're going to have to find you a suitor. Maybe then you'll [Light] Sailor Nyxen up."
 [Kyra] - 11/05/2017
Crysdal had not expected Hadley to move forward like she did, but wished she had followed after her to lend her support, figuring if she went over now she may end up downplaying the other's confidence in some way; she was proud to see her taking a stand in a leadership role, but regretted that losing Ari was what stemmed it. She caught herself, correcting herself - being without Ari, not losing her. Just being without.
 
The twins were teasing each other quietly, their words background to Hadley's conversation with the new senshi and the others in charge; Crysdal smiled, catching the tail end of their conversation - getting Amaya a boyfriend? That'd be an adventure.
[Bubbles] Sailor Hemera- 11/05/2017
Everyone. That was good - it meant they didn't have to play favorites in regards to people who wanted to send messages to their loved ones. Venus certainly didn't want that decision on her plate. But what of the mole? What if they knew messages were being sent? That could be dangerous...
 
One problem at a time. "Alright, please send Sailor Valdis' message for now. And if they can talk back to you, it would be useful to know what they are dealing with. Maybe they don't even know they're in a dream."
 
She turned to Sailor Valdis. "She's all yours. But, if I may make a small request, please keep what she's doing to yourself for now. We don't want to start a commotion if everyone knows just yet until we can figure out a proper system for message deliveries."
 [Kyra] - 11/05/2017
Somnus nodded, "I'll tell you everything I see and hear, too," she dutifully replied to Eternal Sailor Venus, turning back to her even after she had been officially 'handed over', "Do you want me to try to wake this first one up if I can? It can take a while to convince them they're dreaming, but I could try, or I could just deliver the message and come back - what would you prefer?"
[Verdi] Sailor Valdis- 11/05/2017
Hadley felt a smile come to her lips for the first time in what felt like forever. She wanted to thank each of them, as she knew herself and Ari, being so new and young, couldn't possibly be at the top of their priority list. But she didn't want to interrupt the line of conversation, so she hoped her smile said it all until she had a better chance to thank them later, and contented herself by thinking of the best message she could send.
 
She wasn't certain how she would keep this information from her friends, but if it meant she could someone talk to Ari, then she would find a way.
[Light] Sailor Nyx - 11/05/2017
It was just like Inara to think about love and suitors in the middle of a crisis like this. "Right, right," she shrugged, but considered for a second. "I hope you're not trying to tell me something else with all that talk about love..." she stared at her, raising an eyebrow. She was awfully insistent on her finding a significant other for someone who shared the same status, to the best of her knowledge...
[Bubbles] Sailor Hemera- 11/05/2017
Venus thought about it. "There are a lot of senshi who will want to send messages; try if you can, but if it takes too long, come back," she decided. "Sailor Valdis might be able to assist you with knowledge about her friend."
 [Kyra] - 11/05/2017
Crysdal totally caught what Amaya was throwing, and couldn't help but squeeze closer to the two of them, "Inara! Do you have a boyfriend?!" she whispered excitedly, completely distracted from the situation around them.
Somnus nodded, then, hesitating, twitched forward in a bow towards Eternal Sailor Venus before stepping back to stand beside Valdis. ... Then offered Eternal Sailor Mars another little bow - how?? had?? she??? been so lucky??? - and turned to Valdis, "Ready when you are."
[Jasper] Shadow - 11/05/2017
This time around, the wall won its best of 3 set. Shadow raised a hand to his forehead, rubbing it with a mild groan of exasperation. The visitor, Somnus, was preparing to deliver messages to the dreaming senshi, yet there was an exceedingly small amount of things that he could personally address on his own. He could listen to the banter of Sailor Hemera and Sailor Nyx, and was close enough to overhear their conversation - particularly when it came to the question of a suitor.
 
Yeah, whoever that guy was, Jasper would wish them the best of luck.
[Bubbles] Sailor Hemera- 11/05/2017
"Something else?" Hemera blinked in confusion. Whatever did her sister mean? And then suddenly Crysdal was there too, questioning whether or not she had a boyfriend. A boyfriend. This time it was her turn to blush.
 
"No! I would tell Amaya already if I had. Don't you think I would have gushed about it to you?" she directed this last bit at Nyx. "Yeah, sure, I had the hots for Hot Wings for a while, but I don't think he's into me. Or any girl, actually." She narrowed her eyes at Crysdal. "Although, he seemed pretty into you."
[Verdi] Sailor Valdis- 11/05/2017
Realizing that it was time to go, Hadley turned specifically towards Sailors Venus and Mars. "Thank you so much!" she said with another smile, before turning and leading the way back to her little group of friends. Her heart skipped in excitement at the very prospect of being able to send some kind of message to Ari. At least, in this way, she could help! Maybe even convince Ari that it was time to wake up and come back to her.
 
All of this played out in her mind so distinctly that Hadley half-expected Ari to sit up right as Hadley approached.
 
She promptly made her way back to the sleeping girl's side, sitting down next to the cot and taking Ari's hand into her own. She went to introduce Sailor Somnus to her friends, but realized that they were deep into some other conversation. Maybe that would make it easier to not explain why Somnus was here in the first place, if Sailor Venus wanted to keep it quiet.
 
Instead, she motioned to Somnus to indicate that Ari was the intended message receiver.
 [Kyra] - 11/05/2017
Crysdal blushed, "Who, Gabriel?" she replied, "We're - he and I are - we're - it's not - " she stammered, unsure of how exactly to define their relationship. They weren't dating, but they were more than friends and, yeah, sure, sometimes there was that little flash of excitement that could mean something more but they relied on each other constantly in life-or-death situations - adrenaline did weird things like that all the time! "We're..." but how did you explain that in a way that didn't sound like she either didn't care or could never see him in that way or was harboring a secret crush or something? ... She couldn't. She just shrugged.
[Light] Sailor Nyx - 11/05/2017
Aegle threw the unsaid question directly, and Nyx continued staring at her, awaiting her response. "Good. You'd better not hide something like that. When the time comes at least. Give it a few more years..."
 
"Hot Wings?" she questioned, then she remembered who she was talking about, rolling her eyes at the nickname. "How unfortunate. Yeah, he did seem like the type to put duty above everything else, I sup--  oh?" she blushed as she understood what Inara meant. What made her think that, though? Well, maybe she should trust her sister's judgment more than her own in matters like that.
 
Then again, the way Aegle was stammering in response to Hemera... Who knows. Who cares. So long as it's not Inara.
 [Kyra] - 11/05/2017
Mars turned to Venus, watching as Somnus left with the Tapestry sector senshi out of the corner of her eye. "We've been overheard, but I couldn't tell by how many people," she said, her voice barely audible, "If anyone leaves, we should have them followed."
Somnus followed Valdis and stood at the head of Ari's bed, placing either hand on the unconscious girl's temples, and started to focus. "What do you want me to tell her?" she asked quietly, honing in on her brainwaves
[Bubbles] Sailor Hemera- 11/05/2017
"Ha!" Hemera pointed as Crysdal began stammering. "I knew it; you like him too!" Ironically enough, Nyx never did, but now she was saying he was someone who put duty above all else, he actually sounded like he could be her sister's type. Now, Gabriel and Nyx... that was interesting. She would ship it.
 
She probably shouldn't say it, or Nyx might kill her in her sleep.
 [Kyra] - 11/05/2017
Crysdal buried her face in her hands, "I don't know that!" she defended hopelessly. Perfect, just what she wanted. "Gabriel is - I mean he's a great guy but we've never - I don't know," she ended, dropping her hands to her sides and grimacing openly.
[Bubbles] Sailor Hemera- 11/05/2017
Venus' heart skipped as Mars said they'd been overheard, her brows furrowing. Had her partner noticed something she didn't? But she simply nodded, trusting her assessment. "Of course. I didn't mean to let anyone just leave before this matter is solved anyway. I will let our guards know."
 [Kyra] - 11/05/2017
"Not letting anyone leave is safe, but if someone wanted to leave the room after what Somnus is doing gets around..." Mars trailed off quietly, eyes intent on Venus's. There shouldn't be any active communicators; if someone wanted to leave to warn whatever was doing this, they'd have the accomplice and the culprit all in one go, and if no one left, it could be the person who was behind all this was in here with them.
[Verdi] Sailor Valdis- 11/05/2017
Hadley stared at Ari, watching the sleeping face of the person she felt closest to in all the worlds. What did she want to say? All of the preparation she had mentally done before this all went out the window. Nothing felt significant enough, not good enough. "Tell her..." she trailed off, finding the words. "Please tell her that I'm here with her, we're all here with her. Hemera, Nyx, Crysdal, we're all here so she doesn't need to be scared. Mars and Venus and all of the great senshi are working hard to figure out how to help everyone wake up." She could feel a catch in her throat as she tried not to let the emotions completely take over. This was important, and she wasn't going to let crying ruin this chance. "Let her know that I miss her. Um, that we all miss her, and Sam, too."
 
Hadley stopped there and looked to Somnus. "Was that okay? Should I say something more? Is there something I could say that might help her wake up more easily?" She paused, and a small smile graced her lips. "Thank you for this."
[Bubbles] Sailor Hemera- 11/05/2017
"I will keep an eye out," Venus nodded at Mars' suggestion. No one was leaving the room without her knowing about it. "I figured we'll just do a lottery system for the message delivery to be fair. Hopefully Somnus doesn't get too exhausted."
 [Kyra] - 11/05/2017
Somnus shook her head, her eyes opening once again but blank, the rims of her irises glowing, "That's fine," she replied, "I'll tell her." Keeping careful connection to the girl's temples, Somnus slowly lowered herself to the ground, kneeling before the bed, and closed her eyes again, concentrating.
 
The wave was hard to catch.  There was something in it - something that made it harder to trace and mimic... but she could do it. She was a daughter of Hypno - she had to be able to do it. Eyes twitched behind her lids as she raced after the pattern, fighting to jump on board...
 
 
Mars nodded in agreement. "Should we announce it then?"

[Jasper] Shadow - 11/05/2017

Leaning forward to stand back upright, Shadow dragged a hand over his face. Maybe he was tired, or just cold, but the safe room had lost its appeal. There were no faces to be punched or conspicuous Chaos threats to be struck down, so his utility here had already played itself out. He started walking towards the door, looking to leave the shelter in search of something like a nice hot bath, a shower, or some place where he could dwell on his thoughts in relative privacy... like his own room. Yeah, that was the ticket.
[Bubbles] Sailor Hemera- 11/05/2017
Hemera patted Crysdal's shoulder comfortingly. "It's okay. Love is complicated. But you'll figure it out," she said with the air of someone who was an expert on all things love-related.
 
Her only knowledge was from romance books.
[Light] Sailor Nyx - 11/05/2017
Inara, the love expert. "Pffffft." She tried to suppress her scoff again, but this time she wasn't successful. "Uhhhh shall we see how it's going?" she motioned over to Valdis and the other girl.
[Bubbles] Sailor Hemera- 11/05/2017
"Yes, we sh-" Venus' answer was cut short when movement from the corner of her eye caught her attention. Without turning her head, she tracked it - Shadow was heading towards the door. She had known him a long time - Endymion had known him a long time, but to be honest, his judgment had never amounted to a lot in her eyes, except maybe for his choice in Serenity, but how he'd gone about it the first time still chafed at her sometimes, but she digressed, the point was, he wasn't always the wisest, no matter what he liked to think - and anyway, no one was to be ruled out right now, there could be impostors. "Perhaps you could announce it?" she continued, glancing at Mars then back at the retreating figure, indicating his movement without so much as turning her body at all.
Hemera finally paid attention to Valdis again, who was now joined by the newcomer. She seemed to be doing something to Ari. She wanted to ask what was going on, but it seemed whatever the strange senshi was doing required concentration, so she decided to keep quiet for now, one of the rare moments in her life where she could.
 [Kyra] - 11/05/2017
Crysdal sighed, her face relaxing and eyes opening, gaze trailing as she thought through how to change the subject back to something more fun when Amaya's comment pulled her attention to Hadley and the two pale hands on either side of Ari's face. She straigthened, alert, and nodded to her dark-haired friend.
 
--
Mars's nerves stood on end as Venus abruptly stopped talking, her own eyes tracing the movement in those light blue eyes she knew so well, her guard mounting and power building, waiting for a sign from her partner before turning and executing an attack; there was no question in Mars's mind that Venus was disturbed by something, and nothing that disturbed Venus should be taken lightly.
 
Her suggestion, then, made Mars's hair stand on end. Act like nothing is abnormal. She had a hunch and was following it. Curiosity got the best of her; she nodded, accepting her judgement, but looked out over the gathered unconscious senshi and their caretakers starting in the direction Venus was looking, seeking out what had caught her attention, and amethyst eyes locked onto the retreating form of Shadow, her frown hardening for a moment before she cleared her throat.
 
"Attention, everyone. Sailor Somnus, senshi of Dreams, has joined us and is offering her assistance in sending messages to sleeping friends; the order will be chosen via lottery system. If you have a message you would like to send, head to the front of the room and put your name on a slip of paper there."
[Bubbles] Sailor Hemera- 11/05/2017
Venus waited to see if he would leave and where he would go as Mars made her announcement, then finally turned, facing her partner. "What if someone else leaves?" she whispered in Mars' ear.
[Jasper] Shadow - 11/05/2017
At the announcement, Shadow paused. He initially wanted to avoid making an imposition on the abilities of Sailor Somnus, as those were her powers to call upon at her own discretion. If she was extending the option to the gathering, however, then a short missive to Bellatrix and Soul might be reasonable. After a few moments of silence, Shadow turned to approach the head of the room and write down his name.
 [Kyra] - 11/05/2017
Mars looked at her, tilting her head up minutely, suggesting without words that she would follow the next.
 
------------
It... it was hard. Too hard - she was exhausted, following after this sleeping girl's trail of thoughts, but she couldn't let them down, she had to do what she said she could - there was no other option! Somnus pushed, throwing herself farther into the process....
 
and finally did it, her brain waves merging with Sailor Bastet's.
 
Heat slammed into her, light blinded her, and before she could even see what was around her, forces pushed and pulled at her, forcefully ejecting her from the dream.
 
Gasping, Somnus fell back onto the floor, breathing heavily, eyes wide with fear.
 
That had never happened before.
[Bubbles] Sailor Hemera- 11/05/2017
Venus nodded, understanding Mars' meaning, and was about to follow her target out of the room when he stopped and turned. For the time being, it seemed he wasn't leaving. Venus frowned - maybe she was wrong. But then her attention was caught by Somnus falling to the floor.  She touched Mars' shoulder briefly to let her know to keep an eye on the room before rushing over to Somnus. "Are you okay? What happened?" Her head snapped up to look for Mercury in case Somnus needed medical attention.
[Light] Sailor Nyx - 11/05/2017
Nyx watched intently as the unknown girl -- Somnus, as she heard in the announcement just now -- attempted to somehow contact Bastet. It seemed as it might work for a second, but suddenly, she let go of Bastet and fell back, her  breathing heavy. What just happened? Perhaps they were not in a dream after alll...? But if that were the case, wouldn't she simply fail to enter the dream?
 
She was about to help the girl pull herself back together when Venus rushed to her side, so she simply stood aside. "This does not look good..." she whispered to the two girls with her.
[Verdi] Sailor Valdis- 11/05/2017
Hadley's eyes widened as Somnus gasped and fell backwards. Worry pulled at her and luckily Venus was there an instant later. "Is something wrong with Ari?" she couldn't help but to ask, despite also being worried for Sailor Somnus. She squeezed at Ari's hand even more tightly.
[Jasper] Shadow - 11/05/2017
No sooner had Shadow committed his name to the paper then did Somnus tumble backwards onto the floor with the most telling expression he had seen to date. He shook his head briefly, deciding to keep his distance as Venus had taken the initiative to check on her physical condition.
 
If the professed senshi of dreams had that kind of recoil from her attempts to synchronize with Bastet, then they had a rather large problem on their hands.
 [Kyra] - 11/05/2017
Mars nodded, glancing the way Venus rushed as she turned her attention back on the room, trusting her.
 
--------
Somnus reeled - of course Eternal Sailor Venus was front row center to see her fail. "I'm okay," she replied quickly, "It just... it threw me out." She adjusted, putting her feet beneath her to kneel once again, "I'll try it again," she stated with a nod, breathing deep and even to steady herself, placing her hands on Bastet's temples yet again. She didn't have an answer for Valdis, she hoped the girl understood. Closing her eyes, she focused on the other girl, recalling the heat and the bright light in an attempt to hone in on the sequence faster.
[Bubbles] Sailor Hemera- 11/05/2017
Hemera watched the commotion worriedly, her hand grasping Nyx's without realizing it, needing a source of comfort and strength. What if Sailor Somnus could not help them? Will they be trapped in this cursed state forever?
 [Kyra] - 11/05/2017
Crysdal bit her lip in worry, nodding her response to Nyx's thought, watching closely as the senshi dutifully tried again.
[Bubbles] Sailor Hemera- 11/05/2017
Threw her out? Whatever was in there was powerful then, if it could even stop her, someone whose domain was dreams. The more she learned about what was going on, the less she liked this. "Don't force yourself, we can't lose you, too," Venus said softly as Somnus tried again.
[Jasper] Shadow - 11/05/2017
After writing his name down, Shadow cautiously approached Somnus and Venus while keeping a moderate distance. The senshi of dreams appeared to be shocked by her rejection, receiving some encouragement from Venus before repeating her efforts. If breaking into the dream was going to be that difficult, he would at least ask Somnus if she was prepared to try again before actually making his request. Getting a message to Bellatrix and Soul was desirable, but he wouldn't put another senshi in danger to reach them - not if he was capable of taking the risk instead.
 [Kyra] - 11/05/2017
She nodded her head, the fact that Eternal Sailor Venus was wishing for her wellbeing paler than it should have been in comparison, the failure heavy on her mind as she squeezed her eyes shut tighter, trying to concentrate.... Heat, light... heat light... heat... light...
 
Heat and light enveloped her again - heat, light, and a disturbing smell that pervaded her senses. She'd smelled this in another dream before - a nightmare, one that she would never forget. Blinking, she appeared in the dream - she was in a building, looking out - she saw Bastet and ---
 
She fell back again, her arm colliding with Venus's ankle on the way down. She grimaced in embarrassment as much as in pain from the mental backlash, panting again as she fought to regain her breath.
"Something's rejecting me," she stated in her defense as much as to share information, pulling herself back into a seating position warily. She wiped at her nose, the ghost of that terrible smell lingering in her mind. "I get there and it throws me back out - I don't know how long I can stay in there."
"What do you want me to do?" she asked, looking from Valdis to one of her greatest heroes, ashamed she couldn't do more.
[Bubbles] Sailor Hemera- 11/05/2017
She watched Somnus in concern as the senshi tried again, and was met with the same result. Her fast reflexes caught the senshi's body before it could collide with the ground, her worry for the girl's well-being mounting. "Remember what you see, hear, feel, smell, and anything you can identify as much as possible before you have to leave. We need as much information as possible about the dream they're in. And if you can, tell them they're in a dream. I think that's what's most important for them to realize."
[Jasper] Shadow - 11/05/2017
Oh, that did not bode well.  When Somnus tumbled back onto the floor a second time, Shadow could only assume that something was actively influencing the dream state. He couldn't guess at what was there, or who was in it; only that someone was working against Somnus's attempts to gather information. He wasn't too thrilled to receive the news, but he could hold out some hope that the senshi would cover each other if their dreams were all linked. That would mean Sailor Bellatrix and Sailor Soul were also there to lend their strength.
 
He thought of speaking, but Venus covered pretty much every important angle before his lips could open. Fair enough; Somnus was likely more inclined to listen to her anyway.
 [Kyra] - 11/05/2017
Something's rejecting her? Crysdal gulped, looking down at Ari, afriad to... afraid to look at Sam. She had told herself that they were just sleeping. That something had put them and all the others to sleep in an attempt to keep them out of a battle - most of her nerves had been shot in thinking about Elysande out there - she had volunteered to help with security so she'd be on the front lines of an attack if one was coming. But now? ... if Somnus couldn't get in, and that wasn't weird for her, and she was being thrown out... Sam and Ari might actually be the ones in danger.
 
Crysdal could help Elysande if she got hurt out here, but her powers couldn't help the people here. That something could mess with their dreams... were they locked in there? What was it doing to them?  She clenched her hands in worry, attention wholly on Somnus and Ari.
Them?
 
The word was like a weight in Somnus's stomach. Them. She had agreed to do this for everyone here - all the sleeping people, and there were so many of them. That she'd have to do this repeatedly, when she was already so tired... She nodded, gulping as she tried not to cry at the prospect. It'd be okay. Was she the daughter of Hypnos or wasn't she? She could do this.
 
She didn't want to do this. This was hard. This was terrible. She hurt all over, she was exhausted, and there were more than twenty to go after this.
 
But she would do this.
 
She breathed through her nose to hold back her tears of inadequacy, placed her shaking fingers on either side of Bastet's head, pads of her index, middle, and ring finger pressing gently against Bastet's temples, and concentrated.
 
Heat. Light.  Smoke. Burning bodies. Burnt hair.
 
It was only a dream.
 
Heat. Light. Smoke. Burning bodies.
 
Heat. Light. Smoke. Burning bodies.
 
Heat. Light. Smoke. Burning bodies. She was in.
Sailor Somnus fell backward once again, this time without stirring.
To Be Continued

[Kyra] - 11/12/2017

Somnus woke with a start, gasping for air and reaching for her head, some of her difficulties in entering this dream becoming clearer. "There's more than one dreamer!" she exclaimed breathlessly, curling up into a sitting position with one knee tight to her chest.  As many details as possible - she closed her eyes and recalled as much as she could, her voice spilling from her mouth, words nearly tripping over each other as she remembered what she had seen. "There was a city on fire - it was hot and dry, filled with smoke - the buildings were white and made of some sort of stone or brick? White, generally, maybe bleached from a sun, all fire scorched; the road was covered in brown sand, there was a pile of burned bodies piled high, and it wasn't just Bastet there - that's why I'm having trouble staying in - their minds have been linked!"
[Jasper] Shadow - 11/12/2017
A shared, linked dream? That wasn't good at all, rather quite the opposite. Shadow kept a mild distance from the awakening Somnus and her blonde idol, giving consideration to the details that were forcibly pried from the collective dream state. What she was describing was a desert, in which a settlement and its inhabitants had all been put to the torch.
 
He looked up finally, addressing Somnus with a carefully measured lack of emotion. Getting heated here wouldn't help anyone. "Did it feel as if you were getting pushback from any other force?"
[Bubbles] Sailor Hemera- 11/12/2017
Hemera had been watching Sailor Somnus' attempts with increasing worry, and when the girl fell for the third time, she rushed closer to attempt to help, even if she didn't know what she could do. What surprised her, however, was to hear her description. A city on fire... hot and dry? Filled with smoke... The all too familiar memory flooded her, and she tried not to stagger. "Destore?" she said in a low voice, not to anyone in particular but more to herself.
 
After all, it was hard to forget the place where you died.
When Somnus had been thrown out again and did not stir, Venus had thought they had lost her. That they had killed her. A quick vital check, however, revealed that this wasn't true, and with her heart beating hard in her chest, she waited until the girl came to. Her report made her brows furrow; more than one dreamer? The description of the place did not sound familiar at first... but then... wait... she had been there, hadn't she?
 
Sailor Hemera's muttering of the place's name confirmed it. They were back on Destore? Reliving a nightmare, perhaps? Their minds linked... But not all of the senshi that had fallen into slumber were from the Destore party.
 
"Did you get to tell them anything?" she asked softly.
[Light] Sailor Nyx - 11/12/2017
More than one dreamer? "Do you mean-- did you see everyone in there? Is everyone having the same dream?"
 
She didn't really know if this was good or bad. It would be good to have one another, she figured - they would work together, possibly be less frightened by whatever they encountered in that dream or nightmare, but something powerful must be at work to link all those people in a dream.
 
A burning city full of sand... She looked at her sister for a second or two as they shared the same thought. Well, it's probably not the same city, but it should give a sense of deja-vu to Sam and Bastet for sure...
 
Unless their shared dream was actually connected to their own experiences?
 [Kyra] - 11/12/2017
Somnus's brows furrowed as she looked up at the tall, dark man standing across from her and quickly tried to stand but was, for the moment, unable to. Settling for less, she crossed her arms tight to her chest, her shoulders rising uncomfortably "I was forced out again," she replied defensively to him, thinking that would be enough of an obviously yes without saying as much.
 
Gratefully she looked up at Sailor Venus, excited to show she hadn't failed completely, - "Yes! I told them that --" but she had to swallow that small victory, too, "...No, I was thrown out before I could finish. I tried to tell them it was a dream."
 
She looked up at Nyx, unsure of who the person was but happy enough to give another answer as feeling returned to her legs. Pulling her sandled feet beneath her, she rose, shaking her head, "Not everyone, just a handful - this one," she said, pointing to Chalybs beside Bastet, closing her eyes to picture the party she had seen more clearly, "A tall girl, a short girl with messy hair..." she trailed off, "maybe... eight in all? Some were flying - I should be able to point them out." She nodded her head firmly -that she could do. She figured. They didn't look too alike, anyway.
 
Valdis's response made her feel even worse for not having done more. She looked from the shorter girl and then away, staring down at the cat-eared senshi she was trying to save.
[Verdi] Sailor Valdis- 11/12/2017
Hadley could feel worry, stark and strong, pull at her heart as she listened to Somnus explain what she had seen. When Hemera spoke the name of that planet Destore... Hadley shuddered, memories stinging like fire.
 
She didn't know what to say. She wanted to help, somehow, but she didn't know how. The very idea that Ari was stuck on a place like Destore... it was terrible. What if... Hadley couldn't help but to glance at Hemera, and  became even more terrified that her friends would meet the same fate that had stolen Hemera away from them on that planet.
 
She was saddened even further to hear that Somnus wasn't able to get any message to Ari. Hadley had hoped that such a message would perhaps give Ari hope in such a desolate place, but it seemed there was no hope to give just yet. She frowned, but looked up to Somnus and tried to smile. "Thank you for trying," she said. "Any help we can give them is a good thing. "
[Jasper] Shadow - 11/12/2017
The location which Somnus had witnessed was familiar to at least one of the senshi. Shadow turned his attention to the room, gauging Hemera's reaction without attempting to look directly at her, as that might have implied that he was levelling an accusation. It was too early to point fingers when they were still fitting details together like the beginnings of a jigsaw puzzle.
[Bubbles] Sailor Hemera- 11/12/2017
Venus' hope was dashed when Somnus reported that she could not even tell them they were in a dream before she was pushed out. "Yes," she added to what Sailor Valdis said, "Thank you. And it seems this has taken enough out of you. I worry for your health and safety; you should rest before we even think of attempting it again. I don't like thinking what measures this force that is blocking you would take if we persisted." She frowned, stood up, and resisted the urge to pace back and forth. It would only make the others anxious as well.
 
"That being said, would you know anything about this force that's trying to keep you out? You said this has never happened before, but do you have any idea what or who could be doing this?"
 [Kyra] - 11/12/2017
She wanted to look at Eternal Sailor Venus, grateful for the suggestion that she could rest - a headache was already creeping its way across her brain - but... she didn't know the answer. She kept looking down at Bastet as she replied sullenly, "I'm not sure... Usually if I try to enter a mind that doesn't want me in there, a piece of the consciousness breaks away and fights me; that didn't happen here. It was like it just my connection was severed by my being pushed out of phase. Whatever it is is forcing the linked minds to move as one to keep the dream together but has enough control to pick and choose who stays." She glanced back, giving a weak smile, "I'm pretty sure no one else will fall asleep and get caught so long as these minds are connected like that, though. If it's hard for me to try to get in, the chances of whatever it is that's doing this being able to pull in another consciousness is low."
Destore?
 
She came to the same conclusion as Inara had, and her stomach rolled. The burning city. The one they had to leave behind. The first place they had never even attempted to save. She swallowed hard, all thoughts of their previous conversation buried in guilt as she thought back to that time, how reckless she had been in rushing ahead, how helpless she had felt and how betrayed she had felt at being told they wouldn't persue the attackers into the tunnel. It had been a good thing in the end, but at the time it had hurt so much. And not only just her...
 
As Somnus indicated that Sam had been there, Crysdal's heart fell to her feet. She looked over to the sleeping girl encased in armor, remembering how it had affected her - how she had stopped feeling after that so she could focus more on "the mission." Being back there now must be terrible for her...
 
She was slightly comforted by the thought that it had apparently only been Sam and Ari that were there, though; she couldn't imagine what it would've been like for Inara or Elysande to... Practically involuntarily, she reached out and took Inara's hand. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, squeezing tightly.
A quiet beeping started to go off; Mercury stood and rushed over to the bedside of another senshi, quickly and quietly and raising no alarm. The beeping ceased. Mercury looked up from the girl and first met Mars's eyes, then Venus's, her silent message known only to them.
 
Another one had fallen into a coma. That made six.
[Bubbles] Sailor Hemera- 11/12/2017
Venus didn't like what she was hearing; whoever or whatever this force was, they were powerful. She looked at the bodies strewn around the room; the comfort of Somnus' reassurance that no one else would fall asleep barely affecting her, especially when Mercury's alert went off. Mercury had told them earlier that some of the dreaming senshi were falling into deeper slumber... a coma. That was worrisome. It meant death might be an eventuality. Something they could not come back from. Venus gulped and tried to maintain her calm demeanor, turning back to Somnus. "Can you point out the eight you saw so we can separate them into another group? That way we can figure out who's with who and... maybe figure out a connection on how they were chosen or something."
[Bubbles] Sailor Hemera- 11/12/2017
Hemera felt someone's hand on hers that wasn't her sister's, and looked up to see Crysdal, surprised. The girl's murmured words and the squeeze of her hand almost undid her, but she managed a smile for her sister's sake. Nyx couldn't see her cry, she was not allowed to think Hemera was weak. She already had a hard time enough as it was getting out of the planet these days. If her sister thought she still needed 'time to recover' or 'extra protection'...
 
"Thanks," she whispered back, wishing there was something they could do to help with this whole situation. Her eyes looked towards SAM and Bastet. If they lost them... could they get them back again... like last time? She knew she'd been incredibly lucky, and that what happened to her was a once in a thousand years occurrence or something. But she was not ready to lose her friends yet.
 [Kyra] - 11/12/2017
Somnus nodded, "Yes," She looked from Bastet to the armored one, looking to the rows of bodies beyond, craning her neck to see around the people hovering around their friends. "These two.... those two were the ones flying, I think?" she said, pointing to Andromeda and Nocturnus near a waiting Achelois, "That one," she said, pointing to Bellatrix, "And that one," she motioned to Xibalba, ticking off fingers to mark down - two remaining, but she hadn't spotted them; she had made it all the way around the room and back to --
 
She froze, staring at the girl that held another's hand, standing right by the original bedside. "Her," she said, taking a step backward, "You. You were there - you were with these two - I remember you," She looked up at Venus for support, "She was there!"
Inara's words did little for the guilt she felt, but what happened next was completely beyond her. Her heart thumping quickly, her eyes open with with surprise, she put her hand to her chest to motion to herself, though she had little doubt that Somnus was meaning anyone else. Confused, she looked around - she wasn't sleeping? She wasn't in the dream?
[Jasper] Shadow - 11/12/2017
If his eyes weren't playing tricks on him, Sailor Hemera had been the first to mention Destore, and remained relatively silent. She had been moderately chatty up to the point where Somnus had started gathering information about the linked dream, at which time the chatter had ceased. Shadow turned to read in the faces of the other senshi, those outside of the familiar few who were doing their best to make sense of this puzzle.
 
He then raised an eyebrow towards the sleep specialist, following her eyes towards the girl holding Hemera's hand.
[Light] Sailor Nyx - 11/12/2017
Nyx was impressed by the girl's memory - she had been there for just a few seconds or so it seemed, yet she was able to pinpoint the ones she identified with relative certainty.
 
But she did not expect what happened next. She said Aegle was there? Aegle was most certainly not asleep. "Are-- are you sure? Are you sure it was her?"
 [Kyra] - 11/12/2017
Crysdal looked around the room, catching Amaya's meaning, hoping to find another blonde haired pink-and-white suited senshi --
 
"Yes," Somnus replied, "I'm certain it was her, with the half-shaved head! She looked terrified!"
[Bubbles] Sailor Hemera- 11/12/2017
Venus noted the senshi Somnus were pointing out, moving now that she had an excuse to pace, her mind already whirling with possibilities - two from Zhi's section, three from the solar system, two from... She stopped thinking about patterns and meanings when Somnus froze, her eyes falling on Sailor Aegle, the one Venus had traveled with from Destore.
 
She was in the dream?
 
Somnus' certainty immediately made her feel alert; had they found the person responsible for this? The traitor? The person who had managed to sneak beyond their defenses by pretending to be someone she wasn't?
 
"Lockdown," she said in a commanding voice to the communicator on her ear, not even pretending to be subtle anymore. "Nobody is leaving here until we resolve this. Sailor Aegle, you have some explaining to do. First of all, I'm going to need you to summon your Sailor Crystal to prove you are who you say you are." That still wouldn't clear her; senshi had been turned before, but she needed to get rid of the disguise or doppelganger possibility first.
 [Kyra] - 11/12/2017
Mars, hearing the command, immediately went into action as other senshi pegged for protection duty sealed off the doors. Her voice echoed in the now-quiet room as she spoke specific directions into the communicator.
 
Lockdown was underway.
Her muscles tensing in fear, Crysdal held tighter to Inara's hand, his time asking for support rather than forgiveness as her heart raced in the face of Venus's judgement. Produce her sailor crystal? Produce it?! "I-" she stammered, stopping herself immediately to clear her throat and take confidence where she could make it. "I can't do that," she said, forcing her voice to be calm.
[Light] Sailor Nyx - 11/12/2017
Just what was happening... If Aegle was here and there, then that meant...
 
"It could still be that the Aegle in the dream is an impostor, trying to gain the trust of the sleeping senshi and lead them astray... Let's not be rush," she decided to add.
 
At the same time, as subtly as she could, she motioned with her eyes for her sister to step away. She was too close for comfort to someone they were openly accusing - and had a 50% chance of being right at that too.
[Bubbles] Sailor Hemera- 11/12/2017
Venus' eyes narrowed. "Why not? Just call your transformation power."
 
Her eyes flicked to Sailor Nyx, who offered a logical argument. "Of course," she said calmly. "But we need this one to proof her identity first since she's the one we have access to."
 
Hemera was alarmed by what was going on; they were saying Crysdal was behind this?! Crysdal, who had kept most of them alive through Destore? She wouldn't betray them like that, right?
 
She caught her sister's glance, but... Crysdal was holding her hand tighter and she looked terrified. How could Hemera abandon her in her time of need? No, she could not do that. She stubbornly refused to move and waited to hear an explanation. Because there had to be a good one. "Crysdal?" she asked her friend almost pleadingly.
[Jasper] Shadow - 11/12/2017
Aegle was awake, yet she was present in the dream? The blonde's immediate reaction seemed awfully telling. But it could also have been a reaction borne of bewilderment.
 
There was little Shadow could do except to watch, wait, and offer whatever meager amount of input on the dream trap he was able to provide. Further information was necessary, yet even the mere appearance of guilt was not something desired when the lives of many other senshi were at risk. Fortunately, Venus had not gone so far as to pronounce a summary judgement.
 [Kyra] - 11/12/2017
Her transformation power? "But I'm already transformed," she replied, trying to keep calm and her voice even despite how terrible the situation looked. She swallowed hard, trying to think up an alternative, glad to have Amaya and Inara on her side - for now anyway? Inara was pleading with her but she couldn't make her Sailor Crystal appear - she didn't know how.
[Bubbles] Sailor Hemera- 11/12/2017
Venus exchanged a look with Mars, wondering what her partner thought. It was true that they had not seen their Sailor Crystal until their super forms - not as an actual object anyway - but... "Then why don't you detransform and retransfrom in front of us? How did you find your power the first time if you have never seen your Sailor Crystal?" If she had a transformation item she channeled the power through, perhaps Mercury could verify its authenticity.
[Jasper] Shadow - 11/12/2017
If she was transformed, perhaps Aegle would be called upon to demonstrate her power as proof of validity. He couldn't very well assume each senshi's powers worked the exact same way, given their different origins from across the known galaxy. Even his own power over darkness could serve as an exception, for he was infused with it.
 
Shadow spoke up, keeping his voice level and calm. "Perhaps she learned to call on her power differently."
[Light] Sailor Nyx - 11/12/2017
"Hey, it's alright. We still believe in you. Someone's in there trying to confuse them - but they'll make it through, I'm sure of it," she said as she moved closer to the girls, placing each of her hands on their shoulders.
 
Of course, she was not being honest at all. She just wanted to move closer without looking suspicious. If Inara was not moving away, then she'd have to move towards her instead, to be on the safe side.
 
Nyx thought for a few moments... One should be real, one should be fake. But who? Assuming the one inside the dream was fake, it would make sense - gain the girls' trust, get them killed or something. Would they die if they died in this dream?
 
If this Aegle was fake instead... They did not find a body. That means that whoever is behind this disposed of the body. But if they got access to her body, wouldn't they be able to do something more... permanent to her? She shivered at the thought. But why let her live? One senshi down, and no chance of being discovered as a double - even as unlikely as they may have thought it.
 
She was more inclined to trust this here Aegle was the real one, for now, despite the girl's qualms and inability to prove herself so far.
 
Not that she would leave her with her sister alone in the same room.
 [Kyra] - 11/12/2017
She swallowed, considering Venus carefully, "It just happened, for me," she said, stalling - she had been transformed for months now; the idea of detransforming - the act of detransforming - how did she even do that? "Sailor Alshain needed help and I was there and it just - happened, I don't know how, and I didn't see any crystals." She swallowed, feeling like she was showing herself an idiot, "I know what it is - I was taught what it was and what it means, but I've never had to produce it before," she paused, adding defensively, "And i haven't detransformed in months and I had only transformed once before that - I need a minute to figure it out."
[Bubbles] Sailor Hemera- 11/12/2017
Sailor Aegle was either a really good liar or the unluckiest person on this planet right now. Venus looked at her - she liked to think she could spot someone wearing a mask, being so used to it herself - but she couldn't figure this out at all. Her reasons seemed both convenient to the point of being contrived and sincerely confused. And there wasn't exactly someone that needed healing in this room for her to proof her abilities on, and Venus was not going to hurt anyone to do that. "Do you mind separating yourself from the other senshi until we can proof your identity at least?" she asked, pointedly looking at the joined hands of her and Hemera.
 
She then motioned to Mercury and whispered a question to her, "Is there any way you can prove someone has a Sailor Crystal or is indeed a senshi?"
 [Kyra] - 11/12/2017
"I can put her to sleep," Somnus offered.
 
Crysdal tensed, taking a deep breath under her breath, and released Inara's hand, side stepping away from the twins. Detransform. Detransform. "Questions? I can answer questions that only I would know," she offered, trying to find the link between herself and her power so she could cut it off, "If I weren't me I wouldn't know everything I should know, right?"
 
She didn't want to be put to sleep. Somnus had said that it would be hard to pull someone into a dream, but that wasn't impossible, and she didn't want to relive any of those places they had first visited, Destore especially. Meeting Venus's gaze for a moment, a rush of emotion went from her to the older senshi,
Aegle Eye Contact:
{Fear, slight desperation} Please don't make me sleep.
Mercury hurried over, noticing Venus's look, and considered the question carefully before replying, "With so many Sailor Crystals near just feeling for the cosmic energy radiation may be skewed; if we isolate her it could become clearer."
[Bubbles] Sailor Hemera- 11/12/2017
Hemera spoke up when Crysdal said that she wouldn't know everything she'd know if she weren't the true Crysdal. "We were talking about Gabriel earlier! She was blushing and everything! She must be the same Crysdal from that mission!" she blurted out, before realizing that she had probably spoken out of turn in a very crucial moment, the kind of thing her sister always warned her against. "I mean, if that helped at all..." she offered.
[Light] Sailor Nyx - 11/12/2017
Nyx had to admit that Aegle's reaction when they were talking about Gabriel was... deep, for someone who was just faking it and had probably no idea who that even was. She just nodded along with her sister, feeling a little more at ease - but not quite ready to relax either.
 
She wondered if Aegle would appreciate her sister sharing that bit of information with everyone though and suppressed a giggle.
[Bubbles] Sailor Hemera- 11/12/2017
Venus considered Somnus' offer, before discarding it. If this Aegle was somehow working with the person controlling the dreams, maybe putting her to sleep would actually help them in ways the rest of them could not expect. She also considered Sailor Hemera's attempt to vouch for her. Venus remembered the winged knight in question too and had noticed the bond between him and Aegle. Finally, she listened to Mercury and nodded. Separating her might be the best idea after all.
 
Just then, she caught Aegle's eye and felt a sudden rush of emotions that she knew were not her own. They felt... genuine. If she recalled correctly, wasn't telepathy one of her powers?
 
She finally spoke, "I don't think it's necessary to put you to sleep, but it might be best if we isolate you until we can proof beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are the true Sailor Aegle and have nothing to do with this. Will you submit yourself to our custody?"
 [Kyra] - 11/12/2017
Crysdal nodded her head as Inara spoke, overlooking the whole telling everyone she was blushing about Gabriel bit in favor of Inara's attempt at helping her out, freezing stock-still as Venus spoke next. "If it'll help, yes," she bit her lip, "I'll go wherever you want me to - I... just... do I have to be alone?"
[Bubbles] Sailor Hemera- 11/12/2017
"There will be guards, and Mercury will accompany you to see if she can conclusively tell that you are indeed a sailor senshi. And someone will be along to ask you questions to further verify your identity, probably one of us," Venus replied.
 [Kyra] - 11/12/2017
She nodded, looking to Mercury hopefully. She didn't like being alone. "Where do you want me to go?"
[Bubbles] Sailor Hemera- 11/12/2017
"Mercury, can you find a suitable place to check her out?" Venus asked her friend. "And make sure to bring backup," she added the last bit only for Mercury to hear. "Just in case."
 [Kyra] - 11/12/2017
Mercury nodded, "Let me get another on monitoring them, I'll motion when I'm ready." She walked away.
[Jasper] Shadow - 11/12/2017
That was probably the best thread of inquiry the senshi had to work from for the moment. However, until the matter was resolved, the hotel was in a state of lockdown. From this very room, it seemed unlikely that Shadow would be able to leave. The worst thing about this incident was being forced into the position of an observer, watching the progressively deteriorating status of the sleeping guardians and being absolutely unable to do a damn thing to improve their lot.
 
Shadow groaned, finding a place against a wall to sit down. He was tired of being idle; two of his good friends had succumbed to the unnatural slumber. He stared at everything and nothing within the room, his irritable expression conveying his solitude despite the presence of so many people.