Pain flashed hard in her chest as the mention of Zenar. Regret, shame, guilt, anger, sadness, all tore through her. She tightened her mental shields as she looked at Bellatrix and Andromeda, wondering what they were feeling. Needing to keep a cool head meant she had to close off her empathy unless she needed it, or she would be overwhelmed with the groups current state of emotion. 

Amina perked up a bit when she heard Nocturnus's voice, nearly sinking in relief. So she had survived, that was good. 

As she continued to listen her thoughts raced. Was the key to their freedom from this place defeating whatever darkness the Asturlab had picked up on?

The blonde girl - Aegle, was it? - had a point. Heading in a random place wasn't the best course of action, but with no clue as to where to go, that seemed the only option.

Luckily, there were some in their group that had ways of pointing them in the right direction. Or at least, away from the wrong direction.

With Andromeda's memory and Nocturnus's little gadget, it seemed they now had a good idea as to where to start. Bellatrix smiled towards Nocturnus to thank her for using the helpful little gadget, but the smile was short lived as a low keening scream tore through the air.

Instinctively, Bellatrix pulled her spear at the ready, body taut as she primed herself for battle. But a moment passed and all she saw was the return of Xilbalba, looking entirely unpleasant. Relaxing her body, Bellatrix frowned, wondering what had happened.

At least it seemed as though there were no enemies attacking. For now.

Sailor Xibalba bit back a curse as she stopped short when Crysdal crossed and dominated the path toward the larger group. The brunette bit her lower lip as she growled out of frustration with the entire situation. It was obvious that Crysdal knew Sailor Xibalba was not hurt, so this confrontation was deliberate. Oh, she wanted to fight this out here and now with Sailor Aegle, but Sailor Xibalba knew the group needed to move and not stay while the two brawled. But, she sure as heck was throwing down if this kept up. Her hand gripped the chert blade in her hand more tightly and her muscles tensed in anticipation. 

With exaggerated movements, the brunette indicated the perfectly-fine condition of her body and health. "No," she dead-panned.

Whatever was going on between the blonde in pink and the loud one decorated with so many bones and jewels, it made Nocturnus uncomfortable. She took a shuffling step closer to Sailor Andromeda, her dark form barely visible in the low light of this spooky forest. Only the small glints from the stars on her uniform and her golden gauntlets could be clearly seen. Yet once again she was reminded that this felt wrong—this miasma did not offer the sanctuary of the void between the stars. This was something different. She felt some relief that the direction Andromeda indicated wasn't towards the south where the Asturlab pointed.

"Please, let's go," Sailor Nocturnus urged, dark eyes glancing up at those of teal, eager to follow the young woman.

So it seemed someone did recognize the place, oops.  Vulkan could admit that she tended to get impatient and standing around in a clearing doing nothing wasn't helping.  Though the strange situation made her uncertain, she knew she needed to stay calm, oh she could just see her elder brother's disapproving look now.  

Right, so Andromeda as the others called her knew the way and it was a different way from the small one's device which could lead to darkness, which sounded like an amazing ability.  Great so then they could just start heading that way and - Teeth had made some strange noise causing Vulkan to believe that she had been attacked or something as she readied to pull out a blade.  However Pink appeared to know that Teeth was indeed not hurt, though she did double check.  Had to be careful with the soft ones.

"Excellent, then let us be on our way to these fairies!"  No one was hurt and they had a direction and goal.  Maybe this would go better than she thought.  She moved over to where Andromeda and the little stood, a grin on her face, teeth almost eerie against her dark rock skin.

She noted how the other tensed and the gleam of the blade in the low light, but this, to Crysdal, was important. The woman answered with over the top exaggeration and Crysdal was ready to let her have it, but she understood, in the soft whisper of the younger senshi and the cheerful tones of Vulkan that urged them to let it go and move on, that she was making them uncomfortable and didn't want to be seen as a troublemaker, as the person she faced off against surely was. But she couldn't just let it go, either - not saying anything is passably encouraging Xibalba's behavior, and that was unacceptable. 

"Then don't scream." Pointedly, she glanced south, towards the creature that had already howled, the darkness that the young senshi's device had pointed out, the being that must have heard Xibalba's temper tantrum and, being of darkness, was probably seeking them out already. It didn't need help any more help in finding them. She'd prefer it didn't find them at all, especially with the younger girl with them. Returning her glance to Xibalba, channeling her mother with all the disapproving force she could muster, she abruptly turned and followed after Andromeda and the younger girl.

There appeared to be tension building between Xilbalba and Aegle, though it perhaps petered out quickly after. Bellatrix noted this and decided that she would try and keep an eye on the situation, just in case.

She did not know either of the two senshi except to recognize them by name, but that didn't mean she couldn't try to help quell a situation before it got out of hand. They were all comrades, after all. Eventually, whether it was here on this planet or sometime in the future, they would need to rely on one another.

They all had enough enemies to deal with without adding more.

Bellatrix was glad that it seemed as though everyone was beginning to move. Keeping her spear at an angle that would make it easier to maneuver if battle came their way, Bellatrix followed Andromeda and the rest.

Ari nodded in response to SAM's reply as her quarterstaff materialized in her hand At least she didn't seem sick anymore or put off by her, that was a small relief in all this. As Ari stood, feeling lost without Hadley, others that she didn't recognize, save Bellatrix, continued to speak, and one girl, that Ari finally noticed her rather strange head dress and...were those bones? Her hands began to tighten around her staff as the emotions of helplessness and confusion returned painful memories of their first mission on Cipriere. The strange girl that someone had called teeth was the first to just leave...

Crysdal's quick hug broke her of her thoughts and Ari nearly melted into it. Her words, which made so much sense (how had she not noticed their friends' absence?), helped ease her anxiety and she was able to take another deep breath, calming her nerves. This was the first time she had been without Hadley since they were conscripted but if she was with the others, then she was ok. Though not having her here, feeling her warmth, holding her hand, listening to her breath, it was hard to deal with.  Perhaps she should have gone to a panel on separation anxiety.

She smiled at Crysdal in thanks and left her to her own devices as she confronted bones girl, feeling that nickname to be more appropriate. Just why had she screamed like that when the.. Oh right. There was whatever it was out there, quite possibly hunting them. This was really beginning to feel like Cipriere all over again just with another name, another place.

The others began to move along, some urgently, others more cheerfully, following after Andromeda. Ari found herself stepping in line behind Crysdal and the small senshi. As she walked, Ari listened intently for any movement among the forest to try and alert the group if someone were to surprise the group.

Oh, how she delighted in this game! Sailor Xibalba did not bother to stifle the twinkle in her eyes or the smile on her lips as Sailor Aegle not-so-subtly voiced her disapproval of the brunette's earlier actions. The prospect of a future fight between the two women brightened Sailor Xibalba's mood considerably. And that glare? Oh, please, like that was anything she hadn't been on the receiving end of before. Passive action like that held little sway over her. 

She watched as Crysdal pointed toward the south, the direction of the howls from an unknown creature. The brunette snorted a short laugh, "it knows already." And then, Crysdal turned to join the rest of the group and that ended Xibalba's amusement. The other sailor senshi began to form a moving group and Sailor Xibalba did not protest further. This is what she had wanted in the first place, for the group to move to a safer place before trying to answer any longer-term questions about where they were or why they were there. 

As they moved, Sailor Xibalba tried to stay near the front. This was the type of territory she had grown-up in all her life. She knew how to maneuver through a dense forest and how to quickly move or cut the plants to allow passage. There was a sort of art to it, at least if you wanted to move quickly and cause the plants the least amount of damage. And, whatever, maybe the group would have some level of respect for her if this helped out those who were less used to this sort of travel.

Now that the senshi had elected to move as a group, Tartarus hurried onward to ensure that she wasn't left behind. This was certainly no place in which any of them would risk a moment of being caught alone; their greatest strength would be unity! At least, she thought that way up until the terse exchange between Xibalba and Aegle. There was talk of finding 'fairies,' and while Tartarus reserved strong doubts about finding them in such an awful looking place, it was better than giving up without a fight. After all, she had a plasma caster for a reason.

The auburn-haired senshi hustled forward, placing herself near the center of the group. She wasn't exactly well suited to close quarters fighting, and being that close to everyone would ensure that her powers would reach her fellow guardians. Even "Teeth" would need her support, despite Tartarus's hesitation to meet the brunette's assertive gaze or her garishly painted face.

Andromeda didn’t expect the walk to be as uneventful as it was, feeling jumpy every time she heard a branch snap in the distance, but was relieved when they emerged into the clearing with the familiar houses of the fairies. She’d been holding Nocturnus’ hand as she walked, and now she loosened it a little as she moved forward ahead of everyone towards the houses. No one seemed to be around, but maybe they were inside?

“Um… excuse me?” she called out toward the houses, wondering if she should attempt knocking on one of the tiny doors. “Lillyena? Grandmatre Rosen?” she began to list the names of the fairies she remembered, hoping one of them at least would be there. “Queen Flora?” And then, as a last resort, “…Mossen?”

He wasn’t the best option, but at least he knew things.

The soft lights looked beautiful in the clearing, shining upon the tiny houses that made up the little town. Bellatrix allowed herself a moment to appreciate the sight, even as her muscles remained tense at every sound made around her.

She still held her spear at a ready position, just in case. The entire walk to this town had been quiet, but that did not make her feel any better.

As Andromeda approached closer, calling out names Bellatrix hadn't allowed herself to think of for months, Bellatrix kept looking around, waiting for something to happen. She wanted to feel better, having arrived at their destination, but the guilt of past failures threatened to pour over her sense of calm and she couldn't let that happen. If she remained vigilant, it gave her something else to focus on.

She'd stay towards the back of the group and let better people like Andromeda take care of speaking with the locals.

Andromeda's hand wrapped around hers offered security and reassurance. Nocturnus could feel the warmth of the older girl's hand even through the layers of fabric that formed the gloves of their respective uniforms, and it gave her something to focus on. The walk through the woods kept her tense and ready for action. As the group walked along, her eyes continued to watch the Asturlab, hoping to avoid being ambushed by a moved or newly-discovered danger. The fact that they made it to this small settlement without incident offered only the smallest hint of relief. They still knew nothing about why they were here on this place—this was no time to let one's guard down.

The child herself hadn't been to Zenar for either the failed initial mission or the second slightly-more-successful-but-still-harrowing attempt, but she remembered hearing the tale of the return from the Princess. The first trip rarely passed anyone's lips, but she had been listening enough to pick on most of the key elements of it... at least enough to know that this was a dangerous place if Chaos still dwelt within it.

She stayed close to Sailor Andromeda, her dark form almost forming a smaller shadow of the elegant woman, waiting to see if there would be any reply.

The trek to find the fairies was mercifully without incident, though Tartarus remained on edge for the duration of their walk. Surrounded by those whom she hoped to call friends, most of them older than herself, the relatively isolated senshi kept close watch on her allies and the treeline beyond. She murmured briefly under her breath, listening and waiting for the conflict to come.

When the woman who first spoke of the fairies approached the small clearing, Tartarus blinked briefly and examined the tiny structures. It was unlike anything she had seen before, and more to the point, none of the apparent dwellings looked like the tall pillars of concrete and steel that she associated with her homeworld.

She didn't know a lick about this village or the creepy planet they were in. However, for now, it seemed like the threat of danger had ebbed to some small degree. No one was injured, and with no other prompting, Tartarus raised her left hand to her forehead and closed her eyes.

ooc:

There was something about the way that this other senshi with the strange headdress and facial decorations interacted with Crysdal that unsettled SAM. She thought she'd have to try and intervene before they broke apart on their own and followed Andromeda's directions. She sighed quietly and trailed after them, though she kept an eye on Xibalba in case another confrontation was started.

After a silent, uneventful walk through the woods, they hit a clearing filled with tiny structures hanging off trees. SAM hung back, not raising her weapon but examining the lights and houses from a safe distance. She'd never seen a village this small before. Were fairies really that size? It made her want to watch where she was going even more closely in case she accidentally hit something. 

Curious to see if she could find any of these fairy creatures, SAM turned on her Energy Scanner and looked around the clearing.

They had arrived safely, Andromeda's contacts had been summoned, it all looked good from --

Fairies swarmed them, darting in on wings that buzzed with screams tearing from their lips like banshees; reflexively Crysdal ducked and covered her head, sucking in breath as she felt tiny razor-sharp pinches all over her body, her exposed forearms and nylon-clad legs feeling the hits the hardest. The worst part was that they didn't let go! They pulled, like they were trying to eat her - crying out, she swatted at them, shaking herself in an attempt to get them off, their dark bodies falling away and leaving her bleeding. The wounds were already hot and she grimaced, putting her hand to her face and batting her eyelashes at the back of her hand, the cool relief already spreading. Healer's first, the panel had said, and with so many of them and so many fairies... she had to be performing at the top of her game.

"We need a shield!" she yelled, looking around to see who else had been bitten to aim her ministrations.

Action:

The shrieks cut through the air like lightning as tiny creatures came rushing towards the assembled group of senshi. No, not creatures -- fairies.

Bellatrix was able to avoid the ones that came after her, but almost all of the others were not so quick. Taking a glance around at her fellow senshi, she saw that many of them had these small fairies clinging to exposed skin, needle-like teeth sunk deep into soft flesh.

She attempted to help as she tried to swat away the creatures from any allies nearby. Instinctively, there was the urge to fight back, but memories of these little fairies fluttered through her mind. Were these even the same ones? She didn't know -- couldn't possibly know.

But it didn't matter.

There were so many, and the damage they were causing to the other senshi wasn't something she could stand idly by and simply watch. Whoever these fairies were, before or now, didn't matter. They were enemies in this moment, and she had to react accordingly to protect her senshi family.

Bellatrix grasped her spear, sealed away any lingering guilt with a calming deep breath inward, and swung at the nearest cluster of fairies.

Action:

Ari had only started to marvel at the strange beauty of the tiny town, about to comment how cute it was when there was an head splitting shriek, her ears making it even more painful. She immedietly covered her ears, crying out when she felt tiny hands and teeth scratch and bite her. Crying out in pain, her first instinct was to try to swat them away but it was to no avail.

Crysdal jumped into leadership role almost immediately, Ari hearing the request for a shield over the ensuing chaos. Doing her best to ignore the pain, Ari quickly contemplated between the barrier ball and her own magical barrier. If she used the ball...there'd be no way to expel the creatures within its radius. With her own magical barrier, there was a chance she could will out the creatures. She was able to do something similar before.

Decision made she shouted the words, concentrating on pushing out the tiny creatures.

"Bastet Energy Barrier!"

Action:

She waited for a reply, looking around, noticing what she assumed were more of the town's lights around them, when she realized they weren't just lights at all. And they were surrounded. She had no time to let out a call of warning before they were swarmed.

She was lucky enough to not have any of them attach on her, but the others weren't so fortunate. Hearing Sailor Aegle's call for a shield, she summoned her Water Sphere around herself, enlarging it to protect Nocturnus and Aegle. She had to protect the healer if they wanted any chance to survive.

"Should we run for it? The shields won't hold up forever!"

She wished she knew what to do - why were these fairies attacking? Could they talk to them, or would it be futile? Were these even the same fairies from before? And even if they ran... where were they supposed to go?

When they arrived to the fairies' dwellings, Sailor Xibalba was amused by the size of the houses. No house, except perhaps those created by animals, she had ever seen had been that tiny. If their houses were that size, then how small were the fairies? She had never seen a fairy before and did not know what sort of creature they were. She had assumed 'fairy' was a label of a human settlement, but obviously this was not the case. 

And then, she was introduced to hundreds of fairies and she quickly learned she did not like them. The noises they created was horrendous! The shrieks echoed in her ears as the fairies rushed upon her and the group. Sailor Xibalba's hand was already gripping the chert blade she had used during their trek through the forest, and she was all too eager to use it upon the fairies ripping at her flesh and clothes. With a loud, bellowing whoop, she eagerly used her blade against the fairies closest to her. 

And then, she felt the effects of the poison. She nearly lost her balance as the poison rushed through her body. What was this feeling? Her face flushed as if she had a fever and the dizziness caused her to stumble. This felt almost like an attack used by one of her Lords. Bellowing again in anger, she resolved to fight through the poison. Sailor Xibalba weighed the chances of success of one of her attacks against these hordes of small creatures, but knew Sailor Andromeda's suggestion for retreat was a wiser move. Sailor Xibalba would have to expend far too much energy using her attacks on such a large group of enemies. 

Spoiler:

She couldn't react fast enough to dodge the fairies, barely recognizing what she was seeing before they swarmed her, small teeth seeking skin both exposed and otherwise and nipping close. Sailor Nocturnus barely swallowed a yelp, hissing instead in pain as she felt whichever had locked hold on her begin to pull. She swiped at it, at all of them, even as she knew that would be useless. She reached out her hand to summon her attack, but thought better of it in these close quarters. With so many faeries in so many places, and so many people she didn't really know, the child didn't trust herself to avoid adding to the whirlwind.

When Andromeda suggested that they run, Nocturnus was ready to follow her if that was the course of action. She gritted her teeth and shakingly tucked the Asturlab back in her pocket. The young girl saw that the sphere of water just summoned included the young woman in pink, also ensnared by a faerie. Maybe she could at least help someone else. There were still stars out there somewhere in the darkness that stretched above them.

"My Guardians," she whispered, hoping she could create enough of a distraction to convince the thing to let go of the blonde woman. She could feel the starlight clustering in her hands. "Aid Me!"

She lobbed the ball of shimmering light towards Sailor Aegle, intending for a small fireworks effect to dislodge the toothed and winged creature.

Action:

Vulkan can honestly say that she was not expecting the very small dwellings they came across.  Looking around, the area felt so fragile, like a small storm could destroy it all in one night.  Or a swarm of creatures that suddenly erupted from the dark.  Sharp twinges of pain on her legs and arms radiated out, darkening the lava that flowed beneath her skin.  

"Are these the fairies, aren't they supposed to be good?!"  She gritted out as she moved to stomp and smash the fairies nipping at her, why wouldn't they just let go?  She quickly moved through her repertoire of abilities in her head but anything she could use against the fairies, would also be a weapon against the other senshi.

"We'll just keep getting injuries if we stay here, we should run towards the opposite direction that the small villain orb pointed at!" 

Her dark hands attempt to grab one of the biting flies, they should check to see if these are the same creatures Andromeda remembered.

Turn:

Her scanners activated, but she could only sense the life signs of the senshi around her. Everything else was quiet... until screeches surrounded them and waves of tiny humanoid creatures flew out from their hiding places. 

SAM was too slow to respond before they were on her and most of the rest of their group, and the fairies bit down so hard that she felt one pierce her suit's protection. She yelped and tried to swat them off her armor, but she could feel that something was wrong with her as her vision blurred. Was she infected?

"Analyzing biological toxin," Ferrum said, causing SAM to start hyperventilating as she realized what had happened. These things were poisonous! "Chemical re-balancing in progress. Purging Toxin..." The dull pain that was running through her was fading again, and she calmed down enough to listen to what was going on around her. Right, shields... SAM activated her Steel Defense, creating a tangible green energy barrier around her suit as a second layer of protection. 

"We may need to retreat, we're surrounded!" SAM said, moving closer to the other senshi as she raised her Chalybs Beam. If she had to fire to clear a path, she would.

Nearly immediately shields raised all around her, one watery sphere encompassing her, the cool atmosphere a boon on the receding warmth from the infected bites; she heard Bastet's call and with a glance she saw Chalybs preparing something, too, and felt reassured enough to completely focus on what was at hand - until fireworks exploded very near her and she jumped back in surprise, first confused and alarmed, her eyes catching on the younger girl with the stars in her hair, until she realized she was helping. The rest of the fairies had been scared off, clearing their space. She smiled and reached for the younger girls' hand, spotting the small punctures across her arms. 

"Thank you - here, let me help you," she gently instructed, knowing it'd be weird to just grab the girl's arm and put it up to her eyes without any type of warning. ... It was weird even with warning, but it's what she had. "Aegle Butterfly Kisses!" she announced quietly with a smile as she fluttered her eyelashes against the younger girl's dark skin, listening to the harried conversation around her but breathing evenly to keep calm. When she was sure the poison had been cleared, she lowered the girl's hand and released it.

She nodded at Andromeda, agreeing with the general voiced consensus, "Retreat," trusting her to lead the way.

Action:

Bellatrix did not allow any emotions to pull at her as she saw one of the fairies fall from the sky. Instead, she focused on just how many more there were still to go. She couldn't even begin to count them all. Getting rid of one did nothing at all for their situation.

No use dwelling on that, though.

She heard the call for retreat, and Bellatrix could only agree, even as she could feel the heat of battle coursing through her veins. She was no tactician, she was just the muscle. If the others felt that getting out of the situation was the best choice, then that was what they'd do.

Bellatrix decided to stay towards the back and let the others pass before following. She intended to try and protect their backs as they began the retreat, hoping her agility would aid in the endeavor.

Was this what Andromeda had called her friends? With little to zero warning, the fairies which had been familiar to some of the senshi had descended upon the lost guardians in a crazed mob. Screeching and chattering, they ripped and bit at Tartarus's uniform and exposed skin.

"No, stay away!" Tartarus cried out, slapping away the persistent little devils that could be dislodged with her free hand. For the more stubborn fae, she used the stock of her rifle to smack or pry them off of her person.  The redhead's exposed body was scraped and bitten, and was now beginning to feel uncomfortably warm. Shooting at the swarm had briefly come to mind, but the fae were incredibly difficult to anticipate. Then, of course, there was the concern that she lacked an appropriate weapon to drive the hostile buggers away.

Hopefully, one of her allies would find a solution for either dealing with these unpleasant critters or withdrawing from them entirely. For now, the only thing Sailor Tartarus would be able to do was counteract the infection or toxins that had infested her body. Drawing upon the shared knowledge of veteran senshi from earlier within the day, Tartarus conjured forth a swirl of flickering red light around her body.

"Tartarus Rejuvenation Helix!"

OOC: