The wide open room is void of any decorations or outstanding features. Just four walls, a floor, and each other. The only thing to focus on is the large machine sitting at the head of the room, thrumming with energy and oozing a certain aura of magic.

Training has gone a bit stale of late, leading Luna and Artemis to brainstorm and plot. They have come up with a new way to get the training they feel the senshi need to stay in tip top shape and now its time for the big reveal.

So far, standing in this empty room, it doesn't feel immediately apparent just what the training will entail. But the feline guardians have promised that it will strengthen them all in a variety of different ways, not just in combat, so there's a sense of apprehension in the air.

What is in store for them all?

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Goal: Show us how your character is feeling right now and what they are doing!

Is your character confident they'll pass with flying colors? A little worried about what is coming next? Goofing off?

Are they standing tall and ready? Inspecting the strange machine? Making faces?

Take the time to get a feel for your character's thoughts and personality as you wait for Luna and Artemis to begin the training sequence!

Usagi stood the room, looking around. She had no idea what the felines were up to, but it was most likely something that she would dislike. Cradled in her hands, was a bag of onigiri, she picked one out and started to munch. No one was there yet - so she should get it in while she could.

If this was a physical training exercise, she would probably be in trouble, but this wasn't anything that no one knew. She wasn't nervous per say, but more worried about what the others would think of her and her snacks.  She walked over to the machine, still munching on her onigiri. "I hope I don't have to get on this thing." She raised an eyebrow. "That Luna, she's always trying to make me do things I don't like" "Hopefully this is a sleeping exersize."

Makoto/Jupi:Jupiter:

Makoto was curious as she was looking around the room that Luna and Artemis asked them to come to. Makoto then walked beside Usagi and looked at her and giggled, "A sleeping exercise? oh man Usagi you would excel at that...I bet I'm going to do well most of all if this is a fighting simulator... Where are the others?" When Makoto turned around she saw them.

OOC:

Sailor Mercury
The moment Sailor Mercury's eyes found the machine - less than a fraction of a second after clearing the doorway to the otherwise empty chamber - one hand had reached for the Mercury mini computer in her pocket and the other for her earring, activating her visor even as she flipped open the little blue device with well-practiced ease. She had come to the training session prepared, but that their advisers would present her a mechanical mystery from the start made her nervous but excited to see what would follow. She was sure they could do it, but with the odd facts and figures already flying across her screen, it was clear Luna and Artemis weren't going to hand over the win this time around.

"Luna had mentioned it would be a challenge, Usagi-chan," Sailor Mercury unintentionally quipped, her mouth acting on its own accord as she scanned numbers and racing across her computer screen, mind already cataloging similarities and inferring readings based on past events, careful not to jump to any conclusions until she was sure she had stable ground to stand on. Her fingers raced almost as quickly as the numbers, changing parameters and instruments to gather as much data as she could before the exercise actually began. "We all know you don't need training for naps."

Sailor Venus  

"Ohohohoho~ Ami-chan is right..." Venus laughed, glancing at Usagi. She narrowed her eyes, her voice lowered, almost a whisper. "You have no idea what Artemis is capable of... Once that dreadful machine starts, I'm sure you'll beg him to make it stop."

She did wonder, though - what was that pesky cat up to? He was enigmatic about it, as usual.  Of course, she was certain it was nothing that she could not handle... But it would still have been more fun to be prepared beforehand and watch the other girls as they struggle with whatever he and Luna came up with.

But nooooo. She bribed him with his favorite food. She threatened to make him sleep outside. She tried to appeal to him as her partner and guardian. But he would not budge.

She eyed that stupid machine. What could it do?

Neptune hadn't spent much time in the secret room in the arcade-that much she'd admit. She wasn't one for arcade games, and only showed up when Haruka was determined to play a racing one. However, Neptune wasn't aware of just how intricate the secret room was. Neptune inhaled and exhaled, trying to determine the source of the thin thread of magic that lingered in the air. She was almost tempted to pull out her mirror to figure out more-but this was but a simple training exercise, so such use of her talisman wasn't necessary.

Neptune couldn't help but smile with the princess' response. She really never was one for exercise-she might not fair as well as the others. But that was just one of her endearing qualities. 

"A challenge, is it?" Neptune smiled gently at Mercury and tucked some of her hair behind her ear. "Did she say anything else?"

Knowing more about the task at hand assured an even more efficient victory. Not that Neptune was worried, on the contrary-she was pretty self-assured she could handle anything that was thrown her way.

Artemis

Artemis glanced at each of the girls in turn, taking care not to twitch his paws. He was cool. He was calm. Collected. Yeah.

The new training machine still had a few minutes before it would be ready to begin, and he wondered what the assembled group was thinking right now. He very purposefully kept his eyes from straying toward Minako, however. He'd had enough of her particular badgering to last him a long while.

This would be a trial run, for all of them. Artemis and Luna decided that they, too, would join in on the training. Since this training machine was capable of bringing in a whole bunch of challenges, it seemed appropriate, even if they were not effective in combat situations. Or so Luna had said.

Artemis still felt he could give the old one-two to a youma if he had to. He just... chose not to, most times. For efficiency's sake, since the senshi were better at dispatching youma. Yeah, that was it.

Definitely efficiency.

He felt a thrill in his stomach as the machine continued to thrum its way through algorithms and magic. Was this feeling hunger..? He had eaten before coming here.

No, wait, it was trepidation. Anticipation? He wasn't sure, but he shifted in his spot, eyes glancing around the mostly empty room again. This was all new, even for himself and Luna. He hoped that it would be rewarding. He hoped it would challenge them into getting better, to being ready for the next enemy who came to threaten their world.

And also, he thought with a little flurry of nervousness, he hoped it actually worked.

Sailor Saturn wrote:

.

Mercury
She didn't look up from what she was doing, brows furrowing slightly at an outlying data point - was it an outlier, or had the machine just fluctuated? What would such fluctuations translate into when it truly activated? - but she answered Neptune with a quick shake of her head, sparing a quick glance to the head of the room where the cats in question waited while more data compiled, then was back into it.

Makoto(Sailor Jupiter now)

Makoto looked back seeing Mercury, Venus, Artemis, Neptune, and everyone else... "Well then... let's do this right.." Makoto then transformed into Sailor Jupiter. "Ok cool...now I'm ready for these tests... Hey Neptune...it's good to see you here for a change..." Jupiter smiled at the Senshi of the seas.

Sailor Mars



The second Usagi had started jamming food into her face, Rei had felt her temples start to throb. Instinctively, she'd reached up with one hand, massaging one temple with her thumb, and the other with her ring finger.

"Hopefully this is a sleeping exercise."

Oh, this was just too much. Before she could speak, Ami had already begun scolding the lazy princess. Thank god for Ami, she thought, still gripping the sides of her head. And, of course, Minako had to ruin it with her constant innuendo. Rei sighed.

"Minako, really!" Her voice cracked like a whip. The exercise hadn't even started yet and she was already feeling tested. Couldn't they all just behave?

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Mercury's computer churns through various numbers and codes. The machine seems far more advanced than anything one could normally find in their current time. The computer easily identifies a large projector, various nuts and bolts and wires running through it, a screen and input station on the far side where Luna now sits. Magic is prominent just as much as technology, a proper mesh of the two. It's difficult to tell what it can do, as the magic running through the training machine masks the readings a bit.

If she's calculating it correctly, it seems the magic can warp the space around the room, and the machine amplifies this effect.

Sailor Mercury
She frowned down at the screen, then closed her computer and deactivated her visor. It wasn't just a hologram generator, but a machine that could fabricate reality, effectively creating a bubble in space time within this room that Luna theoretically had complete control over. She looked over to Pluto, wondering if she had helped create the machine - if the magic she had traced throughout its inner workings belonged to her and her command over the Space Time Door; part of her wondered if she was able to craft the mane machine body at her University - surely the theoretical and experimental physicists in her department would enjoy pouring over a design such as this. Had they tested it there? 

No, she realized, looking back to the machine; something this revolutionary would have made it out if it were designed at a University, no matter how tight confidentiality clauses were. If she helped design it, it must have been here... where the Lunar Computers could have assisted with any extra programming.

She breathed deeply through her nose, keeping calm, feeling relatively confident she had solved at least this small part of the puzzle.

Saturn stood in the room holding her Glaive lightly, resting its bottom on the ground. Nervousness flickered like butterflies in her stomach as she stared at the machine standing before them. She had never undergone proper senshi training before, not like this. She didn’t know the others even had these sessions, although she supposed it made sense. But things were run differently within the Outer Senshi ranks, and she always just expected they would work together well and would know what to do when the time came. They were a unit.

As the last of the senshi to join the ranks, however, Saturn couldn’t help feeling anxious about her performance. And that wasn’t even counting the fact that they didn’t used to want her around at all. Right now, however, she just wanted to make her mamas and papa proud. She stole a glance toward her family, seeking the reassuring grin from her Haruka-papa, the calm elegance of Michiru-mama and the knowing smile of Setsuna-mama. They were all so… collected and sure of themselves. Being the youngest gave Saturn another reason to feel worry, although her powers were theoretically the strongest out of all of them combined.

She waited patiently as the others chatted among themselves. She longed to seek reassurance from her parents, but she didn’t want to appear like a needy child in front of the others. She must look like the self-assured and ready soldier that she was. She needed to make her family proud.

Sailor Venus

"Re-i-chaaaan," she exclaimed dramatically. "Loosen up! This attitude won't do you any good." She approached the girl and squinted her eyes at her. "In fact, I think you're already starting getting wrinkles..." She gasped. "The horror..."

Not that she actually saw any, but that little fact was irrelevant.

"So, what are we waiting for, anyway?" She moved to inspect the machine more closely. Surely there were buttons to be pressed!

Usagi furrowed her eyebrows as the genius scolded her. Everyone always was such a stick in the mud. It was supposed to be her relaxing manga time at home - the new issue of Nakayoshi had just come out and she had to see how the budding romance between the two characters would end.

"Oh...eveyone is transformed?" She looked around, laughing nervously with a hand behind her head. "I've eaten so now we can get to business! Can't train on an empty stomach!"

"Moon Eternal Make Up!" In a flash of feathers and light, Usagi posed, like an elegant flamingo.

"Some days I wonder why we can't just do normal training... like sleeping, rest is important too!"

She walked over to Sailor Mercury, "So, what's the deal?"

Sailor Pluto stood back, apart from the others, watching them all react to the situation. She paid special attention to Sailor Saturn, who was encountering a training session such as this for the first time.

In all honesty, this kind of training was unfamiliar to all of them. Luna and Artemis had done a good job of keeping this exercise a secret from them all. By the looks of it, not even Minako had any idea what was going on. It would be interesting, to say the least, to see what this strange machine had to offer. There was only so much a sailor soldier who had been around since the dawn of time could learn about fighting from a machine, but perhaps this machine could teach other things, too. While Pluto was the most experienced and all-knowing of the senshi, there was still so much about friendship and teamwork that was left to be learned.

Pluto lightly traced the patterns along her staff as she passed a reassuring smile to Sailor Saturn. The Outers were, and always would be, a family. They would overcome any challenge as a family, so there was nothing to be worried about.

Sailor Mars

Rei's jaw dropped at Minako's reply, her face slowly turning scarlet with rage as she stammered, letting out a kind of half yell. As Minako walked away from her toward the machine, she quickly ran a hand over her face to check for wrinkles she was sure couldn't possibly be there. No wrinkles, of course there aren't. Whatever came out of that machine had better watch itself; she was smoldering, ready to burn something to charred little crisp.

Mamoru stood near the back of the group, mostly silent. He didn't usually participate in activities like this; after all, he wasn't a sailor soldier like the girls. Yet here he was. The young man leaned back slightly, sliding his hands into the pockets of his lavender slacks. There didn't seem to be much advantage to his Tuxedo Mask form... at least not right now.

In fact, he felt slightly concerned about his own usefulness. He relied on that instinct that told him Usagi was in danger, and he often provided just enough of a distraction to allow Sailor Moon and her comrades to strike a decisive blow. If he was already present, here, how much would he be able to do that? If this was a trap, would he be caught like the rest?

He would have to trust in the training that the two cats had prepared, and see what happened.

Sailor Jupiter

Jupiter watched Eternal Moon transform and she was impressed that she was able to do so. Jupiter then turned to hear Mars get frustrated with Venus and that caused Jupiter to back away slightly towards E. Moon and Mercury to find out more about the machine.

Spoiler:

 Sailor Mercury
Mercury's mouth opened as if to say something as Venus moved closer to the machine, but she closed her lips and just let it happen. Luna and Artemis would warn her away if she was about to do something to break or otherwise sabotage the machine, and a device such as that would have complex controls that would need to be utilized to make anything happen - it had to. The parameters and associated variables must be mildly engaging, so there was little chance she could inadvertently generate something dangerous with just a press of a button. Unless they had preloaded a program. Or there was a randomized setting function... She opened her mouth again to protest --

But Usagi-chan was suddenly there, her wings blocking her view, and Mercury couldn't turn down her friend's interest in what she had found - initiative should always be rewarded! She smiled - she couldn't help it around Usagi - and replied, "It's a reality fabricator. Whatever Artemis and Luna program in will, within this room, become a new reality for us to face."

A series of small beeps signified that the machine completed its loading sequence. Luna gave an attention-grabbing cough, a way to cut off any on-going conversations.

"Now," she began, posture prim and proper. Her eyes sought out them all, belaying the seriousness of this endeavor. "The training will run though several pre-programmed scenarios, choosing bits and pieces at random, before giving us the chosen one. We may get through the first one in good timing allowing us to move on to the next random scenario. This is a group effort, so we all have to pitch in however we can."

Luna's eyes lingered a moment on Usagi, pinpointing the blonde with expectations. "Even though this is a kind of augmented reality, injuries and such can still occur so take this training very seriously." She paused, pressing her paws into a series of buttons. "Let's begin."

The machine hummed to life, lights blinking in a rainbow of colors. Around the room flashed small bits of landscape, mishmashed like a poorly put-together puzzle. With a flash of light, the machine settled on its selected course.

When the lights mellowed, the gathered group finds that the empty grey room is gone, leaving a desolate wasteland in its wake. Broken buildings and shattered homes line the landscape, the ground brown and cracked. No greenery or wildlife can be seen, just shriveled remains of something that once might have been beautiful.

It is eerily silent and still.

As far as the group can tell right now, they are completely alone in this wasteland.

Sailor Mercury
Immediately Sailor Mercury went to work again, tapping her visor into place and flipping open her mini computer with a well-practiced snap as she started analyzing their new environment from top to bottom, looking to highlight any signs of life alongside the standard energy readings and chemical breakdown and report on anything that stood out.

*Sailor Jupiter*

Jupiter listened to Mercury then Luna speaks then got in a defensive/ready stance looking around at the world was changed around them. Jupiter then looked at everything she could as she also saw Mercury go to work as well. "Let us know if you find anything, Mercury... If anyone sees anything move be alert..." Jupiter's sense of protection was on the rise... they had to be ready for anything...

Sailor Mars

Rei refocused as the landscape morphed around the group. She pressed her eyes shut and reached out, feeling for any note of spiritual tension. She was unsure if the machine was capable of replicating such a thing, but aside from Neptune she was the only one who could check. At the very least it might reveal the extent of the power the generator held.

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It's strange... as Sailor Mercury taps away on her computer, the sensors don't seen to reach as far as they normally would. From the small range it can reach, she doesn't get much of a reading in the empty area. The only thing of interest is the ground, which, from her readings, indicates that this landscape has not always been this way, having been recently ruined by some kind of liquid. Acid maybe? Poison?

One thing is clear: whatever happened here, happened very fast.

_____

At first, Sailor Mars can only sense her friends, as the area around them is devoid of any other life forms. There's not even a trace of insects around them. No plant life to speak of. Nothing at all.

Despite this, she can't say for certain if they are completely alone, as her instincts are making her keep her guard up for some reason.

Artemis

Artemis looked with pride as both Mercury and Mars jumped into action as the training scenario materialized around them all.

He didn't know what to make of this barren landscape, with its cracked ground and dusty atmosphere. He frowned, touching his paws to the cracks, but they did not give way to any kind of investigation.

It was his job to be an advisor of sorts, but he didn't have any kind of good advice to give just yet. Telling the girls to do their thing was already kind of implied.

Because the training machine put together all of the scenarios by random, it made it a fair exercise for even Luna and himself to join in.

But part of him wished he had all of the answers, a little cheat sheet to help guide the senshi along. Or perhaps he was spending far too much time with Minako, to want the easy way out like this. Though he certainly wouldn't say no to the extra help...

With that thought, he sought out the blonde in question, curious as to how she would begin to tackle this particular task.

She listened carefully to Luna, realizing that she had had very little interaction with the guardian cats before this. How nice would it feel to have guides along their journey. She supposed, in a way, the Inner Senshi needed them more because of the way their duty differed from the Outers. They also had more of a normal life compared to herself. In this lifetime, she never even knew normal - she had grown up much faster than a normal child and had absorbed knowledge in a much more rapid rate as well. Her family was far from conventional, though she would not have traded them for anything. Whatever unusual her circumstances were, it was still better than the one she had before, to simply be that specter that everyone feared, the personification of Death who brought down his scythe to end everything.

To be a part of a family had been wonderful, and now she found herself excited to be a part of a larger team, too. She had to prove to everyone that she was an asset, not just a last-ditch effort weapon to be used or feared. She kind of wished Sailor Chibi Moon was here too, though. She was the one person whom Saturn could feel to be on an even ground with.

She straightened her back as the machine powered up, noting that it was just supposed to be some kind of virtual reality, but that didn't mean they shouldn't take it seriously. She blinked as the environment changed and looked around her new surroundings. They seemed to be in a wasteland. It reminded her of the way everything looked when they fought Pharaoh 90, how they'd almost lost the world then. She shivered at the memory, but recollected herself - this was not the same scenario. At least, she hoped not. Senses alert, she waited for something to happen or some kind of direction from someone. Again, her gaze strayed towards her family.

This desolate landscape made his heart ache. Even though he knew it was a situation generated by Luna and Artemis's technology, Mamoru felt personally wounded, seeing the Earth like this. It didn't occur to him that this might be any other place—based on his limited experiences, he made associations with what he knew. What could have happened here? The lack of any signs of plant life sent a shiver down the back of his neck.

Still, he didn't change to his other form. The tuxedo and hat seemed ill-fitting here.

"Does anyone sense anything?" Mamoru asked, knowing there were many skills among Usagi's friends and guardians.

Mercury
She frowned at the depreciated sensor range, but earmarked the size of the room as the potential limiter and determined they'd have to test that once immediate dangers were highlighted and moved on. Instead she put her focus on the ground, her eyes scanning the barren world around them to focus on the soil. Toxic contaminants were evident, the soil degraded. It explained the lack of greenery and suggested... She glanced up, trying quickly to read anything she could from cloud structure - whatever had happened, happened fast, and if they needed to move she needed to find that out sooner rather than later.