Sailor Nocturnus

Spotting another person already at the meet-up site, Pamina rushed forward to join her. She didn't want to admit that she felt unsettled by this formerly-deserted place now temporarily housing the carnival. She should be old enough not to be scared from stories about temples and spirits, right? Yet she couldn't stop thinking about those things as she carefully made her way through the quiet and damp evening. There could be a vengeful ghost or entity just waiting carefully for a young girl to walk by, so it could jump out and...

Her heart felt like a small bird, fluttering about and desperately trying to escape its cage. She tried to keep her gaze focused on the young woman in the distance, although her peripheral vision kept picking up flashes of movement in the murky twilight.

Some of that anxiety was slightly relieved when she was finally beside Yumi, but the dark-haired child was still visibly frightened. She tucked her hair nervously behind her ear, the flash of her golden star-shaped hair clips one of the few marks of light on her darkly-attired person.

"G-good evening," she greeted the older girl awkwardly, glancing around and wondering who else would soon be there. She'd feel better when they were a larger group.

A night-traveling carnival? VesVes wasn't exactly sure about this idea. She of all people should know...a place like this was bad news! She'd only trudged along in order to meet her friends, which she had yet to spot.

Ves, in her opinion, posed an intimidating figure. Tall and lanky, she walked with a confident stride, not caring about the puddles she walked across (though cringed slightly when water got in her socks). She wore ripped jeans as well as a red T-shirt under a black leather jacket. Her long, red hair was done in a simple braid instead of her usual towering hairstyle, but who has time for that anyway? It always came back when she transformed.

With a glance to her right, she spotted two figures in the distance. After about a minute, she finally recognized them as Yumi and Pamina. She strode right up to them, flashing a grin as she greeted them both. "Hey, guys. Night circus, eh? Sounds kinda sketchy if ya ask me. So, who else is coming?"

Danica walked down the path, slowly as to try and avoid any of the rain puddles. She could see the carnival in the distance and a sense of dread swept through her. It looked so... abandoned. And it was rather strange that it only operated during the night hours. She hoped it wouldn't get too dark while they were there.

Her hair was up in a ponytail, tied back with her signature white ribbon. She was wearing a deep blue sweater, a long black skirt and black sneakers with loose white bobby socks. The weather wasn't even that cold, yet something was making her feel chilly.

She walked up to the entrance and gave a wave to the other girls. "Hello everyone," She greeted with a smile and a quick bow.

It was not long ago – maybe twenty minutes – when Kiyoko saw a poster of a carnival at the lamp post. For a few seconds she glanced at the fancy advertisement before she continued her walk. “Hey,” she suddenly heard someone saying while she noticed something tapping on her shoulder. “Could you please go back to the poster? I think I just saw something odd on it.”
 
Kiyoko looked up to her left shoulder until she spotted her little polar fox Vulpix. “Something odd?,” she asked doubtfully. “It’s a usual advertisement – no more, no less.” The normally friendly fox suddenly gave her a piercing glance. “Okay, okay,” she eventually said. “Then let’s go back.”
 
Was her guardian too overcautious or did she overlook something important? While doubting her eyesight she noticed the people around her looking at her as if she was an alien. This will probably never change, she thought and sighed. Apparently it wasn’t common for Earth’s inhabitants to keep polar foxes as pets. But they are so tame and carefree! Well, except Vulpix. Back then in her hometown on Panacea everyone had a polar fox; it was almost scary that no one had one on Earth. “Oh well, when words collide,” she quietly muttered to herself.
 
It didn’t take long until they were back and soon she stood in front of the poster again. “Okay, now tell me: What was the strange thing that you saw?,” she asked, still a bit doubtful.
 
“Just read what it says,” he said soberly. Kiyoko shrugged her shoulders before she eventually bent over to the poster.
 
“Only opened at night?!,” she eventually said after skimming the poster intensely. “This is odd, indeed. Maybe we should investigate that?” Vulpix nodded. “Alright, then let’s go,” she eventually said.
 
Since the sun didn’t set yet, Kiyoko decided to walk slowly to the stated place. It’d be useless to run if it’s not even opened yet, she thought. Nevertheless she wanted to investigate it as soon as possible. Maybe they just do it because it’s more interesting. But in any case, she had to be sure that the carnival was no danger – neither for her nor for the inhabitants of whole Tokyo. No need to panic at the moment, she tried to calm herself down. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. That’s what she always did to return to her calm state.
What a beautiful scenery! She always loved the sunset. The forerunner of the night always amazed her with its beautiful colors in the skies. Too bad it doesn’t last longer.
 
After a few more steps Kiyoko could already see the carnival from afar. And as it seemed there were already some people waiting for the opening. She never understood how people could like carnivals. It is always so loud and you can’t really move in those crowds. Kiyoko was more that kind of person who preferred reading a book or doing some yoga to going out and barging their way through the crowds. Well, each to their own, she thought.
 
When she finally arrived, she saw five more girls who were already waiting for the opening. Kiyoko directed herself a bit remote from the group and eventually stopped a few meters next to the entrance. “Okay, then let’s wait now,” she said calmly and petted Vulpix.

Minako was never one to turn down a good time, so when she passed by a flyer hanging up in the local park she immediately took imitative. The entire walk there she was debating what questions to ask the gypsy-was she ever going to find a cute boy? Which modeling company was most likely to hire her? Should the next singing contest roll around, should she audition with her lucky color or lucky item? Which would she ask for first, a palm reading or a tarot reading? Minako was, in one word, hyped. 

Or, at least she was, until the grounds she was wandering began to deteriorate in condition as she walked closer and closer to the carnival's destination. The ground was hard and barren, the trees dead with no animals in them. The path was hardly noticeable, the stone having become cracked and worn away by dirt. Why did they decide to set up their carnival here and not closer to town? They'd get way more customers that way. 

Though Minako wasn't about to let her dreary surroundings ruin her carnival experience-even if it was creepy and slightly off-putting. Putting her list of what-to-ask-the-fortune-teller aside, she approached the others who arrived for the carnival as well. 

"Hey guys!" She shouted cheerfully. "They sure do know how to pick locations huh? But hey, a carnival is a carnival. What are you guys looking forward to?"

Amber was on her way to a famous traveling carnival and she was really excited! She was inspired by all of the people and it was a great place to people watch. She was an actress after all and watching people helped her create new characters and pick up mannerisms that might be really good for future roles. The only thing she disliked was that it was muddy. She hated mud and was afraid it'd get all over her clothes. 

She was wearing a sky blue peplum top and high wasted jeans with a cute pair of black Toms. She threw on a black leather jacket to keep away bugs. She hated bugs too. Honestly Amber was not an outdoorsy type of person, unlike most of her siblings. This carnival was a unique thing, which Amber assumed was part of it's appeal, it was only open at night. As she got close to the gates she saw her friends. 

"Hey guys!" Amber said cheerfully. She realized she was a bit overdressed, but quickly decided that she didn't care. "We can do whatever you guys would like to. It doesn't really matter to me. You guys know I'll be distracted pretty much every couple of minutes anyway." Amber giggled at her slight ADHD joke and looked to her friends to make a decision.

Usagi had been walking home from Mamoru's. She had spent a couple hours with him, but the hours turned longer when the rain cam. She had passed the time by watching a movie with Mamoru, but when the movie was over she noticed the rain had stopped as well. She said goodbye to Mamoru and made her way home.

Usagi was wearing a blue and white polka dot dress that hit her mid thigh. She had on mary jane shoes with white socks. She was walking home when she saw the sign for the carnival. Usagi beamed with excitement as she pulled out her phone and informed her friends about the carnival.

Slowly Usagi made her way to the carnival, but as she got closer, she had a funny feeling about this place. She noticed when she set foot on the grounds, the carnival was on the grounds of an abaonded shrine. Maybe it was just for effect, Usagi thought as she walked up the last flight of stairs.

She caught sight of Minako and ran over to her friend, throwing her arms around her, "Minako-chan, you came to the carnival too, do you think they will have cotton candy, and cakes and games? I sure hope so." Usagi said as she walked closer to the group that had gathered around the entrance.

Ami Mizuno walked carefully down the mudddy path.  Even though she was definitely more sociable now than she had been before 2nd year of junior high, she still kept a few habits and preferences from her more nerdy, shy days.  Like not wanting to get dirty at all if she could help it.

When she had heard about this fairly unique carnival, Ami had decided to go mainly because she was curious about it.  For starters, she hadn't been to very many carnivals before.  Secondly, the fact that it was run by a gypsy woman piqued her interest.  Ami knew gypsys  didn't exactly have a good reputation.  But she had never met one, so she had had no way of judging this for herself.  Not exactly like she was expecting to meet this gypsy woman  - after all, if Ami was anything, she was a realist.  But going to a business run by the gypsy woman had to be the next best thing, correct?  Thirdly, having it only open during the nighttime hours was cerrtainly a strange way to run a business.  Was this still a legitimate carnival?  Ami had to admit she could not rule this possibility out - at least not yet.  But what better way to find out for sure than to go there and investigate it - especially undercover (since Ami figured she looked prettty much like a regular teenage girl)?

All of that had combined to make Ami semi-excited about going there.  Certainly at least looking forward to it.  But now, seeing and experiencing the conditions around its location was reducing her semi-excitement/her feeling that this was something to look forward to.  Ami knew that a new business might want to set up in a more-abandoned part of town to get lower rent payments.  But was this gypsy woman really so desperate to reduce her rent payments as to pick a part of town that was this abandoned and uninviting - especially at night, which would be the only time of the (24-hour) day that it was open?!?  Things were starting to look suspicious in Ami's mind.

But she still couldn't be sure of these suspicions yet.  To get that way for sure, Ami had to first get on the carnival grounds, if not also explore them.  Before long (even though she was walking carefully to ttry to keep her black Mary Jane shoes  and the lower parts of her clothes cleaner), she came upon a group of girls and young women waiting near the entrance for it to open.  Ami looked around this group of people until she found two of her closest friends - Usagi and Minako.  The blue-haired teenage girl walked up to those two and greeted them cheerfully with a big smile "Good evening, Usagi-chan and Minako-chan!  Are you looking forward to experiencing this carnival?  Or do you think this will turn out to be another one of those situations where we have to use our  ... you know?"

Next, while looking around this small crowd of people, Ami had noticed one older teenage girl or young woman that, even though she didn't recognize right away, had piqued her interest.  After all, Ami had never seen very many people around with a small fox on their shoulder.  So while still wearing the outfit she had come here in - a light-blue, cap-sleeved dress with a pixellated flower print design on it that fell to a little short of her ankles, a long-sleeved crisp white undershirt, white socks that went up past the hem of her dress, and the aforementioned shoes - Ami walked the short distance up to this female and greeted her with a small bow "Good evening, miss.  My name is Ami Mizuno.  What is your name?  Also, I'm curious about that pet on your shoulder."

Sailor Nocturnus

Neither of Yumi's suggestions appealed to Pamina, but she wasn't about to say anything. She didn't want to seem like a scared baby, especially not when she was spending time with older and cooler sailor soldiers. If the teenagers and adults thought that palm readings and crystal ball psychics were the perfect activities at this nighttime carnival, who was she to object? Pamina glanced around at the crowds milling inside the carnival grounds, noting that there were very few children. She might not even be admitted if it weren't for her of-age companions.

Usagi's comment about cotton candy and games sounded much, much better to the young girl. She turned towards the two blondes, trying to focus on the more harmless delights that a carnival would offer instead of the possibilities that made her skin crawl.

"I hope they have cotton candy, too. And the game with the fish," she said.

Pamina loved watching others play that game, carefully flipping fat goldfish into waiting bowls with those delicate paper-covered hoops. The goldfish looked like bright streaks of flaring comets as they darted about in the shallow pools. Of course... she wasn't sure that she'd be allowed to keep a fish in her dormitory. They were pretty strict about the rule against pets. At least she could observe other people's attempts--that is, if the game was present.

As she wandered around the city in an attempt to get the lay of the land, Eisuke stumbled upon a night-travelling carnival. Carnival, that word was familiar; she had heard Amina talking about them before. She wracked her brain for a moment in an attempt to remember what her Queen had said about them. Ah, yes. They were places of fun and excitement and she had talked about them quite fondly. Perhaps it would be a good idea to check this one out, to make sure it was safe before bringing the Queen here. Eisuke had noticed that Amina had been feeling run down lately and the guardian had been searching for a way to cheer her friend up.
 
Spotting a growing group of people, Eisuke decided to join them. Perhaps if she followed them, she would learn something about this place. She quietly slipped into the group without anyone noticing her.

Kiyoko stood a few meters afar from the group and waited patiently for the carnival’s opening. Only opened at night, huh? She reflected the things she just read on the poster. Kiyoko never visited a carnival before but until now she was firmly convinced that carnivals were only opened at daytime. What a crazy city.
  
Carefully she listened to the group next to her – apparently they were talking about the things they would do when they got in there. Crystal ball reading? Cotton candy stands? Game with a fish? What were they talking about? It was one year ago since Kiyoko settled down on Earth and yet there were still so many things she had to learn. The people’s culture on Earth distinguished significantly from the culture she grew up with.
 
When she suddenly saw one of the girls standing in front of her and asking her about her name, Kiyoko was thunderstruck. Totally lost in her thoughts she didn’t know what to say. “Oh hey,” she finally said soberly. “Nice to meet you, Mizuno-san. I’m Kiyoko…Chiyuno. But I’m also fine with Kiyoko.”
 
Kiyoko froze inwardly when the blue-haired girl wanted to know something about Vulpix. After all, she couldn’t tell her that she came from another planet and that polar foxes were on Panacea like dogs on Earth. But maybe she doesn’t want to know why I have a polar fox but rather what his name is?! Yeah, simple as that – no need to panic. As friendly as possible but yet a bit reserved she answered, “This is Vulpix. He’s a polar fox. I got him when I was 16. He’s pretty old for a fox, so I’m glad he is still doing well.”

VesVes folded her arms, glancing around the place. Nothing about this location helped to quell her suspicion. Seriously, a night circus? She had many, many doubts, and all of them could be summed up with one word: Nehellenia. Or Dead Moon. Or Zirconia. Whichever memory flitted across her mind first.

She then spotted Usagi and Minako, and promptly edged toward them, especially Minako. Minako was fun, and Minako was confident. Also, Usagi's optimism might help with getting rid of some of these nagging doubts.

"Hey, Minako-san, Usagi-san," Ves greeted, hesitating slightly at Usagi's name since she was so used to calling her Your Majesty or some variant of that. "It's kinda cold, eh? Much more chilly than other circuses I've been to. Actually, the ones I've been to were sweltering...kinda like the inside of a jungle!" And with that, a string of clearly nervous laughter followed. Clearing her throat awkwardly, Ves hurriedly changed the subject. "Sooo...what do you guys want to do? Saw the poster about the fortune-telling. That should be interesting. Though I do wish there were roller coasters..." Her voice trailed off as she glanced at the entrance gate.

"When is this thing opening, anyway?"

"It's nice to meet you, also, Chiyuno-san ... err, Kiyoko-san," Ami replied with a smile & a small bow, and in a friendly manner.  With respect to which name she addressed a person by, Ami had to admit the cliché really was true - old habits did die hard.

Ami noticed that Kiyoko also replied about the polar fox on her shoulder, the thing that had most drawn Ami to Kiyoko - but Ami also noticed the slight reserved tone in this response.  Not wanting to seem too nosy with someone she just met, Ami dropped her idea of asking much more about it.  But being as curious as she was, she couldn't resist a couple more comments on it.  So in a friendly manner and with a pleased smile on her face, Ami replied "So he's a polar fox; that's good to know.  He must be well-behaved for you to allow him on your shoulder like that.  I'm also glad to know he's doing well for his age, and I hope Vulpix continues to enjoy much good health."  And she really did think it was good to know that he was a polar fox, because next time she went to the library, Ami planned to do research on the polar fox, to find out more about it in general.

Then Ami pleasantly and politely excused herself, telling Kiyoko that she wanted to get back to her other friends now.  After completing this, Ami walked the short distance back over to her close friends.  While she was doing so, she heard another young woman (Yumi) propose and investigate them going to a crystal ball seer.  This idea initially appealed somewhat to Ami - even though she was a girl of science, she knew science didn't explain everything, and of the various methods she had heard about seers using, crystal balls were the most intriguing and interesting to her.  But just as Ami got back to Usagi & Minako, and the couple others who had joined them, she heard the response over the speakerphone that included breaking glass - and some mumbling about rats.  All of a sudden, Ami was turned off of having her fortune told in that way tonight.

Back with Usagi & Minako, Ami noticed that Vesta had joined the two blondes.  So, in response to Vesta's questions about what they should do, Ami responded with a look that showed she was almost disgusted "Well, the fortune-telling did sound interesting - at first.  But did you hear that recent phone conversation over the one young woman's speakerphone?  That didn't sound like the type of place I'd want to go to to have my fortune told!"

Minako's heart lept with joy upon seeing Usagi and Ami arrive. She bounded toward them, completely ignoring and forgetting to introduce herself to the others. She and Usagi began talking about the stands. 

"Of course there's going to be cotton candy! And candy apples!" Minako licked her lips-she made sure to bring extra money just in case. There was nothing better then a carnival snack and eating it on-site!

That being said, she did take note of Vesves and Ami's concerns. It wasn't as though Minako was completely unaware of the off-putting atmosphere. After a bit of talking, Minako found herself sighing and addressing their concerns. Boo. She was hoping not to think of any danger and enjoying herself.

"I know this place is creepy and all." She spoke, rolling a stone around on the ground with her heel. "But this isn't giving off as bad as a vibe as other places we've investigated-especially not dead moon's circus." She looked at VesVes as she spoke the latter sentence. "You of all people would be able to notice immediately if it were anything like that."

Minako stretched her arms above her head and touched the entrance gate, it was plesently cool to the touch."I say we just enjoy ourselves. If something fishy pops up, we contact each other and deal with the issue."

Her eyes narrowed in thought as she began to look at the growing crowd-full of a bunch of girls she didn't know. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, as a matter of fact, if it WAS some part of a bigger scheme, the crowd would be far bigger. Looking around, Minako counted a total of only twelve people including herself. If they were trying to drain energy or steal something like that, they would normally gather more people. The bigger the crowd, the bigger the haul. 

 Pressing her face in-between the bars, Minako cupped her hands to her mouth and shouted:"Hello! We're all here for the carnival! When do you guys open!" Followed by a "HEY! You've got customers lined up out here! C'mon!" when there was no response. 

Minako sighed. Leave it to Ami and VesVes to totally ruin her mood. Now Minako couldn't get this new found concern out of her head. Pulling herself away from the gate, she steeled herself. There was no way her overanxious senshi-thoughts would get in the way of having fun tonight! She already rationalized it and talked with those who were concerned and set up a game plan. 

She was not going to let her occupation as a Sailor Senshi get in the way! This was the first carnival of the season, and Minako was determined to savor every last moment.

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"I hope they have cotton candy, too. And the game with the fish," she said.

Yumi carelessly crumpled the flyer back into a somewhat folded position and shoved it back into her back pocket. "Well, we do have an hour....we can split up for the time being and venture." 


Her stomach growled. She had forgotten to eat again. This was a bad habit of hers. Yumi would often leave her small apartment in the city and adventure alone to where ever she felt at the time. Often being caught up in the bustle of the city, lost in the sites of nature, food was something she always forgot. It was surprising that Yumi wasn't on the heavy side, because every night she would pig out on whatever greasy and junk food she had in her apartment.


"I'm going to hit the food stalls. The last thing I need is a psychic telling me I'm hungry with her mind reading powers." She giggled at the thought. However, it would be the best way to pull off being a fake physic. Who wasn't always hungry?

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"When is this thing opening, anyway?"

"The moment the sun is finished setting, any moment now. I believe the Crystal Ball Reading is in a purple tent..." Yumi once again pulled the rather beaten piece of paper from her back pocket and pointed to the image at the top. "I think it looks like this." At that moment a gust of heavy wind passed between the girls and tore the flyer from Yumi's hands. Off it blew into the nearby forest.



The sun finished setting, the starts twinkled in the sky, and the gates opened welcoming the guests.

Sailor Nocturnus

When the sun finished setting, Pamina shivered and took a slight step closer the other members of the group. She didn't want to be left alone in the dark--not here. Reflecting on Yumi's suggestion that the group split up, which did seem to be a good idea to use up the time before the... crystal ball reading, she glanced up and around at the other girls. She wanted to go with someone else, but it seemed like the blonde pair and their blue- and red-haired friends were occupied among themselves.

The child tugged on her hair, an anxious habit, before clicking open a small coin purse, counting the Japanese coins inside carefully. She probably had enough for cotton candy, or maybe grilled caramel, or maybe a caramel apple. Probably not more than that, unless she didn't want to try a game. It was a good thing that she had eaten at the dormitory before heading out this evening, or she would be in trouble now.

Pamina decided to wait and see if there was a smaller group she could slip in to, as she watched the other carnival attendees decide what to do with their time before the psychic reading.

Amber was listening to everyone talk while more people were joining their group. She liked all of the ideas coming from everyone. Games and candy sounded fun to her and so did the stuff with the psychics, those were fun too! "Ooh I hope they have that game where you whack moles... Oooh ooh or that game with the water guns!!!!! Those two are my favorites! But I also like the idea of a crystal ball reading!" Amber said joining in on the game conversation. 

When the carnival finally opened Amber walked with Yumi towards the purple tent. Suddenly a heavy wind came through the area and Amber squealed. She hated the wind, it made her hair even more unmanageable than it was normally.

Kiyoko was a bit amused while the girl talked to her. She seemed quite nervous and apparently she tried with might and main to avoid doing something wrong. Why is she so tensed?, Kiyoko wondered. Is she afraid of the darkness which sets in? Still wondering why the girl was so tensed Kiyoko nearly missed what she said. “Oh yeah, sure,” she said still a bit buried in thought. “Enjoy your stay at the carnival!”
 
Alone with Vulpix again she breathed out and closed her eyes at ease to wait patiently for the darkness’ arrival. In the meantime she heard the girls group next to her still talking. They were the complete opposite of her: loud, extroverted and talkative. She wasn’t sure if she would get along with them – but fortunately she didn’t have to think about it. She would pay the carnival a visit, check if everything was okay and after that she would immediately leave. Yeah, sounds like a good plan!
 
Suddenly Kiyoko froze when she heard the blond girl with the red hair bow saying something very peculiar. Other places they investigated? Dead Moon Circus? Contact each other and deal with the issue? Her eyes narrowed. Who are these girls? Are they from a secret agency? From the police? Or are they maybe –? She interrupted herself in her thoughts. No. This can’t be. Although she considered it as nearly impossible, she couldn’t move away from the thought they might be Sailor Senshi as well. Don’t obsess about it, she tried to calm herself. You are too overcautious.
 
“Hey, is everything okay?,” she suddenly heard someone whispering into her ear. “Errr – sure,” she stumbled and smiled at Vulpix. Okay, act normal! Kiyoko took a deep breath and calmed herself down inwardly. Just investigate the carnival and then you can leave.
 
Finally back in her calm state, she noticed that the doors were just opened. “Alright, let’s go,” she quietly said to Vulpix. “Keep your eyes peeled.”
 
Quickly she ruffled through her hair until she finally hit the road into the carnival. “So. Where do we want to start?,” she asked his companion after they eventually separated from the group.

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When the carnival finally opened Amber walked with Yumi towards the purple tent. Suddenly a heavy wind came through the area and Amber squealed. She hated the wind, it made her hair even more unmanageable than it was normally.

Yumi headed with her companion to the purple tent that seemed to reach the clouds. How can just a poor structure that could easily be torn down appear so tall? "An illusion" Yumi mumbled, facing Amber. She knelt down by a projector, carefully hidden behind a tree, and put her hand in front of the projection. The image that shown up high faded away, the top of the tent was only an illusion. 


"I wonder what else is an illusion here." Yumi giggled. she stood up, and slowly the full image of the tent reappeared.


"Get away from there, you brats!" A janitor hollered at the two. His overalls were stained, and he didn't smell too pleasant. These traveling folk probably didn't get to maintain their hygiene on a normal basis, nor did they probably care. Yumi clenched her fist where the gem of Aqua was housed, her hand glowed slightly. Yumi reminded herself that she was on earth, and her kind weren't openly known. The small flow faded. She hoped no one saw it. The man scoffed and walked away and continued to sweep the grounds.


"We have an hour before our reading, and I don't intend on lying to my stomach.

"YES! ALRIGHT!" Minako jumped for joy once the gates opened. With a hop, skip and an jump she bounded for the tents, looking back at those she knew as senshi and flashed her wrist, motioning to her communicator. There was no way they could misread the message; if anything goes wrong, I'll call you or you call me. 

The tents seemed old, to say the least. Minako couldn't tell if the dirt and grime covering the edges were from age and dust, or from the current landscape. Traveling carnivals always tended to have their supplies get dusty from being in storage. You would think they would have thought to clean them up a bit before setting up shop- or at least get them as clean as they could be considering the grounds were dirt-central. Minako found herself avoiding old treeroots run aground as she navigated through the center of the grounds. 

This carnival had to be the gloomiest carnival she ever saw. Even dead moon found a way to have their attractions look lively and inviting.Minako rubbed her arms together as a shiver went up her spine-most likely from the evening cold. There were no snack bars that she could see, nor were there many games. The games that were set up looked like they hadn't seen the light of day in decades. Nevertheless, she walked up to one of the podiums and grabbed a baseball. It was one of those stands where you had to knock the cups down. It was always easy to grab a prize from this game; her volleyball skills always had her knock over at least a few. 

"Is anyone here?" She asked, rolling the ball around in her palms. "I'd like to take a shot at this. How much does it cost?"

Minako couldn't help it-red flags were going up. Normally you'd be presented with a bunch of staff members at every tent, advertising their attractions and practically begging you to visit their game or snack booth. This place was so quiet, she could hear owls and other late night animals making noise from the woods next door. 

Minako shook her head. Nonono. This was the first carnival of the season. They were late opening the gates, so maybe the staff were still getting things together? Minako stood at the booth, rolling the baseball around on the wooden platform and peered over it. She could see prizes-though it was too dark to determine what kind they were, and she could see buckets with other baseballs in them. Somebody obviously set all this up, so where were they now? 

Going against her carefree judgement, she finally decided that this was abnormal and flipped open her communicator and messaged Usagi and Ami. She really wanted to enjoy herself, she really did. But her observation skills as a sailor senshi were going off in all directions-something clearly wasn't right.

"Guys, I'm here at one of the games. Nobody's here, it's creepy. Everything looks old, too. Did you guys find anybody?" Minako paused and fumbled with the baseball nervously in her other hand, waiting for a response.

Suddenly, the old man shouting made her jump, and the communicator shut itself when she flinched. He called everyone brats, and began sweeping the grounds.

"Hey!" Minako stomped her foot and dropped the baseball. "Don't just scream at us like that! We're paying customers! Where's everyone else? When do the other attractions open?"

She noticed he was walking away, ignoring her. She flipped open her communicator and messaged Usagi and Ami again, walking toward the guy as she spoke low enough so he wouldn't hear her, hiding the communicator with her purse as she spoke.

"Okay guys, I'm calling it. This is bad news. The only person I see is this janitor, and he's ignoring me as if I don't exist. I'm going to try to get more information out of him. Let me know if you find anything out or anyone else." With that, she shut her communicator and approached the old man.

"Hey, didn't you hear me? Where are the other staff members? I want to play a game!" She scoffed. "You'd better get the rest of the staff out here, otherwise you guys are going to lose a whole bunch of customers."

"Uff!" VesVes huffed at Minako's comment. "What do ya mean, I should notice? I know it's too cold to be like the Dead Moon..." Shivering slightly, she hunched over, wishing that she had worn a different jacket. Or two jackets. Or three. As a Senshi of fire, she was particularly vulnerable to the cold, especially as the sun set. She at least hoped that there was a heater somewhere in the carnival.

As the gates opened, Ves shuffled inside, wandering away from Usagi, Ami, and Minako. Despite her discomfort, a sneer made its way onto her face. "God, this place is lame! Where the hell is everybody?" She walked around, looking for at least one ride that didn't appear like it was about to fall over. Also one that appeared more lively. She wished JunJun or PallaPalla were here; she could really use their companionship. Even CereCere's ranting would bring some amusement. Ves could just picture the aristocratic pinkette's face as it would grow more and more disgusted with each passing attraction. That image alone made her snicker.

However, she stopped laughing immediately and froze in her tracks. Something was not right. A flock of birds from the nearby woods had just alighted from the trees, flying away as if something was chasing them. Not to far off, she could hear a fox barking. It too sounded terrified.

What's up with the fauna? Ves thought as she caught sight of two rats bolting from under a table. Why are they all running away?


She jumped at the sound of the old man shouting. So someone's here after all! She didn't exactly hear what he said, but she did hear Minako's voice. Quickly, she found her way to the blonde and immediately started to voice her concerns.

"Hey, something's up with the animals. They're all running and flying away from something; I don't know what though. What did the old man say? Also, is there an outdoor heater somewhere? I'm freezing."

Minako glanced toward the forest. So that was all the noise she heard! It was all the animals running away! Minako nodded at VesVes's observation. 

"You're right." She mumbled, her hand to her chin. "Come to think of it, I was hearing all sorts of animals making some loud racket. The forest isn't usually this loud at night. You think they could be connected? By the way..."

Minako pointed in the direction of the old janitor. He hadn't made a peep since she spoke, and she had been keeping an eye on him. His movements were mechanical almost. 

"I tried talking to the guy, he's acting like I don't exist." Minako explained, glancing nervously at her communicator. "I tried contacting the others, they're not picking up. Do you know which way they went? You were with them, weren't you?"

Usagi had been lost in thought for some time, but she was glad to have some friends with her. This carnival had sorta given her the creeps, but if she was with friends she would be okay. If only Mamo-chan were here, he would protect me,  Usagi thought as she realized the carnival gates had openened and they were all now in line to get their fortunes read.

Usagi wasn't one for fortune readings, unless it was from those she trusted, but this was all in good fun so Usagi decided to stay in a positive spirit. Usagi noticed the janitor who appeared to be angry at the group for coming to the carnival. She hated to see people so down and out. She quickly looked around to make sure it was safe, she reached for her moon wand in her purse and clutched it, summoning its power as she smiled at the janitor and thanked him for helping keep the grounds clean, while at the same time she sent some healing his way to make his heart more pure so that he could smile again.

She made her way back towards Minako and Ami. She spoke with her usual tone that showed she was off in another world, "Ami-chan, Minako-chan, sorry, I kinda spaced out for a minute there, but I am back, I hope that there are nice people at this carnival." She said as she latched arms with each girl.

Minako sighed a breath of relief as she saw Usagi approach her, smiling and entwining her arm with hers. 

"Jeez, Usagi. Why didn't you pick up when I called you? Twice?" Nonetheless, Minako gave usagi's arm a playful squeeze. "Oh well, better late then never. I'm glad I got a hold of you. VesVes and I have been talking about the carnival and have been sharing our experiences. Sadly, Ami-Chan and Ves were right-this carnival is not normal.  Ves noticed the animals were acting weird and running into the forest. I heard all the noise, but  I didn't realize the reason they were acting up was because they were getting the heck outta here. And the only person I've run into here is the janitor, and he was ignoring me. It's as though he was brainwashed. There's not a single other staff member on these grounds. It's got to be the work of the enemy." 

Minako noticed that the janitor was acting more like a normal janator now. He was greeting and talking with the other patrons and had a pep in his step-humming a tune as he continued to clean the grounds with a lot more energy then he started with. Minako's heart leapt into her throat, and she yanked Usagi's arm that she was holding onto out of shock. 

"Usagi you did not." She spat at the blonde, shaking her head. "You didn't heal him, did you? Oh god, Usagi, you know how dangerous that is. Someone could have seen you!" There it was. Usagi healing the possessed janitor and now he's acting like a normal person. That's it, this place is evil.

 It was at this point that Minako made sure her transformation pen was in a better spot to grab hold of. VesVes noticing the animals, Minako noticing the old janitor's complexion and Usagi healing him making it better-both had used their abilities to a degree and both times gained fruit. Ami was correct. This place was not safe by any means. Quickly, Minako grabbed her pen from the bottom of her purse and stuffed it into her pocket. 

So she, VesVes and Usagi were together. Where was Ami? Minako nervously called Ami on the communicator, praying she would answer and hoping something sinister didn't befall her.

Sailor Nocturnus

Thankfully for Pamina, the cotton candy was not an illusion. She hadn't found anyone to follow, so rather than being left alone at the front gates the girl had taken it upon herself to inspect the food stands. They looked like they had seen better days, generally rickety and poorly-constructed, covered with faded and dingy paint and torn and weather-beaten awnings, but the stalls were occupied and the timeless scents of carnival food wafted through the air. Most of the offerings appeared to be savory items, such as grilled chicken on skewers or fried noodles, but the little girl watching with large dark eyes had sweets as her target.

Shaved ice, although a classic, seemed a poor choice with today's damp and chilly weather. Candy apples looked beautiful, shining in their bright red sugar coatings, but she thought of Snow White's poison apple when she looked at the bright-eyed old crone vending the treats and decided not to take her chances. The grilled caramel was priced a bit too high, unless it turned out that there were no games she wanted to play, in which case she could come back for it before the group's--she shivered slightly at the thought--fortune telling.

The cotton candy, however, was just right. Pamina handed her coins to the toothless old man and received in exchange a large cone of fluffy pink sugar. Her saccharine prize acquired, she headed over to a partially-broken down bench that had once been a part of the temple grounds. It was still surrounded by the night carnival, but as soon as she sat down she felt somehow isolated.

After glancing around a minute to see if anyone was looking, Pamina fished the Asturlab from her pocket and cupped it in her small hands. Concentrating, she whispered something faint, and the golden device began to emit a soft glow from the dialed surface. Pamina set it carefully on her lap, comforted by the presence of the gentle light, and swung her feet blissfully as she dissolved tendrils of the spun sugar in her mouth.

Ves shook her head at Minako's question. "Nah, I was alone for a while. That's when I first noticed all the animals. Like I said, they're definitely running from something." She could still hear them, calling and chattering and making a racket. Could the animals' reactions, plus the janitor's attitude, be connected? The redhead was still mulling over Minako's observations when Usagi appeared.

"Oh hey, Usagi-san--you did whaaat!?" Upon this revelation, Ves looked from Usagi to the janitor. Indeed, he did seem to be in more of a sprightly mood. Well, at least he could perhaps help them. Following Minako's lead, the redhead checked her pockets. Yep, her henshin stick was still in there, though she might want to keep her hands inside her pockets to make sure it didn't fall out, as this jacket had rather small pockets. "I really should've worn a different jacket," she muttered.

Then Ves looked to Minako and Usagi. "So, what do we do now?"