Forum: Silver Millennium
Type: Relaxed

Plot Summary: Back in the glory days of the Silver Millennium, four guardian senshi from four different planets were summoned to the Moon Kingdom by Queen Serenity to be her daughter's future protectors. But before they became the excellent, dedicated, perfectly trained soldiers that we know and love, they were young, scared, insecure, confused, and unsure.

Despite being princesses of their planets, each of them was taken away from the life they knew and from their parents at such a young age. Could they get used to life on the moon, that was so different? Not to mention now they were supposed to take care of a baby - the most important princess of all - without much guidance. And so, in the beginning, things were quite a disaster. They did not get along, they were scared and confused, and in the midst of it all was a baby who would soon consume their entire lives, but who right now just would not stop crying long enough to let them figure out what she wanted.

Details on any necessary information: This storyline will explore the early days of Silver Millennium around the time Serenity was born and the inners were first summoned. Serenity is still a baby at the beginning of the storyline but we will eventually timeskip to when she's older. Unlike in canon, the age gap between the senshi and Serenity is bigger. The ages of the senshi are as follows (by Earth years): Mercury 13, Venus 12, Mars and Jupiter 11.

Restrictions: Only for the inner senshi, Queen Serenity, Luna and Artemis. Other characters such as Princess Serenity and Queen Nehelenia may become playable down the line once we have reached those chapters.

Characters:
- Princess Mercury/Sailor Mercury: Sailor Mercury
- Princess Mars/Sailor Mars: Addelyn
- Princess Jupiter/Sailor Jupiter: JupiterThunderCrash
- Princess Venus/Sailor Venus: Starchild
- Luna: PoetofMercury
- Artemis: OPEN
- Queen Serenity: Sailor Pluto

Dione was practically vibrating in place as she waited with the Queen of Jupiter for the palace doors to let them in. She couldn't believe she was really on the Moon to see Queen Serenity! She was still getting used to being Sailor Jupiter, and now she was going to serve the new princess.

At first, she had been confused as to what that meant, and the thought of leaving her parents to live so far away had made her uncharacteristically nervous. She had only been on Jupiter her entire life, and most of her time had been spent behind the comfort  of Castle Io's walls, playing with servants and guards. How different was the moon? Did they have storms there? Was the food any good? What if there weren't any big trees to climb? 

But her mother had just laugh at her hundreds of questions and assured her that it was going to be okay. She would have 3 new friends to stay with, so she wouldn't be as lonely as before, where there weren't any children around. And she knew that her mother had met her best friends on the moon too, so maybe the same would hold true for her. 

And that had brought her enthusiasm right back. She had been so excited that she had barely slept the night before they teleported, leaving her a little drowsy up until she spotted the palace. Dione couldn't wait to make new friends and see the baby! The Queen of Jupiter looked down at her and touched her shoulder gently, steadying her. 

"Are you ready?" she asked. Dione straightened her senshi outfit one more time and nodded, trying to look as composed as an 11 year old could be. Her mother tried her best not to laugh at her attempt and nodded back instead, and the doors opened for them, letting the two in.

Why did she have to go to the Moon Palace anyway? Enyo thought for what felt like the millionth time since she had gotten the news. The Princess was just a baby, what did they expect her to do? She was training to become a warrior like her father, how was she supposed to do that while she was on the Moon and away from her training masters and her sparing partners on Mars?
 
Her father seemed quite pleased with the news, telling her how big of an honour it was. How was taking her away from everything she’d ever known an honour? She wanted to go back to Mars, but it was too late. All she could do now was her best and try and make her father proud of her. Not that she had any clue how she’d do that yet.
 
“Now Enyo, remember, you need to get along with your new teammates,” he said, kneeling down in front of her. “Please try not to scare them.” He smiled warmly at her before gathering her into his embrace for one last hug. It would be a long time before they saw each other again. “Be brave my little warrior.” With one last kiss on the forehead, he stood, leading them to the door that had opened for the Queen of Jupiter and her daughter.
 

She tried to hide her pout as they walked. Everyone was scared of her back home, even when she didn’t say or do anything. How could her father expect anything to be different here? Besides, she was a warrior, weren’t people supposed to be scared of her?

Luna awoke and stretched,  uncurling from her nap and arching her back gracefully. She had curled up for a nap bear the baby princess. Ever since she was born, Luna very seldom left her side. Never had she seen such a tiny delicate and beautiful little person. The baby had quite grown on her with her beautiful blue eyss. It had not been long since Luna became guardian to the small princess, and it still seemed unreal to have been given such a high honor and to have so much faith placed in such a small cat.  It was both nerve-racking and exhilarating. Even though she was only a baby, Luna had already began searching for up and coming tutors, the best of the best to teach the princess. She was already thinking about etiquette lessons, history tutors, and diplomacy training before the young blonde was old enough to read. Artemis would probably say she was overthinking it, but that was simply the way she was.
 
Today would be another milestone. Today the small princess would meet the four planetary guardians that would be by her side for the rest of her life. Four young princesses, too young in Luna’s opinion, would be arriving today from their respective planets. It has Luna’s nerves all a jitter and she wished Artemis were here so she could talk it through with him. He always seemed to have a lighthearted optimistic way of seeing things. As much as she scolded him to be serious, sometimes it did help to settle her nerves, though she had never told him this. Letting out a small sigh, she jumped down, landing with a soft thud, and headed for the throne room.

Luna had coaxed the computer to give up all the information it had on the four princesses, family lineage, names, and dates. But it told her nothing about their personalities and capabilities. “What if they don’t like her?” Luna wondered aloud. “What if they don’t get along with each other?” So very many things could happen, and Luna’s imagination ran rampant while she walked. She was so absorbed in trying to imagine how it will be, and trying to think of solutions for problems that have not even happened, that she was nearly stepped on by a member of the kitchen staff running by with a tray. She had to pull some fancy footwork to get out of the way. Maybe I am overthinking it. For all I know, maybe they will become the very best of friends. she thought, attempting to settle the nervous jitters that was making her fur puff up and her tail stand straight on its end.
 
Gathering her nerves, she entered the throne room and took her place at the foot of the thrones. There were already some onlookers gathered. She sat daintily, tail curled around her body as she waited for the doors to open and the princesses to be admitted. Truly, this was to be quite an exciting day.

Aglaia strode down the hallways of the moon castle. It was nothing like her vibrant orange palace on Venus. She looked around at all the decorations - which she found extremely gaudy and sighed.

"Why is this Serenity so special?" A pout formed on her lips. "I'm the most beautiful princess in the galaxy... so why should she get all the glory." Her thoughts were filled with jealousy. Surely she deserved the attention.

"Aglaia... be on your best behavior." Her mother gave her a stern look. She was a tall blonde haired woman who was only matched by Aphrodite herself. "Your duty is an important one. Do not ever forget that."

The two arrived where the royalty of Mars and Jupiter stood. Aglaia flipped her hair, as if to tell the others she knew she was gorgeous. A perfect princess in every way.

"Don't ever forget, Aglaia, you are going to become a warrior, and have a role imperative to our solar system. Be a good girl." She kissed her daughters cheek before completely joining the others.

Minerva entered the palace along with her mother, the Queen of Mercury, and scanned her surroundings surreptitiously. Since she was in a new place, especially one as wonderful as this, she could not help her curiosity; she wanted to swivel her head this way and that to take in everything, not wanting to miss anything. But she also knew that would not be polite, so she tried to do it as subtly as possible.

The Moon Palace really was beautiful, even if it seemed cold with its monochrome shades of silver. However, Minerva was used to coldness. Everything back home was cool blue, an attempt to combat the heat of their planet that was so close to the sun. The royal family preferred to live near the cold poles, so she was more used to low temperatures, but it seemed pretty comfortable here.

What was the queen of the moon like? And what of the princess, the one they were supposed to guard? Minerva wanted to know absolutely everything, mostly because she hated going into situations without knowing all the facts and what she could expect. She was really going in blind this time, and it was really affecting her nerves. She’d been a bundle of anxiety all day and had not even managed to get more than short bursts of naps last night because she kept waking up from nightmares about everything that could go wrong. This was way worse than the first day of school.

Why would her mother agree to send her away like this? She thought they were close. She thought her mother was proud of her, of her achievements and her intellect. And yet now Minerva felt as if she was being banished—punished in some way.

Minerva looked up at her mother pleadingly, but the Queen of Mercury just smiled. “Go on, join the others. And make me proud.” The queen kissed her forehead briefly, then added, “And do try to stop fidgeting, darling.” Minerva blushed and tried to stop her involuntary movements brought on by her nervousness. She tried to appear as small as possible as she walked slowly toward the other girls, trying to join the ranks unnoticed. She really didn’t want them to start talking to her.

Thankfully, once all four of them were assembled, the double doors to the throne room opened, and the guards waved for them to enter. The throne was still empty, except for a small black cat sitting on its base. Minerva blinked, interested and curious. Was that the queen’s cat? She liked animals—had always wanted one herself, but her mother thought a pet might distract her from her studies.

Another set of doors on the side of the room opened, and a woman who seemed to glow silver from head to toe entered. Her smile was warm and kind, and Minerva couldn’t help but relax a little bit at the sight of her. She even stopped fidgeting.

“Good day, everyone. It is so good to see you all again, my friends,” she addressed the parents first with the familiarity of an old friend. Then she turned to look at the young girls. “Welcome to the Moon Kingdom, Princesses of Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus,” the woman looked at each of them in turn, gracing each with that warm smile of hers. “I am Queen Serenity, queen of this kingdom, and I am so happy that you have all made it safely here. From now on, this is where you will live—together with my own daughter. We have prepared our best accommodations for you, so you never have to worry about comfort. If you ever need anything, please tell me right away. I want your stay here to be the most enjoyable. Now…” she looked up at the group of parents and smiled at them, too. “I will show you to your new rooms in a minute, but I will give you all a moment to say goodbye first if you wish. Your parents are free to visit you anytime they like, of course, and you can also write letters.”

Minerva’s stomach turned. She had to say goodbye to her mother already? How would she survive on her own here? She thought her mother would at least get to stay for the night…

Spoiler:

Dione was glad she was one of the first to arrive, because then she got to see the other three princesses as they showed up afterward. She had seen enough planetary ambassadors speaking to her parents to figure out where each one was from, and the senshi uniforms further marked their planetary origins. The first one, dressed in a red and purple outfit, had long dark hair and deep violet eyes, and looked really grumpy for such an exciting occasion. Did the princess of Mars not want to be here?

The second one to arrive was a blonde, blue eyed girl who didn't look pleased either. She watched as the girl in orange and blue flipped her hair that was tied back by a ribbon, momentarily distracted by how pretty it was. Was everyone like that on Venus? She must take really good care of it for it to look that way. 

The first thing she noticed about the last arrival was how ...small the princess of Mercury was. Dione was the tallest princess here, but this one was even shorter than the rest. And she looked so shy as she walked over to stand with the rest of them...

Resisting the urge to start up a conversation with them, she stayed still and waited for the others to come over and wait with her. She did make sure to smile at them, even if they didn't return it. Dione had to act as polite as she could when Queen Serenity came, right? And there was plenty of time for introductions and friend making later. As they entered the throne room and saw the Queen, Dione was in awe at her appearance. She was like a glowing silver goddess, and she couldn't help but stare as she felt the calm that radiated off of her. 

So this was Queen Serenity... Dione blinked and snapped out of her stupor as the Queen addressed them. So they'd all be living together with the baby, and they'd have their own rooms? It wasn't quite the giant sleepover she had been envisioning, but it was close enough.

Wait, say goodbye? Her excitement drained a bit when she remembered that her mother could not stay here with her. Hesitantly, Dione turned back around to face her. She wasn't about to cry, but she was still downcast about it. The Queen of Jupiter bent down to her level and patiently waited for her to come over. 

"Make sure to be good and do your best, okay? I'll come back and visit as soon as I can," she said, before pulling her into a possibly bone crushing hug. Dione tried not to look embarrassed at being squeezed like that in front of the other princesses, and mumbled bye, hugging her back. Her mother fixed her hair bangs before standing up, nudging her in the back to go over to the other senshi again.

Aglaia was less than impressed at the silver clad Queen. Shouldn't the Queen of the "Oh so important" Moon Kingdom look a little more fashionable. Even though she felt thia, she couldn't help but notice her aura of power. Maybe there was more to her than she appeared.

Aglaia turned to her mother and gave an elegant curtsy. "On behalf or Venus, I will make you proud, mother."

Her mother smiled and gave her daughter a hug and a kiss on each cheek before leaving with a wink. "Be a good girl."

Aglaia returned to the group of girls, who she eyed up and down, noticing they each had a different style than her. "Hm... So that's how they dress on other planets." She thought to herself.

Being the cheery princess she was, she figured she'd announce her presence. "I am Aglaia, the Princess of Venus!" She exclaimed, striking a lavish pose. Flipping her hair again she smiled at the girls. "Isn't my dress cute?"

Luna curtseyed in her own Mauian way when the queen came out to the throne room. She lowered her front paws and head almost to the ground. The queen was radiant and graceful as always in greeting the new princesses. She observed them from her perch, noting the differences in appearance. They were as far from look-alikes as could be. Each was very distinctly different in their own way.

The princess of Mercury was small, and seemed to draw into herself. My we have a shy one here, don't we. Luna remarked to herself. Next was Mars, who despite her pretty raven hair and dark beauty seemed more than a little grouchy. This one might be a handful. She looks like a fireball waiting to ignite.

The princess of Jupiter seemed to Luna to be the friendliest of the four, though she remained quiet. Luna believed she saw an earnestness in her face. Lastly the queen indicated the princess of Venus. She did possess a remarkable beauty. Her hair shone like gold, silky and smooth. Judging by her mannerisms, the princess of Venus knew it too. Such different personalities, it would be a wonder if they could be come friends.

However, Luna trusted the queen's instincts. If the queen could make friends with their parents, surely the young princess could too. Luna knew their rooms were in readiness. She had pestered the staff until they rolled their eyes at her. She could even hear Artemis' voice in her mind, Luna, you worry too much! Everything will be fine in time for the arrival.

Luna did not move yet, simply watching from afar as the girls said good bye to their mothers. It must be hard on them, leaving home to live in an unfamiliar place. Luna sympathized. She too had been there, many many years ago.

Dione definitely looked impressed with Aglaia's introduction and display, eyes sparkling with amazement and curiosity. The Princess of Venus reminded her of polished gold with her bright hair and dress, and it was so different from the more natural, cooler colors back at her own home.

"It is!" Dione said, admiring it. She preferred green, but it was still very pretty in her opinion. Realizing that she hadn't said her name yet, she mentally backtracked. Now how was she supposed to do that again? "Oh, and I am Dione, Princess of Jupiter," she said to the group, a wide smile on her face. She glanced at the princess of Mercury, once again seeing how withdrawn she looked, and decided to try and help her out. 

Dione closed the distance between them in about two steps, ending up right in front of Mercury. "And what's your name?" she asked, looking down at her with a grin that she thought was inviting. Her hand moved to touch the other girl's shoulders in a supportive manner.

“Now, my daughter, remember to write to me about the progress of your training. I wish to be kept up to date at all times,” the Queen of Mercury was saying. But she didn’t give Minerva a hug or anything. She glanced with envy at the pair from Jupiter and that warm hug the queen gave her daughter. Meanwhile her own mother was talking some more about making her proud, learning her lessons properly, and to be a good soldier.

All Minerva wanted was a hug.

Before long, her mother had walked away, and Minerva was left alone with the other girls. The princess from Venus was introducing herself in a really confident way, and Minerva felt another stab of envy. If only she could be more outgoing and brave like that…

The princess of Jupiter introduced herself next. She was so… big and tall! She practically towered over Minerva. How old was she?

Oh goddess, why was she looking at her?

Minerva’s heart jumped to her throat when Dione moved toward her, before stopping right in front of her. She managed to stammer out, “M-Minerva, from Mercury,” with a voice barely above a whisper, but then she saw the hand coming and reflexively shrunk into herself, flinching.

Oh no, please don’t hit me!

She really didn’t deal well with people intruding her personal bubble.

Dione paused when she saw Minerva's reaction, her smile faltering. Why did she look so scared? Did they not touch each other like that on Mercury? Confused, but not wanting to further offend her, Dione let her hand fall to the side and put them both behind her back instead. 

And she was so quiet that she had barely caught her name at all. Minerva... Dione decided that she liked her, even if they weren't friends yet. It might take a while to get her to open up more, but she'd try to be patient. 

Minerva reminded her of one of the skittish deer that sometimes came out of the woods if you were quiet enough, but ran away as soon as something frightened them. She had definitely scared a few deer before with her own enthusiasm.

"Ah, I'm sorry..." she said, trying to salvage the situation, though she still had no idea what she had done wrong.

Luna inwardly winced when the princess of Mercury cringed. What must Mercury be like if the poor girl thought she was going to be hit? Or was it just that the Jovian princess was so very tall? Luna supposed it could seem intimidating to someone smaller. Still, it seemed a good time to make introductions while also creating a distraction.

She leapt down the few steps at the base of the throne and crossed the floor gracefully, her feet not making a sound. When she reached the four, she bowed down in her usual feline curtsy before looking p with earnest blue eyes. “Greetings princesses. It is an honor to meet you all. I am Luna, Serenity’s guardian and advisor to the queen. I hope the journey was not too tiresome. If you like, I can show you where your rooms are. Or if you are all hungry you can rest in one of the sitting rooms and I can send someone to fetch food. I look forward to getting to know you all.”

Enyo felt her mind whirling as the Queen spoke. Was she really supposed to say goodbye to her father now? Part of her didn’t want him to leave her alone in this strange place, but the other part of her told herself to grow up, she was a warrior, not a little girl. She didn’t need her father to hold her hand or stay with her. She was determined to make him proud.
 
“Just remember to be yourself, my little warrior,” her father whispered into her ear as he gathered her close for one last hug. She nodded, unable to force the words past the lump that had formed in her throat.
 
She watched as her father rose and left, leaving her alone with the other Princesses. She couldn’t help but scoff as the Princess of Venus demanded they affirm that her attire was cute. It didn’t look functional in a fight to Mar’s critical eye. What was the point of such frivolities?
 

When the Princess of Mercury cowered from the Princess of Jupiter, Mars scowled with disdain. The blue-haired girl was obviously weak. How was she, the Princess of Mars, warrior daughter or the great King Ares supposed to work with a weakling such as that?

Queen Serenity watched in silence as the girls said they good-byes to their families. She was pleased to see that they were already starting to speak to each other, but could feel the tension between them. The queen smiled and nodded at her four friends, telling them silently that they were free to leave. Already, the personalities of each of these young girls were coming to the surface. Each of them were so different, but the queen had high hopes for them.

If they were meant to be sailor senshi, they would work through their differences and grow to be the greatest of friends.

"Come, ladies. Luna and I will show you to your rooms," the queen said, smiling warmly as she approached them. "I want you all to feel safe and at home here, so please do make yourselves at home and feel free to ask us any questions you may have."

Dione's attention went straight to Luna when the black cat approached and began to speak. She'd never seen a cat that could talk before! Or maybe she wasn't a pet cat at all. They wouldn't just let any old animal guard princess Serenity and help the Queen, so Luna must be something special.

Her expression changed to one of excitement again at the mention of rooms, momentarily letting the awkward moment go. She wondered how hers would look. Would it be like her bedroom at home, or maybe more like the silver palace they were in? Would they all be next to each other? Where did the baby sleep? She had so many questions that Dione had no idea where to start, so she decided to just nod and follow after Queen Serenity to see for herself.

Minerva’s attention was transfixed on the talking cat. It was her first time seeing such a thing… they did not have a talking animal back in Mercury. She looked… wise and knowledgeable. Maybe Minerva could talk to her when the others weren’t around, ask for advice…

The queen directed them to their rooms, and soon enough they arrived in what looked like two connecting rooms, each with two beds in them. The individual rooms were pretty vast and quite opulent, definitely fit for princesses. Minerva was already nervous about having to share a room with at least one other person. And although the connecting door could be closed, the other two would also always be close by. She’d been so used to her solitude all her life… how was she going to handle having three other people in close proximity at all times from now on? Not to mention the baby…

She waited for the others to claim their beds, deciding she’d just take whatever was left. She tried to think who she’d like to room with, but she realized she feared all three princesses equally. Dionne was so big, Enyo seemed so unfriendly, and Aglaia appeared to be so haughty… certainly none of them would enjoy being her roommate.

When the Queen directed them to their rooms, Enyo was just barely able to keep the frown off her face. She, the Princess of Mars, was expected to share a room? While she understood they were supposed to be Guardians of the Moon Princess, they were still Princesses of their own respective planets. Did that not mean anything here? 

Disgusted, she decided to just claim a room that she wanted, regardless what they others thought about it. They weren't going to like her anyway - no one did, so why should it matter to her who she shared a room with? 

"I'm taking this one," she declared, pointing to the one on the left.

Their rooms in the palace were not what she expected, but more like the rest of the moon's signature style: silver and elegant, in a simplistic way. And to her joy, the rooms were connected. Maybe her idea of a sleepover wasn't dead in the water yet! Seeing Enyo claim one of the beds on the left, Dione decided to let the Martian princess have her space. Instead, she homed in on the right side. 

"Can I have this one?" she asked, before going to open the door that led to the other side. In her excitement, the knob twisted completely off in her hand with a small snapping sound. The door creaked open, now with no handle at all. Dione dropped the silver knob on the floor in surprise, and then blushed. She'd never done that before. Why was the knob so fragile? And now that she thought of it, the door had barely taken any force to pull open. Were things built lighter here?

"Er, my apologies..." she said, trying to be courteous. Would the Queen be mad at her for breaking it?

Queen Serenity blinked in surprise as Dione completely broke off the doorknob to the other room. She had suspected a few pieces of furniture would be sacrificed to the Jovian princess, given the difference in structure in how things were made on the Moon. She just didn't think it would happen with a doorknob. But it was an easy fix, she was sure.

"Oh, it is quite alright. I suspected it would take a while for the four of you to adjust to the differences here," she said. "I do hope these rooms are enough to accommodate you all during your stay. Should you ever need anything, the servants wandering the palace would be happy to help."

Enyo had quickly claimed one of the two rooms, and then Dione claimed the other side. That meant Minerva’s choice of roommate was now between the two of them. And she found the option equally horrifying. Enyo was just so… scary. Maybe despite her size Dione was better. After all, she had tried to be friendly earlier…

But then with a crack that made her jump, the knob that Dione was holding broke clean off, and Minerva gasped. She took an instinctive step back as her mind tried to comprehend how strong the Jovian was. Could she really be safe around someone with all that strength? What if Dione accidentally hurt her? She clearly could break bones as if they were twigs. No, no, no. Minerva could not be expected to sleep in the same room as her, surely?

Panic gripped her, and she glanced at the queen, wondering if it would be too much to ask for a single room. Why did they need to share one anyway? But remembering what her mother said, her request died in her throat. She couldn’t possibly be so rude. Still trapped in her own nightmare, Minerva remained quiet, wondering if she could even survive the first night here.

Dione relaxed when she realized that she wasn't in trouble. That would have been a terrible start to her first day, being punished for breaking something like that. She'd have to remember to be more careful, but...she was just so happy to be at the Moon Palace!

 This would be a difficult struggle for her, but for now, she just wouldn't touch too many things if she didn't have to. Dione didn't want to embarrass herself again in front of everyone else.

Aglaia was silent for most of her walk down the cooridors. The Moon Palace was more extravagant than she thought, although it still didn't rival the Aphrodite Cathedral. There wasn't any gold in this palace.

She watched as the Princess of Jupiter tore the doorknob clean off. Such strength was unbecoming of a lady. "Why of all the people in this galaxy was she stuck with them?

It was no matter, however, as this was the way it was and a lady should accept her duties. "Can we get settled in yet?" Aglaia yawned. "A proper lady needs her beauty rest." She was used to a full 8 hours of sleep on Venus, but she knew she wouldn't be getting any of that luxury here.

In the end, it was decided that Enyo and Aglaia would take one of the rooms and Dione and Minerva would be in the other. After Dione’s display of power earlier, Minerva was finding it very hard to sleep, even though now it had grown late. What if the other girl accidentally crushed her or something? That was on top of all the other worries she had, of course, about this assignment.

And she was also feeling quite lonely.

She lay awake in her new bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking of her mother. She told herself she had to be brave and all grown up and responsible like her mother wanted, but it was especially hard in the dark of night.

The feeling of loneliness wrapped around her persistently.

To her horror, Minerva found that her lips had started wobbling, and tears had gathered in her eyes. She turned to her side and curled in a fetal position so that her roommate would not be able to see that she was crying. Occasionally her sobs managed to slip out, but she just buried herself further under the covers to muffle them.

Surely someone as strong as Dione had never cried. In that moment, Minerva found herself envying the other princess very much.

After everyone's living arrangements were finally sorted out, Dione ended up paired with Minerva. She had no issues sharing the room with the Princess of Mercury, and considered it an opportunity to try and get her to open up a little more. Surely they couldn't avoid being friends for much longer!

But before she could even make another attempt to speak with her, Dione was struck with how tired she was. With the day almost over and the excitement of moving wearing off, her disrupted sleep schedule was starting to catch up with her. She had decided to go to bed even before Minerva, and was deeply asleep even hours later in her new bed, facing away from the other one.

A strange, smothered sound woke her up again, and Dione struggled to open her eyes to see what it was. it was still dark in the room, so it wasn't the next day yet. Fighting the urge to ignore it and sleep more, she listened carefully. There was silence, and then she heard it again. Was someone...crying?

Confused and more awake now, Dione sat up and slid off the edge of her bed, almost silent without her boots on. She squinted in the dimness to see the lump of covers on Minerva's bed, and stood up to walk across the short space between them. 

"Um... are you awake?" she whispered. Not entirely sure how to check, she poked the lump with her finger a few times for good measure. That usually woke people up if they were sleeping.

Minerva visibly jolted when she heard Dione’s voice, and then felt the pokes. “Aaahh!” she cried in surprise and fear, snapping the covers back, and then let out another restrained shriek when she saw the other girl so close to her. The perpetual fear of being crushed under Dione’s incredible strength was all around her.

“S-sorry! Didn’t mean to wake you!” she said quickly, afraid her crying had disturbed Dione. What if Dione was angry?! Oh gods, Minerva would probably die if Dione decided to pummel her or something for robbing her of her resting time. She quickly wiped her tears and shrunk back into the bed, hoping Dione couldn’t see the mess on her face in the darkness.

Dione couldn't help but wince when Minerva shrieked in surprise. She hadn't expected her to be so loud considering how quiet she had been earlier. Well now that they were both very much awake...

"W-wait, hold on!" she said, placing a hand on Minerva's covers. "I, um, wanted to see if you were okay... Why were you crying?" Nothing bad had happened during their first day, so why was she sad?

Enyo sneered when she found she was supposed to room with Aglaia. What was she supposed to do with this girl? She was quote unquote a proper lady. Proper ladies had no places on the battlefield. What did she expect to do, cry or scream when an enemy attacked? How was this ever going to work. 

Efficiently going through her bedtime routine with military fashion, Enyo settled herself down for the night. Perhaps things would look better in the morning.

Aglaia was with...her...the warrior princess. How could this have happened? She sighed as she went through her vigorous bedtime routine. She applied moisturizers, lotions and dry conditioner, before finally putting on her knee length gold silk nightgown.

She laid down on her bed, and sighed. She didn't know if the raven haired girl was awake or not, but she figured she'd try anyways. She wasn't exactly sure how to make friends with people who weren't like her. "Enyo..." she quietly said, just in case she was going to wake the girl. "I... I really like your hair... it's so pretty."

Soon, she fell asleep, only to dream about what tomorrow was going to bring.

Minerva stiffened when she felt someone’s hand on top of the covers, but Dione’s question made her wonder if the other girl actually cared. At least she wasn’t yelling at Minerva for crying…

But she was also ashamed to admit that she was. She was supposed to be strong and brave and smart. She was the oldest among these girls—she needed to be the best and lead by example, right?

“N-not crying. Just… allergies,” she replied, peeking a little from behind the covers. “You know, cause the air here is different… And possibly my body doesn’t like the temperature change either… It’s always really hot or really cold back home, so…”

She realized she was rambling, for she was a terrible liar, but she had inadvertently launched into one of her long-winded explanations because that was where her comfort zone was.