Sedna kept on ear on what Nikos was saying while she walked over to Makemake who seemed to be struggling with the fact that there were spirits on this planet. 

"Do not allow your fear to control you. We have faced greater enemies than this and we have come out victorious and we shall do so again. If it helps, think of the spirits as you would any other enemy." she spoke quietly as so no one but Makemake could hear her, not wanting to embarrass the younger girl.

Oberon listened attentively, satisfied by Andromeda's question, but staying out of both situation. He didn't know how to handle Nikos and he took a 'no' quite literally, sometimes way too literally. Makemake had expressed a desire to be left alone and it was, for him, polite to respect that. He stood with them, mind opened to new information, looking serious, determined, not afraid to die. He was already beside the door, not in front of it and so simply waited for Nikos to go first.

He once hesitated on Leviathan, but his people could survive without their King if death was to take him.

Achelois, if silence is our best weapon, should I connect our guide to this conversation?

He asked, trying to let out the fact he was not too excited about the possibility of having the man's emotions all over his soul. But he was a soldier first and it was strategically sound if they were to have needs for further communication.

The thought of there not being multiple enemies to defeat comforted her, but then again, like he said, no one had bothered to leave the city to check. They shouldn’t rule out the possibility, but at the very least for now there seemed to be no need to split up. She nodded to Nikos as he gave out the instructions.

Oberon mentioned the mind link, and since he had suggested it, she took it to mean that he did not mind including Nikos in their link as well, and so extended the offer.

“About the noise—we actually have a telepath among us that has our minds linked so we don’t have to communicate out loud. It’s not like we can read each other’s minds or anything, not unless you directly speak to the group or to someone. If you like, we can link you as well so we can minimize unnecessary noise and get things across quicker, but if you’re not comfortable with that, I understand.”



She heard their voices coming faintly through the door and it sounded like they were preparing to leave. She kept on alert, unnerved by the relative quiet outside.

"Don't touch me," she said in fright to Sailor Callisto, turning her face away to accidentally look at Sailor Sedna who had just approached her. It was an odd thing for Makemake to say, especially since she had touched Sailor Nocturnus in the same manner before.

For a moment, Sedna could be forgiven for thinking she was looking at a different face. Makemake's vibrant yellow-green eyes would a green shade darker and her brown hair began to curl. In an instant, whatever had changed reverted and Makemake's face was back to normal and looking much less like the bear soldier who had just touched her.

"We can't think of this as any other enemy," she said quietly without acknowledging the transformation. "Or have you ever had to fight ghosts and a Chaos corrupted sailor soldier like Enyalius? I can guarantee you, the latter isn't pretty. I know it's not... And with ghosts on top of that?"

He paused before reaching the door in pure shock, his bronze eyes turning back to Andromeda as though only then suddenly remembering she was an alien. Minds linked?! They could talk to each other in their heads?! Was this... was this an attempt at mind control? Still looking a little concerned, Nikos shook his head silently in the negative, not even sure how you could politely turn down that offer, and he did want to remain polite with the strange-haired girl - but then suddenly the sphinx pushed past him, right out into the open, as though she hadn't heard a word of what he had just said, or maybe wanted them to be discovered and killed?! They didn't even know it was clear out there!


He followed after her, his feet quick and sure, and caught hold of her arm, making to pull her back towards the wall, "What do you think you're doing?!" he whispered urgently, "You're going to get us all killed!" 

But the skin beneath the cloth of her arm didn't feel soft, or smooth like a gauntlet would. And then he saw her eyes. 

At the distance they had been when they had first spoken, he had easily seen the green markings down her face, but he hadn't noticed that her eyes were slitted like a cat's, nor that they seemed to glow. 

The anger that flared after his question surprised him, but he received it without complaints. letting it wash over him then fade. Oberians weren't sanguine people in general - or he softened with the years - and he understood. She was in distress. Her lover could very well be lost for all they knew.

He followed them out, folding his wings to pass the door, then starting to float again when he had enough space to flap them. He kept clear from Nikos' mind when he refused and looked curiously as both Achelois and Nikos seemed to calm down. It felt like a cool rain on a forest fire and he found himself breathing with more ease.

Hovering behind, he reached out as soon as the man changed his mind. Slowly, carefully, he opened his mind to Nikos', then gently built a bridge between them. He accepted the added emotions and swiftly filtered it so Nikos wouldn't feel the overwhelming presence of so many minds in one.

Actually, that would be my doing. His voice was soft, Oberon's own irritation faded. There was no smile but his eyes were gentle. Forgive me if you feel any discomfort for the first few seconds, I rarely add someone when a link is already made.

Spoiler:

Callisto pulled her hand back from the other senshi as if she'd been burned, though it was more in surprise of Makemake's reaction. Had she done something wrong? Callisto didn't think she was being intimidating or pushy... Unsure how to approach Makemake again without the same reaction, she mumbled an apology and turned her attention to Nikos and the group's plans to leave, but it seemed like Achelois had decided to leave herself. 

Before she could react, Nikos was running after her, and Callisto was beginning to worry about the mental and emotional toll this mission was taking on Achelois. If she was going to storm off like that, she could very easily be hurt or killed alone on this planet. She left the building and tried to catch up with him and the rest of the group, and a few minutes later, Nikos doubled back again, requesting to join the mind link. Well at least they were both alive...

Thank you for helping us, despite everything. He countered with humor while nodding, showing - and telling - that he was heard. You might need a moment to find the perfect thought process in order for your voice to be neither too faint or loud, but you were able to project enough for me to pick on it. You should be alright.

He slightly bowed his head respectfully.

Shall we?

Sailor Makemake went deadly quiet when Sailor Achelois told her to leave. She gritted her teeth and sighed. Instead of listening and immediately fleeing, Makemake actually traveled with the group as they made their way out of the building, smiling meekly at Sailor Callisto in a half-arsed apology.

But she didn't let the issue die. Finally, she would voice her feelings on something she had been holding inside since the beginning of the mission. The overcrowded shore was about to get more crowded.

Sailor Achelois, I know you care about Sailor Enyalius, but if we have to make a hard choice to save this galaxy... what I'm saying is that I won't leave if it means you'll compromise literally everything for your friend. The crone told us on Leviathan that if Sailor Enyalius and the Chaos Agents succeed here, the galaxy will fall further into Chaos. I want to trust that you won't let that happen. Can you promise that?

The question almost seemed to be a dare. A single stem rose again from Makemake's collar to whack her lightly on her cheek.

If Callisto could mentally cringe at Makemake's words to Achelois, she would have. She settled on actually cringing instead, though she was far enough behind the group to hide it from most. They were true in their own way, she did have doubts about whether she really could kill Enyalius if push came to shove, but until she saw proof of their temporary leader's will wavering, she would trust in it.

And then Achelois had Makemake pinned to a wall, hand dangerously close to the other senshi's windpipe. Where did this accusation come from? Pushing her shock aside, Callisto moved to try and separate them.


"What are you doing?!" The words almost slipped out of her mouth, but she kept is as a loud thought at the last second. Callisto grabbed Achelois from the back and did her best to lift her off Makemake.

She had only started talking to Nikos because the person she had expected to—Achelois—hadn’t, and now Achelois was snapping at Makemake and making to leave on her own. It was obvious that this mission was compromising her emotion somewhat, and Andromeda wasn’t surprised—she’d be more concerned if it didn’t. But it did make her worry that it would cloud Achelois’ judgment and make her an unfit leader; maybe she got to call the shots in regards to what were to happen to Enya, but on the way there, could she keep her head enough to handle whatever they had to face before?

She watched the conversation with Nikos warily, not expecting it to turn out as well as it did. Somehow, now Nikos seemed less jittery, and Achelois herself had calmed down. As they began to move, Nikos soon returned to her to change his mind regarding the mind link, and she was relieved. She let Oberon take care of it and made a mental note to watch out for Nikos’ back now that he seemed to trust her. She was the one who promised they would protect him, and so she would feel responsible if they failed. Achelois, Nocturnus, Makemake, Nikos… the amount of people she meant to look after was growing, and Andromeda was feeling slightly overwhelmed. At least they were all linked now.

She heard Makemake’s question through the link and Achelois’ subsequent reaction. It took her a second to pick up what exactly Achelois had realized, but soon it became clear to her.

She just could not deal with this on top of everything else.



What was going on with these people? Nix wasn’t used to emotions flying everywhere, but it seemed that was the only thing happening for the past few minutes. Raised voices, snapped tones, and now outright violence.

She had listened to the link enough to figure out what was going on, and when Callisto attempted to pull Achelois off, her eyes widened in horror. She couldn’t imagine how Achelois would react in her heightened emotional state to someone manhandling her, especially now that she felt threatened.

Callisto, don’t. Makemake wasn’t on Leviathan with us; she can’t know what the Crone said there. She owes us an explanation.

If they had truly had a spy among them all this time, she hoped they’d find a way to deal with the threat permanently; they would have shared enough of their strategy and the impostor could have heard enough to endanger their mission.

In a flash Sailor Achelois had swiftly pinned Sailor Makemake, the peridot green-garbed sailor soldier no match for the elder's strength and speed, particularly in this kind of a state. For a moment Nocturnus was confused and upset, so completely blindsighted to see the normally-kind Achelois lash out against someone else. She stepped forward as Callisto tried to pull the healer (currently doing much more harm than healing), back, ready to add in her own objection.

And then, so quickly, the pieces clicked into place: Dragons. The plants, not really obeying. Messages on Leviathan...

Sailor Nocturnus completed her step, but this time she was no longer panicked.

"Callisto, I think it's... someone else pretending to be Makemake," she told the other girl through the mental link, unwilling to call the probable impostor outright. Now that she was closer, she tried to place a hand on Achelois arm, hoping to stop the blonde before any real damage was done. The dark eyes, deep as wells, looked up at the eyes of "Sailor Makemake".

"Achelois... doesn't she seem familiar...?" she tried to ask the other woman, hoping the nature goddess could hear her over whatever internal turmoil she dealt with. Hopefully before any healing was needed. In this case, given what was going on, that would probably have to be handled by Sailor Sedna.

Finally, they were ready to leave!

Sailor Panzer decided that the grumblings and such from the other members of the party she just wasn't going to address right now. To her, based on everything she knew, being a soldier meant that you kept your own personal feelings and issues out of the mission—and she was most certainly a soldier. The others were not from her world and did not follow her ways. It was too exhausting for her to make sense of theirs, and she got the impression that few of them shared ways. Perhaps that was the cause of so much commotion.

But just when she thought they were going to make progress, a new conflict bubbled up. Green eyes widened to see the blonde leader actually assault another member of their team, the woman's almost unearthly voice accusatory and furious.

Panzer narrowed her eyes and turned away from the scuffle, focusing her attention instead on surveying and scanning their surroundings. They were doing exactly what the boy had requested they avoid—hanging about in the open. Maybe she could help warn of any incoming attacks, while the rest of them dealt with... whatever... this was.

???

Sailor Makemake cried out when Sailor Achelois tackled her. It was a sudden attack that the soldier could have never seen coming.

Just as Sailor Callisto touching Makemake changed her appearance, so did Achelois now pinning her down. As she held her there, Achelois would find she was looking right into her own face. The Makemake impersonator was now an Achelois impersonator, transformed seemingly against her will. But Achelois's anger was only matched by a frightened and terrified face, like an animal caught in a trap.

It took the impersonator some time, but they finally spoke to the group.

I didn't mean to say that! I mean, I was there but I'm not Makemake. I'm not. I'm Enoch! I'm here to help!

He had used his civilian name, not his soldier name of Azazel Knight. He had just recently discovered his new identity, so he wasn't used to saying it yet. But why was he here in the first place and why didn't he just tell the others who he was?

Enoch's eyes (or rather Achelois's eyes) widened when Callisto went to pull Achelois off of him.

Sailor Callisto, wait!

Her draconic wings beat back against the person whose hands touched her waist, but she was unable to fully resist them, her crouch lengthening; despite this, she kept her hand at the imposter's throat, not squeezing, but preparing for that possibility at any moment, her pointed nails barely grazing skin and choker, eyes narrowing, expression becoming fiercer. 

Chaos had messed with her enough already; if she had an agent in the palm of her hands, she would crush it.


Voices flew across the surface of her mind - Callisto questioning, Nix backing her up; then Nocturnus was at her arm, touching her softly, as though reminding her not to jump to conclusions so readily, but Achelois was in complete control of herself - she would not harm the intruder until or unless they proved themselves guilty of being one of the other side. Then she would destroy them. Nocturnus's soft words, curious and hesitant, prompted her to look closer at the potential prey, her suspicions only rising as its face started to mirror her own: a shape-shifter. No wonder it had been able to mask itself so easily as Makemake - but while the transformed face was nearly identical to her own, the expression was anything but similar. Seeing the expression of fear made her hesitate, her conviction waning, hold loosening, despite the alarms going off in her head warning her of potential deceit - how better to become sympathetic when caught by the enemy than by showing fear? It could be another trick. She had just reformed her hold when it spoke again, and she was thrown completely off guard.

Enoch?


The Knight they had met on Leviathan's planet; he had been there through the end of the Chaos Seed on Leviathan and beyond; had been present when they had spoken to the crone, so would know... she loosened her grip further, tentatively trusting him as she mentally checked what she remembered 'him' saying against what she knew he should know - and caught him.

'Enoch never met Makemake!' she returned, surging forward against Callisto's hold, 'Who are you?!'

As she pulled to keep Achelois a little mroe off of Makemake, Sailor Nix and Nocturnus mentally told her to stop. Her grip loosened with their logic, and then she completely let go when she saw Makemake actually shift in appearance. Who was this person? The name Enoch was familiar, and and recalled the knight they had met on Leviathan, the one who could camouflage his appearance.

"Sailor Makemake's" behavior this entire mission was making sense now, because it was never her at all. She took a few steps back from the two of them, leaving Achelois to question his claims as she stewed over the new information. Callisto felt stupid and a bit used for falling for such an obvious trick in hindsight. She thought she was experienced enough to handle herself, but now she just felt like an out of depth child again. 

Why did he have to deceive them at all?

Oberon visibly cringed at Achelois' heartache, trying his best to filter it so it wouldn't become too overwhelming for the others, giving an apologizing glance to Nikos. He filtered for him more, trying to keep him safe from an emotional suffering he had not been a part of. He usually had a better control over it all, but everyone's emotions were so raw since landing on Enyalius...

He didn't know Makemake, trusting Achelois more than the troubled girl and when it was finally revealed that it was not, in fact, Sailor Makemake, he relaxed. Handling someone whose power was getting out of control was hard. Taking care of someone, getting rid of them, was not.

But when Enoch revealed himself, Oberon sighed.

He put a hand on Callisto's shoulder, the weight of it gentle, comforting, then he hovered slightly away, looking around them to make sure they wouldn't be attacked while dealing with this. He noticed Panzer doing the same, relieved. Her military attitude was something he appreciated in this chaos.

Eshana stayed with the group as they moved, Makemake's odd behaviour churning in her mind. Suddenly everything moved so fast, Achelois tackled Makemake who was claiming now to be Enoch. People's emotions were up in the air and while Sedna wasn't as attuned to emotions as an empath was, she had to admit that they packed quite a punch. 

Staggering, her hands flew up to her head as she tried to sort out their emotions from hers and recenter herself. She would be no use to the group if she couldn't remain calm. The last thing they needed was her mother's temper, something Eshana had inherited, making an appearance.

Enoch began to sweat as Sailor Achelois gripped his neck suddenly again. He only now began to realize that he had accidentally transformed into her and the dragon-like wings on his back were uncomfortably pressed against the wall. He tried to calm himself down in the incredibly tense situation. He knew he had to resolve this situation soon, not only for his sake but for the planet's sake.

You're right, he began. I never met her, but the Princess- but Sailor Leviathan has. All I need to transform into someone is to touch them or something they own. Sailor Makemake has been trying to make friends with Leviathan for a long time and keeps sending her strange plants from orbit. I was told she traveled with you so I touched one of those plants and transformed into her.


I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry. I was hoping I could get through this mission without you guys noticing anything. I've been really curious about who has been teaching Leviathan all the things she knows and I wanted to study you all without you realizing it. I have to say, I was surprised at how easily you accepted me into your group. I mean- I'm sorry. It was selfish of me not to tell you all.

Sailor Oberon would be able to tell that there was a lie in Enoch's story. It wasn't a malicious lie, but there was something he was trying to hide from the others. There was another reason he was here, but it wasn't to hurt them or their mission.

I know I messed up. I messed up really bad, but if you're willing to forgive me I can be an incredibly valuable ally to you. Again, I can transform into anyone. All I need is something they own or the person themselves.

Oberon wished he could do something alike Achelois' gift of calming others' minds so he could calm Sedna's turmoil. Instead, all he could do was feel it and wait. He hovered closer to Nikos, careful not to enter too much into the male's personal space.

"Tell me," he whispered as to not hijack the conversation. "Those Androktsiai, if there was to have some arriving from this way," he pointed the way they came from, keeping his voice low enough so only Nikos could hear him and only because he was quite close. "and Callisto or me were to block the passage. If the group escapes and they cannot see where we went, would they be able to track us down by smell or some remains of sentiency? Or would we be able to reach the city without them then catching up to us as soon as they would have gone around our blocking?"

Though he was indeed speaking with Nikos and attentive to any answer he might give him, his eyes appeared elsewhere, seeing Nikos, but seemingly seeing through. He was also listening to Enoch, lips thin contrasting with the gentle features he kept on for their guide.

He says the truth. With omission.

He blinked, eyes focusing on Nikos totally this time.

He means all of you no harm, however.

Enoch, still in Sailor Achelois's form, gasped for breath when she let go of him. He had been extremely lucky that Sailor Oberon was there. He cringed when he was outed as withholding the truth, but it was this very display of mental powers that ended up saving him in the end.

Yes, he mentally replied as quickly as possible. I'll go back to my normal form. It should be obvious if I change again, though I'll let you guys know.

Enoch morphed into his true form. He was dressed in what appeared to be a male student's uniform. It was entirely white with gold buttons and was adored with a long yellow cape. His skin had a translucent appeared and seemed to pulse with bright electricity. His green hair glowed with the same light, various strands of it flowing this way and that as though being moved by an unknown force. Whatever Enoch was, it was clear he was some kind of alien, much like Ribbon. His sailor soldier form suggested that perhaps, in another lifetime, Enoch had not always been a fish person living on Planet Leviathan.

I guess running isn't an option now, he confirmed with a timid voice. I'll do as you ask. Middle of the group it is.

This wasn't what he had planned at all. Enoch was hoping that he'd get a straight answer from Achelois about whether or not she would allow them to do in Enyalius if possible but now the situation was far too tense to even suggest that sort of thing. He prayed he would remain safe as he pursued the question that plagued his mind.

Was it possible to revert a corrupted Sailor Crystal?

She didn’t know this Enoch person very well, having only been given a cursory introduction when she arrived on Leviathan, but the others seemed willing to trust him. At the very least that solved that mystery, though she was uneasy at the idea that there was something he was hiding still. It was becoming clearer that she would have to compartmentalize and prioritize; saving Enya was most important, then making sure the people she cared about were okay. The other drama could be pushed aside unless they started threatening the mission. Compartmentalizing was something she did best; after all, she hadn’t dealt with her issues in a long time and was mostly still sane, if sometimes prone to drinking.



She listened to the exchange warily, not ready to trust someone who had tried to deceive them once. If his intentions were noble, why hide behind another face at all? And Oberon said there was still something he was hiding. Was no one bothered by that? She was surprised no one pressed him on what it was. She disliked not having all the information; it made her feel unbalanced, like functioning with just one eye open. She wasn’t the leader, though, and so couldn’t press even if she wanted to. She’d keep an eye on him the best she could. There was still no guarantee he was who he said he was since he had shown that he could change into literally anyone. Who could ever know what the true face was?

This was why she disliked shapeshifters.

Nikos’ request diverted her attention, and she moved as he asked, actually half glad she could distance herself from everyone despite her worry about what was going on. There was just too many emotions to witness, which made her uncomfortable.

I shall do as you ask; I will report back in a little bit.

She took the next left as he said and entered the street carefully, making sure to check every suspicious forms or movements no matter how small.

Oberon reckoned the male couldn't know both Callisto and himself could make walls way higher than boulders and with less possibilities for climbing, but it answered some worries, enough for him to simply nod, eyeing the others when Achelois accepted his judgment. There was a faint dread clinging to his heart and his eyes finally fell on Enoch, cold, hoping the man would keep to that. It was a possible failure he did not want the responsibility of.

Even if he could excuse the fact he knew not of Makemake enough to sense something wrong - and hadn't been connected to Enoch at all either despite having seen him - he felt uncomfortable with the fact this had flown over his head so easily. He could excuse it on the fact they were all on high emotions fuel, but how many excuses were there really?

I have no knowledge of how far is considered normal sighting and how far is considered your eagle-sighting, but my eyes and ears are both very acute. What do you need?

The smallest among them currently wore the expression of a disappointed teacher, which was exactly how she felt. Not that she really knew Enoch—they had fought with him on Leviathan, of course, but she hadn't necessarily become friends with him. After all, she had spent so much time protecting Ribbon. At the same time, she found herself slightly confused and let down that he thought he had to pretend to be someone else, rather than volunteering to come along and help their mission in his newly-awakened form. Deception did not earn the trust of those around you.

Nocturnus was glad that Achelois was no longer in danger of harming him, knowing that he was not a real threat. Now they needed to continue on. Nikos had requested that Nix scout ahead, and as she waited to find out where they'd be continuing, the starchild could only wonder what horrors might await them.



Enhanced vision? Sailor Panzer paused at this request.

"We still have light," she began, careful to use the mental link rather than speak aloud, "But when the dark comes, know that I am equipped for clear vision in low-lighting conditions."

Her eyesight was still generally pretty good, as was her hearing. She was a soldier, after all, and she had trained her entire life for operations similar to this one. Panzer paused, focused, and tried to see if there was anything out there that she could pick up as she scanned the area. She wanted to keep moving. They couldn't simply stand here.

The next two streets look clear, she reported, and waited for the others to catch up before repeating the process following Nikos’ instructions.



She fell in line in the middle of the group, following Nikos' lead, wanting to keep an eye on people and watch others’ backs. She mourned the fact that none of them had powers over fire—that she knew of, anyway—since Nikos mentioned fire could destroy the undead. Hopefully they wouldn’t even have to camp here. How far exactly was the city? She was not looking forward to sleeping in a place haunted by dead people.