Storyline Name: Hecate’s Uprising

Creator(s): JupiterThunderCrash

Forum: Crystal Tokyo

Advanced or Relaxed: Advanced

Plot Summary: On the distant planet of Draco, orbiting the star Alpha Draconis, a powerful kingdom is slowly falling apart from civil war.  The rebelling Draconians, coming from the Pale, Armor, and Sage Tribes, are pushing against the long favored Crowned Tribe. King Typhon, ruler of the Draco Kingdom, is fighting a losing battle against them. Despite his eldest daughter Medea awakening as Sailor Draco, he refuses to let her intervene, fearful and paranoid over her safety. And so his troops continue to fail at suppressing his unruly subjects as Medea paces restlessly in her prison of a castle. 

Eventually, he caves in to his advisers and opts for a new solution: Sending for help. He tasks his most accomplished magicians and sorcerers to create a signal strong enough to broadcast throughout the galaxy, attracting who he hopes will be seasoned guardians that will assist him with his problems- without sacrificing his precious daughter. The signal is so strong that it can even be received by the far reaches of Crystal Tokyo. But who will answer their call?

Details on any necessary information: This RP will be centered around the senshi who choose to respond to this call for help as they team up with a rookie Sailor Draco. Together, they will try to find the true source of the rebellion and stop it from spreading any further. This won’t necessarily be an action heavy story, but more of an exploration/adventure theme for character interaction and development. Any extra information on Planet Draco can be read in this thread:http://www.thegalaxycauldronforums.com/t12615-planet-draco-sailor-draco[/size]

Restrictions: This is for Otaku senshi,, but only from the Crystal Tokyo Era. Any other characters introduced will be NPCs for exposition purposes unless later given a full profile. This is a rather character interaction heavy RP, so I’d like to restrict it to around 5 Otaku senshi only, not counting Sailor Draco.

OOC Thread: Here


Member to Character List:


JupiterThunderCrash--->Sailor Draco
Eternal Knight---> Oberon
Sailor Neptune---> Sailor Titania
Addelyn---> Sailor Soul
Sailor CJ---> Sailor Makemake
Sailor Uranus---> (Profile Pending)

Sailor Makemake

A sailor soldier in a very plain, green uniform posed and nodded to the alien lad who spoke to the group. She had a beaming, innocent smile on her face. Though the smile was just as innocent as it was ignorant. It wasn't hard to tell that there was just something different about this sailor soldier. She was an odd one.

"Yes! I'm Sailor Makemake, champion of happiness and life! And I'm here to make friends and help out!"

"Make friends! Hurray!" a tiny voice cheered. It belonged to a daisy that had sprouted on Makemake's shoulder. It looked incredibly cartoonish, with a smiley face in the middle of its petals. It bopped from side to side in a cute little dance.

Makemake didn't introduce the speaking flower on her shoulder to the others and merely shook her hips from side to side to go along with the dance of her flowery friend.

The plea for help had crossed the universe and reached Earth, Oberon sent there for one of his missions. He didn't mind the travel. It allowed him to be alone with his thoughts, even though there was always this small link that never closed, but he was still as alone in his mind as one could. He took this time to meditate, certain nothing would attack him en route - which he was right about - then found himself on the planet itself, surprised by the sudden teleportation, but interested in the technology.

Though teleportation wasn't unknown of his kind, new ways to use and new planets often were interesting to his never-fading curiosity.

The fae looked at the person's appearance, unable to get rid of images of creatures less imposing than this one who however had a similar shade of skin color. What it took him not to smile in amusement, at a joke no one would get anyway, was great, but he hid most of it in a polite bow of his head, that also served as a nod to answer the male's question.

Titania had been in one of her bored phases when she heard the call. She’d been in the middle of painting her fingernails, in fact—or rather, her servants were painting it for her, because what was the point of being queen if you have to paint your nails yourself—and had jumped up, ruining the entire process. She frowned at the mess and the confused servants and waved her hand to dismiss them, then cleared up the mess while she pinpointed the source of the SOS signal.

It seemed to be coming from far away.

She had traveled to other planets and systems before, in an effort to fight the good fight only because she was 1) bored and 2) pretty powerful, if she did say so herself, and 3) Oberon made it sound fun when he wasn’t having PTSD about it.

So she transformed into her senshi form and traveled to this planet, which seemed to be mostly made of nature. She didn’t appreciate the sudden teleportation that brought her down without warning, but in a rare occasion decided to bite her tongue. Still, it’s rude to move people trying to help you without permission…

She inspected the man kneeling outside the gleaming circle, his appearance less humanoid than the ones she’d encountered in most planets. He spoke to them with a question, and one of the people gathered answered brightly in a manner that Titania could not decide whether it was a joke or not. Here to make friends sounded pretty much like one of those lines from those bad Earth reality shows that she sometimes watched as a guilty pleasure, mostly because those dramatic peasants amused her to no end. Their reality shows were rather inspired too, in its ability to utilize humans’ worst traits and put it on display for amusement.

In short, her favorite kind of entertainment.

And was that a dancing flower?

“I am indeed a planetary guardian, and a queen too,” she added unnecessarily.

Then her gaze landed on the second visitor and she frowned. “What are you doing here?”

A familiar energy resonated in his mind and sure enough, Titania appeared near them. The universe was filled with energy, with magic, with supernatural, with inexplicable things, but she stood out. Whether it was because they came from the same planet, because she was his wife or because he could feel her sarcasm and snark from across the universe was a question he gave up on answering long ago. Her energy was recognized first, then her voice and then, of course, the tone she used with him. His eyes caught the small dancing flower, almost like an automatism, then he rose two perfectly symmetrical eyebrows.

"The same as them. The call was intercepted on Earth and I was sent to act on it. I should rather ask what you are doing here."

His eyes dropped, studying her, the Senshi disguise quite clear on her intentions.

"I am surprised this seemed glorious enough for you to travel all the way here."

< Or were you so terribly bored? >

No matter her real reasons, he was rather content to see her and if his gaze lingered on her just a tad longer before turning towards the creature that had welcomed them, well, no one needed to know.

"What exactly were we called for? What do you need?"

The male bowed his head at them in a respectful manner. Not even Sailor Mamemake's oddness seemed to bother him, though one of his ears did twitch as he hid his amusement over Oberon and Titania's back and forth.

"I am Ryojin, a magician and servant of the Royal Family of Ladon,” he said. “On the orders of King Typhon, I created that signal to ask for help from what we hoped would be accomplished Guardians. I cannot force you to help us with our problems, but would you be willing to hear us out at our temple? It is not far from here, and the issue is too important to discuss in the open.” He glanced at the sky above them for a moment, as if expecting something, and then he relaxed again.

Ryojin turned and started walking towards one of the sheer mountain cliffs, but as they approached it, they could see an opening to a cave tunnel. The tunnel itself was fairly large, and after a rather short journey on foot up a slope, the smoothed rock gave way to a stone plateau, where the high brick walls of a large city greeted them. Above the walls, the pointed roofs of a palace could be seen, but in front of the opening was a slab of metal that served as both door and a drawbridge across a gap in the path. Ryojin stopped, and then removed one of the charms tied to his belt. Carved onto the sanded wood was a symbol, one that looked like a capital T with a curled and forked tail. He held it up to the door, and it slowly lowered on a set of chains until it rested on the ground. 

“This is Ladon, capital of our kingdom,” Ryojin said as they entered. The city was made up by mostly brick buildings of multiple colors, though shades of gold, beige, and white stones were the main ones. The streets were neatly paved and much wider than normal, and the houses were noticeably larger and taller proportioned by a few extra feet, with big doorways and windows. Everything was written in what appeared to be a system of curving and straight jagged lines. 

And the people themselves were similar to Ryojin, pointed ears, claws for fingernails, and a variety of different shades of skin and hair colors. It was almost an ordinary scene as they went about their day, though some shopkeepers and children stared at the group as they passed. 

Except for the dragons. They came in different sizes and body shapes, some winged and covered in scales, others with regal manes and what looked like tree branches for horns. They perched on rooftops and sunbathed, carried cargo around, and even looked like they were running their own businesses. And not one citizen of Ladon seemed to find them out of place. Ryojin didn’t even give any notice as a larger one crossed the street in front of the group.

To tell the truth, she had missed him. Okay, she always missed him.

She hated that he wasn’t around all the time and left her to babysit their little grumpy planet. It was like the planet was both their child and their parent and that was just weird all around.

< You were sent, > she said disdainfully. < A king that carries the orders of another Queen. I cannot believe this is your life now. If you wanted a queen to order you around, you know you already have one, right? Instead, you chose to leave her for another. >

Bitterness crept into her tone even as jealousy raged on the surface. Titania had half a mind to go to Crystal Tokyo one of these days and just give that… that silly little queen a piece of her mind. She didn’t get to tell her husband where to go, damn it.

< I was very bored. And lonely. >

She barely listened to the person who had called for them now that Oberon was occupying her attention. All she heard was ‘magician, blah blah… king, blah blah… problems.’ He seemed to be wanting to talk elsewhere, and she followed suit for lack of something else to do and not being done with her conversation with Oberon.

She observed the city as they entered, certainly rather interesting, though for someone who’d lived as long as she, dragons and strange creatures barely fazed her anymore. She had seen hundreds of thousands of planets and solar systems, and by now all of them kind of looked the same.

< Why don’t we have dragons? You should get me one as a gift so I can use it as my ride. >

Sailor Makemake stared at Sailor Oberon and Sailor Titania with blank, but somehow expressive eyes. She seemed to be listening intently to their conversation, but at the same time seemed to not be taking it in at all.

As they walked ahead, the simple soldier began to admire the surroundings. Her eyes went wide at the sight of dragons! She wondered how many planets had dragons that she knew of. She supposed this was the second one she knew of as she couldn't think of any others besides one particular planet. It was the forests that had her attention the most.  

"There are lots of plants here! They seem so happy in their songs! It's almost a third as impressive as Makemake!"

"Flowers are pretty!" said the small daisy on her shoulder.

"Of course." He answered Ryojin diplomatically.

He followed suit, his attention fully taken by Titania's presence, his surroundings not quite as interesting when she was around. If they were to fight, he would be able to join efforts with her, which hadn't happened in centuries. They made quite the team and it felt just right when it happened.

< You want to do this here? > He commented with a tired voice. His fatigue was not Titania's doing, but rather a result of centuries of passivity through action. < You know why I offered my service. I owed them that. >

Why would she think that this choice had been to have another queen? Titania was the only one who mattered, even if he perhaps didn't tell her that enough, even if he failed to prove it from time to time. But he was hers in more ways than he was Lady Serenity's (or even had been Neo Queen Serenity's) and he thought those ways to be more important than the allegiance he gave Crystal Tokyo.

As they were shown the city, he had to admit that Makemake's (or even her little flower's) comment about plants - though she was mostly tuned out considering a voice was taking a lot of place in his mind - was correct.

"Your city is rather impressive." He said gently, unphased by the attention their group received. "How large is Typhon's kingdom?"

He tried not to feel guilty for Titania's loneliness.

< We do not have one, because I doubt they would like to be used as pets. Many of them are sentient. If we meet dragons that are interested in playing horse, we will take them back with us. Does this suit you, my Queen? >

The architecture was impressive, he had to admit that. It paled in comparison to the High Spheres, but not every planet could have the architectural skills of Oberians. This style was darker perhaps than their own, though fascinating in many aspects. It would be interesting to sit with a draconian that knew the history of this place, their customs, and rules, but he feared there was not enough time for tourism if an emergency was what called them here.

He noted Ryojin's hesitation as he spoke of the arctic regions, but also the suspicion in the guardians' eyes. Would they need to be on their guards when surrounded with this people or was it safe? He would need to ask the King, if they ever met him. Ryojin could probably answer him as well.

The carven was superb though not yet exquisite, but it still stood out from the outside and it was indeed pretty.

< This matches your ego perfectly. We should build you a similar room. >

When they stopped in front of the door, Oberon nodded in comprehension for Ryojin's sake, but couldn't really help hearing what was being said behind the door. It couldn't actually be called eavesdropping when his senses were so acute that a door wasn't actually muffling much.

The archetexture was lost on Sailor Makemake. She simply didn't have enough appreciation to understand how long and how much time and effort it would have taken to build something this impressive. She also didn't comprehend the cultural value of it all. A smoothed out cavern with exterior elements designed to appear as though it was made from dinosaur or dragon bone? It could have been just a heap of rocks for all she was concerned.

As she waited for the doors to open, the ignorant smile on her face remained.

"Do you guys know what a 'majesty' is?" she asked Sailors Oberon and Titania.

It was clear Sailor Makemake didn't exactly quite know who she was talking to.

< Is that girl right in the head? Are these the kind of people you work with on these ‘missions’? > Titania asked doubtfully as she heard Makemake’s ramblings about plants and how they were happy.

She scoffed at his next words. < You don’t owe anyone but me and our planet anything. >

However, she then grinned—her change of expressions surely confusing to those who didn’t know about the conversation going in her head. < That suits me very well indeed. >

She stepped into the temple, curiosity tickling her as she heard the muffled conversation beyond the door. She never had any trouble with eavesdropping, and so simply utilized her heightened sense to listen in.

< And by similar you mean grander, right? > she replied as she considered what she’d heard beyond the door. < They sound just like us. Please tell me we’re not here for babysitting duty. >

Then the strange child spoke to them, and Titania looked at her and her little flower friend.

“That’s us. We are Majesties,” she replied, gesturing at her and Oberon as if it was obvious, but more likely not being helpful at all.

< I work alone, most of the time. >

He didn't take the bait. Maybe he owed his planet - and even his wife - to be present, to protect them, but he owed the moon people much more. He was guilty, in every aspect probably, but this was nor the place, nor the time. The grin he felt more than he saw relieved him, shoulders relaxing slightly, more than they had in years. Strange how he ran from something that actually felt right.

He smiled. A small but utterly genuine smile. Something his mouth muscles could as well as had forgotten how to produce given how long ago was the last one. Grander, uh?

< I do not sound as violent. > He commented, his lips curving in a grimace.

"Majesty is the title people all across the universe give to Kings and Queens." He chimed in helpfully right after Titania, his tone gentler.

< It appears I am already babysitting. >

He mocked gently, glancing in her direction with a weak gleam of mischief in his eyes, clearly implying she was the child he babysat.

“Hm? Well let them in then!” There was no more anger in the man’s tone, only impatience. The doors creaked open, revealing the sparse, but similarly decorated throne room. And sitting on the overly large throne, tail draped over one of the edges, was a dragon at least 12 feet long.

His thick scales were golden, and his polished amber colored horns stuck out of his head like a bull’s, supporting the golden circlet that rested on top of his skull. He was heavily muscled, with thick arms and legs and bulky torso, and his chest was marked with the same odd T symbol that was prevalent around the city. His red eyes were slitted, and brown spikes jutted out of his back like a set of stone peaks, running to the tip of his tail. 

He lifted his head to see them all better, and then slumped off his throne to approach them. He was in no hurry to meet them in the middle of the room, and it gave them just enough time to really understand how much larger he was compared to everyone else in the room. 
 
He stopped a few feet in front of them to study the senshi, and then his lips parted to reveal a mouthful of dagger-like teeth in a grin.

“Yes, you have done an excellent job, Ryojin!” he boomed, turning to face the younger Draconian.

The old woman behind him sighed and shook her head. She was entirely shades of brown, with lighter skin and darker hair tied back into a bun, showing off a gnarled pair of dragon horns. She wore a set of dark gold robes, and her red eyes were slightly glossed over with age, even as she rolled them behind the dragon’s back. 

The dragon’s body gave off a soft glow, and then he was completely obscured in a gold light. His silhouette shifted and shrunk until he was no longer a beast, but a man, albeit a tall and broad one. The crown still sat on his head, but his horns were much smaller as they protruded out of his brown hair, just above his pointed ears. His skin was a less vibrant gold than his scales were, and he wore a set of ceremonial gold plating over his robes. 

“I am Typhon, King of Ladon and ruler of Draco,” he said, bowing his head to them as a sign of respect. “And I called you here to help me keep my kingdom in one piece.” The proudness in his voice died, and his eyes no longer met his visitors.

“My subjects to the north, the Pale Tribe, have begun to openly rebel. They demand things I cannot possibly give them, and now they are turning away the ambassadors I send to negotiate with violence. They’ve even tried to infiltrate this Temple and attack us while we are off guard. I do not wish to strike back with an army and forcefully subdue them, as they are still my people, but they are leaving me with less choices by the day… Their rebellion is starting to spread to my other subjects as well, and I am clueless to the cause of it.”   Typhon looked at the senshi again with a semblance of hope. 

“But if they no longer trust me and my soldiers, then maybe they will be willing to speak with someone of a neutral position. I’m requesting that you journey to the Pale Tribe’s capital of Fafnir, in the tundras, and find their movement’s leader. It is possible that they will tell you why they’re doing this in the first place. The Pale Tribe will not even tolerate me in their territory anymore, so I can’t do it myself.”

When the door opened, Oberon bore no hesitation, floating into the room with a confidence he didn't quite felt anymore. He was a good liar, to himself and others.

He watched as the dragon slowly changed into a more humanoid form, curious as ever. This species became more and more fascinating by the minute. Could every member of the draconian shift from humanoid form to dragon and back? Or was it only some specimen that could? Dragons existed in all form, but he had never quite met a species like this one. Their humanoid side still remained very draconian.

Oberon put three fingers against his heart and dipped his head slightly.

"I am King Oberon and this is my wife, Sailor and Queen Titania." He replied in kind, hovering in place, keeping his feet inches above ground. "This is Sailor Makemake." He added with a small but gentle glance towards the younger girl. He then nodded respectfully to the woman behind the king.

He didn't need to think whether or not he would accept or refuse. Diplomatic missions were ones he often found himself sent to and he didn't hate them. He loved the chance to discover more species, even if sometimes, he had had to get extracted out of a planet before the unwilling leaders got in their heads to execute him. And he knew how going into something like that blind could be dangerous for all of them. Titania and him were powerful, but he didn't know of Makemake's abilities.

Typhon's use of the word 'request' worried him for Titania's reaction, but that could be dealt with later on.

"How likely are they to attack us on sight once there?"

He had many more questions, but at least that would get the conversation going.

She had been on her way back to Earth when she had heard the distress call. Knowing that Neo Queen Serenity wouldn’t mind that she be late for her return to Earth, she sent a quick message, letting Neo Queen Serenity’s court know of her change in plans.
 
Her previous assignment hadn’t been too far from the one sending the distress signal, so it too little time for Soul to arrive. Upon arriving, she noticed three others. One who was called Makemake, with a flower upon her shoulder. I wonder if she is from our system? There was a trans neptunial object called Makemake near Soul’s own Orcus. She made a mental note to ask.
 
When the senshi in pink announced that she was a guardian and a queen to boot, Soul couldn’t help but raise her eyebrow. What an attitude on this one. I am a Queen as well, but you don’t hear me announcing it to everyone. By all rights, she was still Queen of Orcus, even though her people were long dead with the end of the Silver Millennium. Amina was hoping to change that soon, working to restore her planet when she had the time, hoping to attract some people from Earth who wished to live off planet.
 
She stayed near the back of the group, knowing that she hadn’t really been spotted yet, listening to Ryojin as he spoke. As she observed, she took note that the people of this planet resembled humanoid dragons; having pointed ears, claws instead of finger nails, and their skin came in variety of colours. Feeling the giddiness of the idea of there being real live dragons, she squashed the feeling. Now was not the time. Just as she squashed her excitement, she caught site of an actual dragon. Were they kept as pets on this planet? Did they ride them like that book…oh what was it called again? Dragon Riders of Pern? There were so many questions but Soul wasn’t sure if it would be polite to ask, at least not yet.
 
They continued on, moving to where the King was. She nodded in approval as…ah yes, Oberon, asked the king about the tribes. It was a good question and important information. But the King had also mentioned that they were demanding things...what kind of things? 

"What kind of things are your people demanding, Your Highness," Soul asked, speaking up from the back of the group for the first time. She wouldn't be surprised if any of the senshi hadn't noticed or sensed her yet, although if they were sensitive enough they should easily have been able to, especially with how close she was to the group. When she traveled through space, she used magic, borrowed from spirits in order to dampen her magic and senshi abilities. It made travelling through space that much easier, safer and generally much quicker. 

Thank you spirits for helping me. She easily let go of the magic she had borrowed, allowing it to return to the universe and to the spirits she had created a contract with. Now if anyone were to try, they would be able to sense her.

"The Pale Tribe has been acting... erratic recently," Typhon said to Oberon. "I am hoping that they would at least refrain from attacking strangers to this planet, but I cannot guarantee their reactions. You are not part of our conflict, but I don't know what they're thinking anymore."

Typhon seemed slightly surprised when Soul spoke up, but he answered her question anyway. 

"They want more lands, an expansion to their territory. Land on Draco is divided between each Tribe for their own usage, but I can't just give the Pale Tribe more without taking away from the Sage and Armor Tribes. It would be unfair to them without negotiation and time to reorganize."

"So wait. If you're a majesty... then I'm a majesty! Incredible! What an honor!"

Sailor Makemake understood Sailor Titania's response to mean that sailor soldiers themselves were 'majesties.' She needed many hard courses on basic social interactions it seemed. The flower on her shoulder continued to perform its cute little dance and didn't seem to have any care as to whether Makemake was right about her assumption.

She blinked with her blank expression as King Typhoon shrunk into the size of a normal person.

"I am Sailor Makemake, Agent of-" she began, striking a pose but stopped when Sailor Oberon introduced her. She pursed her lips slightly in confusion but continued to smile as she began to learn, or rather, take in and then immediately forget, the plight of the Pale Tribe.

"Nice to meet you, King Typhoon! Man, politics are tough! I'm sorry that I don't understand all of this. Just tell me what to do and I'll do it! Thaaaaat's my job! Although maybe I should tag along for this mission and not speak too much. I've been told and, I quote, I'm 'as dumb as a rock!' But that's not possible. I'm a sun!"

< Heck yes, we’re always babysitting the planet. >

That was when she felt said planet growl, unimpressed, in her mind. Titania scowled at its ever present state, wishing there was a way to turn off the way-too-intimate link between her and her world. Most other planets weren’t sentient and couldn’t chide their senshi at every turn. Why did she have to be saddled with one that was?

The throne room doors opened, and they were greeted by an actual dragon sitting on a throne. This was a bit interesting.

Titania glanced at the woman behind him, decidedly human.

Hm. Maybe they were into cross-species relationships here. Or bestiality.

But then, as if reading her thoughts, the dragon shifted to human. Titania was used to greeting other royalties, so while Oberon used their own planet’s gesture, she chose to bow to him, a generally universal signal of respect accepted in most planets, except that one she once visited that thought it was a challenge to duel and… well… things didn’t really end well. Anyway, when in doubt, she preferred to go with universal gestures in order to keep peace.

Her head lifted proudly as Oberon introduced her as his wife, realizing just how rare she heard that. They really were separated more than they were together, which was not fun.

She listened to the king’s plight, wondering why he thought this tribe would tell total strangers—and aliens no less—about their troubles. Then again, some people were weird like that.

She tried not to suggest that maybe one of them who clearly did not have the required intelligence for this mission stay behind. Was this how missions on Crystal Tokyo were conducted? Was it just a matter of who got there first? Was no one vetted at all about their qualifications? No wonder their missions always ended up with Oberon sending her dreadful feelings while she was trying to sleep or having a relaxing day at Fairy Spa. (That was what the massage parlor back home was called.)

“When did these skirmishes start, and do you know the cause? Has something changed recently up there or on your planet? People don’t just rebel out of nowhere.” She paused. “Usually,” she added after a bit of thought.

Like she said, sometimes people were weird.

Typhon looked at the smaller, brown haired warrior in green in amazement. It took a special kind of person to admit they knew nothing, but volunteer to help anyway.

"Er...I just want you to investigate the Pale Tribe's capital and bring me back information on exactly what they want," he said, trying to simplify it. "We began negotiations about 7 years ago, and they had been peaceful throughout most of that time and stayed within their boundaries, but over the last couple of years, they've become rather unreasonable and quick to lash out. Their complaints have changed from simply wanting more space to demanding extra political power. There have even been rumors of overthrowing my position circulating. I do not know what could have triggered it, I'm afraid..."

"And you were aware of no opinion prior to recently about wanting more space and political power in this Tribe?" Soul asked. Things normally didn't happen out of no where, there were usually whispers, secrets meetings that went on for weeks, months, if not years before it got to this point. The fact that the King didn't know about it concerned Soul. 

Though that could be due to a variety of reasons, his people that were supposed to keep him informed of this king of thing sucked, they chose not to tell him, or Chaos had wormed its way on the planet and was reaching havoc. 

None of the options were good ones.

"Like I said, this was all very much unexpected..." Typhon said, looking distressed. "I apologize, but I don't have much more information to offer you. But I can give you rooms to rest in and supplies before you leave," he offered. 

"With my permission, you should not be stopped on your way to the tundras, though I would not recommend flying for too long. The Pale Tribe are skilled at ambushing from the sky. My adviser, Circe, can show you upstairs." He motioned to the old woman, who stepped forward and bowed her head at them.

"Please, follow me to the guest chambers. This temple is a bit tricky to navigate for newcomers," she said, her expression softening from the looks she had been giving the king a minute ago. She left through the same doors that had let them in, and turned down a different hallway, leaving Ryojin behind with King Typhon.

As soon as they were completely out of earshot, she looked far more tired. 

"I apologize for this, but... I have my own favor to ask of you kind guardians," Circe said, even as she continued to lead them up a set of stairs. 

"My brother, as you can see, is afraid of losing control of his Kingdom. I do not agree with placing our burdens entirely on foreigners when we have our own guardian. As much as he wants to protect her, Sailor Draco must be allowed to act. Would you be willing to take her with you when you leave? She may be inexperienced, but this is her home, and I am sure she will be helpful if she's given a chance."

Soul's voice suddenly with them had him unfocused for a short moment. He hadn't felt her, probably due to the fact Titania was generally able to get his full attention as soon as they were both back together and their link didn't have to travel through light years and worlds to find each other. He was glad to have her with them, even if he doubted he ever showed her this form, or if he did, she clearly didn't quite remember. He wasn't sure he wanted to go through the whole male-female thing; Titania was enough when he had to transform in front of people. He wasn't quite in a hurry to become the laughing stock for his wife to lose her mind upon, as adorable as she might be.

What the King told them had him worried and slightly perplexed. They were going in blind.

And there would be lives to lose around him if something went wrong.

He flexed his hand, chasing the nervosity that threatened to reappear, then followed Circe, hovering smoothly behind them.

< It seems babysitting is the fate awaiting us indeed. > He commented in an exasperated tone, even though he kept his exterior polite. < If this guardian is related to Typhon, I doubt the Tribe will be impressed by the King sending his daughter in his stead. >

"Is there more information you can give us? The mapping of the lands, your customs, gestures, symbols that could be interpreted wrong. Not every planet evolve around the same set of unwritten conventions."

He would let the other decide whether Sailor Draco should be allowed to join or not. It had been years, decades, centuries now that he preferred taking orders rather than leading. He had to admit, however, that having a guide that knew the lands would help, and if this guide could fight and defend herself, why not?

"Goodbye, King Typhoon!" Sailor Makemake called out and waved as Circe led them upstairs. She didn't seem to have much reverence for the leader, but there was still an odd sort of ignorant respect to her actions. She cared about the King and his plight, but her thoughts were more childish than critical.

The pretty soldier in a sailor suit's face perked up when the older woman stopped to ask them a favor. Her green eyes beamed brightly as she took in the request.

"Sailor?" she asked in a hushed whisper.

"Sailor Draco™, all intellectual rights reserved!" the flower on her shoulder clarified in an adorable cheer.

"Could she be... a friend?"

"Apply now to be a friend!"

Makemake's face fell serious... well, as serious as it could and she moved forward to attempt to clasp Circe's hands in her own. A quick puff of air snorted out of her nose.

"Please introduce me to this new friend!"

Oh, so that old woman was his advisor. And here she thought that was the wife. They had bickered like a married couple earlier, after all.

Hmm. Was there an affair there?

Titania pondered this as she followed the woman out, her tendency to insert drama where there wasn’t any just to make the world a more interesting place rearing its head again. Her thoughts about forbidden trysts behind curtains and in secret rooms were cut short when suddenly Circe spoke.

Brother?! Her eyes widened, her imagination about secret affairs cracking down the middle and shattering into pieces. Not that that was impossible—some cultures were okay with it, most notably between royals—but she herself never cared for it (and it was a sore spot due to what happened with Arthur in Camelot). Also, who made their own sister their royal advisor? That seemed like a recipe for disaster. Although now that explained the bickering.

She frowned at the request, agreeing with Oberon’s assessment, both in regards to the babysitting and the danger this senshi posed just by being there.

“How old is she? And does the Tribe know she’s the King’s daughter? Wouldn’t they hate that?” she asked of the woman, knowing Oberon would not ask the difficult questions as he seemed to prefer to keep the peace. This was clearly why he needed her.

< How much trouble will we be in if we leave the green one behind? >

He couldn't help it. The small smile holding on at the corner of his lips, easy to miss when one didn't know him. He felt strangely at peace. Somehow no more drifting in the universe aimlessly but actually grounded.

< Patience, Titania. Perhaps the child is more resourceful than you think. > Whether he believed that or not was left unsaid. He wasn't quite as annoyed of Makemake's antics, having seen a lot and being shaken by very little.

And he could trust her to ask the questions he wouldn't out loud. Making ripples where he would let the current take hold of him.

His wings fluttered slightly without him noticing.

"We can provide you with detailed maps of the lands, but as for our customs..." Circe led them to a more ornate door on the second floor of the castle. "It would take far too long to teach you everything there is to know, but Sailor Draco could surely inform you on the way." Circe blinked a few times in surprise as Makemake grasped her leathery hands, but seemed to take her seriously.

She turned to Titania as she asked a new set of questions. "She is very much an adult by our standards, and as long as she doesn't reveal herself out of uniform, no one should recognize her as the princess. Sailor Draco is not widely known about, as we haven't had a guardian in over 200 years." Circe knocked on the door a few times. "Medea, are you in there? I have some important visitors you should meet."

The sound of metal coins hitting the floor could be heard after a startled squeak, and Circe sighed. A few moments of silence passed before she got any response.


"Er, coming!" The door was opened just enough for a short, violet haired Draconian girl in a white and gold set of robes to stand in the doorway, obscuring most of the room behind her. A slight blush stained her pale blue skin when she realized that there was more than Circe waiting for her, complete strangers to her.

"Um, hello..." she said, giving them a small smile that revealed sharper than average teeth. Just who were these visitors her aunt brought to her? The uniforms were certainly new, and they looked nothing like any creature on Draco.

"This is Princess Medea of Ladon. Medea, these are sailor guardians, like you are. They have volunteered to help our negotiations with the Pale Tribe," Circe explained. "And I know your father thinks that you should stay, but I want you to go with them as a guide."

"W-wait, really? I mean..." Medea looked from Circe to the group, and then nodded. "I'd love to help, if I won't get in the way..."