She noted the bunny-senshi’s fast reaction and how suddenly she had a bow and arrows in her hands. A trained soldier, could be dangerous for sure. It reminded her fondly of the rabbits at home, similarly cute and adorable yet deadly if provoked.

Titania found herself wishing she were around them instead now.

She hovered unappreciatively along the forest, also missing the comfort of her castle—clearly she’d been indoors too long, because the rest of the planet wasn’t as lavish. Then again, perhaps that was why she never ventured out in the first place.

She heard what Oberon said about weak minds and the flower’s response to it. She snickered; maybe at least one half of that pair wasn’t so hopeless. She threw him a you’re-in-trouble-now glance—usually accidentally offending people was her thing. His misdirection was masterful, though, and she felt proud for him even if he probably didn’t enjoy it.

< Speak for yourself, > she teased at his comment about ‘surely lending support’. < We both know she’s better off at home. >

Oberon's speculation on mind control made her nervous, but Draco tried to think logically. If the Draconian that broke into her room was brainwashed, then why didn't this hidden leader just try to control her directly? Unless they just couldn't for some reason...

After hearing Sailor Makemake's concerns, she decided to speak up, bringing up her own theory.

"Well, when I transformed in front of him, he backed away, and then he seemed to break out of whatever was controlling him..." she said. "Maybe my energy is protecting me? Or are all senshi protected from Chaos?" She still hadn't wrapped her head around this Chaos being. "Wouldn't it have taken me directly otherwise?"

He ignored his wife's glance, knowing all too well he wasn't the master of offense usually. The young one seemed more sensitive than most people he knew, maybe it was for that.

< Now, now, years ago, when all of them were not even born yet and you and I were not yet fully grown, would you have left your home undefended? Or would you have braved rules and guards to fight for the home that was yours? >

They had broken so many rules in their childhood. Nowadays, they fortunately made them.

"No senshi is safe from Chaos. Maybe Chaos is not the one behind all of this. As I said earlier, not every conflict can be blamed on a greater darkness than any creature's own."

Sailor Makemake's face scrunched up as she tried to comprehend what Oberon was saying to her. The flower on her shoulder continued to do its happy little dance as she pondered what should have been an otherwise easy statement to consume.

The others began to respond, which giving their own opinions on the matter. Her eyes widened when Draco mentioned something about "Chaos." The flower on her shoulder seemed to look at her with a tinge of worry, as though knowing that this word meant a great deal.

"Wait a second," she said in a profound moment of realization. "Is the Darkness and Chaos the same thing?!"

"Ding ding ding!" the flower on her shoulder responded.

"Wow! I'm smart! I'm sure I'm one of those majesties Chaos could never touch! I'm just too brilliant! I am a sun after all!"

Maybe Makemake was right. Maybe she was one of those lucky few untouched by Chaos, though it wasn't likely because of any intelligence or "brilliance." It was probably because she was too dim witted to ever be in a situation to have been tempted by it.

< I would have defended it because it’s my right and responsibility, > she admitted grudgingly. < But I would have learned as much as possible about everything and would only need you by my side, not outsiders. Why is she even trusting us? >

Deciding to ignore Makemake and her little friend’s ramblings for now, Titania focused on what Sailor Draco was saying.

“Whatever your power is, it might be counteracting the hypnosis or mind control. Or offers some kind of protection. I suppose that’s good, we can always use that again if need be.”

Despite her protests, it seemed for now Titania did not mind teaching the younger senshi.

Sailor Makemake glanced over to Sailor Titania with a rather smug look on her face. She seemed to be confused, not usual for the self proclaimed soldier of life, but her confusion this time was directly on the Fairy Queen. She began to shuffle sideways, inching toward the fellow soldier, until she came as close as she could to standing directly next to her, still facing forward. She leaned over, nearly pressing the flower on her shoulder against Titania's cheek as the flower made a cute squeak. She tried to whisper in her ear.

"Do you have... I think I heard it called... a crush on that guy? The guy you keep looking at?"

The ignorant soldier's eyes sparkled, anticipating the solution to the mystery.

< She trusts because she is open. > He commented, his tone softening for Titania's sake. < And fortunately for her, she is not wrong to put her trust in us. >

As they were advancing in the woods, Oberon's ears were able to decipher both the little flower's squeak and the young senshi's whisper to his wife. Irritation and indignation soon came in waves through their bond and the King slowly turned around as if it was the most natural motion to be made while floating through a forest.

His hand slowly took Titania's own, pulling her gently to his side as he came to a full stop.

"Her ladyship happens to be my wife, I do hope for her to have a small interest in me."

He admitted with a hint of humor, gently kissing her knuckles in a rare public show of affection. His eyes, meeting hers, however, were utterly serious. He hadn't done so to mock her in front of others. With a small gleam that seemed to make his eyes smile, he invited her to his other side, offering a polite but interested gaze to Makemake.

"Where exactly do you come from, if I may ask?"

He asked to the younger senshi, starting to float forward again as not to be separated from the rest of the group.

ooc:

Titania did not appreciate her personal bubble being invaded, and glanced at Makemake suspiciously when the other senshi suddenly sidled up to her. She flinched back as the weird tiny flower squeaked practically in front of her ear and was about to ask her what she was doing exactly when Makemake spoke.

She frowned, first in confusion, then in disbelief, and finally with outrage. A crush? A crush?! What were they, elementary school children?

Flame burst mentally inside her, lit by the words as quickly as throwing a match onto a pool of gasoline, but before it could materialize into actual, tangible fire, Oberon moved towards her and took her hand. At first she was confused, but then he pulled her to his side and not only called her ‘her ladyship’ but also clarified that she was his wife. And then he went and kissed her hand in front of everyone. The words and the action acted like a generous dose of water, dousing the flames that burned within.

Her rigid expression melted into a smile, and a tinge of red appeared on her cheeks. She wasn’t a fool; she knew he’d done it partly to save Makemake from getting instant death, but the gesture was sincere all the same—she could it feel it through their bond—and with how rarely he acted affectionately with her, especially in public, it always made it all the more special when he did it. Titania was all passion all the time, but she knew Oberon was much more reserved, and she always appreciated it when he came out of his comfort zone for her sake.

She returned his gaze, conveying her thanks, appreciation, and love.

“What he said,” she muttered to Makemake, before he wisely moved her to his other side to put himself between them. As he engaged Makemake, Titania returned her attention forward and to the rest of the group, sighing and hoping this would not be a very long and tedious journey. Her patience never could stand being tested too much.

Soul's eyebrow raised when Oberon admitted that Titania was his wife. There's just something about him... She felt like she was so close to putting the pieces together in her mind.


"I'm sure Sailor Makemake meant no disrespect Sailor Titania," Soul said when she noticed the other female senshi's reaction. "It's rare to see a couple who fight like you do." She kept Ganymede to herself, not wanting to bring him up. They didn't exactly advertise their relationship when they didn't need to, not wanting others to see it as a weakness or try and use one of them to hurt the other. 

"Should we keep going?"

It seemed that Titania's words to her did give Medea some confidence in her ability to fight. And after Oberon and Soul put out a potential group conflict, she was in higher spirits than before. 

"I think we're almost to the next closest settlement!" she said, moving a bit faster. On the surrounding trees, strange marks were clawed into the trunks. Proving her right, a wall constructed of cut logs loomed ahead. The gate was made of wood as well, filed down into spears at the edges that dug into the soft dirt below it. 

And perched in what looked like large birds nests on either side were two dragons. They both were around 9 feet in length and compact, with shorter necks and thick limbs. Their hides were covered in dark, forest colored scales, and their horns curved like goats, sharp and deadly. Going beyond their natural armor, they were dressed in another layer of chain mail and armed with clubs carved of wood and mounted with bits of metal.

"This is an Armor Tribe village," Sailor Draco said, slowing down as they approached. "They're scattered all around these woods and swamps." The guards dropped from their watch towers with heavy thuds to watch the group move closer, but Sailor Draco did not appear afraid of them.

They appeared leery of her state of dress, but as soon as she pulled out the scroll Circe gave her, they backed down.

"I am Sailor Draco, and with permission from the Crown, my travelling companions and I would like to pass through this territory safely." The guards nodded and signaled for the gates to rise.

"You may stay in our village for rest and supplies, but please be mindful when you are outside these walls," one said. "Less than two sunrises ago, we chased off a small pack of rebel Pale Tribes. They may still be in the area..."

Draco nodded at the guard and passed him to enter the small town. The village was mostly made of large wood and stone huts and buildings, though it was considerable less crowded and controlled than the  capital city. All the dragons in sight were similar in build to the guards, and even in humanoid form, they were shorter and sturdier on average.

 Smoke rose from holes in rooftops and brick chimneys, carrying the scent of food and coal. Blacksmiths heated metal with their own breath or with the help of another, and pounded out different shapes. Another area was a stable, where strange, unseen creatures could be heard calling out. Armored Draconians practiced with blades in a cleared section of packed dirt, supervised by elders. But even during what looked like a peaceful day, there was a sort of tenseness in the air...

Titania scoffed when she heard the comment about her fighting. “Try being married for millennia upon millennia and not fight for a single time. Though, personally, I find the fighting is part of the passion,” she said with a playful glance at her husband. She couldn’t imagine having a relationship where everything was peaceful and lovey-dovey all the time. She’d get bored really fast, and boredom was her number one enemy.

As they found the next settlement, she eyed the strange signs on the trees and the gate that loomed ahead, then her eyes moved toward the gigantic nests guarded by more dragons. They truly were beautiful creatures. Planet Oberon had everything, how come they didn’t have dragons yet?

As Queen, clearly this was something she must rectify for the good of her people.

When they entered the village, Titania’s attention was drawn toward the stables from which she could hear peculiar sounds. What other majestic creatures did this planet have? She couldn’t wait to see all of them.

A spark of playfulness replace the dullness of his gaze as he answered in kind to hers.

They were indeed lucky that boredom or disinterest hadn't broken their marriage. They were of those rare brands of couples who lived together since their wedding day so many thousands of years ago. It was a celebrated feat on their planet, but it was just to say how smart the planet itself had been putting them together.

He remembered fondly the days where he almost despised her.

When they arrived at the next settlement, Oberon noted mentally Draco's conversation with this village's guards. Pack of rebels just outside the walls? He wouldn't sleep tonight, just to be sure. He didn't need to, most of the time, so that would be a good use of his time, even if his whole being wished more to be near his wife.

< Where would we put them? > He asked to the questioning she hadn't even put into mental words but that he felt all the same. He was too, as her, admiring of dragons. He would love to have those creatures live on Oberon, but could they live comfortably? would the planet appreciate them? would they burn the whole ground down?

Maybe they could find some that would not be a danger to their people or their planet.

"These people are on alert." He pointed out in case it wasn't obvious enough. "Did you want to stop here for the night, Sailor Draco? I hardly doubt your people, but if I might offer, I need little sleep and guarding your night would not hinder my strengths. How bold are these rebels?"

The noises Titania got curious about were source of wonder for him as well, but as they weren't totally here to act as tourists, he didn't raise the question out loud.

Medea nodded in agreement with Oberon's statement. They really were more on edge than usual. She'd heard reports, but if rebels were bothering everyone to the point of increasing their defenses, this really was escalating beyond a simple disagreement.

"I did intend to wait the night out in a village, the forests aren't very safe without sunlight, especially now..." If a Pale Tribe dragon decided to dive on them, they'd never see them coming in weak moonlight.

"I didn't even know they had gotten this out of hand until now, but if a Pale Tribe member was willing to break into the capital, they might attack an Armor settlement. I doubt they'd get past the walls though. The guards said the rebel pack around here had been small, so they may not risk it." 

Sailor Draco led them to a larger stone building, a central location in the village.

"I've only read books and heard stories about villages like this, but the Armor Tribe always has a meeting place in the center of their settlements," Sailor Draco tried to explain. "It's where their leaders live and hold gatherings, so maybe someone there can give us some more information about what happened here..."

It was a bit strange, perhaps, for him to think of forests as unsafe places. Titania and him were mostly born in forests, some of which, even on their planet, was not always the safest. And yet, the fay almost felt more comfortable in the dangerous greens than he was in a village of creatures he wasn't sure whether they were loyal or if traitors lived among them.

And after hearing what Draco had to say...

Well, he wasn't sleeping at all tonight. No matter who attacked them first, this village or the rebels, he'd be up and ready to protect. He loved to trust, preferred trust over its opposite, but it was so easy to betray for mortals or beings blessed with a long lifespan but still young.

So easy.

He didn't understand how, and why.

"Do guide us there, then, perhaps the information they hold will help us on our journey or even the attempt at diplomacy."

If the Pale Tribe accepted to even listen more than two seconds.

Children. Bickering over lands. Trivial matters, as always, governed the Universe. Such pity.

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