As she felled yet another foe, Venus felt her strength strangely powering up too. She frowned, wondering who was helping her and made a mental note to ask later. Right now, she saw that the group had finally managed to get themselves together enough to take down another enemy, and there was only one left. Venus flew quickly toward Dark Shadow 2 and slashed twice with her blade to slay their last enemy.

Silence settled on them like a shroud, but it was anything but comforting. They had all survived, but barely so; the events of the past quarter hour, stressful and exciting and horrible, suddenly ended but without relief, for while the battle was over, the war was still on. They still had to continue - there was no rest, and now they were off track.  Had any of them an innate sense of direction? How could they be sure they would head in the right direction through this massive cloud of light and energy, where they could barely hear each other speaking and bursts of stellar wind were enough to separate them in moments? It was enough to make her want to stay in place, to hold on to Hadley as tight as she was being held onto, but she knew they had to go. The Tapestry Crystal had to be found and secured before it was too late.

But just a moment more would be okay. 

She took a breath, deep and even, and ran her hand down Hadley's hair one more time as she gently let her go, pushing herself backwards so she could turn towards Sailor Venus, the warrior with the long golden hair suspended in space, a long sword held with determination in her hand. She took Hadley's hand and reached out for Gabriel's, whether preparing to leave, safeguarding against another burst, or just looking for comfort wasn't important. She projected her voice to be heard across the distance between them, and got to the point. "Which way now?"

The enemies' defeat and the fact that they were together again was a small temporary relief. However, first things first, she needed to check on Nyx. Ari approached the other girl, tentatively touching her arm.

"Are you okay? Did the enemy..." she trailed off, not even sure how to word what happened to them. If these smaller enemies could affect their minds, what sort of being would they have to face when they got to the tapestry crystal? Before she could finish, Crysdal asked the obvious question to Venus, loud enough for everyone to here.

Ari smiled, seeing that Hadley was ok but at the same time, she felt guilt about being unable to help her, or anyone for that matter. As they faced more and more hardships, Ari found it harder and harder to keep a strong front. Having lost so much, the guilt was eating her up on the inside. She was a Sailor Soldier for Goddess's sake. Why couldn't she do more? Bas had been so quiet all this time, concealed away beneath her hair. What was he thinking? She wished he would just give her advice.

They finally did it. She had to admit, as pompous as she found the self-proclaimed 'eternal' senshi to be, perhaps that was not completely without merit. Could they have won this fight without her? The enemies were good, dodging nearly all of their attacks but for hers.

A hand touching her arm snapped her out of her thoughts, startling her. It was the feline-looking one, asking if she... was alright?

Right. Sometime ago, she too would probably have been concerned about their well-being as well. No, she did.

And what did that get her?

In the end, they were strangers. She cared about strangers, and because of that... If she hadn't done that mistake back then, when that worm creature paralyzed the others... Yes, perhaps most of them would have died, but her sister would be here with her. It was not worth it.

...Would Inara really have been okay with that, though?

"...I'm fine," she replied after a while. She floated a bit further away, breaking contact.

Emotions are a weakness, clouding one's better judgement. And she would be weak no more.

Her shot was once again dodged, SAM aiming too slow to track its sudden movement. Frustrated, she was about to try again when Bastet and Venus finished off the remaining enemies. They were alone now, but not much closer to their destination. Still shaky from the adrenaline, it took a few seconds for her Star Cannon to shift back into her hand, and her breathing returned to normal.

She had no idea where they should go next, as Venus had been leading them, but maybe she could get them back on track. SAM really didn't feel very confident in herself after that terrible fight. What was the point of having all these tools if she couldn't even hit a single target? All she did was restrain someone and track things... 

She kept quiet and lagged at the edge of the somewhat spread out group, not wanting to get in anyone's way.

She did not relax, but she did turn to follow. Sailor Xtal-Diamante split her focus between Sailor Venus and Sailor Aegle, unsure which of the blonde women would take charge. In some ways, although certainly not all, they seemed to Xtal-Diamante to be very similar. Her crystalline eyes continued to scan the nebula around them, her long hair swirled by the stellar winds. She watched Aegle take the hands of others and imagined that forming some kind of physical connection would continue to be important, to avoid the same kind of separation. The blank-faced teenager moved towards the other sailor soldiers to take her place among them.

After what seemed like forever, Venus looked around and saw no more enemies to slay. She let out a breath and banished her sword, feeling like she'd just take on an army, even if they were all much too slow for her. In the old days, she would have joked about what a piece of cake it was, maybe reassure this group that they were in good hands, but with Chaos so close to their door... with her being so old and tired and fighting all the time... with them lost in this nebula with no means to find their way out... A charming smile felt like it required effort. But this group needed it. She saw the fear on their faces, the uncertainty, the distress, and even the mistrust. A fledgling group like this was not a well-oiled machine, not her familiar senshi team, and she had to watch out for them more than she would normally with her friends.

As Crysdal asked which way they should go, Venus tried to get her bearings. "If we can return to our previous path when we entered and then get out of this nebula, I can lead us where we're going again. I remember the way to Zhi's planet, but in this chaotic mess... it's hard to know which way is up or down. If no one has any means of detecting a way, we should try to retrace our steps to where we were before we got separated."

Retrace their steps...

Aegle looked behind her, doubt nauseating her. They had come from that direction, right? ... but what if it had been a few degrees farther to her right? ... or left? .... Or above... or below... if they went off in the wrong direction they would end up further off course, and during the battle they had all moved around - not a single one of them stayed put, and even if they had, their perspective could have changed just watching what was going on. 

She was pretty good with directions. It was a point of pride - an exercise her father had run with her over and over. Which way had you come from? Which way should you go? Where is north? But in here...

She didn't want to say anything that could shake anyone's resolve, but they might need to consider other options. Looking back to Venus, she tried to catch her eye and convey her doubts.

Aegle Eye Contact - Sailor Venus wrote:

{afraid, cautious} What if we choose the wrong path?

Aegle ability explanation wrote:

You know those conversations people seem to have with a glance? Usually it's something intimate between longtime friends or partners, where they can convey a lot without saying a thing? Tadaaa Aegle's new ability when used on allies allows them to do that without the years of learning each other! Useful. Not nearly as useful as Oberon's mind link but whatever helps helps XD

Any character can use this ability with Sailor Aegle by catching her eye(hint: if you stare at her, she'll look at you XD you can "powerplay" that for free); please indicate that you're using it with a quote or spoiler so I know it's one-on-one telepathic communication rather than spoken/group space-talk. Both emotions and words can be expressed in this manner!

Hadley did not know how much time passed by, enveloped in the comforting warmth from Crysdal's hug. Slowly, that warmth seeped into her, calming her tears and helped her feel a little more like herself again. It was frighteningly easy to ignore the fact that battle rang out around them, even as guilt pulled at her for it. But for this moment, she ignored all of those feelings and simply existed, warm and cared for, soaking in the kindness being given to her.

But she knew that this could not last forever. Their goal, their duty was too great to ignore, and already too much time had been spent off course. She knew that it was vital to continue onwards. The knowing didn't make it any easier to leave the floating warmth and willingly dive back into the murky waters of reality, however.

As Crysdal pulled away, Hadley looked around at everyone, first seeking out Ari before glancing at each person in turn. She again felt that twisting in her chest, painful and tight, and she had to look away. She was thankful for Crysdal's grip on her hand, and she squeezed gently, but firmly, and tried to stay grounded.

Conversation turned towards that of the group's next move. Hadley knew she was no good at tactics, and her brain felt exhausted and shaky. Tentative, still, to accept that the things she saw would not return. The others were smarter and better. She trusted them to come up with the best decision, and so she stayed quiet and simply focused on breathing.

She wasn't one hundred percent convinced of Nyx's answer but they needed to move on. Maybe after all this was over she could do something. But what? What could she even possibly do? There could be no way to ease the loss of Hemera's life, much less any of their lost companions lives. She turned back to the issue at hand. Their previous path? But it was impossible to tell one way from the next in this place.

Ari floated closer to the group, addressing Crysdal.

"Do you think the compass could help us in any way? It was able to guide us to the strongest form of chaos before."

The compass?

... The compass!! 

She let go of Gabriel's hand to pop open the clasp to one of the pockets of her belt and fished around within, her fingers passing over vials as she came across them and gritted her teeth to ignore the reminder of the Hermit. It wasn't there. She tried the next one, having to let go of Hadley's hand as she pushed the other items back into the first bag and clip it closed - nervously she glanced up towards everyone, not enjoying seeming so disorganized. Being more disorganized, more like - she couldn't remember which pocket the compass was in. She dug around, her face flushing, hands brushing the weird white goop-filled bottle the Hag--er, Crone--had handed over, her stomach flipping in wonder about what she had meant for that item to do on Destore. She brushed past the little bag of seeds for Hadley, the weird wooden knot, the communicator... 

It wasn't there. 

She looked one more time before snapping the satchels closed. "I don't have it," she replied, having to yell to be heard above the storm and hating that she had to voice so loudly her failure.

Venus waited to see if the others had any ideas when she caught Crysdal's eye. And then, strangely, it was as if she could read the other senshi's mind. This wasn't anything strange when performing within her own senshi team - they practically communicated exclusively through looks now - but she didn't expect it with these new people. She frowned, wondering if this was one of Crysdal's powers. And if so, how come she hadn't used it before now? It could be very useful.

It's still better than not trying at all, was all she sent back, wondering if she was doing it right and if Crysdal could even hear her.

Then Bastet mentioned a compass, and her hope briefly grew, before Crysdal went to look for it and announced that she didn't have it. Venus was worried, but waited to see if anyone else did, else they might be lost within this nebula forever and the Tapestry Crystal would be lost.

The group discussed which way they should go now. Generally, Nyx had a pretty good sense of direction, and she might have been able to tell the path they followed even in this seemingly distorted space - if she had taken said path. Unfortunately, the way she was thrown off-course by the strong winds, she could no longer tell the right way either.

Bastet mentioned the compass, which actually sounded like a solid idea, much to her surprise. Who had it? Aegle? She began searching through her stuff... And then she was searching some more... And then she tried searching some other pocket.

The whole thing was rather comical, really. And honestly, she could definitely picture her sister doing the same thing in her position. The scene would have probably caused her a smile.

Under other circumstances.

All that was left now was impatience and irritation. They were wasting time here.

Gabriel followed the conversation with a lingering sense of unfamiliarity. He wondered why. After all, most of them had been able to form bonds and were fighting side by side rather than against each other. Sure, sometimes they missed, but wasn't it the risks in wars? The risks of failure and they were lucky to be still alive...

For the remaining few anyway.
He was not sure if it bode well or not for their small group that so many had died.

Would they be able to stand as an united front or would they separate into small groups? This fight had gone well, all things considered and it prove Venus was powerful, if not more so than he thought. It was impressive, humbling and reassuring. Maybe it should be suspiscious too, but his lack of trust toward Aldrin...

"I do."

He suddenly said, fetching the compass into his armor and extending it toward Aegle.

"But can it lead us to the tapestry or only toward chaos?"

The stellar winds gently wafted her pale hair in clouds around her unmoving face as she waited, crystalline eyes watching the others. They would have to be on their way, but Sailor Xtal-Diamante knew she was not the right one to lead them. She had no insight to the location of the Tapestry Crystal that they sought; all she knew of the object were the remembered fragments of conversation that had led them on this mission. She turned her head to stare out at the nebula that surrounded them, wondering how long they would have before more of those unseen enemies arranged another attack.

Current Stats:

Zhi's star system was just ahead; they had but to make it through its Oort Cloud, through its outer system and its Asteroid Belt, and they would arrive, but with things as they were... what hope had they?

Crysdal paused, the star hosting their final destination glowing brighter in the foreground than any other star; she knew they had to go forward - the entire reason they were there was just ahead; they were at the finish line. They had gone through so much - the nebula had been a terrible place, and that it had shaved off so much time made her despair in the thought of what might've happened if they had gone around; would it have taken days? ... Was Hex a trade they had made? Hex and all of the wounds healed, all the stress, all the damage dealt to their hearts, minds and bodies? And if they were all sacrifices made to this greater good they were serving, were they even enough?

The Tapestry Crystal hadn't been taken yet - she didn't know how she knew, she just felt it. They were't too late.

But that didn't mean she wasn't scared. 

Some of them had dropped hands since leaving the nebula, but she could not let Gabriel's hand go. She had had to give up Sam's so Sam could carry Hex, the stone-like senshi's stillness in her arms disconcerting to the point that Crysdal could barely look over at them, but she wasn't letting go of her other friend, no matter how awkward their wing movements had to be to accomplish the feat. She looked over to his other hand and the compass held within it, staring at the little needle pointing dead-ahead, and asked of Venus, her voice nearly hoarse from the yelling done within the storm of the stellar nursery, "What can we expect in there?"

After what felt like ages of fighting to get through the oppressive Nebula storm, the next star system was in their sights. When Crysdal stopped ahead of her, SAM did too, readjusting the still motionless senshi resting on her back. They would all be in far worse condition if it weren't for Xtal-Diamante and Aegle healing their injuries, and now that one of them was unresponsive... SAM's grip on her tightened.

She didn't wanna think about anyone else dying right now. But could they even survive whatever Chaos monsters were waiting next? It felt so hopeless, but there really wasn't much of a choice anymore if she wanted even the slightest chance of anyone else surviving this. It wasn't about her safety anymore, it was about everyone else who couldn't defend themselves. They needed to save the Tapestry Crystal.

Venus spent the downtime they finally got to plan. There was a contingency plan for everything, including every possible formation of the team left should one or a few of them die. Should she die. Whose functions would have to be adjusted, who would be best to do what, with only one goal in mind. To save the Tapestry Crystal. The strategizing calmed her mind even as she thought about the death of these senshi. If the rock-looking one did not make it. If they ended up losing both healers. In the event of catastrophe, she could not have the luxury of panicking or freezing. Only decide the next course of action.

They were close now, and had suffered no more casualties. The plan looked solid enough providing they weren't too late, but she knew they weren't. No telling how much time had been wasted, but there was no point dwelling in that or what could have beens. Only to move forward and focus on their objective. With it so close up ahead, Venus' mind only thought about securing the crystal and all the different ways they would go about it should any more incidents happen.

Crysdal's voice broke through the silence and her laser-focus. She blinked, thinking about all the possibilities that she had already calculated for, and the ones she had no way of even imagining. She knew she could not share them with her, or any of them. Not with these new senshi who had already lost so much.

"To be honest, I have no idea. It has been a long time since I visited Zhi's planet, and with everything going on now... it could have changed drastically. It could be populated with enemies. I might not even recognize it. We need to be prepared for anything."

Half listening to the conversation between Venus and Crysdal, Ari stared at the star system in front of them. Zhi's Star System. She looked at the group, just about everyone looked like how Ari felt: drained and exhausted. She knew she had no more magic left. She couldn't summon her barrier now matter how hard she tried much less attempt to shapeshift. They needed rest, but there was no time for that.

Changed drastically? Ari briefly remembers how there had been no reply on the communicator from Sailor Jin. They were probably all dead. She had tried to keep the dark thought out of her mind this entire time but chaos surely must've killed Jin, Queen Zhi and everyone else on that planet. If not killed...corrupted them, much likely previous denizens on the two planets they saved.

Saved. That was right. They had managed to save two planets. Even with heavy losses, they were still victories. Two victories out of how many more planets? It all felt so hopeless. The task too big for them to handle.

Ari gripped Hadley's hand, trying to ignore the thoughts. She had held on to Hadley the entire way through the nebula, refusing to let go. Her fingers had lost all feeling half way through, but that didn't matter. They had stuck together the rest of the way through, along with everyone else. She eyed the girl, worriedly. Surely, Hadley must be just as tired as herself. The more Ari thought about how tired the group was and out of magic she was, she figured the others must be low too or close to it. How would they be able to fight chaos if they were too exhausted?

She didn't want to say it; it would surely make her sound weak but someone had to.

"I think we need a break. I have no magic left to even summon my barrier. Plus we could use the time to come up with a plan."

Plan? What could they even come up with? Everyone head to your death! Ari's face hardened at the thought. They made it this far...certainly there was some small hope. Even if she failed to see it.

No idea what to expect...? 

Crysdal turned her gaze back to the star before them, imagining the smaller planets lost in its glare. A world populated entirely by enemies. A powerful Sailor Crystal in the balance. She was frightened - terrified - by the attempt they were about to make, the lives that could be lost, but they could do something. So many others out there were suffering and dying with no hope of fighting back, and sympathy for them hardened her resolve. Ari's request filled the space left after Venus's response, and while she wished it could be otherwise, she had to put the notion to rest.

She turned to look at the younger cat-girl over her shoulder, attempting to soften her words with an understanding smile. "I don't think we have time for that. So much time already has passed since things were thrown off balance - I can still feel the unrest, can't you?" She glanced aside; bringing up the unease that buzzed around inside her chest seemed to make it stronger, less easy to put aside as she had been doing, but it was necessary all the same. Taking a breath, she looked back at Ari again, and Hadley beside her. "Every moment we delay is a moment longer innocent people suffer, and a moment closer to Chaos getting the crystal."

She was hypocritical. She had been the one to pause here, at the cusp of whatever was to come. Embarrassed, she looked forward again, apologizing quietly. "I'm sorry I stopped."

Finally they were through the nebula. Enemies were sneaking up on them seemingly from all directions, but somehow they managed to push on with no losses. Well, the rocky one appeared to be unresponsive, but that wasn't much of a difference from her usual self. The only problem was that someone had to carry her now. But she was still with them, so she'd probably wake up at some point.

Probably.

But they were finally there. Well, they were getting close. Their remaining healer asked what they could anticipate. Venus' response did not help much, if at all, but what was she expecting anyway? The planet's queen is dead, her guardians probably the same, the compass was leading them straight to the strongest nearby chaos source...

They might as well just expect the worst.

Bastet suggested they take a break, but Aegle thought they should keep pressing on. Admittedly, she was exhausted too, but it did not seem feasible. Not only they had wasted too much time already, would they even find a safe place to rest on that place?

As much as she'd like to blast Chaos and its servants to bits, she knew that they could not do that right now. What they could do is mess with its plans at least. They should just find the crystal while avoiding trouble as much as possible and get out of there.

Hearing Bastet's comment about her magic reminded Nyx she was in a similar situation. She had not been able to use her magic for a while now, resorting to slicing and dicing with her staff, which her sister had always been better at...

That's right. This is not how it should be. She should have been here in her place instead.

Anyway, she had a remaining potion from that old crone. She hoped it would do for now.

Action:

He was deeply tired. His wings, that were a part of his body and not a gift from his powers, were sore. He had never travelled as much and their disheveled feathers probably was hint enough. Every muscles of his back dreamed of a comfortable and soft bed. For a warrior's rest. Not to talk of the grief, but that was something he was careful not to dwell on.

"A world entirely populated by enemies?" He repeated with something akin to humor in his voice. He had to find humor somewhere. "In what that's different from what we already faced?" He smiled, defiant.

His hand squeezed Crydal's, encouraging.

"There's nothing for us behind, anyway. Better finish what we came for. And if any of you are scared, use it as a weapon. Use it to become lethal, or efficient." They weren't all warriors in here after all. "And if the worst happen and we fall..." he smiled gently. "then I can't wait to annoy all of you beyond the veil."

He looked at Venus, masking his own worry. His own fear really. He wasn't even twenty. He could be terrified inside, right? Without shame? He breathed in calmly, trying to make of this like any other mission below the planet's ground. Hard to do when he was aware that the chances here were not as great as when he battled simple monsters in his home.

"Do you know where we should land then? I'm not against a plan, but Crysdal's right. We can't exactly delay anymore." Another gentle squeeze for Crysdal. Silent presence really, but she seemed embarrassed. Their situations were not quite the same and time was even less on their side than when she had herself stopped. Then to Bastet. "Do you have anything to resplenish your magic. I still have two potions the old woman gave us that I can share if needed."

Crysdal's mouth twitched in response to Gabriel's joke, looking over at him just as he squeezed her hand. She appreciated him so much, now as before; despite sometimes being sarcastic to the point of cynicism, he seemed effortlessly brave, and it was a lot easier for her to pretend to be so when she had him to work with. She liked his advice about using their fear as a weapon; she didn't necessarily believe it, but she might be able to trick herself into getting behind it. 'And if the worst happens and we fall...' he smiled, but her expression fell, her chest tightening so it was hard to breathe, 'then I can't wait to annoy all of you beyond the veil.'

She cried. She faced forward, staring at the small dot of a star ahead of them. With breaths deep and quiet and even she kept her control and composed herself, glad to be in the lead so no one could look back at her. She had to be brave for them; she can't cry now, no matter how afraid she was. She didn't want to die. She squeezed Gabriel's hand when he squeezed hers again, straining muscles to keep herself from shaking. She didn't want to see what was beyond the veil. She wanted to go home and worry about tests and ceremonies, about singing and dancing and making her parents proud. She didn't want to die. 

Neither did Elysande. 

Tears, hot and wet, streamed down her cheeks as she focused on not giving herself away; she didn't have any helpful potions to offer in any case. She continued to breath evenly, checking her fear and sorrow, accepting them and burying them away. There'd be time to feel them later. ... Or not. In any case, now wasn't the time. She checked herself, focusing on feeling out the well of power she used when she healed people; it felt okay? 

It felt fine. 

She'd be fine.

They'd be fine. 

Fake it 'til you make it.

But how many innocents can we actually save if we don't have the energy to do so? How can I protect even our small group?

Ari kept her thoughts to herself, immediately feeling guilty when Crysdal apologized for stopping the group in the first place. She was right after all. Stopping would just delay the inevitable for them and cause more pain and suffering for others. Others they were supposed to protect. Crysdal looked away from the group, forwards towards Zhi's star system. Ari kept a concerned gaze on her until Gabriel spoke up.

How did he do it? How did he keep up the optimism? Was it fake? At this point, Ari didn't have the energy to attempt to fake it, but some how, his little speech felt encouraging.

"And if any of you are scared, use it as a weapon." Ari nodded. Got it. That was what she would have to do. To protect them and everyone else in the galaxy.

When Gabriel asked her a question, she fumbled around her uniform, embarrassingly, looking for the gifts the crone had given. Ah, there it was. The dice and a small glass bottle. She had shoved them under the body armor she wore, between the bodice of her Sailor uniform.

"I don't think either of these will replenish my magic." She brought the bottle closer to her eye, "this just looks like a tiny tornado."

She had forgotten about the bottle while they fought in the nebula. Would it have come in helped the outcomes of their battles? She'll have to find out eventually.

"I-I don't want to take it if you need it though...or anyone else."

Surely someone else's magic was more important than hers anyway.

Venus' magic was depleted too, but she knew they couldn't afford the rest needed to replenish it. She didn't have to say it, at least, because Crysdal did it for her. She looked at the others and their reactions. Amarachius seemed to be taking this in stride, but as someone who had always employed the same mask, Venus knew what lay beneath it. It took a liar to know another, after all. She smiled slightly despite herself; in another situation, when the world wasn't falling apart, they could get along nicely and maybe even work together well.

The old Venus would have tried her best to cheer everyone up with one of her many tricks. A confident leader inspired a confident team, but right now, after everything this team had seen and experienced, it just felt dishonest. They had seen the real truth, one that no senshi this age should have seen, and there was no going back from that. That didn't make them any less afraid, but Venus herself was just tired. Tired after fighting for so long. Tired after dying so many times. What would these senshi say if they knew how many times she had perished already? In her past life, in the present... She wondered if they knew about the Galaxy Cauldron, wondered if she should tell them where they were going when it happened. Or that they didn't need to fear death because they would eventually be reborn again.

She missed her friends. It was perhaps selfish, but she wished Ami, Rei, Mako, and Usagi were here. And Haruka, Michiru, Setsuna, and Hotaru too.

But mostly Rei. She would know what Venus needed to say to everyone. Or just give her a kick in the butt to stop moping.

She heard Amarachius say he had potions that might be able to replenish their magic, but some of them probably needed those more. She was the eldest, she shouldn't take what they have away. Besides, she still wasn't sure she trusted that old lady. She'd make do with what she had, and when it ran out, she'd still have her sword.

From the corner of her eye she saw Crysdal visibly struggling to keep herself together, and knew in this moment she needed everyone to be distracted more than she needed comforting.

"I would suggest everyone who needs it take those potions, if they have been proven to work before. We could use all the help we can get if we can't rest. Especially our healers. We need your magic at top form."

The mention of magic made SAM aware of her own reserves, something she tended to forget until it was needed. Magic was still an odd concept for her, but she knew that it was what powered her stronger abilities. without it, she would be forced to rely on her much weaker, un-augmented suit. But now that it was being discussed, she did feel fatigued. Amarachius (who was still holding Crysdal's hand, to her unexplainable jealousy) had potions to spare, but SAM remembered the amulet attached to her suit. The strange trinket had given her more magic before, and she had no trust in those potions after her last attempt to use them. 

"Don't worry about my energy either, I can still go on," she said. She really hoped it didn't sound like bragging...


SAM focused on the MP Amulet and tried to mentally connect to her planet for energy.

At least, he had said it. He was sorry for making her cry, really, he was. Deeply. But sometimes, it couldn't be avoided. Sure, he could have kept himself from saying that, but where he came from, better to say goodbye before you couldn't anymore. Without letting go of her hand ( he would when she would ), he used his other to take one of the small vials the old woman had given them, a curt laugh being pulled out of his throat.

"I have nothing useful but my sword and I highly doubt the little powers I have will be needed right now."

He extended one of the vials to Bastet, a comforting smile stretching his lips.
What did it say about him that he was used to lie to condemned men? If he had to plaster a gentle smile on his lips to make those people feel better, he would try his best.

"Take it. Your shield has protected us before. I am glad if it helps you."

Sheer exhaustion left her feeling sluggish and heavy. Hadley had never longed to sleep so badly in her life. Thoughts of basking in the warm sun on Valdis, napping amongst her beloved flowers pulled at her eyelids, making it even harder to keep them open.

The only lifeline that kept her feeling grounded was squeezing tightly onto Ari's hand. The other girl's presence never failed to make things feel better, and she was once again glad---and amazed---that even with all of the terrible things that had happened since she'd been forced to leave Valdis, there was a bright spot amongst all the darkness.

Despite those comforting thoughts, Hadley forced herself to focus, to not fall back into her own world in which tempted her so. The lack of plants around her still left her feeling disoriented, but the small pouch hanging from her throat helped. The little seeds and all of their pure potential, their willingness to sprout and to help, helped her focus. If they could still hope, still look to fulfill their purpose so far away from any soil in this sheer vast emptiness, then surely she could as well.

As she began to pay more attention, she realized the conversation had turned to that of the group's depleted energies. She felt for her own magic. Though drained, it did not feel dire and she knew there must be others in the group who would need to make use of their limited supplies more than she.

Thinking upon that, she remembered her own items and reached up for the amulet that lay next to her gifted seed pouch. "I have an amulet," she spoke up, trying to put some strength to her quiet voice. A thought crossed her mind, and she frowned slightly, looking more closely at the amulet. "I... am not certain it works for anyone else though. But if it is needed, we can certainly try."

She turned to her other items. "I have a potion too," she added as an afterthought. Crysdal and Xtal-Diamante took care of everyone, healing their physical injuries so amazingly, but now that Xtal-Diamante was knocked out, perhaps this potion could help bear the burden that might soon weigh even more heavily upon Crysdal.

Hadley's fingers brushed against the small die that the kind Crone had given her, and she startled at the touch for she had forgotten about it completely. She took it into her palm, and inspected it, but after a moment, she slipped it back into its original place. This item she'd keep herself.