The Hermit looked on Sam with sympathy and pity; shuffling forward, he made his way toward her. 


Sam's voice came unbidden to her mind - at first all she could think about is how that happened - first Ari, now Sam?? Was everyone telepathic suddenly?! - but the way Sam spoke and what she said... Did she mean dealing with the hermit, or everything? Worrying, she wanted to go back to her, but with circumstances the way they were, she dared not move. And even as she didn't, she saw Sam - so different than she had ever seen her before outside of her metal suit - take a deep breath and get on board with the plan, a little more hesitant than Crysdal would have preferred, but she did her best, and they could work with that. After the hermit was taken care of, she could try to take care of Sam.

Standing between the Hermit and Sam, despite not wanting to touch him again, Crysdal reached out and caught his arm, her skin crawling at his touch. But it was worth it - Sam didn't like normal touching, an embrace from him... she didn't want to see how Sam reacted, especially after what she had just said. 

"Sam's right," she assured, changing her tone to thoughtful and sad. 


"I would not be a burden," the Hermit assured, looking down at Crysdal, briefly meeting her gaze before quickly glancing away, looking back to Sam. "You would be safer were I here to create potions for you - to aide you as I can; I could not bare to know that this mission failed because I left. There is too much at stake."


"The mission might fail because you stayed," Crysdal continued, releasing him but staying close, to look up at his height. "We lost Amarachius Sworn because of me," she continued, the expression of pain and the rock in her stomach real, "I didn't think I needed to be protected, but I did. The same could happen with you - Sam might injure herself protecting you, and if anything happened - to you and to her - I -" she paused, regathering herself to seem stronger, "I don't have that much magic left. I need to focus on our team - you've said you can't do it, but we can, and I don't have to the strength to ignore you if you are in pain. You've been too kind to us."

"For us, for the good of this mission... you can not stay."


He looked down to her, then to Sam. His eyes moving around to each of them before returning to Crysdal. "If you do not have much magic left, child, my potions can replenish you; if it is as dire as you say, all of you may do well to take one now," he pointed to the pouch that held the potions, waiting expectantly. "I can make more - I can always make more."


Backfire. 

"No!" the word was out before she could stop it, but, thinking quickly, she tried something different. As she spoke, a similar circumstance came to mind - back home, in school with her friends. They had been whispering instead of paying attention to the lecture, and one of them had blurted something out loudly, drawing the professor's attention. She had managed to cover for them then; she could cover for herself now. "I - I'm the only one that has been so foolish as to go through so much - we should save them; surely it takes time for you to make these gifts, and time is against us - the idea of going through so much at one time when it's my own fault I'm in this state... I'll take one, but only if you promise to leave. We can take care of ourselves, but, even with your gifts, if something happens to someone else - especially you - I couldn't bear it. Even if the worst were to come to pass, you need to survive." She looked down, unclasped her pocket, and took out a blue vial, terrified but determined. She looked to Nyx - she was using part of her reasoning. If he continued to question after this, Nyx could pick it back up again. "Even if this part of the galaxy goes dark, other senshi will need you to take it back. You said that we gave you hope, but you give us hope - we need you to be alive and away so we know that, no matter what happens, Cosmos will always have a chance."

She uncorked the vial, hoping it'd work and he'd leave before she had to down it, but the Hermit just looked back at her thoughtfully, then turned to look at the others.

He insisted. Of course he insisted. Perhaps her logic would have been sound if they were both honest, but obviously he had no intention of leaving when they could lead him straight to the crystal. She couldn't insist more; it would be suspicious, but the same goes for him - he might give up if someone else pushed on a little more, but...

Then Sam took the initiative. We can't afford to protect you... That was good too. But certainly, he would claim that he would take the risk for everyone's sake. Aegle picked it up, saying how they lost Gabriel because of her... How was she so strong anyway? With all that she's lost too...

She winced when she said she had little magic left. She just knew what would follow. And it all started going downhill from that point as Aegle was evidently fumbling trying to justify her reaction.   I'll take one if you promise to leave...? What good would that do? He wasn't asking them to prove anything. If they pretended to trust him, they shouldn't need a condition for him to leave.

Think, think, think...

"Don't be rash," she calmly walked over to Aegle, placing a gloved hand on top of the opened vial. "Unless your magic is completely exhausted, we need to use them strategically to maximize the benefit. I'm sure the supply is not endless."

She looked at the others and directed her attention back to the Hermit. "This is a war. If you join us, I cannot guarantee your safety. And I am certain you would understand and accept that. But..." her voice softened, almost a whisper. "But they would not. They fight with their hearts. Knowing you cannot fight like us, your safety would become their top priority. They would be distracted, and the consequences would be disastrous."

"I would not wish to strain you," the Hermit finally said, forlorn eyes leaving Nyx's. "But what you describe... so young, and yet already such good sailor senshi. Will I truly be such a burden, that you could not ignore my presence for the good of this mission? There are tricks and traps that may be pulled, and if it is within my power I would like to help you. If you are so certain that I would be a hindrance, however..."

He trailed off depressively, as though a grandfather just told he was unwelcome in a time of great need.

It was working.

Just like she expected, he could not insist any more either, or he would be the one to seem suspicious. Now they only needed to get past the final guilt trip - he was good; if they did trust him, that could have broken their walls.

But they had to resist that, and convincingly.

It seemed that Aegle had built more of a connection with him. She glanced at her for a moment; her...

Eye contact wrote:

...diplomatic skills are just as good, hopefully she can...

...manage to finally turn him away without seeming uncharacteristically cruel to him. In any case, she couldn't say anything more.

The question is, what would he do next? Best case scenario is that he would go to report on their destination, leading their enemy further away from them. But what if he followed from the shadows, realizing they lied to him?

Nyx to the rescue again. As the gloved hand covered the blue vial, she glanced over to Nyx thankfully, only halfway through changing the glance to curious in case the Hermit was watching. She nodded slowly, as though accepting Nyx's judgement on taking the potion right then - how perfect, it explained why they still had all of them leftover and saved her skin - and kept her eyes on Nyx as she continued, admiring the way her voice softened at just the right minute. Nyx had always seemed a little aloof - especially lately, but now she wondered just what kid of fun the pair of them could have if they set their minds to it. ... If they survived here. 

The Hermit's response was good. She would've given in easily if they had found themselves in similar circumstances without knowing what he really was - his grandfatherly expression, the hurt in his eyes, just like an old man that had suddenly found themselves useless and wishing otherwise. She fought against her heart going out to him, looking away so ease the pull, only to catch Nyx looking at her for a brief moment 

And also speaking to her?!?


Was it something in the air, maybe?! A parting gift from Venus - could Venus read minds? She thought she had heard something in the Nebula to that effect - hearing Venus's voice - but to think that she gave them such an ability... But what did Nyx mean? hopefully she can what? Diplomatic skills - maybe she thought she should try again? 

She lowered the vial from Nyx's protective cover and capped it, thinking over what she would say, but Hadley spoke first.

Hadley's eyes widened when it dawned on her that Crysdal meant to drink one of those potions. It took all of her self-composure to keep from crying out in warning, to stop her from downing what was surely poison.

But the comforting pressure of Ari's hand tight in hers helped ground her, kept her from speaking out and ruining all of the careful work her friends were weaving.

But the Hermit continued to pull at her heart. His voice so sad, and his face even more sorrowful. Even with the vial in Crysdal's hand to serve as a warning, Hadley couldn't help but to feel that, maybe, somewhere deep in his heart, he truly did want to help them. Maybe that desire just got twisted and ruined in execution.

Her eyes kept straying to his wrinkled face, so old and weathered. She wanted to go and comfort him, to make him look not quite so sad. She knew how it felt to be completely useless despite a strong desire to help. Ari's grip was tight on her hand, slightly trembling, however, and Hadley wouldn't leave her alone. Not now. Not again.

But she could say something. Give him some kind of comfort in that manner, right? Not adept with words like Nyx and Crysdal, and terrible at outright lying, Hadley decided to simply go with the truth.

"We are not so strong," she said with a small frown. "It is everything we can do in order to keep each other alive." She squeezed Ari's hand even tighter at that, both in memory and as a way to allay her anxieties. "If you came with us, you would be another person we might not be able to protect..."

Tears stung at her eyes, but Hadley blinked them back as she looked to the Hermit again, her voice gaining a bit of strength. "But that doesn't mean you aren't helpful, and it doesn't mean you are a burden. We all have our own ways of helping, even if those ways are not always so easy to see." She paused for another moment, trying to take her own words to heart.

"You've already kindly gifted us your potions. And they are more than we could have asked for. Thank you." She smiled then, and truly wished that he felt better in some small way. She knew she wasn't good at conversations, but she believed what she said and hoped that would be enough. And then she went on, still sticking to the truth, but hoping to use it for the goal of the group. Strangely, she imagined saying these exact things to her stubborn, but weakly, grandmother. "The most helpful thing you can do now is by getting as far away from the planet as possible. We would be more comforted knowing that you are not in danger of the battlefield. You'll be safer away from this place, and we would be happier in knowing that."

Still those sad eyes of his seemed to haunt her, and it felt like she should say something else, that everything she had said had not been nearly enough. It had been the most she'd said in a long time and she was out of words. Instead she just she sent another small smile his way, and then looked down to the ground, feeling inadequate. Perhaps she should not have said anything at all.

She squeezed at Ari's hand again, and focused on that instead.

He was quiet for one long moment, smiling softly at Hadley and then away, as though considering. "Then I shall leave," he announced quietly. "Your happiness and safety... you do well to fight for them, even against those who wish only to help you." He shuffled over to Hadley, holding out one hand towards her, as though to take one of her hands in his. "Be safe, senshi. Do what you must to save this region, and all the stars, worlds, and people who inhabit it. It is up to you."

Ari had to practically bite her tongue to keep herself from having an emotional outburst at the Hermit. She didn't want to undermind Crysdal's and Nyx's careful words and diplomacy, especially now that the damnable old man was leaving. When Hadley squeezed her hand as she was speaking, Ari returned the gesture, proud of her for speaking up. Hopefully, the Hermit would listen to her. The two of them had both been so eager to meet the Hermit back on Ciperie. She was sure it burned both Hadley and her the most, when they had thought they were meeting a god-like being that was as in tuned with nature as they.  How much they had suffered for giving that eager trust. Never again.

For the love of the Goddess, please just GO.

When the Hermit approached Hadley as he responded to her words, Ari nearly pulled the girl out of his away. She didn't want that man touching her what so ever. Smiling, she intercepted his out reached hand with her own, giving him the best thankful and sweet look she could, all while masking her fury. His touch made her tail twitch slightly in disgust.

"Yes, we will do all that we can. Thank you."  Just keep it short and sweet, and for the love of Goddess, he better not dare touch Hadley.

The Hermit's announcement came as a surprise. Had she heard correctly? She glanced up at him to see him looking away into the distance, and wondered if maybe, just maybe, she had made some small difference.

As he approached and held out his hand to her, Hadley was about to thank him for his kind words and to take his hand into her own, but Ari moved much more quickly.

Although confused by this action, Hadley knew that Ari's touch was always comforting and warm and good. Ari could make anyone feel better. Perhaps it would be nice for the Hermit to feel that way as well.

Hadley smiled up at him. "Thank you," she said, echoing Ari. "We'll do our best."

The Hermit patted Ari's hand fondly, looking a the both of them kindly. "Fare well then." He turned to look at the rest of them, moving slightly so he could see them all at one time, "Do your best, and never give in to despair. Remember, everyone is counting on you. No matter what happens, don't give up. Find the Tapestry Crystal. Protect it. Don't let Chaos take hold."

With that, he nodded his head, turned, and started walking back the way he came. Once he was even with the side of the building, he disappeared, transforming into a spark of green light, and floated away.

As soon as the spark of the old man disappeared, Crysdal stopped waving and doubled over in relief, her hands propped on her knees for support. "Bards and tales," she breathed, "that was intense." She couldn't help the smile on her face, the expression a reaction to the sudden release of stress more than any feeling of happiness. She breathed heavily, as though having run a good distance, and dropped the blue vial on the ground without a second thought. 

Well, maybe one. 

"Thank you," she said, turning to see Nyx, brushing her blonde hair behind her ear with one hand as she straightened. She reached out and clasped Nyx's hand briefly. "My powers have grown since before but I don't think I could've handled that - even if it were an old one." She smiled, a more genuine one this time, "You can be pretty sneaky," she commented wryly with a wink, meaning the statement as a compliment.

Those around her had ceased their current vibrations, nearly a low-tone cacophony at some points of the intense attempts to sway the Hermit, and the old man with suspicious gifts had disappeared. Sailor Xtal-Diamante did not breathe a sigh of relief or feel a lightening of her heart. Instead, the clear eyes turned once again to survey the assembled group. The bizarre creatures continued to roar in the air above them. Xtal-Diamante could still feel that throbbing within her core—stronger now that the Hermit had left. Or was it merely that she now noticed it more?

A brief gust of wind through the ruined streets ruffled her copious hair and fluttered her sailor collar and skirt. She waited, expectantly, for the group to continue on.

Ultimately, Valdis spoke up. Her words sounded so kind and genuine - honestly, Nyx wasn't entirely sure if she remembered what had happened, or maybe if she had thought it to be an accident, actually believing he was on their side.

At this point, can they even exclude any possibility?

No matter. If it sounded sincere to her, then it should do the trick for him as well. And so it did.

He finally had no choice but to give up. She nearly cringed the way Bastet spoke to him - right onto the point - but he left and she breathed a sigh of relief.

Thank you.

Curiously, she turned to face Aegle, who proceeded to clasp her hand, causing her to blush.

Eye contact wrote:

Is she alright? What should I do...

"Uh, I... I guess so. Hemera was always the blunt one - someone had to clean up the mess back home, you know..." she smiled sadly.

The telepathic phrase threw her for a moment but she liked the sign of the blush - it meant, to her, that she accepted the compliment. How she continued struck a cord and she looked away, smiling sympathetically, "Elysande didn't speak up often, but she wasn't very forgiving or compromising to people didn't care for, either. We hadn't gotten to do much senshi work," she trailed off. "I like that she had started talking more often to me," she chuckled, "even if it wasn't always such nice things to say."

She wanted to talk more about it, but they didn't have the time - it was easy enough to figure out a way to refocus on the present though - "Speaking of talking more often, since when are you all telepathic?!" She put her hands on her hips in mock aggression and looked in an arc from Ari to Nyx to Sam, but broke it with a smile. "It's probably going to come in handy, but a little heads up would be nice!"

He was finally gone... After what might have been the most tense discussion she'd been a part of, the Hermit finally left them. SAM  Crysdal seemed to recover first, going over to Nyx to complement her performance. SAM hesitated, and then decided to keep to herself. Everyone else looked like they had it together, and Xtal-Diamante was... herself. It was always difficult to tell what she was thinking or feeling. She was almost jealous of it now. SAM forced herself to stop crying and finished cleaning her face off before adjusting her visor. As much as she wanted to just stop, they still needed to keep going.

Aegle's accusation towards them was strange enough to get her to talk again, if briefly.

"...I don't have telepathy," she said, trying to sound as normal as possible. Well, normal for her. "Didn't you... ask for my help? I thought it was you speaking in my head." Wait, did that mean that Crysdal heard her thoughts as well?

Ari's entire body relaxed as soon as the Hermit was gone, though a small thought creeped up in the back of her mind. Was he really gone or was he just watching and following anyway? Touching the man's hand nearly caused her tail to poof out. She was grateful for having gloves, though she wished she could just burn them right now. She settled for wiping them vigorously on her skirt.

"I don't know how Crysdal can stand hugging him..." she shuddered then turning to Hadley, "Did you really mean all that? About that decrepit Hermit? You sounded so sincere! I don't think I could've pulled that off. It was enough for me to not just stab him right then and there."

Her hands clench in reaction to the thought then sighed, releasing the tension. This journey was really bringing out sides of her she never knew existed. Had she always harbored so much rage and fury before all this? Without thinking, she grabbed Hadley's hand. The action had become instinctive as it was the only sliver of comfort she had left. It was calm and warm, a small glimmer of happiness in a very dark world.

Ari's ear twitched when Crysdal accused everyone of telepathy but seeing her mock gestures, made her smile, despite how strange it was that apparently they all could talk to each other. Well...talk to Crysdal cause she hadn't heard any other voices.

"I don't think I'm telepathic. I've only ever spoken to plants and wildlife, which I guess is telepathic in a way but it's completely different," she stopped her self from rambling on. "I was just thinking to myself and you replied back!"

With that she jokingly pointed an accusing finger with her free hand towards Crysdal. It was good to see a smile on her face, even though they had just...no. Best not dwell on it. They all knew the risk of coming this far. She just hoped she wouldn't have to see anymore deaths before they finished.

Good, it wasn't just in her head - Sam heard her, too. Ari's response reminded her that she did have similar powers - and then she pointed an accusing finger her way, getting on board with going for a lighter topic. She shrugged exaggeratedly. "Must be the place or something." Putting her hands on her hips, she returned her attention to the path they had been following. "Shall we continue on?"

Glancing back at Sam, sorry to see her upset, hoping she could fix it, she gave her something important to do, "Sam? Could you activate your sensors? Another attack like that wouldn't be too good."

Keep it light, keep moving forward. Don't give in. They'd get the crystal - until that happened, they didn't have time to do anything else.

So Crysdal didn't know what was going on either? Why would this planet in particular allow them to speak telepathically? Maybe it was a gift from the Crone that only kicked in now... But Crysdal was right, they needed to keep going.

"I should have had it on in the first place..." she mumbled, before tapping the side of her visor. SAM activated her Energy Scanner (1 MP), and then paused, glancing down at Ari. "Bastet...I'm...I'm sorry for shooting you. We were already struggling, and I could have been the reason you didn't make it either... I just... wanted to say that." She braced herself, waiting for whatever everyone's response would be.

Hadley stared at the floating green spark as it left the group. It was such a pretty color.

She looked over to Ari as the other girl asked her about the things she had said to the Hermit. For a moment, Hadley thought about it. She knew, logically, that the Hermit couldn't be trusted, and that anything he said would be a lie. She knew that. And yet...

She nodded in response. "Yes, I guess I did," she said, though feeling kind of guilty for it. "He just seems so sad..." she trailed off, not knowing what else to say or how best to explain.

Especially when she didn't quite understand it either.

It didn't matter now, she supposed. He was gone, and they wouldn't have to worry about him going forward.

Ari's grip on her hand was tight, but Hadley didn't mind. Having that physical confirmation that Ari remained near to her, was always a comfort. She gave Ari's hand a gentle squeeze as the conversation turned to... telepathy?

Hadley frowned in confusion, wondering if all of her friends had suddenly developed some kind of new power that she was lacking. But she didn't mind being left behind in this.

Everyone seemed relieved and at ease right now. Joking and teasing - it was nice. Hadley smiled, her adoration for each person growing, though she didn't join in the conversation.

Instead she just watched and listened, smiling at them all, and relished in the fact that, for these few moments at least, everything didn't feel quite so bleak.

That was, until Sam spoke up, bringing back thoughts of Ari's earlier injuries. Hadley's body went rigid at the memory, and she looked to Sam. She hadn't realized that it had been Sam's fault that Ari had been so badly wounded - she'd been with Crysdal at the time and only saw Ari on the ground after the initial attack.

Anger bubbled within her, though she didn't like it, didn't want it. It wasn't fair to Sam, to feel angry. She herself wasn't the best at aiming, after all, so who was she to judge? Hadn't she accidentally set her vines upon Nyx once?

And yet...

Nyx wasn't Ari.

"You should be more careful," she said, bitterness giving strength to her voice. "We have to rely on each other." The words were out before she'd even properly thought them through, and she regretted them quickly after. But she didn't take them back. She didn't want to admit that part of the reason she felt angry was because of her own flaws.

She didn't want to admit that she knew that she was inadequate to properly protect Ari, and that she would have to rely on the others to truly take care of her. But if Hadley couldn't rely on them, then Ari was in even more danger, and there was nothing she could do about it.

She held tightly to Ari's hand, and looked away from Sam, feeling shame burn within her.

Hadley's answer had been curious. Could she see something more than Ari was able too? It seemed foolish, after the Hermit had almost killed her but...that was Hadley. The girl she was growing fonder of the more she got to know her.

Crysdal suggested to move on and Ari nodded in agreement, especially since they were still in the spot where the Hermit had found them. Plus, no need to worry about the telepathy thing now. Some how she can do it with Crysdal and that was that. Ari paused to think, as the conversation moved on to Sam's sensors. Could she do it with Hadley? She's in tune with plants like her...maybe? She looked at her, thinking hard, but found nothing. Of course, not. That was silly! You had to study hard as a druid to learn the ways of wildlife and plantlife. It took her a good 5 years of study to get where she was currently and from what she recalled, Hadley's home didn't seem to have many people with connections to nature, not like on Bastet.

When Sam addressed Ari with an apology, Ari found her extreme shy ways come back as she stared up at the tall girl. She was a good foot or so higher, even without the suit. Ari had always thought the height came from her robotic exterior....guess not. The look Sam had on her face...she recognized that. She had felt the same shame and guilt for everyone they had lost since this all started. Hemera had hit her the hardest and Venus had left her engulfed in the emotion. She found herself blushing slightly as she began stammering out a reply.

"I-I..er.."

But Hadley spoke up first, cutting her off. She glanced at the girl, a little shocked at the bluntness of her words, especially since she had been so kind with the old Hermit earlier. Hadley wasn't wrong either. They all needed to be more careful, however, Sam wasn't at fault. Ari hadn't even realized what had hit her earlier and had been too distracted with the Hermit's arrival to dwell on it.

Distracted. That was something that had been way too common in that fight. That was the reason she allowed the enemy to trap her with Sam's attack.

"I-it's okay. Don't blame yourself! I should have been paying more attention to the enemy. It set me up right into the path. I...I was too distracted in battle. Anyway, I'm good as new now, so no need to worry, right?"

Ari smiled best she could at Sam while holding out her free hand to her to shake on it. Her occupied hand squeezed Hadley's as a comforting gesture to her. There was nothing they could've done to prevent what happened. The enemy had just out witted her. She would just have to be better in the next fight.

SAM expected Hadley's reaction and took her criticism without resistance, looking thoroughly shamed. They did need to be careful, especially with no assured back up anymore. Just because she was frustrated with the enemy didn't give her an excuse to fire towards an ally. She should have waited for Bastet to back off or gotten closer herself.

What she hadn't expected was Bastet to forgive her so quickly. She really wasn't mad at all? SAM looked over Bastet, and after confirming that she was healed from her injuries, still felt tense. 

"If you're really okay with it..." she said, before turning her attention to the hand she was offered. Was she supposed to take it? Unarmed? Well, she was technically wearing gloves so it wasn't bare skin, but still... SAM was hesitant, but she managed to take Bastet's hand and shake it, though she only used her finger and thumb. "Sorry, I can't-" She tried to find the right words to explain her actions without sounding mean. "We don't really do that on my planet," she explained, smiling more out of embarrassment. Now she just had to remember not to touch her own face with that hand...

Shame burned even brighter at Ari's sweet and gracious reply to Sam. Of course Ari would react like this. It made Hadley admire the other girl even more. That was exactly how Hadley would have wanted to reply to Sam's words, but those smoldering emotions took hold and weren't letting go.

Fear for Ari's safety only served to fuel that fire.

A part of her wondered if Ari would be mad at her for how bitterly she had responded to Sam, such a stark contrast to Ari's own words. She tried to ignore that thought - the very idea of Ari being angry at her hurt more than any injury she'd yet sustained.

Still, it left her feeling uncomfortable.

But no less resolute.

Hadley glanced to Sam for a moment - should she apologize? - but she didn't know the words, and didn't want to lessen the weight of what she'd said. Bitter as the words may have been, they'd been true as well.

So instead Hadley looked away, holding onto Ari's hand like a lifeline, and stared straight ahead.

Ari gave Sam a confused look as she awkwardly shook the girl's hand. That was...new.

"O-oh! I'm sorry! What do you do then?" she pulled her hand back, feeling slightly embarrassed. She at Crysdal who had originally suggested they continue on. They shouldn't delay any longer.

"Or..why don't you explain to me as we continue. I don't...like it here very much."

Knowing all the obstacles that lay ahead and the possibility of the Hermit being on their tale made her very uncomfortable. She glanced at Hadley, indicating to her that they should go. Was she ok? She seemed conflicted and upset. Oh Hadley...Ari squeezed her hand giving her a look, hoping to express that everything was ok. Now would have been a great time for them to have a telepathic connection. Stepping in the direction they had been traveling, she decided she'd talk to her about it once they could step a little away from everyone.

If they'd ever get the chance.

She paid minimal attention to the vibrations of the others in the time that passed after the Hermit departed. Whatever was going on between Sailors Valdis, Bastet, and Chalybs struck interesting notes of resonance within her, their pitch and frequency reflecting the emotional state of those who spoke, but Xtal-Diamante didn't remove her focus from the steady call of the Tapestry Crystal. The conversation of the others provided only a vague background hum, and she didn't attempt to parse meaning from it.

They need to keep going. That was the most important thing right now. She wondered vaguely if the departure of the old man would actually mean he was gone. There was no way to verify this, so she didn't dwell on it too deeply, but considering the tattered state of this place his attempt to join them was sure to be far from their final obstacle in this search.

It surprised her how she was able to talk about Elysande in such a casual way. She supposed it was the right way to go to honor one's memory, but she still found it so hard to even talk about Hemera at all...

But she suddenly changed the discussion. Telepathic? Who's telepathic? And why did she look at her too? Bastet and Sam apparently knew what she was talking about... They were thinking and she replied back? Was she a mind-reader?! What had she read then?

Before getting to worry about it too much, she heard Sam's apology to Bastet over the earlier mishap. But, as kind as she was to the Hermit, Valdis' remark sounded uncharacteristically cold.

Hypocritical, even, all things considered.

She supposed perhaps she could have been the same way if an ally accidentally injured her sister. It was obvious that that pair had began developing a stronger bond. But two wrongs don't make a right. She stared at the girl, possibly a moment too long. But Bastet accepted the apology, and after a rather awkward interaction, they decided they had to get going.

The way Sam replied... Crysdal bit the inside of her lip; she might've made it worse for Sam; she didn't want her blaming herself for the attack, but she was glad it was on now, so they could hopefully avoid the next -- and then she became very still as Hadley snapped after Sam's apology to Ari. Crysdal waited, prepared to jump in and try to cool everything down if things escalated, but Ari diffused the situation and even got everyone walking towards the goal again. Breathing a small sigh of relief, she glanced over at Nyx with a supportive smile and followed the trio ahead of them, noting Hex was moving along, too. She didn't know if she would ever understand Hex, but she tried not to focus on that as they moved through the city towards their goal.

DM wrote:

And so the senshi continued; Sailor Chalybs's scanner helped them avoid obvious traps set for them, the enemies waiting in ambush never getting the chance to strike. They found pathways down different side-streets, always heading towards the call of the Tapestry Crystal. Soon enough, they realized their destination: the large palace in the middle of the city.

The Tapestry Crystal must still be there, enshrined in the home of Queen Zhi. They just had to find it.

There was only one road into the palace, a stylized archway amidst an impressive wall, the door splintered and hanging off of its original mounting, leaving the expansive, once-beautiful courtyard visible within.

They would be entering the palace grounds. No enemies were in sight - both in their vision, or close by on Chalybs's radar.

OOC wrote:

Think ancient Chinese stylings with this palace!

"I don't..." Crysdal trailed off, peering through the doorway and the pathway beyond. It was idyllic - a beautiful gardenscape, save for the fires burning along the palace complex within. Not one sign of active Chaos agents, despite what it was. "Why aren't any chaos creatures there? Wouldn't they search the palace grounds first, assuming that was where Zhi died?"

She looked back at them, Sam especially, "Are there any enemies on the radar? Did they set up a trap for us?"

"If you really want to know..." SAM had only really told Crysdal about what her home was like, and she wasn't sure how Bastet would react. As they got closer and closer to the palace, SAM did her best to spot any more ambushes before they walked into them, resulting in a quiet journey. She half expected the monsters to chase them down, but they stayed in place, and the group was allowed to move on unimpeded.

"It's less about the hand shake and more about the contact," she said to Bastet. "We don't really... touch each other at all on our planet. At least... not without armor or gloves. It's how we stay sterile and protected from foreign particles." Just talking about it made her feel uneasy. She really wished her suit wasn't broken...

The Palace had definitely been attacked as well, judging by the broken door and ruined courtyard, but it still had an important air to it. And yet the crystal was still here, somewhere in this wreckage.

"No, there's nothing near us at the moment," SAM said, scanning one more time. The palace was too quiet. "That doesn't mean there isn't a trap though."

She frowned, glancing both ways down the wall. Unlike most everything else in the city, however, it seemed pretty much untouched. There was no other way in or out, so they didn't really have any choice in the matter, unless they wanted to fly over it and get the attention of the creepy flying long-necked no-faced snake things, which she definitely didn't want to do. "Well then... at least we're prepared." She shrugged to show she understood how stupid this move probably was, but nevertheless stepped forward, passing through the archway into the courtyard beyond.

It was beautiful - or would have been. There were fountains and neatly kept shrubbery, gorgeous flowering bushes and gardens with birdbaths so elegant and charming... it was perfect for any imagined Queen of Senshi. 

DM wrote:

Two bright dots appear on Chalybs's radar, moving fast, coming in from above!

Sam's explanation had given Ari some interesting insight on her culture. Ari looked very thoughtful, as her scholarly side kicked in. How she wished they had more time to talk about each others homes rather than worry about inevitable death. The palace was unlike anything she had ever seen. Most of the temples on Bastet paled in comparison! She thought back to Sailor Jin and Queen Zhi. Such a beautiful place...maybe they weren't so bad as she had initially imagined. Sure Jin had been stiff and blunt, but...now she understood why.


Ari continued behind Crysdal, looking around in awe. The gardens were breathtaking even despite the destruction. Ari could only imagine what it had looked like before the attack.

"Hadley...it's...incredible." So many plants! She bent down to run her fingers in the grass. Closing her eyes, she felt out the feelings of the plantlife in the garden.

SAM hung back as Crysdal and Bastet moved into the courtyard, much less interested in the vegetation than they were. For all she knew, they could be poisonous. The architecture was a little more attention grabbing, but like the rest of the city, it all felt so foreign compared to her home.

"Two energy signals approaching." Ferrum's voice grabbed her attention as her visor lit up, and SAM's eyes widened when she saw two dots closing in on their position. So it was a trap!

"Hey, wait!" SAM moved to catch up with them. "Something's coming!" She got in front of Crysdal and looked up, trying to spot whatever was dive bombing the palace.