Timeline Resolution wrote:

In order to make the current post order work, we will assume that Ganymede and Soul ignored Jasper's question, and that their argument/outburst happened just after (or even during) Leviathan's pronouncement about goblins.

Sailor Moon hid a chuckle at Sailor Leviathan's jest towards Sailor Soul's origin - she liked Leviathan's confidence, though still couldn't tell whether she were joking or not. She wondered, too, if her planet of origin was even an issue for Sailor Soul, who seemed to be comfortable with her powers without knowing the planet that donated its energy to her; if it wasn't a big deal to Soul, she wouldn't make it a big deal, either. But, she considered, her mind running away from her, if Soul did want to find out, Young Lady wanted to helping whatever way she could... how would one go about identifying an origin planet...? The possibilities were intriguing to her. 

Shadow's question about party formation reminded her again of what was about to happen, and her stomach twitched with anticipation. She was really doing it - she was leaving Earth to help save another planet. She hoped... no, she knew she could do it. She wouldn't let the fairies down, not if she could help it.  Sailor Leviathan's quick reply about compensation threw her for a moment - did she want to be paid for her help? But when she clarified that she wanted to help another race stranded on the planet, Young Lady understood. She nodded in agreement - if the worst did come to pass, she would want to save as many innocent creatures as they could.

But then Ganymede was angrily replying to Leviathan's earlier statement, seeming to fall in to maybe a disagreement that they had had before. She could see the problem from both sides - Leviathan did not seem to make the remarks with malice, but that did not mean Ganymede did not have the right to be offended by them. And then the situation was made infinitely worse when Soul erupted in an outburst, standing up so quickly that her chair clattered to the ground behind her. Young Lady's fingers held her fork tightly, wanting the argument to stop but was completely unsure of how to do so. If she stood up and told them to stop, she had no interactions with them to fall back on, no reason that they should do as she ask, beyond the fact that she was a princess. She did not want to throw her title around, she did not want them listening to her just because of her parentage. What could she do?




Enyalius finished her last bite as Shadow posed his question and her lips formed a momentary tight line, responding to the perceived lapse in judgement on Shadow's part. Now was not the time to talk strategy. The flight over was time enough to organize and identify roles before breaking Zenar's atmosphere; now was the time to instill trust between members - it was time to get to know one another, to break the ice between strangers and give some common ground to work from. Introducing inevitabilities so early could only close off personalities, which could lead to mistakes later. Glancing over to Sailor Moon and her abrupt change - from nearly laughing to quiet introspection - was enough to prove Enyalius's point, rather the point of her Captain, to herself. 

Never talk business over food. 

Already Leviathan had changed topics drastically, from the lighthearted... well, whatever she usually did to the more serious matter of other intelligent species on the planet, and Enyalius could perceive again that the general mood of the table was changing. 

And still, beyond the point of party morale, she had not had the chance yet to discuss such things with Sailor Pluto - her brows creased minutely before straightening into a neutral face as she wondered just what Shadow was after. Did he disagree with the leadership choices the Sol Senshi had made, thinking he should have been place in command? Did he not think them capable of making such decisions? Was he, perhaps, trying to create a separation between she and Pluto already, wondering who would call the initial shot and see whether the other agreed or disagreed, thus starting a power struggle from the beginning? 

Just what was he hoping to hear? 

"While I'm sure we both have ideas to that point," she replied calmly, but then the rest of the table around her broke into anything but calm. Ganymede had just lost patience with Leviathan's commentary and was attempting to escalate an argument to put Leviathan down, and Soul downright erupted. She stood up so quickly her chair clattered behind her and slammed her hands down onto the table, energy crackling and travelling down the table, her eyes glowing with attack energy. Words poured out from her, but Enyalius wasn't listening anymore.


Enyalius moved quickly, too, her speed impressive as she pushed back from the table and used her foot to propel herself in a flip over the surface to land on the side opposite. In a few quick steps she was behind Sailor Soul, her hand rough on the other girl's shoulder as she physically pulled her back from the table. "Stand down, Sailor Soul." she commanded, her aura confident and brave, though she was not so dumb as to be unwary of the power at the girl's fingertips. 


"You have two options: Calm down, or leave."

Sailor Ganymede jumped when Sailor Soul seemed to explode with energy. She knew that she wasn't very tolerant of insults, but she had never seen Soul's powers react that way before. He stood up at the same time Sailor Enyalius jumped over the table. In any other circumstance, she would have been angry at Enyalius for being so rough, but she was also getting concerned for Soul.

"Calm down, okay? She probably didn't mean anything..." Sailor Ganymede said, taking and squeezing Soul's hand despite the strange crackling energy coming off of her.

Achelois had quietly finished her food while the others were talking about various things.  After everyone had introduced themselves the conversation jumped from one topic to another.  Leviathan did most of the talking and Achelois could feel tension forming between members of the group.  Her thoughts turned to stepping in and stopping Leviathan before her remarks really hurt someone when the objects of her conversation responded back. 

Ganymede was understandably upset by her remarks about the Senshi's gender.  Leviathan didn't let Ganymede's response stop her though and kept going.  As she felt the tensions rising in the group Achelois instinctively reached for her staff leaning on the table next to her.  Soul jumped back from the table, her power surging around her, and unleashed a flurry of words at Leviathan.  Achelois's hand on her staff, she jumped up and felt movement beside her.  A silver blur had gracefully launched herself over the table and taken a position next to Soul.  Although she kept her face neutral in this serious situation she felt the corner of her mouth twinge.  She couldn't see Enya reacting any other way as she offered her ultimatum.  Achelois kept her hand on her staff, her powers on the edge, ready to flow calming waves over the group.

Andromeda had to smile at Leviathan’s comment. Her pun might not be the cleverest, but she’d still take it as a compliment anyway. She could see the others’ looks reacting to her story, some sympathetic, some respectful, and some… downright confused. She hoped to be able to talk about this more with other people eventually, to see if she had done the right thing by forgiving what had been done to her, but perhaps not in a very public setting. She wished she could form bonds with her new companions the way some of them seemed to have already, but she didn’t know how to reach out and start it. She’d been alone all her life and even more so since the incident that awakened her as senshi. She didn’t know how to trust someone enough to let them in especially if she had to initiate it.

Ganymede was explaining about his dual gender status, which Andromeda found fascinating. So which form was she born with then? And was it strange at all to be able to be either at any time? How would that affect relationships? There were so many questions but, again, ones she didn’t dare to say in public. Especially since tension was escalating already. Poor Sailor Moon actually looked overwhelmed by the sudden increase of hostility, and Andromeda just wanted to bury her face in her palm. This kept happening. This time, they hadn’t even left and they were already fighting. How were they supposed to succeed if every attempt to talk ended up in a mini civil war?

The noise was too much. She really hated it when things got really loud like this. Sailor Saturn was really only going on this mission because her best friend was going. She didn't really care that they were setting out to in theory and in hope help the fairies, though that was a nice benefit. No, the senshi of destitution was going to Zenar to protect her friend and princess. With a  sigh she looked at the food on her plate as she made her way towards where Lady was sitting. Thought she had taken the mantel of Sailor Moon from her mother, to Saturn she would always be Chibimoon, but she would never tell her friend that. 

"Hey." She said sitting next to the pink haired girl, setting her glaive to the side. "They seem to all need a jump in the lake." She said pausing. "Or doused by Mercury or Neptune." She giggled at the thought of Michiru-mama using her powers to end a would could be fight. She would never understand why senshi needed to fight. It always happened. They were all senshi sure they all got their powers from different things or places, and sure there were some weird powers, like Ganymede's crystal having male and female forms, but they were senshi and to her they were all allies. So why did they always have to push buttons? Why did they have to intentionally ruffle the feathers of other Senshi? It made no sense to her, and she was the senshi of destruction. 

"How childish."Saturn muttered into her plate, only loud enough for Lady to hear. With a sigh Saturn kept eating her meal, her hand never far from her glaive, in case something more breaks out.

Spoiler:

Soul could hear Enyalius behind her to stand down, and yanked her back a few steps, but her attention was still solely focused on Leviathan. It wasn’t until she felt Ganymede take her hand that she came back to herself a bit. She knew that she would have never actually hurt Leviathan, regardless of how angry she was, but with her shields having been down moments prior getting a read on people and there already being in the tension in the room, she had lost control and her powers had amplified her anger.

“Gany…” she said brokenly. She could feel memories starting to take over; being called worthless, the sounds of a belt whizzing through the air before making contact with her body. Crap, crap, crap, she really needed to ground. She looked her lover in the eyes, hoping that she would tell what she needed and allow Soul to ground herself through Ganymede. She knew that after tonight that she needed to be nothing but professional towards Leviathan otherwise she could put this entire mission at risk.

Sailor Ganymede glanced at Sailor Enyalius apologetically, before carefully guiding Soul back into her chair, keeping a grip on her hand. She recognized that look. Soul's empathy ability had most likely gone out of control during that argument, and she lost her grip on it. Sitting down next to Soul again, Ganymede tried her best to stay calm so Soul could use her as a ground.

Pluto listened quietly to the minor spats and sighed mildly. She gave a smile and nod of acknowledgment to Soul's words. Then Leviathan had provoked the woman and Pluto withheld a weary sigh as Soul leapt out of her seat. And Soul was making some very good points about Leviathan, Pluto mentally admitted. She had been about to put an end to the argument when Enyalius spoke up first and acted. She stood and frowned a little at the force she used on Soul. Then Ganymede had stepped in, and that seemed to help Soul immensely. She was intrigued by the closeness between them, and found it quite sweet.

She decided to speak up, stating aloud. “I do not think force is going to prevent forceful actions. We must all learn to get along, and respect each other, if this mission is to succeed. And I for one do not want to see it fail. I think we can all at least agree on that.” She refused to state names, but the majority of her feelings were expressed towards Enyalius and Leviathan. As she sat down and began eating again, she mentally vowed to keep an eye on them both. She respected Enyalius, but did not approve of her at times too rough personality.

Young Lady appreciated Saturn's words, letting the comfort of her friend's presence give her strength, but still the tense situation made her nervous. Before much else could happen, Sailor Enyalius had jumped over the table and forcefully removed Soul from touching it, separating her from the rest of them, and in a commanding fashion gave her an ultimatum. Moon's brows furrowed - she didn't like the idea of leaving someone who wanted to help behind, but if it was between that and Senshi fighting each other... especially when they were to face a powerful enemy together... Ganymede rising immediately to take Soul's hand despite its crackling energy gave Moon some relief, especially as Soul's powers died down quickly afterward and she was led away, saying something small and quiet and filled with fear. 

Her heart went out to the girl - she had exploded so violently with anger, but now she seemed to regret it entirely. Did she have problems controlling her powers? 

Pluto, still standing, spoke firmly of respect and cooperation, though her words seemed to be directed at Sailor Leviathan and Sailor Enyalius more than Sailor Soul. 



Enyaluis easily allowed Soul to be led away by Ganymede, as the latter seemed to have knowledge of the situation and Soul's powers diminished and vanished once they touched. The way Soul reacted afterward, the tension and emotion in her voice, gave Enyalius sympathy for Soul, but she did not regret her actions.

Though it would seem that Pluto did.

And she chose to voice those opinions in front of the group, rather than in private, as commanding officers should do. Enyalius wondered then if Pluto had ever been the leader of any situation before, and her options for responding to Pluto weighed heavily in her mind. First Shadow, now Pluto - were they trying to subvert the trust between members in this mission before it had even begun?

Enyalius's sarcasm came out in full force. Still looking forward, her eyes on Achelois, she stated, "If you are implying that I should have let Sailor Soul use Soul Blast on the table and everyone around it, I respectfully disagree, Sailor Pluto," She put one hand on her hip - the one with nerves still dancing from coming in contact with Soul's jumping energy - and then turned her eyes to Pluto and added, "and I hope you'll excuse me for continuing to do my best to protect members of this party throughout this journey, even from each other." 

Originally she thought Shadow was intending to draw a line between the pair of designated leaders, but it appeared Pluto was just as content with doing so, and Enyalius was thoroughly disappointed in that choice. She and Pluto disagreed on many topics - that was made abundantly clear during the debriefing after their first attempt, where the woman practically yelled at her for expressing her thoughts on how the group was managed - but being leaders should mean putting the past behind them in order to cooperate, coordinate, and collaborate effectively. The last thing she wanted to do was to disagree with Pluto in front of the group. It completely exemplified bad leadership, and could breed panic and insecurity in group members; but she was not about to give up her right to separate fighting children when the need arose, and she preferred to defend actions such as those - actions made for the safety of the group - publicly, rather than coming off as someone who used unnecessary force. 


Breaking eye-contact, she leaned over the table and picked up her meal tray, all premise of having a productive lunch where members could bond together destroyed, and straightened gracefully. Without looking at anyone, she took her tray to the disposal area, and hoped by some miracle that the conversation would change back into lighter subjects that could knit the group together.




Enyalius's response to Pluto was on the sarcastic side, but her point was clear.


Would Soul have gone that far though? 


The scorched marks on the table surrounding Soul's tray threatened of another possible ending to that dispute, and Sailor Moon moved her hands to her lap, clutching them together nervously, doubt creeping in. How could they possibly succeed?

"Your solar system. Not mine. Leviathan is alone in my system. I'm alone."

The look on Sailor Leviathan's face was not unlike the appearance she had in the battles at Zenar. It was an emotion caught between despair and fear. Sailor Soul's dangerous aura couldn't be ignored or overlooked. Leviathan might have had some impressive tricks up her sleeve, but she wasn't nearly as strong of a scout to take Soul on. In a battle of pure power, Leviathan was easily outclassed.

She blinked with Sailor Enyalius of all people told Soul to back down. She had assumed that everyone had sided with Soul in this situation, especially Sailor Pluto. Admittedly, they probably still did, but it was clear that aggression wouldn't be tolerated. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Look, I said I was going, OK?" Leviathan spoke up finally. "I only said I was in it to save the world for the goblins so you know where my allegiance lies. You value honesty, right? Here's me being honest. I did not and will not pledge myself to Neo Queen Serenity. When things get rough, you can't expect me to give my life for a cause I care little about. I'm not a part of your big, happy group so I'm scared that you might try and punish me if I bail. "

The fear was starting to get to Leviathan. This wasn't the callous reporter Rita Sharp. This was a girl that was genuinely afraid. Perhaps she had hoped to gain the others as her friends, but failed in her ignorance to do so. An unknown fear rose within her heart. She knew that her previous incarnation died at the hands of a friend who betrayed her to some obscure senshi called "Galaxya." She didn't recall the memory, and never would, but the fear of having her trust taken advantage of remained in her heart.

Still, she tried in her own way to make amends. She peered hesitantly at Sailor Soul, who up until this point she had hoped to get to know more.

"If you want to pretend like this didn't happen and start over from here..."

Achelois's grip loosened on her staff as Ganymede took Soul's hand and calmed her down.  She watched the girl's face change from one of fury to regret.  It was obvious that the girl hadn't meant to cause such an uproar.  Her eyebrow raised at how she calmed down just from Ganymede's hand taking hers.  It was no cause for worry and it meant that they should really not be separated during the mission to help Soul keep her powers under control. 

Achelois slowly let out her breath and turned back to Enya to offer a smile.  She had just made eye contact, her smile not quite yet across her face when Pluto spoke up.  As she listened to what the Senshi had to say about Enya's actions her smile slowly faded off her face.  Force? If she considered that being forceful then she was surely mistaken.  She had known Enya for many years now and although her exterior can be rough she knew that her intentions were good and thought out.  Her background including military training and from what she had told Achelois about it, she could tell that many of her group dynamic techniques came from her experience from then. 

Achelois kept her eyes on Enya as the other Senshi looked at her while addressing Pluto.  She smiled gently as Enya's sarcasm came out full force.  It was obvious that she did not appreciate Pluto's commentary about the incident.  Even as Enya looked away to finish talking to Pluto she kept her eyes on her friend.  She remained still and standing as Enya picked up her tray and walked away from the table.  She looked over at Sailor Moon and the Senshi who had joined them and offered a warm smile before picking up her tray and following after Enya. 

She quickly caught up to Enya and disposed of her tray.  Turning towards her friend she placed one hand on her shoulder heavily and smiled.  She knew that Enya probably didn't need to hear it but she spoke anyways, "If you weren't a good leader, I wouldn't follow you." She turned backed to face the group as they sat the table and continued speaking to her, "Some of these Senshi are newer and don't understand what working in a group is like... Others...". Her voice trailed off.  She turned back to Enya and asked her, "what do you plan to do next." Her face still carrying a gentle smile.

Enyalius deeply appreciated Achelois and all the support she offered, and when Achelois's hand touched her shoulder and she voiced her support, Enyalius could not help but to smile in return. If the rest of this outfit went to crap - which part of her was still determined not to let it do - she knew that Achelois would always be by her side, and, together, they were practically invincible. She considered making some sort of teasing comment in reply, something about how Achelois would follow her anyway for some silly reason, but as her green gaze moved back towards the table, she decided to tease her about it some other way later. 

"We have so many small groups," she stated quietly, "it will be difficult to break the walls between these cliques to function as a team, and with the limited time allowed to us we may not have time to hurdle over the barriers before it's time to act." She paused, considering, "It would have been an interesting exercise to see how teammates act when grouped with those they are unfamiliar with, but in this circumstance, we might just have to let the cliques be, else risk returning defeated again and possibly down a senshi." Whether hurt by one of their own or killed in collateral should an argument break out when they should be fighting together. She crossed her arms, considering the group. 

Disregarding all previous thought of matching possible splinter groups by abilities, she considered what she knew of the interpersonal relationships, as putting together a well-balanced party would mean nothing if ultimately they just turned and killed each other. Ganymede and Soul would be together at all times, that much was obvious. They had a problem with Leviathan, so they should stay far apart; Pluto seemed to have sided with Soul despite the risk she posed to the others at the table, so that would make a third to their group; Sailor Moon and Saturn, the purple-clad senshi who had recently joined them, had history with Pluto, so they could go with them, too, but then Moon had smiled quite a bit with Leviathan's odd phrases, so she might be willing to work with Leviathan, if asked, and Saturn could choose which group to go with. Shadow seemed to be on good terms with Soul, Ganymede, and Leviathan, so he could bounce between groups, too. As for herself, she would sort herself into Leviathan's group to give the senshi some shield to hide behind - she would be an interesting person to watch; if the outburst from the fight with the dragon were to be considered. Andromeda... Andromeda did not seem to have made any tight ties, and Enyalius would like to learn more of her. Achelois, of course, would stay with her, and -- 

Her thought train crawled to a halt, considering. Was it selfish of her to always assume Achelois's place was by her side? Without Achelois's healing abilities, a party could be done in rather quickly, especially considering that the group would be cut off from their planet and the natural healing that afforded...

She pushed the thought away. No, Achelois would stay with her for as long as they could possibly manage, and if they were to part, there would be hell to pay if Achelois did not return to her side.

"Next?" she finally repeated, "Hang back for a moment to see if they are able to patch things up," she was looking towards Leviathan, Ganymede and Soul, as the former appeared to be attempting to make conversation with the latter. "Then we should get moving; it looks like almost everyone has finished eating."

Bold vs Unbold with Kyralih:

Saturn sighed again. This was going to be tedious, she just knew it. The senshi of destruction suddenly felt like this might be a good time to break some ice or if luck wasn't with her make more of it.

"I'm Sailor Saturn." She started quietly. "Senshi of Destruction. I kind of just blow stuff up." She grinned sheepishly at what was left of the group around her. She knew that would either win them or at least stop them from fighting. With her mother figure as leader she felt no special privilege in fact she felt more pressure and the second seemed almost unstable but if they trusted her then so would Saturn. But in the end Saturn would follow Moon. That was why she was here in the first place, well that and a chance to travel out of her solar system. It excited her to be going. She looked forward to their mission with hope that they would get things done.

"Shouldn't we be getting ready to leave?" She asked finishing the last of her meal.

Watching the spectacle of interpersonal actions and reactions take place before his own eyes, Shadow groaned inwardly.

The momentary expression of crossed brows that Enyalius had afforded to him before posing her coolly composed reply was duly noted. Did she take offense at him asking such a thing? It was entirely possible that Enyalius was overthinking his reasons for posing the question. Breaking some of the social barriers was important to him, but he knew most of these individuals already and could only look ahead to a loose, flexible outline of how to approach the assault on the Evil One's fortress.

Unexpectedly, Sailor Soul's emotions flared while Leviathan's arrogance poured forth from her mouth like a relentless series of river rapids. The arrogance and ignorance of Leviathan was nothing new; why would it have upset Amina now? But before Shadow could intervene, Enyalius had leapt into action and pulled Soul away from the table. It was best to avoid taking sides out of reflex; either none or both of him had a claim to be in the right. Pluto had a point - Enyalius sometimes wasn't aware of how forceful she was - but Soul had let her powers temporarily overtake her. That was a dangerous situation, and one that was thankfully defused with Enyalius and Ganymede working together to calm the empath's nerves.

Shadow's eyebrows raised when Sailor Saturn made her appearance, but he refrained from making any spectacle or even a verbal acknowledgment of her presence. She seemed to be tired of the sudden outburst and noise, finding more interest in sharing words and companionship with Young Lady.

He been finished with his meal minutes ago, attempting to fill the gap in his attention span by minding the other senshi and drinking water from a glass. Leviathan, honest and fearful as she was, could afford to sweat a bit for some of her careless commentary. Engaging Sailor Moon in conversation was.. suddenly a few orders of magnitude more difficult, given consideration to her close friend Sailor Saturn. It was not contempt that Shadow held for her, but an inexplicable sense of respect - and one that went far deeper than the kind of respect that accompanies the ability to destroy.

His eyes then turned to Andromeda, pausing to consider any worthwhile topic. His mind grasped at straws and slivers of conversation to break the ice. What would they do, compare swords?

Saturn's following question elicited a smile from the former Dark Kingdom soldier. He wanted to find the chaotic entity that was the source of Zenar's blight. More to the point, Shadow wanted to purge it from the embattled planet before the creature could consoldiate its stronghold.

Pluto listened silently as Enyalius spoke, not blinking an eye at the sarcasm or the fact she didn't really look at her, though the gesture made her twinge inwardly. She was becoming firmly rooted in the opinion that Enyalius extensive military background and singularity, aside from Achelois, was going to cause problems. She watched her walk away, and was a bit glad. She sat back down slowly and began eating as if nothing had happened. Let the senshi think she was going to let harm happen, if that's what she wanted to believe. It was a fool opinion. She heard Leviathan's comment and decided that may be the best thing. “I agree with Leviathan. Let's all try to forget this happened, and try to get along. We need cooperation this time to succeed. I don't expect you to be friends...but at least agree to disagree, alright?” She spoke gently, in a tone that was carefully crafted so it would not come across as patronizing or condescending. She didn't think she was better than these younger senshi after all.

Then she heard her adopted daughters comment and let out a weary sort of half laugh. “You do not just blow things up. You smash them as well.”She could distinctly remember a stint when young Hotaru had smashed Michiru's expensive plates. She could feel her muscles unknitting from the tension she had felt earlier.

Taking a steadying breathe, Soul allowed Ganymede to lead her back to her chair, never letting go of her hand the entire time. Goddess, what must they think of her? A freak, and a dangerous one to boot, a voice whispered. She pushed the voice aside; now was not the time for her insecurities. She needed to get her emotions under control. Closing her eyes, she concentrated inwards, allowing Ganymede’s calmness to wash over hers. When she felt that she was suitably calm, she opened her eyes.

“Do you think I was wrong for calling Levithan out?” Her eyes remained fixed on her lap, too scared to see the look on her boyfriend (girlfriends?  See this is why she referred to Yuuta as her lover, this got confusing, Sailor Io’s opinion on the matter be darned), face. “You do know I never would have hurt Leviathan right?” she added in a rush. She could hear the others talking and had seen Enyalius and Achelois leave the table a few moment before. When Leviathan opened her moth, Soul decided to correct her on a few things. She made sure to keep a hold of Ganymede’s hand – just in case.

“Your loyalties, wherever they may lay have nothing to do with this situation. You think I’m here because of any loyalty to Neo Queen Serenity? I’m here because it’s the right thing to do. While the Queen does have my loyalty, it has little to do with the fact that she is Queen. Some will give her that loyalty due to that, I don’t. Usagi earned my loyalty through friendship and through proving herself to me to be a capable leader. I’m going back to Zenar because I know that if we don’t try and stop Chaos, it will spread, killing millions of innocent beings in the process. If you think for one second that just because your planet is alone in its solar system that Chaos would just pass it by, you are sorely mistaken.” She explained, keeping her voice calm and steady.

“So you see, I could care less about where your loyalties lie. What I do care about is you going in knowing what is at stake and how big that stake is. I do agree with starting over, but you do need to fully grasp what’s going on. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go talk to Enyalius for a moment.” She squeezed her partners’ hand, flashing her a smile before letting go and walking over to where Enyalius and Achelois were standing.

Their little group was very fragmented. Soul knew that if push came to shove, she would be able to put aside her differences with Leviathan for the good of the mission. She wasn’t sure she could say the same thing about the other senshi. It would be better if they had been recalled a bit earlier in order to have a chance to get to know each other and each other’s fighting styles. There was nothing that could be done about it now.

“Enyalius, I just wanted to thank you for earlier. While I wouldn’t have hurt Leviathan, sometimes when I get emotional, my powers can get away from me. It’s normally not an issue, but when not so great memories are triggered, it becomes harder. Leviathan unwittingly trampled over a few tonight,” she explained, smiling ruefully. She hoped Enyalius and Achelois didn’t judge her too harshly for not having complete control over her powers. She hadn’t had anyone to show her how to, until recently that was. She’d had to figure out how to use them or stop them from getting out of control on her own. It wasn’t always effective, but it worked for the most part. She knew she needed to learn better techniques and hoped she would be able to soon.

OOC new way of doing talking:

"No, you weren't wrong," Sailor Ganymede said. She frowned and lifted Sailor Soul's head to look at her face. "Of course not, not on purpose at least. I thought you might hurt yourself, maybe," she admitted. She let Soul's hand go with a smile hen she went to talk with Enyalius, along with Achelois. The two were near inseparable, but she guessed that 15 years of fighting would cause that. At least Soul wasn't upset with one of their leaders.

Speaking of leaders, there seemed to be some kind of tension between Pluto and Enyalius. Ganymede wasn't sure what she would do it they decided to split while on the mission. She did like both of them to a degree. When Sailor Saturn spoke up, Ganymede realized that she hadn't really run into that particular senshi very much while she had trained in the castle. She was very much attached to the princess-er, Sailor Moon's side though. She wondered how their bond got so strong in the first place.

Achelois nodded in agreement to Enya's decision to let the group talk it out themselves before heading out.  She followed Enya's gaze back to the table and watched as some were talking to each other.  It would appear as though things calmed down.  Her eyes moved between the different  members of the group before settling on her staff as she sighed lightly.  She knew that the group couldn't function if they didn't learn to work together and do so quickly less they fail they mission, again.  Although she had a desire to ensure everyone's safety, it was not a burden to her whether she was accepted into a group or not.  As long as they could work together that was all that was necessary.  She smiled to herself; it's not to say that she doesn't like people, surely she does, but her identity is not found there. 

Her eyes flitted back to Enya as she gazed upon the table.  Achelois thought rationally about most things, but she knew that no matter what, her loyalties, her highest friendship, lay with the Senshi clad in armor standing next to her.  She would not neglect her duties as healer to the group, such a thought could never cross her mind.  But she would do everything in her power to ensure that everyone came back from this mission safely; fail or success.

Her thoughts returned their attention back to the outside world as Soul walked up to them, a sheepish smile on her face as she addressed Enya.  Achelois smiled at the girl warmly, she knew that Enya would not hold anger against her.  Her energy calm she placed one hand gently on Soul's shoulder hoping that it would help to ease some of her tension as she spoke.  "I know that your powers are unique and hard to control.  The place we're going to will only make that harder, let me know if it becomes too much while we're there and I'll do everything within my power to help." She liked Soul and thought the Senshi's powers were truly amazing.  She glanced back to Enya her expression apologizing for jumping in before she had a chance to respond.

Enyalius was partially preparing for some sort of remark about personal space when Sailor Soul approached her, but she instead found herself honestly and pleasantly surprised by the young woman's attitude. They had gotten off on the wrong foot on Zenar during their last foray, and with Soul's occasional burst of passion she had wrongly assumed Soul would keep a grudge (as she herself was want to do). She listened carefully to what Soul said, tucking the volunteered information gently away in case the need came for it later. Before she had the chance to respond, Achelois offered her unique assistance to Soul, which Enyalius appreciated - perhaps even some meditation techniques might help the younger senshi out. She returned Achelois's apologetic look with one that showed she was not bothered and took to replying to Soul.

"I'm sorry you had to go through such unpleasantry," Enyalius began, "and I hope you understand why I acted the way that I did and forgive me for any pain I caused you. Are you alright now?"

At Pluto's comment of her smashing things in addition to blowing them up, Saturn blushed brightly. That had been a challenging time for all of them, and honestly Saturn wasn't sure how she lived past it with al the trouble she got into. "You know I'm actually surprised  to this day that I lived last that phase." She said lightly. "What do you think we'll encounter there?" she asked the gathered senshi around her. She wasn't sure she wanted to run into the trolls she read about, in her rather late briefing. The senshi of silence wasn't so sure she was ready to fight things like trolls even though she fought what had to be stronger forces in her life but still she couldn't count on always being there....Still she wondered if in part they allowed her to go because she could destroy planets. she really hoped that they didn't intend for her to destroy this one if it couldn't be saved.

Sailor Leviathan remained silent when Sailor Soul spoke to her. It wouldn't be hard to see that she was seething with rage. What she was saying wasn't reaching to any of these people it seemed. How could she trust them when they dismissed her feelings as the ramblings of an idiot? The only way to save the goblins was to side with these people. She wished that she was strong enough to go to Zenar on her own.

Someday, she vowed. Someday she would find the strength that her old incarnation had and exceed it. She would become more powerful than even the first Sailor Moon.

She continued to boil in her rage, watching as Sailors Ganymede, Achelois and Enyalius comforted Soul. Soul lashed out in anger and she got coos and reassurance from the team. From Leviathan's perspective, all she did was speak her feelings and was shot down for it.

"You weren't wrong," Ganymede said with a blank expression. "You're the smartest person I know, Soul!"

"Your powers are just so very special," Achelois continued. "You're special, Soul. Just let me know how much more special I can make you feel in our mission."

"I'm sorry Leviathan is so inferior," Enyalius finally chimed in. "Her ugly face would make anyone want to punch it, especially me!"

Her imagination went crazy as she continued to boil in her rage. Her feelings toward the others comforting Soul couldn't be described as anything but jealously.

Sailor Leviathan stood up and began to leave the room in silence. If she was ever going to be prepared, she would have to take a break and figure out how she was going to manage her part in this mission alone. She almost forgot one important thing. She turned and faced Sailor Saturn.

"Hey, kid. I need to talk to you before the mission begins. It's important. Just meet me whenever you want."

(If necessary, Leviathan can tell Saturn off screen about the 'Sailah Sahtan' development.)

“Thanks,” she said, smiling at Achelois before returning her attention to Enyalius.

“I bruise quite easily, but it doesn’t hurt, so don’t worry about it,” she said. “I’m fine for now. I’m able to ground my emotions using someone as a ground of sorts. As long as they remain calm, I can use their emotions to settle my own. Touch helps, which is why Sailor Ganymede grabbed my hand. It’s by far not the first time she’s had to do that. What it does is allow me to close my mental shields almost completely and only concentrate on where we’re physically touching, so I’m able to block other things out. I suppose we should head back and spend what little time remaining trying to get to know each other and work out any tension before the mission starts, yah?.

With that, Amina nodded at both of the Senshi in front of her before heading back to the table and sitting beside Sailor Ganymede once more.

Pluto sighed wearily in her mind as she watched Leviathan stalking off in a huff. Most certainly, her tiara did not reflect a change in her personality, or at least not one for the better. She looked down at her food, mostly finished with it before she drank the last of her tea to fortify herself before she stood up. “Excuse me.” she said to the others, the girls and Shadow. She walked over to Enyalius and Achelois as Soul left. She took a deep breath mentally, firmly deciding not to speak on what had been said before between them. Time for it later perhaps, if Enyalius were unable to reign in her rough tendencies.

“If you don't mind, I would like to form a concrete plan of action we can both agree on before we get to Zenar. And I'd like to address Shadow's question, which I think is a good one. I’m sure you have some ideas on formation with a military background. All I can say is, I think we should focus on getting into the castle. Possibly I could use my defensive Garnet Ball to form a shield around us, to protect us until we can get into the castle. I'd prefer not to fight unless absolutely necessary to conserve our strength. And as for formation, all I can think of is stay together in a group, and if there is danger, form a defensive circle. Everyone's backs together so we can have eyes in all directions. What are your thoughts?” She spoke calm and perhaps a little coolly. But she was willing to listen to what Enyalius had to say. She was surely made a co-leader because of her experience, and Pluto would acknowledge and respect that. Whether she actually got the same in return had yet to be seen honestly.

Seeing Leviathan boil over with silent fury wasn't something that Shadow particularly enjoyed nor wanted. He had hoped that she would have realized that the others perceived her as acting out of arrogance and ignorance, but something about the entire exchange was leaving a bad taste in her mouth.

Something would have to be done. He thought he recognized that angry glare - it was something that came from himself many years ago. When his back had inevitably been pushed against a wall during his tenure in the Dark Kingdom, Shadow - then known as Jasper - lashed out at his inhuman tormentors with all the fury that a cornered rat could summon in a desperate bid for its survival.

In a situation like that, the outcome of such a battle was hazy and uncertain except for one fact - both parties would suffer greatly before it was concluded.

"Excuse me for a moment." Sliding effortlessly from his chair, Shadow approached Leviathan after she had spoken a few words to Sailor Saturn. She may have been telling her about the illusory presence she held on Zenar as a benefactor of the goblins. He hoped that Saturn would not take such a revelation too harshly, though his initial impression of meeting the true soldier of silence was a good one.

Steeling himself for what would likely be an angry and defensive reaction, Shadow placed a hand on Leviathan's shoulder and spoke with the demeanor of an elder brother. "Do you mind if we talk before our departure?"

Enyalius appreciated Soul's attitude, and welcomed her willingness to turn the meal back into what Enyalius had intended, but as she saw Pluto making her approach, she let the blonde warrior continue forward without her. Pluto seemed not to mind Achelois's presence as she started speaking before Achelois left, so Enyalius assumed the Senshi of Time was content with making decisions with her involvement. She listened to Pluto's address and thought carefully before answering.

"I think the plan presented in the briefing packet is still a valid one," she voiced; as she was in on the talks that wrote that plan, as was Pluto, she did not see any need to change it. "We fly directly towards the castle, incapacitate the Dragon's wings in-flight via ranged attacks before they can be of any harm to us, and I'll use my ability to subdue the throng of beings waiting in the courtyard while you lead the others into breaking into the castle and finding a way to barricade the doors behind us. My ability can keep the creatures grounded for two-to-three minutes, but with as many as were in that courtyard the first time, I think that's all the time I can give.

"I think your suggestion to use a barrier or defensive circle would be a good one upon entering the Keep, as we have no idea what awaits us in there; perhaps designate members of the party as defenders and others as searchers for debris or furniture that could be used to block the door, assuming any such artifacts exist in there. If you would like my suggestion on how to split the roles during that crucial time, I can give it to you."

She glanced back towards the table, her strategy shifting and changing, as she crossed her arms, then finally formalizing in her mind. "As far as group formation goes, I think we should enter the atmosphere in an arrowhead formation to reduce wind-shear on following lines and create flanks. I would take the lead only because I need to touch down first in the courtyard. Behind me in the first row I would have Shadow, as his Shockwave ability is ranged and he has demonstrated his targeting ability to be more than adequate to take down a dragon through immobilizing its wings. Beside him I would place you, Pluto, as, if you agree to my earlier plans, you would be the first into the castle and would be directing the others in their tasks, and I believe that Dead Scream attack of yours, along with your experience, would be able to take down any dragon approaching from that flank.


"Behind the second row would be a row of three: Ganymede behind and supporting Shadow, as she, I assume, is still strong and Shadow would be unable to fly himself; she also thinks quickly on her feet and would be able to react to any immediate threat without much prompting. Beside her, in the middle, I would put Sailor Moon, putting her in a position of relative safety and near you," while it had not been stated directly to Enyalius, she had noticed that Pluto and Sailor Moon had some sort of familial-like bond, as did Pluto and Saturn, and Moon and Saturn seemed to be close. "On Moon's other side, behind and a little farther out than you, would go Saturn. From the looks of that scythe, I assume she can take care of herself."


"Fourth row I would have Soul behind and outside of Ganymede; with Ganymede's arms being full I'm sure that's where she would like to be, and her Spirit Blast ability would be useful if the dragon outmaneuvered Shadow's ability. Beside her I would put Achelois, in case..." she didn't necessarily want to voice why exactly she would put Achelois beside Soul, for, to Enyalius's mind, if anything terrible were to happen to Ganymede she would need Achelois to use her ability to calm Soul as quickly as possible; she chose to phrase it another way, "Soul or Leviathan needed any calming. I would put Leviathan on Achelois's other side, another place of relative safety which she would enjoy and would be useful to us as panic only breeds panic, and Andromeda would be beyond that, as further support for that flank." 

Everybody likes pictures, yaaaay:

"I also agree that conserving strength should be a priority, which is why I believe we should state exactly whom we would like attacking, so we are not wasting more energy then directly required on the dragons or the courtyard fiends. My choice, which I welcome your input on, would have primary attackers be Shadow and yourself, with Soul and Andromeda as backup in case the dragons evade initial attacks." She considered sharing her thoughts on what should happen after touchdown and entering the castle, but she had said before that she would share them if Pluto asked, so, at that moment, she finished. "Do you agree?" she prompted by way of turning the conversation back to Pluto.

Pluto listened intently, keeping herself calm and collected. She certainly knew what she was talking about. “Actually if possible, I'd like to avoid fighting the dragons. I believe we are unsure if they are native or not to the planet. And last time when we were close to the castle, everyone got wrapped up in trying to kill the creatures. I’m afraid of the same thing happening. I would like it if we could avoid the dragons entirely, and simply focus on getting inside the castle and barricading it to prevent them from following us. These are extremely large and tough creatures.” She took a moment to think over the formation she recommended and nodded her head.

“However, I am quite happy with the formation you have suggested. Above all else, we must try to protect Small Lady. She is our best chance to heal those infected by Chaos. And putting Leviathan in back...perhaps it will keep her out of trouble. From outside sources, and herself. And yes, I would like to hear your opinions on what roles should go to whom inside.” She took a moment to take a deep breath then continued on.

“If I can speak plainly? I think you've perhaps been alone too long, with only Achelois for company. I think sometimes you don't realize how you come off. After what I have seen and gone through over the centuries, I've come to believe in Sailor Moon...the first Sailor Moon's beliefs of how friendship and love can work miracles. I've seen it happen myself. She has made friends of enemies, even after they have tried to rip her down. And she has always emerged stronger than before because of the love she held in her heart for everyone.” She paused a moment, touching her brooch gently. “I myself felt that power...when all of us gained new stronger forms, because our hearts connected and became as one. Because of that...I don't want to make you an enemy.”

Now she connected her eyes with Enyalius, being serious and sincere. “I know you are different from me. I think you are at times too rough and forceful. And perhaps you see me as being too weak willed or distant. But I would like us to become friends and get along well. We are both leaders on this mission, and I don't want us fighting and struggling for control. I want us to both agree on what is going to happen. Perhaps from us, the others can follow our example, and the group can truly unify. Can you agree with that?” She extended a hand gently towards the woman, in a sense offering the olive branch.

Outside of the meeting, Sailor Leviathan turned in surprise to feel Shadow's touch. Her face went red, but she immediately shook off her visible emotions. She turned around again.

"Listen to them talk in there, Shadow," she said coldly. "Enyalius speaks like I'm a child that needs to be controlled. Heh, maybe I am. I'm the only one here who's actually the age she looks. Isn't that pathetic? Moon and Saturn look like they've barely made it out of junior high but they've got a millenia on me."

Sailor Leviathan actually removed her tiara and began to rotate it around and peer at it in different angles.

"If you want to lecture me, you're wasting your time. There's nothing that can convince me that the others will ever understand me. To them, it's adhere or be shunned. Honestly, I can see why my previous incarnation didn't have anything to do with other sailor senshi now. In the end, they'll eat each other alive. You'll see."

Sailor Pluto was right about one thing. Leviathan's tiara didn't change because of any positive change in her personality or from gaining any new abilites. So why did she have it now? What could have possible happened in the month she was gone?

Back to Bold:

Enyalius listened, though she felt like she had been misunderstood on many fronts by the Senshi of Time.

As to her first comment, Enyalius wanted to take another look at the briefing to see if she had misread it, but as she had understood it, it had never been the plan to outright kill the dragons, just disable their wings to move past if they showed up. She appreciated that Pluto agreed to the flight pattern she had suggested, and would make her recommendations about the group split in the barricade minutes after entering the castle, but only after she made sure Pluto knew her stance on the dragons.  "First, I agree that if circumstances allow it, we should not fight the dragons." Even back then, she had not wanted to fight the dragons, only acted in defense of the group as others led that charge. "But if they intend to fight us, as they did back then, I thought we would go with the prearranged plan to disable their wings and move past them without killing them and them not killing us, which is why I opted for those with the most dexterity and ranged abilities to attack aiming for their wings and shoulderblades. The plan is purely defensive in nature - we will not be seeking out the dragons to kill them, only disable the threat they pose should they arrive while we are enroute to the Keep." 

"Second," she paused, looking to Achelois for a little social balance - if she could put out the social fires Achelois used to cause, she could be diplomatic here, too - and turned back to Pluto. "I believe we have gotten off on the wrong foot. I know the power of social bonds, of trust and of teamwork, and of love. I value those strengths and - " her eyes twitched back to the table, "have tried to start this mission out on the right foot in that direction. The key to a well working team is past experience and bonding, which leads to trust." She turned her eyes back to Sailor Pluto, uncrossing her arms to put one hand on her hip in a familiar pose, "I know these things because of my background, even though my senshi form has not been changed because of it. I know I can come off as uncaring," she admitted, her eyes leaving Pluto's, "but when given the opportunity I prefer to run things as a unit."

She took a deep breath, wondering if now was really the time to head down that road, but if Pluto thought she was hard for the sake of being hard, she wanted to attempt to correct that now. "Last time we were not a unit. Last time there was a group of individuals on a foreign planet attempting to figure out where they belonged socially, and as that discomfort grew the social connections appeared to be valued above the overall mission. Based on our background, Achelois and I tend to see the bigger picture and its possible ramifications over the small working gears. While having a cohesive group would have been preferable, in that earlier case, a strong leader should have stepped forward to keep all heads and feet pointed in the right direction and constantly moving towards our goal. That would have been a step towards unification that we were lacking." She felt like she was finally getting this notion off of her chest. 

"I, too, would like this time to be different. I am actively trying to have this time be different, but, Sailor Pluto," now her eyes turned back to the guardians, "Your public statement against my choice to pull Soul back away from the table and those she could have very really hurt was detrimental to all that you just asked for. A good group needs a united leadership front - if it is clear that the leaders feel the same way and are on the same side, the group will feel confident in their decisions and won't break by taking sides one way or another. Perhaps our meaning of "rough" is different - to me, being "rough" in that situation would have been attacking her before she had the opportunity to attack another, rather than taking her by the shoulder and backing her up at step.  I do not see you as weak-willed or distant - I do not know you, Sailor Pluto, but for what little we said to each other on Zenar and the heated argument we had in debriefing, and then the power-struggle-esque comment at the table and your remarks just now." She paused, taking a breath, "I would like to believe that the person you have just introduced me to is the real you. You seem calm, level-headed, and you seem to have great respect for your Queen and the things she stands for. I respect this Pluto. I respect her honesty and her openness and her willingness to bring what she sees to the forefront of conversation, and I look forward to being your second-in-command for this mission if this is the real you. 


"I agree that we need to agree on a course of action before taking it. I agree that we should not fight in front of the group. I agree that, together, with our balance, we could make a good leadership team. All I ask, Pluto, that you trust me. I will not actively do anything to belittle the group or group dynamics. I have been in leadership positions since I was 13 years old; by 20 I was leading armies. I've been trained as a military leader, and in our history," she motioned with her free hand to Achelois, though her earnest eyes remained with Pluto, "I have led groups to victory against Chaos. Please, trust that decisions I make are well thought out, and as the leader of this mission, trust that I will not knowingly lead you astray."


She waited a moment, not having said that much to anyone but Achelois in quite some time, but felt that while what she said could be polarizing, that she had to say it. 

Most of the passion she had spoken with turned off, Enyalius commented on the roles as requested, "I believe that you should direct the team from within, keeping an eye on all three fronts: the door, the blockade, and the unknown hidden within the keep. I believe Shadow, Ganymede and Andromeda should serve as guard against whatever awaits us in there and whatever might try to make it inside if we are not fast enough, while the others quickly figure out a way to block the door. I'm afraid I might not be of much help during that time, but I will do what I can."

Having said all that she did, she kept Pluto's gaze in an open fashion, and gently yet firmly took the Senshi's proffered forearm in a gesture of trust and agreement.

Saturn only looked at Leviathan as she asked to meet with her before the mission. "Why does this stick me as a bad idea?" She said standing, reaching for her glaive. Her hand closed around the familiar staff, the weapon as much a part of her as her own hand. She felt oddly at peace holding such a weapon of destruction. She wondered what in the worlds a trouble maker like Leviathan wanted to talk to her about. Whatever it was it would have to wait till Shadow and the senshi in question were done speaking.

Saturn hung back far enough away that she wouldn't over hear any conversations, she wasn't meant to be part of. She really wanted to go back to the dinning hall and sit with her friends, maybe get to know the others better, talk to them, learn them, but here she was out in the hallway waiting in a line to talk to some one.

"oh the joys of being me." she groaned and leaned against the wall. Again she wondered what the other woman would need to talk to her about.