Scene #1484: Dimension Past: Rage, Rage Against

Owner	Pose
Zoisite	There are too many. That much is readily obvious, even at a distance. However much time they've bought with the last volley of attacks, concussive explosions of flame and piercing shards of ice, it will not be enough. But they are so close. The tower's antechamber lies a short distance away, the computer system a network that stretches from the very peak down to the bowels of the city. There, at its top, is their final chance to save what remains. If ''anyone'' yet lives. "I can walk," Zoisite assures, though his voice is ragged as he first begins the sentence. But he draws his composure, the instilled perfection he clings perilously to, around him like a cape, though the real garment has long since been torn from his shoulders. He nods once, grimly, to Mercury as he grips his side, red beginning to soak through the fabric of his uniform, and he stands. They move as one, cagedly, towards the tower, across the once-glittering bridge that links it to the city. Even here, war has left its scars in grime and blood. Zoisite does not look at the frozen faces of those they pass. Were they once loyal soldiers under his command? Could Mercury say the same, for those that aren't familiar to him? He cannot waste time considering who they were, nor how they died. There is no time. The tower's double doors beckon, not far now, having somehow remained closed against the onslaught. Zoisite can only hope they will open to them, now, in their time of need.
Ami Mizuno	Sailor Mercury bore marks of battel herself as she moves alongside Zoisite. The ribbon at the back of her skirt is torn asunder and left to drag along the ground beside her, and one glove bears blood stains where a cut on her arm had bled down into the white. "Good. Good." She repeats herself as she fixes her gaze ahead sternly working hard not to look at the bodies as they pass. Several more were still fighting as they were brought in from Earth to attack. The air around her practically cracks as any moisture within it meets a freezing barrier that seems to follow them as she leads the way to the tower. The only liquid that doesn't freeze, somehow, are the tears that silently leave streak marks down her cheeks. "The Queen still lives. We have to stop Beryl's forces so she can-- We have to!" There could be no more failure. She'd already failed her Princess, and so many of her friends. There was no way to fix that. Ever. But she would be damned if she would let Beryl have a complete victory. "Open," she commands the doors as lights shimmer over her visor rapid, fast, flashing. If it didn't open with the passcodes she knew, it would open under brute computational force-- The doors silently slide open to admit them.
Mamoru Chiba	----- So long ago -- whole years, nearly three of them -- "I only ''thought'' she was a goddess, or maybe a sylph or one of the other spirits of the air," Endymion whisper-protests as he and Zoisite make their way to the large, moonlit clearing in the woods where Endymion had first met Serenity. They don't actually go out there, but wait at the treeline. The thirteen (nearly fourteen!!) year old prince drops himself to the ground and sits, trailing his fingers through the dirt and last year's leaves, an idle habit of his. "But she's not! Because the people from the Moon are also just people, like us. Different, maybe, but not ''that'' different! The legends ''lied.''" A beat. "And so did I. By omission. I'm sorry, Zoisite," the young prince adds in a much smaller voice. -----
Zoisite	Zoisite finds himself holding his breath as Mercury stood before the tower's double doors and spoke the command. Trepedation and pain both still his lungs as he waits, only for the air to exit him in a wheeze as the doors part. He looks at Mercury, then back over his shoulder, before he nods. "Let's go." ----- "Of course you did," is what Zoisite says, placatingly, as the young Prince spins his tale. It's precisely uttered, just shy of being condescending, as he stands at Endymion's side, sword in hand but loosely, tip pointing towards the ground. Ready to bring it forward should it be necessary, but not needlessly on the defensive, not yet. He leans up against a nearby tree, legs crossed at the ankles, and looks out at the clearing. Then, he scoffs. "Well I of course knew you were up to ''something''." For how long, he doesn't specify. But Zoisite is a suspicious little brat even at this age, crafty and cunning, and expecting similar in turn. Because it's a good habit to have, so you're never caught unawares. One hand lifts to toss his hair over his shoulder, as perfectly coiffed now as he ever is. Looking down at Endymion, he says, nasally, "You're going to get dirt and grass all over your clothes." ----- They pass through the doors into peace. It seems impossible, for there to be quiet, when everything has been so loud, so chaotic, for seemingly so long. Zoisite isn't sure if no one had known of the importance of this place, or if the door has simply done its job too well, keeping those attacking the city out. Either way, it might just buy them the time we need. "Don't tell me we have to go all the way up," he laments, as he presses more firmly against the wound in his side. But even as he says that, he's moving, because giving up when they're so close is unthinkable.
Ami Mizuno	Up? Up the tower, up the spiral of stairs lit by glittering lights as many of the other areas of the palace were? Mercury tips her head up a moment to regard it before turning a grim smile toward Zoisite. "Don't be silly. Sensors are upstairs. Not computers." Behind the first set of spiral stairs is a door that isn't immediately seen until you take a step to the side. It's THIS that Mercury heads toward with arm reaching out to help Zoisite keep balance. "The controls are where we need to be." If they hurried Beryl and her forces may not realize what was happening until it was too late-- Was it already too late, for them, though? No. There was hope here. Mercury's step picks up in urgency as she leads the way into the control center for the Moon's defenses. ----- The moonlight clearing in the woods was an excellent place for those from the Moon to arrive on Earth. It was safely away from the actual towns and cities, it was peaceful. The beauty of nature was evident as the light shines down on the water running through the area. A particular beam of moonlight seems to brighten and coalesce where it shines down at a spot on the water. A single splash of the liquid rises up from the pool... and then there's a woman there floating down gently toward the water. Not the pale, Ethereal princess that Endymion might be hoping for, but a figure in blue. Sailor Mercury arrives having decided to investigate the Prince that her charge was mooning over so much. Immediately her gaze lifts, sharp and blue, to fixate on the figure standing there with a single blink. A single remark breaks from her lips in greeting. "I thought you would be taller." Of course Zoisite was taller than her, but the way Princess Serenity had spoken, she'd expected... More. And... darker. Not blonde long hair. It's this which causes her to suddenly become more aware of the Prince that was sitting on the ground. The dark haired, younger man. Playing in the dirt. "Oh... My apologies. You must be Prince Endymion."
Mamoru Chiba	----- "Good, dirt and grass are good for me," says Endymion carelessly, and his hand glows a little where his fingers dig in the soil under the leaves, absently checking over everything the Earth wants to tell him right now. Things to do while you're waiting. "Do you ''have'' yo have your sword out? I mean, if there's danger, can't you just pull fire in an instant?" A beat, and then dreamily, "Do you know, Serenity ''glows''? She literally glows like the moon itself..." And then there's a moonbeam coalescing, and Endymion squints, because there's something different about it, it ''feels'' different, and he spreads his hand out flat on the ground to pull up energy instead of getting up to mess with his own sword-- --and then there's a blue-haired older girl and she's saying--!! Endymion HUFFS, getting to his feet and brushing his hand off on his trousers! And he finishes unfolding and he's even shorter than Zoisite, and definitely younger, Serenity's age. He inclines his head and says a little bit stiffly, "Yes, I'm Endymion, Crown Prince of Earth. This is Zoisite, one of my advisors-- one of my ''friends''. Who are-- is Serenity okay??" It's like the thought strikes him suddenly, why would someone else come in Serenity's stead? Come without her, even? Oh no, "Is she in trouble??" -----
Zoisite	Even in the middle of a war, the relief is stark enough to earn a huff of laughter from Zoisite. "Well, thank goodness for that." When the revelation of the door occurs, he bites back a sigh and instead steels himself for what comes next. The vigil he will have to endure while Mercury does what she needs to do. He can only hope it won't take too long. Leaning against her, Zoisite nods and follows after. ----- With a sigh, the sword disappears in a swirl of flower petals. It's a new trick he's learned, manifesting them from his own energy stores. A waste, he'd been told, but Zoisite doesn't care. The waste is miniscule, and the effect is exactly as he wants to be. Then within seconds of him divesting himself of his weapon, they are no longer alone, and privately Zoisite regrets the choice. "I will be," he says imperiously in reply, unaware that he's going to be stuck at precisely the height he is now for the rest of forever. But his smile is impish after, because of what this blue-haired visitor says, and how she looks at Endymion, down in the dirt. He is not above poking a bit of fun at his prince, when it suits. And my, does it suit. When Prince Endymion begins the introductions, only to cut himself off midway, he shakes his head. "Let me guess. Her advisors were not as understanding as I was, and you've come in her stead?"
Ami Mizuno	It's once they get to the door that Mercury is forced to lift a hand away from her assistance of Zoisite. Enough to plant her hand beside the door as she exhales slowly to feed some of her power into the system. It would recognize her. She spent so often in the Silver Millenia computer systems that she was a familiar presence. Aggitated, fearful, broken-hearted, though? She had to calm herself long enough to express her utmost NEED to the computers to let them in--- The door opens and inside is an array of computer consoles and screens showing different locales in the palace. The city. Screens with various readings on them float in the air shuffling information around as needed for viewing. There's a few chairs here and she heads toward one. Before she even gets to sit down she's pulling out her smaller Mercury Computer to link into the system... and pauses as the monitors show the front entrance of the tower as more troops were beginning to explore to hunt down any survivors that were still fighting. "Get ready, Zoi. I need some time... Please, anything you can do. If I can at least stop more from being brought in, then perhaps the Queen can end this," she adds pleading, desperate. It had only been a bit ago they had been at odds until he'd managed to get Beryl's twisted control out of his head. ----- Court Etiquette, that's right. People generally just knew who she was. This wasn't the Moon Court though, this was an entirely different kingdom. Planet even. A single breath is drawn as Mercury dips her head toward the pair once the Prince has hopped to his feet to give introductions. "I am Sailor Mercury," she begins, "Princess of Mercury, the planet of Knowledge. Guardian and Tutor to Princess Serenity." Lifting her head again she smiles toward the younger pair pausing just a moment at the older boy's comeback to her remark. "So you may," she agrees. He was young yet enough that he very well could gain more height. When Endymion asks so urgently about Serenity she can only give a soft chuckle at his concern. It's not done rudely but it was cute that he was so concerned. That was a good sign. "The other Guardians are having a very long discussion with her, indeed. I decided it would be best to meet who she has been so interested in myself." There's only a momentary pause before she adds, "We haven't reported her visits to the Queen yet, but we're also not going to let her continue to visit Earth without any protection."
Mamoru Chiba	----- Endymion shoots Zoisite a dirty look over his shoulder for the 'less understanding than I am' -- but then Mercury starts to explain who she is and why she's there, and the boy looks half indignant and half distressed. It's very almost-fourteen of him. He glances at her hands, and they're gloved, and he shifts his weight and practically broadcasts discomfort. He's aware he's going to annoy Zoisite tremendously with this stunt, but it's ''important.'' "Sailor Mercury," he says almost delicately, "your representation of the planet of wisdom is well-earned. That's the same reason Zoisite came with me tonight, to make sure we were protected from anyone who might interfere with us or cause us harm while we visited." He lets out a breath, then says, "I'm a touch empath. If we shake hands, we can both see that there aren't any lies between us over intention. Would you be willing..?" -----
Zoisite	He'd said he could walk, and he'd meant it, so Zoisite forces himself up straight despite the searing pain in his side, and he watches as Mercury does what she needs to do to permit their passage into the tower's sanctum. When the door opens, he follows after her, his steps a rapid clip to keep up. With success so close at hand he feels himself rallying, and as his eyes scan the screens, he sees what she sees. "Of course. They won't get past me," he says, and it's a promise. For as long as air fills his lungs and his heart continues to beat, he will be the barrier between Sailor Mercury and the attacking horde. One hand extends before him as he turns towards the door, and sakura petals fill the space between like thousands of pinpoints of light, glowing with energy, ready to alight at the merest prompting. And so, Zoisite waits. ----- Hearing his conjecture proved correct, Zoisite lifts a hand to his mouth to cover it as he laughs. "Yes, of course," he says, his eyes shining with brightness as Endymion turns that Look upon him. He is, as it possibly does not need to be said, unswayed. At least not until his prince reveals one of his secrets into the open air of the clearing, and Zoisite doesn't ''say'' anything, but he does rather pointedly clear his throat, a piercing glare aimed at the back of Endymion's head. The cat is out of the bag, though, so there's no point in trying to put a stop to it, though he does step closer to be nearer to his prince's side.
Ami Mizuno	"Thank you." That's all Mercury says as her long time friend stands ready to defend them. Her attention is free now to turn to the defenses. Equations are pulled up: The current status of the defenses, dormant or otherwise. Readings on the teleportations coming from Earth or however it was they were crossing the divide to come en masse. Shields. Blocking. Something to negate the power, or at least cast it away in a different direction. A brutal direction in this case as Mercury takes familiar coordinates from her own planet and adjusts to try and make them begin traveling that direction and MISS. They could continue on into the inferno of the sun for all she cared at this point. Any mercy was long since gone for this guardian. The attackers that come are Zoisite's own fellows from Earth. Ones he perhaps didn't know but human none the less. Ones driven mad with the order to just destroy any and all they could get their hands on. Some bore swords and knives, some bow and arrow, some spears. Some simply came with bare hands and anything they had managed to grab off fallen soldiers. Dozens come at once trying to get through the door. ----- "You want to... touch my hand?" Nevermind Mercury was older, and by her title quite wiser, when he says that she actually blushes heavily at such a request. There's a little look of surprised uncertainty that crosses her features. It's Zoisite's clearing of his throat that draws her gaze away from Endymion to his guard, and the reaction makes her relax a bit. Judging by that stern response he was likely not lying. Or flirting. "Is that how you won our Princess over?" It's meant as a joke, and though she hesitates a moment more she does move to pull her gloves off leaving her hands revealed. It also requires she step closer walking over the bit of water that distances them using clear power to so. At least until she steps on the shore itself where she settles down to stand normally without needing to utilize her element to keep her aloft. "All right. If it will help resolve this situation then it's a simple enough thing to do." Absently she looks toward the blonde that had been introduced. "Zoisite? It's a beautiful mineral. Just like your eyes! Is that how you got the name?"
Mamoru Chiba	----- The young prince can practically feel the heat of that glare on the back of his head; he almost lifts his hand to rub there but resists the urge. He also doesn't look back. He's ''getting away with something'' and when you're doing that you ''own'' it or end up losing your nerve. He doesn't lose his nerve. "I mean, if you let me, if hands are taboo, I could touch your arm instead," he offers to Mercury after an awkward second. But then she's saying something else as she takes her glove off, and stepping forward, and Endymion answers as he meets her halfway and unceremoniously takes her hand. "Don't you have to try, in order to win?" he asks, puzzled. "I didn't win her over, we just liked each other right away." And then Endymion's face is wreathed in smiles, and it transforms him, he's positively radiant with it. "She's wonderful. Talking to her feels like-- like I found something that's been missing for the longest time..." He's not lying. There's purity in the simple truth he's saying, golden and warm and bright and full of a vast affection. Mercury can tell that there's an attraction between the two of them that's much closer to gravity than anything else-- "I would never hurt her, I want to protect her. I want her to be happy. Zoisite's only protecting me. And you're both kind of jerks and I think you're getting along ''too well'' and I should be worried you'll gang up on me more, shouldn't I." -----
Zoisite	The petals in the air glimmer with barely contained energy, liminal in the darkness of the space between where Zoisite stands guard and the doorway. When they begin to scrabble at the opposite side of the door, his breath catches once, but then Zoisite shifts his weight, wincing but then squeezing a hand at his side, determined. They howl. They claw and kick and stab and slice, trying to make it through. Soon enough a dent begins to form from a repeated impact, perhaps a weapon, or perhaps pure rage-fueled energy, the crush of bone unfelt in the face of the darkness that propels them onwards. Zoisite braces himself, hand still held aloft, ready to trigger his attack. Another dent. Another. There are gaps along the sides of the door now, enough to let light in from the other side, the noise of the horde louder now. Rising to a cacophony. One more slam of a fist or a club, and the door finally breaks at one corner, letting the first scramble through. The others are stuck behind, trying to pull the door fully open, so Zoisite summons his sword. No flashy flurry of petals, just a quick pull that brings it into his hand, and he slashes down, colliding with the man's improvised weapon. The blade cuts through it like it was nothing, and then a body hits the ground at Zoisite's feet. He brings his sword before himself, ready to strike again, but still waiting. ----- Whatever Zoisite thinks of this whole production, this show of trust, well... okay, he did communicate things rather clearly with that glare, but he also hasn't interrupted, has he? He waits until Mercury closes in to do the same, coming to stand by Endymion, though perhaps a step behind, not quite close enough to touch but near at hand. At first he means to cross his arms over his chest, but he's suitably disarmed by the compliment Sailor Mercury pays him. "Thank you," he says, a pleased smile playing across his face. "I can't say for sure, but I do suspect that had something to do with it." Then he looks down at his prince. The way he waxes poetic, in his own way, about this princess makes Zoisite sigh and roll his eyes, in that way that older people do about "young love." Even though he hardly looks to be out of his teenaged years himself. But he takes advantage of his height to aim a quick look over Endymion's head at Mercury, a sly smile and a raise of one eyebrow, already intending on mischief.
Ami Mizuno	The closer they come the more that Mercury worries. The faster her fingers work over the virtual keypads and controls to run computations. To put them into play, to test. And retest. And test again. Each failure to acheive what she wants is adjusted and she tries again seeking to make progress quicker than she has time to do. The computations run by the Silver Millenia computer are working at a pace that is difficult for even her to keep up with easily yet she was managing somehow because she was the only one that COULD. Her own magic rises up when she hears the door give so that Zoisite has to actually attack. Sparing a hand she summons her Lyre with a swirl of water coalescing into physical form. Fingers strum a single time sending out a shiver of ice crackling over the walls and computers and the door seeking to freeze those already there. The cool also helped to keep the overworked computers from overheating but she couldn't do both at the same time. The cold somehow, miraculously, misses Zoisite because that was not her target. "Sorry, trying to help, computers are getting hot... I'm almost there I just need the right frequency!" Frustration edges her tone. Maybe a sound frequency? Another strum and she ties it into the defenses. "Yes, if I merge--" She starts and stops not explaining outright but thinking so fast she had to just keep going. It wasn't the first time she'd had such bursts of thought and excitement around him. He might understand she was just focused on her task. She was getting closer though. So were the attackers clambering over their fallen without a care to get to them. It was only a matter of time. ----- "No, it's not taboo, it's just that I know precious few people outside of the other Guardians, and Princess Sereinity." Certainly none of them were men. Mercury still seems a little nervous of him grasping her hand for the first few moments. It's warm though and firm for his age. Her own are soft yet a bit cooler having come from somewhere less warm. Not cold. Not inhuman. Just... Cool. Like the flow of water from a lazy river. What she can't formulate the words for become evident to Endymion through this touch: In spite of her confidence in herself, and her abilities, she was uncertain around people. Not just Endymion and Zoisite. Like a shy child peeking curiously around a corner to see what others are doing but not having the courage to step out directly. Instead she locks herself in the solace and solidity of her studies where things were certain and sure and had answers she could learn instead of people who could do things like lie. Endymion wasn't the only one that disliked liars and deceivers. When he starts to talk about Princess Serenity there's a surge of warmth to her because there was someone she cared about. Adored. She was protective of her, proud of her, sometimes exasperated by her but she was cared for. And now she was understanding that he cared too in a similar way. Mercury smiles a bit at the suggestion that she might gang up on him with Zoisite. "I don't know about that." Yet. Maybe. A bit of teasing wouldn't hurt.
Mamoru Chiba	----- When Zoisite doesn't actually interrupt, --no, actually, Endymion didn't think Zoisite would interrupt, because there's a trust chain, and truly Endymion testing Mercury's honesty this way ''is'' the quickest method of building a secondary level of trust that isn't dependent on trusting someone who isn't there, someone Zoisite hasn't met either. (Endymion is still disappointed Serenity didn't come with Mercury, and that's in the handshake too. No lies.) Endymion's ''pleased as punch'' when Mercury disarming Zoisite works so well. He's silent for a moment, still clasping her hand, and the warmth is met by a deep well of welcoming acceptance, meeting Mercury where she's at and not digging, just listening more closely than anyone else can. There's something ancient about his regard, something as old as his world, young as his civilization may be, and it sees and accepts and welcomes Mercury, too-- It's almost what a psychic connection to another Senshi might feel like, if such a thing were possible. A whole world's weighted gaze. But he's also an almost-fourteen-year-old boy, and he gets a crooked smile on the 'I don't know about that'. "Well, then, I hope you don't. We should be friends, too, since Serenity and I are definitely friends." Not a lie. Just not the whole truth. Oh how he loves her, he wants to be with her always... -----
Zoisite	A puff of breath coalesces into mist before him, and Zoisite half-turns as he watches ice crawl along the walls surrounding them. Deep, clear blue races towards the door, forming another barrier of protection. But already the door has been breached, and several figures race through before the ice can encapsulate them. All it takes is a subtle flex of Zoisite's hand, and the petals erupt into a volley of explosions that reflect off the ice in a multitude of reds and oranges. "I have it! Just hurry!" Zoisite calls back over his shoulder, and then he jerks his arm through the air, sending out another flurry of petals, primed for the charge. Another attacker is slim enough to wriggle her way through the ice shards at the door, though she does cut herself, and with a wordless shout of rage she charges. Zoisite's blade lifts to cut her down. ----- Archly, Zoisite says, "You never know what might happen," but he takes the opportunity to tilt his head in Mercury's direction, a silent question posed across the space between them with little more than a raised brow and a half-curve to his lips. If it were said aloud, it might be something like "It could be fun, don't you think?" The sly humor shining in his eyes certainly suggests such. He crosses his arms over his chest as the psychic connection, the silent understanding he isn't a part of, seems to be coming towards an end. "So we're friends now, are we?" he asks, looking between Prince Endymion and Sailor Mercury, before he sighs. "Well, if it's going to be like that, then we might as well get to know each other better."