200/Countdown To Midnight

Countdown To Midnight
Date of Scene:	03 August 2023
Location:	Obsidian Tower
Synopsis:	Preparations are made to advance the Midnight Tokyo Project ahead of schedule, and a new Dark General is recruited.
Cast of Characters:	Zoisite, Jadeite, Nephrite, Pyrite, Mamoru Chiba
Tinyplot:	Midnight Tokyo
Tinyplot2:	Lost & Found

---

Zoisite has posed:
    Zoisite is standing in a hallway on the upper levels of Obsidian Tower, in his Dark General uniform, scrolling through messages on his phone with one hand and flipping a knife with the other. He is waiting. Jadeite and Nephrite need to be in on the news he has to share. He kind of hopes Hematite will show too, but it might be better if he doesn't. Instead, there's someone else he has invited to this gathering who has, thus far, been a subject of animosity for three out of four of the Shitennou.

    The manipulator of the group, Zoisite has hit upon a way to amicably resolve that relationship and include the little Ghastly Ghoul in his plans at the same time. Fun for everyone! And it will even advance the Midnight Tokyo Project! He just needs people to actually arrive now. Gods, he's bored.

Jadeite has posed:
    Jadeite appears out of nowhere, fading into existence already in his uniform. He is not impressed with Zoisite's choice of passtimes, and says as much. "You're going to put someone's eye out with that." he admonishes while looking pointedly at the knife. "Also, why are we meeting >here< instead of somewhere more... Private?" He looks around unhappily at the hallway, trying to figure out what's so special about this one that it would be selected above other choices. Also, where is everyone? Is he really the only one who showed up so far? Nephrite is usually at least somewhat punctual. Jadeite's the one who is always so busy he shows up late.

Zoisite has posed:
    Zoisite just gives a wan smile towards Jadeite and flutters his eyelashes. "Maybe I want to put someone's eye out." His smile disappears and is replaced with a mix of annoyance and indifference at the rest of Jadeite's interrogative questions. "Not even going to say hello, hm? I have no idea where Nephrite is. He's usually less late than you are. Our final invitee might not show up at all. It depends on how short of a leash Hematite has her on. Finally, I picked this hallway because it's random, therefore less predictable, therefore less likely to become an ambush site or trap." That Zoisite is concerned about any of those things happening suggests what the Shitennou are doing here may not be seen favorably by one or more parties.

Jadeite has posed:
    "Your choice of wording is almost as reassuring as your choice of meeting places." Jadeite replies with a sarcastic smile. "No, really, there are so many better places for this. Why here? Anyone can pass by. It's not unpredictable or whatever, it's just >out in the open<." He scowls and shakes his head. He really wishes Zoisite would stop playing games like this and just say what he wants. It'd get things done a lot faster. Jadeite does admit that playing games with people can be fun, but not when those people are >him<.

    "Who else is coming then? Nephrite and Hematite, I assume. Is Rincewind or whatever his name is making an appearance? Or the masked girl? Or..." Jadeite's lip curls at the very thought of Pyrite being involved. But Zoisite wouldn't be stupid enough to do >that< would he? "We really need to show some results to Her Majesty sooner rather than later." By which Jadeite means he needs to show results, and quickly.

Nephrite has posed:
    Nephrite has not been responding to any form of communication for a few days now. He has been fully out of contact. So whether or not he's even coming to this meeting is anyone's guess. The answer comes shortly, however, when he appears in the hallway as a black silhouette that quickly fades into detail, like a Shadow becoming a person. He is also wearing his uniform, but looks even more tired and set-upon than usual. His eyes are slightly sunken as he stares at his 'brothers in arms'. He looks around carefully, making sure it's just the three of them in this hallway, and trying to sense anyone watching through magic. Security cameras he can't do anything about unfortunately. Or listening bugs. He would hope he could detect any youma agents in the area as well, but he isn't expecting to find any.

    And what he has to say is too important to leave unspoken. Instead, he meets the eyes of Zoisite and Jadeite in turn. After several seconds, he says, "Brothers, we are betrayed. Our own Queen is our betrayer, and so are we ourselves." What a way to start a conversation.

Zoisite has posed:
    Zoisite sighs at Jadeite's pestering. "Why are you like this? Any time I try to do anything fun or different, you make it not that way. I hate so much... About the things that you choose to do." he laments, shaking his head disapprovingly at the other blonde. He senses Nephrite's arrival in the split-second it occurs and turns to look towards him. Nephrite's suspicious scanning of the environment has Zoisite raising an eyebrow. The proclaimation before any sort of greeting has Zoisite's other eyebrow raising too. "Really, does nobody know how to render a greeting anymore?" he asks with a put-upon expression and resentful tone of voice.

    "Also, I don't anticipate most of that list, Jadeite, no." he tacks on in a clearly audible stage whisper with one hand alongside his mouth to 'dampen the sound'. It's very much not dampened.

Jadeite has posed:
    Zoisite may be being flippant about this situation, but Jadeite is very carefully watching Nephrite while trying to appear not to be doing so. With such forced calmness and casualness that it nearly wraps around to become agitation and unprofessionalism, Jadeite addresses what Nephrite said. "You have been missed, Nephrite. We were beginning to worry about you. Now you arrive with... This." He folds his arms as he leans against the wall opposite to the one Zoisite is near. "Could you please explain? I would like to understand what led you to believe these things."

    Jadeite wants to know how screwed they are that Nephrite appears to have changed sides, before he commits to anything.

Nephrite has posed:
    "I speak with utmost seriousness," Nephrite insists in his gravelly voice. "Long ago, we served the future King of Earth, Prince Endymion. We were deceived and corrupted by Beryl and her own demonic master. This is not who we are! Not who we're supposed to be!" Nephrite's posture is tense, but he speaks with conviction as he looks back and forth from Jadeite to Zoisite. "Surely you must have felt it too. This isn't right. We should be fighting alongside those Sailor Senshi, not against them! I was Nephrite, Guardian of Endymion, and a Magus of the Astrological College of Magic. I did not pledge my loyalty to my prince, just to be made the servant of evil. Neither did either of you! Try to remember!" This is a very direct way of doing this, but Nephrite has been fighting to hold onto these memories, and this identity, ever since he recalled the past at that animal hospital. It's a fight he feels like he's losing. He has to act now while he still can. While he's still him.

Zoisite has posed:
    Zoisite's smile becomes more... Pointed. V-shaped. Evil, for lack of a better word. "You're speaking nonsense," he insists, even though the words tickle something in his mind. "They got to you, didn't they? One of those Magical Girls got into your head and did something to you, and now here you are trying to spread the infection. I hate to say it, but you've gotten sloppy, Nephrite. This isn't how the real you would have handled this. You should have tried to talk to us individually."

    Zoisite's phone goes into his pocket, and the knife in his other hand suddenly becomes three knives. "Stand down while we figure out how to fix you. Clearly, the sparkles have made you too stupid to be a Shitennou otherwise." And there's no reason to keep a traitor on the staff roll, he leaves unsaid.

Jadeite has posed:
    The last Shitennou present does not jump to the same conclusions that Zoisite does. Instead, Jadeite... Hesitates. He remembers a recent conversation with Hematite... With Darien Shields, the man who was once named Mamoru Chiba. Even then, Jadeite sensed that something was off. He even suggested that Hematite might be their 'prince'. So.... He doesn't act or react right away. He just leans against the wall, and looks between Zoisite and Nephrite with a look of concentration as he tries to sort out many things at once.

    Yes, there's something lost in his memories that he can't recall. It made asking if Hematite would remember him even more painful, because he knew he might well not remember Hematite if their roles were reversed. There's... something off about this. All of this. And now Nephrite comes along with this story about a Prince and... Some part of it clicks with him. It fits into place in a way he can't describe.

    And so he waits and watches.

Nephrite has posed:
    Zoisite's response is... Unhappily in-character for him. Nephrite still hoped that Zoisite would see reason. Jadeite's lack of objection could mean anything, but he at least seems to be listening. Nephrite says, "Think, Jadeite! Why were we reborn in this era? Do you think Queen Beryl arranged that? Queen Metallia? They are using us, but they did not give us our powers! Our true powers... Those of Guardians. We come from..." Nephrite stutters a bit as he hesitates. "...From another time." The fog is creeping in. He has to convince Jadeite. Then the two of them can try to help Zoisite remember. "Remember, damn you!" he roars at Jadeite in frustration, more at himself and his crumpling defense against forgetting than at the fellow Shitennou.

    "Remember who you were! Where you came from! Who you loved! This isn't who we're supposed to be and this isn't who we should be fighting against." He has a forceshield up just in case Zoisite attacks, but he, perhaps foolishly, believes the knife-wielding man wouldn't do so. Not against a brother.

Pyrite has posed:
    A shadow appears.
    It isn't Nephrite's.
    "Greetings. I have arrived. I am in time for this gathering, correct?" calls out the innocent voice of a little girl. A little girl with long blach hair, bright red eyes, and the custom-tailored Shitennou uniform that was made for her. She is just standing there in the hallway a little bit before Nephrite, arms behind her back, smiling and looking around at each of the men present. She is so glad that she was invited. This is simply splendid! No one ever invites her anywhere. Maybe they think she is a vampire. Which is she not. Or could be considered such from a certain point of view, but mostly isn't!

    Furthermore, and forthwith, and etcetera, she has been invited for a very special reason (according to Zoisite)! It is a surprise for Hematite, so she is not to tell him, but it will definitely make him happy. "It is my understanding that I am to be made a Dark General. Shall we commence?" Pyrite says in her weird mix of formal speak and little-girl voice, with that ever-present malice in the back of her words, like a knife hidden behind her back.

Zoisite has posed:
    Zoisite's smile broadens even further. Before he can even rejoinder Nephrite's claims or try to stop his ridiculous narrative from poisoning Jadeite's empty skull too, the last invitee arrives. The odds have just turned in his favor. "Welcome, welcome~!" he says with genuine cheer (and hate, lots of hate). "I see that at least one person on the guest list has some fucking manners." Zoisite disappears the knives in his hand as he claps both hands together. "Now, then. How about we solve this little kerfluffle the easy way. Nephrite, you are clearly insane or mind controlled. Let us help you, and we can put all this behind us, sweep it under the rug, and some other metaphors about pretending it never happened."

    Zoisite tilts his head to the side as a red glow appears in his eyes. "Otherwise, we will have a problem." As the Third among the Shitennou, Zoisite's power is second only to Hematite's. He doesn't know if he can take both Nephrite and Jadeite by himself, but now he doesn't have to. Because he has Hematite's pet horror here. Fashionably late.

    "This doesn't have to go any further," he says with mock concern as he lowers his arms to his sides, and glances towards Jadeite while keeping his supernatural senses on Nephrite and Pyrite.

Jadeite has posed:
    Jadeite is the weakest among the Shitennou. That isn't saying a lot since he can manhandle a cadre of Magical Girls by himself, mostly (though they have been getting stronger lately), but he isn't about to try to leap into an unnecessary fight, regardless of power differences. Not with the Shitennou. "Nephrite, this is a lot to take in. I don't think any of us should be leaping to conclusions. We should take this one step at a time, starting with what happened to you when you went out of contact for several days." Jadeite is trying to be reasonable, but that tickling at the back of his mind is persistent. Something about what Nephrite is saying feels right, even if incomplete. But Nephrite himself seems uncertain now.

    Brushing a hand through his curly blonde hair, Jadeite lets out a breath and pushes away from the wall as he forces a smile. "Greetings, Pyrite. I wasn't aware you would be coming. Or that you were promised a Generalship." He glances towards Zoisite. "Is that something Hematite told you?"

Nephrite has posed:
    Nephrite is trying desperately to hold onto his own thoughts and feelings, the memories that slip away like sand between his fingers, all while dealing with Zoisite alternating threatening him and being patronizing. Jadeite is trying to 'reason with him' as though he is the crazy one here, and... Nephrite can't entirely dismiss the possibility that this was all a bout of madness. It doesn't mesh with anything else in his life since he was awakened by Hematite. A curtain of darkness is descending over his thoughts. If he can just... Retain clarity... A little bit longer...

    Then Darkness Itself is at his back. Nephrite freezes up. He hears her voice. He sees the change in Zoisite's expression. The caution in Jadeite's.

    Zoisite set him up. This was PLANNED Gods damn it. Or at least Zoisite is making it seem that way. Taking credit for something he didn't actually do would be just like him... Or... Would it? Nephrite's recollections are becoming overridden with the more recent past. The Zoisite who wields Dark Energy is more prominent than the one who... Who...

    Who was he thinking of?

    "There's no need for violence. If it's evidence you want..." Nephrite calls upon his Shadow, causing it to loom up behind him. "...I can show you truth." He holds his hands together in a focusing position. "The Stars know everything..." he begins, but then stops. How did the rest of it go? It was so clear before with... That human girl. The one he gathered energy from. He was going to present it to Her Majesty. That will show he is doing his part, and secure the resources needed to speed up Midnight Tokyo's construction.

    The red glow grows in his eyes as well, half-shading in crimson. He's gritting his teeth as he fights against it with everything he has. But it was a mistake to summon his Shadow.

    Nephrite's Shadow no longer bears Stars. It is just void. Wrath and emptiness and isolation and eternal hunger. It overtakes him in his mind. As he turns to face his Shadow, the thing bearing his face writ in fire, his eyes widen as it grows larger and larger until it is his entire world.

    His grasp on his true self slips away as he calls out in horror, "Who are you in that darkness!?" Then he is swallowed up by the fire and the shadows and...

    Nephrite who has been standing in place silently for quite some time, seems to come back to his senses. He blinks repeatedly, and puts a hand to his head.

    "What the fuck was that?" he asks in annoyance at the enormous headache.

Pyrite has posed:
    Pyrite has no idea what's going on, but she is just pleased as punch to be here! "Zoisite-senpai said it. I will become a Shitennou and then Hematite-senpai will be surprised and happy and pat my head and praise me! Then I can begin gathering life force like other Shitennou and eating youma and fighting Magical Girls, and protecting ducks and not eating their energy until they grow too tired to swim and then they are floating upside-down and they keep falling apart until they are no longer ducks, just lumps of flesh and feathers and rot and--" Pyrite is interrupted by some sort of drama with the other three here.
    And Nephrite summons his Shadow. Pyrite tilts her head at it inquisitively. It reminds her that she can travel through Hematite's shadow, and control shadows to make a bunch of tiny cute deadly hands to tear things apart with. She hasn't been commanded to, but, just out of curiosity, she sticks her hand in Nephrite's Shadow.

    Her red eyes light up and glow bright. A wide smile spreads across her pale little face, and her long black hair waves in an unfelt breeze. "Oh. I see now. So that is how it is." She pulls her arm out and skips around to stand in front of Nephrite. She leans over to look up into his face. "Do you feel better now?" she asks with a mix of concern and childish happiness.

    She is very, very cheerful now that she finally sees what that Darkness is inside of the Shitennou. The hateful malevolence that was so familiar to her, because she used to direct it at herself, and her shrine, and her mother, and the people who wouldn't see or talk to her, and the birds, and the insects, and stray cats, and every single other thing in existence.

    She has been reminded of What she is.

    She giggles a bit. "I look forward to working with you." she says gleefully as she spins around and bows to each Shitennou in turn.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
There are steps in the middle of the hall on the approach, as Hematite teleports in mid-stride. He's not so much hesitant as immediately wary, since Zoisite and Pyrite both look happy and Nephrite looks annoyed and Jadeite looks cautious.

His expression goes a little flat, and he holds up a hand, and he looks at Jadeite. "What's going on?" he asks the short-haired blond, a year's worth of 'I know you'll give it to me straight' jammed into three words.

When he stops walking, he's carefully managed to position himself almost completely equidistant from all of them.

Zoisite has posed:
    Zoisite isn't going to lower his guard while Nephrite goes through some sort of mental transformation. He may not have appeared to have his guard up at all, but pretending to have recovered to put everyone at ease and then teleporting around snapping their necks is exactly what he'd do, so he assumes anyone duplicitous enough and determined enough would do the same. "Yes, Pyrite. That's right. Once you are a Dark General or Dark Lieutenant or whatever, we'll be able to team up more effectively." And they can keep a closer eye on her. But right now, his eyes are on Jadeite.

    "Jadeite, my friend, what are you thinking about right now? Do you have anything you'd like to share regarding The Situation?" He gestures towards Nephrite, sending out a flurry of rose petals to brush against the outline of the Astrological Mage's forceshield, confirming that it's there. "Should we perhaps take poor, confused Nephrite into custody for his own protection until we can find out what just--" His attention snaps to Pyrite suddenly. Her Dark Energy levels just spiked noticeably. What happened just now? What did she do? What is she muttering about?

    As the Hateful Haunter twirls and dances and bows and speaks with more sophistication than has been typical of her thus far, the situation abruptly gets even more chaotic. Hematite arrives and asks what's going on.

    Ah, the billion yen question.

    Shit.

Jadeite has posed:
    Jadeite is very, very wary right now. Of Nephrite, of Zoisite, obviously of Pyrite, and even Hematite's arrival doesn't necessarily improve the situation. He hasn't answered any of the questions posed to him, but he does fold his arms and keep his back to the wall he was leaning against. He is paranoid enough to want to make sure no one just appears behind him and snaps his neck. "That," he begins. "Is a loaded question, Hematite."

    He definitely wants to tell Hematite exactly what's going on, to the best of his knowledge, but so much stuff has happened just now, and so much is uncertain about who might try to stop him from speaking, that he has to choose his words and actions carefully. Unlike Nephrite, he prepares no defenses. The very act of defending himself could be seen as an act of aggression.

    Instead, he decides to clarify one of the factors. "Zoisite arranged a meeting. Here. In this hallway. Because 'el-oh-el random'. I showed up, then Nephrite showed up, then Pyrite. Nephrite had some words to share and accusations to make, but he seems to have settled down now. Also, Pyrite was promised a promotion and I think she just got a power-up from it somehow. Other than that, I'm still waiting to find out myself."

    Then, quietly, he says to Nephrite. "How are you feeling? Back with us now?"

Nephrite has posed:
    Pyrite's hand in his Shadow before it disappears goes unnoticed somehow. He was too busy being cannibalized by his own soul projection. Instead, Nephrite gives Zoisite a foul look as he has psychoplasmic flower petals thrown at him like confetti. "Please, spare me." He drops his forceshield, and shakes his still-pounding head, which is immediately revealed to be a mistake by the way the hallway spins around him. But he is a Dark General, and his fortitude is far beyond any normal human's. He endures and straightens himself out. "I believe so, yes." He turns so he can look at everyone in the hall, much like Jadeite, though for less paranoid reasons. "I believe this may have been a side-effect of overexerting myself and absorbing a large amount of human life force in quick succession. Perhaps the human's emotions contaminated me somehow while my defenses were weakened."

    Still holding his head with one hand, he gets out, "Hematite. Glad you could make it. Zoisite is handing out promotions. Maybe he'll promote you as well."

Pyrite has posed:
    Eeeeh? Eeeeeh? Nani, nani? What's going on?
    Pyrite is turning to look at each person as they speak, listening and observing, and trying to put the context clues together. But her attention immediately switches to Hematite when he appears. "Hematite-senpai!" she calls out cheerfully while Zoisite deflects and Jadeite summarizes and Nephrite hypothesizes and she just *blip*s to the side of her upperclassman/brother/killer/enslaver/dietician. She wants to hug him but settles for a little salute instead. "Dark General Pyrite, ready for duty!"

    She drops the formality quickly, already ignoring everyone but Hematite as she tugs at his sleeve with her thumb and forefinger. "Ne! Ne! If a Dark General isn't useful anymore, can I eat him?"

    This quesiton can only help the situation, assuredly.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Hematite can see the flash of 'oh shit' somewhere in Zoisite's face, or maybe his stance-- an echo of long-known tells-- no matter how briefly it shows; his attention settles on Jadeite again, the same weighted and listening thing it was up on the roof about a week or so ago.

"I see," he says quietly, and then glances at Nephrite, concern hidden poorly. Is he all right? Did he have another spike of 'cage-rattling', even here at Obsidian?

But there's a terrible answer from Neph to Jadeite, and Hematite doesn't buy it, but there are other things to worry about right now.

"Promotions, is it?" he asks Zoisite deceptively mildly, one eyebrow quirking up.

And then -- Pyrite, sleeve-tugging, being adorable, and thanks to Zoisite he'll have to disappoint her. He crouches down to look at her closer to her level (even if she doesn't have to be there, she could be tall if she wanted, she could do anything--)

"Py-tan," he says gravely, "I'm afraid Zoisite was mistaken. That's not how promotions work. You're my apprentice, and as much as I appreciate your ability and your enthusiasm and your quickness, I don't feel that you have enough XP to progress yet."

They've only briefly touched on videogames. That, Hematite is sure, will have to change.

He puts his hand on Pyrite's thin little shoulder, solid and warm and human and alive. "When you do get enough, you'll hear it from me, not anyone else. And you must listen to this very closely, Himeko: not a single one of us is disposable. The dark generals of other divisions in Obsidian, maybe, but none of my Shitennou will ever be useless to me. Also, it's incredibly rude to eat co-workers."

He stands, and he doesn't take his hand off Pyrite's shoulder, and he looks at Zoisite. First there's an abortive little sigh, cut off. Then there's that mild tone again, and he says perfectly reasonably, "Zoi, you're on notice."

Zoisite has posed:
    Ever quick to adapt and improvise, Zoisite attempts to intercept whatever Jadeite might be about to say by sidling up to him through the expedient tactic of making shushing motions at him while his back is to Hematite. No luck there, huh. Sigh. Instead he turns to face Hematite, arms behind his back, and says, "Hematite. Darien. My leader. My senpai. My brother. Light of my life. You are legitimately harshing my groove." He brings his arms back up front and folds them as he pouts. "You didn't even let me explain my plan!" he protests childishly.

Jadeite has posed:
    Jadeite leans away from Zoisite's sidling, ignores the frantic attempts to make him shut up, and just remains where he is, calm and cautious. It looks like whatever the hell is happening is being taken in hand by Hematite and brought under control. That's why he's their leader. Stoically, Jadeite just sprinkles something else on top of this mess after attention has been taken off of him. "By the way, your girlfriend tried to murder me, Hematite. Her cat too. I only just finished regenerating my legs the other day."

Nephrite has posed:
    Nephrite continues rubbing his head. "A cat bit off your legs?" he asks somewhat deliberately densely, but also with magical girls you never know. A leg-eating cat is a possibility. "I'll be fine. I just need to sit somewhere dark, and quiet, and drink something very, very strong." He frowns deeply a moment later. Wait, a cat? It couldn't be, could it? No, it's probably just a coincidence. He'll consult the Stars when he doesn't have double-vision anymore.

    "Zoisite, you didn't explain your plan to anyone yet, have you?" he asks as he looks up, squinting across the corridor. He is very much hoping that Hematite's bad news for his apprentice doesn't result in something even worse happening. For that reason, his attention is primarily split between his headache and his best friend. He isn't going to be slow to act this time. If the death-creature looks even slightly hostile... Well, it's better to seek forgiveness than permission. If she keeps getting stronger, Pyrite might reach the point where Nephrite can't actually stop her.

Pyrite has posed:
    Pyrite continues looking up at Hematite, and then meeting his eyes when he comes down to her level. Her fingers on his sleeve, the smile on her face, the expectation of praise, waiting for the head pats, and the permission to do something special as a prize. She made it to Dark General, after all! Then he tells her that no, she didn't, and she can't eat anyone, and that she's not strong enough yet, but how can she get stronger if she can't eat, and she keeps waiting for the praise and the pat on the head, and they don't come, as Hematite stands up.
    Her smile remains fixed in place, like it was painted there, as her fingers loosen and then her hand drops to her side. Another fetter restricting her actions. A punishment for her progress, even if not intended as such. What does she have to do to become closer to him? How can she make herself more important to him than anyone else? She can't kill them. Does she have to make Hematite hate them? Or just... Stop caring about them?
    But he gave her a loophole. This fetter is lighter than the others.
    The dark generals of other divisions in Obsidian, maybe.
    It's a command so wide-open to interpretation that she could drive all of Yomi through it, and Hell too. But she has to abide the other restrictions. No eating people. No killing people or animals. Various other, much narrower rules. Fetters that chafe her until she bleeds.
    Giving no verbal response, she just smiles her innocent smile, even if much smaller now, and stays at Hematite's side, and waits.
    Himeko is very good at waiting.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
He saw what happened to Himeko's smile, her enthusiasm, and it is why Zoisite is on notice.

That doesn't help, really.

Hematite looks tired.

"Zoisite," he sighs. "You know exactly how much I don't like surprises, and you're surprised?"

His hand is still there, but it pulls Pyrite in a little further, closer.

"Go ahead and explain it. In a second. Jadeite I don't have a girlfriend, just a girl I like, and she's a mortal, she's not capable of murdering you, especially not with a cat. If you're talking about some magical girl, are you sure it wasn't self-defense? If you acted a little less murdery then maybe magical girls would try and murder you less. I'm just saying."

He doesn't sound mad, just kind of like he wants to go read a book and drink some tea in his dorm room with the window open and the fireflies drifting around outside. He is also unconcerned about Pyrite trying anything on him, but that's a known issue, yes.

"All right, Zoi," he tries to head off any further 'girlfriend' comments, "plan. Explain. Don't forget to include the part where you either set up a ten year old murderghost for disappointment on purpose, or thought I was a pushover."

Zoisite has posed:
    Zoisite stares back flatly, like a cat, for several seconds. Then he raises one hand from his arm-folded position and holds it up like he's lecturing someone. "Technically speaking, is she actually ten years old? When did she even die, originally?"

    Alright, this isn't helping. Dropping his hand down to rest on his hip and his other arm at his side. "I thought that if we integrated her into the group officially we could teach her basic skills she is so obviously lacking, and give her a bit more direction in her... Activities." He says this last word in the same manner an ordinary person being exorted to give advise on a ritual sacrifice would. Distastefully, reluctantly, and while excusing oneself to discuss the 'blood issue' with your comrades and get back to ritual organizer. Maybe even pronounce it 'iss-oo' too, for good measure, like some English asshole.

    "We all know you want her to feel included. I was attempting to include her." He heaves a dramatic sigh and folds his arms again. He resumes his flat, cat-like stare.

    "Alsothere'ssomefamiliesiwanthertoterrorizetoseeiftheirdaughtersaremagicalgirls." adds on casually while examining his fingernails. Through his gloves.

Jadeite has posed:
    The less-of-an-asshole blonde holds up his hands defensively at Hematite's admonition, going all wide-eyed, like Hematite is the unreasonable one here. He waits for a break in the conversation and for Zoisite's extremely shitty explanation, and making sure Pyrite doesn't flip out and kill them all before elaborating. "I understand, I understand. What happened in London stays in London. But also, seriously, Sailor V didn't stay in London, she's here, and her ratpack ambushed me in a warehouse and the Moon one almost killed me. Sailor V does have a cat, correct?"

    He says this in the tone of someone who would be pushing their eyeglasses up their nose and looking down at someone if he was wearing glasses at the moment. But they're in his other suit.

Nephrite has posed:
    Pyrite remains under control, even if Nephrite can tell the news did not please her. He keeps an eye on her, hopes his constitution solves this headache shortly, and squints at Jadeite. "What did the cat look like?" he asks. It's ridiculous, but he just wants to make sure. "Did you get a name?" he adds on. It's a valid question, shut up.

Pyrite has posed:
    Pyrite doesn't react further for now. She just stands and watches and listens and waits. She knows she's being watched back. That's fine. The hate feels like home. She was going to tell Hematite about her meeting with Counselor-san, but maybe she'll just keep quiet about that for now. She hasn't been told not to keep secrets after all.

    She does cup a hand to her mouth and whisper up to Hematite, so clearly that her mouth might as well be right next to his ear -- infact, it might be, even though it's also down there on her face. But it's hidden from view, so how can anyone be sure? So she whispers. "I can terrorize them. I am very skilled at terrorizing. I have been watching the Films of Horror. There are many excellent tactics for inspiring fear."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"... you literally could just have said 'hey can Pyrite come work with me on thing' and I would have been like 'sure' and then I wouldn't be really annoyed at you," Hematite tells Zoisite crossly, and then Jadeite goes THERE and Hematite's hand slides off Pyrite's shoulder because his hands ball into fists.

"Yeah she has a cat. A lot of them have cats," he says quietly. It's not a gentle quiet. "Danburite died because he was an idiot, but it was on my watch, and it was technically to Sailor V. I don't think that makes her anything but an enemy."

His jaw works for a second, and he blinks at Nephrite-- then bends unnecessarily to listen to Pyrite. He finally gets a little smile back on his face, as crooked as it is, and he ruffles her hair. "Yes. You're very good at terrorizing." Another glance at Zoi, and then he looks down at Pyrite again. "Zoisite is not your boss, so try to use your judgement as to whether you think something he wants you to do would piss me off, and check with me if you're not sure."

Then he looks at Zoisite again, and there's the affection that's never missing for long, even if right now it's mostly hidden inside "You're such a pain in the ass."

Zoisite has posed:
    "Maybe I'm just inherently contradictory." he mutters. Louder, he says, "I emulate my betters." He's not about to say what he actually wanted to do in front of Hematite now. For reasons. Nephrite might be a no-go too. Actually, Pyrite might be the only one Zoisite can actually talk about this with. Why the hell are all these other people here anyway? It's extremely rude to barge in on a private discussion. "At any rate, there's a meeting room right over there, we can just duck in there to talk." He then casually flounces off down the hall, sliding his I.D. through the electronic lock by the door, and saunters on in.

Jadeite has posed:
    Jadeite looks towards Nephrite and answers, "No, I didn't catch a name, it's a goddamn cat. It was black though, with a little crescent-shaped bald spot. Bit right into my ankle, and clawed the hell out of it. Snuck through my forceshield. Apparently slow movement doesn't trigger kinetic defense." He then looks to Hematite and says, "I apologize then. Well, one of them is the one you keep showing up to cheer for, isn't she? Or is that just a rumor? She's blonde. I think. Fucking Disguise Magic." He sighs and moves down the hallway, heavily annoyed.

    "Why didn't we just go to a meeting room in the first place?" he gripes. Jadeite looks over his shoulder. And there's suspicion in his eyes as he gazes upon Nephrite. The Enemy got to him. He said some very interesting things, but the fact that he was compromised once means he can be compromised again.

    This marks the beginning of a steady decline in the relationship that Jadeite has with his senior, and possibly the Shitennou in general.

Nephrite has posed:
    Nephrite follows along silently. A black cat. With a crescent mark. He walks slowly so that he can be near to Hematite and Pyrite. "We need to talk." he mutters. He doesn't care if Pyrite can hear. Her knowing or not doesn't affect the topic of conversation. It's just... Not something the brown-haired man can talk about with anyone else yet. It's too painful a topic. The details are already scattered, but he has the core essence.

    That will have to be enough for now.

Pyrite has posed:
    The hand slipping off her shoulder causes Pyrite to fix her red eyes on Hematite. She has that half-lidded menacing look to her most of the time in her role as an apprentice Shitennou and almost-a-Dark-General. It really helps convey the monster that she is despite her innocent looks, and is thus excellent for playing the villain. Not so much among allies though. Hematite though? It doesn't bother him. He knows she won't hurt him, can't hurt him. Not deliberately. Possibly not even accidentally if supernatural laws are to be believed.
    But she may very well be waiting for the cue to act if someone has displeased her mentor enough that he is standing there balling his fists. 'Order me.' she thinks. 'Command me to act. Use our contract. I am your tool, so use me to solve your problems.'
    The tension fades and Pyrite remains unused. Without change in expression, body language, energy, or anything else, she just swivels her head forwards again and continues to observe the others. Learning. Mimicking.
    The hair ruffle and praise, however, cause her to press into the contact hard, needily, like she was hungry for it. Cats may be the topic of conversation, but the only feline present right now is Pyrite based off her behavior as she closes her eyes and does everything she can to maintain that moment of head pets.
    Her eyes open again, wide and attentive, as she is given more instructions. "I understand." she says solemnly despite the wide smile on her face. Zoisite is not a proxy for Hematite. Acknowledged and remembered.
    Another fetter earned, but one that draws the lines of karmic destiny tighter around her and Hematite, while separating them both from Zoisite. It's the best outcome she could have hoped for in this situation.
    She does not go anywhere unless Hematite does, but the very moment he moves she is mirroring those movements without even trying. After an increase in their sympathy like that, how could she not?

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"Mmm," is all Hematite says in Zoisite's direction, and then proves he's the bossest boss because he has pockets in his shitennou uniform. Pockets he can shove his hands into like the teenager he is. Which he does. Only for the amount of time it takes to get into the meeting room, but it's a cathartic amount of time.

In that span of time, he purses his lips for a second and nods to Jadeite. And then he gets a crooked almost-smiling expression on his face for a second. "Ah, yeah. Sailor Moon. The one who literally princess carried me away from Sailor V's attacks while I was out of uniform. Sorry she and her cat gave you a kicking -- it sounds like she's gotten significantly better since the last time I saw her act. I'll have to throw something bigger at her next time."

Then: walking into the room, and he hears Nephrite, and his thumb brushes across Pyrite's forehead and sifts her hair away from her face, and he lets her keep his hand until walking makes the arrangement unwieldy. He nods to the taller man, and doesn't notice Pyrite is mirroring him, doesn't notice--

--he never notices when he loses a little more, and he's always dismayed when the shelves are empty later-- but he sees the back of Zoisite's head and the set of delicate shoulders and he's annoyed but he also needs to figure out whether the huff is real and how to undo it.

Like hell will anyone cut them away from him again.

Zoisite has posed:
    When Zoisite enters the meeting room, he finds it's already in-use. He frowns. There shouldn't be anything happening at this time of evening. "You two. Get your clothes on and get out." he yells to the couple. "And if I catch you at this again I'll report you for misusing company resources." he adds on after the two have finished dressing at hyper-speed and scuttling away down the hall without looking at anyone they pass. They definitely aren't going to mention the military uniforms to anyone later.

    Muttering about how unhygienic this is, he flips the enormous conference table over, producing a cacophonous crash, and just barely avoiding hitting the windows that span the wall looking out over the city. Then he snaps his fingers a few times and three shadowed silhouettes appear within the room. They resolve into three female youma, already kneeling and bowing their heads respectfully to Zoisite.

    "How may we serve, my Lord?" the central ninja-looking Plant Sister says.

    "Grape, my dear. We need clean furniture. You know those bits and bobs we got looting Nephrite's mansion? Bring those over here and set them up. You and your sisters are authorized to recruit any others you decide are needed for the task." He isn't about to make three of his elite servants do manual labor, like some sort of savage.

    It's... An unusual request, but they're being asked to do this in front of all four of the Shitennou and also some kind of wraith, so they aren't about to show even a hint of disobedience. "As you command, Lord Zoisite-sama." all three of the youma say in turn before disappearing.

    "It'll be just a moment. Apologies for the wait. I didn't think I was going to need to detox this place. I also wasn't planning on using it originally, but that's beside the point."

Jadeite has posed:
    "Again, it wasn't the gods damned cat that nearly did me in. It was Sailor Moon with her cosmic cutie rod shrapnel. She was throwing warehouse pieces charged with ridiculous amounts of magic at me. I barely got out of the way in time. Both legs were shredded for days afterwards." he gripes. The entire display with the meeting room, and the misbehaving employees (who earn only an 'are you serious?' expression of disgust from him as they run away, and also their faces memorized so he can recommend they be fired later), and the youma, and everything, is just watched from the sidelines, appearing totally done with this entire situation.

    "Zoisite." he begins. "I could have just brought whatever furniture this is here, or made a pocket dimension, or something. Are you just showing off? Is that what this is? Gods you're insufferable."

Nephrite has posed:
    Nephrite also hangs out in the back, arms folded, through yet another of Zoisite's productions. They all complain about making things over-complicated, but Zoisite without a leash just becomes more and more chaotic and whimsical the longer he's allowed to run rampant. He says nothing until everyone is gone. Then he asks the poignant question about the elephant in the room. The non-literal elephant, obviously.

    "Zoisite. I know I've been out of contact, but there was a purpose in summoning us here, wasn't there?" He wants to get this over with and go drink himself into a stupor (or try. A healing factor is really annoying for getting drunk because it keeps removing the intoxicants from his system) so he can recover from the past few days of paranoia, stress, and emotional trauma.

    Also, for some reason he just feels so weakened, as though he was in a huge battle or used an enormous amount of energy. What is wrong with him?

    He frowns deeply after Zoisite makes a point of claiming he 'looted Nephrite's mansion' in front of the subordinates. That's grand-standing he doesn't approve of. "Also," he says more quietly. "Could you avoid throwing the other Shitennou under the bus to show off to your minions? It was a storage unit where I put the previous owner's belongings. I told you that you could have whatever you wanted from it. I would never tolerate you stealing from me without reprisal."

Pyrite has posed:
    Pyrite has no idea what's going on, but Hematite's waspy soul and her bottomless well of hungry darkness soothe and feed each other. So as long as there's some form of physical contact, she is content. When it stops, she of course becomes discontent. All the commotion has her peeking around the door frame into the meeting room, then ducking back when some people come charging out. She follows them with her gaze until they are out of sight down the hall and around the corner, and then focuses back on Hematite. 'Give me instructions. What should I do in this situation? How should I act? Am I doing this right? Am I acceptable? Do you disapprove? What does your body language tell me? What do your emotions tell me? Can you feel mine? Can you tell how much I want your approval? Why don't you see me the way I see you? What do I have to do to matter to you more than anyone else? Are you going to leave me at my shrine again if I fail you? I'm not one of your Shitennou. They will never be not-needed. That means there is the chance that I could be not-needed as I am not one of them.'

    When the youma teleport in, she senses them, but her eyes are on Hematite still. 'Do I defend you? Do I posture? Do I threaten? Do I act innocent? Do I laugh at their funny appearances? Do I bow to them? Do you want me to go ahead of you to avoid an attack? Do you want me to guard your back so that you can retreat if needed? Should I be both places at once? I can do it. I can do anything. As long as you order me to.'

    The youma leave, and she still hasn't looked away. She's just waiting. Waiting for a sign.

    And if she doesn't get one, she focuses back on the room and the others, and watches them, and memorizes them, so that can mimic them and increase her sympathy in the future.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"That's one reason," Hematite says, watching the backs of the scattering employees, "that I like having meetings on the roof. But I can understand not wanting the wind in your hair."

As the youma are summoned in, the leader of the Shitennou pulls himself up to sit crosslegged in midair, then pats the air next to him while looking at Pyrite, eyebrows up. Come sit next to me: it's funny.

"I didn't realize you were so badly injured," Hematite tells Jadeite apologetically. "Remind me to show you some of the tricks I picked up for more efficient self-healing. And please try to be more careful, even if they're silly. I need you, y'know."

Nephrite gets a brief hand-on-shoulder, which is an easier reach from midair, despite Hematite not actually being short at all. It's a quick squeeze, and then Hema's hands are dropped back to his knees and he says mildly, after the youma leave, "We need to all be on the same side, here."

He leans his head into one hand, and that elbow goes on its corresponding knee, and his hair falls around his face. "It'd be nice to be on the same page, too, but really, I have to be able to count on you guys. I do count on you guys. It's just a little crazymaking when it seems like everyone would be happier if everyone else were on fire. Is it a boredom thing?"

'Zoisite has posed:
    Some lesser youma arrive a little while later, with the Plant Sisters there to give direction. It's an incredibly easy and mundane task, but they're doing this in front of their lord, the leader of the Shitennou, as well as Nephrite and Jadeite, and, again, that horrible little monster thing whatever that is. He rolls his eyes but acknowledges Nephrite while all the activity is going on. "You're right, I apologize. I'll be more mindful of both what I say and in front of whom going forward." Then he makes a 'shhh shhh shhh just wait' gesture/face at Jadeite and his inquiries. Like, 'not in front of the help' or whatever.

    Finally, and only after the entire meeting room is cleaned up to Zoisite's standards, with a bunch of high-quality antique furniture replacing all the corporate mass-produced stuff, he lounges on the air like Hematite (and maybe Pyrite) and ignores all of it. "Very well. Now, the reason we have gathered here today: I went to the aquarium to help one of our comrades from another department. Mostly just to skim off the top, really, but also to have the appearance of helping. Then like a half-dozen magical girls just transformed out of nowhere." He gestures. "The sheer volume of them is unsustainable. We cannot keep doing this in this way or we will lose." Zoisite takes the time to lock eyes with each person present in turn (this excludes Pyrite, due to not being a person).

    "I watched them fight, and win, and while I got a fair amount of the energy that was being gathered after dear Lana's gathering was interrupted, it could have gone much, much better." He then says seriously, "We need Midnight Tokyo. And if we can't get all of it, then we need parts of it. Rather than a grand project that will eventually culminate in a completed city in the Dusk Zone years from now, we should be putting it together in pieces. Modules that can be linked together at a later date but are useful to us now. If we'd had the ability to just flip that aquarium to our home turf, those wretched girls would have lost even with a numbers advantage. And in a situation where they don't have such an advantage? We might actually start racking up some kills for our side instead of being the ones getting murdered out there."

    Zoisite regards Nephrite carefully. "I had hoped to speak with you and Jadeite about accelerating things by taking a one-piece-at-a-time approach, but with your recent... Whatever the hell happened to you, I understand if you're not able to give meaningful feedback right now."

    He also adds on, "Also, I believe Jadeite could benefit from some assistance in regard to security Dusk-side. We don't want random incursions that don't benefit us, like that thing at the mall, and we'll be reliant upon him for setting up the actual switchover mechanism."

Jadeite has posed:
    Jadeite sighs and gestures once it's just the four of them. Well, the four of them plus Pyrite. He, at least, takes a seat. He has been through too much shit to stand when he doesn't have to. "Fine. If that can fit into Nephrite's plan I'm all for it. Especially if it prevents loss after loss." Most of said losses being Jadeite's, rather than the others'. "If we can secure our own beachheads, so to speak, we can also buckle down on finding the Silver Crystal. We'll actually have a safe location to observe from." He doesn't really pay further attention to the Sailor Moon thing. There's something going on there that he doesn't feel like touching. She's Hematite's #Problem.

    He does say, "I was in a warehouse we control, disposing of the Black Jades from the mall, and they had six of them situated around me waiting for my guard to be lowered. Then they had two or three stand out where I could see them to speech at me, while the three stealth-oriented ones got into position. And they almost killed me. And that fucking idol singer was making my body come apart at the seams with her singing. Do not underestimate her, do not let her keep going in the background, deal with her first. This is your warning if you encounter her. Anyway, it was an ambush. It was coordinated and planned and they're learning and they're becoming dangerous. I could still take any one of them one-on-one easily, maybe even Moon or V, but if we don't get rid of the experiences ones as they appear then they'll become veterans, and then experts, and then they're hunting us down, and we will drop one by one. It's the pattern that our predecessors and colleagues in other areas have followed, and it will happen here too, because the universe hates rewarding intelligence and competence apparently."

    With that, he's out of things to say on the subject.

Nephrite has posed:
    Nephrite waits until they're all together, accepts Zoisite's apology, and then sits through the presentation from both Zoi and Jadeite. He does not sit in the air because he is drained super hard for some reason. "I'll run it by my design team and start figuring the logistics needed to begin construction. The point of doing it all at once was that the Enemy aren't going to be coming to the Dusk Zone to investigate a random section of it, so they won't have any idea we're doing anything until it's completed. Once we reveal our hand by pulling them into the Dusk Zone, even once, if there's a single survivor they'll spread the word, and then we're on a time crunch." He sighs.

    "But I suppose we could accelerate things, yes. I just urge not deploying it prematurely. We need to at least have the key locations covered. But leave the Academy alone. I don't know what range they have on their wards or how attuned they are to activity in the Dusk Zone. Just don't even risk it." He rubs his forehead a bit, the headache slowly fading by now. "I'll bring my laptop in here to work on it once I have the energy to teleport home and back."

Pyrite has posed:
    Pyrite just is in the air like she is advised to be. She doesn't fly or levitate like Hematite or Zoisite. She wasn't touching the floor to begin with, so why would that change just because there's a difference of a couple meters now? Measurements of distance are for suckers. She sits very neatly next to her senpai, right up until the point where extra security is needed, and then turns to Hematite and points back and forth between herself and Jadeite. "Can I help?"

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Hematite goes silent and listens; he keeps his head propped on his hand and swallows a sigh. He waits until Zoisite's done, and Jadeite, and Nephrite; he glances over at Pyrite and gives her a lopsided little smile. "If Jadeite asks for your help, and you're not still working on terrorizing potential magical girls' families and roommates and legal guardians or whatever, then yes."

He lets out a breath, then, and sits up, drops his feet to the floor. His hand goes on the back of one of the chairs, and his blue eyes flash darker in a breath; he flips his cape away from his side, and the motion's so familiar-- but in that fraction of a second, he should be someone else. That mannerism is his, but it also belongs to someone else.

"It's only a matter of time before the name of the Silver Crystal is out there, and I would be extremely surprised if it wasn't already. If we're looking for it, so is our Enemy -- and if it's something shiny and powerful, then so is literally every other division of Obsidian. So: yes. Midnight Tokyo needs to be accelerated, but I agree that it should be in manageable chunks. Keep them secret if they need to be, and absolutely keep them disconnected so that one investigation doesn't lead to the entire thing being discovered-- but keep in mind that there is already a ticking clock. The Silver Crystal probably counts as a Lost Logia and I swear if Precia fucking Testarossa finds it first because we were prioritizing a still-unapproved plan over an explicit directive, I will actually personally kill someone with my actual hands."

He takes another breath, deeper, and lets all of the tension go with the exhale. Well, most of it. And then he runs a hand through his hair, gets it out of his face. "I can teleport you," he tells Nephrite then, looking over, his hands curling around the edge of the table where he now leans. "And you don't have to come back here to work on it, do you? I mean. You have internet there." A beat. "Right?"

Zoisite has posed:
    Zoisite gives a 'fair point' hand gesture as he concedes to everyone's demands. "Keep it secret. Speed it up. Focus on the Silver Crystal. And little Pyrite-chan can help out in ways that you deem acceptable." He's not going to mess around with wording here. He is loyal to Hematite. He doesn't just lie and manipulate for the hell of it, but rather because he sometimes has to do shitty backstabby things for the best interests of Hematite and the other Shitennou. If there's no reason to do so, then he doesn't.

    "Meeting adjourned, I suppose? Thanks for coming, everyone." Then he smiles and prepares to teleport away and leave all of this expensive, antique furniture and also a flipped conference table for someone else to deal with.

Jadeite has posed:
    Jadeite nods his head in agreement. "Midnight Tokyo is a long-term project. We need approval before we go any further. Even if it's broken up into pieces and then assembled later on, the Silver Crystal is our top priority. This is just a tool for making it more likely we can actually keep the damned thing once we have our hands on it instead of being jumped by seventy-four children with enough magic between them to destroy and remake the universe ten times over. Get the crystal, flip the location to the Dusk Zone version we've prepared, get the hell out while reinforcements deal with the intruders." He sighs. "Also, this is for Pyrite, Hematite." He holds up his hand and warps space-time to produce a Black Jade. One of the few that survived the mall and hasn't already been taken to the academy or elsewhere. "There are only two of these left unclaimed. This one is yours, if you want it." he offers it to Pyrite, unless Hematite has an objection. Maybe it will keep her occupied when she has to be left alone.

    He nods tiredly towards Zoisite as well. "Thank you for arranging it." He looks around at all the furniture. Not his problem. He is out as soon as he can be.

    Still not sure about the 'Pyrite as security' suggestion. Seems like Zoisite is trying to sabotage the plan, honestly. But whatever. He'll work with the creature. He's trying for Hematite's sake to think of her as a person. But it's difficult when every time she looks at him she can see the hunger in her eyes.

    Jadeite does not like feeling like prey.

Nephrite has posed:
    He's too tired to protest, or debate the point, or try to find the flaws in the plan. He just nods, exhausted, while trying to maintain an outwardly strong front. Weakness isn't tolerated in Her Majesty's court. He hesitates when Hematite offers to transport him, but then looks at all the furniture set up in this chaos that was once a conference room, and just gives up. "Yes, please. And no, I don't. It's completely off-the-grid. I don't need electricity there when I have it elsewhere, and I definitely don't need people being able to track or locate me or whatever else, when I went through the trouble of warding that entire area against intruders."

    He gets up and moves over to Hematite, returning the shoulder-pat from earlier, but not letting go. "I'm linked up. I'll follow your lead." He notably doesn't ask if Pyrite wants to come with. He just assumes she'll do so whether he wants her to or not.

Pyrite has posed:
    Pyrite is pleased. The pale girl with her long black hair and red eyes with white pupils moves closer to Hematite and hangs onto his hand. Even after being offered the Black Jade, she just snatches it up with a polite bow and a, "Thank you, Jadeite-senpai!" Even though she's still holding Hematite's hand. Across the room from where she just took the Black Jade.

    From her perspective, it's all just confetti.

    "I will talk to it and teach it how to tell stories and how to be polite and how to not be impolite and introduce it to Shiro and they will be best friends." she recites cheerfully. She's going to help Jadeite out too. 'Security' in the Dusk Zone means dealing with intruders.

    In the Dusk Zone, that mostly means monsters.

    She can already taste them.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
The antique furniture, it seems, will remain someone else's problem.

Hematite blows Zoisite a kiss before the sakura petals fly; he gives Jadeite a quick grin - yes awesome yes thank; Pyrite makes him laugh. "If it needs help perceiving Shiro let me know, I'll see if there's anything I can do to help it."

Then there's Nephrite, and Nephrite is tired, and Nephrite's hand is solid and heavy and warm on Hematite's shoulder, and that hand can feel Hematite can relax ever so slightly more as the black-haired Shitennou leader gets ready to teleport.

Hema squeezes Pyrite's hand and then they're all three of them also gone.

Hopefully Jadeite doesn't think he's left holding the metaphorical mop.