Scene #323: -RETCONNED- This scene is not canon, nor finished.

Owner	Pose
Mochi	Queen Beryl has, at the behest of Father Obisidan (and therefore, the command of Metallia), ditched her form fitting purple dress for a still-pretty-form-fitting purple business suit and skirt. Her hair's more tamed. But there's still a lot of it. Today, she's called Hematite and his 'crew' or team or... whatever, she's still getting all of this corporate jargon down sometimes. She's called them to a meeting in a board room - one of the dozens of the things in the euclidian spacescape that is the true part of Obsidian Tower where Things Get Done. The table is made of ebony wood and has the Obsidian logo etched into it in some sort of glowing purple crystal which is absolutely lightly radiating dark energy. But it's a small amount of Dark Energy compared to the amount coming from the woman herself, or even the amount that's collecting in the staff she carries - which she is still carrying. She is, of course, expecting everyone else to be there early, so she can enter the room slightly late and have made them all wait uncomfortable, because that's what you do when you're royalty - you remind the peasants who has to follow the rules and who doesn't. Director or Queen, it's all the same to her. So everyone is (hopefully for them) already there when she comes in a few minutes after the scheduled start date, slamming the door behind her magically (rather than with her body) and looking at each of them in turn, in the dark and suddenly eerily quiet room. Her glance lands on Pyrite with a little more... gentility, perhaps? Or maybe it's just a lack of recognition. "Dispensing with the formalities... just because our cover story is an Earthling business doesn't mean you all need to duplicate the incompetence and poor planning skills of corporate culture..." she seethes, her grip on her staff tightening. "I am... dissapointed... in the lack of success. Perhaps you would like to enlighten me as to what you have been doing with the money, time, and energy I have provided you, Hematite?" As ultimately, on some level, it is Hematite who must answer for everyone in this room, even if that's unfair. "Or perhaps, Jadeite, you'd like to deliver me the Silver Crystal you must certainly have ''by now''. Or Nephrite, when your plans will start to bear fruit. Or Zoisite, when I can be expecting the hearts of our enemies to stop beating. Or any of you to tell me who this girl is?!" she says, picking her staff up and slamming it back down on the ground, an echoing noise that carries through the room. "Well?! Don't all start talking at once!"
Mamoru Chiba	It's Hematite who's responsible for his 'team', yes: he's been clear on that since day one. He stands when Director Beryl comes into the room; he bows and glances Pyrite's way to make sure she's doing the same. But Beryl asked for the formalities to be dispensed with, so he leaves the rest and waits respectfully until Beryl is done ranting before saying anything. "Your Majesty," he says, fingertips on the tabletop, "this is Pyrite, my apprentice. She's a murderghost and she's been a great help to me in collecting energy and fighting the magicals who oppose our actions when we're discovered. On that track, the youma I've had collecting energy ''in Tokyo'' have been primarily low-level, designed to take a certain amount of damage before coming apart -- they are expressly meant for gauging the power and skill levels of these magical girls and boys, and seeing which way they turn and how, so as to more efficiently take them out in a bigger milieu when something actually important is going on. "The energy I've been gathering and turning in has been the steady streams from my operatives and locations in the global south. The emus were an accident. Most of my resources have gone into a combination of intelligence and energy gathering, though I have a fair amount on hold as backup for the operations that Jadeite, Nephrite, and Zoisite have been running."
Zoisite	Zoisite knows the routine. He provides Her Majesty with the appropriate respect, and then goes back to business. "I have been gradually eliminating candidates who may be the Enemy by attacking them in their homes and forcing their children to either transform or watch their loved ones die. Considering the number of the Enemy at Radiant Heart Academy, and the progress I've made through the list, I have narrowed down potential civilian identities to the final 1%. They will have to reveal themselves if they are the champions of love and justice as they so frequently like to claim. And if they don't, then the broken shell of a child who was too cowardly to expose their identity will be in no condition to challenge us any further. Parallel warfare like this is my specialty, as Your Highness knows. They expect to meet us in the field, to interrupt the glorios destiny that awaits the Dark Kingdom and its ever-beauteous Ruler. What they do not expect is to be murdered in their homes without a chance to even wield their magic." Zoisite smiles around at everyone. "The best part of fighting a Hero of Justice, is that they are '''predictable'''. We take a hostage, and they'll do anything we say to protect them. Stalking them with stealth-oriented youma so that they never feel safe will make their young minds unravel under the stress. These are not soldiers we fight against. They are children, persuaded by magical beings to go out and kill whatever and whoever doesn't look like they do. Letting them gain experience and confidence is a mistake, unless it serves the ultimate goal of breaking that confidence utterly." With a flourish Zoisite bows his head once again, smiling gleefully but politely, and says, "I will strangle them in their cribs if I must." He straightens up. Then after a moment, standing there with his hands behind his back, he adds on, "Oh, and the European Division has reported record-breaking sales of 'Dark Melon' flavored products. An addictive vine native to the Dark Kingdom that Jadeite managed to harvest and process. They like it a lot over there, and the life force they expend while hyped up on the chemical slurry contained in their sugary products goes directly to the crystal beacons buried in key locations." He nods towards Nephrite. "My dear colleague here used his knowledge of Astrology to identify the power points most suitable. Even if we lost every single ounce of life force accumulated here in Japan, the hundreds of millions who are feeding their own lives into the collectors every day will still provide enough for Queen Metallia's awakening."
Nephrite	Nephrite was expecting backlash. It's Her Majesty's nature to demand perfection of everyone, so that they might at least be worthy of working for Her even more perfect Self. He waits for Hematite and Zoisite to finish. He appreciates the nod of acknowledgement for his efforts in Europe, but he has reports to make here and now as well. When it's his turn, Nephrite says, "First, a gift for Her Majesty. The first of many." He holds up his right hand, palm up. A brilliantly shining silver light appears there in an orb. It's so bright, and warm, and full of love, and also full of loss, guilt, fear, regret, and gratitude. It's a large amount of life force, the kind that they've been fighting to amass here in Tokyo with all the interference from the Enemy. It looks like Nephrite is holding the actual Moon in his hand. "A sample of what my methods can produce. Instead of mass-drainings, I focus on awakening the potential of a single individual at the moment of their destined peak, which I can determine through the help of one of my Astrological tools." That isn't where he got this from though. "The same methods will yield an even greater amount of human life force for Queen Metallia to consume. Further, there is a plan that is beginning soon to produce a replica of Tokyo in the Dusk Zone that we will be able to switch the battlefield to on-demand, putting our Enemy at an immediate disadvantage, and making it easier to bring reinforcements to any given engagement, prepare traps, and siphon life force through pin-point 'Windows' without even being physically present. While Midnight Tokyo itself is a massive undertaking, I will be directing the construction of the most critical facilities at power points throughout the city. By building in the Dusk Zone, with youma or constructs, we can prepare everything we need without ever providing a target for the Magical Girls and Boys to assault. Then, it's just a matter of putting on the finishing touches Earth-side at the right moment, and we can drag any number of Enemies into our territory on-demand." Nephrite nods to Jadeite. "Jadeite has been preparing the dimensional boundary with his abilities and capturing Dusk Zone natives for disposable troops and workers instead of using our more valuable Dark Kingdom soldiers. He is critical to this operation's success. We can appear anywhere in the city to strike and obtain the Silver Crystal when it's found, instead of having to set up a weeks-long operation that is at risk of discovery." Nephrite smiles his handsome smile, even if he is using his natural raspy voice instead of the clear baritone, 'God's Gift To Women' voice he uses when he's trying to impress or romance. He would never attempt such subterfuge before his Queen. "Also, I believe I have a lead on two of our targets. Princess D of the Kingdom of Diamonds, will be bringing a unique crystal for an exhibition to Tokyo in the coming months. There is reason to believe that it may be the Silver Crystal that Her Majesty seeks. I will be making an appearance to verify that."
Tamaki Suikawa	Before Jadeite can speak, Hematite speaks for all of them. Then Zoisite gives him a pity acknowledgment over that Dark Melon fiasco. It just feels like rubbing salt in the wound at this point. And then ''fucking Nephrite'' goes and dumps all of his machinations on everyone, including, oh, hey, isn't that Jadeite's job? Good thing Nephrite's on it instead of Jadeite! What an asshole. His comments about how critical Jadeite is are sneering insults. The First of the Four feels like he has just realized the entire room is full of enemies who want him to fail. The reassurances he has been given, the pep talks, the promises, the inclusion, it's all just a facade, a mockery. The Dark Energy in his body reassures him this is so. They see him as an incompetent fool who needs scraps of faux respect in order to keep functioning. They think he's a fool. Jadeite gets his expression and posture back under control, but his left hand is clenched into a fist behind his back. "There is no need for that, Nephrite." he says, failing to quite keep the sneer out of his voice. "The Silver Crystal is most likely in the hands of an old enemy. The Sailor Warriors from ages past, who fought against Your Highness's wishes, have re-emerged. Sailor V, who murdered Danburite in England, has appeared here in Tokyo as well, fighting alongside Sailor Moon, and Sailor Mars. Hematite may know if there are any others active, as he has encountered them most frequently..." Jadeite smiles an unpleasant smile as he says, "Sailor Moon's power is abnormal, even among the ridiculous Mahou we face. I sensed it in combat. There is something special about her. I intend to lure her into a trap, take whatever her power source is, and then dispose of her. It has to be the Silver Crystal. There's no way a buffoon like her is wielding basic magic. After that, all these other plans will be unnecessary."
Himeko Soryuu	Pyrite follows her cues. She would have done so without the visible indication of what action she can take. It's carefully choreographed to make it appear she is still new, a non-threat to Her Majesty, learning the ropes from a more experienced mentor. "Your Majesty," she says quietly and respectfully, and then keeps her mouth shut while the others speak. She does not speak even after Jadeite finishes. She is not their equal. She is beneath them, and she knows her place. So instead, once her butt has been planted in her chair, it stays there. She does not rise for a presentation on her accomplishments -- which are none. That is Hematite's responsibility. Also she is trying to keep the recipe for a potato stew she has been meaning to try in her mind. It's easy to forget things like that, if she doesn't keep focusing on them.
Mochi	And Beryl's expression... softens. She looks at each of them in turn, and sighs. "My boys. My beautiful, beautiful, boys." she says, looking down and shaking her head. And then she looks up and her face is one of rage. "My ''stupid, short-sighted, dissapointing'' beautiful boys!" she says, and then hurls her staff like a javelin. It doesn't hit Zoisite - but it does embed itself into the chair he's sitting in and carry the chair, with Zoisite in it, back until it slams into the wall. "Do you think that instilling the next generation of my future subjects with abject fear so as to make them useless is a winning long term strategy! You, I thought, were one of the smart ones, capable of subterfuge and tactics, but it's clear that like so many others your beauty does not indicate an iota of brains or subtlety. I do not recall telling you I wanted to bathe in the blood of children like my name was not Beryl, but Bathory! Do I need to put you on a ''fucking leash''?!" "Oh wait, I thought I had you on a leash, and I called it HEMATITE." She turns to him. "But no, instead of leading the three of you to glory, for some reason, he's taking on NEW apprentices when he lacks control over the three he already has?! Spending all of his time out in the field so I suppose the rest of you can galavant about making idiots of yourselves and me. The whole point of all of this corporate facade, this charade, is ''not'' to draw attention and yet, I have both heard from others and seen in my scrying that the concept of Midnight Tokyo is already on the lips of those damned magical girls and boys, and it has drawn attention to you, to us, to Obsidian as a whole, and now I have to answer for that." She reaches out a hand with a nail manicure that more appropriately resembles claws and wisps of Dark Energy erupt from them to rip the staff loudly out of Zoisites chair and return it to Beryl's hand mostly so she can slam it on the ground again. "You have made ''me'' answer for ''your'' actions to Metallia and Father Obsidian and ''that'' is unacceptable and will NOT be further tolerated." she seethes. "I will not warn you again. Any of you. Do not make ''me'' look like a fool by acting like fools. There is a system. Plans are given to Hematite who gives them to me. I tell him which plans I want executed and he diverts each of you to execute them as he sees best suited. This system will be followed. Or you will find your body being occupied by an entity who can follow the system better." she adds. "You will be permitted further chances merely because I prefer the look of your handsome eyes only to the glow of an inhabiting youma." She takes a deep breath and her face turns to that of a smiling, almost motherly figure, which is distinctly disorienting. "And because... I firmly believe that you can all do better." she says. "Now... Energy gathering is an ''expected'' part of your jobs, and one you are performing... admirably... as a whole." she continues, pacing around the front of the room and occasionally moving behind the chairs (not Zoisite's, given its new position by the wall) and putting a clawed hand on shoulders as she does so. "Everyone is expected and required to contribute life force, energy, whatever you call it, so that Metallia's strength can grow and our position in this organization can remain as high as we rightfully deserve - so that when Obsidian 'changes the world' it is changed to the one I desire." she adds. "This is something you are actually performing with a degree of efficency for which... I have some appreciation. It does not, however, excuse the rest of my... concerns." She leans over and snatches the ball of energy from Nephrite like she was taking candy from a child, rather than being taken something offered. A greedy grasp.
Mochi	"And since we have already invested so much in resources on this ''Midnight Tokyo'' project and I will already be penalized for its lack of secrecy... I suppose it would be remiss to not attempt to see it through to its completion. I do not wish to see it take priority over the goals of obtaining the Silver Crystal and defeating our enemies and gathering life force for our Supreme Masters." she adds. "But, in as much as it may make these other goals more attainable it may... continue. Under appropriate direction." "Whether the Phantom Silver Crystal rests in the hands of this princess D, with our enemies, or has ended up in a Tokyo sewer, I expect you to locate and acquire it. It is imperative to our Supreme Masters' goals, and will go a long way towards... Soothing my ire." "And, presuming you can get a handle on your actual job description and not... become distracted... and you can properly remain ''nearby'' as you direct others to my goals... you may even continue to bring new partners to the fold, provided they are as polite as this one. The only one in the room that seems to know her role today." she says, indicating Pyrite. "And... perhaps, Jadeite... to some degree." she says, regarding the youngest of the males assembled. "As Jadeite has expressed a focus on things that are part of the 3 goals I have actually given you, and none of what he has stated has come back to blow up in my face or distress my mind when I heard of them." she adds, moving behind him and putting both hands on his shoulders, leaning over the back of his chair with her tall, tall form. "I would not have expected that, of the ones I had brought up and blessed by glorious Metallia, it would be Jadeite who... displeased me the ''least'', today." She can't really compliment anyone, lest the peons get the wrong idea, after all. "And... you have all shown... varying degrees of... attempts to do the things which would not piss me off." Maybe she's been taking some kind of sensitivity courses, or maybe being in a board room so often trying to not die of boredom has given her a slightly different affect than sitting on her throne did. Or perhaps it's that she spends some degree of time acting human now, that calls to her humanity and gives her such hold-cold reactions. She lets go of Jadeite and returns to the front of the room. "But as... much as I desire the success of our grand designs, and my ascent to the proper throne, so that you may all serve at my feet... perhaps I did not express my will to you in such a way as you could process with your pretty hair and apparently more empty brain cases than I thought. But it is not so important for us to be successful now as it is for us to be successful in the end. To ascend to the throne successfully is more important to me than doing it rapidly atop a pile of blood and Dark Energy. There will be blood, oh yes, the blood of our enemies and of those we cannot help but slay on the way in. But in the end, we did not succeed the first time on the back of chaos and bloodshed - but on convincing the populace that their Prince and Princess were less suited to rule than the Queen that stood before you then and will one day stand before you again. Your role in this is to ensure I can one day toss aside this silly title of Director and this... suit... and return to sitting on my throne as Queen as it should be. As it very nearly was once in that time. Every day that I maintain this charade is excruciating. But failure has a bitter taste, gentlemen..." she looks at Pyrite "...and Lady."
Mochi	"I do not wish to hurry to victory only to taste of defeat when we came so close once before. It was only by the power of the Phantom Silver Crystal and a last ditch effort by a false Queen of false Serenity who will not rise again, as I did, that they won before. Do your jobs, and we will succeed this time as well, and we will not be robbed of our rightful moment of triumph this time." she says. "Do poorly, and someone else will stand in your role at that time. Do I make myself very, very, ''very'' clear, my most loyal subjects? I have said quite a lot and it is clear you must not be as intelligent as I gave you credit for the first time, so if you need any clarifications, I will ensure they are ''razor'' sharp and ''quite'' unforgettable should I need to say them again." she says, looking down for a moment at the claw-like nails of her free hand.