Black Moon Back In Tha House?

[sinceresapphire]

The atmosphere here is unbearable. It's hot, the air feels heavy, and something about the energy of the place feels wrong. Before a massive control panel is a huge crystal that casts a glowing, shifting light. The twisted energy is coming from the crystal itself

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[kingofblackmoon]

Absolutely nothing here feels wrong to Demando. This is probably because he's equally wrong. He strides in as if he owns the place, as if he's the very prince who does. His eyes stay on Saffir; they don't even stray to the jakokuzuishou.

"Hard at work as ever," he remarks.

[sinceresapphire]

Strangely, Demand is one of the few who can startle Saffir. He does so now, too, and the boy looks up sharply. "Nii-san!" he exclaims. Here in private, he can call his brother 'Nii-san', as he used to.

[kingofblackmoon]

Demando cracks a smile; a rarity that Saffir tends to bring out the most.

"Explain your concerns," he says; he's heart earfuls from his own world's Saffir about Metalia already. There might be something more to learn, something relevant for him in this.

[sinceresapphire]

Would it do any good? Saffir plunges into it anyway. "Nii-san, the jakokuzuishou is getting more dangerous," he begins. "If it stays like this, will we really be able to control it?"

He turns and paces away a couple of steps.

[kingofblackmoon]

Of course it doesn't do any good. Demando is entirely dismissive. But it's still better than having him angry, isn't it? (He's not sure he could get angry at Saffir anymore; not after how close he came to losing him.)

"We will control it," he says, with even less understanding of the jakokuzuishou than his alternate has. "Anything can be mastered."

[sinceresapphire]

Saffir isn't so sure. Not at all. He shakes his head worriedly. "We shouldn't be dragging it out like this," he frets. He's tried this conversation before, but if it keeps them all from dying, he'll try it again.

[kingofblackmoon]

"You are right!" Demando seizes the words, misinterpreting them. "At last you speak sense! We must not draw this out; we will move quickly and decisively against our foes! At once!"

[sinceresapphire]

He's happy, for a brief moment, or really more relieved, but then somethign about that look in his brother's eye flattens the feeling again immediately. Somehow he doesn't think Demand is thinking the same thing he is.

[kingofblackmoon]

Demando has trouble adjusting to change. In his mind, he's still the prince who can command armies of droids and a clan of amazingly powerful warriors. Perhaps in his mind's eye, he even still sees them.

He senses Saffir's hesitation. "What is it?"

[sinceresapphire]

That was more than his brother would normally do, Saffir appreciates it. Normally Demand would already be talking about precisely how they're going to crush the enemy immediately, if he'd cared to hear Saffir at all in the first place.

"Nii-san, stretching ourselves between the 30th and 21st century, we can't handle it! The Ayakashi are getting stronger under Esmeraude, but that still isn't enough! If we take over the 30th century, isn't that enough? Re-writing history, how will that help us if the 30th century Earth is yours anyway?"

[kingofblackmoon]

Uhh... That gives him some trouble, because Demando exists far, far, far, before the twentieth or thirtieth century in his world. He understands that many of the Black Moon clans of the nexus didn't rise until the thirtieth century, but it doesn't help him to know their exact situation.

He covers it well, disguising his ignorance behind a tone that suggests he's expecting an answer he already knows, and will explain his reasoning from that start point. "Saffir, why have we come to the twentieth century?"

[sinceresapphire]

He's used to such questions from his brother. "To rewrite history," he explains patiently, but with a worried look. "To prevent Sailormoon from ever becoming Neo-Queen Serenity and banishing our ancestors to Nemesis."

[kingofblackmoon]

"Precisely!" What? He's good at improvisation. "We have come here so that we will never have to suffer those things. I will give you the beautiful land I promised you long ago, without these hardships."

[sinceresapphire]

"But Nii-san!" Saffir protests. "We can't win stretched over time like this!"

[kingofblackmoon]

Demando smiles thinly. "Of course we can. We have your droids." There's an undertone to the words, though; an unspoken are you arguing with me?

[sinceresapphire]

Yes he's arguing. And if he understands the tone, he ignores it anyway.

"There's not enough," Saffir says, pressing the matter still.