It's A Circus Out There

[iceclouded]

In a strange dark corner of...the nexus in general? an alleyway? It's so dirty and dark, it's impossible to tell, there lies a small simple doll. Its arm is broken off at the shoulder, and there's a needle in its chest. Beside the broken doll is a hand as blue as the fabric covering the arm it's attached to. The girl lying there is young, with what

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[earthvictorious]

Kunzite comes across the scene. His eyes stray towards Palla-Palla only briefly before they come back to rest on Jadeite.

"You've had a fine evening," he observes, meaning the defeat of the amazoness. "How is your shoulder?" The inquiry, this time, is matter-of-fact rather than taunting. Better to know if Jadeite will need medical attention.

[iceclouded]

"It's fine."

Jadeite rises slowly, and kicks the broken doll away with his foot. "Two of the Amazon Quartet are dead, one of the Trio. The enemy will make themselves known soon. Their energy signatures are getting stronger, despite losing members."

Easier to talk business than about himself. He rotates his shoulder, grimaces visibly, and releases his arm from the other hand. "That one tried to control me with that doll."

[earthvictorious]

He nods, crisply. Acknowledgment. He certainly knows to respect Jadeite's information regarding the enemy's energy. This must not drag out much longer.

Well, as long as Jadeite's wound isn't too serious. He glances sharply at it once it's uncovered, but sees nothing to worry over at a glance. It'll heal.

"Jadeite," he pauses to be sure he has Jadeite's ear. "I'm planning an attack on the Dead Moon."

[iceclouded]

The shitennou is certainly paying attention. He looks to Kunzite. "You've found them?" he questions with a look of surprise.

[waterfell]

Mercury picks her way carefully through trash and debris, but when she spots Jadeite and the still form of his opponent, she gives a slight start and quickens her footsteps.

"What happened?" She may mean the state of the alley, or the battle.

[iceclouded]

"That one plays with dolls," Jadeite comments offhandedly to Mercury as he rises, kicking the said doll away with his foot in a not-quite-contemptuous motion. "Two of the Quartet are dead now. The enemy will learn quickly from this."

[waterfell]

"It's cute!" She recognizes the somewhat caricatured features of Jadeite translated to the doll. She steps towards it, and looks down at it without bending over. Then she looks back at Jadeite. "Were you hurt? Your shoulder?"

[iceclouded]

"She tried to break it, but it didn't go that far."

Jadeite gives a distasteful look to the thing. Girls have a strange sense of 'cute'.

[firextinguished]

Rei wonders sometimes why the nexus seems to bring her back here so often, in front of this man. She tries to ignore any thoughts that smack of past life or fate or inevitable. She hates those words.

No, it's easier to believe it's pure coincidence, random haphazard chance. She sees his wound and his victim opponent. Her stubbornness would like to believe he'd been at fault, but... She knows better.

"How badly are you hurt?" she asks.

[iceclouded]

Just who he wanted to see!

Only, not at all.

Jadeite stands out of stubbornness more than really being just fine, and looks out rather than at Rei. He doesn't notice the slightly odd question, only that of course she's going to lecture him for killing a little girl. She knows nothing of this world anymore, and yet she keeps appearing here.

Wait, what did she say? "It's nothing." he answers. "Her control was already slipping." Mostly because by that time, her childish games had become desperation.

[firextinguished]

"Control?" Her eyes find the doll; it doesn't take much of a stretch to understand. Stand-ins for the target are common in a lot of religions and belief systems.

"The doll?"

[iceclouded]

Jadeite offers a single nod in response. He's not very talkative today.

He's found pleasure in killing his targets before, not as much this one. Maybe it's because it was a little girl (is he really a fool enough to fall into that assumption that that's all she was, given her powers?). Maybe it's because he's tired of fighting these people.

[iceclouded]

Jadeite's head snaps up, and he looks at his alternate with a controlled, but somewhat calculating expression. He rises. "It's nothing," he tells the other.

[iceclouded]

Of course he's curious.

"That person was an enemy of this Earth. This is our mission." He motions to the surrounding area, to the general grime and filth and trash that is endless in sight. "The Dead Moon is responsible for this. It's this that must be stopped."

[healingsilent]

Hotaru's footsteps are faint as she walks down the alley, or corner, coming closer to Jadeite with each step. There's a familiar energy up ahead, something that calls to her, familiar and yet not.

When she sees the body, she freezes, suddenly understanding. Palla Palla, the past and twisted form of Sailor Pallas. Grief fills her as she stares at the alternate of her comrade, before she closes her eyes, squashing that emotion. This was an alternate, not her friend, not dear sweet Aisu Miai.

And what a changed world this must be. The other living being in the place she does not recognise, but it is his hands that ended Palla Palla's life. She steps past him in silence, kneeling next to the corpse, reaching forward and shutting Palla Palla's blue eyes. What does this mean for this world?

[iceclouded]

It means it's an abomination of her world. It means her queen doesn't exist anymore, her princess never will, the soldiers that protect the queen are either dead, have left this world, are no longer senshi or are poisoned with bitterness and an ingrained sense of duty that friendship can't mellow. The outer senshi are cold as they ever were, and no Princess' warmth will thaw their hearts. In fact, her absence has made them harder. The girl lying dead in her own blood will never get a chance for redemption, nor has any enemy before her. That even Hotaru's alternate herself has been killed, and even when resurrected, her henshin bracelet for her was immediately stolen. That's what this scene means for this world.

Jadeite watches the black-haired girl as she approaches, expression careful and almost guarded. He stands, and releases his shoulder even though it aches. "Tomoe Hotaru," he acknowledges her with an indeterminable tone.

[healingsilent]

It is a world from a nightmare, to her. A world, a life she's not sure would be worth living. But it is not her world, thankfully. He world has a Queen, a King, a Princess. In her world she has a family, two mothers and a 'father'. She has friends, senshi just like her. She has a kingdom to protect, and perhaps one day she will move on and find an attainable love. Her world and this one are so different, it could be considered as scary.

From her spot on the ground, she looks up, her hand resting on Palla Palla's now cool cheek. "Yes," she says, meeting his eyes. "And you would be?" The energy is familiar, and to a degree the face is... but she can't be sure, can't make assumptions.

[iceclouded]

"Member of Golden Council that rules this Earth, the shitennou Jadeite."

Yes, this world can be scary. But from the mistakes they've made through their own decisions, they've also made the best of it. The shitennou, and Mercury, protect this world as they should. Uranus, Neptune, and now Pluto, help protect it when they must. (Even if they're pains to deal with.)

"The nexus brought you," he states. He knows this is not the Hotaru of this world, she's far too old. "Why do you treat this girl of the Dead Moon as a friend?"