Chapter Eleven: Quadrille
"What if something went wrong?"
"It won't."
"What if they were caught or couldn't get here?"
"Endy, trust us, they'll be here."
"But what if-"
"Will you relax already?" Zoicite's reprimand got Endymion's attention and the prince looked at him with startled eyes.
As it had turned out, one of Zoicite's appointments had changed the venue to a secluded balcony overlooking the ball. While he wouldn't be a part of Endymion's entourage specifically he would be in the area, for a while at least. It was more than could be said for Jadeite, who had been sulking good naturedly as he and his retinue had departed from the Golden Palace that morning.
"I've just thought," Malachite said suddenly, eyes wide in an incredibly rare display of confusion, "Every time she has been here before it's been in daylight, but on her world it was always night. Doesn't that mean that they'll be coming here in the middle of the day?"
"Try not to confuse me before I leave for this meeting." Zoicite groaned, but he thought about it all the same. "It's a valid point. Maybe we should have mentioned this to Venus before this party started."
"There will be no problem."
All eyes turned to Nephrite as he calmly intoned those words, all the while staring up at the clear night sky. His eyes were misted over slightly, blurring the already vague colour of his eyes. This wasn't quite the Nephrite they saw and joked with every day. This was the mystic king of the Western Quarter as he listened to the stars above.
"Helios received them on the boarder of Elysia. They will arrive with the priest and his own guest shortly." Nephrite shook himself off and bestowed a smile on his brothers. "We should get out there already, else they'll arrive before we do."
The other two nodded and, wishing Zoicite luck with his appointment, headed back onto the dance floor.
Almost instantly, much to his despair, Endymion's hand was captured by Rhea's in a firm grip. His older sister allowed him to lead the dance purely for appearances, but they both knew she would much prefer to lead.
"You've been irritable all day, little brother." as usual there was no true warmth in her tones when she spoke to him, eyes glittering in amusement. "Why fret so? It is only ball."
The two siblings were as different as land and sky. Endymion was dark of hair and blue of eye, as many a courtly lady would dream of for hours. If Endymion was the sky, then Rhea was surely the land, with hair a deep and dusky red, like heart's blood, with coppery tones and eyes that were considered hazel, but shifted in hue between ocean green and midnight blue, light-dependent. She was tall and lithe, fast and with a deceptive amount of strength, as well he knew from their younger years.
Her eyes had always unsettled Endymion. Perhaps it was because she rarely looked at him with anything but contempt or loathing, or maybe because they shifted colour and hue in such a cat-like way much like the woman herself, but they had always unsettled him.
"Or maybe," her amusement grew, but also tinged with something else he couldn't decipher, her eyes settling for a greener shade of hazel than usual, "You are nervous about someone, rather than something."
This was another unsettling aspect of Rhea's; her ability to see clear through him whenever she chose, like that day in the rose maze. Like now.
"I believe I should meet this person." her words made the blood pound in his ears at the mere thought. "After all it is my duty as the older sibling." a cat-like smile formed on her lips.
Distraction. That was what he needed; to distract her somehow. "Where is Peridot?"
She blinked, the sudden change of topic bringing a bemused expression to her face. "Why on Earth would you want to know where my lieutenant is?"
"I just felt it a shame that not all of them could come to the celebration tonight." he shrugged a fraction, acting as casual as he could without giving the game away. "You said last night at dinner that Aventurine and Coral were both attending to personal matters, but you made no mention of Peridot."
Rhea gave him a grudging, calculating look. "Peridot is here, or will be. I believe she was sending a courier to her mother in Lemuria."
The dance finished and Endymion gave her a courtly bow as she offered a barely existent curtsy. His hand automatically went to the next woman awaiting a turn; Beryl, coincidentally enough, and he was familiar enough with the routine that he could allow his mind to wander, only giving her token responses to her chatter. He knew he hadn't managed to distract Rhea fully, more divert her for the time being. He would have to warn Serenity and her two Senshi when they arrived.
Thoughts of the two Senshi coming with her, one he knew and the other a newcomer to their midst, turned to the three guards assigned to Rhea. Peridot, a distant cousin of Jadite's from somewhere back in history, was the daughter of the current ruling Countess of Lemuria, a land between both Asia and Australia. Coral was a lower-class girl from Atlantis, a large island kingdom between and a little south of the Americas and Europe, whose bloodline was the subject of much scandal though nobody was quite sure what was going on with that particular story. Aventurine was the Baroness of Thule, a northerly state slightly north of Russia that, despite its Arctic Circle location, had a rather temperate climate and was incredibly advanced technologically.
All three of these lands, unbeknownst to anybody at the time, were to be wiped out, relegated to the realms of myth and legend for thousands of years to come.
Both siblings turned to face the stairs at what would prove to be both exactly the right and the wrong time, just as a good portion of the chatter died away and quiet and whispered conversations took its place. Helios was standing at the top of the staircase that swept down onto the ballroom floor and waving a hand dismissively at the herald; clearly abusing his power and allowing himself and the girls with him the luxury of an anonymous entrance.
The idea of such an entrance made both Rhea and Endymion feel envious to a small degree, as neither was particularly fond of everyone knowing exactly when, where and how they entered a room all the time.
However, when Helios finally turned away again, having completed his self-appointed mission, it was with a girl on each arm and with two more walking sedately behind them as though this was nothing more than a stroll through some particularly lovely garden.
Endymion felt as though he had just been sucker-punched as the air caught in his lungs. Although he was completely unfamiliar with the familiar-looking young lady in pink on Helios' left, the vision in gossamer white to the priest's right could only be one woman. The blonde behind Serenity, dressed in golden tones, had to be Venus, which meant that the one to Venus' left and gliding behind the unknown woman must be the Lady Jupiter.
He felt a smirk form as he took in her apparent height and not displeasing appearance; immediately a scheme, or at least an idea, sprang to mind. Nephrite had mentioned that the stars had been both pushy and chatty of late as well as secretive. Now Endymion suspected the reason why. This should be interesting indeed.
Rhea's thoughts were far less romantic in their course, though no less astounded. She had despised the Elysian High Priest for many years, and would continue to do so for many more if she had her way, and so the open scowl she wore at the sight of him would surprise no-one. But almost instantly that scowl was replaced by a look of surprise so profound that her cunning mind stuttered to a halt for several precious minutes.
Her first thoughts were that these women were Fae, one and all, and certainly they looked and acted the part from what she could see as they reached the bottom and became obscured by the crowds. Each lovely in their own way, with a quality that made it difficult to take one's eyes away from them. These thoughts were soon swept away by other realisations. They had come with Helios, that much was painfully obvious, and the silver-haired sylph on the priest's right arm was clearly under his protection; Rhea had to wonder why it was needed. Then she took a second look at the two walking behind the three and realised, with some small amount of surprise, that they were not merely courtly women. They were guards; they reminded her of Peridot, Coral and Aventurine in the way they moved, and a part of her was convinced, and rightly so, that the two women were there to keep the sylph safe. Stealing a glance at Endymion revealed another fact about these women; her brother was certainly expecting them. In fact he had yet to breathe if the colour he was turning was any indication.
She felt a smug satisfaction at that; the kingdom's most sought after bachelor had finally been caught. The fact that his choice appeared to be someone other than their parents' choice was also a bonus for her, in more ways than one. Her eyes, now decidedly less green-looking than before, flickered to Endymion's other side to see how the woman in question was faring.
Not well, apparently. Beryl did not enjoy being ignored at the best of times, and it was no secret that she had designs on the heir to the throne. The red-head had gone from scowling at Endymion to glaring heatedly at the silvery maiden that was getting nearer. Rhea felt a pang somewhere inside at the fact, despite knowing that if many of the Court thought she desired more of the Lady than a close friendship then they would see fit to separate the two women entirely, even if same-sex relationships were not against the law in the Golden Kingdom.
A woman dressed in a bright jewel-green with dark blonde hair appeared at the top of the stairs next, her eyes sweeping across the crowd below as the herald announced her as "Lieutenant Peridot of Lemuria", though her gaze lingered on the group that had preceded her. Rhea raised a hand to beckon the lone woman, and she was proven right when the green-clad female's eyes instantly locked onto her.
Purposefully, Rhea began to stride through the crowded ballroom, heading for a space that was just off to the side of the staircase even as the blonde began her own walk down the stairs. Let Endymion have a few minutes of peace, she decided with a smirk; it was time to gather some useful information. Perhaps Peridot knew who the strangers were.
Meanwhile, Rosalita was scowling quietly to herself as she half-listened to what Serenity and Helios were talking about. She was certain that Venus couldn't have missed one crucial element; the mere fact that they could more or less easily understand the tongue spoken around them meant that somewhere on this planet there was a Senshi, but Serenity had never mentioned one and the only references they had ever found to a Terran Senshi had been in a history text stating that Sailor Terra had died a thousand years ago and since then, as far as any of them could tell, there had never been a successor chosen for the role. It was odd.
A delicate breeze entered the crowded room, bringing with it a soft, heady scent and the whispers of trees. Her head immediately turned in that direction; if there were flowers here then she wanted to be there. She would feel more secure being near one of her sources of power than here in the noisy, smelly, crowded, hot ballroom where she felt anything but secure. Her nose wrinkled slightly as they passed yet another woman – or a man, she couldn't tell without looking – who wore too much scent.
Not even her own favourite lily of the valley perfume could offer much comfort right now. In fact she could barely detect it under all these other scents.
She was distracted from her musings by Serenity when the slighter girl turned to fix both her attendants with a bright smile, crystalline eyes mischievous as ever. "Now remember, you two are not only here as my Senshi, you are also here to have fun, so I expect to see you on the dance floor at least once tonight." this last seemed more aimed at the taller of the two. "I'll introduce you to Endymion and then you can do as you please. I don't expect or want either of you to hover around me the entire night. Contrary to what you and the others believe I do not require babysitting. May I also remind you that while here you will refer to each other and myself by name." this time there was a stern note to the princess's voice.
Behind Serenity, Helios and Usagi were both wearing amused expressions, with a dash of fondness thrown in.
Rosalita wasn't the only one frowning now.
"But-"
"No buts, Aramina, unless you want us to be caught." ah, the highest of threats, their golden commander failing in her duty. Perish the thought. "I expect the two of you to be on your best behaviour."
Feeling very much like a child being scolded by her mother, Rosalita offered a vague shrug, still scowling. From what she could see from the corner of her eye Venus was pouting herself.
"My Lady."
The tone was smooth, masculine. Both Senshi turned immediately to face it even as Serenity turned a faint pink at being caught unawares, and Rosalita got her first impressions of the Terran prince.
She had been told plenty by the others already, even by Mars, who had been 'reluctantly' paying more attention to a blond idiot than to anything else at the time of her visit. A part of her mind registered that Serenity was correct in saying that he was very handsome and that words didn't necessarily do him justice. But what really unsettled her was the sight of the man behind him; the prince was taller than herself by a good few inches, which was unnerving enough, but the white-haired young man with sun-darkened skin standing to attention behind him was even taller!
Along with first impressions, she also got her first taste of feeling small. Not even the Outers made her feel this way, despite the fact that both Pluto and Uranus were taller than Rosalita as well.
Venus' face, she noticed after a quick glance thrown her leader's way, had taken on a rather unusual expression.
"I had feared you wouldn't come tonight." the prince continued. Both Senshi finally left their stupor behind at the obvious line, Venus shaking her head and smirking while Rosalita rolled her eyes, keeping her arms firmly crossed over her breast.
This only succeeded in bringing Endymion's attention, and the attention of the giant behind him, to them. "Ah, your lovely companions." the grin was genuine, Rosalita noted with surprise. "Lady Aramina, it is always a pleasure." he gave Venus a gentlemanly bow, which the blonde returned with a curtsy.
"The pleasure is mine as always, your highness." her Venusian accent had never been more audible, the other two women noticed. It made every syllable sound like a sonnet.
"You know Malachite already," Endymion continued, a hand gesturing at the white-haired general. Malachite swept icy eyes over both before giving the two Senshi a regal-looking bow. "And for the Lady who has yet to meet him, he is my leading general, and commander of my army."
"I can gather." Rosalita spoke before she could hold back the words. Endymion's lips twitched as he fought a smirk of his own, Serenity hiding her giggle behind her hand. Even Venus was trying to control her expression, but the amused light in her blue eyes betrayed her.
To his credit, Malachite didn't as much as blink. "It is nice to finally meet the last member of Lady Serena's retinue. You are an . . . interesting group of girls." he inclined his head slightly. "She has told us much of you."
"Should I be worried?" the question was aimed primarily at Venus, but the others found it equally as amusing even if the Moon Princess looked mortified at the conversation flowing back and forth.
"And so this must be the Lady Rosalita."
Rosalita tensed. She hadn't sensed anybody come up behind her beyond the milling crowds, and she inwardly cursed herself for letting her guard down already. The new voice was a pleasing baritone, chocolate-rich and velvet-rough all at once, and she turned warily to look at him only for her eyes to meet with a broad chest. This was definitely a new experience for the tall young woman. Green eyes travelled upwards and locked with a pair of eyes of uncertain colour that were no less rich and deep as the voice they belonged to.
The only consolation that Rosalita could see was that he seemed as startled by her as she was by him, though she had no idea as to why it would be so.
"Lady Aramina, Lady Rosalita, this is Nephrite, the second-in-command of my Shitennou." Endymion's tone was amused as he watched Nephrite's hazel eyes widen slightly.
"My pleasure." Nephrite intoned slowly, forming a careful bow to them both. The blonde, Aramina or Venus, returned his gesture with a curtsy and a smile. The green-clad one, Rosalita or Jupiter he gathered, returned it also, not with a curtsy but instead with a hand over her heart as she offered a bow. A delighted smile lit up hazel eyes; interesting.
"Serena, if we may?" Endymion offered his arm to the ethereal maiden before him and together they turned to Helios and his own companion to begin a conversation, effectively throwing the two Senshi into the deep end. "How do you think they'll cope?" he stage-whispered to Serenity.
Helios offered his friend a grin as Usagi chuckled and replied herself. "Oh I believe they'll manage just fine, your highness."
"Who? The boys or the girls?" Endymion followed the Lady Jupiter with his eyes as she and Venus both walked off towards the terrace and the outside when a sparkle caught his eye and he happened to glance down at one of the tall woman's legs. 'Sweet Mother Earth.' he didn't need Nephrite's stars to tell him that his soothsayer was in trouble with that one.
Serenity wore an unreadable look. "It's a part of her formal dress." she explained calmly, correctly interpreting his surprise and what had caused it. "I know I described her before as a warrior, but she is also a woman." she added, raising an eyebrow and daring him to contradict her.
Thankfully the prince realised the thin ice on which he stood and gave her an easy smile. "I would never have said anything to the contrary." He flashed Helios an irritated scowl at the delighted, smug smirk that lit up the Fae's face.
Meanwhile, the two women in question were both seeking some kind of refuge from the monstrosity that this night was turning out to be. For Rosalita, at least, this meant being near some form of substantial plant life, which was why she was making a beeline for the gardens without realising it, letting her powers lead the way for her. For Venus, it was following where the Jovian led, as she was likely to go somewhere where the blonde could snag a brief respite before heading back into the fray.
Unfortunately, they both seemed to have acquired shadows.
"Running away?" the deep voice was amused, and both women turned irritably to face the two Shitennou.
"Senshi do not run away." Rosalita all but sneered at the tall man. "You would be wise to allow us time to regroup."
Both men raised eyebrows at the phrasing, recognising the language she spoke. This one was a soldier, born and bred. Ignoring the warning looks Venus was flashing at them, Malachite carried on. "A good soldier shouldn't need time to regroup."
"And stupid ones jump in head first without thinking." the green-clad fury quipped back, eyeing him testily. "Did no one ever tell you, Lord Malachite? Hell hath no fury like a woman."
Nephrite couldn't restrain his chuckle at that one, but he hastily turned it into a cough when all eyes turned to him. "Scorned."
"What?" no pardon, no come again. Certainly this one was no proper little wallflower; she was a regular spitfire.
"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." he intoned in a sombre voice, his eyes betraying the amusement he felt. But his confidence flickered when she gave him a once-over with those fierce green eyes.
'If the stars had bodies I'd have killed them twice over by now.' he thought to himself wryly. Oh they'd known about this for months; teasing him with glimpses of a lithe figure in his dreams, flashes of bright fiery emeralds in visions. It explained their chuckles and their whispers, the secretive air about their messages. They had known exactly what was in his future, and had made sure he was in his future's path before he even knew what had hit him.
He had been intrigued by this creature when he had seen her, the ribbon about her throat trailing down her back and the emerald silk flowing over her form like water. That she had curves had been obvious, and while she hadn't looked like his usual type he had felt an immediate pull towards her despite the blonde bombshell standing next to her. But then she had turned around to look at him, and he had seen those eyes that burned like the most beautiful emerald stars reflected from his dreams by reality, and had felt their fire like a hot punch.
Nephrite suddenly felt a lot of sympathy for Jadeite; he had a feeling neither of them was going to have an easy time of it.
"The Goddess of Forests and Storms is as her nature. Tread carefully, soothsayer."
Great, just what he needed. Relationship advice from the disembodied voices.
But they had a point, he reflected. Serenity had explained the Inner Senshi in detail to Endymion and his men, and each reflected their personal element. Mercury held sway over ice, and her demeanour was cool while her mind as bright and reflective. Venus reigned over love, beauty and metal, and not only did she embody the first two literally but she was also as sharp and quick and hard as any blade. Mars played with fire, and she was a passionate creature in every sense of the word with a temper to rival the sun! Jupiter embodied nature and the storm, and her own nature was flexible, quick, and as violent as it could be gentle.
For the stars to term her a Goddess meant that she had command of their respect. The thought made him smile, that they believed this creature was for him was unbelievable and yet . . . and yet there was something there he couldn't define as yet.
"Who are you talking to?"
Her words doused his thoughts with icy dread and he swallowed. "What do you mean?"
Those emerald eyes were inquisitive, bright. Even curious. "You look like you're speaking to someone we cannot hear."
It wasn't a lie that she had spoken, since Malachite hadn't given any indication it was and he was a living lie detector, but Nephrite had the feeling that it was not the whole truth. How much to give her in return?
"Mars speaks with the flames, you look the way she does." she continued when he didn't respond, ignoring the amused look Venus was giving her.
Aha! Safe ground. Sort of. "I am a soothsayer to Prince Endymion." he admitted, inclining his head to her.
Her eyes flashed, first in amusement, then in irritation. "And that is not an answer." she turned on her heel and spun in a whirl of green silks. Venus followed her after bestowing a smile on the two men, but not before Nephrite's eye had been drawn by a jewel-like sparkle at Rosalita's leg when the emerald material parted.
'Sweet Mother Earth!' He hastily wiped a hand across his mouth and eyes. A garter . . . "I think we're out of our depth here Mal." he muttered, watching through the one eye not covered by his hand as the two fae-like women wandered through into Endymion's rose garden.
Malachite made no reply, leaning back against the marble balustrade of the staircase that led down into the gardens. When he finally did form a response, he spoke calmly. "We cannot give up so soon. Endymion needs us to get along with these women, as does the Princess."
Easier said than done. "And this has nothing to do with the fact that you were staring at the blonde's backside, right Mal?" When Malachite gave him an irritated glare Nephrite scowled right on back. "Don't give me that look. You're intrigued if not attracted."
The tall silver-haired man inclined his head. "Touché." he rubbed an absent circle on his temple; a headache this early in the proceedings did not bode well. "We need a plan."
"Let them have a minute or two. You heard Serenity giving them orders that even we might find difficult to swallow as clearly as I did. When they come back they'll be in a better mood."
Malachite's lip quirked. "Your stars tell you this?"
The response was a snort. "They're hardly mine," drawled the brunet, "And no, fact of women. Let them cool off and get used to things. They'll be back soon enough."
"Intriguing, however, that she knew you were speaking with them before I did."
Nephrite cast him a look; this was more than a casual comment, and he had to wonder why. "I guess." It was also a valid point; Serenity had said that the Senshi weren't altogether that close, so how was the Lady Jupiter so familiar with what it looked like to be listening to someone who wasn't there?
"Forests always whisper, if one would listen to them. Storms always speak, but few ever hear the truth of their calls."
More vague half-truths from the ever-helpful voices, and yet . . .
"There is more to that woman than meets most eyes, methinks." Nephrite murmured thoughtfully.
"Danger to the Prince. A heart filling with darkness draws near and blinds another from its true path."
He blinked, wondering if that was a real-time quote or a prediction. Possibly a bit of both. "Let's go find Endymion." he was already turning to go inside, "We can come back out here later."
It was just as well that they did, for they returned to find a disaster waiting to strike.
Beryl was trying to coax a conversation out of Endymion and find out more concerning Serenity, and the waif-like Moon Princess was looking less waif-like and more severe with each passing second. She was like Mal, Nephrite realised suddenly; her colouring, like the Southern general's own hair and eyes, was pale, and had the potential to be austere if it weren't for the warmth in her eyes. Once again he noted that Princess Serenity could be downright scary.
"But surely my lord will not deny a dance from an old friend?"
Endymion's face was starting to look an interesting shade of red. "You will have to excuse me, good Lady. I have my own personal guests to attend to. It is their first time in my kingdom and I wish to make their introduction as smooth as possible."
Ouch; refusing to say the woman's name already? Couldn't be good.
"Yes, I heard." Beryl's face took on a carefully blank, pinched look. "Where are you visiting from again? I didn't quite catch it." she turned the question to Serenity, and those crystal blue eyes darkened considerably as they regarded the red-headed woman standing before her.
"That would be because I never said." Serenity returned politely, but something underlined the tones of forced civility. "I come from a land deep within the Fae realms, called Lunaria. My companions come from principalities within that land; Kin-sei and Moku-sei."
"I don't believe I have heard of such a place." Beryl was smiling like a cat that had caught the canary. Clearly she thought she had caught the ethereal woman out.
Serenity sniffed. "No, I don't suppose you would have." she said it with a cold, tight-lipped smile. Everyone else had to fight to stop the smirks appearing on their faces. Serenity's eyes glittered sapphire, jewel-hard and jewel-bright. Usagi hid a giggle behind her hand.
A dark, ugly expression flashed across Beryl's face at the insinuation.
'Jadeite is going to be so irritated that he wasn't here to see this.' Nephrite thought to himself. He shared a glance with Malachite that proved the silver-haired man to be thinking along the same lines, and a note of amusement thrummed across their shared bond with Zoicite; apparently the younger man could see at least some of this cat-fight.
"Is there a problem, Serena?"
The scent of a storm-washed forest followed the voice, clear to Nephrite's nose even among the milling perfumes of the ballroom, and he turned slightly with everyone else to see the two women newly joining the conversation. Venus had positioned herself beside Serenity with a calming hand on the shorter girl's arm. Jupiter was standing between her princess and the offending woman, but was a little aside from the two. Neither appeared to particularly like Beryl. While they clearly looked like guards, as was obvious from their stances and positions, something about them rang of high nobility. In fact they held themselves in a way similar to Malachite, Endymion, Rhea and Serenity.
Beryl, caught off guard, took an involuntary step back.
"No, Rosalita, everything is just fine." she inclined her head to Beryl coolly, that tight little smile not wavering once. "Good eve, Lady Beryl." a startled look flashed across the pale face of the woman in question, and the two Shitennou gathered that her name hadn't been mentioned. They shared a look as the three women left for the terrace. Endymion, Helios and the Lady Usagi following. The two men could do nothing but leave as well.
"Princess that was risky." Venus hissed the moment they were out of earshot of any of the other guests. "You need to stay in control and stop flaunting it."
"I couldn't help it." Serenity's voice was now back to normal, and she looked a little worried herself. "Something just snapped and . . ."
"All the same Princess, you need to keep it under control. If it gets out of hand . . ." Jupiter allowed her voice to trail off significantly.
Serenity looked at each woman. "I know, you're both right." Her blue eyes caught sight of their audience and she smiled at them. "Forgive me, Endymion, I didn't mean to cause a scandal."
What interested the three Terran men was how the two Senshi jerked as though they had been hit, then melted back into their previous state of relaxed tension within the same moment. Venus offered them a bright smile while Jupiter merely looked curious.
The leaves of the bush nearest her seemed to rustle and her eyes flashed in movement, but too quickly for him to know where she had looked; he only knew that she had. The words spoken by the stars earlier came back to him, along with the memory of himself meditating in a forest glade. The trees had whispered then, but he couldn't understand them and had put it down to a breeze. Could it be that she could understand them?
A smile quirked her lips, unbidden. The sight of it brought one to his own.
Endymion laughed. "The only one you must beg forgiveness from is Jadeite, Serenity, and that would be because he wasn't here to see it. Sometimes Lady Beryl gets ahead of herself. She needs to be reminded of her place every now and then."
Venus did not look too happy at the mention of the noblewoman, her eyes glowing their strange golden colour as she watched the numerous light ribbons.
Absently she twitched and tugged at one or two of the connecting ribbons, pulling the particular relationships back into order again, or nudging some along. One of them bugged her, however, though she wasn't entirely sure as to the why. It looked out of place among the multi-coloured aura surrounding the palace; one end burned the dusky purple-red of desire and yearning, while the other end was deep green, bordering on black. The sight made her shudder involuntarily. She could only describe it as a void of emotion, and knew without a doubt that the person on the coloured end was being used in a most horrible way, but she had no way of knowing who the line was attached to; it was so knotted up and tangled amongst the others.
"Aramina?"
At the sound of Serenity's concerned voice she snapped back to attention, the golden glow of her eyes dying with her powers. "Princess?" everyone else was watching her too; she felt varying degrees of concern aimed towards herself.
"Is everything alright?" Endymion was the one to ask her, and this surprised her in some small way.
She managed a somewhat small and reassuring smile, though to her it felt more like a grimace. "I am not sure, I admit, but for now, it seems to be."
Endymion gave her a once over and she fought not to fidget as three men watched her for any such sign. Finally he seemed to have reached some conclusion or other, for he gave her a small smile and instead of questioning her further he turned his attention to Serenity. "I have yet to have the pleasure of a dance, my Lady." he explained with a roguish smile and a courtly bow.
She giggled, and took his hand, but not before giving a pointed look to her two companions. Both girls barely stifled a groan as they followed their princess and her prince inside, the Shitennou walking behind them.
Nephrite watched both of them out the corner of his eye, trusting Malachite to keep track of their wayward prince. Both visiting women were watching the dancers keenly, studying the moves, and he noted a surprise in their eyes which was explained when he caught a stray murmur from Jupiter.
"It's like a Plutonian waltz."
"Would you like to dance?" he asked impulsively, not entirely sure why or how the words had left his own mouth.
Clearly she had thought he was joking, for as she turned there was a cool and somewhat irritated spark in her eyes that stuttered out when she saw he was giving her a short bow, extending a hand for her to take. She gave a wary glance to the dancers, then to him.
"You would want to?" while he didn't look ungainly, he didn't seem the type to her. When she received a roguish smile as the answer her heart skipped a beat against her will.
"I would be the envy of all the men in the room if you would deign to honour me with but one dance."
She tilted her head to the side as she considered him, and a curled lock of her hair slid off her shoulder at the gesture. He followed it with his eyes briefly before returning his gaze to meet her own. When she spoke again it was careful. "Pretty words mean little in my world."
Another smile. "But I only speak the truth."
Her hand rose with a wary poise, pausing before coming to rest upon his own lightly, like a leaf that had fallen from a tree to alight upon the ground. Nephrite straightened again with a broad smile as he led her forward, placing a hand at the small of her back as he guided her to the floor. Soon they were swept into the dance, and several couples stopped to watch the pair glide around the room as though on air.
Still on the side-lines, Venus' eyes glowed golden once more, watching as a thread of pale red ribbon, a mere echo of what it could become, slowly faded into being. Very interesting.
The sickly-looking ribbon from before caught her eye again, and she traced it to a corner of the room near the stairs. Her eye was distracted from trying to locate the other end when she realised exactly what it was tangled up with; a second ribbon was knotted up with the first, hopelessly tangled, choked by the sickly green, but burning fiercely and defiantly silver against the darker colour.
Venus attempted to tug it free a little, to no avail; the knot only tightened. She couldn't give it the time and strict attention it would require to untangle here in the ballroom, but she was determined to get a closer look at the person it belonged to; such loyalty and devotion as to produce this colour of light deserved help, and perhaps if she knew who it belonged to she could give them a little nudge, and perhaps then they could untangle it on their own.
Big blue eyes locked on her target, she blinked innocently and demurely. "Won't you ask me to dance?" she asked sweetly.
Malachite's ice-coloured eyes turned to her with a flicker of surprise and, dare she say it, fear.
"You can dance, can you not?"
His head moved as though to nod slowly, but he stilled the movement before it could really happen. "I have a duty to perform and cannot take part in such a frivolous pastime. I am not merely here to have fun."
A part of her heart withdrew with a stinging ache, but she refused to be beaten. Her eyes flickered to look behind him before returning to his own, and her smile grew even sweeter. "If you worry because you cannot dance, don't worry. I'll teach you. But I thought you might wish to escape as that man over there is heading your way and I think he wants something of you." she giggled, the sound like a wind chime. "Somehow I'm not so sure you'd like it, whatever it is he wants."
He turned to see where she indicated, against his better judgement, and saw his king headed his way with a determined look in his eyes. Malachite knew she was right; he didn't like what he knew the king wished to discuss with him. Any other man might have blanched at the very least, many would have bolted then and there. Instead Malachite turned to her with a grim but amused light in his eyes and extended a hand. "Come and dance with me."
"You don't have to sound so enthralled by the idea." she drawled sarcastically, her accent adding a dusky, honeyed lilt to her words. But when she looked closer and saw the panic she smiled at him. "Oh very well, since you asked so nicely." and she placed her hand in his.
He glanced back as they whirled away to see the king watching him with a mixture of irritation and amusement. Mentally he sighed; he'd avoided the situation for now, but it was only temporary. He'd get cornered later for sure.
"I'm surprised. You're very light on your feet, General Malachite."
He looked down to the golden nymph. "Why should it surprise you?"
"I had thought you didn't know how to dance after all." was the laughing reply.
"It was a part of my upbringing." he informed her casually, without thought. No sooner had the words been spoken did he realise, startled, that she was unnervingly easy to talk to.
"I knew it." she flashed that kilowatt smile he had seen before, just as she was leaving when they had first met. "You are no mere soldier. You're nobility." she looked around them, as though looking at the people she found thee and comparing them to him. "You carry yourself like a prince, you act like Mercury and you know court etiquette." she chanced a glance at the king, who was still watching them. The elder man inclined his head when she caught his eye and she inclined hers in return with a smile. "You have a noble spirit, General."
The corner of his lips twitched into a smirk that was almost a smile. "You have an unfair advantage, my Lady."
"Call me Aramina, remember?" her smile dimmed until it was softer, but infinitely amused. "And I would know this even without my powers. It is written all over your being, in the way you move and act."
She was vaguely aware of Serenity and Endymion dancing past them, of the two sharing grins, but thought nothing of it. Her eyes had been caught by that brilliant silvery ribbon once more. It had jumped out at her, without use of her gifts, as though demanding her attention. A trace of gold entered her gaze as she followed it to its source, eyes alighting upon a young woman with hair of deep gold dressed in a silken gown the colour of peridot gems. Beside her was a tall young woman with long hair the colour of late autumn in a lovely gown of darker green over lime.
Mina's eyes glittered in triumph as she looked away.
o.O.o
Rhea strode through the milling crowds with purpose in each step, a frown on her face as she mulled over her conversation with Peridot and the information she had been given. Or rather, the lack thereof. She could feel Peridot's eyes on her as she walked away, and the weight of that gaze made her ache. Peridot always looked so sad whenever she looked at her, especially lately. Rhea wondered why, but then sometimes she just couldn't care.
The strangers were unknown, but the pink-haired woman had been seen with Helios on several occasions, and the two seemed to be close. Helios had also seemed fond of the other women as they had entered, particularly the silver-haired one.
Her eyes lifted of their own accord in time to see her brother waltz by with the woman in question and her frown became more puzzled. Something about her was familiar, like a deeply buried memory that just wouldn't, or couldn't, surface.
She caught sight of Beryl standing on the opposite side of the dance floor, glaring at the woman in Endymion's arms. Her heart went out to Beryl; unrequited love wasn't easy to deal with at the best of times. The sight of her own love-interest staring after her brother made her shake off this melancholy mood, and she watched and waited.
When Endymion and his lady-love were near her again, and Endymion twirled her out, Rhea simply caught her other hand and pulled the girl into a dance.
Up close she realised that those blue eyes were truly stunning, and the girl's hair wasn't just a pale blonde as she had previously thought, but honestly silver.
"Forgive my intrusion, my Lady, but I believe I have not yet had the pleasure of knowing your name." the smile she offered was, much to her own shock, surprisingly genuine, which was unusual in itself.
"Serena. And your own?" the smaller woman replied with a sweet if somewhat wary smile of her own. Rhea actually didn't blame her for that, after all she had just stolen her from Endymion.
"Rhea de Terra, I am Endymion's elder sister." speaking of her brother . . . ah, there he was. Beryl had caught him again, and he didn't look happy; he kept casting scowls at Rhea. "I believe I may have irritated him by stealing you." she added with a triumphant smirk.
The girl giggled. "You're his sister, it's your job, is it not?" When Rhea gave her a nod and another smirk she continued. "While I find this attention flattering, I'm not entirely sure as to why you're dancing with me."
Twirling 'Serena' out and back again, Rhea's smirk grew. "You arrived with the Elysian priest, nobody knows who you are, yet your appearance alone would mean any who met you would remember your face." Rhea twirled her again. "And if that wasn't enough reason, you appear to have bewitched my brother."
Something flashed through those blue eyes then; Rhea thought it was fear. "I have bewitched no one." much of the sparkle had left her eyes now, replaced with something that was altogether foreign to the princess of Earth. Something that raised the hairs all over the red-head's body.
Instead of the original retort that rested on the tip of her tongue, she replied with a sombre tone that still managed to sound amused. "No, I suppose not." The girl's reaction, Rhea decided, would be filed away and thought about later. "How is it you are so familiar with the Elysian priest?"
"Helios?" the wide blue eyes grew bigger, more innocent as she pondered the question. "We are friends, and distant cousins." a fact that Serenity herself had helped Mercury research and proved as fact when the princess's curiosity had gotten the better of her. Few on the moon knew of their relation with the Fae of Terra, and her history tutor had applauded her when she had questioned him, but cautioned her not to mention it if possible. "When I received an invitation to this event and discovered he was attending the same ball, we decided to arrive together."
Rhea nodded and made a non-committal hum in the back of her throat. Strangely enough, her first instinct when looking at this girl and her two guards wasn't the usual suspicion, though that was certainly a close second. A very close second, hot on the heels of the first and almost obscuring the surprising trust that she seemed to want to place in the silver-haired sylph. She felt respect for Serena's two guards, which was insane because she had never met them before.
"That woman has darkness in her heart."
The softly spoken words made her pause in mid-step and their dance faltered for a second as Rhea's eyes sought out who the girl was talking about. Not wondering about the odd change in the quality of the gentle voice, her hazel eyes alighted on Beryl, who was scowling at something Endymion had said.
"Lady Beryl?" Rhea turned her own eyes back to her stolen partner. "She is a very intense person, often misunderstood."
If Serena had detected the exact emotion in Rhea's voice, then the shorter girl didn't show it. Instead she continued to give her the same assessing, calculating look that had been present on her face since Rhea began to reply. That this sweet angel's expression could be so unreadable was unnerving; what had been open and honest before was closed off completely, better than even Rhea herself could manage. Where lights had sparkled in the twin pools of bright blue now shadows lingered, and yet the eyes glowed brighter than before, if that were possible. The whole effect was unsettling, and the hairs on Rhea's neck and arms rose again. The red-head had the distinct impression that she was in the presence of something infinitely dangerous, barely held in check. Strands of hair on both women began to lift with the building static.
At the periphery of Rhea's vision, Serena's two guards, and both her brother's present Shitennou, cast the slight girl wary, tense looks.
"Perhaps." came that same quiet, soft tone. Some of the darkness left the blue eyes then, and her expression softened somewhat, though it remained obscure. A hint of a smile touched Serena's lips as the song ended and the dance ended. The static died with it. "Please, your higness, stay safe. I wish no harm towards you." she curtsied deeply, then rose back to standing. "Merry Litha, and blessed be your lives."
Rhea was left standing alone, staring as she walked away.
"Highness!"
Automatically, Rhea turned to face the blonde approaching her other side. Peridot was casting glances between Rhea and 'Serena' as she approached. "My princess, is everything alright? There was a strange energy in the room."
Rhea turned from Peridot's worried green eyes to gaze in the direction the silver-haired girl had gone. "I'm not sure." she murmured wryly. "Everything seems ok now, but . . ." she never got to finish her sentence, though she would later repeat the unusual conversation to her three guards, line for line.
The wall separating the room from the terrace and the gardens imploded.
Instantly screams rent the air, mingling with unearthly howls. A hulking black mass skulked through the smoking hole, separated into two shadowy forms that remained as such even in the light. One opened what Rhea thought was a mouth and purple lightning spewed forth into the panicking crowds. The other swiped monstrous shadowed claws, and she saw several people either drop dead where they had stood or go flying across the room. All the while a buzzing had filled her ears, and she felt something well up inside her, something warm and fierce yet cool and sure, begging to be released. But it reached a point, an almost unbearable level, and could go no further, trapped within her body.
Peridot had by now joined the Shitennou, trying to get everyone to safety at the same time as defending themselves and the people around them from the creatures.
Endymion grabbed her arm as he ran past and she ran with him, not thinking when she helped him usher people up the stairs and to safety.
More guards entered the room to aid their prince and princess and the three elite guards.
Zoicite jumped down from a balcony to join his brothers and their sister on the floor.
Two bright glows sprang to life out in the darkness of the garden, dying down again almost immediately. Two faint cries floated on the air.
Two bright, glowing, magick attacks hit the backs of those monsters, knocking them over the Shitennou and Peridot and into the far wall. The one that had spewed purple energy crackled with green lightning, momentarily stunned into inactivity, while the other was bound with a glowing golden chain, roaring its anger at being caught unawares. Two more attacks followed from out in the darkness; more of the emerald lightning struck the first creature, and it shrank as it howled, and bright golden light hit the other squarely in what was presumably its chest, and it roared as it too grew smaller and their forms grew more easily defined.
The golden chain broke, but neither monster moved from where they lay, though both roared in displeasure.
Rhea could sense two powerful energies out there in the darkness, one a fierce but gentle pulse of warmth, the other as wild as nature at her most feared. Suddenly these two beings, along with a third that had been trying to shield itself from notice, disappeared, leaving her with the impression of lights shooting up into the sky.
Peridot, Malachite, Nephrite and Zoicite closed in on the injured enemies.