It is Aequus who steps forward first, putting herself squarely between the pistol and Rei. "Majesties, let me begin by saying that Prudentia was not severely injured and that all aboard escaped safely to Neptune for assistance."

"Severely?!" hisses King Dailus.

Rei winces.

Pru pulls away from him. "Daaad! It was just a couple scratches!"

Shahunt steps closer, Rei's own sword gleaming at her dangerously as he moves. "She should not have been harmed at all!"

"The pirates were unexpected," Rei admits softly. "It is only luck that they did not know who we were when they boarded."

"Start at the beginning!" demands Dailus. "The pirates we apprehended were positively giddy with their new ship, and were proudly showing off when our troops informed us it had docked without its proper crew!"

Rei exhales softly. "We were nearing Jupiter when the pirates came upon us. The alarm was too late for us to attempt to outrun them. If we didn't allow them to board, they would have simply blown the entire ship up."

"Why was your armor found in the sleeping chambers?" growls Shahunt.

"The atmosphere of the ship was cool, making the armor chilly. On top of that, the armor did not allow one to sit for any length of time in the chairs. Honestly, it probably saved our lives that I wasn't wearing it."

"Explain," pushes Dailus, eyes narrowed.

"The armor would place me immediately as a threat, an unarmed threat," she adds, eyes flicking to the sword in Shahunt's hands. "It also would have made it obvious where I was from, even if Martian's are not seen in space frequently." She waves a hand at Aetas and Pru. "Neither of them were armored nor carrying a weapon. When the pirates boarded, we looked like wealthy persons of indistinct origin traversing space for entertainment. I was able to use this to our advantage by making myself a target and distracting the pirates from Princess Aetas and Princess Prudentia. Because I was the main target of the pirate captain's ire, I was able to get off a single surprise attack with my magic before leaping between the pirates and the two princesses before the pirates could open fire. Upon my command, Aetas and I were able to summon enough power between the two of us to teleport all three of us safely to Neptune."

Rei really hopes that Pru doesn't mention that Rei had made her and Aetas out to be servants. She isn't sure how well that will go with the Kings, even if they are more lax towards their attitude of royal hierarchy. She is certain that because she is Martian, they will use it as an excuse to do her harm for such slander, even if it had saved Pru's life.

"You did not mention how close to death's door you were due to your actions to save us," murmurs Pru, cool blue gaze locked on Rei.

Dailus hesitates a breath before finally looking away from Rei to his daughter. "What do you mean?"

"She took nearly all of their incoming fire," says Pru, eyes still locked with Rei's. "Aetas and I merely received a few glancing shots that were but scratches. Exura was hit solidly at least seven times, and several glancing wounds on top of that. Aetas and Exura did not have the strength or knowledge to teleport us to a city, so we were dumped in the middle of their ocean. Knowing we did not stand a chance stranded afloat, Exura used the last of her magic to send out a call for help. Her magic was exhausted completely, taking away her consciousness. When helped arrived shortly after, Exura had sunk quite a distance without Aetas or I realizing her plight." Pru turns her burning gaze towards her father. "We are both well and alive due to her actions and quick thinking."

Dailus blinks at her several times before turning to look Rei over. "How is it you are standing here, if you took such wounds?"

"We had to submerge her completely in the HM Tank," answers Aequus. "It was actually quite a close call. We had to expel the water from her lungs and dig out the bullets before putting her in the tank. It took three and a half weeks for the healing process to be complete."

Dailus openly gapes at her. "Three and a half?" he breathes softly, eyes wide. "It usually only takes four days for the healing process!"

Aequus dips her head. "Usually, yes. Mind you, there were old wounds that the Tank was correcting as well, but it only extended the time by three days due to the damage done to her lungs. Had we not used the Tank, the doctors insisted that they wouldn't have been able to keep her alive."

Dailus slumps against his daughter, arms encircling her again. Shahunt moves to hover close behind them, Rei's sword sheathed with a soft hissing click.

"Why did you not send word?" asks Shahunt, voice still gruff but lacking any true anger.

"We were too focused on her recovery," comments Aetas, a wry twist to her lips for repeating herself. "When we arrived, we were all swept away attempting to keep her alive. By the time she recovered, we had forgotten entirely to inform anyone what had occurred. Instead, we continued on with our mission. When we reached the Moon, we were pulled immediately into a meeting about our Senshi duties. No one asked us why we had taken so long to arrive and why we no longer had a ship to use."

"It seems we were lucky indeed," comments a new voice.

All heads whip around to see Queen Serenity standing at the edge of the training grounds. The Senshi all bow.

"Majesty," they chorus.

"It seems I was remiss asking for a report of what occurred while you were away," she says, looking square at Rei.

Rei ducks her head. "Apologies, Majesty."

The Moon Queen waves her off. "That was not what brought me here, however glad I am to have overheard. My concern is the fact I keep finding new visitors breaking formalities to hunt down my new guard and distract them from their duties." The Queen's blue eyes rake over the two kings.

Shahunt blushes and ducks his head while Dailus scratches his head sheepishly.

"Ah, Serenity! I apologize." He glances at Pru. "When we recaptured the ship that our daughter was supposed to be safely aboard from pirates, I'm afraid my paternal concerns overrode my common courtesy." He gently brushes Pru's cheek with his thumb. "I did not want to intrude, really. I know they have an important duty to prepare for, but…"

"But the tension between Mars and Mercury has skewed your perception," she finishes. She sighs before smiling at him. "Dailus, really, I know there are reasons, but Exura has not once given cause for you to distrust her so fiercely." She smirks slightly. "I do hope that recent information has at least curbed some of your ire?"

He sticks his tongue out at her. "Yes, well, I suppose it shall." He glances at Shahunt. "Love?"

Shahunt startles before nodding briefly. He turns sharply to face Rei. With a small frown, he lifts her sword and holds it to her hilt first. "You have proven to be a protector. Always wield it so."

Rei dips her head before slowly taking hold of the sword and pulling it from his hands.

"Now, why don't the three of us go catch up while we allow these ladies to continue their training? From my understanding, Luna has quite the schedule for them."

All of the Senshi pale.

"Quick!" ushers Amora. "Get back to your spots! If they see us slacking…!"

All three monarchs blink as the Senshi seem to teleport to their different activities, looking as if they hadn't stopped at all. The only tell-tale sign of something amiss is the sword now laying safely on a bench to the side of their training area.

Dailus sends a worried look to the Queen. "Is she really such a taskmaster?"

Queen Serenity chuckles. "If it weren't for the fact Luna gave a tongue lashing to King Urdin for attempting to stall them from training, I would not quite know how on task she is. I've spent the last forty minutes talking him down in his attempt to have her punished."

Dailus sputters a moment before belting out robust laughter. "Oh, I wish I was present for that! Her tame exterior hides quite a hell cat!"

"You're Majesties," calls a frosty voice.

Dailus chokes mid laugh, falling into a coughing fit. Shahunt is beating him on the back with an open palm while the Queen looks up at Luna standing demurely on top of the hill.

"Ah, Luna," calls the Moon Queen with a half-smile. "We were simply dropping off an item for Exura. It seems it was forgotten on Mercury in her haste to finish gathering the other Senshi."

Luna bobs her head. "Of course. Were they remiss in their training while this gift was delivered?"

"Not at all," responds the Queen lightly. "They have been diligent, insisting that their training took priority."

As if to prove this, the Senshi have either picked up their pace or are blatantly ignoring the four guests hovering on the training field. It probably helps that they had all broken out in a cold sweat as soon as Luna had spoken, adding to the imagery of intense studious training.

"I am relieved," remarks Luna, dark gaze sweeping across the young women. "I do not have to keep them another three hours this evening for being lackadaisical."

The Queen blinks. "Another?"

"King Urdin's interruption added three hours to their time slot," Luna responds primly. "If they were slacking further, we would be here nearly half the night. I am glad that I do not need to miss several hours of sleep in order to keep them properly motivated."

The Queen laughs hesitantly. "Of course. We can all be relieved to have good sleep this evening." She waves at the Mercurian kings. "Come, let us be on our way. We do not want to cause distraction, do we?"

Both kings nod swiftly before falling in step with the Queen as she makes her way towards the Palace.

Luna watches them leave before turning a dour look on the Senshi. "That does not save you from tomorrow, however, as I heard the entire thing," she says tersely.

All of the Senshi groan aloud.

"Gift indeed," titters Luna as she pivots quickly. "Rotate stations!" she calls over her shoulder.

"I swear, if any more parents attempt to visit us, I'm making a formal complaint to her Majesty," grumbles Ventus.

"At this rate, I expect Amora's parents to visit next," remarks Aequus.

"Mine?" Amora giggles. "Oh, they won't bother trying to find us outside of the Queen's approval. They are far more comfortable lounging in the palace instead of searching us out."

Elysia smiles slightly. "Mine might show to see if I am well, using the excuse to see if I've 'improved' with the council."

"My mother might show, seeing how I haven't actually informed her of what has occurred," remarks Hotaru thoughtfully.

"I am uncertain if my parents will bother," remarks Aetas. "They already knew of my status, and they rarely got involved after I was taken for training as a child." Her gaze flicks to Rei. "What of your parents, Exura?"

An image of her father parading through the palace, bellowing loudly for her by name causes Rei to pale. "Don't ask," she says faintly. She clears her throat. "Just… no."

"Yes," drawls Aetas. "I can see how that might be… awkward."

Pru falls into a fit of giggles while Aequus chuckles.

Rei blushes. "Shove off," she grumbles, avoiding the curious looks of the other Senshi and Serenity.