Amazonia prowled about her chamber, her lovely face contorted with frustration
and rage. Her body tensed with action, she whirled madly when a masculine
voice spoke from the doorway.
"My lady, what troubles you?" The man leaned against the wall suavely and
watched the middle princess with cool hazel eyes. He was tall and muscular,
dressed like a prince in blacks and greys. Hair the color of forest moss
framed his lean, handsome face and had been pulled into a tight ponytail at
the nape of his neck. He was Lord Mathus, servant to the Gorgons and
high-ranking warrior general to their troops. As soon as Amazonia caught sight
of him she lunged into battle.
"Lord Mathus! Defend yourself." The man quickly blocked her attack and
countered it with one of his own, pushing himself from the wall and spinning
away from Amazonia's next attack. The two raged through the chamber with a
series of punches and kicks until they both panted and their clothing clung to
them with sweat. Amazonia rushed at Mathus once more but he caught her punch
in his hand and twisted her arm behind her, bringing her into a lock against
his chest. They both stood silently for a moment, their breath heavy.
Mathus leaned his chin on the princess's head and murmured sweetly into her
tangled blonde hair. "My princess, what troubles you?" Amazonia didn't
respond, but instead twisted free of his grasp and grabbed his head with her
hands. She spun to face him and brought his lips to meet hers in a fierce
kiss. Still clutching his head, she bore her eyes into his.
"Regina is too cautious." She snarled, dark eyes flashing. "I want to destroy.
Find me something to destroy, Mathus." She demanded, grabbing his tunic and
crushing him to her once more. "Find me a planet to destroy, else I shall
destroy you..." Mathus smirked at her hollow threat and ran his fingers
through her sweaty blonde hair.
"My princess, I believe I have just the answer." Amazonia looked up at him
greedily, bloodlust shining in her emerald eyes. "You are aware of that fact
that Regina wishes to conquer the Upsilon Andromedae system. You should also
know that the system is a central government, extending its powers to many
minor planets across the sector. On the outskirts of the sector is a small,
nearly deserted planet. Destroy this planet, my lady, and give Andromedae
something to worry about." Amazonia licked her lips devilishly and chuckled.
"I *like* it. What is this planet? I wish to leave at this moment."
"Earth 314, located in the constellation Vela." Mathus frowned. "It is a long
distance. I should accompany you--" Amazonia silenced him with a deadly glare.
"You will stay out of my affairs unless I ask you to become involved." She
hissed. "I shall return this evening, once this planet has fallen to my
frustrations. I expect to see you in my bedchambers when I return."
"Of course, my princess." Mathus replied solemnly, keeping the glimmer of
satisfaction from his smile. Amazonia gave a nod of satisfaction before
gathering her energy and transporting herself to Earth 314. Lord Mathus
watched her body fade away into the air before turning on his heels and
exiting the chamber.
"The air whispers of foul play from lords and ladies..." a soft voice giggled
from the floor. Mathus cast his gaze down and saw the youngest of the trio
curled at the doorway of her sister's room.
"Princess Iaia." Mathus bowed respectfully to the young woman, though there
was obviously no respect in the motion. Her eyes widened and she giggled,
twirling her hands around each other as her fingers intertwined as though with
a life of their own.
"Foul, foul, foul...it doesn't like being cornered, oh no, does it?" she set
her eyes steadily on Mathus, who quickly looked elsewhere to keep from meeting
that wild gaze. Her fingers continued to wrap around each other and through
her matted hair. "The youngest knows, not yet the eldest, but if it were to be
how would it deal? If the ladies were to know the truth of the lords, how
would it deal, how would it deal..."
"My lady, perhaps you should return to your quarters." Lord Mathus extended a
hand to the woman, but she clawed at him until he withdrew his hand. Tiny
streaks of red appeared where her nails had raked him. Iaia narrowed her eyes.
Their emerald depths blazed with a serene clarity that was frightening to
behold.
"False affection is blood, sweet, but it dries and crusts like stale apple
pie. Do you like apple pie? Amazonia will learn the truth about her lord, oh
yes, oh yes. I can see the blood." Angrily, Mathus raised his hand to strike
the young princess of Titan. Iaia giggled and shied away, her eyes once more
wild. Mathus lowered his hand slowly.
"Not from you, my young princess. She won't learn it from you." Furiously, he
turned and returned to his own chambers, leaving the woman rocking in the hall
and giggling.
***
Dean leaned toward the girl sitting next to him and smiled charmingly. It was
natural for him to be in the spotlight, being a star suited him. In his white
button up shirt and green slacks, his lean frame lounging casually in his
chair and his deep green jacket hung on the back of his chair, passing girls
commented on how he was the image of "cool". His blonde hair hung perfectly
around his ears and eyes, bringing accent to his crystal blue eyes and white
teeth.
"Castor, I'm having a party tonight on the beach. Why don't you come?" She
breathed, her excitement evident in her dancing eyes. Castor smiled. He knew
what kind of party she meant...lots of girls, trying to impress him. He
shrugged casually and flashed a smile, causing her to blush and giggle.
"I'll see if I can make it." The girl blushed even more and Dean looked around
the lunchroom. He soon caught sight of Erica, surrounded by her typical group
of admiring males. She smiled at him and waved, and Dean noticed a few
crestfallen faces in her crowd. He sighed. No one seemed to understand that he
and Erica were just good friends, not a couple. It made friendly flirting a
lot more difficult.
"Is this seat taken?" Erica questioned, gazing down at Dean. With a coy smile,
he motioned for her to sit beside him. A dozen pairs of hands reached out to
pull a chair over for Erica. She smiled cutely at her followers before
daintily sitting herself beside Dean. She put her tray on the table beside
Dean's, as cast him a look of distaste. His lunch consisted of fries, soda,
cookies and a bag of chips. "I'm ashamed of you, Castor. So completely
unhealthy!" Erica cried in distress, taking a bite of her apple. Her tray
sported water, milk, salad and a dinner roll.
"I don't see what's wrong with it." Dean replied with a charming smile and a
shrug. Erica cast him a sly look before gazing about her with wide eyes,
innocently taking in the crowd of admirers that stood around herself and Dean.
"My, it certainly has gotten crowded around here, hasn't it?" she twittered,
smiling blandly at the sea of faces.
"It is the price we pay." Dean joked, putting his arm around her shoulders.
She laughed. "I'm disheartened that you find our plight so amusing. I makes
spending time with my dearest so difficult." He teased.
"Does it? Well, I'm no easy catch, you know." Erica teased back lightly,
taking another delicate bite of her apple before rising. "Perhaps I will let
you ponder our difficulties by yourself." She rose to move to another table.
Dean let out a hearty laugh as she left, noting the angry glances some of his
female admirers were giving Erica.
"She's such a nasty little tease." The girl across the table pouted, jealousy
tainting her voice.
"And you wouldn't say the same about yourself or Dean?" A new voice
questioned. The girl looked up at Cecelia and blushed in embarrassment.
"Cece! Castor is not a tease, he's a gentleman..." she argued, stumbling over
her words slightly as Cecelia rolled her eyes and sat down beside Dean.
Standing behind her and trying to look small was a new girl, wearing the
slightly different attire of a first year student.
"A gentleman? I've never heard him called that before." Cece teased, taking a
fry from Dean's tray.
"Ouch, Cece. You're harsh." Castor placed his hand over his heart in mock
pain. The girl standing behind Cecelia smiled in amusement. Dean caught sight
of her. "Are you going to introduce me to your friend?"
Cecelia swallowed her fry and waved Tien around to stand beside her. "This is
Tien Sao, a transfer student that just arrived today. I'm showing her around.
Tien, meet Dean Castor. Careful, he's vicious."
Dean looked at the girl and smiled his most charming smile and took her small
tan hand in his own. With her dark, silky hair, obsidian eyes and deep brown
skin, she was obviously different than any of the girls in the school. Short
and full figured, Dean found himself unexplainably attracted to this silent
beauty.
"Charmed, I'm sure." He gave her a winning smile. "And disregard anything Cece
might say. I'm just normal guy, I don't bite unless on request." Tien pulled
her hand from his grasp and looked at the floor.
"I'm glad to meet you, Mr. Castor." Tien replied quietly, her voice as always
polite.
"May I have more fries?" Cecelia asked, reaching for the food. Dean waved her
hand towards it in a gesture of compliance. "Tien? Want some fries?" The girl
contemplated the offer a moment, eyeing the fries hungrily. She wrapped her
arms around her waist.
"Perhaps not." Dean remarked, noting her actions. "You'll want to watch that
soft figure of yours, Tien. With a little effort, you could look like a
goddess."
Cecelia stopped eating long enough to look at him in shock. Tien bit her lip
and hugged herself tighter, staring intently at the ground.
"I can't believe you just said that, Castor!" Cecelia burst out, throwing her
fry at him. "That's so cruel." Tien might have been strange and discomforting
to be around, Cecelia conceded, but she would not tolerate Dean making such
remarks.
"I only meant..." he began to protest, as though just realizing what he had
implied.
"No, it's quite understandable, Mr. Castor." Tien interrupted softly, a hint
of reproach in her gentle voice. "Miss Cecelia, I'm sorry to intrude, but
would it be all right if we continued our tour now? I can go without lunch
today." Cecelia nodded and rose, casting a look of 'see what you've done now?'
at Castor before leading Tien out o the cafeteria.
Dean watched them go, absently picking as his fries, his thoughts still
focused on the new girl. He hadn't meant to offend, he was just teasing. He
sighed. Some people couldn't take a joke. Still, there was something about the
way Tien had looked at him that made him feel...
"Castor, what's wrong? Don't be mad at Cece, she just doesn't understand." A
girl beside him pleaded, placing her hand on his knee. Dean looked at the
girl's pretty green eyes and trim body and smiled again. Taking her hand in
his own, he placed it on his chest in an over-dramatic fashion.
"Nothing's wrong. I was just so stricken by your beauty that I was rendered
speechless for a moment." She giggled at his cliqued flirting and they went
back to enjoying their lunch.
***
Queen Regina sat upon her cold seat of stone and oversaw the throne room with
a haughty expression. The decision to overthrow the Upsilon Andromedae system
and all of its sub-components had been decreed only a few days prior, and
already she was busy conjuring up Shadows to serve their purpose. Her minions
were loyal and powerful, but dull and without personality. They needed bodies
to inhabit before they became anything more than mindless droids. Regina
prided herself on her artistic tastes, and personalities were as artistic as
she could get. She would be happiest when she and her sisters had conquered
their first few planets and had more of a kingdom to rule. It had been a rare
pleasure when the sisters discovered Lord Mathus nearly frozen on the surface
of Titan. No one questioned where he had arrived from or why he was on their
moon. With her dark magic she managed to keep him alive and taint his mind to
serve the three. He became the first addition to the Gorgon's kingdom, and
Regina fawned on him like a personal pet, as an inventor might fawn upon their
greatest creation. Regina's thoughts dwelt on the handsome man often. She felt
his presence beside her throne and turned.
"Lord Mathus, what brings you here?" she demanded, though by far she didn't
mind him joining her side.
"My Queen, I'm afraid to report that Princess Amazonia has run off." Mathus
said gravely, locking his intense hazel eyes on the queen's. He noted with
satisfaction the flash of anger in the queen's eyes. "I tried to stop her, but
she said she could not wait to taste the battle, and went to conquer a planet
in the system."
Regina's eyes flashed with anger and her fists clenched hard enough that her
nails began to draw blood. The commanding posture of a queen quickly turned
rigid and Regina spoke through clenched teeth. "Thank you, Mathus, for
reporting. I will handle the situation from here." Lord Mathus knelt before
his queen and took her delicate hand in his own. With seductive grace, he
kissed its palm.
"Of course, my lady. Anything to please you."
***
Cecelia sighed as she led Tien across the campus towards the dorm rooms. The
girl had wished to see her new home and Cecelia wasn't in the mood to deny
her. After their incident with Castor, Cecelia found herself ashamed to have
let this strange young woman be exposed to the not-so-elite part of TQ. Tien
had remained silent the entire time after leaving the cafeteria, and stared
demurely at the ground as Cecelia walked before her.
"Look, I'm really sorry about Castor. He's just a hot-headed prick, when you
get right down to it." Cece apologized for what seemed like the hundredth
time. Tien remained silent, but from a sideways glance back at the girl
Cecelia could see a partial smile. They walked along the beachside of the
campus towards the back doors of the girl's dormitory. As they approached the
doors, Cecelia took out a small plastic card key similar to those used in
hotel rooms. She handed it to Tien and pulled out an identical one of her own
to demonstrate with. "After 10 p.m., the doors are locked so you'll need your
key. Don't lose that, put it in your wallet or someplace safe. The system
works just like it would at a hotel, run the card through the identification
machine and the doors will open."
Tien nodded and took the key from Cecelia, tucking it away in her uniform.
Cecelia pulled open the doors and led the girl silently up the stairs to her
room, occasionally checking against Tien's information sheet to make sure she
had the address correct.
"Here's your dorm. I'm not sure who your roomie is, but it says you're sharing
with...well, it doesn't say, actually. Huh. It should." Cecelia frowned,
glancing again at the sheet of paper in her hand. With a shrug, she stood back
to give Tien the honors of opening her new home. Tien ran the key through the
lock and the door swung open. To the girls' surprise, a figure sat demurely on
the bed reading a magazine. Tien's black eyes widened in shock.
"Hello Tien. I told you I'd be keeping in touch."
"Miss Astraea!" Tien exclaimed, both embarrassed and glad to see the woman.
"What are you doing here?" Astraea grinned and swung her legs off the bed,
setting the magazine beside her.
"I'm your new roomie...kinda. I wanted you out of any possible danger, so I
signed up as your roomie so that no negative energies would be exposed in
here." She looked over Cecelia critically, and the third-year shrunk away from
that unnerving stare that Tien had mastered only earlier that day. "Well, come
in you two, shut the door. I see you brought Sailor Scorpius with you."
"Her name is Miss Cecelia LeGruin, Miss Astraea." Tien offered helpfully.
"Oh no, you're that one Tien was telling me about w
and rage. Her body tensed with action, she whirled madly when a masculine
voice spoke from the doorway.
"My lady, what troubles you?" The man leaned against the wall suavely and
watched the middle princess with cool hazel eyes. He was tall and muscular,
dressed like a prince in blacks and greys. Hair the color of forest moss
framed his lean, handsome face and had been pulled into a tight ponytail at
the nape of his neck. He was Lord Mathus, servant to the Gorgons and
high-ranking warrior general to their troops. As soon as Amazonia caught sight
of him she lunged into battle.
"Lord Mathus! Defend yourself." The man quickly blocked her attack and
countered it with one of his own, pushing himself from the wall and spinning
away from Amazonia's next attack. The two raged through the chamber with a
series of punches and kicks until they both panted and their clothing clung to
them with sweat. Amazonia rushed at Mathus once more but he caught her punch
in his hand and twisted her arm behind her, bringing her into a lock against
his chest. They both stood silently for a moment, their breath heavy.
Mathus leaned his chin on the princess's head and murmured sweetly into her
tangled blonde hair. "My princess, what troubles you?" Amazonia didn't
respond, but instead twisted free of his grasp and grabbed his head with her
hands. She spun to face him and brought his lips to meet hers in a fierce
kiss. Still clutching his head, she bore her eyes into his.
"Regina is too cautious." She snarled, dark eyes flashing. "I want to destroy.
Find me something to destroy, Mathus." She demanded, grabbing his tunic and
crushing him to her once more. "Find me a planet to destroy, else I shall
destroy you..." Mathus smirked at her hollow threat and ran his fingers
through her sweaty blonde hair.
"My princess, I believe I have just the answer." Amazonia looked up at him
greedily, bloodlust shining in her emerald eyes. "You are aware of that fact
that Regina wishes to conquer the Upsilon Andromedae system. You should also
know that the system is a central government, extending its powers to many
minor planets across the sector. On the outskirts of the sector is a small,
nearly deserted planet. Destroy this planet, my lady, and give Andromedae
something to worry about." Amazonia licked her lips devilishly and chuckled.
"I *like* it. What is this planet? I wish to leave at this moment."
"Earth 314, located in the constellation Vela." Mathus frowned. "It is a long
distance. I should accompany you--" Amazonia silenced him with a deadly glare.
"You will stay out of my affairs unless I ask you to become involved." She
hissed. "I shall return this evening, once this planet has fallen to my
frustrations. I expect to see you in my bedchambers when I return."
"Of course, my princess." Mathus replied solemnly, keeping the glimmer of
satisfaction from his smile. Amazonia gave a nod of satisfaction before
gathering her energy and transporting herself to Earth 314. Lord Mathus
watched her body fade away into the air before turning on his heels and
exiting the chamber.
"The air whispers of foul play from lords and ladies..." a soft voice giggled
from the floor. Mathus cast his gaze down and saw the youngest of the trio
curled at the doorway of her sister's room.
"Princess Iaia." Mathus bowed respectfully to the young woman, though there
was obviously no respect in the motion. Her eyes widened and she giggled,
twirling her hands around each other as her fingers intertwined as though with
a life of their own.
"Foul, foul, foul...it doesn't like being cornered, oh no, does it?" she set
her eyes steadily on Mathus, who quickly looked elsewhere to keep from meeting
that wild gaze. Her fingers continued to wrap around each other and through
her matted hair. "The youngest knows, not yet the eldest, but if it were to be
how would it deal? If the ladies were to know the truth of the lords, how
would it deal, how would it deal..."
"My lady, perhaps you should return to your quarters." Lord Mathus extended a
hand to the woman, but she clawed at him until he withdrew his hand. Tiny
streaks of red appeared where her nails had raked him. Iaia narrowed her eyes.
Their emerald depths blazed with a serene clarity that was frightening to
behold.
"False affection is blood, sweet, but it dries and crusts like stale apple
pie. Do you like apple pie? Amazonia will learn the truth about her lord, oh
yes, oh yes. I can see the blood." Angrily, Mathus raised his hand to strike
the young princess of Titan. Iaia giggled and shied away, her eyes once more
wild. Mathus lowered his hand slowly.
"Not from you, my young princess. She won't learn it from you." Furiously, he
turned and returned to his own chambers, leaving the woman rocking in the hall
and giggling.
***
Dean leaned toward the girl sitting next to him and smiled charmingly. It was
natural for him to be in the spotlight, being a star suited him. In his white
button up shirt and green slacks, his lean frame lounging casually in his
chair and his deep green jacket hung on the back of his chair, passing girls
commented on how he was the image of "cool". His blonde hair hung perfectly
around his ears and eyes, bringing accent to his crystal blue eyes and white
teeth.
"Castor, I'm having a party tonight on the beach. Why don't you come?" She
breathed, her excitement evident in her dancing eyes. Castor smiled. He knew
what kind of party she meant...lots of girls, trying to impress him. He
shrugged casually and flashed a smile, causing her to blush and giggle.
"I'll see if I can make it." The girl blushed even more and Dean looked around
the lunchroom. He soon caught sight of Erica, surrounded by her typical group
of admiring males. She smiled at him and waved, and Dean noticed a few
crestfallen faces in her crowd. He sighed. No one seemed to understand that he
and Erica were just good friends, not a couple. It made friendly flirting a
lot more difficult.
"Is this seat taken?" Erica questioned, gazing down at Dean. With a coy smile,
he motioned for her to sit beside him. A dozen pairs of hands reached out to
pull a chair over for Erica. She smiled cutely at her followers before
daintily sitting herself beside Dean. She put her tray on the table beside
Dean's, as cast him a look of distaste. His lunch consisted of fries, soda,
cookies and a bag of chips. "I'm ashamed of you, Castor. So completely
unhealthy!" Erica cried in distress, taking a bite of her apple. Her tray
sported water, milk, salad and a dinner roll.
"I don't see what's wrong with it." Dean replied with a charming smile and a
shrug. Erica cast him a sly look before gazing about her with wide eyes,
innocently taking in the crowd of admirers that stood around herself and Dean.
"My, it certainly has gotten crowded around here, hasn't it?" she twittered,
smiling blandly at the sea of faces.
"It is the price we pay." Dean joked, putting his arm around her shoulders.
She laughed. "I'm disheartened that you find our plight so amusing. I makes
spending time with my dearest so difficult." He teased.
"Does it? Well, I'm no easy catch, you know." Erica teased back lightly,
taking another delicate bite of her apple before rising. "Perhaps I will let
you ponder our difficulties by yourself." She rose to move to another table.
Dean let out a hearty laugh as she left, noting the angry glances some of his
female admirers were giving Erica.
"She's such a nasty little tease." The girl across the table pouted, jealousy
tainting her voice.
"And you wouldn't say the same about yourself or Dean?" A new voice
questioned. The girl looked up at Cecelia and blushed in embarrassment.
"Cece! Castor is not a tease, he's a gentleman..." she argued, stumbling over
her words slightly as Cecelia rolled her eyes and sat down beside Dean.
Standing behind her and trying to look small was a new girl, wearing the
slightly different attire of a first year student.
"A gentleman? I've never heard him called that before." Cece teased, taking a
fry from Dean's tray.
"Ouch, Cece. You're harsh." Castor placed his hand over his heart in mock
pain. The girl standing behind Cecelia smiled in amusement. Dean caught sight
of her. "Are you going to introduce me to your friend?"
Cecelia swallowed her fry and waved Tien around to stand beside her. "This is
Tien Sao, a transfer student that just arrived today. I'm showing her around.
Tien, meet Dean Castor. Careful, he's vicious."
Dean looked at the girl and smiled his most charming smile and took her small
tan hand in his own. With her dark, silky hair, obsidian eyes and deep brown
skin, she was obviously different than any of the girls in the school. Short
and full figured, Dean found himself unexplainably attracted to this silent
beauty.
"Charmed, I'm sure." He gave her a winning smile. "And disregard anything Cece
might say. I'm just normal guy, I don't bite unless on request." Tien pulled
her hand from his grasp and looked at the floor.
"I'm glad to meet you, Mr. Castor." Tien replied quietly, her voice as always
polite.
"May I have more fries?" Cecelia asked, reaching for the food. Dean waved her
hand towards it in a gesture of compliance. "Tien? Want some fries?" The girl
contemplated the offer a moment, eyeing the fries hungrily. She wrapped her
arms around her waist.
"Perhaps not." Dean remarked, noting her actions. "You'll want to watch that
soft figure of yours, Tien. With a little effort, you could look like a
goddess."
Cecelia stopped eating long enough to look at him in shock. Tien bit her lip
and hugged herself tighter, staring intently at the ground.
"I can't believe you just said that, Castor!" Cecelia burst out, throwing her
fry at him. "That's so cruel." Tien might have been strange and discomforting
to be around, Cecelia conceded, but she would not tolerate Dean making such
remarks.
"I only meant..." he began to protest, as though just realizing what he had
implied.
"No, it's quite understandable, Mr. Castor." Tien interrupted softly, a hint
of reproach in her gentle voice. "Miss Cecelia, I'm sorry to intrude, but
would it be all right if we continued our tour now? I can go without lunch
today." Cecelia nodded and rose, casting a look of 'see what you've done now?'
at Castor before leading Tien out o the cafeteria.
Dean watched them go, absently picking as his fries, his thoughts still
focused on the new girl. He hadn't meant to offend, he was just teasing. He
sighed. Some people couldn't take a joke. Still, there was something about the
way Tien had looked at him that made him feel...
"Castor, what's wrong? Don't be mad at Cece, she just doesn't understand." A
girl beside him pleaded, placing her hand on his knee. Dean looked at the
girl's pretty green eyes and trim body and smiled again. Taking her hand in
his own, he placed it on his chest in an over-dramatic fashion.
"Nothing's wrong. I was just so stricken by your beauty that I was rendered
speechless for a moment." She giggled at his cliqued flirting and they went
back to enjoying their lunch.
***
Queen Regina sat upon her cold seat of stone and oversaw the throne room with
a haughty expression. The decision to overthrow the Upsilon Andromedae system
and all of its sub-components had been decreed only a few days prior, and
already she was busy conjuring up Shadows to serve their purpose. Her minions
were loyal and powerful, but dull and without personality. They needed bodies
to inhabit before they became anything more than mindless droids. Regina
prided herself on her artistic tastes, and personalities were as artistic as
she could get. She would be happiest when she and her sisters had conquered
their first few planets and had more of a kingdom to rule. It had been a rare
pleasure when the sisters discovered Lord Mathus nearly frozen on the surface
of Titan. No one questioned where he had arrived from or why he was on their
moon. With her dark magic she managed to keep him alive and taint his mind to
serve the three. He became the first addition to the Gorgon's kingdom, and
Regina fawned on him like a personal pet, as an inventor might fawn upon their
greatest creation. Regina's thoughts dwelt on the handsome man often. She felt
his presence beside her throne and turned.
"Lord Mathus, what brings you here?" she demanded, though by far she didn't
mind him joining her side.
"My Queen, I'm afraid to report that Princess Amazonia has run off." Mathus
said gravely, locking his intense hazel eyes on the queen's. He noted with
satisfaction the flash of anger in the queen's eyes. "I tried to stop her, but
she said she could not wait to taste the battle, and went to conquer a planet
in the system."
Regina's eyes flashed with anger and her fists clenched hard enough that her
nails began to draw blood. The commanding posture of a queen quickly turned
rigid and Regina spoke through clenched teeth. "Thank you, Mathus, for
reporting. I will handle the situation from here." Lord Mathus knelt before
his queen and took her delicate hand in his own. With seductive grace, he
kissed its palm.
"Of course, my lady. Anything to please you."
***
Cecelia sighed as she led Tien across the campus towards the dorm rooms. The
girl had wished to see her new home and Cecelia wasn't in the mood to deny
her. After their incident with Castor, Cecelia found herself ashamed to have
let this strange young woman be exposed to the not-so-elite part of TQ. Tien
had remained silent the entire time after leaving the cafeteria, and stared
demurely at the ground as Cecelia walked before her.
"Look, I'm really sorry about Castor. He's just a hot-headed prick, when you
get right down to it." Cece apologized for what seemed like the hundredth
time. Tien remained silent, but from a sideways glance back at the girl
Cecelia could see a partial smile. They walked along the beachside of the
campus towards the back doors of the girl's dormitory. As they approached the
doors, Cecelia took out a small plastic card key similar to those used in
hotel rooms. She handed it to Tien and pulled out an identical one of her own
to demonstrate with. "After 10 p.m., the doors are locked so you'll need your
key. Don't lose that, put it in your wallet or someplace safe. The system
works just like it would at a hotel, run the card through the identification
machine and the doors will open."
Tien nodded and took the key from Cecelia, tucking it away in her uniform.
Cecelia pulled open the doors and led the girl silently up the stairs to her
room, occasionally checking against Tien's information sheet to make sure she
had the address correct.
"Here's your dorm. I'm not sure who your roomie is, but it says you're sharing
with...well, it doesn't say, actually. Huh. It should." Cecelia frowned,
glancing again at the sheet of paper in her hand. With a shrug, she stood back
to give Tien the honors of opening her new home. Tien ran the key through the
lock and the door swung open. To the girls' surprise, a figure sat demurely on
the bed reading a magazine. Tien's black eyes widened in shock.
"Hello Tien. I told you I'd be keeping in touch."
"Miss Astraea!" Tien exclaimed, both embarrassed and glad to see the woman.
"What are you doing here?" Astraea grinned and swung her legs off the bed,
setting the magazine beside her.
"I'm your new roomie...kinda. I wanted you out of any possible danger, so I
signed up as your roomie so that no negative energies would be exposed in
here." She looked over Cecelia critically, and the third-year shrunk away from
that unnerving stare that Tien had mastered only earlier that day. "Well, come
in you two, shut the door. I see you brought Sailor Scorpius with you."
"Her name is Miss Cecelia LeGruin, Miss Astraea." Tien offered helpfully.
"Oh no, you're that one Tien was telling me about w