After assuring Holly had fulfilled all her responsibilities to the fullest, her sister Alexis also felt she had done an excellent job fulfilling her obligations. "Alexis, it's time for your violin lesson!" Michiru called sweetly.
"Coming, Mom!" excitedly, Neptune's daughter strolled with her mother to their private chamber. While Alexis was gifted like her sophisticated mother, she didn't enjoy remembering all the various terms. When the brunette completed her lesson...
"We have a few minutes before lunch. Let's work on your painting." Michiru advised lovingly. Alexis inwardly groaned. As a child, Alexis adored painting. Yet Michiru had made it much more complicated as the blue-eyed girl got older.
"I've spent three hours just trying to fill in a tree! I'll never finish it if everything takes that long or more!" Alexis grumbled.
"Being a prodigy means pushing yourself." Michiru preached.
"If you LOVE something? Sure, but pushing someone to do something they aren't passionate about? Mom, that's only going to make people grow resentment toward it. I didn't even go to Mugen Academy because of the pressure!" Alexis exclaimed angrily.
Michiru sighed softly as she knew her "delicate sea blossom," as Christen often called Alexis, was right, "Haruka and I were convinced to let you and Holly decide which academies you wanted to go to. And I wish one of you had qualified for Mugen Academy. However, I don't think you would have gone anyway."
"Mom, I love you and Mother, but when you and Mother perish, Holly is all I'll have left. We need each other." Alexis explained calmly.
"I know..." Michiru hugged her short offspring tightly. The captivating woman didn't pester her daughter further to paint anymore. However, this did not mean Michiru didn't try and find other activities for Alexis to excel in!
"Why can't Mom pester Holly like this instead? That's right! Holly told her to back off because she stood up for herself. Wish I could do that..." Alexis thought as she ate her lunch as slowly as possible. She knew how grueling trying all the other activities after this meal would be.
Being tiny, Alexis was no good at physical work and was often ignored. She shared this characteristic with Emily and Trisha. Except they were overlooked because they were quiet by choice. Alexis tried to get heard, but she had to act out. Thankfully, her friends always lend her their ears. Today, Alexis was trying to find some other outdoor activity she might like to do. The Crystal Palace has tons of toys for the girls to exercise with. Thinking about what her friends spent the most time on, the brunette headed to the jungle gym.
Together, the girls had made the plastic base pieces look like essential parts of a jungle with paint, markers, or stickers, hopefully to make the whole experience more exciting! Usually, Alexis had to climb around on the lower bars because the more powerful girls fought around the highest bars, even though their parents had warned them not to play so dangerously! Seeing as she was alone now, the blue-eyed girl started climbing up and up until she reached the top!
"What a view, huh?!" A voice beneath Alexis spoke!
The Solider Of The Sea looked down but only saw the jungle gym's base. Then she remembered behind them was a playscape with a hollow place underneath where the girls played intricate house when they were much younger as the space had a working door, windows, cabinets, table, and chairs. Alexis peeked between the plastic pieces of the jungle gym and saw two blue eyes looking back at her! Startled, the small girl slipped and toppled onto the sand below, which she had admitted was a good idea as it is more comfortable than woodchips or solid ground, but not by much!
"Oh my moon, are you OK?!" Alexis knew this was the same voice and opened her eyes to see...Michiru?!
"Mom?" Alexis groaned groggily.
'Michiru' giggled uncharacteristic "Nope, but you are close."
"Wha-?"
"I'm you. I only took on the appearance of your mom." Alternate, Alexis divulged.
"My head hurts, and my neck and shoulders are sore..." Alexis moaned.
"I can fix that." Alternate, Alexis sat her original upright and used Neptune's cool water around her hands to compress Alexis's shoulders and neck.
"Um...why are you helping me?" Alexis questioned, confused.
"I'm caring and friendly...like you." Alternate, Alexis replied as she switched her hands from Alexis's shoulders to where she hit her head.
"Aren't you going to shoot me or something?" Alexis winced as her head hurt the most.
"I don't want you to die on me before I question you." Alternate, Alexis replied eloquently.
Alexis scrambled to her feet and took out her Deep Aqua Crystal Mirror, "If you are going to try and force me to turn on Holly, it's not going to work!"
"I wasn't going to try that. Judging from how you move and talk? You're not significantly elegant or sophisticated." Alternate Alexis smirked.
"That's my mother, not me." Alexis didn't care if she was either of those things.
"You are your mother's child." Alternate, Alexis pointed out her smirk growing.
"A child doesn't need to be like their mother!" Alexis did not like it when people thought a child should be just like their parents.
"No, but all I feel from you is apathy and rage. Neither are traits of Neptune." Alternate Alexis acted like her feelings, if she had any, being only a doll, were being hurt.
"I was minding my own business, and you startled me!" Alexis shrieked loudly.
"Fair point. I apologize. Still, being more patient, calm, and intelligent would be best. Then you might not have been unprepared."
"How do you prepare for someone sneaking up on you?!" Alexis was starting to lose her patience.
"Again: A fair point, yet, my earlier statement still stands."
"I can't prove to you I am patient, calm, and intelligent, but I know I am." Alexis defended herself.
"Standing up for yourself now, are you? You believe being sociable and a perfectionist will possibly take me down?"
"I am so NOT a perfectionist. I just gave up painting yesterday afternoon! Furthermore, being cordial isn't a negative trait."
"I didn't say it was, but you know you're too terrified and powerless to be worthwhile!"
"Scared? Weak? You have to be kidding me! Are you sure we're talking about me? Because the Alexis I know is anything but those things! Possibly I can prove how patient I am..."
"How?" Alternate Alexis chortled.
"I just did. I could have attacked you, but I decided to talk first. In that sense, I'm calm too. As for intelligence...RUSH REFLECTION!" Although Alexis felt Comet's assumption was correct, she had to be sure and utilize the mirror to reveal the truth about who was crafting these dolls.
Bright, white light lit up the glass face of the mirror, even making the gold sparkle, and it formed into a reflection of none other than Charlotte's old, weathered, and withered face!
"You have to depend on a mirror to figure things out? I thought you were trying to be independent?" Alternate Alexis insulted.
"I will not indulge you in patronizing me! FATHOM LEAGUES!" Alexis shot a blue ball of sea energy, shaped like the planet Neptune, at her counterpart, destroying her.
As Alexis stood there, trying to catch her breath, she realized something. If her mirror could reveal hidden truths as it just did, could it lead them to Charlotte too? With her blue eyes shining in confidence, she rushed home to see if the others wanted to participate in testing out her theory.
The brunette princess of Neptune knew the Outer Senshi would not mind helping as she knew them best. Even if they could not locate Charolette, they could find a way to help Crystal. Sadly, when she returned, she was informed by Trisha Emily was among the missing; she had left to train but had been gone far too long!
