What is crawling and competing
Everything is everywhere
-Rob Zombie, "Reload"
To say she had seen something like it before would be a lie, for never had she even imagined something like it could exist.
The view of the Moon was breathtaking from the window she peered from as the shuttle approached. A sea of greens broken up only by flashes of other colors. Dwarfing all of it was the Lunar palace itself, such a pristine white that she couldn't find an equal to for comparisons. Fountains lined the pathway to and from the palace itself, a city spread before it from the glimpse she had before the shuttle zoomed to buildings and structures off to the side.
To say she wasn't mesmerized would be a lie as well.
She had risen that morning, or so she assumed given that the surroundings didn't support really what time it was. Minako's belongings were still stacked in the chair, untouched from when she had gone to bed, meaning the blonde never did make it to bed. Likely she had stayed up all night, releasing a sigh with the shake of her head. Changing, she offered Phobos and Deimos a piece of bread she had taken from her meal the night before.
"I don't know what this place is going to be like, or if there's someone there that can help you. But I promise, I'll do my best." She vowed, listening to their caws and the ruffle of feathers before they resumed eating. She'd almost say some things never changed, shaking her head to make sure she had everything before stepping out to the corridor.
The din of voices reverberated in a mix of excitement and something haunty, almost snobbish as she approached the main area of the ship she had been on the past few days. The people that had to be rescued the day before were all crowded around the table, a man and his wife, plus a small boy. The lady she noted dismissed her instantly the moment their gazes met, going back to speaking to her husband with a complaining voice over how lousy this ship was for sleeping arrangements.
The man seemed more interested in her, at least until it appeared that his wife kicked him hard under the table for either looking or for taking his attention off of her. Their son was the only one who openly stared, neither parent stopping him and so she bore his gaze as she took a seat away from the table that otherwise, had been frequented by her, Minako, and Artemis. While space travel was fascinating, she'd also be glad to leave the ship. There was no sign of Minako or Artemis, suspecting that they were probably still up in the piloting area. Given it was small, it was probably crowded with the addition of the two, and if she was to go step in, it would just make matters worse.
Instead she did her best to drown out the continual complaints the woman had over everything. Some, she suspected, would never be happy no matter what. The window was a far better traveling companion, finding herself glued to it as the shuttle approached apparently the center of the entire system the way that Minako and Artemis acted. Just beyond the Moon she could see the blue planet of Earth, a soft swirling mass of green, blue, and white. Never had she seen the Terran planet, only heard second and third hand gossip that she rarely paid attention to as it never applied to her.
It was simply astonishing, the only way she could describe it as the shuttle approached the Lunar palace and to its shuttle docking area. Once the ship had landed, the passengers they had rescued all rose, exiting in an orderly enough fashion, though their son continued to stare at her until he was yanked out by his mother who muttered something about "staying away from savages."
Thinly she smirked, shaking her head before rising from her seat. The sound of the piloting area opening drew her attention, pausing as Artemis stepped out to the room, smiling at her, before he stepped out to the docks. Shortly on his heels came Minako, a scowl of sorts on her features before it dropped, a half sort of smile as a greeting given to her. "Here we are… let's get our things before Artemis takes off without us."
The blonde looked tired and worn out, recalling her words from the night prior that she would skip sleep to work on her debriefing report. She didn't like it in the least, almost frowning as well before she followed after her to the quarters claimed on the ship. Inside Minako collected her backpack, slinging it on over her shoulders before picking up her own meager belongings, followed by her helmet.
"Wonderful company we had, wouldn't you say?" Like nothing phased her she adjusted the items she carried in her hands, however she didn't meet her gaze.
"Did you even sleep at all?" Reaching for her belongings the blonde twisted and turned, keeping her grasp on them as she shook her head in response.
"I've got it and no." She glanced to either raven that watched them with far too much intelligence, releasing a breathed out smirk. "I don't think they'd fly off, but they probably trust you more than me. Come." Stepping out of the room she ended the conversation then and there, stepping out of the shuttle and leaving her no choice but to follow.
She wanted to scowl something awful, glowering even as Phobos and Deimos settled to her shoulders as she left at last, dimly aware of the crew beginning their own disembarking procedures. The scowl fell from her face, looking about in wonder. An open bay, the stone was a soft, muted gray, somehow not clashing with the pristine and pure white of the Palace itself, of which it seemed to be a short walk away. Around them crew went about their duties, paying them no mind. A few guards she noted patrolled, wearing uniforms and carrying arms similar to Minako's own, save it was a full suit of plate where the blonde skimmed with just a breast plate. Their helmets were similar, minus the plume that her's had; completely ridiculous that, followed by a soft blue cloak and a pure white crescent moon stitched to the back.
The noise wasn't that bad though, or at least not as bad as she was expecting it to be. It sounded much like the towns she had visited on Mars, save the languages were many. The people, those that weren't crew or guards, seemed to be a colorful variety, picking out numerous choices of attire and color, just as the very color of hair seemed to be. No one looked to be Martian however, or at least none that she could tell.
Few paid them any attention though the guards paused to salute Artemis and Minako without breaking stride. The people looked but weren't too impressed either way, and the crew… well it was already established they didn't care. A few spared her a longer look, mostly due to the ravens, but none said anything. Awaiting her was Artemis and Minako, the former who spoke in place of the latter. "Welcome to the Moon. Minako will show you to your rooms and introduce you to Ami and Makoto, the Princesses of Mercury and Jupiter respectively. Lunch should follow after; the Queen would like you and the rest to have dinner with her, so you will have a few hours to bathe and rest before then."
Minako waited until Artemis nodded to them both, walking off before she rolled her eyes, her body easing out of its tense state. It still took her a few moments before she finally spoke, nodding off in the direction after him before she started to walk. "This is the port, it's meant more for the Palace's use, primarily nobles or couriers. There is rarely civilians here, which is why no one is making a big deal out of us. Had we landed instead in the city proper, you wouldn't be able to hear yourself think. The port is connected off of one of the Palace's wings, far enough away that it will never disrupt your sleep, but of course far enough away that it's a walk to and from. From the north of the Palace is the training yards. There's a few of them, most are in use by the Lunar Army; we have our own separate ones but they are essentially the same as what they have. Opposing the spaceport, on the other side of the Palace, are the gardens and the stables."
As she spoke, she absently pointed off with a free hand, her pack was somehow slung over her shoulder awkwardly despite her own pack being across her back and that ridiculous helmet was tucked under her arm. "Out of the front of the Palace is the way to the city that's sprawled around it; beyond that you'll find a lot of Lunar landmarks, such as Mare Serenitatis which is the closest. The Palace is situated more towards the northern cap of the Moon, just below Mare Frigoris. Then you have the countless other 'sea's,'" The blonde's fingers gestured as though she was quoting something. "That make up the rest of the Moon." Pausing she looked over at her. "Are you lost yet?"
"How … No, don't tell me how you remember all of that. I thought I did well knowing of Mars."
She smirked slightly, shaking her head. "I'll admit, the only thing I remember is that Olympus Mons is huge, and that Xanthe Terra is where the spaceport is at. Beyond that…" She gave a shrug, the din of the port left behind them, giving way to long pristine halls of the white she had seen from the shuttle window. Along the corridor stood tall columns, supporting the roof over head that, with a glance up, was painted in a mosaic that caught her attention.
It seemed to be expected by Minako, who stopped to allow her to look. In shades of dark purple and bright yellows, followed by greens and reds and blues, the only thing that looked familiar was what she thought was her home planet, flanked by its twin moons. She hardly paid attention to most astronomy teachings unless it pertained to how to navigate, but as she picked out planets she recalled Artemis' words from before. Her gaze darted from Mercury all the way to Neptune, dropping to look at Minako in almost wide eyed fascination.
How could the blonde hate space travel so much, when she got to see what most never had the opportunity to? The sobering thought came when she realized the why behind it. Swallowing the wonder away she nodded to indicate she was ready to go, thankful that the blonde didn't say anything to her look.
The deeper they moved into the palace the more displays of wealth became apparent. While the walls remained the same pure white, the floor was covered in a thick woven rug, soft beneath the soles of her soft boots. That she could feel that despite their construction was almost enough to make her stop if for no other reason to kneel and press her fingers into the material. Her refrain came about only because the art along the walls drew her attention.
On pedestals were probably priceless vases, intercepted on the walls by large paintings of scenes too fantastical for her mind to want to comprehend. If it wasn't a painting then it was a tapestry of sort, or maybe a window. Whatever it was, it certainly was not like the palace back on Mars. There were no displays of weaponry almost artistically shown off. Only on occasion did she see a guard, and none were as armored or armed as those she was sad to find herself used to while the blonde was resting in recovery over her injuries.
As they approached each guard, she noted they looked almost lazy, hardly disciplined. It was only when they were in a few paces of them that they suddenly straightened up, looking all at once impressive only to lose the look when they passed by. Ahead of her she could see Minako frowning slightly, a slight glower at first that grew the further they went, until it was an all out one that wasn't dislodged by the shake of her head she gave.
Down corridors they went, not so elegantly decorated, as though there was no one to impress. Here there were no guards, no servants for that matter, just an almost normal looking passageway that finally terminated at a pair of closed, white oak doors. Here Minako hesitated for a moment, on the verge of saying something before she braced herself, opening the doors with a pull towards her.
At once a warmth seemed to surround them, the kind brought on by a tended roaring fire. A soft scent, like something sweet and maybe floral followed on the wash of heat. At once her eyes darted over the blonde's figure, noticing how the room was a complete opposite from the rest of the palace. In darker colors; wood she would guess, it seemed far more comfortable than the rest. A large window was on one wall, directly ahead seemed to be another set of doors; not as ornate nor as big as the two still being held open by Minako's free hand, and to the left of that it looked like a moderately sized table.
What captured her attention the most though were the sounds. Certainly at first the decor drew her attention, as did the welcoming warmth, but the more she stood behind the blonde's figure, the more she silently waited while Phobos and Deimos peered about from their perches on her shoulders, she realized what the sounds were. At once she felt her face infuse with heat, for some reason finding herself automatically following after Minako who walked inside the room, letting the door click softly shut against its twin.
Afforded a greater look at the room, she found series of bookshelves from floor to ceiling, the hearth itself seemed large, the table looked like it would seat four comfortably but two more could easily join at the head and foot if so needed, and a few large couches. The flooring was plain; actual wood where the rest had been marble covered by something plush, and bore nothing else. Without hesitation the blonde walked right over to the back of one couch, positioned perpendicular to the doorway, watching for a moment before she finally spoke.
"One of you is going to have the most horrific catch in her neck…"
Gasps and the frantic sounds of bodies moving against one another; hardly much different than what had been going on before, and out peeked out a woman with brown hair and one with blue over the back of the furniture. Both looked flushed, almost guilty for a moment before the latter one groaned, a throw pillow that matched the upholstery was launched at the blonde who sidestepped and laughed. The stress that seemed to linger about her was gone as the sounds of her laughter masked the rest of the movement before either couch participant rose to their feet, straightening out their disarrayed garments.
By the time they did Minako seemed to regain her composure, setting her helmet and both of their backpacks off on another couch. A glance between her and the other two and she softly cleared her throat, taking on a moment of seriousness. "Ami, Princess of Mercury," the one who had thrown the pillow at Minako inclined her head, "Makoto, Princess of Jupiter," her partner in crime was taller than all of them, "may I introduce to you Rei, Priestess of Mars."
She was silently amazed that Minako had left it at that, failing to mention her title. It did not go unnoticed by the Mercurian, glancing at the blonde before back at her. "Priestess?"
The blonde raised her hands in what could only be considered surrender, shaking her head and refusing to speak further on the matter. "Artemis said that you'd all be taking lunch then tonight the Queen plans for a dinner."
The Jovian seemed bemused by that, retaking a much better seat than she had been at previously on the couch. Long limbs stretched out, Ami moving to sit next to her as she spoke. "Kinda hard for that to happen. The Queen isn't here."
"She's … not?" Minako moved around to take a seat opposing them, looking slightly on edge as she inquired. Left with little else to do, she found a seat next to the blonde, but not as close as the two other princesses seemed to be. Both ravens found it better to take wing, landing on the windowsill with a caw. It drew the attention of the other two who looked at them in wonder before the blonde's throat clearing drew their attention back.
"No, she left earlier today, along with the Princess. It's … part of the reason you walked in on us as you did." The Mercurian spoke with the barest of blushes to her features, her voice dipping a moment before turning serious again. "Luna alerted us of your return; we just didn't think you'd be back quite so soon yet but … it's nice to have you back again."
Minako frowned, falling silent as she sat back against the couch for a few moments before she sighed, pushing back up to her feet. "Would either of you mind showing Rei to her rooms? I think I have some impending meetings to attend to…" Off her words trailed, tugging irritably at her clothing. "Oh … and if you wouldn't mind tossing my things to my room, I'd appreciate it." At the nod received from the Jovian, the blonde exited the room, the sound of the door closing behind her ominous enough.
A/N: This hasn't been abandoned. I feel like I should include that before someone starts to wonder. The good news is that I once again have a job, the bad news however is the commute is killing me (at least on the way home) and I don't have the luxury of writing at work (which is probably a good thing when you think about it). So updates now are a bit slower than what I want, but rest assured, they will still be done because hehe, this is now getting to the fun parts.
To anyone following Recollection, I am thinking of doing a rewrite on it. I want to take it in the same direction, just a different presentation. When I do the rewrite however, I will include the next chapter soooo… your patience is appreciated.