Now here's the sun, it's alright! (Lies, lies)
Now here's the moon, it's alright! (Lies, lies)
-Arcade Fire, "Rebellion (Lies)"
The sky was dark, splattered with countless stars that were bearing witness to this very moment. Silent judges and recorders of history, they would tell to anyone that could understand just what had happened. To anyone that could comprehend, they'd offer their insight, their opinions, and their own stark truths. Their view was becoming obstructed though as the moments passed on, the billowing smoke that rose around her was reason enough.
The ground was becoming warm under her body, or perhaps she was just getting used to it. A sobering thought at a time like this. Amid the Sea of Serenity she was on her back, laid out in what once remained of it. Reduced to small wisps of steam, you'd be hard pressed to know it once teemed with life; fish and flowers and memories of happier times. Laughter, a warm body, twinkling eyes, a smile that was like the dawn...
At the bottom of the ocean even light must die.
A voice spoke to her, familiar in some way, a way she couldn't relate to right now. It tugged at her, just like something wet falling across her face, just like the hands that grasped at her clothing, at her body…
Her eyes snapped open as she nearly gasped, uncomprehending for a moment that Minako's mostly sleep filled but rapidly approaching coherency face. The blonde's cerulean gaze looked like some hazy mix of worry and desire before her hands fell away from her shoulders, sitting upright in the bed that she realized she was in. The blonde's hand went to her face, rubbing for a moment before it shoved hair from her face in the way that one did anytime they were awoken and did not really want to be.
Pushing up to her elbows she felt her face flush; Minako was naked and the sheet that was rumpled around her body made her consciously aware that she was equally so. Memories of the night prior; fuck perhaps even this very morning if the hint of dawn coming in through a window that was bathing the Venusian in light, came back in a rush. Out of a need for something, perhaps protectiveness, she grasped of the sheet what she could, burrowing almost in it as she looked at the blonde with wide eyes.
"Mm. We've really got to work on how you wake up in the morning…" Minako sleepily murmured, stretching without a care in the world for how she looked. Or maybe she did. Maybe she was consciously aware that she was nude, wearing only the rays of the sun cast upon her. The way it reflected off of her skin, off of her hair, highlighting the curves of her body, the peak of her breast hardening as the cooler air assaulted her nipples…
Her face had to be positively flaming by now, watching as Minako's arms finally dropped before she flopped out next to her, resting on an elbow to give her what could only be considered a pointed look of sorts. "Tell me what it was?"
She was having a hard time focusing, finding it far easier to be distracted by her body than the visions of what drove her to be awoken in such a manner. It took her a moment to finally answer, even if she felt vulnerable for doing so. Fuck though honestly; she already was vulnerable being here, with her, like that. Like that. Blinking it took her still a moment longer before she released a breath, shifting her gaze to the ceiling above to buy her further time.
They were in Minako's room, she could tell that much. Only the blonde would have pale yellow sheets after all, in some material that felt like the blonde's body yet … yet rougher than it. Satin maybe, or silk. She'd have to ask, maybe. Something trivial in the long run. From the ceiling her gaze swept the room, the walls the same white marble with gray veins that had made up the Palace from her arrival. There as a stand meant for armor; obvious that since her armor was on it, including that absurd helmet. Her falchion hung on another stand, offset by what looked to be a finely wrought chain.
"Hm. That would have been nice to have had before I left. I might have fared better against that fucker…" The blonde's soft voice drew her from her silent study of her room, ignoring the rest that was there to meet her gaze, only to find it resting on the same spot that hers had just been at. Sharply though they returned, a hint of impatience showing in her otherwise wide awake look.
"I had a vision. It was … like the one before." She said slowly, watching the impatience melt away and concern return. A careful concern she realized, like a memory transpired and was being relived. Nothing was said, the other awaiting any further words that would be offered on the matter. "I … I was looking at the stars, on my back. In what was once Mare Serenitatis, save that I referred to it as the Sea of Serenity. There was smoke, a lot of it… and hands. I remember hands grabbing me. That's when I awoke." Leaving out the part of the voice; while she had a feeling it was not the same one of before, despite how the words seemed to follow along that same cryptic vibe.
Minako remained silent for some time; she heard what she had to say yes and comprehended it, but offered no reply right away. Instead her hand rose, fingertips trailing along her face slowly before they stopped at her chin, rising to brush a few strains of hair away. "It might not be the same as your home … but each room does have a hearth within it. I don't know if you could … consult that way." The blonde said softly, both for the moment and for the raw honesty she didn't know. "It might be worth a try if you can."
She had been lax as of late with her meditation. A ship just wasn't the same. And last night; or was it this morning? hadn't really been the best of time to make mention of it. If this then was her punishment for being so … unattentive, to such things, she'd almost be willing to spend hours at this. Instead all she did was slightly nod, returning her gaze back to the ceiling. It wasn't like it was anything special to look at; there was no design there, no witty saying, no answers to the barely formed questions that were in her head.
The fingers of the Venusian were playing in her hair at this point, twirling a few strands around before letting them fall by the wayside. The flippant comment… turning on her side she looked at the blonde who met her gaze. "How much do you remember?" She came right out and asked, at least as a question and not so much a statement as she was known for apparently.
"How much do I remember about what?" Came the reply, the woman seemingly at ease for being nude while she was still curled within the sheets. Dawn truly had arrived, spilling through the light curtains that hung back from the window. Not quite facing the sun all the while, the rays still managed their way inside, reflecting off of all things metallic it came in contact with.
"The fight." There was no mistaking what it was, not when she had made a comment that if she had that pointless looking chain she might have stood a chance…
She watched as the blonde's eyes closed for a moment, almost grimacing before her hand ghosted just under her breast, the stitches still fresh as her time fighting the Warlord had reopened them, and the trip from Mars to the Moon wasn't that long, just a handful of days. Yet she certainly moved just fine last night, feeling her face flush and silently, she was thankful Minako's eyes hadn't opened to catch it.
"There was a woman, in the room where the Fire was at." She began slowly, meeting her eyes upon opening. "That's where I woke up after leaving the monastery to look for you… I honestly don't know how I got there before you ask. We had a … nice chat, you could say, discussing who I really was. I didn't agree with all of it of course, prompting a scuffle. There… was this dagger that I used to cut my bonds." She stopped talking, looking almost forlornly at her hands, at her palms that bore the jagged cuts turned to scars before they fell back down. "That … it. When… I." Shaking her head she made a rally on her words, looking at her almost pleadingly, as though she needed her to tell her that she wasn't crazy, that it really happened. It was a moment of vulnerability that she had never seen at all within her eyes, and she knew right then and there that she did not like it.
"I cut myself pretty badly." Minako finally said, refusing to meet her gaze as though she was ashamed. "It set my blood on fire, burning me, like I had stuck my hand and arm within the Fire. Fuck, for that matter… that I just jumped right the fuck on in it. It burned me alive, from within me, then she threw something in my face, some powder… I. I saw things… hearing a voice. The next thing I knew, I was stabbing her, repeatedly, before I threw her body in the Fire. I felt … I felt a little better, but not much. I knew that… no matter what, I had to find you, that you had to be there. So I got lucky and… that's when I came to the throne room."
Rather than remain on her side any longer Minako sat up, resting her back against the headboard, her eyes cast upon some far away point on the far wall. "I remember he … was out of my league. But it didn't matter; I gave you my oath and my word. It was just … I was just … so weak. I think even on my best day, I wouldn't have been able to beat him. A sword isn't a match for a spear, at least not without a neutralizer of sorts and I didn't have anything like that." She shook her head, looking over the raven haired woman who was still laying in bed, still curled within the pale yellow sheets. "I remember being disarmed, falling to my knees… then I woke up in a bed. How long was it?"
"A few days over two weeks." She softly replied with, amazed that despite her injuries, once again she had disregarded her own safety to look for her.
The blonde said nothing for a few moments before nodding, lips moving to a slight smile. "Well, there's hope for you yet then." With that she moved aside the sheet that hung about her lower body, rising from the bed to stretch completely in the morning sun.
That it did things to her body of course might have been entirely possible, and while part of her felt inflamed part of her still found it amazing the resiliency that the blonde could showcase, going from one emotion to the next without any ill will or side effects. Her words were enough to anchor on, using that to signify the start of the conversation. "Hope for me for what?"
"Mm you know, there's times I really like when you make things a question, but there's times I like it more when you're blunt in all your Martian glory." The blonde actually giggled at her, arms lowering from where she probably could have reached the ceiling so … so … Gods she didn't even have the words for it. "Since you're awake, we might as well see to the schedule before us. Plus, if the Queen is returning within," she paused, ticking off on her fingers without a care in the world she was nude, "Six days now, the tailors and seamstresses are going to be out for blood to get you into something since she wants a ball. Plus there's still the matter of showing you around, finding you something to wear beyond robes. Don't get me wrong; they are quite becoming but not only do I need to find out where Ami and Makoto are at for weapons training, you'll need to take part in it as well and robes just won't do. There's still the matter of breakfast, and don't get me wrong … I hardly mind how you stopped me on my report, but I do have to finish that still. We'll have a busy six days."
All she could do was feel her eyes blink slowly, processing it all with a lingering wonder in the back of her mind concerning just … just what exactly it was she had gotten into.
It was at her silence that Minako continued, her grin turning coy. "The so many ways I can render you speechless. Unless you would rather stay in my bed, I'd suggest you move before I change my mind."
The day, from that moment on, turned out to be a whirlwind of activity. Perhaps it was the thinly veiled threat that the blonde had given or the sheer prospect of something new, something to keep her mind off of the vision that awoke her, gave her reason enough to see to everything. That she managed to shower and dress in peace likely only happened because Minako had fallen back into Commander mode, some sort of disposition in which she mostly ignored herself and managed to turn the hurricane of things to do into a gentle breeze.
The fact that she hadn't walked out into the room of before, where they had met Ami and Makoto, with Minako was the only thing saving her from what would otherwise be a lengthy ribbing from one of the two, if not both of them. Just because it was shortly past dawn didn't mean that her and the blonde were the only ones up; a hard fact as both women were already present and eating breakfast.
Before she had gone to search for Minako the night prior, she was able to at least learn something of the two. For instance, despite Makoto's towering frame and first look impression of being a hardass, she could actually cook. It coupled well with Ami's intelligent yet rather perverse mind, best found as she smirked lightly as she took a seat almost warily from the gesture. "I see you found Minako after all last night."
"What do you mean?" Apparently the blonde was rubbing off on her, feeling it actually come out as a question instead of her perchance for utter statements regardless of the words. Both she noted were dressed somewhat similar to what their missing Commander wore; that was a thought there, Commander. Could she actually take an order from her? It was worth a slight frown, wondering if there was some sort of induction ceremony to be had or not.
It was Makoto who answered, jabbing in her direction with a fork that otherwise was loaded with a bite of pancakes, dripping in syrup. "You have this rather telling mark, right below your jaw." As she felt her face flush red; not so much embarrassment as indignation, the brunette laughed before eating.
Any further commentary about it was stopped as the woman in question graced them with her presence, dressed close to what she had worn before. Dropping in a chair she took in the look of three faces, two showing bemusement and one barely contained annoyance before helping herself to the meal before her on the table. "Y'know, it's actually heartening to know that you're all getting along."
"Oh yes, just like you and Rei are." Makoto instantly hooted, if for nothing more than the satisfaction of watching the Martian's face turn further red in fury. Despite Ami hitting her in the arm, or maybe even despite the foot driven into her leg under the table, the Jovian continued to snicker at the situation.
"At least we didn't walk in on both of you." The blonde put an end to it, not wanting to give Rei a reason to leave now. Not when she looked so pissed off. "Which is a great way for me to barge in asking about training."
It was enough to cause the Jovian to groan, her ribbing forgotten as Ami spoke up in her stead. "I've been working with Captain Dharius since my arrival, and ensured Makoto has done the same."
"Captain Dharius?" The raven haired woman asked, eyeing the manner in which the conversation had been defused. Yes the matter was done but it didn't mean she appreciated being the object of a joke. It was hard to hold to that anger though, not with the food. More so the food like this, such things before in her life were special treats, not apparently common day occurrences.
"He's in charge of the Lunar guard, for the forces that are assigned to the Palace instead of the standing army. He could have made Commander easily, but he chose to stay in the position he is in. He has a rather strong … knack, for finding out a person's preference for fighting and develops routines for just about anything." The blonde answered between the quick work she was making of breakfast. "He might want to run a few combat drills with you, to see what you've retained, but beyond that, it's primarily a formality that he meets you. We'll all go after breakfast. Speaking of which," her segways to other topics was nothing short of impossible for anyone else to pull off. "This ball… what's the run down?"
"Before the Queen left, she gave specifics. They are there on the table," Ami's head nodded towards the small stack of paperwork that lingered on the table between either couch away from their breakfast meal. "But she went completely out for it. Gowns for us, no arms of course save for the guard, the guest list seems to be the standard Lunarin sort with a few visiting emissaries from Neptune and Uranus."
At mention of both of the planets Minako groaned, looking almost pleadingly at the Mercurian. "Please. Please tell me it's not them."
"I promise, it's not." A shared sentiment was exchanged between the two.
"Thank the Goddess, I don't have the willpower to put up with them." Visibly relieved she continued. "Which means the tailors are going to be out on the warpath in packs to pin Rei down for fittings. Did she leave specifics?" The question was asked but her cerulean gaze was sympathetic as it went to the Martian.
"Of course. Everyone is getting something, regardless of what is in your wardrobe. You have it made however; the seamstresses already started on yours, and Makoto and I went through the taping two days ago. But we'll still need the time for the fittings in everything."
"Right right…" Off the blonde mused, breakfast almost forgotten before she seemed to finish it in record time without any blow to her inherent manners. "And we probably can't even see what it is until they are almost done. Can you believe Artemis wants me to take the week off?" She waved around her fork for emphasis. "Who has time when there's so much to do." Catching the look from Rei she smiled and set the cutlery down. Leaning back in her chair she mused a moment over the best plan before launching into it. "Which … I should and will try to. We'll visit with the Captain after breakfast; Rei you can borrow some of my clothes in the interim, because knowing the tailors you'll be set soon enough. After training we won't have a choice but to endure the measurement division, which will probably be most of the rest of your day. I'll work on my report… Ami you're still working on…?" At the nod from the Mercurian she finished. "Good, good. And Makoto, you found something to do before someone stuck you with something?" The Jovian laughed her agreement. "Then it's settled, I probably won't see you all again until dinner."
"Unless someone distracts you from it first." Ami slipped in, clearly enjoying the fact but stopped at the almost murderous glare Rei sent in her direction.
Defusing the situation the blonde rose from her seat, speaking as she did so, "Hey, I'll take her distraction any day. Besides, you both seem to have one and now's the time to see just how distracted you both can become."