As conspiracies unwind
Will you slam shut
Or free your mind
Or stay hypnotized
-Muse, "Exo-Politics"

Of the things to wake up to, the sun had to be among the very best. It was such a source of light and warmth that to just be able to appreciate it for what it was and what it meant, the full symbolism behind it, was truly wonderful and something to be thankful for. From the start of a new day to life and a banishment of the darkness, the sun held so much meaning that each rise was enough to greet with a smile. Not that she often could wake up with the sunrise; more times out of anything she would have already been up and met it with full coherency. But today, today was a day she could wake with it and that.

That could simply not compare to the fact that the woman in her bed was certainly far better than the sun to wake to.

Far, far better. Her Goddess would agree and even the sun that she didn't worship but appreciated would understand that it, no matter what it was and involved, would never compare itself to the woman. Nothing would and nothing could, no matter what happened. In this life and however many more her soul would follow with, she knew it as an inalienable truth.

With a smirk that could only aptly be described as mischievous should someone see it, she turned to sit upright, giving not a care how the sheet that otherwise had been worth to tangle in draped itself around her lower body. Who really cared about such trivial things; it was far better to spend her attention on Rei than silly things like bedsheets. A study of contrasts if such a thing would ever exist she was by far, some engima wrapped up in stoicism and a fiery temper. She was a contradiction in action; skin that was pale as though almost starlight had been given form and thick hair absolutely black as the deepest sin.

How she managed it she really didn't care to dwell on, accepting instead that she was here, in her bed, brought there by the activities of the night prior. It was almost hazy that she recalled the events, her mind almost clouded by the wine that never seemed to stop flowing or maybe it was the silent, enduring contempt they each bore in the sentinel ways for a girl that was far too effervescent for most of their collective sanities. Combined. It wasn't that she hated the Princess; the thought alone turned her stomach, but…

But indeed.

Shaking her head her fingers reached, twirling a lock of hair not belonging to her about slowly with precision and grace inherent to who she was. It was an excuse to touch Rei yes, something real and tangible instead of the ghosts that haunted her thoughts. She never had trouble sleeping, the few times she actually could claim more than an hour or two here and there were far too exhaustive that thoughts didn't plague her. Nor did she have ill thoughts during the day, being far too busy. Something though about last night weighed on her mind, tugging at her attention span that she would much rather have given to her room's other occupant. It joined in with the other things that filtered through her mind like people did in a city, originating from her time on Mars. The woman and the man. The voices that filled her head, the vivid imagery that seemed to grow worse every time she dwelled on it.

There was something there, something that she needed to talk to someone about. The Queen perhaps, but there was something about approaching the Queen to discuss matters that. Well. They were important yes but. But the court… if the wrong person overheard, the outlandish story that would follow in the wake of it was more than what her ego wanted to handle at the moment.

Of the four of them, she had spent the most time in the Queen's presence sure but she couldn't say that she knew the woman for anything beyond what she portrayed herself to be. A monarch that was powerful, fair and just that everyone followed without question yet had enemies that were far reaching. Mars told her that much, and it wasn't even racism or believing them to be barbarians. There had been at least two people, if not more, that actively worked against her through means she had only heard rumors about.

And a wizard. An actual wizard. She only heard stories of them. To see one with her own eyes…

Her mind shifted from thoughts of the red planet back to the matter at hand. The Queen was single, there was no King, yet the court never had any rumors if she saw anyone or not, no rumors of a beau or if the woman just enjoyed solo adventures for that matter. Obviously at some point there was someone, some man, to explain the Princess. It could have been something along the lines of a one-night stand, but somehow she doubted that the Queen would put up with such a notion. It wasn't adoption either; the similarities were there though she was pretty certain they'd all faint from shock if the Queen so much as giggled. The air about her, the refinement screamed volumes that it was beneath her. That she offered a warm smile was their boon and they had best be happy they had that much.

The time spent preparing for her arrival. The arrival itself. The ball. Then that moment after… her fingers stilled, leaning back against the headboard of her bed. In quiet compilation she pushed back the fog of a bit too much wine and the feel of Rei's fingers against her body the moment they had left the forced audience. Something had ignited inside the Martian, a passion that was like a fireball exploding in the pit of her stomach. It changed her, making her less reserved and more like … well a fire. Burning without concept of control, shedding the very thought of it and searing it away until the only thing that remained was just the primal nature of her essence.

Something happened to them all, it was rather clear. It wasn't vocally expressed but instead visually given as their eyes met in turn.

She herself had felt something. A light, almost blinding and an odd rush of energy. Like she could point her fingers and half expect a beam of light to escape her. Like a supernova was exploding inside of her, wanting out through any means necessary. That was the easy part to explain. What she couldn't though was the sudden slight affinity she felt for metal. As if she could just manipulate it about; nothing at all like a heavy gate or suit of armor, but … something delicate. Unbidden her eyes passed over the finely wrought yet durable chain that hung next to her sheathed falchion.

Something like that.

Dismissing it though she looked back at Rei, finding it far better to return to the depths of the covers than it was to be sitting up in the light of dawn. That was an affinity she already knew about, belonging to her Goddess. What amplification that it had been subjected to she could easily explain as by the nature of what they had done the moment the door had shut behind them. Even with the forced exhale of breath by way of her back meeting with that very same door, she knew that she bore a grin that had absolutely nothing to do with the wine and absolutely instead everything to do with the woman before her.

Absolutely everything, giving her full credit. The feel of her lips, like being kissed by fire, as they traveled over her skin. The feel of fingers that were once hesitant and unsure turning far more confident. It took four attendants to help her into her gown and it just took Rei to remove it. She couldn't even offer assistance in that regard; Goddess knew she was far too busy squirming and her hips bucking to be of any help. Her gown wasn't ripped though, not a single stitch had come undone and for as fiery as Rei had turned, she couldn't explain the sudden bout of control that she had possessed in that moment. Or any other moment that followed. That she could formulate words and the things she said to her...

She felt her face flush, a rare but very telling blush coming to also share itself in the rays of sunlight. Slinking down into the bedding, it was only habit to draw them up and better around them. A completely unnecessary habit given that Rei was a virtual portable source of instant heat. Especially when she was asleep. Goddess if she could but convince her to stay abed with her there was no chance she would leave. Duty be damned along with training and reports; she'd love nothing more than to just stay curled up in this little sanctuary of warmth and that scent that Rei always had about her.

It wasn't fire or soot but it reminded her of it. If the warmth of a fire, the cozy nature of it, could be so attributed to a scent, then by far that was exactly how Rei was. Mixed with her stoicism and inability to handle the jabs of the perverse Mercurian and even those of the Jovian and that temper… Goddess there was just something so mysterious about her. She wanted to dive right in, to nearly debunk the puzzle that consisted of a lot of inquiries to why and how.

How and why and maybe some where and what exactly. How did it happen and why did it. Where did it happen and what exactly were they. What exactly was she to Rei. So it was more questions of what than the rest, but the rest were very important. Questions she should ask, questions she needed to but right now it just didn't sound important. Not by any stretch of requirement or necessity. Instead she fit her body against that of Rei's, feeling the soft exhale of her breath in sleep brush against her forehead through the mess of bangs. It was enough to be here, like this, with her. The puzzle could go another day without being solved; another lifetime really. It didn't need to be solved, she just needed the tangible and undeniable truth that she was here, right now, in this moment of space and time.

She was here and she was real. Nothing else mattered after that. Not a spoiled brat of a girl she'd live and die for. Not some feeling that the sun itself was shining brightly inside of her. Nothing at all but just this moment.

With contentment she let her eyes draw to a close; it wasn't every day they could sleep in after all. The parting words of the Queen was for them to take the day off, as she had things to discuss at length with her daughter. She expressed her sympathy for their hurried and hectic life during the past week, having heard all about it. At the very least, a day freed from the constraints of duty was her expression of a job very well done and she would review her report on Mars at that time. In the interim, they were to take the day off and if Captain Dharius saw them at the training yard at all, she would be most displeased.

A royal pass to just lounge in bed all day. How indeed were they so lucky for such a boon. With a smile that was turning sleepy, she offered her thanks to her Goddess; surely Her divine hand had a part in the boon after all, pressing her body closer to the sleeping Priestess' own.

It had to be a boon after all.

Why would it be anything but?

The yawn that followed wasn't even expertly hidden by her hand. Normally it was something she could pull off with refinement and grace, the signs that her body was protesting the concept of being up when it really just wanted to be asleep. Today was not such a day though but it wasn't like it really mattered all the same. It wasn't like the rest of them were any more active than she. Perhaps it was good, or perhaps it was a premonition of the Queen's, that they had no duty today outside of rest. The thought of even actively trying to go through drills or anything of the sort seemed as possible as climbing Olympus Mons.

And having seen enough of that edifice cast its shadow over the Martian landscape was reason enough not to want to get further up close and personal with it. Instead it really was a day for relaxation, a day sorely needed though none of them would really say that. They'd pretend for the most part that they were in their top shape and make sure the facade was so well presented there'd be no room for doubt.

But between them all, they knew better. There was a tiredness that hung around them like a shroud. A shadow that instead of fleeing from their body, sought instead to cling. To move on from a cling to cause them instead to be the shadow, like the roles had been reversed. It had been there for a while now, creeping up on them since the day they had arrived on the Lunar surface.

Even Rei was subject to it, and she had only been here a week. The thought was anything from humorous but it brought some thin smile to her lips that she was glad for the yawn just moments before. An entire week, feeling like a lifetime. No two days were the same with her, but then no two days had ever been the same since her arrival on that rusty red planet. Why she would think that the Lunar surface would bring a routine about she wasn't sure, but maybe part of her wished for it.

If wishes were fishes, we'd all cast bets. She was certain that wasn't how the rhyme went but no one was going to question her either. What did betting have to do with fishes anyway, other than it sounded a lot like nonsense. Instead she let her hand drop down back beside her on the couch, refusing to move further from her leaning lounge that someone, she was sure, would say she looked graceful and beautiful at doing. When in reality, she felt rather slobbish and exhausted. For all the sleep she managed today, it looked like it was impossible to make up for lost time and missed opportunities.

Her eyes slipped back to a close, the wave of drowsiness was like an ocean lap against the beach. Gently rolling in, spreading out in warmth before receding, taking back with it other things in exchange for what it offered. It wasn't worth fighting against, lulling her off before a sudden snore and blast of heat woke her with a start. Alarmed, her eyes flicked to Rei, who looked to be mirroring what had to be her own wide eyed stare. Even Ami and Makoto were looking at her, albeit more strangely than she felt.

"What." The sudden bout of attention seemed to irritate the Martian like a finely tuned watch, if her question-turned-statement was any indication. She had to admit, she didn't even look bothered by it all, instead just levying them what was going to be a mighty fine glare if it blossomed to maturity.

"You snored and a flame … came out." It was Ami who decided to risk the wrath first, though maybe she was hesitant by the pause in her sentence.

"I did no such thing!" And there the finely tuned watch went, ticking away with the outburst that followed. She hated to admit it but it was a little fun at times to poke and prod at the Martian's temperament. It was dangerous and hardly nice but none of them had ever met someone with her fiery personality. Stereotypes aside along with exceptions, her conviction made her smile. Even if it was for sticking up for herself against their sometimes less than friendly prodding.

"We saw it. Well not Minako since she was faking sleeping but we saw it anyway." Like some voice of reason Makoto chimed up, eyeing Rei with some hesitation maybe. Or maybe it was wonderment. It was hard to tell, not from the angle but because her mind wasn't wanting to focus. It was like it was too hard to see, blinking her eyes to try to disperse the light that seemingly came out of nowhere to fill her vision.

Raising her hand to her head, her fingertips pressed to her temple in a rub to work out the headache that was rapidly forming despite her desires to have one. Headaches didn't care though; she knew that, but still it would have been nice to not have one, more so not the intensity that this one was forming with. Fingers dropping, her gaze opened with the motion as she returned to the present of all three parties arguing over whether or not she had done such a thing. Rei hadn't budged from her seat but looked ready to leap up and go toe to toe with either of them, if her clenched fists were any indication.

"Rei … Ami, Makoto really … I don't think you all need to shout over what possibly happened…" She began with, attempting to start the diplomatic mission of peace when all she was awarded with was three pairs of eyes looking in her direction. Their emotions were quite clear, vividly expressed beyond what even the finest of painters could accomplish. But like a slow moving play, their emotions shifted from their varying states to ones of awe, wonderment, and confusion. "What … what is it?" While she hardly cared what others thought in relation to her; an exceptional Venusian if there ever was one, that all three of them were looking at her like that was starting to raise the internal alarm.

"There… how… wha…" They could have all been in sync had they not actually been just moments before arguing. With growing alarm she quickly turned her head, leaping off of the couch when she saw that the latch to the heavy shutters over the window that they rarely opened was pointing straight up, freed from its bonding loop where it otherwise rested. At her movement the hinge fell to the wayside, influenced by gravity's pull back to the center of the Lunarian core.

This was going to be far too much, and quickly at that. It was only natural that things promptly turned far more weird than what they were.

With her movement, Ami let out what could only be a squeak, a patch of ice forming under their collective feet. As she leapt up and back, her sandaled feet connected, sending her skidding back into Rei who tried to catch her before she fell. It only served to send both of them careening back into Makoto, who; with very wide eyes seeing all and nothing as their own safety became more important to them than what the other was doing, sent an arc of what could only be lighting against the shutter. Emanating from the shutter's hinge, it could almost be blamed on static. It sounded perfectly feasible no less.

Until you tried to account for the thunder that came with it.

Three bodies collected the Mercurian's in turn, and all four fell to the floor in states that while varied, agreed on a singular thing.

This was hardly normal.

This was anything but normal.