AN: First of all, I'd like to thank everyone for their continued support and for reading this story. I know you are all impatient to hear more of the other Senshi and you will. However, Dreamers will follow Methys' past in this part and I can't just throw everyone in here, because that is not how this as the 'start of everything' is supposed to develop + I need some time to introduce the setting. Trust me, I have a plan. For now, here is the next chapter. Enjoy.
Previously:
"That seals it. I need to keep a safety distance to those Venusians." Laertes groaned.
"Oh, come on they can't be all like that."
"No, it's probably only the blond ones." Natai snickered.
"Funny. But probably entirely accurate." Methys deadpanned.
Michiko frowned slightly. "Speaking of blond ones. We have an audience. Don't turn around, but they are right next to the dancing ice figure in front of the fountain."
Laertes had the perfect angle and looked in the mentioned direction without raising any unwanted attention. "Those are no Venusians. That only leaves…"
"Lunarians." Michiko confirmed bluntly.
Methys who had their back to them immediately stiffened, but said nothing. Michiko, however, gauged them subtly. "It's Queen Serenity and from the resemblance the other one must be her daughter." Methys winced, but Michiko just commented her further observations. "They are watching us for some time now. In fact, they started doing so, the moment the lot of you was announced and entered the hall."
Laertes sighed. "Great, I already had my fair share of blonds today. And Lunarians definitely are no improvement to Venusians."
Michiko just scoffed. "They won't come here. Not if they want to avoid a scandal. Although I am curious, why they are watching us. That Queen is good at masking her intent, her daughter however less so. When all of you entered the hall, she was for a lack of better term… shocked. In fact, she looked as if someone pulled the rug from under her and doused her in ice water."
Methys had started to fidget now, but still choose to remain quiet.
Michiko however appeared intrigued and to Methys' disdain suggested. "Care for a little experiment?"
Natai shrugged. "Sure. We have to pass the time somehow so what do you have in mind?"
"I want to find out who is the center of their attention. It's not me for sure. So, it has to be one of you three. So, Natai would you be so kind to grab me an algae pastry?"
"Whaa… Now?" He stuttered, confused.
Michiko rolled her eyes. "You know, you are still leagues away from wooing a woman successfully, if you respond like that. You wanted practice. Now practice. And the correct answer would have been: 'As the lady wishes…'"
Natai just grumbled. "You didn't say we are in practice mode…"
Michiko ignored him and instead addressed Laertes instead. "And you can be so kind and get me a new cocktail." Laertes just smirked upon catching what she was up to and bowed elegantly, while placing a soft peck on the back of Michiko's mockingly outstretched hand. "A cocktail for the lovely lady is right on its way."
Natai just made a face that rivalled Methys', although for an entirely different reason. "Showoff…"
However, he scurried off to fulfill her request, as did Laertes. Michiko's eyes were meanwhile glued to the Lunarians, in particular the princess. Meanwhile, Methys was apparently not thrilled by the whole game at all. Michiko's eyebrows suddenly rose, when she had spotted what she wanted to spot. Methys tensed even more, avoiding her scrutinizing gaze altogether that had focused solely on her.
However, the Neptunian princess did not take her to task. At least, not yet. She waited until Laertes and Natai returned, accepting the requested food and drink. "Well, we apparently have an unambiguous winner in our little game of who is catching the Lunarian's attention and surprisingly it's …your sister. Her eyes were glued to her the entire time."
The only one not surprised about it was Methys herself.
When she didn't deem it necessary to comment her cousin's observation, Michiko raised an eyebrow at her. "So, Methys, why do I have the feeling you know exactly why the Lunarian Crown Princess is staring at you the whole time?"
"I don't know. I can't do anything about your feelings." Methys retorted evasively.
"Ah, that's how you wanna play this game."
"I don't wanna play games, at all."
"With avoiding the question, you don't score any points nor will I let you off the hook. Now, stop stalling and spill…" Her scrutinizing gaze was only intensified with Methys' brothers joining in with their own.
Methys was anything but eager to talk about it, however knowing she was cornered and outnumbered, she relented with a world-weary sigh. "We… we kinda met before the ball." She admitted hesitantly.
Natai's eyes widened in disbelief. "What?! You met the Lunarian Crown Princess."
"Would you keep your voice down? I would prefer it, if the entire hall didn't get to know. As you are certainly aware of the political implications…" Methys growled warningly at him.
"Sorry, I… Wait, is that why you were late this morning? You just told me something unexpected came up…" Natai pondered with a more subdued voice.
"Yes. She was what came up. I… she… well, I was on my way back from training to get to Krana as was the plan, when I spotted her on one of the bridges in the cooling plant area. I was already halfway on turning on my heels to avoid a direct encounter, when she fell off the bridge and right into the water. Long story short, I had to pull her out to keep her from drowning."
They looked at her as if she was telling a particular shocking fairy tale where everyone ended up dead.
"So…, let me get this straight… You saved the Lunarian Crown Princess … from drowning!?"
"Well,… yes, but technically I ..." She gave up. "Yes."
"Holy shit."
"Oh man, I can already picture all the plenty of ways this will end in disaster…" Laertes moaned in misery, while pinching the bridge of his nose.
"She didn't know who I am." Methys feebly tried to point out the silver line at the horizon that turned out to be a dying flicker.
"Well, now she apparently knows since we paraded in here with an official announcement that could have still been heard at the other side of the planet. And if she keeps staring at you in such an obvious way, it's only a matter of time until people notice." He sent a worried look in their mother's direction, before his eyes darted back to Princess Serenity.
"Is she still staring?" Methys asked.
"What do you think?" Laertes retorted wryly.
Methys' urge to defend herself suddenly made her blurt out. "Hey, I was not asking for this. And I did not intend to make a huge fuss of it. Everybody involved would benefit from just forgetting it ever happened."
"Well, it does not look as if she is on the same page with your plan… Natai, what the hell are you doing?"
"I smile at her." He pointed out needlessly.
"Are you nuts? Stop it!"
"Oh, now she is embarrassed. She avoided my gaze. To be honest, she is kind of cute."
"Natai, would you stop smiling at her!"
"But it works. Now that she knows we noticed; she has stopped staring at Methys." He pointed out enthusiastically.
"She is a Lunarian and we are not supposed to smile at Lunarians and… hey, don't wink!"
"I have my back to mother. She won't see."
"Well, the rest of the hall does."
"No, you block the view. I am subtle."
"Subtle?! This is not subtle! You don't even know the meaning of the word subtle!"
"Would you two stop starting a political disaster?" Methys complained with a groan.
"YOU already started the political disaster. We or rather he just makes it worse." Laertes growled pointing at his younger brother.
Methys bristled at the accusation. "Well, what was I supposed to do? Let her drown? A dead Lunarian Crown Princess on our home turf? Yes, that would have made things so much better for sure." Methys protested sarcastically.
"In some eyes for sure." The comment slipped from Michiko's lips and held a dark innuendo.
"Well, I for the matter don't let people drown no matter who they are. What Senshi would I be, if I did so?"
"That might also be a matter of debate depending on who you ask…" Michiko muttered thoughtfully
Methys eyes darted towards her disapprovingly. "Michiko, that's not helping."
"Hey, I am just stating facts. I am quite familiar with the general opinion of Lunarians here and due to our status as allies, it's not that we have the best relations to them either. However, I never met their Crown Princess. She is typically staying away from the larger formal events. I don't know what she is like..."
Methys folded her arms defiantly, before she muttered. "Scatterbrained, clumsy and stubborn might describe her very well, oh and pretty much chatty, but definitely not as … arrogant, manipulative and sneaky as I expected."
"Yes, and apparently she does not know the meaning of the word subtle either. She is staring again." Michiko noted dryly.
Laertes frowned. "Methys, this can't go on like this. Someone will notice and start asking questions. This incident does rather not get public. It might harm public opinion about you becoming Senshi, mother will be livid and who knows what rumors will arise of why she ended up in the water in the first place. This has to stay under wraps." Laertes pointed out with a worried undertone.
"Exactly my thinking. Now, if you can tell that to her, we should be in the clear." Methys was clearly agitated about him pointing out things she already knew herself.
"I can't tell her anything. You have to talk to her."
"What! I am not talking to her. I have nothing to say."
"Yes, you have. Right now, you still have the possibility to keep this concealed."
"And how am I supposed to do that? I cannot just walk over and start a conversation with our sworn enemies. The whole reason why this feud has not already escalated into something way worse is constant avoidance. We do not talk to them and they do not talk to us. That's the ground rule number one. Everything else will draw exactly the attention we try to avoid." She appeared to welcome that excuse with open arms, clearly hopeful to end the discussion at this point without having to do anything at the end.
"Then we need to stage that talk somewhere else. Somewhere away from prying eyes. We could tell her to meet you in the winter garden pavilion." Michiko noted.
"Excellent idea." Laertes praised her.
"Wait, what?!" Methys threw in in obvious protest, but nobody seemed to listen to her.
Instead, Laertes was definitely in his element trying to solve the logistical problems of their planned approach, Methys was anything but happy about. "There is still the problem of relishing the details for the meeting to them. How do we get the message across?"
"Well, the lot of you might not be able to initiate direct contact in public. However, I might." Michiko pondered thoughtfully.
"Are you kidding? You just stated five minutes ago that the Neptunian relations to them are not much better than ours. How do you want to pull that off? Walking over there and starting a conversation will turn heads faster than opening the banquet did. Forget it, that's never going to work."
"Hmm, not untrue. Come to think of it, I have an even better idea."
"Oh, great. I am not sure whether I should run while I still can." Michiko elbowed Natai in the side for his remark and chastised. "Well, that one put you well into the negative in terms of dating points."
"Well, I don't think breaking the ribs of your suitor is good manners, either." He wheezed, rubbing his tender side. "Practicing is off."
Michiko just folded her arms categorically. "If he deserves it…"
"Would you stop the bickering? Now, what do you have in mind, Michiko?" Laertes steered the conversation back to topic, albeit more amused by their shenanigans than irritated.
"I might have found a way where no one needs to approach them for now."
"I am all ears." Methys encouraged her dryly, folding her arms in front of her chest. She sounded as if she hoped for an entirely ridiculous and impossible to realize-idea.
A smug expression appeared on Michiko's face. "Well, you organized the whole conference, didn't you? And as one of your honored guests I came to notice that all attendants were supplied with these little wrist computers…" She lifted her left arm as a showing gesture.
"Yes, they are a strongly pared-down version of the ones we use to give the visitors restricted access to the library and the archive and inform them about schedule changes. Background information and local maps are also included and they can easily keep up with the curriculum."
"Yeah, that much I noticed. Very convenient. And now comes the really useful part. Is it also possible to contact specific other devices with them?"
"Not between the guest devices. It was considered safer to not enable unlimited communication between the guests to make conspiring efforts harder. However, I can initiate contact. My wrist computer has a ton of more functions than these simplified versions."
"And guest devices can receive your messages?"
"No, the way they are, they are not programmed for it. Well in fact that's not entirely correct. Those features are just defined as classified for the user. However, I should be able to change the security clearance and lift the classification… Then receiving a message should be possible." She mused thoughtfully, as if she was just thinking of the theoretical possibilities to solve a conceptional problem and not the overall aim for doing so.
"You want to send her a message with the meeting request via the wrist computers?" Laertes clarified.
"Yes, but in a way that's preferable untraceable."
"Methys is the Chief Organizer. She has the access and the skill to do it and cover her tracks." Natai noted excitingly.
Methys made a face at him for pointing that out that blatantly, not entirely convinced by the idea. "And finally, my Magna degree in computer programming pays off. Not quite the way I imagined it to be useful…"
"So, you really can do it?"
"Of course, I can." She hesitated a moment, when she seemed to notice that this wasn't the message she wanted to get across. "I mean I can, but that doesn't mean I should and…" She was met with three pairs of expecting gazes.
"But…"
The gazes held.
Methys snorted. "Damn it…ok, … just give me a few minutes and … shield me from view." She started typing on her wrist computer and the virtual screen appeared again, listing what appeared to be source codes and possible algorithms of what they assumed was the underlying program of the devices.
Laertes observed her with a small frown. "Why do I have the feeling we could be making this tremendously worse? We should be really careful. If somebody gets wind of this, covering up tactics like this might be truly… unfortunate." He grumbled darkly while watching his sister typing vigorously.
Concentrating on the task at hand Methys made a face at him. "Really?! That's truly something I didn't think of at all. God bless the fact that I have such an astute and farsighted brother or I might have done something stupid." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. "But this… pff, let's just breach Mercury's security system and commit high treason. What of it? It's what I typically do every evening before going to bed."
Natai just chuckled when her twin showed a pout. "And now you are being ridiculous."
"Well, I didn't hear you screaming 'Stop' some seconds ago, when it actually mattered! Now it's too late to come up with a crisis of conscience. Now you have to trust in me, brother… I can do that without anybody noticing."
"Famous last words…"
A quick acrid glare silenced him effectively.
Then, Methys just ignored him to concentrate on her task. After a while, she started muttering to herself. "Found her… Now if I change that… and give her access to my protocol…. And after adjusting security… I should ensure that way my ID won't be shown… now that should…"
They just stood around her in a tight circle, while she continued mumbling technobabble. Laertes appeared more and more skeptical, but kept his mouth shut. Michiko was clearly excited and Natai just got more and more impatient.
"How much longer is that going to take? I could really use a pastry…" The youngest of the Mercurians whined.
"Seriously? You just got food." Laertes pointed out.
He just held up his pointer finger. "Correction. I got the food, yes, but Michiko was the one who ate it. She did not even ask to share and I am still waiting for some verbal assurances of gratitude. I have never seen such bad courting manners."
Michiko narrowed her eyes at him. "Seriously? We are in the middle of instigating a conspiracy and you criticize me for not sharing a tiny pastry that was not even enough to sate a tenth of my appetite. That's a no-go, if I have ever seen one. I guess our fake date is off. You officially mucked it up for good." She folded her hands in mock indignity.
Laertes smirked and nudged his brother's shoulder. "Well, can't say you don't deserve getting the brush-off."
"Bahh. Shut up. I did not even really try."
"That much I can second without the sliver of a doubt." Michiko deadpanned with a snort. "Zero points for creativity and zero points for effort. I might give you one for being considerate. After all, I got a pastry out of it, although I had to specifically ask for it..."
"Can you guys pull yourselves together for two more minutes? I am nearly finished and then I don't need you as meat wall anymore." Methys growled a tad bit distracted by their antics.
"Well, that's reassuring. Speaking of meat: You did include the scalloped Agora tart for the banquet, didn't you?"
"How the crucible is that relevant right now? But yes, you glutton, I did! Now try not to think with your stomach for a minute and keep cave!"
"Man, this is the most entertaining ball I had for a while. Keep going Methys…" Michiko chipped in with excitement.
Laertes just rolled his eyes. "How far are you?" He asked his sister.
"Almost finished… wait… now, I got it. Connection established. I did it."
"Never doubted you, sis. Although you could work a bit on your speed." Natai patted her playfully on the shoulder. Methys just glared at him.
"Now, comes the tricky part. What do you want to write?"
For a moment, Methys appeared taken aback as if she had paid no thought at all to what she would do after her breach into the communication systems. She just shrugged. "Why do you ask me? That was your brilliant idea. I don't even want to do that."
"You just broke into the security system." Laertes pointed out. "I was under the impression that amounted to consent for the whole operation and your part in it?"
Methys growled unhappily. "My part in it? I am the operation. And what conclusion is that?! Didn't I rant loud enough, or what?"
"You always rant. That doesn't mean you don't consent." The comment earned Natai a vicious glare.
Then she just grumbled. "Forced consent maybe."
"Oh, come on you could have backed out of it anytime. Don't put it all on us. And there needs to be something done about it or do you have a better idea? Settling it now might prevent an accidental slipup that leads to disaster in the future."
"Fine. I ask her to meet at the pavilion in let's say 30 minutes? Satisfied? I can sneak out earlier, so that we don't leave at the same time."
"Sounds good enough to me."
Natai glanced briefly glanced at his siblings unsure whether they already left the joking territory. Then he shrugged, before he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Whatever, I am getting some food, now. Somebody else interested?" Natai's off topic comment made Laertes roll his eyes. Methys just scoffed, still a bit peeved.
"Um, three of the seaweed pastries for me please?" Michiko smiled at him, blinking her eyes exaggeratingly.
Natai raised a skeptical brow. "And here I thought getting food for ex-crushes is a no go. Although I am willing to negotiate if my trespasses are forgiven in exchange for the specified food."
"Then make it four pastries." Michiko demanded.
Natai's eyes narrowed in consideration. "Two pastries. And the Agora tart. You will thank me later for it."
Michiko made a show out of thinking about the offer. "Ok, deal." Then she just said with a fake overbearing tone. "If the desired stipulations are met, I might be willing to graciously offer you a second chance in courting my esteemed self."
He bowed mockingly. "Generous as always, my lady."
"If you don't stop this nonsense, I might need another drink… and I assure you it's not for drinking." Laertes deadpanned.
Methys elbowed him in the ribs. "Hey, rule breaker who is planning an extraordinary important meeting with our arch enemy here! I don't even want to do this shit. It's the lot of you, who came up with this ridiculous idea and talked me into it, so pay some attention and stick to the problem at hand, because somehow, I get the feeling you don't take this seriously." Methys pouted.
"Of course, we do. Calm down, ok and don't be so overdramatic… you already talked to her once, didn't you?"
"I am not overdramatic. You are … underdramatic."
"Well, that's true for these two morons." He pointed at Natai and Michiko. "I, however am normal dramatic. Now, did you put together a message?"
"Yes. Despite of your distracting banter I somehow managed to do the impossible feat. Here. Read." She held it right under Laertes' nose almost smacking him in the process and Michiko cranked her neck to have a look as well.
Her twin nodded. "As good as it will get. Polite and to the point without revealing too much. They shouldn't be affronted by this."
"Good, then… then I guess I am going to send it, now?" She sounded unsure, as if she did not truly want to get that particular ball rolling.
Laertes looked at her, this time with knowing sympathy and genuine seriousness. "It needs to be settled. Sorry, Methys, but this is the only way."
Methys sighed miserably. "Michiko, have an eye on her to see whether she reads it."
"Will do."
It was quiet for a moment and Methys stood rather stiffly with her back to the Lunarians.
Then, Michiko chose to comment what was happening in her back. "Well, there is definitely a commotion going on over there. I think she read it. Now,… she is talking to her mother, well and she's … not so amused, probably, I mean now she turned her back to me... I think they are arguing or… at least discussing it. Oh, well…um… that might be unfortunate…"
"Michiko!" Methys interrupted her excited narrating with an impatient huff.
"Oops, sorry. Well,… bad news is, we might have gained some additional audience." She admitted hesitantly.
"What?!" Methys jumped, somewhat terrified, and this time she did turn around.
"Switch places with me." Natai immediately offered, masking her sudden movement with a fake hug.
Methys did and had now the group in line of view. "You see her?" Michiko whispered in a low voice.
Methys face darkened. "Yeah, she is hardly someone to overlook."
"A Jovian." Michiko pointed out.
Methys' expression hardened. "Not just any Jovian. That is their Senshi. I think her name is Ma'Kho."
Michiko's eyes widened. "Man, you are right. I should have recognized her sooner. How tall is she?"
"Tall enough to be quite imposing and now she is glaring daggers at me. Great." Methys noted.
"Well, this might be a little bit late to point it out, but does that princess even trust the offer enough to show up. She might consider it a setup."
"I asked her to come alone. Maybe that was too much to ask for." Methys pondered skeptically.
"Well, Queenie is not amused that much is clear, but she plays her cards close to the chest. And that daughter of hers, well she looks distressed, a tad bit baffled…" Michiko narrated the whole thing as if it was a particularly entertaining TV show. "And now they talk to the Jovian Senshi and… woah, that was a death glare if I have ever seen one. Congratulations, Methys I think you managed to truly piss the Jovian Senshi off."
"Yeah, she probably thinks I want to ambush her poor helpless Lunarian charge with this hideous and not at all transparent plan and hide the body where no one will ever find her, like… I don't know, in a bush right next to a pavilion I explicitly invited her to with her own mother as witness. Yeah, that totally makes sense." She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Come on, I could have done that already in a way less obvious way without even lifting a finger."
Methys' eyes were glued to them and she scowled slightly when the Jovian Senshi fixed her with her eyes with an expression that radiated open hostility and a clear threat of severe consequences in case she even touched a hair of her precious princess. "Man, when did I sign up for this melodrama?" She murmured disgruntled, but tried to hide any disdain from showing on her face just for appearance's sake. Her eyes strayed to the Lunarian royals, who both looked at her intently, almost inquiringly.
Methys forced herself to straighten up to her full regal height, knowing she was under thorough inspection. She schooled her facial features to a forced neutrality.
However, she did not look away and held their gazes.
Finally, the Lunarian Crown princess, who looked somewhat anxious and worried, nodded subtly at her.
"Argh, I definitely don't like those kinds of games." Methys grumbled lowly, but forced herself to portray an answer. She respectfully lowered her head taking the gesture as confirmation for her offer. The Jovian still glared at her in warning, puffed up to her full impressing height, only that hers was definitely more impressing than Methys' was. Methys did her best to ignore her. To her siblings and Michiko, she murmured subtly. "I am leaving now. Do me a favor and have an eye on the Jovian. Warn me if she is up to something. The least we need right now, is her interference that blows everything out of proportion and I am definitely not in the mood for a brawl tonight."
"Well, that would be something different for a change. Although I am not sure I would bet on you, if it comes to that." Michiko quipped in and earned a scathing look from her cousin in return.
"Don't worry. You can count on us." Laertes assured her, noticing Methys was getting more and more put off by their jests.
And then she walked off, a certain tension clinging to her shoulders, although she tried to appear relaxed. She walked at a deliberate pace and made a small detour to the banquet, probably a ruse to make her departure look more natural. All the while, she was careful not to look at the Lunarians or the Jovian Senshi even once. Grabbing what looked like a frosted sweet dumpling, she then crossed the hall. Nodding at another Mercurian, she reached the doors to the balcony and stepped outside into the brisk air, nibbling on her snack absent-mindedly.
As soon as she was outside and noticed that she was alone, she immediately dropped the pretense of taking a relaxed stroll.
She exhaled loudly and a bit of the tension returned to her shoulders.
Then she stepped towards the handrail of the balcony and rested her forearms on it gazing into the distance. She was alone and the setting sun painted the opulent domes, arches and white stone surface in crimson light, creating a mosaic pattern of dark shadows and glowing lava. A huge fountain was right in front of her, parted in two symmetrical sections. On each side a woman was depicted, and they faced each other. Face, hairstyles and postures of the two were identical. One held two identical swords in her hands ready to attack with a satchel on her back, the other mimicked her posture, but had her swords safely stashed on her back. Instead, she held an open book in one hand and a lit lantern in the other. One was a warrior in full armor. The scholar without it. Somewhat polar opposites, but on the other hand identical. Right in the middle of them where their gazes met, the fountain erupted in a wall of water, glistening just like a … mirror.
From the fountain a straight path let through a copse of those strange purple colored air root trees into a vast park-like area. The path was flanked by an arcade, lines of pairs of columns that formed arches. Maroon tendrils climbed high and glowing blossoms decorated the branches and served as illumination in the growing dark.
Methys however did not truly look at the beauty in front of her. She appeared distracted, thoughtful and to a certain point restless. Her solitude was soon disturbed by a figure stepping up behind her. His identity was no surprise to her. "I truly get the impression I have a creepy stalker." She deadpanned.
He leaned next to her onto the handrail. "You are mistaken. I am keeping the creeping stalkers away from you like a good brother should."
"Are you now?"
Laertes cocked his head to the side, sending her a worried side-glance. "Your escape was a bit too… rushed in there."
"Was it?"
"Well, with thirty minutes left I couldn't stop myself from wondering what you were up to in this time."
"Maybe I was hoping for some alone time." She noted in a slightly accusing tone.
He did not fall for it. "For moping?"
Methys just made a face. "I do not mope."
"Good to know. What else do you call this then?"
A tad bit irritation leaked through her features. "Maybe I am trying to figure out what to say. Not everyone has the luxury to treat this as an exciting and entertaining pastime to spice up the curriculum."
Laertes was quiet for a moment. Apparently, the comment had hit home. "Sorry." He then admitted sheepishly. "I… I promised to help. I am not helping, am I?" He appeared crestfallen by the admission.
Methys scoffed dryly. "Well, on the bright side, I didn't think of my Senshi ascension once so far."
"I just thought a relaxed atmosphere would help lifting your mood a bit. I thought it wouldn't be that bad, if we… never mind. I will tell Natai and Michiko to tune it down a bit and… Sorry for our obnoxious behavior. We…"
Methys interrupted him with a sigh. "It's fine Laertes. I didn't mean to scold you… well, not really. That wouldn't be entirely fair of me, would it? None of you caused this situation. You didn't rescue her. I did. It's time I face the music. It was foolish of me to think I could get away with it without any repercussions, without putting some direly needed actions in motion. I should have known it would bite me in the ass at some point. Well… part of me did kinda know… the one in denial was just too alluringly convenient, so I let it be in charge… at least until now. Until you made me see that there is no easy way out of it. Figures I wasn't exactly thrilled about that eye opener."
A soothing hand rested on her shoulder. "It's just a brief talk. Five minutes and you are done. Just make her understand…" Laertes tried to reassure her.
Methys sighed. "I don't really want to talk to her. In fact, I can imagine nothing more unpleasant." She looked troubled.
"Just tell her to leave things as they are. No more staring or other forms of interactions and things will be back to the status quo. As if nothing of this ever happened." His encouragements fell on deaf ears.
She just stared into the distance. "I doubt it will be that easy. Things never are lately."
"Just in case I didn't make that already clear in there. You did the right thing and I am proud of you for saving a life, no matter what. If I implemented otherwise, … I am sorry."
Methys' gaze went down. "Did I? Do the right thing?" The almost whisper sounded so torn. "I… mean… I knew who she was at that bridge. When I saw her standing there at that railing that stale anger was there in the split of a moment. And when she fell, I hesitated. I almost didn't jump in…" She looked towards the ground, deep in thought.
"I didn't even know it was still there, Laertes. That same anger I felt as a kid, when I realized father would never come back because of them. I might claim all I want it's for the best of the Mercurian Empire to have saved her, but deep down I am devoured by the same resentments as everyone else. Deep down a part of me refused to act when she was in danger and, especially when facing possible repercussions, I can't shake off the feeling that this part might have been right all along. What reason did I have to help her, after all?"
"But you did save her. You acted. Those doubts did not sway you in the end." Laertes pointed out.
She scoffed disbelievingly. "There is nothing honorable in it. At least not what you think you see. I had the split of a moment to decide what to do. Believe me, I did not have the time to ponder about all the political ramifications nor any personal resentments in full gruesome detail. I might have started to think that way when I first saw her, but as soon as she fell, all of those thoughts came to a screeching halt and evaporated like a gas bubble."
"And that's a good thing. You reacted to a person in need. You put that before everything else on instinct. Knee jerk reactions like that tell you who you really are. All the more reason to be proud of what you did."
"I am not so sure about that and the least of all I am feeling proud. I had time to think about it, now and still I did not come up with an adequate solution for all of… this." She made an abrasive all-encompassing gesture.
"Then, let me ask a question. Would you save her again, with what you know about her, now?"
Methys did not answer. She just chose to look into the distance avoiding eye contact. Laertes sighed.
"No answer is an answer as well, Methys. I can see how torn you are about this. What I don't really understand is why. You saved our mortal enemy, so what? For me that's quite the heroic deed and they owe you one, which might become at some point handy. Still, you tried to keep this under wraps. For political reasons I can understand, but you did not even want to tell us."
"No, I preferred not to. Talking about it was the least I wanted. I was somehow hoping this matter would solve itself. The beginning of grand delusions, I guess." She snorted awkwardly.
Laertes remained serious. "You could have told me anyway. I might not particularly like the Lunarians, same as you do, however, that does not mean I wish them death. Were… were you afraid, I would disapprove of your actions? That I would scold you for saving her."
"You kind of did so, in there…" Methys pointed out with an uneasy shrug.
He winced lowering his head. "And I apologized for it. It was just my first reaction to … I don't know… to the thought of us somehow helping them in any way. ... I see now, that that was wrong. I am sorry if I gave you the feeling of disapproving of your actions."
"Hell, I am not sure whether I disapprove of my actions. So, how can I expect you to understand? And … you did not meet her." It sounded more frustrated than she was willing to let on.
Laertes narrowed his eyes in suspicion as if the crux of the matter suddenly dawned on him. "This isn't so much about saving her, is it? It is about what happened afterwards, am I right? You talked to her after you saved her... and that is what makes you so …uncomfortable?" He sounded unsure whether he used the right word.
Methys chuckled dryly. "Yes… we talked. Can you believe it? The Lunarian and the Mercurian Crown Princess talked after decades of deliberate silence between our houses. A miracle in itself." She groaned as if she realized only now that she had committed a huge mistake. "I … I shouldn't have done that. I really shouldn't have talked to her..." Her words trailed off into a low whisper.
"Why not?"
"You know exactly why not!" She retorted sharply, but it sounded like an automated response.
Laertes caught the tone and he was not afraid to point it out. "And still, I have the feeling this is not the reason that matters most to you, is it? Official reasons typically don't rile you up that much. Talk to me, Methys! Please."
Methys stared a bit longer into the twilight that had lost some of its crimson shine. She appeared thoughtful and somewhat indecisive, but Laertes did not rush her. He just let his plea sink in and waited.
"In the barest form of theory this was supposed to be a clinical decision. A decision made for logical and political reasons. The lesser evil if you want to call it that. I saved her because it was necessary and I was the only one around. I saved her to thwart a political disaster, to not give anyone reason to use her death for starting a war. This is what I tell myself, what this should have been, what should have been right, what I told you in there, what I could live with peacefully…" She pointed towards the ballroom almost aggressively. "… what I will tell anyone in there, who might get wind of it and disapprove."
She refused to meet his gaze, when her posture suddenly deflated. "However, it's not true. I already told you I hesitated at first when she fell in, but then… something switched in me and I pulled her out. Nothing of what I have done was a deliberate decision. At best I acted on instinct. As you pointed out it was a knee jerk reaction and as soon as I was in the water, I was on autopilot. Jump in after her. Check. Pull her out. Check. Reanimate. Check. I wasn't even thinking about who it was I rescued until she lay lifelessly right in front of me on that sand bank. All the noble reasons why I did it, are just flattering pretense, a subterfuge. They are lies to legitimate what I have done to everyone that might criticize me, but most of all… to myself. To pacify that part in me, that is screaming in anger and indignation for saving HER of all people."
"And that's not even the worst part. I wasn't thinking about consequences, good or bad, when I jumped into the water. I forgot who she was. I was just acting. Do you understand what I want to say? I am the Crown Princess of Mercury. I always have to think about consequences! … but I didn't. I did so only afterwards, when it was too late and look where we are now. When instinct had run out its course, I had no clue what to do. I had already created a mess and happily immerged myself deeper in it."
"You are too hard on yourself. You were confronted with a dire situation and you reacted accordingly. No one could have expected more from you. You took the right decision."
"Not for the right reasons. I was too impulsive… and not just with rescuing her… but with everything that came after. Professionalism at its finest, my bad. Mother was right to reprimand me for making alterations in the conference schedule on a whim. A whim, I shouldn't have followed in the first place. A whim resulting out of an idea, she put in my head." She admitted guiltily.
Laertes' eyes widened a bit upon her admission, before he cocked his head to the side. "Really? That idea… must have been a good one then? I know you. Otherwise, you wouldn't have considered it."
Methys turned to him in surprise, scanning his features as if she expected to see mockery there. There was none. He was serious.
"What did you change?" He asked innocently without any form of judgement.
"The Nachas as additional dessert. A small breakfast banquet for the early morning and I exchanged the main course for tomorrow's evening dinner to bring in some local variety. And I included a city tour for the afternoon trip."
"Interesting." Upon her questioning gaze that almost begged for his approval he just smiled at her. "These are all good points, Methys, no matter who they came from."
Methys turned her gaze back towards the ground.
"You are unsure whether your actions were the right ones. I can see that now. Then tell me the alternative. What should you have done differently? What better scenario did your mind come up with now that you had time to think about it abundantly?" He asked her briskly trying to make her see reason.
"I am… I don't know, I want to whack myself on the head for saving her… at the same time, I think it was necessary and then I wasn't thinking about that when I did it, so that's no excuse for doing it either. This is all a huge mess. I am a huge mess."
"You still did not answer my question. What alternative do you see that would have made this end so much better? Tell me! I wanna hear it."
"I…" Methys was fishing for words, her voice trailing off when apparently nothing tangible came to her mind.
"See? There was no other way. She would have fallen into the water with or without you there. This mess isn't your fault Methys. It would probably be way worse without your intervention."
"At least I shouldn't have talked to her afterwards…" Methys tried feebly.
"That's the second time you say this in a way as if talking to her is the worst about this whole incident."
Methys chuckled humorlessly. "Because it might be. Why do you think, I don't want to talk to her again? She is a … weird one. And now she knows who I am. It will probably just make it…" She looked lost as if she couldn't find the right word and just settled with "…worse."
"What happened?" He asked tentatively.
Methys paused before she attempted to make a grand gesture that could basically mean anything. It died a premature death and faltered to a helpless shrug.
"Nothing." She finally admitted as if that was the worst outcome ever. "Absolutely nothing happened and that is exactly the problem. I … I always had this detailed image in my head of… how I expected them to be. The Lunarians. An admittedly second handed image built mostly out of rumors, other opinions and the deeply rooted resentment against them that is born out of the last war. After all, we were what, four, when the war came to a close? All I do remember from the war are funerals. Plenty of them. There are some glimpses of Queen Serenity though. I know she was here often during the war… and before. Atget once told me we used to play with the Lunarian princess as kids, when our parents were busy with political agendas and later the war. I don't remember much of it, though."
"I also remember only bits and pieces. But almost all of it, is after… " He exhaled shakily. "It all changed when the war was over and we won." The way he pronounced the last word made it clear that he didn't see it as a win.
"I might have been still a kid but I remember we lost so many. The whole planet was in grief and it didn't take long for that grief to change into something more sinister… until all that anger, sorrow and blame was suddenly directed at the Lunarian Queen for the role she played in all of it."
Laertes' face darkened. "It's not undeserved and you know it. She deserves what she is depicted as." It wasn't said with malice like the hairdresser, Krana had done before, just with conviction and sadness.
"I know. But the truth is; her daughter, she… surprised me. She wasn't at all what I expected… When I talked to her, I almost forgot she was Lunarian." She admitted reluctantly, her expression aghast, ashamed even.
He raised a skeptical brow. "So, she made an impact on you? A positive one?"
"Noo, not positive." Methys protested a bit too vehemently, before her whole form deflated. "But also not negative. Not really. I don't know." She almost appeared angry about that. "She was just so… honest and carefree. Not exactly the grand scheming evil, people always warn me from, at least not if that evil tends to stumble over her own two feet in a regular fashion and utters the first thing that comes to her mind without a second thought or fear for stating bitter truths." She scoffed morbidly.
"Maybe she just isn't like her mother." Laertes noted with a thoughtful frown.
"That's what has been nagging me since then. I have heard rumors about her. From what people say she is the spitting image of her mother and not only concerning the looks."
"Methys…"
"It's … I just don't know what I am supposed to feel about all of that… about her. Everything is suddenly so contradictory and confusing. All those childhood memories of countless funerals and memorials are still rooted in my head. For such a long time, all that is connected with them was just negative, but then she was just… different. On the one hand talking to her was way easier, than I anticipated, but then I know after everything that happened it just shouldn't be. We just talked and there was a certain… flow to it, I truly did not expect. Somehow, she made me throw all caution to the wind, somehow I started joking with her as if we had known each other for ages. I don't really understand how that happened, really. And then there were comments that just drove a stake through my heart, not because they were vile, no, because I somewhat agreed. How can I agree with her?"
"She is not her mother. She was just a kid during the war just as we were." Laertes reminded her.
"I know. And that makes it so damn complicated. I know I shouldn't fault her for anything her mother has done, but then everyone else is doing so and… I probably started doing so as well. And now… I am just confused and angry at myself for joining the fray and at the same time I am telling myself I had every reason to do so." Methys scoffed.
"You know, I always thought I have somehow made my peace with father's death. I tried to stick to neutral ground whenever possible. I prided myself in winning against that hatred that so many others succumbed to. I considered it crippling and petty, so I did my best to overcome it. I thought I succeeded, but it's still there, rooted deep inside me, waiting for its chance to be set free. I felt it sometimes rearing up its head sometimes during our conversation, when I suddenly remembered who I was actually talking to. When things turned somewhat political. The best I ever did was subduing that anger, shoving it to the back of my mind. And here when she was saying certain things it was spiking again. I might have managed to remain civil, yes, but at the inside, a war was raging. It was so confusing… and I… I don't want to feel again like I felt back then. I don't want to be reminded of… everything. I don't want to hate her and I don't want to consider her nice. And least of all I want to hate myself for feeling either of it. I want none of it. I don't want to feel anything. I have other things to worry about right now and I regret that I have gotten myself involved in this, because it's just another distraction I really don't need."
"So, that means…"
"I am only going to meet with her to put this matter to an end. I don't want to have anything to do with either of them."
"I know and I agree. Them being here is opening old wounds. I can relate to that all too well." He looked sadly to the ground.
Methys sighed. "I really want the conference to work. I do, you have to believe me that, but… a part of me would have preferred, if they didn't respond to the summit. Like the Uranians or the Saturnians did. I know it's wrong, but I even hoped for them to decline the invitation like the Martians did. However, they showed up. A risky move at best. What are they even here for? I don't get it. They must know things are beyond salvageable. And that princess? Why the heck is she staring at me? I don't understand what she wants. Can't she just leave me alone?" Raw confusion painted her words.
"They will leave soon. Just try to get through this talk. Don't offend her, ok? Let's settle this peacefully."
"I managed the first time, didn't I? I can do it again. I have lots of practice in pulling myself together, lately." She sounded tired and not very confident in her own words. "And she might be Lunarian, but she isn't the one I am truly angry at no matter how much they look alike. As you said, she isn't her mother."
"Do you… do you want me to accompany you?" Laertes asked tentatively.
"No, I will be fine on my own and I asked her to come alone. I can't really bring a second. That would be rude."
"I expect you to tell me how it went afterwards, though."
"That I can do as long as you keep the Jovian Senshi at arm's length."
"You will not be disturbed." He assured her.
"Good. I will go now. I want to be there before she arrives."
He nodded. "Good luck."
She walked away still deep in thought. This time Laertes did not follow her. Methys took some stairs and passed the fountain. She followed the arched path and after some minutes, she reached a secluded pavilion. It was made out of wood, not stone. The whole structure was complex and twines climbed up the carved redden wood. In a way, you couldn't say which part of the struts and cross beams was still alive. The whole pavilion seemed to be molded together with the living tree. She stepped into it and the marbled floor was decorated with stellar constellations that were foreign to their own eye. The roof of the pavilion wasn't entirely closed. There was a hole in the dome right in the middle and real stars shone above them in all their glory. The whole thing reminded Michiru of a miniature wooden pantheon. In the corners she could even see delicate statues just like in the real one she had once visited in Rome. Only these statues were made out of see-through material that wasn't really glass but also not ice.
Methys' footsteps echoed on the light stone floor and they could see striations that formed circles and lines that connected the stellar constellations under her feet. Embedded gems symbolized stars and planets and water flowed in grooves. Glyphs that resembled the ones they had seen in Methys' book decorated the carvings and made the whole thing look like an alchemistic cycle.
Methys stood still for a moment, then she looked around. Reluctantly, she crouched down and sat on the stone floor right in the middle of the pavilion, legs crossed. She put her flat palms on the ground and closed her eyes.
Was she meditating?
Some time passed like that with her not moving an inch and Michiru grew impatient. She looked at the others who still watched Methys with more or less rapt attention. Her eyes found Usagi and she really wanted to know what she was thinking. However, her expression was unreadable, too blank for her standards. She was probably thinking about the complex relations between Mercurians and Lunarians they had been already witness off. During their initial fight against Laertes after he transformed into a Senshi himself, he had mentioned that the Mercurian and Lunarian Empire were anything but friends. It turned out he was right. What else was he right about? Somehow, Michiru had expected him to lie, had secretly hoped for it. Now, she was realizing that his taunts had contained truth and she wasn't the only one. She looked again towards Usagi and noticed the barely hidden pain in her eyes. Usagi wasn't used to being hated. Some of their enemies had envied her for sure, had seen her as too good to be true, had lusted for her beauty or the power of the Silver Crystal, but downright hate, that at least sounded somewhat justified, for a vile act she committed? No that was entirely unheard off. Usagi was a symbol for the good. That's what she has always been. The same she had been told about her predecessor Princess Serenity. And most of this she had gotten to know from said princess' very mother or rather ghost. They all remembered her from the time when they visited the moon first and learned about their past. Almost everything came from her. And here it was insinuated that her Lunarian predecessors, Queen Serenity in particular, weren't the incarnations of goodness she always believed them to be. Usagi must be anxious about what she was about to see. In her stead, Michiru would be. The cards were now in the open. Both Methys and Serenity knew who the other was, now. Methys had already voiced some of her doubts and opinions. And somehow Michiru had the feeling that this meeting between the two wouldn't be like the first. It would be different. What kind of different was exceptionally hard to predict, though. Her gaze strayed again towards Usagi. She was tense, attentive and serious in a way you hardly got to see her.
Still, she was completely focused on Methys sitting there on the floor, doing nothing but meditating.
It was then they heard footsteps.
Methys' eyes immediately flew open and an edge of panic was visible in the azure orbs before she reined it in with deliberate effort. Exhaling stiffly, she rose carefully and straightened her formal overcoat in a nervous fidgeting gesture. However, when she turned around, her posture straightened and she composed herself, a formal and slightly detached expression on her face that appeared way too practiced.
When she finally faced the entrance, that composed expression wavered, before it crumbled entirely and for a moment she looked as if somebody slapped her in the face. Shock, anger and an expression of being conned, flashed up briefly in quick succession, before she managed to scram those urges into a cage with solid bars.
The reason for her emotional outbreak was obvious.
Princess Serenity did come, but she wasn't alone.
She brought her mother along.
AN: So, a bit of a cliffhanger here. I hope you don't mind (too much). The little bit of sibling banter was fun to write. I hope this chapter also makes it clear that Methys herself is not entirely ok with her decision to save Serenity. See you next time…