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| The Powers of Ice and Water Live On...; Ami, Queen of Mercury, gathers her family to pass on her powers and choose an Heir. | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jan 5 2014, 08:38 PM (70 Views) | |
| Dragon | Jan 5 2014, 08:38 PM Post #1 |
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Dragon
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Taking a breath, Ami could only shake her head in disbelief at the sight of the attack on the Moon. Breaking news had announced the attack only two hours ago, just an hour after she and Shingo had called all of their family that they could reach and asked them to meet up here, at the Mariner Castle. Now, seeing what had happened on the Moon, she was so thankful that she had made that choice. Here they were safe, or at least as safe as can be when you think about how easily their enemy had struck at the center of their Kingdom. More information was being broadcast in an update, now, including the fact that they had gotten lucky and no one had actually DIED in the attack, though there were several that had been taken to the hospital in critical condition, and MANY that had minor injuries and were being treated at the palace. Ami could only be thankful that none of the injured had belonged to her family, though she was well aware that several of the other Queens' grand daughters had been dragged into the mess. Thankfully none of them had been terribly injured...at least, from what little she had gained from Rei and Minako, who had arrived on the scene just in time to help. When the news cast finished, flashing images of the sight of the attack and the damage that had been done, Ami finally turned off the television in her sitting room and turned to those that had managed to make it for the meeting. Though she never would have asked for such a thing, she had to admit that seeing those images of carnage just before the conversation she was about to have could only help in her cause. At least, she hoped so...if only it were so easy as all that. "Hello everyone, thank you for coming." the Queen of Mercury was dressed as she had been earlier, in a simple navy blue pencil-skirt and a white top. She hadn't even taken the time to undo the pale blue cravat or the sapphire broach as she had intended, though she had discarded the flats at the door, as was the custom she had been raised with. Though she'd taken a seat in her favorite recliner--the one she almost always spent her down-time reading in--there was nothing very comfortable in the appearance of the Queen. She looked as she might if she were in the middle of a very important board meeting. Blue eyes scanned the faces of her family and she sat stiffly at the edge of her seat, her hands folded neatly in her lap to keep herself from digging at the arms of her chair. Why was she so nervous? She couldn't remember the last time she had felt this nervous. "In the face of what has just occurred on the Moon, I think it's best we dismiss with the pleasantries and get to the point." she took a breath, steadying herself, and looked to her husband for support before turning back to the rest of her family. "The time has come for me to pass on my powers. What that means is that someone in this room will become the next Senshi of Mercury and...my heir..." Watching the news cast with Ami, Shingo had absently clenched his fists, his knuckles white at the thought that some of his family was still in danger. There was some relief, at least no one was killed. He did the best he could, hiding just how much the news was affecting him. But hearing that no one was killed, it helped. At least, even if they were just hurt, his family on the Moon was still alive; but he was here, on Mercury. With those of his family who were safe. With Ami looking to him for support, Shingo stepped closer to her recliner, placing a hand on her shoulder. He didn't say anything, he felt she knew what he would say. Letting the news sink in, Shingo watched the faces of everyone in attendance. Aoi stood quietly off to the side of the group. With her grandmother's announcement, she remained firm even as there were a few collective breaths being held. Above all else, Aoi knew one simple fact: this was inevitable. Someone would eventually have to receive her grandmother's powers and be named as the heir to the throne. Logically, she was just as likely to be chosen as any other in the family. So, why then, were they all so surprised? Even her own grandparents were nervous about this. She could hardly blame them, they had raised a family in an era of total peace. And now, this happens. Having been in a peaceful time, everyone may well have considered that this would not happen. Well, sucks to be the people who thought that it wouldn't happen. Inevitably, where there is light, there is darkness. Where good is thriving, evil was just waiting for the right moment to strike. This is why she was standing off the side. She was separating herself from the 'herd', so to speak. In her mind, there was the majority who never thought this would happen..then there was those like her who knew, without a doubt, that this would happen eventually. Pushing off the wall, Aoi stepped forward, arms crossed over her chest. "How are you going to choose?" There was no hint of surprise, no fear, no shock, no wishful thinking that she might or might not be chosen. Just straight to business. Rue didn't sit in one of the chairs, but in the floor doing stretches. She hadn't been at all pleased at being called away from her training. What's more, having to travel to an entirely different planet for it. It just showed how little her family valued her time than they did their own. But she'd play nice for the time being since she had something she wanted from this family. It was the least they could do as far as she was concerned. Considering their inaction got her kicked out of her home. The sad truth was, Mercury didn't feel like home anymore. Her heart was back in Russia. The moment her grandmother spoke of passing on powers and an heir, Rue became completely uninterested and focused on her stretching. While the Crown Princess of Mercury would be an awesome title to own, the planet wouldn't pick her. No, it'd probably pick brilliant Aoi who came first in everything. Lifting her left arm slowly over her head, she arched to her right ankle extended out to her side and held. No point saying anything. She already knew how this would play out and if she said it, it would probably just piss people off. Especially when she ended up being right. Ami took in the various reactions. Most everyone seemed to be a little shocked, though it didn't take the Queen long to note that Aoi and Rue were not among them. Rue clearly wasn't in the least bit interested in the conversation, and considering the rather haughty and annoyed look Ami had seen on her face upon arrival, the bluenette was certain her grand daughter didn't even want to be there. 'She will be difficult...' Ami thought, sighing inwardly while she turned her attention to Aoi. That girl's expression was a little more difficult to read, but Ami was an exception. She'd gotten very good at reading even the most stubborn of people, and Ami was almost positive that THIS grand daughter was not in the least surprised by the announcement she had just made. In fact, she looked more determined, than anything else, and not even frightened like some of the others. This was quickly confirmed when the girl finally spoke up, asking Ami point-blank how she was going to choose. The expressions that crossed the other faces--save for Rue, who might as well not have even been there by her reactions--made it clear that they were all wondering the answer to that very question. "I wish it were that simple." Ami offered, sighing softly. The truth was, if it was HER choice...well, she'd have gone about it in a logical fashion and would have chosen someone that would have been on board with actually becoming her heir. Rue would be out, simply because Ami knew that Rue's only want in life was to follow her dream to be a dancer, and Ami wouldn't have wanted to interfere with that dream. "Unfortunately, I do not make the decision in this. All I can do is relinquish the power, and from there...the Power makes its own decisions. I would assume it is the Planet, itself, that chooses its successor. This has never been done before, and we can only go off of what happened when Queens Haruka and Michiru attempted to do the same. Haruka had made her choice in Heir, unfortunately, the power chose otherwise." honesty, she'd always believed it was the only way to maintain a healthy relationship, romantic or otherwise. "So, to that end, I have no idea who will become my Heir, I only know that the Planet will choose someone it feels is capable of being the Senshi of Mercury, even if that person doesn't quite believe it, themselves. Even if that person doesn't want to take up the responsibility." Aoi could feel Rue in the room without even having to look back to find her. She had no doubt that her sister was annoyed, maybe even down right angry, at the fact that she was here. Still, Aoi kept her interest on what her grandmother was saying, even as she elaborated on using how Haruka and Michiru had passed on their powers. It was at that point, seemingly as if on cue, that a beeping sound came from Aoi's pocket. It wasn't a pager..not even a cellphone. It was a simple device she whipped up to alert her to any communications being exchanged on royal channels. Pulling the item out, she silences it and puts it away. Whatever messages were being sent around, she could read later. "It can wait." she pointed out, wanting to get this over with quickly. Shingo wondered what Aoi had caught this time. Who knows how many different electronic devices and communication channels the girl was tracking at any one time. But chances are he would find out eventually. In the very least, the fact that Aoi had that device with her meant that this Aoi was NOT a hologram; placing a hand on Ami's shoulder, he just hoped that she understood what he was trying to tell her. "We might as well be pulling names out of a hat then..or rolling a multi-sided dice." Aoi added as Ami finished with her explanation. She hated having to rely on some outside, intangible force. "Oh please. We all know its going to be you, Aoi, so who are we kidding?" Rue tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice, really she did. But really,sitting here pretending like they didn't all know what was going on here was just stupid. "Let's use the logic you all love so much," Rue came to her feet gracefully. "You're the most like Grandma. Smart, etc, etc, yatta yatta. So Grandma, you do your mojo and we can all be surprised and, if Aoi here wants to pull an Ito, she can freak out and run off or something." Actually, she was kind of hoping for that. For once maybe she wouldn't be considered the one with the worst attitude. At Rue's outburst, Aoi pursed her lips, lifting her head only a little. "And what if you are chosen then?" she called back, not bothering to turn around. "You would just throw a fit and whine about yet another obstacle on the path to your dream." Glancing back over her shoulder at Rue, Aoi's expression was blank. She loved her sister but that didn't stop her from snapping back. "Then what-" "Quiet!" Shingo interrupted, his tone authoritative. "Both of you." It wasn't often that he raised his voice to family, especially his grandchildren. If he hadn't in this case..there was no telling how far this little argument would go. Blue eyes studied Rue while she made her pronouncement that Mercury would choose Aoi. Though her expression seemed aloof and bored, there was a tone in her voice that Ami clearly detected--resentment. Rue had always seemed to think she was less than the others, though for the life of her, Ami had no idea why she would think that. Still, in this instance she couldn't help but think Rue might be wrong. Before she had a moment to say anything in response to her grand daughter's thoughts, Aoi offered her own two cents, clearly attempting a verbal jab at her sister. She could feel the tension in the room rise with Aoi's accusatory question followed by her somewhat nasty attempt to answer it. Before Rue even had a chance to respond, Shingo stepped in, attempting to silence both of them. Ami took a step forward, hoping to draw attention back to her. "Aoi, Rue, neither of your attitudes is going to make this situation any better." her tone was firm, her eyes icy as she looked to both of them. "However, Aoi has a point, Rue." and here Ami softened, turning to her graceful grand daughter. All Rue ever wanted was to be a dancer, and Ami feared that dream might be postponed. How she wished she could prevent it, but she had to prepare Rue for the possibility that she might well be the one chosen. "Though you may not realize it, you have as much to offer our people in being a Senshi as Aoi might. You are a dedicated, passionate young woman. You set goals, sometimes goals that others might say are unrealistic, and you drive yourself to the utmost to not only meet them, but surpass them. Watching you grow, it is clear to me that you are an intelligent, capable person, Rue, and you'll do anything to achieve your dreams. These are all qualities that you share with every Senshi I have ever met, and they are qualities that I could see being measured by the power of Mercury, and chosen." Here Ami took a breath, returning her gaze so that she was taking in everyone that was there, not just Rue. "Any of you could be chosen, because all of you have traits that may well be desired when it comes to being a Senshi. I have no idea what might happen, who will be chosen, but I know that I'll be proud of all of you, whether you are chosen or not." With that Ami returned to her seat, though she couldn't help but sit on the edge. So much rode on what was going to happen next, and she prayed that everything would work out. Taking a breath, her blue eyes scanned over her family once more before she closed them, focusing on the power that had been hers for so very long. She could feel it inside her, like a shard of ice so cold it burned. Just envisioning it brought the glowing, pale blue star to the forefront of her mind, and behind it hovered her planet, as if waiting. Power rose in the room, made all the more real by the sudden drop in temperature and a strange, rising mist. The white fog that appeared glistened in the light, much like frost glistens in the morning sun, and when it came into contact with skin it left a cold, wet sensation. Not painful, but definitely noticeable. Even the scent in the air had changed so that it smelled almost like rain, except this rain had the bite of winter. Ami's brow began to glow almost the moment the temperature began to drop, the symbol for her planet blazing with pale blue light and giving her skin an ethereal quality. Bangs fluttered violently around her brow and with a sudden rush of energy almost like wind, her clothing exploded into hundreds of blue ribbons that quickly plaited and twined to create the gown she wore as Queen. Queen Ami of Mercury rose to her feet, her hands coming up to cup together as if she were holding a bowl. The power seemed to rush away from her, collecting in her hands to form a round, pale blue sphere that seemed to shimmer and shine. The bubble of power lifted off her hands with a movement of her arms and floated outward, hovering in the air before her for several moments before moving toward the rest of her family. Ami's eyes opened to watch, but not because she wanted to see who the energy would choose. That knowledge had come to her the moment the power had risen inside her. She only hoped those chosen would accept it, because at this point there was no turning back... Rue just stood there sardonically throughout her grandmother's speech but the truth was, she was touched by it. It was hard being around geniuses when you were below average in everything not physical. Everything academic came so easy to Aoi and she didn't care which always seemed like an even greater slap in the face. As the magic began and the bubble appeared, Rue watched it expecting it to fully go to Aoi like everything else seemed to. Instead it spun and split in two. One of the large glowing orbs came to... her. Heart pounding, the bubble seemed to break up into thousands of tiny bubbles, swirling around her. The sensation of cool, trickling water spread throughout her body. Was she really being chosen? For the briefest moment, she felt excitement. Actual acceptance. She'd been picked over Aoi for this. Looking down at her hands, she saw a soft blue glow to them and she had no doubt the symbol of Mercury glowed on her forehead. Out of her all of them, her siblings and her cousins with all their high IQs, the planet had chosen her. She was the heir! The best choice for the next Queen. The grin melted from her face however when she noticed that Aoi too glowed and held the symbol of Mercury on her brow. Heart dropping straight to her stomach, she looked between Aoi and her grandmother. Cursing in Russian, just knowing this wasn't going to end well for her, she demanded, "What is this? There can't be two Sailor Mercurys." Aoi fell silent once again as her grandmother spoke. Deep down, Aoi really did hope Rue was chosen..not because she wanted to see how she'd react but because she, herself, did not want to be chosen. She may have anticipated that might be chosen..didn't mean she wanted to be! Watching the magic flowing through the air and split in two, Aoi watched with a mix of wonder and curiosity. One of the orbs, which quickly became the one Aoi focused on, came right to her. 'Well shit! Rue was right!' Aoi thought. 'Must be a cold day in hell...' Aoi felt kinda tingly as the orb flew to her and showered her in smaller bubbles, at least, it looked like a shower. Felt like one too. Her forehead seemed to be the warmest spot on her entire body at the moment, causing Aoi to run her finger over the spot where the symbol for Mercury was shining brightly. The sound of swearing in Russian broke Aoi's attention, however; causing her to look back and see Rue with the symbol of Mercury on her forehead as well. "She...does have a point..." she added. With the transformations complete, the energy that had filled the room seemed to evaporate, leaving it as it had been before the Queen had summoned her power. In reality all that energy and power had been drawn into the two girls, drained not only from the room, but directly from the Queen. She could feel it slipping away from her, like a wound bleeding freely, so that it took more will than she was sure she had to remain standing while the two girls looked to her. Pale and trembling with reaction, the Queen's eyes had closed the moment the power finished making its decisions. However, hearing first Rue and then Aoi speak about the decisions made, Ami forced her eyes to open and forced herself to actually walk toward them. She felt so exhausted, and all she wanted was to sit back down and maybe fall asleep. Yet, she did not have that luxury. Not yet. "You....are right." her voice sounded a bit breathless and for a moment the Queen stopped to take a deep breath, steadying herself. Using the training she'd gained as an intern years and years ago, the bluenette gathered what reserves she had left, her back straightening. How many all-nighters had she pulled not just studying for exams, but working the hospital? When you work the emergency wing, or the NICU, you simply don't have time to sleep, sometimes. You have to keep moving, no matter what, and it was this remembrance of mind-over matter that finally allowed the Queen to bring some semblance of control over herself. "There can not be two Neo Sailor Mercury's. However, there CAN be two Senshi of Mercury." and here Ami turned, her gaze locking on Rue's eyes for a moment before lifting up to gaze upon the blue mark that had appeared on her brow. Though it was very similar to the one for Mercury, there were differences. They were subtle, and from a distance might be easily overlooked. Close up and gazed upon by someone that actually KNOWS, intimately, what the true symbol for Mercury is, there was no denying this was not it. "Rue, it would seem the planet, for the first time in its history, has chosen a Guardian Senshi. That Guardian is you. If you close you eyes and clear your mind, I am certain your title will come to mind." Rue held up her hand to stop this as a glowing orb appeared before her, a pin inside. "Wait. What do you mean by guardian? What exactly am I guarding?" she demanded. More out of annoyance than the actual want of the pen she snatched it from the orb and suddenly information began pouring into her head. She was Sailor Hermes and... "I'm supposed to protect her!?" Rue looked horrified and insulted as she gestured to Aoi with the transformation pen. "Are you telling me that the planet choose her to be the next queen and I'm her bodyguard? Oh screw that." Why was her life worth so much less than Aoi's? Fuck Mercury. She hated this planet. Even it put her second. Tossing the transformation pen against the wall, the glow faded from around Rue. Turning on her heels, she marched out of the room. She was never coming back to this planet. EVER. "Rue!" Ami took a step forward, but the exhaustion was taking its toll. She didn't dare run after the girl in this state...besides, something told her Rue needed some time. However, the last thing Ami wanted was for Rue to rush off the planet and get herself into danger. "Shingo, will you have the guards make sure Rue can't leave the planet? I don't care where she goes, she clearly needs some time, but she shouldn't leave, yet..." Somehow she doubted the girl was going to appreciate being held 'hostage' on Mercury, but until they had a chance to talk, Ami just couldn't let her leave. Taking another breath, the blue-haired Queen turned her gaze to where Rue's transformation pen had ended up on the floor. It had bounced off the wall with a very discernible, almost musical ring before landing on the carpeted floor and bouncing a few feet away. No one had gone after it, yet, and so Ami took the few careful steps necessary to retrieve the pen, herself. Gazing at the beautiful item in question, she could feel the cool, crisp energy of Mercury radiating from it; the pen recognized her, but she was not the one it belonged to. "Aoi...you must have questions." pocketing the pen for later, Ami turned back to her other grand daughter, then glanced around the room. "The rest of you...feel free to go about your business, but please, stay on Mercury. I would like to share dinner as a family." she smiled at the rest of her family, then turned to walk back to her chair. Oh how much she needed to sit down, right now. Shingo reached out as if he were about to call out to Rue but he stopped. At Ami's request, Shingo gave a sharp nod and headed back into her office to send out the order. "If you see Princess Rue, do not let her leave the planet." he spoke into the comms device. "She is not under arrest..just escort her to her room." ----- Aoi shook her head at Rue's outburst. As if her little sister needed yet another reason to be upset about something. Approaching the transformation pen, Aoi gave a shrug as Ami asked if she had questions. Aoi's response was simple: she gave her grandmother a hug. Releasing her hug, Aoi took a step back. "I'm not nearly as...thrilled about this as Rue is-" she said but gave her usual carefree shrug and smiled. "Its all about instinct right? Trust my instincts as I do, grandma." Looking down at the pen, Aoi gave a soft sigh. "Its just like any other piece of tech I get my hands on...once I get started, there's no force in the universe that can stop me from figuring it out." |
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9:53 AM Jul 11