2495/A Cautionary Tale

A Cautionary Tale
Date of Scene:	28 April 2025
Location:	Crystal Tokyo
Synopsis:	Scouting ahead towards the Crystal Palace, Zoisite has a chance encounter with Saphir, and a renewed determination to find the truth.
Cast of Characters:	298, Zoisite
Tinyplot:	Black Moon Clan
Tinyplot2:	BMC: Dimension Future

---

Saphir (298) has posed:
Finding their first survivor had been a fortuitous situation for the time travelers, even if the encounter itself had not been without its hurdles. Junichi Nomura had been more than willing to share with the young king his knowledge of the routes ahead - how to reach the enclave of survivors he was assisting, as well as the route he had taken to reach the Crystal Palace, before the Droids came.

And what Junichi knew, Mamoru had been more than willing to share, with his guardian. Thus it is that Zoisite can now be certain that the Crystal Palace lies to the Southeast of Azabu-Juban, in the filled-in space of Tokyo Bay, in a space beyond Odaiba, by modern Tokyo's maps.

He hasn't made it all the way out there, not yet - it would be a journey of many, many hours, even with magic to speed up the travel, given he'd be going on foot, and needing to avoid the Droids.

But he's been more than able to make good time.

It's as he's traveling that he'll have the opportunity to catch sight of a figure, on the streets below. A tall man, in white pants, a blue shirt, with silver decor. His blue hair has been neatly combed and styled, just as it was the last time they encountered one another, and he is surrounded by Droids.

They aren't attacking him, or even swarming - just loosely gathered in a crowd, with space between each form for him to easily step between. Some of those droids gathered are poor facsimiles of human beings, clearly magitech creations. Others, rarer, seem to be perfect replicas, aside from the eerily clean state of their attire, given that the world ended a month before. Still others are too perfect, moving with just a touch too much fluidity, expressions just a hair too smooth.

He seems preoccupied with examining them.

Zoisite has posed:
It was better for him to step away from it all once the group began to make their way towards the group of survivors. If anything seemed sure at the time, it was that Zoisite had not been in the best of moods. Perhaps it was the consistent smell of sweet rot and decay that festered the air, or the continuous presence of someone or another that barely gave him enough space to breathe. Or maybe it was him being away from Kunzite, or the prince.

Maybe it was simply that everything seemed to be so heavy in his mind at times that all he wanted was the space to clear it all out on his own. No music to distract and decompress, only the fleeting curiosity when his eyes picked up on new vegetation along his new scouting route.

It was thankful that nothing had encountered him yet, and hopefully it would remain as such. With the survivors possibly weakened, Zoisite doubted many of them would deal well with a swarm of Droids--even with the strong group they had regardless.

Better he be the bait, than the group itself. Keep the passage way clear. Maybe find ways to distract them while he was wat it. Surely such an endeavor would be amusing.

Such thoughts quickly halted when his green eyes spotted a gathering below--having been travelling on root tops again made him feel safer at least. Droids, a good group of them. Not a swarm, and no aggression registered.

In between, his breath hitched. There was no mistaking the individual between the machinery. Zoisite had wondered when he's next see this man, if ever.

With a touch of intention and trusting his hovering ability, he loomed over the group silently for a moment or two, watching as Saphir examined one by one, before lips finally parted.

"Saphir?" When and if their gazes connect, Zoisite would have lifted both his hands, palms visible and fingers relaxed in a gesture of no harm intended.

Saphir (298) has posed:
The Droids are in acceptable condition, though he would prefer that their make and ability be more consistent. Still, given that he entrusted the task of deploying his magitech creations to Esmeraude, Saphir is suitably satisfied with what's been produced.

There are improvements to be made, of course, but that is always the case. The more pressing matter will be selecting the finest of these droids, and determining if they'll be suitable for his longer term plans. It would be more useful, if he could find survivors, as well, but...

He's so encapsulated with his thoughts, that the faintest shifting of the air, as a figure displaces what had been simple smog and ash, goes unnoticed, until his own name is voiced.

Zoisite will see Saphir go still, even as the Droids surrounding him jolt into activity, their heads simultaneously falling back so that eyes can fixate on his position, the minute twitch before predatory action -

And then Saphir raises a single hand, and they are once more docile. Those blue eyes, and that pale face, lift to Zoisite's position.

"Izou Saitou," Saphir returns, a name for a name. "I anticipated that you would be among those who came to this time." %

Zoisite has posed:
An instant of awareness. There was no fear in his demeanor when the Droids looked at him, already having dispatched his fair share of them. Yet, the anticipation that they would be let loose only lasted for that instant, before it was snuffed out by his own expectations. Then the raised hand.

Finally, eyes connect, and a sigh. Unlike their first meeting, he was at least standing on his own, spine fully recovered from his injuries for weeks.

"I gave you no reason to think otherwise, have I?" He remained in the air for now, permitting his gaze to look over the automatons that surrounded Saphir.. "They're yours, the androids. My group has already been ambushed by countless of them, and one almost fooled us into a trap."

Slowly, he began to descend so as to be eye to eye with the man in blue. "It's very impressive, what you've created so far. If given the chance, I would enjoy to tinker on one of them to see how they work and how much my time is behind in terms of technology. But--"

Zoisite waves his hand dismissively. "I doubt you're interested in flattery right now." Now, face to face, he can take in the visage of the man he spoke at the shrine. Taller than him, and so vividly blue.

"...Have you given any thought about what I said to you?"

Saphir (298) has posed:
Being able to freely observe this conversation partner is somewhat novel for Saphir, given that at their last encounter he was partially hidden by the bulk of the boy who would be king, courtesy of an extreme wounding at Rubeus' hands. It allows him to see that the other is a somewhat slight figure, deceptively delicate, and he observes the descent with some interest.

"Yes. They are not my finest work, but they have served their purpose well. Your harrying of them would explain some of the damage I've observed."

Your, in this case, meaning the group as a whole, rather than Saitou alone.

"You're correct. Flattery, regardless of degree of sincerity, is unnecessary now." These are not his best work, though some are closer to that standard. That someone else is curious about their nature, and would like to explore their inner workings is not surprising, though it is somewhat pleasing.

It isn't the point of this though - or, he highly doubts it is the point. On only a second encounter, he cannot assume an ability to predict what Saitou will do.

"It is a poor scientist who fails to consider every angle. You sought to plant doubts, did you not?" But he's not scornful when he asks, only curious.

Zoisite has posed:
A quiet and long sigh escapes from him as he considers the last question. His usual would be to lie, or dismiss it enough to change the subject. But the level of curiosity provided, the neutrality, was welcoming.

"I am a gardener by passion, so it seems. Even now I collect seeds in hopes to plant them in my time, study them." His gaze averts to linger on the Droids. Each of them unique in quality and damage, yet elegant in design. What they lacked in terms of a soul was made up by pure efficiency. It made sense now why the Black Moon Clan always rescued the Sisters so often. Machinery worth their weight in gold.

"I would be lying if I said my initial intent was not to plant one in you, as well." Honesty. Green gaze returns to blue. "But understand that I do so without malice. As I said before, me and my brothers were manipulated so thoroughly, we were nothing but obedient dogs to a witch. It caused more than our own deaths. Civilizations fell in our wake. A cycle of misery follows us from one lifetime to another."

Perhaps it was foolishness of him to be genuine to this man. And yet, an explanation was owed. If a faker could wield his wounds like it's nothing but a weapon, might as well make use of those mistakes to prevent others from following the same path.

"What I will advise is that doubt will not bloom unless there is cause to. If you feel it, then there might be something you need to consider, with or without my intentions."

Saphir (298) has posed:
At the news that Zoisite too seeks to study and learn, Saphir doesn't so much as brighten as become yet more neutral, a glint of interest in his eyes. This is his preferred sort of metaphor - one where the words are literal as well as figurative, meaning shared through multiple layers.

Preserving some of that which will never come to be in his own world - that's the taunt Saphir could level, but he has no desire to do so. Why taunt, as though this were a simple school yard feud, and in doing so disrespect them both?

"New samples are always worth studying," he offers in something like a concession, an acknowledgement of the gardening that is literal. "Perhaps it is foolish, but I believe that you lack malice. You tell a story... that I have never heard, and paradoxically, it lends more credibility."

Why would the crown share this, a story of becoming obedient dogs to a witch and felling whole civilizations, when they seek to suppress and eliminate struggle and strife, any attempt to move forward that lacks in polite niceties.

"To an extent, you understand our actions, then. Your companions may have been filled with overt emotionalism, but you seem to have a more practical bent."

He's not saying that Saitou endorses them - obviously, he too wishes for them to stop. But Saphir has hardly forgotten how thoroughly Saitou's companions had attempted to square away his beliefs, his feelings, his actions, based on measurement against their own.

"You say you were manipulated. Under what guise was this achieved? What is it you believed in, that you now condemn?"

Zoisite has posed:
Lacking malice, when hours ago he felt nothing but an anger that seethed enough to twist a knife. When he knew so well that there were strings of sadism to see others squirm still in his grasp when he could smell blood in the water. Even so, the observation brought a small hint of a smile to Zoisite's lips--for it was true in this case. He did lack malice or the want to cause harm to Saphir.

"Truthfully, at the shrine, I understood you more than I did our own Princess." A confession that possibly reveals what he feels of Sailor Moon or even Future Neo Queen Serenity.

"Mind you, it will be hardly a year since we've switched sides. I'm aware that I carry much of my old self too close to my heart, along with the wounds. And I have a lot to learn and remember of my own mistakes from the past." He shook his head then, gaze lowering only so he could look back at the crescendo of the Silver Millennium. When the war was at it's peak and all he could remember was cold and searing pain.

Another deep breath, before returning his gaze to Saphir. "So, yes... I understood your actions. Where you come from, the extent you believe in your cause. Having gone so far, it's not worth looking back. There's nothing but a trail of dead bodies and sacrifices of loved ones. And emotions will only slow you down if you let it take over. Perhaps anger can be a powerful fuel, but it burns too bright, too fast. It's much easier for someone else to carry the torch, while we stand outside of the chaos, and observe."

Saphir's inquiries were those that reached deep. It took Zoisite another hitch of breath and willingly looking back to process it fully. Gather the information.

"We were manipulated by twisted words and omissions. Enough that memories are replaced by false ones, and everything is seen with maliciousness. And by the Gods, I believed that the Moon Kingdom wanted nothing more that to step on us from below. Looking down on us, like we were primordial cave dwellers in comparison to them. In the end, I thought our prince had been taken advantage of, betraying us and the Golden Kingdom to be with his Moon Princess."

Eyes looked away then, a rare wince of shame shimmered in his gaze. "I hated her. I hated all of them. Details are sparse, but the fabricated hatred is still there." Hand lifted, pressing against his own chest like he could locate the core of himself, the faults and cracks in his stone. "It was lies, Saphir. All lies, to a point we turned our swords to our own Prince. Killed him. All because someone was able to reach into us and twist what we saw, make our fears greater than they were, and let us fester in bitterness."

"I doesn't matter what I believed in then. It offends me more that I was lied to and used as a weapon. A tool. And for all the disdain I might have towards the woman my Prince loves, even in this life, I cannot see her as anything more than a child that can hardly hurt an ant. Even in this future, where I am aware me and my brothers do not have our equals." Lucidity, even if it loathed him to admit it.

In the end, his eyes returned to Saphir, brows furrowed. "This is why I caution you. You don't want to carry this weight."

Saphir (298) has posed:
Izou Saitou is held under Saphir's gaze, but by the same token, Saphir too is arrested by Saitou's own gaze, paying careful attention to every twitch, every shift. The faint hint of a smile that twitches at his mouth, the sincere gleam of his eyes -

He will not be going anywhere for some time. Not when there's this, to unravel.

"I am logical, and she is not," he says simply, of the Princess who would be Queen. Zoisite will see the way Saphir's eyes narrow at the mention of her, the hostility that grips his face, turning his sharp features to ice. "It is only sensible that I could be more easily understood than that simpering girl."

Saphir listens to the rest of Zoisite's story keenly, his cold face giving away little - though Zoisite will see the faintest shift when he mentions letting someone else carry the anger, as Saphir's thoughts drift to Rubeus against his will, the fury in his ally-enemy-rival's eyes, the anger that thrummed under his skin, that drove him. If Saphir is ice, then Rubeus was fire. If Saphir is the careful precision of steel, Rubeus had been the eager recklessness of bronze.

"There are few alive who would be able to manipulate me." But not none. His brother could, if he so choose, but his brother - his thoughtful, strategic, vicious brother was not manipulating him, not when his own thoughts were so easily led by that vicious, relentless, useless woman. But Wiseman...

Still, the idea scarcely stood as a hypothesis, let alone a theory. It's a shot in the dark, based on personal experience and nothing more.

"Would it not be my fate to carry that weight regardless?" This is asked with a thin sliver of a smile.

"If your fears are proven true, I will have already lost much in return for manipulation and lies." And so his voice gains strength. "And yet, this concept is based more in your fears than any facts, or analysis. Even you hold no respect for that woman. You think of her as a child who would not harm an insect, while I know her as the Queen who has held Earth in her thrall for a thousand years. Neo Queen Serenity is a hateful, possessive creature."

Zoisite has posed:
"You speak of knowing her as though you've lived your entire life next to her in the flesh, instead of running after her shadow she seems to have cast over you and your companions since birth." A quick reply, but one that was much softer than how Zoisite usually would regard most of those that orbited his bubble. "If it's not too bold of me to assume you didn't actually meet her until recently. You said it yourself in the shrine. Sixty-seven children. One hundred and eighty-six adults. Parents, you called them. So you were young. Or were you even alive then, when your parents were banished?"

Hand still pressed to his chest, his eyes not shying away from the other even as that hint of hostility had been visible for a moment. Zoisite knew who that was for, and strangely, he could empathize with it.

"And if all you know of her are just things you've heard of, wouldn't that mean that how you see her isn't also a mere concept? A sentiment grown from word of mouth instead of facts, besides the planet you grew up on." A deep breath is taken then, also thinking back to the rest of what happened in the shrine.

"I don't wish to disrespect you, Saphir. Perhaps what I'm seeking at this moment is to hear more from your point of view, if you're also willing to share such things. I know at the shrine, you said you had no interest in recounting the history you knew. But I barely know half of what happened in this timeline. Would you humor me here, then?"

Saphir (298) has posed:
Izou Saito's words may be softly launched, but they strike with all the force of a dagger - clearly, for Saphir grimaces, the expression faint and muted as all such are in his circumstance, but meaningful. The boy who so willingly aligns himself with Earth's hateful king (and so reluctantly appears to align himself with their hateful queen) has a point, much as Saphir dislikes admitting it.

He has not met the queen, for an exchange of ideals and ideas. He has not had the discourtesy of her reception, which means that his hatred - though learned, though valid - is not informed by personal experience, but is an emotion born through absence and consequence.

"You remembered that well," he acknowledges, and then, "I have not had the displeasure of a personal encounter with the Neo Queen. I, among others you have met, was born in transit towards the world that was our prison, our only homeland."

Nemesis.

"You do not disrespect me. It is a legitimate question, a flaw in my only logic. You may act on your emotional regard for the woman, but though I have lived in the consequence of her actions, I rely on second-hand data, gathered in the shadow of her maneuvers." He is not unhappy, not insulted, only - aware, anew, that there is a potential for flaw, and therefore, something which must be acknowledged. "At the Shrine, my purpose was to collect our dead. Today, I handle Crystal Tokyo's dead, and they are worth far less of my attention."

Matter of fact. Callous. Perhaps, disquieting, to confirm that these creatures, his endless droids, are at least in some manner born of Crystal Tokyo's dead, but honest.

"I can share some knowledge with you, if it's what you've come to learn. I am not the orator my brother is, to spell out the evils of the Neo Queen's tyranny, but I am well aware of our history."

Zoisite has posed:
It was callous to look upon the dead of Crystal Tokyo with such low regard. Disquieting though? Not as much. Zoisite's own gaze lowered to the ground they stood on, nose now used to the sweet rot that remained in the air, before lifting his eyes back to one of the Droids.

Skin, schematics, ligaments, wires, metal, bone, plastic, hair, cells, energy and atoms. The mention of it had him step closer to one of them--one that looked pitiful, visibly a synthetic instead of human, and felt nothing more than pity, eyes ablaze in muted awe.

Was that all they could do in Nemesis? Reanimate their dead in hopes of some semblance in companionship? It was a theory, but there were hints to it. Saphir's own words, and the care each Specter Sister went through after their deaths.

As for Zoisite's approach... Yes, it was a strange, silent compliment. His own thirst to see their inner workings, how Saphir incorporated the dead into each machine. It was just that their time was limited. Green eyes returned to dark blues.

Then nods, a small kindling spark ignited in the back of his subconscious. Relief, maybe? Seeing the man in blue and white acknowledge something so serious. Hope?

"You already have my full attention, no need to be an orator." Zoisite steps back to where he was standing, arms crossing across his chest mostly to feel comfortable instead of defensive. "Please, share with me what you've learned."

Saphir (298) has posed:
Skin, muscle, rods, wires, ligaments, bolts, energy, atoms, bone, plastic, all of it coordinated, transfigured in magitech, merging, transitioning. These Droids, formed from flesh and seed technology, are not the greatest of Saphir's creations, but they are Saphir's creations and thus he is pleased with them, even as he would improve them.

They are better, in this, than they were before. They are being useful, for once in their lives, instead of indolent and lazy.

His work in death and creation, new life from the old, restored life from what was, he would not dishonor by considering it useful practice for this. No, these wretches are nothing more than tools for the improvement of his work.

Rubeus. Koan. Berthier. Petz. Calaveras.

This will not be the end.

"The Black Moon Clan arose on Earth, as a challenge to the authority of the Neo Queen and King, who have ruled for near a millennia - it is their habit to rid themselves of dissidents with banishment to other colonies, cloaked in the offer of a new home, if only they survive to reach it, but the Black Moon Clan challenged all that was - their very way of life, their dependence on their crystals, their 'purification' of the populace, deadening their taste for valor and combat, battle and victory, the unnatural lifespans they visited upon the people - and it was more than they could bear. There is nothing a monarch hates more than being questioned."

It's a long speech, for Saphir, and he breathes a moment, befor he continues.

"We were banished twenty-five years ago. I was among those born on the ship we survived in, before we landed in the prison the Neo Queen chose for us," he says finally, after a long moment of thought. "Nemesis is not suitable for life. It is a deadly planet, that takes more than it could ever hope to give. The adults began to die first, and then the older children. In the end, there were only a handful of us to make it to our teenaged years, and beyond.

There were so few of them. Their bodies - their hearts, the crystals that were their essence, the materials that made up for their form - all had been useful, necessary, for the studies that Saphir would later carry out.

"Before we struck, there were ten of us left. Thanks in no small part to the efforts of your own band, there are far fewer now." Such a small number. A hateful few. "But we are strong, and the Earth itself will have finished dying before we are gone."

Zoisite has posed:
"You speak as though you expect to die in the end." For gone could mean many things, but in this case, it sounded almost fatalistic. But once the Earth is gone, what would really be left? A home planet that was also just as cruel, Nemesis, did not feel like an option as well. Merely a nest left behind. And if they lost, death had been been promised to them.

"I had no idea that the entirety of Earth had to be purified in the end. You've seen the version of Earth I live on, and it feels balanced the way it is. To think of such a peaceful place is almost frightening. Like it's a lie." Crease between brows, a hint of disillusion. "But I suppose such things as purification doesn't entirely erase one's true nature. If you wish to be ruthless, that's what you'll be in the end, come purity or dark. Dark energy also manipulates you. Makes you... angrier. Blind, but everything seems so clear and simple. It's a drug." Eyes averted then, lips twitching, avoiding a smile. "I miss it, just a bit, sometimes."

A shrug then, a brief shake of his head as he let's go of that musing.

"Thank you for sharing some of your history with me. I do have some questions about details, if you don't mind." His gaze returns. "You and your companions basically raised each other. Or did you have some assistance? Not all the adults died that fast, did they?" Especially to pass down so much history--although the ship might have had logs that spoke much about the original passengers feelings. "I'm not one to understand the concept of familial bonds, but to teach you to survive so quickly on a deadly planet... That take a bit more than dedication."

A hand lifts, pressing a curled index finger against his chin. "And the ship, surely if the planet was not suitable, the Queen would not be able to reach you all so far away from her grasp. You all could have left. Was there a reason your parents of the other adults just didn't leave? Warriors or not, one can't simply fight the home of death itself."

"Also, if I may be the demon's advocate in this case..." Head tilts, dim light catching his soft hair for a moment--hair strings highlighted in soft golds. "Neo Queen Serenity is one of the possible futures of Usagi Tsukino. A girl who, as you saw yourself at the shrine, blubbers like a baby with her heart on her sleeve. And in a world full of peace and unity, I could see her finding alternatives to those that prefer not to live such a life. Prior to humanity itself, the Silver Millennium was more than just the Earth and Moon. Many planets were included in the Empire. Each different from one another. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Neptune... the list goes on. So sending your clan away does not strike me as strange." Eyes narrow then, a sharp look not meant for Saphir, but at blip of all of this. The selection of planet Nemesis. "What does strike me strange is where you say she sent you all to. Picking Nemesis, a dying planet. For a girl that professes to be a crybaby, even to situations that are none of her business... That is something I cannot see her doing. Not even to me and my brothers, and we were successful in destroying the entire Empire and almost twice before we were brought to our senses."

"She has a forgiving heart, Saphir."

Saphir (298) has posed:
"It would not be the first time," Saphir says it calmly, for in the Black Moon Clan it is well known that his work has never been exclusively for the others. "And it would not be so terrible a thing."

It wasn't the plan, however. This suicide mission, this dying planet, this shrunken populace - they were meant to return, to rule, to shed the Neo Queen's rulings and return to a proper, vicious fight for the growth of their kind. That obelisk of the Black Crystal... he still isn't sure what his brother was thinking, launching that.

Some of those thoughts - the sheen of doubt, the fleeting grimace of displeasure - show on his face.

"Yes. There was a great calamity, in the year 2000, which decimated the population and the planet all at once. The Neo Queen and King consolidated their power, then, seeping their might into every square inch of the planet. Airways, waterways, island and continent alike - the entire planet has been bathed in her purifying glow, in his 'healing' light." He grimaces. "It is a lie. Those who lived, their lives extended more than a dozen fold, each swearing off violence, off battle, dedicating themselves to the domestic and peaceful," he sees that disillusion. He will stoke it. "Dark Energy grows within itself. It stokes the fire of rage, envy, bitter fury, but it doesn't lie. It's a simple thing, unlike the Neo Queen's purity."

Questions about the details are only natural. He does not resent answering them.

"Correct. They did not all die at once, though I was the Rabbit's age when the last fell. I have no doubt that she told you of who else dwelt on Nemesis, when our Clan was banished. Death Phantom raised us, and yes, he has much to resent the Neo Queen for," Saphir discloses dispassionately. "Our survival was not due to the love of family, but the happenstance that another banished by the Queen still lived to aid us."

Warmth, compassion, the care of a parent - what are these, to one raised in the shadow of loss?

"Nemesis is a greedy planet. It holds what it receives and gives little in return. It was many years of effort and innovation that allowed that ship to depart from that prison world."

Saphir smiles thinly.

"A self-processed crybaby with a delicate heart she may have once been, but she would not welcome those raised by the one man she failed to kill. We are not children of her vaunted Crystal Millennium, and to be forgiven, one must make amends. We have none to offer. We are who and what we are, and we will not crawl to her and bend our heads in sorrow where there is none. What you have done, you regret. That is the difference between us."

Zoisite has posed:
"This is true. I do regret what I've done, I see myself lost in many ways, trying to make amends expected of me. It wasn't for her sake, however." Zoisite shook his head. "It was for my Prince, Usagi's eventual husband. Especially when I knew I was manipulated, when I saw the damage done to my own home and those I loved." He had to concede that this was a difference between both him and Saphir. "But I suppose death wouldn't be such a bad option, to find the proper amends to the sins I did as well."

"I will admit that I did not intend to die as well. I had something to gain, a satisfaction to achieve when I was under the influence. It tasted sweet, to see everyone suffer. I felt I belonged." Even with regrets, there was a softness to the more recent past. Not all was cruel, not all was horrid. He did, at last, belong somewhere: a group of lost boys that held each other closer than anything. That was the loyalty he is maintaining. "You could say I see my Prince as a brother. I won't leave his side, even if I wanted to."

He may waver, but like a young tree that fought against the winds, he wished to remain still. Even if pulled and broken, the roots already sunk far below the earth to go anywhere else.

"I did have the chance to learn the truth in time. We all did. That's what made it all possible. There's time for change in us in the end. ...even if it's fucking difficult." There was a bite there, a bit of his rage and fires that wanted to spring from within. That part of himself that even when he spoke many truths, still had a hard time regurgitating. Zoisite shakes his head, a deep breath before returning his gaze to Saphir. "Dark Energy is like fire. Anything it can burn, it will. Eats away at you, be it truth, or perceived truth. It makes no difference to it. It will taste sweet all the same, until you're left a husk with nothing but ashes in your mouth."

A pause slips in, mostly for himself to think. Perhaps understand a bit more of his own purpose of pursuing an enemy like this. They almost spoke the same language, like he could easily belong among them. It worried him, even with the quiet pull. He was playing with the inevitable, but... He'd prefer not to lose a connection, as small as it was.

"I realize I said I didn't want to change your mind. In the end these are discussions." He broke the silence. "So I want to ask of you something, and you can deny me this chance. In the end, if your heart is truly set, nothing will shake it, am I correct?" But he hoped. "If I could bring you evidence that you were lied to or manipulated, would you take it?"

Saphir (298) has posed:
"Amends expected of you, or amends you wish to give?" It's less a challenge and more a genuine inquiry. "But then, I suppose if you would find death an equal amends, it must be your choice."

"I know what it is to belong," Saphir admits. "To follow your brother. It's what we have done - follow my brother."

He is aware that the truth of his relation will be news to Izou, but, given that they were already aware of a prince, it isn't giving away anything useful. He is Demande's brother, and he will stand at his side.

"In that light, I can understand your willingness to stand near that loathsome woman." For his brother, he would kill the Neo Queen if given the chance. But if forced... he would step aside. His brother is more important than any grudge.

A snicker - brief and bitten off, but undeniably amused, follows that bite - laughing at Izou, but not mocking him.

"Ah, yes. I can see how difficult it has been." That rage is intriguing. Interesting, when it could be used, instead of tamped down. "I would not say nothing will change change my mind. That would be unscientific. If you have evidence - I will consider it."

Zoisite has posed:
"It would be my choice what type of amends I could give. If being honest about who I am and what I think and feel makes me a brat, I suppose I am." A small shrug, another jab at himself added. Transparent and open.

"Brother, or brothers. My life was not as harrowing as yours. The planet did not try to kill me at every chance it had, but humanity in my time is much more greedy, stubborn, loathsome. It's in our nature to be harsh and to survive. And it can make monsters out of us, even before we realize it. So it felt like home when I was found by my prince. I'm sure you understand." It was what his green ribbon represented. Hope for a better life, a better future that wasn't so lonely.

As for his inquiry...

It would be considered. And the smile that spread on Zoisite's face was very genuine, reaching his eyes in the quiet relief he felt. Momentary, due to him now having to search for the evidence. What both Neo Queen Serenity and King Endymion were truly planning to do with this clan--perhaps he would be proven wrong, but a small percentage was still a chance. And if he's able to find something concrete, then the odds were on his side.

At least, he hoped. He didn't let his mind dig too deep as to why.

Zoisite bowed to Saphir. "Thank you." The gem on his ribbon shimmered, before he stood back up. Smile still present. "Then, when I next see you, hopefully in similar circumstances but if not--" A shake of his head. "I'll find a way. You'll have whatever I find." A nod. He was set to bring this to the man in blue and white.

This is when he looks back towards the direction of the Crystal Palace, and knew what would be following behind him as well. Distant explosions, his companions approaching at a careful pace. Him missing would be noted eventually, even if he went ahead to scout. "I should return to my own, let you finish what you we doing here as well."

He stepped away looking back to the rooftops he was travelling on. But before he teleported, Zoisite looked over shoulder back to Saphir. "I realize this is a ridiculous thing to ask for as well, however there had been any seeds of any flowers from Nemesis, I would like some to grow. If you are willing, that is. Until we next meet, Saphir."

A burst of light and petals, cherry blossoms left behind as he teleported back to his group.