(Dec 27th) Calling on the Queen (Rei, Usagi) [FIN]

Rei closed the doors behind her, listening as Usagi finished her phone call. She winced a little at the woman cutting it short on her account, but did not object to it. Though she'd moved to take a seat uninvited, the woman paused, turned and returned to the doors to lock them. It would be best if anyone who wished to intrude on this would be forced to knock. That done, the woman once again moved for a seat and forced herself to smile at her friend.

It was sad, her inner-self reflected, that she had to force herself to smile, but the problem with her emotions had nothing to do with Usagi. Rei fleetingly considered that she might want to clarify that for the other woman, but the thought was lost beneath the rest of the hubbub.

"No, not precicely." Rei cut to the chase as she always did, leaning her elbows upon the table in the manner that one does when they feel their news is urgent and dire--which a lot of people do about everything, but in this case was actually somewhat true--and caught Usagi's gaze with her own. She wanted to know that she had Usagi's attention and that the food wasn't going to get between the Queen and her train of thought. "There is something going on, and has been for awhile it seems, that I've become aware of which I feel has possible... repercussions and dangers attatched to it."

Rei's jaw twitched faintly as she struggled to stay impassive in this. As angry as she was at Mamoru, it wouldn't do to go insulting the blockhead out of hand--at least not until Usagi was liable to agree with her about it. Insulting Mamoru openly and without obvious reason was never the way to begin any conversation with Usagi... and, in fact, was only likely to make her case seem childish and silly. "The day you chose to sneak off into the city a man came to my temple seeking help for trouble dreams and visions. He seemed strangely familiar to me, though I could not place him, and his story was intriguing. Unfortunately, this meeting was interrupted by the news of your escape, and so I could not stay to question him about his problem or past.

"He followed me to your quarters, I don't know why, and he was sneaky enough not to be caught in doing it. He made a mistake, however, after hearing a good deal of our conversation, and was caught. Lucien and Setsuna took him for questioning, but he was released--I thought that this might have been the end of it, but upon discussing it with Makoto, I found that we both had... nearly the same reaction to the sight of him. Hers was a good deal stronger."

Suddenly, Rei found her mouth going dry as she realized the part which was coming up. Rei interrupted herself by reaching forward for a pitcher of water an an extra glass--intended to be Mamoru's, no doubt--nearby. She poured it for herself and took a sip, giving Usagi a moment to interject her thoughts.

Rei frowned deeply into her water glass as Usagi guessed at a name which she didn't know. The two other possibilities sprung to mind and Rei searched her memory, pulling up the images of the two "missing" shittennou--at least, were her guess about Nathanial correct. Instead of continuing immediately, she demanded, "Tall, with white hair and dark skin, or somewhat average with long blond hair?"

Rather than be happy about it, Rei shook her head, "That wasn't the man from the other day. But I think I know who this one is..."

Instead of leaping to the end, she took a deep breath to calm herself, "After we were finally told where you were--" There was a pause, and Rei eyed her Queen as the urge to go into her feelings upon the subject sprang to the surface. After a moment, the Priestess caught herself, told herself "later," and continued on her first strain of thought, "I meant to join the interrogation of the man--whose name I later found out to be Nathaniel, for reference."

She paused to sip her water again, mouth once more dry, "I headed toward my shrine for... something or other, first, I can't remember what now and instead bumped into another man, with the same sort of strange feeling. Except this was... far, far stronger than what I had felt towards Nathaniel. Hiroki is a new tech guy at the palace. There was a scene, some rumors were started..."

Rei shook her head. No, she did not need to go into that now. "A few days passed, and Hiroshi came looking for me at the temple. Well, not... me, precisely--he wanted the head Priest and didn't realize that I hold the position. That was when an... event occurred."

Once more pausing in her speech, Rei searched her thoughts for how to explain this. She also took the moment to fight the anger still rolling inside of her like a tempest. Her eyes closed and she leaned on elbow again onto the table top, pressing the sweating water glass against one temple. "He had come to complain of hallucinations since he'd met me. Problems sleeping, strange thoughts... And something set him off while he was there. He... changed.

"His true name is Jadeite."

Rei ignored Usagi's comments about the "dead horse." She was too tired to go into it and felt further a little annoyance at the implication that she was going to lecture the girl over it. In fact, that annoyance almost caused her to snap something unkind, but Rei bit her tongue. Losing her temper at Usagi wasn't going to help any matters.

Instead she went on to freeze a little when Usagi accused her of withholding information. The woman was right, of course, but ti was information that Rei felt it was her right to withhold. Something nagged at the back of her mind about hypocrisy, but she ignored it... for now. Instead, she watched as realization dawned upon her friend and didn't stop Usagi from pacing--so long as the woman didn't try to leave yet.

"Hiroki is Jadeite," she reiterated to confirm it, then went on, "Nathaniel, I believe, is Nephrite. After the scene in the shrine, I went into the city to track him down and make certain that I can keep him under observation--I have already agreed to take him under my tutelage at the shrine and to guide him towards breaking a... mental barrier in his mind that I believe seals off his memories of the Shittenou. If my guess on that is correct, I would venture to believe that you've already met Kunzite--based upon appearance alone, since they seem to not have ventured far from the originals in that end."

Rei sucked in a breath, then raised one hand to catch Usagi's arm gently when the woman paced past her, "Usagi, sit down. There's more."

"Frankly, Usagi, I prefer this side of you," Rei replied after a moment of hesitation and caught her friend's eyes. They'd spent a lot of time fighting in their youth over Usagi's immaturity... but there didn't seem to be quite so large a gap between them anymore. "This is serious and it should be discussed as such, especially in light of a few other details."

Rei shook her head, and returned to the point, "They do not seem to have memories in their 'new' forms, no, until those barriers are broken. We have one, now, who does remember entirely who and what he is--unfortunately those memories contain certain... events which I personally do not have any recollection of. You may not, and nor have the rest of the girls given any indication of such, either."

Rei looked up at her friend again and kept the hand on Usagi's arm. "Mamoru already knows about this."

After she gave her friend a moment to digest that, Rei explained, "When Jadeite awoke, I nearly fought him myself--except that he wasn't hostile. In fact, he seemed... overjoyed to see me." The Priestess frowned, for it was not a pleasant memory in the least. Something in her eyes seemed to darken, then, and a curious tone entered her voice. "He claimed to be... well. He claimed that the Shittenou were loyal to Endymion, and not Beryl; that Endymion would vouch for him if needed. I called Mamoru, but did not wish to disturb anyone else's work.

"When Mamoru arrived, he confirmed Jadeite's story and told me that he has been, for all these years, keeping the Shittennou's souls alive and with him in the form of gems. Apparently they are aware enough to act as his advisers."

Rei watched the anger transform her friend without a word, lavender eyes cold and distant as Usagi reacted... exactly how Rei had reacted, really. To say that she and Usagi had never really understood one another would be accurate, but in this moment Rei thought she understood completely. Yet rather than feel elated at having someone to share her anger with, Rei suddenly felt... tired. Angry, oh yes, but also very, deeply tired. That incessant, often smart-mouthed voice at the back of her head informed her that she'd been waiting a long time for Usagi to grow up.

And that same part of her was proud of the woman for doing so... while the rest of her was just so terribly sad that it had taken away the innocence that had once fueled the Queen.

Rei nodded with the talk of treason. "He believes that they are reformed; that their... betrayal to Beryl was not as it seems. At least, that is what I gathered before I threw them both out of my shrine."

The Priestess got to her feet and went to a side table to find a cloth. After acquiring the item, she bent by the table to begin gathering up the shards of glass with it, before Usagi cut herself stepping on it, or managed to trip over a chair and land on it. It was inevitable that the woman would do so--or, at least, the Usagi that Rei knew would have done just that. "To go a little off track, but I assure you that it is related, Usagi... There is something I have to know about Mamoru. Or, rather, something that I must tell you."

Rei looked up at her fuming friend, "I will not follow Endymion as my king. He may be my equal. He might be my work partner. But I cannot have him lording his position over me and expecting me to 'fall in line' with his orders simply because he gives them. You are our leader, not him, and I refuse to follow him as your second."