Finding Comfort In The Waves

[bound_to_water]

Ah... Paradise.

Princess Mercury sat on a rock, shoes resting in the sand nearby, yet safely away from water. Skirt was raised to her knees, the water-attuned senshi letting the crashing waves lap at her feet and ankles. There was even a seagull or two, the only sound aside from the natural sound of water ebbing and flowing. The water was perfect, crystalline and blue, the sky clear and the sand warm. Few things were on Earth that Mercury found rivaled her own planet, but the beach was definitely one of them.

Blue eyes closed as the sea breeze tousled her curled hair, one hand resting gingerly atop her Crystal, the other on the rock. Even the light mist that splashed onto her arm, her dress brought her comfort, some sense of peace. A break deeply needed, from planning and explaining and negotiating a new kingdom. She had averted something truly disastrous with her own two hands. Even now, nobody save her friends knew what truly happened, why the Ginzuishou was no more. And it would stay that way. To change thinking, to assure everyone the new rule was not something to be protected, but something to protect everyone.

She may complain, but as her eyes opened and she looked out at the scenery, she would smile. She was content, busy or no.

Comments

[themanoftomorrow]

Along the beach, still in costume and with Krypto wandering at his side, Superman found himself facing someone familiar. A girl who's face he'd only seen in dreams, though wearing different clothing. And this time there was no candy-coated Fortress of Solitude. So, the Man of Steel waved.

"Hello there. Mercury, right?"

[bound_to_water]

Mercury turned her head to look at the person addressing her, a slight cant given. "Do I know you?" It was a fair question; she had never seen him before, after all. And that outfit... She wasn't one for fashion, but what on Mercury was he wearing?

[themanoftomorrow]

He shrugs and looks down at the dog with a raised eyebrow. "We've met once before in a dream, so it's fair to say you may or may not. I'm Superman. And was my guess right?"

[bound_to_water]

She inclined her head the smallest bit. "Indeed, it was. I must admit, my dreams do not regularly include strange men named 'Superman'." May as well be honest with him up front.

[themanoftomorrow]

"And mine didn't used to include blue-haired women named after planets, though I'll admit you look slightly different from the last time. Do you have a sister?"

[bound_to_water]

She soon puts two and two together, and the smallest smile appears on her lips. "You must have met one of my alternates, in that case."

[themanoftomorrow]

"Did I now? The one with the black feathers and the major chip on her shoulder? Funny, she knew me and you don't," he replied with a smile.

[bound_to_water]

"Black feathers... Dark Mercury, correct?" She hated using the word 'Dark', but it was her name, after all. And she let the chip remark slide, for now.

[themanoftomorrow]

"She just called herself Mercury." He shook his head, his eyes closing in contemplation. She did seem pretty...dark by his standards.

[bound_to_water]

"Then that was more than likely my twin. Not by blood, but many other factors." She reaches down to brush a few errant droplets of ice, which used to be water, from her leg. Naturally cold as she was, it wasn't unusual for her to accidentally make ice when she didn't intend to.

[themanoftomorrow]

"You from another reality," he shrugged. The ice didn't surprise him much, his face remaining impassive. But he took a seat on the sand, letting Krypto the Caped Terrier loose to run around.

"You're connected to the planet somehow, aren't you?"

[bound_to_water]

"I am its princess." That answer is simple enough. "I am a sailor senshi, and until recently, one of the guardians of Serenity, the Moon Princess."

[themanoftomorrow]

"A princess, and a guardian? Who's Serenity?"

This time, he's curious. Clark visits the moon with some regularity, and he can't help but be fascinated by the strange series of linked dreams he's been having lately.

[bound_to_water]

"Serenity was the princess of the Moon Kingdom, the Kingdom that ruled over all others." That's all she'll say, for now, unless he presses for more.

[themanoftomorrow]

"I take it that was a long time ago? I've seen no evidence of anything like that when I visit the moon."

[bound_to_water]

"For you, perhaps. For me, it is very recent. No more than a year or so ago."

[themanoftomorrow]

"And what changed?" he guesses.

[bound_to_water]

"In regards to what?" Beating around the bush? Just a smidgen.

[themanoftomorrow]

"Well you're using the past tense. Meaning something changed about Serenity and your own role," the reporter-by-day states flatly.

[bound_to_water]

The smile turns wry, and maybe even a bit sad. "Are you sure you wish to know?"

[themanoftomorrow]

"It's just a dream, and you've got me curious. Please, go on."

[bound_to_water]

Mercury took a deep breath before starting to speak. "I was a guardian of Serenity, along with three others: Princess Mars, Princess Jupiter, and Princess Venus. Serenity had something called the Ginzuishou residing within her, a crystal of great power. I decided to research it on a whim, and found out that it was also a source to control and alter the way people think. If anyone had thoughts of reforming the kingdom or changing anything, their minds were altered. I thought that control also extended to myself and my fellow senshi.

"After months of meditation, I freed myself of most of the Ginzuishou's influence, and began to plan a coup. A bloodless one, or so I hoped. Serenity was in love with a man from Earth, Endymion. His own protectors, men called the Shitennou, were troubled by his relationship with her, and agreed to support me. Mars and Jupiter also agreed to back me. Venus was reluctant; she was our leader, and Serenity's decoy. But before I could convince her..." She paused, sadness overtaking her a moment. It still hurt, to think about what came next.

[themanoftomorrow]

Superman listened intently, taking mental notes of names as he went on. He didn't entirely understand, and even though it was a dream he found it interesting. The obvious emotion she was feeling, among other things, indicated to him that perhaps this dream meant something. It was...tragic, in a way. Odd, as well.

"You don't have to go on if it's upsetting you."