Welcome to Gaia! ::

"She's fine now. The crystals people had brought home turned into normal rocks once the clinic was gone," Halle sat back and gazed up at the sky for a moment. He didn't go into the plans he'd made before the whole thing had turned into a raid, but he did add, "We were lucky, that so many people had gathered together on the same night."

He sighed, "For all that the lack of organization and, well, that we're always trying to be the good guys? For all that we're on the back foot most of the time, when things get bad, our people show up. Lots of them. So things never get as bad as they could. They just aren't as great as we could make them, you know?"

"That's no possible," Halle's lips twisted down. "If the Negaverse is still there, treating normal people like herd animals at best? Then there's no ideal, or perfect. It's just whatever is the best possible compromise."

But even so, he allowed himself to go along with it for a moment. "The magic side of things becomes public knowledge. That's the pie in the sky that I think would make things a lot better for most of us. The secrecy we have to stick to makes it hard to organize, hard to make sure knowledge reaches the people it needs to, and makes us really, really easy to harm without any consequences."

He paused and the rolled his eyes, "Of course that'll never happen. We'd end up in government labs or the whole terrorist thing will start up again and go nuclear on us. So like, the more reachable situation? We get some foundation and education in place, we get our worlds and wonders livable, and we start shuffling people to live there instead of here."

Which pretty much meant giving up on Earth in the long run.

Halle gave Blarney an apologetic look.

"I guess it was a thing years back," Halle explained with a shrug. "People chalked all the magic fighting stuff up to terrorists. Now I guess it's gangs and stuff."

Blarney wasn't taking his answer well, and Halle couldn't really blame him, so he let the other boy have his pace, his upset, and his questions. Not arguing, there was nothing to really argue about. It sucked. It was a bad situation that sucked and wasn't fair. Especially to everyone who wouldn't have an out the way he did.

At that final set of questions, Halle shook his head, "I'm guessing nobody's warned you, but if you leave Destiny City...be really careful about powering up. Like really careful. I've heard the control a lot of it. And that knights and senshi stand out way more than they do here."

Looking up at Blarney, he went on, "Maybe I'm just way too suspicious of people, but I think it's a lot more likely that they are the ones with the friends in the police force, in the government. At least enough to make sure those powers are more concerned with the cover-up than protecting people, you know?"

Leaning over, Halle rubbed his face with his hands, "Nobody wants to abandon Earth. But chaos is bad, Blarney. And not just in the way of going out and collecting starseeds, okay? Every senshi you see? Each one represents an entire world, just like Earth, where every living thing was destroyed by chaos. So it'd be great if that didn't happen again? But we have to be prepared for it to happen again."

He really didn't want to think about the Chaos Queen and the power she could wield. He really didn't know what the real end game of Chaos was here, but it was something that kept him awake more nights than most.

Again, Halle let Blarney work through it. Poor guy was getting a lot of information pretty rapidly tonight. Even if he had asked for most of it, there was a lot to work through. And sudden shifts in perspective and understanding weren't exactly conducive to calm thought.

"I haven't heard of any that was just a senshi alone. The world of Lysithea was like, a place where peace negotiations were often held. Dignitaries from all over space would come there, sometimes for politics, but others for its beauty and peaceful culture. Halle, my wonder, was a flowering forest and held festivals and hunts throughout the year."

Thinking of those faded visions, knowing that culture was long lost, Halle looked solemn, "All of the knights, everywhere, died. Most of the senshi died too, if that helps make things feel more equal." Taking a breath he went on, "Ideally, if it comes to that here and now, we'll be able to save at least some people. Unlike those in the past, we know that something that massive can happen to a world. And we can prepare."

Preparation had been key in dealing with the Hollow as well. "Being prepared for the worst isn't giving up, Blarney." He offered up a wry smile, "Be well enough prepared that preparation won't play a role. It's a quote about chess, but I think it applies to most things, including this." Especially this.

"We're preparing for both," Halle answered, knowing it was pretty unhelpful, even if it was true. "This spring, when we found out about the Calamitous Hollow, we prepared for both. Though," he admitted in an attempt to reassure the page "...we definitely prepared more for the fight. Nobody wants to lose Earth."

Not even the Negaverse. At least until they could get what they wanted out of it.

"I have my theories, but they did...seem to use that energy during that fight. It was, quite frankly, terrifying." He sighed, "And effective. I don't know if we'd still be here without their Queen's pretty devastating attacks."

"My mom's health wasn't petty stuff," Halle answered grimly reminded the other boy. "Maybe in the big picture scheme of things it is, though. But I have a feeling that's the exact logic they use to take energy and lives at will."

The Negaverse seemed to have that sort of comfortable thinking in spades.

"For preparations, build up your wonder, Blarney. The more work you put into it, the more its magic will help it start to self-repair alongside you. Help other people clear chaos of their worlds and wonders, make them sustainable places. For fights? That depends on the specific fight, so just get stronger, push until you become a full knight and can do more."

Standing up, Halle brushed off his uniform, "There isn't any big thing to fight right now. So don't get so caught up in all these why don't we and shouldn't we's that you overlook the one thing you have the most power to contribute to."

He gave Blarney's chest a friendly, but firm poke. "Get stronger. Get a lot stronger."

"Not all chaos issues are the same, especially in space. Usually there's fights, but there's sometimes like...puzzles and stuff, things that have to be figured out. But like, usually it actually is through Connections. People will put out some kind of notice on there when they need a group. Sometimes it's just word of mouth, and I guess I don't have to tell you to talk to whatever Order people you cross paths with," Halle gave a soft laugh. If Blarney were a senshi, he probably be the Senshi of Initiative.

"And sometimes, you'll just sense a bunch of people together in one spot." Halle shrugged, "Just stay alert and follow the signs, really. Make friends. Ask for help when you need it, too."