We have our title drop

[empress_without_a_throne]

1.

[When the DuskBird returns to Sakihama Base and is dispelled back into Mizuki's shadow, the woman's limping and wincing.  And also in strange, regal apparel.  Black silks with gold embroidery, necklaces, a sash... lots of fancy stuff she didn't go out in.  And Sara's standing there, looking shocked and running to her friend's side.]



Mizuki...!  My god, with what happened out there.  You and Ken and... and everyone!  Don't... scare me like that!  Please!



I'm fine, I'm fine... just got a little taste of what some of my predecessors had to deal with.  And believe me... I'm glad to see a Sara who ISN'T trying to kill me.

[So have a friendly hug... just a noisy one because, again, all that jewelry.]

2.



[Some time later though...]

[Video]

So... I was thinking...

... How do people feel about the word "Savior"?  Like the "Savior Team"... or "SolSavior".

Comments

1

[a_linear_mind]

[Willis descends from Strahlend, the machine once again in almost pristine condition despite the damage it took during the mission.]

That's an interesting outfit to go out to a fight in.

[empress_without_a_throne]

[Oh boy, it's him again. And telling the whole truth about this won't exactly-]



Well... as a matter of fact, it's a byproduct of what happens when Mizuki uses the power of the Abyss Sanction. Drawing her full strength to the surface has this effect on her clothes.

[She gives her friend a pat on the back.]

It looks nice and it means she's always ready for formal occasions, but unfortunately we can't sell off the material. Not honestly, at any rate.



It all changes back to normal after a while. And yes... it's a holdover from what I was meant to be; the mark that I'm the Abyss Empress.

[a_linear_mind]

Here I was thinking that you arrived late to the fight because you were putting on all of that.

[Well at least that trolling route was nipped in the bud.]

I didn't notice it earlier but it looks like they did quite the number on you.

1

[caressthedarkness]

Thank goodness...

[Oh hey look, it's that new person from the mission.]

...I was told that this assignment would be difficult, but I never expected so much to happen at once...

Re: 1

[empress_without_a_throne]

Well, that's the world we live in, for better or for worse. Crazies come and crazies come, and there's always more threats to worry about.

[She offers Seta her hand.]

Welcome aboard. This is Mizuki and I'm Sara. Not the same Sarah that you had to deal with out there, fortunately.

[caressthedarkness]

[Cue nervous handshake.]

Seta...Albreich.

I'm fortunate that I did not engage her myself...

1

[mistaken_for_monster]

Mizuki?

[Volya's going to wander over to you, rubbing his aching arm and biting his lip.]

Thank you!

Thank you...

THE PBs MEET! END OF THE WORLD! JORMUNGANDR ACTIVATES!

[empress_without_a_throne]

And you must be Volya. I'm glad to see you're doing okay!



Same here!

[She takes Volya's hand, giving it an affirming squeeze of camaraderie.]

I'm sorry the circumstances aren't the best for you, but hopefully at least now that you're here they'll be able to improve.

[mistaken_for_monster]

[He smiles brightly now. He doesn't have to worry much... he's safe here.]

Yeah...

You really are my Savior aren't you?

[Because everything she said out there... it gave him hope that there was a chance the Knights would figure out they were wrong eventually, and maybe he can go back to his life.]

Re: 2

[ugyuuya]

[Yuuya sends a private response via message to Mizuki.]

Well having grown up in a christian home there's always that interpretation to go by but that probably wouldn't be too useful given the way you phrased that question.

I think that "Savior" is a word that has an emergency feel to it. I mean think about how the word "saved" is used in the context of a conflict. If you evacuate or protect the people of an area they aren't directly involved in the battle but if you've "saved" them then there was a very real and immediate threat to their lives that you had to stop.

SolSavior or the "Savior Team" strike me much more like a name or title than a "Savior" in the sense I just mentioned. They protected people and aggressively pursued opponents as they were able to keep battle away from the populace. I don't know if that helps answer your question though because if you were asking that so broadly then I think there was a more specific question at heart you were hoping someone might touch on.

[empress_without_a_throne]

But that's the beauty of the term.

It's a term not directly tied to ideas like fighting or hurting. Solaris has been trying to get by when its enemy, the reason it was formed, has long been destroyed. And Sara, Ken, and myself aren't here to pick fights with any particular enemy, or really any enemies at all.

We came to protect lives. And that can mean fighting, sure. But it doesn't have to. I'm Volya's savior because I've given him faith in himself, something that couldn't have been done just by killing the Knights.

[ugyuuya]

"'Not here to pick fights with any particular enemy.' There's a bit of a contradiction in joining a mult-national combat team with that opinion Mizuki. If you're not careful it may wind up causing friction and pain down the line for more than just yourself."

"I'm more concerned in how thinking you've "saved" Volya when he's now at a known location for those who hunt him and will likely be dragged into battles he might have rather avoided as well as other battles that had no direct impact on him previously. Tarisa met that kid at the same camp you did and he shied away from the offer of lessons in combat like she'd physically threatened him. Sure we've improved some parts of his life and kept him alive to live it but were we really respecting what he really wanted when we did so?"

"I'm sure you know that sometimes living and being alive are two very different things." [A sour look crosses Yuuya's face with the last comment.]

2

[tiger_ken]

...Is there a particular reason for it? I mean, it seems... important.

[empress_without_a_throne]

Of course it is.

We're not here because we have enemies, we're here to help the people around us by helping out other people we've never even met or even know the names of.

And when I helped Volya deal with some bullies on the streets he called me that. The same way Walt called you his savior when you saved his life from that monster. That's what we are: saviors. It's not about the number of people we kill, rather the number we save and protect.

How's that sound?

[tiger_ken]

...I'm admittedly here because I needed somewhere to stay, more than anything else. The saving people thing is just how its... kinda worked out.

[Ken seems doubtful though, given his recent performance and... other considerations.]

I think it might be a bit much though.

2

[keep_your_dignity]

PRETENTIOUS, MOSTLY. AND SETTING YOURSELVES UP FOR DISAPPOINTMENT.

[And then there is Kagura with the no-poetry-in-the-soul viewpoint]

[empress_without_a_throne]

All the better then. It's something to strive towards, not something to get complacent about.

1

[glorystargo]

And here I thought the Glory Star uniform was blinged out.

[empress_without_a_throne]

It'll go away in a few hours. So at least yours have staying power.

2

[abugslife]

I wonder, where did the Sol part come from?

[empress_without_a_throne]

Tradition.

Solaris's large machines were always "Sol-something". SolFighter, SolChampion, SolCrusader... heroic names to reflect their nature as protectors of humanity. Though in the event Solaris does manage to create another new combiner, it would be entering new territory on account of... well, everything about me.

Gotta love the irony life throws your way some times. Rather than commanding an army of minions against Solaris, I'm the leader for one of their teams. Like a machine doing the exact opposite of what it was designed to do.

1

[majestic_keiki]

[While she hadn't been there for the battle, Kei did manage to make it there for the aftermath to try and sort out what happened and if everyone was alright. Running into the pair hugging, she smiled a bit awkwardly, trying to avoid intruding too much. That somehow seemed really private.]

[empress_without_a_throne]

[Don't worry Kei, they're just heterosexual life partners. And Kei doesn't go unnoticed for long either.]



Oh... Kei! S-sorry for the scene, I was just...



She was just worried about her friend rushing on out there without any backup.

[Another moment passes as Mizuki looks between the two.]

... You two know each other?

2

[blackhole_sunattack]

Saviour huh? Well, I suppose that really depends on whether or not that's how it's used. And what exactly it is you're trying to 'save'.

[empress_without_a_throne]

People. Life as we know it. The kinds of things that are endangered by any number of threats we face right now.