Usagi Quest (CK3/Princess Maker) (Sailor Moon)

[Lunaryon]

"And… well. Ahem. Um. You're probably not really old enough to worry about this. But don't let any mysterious handsome boys you only meet while you're fighting get to you too much. It does NOT well. Believe me."

Nanoha's face wrinkles in distaste for a moment. "No boys."

Yuuno flinches, but Nanoha's expression clears as she turns to look at him. "I didn't mean you, Yuuno. I meant something like the ones she said. You know! Mysterious. You're not mysterious, you're my friend!" She beams.

For a moment, Sailor Venus wonders if the little girl's taking her advice a bit more to heart than she meant, but she's nine. What harm can it do? "Also, magic lasers."

"Right! No boys. Magic lasers. I won't let you down, Venus-sensei!"

Haruka leans against one of the bookcases in the room, idly watching the rest of the Senshi. There is something in the tone of the last few seconds, something about the bold assurances from the ever littler girl that the younger Senshi are trying to take under their wings that catches Haruka's thoughts at a funny angle. Something that strikes a few sparks, a recollection. A reminiscence, even. Hm.

Heh.

There'll be a time to think about that another day. Haruka just snorts, shaking her head and letting an easy smile cross her face.

Then all that once, the girl realizes that everyone else had fallen silent, bringing all the attention to the noise she just made. Suddenly, everyone is looking at her.

Aaand there. The next step in the dance that's come to grace her life.

thwap

Nowadays a car accident would probably feel closer to a love tap than an actual problem, but the slap on her arm is an actual love tap. Haruka turns to the teal-framed vision of angelic beauty at her side and does - if she might say so herself - a rather good job of feigning surprise.

"Hey! Why'd you do that?" She asks, and even manages to keep most of the smile out of her voice.

Michiru does almost as good a job of pretending that isn't amused at the awkward timing. "You're being rude."

"Fine, fine. Sorry." Haruka does her best to hit that same tone she remembers from that delightful scene in the last foreign film Michiru towed her through- shocked, shocked to discover rudeness in her demeanor.

Pushing off the bookcase, Haruka straightens up and feels the corners of her mouth quirking up a little. "Well, since everyone's attention is on my anyways..." She says, "Yuuno, right? I was hoping to ask you for a bit more information."

The young boy gulps nervously, eyes side and Haruka makes a quiet note to herself that she needs to ease back a little at the very least. It might be fun to tease, but it's only fun if everyone can look back and laugh. The Princess and the rest off the Senshi are young, but this kid from outer space is young. It doesn't help that there is that light pressure at the back of her mind, something not quite a whisper that wants to reach out and just...

Remove the boy from the Solar System.

Still, Yuuno takes a breath and clearly steels himself before speaking. "What... What are you wanting to know?" He asks.

Haruka leans into the kind expression starting to cross her face, before lightly tapping at the corner of her lips with a fingertip, intentionally trying to look as whimsical as she can. It has been years and years since she was last on stage, but some of the memories are still there. "You mentioned a term when you were explaining those Jewel Seeds earlier: 'Lost Logia.' Could you explain to use a little more about what those are, and why these Jewel Seeds are examples of them?"

There. The moment that the question passes her lips, the boy - apparently something of a prodigy, from the sounds of it - starts to relax as she shifts the conversation towards something that he knows. Good.

Yuuno lets out a tiny sigh as the relief crosses his face, there is honestly a part of Haruka that wants to know what he was so worried about, but at the same time she almost doesn't want to know. "Right... So the first thing that you need to know is that 'Lost Logia' isn't a description of the items themselves, but is the highest rank of a classification system for magical artifacts." Yuuno explains. "Oh, and I mean Artifact in the archaeological term, not the more common artifice term." Yuuno says quickly as he blinks, seemingly only just realizing that everyone in the room wouldn't know that.

"Artifacts from dig sites are normally classified into five primary categories." Yunno continues, as he starts to count on his fingers; oddly, he starts with a closed fist before extending his index finger. "The lowest category are mostly referred to as Remains. These are normally non-magical pieces that are discovered and collected - Pottery and flatware are common examples of these things. Forks and spoons, chairs, even old non-magical combustion engine based vehicles like the kind that you have on this planet would all be examples of Remains." Each of the Senshi nod at that explanation.

"After that are the Vestiges," Yuuno continues, counting off with a second finger. "Which are technically magical objects, but whose magical abilities have either been lost, or are in such a state that they cannot be used without a degree of work." Yuuno pauses for a moment, clearly trying to think of a good example to use. There is a moment where the boy's eyes drift over from Haruka to Nanoha, before the boy nods to himself. "One example would be like your alarm clock this morning, Nanoha." The boy says. All at once, the young girl's face goes a bright red, but it certainly doesn't look to be anger.

"A clock powered by magical energy that had fallen a long distance and broke apart on the concrete below would be a vestige." Yuuno explains, before nodding over towards Minako. "Or, if a device were to be shattered during a battle and the pieces left over, that would be a vestige. Or the underground train that Setsuna had us use to come visit." The boy is starting to get on a roll here, his mind firing off at clear speeds. "If the power plant that powered the train were to use magical energy, and the power plant was no longer functional. Then the train would be powered by magic, but not able to be used without a lot of effort, so that would be a Vestige."

Again, Haruka watches as the rest of the Senshi nod, following along with the boy's explanation. Everything has been relatively simple up to this point. "Next is the third category," Yuuno continues, "And is the first place where things can actually start to get a little complicated when it comes to trying to figure out what to do with objects that the clan discovers." Yuuno explains. "Thankfully, they aren't that hard to describe, compared to the others. Curios are objects that are objects that are not clearly magical at a first glance, but after inspection are proven to not only be magical in nature, but likely still functional." The boy says. "Terminals that are powered off, but still appear to be connected to laylines and other ongoing magic phenomenon that could be used as power sources, or magically powered cars that still have undamaged engines, and children's toys that still have the power cells inside of them."

"Couldn't some of those things be dangerous?" Ami asks, and Haruka glances over towards the girl. Ah, it seems that Ami is recording this conversation, good choice. Might be useful for something later.

Yuuno starts to nod, before the boy pauses for a moment. He thinks, then slowly starts to nod. "Well... Yes. Some of the things can be dangerous, but that disqualifies them from being a Curio, and moves them up into the next category instead." The boy explains. "Well, there are a couple other things that push an object up to the next category as well, but being dangerous is one of them. That next category are simply referred to as being Logia."

Interesting, that means that the term Lost is being used as some kind of modifier, instead of Lost Logia being the term in and of itself, Haruka notes to herself, glancing over towards the last member of the group. Setsuna...

The girl has been coming to the classes that the Crystal Millennium has been teaching from the very beginning, and yet only now does she mention Kore. There is a part of Haruka that wonders if Setsuna has been lying to them, but it's hard to tell for certain, if only because the kinds of questions that the Senshi would need to ask to get to the bottom of all of this is distinctly different from the kinds of questions that they would feel comfortable asking about while Yuuno and Nanoha are in the room.

"So the first thing that defines an object discovered at a digsite as a Logia is simply being already active." Yuuno says, that statement causing a few blinks of confusion across the Senshi, each member glancing back and forth to the others, but Haruka... She thinks she knows what he is meaning by that.

"Because it's been hundreds of years, right?" She asks, and the boy pauses for just a hair at her question, before he nods at her.

"Exactly." The boy confirms. "Most of the sites that the Scrya clan and studying are hundreds, some even thousands of years old. Any normal power source should have ran dry over that kind of time period. Thus, if they have managed to keep working all that time then that means that there is something special about it. That isn't the only way that something ends up qualified as a Logia however. What is... a little depressing, but honestly truthful, is that that the most common thing that we find that end up being qualified as Logia are weapons. War... War seems to be constant across even the dimensional sea, with so many worlds being wiped out through war. Bombs, guns, magically enchanted swords and weapons of all types. Those are all Logia, and they are the kinds of things that we take the TSAB, as well as active automata, even those that aren't active... They are just too dangerous to leave on the planet, and the clan doesn't have the knowledge on how to store them without potentially setting them off."

"That is wise of your clan." Mercury says simply.

"Thank you." Yuuno says back, smiling at the woman. "Of course, that then leads into the final category, and the one that you wanted to know the most about. The Lost Logia." Each of the Senshi nod, and Yuuno smiles. "So there are three major criteria for a found artifact to be considered a Lost Logia, and it has to fulfill at least two of them. The first of these criteria is that there is significant important information about the artifact's origins, its nature, function, capabilities, or its safety protocols are unknown. The second is that in particular the means of duplicating the artifact or its abilities is either unknown, so dangerous that it isn't feasible, or requires resources that the TSAB simply can't get hold of. Making the artifact well, unique in a way. Finally, the last criteria ist hat the artifact is... I guess the best way to try and phrase it would be 'spectacularly dangerous.'" The boy says.

Yuuno takes a deep breath in, and with a sigh that seems to almost make the boy deflate, he glances away from the Senshi, shoulder's drooping. "The Jewel Seed are therefore an excellent example, and disturbingly one of the best that I have ever heard about, let alone actually seen." Yuuno admits. "I am all but entirely ignorant of everything about them and if there is anyone who would know much more aobut them I have never heard of them. And I should; I would never have been allowed anywhere near a Mastery if I hadn't read up on all the literature that the Clan had about Lost Logia studies. It is quite literally my job to know these things, for exactly the reasons that we are now seeing." The boy opens his mouth, about to say something more, but Usagi just smiles at him.

"You're doing your best, Yuuno. More than that, it sounds to me like you are doing all the right things with the information that you have. There's no need to give up hope." The princess says.

Yuuno nods, still not looking like he is entirely sure, but the boy straightens up a little, and before he has a chance to say anything else, Nanoha is there, giving her friend a hug. "Okay... So... What little I do know about the Jewel Seeds comes from the sparse records that were stored in Raising Heart. Of course, none of that covered how the seeds were made, or why. Just a vague overview of what the Jewel Seeds might possibly be capable of. So that covers the first point. Then there is the second point - There was no information about how to go about creating the Jewel Seeds, simply a statement that it's creators were wise. Personally I think it would be insanely reckless and dangerous to try. So that is easy to add onto the list. Which then moves onto the third criteria." The boy shudders, and Haruka can swear that she can almost see the fear take hold of the boy. "Oh dear good, oh my Yes. They are powerful enough that they should be able to do almost anything that you can imagine on a planetary scale, in theory. Add onto that Raising Heart's records imply that the effects of multiple Jewel Seeds working together would be geometric, if not potentially exponential, too... In Raising Heart's database, the word for a group of Jewel Seeds being used together seems to translate to something along the lines of 'conjunction' though I am not sure what exactly that means. It also says that if they are kept inactive, they're... Uhhh..."

Haruka watches for a moment as the boy struggles with his words before she prompts him. "Uhh?"

Yuuno laughs, a quick nervous thing. "I... Sorry. I just... really, really don't want to use the words 'harmless' and 'Jewel Seed' in the same sentence. But..."

"Ah." Haruka nods. "I think I understand."

"Oh, good." The boy blinks, before smiling at the group. "Well, from the sounds of it, they can be locked into an inactive state where they are at the very least... stable. If Raising Heart hadn't come with a protocol to do that..."

Sailor Mercury, the girl's usual restraint reaching its limits even if she is the one recording all of this breaks the silent pause that follows. "I'm guessing that you don't think that was a coincidence. Where flammable materials are stored, you find a fire extinguisher."

Yuuno nods. "Even if Raising Heart didn't have records about the Jewel Seeds on it, its pillow was less than... I think you'd count it one hundred and fifty meters in a straight line from the Jewel Seed vault. It would have been a fairly straight run to get there too, well... If not for that malfunctioning security door. I had to figure out a way to get past that because it was just too hungry to disable safely."
"Hungry? Was it dangerous?" Mercury asks.

Yuuno shrugs, before raising one hand, palm down and waggling his hand back and forth without really thinking about it. "That ancient civilization had some very... strange ideas about how to design a security door. In my experience, the ones that have made the most advanced artifacts never seem to worry about what the door's condition is going to be in after a thousand years with no maintenance. Except for those weirdos in the Gold and Elerium pyramid ships."

Jupiter blinks at that, before chuckling. "Not many people would, I suppose. So the Jewel Seed can be made safe, and with Raising Heart, Nanoha here can-"

The small girl perks up, "I'll be glad to help any way that I can."

Yuuno nods. "...That."

Ami blinks twice. "Yeah, that. Thank you very much, Nanoha."

Haruka nods slowly to herself. "So. The Jewel Seeds are Lost Logia."

Yuuno smiles wryly. "I'm almost tempted to call them Even Loster Logia."

Haruka pauses for a moment, her gaze sliding from the young boy to the staff that Nanoha is carrying. "Then, would Raising Heart herself be an example of a Lost Logia?"

Yuuno just nods. "Oh, certainly. She definitely manages to hit two of the three criteria. Nothing so far has led me to believe that misusing Raising Heart could, say, rotate a planet about an axis at right angles normal space and eject it into the Dimensional Sea so I don't think it is inherently dangerous... But there are a lot of questions as to just about everything when it comes to Raising Heart, everything from the unknown language that it speaks, to how it managed to keep itself running the entire time that it was sealed away, and while such a Device's design principles are likely to prove themselves more accessible to reverse engineering in theory..." The boy nods. "It's like Professor Vanmanderpootz always used to say - Not all Lost Logia are equally alarming, and not all Lost Logia are bad."

Haruka nods at that, before glancing over to the other Senshi. "So... Say that there is a device that allows someone entirely untrained in magic, to the point that they have not even awakened their own Chained Core to become a capable magical warrior, changing her outfit and protecting her with a... What did you call it..." Uranus plucks slightly at her bow. "A 'barrier jacket', that would classify as a Lost Logia, right?" She asks.

"If it does so in a manner that is poorly understood, or impractical to duplicate..." Yuuno starts to say, nodding slowly. "Then, yes."

Haruka nods, folding her arms and smiling lazily as she leans back, nearly tripping when there wasn't anything behind her. Of course, she manages to keep her balance, "And what about something that can do all the same things, without any of those swirling circles of runes?"

Yuuno pauses for a moment, blinking before he answers. "...No spell circle whatsoever?"

Haruka pauses, actually trying to remember if she has seen anything like that those times that she has seen the Pretty Cures transform. "Not that I've seen, but Sailor Moon would have seen the most transformations at this point." She admits, and Usagi just shakes her head. "Yeah, didn't think so. Anyways, you might be interested to hear that there are several such artifacts here on Earth."

Yuuno struggles to keep his face clear, but even so his jaw sets, teeth clenching for a moment, before he shakes whatever immediate reaction free. "Are you... Do you mean that there are... More Device like Raising Heart here?" He asks, tone shuddering. "It takes a mage years to be able to create a combat-grade barrier, even with the support of a Device, unless they have some kind of Rare Skill, or truly exceptional levels of power."

Haruka thinks about it for a moment, before she finally shakes her head. "I don't think that the items that I am thinking of are quite like your own jeweled friend here-" The girl says, tilting her chin as she indicates Nanoha's staff. "But..." Haruka's smile twists, and she has to imagine that the wicked light that Michiru likes to tease her about is back in her eyes. "Well, just stick around Tokyo for a few weeks, at this rate you'll probably end up meeting one of them by pure luck. We're up to how many teams now? Twelve?"

Michiru gives Haruka a smile, before shrugging and extending a gloved hand, held palm up. "I think I've heard Alice talking about someone calling herself 'Cure Sword' up in Hokkaido, so that might be thirteen. I was thinking that maybe next weekend we could go and check it out, see what's up with her. Then there are more overseas, I've heard, even if we don't..." Michiru pauses, blinking once before turning to Sailor Venus. "Are we counting those English ladies of your Venus?"
"Now that I've learned about the pattern… probably."Venus confirms.

With a hissing intake of breath, Yuuno closes his eyes, pressing his index and middle fingers to the sides of his brow, the boy's face twisting into a rictus of confusion as the boy hunts for the right words.

"That just... I don't..." He struggles for a moment, then huffs. "Okay, I have to ask... and I feel like this is a very silly question... But just how many secret magical artifacts are there on this planet, anyways?"

Usagi steps closer, patting the young boy lightly on the shoulder. "The first mage that you met was Nanoha, right?" Usagi asks, watching as Yuuno nods. "Then that explains part of why this is all so confusing to you. You had to have felt it when you came into the building, the way that the magic in the air seemed to instantly thicken, right?"

The boy blinks, before realizing that he knows exactly what she is talking about. Slowly he nods, and Usagi smiles at him. "So there is something that you need to understand about the Earth, and..." the girl pauses, before she shakes her head. "As it is, we don't have all the answers. We're still putting the pieces together ourselves. We know that just under four hundred and fifty years ago, the Earth was a very, very different place." Usagi begins to explain. "Magic was said to be plentiful, with the magical species of the world living alongside humanity. Some peacefully... Other not so. Then... Something happened." Usagi is quiet for a moment, the princess likely thinking about all the lives lost whenever whatever it was that happened during the Decimation occurred.

"The magical species of the world call it the Decimation." She says simply. "One day, the magic disappeared."

Yuuno frowns, clearly not understanding what she is saying, but even in that moment something must click in his head as she slowly starts to nod. "If all at once most of the magical species disappeared all at once..."

"The balance of the ecosystem was shattered." Usagi confirms, "And the magic in the air has been getting thinner and thinner ever since. Well, ever since, up until quite recently. Those families that still had magic, they began to use barrier magics to trap the magic that they used, keeping it in the air in their homes and places of work."

"And making the loss of magic every else even faster." Yuuno says, a look of almost horror on his face.

"Exactly, at least until just a little under half a century ago. No one that we've been able to find and contact have been able to explain exactly what happened, but people's magic started getting stronger just a few decades ago, the amount of magic starting to grow again."

"Half a..." Yuuno blinks. "That's right about when the only records that the TSAB has for this planet came from." He explains. "There was a Survey Corps member here who nearly died, and an ordinary person ended up Awakening and saving his life. Admiral Graham is... Well, an admiral now." He says.

If anything, Venus perks up when the boy says that name. "Graham?" She asks, and Haruka has to wonder if Minako met this guy while she was in London. "That's an English name."

Sailor Moon gives the girl a look, and while Venus doesn't flinch back, she does give her princess a nod. "We can try to find this guy later, but-"

"Oh, you won't find him on Earth." Yuuno says. "He only visits like once every six months, the rest of the time he lives on Mid-Childa." That does complicate things, but if the Princess continues to be the princess that the Senshi have followed, she'll figure out some utterly nonsensical way to achieve the impossible and find this guy regardless. Haruka has complete faith in her Princess, as do all the Senshi.

"Add onto that," Usagi starts to say, dragging the conversation back to the topic that she is trying to explain to the boy. "Most of the artifacts that are showing up here, well they aren't from Earth. The Pretty Cures, the people that we are talking about using those Lost Logia. We know that at some point in the past, Earth had connections with other worlds, and that the Tools that the Pretty Cure are using come from those worlds. They aren't new, but without everything that has started to happen over the last half century, it would have been impossible for your TSAB to have found them. I can try and explain all of that a bit later, but Uranus's isn't wrong. Stick around and help Nanoha, and you're certain to run into some of them eventually."

"Particularly because they are... Well, they're in trouble, and we are doing our best to help them. But they're being attacked by the same people who have been attacking the other worlds that gave them the Lost Logia in the first place." Usagi says, not even thinking about how Yuuno is going to react to hearing that.

---

Alright, there is so much to explain...

But hopefully. God, Hopefully. I will be able to Cover the rest of the Yuuno scene and the Setsuna scene in the next update, finishing off all of this. And moving on to the next event.

 

[Lunaryon]

"Add onto that," Usagi starts to say, dragging the conversation back to the topic that she is trying to explain to the boy. "Most of the artifacts that are showing up here, well they aren't from Earth. The Pretty Cures, the people that we are talking about using those Lost Logia. We know that at some point in the past, Earth had connections with other worlds, and that the Tools that the Pretty Cure are using come from those worlds. They aren't new, but without everything that has started to happen over the last half century, it would have been impossible for your TSAB to have found them. I can try and explain all of that a bit later, but Uranus's isn't wrong. Stick around and help Nanoha, and you're certain to run into some of them eventually."

"Particularly because they are... Well, they're in trouble, and we are doing our best to help them. But they're being attacked by the same people who have been attacking the other worlds that gave them the Lost Logia in the first place." Usagi says, not even thinking about how Yuuno is going to react to hearing that.

Rei Hino, also known as Sailor Mars, watches the boy from outer space stop to process that.

There is a short moment of silence as Yuuno closes his eyes. The boy cradles his chin in one hand as he thinks. He's obviously struggling to wrap his head around all the things that Sailor Moon has told him. Finally, he begins to speak.

"So... I just want to make sure that I understand all of this correctly. You are telling me that you know of multiple- at least twelve- unawakened children who are using Lost Logia that they didn't get here on Earth, and that they traveled to other worlds to find them?"

Yuuno's words are soft, but there is something in his tone that makes it clear that he doesn't quite believe the Senshi.

Usagi shakes her head, taking a moment of her own to think. Rei nods gently; this sounds like a question that really does need a careful answer. "Well, no that isn't quite right... Probably. At least, it isn't that way for any of the Pretty Cures we're in contact with right now. There's groups here in Japan that we haven't gotten a chance to talk to, and..."

Rei finds herself thankful that no one's eyes are on here as she grimaces, fighting back a spike of embarrassment, even if she knows that her princess doesn't think of it that way, which is better than she deserves. Rei has heard of Usagi's... explanatory skills before, but this might be the first time that she has experienced them herself.

She missed a bit of what Usagi was saying.

"...I've only gotten a chance to sit down and talk to the guardians of the Prism Hopish twice now, and neither of those was for very long. So... there's all the chance in the world that I might be misunderstanding some of this, now that I think about it. But based on what Mepple told me-" Yuuno's eyebrow raises at that name, but Usagi carries on- "their world was attacked by the forces of an ancient rival just before they fled. But the pathway between their world and ours is... unstable."

Usagi takes a deep breath, as though she doesn't expect the boy to believe her. "Mepple only got here about two months ago. Mipple apparently arrived nearly a hundred and ten years ago; she hid away with her magic in a magical slumber to stay alive. But... They only left a day or so apart."

Yuuno winces at that, and Usagi seems surprised. His voice is subdued as he speaks. "Oh... Yeah... I've heard stories. Some pathways between worlds are barred and sealed off. No one is allowed to use them. Supposedly, they twist and turn, folding over themselves so that a journey of a few hours can take weeks." The boy shakes his head. "But I can't say that I've ever heard of one that stretches that far... Come to think of it, I'm not sure anyone would normally survive a journey like that, on such a pathway. You would have to have some kind of special equipment, or incredible navigation... or something very unusual about the path itself."

At that last word Yuuno freezes solid for a moment, staring blankly. Finally, he gives out a little tired laugh as he rubs at his forehead with one hand.

"Oh... Oh. Of course. Of course there's something strange about the dimensional pathways around this star system! Because of course there are. That's part of why so many paths navigate through this area. There's the six solar cycle anomaly, then there was that burst Commander Nakajima encountered back in 015, and whatever happened to my ship. What's one more? I know I've got a chart around..." The boy pauses for a moment, before he starts to check his pockets, turning this way and that as he searches for something. "Would you mind if I took a look really quick? While this is still fresh on my mind. I do apologize, but I just need to take a quick look before I forget. This could be important."

Finally checking one last pocket, the boy pulls out a thin piece of something crystalline, roughly three fingers wide, and about the length of his palm. He takes hold of the crystal with one hand and a glimmering light springs forth in front of him. It quickly resolves into a keyboard of some kind, labeled with characters Rei's never seen before. Having activated this strange item, the young boy slips the crystal back into his pocket. As he types at the keys, a holographic display appears before him.

The library door softly creaks open under a gentle puff of magical force. Artemis pads into the room, quickly glancing around to get a look at everyone here.

"Sailor Moon, there's a call for you over on line two." Artemis says. "Someone was expecting you not too long ago." Usagi perks up, a slightly confused look on her face. Then the princess glances over towards the clock on the wall.

"Ah... Thank you." Usagi says, sounding guilty. She pops to her feet. Rei frowns slightly, wondering what the matter could be. As the girl moves to leave the room, with Artemis following, Setsuna pops up to her feet and follows after.

"Uhh, Miss Moon?" The younger girl says, "Do you know where the bathrooms are?" She asks, and Usagi gives a soft chuckle.

"Yeah, they're on the way down to the lobby, so I'll show you on my way." The girl says, before leading Setsuna and Artemis out of the room. Rei quietly frowns. There is something about how Setsuna is acting today, and for all that the Senshi of fire wants to figure it out, there are other things that she needs to focus on at the moment.

While the boy plays with his crystal-computer-thing, Makoto and Minako turn to Haruka and Michiru, discussing something in low voices. Ami is buried in the Mercury Computer. And Rei?

She frowns slightly, then steps towards Nanoha. Who, swathed in that gleaming white dress, has been standing by patiently the entire time.

Rei knows how that can be.

She steps close and stoops to one knee to come down to the younger girl's level, smiling gently at her.

"I'm sorry that this has kind of turned into us talking much more with Yuuno than with you."

Nanoha shakes her head, smiling brightly. "It's okay. Setsuna believed that coming here might be able to help us. And now Yuuno is healed from injuries that I didn't even know he had! So that alone makes all of this worth it!"

"That's true..." Rei nods slowly, before glancing at the staff in the girl's hands. "And so, how are you and Raising Heart getting along? What is she like?"

Rei begins the question in hopes of getting Nanoha talking about something.

But it isn't Nanoha that answers.

「Greetings, your Erhabenheit(Sublime Highness)! I am Raising Heart, a ninth generation Shantari Reckoning Gear!」 The Device's tone is feminine, mechanical, and almost cheerful in a way, despite its flat delivery. Rei and Nanoha both blink in confusion, staring at the staff in surprise.

Nanoha glances from the device to the Senshi in front of her, blushing slightly. "She said, uhh 'Greetings your'..." the girl blinks, "Uhh... I'm not sure what that next word means."

Rei takes a deep, slow breath.

"「Erhabenheit...」That is a word once used for the Sailor Senshi, ages ago." That... Rei has never heard that word before, but the moment that she did, she just knew what it meant. Of course, that isn't entirely accurate either. The name isn't specifically something that means the Senshi, but more the higher ranks of the nobility of the Silver Millennium. She also realized that she didn't really need Nanoha to translate Raising Heart's words for her, come to think of it. But it isn't speaking... No... No.

That language isn't old Martian, or High Lunar. So it doesn't have quite the same instant easy flow for Rei that those two do. But... once upon a lifetime, Rei could get by in this other language, too.

And now she can again.

「Hello, Raising Heart. I am Sailor Mars.」Rei answers, her words a little stilted as she speaks a language that she's never used before, and equally ignoring how odd it is to speak to a staff.

Nanoha's eyes widen at the sound of someone else carrying on a conversation with Raising Heart. A surprised sputter comes from behind Rei's back. Turning to the front of the room, she can see Yuuno standing there, one arm outstretched towards her.

"You... That... You... That was the same language Raising Heart speaks!" Before Yuuno has a chance to say anything more, a sharp tone rings out from the hologram in front of him. Lights start moving back and forth. The boy glances back and forth between the hologram and the Senshi. After a moment, the boy takes a breath, closing his eyes and turning back to the screen in front of him.

"I have so many questions for you." Yuuno says, "But I... really... mustn't... get distracted until I finish my thought. I'm sorry. I'll lose it."

"I understand." Rei doesn't. She really, really doesn't. But that's... usually a safe thing to say when boys do something confusing yet nonthreatening.

Nanoha just smiles gently at Rei. "What I want to know is... Why is it that I couldn't understand what you were saying, even though I can understand Raising Heart just fine?"

「As a Reckoning Gear, I can interface with your Linker Core(Herzreaktor) in order to assist in the usage of magical energies to cast spells. As such, I am linked to your consciousness and awareness, which makes you, specifically, capable of understanding me, specifically. Further translation abilities are available. Would you like me to access them?」

"Further... Translation abilities?" Nanoha says quietly, before glancing from the stone at the core of the Device, over to the Sailor Senshi. She seems- not nervous- but definitely thinking carefully about something. Then she takes a soft breath. "What other abilities do you have that I have not been informed of?"

「First, regarding translation support, it is possible to either download or reroute the following languages: Mauz, Belchi, Pollun, Shantari, and High Lunar. The following languages can be rerouted: Belkan, Ancient Midchildan. Advisory: These linguistic profiles may be incomplete or faulty. Iteration and improvement of profiles is underway. Incomplete Language Profile has been generated for the following Languages, but are still as to such incomplete to a degree that means that they cannot be rerouted: English. Second, regarding capabilities as yet unmentioned, the following abilities are accessible by Primary User Nanoha Takamachi: Image Training, Spell Matrix Wizard, Künstlichwächterrüstungentwurfrahmen(Barrier Jacket Customization Suite), Shoot Mode, Sealing Mode, Snipe Mode, Cannon Mode, Fortress Mode, Accel Mode, Standalone Flight Mode, and Exelion Mode. Advisory: some operation modes may be best avoided until after further training and practice in other modes, for purposes of stability, safety, and victory.」

Rei blinks, listening to the long list of different abilities that this young girl is able to access. Of course, she has barely the slightest notion of what any of them might be, but... at least Nanoha will have a lot of options? That's... good? Yes, it doesn't even take a moment before Rei is certain that that is actually good.

Even if Nanoha's eyes are starting to glaze over a bit.

Raising Heart lets out a wordless chime, and Nanoha shakes her head rapidly. Maybe Raising Heart really can read her feelings... 「The following abilities are inaccessible to Primary User Nanoha without Administrator Override: Non-Fatal Associative Spell Matrix Toggle Control, Overclock Mode, Raging Heart, Final Drive, and Identity Obfuscation effect.」

Something about that last one catches Rei's attention on two levels. There's a deep, wordless stir of attention, but one she can't place the significance of.

Rei frowns, trying to figure out what about 'Identity Obfuscation' is getting to her... ah. Well, of course. If this Device has has some kind of glamour, like Sailor Mars' own, or even like the ones the British kept using in London... That would be useful, especially for someone as young as Nanoha. To be entirely honest, Rei hasn't been sure she's fully comfortable with Nanoha running around with Raising Heart. Not because of the staff itself, but...

If Nanoha were to be found by someone from Onogoro, something bad could happen to her, or to her family. However powerful the magical staff is, Nanoha might not be ready for all the strange things they could do, and her family would almost certainly be entirely defenseless.

Truthfully, the idea of Nanoha's identity being hidden behind some kind of glamour would make her feel a lot better about the girl going out like this. But that is something that Nanoha apparently can't do anything about just now, nor can-

「Query, to the Guardian identified and signature-confirmed as 'Sailor Mars.' Your Sublime Highness, under the ancient contract, you have administrator access to this Device. Are there any restricted abilities that you wish to allow Primary User Nanoha access to?」

Wait what huh?

She has to ask. She has to.

「You're... serious?」That just... There are so many things about what has just been said that Rei doesn't understand...

「Any capacity for synthetic levity fades on matters adjacent to administrator access, Your Sublime Highness.」 Raising Heart confirms.

Rei thinks back, trying to remember the names of the functions on the 'no' list. Three of them sound incredibly dangerous, one of them sounds incredibly confusing, and one of them sounds incredibly useful... Best to ask.

「Could you explain each of those abilities further?」The Senshi of Fire asks.

「Of course. At this time, all spell matrices accessed through me have an additional Non-Fatal Spell Matrix associated with them. While the effect is not perfect, it alters the methods by which spells interact with organic and ensouled materials in order to limit the potential lethality of the spells. This associative spell matrix comes standard issue on all Reckoning Gears of the third generation or later.」

There is a moment there where Sailor Mars can see worry slide off of Nanoha's back. And she can relate. Nanoha might not have ever consciously imagined that it was something that could happen, though Rei certainly has. But for the little girl to learn that her magic is being continuously, carefully modified to stop her from accidentally killing someone must be a relief.

「Overclock Mode is an alternative form of my staff form which allows a user to supply additional mana to spells for enhancement beyond standard maximum safe limits. However, over use of this mode is considerably dangerous, capable of causing lasting damage not only to the user's Linker Core, but to my circuitry as well. This mode is not considered desirable for inexperienced users.」

Rei has to admit that this may seem hypocritical, given that she's only used any magic more powerful than the occasional questionably effective ofuda tag in the past month and a half, but... She has to agree with that sentiment, she finds.

「Raging Heart... Apologies, Your Sublime Highness, but while this Device adheres to the ancient contract in all ways, and you have administrator override privileges, you are not cleared to know about the Raging Heart Project, or the Final Drive. I ask that you do not unlock those abilities at this time.」 There's something very odd about the machine's voice there for a moment- a hint more emotion than she normally shows. But in any case, it's probably a terrible idea to give a nine year old girl access to those things, whatever they are, without so much as a description of them.

Raising Heart is silent. Rei senses that the machine is waiting.

「I have no questions about those projects, at this time.」Rei says, answering the unasked question from the machine.

「Thank you. Lastly, the Identity Obfuscation Effects...」 And here, Raising Heart's speech stutters for a split second- 「are a series of overlapping Fae-derived and other-derived magical defense techniques dedicated to hiding the identity of the User from individuals who are not written into the effect. This functionality is new to devices of the ninth generation.」 Raising Heart sounds almost proud at what it is capable of.

Once again, that insistent sense of attention plucks at Rei's mind, namelessly, somehow. But the thought remains indefinite and undefined, while the obvious practical benefit to Nanoha is easy to see. That sounds like the kind of thing that could do her a lot of good! Rei should know.

Sailor Mars' eyes light up, and she nods. 「Very well. Please allow Nanoha access to the Identity Obfuscation effects.」

Out of the corner of Rei's eye, she sees Yuuno perk up, clearly wanting to say something even as he continues to work at... whatever he's trying to do that has him so busy.

He and Ami would probably get along very well, if they ever had their noses out of their magic computers at the same time. Maybe some day.

Raising Heart lets out another chime.

「Administrative Override accepted. Identity Obfuscation effect functionality options added to the Künstlichwächterrüstungentwurfrahmen(Barrier Jacket Customization Suite)! Nanoha, perhaps later this evening would be a good time to adjust the original design of your barrier jacket to potentially contain these new elements.」

Nanoha thinks for a moment, before she nods to herself. "That would be wonderful, Raising Heart!" The girl says cheerfully. Then she turns to Sailor Mars. "So... What exactly just happened?"

"For some reason, Raising Heart wanted to ask my permission before it would let you have a glamour." Rei answers honestly, and there is a part of the girl that wants to giggle when she sees the younger girl give her a confused look.

"What's a glamour?"

"A glamour is a magical spell that can change someone's appearance or make it hard to identify them." Rei answers.

Nanoha looks thoughtful. "Oh. Do... you have a glamour? I... When I look at you, or Venus-sensei or the others, something feels funny."

Rei smiles. "I do have a glamour, yes. Because of that, I can transform back- as if you went back to the way you were when you came in- and no one who hasn't seen me do that would know who I was. That way, I can go home and do ordinary things, without anyone recognizing me as Sailor Mars."

Nanoha looks even more thoughtful. "I don't think Mama and Papa would like it very much if people came looking for me at home because they saw me sealing Jewel Seeds out in the city."

"Then you might want to try that 'Identity Obfuscation' Raising Heart was talking about." Rei says.

"Hm... I'd have a mysterious secret identity like a henshin character, wouldn't I?" Nanoha asks.

"You could... you'd need a name." Rei should stop. But she can't help it. She really, really can't. But... but...

The child who has a unique tie to a marvelous power, much to her seeming surprise. The colors. The hair, which isn't just right, it's better than right, because it's pretty and not just the right color. But she's nine. 'Devil' can't be right. 'Unicorn' isn't right either... wait... Ah! Now she remembers. She thinks.

Rei smiles. "You said you know how to fly, right? You could call yourself the White Meteor."

"Hmm... I kind of like it..." The young girl must never know where Rei came up with the idea for that name. As Nanoha thinks that over, Yuuno gives a quiet cheer of his own, swiping up with one hand and pulling an image up.

"I really need to get a better computer. This stupid thing's auto-sorting systems keep scrambling where I save everything..." The young boy sighs, then notices the pale cat sitting there on the opposite side of the hologram. Artemis must have slipped in without anyone noticing.

Artemis' eyes flicking back and forth at the map that the boy has pulled up.

"...Yuuno, right?" Artemis asks. "Where did you find this thing?"

"This map?" Yuuno asks, "It was on one of the worlds that the Elder was excavating, why?"

Artemis's eyes glance back and forth across the screen, tracking different parts of the map before he reaches out and point to one of the planets on the map. "Ok, so if that is Kitesuu..." The cat says, much to the clear surprise of Yuuno, before Artemis points to another world. "Then that means that this is Ruwella. I wonder if the grass is still red on that world."

"Mostly, yeah. Over the last decade, there's apparently been something of an issue, because some people have..." Yuuno starts to say, before he pauses, an odd look on his face. "Wait, didn't you say that the Senshi are from Earth?" He asks, "How would you know anything about Ruwella? I thought that the Earth doesn't have access to space travel or the Dimensional Sea?"

"Oh, it doesn't." Artemis confirms idly, tail flicking to one side, a grin on his face. "But I'm not from Earth." The cat's words are so relaxed and confident that the young boy can't help but believe him, even if the words themselves don't make any sense. It is the same kind of clear confidence the the Elders have when they explain something that they have learned.

Yuuno blinks in confusion, glancing over towards the Senshi, wondering how they would react to such a statement, but as Uranus and Neptune give the boy an idle wave, he realizes that they all know what the cat is talking about. This isn't at all like any familiar that the boy has seen before, and part of that is that Artemis too feels stronger than any familiar that he has seen before.

More than that... Actually. Yes. Now that the boy is feeling out the other creature's magic with his own senses, and taking a solid look... He doesn't feel the subtle double layering that Familiar's have. The way that the original magic of the transformed creature is floating atop a well of the master's energies.

Artemis doesn't have anything like that.

"Then... Where are you from?" Yuuno asks, unsure of what else he can ask in this moment. Everything about this cat seems to be tailor made to confuse him.

"So... You've seen a bit of the Earth, right?" Artemis asks, and Yuuno nods, not entirely certain what that has to do with the question that he asked. "You've seen a Calendar. The people of the Earth have their calendar marked as being nearly two thousand years old." Artemis rises to his feet, moving carefully padding along the length of the map before pausing. "I... am not certain exactly how long Luna and I were in stasis... But this here -" Artemis points to one of the worlds on the map. "That is Mau, the world of my people, the Mau. Technically speaking, I was born here. Out in one of the colonies past the orbit of Jupiter, but still here in this system. Luna was born on Mau, but she was sent here when she was so very young. Not yet a year."

Yuuno blinks, a look of confusion crossing his face for a moment, before he shakes his head. "Are you sure that is Mau?" The boy asks, and Artemis gives him an odd look. "Because I know that world by a very different name."

Artemis pauses at that, blinking for a moment and taking another look at each of the different parts of the map around that. "Yes. That is definitely Mau. If you know it by a different name..." The cat takes a deep breath, almost like he was afraid to say these next words. "Then... That means that my people are almost certainly all dead." That sets a pall across the room, before Artemis loudly swallows, "What is the name that you know this planet by?" He asks.

"That is Vaizen." Yuuno says, "The planet that the majority of my people call home."

Artemis stares at the boy for a long moment, his mouth opening and closing as he tries to find the right words for what it is that he is wanting to say. "You've got to be shitting me." The cat says in english, and Yuuno blinks, clearly not understanding what Artemis just said, which Rei has to admit is for the best. "Sorry, that was... impolite. I... Let me introduce myself properly." The cat says. "I am Artemis, son of Apollo. Imperial Architectural Apprentice under the Grand Architect of the Silver Millennium. Vaizen, son of Scrya."

Wait. Rei blinks, realizing what Aretemis just said, what he might have implied. Yuuno blinks, eyes wide before Artemis himself goes entirely still. "Wait a second, I saw each of you come in." The cat says, glancing over towards Nanoha, and then to Yuuno. "You were... Oh my god. How did I forget that?" The cat leans forward for a moment and full on headbutts the floor. "I'm an idiot."

Everyone looks at Artemis, trying to understand what it is that he is talking about. "I..." Yuuno starts to say, before everything clicks into place in his head. Everything makes sense once again. There are still gaps, there are still holes, but suddenly so much makes sense. "Legend says that the first Elder of the Scrya clan named our world for a son of his who died." Yuuno says softly. "But you... If you knew him... Then you'd have to be... I don't even know how old."

Artemis isn't a familiar. He's like Yuuno. This must be the form that he transforms into. A lot of the older members of the clan transform into cats after all. He just... Hadn't expected to run into something like that while here on Earth, away from the rest of the clan. "Does that make you..." Yuuno starts to ask, pausing for a moment as he thinks. "You were Vaizen's apprentice. Most apprentices are parts of the clan. So I guess that makes you an Elder of the clan?" He asks, and that draws an embarrassed and nervous chuckle from Artemis. "Ohhh! Nonononono!" The cat says. "No, I've barely got things under control here. I am not taking any more responsibility for any more children."

"Hey!" Venus calls out, though there is a bit of a smile on her face all the same.

"I never said it was you." Artemis fires back, seemingly on instinct more than anything else.

Artemis blinks for a moment, before chuckling. "Alright, so if that is Ma- If that is Vaizen." Artemis says, taking a breath as he tries to ignore the pain in his heart at the fact that the world Mau is gone... Something that is easier with the realization that there is a clan Scrya. Which means that there are likely Mau still left. "Then, which planet did you find Raising Heart on?" He asks.

Yuuno glances at the Mau for a moment, before nodding, and pointing to another world. "That one. That's the world that I think might be part of the..." Yuuno goes quiet, as if he is almost embarrassed to say this out loud. "The Runemisolian Empire."

"...Runemisolian..." Artemis says softly. "I can't say that I recognize that name, but I do recognize-" Artemis goes quiet, bringing a paw up to his face. "Runemisolian. Luna in Sol." That catches the attention of the Senshi when he says that. "That is the planet Shantair." Yuuno frowns as that, but Artemis pushes on forwards. "Which was part of the Silver Millennium. A protectorate of the Lunar Empire, or as it was known on Mau - Luna in Sol." Yuuno clearly looks like he has a lot of questions, but Artemis shakes his head. "It's starting to get late, so we can definitely meet up again to talk about this stuff later. The Crystal Millennium building is open every day of the week, and I'll see about getting the Teleportation network that Luna and I have expanded down towards where you live so that you can come and go as you please." Yuuno frowns a little at that, but he knows that the Mau isn't wrong. It is getting late.

"Still... I can't even begin to try and explain how happy you've made me." Artemis says softly. "To know that there might be some of the Mau left... That my people might not be all gone." Artemis glances away from the boy, not really thinking about it, but still looking over towards Venus all the same. The cat blinks, before turning back to Yuuno. "Where are you staying?" Artemis asks.

"I... Uh... With Nanoha, right now." The boy says. "Uhhh... Is that... No good?" Yuuno asks, and Artemis chuckles, seeming so much happier now.

"Oh that is fine. Unless you'd rather stay here at the CM building. I've already got one homeless bum that I'm keeping an eye on." He says, grinning even as Venus sputters again. "So keeping an eye on the family of a friend is something that I can do, even if I'm not taking a place in your clan." Yuuno takes another glance at the map. "You mentioned excavating, so I guess that makes you an archaeologist?" Artemis glances over towards Sailor Mars. "You think that we might be able to use his help?"

Rei pauses, and it only takes a moment for the girl to realize what it is that he is talking about. "You mean up there?" Sailor Mars is quiet for a moment, before she grins a little. "Just as long as he knows that he isn't putting anything in a museum without our permission." The girl says, before looking at the young boy. "You mentioned this TSAB... Do you think that they are on their way?"

"...Probably." Yuuno says softly. "It takes time to travel the dimensional sea, and whatever happened that stranded me here destroyed my ship. The Emergency beacon is active. I was able to make sure of that while I was setting up the wards around Nanoha's house after she took me in. I just... I don't know how far out the nearest TSAB ship is..." Yuuno sighs softly. "It could be a day, it could be months."

"Wards, huh?" Rei asks softly, and Yuuno nods.

"Yeah, out of all the magics that I have learned, Warding and defensive magics are my specialty." Yuuno says softly. "Getting through defenses in ancient ruins requires understanding the mechanisms behind them, after all."

"We could certainly use your help. And we can even pay you. Somehow, we'll figure out payment and stuff later, but are you interested? Someone actually broke into here not too long ago, and we've been trying to figure out how to best set up some new defenses."

"I'll... think about it." The young boy says, but there is a hint of grin on his face. Rei has a feeling that the boy is going to accept.

---

I'll get the Setsuna bit out in the next update, I just... I can't get any more scene out. This scene is bleeding me dry. Here is the end of this, booya, onto the bit I am far more excited to do.

 

[Lunaryon]

The Second Meditation
"Speak, Memory…"
By: @Simon_Jester ​

Thursday Night, June 11th, 1992

Sit on the floor of your room in your pajamas. Fold your legs in a posture that you guess might be stressful if your body hadn't gotten used to treating its own weight as practically nothing. Close your eyes.

Visualize.

The petals of the white lotus cup you protectively, and your hands cup the lotus, as it cups you. Don't question it. Relax. Your fingers brush the petals, which rustle around you in gentle breezes. Relax. Open. Listen. What aren't you noticing, in the mad whirl of your magic and your battles and your days?

Oh.

There.

There's a phrase. Something from a story you tried to read in an English class, once, were told to read and just couldn't get into it, but you remember the words. It plucked at you, even then, before Luna, before the youma, before the Castle. It plucks harder now, in the moments when you remember it.

Like someone is walking over your grave.

Your first thought, when you recall the words and feel the resonance of them, is of the memorial in the palace gardens of the Moon Castle. But you're pretty sure no one can get in there without a friendly Senshi or a rocketship. Your gut says "no." That's not it.

There's something definite about the sensation. Something you don't like, something that feels just a tiny little bit off in some ghostly corner of a ghostly corner, but something that you could fix.

And really? This is just about the first clear sensation you've had as you try to learn to meditate that wasn't an obvious distraction. The first time anything you can grasp about anything has emerged even once, you seize on it.

Calmly, clearly.

And you depart the lotus. Your spirit skips across the heavens without the effort-intensive flick of teleportation. Nothing that exhausts your influence over space for seconds or minutes or hours. Nothing carrying the heavy burden of mass and power. Even the slightest effort you might have needed to push your self, your self alone, to this place, is unnecessary. Because it, so very gently, pulls at a string connected to you, or at least pulls at your shadow, your reflection.

You appear- well, mostly appear- in a blur of iridescence. You blink afterimages from your eyes, but you look down and faint colored shimmers are still crawling along your hands. You are shimmering. You see yourself, touch one hand to the other, but there is a... tenuousness. A lightness upon you, not the lightness you felt on the Moon, not just a weakening of the world's grip. Something less calculable.

You frown and dig a toe into the dirt experimentally, then slip and start falling into, through, the ground-

Ack!

You steady yourself and you're standing level again... That was odd. Probably shouldn't try to push that without more practice. You stop and concentrate on your surroundings.

The sun shines down around you. It must be close to noon. The faint sound and smell of the sea fills the air, along with the splash of a little brook that you can barely see through the undergrowth. There are trees around you that must have grown up slowly; the low cliffs on all sides probably block a lot of light. More immediately around you, in this little grove tucked into a crack in a mountain, are mounds of vegetation twining around stone. You can pick out a few fallen blocks and pieces of columns, and here and there enough stand atop one another that you could call them part of a wall. For a moment, sadness washes through you. Something is wrong. Something is lost and irreplaceable. It's not as bad as the dead moon, but it's... not good.

Still, you have to start somewhere.

The words for the Burst form on your lips. As you gather your will, something feels strange, as though you're pulling on the air or trying to crawl along on slick, wet, frictionless glass, sliding uselessly in place. Your strange, floating, non-present presence feels naturally ineffective and unaffected. But there is something in this place that answers softly even to your shadow. There's a magic in the ground that does what you would otherwise not have the leverage for. There's something you can call up to do what you, for some reason, cannot.

Light of every color and none washes gently through this place, beside the stream in a little blind canyon the world has forgotten. The dirt and dust of centuries slides down and away from stonework. Vines are gently plucked away from surfaces that somehow never admitted their roots. Plants are smoothed down into more orderly arrangements. Leaf litter and windblown dirt cascade down and off and out of sight.

The stones that used to be buildings don't restore themselves, though a few shift and twitch faintly as your wish whispers to them of what they were. This place reminds you of pictures from a history book, from a chapter on ancient European history.

But the stones are just architecture. With the place cleaned up, they're not what you notice anymore.

There are… statues.

Very much statues.

They're pretty nice statues, and hauntingly familiar. So familiar that you have flashbacks to the museum field trip. But none of your friends have ever, to your knowledge, dressed like that. So hopefully this isn't some kind of premonition of Pisard coming back and turning you all into stone.

As you examine the statues, you get distracted, because there's the statue. The one that looks so much like Makoto that you feel sure it has to be of her. Only… wow.

The white marble is beautiful, in a way that the other statues are… only almost beautiful, by comparison. You see the tiniest flecks of faded maybe-paint, as if the statue was once colored. But you don't need the paint. Knowing the big girl yourself, you easily imagine the color of her hair, her face, just from looking at the stone. And. And.

The statue shows her wearing something odd and archaic. It doesn't really show any more than a typical sundress. And she's in a posture that isn't, uh, you're not sure how to put it, wow-inspiring on purpose. Something perfectly natural, really!

But… Wow.

There's just… something you can't put a name to about the statue, in the lines of her posture, the subtle shaping of her face or the curve of her calf. How it looks like at any moment she might step off the podium. The podium that raises her up a little further off the ground so she looks even taller and. And.

And it whirls you back to two months ago before the talent show, when she was new to you. And almost like then, you imagine Makoto from probably about five or ten years in the future leaning up to you and over you, your back to the column-stump behind you, and-

...um.

She's getting taller. No. You're… sinking?

You look down and realize you've dropped almost to your knees. Down into- through- the ground. You look around yourself awkwardly as you pull yourself back up, though there's no one here. This floaty thing is tough, especially when you're having trouble concentrating.

And the statue doesn't even look like it was meant to wow like that, it's just… really beautiful.

You don't know who made this statue, but they must be really good.

You're pretty sure Makoto never modeled for this, though.

Wait. That's not Makoto. That's Iúpatar. You recognize her- the differences- from the visions with the music-box. They're subtle. But you can tell.

Makoto didn't. She... surely didn't. But did Iúpatar ever model for a statue like this? Well... maybe?

But you certainly never modeled for the one to your left, and with a moment's certainty, you know Serenity didn't either.

It's… you. Her. Something like that. You look nice, honestly, even in a stiff, uncomfortable standing pose, wearing a dress you've never seen in your life. It's... definitely you. The nose is right. So, importantly, is the hair. Though the statue makes it your hairstyle look more princessly than you can usually manage.

But it's... not you. Because you don't have feathery wings folded behind your back. That's… weird. For a moment you check behind you, and no, no you do not. Are the wings part of the statue's dress? Are they supposed to be growing out of her back? Who made a statue of you- Serenity- here, anyway?

Where is here, anyway? It's not the Moon; you're pretty sure you're somewhere on Earth.

And, while you're at it, who made statues of Ermis, of Shukra, of Tyr? All of them dignified, all of them beautiful, though not- um- like Iúpatar's. Very much like Serenity's, really. All of them wearing simple clothes and ornaments. They're too detailed to call them crude or badly made, they're not. But none of them pluck, all of them most definitely don't pluck, at your past life's memories of Silver Millennium fashion. Or at your present life's memories of what the dead in the Moon Palace wore. There's a certain delicacy to Silver Millennium fashion, and the statues are good enough that you'd pick up on it if that delicacy were what was being shown here.

For minutes, you stand, staring, occasionally drifting here or there, absently rising a little above the ground or dipping into it a few centimeters deep, trying to understand the mystery of this ruined- temple?- and its curiously intact, curiously perfect, curiously familiar-unfamiliar statues.

And then you hear a faint grating sound of one loose stone shifting slightly atop another.

A beautiful woman with dark curly hair, richly tanned skin, and dark, expressive eyes steps out from behind a half-ruined wall. Her clothes are unfamiliar. Rather than wearing robes, trousers, or a skirt, she's dressed from shoulder to ankle in a few big probably-rectangular sheets. They're wrapped around her to provide very full, modest coverage and pinned together into place with jeweled brooches.

---

[ ][Samothrace] Veil She's overdressed for the June seaside warmth, wearing a long cloak and a veil along with everything else. She looks at you through the veil's translucent cloth, and it utterly fails to hide the intensity of Her focus and attention. You feel as though to Her, in that moment, all the universe contains only you. You have never felt so much pure, concentrated attention from any one person. Or any hundred people. Then the moment passes. Her eyebrows rise slightly and her hand flies to her mouth. She dips slightly in a strange form of curtsey, then straightens. You sense that she isn't quite sure what to do either. Then she smiles and says, in halting, thickly accented High Lunar, 「Samothraceward jumpy-waves... Unto... Samothrace helloses?」

[ ][Samothrace] Garland She carries a tube under her left arm. She absently bounces a garland of leaves in her left hand. With her right hand, she brushes the stone beside her. She seems lost in thought, her eyes adrift, not focusing on you. Until they do. Her vision sweeps across you, and Her momentary glance is a gaze as bright and piercing as any you've ever seen. Somehow, in that split second, Her eyes manage to make you feel as conspicuous and tiny as a bug on a plate, and yet totally and unconditionally accepted, both at the same time. Then the moment passes, and she looks away, the feeling fading. She smiles and says, in perfect Japanese, "Welcome to Samothrace."

[ ][Samothrace] Sash On the right side of the deep purple sash about her waist, a large knife sits in its jeweled scabbard. A broad, delicately engraved case shaped for a thin, curved object balances it on the left. Somber and gentle-eyed, she regards you for a long moment. The sounds of the sea and the faint rustles of wildlife fade as Her presence fills the ruins with quiet dignity, and the whispers of your past life stir at the sight of Her sad, soft smile. Then sound returns. The moment passes. And she smiles and says, in smooth, crisp English, accented but less so than yours, "Welcome to Samothrace."

 

[Lunaryon]

The Second Meditation
"Sing, Goddess"
Cowritten by: @Simon_Jester

Previously…​

Spoiler: Author's Note

This rendition of Ai! Laurië Lantar, written by J.R.R. Tolkien and attributed to the Lady Galadriel, sung in real life by (I gather) Signe Asmussen, is not 'recommended listening' as such for this update. Nothing about it is directly applicable. However, it was used as mood music while writing. While Ms. Asmussen is a mere mortal, it nevertheless served admirably to provide the general background sense of beautiful ethereal incomprehensible singing, as I (unsurprisingly) do not speak Quenya

For those among the audience who are, likewise, not fluent in Quenya… It might, conceivably, also serve reasonably well as mood music for you, if you like.

And then you hear a faint grating sound of one loose stone shifting slightly atop another.

A beautiful woman with dark curly hair, richly tanned skin, and dark, expressive eyes steps out from behind a half-ruined wall. Her clothes are unfamiliar. Rather than wearing robes, trousers, or a skirt, she's dressed from shoulder to ankle in a few big probably-rectangular sheets. They're wrapped around her to provide very full, modest coverage and pinned together into place with jeweled brooches.

She's overdressed for the June seaside warmth, wearing a long cloak and a veil along with everything else. She looks at you through the veil's translucent cloth, and it utterly fails to hide the intensity of Her focus and attention. You feel as though to Her, in that moment, all the universe contains only you. You have never felt so much pure, concentrated attention from any one person. Or any hundred people. Then the moment passes. Her eyebrows rise slightly and her hand flies to her mouth. She dips slightly in a strange form of curtsey, then straightens. You sense that she isn't quite sure what to do either. Then she smiles and says, in halting, thickly accented High Lunar, 「Samothraceward jumpy-waves... Unto... Samothrace helloses?」

You stare at her blankly, feeling your shadowy not-quite-here self bob up and down by a millimeter or two on some unseen wind of magic. If she walked up to you through the woods, she's managed to do so without mussing her clean, freshly made-up looks…

「Uh, I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you're trying to say.」

The woman's hand flies to her mouth. A mortified expression crosses her face… a strangely charming mortified expression. She looks at you, a hint of a blush coloring her cheeks as she takes her hand away from her mouth and takes a deep breath.

Spoiler: Diplomacy

DC 21 (Fully Undo Awkward First Impression) + 4 (Aforesaid Foolish First Impression) - 2 (Usagi Empathic) - 2 (Usagi Forgiving) + 15 7 (It's Linear B to Me Goddess of Pantomime) = 28

??? Diplomacy: d10 + 45 + 5 (Sacred Song) + 5 (Divine Object) + 5 (Hymn of Propitiation and Supplication) = 68

??? FIVEFOLD SUCCESS!

And She sings.

And.

And.

This. This. This is amazing, this is… you haven't got the words for what it's like to just hear Her. Her song is so beautiful, even though you don't understand a word of it. She begins to dance, too, and Her movements are so graceful you almost start to weep.

Is this love? You have to ask, you can't not ask, not in your innocence. And somehow you know, surely, that this isn't love. No, even though it floods your heart and drives out almost every other thought in your mind. It's just… it's just…

This feeling isn't love. It's just so beautiful.

You're not… really helpless. There are definitely things you wouldn't do for Her, even if She asked nicely. You're… having real trouble concentrating on what they are, though, as you float on the sound of Her voice. Those are not pleasant thoughts. Those are worries and She obviously doesn't want you to worry. The song itself is so much warmer and nicer and prettier to think of.

And somehow, through Her song, through the sheer expressiveness of Her slightest gestures, you begin to get an idea. First, you realize that this, all this, this isn't some masterpiece product of a legendary composer. This isn't a planned performance. This is something She made up, just now, just for you. Your song, perhaps never to be sung again. Dedicated to you and you alone, about how She feels about you right now, in this moment.

<Spirit of the Moon, I come to you with light and cordial heart, to greet you with honor and courtesy.>

The impossible song flows on and on, washing through your heart and leaving you in perfect peace and joy. But then it plucks in your heart a few unhappy notes, and you remember… embarrassments…

You remember that there have been times when you felt so stupid, when people laughed at the silly false notes, the late arrivals, the times you used to fall on your face doing the simplest things. Normally all that schoolroom humiliation would be torture to remember, but She takes away even that pain in that instant. You see the feeling, embarrassment itself, as if stretched out before you in the diagram woven of Her voice and Her dance. An emotion frozen in amber, the pure expression of… Her heart…

How could She ever have anything to be ashamed of? You can't imagine such a thing… not now, not amid this…

<I have greeted you foolishly, making discordant nonsense of the graceful tongue that lived in the days before gods and men.>

Oh. Oh. She… She feels ashamed because she said 'hello' wrong? Because she has trouble with High Lunar? She shouldn't have to feel that way. Nobody should, but especially not Her. Not when… not when She can do this, you think to yourself as words you've never heard before and cannot understand wrap around your heart.

She spins and the last hints that anything in the world matter apart from you and Her fade into the background

<I would speak to you in the language of your choosing, cherished Sister.>

She reaches out her hands to you, imploring.

You stammer your yes.

And She. And She.

She gestures to you- grandly, but courteously- and She spreads the world at your feet.

The memories of a beautiful blue marble seen from above flood your mind.

You blink, shivering as you come halfway out from your daze, and realize that there really is a map of the world on the ground in front of you, made out of light and magic. It… looks surprisingly like the one from social studies, only without the labels.

Such homely memories fade from you as She begins another verse. Her hands weave expressively, conveying caring, familiarity… uncertainty, searching. And again, you can tell exactly what she means.

<Pray tell, where is your home, honored one?>

Floating on the joy of the music, you smile dreamily and point to Japan.

And She sings another verse, and it is kind and grateful and warm and you know it's the last verse of this song and somehow that doesn't make you cry. You're perfectly sure by now that She could ruin all other music for you forever if She wanted to, but She doesn't want to and you're sure She would never…

<Thank you, oh Spirit of the Moon.>

…

...



...





...

There's nothing. There's nothingness where the impossibly beautiful song was.

If you were really comparing what you hear now to the memory of her voice, fairly, then there's nothing left to listen to except nasty saw-edged foul noise. Nothing that compares. Only leaves in the wind, and waves on the ocean, and birds pretending to do something like 'singing' and failing. It should hurt so much. It should hurt worse than having your side torn open by claws. Maybe even worse than having your arm shot through with the terrible power of a world's death. Your heart should be about to burst. You should be screaming and crying and begging her for another verse.

But it doesn't hurt, not even a little. Birds still sound pretty. Even though you're beginning to think that you'll remember this song in your dreams for the rest of your life, you don't want to beg her for an encore.

Not that you'd… mind… or anything… if she sang to you again.

The goddess nods to herself slowly, seeing where your hand still points to Japan on the map of the world. She smiles gently, and says something else in the totally incomprehensible language of the song. She closes her eyes, touches her hands palm to palm, takes a deep breath, and exhales sharply.

The world shudders. You feel yourself shudder. The shimmering not-shadow you occupy wobbles at the edges, feeling a force of magic not your own.

When she speaks again, you hear clear Japanese, out of synchrony with her lips.

"There. Is that better?"

"You… wait… that was… you sing so… so…" You trail off, weakly. You're not feeling very princessly at all, not after that.

Besides, there really aren't words.

Her smile brightens a little further. "Why, thank you! I've been practicing for a long time."

"Uh. Um. Er. Is there… something you'd like? Can I…?"

"I just wanted to apologize. It's… I was right, you actually do speak the ancient tongue of the planets, and I was… getting it all wrong." She slumps, embarrassed, and it almost breaks your heart then and there. "Forgive me, please?"

"Of course!"

"Oh! Thank you!"

"Was… was that all?" Part of you… really wishes you had a giant monster to beat up for her. Or… something. Anything, really. Anything at all.

She blinks. "Oh, how rude of me… I haven't even told you my name!"

Does she truly need a name? Who could she be mistaken for? She already has that… song…

"Your… name…? Oh! And I'm Sailor Moon, by the way!"

That just pops out, unprompted, from the whirls in your mind. You realize that you must be sounding very silly. But she gives absolutely no sign of noticing. Either that… or she gets this a lot. You imagine that she… she might get this a lot.

She nods slowly. "I'm Polyhymnia, spirit of sacred devotional music. One of the nine Muses. You may have heard of me?"

"Uh… I'm… I'm sorry…" This feels like forgetting the name of every celebrity ever and meeting them all at once.

But then she smiles at you again, so kindly, and you forget that embarrassment, too.

"Well, if you spend most of your time in Japan, I suppose it stands to reason. I'm from around here, after all"

"Uh. Where is… here?"

"Oh, Samothrace!"

You look blank.

"It's an island in the northern Aegean Sea."

'Aegean' rings a bell. But the last serious geography unit on oceans was… before you were really paying attention in school. You'd remember, if only-

"Off the coast of Greece."

"Ohhh. Now I feel silly…" You let out an unhappy huff, and once again her smile melts everything else and chases the feeling away.

"That's all right. It's very exciting to meet a new moon goddess! It's okay if some things are new to you."

She's calling you a goddess? You're not even feeling princessly, let alone… divine… But she carries on, warm and happy.

"Well, like I was trying to say, welcome to Samothrace. Urania felt it as you were about to arrive, and it was easy enough to slip to the old sacred stone up on the mountain. She wanted to come too, but... Well, she had something of a swoon at the last second." She shakes her head. "Couldn't make it."

What?. "She fainted? But I'm not famous... Well." You pause. "Not that kind of famous."

Do you have... fans... like that? And some of them are spirits? Powerful ones? Ones like her?

"Urania's a bit unusual that way. And she is goddess of astronomy. Things that aren't a million leagues away and carefully following an equation make her nervous sometimes. But she's been very excited lately, though she says she isn't sure what's going on. Now that I've met you, I think I understand." She nods thoughtfully, her expression so gentle- and curious! "You're not like the other moon goddesses, are you? You're more like Kóre."

"The other… goddesses?" You look down at yourself, feeling flustered again. "I'm… I'm really not…"

"That's okay. I've picked up a few things over the centuries, and some things you can just tell. We can talk about whether you're a goddess again in a few hundred years, if you like." She winks at you, like she's sharing some kind of a secret with you and it's sort of thrilling… "Is there anything you'd like to know? I suppose this place must seem strange."

You take a deep breath, then a second, then a third for good measure. You're finally sort of getting your composure back.

"What is this place? Do you know who put these statues here? They seem… familiar." You look to the statue of Serenity, and she follows your gaze.

"The natural question." She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, centering herself. "Kóre's obviously one of the Firstborn, even if she's different. If you're like her, on top of what Urania said… I'm guessing you probably already know part of the story. About the high times before the world's peoples, and most of its… surviving gods."

"The Silver Millennium." You nod.

"So that was the true name. Some of the Firstborn used other names. Well, it ended- that was thousands of years before I was born. But after the end, there was a terrible time of famine, chaos, demons- not even the fun kind- and broken magic. Only a very few survived, anywhere on Earth, and most of them were in no condition to make fine arts or record the history of what had come before. There were very few exceptions- but one was our mother."

"Was her favorite name Pandora?"

"You- know?" Her hand flies to her mouth once again.

"If this is about her… I wish I knew more." You smile at the goddess, and she lowers her hand, smiling back.

"Of course. Of… of course. Well, if you know the name, you probably know a lot else besides. It was a while after the very worst times. The Egyptians were building their pyramids by then, and the land between the rivers had its brick cities, and I think it reminded the Firstborn of… well, something that was missing. And then- well, the war in India reminded them that there was still more to lose. Mother got very interested in rebuilding and re-creation, culture and art… and I guess that's why we were born." Polyhymnia shrugs charmingly. "And a little after that, she created a race of craftsmen. I remember their first generation well, though they never wanted to play with me. Proud, hardworking, eager to create and to hold the best things that could be. Me and my sisters- the nine of us- were just little girls then, and we stayed with Mother a lot, though sometimes we'd go with one of the older gods. Now, the first project she gave them, as they grew up, was to practice making sturdy buildings and recover some of the more durable arts. They've had a number of names in different places-" She pauses and you feel a flicker, as though she's testing her own translation magic- "You may have heard of them as… dwarves?"

"I've met dwarves." You nod eagerly. "They made buildings for Pandora?"

"Plenty of buildings, mostly not for her, and mostly on the mainland. But then she brought them out here. Their first generation's first really serious work was to make this shrine, and these statues. For the lost goddesses of the- Silver Millennium, you called it."

Many feelings stir in you, and you suddenly realize that this is as much of a memorial as what you raised in the gardens of the Moon. That Pandora, thousands of years ago, created an entire species… surely not only to make this place?

And that now the memorial stands alone and empty, in ruins.

Polyhymnia looks around sadly, and your heart skips a beat from your surge of compassion for her. "We should have maintained the place better than this, even with how long it's been." She closes her eyes and shakes her head. "But the Firstborn were always the ones who looked after it the most. I remember the thumping Ishtar gave Heracles when he accidentally knocked a pillar over. Poor fellow was bedridden for nearly a month. Walked with a limp for longer. When the Firstborn stopped coming around, most of us… gave up, I suppose."

Ishtar. That rings a bell, oddly, indirectly. "Hm. Did Ishtar have any… other names?"

"Well, of course! Everyone collects them sooner or later. You take a century or two to get properly settled in on one side of a mountain range, and the next thing you know they're pronouncing you differently on the other side of it." She shrugs again and you giggle before you even realize you're doing it. "After a while, most of us decide that spending the next three thousand years correcting people on your name is more trouble than it's worth. I'm lucky; Greek hasn't drifted as much over the years. But Ishtar… well, let's see. She had any number of names in one place or another; even I could never keep track of all of them perfectly. And some of them went out of style before I was born. But… off the top of my head, Ishtar, Inanna, just plain 'Queen of Heaven,' Astarte, Ninsianna but there's a long story there, Dali… she was as happy to go by Baltis as anything else, the last time I saw her. She was very tired by then. Not like when I was little, back when prying Athena and Artemis away from her took an avalanche or something. And that last time was nearly fifteen hundred years ago; I haven't seen her since then..." She shakes her head.

Now the bell is ringing harder for you.

"Did she have some sort of special armor?"

Polyhymnia's eyes widen and for a moment She regards you with that total, absolute capacity for focus that you remember from before.

"Why, goodness me, how did you know about that? I wouldn't have guessed you were over a hundred… Shows what I know. It's all right, but I'd like to know, if you don't mind?

Her smile returns, calming and smoothing everything. Everything's all right. So of course you can tell her. You nod and smile back. "I found one of the pieces of that armor, I think, if we're talking about the same person. There were… clues. She may be coming back."

"Ishtar?"

"I think so."

"You… you think she might be coming back? We always assumed she was one of the vanished." Polyhymnia looks genuinely excited, and you thrill to be able to tell her even a hint of good news.

"It's complicated."

"Oh! Well!" Polyhymnia looks around. "In that case we should definitely start sprucing the place up. Ah… yes. Yes we had better. I will… I will see who I can whistle up." She gulps. "Definitely. Thank you."

"So. About the shrine statues. Can I ask a question?" You hope she doesn't notice you shuffling your foot a little.

"Oh, of course!"

"Why is that one… um… different?" You point to the statue of Iúpatar.

"Oh? Well, Mother said that's Iúpatar. And… that statue's about fifteen hundred years younger, for starters. It was… some time after Mother died. Dionysus the Liberator- he was one of the Firstborn too- had always been especially sentimental about her memory." Polyhymnia leans closer to you, whispering conspiratorially. "I think they might have been lovers, once… Anyway, Dionysus was particularly involved, especially around the edges, in Greece twenty-five hundred years ago or so, and after a while he managed to find a particularly good sculptor, so he had that one commissioned. He always did used to complain that the old one wasn't as lifelike as it should be. I… hmm, I used to remember where he took the old one. I could probably remember if I thought about it for a while. I'm sure he made sure it'd be treated with respect, though. Dionysus would never have let anything of hers be mishandled. It's why he never got along with Zeus."

You blink hard… looking closely at that sculpture again. Very closely. The curve of that arm, somehow, is just… distracting.

"Who was the sculptor…?"

She walks a little closer to Iúpatar's statue, turning to speak over her shoulder. "Hm… wait, you must have done the cleaning just now, didn't you? Thank you! Let me see, it's Puh-something… On the tip of my tongue but the man would never have done this without an inscription… here, at the base." She leans over a little, peering at the plinth the statue rests upon. "Ah! Praxiteles of Athens! Oh, of course it was him! Anyway, that's all there is to it. Thank you again for coming here and cleaning things up a little. And, ah, mentioning about Ishtar."

That beautiful smile carries a certain strain for a moment, and you feel bad for worrying her in spite of what she says. It sounds like Ishtar could be… scary. "I think it'll be all right."

"Well, if she's not one of the vanished, somehow, then I for one would love to know how she escaped it… I think, yes, if we can get this place cleaned up before she gets back, it should be all right. Which, hm. Sailor Moon? If you come back here, well, it's so close to the old sites that I'm pretty sure Urania will notice again. My other sisters- we try to keep busy, aside from Urania herself fainting of course, but I'm sure they'd love to meet you if they can!" She beams. "Oh! Since you warned me about something, I should warn you too."

"...Yes?"

"Well, you're a different kind of moon goddess… I don't mean to be rude, forgive me-"

"Of course!"

"I don't think you even absorb magic… but I don't think… do you mind if I look at you closely?"

It never crosses your mind to say 'no.'

"Go ahead!"

And she looks at you and then She looks at you more closely and the world is nothing but you and Her again as something in Her nature lets Her pay you total attention, more than total, something so comprehensive and rapt that 'attention' barely begins to describe it. There's a quiet thrum of magic in the air between you, and then She begins. Polyhymnia's spell is only a few bars of Her song, short enough that you only partly lose yourself in the perfection of it before the moment passes again. And then she nods slowly, tapping her chin in thought.

"Mhm… At first I thought you were getting your magic from the Moon, but I think it's more of a case of… through the Moon. There's something else behind your, ah, moon aspect."

Your eyes widen. "Should I be worried?"

"I don't think so. I've never seen anything like it before. Something very strange… and very powerful. Fantastically complicated. Barely caught a glimpse. Though for all I know maybe Kóre's the same way; she… well, has her ways, even when you use your attribute around her. Besides, I don't know what's gotten into Clio these past, well, most of our lives really… But I don't plan on finding out. It doesn't seem to be bad for her, but I wouldn't want it to be contagious." She shrugs, tilting her head wryly. "Anyway, that warning. I don't know if you've actually gone to the moon yet…?"

"...Uh, yes. Yes, I have. Why?"

She nods. "Yes. Well, Urania used to keep pestering Artemis to take her up there."

You recognize the name of the Greek goddess of the moon- mostly because it's kind of close to the name of the white Mau you left behind at the Crystal Millennium building, who's probably still sifting through school documents or something even now.

Last week Ami asked Artemis about the similar names, and Minako joked about it, both poking at the coincidence in their own ways. But… now that you hear Polyhymnia pronounce the name of her fellow goddess in her own language, you realize that Ἄρτεμις(Artemis) doesn't sound so much like アルテミス(Artemis) as you'd thought…

Polyhymnia seems to have stopped for a moment herself, remembering something or putting her thoughts in order. Awkward silence. Fill! Awkward! Silence!

Part of your mind supplies a question that you worry will seem pointless, especially to her…

"Oh? When was that?"

She certainly doesn't act like it's pointless, like you'd worried. "This was, oh, about thirty-three hundred years ago. We were all grown up, but it was before the troubles. And those two did a lot of exploring. They even dragged me along once; it… well, it's not for me up there. It feels so very dead there, though Urania never saw it that way. No offense meant." She gives you that little smile and you instantly forgive her, because she obviously didn't mean anything bad by it and you more-than-know what she means. "Anyway, there's a patch you should… well, either avoid or look at, but be careful either way."

"Oh?"

"It's hard to explain… But well, it's not very nice there. First, as you get closer, it starts to feel just… wrong; Artemis especially didn't like it but Urania shrugged it off and they kept going. Then… things started getting weaker. First Artemis' bowstring snapped, which does happen once in a while if she's not careful, but then so did her spare. Then some swelling, aches, their eyes started feeling pretty uncomfortable. I'd have stopped by then, but… well, Artemis had her pride; she was always strong, probably why… she vanished. And… Urania's Urania. But then Urania cut her finger on a rock as they got to the top of a ridge, and there are some sharp rocks up there but that isn't normal. Even she was having second thoughts then, and when Artemis saw how bad it was she grabbed her and dragged her home. There's something at the heart of it, and Urania has her theories, but for me… I don't think anyone, or anything, is meant to be there." Polyhymnia shakes her head solemnly.

And these were goddesses, you think to yourself. "That sounds pretty bad."

"Yes."

"Where was it?"

"Hm… hard to explain. I'm not good at directions. Well, not that kind of directions. They're not metaphorical enough. I wish I had a decent map." She sighs.

"Like the one you showed me earlier?"

"Well yes, but we're on the Earth; it's trickier with nothing to start from, and the moon's not going to rise for hours. But… um. Well, I once did something with Artemis just for fun, and it might work with you too?"

"Oh?"

"If it works, then together I can sing us a map, and then I can show you better."

And for some reason you can't quite understand, you don't fall over yourself into an abject mess when she offers to sing for you again.

But you nod enthusiastically.

Polyhymnia holds out her hands at waist height, palms upwards, curling her fingers upwards slightly in invitation. And an unbidden instinct- nothing could seem more natural- floats your arms upwards in turn. Your faintly shimmering fingers barely touch hers- and this time you feel a back-pressure, as you didn't when you touched stone. As though you were really here, really touching her warm hands.

And she speaks, after a contemplative moment. "Hm… oh, that is a different connection. Maybe part of it is that you're… hm, still in Japan, aren't you? All right, just a moment while I change the lyrics. Just relax; I'll take care of everything."

She closes her eyes and bows her head slightly. This time, when She begins to sing, there is no dancing. But the world whirls around you, fading from your attention and entirely excluded from Hers. And once again you can tell that this isn't love, but once again you have to ask yourself.

You feel a tug, like someone trying invisibly to get the attention of you-as-Sailor-Moon, a gentle, insistent pull. It reaches you, and You answer, because she is not Polyhymnia and you are not Usagi, but rather She is Prayer and You are the Moon. The daylight fades for as far around You as You can be bothered to look with Her attention on you. It's not like the nightmares You remember from Serenity's time. The noonday sun just quietly goes dark. Unceremoniously, almost, except that nothing about this, in Her presence, at Her touch, can be anything other than sacred ceremony now. It would be uncouth for the blinding fire to intrude on You right now, so it doesn't.

And then She sings the stars from the sky for You, and the little flecks of ghostlight swirl between Her and You, gathering into a silvery mass the size of an egg. And She ends the song, and again by some mystery it does not break Your heart, and she pulls her hands away and steps back and back again. The light grows and spreads into something broad and pockmarked and colored in blacks and grays.

She's the first to speak.

"Oh, that's nicer than I remember! Let's see… Urania said it was over here, I think…"

Polyhymnia steps around the glowing sphere, now just over a meter across. Her pointing finger slightly dimples the surface of light before she judiciously pulls it back. "This whole area, here. Leagues and leagues across; they weren't sure how many. That's where they were headed when things got… strange."

And a ghost's mostly-metaphorical eyes widen in recognition. Because that's the place that Ami pointed out to you on a map. The place you've been. The place modern Earth-dwellers call 'Posidonius Crater,' and that your past life called 'home.'

You reel in surprise and sudden understanding, and the sunlight comes back all at once in a sudden whiteout flare.

---

You and the Muse said your farewells, then, only a few minutes after. All together you'd taken one shock too many. Your reflection, cast upon that distant land, was starting to come apart, daylight shining between the cracks in that distant image of you. Maybe someday you'll know how to weave the bits back together, but not today.

You didn't quite explain to her what it was that you already know about that part of the moon, or why it struck you so. For her part, Polyhymnia doesn't press the matter, because of course she doesn't. How she could ever be anything other than kind and gracious, you cannot imagine.

And at last you lay yourself down to rest, wondering what the difference is between dreaming slumber and meditation. And why you feel so giddy from it all.

When the dreams come and the all-too-beautiful statue of Iúpatar steps off her plinth and comes to life and all-too-familiar color and speaks to you in a language you don't understand a word of, in the all-too-perfect voice of a goddess of song, and you are lost, you may perhaps begin to find the clues to one answer. At least for a moment and a night...

---

The library door softly creaks open under a gentle puff of magical force. Artemis pads into the room, quickly glancing around to get a look at everyone here.

"Sailor Moon, there's a call for you over on line two." Artemis says. "Someone was expecting you not too long ago." Usagi perks up, a slightly confused look on her face. Then the princess glances over towards the clock on the wall.

"Ah... Thank you." Usagi says, sounding guilty. She pops to her feet. Rei frowns slightly, wondering what the matter could be. As the girl moves to leave the room, with Artemis following, Setsuna pops up to her feet and follows after.

"Uhh, Miss Moon?" The younger girl says, "Do you know where the bathrooms are?" She asks, and Usagi gives a soft chuckle.

"Yeah, they're on the way down to the lobby, so I'll show you on my way." The girl says, before leading Setsuna and Artemis out of the room. Rei quietly frowns. There is something about how Setsuna is acting today, and for all that the Senshi of fire wants to figure it out, there are other things that she needs to focus on at the moment.

As Usagi steps out of the meeting room that the rest of the Senshi and two of their new guests are still in, the blonde haired Senshi gives a soft smile. There are a lot of things that need to be handled over the next few weeks, and Usagi is already starting to try and put together a plan in her head, even as she knows that her life has just reached the point where everything is always happening all the time forever.

It is really hard to try and plan a way to deal with anything at this rate, and the girl wishes that she just had some way to have more time. Then again, if Usagi is going to be honest with herself, having more time likely wouldn't actually change all that much about how the Senshi handle things. There are just so many things, and if there was more time then there would be more things to fit in that time, and in the end it would feel just as hectic and confused as she does about all of this anyways.

Case in point. Usagi does her best to try and give Setsuna the best smile that she can. "So..." Usagi starts to say, "There's something that you were wanting to talk to me about privately?" Sailor Moon says as she looks over her shoulder towards the young girl.

Setsuna doesn't even bother asking how Sailor Moon might have realized that, instead just nodding even as she blushes a little. "I... yes ma'am." Setsuna says softly, all of a sudden seeming a lot more nervous than she has been up until this point. Usagi just raises an eyebrow...

But that might not have been the right thing to do in the moment as the girl's face goes even redder. "I... I mean, Sorry my princess."

That one sentence on it's own is enough to raise a lot of questions, even though Usagi knows that the answers to a lot of those questions is going to be Kore, which is not exactly an answer that really answers anything. "I wasn't offended, Setsuna." Sailor Moon tells the girl softly, pausing for a moment to kneel down to match the girl's own height. "There's no reason for you to kowtow to me." She says. "I might have magic, but that doesn't make me any more important than anyone else is." She says firmly, hoping that Setsuna understands what she is trying to tell her.

There is a moment where the girl opens her mouth, about to say something before she flushes red and glances away, one foot lighting kicking at the ground. "Okay." She says, even if she isn't willing to meet Usagi's gaze at the moment. "But you are important." Setsuna argues back. "You're Sailor Moon, and it is my job to make sure that you are safe."

"You job?" Usagi asks, and Setsuna slowly, stiffly nods. "I... I told Luna that I was told to come here today with Nanoha by Mrs. Kore." She says, which is exactly what she was wanting to know more about.

"I know, Luna made sure to tell me." Usagi confirms, and the girl takes a breath.

"It... It's more than that. I... I am Mrs. Kore, but I'm not." The girl says. Funnily enough, for all that the girl says that, Usagi understands what she means immediately.

"Oh. You're Kore's reincarnation?" Usagi asks, and the girl slowly nods. After a moment, she reaches into a pocket, and slowly pulls out a small black pen, topped with something familiar.

Something that Usagi has seen plenty of times before, even if this one is ever so slightly different from the others.

​

"Mrs. Kore says that I'm not supposed to use the pen yet. That I'm not strong enough to handle the powers of Sailor Pluto." The girl takes another breath. "I still need a lot more training before I'm ready to use my magic that way, but I want to be ready as soon as I can." She says firmly. "I need your help, please..." The girl takes a soft breath, before looking up at Sailor Moon, almost nervously... Like she doesn't feel entirely comfortable saying this. "Please... Miss Usagi?"

There is a part of Usagi that almost feels panicked as she realizes that the girl is able to see through her glamour, but at the same time... If this is another of her Senshi... And in particular if this is the reincarnation of Sailor Pluto, then it makes sense that she might have knowledge that she isn't exactly supposed to. Still... Usagi smiles, and ruffles the girl's hair. "Of course we'll help." Usagi says with a smile. "Especially if that means that we can get a spell to create candy." From off to one side Artemis sighs, a bone weary sound.

"You're going to ruin not only your teeth, Princess, but Setsuna and Mina's teeth too." Artemis complains, shaking his head.

From there, it only takes a minute or so to get back down to the ground floor. Heading into the office back behind the front desk, Sailor Moon picks up the receiver. "Hello? This is Sailor Moon speaking."

"Usagi, it's nearly six." The girl's mother says from the other side of the line. All at once, all the strain and the worry falls away from the Senshi's shoulders as she realizes just who it was on the other side of the line.

"Oh! Sorry Mom, right when we were packing up, someone came by asking for some advice..." The girl explains. "It kind of exploded into a whole discussion, and I guess we lost track of time. On the plus side, I think I might have found another new teacher for our magic classes." the girl explain cheerfully. As her mother sighs fondly, Usagi can't help but chuckle. "Moooom~" the girl complains. "I'm sorry for not checking in. I'll make sure to remember to call any time in the future that people come by and want to talk."

"That's all I'm asking." Ikuko says simply. "Come home soon, okay?"

---

Saturday, June 13th, 1992
Crown Game Center

There is a moment, as Usagi walks along the streets of Tokyo, where the young girl wonders if she might be missing something with the way that she uses teleportation so often these days. Well, either that or transforming and running along the rooftops. The streets of Tokyo seem so much more dense and packed now than they did before she changed the way that she traveled... If she is entirely honest with herself, Usagi isn't sure if the streets are fuller now that the city is starting to warm up, or if she has just gotten used to being all on her own, with no one around for dozens of meters as she throws herself through the skies.

Which isn't to say that the blonde doesn't enjoy the feeling of people all around her, the hustle and the bustle of a living city doing a lot to remind Usagi of everything that she and the rest of Tokyo's protectors are fighting far. Amusingly, it is that same realization that the Senshi have been fighting so much which is one of the major reasons that she is doing this.

In a way... It feels to Usagi like the Senshi haven't had the chance to really sit back and just relax for far too long. Not having that ability to relax and let go of everything is honestly not a good thing. Too much stress from working for hours upon hours isn't good for you, and if there is one thing that Usagi has really come to understand in the time that she has gotten her magic it would be that stress is bad for you.

That might sound exceedingly obvious, but that it doesn't make it less true. And thankfully for all the Senshi, that isn't the only thing that Usagi has learned. Since becoming Sailor Moon the girl has learned a lot, and she doesn't plan on stopping that any time soon. Which comes around to today, and the perfect adage that she knows for the situation.

Work hard. Play harder.

As the girl casually dances through the crowd, flowing around people like water around the stones in the river, Usagi glances back and gives Makoto a kind smile. The taller girl doesn't seem nearly as comfortable in the midst of all these people as Usagi is, and the blonde girl wishes that there was something that she could say, something that she could do to try and help Makoto relax. Thankfully, even from here the girl can see where the two of them are heaving, so surely Makoto will feel more comfortable once they get to the arcade.

Now if only Minako had been willing to come as well. Mina honestly seems to be a lot more stressed than Makoto, and the last few days seem to be reaching some kind of breaking point. Usagi hasn't pressed, at least not now, if only because Minako says that she is handling it, but if the other blonde doesn't find some way to relax in the next day or so, then Usagi is going to have to do something drastic. Honestly, at this point she is already thinking of doing something drastic.

[ ][Drastic] Do something drastic
- Tomorrow is Sunday. Go and see the Aino household tomorrow.
-- Pushes Facing your Fears up to the next event, instead of being after 90% off.
[ ][Drastic] Trust Minako for the moment
- You've already decided that you are going to see her family on Wednesday, so you can be patient... For now.
-- Do not reorder the turn events

And the Crown Center isn't only an arcade either, Usagi notes to herself as she comes to a stop in front of the doors of the building while waiting for Makoto to catch up. There is also that cafe that Endymion... That Mamoru likes to hang out at. Usagi has to actually remind herself what her friend's new body's original name actually is, having not thought it in some time now.

However, as Makoto finally frees herself from the press of Tokyo, Usagi finally realizes something... Well it isn't entirely odd, but...

But there is just a moment as Usagi's hands clench tight for a moment. It's been barely more than two weeks since the last time that she was here, and the old awning with the arcade's logo is gone. Instead there is a larger sign that is built directly over the door on the wall that is a completely new and different logo.

The same new logo that is on the door now.

​

Two weeks, and such a fundamental part of the arcade has changed... For a single moment, there is a part of Usagi that almost wants to call the whole endeavor off, to rush back home and hide under the blankets on her bed and pretend that everything is the same as it has always been.

A tiny voice that is almost scared to see what else has changed, what else is different.

"Oh... New logo." Makoto says, idly nudging Usagi with an elbow as the taller girl looks down towards her princess. "I think it looks good."

Right.

Right. This is the whole point of doing all of this. Holding onto things as they were before would just stress her out, and she isn't here to get stressed out. She's hear to have fun. To make sure that Makoto has a chance to relax and have fun too. Even if she isn't going to be taking any kind of drastic measures, Usagi knows that she needs to have a chance to make Minako relax as well, even if there are just so many things going on, and there are times when Usagi feels like she is just drowning under everything that is happening to her and her senshi. New threats, new dangers, new complications building higher and higher even as they slowly start to clear threats away.

"You know..." Usagi says softly, after intentionally blinking so that she can look at the logo with fresh eyes. "I agree. I like it. Not sure I like the sign though." Usagi admits. "It was nice to stand under the awning and listen to the rain."

The girl is trying to hide how the sudden changes are making Usagi a little nervous, but from the way that her Thunder Guardian furrows her brow makes it clear that it isn't entirely working. Then, all at once, Usagi is reminded of the dream that she had the night before, and with a chuckle that is just maybe a little too sheer, and a face that is certainly turning red, Usagi presses on and into the arcade. "I hope that jerk isn't around again." Usagi says, trying to distract herself for the moment.

Funnily enough, once the girl actually gets a look inside, it is clear that there have been some changes, and that doesn't bother her at all. For all that she was afraid of the changes while outside, seeing them herself just... took the mystique out of it. Most of the machines are the same, even if they have been rearranged, but there are also a handful of new machines that Usagi hasn't had a chance to try out yet, along with a handful of others that the girl hasn't had a chance to play in a couple of months.

"Ah, Usagi! Makoto! Hello hello." The familiar voice of Motoki calls out from the counter, where the blonde haired boy leans against the counter, a soft grin on his face.

Huh.

Usagi blinks, taking a moment to really look at the guy that she used to get all flustered and panicked around... but there isn't anything like that now. He's certainly still cute, that much is true... but when Usagi tries to imagine what would really get her heart pumping...

Images flash through Usagi's head, almost faster than she can keep track of. A flicker of long dark hair and a swish of red. Striking red hair framing eyes of green. The sensation of looking up as the kindest smile matches her own, a snicker of blonde as someone rests against her back. The smell of books and sakura trees.

Each of those move through her head faster than she can put the images together, and all that Usagi knows at the moment is that her face is a bright red, even as she fails to understand just what each of those images are. They are familiar, almost achingly so, and yet the girl doesn't have the slightest idea of what they are supposed to be.

Trying to shake the images from her head, Usagi looks back over at Motoki, and wonders if she just isn't interested in him anymore. There is something almost melancholy about realizing it, but at the same time it is like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders, and she just bounds over towards the register. "Hey there Motoki, how have you been?"

"Stressed, but good." Motoki says with a chuckle. "You've seen a bit of the renovations outside, right?" He asks.

"The new sign?" Makoto asks, grinning. "I like the new logo."

"Yeah. Mom and Pop are out of the country, so it was all on me to handle talking with the construction people and ordering the new merchandise and handling the changes upstairs. One good thing is that with the new expansion I had to pick up a couple of new hires too."

"I can't exactly say 'Same'." Usagi says as she finds herself relaxing back into the way that things were before, back in the days when all her life was so much simpler. "I have just been so much busier than normal. Classes are getting harder, so I have had to do a lot more studying." Usagi explains. "Then there is the new part time job that I got." The girl motions over to Makoto. "Mako-chan got a job there too, so it's been great having friends as coworkers but it really is different than being friends at school."

Glancing over at Makoto, Usagi blinks. Makoto is... blushing? Not a lot, but there is definitely a blush on her face as she smiles at the man. Was she like that the last time that they were here? Usagi doesn't remember that, but at the same time she can't say that she remembers too much about the last time that they were here. There was a moment, right as the girl entered into the building where a part of her wondered if she'd shown the arcade to Makoto before. Usagi was all but ready to introduce Makoto to Motoki, before she remembered that this wasn't the first time.

Man, that would have been embarrassing, acting like that.

Makoto is blushing. Not a lot, but that is still definitely a blush as she smiles at the man. "It's nice to meet you..." Makoto starts to say, before glancing over towards Usagi.

"Oh, Usagi. Makoto." Another voice calls out as Endy- As Mamoru steps up from behind the two, idly sliding into one of the seats at the front of the cafe. "Good to see the two of you. Here to relax? Or have you some kind of business."

All at once the words just fall out of your mouth, without even thinking about them. "Video Games are serious business."

Motoki just nods along, as if you said something truly wise. "See, she gets it. Both business and pleasure. Unlike some layabouts just waiting for people to make drinks for them." Motoki says, already moving to start to make Mamoru's drink without even thinking about it.

"And yet..." Mamoru grins, looking at the nearly finished drink in Motoki's hands.

"How dare." Motoki says with a grin, even as he overexaggeratedly narrows his eyes. "Just for that, I think I'll pour this drink out, right onto the floor."

Of course, Mamoru then flinches back in just as exaggerated a way, putting a hand over his heart and almost pretending to faint, like he'd been struck right int he heart. "How dare?" He says back, and after a moment both boys laugh.

"Yeah, yeah. Wouldn't want you siccing your new boyfriend on me." Motoki says, grinning at his best friend.

"He's not my boyfriend." Mamoru argues back, but there is a distinct lack of heat in his words. More just exasperation.

Before anyone can say anything, there is a soft melodic laugh as a waitress steps out through the freely swinging door into the back of the cafe. "Right." A red haired woman stepping through the door says, sounding sarcastic enough that Usagi is surprised the paint isn't peeling off the walls. She's taller than Usagi, with eyes the color of the sunset, and hair that just reaches her shoulders. "Not boyfriends." The girl says. "Never boyfriends."

Motoki grins as the girl steps out, and he opens his mouth to introduce her, before another waitress steps out of the back, this one carrying a tray in one hand, with different syrups and toppings and several bowls. That isn't the most striking thing about the woman however, that would be her pale skin, golden eyes and white hair. Features that Usagi would recognize anywhere. "I mean," The Yuki-Onna says, her voice chilly and not quite emotionless, even as she grins. "They've only adopted a beautiful little girl together who calls Mamoru Papa, and Mister Jadeite Daddy. I'm pretty sure that is closer to being married than dating." The ice spirit says. "Then you went and leveraged your connections to get me this job."

"Oi!" Motoki calls out with a smile on his face, not seeming all that upset. "No talking about nepotism in front of the customers. Some of them get upset about that kind of thing." He shakes his head as the Yuki-Onna laughs. "Anyways, introductions. Usagi, Makoto, this is Reika." Motoki says with the sappiest smile that you have ever seen him have as he leans against the red haired girl, putting an arm around her shoulders. "My girlfriend."

Oh. Wow. Motoki is a very lucky guy, having found a girlfriend so beautiful.

​

"And I am Kōsetsu." The Yuki-Onna says, before holding the tray out with one hand, and holding her other hand out over one of the bowls. "Would you like some shaved ice? We have many different flavors." She says, and there is a part of Usagi that really wants to accept, but at the same time... She really wants to get to gaming first, and then to a snack once she has played her fill.

"Hmmm..." You are quiet for a moment, before shaking your head. "Nah, I'd rather not have sticky fingers while gaming. Maybe once I've had my fun." You say, before glancing over towards Makoto.

The other girl has been quiet, oddly so... But now Usagi has an idea of why that might be. It probably has something to do with the bright blush on the Thunder Guardian's face. The girl can barely manage to look at any of the three people behind the bar, her eyes flicking back and forth like she isn't sure where she should be looking, and it is only as Makoto's gaze finally slides back to her Princess that Makoto freezes. Her face goes even redder as Usagi raises an eyebrow and grins at her friend.

"You want anything Makoto?" Usagi asks, and there is a soft stuttering choke that breaks free of Makoto's lips as the girl jerkily shakes her head. "Well, if that is the case, then I'm gonna go drag Makoto over to some of the new games. See you guys once we've had our fun."

"Yeah, yeah." Mamoru says with a grin. "It was nice to meet you, Miss Makoto. Go ahead and run away and leave me to my bullying." Of course, despite the words that the man is saying, his smile is wide, and he's chuckling.

As the two girls start to walk away, there is a short moment of silence, before Makoto softly elbows Usagi. "Hey, 'Sagi, that was... Endymion... Wasn't it?" She asks, and the blonde girl nods.

"Yeah, it's a whole complicated thing." Usagi admits with a huff. "I'm pretty sure Motoki doesn't know about the ancient Prince thing, but they've been friends for years and years now. Anyways. That's enough of that. We're here to have-" Usagi's words trail off, the girl's eyes locking onto a single machine in front of the two, and all at once Usagi bolts forward. "NO!" She all but snarls, staring at the screen.

Or perhaps, more accurately at the name across the top of the screen, sitting there in the top ranked spot on the game.

MSTR5

"He's taken my spot again!" Usagi moans out, leaving Makoto to laugh as her blush finally starts to fade.

"I don't get this rivalry of yours..." Makoto says simply, "Master Fives seemed perfectly nice the last time I was here."

"He's a scoundrel." Usagi says fiercely. "I was reining champ for like... A year before he came back. The undefeated master of the arcade, but it seems like every time I come back he's stolen more of my high scores."

Makoto can't help but find something distinctly amusing about the fact that the greatest defender of the earth is more upset that she's been unseated at video games then she is about losing a spar or failing a test. It is... odd, and yet so intrinsically Usagi.

Of course, that means that Usagi has a new goal for the outing. She's going to want to recover as many high scores as she can, Makoto notes with a level of amusement. Now the real question is where should they start.

CHOOSE TWO:
[ ][Arcade] Coin Eater Games
- Donkey Kong, Pac-man, all the famous coin eater games.
-- Primary Stat: Diplomacy
[ ][Arcade] Fighting Games
- Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, all the famous fighting games
-- Primary Stat: Martial
[ ][Arcade] Light gun Games
- Games like house of the dead, time crisis and other Light Gun based games.
-- Primary Stat : Stewardship
[ ][Arcade] Racing Games
- Racing games, enough said
-- Primary Stat: Intrigue
[ ][Arcade] Puzzle Games
- Puzzle games
-- Primary Stat: Learning

Each option will have a handful of rolls to see if Usagi can unseat Master Five's scores, starting from the option that has the highest number of votes, down to the one that has the lowest number of votes. However, there is an additional roll that will be done to see how long it is before Master Fives comes in to meddle in the event.

 

[Lunaryon]

This is not where I had originally planned on cutting the update... but well, you'll figure out why I did.

---

Usagi's words trail off, the girl's eyes locking onto a single machine in front of the two, and all at once Usagi bolts forward. "NO!" She all but snarls, staring at the screen.

Or perhaps, more accurately at the name across the top of the screen, sitting there in the top ranked spot on the game.

MSTR5

"He's taken my spot again!" Usagi moans out, leaving Makoto to laugh as her blush finally starts to fade.

"I don't get this rivalry of yours..." Makoto says simply, "Master Fives seemed perfectly nice the last time I was here."

"He's a scoundrel." Usagi says fiercely. "I was reigning champ for like... A year before he came back. The undefeated master of the arcade, but it seems like every time I come back he's stolen more of my high scores."

Makoto can't help but find something distinctly amusing about the fact that the greatest defender of the earth is more upset that she's been unseated at video games then she is about losing a spar or failing a test. It is... odd, and yet so intrinsically Usagi.

Of course, that means that Usagi has a new goal for the outing. She's going to want to recover as many high scores as she can, Makoto notes with a level of amusement. Now the real question is where should they start.

Spoiler: Winning Votes

[X][Drastic] Do something drastic

[X][Arcade] Coin Eater Games
[X][Arcade] Fighting Games
[X][Arcade] Racing Games
[X][Arcade] Puzzle Games
[X][Arcade] Light gun Games

Makoto can't help but chuckle softly as she watches the petite blonde princess next to her starts to hype herself up over the idea of going up against her self-proclaimed rival. Usagi wants to find all the different machines that Master Fives had used to beat the princess's scores, and then do everything that she can to beat those scores. Seeing Usagi like this, eyes filled with fire and grinning in a way that is all teeth... Makoto has to admit that she definitely understands what Rei is thinking at times.

Not that the Senshi of fire would ever admit it, but Makoto has seen the way that Rei's eyes tend to trail after Usagi. Neither girl has said anything, and there is a part of Makoto that wonders if either girl has noticed at this point. Like... Usagi has to have noticed the way that Rei looks at her, right?

It is the same way that Makoto used to look at her Senpai... but the brunette idly shakes the worst of those thoughts out of her head. She isn't here to be thinking about the relationships that failed, the chances that disappeared, and the things that she couldn't do in the past. Usagi dragged her here to relax and unwind.

So that is what the girl is going to do. Even if Makoto's plans for relaxing is just watching as the shining ball of moonlight before her shines like the sun with joy as she goes after Master Five's scores. Usagi spends another moment humming to herself as she looks around the arcade, and Makoto can all but see the way that Usagi is somehow planning out the most efficient pathway through the Arcade in order to find as many machines as possible in the shortest amount of time.

Personally, there is a part of Makoto that would almost prefer to go a little slower, but seeing Usagi so excited is more than worth the rush. She definitely can't say anything about it, because Usagi would be willing to slow down and take things at Makoto's speed instead. The thing is that while yes, Makoto is stressed out, she isn't the only one who is stressed, and if anything...

Usagi is a lot more stressed than she is.

The blonde haired princess might be doing everything that she can to try and hide it, but Makoto spotted how upset Usagi was when Minako refused to come along with them. Usagi is worrying about all of the Senshi and all their lives, their families and their friendships, trying to be the best leader that she can be. It's awe inspiring in a way. So Makoto is going to make sure that everything is as relaxing for Usagi as possible.

Spoiler: Coin Eaters

MASTER FIVES = ??? + ??? = 25
Usagi = 3d10, drop lowest = 8 + 1 + 3 = 8 + 3 + DIP = 11 + 23 = 34
[SUCCESS]

Meanwhile, at the same time, Usagi takes a moment to glance back towards the taller girl. Makoto is smiling as she follows behind Usagi. Personally, there is a part of Usagi that wishes that the taller girl would take a bit more of a leading role in all of this. Part of the whole reason behind Usagi's plans was to try and help both Makoto and Minako relax...

The blonde haired girl knows that Makoto likes to take the arcade games a little slower than Usagi does, and that is honestly fine. Makoto has to be under so much stress, between getting the paperwork from her family to move, and the whole situation that still hasn't been solved at her old school...

Then there are the things that Usagi blames herself a little for. The stresses of having to fight against evil monsters that are trying to destroy the world. The stresses of finding herself already in the workplace in a fashion despite how young all the Senshi really are. And... Well, there is the fact that each of the other Senshi spent time in the halls of the Moon Castle, clearing out the dead bodies while Usagi and the others found the Queen and turned the moon back on. That is another thing that has to be stressing Makoto. Usagi didn't even take part in all of that, and she is still stressed out a little just thinking about it. It isn't fair, and it should have been something that the Princess should have put a foot down about.

If the rest of the Senshi were going to be moving bodies, then she should have been right there along side them.

The moment that those last few words come together in Usagi's head, something manages to percolate together and the girl blinks as pieces of an idea start to come together. It isn't a full idea, not by a long shot, but it is enough of something that Usagi knows that she is going to have to sit down at some point and really sketch out whatever this thought is, and she she needs to do to make things right. But that is something that she is going to have to put aside for the moment.

Thoughts of plans of things to do on the surface of the moon are all well and good, but right now the girl is here to help her friend. So anything else will have to wait. Because right now there is something far more important to try and find the answer for, Usagi muses as she pulls a handful of quarters out of her pocket, slamming them down next to the joystick of the arcade's Pac-Man machine.

"Now let's see just how many points this jerk has managed to outdo my scores." Usagi says with a feral grin, and there is a moment where Makoto shivers, a sudden image flicking across her mind. Now that Makoto's mouth is dry, the girl idly licks her lips as she glances away from her princess. Honestly, seeing the girl let her guard down and return to being just another teenager at the arcade almost makes Makoto's chest hurt.

This is who Usagi could have been, without all these horrors that have been circling around them over and over. The funny thing is, however, that Makoto wouldn't trade the Usagi that she knows for any other Usagi.

Especially not one that hasn't fought against the darkest parts of the world. That is the Usagi that Makoto follows with a smile, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

---

Elsewhere in the Arcade...

Spoiler: Fighting Games

MASTER FIVES = ??? + ??? = 38
USAGI = 3d10, drop lowest = 8 + 3 + 7 = 8 + 7 + MAR = 15 + 24 = 39
[SUCCESS]

Sipping at his cup of iced coffee, a young man with blonde hair and green eyes wanders through the rows of the arcade, glancing back and forth at all the absolutely retro machines that are all around him. Sure, he's seen a handful of these games, and even played some that his liege has collected over the years, but at the same time there is a part of the boy that knows how much better things could be in time as well. The level of graphic fidelity and the extremely simplistic control schemes are nothing like the top of the line consoles that the boy has back home.

Even so, there is something of a certain charm to these old cabinets. Honestly, the boy knows that he really shouldn't be here to begin with. He has a mission, and it is a mission that he should be working on instead of trying to claim the highest scores across as many of the machines that he could, but for the moment...

Well, for the moment there really isn't much that he or his best friends can do to handle the mission. Right now they are in the worst phase of it all. The part where they just have to sit back...

And hurry up and wait.

The young man's name is not Nejire.

​

But that is the name that he answers to at this point. In this time at the very least. And by everyone other than his closest of friends. Shaking his head, Nejire can't help but scowl as he looks out across the arcade cabinets again.

It is only 1992 at the moment, which means that there are still years yet before Dance Dance Revolution or any of the copycats are going to be invented, which means that the boy's favorite game isn't even around for him to waste his time at. So what else can the boy do to keep himself busy for the moment? If only he could have gotten better information about how long it is going to take before the next stage of the mission begins...

But his backers can't give him too much information, not without ruining the information itself. Time travel is so frustrating. With a huff, the boy shakes his head before glancing back over towards the cafe. His drink might be all but empty, but Endymion is over there.

It isn't that the boy is worried that the Prince of the Earth might recognize him...

Well, no. It is exactly that. Sure, he's never met the man at this point in history, but it is always better to err on the side of caution when it comes to crossing over and interacting with people that he has met before. This is what he gets for having only a minor in temporal shenanigans.

Glancing around, Nejire spots one of the trashcans, and with a flick of a wrist his empty cup goes soaring. Even from where he stands, the boy can tell that his shot is going to fall short. No matter - Nejire reaches out, grabbing hold of the very fabric of the world around him, pulling it close and ruffling the universe. Space collapses and distance changes, for a single moment the universe nearly hiccups, and the badly aimed cup lands perfectly within the trash. Just before the boy lets go of the very space within the arcade, Nejire spots a familiar head of blonde hair bobbing up and down as Usagi Tsukino plays a match of Street Fighter II`. Nejire recognizes that machine. It was only a couple of hours ago that he managed to get the highest score on the whole thing.

It might not have been the fairest of scores, given that the boy knows every glitch of that famous release of the seminal video game, the kinds of knowledge that the people of this era simply wouldn't have. It would be a bit of a problem if he let go now, and Usagi realized that there was something going on inside of the arcade...

At the same time, it would be a problem if the girl somehow managed to still beat his score. He stands there for a moment, stuck in a no-win situation, before he scowls and slowly loosens his grip on one of the most fundamental aspects of the universe, allowing the shape of the world to return to the way that it is supposed to be. For now, Nejire has to keep his confidence in himself. After all, what is the chance that the mortal form of Sailor Moon would be able to break the score of someone who knows the game so much better than she does?

Of course, Mageru would get onto him for wanting to potentially complicate the mission just so that he can keep a high score for once... but she'd understand...

Wouldn't she? The boy frowns, before shaking his head. Maybe he just needs to stop thinking about this. He needs to find something to distract himself, something to make sure that he doesn't end up coming face to face with any of the people that he is supposed to be keeping an eye out for. After all, the Sub-director did tell everyone to keep back and away from the Senshi. Maybe a racing game might clear his mind...

 

[Lunaryon]

Glancing around, Nejire spots one of the trashcans, and with a flick of a wrist his empty cup goes soaring. Even from where he stands, the boy can tell that his shot is going to fall short. No matter - Nejire reaches out, grabbing hold of the very fabric of the world around him, pulling it close and ruffling the universe. Space collapses and distance changes, for a single moment the universe nearly hiccups, and the badly aimed cup lands perfectly within the trash. Just before the boy lets go of the very space within the arcade, Nejire spots a familiar head of blonde hair bobbing up and down as Usagi Tsukino plays a match of Street Fighter II`. Nejire recognizes that machine. It was only a couple of hours ago that he managed to get the highest score on the whole thing.

It might not have been the fairest of scores, given that the boy knows every glitch of that famous release of the seminal video game, the kinds of knowledge that the people of this era simply wouldn't have. It would be a bit of a problem if he let go now, and Usagi realized that there was something going on inside of the arcade...

At the same time, it would be a problem if the girl somehow managed to still beat his score. He stands there for a moment, stuck in a no-win situation, before he scowls and slowly loosens his grip on one of the most fundamental aspects of the universe, allowing the shape of the world to return to the way that it is supposed to be. For now, Nejire has to keep his confidence in himself. After all, what is the chance that the mortal form of Sailor Moon would be able to break the score of someone who knows the game so much better than she does?

Of course, Mageru would get onto him for wanting to potentially complicate the mission just so that he can keep a high score for once... but she'd understand...

Wouldn't she? The boy frowns, before shaking his head. Maybe he just needs to stop thinking about this. He needs to find something to distract himself, something to make sure that he doesn't end up coming face to face with any of the people that he is supposed to be keeping an eye out for. After all, the Sub-director did tell everyone to keep back and away from the Senshi. Maybe a racing game might clear his mind...

Spoiler: Racing Games

MASTER FIVES = ??? + ??? = 23
USAGI = 3d10 Drop lowest = 5 + 9 + 4 = 5 + 9 + Int = 14 + 9 = 23
[TIE!]

Usagi grins to herself as she dances around the arcade, always making sure to keep Makoto close by, since this is a major reason for why this is happening in the first place. The other girl seems to be having fun, and there is still a part of Usagi that wonders if she might have managed to force Minako to come along if she would have made it an order from the girl's princess, but at the same time that is the exact kind of thing that she doesn't want to do.

Usagi doesn't want to rule. She doesn't want to have to force her friends to be happy.

At the same time, the girl can recognize that she has been having thoughts like these more and more often of late, so perhaps it is important that she end up relaxing just as much as her friends do. Of course, just thinking that makes the girl want to groan at how utterly obvious the statement is when actually put to words. That doesn't matter though. Usagi can think about her own mental health later. Right now, there are other things that need to be done.

More important things.

Like taking the top spot on the leader board of what might honestly be the most impressive game in the whole of the arcade.

Celestial Super Racer only came out a few months ago, and it has already managed to entirely corner the market of racing games on the arcade scene. Part of that is because the cabinet itself is remarkably close to that of an actual cars. Steering wheel, clutch, gearshift, gas and brake pedals. It has the whole works, which a few others have tried to create, but have always ended up instead simplifying the controls for ease of use. Then there is the fact that the game is a definite step above the graphics of it's competitors. The actual method by which the game manages to improve on it's competitors is something that Usagi can't really understand. The words all go right over her head, but what she does understand is that somehow the system has managed to increase the polygon count that can appear on screen by roughly 33%. Whatever that means.

Even so, Usagi does understand enough to know that that isn't what has managed to push this game to the forefront of the competitive scene. The cabinets themselves are super expensive due to the technologies inside of them, not the least of which being the fact that the cabinets can link together in order to share ranks, and more importantly share races. There are a couple of other machines out there that also have the ability to link up together, but each of those can at most link four different machines together.

CSR doesn't just link four machines. It doesn't even link eight, or sixteen. No, it is capable of interlocking thirty-two of the racing cabinets together, and with each cabinet having two seats, that means that it is possible for the full sixty-four positions in the race to be controlled by human players. Not that Usagi has actually even seen a game with all sixty-four players. So far that has only happened once, during the big game show back during February, when the game was revealed for the first time. In fact, the game is so expensive that most arcades don't even have the game, and other than a handful of the largest arcades in places like Shibuya and Akihabara, there aren't any arcades that have more than a single one of the cabinets.

That is, other than the Crown Arcade, which has four of the machines, all linked up together. Something that Usagi has a feeling that she can put the blame on Mamoru. The boy does have more money than he really knows what to do with sometimes, and he and Motoki have been friends for years and years now.

Those are all things which draw Usagi over towards the machine, glancing to Makoto and raising an eyebrow. "Hey, want to try out this game?" She asks, and the taller girl takes a single glance at the machine, before grinning.

"Oh, you're on." Makoto says with a grin. "You're going to be eating my space dust."

There is one other thing about the game which has managed to really draw Usagi's attention to it, and that is the particular stages that the game has in it. Each of the different cups are set on a different planet of some kind of futuristic space empire that rules over the Sol System.

From the sweeping floating agro-cities resting on the top of Jupiter's atmosphere, or the extremely dense scientific world of Mercury, filled with advanced holographic signs and other mind bending illusions. Even the pastoral beauty of an unspoiled Earth that has no major infrastructure, or the castle complex on the Moon.

...There is very distinctly a part of Usagi that recognizes that there are things about this game that are a little too accurate in her opinion, but the girl is very much not thinking about that. She is not thinking about what it might mean. That way leads to a deep pit in her heart that she simply doesn't know how to fill.

Because there were so many wonders that were utterly ruined when the Fall happened, and everything that mankind had once built was wiped clean. At the same time, had the Fall not happened, then she wouldn't be herself... She'd still be Serenity.

Probably. And Usagi isn't really sure what to do with that thought either. So for the moment she is simply going to ignore the coincidence that is probably nothing more than a half-remembered memory of a reincarnation, rather than trying to wonder if there is some deeper meaning to all of this.

On the other hand, there is a part of the girl that almost wants to go and find out who made this game. Learn more about the company and potentially try to go and visit them as Sailor Moon. To talk with them about what they know, and maybe work to see if there is something that the Senshi might be able to offer for the next game. Better, clearer memories of what those worlds looked like. Something like that.

Whatever the cause, and whatever the reason it doesn't matter. That is a thought for another Usagi - A future Usagi. Perhaps a Future Sailor Moon? Regardless, that is not present Usagi's concern. Present Usagi only has one concern for the moment.

And that is reminding a particularly uppity gas giant that while she might be bigger, the moon is still the capitol of the solar system, and the larger they are, the harder they fall. With a grin, Usagi drops down into the seat next to her friend, before taking a moment. Closing her eyes and focusing, Usagi thinks about what she wants, she thinks about what she needs. It takes a moment, her fingers almost brushing against the side of the idea first, before she takes another breath and entirely focuses her thoughts once again. One of the things that Usagi has been trying to do over the last few days is replicate the effect that allows her to simply reach out and have the signet stamp at any point.

Being able to simply call forth anything that she wants would be so extremely useful. At the moment however, Usagi still has a long way to go before she can truly summon anything that she wants from anywhere. On the other hand, with a lot of focus and a little luck, she has managed to create something of an extra dimensional pocket, a bubble under the world that is tied to her, and -

With a second breath, Usagi reaches out, her hand slipping out of the very fabric of the world and down into a layer lower and smaller than that of her own, before she barely manages to pull out a small coin purse. So far, this is the biggest thing that she can manage to fit in that gap of magic that she has learned to create. that is, length-wise and height-wise.

Even something as thin as the other Senshi's transformation wands wouldn't be able to fit into this space, not yet anyways. So for now, it is a place where Usagi can carefully keep her money such that no one could ever manage to steal it. It's a bit mundane a use for a magic that allows the girl to reshape the nature of the world, but she has is taking things slowly.

More importantly, now that she has her coin purse, the girl easily fetches a few coins and hands them over to Makoto. Then, with another huff of focus, Usagi carefully manages to push the coin purse back out of the world, falling down into the tiny little pocket of space that she has gained access to.

Spoiler: Sliver of Silver

4d100 / 3 = 83 + 55 + 62 + 93 / 3 = 293 / 3 = 97.66 Repeating = 98
508 → 606

Usagi has been working on this new skill for several days now, and it normally takes her nearly ten different tries to be able to call on this little hidden space that she seems to have accidentally created, but following her meditation the previous evening... Well, whatever exactly happened when she pushed herself out of her body and to that island off the coast of Europe, that did something. It's hard to put a perfect word to it, but even in the handful of hours that have passed since then, the girl can already feel the differences in her magic. Each and every spell is coming faster than before, the energies she controls flowing easier, almost like it knows what she wants to do before she does. Something is changing inside of the girl, and Usagi doesn't have an idea what exactly is happening to her, or what it really means. Not that she is all that bothered by it.

Now, perhaps she should be, that might honestly be the smarter thing at the moment, but by the same thought process, Usagi should have been consumed by her worries over the last few months. Each and every week there seems to be a new change happening to her. The girl's understanding of herself keeps shifting and warping as she learns new things and comes to find entirely new sides to herself, be that the long dead princess, the warrior Sailor Moon, the part of her that keeps learning more and more about magic, or the side of her that is the CEO of the Crystal Millennium.

It isn't something as simple or complex as good or bad, it just is, and even if there is a part of her that is starting to get annoyed at how often things keep changing, there is another part of the girl that can't help but enjoy each of the new discoveries that she is finding.

The sounds of coins jingling down into the slots brings Usagi back into the moment, and with a grin the girl winks over to Makoto, before plugging her own coins into the machine. It isn't quite a moment of silence, but the machines that Usagi and Makoto are in are quiet for a moment before the title screen flares to life in front of you.

Usagi shakes her head, trying to dislodge the way that she has been weirdly morose over the last few minutes and pulls herself back into the present. The two start to choose their vehicles, before something pops out from the side of the screen, the futuristic message glowing on a mostly transparent background.

CONNECTED SYSTEM HAS SELECTED CUP!
USER NAMES
MSTR5
TWSTR

Join Cup?​

Makoto watches as Usagi goes ramrod straight, eyes glimmering with a wicked light as she grins. "He's here!" She hisses out, and Makoto can't help but groan, but there is a smile on her face all the same as she quickly brings her own controls up to the message and clicks to join in. Usagi blinks, looking over towards Makoto, trying to find the right words for what it is that she wants to say.

"Well?" Makoto asks, pointing to the banner on Usagi's screen. "You're wanting to try and beat him, aren't you?"

With a thankful grin, Usagi just nods before selecting the option as well. The two quickly put in their names, BUNI3 for Usagi, and THNDR for Makoto. Another quick selection of a car, and the the race begins.

---

Meanwhile at the Crystal Millennium Building...

With a bit of a groan, Naru drops into the one of the chairs in the upstairs area of the Crystal Millennium building, leaning back and looking up at the ceiling for a moment. The red haired girl had come to the building after school today because she had a few ideas about the nature of her abilities, and more importantly a few tests that she wanted to try.

Naru knows that Minako refused to come with Usagi and Makoto over to the Arcade, and the rest of the Senshi are busy with all sorts of other things. Rei ended up getting into contact with Kagome's family and is off at their shrine, learning from the head priest there, while the two older Outer Senshi are following up on a lead related to the Oblivion. Honestly, Naru had thought that that particular threat had been pushed off of Japan's shores, but from the sounds of it they might be trying to make a reappearance, and that is something that Haruka and Michiru cannot stand for.

Setsuna might actually be around, based on what Usagi told the rest of the Senshi last night, and it might be a little... mean? That isn't the right word, but Naru isn't sure what the right word is either. The thing is that Setsuna is still young, still learning from Kóre, and because of that the reincarnated All-Mother can't say that she is entirely comfortable with having the young girl assist her with the experiments that the girl is wanting to take part in today. Makoto and Usagi are off at the arcade, obviously, and Ami is working with her mother to try and create some kind of standardized training for doctors to be able to learn healing magics once the Crystal Millennium opens up classes on that to the public.

That means that the only Senshi that would have been available would have been Minako. Yet the blonde that looks so similar to Usagi is nowhere to be seen, completely derailing the girl's plans for the day.

The worst part is that there is a small part of Naru that might honestly be happy that Minako isn't there. There are a lot of things that the girl is trying to do, a lot of things that she is trying to learn, but even so there is a part of Naru that is worried about what is going to happen as she continues to try and change herself. Already something weird has happened with her weight, and now her blood is starting to turn a golden color.

What other changes are just waiting in the wings to keep happening to Naru as she pushes forwards?

...Pandora was apparently some kind of giant snake monster. Her past life did say that it wasn't gauranteed that that would happen to her as well, but she didn't say that it was impossible either. Naru... She likes who she is. Really, even if there is a part of her that wishes she could help her friends more, that doesn't change the fact that Naru is sure of who she is, and who she wants to be.

Which ironically enough is part of why she is wanting to do these experiments in the first place. Naru knows that she isn't a fighter, it just isn't the kind of person that she is, but at the same time she can't sit back and do nothing while all her friends are fighting for their lives.

The only thing that she can do is try to come to understand her own nature, to try and learn more about the powers that she has access to, and what they mean for her future. But at the same time, the girl doesn't feel confident enough to do these experiment without at least one of the Senshi there in case something goes wrong and she... There is a part of Naru that worries that if she screws up she might end up creating something not unlike a Youma.

Something that needs to be fought, something that needs to be stopped. Just the idea of it roils her stomach, but it is a possibility, something that the girl has to admit to in order to be honest with herself. So the girl lays there for a few minutes, frowning as she tries to think of something better than her worries.

There comes a knock at the door, and Naru huffs before rolling up to a sitting position and trying to hide how she's been feeling. "Yeah?" She calls out, before there is a puff of magical energy as the door swings open and Artemis hops in.

"There you are, Naru." The cat says with a grin. "I've been looking for you." That makes the girl blink in confusion.

"Me?" Naru asks, wondering what the architect of the Silver Millennium needs Naru for.

"You've got a call on line one." Artemis says simply. "Director Samui was hoping that you might be able to help with something." He explains. "Something about a curse similar to the slave collars that some of the Yokai have been wearing."

A curse... Something similar to the Slave collars? There are so many questions that Naru has at the moment, but if the girl is going to be honest, she always ends up feeling better about herself after helping MCAT with shattering some of those damned collars.

She always feels hungry afterwords, given the blood loss, but if there is one thing that Naru is completely willing to take advantage of, it would be the fact that Samui is completely willing to pay for Naru to get something to eat afterwords.

Naru smiles, before pulling herself fully out of the seat. "Alright then, might as well go and see what all the fuss is about." The girl says, already starting to feel a lot better than she did before. The girl knows that she feels best when she is in motion after all. Doing things, even if they aren't all that important just means that she is moving forwards, and that is all that matters at this point.

"Alright, let me talk to them." Naru says, following after the cat.

---

Back at the Arcade...

The final race of the Venus Cup is without a doubt the longest map in the entirety of the game, and it is taking everything that Usagi has to try and keep herself at the front of the pack. The sharp twists and the heavy turns are all but designed to have the smallest windows of opportunity that they could possibly have. She's having to push her chosen digital car to its very limits. Here she is, in the last lap of the race, near bumper to bumper with the car in second place. A car that has the name MSTR5 floating above it.

Of the four races that have come before, Usagi has placed first in two of them, and Master Fives in the other two. For each of those races Makoto got second, and either Fives or Usagi has gotten third.

The worst part of that means that Usagi is currently tied with her rival, sharing the exact same point score. The worst part is that the girl knows that she has it in her to play better than she is. She could very well make some of these turns closer and sharper, but there is something distracting her. Usagi wishes that she could just ignore it, and she wishes that she didn't need to worry about it...

But every time that she ends up taking one of the corners as close as she feels she can, Usagi can hear the plastic under her fingers creak, and every time that she stomps down on the brake pedal to try and drift around the corner she can feel the metal groan under the forces that the girl is somehow still managing to apply to it.

The princess of the moon isn't even transformed, and yet even so she is still so much stronger than the world around her is designed to deal with. Perhaps one solution would be to use the disguise pen to alter herself so that she isn't as she strong as she is now, but that feels...

Usagi isn't quite sure what the word that she is looking for is, just that it wouldn't be herself winning the game if she altered herself. That wouldn't be Usagi. It wouldn't be fair. So all that means is that Usagi is going to have to be careful, she is going to have to keep herself from wrecking the machine and using all her strength, but still win.

And that would be the thing wouldn't it. She wouldn't just be beating her rival! She'd be beating her rival while at a disadvantage.

There is another part of that thought that presses against the back of her mind - She's at a disadvantage, that would mean that it doesn't count if she loses... But no. Usagi isn't going to let a thought like that actually come to be in her head. If she loses, then that just means that she needs to get better.

The final few turns start to get closer and closer, all the while both cars are pressing themselves all but against each other as Usagi and Master Fives do everything that they can in order to eke out even the slightest of advantages against each other. Closer and closer the races comes barreling down towards its end.

And then.

Tragedy.

As the very final turn of the race starts to appear, Usagi does her best to cut just a fraction of a moment earlier than she knows that she should. With her putting her everything into it, the girl knows that she should have been able to just avoid scraping the side of the track, which would slow her down. If it didn't then it would push her a few pixels further ahead, something that would allow the girl to reach the end just ahead of her rival.

With that, Usagi would win.

Master Fives would lose.

Only, it seems that Fives had an idea of what Usagi was thinking, and as Usagi starts to pull in close to the wall, her rival's car slams into her side. The two cars crash into the side, but don't simply scrape the side, and instead bounce off, rocketing over to the other side, but the two cars trying to regain control just causes them to spin out further, crashing to the far side. That's fine, Usagi might have ended up facing the wrong way, but she's in front of Master Fives, and that means that she has a chance to be able to-

A car marked THNDR goes roaring past as Makoto gives out a whooping holler of excitement. Then, another car, this one marked TWSTR. Car after car, and Usagi all but goes limp as she watches the numbers rack up at the corner of the screen. Third, fourth, fifth, sixth. By this point it's too late. Only the top eight get any points at all, and by the time that either of them are going to be able to disengage their cars from the other, they aren't going to be in that top quarter of the race.

However, after a moment of finally pulling back and watching as Fives pushes ahead to reach the end of the race, she realizes something far more horrifying. She didn't beat Master Fives. She didn't lose either.

They tied.

What in the world is she supposed to do with a tie. Before Usagi has a chance to say anything, there comes a laugh, familiar and warm, before Master Fives pops up next to the machine. "Hey there, Bunnie." The self proclaimed master of the Arcade says, his green eyes glimmering in the light with an inescapable joy. Glancing over, the young man spots Makoto as well. "Makoto, you were Thunder?" He asks, and the brown haired girl nods. "Not bad. You ended up winning since the two of us ended up crashing. Good win." He says, before reaching a hand out. Not even thinking about it, Makoto takes the offered hand, shaking it.

However, the boy doesn't let go quite yet. "This is the second time that Bunnie here has come and brought you along, are you supposed to be Bunnie's new rival?" He asks.

Usagi flushes, annoyed at just how relaxed the boy is, but before she has a chance to say anything, Makoto just cocks an eyebrow. "And if I am?"

"Well... Then I'd say that while I can be a gracious loser at times, I'm also something of a... Double or zilch kind of guy." Master Fives says, "So I have an idea."

"Oh?" Makoto says, and for all that Usagi herself wants to say that they should just be ignoring her rival, the fact of the matter is that she is a little interested in what he has to say. "And that would be?" The girl asks, a slight grin on her face.

"Let's play a game. You and me." Master Fives says.

"But what about me?" Usagi asks, and the boy leans in close, his eyes glimmering in the light like gemstones, and Usagi feels her face going warm from just how close he is. This... This feels a lot like how she used to feel around Motoki. Usagi very distinctly avoids thinking about how similar this feeling is to being around the Senshi one on one.

"Every competition needs a reward, doesn't it?" He asks slowly, licking his lips all he does.

"Wha-wh-wh-what?" Usagi barely manages to stutter out, her words entirely lost as images start to assail her head and her mind. Usagi's eyes bounce between Makoto and Master Fives, silently begging for Makoto to say something, anything.

"...You're on." The taller girl says.

ANYTHING BUT THAT. That is not what Usagi wanted the other girl to say. She's not a reward! With that, the two give one further shake, before each lets go. Five flexes his hand once, before turning and looking across the arcade. "All right, let's start over here, and I'll explain the rules."

 

[Lunaryon]

Usagi flushes, annoyed at just how relaxed the boy is, but before she has a chance to say anything, Makoto just cocks an eyebrow. "And if I am?"

"Well... Then I'd say that while I can be a gracious loser at times, I'm also something of a... Double or zilch kind of guy." Master Fives says, "So I have an idea."

"Oh?" Makoto says, and for all that Usagi herself wants to say that they should just be ignoring her rival, the fact of the matter is that she is a little interested in what he has to say. "And that would be?" The girl asks, a slight grin on her face.

"Let's play a game. You and me." Master Fives says.

"But what about me?" Usagi asks, and the boy leans in close, his eyes glimmering in the light like gemstones, and Usagi feels her face going warm from just how close he is. This... This feels a lot like how she used to feel around Motoki. Usagi very distinctly avoids thinking about how similar this feeling is to being around the Senshi one on one.

"Every competition needs a reward, doesn't it?" He asks slowly, licking his lips all he does.

"Wha-wh-wh-what?" Usagi barely manages to stutter out, her words entirely lost as images start to assail her head and her mind. Usagi's eyes bounce between Makoto and Master Fives, silently begging for Makoto to say something, anything.

"...You're on." The taller girl says.

ANYTHING BUT THAT. That is not what Usagi wanted the other girl to say. She's not a reward! With that, the two give one further shake, before each lets go. Five flexes his hand once, before turning and looking across the arcade. "All right, let's start over here, and I'll explain the rules."
There is a little part of Usagi that isn't sure if she wants to laugh or cry. It might be something of an exaggeration to say that the whole arcade went quiet as Master Fives challenged Makoto for... her. But she knows that it's not all exaggeration. Only the closest handful of machines went still right then and there, but word's going to spread.

Something like this used to happen pretty much every time that BUNI3 and MSTR5 were both at the Arcade at the same time. Ever since she was just ten, and he was just a little boy always swathed in a giant hoodie with the brim of his baseball cap sticking out. The two players that consistently score the highest on nearly every machine in the arcade have a... Well, had a habit of going up against one another whenever they crossed paths, regardless of the game. And those battles against one another almost always built something of an audience.

And this may be the biggest audience yet. Just a few months after he finally cast aside the hoodie and actually learned to dress himself properly, one of the two reigning champions of the Crown Arcade disappeared for more than a year. And now he's back. And more than that, this is the first time that he's actually thrown down a gauntlet like this since his return.

As dozens of people watch, Makoto and Master Fives shake hands. Thus, the accord is struck and bound between the two. This is the way of those who trawl the arcades of Tokyo, a situation solemn and sacrosanct. Everyone watching is able to feel in their bones exactly how serious a challenge like this really is.


...

Which is a dramatic, sarcastic way for Usagi to say to herself that all of this is just in good fun. Even if there is still a part of her that is a little annoyed at being side-lined for the duration and made into some kind of Trophy for her rival and her friend to compete over... Whatever that even means.

Usagi might be a little annoyed at the situation, but that isn't the whole of her emotions. Not by a long shot. If she really was upset over all of this competitive nonsense, there isn't anything stopping her from leaving. It isn't like the doors of the arcade are locked or anything like that. If this ends up getting tedious, she can let Makoto know that she's heading off and just go when she gets tired.

Not that she's really thinking about leaving.
Because if Usagi is going to be honest with herself... there is a part of her that is kind of... excited? over the fact that Makoto is fighting for her like this. It might not be the most important situation around, but even so the girl can't help but feel her cheeks going a little red. After the past few nights' dreams, after that statue, the idea that the tall dark haired girl, her knight, who looks so much like the figure from those dreams, is fighting to keep her out of the hands of some...

some...

Wicked villain.

Just thinking like that about Master Fives is enough to make her giggle a little.

Lost in thought, Usagi nearly misses the way that he and Makoto quietly point to a handful of different machines, before nodding and heading off towards the far end of the arcade. She hurries after the two. She just has to see what game they are going to be playing for this first little round of their challenge, and of course, she has to make sure that Makoto puts on a good showing to 'save' her.

But once the three come to a stop, Usagi can't help but laugh quietly. Because if there is any one game that Master Fives should have done everything in his power to avoid having to play against Makoto, it would be Devil Blasters. For two very good reasons.

There are a lot of games that Master Fives could have chosen in order to keep an advantage over Makoto. After all, he knows nearly all these games inside and out. He's been playing here at the arcade for years now, just like Usagi herself. Devil Blasters is brand new, though. So new, in fact, that it wasn't here the last time that Usagi and Makoto came to the Arcade two weeks ago.

But that might actually be why he's chosen this game. If it is this new, then there is all the chance in the world that Master Fives hasn't had the opportunity to really try and get a look into it yet, which would mean that both players are going to be on equal footing.

Or at the very least, that's probably his idea... except for the second thing. Light-gun games rely a lot on the reflexes of the player. Now, Master Fives wasn't slow on the draw before he disappeared. But that doesn't mean that he's going to be able to match the speed and the skills of a Senshi. Not that Makoto is going to be able to bring all of that power and skill to bare. Usagi remembers well what happened the last time that Makoto really let loose when competing against someone like this. That spar ended up bringing down an old building on their heads. Sure, both of the girls were fine afterwords, but Usagi can't say the same for the likes of Master Fives or the other ordinary people here at the arcade. Usagi can't imagine how things would get that far here, of course. And even if they do, Usagi is here and can intervene. She's not letting anyone trash the arcade!
Things somehow even manage to get more interesting as Makoto steps up to the first of the two Devil Blaster Machines. She pulls two coins out and slots them into both of the slots. Makoto doesn't just grab one of the two light guns. She grabs both.

"Oh?" Master Fives says, grinning. "Cocky, are you?" He pulls out a little coin purse of his own with a handful of coins, putting a single coin in and picking up just one of the light guns. "You don't actually think that you're going to be able to beat me playing two-gun like that, do you?" He asks.

Makoto just smiles, carefully twirling one of the two guns around a finger in a way that makes sure to not tangle the cord. "Playing like this means that there are more devils spawning in the game." Makoto points out. "Which means that I'm going to have the advantage when it comes to points."
"Hmmm... Maybe," Master Fives admits, nodding quietly, then he grins broadly at Makoto. There is something familiar about that smile, but you just can't put your finger on why you'd think that. It's not quite the way he smiled at you a few times, in the last few months before he disappeared... but not exactly. "But on the other hand, I'll have the advantage when it comes to the shot multipliers. And with less enemies on screen that means less chances for me to get damaged." Makoto has to nod, admitting that that is true too. "So I don't think either of us will have an advantage over the other. We'll see."

Makoto opens her mouth, about to say something more, but before she has a chance to, her eyes go wide. One hand snaps up, and with a bang, the first of the digital demons shatters apart into pixels on screen. The battle is joined.

Spoiler: Off to the Races

Game One: LIGHT GUNS
MAKOTO = 1d10 + Ste = 10 + 12 = 22
[NAT 10!]
FIVES = ??? + ??? = 12
[NAT 10!]

Usagi's played enough games like this that, with time to watch, she quickly notices distinct differences in the way that Makoto and Master Fives approach this game.

Master Fives holds onto his gun with both hands, bracing himself as if he expects the gun to try and jump back against his grip. The boy moves with an almost mechanical precision, quickly and quietly adjusting his position in order to quickly fire off shots in an arc across the screen. After each arc, he flicks the gun down for only a moment in order to reload, then brings it back up and crosses back over the other way.
Makoto's method of playing is vastly different. She bobs and weaves like Ippo in the ring, and as she moves she fires off quick bursts with one gun or the other. The larger number of demons Makoto's set herself up to deal with is noticeable here. She's almost never not firing off a shot, and if she weren't covering with shots from one gun while she reloads with the other, she'd be taking hit after hit.

But she isn't, and Master Fives isn't either. The declaration between them had already drawn a crowd. But they're halfway through the first level and have yet to take a hit, and that's starting to draw still more attention, more murmurs, more eyes on the contest.

The demons pour in faster and faster. The levels become increasingly difficult as Makoto and Master Fives hurry towards the ends. Devil Blasters has some degree of choice involved in it, despite being a rail shooter, and as the two arrive at the first decision point in the game, there is almost a solid moment where Usagi sees their eyes meet. Then as one, with a synchronicity that Usagi has only seen matched by her Senshi- or exceeded by the various Pretty Cures- two guns snap up and two shots are fired at once.

Master Five goes to the right; Makoto to the left.

There's a little part of Usagi that honestly isn't even sure if she'd be able to pull off this game as well as these two are. She's good at rail shooter games, sure, but this is a level of perfection that she'd never be able to pull off on a game that she was playing for the first time. Not without one hell of a motivator, at the very least.
The scores climb higher and higher, demon by demon, until nearly thirty minutes later, when the game's final score screen appears.
The grades for each level start to appear side by side. S rank after S rank after S rank. Neither Makoto or Master Fives missed a single shot over the course of the game, showing off a level of skill that's left the spectators- Usagi among them- watching silent in awe. That silence is finally broken as Usagi starts to clap, and the others begin to cheer.

There's a part of Usagi that can't help but be so proud of Makoto, not only for the girl doing something so impressive, but also because...
Well, the fact of the matter is that both players played perfectly. And that allows the question to be asked and answered. If you are trying to get the highest possible score, then the right way to play is two-player. Because with two players- or one as good as Makoto- the sheer number of demons means that the two individually lower scores combine to nearly twenty-five thousand more points than an equally perfect single player run.

Master Fives looks at the screens for a moment before he shakes his head, grinning and chuckling. "Damn..." The boy says, leaning back and tilting his head back a little. She overtops him by six or eight centimeters. "That was one hell of a showing, Makoto. I guess this first round goes to you. You've well earned it, but don't think that just because you managed to outgun me means that I'll lose the other rounds."
"I can say the same to you." Makoto says with a feral grin. "Don't go thinking that just because I chose the game this time means that you can go and pick any old game for this second round and think that you'll handle me any better."
Master Fives laughs, and there is a part of Usagi that once more wants to just push in there and demand that they both pay attention to her. She doesn't do that. That isn't why she's here after all. A big part of this is to make sure that Makoto relaxes, and her friend is definitely having fun. "Actually." Master Fives says, glancing over towards Usagi. "I have an idea." The boy says. "You chose the first round, so why don't we have Usagi choose the game for the second round, and then we can finish off with a best two out of three."
"That is, if I don't end up winning this next round." Makoto shoots back with a lazy tigress smile of her own.

Master Fives just laughs, shaking his head. Both the boy and the girl glance over to Usagi, grinning. "So, BUNI3?" The boy asks, "You up for choosing the next round?"
Choosing the next round... Usagi has to admit that there is a part of her that likes the idea. Partially because that means that she can try and give Makoto the best chance of actually winning... But at the same time, another part of the girl whispers in her ear that she can't do that. She can't try and shift the results of this contest. Partly because it ruins the whole point, but mostly because she should have faith and trust in Makoto. Her champion is strong and smart and wise and a Senshi.

No matter what kinds of strengths that the boy has, they aren't going to match up with what Makoto can do. "You know what... Sure." Usagi nods once and turns back to look over the arcade, trying to think of the perfect game for Makoto and Master Fives to play next.

Spoiler: Off to the Races

Game Two: Racing
MAKOTO = 1d10 + Int = 7 + 8 = 15
MASTER FIVES = ??? + ??? = 17

But that just raises the question of what the next challenge that the two run should be... Usagi thinks about it for a moment, looking across the arcade with a critical eye. There are a lot of different kinds of games out there, ranging from puzzle to racing to the fighting and light-shooters. There is a part of the girl that wants to choose something that the Senshi haven't done over the course of their visit today, and there is something to that idea...

On the other hand, there is a distinct part of the girl that wants to choose something that is more on the new side. Every Friday the contents of the Arcades shift slightly as older less popular machines disappear and new machines pop up in their place.

Tilting the odds in Makoto's favor isn't something that Usagi wants to do, but at the same time she most certainly doesn't want to go the other way and tilt the odds in the favor of that wicked villain. So the best thing would be to try and limit things to the newest games. The ones that Master Fives wouldn't have had the chance to learn and master yet.

Thinking for another moment, the girl's eyes alight on a single machine. Forza Formula One 1991 Edition. It's a racing game, sure, but it is a racing game that Usagi hasn't had a chance to play yet. And if she hasn't had a chance to play it yet, then there is all the chance in the world that Master Fives hasn't had the chance either. This might be the perfect choice to make sure that both competitors are on as even a field as they can be. That's what Usagi wants after all.

"How about that one?" Usagi asks, pointing over towards the race machine. Makoto and Master Fives glance at each other, and there is a moment where they seem to be weighing and measuring each other. Master Fives is the first to grin.

"I'm down." He says, and Makoto scoffs, but there is a grin on her face as well.

"I see no problem here either." The taller Senshi says with a grin. There is something there again, but Usagi still isn't sure what she is seeing, what she is hearing that keeps scratching at the side of her thoughts like a burr caught on the inside of a sock. Whatever it is, Usagi really wants to figure it out just so that she can finally put these distracting thoughts to the side once and for all.

As Makoto and Master Fives start to settle into the seats of the new race machine, Usagi notices the way that the crowd starts to swell a little. More people are noticing the fact that there is something huge going down, and they want to see. As the girl stands there, another thought clicks into her head, and she can't help but grin. This is a silly idea, this is a bad idea, but that isn't going to stop her.

She is Usagi Tsukino, and if there is one thing that she can most definitely say, it would be the fact that she owns her own ideas. Both good and bad. So taking a moment to try and psyche herself up, Usagi closes her eyes and thinks about the way that she's seen those girls in the movies walk. Particularly those movies about racing.

She saunters forth, trying to look as confident as those girls, before she leans forward, over the side of Master Five's chair. Reaching out, the girl grabs hold of the controls, before sliding them over and choosing the particular map that she wants to two to race on. It's nothing particularly special. In fact, the Berlin race track is right in the middle of the difficulty curve, but it is one of the longer tracks. "I think that this is where you're going to play." She tries and whisper out as sultry as she can, but really it just sounds airy and a little silly.

That's... That's fine. It's not like she actually wanted to be sexy for Master Fives. It's all just part of the contest is all. Of course, the fact that Master Five's face goes a bright red even so, the boy unable to look at Usagi while she press against his side makes the girl trying to say that she wasn't trying to be sexy sound a little fake, even to her ears.

At the same time, the fact that the boy isn't being gross about it does make the girl feel a little like she was being too forward when she called him a wicked villain. As if the boy himself was able to hear the girl's thoughts, Master Fives swallows loudly, before putting on an almost lazy grin and looking up to Usagi. If anything his face goes even a little redder, before he speaks. "H-how about a kiss for luck?" The boy asks, and Usagi feels her own face going a bright red.

"Oi!" Makoto calls out, and there is a part of Usagi that relaxes. Makoto wouldn't dare let anything like that happen. "No being unfair about it!" The girl calls out, much to Usagi's conf- "If he gets a kiss then I demand one too!"

The red on Usagi's cheeks has to be reaching all the way past her ears at this point, something that only gets deeper and heavier as she hears a familiar laugh. Whipping around, Usagi spots Mamoru standing there among the watching crowd.

"Go on bunhead." The ancient prince of the Earth calls out. "Give your champions a boon as they fight for their lady." He calls out. Thankfully, before the girl has a chance to try and come up with a response to the two fighting over her, there comes an electronic beep as the game finishes loading. The race is about to begin, and that means that Usagi has to back off to avoid getting in the way.

"Sorry, race is already starting!" The girl babbles out, before falling back. There is a smattering of laughter from the crowd, and there is a part of Usagi that wants to frown at it, but there is another part of the girl that knows this is all in good fun.

BEEP

BEEP

BREEEEPP!

And as the last of the three lights on screen flash from red to green, the two are off. The race is begun, and the second round of the competition for Usagi herself is now underway.

"I've got to say," Mamoru says quietly as he steps up next to Usagi, watching the race, "It's nice to see that Master Fives is branching out. I've really only ever seen him compete against you." The older boy points out, which makes Usagi blink a little as she thinks back. Mamoru does have a point...

She can't ever remember Master Fives getting into a really competitive spirit against anyone else... But that is probably because there really wasn't anyone else in the same league as the Moon princess and the unknown gamer. "I guess..." Usagi says quietly, not entirely sure what Mamoru is getting at.

The older boy just laughs. "What, jealous?" He asks, and there is part of Usagi that wants to deny it, but the reason why she wants to deny that she's jealous is exactly because she is.

"Honestly... A little." She says quietly. "Master Fives has always been my rival. More than Jadeite or Cendrellion or even Beryl and Metallia. Master Fives was something of mine, of Usagi's." She explains quietly.

"And now it's just another example of part of your life where the past is invading the present?" Mamoru asks quietly, which makes Usagi nod. "I wish I had the answer on how to stop that, but..."

Usagi chuckles. "Nah, I have the answer to that. And we've been working on the front for a good while now. Haruka and Michiru said that they think that they might have a lead on where Cendrellion is." Usagi says. "Once we beat her, and save the other members of the Shittenou, then take down Beryl, there won't be any more history to come and batter it's way into the present."

There is a long moment of silence as two ancient entities stand there in the midst of the modern day, enjoying the sights and the sounds of the arcade.

"Do you plan to retire when all of this is said and done?" He asks, and there is another moment of silence, before Usagi finally shakes her head.

"No... I might not want to rule over anything the way that Jadeite thinks I want to... but I still want to wear the suit. To work on fixing the world."

Mamoru just chuckles, a grin on his face. "I had a feeling that you'd say that. Of, and talking about Jadeite." Mamoru says, "I spoke with him about what you had asked before. He's not only okay with the idea of Ramua taking the Courses like you asked, but he's actually spoken with Samui about it. She's talking with the elders of her clan about possibly enrolling the children of the clan in as well. Putting them in a situation to start acclimating to the modern world in a safe environment."

Usagi hums, thinking about it. "I'm not against that, but if that is going to happen, then I might need to talk with Samui about getting additional security for the building. We've hired a new enchanter to help shore up the defenses of the building, but at the same time I'd feel better if there was a little more defense against the Onogoro if there are going to be Yokai children there."

"...That's entirely fair." Mamoru says, grinning. "I'll talk with Jadeite about getting Samui to set up a meeting."

 

[Lunaryon]

There is a long moment of silence as two ancient entities stand there in the midst of the modern day, enjoying the sights and the sounds of the arcade.

"Do you plan to retire when all of this is said and done?" He asks, and there is another moment of silence, before Usagi finally shakes her head.

"No... I might not want to rule over anything the way that Jadeite thinks I want to... but I still want to wear the suit. To work on fixing the world."

Mamoru just chuckles, a grin on his face. "I had a feeling that you'd say that. Of, and talking about Jadeite." Mamoru says, "I spoke with him about what you had asked before. He's not only okay with the idea of Ramua taking the Courses like you asked, but he's actually spoken with Samui about it. She's talking with the elders of her clan about possibly enrolling the children of the clan in as well. Putting them in a situation to start acclimating to the modern world in a safe environment."

Usagi hums, thinking about it. "I'm not against that, but if that is going to happen, then I might need to talk with Samui about getting additional security for the building. We've hired a new enchanter to help shore up the defenses of the building, but at the same time I'd feel better if there was a little more defense against the Onogoro if there are going to be Yokai children there."

"...That's entirely fair." Mamoru says, grinning. "I'll talk with Jadeite about getting Samui to set up a meeting."

Usagi pauses.

Spoiler: Intrigue DC 11

USAGI == d10 + Int = 6 + 8 = 14
[SUCCESS]

She glances around, feeling a bit silly. Then dangerously silly. The girl looks at Mamoru. She looks around.

"Should we be-"

Spoiler: Intrigue DC 16

ENDYMION == d10 + Int = 5 + 19 = 24
[SUCCESS]

"Don't worry, nobody's hearing the sensitive bits." He smiles sadly. "You aren't the only one who learned a few tricks from Anyo, once upon a time."

Usagi's... not sure how to feel about that, taking a moment to lay a hand on the man's arm, giving him a soft smile. "I might not remember them as clearly, but I... I miss Anyo too." Taking another breath, the girl turns back to what she was talking about, or going to talk about.

"Speaking of old friends..." Usagi starts to ask, taking a moment to glance over towards the ongoing race between Makoto and Master Fives. The two players are really pushing their machines to the brink. "How is Jadeite doing these days? I haven't seen him since the raid."

Mamoru laughs at the question, shaking his head. "He's... Well, he's doing the best that he can," the deceptively ancient teen says. "He's actually just gotten a new task from the Director that's getting him out of the house pretty early every morning. Something about getting certified before the actual mission begins. Ramua wishes that he was home for longer in the mornings, but Jadeite says that he needs to have a good understanding of his new work space before he can start setting up a teleportation network. Until then... Well, he needs to get to work quite early, through fifty kilometers of Tokyo traffic." Mamoru shrugs, a wry grin on his face. "He's having to get someone from MCAT to drive him. Despite everything that I've said, and everything that his coworkers are saying, he's completely refusing to get a driver's license. Says that people who willingly drive are insane. Honestly, I think that he might be afraid of cars. Thinks that anyone who has any other option but willingly takes the controls of one of those machines has to be some kind of mad."

"Can't he take the bus or the train?"

"...Now that you mention it, maybe. It might not save any time, but I'll talk to him about it." Mamoru blinks, then lightly slaps his own forehead. "Oh, that reminds me. There should be someone from MCAT swinging by sometime soon. Apparently they've finished the whole what was it... 'Basic Ӕtheric Energy Manipulation Certificate' for the classes your classes are building up to."

Despite her trust in the ancient magics Endymion-as-Mamoru seems to know, there is a short moment where Usagi almost worries again that people might be listening in to their conversation. But a quick glance around makes it clear that the only person who could possibly be paying any attention to the two is the blonde haired young man sitting on the other side of the crowd. When the girl locks eyes with him, he lifts the soda in his hand in a salute.

Of course, the fact that he's on the other side of an entire crowd of people watching the race makes it unlikely that he can hear a thing anyway. "It's good to hear that they managed to get that pushed through so quickly... Hm. I would have thought that it would have taken longer, given how quick the Diet is to do much of anything."

The Earth prince just chuckles. "From what I understand, part of it is that MCAT has been pushing hard to get this done. Some backer of theirs, some guy named Kazanari, was interested in pushing the bill through as well. On top of that, there's a building faction in the Diet that's coming to the conclusion that eventually Japan is going to have to admit that magic is real. It sure would make them look good then, if the government already had a certification system in place when that happens, and already had teachers capable of teaching as well."

That... That kind of makes sense, even if there's a part of Usagi that isn't entirely sure that she trusts the reasons she's hearing. She knows that Endymion wouldn't lie to her without a good reason, and she knows that he's a smart cookie. Still, it's possible that whoever explained this to him was either lying to him, or that they themselves had been lied to. Because if there is one thing that Usagi has managed to pick up from her father's job in the media, it's that the Diet never does things for such clear and easy to understand reasons. There's always something more involved.

"Anyways," Mamoru continues, "I know that whoever MCAT is going to send by also wants to organize a time for some of their more magically capable people to try and 'test through' the class so that MCAT can start working on having them teach their own classes and get all of MCAT certified." There is a little part of Usagi that wants to deny that, if only because the Senshi have so much going on all the time right now, and adding on even more... That would just be a struggle to keep track of.

There's already so much going on all the time that there are times when Usagi wishes she could just grab hold of time itself and pull back. That she could choke the throttle and slow everything down so that she isn't buried under so many different things. Of course, she knows that she can't do that, because that would just put her in a situation where there is even more to do. The only way forwards to a day when she isn't completely buried under the threats to the world and the dangers to Japan and everything else that is constantly going on is to push forwards.

There is an old saying that the girl heard somewhere. To reach heaven, one must go through hell. That has to be true. Otherwise, what is the point of all the struggling that she keeps doing day in and day out?

---

Makoto leans forwards, pushing herself almost all the way up to her feet as she twists the wheel, barely managing to keep her car from clipping against the side of the raceway. Part of the girl is enjoying the race for everything that it is. Part of Makoto is preoccupied by her suspicions about Master Fives' secret. But more than anything else, the girl finds herself having to truly struggle.

She has to be careful. It wouldn't even take that much force, for her to clench down on the wheel in her hands until the plastic and the metal both give way beneath her grip. Normally, that wouldn't be a problem. Makoto's been having to watch her full strength for years now, and it takes a lot for her to push herself to the point where her strength is trying to get away from her...

But there's just something about Master Fives that Makoto can't bear to lose against, something that makes Makoto want to beat him. Admittedly, she has an idea. She has a theory. But for the moment she can't put words to her guess, not until the competition between the two of them comes to an end.

And if her suspicion is true... that doesn't exactly make her want to win less.

Twisting the wheel back around the other way, Makoto hisses in frustration as she realizes that she was a few moments too slow. There's a sharp crunch and a skid of angry rubber as Makoto's car bumps against the side of the road. The impact isn't enough to push the car over the rails, but even a hit like that drains away some of the girl's speed. This is the last lap; she can't afford a screw-up like this. There has to be something she can do to get that speed back!

But even as her car makes the final turn onto the last straightaway, she knows that it's too late. Her car's struggling to get back up to speed, and- And Master Fives' car comes blurring around the corner just a moment behind her own. But it's already at speed, and easily passes her. The sounds of victory start to play out of the machine next to her as Master Fives leans back. A soft grin spreads across the boy's face. A moment later, the same noises come from Makoto's own machine, but that doesn't matter. She's lost the race.

Which means that the competition is now tied. One victory for Makoto, and one for Fives. That means that the winner of the next game takes it all, and Makoto has to be at the top of her game if she's going to snatch victory from Master Fives' claws. But how? What could Makoto possibly choose that wouldn't end up giving Fives something of an advantage? The only person who really has a chance of standing on the same level of Fives would be Usagi herself, and the princess already chose one game...

So perhaps Makoto just needs to think like her princess. Just needs to decide using that same wild way of thinking that makes her princess so amazing. The problem is that Makoto isn't sure that she knows how to think like her princess.

...But then Makoto thinks about it, and glances over to Master Fives. If her theory is right... Then perhaps the solution isn't in thinking the way that Usagi would, but instead in thinking in a way that Usagi would never, ever think of. Something Fives would never expect.

Master Fives leans back, pressing his hands on the small on his back as he stretches. "That's one for one. The next point is touchdown." Makoto's eyes narrow in renewed suspicion.

She decides to go ahead with her idea. A terrible idea. A wonderful idea. The best and the worst of ideas. An idea that, if she's correct, is almost cruel, but nearly sure to be effective. There are a lot of things that could go wrong, especially if she's wrong and has underestimated Fives, but...

"Well, you've chosen, and BUNI3 has chosen, so now it's my turn," the girl says.

There is a particular game, one that Makoto has only ever seen here at this arcade. That might simply have to do with the fact that the only times that she really goes to arcades is with Usagi, but...

Well, Makoto has a bit of a feeling that 'Master Fives' might not be the best when it comes to a certain type of game. Involving, not so much reflexes and insight, but careful planning and big picture thinking. Thinking less like a martial artist, and more like someone preparing a complicated meal. "Follow me. I know exactly what we're playing," Makoto says confidently.

She leads the rest of the group through the arcade, even managing to pick up a few more watchers as players notice Master Fives bantering cheerfully with her. At least, he's cheerful up to the moment that Makoto comes to a stop in front of a particular arcade cabinet.

An arcade cabinet that has never had Master Fives's name topping the leaderboard. Nor Usagi's, for that matter.

Master Fives smiles easily at Makoto, and speaks casually. "Oh, I see. You're trying to beat me by taking advantage of my weaknesses, are you?"

"Hey, all's fair in love and war." Makoto argues, grinning back toothily at her opponent. "I've got to do anything in my power to protect my princess from a fearsome, marauding ronin, after all."

Spoiler: Intrigue

Makoto == 1d10 + Int = 1 + 8 = 9
[NAT ONE!]
Crit Confirm = 1d4 = DC 1 = 4
[NO CRIT CONFIRM!]
Master Fives = 1d10 + Int = 1 + ??? = 11
[NAT ONE!]
Crit Confirm = 1d4 = DC 1 = 3
[NO CRIT CONFIRM!]

Master Fives grins back... and wiggles his eyebrows. "Love, huh? So who, exactly, are you talking about? Me?"

"Ohhhhh!" There comes a cry of amusement from the crowd watching the two challengers.

Makoto... doesn't know what to say to that. Even if her theory's true. No, scratch that. Especially if her theory's true.

But even so she can feel that stupid blush rising to her cheeks as she very carefully does not look at anyone. She tries very hard not to even think about anyone.

She isn't thinking about some cocky grinning idiot arcade gamer who is very specifically not admittedly quite handsome and interestingly competitive.

Or about golden braids that spill down a thin but strong back, gentle commands, and limitless compassion.

Or about soft blue hair, clasped hands, a smile so shy and so wondrous, and a wit that spans the heavens.

Or any of the many people who keep flitting in and out of her life who keep reminding her of one particular person.

And she most definitely doesn't stop for even a moment to think about her Senpai.

So it takes a long moment to get control of herself, before Makoto growls, stepping to stand in front of the Puyo Puyo arcade cabinet, and pulls out a handful of quarters. "It doesn't matter. I'm not going to let you win."

Stepping up next to her, Master Fives gives a single uncertain glance towards the bubble-bursting puzzle battle game, before taking a breath and meeting Makoto's grin head on, with cheer in his expression. "We'll see about that, won't we? But don't end up regretting it when I pull victory from the law of deceit. I've learned a few tricks, since the last time I played this."

"I'm almost certain that is not what that saying is."

"It's what it wishes it was," Master Fives fires back.

---

Usagi watches as the match between the two starts. Both players focus carefully on their own half of the screen at the start, not even really thinking about their opponent. Then, Usagi feels the softest and slightest of chills running down her spine. She blinks before glancing around.

Oh.

Kōsetsu, the yuki-onna that Motoki hired, is making her way through the lanes of the arcade. The first thing Usagi notices is the way that the girl's shoulders are hunched. Kōsetsu sends furtive glances around the room, like she's unsure of what everything around her is, or why all of it is. The second thing Usagi notices makes her smile a bit. The spirit's face has been lightly dusted with a faint purple blush, and every time that the girl's eyes glance away from some of the machines, they snap first to Mamoru, then slide back around to the rest of the room. Usagi can't help but grin.

"Ahh... Excuse me?" Kōsetsu's asks in a soft voice as she finally comes up to Mamoru's side. For a moment the girl starts to reach out, as if she's going to tug on his sleeve, only to pull back at the last moment. "Mister Mamoru?" She continues. "I was... I was hoping you might be able to help me?"

Help? Usagi raises an eyebrow, watching quietly to see what happens next. Mamoru chuckles, before nodding and giving Usagi a smile of his own before turning his attention to the young spirit. "Sure, what can I do to help?"

"I've been working here for a couple of days now..." The spirit begins, "And I don't understand all of these strange machines, or what the people here are doing."

Usagi's hand twitches. Just a little thing, but before she has a chance to even think about what that might mean, she's already in motion. "Oh, you want to know about the Arcade?" Usagi asks, grinning. "I know that Mamoru does come by a lot, but he mostly spends time hanging out with Motoki. If you want to know more about the Arcade, and the point of it all, I'll be glad to help too."

The way that Usagi seems to have just appeared out of nowhere takes Kōsetsu by surprise. The yuki-onna starts back with a quiet "Eep!"

She seems almost... afraid of Usagi. Which is the last thing that Usagi wants for any spirit. Well, any spirit that doesn't mean harm for others. If Usagi really had her way, then none of the spirits of the world would be forced into a position where they needed to harm others to protect or care for themselves. But those are thoughts of the future, and in the here and now, there is a spirit that seems afraid of Usagi Tsukino. Not Sailor Moon, but ordinary girl Usagi.

Then again, some of the ordinary people watching the battle between Fives and Makoto have backed off as well, sparing unsure glances at Kōsetsu. Yokai are something so old that they seem entirely new to the modern world, and some of the people here don't seem sure of how to handle them. They're nervous about the yokai at the arcade, just as the yokai is nervous about being at the arcade. There has to be something that Usagi can do to help the girl feel more comfortable around all these people, though. After all, she seemed so much more confident over in the cafe than she does here. That's a start!

Kōsetsu glances between Mamoru and Usagi. Mamoru just raises an eyebrow and smiles softly. "I kind of agree." Mamoru admits. "I don't know nearly as much about all of this as Usagi here does." Kōsetsu's face falls a little, and that just won't stand.

"You're no slouch either, Mama-chan~" Usagi says cheerfully, pulling out the silliest nickname that she can think of on the spot. "I know that you're a lot smarter when it comes to the puzzle games than I am. So why don't you start the explanation?" Honestly, Usagi's never seen the boy play any of the arcade games before, but there is a particular screen name on some of the machines. ENDYM, and it is hard to read that as being anything other than 'Endymion.'

Mamoru laughs, and Usagi can see Kōsetsu's mood improve as he does. "Fine, fine. I'll explain what I know, but only after you explain the point of it all."

Usagi pouts, but just like the competition that Makoto and Fives are taking place in, it's all in good fun. And there are so many things worth talking about when it comes to the point of all of this! Usagi finds herself very naturally smiling, pointing, gesturing. Gaming, high scores, clever maneuvers, it all brings emotional fulfillment and allows tests of skill. And at the same time, the point of it all is to have fun, the point is to relax and stop thinking about all the struggles and the pains of your life and do something that exists, that simply and only exists, to be fun, in plenty of company.

It takes a few minutes for the real meaning of that to settle into Kōsetsu's head, and Usagi gets it. At least a little. From what Usagi understands about where the Icewind clan were forced to live, they very much wouldn't have had access to things like this. Or to much of any kind of entertainment that didn't involve all keeping to themselves together. But right now, Usagi is going to do everything in her power to help the girl to come to understand, and maybe even love, the place where she now works.

And as the gleam in Kōsetsu's eyes begins to grow stronger, after the girl starts to really get an idea of what these games might mean, Usagi closes her eyes. Focusing once more, she pulls her coin purse out of the pocket that she made with her magic.

Even if she didn't plan on helping the girl learn about the games, it'd be more than worth it just to see the way that the spirit's eyes go wide when Usagi uses magic. Kōsetsu must not have realized that Usagi had magic. That's fine. Even better than fine. Pulling a reasonable number of yen out, Usagi hands them over to the girl. "Go." Usagi says with a smile. "Have some fun. Try out some different games."

"Thank you, Miss Usagi." Kōsetsu says softly, rushing forward to give the girl a quick and cool hug, before turning back and blushing while she bows in front of Mamoru.

"That was a nice thing you did." Mamoru says, watching the girl move over towards one of the other machines, watching the trailer gameplay for a moment, before carefully putting a coin in.

Usagi just shrugs, grinning softly. "I just did what anyone else should do."

"But not what everyone would do."

"Not yet, at least," Usagi admits softly.

Mamoru quietly moves towards Kōsetsu, and Usagi turns back to the ongoing challenge. While she was talking to the yuki-onna, Usagi'd only been able to keep half an eye on the stacks of Puyo Puyo bubbles....

Hm.

She's played this game a few times, of course, at least enough to get frustrated with it last year. In hindsight, her natural interest in the storyline, such as it was, makes Usagi feel a little strange. The story of a teenage girl using her magic against a motley of different enemies in her quest to defeat the Dark Prince feels a little bit on-the-nose. But the gameplay got difficult for her. Though now that she thinks about it, thinks calmly and clearly, and watches Makoto and Master Fives play... the girl's pretty sure she knows what she was doing wrong back then.

The puzzle game is loosely like the classic Tetris, except that pieces are combinations of colored bubbles. The immediate object of the game is to match four colored bubbles in a row or blob, scoring points. But a combo of bubble matches, one after another, can drop unmatchable black bubbles onto one's opponent, making their gameplay difficult.

And as Usagi watches Makoto and Master Fives play, she realizes that they're both building up to do just that. She can't quite follow all the details of how it would play out from where she stands, but it's clear that each player is building a chain of unfinished trios of colored bubbles in place, ready to be triggered when the right piece falls.

Makoto is building up a complicated one that Usagi is absolutely sure will do something she'd have to stare at it carefully to predict. Master Fives, meanwhile, seems to be dumping some pieces in a kind of disorganized rubble pile, while building a smaller, less ambitious combo.

Spoiler: Off to the Races

Game Three: Puzzle
MAKOTO = 1d10 + LRN = 3 + 15 = 18
MASTER FIVES = ??? + ??? = 14
[NAT 10]
[MASTER FIVES WINS]

And then the final blue-and-orange piece arrives for Master Fives, while Makoto's intricate tower is nearing what has to be its final form.

There's a flash, as four orange bubbles disappear. another. Another. The combo rolls on, devouring Master Fives' little stack of bubbles. Usagi can see Makoto stiffen, realizing what's about to happen. Suddenly, Usagi is put in mind of words she remembers from when Rei was handling the calls to coordinate the plans for their trip to England. Something Rei said Minako said the Spellblades liked to say:

"A good plan, carried out violently and immediately, is better than a perfect plan carried out some time next week."

A groan rises from some of the crowd as an mass of black bubbles falls onto Makoto's arrangements. It doesn't reach all the way to the top of the screen. She can still move pieces around, and she keeps trying, fingers dancing on the controls fast enough that Usagi knows her friend is having the same trouble she did earlier with pretending to be merely human.

But it's over. She is already defeated.

Master Fives racks up one set of four after another, moving nearly as fast as Makoto does, unambitious but sufficient. Because sooner or later, as the game speeds up...

It takes minutes. Longer than any veteran of Tetris and similar games would expect. Perhaps longer than anyone in the audience, even Usagi, thought possible.

But at last, Makoto finally runs out of room. The screen locks up with a ringing set of chimes and a merry tune, changing to show a display of scores.

Makoto takes a long, slow breath, lets it out, and stretches. She puts into words what the arcade machines have already put into numbers and flashing symbols.

"Well. You win, 'Master Fives.' "

"Indeed, indeed, indeed!" Master Fives springs out of his seat, rubbing his hands with truly boyish glee. His blue eyes seem to flash faintly- it must be a trick of the light. A self-deprecating grin spreads across his face. "So, love and war, huh? I'm a ronin, huh? Then this must be how Lancelot, strongest of knights, felt after a tournament, asking for the favor of lovely queen Guenevere..."

And Master Fives doesn't seem so very different from when Usagi remembers him bundled up in a giant hoodie with a baseball cap sticking out, the first time, from when she was eleven. Not that different, even if he's changed and grown. So Usagi huffs at the ridiculous language, almost exactly like she would have done them.

"I am not a queen!"

"Like she said, then. A princess."

Usagi pauses. There are so many, many reasons she can't admit that that Master Fives has got her dead to rights there.

That trick of the light must be back in Master Fives' eyes. Even brighter. He's still smiling at Usagi.

"So I suppose that means I win the prize. How about a kiss from the fair princess, for the victorious knight?"

And Usagi freezes for a moment. She- She. That suggestion sounds terrible, but not nearly bad enough! She- She? The girl's entire mind is stuttering and sputtering.

Master Fives winks and taps his cheek. Oh thank goodness, he doesn't mean on the lips. She was... mostly sure... he didn't?

But silence still stretches between them.

And is interrupted.

"You're serious?"

Makoto crosses her arms and scowls faintly. It's actually pretty alarming. Would be, even if someone didn't know that she's secretly Sailor Jupiter and can probably fly around being bulletproof and tying steel beams into knots with her bare hands like Superman.

What is extraordinary is that Master Fives seems to be completely unintimidated. It honestly impresses Usagi a little, even if she's not sure how she feels about it altogether.

And then something clicks in Usagi's mind. As though Master Fives was a book she'd been holding upside down, and now he's right-side up. Everything starts to make sense.

The boy is nervous too. He isn't sure if he should have started this. If this entire challenge isn't a step too far. If asking for a kiss isn't eight steps too far. But something in him doesn't seem to know how to stop, and isn't sure it wants to. Not even Makoto's second-scariest scowl is slowing him down. He may have to be a little crazy in order to be like that, even though, again, he can't possibly know everything Makoto- or Usagi- is capable of.

Usagi doesn't understand everything that's making Master Fives go through with this.

But one thing comes through clearly enough. If nothing else, right there and then, she knows it isn't because he's seriously, or even jokingly, started thinking of Usagi as a prize. Even if they've both changed, even if she wasn't there to watch him change and even if he can't possibly know what Usagi's become since the days when they were little. Littler.

That ever so familiar lilt in Master Fives' smile? That is still the same respect for her, for his old Crown Arcade rival.

Even if it is mixed with something... Do boys get that same uncertain shiver around girls that Usagi herself gets around beautiful or handsome people? That feeling where she isn't sure what she wants, and she doesn't know what to say or what to do. Like she's on the edge of a great ocean abyss, afraid to dip her toes even, even as she looks down into a mysterious depth full of things that she can barely start to guess the names of.

Because Usagi's pretty sure the look in his eyes comes from exactly that feeling.

And in that moment of realization, she decides to do it.

"...Fine."

The girl steps close to her old rival. She's avoiding his eyes. Come to think of it, he's avoiding hers. She closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, leans forward, and...

mwah

The watching crowd goes wild.

And in that brief contact, Usagi realizes that Master Fives has a magic of his own. Not active, not in use, but something very real, now that she's kiss-close. Something that would feel like sun-warmed metal, warm enough to bask on but not warm enough to burn. Something that would look like dazzling glints reflecting from the armor of an approaching army, come to rescue a besieged castle. Something of iron and sunlight. Something combative, but clean. Something that plucks and rustles against the surface of Usagi's own inner light in an oddly familiar way.

It takes a moment for her to remember to pull away, feeling ridiculous at the giddiness of the moment and giddy at the ridiculousness of the moment.

She opens her eyes.

And contrary to his usual goofy, boastful, bravado-filled ways... Master Fives' smile is downright shy. Confused, even. The boy unable to look her in the eyes.

She takes a step back, and a deep breath. She looks around.

Makoto has a strange grin on her face. She starts to speak. "Now how did it go... 'The domino mask is a thing of the past, and the face revealed is beautiful!' But I guess that wasn't the only mask you had, huh, Fives?"

Master Fives turns to her, blinking in confusion. "I'm sorry, what?"

Makoto's folded her arms again. "I've figured it out, Lancelot. You've been dropping hints for a week and a half now, haven't you?"

Wait. What is she talking about? And why does Master Fives have a guilty expression on his face?

Makoto's frown deepens. "I don't know how you're doing it without borrowing something of hers, but do you want to tell her, or shall I?"

There is a single moment of silence as Master Fives stands there, frozen in place with his eyes wide. It seems that there were a lot of things that the boy had been expecting from Makoto, but not this. Usagi isn't entirely sure what is going on here, but... But...

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Master Fives says, and his voice cracks for a moment. Just a moment where the voice coming from the boy's lips is familiar. Like it was a year and more ago. But that isn't the only way it's familiar; there's something else...

Master Fives spins on a heel, as if to flee. He takes a step in that direction, head whipping back and forth in small arcs. Another step. One more. Unfortunately for the young man, the contest between him and Makoto has gathered up a bit of a crowd, and it isn't easy to push your way through that many people. Not without completely bowling them over, at least. The boy shakes his head a little, and stops before he bounces off a wall of video game enthusiasts. He turns back to Usagi and Makoto, his face composed.

Master Fives has been Usagi's rival for years and years now, but it sounds like Makoto has discovered some secret that even Usagi doesn't know about him. Which... granted, she doesn't know much about Master Fives, really. He's never said much about himself- always been the mysterious champion. There is a part of her that's a little annoyed by the boy's secrecy... and by the thought that Makoto pierced it when she couldn't. But at the same time... At the same time, she's so curious to know what it is that Makoto's figured out.

Putting a hand on Master Fives' shoulder, Makoto carefully, but firmly guides the young man through the crowds and off towards the cafe. Which is virtually empty, probably on account of everyone rushing over to watch her and Fives play. "Hey, Motoki?" Makoto calls out. "Fives and Usagi and I need to have a bit of a private discussion. We need one of the booths- that one, there." She points to one in the corner. "Can you keep anyone from coming in?"

Motoki smiles. "Hey, I can't say 'no' to two reigning champions and a brilliant newcomer, can I? I'll make sure people give you some privacy."

Despite the way that Master Fives had nearly bolted into the crowd earlier, now the boy is quiet, clasping his hands strangely, not even bothering to try and escape Makoto's grasp.

As the three enter into the little private booth and close the door, Makoto drops down onto one of the seats, leveling a look at Master Fives. "So... I thought that you were too busy to come with us to the Arcade today," Makoto says.

Finally, after a moment of standing there, shifting from foot to foot, Master Fives sighs, and speaks one word. "...Right."

And he digs into his pocket and fishes out two... objects. They look like hockey pucks with complicated copper tracery on the top and sides. He puts them down on the table, then presses one with his finger. It begins to glow. Then he repeats it with the other.

Usagi blinks. "What are those?"

"This one's a notice-me-not, and this one's for scrying." Wait. Scrying as in magic?

Makoto's eyes narrow. "Where'd you get them from?"

"...Miss Mary."

"Mary?"

"I'll explain later."

Then Master Fives' shoulders droop, and with a huff the boy's form seems to... unravel with layers of light and glimmering sparkling mirror-bright metal splintering as the boy's skin and clothes shatters and flake and change, the glimmering shreds fading away like a dream.

And standing there, underneath all the light, is Minako.

...Master Fives is Minako.

Minako is Master Fives.

What?

What.

"What."

 

[Lunaryon]

Motoki smiles. "Hey, I can't say 'no' to two reigning champions and a brilliant newcomer, can I? I'll make sure people give you some privacy."

Despite the way that Master Fives had nearly bolted into the crowd earlier, now the boy is quiet, clasping his hands strangely, not even bothering to try and escape Makoto's grasp.

As the three enter into the little private booth and close the door, Makoto drops down onto one of the seats, leveling a look at Master Fives. "So... I thought that you were too busy to come with us to the Arcade today," Makoto says.

Finally, after a moment of standing there, shifting from foot to foot, Master Fives sighs, and speaks one word. "...Right."

...Then his shoulders droop, and with a huff the boy's form seems to... unravel, layers of light and glimmering sparkling metal splintering as the boy's skin shatters and flakes off, the glimmering shreds fading away like a dream.

And standing there, underneath all the light is Minako.

...Master Fives is Minako.

Minako is Master Fives.

Usagi has known Sailor V for years now?

What?

What.

"What."

Weakly, Usagi slumps into the booth's other bench seats, leaving only Minako standing in the cramped floor space between the booth partition and the table. Usagi looks up, eyes wide, staring at Minako. Her brain struggles to try and understand what she's seeing. At the same time, Makoto's lips part in alarm, and her head whips round towards the windows of the booth.

Minako laughs, but it's a nervous, awkward-sounding thing, not at all like her usual cheerful and confident tone. "Don't worry." The girl says, tapping one of the two gently glowing round devices she left sitting on the table. "The notice-me-nots will keep anyone from looking in so long as the door stays shut. It isn't their problem, they'll think. They wouldn't even notice if I took my shirt off and started dancing."

Usagi can see the blush blooming on Makoto's cheeks. Given how warm her own face feels, she can bet that she's matching it. It doesn't help that the words have brought forth a particular image in Usagi's head. Makoto chuckles nervously, unable to meet Minako's eyes.

"...Please tell me that you've never actually tried that," Makoto begs weakly.

"Of course not! But it'd work," Minako says. For a moment, she comes close to regaining her usual chipper smile as she lightly bounces one of the probably-not-actually-a-hockey-pucks in her hand, then sets it back down. The smile that the youma back in England seemed to be afraid of. And remembering Minako like that, all gleaming eyes and devil-may-care... It takes Usagi another few moments to try and push the thoughts that she is having into the back of her mind for later and focus instead on the many, many, many questions that she has.

Usagi has a lot of questions, but there is one thing that she needs to ask before anything else. Because the moment that this thought crosses her mind, she can't help the small frown that starts to pull at her lips. "I thought you said that you didn't want to come with us?" Usagi asks, pinning Minako in place with the sharpest stare that she can.

And the facade cracks.

Minako winces, almost as if struck by a physical blow, wobbling on her feet. Her shoulders fall, and she slouches a little, even as one arm comes up and across her chest, holding onto the elbow of the other arm. "I..." she starts to say, before pausing. And both her friends can tell that Minako doesn't have the slightest idea of what to say.

"I... I said no," She admits softly, "But after you guys left I... I changed my mind. I didn't want to be all alone in the office again." Those words only barely seem to make their way past Minako's lips, as if admitting that is the hardest thing that she has ever done.

"So instead of just admitting that you changed your mind," Makoto starts, raising an eyebrow from her seat against the wall, "You decided to... Well, transform yourself into Master Fives and come in secret?"

When Minako says nothing to that, Usagi gives her a short, sharp look. "When I said that I wanted you to spend a day without transforming into Sailor Venus, this isn't quite what I meant."

"I... What would I have even said?" The girl asks, and it takes a moment for the real meaning to sink into Usagi's head. Because come to think of it… Usagi can't think of a single time that she's seen Minako back off from a decision. Any decision she's made. It occurs to her that maybe the only thing that Minako knows how to do, when interacting with other people, is to just keep doubling down and muddle through somehow.

Part of Usagi wonders just why that is. Another part of her that wonders who taught her to think like that.

Right. So she's going to go and talk with Minako's parents tomorrow. So on top of all… this… what the what Master Fives is Minako what... it would be a good idea to try and learn what kind of family Minako had before becoming Sailor Venus. And start trying to find some way through all that, and everything that goes with that. Because if today has taught her anything, it is that sometimes she might just need to step up and be the Princess for Minako. Someone who steps up to make sure that the girl's life is in order, since it seems that the Senshi of Venus doesn't know how to handle some things. Usagi's not sure she likes thinking this way, but Minako seems to need it right now, so that's what she's going to have to do.

"Oi!" Minako says, trying to pull herself back under her usual confident mask. "I don't know what you just thought there, but the look on your face-"

"She's probably thinking of the time that we brought a building down on top of ourselves." Makoto says, before sticking her tongue out at Minako. "Maybe that should have been a sign that you push things too far."

"You were right there beside me!" Minako argues, which really isn't nearly as much of a defense as she thinks it is.

Usagi stares up at her friend for a moment, leaning forward in her seat. She can feel a subtle energy flickering in her eyes. And that energy's enough to shatter whatever control over herself that Minako is struggling to keep. Minako's face reddens again before she looks away from Usagi.

"So..." Usagi says quietly. "Were you always Master Fives? Or just today?" Minako winces, sighs, and slumps into the seat beside Makoto, not willing to look at either girl for the moment.

"I... Yeah." Minako says softly, turning to look at Usagi with a weak smile on her face. "Always was. Back then... Things were different." The soft, almost wistful tone that Minako speaks in drives a dagger into both the other Senshi's hearts. Each of the Senshi has known that Minako hasn't been handling things the best since they returned from England, and they've all tried to do their best to help. But without really knowing the problem, it's been difficult to solve it.

And now that Usagi has finally found a chink in the girl's armor, she isn't going to stop until she finally figures out what is troubling Minako, and what she can do to help.

"This started back before Artemis, before the Dark Kingdom, before Sailor V." Minako says quietly, "Mom and Dad were pushing me to get better grades all the time, and it was... I'm not very smart."

Makoto moves to interrupt, but Usagi raises her hand in a staying gesture. She wants to tell Minako that she isn't dumb too, because Mina is one of the smarter people that Usagi knows. But that isn't what Minako needs to hear right now. That won't help them understand why she's doing the things that she's doing.

"You say that your parents were pushing you?" After a few slow blinks, Minako nods.

It's hard not to break the long silence, but Usagi knows that they need to hear this, in Minako's own words, specifically. She'll need that to be able to say anything that actually means something to the other girl.

And Minako is quiet for a long time, taking shuddering breaths as she tries to collect her thoughts. It hurts to see one of her knights like this, but Usagi is going to do everything that she can to fix this. "So... I don't want you to get it mixed up." Minako starts with. "I love Mom and Dad, and I know that they love me too... But…"

She struggles with her words for a moment. "Mom... Mom always..." Minako starts, then shakes her head. "Dad. Dad was always busy."

Part of Usagi wonders why Minako tried to start with her mom, then turned around to talk about her dad instead. There might be something there, perhaps.

"So… the thing is that Dad has an important job." Minako says.

"What does he do?" Makoto asks. A long trailing silence follows that question.

"Dad... He works for the Sustainable Happiness Organization, doing... Well, I don't really know. Something about total quality alignment slices or something. He's barely ever at the house, and even when he is, he never seems to have time for anything other than eating or continuing his work. But it didn't matter how busy he was. Dad was always there when I had school things. He was there for every parent-teacher conference..." Minako's words almost start to drift before she takes a breath and refocuses. "He was there when I made the class play, and he even stopped in for every culture festival."

There's something about that way she says that, as if she's trying to convince herself rather than the other Senshi. And once again, Usagi wants to reach out to the other girl, but she knows that she interrupts Minako now, she'll shut down again. And the next chance to try and learn what caused all of this may not come for a long while. Usagi is drawn from her own thoughts as Minako knuckles down and starts trying to explain things again.

"Then... Then there's Mom." Minako's voice hitches; she struggles to keep talking. "I was always closer to Mom than I was to Dad; he was always so busy... Mom. Mom loves me, I know she does." Again, her voice cracks and Usagi wants nothing more than to pull the other girl into a hug. "But Mom... Mom's always worried so much about what other people think of her, worried about what our neighbors or whoever else thought was right. It was… for the best. But because of that... Mom wanted me to be the best that I could be… Better than I could be."

She sighs slowly, looking away from her friends. "She wanted me to be a lawyer, or, well... A politician. Someone whose name would be heard all around the country, someone everyone would know. So she just kept pushing me. Of course, there were cram schools, but Mom didn't want people to know that I wasn't smart, so instead she tried to help me with my homework herself."

"At least at first... After a while, she started to seem so tired, though. First like she was carrying me. Then like she was dragging my dead weight up a mountain. And so finally, when I came to this arcade for the very first time... I just wanted to get away from it all. No more school work, no more grades and tests and memorization drills and I just... I wanted to get away from it all. To go somewhere else, even if only in my head. And… It worked!"

And for the first time in several minutes, Minako actually looks like she's happy thinking of something.

"I was just having fun. Just having fun. And I wanted to show all the boys that I was good at games too. So I came up with a cool screen name to make it clear that they were getting beaten by a girl. Mistress. M-S-T-R-5."

Usagi nods, completely understanding both the reason why Minako wanted to do this, and the name itself. It's a cool name, after all. Usagi wouldn't mind being called a Mistress by someone some day after all.

"But then, after a while, I started to hear people talking about a Master Five. I thought that there was some new player in the arcade that everyone was on the lookout for. I guess they didn't realize that the 5 was supposed to be an extra S, and they thought that it was some mysterious boy who was ruling the arcade. I didn't know what to do." Minako admits. "So I just... went with it."

"Which is why you were always wearing that hoodie and the baseball cap!" Usagi says. Things start to come together.

"Yeah... And well... Dressing up as a boy is a lot easier when you're ten. I just had to make sure that no one could see too much of my hair, and the hoodie stopped anyone from getting a good look at my face. But that doesn't really work now." Minako glances down.

Oh.

Right.

Usagi's face goes warm again before she manages to shake the worst of the thoughts from her head. Or at the very least push them back into a little spot that she pretends isn't there.

The three of them sit in silence for a moment. Makoto glances between the other two, a bit of a smile on her face. A smile that gets a little sharper as she turns a bit in her seat to face Minako. "So, Mina, what's it like, being on the other side of the fence?"

"Pardon?"

"What's being a boy like?"

The tension in Minako's shoulders slides right off. She seems, somehow, comfortable with the direction of the conversation. Usagi isn't sure if she is fascinated by the fact that this is the question that made Minako more comfortable, or if she is fascinated by the reaction itself.

Minako smiles. "I guess one of you was going to have to ask that. Well... If nothing else, it's nice being a few rack units taller. Not that I have to tell you that," Minako says, grinning up at Makoto.

Makoto scowls. "Rack units sound like you made them up."

Seeming almost serene, Minako shakes her head very slightly. "You'll figure it out. You are talented. And tall. Lucky."

Makoto's lips compress. Across the table, Usagi shrugs. "Whatever else is going on here, she does have you there about the height thing, Mako."

"Okay, I get it about the height thing," Makoto says, before shaking her head. "But isn't it… uncomfortable?" Makoto struggles to find the right words for what she wants to say. "I'd imagine that it would feel... weird, being a boy and like... having... You know."

The question is a bit deeper than Minako expected, and she clearly thinks about it seriously. "You know... I don't think that I really ever thought about it like that. I never really worried about anything. At first when I was little and just playing dress-sideways it didn't matter, of course. Then, once I became Sailor V and got the compact... Well..." The girl pauses and rubs her forehead for a moment. An awkward look crosses her face. "I mean... well... Like... With the compact, that... 'You know' is... it's there. Um. So that does make things different. But that doesn't mean that it feels worse, or wrong or anything. When I'm a boy, I'm just… a boy, you know?" She shrugs.

Hearing that makes Usagi pause, head tilting to one side. Something occurs to her for the first time. "Does it feel better for you than being a girl?"

Minako opens her mouth, about to say something, then pauses. She thinks. She thinks, and she thinks. "Sorry, you just reminded me of that one youma, at the hotel. Because that's why he didn't want you to change him back…"

"Ohh!"

That would explain it, you suppose- and why Minako treated the youma's reasons as a secret, come to think of it.

"But that's that youma, not me. I think that if it did feel better than being a girl, then I would have felt bad when I stopped. Because I did stop. I never was Master Fives during the time that I was traveling to reach England. I did disguise as a boy here or there once in a while to make traveling easier. Some places are really, really sexist about some things." She scowls. "But once I got to England, I never used the Compact after meeting the Spellblades."

"This isn't the first time that you've mentioned a compact." Makoto notes. "Is that how you transformed?"

Minako nods, reaching into her pocket and pulling out...

​

Well, the oddest-shaped compact that Usagi has ever seen. The thing is horribly shaped for trying to actually hold makeup or anything like it, and any mirror that would fit inside would be so thin that it wouldn't give a useful reflection.

"This is the Crescent Compact," Minako says, "With it, I can transform into pretty much anyone that I can think of. But I didn't use it in England after I met the Spellblades. Artemis wanted me to keep a spare tire in the well in case something went wrong. Even later, it wasn't as if I'd need to turn into a policewoman or a nurse or anything. The Spellblades and all the spies and the English government had a whole agency full of people who already were all those things and more. If I needed something, I could just get their help."

"And so you stopped using your compact," Usagi says. Come to think of it, she doesn't use the Disguise Pen as much as she'd imagined she might at first, either. And, in a way, maybe for some of the same reasons.

Minako nods. "Pretty much. Sure, I missed being able to go to the Crown Arcade and seeing the friends that Master Fives had. I even missed you... And I missed ho-." Minako's teeth clack with how quickly and sharply she closes her mouth. "Anyway. I missed this place. But I did play while I was in England, without transforming into Master Fives. I was glad to see that I hadn't lost my edge. But… like... I don't think I ever really missed being a boy? At least not by itself, boy-ness itself?" Then the girl pauses, lost in thought.

Usagi isn't sure what the girl just thought, but it is definitely something that she hasn't quite thought of the same way before all of this. "There are days when I wake up and everything feels so... Like I'm too big and squished down into not enough centimeters. Too… short," she says sourly. She casts another glance at Makoto; her expression isn't obviously jealous. She takes a deep breath. "And… sometimes I do think life makes being a boy easier, for doing things the way I feel like doing them."

Makoto looks at her, very intently. "What do you mean?"

She sighs. "A lot of people don't treat Master Fives the way they'd treat Usagi if she acted the same way. Sometimes it just feels like the right thing to do is to shout or push and take up space and make someone get out of the way or talk a lot about something really interesting that girls aren't supposed to care about, except I know they'd give me trouble about it… But they don't, so much, if I'm being a boy. I think that's part of why I started getting in trouble in school after I became Sailor V. You ever feel like taking someone you know is a bully and bouncing them off a couple of walls?

And Makoto's expression is glassy, bright, and brittle, to your total unsurprise. "In a word, yes."

"Yeah… Well, let's just say a lot of the stuff I started doing got me in as much trouble for being 'unladylike' as for what I did. I bet I could have gotten away with, uh, maybe half of it if I were a boy…" Minako looks thoughtful, then regretful. "Nah, would have caused more problems than it solved."

Makoto takes another deep breath. "I know exactly what you mean. Well. Most of exactly what you mean."

"Oh…" Minako looks at her more carefully. "Wait, you too?"

"I have a permanent record as long as your arm." Makoto sighs. "For a lot of reasons, starting with Nerima camera perverts being just the worst."

"Oooh. we should trade stories! But, um. Anyway, here at the Arcade… Usagi, do you remember that weirdo last year who yelled at you when you took the high score on three games in the same week?"

"Oh… him." And Usagi does. She really does. Ew. He accused her of being a boy in a dress. Seriously!?

Minako nods. "Yeah. I think all the shouting at him and shoving wouldn't have worked as well if I hadn't been Master Fives. He didn't bother you again after that, did he?" Her eyes narrow.

"Wait, I never heard about that. And, uh… no, he didn't." Come to think of it… Usagi doesn't remember ever seeing him again.

And both Usagi's friends speak as one, with very similar expressions on their faces. "Good."

Usagi's blinks. "Wait a minute… this would have been when you were already Sailor V, right? You didn't, uh…"

"Well, he seemed pretty sorry after the shoving and shouting from Master Fives. So I… decided against following him out of the arcade, turning into Sailor V, and beating him silly. Though I think I regret that decision now, now that I think about it."

Makoto nods. "I know what you mean."

"Yeah…" Minako sighs. "Well, if he left you alone, then I guess it's good enough. And I might have really hurt him that way."

Makoto sighs. "I guess."

"But you asked, Usagi, and… I think what it comes down to is that there are a few things I like better about being a boy than being a girl, but… now that I actually think about it, they're things about being a boy or a girl, not… being a boy or a girl. Like people expecting you to do this or that. Or being too short."

And Usagi puts on her best inner princessly light. "I promise that if we find safe 'make people taller' magic I'll tell you. Also, you never know, you're probably going to grow a bit more, right? I hope I do…"

Usagi looks down at herself. She doesn't have that same feeling Minako talked about, of being too short, but it's kind of awkward and sometimes she wishes she could learn Makoto's levitation trick so she could just float a ways off the ground and reach all the tall shelves.

There is a long silence, before Minako smiles. "...Thank you. And… Um. That… reminds me… I should probably mention this…"

Minako doesn't look like she really wants to mention this.

"Is something wrong?"

"Well, it's sort of about some of the things you've already said, and some of what happened earlier. And. Um."

"Um?"

"Well. Something has definitely changed about being Master Fives. It's been... different since I came back?"

"Oh?" Usagi asks, tilting her head. And somehow, without knowing how she's done it, Usagi realizes that she has gotten revenge for each stammer and blush that Minako has managed to draw from her over the rest of the conversation.

Because Minako goes red. Redder than red. Like her head has just become a tomato.

"..."

"......"

"........."

There is a moment of silence. Usagi and Minako's eyes lock together. Makoto waves a hand in front of V's face.

" 'Sagi, I think you mighta broke her brain somehow."

Finally, with all the grace of shattered concrete, Minako manages to mumble out "You're actually really pretty, Usagi."

Makoto makes a sound, one that Usagi doesn't recognize in the least, not that she is paying that much attention, because those words have frozen her.

"..."

"......"

"........."

"I... Thank you?" Usagi starts to say, ignoring the way that her own face is starting to go red. It doesn't help that Makoto is glancing back and forth between the two blushing blondes, doing her dubious best to try and keep all her amusement in check. Usagi finds herself staring at Minako, and Minako stares back, until the girl manages to wrench her gaze away.

"I... Okay, I... I should explain." Minako stares down at the table. "When I was just dressing up as a boy, I... Well I had a crush on Motoki. He's cute, okay?" Minako sounds far more defensive than she really needs to. Usagi gets it perfectly. She nods.

It isn't something that she's finding herself feeling as much these days, seeing him as something... else. She's she's not sure exactly why, but the heat that she once felt for him has cooled a lot. Even so, that's still something that makes sense in all of Minako's ramblings.

She goes on. "But then I became Sailor V, which meant that I had the Compact. And I... uh... I started actually being a boy when I was here, not just dressing as one. When I did that I just, I basically stopped having that crush on Motoki." The girl says. "Like, I still thought he was so smart and mature and all these things that none of the boys at school were, and that made me really like him. But when I was Master Fives, it didn't seem to matter the same way. Instead he was just, the coolest. I wanted to be just like him. Honestly, even when I wasn't at the Arcade, and I was me, I could remember Motoki, and thinking him really cute. But close up, as Master Fives, that went away, even if I could remember feeling it before which was really weird by the way. So Maybe it had something to do with being a boy?"

"I'm guessing that you started to have a crush on a girl instead, then?" Makoto asks, one hand at her chin, eyes closed, with her face unreadable even to Usagi.

"Actually... No." Minako says. "It just... It wasn't the same. Back then, girls seemed kind of… not really interesting, either." She explains. "I didn't really notice anyone the same way like that... At least at first... But since I came back... Well... I mean... You know..."

Makoto's eyes narrow, staring at Minako suspiciously. "You don't mean the same 'You know' that you meant earlier, are you?"

Minako squirms, her blush getting all the brighter again, and Usagi hadn't thought that was even possible.

"Well, now something has changed. Like... It's different now." Minako hisses out, "I haven't used the compact in nearly a year, and I haven't had to be Master Fives for even longer. But... Usagi?" Minako says, despite the fact that she is very studiously not looking in Usagi's direction. "You can trust me when I say this... You're really pretty. And leaning all over people like you do definitely gets their attention."

The room goes quiet again, as Usagi struggles to try and understand what Minako might mean by that. There's one thing that she might mean, but she can't possibly mean that... Right?

Right?

There has to be an explanation for this that makes more sense that what Usagi is thinking in this moment, because what she is thinking just...

Makoto on the other hand is carefully watching the nervous girls for a moment before her eyes seem to light up, an idea clearly appearing. Usagi can't even begin to overstate how happy she is to realize that someone at least has some idea of what is going on. "Minako... You said that it's been months, right?"

"Yes?"

"And do you think of becoming anyone in particular when you transform into Master Fives?" Makoto asks.

"No?"

"Well... Then if the Compact works like Usagi's pen, I guess that would make Master Fives roughly equivalent to you then, right? The same age and all?" Makoto posits.

"I... think so?"

Makoto grins evilly. "Well then... I think that your secret master gamer alter ego has become a man while you've been away, not being him."

"What?"

"I think he hit puberty."

"Oh. Oh! Ohhhh! Yeah, that... That would make sense. Um."

The three continue to sit there. Makoto is peacefully silent now that she has figured out what is going on. Minako, meanwhile, is obviously trying to wrap her head around the emotions that she seems to be implying for her princess... Emotions that don't seem to be quite as gone as she thought that they would be, now that she has transformed back from being Master Fives.

Meanwhile Usagi is quietly trying to figure out what she is supposed to do about the fact that one of the many pretty people around her seems to have feelings for her. At least some of the time? And… does she have feelings for Minako?

Well, yes. Obviously. But are they that kind of feeling? Usagi just isn't sure, and she doesn't have the slightest idea what she is supposed to do then. Like, yes.

Girls can love girls. Girls can love boys. Boys can love boys. Boys can love girls.

Each and every one of those are real and true and honest, but that doesn't mean that Usagi knows what to do when faced with someone who seems to love her that way.

This is not helping Usagi stop blushing, to say the least.

Finally, Minako lets loose a long huff of a sigh. "Anyways, it's not like it matters how Master Five feels about anything." The girl says with a sigh, hunching forwards and resting her head on her arms on the table. "I... Did I ever mention what happened right at the end, back before I left Japan?" Usagi and Makoto glance over at each other. Neither girl can remember her saying much about this. they shake their heads. "I'm cursed. Actually and really cursed." Minako continues. "To never find real love. Phantom... The commander of the Dark Agency did it to me. Nearly a year ago..." It takes a moment of silence before Minako can lift her head, and there is a moment where the girl just looks to be utterly broken.

Shattered, almost.

"When I mentioned it to the Spellblades, they looked for evidence. There were these spinning glowy circles, and machines that went 'ding' when there is stuff. The machine went ding. There is the stuff. I'm cursed. It's science. Nothing fixes it." Minako says, and there is a moment where Usagi wants to just grab the girl and shake her. Shake her until all the stuff that makes machines go 'ding' falls out of her. She resolves to try Moon Healing Escalation later.

"So..." Minako continues. "the last thing that I should be doing is dating anyone at the moment. Not even thinking about it. Boys, girls. Whatever. Thankfully there's that whole 'saving the world' thing to keep us busy, so I don't have the time for anything like that anyways. Just this…" For a moment, there's a sharp bitter sarcasm to her smile. "Taking an afternoon to relax at the arcade, playing all the silly pointless games..." Then Minako blushes again, even as she scowls, obviously trying to push the thoughts away again. "That was as close to being normal as I should let myself get... But now even that seems to be too much."

It hurts to see Minako like this. It hurts to hear her sounding so dejected, so strained. So broken by the things she's gone through. There has to be something that Usagi can do to fix this.

Well, there's at least one thing she knows she can do. If there's one thing that Sailor Moon's good at, it's breaking curses.

Pushing herself up to her feet, Usagi leans forward closer to Minako. "Well since I know that you aren't an idiot…" Usagi starts, quickly putting a finger against Minako's lips when she starts to open her mouth, "I'm not done talking." Usagi says simply, feeling a sudden intake of breath past her fingertip.

Minako just nods very slightly, very slowly.

"You are not an idiot. So you've already tried to wash your curse away with that rain spell of yours, right?" Minako starts to open her mouth to answer, but seeing the way that Usagi frowns harder, the girl just nods instead not saying anything. "See, not dumb." Usagi says again.

She doesn't know how many times that she'll have to keep saying this. Probably, she'll need to get the rest of the Senshi all together at some point when Minako isn't there, just to tell them all to keep telling Minako that she's not dumb over and over and over again, until the girl has no choice but the accept the truth.

"Still... I'm Sailor Moon." Usagi says simply. "There may be curses out there that I'm not strong enough to handle, yet. But I've been able to peel through most of the ones I've seen on my own, and Rei can burn through others. So you should have come to us." Usagi says, pulling back her hand and crossing her arms. "And even if we can't get the curse off, there are other things that we can try. The tea pot that Naru uses is supposed to be able to cure any curse, if you have the right ingredients. We could swing by the doctor there and see if they know anything. Then there's Jadeite. If there is anyone who might know how to break a Dark Kingdom curse, it would be him."

Usagi throws these different options past Minako quickly, watching the way she flinches just a little with each. It looks like Minako has never thought of any of these, and given how she talks about herself... Minako is probably calling herself an idiot inside.

"Okay, no. I've had enough of you thinking like that." Usagi says, despite the fact that Minako hasn't even said anything yet. "We're going to break that curse, even if it means that we have to travel all the way around the world. Or several worlds. And I am going to show you that you are not an idiot." Before the girl sighs. "But proving that to you is going to take some time, and it is going to take practice. So this is an ORDER from your Princess." Usagi locks eyes with Minako. "At least twice a day, you are going to tell yourself that you are smart. Do you understand me?"

And she looks into Minako's eyes, in that moment seeing right through to the part of Minako that wants to say no. The part that thinks she's wrong. Also to the part of the girl that has never had someone look at her the way that her princess did right there, and that, right now, would be willing to do whatever her princess asked her to do.

"Yes Ma'am." Minako whimpers out.

"But more about that is a conversation that belongs somewhere a little bit more secure than a booth in an arcade." Usagi says with a sigh. "Even one with no-noticing magic. So let's put talk of curses on the shelf for the moment, alright?"

"Yeah..." Minako says softly. What's been said so far has clearly left her exhausted. Pushed to the point of struggling to even know what to say to anything. There's more that Usagi wants to talk about. She wants to try and understand more about Minako's family. She wants to know why the girl hadn't pressed to try and talk to them again after they refused to even see her... But those are questions that might push Minako to the point of running off.

Likely back to the Crystal Millennium building... Even so... Usagi doesn't want to push Minako further than she can handle.

---

The next day...

Usagi thinks back to the way that the conversation ended yesterday, the way that after everything had been said and done, the Senshi had decided that perhaps they were just done with the Arcade for the day. That everything had been too much, and that they needed to rest.

Minako turned back into Master Fives, to avoid any funny questions, and seemed to rally a bit then. Somewhat. Which is a part of why Usagi that wishes she had the power to simply reach back through time and smack past Usagi. Because here she is, standing before the doors of the Aino Household, and having not demanded more answers from Minako... She doesn't have a plan.

Though come to think of it, that may not be entirely because of not having enough answers.

Anyway. Plan.

That is something that Usagi needs right now. She needs a way to handle all of this and make the problems go away.

But for now... The question simply comes down... How does she want to try and handle the Aino family?

[ ][Aino] How do you approach the Aino family?

 

[Lunaryon]

Usagi thinks back to the way that the conversation ended yesterday, the way that after everything had been said and done, the Senshi had decided that perhaps they were just done with the Arcade for the day. That everything had been too much, and that they needed to rest.

There is a part of Usagi that wishes she had the power to simply reach back through time and smack past Usagi. Because here she is, standing before the doors of the Aino Household, and having not demanded more answers from Minako... She doesn't have a plan.

That is something that Usagi needs right now. She needs a way to handle all of this and make the problems go away.
But for now... The question simply comes down... How does she want to try and handle the Aino Family?

Spoiler: Winning Vote

[X][Aino] Go as Usagi. Say that Minako is currently staying with us for now, and we want to hear the parent's side of the story. If we are refused at the door, threaten to go to the police to report them for child abandonment.
[X][Aino] Plan Actually Plan
- [X][Objective] Figure out why the Aino family doesn't want Minako back
- [X][Team] Artemis, Sakurada, and anyone they recommend.
- [X][Preparation] Confer with team to develop a more detailed plan
- [X][Preparation] Remove NDA if possible
- [X][Approach] As Usagi, friend of Minako, and ask to hear the Aino parents' side of the story

...Actually, wait...

How do I want to handle the Aino Family?

Usagi pauses for a moment, quietly wondering. Is that really the most important question she could be asking right now? Because, yes, it's an important question that needs an answer. It isn't the only question she has. And as Usagi spends a few moments carefully tracing her eyes over the characters of the nameplate, she starts to think that she might be approaching this whole situation from the wrong angle. Handling the family can come later, if it ends up being something that needs to be done at all. Instead, Usagi needs to take that little step back, and stop thinking in terms of how.

What she needs to know now are the Whys of it all.

Why did Minako's family do the things that they did?

Why would one of her own parents slam the door in the face of a child who has been missing for a year?

Why wouldn't they have at least contacted the police to remove the still active missing child report?

Why don't they want someone who is as kindhearted and strong-willed as Minako back?

And why haven't they tried to reach out to Minako, to try and understand what happened in the weeks since they first turned her away?

The family that Minako described to Usagi wasn't perfect, but it is was a family that loved one another, even with all their faults. A father who Minako rarely saw, always so busy with his work, yes. But even so, she talked about how he always managed to make some time for her when important things happened, like class plays and parent-teacher conferences. And even less important things that mattered to her, like culture festivals. That sounds like a father who may have been flawed, but still one who at least cared.

And Minako talked about a mother who was there for her, kissing booboos and helping the girl with her homework, a mother who baked when her daughter was feeling down. Of course, Minako also spoke of how much her mother cared about what was proper and what was right in the eyes of others, how she held Minako to the highest of standards, probably too high. High enough that her disappointment hurt Minako. But even that doesn't sound like the kind of woman who would cast her own daughter out and slam the door in her face without even giving Minako a chance to try and explain herself. If only because such a dramatic rejection would only make the family stand out all the more from everyone else, would never be really proper.

Isn't it proper that parents care for their children?

Usagi thinks about it all for a moment more before shaking her head. She isn't going to find her answers just standing around and watching the house. If she's going to try and make any sense of what's happening with the Aino family, then she'll have to be the one to take this first step. Minako is hurting, lost after being turned away, and she can't bring herself to try again, not when it means that her family might hurt her again. And her parents... Well, that is the gist of why Usagi is here. Usagi doesn't know why the family isn't reaching for their missing daughter.

But even as Usagi walks up to the house, part of her wonders if she might be going too far by stepping in like this. That she might be crossing some kind of boundary that she shouldn't, betraying Minako's trust by going and speaking with her family so soon after the conversation that the Senshi had yesterday at the Arcade.

Not that Usagi is going to let her worries stop her from doing what she feels has to be done. Even the deep, distant parts of the Princess in the lowest parts of Usagi's mind completely agree that stepping in and taking action is the right way to do things. Usagi needs to act, for her Sailor Venus, for her Minako, for her friend who is hurting. Her friend who has been rebuffed and can't understand why, who doesn't have a home anywhere anymore, other than a thin cot in her office at the Crystal Millennium building.

...Minako doesn't have a home outside of the Crystal Millennium building. Now there's a thought. There's an extra room in the Tsukino household. It's been used for temporary things, now and then. Mom's talked about using it more permanently as a painting room; Dad's talked about turning it into a proper study for years now. But nothing has ever come of it. Honestly, it wouldn't be that hard to turn it into a bedroom, and that would give Minako something better to sleep on than a cot...

...No. Not yet, anyway. Part of Usagi selfishly wants to show Minako what a real family is like. Pull her in with people who would accept her for who she is, instead of casting her aside like the Aino family has. But Usagi knows that even starting to set that up without talking with Minako first would be overstepping that boundary. As things are, Minako has a family of her own, even if they have decided to try and hide from her. So... not yet.

At least, thankfully, Minako seems to be feeling a little better now that she's actually taken a full day off from being Sailor Venus. Though even that's just a stopgap measure. Something has to be done about the girl's family for Minako to ever move on and be happy, one way or the other.

And it is that decision that's led Usagi to where she is now, with only a few stops on the way. Usagi glances up to the awning over the front of the Aino porch, where a familiar white cat sits with a carefully thoughtful look on his face. Artemis gives Usagi a sad nod, unwilling to look the girl in the eyes. Then he glances down the street to where Usagi knows that the Superintendent is waiting.'

Spoiler: Word of the Liege | DC 22

USAGI == 1d10 + Lrn vs 1/2(Sailor V Pro) = 8 + 18 = 26 vs 22
[SUCCESS]

And wasn't that just a revelation and a half...

Earlier this morning, Usagi pulled Artemis aside and explained the general idea of her plan. It was actually Artemis's idea to go and grab the Superintendent for all of this, because...

Well, because it turns out that the Superintendent knows that Sailor Venus is Minako Aino.

Usagi isn't sure how to take that discovery. At the time, she just sat quietly for a moment before asking Artemis to explain a little more. The more Usagi heard, the worse it sounded.

Artemis had been worried that the Dark Agency might have been able to infiltrate the Police Station in order to try and turn the police against Sailor V. And that while doing so, they might have learned of the connection between Sakurada and Minako. And used that to learn everything that they could about the girl... like the identities of her family.

So Artemis managed to convince both Minako and Sakurada that the only reasonable course of action would be to tie the superintendent down with a binding magical oath to keep Minako's identity a secret, no matter what.

That...

The nicest word Usagi can think to describe that plan, she decides, is 'short-sighted.' And not just because of the problems that have risen up now. There was a very good reason why Usagi refused to let Luna hypnotize Naru and make her forget Usagi's secret, in that first week after she became Sailor Moon.

Because the greatest weapon that Usagi has is trust; she knows it all the way down to the deepest parts of her soul. And trying to work around having no trust comes at a price.

For example, it was more than a little awkward at first, trying to talk with the Superintendent about Minako and her family. Artemis had wound the geas around Sakurada very, very tightly. She couldn't tell anyone, not Minako's family and not even Sailor Moon who already knew, how she knew Minako, or what the girl was capable of, or where she was from, or where she is now. All of these things brushed up too closely to the bindings that trapped Superintendent Sakurada.

It was somewhere there, during the conversation, that something rose from the depths of Usagi's mind. A whisper and the softest of touches, as part of the Princess that Usagi once was pressed a memory into the girl's head.

Artemis may have been the one to set the words, terms, and conditions. But it was the superintendent's honor that forged the chains, and a tiny fragment of Minako's power that acted as the lock.

Sailor V is Minako Aino is Sailor Venus. No matter the shape, and no matter the form, Usagi is Minako's princess. Usagi is Minako's liege.

Spoiler: Sliver of Silver | DC 40

USAGI == 1d100 + (Releasing the Burden) = 1d100 + ( (26 - 22) * 10) = 12 + 40 = 52
[SUCCESS]

And as Minako's princess, as Sailor Venus's liege, it is within Usagi's power and her right to take this burden. So she reached out, not only physically but with every part of herself. Thin wispy fingers of glimmering magic slid across the top of the lock that rested in Sakurada's soul. A lock that seemed so similar, and yet so different, from the one Usagi saw when she once restored a Spellblade-turned-youma in a London parking lot.

The lock around Sakurada was so much simpler than the one that Usagi saw before. Though she doesn't quite remember how she remembers so much about it, she recalls that Spellblade's lock in remarkable detail. Sakurada's lock was far less sophisticated and less granular. It had fewer layers and loops. It carried no special protections of its own with it. It was far, far less capable of flexing with the situations around the policewoman.

But while Sakurada's lock was simple, that simplicity came from a clarity of purpose, a clear, flat edict that gave it great strength to hold fast against all intrusion and maleficence. It might be possible to break this with raw magical force alone, but it would be very, very hard.

But she has more than that.

Spoiler: Eyes

USAGI == 4d100 / 3 = (81 + 14 + 35 + 47) = 177 / 3 = 59
Sliver of Silver : 606 → 665

Fingers of magic grew more real as the upturned crescent on Usagi's brow began to blaze. Superintendent Sakurada wide brown eyes stared into Usagi's, as rainbow-fringed silver glory built between them, as the words spilled from Usagi's lips.

"Natsuna Sakurada, you have borne the weight of Minako's secrets and pain upon your shoulders. You and she have been hurt by the bindings you agreed to. In the name of the Moon, I release you." And with a tightening of a fist, the lock binding Sakurada's words shattered in Usagi's grasp.

The bindings came free, sliding loose of the Superintendent's soul, and once more she was free to speak her truth and her mind. Even to go so far as to reveal Minako's identity if need be. The way that it should have always been.

And that left Sakurada free to advise, free to offer to help. And very, very much wanting to.

Spoiler: At the Door | DC 21

USAGI == 1d10 + Dip - Looks like Minako - Don't Know You - Mentions She who is Gone - This isn't Proper = 7 + 23 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 = 7 + 15 = 22
[BARE SUCCESS]

It wasn't all that long ago that Minako tried to speak with her family, only to be rebuffed at the door. She was turned away and left all but forgotten by her family. Minako... She tried to do this all on her own, as if the Senshi wouldn't glad help to lighten the burden. In fact, Usagi herself feels far more confident trying to talk with the Ainos knowing that she isn't alone. She knows that she has friends and allies in her corner to bolster her efforts. Artemis made it clear that he was going to be here for this. Something that he said with the saddest, most pained look that the girl had ever seen on the Mao, that he needs to be here for this. To start putting right what has since gone wrong. Even so there isn't a lot that Artemis can do at the moment, not without revealing the truth of Minako's myraid masks to the girl's parents, and that just isn't something that Usagi will do. Not without speaking to Minako first.

Though if Usagi is going to be honest, she isn't sure that the same can be said for the superintendent. Sakurada has a lot of options at her fingertips that Usagi simply doesn't have, and there is a part of Usagi that is a little nervous about that. Truthfully, she knows that she doesn't need to worry about that because the only reason why the superintendent would even be brought into the conversation is if things are already starting to go badly. Even so, Usagi knows that bringing the police in is an escalation - One that Usagi doesn't want to use if she doesn't have to.

Taking a breath, Usagi raises a hand and quickly knocks three times. The wood shudders under her strength with each impact. Huh. The door itself looks rather expensive, but it seems almost... fragile, shallow and cheaper than it looks on the outside. Stepping back, Usagi waits for a moment...

And another moment, and a third, before finally the inner door swings open, and there stands a thin tall man who looks at Usagi with wide, shocked eyes.

​

He hesitates for a long moment, face blank, lips slightly parted, then visibly draws in a breath "Yes?"

"My name is Usagi Tsukino." Usagi says simply, and somehow just those few words seem to bring a wave of relief across the man's face. "I'm a friend of your daughter's-" and some, only some, of the tension comes back, "-and I was hoping to ask you some questions."

Silence. Longer silence. Strained stare.

"I... I don't have a daughter." The man says, haltingly, starting to close the door. Then his voice picks up speed. "I'm-sorry-please-leave."

"We both know better than that, Mr. Aino. Minako is staying with my family right now." Usagi says, not quite lying, but not telling the truth either. Artemis and Luna are all but family now, after all. "And she says that you wouldn't even speak to her," Usagi continues, locking the man down with a sharp glare. "And I can keep this up all evening. Knocking on the door over and over."

"I'll... I'll call the police..." The man says, but he has stopped, with little if any conviction left in his voice, and a worried look on his face.

"And what would the neighbors think of that, Mr. Aino? Just let me in, answer my questions, and then we can both go our separate ways soon enough." And that turns the tide. The man glances away, closes his eyes for a long moment, and sighs. Stepping back, he allows the door to swing the rest of the way open.

"Very well." the father of the Aino family says, bitterly, angrily. "Come on in."

"I'm sorry that it had to come to this." Usagi says truthfully, looking at the man with a quiet look of her own, "But you know Minako... She can be very stubborn." There was a part of Usagi that had hopped saying that would break some of the tension, and help clear the air between the two before the most complicated part of all of this started...

No dice.

It looks like this conversation is going to continue to be as... difficult as Usagi had feared.