Scene #1529: Reading You In

Owner	Pose
Usagi Tsukino	It starts with a text message, sent on April 31st, six days after they escaped the portal and two days after Usagi's argument with the Outer Senshi, that which could fairly be called a breaking of ties, at least for now. Usagi TXT: minako-chan Usagi TXT: are you free after class?
Minako Aino	A message recieved, a message sent back, Minako's phone boops and so Usagi's would return with a little cute emoji of a cat giving a thumbs up. Almost certainly a quick shot back message, given she was almost certainly in class before the message is sent back properly. Minako TXT: I'll be there. Where do you want to meet up?
Usagi Tsukino	Usagi TXT: My dorm will work. Usagi TXT: Need privacy for this. And thus does the rest of the school day go, with Minako aware that Usagi wants to meet up with her, and equally aware that it must be something serious, if they can't meet up over lunch. When the day is over, Usagi is waiting by the dorm building, greeting Minako with a little smile that doesn't disguise the seriousness in her eyes.
Minako Aino	Eventually Minako would be spotted, the blonde girl with that ribbon in her hair an easy enough sight to spot, bright as she'd seem casually and friendly to most. Of course, Usagi knew her well enough to know there was more beneath her surface, as much as there was from the princess herself. "Usagi-chan," she greets, that 'frown' in the eyes clearly spotted. "Are you alright?"
Usagi Tsukino	"I'm fine," Usagi says, quick, easy, and then pauses, and then considers, and then says, "As fine as can be expected, I guess? How about you?" Minako is given a once over, Usagi looking at her carefully, checking to see if there's any sign of lingering trauma, or trouble, or problems, from the portal... and all the while, she's guiding her up to her dorm room. They have to climb a few stairs, and Usagi doesn't even complain about it for once, just leading the way until they're at the door, and she can open it and confirm they're alone, because Naru had club today, and Luna was planning to haunt Ami-chan tonight. Once the door is securely shut, she turns to Minako and says bluntly, "I had a fight with Meiou-san, but really it's a fight that I'd probably have with Tenou-san and Kaiou-san, so I'm on the outs with the Outers. There's something important going on, and they've been keeping it to themselves, and that's why we fought."
Minako Aino	"As good as can be," Minako offers, a smile given. It was the smile of the friend, the girl that was born to protect and reassure her princess. Though even as she might will to put on a brave face, Minako -was- truly comforted by the presence of their friends, of Rei-chan...it helped. A lot. "What?" Shock was plain on Minako's features. Sure, the Senshi didn't know the outers like she knew the Inner Senshi from their past life...but she knew them in this life, was there for the 'awakening' of some of them and... "That doesn't make sense. With everything we're dealing with, why wouldn't they tell us?"
Usagi Tsukino	Minako's smile is warm and reassuring, the smile of a friend, and that's why Usagi hates to strip it away from her, like this. "This is a secret, capital S, and I'm telling you and Mako-chan and Rei-chan. Ami-chan already knows, Mamochan already knew, because Meiou-san told him she would tell me... but it should stay only that far. This is a secret for just us Senshi. No one else, none of the rest of our allies can know." It's a serious warning, but then, Usagi is pretty good at keeping secrets herself, when she wants to. She'd kept her nightmares to herself, she'd kept the truth about her and Hematite from her Senshi, so she knows what it takes to keep a secret, and it's consensus and ''communication''. "They've been hiding a girl named Hotaru Tomoe. Her other name is Firefly. We're pretty sure her ''other'', other name is Sailor Saturn."
Minako Aino	"Only us Senshi? Luna? Artemis?" Minako questions, moving deeper into the room and trying to find a seat for herself, an unspoken invitation for Usagi to do the same rather than just lurk near the doorway. Minako's arms cross, a self-hug given as she tilts her head to the side. "Hiding a Sailor Scout? I mean...why would they do that? Especially one we don't know.."
Usagi Tsukino	"Luna and Artemis count, they're like - us, they're on our team, and I don't know about you, but I can't really manage to ever hide a lot from Luna," Usagi grimaces at the thought. SHe'd managed to hide Hematite from her, barely, mostly by virtue of her not meeting him often and thus not recognizing his scent. "But not the Shitennou. I don't trust them enough for this. This isn't for them, it's for us." She likes them, mostly. Especially Kazuo-kun. But not enough for ''this''. This is about them. This is about trust. "I was wondering if you remembered anything about her," Usagi says with a little sight, "I don't. I mean, I've searched my memory, but I really don't... Luna does, though. I talked to her, and once I told her the name, a bunch of stuff came back to her - "Sailor Saturn is the Soldier of Death and Rebirth. She's the last Senshi that was in our court, and she's - she was hidden away, and she had to sleep, all her life, because her power can destroy the world, all at once."
Minako Aino	Even then, that first secret didn't really stay secret and it had been a...thing. Still, things had seemed to work out at that time, and for now Minako would follow the requests of their patient. "A senshi that can destroy the world? Do they...think that she will? Is she...an evil Senshi? We've met magical girls before who were 'on the other side'..."
Usagi Tsukino	"I don't think she's evil," Usagi says, carefully and surely, "I think she's very strong, and I think she has a power that's just... that's practically beyond this world. But I don't think she's evil, by nature. With her, Meiou-san called it the Silence Glaive, she can eradicate all life. Apparently... Mother designated her as a final fail-safe. The Outer Senshi could awaken her, if everything went wrong. She... they woke her up, after we all died, and she did just that - ended everything, and that's why everything could eventually be reborn." She wants to be careful about this, because as frustrated as she's been, it's not entirely at the idea of Saturn, herself. "Like they said in One Piece, I don't think it's a crime to exist. And if she was like... anyone else, I'd feel a lot better about it. And, technically, we don't ''know'' that she's Saturn, we can't know, I think, until she awakens, but it seems pretty likely to ''me'', given Kaiou-san was having apocalyptic visions about the whole thing, and the last time Firefly freaked out and tried to kill me, it was after I called her Saturn."
Minako Aino	"I don't remember her...I don't think your Mother ever told me in the time before." Minako offers softly, exhaling a breath and unclasping her hands. "So...we're worried that now that she knows who she is, or if she gets more...saturn-y, that she could resort to destroying everying?" Horrific, the idea that after all of their battles everything could be erased, especially with the recent memories of the Kingdom's end so fresh for all of them. Her eyes lift, fixing on Usagi's own as she steps closer. "Well Usagi...what do you want to do?"
Usagi Tsukino	"Luckily, I don't think she knwos who she is. I don't think she's awakened at all. And I don't want to hurt her, or lock her away, like Mother did. I just... I don't know what to do, except hope she never awakens at all." She grimaces. "Because yeah, Firefly has... she has not made a good impression on me. And I know I don't want the person who came screamning and swinging at me to also be the person who can end all life at the drop of a hat." It's not her choice. She knows that. But she can hope that she's wrong. "For now, I think the biggest problem is... she's also the daughter of some director in Obsidian. And he's looking for her. And since she's living with three Senshi... I think we need to be careful, to make sure that we can help, if they get caught and attacked - but also that our ''own'' identities aren't ever compromised to her. Who knows if she'd decide to tell her dad, if she ended up back with him?"
Minako Aino	A nod comes, slow as it was. She undersood, she thought the same clear idea on how they should go forward. Ever the soldier, the bodyguard, Minako considers for a while. "Do you think she's a threat?" she considers, "That she might decide to go to her father if she learns about the Outer Senshi and out them? Out any of us?"
Usagi Tsukino	"I don't know," Usagi says frankly, "I know I don't like her, and I know that sounds kind of petty, but - nothing good has ever happened, when I met her, as Firefly. I thought... I thought I liked Hotaru, but now I wonder if any of that was ''real''. It sounds like... Meiou-san made it sound like she lived a pretty sad, pretty bad life, and they think she's finally gettting to be a kid. I think - she probably ''is'' happier, with them. I'm not like, mad about that, you know? But... we don't know her. And there's a lot of danger attached to her. I think we've got to be careful."
Minako Aino	"Careful," Minako repeats, a nod of her head, the young woman considers. "Always. We've got your back Usagi, and we all look out for each other. If Meiou-san, the others, are at odds with us over this than that sucks, but we'll do our best to keep all of us safe." Did they have a concrete plan? Well, no, it doesn't seem so. But the weight of it all wasn't lost on Minako as she moved closer, a hand lifting to Usagi's shoulder if permitted. "I'm sorry this has happened, with everything else going on, Usagi-chan."
Usagi Tsukino	"I don't want you to feel like you have to pick my side, just because I'm your friend," Usagi admits, "I mean, I like that you're on my side, but I don't want you to feel like because I'm having a fight with them, you have to be too, or like you can't decide to ... like... Hotaru, just because I don't. You're your own person, you know? I don't want to dig a chasm just because they opened up a rift keeping a secret." They don't have a concrete plan. But they have shared information, and - She doesn't move away from Minako's touch; if anything, she leans in a little, looking tired. "Me too. I just - I really thought.... I guess it doesn't matter. I was wrong. They didn't trust us, with important information, and I'll just... try to remember that. And be better than that."
Minako Aino	"I'm on your side," Minako nods, "because I agree with you, not because you're my friend. I mean, you're my friend Usagi-chan, but that's not the only thing. If I -do- end up liking Hotaru, that'll be on her, but I also need to know what she can do. The risk she poses to the people I care about...The whole picture." A hand shifts, a one-armed hug given before she exhales a breath, bumping her head against Usagi's own. "I have no doubt that you will Usagi. You've never let us down..."
Usagi Tsukino	"...thank you, Minako-chan," and she's hugged back, that one armed hug returned with a two-armed one. "I just... I needed to let you know, you know? So you could decide what to do. So we could all, decide what to do. It's a serious situation, and we have to keep it a secret... but it shouldn't be a secret from each other. We should be able to ''trust'' each other. So I decided to make sure you had what you need, to trust me." Because that's what it comes down to. More than affection, more than love - it's trust.