1032/Personality Clash

Personality Clash
Date of Scene:	21 January 2024
Location:	Casa del Outers
Synopsis:	After the encounter with Riventon and Firefly, Sailor Mercury insists that Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon join her in a trip to Setsuna's house to ensure they are all right, as well as discuss the incident. Some tensions arise before dinner, and more information is sought by Setsuna and Ami.
Cast of Characters:	Ami Mizuno, Mamoru Chiba, Usagi Tsukino, Setsuna Meiou

---

Ami Mizuno has posed:
While Tuxedo Mask/Mamoru had the ability to heal them, Mercury insisted that they make a visit to Casa de Outers to visit Setsuna. Maybe it was being raised by a Doctor but she wanted to make sure that they were cleared in a mundane manner as well as magical. Plus there were other things that needed to be discussed.

A quick text to Setsuna to warn her of their arrival was shot off, and shortly after Sailor Mercury lands gingerly from her leap into the back yard that was thankfully obscured from neighbors by the treeline that had been set up around the perimeter to hide any strangely costumed individuals from being noticed. Stepping to the side she glances back toward the others while she carries her bags from the bookstore. THOSE were not going to be left behind. "Thank you for coming along. I know I may be worrying needlessly, but I think this is important."

With that said she moves to the house to knock gingerly on the door frame lightly.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"It's important to tell her about the problem sure yes, and if it makes you feel better obviously you should get checked out," Tuxedo Kamen half-whispers, landing lightly and almost noiselessly behind Mercury. Aww is he sulking? He's totally sulking. He is 1000% sulking. "Next time you don't trust me, just go ahead and call me Hematite again."

Oh wow he's really sulking.

It's probably displacement, he just had to face off against his brother and Firefly almost killed Usagi and Ami and he helped Zoisite set Riventon on fire and Ami doesn't trust his healing--

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Of course we're coming along," Sailor Moon says easily, "Suna-san always has the best snacks." Tuxedo Mask's sulking gets a quick hand squeeze for comfort - "I'm sure it's not like that, Mamochan! We know we're all better, I mean, I don't even have any new bruises! The real reason to come is because we've got to tell Pluto about Firefly."

He likes Firefly, so she's pretty sure all of this is a lot harder for him than it is her... even if she and Mercury were the ones who got strangled. It's a different kind of hard, see? Her shopping bags hang from her other hand, the clothes inside mercifully intact despite their brief abandonment.

Still, that doesn't mean she likes him sulking at her friend, especially when she doesn't mean anything by it! And yet, her tone wasn't full of censure, just matter of fact.

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
When the text came in, it found Setsuna channel surfing while waiting for a show.

UNFORTUNATELY, Setsuna sprang for the REALLY REALLY GOOD package with a bazillion channels...which means that there's EVEN MORE nothing on.

Thus, when the alert sound rings, the mistress of the house reached over for the phone with one hand, still watching the screen as she leaned over to where she'd dropped her phone on the other end of the couch...right until something...UNIQUE appears on the screen which brings her surfing to a screeching halt.

On the screen was what appeared to be a theatre stage, occupied mainly by a chorus-like group of women wearing too much makeup and too little clothing, all of it garish. One similar woman was sprawled on the stage in a position of supplicating fright, at the feet of a tall, broad-shouldered man in an incredibly loud suit and ridiculously wide hat. This man glared angrily down at the woman for a moment, drew a breath, and boomed out in an impressive tenor voice:
    o/~ "Bitch, where is my money? / I need it right away! / I have to go to HMV and buy some Doctor Dre. / Bitch, where is my money? / There can be no delay! / I have to buy a new pimp suit at Zellers or The BaaaaAAAAAAAY!" o/~

Which is followed by a thud and 'ow' as the woman reaching for her phone slips off the couch in confusion.

After a few moments of trying to contemplate what's going on, she finally just turns the TV off, stands up and collects her phone, absently rubbing her nose.

She takes a minute to check her texts, then sighs and tosses the remote onto the couch and heads back to her workshop to grab her kit.

So when Sailor Mercury taps on the door, it's quickly opened by Setsuna, who waves everyone in and heads down the short hallway into the kitchen where she grabs her phone, hits a speed dial button and says, "Hey, Mister Terios...you're on phone tonight?...Yeah, yeah...doing well. Uh-huh. Yeah, unexpected company. Call it an extra four. Yeah, just charge it to my card. Thirty minutes? Fantastic. You're a lifesaver, Mister Terios. My love to all of you. Jaa."

She then turns around, revealing that what looked like a dark-colored dress before is in actuality a ridiculously oversized t-shirt that's simply long enough to FAKE being a one-piece dress. This one's a very dark blue and features a D20 prominently showing the 1 face with the legend 'Do Not Ascribe Agency To The Polyhedron'

Looking over the three, walks closer to look at the damage, then tilts her head, "...okay...what happened? Because while I can tell you girls have been through the wringer, I'm not seeing any evidence of the chokeouts that SOMEONE was trying on you."

A glance is sent over towards Tuxedo as if to silently ask 'your handiwork'?

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Sailor Mercury looks really, truly apologetic when Tuxedo Kamen mopes at her in such a way. She pauses, stiffening as she regards him. "I will never call you that. That isn't who you are. But being cautious is who *I* am, so I apologize if that upsets you. The readings I got..." While being strangled thank-you-very-much, "Were worrisome-"

Wait, what was that music inside? She barely has time to contemplate it because the door opens revealing Setsuna. Whatever she was about to say to Tuxedo Kamen is forgotten as she just mumbles, "I'm sorry," before rushing in at Setsuna's urging.

As soon as she's inside she reaches up to tap the side of her ear again so her Mercury Visor slides back into place reviewing the data she'd gleaned from the encounter.

"Thank you, Setsuna-san. I think they know more of what's went on," she adds only to mumble, "I need to look over some data." The books she carried are plunked down, bags crinkling in protest at being over-full, and she slips her computer out of pocketspace to begin downloading from the visor to it.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Tuxedo Kamen's shoulders droop a little, but he also looks considerably less sulky when Sailor Moon tells him it's not like that, and then he has the grace to look faintly ashamed when Mercury starts apologizing, and he's opened his mouth to say something else but Ami's apologizing again and the door's opening and he looks like he's been caught red-handed being a jerk--

--that kind of grimace-face of self-cringe--

--and then Setsuna gives him that look and he flushes bright red. Because he was being cranky about it and Setsuna immediately called it, and ohhhh he lets out a breath and squeezes Usagi's hand too. He just nods.

And then he says, "... I'll uhh. It was going to be just a stupid youma fight but got complicated. Prehensile hair complicated." He looks at Usagi like, help, and then something else registers and the extremely fancily dressed boy asks hurriedly, "Oh my god are you getting curry?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Mamochan healed us after Firefly tried to strangle me and Ami-chan and smashed us together like dolls she wanted to make kiss," Sailor Moon reports, looking between her two dear friends with an expression of 'can't we all just be friends' woe. Still, she looks up at Setsuna with a serious expression.

"She didn't react when I called her Saturn, but she was also freaking out about a bunch of stuff, including that she's dying and that Zoisite almost set Riventon on fire, so," a little shrug, as she makes her way into the house after Ami, dragging Tuxedo Mask along because she's still holding his hand.

"Suna-san, can we have curry?"

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna nods to Tuxedo, then blinks and makes an 'ewwww' face for a moment, "Prehensile hair? Ick... DEFINITELY good work...the tensile strength on some hair can be HUGE."

She points, "I only knew they'd been strangled because your healing apparently doesn't do cosmetic, so the scuff marks are still there...but I'm not seeing ANY of the bruising or hearing the throat damage that there almost certainly was before. So good job."

She then smiles, "And yeah, I'm getting curry. Khorma's, like, a kilometer or two from here? Plus Miss Terios the younger is a good friend of mine and they had us over for Christmas Morning. I've got them on speed dial and they have my card on file."

She then raises a hand to cover her mouth to conceal a giggle at Usagi, then gives her a hug and kiss on the top of the head before doing the same to Ami and giving Mamoru a pat on the shoulder, "Yes, Usagi-chan...you can have curry, too. That's why I ordered it, in fact. While your beau here seems to have done a bang-up job healing you girls, the energy has to come from SOMEWHERE. So I've got food coming."

She shrugs, "I'd been meaning to get something to eat and this saves me having to try to cook."

An absent glance is given at the kitchen, then she points at some of the stools around the island, "If you all could get us set up, I'll grab some silverware and plates for when they get here."

After a moment, she snaps her fingers, "Oh, and you should probably all de-henshin. It's unlikely that Rashmi-chan will be doing delvieries."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Sailor Mercury was feeling guilty after Tuxedo Kamen's remarks, and maybe just a bit in need of some comfort. For her that meant throwing herself into her current task at hand. The information that is streaming to her laptop, running across her visor. For a moment the world around her fades out of existence as she just focuses on studying and trying to translate the information into terms that make sense. The call for curry is missed.

At least until Setsuna snaps her out of her trance with the hug, and kiss to her head, bringing her back to the room in general. Blushing just a bit at her own distraction she nods quickly. "Right, yes, we should now that we're safely inside."

The computer is set down and she takes a deep breath allowing her transformation to shift off of her with a little shimmer of magic disapating. She's left in the cute clothes that Makoto and Michiru had helped her pick out. The black turtleneck, the blue skirt, and the tan beret jauntily posed atop her head. The tan coat worn is shrugged out of to hang up heading for the familiar hooks on the wall as if she's been here a few times.

"Oh, you can both hang your coats over here," she offers with a smile to her friends. "Thank you for dinner, Setsuna-san. I'll get the table set if Usagi-chan and Mamoru-san want to relax." A way of apologizing perhaps.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Feeeed the teeeeenagers, yes yessss. Mamoru unceremoniously drops his henshin when advised to and tells Ami, sotto voce, even as he's being tugged along behind Usagi, "Sorry. I shouldn't have said that, out there. I know you didn't mean anything. I'm sorry."

Then he bows to Setsuna. "Thank you. For the curry and the kind words."

Under the henshin, he's apparently wearing a t-shirt with cartoon scientists in a cartoon lab with a big speech bubble in English that says 'Science is real!', and jeans and a black leather blazer-length jacket, but still dress shoes. Maybe he just needs to feel fancy.

With his free hand, Mamoru adjusts his glasses. He's perfectly willing to help if Usagi's willing to let go of his other hand.

"Did you get any readings on Firefly's glaive before she crushed it?" he asks Ami. "Because I've never seen a knife that can't kill, before. Just in this one SF story I read a long time ago... wait, no, that's not the important part here, is it. Riventon can't possibly believe you killed Cyprine anymore, now, Usako -- he saw what happened to her this time. Did she get the prehensile hair last time?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Dropping her transformation, Usagi's left wearing one of her usual outfits - a long ruffled white skirt and a pale green collared shirt, with a jean jacket for added warmth. She does not release Mamoru's hand, but does nod approvingly at the apology.

Good! Friendly friends!

The news that she is definitely getting curry is enough to have Usagi releasing Mamoru's hand and grab Setsuna up in a hug of yaaaaay!

"Wonderful! And - I don't think she had prehensile hair, before, but she didn't - she killed Cyprine and then she just, collapsed. This time - she lost it on us first and then she went all cold-blooded killer on us."

She shivers, remembering that terrible smile.

"She's worse than Sunbreaker."

Loaded words, from her, to this audience.

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna frowns a bit, "...Cyprine was killed by a ROUNDING ERROR."

She heaves a sigh, "...and given what Michiru has been Dreaming...yes...I'm fairly certain that we're going to have to worry more about Saturn waking."

The frown turns into a scowl, however, "...wait...her hair? And the glaive was CRUSHED, you say?"

She opens her mouth to say something else...then blinks suddenly and stands up straighter, "...hangon."

With that said, she turns and strides quickly down the other hall towards the front door...where she opens the door to reveal the Khorma delivery driver standing there, hand raised to knock on a door that isn't there anymore.

Before the young man can react, she's reached over, taken the bag from his other hand, slipped a few yen notes in between his knuckles, patted him on the head, "Excellent timing as ever. Have a good evening."

And then she closes the door on the confused young driver and walks down the hall back into the kitchen with an exceptionally large delivery bag...and she quickly starts setting out an assortment of the more popular items from the Khorma Chameleon menu...though a sharp eye will note that she seems to have snagged a spare container of butter chicken for herself, "Everyone dig in. I made sure to get extra."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami Mizuno plucks up her SilMil computer, the tiny thing, to hold in hand. Even outside of her henshin it was available when she needed it. Right now she needed it to have close by even if it was just for the sake of comfort. It's clutched to her chest almost protectively while her attention turns back to Mamoru listening to the apology, and she finally offers a soft smile.

"Thank you. I didn't mean to imply I don't trust you, Mamoru-san. I just..." Her gaze drops down to the computer clutched to her chest. "Yes," she starts simply, "I got readings."

The sudden disapearance of Setsuna to the door spurs her into motion to head for the kitchen to pull out the plates, and silverware. At least she knew where it was. It's all brought over to set out so it's available by the time Setsuna has returned.

Slipping into a seat she draws a deep breath. "Actually. I haven't been able to fully review the data and interpret it yet, but..."

Here she hesitates, glancing up to look around at the others. "It may not have been Firefly that attacked us."

The rest comes in a rush, "As I said I haven't had time to properly analyze and review the data, I'm just speculating at this point. The power output was so very different. Not just stronger. Different."

Her lips purse together tightly as she admits, "This is why I wanted to come here after as well. I remember reading about some medical cases where individuals with split personalities can actually present as having different physical abilities and ailments, going so far as some personalities having allergies while the others don't. I wonder if the same might be true for her."

Even as she's sharing what she's begun to theorize about Firefly she's reaching out to start loading some rice and curry on her plate before it ends up vanishing into the endless teenage maw that is Usagi. And probably Mamoru after that energy he spent to heal them.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
With his hand freed, Mamoru moves seats around as suggested, and does any table-setting that still needs to be done -- which probably isn't any but just in case -- and he offers Ami a small smile in return. "I know you didn't." A beat, and then his eyes twinkle. "I heard what you called Zoisite, by the way, that was hilarious."

Then the conversation's getting serious and the food's arrived, all at the same time, and Mamoru slides into a seat and waits for everyone else to load up their plates before he does. This also gives him the opportunity to frown a little at Usagi's words -- he can't argue that, and he won't. It's just-- he knows Firefly.

That wasn't Firefly anymore.

He listens to Setsuna, waits while she gets the door, and then says, "She crushed her glaive in her hands after attacking Usako and Ami-san with it. When she really lost her mind..."

He glances at Ami as she speaks, then, and tilts his head slowly. "I mean... that's not something I would have thought of, but that's because I spent a couple of years with my guys variously getting possessed by a demon and worn like edgar suits. But I'll absolutely agree that that wasn't Firefly. The temper loss was, and so were the terrible arguments, and so was the crying-- she really is a lonely little girl and her father is a piece of work; she's carrying enough emotional damage to set her back a few years socially. But this was a transformation. Her hair grew."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Does it really matter?" is what Usagi wonders, and that might seem callous, but - "I purified her, and all it did was make her angrier. You both saw it. Whether it's actually Firefly - or something like what was in Zoisite and the others - she's killing people. If Ami-chan and I hadn't of been in henshin, we probably would have died, the way she was trying to smash us around. She's not like the rest of them."

The rest of their enemies have been playing the same game as them, functionally. This - Firefly has been something else. Firefly has been someone else, a monster worth having nightmares about.

The food is welcome, and she heaps a portion onto a plate, settling into a chair and going to town on the food, yawning halfway through a huge bite and choking when food goes down the wrong pipe.

"Aargh, ow, ow... she transformed. And she was something else. We should keep trying to purify her, definitely, but... I mean, sorry, I'm sorry she's going through all of this but... she might be their most valuable player, only they can't control her and we can't predict her, or what the jerk who came up with 'sparkleskirt' will do next."

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna serves herself out some of the butter chicken she'd gotten for herself and frowns more, "...crushed her glaive...?"

She's still stuck on that, apparently.

She then gets a moderately confused look, "...okay, so on the one hand, this is EXTREMELY worrisome...but at the same time, somewhat LESS." There's a pause as she takes a moment for a few bites, then gestures with her chopsticks, "...because if that's Saturn and as bad as whatever this THING is that's possessing one of US...her being ABLE to crush her glaive means that things aren't NEARLY as bad in at least THAT aspect."

She shakes her head, "Because if she'd had the ACTUAL Silence Glaive, we'd have had no chance...but that she was able to destroy it means that that WASN'T the true Glaive."

Another few bites, "The REAL Silence Glaive that Saturn wielded is an artifact on scale of the Garnet Rod or the Gates, and only slightly behind the Silver Crystal. It's functionally indestructible."

The taller woman goes silent for a few moments as she thinks, "...frankly, I'm not sure WHAT this is. It's not as simple as just corrupting one of us...what happened to Usagi shows that even if that happens, we don't stray too far from our motifs...from what you're describing...this...this is something else."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"It might matter," Ami responds to Usagi gently as she reaches out to pat her friend's back while she nearly inhales her food. "Don't talk while eating, Usagi-chan, you eat too fast for it to be safe." Which was true. She's not trying to be mean just. Trying to avoid having her choke a second time tonight.

"Ultimately it may not, but if we think this is Saturn, it may become important in how we need to rescue her. Otherwise..." She trails off glancing down to her food. The rice and curry are mixed up so it's going to all be one delicious bite.

At least she knew the answer about the glaive which causes her to glance up. "Oh, Riventon was bragging that he created the glaive to help her stay alive? I'm still not certain what's killing her. There was *a lot* of dark energy of course, so that's a possibility. But, you are right, Mamoru-san. It was a complete physical change. If she's been through as much trauma as you say, it's quite possible her mind may have fractured and created a persona that acts as a protector or fighter when she just... Can't cope any longer."

"Though the dark energy may have twisted that quite a bit to be the cold blooded killer we faced."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"We can predict her a little bit," Mamoru says practically, after his 'itadakimasu' and a reasonable-sized bite of lamb korma. "In that if you don't go after her emotionally she's less likely to turn into a monster."

He thinks for a second. Then, "Also if she doesn't see Neptune's attacks, and if Zoisite doesn't say whatever he said to her when he set her off this one time, and probably a bunch of other things in that vein. Which means kid gloves and eggshells to avoid Hair Lady until we get it figured out, right?"

Mamoru stirs his rice in the sauce and looks at his bowl, slouching a little in his seat. "Negative emotions really ramp up dark energy, and her Device -- the glaive -- yelled about dark energy as she started freaking out. So dark energy triggers it, right? And right, yeah, Riventon built that Device for her." He looks up. "Notably, she can't go in the Dusk Zone, it makes her sick somehow. That's why Riventon spent so much time charging up a long-range teleport instead of just stepping them both into the Dusk Zone."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Ami gets a hand flapped her way, though Usagi doesn't speak and eat anymore. She eats, slowly, and considers what everyone is saying - "The device freaked out last time, too, but nothing else was the same. It said something about suppressing her dark energy, but I think it actually managed to stop her, before. Maybe she wore herself out when she murdered two people."

She just feels like not enough attention is being paid to that part of this, while they're talking about all of this. In fact, she's pretty frustrated by the whole thing, because -

"The last time she went off, no one went after her emotionally at all. So we can't predict her, because this was totally different. This time, she got angry and went nuts, last time she was snatching a heart crystal and again, you know, murdered two people while they begged for their lives."

In front of Usagi. Who tried and failed to save them. WHo couldn't do anything but watch.

Again.

What's the point of being Sailor Moon if she can't help people? What's the point of a new life, if she still has to watch people die in front of her?

"She wielded that glaive like she was born for it. Like it just - fit perfectly in her hand, never mind she was throwing a temper tantrum."

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna hrms, shaking her head...and then she blinks and straightens up very suddenly."

She looks around at the assembled people, then at her food.

After a moment's hesitation, she starts hoovering her food down like she's trying to catch up to Usagi's rate of consumption, then she looks over at Ami and frowns.

After a moment, she sighs, "Ami-chan...I hate to ask, but I've just had an idea and time is a factor...unfortunately, I'm going to need your help...or precise directions, the Mercury Computer and it's scan function to find the remains of Firefly's Device."

After making that declaration, she steps aside a bit, raises her hand and says, "PLUTO PLANET POWER, MAKE-UP!"

And with her Henshin Pen held high, her form dissolves into an outline of 'cosmic nonsense' that is quickly obscured by a self-contained wall of wind that parts shortly after to reveal Sailor Pluto.

She then looks over at Usagi and Mamoru and says, "If you're as tired as you look, you're welcome to crash here. The couch pulls out out into a futon, and there's bedding in the closet around the corner."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami Mizuno scoops a bite of the curry finally after giving it suitable time to cool. It also gives the others time to talk without her butting in with her speculation. It's Usagi's remarks which earn a look of apology from her. She was focusing a bit more on the current problem at hand as she saw it, and not the history that Usagi had lived through.

"Usagi-chan, I'm sorry. I know she's dangerous and you went through so much. I just tend to focus on what's in front of me a bit sometimes. That's not fair to you."

That's the best she can offer, really, and she glances to Mamoru as if asking him to help her out. Right about then is when Setsuna starts to shovel food in, and she pauses giving a firm nod.

"Ah, of course! I can help with that," she assures only to similarily shovel several mouthfuls of food into her mouth by lifting her plate up to scoop it in and just gulp it down, carefully avoiding the larger bits she can't just SWALLOW. At least until the end when she takes one last mouthful and inhales it in a way that was equally as impressive as what Usagi can do. The plate is lowered again.

"Oh and the bathroom is down the hall, third door on the right," she offers helpfully to the pair if they wanted to stay. "I kind of needed to find it last time I stayed," she mumbles with embarassment.

The Mercury Computer is scooped up as she moves to join Setsuna. "I'm ready! I wonder if I can get a scan of the Dusk Zone sometime as well, if she has issues with it. It may offer some explanation." Her transformation pen is pulled out as well to call out, "Mercury Crystal, Make Up!"

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Silently, Mamoru puts his food down and reaches over to put a hand over Usagi's. He doesn't say anything out loud, there's just-- warmth. Apology. Focus. Belief.

He looks up at Pluto, and then Mercury, and he nods and offers a wry smile. "Thanks. I'll text around to let people know I'm not dead and then crash, since you said it's okay."

Ami gets a grin, quick as it is. "Thanks for that, too. We'll be all right. Go have fun."

A beat; he looks at Usagi with his eyebrows up. "Unless you want to go with them, in which case I'll waste away but probably survive."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
The offer of a futon might as well be a prediction of the future, because it's where Usagi is going to end up. The way that Mamoru grabs her hand - the rush of feeling that that offers, the trust and faith, the love...

Between that and the apology from Ami, some of her tense frustration wafts away.

"I'm - sorry. I know you're just working on the problem and - trying to fix things. And it would be good if we could help her."

She's just - tired. Drained. And if she doesn't have that stupid nightmare about Shingo again, she just knows it will be another one about Firefly, and Cyprine, and now, getting strangled.

So when Mamoru looks back, as if she was possibly going to leave -

"Nuh uh. They can have fun on their own. We're going to sleep, and then we're having breakfast at a cafe."

A little wave of the hand. "Have fun, Ami-chan, Suna-san!"