2015/Motorcycle Mechanic Meeting

Motorcycle Mechanic Meeting
Date of Scene:	23 October 2024
Location:	Radiant Heart Academy
Synopsis:	Amy and Usagi meet up with Hinoiri as she's working on a motorcycle club project and the three talk about life, magic, fashion and anything else that crosses their minds.
Cast of Characters:	Hinoiri Kirara, Usagi Tsukino, Amanda Faust

---

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara was out front of the school, wearing a tank top, pants, and a lot of oil. She seemed to be working on... something. A project? She'd been there with the motorcycle club earlier, but most of them had already left, though a few were working on their own projects. She was just a... well... an over achiever.

The project, currently, seemed to be taking apart and rebuilding a piece of said motorcycle. But she wasn't satisfied just taking it apart. Nope. She had to understand all of the bits and pieces, really get her hands in the work. Which was why she had a lot of grease and was working on so many different bits and pieces, sorting them out, taking more apart, wiping the oil off on her rag... Just doing her mechanic stuff. Also, it helped keep her mind clear and relax, since her mind was focused on... other things.

Flaming cat things.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi Tsukino isn't in the Motorcycle Club - she's not in any club at all, actually, but she's passing through the parking lot, and when she sees Hinoiri, covered in grease and working, she pauses and smiles, stopping by.

"Hey, Hinoiri-chan! Fixing your ride?"

She has no idea what any of those pieces are, so she's staying at a bit of a distance, worried about slipping in the oil and ruining everything.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    A just-passing-by Amy glances this way because someone who's covered in oil stains is an unusual sight outside of the auto shop and it is, well, a look. Once, she thought ill of such things grabbing her attention, but she's coming to understand that this is not what she once thought it was and something closer to, although not always exactly, 'that is a good look can I pull it off?' Maybe less exactly in this case. Amy doesn't have aspirations of being a mechanic, but if she did she'd rather look like that than the last time she had to handle any greasy mechanical parts.

    Also: That's Hinoiri! Amy hasn't had a chance to talk to her in awhile, and now Amy's noticing what seems to be a dissassembled motorcycle laid out before the girl, and Usagi's here too!

    All that goes through her head in less time than it takes to read, and she smiles, waves, and walks over. "Kirara-san! Usagi-chan! Long time no see! What's going on? Something happen to the--" No, it's completely disassembled. This isn't troubleshooting, this is... "...Damn. You know, I've never met someone who could actually completely disassemble a vehicle before."

    She considers that thought. "...Well, okay, I've probably met a few people who could, but I've never seen it done. So uh, is this the... Which part is this?"

    She seems less concerned than Usagi about getting close. Amy looks at the pieces, and at the rest of the motorcycle, trying to figure out in her mind from general scientific knowledge and some half-remembered bits of reading a basic explanation of how cars work, what she's looking at and how it all fits together.

    Such knowledge, it turns out, isn't really very helpful at that.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara glanced over at Usagi and shook her head. "Nope, working with the club on how to take a clutch, putting it back together and whatnot. Don't worry, this isn't from my bike, it's just parts the school supplies. Don't worry, the rest of the bike isn't here, it's just something I'm making sure I know how to work perfectly. It's relaxing, too."

She picked up a piece and started polishing it, before affixing it to another. "So, what brings you two out here? Wanna get your hands dirty? It won't bite, honest." Pause. "Well, unless one of my ex-coworkers come on by, but I'd hope they'd grab one of the actually working vehicles, not the pieces of the pieces."

"Some magical do-hicky you two need examined, or a more social visit?" Pause. "Oh gosh you're not about to tell me the motorcycle club's muffler's got dark energied again and are going to go on a rampage, are you?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi immediately hops back half a step as Hinoiri offers, putting her hands up. "Not even a little bit. I'm clumsy, remember? Just because it's not your bike doesn't mean I want to risk breaking it."

She offers a little smile, the corners of her mouth turning up.

"I'm heading to Mamochan's new place for a bit, gonna hang out with him some. It's not ready yet, but we've been messing around with the design, you know?"

Probably not - most contractors don't let the client get hands on and mess around. Amy might remember the new place being mentioned when Sailor Eclipse and Casual Friday were out and about, but Usagi doesn't know if Hinoiri's heard yet.

"I just stopped to see what you were up to... anf to make sure these motorcycles didn't try to eat anyone."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    A clutch. "Your bike is a manual?" Amy's thoughts run off in various directions, one trying to visualize the drivetrain of a motorcycle, another pondering just what you use as the clutch when you've got two handlebars and the pedals are where your feet need to be all the time, a thought which makes her vaguely recall that driver's ed, so long ago, covered motorcycles as well, and didn't it involve turning a piece of the handlebar like some multi-speed bikes she had as a kid? Oh right, and there's the part you squeeze with your thumb where the brake is on a bike, that's probably used for something, wow it has been awhile since she's ridden a bike--

    And then Hinoiri says it won't bit unless her ex-coworkers come by, and Amy's thoughts all converge on remembering when she and Sailor Moon were clinging to an overhanging streetlamp while hungry motorcycles circled below.

    It wasn't pleasant, and that shows on Amy's face.

    But also why did throwing something for them to fetch work?! What is up with youma?!

    "...Sorry, the mufflers got infected? Why. Oh. To make some kind of noise monster? But wait, the noise comes from the engine, how would... nnngh, magic..."

    She nods at Usagi when she mentions making sure more motorcycles don't try to eat anyone.

    Also she mentions the new place! "Oh yeah, hey, how's that going? And um. Come to think of it, are you uh... doing okay? The two of you did threaten to take over the entire city... Or something... Honestly, I didn't really get to think about the speech before you uh..."

    she looks awkward bringing this up, "Hit me into a wall and then everything got weirder and I was really worried about Bow and everyone else who got transformed and man, I haven't talked to him about it since, either..."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara blinked a few times. "Wait, what? You two are getting a house?" What? They're practically married already, so... "Congrats, hadn't heard." She got back to loosening a bolt. "And it's fine, half the stuff comes from donations or the dumps, anyway. They figure a lot of its going to get trashed, and if we learn in the process? All good."

"Not my bike, Amy. My bike is still in the garage, this is just part of the club. Maintenance, things like that. And I don't know, wasn't my youma. Not in that line of work anymore. I'd have done it better, anyway." ... So she was still competitive.

"... Wait, what? Did something happen? Oh gosh... wait. You threatened to take over the city?" Hinoiri asked, cocking an eye at Usagi. "Okay, I feel I really missed out on something fun. What happened? Since when do you go all megalomaniac? Best be careful about, Usagi."

"Last girl who went like that ended up dead in paris, one before that nearly turned out the sun for good."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"No, no," Usagi says quickly, because this is how misconceptions form, "Mamochan bought an apartment building, and he's going to live in the penthouse on the top floor. There's going to be a cat cafe on the bottom floor. It's going to be super cute, but that's gonna be done like, maybe a month after the new place. I'm not living there, I'm just helping Mamochan decide on some of the design stuff. It's his place, for him."

It's critically important that this be understood, she cannot understate how important it is that it be understood that Mamoru is getting his own new place.

... And she groans sheepishly as Amy brings up that little spot of spiraling insanity, and buries her face in her hands.

"We weren't gonna conquer the city," she wails softly, more acting put upon than actually put upon. " We were just going to just pour all bureaucracy and paperwork and make it so that no one ever had to deal with red tape ever again at all, a fact which I can already hear causing my ancestors to wail and moan and try to box my ears."

Forget her ancestors, her Grandpa and great grandpa and uncles and basically every living relative on that Tsukino side have her head. If they found out about that little jaunt. She'd be in remedial civics ethics government forever!

"I got akumatized. Again. And I was Sailor Eclipse. ...again," she explains, for Hinoiri's sake. "Mamochan got got that time too, so he was Casual Friday, and between the two of us we sorta all of a city building into a disaster zone for a bit. But it's fine! Kazuo-kun fixed it! ...So did everyone else."

Clearly an after thought, is everyone else. Whoops!

" I guess we might not have made a bunch of sense when we were explaining everything on account of the whole, being totally out of our heads thing... Basically, The city told Mamochan He wasn't going to be able to have his building after all, and he wasn't going to be able to have his home and basically he might not be able to have it at all until he was 25 which is like ancient, I'm pretty sure that's older than Kyouka-sensei, and we both lost it. Kazuo-kun kept a cool head though, so he thought to call the lawyers."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy ohhhs at the explanation that it is Mamoru's new place, for him. There is clearly some extra importance there she's not sure the meaning of, but there are other things to address this conversation!

    Hinoiri comparing Sailor Eclipse to Beryl is a bit much, though. "She wasn't that bad." Amy interjects.

    She listens to Usagi, and in her mind's eye remembers Sailor Eclipse excitedly explaining this wasn't like X-Paradise at all and then baseball bat.

    She really doesn't hold it against Usagi, though.

    This time it is Amy's turn to listen to all of it -- and to unconsciously sigh as 25 is called ancient, even as part of her brain has to admit that in her current environment she can't fathom what her life will be like a decade from now either -- and then point out:

    "And... how exactly can you end all bureaucracy without functionally replacing the local government and regulatory apparatus? Also like. The toy people. Are gonna have accessibility needs using normal buildings and infrastructure. I just figured you'd, I dunno, slowly have turned an ever-larger area into a magical toyland weirdtopia."

    Beat.

    Amy facepalms. "...Okay, I only just realized that maybe you did not actually think that far ahead while whammied by dark energy, huh."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara nodded along as she rubbed the grease off a part, wiping all the fluids off as she got to work putting things back together. "Mmmm hm. He's getting his own place, then? That sounds nice. Never been one for those kind of cafes myself, but back home I think they had one or two. And really? Is this just going to be a seasonal thing for you? Akumatizing-- wait. Is that why you had the... you know? You got that all sorted, right? Cause I reached out, there hasn't been any movement on you know who."

Amy knew, Usagi knew, but she didn't want them talking about Hawkmoth to cause too much trouble.

"But seriously, believe it or not? That red tape is important. Sure, in the ideal world it'd be great, everything would be simple and managable. But reality doesn't work that way. It's hard to organize ten people, let alone ten thousand. And the more territory you have to manage, the more things need to be managed and maintained, things like taxes, forms, all of that? An annoying, but important, bump in the road."

She gave a small nod to Amy as she started polishing some more bits and recombining all the pieces. "I'm guessing, yeah. I actually saw a lot of that stuff up close back home. Used to hate it, but if there was one thing Sora instilled in me it was that having people like, who was it, Kazuo? Around is useful. Nobody can go through all of that stuff on their own, you need to outsource a bunch of that to manage it, otherwise it all comes toppling down like a house of cards. But the more people you have, the more trouble it can cause, so you need people managing it you can trust. And that's never easy."

"... Guess it's lucky I wasn't involved this time. I just stopped being a tiny alicorn and being a stuffy alicorn wouldn't be any better. I can only kick my roomy out so many times before she starts to push back."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi just waits a moment, and Amy comes to the conclusion herself, and only then does Usagi nod. "Yeah, I mean, all I was thinking of in the moment was like... 'I'm so angry! They're taking away Mamochan's home! They can't do that, I have to stop them!' and then the butterfly got us. And yep, that's how I ended up with that package, which has been to its rightful owner."

or at least, so the closest thing she can manage, and she trusts Cat Noir To deliver his partner her power

Hinoiri's wider explanation is all true too, and Usagi nods, not exasperated though in different times she would be.

"I know, trust me, I know. I've had a political family in both lives, and I know it's important that we have rules and all. But the rules were wrong - someone made a mistake, and that's how Kazuo-kun got the lawyers to be able to fix it."

And she rubs the back of her head.

"Yeah, I turned Bow into a winged teddy bear and Amy-chan into a transforming robot."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy gives Hinoiri a curious look as she waxes with unexpected knowledge of civics and bureaucracy. "Well. There can be too much red tape for things, and it's used to oppress the poor and neurodivergent, and minorities, but you do need organization for a large society."

    Oh right Usagi was a princess before she probably knows something about how societies are run. "Wait, your family are politicians in this life...?"

    But, Usagi brings up what is far more interesting, which touches on something she's been worried about:

    She smiles. "Yeah! You made sure I was cute, and I do appreciate that!" She looks to Hinoiri. "Bow fell off a building but. Y'know. Plushie. And then Ladybug and Jupiter helped us set up this awesome combo attack to break the Akuma!"

    "But um..." Okay, now she looks between them more seriously. And a little nervously, because this is weird to bring up and she knows it. "I um. So..." She looks away. "You may have guessed, but I always found transformations fascinating, ever since I was a kid. I uh." She glances at them to check their expressions, then looks away again. Fidgeting with her hands together. "I think it was pretty neat, getting to be a doll and a toy, as long as it wasn't permanent, even if parts of it were scary. But..."

    "Since last year I've known why I'm like that, and why other people would have a terrible time, and so I was so worried for the toy people last year, and I worry about that stuff happening to people..."

    She looks curiously at Hinoiri. "But you've been like that for this long and you seem to be doing okay? I... I dunno," she looks between them, "I'm wondering if there's something I'm missing?"

    A thought occurs: "Oh right, both of you have lived in societies with magic and there mighta been... studies on this, for all I know..."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a small nod. "Mmmm hm. That's what Hawkmoth does. The moment you get all pissy, he jumps you and starts giving you power and then, bam, you're fighting a girl in her PJs and a ladybug asthetic."

She then glanced to Amy and nodded. "Yup, it can. It takes a lot of work to manage all of that. Even in a small town there can be so much to manage that it can be exhausting just trying to keep a handful of things in order, let alone other cities on top of it. In the end, you need people you trust managing it at every step, but the more people you have to manage it, the more people you need to manage them. Then they need people to manage them, and then more people end up getting more and more involved."

"Then throw in people who are corrupt or evil and make things harder to uncover, or people who want something they think is good, but is bad, and you get all kinds of terrible people in charge. It's not easy to manage and requires a lot of work and, sadly, there's no quick fix aside from like... everyone falling apart and becoming a bunch of micro-groups."

"Back home it was even more wild, we had griffons, dragons, all kinds of species all vying for a foot at the table, and then you had those trying to play the adult in the room to a bunch of overfed, powerful and hyper inflated ego'd children and it can be a mess."

She then sighed and put the parts down, glancing to Amy. "What, in all the time you have known me, makes you suspect I am *doing okay*? I literally turned out the bucking sun. You were there for that. As for the hand and finger things? Well... Compared... to some other things... it'd not as big a deal." She started to wipe up and rub the grease off her hands, before putting her tools away. "I'm just good at adapting, I guess. When they found me back home, I could barely walk, didn't know how to do anything. Buck, I could barely speak. Then I became Sora's pupil."

"Now I'm here, like a brand new reset on everything again. I got lucky, had some people come through and fix things so at least I wouldn't be exported. Still miss being a unicorn, but... well... there's some good here, too. People are nicer, at least at this school. Feels weird at times. I guess, in the end? I just kind of... let myself be happy. Try to find the things here that bring me joy, the people who make me happy. Even... if I could go back home... it's not like there's anything there for me. Sora doesn't care, anything I had even approaching a 'friend' will pretend I don't exist now that I'm not Sora's pupil. But... no. I'm not entirely okay. I don't think most people are, even with less... minor things going on. Buck, I think most people in this *school* are a lot less 'okay' than they let on."

"But a lot of us have friends, aliies, people we can depend on. Sometimes, you just need to accept that stuff sucks sometimes, and it's okay to accept that it sucks and even be sad that it sucks. But it's also okay to be happy and let yourself be happy." She closed up her tool box. "Even if you're not perfect at it."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Oh, yeah, the Tsukinos have been in politics for ages - judges, lawyers, civil servants, the National Diet, you name it and a Tsukino has been there. My papa going into fashion was a whole family scandal," she has heard the story again and again and it's one reason she has not told her grandpa she wants to be a housewife instead of a lawyer or public servant.

"I'm glad you were cute and not hurt and... huh yeah that makes sense, you being into transformations and stuff. I never really thought about it, besides like, being a kid stuff and thinking about being a Pokemon or a fairy or something, but... huh..."

A little contemplative hum, as she pulls her Disguise Pen out of nowhere. Most of the motorcycle club guys have wandered away by now, there's pretty much just them, so it might not be a big audience or anything...

"Yeah, he's a jerk who preys on people when they're weak at heart, which is rude loser behavior... but.."

No, Hinoiri is certainly not okay. But is there anything Usagi can offer about that? She can't give her magic, except with maybe a meeting with Laura, or that god, she supposes, she can't make her a unicorn again -

"I'm glad you have good things here too. I know it probably doesn't make up for not being able to be home, or a unicorn again, but... at least there's some positives. I wonder... I mean, I know I can be a boy, but I wonder if my disguise pen could turn you into a unicorn, or if that's too far out of its power?"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy is surprised to hear the Tsukinos have been in politics for ages... but ah, the last generation, or at least Usagi's dad, didn't, and... well, it's not like Amanda was ever inclined to pay a lot of attention to politics. At least, back when the word meant discussion of policy rather than whether certain people should have rights, let alone dignity. Now she has more immediate concerns, and there will be a day when Rashmi tells her to stop acting like she doesn't deserve a place in the world outside of magic, but that day is not today.

    "Maybe it's a little more complicated than that, but, it's hard to figure ou-- wait okay so other kids do go 'oh it'd be neat to be able to turn into a cat or... a pokemon or a fairy?'" Hmm, fairies can fly, after all.

    Hinoiri is not okay. "Well... Mm. I guess some people are adaptive. And... a reset can be pretty wonderful, and this environment is wonderful. Friends... allies..." Amy smiles. "All of that does make a difference."

    Amy gives Hinoiri a curious look over though. "You don't dress like someone who has a problem with that body, though. Unless... huh, did you just Woogle what to wear and have been following that, or something?"

    But then Usagi brings up the power of her Disguise Pen -- Usagi's mentioned it before, that she tried being a boy and while it wasn't for her it wasn't a body horror nightmare like Amy's been assuming it must be for anyone not accustomed to it, and that's an interesting data point too -- and Amy stares at it in fascination, and then looks back to Hinoiri to watch her reaction.

    "Can it... do? Have you ever tried turning into an animal like a cat or something, or giving yourself wings?"

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a small shrug. "Yeah, a lot of people at Obsidian suck, it kind of breeds them. What's the term? Crabs in a bucket? Something like that. Some good folks over there, some misguided folks. But there was a reason I planned to get what I needed then leave them high and dry. Which, admittedly, kind of happened. Just... not how I expected it."

She then gave Amy a confused look. "Huh? Why, what's up with how I look? I'm not doing all this in a skirt, I'll scratch up my legs. And the tank top is comfy and easier to clean if I'm going to get covered in grease. Wait..." Then? She looked unamused. "Great. Is this another 'hot' thing? Listen, I'm a *pony*. I don't get whatever you people consider to be the epitome of fashion. You lot are lucky I even agree to *wear* clothes. The whole no fur thing is *weird*. You don't even have scales or feathers. So don't even get started on that, I'll wear what I like and if you have a problem with it you can kiss my cutie mark. And if anyone wants to cause trouble over it I'll be happy to demonstrate how I am better than them in everything *other* than fashion with ease."

She then glanced back to Usagi and smiled. "You know what? Sure. What can it hurt?" She asked, holding out the pen. Of course... once Usagi explained how to use it. "Make me into a unicorn!"

... And a moment later, her eyes were wide. And her cheeks were burning. And... "Oh. Oh that's how it could hurt. I have made a mistake. H-how do I undo?"

Because she was no longer in pants and a tank top. Now? Now she was in a rainbow colored unicorn onesie, massively oversized pajamas. In the school parking lot. Face burning. Even SHE could tell that was a bit much.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"I think she meant that people who like, struggle with their body usually wear baggy clothes and masks and hide as much of themselves as they can so no one can see them," Usagi translates, as Hinoiri immediately becomes very confidently aggressive. "You look good! I mean, not everyone can pull off oil but you're doing it surprisingly well!" And then the disguise pen is taken up, as Usagi tells Amy - "No, I didn't really think about that? But I did give Naru-chan a functioning astronaut suit so - uh oh."

Hinoiri is a unicorn in... one light. A distressingly fake light that is nonetheless a disguise to be sure -

"It can only do one at a time! Here, I got it -" the pen is snatched back - "Moon Power, turn me into a male student!"

It's the first thing she can think of, and it works immediately, returning Hinoiri to her old clothes, and transforming Usagi into a still quite pretty boy, with a short versio of her haircut, wearing the male version of the school's winter uniform. Boy Usagi is taller, though not Tall - around five foot four inches - and though he shows the efforts of her fite club training a little more in the biceps, he's still rounded and soft.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Hinoiri doesn't quite get what Amy means about clothes. "I don't mean right now. Of course those clothes are for utility. But-- yeah, that." She nods at Usagi. "Or just not caring and always prioritizing utility."

    And then Usagi comments that Hinoiri is pulling off oil surprisingly well and Amy blushes and looks away, her reaction betraying agreement before she can even consider being more diplomatic.

    And then things move fast and

    Oh. Oh that's how it could hurt. I have made a mistake. H-how do I undo?

    Oh. Oh buck, Amy didn't consider how it'd feel to be given that hope and then have it not manifest, and she rushes to give Hinoiri a hug, which, with the kigurumi, very much adds to the adorableness factor. "I'm sorry, we should've thought of that..."

    And things continue moving fast, Amy getting a ' wait, what??? ' expression at Usagi's words and turning to stare at... him? Fascination turns to curiousity on her face, and she looks Usa...maru? (No that doesn't work, nor does Usataro) over, noticing the details of it indeed being the standard male RHM uniform, bangs stayed recognizable but the rest of hair changed, and of course the sort of 'look like your own sibling' family resemblance that is difficult to really convey a sense of in art but which she has grown familiar with while researching things online thirteen months ago.

    "Huh. I'm not sure what I expected." And then she shifts mental gears a bit back to concerned friend. "You're really okay?" although, this is very temporary, but, extended discussion later basic check-in now!

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara blinked a few times and... then she was saved. She let out a sigh of relief. Okay. Hopefully... nobody saw. She then shook her head. "Eh. I mean... baggy clothes would be harder to move in and admittedly make me feel more uncomfortable. Unless you mean the like... appearances thing. As for that? Well..."

She knelt down and, now back in comfortable clothes, she started picking up the rest of her stuff and storing it away, then hefting up the container onto a little trolly to take it back into the school.

"I'm hot, I figured that out already. If someone doesn't think so? Then I'm not their type or their opinion is irrelavent. I'm not going to ask the person who got the lowest score in class to tutor me," Well. As long as she wasn't in pajamas like that. "There's a heck of a lot more important things for me to worry about than how someone else feels about how I dress. So, Boy-sagi, Amy, wanna help me haul this stuff back to the club room or wanna escape before I make you do manual labor?"

However, Amy's questions... "I'm not entirely okay. But I'm making do. I don't like being a human, but I'm getting used to it. Fingers are still weird. But... it's not the weirdest, or worst thing. If I had the choice? Well..."

"... If I could have things be... the way I thought they were? The way I wanted them to be? But I had to be a human to do it? Versus being like... this, but as a unicorn? I'd take that offer in a second. So... the being human thing sucks, but I'm adapting. It's... really not the worst part. And you know, people like you two? Make it... not so bad. Some days I am legitimately okay, and happy, and I wouldn't change things for the world."

"... And some days just suck and I wonder if maybe Sunset of Sora wouldn't be so bad. But I have more of those first days than the second, and considering what I did to everyone? That's good enough for now."

She'd then start to wheel the trolly back towards the school. Up to them if they wanted to follow and help her put everything away.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Sure, I can help. This uniform's a disguise now, so if it gets messed up it'll just vanish! The consequences of oil on clothes no longer exist!"

Usagi - because he certainly can't imagine himself with a different name just because he's got a slightly different appearance - grins, and there's some slight differences in facial structure too, a slightly stronger jaw that makes the smile a little more impish than on Usagi's usual face.

"You really are hot," he agrees, and to someone passing by, the warm tenor of Usagi's slightly deeper voice might make that comment earn a second glance. "Like, super good looking, honest. I'm cute too, don't you think? I'm tall too!"

He is not, but five inches really does change a person.

"I'm fine too! I mean, it's just as comfy as my usual body, and it's still me, you know? Just a me that's cute in a different way."

Hinoiri reiterates that she's doing as okay as can be, really, and if she could have what she has now, but with her dream...

"I'm still confident you're going to get magic, you know?" He bends down, starting to help gather stuff up and move it. "It's going to come to you."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Well as Usaki (no)... Usugi? (still no) seems to be doing okay, Amy considers the situation. There may be fun to be had with this! Although FTM is a rare and not as well-trodden subgenre, without established tropes for her to draw on. Still, some tropes should be reversible! Like, she should totally try singing like this at karaoke sometime when they're in an all-magical group.

    Amy glances around, "I guess you should change back before a girl hits on you or something. Well, even if you're bi, it's not the same if you're mistaken for a guy, right?"

    Hinoiri addresses the clothes thing, and Amy opens her mouth to point out that the point wasn't about others caring how you dress, but Hinoiri goes right on into asking Boy-sagi to help carry things.

    Damn, yeah, that's a fitting follow-up, the new boy is asked to carry things, how is it Hinoiri arrived upon it incidentally before Amy thought of it???

    Huh. So that's what Guy-sagi sounds like. Cute and tall? Amy holds her fist up to her chin in thought. "I'm not sure I can really say for myself, but conventionally attractive, sure. ...Yeah, maybe a bit more 'cute' than manly, but yeah. You, there's a bit of a vibe of still you there, yeah."

    "But since you're the guy now you have to carry the heavy things, get some use out of those muscles!" Amy says with a joking grin, and pink sparkles change her own clothes to a black tank top and baggy grey pants, as despite her words she moves to help load up the hand truck and also help carry if there's other parts that didn't fit on it well.

    "...I do hope you find magic. You deserve it. I wish that were enough, in this world, but if I see any fairies or talking animals that seem like a good match and aren't asking you to make a shady contract, I'll absolutely let you know."

    As they walk back towards the auto club's room, Amy muses, "So, Usagi, what do you think about trying karaoke like that?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Nah, these clothes are magic, I'm definitely letting them get dirty instead of my actual uniform. Plus, if a girl hits on me like this, that's just like, validation. Man, I bet Mamochan would totally wanna kabedon me while I'm like this," he sighs a little, face warming as the theater of his mind starts playing a scene that quickly has curtains closing around it, back to reality! Perhaps Usagi spends too much time with Wako - is Ouran-style theater of the mind contagious?

"Anyway - point is, I am a guy right now. Why not get treated like one? Especially if other girls still think I'm cute."

And then promptly he's a pack mule! A put upon stack of muscles! A minion of moving! Usagi wails dramatically, putting a hand to his forehead. "Forced to carry the loads and getting my masculinity dissed? What a world! Truly, is there any hope for a handsome layabout?"

Despite that, he picks things up with no trouble and grins as Amy supports him in both picking things up and reassuring Hinoiri.

"You know, I'm not like a good singer or anything, but this would be fun! And maybe someone else would wanna try. I mean, why keep all the fun to myself?"

An opportunity for the future.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara glanced over at Usagi and gave a nod. "Yeah, you're cute. But admittedly? I think it's more the personality than anything else. You've got a cute personality, totally worth dating if my research shows anything. And... sure. We'll call you tall."

What? She dated Double Trouble. It was like dating a reptilian skyscraper.

She then cocked an eye towards Amy before snorting. "Are guys really treated that way here? There really are so many weird gendered norms in this world. If Usagi is going to start carrying all of my heavy loads, I'd hope it's entirely because he's overwhelmed by my majesty, not because he's a boy for a little bit."

"Thanks, though. It's... a journey. Finding my magic. One way or another, I'll figure it out. Heh. I even had a weird dream about a big flaming crystal choosing me the other day, but... yeah. I think it was just a dream. And I know better than to accept any weird contracts, that's something you figure out during magic summoning 101."

At the very least, she was able to get into the room to drop everything off...

"And you know, if you're going to sing like this, I should probably get a record of it. There's no telling how it'll affect your voice..." She rubbed her chin, getting a bit more oil on her chin unwittingly...

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy does stop and stare for a moment when Usagi makes the comment about kabedon. It feels like it is almost a crime that Amy is overhearing this instead of someone who could appreciate that mental image.

    Why not? Amy briefly wonders how long her friend would say that if she got stuck that way, and then banishes that thought. This is very temporary, isn't it okay to have a fun attitude about it for once? Amy really wants to, and, right now, the reasons for her intense worry don't seem to apply, so... "That's the spirit! Try it out for a bit. I didn't diss you though-- oh, I see, taking it that way..."

    Amy's confusion turns to a smile. "It's okay, man, I didn't mean it that way!" she punches his upper arm lightly.

    Hinoiri brings up the world's gender norms. Amy makes a 'eh' hand-wobble gesture. "Kernel of truth we're playing up in this situation for effect. A guy is more likely to get asked for that sort of physical assistance even if he's not especially athletic, though. It is... easier to build muscle for guys, especially when you're young. But I remember a couple years ago I was helping hook up new electronics in the gym," she jerks her thumb in that direction, "and I tried to lift a weight I was sure I could have as a teenager and whoof. Could. Not. Budge it." She looks down at her arm. "I sure couldn't manage it now out of henshin..."

    Another memory resurfaces. "Oh yeah! That was why you knocked me over that one time. I wasn't used to how easily this body is knocked around yet."

    Amy looks back ahead the way they're going. "But yeah, actually treating guys like they're just pack mules would be misandry. We do have a lot of weird gendered norms in this world... though they're not universal... I guess I've inadvertently made a hobby of studying them, you might say... For instance, I know some people see liking cakes and sweets as more of a girl thing in this country, for instance, which strikes me as so weird because I'd never heard such a thing back home."

    "A big flaming crystal, huh? What powers did you get?" she wonders.

    Karaoke would be fun... and maybe someone else would wanna try?! Amy's face lights up and she can't not grin. "I have to see this, if we do it! I'll even do it, if need be!" She looks to Hinoiri excitedly, "Ooohhh, you're getting recordings? Someone could record one part and then sing a duet with themself!" Come on, that sounds pretty cool, right? Anyway, she's pretty excited at this prospect!