2360/Two Brats and an Apology

Two Brats and an Apology
Date of Scene:	26 February 2025
Location:	Sports Pavilion
Synopsis:	In an attempt to make ammends for the whole 'hair bow on fire' incident, Izou finds Minako wrapping up some volleyball practice. They chat awhile and things seem to be going... okay? Up until they reach the point of their mutual interest at least. It's a start toward getting along!
Cast of Characters:	Minako Aino, Zoisite
Tinyplot:	The Demise of Bow-chan

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Minako Aino has posed:
Radiant Heart Academy really did have fantastic facilities. Even the Sports Pavilion was domed so that sports could be played in relative comfort in the Winter. It might not be as green and fresh as Spring or Summer, but it was great for the sport clubs that were wanting to keep in practice during the off seasons.

There was a rather decent gathering of various class levels right now as the volleyball club was meeting out on the field set up with a net for their practice. They'd been out here for a bit already so many were looking more than a little worn out.

The few that were still on the court were in the middle of trading the ball back and forth with high jumps, dives to spike it, and other moves which left them dusted in sand from the ground. It's the dive-spike which sets the ball up to apparently win against the other side as the other team members are gathered to the left of the net and it was going wide right.

As if. A familiar long haired blonde runs from the back to leap into the air where she twists mid-jump. Both fists are brought together to sweep up overhead catching the ball with a solid *WHUMP* that sends it flying back across the net to the groaning dissapointment of the losers. Minako lands as if coming down from an aerial pirroutte but lets one leg slide back leaving her in a perfect super-hero crouch ready to go into battle again!

It's not necessary as the whistle blows with a sharp *FWEEEE* and the girl apparently keeping score calls out, "Okay that's it for today. Good job everyone! Mina-chan's team won. Again."

"Woo! Hell yeah! We did great!" Mina cheers jumping to her feet still full of energy. Her teammates don't seem to have the same energy though as they all slog off leaving her standing there a moment with hands on hips as she observes her domain proudly.

Notably the bow is gone, but she did have her hair back with a scrunchie.

Zoisite has posed:
There was an expectancy of a first step to be taken, in regards to giving a proper apology. Since that day in the cafe, not counting the fight against Calaveras, he has not seen Minako since. Of course, when she left abruptly during the meeting in Mamoru's apartment, he had half a mind of teleporting himself to follow her--but it would have been for the wrong reasons. A need to smirk at her blushing face, dig a needle a bit deeper through her ribs and see if she squirmed a little more. He at least knew himself enough to not follow through...

It would have disappointed more than just Usagi, and in hindsight, he saw very little to be accomplished besides the random satisfaction he could easily attain elsewhere. Minako obviously meant a lot to people that meant a lot to him (not counting Sailor Moon herself), and seeing them even more disappointed with him was... not his goal. So there he was, the day after his purification, taking the first steps in approaching the Pavilion where she would more than likely be, practicing volley ball.

Thankfully he was coming in right as majority of the students were filing out, himself not matching the current aesthetic of shorts and jerseys as he was still fully dressed in the Academy's uniform, his own hair loosely tied back with the green ribbon. Taking a seat at the bleachers, he waited for Minako's game to finish so he could approach her--so he was a witness to her last winning play, watching the ball soar off to the disappointment of the rest.

The girl's energy was impressive to watch simply due to her not seeming to have an off switch in comparison to most. Extroverted, beaming like sunshine and happiness. Viciously present and filling up the spaces she inhabited. That was Venus. Zoisite could at least admit that she looked every bit of the Goddess of Love she professed to be, but the thought was still very bitter in his mind for a couple of private reasons.

Some he was unsure he was even ready to talk about, but... It would be what it would be.

Once most of her team was gone, he stood up from his seat and made his way to the middle of the court, arms crossed while green eyes watched her. "Aino-san?"

Minako Aino has posed:
Minako Aino became aware of Izou's presence well before he actually approached. It was hard not to the way many of the girls leaving began to whisper among themselves about the cute boy that had been sitting on the bleachers. For just a moment she hopes that perhaps the boy there would have long white hair to rival her own... It's a breif hope that falls drastically short.

Turning toward him at the greeting she just stares a moment, uncertain of how to process his appearance here. Surely if he was approaching her *at school* it couldn't be a nefarious purpose. Hopefully.

"Izou-san." She greets back with a nod opting not to use his last name in this case. He *had* told her she could call him Izou. Plus the only 'Saitou-san' she would refer to was Kazuo. How did they even end up with the same last name!?

"You don't seem the sport watching type. What's up?" At least she got straight to the point while pausing to wave over her shoulder at a few of her teammates that call out in passing. They knew better to interrupt when she's talking to a boy though.

Zoisite has posed:
"Hm, depends on the sport and who's playing. Volley ball isn't much to my taste, usually. Ever heard of Yagli güres? If not, look it up. I think you'd enjoy it as well." Izou comments with a one shoulder shrug, not exactly clicking with him that some wouldn't easily pick up Turkish at the drop of a hat. So he moved on with the conversation as Minako seemed quite aware that he wasn't there to simply chit chat.

Good. They were both on the same page of making this quick.

"Anyway, I came by to know if you had a moment to talk about what happened." Face neutral again, and he wasn't henshin'd. No turmoil in his stomach for now, so that was a good sign. Having an easier time keeping his composure--for now.

"As well as to apologize, if you'll accept it."

Minako Aino has posed:
The unfamiliar name of the sport earns a blank stare from Minako. While she was probably the most fluent in other languages (except on paper), Turkish was not one of the languages she had chance to learn a bit of. A mental note is made to look it up though because she was curious. A sport she didn't know?

Before she can properly respond, a few more girls walk by shooting some curious looks toward the pair chatting. Whether they were listening in or not? Who knew! But they were giggling among themselves and it wasn't hard to overhear someone mention, "I wonder if he's the latest one?"

Minako raises a finger in a 'just a second' motion to Izou as she looks over to the girls to yell out, "I HEARD THAT!" They instantly squeal and run for it apparently afraid of her reaction. It does at least leave the pair alone now on the field.

She turns to walk toward the bleachers where her bag was kept waving him along to follow. "Yeah, let's talk. ... I wasn't trying to insult you by giving you nougat, you know," she adds with a mumble of, "Nothing wrong with nougat."

Zoisite has posed:
Oh, that's right. They weren't totally alone, and of course, and he rarely showed his face in these parts. So it would raise some questions. In no clubs and can only be found in either the music rooms, computer labs or library after classes. What did make his shoulders jump a slight bit was her yelling at the remaining teammates.

Rather aggressive, but it did the trick.

Following her, he does note the scrunchie and lack of bow. It didn't occur to him how her not wearing one did make her look slightly different and less of the Sailor Venus he was familiar with. He'd file that away in his mind to think about later.

"Nougat?" His question raised an eyebrow, frowning to himself before realizing what she was talking about. "Ah. That." Izou then waves a hand dismissively. "Don't worry, the nougat had nothing to do with anything really. Just wasn't expecting it." Chocolate. He was expecting chocolate. To either melt in hot milk or to snack on later. But there was no point in elaborating. "I am sorry if my reaction to it was not the best at the time, however that was not what I came here to apologize for."

Minako Aino has posed:
"Mamoru mentioned it was awful so it stuck in my mind." She'd run low on chocolate but that was perhaps her fault for not starting earlier. Usually she did. It had just been a rather busy month with Chibiusa and everything else going on.

Mina stops at the bleachers reaching down for her bag. It's simple, certainly nothing expensive, but it did the trick. A bottle of tea is taken out, and a bottle of water. The tea is offered over toward him silently if he was so inclined. With that she plops down to sit letting her legs stretch in front of her and cross at the ankle. It was warm enough in the pavilion she was wearing the usual volleyball outfit which left her legs bare, and in spite of her 'crassness' she knew better than to cross her legs that way.

A hand pat-pats the bench beside her.

"Okay. I'll listen to what you have to say."

Zoisite has posed:
Awful? Well, yes, a bit insulting. However, he had neglected to realize that no one else had given him anything to celebrate that passing of the day itself, so to look a gift horse in the mouth was just as insulting. And Nephrite seemed to like it just fine when it was given away--or so he assumes. In the end, it ended up being eaten, so the subject died there about the unfortunate nutty treat.

When she handed him a bottle of tea, he took it, quietly giving her a thank you, but did not open it. Merely kept it in his hands as he joined to sit next to her when invited to do so.

Some silence lingered, heavy, as the ball was metaphorically once again in his court. The onus of the situation they all seemed to be in. It didn't feel good to owe someone his humility.

"I am sorry about your bow." He says, calm and steady. "You did nothing to earn it, and nothing excuses it. You only came by to give gifts to everyone and I should not have ruined it for you they way I did."

Minako Aino has posed:
Minako Aino twists the bottle of water in hand to loosen the lid. Just enough that she can pop it off for a single sip. Gulp. Okay it was a gulp. She had just finished practice after all. It's just a distraction while that awkward silence stretches until he finally does speak.

Lowering the water back to her lap she fiddles with it absently. The cap ends up back on it, but then there's the little scrnch-scrnch noise of her thumb running over the ribbed sides of the plastic bottle.

"Thanks." The word comes out sounding just as awkward at having to accept an apology. Typically when something bad happened it was followed with a fight. Typically it wasn't an ally that caused the issue though. This was one of Mamoru's Shittenou, and though she hadn't outright said it, she knew Usagi expected them to make peace somehow.

"It's not a big deal. It was just a stupid bow. I have others." That little unsettled feeling to her own stomach comes reminding her she had felt the need to apologize too. A glance is stolen toward Izou breifly.

"I'm sorry too. I'm usually better at picking up on how people are feeling. I didn't realize you liked Kazuo-kun too." A breif beat, and she continues, "I mean I know *now* of course. I'll try not to be so... So *me* in front of you with him anymore."

Zoisite has posed:
His eyes remained on the emptiness of the Pavilion, his own fingers running along the sides of the bottle in his hand. Smooth, somewhat cool, helping him focus on the touch instead of the thoughts that could easily run away with him. Namely what spurred him to feel the need to cause harm towards her. Many little things. Much of it accumulating over the weeks preceding the incident. Majority fueled by his own mind running circles. His fault.

Just talk to one of them next time. Mamoru, or Kazuo. Just talk to them.

And for some reason, it was hard for him to believe the bow had merely been a stupid bow. Her not wearing one now, well... To him it spoke volumes.

Then, he heard Kazuo-kun. That familiar little pang in the center of his stomach returned, but it wasn't as strong as when they were in the cafe. Uncomfortable, making him want to walk away? Yes. But not enough to fuel him.

"Thank you." A nod, gaze lowering to look at his shoes. It still felt like his gut was in knots. "You had stars in your eyes when you spoke about him. You were seeing nothing but him. And I was sour with you from the beginning, so I did not help."

Minako Aino has posed:
"Mm." The crinkle of Mina's bottle comes again when he speaks of her having stars in he eyes. All she can do is agree with it. It was a MUCH nicer way of putting it than most people did when she acted that way. "I was... I was so happy to see him again after so long. Then valentine's day came and I was so excited to do something."

It's here she pauses with a quiet sigh as her own shoulders slump a little. "I shouldn't have teased him about our past, either. It wasn't *me* he was kissing. I always felt guilty about that. I thought, since we'd finally discussed it, I could joke about it and it wouldn't be so much of a screw up thing." Hah.

Ugh he was feeling bad. She was feeling bad. Mostly though she'd already resolved what she could with Kazuo so that just left him feeling worse for it. Reluctantly she lifts a hand to offer a consolatory pat on his shoulder a single time before withdrawing again.

"It's fine," she assures again. "Hardly the first time I've been rejected by a guy. In fact, this actually isn't the worst way it's happened."

Zoisite has posed:
He knew already. Kazuo told him once they were alone. The bluntness of the situation, giving both relief and more questions that were not his to ask. And the touch to his back, even if once, brought him back to the present, to where the two were still sitting--not the quiet cozy apartment Kazuo had taken him to, only to ask if he was okay. Pull him close. Kiss his hair.

Inhale deep. Slow exhale.

"When you spoke about the kiss, it felt like it was recent. I had no context to anything you talked about. Even if I did, I don't think it would've helped." It was sincere, to the point now. "It wasn't my intention to set anything on fire, even if I didn't like what you were saying. I could have easily set your hair on fire then. I was lucky enough to have some sense in just focusing on your bow."

That's when he finally looks at her, brows forming a gentle crease between his brows. "Was that bow really just a bow? Like one you can replace in your collection?"

Minako Aino has posed:
Minako Aino tips back her water to take another drink thoroughly emptying it with the gulp. The empty is tucked back into her bag like a good student ought to. No littering here. "No, I was 13 back then. Back when I was Sailor V and not Sailor Venus." Did he know that history at all? Well she hardly hid that she was Sailor V. There was a video game! Art! Of course that had been partially Artemis' doing to help find the others.

When he speaks of the fire again, including her hair? That earns a little snort. "If you'd burnt my hair I'd be taking some of yours in retaliation. You can't just replace hair like this!" A hand lifts to comb fingers through it with a quick flip of her wrist sending the length over her shoulder. It's partially a tease, partially the honest truth that she'd be seeking revenge somehow. Some way. Perhaps with chewing gum. No one said revenge couldn't be petty.

That oh-so-serious look of his asking about the bow earns her attention fully though. Both hands drop down to her knees as she flashes a quick grin. "Yeah! I've got a ton of them." He might not believe her though.

A single deep breath is taken as she turns her gaze up toward the sky. Roof in this case. It's let out slowly while her thoughts run back to the past. "Higashi-kun was my first love," oh no this is going to be simply awful isn't it? "We went to the same cram school. He told me that I'd look good with a red bow in my hair. He seemed to like one of the other girls in class that wore a similar bow, so if that's what he liked, I decided to try it. And you know?" Mina turns her head back toward Izou. Her expression was a bit wistful though not outright sad.

"He was right! I looked great with it. That's why I decided to keep it after he turned out to be working for the Dark Company and I had to destroy him for enslaving the female students. Just because he turend out to be a piece of shit doesn't mean I shouldn't shy away from something I found that worked well. I just don't wear the bow during practice in case I get all sweaty." A pat to her scrunchie proves the point.

Zoisite has posed:
"Probably for the best it had been your bow, as I'm very aware of how much you adore your hair." One hand lifts, pulling a long curly yet soft strand of his own hair over his shoulder, letting it sit there. Not golden as hers, but caramel with reds. "Takes one to know one, don't you think?" Nose lifted some, a twinkle in his eye. Izou was very proud of the way he looked just then. Vanity wasn't always a bad thing.

And yet, as she starts to explain about her bow, the story behind it, his gaze is fully on her then. Watching, listening, imagining the somewhat interesting childhood she had. By then, he had to give her a small smile. He was half correct in his assumption, and it was better than nothing at all.

"He was indeed right. Red is a complimentary color for you. Keeping it means that you're resilient in your own resolve to keep growing." He leaned back some to look at the scrunchie on her hair. "Which bow do you have with you today? You did say you have a ton of them." Was it a different type? Color? Fabric?

Minako Aino has posed:
"You could maybe hide some burnt ends with the curls. Mine, not so much," Mina points out with a grin. The ginger/red locks that he teases forth to show off earn a slight tip of her head as she contempmlates. "Is it naturally curly or do you curly it? I've thought of curling my hair but it just won't hold right."

With the question of the bow she shakes her head slightly considering it. "Mostly red. I do have a few other colors, but I rarely use them. It's kind of become my signature thing to have the red bow." Since apologies had been given she turns a glance back to Izou. "You still owe me one though. That was my fancy one!"

With the apology and explanations out of the way she couldn't think of much else to say. It had really been awhile since she'd sat and chatted with someone. Moreso when it's over a situation like that. So she stands at that point with her bag snagged in her free hand.

"Thank you for the apology. I should probably warn you though," she begins glancing off toward the doors leading out. "There might be rumors about us now. A lot of people say I'm boy crazy so since we've been in here awhile..." A vague, helpless shrug comes. "I'm not though! I just don't waste my time if they're not worth it, and I move on." Okay maybe she was a BIT boy crazy. Admitting it was another matter.

Before she actually leaves she pauses to look at Izou again. Quietly. Her expression softens just a tad as she adds, "Kazuo-kun really does like you, you know. You two should work that out some."

"Of course," she adds with a wicked glint to her eye. "I'm not giving up on him either."

Zoisite has posed:
"Natural. Trial and error when I had to learn how to care for it, and it does consume a lot of time. But my hair is softer than feathers because of it, even while being curly." Another look at her hair, hand lifting to press against his lips while in thought. Too smooth, she would need stronger hair products to get any curls to stick at all. "Not impossible to do, curl your hair. But you'll need professional assistance instead of doing it yourself."

When she gets up, he takes a moment to look back down at the open space below, the architecture, the dome above them. A beautifully made structure for many to enjoy. He wondered how well it carried sound if he decided to practice his cello in there after the clubs finished their own training.

"Tsk, can you blame them for making rumors? Nothing better to do besides nose into other people's business, or fantasize up stories with people they find attractive because they can't get with anyone." He huffed, finally getting up and turning to her. "I will not be helping those rumors by suggesting this, but since you say I owe you a bow, would you accept coming with me to shop for one? I would go ahead and pick one myself, but it feels proper to bring you along and pick the one you like the most." Made sense to him at least.

All of that however, the momentary relaxation to where he could invite her to come with him to shop, was swiftly bumped back into the quiet of his mind where thoughts of Kazuo resided. The bit of pride he had, protectiveness, jealousy, it mixed together in such a softer tone now that he was more in control. Taking a step closer to Minako, Izou tilted his head. "I cannot stop you from doing what you want. And he makes the final decision in the end of who he wants with him."

Now, he stands next to her, face to face. "Just know, I'm not the sharing kind. Of course, Mamoru doesn't count." There's a wink from him then, returning the bottle of tea she'd given to him and walking past her.

"Ah, text me if you accept my invitation." And he waves, leaving the Pavilion.