2367/Just a Shot Away

Just a Shot Away
Date of Scene:	28 February 2025
Location:	Mamoru's Apartment
Synopsis:	After the death of Mimete, the Shitennou return to Mamoru's apartment, where Small Lady is putting up with an anxious Prince.
Cast of Characters:	Mamoru Chiba, Kazuo Saitou, Chibiusa Tsukino, Jadeite, Nephrite, Zoisite

---

Today at 5:15 PM

Mamoru: wtf just happened is zoi ok

Mamoru: wtf WTF

Today at 5:17 PM

Mamoru: guess you can't answer

Mamoru: pls be ok

Today at 5:20 PM

Mamoru: im with SL you hve 2 be ok

Today at 5:21 PM

Mamoru: WHY IS EVERYONE THERE

Today at 5:22 PM

Mamoru: guys ;___;

Today at 5:23 PM

Mamoru: nobody else is around im not calling Catra

Today at 5:24 PM

Kunzite: every1 all rugght. new mdl hrtsrlf. venus haa riflr. heading home

Today at 5:26 PM

Mamoru: new ?? hurt self?

Today at 5:27 PM

Kunzite: 2nd modek hurts less? minor

Today at 5:27 PM

Mamoru: OH

Mamoru: OHHHH

Mamoru: those fuckin guys!

Mamoru: okay do i need the plastic sheet

Today at 5:41 PM

Kunzite: not checkimg to find out

Today at 5:50 PM

Zoisite: im alive

Zoisite: kaz needs bandages

Zoisite: tama and masa need best food

Today at 5:52 PM

Mamoru: if he needs bandages he might also need an asskicking

Today at 5:52 PM

Zoisite: NO!

Today at 5:53 PM

Mamoru: youre not the boss of me

Today at 5:53 PM

Zoisite: please?

Today at 5:53 PM

Mamoru: ok <3

Today at 5:54 PM

Zoisite: ty xoxo <3

Today at 5:54 PM

Jadeite: I don’t see blood on zoisite but he got slammed into a wall when he got shot. He’s not acting like he broke anything but you may want to check for bruising

Today at 5:54 PM

Zoisite: im fine

Today at 5:54 PM

Mamoru: you were all in a fight i am checking you all

Today at 5:55 PM

Jadeite: zoi I was afraid you got concussed please see Mamoru. You can’t tell me to eat shit with a brain injury

Today at 5:55 PM

Mamoru: i think you underestimate him

Today at 5:56 PM

Zoisite: want me to tell you to eat shit now?

Today at 5:56 PM

Jadeite: correction we need to feeed zoisite to the sharks < 3

Today at 5:56 PM

Mamoru: the smooth ones?

Today at 5:57 PM

Jadeite: yes those ones < 3

Today at 5:57 PM

Mamoru: ok i can back that one

Today at 6:00 PM

Zoisite: :typing:

Zoisite: <3

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Well. Mamoru and Chibiusa had been playing videogames-- well, all right, Chibiusa had been schooling Mamoru in videogames-- when Mamoru dropped his controller and his sprite ate dirt.

He'd definitely texted A LOT while also doing things like literally woogling 'zoisite's favorite food' as if woogle would know, then deleting the search when coming to his senses, and also doing things like henshining and trying to do some more cape-moves training because in henshin is better right? and what if one of the people who he texted actually came? To hang out with Chibiusa? Even Naru's out--

(Why are you all there!!!)

--and basically it was a shitshow of poor Small Lady dealing with panic-teen-alt-dad and panic-teen-alt-dad trying very hard to at least be responsibly panicky.

And then finally...

...Kazuo's text.

    Kazuo TXT: every1 all rugght. new mdl hrtsrlf. venus haa riflr. heading home

That was ten or fifteen minutes ago, and since then, Mamoru's been preparing for having to sew Kazuo's arm back on or something because wow that texting. "Small Lady, do you want to bring some cans of juice out there? It might have been the ice cream, but getting my own heart yeeted out seemed to make me really thirsty."

Kazuo Saitou has posed:
When they come in, Kazuo still has his arm around Zoi - or Izou - though he's stopped trying to keep his henshin on a little while ago. There is no evident blood! That is probably a good thing. He took a moment to toe off his shoes at the entry and put on slippers! That is definitely a good thing. The amount of evident exhaustion is possibly less of a good thing, as is his favoring his left side a little. He orients on the nearest couch (that does not house anyone with pink hair) and heads promptly that direction. Dropping straight down in the middle of the couch might involve a little letting go. Briefly. But gravity is close enough to winning his fight with him that: couch first. Words after.

And his version of 'hello' is, "It was the one who went after Koji, too. We got her. Or Amy did. Hard to tell."

Chibiusa Tsukino has posed:
    Small Lady is convinced that her alt-dad was just going easy on her while playing vidya games. That or being distracted because clearly something is happening and alt-papa is texting like mad and there is just so much anxiety in the air.

    Luna-P is just watching him sweat bullets with her unchanging smile. It was happier when there was sprite-on-sprite violence and is wondering when it will continue. Then it starts to realize that there was probably real violence elsewhere that it's missing out on and starts bouncing towards the balcony so it can look out the door.

    Juice is being asked for, by one of only two people who Chibiusa feels has any actual business telling her what to do. She goes to get the juice cans and starts setting them out on the table, because she gets the vibe that things are about to get a bit more crowded here.

    She makes very sure not to get underfoot of Kazuo when he drags Zoisite in. Sure, he'd probably avoid stepping on her or bumping into her if he could, but why make things harder?

    Someone got got. It doesn't sound like one of the Black Moon Clan, but it's probably an enemy regardless.

    Her eyes glance towards Zoi for a moment, then Kazuo. She takes a juice can and offers it up to the pair of them and says, "What happened?"

Jadeite has posed:
"She didn't even know Zoisite was Zoisite. It was a random attack," Tamaki adds as he hops out of his shoes and puts them in the cubby. His hair is a haystack after all the running to and fro he did.

He pauses as he sees Chibi-usa - oh,she was HERE-here,wasn't she? - and then nods seriously as he kneels down to her.

"One of the Witches who works with Mistress 9 attacked Zoisite. We stopped her, and she won't hurt anyone else. We're all pretty tired from the fighting, though - I hope you don't mind us all popping in on game time?"

Nephrite has posed:
Nephrite walked behind the group most of the way back to their apartment building, content to be a deterrent to the unlikely event of someone bothering them by sheer virtue of his height and bulk. Now that they're in the building - and Mamoru's apartment, however, he's relaxed more, which mostly means that he's content to worry that little bit more.

"Heartseeker rifle," he tells Chibiusa, not curt but not dumbing anything down for her, either. This is essentially his first formal interaction with his prince's daughter, and while he wishes it could be on better circumstances, it is what it is. "She got Izou, and we dogpiled her. Venus made sure the crystal went back in his chest, Kunzite, Faust-san, and I made sure she won't do it again."

He ends up slightly speaking over Tamaki, who's giving a more child-friendly version of the story, which probably means he gets fewer points.

"Is that juice? Could I have some?" What? It's not his juice, of course he's going to ask.

Zoisite has posed:
Pocket vibrated almost nonstop once everything was left behind. Henshin quickly dropped and he was back to being just normal Izou--with dark jeans and tucked in buttoned up shirt and converse. No groceries, no nothing special besides the adrenaline still running through his body, a completed heart and no knowledge yet that his back was rather bruised up from the impact (not to mention the dirt stains on his shirt). It would hit him hours later, of course. But not now. His focus had been in the present ever since they left the shopping district and he kept his arms around Kunzite--now Kazuo.

The entire walk back, those arms kept a steady hold. He didn't want to let go just yet, not even when they all stepped back into the building and made it up to Mamoru's apartment. Shoes off, finally detaching for a moment so Kazuo could properly sit down before climbing onto the couch and relatching.

Took him a second to notice Small Lady approaching, but when she did, he sat up straighter, accepting the offered can of juice with a nod. "Thank you, Small Lady." Izou looked relatively okay. Just shaken up, and slightly softer than usual. he hasn't started to process what happened. Just that it did. And that he knew about the first few seconds before coming back to... life? How to explain it...

But Tamaki and Nephrite were already doing the job of telling the child what mostly happened. The short and sweet of it at least, if Nephrite wasn't such a boar about it. Gods... Izou popped open the can then, offering it to Kazuo as he scootched away just a few inches to finally give the man some space and look at the others.

"They might know more than me. I had no idea it was a random attack." Nodding towards Tamaki and Nephrite. Truthfully, he only participated in the very end. Again.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"Mimete...?" Mamoru asks, brow furrowed; he ghosts behind Chibiusa and puts his hand on her head in passing, stepping between Jadeite and Nephrite to get to Zoisite and Kunzite, and then he's in front of them and he gets down on on knee, still taller than his alt-daughter.

He does not, it seems, have any objection to either Tama's or Neph's approach, since he's not commenting, just frowning and holding his hands out.

"Mimete had seen you before, Riventon was working for Tomoe when we were in Obsidian. But I guess if you never dropped henshin at the office..." He shakes his head. "She wasn't very bright. I mean good at magitech, but... like... less emotional intelligence than a piece of cheese. I think they're Daimons anyway. The Witches 5. ...2." And... pause.

"Kazuo what the fuck."

Kazuo Saitou has posed:
"She didn't leave a shell, but she did leave powder," Kazuo says in that pause. "So there's evidence on your side." A breath, and he adds, "Thank you," to Chibiusa, and lays a hand on Izou's to turn the can back toward him, before laying his own over Mamoru's.

"Mostly just tired," he answers Mamoru volunteering for the ritual of the swear jar. "She did land a good hit on me while I was trying to keep her from teleporting out." A pause. "Well, two, if you count the one with the staff."

Chibiusa Tsukino has posed:
    Chibiusa had the dubious fortune of seeing Heartstealer Rifles in action when Eudial attacked Mamoru. The Witch's eagerness to crush his Pure Heart was a strange hill to die on, but at least she's dead. She doesn't comment on the interruption to game time. To admit she cares about something would be to give it a perceived power over her, which is probably the line of thinking she's going through when his hand is on her head. Instead she says, "Welcome back. Mamochan was worried."

    She glances up at Nephrite and... frowns for a moment. He's a bit stiff and weird, but he's a friend of Mamoru so she keeps it to herself. Small Lady actually forgets to say hi to him and just reaches for another can of juice and offers it up to him.

    "So it's the Witches 2 now?" she asks, watching the new arrivals.

    Everyone seems worn out, but no one seems tired, and Chibiusa is glancing towards Mamoru because He Knows What He Did.

Jadeite has posed:
"We couldn't text since we all started fighting as soon as Zoisite dropped,"Tamaki explains. "I was so focused on getting his heart crystal back I didn't notice my phone buzzing until after the dust settled. Venus was there too and is doing the clean up, so I owe her a coffee later."

He appreciates the effort!It's a good work, especially since they had all wanted to go home and lick their wounds.

"It's the Witches Two now. I was expecting her to be as difficult to defeat as the one we faced last week, but either she was weaker in general or the damage to the staff is affecting her power. Can I have a juice too?"

Nephrite has posed:
"Yes, it would be down to the Witches 2. There must be just Tellu and Viluy left, based on reported kills," Nephrite confirms, and accepts the can of juice with a bow of his head. "Much appreciated... do you have a preference for how you're referred to?"

Chibiusa, Chibi Usagi, Usagi, Small Lady, Princess, all of these things could be valid names for the young girl, and as this is their first meeting...

He cracks open the can and downs half of it in a single, long set of gulps, grateful for the reprieve to his parched throat.

"Sorry for freaking you out, Mamoru. We were a little busy with her and the keytar monster from hell... but yeah, honestly she sorta went down like a chump. Then again, we did throw a lot of firepower her way...."

Zoisite has posed:
Well, he remembered the Witches 5 and Tomoe from Obsidian. It wasn't that what he was referring to, in knowing less than the others. It was that he blacked out when most of the fighting happened. What all he did see, felt or thought of, was quickly shared when his other hand accepted Mamoru's in turn, permitting the connection to take place.

Images seen through his eyes of how little time it took for everything to happen. Screams and the blast that shoved him hard against the wall. His glittering, broken heart crystal and the moments before he fell into darkness. It was a bleep in his mind, like no time had been spent, but the thoughts were just as panicked as when he went down. What was in his mind and what remained there, even the vision of the keytar Daimon which left an awful taste in Izou's mouth--enough to make him not favor the damn instrument for a good while. The music was horrid.

Giving a hand to Venus, stepping away, placing his forehead and hands on Kunzite's back to allow all his energy to slip away from his body and into the other. And the brightness that followed. Pile of ash and--

Well--

"I felt my phone vibrate but I was in a daze walking back." Blinked, feeling a bit guilty then, cheeks pink from both the last few memories and him not favoring the phone in that moment. "Both me and Tamaki gave our energy to Kazuo to finish her off." He in fact told Kazuo to do so, no sense of mercy on his end at that time.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Warmth. Kazuo's hand over Mamoru's is like a smile, even if there's physical feedback instantly, even if Mamoru suddenly knows that Kazuo is only not lying because Kazuo thinks he's right but Kazuo Is Wrong. Even if. Because the touch also reassures him that everything is fundamentally okay.

Regardless, the prince scowls. "You have," he says, "a broken rib and a concussion, is what the-- I will put a thing in the thing once I am finished with thing," he calls over to Chibiusa, and his hand glows while he listens.

Then he says quietly, closing his eyes, "I see." He's quiet for a second, and then opens his eyes and looks up and over at Nephrite. "Nah, it's all right, Neph. I mean-- you're not Star Drivers, you don't text in combat. But also yeah, Tellu and Viluy. Which is a crying shame, Viluy still being alive, but there more than a few people out for her head over Skyline-san."

His hands are glowing for both of them. "And yeah. I see. You guys used up a LOT of energy, huh. Neph, you're on duty tonight, because these guys decided to laserbeam a Dark General in the face enough to make it stick, and need to rest." He looks back at Chibiusa, and the look on his face is affectionate and wry. "You're being a perfect little hostess, thank you."

There's not just healing, there's-- there's a sharing of energy back to them. And then he says, "Hey so-- I'm sorry, baby, but you've probably had to sit through this kind of thing before, huh?-- so guys, I absolutely approve of what you did. And we have enough rules already, and I trust your judgement on when a Dark General needs to die." There's a but coming.

"But I also need you to understand, while you're with me and following those rules I'm responsible for you and your actions. So make sure they really gotta die before you kill."

Kazuo Saitou has posed:
"I was trying to damage her eyes before she could teleport," Kazuo admits. "But Amy and Nephrite took out her staff. And her concentration." A pause, and it's not just because he's gritting his teeth; settling bone into place hurts. "She was complaining out loud. Because Izou survived the shot."

He doesn't evaluate whether that qualified them as sure she really had to die. Then again, he's also not taking the opportunity to make a crack at Nephrite about hugging them off the ground clearly having been what got his rib. Possibly he is making a deliberate point about listening to Mamoru. Certainly all of what he said sounded not like protest, but confirmation.

Possibly he's just hoping that Luna-P is listening. In Case.

Chibiusa Tsukino has posed:
    Small Lady listens to Tamaki's explanation, and goes to fetch him a can of juice, too. Since he's asking nicely.

    Nephrite is asking how to refer to her, and she's being a little cold towards her. Still, he gets roughly the same introduction she's been giving since the moment she outed herself as the eventual result of Usamamo. "My name is Princess Usagi Small Lady Serenity, but nobody calls me that. I prefer Chibiusa in public, but Small Lady is allowed when it's just us mahoujin."

    Calling her Chibi Usagi would probably get a weird look from her, if that ever happened. Calling her that a second time would result in her ignoring whoever dared. Strike three means getting told off by a 5 year old.

    She frowns sympathetically as Zoi recounts the events, and then Mamoru goes over the details of their injuries and exhaustion. "I'm sorry you got zapped, Izuo. I'm glad you're okay now!"

    Mamoru thanks her, and she curtsies.

    Luna-P certainly is taking this all in. With that wide, unreadable, unchanging smile. It has floated next to Chibiusa's side and is listening intently.

Jadeite has posed:
"I understand, Mamoru," Jadeite says,although there's a shred of irritation bitten back - certainly, after all this time, hadn't he shown he had a good idea of when to and not to go for the kill? He's been so GOOD this year!

(As if he'd let his powers go out all willy nilly when they were all tryign to be the good guys now!)

But Mamoru said to talk out loud if you get irritated, so he takes a deep breath and asks: "To clarify: is that just a reminder for us to keep in mind for our next battles,or is there anything you'd like to cover for us going into fights in the future?"

There! Communication! And he takes his juice with a sense of - maybe not victory,but something. "Thank you, Small Lady. You're being a real gem."

Nephrite has posed:
She says Small Lady is fine when it's just mahoujin, but she's also kind of cold - and well, he's not going to try and go overly familiar when he's striking out with the kid, so Nephrite shrugs, and says, kindly, "Thanks then, Chibiusa."

There's injuries - more serious ones than anticipated, but in the hands of their prince, they'll disappear soon. Nephrite takes off the jacket he'd worn for the day, hanging it on a coatrack, and he's -

Not mad about the reminder, because well, it's not like any of them get to just forget their track record, in their past life, and this one, too. He casts a side glance at Tamaki, Kazuo, and Izou, seeing how they're taking it, before shrugging.

"Fair. I wasn't planning on killing her dead, but I don't regret it. I don't think anyone liked her enough to come after revenge, either, but you're the boss, prince."

Zoisite has posed:
No hint of a scolding, instead, there was understanding. Soft, rumbling, and steady. Even with the reminder at the end, it was something Izou could understand. They were his monkeys, they represented Prince Endymion. So their actions would indeed reflect back like facets on a prism. 'I understand, Mamoru.' Followed by 'thank you.' Perhaps later he will fuss about the reminder. Oh, he most definitely will. Snip back at the words before following them to a T.

A bit of playful malicious compliance. More fondness and respect hand in hand with irritability that he will not deny Mamoru anything.

And with the seconds that ticked by, he Izou had not realized how cottoned up his mind was. Pressured? No, just the murk one could imagine when the dirt at the bottom of the lake gets kicked up, blocking clarity. He assumed the concussion was for Kazuo, along with the broken rib. Adrenaline was one hell of a drug then. He still couldn't feel the injury on his back.

Green eyes glanced over quickly to Kazuo, not having heard of--oh. Oh. That explains a bit more to him then--not that he would've acted any different if either of them had been the target. Possibly would not have held back himself.

Then he looked over to the pink haired child, giving her a smile. "It's okay Small Lady. It wasn't your fault, no need to apologize." Then his gaze goes to Tamaki and Nephrite (he's not calling him Masato, that's a dumb name--ah yes, speak louder, Saitou the II).

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"Oh yeah no don't worry, it's just a-- we never actually talked about it, did we?" Mamoru reassures Tamaki while squeezing Kazuo's and Izou's hands. "The oath I'm not ever asking anyone to take again. It's just that even without an oath, that's how it works. I'm just-- I'm just reaffirming that. I'm not telling you not to do something, or to do something, I'm just saying we have the same hands." A beat. "Does that make sense?"

There's a shot at it making sense. Then he looks to Kazuo and nods. "You're good. She really did have to go, and ... the heartstealer mark one rifle the Outers got hold of and delivered to the Shed, that she was using the last time she attacked someone? Was lethal. She probably just grabbed whatever and thought it was the same."

I don't want to let go of either of you right now is what his touch is saying as Mamoru finally lets go of their hands, glow dimming and vanishing. Izou will find out his back was injured when he takes off his shirt and looks at it. Then he turns around to sit on the floor in front of the two on the couch, leaning back against whatever legs are in the way.

And he holds his arms out to Small Lady. "Do you know how these guys and I met?"

Kazuo Saitou has posed:
'You're good,' Mamoru says to Kazuo, and Kazuo says back, "'Good' in the sense that now you're going to make me eat kale, aren't you." His voice is stronger and steadier, and he squeezes Mamoru's hand before Mamoru can quite let go. Then ruffles hair as Mamoru leans back against legs.

Then finally reaches across the whopping few inches away and puts his arm around Izou's shoulders again. "Sympathy, not apology, I think," he says conversationally to Izou. "I'm sorry you got zapped, too."

Chibiusa Tsukino has posed:
    Chibiusa is somewhat convinced that everyone who wants a juice can has gotten one, and so she grabs Luna-P out of the air and squeezes the catball while watching the boys discuss the death of a monster. Tamaki's thanks is met with a smirk, because calling someone 'a real gem' in this context is, well... "You, too."

    The idea that the actions of his knights reflects upon him is... an idea that she's not completely unfamiliar with, but is one that sounds a little odd coming from this timeline. Mamoru stepped into his role pretty early on, she thinks.

    Her alt-papa is holding out his arms to her, and she runs into them. She drops Luna-P on the way, but the catball doesn't really fall so much as it just keeps hovering under its own mysterious power. "You never told me that. Not in this timeline or in the one I'm from." She suspects that the stories might actually be pretty different, but it's worth knowing all the same.

    She nods to Kazuo. He got it right. Chibiusa can't reasonably blame herself for the Deathbusters the same way she can for the Black Moon.

Jadeite has posed:
"We didn't talk about it. Or if we did, I forgot," Tamaki says sheepishly, his defensiveness deflatiang. "But I've been assuming something like that - if we start anything, we have to be able to explain it to you afterwards, so we had better be able to explain why it was a good idea."

They are his monkeys, and as such,they are trying to fling minimum poop at his circus.

"Though - Mamoru, you said there was a nonlethal rifle made. Is this the only nonlethal one? Or should we be expecting them to be coming full guns blazing next time?"

Nephrite has posed:
"If there's anything Obsidian's not, it's cheap," Nephrite points out. "If they bothered to make a second type of gun, they probably didn't stop with just one of them. Still, us having one of each should be good for the brainy sorts, yeah?"

More tools, more data, more opportunities to do something about what they've found.

"...I'm not the tech sort, but I might have a poke around with those things, too. Think the data fiends will let me take a look?"

Zoisite has posed:
Good. He felt Mamoru lean back against his legs and Kazuo's, thankful that they didn't have to let go of physically. Wanted to stay near them for as long as possible on his end as well, but he had a hard time ignoring the more soft warmth in his chest as Kazuo placed an arm around him--apologizing for the zap as well. Stars... Was that also sympathy? He wanted to ask, but not in front of Small Lady. Later.

"Depends. As long as you won't sh--" Child nearby. Right. "--hurt yourself with either of them." Izou quipped at Nephrite, before leaning his head on Kazuo's shoulder. "You should be fine."

He side glances to Tamaki then, free arm stretching out over the couch and gesturing with his fingers to come join them, instead of standing around. The same for Nephrite, if the oaf is so inclined.

Jadeite has posed:
Tamaki is summoned, and like a moth to the flame, he comes. Settling, specifically, on the couch next to Zoisite, stretching his legs out in front of him so that Zoisite can flop all over him if he desires.

"I don't think he's going to shart with a gun, but he has found exciting new ways to explore science," Tamaki says innocently. that's totally not a swear, totallyyyy.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"I don't know how many guns they have, Tamachan. But Neph, I'm sure they'll let you have a look at it. I mean-- Riventon built the second one, and at the very least worked on the first one. And since Rashmi-chan," Mamoru says cheerfully, hugging Chibiusa lots, "is working with Riventon on a potential retooling of a Device for Small Lady, Rashmi-chan is probably going to end up very familiar with the way he does things. If she can't figure that nonsense out, when magitech is her specialty -- she's a Meister now, she can build and repair Intelligent Devices! -- then I'm really not sure who could. It's not Ami-chan's usual milieu."

A beat. "Swear jar Tamarind. Put something in it for me too."

Then he settles down and he says, briefly leaning his head against the top of his alt-daughter's pink hair, "It was a long, long time ago. Before this life! Back when your mother was the Princess of the Moon Kingdom, Silver Millennium, and I was the Prince of Earth and its Golden Kingdom. Any of this familiar?"

'Nephrite has posed:
"I can't believe the actual kid is the most mature person in the room today," Nephrite scoffs, and sits down on the other side of the couch. "Cough up a donation to the swear jar, cold fish."

This is why he should just act without telling anyone but Mamoru and Kazuo, really. The peanut gallery will find any reason to make fun, and while it's not bothersome, he can't exactly fire back when he's the least popular in the room! He might not know how kids work, but given this one likes everyone else here more than him, dishing it back will just end with him deeper in the hole.

But then story time is starting up, and he shuts up quick, settling in.

Chibiusa Tsukino has posed:
    Chibiusa blinks at Izuo because she's not sure what cuss word was supposed to come after that sh--. Then Tamaki says what she's thinking but she's also giving him a look because she's not sure if that counts as a swear or not. Like, she can't just ban the entire dictionary, right?

    Then again, maybe she could. She's a princess. None would dare oppose her!

    Actually that's not true a lot of people oppose her and honestly they are kind of mean about it.

    ... Well no one else is letting him get away with it anyways. Chibiusa decides to focus on the story rather than think about gross words while Mamoru is in close contact.

    "This part I know! I heard about the Silver Millenium, and how some were saying the Crystal Millennium was almost like a return to it. So you knew them from way back when, before Beryl messed everything up?"

    She is pointedly ignoring the rest of the conversation. They know where she keeps the swear jar. They probably also know why it tends to be left at Mamoru's apartment. This is where it sees the most use, typically.

Kazuo Saitou has posed:
The (slowly but surely) increasingly elaborately decorated swear jar. Which Kazuo surely has nothing to do with. He lives in dignity. ... okay, he occasionally takes weekend vacations to dignity, but that counts as living there sometimes.

Now is not one of those times, as he absently leans his own head toward Zoisite's, careful not to get his hair in front of Izou's face.

Zoisite has posed:
There's a snicker, finger poking at Tamaki's leg. Oh nooo, a bad word was uttered. Tsk tsk, dumbass. The word Izou wanted to originally say was 'shot' but considering what just happened, and not wanting to paint a more vivid picture in the little princess' mind, he opted for the questionable 'sh.'

Ah, if they decide it meant 'shit,' no harm in letting them guess.

And as he listens to the story started by Mamoru with added commentary by Small Lady, his heart feels that warm flutter again. Like fireflies inside his ribcage. All because Kazuo leaned head back over his.

Yeah, his his heart was definitely back together.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Poor unloved Nephrite and his 5,000-piece kitchenware set in pink and green. Haha nerd. No joke, though, the prince has noticed this static and will be investigating if it lives past this story.

Mamoru gently bonks his head back against a couple of knees in affection, and glances at Neph before he sits down, glances at Tamaki--

"If Usako walked in right now, imagine what we look like. You have to let her take a picture."

But then it is absolutely storytime, and the Young King settles his arms around the smol pink, and he nods. "Before Beryl, yes. They were my guardians, back then, like the Sailor Senshi were your mother's. But the first one I met was Kunzite. I was like... three, and he was... ten maybe? And we were introduced in court and he picked me up in front of everybody and I knew he was mine."

He takes a breath, then laughs. "I didn't meet Neph 'til I was eight and he was nine, and I bothered him in the royal library where he was doing homework, and I just had to touch him, too, and I knew who he was, too."

Mamoru reaches one hand back and to the side to push lightly at Tamaki's knee, and he smiles, and then he says, "Jadeite I found when I was sneaking away from the royal entourage with only Kunzite knowing where I was, and someone was chasing him-- I don't remember why but I think he made a ruckus with a cabbage cart or something? And I yoinked him and ran, and I knew him too."

Finally a little chuff of a laugh. "Zoisite I met while we were camping, he was a feral child--"

Chibiusa can feel Mamoru grinning, and he is leaning away from Zoi now.

Chibiusa Tsukino has posed:
    Chibiusa probably can't clearly articulate why she feels off about Nephrite. She just does, and since she doesn't know her feelings there it's probably hard to chase them to their source. Small Lady does trust Mamoru and he has not, provably, been wrong before when it comes to the kinds of people he lets into his apartment.

    She tries to imagine what these four shitennou looked like back then, during the Silver Millenium where they had the Earth Kingdom and the Moon Kingdom and they had spread out across the Solar System. Being in close contact with Mamo helps, but she... well... she's clearly used to talking to her dad this way, both verbally and through the sharing of thoughts.

    Her thoughts go to King Endy, and his rock collection. The four special gems that he always kept that she only recently (on the scale relative to Chibiusa's lifespan) learned the significance of. She considers how much this world's story overlaps with her timeline of origin.

    Somehow these stories all seem to fit them.

    "So you knew all that just from a touch?" She recalls Luna's attempts to find the Inners being a little different, but... there was still a vibe or a feeling from them that wasn't always easy to articulate. "Were you always friends after meeting them?"

Nephrite has posed:
"I don't think I ever ended up finishing that homework," Nephrite muses, eyes closed, thinking back to a fateful day, far, far back in his memory. There's a fondness in his voice, but also, in his mind, when Mamoru bonks his head.

It says that he's not that bothered, more a sense of . o (What'd I do?) and . o (Guess I'm not a babysitter?).

Zoisite has posed:
It was his turn to show a touch of affection when the story came about him. How the young prince had found him during that camping trip and he looked very much like a wild boy, feral with dirt on his face, leaves in his hair, stick in hand and a curious disposition that ignored status. The first time their eyes locked onto one another, the first shared touch. It was like knowing without having the words.

Or so his mind understood back then.

Fingers were careful as they brushed over Mamoru's jet black hair before the prince leaned away. "I had no idea you were the prince, I just wished to duel you because you were so close to my secret hide away."

Jadeite has posed:
"I didn't want to do my sword training and set up a distraction," Tamaki says primly. "And then - well, I wasn't sure if it was him chasing me or me chasing him,but we were running together and it was like I'd found a piece of me I thought was missing."

...Which was apt for how they'd met in this life,he thinks.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"I did," Mamoru confirms to Chibiusa. "I did know all that from just a touch. You know how I can find you anywhere, or find Usako anywhere? I've also always been able to find them that way, too, from the first time we touched. I don't know why, but it seems like it was fate."

Poor Neph, lol lol lol. His prince is amusedly apologetic, but reassuring: don't worry, she'll come around, is the feeling.

He laughs at Izou, briefly leaning his head into that touch. "You weren't a very good duelist yet." And then Tamaki's talking about his meeting too, and Mamoru grins up and back at him, careful not to squish Chibiusa with the craning he's gotta do for it. "It's always me chasing you. But you know what, you should show Small Lady your drawings, you can show her what we used to look like when we were kids together."

And then Chibiusa asks the uncomfortable question, and she can feel his entire mind wince, and she gets the jumbled feelings of a year and a couple of months ago, betrayal... not personal betrayal-- there was no backstab, there was no handing him over, there was nothing like that -- but certainly traitors to the royal family. She gets a glimpse of fire and despair and blood--

--but she also gets his mind-blowing relief that this life is real and his Shitennou are alive and Usagi is safe, everything that flooded through him when the Silver Crystal brought him back from the brink of death.

It's very quick and then Mamoru has a handle on it, and he hugs Chibiusa a little tighter. "Sorry," he says, "no, we... we never stopped loving each other, but Beryl messed that up too."