328/So I Heard You Have a Cat

So I Heard You Have a Cat
Date of Scene:	30 August 2023
Location:	Cafeteria Plaza
Synopsis:	Usagi tried to escape to the cafeteria to escape all of Luna's talk of destiny and duty, only to encounter the oh-so-pretty Michiru and all her talk of destiny and duty. Poor Usagi just want's to be a middle school girl so much.
Cast of Characters:	Usagi Tsukino, Michiru Kaiou

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Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Lunch time at the cafeteria - it's something Usagi hasn't always taken advantage of, at least in the sense of just sitting and enjoying food in the plaza. But after everything that's happened - and she does mean everything, shocking revelations and all - a nice set of steamed buns and pickled vegetables in the Plaza seemed like a good idea. Buns stuffed with barbeque pork, buns steamed with curry beef, a whole side of pickled vegetables, and the smallest (Usagi portioned) amount of rice was perfect. Just right."

"Itadakimasu," she crows to herself before digging in, humming in delight. The food is excellent, of course! Radiant Heart Academy is good for one thing, and it's all the great food. "This hits the spot - and I can get away from Luna's nagging too! Ah, I should have lunch on campus more often!"

She really, really should. It was always nice to have lunch in her dorm, sure, or around town, but there was something especially nice about getting lunch in the cafeteria like a normal kid, where Luna couldn't nag her and magical shenanigans were unlikely to break out, and where she didn't have to think about any of the big troublesome things on her mind, like bad guys who wanted to destroy the world (why?!?) or cute troubled boys with troubling secret identities (Darien,,,,). No, here in the Plaza, with other students dotted around and flowerpots for company, she was juuuust herself, and no one else. Sailor Moon was not in the building.

Michiru Kaiou has posed:
It's only been a few days since Michiru had that conversation with Setsuna. The conversation in which she was told about Luna's presence in Tokyo, and even on campus. The conversation in which she was told a name: Usagi Tsukino.

She asked around campus just yesterday, just to figure out who that even was. But then she just trusted herself to the current of Destiny to bring them together. As she walks into the cafeteria now, with her bento in hand, she smiles to see her strategy already paid off. She walks directly across the room and stands right at the seat next to Usagi.

"Mind if I join you?" She asks, her voice soft and sweet. Then, without waiting, she sits down on the seat, as if she knows the answer. "I'm Michiru Kaiou," she says, with a smile as she starts to open her bento. "You're Usagi Tsukino, right?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi is mid-bun when the pretty girl joins her, and let her make it clear: that girl is PRETTY. Taller than Usagi, not that that was hard, but not towering, pretty blue hair, lovely eyes - she forgets to chew, staring for a moment in shock. And then she hurriedly swallows and nods. "Of course! Of course, come, sit down Michiru-chan!"

Casual name basis already, of course. Usagi smiles. "Are you one of Naru-chan's friends?"

Usually when people know her, it's Naru-chan's fault. Not that she minds!

Michiru Kaiou has posed:
Michiru has a simple bento packed with rice balls, inari sushi, and some teriyaki chicken. There is also a compartment with a salad and a little container with the dressing kept separate. She picks up the container, opens it, and drizzles the dressing over the leaves, tossing it with her chopsticks. While she does this, she says, "No, I believe we have a different sort of connection."

Finally, with a piece of salad between the tips of her chopsticks, she looks up and smiles at Usagi. "It's Luna I'm friends with." Then she takes her bite and happily chews.

Poor Usagi, she thought she escaped that cat here at the cafeteria, but no. Not today. That is not what Destiny had in store for her.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
A different sort of connection? What could that mean?

A distant alarm bell starts ringing, but Usagi - oh, poor Usagi, is blinded enough by cute girl, that it does not even occur to her to think twice of the dangers of destiny. It means that Michiru lands a near fatal blow when she clarifies their connection, Usagi choking on air. "Wuna?"

She takes a swig of juice, taken from the cafeteria for the sole purpose of further brightening her mood, and once her throat is clear, tries again. "Luna? You know Luna?"

She looks around hurriedly, ensuring no one is too close, and then whispers, "Are you a Senshi too?"

Michiru Kaiou has posed:
In another story, Michiru might have played coy. She might have been mysterious about who she was. But she's seen the future if things play out the way they usually do, and nobody wants that, least of all her. Before she and the other Outers were focused _outward_. They're all reawakening at the same time, and they're all in this together here in Tokyo, so she decides a different path.

"Mmhmm," she intones around another bite of her salad. She nods, her eyes smiling, even if her mouth is busy chewing. She swallows and smiles, snapping the tips of her chopsticks in Usagi's direction. "Aren't you a clever girl?"

Then she leans in a little, dropping her voice low and quiet. "You'd be wise to be more cautious, though, as allies aren't the only ones who know Luna's name."

She leans back, and focuses then on finishing off her salad. She did not say _which_ senshi she was, did she?

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi would usually be a bit more cautious. A bit more. Honest! Really! It's just - she's never been openly approached by another Senshi, on purpose, before. Honestly wasn't totally sure how many of them were still left to awaken. Is honestly pretty irritated with Luna, for not giving her the heads up -

And is definitely sheepish about making a fool of herself in front of a pretty girl.

Is it so much to ask to get to look cool in front of her allies? "So far it's been a two out of two for success," she says weakly, and stuffs bun into her mouth to avoid looking any sillier. And also to calm her heart's fluttering after that clever girl - "Um,,, which are you? Or did you want me to guess -" she really hopes not!

Michiru Kaiou has posed:
Michiru sets down her chopsticks, and picks up one of the rice balls with her fingers. She takes a bite out of it and listens as Usagi struggles to keep her cool. She doesn't laugh out loud--she's eating--but her eyes crease as if she were. She eats the other half of her rice ball, then, instead of answering the question.

But when she's done with _that_, she leans in close, drapes her fingers over the back of Usagi's hand and whispers very close to her ear, "Neptune."

Then she straightens up and turns back to her bento. There's inari sushi and teryaki chicken yet to eat. She looks at it for a moment and then turns back toward Usagi, reaching up to put a hand on her shoulder. Her voice is soft and quiet, and just for Usagi, "It's a lot, all of this. It's just been a few months for me, and my whole world has changed. You're doing good, Usagi-chan."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Michiru eating her riceball at leaves gives Usagi the chance to just, shove some more food into her mouth and make sure she can't embarrass herself more. If she can. If that's possible. It might not be. She might be doomed to embarrassing herself. And then -

"Oh!" Luna had mentioned Neptune. That Neptune might be able to help... But for all Usagi's inexperience and silliness, she knows something about secrets and keeping them. She's only just met this other Senshi - she can't say anything about that, not on a first meeting, no matter. "I'm Moon. Do you, do you know Pluto?"

Can't give her name away, just in case. But she can still ask, and she still wonders...

"It's been two for me," Usagi admits. "Months, I mean. It's scary, isn't it?"

Michiru Kaiou has posed:
Michiru giggles. Does she know Pluto? "Yes, actually _she_ is the one who gave me your name. I haven't actually _met_ Luna, not since everything changed," she says. Past lives make everything so complicated. She plucks up a piece of chicken with her chopsticks and eats it. She's definitely focused on her lunch, even while she so casually flusters her kohai beside her.

"It's absolutely terrifying," she admits quietly, setting her chopsticks down and looking over at the blonde next to her. "I've seen visions of the end, Usagi-chan. It's coming, and it's big, and it's _wrong_. There's something going on that's making it so much worse this time," she says, her voice grim. And then she takes a big bite of rice ball. Can't be grim with a mouth full of tasty rice. Om nom nom.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi would love to be focused enough on her food to not notice how flustered she is by her very pretty senpai. She'd also love to not be utterly terrified of the things her new senpai says - the nicest thing is that she does know Setsuna-san, who Usagi respects quite a bit, likes even more, who has an aura of confidence that Usagi can't help but take strength from. Setsuna is obviously experienced and even a newb like Usagi can tell.

Unfortunately she is not here and Michiru-chan is saying some - some really - "Psychic visions?" It's asked in a weak, strained voice, Usagi struggling to maintain calm.

It's got to be the same terrible end right? Midnight Tokyo, coming from another source. The bad guy's existing plan. It can't possibly be another apocalypse, right? Right? "What kind of end? And... what do you mean, this time?"

Michiru Kaiou has posed:
Michiru eats the rest of her rice ball as she watches Usagi's reaction. Getting to be spooky and mysterious about it, almost made up for actually _having_ the apocalyptic visions. They weren't her favorite. What Michiru would give for dreams of calm seas and sandy beaches. She can't help but giggle, then, when her attention comes back to focus on Usagi who is freaking out just a little bit.

"The world has ended before," she says, gesturing with her chopsticks in a little circle. "Millenia ago." She gestures between the pair of them. "We both had past lives, you and I, and then it all ended. Now here we are again, and the evil forces are at our door again. But it's _different_." She looks up, then, and smiles, and glances around the cafeteria and then back to Usagi.

"We've got _more friends_ now."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
The giggling helps undercut the mysterious terrifying threat of the moment, the warning. Unfortunately, Usagi doesn't think it was weird psychic humor, but she does think maybe, just maybe, it's not as terrifying as it could be.

"The world ended, and we - we had past lives... You mean we were magical girls in our past lives?!" She slaps a hand down on the table, then jumps at the noise, having surprised herself, but - no. No way, right? She can't really have been a magical girl - been Sailor Moon - even in her past life, could she? That would mean - she wasn't a buddhist, not like, specifically, but that would definitely mean her karma was totally tied to this whole thing and - and - Usagi puts her face in her hand and groans.

"It is different. Everyone keeps saying there are more magical girls and boys than ever... We can definitely stop the apocalypse... I just want to get through middle school!"

Michiru Kaiou has posed:
Michiru finishes the last bite of her bento and sets her chopsticks down. She makes an appreciative sound. Then she looks over at Usagi. Poor Usagi, who wants nothing more than to just be a girl. Michiru can relate. "I just wanted to play violin and paint, Usagi-chan," she says with a slight shake of her head and a light laugh before she looks back at Usagi. "We're soldiers, though, you and I."

She gets the lid and puts it back on her bento, neatly tidying up after herself. Then she turns and leans in to rest her hand on Usagi's shoulder and lean in for a sort of nudging hug. "But we've got each other, and we've got allies. So we've got this."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
The worst part is the sympathy, and yet, it's the best part too. Usagi wouldn't be able to cope with someone telling her not to be disappointed, not to be upset. Someone who can commiserate? "I wish I knew who decided that. Luna says it was always going to be me - always going to be us, with this whole destiny thing."

It's so rude, the way fate cares nothing for the wants of young girls. "We do. We - have allies, and friends, and each other. And, Michiru-chan, you should have my number, so you can reach me. In case you need help. Monsters are pretty scary, you know?"

Michiru Kaiou has posed:
"Oh yes, here, I'll text you from my phone," Michiru says, and then pulls her phone out of a pocket in her skirt. She makes her contact for Usagi and then sends a message. "There you go. Now you have mine, too." She tucks her phone away, and then rises up from her seat. "Don't hesitate to call if you need anything." Then there's a pause. "Do you like the symphony? I could get you some really good seats." She puts her hand out to rest on Usagi's shoulder. "Think about it. Text me." Then she's off.