395/Checking In, News Gained

Checking In, News Gained
Date of Scene:	09 September 2023
Location:	Dorms #1
Synopsis:	Following Naru's kidnapping, CHiyo Sakai comes to check in on Usagi and Luna. Partway through, a few texts change the mood: there's hope for Naru yet.
Cast of Characters:	Chiyo Sakai, Usagi Tsukino
Tinyplot:	Dangerous Orbits

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Chiyo Sakai has posed:
The jumble of situations that occured almost simultaneously had kept Chiyo from checking in with Usagi longer than she would like. The day before she'd heard the news about Naru's disapearance she'd been called by another friend who was in need of her assistance only to end up with an unexpected guest on her couch for a day or so. It couldn't be helped in either instance, but it had made focusing on one situation over the other impossible.

Now with Koji safely home and far less injured than before she makes her way to the dorms. A day of school had been missed for her else she would have been here sooner, too. At the dorm she knocks on the door, leaning in close to hear in case there's noise within.

"Usagi-chan? It's Chiyo, are you in?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi is in, with Luna. She's been trying not to be a downer anymore, trying to plot through figuring out what to do next about find Naru, how to track down an enemy when that's really not her skillset, on account of just constantly fumbling into trouble. Hinoiri had told her not to be a crybaby and mope, but there had to be something she could do that was active...

"Did you find anything Luna?"

"Not yet, Usagi," Luna responds, distracted, kinder than she ought to be.

The knock at the door is a welcome reprieve. Usagi drags herself up, walks over to the door -

"I'm in, Chiyo-chan -"

She pulls the door open. She's tired looking, lower on energy than Chiyo will have ever seen her. Her hair's a bit of a mess - one of her odango is falling out and she hasn't fixed it. "Is Bonito with you?"

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai stands there looking far better than Usagi at least. Just worried as her forehead crinkles with obvious concern. "Yes, but he's in his dormant form," she explains with a soft smile. "Did you need him for something? I can have him change," she begins as her eyes skirt past to take in the room, and Luna as well. "Hi Luna."

Rather than wait for anything else to be explained though she lifts up a bag held in hand. A takeout bag which was a bit heavy with whatever was inside.

"I thought you might not have been eating well so I picked up some things. I got you some Churu treats too, Luna."

Then, a bit quieter, she asks, "Nothing yet?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi Tsukino says, "No, I just figured I should ask, it's okay," Usagi shakes her head, and steps aside, so Chiyo can come on in. Inside the room, it's a bit darker than usual, the blinds stil drawn, and Luna is tapping away at Usagi's laptop, still digging into her research. She looks better than when Chiyo saw her last, fully out of her cast and with her fur back to it's usual luster. She's very distracted as she mutters, "Hello, Chiyo-chan."

It's a bit, subdued, to say the least.

The bag garners a little interest, but not too much. Usagi sighs and flops back onto Naru's bed, face falling. "Nothing. He-"

She thinks twice, remembering abruptly that there were important secrets at hand.

"I asked a friend to take a look, but it's taking a while, and I thought about just running around the city but...""

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai steps in looking around the gloomy room with a single blink at the way it was set up. Like some den for ilicit things going on you'd expect to see in a movie. Without asking she reaches to flip on the lights brightening things up just a bit.

"I can go look with you to look if you think it would help, but..." Even she knew that was a stretch. Lightly frowning she glances back. "If we had a lot more people it might help. Do we know where she was taken from? Maybe starting in that area wouldn't hurt."

The bag she carried is brought to the table to set down, and begin unpacking a few of the takeout boxes. "For now though, eat something. Drink some water. You need to keep up your strength. Sunbreaker is very strong. I was barely able to throw her attack back at her."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi and Luna hiss in tandem like vampires exposed to the sunlight, squinting across at Chiyo - but it's probably for the best. The light is good for their eyes, really. It is! Believe Chiyo, who made the call.

"Inai-sensei got called to her location, and it wasn't far, I think, but I don't know if she's around? Still - I don't know what to do at all and everything is terrible and I miss Naru and Luna is looking really hard for her and, and -"

"Deep breaths, Usagi," Luna says sympathetically.

"Okay," she says, to both. She sits herself up slowly, wilting, "Sunbreaker is really strong. And she thinks Naru-chan has power!"

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai purses her lips a little while listening to the tirade of worries. There wasn't anything she could do about it other than listen so she focuses on what she *can* do -- Preparing to set out the food.

A container of rice with curry and a little side salad (vegetables!) is placed for Usagi. For Luna she takes a little side dish platter which she squeezes out one of the Churu tubes into so that Luna doesn't have to lick at the packet as intended.

"Yes, she is strong. She also was very upset at the other girls that were there fighting her. The way she talked about them it was like she felt they were being used and too delusional to realize it. If she thinks Naru has powers, maybe that's why she took her? To convince her to..." To what? Chiyo's own thoughts stop there. "If that's the case then she's probably at least keeping her safe."

The Churu dish is placed down on the table beside the laptop Luna was at. The rice and curry is then carried over to Usagi to offer.

"That means we still have time to find her."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
The food smells good. Of course it does - it's curry, and the sweet-tangy scent of dressed salad, and for Luna, there's the pungent scent of Churu, the flavor on the air enough to tempt her to look away from the laptop, if only for a moment. Chiyo's gentle chastening, to keep up their strength - it's effective, at least, and they both hang their heads and focus on the food.

"Thank you, Chiyo-chan." A doube echo.

"She... was upset that I dared to fight her too. She thought it was sooo obvious she was stronger than me, and then - even after she left - I transformed because of Naru, you know?" The words are a ramble, falling from Usagi's lips as she tried to figure out how to feel, what to say. "Luna gave me the broach, but it was because Naru was in danger that I used it, and now she's in danger, and I don't know how to find her again -"

She doesn't know what to do. Her best friend, the person closest in the whole world to her -

And Luna is thinking, is worrying too, remembering what Setsuna Meiou once said, her thoughtful suggestion of a princess and Destiny and remembering that night as well -

Usagi accepts the food. She stares down at it. "We have time. I just - I hate waiting. I never liked it, ever."

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
"You're welcome." Chiyo allows herself a little smile of amusement at the fact that she was just urging them to eat. It wasn't much. It really wasn't, yet she knew it was important. "It's kind of what I do."

"Just because someone is strong doesn't mean they're impossible to fight. If you can't beat them straight on then maybe tire them out by making them attack you until they're exhausted. Or... or something. There's ways."

"You also don't have to fight alone. You have friends and allies."

Her lips purse together slightly looking between them considering. Her gaze finally fixes on Luna though. "... If we can't find her ourselves, and we need more people to look..." Here she pauses again thinking.

"Can we ask the stray cats for help? There's so many in the city."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi takes her first bite. The curry is delicious, comforting, and familiar, stewed meat in the first bite, rice in the second, a mix of curried vegetable and rice in the third. The first is a tentative bite - the second is more energetic and the third gets a rumble of approval from her stomach. She's not been starving herself, but it's her first meal and - bzzzt. bzzzt.

Her phone starts buzzing. "Yeah. I managed to get her to back off last time... and this time I won't go in alone. Lemme see who that is -"

Her phone is snatched up and she opens it - Himeko-chan? A quick text shot off, and she looks back up, sheepish, "Sorry, it's Himeko-chan, she's a friend... I'm pretty sure we can beat Sunbreaker. I'm more worried she'd try something like this again, you know?"

What happens when this is done? When - bzzzt. bzzt. "Hold on - oh!! Chiyo-chan, they found something! They found something -"

Luna turns towards the noise, both Chiyo's suggestion and Usagi's words.

"What did they find, Usagi? Chiyo-chan has a point, that the cats in this city could be useful..."

"They're saying they found some of Naru's stuff, in a cabin... she wasn't there, but they got close! What if - Luna-chan, do you think you could talk to the local kitties?"

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
The little buzzing of Usagi's phone makes Chiyo recall her own. She takes her cellphone out to hold idly while Usagi checks the message between bites of food. The little Bao charm there swings and sways as it moves a bit on it's own. Sure, Bonito could transform but doing it while attached to the phone was more than a little annoying.

"I don't know," she admits. "What might happen in the future. All we can do right now is focus on one issue at a time--" She starts only to have Usagi cry out about finding something.

"They did? Who ... Where?" Chiyo leans forward a bit peering curiously toward Usagi's phone but not outright trying to read the screen. It was good news at least! Feeling hopeful she asks, "Should we go there to start looking?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"One of my friends, who was looking for her," that's not entirely true. Himeko-chan shouldn't be looking, but she's psychic, so could Darien even hope to hide secrets from her? (Did that mean she knew about Hemati- thought for later.) Either way, she's getting information from him, and she probably shouldn't say any more names, not when she doesn't want to give away Darien's secrets.

"They said they found some of her belongings in a cabin, but they don't have all the details, but - they were keeping her in a cabin! I just have to figure out where, and we can see about stopping and trying to investigate, we have a lead! And - and she was okay! She was still -" alive.

She hadn't really, she'd tried not to think about it, couldn't really believe Sunbreaker would go that far, but she'd beenw illing to blast Usagi with fire, to level a spear at Naru, so there was always the chance, but Naru had been alive, and she had to be alive now, why would Sunbreaker bring a, a cor-

"Chiyo-chan, this is great! You're like a good luck charm!"

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
"Oh thank god!" Chiyo blurts out when Usagi nearly says those fateful words. Nevermind she had been the one trying to reassure her not so long ago that it was most likely that Naruw as alive and well. "That's good then! If she was moved though... Or maybe she managed to escape, even!" Ah, but maybe not. A cabin meant woods somewhere and that could prove just as deadly if she escaped into the woods. Best not to draw that thought out.

"That's excellent though!" Grinning broadly once more she gives Usagi's shoulder a quick squeeze of continued reassurance along with a chuckle. "I'm pretty sure that's not one of my powers. Still, I'm so glad that some progress is being made! It's progress!"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"It's progress! She's okay!" She had to be okay. If Sunbreaker would bother to move her - "I don't know if she knows people are looking or if she's just moving around because she's paranoid but... we've got a sign! It's going to be okay."

It is. It has to be.

"Usagi, tell them to give us the exact location as soon as possible. Chiyo's idea has merit. It's rare for people to pay attention to what cats see and hear. Most humans couldn't understand any of it, after all.

"It's progress. It's a good thing." It's a relief so heavy her appetite is even back to normal, a few more bites quickly downed, barely even savored.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
"Right! We'll get her back, Usagi-chan. If I can do anything to help at all you know I will."

Still the talk of 'them' and such vaguely named friends earns a look between them. There were multiple sorts out there, some who still had identities to keep secret so she tries not to press. The thought does strike her to ask after a moment, "Do you need me to leave so you can talk to them properly? I understand if there's things you can't tell me. It's not important right now," she assures her friend. Even if part of her was DYING of curiosity. Naru was the focus of everything at the moment.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"I - would you mind? I'll tell you all the important stuff, later, I promise, but I kind of... can't give away someone else's secrets, you know?" That's part of the problem. They all know people and they all have secrets, but they all have to keep in mind who knows what... she said Himeko's name, earlier, but that didn't have to mean anything, not when she'd said them, after, and she doesn't think Chiyo-chan knows Himeko-chan but she'd have to think about it, later.

Right now - "Thank you for coming over, Chiyo-chan. We're going to get Naru-chan back! And - if she is hurt, if something happened... I meant it when I said you'll be able to help. I don't know many people who can help someone, after."

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai rises to her feet again giving a reassuring smile. "I admit I'm curious and want to help more, but I also understand. We've all had to keep secrets for safety." Though she isn't entirely aware that the secret being kept is that these are people working for the opposition! That would definitely get a lot more of a chastising.

"Just let me know. I can easily come as Guardian Daifuku whenever--I don't mind if people know you know her if it comes to it. I can hide my identity other ways."

"Just make sure you finish eating, too," she points out while turning for the door. "Be careful!"