562/Quadrapeds Gotta Stick Together

Quadrapeds Gotta Stick Together
Date of Scene:	01 October 2023
Location:	Dorms #3
Synopsis:	With the children in school, the mascots will play - or at least, communicate. Luna of Mau reaches out to Vice President, cementing an alliance between likeminded parties. After all, quadapeds have to help each other out in this thumbs and fingers needing world!
Cast of Characters:	Usagi Tsukino, Wako Agemaki

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Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Luna is a free agent. Sure, she's attached to Usagi (emotionally, anyway), but she's attached to all her girls, and even slightly fond of that boy Usagi has decided is her boyfriend. It doesn't mean she waits around in Usagi's room all the time - no, it means she has a tendency to wander, to check in on her girls whom she doesn't share a home with - Naru and Usagi are easy to keep track of, but Rei and Ami are less so, and there's always, always, the concern for Jupiter, out there somewhere and unawakened, vulnerable. The only blessing is that perhaps, just maybe, she'll be safe until they find her, power locked away without her transformation pen to act as focus. It worries her, but unless she takes Usagi's suggestion of just asking strangers to try the pen (she is not that desperate, not yet), her best hope is to encounter the girl by chance, drawn together by shared destiny.

Luna despises having to leave things to chance.

When she isn't checking in on her girls though, she's investigating, searching odds and ends in ways that only a cat can get away with, whether it be visiting her command center, scouring the sites of battle, or following up on suspicions.

Today is a day for the latter; Usagi and Naru are in class, as is every reasonable student, and Wako Agemaki had been by, with her suspicious hanger-on of a pet. Luna quite likes Wako - she's a good girl, who like Naru, encourages Usagi to be ever so slightly more mature, just by being more mature - but her pet?

There's something suspicious about him.

Which is why Luna is at Wako's dorm, having followed their combined scents, as she stares down her greatest challenge: the door.

"Mrrrrow?" She offers as greeting, leaping up to scrabbles at the knob with her paws. Damn these doors!

Wako Agemaki has posed:
Underneath the door, from the other side, a little black nose sniffs curiously at the narrow gap between door and floor. Then it's quiet.

On the bright side, the door to Wako's dorm is not locked. It may be extremely awkward to manage doorknobs without the benefit of thumbs, but Luna's efforts pay off. The door unlatches and swings slowly open a few inches.

The room is reasonably tidy for a teenage girl's dorm, decorated in sherbet colors: pink and yellow and green. It looks like Wako scored a single. There's a teddy bear perched at the head of her bed... and a small yellow fox sitting on the bedside, regarding the feline intrusion with a tilt of his head and pricked-up ears.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Ah, the sweetness of victory. Luna swings with the door, dangling by paws clinging to the knob,and permits herself to preen when she lands gracefully on her feet.

She nods approvingly at the room, taking in the relative tidiness, the decor. Much more Naru than Usagi, which was a good thing when it came to cleanliness. She considered the resident of the room, the yellow fox sat neatly on the bed, and prowled forward, kicking the door shut with a hind leg.

"This," she said dryly, " Is the part where I'm either a genius, or a fool."

Wako Agemaki has posed:
The answer to which is not immediately clear. Vice President stares at her from the high ground of the single bed, bead-black eyes bright and unblinking. He rights his head, the puff of his tail flicking behind him - then tilts it the other way.

Luna may get the impression that she's being trolled right now.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
The silence earns an exasperated huff as Luna pads deeper into the room, glancing about and deciding Wako's chair would make an ideal perch. She hops atop it, then lays alongside the backrest, tail flicking.

"I'm getting the impression you're teasing me," she says primly, "Can you speak or not? If you'd prefer another means of communication, do say. I don't care about being caught here. I'll wait you out."

Wako Agemaki has posed:
One of the fox's ears twitches, like something's tickling it. Almost absently, he brings up a hind foot to scratch it.

The voice is like that of a little boy, but the diction is far too precise for the youth it suggests. "What would you have me say, Luna of Mau?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Luna does not jump. She also does not eep. And Vice President is never going to tell anyone otherwise, so she's in the clear!

Instead she loafs, with all the calm confidence of a cat who knows she most certainly belongs where she is, and contemplates... considers... decides what it is she wants to say. "Is your name really Vice President or did you let the children name yo?"

Wako Agemaki has posed:
He gives the ear another desultory scratch before letting the hind foot settle. "It is a name that Sarina gave me," he replies. "I have grown fond of it. You can call me that as well."

Again his head tilts. "Is this what you came to ask?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"No," Luna says and then does not elaborate for a moment. She is considering: Sarina. A new name. Someone to look into.

"What are you? You know of my kind, and my homeworld. Usagi is my charge. Is Wako-chan yours?"

Wako Agemaki has posed:
"I am only an observer." There's no particular emotion in Vice President's childlike voice as he says it. "We of the Entropeople have no power to interfere. We witness what humans choose to do with the magic they obtain."

He lifts a front paw, licks it meditatively, and gives it a pass over the side of his muzzle. "The Ginga Bishonen and the South Maiden achieved unexpected things. I accompanied them from the island to observe their actions here as well."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"That sounds maddening," Luna says frankly. "To watch with no power to act in anyway, witnessing danger like that... are you allowed to bite the especially annoying ones?"

Come on, surely you have that much freedom at least!

Wako Agemaki has posed:
Those big fox ears twitch minutely, and something like amusement comes into Vice President's tone. "That is within my discretion. There is some use in being thought of as an animal." He settles down in a fox's version of a loaf, front paws just tipped over the edge of the mattress. "Sarina does not get to bite people."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"That's unfortunate for Sarina," Luna sympathizes, and hums. "You're watching Wako-chan and Takuto-san because they are interesting. Do you care about them? Do you consider yourself their ally, or a neutral party?"

It matters to her, if this is an ally or simply a watcher. There's a difference between someone who can't interfere and someone who doesn't care.

Wako Agemaki has posed:
Luna's question has his ears canting backward. For the first time since he spoke, it takes him a moment to answer her. "If I had to say," he says, speaking just a little more slowly than before, "I would call myself their ally. I do not wish to see them hurt, or sad."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Good! We have similar goals then; you don't want to see yours harmed, and neither do I." There's a bit of a purr in her voice as she decrees this, satisfaction audible. "I am not going to ask you to do anything you cannot or would not want to. But it would be a good idea for the two of us to be acquainted with one another in truth, rather than just as pets; there are others like us, who have ones we favor."

She thinks of Bonito, rolling her eyes just so.

"I don't have the power to fight for Usagi or Naru or the others, but I can help them in my own way. We who are like this should help each other."

Wako Agemaki has posed:
The ears perk up again, the waving white tip of Vice President's tail just visible between them. "Your proposal is acceptable," he says. "It seems that it may serve both of us to share information. And our charges, as well."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Excellent. Usagi would forget her head if it were not attached to her shoulders. She is good with sharing information when she remembers, but if something else happens, she will forget. And then she would feel very badly that someone suffered for it. Naru is better with that, but she is also a child still."

Her charges need some break! Naru is always being chased by something or another, and Usagi is always fighting something or another. If she can be of help, she will be of help.

"Are you and Sarina alone here? Or do you have other allies. I have a partner, named Artemis. You're unlikely to see him often."

Wako Agemaki has posed:
"Sarina has remained on the island, to watch over the King Driver and the others." Vice President lowers his chin onto his paws. "I report to her from time to time." Again his ears tip backwards. "Human communication technologies are very inconvenient to use."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Luna makes a lilttle humming noise in the back of her throat of acknowledgement and agreement. "Human technology is inferior by far. They've done.... well enough with the time they've had..."

She doesn't remember the Silver Millennium clearly, not with the ease she recalls her life now. But she remembers the technology, and she has remnants of it, in her command center, in the pocket dimension she was linked to. It is much more friendly for a cat.

"Given that we are allies... I could provide you with a method. You would like to hide it from Wako-chan and Takuto-san, if you don't want them asking questions."

Wako Agemaki has posed:
This fully has Vice President's attention, enough that he sits up and nearly scoots forward before he realizes that he'd run out of bedside and end up in a most undignified pratfall. "That cannot be any more difficult than hiding when I use their phones without their knowing." His nose twitches, huffing out a disparaging sniff. "They call them 'smartphones,' but I find their design very stupid."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Luna does not giggle at Vice President, just like he had kindly not giggled at her eep earlier. No, she gives him dignity, and contemplates the distance from chair to floor. "These smart phones are decidedly unintelligent, aren't they? Picky about who can use them too."

Always demanding THUMBS and FINGERS.

Well, at least she can help - after all, she has a much more useful device to offer. She stands, stretching from her loaf position, and leaps, turning a neat little flip, accompanied by sparkling stars of energy. Two objects materialize and clatter to the ground - communicators! One has a simple yellow circle adornment, and the other, a pink one. The yellow one is smaller.

Wako Agemaki has posed:
Vice President observes with great interest, and once the communicators have been brought forth, he hops down from his perch to investigate more closely. His puff of a tail waves eagerly back and forth. "Most impressive." There's a real sincerity in the comment, if the tail weren't enough of a giveaway.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Luna preens a little, chin lifted, eyes pleased. "These communicators have open frequencies, but I've locked you from receiving those; my girls use their birth names as frequently as their code names, and I don't want to betray their trust. However, you can contact myself, Usagi, and Naru-chan with your communicator by default, as well as the other communicator; you can send it to Ms. Sarina. It will have the same restrictions."

She doubts he will want to contact either Usagi or Naru, but, the option should be there in case of emergency

Wako Agemaki has posed:
Vice President actually does a little hop in place as Luna explains the parameters within which the communicator is set up to work. Poing, poing. For a moment, it almost seems like his boyish voice might be a closer indication of his age than perhaps she surmised.

He soon recovers most of his aplomb, though it doesn't still the delighted waving of his tail behind him when he sits. "Your terms are more than acceptable. This is a very generous gesture, Luna of Mau. I regret that I have nothing to offer in return except for the promise of collaboration."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Luna smiles a little at his hopping cheer, wondering if maybe he is as young as he sounds, because she is as young as she sounds, even if she remembers more of being older. Still - she hated using Usagi's phone, especially considering her claws did not count as fingers, and so she had to be careful with her nose, or with clutching a stylus between her teeth.

"As Usagi would put, we are friends now, Vice President. I understand very well the pain of living in a world made for thumbs and fingers. We quadrapeds must stick together."

Wako Agemaki has posed:
"Friends, then," the alien fox agrees cheerfully. "If I can be of any help, please call on me."

Ducking his head, he regards the communicators again. "Now to determine how to get this to Sarina without the humans knowing." He sounds oddly enthusiastic about the prospect.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"I will," Luna promises. "There are many things that it may be wise to have a second set of eyes watching. Our charges can only do so much."

As for how to send it... she tilts her head and then swishes her tail in a bit of a feline shrug. She's been fortunate to not need mailing services. "Do they send packages home? You could sneak it in, if so."

Wako Agemaki has posed:
Vice President tilts his head in consideration. "A good suggestion," he says. "The South Maiden will send Sarina a souvenir home sooner or later. I will wait for my opportunity."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Patience is our best strategy," Luna agrees, and then stretches once more. "I'll take my leave, if you don't mind, Vice President. I have a few more stops to make today. But don't worry - I'll keep this between us."

Wako Agemaki has posed:
Vice President bows his head briefly to Luna. "Thank you," he says. "I prefer the children not know that I can speak. Well," he amends, one ear twitching thoughtfully backwards, "they may suspect. But for now, it would be better not to confirm."

He hops up and trots toward the door, apparently meaning to see Luna off. Or possibly just help her finagle it back open so she can leave. "Safe travels, Luna of Mau. It is good to have a friend."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"It's more fun when they don't know you can speak," she agrees, stifling a laugh. "Try facepawing sometime; it turns their little heads around, trying to see if it was a coincidence or not."

He may have more serious reasons - but she won't be asking, not when she's already agreed to keep the secret. "Thank you. You're right - it is very good to have a friend."