723/Catching a Breather

Catching a Breather
Date of Scene:	07 November 2023
Location:	Game Crown Arcade
Synopsis:	Secret identities are no longer secret after Sailor Moon and Hanzo catch a breather on Game Crown Arcade's roof!
Cast of Characters:	Usagi Tsukino, Koji Silvia

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Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Game Crown Arcade is one of Usagi Tsukino's favorite places, so of course it's where Sailor Moon has decided to take a breather. She's found two different youkai tonight, not to mention a beastly youma, all just prowling Juuban while she was on a perfectly ordinary patrol. She can't believe she misses when it was just the youma - but the youkai are eerie, creepy things, blasts from a childhood of scary stories and folklore that she wishes had stayed in picture books, shrines, and old stories from her grandmother.

They hadn't though, so here she was, taking a break, chest armor score nearly all the way through from a few attacks she hadn't managed to dodge, gloves scored, skirt edges in tatters, and feasting on konbini rice balls to take the edge off. She really does love Tokyo - she's pretty sure that even without the veil, no one would have looked twice at her in this get up.

Her legs are dangling over the side of the building as she eats a riceball with sour plum filling.

Koji Silvia has posed:
"Here." Says another figure as a ninja-themed magical boy hands a fruit punch flavored energy drink to Sailor Moon, and then sits down next to her.

As 'Hanzo' cracks open a can of jasmine oolong tea, sipping right through the illusion-mask he sighs, and leans back. The entire sleeve of the left arm of his barrier jacket is missing, and it's occasionally flickering into and out of existence. Groaning, he just flops back, and leaves his can sitting there perfectly on the edge as he mumbles out, "Okay... I don't ever want to see a Kamaitachi again. Whoever first thought of a weasel with blades and put it to picture has a sick mind."

The cuts are all gone thanks to some Regeneration, but it's left him mostly wiped after catching up to Moon on the second youkai, and then helping her take down the youma after.

"You alright, Sailor Moon?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Our entire country is full of sick minds. How did we all just grow up hearing these stories and not think we should run screaming into the night?"

Sailor Moon stuffs another bit of rice ball into her mouth and groans around another swallow, feeling strength return with every chew.

"I'm okay, really. I just wasn't expecting us to find so many... it used to be that one monster in a night was a bad night. How about you?" She's only been doing this a few months - since summer - so the fact that things are worse...

"This youma situation is getting worse and worse."

Koji Silvia has posed:
Sitting back up, Koji picks up the can and downs half of it, before reaching for the spicy salmon rice ball in the pack that is out, leaving two more of the hand-made things for the offering. One thing to love about this place also... you can get good food, hand made, and cheap.

Stuffing it into his mouth, "'M..." Pausing before he swallows, Koji goes on, "I used to go out three nights a week. You wouldn't find more than something stray that got out... but a couple times in the last month I've run into more concerted stuff. But like... weirdly normal. Youma in construction equipment, if you can believe it."

He pauses, "I've... actually been scaling back. My Device isn't working as well as it should. So we've been conserving as much as we can while doing our job."

Then it turns into a chuckle, "So... true story. My roommate. I helped him see this girl, and it turns out, this butterfly touched her and she turned evil. Then she kidnapped him, her best friend, and a few others, turned most of them into plushies, and ran off on a tour of tokyo. She's back and better now I hear. Is it weird I hear about these things and I think 'Thank goodness it was -just that?-'?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Are you alright? You and your device, I mean?" She's still learning what it means, the whole device deal, but she knows enough to understand it's not a good thing, that he's cutting back because it isn't working as well. "I know some people who work with those things but - you probably know them too, so I guess you would have asked for help already, if they could help."

Worry touches her face as she reaches for the second to last riceball blindly, trusting that whatever the filling it is, it will be tasty. She's right. The shrimp mayonaise filling is great, and she's happily tucking in when Hanzo continues speaking, words hitting like a one-two-three-four-five to sixteen punch combo in Street Fighter. She chokes on rice and filling.

Literally, chokes, hacking her lungs out to try and clear her airway, because when he'd said butterfly, and then evil and then roommate and possessed and -

Sputtering for air and near to dying probably, she forces out, "KWOJI?!"

Koji Silvia has posed:
Up in a flash of movement, 'Hanzo' is patting Sailor Moon's back to help her try and clear out the rice, and says with a laugh, "Don't eat so fast! Just take a breath and..."

He only then seems to translate Foodspeak into something more tangible, and suddenly gets a puzzled look on his face, "I'm sorry... what? Let me guess... there was spicy sauce in that one, right?"

Moving to sit back down, he very deliberately bites his own and chews, chasing it with what little is left in his can, "So... how are your other sailor friends? Sailor girlfriends? I really don't know what to call them. Except Sailor V."

There may be a sweatdrop forming on the other side of him...

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
He's helping her clear her airway, which she is very grateful for, but unfortunately the familiar gesture - this is NOT the first time Koji has seen her choke - is not helping her dispell the knowledge she now is confident she possesses. The second she's hacked half chewed rice over the roof and can breathe, she turns, totally ignoring his question - well -

"They're Sailor Senshi, we're Sailor Senshi, I'll tell you all about it - Koji-kun?! It's me, Usagi!"

Based on how it had worked for other people, she's pretty sure that if she just tells him who she is, he'll be able to abruptly see that she's herself.

Koji Silvia has posed:
Koji... bites his finger.

Not in the embarrassment way, or the trying not to say something way... he just accidentally bites the tip of his finger while getting a huge chomp of rice down to keep from admitting anything.

This just leads to chipmunk cheeks and an almost tear-streaked face as he waves it in the air and mumbles out a pained noise as he tries to chew, swallow, and be hurt at the same time.

But once his throat is clear, with an audible gulp, he just kind of meekly says... "Hi?"

Cue the rubbing of the back of the neck and head with his other hand and the slightly abashed look, "How'd you... I mean... why're you..."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi hisses in sympathetic pain, seeing that. Her own face is wet from the natural tears that resulted when one was slightly choking to death on food. She blinks some of them away, setting her riceball down before she chokes again -

"I can't believe - no, okay, I actually totally believe you're magic - but you're Hanzo-kun, that's so cool - I only knew because you said the butterfly story, I can't believe Mamochan is telling everyone I got possessed by a butterfly!"

She's a little embarrassed but mostly because it's true, and also because Mamochan please, but also, she does logically know it's not that many people that have been told. It just feels like a lot.

Koji Silvia has posed:
Bringing up one hand, 'Hanzo' waves it across the mask, which vanishes and reveal his face in full... since Barrier Jackets don't give masks, or at least his doesn't, "Hanzo's actually his name." Tapping his belt, "He just lets me borrow it for when I go out. When I started doing this, I didn't know anyone else or who to trust, and... saying Hanzo, like THE Hattori Hanzo sounded a lot better than saying my own name. You've at least got Sailor Moon, Champion of Love and Justice."

He even squares his back and gets the pose mostly right from the times he's seen you do it, "And I just got a text okay? It's why I brought riceballs. I had spares after giving him his... I mean... most of us carry enough food to feed four or five people. Using magic makes you hungry all the time."

"So yeah..." He looks around and then stands up, "That's me... I do magic. Most of the time I just keep people out of the line of fire. I'll be celebrating surviving one year of all this after the New Year. Unless of course something happens then."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"I made most of that up, y'know? The Champion of Love and Justice part, I mean. Luna told me I was Sailor Moon," yes, she is admitting that her cat can talk so casually, "It's a little embarrassing now, because Venus-chan is also the Soldier of Love, and sometimes I think she's gonna sue me to be the one and only, but -"

She's rambling, a little. She twists to him, frowning a little. "No, I get it! Mamochan was texting lots that day; I saw him do it, but I didn't know who... he never told me at all."

Not that she's mad at him for it - she's never shared any of her friends' identities, after all. She shakes her head, marveling. "A whole year... I only started in July, right around my birthday. A whole year..."

And then - "Hanzo is cool. And making up a name is hard, so I don't blame you for taking a cool name!"

Koji Silvia has posed:
Holding out his hand, Koji focuses for a moment and a box made of light appears in the air, wireframe like a video game, and another can of oolong tea falls out of it, along with some of the cookies from FaM-Mart he offered her on that first day.

Sitting back down, he hands the cookies over to her, and cracks his drink. Turning to face her, one leg dangling over the side of the building, he looks back at Usagi, and then looks a bit ashamed, "I'm not used to being cool! Really. I just... Cool's people like Mamoru... except the whole having to be bad thing, or the other mages I know. I'm not cool. I'm just..."

But then he stops and looks at her for a moment, as if some things finally coming together, "Sorry. It's got to be hard for you too. You don't know who you can talk to about anything. So... finding out the truth has to be a relief. But also a burden. Because you're also wondering how much into your troubles you want to drag someone like me. Is it gonna be too much? Will he resent me for it? How will I feel if he gets hurt?"

A sip, "Am I close to right?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
He can just make snacks appear. He can just, make snacks appear. Wow. Score one thousand for device users, honestly! That was amazing! Wonderful! Impossible to believe! Cookies! From nowhere!

Koji's insecurities, on the other hand - his belief that cool was for Mamoru, instead of himself, it just makes her... frown, a little. And she leans forward, putting her hand on his nearest one, looking at him and hoping he looks at her.

"Koji-kun... Mamochan is a dork."

It's important for him to hear this.

"He can be very cool, but he's a dork. And you're very cool too. I know you kind of, do that whole background character thing, where you slide into the background and are like a cool information collector, but you're really cool."

It is very important to know this! It is very important!

Especially as he shares these ideas, these theories, his worries, maybe, and - honestly?

"...I never thought of any of that. I mean! The relief part, I did! And the burden - I guess, I used to think that way, because I thought I might get people hurt, but then, Naru-chan got kidnapped, and even before that she got hurt, and it wasn't helping her any to not know things, you know? So I told her. And I don't just tell everyone, 'cause I never know who knows things, but - you've been doing this longer than me. And I trust that if you want to get dragged into my troubles, you won't get mad at me for it!"

Koji Silvia has posed:
He just laughs, like an infectious little chuckle that grows and swells... and then he loses all of his cool as Koji accidentally lets go of his can, fumbles it a couple times before catching it, and spills some of his drink on the knee of his Barrier Jacket before nearly falling off the edge of the building!

Righting himself in a slightly more graceful fashion, he gets a napkin from that same 'nowhere place' and wipes his hands and his eyes with it, "Oh of COURSE he's a dork. He's a phenomenal dork. But he's also the coolest guy I know. Because he doesn't let it stop him! He just soldiers on... and like a cat, actually like he meant to do it. And it works."

Taking a drink, a breath, and a sigh, Koji goes on, "So... Naru knows about me. I taught her a little about how our Devices work... Luna is a talking cat. And she gave you your thing that lets you become Sailor Moon."

To which he adds, "I'm so JEALOUS. You get a talking cat. And of course I wouldn't get mad at you for dragging me into something. If anything... I deserve what I get there!"

With a sigh, he adds, "I don't get along well with my dad, but occasionally he says stuff that makes sense. And one of those things is... Friends isn't for the easy stuff. It's for the hard stuff. the not-fun stuff. Because that's when friends need friends the most."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Naru-chan was keeping secrets too? Hhhhh, good for her, but how mean," she doesn't really think it's mean, but being the last to know is no fun at all, you know? She huffs a little, taking another bite of rice ball. She goes reaching for him when he almost falls - but when he catches himself, she withdraws her hand before it can snag barrier jacket.

"He's really good at just being himself," except for all the times he's not quite himself, but hey, nobody's perfect. Her tone is filled with the kind of fond amusement of genuine love.

"Luna is a talking cat. Now that you know she can talk, she'd probably love to chat with you - she really likes all those snacks you share with her, and she thinks you're a nice young man. But don't let her fool you! I'm really, really, relaly positive she's like, our age."

She can't be sure of course, given cat, but she is nearly one hundred percent positive, which is sure enough!

"That's right. Friends... friends are for when things are hard. Easy, too, because there's nothing better than a good time with friends, but - they're really, especially, for when things are hard. I wish I'd known you were you sooner - I'd have told you about everything! I mean... you're a really good friend, and there's been a lot of chaos, and you could have been in the know on everything all along!"

Koji Silvia has posed:
Out of the blue, Koji says, "I really needed this."

He then puts his can down and reaches up to rub over his right shoulder, "I've been worried for a long time what would happen when you found out I was some kind of... magical boy... or something. I worry about anyone who finds out. I don't want people dragged into this thing... like Naru has been. But the more people I meet at school, the more I see of us."

"Speaking of which..." He goes on, "Your Boyfriend was a super-cool guy and snuck a bunch of electric camping cooking stuff we keep in the room. I know that Obsidian is the bad guys, but they make some really durable and easy to use stuff. One of these days you should stop by and I'll make you the house special. Just remind me to stop buying mushrooms. He hates them."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Naru-chan's been in it for as long as I have," Usagi says quietly, "The first time I ever transformed was because someone took over her mom's jewelry store, and attacked her. She's tougher than she looks... but I didn't want her in it, either, at first."

It had taken a while, for her to confess her secret, but she doesn't regret doing it. It was necessary - and it was important, because it's made everything better. She's shared everything with Naru, from the time they were four. Of course she'd share this too, as much as she possibly could.

"There are so many of us. I dunno why, 'cept that I guess there's a bunch of bad stuff happening, and I mean, we can see that, with the youkai everywhere," she wrinkles her nose. "I wanted to tell you, because me and Darien, we got the elephant out of the way. Poor Elephant-san got sent out. But... if you didn't know, I didn't want trouble for Mamochan. We wasted a bunch of time!"

What a waste of time...

"Oh, I love mushrooms! You can feed me his mushrooms." yes, yes, do that. "And... I've been teaching him about embezzling! I googled it."

Koji Silvia has posed:
And... on that note... Koji gets this kind of flat-faced 'Whut' look on him before he reaches up and reactivates the illusion that serves as his 'ninja mask'.

"If you're up for it, I hear there's a mysterious vending machine in Pikarigaoaka that supposedly gives you a mysterious drink if you approach it at midnight, and if you thank it, it will grant your fondest desire. Wanna go see if it's just another stupid urban legend, or if it's just stupid spirit you need to hit with your tiara?"

He then offers as a weird incentive, "We can ride on top of the rail-line..."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
She could explain. She won't - she'll let him ask Mamochan, because the look on his face would be amazing. Instead, she takes his hand, giggling a little.

"I would love to. If it's real, we get whatever we want most! And if it's fake, we get to bust up a vending machine! Like a cool duo of delinquents." She probably shouldn't sound so excited for that, but hey, how could she not be at least a little excited?

"Yes, let's ride! I've ridden on a few trains, and I'm getting pretty good at it!"