View source for 548/I Know Who I Wanna Take Me Home

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2023/10/03
|Location=Dorms
|Synopsis=After Sunbreaker burns Sailor Moon a lot, she calls Mamoru, and then Naru and Mamoru help her with first aid. Featuring jkgdlajdfl and surprises.
|Cast of Characters=43,38,59
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:43|Usagi Tsukino (43)}} has posed:'''<br>Usagi had walked three blocks when she decided that yes, actually, she was going to call Mamoru. She was going to call him and ask him to take her home. She had not taken the pills Pluto gave her - not because she didn't trust them, but because dry swallowing pills while her throat was already sore sounded ''awful'' and she just wasn't going to do it. <br><br>Through the magic of her henshin, her phone and the rest of her clothes had survived the fire, by virtue of not being there. Her fuku was - probably going to be fine, the next time she wore it! But her hair? Yeah, it was going to need that trim. <br><br>Digging out the phone, she dials one of the few numbers she's bothered to memorize. <br><br>"Mamochan?" Her voice breaks the second she hears his voice. "Think you could come get me?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba (38)}} has posed:'''<br>That break in her voice--<br><br>"Always," says Mamoru on the other end of the phone, his own voice catching, and she can ''hear'' his heart in his throat. "Where--?" he starts, but he doesn't need to finish it.<br><br>Somehow he knows already, as Usagi is saying it, and he's henshined in a heartbeat and stepping out of nothing in another.<br><br>He can smell the burnt hair first.<br><br>Fire.<br><br>He puts that away and doesn't ask what happened, only asks, "Where to? Default is your room. Do you want me to carry you, or just hold your hand?"<br><br>Her clothes cover what must be terrible, if her ''bangs'' are scorched. Something clinical is analyzing while he keeps the rest of himself from reacting. She just wants to go, and is too hurt; she doesn't need his temper or his horror.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:43|Usagi Tsukino (43)}} has posed:'''<br>He's there. He's there, in an instant, and she could cry, her eyes stinging, and maybe she is crying, actually, tears spilling over her cheeks. She puts her phone away and sniffles and closes the distance between them in an instant, only hissing a little when the movement makes the burns stretch. <br><br>"My -" and then she pauses. Because her dorm room is where she wants to go (her ''house'' is where she wants to go), but her dorm will have Naru and Luna and she isn't up to explaining to anyone, not yet, not when she's so tired and sore and Luna might agree with the Outer Senshi and Naru-chan would be worried but she would want to hold it in some and - "Is that room still empty? The one we met that jerk Nephrite in?" <br><br>She's trying for some normality in her tone, but she's ''tired''. And her lip wobbles. <br><br>"You can carry me. I want a hug. This ''sucked''. Today ''sucked''."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba (38)}} has posed:'''<br>"Room's still empty," the boy confirms quietly.<br><br>''You can carry me,'' she said, and he's worried that the hiss means anywhere he touches her will hurt, but ''you can carry me'' she said, and he'll take her at her hug-wanting word.<br><br>"Okay. Let me know if it hurts too much," Hematite murmurs, then with such care, he bends to pick her up in a princess carry-- and despite the acrid burnt-hair smell, he puts his face against the top of her head while he steps them out of the night into a dark and quiet room.<br><br>He forgets the threat of anger for a moment because whatever ('whatever') happened, she's alive and awake, no matter how much it sucked.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:43|Usagi Tsukino (43)}} has posed:'''<br>"Let's go there," she murmurs, and he holds her, and asks her to let him know if it hurts - but it doesn't, not where he touches her. It's her chest that hurts, and her shoulders a little, and her neck, and her face, where she was slapped with fire that could have roasted her alive if she were a civilian, and - <br><br>And no, she hasn't stopped crying. But she is curled close to him, ignoring the pain and burn in her chest as he holds her, and it does help. It does. Just being with someone, someone who isn't judging eyes or hateful ones or demanding things - <br><br>"It doesn't hurt," Usagi promises, because he doesn't. They step between spaces in an instant - gone from the alley to the empty dorm room, and she doesn't move to get down at all, just lets him hold her. The Outer Senshi had offered to take her home. She'd rejected them. Of course she had. They were going to kill Sunbreaker. They were going to - <br><br>If they would kill Sunbreaker, would they want to kill Hematite? Would they listen to her about Darien and Mamoru and Hematite who were all the same boy in every different ways, who was hers, who she needed and wanted and loved and would never stand aside and let anyone hurt? He'd hurt people too. He'd made mistakes. Sunbreaker was cruel, just like her little brother could be, when he smashed his toys, or made fun of her without thinking. It was just Sunbreaker had ''fire'' and fire ''burned'' and - <br><br>She was shivering. Shock, a little. All the deferred and delayed and belated upset, definitely.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba (38)}} has posed:'''<br>It's not nonsense he tells her, but it's unrelated things, as a distraction; she's shivering, it's probably shock. "Nephrite really ''was'' a jerk, wasn't he?" he asks, and he doesn't let his henshin go. "Pyrite's been extra spooky lately. I don't like what the Dusk Zone does to her. To any of them. Wait, these are problems... I argued with a teacher yesterday over how much an extra credit question was worth if... no, that's rude." Well. He tries.<br><br>If she can smell anything other than burning, he smells as he should; he sounds as he should, voice warm and steady. "Do you want me to--"<br><br>He almost offers to show her calm and pretty things, warm things, but he can't, and he almost never forgets that. He can't heal her. He can't even offer her a quiet place to hide--<br><br>--but that's what he's doing now, isn't it? The latter, at least. He sits the two of them down on one of the beds and just cradles Usagi close, and maybe his long hair tickles a little bit. "I should put you down and get the supplies. And a blanket, I think you might be shocky, which means you should lay down too..."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:43|Usagi Tsukino (43)}} has posed:'''<br>"He was! For no reason, too. It's not like his best friend was missing," his best friend is Mamoru, she's positive of that. So like, what's his deal, anyway? Pyrite on the other hand... "I need to take her to see ducks... I promised like forever ago, and everything just kept happening..." <br><br>She shivers a little more, grimacing, and presses her cheek to his chest, inhaling the scent of him - the scent of his clothes, and his shampoo and his body wash, the tickle of his long hair brushing against her, comforting compared to the acrid scent of burning. <br><br>He comforts her, without pushing or asking, and she could curl up here and sleep and maybe not even dream - <br><br>She sniffs, a little, and blinks to make the tears stop. "You can let me down. I'm not going anywhere. I want to - I need a break before I tell Naru-chan and Luna." <br><br>A blanket sounded good, and so did a first aid kit. She doesn't know what he was going to offer, but what he does offer, sounds good, sounds like something she needs. "Maybe. A little. If shocky is why I'm shivering and can't stop, and, also, if you have any burn cream,,,"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba (38)}} has posed:'''<br>He doesn't want to let her down, but he does. Carefully. Onto the bed. "And a break you'll get," says Mamoru, still in his Shitennou uniform, still always himself. "But I need you to not move around a lot. I'm going to come back with a lot of stuff in a minute, okay? Including burn cream. The shivering's not great, no."<br><br>She gets a very gingerly applied forehead-kiss, and then Mamoru steps away to open the window a little bit and let the cool air in, and break up the silence of the room so there's evidence of a wider world beyond the walls. "Be right back," he says softly, and steps away into nothing.<br><br>He's back with a couple of cool damp towels, a couple of light blankets, and a couple of pillows first. "You're not supposed to have anything tight or restrictive on the burns," he says, looking at his phone. "So uh."<br><br>Awkward. Mamoru isn't looking at her, for a second. "If you need help unhooking anything, or-- whatever-- it's for first aid reasons? I can help with the burn cream too, anything you can't reach, or ''you know what let me go get the burn cream and bandages''--"<br><br>This time he actually ''flickers'' out, then comes back with more supplies almost immediately, and he sounds both apologetic and kind of miserable. "I'm sorry! I want to help, but I don't know how bad it is, and what it's okay to offer-- I brought you one of my shirts again because things ''sticking'' to burns is ''bad'', there's antibiotic ointment too. Usako...how bad is it?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:43|Usagi Tsukino (43)}} has posed:'''<br>She doesn't want to be let down, but she needs to be. She hurts. And the shivering is getting worse, cold sapped into her whole body. Her pulse races, heartbeat thudthudthudding in her ears. The burns on her chest ache, and her shirt feels stuck. In short, she is not pleased that Mamoru has to leave her, even if it's for supplies, even if it's for the burn cream she is really sure she needs, even if - <br><br>"I'm never moving again," she promises, and even intends it, at least in this moment; moving hurts, and laying still hurts too, but at least that hurts less. "Hurry back." <br><br>He kisses her forehead, and the only reason she doesn't blush is the cold clamminess of her skin, her body going into shock. The adrenaline has trickled away, leaving just the exhaustion, and the seconds he's gone feel like hours to her frazzled mind. And then he's back like he was never gone, arms loaded with fabric, and she blinks at him, slow like a cat, like Luna, not understanding. Not getting it. <br><br>And then she does, and in spite of everything, her face ''does'' burn, because nothing tight or restrictive on the burns probably means her clothes and her bra and asdfhkjkljhkl - <br><br>"Do you have scissors?" She manages to squeak, because she doesn't think she can unhook anything, but also, she doesn't think she wants to, thinks she would rather ruin these clothes altogether than wash them and see if the scent of burning hair and flesh washes out. <br><br>Of course. That means. There will be. And he will. See. And. The cream - <br><br>His vanishing is her only saving grace because she makes a strangled noise of mortification the second he's gone and then - <br><br>"It's okay! It's - they need to come off - and - it doesn't - it ''hurts'' but I don't think it's too bad. My fuku took the brunt. It just - hurts."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba (38)}} has posed:'''<br>And she's worse, of course she is, and none of this is okay, and she was ''walking'', because of course she was, and Mamoru is so glad she called him and he's so upset he's not someone who can help more, not as he is, and he ''doesn't have time to think like that'' -- "Yes," he has scissors, for cutting bandages; he dumps everything else off on the other bed, then drops his henshin and comes over to immediately get to work on the other parts first. Damp cool cloth over her chest to get her shirt and bra wet enough they won't necessarily stick when taking them off? Maybe? But at least also to be cooling on the worst of the burns--<br><br>--then a pillow and a wadded up blanket under her feet and legs to elevate them somewhat, and another blanket over her legs to keep them warm, and he gets her hair out of the way, and then he's got one cold hand between his warm ones and he says, "Do you want me to do this, or do you want me to get Naru and tell her not to ask you anything yet?"<br><br>And then the other hand, both of her hands in his.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:43|Usagi Tsukino (43)}} has posed:'''<br>"I..." Usagi swallows. Damp cloth, soaking into her skin, her clothes, cold and already shivering, and she wants her mama, but her mama would have a dozen questions, and - "Get Naru-chan, please." <br><br>It's not that she doesn't trust Mamoru. She does. She called him, before anyone else, and not because he could teleport. But Naru is - Naru-chan is, safe. But would she be upset? What if - they'd agreed. They didn't think murder was a good idea. But what if it was different now - no, she'd taken notes from Sunbreaker, that wasn't a very murderous feeling, that was - "The more hands the better, I think. She really got me this time."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba (38)}} has posed:'''<br>''She really got me this time.''<br><br>Not thinking about ''fire''. Not right now. Not.<br>And that's why, a moment after putting a blanket overtop of the damp cloth and giving Usagi a firm and wordless nod, there's someone knocking urgently on Naru and Usagi's door. The moment it's open, Hematite is holding out a hand and his face looks like he's trying not to look upset, or frightened, or something. "Usako is burned badly. Please, come. She's shocky too."<br><br>Once they're there, in that dark room, he throws up a shield over the window literally made of dark energy to keep the light from escaping (in the room, the air smells of burnt hair, of burnt skin) and he says, "Close your eyes I'm turning on the light," and he turns on the light.<br><br>"There's another wet towel on the chair, there, and the burn kit and bandages from last time are all over there on the other bed, and I have scissors-- they're there too, for the bandages, but she says to cut her clothes," Mamoru says with a sound that could be a laugh but is a little too something else. "What else should I get?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:59|Naru Osaka (59)}} has posed:'''<br>Naru opens the door and finds a Hematite at it. She blinks a moment and then nods. "Do I need to bring anything? Let me get a drink for her, the sugar will help." It only takes a moment and Naru is back, holding out her hand for him.<br><br>There's a bit of a slow breath as they arrive, and Naru heads for the bed, even before Hematite has tossed that shield back up. "Did you know that you're not supposed to tackle people on fire?" Naru asks gently of Usagi on the bed as she kneels next to the bed, squinting against the sudden light.<br><br>"Nothing yet, Mamoru, let's see what we've got here first." Naru considers the teary, brunt, shock filled Usagi and her voice is gentle. "Let's get you out of this.. you get to shut your eyes Mamoru."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:43|Usagi Tsukino (43)}} has posed:'''<br>And then he's gone, and Usagi breathes deeply, grimacing at the scent of her own burnt hair and skin, and - "This is fine, this is totally fine, everything is fine, I am fine, this is going to be so normal -" <br><br>Talking to herself is totally normal in this situation, she is totally normal, it doesn't hurt that bad and she isn't going to lose this totally cute blouse she'll never wear again without thinking of those cold judging eyes - <br><br>And then Mamoru is back. With company. <br><br>"It was less tackling this time," she mumbles, "But I did pick the fight." <br><br>She shifts, slowly, positioning herself so her back is to Naru for ease of snipsnipping through her clothes. She almost says he doesn't have to look away - it's not like he'll do anything, it's not like he'd think less of her, it's Mamochan - and then she considers and flushes and is glad she didn't say that because asafsdgsdkglfdslf.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba (38)}} has posed:'''<br>"Of-- of course I'll shut my eyes!" Mamoru says as he shrugs out of his cape and jacket, pulls off his gloves-- he sounds flustered instead of indignant. (He doesn't want to look. He doesn't want to remember what this must look like, the first time they--) He doesn't look. He doesn't want to think about who did this. He doesn't want to have to leave to take the inevitable fury out on something else, somewhere, or worse yet, find ''her'' and kill her for this. Usagi had wanted to kick her until she died, for taking Naru. But she hadn't. He has to work through this in his head, piece by piece, over and over. "Hey, Usako," he says, voice shaky as he closes his eyes and doesn't offer to hold her hand; he'd be in the way. "You should probably keep talking. What did you do today before this happened? What do you think you'll do after you feel a little better?" A beat. "Are you looking at Prince of College at all or is it as bad as Chiyo says?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:59|Naru Osaka (59)}} has posed:'''<br>"At least this won't give you those crazy tan lines that we got that one summer, remember? When we both got crazy sunburns wearing silly swimsuits with weird straps." Naru adds into the conversation with a soft voice before letting Mamoru take the conversational lead. She reaches around Usagi to pass her the sugary sports drink. Hydration is important.<br><br>Her touch is gentle, but there's no escaping that working around burns is uncomfortable at best and painful most of the time. She takes up the scissors to very gently pry the clothing away from Usagi's body, cutting it away. She's not rushing, but it's steady work, trying not to make anything too sudden or yank at things. The damp cloth gets employed, to soak away sticky spots, fewer than she feared, to be truthful.<br><br>As promised, there's no questions, no admonishments, no recriminations. Naru is pretty sure she knows who was the source of the fire that provided these burns, but that's not the point right now.<br><br>"Is there.." Naru starts to ask as the skin is finally bare and she looks over the options, reaching for a soothing spray. Just a touch of numbing and a whole lot of cooling. "This is going to feel freezing, but it will help for a few minutes at least, while we get some bandages and cream on, alright?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:43|Usagi Tsukino (43)}} has posed:'''<br>"I had shapes on my back," Usagi laments, remembering that particular swimsuit - the straps, with all their different cutouts on the back, had seemed so cute! So cool! The shapes of her tanline - the fact that her tan had shapes - had been neither. Lamentable, truly. <br><br>It heps to be a little distracted, as Naru gets to work. She sips at her drink, slow, cautious, her throat sore and aching, but even as the scissors slowly snip, snip, snip, cutting a path for Naru to separate fabric from skin, she never feels the cool metal; Naru-chan is too precise for that. Mamoru has the right idea. Talk, distraction. <br><br>"I went to a book shop - um, it's called The Book Nook, I think? - the owner is really pretty, and she knows about magic. I um, I went to Hayazaki-sensei's booksigning, because I wanted him to sign Nono &amp; Friends, and Shingo-kun wanted a copy of Galatea in Hell - and it was hosted there - and it turned out she was like, super infected with dark energy, and we saved him, I think, but we don't really know what caused it, but, anyway! The shop was really neat, and the owner was," pretty, "so I thought I'd go back -" <br><br>She flinches here and there as Naru works. The fabric is damp, and she'd been very fortunate to wear something lightweight; it isn't sticking too much to her skin, or the welts, or the burns, or the boils (because oh, some of the developed small, shiny little boils alright, sure to be a nightmare to avoid popping when the time comes). Still, it hurts, wherever there's that tiny tug. Soon she's free of that, shirtless, wounds exposed to the cool air. The burns aren't - bad. Red and shiny, and most of it superficial - only the center of the burn looks all that bad. "Okay, I'm ready. It's going to be okay. It's just a little cold - ooh that's cold!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba (38)}} has posed:'''<br>"Poor Galatea," Mamoru says, shaking his head sadly, eyes still closed. "Maybe it was about the bookstore owner, if she's so pretty. Galatea was supposed to be such a beautiful statue that the sculptor fell in love with her and begged the gods for her to come to life, right? Or am I thinking of someone else?"<br><br>He can't look. "I want to hold your hand, Usa, but I don't want to try to find it without seeing," he admits, "and I don't want to be in your way, Naru-san. So... just know I'm not... ''not'' holding your hand on purpose?" Lame!! But true.<br><br>There's a pause.<br><br>"Hang on, the owner knows about magic and the person signing books was full of dark energy? Isn't that a little suspicious?"<br><br>Mamoru almost opened his eyes!! but remembered in time. The conversation is almost enough to completely distract him, too.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:59|Naru Osaka (59)}} has posed:'''<br>"So, it's actually not as bad as I feared." Naru comments quietly as she now can actually see what state Usagi's skin is in. "There's only a few bad spots, but obnoxiously, it's the less burnt spots that hurt more." The cooling spray should have taken care of the worst of the red screaming as Naru reaches for the cream to start slathering it on. A gentle touch, but she's being generous with it. "Turn just a little for me?" She asks, as she needs to reach around Usagi's side.<br><br>"A dark energy filled mystical bookstore owner is totally sus." Naru agrees as she works. "And I suppose it's even more sus when I say I should totally get the address from you so I can go and check the place out, hunh?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:43|Usagi Tsukino (43)}} has posed:'''<br>"Mmmmmmaybe? I didn't read up, 'cause it's really dark. Something about a doll and hell and a bunch of souls to find? Shingo-kun was really into it, but Mama and Papa wouldn't buy it for him." For obvious reasons. Usagi is a sister though, not a mom. It's not ''her'' prerogative to tell her little brother he'll give himself nightmares, nope! She shivers a little, as the last of the cold spray is used. <br><br>"She was - she didn't want to kill me or anything, I think. I picked the fight." This is for Mamoru's sake, for Naru's sake, to not worry about an escalation or a drama or - "I wanna hold your hand too. Naru-chan, do you mind if Mamochan sleeps over with us? We have enough pillows and blankets to make the couch comfy." <br><br>She doesn't bother to ask if he wants to stay over. Of course he does. Of course he will. Why wouldn't he? <br><br>A shiver, as the burn cream is slathered on. It's not as cold as it could be, a little warmed from Naru's hands, but it's still a little chilled, and thick, and yet the process is good. She doesn't see the lightest of the marks, buried under medicine. She turns for Naru, tries to distract herself again with the thread of conversation. <br><br>"She was the most suspicious pretty lady ever, but she told us off for having a fight in her bookshop, and she answered all our questions, so... she said it was a freebie. Next time we'll have to pay for her advice." Usagi closes her eyes, trying to think of anything but the fight and her wounds and why they're gathered together. "Definitely gonna give you guys the address though. And Naru-chan, you're the best at getting stuff out of people, so if you get her name, I want it! Maybe you could take ~Adrien~?" <br><br>Never doubt a best friend's ability to tease you.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba (38)}} has posed:'''<br>Of course he'd like to stay over. Of course he's not going to confirm that before Naru says yes or no on whether he ''can''.<br><br>Mamoru leans his head against the wall, chair pulled up to it and eyes closed, not peeking at all -- but face turned toward Usagi, so she can see it if she wants to, if she looks in his direction. Probably a bit of a neck-crane though. "She charges for advice? I wonder how good her advice actually is. If she's so sus, I probably wouldn't trust her to give good advice, even for money," he says dubiously. "What kind of questions did you ask?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:59|Naru Osaka (59)}} has posed:'''<br>"Of course he's staying over." Naru replies without a second thought. It only seems reasonable to her as well. "We can trade bunks too, because I dont think you're going to want to climb to the top bunk.. or back down.. when the cream wears off and you need more of it." Her hands are gentle as she nudges Usagi to turn the other way to ensure that she's got all of the burns on her back and sides. "Almost done." She promises. "Just your front to do, and it should be feeling a little better with the cream. More cold first though."<br><br>A bit more spray, a bit more cream. Naru is trying to work quickly but without missing anything. No sense letting Usagi sit have frozen in pain any longer than she has to.<br><br>"I totally could take Adrien." Naru manages not to rise to the teasing too much. "If he was willing to go, but he's another one that isn't much for talking about magic, so probably easier not to."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:43|Usagi Tsukino (43)}} has posed:'''<br>"Mostly, we were trying to figure out if Hayazaki-sensei was okay, and she gave us some advice on how dark energy works," Usagi explains, and the skin of her torso twitches and jumps a touch as Naru works, but she's holding remarkably still otherwise, all things considered. Doing a great job of staying still and close and letting Naru-chan put on her medicine - "I dunno if she'll be any good. Mamochan can tell us all about dark energy. But I figure, one more person we can interrogate, right?" Right! <br><br>And then she sags a little in relief, and she does crane her neck to smile at Mamoru. "You'll be my knight in shining armor, keeping the dragons away. I dunno what I would have done without you - I mean. Well, I would have walked home, I guess, I wasn't going to try and call Pluto back, not after all that, but it would have ''sucked''." <br><br>Mamoru answering his phone, Mamoru coming to her, that had been a relief. More than anything tonight, even more than that mysterious, handsome masked and tuxedo'd gentleman coming to her aid, had heen the fact that Mamoru came when she called. <br><br>Then she stops craning so much, and lets Naru get to work. Usagi doesn't think about this being the first she's mentioned another Senshi be there, busy imagining Mamoru in armor, slaying a dragon - and then she pauses. <br><br>"I've kinda just been... assuming Adrien's in the know. Because y'know, everyone is. But is he actually?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba (38)}} has posed:'''<br>"I mean, given that his roommate has zero chill and grew up on a magical spaceship and goes on patrol and talks about it, if Adrien-san doesn't think he's out of his mind then he ''must'' be in the know," Mamoru says, the first thing he's able to say without Naru seeing the red face he makes in the corner of her eye, at the idea that he, a Dark General of the Dark Kingdom of Darkness, could be a knight in shining armor keeping dragons away from ''Sailor Moon''. But Sailor Moon is also Usagi, and he knows her, and he finally says in a low voice, "I'd keep every dragon away from you if I could."<br><br>He takes a deep breath. "I can tell you about dark energy, but yeah, I think I've already told the two of you everything I know. Probably. Did you figure out where the problems with Hayazaki-sensei came from? I mean aside from dark energy. Where did the energy come from?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:59|Naru Osaka (59)}} has posed:'''<br>"Chrono does, indeed, have zero chill. I like him though." Naru agrees as she gets the cream on the last of the burns that she can see. "Okay, other than what's on your torso, is there anywhere else I'm covered in goo before I help you get a clean shirt on?" Because it is absolutely going to take help to not just drag the cotton fabric along burns that will not want to be disturbed.<br><br>"But yes.. Adrien is in the know. I've no idea if he has an alternate identity or not, and I dont want to know, and he's a little squeamish about talking magic, but he remembers and he knows."<br><br>Naru reaches for a towel to be able to momentarily wipe goo off her fingers as she lets Mamoru and Usagi talk about Hayazaki-sensei. She has no idea what happened there, not in detail at least.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:43|Usagi Tsukino (43)}} has posed:'''<br>"Just here," Usagi says, and is relieved the cream is all on, because it's getting ''cold'' which is about as unpleasant as all the rest of this has been. "I can put it on my cheek, after I have a shirt again." <br><br>And she would like a shirt again, actually. She crosses her arms over her chest, once Naru is done, frowning a little. She takes in the confirmation that Adrien is in the know with a little nod. "I don't... know? We fought a little, after he tried to strangle me, but then it was like... he was just, better. It was just his hands - he was really scared, because threy wouldn't do what he wanted. Maybe it was YPV, curing him with her singing?" <br><br>She genuinely still doesn't understand all that went on that day. "Cure Wukong was there, too, but she seemed about as lost as me."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba (38)}} has posed:'''<br>Mamoru does not look! He absolutely does not look. But he does get up and turn around to face the other bed, so he can go fish around in all the stuff he brought for his spare uniform shirt. "Here," he says to Naru, holding it out with his eyes closed again.<br><br>He also says, "I'm not gonna get upset ''now'' that someone tried to strangle you because I'm telling myself very hard that it was some poor dark energy affected mangaka, and also... I'd be butting up against that hypocrisy line after what happened to Naru at the end of June. But. I'm upset." A pause. "I feel like there's something I'm missing, but I can't put my finger on it. Maybe I should talk to bookstore lady, too."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:59|Naru Osaka (59)}} has posed:'''<br>"Yellow Pearl does purify, and heal. Super handy." Naru confirms as she leans over to snag the shirt from Mamoru. It's going to be comically oversized on Usagi, but the soft fabric isn't going to touch anything that's particularly tender at least. So the theory goes.<br><br>"Alright, shirt on and then I think you can get the last bits yourself. And get some rest, cause shock and adrenaline and healing all require sleep." Naru holds out the shirt for Usagi to slip her arms into. "I'd say we can all go to the bookstore together, but I expect she'll have different things to say to you by yourself, Mamoru, than she will have to say to me."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:43|Usagi Tsukino (43)}} has posed:'''<br>The shirt is offered to her, soft and comfy, obnoxiously orange, smelling of clean laundry and Mamoru. She is completely and utterly unashamed of the fact that she brings it to her face and inhjales that scent before starting to put it on. What? It's been a ''long day''. The least weird thing she could do is this. <br><br>"Thanks, Naru-chan," she's all genuine gratitude as she carefully pulls on the shirt, moving slow and steady to not pull at her burned skin. <br><br>She considers Mamoru for a long moment, and then - "I'm kind of upset too. Trying not to be, because it wasn't his fault, but, it would have been nice to do ''one thing'' without getting attacked, you know?" <br><br>Saying that in this moment is probably some kind of irony, but she's missing it. <br><br>"Maybe you should try together. I mean, if she is weird, and, Dark Energy-y, maybe she'd want to try and sell you on it?" In cartoons, villains tended to want to recruit minions. In real life, they've mostly wanted to attack people, but, maybe... and Naru's amazing, so who wouldn't want her? <br><br>But the conversation also makes her think of... something else. "Mamochan. If I gave you something, do you think you could keep it safe?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba (38)}} has posed:'''<br>"Yes," Mamoru answers promptly, finally getting to look at Usagi, who is wearing his shirt, and he ignores the fact that he may actually be blushing a little bit. She's in his shirt. ''She's in his shirt.'' Ulterior motive for providing it: so she would end up ''in his shirt.''<br><br>"And yeah, I'll go at a different time than you, Naru-san," he finally says when he can tear his eyes off his girlfriend and talk like a normal human being again.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:59|Naru Osaka (59)}} has posed:'''<br>Naru is patient as the pair of them have their moments of being utterly adorable, busying herself with tidying up the bandages and creams and sprays. She gets them packed up, wiht the assumption that at some point, they are going back to their room and not just spending the night in a random empty dorm room.<br><br>"I mean.. we can do both. Go together and go separately." Naru points out. "But separately seems the most likely, even just for finding the time to go."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:43|Usagi Tsukino (43)}} has posed:'''<br>Usagi cannot help but smile a little at his blush; even if she's sore and aching and shivering and longing to sleep for like, a whole week, she still got him to blush! It feels like an accomplishment unlocked. It more than gives her the strength to fumble with her wrist, peeling the communicator - thankfully unscorched and undamaged - from her wrist. She waits for Mamoru and Naru to sort out their plans with the book shop, then holds it out to Mamoru. It looks a bit like a wrist watch, the band cream-colored and the face patterned after her transformation broach - pink, with a gold star and crescent moon, surrounded by four orbs of color to represent the Inner Senshi. "This is my communicator. It works even when you're in a barrier, or like, the Dusk Zone, Luna says, but it only has lines to Luna, Naru, and the other Senshi. She won't be super happy I gave it to you, but she can make more, so I'll have a new one, and she ''won't'' turn this one off. She'll probably make it so you can only send and get messages from like, me, her, and Naru-chan." <br><br>It's a show of trust to be sure, giving it to him now, before Luna has made any changes, when he could use it to call her fellow Senshi, but she trusts him. <br><br>"It does texts ''and'' calls. And this way - you can reach me, no matter what. And I can reach ''you''." <br>Herlus if Luna had something to be annoyed and huffy about, she'd be a lot less worried!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba (38)}} has posed:'''<br>Mamoru's about to say something or other else about the bookstore lady, when Usagi starts taking off her wristwatch, the one that looks like her transformation broach. He takes it when it's handed to him, staring at it, and then looks up at Usagi with wide eyes.<br><br>Real talk, he's not gonna want to call any other senshi, not even for help-- but this-- his mouth opens, and nothing comes out for a second. Finally, "I-- I hope I don't have to go into the Dusk Zone again, and if I do, don't-- don't come in after me, it would hurt you just breathing there--" he says, words just sort of happening while he tries to process what she's giving him.<br><br>He wants to ''kiss'' her. It's on his face. He won't, not with her front hurt like that, not with Naru having to put up with them, but he ''wants'' to.<br><br>Instead, he looks down at the communicator again and breathes out, "Thank you. I'll be very careful, and-- and I'll try to use it to help you, if I get the chance to."<br><br>He definitely puts it on, and he puts it on like a nurse, the big side on the inside of his wrist, over his pulse point.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:59|Naru Osaka (59)}} has posed:'''<br>"You can, for the record, set them to silent." Naru notes now that the cat is out of the bag that she has one too. She'll just trust that Mamoru will keep that tidbit to himself. "I mean, it's basically an interdimentonal smart watch that does a terrible job of actually telling the time."<br><br>It can probably give her the time of a thousand other places, but it doesn't do anything for getting to class on time.<br><br>"Alright you two, it's bedtime for Usagi, because sleep will heal things faster than anything else we could possibly do." Naru makes little shooing motions. "Get, go to bed, the pair of you. I'll finish cleaning up in here."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:43|Usagi Tsukino (43)}} has posed:'''<br>"Of course I'll come after you," Usagi says simply, as if she weren't hurt. She doesn't care. She would do it again, in less than a heartbeat, for Naru or Mamoru. <br><br>She smiles at him, holding her communicator as he is, looking at her like that, and if she were not achy and ready to tumble into bed, she'd want to kiss him too. "I know. We'll protect each other. If you need me, you'll call. And if I need you, I'll call. I want to count on you, not that," and she yawns, "Nice boy in the mask." <br><br>A sleepy little giggle. "Okay, Naru-chan, we'll go sleep."<br> <br>
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