1215/Breaking the news to Jupiter

Breaking the news to Jupiter
Date of Scene:	29 February 2024
Location:	Dorms #2
Synopsis:	Bow/Luke drops in on Makoto to update her on Adora. They kindle a new friendship and Makoto joins the group that will get Adora back... somehow! (And still no TV for Swiftwind.)
Cast of Characters:	Bow, Makoto Kino
Tinyplot:	How the Adora Crumbles

---

Bow has posed:
Previously!

'And...my room number is 230. Update my roommate, Makoto, will you? I've been MIA for awhile. I don't know if she knows what's going on.'

Adora had implanted that on Bow, making sure that he gave his word that he would do so. It had taken a couple of days - Luke, which is Bow's disguise, would come by - but Makoto was out and he hadn't thought of leaving a note. This was too important, in his mind.

But that was his plan tonight if he didn't come across Adora's roommate tonight, in the back of his mind, he would leave her his phone number to contact him.

Arriving at the door, he gives it a polite knock of three sharp raps, and then he pulls back, taking a step back and folding his hands behind his back.

He's dressed in the school uniform, a pair of red-rimmed glasses sitting on his nose, and a crystal earring in one ear. He fidgets his hands and rocks back and forth on his heels a little.

Makoto Kino has posed:
On this visit, luck is with Bow - the door of the dorm room opens almost immediately, and there's a tall girl with a curly brown ponytail and bright green eyes on the other side looking at him with a mixture of hope and anxiety. She's wearing jeans and a t-shirt with a print of a Norse warhammer on it in pink, and her hair is a bit of a frazzled mess, like she's been running her fingers through it in distraction.

She hesitates for like half a second, taking in the sight of him, before offering a cautious, "Hi?"

Bow has posed:
The dusky skin Etherian was just about to give up when the door opens up. The dark eyes look up brightly, and the young woman that answers the door -- it totally looks like he interrupted her. "Oh... I'm sorry!" he starts to say, and then he clears his throat. "I'm sorry, I was looking for Makoto?" comes his question to her.

"You see, I'm a friend of..."

And he doesn't get anything else out, as from behind Luke's legs comes a cat-sized alicorn. "MAKOTO!" Swiftwind exclaims, leaping up towards Makoto with his little wings fluttering as hard as they can to keep him up. "You're home! I've missed you!"

Okay, so that verifies a couple of things. Clearing his throat, Luke tries this again, but this time. "Hello. My name is Bow. I'm a friend of Adora's... from back home." A glance towards the alicorn. "May I come in? I have news about her."

Makoto Kino has posed:
"Swift-kun!" Makoto positively lights up with relief at the sight of the little alicorn, and she's momentarily entirely distracted from Bow. "Where have you been?! I was already worried sick and then Niji-chan said she didn't see you with Adora-chan and I had no idea what could've happened!"

--oh right. Abruptly very awkward, Mako returns her attention to Bow and offers him a polite bow. "Sorry, just - right, I'm Makoto. Please come in." She steps back out of the way to let him into the dorm room, which is a somewhat eclectic combination of Adora's things - among others, a poster of an anime catgirl with a masquerade mask hung off it - and Mako's own girlier decorating style and houseplants. Also, the bed on Adora's side appears to have had its mattress flipped and left tilted askew. "I'm sorry we're meeting for the first time like this," she tells Bow earnestly. "I've been kind of losing my mind a little, but I haven't had any idea of where to even start looking for her. All I really know is that it sounds like dark energy... but, um, maybe you should go first."

Bow has posed:
"I've been with Sunbreaker! Watching daytime television and eating apples and milk, oh it was so great! You have a TV right? I have so much to catch up on. Bow has not been letting me watch any TV and I have to catch up on what happened between Rico and Christina!" Swiftwind is complaining, now that he has someone he can actually complain to.

"It has not been that bad, Swiftwind." Bow mutters, a shake of his head, before he turns his attention to the state of the room. His eyes are a bit wide at the state of it, and there's that poster, a small shake of his head. "So yeah. I guess where I should start is on the current, but as I do that, how much has Adora told you about her past?" he asks.

And while he's talking, he's already starting to straighten the area, looking to clean up Adora's side of the room at least. "I came over about a week ago." he offers as a start, "So I've been getting used to life here. But I was able to find Adora by tracing the unique signature of her sword. I found her in an alley nearby. She's in pretty bad shape. I can tell she's been fighting..." A small glare is set at that cat masquerade poster. And then he blows out a breath.

"I got a chance to talk to her and she filled me in on things. But her last request was for me to come talk to you. So, that's why I'm here." Picking up a shirt, he folds it before setting it aside as he works on straightening Adora's bed and setting it back right.

Makoto Kino has posed:
There are some signs that someone did at least a little tidying up of Adora's things, the flipped mattress notwithstanding. Makoto certainly doesn't protest Bow's efforts in that direction; she perches on the very edge of the seat of her desk chair and listens intently to his explanation without interruption.

"--we haven't gotten a TV in the room, no," she tells Swiftwind, once Bow has finished. "There's one in the common room downstairs. I'll watch with you sometime."

Then her eyes are on Bow again, and her face is serious as she nods. "You know more than I do, then," she says, a little regretfully. "I'm sorry you've arrived only to land in whatever's going on... all I knew for a while is that Adora-chan hadn't come back to the dorm, and, well," she tips her head toward the state of Adora's bed. "When I tried texting her, she didn't really want to talk, but it sounded like something was really wrong."

She draws in a breath and seems to take a moment to organize her thoughts. "She's told me a fair bit, I think. About where she came from, and about Catra, and how it seemed like Catra didn't remember everything they'd been through together back where you're from. A couple days ago, a girl - Niji-chan - came looking for Adora-chan because she'd run into her out in the city. From what she said, combined with everything else, it sounds an awful lot like Adora-chan must've been affected by dark energy, enough to mess with her head. But that's just my guess, since I haven't seen her."

Bow has posed:
"But but..." Swiftwind is protesting, but as it turns more serious, he just flops dramatically on the bed mattress to sigh.

"Alright, then this makes it a bit easier." Taking a phone out of his pocket, he touches it and then slides it open and announces.

"FOR THE HEART OF ETHERIA!"

A quick henshin change later, he's in his midriff bearing armor, heart-chest plate and bow and quiver on his back. "Back on Etheria..." Bow explains, "Adora is one of my two best friends and we were in the Rebellion together. I can get into that further later, if you want."

"For now, let me tell you that you're on the right track. From what I gathered in a meeting I held with Usagi, Sayaka, and a couple of others, it appears that Sunbreaker..."

"Accidentally!" Swiftwind quickly adds.

"...accidentally gave Adora something that was infused with dark energy. And apparently, it has darkened her feelings and desires towards Catra, which is why she has not been able to shake it off yet. When I found her, she was in pretty bad shape and I could not convince her to come back to the school."

"What I could do, however, was to focus herself on Catra - I plan to send her a warning - but I know it's going to take more than me to stop Adora from her goal, which is to corner Catra." He closes his eyes.

"Catra. Adora. Myself. We're all from different spots on Etheria's timeline. Adora comes from the timeline where the Rebellion won - and she and Catra married. Catra is not from that timeline." He doesn't mention his own, it's not important. "So, Adora wants this Catra to recognize that they are a couple. Or at least reciprocate her feelings. And... going about it in the worst way possible. We're going to have to stop her."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto barely even blinks at the magical transformation - definitely experienced with these kinds of things. She does give his transformed appearance a brief, interested look, but that's about it. The subject at hand is a serious one. "Niji-chan told me that when she ran into Adora-chan before, it seemed like she and Catra had already had at least one really nasty fight. And Adora-chan wasn't the only one in bad shape after that. I'm pretty sure it'd be bad for everyone if they fight any more while Adora's still hopped up on dark energy."

She frowns, thinking. "What we really need is someone who can purify the dark energy out of her. I'll join you for sure and help however I can, but my abilities are, um... more along the lines of lightning than purification." A beat, and she shakes her head. "Anyway, whatever you're planning, I want in. I told Adora-chan when I first moved in that she could call on me if she needed backup, but I haven't managed to do a very good job of that so far."

Bow has posed:
"Sailor Moon has offered her help with the purification." Bow offers when Makoto brings that up. And then, he draws in his breath. "She looks like she's had more than one, I'm not going to lie. I don't know what her endgame is, but she's angry, confused, and sad. She's younger than she was in her timeline, and she feels like everything she worked so hard for was cruelly ripped from her. I want to do everything I can to make sure she gets it back."

"I can use all the help I can get. Besides Sailor Moon, Puella Magi Sayaka and Amy Faust offered their help as well. We're going to get her back. And then we're going to figure out what to do about her and Catra. And hopefully, find a way to get her back to the Etheria she knows."

"I'm still working on a plan. I don't know this world very well, but I do know Adora. And she's told me that there are other Etherians here. I'll figure that out when I get to it." A smile is offered to Makoto.

"I wouldn't have come here if I didn't expect that you would want to help, Makoto." he offers her in encouragement. "But whatever we do, we're going to do it with care and compassion. She is not herself and I do not want to endanger her further. That said..." he dusky hand is offered to Makoto. "I'd like your help. And hopefully eventually, your friendship."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Mako brightens a little at the mention of Sailor Moon, and she nods quickly. "Sailor Moon is who I was going to suggest asking," she admits with a wry half-smile. "Since you've already met her, that makes things that much simpler. With her, and me, and the others all on your side, we'll be able to bring Adora-chan back to herself for sure."

She rises from her chair when Bow offers his hand, and moves to clasp it in a firm, warm grip. "You've got both," she promises. "I'm glad that you're here."

Bow has posed:
Gosh, that's a strong grip. Like almost Adora transformed strong. But Bow's used to it and no slouch on his own grip. "Then I'm a step ahead for once!" Bow offers with a mote of amusement and a grin that just seems to make him seem a bit brighter. "And we will. I'm sure of it. It was really nice to meet you, Makoto. Maybe next time we meet it will be under circumstances where I have not caught you off-guard. Not that I mind the just rolled out of bed look." A slight tease in his voice.

"I'm glad to be here and able to help. Now, lets work together to get Adora back." His attention turns to the alicorn. "Come on, Swiftwind!"

Swiftwind looks shocked. "B-But, I'm here! I'm home!" he announces, making a small circle on the bed. "Makoto-chan doesn't mind if I stay with her!"

"I promised Adora I'd keep an eye on you. Since we got you back from Sunbreaker, I don't want to let her down." He folds his arms and frowns a little.

Swiftwind is making the biggest alicorn eyes at Makoto, trying to convince her to let him stay even as Bow henshins back. "Around campus, I go by the name Luke Armbruster. It's one that Setsuna suggested when I arrived."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto instantly turns pink in the face, and makes a hasty effort to finger-comb her flyaway bangs under control. Spoilers, it's not much help. "Sorry," she flusters, "It's just, I've been really worried, and there didn't seem like much of anything I could do, and..." She stops before she can embarrass herself further.

Swiftwind's plight is a welcome and convenient distraction. "I really don't mind if he stays," she offers. "It's his room too, after all. But," she adds, looking to Swiftwind. "Since Adora-chan asked Bow-kun to look out for you, it'd probably make her feel better if you stuck with him for now. And since he's still new here, you know a bit more about Tokyo than he does, right?"

Looking back towards Bow, she nods to the explanation of his civilian identity. "Luke-kun, then," she says, trying it out. She's not even going to try pronouncing 'Armbruster.' European names are weird. "It sounds like you're already finding your way really well, but if there's anything you need a hand with, you can ask me any time."

Bow has posed:
"Don't worry about it! I'm not bothered by it." Luke offers easily as Makoto fights the losing battle of bed head. "There's plenty you can do now. You can help me think of ways to get Adora to slow down and come back to the school. Hopefully once we purify her, she'll be more willing - and she's going to need her roommate to be her friend as well, because outside of class, you're probably going to be the one she's going to be around the most." he admits quietly. "That's why I wanted you to know about her timeline. So you're not in the dark about it."

Swiftwind grumbles. "Fine. I'll go with him. But only because he needs my unique expertise in guiding him around this sprawling labyrinth of a city!" the cat-sized mount offers proudly.

But when she makes her offer, he considers his phone. "Would you mind exchanging contacts with me so that we can keep in touch?" he asks her politely. "I promise I will only bother you when it's appropriate."

Makoto Kino has posed:
"Oh, right!" Makoto turns back to her desk long enough to pick up her own cell phone, and quickly navigates to her contacts so that they can add one another. "Don't worry about bothering me," she tells him. "I don't mind at all."

Once she's got it to the right screen, she offers the phone over so that he can add his info. "I really appreciate you coming by to catch me up. It feels a lot better, knowing there's a plan in the works that isn't just me hoping I catch sight of her out there."

Bow has posed:
Turning his phone a little so that they can share contact information, Luke chuckles softly. "Good, I won't mind you bothering me either." he comments to her, before his attention turns to the contact information and he adds her to the little Adora group he's created.

"And yeah, I get being worried about her. Some of the stories I can tell..." he trails off a little. His brain just reminded him that this Adora is not his world's Adora. Did they have the same adventures? It doesn't matter, he's going to help her anyway.

He owes that to his Adora.

"Again, it was great meeting you." An optimistic smile is offered. "I can track her, but if you do happen to see her, let us know, okay?" He offers her a small nod of his head. "Have a good night, Makoto."

Makoto Kino has posed:
"I will!" Makoto promises. She'll move to the door to see them out, offering another little bow and a bright smile. "You, too, Bow-kun. Swiftwind-kun, be sure and help him out, okay?"

She sort of hangs in the doorway for a bit as he's heading off, waving a farewell, before she finally shuts the door. And immediately goes to flomp across her bed and let out a huge sigh of relief, less frazzled than she's been for several days.