108/Meddling (with) Kids

Meddling (with) Kids
Date of Scene:	15 July 2023
Location:	Radiant Heart Academy
Synopsis:	Kyouka calls Usagi with a warning she doesn't want to hear.
Cast of Characters:	Kyouka Inai, Usagi Tsukino

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Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Sometime in the afternoon of the day of the school dance, Usagi's phone rings. It's not likely to be a number she recognizes, although it is the same number on the business card that she was given by Kyouka at their impromptu meeting.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
The dance is later today, and Usagi still hasn't asked anyone out. This is a Huge Problem, because her friends are now traitors who want her to go out with Darien, who is actually kind of nice. She has to figure something out.

And in the midst of this slightly panicking thought process, her phone rings, and she answers hurriedly. "Hello??? Usagi here -"

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    "Tsukino-chan." comes the overly cheerful voice of Kyouka the Guidance Counselor. "It's Inai-san. The guidance couneslor? Forgive me for calling you without warning, but given the way things are, I thought it was important."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Inai-senpai? Ah - the way things are? What happened?" Something must have happened. "Oh no, is there a monster? There's a school dance!"

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka's voice is sardonic. "There's always a monster, kid. But no, not right this moment. Listen, I just got off the phone with a very conflicted-sounding Darien Shields. And I wanted to give you a piece of advice, that's probably going to be relevant sooner rather than later."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Darien?"

Her voice is blank with confusion. This is the last thing she was prepared for.

"What about him?"

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    "This might seem odd coming from someone like me. After all, its not my job to get involved in the personal lives of students, but... you need to be careful." A pause, then, "He's a nice kid. But I think he might be in over his head. And he may have some not-so-nice friends."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
And Usagi, sitting in her room, stiffens. And Luna, listening openly to the conversation, stiffens too, ears perking up.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Usagi says sharply. "Did Darien do something wrong?"

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka chuckles, if a little dryly. "No. Well, I mean, he's a teenage boy, so probably yes, but I don't have anything on him, if that's what you're asking. I'm not warning you away, or telling you to give up. I'm telling you to keep your eyes open. You know what I can do.. what my job is. So when I tell you that boy has baggage, I'm not talking about his gym duffel."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Inai-senpai can probably hear the grit in her teeth when Usagi says, "Good. Darien's a good guy, and his friends are nice," Koji-senpai and Takashi-san had seemed fine. "I don't know what you mean about his baggage and I don't care. He'll tell me or he won't and unless he - I don't know, kills someone -" she can't imagine it.

Annoying Darien who stole rings out from under her and swiped ice cream and then made up for it with sweets - "I don't care. I'm not going to look at him funny if he didn't do anything."

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka's voice sounds remarkably patient as she waits for Usagi to finish before replying, "Those aren't the friends I mean. And all of that is fine, just. Look. Remember that business card I gave you? It's more than just my phone number. Keep it with you. And if you ever find yourself needing my help, call for me. I'll be able to find you by the card." She gives a little sigh. "Darien asked me to keep you safe, you know. So that's what I'm doing."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"I don't need to be kept safe! You can't kill the monsters for me, and that's the only thing I need anyone to do! So if he told you to protect me or keep me safe, then, then - then I'll throw M&Ms at him until he shuts up about it!"

Oh Darien 'will' be heading about this. And springing on this before the dance! She won't yell at him before the dance, and maybe - maybe she won't yell at him at all, but -

"I'll keep the card." A deep breath, sharply drawn, deliberate. "I have it in my backpack. But Darien's my friendish person sort of now, and I'm not going to look at him funny or treat him different or keep my eyes open or any of that because then I'm 'doubting' him and he'll know and he'll be sad - all of our friends left us last night, you know? Because they wanted us to go on a date! And he was the only one who didn't know what was going on and he was 'upset' because he didn't know what was going on and he didn't do anything. And if I treat him differently now, he'll want to know! What he did! And he didn't! Do! Anything!" She didn't mean to end up yelling, but... She hasn't had a chance to talk to any of her friends about what happened, except Naru-chan, and Naru-chan is the only one of them she isn't kind of sore at, and Inai-senpai is getting the full brunt of all that now.

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Surprisingly, Kyouka doesn't respond to this tirade with anger of her own, or shutting Usagi down or telling her she doesn't know what she's talking about. She stays quiet for a good long moment after Usagi finishes, and when she talks, she sounds if not contrite, perhaps a little sad herself. Though melancholy, maybe, would be a better word than sad.

    "But he did do something, Usagi. He called me. Because he's worried about you."

    An indrawn breath. "You're a good girl, Usagi-chan, because you want to stop him from getting hurt. But let me clue you in on something- you can't stop that. Everybody gets hurt. What you can do is be there for him afterwards. If that's what you want. But just because he'll get hurt, and you will too, doesn't mean we can't take steps to mitigate the damage. So all I'm telling you is, don't get so lost in the mights and maybes that you lose track of the now. I can't kill /your/ monsters for you, but I know all about killing monsters. They don't all have big scary teeth and glowing eyes. And sometimes you do all this running and fighting and killing, and then you suddenly realize hey, you were the monster all along."

    She laughs, as if that's somehow a joke. "I know you're not a monster, Usagi-chan. And I know Darien isn't either. But the real monsters don't care if he didn't do anything, or if you didn't do anything. So keep the card with you, okay? And call me if you need me. I'll come. Anytime."

    And she hangs up, cutting off any potential reply.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
There's no time to say anything before Inai-senpai - Inai-sensei, maybe, now - hangs up. Usagi tosses her phone to land in a pile of clothes, topples onto her bed, and screams into a pillow.

"She had a point -" Luna starts to say.

"Not now Luna!"