1092/Payback Time

Payback Time
Date of Scene:	07 February 2024
Location:	Dorms #1
Synopsis:	Sunbreaker decides to finally turn over the key to the sparkle skirts. By giving it to Usagi, who she believes can give it to Sailor Moon, who ca ngive it to Yellow Pearl Voice. However, when she tries to meet with Usagi and Naru to begin her grand plan she runs into a... minor snag.
Cast of Characters:	Hinoiri Kirara, Usagi Tsukino, Naru Osaka
Tinyplot:	Usagi's Abyssal Nightmare

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Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker had, once again, come up with the most brilliant of plans. Sailor Moon required aid, only she could give such aid. It allowed her to pay off her debt AND, bonus points, cause grief for Gaito (She did, in fact, take the fish bowls and betrayal of a close friend PERSONALLY).

Her plan was simple. Go to Usagi, who was Daifuku, give her the key, to give to Sailor Moon (who was Chiyo) and tell her they were even, who could THEN give the key to Yellow Pearl Voice (who was Coco), who could then get them into the base of operations housing the dreaded sucker OF NIGHTMARES! The plan was perfect! So, on a weekend, Sunbreaker had appeared in the middle of Usagi and Naru's room! "Fret not, mere civilians, I come with a... with a..." She trailed off.

Yes, in her grand calculations she had made one fatal flaw. Assuming that Usagi and Naru didn't have social lives.

She sighed and deflated. "Of-bucking-course," she muttered. She then dimmed her flames and waited... How long could it possibly be?

20 minutes later.

Sunbreaker had brought her homework over, humming lightly as she finished it. Alas, she didn't have her name on her homework, but said homework did show... her handwriting was AWFUL.

An hour later.

Her homework done, Sunbreaker had started to... just... tidy up. She'd made some tea, done the dishes, picked up some garbage, put things back in their proper place... vacuumed. She avoided going through their personal things, of course. That?d be rude, basically just tidying up. She did, of course, bring her 'World's best employee' mug with her. It came with her EVERYWHERE. Best 89 yen that Easter ever spent. She then sat on the couch and just... waited. "They'll be here soon, right?" she asked nobody. And it was then... she finally met Luna. "Err. You don't... ummmm... y-you don't... turn into a hammer, do you?" she asked a little nervously. But, when the kitty didn't turn into razor claws or fire hammer, she relaxed and, gently, would even scritch the kitty. "Heh. I guess you're not a familiar. I had a familiar... but it left for some reason. I don't know why..."

20 minutes later.

"Oh my gosh, you poor kitty! Are you a rescue?" With nothing better to do, she'd begun to dote on the kitty. Well. It was that or do deeper cleaning... and that would be an invasion of privacy she could NEVER do. But now? She saw the little moon bald spot. "What kind of jerk would do that to a poor, innocent animal? Ugh. I hope whoever they were Usagi-chan hit them with her hammer."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
An hour later.

"It's not like I didn't WANT to be loyal! I tried, really, I did! And what did it get me? Yelled at. Scolded. A lecture about 'safety' and 'being careful who I'm friends with'. How was I supposed to know he just wanted to get into the restricted section? Fine, maybe I shouldn't have lent him my key but she didn't have to yell at me in front of everypony. It wasn?t like I wanted to disappoint her? but I guess, I nthe end, that?s all I really ever was. But this time? I?ll show her. She?ll never be able to ignore me after this."

Another hour later, scritchies still continue.

"And don't even get me STARTED on Catra. Here she is all whining about how her ex won't come and join her and be all 'mwa ha ha ha, I'm eeeeevil!' now with her. Please. She's not even a good villain! I should know, I had a whole class on it. Well, okay. Not really. But I have been learning soooo much from my colleague. Ugh. And let me tell you. She really expects me to just... give it up, you know? Everything I've worked for. Abandon it. Why? So I can just be some... nobody? On this dirt ball? So I can just prove everyone there right? That I never really mattered? Not a chance. Where was I? Oh, right. And then I find out Adora has a gosh darn ALICORN! Swiftwind. You ever meet Swiftwind? Okay, probably not. He is soooooo cooooool! He can shoot lasers out of his horn! Pew! Pew pew! And he likes apples and popcorn and he is AWESOME!"

Twenty minutes later.

Dear heavens the girl had some issues. "And then the fish bowls. Let me tell you about fishbowls. Like, seriously. I am so NOT the best person in the world, fine. I'm kind of a jerk. But you know what? At least I have *never* tried to make someone be my friend just so I could betray them. And then she locks the girl up in a stupid FISH BOWL! Who does that?! Just puts someone into an eternal sleep so the world can pass them by? I don't even care if she thinks it's for HER greater good! Fight her in a REAL fight, don't be a total bitch about it!"

Thirty minutes later.

"I'd challenge ANY of them to come to a brand new world and have to learn how to use FINGERS. FINGERS, can you believe it? I'm used to having FOUR LEGS! Instead? Now I've got to manage ten little fingers! Not to mention NONE of this world makes SENSE! The sun and moon? Raise on their OWN! They don't have an alicorn that raises it or anything! Just... they come up! Pop! Like, that is SO CREEPY! And then when I bring my colleagues to that world and THEY have to walk around on all fours suddenly they act like *my* home doesn't make sense. If THAT isn't the pot calling the kettle black! Ugh."

Later, finally... Sunbreaker had... maybe... just closed her eyes for a minute, lightly scritching Luna on her chest, a little drool coming out of the corner of her mouth and her fire entirely dimmed out, not even singing anything.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Luna had been a bit nervous... at first. Who wouldn't be, when a flaming villainess who once kidnapped one of your charges appears in the middle of your home? So during that first hour, she huddled under Naru's bed, regretting that she'd taken off her communicator for a little personal grooming and now couldn't get it without exposing herself.

But then Sunbreaker had just done her homework (so she WAS a Radiant Heart student! Useful!) and then she'd started tidying up, which Luna had been after Usagi to do for ages, and then -

Well, and then she'd found Luna.

And it turned out those flames didn't burn unless Sunbreaker wanted them too, and also, that she was a deft hand with scratching behind the ears, and Luna was collecting intelligence, alright? She wasn't going to be foolish enough to fight Sunbreaker mano a gato. It wasn't being one over with scrithces, that had definitely not happened, shut up -

And then Sunbreaker had started talking.

And talking.

And talking.

So much information and so little of it actionable, and yet, also, profoundly interesting. It was like listening to a trainwreck on a soap opera - an unrelenting press of drama that could not be stopped for anything. Luna was fascinated.

By the time Sunbreaker started talking about Catra and her relationship woes and apparently devastating self-esteem issues that would lead her to cling to such a disastrous sort of ex-girlfriend, she was offering little meows of encouragement, both for the chatter and the petting.

Swiftwind, huh? Wasn't that Makoto-chan's roommates' annoying little talking horse? Was he really all that cool?

Was he though?

The contents of a fishbowl were really quite delicious, but living in one? Luna would have to agree, that sounded pretty awful. And betraying ones' own friends to trap them in one! How despicable!

By the time Sunbreaker has fallen asleep, Luna is wishing she'd had a recorder. So much information! So much gossip! Such a story!

And then the door to the dorm opens, as Usagi and Naru return from their busy social lives, and Luna mews a little warning.

...which Usagi doesn't understand in the slightest, because when the door is sprung wide and she bounces through, her jaw drops.

"N-Naru-chan... am I seeing things or -"

Oh that girl! Did her princess have to be such a kidder about things? Luna meows plaintively.

Naru Osaka has posed:
It is true that both Naru and Usagi used to be home a whole lot more, but.. well.. they made friends. And have boyfriends. And then there's shopping, and going out on adventures.. and going out on Adventures.. and going to the library (at least for one of them), and visiting and and and..

Today, it seems likely to be shopping, based on the bag (and the coffee) that Naru is holding as Usagi opens the door. Her gaze settles on the dozing Sunbreaker on their couch, but then very quickly over to the VERY tidy room. "Wow.. either we have finally attracted cartoon tiny animals, or someone got bored enough to /dust/.."

The truly important part of this discovery.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker didn't move from her position, instead she just nuzzled her little cushion. "Mnnnnngg... I don't wanna go to magic school today, Sovereign Sora..." Sunbreaker mumbled in a dreamy voice.

Only for her eyes to open and... "Hnng?" she asked.

AND SHE REMEMBERED WHERE SHE WAS! She YELPED and leaped to her feet--

And ended up face planting when she had to leap to catch poor Luna who she'd launched across the yard, panting and... then... now that she was on her stomach, she dropped Luna the few inches to the ground.

Then, slowly, she got to her feet and rubbed her head. "I... that... errr... let's... let's just... uhhh... let's... forget... ahem. I... y-you're late!" she snapped, pointing a finger accusingly at Usagi and Naru. "Do you have ANY idea how long I've been waiting?!" Yes! Distract by going on the offensive! "I-I had a whole villain speech and everything! UGH! Right, hold on, I need a second. Ahem. Hmph. See if I help you sparkle skirts again. Next time I come to help you and you're not here maybe I won't, you ever think of that?!" she snapped, before putting her hands together and taking a slow, deep breath. Deeeeep breath. "Okay. Right. Ahem. Ugh. Forget it. YOU! Naru-chan, Usagi-chan, I've come with a message for Sailor Moon. One that is *very important*. However, before I do it, I need your solemn vow that nobody else will know. This is to pay back the debt I owe her. And that is *the only reason*. Are we clear?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"I mean, we have been out all day, I guess," Usagi says thoughtfully, considering the cleanliness of her side of the room - and then shakes her head quickly. "Wait, wait, that's not important! She is -"

She points at Sunbreaker, just as Sunbreaker jolts up and launches Luna.

Who yelps in a decidedly uncatlike fashion before yowling, as she's just as quickly caught and ends up being held up like an offering as Sunbreaker pratfalls right to the ground.

"..." Would it be insult to injury to say she's suddenly a lot less worried? "...Well, uh, I am going to guess... more than an hour?"

Oh it's been so much more than just an hour.

"Wait, you have a message for me to give to Sailor Moon." pause. "Me and Naru-chan to give to Sailor Moon." pause. "To... Sailor Moon."

This last week or so has just been a bludgeon of reminders that people not in the know just refuse to believe she's Sailor Moon.

"I can definitely promise that I won't tell anyone but Sailor Moon?"

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Ah.." Naru takes a step forwards to try and catch Luna as she goes flying.. but it's fine. Or at least 'Fine'.

"We have been gone for a while." Naru comments to Usagi. "I mean.. we went out for lunch." And lunch was not just a few minutes ago. "I'm sorry you were waiting so long, Sunbreaker. You could have left a message or come back later, or something." She points out, very reasonably .. she thinks at least. Certainly isn't the /first/ dark side person to have Naru's cell number.

Even if the number might well already be in there as someone else. Minor detail.

"I can promise my discretion." Naru's assurance of that is easy. "I dont' go around sharing that sort of thing, you know that."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker was likely not the most intimidating of people right now. Especially because there was a little bit of drool on her cheek still from her impromptu nap. She sighed, picked up her 'World's best employee' mug, taking a sip of tea from it and...

"Okay. I DID have a whole speech prepared, but frankly I think that ship has sailed, sunk and they're now having seaponies rifle through the cargo to salvage for anything useable. what IS important is that apparently some jerk is infecting Sailor Moon's Nightmares. Now. NORMALLY, this wouldn't be my problem. Buuuuut... I owe her. She... helped me once. So... here."

She then chucked a.... key? With a horse head on the end? To Usagi.

"Tell her to take this to Yellow Pearl Voice, NOT to mention how she got it, at all, EVER, and... we're even. Got it? Understand? Any questions?"

It'd probably work a little better if she wasn't so bright red and obviously flustered about the whole thing.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Sunbreaker broke into their dorm and napped on their couch for hours -

So she could help Sailor Moon with her nightmares.

The nightmares that she had very briefly mentioned to Naru, mentioned with a smidge more detail to Mamoru, and only admitted the vague truth of to Kyouka, because the guidance counselor wasn't going to force her to deal any sooner than she had to.

"Someone's sending Sailor Moon nightmares?" to Naru, it's obvious that this is fake surprise. To Sunbreaker, who doesn't know her as well - it sounds real.

"The key smacks against her chest, and then is caught into her hands. "Um. Okay. So you want me to give this to Sailor Moon so she can give this to Yellow-chan so she can use this to stop the nightmares?"

Just making sure.

Luna is looking at her with the suspicion-disappointment combo.

Naru Osaka has posed:
Nightmares that did not /need/ to be mentioned in more detail to Naru.. she lives here. She has no illusions about said nightmares and has talked to Mamoru about tactics to start sorting through them.

This was not part of any of their plans. But plans change! Clearly!

"Do you know who is sending the nightmares?" Naru asks with a little frown. "Dream magic is really unsual, based on my research."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker blinked a few times and... "Wait, you people didn't know? *Seriously*? Uggggh. It's Gaito. Oh, wait. Meh. Just don't tell anyone and I won't have any trouble. Oh, you wouldn't know him. Underwater guy. Keeps mermaids in fishbowls so they can sleep away their lives. I mean, can you believe that? Fish. Bowls. Just. UGH. So obnoxious. Now, normally I'd ignore it but.... again. Saved my life, payback, debt cleared, all that. After this? We're even. I owe her *nothing*. Especially since like... there's no way I'm ever letting ANYONE get the drop on me again like that. I still can't believe I just let it happen. I could have died and it would have been my fault. So pathetic. You'd think I was one of you girls." Pause. "Well... one of you. Naru-chan, still haven't found out what your magic is, I take it?" she asked, rolling her eyes.

"Either way, your little mermaid friend will be able to use that to get to the castle where the focus of Sailor Moon's is focused." She then, notably.... took a sip of her tea.

World's best employee. Just. Emblazoned on it.

COME ON NOTICE DAMN IT!

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Gaito, huh? Wow, that's a name I've never heard of ever," Usagi says, totally believably.

Luna is going to use her like a scratching post later and she will absolutely deserve it.

"Wait, fish bowls? Oh, that's gross, come on! What happened to like, beds where you wait for true love's kiss, or something, at least?!"

Is that really the problem here?!

At least she grows serious after a moment, looking at Sunbreaker. "I'm sure Sailor Moon would tell you that you don't owe her anything, but she'd still be really grateful that you did this. So - I will definitely give her your message, World's Best Employee-san."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I have absolutely no idea who Gaito is." Naru isn't acting, she has no idea who Gaito is. Clearly she needs to do more investgating and less being adorable with a certain cat boy.

<ahem>

"Keeping mermaids in fishbowls sounds like serious levels of not cool.. at least they're unconscious? It's worse when you're conscious." Naru has the voice of some sort of authority, even if it wasn't quite a fish bowl.

Naru gives a little shrug on the mention of her magic. "Still no active powers, nope. Doesn't seem to slow me down much, generally."

For some reason, she seems to defer to Usagi on what Sailor Moon might think, and say. Weird.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker gave a small nod to Usagi. See, this girl got it. "EXACTLY! Like, this? This is messed up. You don't just kidnap someone and put them in a fish bowl. It's just, wlel. first of all, it's not how things are done. Freeze them in a statue until someone breaks it, or lock them in a maze until they escape, or the true love's first kiss thing, guarded by a golem. The classics are a classic for a reason. But just making them sleep away in a fish bowl while you gloat behind your barriered castle? That's just rude AND disrespectful. Hmph. And to think these people are one of the other main singer groups."

And then, oh. Oh my gosh. USAGI MENTIONED THE CUP! Sunbreaker's flames popped for a second and the way she stood a bit taller... and the smug look on her face. "I'm sure she would. But that's hardly here or there. I felt I did, and now? I don't have to. I'm free of any and all guilt I might have felt. And... yeah. I guess. But... like... sleeping your life away? That just sounds miserable. Bad enough to be trapped, but... not even aware of anything? Just... miserable..." she mumbled. "At least if they put them in stasis or something..." She shook her head. "Anyway! I'm going to go. I left some yen on the counter for the tea I used. Yeet."

And then, in a flash of fire... she was gone.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Of course Sunbreaker knows how a classic hostage situation works. She had done one - and she was like, a unicorn, with magical powers. She was probably dealing with this stuff every day.

But then she's gone.

"...Do you think she knows that's not how yeet works?"

Usagi is pretty positive she doesn't. At her feet, Luna growls.

"Usagi-chan... you haven't known about why your nightmares were happening this whole time have you?"

Gulp. "That kind of sounds like a question with only one right answer?"

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I'm certain she has no idea how yeet works." Naru confirms as she drinks from her coffee and finally moves further into the room.

"Was it at least an interesting conversation, Luna?" She asks of the cat, letting Luna ask the relevant question. She is pretty confident that she knows the answer to that one, but it's Usagi's moment to squirm a little in the face of 6 lbs of black fur being stern.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"It was a very interesting conversation, and the drama between those upstarts in Obsidian is fairly enticing, but I am not letting you off the hook, Usagi-chan!"

"Okay! Okay, fine, I, may have, known that I was being given nightmares by a supervillain, but - it was totally fine!" Usagi crosses her arms. Then she crosses the room and flops down on Naru's bed.

Luna follows right after her, hopping up and flopping on her head as punishment. A six pound cat can really not do that much to punish a whole human, okay?

"You've been sleep deprived and grouchy for ages! It was worrisome enough that Sunbreaker came and willingly spent hours telling me about Catra and Swiftwind and her old mentor just to make sure you got that key!"

Hopping on her head. Punish, punish, punish.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Gee. Obsidian tends towards drama.. I'm /shocked/." Naru comments dryly as she sets her shopping and her coffee down on her desk.

Stationary shops are (one of) her down falls. It was no different today. But the cute little fountain pen writes in green! And it matches the new notebook!

Naru glances over as Luna stomps all over Usagi in 'punishment' and tries not to snicker at the sight of it. "I didnt' realize you knew where they were from. It's a lot easier to deal with them when we know where to start.. did you just figure on keeping having nightmares forever?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"I didn't wanna deal with it," Usagi pouts, yelping when one of Luna's claws sticks in her hair. "Luna! That huuurts!"

"It should!" Grumpy stomp stomp stomp.

A put upon sigh from the future queen of the Moon, and Usagi continues, a little muffled on account of being stomped on by cat, "That Gaito guy was in one of my dreams a little while back, and was like, give me Yellow Pearl Voice or drown in nightmares forever! And I was like, what, that's dumb, no, and then. Well. Nightmares. Forever, I guess, or, until Yellow-chan uses this key to help us fix it?"

She's downplaying it a little, but not too much.

"It was right after we finally got everything calmed down, and I just - I mean! Nightmares aren't the worst thing in the world! Can't die of nightmares, right? I thought... we'll fix it sometime." She fiddles with the key. "I guess sometime is as soon as I catch up to Yellow-chan, now."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I mean.. we don't actually know what dream magic does." Naru points out as she carefully puts her new notebook and pen away. Okay not that away. Neatly arranged on her desk so that she can see them. She really is charmed with the pretty matching colours. "Or at least I don't. So when someone says that they are going to 'drown you in a new to us kind of magic'.. it's more ominous than just 'I'm not likely to sleep well for a while'."

Naru looks over to Usagi, perhaps not quite as overtly punishing as claws to the face.. that IS owwie.. but with a little sigh. "We worry about you!"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Sorry... when I didn't you know, stop waking up or anything, I figured - well, this isn't toooooo bad... but I guess... I should have told you about it."

Luna huffs, dissatisfied. "You guess?!"

"Wah! Okay, okay, I definitely should have!"

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Mamoru and I have been talking about how to sort it out.. cause I totally knew you were waking up a lot." Naru points out. "Because I wake up.. and no.. I know you're trying to be quiet, and you're doing very well at quiet.. but we're worried."

Naru mmms softly. "So I guess now we talk to Yellow Pearl and figure out where to go from there."

Naru adds after a moment. "It doesn't have a dark energy signature.. at least not that I can notice, but it's in your head.. and I dont think I'm very good at noticing."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"...sorry, Naru-chan. I'll apologize to Mamochan too," she feels a little guilty, now. "I definitely thought I was doing a better job of fooling you than I was."

There dies her career in acting, she supposes.

"Mhm. We'll have to talk to Yellow-chan, and - depending on how it all works, maybe we'll get to smash a fishbowl too. That'd be pretty neat."

Screw that guy and his nightmares and his putting people in fishbowls.

"If it helps, I never sense energy!"

"I don't sense a dark energy signature either. I do think we can trust Sunbreaker on this one. She seems to have a lot on her mind, but treachery doesn't seem to be a priority," Luna adds in.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"When someone who is a /champion/ sleeper is suddenly tired all of the time.. we have questions." Naru points out as she comes over to flop onto the bed next to Usagi and Luna both. "and we get worried. We love you, we don't WANT you to be miserable all of the tiem with nightmares, even if it's jut one more stupid thing to deal with."

"If those fishbowls are anything like the mirrored coffins, I will HAPPILY smash any I find." Naru grins a little.

There's a little bit of pleased surprise at Luna's comment on not sensing dark energy.. perhaps Naru isn't as bad as she fears at noticing such things. "I think you're right Luna."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"I guess I have been underperforming in the sleep olympics," Usagi admits, and Luna finally settles down, sitting in a neat loaf on her head. Punishment not concluded. Huff. "I 'll help you smash 'em! And... I love you too. Sorry again. I guess I just... I didn't want to deal with it, you know? But ignoring it did not make things better."

Unfortunate, that. It's almost like some fact of life, some lesson to be learned about not ignoring your problems...

"Now we just need to get this key to Yellow Pearl Voice. I'm sure if mermaids are involved, she'll have met this miserable Gaito before. Now that we're all working together, this problem will be solved postehaste!"

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru reaches up to give Luna a concillatory petting after all that meting out of punishment.

"After all of.. well.. /everything/.. I was enjoying the break too. I get it. The stupid and the weird just doesn't respect a good solid winter vacation, that's all."

Naru stretches a little. "Half the world is going to want to help, you know. Not just Mamo and myself."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Someone ought to hammer a big 'no stupid allowed' sign over the school," Usagi sighs, and Luna purrs at her concillatory petting, pleased with the justice she's meted out. "And... I guess so. I do have a lot of friends..."