752/Secret of The Phantom Silver Crystal Candies!

Secret of The Phantom Silver Crystal Candies!
Date of Scene:	12 November 2023
Location:	Pikarigaoaka Ward
Synopsis:	Working off the popularity of the viral video from Hematite asking for the Phantom Silver Crystal, Chiyo has used the opportunity to market a jewel shaped candy! The lollipop release party is complete with decorations and a cardboard cutout of a screenshot of Hematite for photo ops. Darien, Hinoiri, Sayaka arrive for the event! When Usagi arrives so does the real Hematite!
Cast of Characters:	Chiyo Sakai, Mamoru Chiba, Hinoiri Kirara, Sayaka Miki, Usagi Tsukino
Tinyplot:	Silver Crystal

---

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
The atmosphere around Nounamu Sweet is almost festive right no. Little icicle lights are set up around the perimeter stretching across the doorway and over toward the nearest lamp post, wrapping around to the seating area, and then back. They twinkle and shimmer with a slow precise flicker meant to seem as if they were shining. It's really a rather nice effect even during the daytime.

There is music playing but it can really only be heard from just inside the door to the shop itself so that it doesn't bother the nearby neighboring stores. Even during a special event it was only polite to mind your manners, especially when your neighbors were just as long term as you were. It's a mix of cheery, upbeat pop songs popular over the last several years, but without the lyrics so as to avoid any offense. Tables are draped with crisp black tablecloths over which silver diamond shaped runners are draped to pop against the darker color.

Everything about the shop sparkled right now with silvery glints here and there to play in with the theme of the newly released candy.

Someone has drawn on the folding chalkboard sign out front a decent cartoon representation of a dark haired young man holding a diamond shaped candy triumphantly in his fist. As if THAT weren't enough to troll Hematite, there's also a cardboard cutout photo of him surrounded by sparkling lights so that it creates a great photo opportunity for guests to pose with their lollipops next to the handsome young man.

The usual sweets the store sells are available for purchase but what is facing front and center today are rows upon rows of silvery lollipops in the shape of diamonds, dusted with a silvery edible glitter to give them an irridescent sheen. Little samples of chipped off niblet sized pieces are offered, and a sign also informs of one lollipop containing a 'mystery prize' inside it's wrapper for a lucky buyer.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
And Darien walks in, and it's been a while, and the last time he was in here he wasn't actually about to die from holding in laughter, like he is this time. He surveys the lollipops, and the cardboard picture of him-as-Hematite, and even the table runners, and he looks absolutely delighted.

"Chiyo-san!" he calls, grinning. "I'll take a dozen. For now. I don't want to clear you out and not leave any for your other customers-- these things are adorable!"

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara was... still not entirely sure on what the etiquette was for dating. But she was getting better at it. There was a weird event going on, with a candy shop. People liked sweets, Sayaka needed some in her life, why not combine the two? Worst case scenario there was candy. And who knew? Maybe Sayaka would win the prize.

... That and she found the entire thing *hilarious*. Because, well. Her own little extra 'help' in finding the crystal. Sending so many of them all throughout the city with little hints of magic. Every time she thought about it she just smiiiiiiled. Like right now, as he was driving down the city streets, going far too fast and WAY too reckless, poor Sayaka hanging on behind her.

She skidded to a stop in front of the shop, parking on the side, as you do. Before glancing around and then yanking her helmet off. "See? And the app said it'd take us seventeen minutes to get here, I got us here in... fifteen."

MAP APPS TIMES ARE NOT A CHALLENGE!

But well, when you were Hinoiri, everything was. She slid off and held out a hand, to help the other girl off her bike, before locking up the helmets again.

Of course... once they went in the shop and they were making their way inside, her eyes found the cardboard cutout...

And she lost it. She just started snickering, then chortling, then chuckling and finally just burst into full on laughter, so hard she had to lean on Sayaka as they walked, nearly falling over in fits of helpless laughter.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sayaka had been job surfing like crazy to find something that would allow her to surprise Hinoiri with the gift she was eyeing, and yet her girlfriend beat her to the punch. Really, she doesn't know what to do with Hinoiri: for someone who framed the whole thing as an experiment, she is incredibly earnest about it.

Ula has perfectly understood the implication from the ecstatic vibe that floated around Sayaka this was the time to make herself scarce, so besides some modest suggestions, she spent the time leading to the in her pool, or watching the TV, or both at once.

The bluenette didn't have to wait at all before Hinoiri showed herself to pick Sayaka up, and the two of them are soon off on her motorbike after Sayaka greets her by kissing her cheek.

"I see that, congratulations", she smiles at her girlfriend, keeping for herself any comment about Hinoiri's drive for competition. It is with nervous trepidation that Sayaka decides to lock arms with Hinoiri once both of them are off the vehicle and heading for Chiyo's shop.

"Hey, it's that guy on the video", Sayaka comments lightly before Hinoiri starts laughing with gusto. "He has become a popular sensation", the bluenette comments, giggling alongside Hinoiri.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai gently nudges one of the lollipop holder shelves *just so* that the ceiling lights hit the wrapped pops making them shimmer even more when Darien calls out in greeting. Turning with a broad grin at the familiar voice she greets, "Darien-san! Hello, welcome! You should try some of the sample ones, too, they're not the hard candy but have the same flavor." An amused grin comes, and she explains, "They're crunchy jellies. I didn't want the samples to be something that might hurt people's teeth. I might also make those a candy in the future, too... But they take a few days to make properly," she admits a bit quieter.

A sample cup with the 'crunchy jelly gemstones' is offered out to Darien before turning to flash a smile at the others that are arriving. "Welcome to 'Silver Gem Day'!" she offers with a cheery grin knowing full well that it was amusing in it's own way. The fact that she currently has a large necklace on with a silvery gem as well certainly means SHE was into playing it up! ... Though she's not quite sure it was *that* hilarious when Hinoiri just loses it. All she can do for now is grin along at least enjoying that the people showing up so far seemed to be having fun, too.

"Let me get your order together, Darien-san."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Darien glances back out the door at whoever's laughing, and sees Sayaka and another girl from school-- he just assumes the bluenette told an amazing joke, or whatever. Something none of his business. Instead, he returns his attention to Chiyo and grins, leaning against the counter. "Ooh, while you're at it! Two of those, two of the blue ones here, and three of these pink ones, too," he adds, pointing to some of the wagashi in another case. "I'm not trying to bribe Usako, don't worry, I didn't do anything."

He crunches on one of the jellies immediately, then another one, and another... "This is my favorite non-chocolate flavor," Darien says with a sudden surprised laugh. "And these are so *pretty*. You'd almost think they were the real thing!"

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara fortunately had a job with Obsidian. For all its faults, it was pretty free with the 'money' aspect. Well, when your goal was world conquest and/or destruction, money wasn't that big a deal. But Sayaka was worth it, after all, SHE appreciated Hinoiri's... thrilling style of driving.

"Oh yeah. Can you believe it? 'I need a miracle', pfft. As if someone's going to just give that donkey's flank some fancy jewel because he put out a video begging for it. Ah man, it's great," Hinoiri said, wiping some amused tears from her eyes and making her way towards the counter.

Completely unaware that she was kind of being a jerk around the guy IN the video... As well as around her girlfriend who she was supposed to be pretending to be nice around.

She guided Sayaka towards the counter and... "Two please, or... two... sets? Whatever the bundles are. Is there anything else you'd like to get while we're here?" she asked Sayaka. "My treat. It..." And it was then that she noticed Darien. Wait. She knew him. He was... with Usagi. Usagi's... friend? Brother? Boyfriend? She had no idea. Should she--

Wait, no. SHOOT! She met him as Sunbreaker. And even then it had only been a second. Uhhhhh. Well. Usagi hadn't... turned him into a doll. So... they had to be close? Right?

"Hey. You're... Usagi-chan's friend, right? I think I've seen you around school with her or something?" Well, he was tall. Kiiiiind of... hot. She thought. Maybe? She was still figuring that out. But... if Usagi was friends with him, he had to be pretty cool. "Nice to meet you. I'm Hinoiri Kirara, this is my girlfriend, Sayaka Miki," she said, giving her another shoulder squeeze and introducing her for her. "Here to get your own miracle sucker too, huh?" She glanced to Chiyo and smiled. "You really went all out, gotta love the showmanship."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sayaka does in fact blink at Hinoiri with that affirmation, not just because of how rude she is being, but because of the familiarity she is addressing him with. "I would think the funny part is the work it took to reproduce a callback to the video, though", Sayaka says back to her. Though that matter is kind of secondary compared to the way she talked about him.

"Do you know that guy, though? You spoke about it like it's real, and not some publicity stunt." She leans even closer than she currently is and whispers to Hinoiri. "He is actually magic, then. That Silver Crystal actually exists." No questions, just affirmations. "Could you tell me more, Hinoiri?" Sayaka adds, going back to her previous position at Hinoiri's side.

She gives a thankful smile to the to Hinoiri for the bundles before admiring the everyday selection at her girlfriend's prodding. "I think those higashi look good", the bluenette makes her choice, "but I don't want you to pay for everything, so you pick next, and that will be my treat."

They come up to Chiyo and Hematite next, and Sayaka frets just a little at being introduced as Hinoiri's girlfriend. "H-hello, I am Sayaka, yes", she bows to them. "This event is awesome, my compliments", she addresses Chiyo next. "You really went all out for it."

She takes a look at Darien, attracted by the mention of Usagi mostly. "Usagi is that girl with dango hair that was with you the first time we met, right, Hinoiri? At that test of courage?" She tries recalling. Then it hits her. She doesn't know how she could have forgotten those screams. They are pretty much a sonar weapon. Could even use it against youma. "They were really doing their worst at scaring her. I hope they stopped with it now", she tells Darien, oblivious about the whole Sailor Eclipse debacle.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai gathers up the dozen that Darien had ordered in a plastic bag decorated with, you guessed it, diamond print. Some are filled in, some aren't, so you can still see through the baggie to the candies inside. It's all tied together with a short twist of ribbon around the opening so that none fall out. There was indeed a theme for today.

"Oh, pineapple? I did a taste testing with several people for a couple of different flavors, but that was the most popular. I think it's a good one, too. I'm glad you like it Darien-san." The bag is offered over with a chuckle. "The rest of your order will be ready in a moment."

Behind the counter was a young man apparently serving up the wagashi orders today as he gets the various daifuku together in a pink box to present momentarily to Darien. The older man further back was keeping a studious eye on the entire situation to make sure things ran smoothly. Once finished with Darien's order, Hinoiri and Sayaka's order is worked on.

Hinoiri's remark about showmanship earns a bright grin from the purple haired girl wearing an apron in the store's usual colors of pink and green with a quick nod. "Thank you! It's been awhile since we tried a completely new candy. I wanted to do something fun with it. Though I admit," she adds with a little grin. "The video did give me inspiration. It's so easy to make sugar crystals into larger versions."

Since introductions are going around she also dips toward Hinoiri and Sayaka. "I'm Chiyo Sakai, grade nine. Pleased to meet you as well, and thank you for coming to my event!"

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
It's totally politely that Darien bows, fully aware that Hinoiri's got some bizarre-- oh maybe she's jealous that he's so good-looking, or something, that's something people did, right? Get jealous over looks? Doesn't make a lot of sense, she's not bad herself, but ehh. HE BOWS POLITELY, with a tiny little lopsided smile. "Darien Shields," he introduces himself, "grade 10. Yes, I'm Usagi's boyfriend--"

Even if there's no actual pink in his face for introducing himself like that, he looks like he's awfully proud to call himself that. "--and it's a pleasure to meet you. Miki-san, good to see you again. And yes, that's Usagi, all right."

Then he just grins. "I'm here to get a *bunch*, these are hilarious. And so beautiful!" He takes the package from Chiyo, and he goes to get the other package from the young man, and he pays promptly. "Oh this is going to be fun!"

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a shrug. "Eh, it went viral. It makes sense to capitalize on things like that while they're fresh. Just good marketing, whoever's got their finger on the pulse of the times is doing a good job. And no, I don't know the guy. I just think the whole thing is silly. 'I need a miracle'. It..." She trailed off when Sayaka mentioned it was magic.

Did... Sayaka know more about it? Was he involved?

"It is? You know about it?" she asked, whispering back to her. "I don't really know much about it than the video is pretty funny," Hinoiri, grudgingly, admitted. While she knew Hematite wanted it, all she knew was that she didn't like Hematite and she'd sooner give the gem to one of the Sparkle Skirts than let him get his hands on it.

"Are you sure? I mean, I don't mind paying. I asked you out and everything." She felt just a moment of ire at Sayaka's stuttering. Looking a bit too closely into it. Was she embarrassed? Nah. Impossible. She was on a date with the coolest girl in the city. No way Sayaka would be worried about that.

"Yeah. Sweet girl, scream like a banshee. My ears are still ringing sometimes, heh. Well... a shame it took us this long to meet then, Shields-san." She paused. That. That was a hard name to say, honestly. "Usagi-chan is a bit of a push over, but her tastes are impeccable, so you must be pretty amazing yourself."

She held out her hand to shake his, the other arm still around Sayaka. She liked this guy. After all... if he was Usagi's boyfriend, he'd been trying to protect Usagi even though he was clearly not magical himself. That took guts. "And yeah, I saw the video. A whole sale about that joker, though? That takes the cake. Sakai-san, you really outdid yourself. You should be proud. As for me... well... I'll get a small bag of... those haystack cookies, okay? So comes to... Two miracle suckers, some higashi and the haystacks. You sure you don't want me to cover it all?" Hinoiri asked, glancing back to Sayaka again. "I asked you out here and all, doesn't that mean I'm supposed to pay? Or did I get those rules mixed up?"

... Rules?

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sayaka shakes her head. She has certainly never seen that mantled guy ever before. "No, I know nothing. Up until you referred to him in such a personal way I thought, that was actually edited", she whispers. "Or do... you... Do you just normally refer to people you don't know as "donkey's flank"? I got the impression he did something to you that annoyed you, like Kyubey."

She tries looking at Hinoiri right in the eyes. "Did something happen you don't want to tell me about? You can confide in me, I am your girlfriend, Hinoiri." She isn't quite believing her attempt to shake it off, and she is both suspicious and worried about it. As soon as she is off her date, she is probably going to text Madoka about Hematite and see what her childhood friend knows.

Would Hinoiri be able to peer into Sayaka's mind, she would indeed find embarrassment. It's her first time being introduced as someone's girlfriend, after all. Maybe that would motivate her to cut the bluenette some slack, or maybe not, who knows.

Sayaka is a bit embarassed at being questioned about rules. "You are not totally wrong, there are some expectations like that, but I wouldn't call them actual rules, more like strong suggestions. I just want to do something nice for you too." She is feeling bad about the unilateral fold their relationship seems to be taking.

"Hello, Shields-san", Sayaka does a bow too. "How are things going? I hope Usagi is better now. I think they were sort of heavy-handed about it."

She also turns towards Chiyo in greeting. "Nice to meet you, Sakai-san, I can't wait to try out your sweets, the taste will be great!" she smiles with a grin at Chiyo.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
"I'm really glad you like it. I thought, with everything going on lately, it would be nice to do something a bit silly and fun. Plus you can never go wrong with something sweet! Which," she adds chuckling softly, "I'm sure Usagi-chan will agree with. I know she has as much of a sweet tooth as I do." Chiyo declares as she turns back to gather up the requested gem lollipops for purchase. Again the guy behind the counter gets the rest.

"Oh the haystacks are a good choice. Crunchy and salty and sweet. Great for this time of year I think. I hope you enjoy them."

Chiyo turns to reach for another of the lollipops in it's cellophane wrappers to pluck it up from the display. There were still many more to go, but she wanted to remind about the prize one had. "Oh, and..." She begins right when the hushed conversation between Sayaka and Hinoiri drifts to her ears. Most of the words she can't make out. She certainly wasn't *trying* to make it out. 'Kyubey' was such a memorable name though, that didn't sound like anything else. Her hand freezes where it lingers grasping one of the candies as she stares straight ahead with her smile suddenly vanished.

Thankfully her back was to most of the group. Most. Darien *was* rather close to where she was standing. It takes a quick shake of her head to bring her back to the moment. Now was not the time to think about the weird rabitty cat thing that had outed her to Madoka and Teresa.

"Um," she begins again, turning to flash a quick smile. "Check the wrappers of the lollipops for the prize to see if you maybe won, too!" she urges everyone.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Darien laughs. "She sure wasn't a pushover last week," he says, and he shakes Hinoiri's hand perfectly cheerfully. He tells both Hinoiri and Sayaka, then, "All I know is she turned things around on everyone who was scaring her and they regretted it for once. She's definitely the amazing one, screams and all. Nice to meet you too, Kirara-san."

He's legitimately shaking the hand he stabbed and neither of them knows it. Brilliant.

For a moment, Chiyo's frozen, smile gone, and Darien covers for her as best as he can. He holds up his shopping and adds, "Yeah, she definitely has a sweet tooth. I should get going, I have to distribute some of these before Usako finds them. Only some of them are for her." That's a distressingly affectionate grin. He's got it baaaaad.

"I'll see you all around!" And just like that, he's out the door!

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara stared at Sayaka for a moment, confusion on her face. "Uhhhh... no? Isn't that a... term? Hold on," she said, pulling her arm off Sayaka's shoulders and pulling out her phone. Then... "Jackass! Right. Sorry. He looked like a jackass, my bad, heh," Hinoiri said sheepishly, her smile forced though. Then...

She leaned into Sayaka's ear and whispered. "Sorry, okay? I still haven't caught up on all the lingo here. Cut me some slack, will you?" she asked, a lot snappier than was warranted. She was a bit embarrassed about getting another phrase like that messed up, but well... that was hardly Sayaka's fault.

She then pulled back, all smiles again. She slid out the yen to pay for... all of it. Because of course she did. Well, one big yen bill. "And fine, if you insist. Here, I'll break this bill and you can get me back later, okay?" she offered. "Same thing, right?" Kind of, but... not entirely. She took the lollipops, holding one out to Sayaka. "Here, a sweet for my sweety," she said before unwrapping her own and... "So, how do we know if we won or not? Everything okay? You kind of... froze for a moment there. I hope you weren't trying to decide if you should give us the suckers that fell on the ground or something."

She then glanced back towards Darien and snickered. "Ah, good. Sounds like they got what they deserved, then. If you're going to scare someone, at least go after someone who can put up a challenge. Doing it as much as they were was just cruel. See yah, Shields-san," she said, giving him a wave... then... "Okay, I've got to take a picture of this display. Sayaka, you wanna pose with me?" she asked before just taking her hand to tug her towards the cutout of Hematite. "I mean, just look at him. Such a donk-- jackass, right?" she asked.

Fuyuko Yuuhi (202) has posed:
Into all of this steps Usagi Tsukino, slightly out of breath, pocket money in hand, twintails bouncing. "Am I - am I too late - to try the candy -"

Oh she is wheezing. Who can blame her? She ran all the way from the bus stop.

"I don't wanna miss - the big prize!"

And then she looks up, perfectly at eye level with the Hematite cut out. "HAAAAAH?!"

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
And then Hematite's behind her. Like. Literally Hematite is literally behind her.

"Did you just print out a blown-up screen capture?" he calls in toward Chiyo, squinting. "Do I get royalties?" Then he holds up a white-gloved hand and reassures, "I just want a lollipop."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"My point is not about the lingo, Hinoiri, it's about how you address this guy like he offended you. Did he do something to warrant it or not? I don't want to be kept in the dark if something is troubling you, and if not, please stop using those terms lightly." Sayaka isn't whispering anymore now.

Sayaka takes the the lollipop reluctantly with a thank you, but doesn't do anything with it yet. She is awaiting Hinoiri's response. "If you tell me nothing, I will ask my best friend. She knows a lot, and can surely tell me who that guy is, and from then, I will see if he did something to you." She is actually going do it, regardless of the differences involved.

Sayaka would only pose with Hinoiri if she got an answer, otherwise she would stand her ground until she does. She cares more about what is going on with Hinoiri than a single date.

She almost misses Chiyo's reaction in all of this. Almost. "Hey, Sakai-san, something the matter?"

"See you, Shields-senpai", Sayaka nods towards him. Then Usagi comes back all out of breath and wheezing, causing Sayaka to turn towards her. "What's wrong, Tsukino-senpai, someone else tormenting you?" she jumps to conclusions. Can't they leave her alone?

At Hematite's appearance, Sayaka looks at him questioningly at says. "You are the guy from the video. What brought you here?" She sneaks a glance towards Hinoiri at this point. Is she going to be told or no?

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai shakes out of her apparent thoughts when Darien starts to leave, and Hinoiri acuses her of giving them ones that fell on the floor. "What? No!" The mere thought has her blurting out in horror. She wouldn't do something like that! That was offensive to even suggest in a place of business.

A quick thought comes though, and she responds easily with, "I was trying to remember if I mixed up the lollipops well enough for the one with the hidden prize so it'll be fair for everyone." An easy, and not too off the mark fib, since she had been staring at the lollipops when her slip occured.

Unfortunately in her offense she missed Darien leaving. Just in time however for Usagi to come in. THIS at least causes her to smile warmly again. "You're not late, Usagi-chan, welcome!"

The reaction to the cardboard cutout though? Her lips purse together trying to restrain a grin since SHE knows Usagi will know who this person is! After all she'd seen Sailor Moon often enough leaning on Hematite, or in his arms. What she wasn't expecting was the man himself to step in behind Usagi.

"Oh! Oh... Yes it's a screen shot," she admits with a little tense laugh. "Of course you can have a lollipop." The one held in her hand is glanced at, then thrust forward.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara glanced towards the door to see Usagi of all people. She gave a light snort and was about to say something... when Sayaka's comments hit her. She lifted a hand to her forehead and the smile on her face faded. Damn it. If they weren't in public she'd have probably yelled. As it was... "I'm sorry, okay? I won't say it anymore."

But then the comment about 'asking her best friend'. She felt her anger growing. Her eyes narrowing to slits. Her fists clenching at her side. What, so she wasn't good enough?! If she said something, it wasn't true? Sayaka felt she could just go and pry into her business and get her real friend's opinion?! Well, so what if all of their relationship was built on a lie, it wasn't any reason to--

HEMATITE! Her eyes went wide when suddenly he was there. Amidst all the confusion, she didn't even fully register Chiyo's reaction. Her eyes were locked on him. Why was he here? What was he doing here? Did he know who she was? No. Behind Usagi. Was he going to attack her? Did he intend to attack this place? All he wanted was a lollipop? Bullshit. He was--

She couldn't henshin, not with so many people around. Sure, if Usagi found out who she was, fine. But she didn't want Sayaka to know. Usagi, at least, might understand. But she also DEFINITELY didn't want Hematite to know who she was. She reached out and grabbed Sayaka's hand, turning and yanking her away, further into the shop. "Here go ahead, I need to talk with her for a moment," Hinoiri said quickly. Likely... a strange reaction, as her face had a moment ago gone from 'angry' to 'scared' to 'frustrated' the moment she saw Hematite.

Once they were away enough, she'd whisper to Sayaka. "Okay, fine, you want to know?" she asked, in a hushed tone, trying to keep her volume low enough so the others couldn't. "But nobody else hears, okay? It's just me and you. I can remember the magic stuff, right? Well I got hurt in one of that jackass's attacks. So no, I don't like him. But I also don't like talking about it. So maybe I'm keen to badmouth him because I'm kind of frustrated about not being able to really do anything about it, okay? But you know, maybe you shouldn't be putting me on the spot like this in public. Maybe if I don't want to tell you every secret I have after I've only been dating you like two weeks I should be allowed a little privacy, you think?" she snapped, the vitril clear in her voice.

However, a moment later it subsided. "Fine... right. Sorry. That's not... you're just worried about me, right? Well, there, you have it. Okay? I'm not a fan of the guy and it's not like I can do anything since I don't have magic. Don't cause a scene. Please. I don't want anything to do with him. I wouldn't have even come here if I'd known he'd be here."

Fuyuko Yuuhi (202) has posed:
It's Hemachan... right there... in front of her... in the cardboard! Usagi's jaw is slack, her eyes with surprise. "What's all this - where'd you -"

But then the answer is being suggested behind her, and from the mouth of the real thing. Usagi straightens up quickly, spinning on her heel to look at him. A goofy smile spreads over her face, though she's mindful of the people around her, especially Chiyo-chan, who - well, wait, Chiyo-chan probably knows the truth, right? She was there at the night parade! "I don't think you need royalties from such a nice local business, do you?" She's teasing him, openly and with a bit of obvious affection, right in the store.

Luckily, her attention is dragged away by Chiyo-chan herself, and Sayaka-chan too. "Eh? Tormenting - no, no, I ran from the bus! Nounamu Sweets has such good treats, I didn't want to miss out."

And then Chiyo-chan thrusts out a lollipop, and instantly, a number of early encounters rush through Usagi's mind, crystalizing in a moment of realization. There is something she has to do.

"Thanks, Chiyo-chan!" And before Hematite can claim the lollipop, she's tugging it from Chiyo-chan's grasp and popping it right into her mouth.

Finally! Vengeance for theft! Vengeance for a thousand lollis!

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Hematite's definitely not there for anything but a lollipop, and he looks-- actually like he feels kind of bad about the way Chiyo's embarrassed, and he's reaching for it and starting to look to Usagi to answer her when right out of his grasp--!!

His blue eyes widen. "You--" he starts, and then starts laughing, and laughing and laughing; he has to lean against a table. "Oh you got me..."

He reaches up to rub at his face, still basically giggling, and then he waves a hand around and calls over to Sayaka, "I just came to check out the Silver Crystal, since I'm looking for it, right? This is excellent!"

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sayaka sighs and replies with a low hiss. "If you wanted to keep it for yourself, then you should have said as much instead of denying it happened, Hinoiri. Do you think I wouldn't have worried if you just brushed it off? If all you want from this relationship is someone who is there to be fawned over, I am sorry, but I can't be her. I want to care about you just as much as you have been caring about me." She hasn't been doing anything special, really: can this really be called a relationship if she is all take and no give?

She runs her hand over Hinoiri's. "Ok, I won't start anything with him. Not while you may be involved at least. And my bad for putting you on the spot. Do you want to go back to enjoy the rest of the date? We can go take a photo at that stand together."

Sayaka leads Hinoiri off to the stand (if she lets herself be led, at least), all while paying attention to the answer of the real deal. "I doubt you would actually find it here. Do you actually like Sakai-san's initiative?" She asks, curiously. Really, it would be interesting how calm he is about something with him as the unauthorised subject.

She also nods towards Usagi with a "I am glad it was nothing. The sweets all look good", she agrees.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai blinks in surprise when Usagi snags the lollipop away from her. Because she didn't know Hematite and Darien were the same person she wasn't entirely aware of WHY she did that, otherwise she would be cheering the theft on herself. However, the reaction it garners from him seems to at least put her enough at ease that the tension in her shoulders relaxes a bit. There wasn't about to be a fight--Er, at least not with these two. A worried glance is cast over toward Hinoiri and Sayaka.

"It's just a bit of fun with it, and we're a small shop. I don't think this will really cut into what the video was about much. Some kind of geocaching treasure hunt game, right? Like that time the millionare buried 500k and people had to find where it was using clues given out."

Reaching over she snags another lollipop that she at least puts out in Hematite's reach. "Here, I do need to go tend to the rest of the event as well. But..." A little grin comes over her. Stepping in next to Usagi she whispers in her friend's ear, as quiet as possible, 'You can take the cutout home after if you'd like!'

With that little teasing bomb dropped she gives a bow toward all here, "Pardon me, I need to fetch more from the back kitchen. Thank you for coming and please feel free to enjoy yourselves more! There's tea to drink as well in the corner, and Ojiisan and the part-timer will be happy to fulfill any other orders you have."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara sighed and lifted a hand up to rub the back of her head. What was she supposed to even do here? She didn't... get it.

Maybe this was just another thing she didn't understand. Another lesson she couldn't entirely grasp. Another failure of...

"Right, sorry," Hinoiri muttered. She really wasn't, but she wanted Sayaka to think she was. "I didn't think I was fawning over you like that or... yeah," she mumbled. "Yeah. Let's go take a picture and get going, okay?" she said, letting herself get led to the stand.

Just another lie on the pile. When you had so many, what was one more? She glanced towards Hematite and well... he at least didn't seem to be trying to make trouble today. He hadn't even seemed to notice her. She was a... teensy bit annoyed at how chummy he was being with Usagi. After all, Usagi was a good girl. And had a boyfriend. Maybe she should tell Darien that some jerk was making a move on his girl... pfft. No.

Usagi would probably cry if Darien got himself killed trying to fist fight with Hematite. Though she wondered, idly, if she could give him a crowbar or something when she told him. Did something like that nullify the 'magic' edge? Probably not.

She smiled, at least, when they took the pictures. Posing and sending a picture to Sayaka... as well as a few other people. Then glanced towards Usagi. "Hey, Usagi-chan. We're uhhhh, gonna head out soon. You... okay?" she asked, her eyes flickering to Hematite for a moment, that worried look on her face for a moment.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sayaka tells Hinoiri while they are reaching Hematite's cutout. "I really appreciate what you have been doing, I just don't want to stand there not contributing anything. You have improved things for me a lot, put me at ease, I want to do the same for you. And... no, I am talking too much now, I will stop beating up this subject.

Sayaka brings out her phone when the two of them get stationed next to that cardboard cutout. "Let's smile, Hinoiri", she says before taking the photo. After having a look at it, she forwards it to Hinoiri's phone, and asks her "What do you think?"

She also takes her lollipop and after breaking through the casing, she puts it in her mouth, showing Hinoiri a satisfied face.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
The lollipop goes right into Usagi's mouth - with the wrapper still on it! She laughs at herself a little as she pulls the lollipop out of her mouth and peels the wrapper off. At least Mamochan is laughing already; this will only give him that little bit more to laugh at!

And then Chiyo-chan teases her with that whisper, and Usagi grins. "Don't blame me if I take you up on that~"

The Silver Crystal lollipop is good - a pineapple flavor both refreshing and sweet. She enjoys it for a moment, then looks up when she hears a familiar voice.

"Hinoiri-chan?"

She hadn't noticed her earlier, but there she is, with Sayaka-chan, and throwing a worried look at... Hemachan? Did she actually recognize him? But... how?

"I'm alright, really. Are you two... good?"

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
That's a big grin for Usagi, again, and then Hematite shakes his head at Sayaka. "No, I don't really think I'll find it here..." and then it's actually an impish look he gives Chiyo. "I should thank you for the free publicity, honestly. And congratulate you on your enterprising spirit! Instead, I'll definitely swipe this candy before ~Young Miss Candy-swiper~" he takes the lollipop "gets it, too!"

Is he-- the way he's looking at Usagi, the way he's teasing her. It's familiar and flirty and relaxed, but then, he hasn't been anything but relaxed in here this whole time, has he? But he's being so familiar with Usagi.

"At any rate, thanks! I really did just come in for the candy," he says, and reaches into his pocket with his other hand, taking out a wallet to pay for it.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara blinked and just stared at Sayaka for a moment. "I uhhhh... huh. Really? I guess... yeah, I'm pretty amazing. Being around me must be pretty nice, huh?" she asked with a light chuckle, nervously scratching the back of her head again.

Normally she would have handled it better, but well... Truth was? She felt a tiny bit guilty. She was lying to Sayaka so much... and... if Sayaka knew the truth...

But that wasn't the only reason. She sighed and unwrapped her sucker, popping it into her mouth just so she could stop talking.

Even if she smiled, she was tense. She felt... trapped. Hematite was right there. She was powerless. She was a pony in the body of a human. No magic to call on. Even if he WASN'T henshined, she didn't know if she could take him like this. She wasn't a fighter. Not in that way. And she felt slightly trapped and powerless and it made her mad and scared and frustrated and--

"Huh? Oh. UHhh, yeah, we're fine. Just a bit of a argument. That's... all... huh?" she said, before looking at the inside of her lollipop wrapper. And blinking. "Uhhhh... I... think I just won?" she said, before holding up the wrapper. The inside DID have the winner symbol on it!

"... Wow. That's... lucky. Huh? I mean, your BOYFRIEND was just in here and bought a dozen of them. I only bought the one, heh." Yes, she pointedly mentioned 'boyfriend'. And her annoyed eyes flickered to Hematite for a moment. That's right, buddy. Back off. She's taken. Dark energy JERK.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"Don't worry, Tsukino-senpai, we are all fine, yes", Sayaka backs up Hinoiri, trying to point things back to a more normal situation. Being around here is actually pretty nice, and that's just as much why she feels like she isn't contributing much. Hinoiri is doing everything, and she is doing nothing. How to prove she isn't wasting her time and actually wants to be worthwhile to Hinoiri? It just isn't fair for only one of them making the other feel well.

"I do enjoy being around you, Hinoiri, and thank you for having invited me here", she replies, sneaking what's hopefully a conciliatory kiss on her cheek. Then Hinoiri gets her result... and she has won!

"Congratulations, Hinoiri!" Sayaka is quick to rejoice for her girlfriend. "The prize is yours!"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Sayaka kisses Hinoiri on the cheek, and Usagi's eyes go wide, her surprise completely obvious, and her delight even more so. "Ah, Sayaka-chan, Hinoiri-chan, are you two dating? That's so nice!"

Wonderful! And then, the prize is announced, and Hinoiri's won, an entire month long supply of lollipops, and Usagi claps along with a few other participants at the shop.

"Yay! Congratulations! And - Darien was here? He bought that many?" Usagi's hand flies up to hide her smile, because she's sure Darien had only come back in henshin to tease a little, but also because - boyfriend. Right! Right! She couldn't be too cute with Darien, or people might think she was two-timing her boyfriend with her boyfriend...

"I hope you find that miracle of yours, even if it wasn't here. Good luck with the search!"

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
There's a pause after paying, as Hinoiri says what she says, and Hematite half-turns to give her a dirty look.

Let her think it's because she thought he was flirting with a girl who already had a boyfriend; it's because now Usagi knows he was just in and bought a bunch of lollipops. But then he glances at Usagi and his expression softens to amusement.

"Thanks a lot, miss," he tells her, then waves to Chiyo and Sayaka. Hinoiri he tells dutifully, "Congratulations on your win. I hope you enjoy it!"

With that, he's out, and literally flies up out of sight as soon as he's out the door. S h o w o f f.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara nodded. Well, that was... kind of sweet. She got a little red at the kiss, too. It was... well. It was nice her girlfriend wasn't too shy to give signs of affection like that. Still, the guilt was real. And she couldn't help but be a liiiiittle over dramatic. She lifted her hand up and flipped her hair back in dramatic fashion.

"Well, of course I won, after all. I never lose," she said in a playful tone. Of course, it was a luck of the draw contest, so it wasn't like personal skill had anything to do with it. And the tone heavily implied it was a joke...

However, Usagi's comment made her stop for a moment. "Miracle? Oh. OH! Right, cause the video. I mean... no silly jewel can grant miracles like that. Even if they could... something like that has to be earned," she said before shrugging. Of course... now she'd have a lot of suckers for a while. She was going to give soooo many of them to Sayaka. And--

And then Hematite glared and she pulled back and maybe hid behind Sayaka a bit. Yup, no, she was legitimately scared of him. She couldn't henshin, couldn't fight back, couldn't...

She felt that panic rising inside her and she gripped Sayaka's hand and--

And then he was gone. She let out a sigh of relief, before shuddering. "Let's... let's head out too, okay? How about you buy us dinner, okay? That'll make up for the candy, right?" she asked.

... She didn't want to not be around her powered girlfriend for a little bit.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"Showoff", Sayaka playfully taps her on her shoulder when Hinoiri boasts about her victory.

Only for the playfulness to disappear from her face when Hinoiri squeezes her hand in response to Hematite's gaze. She gives that gaze back, her ring about to turn back into its Soul Gem form if Hematite takes a step towards then. But he doesn't, and instead flies away, leaving Sayaka to take a more relaxed pose.

"Oh, sure, I can do that", Sayaka blinks when Hinoiri mentions buying them dinner. That sounds good, she is actually showing Hinoiri her appreciation like that.