2592/Neutral Ground at the Cat Cafe

Neutral Ground at the Cat Cafe
Date of Scene:	05 June 2025
Location:	Cafe BAKE Neko
Synopsis:	New Moon is sulking in Cafe BAKE Neko after her unwilling haircut with Mamoru and Wicked Lady, when Amy and Coco come by. Another side of the story is shared, and nothing is ever as simple as it seems.
Cast of Characters:	Usagi Tsukino, Chibiusa Tsukino, Mamoru Chiba, Amanda Faust, Coco Kiumi
Tinyplot:	BMC: Wicked Ride
Tinyplot2:	Black Moon Clan

---

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
It's afternoon, school having been long let out for those who worry about that sort of thing, and Cafe BAKE Neko has all the usual suspects inside, regulars who come for the cats or the truly excellent treats, though there's no Makoto special out today. The unofficial treats goddess is busy with important projects after all!

New Moon sits at a table in a corner, with a purring black cat on her lap and sitting on her shoulder and playing with the cut strands of her shoulder-length hair, which has not been and indeed cannot be magically fixed. There's a grey and white kitten playing inside her straw hat, discarded on the table in front of her.

New Moon's got an exceptionally grumpy look on her face, staring off into the middle distance as she cradles a large mug of hot chocolate, whipped cream, and marshmallows in her hands.

"I really, really wanted to kill her."

Chibiusa Tsukino has posed:
    Wicked Lady is here, being evil emotional support for her dear sweet mother.

    No, this is probably not a good thing.

    "You could have! She had it coming," she says as she walks up to the corner table where New Moon is sitting. Her red eyes happen to fall upon a certain crescent-marked grey kitten and she coos, "Diana! So here you are."

    Diana, suddenly realizing she's spotted, "S-small Lady...?"

    "Well, not exactly small..." Wicked Lady picks up the (somewhat nervous) talking kitten and gently carries her over to New Moon's table, where she casually takes a seat.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Mamoru is absolutely set up next to New Moon doing homework, and he's hanging out in a starry blue yukata today, and there's currently no moon on his forehead, messy or otherwise. He has a froofy mocha with whipped cream and cinnamon-sugar on top of the whipped cream, and he leans to kiss New Moon on the cheek. "I know, Bunbun. Thank you very much for not -- there are some things that can't be undone. Even if it takes a really long time, one of the things that happened last night can eventually be fixed."

He cried last night too. Not as much, but her hair, her hair her hair.

When Wicked Lady comes to join them with Diana, Mamoru smiles up tiredly at them. "Good morning, Wicked Lady. It's going to be okay, Diana. Anko may be glaring, but that's because she can sense dark energy. She used to be filled with it too."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Another day. It's great that Catra's opening up to her friends and GF and getting help, and that Adora got her powers back (how did that happen, exactly?) but Wicked Lady and New Moon are still running wild, and Usagi's imprisoned somewhere, and they're no closer to finding a solution.

    Amy would like to snuggle some cats and feel better.

    She enters the cafe holding a can of salmon she picked up at a grocey store along the way, and sees the couple, and freezes, and then Wicked Lady walks up to them too and she starts to back towards the door. Sorry, talking cat from the future, she doesn't think she can help you...

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Many tears had been shed last night. This morning, the Forgotten District lost several abandoned buildings as New Moon vented her fury and grief still more. Cats, she had decided, would make her feel better.

Luna's not there, which is disappointing in its own way, but probably for the best. She'd insist on coming along, and New Moon would have to remind her that she has her own mini-me to look out for.

"Mamochan wouldn't have liked it," she grumbles, "And it wouldn't have been justice. My hair can grow back."

An annoyed huff, as the cat on her shoulder baps the hair into her face.

"I should have gone for the claws, though. Probably would have hurt half as much."

Her Hair!!!!!

It's as she's casting her annoyed glower about that she spots Amy coming in, and snorts. "Hmph!"

Chibiusa Tsukino has posed:
    "Morning, Mamochan~" says Wicked Lady in her all-too-sweet tone. Because Beryl-level threats running around and making social visits is the vibe for this arc.

    Diana is a bit unsure about this but Lady is giving her pets and scritches and even if it kinda feels a bit skittery and creepy at least the evil villainess is being nice for the moment?

    Lady sees where New Moon is looking and then spots a certain Puella. "Amy-chan!" she calls out, waving to her. Her eyes lock onto the girl as she slowly pets Diana, who looks at Amy, then Mamoru, and then settles down in the lap of evil.

    "I mean, claws grow back too, but really. Going for the hair? Even the car can be replaced faster than that."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"Let's talk about--," Mamoru starts to suggest, and then he sees Amy backing towards the door and waves. "Amy-chan! Neutral ground. Come sit with us. What's done is done, and yes! That's Diana, cutest kitten in two worlds."

He glances back to Wicked Lady and nods. "But it's a whole thing -- Catra's claws are part of her presentation, how she interacts with the world physically, part of her reflexes, part of her self-image. Like New Moon's hair."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy overhears some mention of hair and winces slightly. She's not sure how long it will take them to find magic to undo that, but dark energy added feet to Chibiusa it's gotta be able to change hair somehow, right?

    Even she knows this is not something to bring up. And she starts feeling incredibly self-conscious about the very long hair that she got by cheating and that she doesn't even fully know how to take care of and suspects her magic is helping with.

    Oh fuck she's been spotted, Chibi-- Lady is looking right at her. She freezes and stops backing up.

    Her instinctual helpfulness reaches for suggestions. 'You could get extensions until you find magic to fix it?' 'We don't know how those actually work,' the rest of her mind shouts that part down, 'and there's more to it than that.'

    "H...hi... Wicked... Lady..." She raises her right hand to wave slightly, then realizes that hand is holding the can of salmon, lowers it, and lifts her left hand enough to give a little finger-wave.

    She's standing at the edge of a social minefield -- which is bad enough when the people she's going to accidentally piss off don't have Dark Energy. The memory of New Moon making Catra 'bow' is fresh in her mind.

    "Hi... Mamoru... Hi... New... Moon... Hi... uh... Diana, right...?" She looks between them nervously.

    Mamoru calls her over and she deflates a bit, caught but also slightly relaxed by the friendliness; Mamoru isn't acting 'doesn't-know-how-to-handle-a-crying-girl' about this situation so maybe it's not as volatile as she fears.

    Amy approaches the table to stand next to it and nods at his words. "I like the yukata. And um... yeah... I know." She trails off lamely.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Her claws would grow back faster, but she'd be more miserable," New Moon mumbles, but she smiles at Wicked Lady anyway, a little, because it's her Wicked Lady, and she snakes a hand down to pet Diana gently. "I doubt she cares about her hair, but a punishment's a punishment, and now that it's over, I shouldn't go thrashing her again. At least I got to see Girl Hot, the Ra-ening..."

A very wistful sigh at that, because she hadn't gotten to enjoy it. Her gaze tracks back to Amy again, as she oh-so-nervously says hello, and she rolls her eyes.

"You don't have to be so nervous. I didn't even do anything to you yesterday, which you actually saw, with your own eyes. Not that you always act on things you see." YES, she is put out and disappointed that Hotaru stood up to reprimand Catra when Amy didn't, even though Hotaru actually worked with Catra and knew her personally. "Sit down. You can't go towering over our Lady."

Chibiusa Tsukino has posed:
    Diana leans into New Moon pets because at this point there's no escape and she may as well enjoy it. Yes, Wicked Lady is currently stroking her back like a villain from a campy spy movie but at least it feels nice? "Hello, Amy-chan!" calls out the smol cute kitten.

    In truth, Diana is about as safe as she ever could be. As long as her feeling of safety doesn't involve her potentially getting turned into a darkness-wielding terror or something. Anything that harms her will have instant Wicked Lady aggro because Diana is also one of Lady's toys.

    Lady glances between New Moon and Amy with a bemused smile. She heard about what happened yesterday. To New Moon, she says, "Yes, yes, you've already met out punishment, and it was fully deserved, but what's done is done. A terrible tragedy about your hair, though. It was alway so lovely."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco is here to check how things are going at the Cat Café. After all, many important things happened in quick succession: New Moon barged into the Shed, apparently hurt Catra, preemptively threatened revenge for Wicked Lady, and also talked about them having an upcoming wedding.

Well, she is happy about a wedding happening, a couple finding love is good news no matter whether they are from Obsidian or Radiant Heart, but isn't the rest a shocking turn of events. All the more so since the Shed is supposed to be dark energy-proofed, which means that New Moon is one of them. Definitely something to talk about with others, and since Mamoru was named into the letter, why not start here?

Peering through the window, she didn't really expect to come face to face with New Moon herself, and accompanied by Wicked Lady to boot. But... It seems they are just talking?

"Hey", she speaks up with a nervous smile, coming to their table with an perplexed look at Wicked Lady and New Moon. "So... You are having a wedding, right?", she asks New Moon, taking a seat with a very quiet scrape of its legs against the floor. "I think your hair should grow again just in time, and if you aren't using magic, there are charming styles for short hair too", she inserts herself into the conversation somewhat.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"Thanks," Mamoru tells Amy with a warm smile. "And, okay, sorry. Wasn't sure. Also sorry for snapping at you yesterday, there just wasn't time to explain what New Moon explained a couple minutes later, and that's why I got frustrated. I mean, I saw the whole thing -- and I saw Catra getting insulted through her eyes."

He puts his stylus down and picks up his mug, sips from it, and puts it down. "I could show her," he says, glancing at New Moon as if for permission. "Or you could show her with me channeling, if you'd want to be in the connection."

He picks up his mug again. "But I don't think that's necessary. Catra's reaction was wildly disproportionate, and I have been telling everyone not to aggro the dark general, and then Catra did."

He sips his mocha again, then adds, "She's really lucky in that it was New Moon she did something like that to, because New Moon only broke her that badly because I was there. It was just pain, not permanent damage. Again, I'm not mad, I should have expected your reaction when you didn't see everything."

This is your daily reminder that Mamoru has been swimming in dark energy.

And then Coco joins, and Mamoru swallows his mocha wrong and partly inhales it after Coco's suggestion. He chokes out, "Did I forget to invite you to the wedding? Dammit. It's in like two weeks--"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy nods to Diana's greeting then tenses at New Moon's direct attention. She opens her mouth and is told to sit, and after a second's hesitation, she does, and puts the can of salmon on the table.

    She tries again, still not meeting New Moon's eyes. Her words are quiet. "She shouldn't have gone for the hair. But your words hurt her more than you knew."

    Mamoru offers telepathy. She places her hand on the table near him.

    Finally she speaks normally. "...She did it because she knew she'd be healed?" Amy looks from Mamoru to New Moon. She frowns slightly. "That doesn't make it right, but... if that's really your thought process--" and there's the flicker of realization on her face of 'oh right, telepathy' "--then it's... then you're..." How does she word this. "...Maybe... not someone I need to act that way around."

    Coco's here?! Amy looks back at her in surprise, offers an awkward smile and a wave.

    And then Coco brings up the hair and that she'll look this way at the wedding (thank goodness it's not New Moon's own wedding!) At least Amy didn't step on the landmine directly... But she can try to diffuse (but not defuse) the blast a little. "Uhhhh does mermaid hair grow that fast?" She suddenly imagines Coco getting a haircut like once a week. "Human hair doesn't."

    She looks back at New Moon, concerned. "Is there really nothing that can be done? Dark magic made more C--Wicked Lady." She holds out a hand at Chibiusa's height and then at Wicked Lady's height. "It can't make more hair?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"It's going to take years," New Moon sulks, "At least! I've never cut it! Except for taking a little off, that time Hinoiri burned me up, but even still it was mostly there! But... you're right, my Lady. What's done is done."

It was longer than this when she was five. She's been cut back to pre-kindergarten!

But there's only so much she can sulk in front of her darling daughter, so with great reluctance she pulls herself together, bringing her big mug of cocoa up to sip on. She's fine. She's fine! She and Mamoru cried it out last night and she's fine. Mamoru is offering Amy explanations that she, a Dark General stewing in dark energy don't think are warranted.

"Her hurt feelings don't justify ruining years of effort over a single barbed comment, but I can't expect better from you right now. You've already made up your mind." She's irritated by that, visibly. "Mamochan asked that I let him heal anyone I hurt, so duh, I was going to let him heal her after. If she'd gotten over herself, realized she fucked up by escalating the sitaution, and bowed down so I could cut her hair back, she wouldn't have needed her knees broken in the first place."

She's saying this loud enough for Coco to hear when she walks over, and though she's calmly allowing Mamoru to rectify the wasn't invited thing - her eye twitches.

The mug cracks when Coco suggests that her hair should be grown back in time for the wedding. It cracks becausee she is gripping it hard enough that even though she's just cracked it, the liquid can't spill free.

"My hair was down to my ankles," she says, slowly, deliberately. "It will take at least three years for it to grow back naturally. There is no magic for fixing my hair, because you can't use someone else's magic to fix someone else's body. Maybe it's different for Mermaids -" and then she snaps her head around to look at Amy in frustrated annoyance, "Wicked Lady grew from five to twenty in an instant! Of course her hair grew! That's not a dark energy power, that's a henshin. There is NOTHING that ANYONE can do that will fix this, especially not before the wedding in two and a half weeks!"

Chibiusa Tsukino has posed:
    "Coco!" calls out Wicked Lady, beckoning her over. Have they ever met before? Good question. Wicked Lady is acting like she knows her and is being friendly about it. "Come on in! By all means, sit with us. Ah, but be considerate when talking about the hair. It was closer to my length, so I doubt that it will grow back in time without magic, and there's layers of sentimental attachment and... well, really is quite a mess."

    Wicked Lady leans over to give her mother a one armed hug for a moment, because for whatever reason Wicked Lady is a lot more affectionate than Chibiusa ever was.

    Granted, even Chibiusa would've probably held back in a moment like this.

    Then the scary dark general sighs, because there really is no avoiding the elephant in the room. "Yesterday was... a tragic and frustrating experience all around. I don't think any of us wanted it to go the way that it did. New Moon lost her hair, I lost my car, Catra temporarily lost her knees and a bit of dignity. I don't think anyone actually came out ahead except maybe She-Ra? Which, good on her. I like her better with power. I wish she'd take dark energy and be even more powerful but you know. That's just my opinion."

    She delivers that last line with all the confidence in the world that her opinion is fact, actually.

    To Amy, Wicked Lady shrugs, "I mean... it depends? It's not like we can control it that precisely. I suppose we could try giving her youma hair. Would you like youma hair, sweetie? It might try to bite people but at least it'd be long again." Wicked Lady imagines New Moon with the dark energy version of Medusa hair and says, "You know what? Never mind the youma hair. Forget I mentioned it."

    She twirls one finger through one of her pink twintails and says, "... But, well, like she said. I doubt I could simply grow my hair back if it got cut like that. Fortunately mine was never that long to begin with."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Even if there is a healer nearby, hurting someone for messing with your hair is a bit... much, and the nervous laugh Coco does might be a bit of a tell of her opinion. She isn't really known for her poker face, barring in very specific circumstances. And this is not one of those by any means.

"I know you are going to marry Usagi", Coco blinks at Mamoru, "but I didn't know someone else was going to marry this soon." And then she turns to New Moon. "Are you the bride? The fact you entered the Shed is proof you are a friend, so I wouldn't mind helping out. Do you already have a venue?"

And then the mug cracks, and sweat starts showing up on Coco's forehead. "Ok, going that far down is a bit of an impossibility." Her hair in henshin comes that far down too, so she does know the limits of what magic can do in this situation.

"Not that much faster", Coco shakes her hair at Amy's question. "It would get unwieldy fast. But I didn't know what New Moon had it like originally." This is her first time coming face to face with the villainess. "I am sorry about that", she tells the latter.

Above all though, there is the sentiment of wanting to cheer up who she thinks is the bride. "New Moon, you are going to be really pretty. The dress and poise count a lot too, and you will be between people who care about you. Nobody is going to want to ruin your special day."

Then there is Chibiusa... no, Wicked Lady telling her to avoid that landmine, and she drops the subject promptly. "Hi, WL!", she waves. "So, are you here for the cats then?"

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Mamoru silently takes a wad of napkins out of the dispenser and gently lifts up New Moon's hand and cup to put them underneath. "I'll get up and get you a new one in a minute," he murmurs, and he trips over almost saying her name; 'Usa' and 'Usako' are always, always on the tip of his tongue, "bunnygirl."

Then he leans against New Moon a little without touching her skin, and places his fingertips on the back of Amy's hand.

Aggravatingly, everything New Moon and Mamoru said is actually true. "I mean -- Catra had a rough childhood. I get that. I know that, she accidentally showed me some of it one time. But a rough childhood doesn't give anyone the excuse to start fights. I had to learn that myself."

He sighs. "I just learned it faster, despite also being in Obsidian from young. Different people have different problems and reactions and ability to learn, but..." Mamoru removes his hand from Amy's, and he finishes, "it's never okay to respond to words with swords."

He pauses. "Though I will probably still duel Hannah for saying Earth is backwater."

Then he gets up to go get New Moon a new hot chocolate, but pauses and glances back at Coco. "It might be a double wedding. Me and Usako, and New Moon and her very own fiance. Either way, it'll be on the Moon. Which reminds me! If you want to get involved, maybe singing, talk to Nephrite and probably Wako."

He glances at Wicked Lady and grins crookedly. "Youma hair might be fun, but okay, you got it. Forgotten."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    There's a lot going on in Amy's mind.

    A song is stuck in her head. It's the first movement of https://puu.sh/KuPQq/2535e09cf3.mp4 . There are lingering thoughts about hair in the back of her mind. A vision of New Moon breaking Catra's legs yesterday. Catra in Adora's arms relating how she felt.

    Mamoru shares his memory of New Moon's side and her mouth drops open. It really wasn't about asserting authority it was to cut hair and Dark Energy made her dumb about it.

    Of course, the conversation is still going on and she winces at the CRACK and they're talking about hair and how much it means. (when did Hinoiri fight New Moon? How does she know Cure Licorne's-- oh right, telepathy)

    Hair calls up a number of thoughts.

- Mallory, watching Ranma as a teenager and the scene where Akane's hair is accidentally cut. It clearly is a big deal for girls but he doesn't get it.
- Amy, fall 2023, listening at lunch as a girl relates a childhood story of a boy putting gum in her hair and the way the others reacted and she felt a twinge at the thought of losing her hair
- Amy, rewatching Ranma after her realization and hitting the same point and she feels for Akane, she does, she'd hate to lose her own hair and Akane has it so bad already with everyone talking up how masculine she is all the time, making the loss of a feminine trait hit all the more keenly...

    She had just reviewed those memories and they're brought up again by Moon talking about how much effort it was and how long it took to grow it and Amy remembers the viewpoint of someone who doesn't get it and cringing at past ignorance and can she really sympathise, she didn't have to work hard for this she just got a wish and if he uses the disguise pen he'd better make sure it's short lest he be in a similar boat.

    She wants to help fix this, is there any way to help fix this--

    Amy nods after Mamoru takes his hand away. And can't help a little smile and snrk at his comment about Hannah, which does lighten her mood a little.

    Oh dear Coco thinks New Moon is getting married too. Amy's not sure if she should correct the-- Oh. Mamoru says it might be a double wedding. "Oh. Oh my gosh. Um, congrats, who are they, and... Oh. Oh no..." She looks at the short hair, oh no so NM's wedding is coming up soon and her hair is ruined for it. Now Amy's face reflects the gravity of the situation.

    She can't even manage to laugh at youma hair right now. ...Also, that could actually be terrifying hopefully they don't do that.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Youma hair," New Moon says, in a slow, contemplative voice. She's also picturing Medusa hair, only she's picturing it lashing out and strangling everyone who irritates her, and she winces. "Ah, yes... my Lady, I will forget that suggestion."

No, that would not work.

Coco has swiftly changed the subject, and she was innocently unaware of how much hair was lost, and she is doing her best to console New Moon, so in spite of everything, she finds it in herself to smile at Coco, as Mamoru puts napkins under the cup and promises to get her another one.

"It's going to be on the Moon," she confirms. "With Mamoru and Usagi. Our Lady wishes to see a great wedding, and of course we'll oblige! Everything is for her, after all."

And she does cast an adoring glance at Wicked Lady, having leaned into that half-hug with relief and love.

"I will be a bride," she says, and there's so much warmth in her sweet voice at the thought, almost enough to drown out the poison-tinge. "And... thank you. You're right, at least. It is about a number of things, and most especially Wicked Lady."

And in the other corner... there's Amy, having a clue dropped on her, and New Moon doesn't get mean about it now, just says, dry, "Yeah. Oh is one way to put it. I'm not going to wear a wig or bring anything dead into the wedding - it's a celebration of life, and the future. I'll just have to... cope."

Her gaze follows after Mamoru as he gets cocoa for her, and there is that faint smile returning.

"And steal Catra's girl, of course."

Chibiusa Tsukino has posed:
    Wicked Lady gives Coco a cruel smirk and a nonchalant shrug. "I'm here because the company of my teenage father, lovely assistant, and the cats is far far preferable to that of the creepy princeling and his... odd brother. Plus if I just hang out on the space ship all day, Wiseman will start hounding me about... well... work stuff. You know how it is. I have to at least look like I'm being more useful than Demande. Admittedly, that's a pretty low bar at this point."

    Diana's tail shifts to press against Wicked lady as the kitten stays strategically silent. She doesn't know what 'work stuff' means, but she's pretty sure it involves the Ginzuishou. For once, the kitten is glad that she can honestly say she has no idea where it is.

    "I do feel a bit of... frustration over the willingness to excuse Catra. She's a villain too, or at least she insists she is. Being less powerful is not the same thing as being less guilty." Though, even as she says that, she considers Amy's stance on monarchy and capitalism and wonders if there's a common thread here. "Granted, I suppose her villain status has come into question of late, hasn't it? Poor girl. Everyone sees it but her. I hope one day she feels comfortable sharing that side of herself one day. She doesn't need to be ashamed of it. It's perfectly natural."

    Wicked Lady smirks at New Moon's declaration, and looks like she wants to say something but is keeping it to herself.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"A double wedding? That sounds like a lot of effort. I hope the preparations are going smoothly. Do you need a hand?" she tells Mamoru, and then she regards the bride-to-be that is present here. "Who is the lucky spouse then? Anyone we know?", the mermaid asks with the tone of someone that really is enjoying the current subject. And New Moon's smile is returned with one of her own.

"Anyway, that sounds like it will be fun. You can count on it, I would love singing at both weddings", Coco replies with golden eyes twinkling with cheer. "I will be sure to talk to Nephrite then. I will have to get there out of henshin, but that just gives me more freedom of clothing", she grins. "Do you mind if I bring Rihito with me? I am sure he will enjoy the moon, and he is trustworthy." Plus, she would hardly want to miss an occasion for showing herself off in a pretty dress to her boyfriend.

"Catra is trying", Coco says, switching to a pensive tone. "She may need a bit more to get there, but she is making a lot of effort. She even braved her fear of the water so she could help Seira. I think that if we keep helping her out, she will be able to leave her past behind eventually. I agree it's no excuse to retaliate like that", she considers, leaving aside the matter of them being villains, more because going for the hair is petty. It doesn't stop the fight, and it's not something very nice with the wedding behind the corner.

She leaves aside the matter of Wicked Lady's cruel smirk and 'work stuff' comment, though she is clearly a bit more pensive right after it. "I am sure it would be. A princess deserves some well-earned rest sometimes", she agrees with a nod. She has had anything of the sort, but if Wicked Lady wants to take it easy, that's better for everyone. "I see you found Diana again. Have you been missing her?", she peeks at the cat Wicked Lady is holding, checking that the feline isn't feeling too stressed.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
The only answer Mamoru has for Coco before he leaves the table is an apologetic, "The groom is a surprise. You'll find out at the wedding, but I can-- oh, just so you know Riventon is best man for mine. But be right back."

And then he's gone over to the counter, and he texts while he leans against it after ordering.

    Makoto TXT Mamoru: what kind of cake does Chibiusa-chan like when she's not full of dark energy?
    Makoto TXT Mamoru: I should have asked the other night but I was too busy trying not to kill you

    Mamoru TXT: i'll ask her!

Then he looks over to the table and considers whether to text Amy anything right now, but he decides things are going fine and he knows Amy has the opposite of a poker face in all things.

Finally he comes back to the table carrying New Moon's new chocolate and Wicked Lady's first chocolate, and he picks up his empty mug and also the broken one and the wad of cocoa-colored sopping wet napkins, and he brings them up to the counter.

When he comes back, he scrunches up into the seat and closes his textbook and puts his tablet and stylus on top. "Do you mean her friendly side is natural or her villain side?" he finally asks Wicked Lady, amused. "Because my villain side is decidedly not natural. My jerk side is, but not my villain side. By the way! Mako-chan wants to know what kind of cake your Wicked Lady cake should be. Like, what type, what filling, what icing?"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    "Riventon?!" Amy is kind of shocked. "What about Agera-san?! ...I guess he has... been involved in more magic stuff... And he's been helpful sometimes..."

    Man, speaking of the wedding, poor Mamoru and Usagi and even New Moon, having to have their weddings be all about Wicked Lady. She's starting to assemble a speech in her head about allowing her parents one day to be about them, when so many days are about Wicked Lady, and it's a bit of an abrupt mental gear change for the subject to shift back to Catra and Amy's feelings toward her.

    Eyes widen, a flicker of worry that she's in trouble. "She shouldn't have cut New Moon's hair. But I can't hate her, and there's not any way to make any of this right. I don't know what the perfect answer is. She's... She was made to feel worthless, for who knows how long."

    She looks at Wicked Lady. "You remember her trying to keep you safe from uh..." what was her name? Not important, "the water-and-ice sister, right?"

    And then a thought crosses her mind. "Shit, she's not from Earth. Weren't they raised in some kind of oppressive military state? Maybe she did not understand the importance of, uh, hair. Which doesn't excuse it, but like, she might not even get what was wrong about it. Also I don't think any of us knew the 'kneel' thing was for cutting hair, you kinda uh, seemed to be going on an authority trip. What with the dark energy and all."

    "Uh... I'll talk to her about it, I guess, if there's no one better to."

    She looks at the hot chocolate Mamoru came back with. "...I think I might get a hot chocolate too." And she stands up and goes to do that.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Mamochan here has two brothers. One of them is a normal-y guy who would probably walk out of the dome to explore the surface of the moon and die, the other has enough magic that when he does that he'll live. Takashi will get his chance when he gets married again." It's a very simple calculus, easy to explain the confusion. "I can't tell you about my fiance because it's a secret. But he'll be the most handsome person there."

She's all heart eyes and smiles, and when Mamoru returns the first time she takes the cup, sips it, goes ack! because it's too hot, and sets it down.

Sitting it down gives her time to appraise Amy, who is actually thinking about the situation more, at least. This has caused the rest of her Grumpy to at least leave her face.

"Look, I know you're probably trying to think of a way to understand how she could be like, a 'victim', because her life has sucked and because I broke her knees in retaliation, but she did it because she was being a huge bitch," New Moon says flatly. "As soon as she did it, she threw the comment about strays back in my face, just so I'd know for sure she was retaliating. She had a bad life, but considering people have been giving her their hand and offering her a way out since she arrived on Earth, but instead of finally trying out a real change, she's waffling about it, hanging around the door like a stray cat instead of committing. She's kind of like you, except she's all violent about it instead of just being sad or making justice speeches about why the world is wrong."

New Moon rolls her eyes a little, at the thought.

"I'm tired of being patient with people forever and taking their claw marks because oh they only said that because they're scared, they're just lonely, they don't know any better - bullshit. She's had time to figure it out. Everyone we know has had time to figure it out, everyone here has been in this for more than a year! My Lady over here is the greatest and most powerful ever with Dark Energy and lived through a whole lot of years of total bull, and yet here she is! Hasn't assaulted anyone."

She looks down at her hot chocolate.

"Catra poked the bear and got what was coming to her, just like Inai-sensei did when she tried to pick a fight with Beryl and got slapped into a bus."

Chibiusa Tsukino has posed:
    Wicked Lady considers Coco's question, and answers it as if the wedding were her event. Because it is, of course. "Well I'm certainly not against bringing a plus one. More people should be allowed to admire my greatness at my parents' wedding, and also my assistant's wedding." Lady is annoyed at having to lie in such a clumsy way, but her game serves a purpose.

    On the subject of Catra, Wicked Lady shrugs. "It is what it is. As I understand it, Obsidian wouldn't exactly welcome her back, so I'm not sure who she's trying to impress with her villain act. Yes, Amy, I do remember her protecting me, and I appreciate it still! It's one of the reasons I'm not being even more harsh on her, but let's face it: She's losing her edge. She's growing soft. That's the part I'm saying is natural. This recent fiasco was partially a result of her growing insecurity over her failing tough girl image."

    With a shrug, Lady says, "I wouldn't necessarily call her 'heroic' yet. She's very much still absorbed in protecting her ego, but she's not the villain she used to be. That's nothing to feel bad about. Not everyone can handle the dark energy lifestyle. I just think she'd benefit from a little more sincerity."

    Her long nails reach down to scritch Diana gently. Small Lady is corrupted and Diana hates that, but she at least can enjoy the attention. Wicked Lady responds, "Oh, I do! Of course I do. I miss my little friend oh so much, but the people I work with..." Lady rolls her red eyes. "Did you see what they did to Mamochan? I doubt little Diana could survive one of Demande's manchild tantrums. I can't bring her there."

    The fresh cocoa is gratefully accepted. She takes the cup in both hands, one sticking her fingers through the handle and the other holding it from below, and begins to sip it slowly.

    She's asked about cake and she actually has to think about it because like... wow... she has had a lot of birthdays. "Well, for icing, my favorite colors are pink and red, and I like roses and bunnies as decorations. For filling I am always partial to pudding, but when it comes to flavor..." Lady ponders for a moment, then says, "... surprise me. There are too many good options to pick, and Mako-chan's tastes haven't failed me in centuries. She will manage to impress me I'm sure."

    Wicked Lady leans against New Moon for a moment and says, in a low tone, "Hasn't assaulted anyone... yet." Then she sits up straight and starts to take a sip, before realizing the others probably heard her. "Oh, don't worry. None of the people you care about are on the list."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco hums at the information of who is the best man. Well, that doesn't really surprise her much. The opposite would have been more surprising, actually. Well, at least, Riventon is going to behave himself, given this is Mamoru's wedding, so she doesn't much of a problem with it. "That's no problem, I am already keeping my powers in check for New Moon's wedding. Doing it for yours comes easy", she winks at him.

Coco blinks at the passionate rant New Moon goes on about Catra, frowning slightly the more the villainess goes on. She is certainly very invested on the subject, and if she hadn't seen Adora just the day prior, she would be considering her as the one who got corrupted, given the very personal feelings she seems to have on Catra.

Admittedly, she is not sure how much of what their corrupted friend is saying comes from dark energy, but she doesn't agree with the end result of her assessment. "That's not fair to her, Moon.", she speaks in a quiet tone.

"There is no one single speed to get over trauma. I asked to help her out yes, but you don't have to force yourself to interact with her if that's what you want. I don't think we should talk like she isn't making progress, and taking actions, because she really is trying."

She thinks has already spoken well enough on why she thinks that's the case, so she doesn't say anything more, and instead she goes back to Rihito and the wedding. "That's awesome!", she clasps her hand together. "I am sure he will have a great time too, and it will be a perfect moment to introduce everyone", the mermaid smiles. "Thank you, WL."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"Yeah I'd just like it better if you didn't have compare yourself to Beryl," Mamoru sighs, bumping lightly into New Moon and smiling a little at her because it's her and he can't help it even if he's talking about the worst former human, "when she was so hateful, and an omnicide, and a creepy cougar into underage employees, and so many things that we killed her for..."

A beat, and Mamoru blinks at Coco. "She doesn't care. She gets along with dark energy even worse than I did, and you remember what an asshole I was, Coco-chan. It was also hideously unfair that Catra reacted the way she did." He runs a hand through his pink-tipped hair. "I'm also tired of getting bitten when I try to help people, but I'm not full of dark energy, so I make the sacrifice of swallowing my own emotions and reactions for the benefit of bullies because they were victims once upon a time. There is no right answer here."

He slouches a little in his seat, bringing him closer to New Moon's seated height, and he rubs at the sides of the bridge of his nose, still tired. "I promised Riventon best man when we were kids. We all grew up together. I keep my promises even to my detriment. I keep my promises even to other people's detriment."

He tilts his head back against the wall and lowers his glasses a little, regarding Amy. "Maybe that makes me shitty, I don't know, but it's something that meant everything to me even in Obsidian. When you don't know who you are and you have no memory, but you have one thing that's yours, you keep it. When you have a lot of things that are yours, but you started out that way, it's the thing you built everything you currently have on, isn't it? You keep it."

The prince in the yukata hands New Moon a spoon. He watches Wicked Lady, and where she can see him it's nothing but love. When he turns away from either of them, it's love and hurt, and Amy can see it, and Coco can see it, but it's under control very quickly, and Mamoru takes his phone from his obi and starts thumbtyping rapidly.

    Mamoru TXT Makoto: pink and red, roses and bunnies, pudding filling. surprise flavor pls

That done, he glances up with his eyebrows up. "Is it people I sincerely dislike who deserve getting assaulted by Wicked Lady?" Then he looks to Amy again and says gently, "Nobody's asking you to hate. Hate makes us weaker, and is bad for us. It's a debuff with DoT."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    "Riventon is his brother too?!" Amy blinks. "That explains some things. Then why wasn't he invited to karaoke pla--" she shakes her head. Not important, "Anyway, I thought you said there was air on the moon now or something."

    'I keep my promises even to my detriment.' Amy smiles and offers him a fistbump.

    When something is yours, you keep it. When it built part of who you are, you keep it. Yeah, she thinks to herself, that's understandable. "I guess... that makes it hard for someone to give up Dark Energy, when it's giving someone something they need, huh. And maybe why it's hard to find way to move on."

    Speaking of people who need to move on, Catra. "She can be a victim and a bitch." Amy points out. Although a nail is hit on a head as Moon points out 'she's like you.' "I get it. Other people are frustrating. And I guess with dark energy you have even less patience. But... years of not being given a chance because you frustrate people and don't know why, results in people becoming, well, like me and Catra." She nods at Coco's point about everyone moving at different speeds. "Count yourself lucky you're from a society that's better -- perhaps you would have been the same."

    "I thought she was doing the hero thing now. She keeps showing up and helping and she came to the future, didn't she?"

    She goes and gets her hot chocolate, and as she hears 'what they did to Mamochan' she winces at the memory, of seeing him that way and being able to do nothing to help. Probably. Merely what, an hour later? she was starting to think she could fix it with darkness somehow, and she's still not entirely sure it wasn't possible or wouldn't have technically worked, even if it would have been a bad idea (which she could recognize even while corrupted, thank goodness.) Dark Energy must truly be insidious.

    She sees that look on Mamoru's eyes as she walks back to the table with hot chocolate in hand, and mentally winces. She can't imagine what it must be like, to see your daughter go through this, to know your love and best friend of years who you would spend eternity with is stuck in a cell somewhere--

    --okay, actually, given how New Moon and Wicked Lady are it does seem more likely she's been given, like, a nice room with a bed and TV and videogames and oh right she has her phone Amy can just text her later.

    Hate is a DoT. Amy's mind wanders a bit, over metaphors, over-- wait, maybe she can say that out loud. "Is it always? What if I hate what's happened to Wicked Lady and her dear friend from the future? Does that really weaken me? It's... it's what let me snap out of it so I could get purified." That's maybe not exactly right, but she hadn't exactly felt it was a triumph for her, either.

Chibiusa Tsukino has posed:
    Wicked Lady looks at Mamoru with... it must be love, right? Surely it is, underneath all that darkness. Both him and New Moon are her favorites, but there is an undercurrent of control here. They need to obey her, give her what she wants, and placate her even if it's blindingly obvious that they don't always really mean it. Making the effort to spare her feeling is, in of itself, seen as an act of care.

    To Mamoru's question, Wicked Lady takes a sip from her cocoa and says, "Let's just say that I know I'll get away with it because there isn't a single mahoujin who'd want to stop me."

    Wicked Lady glances towards Coco's response and... it's kind. It's kind in a way that offends the dark energy in her. Not in any way that makes Wicked Lady want to retaliate or punish, but... in a way that makes the darker parts of her psyche want to insist that her gentleness must be fake or detestable somehow. She keeps it to herself, because they're having a nice conversation, and Coco is being diplomatic, but the corruption in her soul is wincing and wanting to bare teeth.

    Of course, Wicked Lady wants nothing more than to be seen as 'the adult in the room', so she pretends to be above such things. Instead she sweetly smiles at Coco and says, with only the slight amount of venom, "Oh, I'm sure we'd love to meet him. I hope appreciates how lucky he is."

    And truly, there's no threat or insinuation there, but Lady isn't as good at hiding her irritation as she likes to pretend.

    Wicked Lady shrugs at Amy and says, "Well I mean... she's on the heroic side but that doesn't really make her a heroine. She's more like... an anti-hero, maybe?" On the topic of hate, Wicked Lady raises an eyebrow. "My, my, aren't we bold today? Well, ignoring the obvious disagreement that you and I have about my current situation, I'd say it's like Final Fantasy's Zombie status. Hate empowers me and harms you. Also, hatred of situations, systems and concepts is not the same as hating a person or group of people." Cocoa sip. "... I mean, unless you're talking about a personified concept."

    She frowns as she spies a clock on the wall. "Ah, speaking of work I've been dodging, I have to go distract my cohort from my lack of progress by making insinuations about Demande's unhealthy obsession with disinterested women." She takes a final sip of cocoa, places it on the table, and then finger waggles at everyone else. "Ta-ta!"

    And then she teleports out.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Sorry," this, sheepish, "I'm not her, and I don't want to be, and I didn't mean it that way, only to point out... well, dumb it all was."

She catches Mamoru's hand, if he allows it, rubbing her thumb over the back of his hand, a pulse of love-fondness-apology-sick behind it.

Mamoru hits the nail on the head, when he says she doesn't care - behind him, she nods sharply - "I don't care. I don't have it in me to care. Yesterday, I cared, in that I wanted her to move forward, but after she went for my hair... she can be a bully and a bitch, too."

This last is directed at Amy, dryly.

"Wicked Lady is right, she might be trying to do better, but she isn't stupid! She absolutely is intelligent enough to know that responding to one-off words with property damage and assault is escalation. And no one beats a Dark General at escalation."

And that, truly is that on that. Whatever else Catra has going on in her internal life, everyone here is smart enough to know that escalating a situation - any situation - is not a good idea. Catra might be trying, but she's trying Usagi's patience, now that she has little to hold herself back for.

"Still. You offered to sing for our weddings, and that's kind of you. You're not indebted to us, you don't owe us at all, but you've been kind and understanding, which I appreciate about you. I look forward to meeting your Rihito, and seeing what kind of man it is you love, who makes you so happy."

And then, Wicked Lady has to go, off to plant her false leads and torment the prince who necessitates the Game, and she hesitates, but doesn't follow. She wasn't asked to follow, just yet, but she will soon.

"I'm sure whoever it is is someone you'd want to see mauled," she declares loyally, and drains half of her hot cocoa in one long swig, both hands holding the mug.

"Enough about sad things! It's fine. What matters most of all is Wicked Lady."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco also remembers how earnest Mamoru was about holding himself back when he was interacting with them, even if it took a bit for her to understand that when they first started out, but regardless, she doesn't want to talk about their feelings over Catra anymore, and instead she focuses on what Mamoru has to say about Riventon. And it is clear New Moon doesn't want to hear more of it either.

Mamoru's recounting of his past with Rinventon Is actually a very sweet story, and it feels nice that he is choosing to share how important Riventon is to him. "You know what, that's actually really cute. You should totally take a photo just the two of you at the wedding, as memory of your promise", she suggests with an eager smile.

"Don't feel bad about sharing what you think, I understand how you see it, and keeping promises is very important", the mermaid nods strongly.

Coco's mouth opens slightly at noticing the expression of love and hurt on Mamoru's face, and surprise etches itself on her face, as she looks from him to New Moon and back again, trying to understand the meaning that nonetheless eludes her.

"Thank you, have fun with your distraction", Coco replies to the Wicked Lady with a hint of amusement. And she waves at her before the latter goes away. Coco gets up then, a smoothie calling to her.

Leaving aside New Moon's devotion to Wicked Lady, which sure is strong, Coco smiles warmly at the words she chooses to give her now they are just about done. "I will be really happy to."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    On the heroic side isn't a heroine. "It's a start..." Is she even a heroine then?

    She didn't think saying she didn't like seeing her friends corrupted would be taken negatively at the moment, but when Wicked Lady is all 'my aren't you bold' Amy tenses up a bit and tries to look bold and defiant. And then she's surprised at the reference. "You've played Final Fantasy?" Or she's watched Usagi play, that makes sense too.

    She relaxes again when Wicked Lady is gone. New Moon is (rightfully) mad at Catra. Amy just looks down at her cocoa.

    What matters most of all is Wicked Lady.

    "Everything is about her, all the time. Can't you and your fiance, and Mamoru and Usagi-chan, have a day about you and them?" She looks at New Moon. "I mean, it's not like they're going to forget her. You've... you've seen in his mind, you know how in love they are. It's not like..." Oh god how do you word this about your friends, especially when one of them is in the room. "Uhh... I mean, Chibius--Wicked Lady is going to happen, you know, she doesn't need to worry about that."

    "And she's going to be special and the most important thing in the world to them. I mean, she already is, since she uh... showed up early, but like... They can have one day, she can give them that much, can't she? And give you, too, you must be a dear friend of hers."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
There's a fistbump from Amy, and Mamoru answers it but looks wry. "Yeah, but I'll even lie to keep promises and secrets. It's really frustrating sometimes."

New Moon catches at his hand, and of course he lets her take it, and his whole being curls around that love-fondness-apology-sick protectively and with an ache he can't hide from her, and a love he could and would never ever hide from anyone.

Even when it messes with the Veil.

Wicked Lady takes her leave, and Mamoru smiles up at her with love and amusement. "Ooooh I think I know who you're talking about. See you later, baby girl."

His smile turns lopsided when he glances back to Coco. "I'll make sure we get some good moon selfies. Years from now when we're old and he's redeemed and everything stops sucking, we'll have them and we can laugh at his henshin lab coat."

With the smile going a bit small, Mamoru shrugs at Amy. "It's a complicated situation. And honestly... honestly if it makes our Lady happy, then... we can just wait for the Earthside wedding to be all for us, with Usa's family there and everything."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Nephrite and Wako are going to sing at the wedding too," New Moon remembers, "So you can connect with them too, about what you'll all be doing for entertainment."

But the topic changes, and she frowns at Amy, shaking her head shortly.

"Wicked Lady is the daughter of the King and Queen of a whole system. Even if her parents wanted to, they don't put her first enough, and have left her lonely. I won't be like that. Wicked Lady comes first, even on a special day, because that's what she deserves. The fruit of a happy union, the Princess of a far-off future, the girl who lived through the end of her world twice over... if what she wants is to come first on the Wedding, then I'm going to give it to her."

And then, she stands, putting down her cup, and she gives him a smile.

"I'm going to go now, I wanted to find Mako-chan and interrogate her about cakes, but you should stay here awhile. Spend time with your friends, jump in the ball pit - you're not taking the dark energy, so you're not feeling well." As if taking Dark Energy has made her feel better. Still - this building is his, his place, his everything, and it can feel good to be in a place that's yours.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco gives Mamoru. surprised look. She can understand New Moon, due to the dark energy, but him too? Why is it that that both of them are so centered on Chibiusa? And the way New Moon speaks of Neo Queen Serenity and King Endymion, could it be she is... Wait, what was she thinking about again? She was having an important thought, she is sure.

But then New Moon is leaving too, and with a concerning statement on top. She sure has been thoroughly brainwashed if she even thinks well of dark energy now. She doesn't think she ever really saw that from Hematite. "Bye, New Moon. If you need anything, call us, ok?", she is spurred to tell her in the moment.

And then just the three of them are left, and Coco reaches over to pet Diana a bit, and looks at Mamoru. "I guess I am going to look for Nephrite after this so we can get the singing going", the blonde girl says, trying to leave the concern behind.

Chibiusa Tsukino has posed:
    Diana looks up at Coco, decides she smells okay, then pushes her head into her pettings. Her tiny kitten eyes look up at Mamoru. She saw that sadness from earlier too, and she shares it, but she keeps her thoughts to herself.

    Not very talkative for a talking cat, but very pettable!

Amanda Faust has posed:
    He'll lie to keep promises and secrets. She nods. "I try, I'm just... bad poker face."

    She smiles at the thought of a future where they're friends with a redeemed Riventon. It sounds nice.

    She raises an eyebrow at the mention of the earthside wedding going normally. "Really? She doesn't want to, to make that about her too?"

    She is clearly trying not to react to New Moon's argument that Wicked Lady isn't treated as important enough, and she's clearly not persuaded.

    She wonders about Chibiusa being lonely, though. New Moon, she gathers, may be the age she looks, from the hair comment earlier? Which would mean she started to grow up while Chibiusa was left behind. And she doesn't have any friends her own... apparent/emotional age here.

    The thought briefly passes through her head that she failed to find who Masquerade Lapine was, but 1. that didn't happen, it's just the real conversation with Setsuna-chan and Emi happening in the same dream made it feel a little more vivid and real, and 2. masquerade lapine is Chibiusa, they know that now.

    At the comment about not feeling well, she shrugs. "That's why I came here to cuddle cats."

    She also reaches out to pet Diana. Two people petting her! "Soft..." murmurs Amy, before looking at Coco, surprised. "Nephrite sings? Dang, I didn't know that. Cool!" She looks to Mamoru, "Is he coming to karaoke, after... after all this is resolved somehow?"

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Leaning to brush fingers against New Moon's uncovered upper arm -- you feel so sick too, my love, please, we don't need dark energy is only in the background, that ache -- Mamoru wants one last kiss before she leaves.

He'll definitely be hiding in Kazuo's arms later, but he's not thinking about that right now. He's not even thinking 'girl hot' actively, she's too sick and he's too scared for her.

"I'm not feeling well, but you remember how happy I was to stop having wasps under my skin. I'd definitely feel worse that way," he laughs. The laugh is not a lie, but it's not happy.

Coco's shipper senses HAVE to be going off.

"Let me know if you want to jump in the ballpit sometime too, maybe with Wicked Lady. It's definitely big enough for the both of you," he says to New Moon seriously. "See you later, bunbun."

Looking to Coco once more, he smiles a little and sleight-of-hands a pen and a little notepad out of thin air, then writes down Nephrite's number and slides it across to the mermaid idol. "There's his number. That'll be really nice."

Mamoru finally actually outright grins. "Neph-- Masato, I mean-- will definitely come to karaoke."

And now, after New Moon's been gone long enough she's unlikely to pop back in because of forgetting something, he reaches over to see if there's any chocolate left in the bottom of New Moon's mug, not actually expecting to see any. There isn't any, so he sets it down. Then he picks up his books and glances to Diana. "I'll be home for most of the rest of the day," he tells the kitten, "if you want to come snuggle."

Then he smiles tiredly at Amy and Coco. "The wedding will be a giant fight with New Moon and Wicked Lady. New Moon and Wicked Lady can't win against the number of mahoujin in attendance. So don't worry so much. It's in two weeks. Only two more weeks of this. I'll see you ladies soon, I'm sure."

That said, he goes, and he goes out the front door and heads down the sidewalk in the direction of the residential door to the building.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Wasps under his skin? Amy winces, and wonders if it gets that bad after awhile and then remembers that maybe like healing Earth energy doesn't get along with it.

    Amy smiles at the news of someone else coming to Magical Karaoke. As she said in KiraKiraFantastica, she just loves being able to share experiences like this with people, so one more person to share with is a wonderful thing!

    Her eyes widen as Mamoru explains the Wedding Plan. So that's it... Wicked Lady and New Moon are planning to escape this darkness... she's missing some puzzle pieces about all this still, but... it is a relief to know, and she nods. It explains Mamoru's attitude about all this so much, too.

    She smiles and waves, a bit awkwardly, as he heads out, and

    Wait does New Moon also have some power inside her that doesn't mix with darkness? She must. But they don't have mahou other than Senshi in the future. And if the future had any extra Senshi the Present didn't, King Endymion would have mentioned it.

    ...Unless he didn't know. Could... no, any Senshi friend of Chibiusa's would have joined the fight against the Black Moon Clan.

    

    New Moon mentioned Mizuno-san... but what if that was to throw her off the scent? What if she is Future Mizuno-san?! ...Or any of the others. She had some kind of connection to her Pluto, didn't she? Pluto has very long hair... Amy grimaces at the thought of hair maintained for 15,000 years suddenly cut. Oof. But could she really act this differently?

    Amy doesn't know all the Senshi well. ...Really, she mostly knows Usagi and Pluto. Any of the others, especially alternate future versions who've lived different lives for a thousand years...

    Venus and Mars have pretty long hair, too...

    But...

    ...They didn't just have the Sailor Senshi in that timeline. They have the Shitennou, too. They were starting to reincarnate. They saw two, but two are unaccounted for. And King Endymion didn't know, and they didn't know what they were either.

    ...One could have been a friend of Chibiusa's and never known about their power! Okay yes there's a gender incongruity here, but it could have been disguise magic -- Izou has disguised himself as Sailor Moon in the past! -- Well, her parents would probably recognize a kid who looked like Tamaki-san or Saitou-san--

    --unless whichever Shitennou it was reincarnated as a girl.

    Can that happen? They probably wouldn't be looking for that!

    And that would explain why she's also so close with Mamoru!

    And with telepathy they must have figured it out, but like, it'd just be weird and awkward to tell anyone, here's evil girl you from the future. Who has to be around for weeks until the wedding. Better to handle introductions after the purification, and when she'll only be around for a bit before going back to her timeline and marrying whoever her fiance is.

    Amy has just been sitting there thinking for a couple of minutes now, her hand just resting on Diana (or not if Diana moved out from under it,) forgetting to pet, her hot chocolate cooling.

    Red eyes stare into space thoughtfully.

    It makes so much sense!"