392/Crying bunny and uncomfortable unicorn

Crying bunny and uncomfortable unicorn
Date of Scene:	08 September 2023
Location:	Dorms #1
Synopsis:	Hinoiri runs into Usagi, grieving over the disappearance of Naru. She... offers some advice and tries to cheer her up. Not that she was responsible for any of these hurts or anything. Nope. Not at all.
Cast of Characters:	Hinoiri Kirara, Usagi Tsukino

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Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara was... tense. Very tense. Looking at her phone. Dang it. That stupid girl. That stupid girl, making her do... THIS. Ugh. She wasn't supposed to... she wasn't a DRAGON. Kidnapping people wasn't what she did. Wait, kidnapping? Ugh. She was going native. She'd need to... stop that.

Before it got out of hand. As it was, though, she was playing idly on her phone, waiting for the timer to count down. Ugh. Gotten out of hand. Sure, fine. Things had gotten a LITTLE out of hand. But it wasn't because SHE screwed up. THEY screwed up. Naru did. The magical girls. SHE did everything perfect. Because SHE was incredible. A worthy student. An amazing student. The best mage in TWO worlds with only one person who was actually a fair 'rival' to her. Her mentor. So she couldn't make mistakes. The fact that Takashi had thrown her off and made her rush things was his fault and theirs. If they'd not interferred, Naru would be here and this whole thing wouldn't have happened. If they weren't interfering again, Naru would be home, safe, in a few days. But now? They were just. Causing. Her. Grief. Delaying what would be the work of a few days into a week. Maybe even weeks. UGH!

Hopefully her roommates deceit would be enough to get things back on track and help her like... NOT have to put up with these constant interruptions. Magic was HER birthright. What she was made for. What she understood on a fundamental level that nobody else could. So she was going to 'fix' Naru, make them all stand in awe of how amazing and better she was than all of them, and she would have learned another tool in her arsenal for when she finally confronted Sora.

But for now, she'd play on her phone and wait to go pick up Double Trouble. Leaning against the wall in the empty common area for the students, one foot back against it, casual as could be. Too cool for school, as it were. Working on her finger agility and practicing 'texting'. She couldn't just... turn into sunbreaker every time she needed to text someone. And fingers sucked.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Second day of Naru being missing. First actual day of school, since she'd skipped every class the first day Naru was missing. It had been pointless - she hadn't retained a single thing she'd learned. It had been even worse than usual; Usagi had been nothing but a warm body keeping class attendance high, contributing absolutely nothing, not even noticing when she was called on once, twice, three times in class -

Which is why she's wandering like a zombie now; her science teacher had gotten fed up and kicked her out, and now Usagi was wandering even as she wondered, fretted, and worried.

All of which is to say, when she walked herself back to the dorms on rote memory and into the common room, she didn't even notice Hinoiri. She just flopped herself down on one of the couch, long hair dangling to the floor, eyes distant.

Did Naru-chan have a comfortable place to flump down and feel sorry for herself? But there was nothing for Sailor Moon to do. For her to even try and search all of Tokyo would be months of looking -

There's a sad wet sniff, as she fights back more tears.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara glanced up and... Oh. Oh wow. That. That was... wow. WOW. She had seen baby fillies fail their entrance exams into Sora's School that looked less sad and inspiring of a hug than Usagi did right now. And Kirakirafantastica was a fairy world. They could DO cute. But Usagi, oof.

Worse, she knew why. Hinoiri tried to ignore it. Tried to push it aside. Glanced at the clock... ugh. She had so much time to just... this. She didn't...

Damn it. She shouldn't. She couldn't. She...

"Hey... Usagi-chan, right?" Hinoiri asked, unable to stop herself. "You uhhh... you look really sad. Want to go for a ride or something? I know whenever I feel down a ride on the bike helps cheer me up." Well, not always. But it was kind of a pleasure she might actually miss when she inevitably left this world to begin her conquest of her home.

Hinoiri now stood over Usagi, sliding her phone into her pocket. How... bad could it be?

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
A few more sad sniffs, as Usagi scrubs her cheek against the cushion of the couch. She's honestly just like this. It's not even an act or an effort to look sad; misery is a state of being.

Still, when she registers that someone's speaking to her, she pulls herself together. A little. By which she means she rolls a little, shifting so she was on her side instead of face down on the couch, and makes a little eye contact. "Hinoiri...chan? I'm - I'm okay, I'm, I just miss Naru-chan."

She couldn't tell everyone in the world she was missing, but she couldn't pretend not to be worried, but -

"I guess she went home maybe, but she's not answering her phone and I haven't heard from her and," and oh those are tears, real ones and her voice breaks. A little overdramatic for the excuse she's given, but -

"Thank you for - offering. I - I'm trying to stay nearby. In case she comes back."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara blinked. Oh shit. Right, she couldn't know, could she? UGH! Damn it... whoever that weird girl was. Fisting Puncher Shield Girl! If only she hadn't gotten involved.

"Miss Naru-chan? Wasn't she here earlier?" Hinoiri asked as if she didn't know.

There it was. Oh... oh dear. A part of her wanted to snap and strike when Usagi was low. 'Hey, if she's not answering her phone, maybe she just needs a break from her clingy friend?' But... even she couldn't say that to Usagi. Not now. As much as she wanted to undermine those bonds, Usagi wasn't magical. Hinoiri knew that. She saw her passed out on the ground.

"I mean, maybe she needed some time away? A chance to destress, you know? Turn off the phone, all of that?" she offered. Oh, no, this was going to make it worse, wasn't it? "Listen, I'm sure she'll be back before you know it. This time next week, you'll be hanging on her every word and you being all teary eyed about it will seem so silly, you know? You just need to take your mind off it. Maybe read a book?" For ONCE. Wow. Internal voices could be a bitch even when Hinoiri wasn't trying to be.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"She hasn't come home in two niiiiiights," and that's drawn out because Usagi has, unfortunately, burst into tears. The crying has won over her low emotional walls. "She'd never spend this much time at home by herself but, but, I'm sure she's - fine and - everything is - fine and - I'm sorry -"

There is rubbing of tears. There is getting a tissue from her backpack and blowing her nose and weeping and -

"We're best friends. We don't do everything together, but we always talk, and I'm not really good company right now."

It's not Hinoiri's fault and Usagi knows very well that tears make people uncomfortable, but she hasn't been able to stop. It's been on and off, off and on, worry and panic and guilt rolling in like tides -

Hinoiri doesn't know Naru is missing. Only a handful of people do. She hasn't even told Naru's mom, because what could Osaka-san even do, how would she explain it? So all day, in class, she's been holding it in, and now -

"You think so?" Her voice waivers. She wants to be as confident as Hinoiri is, that Naru will be home this time next week and this will all just be a story they tell...

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gulped and stared at her. Shit. Shit. Oh wow. That was a lot of crying. That was a lot of... and she felt genuinely bad. A part of her almost wanted to reach out and tell Usagi it was going to be okay. A part of her wanted to just let Naru go NOW. To nix this whole thing. To almost accept that, maybe, it was a bad idea.

But nope. Nooooope. She shoved that down and then sighed. Gingerly, she reached out and started to grab Usagi's shoulder, but stopped before actually touching. She pulled her hand back.

- In another time, another place -

Hinoiri sobbed in her bed, clutching the pillow to her chest. The door opened and she saw her. The sovereign of their realm. Calm, elegant, breathtaking as ever. Sora slowly walked in, the doors closing behind her. "Hinoiri... I hear you were crying the whole time I was gone."

"S-sorry," Hinoiri said softly. "I just... I thought... t-they said that it was dangerous a-and that... that you might g-get hurt and... and I was afraid you'd never come back and--"

She was silenced by a wing over her lips. "I understand, Hinoiri. I would have taken you if I could, but you are still young. One day, perhaps, you can join me on these visits. When they are safe for a young filly."

"B-but what if you get hurt?" Hinoiri asked, sniffling.

"I... will always come back to you, my protege," Sora said softly. "I promise." Even saying those words, however, didn't calm the young one's heart. Sora gave a soft sigh and a soothing smile. "Would... you like to learn a new spell?"

"Really?" Hinoiri asked, her eyes lighting up.

"Truly," Sora said. "A simple spell. But if you cast it, the one you are thinking of is guaranteed to return, safe and sound. So long as you hold them dear to your heart."

Hinoiri nodded. "I-I would!"

- Now -

"... Hey. So... I uhhh... know it might sound silly, but... when I was a fi-- a child, my mentor sometimes... she'd go on... trips. I eventually started going on them with her, but uhhhh... I couldn't at first," Hinoiri said nervously. "So I got... upset. So... she taught me a little 'spell'. I mean, it's kind of silly and like... magic isn't real and all, but like... maybe... it'll help? Like... a good luck charm, or something? I could uhhh... teach you, if you like. Guaranteed to make sure your friend comes back, safe and sound. You know?" Hinoiri said, a hand nervously rubbing the back of her head and she awkwardly stood there. Nobody else was here. Just them. So like... nobody could ever know, right? So it would be fine. Really. Probably. "Just uhhh... don't... tell anyone, okay?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Oh yes, it's a lot of crying. If there's something Usagi is good at, it's crying - it could probably be considered her special talent, right up there with making friends and opening up people's hearts.

She scrubs at her face a little more - there's Hinoiri reaching out, but also Hinoiri pulling away, and Usagi doesn't take offense. Really. She doesn't have the emotional energy for it.

But when she reaches out again, this time with her words? Usagi sniffs, and listens, and her whole face softens up, as she does. She's still obviously sad and honestly pretty pitiful, but there's a spark of hope in her eyes by the end of Hinoiri's offer. "You'd... share something like that with me?"

Magic is real. The kind of spells shared with sad children, they might not be, but magic is real, and maybe even a spell like that could be real, to bring Naru-chan home safe - and even if it wasn't, it was - it was surprisingly nice of Hinoiri-chan to offer, when the girl was so awkward and competitive. Usagi liked her, of course, but she'd never figured Hinoiri for the sweet type.

"I promise, I'll keep it a secret. I'd - I'd really like that."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara nodded and then looked around again. Oh she was in it now. Nobody was around to see it, so... so it would be okay. Right? So... so this was okay. Usagi wasn't the kind of girl who'd break a promise like that. She... ... ...... No. Shoving those thoughts away. "Right," Hinoiri said, before offering her hand to take Usagi's and help her up. "So, uhhh... ahem."

Then, in a very sing song voice.

"Look to the sky and think of their name,
Clutch it to your heart and ignore the pain.
Shake all the bad thoughts out with your mane,
Then know safe and sound they'll remain.
Don't let your sunshine be blocked by nasty rain,
Instead know soon what each shares you'll both gain!"

She... she acted it out. Looking up. Then clutching both hands over her heart. Then shaking her head wildly. Then opening her hands. Then little 'rain drops' with her fingers. Then both hands together to make a little heart.

And her cheeks couldn't be more red. Oh my gosh she wanted to *die*. At least nobody. Would ever. Know. She couldn't believe that SORA taught her that 'spell'. The ruler of Kirakirafantastica... made such a filly of herself just to help her calm down. She gave a soft sigh. "Silly, right?" Hinoiri asked sheepishly. "Sorry I couldn't do more." Sorry she couldn't do what she actually wanted. But... Naru would be fine. Truly. Really.

... And Usagi was likely getting the realization... that Hinoiri's 'mentor' might have been a bit more than... just... her mentor.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
It's adorable - both the singsong rhyme and the acting out of what had obviously been a childhood experience, and Usagi - in the back of her mind, the part of her that remembers and connects details about people is putting together that Hinoiri must have been very young when she gained this mentor. No wonder it seems to haunt her so often...

It's a cheerful, silly song, with acting and bits and the words are surprisingly stuck in Usagi's head. She doesn't think it will be too hard to remember these words, and these actions, and to think about Naru, getting home safe.

"It's not silly, it's sweet," Usagi says, and her tears have dried, a little smile on her lips. "And - I know you always want to be the best, Hinoiri-chan, but it's not like you could make Naru-chan come home right this minute. Don't be so hard on yourself."

And then, she does the song and dance! She's a little sincere and obviously hopeful as she does it, putting every bit of herself into it - and she'll try it again, later, as Sailor Moon. Just in case.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara sighed. Yeah, she wondered if like... she could go shove someone down a flight of stairs and jump a car on fire or SOMETHING to get back some of that 'cool' she felt just evaporated off her. At least it wasn't like... actually a physical thing. And nobody, save Usagi, would ever know.

"Yeah, I... haven't done it in years. But... I mean... I'm sure your friend is going to be fine. She'll be back before you know it and, heck, if you're willing to do that for her, she has to come back to you. The world isn't such a terrible place that it'd let you do a dance like that for nothing," she said with a chuckle, the red in her cheeks likely not going to die, ever.

At least her roommate didn't see. And... yeah. She cringed at the 'don't be hard on yourself'. Oh, if she could bring Naru back...

"Yeah. I... I know. But hey. Fretting about what you can't change never solved anything, right? So why worry? You should like.... I don't know. What do people do here? Start preparring a 'Welcome Back' party or something." That was something people did, right? It sounded like it was something normal people did. Not that anyone have ever thrown her one.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"A Welcome Back party.... that's a good idea, Hinoiri-chan. And you're right - crying about it won't fix anything. I've just got to... keep pushing, and figure out what next."

Nephrite is looking for Naru. He's doing more right now than she is - sure, Luna is scouring the internet, hacking into government databases and camera feeds and scouring, but Tokyo's a big city, and they don't even know that Sunbreaker is still in Tokyo. What if she's on the other side of the world? What if she's in the Dusk Zone? What if -

But spiralling wouldn't fix things either.

Usagi reaches out, grabs Hinoiri's hands with her own. "Thank you, Hinoiri-chan. I really needed that."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a small smile. "Yeah. Listen. No matter what? I'm sure your friend will be alright. Cause... you're cool and whatever. And like, I'm saying it so you know it's true. And there's no way your friend isn't going to come back and be there with you," she said, giving a small thumbs up.

Yeah, she--

And then Usagi was there. Holding her hand. And she just... oh. That was warm. In her heart. And she gulped. And actually felt *bad*. What in Tartarus? Oh. DAMN IT! This was all those SPARKLE SKIRTS faults! Ugh, if they JUST hadn't interfered, hadn't MADE HER do this, then Usagi wouldn't be crying right now, she wouldn't have had to do that stupid dance and poor Usagi wouldn't be so upset. Well, oh well. She'd SHOW THEM! One way or another they would PAY for this.

She reached out and wiped a thumb across Usagi's cheek, to wipe away a tear. "It's cool. You look a lot cuter when you smile, anyway. And you don't want the first thing your friend sees when she gets home is her best friend being a cry baby, right? Then she'd just feel bad. Much better to just have a big party. Heh."

Then she'd give a small nod and turn to walk away, time to focus on her phone... and hopefully give Usagi the excuse to go away and not make her so uncomfortable.

Stupid sparkle skirts upsetting Usagi so much and making her feel bad. Ugh. Hinoiri swore when this was over she'd make an example out of one of them or something.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
In a different mood, Usagi would say that Hinoiri-chan was surprisingly cute. Surprisingly smooth. Surprisingly - something. It would be lighthearted and fun, and she'd smile.

Today, she can't quite manage all that, but she softens a little more, nodding as Hinoiri wipes away one of her tears.

"You're right. Naru-chan would tell me not to cry, or to at least cry a little less, because things still need to get done." Naru-chan was probably annoying Sunbreaker with all her questions, demanding answers to everything that came to mind, and she'd come back with all this knowledge about magic - everything would be fine.

Usagi takes a deep breath, slowly exhales, and nods. She stands up.

"Hinoiri-chan - thank you. I know you were probably busy, so I'll let you get back to it - but I won't forget your spell, okay?"

She goes before Hinoiri can respond - she's sure the other girl will just be embarrassed or snappy.