2253/Feeling the Groove!

Feeling the Groove!
Date of Scene:	20 January 2025
Location:	Plot Room 1
Synopsis:	Poor Groovara. A youma looking to get his groove on, just to be forgotten about and defeated because Moon, Venus and Page Mage wanted to know more about Bow asking Makoto on a date.
Cast of Characters:	Bow, Rashmi Terios, Usagi Tsukino, Minako Aino

---

Bow has posed:
Hishomi thought he had found a really neat deal when he picked up the old lava lamp in the thrift shop. It would need a little cleaning, sure, but if it worked, it would be a great coffee table piece for his peaceful home. When he tried to apply a little elbow grease in the shop, his worst possible dream came true... which leads us outside.

A bustling street in Tokyo, neon signs flashing brightly, and pedestrians walking briskly between shops. The evening sky is darkening, casting a soft glow on the city lights, but something strange is happening, an eerie glow begins to spread from a nearby alley.

Bursting forth from the thrift shop, Groovara, the Lava Lamp Youma stands over 7 feet tall, its base a swirling mix of psychedelic colors, with dark purple, vibrant orange, and swirling neon greens. The body of the creature is almost entirely composed of flowing lava-like fluid, with a bulbous, elongated top that mimics the shape of a lava lamp. It pulses rhythmically to the beat of an imaginary tune, with blobs of molten lava sloshing up and down inside its body. Glowing eyes appear in the center of the lava, and a wide, carefree grin splits across its face, giving it a cheerful yet sinister vibe.

The Youma slinks into the middle of the street, its lava lamp form undulating with an almost hypnotic rhythm. As it moves, it raises one glowing, fluid-like arm and flicks its wrist---sending out groovy, pulsating waves of molten lava. The lava seems to shimmer and shift with an almost mesmerizing beat, exuding an aura of nostalgia and carefree vibes.

Suddenly, the lava pulses more intensely, shooting out lava-like "beams" that splatter across the street and onto the pedestrians. Each strike leaves behind a glowing mark on the ground, emitting a sickly pink glow. As people are touched by the molten energy, they stop in their tracks, their eyes glazing over, faces blank as the Youma begins to drain their hope and inspiration as the Youma chants, "Feel the flow, baby... let go of your dreams, just let the groove take over."

The lava inside the creature's body begins to ripple faster, sending out an even stronger wave. The fluid inside its bulbous form turns darker, now oozing an aura of despair as it continues to attack. It releases a final burst of psychedelic energy that swirls through the street, trying to sap the ambition and hope of every person it touches, feeding off the fading brightness in their hearts.

As the people begin to fall under the Youma's spell, the once bustling street grows eerily quiet, save for the hypnotic music that seems to pulse through the air. The Youma smiles, its form now a mass of swirling colors and lava, as it declares, "Good vibes... bad vibes... it's all the same. Empty your soul, just groove on, babe."

Bow, who had been on his way to the Kourma to meet with Usagi and Rashmi about their plan to get him out and about and well... there's a whole mess to dig out at the root there, arrives on the scene as an ice arrow slams into one of the lava blobs, freezing it into place as he makes his way along in his winter gear. Sliding behind a truck, he uses his phone to send a message. "Ah. Could use a little help?" he asks, hoping to buy time for backup to arrive.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"On it!" Rashmi sings out from above, swooping around a building to cast an eye on the unfolding situation. The first thing to do, obviously, is clear the civilians from the battleground... which is, for Rashmi, a simple task.

    << *BONG!* >> << TIME-SPACE BARRIER >>

As the bubble of green-back staticky energy expands to cover the nearby few blocks, Rashmi turns her attention to the youma, and a half-dozen Barrets flicker into being around her.

    << *BONG!* >> << SOLAR BARRET -- GLACE SHIFT >>
With a screeching crack, the Barrets become chunks of golden ice that rocket forward toward the groovy youma; any that hit will stick, and cling, making incoming attacks harder to avoid.

<< So what's up, Bow? >> She says over a mental communication link between herself, Bow, and Usagi. << You wanted to meet us? Might as well tell us while we take care of this! >>

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi had been bringing Minako with her, because of course she was - Bow is a good friend, Minako is a good friend, Bow needs to meet people, Minako is out of the loop - it's a perfect match for friend needs.

And then?

They encounter the Lava Lamp Monster.

"Is it just me, or are these getting more creative?" Sailor Moon asks as she pulls the tiara from her head, bangs flowing, metal changing shape to a cosmic disc.

"Moon Tiara Action!"

The curving pastel disc, filled with cosmic energy and love, goes flying for the 'top' of the lava lamp shape.

"Oh well - Bow, how're you doing? This is Venus-chan, have you guys met?"

Minako Aino has posed:
"No, no, I think it's a throw back to the creativity of when I was doing Sailor V," Sailor Venus suggests as she lands near Sailor Moon. Her Love Chain was already in hand dangling from her grasp while the rest was coiled around the opposite hand ready to be flung out.

The introduction however causes her to pause long enough to flash a playful wink toward Bow. "The Goddess of Beauty and Love, at your service!"

Goddess? Well she... She forgot a moment she asn't Sailor V right now.

When Usagi's attack is flung out, she snaps her arm back and launches the whip with a cry of:

"Love-Me Chain, Encircle!"

If she could tie up that youma and hold it still for the others, that would make this quick!

Bow has posed:
As the barrier bubble is raised, Bow reminds himself, "I really need to make an arrow to replicate that!" he admits as he draws another arrow to fire, freezing another blob of lava as he's joined in the fray by the three! Pagemage's ice hits against the glass that maintains all of that lava within it. While it's warm enough to melt it for now, it could be noted if she were to keep cooling it down...

That's when Sailor Moon's attack strikes against the top of Groovara! The shielding around it's cap cracks, but doesn't break, but it forces the creature to turn toward Sailor Moon and send out a spray of groovy lava towards it as it undulates within the jar, in a hypnotic sway. "Feel the groove... You don't wanna fight me..."

The Love Chain wraps around the lava lamp and it stumbles as it tries to keep it's footing, attempting to try to pull back against Sailor Venus, the creature forgetting about draining civilians, instead focusing on the quartet of heroes.

"Oh! Been a while!" Bow offers to Venus. "I remember seeing you at Prom and..." well, that was when Mamoru was in the hospital. That was a whole different thing and not a good memory to bring up.

But Rashmi brings him back around to his news. "Oh right!" As he cycles through his arrows, trying to figure out which to use, he glances over his shoulder. "So I met up with Makoto at the Cat Cafe the other day... also. I didn't know that Mamo had a cat cafe." Or that Mamo had a daughter, but we'll come back to that...

"We were catching up since we haven't talked since rescuing Adora, and I found myself well... less catching up about Adora, and more talking about Makoto?" he asks in a moment of consideration. "So I asked her if she wanted to go out sometime and she said yes." It's said almost too fast, too casual, as he adds, "So suggestions on taking down this thing?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
The Tiara does a bit of damage, but doesn't break through entirely - which makes sense, because Usagi had intentionally lobbed her weakest attack, to test its strength a bit and figure out just what they were going to be dealing with. The results? The monster has weakened! Also, the monster is grooving at Sailor Moon with a hypnotic beat.

It's... actually pretty effective. "No, I don't... super wanna fight you... I wanna hear the news from Bow -"

LOVE ME CHAIN, ENCIRCLE! To the rescue!

The monster is distracted and Sailor Moon shakes her head rapidly, twintails bouncing like a dog after a shower.

"Wha! Jeez, everybody, stay away from that not-so-hot lava, it's gonna do weird things to your head!"

With that, she leaps away, scrambling behind a car as she pulls the Spiral Heart Moon Rod free from it's subspace, preparing to -

"YOU ASKED MAKO-CHAN OUT?!"

She has popped back up from behind the car and fully forgotten the monster.

"Eeeee, that's so exciting! A fun cute little date is a great way to get back in the swing of hanging out and making friends!"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
    << *BONG!* >> << SOLAR SHIELD >>

"Focus, Moon-chan!" Rashmi calls down as a bubble of golden light descends over Usagi, just in case another spray tries to keep their strongest fighter out of combat. "...But she's right, that's wonderful news! What're you gonna go do?"



    << *BONG!* >> << DELTA BARRET -- BOOST UP >>

With a youma this weak, it's entirely likely that one good, focused shoot-down might decide it. Thus, the foxfire wisps of Rashmi's power-boosting spell dart out to Bow, Moon, and Venus, lending her strength to their efforts. "Also good to meet you again, Vesun-chan! It's been awhile!"

Minako Aino has posed:
Sailor Venus yanks back on the heart-shaped energy chain HARD trying to fight against the pull of the youma seeking to get free. "Groovy? Ugh that's so OLD like grand-parent old! No one wants to 'get groovy' you out-dated -- DATE?!"

As Rashmi's assist boosts her a bit she yoinks hard on the chain one last time only to let go of the length rather suddenly. If she couldn't bring it down, perhaps the power of it's own pulling would cause it to topple over! Either way her hands are free now a she finger-guns toward it.

"Crescent Beam Smash!"

"Come on we need to beat this so we can *talk*! About DATES!" Yes this was FAR more important than a youma!

Bow has posed:
"Well, it's funny that you mentioned that, Moon, because I told Tuxedo Mask, and he wants it to be a double date." Bow responds, finally finding an arrow. Popping up from behind cover, he decides to use a bolo-shot to try to wrap around one of the Groovara's legs to try to tangle it. "But that's more because when he asked me what I had planned, I pitched the idea of going ice skating. It's something I've seen recently and wanted to try out. I mean, we did ice sliding in Frosta's kingdom, and that was kinda fun. Same thing?"

With Rashmi throwing out power ups, Bow uses his to quickly move from cover to behind more effective cover, bouncing from point to point as he tries to get closer to the youma. And it seems that Bow has already answered Rashmi's question, though he does add, "I haven't made the suggestion to Makoto yet, so... no spoilers!" he calls out. "Unless one of you has a better idea!"

So you have Bow pulling one way, and Venus pulling another way. "Anyway, how have you been, Venus? Rashmi's right, it's been a while." Just in case anyone forgot that Bow sometimes gets ADHD on things and goes all over the place. Between the bolo around one leg and the Love-Me chain around the other, the youma stumbles, rocking back and forth as it teeters trying not to fall over.

"You're harshing my groove....~"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
<<Sorry, sorry, I'll pay more attention,>> Sailor Moon calls back quickly, and as the boost settles in, starts her next attack, carving a circle of golden light into the air. "Ohhh, ice-skating does sound fun! I'd love a double date, but only if you guys are actually up for it."

Circle complete, she steps back and raises the Spiral Heart Moon Rod, nodding in satisfaction as Bow's arrows and Venus' beams do their work.

"Moon Healing Escalation!"

Beams of purifying light fire upon the lava lamp youma.

"I think ice skating would go over well though! I won't tell Makochan, since it's a surprise, but she'll probably love that!"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
And just for good measure, so they can handle the *really important* topic of the day...

    << *BONG!* >> << SOLAR BARRAGE >>

While arrow, beam, and purification are well boosted in power, there's nothing wrong with salting the earth with a couple dozen rapid-fire Barrets, just to make sure the job is done.

"Oh, ice skating! That sounds like a *lot* of fun, I should ask Chrono if he knows how..."

When your boyfriend's specialty *is* ice magic, skating offers many possibilities, even in the height of summer! May as well start practicing now...

Minako Aino has posed:
"Ice skating is a fantastic idea! It's fun, you can help each other out if you stumble and hug on one another for warmth, plus there's hot cocoa and taiyaki stands to warm up, and--"

Sailor Venus is already gushing over the idea. Having launched her beam blast attack she hops back bracing her feet solidly on the ground. One hand plants on her hip, and the other raises to POINT at the sky.

"And we'll make sure that no one interrupts! Like always happens with Moon and Mask's dates!"

Bow has posed:
This poor youma never really stood a chance. After all, between the two Sailor Scouts and the Device Mage all wanting more information, poor Groovara is an afterthought. There's no groove in his moves, as the blasts hone in on it and the cracks start to show in the glass of the glass cannon that it is, the violatile lava within starts to churn and swirl in a fusion of colors and swirls that show that it's on the verge of being defeated.

Bow feels his cheeks warm because the talk is making him laugh as well. "There's a couple of ice skating rinks nearby. One of them is outdoors, that's where I was gonna ask Makoto too. And make cocoa and stuff. I know she's amazing at cooking, but Mamoru suggested that I do something for her. Well. That and flowers. And candle-light dinners, and I think he went a little overboard."

Drawing out an arrow, he pulls it back to charge it up to aim at where the glass is cracked on the youma. "Altogether now, lets take this thing down!"

And then he's laughing even harder at Venus' comment. "Oh, Makoto mentioned that she's used to guarding someone's dates instead of being on one. No idea who she meant~!" he says teasingly as he fires.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Oooh, I think a cocoa and ice-skating, and maybe some flowers would be wonderful! Makochan deserves a nice night out - but flowers and a candle-light dinner might be a bit much. It's just a first date, right? Best to keep it light and fun!"

She's thrilled though, because Makoto absolutely deserves to go out for a fun time, and so does Bow. She doesn't know what, if anything, will come out of it, but she's glad it's happening.

And then there's the call for a last push, and she grins, grasping for the tiara. No need to tire herself out when there's a big team up coming, so -

"Moon Tiara Action!"

And then she's laughing. "Hey! I can't help it if Mamochan and I are so cute and wonderful that everyone and everything wants to crash the party."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
The good thing about Rashmi's Solar Barrage is, it's *excellent* at filling up her accumulator, the way she's got her Device set up. Round about the time Bow calls for an end to the festivities, the growing light sitting at the base of Rashmi's spine grows as bright as it can get, accompanied by a small *ping!*

And, well, if you've got the juice, why not use it?

"Verbal Command: Accumulator Purge."

    << *BONG!* >> << COMMAND INPUT EXECUTE. PURGE CHANNELS GREEN. ALTERNATE GRIMOIRE LOADED. AWAITING COMMAND. >>

It's really not the youma's fault. Well... it sort of is, running around and draining people's energy. No one deserves to have their energy drained, but right now there's *much* more important things to worry about, as Rashmi holds out a hand toward the poor lava lamp.

"Solar Buster."    << *BONG!* >> << SOLAR BUSTER >>

The beam itself isn't... *large.* About the size of a coffee cup, with coruscating energy boiling out around its perimeter. But not only is it effective -- witness how it drills through the concrete *behind* the poor groovy thing -- it also explodes, just before all the energy has been expended. Because Device Magic is like that.

"...I think we can safely assume that *half the school* has a vested interest in making sure nothing spoils your guys' good time."

Minako Aino has posed:
While the others nicely finish off the youma, Sailor Venus snaps her Love Chain back to her hand. It's swung around a single time and settles at her waist like a loose belt hanging a bit low on her skirt. Somehow, it was shorter now, but then again it was a magic weapon. It's hardly unheard of for it to fit how it ought to be.

It really stood no chance between them all.

She bounds over toward Sailor Moon and Bow at this point, eyes glinting with delight. "Page Mage come on we need to help this boy get ready for a date! Oh oh do you have the right clothes? Or or... Ah! I'm used to helping girls get ready! Should I go help Mako-chan!?"

Bow has posed:
"I wasn't going for romantic, sit and try to make small talk candles and all date - that's more something Usagi and Mamoru would do and they've been dating forever!" Bow points out after loosing his arrow. "And more like... seventy-five percent of the school. We should do a poll on it."

Of couse while he's talking, the attacks from Bow, Sailor Moon, and Page Mage strike Groovara as Sailor Venus holds it in place.

The youma lets out a cry as cracks form all over it and suddenly it says, "I've been purified..." and melts into a small pile of lava puddy... that is wrapped back up in a 70s era lava lamp left there in the middle of the road.

"Nice job!" Bow starts to say, when Sailor Moon is suddenly... as she starts to talk about clothes and how he should look and and he can see it in the eyes of the others...

It was here that Bow realized he was facing something more powerful than the Horde.

The friends of the girl he asked out.

"I was going to wear a sweater and a pair of jeans? I mean, I have a few winter clothes." he offers helplessly. "And I don't know when we're going out! I still need to talk to her about if that's something she wants to do, if she's okay with a double date, and all! She deserves to be part of the decision!"

A pause.

"Right?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Sailor Moon claps, cheerful. "Right! That is exactly right. You should talk to Makochan first, because her opinion matters most, but also, your outfit plan sounds good. Sweater and jeans is classic and approachable and also you'll look good in it, because your biceps are nice and defined, so a sweater will make them stand out. Usually its your abs people see, but nice biceps are a bonus too!"

She has eyes, of course, its hard to miss. Bow has those archer arms.

"I'll try not to overwhelm you anymore, okay?"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
With the youma finally destroyed, Rashmi flits down to touch the ground next to Moon, bobbing her head in agreement. "The most important thing is; it's a date, but it's the *first* date. So you're gonna be learning about each other, right? So even if it doesn't work as a *date,* you could still walk away with a good friend. Since you want those too, it's a win-win for you both, right?"

Because, frankly, her own experience with the dating scene is entirely abnormal, and she knows this, so the best she can do is remind her friend that expectations don't need to be set... well, as high as Jupiter.

Bow has posed:
"Sorry. Freaked out a little. Makoto's great. And I hope it goes well." Bow admits as he folds away his bow to pack it and he draws in a centering breath. "And yeah. I just figured it would be better to talk while sliding around the ice instead of sitting awkwardly at a table while waiting on food." There's a brief rub at the back of his head. "I'll talk to her when we next get a chance."

"And I will talk to her about the double date. It could be fun, but I want to make sure she's on board." Offering up a smile, he glances towards Usagi. "I'll let you know if she says sure so you can find a babysitter."

Oh. He knows.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"No, no, you didn't freak out! We did kind of mob you, haha. But yeah! I think skating is a good idea. You guys can be doing something together, hanging out and having fun instead of trying to answer twenty questions while the food comes to you."

Yes, fewer chances for awkward lulls!

With the youma down, she walks over to the lamp, considers it... and then decides that Miss Sealing Power Device can handle that instead, and practically flies over to Bow.

"Keep me posted - oh, Mamochan told you! Yes, Naru-chan's been really good about swapping off, since Chibiusa-chan is sharing our room, so if we do want a double date, I can see if she'll take her!"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
As Usagi moves off to give Bow encouragement, Rashmi crouches down by the lava lamp, seeking any trace of Dark Energy still left within. "It really is always better to be doing stuff together, if you're new to each other. Ice skating's a *really* great idea, and the Skytree rink's gonna have its lights up until March! *Super* beautiful, there, great for a dating spot."

Bow has posed:
"I'll keep you posted!" Bow promises as they go to make sure that the lava lamp is indeed inert and dark magic free, which it appears to be. Questions about why a youma seemed to come from the 70s and how it exists today are just... not addressed because the writer didn't think that deep. "Yeah. I mean, the only meaningful time we spent together before this was when she was helping me with Oldora and planning the Prom. So... it's not going in blind? I know she has a great heart."

Then Rashmi brings up the Skytree, and Bow pulls it up on his phone. "Oh. Oh! That is really pretty." he admits, eyes wide for a moment. "I will keep that in mind, but I should at least surprise her with one thing right?" he asks. "I mean, unless I should tell her where we're going so she can prepare?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Surprises can be pretty good," Usagi hums, and nods about the Skytree. She hasn't been there with Mamoru since... oh boy, was it when she was Sailor Eclipse the first time? She thinks so. Awkward... "I think you should go for it! Ask her if she wants to go rollerskating, and if she does, maybe you could surprise her about the where?"

That seems like a compromise to her.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"That's a *great* idea," Rashmi agrees, turning the laval lamp over in her hands, before shrugging and popping it into Nicomachea's storage. "Ice skating, though. They have an outdoor rink in the winter, but yeah Moon-chan's idea's perfect. Also if you want to give her flowers, remember she's gotta put em down to ice skate. So no big bouquets... Moon-chan, does she *have* a favorite flower, d'you know? Cos a single feels like the right balance to strike, there..."

Bow has posed:
Ice-skating... Bow was about to say, but Rashmi beats him to it. "It's not my fault if you show up for ice skating with roller skates." he teases Usagi lightly before he de-henshins back into the warmer clothes that he was in before the battle. "But yeah, I agree on the idea. And maybe one flower." Okay, fine, he's trying not to go overboard, but he will allow a little influence, since this was all brought up by their idea for him to get out and about anyway.

Okay, they probably didn't mean ask someone on a date!

But what's done is done.

"...a single flower?" he asks, a lift of his brow. "I... I mean, I guess that would work!"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Hmm... well, I know she likes roses," Usagi hums, tapping her chin. "I don't know if I've ever asked her favorite, actually."

It's a good question though, one she's never even considered! Hm! She's definitely got to ask now...

"I promise to be equally bad, no matter what," she jokes, at the mention or roller skates versus ice skates.