1444/Venus Moonlight shining on a city at night!

Venus Moonlight shining on a city at night!
Date of Scene:	23 April 2024
Location:	Juuban Ward
Synopsis:	Sailor Venus and Sailor Moon patrol, talking of challenges past and challenges to come!
Cast of Characters:	Minako Aino, Usagi Tsukino

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Minako Aino has posed:
The sight of Sailor V patrolling the city was one that had endured in the minds of many, both in the minds of the people of the city and quite a few bits of pop culture. While tonight she didn't wear a mask or strike terror into the hearts of criminals, she wasn't even Sailor V...but Minako had something far more valuable: company. With all of the dangers and new trials they'd faced, from that first moment she'd revealed herself to the Princess, to the crystals and the many battles they'd faced.

Settling onto one of the apartment rooftops, she folds her arms under her bust and peers out at the street below.

"It's kinda nice when everything seems calm, right?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"It is nice," Usagi agrees, raising a hand to shade her eyes as she looks out over the city, over all the lights still viisble, even in a slower ward like Juuban. "A little nerve-wracking, maybe? Like, what's gonna go wrong now that we're having this fun? But also... just, really nice. It really is fun to have a patrol that doesn't go wrong."

She pauses, then giggles, remembering more than one late night draped over a rooftop, bumming onigiri off Koji or limping down into a convention store for the sweet, cold relief of a round of sugary soda. To explain her sudden giggles, she says, "The nights where things do go wrong still have a pick me up, sometimes. But still... I like this, too."

Nothing gone wrong, just yet. No one in danger. Just a late night of running around the city.

Minako Aino has posed:
"Well, Ami talks about probability when we were studying so...we're meant to be due for calm nights, right?" The blonde in the ribbon comments, tilting her head to the side with a giggle. "It's almost like a calm, relaxing walk through the streets under the starlight," she offers lightly. A grin, she lets her hands fall to her sides as she leans forwards, peering in closer below their position. "I used to think that with the right person, it could almost be romantic. But with the other Sailor Senshi? It's still wonderful to have everyone with us."

A beat, she gives a little glance back to Sailor Moon. "We've all been through a lot."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Ami-chan does talk a lot about probability," Sailor Moon has to agree, her nose wrinkling as she thinks back to more than one effort to hammer the logic of probability into her poor skull. The Monty Hall problem... she'll never understand it! Surely, you should stay loyal to your first choice!

(Somewhere in the distance, Ami feels the overwhelming urge to facepalm.)

"It still could be romantic. I mean... the moon shining above us, the breeze blowing our hair around, how pretty the city is from up here!" Her eyes practically form hearts as she sighs, bringing her hands toghther and bringing them close to her chest. "And it's nice with friends too, of course."

That little beat, that little pause, is enough to have Usagi lift her own gaze, brow wrinkling a touch - "We have. It's crazy how much everything's changed in just a little while, you know?"

Minako Aino has posed:
"I mean...we met, we've fought Youma. We've been turned into toys, made friends with people from other universes, you started dating a bad guy...we dealt with a ghost parade...." Venus grins, clearly letting a lingering smirk at the humor of the absurdity of Usagi's own romance and how it began before exhaling a sigh of her own. "And I met Rei-chan..."

Okay, so the romance imaginings were a little closer to home of late, but hey...she -was- meant to be the 'Senshi of Love'.

"It feels like a whirlwind, but I feel like we're not quite 'out of the woods'."

A little exhaled breath, she turns to face Usagi properly, eyes off the city and simply on the girl who she'd been fated in this life and the one before it to protect. "Maybe I'm being paranoid, but I feel like everything is holding its breath...and that makes the calm nights that much more important."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
We met, we fought youma - honestly, though five words alone describe entirely too much of Usagi's life. She used to think it was a bad thing. These days? She does have to admit that it's almost... fun. To make a new friend in a fight! And then Minako reminds her of the ghost parade, and she makes a face, "Uwah, don't remind me! That ghost parade was sooo scary... And Hemachan wasn't that much of a bad guy, you know."

She'll stake - something, on that! Not that she has too, with Venus bringing up Rei-chan, drawing a sly little smile to Usagi's face.

"Yeah, I might have started dating the bad boy, but you're dating the miko~"

The two of them are a pair of true romantic lead stereotypes! She might have even teased her friend and guardian about that, except...

"I know what you mean. How could we be? There's still... we did a lot of good, I mean, we saved Mamochan and his boyband from Beryl's clutches... but she's still out there."

Theree's a dark edge in Sailor Moon's voice when she says that name, a hiss, anger tightening her throat...

"I don't think you're paranoid at all, V-chan. I mean... you're right, you know? We've got to enjoy these nights, so that when everything is like, totally crazy we remember what we're fighting for!"

Minako Aino has posed:
"I think they were just different rather than evil, it was a good thing for us to learn," Minako agrees before the comment on Rei actually has Minako blushing a little, payback perhaps for all the teasing and crushing she'd inflicted on the past, almost certainly. "I guess we're both as bad as each other in some ways!"

Mention of Beryl earns a little tightening of her own features, a nod of her head. All of them remembered some of their past lives, and Beryl had taken so much from Sailor Moon, from the Moon Kingdom. Yet Minako's blessing and curse had always been her greater memories of their last lives, of her final defiant blow that had struck down the wicked queen at the cost of her own life...and yet it hadn't been enough to put her down for good.

This next time had to be, to protect their new home, their new lives, and all their friends.

"You're right, of course..." she speaks before she exhales a breath, a smile from the girl in orange, the princess' double and leader of the Inner Senshi...but also just 'Usagi's friend'.

"We'll all follow you, whatever comes next."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"No, I think they were a little evil. A lot, maybe. Not that it was like... all their fault, with all the gunk Beryl put in their heads..." but though Usagi would admit that now the Shitennou weren't evil - she's very sure the three Beryl had had in her hands (because her Hemachan might not have been good, but he wasn't Beryl's creature) were evil.

"Romance, the true dream of a young girl's heart," she says lightly, seeking to bring up the mood just a touch, because - because she had brought it down, bringing up evil, bringing up Beryl, even if Minako was the one bringing up the worry about this quiet little moment being ruined...

The reassurance, that Minako will follow her? It does soothe her heart, just a litle.

"Even if I don't know exactly what I'm leading us to?" There's a hint of need, there. The want to be reassured, just a little more. Usagi is a bit of a spoiled girl, and Serenity had been too, spoiled and beloved, doted upon. Responsbility had loomed, but in the distance, not an ever-present thing.

Minako Aino has posed:
"Never stopped you before," Minako points out, almost playfully, but there was some earnest support to it. "Sometimes we figure it all out as we go, make it up as we go along...but we'll make it. We -have- and we continue to. Sometimes just having someone to rally around is all we need." Minako Aino, Princess Venus. One the romantic at heart girl with dreams of being an idol, of some great love and of a joyful life inspiring others...the other, the warrior and devoted protector who would die for the princess and indeed had once before...and yet they were the same person, even if both halves reached across more than one 'life' to make the whole.

She moves up, one gloved hand taking Usagi's in both of her own and giving a reassuring squeeze. "You've got this, and you've got all of us behind you to make sure, and pick you up if you fall down."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
A little smile, Usagi rocking back on her feet as she considers that little pep talk... "Yeah. We will. We're definitely going to make it, you know? We've got way too many good things going for things to end in tragedy."

There's no chance that they're going to stop now. There's no... there's no chance that things will be as they were. Usagi's smile dims, for just a second, but it comes back just as fast, as she breathes in deep.

Minako squeezes her hand, and she squeezes back, a tight (but not too tight!!) squeeze in return.

"And I'll pick you up too. You're not... just my guardians, you know? I'm your guardian too! We're all senshi, together this time."

That, is the greatest difference she can find, in the person she was and the person she is. She might not like to fight - but she can. She has. Serenity, that girl in love, that princess who was so sheltered and protected - had never been offered the chance to find her own strength, to fight for what she loved.

Serenity had been princess, and that was it. Usagi is still the princess - but she's a senshi now, too. She can fight with her friends, instead of standing behind them.

Minako Aino has posed:
Things would never quite be where they were, for the girls called to be the Sailor Senshi or the Moon Kingdom that was...but that didn't mean they'd be worse. It didn't mean they were doomed...it just meant they had a path to walk. After all, the moonlight might be a 'messenger of love', but the there was no greater message of hope than all of them standing together.

"Together," Minako nods a smile across the Senshi's lips and another squeeze of their gloved hands before she leans in, a little fond 'bump' of their tiara-adorned brows from the side before she stepped back and let their hands part while approaching the edge of the building. "We'll face any evil together, and we'll punish them together."

A smile, she turns, lifting a hand to signal for the other blonde to follow. "C'mon, let's see what the night holds for us...and if there's no badguys or monsters? We'll celebrate with some snacks!"

Whatever doubts Usagi might harbour or weight on her heart, if Sailor Venus carried them too? They seemed just that little bit lighter for the moment, the Senshi as joyful and confident as the strides and leap she took that propelled her off the roof towards the next and into the night.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
A glance up, at the moon shining up above - a heavy, full moon, shining in all it's brightness, the rabbit fully visible up above. On some nights, it's a somber sight - a reminder of people and places once present, now forever gone. But tonight?

Tonight, the moon shines above them, lighting the city for them with it's gentle glow, a contrast to the harsh electric lights, and as Minako bumps their foreheads, Usagi smiles warmly.

"You know it, Minako-chan."

As Minako breaks the moment, signalling the time to continue on, Sailor Moon smiles, putting her shoulders back, standing up straight, proud.

"Even if we find trouble, we'll still celebrate! Because whatever we find, we'll beat. Even if it's just snacks."

It's easy, so easy, to feel strong with a friend by her side. With Minako-chan, by her side, her very own personal hero turned friend.

This could be a calm before the storm, but with a friend like this, how could she not weather the storm?