4/Act 1

Act 1
Date of Scene:	23 June 2023
Location:	OSA-P Jewelers
Synopsis:	(Backscene set pre-Game Opening) A normal trip to Osa-P Jewelry takes a turn when Naru and Usagi discover Osa-P is having their first ever sale. At the same time, Usagi has a fateful encounter with a Mysterious(ly Uncool) Guy in Radiant Heart Academy's uniform - or at least, her failed test has a fateful encounter with his head, leading the two to butt heads for the first of many times to come. And later that night: the Moon Shines Bright, when Sailor Moon takes to the stage to rescue the Osaka family! It's a terrifying night to be a new magical girl, but good thing Hematite's there to encourage her!
Cast of Characters:	Mamoru Chiba, Usagi Tsukino, Naru Osaka

---

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
There's a boy on the sidewalk in the orange, black, and blue Radiant Heart Academy uniform-- Naru and Usagi's new school. He's absurdly tall and wearing sunglasses in the bright summer sun, and he's standing in front of OSA-P jewelers, watching the excited crowds of people buying up expensive jewelry at 70% off. There's a slight disapproving frown on his face.

Naru's mother is inside with a bullhorn, announcing the price drops-- beautiful rings and things even at prices affordable to the allowances of 14-year-olds. She's never had a sale like this before, ever. She's never had a sale before, in fact.

Naru Osaka has posed:
There's some advantages (and disadvantages) to attending boarding school in the city that you live in. Being able to pop by home on a whim is one of them, which really does make retrieving things you forgot to pack an absolute /breeze/.

"I cannot believe I forgot that book." Naru is complaining to Usagi. "I hadn't even finished reading it yet, but it's not in the books I've unpacked so it must still be at home." She sighs, as if disappointed in her own failings for the lapse. She turns the corner to get a proper view of the store and the people around it and .. her mother? With a bullhorn!?

"Uhhh.. what on earth is going on at the store?" Naru is surprised enough to pause a moment, just watching the chaos. "That is.. " She isn't even certain quite how to phrase it before shaking her head and heading closer.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"It's because you brought so many books, Naru-chan, and most of them weren't even manga," Usagi shakes her head, still baffled at the thought. Sure, she'd brought a few books - romances, mostly, and almost all of them light novels that were turned into manga or anime - but most of the books in their dorm are Naru's. Her face sours at the mere thought of the dorms, and she crumbles the paper in her hands.

"You're so lucky. My mama would yell at me if I came home on a school night. But at least Umino doesn't go to our new school. *He* can't tell Mama when we have tests."

The crumbled paper in her hands is a test, of course. Or well, a quiz - she hasn't been at her new shcool long enough to take proper tests. That didn't change the results, though - she'd bombed in English again, a bright red 30% written in unforgiving ink. Just looking at it is enough to make her sick. One more reason it's been aggressively crumpled.

The chaos in front of the store is enough to bring her out of her funk, at least. "Uhhhhh.... Naru-chan, I thought your mama didn't believe in sales?" A pause - one could imagine a microwave tick-tick-ticking, before suddenly bursting with a bright RIIIIING as a thought occurs. "Do you think *we* could afford something, if she's having a sale? Let's check it out!"

And Naru was already heading closer, but Usagi grabs her hand and practically runs towards the store, dragging Naru along even faster. She throws her test over her shoulder as she goes, aiming for a trashcan - and definitely *not* hitting the trashcan.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Hematite, Strongest Soldier of the 17th Floor at Obsidian HQ, in his guise as Darien Shields, popular prince of 10th grade, gets doinked on the head with a crumpled up ball of paper.

"Oi!" he calls out crankily, catching it in one hand as he looks to see where the trajectory of the paper ball must have originated, and he sees a couple of girls walking into the store, one of whom has a swiftly lowering arm. And buns in her hair.

"Odango Atama! What do you think I am, a trashcan?" He's uncrumpling the paper, just to see what the heck it is -- because it's actually, in this moment, more important than being incredulous over Jadeite having a sale at a jewelry store when they are literally looking for the Phantom Silver Crystal -- and then he stares at it. With even more incredulity.

"Thirty percent--?" he marvels, eyes wide; he lifts his sunglasses to make doubly sure. Maybe he feels a little bad about being cranky at her, because he at least tries to be encouraging. "Ganbare! This is bad, but you can do better! I know it."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"You know you would have done better on the quiz if you'd actually sat down and gone over the words with me when I was doing it." Naru points out briefly before going back to looking around the store. "Mother doesnt /have/ sales." She comments, in spite of the ample evidence to the contrary going on around them.

She blinks as Usagi not only doesn't hit the trash can, but manages to actually hit someone. "Sorry about that." She apologizes quite on instinct, no matter that she had nothing to do with the throwing. Or the test really. Then his words sink in and she gestures with a hand. "Right? She totally can do better." There's a pause. "Er.. who are you?" She considers him, up and down, noting the school uniform that matches hers and Usagi's. "Are you in our English class?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"But I finally had the newest volume of 'I'm in Love with the Villainess', Naru-chan! How was I supposed to put that down for a dumb quiz," Usagi protests. Never mind that the manga would have still been there after her studying - never mind that it *is* still there in her dorm room, lovingly poured over, when while the chance to do well on the quiz is dust int he wind. That's not important. "At least I never have to think about it ever agai-"

And that's when that stranger's voice calls out, complaining about - trashcans? What's that about? Usagi turns, and then freezes, embarrassed horror washing over her as she sees -

"Give me that!" One test, yoinked at. Does he release it? Will he bother? "That was supposed to go in the trashcan, why'd you open it up!? Naru-chan, don't agree with him!"

Is there no need to humanity's capacity for betrayal?

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"If you wanted it in the trashcan, you should have put it in instead of throwing it at me," Darien accuses, letting go of the test with no contest. He lowers his sunglasses -- prescription, it looks like -- and shakes his head at Usagi.

Then he looks to Naru and shakes his head. "Not according to the teacher on that quiz. I'm in tenth grade. There are plenty of study groups, though," he says with a grin at them both. He really is good-looking, which is probably unfortunate. The grin turns into an honestly nice smile. "Anyway, I'm sure we'll meet again."

A beat, and then teasingly as he turns to start walking away, "Hopefully without anything thrown at my head next time."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Okay, I will admit that 'I'm in Love with the Villainess' is pretty good." Naru has to conceed on that point. She certainly has never borrowed Usagi's manga. No never. She only reads Literature. <ahem>

"I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to throw away tests anyhow." Naru points out. "It feels like.. throwing away important papers, or something." She frowns a little, unclear on quite how to articulate the gentle wrongness of just Throwing Away a test. Granted, she's also unfamiliar with test papers that come with a failing grade.

"I can't promise a lack of throwing things. Um. See ya?" Naru waves after Darien, and then turns back to Usagi, lowering her voice a little. "Okay, other than being in grade 10, he totally did not answer anything about who he was. Weird. I suppose he wants to be all mysterious or something."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Yeah, well - you shouldn't be so tall you block the trashcans! It's pretty rude, you know?" She's pink as a peach, stomping her foot as she crumbles the test back up into the smallest possible ball, such a tiny ball that it really shouldn't even be possible, maybe. As if she thinks if she crumples it enough, it will disappear into the atomic field. Not that Usagi could really tell you what an atom is, beyond 'it's really small and stuff is made of it, okay?!'

As he walks away, smiling in a way that was really stupidly handsome, and obviously way too amused by himself, no, she's NOT being an unfair judge, she scowls. "Stop being so tall and you won't intercept things!"

This is a fair and reasonable ask.

"He probably thought it made him look cool or something," Usagi sniffs, "Like standing outside of the store but not being in the crowd. Too cool to want nice jewelry, or something."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I mean.. it kinda worked, but I'd never admit it." Naru is admitting it, however, in all fairness. Tall and mysterious and a grade ahead? It's a lot of the recipe for Teen Cool right there. No matter how irritating it might be.

"But Mister Tall-Dark-and-Mysterious aside.." Naru gestures at the chaos in the store. "Let's find my mother and figure out what's going on here. This is super weird. I was literally just talking to her two days ago and she didn't say anything about planning a sale at the store." She reaches for Usagi, to go on a hunt for the woman with the blowhorn. It isn't much of a search, truthfully, but actually getting her attention is more challenging.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
It's surprisingly not that hard to get Naru's mother's attention -- she may have a bullhorn and be calling attention to specific displays in it, and the store may be an absolute riot of chatter and excitement and almost-fights, but she's keeping a sharp eye on everyone in there, crooked little smile on her face and strange glint in her eyes.

She has a bigger smile for the two of them, though. "Hello, girls! You should be able to find something you can afford, today," she tells Naru and Usagi warmly. "Naru, make sure you show Usagi the rings before they all go-- your classmates are already over there!"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Argh, Naru-chan, you've got to have better taste than that! Just because a guy is kind of cute, doesn't mean he's cool!" No, she will not be accepting commentary about how much more incriminating it is to call a guy kind of cute than it is to actually his lurking was a little cool.

But soon, at least, they're in the store, Usagi letting Naru guide her around without a fuss, even if she is turning her head this way and that, catching the sales stickers on different items and wondering how far her itty bitty crumbs of allowance still remaining could go. Probably not far enough - she knows the kind of stuff Naru-chan's mom says, and she'd never price things down that low -

"Wait, our classmates can afford some of this?" She's definitely being a little rude, but Naru's mom knows her well enough to know she doesn't mean it like that, surely. "But, you always sell such really, really, really nice stuff!"

And yet, despite her words, there's a bright sparkle in her eyes. Picture the little devil horns and tail sprouting, as she rubs her hands together, thinking of wearing a really nice ring on her finger, showing off the sparkling beauty.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I'm not the one calling him cute." Naru's final word on Mister Tall-Dark-and-Mysterious before her attention is firmly upon her mother.

"Mother!" Naru's voice might be a little sharp. "Are you planning to go out of business today?" She asks pointedly, looking around at the rock bottom prices and people buying things almost literally for a song. "You don't believe in sales!" That last is almost accusatory, as if there's some sort of betrayal in discount prices.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"It'll be fine," the tidy and beautiful woman tells Naru and Usagi cheerfully.

A miniature fight breaks out between a couple of middle schoolers over by the rings, and Naru's mother looks apologetically at her daughter, ignoring Usagi. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, I have to break that up before something shatters," she says, conveniently ducking the questions as neatly as the tenth-grader outside.

She hurries away just as a small voice crows, "It's mine now!" and a bigger voice seethes, "What are you going to do with a diamond, child?"

At the registers, Naru's mother's employees are hard at work ringing things up -- at least some of the things in the cases aren't on sale, though, if the girls look around.

And if the girls look around, there's definitely... he walked away! But he's in here anyway! Head and shoulders above most of the crowd in the store is that same tenth grader, stepping over toward one of the displays that isn't marked down at all-- necklaces worth a million yen or more, rings you could buy a car with...

At least he's not over by the rings, which are selling out fast.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
The imaginary devil horns and tail wilt, and Usagi turns to watch Naru's mom walk away, a frown on her face. "That was... weird. That was weird, right? I mean, I thought she'd say there was a lot of new jewlery coming on, or something..."

Anything to justify such a big sale. Sure, the thought of being able to buy her own fancy jewelry is exhilarating, but Naru is upset - really upset - and usually her mom was pretty sensitive to that. And Usagi's no businesswoman, not at all, but maybe Naru had a point. Could she really sell enough to make up for all these expensive things being so cheap? "Maybe she's only marked the cheaper stuff for sale? We could check it out!"

Her hand grips Naru's elbow, gentle, tugging her to look a different way, and -

"What's he *doing* here? Didn't he leave?"

Naru Osaka has posed:
"It.." Naru starts to reply at the breezy 'it'll be fine', she's quite sure it will not actually be fine. But she is the teen, and her Mother is .. well.. her Mother. She watches her mother move to break up fights over rings, but is utterly not the usual vibe going on in the store. Not even a little bit. Usually it's calm! Refined!

"Yes. It is totally weird. This is utterly freaky weird. Like, normally Mother plans inventory months and months in advance." She's willing to be guided towards looking at the exciting sale items, slowly being a little reassured that not actually everything in the store is on deep discount.

Naru blinks as she spots Mister Tall-Dark-and-Mysterious. "Apparently Cool isn't immune to unreasonably discounted prices, although he's got expensive taste." She nudges her chin towards the decidedly not on sale display that Darien is at.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
There's another pushing-shoving competition; the cheapie (not cheap but currently cheap) rings are almost gone, and the two employees behind the glass display are at the ends of their ropes. It looks like there's at least one ring left in Usagi's size, if she's quick about it--

--and tall, dark, and mysterious is pointing to something in the Extremely Expensive Tastes display and asking a question of a harried and annoyed employee.

Naru's mother is all the way across the room, and Tenth Grader is getting the brush-off until he's getting the Extremely Solicitous Interaction.

Yeah, now there's only one ring left in Usagi and Naru's size.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Maybe when the sale is over, she'll tell you more about it. I mean, with all these people around, it'll be hard to talk to her anyway..." And with that said, Naru is gleefully dragged around the store. There are plenty of beautiful pieces still at their full, impossible to even dream of owning prices, but there are almost as many pieces on sale, some at prices that a child could never dream of, but a surprising amount at prices a birthday girl might be able to convince her parents to pick up. Not Usagi, of course, not unless she brings home an excellent report card, but someone else luck and blessed with benevolent parents.

"Yeah, maybe," Usagi grumbles, eyeing the rude boy's back. He hadn't actually been rude, but why would that stop her, huh? "Let's look at the rings instead! Come on, maybe there really is something we can afford!"

Naru is dragged away, perhaps, Usagi forcibly fixing her attention on all that's glittering and gold, oohing and aahing over all the lovely jewelry, thinking maybe she can get Papa to get something for her, if she asks nicely and texts him sad eye emojis... There are a number of rings left, some very small, others very big, but two look like they might be ones she can wear, and she shakes Naru eagerly. "Look, look, we should try them - ahh!" One is being lifted out of the case, there's just *one* ring left. "Um, can we try that ring on? Please?" The one that's left! The one that's left! They have to at least get to hold it, right?

Naru Osaka has posed:
And so, Naru is dragged. Not unwillingly, certainly. It is a hazard of having grown up in the jewelry store, she has an appreciation for pretty things and an eye for good design. And that last ring, absolutely has good design. Naru glances briefly over to where Mister Tall-dark-and-Mysterious is looking at exceptionally expensive pieces, curious as to what he's doing over there.

The excited notes of Usagi's voice, and the pleading with the staff drags Naru's attention back to the rings right here. "Oh, it's pretty. Yes please, can we try it on?"

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Weirdly, Mr. Tall Dark and Mysterious isn't over by that counter anymore--

--but the employee who's taking the ring out is taking her time, smiling at the girls and... shaking her head? And looking over their heads? And...

And both of her hands go up over their heads, because someone is handing her the regular price of the ring, not the discount price, and there's a scholar's stupidly pretty hand plucking the ring out of her other hand, and it's attached to the tenth grader.

He smiles brightly at the employee. "Thank you! Good luck with the rest of your day."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi is practically bouncing in excitement, looking at the pretty ring she and Naru are eager to try on. She probably won't be able to buy it, not with what's left of her allowance, but wouldn't it be nice to try it on, take pictures, have fun with Naru and forget about dumb tests and dumber boys?

That's right, it would be!

Maybe that's why the ring isn't delivered to her, or to Naru, but instead, offered up, above their heads. Usagi looks back, a chill in the air, and aura of dread creeping up her spine - and there he is. The Jerk.

"You - do you have a girlfriend?" She can't believe this. First her test, now the ring?

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru is quick enough to recover as she watches the little shake of the employee's head and the ring going... to Mister Tall-Dark-and-Mysterious. She arches a brow, curious as to why he wanted That Ring. Right then. So much ambient weird.

Still, ambient weird isn't enough to affect her sense of propriety. "Usa!" Naru blinks at her bestie. "You can't just /ask/ him that, that's rude!" I mean, just because they both are curious doesn't mean you can just blurt out and ask.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
The older boy waves a hand dismissively and says to Naru as he takes the ring box from the employee, then puts the ring in it, "It's all right, I'm rude sometimes too." And then he grins at Usagi and pockets the box. "You'll just have to find out on your own. Be safe, you two."

And then he swims through the crowd, people parting for him without even looking, and heads out the door.

There really isn't a lot else left that's actually both great and in their price range -- and with that 30% and already being in trouble enough to go to a new school and live on campus, Usagi's undoubtedly unlikely to get any grace on asking her parents for money. Naru could probably still buy something. It's just, this sale is so very unlike her mother-- and there's just a sense of something off-kilter.

Plus, what's 'be safe' supposed to mean coming from some tenth grader?

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"I don't have to worry about being rude to him," Usagi hisses, eyes huge and furious, not even at the way the ring has been taken, but at the fact that he clearly did it just to bug them! He just did this to spite her! (And Naru!) When she looks up at Darien, she scowls. "We're in a jewelry store."

Who says be safe in a jewelry store???

When he's gone, she huffs angrily to Naru, "I can't believe you worried about me being rude to him."

Naru Osaka has posed:
'Be safe' is less weird than half the weird that Naru seems to encounter on a day to day basis, so it barely registers beyond 'Mister Tall-Dark-and-Mysterious is mysterious'. Her attention follows him as he leaves, a little furrow on her brow thoughtfully.

There's so much 'not right' coming off everything about today that Naru really isn't much in the mood for shopping. Considering that her mother owns a jewelry store, Naru wears very little in the way of jewelry.

Naru has enough calm for both her and Usagi. "Just because he's being rude doesn't mean we all have to be rude." She sounds like a teacher right then. "Although I will admit, it's super tempting." She reaches for Usagi's arm. "C'mon, let's go get a snack and get out of here. I'll talk to my mother later." When she's regained her sanity is the unspoken addition, and perhaps.. just maybe.. the ambient 'not right' is getting to Naru just a smidge.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
------------------- PART 2 --------------------

Nighttime, and Naru's mother hasn't come home from the store. Since Naru has a key, it's only reasonable that she goes looking, isn't it? And the door is locked, at least... and the lights are out, with only the glow of the sodium lamps outside coming in through the two stories of plate glass windows reaching up far overhead.

There are rustling and clinking noises coming from the display of Extremely Expensive Jewelry that the rude-ish sophomore had been investigating earlier, and suddenly Naru's mother stands up straight and makes a disgusted sound. "It isn't here. Why isn't it here?"

"Maybe you sold it," comes a cold, mocking voice from the shadows, and a tall man in a dark grey uniform and black cape -- with long black hair and black trim on that uniform, like he's the most monochrome -- fades into sight from nothing, right next to her.

Naru Osaka has posed:
At this point, it's actually unusual for Naru to spend the night at home, what with living at the dorms and all. Still. After all of the 'not right' of the daytime, and her mother still not being exactly herself, Naru decided to stay home overnight.

Naru had been asleep, she's not wholly with it as she wakes up to unfamiliar sounds from downstairs. Conversation? Why is there conversation in the store in what feels like the middle of the night.

Naru tugs a robe on around her nightgown, padding her quiet way to the stairs that connect the store and the apartment above. She tries to be quiet as she creeps down those stairs, frowning as she hears her mother's voice as part of the conversation. That's all new levels of 'not right' going on.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"M-my lord Hematite!" says Naru's mother in shock. "How could you think I would--"

"How could you have a sale like this without going through the jewelry looking for it first? Idiot. Tell me you at least put back the other ones, we don't need extraneous jewelry," the strange man says, sounding really tired-- and, in fact, pinching the bridge of his nose. "And what did you do with the girl's mother?"

"I-- I didn't-- I mean of course I put it back--" except for what she's wearing and probably also whatever she liked "--and she's probably dead by now, humans need water, right?"

She sounds so smug about this, too.

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru is /just/ on the other side of the door in the office, and the words in the showroom are perfectly clear to her. She is a terrible spy, however, and her eyes grow wide as it first sounds like her mother is talking to ... an oddly familiar voice. One she hasn't quite placed yet, but that is niggling in the back of her mind.

The gasp at the reference to 'she's probably dead by now' is audible, and the pair in the showroom would have to be dead not to have heard Naru's shock. Against all sanity, she pushes the door open to the showroom. "Where is she!?" The tiny girl demands, because that is going to end oh /so/ well for her.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"..." says 'Naru's mother'.

"..." says Hematite.

They look at each other. The fake Narumom says, "She's tied up dead in the basement! She's died of thirst and starvation by now!" and this Hematite guy says at the same time, "It's been less than a day, she's probably fine. Please tell her sorry for the trouble, and--"

And the fake mother shifts in place, turning into a skeletal parody of Naru's actual mother with long bony clawed hands and huge staring eyes. The susurrus of sand against stone sounds as she lunges to grab Naru by the neck and lift her off the floor.

"Morga! What the fuck are you even-- oh I swear Jadeite you have to make them better than this-- she's a little girl!" snaps Hematite. "Let her go find her mom!"

"With all due ressssspect, sssssir, you're not the bosssssss of me!"

Naru Osaka has posed:
"This is NOT COOL." Naru declares at both of them as they inform her on where her mother is and she really was about to turn on her heel and stomp away to go retrieve her mother.

Priorities, she has them.

Except that her cunning plan is wholly ruined by clawed hands and skeletal forms and being lifted up by her neck. "Gnnngh." Naru reaches up to claw at the sharp talons around her neck. "Allssssso Not Cool." She manages to rasp, wriggling and twisting to try and kick at the skeletal creature. There's a level of resentment at being called a 'little girl' on top of all of the other indignations and horrors fueling those kicks.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Ten Minutes Ago.

And far away from Osa-P, in Radiant Heart Academy's dormitory, Usagi has been woken from her nap by a cat, one that's followed her about for the last several days, but only just evolved to invading her room. There's homework in a pile, half crushed from her nap (which, really it was just sleep, a thorough, decadent, pouty sleep about the fact that Naru could stay home and Usagi has to come to the dorms again), but it's all being ignored, because the cat, the cat -

"Usagi Tsukino, will you pay attention to me?" the cat (the CAT) says in an annoyed, girlish voice. She sounded like someone who belonged in the dorm next door, rather than the cat standing in front of Usagi.

"I'm dreaming," Usagi says again, shaking her head. "I should close my eyes n-OW!"

The cat lowers her paw, claws still extended. "Still going to say you're dreaming? You need to pay attention, Usagi Tsukino. You're the one I've been looking for -"

"You scratched me," Usagi protests, hand to her mouth, sucking at the bleeding scratched. "That hurt! You, you bald-spot meanie! And after I gave you all those treats!"

"My name is Luna," the cat says, ears pinned back irritably. "Not bald-spot, and it's not a bald spot, its a marking, and - never mind." A deep breath, drawn intentionally. "You, Usagi, are the one I've been looking for. The one who the broach responds to, and you are needed! Your friend Naru is going to die!"

"Naru-chan is going to what?!"

Now.

"Hey, you ugly evil-doers! Release that girl now, or you'll pay!" The shout comes from above, where, standing on an improbably tall window is a twintailed, blond girl, bedecked in red bows and navy skirt and sailor collar, golden tiara and red odango caps upon her head. "Go back to the hole you crawled out of!"

For the record, there is a cat with her, lurking in the shadows.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Morga looks up and squints at the girl, having a little trouble with seeing her because she's backlit by a strangely large and luminous moon. "Who are you?" the monster asks derisively, her bony arm holding Naru up and away from her even further, because those kicks are annoying, and don't humans die when you grab their necks anyway? Yeesh.

Hematite slide-steps away from Morga and then lifts lightly off the ground to hover, crossing his arms and smirking at Morga instead of the magical girl.

"Hey! Aren't you going to back me up??" Morga asks Hematite in alarm.

"You said it yourself," Hematite says cheerfully, "I'm not the boss of you. This is a you problem. Redheaded girl, if you push your thumb in right here, at just this point," he demonstrates with his own thumb on his own other arm with the sleeve pushed down, "you can mess with the tendon and get her to involuntarily let go of you."

Then he looks back at the newcomer to the scene. "She's right about one thing, though-- you should definitely introduce yourself, especially while this girl is still conscious. Then you can build your reputation."

Naru Osaka has posed:
Humans don't die immediately when you grab their necks. A reality that Naru is currently really rather grateful for. They do, however, start to struggle to breathe, and that's kinda important. It's hard to pay attention to .. a lot of things.. when breathing is not going well. It's very very distracting. She's only vaguely aware of a blonde saviour in the window yelling at the critter that has a hold of her.

She tries to reach for the spot Hematite showed, although that 'lack of breathing' thing makes her clumsy and edging towards panic which is not her finest moment for precision movements. If her pysche is kind, it'll file that bit of trivia away for later. Provided, of course, that there is a later. More likely now than it was just a few moments ago, most certainly. She can't quite reach to kick anymore, but she's still trying.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi - Sailor Moon - Usagi - wasn't really prepared for this, for the monster holding Naru up to not just quit instantly when told. Isn't that what should happen? The days is saved by the beautiful hero, who shows up and tells people to stop? She considers the Sailor V game she had played that very day, with it's combat and it's fighting and she straightens with fierce pride and determination. She'll have to stop them then!

"I am the pretty-suited soldier who fights for love and justice! The one who will stop you from breaking a young girl's heart - and uh, her neck, if you keep that up - Sailor Moon!"

And she doesn't know how to fight, but - she jumps down, straight from the window to the ground without even getting injured or messing up her knees or anything. She strikes a pose.

"Seriously! You let her go right now or I'll - I'll Sailor Moon Kick you into outerspace!"

Threats could probably use some space. Also, she doesn't know how to use any of her cool attacks, like Sailor V has, but any minute, she'll figure it out!

And, she's closer now. She realizes how scared Naru looks. How large the creature is, attacking her, holding her by her throat. Her knees quake, a little. Maybe the enemy can see it.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Hopefully Naru doesn't remember that advice for later, because it only works on youmas of a particular style, and she'll be really disappointed if it doesn't work on someone else.

In this case, though, even as weak and dimly with-it as Naru is getting, there is a distressing weakness right there on Morga's wrist, and Naru's thumb presses right into it. It makes Morga let go involuntarily by making Morga's hand halfway fall apart!

Naru drops to the floor, and Morga screeches at Hematite, "YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS! I'm going to tell Lord Jadeite everything!!!"

"You won't live that long," the man with the long black hair and long black cape says dismissively, white glove waving in the darkness, moonlight glinting off an earring. "Sailor Moon, eh? That's good. I like you better than Sailor V. This is the time to kick her into outer space. Go on--"

And Morga shakes her wrist and seethes, and yells out, "COME, MY MINIONS! My greedy jewelry-buying masses of foolish batteries for our Queen! Come protect your investment!!!"

Hematite floats up to sit where Sailor Moon was just standing a moment ago. "Probably do it before the zombies get here," he advises.

Naru Osaka has posed:
The potential of Naru remembering a whole lot of this in the morning is slim, and growing slimmer. Greater now that she can BREATHE, and the great gasping choking breath that comes when Morga lets go speaks volumes about how important oxygen was becoming to Naru.

There is a heartbeat of a moment where looney tunes gravity is working on her side. She gets to gasp in a breath! She gets to see Sailor Moon coming to her rescue! She gets to... oh wait.. there's gravity now. And she falls. It is not an elegant fall. It's the sort of graceless landing that says 'I've been held up by my throat long enough to see stars'. She crumples as she hits the ground, landing hard and hitting her head on the way down. She'll have a heck of a headache later, and will most certainly be somewhat the worse for wear. She's not dead at least, although that might be hard to determine at a distance. At least she isn't worried about the zombies?

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
At her heart, Usagi is sweetness and light, sugary warmth and gentle affection. Even her complaining, her whining, her fits of temper, tend to be as easily dissolved as cotton candy. But Usagi has never really known pain or loss, has never really felt anything worse than the pains of ordinary childhood woes. Sailor Moon, an identity newly formed and fragile, hardly more than a cocoon still sheltering a caterpillar - watches her best friend collapse, hears the strike of her head as it collides with the ground, and her heart fills with rage.

"NARU!"

There's no moment where she considers anything as unimportant as identity when there's her friend lying still and silent on the ground. There's just Sailor Moon, rushing forward, heedless of anything else, and barreling into Morga to get past her, bodychecking the monster. It's not a Sailor Moon Kick. It's just a get out of my way! slam.

She slides to her knees before the injured girl and flaps her hands in a panic and the cat, still on the window, shouts. "Check that she's breathing!" and Sailor Moon does just that, plants a hand on Naru's chest and lowers her head to feel her breathing and she cries - actually, fully cries, tears brimming - when she can tell she's still breathing. "I want to wake up now," she hiccups, "This isn't a good dream!"

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Morga WHUMPHS and there's more shifting slithering sand sound skittering over the floor, gritty and awful, and the creature lets out an unhinged laugh. "This isn't a dream, you stupid girl! And now, you and your little friend will DIE! KILL THEM!"

The low but growing sound of many, many shuffling feet in house slippers was hard to hear in the beginning with all the screaming and heartache, but now it's become a dull roar like an angry tide. That's when the first thump- thump- thump sounds come at the large plate glass windows. Outside, on the should-be-empty midnight streets, clustering around OSA-P, is every single person who bought jewelery that day and wore it home. They're all empty-eyed and staring, and they're all carrying sharp things or making sharp things out of other things they're carrying. SMASH goes a winebottle.

"Sailor Moon, focus! You have to fight! You have to fight Morga, she's controlling them! Your friend will be all right-- do you want me to keep her out of the way?" Hematite sounds incredibly earnest, and actually concerned. Then his tone changes to one of irritated disgust, and he jumps down to land lightly on the floor. "No, Morga, you unoriginal lump of dirt, you tried going for Naru already. Sailor Moon, give her to me and I'll bring her up there so you can fight without worrying about hurt--"

"HEMATITE YOU TRAITOROUS PIECE OF MOLDY CHEESE!" shrieks Morga.

"You are literally the one who probably sold the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou to a magazine editor or something," snaps Hematite.

He's crouched next to Sailor Moon and Naru, between them and Morga, and as the rhythmic thumping on the glass windows starts to make them wobble and make distressing distressed glass sounds, Morga continues to scream deprecations and Hematite offers his arms to pick Naru up. He says urgently, "This fight isn't fair at all, but I swear to you I'll keep Naru away from it while you win."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
The monster insults her, screams at her, and Sailor Moon barely notices, practically collapsed over Naru, tears starting to fall as the sound of shuffling feet grows louder and the bangbangbang of hands and weapons and objects on glass sounds and the thin shroud of her belief this was all a fantastical dream crumbles all around her. This isn't like the Sailor V game at all. This is scary and terrible and Naru's breathing is thin and ragged and there are marks on her throat where the monster was holding her and her head, when gloved hands slide beneath it, has a bump, swelling, and - she notices Hematite's offer, because he comes closer to Naru and she jumps, presses closer, "Don't touch her! Leave her alone!"

Morga is howling threats and Sailor Moon is breathing too fast, eyes streaming, and Naru is still unconscious and she's never been so scared in all her life. Nothing has ever been as scary as this, not a movie, not the time Mama was in the hospital because Shingo had to be born, not even her first night in the dorms, knowing she wouldn't wake up to her Mama in the kitchen and Shingo making fun of her for being late to school. The cacophany of the threat, the insults of the monster, the thin quiet sound of Naru's breathing -

Luna tries to talk to her, and Sailor Moon doesn't hear it. Usagi doesn't hear it. She's scared. She's so scared.

But then.

Hematite still ventures close. He offers his arms. The glass creaks, terrible and ominous. The boy's face is earnest. His eyes look concerned. He says it's not fair.

"Sailor Moon, you can't trust him! That monster calls him a traitor, that means he was on her side -"

"You promise?" Sailor Moon asks, looking up at him. Her face is wet. Her eyes are huge in her face, blue as a clear morning sky. "You won't let anything happen to her?" She doesn't want to fight. She doesn't think she can win. The noise of glass and threats and promised violence scares her silly. She wants to ask him to save her, but if it's her or Naru-chan -

Sailor Moon climbs to her feet, dragging Naru up with her, as careful and gentle as she can with shaking hands, rising on quaking knees. It doesn't occur to her that she shouldn't be strong enough to lift her friend with her own two hands.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"I promise," says Hematite firmly, and there's something -- familiar -- in those blue eyes, dark and fathomless and glittering like Earth's oceans from space. Something familiar and true and real, a deeper kind of real than the reality of the horrors around them both. "I am not your ally, Sailor Moon, but I promise I will not let her come to harm while she's under my watch."

And as gently as Usagi lifted her, Hematite takes her, and he smiles at Sailor Moon, and it's warm and secret and small and just for her.

Then, the magic is slightly less magical, and all the terrible thunder comes rumblind into an enormous CRASH as one of the large windows breaks open and the dark-energy-fuelled puppet bodies of salary women, school girls, mothers, nurses, grandmas, anyone who wanted to afford something special just once in their lives -- they all come clawing their way inside towards the Pretty Sailor-Suited Soldier of Love and Justice, swarming like piranhas or rats.

Hematite calls out, "Listen to your cat about how to fight, cats fight really well!" as he flies up to the windows at the second-floor level, partially shielding the unconscious Naru with his big black cape. "And kick their hands if you can, but mostly focus on Morga!"

Morga screeches with rage. "STOP THAT, HEMATITE!"

Hematite sticks out his tongue at her.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
They lock gazes, the entire time he takes Naru from her, lifting her weight, taking her close. Later she'll think about how pretty they were, those eyes, steady and reassuring, calm as the earth where she feels like a roiling sea, terror crashing likes waves all around. Right now, she cares that those eyes only break from hers when they look down at Naru, and that he smiles warmly, looking just at her, as if the smile is all for her. She takes heart in it, a little, and then the world - or at least, the glass - comes crashing down as Morga's puppets come pouring in, girls she recognizes from her old school and housewives and salarywomen alike, faces twisted with empty rage and hands filled with weapons, makeshift and true, and Sailor Moon whimpers, the sound caught in her throat. Luna hunches, claws out, ready to pounce. "Sailor Moon, you have to fight. You're the only one who can stop that creature! And stopping ""her"" is the only way these poor people will go free!"

"But - but Luna, I don't know how to fight!" Sailor Moon ducks under a broom thrust at her, clumsily slides around the woman with the now-broken wine bottle, and panics when air rushes by as a knife just barely missed her arm. She stumbles back and hands shove her down, and Luna is yowling, leaping at faces, scratching and clawing at places that hopefully wouldn't leave any permanent marks.

"You've got to use your tiara -"

But she doesn't understand, not with all these people everywhere, trying to attack her, and she's still scared, and she - "I don't understand! I'm scared! Just - just give me a minute!"

There's no 'give me a minute' in a fight, though, and the dark-energy fueled puppets are still coming. One strikes Sailor Moon in the back with something heavy and blunt, and the pain and pressure tear the breath from her. Tears fall faster, and this time she screams - "GIVE ME A MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINUTE!!!!!"

And her voice is an echo, a ringing high pitched wail broadcast to a range higher than humans can tolerate, what glass is still unbroken quaking, quivering, and then shattering as a supersonic wave rings out from her glowing odangocaps.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
The waves bound out, amplified and resounding through the honestly marvelous acoustics of the cut-diamond-shaped building and shattering the glass of the display cases too-- there's some sort of ultrasonic aspect to it, too, something that can't even be heard at all that nontheless affects human bodies.

Around Sailor Moon, all the mind-controlled puppets of normal people who never should have suffered this indignity on top of mortgages and homework and unsatisfying love lives and private pains-- they all drop their weapons and clap their hands over their ears at the supersonic, then fall down like they're made of so much jelly at the ultrasonic. And so does Morga! She falls to her knees, groaning about feeling numb, her half-dissolving face both pained and baffled.

Above the rabble and din, Hematite grits his teeth and shields the unconscious Naru's ears behind a pillar, his cape already having protected her from the exploded glass, and now protecting them both from dropping unceremoniously off the ledge. He yells maybe a little desperately, "Stop crying! This is your time to act, Sailor Moon! Now!"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Luna, with her ears pressed down in pain and her jaw clenched, hates agreeing with an obvious enemy - but she does. She bites at Usagi's hand, enough to cut off her wails and crying with a hitching, "Owwwww..."

Supersonic Waves peter out. The sound lingers, ringing in ears and resonating through the acoustics, but the attack is off, and Luna takes her chance. "Sailor Moon! Take your tiara and envision it as a disc of light. When you launch it at your enemy, call out the attack - Moon Tiara Action!"

She is explaining carefully, thoroughly, because her charge is not very bright, in her honest, exhasuted opinion.

And Sailor Moon, desite not fully understanding - listens. The tiara is taken from her brow, held in unsure hands and, with a circle of collapsed puppets around her, she draws her arm back. "Moon Tiara... Action!"

Gold metal turns to gold light that burns into a pale yellow and then an off whtie, the filtered color of the moon in the night sky. It flies with purpose in a wobbling arc, that nonetheless catches Morga full in the throat - sheers her head clean off.

Sailor Moon's face goes pale and sick - but there's no blood, just the dissolving of monster into dark energy.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Dark energy that dissipates harmlessly into the air with no target, and inert sand that goes shhhhhhh as it sifts down into a pile on the floor, like the gentle caution of a librarian.

Half a second later, there's the ta-tap-crackle-tap of dress-booted feet landing almost weightlessly on the glass-strewn floor, and Hematite's billowing cape and his glossy black hair settle around him. He solemnly holds Naru out to Usagi. "You did very, very well tonight, Sailor Moon," he says with calm assurance and warm encouragement. "I would put her with her mother downstairs, if I were you, and leave before the police arrive."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
She cried through almost all of it, and she's going to throw up in her shower when she gets home, thinking about the sound Naru's head made when it hit the ground. She hates this, all of it. But right now, the monster is gone and people are everywhere, lying still and quiet, and Naru is safe and she takes her into her arms. Again, identities and secrets, none of that come to mind. She's just grateful to feel her still breathing.

"Are they - are those people - are they going to be alright?" They're all lying there, so still and quiet. "I don't want them to be in trouble. Or, or hurt. It wasn't their fault!"

Will the police know, that they didn't come to rob the store?

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"They won't be in trouble, and they'll be all right. You found a way to neutralize the threat they posed you without hurting them, and Naru knows they weren't the ones robbing the store," the man-- no, he is a boy, really, isn't he?-- says with a quirk up of one corner of his mouth. "Even if she didn't, this is weird-looking and all these people have receipts; they'll probably ask Sailor V to look into it. Also-- for what it's worth? Nothing was actually stolen." The quirk turns into an outright boyish grin, which transforms his face. "Not even by me."

The Dark General takes a half step back and sweeps a bow, and finally, there's one more color on him that isn't glossy black or matte grey: the inside of his cape is the same blue as his eyes. "I'm Hematite," he says as he rises, "and I am your enemy, and you should not trust me. But I'm glad you did. Until we meet again, Sailor Moon~"

With that, he turns with a one-armed sweep of his cape and steps away into nothingness, the last little flick of his cape caught deep blue in the moonlight.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Shouldn't trust him, but he handed Naru back to her. Kept her safe, even with the freaky monster that was on his side wanted to hurt her. She can't quite manage words, as he leaves. In fact, she's quiet until he's gone and she's left holding Naru, surrounded by even more unconscious people, in the center of Osa-P.

"At least I met someone cute," she jokes, and it's only barely a joke.

Luna is not amused. "Sailor Moon, you cannot be serious -"