Scene #2879: After-Fight Claire's

Owner	Pose
Mamoru Chiba	It's the middle of December and the air is cold, and Mamoru is wearing a black cat-ear beanie with his leather jacket and black jeans today, a deep red scarf the only color on him apart from his eyes. He's bouncing in place a little to stay warm, and he has ''every opportunity'' to get warmer and stay that way if he goes into the store that is extremely likely to have gifts for Usagi and Chibiusa and in it. He is not going to go in there. He's Too Tall. He's wearing all black. He'll stick out like a sore thumb. And besides, the three of them just fought a monster and despite the gluck having only gotten on his henshin, the smell is still in his nose and he's afraid it may be in his hair as well, and he doesn't want to-- "I'm gonna have to go in, huh. If I have to go in you have to go in," he shoots over his shoulder at Catra. This store is so pink. It glitters. It has ''retro vaporwave holographic lisa frank lip balm''. He'll stick out like a sore thumb and he'll hit his head on the ceiling and...
Catra	Catra helped fight a monster. It smelled bad to the humans. Imagine how bad it smelled to ''her''. She s till looks green around the gills, but she's not about to admit to it. It was gross. She's no longer in henshin, of course; she's back to wearing one of her favorite things to wear, namely a tux, specifically the white tux that she first wore to Mamoru and Usagi's wedding (and almost immediately henshined out of at the time). You'd think she'd be cold, but maybe having a runestone called the 'Spirit Ember' (which makes her a princSSSRRPPFFFT NO IT DOES NOT) is helping with that. Either way, she looks fine. The feline glances sideways at Amy, with a raised eyebrow over her turquiose eye, then back to Mamoru, and shrugs. "Smells better in there than what we just beat the tar out of," she comments nonchallantly.
Amy Faust	Why. Why must there be monsters that get gluck ''everywhere.'' Amy's glad for the bodysuit layer under her henshin outfit sometimes, but other times, it is ''ick''-sticking to her skin ''everywhere'' and it's a good thing they can henshin back to get it off the outfit; she really ''hopes'' it's not in her hair and it's not anywhere she ''checked'' but what if it's like, right on the back of her head but-- --sense is tingling-- Mamoru is hesitating outside the sore while Amy's thinking about gluck possibly being in her hair... at least Amy doesn't have fur, but right after Mamoru says, 'I'm gonna have to go in, huh,' she interjects, with the eager excitement of a scientist observing something previously theoretical, "Are you seriously thinking--" And then she realizes he kept talking and there's a brief 'oops' expression before she rallies, "Oh! So that you look like you're with us. Which you are. Uh, sure." She was wearing a parka, and pants-over-leggings with her sneakers for the cold, but she shifts the coat to better match with the store, into a pink parka with white faux fur lining, open over a fuzzy pink sweater that's like got some glitter in it or something. A phrase once read somewhere wanders through her head, and out her mouth. "It looks like a care bear walked in and exploded."
Mamoru Chiba	"Well, I was thinking moral support, but sure," laughs Mamoru, pushing his glasses up. "And also answering questions about what stuff is for, in case it's something I don't know about." Mamoru. You brought Catra and Amy. He hesitates once more, then squares his shoulders and almost veers away for the ramen stand three doors down, just long enough to tease Amy and Catra, then pushes the door open and ducks his head to come in. The kitty ears still catch on the doorway over his head, bonking the hat back slightly, and he sighs a little as his glasses immediately start fogging up. "And helping me pick stuff maybe. And I might as well also shop for new year's gifts too, do you think Usako and Chibiusa-chan would like something matching or is that too twee?"
Catra	Catra looks at Amy a second time, with a 'help me here' look on her face, before following Mamoru into the store after his attempted fake-out to the Ramen place. Catra knew he was going to do that. She knew it was a trick. She didn't start walking towards the Ramen place. She didn't. She reaches up to casually flick Mamoru's cat eared hat back into position. "Don't let it sit like that, it's disrespectful," she mutters. Nothing she can do about the fogged up glasses though. (Well, she could use the Spirit Ember, so maybe nothing she's ''going'' to do is more accurate.) And then Mamoru asks about-- "Twee? What the hell is twee?" She tosses her hands up in the air, "Do I look like I know about relationship stuff to you? I spent most of my life preparing to crush a rebellion and conquer a planet, I don't know how to date people or buy presents." The feline looks back over er shoulder at Amy, and shrugs, "What's a care bear? ...I assume something pink and sickeningly happy." Something glittery catches her eyes, and Catra stops to pick up a little container of lip gloss. It's obvious what you do with it. And it looks like an entire disco squeezed into a little tube, which the feline frowns at critically.
Adrien Agreste	It's only shortly after the trio enter the 80's explosion-of-color shop, that there comes a little choked laugh from behind one of the shelves. It's immediately met with an awkward clearing of throat as another boy in the vicinity steps to the side to get a better look of Mamoru. Adrien stands with a hand raised to cup his chin as he looks the taller boy over with bemusement as he remarks, "Looking sharp, kitty-cat." The amusement was evident but for more reasons than one--After all he was usually the one being called kitty-cat. The small joke is quickly brushed aside with his chin ducking in apology for even uttering it. Especially in front of others! Catra he didn't recognize, but Amy he did. So with a cheerful grin he remarks, "It's been awhile but this is certainly the last place I expected to see you." "Also I vote for matching. It can be really cute!"
Amy Faust	Moral support? "Oh!" Amy smiles. "Of course! You shouldn't have to worry about going in." What stuff is for? Amy looks at the store like: :I "Uhhh..." And the other one with them is ''Catra'', who's from another dimension but it sounds like Etheria did not have this sort of... global commercialism, and also Catra and Adora grew up in Sauron's army or something. "Oh," Amy starts to ask if he's changed his mind at the fakeout, and in they go! She sees the way the hat is caught, and just smiles a little to herself, happy to be Short. Amy meets Catra's gaze and grimaces awkwardly, shaking her head a little and shrugging with palms upward. At Catra's guess about what is a Care Bear, she grins and makes a fingergun gesture at Catra, "Close enough!" As for Mamoru's question, "I admit, I'm not quite sure what an 800-something-year-old 10-year-old from the future would want, but..." Amy considers it seriously, intently, fingers on her chin, like she's been asked a riddle, or how to turn the 3rd edition Samurai class into a good build. "She always seemed to kinda... get along with you better and have some problem with Usagi, but... she doesn't seem disappointed to have ended up with that senshi uniform, so... maybe it's something she'd appreciate but not get for herself?" "Which I was once told was a formula for the perfect gift, and if ''she'' likes a matching mother-daughter outfit, that'd make Usagi-chan's day too, right?" Oh hey, there's... Adrien? "Oh hey, long time no see! Maybe... ''you'' know about what kinda stuff is here?" she asks, fishing hopefully for a guide. She blinks. "Wait, why'd you expect to never see me here...?"
Mamoru Chiba	"Twee is like so super cute that even people who usually like cute things are put off," Mamoru says like he's in a lecture hall as Catra fixes his hat, and then he's face to face with a throat-clearing... other kitty-cat. He gets a crooked grin. "Hel-lo, handsome. I always look sharp enough to cut glass." He gestures vaguely. "Everyone knows each other, right? Anyway, matching, huh? Okay." He glances back over to Catra, and she's looking at something sparkly, and Mamoru +_+ at some sparkly stuff next to it like he's a crow. There are so many sparkly thing in here. He is beginning to think he may have made a tactical error. He's not sure which yet. "I dunno what a care bear is, though," he says distractedly, picking up something he just ''stares at'' before putting it back down, unidentified and unloved. "Maybe I should get them matching van de graaf generators," he grumbles, but then he looks to Amy and his face smooths out a little as she speaks. "That makes sense. And they get along a lot better now that Chibiusa-chan has her own stuff now and isn't always trying to steal Usa's. I don't know about outfits though, don't girls like trying things on? I was figuring accessories."
Catra	"Not all girls are identical you know," Catra points out as she puts the disco lip gloss back down with palpable disdain. "I happen to be a girl, and I do not like trying things on." Anyone who has ever seen her in a store that sells tuxedos will instantly know that she's full of it. "If you want to get them something matching but you're worried about this... 'twee' thing, it doesn't have to be something they wear. You could get them matching toothbrushes or something. I bet they even sell toothbrushes in here, and I'm sure if you use you your teeth will glow like their radioactive for at least a week afterwards." She pauses, and shrugs, "Which might be handy if you plan on reading a book but the power goes out." Someone has addressed someone else as 'kitty cat' and it was not her. Which has one side of Catra's brain pleased that some fool was wise enough not to address her as 'kitty cat' and the other half of her brain deeply irritated that she was somehow passed over as feline. Like seriously what the hell. "Hey," she answers, and continues browsing. "Don't know him," she adds, just for clarification. She steps past behind Amy, to pick up some other things that look like they couldn't decide what color to be so they just went with all of them.
Adrien Agreste	Adrien Agreste ducks his head forward with a little chuckle as Amy calls him out on the remark. His hand lifts to rub at the back of his neck a little awkwardly though he's still grinning at least. "Ah, actually I'd kind of meant the group of you here not just you personally. Sorry if I offended at all," he's quick to offer. "Although, yes, I don't know this lovely lady here," he admits with his hand swinging down to gesture at Catra. "I'm Adrien Agreste," he offers simply. Then the talk turns to glittery things, and trying things on, and -- "Care Bears like magical girl teddy bears from an old cartoon. They help kids out with problems by defeating them with the power of friendship," he explains even as he steps to the side to reach for an item that he fishes off the shelf. It's a pink bear with a white belly emblazoned with a colorful heart. "Cheer Bear, for instance." He clears his throat a little sheepishly. "I uh, it was a show I got to see some of when I was younger. Anyway! If you need help with gift ideas for girls, I could probably suggest some things, too." "I'm looking for some things for Naru right now."
Amy Faust	There are so many sparkly things in here. Amy's not sure what some of them are. Even with what Ahmya showed her about cosmetics. Why is stuff labeled by brand name instead of what it ''is''? She shakes her head and smiles a little to Adrian at the explanation of the comment, "It's fine." Yeah, this doesn't seem like someplace Catra or, apparently, Mamoru would frequent. But then she is distracted by the SPARKLE for a moment. "Ooh, is that nail polish? It's so glittery..." she has suddenly got four bottles clutched in her fingers: red sparkly, green sparkly, blue sparkly, and one with big iridescent sparkles. After a moment she puts back the green and starts looking between one with tiny silvery sparkles and one with slightly darker tiny silvery sparkles in it. "Hmmmm." Van de graff generators? "Will they keep playing with them after the novelty wears off, though?" Don't girls like trying things on? "Wait, you ''don't''? I admit, I don't have a ''lot'' of data, but..." Catra shares input. "Huh..." Amy looks from her back to Mamoru, "Isn't it about finding stuff you think looks good on you, and then going 'wait if ''this'' looks good on me, what else do they have here that does?'? I assumed that was a gender-neutral experience, altough I haven't really asked..." She looks thoughtful. "I once saw a chweet like, 'I didn't understand why girls are so excited about clothes but now that I'm trying guy clothes I just ''have'' to have all three of these suits'...' and a manga going the other way for once about someone so excited to be a guy it makes me wonder if the author's writing from their own feelings did a 'oh man I can't wait to see which styles of guy clothes I can try' sequence..." Getting a little off-topic, Amy! She shakes her head. "Ah, sorry. Uh, anyway, my point is while there's additional joy to be found there, I don't think the lack of that would ''detract'' from the experience of the matching outfits, if you think you've got a sense of what they'd each like. Heck, if anything, if they like it it might inspire them to try more? Which, if they wouldn't have otherwise, makes it a gift that keeps on giving." She nods, seemingly satisfied with this wisdom. Then something else said makes her glance to Adrian. "Is gift ideas for girls really that different once you see the logic behind it?" she wonders, honestly curious and not really having thought about it in ''quite'' this way before.
Mamoru Chiba	One corner of Mamoru's mouth turns up at Amy. "I wear a lot of oxfords and t-shirts and same-jeans. My nicer things are tailored, so apart from fittings, no, for the most part I don't try things on. It's always an exercise in frustration when nothing's your size." His eyes trail across the store, and he glances briefly at Amy once more. "Gift ideas for ''anyone'' is hard. This is what I got Kazuo" (no honorific) "for his birthday, which by the way is December 30th, or maybe Christmas if I find something better for his birthday--" He flips a hand in midair, producing his top hat via absolutely impossible sleight of hand, then digs in it for a moment before coming up with a small bag. He puts his top hat on top of his kitty hat for a moment while he takes the thing out of the bag, holding the receipt, and he shows off the gift: an acrylic keychain of an anatomical heart. He looks so proud. As he puts the thing back in the bag, he says, "I got him something better for New Year's. I thought Inspector Camero was hot on a motorcycle, so obviously my boyfriend needs one. His mother and grandmother are going to kill me. If he doesn't make me bring it back. I still haven't figured out what to get Usa and Chibiusa for New Year's, but it's not gonna be here." "Oh sorry Adrien yeah-- Catra, and Catra, Adrien. He's from France," he adds helpfully, "isn't that where Adora's supposed to be from? Or was that Texas?" He turns back to Adrien, "I definitely need-- oh my god. Stay still--" CAMERA OUT. Mamoru takes a picture. There is a prism tiara sparkling in the background perfectly atop Adrien's head from Mamoru's perspective, and now it's photographed and he's showing Adrien. "Do you really think they make toothbrushes that make your teeth glow?"
Adrien Agreste	Adrien Agreste reaches back to replace the Care Bear he managed to find. There were other 'nostalgic' cartoon accessories in that area too. Rainbow Brite, Care Bears, Freddy Fazbear or whatever was currently 'in' around here. He'd at least recognized a few of them. "Pleased to meet you, Catra," he offers cheerily only to raise an eyebrow at the rambling from Amy. "Well I had meant gift ideas in general, but I do tend to have a bit more attachment to fashion than most. I can usually at least tell what's 'in fashion' for people. Though individuality does make a difference. Not everyone likes to do what's currently 'en vogue.'" Then Mamoru says freeze as his phone comes out. He does so, instantly and without questioning because let's face it--He's a very good model and freezing means picture time. Once it's taken he leans forward to peek at the picture with curiosity, and a growing smile. "I'm not sure if a tiara is my style," he remarks with a warm laugh. "But maybe your princess might like that?" A teasing wink is given. His phone goes off though causing him to sigh. "And that's my cue that my shopping time is up. Let me know what you end up getting them!" And off he goes.
Catra	Catra waves a hand, "Hey," she responds to the introduction between her and kitty-cat boy. Grumble grumpus. And that's it for the next, oh, thirty seconds; aloof cat who cares about nothing that you care about and may if left unattended knock something, preferably breakable, off a table. Luckily the moment passes with nothing breaking, and Catra looks up again. "Hunh? Toothbrushes that make your teeth glow? How should I know, but this planet is weird enough that I assume it's possible. I mean lessee, I know people who fight by throwing roses or sparkly hearts at people, someone who has the encyclopedia of absolutle everything and also knows how to make curry, a unicorn from another planet--" She pauses and mumbles "Who is cute by the way" she did not just say that "--someone who summons firearms from thin air and... I could go on. I'm sure glowing teeth is doable." Catra glances towards Amy, and hmmms, "Okay well admittedly I do like checking out tuxedos and as long as I can manage it, I'll keep picking up the ones that I like. Like the one I'm wearing or the teal colored one that Obsidian was nice enough to buy for me. I--" Wait Mamoru is married Mamoru also has a boyfriend "...You can do that?" she asks, quietly.
Mamoru Chiba	"I can do what?" Mamoru asks Catra blankly as he waves goodbye to Adrien.
Catra	"...You can..." Catra's brow knits in concern. Did she just say the wrong thing? "You can... have a wife and a boyfriend at the same time?"
Amy Faust	Gift ideas for ''anyone'' is hard. Amy nods, "Oh, yeah, no, agree a hundred percent on that. Regardless of who they are." She claps lightly -- but not actual clapping 'cuz she's still holding the nail polish bottles -- but has nothing to say about anatomical heart keychain. She doesn't know Kazuo super well. "Huh? One what? ...''OH.''" Right, Mamoru's rich, ''a motorcycle'' is an option. Isn't France where Adora was claiming to be from? "I think it was Texas. At least with the first one." Amy mimes adjusting the brim of a non-existent cowboy hat and says, in English in a bad Texan accent, "[Yeap', Ah'm from Texas, pardner. It's hardscrabble life in tha Amerr-can west, we don't know what birthdays are.]" Beat. "Ah, she didn't sound like that, I just... I dunno, it was a funnier mental image in my head, like, what if she were pretending based on knowing a ''very little'' about the place instead of nothing but a name, how ridiculous would that be..." She looks away. "It was a funnier bit in my head." "...I wouldn't be surprised if there's toothpaste that makes your teeth glow. Actually, if you use a blacklight, regular toothpaste already ''might''...?" Amy tries to remember, and then is distracted by the mismatch of a 2010s computer game character amongst the 80's character merchandise. Whose decision was that? Wait, if it's 80's stuff, is this part of the store ''actually'' for nostalgic adults, or... she furrows her brow more, thinking about it far more than whoever picked what was on that display. Then Catra's going on about tuxedos and Amy grins and gestures at her like 'see, she ''does'' like a certain kind of clothes!' and then looks similarly confused at 'you can do that?' When it's clarified, she nods. "I mean... a lot of society won't be okay with it, but society is dumb. A lot of places on Earth don't even recognize same-gender marriage." "But ''morally?'' No reason you can't. Seems like... it's like how some folks are only attracted to guys, or girls, or to both, or don't care, or don't feel attraction at all or only ''sometimes'': ''Some'' people want an exclusive relationship, or only want to have that relationship with one person, others don't." She shrugs "Radiant Heart, at least, is accepting. Also, they were married on the moon by a goddess. Clearly, that's a higher authority than any ''human'' laws anyway." She smirks a bit. As an afterthought, "I'm not sure how it is in other dimensions, but Hannah told me polycules are normal on Tharkad, at least."
Mamoru Chiba	"Ahh, Kazuo and I aren't married yet. Zoisite has claimed first wedding to Kazuo," Mamoru says this perfectly reasonably to Amy, "but I'm sure I can get Kamiko-chan to do that for us too. Usako told Kazuo that he had to propose to me before I was forty, though." He's frowning at his phone, at the picture he just took, and then he looks up at those prism tiaras, and he starts to march toward them with purpose. "Anyway yeah," he says to Catra, "and you should also tell Hinoiri-chan that, but yeah, it's just, everyone in the relationship has to be okay with it. You have to know what you're getting into. Usa and Kazuo are both all right with it, and I'm also all right with Kazuo having another boyfriend-- Izou-- who's all right with Kazuo dating ''me'', but only me, and I'm all right with Usa having a girlfriend-- Ami-chan, and also maybe someone else, and Ami-chan is all right with Usa dating whoever she pleases. It's a relationship model for people who like schedules a lot." He gets to them. There are ''two left''. They're the kind that are actually fairly solid, something like 35k yen a piece, and they're ''very'' pretty. Gold-plated wire, a leafy vine pattern, cubic zirconia~ He takes them down under the watchful eye of the clerk and goes over to the counter with them, placing them on it. "I'm gonna get these and go down the street for ramen, you guys, I'm so hungry after that nonsense before."
Catra	There is math going on in Catra's brain. Deep math. The kind that takes forever to work through, and might just break your brain for all other purposes, at least temporarily, and may force a reboot at some point. Especially if you're a cat. Like, say, addition. 1+1+1=3 and that's okay. Who knew? "I don't have any idea how things work on my own planet, I never got a relationships class, all my classes basically boiled down to here's how you beat people up with your hands, here's how you beat people up with your feet, here's how you beat people up with your claws, here's how you beat people up with weapons, and here's how order your people to go beat up other people. There really wasn't anything in there about here's how you ask someone on a date or here's how you know you like someone." Catra watches Mamoru, and throws her hands up in the air, "Wait so you went for the most expensive things in the place?! I mean sure they're sparkly and..." She sighs, "Yeah okay they're cool actually so buy them and let's go get Ramen but." Catra looks over her shoulder at Amy, then back to Mamoru, and then starts moving more furtively around the room. Like, quick, suddenly there is urgency here and it is real. "I need to find something for Hinoiri and something for Adora like right now."
Amy Faust	Amy ohs, "I meant you and Usagi-chan, like... that it doesn't rule out either of you having other relationships." She listens curiously at the planned details like that Kazuo will propose ''too'' -- She hadn't really thought about that, finding herself more inclined to a casual approach rather than like... planning and scheduling it. Never got a relationships class. "I mean, me neither... we just sort of absorb it from culture, and I think maybe the unifying experience of queerness is not really ''having'' that to absorb..." She nods at not knowing how to ask someone on a date or how to like someone. "Yeah! Exactly! Earthlings don't teach that either they just act like people are supposed to know it? It's weird." Amy raises her eyebrows at the way the clerk and curator act about the tiaras-- oh, ''real'' jewelry pieces, not like, costume pieces, right, and she nods, "Oh yeah, I'm down for ramen too." and walks over to another cashier with the nail polishes. Catra's looking for gifts? "I'm sorry. I'm terrible at gifts. Do they have swords and... okay maybe, like, uh... a collar-type thing that would go with her jacket? Like, a ''fashion'' collar," She looks over to Mamoru, who knows the most about fashion now that Adrien left, "Is there a different word for when it's like, a human fashion collar?"
Catra	Stop. Panicking. Christmas isn't happening in five minutes. Also, sudden bursts of frantic-ness are embarassing. So Catra stops, takes a moment, adjusts her jacket, and brushes her fingers through her hair. % "Alright, this can wait at least a little bit," she grumbles. "Maybe grabbing the most sparkly thing I can find from technicolor happy land is not the best plan anyway. But I am going to need ''someone'' to help me go shopping because I have no clue what I am doing. It's not like I can beat up the shop clerks and take what I want." Catra checks to make sure that the shop clerks are not listening. "Well actually I can," she adds more quietly, "But I'm trying not to be a bad person anymore." Catra sighs, and shakes her head, "I have no idea what you mean by a fashion collar, Amy, but... let's go get Ramen and you can explain it to me."