1006/Let The Right One In

Let The Right One In
Date of Scene:	07 February 2016
Location:	Plot Room #1
Synopsis:	Makoto has a Very Bad Dream. She finds Usagi's house in...shambles. ('Some Renovations,' indeed!) When she finds the Moon Bunny, she probably gets more than she bargained for.
Cast of Characters:	Makoto Kino, Usagi Tsukino

---

Makoto Kino has posed:
In the middle of the night, Makoto Kino runs along an empty street as though her life depends on it.

Really, she should wait until daylight - or call first, or pretty much anything other than just show up unnanounced at her friend's house at stupid o'clock, but Mako isn't thinking about any of that right now. Can't think of it. The images from her dream are burned vividly into memory just behind her eyelids; her throat feels raw and she can still feel the sense of desperation and grief and rage, the snap of her own arm breaking, the taste of blood and lightning and ash in her mouth.

She needs to see Usagi, just for a little while, just for Makoto to reassure herself that she's still there. So she runs.

The running helps a little itself; physical exertion, the thrumming of her blood through her veins and the solid impact of each stride singing up her legs helps to ground her and burn away the jangling in her nerves. Once she gets to the Tsukino house she might even feel enough like herself that she won't have to wake anyone, though she'll feel foolish enough having bolted out of her apartment in the middle of the night and run all this way just to turn around. By the time she rounds the corner of the familiar street leading up to Usagi's house, Mako feels almost hopeful - she's almost there, everything will be all right.

When the house itself comes into view, her momentum dies and she stumbles ungracefully to a stop, feeling the world dropping out from under her feet all over again.

Her throat closes for a moment. If it hadn't she might have screamed. Instead, hands shaking, Makoto grabs for her phone and jabs the touchscreen for Usagi's number, then brings it to her ear. With every ring she grips the phone tighter, stomach sinking with the thought that there might be no answer--

When the line picks up she barely waits to hear what Usagi says. "Usagi-chan, your house."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi very much did not doze off, despite the yawns and stretches and eye rubs the ringing of her phone caused. No, she was just resting her eyes...

She blinks at the screen for a moment, wondering why she's being called so late.

She answers it, and before she can say anything, it's as though all the blood drains down to her legs, sending them tingly with the need to run. Which is silly, because Mako-chan.

"Um, I didn't lie to anyone! I did say renovations needed to be done to the house!

She chews her lip. "I just may have left out...how much."

She blinks. "Wait. Mako-chan? What are you doing at my house so late? Is everything okay?"

Makoto Kino has posed:
She's braced the hand that's not holding her cell phone against the outer wall of the house, because otherwise Makoto's not sure she won't fall. "I remembered, and - it was bad, I just felt like I really needed to see you, but--" She's out of breath, voice shaking with emotion. There's nothing accusatory in it; rather, her words are thick with barely-restrained tears. "--why wouldn't you tell us it was like this? Where have you been staying?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
She pokes at one of the boxes. "You know. Sometimes at Mamoru's new apartment. Sometimes...at his old one..."

For a moment, Usagi isn't sure what Makoto's talking about. "Remembered? What did you--"

She cuts off, and the realization just hits her. "Oh, Mako-chan...I'm so sorry, I really thought you knew!"

She knows how much Hugs are needed after that memory. "I'm at the old one right now. Come meet me? And I'll give you lots of hugs and kisses so you know I'm okay!"

Makoto Kino has posed:
"Okay." Mako draws in a shuddering breath, tries to get hold of herself through the fresh spike of irrational panic. The rest of what she says sounds shaky, but not so agitated. "Okay, I'll come there. See you in a little while, okay?"

There's no other way but to walk, but that's fine. It gives her a chance to settle down a little, and though it takes some time to get from the Tsukino house to Mamoru's old apartment, by the time she rings the bell Makoto no longer feels quite like she's about to fly to pieces. Even if she still kind of looks as though she might, disheveled as she is from the run.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
It's not the door Makoto's used to that opens. It's the one directly behind it. Usagi looks out, worried eyes taking in Makoto's dishevelled appearance. "Apparently, he owns the floor."

And then she's bolting out into the hallway, arms wrapping tightly around the taller girl. "I'm okay, see? No stupidity from me this time around, okay?"

Comfort Mode: Activate.

Well, maybe.

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto startles a little at the sound of the door opening, looking toward Usagi with wide eyes. Then Usagi's glommed onto her and Mako's arms close around the smaller girl to hug her back, fiercely, and take some reassurance from the warm and tangible realness of her. "Usagi-chan..."

She swallows and squeezes her eyes closed. "I'm sorry I yelled at you on the phone. I just..."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Oh, tight hugs are so nice...but she just needs to wiggle this arm free so she can--

There!

Arm reclaimed, she reaches up and pets Makoto's hair the best she could. "No, no, you're fine! You were really scared, and then that and I'm sorry I didn't tell anyone, it's just we have so much more going on, and I didn't want to add one more thing."

Then she's tugging and pulling Makoto into the apartment, looking around in perhaps a paranoid fashion before shutting the door.

"Come on, I'll take you to where the stuff is. I couldn't bring any of the furniture, too heavy, but I do have a nest of blanket and pillows. And do you want some water? Juice? There's electricity so I do have some things in the fridge."

Fret, fret. Mother hen.

Makoto Kino has posed:
There. This is what Makoto needed, this real and physical confirmation that Usagi is here and alive and not lost forever. Mako lets Usagi pull her along, glancing around her somewhat blankly as they go without really seeing much. "You could've told me," she says softly. "You could've come and stayed over with me. It'd be fun, like a sleepover..."

She stops herself there, swallowing whatever else she might've wanted to say on the matter, but she's still perplexed and a little bit hurt. She makes her best effort to smile anyway; it comes out wan and lopsided. "Some juice would be nice," she says, "if that's okay."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi chews her lip. That soft voice is far more effective than a scolding.

She points to the pile of blankets and mumbles. "Um, I gotta wash a cup, too, because you don't wanna be drinking UsagiCooties, and so, I'll be right back?"

Then she's scurrying to the kitchen!

She takes a bit longer to wash the glass than need be.

Oh, she's such a cad! Here she was, trying not to make her friends worry, and she just ends up hurting her Makoto in the process!

The fridge offers her a bit longer of a reprieve as she debates between the merits of orange juice and some sort of banana strawberry blend.

In the end, of course, strawberry banana wins. Because yummy.

And oops, two glasses of juice, how did that happen!

Makoto Kino has posed:
Mako nods, and with Usagi rushing off to the kitchen she's left alone to contemplate the blanket-pile. It looks cozy, inviting, but rather than burying herself in the blankets right away Mako drifts somewhat aimlessly around the room, looking at the little signs here and there of Usagi's occupancy in the otherwise-deserted apartment.

By the time Usagi comes back with the juice, she's found the journal, and it's not that she meant to pry but once she read the first few words she couldn't stop, even when her eyes begin to sting and her vision blurs with tears.

"Oh, Usagi-chan..."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
It's a very good thing Usagi didn't go for the orange juice, because it would be all over the floor right now. It's only the thought of I really like this juice that causes a few splashes to spill.

"Um...no one was supposed to read that."

It's not an accusation at all, more an explanation as to why she wrote it. "Not even him, I mean, I started writing to a dead guy, right?"

Oh boy.

Diversion!

"And I know you would have let me stay with you! I know you would have wanted me to! It's just...stuff...things...and..." She holds up the cleaner of the two glasses. "I brought your juice."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto closes the notebook and puts it down, placing it carefully back where she found it. Then she reaches up to scrub her knuckles fiercely over her eyes. "Thanks."

That's all she says at first, for long enough that it might start to seem like maybe the distraction was successful as Mako comes over to meet Usagi and takes the glass from her hand. Except that instead of moving away, Mako stands there looking down into Usagi's eyes. Her own eyes are still wet.

"Hey, Usagi-chan," she says, just a little falteringly like she's not sure how to begin. "Will you listen to me for a little while?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
And those eyes are also more effective than angry ones.

She looks back at Makoto, looking a little chastised as her shoulders hunch forward, just a bit.

She nods, slowly, and she wonders which would be worse. Getting yelled at or being cried on.

And she feels, very much, that maybe she's handled things wrong to this point.

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto's never been good with words, and now her heart's aching, trembling in fear of hurting Usagi even more when she's been struggling with so much pain already. But she can't leave it alone. If she closes her eyes, she'll see Serenity driving the sword through her own body all over again.

So she takes a deep breath. "...I know," Mako begins, eyes holding on Usagi's like she might somehow communicate the earnest sincerity of her feelings with looks alone. "I know you just didn't want to worry anyone. I know you've been trying really, really hard to be strong."

Her hand reaches out, stroking over one of the blonde buns and along the pigtail before coming to settle, warm and reassuring just like when they were on the moon, on Usagi's shoulder. "But," Makoto says quietly, "I'm really scared right now."

She has to take a moment to breathe before she can continue. "I'm scared because there's all this stuff going on, and nobody seems to want to talk about any of it. It's like we're all trying to do things alone because we don't want anybody else to get hurt. Me, too." A tiny, helpless smile flickers over her face. "I asked Ami-chan to let me handle the whole Nephrite thing because I didn't want to distract her from more important stuff. On the moon, Queen Serenity said we needed to face this whole thing together, but... it doesn't feel like that's what we're doing."

She's gripping the glass of juice tightly, has to lift her hand from Usagi's shoulder before the intensity of her feelings leaves a bruise. "I'm not smart like Ami-chan or psychic like Rei-chan. I can't ever even tell what Minako-chan is thinking. But no matter how scary things are, or how ugly it feels, or what else is going on or - or anything, I can take it. I promise I can take it and be okay. So, Usagi-chan, please... please, please will you trust me, and rely on me a little more?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi, for some silly reason, never thought her actions could be interpreted as mistrust. At least, not in the others. Herself, sure. But not trusting Makoto? Never.

She worries her lip between her teeth. "You don't need to be the others. You--I need you to be Mako-chan?"

She shrugs, helpless. "I don't know what I'm doing."

She walks over to the cork boards and turns them around, so Makoto could see the end result of a very harebrained idea. She taps her fingers over texts from someone named Blossom. "At Walpurgisnacht, when we went in the thing? He wasn't brainwashed anymore. But he wasn't Mamo-chan. His eyes were too...light? No...too self assured. So he was Serenity's Endymion. And when we did that combo attack, the bond came back. But he's been sleeping, so..."

She turns to look at Mako-chan. "I didn't want to think too hard about why. But someone texted me. He doesn't want me to tell people, but I think that's because he's still annoyed about the catfight at his palace. He didn't tell me...well, anything, really, but I guess things aren't good there? We kissed there. Twice. (Me and Endymion, not me and Zoisite!) And I think she may have seen it."

Then she's moving to the third board, because the second one's just a mess. "And why do we need to go to the palaces if it's all somehow tied to me? If the crystal is as powerful as everyone thinks, why me?" She shrugs, and it isn't a woe-is-me question, it's actual curiosity.

She looks at Makoto, finally, and takes a sip of her juice. "It's never been you I don't trust. Or the others. I just...don't really trust myself. I'm just not good without him, and I hate that about myself."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto follows Usagi to the boards, forehead creasing as she studies them. There's a lot to try and make sense of, and listening to Usagi takes up more of her attention than the rest, too much so for Mako to puzzle out the ultimate purpose of all this information. She turns away from it for now to look back to Usagi instead, with a look of blank, brow-lifted surprise at the question.

"Why you?" Mako echoes in a tone that says she doesn't quite understand the question. "Isn't it because you were the Moon Princess? The Silver Crystal belonged to Queen Serenity and the Moon Kingdom, and you were her daughter, so now it belongs to you." It seems simple enough to Makoto, although thinking back over what she's just said makes her wince. "...No pressure, huh? Sorry, I guess that doesn't help very much."

Feeling guilty, she glances away for a moment, thinking hard. "But when I think about it," Mako adds slowly, "the Queen did say that the Silver Crystal is connected to your heart. And, Usagi-chan... your heart is bigger than anyone's. Me, Rei-chan, Ami-chan, or even Mamoru-san... people who nobody else would get close to... you reached out to all of us and let us into your heart like it was nothing. Maybe it's hard to see from the inside, while you're hurting so much and you feel so lost, but... really, Usagi-chan, I think your heart might be stronger than anything."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Yep, no pressure, indeed! She mentally flails a little, and perhaps it shows on her face.

And then she squawks and waves her arms. "Of course I did! Why wouldn't I! Just because other people can't always see how awesome you guys are! Hmph!" She folds her arms over her chest and tilts her nose up. "Ignoramooses, the lot of them!"

And suddenly, she's letting one of her most recent worries show. She points to the list with things the Queen had said. Never let fear or hatred rule you.

"But what if I can't do that? I just--" Her voice lowers as though she's about to reveal a dark secret. And in a way, she is. "One of the better dreams I've had lately involved her face and a vegetable peeler. And it was cartoony, and didn't show ick, and normally even those dreams disturb me. But when I woke up, I was more disturbed that I actually found it satisfying."

Makoto Kino has posed:
"A vegetable peeler?" Yikes. Makoto looks down into her glass of juice as she thinks this over, tilting it a little to swirl the strawberry-banana around. "Well..."

When she lifts her head, she glances toward the board for a moment before her eyes find Usagi's again. "How about this," she says. "If you had to choose between saving Mamoru-san or punishing Beryl, you'd definitely choose Mamoru-san, right?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi gives Makoto a look that would be similar if she suddenly grew five more heads and sprouted lots of arms. "Of course I would choose him over her. I love him far more than I hate her."

She taps her chin in thought. "And I'd definitely choose saving you guys over killing her, too."

Makoto Kino has posed:
"Right," Makoto says in reply to Usagi, nodding with firm conviction. There has never been any doubt in her mind that this was the case. "I don't really know for sure, but maybe the most important thing is just that you don't let how how much you hate her be what makes your decisions. If you let that feeling distract you from what's important, then I'm sure that's the kind of thing the enemy would take advantage of."

She takes a moment to have a sip of juice, then looks at Usagi over the rim of the glass. "Does that make any sense?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
While she's not completely convinced, she's more so than she was before Makoto came over. So she nots and snuggles against the taller girl, mindful of both their juice.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you things. And I really do feel better now! Even though if you tell people about the journal I'll cry at you for a year."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Snuggles are gratefully accepted and returned; Mako loops her free arm around Usagi and gives her a gentle squeeze. "It's okay," she says, and smiles. "Just remember, if you're afraid of making me worry, I'll worry more if you don't tell me what's going on. I'm not good at figuring it out on my own."

Reaching up, she ruffles Usagi's bangs affectionately. "I promise I won't say anything about the journal. Although I do think, once Mamoru-san is back to himself, you should talk to him about all the stuff you wrote about. Eventually, after he's had a chance to recover."

Then her arm's back around Usagi, warm and comfortable. "Until then," she says, "although I'm not Mamoru-san, you can always lean on me. There's nothing that would make me think less of you. No matter what, I'll always be on your side."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
She hums in thought. "That makes sense. Okay, I'll try my best to tell you things. But it may have become habit! So you may have to poke me!"

Then she's looking up at Makoto. "But...I'm just heart broken. I think he's going to be everything broken." Her fingers clench tightly against Makoto's shirt at that last before she forces herself to calm down enough to let go. Then she just snuggles back down.

"You may not be Mamo-chan hugs, but your Mako-chan cuddles are almost as good." From anyone else, this may come across as an insult. It still may. But to Usagi, she's giving high praise indeed!

She chews her lip in thought. "Will you...help me try to figure something out? I think Blossom was trying to tell me something." And she looks up at Makoto again! "Another...thing. Please don't tell anyone else about the texts. It's not that I don't trust, it's just...!" Her hand flops out!

Makoto Kino has posed:
"He'll be able to recover," Makoto promises, as though it's an unquestionable certainty. "I'm sure it'll be rough on him for a good while, but once we get him and his brothers away from that thing, they can all start healing. Especially once he has you with him to help him."

Someone else might have taken affront at being placed second to Mamoru, but Mako just smiles, understanding what was meant and content with it. When Usagi brings her attention back to the board, she looks from one to the other, eyebrows lifting a little as she reads over the printout of the text conversation.

It doesn't take her long to draw a few conclusions, and her expression grows serious.

"...The part about Mercury," she says slowly. "He must be talking about what happened at the castle that we found when we went to Paris, when he yoinked me and Ami-chan into the dungeons. She told him about how Jadeite let us heal him, trying to convince him to let us help him the same way." Mako winces slightly at the memory. "It backfired pretty badly, I guess."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi growls a little angry growl at 'that thing,' mostly because she agrees with Makoto's tone of voice! "Well, I'll give him lots of cuddles." A firm nod! "Or...no cuddles if he doesn't want them." It will be the hardest thing ever! But for him, she will resist the urge to snuggle!

Usagi studies the texts as well. Some of them make her blush. "I was half asleep when he texted me!"

But then she studies even more. "I think...my biggest problem with these is I don't want to know what they mean, even if I think I already do."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto nods at that, mouth twisting in sympathy. Not wanting to know - oh, she definitely understands that. But they need every scrap of information they can get right now. She reads over the texts again.

"Ask J..." she repeats. "He told you to ask Jadeite to guess what's going on in the Dark Kingdom after what happened at Walpurgis...whatever. Which means... something's going down that he thinks we ought to know about, and he thinks Jadeite can give us an idea of what." She catches her lower lip briefly between her teeth, worry shadowing her face. "Must be pretty bad."

A beat passes, and then abruptly Makoto's green eyes open wide in dismay and alarm. "Shit," she says sharply. "That means he knows Jadeite's not dead!"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi gasps! Not because of Makoto's revelation, but because of her unusual use of a naughty word! Fingers clasp over her mouth as her eyes widen!

The part about Jadeite was something she'd managed to somewhat get a hopeful handle on. "I think...he may have known all along. Maybe the stab was a ruse?" She shrugs. "Jadeite would know. But either way, he's safe for now! Very few people know about the...other place."

And now she's thinking about the thing she doesn't want to think about. "Do you think...she made his eyes red all the time? And why is he texting me instead of Kunzite?"

Worry, worry!

"We need more of them. Okay, we need all of them back. But..." Her eyes widen a bit and she looks back up at Makoto. "You said that...Nephrite wanted out. Do you think he still does?"

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto has been known to use bad language, but admittedly she mostly hasn't so much felt the impulse since Usagi first befriended her. A bad habit she'd mostly lapsed out of. In any case, right now she's a bit too agitated to take much notice of Usagi's shocked reaction. "I don't know," she says, reaching up to tug at the end of her own ponytail in frustration. "I don't know. Maybe he texted you because Kunzite couldn't. The way he's talking, it sounds like she's gotten suspicious of all of them."

It sounds like Zoisite is scared, Mako thinks, but she doesn't say that part out loud.

Her eyes when she looks down to meet Usagi's are anxious and uncertain. "I don't think we can trust Nephrite," she says. "He could just be trying to play me to get at everyone." Damn it, this is why she prefers to stick with the truth. She's no good at seeing around the edges of a lie. "I tried to get him to think about what Beryl's doing to them, but it made him angry. And if she's watching them all as closely as Zoisite said to assume she is--"

Makoto breaks off there, mouth twisting into a grimace.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Maybe she got them both..."

She chews her lip, worried.

Then she blinks and looks at Makoto. "But last time you said--" Her shoulders slump a little. "Would you still think that if Blossom hadn't texted? I really do think he's a bit...not..." She shrugs.

Makoto Kino has posed:
"Yes." Makoto's answer comes quietly and without hesitation. A moment later, though, she makes a pained face. "It's not that I've changed my mind since last time. I still feel the same as you - there's definitely something there. But it's too soon to trust him." A glance toward the printout of 'Blossom's texts, then she meets Usagi's eyes again gravely. "Just like your friend said, we can't take risks."

Her breath sighs out of her. Quiet for a moment, Mako lifts her glass of juice to her lips, lets the taste of strawberry-banana linger on her tongue. She thinks a little before she speaks again. "I'm going to talk to him again," she says. "Valentine's Day is coming up, anyway."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
She slumps even more. "Right. But..." A sigh. "It's not just that. He's strong. And right now, he's just the best bet..."

She waves her hand again and sort of slumps against Makoto.

And really, she tries to resist so hard. "Oh hoooooooooooh?" And now Nephrite isn't a Possible Asset, but a Possible Boyfriend for Makoto!

Then she gasps. "Valentine's Day!" Ug, she almost forgot! "Mako-chan, can you help me make chocolate? And if I make...the good kind for Mamo-chan for when he comes back, is there a way to make sure it doesn't go icky? And can we like, make him a HUGE chocolate thing? He likes chocolate!"

Makoto Kino has posed:
In spite of herself, Makoto can't help but smile. "Well," she admits, "it's mostly an excuse." Her cheeks have turned faintly pink, though. "I'll definitely help you make chocolate, but let's do it when Mamoru-san is back safe, okay? I don't know any ways to keep it from going icky, but I know it'll make him happy to get chocolate from you, even if you have to give it to him a little after the holiday."

Lapsing into thought again, Makoto looks away, this time not at the board but off across the room at something a long way off. "I'm not giving up on Nephrite," she says, soft but firm. "We just have to be careful. For his sake, too... for all of their sakes."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Her laughter is mostly silent. "Hue hue hue!"

Then happy yay! "Should we buy the stuff for it so it's there and ready to be made for when he gets back? Or oooo wait until the day after Valentine's day when it goes on sale? Or oh noes, would that be cheating?" She worries her lip. "But can you still help me make chocolate for everyone else?"

And then, she slumps in relief. "Oh, good. I didn't think you would, but." She sighs. "If...when you see him, maybe play things by ear? Subtly poke, maybe?" She shrugs.

Makoto Kino has posed:
"That's my plan." Makoto's eyes come back to Usagi's and she's smiling again, not without self-deprecation. 'Subtle' is not generally her strong suit. "I'm going to try to get him to remember some things. Poke, like you said."

And then her smile broadens until she's grinning at Usagi, almost playfully. "And I'll have you know that buying good chocolate on sale is never cheating. Actually, I had an idea about the chocolate I'm going to make for Nephrite that I bet Mamoru-san would really like, too. If I get it to work right, I'll share it with you." A beat. "Of course I'll help you make chocolate for everyone else, too. We'll make lots!"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi taps her chin in thought. "I suppose asking if he ever managed to beat the Moon Princess in a drinking contest is out of the question. I don't even know if that actually happened, or if it was just a weird dream."

Usagi's grin is broad, too, and full of relief! "Oh good! And oooooo! Yes, please! And maybe because it's on sale, I can make him even MORE! MWEEheehee!" Evil Bunny Eyes!

And then she's jumping up and down! "Soooo much chocolate! We'll even have left overs! Chocolate for years!"

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto laughs, fond and pleased. "It won't keep that long," she protests merrily. "But there'll definitely be a lot."

Soon, though, the brightness in her expression falters, and Mako looks at the board. "Usagi-chan," she says reluctantly, "we need to tell the others about this. Not about who it came from," she hurries to add; "not when there's no way to be sure that wouldn't be dangerous for him. But at least the stuff he said about assuming that she's watching them, the part he told you to tell everyone. Maybe some of the other stuff, too. They'd probably be able to figure more out from it than we can on our own."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Then we'll just have to eat it all before it stops keeping!" Usagi Logic works very well when it comes to chocolate!

Then she sighs as she considers the boards. "I know. But how do we tell them without letting them know I don't want them to know how I know?" She throws up her hands. "How do spies keep their brains on straight!"

Siiiigh.

"Can you help me with that, Mako-chan? And..." She just waves her hand at the mess of the rest of the cork boards. "That?"

Makoto Kino has posed:
The momentary grimace of commiseration that crosses Mako's face suggests that she has no idea how spies keep their brains straight, either. She studies the boards again, brow furrowing in thought.

"Let's start with this first," she says, pointing to the printout of Zoisite's texts. "Half the important part of what he said was about asking Jadeite what he thinks anyway; once we talk to him about that, maybe we can just say the part about assuming that Beryl's watching them came from him, too. That way we don't have to mention about Blossom yet."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi hums. "Yeah. We should...probably do...that." Then she sighs. "But..." She sighs. "I wish, when we get them back, they can just...relax and realize it's okay to not be doing...work. Which he hasn't seemed to be! We've been watching lots of movies! And ice cream! But, he's right. You're right."

Sigh.

Makoto Kino has posed:
"I know," Mako agrees; "I feel the same way. But that's why we have to do what we can now, so that we can get them all back. I'm sure that'll make Jadeite feel better, too."

Her hand comes to rest on Usagi's shoulder, encouragingly. "He'll be okay. He talked to me about the Dark Kingdom a little before... it didn't make him happy, and I felt bad about making him think about that stuff, but he was okay. He'll understand why it's important - that we're trying to save his brothers."

She surveys the other information on the boards, the pushpins and articles and other things. "The rest of it..." she begins to say, but then trails off with a perplexed expression. "I can't tell what you're trying to figure out from all this," Makoto has to admit at last, sheepishly.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"After they're all back, I wish we could just...give them a vacation of some sort. Or even just a staycation. For a month."

Usagi sighs and leans against Makoto. "I think...I know he built the youma. I never told him, because I don't want him to be sad. But I also don't blame him."

Usagi looks at the push pins. "Those are all...a lot of data is on type of monsters fought. I was just trying to put together the groups that fought the monsters. Apparently, we don't work with a lot of people unless it's important."

She points to the two articles with the most amount of thumb tacks. "Two biggest groups? Walpurgisnacht and when I shattered all the windows. Everything else is...scattered."

This makes her sad.

Makoto Kino has posed:
When Usagi leans against her, Mako's arm comes snugly around her again. Hug. "Maybe we can," she says on the subject of a Shitennou vacation. Or staycation. "We'll figure out how once they're safe."

Then she's eyeing the articles and push-pins, listening to Usagi's explanation. "That's true," she says eventually. "I guess... other kinds of magic people probably have their own problems to deal with." A pause, and a soft humming sound in her throat. "Are you looking for ways to get more help against the Dark Kingdom?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi sighs. "It'd be nice. Hey, maybe we could all have a vacation. A nice hot springs." Wishful thinking!

Usagi's smile grows warm. "Well, see. This first group here? Even though it was under false pretenses? They all came for Mamo-chan." She touches the cluster of pins fondly. "I know it wasn't...the best night ever." Understatement! It was one of the worst ever! "But they all came for him. So I don't think we'd have any issue there. But there are certain people in those groups who would...be more willing to listen if we went to them instead of others. Like Tadase-kun. White-chan. Homu-chan would rally the others, but Kyou-kun wouldn't turn down the chance. And that's just to name a few."

Her eyes dim a bit. "But...if I ask them, and they say yes, what do I do if they don't make it back?"

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto is silent for a moment, dismayed.

In the next moment she shakes it off and gives Usagi another little squeeze. "Anybody who'd help us after we explain what they're up against will be doing it because they want to. Because it's important. Just like when we helped fight Walpurgis, because it was to protect the city and everybody else the witch might hurt. Just think of it like that."

She looks down, eyes holding Usagi's intently. "Because if the Dark Kingdom wins, it's not just going to be us who pays the price, whether we got anyone else involved in the fight or not."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi worries her lip with her teeth for a moment before she nods. "Right. Maybe...maybe we can see if Homu-chan wouldn't mind showing how she did the initial meeting thing?"

She sighs.

And then perks herself up. "Sooooooo. Giant sleepover? As in snuggle under blankies and cuddles, or I sleep on the couch? Because either's fine, really!"

Makoto Kino has posed:
"It won't hurt to ask her," Makoto replies immediately. "And we can start making lists of people who might be able to help."

The suggestion of a sleepover has Mako's whole face lighting up. "Sleepover sounds great!" she agrees with an emphatic nod. "No way I'm making you sleep on the couch, though. After the night I had before I got here, I want all the snuggles."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
A part of a plan forms in her head! "Yes. That sounds like a good idea!"

She yawns, then, a sleepy bunny.

"I will give you all the snuggles, Mako-chan. All and lots and more!"