1249/Promise of the Rose

Promise of the Rose
Date of Scene:	22 March 2016
Location:	Pikarigaoka - Hanasaki Flowers
Synopsis:	Why do all Mamoru's old friends show up evil? AND ATTACK USAGI?? Enter Fiore, who also throws Luna and chews on Nephrite's rage like it's delicious scenery.
Cast of Characters:	Mamoru Chiba, Usagi Tsukino, Nephrite, Fiore

---

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Three teenagers in a florist's! They're not looking at arrangements; they're actually in the back part of the store, where the nursery is open to people who want to buy flowers to plant, or seeds or materials, or already-potted plants and shrubs.

Mamoru's thumbing through articles on his tablet as they go, absently supporting Usagi as she needs it; he's eyeing the various flowers as they move along. "I mean, yeah okay, Neph, I just-- there are so many different versions of the language of flowers-- not even just internationally, but literally in every country that uses them as symbolism. So I'm sorry, but you're going to have to be the one that focuses on that part. I'm gonna focus on which ones actually get along with each other, and won't actively shed pollen absolutely everywhere."

He's basically dressed like a hipster who has too much money to spend on looking like he's dressing down, because that's exactly what he is.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi is okay, for the most part.

Okay, she actually isn't, but she only buries her face into his shoulder when strong surges of meanness try to cloud her mind and her judgement.

She's here to be out, she's here to hug a Mamo-chan, and she's here to squee at Nephrite. (Because he and Mako-chan smooched omg eeeeee!!) So these bouts don't happen nearly as often.

Also, as a fail-safe, Luna is tagging along. She's currently curled on Nephrite's shoulder, part her attempt to assure the boys that she doesn't want to claw their faces off.

"I can help with If They Look Pretty!" She leans over and sniffs a couple of blossoms, scrunching her nose at a few. "And If They Smell Pretty...blech."

Nephrite has posed:
Nephrite has re-adopted the slightly ragged and faded blue Bottega suit jacket that he allowed to get wrecked, and so he is joining Mamoru in hipster-ville by wearing it over his t-shirt. "Ugh," he says eloquently, flipping through his own shiny new smartphone. "Well she mentioned the Japanese Hanakotoba once, so fine, I'm going with that. Let's just hope that none of them turn out to secretly mean 'sorry your aunt died' in some countries."

As much as he may groan about the technicalities, this outing combines three of Nephrite's favorite things: doing nice things for Makoto, hanging out with these two adorable kids, and shopping. He gives Usagi a smile. "Yes, we definitely need your authority on these matters, Usa dear."

Fiore has posed:
At long last. He smiles.

Three teenagers in a flower shop, if they are quite perceptive, might notice that all sounds of rushing water have stopped, sprinklers drying up and fountains falling still. If they are too wrapped up in the language of flowers to sense the growing malaise, however, they will surely see the shower of pink petals that appears from nowhere, blown along by a wind much too cold for spring.

When the sky itself darkens, that's when he appears. A tall young man (perhaps of Italian descent?) with dusty orange hair, wearing slacks and a dark shirt that's slightly too big for his lanky body, leans against the edge of the nursery's silent fountain.

"It's been a while, Mamoru-kun," he says, eyes trained on one face and one alone. With a devilish smile, he stands up properly -- casual, with his hands in his pockets, but with an air as cold as the wind he blew in on. He walks closer to the trio.

"It's me."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Mamoru makes a sound that's very very like what a laugh would sound like if it got caught somewhere in the back of the sinuses; it's a valiant effort to keep from digging himself into a hole with the girl who's got a shard of broken-off magic mean stuck in her back. Not laughing at her. When she smells something bad. It would be like laughing at Zoisite getting dirty.

"'Usa dear'?" he repeats instead, lifting his eyebrows at Nephrite. "What are you, someone's sixty year old maiden aunt?" But he holds his phone away and kisses the top of Usagi's head. "He's right, though. You've got the best aesthetic sense here."

Somewhere in the process of this, he sticks his phone back in his pocket; when he lifts his head up again, he frowns, stilling. Then it's a sharp look toward Nephrite and a protective arm drawing Usagi closer as the back of his neck prickles--

...

Flower petals. "Zoisite's with Jadeite," he says under his breath.

And that's fine, because That's Not Zoisite. (For one thing, he's tall.)

Mamoru slowly straightens, brow furrowed; he stares at the boy across from them. "Um-- me who? I'm sorry, I have a lot of memory problems..."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi gets rid of the icky smell by sniffing another blossom before she purses her lips at a Not!Laughing Mamoru. Ah, much better! "I think lillies are given when people die. It's so sad, they're so pretty!"

She gives a happy giggle and a quick, warm snuggle to Nephrite's arm when he agrees her authority is needed!

And then she snugs back against Mamoru's side and hums happily into the head kiss. "Good. Because I do. And my aesthetic sense tells me you two look pretty today."

There's a moment where she contemplates sniffing a few more blossoms, ready to face the possibility of stink flowers because Mako-chan.

Then she's being drawn close, and though its pleasant she can tell it's not exactly for pleasant reasons. She curls her fingers against the vee of his sweater as her other hand takes a handful from the back.

She blinks, though, at the boy who called out to Mamoru and her head tilts in curiosity.

Gosh. Mamo-chan sure has a lot of pretty boy friends.

Nephrite has posed:
"You have no appreciation for my sixty year old maiden aunt aesthetic," Nephrite says cheerfully as he weighs the pros of irises against lilies of the valley. "I wear vintage, I look great in fancy hats, and I'm wearing a fur stole." He gives Luna's ear a brief rub.

He glances up in automatic annoyance when petals start to land on his phone's screen. But Mamoru reminds him--this can't be Zoisite.

And this is the part where Nephrite casually inserts himself between the newcomer and his prince. Usagi, too, because Nephrite is growing fond of her and she is injured and she is desperately important to Mamoru. But his prince, who this stranger called by name. He's not shifting into a combative stance yet, but he makes a point of stashing his phone in his pocket. "Friend of yours?"

Fiore has posed:
The boy's confident smile flickers for just a moment, barely perceptible, the slightest bit of hurt flashing in his dark blue eyes. He knew, after all this time, there'd be a chance -- he looks so much different now, and perhaps human memories work differently -- but he'd still hoped...

Never mind. It doesn't mean anything at all. Mamoru remembers him, he just needs to be reminded.

(Who's that girl? Why's he holding her like that?)

He decides to demonstrate who he is rather than answer directly. He and Mamoru don't need anything as formal as an introduction. So he continues to advance forward, talking all the while.

"I've kept you waiting, haven't I?" he says. "I apologize. It took me a long time, finding flowers that you'd like." He removes a hand from his pocket and extends it forward -- only for a dark-haired oaf to stand in the way.

The friendly, if strange, demeanor drops immediately. His face now cold and joyless, stripped of any sign of happiness that had been there before.

The boy lowers his hand, clenching it into a fist, and stares at the interloper for several long seconds.

"Yes, I am," he says, flatly. "And this doesn't concern you,"

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
This whole time, Mamoru's been racking his disturbed and patchy memories for when he could have met this boy-- someone obviously magic, who calls him by his name in this life; that rules out before he was six, but it leaves a number of years during which he hid his own magic and didn't meet anyone else with any...

"I told my father that I'd marry him when I grew up. This is your competition..."

"Well, I've competed with myself before."

Mamoru's expression clears for an instant, brightens. "Fiore?" A beat. He takes in the shift in body language, the chill in the air, the flattening of expression, the rudeness.

His own face changes, concerned. "There's no need for that. Fiore, this is Nephrite, one of my best friends. Neph, it's okay. And this is Usagi, my girlfriend." He doesn't even realize he's rubbing his thumb soothingly on Usagi's arm before he lets go-- in case she wants to greet him, do the proper introduction thing. "You two, this is Fiore-- I met him when I was in the hospital after the accident. It's been a long time is right-- you're looking well! Is it all right that you're here? It won't hurt you, will it?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Luna purrs and leans into the ear rub. Totally part of her plan. No other reason. Very much not because it feels good.

Her rumbly purrs give her away, of course.

Usagi giggles. "Nephi-oba-chan? I like it!"

Mweeheehee!

As she's curled against Mamoru, her muscles relax some when Nephrite is suddenly there. He may be a big, cuddly teddy bear, but he can also be a growly papa bear!

But the strangers words and actions contradict just about everything she knows. She wonders if its possible he has the wrong Mamoru, but somehow she greatly doubts that!

She tenses and snuggles closer at the sudden ice in his voice.

But then Mamo-chan is soothing her, and he's recognizing the boy.

And then she's just even more confused because Mamoru's never mentioned a Fiore!

Still, she's Usagi, and her status of Girlfriend has been established and the soothing thumb help, even if she's just so confused.

She offers a smile, though it's small, and shifts just slightly away to hold out her hand. "Pleased to meet you, Fiore-kun."

Nephrite has posed:
Nephrite grins at the stranger. It's not a friendly grin. It's a grin that holds promises of hostility. He shifts a little more solidly in the boy's way. "All of Mamoru's friends concern me. It is generally considered polite to introduce yourself when you appear unannounced."

But Mamoru tells him it's okay. That he's a friend. Nephrite holds his ground a moment longer before reluctantly stepping aside. Not without moving closer to the couple in question, though. He hovers by Mamoru's elbow, his red-brown eyes staring hard at the intruder.

Fiore has posed:
He thought that hearing Mamoru say his name for the first time in years would be the sweetest sound he'd ever heard.

Instead, his stomach is in knots, and his blood runs cold.

It's not true. Mamoru only has one friend -- one friend he can really trust. He really *has* forgotten...and he knows who's fault it is.

Fiore's expression hardens even more at the introduction, and he's stopped listening by the time he spies the tender finger rubbing the shoulder of that girl. He doesn't need to hear anything else.

"You're being deceived, Mamoru-kun," Fiore says, glaring now in earnest. "These people could never be your true friends."

With unnatural swiftness, he grabs the shoulder that Mamoru's touching and flings the slip of a girl toward a rack of plants, before turning on his heel and throwing his arms up to catch any blows that come his way from the man.

This isn't how he wanted this meeting to go, but he will do anything to see his promise kept.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
It's not prescience, not now, not in this way. It's heightened attention given Fiore's unprecedented coldness-- but it has been so very long. A lot can change. Mamoru knows exactly how much can change. Heightened attention, his natural empathy, his careful study for so many years of the way people move and think and interact...

He sees Fiore's attention shut down even while he's talking, and he's already regretting letting go of Usagi, but the train's got too much momentum and it's only now that he can see far enough ahead on the tracks. "Usa--" he starts, and then Fiore grabs her and actually flings her away.

Nephrite's here, Nephrite's here, Nephrite's here--

Mamoru dives for Usagi instantly, henshining as he goes, doing his damndest to catch her before the shard so close to her spine can shift with another impact, do her further damage. "Take him down, we'll figure it out later!" he yells as he goes, hands already glowing in anticipation of not making it in time.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
There is a moment of stillness as Luna watches her charge being shoved.

At the cry of surprise and another of pain Usagi gives when she slams into the rack, greatly slowed by fast boy diving to be sure, the feline goes from still to a hissing, angry ball of fur as she flies, all teeth and claws, at this Fiore person.

"I don't care who you know you do that again I'll claw your damn face off!"

Usagi, for her part, is all tense muscles and very confused tears. The shard shifts, just a little, perhaps closer to the danger zone, but nothing is nicked. It just hurts like heck.

She presses close to Mamoru, teeth clenching against the mean thoughts before she feels she can speak.

"It's okay, I'm okay." She gives him a watery smile. This is Mamoru's friend, after all. "I'd probably be suspicious, too."

Nephrite has posed:
Orders are orders. Nephrite would have started hitting regardless, but Tuxedo Kamen's command gives him permission not to hold back. Luna goes in for the face, so he ducks low, aiming for the solar plexus. Whatever kind of magic this guy has, nobody likes getting punched in the gut.

Fiore has posed:
There was a time when walking into a fight outnumbered would have been suicide for him. A time when he couldn't have protected his one and only friend from those who would lie to him and swindle his heart away, leaving him alone in the end. Fiore is not ashamed to admit he was once weak.

He is weak no longer. Thanks to his great awakening, he is a force to be reckoned with.

Fiore draws a small amount of magic from his benefactor -- camouflaged somewhere among the other plants -- and lets loose.

First, he deals with the cat. Hardly even registering that it spoke, he waits until it's in grabbing range and darts his hand out, grasping the scruff of black fur on its neck. With a three-quarter turn, he builds up enough momentum to toss her (with moderate force) towards the fountain he teleported near -- a good fifteen yards away.

He hears Mamoru say something, but he chooses not to listen. Anything said near these people will be influenced by their lies. It means nothing.

The man called Nephrite punches for his gut. Fiore allows him to get close, close enough to see the whites of his eyes -- then smirks and steps to the side, chopping down towards his neck with a sideways hand as he's temporarily off-balance.

There's enough of a lull that Fiore can look back to Mamoru after he's dealt with the first two attacks. He blinks, surprised.

"No need to wear a mask around me, Mamoru-kun," Fiore says. "I already know who you are."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"It is not okay, Usako," Tuxedo Kamen says fiercely, desperation behind blue eyes, behind the mask. He gives her as much relief from the pain as he can as quick as he can, but Fiore's already--

"LUNA!" he cries out in alarm, and then sees Fiore just-- but Nephrite's like the goddamn Bullet Train-- and Fiore has the audacity to talk to him like this? Now? Doing this?

"You have no idea who I am," he says in a low voice, even and coldly furious, weighted with a vast intensity that the lost child Fiore found a kindred spirit within did not-- could not-- posess, not as he was. "TUXEDO LA SMOKING BOMBER!"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Luna flies. Of course she does, she's just so tiny.

The momentum causes her body to rock the fountain, but it refuses to topple over.

How dare he.

Shaking her head, she limps down from the fountain and hobbles back toward the one who threw her, the one who hurt Usagi and prepares to leap again--

"Luna, don't!" Usagi's eyes are wide and watery as she holds a hand out toward her cat. There's another shriekd for Nephrite.

And Luna's first responsibility is to her princess, after all.

This doesn't explain why she practically slinks to the girl, much like she'd slinked toward Mamoru after she'd yelled at Kunzite.

She curls between them both, very much pretending it's them she's comforting.

Usagi sniffles and looks down, and her fingers brush against his cheek.

There may be more than a little pride at his words, and leans her forehead agaisnt he shoulder at the bomber attack.

Nephrite has posed:
Nephrite goes down coughing when the strike hits his neck, but even on his hands and knees he is quick to strike out at pretty flower boy's legs, looking to sweep his footing out from under him. The guy may be uncharacteristically fast, but Nephrite is stubborn.

He ducks his head when he hears Tuxedo Kamen attack. Nobody wants a faceful of that.

Fiore has posed:
The eyes that look back at him from behind that mask wound him more than any attack ever could.

Fiore's change in demeanor is immediate and obvious. Gone is the confident coldness that carried him against the interlopers. Gone is any trace of twisted familiarity, tainted by an untraceable note of possession. The young man's jaw goes slack, and the color drains from his face.

For a second, he's a child again, vulnerable and alone.

Has he truly done something wrong?

But then the attack comes, and everything is clear again. A storm of petals whips up around him, making him incorporeal and untouchable. The sweeping kick meets only with thin air, while the energy beam deflects off the swirling shield and strikes a nearby shelf of rose hips, scattering them on the floor.

Mamoru-kun would never attack him like this. He sees the way that girl is looking at him, prideful and falsely forgiving. The little viper must have snatched him up in his absence, whispering lies in his ear until he forget Fiore and the promise they'd made.

She will pay dearly -- and the look he shoots her as he disappears says as much.

"I'll save you, Mamoru-kun," he says, voice fading into an echo as the teleport nears completion. "I'll make you remember. I swear it."

And, just like that, he's vanished.

Moments later, the fountains begin to run once more.