1561/But Communicators

But Communicators
Date of Scene:	06 June 2016
Location:	Uminari City - Game Center Crown (also Seishou Public)
Synopsis:	Usagi and Naru get dragged into a conversation with Kunzite about the attacks Friday, about the possibility that Naru might still be contaminated by residual dark energy, and about Fiore's threats. Usagi is not happy that a weekend went by without anybody telling her this. For some reason. For good reasons.
Cast of Characters:	Kunzite, Usagi Tsukino, Naru Osaka

---

Kunzite has posed:
There's a particular place that Mamoru uses to wait for Usagi to escape school, a lot of the time -- a spot on the low wall across the street from the gates. And there is even someone actually waiting there today, when school gets out, resigned to the possibility of waiting quite a while thereafter given the vagaries of Usagi's actual time of exit.

Unfortunately, he has white hair instead of black. And while Kazuo's accompanied Mamoru on his girlfriend-interception trips a fair amount these last couple of months, there is no actual Mamoru present this time. Sorry, Usa.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Fortunately for Kazuo, Usagi's afternoon does not involve detention.

After all, she has a Plan!

This Plan, of course, involves happily humming and skipping as she makes her way toward otherworldly palaces to snuggle the aforementioned Mamoru until both of their faces fall off!

(Very few things and people can deter her from this goal. Naru is, of course, on that very short list.)

She's got a head start on the skipping and humming. And, not expecting anyone at the waiting spot, physically crashes into Kazuo.

"Owieeeeeowowowow!" Sulkily, Usagi picks herself up and rubs her poor, abused bottom. She sees Kazuo, and though she's happy to see him, the decided lack of a Mamoru around has her giving eyes that would shame a sad puppy.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Kunzite!" Naru's voice rings out first, as she steps out of the schoolyard and spots the white haired gentleman waiting for ... someone? Gossip might make assumptions, but she's pretty sure of the reality of it. "I think Usagi's ... yep, you found her." She calls over, before waiting on some traffic to pass before she crosses the street to where he's lingering.

It's a different schoolbag that she has over her shoulder, an older one that has a bit of wear and tear upon it. At least she looks entirely hale and healthy and whole, if the usual sort of tired for the end of a Monday at school.

Kunzite has posed:
It'll take Kazuo a moment to answer Naru, mostly because he takes that moment to help Usagi pick herself up. There is not even a word about the collision. That never happened, right? "Sorry," he says to her instead. "He's not in shape to be out for long." Because there is no doubt about the cause of those sadeyes. "I can take you on the shortcut to see him, a little later, if you'd like; I need to talk with you and Osaka-san first."

Dance with her, check, no problem. Know who knows her clothes sizes to send them out on a hasty shopping trip for an emergency new outfit, check, no problem. Call her by her first name in her presence, still oh hell no.

He lifts a hand to greet Naru on her approach, instead. "Are you busy this afternoon?" he asks her. "I think the three of us need to talk, and sooner rather than later."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Uh oh, is that a wibble lip?

She latches onto Kunzite's arm and looks up at him before giving him a very decisive nod! "Hm!"

However, her eyebrows draw together in confusion. "Naru-chan?"

She looks up at the sound of Naru's voice. "Naru-chan~!" Even thought they've literally just seen each other, Usagi launches herself at her oldest friend as though it's been years! She giggles and snuggles and happy hums.

And then blinks and looks up at Kazuo. "Talk...?" Talk about what? "Do I need an intervention for something?"

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Uhhh. Other than homework, no?" Naru offers with a questioning lilt to her voice, and the accompaning quirk of her brow as she holds her arms out to accept incoming Usangi pouncing.

After all, it's been minutes.

"Is something up?" Naru asks, letting a shade of worry edge into her tone, around Usagi and the accompanying attack of Usagi hair.

Kunzite has posed:
"Not that I know of," Kazuo assures Usagi. "And nothing new is up, for once." ... well, except for Kyouko's little sister. But that's part of an entire complex of problems that he's not about to try to get into right now. "But we need to talk about what happened Friday. Is there somewhere nearby that we can go?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi blinks at Kazuo, then blinks at Naru. Then she's looking back at Kazuo. "What happened Friday?"

She perks up. "We could go to the Crown!"

And then trying to be nonchalant, and failing, she continues. "Because, you know. I haven't been since Saturday and I don't want Motok-nii-san to think I'm not coming around again."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Crown would be fine. Just.." Naru coughs softly as she untangles from Usagi. "Not the park."

"Uh.. Friday was a bit of a long day." Naru explains without explaining to Usagi as she glances to Kunzite as well and then starts off towards the Crown, her steps slow enough to be diverted if they're outvoted on location.

"I did get my pencil back though." Naru adds, with a wry little smile.

Kunzite has posed:
Kazuo gives a slight, possibly unconscious wince at the mention of the Crown, but doesn't dispute it, and follows after Naru; that is, after all, one of Usagi's Places. Even he knows that. Even if he tries to forget its existence on a regular basis. "Let's get the two of you settled before we go into Friday. But at least it wasn't a total loss, if you found the pencil." Given the necessity to swap out bags. And to replace her outfit. And. And. And.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi gives a happy, excited little clap! She hooks an arm through Naru's, and after a split second hesitation does the same to Kazuo.

Hey, just because he's sick, you met her at their spot, man. Payback.

Okay, so she really just wants to hook her arm through his.

Inside the Crown, it's an unconscious thing to avoid that side of the wall, and an almost concious decision to find a booth that does not face that spot.

Usagi happily wiggles, sliding into a seet. She will allow the others to sit where they will! (But if neither sit next to her she'll pout. Secretly. And tell on them.)

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru Osaka gives a little shake of her head and a soft laugh as she slides into the booth next to Usagi, tucking her school bag at her feet.

That only lasts a moment, before she's digging it back out, retrieving a brand new sketchpad and a vaguely battered pencil and sets them on the table before tucking her bag back by her feet again.

Naru decides on a milkshake for her order, lychee by preference and then looks between Kunzite and Usagi. "I'm.. not even sure where to start."

Kunzite has posed:
Lychee milkshake for Naru. Motoki is just asked for whatever Usagi usually gets, and the look that Kazuo gets in return causes him to pause and assure the other man that yes, yes, he knows exactly what he's getting into.

He carries the tray back over himself. Because the conversation is starting, and he's twitchier about eavesdroppers since the Space Botany Incident.

"Naru was attacked in the park on Friday," he says, since Naru doesn't know where to begin. "Twice. One was apparently random; the other was Fiore. She's fine. A Pretty Cure and a Puella dealt with the first; Mars kept Fiore busy while Asclepius and I helped Naru with the second."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Fortunately for Usagi, she hadn't taken a sip when Kazuo started. It would have been painful coming out her nose, and she would have been even more grumpy.

As it is, she looks back and forth between the two of them as though they'd both suddenly said they were going to ride off to Vegas on the carocal and have a New BFF Vow Ceremony and sorry Usa, you're not invited.

"Why---what---" Very Grumpy Face! "Why didn't anyone tell me? Why didn't anyone call me?"

A sulky grumping slump, arms crossed, and she glowers at her ice cream smoothie.

Naru Osaka has posed:
So much for the sugar coating that Naru wasn't quite sure how to apply. Kunzite has no such concerns, clearly. She nods, agreeing with his succinct sum up of the truly crappy day she had on Friday.

"The first guy seemed to have been just lazing about in the park, but took offense at my drawing and then there was Dog, and people yelling at him and then it all went black. I don't remember that one at all. It wasn't too bad, all things considered." She pauses a moment and then adds. "I expect it would have been if they hadn't been there, so I'm grateful to them."

She erms softly at the protest from Usagi. "I sort of forgot about the first one after Fiore, honestly. That one kinda sucked."

Kunzite has posed:
Kunzite is generally not the person to apply to for chocolate coatings that make the news go down easier, yes. The best he gets in that department is making sure there are ice cream smoothies on hand first.

"I was waiting to see whether any of the others involved would let you know first," Kunzite answers Usagi, straightforward. "That Mars hasn't confirms one problem, but Kino-san's already come up with a possible solution to that. That the two of you haven't communicated about it yet --" He glances to Naru. "Is there a reason?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"The first one I can understand. But...communicators!"

She takes long sips of her ice cream smoothie.

She looks up at Kazuo with a scowl at the whole 'waiting to see' bit. An experiment! Is that what this is! HMPH!

Is this because she'd been all closed off a few months ago?

Ug, she's better!

And she was with Makoto yesterday, too.

The milkshake is gone with a slurp. When she pulls back, she totall doesn't sniffle, everyone's just hearing things!

Kunzite has posed:
Naru does not answer the question. Naru finds a sudden reason to be hastily absent from the table. Her sketchbook is still there, though; she'll be back.

(Poor Makoto. *She* doesn't know anything happened Friday, either.)

Kazuo watches Naru retreat for a moment, then turns his attention to Usagi again. "In all the chaos around Mizuno-san's breakup. Has anyone talked with you yet about what caused it?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi nods. "Yeah. Um, she didn't feel that way for him. And the dark energy's been affecting her judgement." She folds her arms over the table and rests her head on them. "And Ami-chan feels really bad about giving Naru-chan that piece of chocolate. But it's out of her system, right?"

Kunzite has posed:
"That's a good question." Kazuo folds his hands, resting them on the table. "I don't personally have a way to tell directly whether there's residual dark energy in her or not. I do suspect that Agera may have miscalculated other people's ability to process the stuff. In which case there might be residual contamination. Which might, in turn, explain her being quite so ... attacked, the other day."

Naru Osaka has posed:
The loo is an excellent place to dodge awkward questions, and Naru clearly had to go. Right. Then. Clearly.

She isn't hiding forever, however and she does return back to her seat and her milkshake, sliding back into her seat a touch sheepishly. Just in time to catch just the edge of the conversation about attack.

"What might explain it?" Naru asks, not having gotten that memo.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi's no longer feeling grumpy, exactly, but she's still offering Kunzite a sad face. And Naru, too, when she gets back.

"Still having some dark energy gunk in you. Ami-chan feels real bad about it, in case she didn't tell you yet."

She shrugs. "I don't have a way to tell without-- But I don't wanna. Because that means if she did, I don't wanna."

She's surprised, actually, that Zoisite actually still talks to her.

Kunzite has posed:
Kazuo's still keeping a sharp eye out for people who might be listening in. Which means that Naru receives a nod on her way back in, too. "Mercury might be able to tell. It may be nothing. But it's safer to check; better to go to the trouble and be wrong than to have more creatures than necessary coming after you."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I have.. or had.. dark energy gunk in me?" Naru asks with a blink. "From Ami? How did that happen?"

In the grand scheme of lack of communication, Naru doesn't get many memos.

"Hunh. Different from any I might have still had from being in that weird purple rocky place? That was dark kingdom, wasn't it?" She asks, her voice quiet, but curious rather than distraught.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi's eyes widen. "You didn't know?"

Then her eyes widen even more! "Wait, do you still feel gunky from there?!"

She jerks her head to Kunzite, then back to Naru, and repeats that a couple more times. Her hand flutters all over, checking Naru for fever, damp clammy skin, and just about everything else that has nothing to do with Dark energy. "I can test now, but it also purifies, and if there is the gunk in you still, it'll hurt. I really really really don't wanna hurt you but I really really really really don't want you feeling gunky!"

Fret fret!

Kunzite has posed:
Kazuo breathes out, slow. No way around it, then. He was hoping they'd have had enough time to talk by now.

Then again, if there is a contamination problem, Ami might still be affected, too.

"Do you remember when Mizuno-san shared one of her chocolates with you, not long ago?" he asks Naru. "Those were gifts from her boyfriend at the time. He had certain -- problems. The chocolates contained dark energy, very much like the energy that the Dark Kingdom used, yes." The weird purple rocky place. "Dark energy enhances negative emotions, diminishes positive ones, and interferes with your ability to work with other people. It also tends to make people seek out more, or actually create more, making the problem worse." There's another moment's pause, and then he adds, "He handles it better than most. But 'better than most' is still terrible. She's broken up with him. We'll do what we can for him, if there is anything." And if he doesn't kill them first. Somehow he manages not to say that part out loud.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I haven't noticed ... anything... weird..." Naru reassures in that way that holds a whole lot of pauses as she makes some guesses and assumptions and some puzzle pieces settle into place.

"They broke up? That's too bad. I mean, I suppose sort of understandable if he's handing out dark energy chocolates. They tasted familiar, in a couldn't quite place it sort of way. Now I know why."

"Well. I'd rather have it hurt and know that it's gone." Naru answers Usagi's fretting, and she seems fine. Perhaps a touch tired, but otherwise? She's fine.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi grumps just a little now. "I'm so dissapointed in him."

Naru agrees to the purification. Great! Awesome! Yay! Her hands flap a bit as she turns to Kunzite. "Mmmmm I don't wanna, I don't wanna, I don't wanna!"

She turns to Naru. "It hurts a lot a lot. And if it does, I'll give you all the hugs ever after. If you want them! You may be mad at me for a bit. Because it hurts like heck."

Kunzite has posed:
That's the kind of reassurance that mostly isn't. Kazuo doesn't prod at it, though, and doesn't try to push the girls one way or another farther than he's already done; he's already made the suggestion that Mercury might be able to tell, and it's up to the two of them whether they might want to make use of it.

Besides, there's probably only so much he can say on the topic before Usagi actually tries to smack him, and he'd rather save that for the part he hasn't mentioned yet.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"As long as it hurts less than energy draining thorns, then you're fine." Naru seems to have made her peace with potential pain.
She pauses a moment. "Is this something that we do here? Or later and somewhere else?" She glances between Usagi and Kunzite and then erms softly. "Between trying to keep this straight, and questions about puella and cure stuff, life has gotten a whole lot more complicated."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
She shrugs. "I don't know? But I know it doesn't hurt after. At least for me."

She sighs and snugs up against Naru. "I think somewhere else. But probably reeeeeeeeeal soon."

Kunzite has posed:
Probably real soon. "That's a good idea," Kazuo says. "You're going to want to keep your own energy levels as high as possible, so the more time you have to recuperate, the better."

No more good excuses to stall on it. He looks directly at Usagi. "The creature using Fiore seems to need to keep him angry to keep its control over him. It's using you as a focus for that anger. Fiore targeted Naru as a warning shot. He intends to go after your friends. Fortunately, a good number of your friends can take care of themselves; and we've already picked up some experience in watching your family. But the next few weeks are probably going to be tiring for you."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
The look she gives him is probably one she has in the past, but not in his new body. (Not hate, of course. But she's never really looked at him with that. More like...angry and hurt. Yeah. More of whichever makes him feel bad, she'll add to it. Because angry and hurt.) "And you're only telling me this now?"

Not taking her eyes off of him, she pushes her empty glass toward him.

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru keeps her energy high by finally getting to her ice cream smoothie. Finally. She keeps quiet on the topic of being effectively an example of bait to get at Usagi.

It didn't surprise her at all.

"We could do the energy thing tonight, I could tell my Mom I'm sleeping over at your place." Naru offers into things, to offset a touch of cranky. Maybe. Possibly.

Kunzite has posed:
The nod that answers her is straightforward, not trying to dodge either the anger or the hurt. "I needed to know how bad the problem with information flow on your team really was," he says. "I don't want to interfere with your team. God knows mine is in worse shape. But I've been asked to give Mercury a hand, and if I'm going to that, I need to know what she needs to prioritize. I kept watch as closely as I could during the delay. That's insufficient, I know, and for that I'm sorry." The words aren't quite as unfamiliar as they were a couple of months ago. Quite.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi, of course, knows she isn't being fair.

But...

She slumps, and not for the first time she wishes Luna sort of just hadn't found her.

She leans against Naru. "Okay. Did you wanna stay over for reals?"

Then she sits up and lets out an AUGH!

"I'm getting another milkshake!"

She climbs out (possibly over Naru, but this likely isn't anything new) and clomps toward the counter.

And she totally meant ice cream smoothie.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Stay over for reals, if that's okay." Naru confirms with a nod. Someone might possibly be a touch hesitant about that whole 'stay alone' thing, no matter how much she managed it on the weekend.

Naru chews on her bottom lip a little and then asks Kunzite after Naru's been climbed over, and Usagi is getting a fresh smoothie. "Is Zoisite around these days?"

Kunzite has posed:
(Wishing Luna sort of just hadn't found her generally ignores the 'and then we would by now all have been eaten by Metallia' part, yes.)

(Well, no. In fairness, Kunzite's original estimate of the timeline had that happening somewhere over the summer. They would merely /soon/ be eaten by Metallia! Or Fiore's flowers. Or Fiore's flowers possessed by Metallia.)

(The fact that Kunzite actually has an idea of what that last might have been like is yet another reason that it's a good thing he doesn't talk to people about most of what he thinks about.)

"Yes," he answers Naru instead. And then amends, "More or less."

Given Mamoru's condition, all of them are working on things in their separate ways. Zoisite's ways tend to keep him out of sight more often than not. ... or maybe he's just still mad at Kunzite. Sometimes it's hard to tell which.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
(Wellllll maybe Usagi more wishes that Metallia never woke up.)

(And that's okay, Kunzite. Usagi's never really told anyone her own 'what-ifs.' Two months ago they were rather macabre.)

She finally comes back, two ice cream smoothies in hand. She must have looked dreadful, because Motoko-nii gave her one for free!

When she's done climbing back over Naru-chan like the heathen she is, she sulks and slumps.

She wishes she could be two places at once.

On the one hand, she reeeeeeeeeeeally wants to fret and cuddle and mope with Naru.

On the other, she reeeeeeeeeeeally wants to fret and cuddle and mope with Mamoru.

Both are very good for the blues.

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru savours a bit more of her blissful ignorance and sips from her ice cream smoothie. Tasty!

"Mmm. If you see him, because you're more likely to than I am, could you let him know I'd like to chat?" Naru asks of Kunzite, still in relation to Zoisite.

Another sip of smoothie and then Naru asks the simple enough question. "So who is he likely to go after next?"

Kunzite has posed:
Ah, but a heathen with ice cream. This is important!

"I will," Kunzite answers Naru, likewise straightforward. Easy questions. Relatively easy.

Unlike the next one. "He can't have more than two months or so of information to work with," Kunzite says. Thank heavens that Usagi's family's been away; that'll skew Fiore's estimates of who's important to her. "That limits his targets."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
She sips at her ice cream smoothie. She almost feels bett--

Grumble grumble.

"Why can't we just like chop down that stupid plant of his. Hiw flowers are about the only things he cares about. The other, he's practically killing to death."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Can we?" Naru asks, still in that utter ignorance of the details of it.

"I know you guys were talking weed killer, or fire, or something to take out plants, but is there one big plant that needs taking out somehow?" Naru asks, looking between the two.

Kunzite has posed:
"There's one big one that we know about," Kunzite says. "I suspect there are others elsewhere." The Amazon may be a particularly unpleasant place to be right now, for instance. "None of them are the heart of the problem. But it might help to take them out, all the same."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Ami-chan thinks we have to go to the asteroid. That'd help, you know? Take away a bunch of his back-up."

She taps her chin in thought, very plan focusy right now. "Either way, take the fight to him."

Because, you know. Fiore's made this kind of personal now.

Well, it already was, but now he's after every aspect of her life.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Mmm." Naru nods as she thinks about that. She pushes her empty glass aside a little and finally opens up her new sketchbook. There's not a lot of plant sketches on the first page, a lot more chibi animal doodles.

"Why is he so jealous, anyhow? I wasn't really coherent enough to catch a lot of the nuances of his rantings." Naru admits with a disappointed sigh. "And I was pretty irritated at him even when I was conscious. Is that the real issue?"

"He has an asteroid? I wonder if its part of his asteroid that the space botany club was looking at." Naru muses thoughtfully.

Kunzite has posed:
Kazuo nods to Usagi. "I'd trust her evaluation," he says. Chocolate incident or no. ... and Naru's musing about the asteroid earns lifted eyebrows.

It's her other question he answers, though, or answers partway. "Apparently he and Endymion met when they were young -- young this time around, I mean." The habit of using that name by default causes trouble now and then. "He considers Mamoru-kun his only friend. If it weren't for the thing using him, that would be fine. Instead, that relation has been twisted almost out of recognition; he's been convinced that everyone on the planet who wasn't Mamoru's friend at that specific time, whether or not they so much as knew he existed, needs to die. Which is, in short, everyone. Not taking his imposed vendetta seriously does annoy him more, yes." ... good for Naru.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi raises her eyebrows at Naru. She'd heard Naru'd joined the space botany club, but part of her had figured maybe it was like an anime watching club or something? But they actually looked at space? Gosh!

"Ug, when we get that stupid flower off of him, I'm gonna poke him so hard in the toe.

No she won't. That would be mean.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Who .. or is it what.. is using him?" Naru asks as she flips to a fresh page and starts to doodle as they talk, the milkshake glass a perfectly reasonable practice piece. "Is it in his head? Can he be reasoned with and talked out of things if you shield him from it somehow?"

Kunzite has posed:
"Evil flower." Straight face. Kunzite always, somehow, manages to say that with a straight face. "There's a chance we might be able to take it off of him, or destroy it. I don't know of a way of shielding him from it. But he's trying to fight it himself, now. I suspect he managed to push it back for a moment, Friday; that's why Asclepius was able to get you free so suddenly."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi listens to Kunzite, snuggling against Naru and sipping her drink. Even if he didn't know more about how things worked with Fiore, well, he explained things a lot better than she did!

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I wasn't coherent enough to notice that." Naru acknowledges without actually saying that she was hitting 'mostly dead' at that point, as not to upset Usagi any more than she has to.

"That's interesting, though, if he's getting enough wherewithall to fight back. Getting the flower off of him, and destroying it might actually let someone who can talk anyone into anything help him fight it. Zoi, maybe? Zoi's really good at distraction talking." She considers and then adds. "I don't know if anyone else is. I mean other than Endy."

Kunzite has posed:
Kunzite does not offer one word of speculation on that.

He does, however, glance at Usagi.

Just once.