2236/Early Present

Early Present
Date of Scene:	18 December 2016
Location:	Naru's apartment
Synopsis:	Usagi and Luna surprise Naru with her very own communicator.
Cast of Characters:	Naru Osaka, Usagi Tsukino

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Naru Osaka has posed:
Tis the season for makers and creators to be possibly a touch more hidey than usual. Not that Naru generally gives art as gifts (or hasn't up to this point certainly), but when Christmas shopping comes with semi-sentient Christmas lights, somehow making starts to make a whole lot more sense.

Naru's in her room, which doubles as her studio, considering an oil painting that is in progress. The base painting is a view of Tokyo from somewhere high, not the same view as Mamo's apartment, but probably another apartment just as high up elsewhere in the city, and she's paused in the considering of it to hold her coffee and just look, thoughtful.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi, of course, has been out and about because it's the holiday season. Adn, well, sure, last year this time sucked hard, but the ones before hadn't. And if she forgets that she'll probably become a grumpy old lady by the time she's twenty.

But that's not why she's here at Naru's. She waves at often times absent Osaka matriarch as she worked the counter and ignores the 'Employees Only' sign on the stairwell door.

Luna's on her shoulder, happy little kitty face purring.

"Naru-chan~!" Usagi skips through the apartment until she finds her oldest friend. "I brought breakfast!"

Her idea of breakfast this morning is several pastries from a bakery ranging from savory to sweet.

She also has hot chocolate!

Luna hops over. A few ieces of furniture later and she's rubbing against Naru's jaw and chin. "Good morning!"

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Good morning." Naru replies as Usagi invades in the nicest way possible and she even lifts a hand away from her coffee cup to stcritch Luna behind an ear. "And good morning to you as well."

The painting left aside, Naru turns towards Usagi and even with pastries and coffee and hot chocolate, comes to give her a hug. Even if it /is/ food awkward. "Second breakfast sounds /awesome/." She sniffs towards the bag. "Mmmm. And those smell delicious. You're up early today."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi sets the pastries and hot chocolate on Naru's desk, moving as though this were her room. Which she supposes this could be argued to have been her room away from room?

Something.

She beams. "Right? You can never have too many breakfasts! Especially when second breakfast is full of tasty yummies!"

She sighs, shoulders partly drooped but overall she's still in good spirits. "Well, apparently my brain didn't get the memo that I wasn't gonna be sad about stuff. Really weird dream. Apparently, I was dating everyone in the world, and one day, they all broke up with me."

SIGH!

And of course, she hops over to the canvas and ooo's and awww's. "It's so pretty! Where's it from?"

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru hugs tight, even with a coffee. "You can be both. Sad from life and a bad dream /and/ still happy about other things." She stays a few steps away from the canvas as Usagi hops over there. "It's from a building over on the otherside of downtown. I really thought the view was fantastic, so did a quick sketch to be able to paint from. Its missing something, though. I havne't quite decided what. Currently it mostly just looks like a tourism photo."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi hugs back just as tight. "Yeah. Well, on the plus side, it was a normal bad dream."

She claps her hands! "Wow! You're so good, Naru-chan! Part of me is so jealous!" She strokes her chin in thought. "I...don't know. All I can think of is like...different colors. Like green in the sky and silly stuff like that."

Luna clears her throat. Usagi jerks a bit. "Oh yeah! I didn't just come here for breakfast! I got you something!"

Luna clears her throat again and this time Usagi rolls her eyes.

"Fine, fine, Luna got something for you. But I suggested it!"

She holds up a small box and bounces in place. "I'd say it's an early Christas present, but I've wanted to give you one for like...ever. Now i have an excuse!"

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Oooh. Normal bad dreams are excellent!" Naru pauses and then laughs. "Which sounds so very wrong, but it's so /true/."

Naru quirks her lips a touch ruefully. "You purify and do amazing other things. I draw. So I wouldnt get too jealous." She considers the painting and the idea of more colour and quirks her head. "Might work, actually. Lemme think on it a bit more. I sort of want to incorporate those weird puella dreams that were going around into it, as it all sort of happened about the same time. But this layer has to dry before I can really start messing on top of it."

"Um. Usagi.." Naru points out with a little laugh. "You can still call it an early Christmas present." She reaches for the box, curious as she opens it. This is worth setting down her coffee for.

As she gets the box open, Naru just pauses and blinks before looking at Usagi and then Luna, clearly shocked. "But.. it's like the ones all of the girls wear."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi nods. "Oh yes! And much better than the kind of dreams I was having a year ago. I mean, it sucks, but the breakup with Rei is kind of less fodder for nightmares than, you know, thinking I killed my boyfriend."

Usagi giggles. "I'll be jealous if I want! And it's more the admiring jealous, and not the disgruntled jealous, so don't worry!"

But yay! She probably helped!

And suddenly she's a little bit shy. "Well, I mean, it's also kind of like the ones the guys have. But more like ours. I've wanted to give you one for like...ever. SInce you found out and especially when you were like...energy flavor of the month?"

More shifting, and she shrugs andtoys with a long twintail. "And well...now that you're gonna be out there, if you're going to be out there, I want you to have more backup. The girls are fine with it! And I know you have a virtue phone, but..."

More blushing! "I just...I need to know I have your back if you need it."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Waaay better than dreams where someone is actively draining you in your sleep too. I don't recommend those." Naru comments absently on the topic of dream before the communicator is distracting enough to keep her attention there.

Naru doesn't answer right away but just steps closer and hugs Usagi close again. Box and shy and shuffly and all. "Thank you. I.. appreciate it /so much/." Naru nods a little. "I guess I am out there? I mean, I'm already in the habit of running towards the screams." She giggles softly and comments to Usagi. "Mamoru didn't recognize me when we were both at a fight."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi hasn't had those kinds of dreams, but she imagines they aren't that good! So she nods in agreement! "Those sound sucky!"

Yay! Naru likes it! Part of Usagi had been, oddly enough, afraid that Naru would take it as her saying she didn't think she could handle it. Silly fears!

But wait! "Awwwww! Mamo-chan got to see it before me? Now I'm super jealous!"

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Ami and Makoto saw it first." Naru points out, which is probably not helping. "But then I couldnt work out how to do it again, and that sucked a lot. I have the hang now. I think. Mostly." It's an absent touch with her free hand, up to the necklace that's mostly hidden under her shirt.

"You wanna see?" Naru offers, her turn to be a touch shy. Henshin on command is not yet reliably in her skill set. "You'll have to show me how to use this." She points out, referencing the communicator.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Is Usagi's twintails could droop, they would be right now! "Awwwww, more jealousy!"

And then she claps and wiggles, inching closer to Naru. "Yes! Of course I wanna see!"

So happy is she that she digs into the pastries and starts biting and chewing. Omnom!

She shrugs a bit and swallows. "It's confusing at first. I wouldn't recommend using it to talk to people one on one at first, because it's easy to hit the wrong button. Then everyone will know you have tummy cramps and want chocolate."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Okay." Naru answers, although if it's on the topic of being wary of broadcasting one's chocolate needs (those aren't wants at that point), or on transforming, it's not clear right away.

It is possibly the least flashy henshin /ever/. It's quiet and subtle and almost as if Naru just slides silently into her alternate self. Black boots, white floofy skirt, and a long sleeved jacket are the salient points. With accents of black and veins of radient colour adding accents to the mostly white outfit. Her necklace is much easier spotted, the opal pendant fitting in perfectly with her outfit.

Naru twirls and then grins. "No leggings, but I have /pockets/."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
It doesn't need to be flashy to impress Usagi. Her eyes are wide and full of stars as she watches, impressed. At the twirl, Usagi claps and applauds! "Wow! No leggings, but still so pretty! And pockets? Oh my gosh!"

She changes as well, showing off her own lack of pockets! "You're just so pretty!" Her hands floof the skirt a bit and she claps. "Gah wow! I don't know how you could get stockings, though! I'm sure there's a way!"

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Well, I kinda need at least one pocket." Naru reaches to the inside of her jacket, to that pocket there, and emerges out with her sketchbook. "I mean.. I'm pretty reliant on being able to draw, and having somethign to draw on makes it much eaiser."

"I do kinda love the skirt." Naru admits as Usagi floofs the skirt. "I mean, I'd never wear one normally, but it's /fun/." She laughs softly and notes. "Well, I mean.. when Madison was blowing things up, it was still pretty cold and snowy and I didn't notice the lack of leggings. So I'm thinking there's magic involved in all of us not freezing our butts off."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi nods! "You could probably find a way to have like...an emergency little sketchbook?" Ponder ponder!

Then she's nodding and gestures to the length of her own exposed legs. "That's the only way to explain it! Sometimes I wish we could just henshin while waiting for busses or something!"

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Well, it's not like I can't and don't draw on /everything/ anyhow. I'm sure if I somehow lost this one.. I probably could find /something/ to draw on. Even just the sidewalk." Naru grins. And it's true. She'll doodle on anything from canvases to school notes to napkins and chalk on the sidewalk.

"I know, right?" Naru laughs as she moves to put the communicator on, admiring how well it goes with her outfit. "I suppose we /could/, but it seems like a silly waste." She quirks a smile. "Lemme tell you, when I can't find something, it's super tempting to just draw it. They don't last forever, so it's easier to just go to the store."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi's eyes go wide again and, if possible, even more starry. "Yeah, but...you could probably draw the best and tastiest food, with all the fat and sugar, and...it'll dissapear after you eat it! Total empty calories!"

Oh gosh, Usagi wishes her abilities were that useful!

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I havne't tried food yet." Naru points out and then pauses. "And don't tell Kyouko that I might be able to make food. Besides, you burn off everything you eat /already/, you'd have to eat MORE if you weren't getting any calories from it."

Speaking of food, Naru moves over to snag a pastry before Usagi eats them all. "Between magic and running, I so don't need food that doens't have calories."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi giggles. "She'd probably prefer actual food, anyway! And pfff." She sighs a bit, and the woeful may be playful but its still a concern! "Still gotta watch our girlish figures, though!"

But she agrees with Naru. "But yeah, fortunately we don't gotta worry about that too much!"

Pff pff pff! She's not eating all of them!

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I am pretty sure I nearly doubled my calories, and have lost weight this year." Naru points out with a rueful smile. "Magic is /crazy/ for that, apparently. Although possibly only if you are leaking magic uncontrollably everywhere." She noshes on a pastry, one of the savoury ones and settles back into normal Naru form.

"So how /are/ you doing?" Naru asks as she settles on the edge of the bed to chat and eat. "With the whole Rei thing and the fact that last year sucked and everything."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"And I bet you have muscles you didn't even know existed before!" Usagi follows suit and though her skirt is still short, she's wearing cute stockings!

Usagi sighs and leans against Naru. "I'm doing okay. The Rei thing still hurts. And she was with me for like a week after that whole thing last year." Her head rests against Naru's shoulder. "But I can say with absolute certainty that not having a dead or brainwashed boyfriend is a huge improvement!"

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I have muscles I didn't now existed." Naru confirms as she leans back against Usagi, resting her head against her bestie's for the moment.

"A lack of dead and/or brainwashed boyfriend is a feature." Naru confirms and then sighs softly. "It'll hurt for a while, I expect, but it'll ease. I hope. I'm not exactly an expert."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"I'm planning on letting it hurt. Because when it doesn't, I don't want there to be lingering hurts when we start talking again. We will, and there will be awkward moments, but..." She shrugs. "I don't wanna stop being her friend."

Sigh.

A gentle poke in Naru's side. "Speaking of, how's Bandaid-kun?"

Naru Osaka has posed:
"It would be really awkward if you weren't friends.. you still have to work together, and I remember how much it sucked when Venus wasn't around. Doing that with Mars too, would suck." Naru gives a gentle squeze.

"He's good." Naru smiles a touch, fond. "I hate how much he gets himself beat up. He got skewered pretty badly recently, but at least he had the wherewithall to text Kunzite."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi nods. "Yeah. It'd...be weird. Well, it will be anyway. But..." She sighs. The whole thing is just so weird! And awkward! Maybe she should just keep her dating pool to Boy. One boy. Less awkward.

Usagi snorts. "You could make a game of it in your mind. I used try to see if Mamo-chan could make it a month without anything bad happening to him. It took...awhile. And I think he's only made it that long because he hid away to study!"

Naru Osaka has posed:
"It'll be weird, but only for a little while and then it'll be alright." Naru sounds confident, even if its possibly just optimism.

"I used to do that with myself." Naru admits with a laugh. "A week was like.. a miracle. Now it goes like /ages/ without me being actively targeted. I just happen to be in the area and try and help."

"As Alex /looks/ for fights, I think I'm mostly aiming for hopefully no more than one a day." Naru sounds rueful. "Or letting himself heal between them. He's going to get himself seriously hurt one of these days."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi wraps an arm around Naru. "I'm glad it takes ages for you! My Naru Ulcers are almost all gone. They're mingling with the other 'concern for friends I will always have' ulcers!"

A groan! "Ug! Well, as tempting as it is, I'm pretty sure tying him up and hiding him away won't be the best thing ever. ...If it is, I should have given that a try."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I did consider tying him up and hiding him away, but yeah. I figured that wouldnt work so well. He might be coming to Seishou after the Christmas break. He got suspended from Infinity for fighting" Naru wrinkles her nose. "Even if the guy totally deserved it, getting caught fighting on school grounds sucks."

Naru leans in to Usagi's hug. "I know, right? Even the fight on Friday, it grabbed for both of us, I was just closer than Kyouko."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi gasps! "He got suspended? Oh no!" But still! "It wouldn't be bad having him at school! We could probably minimize how often he gets in fights if nothing else, right?"

She shivers! "Eeek!"

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Between all of us, we could probably help keep him out of fights and probaby even get him attending school periodically." Naru quirks a smile. "Even if I have to turn up on his doorstep and drag him out of bed. He's not in our class though, he's a grade ahead."

Naru leans against Usagi. "We were fine, although Kyouko got a little singed."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi titters and giggles. "Oooo, Naruuu, dating an older boy."

Like she's one to talk!

And then she hums and thinks. "I wonder who we know in that grade that could spy on him for us? Make sure he's not doing bad stuff."

She winces. "Oh no! Hope she's okay. And you're fine, too, right?"

Speaking of ulcers!

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I know, right?" Naru laughs softly and then elbows Usagi a little. "Mine's only sixteen though. We'll be the same age for a little while."

"I'm fine, and Kyouko was almost entirely fine again after we went and had some hot chocolate and pastries. Apparently Christmas lights can be youma." Naru rolls her eyes and shakes her head. "If you heard of a power outage because of a blown transformer a couple days ago? Yeah, that was us."