299/Anpan, Tea, and Lectures

Anpan, Tea, and Lectures
Date of Scene:	16 August 2015
Location:	Plot Room #2
Synopsis:	BACKSCENE: Makoto visits Mamoru in l'hopital meguca to see who she has to beat on.
Cast of Characters:	Mamoru Chiba, Makoto Kino

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Mamoru Chiba has posed:
News! That Mamoru Chiba's at the magic-people hospital. Ami may or may not have shared that she'd taken him there before; Usagi proooobably didn't share that she visited him yesterday-- but he has absolutely been out of the eye of the public since Makoto rescued him on the sixth. He honestly should be better by now, he should be underfoot, he should be at the arcade, he should be constantly hovering somewhere nearby either the Senshi or Usagi (and it's hard to say which). It's absolutely a reason to text and check up on him (which is definitely why Usagi did).

It's the same place the crew dragged Tuxedo Mask after he tanked a Waldian combo attack in defense of Moon. It's a place that's seen a lot of traffic lately. It's not a place one would expect to see someone who's not in some kind of costume.

At least he's slated to go home later-- but it's still early. The doctor's out, Mamoru seemed surprised Usagi hadn't told Makoto, and when a shadow's visible under the door because he's stepping in front of it, it's only a moment before it's the high schooler himself who's opening the door to the illegal doctor's apartment. "Kino-san," he says sheepishly in greeting, "hi."

He steps back to let her in and close the door after; he's wearing loose clothes, and still some bandages, and he looks like he's getting over the world's most wicked sunburn but is just past the peeling stage. "I already got yelled at for not telling anyone where I was," he says with a nervous laugh because Makoto can hit harder than Usagi and he's honestly not sure how Makoto even feels about him, "haha." He says, "Sorry."

Makoto Kino has posed:
She does not punch him. She doesn't look particularly pleased, to be sure, but Makoto doesn't actually seem like she's about to lose her temper at him at all. What she does instead is unshoulder the canvas shopping bag she's carrying and thrust it towards him without preamble. "I don't know what the food is like here," she says, "but you'll recover fastest if you eat properly."

The bag has a bento and a Thermos in it, and a few homemade anpan wrapped up neatly together in a napkin; if he doesn't take it from her immediately, she'll just keep on holding it out until he does. "What happened?" she asks, green eyes sharp. "Was it Nephrite again?"

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Taken aback, Mamoru obligingly relieves Makoto of the things thrust at him, though it's with a briefly wary look due to her expression. When he sees the anpan, his eyes light up like a kid's. "Um," he answers the observation vaguely, "Takeaway mostly. Thank you so much!"

In moments he's taken them across the room and sat down a little stiffly on the couch instead of the floor, gesturing for Makoto to join him if she likes, and he's unscrewing the thermos. "It wasn't Nephrite. He's actually never actively attacked me, for all he says me and my energy are apparently the 'property of the Dark Kingdom.'"

Now he starts pouring, and takes one of the anpan out in order to stuff it in his mouth as soon as he's done talking. "It was a guy with a flaming sword that shoots fire. He works for a princess that steals energy with a crystal. NOT my princess," he qualifies hastily. Then, anpan in mouth.

Makoto Kino has posed:
What pours out of the Thermos looks like tea and smells like roses. Makoto pauses halfway in the act of following him across the room to stare at him incredulously when he says what he does about Nephrite. "'Property'?" she echoes. "He seriously said that?" A beat, before she answers her own question: "Of course he did. Well, that guy was already due for an ass-kicking."

With a sigh, she comes the rest of the way across the room to sit down, cracking a wry grin at that last qualification that Mamoru makes before he starts nomming anpan. "I didn't figure," she says dryly. A moment later, a more serious look begins to come back over her face; looking upward toward the ceiling, she considers his descriptions. A guy with a sword that shoots fire, and a princess stealing energy.

"...I think I know who you're talking about," she concludes. "Somebody's going to have to do something about them pretty soon, too. I don't know what, yet."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"Well," Mamoru says lightly once he's finished chewing and done some rose tea enjoying, "Nephrite might have gotten the impression somehow that she's the princess with the crystal that *he's* looking for."

There's this sidelong look that involves sparkling mischief behind blue eyes, though his expression is completely innocent of any and all devilry.

"But," he says, gaze sliding away back to the things Makoto brought him, "I don't know why he's so fixated on me, or why he knew all of the times I've been attacked over the past month or so, or my name, or how he could even tell how much energy I have-- I don't know what makes me stick out like *that*. I know I'm different. But am I really THAT different?"

He holds the lid-cup of tea in his hands, soaking the warmth up and looking at the reflective surface of the liquid; his hair falls into his face a little, and the pink, healing places where he SHOULD be prepared to have burn scars are faintly visible. "The thing I'm worried about is, what if he's right? He felt-- familiar, somehow. I don't remember where I'm from. What if he's right? I don't want to be a party to that, but I can't stand against power like that."

Makoto Kino has posed:
"What do you mean 'what if he's right?'" Makoto's face is, momentarily, blank with incomprehension at the very idea. "Even if you have some kind of connection to them and just don't know it, it's not like that means they own you. Someone like Nephrite, thinking he can say stuff like that because he has power, is just being an asshole."

Which is of course not what Mamoru's actually worried about, and Makoto knows it. She frowns faintly, thinking hard. "If he shows up again - him, or anybody else who says they're from the Dark Kingdom - call me right away. Even if all you can do is dial the number or text SOS. I'll figure the rest out somehow."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"Okay," says the older boy, glancing up gratefully at Makoto -- a little too gratefully for someone who shouldn't think she's the Senshi of Courage and Thunder. "Hell, I'll program in an auto-text that gives my current location, make it easier to track me down. I don't want to be a burden, but if I do have some kind of connection to them I don't know about, I don't want them having the chance to activate it or something."

His hands curl tightly around the lid-cup of rose tea, and his face is troubled. "I don't ever want to be forced to act against any of you. I don't think they could make me act against the Princess, but I don't know that, and I don't want to risk it. I don't want to give up, either, and hide in my apartment until I know she's safe, because if she didn't think I could help, why would she ask me?"

Makoto Kino has posed:
"I have no idea what's up with you." Makoto says it almost cheerfully, all things considered. "But there's no way I'm going to just let those Dark Kingdom guys stomp all over you because they think they can. So don't worry about it." As she says this, she shrugs, comfortable with her understanding of her place in this whole state of affairs.

A beat passes before she takes another look at him and adds, "You look like you get stomped on a little too much as it is."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Thaaaat comment, that last one, has him looking like there's salt in his tea instead of sugar, mid-sip. It's almost a stink-face, except it's too true for him to comfortably let the remark go as teasing, and he glances away.

Finally Mamoru just addresses the first couple of things Makoto said. "I don't know what's up with me either. I don't have any family, I don't remember the ones I supposedly had, and I've always dreamt of the Princess. I dream other things, too, and they're all true things. No one took any interest in me until a few months ago-- but I didn't really take any interest in anyone else, either."

He finally looks back at Makoto, and as cheerful as she is, there's really nothing cheerful about him right now. He can usually gloss things, dismiss things, play things off. Right now, he's too rattled for any of that. "And then I started meeting people who seemed familiar. Like Usagi-chan, and like you, and Sailor Mars and Sailor Mercury, and like Sailor V-- and like Sanjouin-san. Now there are a lot of people who notice me, even when I'm not trying to be noticeable. If I knew what was up with me, I'd tell you. But it's not like I'm even a fighter like any of you."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto listens, watching him as he speaks and making no offer to interrupt. When he's done, she lets out a long sigh. "I believe you."

And now it's Makoto's turn to stinkface, a little. "--which is kind of inconvenient, to be honest. It means I need to apologize for suspecting you before." Without waiting for him to reply, she inclines her head to him in a small, seated version of a bow. "I was wrong, and I'm sorry."

When she straightens, she reaches upward to fold her arms behind her head. Eating crow is never easy, but at least that weight's off her shoulders, more or less. "I'm serious about calling me if Nephrite or whoever shows up again," she says. "Dark Kingdom or not. If you're not a fighter, maybe you need someone who is looking out for you."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
The relief floods Mamoru, visibly-- and that's what he cared about, her believing him, not about the apology, so by the time Makoto's straightening up he's blushing a little. "It's okay," he says, "nobody beat me up because of thinking I was Nephrite, so there's no hard feelings. Even if someone did, though, I'd probably only give them a hard time about it forever, not actually hold a grudge."

Finally, the corner of his mouth is twitching upwards again. Also, he wants to eat another one of the anpan but he can't be THAT rude again, to talk with his mouth full.

"Anyway, I was serious about saying I would call you, or text. And I'm actually usually pretty good at getting away really fast, but lately I've even been terrible at that, so I very much do appreciate the lifeline," the upperclassman says frankly, then gives in and takes an anpan out of the bag, setting down his tea and taking a huge bite.

Makoto Kino has posed:
She lets out a laugh, though it's rather wry thanks to his comment about giving a hard time forever. "I'm already going to be getting at least one I-told-you-so as it is," she protests without any real heat to it. "I'm not really looking forward to that, either, but I guess I earned it."

It's nice to see him enjoying the anpan. She sits back, smiling lopsidedly, and dips her head in a nod in response to his last comment. "It's fine," she says lightly. "I'm pretty sure Usagi-chan would be upset if you got turned into paste, so..."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Mamoru blushes FIERCELY behind the anpan, unable to comment because both blush and anpan. He may or may not be thinking about Usagi-chan having been very upset with him when she came to see him yesterday, because he got hurt and didn't call or text or let her know or anything.

(Hint: he is.)

Finally he washes it down with some more of Mako's rose tea, and clears his throat, and glances away with an aloof expression, still blushing. "Yes. She yelled at me yesterday for not telling her I got hurt. I guess she really does need to get teased for her day to feel complete." He huffs, but it's clear he's seriously reaching.

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto's eyebrows lift a little at Mamoru's reaction. She sits and studies his face for a moment before, very calmly, she leans to steal one of the anpan from the bag.

"I don't really get it, myself," she says. "But Usagi-chan's my friend, and I want her to be happy. So that means making sure you don't get mulched by every energy-draining jerk who comes along."

She takes a bite out of the sweet, anko-filled bun, chews unhurriedly. "That also means," she says when her mouth is clear again, "if you hurt her, I'll kick your ass myself. Just, you know. So we're clear." Her tone is factual, like she's telling him something she's pretty sure he knows already.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Now Mamoru's not blushing, but he only JUST manages not to look huffy at the idea. "Just like I told Mars," he says archly, "if I hurt her, I will volunteer for the ass-kicking. So don't worry. We're crystal clear."

He fusses briefly with his anpan, looking at it instead of Mako for a moment, and almost says something no less than three times. He ends up blushing again instead, and awkwardly not saying anything at all for a little bit too long.

Finally, "Thank you. For the anpan and the tea and the help. And for worrying about me, even if it's only on Usagi-chan's behalf."

Makoto Kino has posed:
"You're welcome," Makoto replies, and her smile is genuine. She gets to her feet, absently smoothing her skirt with both hands. "Make sure to bring back my bento and my Thermos when you're done with them, okay? No hurry, you know how to get in touch with me."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
The genuine smile gets another in return: he's really just kind of bad at people, isn't he? He did say something about no one taking an interest in him, or not taking an interest in anyone, until quite recently. But he's not mean. Just a dork. A really handsome dork, but a dork.

"I will. And okay. And you know how to get in touch with me, too-- and I'm pretty sure you know how to find me, too, but if you need to know where I life, text me and I'll text you back the address," Mamoru says, gingerly getting to his feet and putting his half-an-anpan down to bow slightly to Mako in farewell.

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto nods her agreement. "Sure thing," she says, and stands for the door, taking what's left of her filched anpan with her. The hand that's holding it lifts in a little wave to answer his bow. "Take care of yourself, Mamoru-san."

With this leave-taking, she opens the door for herself and in another moment is gone from view.