519/The Boy Complication

The Boy Complication
Date of Scene:	02 November 2015
Location:	Uminari City - Game Center Crown
Synopsis:	Ami and Rei talk about Daisuke and the problems thereof, and about Mamoru and the aggravations thereof.
Cast of Characters:	Ami Mizuno, Rei Hino

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Ami Mizuno has posed:
It's Sunday, just past dinner time, and the crowd at Game Center Crown is starting to dwindle. Ami is here, after a long day, and a longer week, with her books out. Either something is wrong with the girl, or she's gone overboard on her studiousness, this week, because it looks like she's still doing her homework. Not just absently studying because she enjoys it, but legitimately still working on homework that's surely due in less than twelve hours. Judging by the slightly frantic look on her face, and the *two* empty soda cups next to her, it almost seems more likely that she hasn't finished yet.

Since when does Ami Mizuno not have her homework done a week in advance?!

Nevertheless, a few days ago Ami called Rei and asked to talk when the fiery woman had time. Something else is odd about the girl, too. Rather than her usual seifuku and cardigan, Ami has on a man's suit coat, of some kind, with bright red lappels.

Rei Hino has posed:
Rei is in the Game Center Crown, ignoring the odd looks she's getting from some of the patrons. There are a few murmurs about her smacking some guy in the head with an ofuda, but Rei is long used to dismissing such things.

Moving past them and walking up the stairs to the dining area, Rei buys a quick soda and then makes her way towards Ami. Seeing her in her books is normal. Seeing her frantic...? That's... that's a bit worrying.

Sitting down across from Ami, Rei asks, "What's up, Ami-chan?" She's more than a little concerned. Usagi in a panic is Tuesday, but Ami worried is something else.

Her soda can opens with a 'tssh', and she drinks it while waiting for a response.

Rei's homework is either already done for the weekend, or she's not worrying about it until later. Either way, she hasn't brought it out.

"Nice suit, by the way."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami looks up from her homework, then smiles when she sees Rei's face. The smile falters a little at the look of concern on that face. And it turns to a blush at the compliment of her 'suit'. "Thanks," she says, huddling into the jacket a little more. "It's not mine, though; I'm just ... holding onto it until its owner wants it back." Ami blushes again, then waves her arm in half a circle to banish the conversation.

"Right," she says. "I guess I have some things to tell you. Right." She takes a deep breath, steadying herself, then says, "First off, I owe you an apology. A week ago, I met a teenager named Daisuke Hansuke, and," she leans forward a bit, so that her words won't carry, "he has a ring that turns into the Rod of Asclepius. He can teleport with it, and heal injuries. I'm still not ... entirely sure why, but after several conversations I decided to trust him with Mercury's secret. I wasn't thinking, and I regret immensely that this may have put you in danger. I'm sorry, Rei-chan."

Rei Hino has posed:
Rei nods. Until it's owner wants it back?

Is Ami blushing?

Rei leans back into her seat as Ami explains. Daisuke Hansuke. Interesting name.

Rod of Asclepius. "Wait, you mean that rod with a snake around it?" Healing and teleportation... that's pretty fitting.

Then the revelation of Ami's secret. Rei's concern increases for a moment, then she looks up and away, then she takes a very long sip of her soda, and then she places her can down on the table.

She leans forward and talks lowly, mirroring Ami's caution. "I didn't tell anyone this, but actually... Mamoru-kun found out my idenitity. Well I mean... he found it out well before that one time when most of us transformed in front of him."

"I didn't tell him, but like... Sailor Mars gave him a cell phone number for emergency use, and I had that phone on me, and well... there was an emergency when he was standing right next to me."

Rei looks a bit guilty as she says that, even embarassed actually. She has a hard time admitting that she messed up so badly.

"It turned out alright with Mamoru-kun... and maybe it'll turn out alright with this... Daisuke guy... but it's not something I'd make a habit of."

She takes another sip, emptying the can. When she's done, she adds, "After all, there's no telling when someone you know might turn out to be one of the Shitennou."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Rei isn't going to Ofuda Ami. This actually draws a faint sigh of relief from the blue-haired girl, and she smiles at her friend. "Yeah, I think it will. I told the others," she says quietly, "and Minako is a little worried, but I offered to let Sailor Venus meet him. We're going to introduce him to Virtue; he says he wants to help people, and I believe him."

Rei Hino has posed:
Ami is getting off easy because she isn't Usagi... though Usagi's new boyfriend (whether he calls himself that or not) is quickly adding himself to the list of 'people whom Rei is probably going to yell at'.

Rei is also quietly relieved that she didn't get called out for not telling anyone earlier.

"So he wants to join Virtue, huh? Well, we'll have to introduce him to Tsukawa, I suppose. I assume he's the one doing the recruiting since... you know, he spoke to both of us."

Rei props her head up with her arm, leaning against the table. "Honestly though, even if he knows Mercury, if the rest of us come along we should probably be in henshin, just to be safe."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"Mmm," Ami agrees with a nod at Rei. "That's what I said, as well. I don't want to reveal your identities to him. Chiba-san is going to help me introduce him to Tsukawa when the time comes. Mostly, Daisu-kun," did she just casually call a boy '-kun' without skipping a beat?, "just wants to understand what's going on, and I can't think of anyone who can explain that to him better than Virtue."

Rei Hino has posed:
Rei nods in agreement, though she pauses a bit at the '-kun' part. Something is a bit off here. She narrows her eyes, and leans in.

Something is going on here...

After a moment of (probably awkward) staring, Rei leans back in silence, crossing her arms. There is a puzzle here. How do the pieces fit together?

Nah, it's probably nothing.

"Yeah... I think Virtue would be a good place for a guy who just wants to help out, and apparently has healing powers."

Rei frowns slightly. "So... how much do you know this guy? You seem to trust him. Aside from revealing Mercury's secret, I don't think we're taking that much of a risk. Taking him to Tsukawa should be okay... but... you're sure you're not being taken in by this guy, right?"

Rei is a bit slow to trust, and slower to let people in, but sometimes there are reasons for that.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
If only Ami had a reasonable answer to that question. It's the same questions he's been asking herself for the paste several days, and none of her answers seem sufficient. "He says he experiences some strange sense of deja-vu around us, and ... I've sort-of felt it, myself. Especially around Chiba-san, and Chiba-san confirms the same with him. I don't ... know why I trust him, Rei," she says faintly. "I really don't. I half expected you to walk in here and tell me I was possessed. But I do trust him, even if I don't know why."

Rei Hino has posed:
Rei frowns at Ami's explaination. She isn't sure how she feels psychically about this. It'd be hard to tell without having him around to sense his nature. Yet at the same time this whole thing seems a little strange.

"Well... maybe if I met him it'd clear some things up. Your gut seems to trust him, at least." Rei doens't seem terribly convinced, even if she says that.

"Still, if there's anyone I know who can be smart about things, it's you. Just be careful, alright?"

She's a little unnerved by this, though she can't place her finger on why. Maybe it's just that someone she doesn't even know could potentially have an advantage over her and her friends if he turned out to be an enemy.

"I think moving forward is the best option, though it might be best if the rest of us got to know him, regardless of whether or not he proves to be trustworthy."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami inclines her head just faintly at Rei. "I will," she promises, "or at least careful as I can be. I know something isn't normal, because I've never put my homework off like this before. So I'm going to make sure and slow down whatever it is that's happening as much as I can, and involve you and the others in it where I can."

Here, she hesitates, and that hesitance turns into a blush. "I just wish they wouldn't tease me about it," she admits quietly to the one girl who probably won't. Probably.

"Anyways, that ... isn't even why I wanted to talk to you, originally," Ami admits with a sigh. "What do you know about Mamoru Chiba's abilities, at this point?"

Rei Hino has posed:
Rei nods, listening. Wait... tease her about it?

Oh, right. That finally snaps things into place. Okay, so Ami either has a crush on this guy, or she's giving off a lot of signs like she is.

...

Oh, Ami, if you were someone that Rei didn't care about, there would be a hundred rumors by now.

The next subject comes up. Mamoru Chiba's abilities...? Rei isn't sure.

"Well, I saw him trying to heal Moon the other day. Other than that, I don't really have any notion of the full extent of his power. I know that he's involved in the... you know... magical world, but other than the fact that he's kindof a jerk I don't know him that well."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"From what I understand," Ami says quietly, "he has now demonstrated healing on more than one occasion. Furthermore, he seems to be connected enough to get into Virtue on his own right, and he has these moments of deja-vu with the shitennou. I don't know what to make of it, but I'm hoping I can study at least his healing abilities. Whatever they are, I would like a better understanding of them. It's not normal for an ordinary person with no magical device to do that, but I know that ther are exceptions, like you. I was hoping you could help me devise a curriculum by which Mamoru's powers might be investigated which won't be harmful to him or others, and which won't make him uncomfortable."

Rei Hino has posed:
Rei hmms, looking down at the table. How could they study his healing power without making him uncomfortable...?

"I don't know him well enough to know his comfort zones. Honestly, in my mind he's 'Usagi-chan's boyfriend', whether she wants to admit to that or not, and he has some magic powers and there's some connection between him and us... but that's about it."

Still... this isn't the first time Rei has seen someone try to study magical powers scientifically. Her being the psychic prodigy she is, occasionally people would show up wanting to study such things...

... yet none of them ever really found anything.

"As for methods... I don't know. I don't think any sort of 'normal' method would work. Magic is very good at being hidden, especially from non-magical equipment. I don't know if he'd be comfortable if Mercury scanned him. I guess you'd have to ask him about that."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"Don't ... say that too loud around either of them," Ami notes quietly of the word 'boyfriend'. "Nor the other girls. I'm certain they are dating, but they're both incredibly defensive about it, and Minako and Makoto both seemed very judgemental of it." Beat. "And Luna, too." She sighs a little, then returns to the matter at hand.

"I was hoping Mercury could do it," she agrees with a nod. "The goggles should be able to detect the energy patterns, at least, and categorize them along their wavelengths. But that relies on someone being injured."

Rei Hino has posed:
Oh right. The injury. Rei bites her lip.

"Well, one option is to a minor injury, like a cut or something, just so he'd have something to heal, but I'm not sure how I feel about that, or how he'd feel about it."

She scratches the back of her head, adding, "Maybe an interview would be a good starting point? Like... ask him how it works, what it can do, and so on? Sorry, scientific progress isn't exactly my strong suit."

Well, especially not compared to Ami, anyways.

"... but I do think that talking it over with him will let you at least get a feel for what's he's comfortable with."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"I have, to some degree," Ami says quietly. "As long as I'm not treating him like a lab experiment, he's fine with exploring it." She shrugs a little, then considers Rei. "Maybe I'm just being overly critical, but I feel like finding the Princess is somehow linked to him, and this is the only lead I've got."

Rei Hino has posed:
"Considering the visions I've had about him," says Rei, "I don't think there's any chance he's not related. He might be key to finding the princess, and if it's the only lead we have then it's worth pursuing. I had my concerns about him at first... I mean, for a while a lot of us thought he was an enemy, but like... he seems okay. He seems like the kind of person who looks out for others and is naturally inclined to be kind."

Rei rubs his forehead a bit. "I mean... the time he found out about Mars, it was because some little girl was being haunted or followed by some kind of possessed doll, and he wanted some magical muscle to help him protect her... but he was going to protect her even if I wasn't around. I can't think that someone like that is a bad guy."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"I agree," Ami says faintly. "Honestly, at this point, I trust him. And not the same way I trut Daisuke. I think Mamoru has proven himself worthy of trust, so until I see reason to believe otherwise, I'm going to give it to him. But he is still the best connection we have to the moon princess, so I have to try and understand him."

Rei Hino has posed:
Rei nods, "Right. Mamoru-san has at least proven himself. At least... it would take a lot to convince me that he's not trustworthy."

"As for the moon princess," Rei shrugs, "Yeah, I agree. It's the best lead we have. We won't find her by not looking, that's for sure."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami nods her head faintly, then huddles into the coat and pulls the collar to her nose. She frowns a little and glances at it, then shakes her head. "Anyways, thank you for letting me ramble at you. I really should get this homework done. I can't believe I let myself get so far behind."

Rei Hino has posed:
Rei nods and smiles, "I'd offer to help, but you're so far above the rest of us I think I'd just hold you back."

She starts to get up, crunching up her soda can.

"Good luck with your studies, Ami-chan, and don't worry. You're still the smartest girl in school."

Rei starts to head off, leaving Ami to her studies, unless she's stopped for some reason.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami smiles at Rei's compliment. Even if she knows it's true, it's still nice to hear it, especially when she's feeling down on herself. "Thanks, Rei-chan. I'll see you later."