View source for 1948/Sincerity and Respect

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2016/09/20
|Location=Earth Court Frat House
|Synopsis=Kyouko is having doubts after her perceived failure in Ariel's dream. Kunzite and Naru reassure her, and Kunzite tells her some secrets too.
|Cast of Characters=109,78,127
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Preparing for after-school is almost a routine. Check that the public spaces of the apartment are clear. Put the things left out off to one side, little piles of weird trinkets and fidget toys and play-doh. Look in on Fiore. Do one more check on the mural to be sure nothing's woken up. Set out baked goods. Consider the fact that there are only two muffins of Makoto origin remaining, and make sure the nearest first-aid kits are stocked, because Mamoru might be out with Usagi rather than coming home.<br /><br />Settle down with a tablet to check the news and then revert to a book, because obviously you've been doing nothing all day.<br /><br />If he goes back to school with the others next spring, Kunzite reflects, dealing with the household is going to get much more interesting. But they've been settling down slowly, and there's six months to go before April. No sense in trying to project what will happen in detail that far out, not with Endymion being Endymion. Look at the change in Kyouko over half a year; and half a year before that, Kunzite hadn't even met her.

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's been a few days since that trip to Dream Time, and Kyouko has been noticably pensive since then. Although the results of said excursion could probably be classified largely as 'inconclusive', she obviously feels as though her first 'mission', so to speak, under the name of Apatite had been less than stellar. She likely feels this way because, upon being charged by an enemy, she immidiately got knocked aside like a child, exposing Mamoru, the one she was supposed to be protecting, to danger. This, she feels, is the opposite of what a good bodyguard is supposed to do.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As such, when she enters the ECFH living room on this afternoon, she is looking distinctly mopey. This takes the form if slightly draggy feet and a somewhat dour expression, and slightly less enthusiasm than normal when crossing to the kitchen to hunt for snacks.

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kunzite glances up from his book, something with a disconcertingly orange cover with a good deal of English text on it. Amend that prior thought. The change in Kyouko over half a week.<br /><br />He pauses for a moment to consider, then sets the book aside atop the tablet and rises to his feet. He can't be concerned about Kyouko's ravaages committed upon said snacks, since his pace as he follows her is unhurried. "What is it." The words are barely even a question.

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Is is listlessly poking at an apple on the counter when Kunzite enters the kitchen. She blinks, looking over at him when he enters, her brows drawing together. "What's what?" SHe asks, playing innocent, drawing herself up slightly. Defenses engaged- after all, being mopey is the same as showing weakness. SUch things cannot be allowed. "I'm fine." She grabs the apple and brushes past Kunzite, back into the living room, where she throws herself down on the couch and bites in with a juicy crunch.

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The mural is quiet. Progressing, albeit far more slowly than over break, but progressing. The night sky is starting to emerge over the waterfall, and apparently Naru can manage to paint sky wihtout invoking a whole new solar system into being.<br /><br />At least so far.<br /><br />The quiet noises and thumps from over in that other apartment show that Kunzite is not the only one who checks on the mural most days, and the who of that is hardly surprising when Naru opens the door to the current living room and shows herself in. She kicks off her shoes as she watches Kyouko flop onto the couch that illustrates that even the mythical Kyouko is not immune to being a teen girl sometimes.

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Of course." Kunzite lets her pass, turns at the doorway, leans aginst the wall on the living room side. "Mn. It's not Momo developing ill-advised contacts, or you'd be angrier. You haven't gotten any threats, or you'd be angrier, armed, and telling me exactly who you were going to beat the crap out of. It's not trouble at either of your jobs."<br /><br />His focus is on the couch, not on Naru; he tilts his head her way for a moment, even so.

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyouko doesn't even seem to notice Naru, the other girl still out of her line of sight. She sits on the couch, with her feet up on the coffee table, and chomps another bite out of the apple, chewing in silence for a moment as Kunzite lists off the things he thinks aren't bothering her.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When he falls quiet again, after a moment, she swallows what's in her mouth and then just says, "Nii-chan, do you think Mamoru made a good choice? When he chose me?" She doesn't say more, and she doesn't even look at him when she says it, her eyes staring at the wall across the way from her, fingers turning the apple around in her grip.

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Naru is not particularly hiding, this is not a pair where one wishes to /startle/ anyone, as rarely as it might happen, but she's equally not making a song and dance of her arrival. Especially not with the current conversation.<br /><br />Naru heads for the kitchen, like just about everyone else who arrives at about this time, to find something to eat after the horrors of a whole afternoon since lunch. Inspecting the fridge is, fortunately, a quiet endeavour.

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Naru is moving in the same room Kyouko is in. Kunzite presumes, therefore, that Kyouko is aware of her. His answer is unhesitating. "Yes."<br /><br />It's a moment before he adds anything else. "You cover gaps in our skills. You come at problems from a different angle. Most of us are made for standing and holding ground. You do things differently. We know we can rely on you. He does; and he has."

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyouko tilts her head.. listening as Kunzite speaks. Her eyes flick to Naru for a moment, but then away again- she clearly does not find Naru overhearing this conversation to be a threat, an indication of her affection for the girl. "But.. when we went into the Dream." She says, fingers curled around the apple. "The whole point of this.. of us, the Shitennou," She gestures, including Kunzite and the others not present, "Is to protect him, right? Not just him, but what he stands for, what he's made." She gestures again, meaning the ECFH and by extension the surrogate family that's grown up around it which means so much to her..<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I ''care'' about Mamoru and I love what he's made and I want to protect it, but the first time I really had a chance to put my money where my mouth is I just got swept aside." She makes a cutting motion with her hand. "Thwap. No good." She sighs. "I ain't never been good at ''protecting'', nii-chan. I'm a fighter. That's all I can do, and I like to think I'm pretty good at it. But if I can't even be good enough at ''that'', then what use is there keepin' me around?"

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>It's a substantive snack, and one that includes microwaving leftovers, and more than a muffin. Coffee too, if there's any made, and a pot being put on if it isn't. Naru is unlikely to be the only one to drink it, or at least wish to leech the warmth from it. The movement and quiet clatter from the kitchen keeps Naru from commenting for the moment, probably to let Kunzite answer first.

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"The whole point of the Shitennou," Kunzite says, "is that none of us have to act alone."<br /><br />He pushes away from the wall, comes to lean on the back of the couch. Beside Kyouko, not directly behind her. "It sent you flying. That's fine. It would've done the same to any of us. There will always be things that are stronger than we are. There's no shame in that.<br /><br />"But you held your ground when it charged you. You caught its weapon, tried to disarm it; even if you failed, you knocked it out of line, and that slowed its charge twice over. Once for the momentum you took. Once for pulling it out of line; reorienting a lance isn't quick.<br /><br />"You bought me time to shield its next target, and you slowed it so that the strike was something my shields ''could'' stop. You had it preoccupied, so that it was slow to react to Hakuomaru, and part of her attack got past its shield; and that left an opening for Endymion and Akashimaru. You might not have stopped it directly; but you made it possible for the rest of us to.<br /><br />"If you hadn't been there -- I'd have been back by Endymion instead. My shields aren't at their best against physical attacks, and I'm not as quick with them as you are with your spear. It would have taken me. Then Endymion. Yes, in a dream; but that only means that we have no idea what the consequences would have been."<br /><br />He shrugs, steady, whether or not she's looking up at him. "You did your job. And you were still moving, after."

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyouko listens to Kunzite's recounting of events, as he walks over to lean on the couch near to her. Her lips twist slightly to the side- she might think he's overstating her role in proceedings slightly, although she can't deny any of what he says, either.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I guess." She allows, after a moment, the traditional teenager 'I can't dispute but I'm not ready to admit I am wrong' answer. "I just.. still feel like I need to prove myself. To make sure that Mamoru feels like he made a good choice. It's not like I'm blind to the honor of it, y'know?" She fidgets some more with the apple. "He's the Prince of the whole Earth, after all, and he picked me, the first person he picked in that way for.. however long." A long time. "That's a lot to live up to, but I wanna do it. I don't want him to regret putting that kinda trust in me."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She lets her head droop sideways, leaning just a little against Kunzite's folded arm with the side of her head. "I don't feel like I've done that yet. And I know there'll be more chances but.. it worries me anyway." How could it not, with that stickly pride of hers? Always getting her in trouble. She doesn't say that part out loud, though.

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>A bowl of noodles and extras, a cup of coffee, and a Naru padding quietly out of the kitchen to head for the other couch. There is no doubt even a little that she's listening, and listening closely, even if her arrival is as quiet as her snack prep has been. Naru settles, automatically tucking her legs up to sit cross-legged on the couch, and be able to use her lap as a table for her bowl.<br /><br />There's a quiet furrow of her brow, thoughtful. "Have you five, or collections of you five ever trained together?" She asks thoughtfully, not entirely off topic.

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Not with Kyouko, yet," Kunzite says aside to Naru. "The rest of us used to, and will again. But there have been higher priorities since we started living here." He glances back to Kyouko. "I was planning to start easing into that again, but if you're having that much trouble adjusting to not having to do everything yourself, we might have to speed it up."<br /><br />He stretches fingers, strokes red hair just a little with the tips of them. "Carefully, though. I almost killed Endymion sparring with him and Jadeite, once. Jadeite blocked it, and that almost killed ''him.'' Not an experience we particularly want to go through again."

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyouko glances to Naru as she sits down nearby on the couch, but does not protest her presence. She leans slightly into stroking fingers against her red hair- this at least, in present company, she will allow even if she is not the 'sprawl all over' type so commonly found around these parts. "I don't mean to have trouble." She grumbles. "I'm just.. not used to teamwork. Just ask Mami how that ended up for us back in Kazamino."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She smirks faintly though, at Kunzite's story- not because Endymion and/or Jadeite almost died, but because she then says, "Pssh, I bet I could take you." Teasing, though knowing her, she might believe it, in error or not.

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Generally most people dont actively /try/ and not cope with changes." Naru points out as she settles to eating.<br /><br />There's a moment. "Please try not to kill each other, that's a change I would actively not cope well with. For the record."

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Mami's the one who pulled a gun on you back at the meeting, isn't she?" Kunzite's voice is ''that'' kind of mild. "I don't think I approve of her idea of teamwork."<br /><br />He might possibly also not approve on principle of her still having teeth, but in the interests of keeping Mamoru's reputation intact, he'll continue to let that go. Besides, Puella. It wouldn't last anyway.<br /><br />The push at Kyouko's shoulder a moment later is light. "Mn. If I find a good enough source to recharge on, we might have to test that sometime. With Mamoru or Daisuke around, of course. Just so that Naru doesn't worry."

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Yeah but it's.. well, it's complicated." Kyouko mutters, at least giving Mami that much credit in front of people who don't know her. "Les' just say I've given her plenty of reasons not to look at me kindly over the years. Which I guess goes back to the teamwork thing not exactly bein' my strong suit."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then, Kunzite's apparently (if conditional) acceptance of her 'challenge' actually does bring a toothy grin to her face, as she turns her head to look up at him. "You're on, nii-chan. Any time you feel up to it."<br /><br />tTo Naru, she asides, "Don't worry. I'm not going to get my ''second'' family killed after all the trouble I went through to find them." She says this almost off-handedly (Momo's return to life has done much to assuage her ever-lingering guilt), though the sentiment is without a doubt genuine.

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I'm as much concerned with getting you killed as the rest of them." Naru points out with a quiet smile. "Call me selfish, but I'm fond of the whole pack of you, and I wish to keep you all." She looks over and grins. "I mean, it takes the whole pack of you guys to keep /me/ in one piece. I've incentive here."<br /><br />"You might say that teamwork isn't your strong suit.. but you're having this conversation." Naru points out with a gesture of her snack. "If I have to accept that learning new stuff is a process, you have to accept that learning new stuff is a process. A sucktastic, pain in the arse process, but a process."

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Not to mention that I've seen you work productively in a team several times," Kunzite says almost absently, following up Naru's words. "Starting with this weekend and going back through the year. ''Standard'' teamwork isn't your strong suit. But it's not most of the rest of ours, either. Look at Nephrite. Look at ''Endymion.''" That last, of course, is distinctly amused.

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyouko's cheeks get just the faintest bit red at Naru's words, and she offers a genuine smile back to the other girl. "Aw, that's sweet, Naru-chan. I gotta admit, I'm rather fond of you, too. You got a lotta pluck, and that's always somethin' I admire."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At the other part, she sighs a little bit. "That's cuz I ''want'' to do better. That's been me this whole past year, y'know? It's like.. I'm finally wakin' up from the bad dream I was in for the past four years, but.. it's not easy. But I guess that's what you mean, huh?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As for Kunzite, she smirks slightly once again. "Endymion's only bad at teamwork 'cuz he thinks he should be able to handle everything himself, even if he knows he can't. But that's okay. I don't think I could be content in his service if he was the sort to push responsibility onto everybody else."

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Of course you /want/ to do better. And yeah. It sucks. It sucks being able to see better, and know what better is, and not quite be there." Naru leans over to set her bowl down a moment, collecting her coffee. "And what sucks more? You dont realize you're already better, cause there's always more better and you probably wont notice when this level of better becomes normal and you're tracking down the next level of better."<br /><br />There's a pause and then Naru comments. "That whole sentance could have worked better, no pun intended, with more diverse words, but you know what I mean."

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Naru ''has'' been paying attention, then. Good. Kunzite settles to listening, for the most part, but not entirely. "He's getting better at that part," he notes aside to Kyouko's summary of Endymion. "But providence preserve us all from his improvising. If it didn't work so often, we might be able to make him ''stop.''"

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyouko listens to Naru's rambling attempt at philosphy, and can't help but laugh quietly at the end of it, a grin curving her lips up at one corner. "I think 'the grass is always greener' might be somethin' along the lines of what you were lookin' for, Naru-chan, but yeah. You're right, accourse. And I think it's better that way cuz I dunno what I'd even do if I suddenly felt like I had peaked and there was nowhere left to go. That's what keeps me fightin' y'know. That next ledge, just out of reach."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To Kunzite, she says, "Well, I hope he doesn't change too much. I doubt I'd love the bastard quite so much if he started being content to just be protected.. as much as it'd make our job easier." There's nothing romantic in her use of 'love', but she says it easily, without even thinking about it.

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Mmm. I think more 'moving target', than grass is greener, but yeah. I'm pretty sure there's a fortune cookie somewhere that sums it up." Naru grins easily. "I mean, in the most simplistic of examples, the run I did on Saturday after not nearly enough sleep Friday night was something that I was pretty sure was delusional when I started. Now? Biggest challenge was forgetting my headphones."<br /><br />Naru smirks a touch at the mental image of Endymion being content to just be protected. "I really don't think you guys are in any danger of /that/ happening anytime soon."

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"If he ever starts behaving like that," Kunzite says quite seriously to Kyouko, "you'll want to contact Mercury immediately; she's in the best place to analyze what he's been replaced with or controlled by, and therefore what trap we need to set."<br /><br />... no, he's not joking. Yes, he did just say Mercury, not him.

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyouko rolls her eyes slightly. "Well, let's just hope it doesn't come to that, then." She says, with a little laugh. She shifts on the couch, still leaning her head very lightly against Kunzite's hand as he rests on the back.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Thanks guys." She says, after moment, still toying with the half-eaten apple in her hand. "I do feel better now. But I will take you up on training, nii-chan, whenever you organize it. Because I ''do'' want to be better. And I want to be worthy of the trust that's been shown in me."

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Naru says nothing on the topic of Endy, or any of them, behaving wildly outside of character and who to contact in such a situation. She just sips her coffee, because it is good to know who to call when it does happen. Even if its probably most likely to be /her/ who is replaced or controlled. Or emotionless. Again.<br /><br />"I'd love to watch, if I could." Naru adds to the notion of the two of them training. "I don't often get a good sense of what all is going on when I'm being chewed on."

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"We'll see," Kunzite says. "It'll still be a little while. Might grow naturally out of what you two are already doing. I'd prefer that; the rest of us ..." He trails off for a moment. Then substitutes for whatever he'd been going to say. "We're still figuring things out. It's not quick."

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At this, Kyouko reaches up behind her and lays her hand on Kunzite's arm, squeezing it lightly. "It's never quick." She says, in a quiet tone. "But nothing worth doing is ever easy.. that's somethin' I really do believe." She takes her hand away after a moment, and smiles. "I plan to be here for a while. So don't feel like you need to rush anything on my account."

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"It's never quick. Much to my eternal frustration, but no." Naru sighs a little and then sets her coffee down to uncurl from the couch and go find where her sketchbook got to stay over, just in case it decided to start crawling around and eating people when she wasn't watching.<br /><br />It was, thank goodness, just as quiet as the mural. Progress!<br /><br />"Training montages in movies have a lot of explaining to do. Not sucking should be achieved in one cheesy song, two on the outside." Naru comments over her shoulder.

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kunzite covers Kyouko's hand for a moment -- not too tightly, and not too long. "One set of parents down, three to go," he says aside to Kyouko, dry. "Possibly two. If Zoisite dealt with his own, we'd never know till he told us."<br /><br />He straightens up from his lean, at last, glancing toward Naru's sketchbook and noting the graphite's still being in place. "Don't say that too loud. Certain people in this apartment might come up with a playlist."

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyouko says nothing in response to Kunzite's words about parents. That's not something she's had to dealt with, and perhaps she's wondering what she would do in that position. She would give a lot to have her original family restored- well, parts of it. But she keeps her mouth shut- it's not her place to butt in. Until it is, and then she will, but that time is not right now.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She grins at Naru. "You're doin' fine, Naru-chan. You'll be a terror before long, trust me."

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Pfft. You say that like its a bad thing." Naru grins at Kunzite. "Training playlist? Totally. I could use something new to listen to while I'm painting the mural."<br /><br />Naru drops her sketchbook onto the couch where she was sitting, and then removes her empty bowl back to the kitchen while she's up.<br /><br />"I dont think I'm likely to be a terror, but that's okay." Naru returns back to the living room. "In that whole conversation about teamwork and different skillsets and roles and stuff? Yeah. Not front line zotty zotty, and big picture, that's okay. Or so I'll keep reminding myself 'til I believe it. And Kunzite's really good about not saying 'I told you so'."

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>One might wonder why Kunzite mentioned that to Kyouko. Maybe it was warning. Maybe he doesn't expect any of the other sets to turn up alive -- which would make it a warning twice over.<br /><br />Maybe he's just being blind to social common sense again. Always possible.<br /><br />"People need things to come back to," he says to Naru instead. "Not all of those things are also people."

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Just because you're not a front-line fighter doesn't mean you can't be a terror, or able to defend yourself." Kyouko insists to Naru, then grins. "And that's fine though. You do what you do.. we'll do what we do. Somehow, together, we'll keep this boat afloat." She pats the couch she's sitting on. As if the EFCH is suddenly a boat on stormy seas.

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Well I'm going to go continue working on one of those things to come back to." Naru notes to Kunzite as she returns to the living room to collect up sketchbook and coffee and head next door. She grins to Kyouko. "Terror, perhaps. I dont promise on defending myself, but we'll see. I think that falls into the better I dont know yet. But as I can't currently defend myself, I'll try and holler before I go ping if I manage to draw myself some venomous spiders."<br /><br />Naru waves to them both and heads back out, still barefoot, towards the empty apartment and her paints and a great big wall's worth of painting to do.

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"If they're venomous sky-spiders," Kunzite comments after Naru, "Nephrite had better be home."<br /><br />... hopefully he won't decide to keep them as pets.<br /><br />It's after Naru is out of hearing that he says, without other preamble, "Did Mamoru ever tell you about Elysion?"

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyouko watches Naru depart, waving to her with one hand.. then turning her head to glance back at Kunzite as he abruptly switches topics. She bites into her apple again, chewing for a moment before replying.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Not really. I've gathered a little bit from overhearing stuff, but.. not directly. I.. don't like to pry if it doesn't concern me directly."

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kunzite gives a brief nod, then turns and moves for the kitchen. He's back shortly with a cup of coffee, which he takes to seat himself on the other couch. "Tell me what you've put together, then."

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyouko's apple is decidedly less-extant when Kunzite returns from the kitchen. SHe looks across at him as he sits on the other couch, pulling her legs up to tuck them next to her on the cushion. "Just that it was.. I dunno, some kinda golden land all you guys lived in a really long time ago, and it was destroyed because of the shit Beryl pulled, along with the Moon Kingdom."

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>There's another of those short little nods, a little more of Kunzite's pale hair pulling in front of his shoulders. "That's a start." He considers his coffee, as if it held some answer. "Where do Mamoru's roses come from?"

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyouko's brows draw together at this question. "I dunno, a rose garden?" She asks, sounding genuinely confused as to why this is relevant. "Where does my spear come from? It just shows up."

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Your spear comes from your magic," Kunzite says. "Mamoru's roses are live things. They grow under the right circumstances. He can call on them, and they're related, but they're not, precisely, his magic. They're their own."

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"So, from a rose garden." Kyouko says, sitting back again, tilting her head to one side as she regards her nii-chan across the distance between the couches. "What does that have to do with Elysion? Is that where the rose garden is?"

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I don't know. But it seems possible." Kunzite lowers his head a little further for a moment. "Elysion is ... a strange place. I've never understood where it's physically located, or ''whether'' it's physically located. But it's possible it may have survived. If it did ... there's the possibility it may come back, in time."<br /><br />He's quiet for a moment longer, and then adds, matter-of-fact, "If it does, then it's entirely possible you may be the ''only'' one of us able to stay with Endymion for a while."

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyouko's brows draw together further as she listens to Kunzite's talk of Elysion and it's less-than-defined nature. "I see.. might come back? Wouldn't that be a good thing?" She asks, sounding a bit unsure, because of the way Kunzite is talking.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But then when he says that she might be the only one able to stay with Endymion, she sits up straight, a sudden, cold trickle of fear clutching at her heart. It's easy to see in her eyes. "What, why? What do you mean?"

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"It would be a good thing. But that means that, if it ever happens, there will be things trying to stop it." Kunzite leans forward and draws a curve and two lines on the coffee table with a fingertip: the quartered circle. "You know about the palaces. They weren't just there for show. Or even for administration, though we used them for that. They were access points. Gateways between Earth and Elysion. That's why they have the defenses they do -- including us. But we never anticipated a situation in which all four of us might be called to them simultaneously."

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Oh.. oh.." Kyouko relaxes slightly, though it's clear to see the signs of that stress, that fear, still in her. The way she actually shakes slightly as she raises a hand to her forehead. "For a second I thought.." She glances up then, her red eyes fierce. "Don't you dare go dying and leave me alone again, do you hear me?" She says, firmly.. then takes a long, deep breath.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"But.. okay. I see what you mean. So if something like that happens and you all have to guard your doorways.. then it's gonna be up to me to stay by his side."

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Wouldn't dare," Kunzite says gravely to Kyouko. "If I die, my first priority becomes finding a way to come back. Endymion sets Nephrite on figuring out roughly when and where. Then Endymion either detects me at birth, or has Jadeite work out a way to catch my attention. Either way, within a couple of years at most, you'll find me. And then you two will complete your vengeance by making Momo the babysitter. I ''would not dare.''"<br /><br />Somehow, he still has a straight face.<br /><br />Kunzite nods to her after, all the same. "Right. There's no guarantee this will happen. But if it does -- my best guess is that it might happen sometime within the next four or five years. I'd rather warn you early, or unnecessarily, than have it happen next month and you not know."

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyouko laughs a little bit at Kunzite's response to dying. "Ah.. that does make me feel better." She doesn't mention, of course, that she would have no such recourse, though it briefly crosses her mind that it would be nice to have that kind of surety.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She nods her head then, at Kunzite's second point. "Okay.. alright. Well.. I appreciate that. And if it's a good thing, I hope it does. It just means I need to be even more sure of myself and on top of my game, so I'll be ready if it comes to that."

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>She and Kunzite have exactly the same likelihood of coming back if they die again, really. A miracle, or something unexpected, or someone doing something clever with a soul gem. He doesn't mention that, either; it's taken as granted, because if it doesn't work -- well. There's no point in worrying, then.<br /><br />He nods to her once more, instead. "That's one of the things we don't talk about much," he says. "Even in the family. We don't need the wrong person hearing about it; we don't need hopes gotten up too soon, and we don't need someone mentioning it to someone who winds up working for Riventon for a while. We don't talk about our real priorities much, either -- that if we're pushed to it, we need to take care of Moon before even Endymion. That's someone else's job, for one thing, and they're better at it than we would be. But if it comes down to it ... if we lose him, but not her, there's a chance of getting him back. If we lose her, but not him -- we lose him anyway. So we ''don't lose her.'' But that's the senshi's business. We only step in if none of them can."<br /><br />He runs a hand down one side of his face. "And we don't talk about it. Because it doesn't do them any good to have to remember."

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyouko listens to all of this in renewed silence, seeming to mull it over for a few moments. When Kunzite finishes speaking, she glances back up at him. "I won't tell anybody. I promise." She says, and that's a promise she'd die before breaking, because when she says things like that, she really means them.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She gets up from her couch and crosses over to where Kunzite sits, sitting down next to him and leaning over to give him a proper hug, arms about his chest, and a firm squeeze. "We won't lose ''anybody'' if I have anything to say about it." She says, her tone fierce again. "I'm only fifteen godamned years old and I've already lost more than most normal people lose in their entire lives. I know I ain't unique in that, we've all lost things, but I'm ''done'' losing stuff. I am ''done'', nii-chan. So don't you worry about it, alright? You can count on me."

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>There is, into that quiet and emotional moment, the sound of a thump. A fairly solid thump, and a thump that isn't perhaps entirely comforting. Something falling, perhaps, or someone, landing hard at least. Not in this living room, muffled enough to be in another room. Possibly even in another apartment.<br /><br />It does come, as promised, with a raised voice that sounds like Naru, being rather entirely too casual. "Hey guys! Er.. you busy? Careful opening the door..."<br /><br />There is, at least, not actually a ping. Oh wait, no yes, there is it.

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kunzite doesn't fully return the embrace -- that would be an excellent way to waste Kyouko's magic on healing minor burns -- but he eettles an arm around her in turn for a moment. He's about to say something ... anda there's a thump, and a voice.'s eyes slide toward the hallway, but there's no screaming. There's time to set the coffee cup down. "And you were worried Endymion might have made the wrong choice," he says to Kyouko, and gets up to find out what thinks Naru looks like a snack ''this'' time.<br /><br />Maybe they'll be lucky and it's just part of the ceiling.
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