View source for 1987/Just Another Sunday at the ECFH

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2016/10/02
|Location=Earth Court Frat House
|Synopsis=Mamoru might be melting his brain with study, but the Earth Court apartments are as happening a place as ever... especially with Chibiusa staying over for the day.
|Cast of Characters=56,42,109,177,116,23,38,127,58,132,180,64
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:56|Nephrite| (56)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The autumn sunshine drifts lazily through the ECFH. It's the sort of crisp afternoon made for warm drinks of the cliche spiced gourd kind while catching up on homework or a very good book. Nephrite, at present, is pointedly avoiding any such thing, sitting on the floor with their growing collection of console games stacked up.<br /><br /> "All I'm saying is alphabetical order isn't a functional system when we're dealing with so many different consoles and genres. We should keep the multiplayer games together for when company comes over, which is like, all the time." Nephrite glances up from his reshuffling. "Also it will annoy the hell out of certain people."

:'''{{#var:42|Makoto Kino| (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Makoto should be catching up on homework herself. Nominally, that's what she came here to do; her books and notebooks are on the coffee table, evidence of the failed effort. <br /><br />Right now what she's actually doing is sitting on the floor with her back leaned against Nephrite's, taking no responsibility for his current project. <br /><br />"And all I'm saying is he's going to put them back alphabetical anyway," she replies, tipping her head back against Nephrite's shoulder as though it's in any way physically possible to make eye contact from this position. "I'm not arguing with you, your system makes more sense to me, too. It just seems like a lot of work just to make him cranky for half an hour."

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>At least one of 'certain people,' though one who granted tends to leave the video games alone, may happen to be seated at the far end of the less-convenient-for-gaming couch. God knows how long he's been there. "And all that I'm hearing," he says without looking up from his book, "is 'Kunzite, I have too much time on my hands, I need another couple of jobs to do until I start paying attention to entrance exams.'"

:'''{{#var:177|Setsuna Meioh| (177)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Setsuna pauses at the door, making sure she has the right place. She can hear some voices inside. The invitation had been unexpected, and she had surprised herself when she decided to take Mamoru's offer. Though Setsuna's time is limited -- her current simulation is processing without need of supervision -- she can't pass up a chance to converse with a fellow star lover. She gives a knock on the door.

:'''{{#var:116|Daisuke Hansuke| (116)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Daisuke Hansuke decides to pay a visit to the ECFH because he's been keeping his distance since... well. The Asteroid. For reasons. He's mostly getting over it in his own way, which means burying himself in charity work and only peeking up when he's called.<br /><br />He wasn't called today! He appears, in a teleport, on the balcony and gives a knock on the balcony door just as a warning someone is coming in, and he steps on in.<br /><br />He places his hands on his hips. "Hey." he says with a wave to the others. "How is everyone doing?" he asks.<br /><br />Oh, he has a box in his hands. They are donuts. He places the box onto the nearest table.

:'''{{#var:23|Homura Akemi| (23)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Homura, for reasons unknown, is trying to break the habit of coming in through windows or balconies. So she comes in the 'old fashioned' way, or at least the way that most reasonable, sane, non-magical people do. When she approaches the front door, she notices an unfamiliar face.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Oh. I haven't met you before. A friend of Mamo-kun's?" she asks Setsuna. The time-stopping Puella steps closer, narrowing her eyes. "No, no actually I think I ''have'' seen you before. Do you go to Infinity?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Homura bows slightly, in a polite fashion, unsure if she should address the woman before her as a peer or a superior. "Homura Akemi, Grade 8." Since Setsuna has already knocked Homura sees very little reason to do it again. She imagines the door will open soon enough.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And yes, she does take her shoes off when she steps inside, thanks for asking.

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba| (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>And the primary Certain Person it would annoy lingers in the doorway holding a stack of books and over-ear headphones, looking... annoyed. "I don't ''care'' what you do with the videogames, I'm not the one who organized them. Just don't goddamn touch my DVDs, they're organized very specifically. And not alphabetically. And anything you'd wanna watch would be on Netfl-- oh hi, Dai."<br /><br />Mamoru steps in and drops his stack on the table, heading for the door to open it because there's a lot of generalized laziness and besides it's his place and he's up. Pulling the door open, he blinks and his demeanor changes almost immediately. "Meioh-san!" he says cheerfully. "Yo! Come-- JEEZ nee-chan what the hell-- god;" hand over heart in startlement; Setsuna's tall af and Homura was behind her "heart attack. Hi you. Anyway come in-- I'm mostly chugging away on papers, but make yourself at home."<br /><br />He steps aside to let them in, then tells Setsuna, "The friend I told you about's over there -- his name's Neph -- and that's Makoto Kino, and Daisuke Hansuke, and Ku-- Kazuo Takeba."<br /><br />He calls over his shoulder, "Someone else be host I have more homework than literally all of you put together."

:'''{{#var:177|Setsuna Meioh| (177)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>As she waits, another guest appears and introduces herself. Well, first she recognizes Setsuna, which surprises her...until she realizes that it's due to Infinity.<br /><br />"Ah yes, I am a grad student there. Nice to meet you, Homura. My name is Setsuna Meioh."<br /><br />She nods a return bow to Homura just as Mamoru opens the door.<br /><br />"Ah, hello!"<br /><br />Setsuna follows Mamoru's introduction of the cast before her, mentally noting names to faces as best she can, though it's a fast introduction. 'Neph' being the subject of interest was the one she made sure to file away properly.<br /><br />"Ah yes, thank you. Enjoy your homework."<br /><br />She smiles and steps into the room.

:'''{{#var:56|Nephrite| (56)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nephrite tilts his head against Makoto's as she speaks. "Of course he will. But is any amount of work too much for half an hour of annoyance? And in the meantime, Mario Kart gets put at the top of the pile where it belongs."<br /><br /> He rolls his eyes at the dry commentary coming from the boring end of the living room. "I'm allowed to have fun sometimes ''Dad''. Anyway I somehow haven't managed to get myself kicked out despite writing half my homework with one eye glued to the telescope."<br /><br /> And then there is a knock at the door--and the balcony. "Daisuke!" He calls, by way of greeting. "Daisuke and donuts!" He nudges the girlfriend using him as a cushion before reluctantly moving to stand. "I'll be back, I promise."<br /><br /> Setsuna and Homura are greeted by a tall, mildly disheveled high school student in a t-shirt that has Darth Vader's head depicted as a constellation in a starry sky. He shoots Mamoru a skeptical glance. "You're also smart enough that you could blow it off and wing it, but whatever. Homura hi!" He turns to Setsuna. "Hey, welcome to the party house. I'm Mifune Wright but literally nobody calls me that. Want a Daisuke donut?"

:'''{{#var:23|Homura Akemi| (23)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mamoru is again startled by the sudden presence of Homura? Well, she can't complain too much. She's a sneaky little devil sometimes.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"You're just jealous because I did my homework years ago," retorts Homura, with a shit-eating grin. Yes, she says this right in front of Setsuna. "Nah, just kidding, otouto-san. Good luck with your homework." Isn't she a lot younger than he is?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She steps in after Setsuna, walking into the living room proper. "A grad student? What's your major?" When she sees Nephrite, she greets him with a grin. "Hey, Nephrite. How's it going?" she says, not calling him by his given name.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As for Homura, she's wearing a violet blouse and black skirt, with black hose covering her legs and a purple ribbon tying back her hair.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Homura snerks. "As if Mamo-kun would blow it off."

:'''{{#var:42|Makoto Kino| (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Makoto duly stops leaning on Nephrite so he can get up without dumping her on the floor - and then, since people are arriving, she gets up onto her feet herself. "Ooh, donuts. Thanks, Daisuke-kun. How've you been?"<br /><br />The box is right there, so Mako raids it while the raiding is good. She snags one for herself, and a second to offer over to Nephrite as she wanders over that way-- "Be fair, nobody can say it with a straight face," Mako tells him with a quick, teasing grin as she holds out the donut.<br /><br />Homura gets a friendly nod; Setsuna, meanwhile, receives a longer, more curious look. "Hi," Makoto says. "Nice to meet you. I'm Makoto, if you missed it in that whole blitz of introductions just now."

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"All right, ''one'' job." There's a brief glitter of gray eyes over the disconcertingly orange cover of the actual physical book 'Kazuo' is reading -- the appearance at the balcony doesn't dissuade him, but the knock at the actual door prompts him to add, "Tell you later." Whatever it was, he wouldn't've minded Daisuke or Makoto knowing, but random arrivals are another story.<br /><br />Even if they are, apparently, not random arrivals. The book is closed and set aside; Kazuo unfolds himself to his feet as well. Apparently the apartment picks its visitors in part by height, since he's ... even taller than Nephrite, who is in turn taller than Mamoru. At least there's one other person here who doesn't look high- or middle-school age. Kazuo's more somewhere in undergrad, with something about the line of his mouth that might suggest older, or at least might suggest having supervised a particularly uncooperative lab or four.<br /><br />He crosses over to Daisuke and the donuts. "Better than expected," he says in answer to the how's-everyone-doing question. "No major problems this term so far. The first set of renovations are more or less done; Naru's still working on the mural, but that's all." For that set. God knows what they'll be doing next. He might have asked a question of his own to follow up, but Makoto does that for him, and Kazuo tilts his head her way to echo it instead.

:'''{{#var:116|Daisuke Hansuke| (116)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Daisuke Hansuke gives a wave! His shoes are off. They're on the balcony. He respects da rules. he gives a wave. "Hello, Meioh-san." he says politely. "Yes, Donuts are for everyone." he says. "I like to bring things." he says. "When I visit." he says with a smile.<br /><br />He nods at Makoto. "You're welcome." he says.<br /><br />He eyes the game shelf. For some reason then looks away.<br /><br />"Have fun, Mamoru." he says. "I always do my work before I do anything else. Lord knows I need the headway nowadays." he mutters.<br /><br />"I've been. Alright." he says. He gives a smile. The kind of fake smile that says 'I'm fine. really. but not really.'. "Acceptable, at least." he nods a bit. He steals a donut for himself then goes to sit down.

:'''{{#var:177|Setsuna Meioh| (177)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>As they enter, Homura asks Setsuna about her major.<br /><br />"I'm studying Astrophysics currently."<br /><br />Setsuna then glances at the science-meets-pop-culture shirt on Mifune, noting that her conversation potential with him has expanded.<br /><br />"A Daisuke donut? I do like donuts, but...those are?"<br /><br />She notes the girl Mamoru had identified as Makoto raiding a box of what looked like standard donuts, so she makes her way over to pick one.<br /><br />"Hello, Makoto. I'm Setsuna Meioh."<br /><br />She couldn't remember if Mamoru had thrown out her name in the beginning. With introductions made, she surveys the donuts, and picks a particularly good prize.

:'''{{#var:56|Nephrite| (56)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nephrite's face lights up when Makoto deposits a donut in his hand. She scored him the maple one! How did she--no, he does not even have to ask. "But that's half the fun of it," he protests. "Why have a boring name when instead you can make everyone laugh?"<br /><br /> He turns back to Setsuna. "Daisuke donuts are donuts provided by Daisuke. Which makes them better than regular donuts, really." He starts nibbling at said donut, while his free arm coils around Makoto. "Did I hear you say astrophysics just now?"

:'''{{#var:23|Homura Akemi| (23)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Astrophysics?" repeats Homura. Huh. Yeah, that is... not her field. She's read a few college-level books on math and psychology, but she's no Astrophysicist. "Yeah, that's right. If you want to talk stars, Neph is totally your guy."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;After all, Homura's seen his mansion. Or saw the mansion he used to have. She decides to leave out details like that until she's able to figure out if Setsuna is magic-aware or not.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Makoto gets a nod in greeting, everyone else not yet greeted gets a wave, and Homura goes to find a chair to sit in.

:'''{{#var:177|Setsuna Meioh| (177)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Setsuna inspects the Daisuke donut in hand, her expectations high thanks to its fabled status. She samples it herself, tasting a good pastry, though the Daisuke element is lost to her. She finishes the bite and answers Neph.<br /><br />"Yes, astrophysics. My current project is looking into the symmetries of physical systems. I have a few models computing currently..."<br /><br />Her phone cuts her off. She checks the number and sees that it's her undergrad assistant.<br /><br />"Oh, excuse me."<br /><br />She appologizes and steps away.<br /><br />"Hello? Yes..."<br /><br />Her expression turns to one of concern as the party on the other end relays information. After a few reassuring remarks, she hangs up.<br /><br />"Ah, it seems that some unexpected errors have popped up. I'll need to run back earlier than expected. As she turns to go, she notices the donut in her hand and turns back to the main gathering of people.<br /><br />"Thank you for the Daisuke donut! Next time I'll have to drop by when we're not running anything."<br /><br />With that, Pluto hastily takes her leave, donut in her mouth as she pulls on her shoes before exiting.

:'''{{#var:116|Daisuke Hansuke| (116)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Daisuke Hansuke adds. "Daisuke donuts are donuts that I just happened to bring. I bought them at a cart on the way here!" which means he had to stop mid teleport in an alley, walk to a stand. Walk back into the alley, and teleport to the balcony.<br /><br />He glances over to Neph. "I dunno how me bringing them makes them any better." he says.<br /><br />He does smirk wryly however just a little at that.<br /><br />"Astro physics. huh." he says as he thinks. "Must be challenging! Bye Meioh-san." he says with a polite wave.

:'''{{#var:23|Homura Akemi| (23)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Homura's eyes blink a few times. Symmetries of physical systems? She understands the individual words, but it takes her a moment to guess how they relate to stars and planets.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Oh, right. I suppose something like that is..." she searches for the words, "... computationally expensive."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Homura is quiet as Setsuna talks on her cell phone, and then blinks as she suddenly has to go. "Well it was a pleasure meeting you, Meioh-san. Good luck with your simulations!"

:'''{{#var:42|Makoto Kino| (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Makoto needs no further encouragement to lean in against Nephrite's side, the arm that's not still occupied with donut slipping around behind his back. "I'm pretty sure that food someone brought for you without being asked is always better than if you had to go get the same thing for yourself," she suggests to Daisuke, regarding the relative superiority of Daisuke donuts versus other donuts. "Anyway, it was really nice of you."<br /><br />Setsuna's hasty departure has her blinking a little, surprised, and she waves her donut in farewell as the tall girl hurries off. "Take care, Meioh-san! ...Ahh, too bad." Faintly regretful, she takes a bite out of the donut, chews, swallows. "I mean, I could already tell I wasn't going to understand a word of that conversation, but she seemed nice."

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The door barely closes from Setsuna leaving before it's opening again. This time without the benefit of a knocking and a waiting politely for someone to let them in.<br /><br />A barefoot, aproned and vaguely paint splattered Naru pads her way in, carrying a travel mug with her as she does. There's a pause as she blinks at the people in the living room. "Wow, party in here."

:'''{{#var:56|Nephrite| (56)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nephrite smirks at Makoto. "Just what I was gonna say! Donuts that require no effort from me are always better than other donuts."<br /><br /> As Setsuna is called away by her phone, he leans conspiratorially towards Makoto to stage whisper at her. "Oh no. She's smarter than me. She's gonna know how many astronomical terms I make up just to troll Jadeite."<br /><br /> Fortunately, Setsuna's project is here to rescue him. "Nice meeting you, Ms Meioh! Drop in any time!"<br /><br /> And suddenly a wild Naru appears! "Naru! Just a small one. Come have a donut." Nephrite is particularly generous with other people's food.

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Daisuke brought donuts," Kunzite informs Naru, not /quite/ in time with Nephrite, as if that were the obvious and sole cause of any such gathering.<br /><br />The said Daisuke boasted a fake smile for a moment, and that's taken in with the same faintly critical eye as everything else. "I take it your vacation wasn't," is all that he says aloud. "It's good to see you have time to stop by." There are more interests than astrophysics that eat time alive; witness Mamoru's determined word count efforts even now. Still.<br /><br />He doesn't ask questions. Not in a gathering this large. He does detach, and take himself off toward the kitchen. Possibly ''because'' the gathering's this large -- no, wait, still not Mamoru.

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba| (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Mamoru, who's ensconced himself in a corner with a pile of textbooks and notebooks, and who has a pair of 'don't talk to me' giant headphones on (who wants to bet he's listening to classical music) while he works on his homework, glances up to see Setsuna gone and Naru coming in, and he manages to look both disappointed and pleased. He lifts up one side of his headphones and calls out, "Hi Naru! Neph you should seriously tag her sometime, see if you can check out what she's working on and if there's anything you can use that your telescope can't pick up. Odds are good she's monitoring stuff that might be useful." A pause. "Kunzite can you get me a coffee while you're up?"

:'''{{#var:23|Homura Akemi| (23)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Homura's chuckle at Makoto's words is a little exasperated, as she sits with her hand propping up her cheek. "Yeah, no kidding. It sounds like something Ami might be into, though." She takes a look at Makoto and Nephrite, wondering if that's how she looks when...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Naru comes in, and Homura sends a smile in her direction. "Hey, Naru. You look like you've been busy."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Is Homura jealous that Naru can paint and she can't? Nah, not at all.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mamoru speaks up. Stuff that might be useful? Homura glances around, sees nothing but people whom she knows are magic-aware, and then asks. "Hey, so... does she know about... you know. Henshins. Youma. That sort of thing? Or is that the kind of thing to not discuss with her?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's a question that Homura has to ask, considering where they are.

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba| (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Not as far as I know," Mamoru calls back to Homura. "So Prime Directive protocols apply."

:'''{{#var:23|Homura Akemi| (23)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Understood, Captain Mamo-kun," responds Homura, without even a hint of teasing or sarcasm.

:'''{{#var:116|Daisuke Hansuke| (116)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Daisuke Hansuke kind of brushes a hand down his jacket a moment. "I tend to assume people may not be in the know. It's safer that way." he says. "I mean. For both parties. I'm pretty sure my dad would send me to an institution if I started talking about this stuff." he insists.<br /><br />Kunzite goes off to another room to get coffee apparently for Mamoru.<br /><br />"Right, I could do with a glass of water myself. Excuse me a moment." he says as he also trapises into the kitchen to aquire said glass of H2O.<br /><br />"Eh. My vacation was spent trying to catch up with a lot of work." he insists.

:'''{{#var:42|Makoto Kino| (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nephrite gets a gentle hipcheck, since Mako isn't in a position to elbow him. "As long as it's just Jadeite," she tells him, trying for straight-faced and not really managing it very successfully. "I trust you when you tell me things, you know."<br /><br />Green eyes flick from Homura to Mamoru and back, and Mako's eyebrows lift a little. "Wow," she comments. "I almost feel like I've gotten out of practice at having friends who don't know about these things. Ever since Naru-chan caught on - hi Naru-chan! - I've hardly had to watch what I say at all."<br /><br />She doesn't miss Daisuke's exit, and for a moment her eyes track that way as he's leaving the room, a look of concern ghosting over her expression. But he's already gone into the kitchen, so that's all it is for the moment.

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Prime Directive only lasts 'til someone jumps onto the balcony, for the record. If they're visiting here at least." Naru points out with a quirk of a smile. "And who are we prime directiveing?"<br /><br />She lifts her mug in greeting to those who have greeted her. "I will totally come back for a doughnut once I have fixed the caffeine level in my blood stream." Because what the kitchen clearly needs is yet another person adding themselves into it, especially trying to acquire coffee.

:'''{{#var:56|Nephrite| (56)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nephrite accepts the deserved hip-check with a laugh. "I promise, I couldn't lie to you even if I wanted to. I don't want to be struck by lightning anyway."<br /><br /> Nephrite raises an eyebrow at Mamoru, and gives the passing Naru a glance. "Something I can use? Yo Naru, come tell me about your new Naru-project when you're caffeinated!"<br /><br /> "You know," he reminds the room at large, "the prime directive might be easier to enforce if anyone would actually use my non-magical name for a change."

:'''{{#var:116|Daisuke Hansuke| (116)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Daisuke Hansuke snickers from the Kitchen. "Mifune." he says. Yeah. Hard to keep a straight face.

:'''{{#var:23|Homura Akemi| (23)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"It's been a while for me, too," states Homura, with a shrug of her shoulders. "Though admittedly most of my friends turned out to be magical anyways. Still, it's not the kind of thing one discusses unless they know their current company."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;People move into the kitchen. Homura glances in their direction, but doesn't comment about it. People going to the kitchen isn't in any way suspicious, but a part of her can't help but mentally note it.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Setsuna Meioh." is the answer that Homura offers to Naru. "She just left. She's a grad student at Infinity. Studying Astrophysics."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Nephrite's comment gets a chuckle from Homura. "Sure, Write."

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba| (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Objection," Mamoru says absently from his homework corner, evidencing that he may actually be paying some attention at the moment instead of listening to music, and just dulling the volume of his surroundings with those headphones. "It's hard to remember. You didn't pick something that started with N. Nobody calls Zoi Izumi either mostly. Besides we're so close to finding out what your actual legal name is that I don't wanna make myself get used to the fake one."<br /><br />This last gets a pointed look up at Nephrite as Mamoru mimes thumbing a shooter at a clutch of marbles on a table, none of which is actually there.

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kunzite is starting coffee when Daisuke follows him in, but there's already been a glass taken down for him, sitting with a couple of others in lonely and pristine glory on the counter. (Presumably the coffee is for Mamoru /and/ Naru, not to mention all others with interest. No response was actually given to Mamoru's request, but that's normal enough.)<br /><br />"You're welcome to bring work over here, if you'd prefer a change of pace," he comments to Daisuke. At least appearing to take the explanation at face value, which ... may or may not actually be true. "I understand that the likelihood of being dragged into a round of whatever people are playing is counterbalanced by having food on hand and there being other people to complain at."<br /><br />Or occasionally get help from, but complaining at is probably more frequent.<br /><br />... the possibility that the claimed work in question might be less schoolwork and more small fuzzy creatures is perhaps not discounted in that invitation.<br /><br />He is calling no comments over to the conversation just outside. After all, he's close to the only one who ''does'' use Nephrite's non-magical name. Which may not actually help the situation any.

:'''{{#var:42|Makoto Kino| (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I do try to remember," Mako says, a little apologetic now. "It's just hard. I don't ''think'' of you as Mifune. I can barely remember Kazuo, most of the time."<br /><br />Mamoru's last comment arrests her attention very handily; suddenly Makoto is looking back and forth between him and Nephrite with questions all over her face. "You guys have been making progress, then? That's great."

:'''{{#var:116|Daisuke Hansuke| (116)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Daisuke Hansuke looks to Kunzite as he fills the glass with tap water. That'll be good enough for him. He drinks. "Eh." he says to Kunzite. "I don't really wanna be a bother n' all that. It sounds like important stuff has been going on anyways---" a pause as he looks towards the main room and back to Kunzite. "You guys can't remember... your 'legal names'? I mean. Like. In this life?" he says a little with concern.<br /><br />He just shakes his head and sighs a bit.<br /><br />"Has everything been okay?" he asks. "I uh. Wrote a letter. To Kyouko. To make sure she understood that I'm on call. No different than one of you guys now." he says.<br /><br />"Since she has not come and stabbed me for calling her 'Lady Apatite' in the letter, I will assume she's taken no offense to it." he says with a joking tone. Daisuke likes being formal like that.

:'''{{#var:56|Nephrite| (56)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nephrite points a finger-gun at Homura. "Better. And it doubles for both names, see?"<br /><br /> But Mamoru's objection comes from the corner. Nephrite gives him a sour look. "What if it's a dumb name? Then I'm sticking with the funny one permanently and you'll have no choice."<br /><br /> He gives Makoto a sheepish glance. "Ish? The marbles are out of the jar. That counts, right?"

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Dear gods, Daisuke.. they put up with me turning up and asking unending questions and animating the wall accidentally. I expect your invitation is just as non-hollow as mine is." Naru points out as she waits patiently in the kitchen for the coffee making to actually produce coffee that can than become coffee drinking rather than coffee anticipation.<br /><br />"I never remember Neph.. or Zoi's.. other names, and I'm about a quarter of the time on calling Kunzite anything but Kunzite. I am not part of the solution here." Naru calls back out on the topic of names. "I'm not sure I remember, if I ever knew, a name for Jadeite that wasn't Jadeite."

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kunzite glances aside at Daisuke. "Are you under the impression that what you do isn't important?" Matter-of-fact as always. Sometimes, that underlines things better than a more overt emphasis would.<br /><br />Then Daisuke asks that question, and Kazuo lets his attention go back to what he's doing. Mugs added to the glasses. Pitcher, with ice. Are there cookies left from the spiced oatmeal batch Naru did? Yes, there are, to supplement the remaining donuts. "Some of us remember a little. I have my legal name, but that's largely because I was born in Tokyo, and Mamoru found where I'd cached a few things that happened to include ID." Also another source. But that came later. "We're working on it." More or less. The marbles are apparently out of the jar, whatever that means.<br /><br />"No-one new is dead," he adds to whether everything's been okay. "Given that we hosted an open party recently, which drew a couple of attendees from Eclipse, I'll take that as doing well. Thank you for contacting Kyouko; she's considerably amused at the idea of having a tile, and not offended, no. She's adjusting. More rather than less, so far."<br /><br />A pause, and he says aside to Naru, "Saburo Yukimura. For the time being, at least."

:'''{{#var:23|Homura Akemi| (23)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Homura raises an amused eyebrow at the fingerguns from Nephrite, if only because it's such a Mamo-like behavior to her. "I wonder how serious you are about that. I mean there's the obvious joke that comes from 'Write me funny', but there's also the various definitions of the word 'Mifune', 'ship' being one of them. Considering what shippers some of you are..." as if she isn't every bit as guilty of that, "... I have to wonder if 'shipwright' is part of the joke."

:'''{{#var:58|Usagi Tsukino| (58)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Usagi doesn't knock.<br /><br />She's half asleep, more or less, gives sleepy waves to everyone! Hugs for everyone!<br /><br />And then she reaches Mamoru. Who is busy on his homework. She won't disturb him long!<br /><br />She hugs him. "Mamo-chan I finished my homework--" He is very comfy and she is very tired. "So I can come over and say hi--" So warm! She starts to wiggle and squirm, at that point of being sleepy where she doesn't ''quite'' realize how obtrusive she may be being at the moment as her leg slides behind him and she wiggles and squirms some more until she's comfortabley snuggled on his back. "So hi. Hmmmm, warm cozy cuddles."

:'''{{#var:42|Makoto Kino| (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Marbles. Oh. Makoto's eyebrows go up a little, and then she's leaning against Nephrite's side again, her arm around him giving a little squeeze. "Journey of a thousand miles, single step, and so on? Any effort toward progress is progress."<br /><br />A beat, and then Mako is giving Homura a ''very'' wry look. "Mostly it just makes me think 'your parents really liked old samurai movies, didn't they?'"

:'''{{#var:116|Daisuke Hansuke| (116)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Daisuke Hansuke head tilts at Kunzite and frowns. "I wish I could help with that. But mind diving is Mamoru's thing. Not mine." he says. "I wish you best luck." he says softly.<br /><br />"No..I know. What I do is important. It's just. Been kind of stressful the past few months." he admits.<br /><br />"Maybe I do need a proper vacation." he mutters under his breath a moment before he washes out the now empty glass and goes about making sure it's put away.<br /><br />"Wait. Animating the what?" he asks Naru, looking like she grew two heads.

:'''{{#var:23|Homura Akemi| (23)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Homura giggles at the look she gets from Makoto. "I have to say it. You two really make a cute couple. Along those lines... would that make him your Mr. Write?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She is rather shameless and unapologetic about puns today.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She says this as Usagi is coming in, and Homura stands up to give her a short hug. "Hi, Usagi-chan." Then, speaking of cute couples, Usagi goes and climbs all over Mamoru.

:'''{{#var:132|Zoisite| (132)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Zoisite shuffles out into the living room, waving a bit at the collected people, includimg a crooked smile for Homura. It's warranted, given what they were working on together until recently. The fiery blond flops on the couch. "Hey, bunny," he says lazily, watching Usagi pass with a wry smile.<br /><br />He's mildly thirsty, but obviously woke up from a nap and still working on clawing his way to full consciousness.<br /><br />"Mr. Write?" Zoisite asks of Homura's giggling comment.

:'''{{#var:56|Nephrite| (56)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nephrite stares at Homura. "Well it is /now./ Shipwright. I need to remember that one."<br /><br /> His hands no longer contain donuts, so he has both hands free to give Makoto a proper hug. "Baby steps, yes. Eight hundred baby steps or so."<br /><br /> But he snorts at the samurai comment. "I will neither confirm nor deny the influence of old samurai movies on the name choice."<br /><br /> He smirks down at the sleepy Zoi. "Mister, eh? Am I moving up in the world? Zoi, you just missed a very tall astrophysicist. But you're just in time for donuts."

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"The mural kinda got away from me a bit, and I put enough energy into it that the waterfall started dripping." Naru explains to Daisuke as if this is /perfectly normal/. "It's fine now. No more animating the mural, I'm getting much better at not animating things I don't mean to." The 'generally' is just implied in that statement.<br /><br />"What's been your big stressors, Daisuke? I feel like I've lost track of various threads of people's stuff while I've been in my own head mostly." Naru comments conversationally, moving over to set her travel mug over into the sink and accepting that she's not going back over to paint right away.<br /><br />Naru looks at the collection of things that Kunzite's set out for the taking out to the living room and she moves over to wash her hands. "What can I carry, Kunzite?"

:'''{{#var:23|Homura Akemi| (23)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Homura gives Zoisite a sincere, knowing smile. She knows she was a little rough with him, but gun safety is very important! Besides, he must have gotten the material fairly well because Homura's not still giving him hell over it.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"We were just discussing Nephrite's name and how no one wants to use it," says Homura, still not using it.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She overhears a comment about a mural coming to life, and Homura blinks. "Well I've heard of lifelike paintings before, but..."

:'''{{#var:132|Zoisite| (132)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Zoisite shrugs. "Physics seems to be Kunzite's thing lately, and isn't anything with astro- in it your ballfield?" Not a big loss, though the ''reason'' the Tall Astrophysicist was here has him mildly curious. Donuts, though, get him to sit up and smile a little.<br /><br />"Donuts huh? I do-nut want to be left out of that one." If the bad pun makes anyone groan, all the better.<br /><br />"Well, people hardly use my fake name either," Zoi chimes in, getting up from the couch to go investigate the promise of food.

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba| (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Any moving around Mamoru does upon Usagi's arrival is limited to a glance up just before she comes in the door, a soft-eyed smile and a stilling of his pen on paper, the moving of one headphone foreward of his ear so he can hear her, a quick kiss to her temple, and then shifting a bit to make a little more room for her behind him. "Proud of you for finishing first," he murmurs. "It's fine if you fall asleep, just don't wiggle too much. I'm making a concession to sociability by being here, but really I'm doing homework, so--"<br /><br />The one downside of Zoisite couch-flopping short of where Mamoru can reach is that there is no ponytail-tugging. But that's fine. He has a sleepy Usagi wrapping around him from behind and all is momentarily right with the world. Headphone gets plopped back over ear, and Mamoru starts busily writing again.

:'''{{#var:42|Makoto Kino| (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Predictably, Makoto blushes bright pink at Homura's observation. The sudden rush of self-consciousness doesn't keep her from snuggling into Nephrite's hug, though, and she laughs quietly and only a little awkwardly. "I guess you'd say that," she agrees.<br /><br />OH HELLO THERE ZOISITE. Making the obligatory pained faces at his pun provides a welcome distraction: "...I was going to say hello, but now I'm not sure I want to.

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Fortunately, the floor was already waterproof. And now we have an idea why she attracted so much attention." Is that a past tense? Is the number of days posted on the fridge past two? Yes to both. Mind diving -- completely not mentioned; and Naru has the other important question. Good, good. That means he can pay attention to filling Naru's mug and one for Mamoru, and assembling a tray of most of the rest. Most. The plate of cookies gets handed to Naru. Apparently she can carry the part she made.

:'''{{#var:116|Daisuke Hansuke| (116)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Daisuke Hansuke crosses his arms. "Okay, so what you're saying is, 'you do have magic'." he says with a soft nod. "Alright then." he says. Then he begins to make overblown overtures of grabbing his heart.<br /><br />"Pun so bad... dyinnnnggg." he insists.<br /><br />Then he stops. "Yeah donuts are for everyone, enjoy!" he says as he smiles and crosses his arms.<br /><br />He looks back at Naru. "So that's why you got singled out a lot, eh? Those things could detect what you didn't know you had?" he asks.<br /><br />"Ugh." he says.

:'''{{#var:23|Homura Akemi| (23)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Between Makoto's blush and agreement, Homura can only lightly chuckle. "Well, Winter is coming soon. If I find any romantic places to skate, I'll let you two know."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She hasn't forgotten how Makoto skates, after all. There's a lot about the Last Chance dance she won't forget.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Uuugh. And now she's thinking about it. Being surrounded by so much cuteness is making Homura ''really'' wish that a certain someone was here. Yet if she cuddles her ''all the time'', like she has been doing, she won't see her other friends that much! Ugh ugh ugh.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She shows very few outward signs of her distress. Arms wrapping around her stomach, not because she's cold, but because a certain someone is missing in then. She's glancing away, unfocused at some random spot on the wall, looking wistful.

:'''{{#var:58|Usagi Tsukino| (58)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Though asleep, and aware enough not to be too wiggly, her nose catches scent of the cookies and it twitches. (Are they MakoCookies?)<br /><br />Eyes closed, she lifts her head just enough, mouth open.<br /><br />Cooookiiiiiessss.

:'''{{#var:132|Zoisite| (132)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Zoi gets up, meandering over to Homura with a lazy smirk. "I know the feeling," he says, his smirk slanting even more crookedly. "I'm resisting the urge to go invade Kunzite's personal space." Granted, it being an out-and-out thing is new, so Zoisite has something of an excuse.<br /><br />"You wanna go steal donuts or something?" Even though Homura was a hardass at him, he's rather fond of her for it, given that it was over life-and-death matters and all.

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Ah! Er. Yes." Naru grins and nods to Daisuke. "I do have magic. Which took a bit to both figure out and then convince me of." She takes the plate of cookies from Kunzite.<br /><br />"The current working theory goes basically that I was oozing energy all over the place, cause I had it, and wasn't using it. Which does fit, generally." Naru is terribly calm about the reality of her actually being bait.<br /><br />Naru causally puts an clearly inferior NaruCookie into Usagi's mouth as she passes, heading into the living room from the kitchen. She's had some practice with baby-bird Usagi and there's a cookie that ends up offered to Mamoru too, such that he doesn't need to get up.<br /><br />"If you're invading Kunzite's personal space, Zoi.. could you let him put the coffee down first?" Naru asks with a quirk of a smile as she sets the cookies down before stealing a doughnut and going to find her bag and sketchbook.

:'''{{#var:23|Homura Akemi| (23)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Homura, frankly, would ''not'' be a hardass if it weren't important. She's hard because she cares. She looks up at Zoisite, blinking at first, and then she smirks. "You read my mind. I'm really bad about resisting that particular urge. Madoka-chan has me so spoiled. To think, ''I'' was the one who set out to spoil ''her''. I suppose turnabout is fair play."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She stands up, because what better way to resist the urge to bolt off of the balcony shouting apologies and 'I need to go find Mado-chan!' than a distraction? "Sure, why not?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sleeping Usagi gets a gentle pat on her head, light enough that Mamoru might not even feel it. Such an adorable little savior of the world.

:'''{{#var:58|Usagi Tsukino| (58)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>But Usagi ''likes'' NaruCookies!<br /><br />She chews on it, curled against Mamoru's back again, and it only lasts because she ''is'' asleep.<br /><br />Homura's head pat gets a purr and a softly audible 'nomnomnom.'

:'''{{#var:132|Zoisite| (132)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>There's an even wider smirk at Naru's comment. "That was the general idea, yeah," he calls with amusement in his voice. For Homura, he snorts softly. "I read your ''face''. It's been hard not to make that ''exact'' face while I'm at school," he offers, following her over.<br /><br />He beams at Kunzite, offering his hands to take the coffee off his hands.

:'''{{#var:56|Nephrite| (56)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nephrite gestures down at his Darth Vader constellation shirt. "Astro stuff, totally my thing. But she's apparently studying it in a proper academic setting instead of on the apartment roof."<br /><br /> He grins at the mention of skating. "Hey yeah, it's almost the season for that right?" He looks down at Makoto. "You can teach me how to do lifts again. Let's try for a creep-free lesson."<br /><br /> He can't help but chuckle at the donut theft plan. "Is it stealing if the donuts are offered freely?"

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>There is such a thing as 'suspiciously helpful,' and it usually comes with the expression Zoisite is wearing right now. Kunzite turns the tray over to him nonetheless, coffee and ice water alike/ (Why is it that so few people who drop by seem to drink tea? At least they finally, a week or two ago, worked through the mystery ''entire fridge's worth of pineapple soda'' that plagued the apartment for summer vacation) He retrieves one specific mug, in order to deliver Mamoru's previous request to him at last. Fortunately Usagi is distracted by cookie, so there will be no ill-fated sleepnomming attempts at the coffee.<br /><br />... Setsuna is studying it in a proper academic setting. "I'm sure that if she applies herself she'll be able to cope with the handicap," Kunzite notes aloud to Nephrite, retaking his original place on the couch. His book is still there. He is not unwise enough to try to pick it up.

:'''{{#var:23|Homura Akemi| (23)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I was making a face?" Homura sounds concerned. Then she sighs. "You aren't the first person to tell me that the look in my eyes gives me away. I'm letting my poker face slip."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She walks over to and takes a donut, leaning against a wall and nibbling it. Between bites, she comments. "It's not our faults, you know. You've seen how powerful love can be. Can I really be expected to resist such a torrent? Not when Madoka-chan ''invites'' it so."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then Zoi is moving towards Kunzite, and Homura's wearing a wide, impish grin. She may not have seen this couple together before, but she's making guesses as to what comes next.

:'''{{#var:42|Makoto Kino| (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Makoto watches Usagi's baby bird performance with an indulgent, affectionate look that speaks of a feeling probably familiar to everyone in the room. Aww.<br /><br />And laughs, quietly, at the reminder of the ''last'' ill-fated skating trip. "Definitely," she agrees. "And also less falling over from energy drain, that was no fun. If you find any good spots, Homura-chan, I'll definitely take your recommendations."<br /><br />Somewhere in the midst of this she catches enough of one of the other conversational threads currently going on that Mako's attention flicks toward Naru-- "I can't decide if 'congratulations' is the right thing to say or not, but... congratulations?"

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Doughnut AND cookie and sketchbook and coffee and Naru brings her almost complete collection of contentment with her to curl up in a chair. No Alex tonight, so Naru can curl up as she wish in a chair, there's more than enough room just for her.<br /><br />A quiet little sigh, relaxed and tired and comfortable as she settles in to listen for the moment, adept at balancing coffee and sketchbook.<br /><br />There's a smile over to Makoto and Naru gestures. "I'm not sure if it's congratulations or not, either, but thank you. It's growing on me, I suppose."

:'''{{#var:132|Zoisite| (132)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nephrite gets a crooked grin from Zoisite at that comment, and Kunzite gets a sharp laugh. It's one of the things Zoisite appreciates- when Kunzite jokes, it's in a manner that most find unexpected, which is all the more hilarious. Zoisite smiles faintly at Usagi's baby bird performance.<br /><br />Zoi nods at Homura a little. "Well, even if it wasn't ''super'' obvious..." Zoisite shrugs. He watches people. Mostly to troll, but he does it for other reasons too.<br /><br />Zoisite sets the coffee and water on the coffee table before flopping down next to Kunzite, eyes half-lidded with a small smile on his face. Yes, he's obvious.

:'''{{#var:23|Homura Akemi| (23)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Homura watches Zoi sitting next to Kunzite, looking so sweet and adorable. At first, she admires the cuteness of it. Then her arm around her stomach twitches. It twitches again. Her hand clenches her side.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She does make an effort to look cool and calm. It's a valiant effort, really, against powerful forces she has no control over. Sadly, like many valiant efforts, it's also a futile one.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I um... so... it was nice seeing you all again! I um... I kindof... have something... I need to..."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She tries, really hard to think of an actual excuse, despite the fact that it's already pretty clear what's on her mind right now. There's not much point in lying about it. Who would she be kidding? Her intentions are as plain as the look on her face.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Ineedtogocuddlemadokachan!"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She is already in henshin and out the balcony door, jumping away, like a magnet drawn to an opposite charge.

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba| (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"BYE ONEE-SAMAAAA~" calls Mamoru possibly a little louder than necessary because he's got headphones on.

:'''{{#var:58|Usagi Tsukino| (58)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Usagi is suddenly awake and flailing, and she falls off the chair.<br /><br />"What, what, Mamo-chan who's killing you again?"

:'''{{#var:180|Chibiusa Tsukino| (180)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>There's the soft patter of feet in the hallway, and moments later there stands a tiny girl, hair and clothes rumpled, eyes heavy with drowsiness. From the way she rubs her face, she may as well be half-asleep, even now -- and in her left hand, where Luna-P is usually nestled close to her chest, there sits an adorable, plush likeness of Tuxedo Kamen.<br /><br />"Mamo-chan, I --" Chibiusa yawns before she can finish her thought, blinking for several seconds afterward to compose herself a bit more. "-- everyone was talking out here, so I woke up. Can we turn on Netflix again?" Whether that nap had been to distract her from cartoons or to get some time to himself, she's awake now, and there are still three Disney movies she hasn't seen, so that TV is *hers.*<br /><br />In the daze between sleep and true wakefulness, it hasn't quite sunk in how crowded the room is now. How many people are here that she doesn't know, and how many people that she does know, but on less-than-amazing terms. Zoisite hasn't gotten another word from her this weekend, and Usagi -- well, she hasn't seen her in weeks. Perhaps there's been time for unhappy feelings to fade?

:'''{{#var:132|Zoisite| (132)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Zoisite leans against Kunzite and snorts a little at Homura's excuse to exit. The amusement turns to ashes in his mouth at the sight and sound of Chibiusa entering the room. Anyone looking at his face can practically hear the sound of thin, shattering ice underfoot, and he tenses perceptibly against Kunzite for a moment, before he ''pointedly'' forces himself to relax. Still, there's smoldering anger in his gaze, and he burrows against Kunzite's side, grabbing the remaining donuts and meandering over to Usagi. He claims one of himself, and offers the rest to Usagi on the floor with a crooked smile around his donut.

:'''{{#var:64|Rei Hino| (64)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;From that same balcony, a certain Salior Mars appears, looking somewhat confused as she helps herself in.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Hey, so is everything okay? I just saw someone jumping away."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Well, there doesn't ''seem'' to be anything wrong here. Just cuddling of various kinds. And Usagi-chan, who just woke up. And someone very short and pink whom Rei hasn't seen before, though may have heard of.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Huuuh. Weird. Okay."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Rei walks over to the couch and plops down next to Usagi, sitting next to her girlfriend with her hands in her lap, looking at Usagi with big doey eyes.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She dehenshins into a long red frilly dress. For some reason there's a red rose in her hair, the same color as the dress. And she's looking at Usagi, as if silently pleading.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Her eyes, however, do eventually go to Chibiusa, and her gaze is a lot less pleading and a lot more curious. "Hello. Are you a friend of Mamo-kun's?"

:'''{{#var:58|Usagi Tsukino| (58)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Somehow, with no danger present, Usagi finds her way to the couch, wiggling on the other side of Zoisite.<br /><br />And then...<br /><br />That ''brat!''<br /><br />Rei enters, but Usagi is glaring daggers! "You don't get to call him that!"<br /><br />Yes, she'll totally get in a fight with a five-year old.<br /><br />She's a bristly ball of fury and vengeance when Rei sits next to her. And then there's dehenshioning and Usagi's attention is suddenly ''not'' on Chibiusa.<br /><br />"Ohhhhhhhhh, Rei, you're so pretty!"<br /><br />And suddenly she's fluttering hands, at the rose, Rei's cheeks, and her own are a bit pink.<br /><br />"Wow. I mean, you're ''always'' pretty of course! But golly!"

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>There is, therefore, a brief moment in which Kunzite clasps an arm around Zoisite's shoulders as the latter appears intent on escaping the present company by tunnelling through Kunzite's ribcage. Then Zoisite is abruptly elsewhere. And conducting quiet donut warfare. By allying himself with a territorial Usagi who might as well be hissing and spitting with back arched.<br /><br />He glances at Rei, and says, typically deadpan, "Everything's fine."

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba| (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Making an ill-fated grab for the suddenly falling Usagi, Mamoru's headphones fall off his head and, of course, land squarely on Usagi's. "Agh--! Sorry, Usako, aaa--" he flails, scooping up the headphones to get them out of the way and rolling the chair back and to the side in order to help her pick herself up, "--nobody's killing me, Homu-chan just ran off to go cuddle Mado-chan and I was teasing her, I didn't mean to wake you up--"<br /><br />--and then Chibiusa enters, stage left, and Mamoru looks momentarily stricken because a) she just called him Mamo-chan in front of Usagi, b) Zoisite is still here, c) there are a jillion other people here, and d) he still has three essays and two outlines to do. And. And. Zoisite's left the only potential restraining effect on him in favor of giving floor-Usagi doughnuts while he's trying to help her up, which normally he'd be all for but this is about to turn into an intertemporal incident.<br /><br />"Morning, sleepyhead--" he calls over to smol pink, "there are a bunch of other rooms with big TVs in them; this one's the one with the projector and the videogame consoles, no Netflix hooked up to it, so unless you want to play Mario Kart you're out of luck on that one. There's doughnuts over on that table and cookies on that one, and I'll introduce you to--"<br /><br />This flustering quick succession of words gets neatly cut off at the pass by the arrival of Sailor Mars. Mamoru freezes again and glances quickly at Chibiusa, but she's looking the other way, and Rei's already de-henshined by the time the tiny pink-haired girl looks her way. "--everyone. The girl in the pretty red dress is Rei Hino and--ahhh. The girl falling asleep on that couch, with the red hair, that's Naru Osaka she's a good friend, you know Mako-chan and Kunzite-and-Zoisite-and-Usako and THAT'S NEPHRITE I told you you might meet him he's Mako-chan's boyfriend remember? and he likes playing Mario Kart!! But I bet you could give him a run for his money--"<br /><br />Yes. Yes. Please. Distract five year old from all the people acting like five year olds.

:'''{{#var:42|Makoto Kino| (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>''Onee-sama?'', Makoto mouths silently, tilting a puzzled look upwards to Nephrite as though in hopes that he might have some explanation, before she decides that, no, she doesn't really want to know.<br /><br />Diversion arrives in the form of a smol pink-haired child. The sudden increase in tension in the room makes Mako wince a little, but she ignores Zoisite's silent bristling in order to turn a smile towards Chibiusa. "Hi, Chibiusa-chan. Sorry, were we noisy?" <br /><br />Rei's arrival gets a doubletake; it doesn't take long for Makoto to start getting the feeling that she's watching a situation unraveling fast. There's a certain resignation in her smile when she greets her teammate. "What did you do, Rei-chan, escape from a fancy dress party? This is Usagi Tsukino-san, but she's letting us call her Chibiusa-chan so that people don't get too confused."

:'''{{#var:64|Rei Hino| (64)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"That's on purpose," explains Rei, in a too soft voice. "I was hoping to find you."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A part of Rei's mind is going 'my god are you really saying this?'<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Another part is saying 'well usagi's my girlfriend so uh... yeah?'<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Rei's always arguing with someone, after all.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Beneath doey eyes forms a soft smile. She slowly leans against Usagi, violet eyes looking deep into pretty blue.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Glad to hear it," says Rei to Zoi, without taking her eyes off of Usagi. A little bit closer, and their noses might just briefly touch.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then, well... because Rei is Rei, the tension in the room doesn't escape her notice. She frowns, but stays leaning against Usagi-chan anyways, even as she studies the room in peripheral vision. "I god tired of putting up with grandpa and wanted to find Usagi-chan, but apparently--"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She hears Makoto offer the small one's name.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Usagi Tsukino?!"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Rei finally breaks eye contact from Usagi, to look at... Usagi. Then back at Usagi. "How...? Who is...?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She lets out a sigh, and then throws her arms around Usagi, resting her head on her princess's shoulder as she studies the little girl with her eyes. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Chibiusa-chan. Please don't mind Usagi-chan. She's noisy sometimes, but she's really sweet and she means well."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Because of course Rei said it like that.

:'''{{#var:180|Chibiusa Tsukino| (180)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>A happy accident of fate. Chibiusa's rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand when Mars makes her entrance and detransforms into Rei Hino -- clearly, some star isn't ready for her to make that connection just yet. If she did, this whole conversation would turn into another yellfest about the Silver Crystal, demands to know where Sailor Moon is, guns getting drawn again maybe. Not the ideal situation, when at least two people here still don't trust her, and when she could lose the trust of several more.<br /><br />Instead, she yawns again as people react to her presence, sleepy and oblivious. Zoisite she can safely ignore, as he ignores her. The other Usagi is another matter entirely. The other Usagi gets *mean* again.<br /><br />Her eyes sink into a glare to match hers, sharpening as budding irritation beats out drowsiness. Who is this girl to tell her what she can and can't call Mamoru? And why should she care so much anyway? How immature!<br /><br />Says the five-year-old still hugging a tuxedo plushie.<br /><br />"I just did," she says, sticking her tongue out and punctuating herself with a raspberry. "And he's fine with it, so there." Adjusting to show off the awesome present a liiiittle more conspicuously, Chibiusa pivots to take in the new people, those that have been mentioned before and those that haven't. Nephrite she's at least heard around the frat house when she's been there; this Rei person is new, and Usagi's mega-attention grabbing from her is an immediate strike against her, but she'll decide for sure whether she's nice in a bit.<br /><br />"Yeah, I'm *Mamo-chan's* friend," she says. No, not passive-aggressive at all, though she might not even recognize that word if accused of it. "Mako-chan's too. I live with them." Matter-of-fact as anything, and ignoring Rei's surprise at her name, she trots over to the couch and hoists herself up next to Mamoru, swinging her leg up as she crawls bodily onto it.<br /><br />"What's Mario Kart? I bet I'm good at it. Can we play it right now? I'm bored."

:'''{{#var:56|Nephrite| (56)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The nature of being an astronomer who hangs out on the roof all the time when he is not either at school or with his girlfriend is that Nephrite misses out on a lot of the things that happen in his own shared living space. Like murals dripping water, or small pink-haired children sleeping over.<br /><br /> "Is this the Chibi I hear so much about? It's true, I am a Mario Kart wizard. Let's get it set up, huh?" Nephrite stands and makes a point of picking up the game from the /top/ of the stack where it clearly belongs and fires up the Wii U and wall projector. He hands Chibi Usa a controller. "There are lots of characters. Even a pink princess!"

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lives with them.<br /><br />Kunzite does not say anything. Kunzite leans over, wordlessly, to pour himself coffee. If he is thinking very hard right now about the post-asteroid gathering in which Nephrite was gleefully adulterating coffee, ''no-one will ever know.'' Except possibly in that he is for once not looking even mildly irritable. tired, or even merely resigned about the Mario Kart coming out.

:'''{{#var:132|Zoisite| (132)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Zoisite had a question for Rei, but the smoldering anger he has for Chibiusa pre-empts that. Plus, the evil little she-beast may well use what he has to ask against both him and Usagi, and that's a definite No. Instead, he gives her an arch, frosty look before going to sit next to Kunzite again, burrowing against his side a little, apparently napping to the casual observer. The fact that he's not is only obvious to those who know him well- as in, obnoxious five-year-olds will miss it. He's taking deep breaths in through his nose, settling his nerves.<br /><br />Being petty at Chibiusa obviously isn't going to get the response he wants out of her. Perhaps it's time to change tactics, and a casual observer would notice a brief speculative look on his face. "I'm going to get more donuts, since some jerk made sure there weren't enough for everyone." With that, he heads for the door.

:'''{{#var:58|Usagi Tsukino| (58)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The forehead touch is nice and calm and relaxing.<br /><br />Well. The look Mamoru gets at ''that'' revelation, the not minding the name thing, is probably a touch whithering.<br /><br />And maybe she's a bit sulky now.<br /><br />But not too sulky! Because Rei's being sweet, and she's blushing again. She shrugs at her confusion over the shared name.<br /><br />She rests her chin on Rei's head. "I'm not sweet. I'm a bristly grumpy ball of fur. Grrrr."

:'''{{#var:64|Rei Hino| (64)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Rei studies Chibiusa, and her eyes go between the pink Usagi and the blonde Usagi. Zoi's state doesn't escape her notice either. Fortunately there's talk of video games to hopefully distract from the situation.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Well Mako-chan, it's nice of you to take care of her." She sounds genuinely impressed, though not surprised. She ''knows'' Mako-chan. "This must be the girl I've heard about?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She sticks her tongue out at Usagi. "Yes you are. You're sweet and nice and cute and... falling asleep."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Rei notices the grumbly grumpy Usagi-chan going back to her dormant state. She sighs and nuzzles against her, and then watches as Mario Kart gets booted up.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She'd play, but... she's got her arms full.

:'''{{#var:42|Makoto Kino| (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>There is a whole world of gratitude in the look that Makoto is directing towards Nephrite as the setup for Mario Kart begins. Yes, thank you, video game distraction is go. "I'll play too," she offers. "It's more fun with more players." <br /><br />Yes, her homework is still spread out not far away, but this is crisis aversion. <br /><br />A quick glance confirms that Usagi is cuddling with Rei and probably is set for the moment. Zoisite is - somewhere, but at least nothing is actually on fire. Perhaps peace can be maintained, at least long enough for Mamoru to finish his schoolwork.

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba| (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Mamoru lets out the smallest of sighs. Good no one is killing each other, though he has the suspicion he'll be getting yelled at in multiple directions later. He mouths 'thank you' to Neph and Mako, and another one to Rei, and eyes the door Zoisite disappeared through faintly warily, and sidesteps back over to his chair and literally almost sits on Chibiusa--<br /><br />--THAT DOES NOT QUITE HAPPEN and he also doesn't quite yelp, he laughs faintly and scoops the five year old out of his chair, slinging her around like a sack of kittens (ie, very gently) before depositing her on a couple of stacked cushions in front of the projector wall, Neph-granted controller and all. And then...<br /><br />...then Mamoru goes cautiously back to his corner, alone, to at least attempt to get more of his homework done. This time, he does not dare put headphones on. And it is potentially only Kunzite that can both notice ''and decipher'' the particular brand of faint furrow between his brows and tension in his jaw; to literally anyone else, without skin contact, it's basically just 'oh he's got homework agita again'.<br /><br />What it actually is? 'How in the name of all that is good and holy do I keep this powderkeg from getting set off ''and'' keep my 4.0 in all my AP classes?'

:'''{{#var:132|Zoisite| (132)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>There may be cheating involved in how soon Zoisite returns; there's definitely cheating in how he emerges from the kitchen with plates and donuts. He drifts around the room, depositing plates with a couple donuts apiece in front of each person who is conscious. Notably, Chibiusa gets three of them, an honor that she only shares with Mamoru, and ''she'' gets served first. Zoisite puts a hand on Mamoru's shoulder, gently squeezing, with a promise of conversations later, but no simmering anger in the gesture.<br /><br />Bribes distributed, Zoisite goes to crouch next to Chibiusa for a moment. "I'm sorry I threw you; you scared me really bad. Mamoru's the most important person in the world to me, and you made me think he was going to die. I was ''really'' mad." And then, true to form for being an absolute troll and a jerk, Zoisite saunters off, not giving the girl enough time to react.

:'''{{#var:64|Rei Hino| (64)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There is a wide grin on Rei's face and a sparkle in her eye in response to Mamoru's thanks. Then, her look subtley changes to one of gentle commiseration.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Despite being the senshi of fire, she is very much interested in not letting this set off, whatever it is exactly that this is. All she knows is that little pi-- Chibiusa is calling Mamoru 'Mamo-chan', which is something Rei knows that only Usagi calls him. Apparently that last part is still true, with the side note that there are now two Usagis calling him that.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She gently brushes her hand up and down the sleeping Usagi's arm while she watches Mario Kart be set up. Maybe comfort and sleep will work as temporary measures, but what about the rest of it? She'll need more information before she takes any actions, and the curious look towards Mamoru reveals that the prince is doing homework, of all things.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;This is, possibly, one of the worst times times she could ever ask.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So she, wisely, does not.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Well, Zoisite is apologizing. Rei can't quite decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but it's a thing.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Well, any friend of Mamo-kun is a friend of mine."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Her tone is cheerful and welcoming enough, but Rei is almost certain that she's not getting through to the girl.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She wonders why. She knows that kids are shy sometimes, but this is different.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Chibiusa is closing herself off.

:'''{{#var:56|Nephrite| (56)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nephrite hands another controller to Makoto and pulls up a pile of cushions near Chibi Usa. Not too close, because he is still a Stranger, but close enough that he can lean over to show her the controls. Also situated just in such a way that he can lean his back against Makoto's legs. He doesn't know much about kids, but he knows how to chuck a blue shell at tension in a room, and Mario Kart is pretty good for that.<br /><br /> Everything set up, Nephrite shoves a donut into his mouth. Have fun with all your adult cuddles, rest of the room. Time for the real party to start.
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