View source for 3137/You Can Call Her Rule 63 Tux

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2018/04/02
|Location=Earth Court Frat House
|Synopsis=In Which Lacrima Finds Out Mamoru's Lost His Powers (Thanks Erf >:C)
|Cast of Characters=109,127,160,38
|pretty=yes
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{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Sunday evening, and the break between school terms for everyone, now, not just the boys. Therefore: the kitchen is clean, the living room has been cleaned up except for Mamoru's textbooks because when isn't he getting a semester ahead, there are likely to be leftover Makocookies lurking temptingly in the kitchen, and Kazuo is paying too much attention to his phone again, listening to a 'phone in one ear while a serious-looking woman in a black sweater talks apparently endlessly in front of a pale background in the video he's watching. Occasionally Mamoru has stolen the other side to listen in on these things, but he's not here at the moment.

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>There's also a Naru settled on the floor. Her sketchbook is waiting on the coffee table, her pencil box still open next to it, even if all of her pencils are neatly stowed. She is absorbed in her own device, flicking absently as she considers various saved pages on her ipad, wrinkling up her nose as she reads and then swipes to a new option.

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima lets herself appear on the balcony from a Dusk Zone step. She's on target again-- not too far up in the air or appearing with a flail. This is generally good. She takes a deep breath--- and...<br /><br />Pushes through the balcony opening to gently gives a soft look around as she peeks in. "Hello." she says softly. "I got your box on White Day." she says to Kunzite, right off the bat. "Thank you." she says.<br /><br />She's wearing completely normal looking street clothes, for a change. Or maybe her fancy dress is still being meticulously cleaned by museum restorers. Or maybe. Just maybe. She feels just fine for a change right now.<br /><br />"Hi Naru-chan." she says, finally peering at her from over the back of the couch.<br /><br />"...it's nice to see someone when I drop by for a change." she says. "I'm running out of envelopes. I'm going to need to buy more." she says.

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Video is paused, phone is locked, extension is pulled out of ear, and Kazuo rises to bow gravely toward the balcony doors as Lacrima enters. "Shall we take care of that as well as your cleaning bill?" he asks, solemn. "It remains among the least we can do. And it is good to see you. How are you doing? Would you like any cookies?"<br /><br />Yes. That last ''is'' as solemn as everything else.

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Evening Lacrima!" Naru twists a little as Kazuo rises up to bow and provide the formalities for both of them, really. "What are we cleaning?" She asks curiously, a quirk of her brow as she looks between the two of them. "Because I'm pretty sure Momo owns every cleaning product offered in Japan and they all live in our closet."<br /><br />Her attention goes down to the recipe she's been reading and shakes her head. "Any requests for muffin flavours?"

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima shakes her head. " I appreciate you taking care of the cleaning bill. But I can buy a two yen box of envelopes." she says coyly. "I can still walk to the store and back just fine." she insists.<br /><br />"But cookies sound good. Is there cookies?" she asks looking to the kitchen.<br /><br />She looks to Naru. "Lemon Poppy." she says. "Sounds good." she says. "If you're asking me in general." she offers. "-and it isn't too hard. I dunno how hard it is to make muffins. I don't bake well. I cook well. But it's different. Than baking. I always seem to get measurements wrong. If a soup is too bland, you can spice it to fix it. You can't fix a muffin that's burnt or has too much of an ingredient." she says.

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"There are cookies." Kazuo turns to pace to the kitchen and fetch out a plate, which gives time for the muffin conversation to happen. Odds are good that chocolate is involved. Given the weekend it is and who Makoto's boyfriend is and that he is from North America. And that he's really good at giving Makoto puppy eyes.<br /><br />"Venus," he says to Naru, "did something deeply unpleasant involving raw meat and some of Lacrima's clothing. Mamoru is covering the equally unpleasant process of restoring it." He glances Lacrima's way. "I did tell her about what you warned me about in your note. I'm hoping it will give her something else to occupy her for a while."

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I.." Naru pauses in her clear moment where she's about to ask and then shakes her head. "Nope. Don't want to know. That sounds messy and I'm attempting to explore this whole 'ignorance is bliss' notion, which I'm generally particularly bad at."<br /><br />"Lemon poppyseed are pretty easy.. if the boys have poppyseeds." Naru mmmms softly. "Cause I think we're out downstairs, and I'm planning on baking up here anyhow." She grins, turning to her ipad to go hunting for lemon, poppyseed or not. "Baking is like chemistry. It's cool that way."

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba| (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I'm having ENTITLEMENT PROBLEMS," Mamoru's voice comes through the door as he's opening it, not actually looking up from his phone in the process of open-and-shut door and toe-shoes-off and put-on-slippers, "I should only have to use the elevator if I'm ''drunk'', I am ''so tired of this shit''--"<br /><br />And he breaks off because he looks up, and blushes fiercely, and pops his collar one-handed, and then adjusts his glasses and pockets his phone.<br /><br />"--h-hi Lacrima!" he squeaks out, entirely un-Endymion-like.<br /><br />We are not a codfish. Remember your words, Mamoru. Use them. Kunzite and Naru are here too. "Hi guys--"

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima eyes Naru. "It's stupid anyways." she says, she really wants to say 'Venus is stupid' but is trying to obey the rules. So 'it' was stupid anyways. She sighs a bit. "Yes. I think this is why Takashi-sama is a decent baker. It's a science and I'm not a scientist." she says. "I'm a researcher." she huffs.<br /><br />She is about to reply to Kunzite that, yes she would very very much like cookies and is about to move towards the Kunzite when Mamoru busts in, in a dramatically un-princly, un-endy like fashion. "Hello." she says.<br /><br />"...is this a bad time?" she asks a little hesitantly.

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kazuo mouths 'Takashi' to himself, but does not explicitly follow up, even absolutely silently, with 'decent baker.' It's apparently giving his ability to cope with reality problems, and besides, Mamoru's arrived. "How's Usagi?" he asks the latter, and proceeds directly to answering Naru. "We have poppyseeds. I can get them down for you." They're familiar with Naru's baking needs. More importantly: cookies are fetched to Lacrima directly. "There are very few bad times, unless we're actually under attack."

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"There is nothing wrong with the elevator!" Naru protests as she uncurls from the floor at the prospect of poppy seeds being brought to Naru-levels in the kitchen. She brings her ipad with her towards the kitchen. "I'm not a scientist either, I'm an artist, but I am rather fond of baking."<br /><br />"Yes please on the poppy seeds, if you would." Naru looks up at the cupboard where they live, which would require climbing. Not that she's opposed to climbing. "If I put the kettle on, anyone want hot drinks?" She leaves the topic of good or bad time for the folks who actually live there. She just bakes there.

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba| (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"And if we're under attack--" Mamoru is giving Kunzite a /hard glare/ for a second as he finishes coming in, and he grabs a cookie from the communal plate as he passes it (now that he's moving again) instead of trying to snag one from the plate headed toward Lacrima, "--then it's not a bad time if you feel like helping make it stop. No. I'm just--"<br /><br />He GLARES AT KUNZITE. "How do you know it wasn't Zoi? It could have been Zoi! Usa's fine."<br /><br />He coughs. Really though a popped collar isn't super SUPER good at hiding super fresh hickeys, but he thinks it is. It's allllll the behavior of someone who's used to having super healing powers and... doesn't, currently. Yes, that red mark on his neck-- and the fact that he's using the elevator instead of the balcony or teleportation-- combined with the no-reservations hug Lacrima got on New Years'...<br /><br />"The elevator's fine if I'm drunk or coming with someone who can't use the balcony!" he tells Naru peevishly, then shoves the cookie in his mouth and sulks into the kitchen properly to get some milky coffee. Doesn't he usually take it black? Well, there ''is'' cookie involved.

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima makes a short face at Mamoru. "I stopped using the elevator when I could just step wherever I wanted as easy as walking through a door." she says. She blinks, a little. But why is Mamoru taking the door? Can't he.. teleport? ... and heal himself?<br /><br />...she squints a little at this. NOT in judgement of Mamoru's hickeys. (Because that is totally not her place to judge.) but of something Venus had said to her via their encounter. About the Mamoru copy causing problems. She doesn't quite make the leap to Mamoru's powers are being stolen, but....<br /><br />"...what kind of problems. Is this 'female Mamoru copy' causing exactly?" she says silently. "That Sailor Venus interrogated me about. At dresspoint." she asks.

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"If there's more coffee," Kazuo says to Naru with faint resignation, "I suspect I'll be wanting a refill shortly." Possibly he's not planning on sleeping tonight. He does, however, leave Lacrima's plate of cookies with her, and go to fetch poppyseeds. Which means reaching over Mamoru, but just a little, and just the once. "I don't believe I said anything about who was responsible for what," he notes idly, glare or not, and then exhales and -- after the baking ingredients are left with Naru and Mamoru is abandoned to deal with any need Naru has for mugs -- he re-exits the crowded kitchen and turns to regard Lacrima.<br /><br />There's no glance back Mamoru's way. Mamoru already gave him the signal, he doesn't need to recheck it.<br /><br />"As the 'female Mamoru copy' in question manifests powers," Kazuo says to Lacrima, "Mamoru is losing access to his own. You were correct about his behavior at New Year's. We'd been keeping it quiet, in part so that you wouldn't need to worry about whether or not we'd take offense if you told Riventon; but Riventon's seen him have henshin trouble twice now, and has enough data to extrapolate from."

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Thanks." Naru comments on the acquisition of poppy seeds. She has settled to puttering in the kitchen, getting baking things together, and getting more coffee on. Around Mamoru and his cranky as needed, or relinquishing the task to him if need be. Either way, she's quite content to be putting together coffee and muffins.<br /><br />Even if the muffins are currently in the form of flour and sugar and oil. She doesn't need a recipe anymore, that's clear by the fact that her ipad has gone dark and she hasn't felt obliged to turn it back on.

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba| (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>... silence. Silence from Mamoru while he mixes his coffee from the dregs of the last pot and gets Told whilst being leaned over, and he's really tempted to bite Kunzite while he's in reach, but doesn't. There's only brief overbalance to make a thudding sort of lean happen in passing. Then he gets out of Naru's way (with a mumbled and contrite 'sorry sorry' because his empathy isn't ALL a superpower) and edges out of the kitchen, even while he grins crookedly as he puts together why Kunzite sighed.<br /><br />"You can call her Rule 63 Tux if you want," he says, moving to lean against the wall in the living room that's just outside the kitchen doorway. He sips his coffee. "I mean, her fuku is literally based on my henshin. She even has a copy pocketwatch. It's so dumb. I mean, I can understand trying to make the claim that like, I'm not Endymion's reincarnation and she is -- which is also dumb, gods she can't even keep her stories straight either -- but she's even claiming that she should be Mamoru Chiba, when it is ''literally a name my foster parents made up'' to use in the system for paperwork and stuff? But yeah. She starts using my powers, and I start having trouble using them, and then they're gone. One after another. I can't even henshin anymore. I can't even heal ''myself''."

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima listens to Kunzite as she purses her lips. She rubs a hand up her face. She takes a deep cleansing breath. She listens to Mamoru. "If it helps. You've shown me memories of ... that place. That I don't think would be made up." she says. "-and even if... it is true? You're the one that's been helping me." she says softly.<br /><br />"-and not whoever this other is." she says. She sighs.<br /><br />"No offense taken." she says flatly to Kunzite. "And-- if there's a kettle being turned on, some tea with the cookies, would be nice." she says as she eyes the plate Kunzite leaves her with. She'll begin eating.<br /><br />"On the brightside. That's good for New Years. I was a mess." she says silently. "And was afraid of passing that around to you when you hugged me but that didn't happen." she says gently. "I was going through a break up. And the bad feelings about Alexis at the time after saving him and not really that great." she says quietly.<br /><br />"....Did anyone tell you about. That situation at my house? With the Prince of Nightmares yet?" she asks, looking to Kunzite, specifically, on this one. She's assuming- some sort of info may had been passed on. But she can never be sure what gets talked about.

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kazuo glances back to Naru -- possibly that's about the tea, or possibly that's because he knows he told Mamoru about the Prince of Nightmares business and can't be sure whether he updated Naru about it. These things become hard to keep track of after the thirtieth or so incident.

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The request for tea brings about a filling of the kettle as well as the filling of the coffee maker, clearly Naru noticed about the tea request. She gives a little shake of her head and just a touch of a shrug at the glance from Kazuo at the mention of the Prince of Nightmares. No, she's not in the loop, but she can make do with tidbits as needed.<br /><br />Kettles on, coffee maker's on, someone taller than her shall have to retrieve mugs, or she'll climb when the whistle happens. There's no sign of surprise at Mamoru's explinations about his powers, or lack thereof. That she's in the loop on at least. She retrieves the scale, baking with Naru is by weight rather than volume, and scoops flour into a bowl.

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba| (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Thanks. That's been--" Mamoru shakes his head a little, then smiles at Lacrima. "That means a lot to me. Thank you."<br /><br />Then there's a pause with his coffee halfway to his mouth. "Wait, a ''new'' situation? Wait--" He tilts his head. "Is he staying over? Is he working on becoming less of an asshole? Because believe me I was hoping for that last year..."

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima makes a face. "He attacked me at my home and ripped into my being and started letting the dark eat my soul in attempt to hurt me as I was close to Ariel-chan. So no." she says flatly. "And it wasn't him anyways but something he was controlling remotely for sure." she says. "Kunzite and others showed up. It's also the day Alexis-niisan decided he really needed that device to punch the thing as hard as he magically could. Which was hard enough to make a crater." she says.<br /><br />"Ariel-chan showed up and I started giving up and then I felt bad when she started crying and the tear should had killed me but it sealed whatever damage the thing did. And then I...." she mutters. "Kissed her. Because I couldn't formulate 'i didn't want you to see you cry because I love you' at the time and then I felt bad about it until I could speak to her again after a week because I felt like Seth but Kunzite told me it was different because I don't see people as props and stuff." she mutters.<br /><br />"....and also I can feel positive emotions again-- kind of. And my energy signature is ostensibly more 'stable' than it's been since I've been this thing. I read more like a... 'dark energy infested human' than 'horrible monster' though. The facts still haven't changed. As it we're. I still need to eat energy. and I still don't feel any worse about it." she says.<br /><br />She eats another cookie. "...did you really think he was staying over at my place?" she says. "Why do you think that?"<br /><br />".....you don't think I have a thing for him do you!?" she suddenly asks, taken aback with a soft blush. "I never." she huffs. She may be coyly playing that up for Mamoru's benefit, as evident by her overdramatic huff.

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The Kunzite in question apparently finds it necessary to get those mugs down for Naru (and for Lacrima's tea) ''right now.'' For some reason. "That was the incident that took out the windows, that I mentioned," he says Mamoru's way. He'll let Mamoru field the 'why do you think that' all on his own. Some protector. Never actually intervening when it'd be ''useful.''

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Thank you." Naru murmurs softly to Kazuo as he is tall for her. And rather effectively too, he's much better at being tall than he is at bailing Mamoru out of conversational land mines.<br /><br />"Ahh, I do remember hearing some details about this." Naru nods thoughtfully as she measures out sugar, and adds baking powder, a bit of salt before putting the dry incredients aside. And then reaches for the bowl again to add the poppy seeds. She settles quiet, making muffins and listening in.

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba| (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Right, I remember you saying," Mamoru says with a nod to Kunzite. "I just thought maybe there was newer news or something--"<br /><br />But then he's listening to Lacrima, and he blinks, and looks like he literally wants to hiss. Or maybe punch a wall. But these are magically reinforced and he has no superpowers right now and he doesn't want to have to ring up Dai and say 'can you please come heal my stupid hand I stupid punched a stupid magically reinforced wall'.<br /><br />And then there's actually a wild rollercoaster/parade combo of really emotive expressions on his face as he listens to the rest of the story. Like 'awwww!' and '*muffled snort*' and 'oh MAN' and 'holy shit appalled no way' and 'YAY' and stuff.<br /><br />And then there's the last.<br /><br />He sputters, A LOT, then waves a hand in the air. He's also better at being tall than Kunzite is at bailing him out of conversational land mines, and this is the result. A hand flailing ''high up'' in the air while the other holds coffee. "First!" he finally gets out, faintly outraged, "First, how DARE he. Second! You shouldn't feel bad about needing to eat human energy, it's not a made up thing, it's something you can't currently help AND you do as much as you can to cause as little damage as possible, so screw that. BUT THIRD--"<br /><br />Wait. He's looking sly and self-amused. This is dangerous.<br /><br />"Third, actually, if he weren't a complete dick I totally wouldn't blame you for having a thing for him, if you did. He's pretty hot," the Prince of Earth says over the brim of his coffee mug, hiding his trollface. Sip. Then he waves his fingers and sidles for the door to the hallway. "But nah, I just figured he was starting a redemption arc by hiding out at your place because you're the girlfriend of the person he considers an irresistable target, and that's totally what Jadeite did."<br /><br />Did he just--<br /><br />He sticks his head around the corner to add before disappearing, "Don't tell him I just made that comparison. Actually don't tell either of them. I want to turn 20 this summer."

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima huffs and crosses her arms. "Dark prince or not he's still just a dumb boy that won't listen." she says a little cooly. "I still meant it when I said it then and I still mean it now. If he does show up at my place wanting 'help' and he means it- He's welcome if he means it. Lord knows I already have a dragon and some sort of fox girl and me the vampire there. What's a dark lord." she says more coyly.<br /><br />She then blushes and huffs. "He's not /THAT/ hot." she says. And that she DOES MEAN and she has to cover her mouth as she says that. "Don't tell anyone I said that and you got a deal." she mutters.<br /><br />"But the fact he was bothering doing something at all can't really be good and I think he spooked Ariel-chan some but hopefully what may be in the works so be as bad as last time." she mutters.

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba| (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"What if I just told ''him'' that I think he's hotter than you think?" Mamoru asks with interest, leaning back around the door frame.

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"No," Kazuo says quietly. "It can't. I'm keeping an eye out for Akashimaru; she has custody of something that has some small chance of giving her forewarning. But it didn't, that I know of, predict the attack on your home. We'll see what happens."<br /><br />And then Mamoru says THAT and Kazuo gives in and covers his face with one hand.
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