View source for 3558/When Minako Met Jadeite Maybe.

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2018/11/30
|Location=Earth Court Frat House
|Synopsis=Minako Aino comes to visit the ECFH and confuses Jadeite with talk about dumb Saint Georges, Vampires, and Eclipse and Brainwashes.
|Cast of Characters=40,112
|pretty=yes
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{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:40|Minako Aino| (40)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sailor Venus lands on the balcony because this is how she likes to arrive. It's her jam. She immediatly dehenshins though because she doesn't want to WOW any potential visitors with Sailor V arriving IN THE REAL!? Anyways, she peeks open the balcony door and tiptoes in. Before she yells. "HEY! I'M HERE!" she yells out dramatically.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Is Acey here? I can't find him anywhere I think he's hiding from me. ANYWAYS is Kazuo here? Because I think I need hugs. Or to give hugs. Probably just give. I bet college is totalllllly wearing him out." she babbles. "Like a fish in a fish canning factory! Canning things and then the tuna goes home tired!" she says.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She'll make a jump for the couch and land with it in a giant POOF sound as she looks over the back of the couch. "Hey. Hey- what do you guys have for snacks today? Did like Makoto or Naru bake anything recently?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Because if they did I wanna shove some of it my mouth place."

:'''{{#var:112|Jadeite| (112)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>It had honestly been a pretty peaceful day in the apartment. Midterms were passed so there wasn't any marathon studyng going on, all the holidays were more or less passed so there weren't any parties going on, and the main bad guys of the day were - well, not ''here'' anyway, so that was the best one could ask on that front. Things had been quiet. Peaceful. Jadeite was even thinking about taking a nap, just because he could - <br /><br /> So of course that's when company arrives, and the single most baffling thing about it is how rare it's gotten for anyone to come through the balcony instead of the front door. This sense of surprise combined with the sudden LOUD and the babbling and then finally, that JUMP that ends with him being half bounced off the couch is probably why his first response is a stare and then a semi-baffled demand of , "Do you even have to breathe?" <br /><br /> This prickly-ish response is qickly followed by a series of answers: "Haven't seen him, haven't seen him, and haven't seen either of them either. You're striking out today."

:'''{{#var:40|Minako Aino| (40)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Minako Aino eyes Jadeite and crosses her arms. "Breathing is for the weak and people that don't have things to do!" she says rather boldly. She smiles a bit as she sits sideways on the couch now. "Awwww. I thought for sure ONE of them would be here." she says tapping a finger to her chin suspiciously.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She shrugs and says. "Hi Jadeite-kun! I didn't see you there!" she says. "How have you been? Usagi force ya to watch more Netflix? Ohhh are you binging something soon with her?" she asks. "You should probably binge something soon." she says.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She thinks a bit. "How's Mamoru-kun holding out?" she asks. "I haven't been by a whole lot recently. I need to fix that and go annoy him about things." she says. "Vampire's been asking me for a lot of help recently- and I'm wondering why. Considering last I checked she HATED my guts." she says. "But I'm tryin to give her the benefit of the doubt cuz Mamoru and Kunzite do." she says. "Besides. At least one of the problems is a proven problem. Mister big sword jerk who's also not so secretly her brother and all."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I'm going to use my natural charm and good looks to learn more about him." she says as she flips her long blonde hair fanicily in the process.

:'''{{#var:112|Jadeite| (112)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"So does that make you a super strong zombie? Because I'm pretty sure breathing is for the living. But who knows! Maybe I'm wrong and I've never actually needed to breathe at all." He taptaptaps his chin for a moment, not really thinking about the idea but also - a little bit thinking about it. You could do amazing things in henshin. Maybe you could not-breathe in henshin. <br /><br /> (The fact that Minako isn't currently henshin'd doesn't even matter.)<br /><br /> He shakes his head, shifting around so they were both able to comfortably sit on the couch. "I mean, Kazuo could be secretly lurking in the dark, waiting for the perfect moment to enter the conversation, but I'm pretty sure he's just off doing something else right now. And I haven't seen the rest, but there might be a Mako-snack somewhere in the refrigerator still? Maybe? If someone hasn't eaten it yet? Big maybe?" More like big unlikely, truth be told, but hope and never letting it die and whatever. "There's a Christmas movie we're going to watch, it's got a princess ''and'' a cooking show, so it's instant favorite potential, but no new series'. We've been thinking about the house show? The scary one? But we haven't binged it yet. Maybe we will. Maybe we'll decide not to scare ourselves silly." <br /><br /> Maybe pigs will fly. At least he's keeping up with her, chatter for chatter, as he simultaneously shrugs and then frowns. "He's doing good. Don't annoy him too much but - what was that about Lacrima? Is something going on with her brother again, or is it something else? And did anyone update you on the magic-stealing book baddies?"

:'''{{#var:40|Minako Aino| (40)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Minako Aino looks around. "KAZUO IF YOU'RE LURKING AND NOT COMING OUT TO HUG ME YOU'RE BEING MEAN!" she calls out. She then nods once. "There. My warning has been issued." she says as she stands up. She walks into the kitchen and pushes around in the fridge, little jingling. "Good! I mean that Mamoru-kun is doing good. I need to still bug him." she says. She looks back, she has a slice of deli ham in her mouth as she closed the fridge and walks back eating the slice of ham.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Which she is full of. Ham that is!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Oh. Lacrima maybe... a few months back? Built a paper mache ball and filled with dark energy and started to mock do something to summon me? Because apparently she was too bashful to have like, Mamoru or Kunzite send me to her house." she says. "She wanted someone to spy on her brother, try to see if there was anything else going on. I still gotta do that." she says.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"But the more recent thing, is that there's this girl name Akari that used to work for the big E." she says. Eclipse! "-and!" she adds. "She wanted out so she ran or something? Lacrima's been tasked to bring her in for 'reprogramming', since she's actually like a Space German Program that has a life?" she explains.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Anyways she doesn't wanna win that fight so she wants people to show up and pop her in the face when she has to try. I told her I'd hit her in the face! Simple as that." she shrugs a little.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"What's that about a magic stealing book?" she asks. "There isn't evil librarians going around stealing souls into books now, right?" she asks. "Because I KNEW that lady telling me to 'shhhhhh' the other day was ''EVIL!''" she says.

:'''{{#var:112|Jadeite| (112)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>There is no warning about the shout but luckily this is the Earth Court Frat House. They eat screams like that for breakfast. Minako's mere presence is a reminder to always be vigilant! So Jadeite of the No Last Name Having Shitennou does not jump, he just raises a brow, all Kazuo-esque, and says, "I'm ''really'' confident he isn't actually here." <br /><br /> If he is though, then he has some 'splaining to do for leaving him like this. If he is. He better not be. <br /><br /> While Minako fetches ham, he fetches - throw pillows. Ninety-nine percent less edible, but one hundred percent more comfortable, and he deserves that, yes indeed. When she returns, stuffed full of ham, he is stuffed full of comfort. "So, just to clarify, she tried to summon you like you were Bloody Mary or Freddie Krueger, instead of like, asking someone to get in touch, and then asked you to spy on her brother, and then you didn't? Because? Was it before or after he tried to crash our house and kill a dragon?" <br /><br /> If it was before, there's gong to be some side-eyeing and - "Wait, Eclpse is jumping full on into the brainwashing scene? And they asked ''Lacrima'' to do it?" He doesn't know the vampire too well, but even he knows that that's a stupid thing to do - the vampire girl was trying to cling to her humanity, not pitch it in a volcano. <br /><br />"I mean.., That's one way to get out of it. Did she say why they told her to do it, instead of Agera?" <br /><br /> Weird. Brainwashing didn't seem too off for ''him''. <br /><br /> It's his turn to shrug though, as he says, "Kyouko gave me the tip. She heard about it from a new Pretty Cure - there's two new enemies around, and apparently they steal magic for a book, or something like that. They're phone-smashing, magic grabbing jerks." Pause. "I don't think they work at the library, though."

:'''{{#var:40|Minako Aino| (40)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Minako Aino grins. "So..." she says. "I'm out patrolling and Artemis tells me has this dark energy hit? And there's Lacrima standing there with a spinning paper mache ball just filled with a little dark energy, playing off it was the Orb of Ultimate darkness and that 'if someone like Sailor V didn't come stop her, she was gonna rule Tokyo with it', but you could tell it was just an act to try to get my attention-- the paper mache fell apart pretty fast. I told her she should use plaster next time." she says as she leans back as she finishes her ham slice quick.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I think it was after. She's worried about his well being. Worried about a lot." she says.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Ah...." she says. "She said that... This Akari... also known as 'Nightbell'... wanted to leave Eclipse. She was working for Riventon's subgroup apparently? And apparently Lacrima is some sort of big shot in it now. So she signed off on papers saying she should be released, yeah? Except apparently the high high high ups don't want that and think she needs to be reporgrammed. Since she's the one that started it, she's the one being told to do it." she says, a little bit grimly. "No good deed goes unpunished and all that over there, I think." she asides.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Mmmmhm... I'll be on the look out then." she says more seriously. Wait where did that silly demeanor go. "Last issue we need is someone running around ganking Mamoru's magic again... or even Usagi's magic." she says a little cooly. "You think there would be pauses between this sort of dumb thing."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"...I also asked why Lacrima just didn't leave Eclipse. Apparently she owes Riventon a bunch in life, but also that not many places are setup to handle 'dark energy physiology' if something is wrong with her."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Kinda wish it was a good idea to have Ami-chan look into dark energy being upkeep so she'd have someone to go to that wasn't a bunch of basically magical illuminati shadow jerks for help." she asides. "Instead, I need to punch her. Eh." she shrugs.

:'''{{#var:112|Jadeite| (112)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>And he's laughing. That's it, he's just - laughing. Any salt or edge in his voice has completely collapsed under the weight of laughter as he tries to consider this, tries to really consider this image that she's conjuring, and he can see Lacrima doing it too, and imagine this monotone statement trying to convince the people that she would absolutely destroy the city if not for this specific Mahou right now right this second. There were probably so many people who believed it too. <br /><br /> "Plaster's good. Clay would work too," because he's always in sculptor mode, before, "So when it fell apart, did it get all puddly-crumbly? Or did it dry out and break? Because those are two common mistakes that beginners make, but I've never tried to put dark energy in something as fragile as paper mache," and obviously he will never get the chance now so cough up the deets, hand them over. <br /><br /> "He's her brother... even if he is a dick who's banned from ever coming back. Family is... a lot," which is the most he's willing to skirt around that subject, because - sibling rivalry is nothing he wants to discuss even a little bit, especially with this particular person. "I can... guess what that's like." <br /><br /> He remembers being in an evil organization while being full of dark energy and also evil. It was. Definitely a worrisome time. But the key difference is well, what they're discussing now. "I'm guessing she can't refuse because they'll just get someone else to do it? And she'd rather sabotage herself?" It's what would make sense to him, anyway, considering she was going to the effort of asking someone who genuinely doesn't seem to like her one bit to come over and attack her when the time was right. "I don't think we've ever fought her. Ah. Nightbell, I mean, she's not ringing many bells," oh that was terrible. <br /><br /> "But if she's working with Riventon and wants out, I don't think any of us would want to get in the way of that so - if you get a chance and need help with that, call me? I guess?" This is the first he's hearing of it, but defecting evil people on the run from brainwashing - of course he'll want in on helping that situation reach a happy ending. Of course he absolutely would want to see something like that end well, even more than most. <br /><br /> "That's the kind of thing that happens when you stay in Eclipse," he adds though, because also, of course he'd say that. "What Lacrima's been asked to do, I mean, not Akari-san being in danger." He's not going to blame anyone who's just trying to get out of an evil group, but he definitely doesn't understand the perspective of someone trying to stay ''in'' one of those organizations. Dark energy based physiology and life debts aside, he really doesn't get it - sure, he can puzzle it out on paper, put cause and effect and consider psychology and sociology and the plain old facts of how these kinds of things might psychologically impact someone, but at a fundemantally base level, Jadeite had had to be taken apart and put back together with glue and scars and terror to find a place in a group nowhere near as organized about it's fuck-shit-uppery as Eclipse. How Lacriima manages to straddle the line between friendship with Mamoru and Kazuo and loyalty to Riventon and Eclipse, with the kinds of things being asked of her - yeah. He doesn't get it. <br /><br /> "Me too. I mean - I don't know if she'd be willing to do that, considering half the goal would be getting Lacrima to leave Eclipse," which would mean her, professionally at least, leaving Riventon, and yeah. This is absolutely him not super subtly weighing in on his thoughts on that whole situation but, "We should, start to look into it, at least. In case there are others like Lacrima and Akari-san, who want to leave Eclipse, but can't. Maybe it's something Virtue could start looking into?"

:'''{{#var:40|Minako Aino| (40)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Minako doesn't get it herself. It's why she doesn't pay visits to Lacrima's manor except to steal her dress and hold it hostage with a steak. Which she totally did once. Too bad it didn't lead to anything worthwhile. "Well see. She's like how Kunzite used to be?" a pause here. "I mean. She doesn't have a body? She's a mass of black energy and horror with a soul ''somewhere'' in there. Or in her gem necklace. I dunno exactly where her 'soul' is. I don't think I wanna know for her own sake." she says. "I think the difference is that she isn't beholden to some master as a concept." she offers.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"So I don't think she's behold to Riventon in so far as she owes him. Riventon apparently made the bracelet on her right arm. It keeps her emotions in check from the dark energy-- apparently she was worse off earlier in her life as a mass of black awful." she says. "I wouldn't know. I never met her then."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"But..." Vensus says. "I could imagine being something awful, with no friends and your emotions are a wreck because you can't feel any positive emotion, period--- and then someone comes along and makes you this thing that restores some of your mental state that lets you be a facsimile of 'coherent'." she asides.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I mean, I'd feel like I'd owe that person too, yeah?" she says. "I dunno if she wants out of Eclipse. I'm thinking the whole thing with Mamoru-kun and the fake Nullheart or whatever almost cut that string- but I'm not sure that kept it hanging on." she shrugs. "I think if , say... Ami got through into Takashi's thick skull to leave- that she'd follow without question for sure though. But that soooo isn't an option." she snorts.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I do think that if we fixed one of those two issues there's a better chance of her accepting an escape."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She thinks a moment. "I don't know much about Eclipse. I was too concerned with the Dark Agency most of my time, but I do know that when the shadowy people tell you do something, you do it or they start making vague threats towards your family." she says.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I bet she knows that. So I bet she's just gonna put on this show of her trying to catch Akari and failing because we punch her in the face a lot."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Yeah. I know that Gullness had a similar problem when she was still the witchy girl?" she asks. "With Virtue not being able to provide support for her so she ended up drifting back to the Big E." she says.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"It'd be a good idea to find a way to help dark energy beings that don't want to do bad things or need help not doing bad things and provide support. Because right now the choices are Eclipse or try to help yourself." she sighs and leans back on the couch and places her hands behind her head.

:'''{{#var:112|Jadeite| (112)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>He's been blessed in his life, but not because it's been easy. Because he's had people willing to help him through all of it anyway, people who have loved him and supported him and allowed him to do the same. Even in those worst moments, he's never been fully alone. <br /><br /> He doesn't understand Lacrima. He doesn't really get her choices, doesn't really think he could stay in an organization like that - but then, he thinks for a moment of his brothers and his new sister and his romcom buddy and the people closest to them, and alright. Maybe he can see it, a bit, because doing the right thing was hard to grasp when it involved the people bound up in strings and rope around your heart. He grimaces. <br /><br /> "Ugh. Yeah, alright. I can - I can see that too, and I'd stick by Mamoru through some - pretty messed up stuff, through thick and thin, so maybe it's different, for her, like that." None of this is fun conversation, but it's important. He needs to dissect this - all of it - and then figure out what he'll say to the others. Kunzite will get the full conversation, of course, recalled to the best of his ability, but the nitty gritty details won't matter to everyone. The important part is that someone needs help and Lacrima also needs help. <br /><br /> "I'm positive it had an impact," he agrees, about Earth and that fiasco, "But that wasn't enough to stop Riventon, so I kind of doubt anything will. Hopefully - we'll just, keep co-existing. Most of Eclipse doesn't bother to poke around with us, so if he decides to quit bucking convention and follow suit? We'll probably be alright-ish." It's been how many years? Yeah, he doesn't think anything will really pry Riventon from Eclipse. He'll settle for coexistence and prying people alway, one by one. <br /><br /> "I'm not a part of Virtue, I've never seen the point, but - if that's something we could do? It might be worth considering it, at least, to try and get something in place so we aren't just left offering a spot on our couch or Mamoru's healing instead of real help." It's something, anyway. So! <br /><br /> "It's something to think about?"

:'''{{#var:40|Minako Aino| (40)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Minako Aino nods. "MMmmmm. Right." she says softly. She gently sighs and nods. "Lacrima is complicated. But most dark energy creatures trying to do 'good' are. 'Good' becomes skewed." she says softly. She sighs a bit and then looks at her phone then stands up. She gravely grabs Jadeite by the shoulders. "Now listen here." she says, as if she's about to laydown heavy information.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I need to go home. Mom is texting. I know this comes as a shock to you, but I promise, you....I'll be okay. And be back! I'm sure you can survive without me for a few hours. I know you can do it." she says eyes narrowing.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I believe in you, Jadeite-kun." she says with narrowed eyes, before she suddenly dashes for the balcony!...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And she's off!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;...Well that happened.

:'''{{#var:112|Jadeite| (112)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>And he's - well, he's definitely not deep in his thoughts anymore. He shakes his head, laughs a bit, and tries to fix as much of the conversation as possible in his memory. "You too, Minako-chan."
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