2241/Cookie Delivery

Cookie Delivery
Date of Scene:	20 December 2016
Location:	Sakura Territory
Synopsis:	Naru delivers promised cookies to Kyouko. Much conversation and even some studying and dinner making happen too.
Cast of Characters:	Naru Osaka, Kyouko Sakura

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Naru Osaka has posed:
There were promises made by text message about homework and cookies and chocolate. And about dinner. Mostly about cookies and homework.

Which is how it comes to be after school and instead of heading up to ECFH to engross herself in a mural for the upteenth day, Naru is rapping at the door to the Sakura apartment a few floors down.

Still in her school uniform and still with her satchel, Naru's holding a generously sized tupperware container that doesn't fit in her satchel, at least not with homework in there /too/. "Cookie delivery!" She calls out, presuming that those behind the door can hear her.

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    It just so happens that, as she had reported earlier, Kyouko was on the early shift at the conbenie today. That being the case, when Naru first arrives at the apartment.. nobody is home, and nobody answers the door.

    Timing is good though- it's just long enough for Naru to perhaps start wondering what the deal is, when quite suddenly there is a firm but gentle poke in her side from behind, going for a common ticklish spot. "Cookie delivery?!" Kyouko says along with the poke, "Sounds suspicious. What are you really sellin'?"

    Then she grins and moves around to unlock the door.

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru was just getting out her phone when the poke comes and she giggles softly, squirming away. "Selling.. mmmm.. nothing!" She protests, with a smirk and a theatrical furtive look before she opens the tupperware container to offer Kyouko a chocolate covered almond cookie. "Cookie?"

"I didn't think I would get here before you." Naru admits with a smile as Kyouko moves to unlock the door. "I even stopped by my place on the way over to get the cookies."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko opens her mouth for the cookie to be inserted while she is still in mid-motion of unlocking the door. Assuming both operations are a success, she then proceeds into the apartment, chewing appreciatively. "Mmm.. this is great." She enthuses, upon the cookie being devoured.

    She shuts the door after Naru enters, and sheds her Usagi-coat, which she still loves to wear at every opportunity. Underneath she has on her usual work-garb- black t-shirt and jeans. Kicking off her sneakers, she smiles. "Stuck around a few extra minutes at work to help Tachibana-san with somethin', sorry. Should have texted you. Make yourself at home, I'm gonna go change." And she's off down the hallway, into her bedroom. Momo does not appear to be home.

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru inserts a cookie with a grin and watches Kyouko appreciate it as she heads into the apartment with a little laugh.

"No worries, I was just getting out my phone to text you. It's not like I was freezing to death on the street, and if you were going to be forever, I'd just head upstairs to the other deadline looming. That one's just self-imposed." Naru shrugs out of satchel and coat and shoes by the door.

As Kyouko heads for her room, Naru drops her satchel in the living room and heads for the kitchen. "Tea?" Because apparently 'making herself at home' includes making of hot beverages. "Unless you have hot chocolate, and then I can offer you that, but I didn't find it last time I went exploring."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    "Oh yeah, the mural. Now I feel kinda bad.. we could just as easily hang out up there, so you could work on it. Although I guess you need to study anyway." Kyouko calls out, continuing the conversation through the bedroom door (she hasn't bothered to close it, but there are several corners and walls in the way with Naru in the kitchen.)

    She emerges just a few moments later, in her same plaid pajama pants and a white tanktop, this seeming to be her 'I am relaxed at home' attire which she commonly sports both here and upstairs if not intending to go out.

    "Tea would be great. Hot chocolate is expensive." Kyouko says, making a little face. Her thrifty habits endure despite now having access to almost-literally endless cash via Mamoru, who might be upset if she used it to buy a helicopter but probably wouldn't yell at her for a box of hot chocolate. Still. Habits are hard to break.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"The mural and I are not currently speaking to each other, so a bit of space is super welcome. Like a little time out for the artist/painting relationship." Naru notes back, her voice lifting to carry through the apartment. "I want it done before the new year though, but it's a soft deadline. I just keep getting distracted."

The bing of her phone is a prime example and she quirks a little smirk at it, texting a quick reply back before setting it down on the counter as Naru moves the put the kettle on.

"I wonder if its still expensive if you just buy the ingredients rather than pre-mixed." Naru muses, not arguing on budget points. "It's /amazing/ made from scratch, but it's a pain in the arse too. The mix is convenient, but there can't be much beyond cocoa and sugar in the mix."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    "I see." Kyouko grins a bit as she moves to lean elbows on the counter, watching Naru move about the kitchen, perhaps privately reflecting on how comfortable it feels to have her here, though she keeps such thoughts to herself. The phone is glanced at, but not with undue curiosity- she is well aware that Naru is a prolific texter and she is just one of the beneficiaries.

    "Maybe, I dunno. I'm happy drinking tea at home and saving hot chocolate for a treat when I go out somewhere." She says, with a shrug of her shoulders, running a hand back through her hair. It's getting just a tad long in the front again and she's often caught pushing it back out of her eyes, though it's still quite a bit short of shoulder-length.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Hunh." Naru stretches up to retrive mugs, one for each of them. The attempt to give coffee up again has clearly not gone well, exactly. "I can see keeping it for a treat. Makes it more special." She leans on the counter, looking at Kyouko and then glancing briefly at her phone to ensure there's no fresh messages.

Naru is quiet a moment, thoughtful before she notes, almost in passing. "Hannah.. Miss White Hannah, not ex-puella Hana.. tried to recruit me to work for her."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko shrugs noncommittally as the mugs are fetched.. although, as Naru leans against the counter and suddenly brings up Miss White, she stiffens noticably. In addition, her face goes slightly pale, although she clearly tries to act like the declaration does not effect her, tossing her head after a moment and saying, in a forced-casual tone, "I.. really don't think that would be such a good idea, Naru-chan."

    Kyouko is terrible at hiding her feelings.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"It would be a fairly terrible idea, for a whole swack of reasons." Naru agrees easily, watching Kyouko's body language and 'forced casual' tone speak volumes. "Flattering, though. Unexpected, too." She mmms a moment, thoughtful before moving to reach for a cookie and nudging the container closer to Kyouko. "I forget that people don't know that I'm magical at all, and why they figure I'm competant yet, is pretty much delusional."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko relaxes somewhat as Naru seems to agree with her.. perhaps having been fearing a repeat of past conversations with Sayaka on the same topic. She heaves a soft sigh, and after a moment reaches into the box to take another cookie.

    "Miss White did terrible things to me. A lot of the bad things that happened to me happened because of that.. partly, I admit, because of my own stupidity in trying to get revenge on her, but it still started with that. And ever since then.."

    She chomps on the cookie, and takes another breath in through her nose, clearly attempting to calm herself down. "It just seems like everybody is willing to forgive and forget and give her another chance and yadda yadda yadda.. 'cept it ain't so easy for me. I was the one she had locked up in a cell for a week. Sometimes I feel like people forget that. Doesn't help that she keeps butting in with people I care about."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"You dont have to forgive her." Naru replies, pushing away from the counter to come and touch Kyouko's arm lightly, hopeful that touch will help the calming. "There's a high tendancy to try and give lots of chances, but other people are doing that.. you don't have to." She takes her own slow breath, but she holds it a moment before letting it out. "I don't like that she did terrible things to you, but I suppose I got my stupid optimism from Mamoru." She drops her head a touch. "It sounds disrespectful to you to say that I'm hoping to help keep her from doing it again to someone else."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    The touch to her arm does seem to help Kyouko a little bit, though the tenseness in her slender frame remains, her easy and relaxed posture from before the topic arose yet to be reclaimed. She glances s ideways at Naru as the girl speaks to her, one corner of her mouth quirking up in a small smile. "That's what Sayaka said to me too, when Miss White tried to get to her.. that she wanted to try and change her by working with her."

    She pulls away after a moment, walking a few steps and crossing her arms over her chest, chewing on her words. She often has the problem of knowing what she wants to say, but not being able to articulate it well- not finding the words to get her thoughts across to people. It's something she has always struggled with.

    "And.. and maybe I ain't got no right to get in the way of that. Lord knows, I did some really shitty things, and I'm only here now, where I am, because people kept giving me chances and kept letting me work to dig myself outta that hole."

    She turns around, then, and there's raw emotion on her face, a look of almost pleading, as if desparate for Naru to understand what she means. "But the difference is, for all I seen in the past year or two since that stuff happened.. she doesn't want to change. You need to want to change, Naru. For all the shit I did, inside, I hated who I was and I wanted to be somebody better. I just didn't know how. I can't read her mind, accourse, I don't know what she's thinking, but I ain't never seen any indication from Miss White that she regrets what she does, or wants to do better. And if she doesn't have that, then no matter how many chances you give her, it's not going to matter."

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru doesn't follow Kyouko those few steps away, gives her the space to chew on her thoughts and to share what she can articulate of how she feels. She watches, her expression quiet as she does.

"I know." Naru answers simply after a moment. "If she doesn't want to change, it doesn't matter. Nothing will happen, and it will eventually end awfully for her." She sighs softly as if resigned to that potential. "I see hints, now and then, enough to give me hope. Subtle things, in her relationships, but I might be delusional." She gives a little shake of her head. "I am not quite so blindly delusional to think that working for her would help any more than how things stand, without sending me insane on the way."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko watches Naru for a moment, as if trying to peer inside her skull and see what she's really thinking, as if not quite sure she can trust what the girl says aloud- not because of any particular distrust of Naru, but just because that cynical distrust is so ingrained in her. After a moment though, she heaves another short sigh, and reaches to take another cookie.

    She munches on it as she walks over to the low table and flops onto one of the cushions. "Well.. I ain't the boss of you Naru. I guess the world needs people who are more forgiving than me.. without 'em I wouldn't be here, either."

    She glances oout of the corner of her eye. "I said before that I trust you, and that's true, I do. I just don't wanna see you get hurt tryin' to help somebody that don't deserve helping."

    She laughs after a moment, with a vaugely bitter edge. "What a hypocrite I am, huh?"

Naru Osaka has posed:
The kettle is being balky about being watched and Naru follows Kyouko out to the low table to entice it. She kneels down next to where the puella has flopped and reaches out to poke lightly and then give a little nudge with her hip.

"And I trust you enough to leave the 'you're an idiot' and 'I told you so' and 'what were you THINKING?' speeches until after you've dragged me somewhere safe." Naru smiles and relaxes a bit. "Naw.. you're protective, and have strong opinions. Which is part of you, and I admire."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko glances over as Naru sits down next to her, and after a moment shifts sideways slightly to lean on the other girl, although she knows the kettle will be boiling momentarily anyway. "Yeah, it's just.. I'm fully aware that two years ago, to anybody else I'd look just as bad as her and the reason that changed is because of people like you giving me chances to do so, and it feels hypocritical of me to try and deny her that just because she hurt me personally."

    She rests her cheek on Naru's shoulder for a moment. "But that doesn't change how I feel. She even helped Momo out.. gave her a fake ID and stuff, maybe as a peace offering, I dunno. But still.. I'll believe she can change when I see it and not before. I just don't want the price of that change to be you, or anybody else for that matter."

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru leans lightly into the touch and tips her head to rest gently against Kyouko's. "But she did hurt you personally, and that's a big thing and it /should/ be a big thing and telling you to just ignore that and get over it isn't fair to you. Either someday that hurt will scab over or it won't, but that's on its timeline."

"It sounds like I'm setting myself up for a giant egotistical fall by saying it, but I think if she was extracting that price from me, you and Kunzite both would notice long before it went too far. I'm hardly about to change dramatically overnight." Naru smiles a touch. "And if I do, please knock me flat and then get someone to extract whatever's taken over my head /this/ time."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko laughs slightly, and Naru can feel her relax some more- not quite to the level she was initially, but close. Whether that's due to the physical reassurances, the verbal reassurances, or her own self-control is unclear, though it's likely a combination of all three.

    "That's the thing about me, Naru-chan," She says, still with her cheek on Naru's shoulder. "I hold grudges. I carve them into my bones. I have a hard time letting go." The kettle begins to announce it's readiness, and she sighs, pulling away and leaning back on her hands as she lifts her head to regard her friend.

    "You can bet on that, though. I don't take kindly to people messin' with my friends, and neither does nii-chan, though he might not say it as loud as I do. We always got your back.. whether you need us to watch it, or knock you flat on it." She gives a grin.

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru unfolds from the floor to go deal with the kettle, although the distance of the kitchen is hardly reason to give up conversation. "I.. rarely hold grudges. It takes a while to wear me down enough to where I just can't let it go and try again." The smell of tea wafts, shortly followed by coffee and it's not long after that to when Naru is bringing both back out towards the table.

"At least I have faith in both of you knowing when to stop listening to me." Naru grins as she kneels, not spilling either mug. "I already know that if I've lost most of my mind to wraiths, I resist getting healed." She offers the tea to Kyouko and lounges casually on a cushion, still a touch thoughtful.

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko stays where she is, watching Naru move over to get the kettle and the drinks. "Well, like I said.. the world needs people like you. And maybe it needs people like me too, 'cept we really need each other cuz unfortunately, one type of solution rarely seems to work for every problem."

    She accepts the tea, smiling, warming her hands on it for a moment before blowing into it, and then sipping. "Mmm.. lovely. Thanks, Naru-chan." For the tea, or the forgiveness, or just being there, or probably all of the above.

    "Don't worry.. I might hold grudges against my enemies, but I'm just as hard to pry away from my friends." She winks, finally seeming to return to the casual state of relaxation she had been in when Naru had arrived.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"It's almost like the world is a pretty complicated place that needs all /different/ solutions to things." Naru's voice is dry, but amused as she grins, returning the wink. "Good good. We really do make a fairly good team in that respect. The fact that I'm very good at hiding behind you in a fight also makes us a good team, but that's a fairly onesided team." She laughs softly and leans over to gently bump shoulders, fond of the casual and easy touch.

"We probably could make a pretty good team in the kitchen too." Naru notes with a grin.

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko laughs, and bumps back, not seeming to mind Naru taking such liberties despite being so choosy with most casual touches that even Kunzite only hugs her one-handed to avoid potential freakouts. "I dunno, I'm not that much bigger than you. Nii-chan is probably better for hiding behind."

    At the mention of a team in the kitchen, she snorts after taking another sip of tea. "What, like you cook and I eat? That's about the extent of my usefulness when it comes to kitchen matters."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Curled up on a cushion, you're about my size." Naru agrees and then grins. "And the spear of killer doom adds like three metres all around of hiding behind. Sooo.. I'm not picky really. I'll hide behind both or either of you."

"Pfft. Okay, that's one way.. but you are perfectly capable of learning how to cook you know. It's not rocket science." Naru points out. "We could make dinner together."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    "It is a remarkably versatile weapon." Kyouko says, faux-superiorly, fully aware of the fact that the versatility of spears is vastly increased when one has the ability to make it infinitely long and move idependantly.

    She quirks her lips to the side at the mention of learning how to cook. "I dunno, Naru-chan. Ask Mako-chan sometime how it went when I tried to help her. Short version- not very well. Accourse, she's a lot scarier than you are. No offense." She grins.

    "I have no ambitions to be a great chef.. my space for learning new skills is limited and you've already added swimming and cycling to the immidiate future. But," She gives a wry look, "If you're going to make dinner, it'd be kinda assholish of me not to at least pitch in. Even if I just end up getting in the way more than actually helping."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I am about as scary as a kitten.. no offense taken." Naru smirks a touch and shakes her head. "Mako cooks amazing things, and /I/ have trouble keeping up with her in the kitchen. I cook much much simpler things. She's a chef, I'm a perfectly adequate cook. There's a world of difference." She sips from her coffee and then laughs. "I don't mind you being in the way, even if you're just near enough to chat at. But I suspect even you can do basic chopping. Doesn't have to be perfect, just take bigger things and turn them into roughly similar size smaller things. Although that depends on what we're making for dinner."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    "And as cute as one, too." Kyouko quips, then immidiately blushes faintly and looks away, probably thinking 'that was text material but a little bold in person', very obviously.

    Clearing her throat, she then adds, "Well, chopping things is something I happen to be very good at, even if its a skill I've honed on the battlefield and not in the kitchen. That bein' said, I think I can handle reducing large things into smaller, similar things through the use of sharp implements."

Naru Osaka has posed:
The returning blush is just as faint, but accompanied by a soft giggle that speaks more to d'aww, than offended. Even if there's blushes all around.

"I had faith in your skills with sharp implements." Naru teases as she drinks her coffee, not in a rush to jump up and start dinner. Not when there's realxing yet to be done. "If I could figure out how to feed myself at like nine or ten.. I have faith in your skills at fifteen." She adds after a moment. "It was a self defense move. My mother's cooking is /awful/."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko is working on her tea as well. No longer leaning on Naru, but far from across the table, sitting on the cushion which is the next place over from the one Naru occupies and leaning back on one palm as she sips her tea with the other hand.

    "There's a difference between feeding yourself and cooking." Kyouko says, with a quirked smile. "Trust me, as someone who as done all I can to feed myself, I know."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Well after I got the hang of /feeding/ myself, I took up cooking." Naru points out with a soft laugh. "Although to be fair, I got to do it on easy mode out of the fridge." She stretches lazily, freshly relaxed as she sets her coffee on the table and reaches for her satchel.

Almost in reach, it takes some stretching to be able to snag the strap and drag it closer. Once there, Naru digs out her sketchbook. An eternal addition to her school bag.

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko is still working on her tea, though as Naru pulls out her sketchbook she leans on the table, one elbow on the surface, her fist supporting her cheek, the other hand holding her mug.

    "You might just be naturally talented, I only just figured out how to properly feed myself this year." She says, with a self-deprecating laugh. She quirks a brow at the sketchbook. "That doesn't looks like studying." Her tone is good-naturedly teasing, all tenseness from the previous conversation forgotten for the moment.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"You were doing it on expert mode." Naru points out and then glances down at her sketchbook as Kyouko points out the blindingly obvious.

The chuckle is sheepish. "Clearly I need to study over here more often, you're keeping me on the straight and narrow." She sighs, melodramatically, and nudges the sketchbook over and digs out her schoolbooks. "I should try and claim I'm doing sketches about geography.. honest.."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    "Eh.. I think you give me too much credit." Kyouko says, but seems pleased anyway.

    She grins a bit wider as Naru abandons the sketchbook to get out her actual schoolbooks. "Hey now.. I didn't say you needed to stop. I was just commenting." She sips her tea again. "I don't care if you study or sketch, long as I get to sit here with you."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Ah, but if I actually do some schoolwork, then I can be all lazy and relaxed and settle together later, when I'll be all sleepy and lazy and relaxed and sitting together, without any lingering 'I have not looked at homework' guilt, nor 'I am wickedly behind in exam prep' thoughts. Although I'm not, but if I'm done early and just at the light reviewing stage, when Usagi realizes that she has to cram for exams, I can help her study." Naru may have some experience with Usagi's flavour of exam prep.

"Besides isn't 'Sustainability and our ecosystem'" Naru reads from the cover of one of the textbooks. "Just sound like a thrill a /second/?"

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko listens to this somewhat rambling but ultimately satisfactory explanation of why studying now is a good idea. She shrugs after a moment, and then grins. "If you say so. I'm gonna sit here and read my book. You can study your heart out. Momo doesn't get home for a few hours yet, so there won't even be any hyper-active kids around."

    She flops over on her side and reaches for her conbenie-trash manga, then rolls over onto her stomach, flipping the book open. She's laying next to Naru, not touching, but close enough that as her bare feet bob in the air, one occasionally brushes Naru's arm apparently by chance.

Naru Osaka has posed:
The quiet settles comfortably. Naru has taken over the table in fairly short order, with notebooks and textbooks to be able to make study notes. The topic isnt' actually that dull, no matter how dull her teacher might make it.

Naru shifts from kneeling to settling cross legged, pulling her textbook into her lap as she too settles to read. One hand stretches out to light brush agsist Kyouko's leg, as if confirming that she's still there, even with the occaision tickle of her foot.

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    It is comfortable, and quiet.. unlike in many households, the TV is not on, there's no music- the only sounds are the occasional rustle of pages turning or the scratch of pencil on paper. Kyouko snorts at something she reads, flipping the page, but not offering any more comment than that.

    She is indeed still there- as the sun traverses the sky outside the large windows looking out over the city, she doesn't move any more than to flip a page, and the occasional brush against her leg is not commented upon.

    Eventually though, she reaches the last page of her book. Closing it, she turns her head, resting it on her elbow and peering at the back of Naru's head as she studies, seemingly lost in thought, either about what she just read or something else inscrutable.

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru is equally engrossed in her reading, lost in the less fantastical world of ecosystems and sustainability, but it's a little while into Kyouko's examination in her direction before the silence is broken.

"A yen for your thoughts.. I might even still have a penny somewhere, if you'd prefer that." Naru asks quietly, not lifting her head from her reading.

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko doesn't shift from where she's laying, still on her stomach with her feet in the air, crossed at the ankles, her head pillowed on the crook of her elbow. She doesn't answer for a few moments.

    Then she says, "Just thinking about how.. oddly comfortable I feel. Y'know, I always have my guard up.. it's just habit. Even upstairs, to some degree. But this.. just feels really nice, and I realized I'm not, actually, waiting for the other shoe to drop. It's weird feeling."

Naru Osaka has posed:
As Naru listens, she lifts her head and twists to look at Kyouko. The smile at the notion of the other girl being comfortable and content and relaxed is radiant. "I think that might be worth more than a penny." She comments and closes her book and sets it on the table.

She stretches out, to join Kyouko in laying on the floor, a mimic of her position. "You almost look as relaxed as when you're asleep. It's lovely."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko laughs, peering across at Naru as the girl mimics her position on the floor. "The notion o' any of my thoughts bein' worth money is kinda funny to me." She says, with a faint, but pleased smirk.

    Then a mild blush. "Hey now. I don't need you reminding me that you've seen me drooling all over myself while unconscious."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Clearly they're priceless, hmm?" Naru quips back with a flash of a smile and propping up on her elbows.

"Unconscious yes, but no drooling." Naru grins. "And impressively able to go from asleep to moving before I've really processed what Momo's yelling. I love mornings, but I take them at a slower ease into them."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko looks skeptical. "Earlier you mentioned drooling." She accuses, although the glint in her ruby eyes is playful rather than actually belligerent.

    She shrugs, rolling onto her back and folding her arms behind her head, staring up at the ceiling. "When you're on your own, kinda makin' do out there, you need to have a pretty easy on-switch. Being able to go from 'asleep' to 'ready to defend yourself' in a moment is pretty important. I've calmed down a lot but I still carry a lot of habits I formed during those times."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Future teasing considerations." Naru points out with an impish grin.

"It woudl be vital." Naru agrees as she watches Kyouko roll over onto her back. "I think I've gotten lazier about being awake when I wake up once it took longer to untangle reality from my dreams." She is thoughtful a moment. "Then again, I'm pretty sure I'm not actually awake until the second half of my run."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    "Well, you still get up crazy early and run, whether you're half-asleep or not. I think that's worthy of praise either way. You don't see me leapin' out of bed at the crack of dawn to jog around the block." Kyouko chuckles, still looking up.

    "Besides," She shoots a glance sideways, definitely playful, "You're pretty cute when you're asleep too, so I don't see any rush for you to wake up."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"That is entirely Kunzite's fault." Naru points out. "Sneaky git, I bet he knew I'd enjoy it. Although I might have complained enough at him in the beginning to get back at him for it."

The blushes are out in force and Naru laughs softly. "Warm and cozy? I'd never make it out for a run here, and I'd be sad later."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    "Nii-chan is too smart for his own good," Kyouko agrees, in a tone which sounds far too fond for the statement, "But he's right so often I find it hard to be mad at him for it."

    She gives Naru a bit of a dry look, "Oho, is that going to be your excuse next time I ask you to stay over? It's too comfortable, so you'd miss your run? I see how it is." She grins, shaking her head slightly.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"It /is/ too comfortable." Naru protests with a grin. "AND I'll wake you up." She notes and then has the grace to look sheepish a touch at the dry look. "Besides, I do need to appear at home /sometimes/. Although I dont run every morning, so nope. Not an excuse all the time."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    "Despite my bemoaning, waking me up early is not the worst thing in the world." Kyouko says, smirking. "Hell, it might even be good for me. Not that I'm sleeping 'til noon anyway, but.."

    She laughs. "I may be selfish, but it's not my intention to steal you away from your mom, so yes. Go home sometimes. I support this."

    Looking at the ceiling again. "I guess we should probably hang out upstairs sometimes too, or people might start to wonder what happened to us."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I get up stupid early." Naru points out and stretches out to cross her arms and rest her chin on them. "Still. At some point, I'll inevitably be over here and wake you when I go for a run." She laughs softly. "Now and then, re-introduce myself."

"Apparently we're expanding ECFH into a quieter annex location." Naru chuckles softly. "But yes. I should work on the mural too. Tomorrow, perhaps. I've one section I don't like, and I'm letting it just /stew/."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    "I really won't complain." Kyouko says, and there's a genuine tone to her voice. "The benefits are worth the costs. I really slept better than I have in.. like, since I can remember. That's worth getting woken up an hour or so early now and then."

    Kyouko nods, at the mention of the mural. "It all looks great to me, but then again, it's not my work. I can understand how you can be more critical of your own stuff. And since its a wall mural, its not like you can stuff it in the closet, you'll have to look at it all the time."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I almost stopped by after my run this morning, but it felt ... I dunno.. weird?" Naru muses a little as she comments on this morning. "I'll remind you of that when it's oh-stupid-early." She smiles.

"There's large chunks of it I really like. Ane one section I really don't. So it's almost even net win." Naru wrinkles up her nose. "And you've /seen/ the stuff I hid in the closet."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko quirks a brow, her head sideways as she peers at Naru. "Shouldn't feel weird. Or.. I dunno. I don't want it to feel weird. I guess I can see why it would."

    She wrinkles her nose in playful imitation of Naru. "Mmm, yeah. Not gonna lie, babe, those were preeeeettty creepy. Then again, I have more literaly skeletons in my closet, so I really can't judge."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Like.. pushy? Not the right word either. Too soon? Something that doesn't articulate well, and in retrospect, was kinda silly." Naru comments to that quirked brow.

"No literal skeletons in my closet, but creepy nightmare fuel paintings." Naru nods a little. "Yeah. They aren't really for public consumption. It's .. just how to get it out of my head."

'Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    "Naru-chan," Kyouko sounds amused now, "You're dreamin if you think you can push me around. And I don't mean that in any sort of arrogant way. Be as pushy as you like, you ain't gonna piss me off. Or at least, if I feel like you're bein' too pushy, I'll tell you." She doesn't comment on the 'too soon'.

    She nods though, at the mention of the paintings. "I get that. I mean, I ain't an artist, but I get what you mean. Keepin' too much inside.. it ain't good."

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru laughs and shakes her head at the mention of Kyouko being perfectly willing to tell her what she really thinks. As if /that/ was much in doubt, the vast majority of the time. "Duly noted."

"So where do you get the stupid crap out of your head?" Naru asks, thoughtfully curious as she quirks her head looking at Kyouko. "Art isn't the method of choice for most people."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    "No, I'm definitely no artist." Kyouko says, twisting her lips to one side in a wry, thoughtful expression. She rolls onto her side, propping her head on her hand, elbow on the floor, as she considers Naru facing her from a few feet away.

    "Probably violence, as horrible as that sounds." She says, with a slight laugh. "Either in earnest, or training. I work it out through beating crap up, whether that's a monster or a padded dummy or a sparring partner."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"If it was violence through randomly choosing people off the street to work your thoughts out on, that would be horrible." Naru points out with a flicker of a smile. "But training, or legit fights? Not horrible, and would have been my first guess." She leans her head forward, stretching her neck out before moving to stretch shoulders too, much like a cat, really.

Naru looks up after the stretch and nods. "I can totally see that, by the by. Same sort of zone as on a long run, when I couldn't .. wouldn't.. paint, I ran."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    "Yeah well.. I try to make the targets of my violent outbursts be people/things who actually deserve it, these days." Kyouko says, with a mild shrug, watching Naru stretch. "I think I do a decent job.. most of the time."

    She chuckles as Naru says that would have been her guess anyway. "I'm that predictable, huh? Well.. I guess there are worse things than being easily read."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Only on a few points are you predictable." Naru points out with a touch of a smirk. "Finding that you clear your head and find your zen in a fight? That's just from watching you fight more than being predictable. Even in training, but that just takes watching you."

"You are also fairly predictable about food." Naru grins. "You and Usagi both there."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko grins teasingly. "You like watchin' me, huh?" She says, wiggling her eyebrows in a playful manner.. then adding, "I guess I'll take that a compliment."

    As for food, she shrugs. "Yeah, guilty as charged. Go hungry long enough and you start taking what you can get, when you can get it. We didn't have enough to eat even before I was on my own so.. kinda a lifelong thing."

    She smirks. "Dunno what Usagi's excuse is."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"You have clearly never watched you fight.. which is a blindingly obvious statement when I actually say it, but still." Naru pffts to Kyouko with a giggle. "Seriously.. easier done when you're training, cause then I'm just trying to stay out of your way, rather than trying to be a help rather than a liability, but you are amazing to watch when you're in that zone."

"Usagi .. has been like that all of her life." Naru shrugs a little and then smiles fondly. "Like even when she was in kindergarden, and we had snack at school, I gave her mine, cause I usually wasn't hungry."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    No blushes from Kyouko at these compliments, because her ability to fight is something she is legitimately proud of. "It was always the one thing I really felt like I was good at, for better or worse." She says, grinning happily. "I'm just glad I'm in a position to put that skill to good use."

    She snorts faintly at the mention of Usagi and Naru in kindergarten. "You're just too kindhearted for your own good, Naru-chan. I probably would have fought her for it."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Legit! I wasn't hungry." Naru protests and then laughs. "Seriously.. I ate about.. a third.. maybe half of what most of the rest of you did until six months ago. Less even. And I never was one of the girls who was all freaked out about dieting either, so it wasn't that I was starving myself on purpose or anything." She grins. "Now I eat about twice as much as I used to, and some of my favourite dresses fit weird, because I've gained muscle."

"You are good at it." Naru confirms with a smile. "Good enough to make it look graceful and easy and beautiful. Which is a complete lie, cause I know it's not."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    "Graceful and beautiful, hopefully yes it is," Kyouko says, with a one-fanged grin. "Easy, well.. it's easy for me but it took a long time for it to become easy. Magic helps though.. I mean, Puella wouldn't be much good if we couldn't fight at all so some amount of that comes with the powers but. I've worked pretty hard to gain some skill outside of that as well, and they definitely build upon each other."

    She reaches over and pinches Naru's upper arm with forefinger and thumb, testing for muscle. "Mmm.. not bad. Not bad." She laughs. "Still got some catchin' up to do if you wanna compete with me, though." Kyouko is not 'ripped', in the way you'd think of a bodybuilder or professional athlete, but she is definitely 'toned', and there isn't much spare fat on her slender frame. She could probably take a punch the abs from someone twice her size and only stagger a little. Not that it comes up very often.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"The practice you put in, it shows." Naru affirms with a nod before she's laughing as Kyouko pinches at her arm. She even leans up a little to be able to flex for Kyouko.

"Nope. I am not trying to compete with you." Naru quirks a smile and shakes her head. "I'm an artist, and if it wasn't for the fact that my life contains killer plants and disconcertingly violent holiday decorations, I would be a couch potato. Instead, I try and keep up." Because apparently 'trying to keep up' includes taking up 10k races and triathlons.

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko shakes her head. "No.. I don't think you need to try and keep up. You just need to do what's the right amount for you, to be safe and be happy." She tilts her head slightly, considering. "You are an artist. I'm a fighter. I don't try to keep up with you in art.. you don't need to keep up with me, or anybody else, in fighting. You should be what you wanna be."

    "Although," She adds, flopping back onto her back. "It is definitely wise to at least have the basic 'not die when monsters attack you' skills. I ain't gonna argue on that point."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"It is /so/ easy to say.. even for me.. and so /hard/ not to actually stress about it." Naru replies on the heels of Kyouko's comment about keeping up in fighting. "Beyond the basics of having the strength and stamina to just keep moving and keep up in a fight, even just to keep myself off the front lines when things rush me." Naru's turn to roll over and lay on her back, her head close to Kyouko's on the cushions.

"Not being much help in a fight, even with magic. It makes me /want/ to try and keep up, even though I'm really not much good at it. I'm more likely to chat with someone trying to kill me than attack them." Naru sighs softly and shakes her head. "Eternal frustration."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    "I think that has value, too." Kyouko says, shifting her head just enough that it lightly bumps into and then leans against Naru's, though still looking up at the ceiling. "Like.. sometimes it's important to talk. And I know I ain't good at it. I'm bad at talking to my friends, let alone my enemies."

    "But somebody needs to.. just like somebody needs to be able to step up and fight if the talkin' don't work. Besides, I think you can be more help in a fight than you realize.. your magic is pretty amazing. You just need to figure out how best to use it. That can take some time, I think. I didn't master my magic overnight, y'know."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"It should. It's flexible and creative and really /hard/ to be creative when someone is trying to throw you into a pit, or chucking basketball sized energy bombs at you." Naru leans her head against Kyouko and her voice betrays some of her frustrations.

"I know. I know. Takes time, learn new tactics, get familiar." Naru sighs. "I am usually really a lot better at patience than I'm being this time, which weirdly is making me more irritated with myself and more impatient. Vicious circle."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko is silent for a moment, thinking about Naru's words and looking up at the ceiling. "I think it's because of all of the rest of us." She says after a moment, her voice thoughtful. "An' I don't mean that in a bad way, not really.. like, I'm not sayin' it's bad for you that we're around."

    "But when I got my powers, I was on my own. I think that's true for a lot of us who have been in the game for a while. You got yours with all of us already here for you to see.. it must feel kinda like gettin' tossed straight from the bench into the major leagues and skipping the minors entirely. I can understand why that would be frustrating."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Pretty much." Naru nods, the motion felt against Kyouko rather than heard per se. "Or being level 1 when all your friends are level 50." She sighs, another slow breath in, held a few moments and let out again, quiet and her voice is much calmer when she next speaks. "if you guys weren't around, I'd be dead, so frustrating or not, I'm far happier that you guys are around."

It's not a distraught thing, or even an overly emotional statement, just simply fact and accepted as that.

"At some point, I'll take some time and keep prodding at what I can do. So far I'm very good at finding things I can't do." Naru considers a moment. "I might have the frustrating side of it, but I think I'd of been very scared if I was trying to learn my powers all by myself."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    "Yeah." Kyouko says, her voice holding a faint sad tone. "Being by yourself is hard."

    She turns towards Naru, momentarily hiding her face in her friend's hair, and letting her arm drape over Naru's midsection. "Which is why I'm really glad for you, and for Kunzite and Mamoru and Momo and everybody else. Really, really really."

    Then she pulls back away and sits up, grinning slightly. "But I really didn't mean for this to turn into a mope-a-thon."

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru leans into that arm across her, resting her arm there to make it a very oddly configured hug. "I'm glad of you too."

And then Kyouko is sitting up and grinning and Naru tips her head back before twisting to sit up as well and she smiles. "It isn't a mope-a-thon /yet/. Give it another couple of hours to properly get to telethon status, but by then you'll have gnawed your own arm off, and then we really would have something to mope about."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko laughs.. getting to her feet and fetching both now-empty mugs off of the table and padding over to the kitchen to deposit them in the sink. "Eh, it'd probably regrow. Being a soulless husk does have its advantages, after all."

    She comes back out a moment later, leaning on the doorframe and peering over towards Naru. "How's the studying comin', anyway?"

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I cannot think that self cannibalization is ultimately actually useful in terms of sustaining yourself." Naru muses, because of course /that/ is the kind of conversations that happen in her world now.

"I love drawing trees, I have some favourite trees even and in spite of Fiore and my nightmares, I am still fond of plants, but if I have to read anything more about the sustainable forest growth, I might consider gnawing my own arm off." Naru replies on the topic of studying as she also gets to her feet, to follow Kyouko into the kitchen.

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    "No, bad Naru." Kyouko teases, poking Naru lightly in the arm as she passes, then turning and following her into the kitchen. "You don't get to lose limbs, I'm fairly certain yours won't regrow. Right?" She eyes the girl. "I guess we won't really know until it's testing, but let's file that under 'please don't test'."

    "I suppose I shall refrain from forcing you to study anymore, then." Kyouko says, in her faux-haughtiest tones, before grinning again. "Might be too early to start dinner yet, though.. or maybe I'm just delaying out of fear of having to try and help."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Not testing it!" Naru assures her with a laugh. "I am ever so slightly more likely to test if I can fly than I am to test if limbs will grow back. I'm gonna go with 'no' on both counts."

"Pfft. Chicken." Naru thbbts at Kyouko for trying to procrastinate out of helping with dinner. "It's just chopping. I won't even make you use the stove."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    "I'm gonna take you jumping one of these days." Kyouko teases, as she moves further into the kitchen and leans on the counter, giving Naru a challenging look. "Even if just to see the look on your face."

    She sighs. "Alright, alright.. as you command. Show me what to chop, and I will chop."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"And I am going to scream like the worst stereotype of a little girl, and hide my face and cling to you like a muppet and you will laugh your ass off at me." Naru points out with a snort. "Just ask Mamoru, he's had to endure it."

Naru grins as Kyouko becomes resigned to the idea of being unskilled labour in the kitchen. "Carrots first. They take /forever/ to cook, so they go into the stir fry first."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    "Maybe I'll just enjoy the clinging. Oops, did I expose my ulterior motive?" Kyouko sing-songs, laughing. "Whoops, now I have to be jealous of Mamoru. Tsk tsk."

    She fetches carrots from the fridge, and pulls out a cutting board (which she does have, and even knows where it is!). Humming, she pulls out a rather large, sharp kitchen knife and begins chopping.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Ah ha ha." Naru comments to Kyouko at her laughing and she fetches out a knife of her own to start chopping other veggies. Like the onions, she's not mean enough to make Kyouko do that one. "You laugh now, but it really is pathetic."

"You know that I'm banking on the fact that you guys eat basically anything to not actually /ask/ what you want for dinner. I should probably make sure you're alright with chicken stir fry."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    "It's not pathetic, Naru," Kyouko says, pedantically, "But it is exploitable." She snickers mock-menacingly as she reduces the carrots to conviniently-sized bits for cooking.

    She snorts mildly at the comment about the dish in question. "Your banking is entirely justified. You could probably fry up a shoe and get no complaints from the Sakura sisters."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Its pretty pathetic. And exploitable." Naru pffts softly. "Fortunately no one's actively used it against me, at least not yet."

"Shoe's too tough to fry. Braise perhaps. Moist heat for a long time, for tougher cuts." Naru grins at Kyouko and then laughs. "Hey, you both could be wildly anti-vegetable or something. At least I know you're not vegetarians."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko has finished with the carrots, rendering them fit for cooking, if not necessarily the most beautiful. She turns and offers them to Naru atop the cutting board. "Your carrots, ma'am."

    Then she quirks a brow. "They keep a basket of apples specifically for me upstairs. Although I guess apples aren't actually vegetables.. but no, we're not afraid. Momo might complain about the broccoli, but she'll still eat it."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Thank you." Naru accepts the carrots and passes over the next veggie for the chopping. Clearly she aims to have everything just ready for when she puts it all in the pan. Almost like she's tried it before another way and learned.

"Apples aren't vegetables." Naru confirms. "I've already been through my picky eating stage of life." She flickers a smile. "And gotten over myself into eating just about anything now. I don't think there's any broccoli in tonight's."