2547/Warnings, Promises, Fries

Warnings, Promises, Fries
Date of Scene:	05 March 2017
Location:	Earth Court Frat House
Synopsis:	Kazuo tells Unmei about some upcoming volatility. Unmei tells Kazuo about some ongoing volatility. Unmei finally starts finding out she's staying in a household of ex-villains. And Mamoru keeps a promise.
Cast of Characters:	Kunzite, Unmei, Mamoru Chiba

---

Kunzite has posed:
Sundays are no-school days, even in Japan -- okay, for Infinity students Saturdays are too, but still, that means in this context that Sundays are days that Kazuo is not patiently reminding Unmei to keep up on her schoolwork. Whether or not she can turn it in is irrelevant; keeping up the habit is the important part. He balances it out by fielding questions, at least.

So that means that when the tall white-haired one comes looking for Unmei in this particular living room, it's about something else. Not about anything urgent, apparently. He regards her relationship with the screen at the moment, and then says casually, "Let me know when you reach somewhere convenient to pause," and detours into the adjoining kitchen. There's about an eighty percent chance he has coffee in mind. Sometimes he even drinks the coffee he makes himself. Sometimes he just keeps it in his hands as if he subsisted off the heat alone.

Unmei has posed:
Unmei Tama glanced up. Within half a minute, she was up and running into the other room. Not because she had reached a point to pause. But because he called to her. Besides, she'd seen this episode and her favorite part wasn't for like, ten more minutes.

"Kun? What's up?" she asked, cocking her head to the side. "Am I in trouble? I'm sorry, what'd I do?" That... tended to be her default. Assuming she screwed up and trying to make up for it. Somehow. She was getting a little better. The first time he'd called her like this, she'd almost been in tears, certain he was going to kick her out. Now she was just anxious and worried.

She sat down, staring up at him and blinking a few times anxiously.

Kunzite has posed:
... the first time he called her like this, it was to check to make sure that she hadn't had any food allergies or intolerances before she got the gem. Which may have confused her more.

"You're not in trouble, no," he says. It's a sentence she's gotten used to hearing. "I wanted to give you a warning about the next couple of days, that's all. So that you knew in advance that the mood of the household would not be your fault. We have a couple of ... less than fortunate anniversaries coming up, Monday through Wednesday, and people may not be feeling very social for them."

Unmei has posed:
Unmei Tama blinked a few times. It took her a moment to process that, then she nodded. "I... I see. Should... I try to make myself scarce? I might be able to stay with Yuzu for a few days? Or... something, maybe?"

On the up side, she had been trying to stay up on her homework at least. Even if she hadn't been going to class. As much better as she was doing, the idea of actually GOING to school still horrified her to the point of almost throwing up. But still, she was doing better. Once she got her new magic gem, she'd probably be fine.

"Or I could get a hotel room, or... just make myself scarce for a few days? Stay out of your hair?" she offered.

Kunzite has posed:
... whether Unmei has ever before gone through the experience of getting asked how her homework's going, not to get yelled at, but so that if she's having trouble someone can sit down with her and find out what she's had trouble understanding and find alternate ways of tackling it till one of them makes sense to her ... well, that's another interesting question.

(In her current state, at least it won't involve the candy mechanisms by which Mamoru taught Usagi geometry.)

"Which of those works best will depend," Kazuo says. "What we'll probably need is, well. If we don't want company at all, we'll probably stay out of the way ourselves, or go somewhere else for a day or two. If we're here -- most of us won't deal well with someone being solicitous; if we feel like we're being fussed over, we'll probably snap at whoever it is. We may not want to talk, or to be touched. It'll be a good idea to ask first. If you can remember to take a 'no' for an answer, and to understand that if you fuss and we snap some sharp comment at you, or yell, you are not actually the one making us angry, then things will be fine. If that will hurt too much, or if you wouldn't do well without much physical contact or socialization for a couple of days, then talking with Yuzu is probably a good idea.

"Above all, the question is what would make you feel safer. We're all of us damaged, the rest of us as well as you; but we don't want our damage to interfere with your recovery. Even at our worst, though, I don't think any of us would actually /do you harm/."

Not these days.

Unmei has posed:
Unmei Tama nodded, listening intently. Wait, he didn't think? He didn't know, he just thinks? She clenched her fist a little, then nodded. "Okay," she whispered. Then... "Kun? I... I'll talk with Yuzu. And just... try to stay out of the way, okay? I think that'd be best. Otherwise I... might end up... I might make things worse. If that's okay. Sorry. Thank you."

She then slowly flicked her fingers together. "Kun... can I... can I... talk to you... about something?"

At least on homework, she was doing fairly well. She had the occasional issues, but she seemed to process it really well once her questions were answered. (Though some of her questions were quite WTF?! Why did she even think that?' type.

Kunzite has posed:
The coffee's ready, but Kunzite ignores it in favor of studying Unmei for a few moments and then holding a hand out to her. "If Yuzu and her family think you can stay with them, that's fine. If you want to stay here and ask Yuzu to visit, that's also fine. If you want to stay in a hotel and ask Yuzu to visit, that's also fine. Whichever would make you feel safer, with the exception, of course, that we can't volunteer Yuzu's family. None of us want you hurt because we're less stable for a little.

"And yes. What do you want to talk about?"

His hand's still held out to her.

Unmei has posed:
Unmei Tama gingerly reached out and took his hand. Almost instantly the tension seemed to melt away. She had permission to touch. To hold. That always made her feel better. She closed her eyes and relaxed. "I..."

Finally... "I can't eat," she mumbled. "I mean, i can, a bit, when I'm starving. But... but I... whenever I eat, I feel like I'm going to throw up. I try to choke it down as fast as I can so i don't get sick, but... but I can't enjoy it." She squeezed his hand tighter. "I just... I imagine myself. How I was. And I want to throw up. I... I sometimes have ot lay down and just sit still because I can't... stop. I know if I move, I'll run to the bathroom and... and try to throw it up and... and I've seen enough feel good weekend shows to know that'ss unhealthy."

Kunzite has posed:
It's while she's talking that his other hand covers hers. He listens, all the way through, to when she's clearly stopped instead of just trailing. There's a couple of seconds of silence after, but he's still holding her hand between his; there's no sign of withdrawal. He's only thinking.

"When you feel sick like that," he says. "Does your breathing change? Do you feel anything strange in your face, or in your hands, or anywhere else? Or is it only the feeling sick?"

Unmei has posed:
Unmei Tama blinked a few times. She cocked her head to the side. "Only the feeling sick. It... it starts from the moment I look at the food. It's just... so hard to eat anything. I stare at it and... and I remember devouring it. Feeling it. Then when I bite it, and chew it, i have to swallow it so fast just to stop myself from retching. I... I feel hungry all the time but... but I can't bring myself to eat and..."

She stared up at him, sounding a little frightened. "I-I don't know what to do..."

Kunzite has posed:
"The technical term for that problem," Kazuo says quietly, "is 'intrusive memories.' Your body is trying to defend itself against the problem you had then by giving you warnings about it. Since the problem no longer exists, it's misguided; but it doesn't understand that yet. This is a common problem after a traumatic experience. It often gets better on its own, so to begin with, time may help. Understanding what is happening may also help, since part of the reaction is, itself, your fear of the reaction.

"The recommended treatment is counseling designed to help put those memories in their context, and help the person with them learn to distinguish between the then in which the problem existed, and the now in which it no longer does. The problem for people like you and me is, of course, that there are no counselors that we can actually talk to about these things, so we have to improvise treatments.

"There are things we can do to make it easier, sometimes. For instance, if while you were starving under the gem's influence you never went to a park, then we can surround you with greenery to give you something to focus on to remind you that now is not then. Mamoru may also be able to help, but it will be a few days before he'll be in condition to try. Certain of the dreamwalkers might, too."

Unmei has posed:
Unmei Tama nodded, leaning forward a little and listening intently to every word. She tried to think for a moment, then spoke up. "I... I ate a lot of... deep fried foods. And stews. And... and wet things. So many shakes. I think..." She rubbed her forehead. "I really want some fries. Good fries. Non-wet ones. Not much oil. Just... healthy... fries. Is that a thing? Can we do that?" she asked, hugging herself. "I don't even know anymore. Kun, sometimes I... I get so scared." She squeezed his hand. "What's going to happen me, now? I'm not... like that anymore. I'm not who i was then anymore and... and sometimes it terrifies me..."

She face planted. "I mean... that doesn't make much sense, does it? Sometimes I feel like I'm then. I think I'm like then. But I don't have the feeling that... makes it feel right. That makes it feel okay, anymore. I feel like... like it happened, but i think it makes me a horrible, awful person and I'm so sorry and I don't know what to do. What can I do? I've done so many, many awful things...."

Kunzite has posed:
"That's a thing," Kazuo confirms. "You bake them instead of frying them. We can make them tonight, if you want to try; we have the ingredients. It might help you to stay involved in the cooking. To be aware of the process, of time passing. To slow things down." He considers that for a moment. "It might also help to just get used to holding something in your mouth, so that the sensation doesn't make you panic and swallow so quickly. Bolting your food that way may be reminding you of the whole thing over again. If we can find ways to help you learn to eat slowly again, it might be better for you."

His hands tighten on hers in turn. "What's going to happen to you," he says, "is that you're going to live. One hour and one day and one week at a time, like everyone else. And you're going to change, a little at a time. If you give yourself the right things, if you learn how to do things that make you healthier and more stable, then that change will be growing. If you learn how to forgive yourself your weak moments, without falling into indulging your weak moments, then that growth will be into a better person. But you do it like everything else. By keeping going. One hour and one day and one week at a time.

"I've been doing it for a year now. I'm not particularly a good person; I still manage by keeping track of what would disappoint Mamoru, not by any inherent virtue. But there are things I've done in the last year that are good. There are people who care about me anyway, despite what I've done in the past, and despite what I'm still tempted to do. There are people who trust me anyway, and that's considerably more of a surprise. So I can tell you, from a year ahead. You keep moving. You learn. You build on what you learn. You may not stop being afraid of yourself -- but you learn how to work with the fear, you learn how to take it into account without letting it control you. You learn to breathe again. You learn when you don't need to be afraid. And one way or another, whether it's because it happens less often or because you learn to move with it, in time the fear stops being so bad."

Unmei has posed:
Unmei Tama nodded, listening to him. And then smiling. Her hand squeezed his a little bit and... "Can... can i come closer?" she asked softly. And, if he let her, if he gave her the okay, she'd probably go in for a big hug, possibly even sitting against his lap.

Just having him there made her feel stronger. Made her feel better. She nodded and closed her eyes. "So I just.... have to be strong. In a year, it'll be easier. Then in two years. Then three. And then, one day, it won't hurt as much."

She was quiet for a few moments, before looking up at him. "You've... been so patient with me. Thank you. I... I know I'll probably never be able to repay any of this you've done for me. And... and I know youk now that too," she mumbled, squeezing his hand again. "But... I... I want you to know how happy I am. How... how much better I feel. As a person. Here. I feel like... I feel like here, I matter. Like I'm... like I'm doing the right thing. Becoming the right person."

"And I know what you mean by that. I can't tell you how many times I started to do something and... then thought it might upset you or Mamo. And... and tried to do better. You make me... feel like a better person. Like i can be a better person..."

Kunzite has posed:
Sitting against his lap would be a trick, since Kunzite's never sat down. But he gives her a nod in answer all the same, and stands there awkwardly as usual under the hug; he frees a hand to pat, awkwardly again, at her shoulder.

"You don't repay things like this to the person who did them for you," Kazuo says quietly. "I can't repay Mamoru, or the Senshi, or Nephrite and Apatite, or Sky Jack, or most of all Prism Keeper Yellow. We pay them back the same way we work on making up for the things we did. By helping other people when they need it. By helping them realize that they are people, and they do matter, and their lives make a difference. And their choices make a difference. And they have those choices. It's not always as dramatic a kind of help as you needed; most of the time I tutor children having trouble with school. But whatever kind it is, it makes the world a little better."

His eyes crease at the corners, very briefly. "It'll be interesting to see who you grow into being. And what kind of help you wind up being good at giving."

As if there were no doubt in the world that she'll be good enough at something -- or at many things -- for people to be able to rely on her.

Unmei has posed:
Unmei Tama blinked a few times and then her cheeks turned red. "I... never really thought about that. What I'd do. my mom wanted me to be in her business with ehr, but... i never liked it."

She glanced up. "... I don't... know. Is that okay? i mean. I'm... I'm almost to the age I should be thinking about college, right?" Then giggled. "I-I thought I'd be dead before then. But now I really feel like I'll make it. Ummm... what do you...." She sighed again. "What if I need to go to college and I don't... know what i want to be? What i want to do? Or what if I do and it's not... sound? Like, it's not something I could support myself and live on? What if it's a stupid idea?" she asked softly, chewing on her lower lip.

Kunzite has posed:
"All of those questions," Kazuo says, "are borrowing trouble. Your first job right now is to work on getting better. Your second is to keep up on your schoolwork. Your third is to look at things you're doing now, and at things you've done in the past, and think about what things you've actually enjoyed doing that are productive. It's possible that none of them may be things you'll want to do with your life, or that none of them may be things you could support yourself with. But it's possible to look at them and look for patterns. Maybe the thing you'll want to do with your life isn't something you've ever thought about, or ever heard of. Wetlands ecology. Cryogenic physics. Enterprise planning. That's all right. You don't need to worry yet about precisely which square your rook is going to be on in the endgame. You're still at the stage where the only thing you need to do is move one pawn."

Unmei has posed:
Unmei Tama nodded and closed her eyes. "I... I really envy Yuzu, you know? She's so... smart. So talented. She knows what she wants to do with her life. Who she wants to be. I can barely even... look at myself in the mirror without panicking. And yet she has found her place in the world already."

She squeezed his hand. "And... all of you. You're all so smart and talented. You... belong. And..." She chewed on her lower lip, looking up at him. "... I... don't think I could have moved my pawns if not for you. Can we go and play some more chess, please? I think I'm getting better," she said with a smile, before getting to her feet, slowly, though not letting his hand go.

"And I want to make those fries. Too. First. Actually. Can we... I mean, we'll do it together, right? You'll help me?" she asked, smiling up at him. "Whenever... I feel I can't make it. You're there. For me. And I..." Her hand tightened on his once again. "I... am so thankful. I hope you're right. That I can be like you. Just... just like you. As amazing and calm and kind and... and you."

Kunzite has posed:
"She does," Kazuo agrees. "But Yuzu's had advantages you haven't. It hasn't been an even playing field. It's a victory for her that she knows what she loves to do. It's every bit as much a victory for you that you've survived, and held on to enough of yourself that you can begin to learn what you love to do."

He reaches up to tousle Unmei's hair gently. "A year ago," he says, "I was less in control of myself than you were when you came here. A year less two days ago, I was, literally, a rock. I look forward to finding out what place you've managed to make yourself in a year.

"But to begin with, we'll need potatoes. Salt and pepper and olive oil. Parmesan cheese if you like that -- that's in another kitchen, but we can get that after the fries are in the over. Do you think you're up to cutting the potatoes? Or shall I do that, and you wash them?"

If he distracts her with cooking, maybe he can get away with not actually explaining to her that he doesn't want her to curse herself like that. Most people need a few useful illusions, here and there.

Unmei has posed:
Unmei Tama blinked a few times, cocking her ehad to the side. "What?" she asked, her mouth falling open. "You were a rock? Like..." Then her eyes widened. "Oh! i get it! You were like, some heroic sacrifice thing and, in the final battle, you were turned to stone but then at the last moment, when all hope seemed lost, you got better, right?" she offered with a grin.

She walked to the cupboaard and started getting things out(she knew where most things were now, at least). "I can cut them up," she said, then blinked. "Show me the first one? Though? Please?"

She'd wash one, so it was fair. Then... "How is... surviving... a victory? I mean, people survive all the time. Every day. Without this... any of this. Being so... messed up."

Kunzite has posed:
Kazuo reaches up to get a more sizable bowl down, then hunts potatoes and starts cleaning them while Unmei's searching for things like 'a cutting board.' "I'll talk you through the first one," he counter-offers. "We'll do it the easy way -- you won't have to do anything but cut things in half." Just successively smaller potato parts, till they wind up with wedges. He'll need to keep a careful eye on her fingers for the first cut, but that's a small price to pay.

"As for a heroic sacrifice -- no," Kazuo says. "Some years ago, I made an ... ill-considered bargain with a sorceress who claimed she would be able to solve certain problems for me. She tore my soul out of my body, installed it in a dark energy construct, and tampered with my memories and my thinking." His attention is down on his hands, on the potatoes and the running water. "By a year ago, the rest of us she'd made her servants were already free; Jadeite was able to free himself and run, the Senshi rescued the others. I wasn't. The thing she'd given me for a body enhanced my powers considerably. And she needed a certain amount of energy to accomplish her goals. So she sent me to get it for her. By draining the entire population of Tokyo to death. Sky Jack and Frost Knight Iceni kept me distracted, while Prism Keeper Yellow and Sailor Venus weakened my shielding. Apatite stabbed me, and a girl with an axe whose name I don't know tried to cut me in half. My body wasn't human, so that wouldn't have killed me, but it let the other Senshi and Mamoru and Nephrite, work a combined attack imbued with Yellow's purification in order to destroy the dark energy body and release some of the energy I'd stolen. That left my soul in a stone. I have a body now because Sailor Mercury worked out a way to combine a sizable stack of effects with a three-week favorable window that may never recur in order to grow me a new one. Considering that I'd tried to kill her both along with Tokyo and rather personally, I'm still not entirely sure what possessed her to bother."

He doesn't address how surviving can be a victory just yet. Maybe he's letting her consider the fact that she got out of her own ill-considered bargain ... a lot earlier than he did.

Unmei has posed:
Unmei Tama blinked a few times. She stared at him. "Oh," she finally said. She was actually doing really well with the knife. Of course she was. It was a used knife. But she cut and diced for a while, silent.

Finally, she spoke up. "Is that what the few days is about? all the things that happened then?" she asked, not looking up at him. "Is that why you helped me? Because... well.... Pin was my sorceress?" she asked with a sigh. "What were your--" She stopped and shook her head. "It's none of my business. Kun, I..." She looked at the knife once she was done with the potato. Then glanced to him. "... You're really strong, you know that?" she finally said. "I never thought you had anything like that. I thought... I thought your life was so simple. So perfect. But... but it's not, is it? You've... suffered just like I did. In a different way. But... still suffered and..." Her hands shook. "... I want to comfort you, to... to try and make it hurt less. But I don't know how. I'd hug you, but... but i don't think you like that. But... I want to help. I want to help you, so bad..."

Kunzite has posed:
He talks her through the first one: cut in half -- mind the fingers, watch where you're putting them, so they won't be hurt if the knife slips (or if it doesn't) -- then set the halves cut-side down, so they're stable, and make half-inch wedges. Don't worry too much about precision, it's nice but not necessary. Always keep your knives sharp; it sounds paradoxical, but they're safer than dull ones. Quiet words, calming rhythm. Practical matters. Things she'll need to remember. He's told her most of them before, but it's hearing them again that makes them sink in.

"Tomorrow's that anniversary," Kazuo confirms, when she asks about the few days. "The next couple of days -- people fought the sorceress. It was worse." And then, when she asks the next two questions: "No. We helped you because you needed help, and you asked for it, and you were willing to accept it, and willing to put in the effort that help needed from you. We were able to do better at it because the problem was similar, yes. Able to understand a little more of the state of mind you were in. But we helped you because you'd come to understand that what was going on was wrong, and was hurting you, and was making you hurt other people, and you needed to stop. It's hard to get to that point. Some people never do."

When her hands shake, he glances at the knife in them, and reaches across her to steady that one. "No-one's life is perfect," he says quietly. "Most people's lives aren't simple. But some people have it harder than others. Some people have it much harder. The people around you were doing things that were killing you a little every day; that's when survival becomes a victory. Mine --" He shrugs, careful to make sure that the gesture doesn't echo through the blade. "I made mistakes. Some of them were terrible. I can't unmake them. But I can do better. I can touch people without hurting them. I can do things for people instead of to them. Watching you get better, learn things, try new things? That's something I couldn't have done, then. That helps."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
There's a silent presence in the door to the kitchen, leaning; Mamoru's arms are crossed loosely, and one hand's holding a manila envelope. He's barefoot and dressed in pajama bottoms and a deep blue yukata with a starry sky printed on it, and the contrasting fabric lining the long collar and cuffs and hems are a lighter blue with a wavy wash over it, making it look like flowing water. His glasses are off and his hair's impeccably rakish, but his face is a tired sort of pleasantly neutral calm.

It's uncertain how much of the conversation he's heard.

When Kazuo's done telling Unmei what she's doing that helps him, the prince scuffs his foot on the floor and elbows the doorjamb to announce his presence without startling, and then he flips up the hand holding the manila envelope. "If you're busy I can come back, but I have good news for Un-chan."

Unmei has posed:
Unmei Tama blinked a few times, following along and listening. A dull knife was MORE dangerous? That didn't even make sense! But, he said it, so it must be true.

"Asked for help? But... but anyone can..." And then trailed off. No. She guessed they couldn't. She remembered what Yuzu said. Yuzu had almost begged her to help, Ami had tried as well. So many people tried, and she tossed them away. Because she wasn't really hurting anyone. Because it was her fault. Because SHE was the one doing it. She didn't deserve to be saved. She felt the tears welling up and had to look away for a second. "I... I just..." she whispered. "It... felt like that. Every day. Soem days I... I even hoped I'd get hurt. Just... just enough I didn't have to... fully... pretend any more, you know?" That... probably didn't make much sense.

Then she jumped and turned to face him. Her heart hammering. Then... she gasped. "Is it... do you have it? Is it here?" She was so going to jump hug him if he had it. She managed to put the knife down, at least.

Kunzite has posed:
... it may not make sense the way she meant it, but it makes sense of some kind. Kazuo doesn't address that, though. It's let to fall away for the moment in the face of what Mamoru is saying. He turns to collect the knife and slide it sinkward, then reach for the cut potatoes and transfer them to the bowl. "I think news can take precedence over teaching her how to make fries," he says. "Just this once, of course. Some things everyone should know."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"--'it', no," Mamoru says with a mild grimace, apologetic. "It has to be custom made and they're still working on it. Almost done. I've got the other part for you, though--"

He holds out the envelope like a peace offering, then quickly gives Kunzite a half smile before turning his attention back to Unmei. "Identification papers, intake paperwork for the appointment I got you with a doctor, and plane tickets and hotel reservations for Thailand. They'll need to talk to you and whoever comes with you-- there are a few doctors there that speak English, and one of them is trans, himself. I asked about a lady doctor, and they have two, but they have no English. Still, someone would be able to translate."

He hesitates. "I got three round-trip tickets, but I can get another set, too, depending on who you want to come. If you want me or Kunzite there, the other will also be going, but I didn't know about Yuzu, if she has a passport or anything..."

Another pause, and Mamoru reaches up with his other hand to rub at the back of his neck. He's anxious. This is one of his anxiety tells. "It's not an appointment for surgery. Just talking to you and doing some tests and then figuring out when they can start hormone therapy. The ID I got you says you're eighteen, but-- you might need to wait until you're actually eighteen for surgery. They won't be able to do that part until you're physically ready. But part of that is the hormones..."

Unmei has posed:
Unmei Tama looked so rejected then. "Oh..." she said. It wasn't ready. But then she perked up. "W-well, it's almost ready, so that's good news!"

And then he kept talking. And her eyes widened. She stared and then, finally... "REALLY?!" And then tackle hugged him, possibly hard enough to send him to the ground. "Oh my gosh it's really happening? You're going to actually do this for me? You're getting me everything I need?" Her eyes were sparkling. "You're the best! You're the bestest best best ever! You're amazing and I love you and you're wonderful and you're the best adult ever!" She grabbed the envelopes, likely sitting on him now, hugging them tightly.

"When are we going? Of course I want you to come! And Yuzu, well, if she can come. I mean, it's a big trip. She'll need a passport. I think she has one? Oh my gosh, i haven't been on a plane in so long! What are the pills like? How long until they're done? How long will I be on them? Does this mean I'll get boobs? Like, real boobs, not the fake ones I have with magic? Oh, what if they're really tiny? What if I don't look a lot like a girl? What if I'm allergic to the pills, there's other options, right? When will I see her? Can we go tod--" She paused. "Can... can we go next week?" Wow, she actually remembered.

Kunzite has posed:
Kazuo is quietly, studiously not contributing to the conversation. No. He is measuring olive oil and dripping a couple of teaspoons of it into the bowl. He is moving to toss the potatoes a little in the bowl, to get them coated more or less evenly. He is ...

... barely keeping himself from dropping the entire thing, as he makes a quietly incoherent choked sound at best adult ever. At least he puts it down before he leans his elbows on the counter and face into his hands. Sorry, Mamoru. Being attacked by enthusiasm means bodyguard fail.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Mamoru definitely gets crashed to the floor, eyes wide; Unmei is sitting and burbling, and Mamoru gives Kunzite a LOOK over Unmei's shoulder like 'you didn't even--!' but it's laughing and KUNZITE is laughing and Unmei is squeaking and bubbling like cabbage and potatoes in a frying pan, and the teenaged boy looks so relieved.

He lifts up his hands to take her by the elbows, gently, and he's giving her this crooked little grin. "I'm not an adult, but okay. Also, I don't know the answers to most of your questions, you have to ask the doctors. Also, you already look like a girl. Some girls have very small breasts. Check with Yuzu, and see if she can make it. The appointment's for next Saturday."

A beat, and he squeezes her elbows a little, reassuringly, then asks lightly, "Uh, can I get up? If my girlfriend comes in and sees another pretty girl straddling me there'll be hell to pay."

Unmei has posed:
Unmei Tama was super giggly and happy and jumpy and then he says that and she just laughs more. "At this point I think I'd hug her too! Oh my gosh, I'm going to be a girl! I'm going to be a real girl! EEEEEEE!" And just ear piercing scream of excitement. Right in Mamos ear! Before she jumped up and then hugged poor Kun. "Did you hear? DID YOU HEAR? Saturday saturday saturday oh my gosh saturday it's going to be the BEST DAY EVER OH MY GOSH! I can't believe it! I can't believe it I EEEEEE! Yuzu is going to be so happy for me!"

Kunzite has posed:
'Jumped up and hugged' gets a little bit of an assist, since the screaming prompts Kazuo to abruptly pivot and nearly swoop down to pull her up and away. Fortunately, that was more or less her plan anyhow. "It's not polite to damage your host's hearing, Unmei," Kazuo says mildly enough. And puts up with being hugged for the second time in fifteen minutes.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Mamoru sits up, rubbing at his ear ruefully. "It'll heal," he says, amused, if still wincing. "And calm down a little before you call Yuzu, shrieking in the phone might make her think you're in the middle of an emergency. Let me know if she can come and I'll get her a ticket too. If she doesn't have a passport, she can go with you for the next appointment. I mean if her parents are okay with it."

He picks himself up off the floor -- plastic-sealed tile floors are great for cleaning blood off of, but not so great for landing on -- and brushes himself off, straightening his yukata and running a hand through his hair. And then he laughs again, and it's a truly happy sound, even on the eve of -- it's a happy sound, and real. "She'll be thrilled. I mean, *I* am, and I'm not your girlfriend," he teases.

Unmei has posed:
Unmei Tama shakes her head. "Right, right, sorry, hee hee. I wanna party! Like, do something super good! And..." She held the envelopes and then... Held them out to Kun. "Can you hold these? For me? I am afraid I'll misplace them. But you seem to be the most responsible person i nthe world so I can't see a wild huricane coming through the house managing to make you misplace them," she said firmly. Staring at him. And sounding dead serious.

She then gave another, less painful eeeee. "And, ummm, I guess I'll tell her when I ask to come over for a few days. I'll, err, be staying out of your way for a bit, okay Mamo?" she said with a nervous smile. "Eeeeee..." Yes, there would be happy 'eeeeees' coming out of her for the next week, as if she was a leaking balloon.

Kunzite has posed:
Kazuo accepts the envelopes gravely. "They'll be on my bookshelf," he says to Unmei, "in case you need to find them. Under the rabbit."

(Why exactly Kunzite has a rabbit-shaped eraser on his bookshelf, when he only barely has any actual books on it, is a mystery which Unmei may possibly never unriddle.)

(There may also be a covert glance over Mamoru, doublechecking his condition. The laugh is a better indicator, though.)

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Mamoru's just smiling-- now he's leaned with his elbows on the kitchen counter, with the counter between him and the kitchen proper. "You should definitely party," he tells Unmei -- and when she says the bit about going to Yuzu's for the next few days, he glances at Kazuo, then gives Unmei a gentle smile. "Thanks. And sorry. We'll be fine by Saturday, don't worry."

Then he straightens up with a crooked grin and manifests his top hat literally just to tip it in Unmei's direction. "Make your potato things and then talk to Yuzu, or maybe in the other order, and I'll see you later in the week, sunshine."

Kazuo gets another glance, another unspoken statement, and a different kind of smile -- much smaller, and containing other emotions which would be hard for Unmei to sort out with a look that brief -- and then Mamoru takes his leave.

Unmei has posed:
Unmei Tama nodded. "Okay." Pause. "Why do you have a bunny thing there? Is it from a girl you're sweet on?" Because when there's a riddle, why not just ask for the answer?!! She then waved to Mamo. "I will! And i understand, no worries. We all need some time away and all that." She paused. "Also, that hat is sooooo cool. Can you pull a bunny out of it?" Well, sometimes a bunny pulls him out of it. "Have a nice night, bye."

She then moved to help him with the potatoes and, while they were working... "So... if you need to go cuddle with your boy friend cause the next few days are going to be shitty for you too, I understand. Like, we can finish the fries another time," she offered, giving him an out.

Kunzite has posed:
That glance and much-smaller-smile receive an inclination of Kazuo's head in answer -- not much. Maybe half an inch. It's not till he's technically out of the room that he can hear Kazuo telling Unmei, "The offer's appreciated, but neither of us are likely to waste away from loneliness and woe in half an hour. And the oven's already hot." Oven: luxury. Ahem. "And no. Mamoru threw it at me and I kept it." ... technically, this is a true statement. And it's a true statement that leads right into his talking her through how to toss the potatoes to get the salt to spread evenly instead of staying in one dump, and then how to set up the potatoes to go into the oven so that they'll bake evenly and crisp up instead of sogging, and -- once the potatoes are in the oven -- why different recipes want different temperatures, and how they do different things to the food. Kitchen physics. Practical things. Appreciation of small things.

One of the many opposites of gluttony.

Unmei has posed:
Unmei Tama nodded, listening to every word. It was such a small thing, a minor thing. But whenever Kun talked, she listened. She asked questions. She paid attention. It was so tiny, something she didn't seem to realize she did. But it was just... who she was. And it was probably the main reason she was fairing so well. Why he was able to help. Because she was trying so hard to get that help. "I see. That's... so interesting..." she mumbled.

However, once they were in the stove, she set up the board quickly and smiled ot him. "I think I'm going to win this time," she said proudly.

Kunzite has posed:
Her setting up the board is matched, as warned earlier, with his vanishing to fetch gratable cheese back from where it's hiding. But that doesn't take long, either.

And when the board's set, his mouth twitches at one corner, just for a moment. "We'll see," is all he says. But he plays less chess than he does Go, and she's been at chess longer. They're much closer matched, on that one. So she might very well be right.