Clandestine meetings!
Why an abandoned convenience store?
Well, Usagi's pretty sure that's how all Secret Plotting is done!
Of course, she realizes those movies probably lied.
She has coffee, two of them, one for her and one for Venus. This is not uncommon.
What is uncommon is that her own coffee is black. No sweetener, no creamer.
Oh yeah. Sailor Moon means Serious Business right now.
Sip. Uuuuuug shudder.
And this time, she's actually in henshin.
Idly, she wonders in between sips and shudders, if that would shock Venus?
Minako Aino shows up in sweats and a warm full-sized coat. She might be smuggling an animal inside of it.
She's not shocked especially. More curious than anything else. "This is a weird place. At least it's safe now," she says, trying to stay away from any smelly areas where mold might make it 'not safe'.
She looks for clean furniture to throw herself carelessly over, fails to find anything that satisfies her palate, and instead chooses a table that is much less dramatic to throw herself over but much cleaner.
Minako's arrival causes her to jump a bit!
Not that Minako is scary (okay she totally can be but in the best way ever) it's just Moon is already on edge.
Pace, pace, pace!
"Oh! Here!" She hands Minako a cup of coffee, and hopefully she remembered how the other girl likes it!
Fret, fret.
Blink.
"...Right! Safe! That's...totally why I chose this place!"
She wrings her hands. And paces.
"Minako...I have a plan. And I wanna make sure its a good one. Not from a Mercury point of view, but from a Venus point of view."
Minako Aino sniffs her drink and peeks around. She makes sure the coffee wasn't made from trash on premises before she starts to sip it down.
"Sure. Mercury needs to step it up," she remarks dully, blowing on her coffee so it makes steamy little clouds over her cup. "Everybody does. But yeah, I love plans!"
Sailor Moon slumps and rolls her eyes. "That's not what I mean and you know it." She sighs. "Mercury's an excellent tactician. But she works more with theory. And I've already talked to her. I need you're advice on whether or not it's sound on the battlefield."
And then, perhaps with a bit of huff, she crosses her arms and pouts at Minako. "And hopefully, my plan will prove to you I'm not just slacking off."
Hurt feelers? Maybe.
"I'm getting Mamo-chan back. Tonight."
"I never said you were slacking off especially. Everybody is. Or being rude. Or being stupid. Or not listening to my advice and nearly getting themselves killed," Minako Aino comments.
"It's irresponsible. Their lives aren't just their own to risk or throw away willy-nelson. It hurts everybody else when they do things like get themselves hurt or attack me."
But she's calm and not particularly caring anymore, so none of it is mad or upset. Just casually shared information.
"But yeah. I'm glad somebody other than me is bothering to think stuff up. Let's hear your plan. I like Mamo-chan."
"And here I thought I was doing well under the circumstances." She sighs. And gives Minako a warm, tight hug. "Well, we're doing what we can. And we're communicating more. I got the idea with Jupiter, ran it by Mercury, and now the last stage for polishing is you."
A bit more pacing. "I have Endymion's number. We now have two pieces. If I text him under the assumption that he has the other two, I can draw him out for a duel, winner take all."
More pacing!
"Of course, since she can't be there, the two pieces are safe with Mercury. Just before I text him, I text the others where to come. And it's not just us, Minako. There's a lot of other people wanting to come."
She bites her lip. "Then, in Jadeite's place, we beat the heck out of him until I can heal him as Serenity. Apparently, the Escalation is a lot stronger then."
More hand wringing, biting her lip, she looks almost like an eager student trying to please her favorite teacher, but afraid she'll get laughed at.
Minako Aino shakes her head. "Nobody is communicating with me. My 'warriors of justice' spend more time working with enemies who hurt people than trusting me, then hiding it desperately so I don't figure it out. I'm betrayed daily by my 'friends'," she says, unhappily. "So we're definitely not 'communicating more', but we might be doing well 'under the circumstances'."
She chucks an empty cup off to the side of the table after finishing it all in one unhealthy swoop. "Leaving it with Mercury? In her condition? That's risky.... and I say 'risky' even if we choose to politely ignore that she's off with unusual people after having a private chat with Kunzite that nobody knows about, leaving us one down when we really can't afford to be one down."
She narrows her eyes a bit. "Jadeite's place is a good one. I doubt the other Shittenou know how those places work yet. Even with his new powers, we have a supreme advantage over Endymion," she comments.
"So... no, it won't work. He'd be a fool to go there. If you can come up with some trick to make him act recklessly and go? Yeah, it'll be worth the risk."
She's doesn't like all of the plan, but the base part of it is solid, or so she implies.
"But yell me. Who else wants to come?"
"I haven't been communicating with anyone! If Mako-chan hadn't basically forced me to share, I still wouldn't have! Did you know I kept a journal for a while? Written at first to a dead guy? Did you know I kept forcing myself not to cry so no one would worry? Did you know I realized after Kunzite attacked Mercury, I'd probably have to kill Endymion just to save Mamo-chan from that life? So I'm sorry I haven't been the best foot soldier! And, speaking of, Ami-chan is feeling much better, and not on the verge of death anymore. I'll be sure to let her know you were concerned!"
She furiously brushes at her eyes, and speaks much more calmly. "Don't you think we'd talk to you more if we thought you saw us as more than just pawns?"
She bites her lip and chews it for awhile. "Ami-chan is the best person to leave them with. In her subspace pocket. And I don't care who she's spending time with. He's helping her. Which is more than we're doing. And even if we don't use them as bait, it's still a good decision to leave them with her. Because if things go sideways? I don't really need the Dark Kingdom poking through my subspace pocket when I'm cooling on the ground."
She takes a breath, holds it in, and lets it out. "What would lure him out, though? If not that?" She shakes her head. "Something not involving Jadeite as bait. Him being alive when they think he's dead is still one of our best advantages right now."
Minako Aino gives a lazy wave of her hand and an affectation of carelessness. "Clearly, you don't know how pawns work. You don't worry and struggle and suffer because your pawns are attacking you."
"Either way, it's stuff like this that frustrates me. I rail and argue and DEMAND you all take this seriously and consider the possibility that we might have to KILL people we love. Or that we might die and our bodies be stolen."
She waves her fingers about in pantomime and squeaky voice. "'Oh noooo Mina-san, you are so negative and nasty. Why bring that up?'"
"But now, I'm being lectured by the same person I urged to at least briefly consider these possibilities about - to think about the possibility of dying and having your body looted. Being spoken down to like I've not thought about that once. Being told I don't care for Mercury being hurt when I told her time and time again to not mess with Kunzite and he's going to kill her if she does."
She doesn't seem particularly invested or emotional. Just tired.
"I don't have anything better to lure him out. I just heard about it. Your idea - fight over rocks or whatever - is the best so far. Just be prepared for him not to make the risk if you can't tempt him. Or for his associates to keep him from trying. It smells like a trap."
"Anyway, answer my other question. Let's look at this from all angles."
"I am not attacking you. And you're only hearing--" She sighs. "You-- I'm--" A frustrated groan! "And you keep coming back with arguments I have never made to you! This isn't about what they have said to you, it's about what I have, so when have I ever called you Mina-san?!"
Frustration!
"I don't get any sleep because of those thoughts! And when I do, they're usually nightmares!"
Then she gets up close. "And I am in no way talking down to you. I am frustrated and I am angry and I am arguing my points in a highly defensive manner, but if you think I'm even capable of that crap, I'd like to know what other Sailor Moons you've been talking to out there. This is the closest I've ever come to attacking you, and if you remember the things you've said here, can you really blame me?"
She chews the inside of her cheek. "And in regards to Mercury, the same thing applies."
She slams a hand down on the table! "Dammit, Minako. Do you think I'd be able to argue with you like this if I didn't see you as a sister?"She waves a hand. "I've always known that I may have to kill him. But its always been in the 'known' way that I 'know' one day I'll move out of the house."
She's very tired, too. She's gonna need more coffee before the fight.
"The only other thing I can think of is to send the pictures he texted me before. The throne room, old buildings. Tell him I took them when I snuck in for recon."
"Well, now you know how I feel," is Minako Aino's summary of all of Sailor Moon's complaints.
"Still, if you want to be part of a team, you have to take the good and the bad. You can't say you understand everything now and that you always understood everything 'inside your heart' if you never acknowledge it. You can't be a part of a team and share the credit for victories but then say you didn't do what other people did if you're not trying to stop it."
"And yes, I can blame you. You can't get mad at me for being harsh on what you're doing. For being harsh on your plan. You're asking people to risk their lives and maybe die - so yeah, I'm gonna cut this apart and if it's a bad idea, I'm not going to let anybody go. This is SERIOUS."
She gives a shrug. "Just tell him. Don't make it out like you'll be alone. He won't believe it. Let him bring whatever he wants - we have Jadeite's home field advantage. If he falls for it, so much the better. And if he doesn't? Nice try."
Usagi pinches the bridge of her nose. "You also can't be part of a team if the majority of your time is spent criticizing. I get it, I'll never live up to your expectations. I'll never measure up to her."
"I know this is serious! I'm not yelling at you about the plan! Do you really think I would have asked to meet you if I knew this fight would happen if it weren't something I want desperately to succeed? Where I want everyone to come out alive? Homura has her time stops! Hannah has her fire power! Kyouko has her quick feet! Tadase is excellent on defence! Snake Staff can both heal somewhat and teleport. And everyone involved knows the risks. I know the risks."
Minako Aino doesn't seem impressed or happy at all. "Don't ask for my opinion and then complain when it's not full of backpatting and praise. Your plan is fine. A little risky. We can't know how it'll turn out. Criticism isn't a 'bad' thing. I just don't want everybody to die. Ugh. I'm trying to help you. To not die. But if that's your clever way of saying I can't be a part of the team, fine, I can take a hint," she says, slumping back and narrowing her eyes.
"I know you want to succeed, but maybe you all could try respecting me a little. You complain when I'm criticizing and too realistic. Then you complain when I'm 'not realistic enough'. I say to prepare for the worst and you hope for the best. I have some hope and you try to crush it out of me. I don't even know why - is this some dumb coping mechanism? I don't even..."
She shrugs. "It's not a bad plan in theory. Maybe even in execution. It has some terrible parts. Homura, the girl who got all of her witchy hunter friends killed and nearly got Hannah too? Despite saying this was a 'dangerous Walpurgisnacht enemy' that would have near total casaulties, only the people she was working go? Plus Jadeite gets attacked, after I criticized her little party? Suspicious. And Hannah, she's working for the enemy."
"It's super-risky to work with people who have different goals than us. Who work for the bad guys. Yeah, it's convenient, but one day, taking the easy way out is gonna get somebody killed - Mercury's wounds? Those are a warning."
"But yeah. It's not a bad plan. I'm all for it. I think we can do do it, but that doesn't mean we're good enough yet."
Frustration! "I knew coming in the plan had risks! And when did I, myself, Usagi, say any of that to you? I didn't! Stop putting words in my mouth! And I only hope for the best because hope is my strength! If I don't have hope, I'm completely worthless!"
Ug, more frustration. "We also have a very common goal with Homura and White in this. They like Mamoru. Both of them see him as a brother, as family. They want him back just as badly as we do. Why do you think I'm not inviting Takashi, aside from the fact that he's a jerk in a very not pleasant way?"
And she's back to the subject before. "Mina. You're the pessimism, I'm the optimism. We are supposed to balance each other. But how can I be expected to try to balance when you won't? Why do you hear the bad things and none of the good?" And she pinches the bridge of her nose. "And I never once said or implied that I wanted you out of the team. If you leave, it will be on your own terms, and I will be devastated, but how can I force you to stay if you're not happy?"
Then she trails off and looks at the wall. "It doesn't matter if we're good enough. We just have to be our best. Otherwise..." She shrugs.
"I dunno. Why aren't you inviting Takashi?" Minako Aino asks, nonplussed.
"I don't CARE if they like him or not. 'Liking Mamoru-san' does not mean you're a good person - it just means he's a likeable guy. Even Stalin had friends, didn't kick dogs, whateva'."
She wants to get up and rage or start hitting things. "And I am not 'pessimism'. I used to smile sometimes, too. How do you even get off calling me that!? I hate it. I hate it. I've always been optimistic. I've always been willing to help. I've been protecting you all long before you met me and started making fun of me," she says, stressing her words importantly.
"Every single time I warned us somebody might be bad, I've been right. Every single time somebody doesn't listen to me, they get themselves nearly killed. Even now, you right now admit that you're finally acknowledging all those things I talked about long ago. Realizing that we have to consider them."
"Urg, you think I just like to talk trash on random people because they aren't my Virtue buddies? Or I'm paranoid? I'm nasty at heart? Just try to imagine how much WORSE things would be if I hadn't said all the things nobody wanted to hear. If I just shut up and smiled like a good girl. Yeah, everybody hates to hear me talk, but just try to guess how many of you might not be alive anymore if I didn't talk. Then maybe you'll appreciate me more."
Now that she's said that, she's right back to business - "Any other details for your plan? Phone him up? Tempt him in? Ambush him? Anything else important to know?"
Usagi sighs. "Them liking Mamoru is exactly why I'm inviting them. Because whatever else our differences are with them, I know how they feel about him. Both have proved that to me without that even being their goal."
Then she just...deflates. She sits on another table, not looking at Minako, just staring at the floor instead. This was getting them no where. And it just hurt Usagi's heart, knowing that Minako just won't...whatever. "You're right. I'm sorry. I don't know you. So let's just...focus on the plan."
She wants to cry and run out of the convenience store. But she needs to make this plan fool proof.
Her voice is subdued when she speaks again, but picks up to professionalism as she continues.. "Ask Jadeite if there's a way to keep him inside. He managed to push Endymion and Zoisite out with just a thought. Maybe the lion dogs could help. Even the cranky one." She shifts where sits, her gaze focused on Minako's shoulder, and professionalism is in full force. "Barring that, we still have the human element. Like I said, Homura can time stop. If he tries to escape, she can pause time while White puts up a barrier around him. She's good with those."
She has this restrained look on her face, insulted and angry. "You don't have to say that like an insult, like it's my fault," she mutters. "And don't accuse me of thinking of people like pawns when you're willing to use the enemy just because they have useful abilities."
"I want to get him back on our side, too. I just am less willing to stoop to working with bad people to accomplish it. I never did it. You think I want Mercury to die? That's exactly why I cautioned against it. Also, it tarnishes what we can be, what the Queen fairy expects of us," she says.
"But fine. Bring them. I can't fight them alone. We can deal with them later."
She just sighs again. "We can talk about...everything else later, okay?" Her voice isn't harsh, just very, very tired.
"And...they're my friends, too. I won't be dealing with them later, unless they do something that endangers people. Like we always do."
"Other than what you've already said, what other gaps can you see? Or what can we do to improve our odds?"
Minako Aino wrinkles her nose and restrains doing the same with her lips. "If you don't want to talk about it or talk to me, that's fine. You just have to ask. I get it. And they're all your friends. Just like the generals. They've already hurt people. All the people who hurt me get second chances and friendship, but not me. I get impossible 'pessimistic' standards. I get it," she says, nice and friendly like.
"The gaps are those people. You want to reduce every wildcard in a plan. No chance! But the biggest wildcards? First, Endymion. Can we trap him? Can we beat him? How many of us will die doing this plan? Is it worth it? All hard questions. I'm willing to risk it, because I have some faith. We have to take some risks. Second, the other people? Your friends? You don't know me and I'm your biggest ally, whether you like it or not. Them? You don't know them."
"So yeah, those are the gaps. It's risky. But! I'll cover them so you don't have to worry about it and everybody else can deal with Endymion. I'll do the thankless tasks. You just focus on incapacitating him, fixing him, whatever."
"Just know if it doesn't work or him (or one of your 'friends') puts you in danger, I'm taking them out. Sound good?"
Usagi just sighs. "Minako, I already told you. You're my sister. Maybe not by blood, but..." She shrugs. "It's okay if you don't see me the same, you know. But you'll always be one of my most important people. Even when I get angry and yell."
So much more coffee...
She tilts her head back and thinks. "I don't plan on anyone dying, but you're right. Some will have to be guarded if only because their powers aren't as strong. That minimalizes the risk." She looks at Minako. "The risk is...very much worth it. Me not being any good without him aside, it hurts even worse what I've only imagined he's gone through."
She thinks some more. "I know them enough to know they'd be willing to risk everything to save him."
She turns to look at Minako. "Tell you what. You keep an eye on them while fighting Endymion. I'll need your fire power. And I won't warn them about what you just said."
Then she's looking up at the ceiling. "I'd actually rather prefer I be the one who kills him if it comes to that. That way the only person I won't be able to look at is myself."
Minako Aino shakes her head a few times and looks angry about sister comments. She doesn't try to correct them, though.
"Shh," she says, quickly and easily. New topic. "You're not going to be 'no good without him'. If it comes to that. It's rough, but you get over it. Trust me," she says, reassuringly. "You just knock 'em down, be sad for a few minutes, then it's all better and you move on. I might take longer for some people."
"Still, don't worry. I'll handle the hard parts. You don't want to kill people you love. It's rough. And besides, you really can't turn your magics from save to slaughter on a dime like that."
"I know I can't, and I've got more practice. It's not possible. So! Just focus on fixing him or all our effort will be wasted," she stresses.
Usagi notices the reaction to her sister comment and deflates. She said Minako didn't have to feel the same, but it doesn't mean it doesn't hurt!"
"Nah. I mean, I'll probably wake up one day and be able to breathe, but I've already looked around for places to adopt a bunch of cats from." And she sighs. "And I wouldn't be able to recover if you went for a long, long time, either."
She hums. "True, but maybe if I had, say, a sword I could."
She looks at Minako and smiles. It's a small thing, really. "All my focus will be on him. And getting him back. Don't worry."
"No, no. Swords don't help you feel better or recover faster. They just make you better at killing people and makes everybody expect more from you. I wasn't going to pull it from the stone if it wasn't blocking Mercury's computer," Minako Aino comments. It's heart-breaking.
"And stop making fun of me about sisters. There's nothing wrong with me," she insists.
"Anyway, you made your choice. Focus on that. You know what I'll be doing in the background. Don't fail. If anybody betrays us or I have to do something, you guys will hate me even more and I don't really want that to happen," she decides, standing up and stretching out. "If you need anything else, let me know. I'm gonna go out and check up on some things."
Usagi sighs and stands up. "Of course. We'll do what we must."
On her way out, she pauses. "Minako? I don't hate you. I never could."
And then she's off. She has some checking up of her own to do.