Difference between revisions of "2024-03-05 - Windswept Babysitter"

Latest revision as of 03:10, 7 March 2024

 <Pose Tracker> Haruka Tenoh [Infinity Institute (12)] has posed.

Ikuko sets her lipstick down, uncapped. The phone cradled in her shoulder is a land line, for the dream of the nineties lives in the Tsukino household. "You don't have any sisters or anything?" she pleads. Ikuko is aware she is being a bit pushy with a teenage girl right now. But what option does she have? While the babysitter is answering, she silently, hastily rolls her lips and checks them in the mirror. "Yes, I know, things do come up. It's just a bit last minute... ah!"

The kinked extensible cord unkinks suddenly, and the extra play slaps Ikuko's lipstick tube right off the edge. She lunges, catching it, but comes up with an oily smear on her palm. That's going to have to go on the towel at this point; the reservations won't wait.

"Yes, I understand," she says. "Thank you, yes. Sorry, I have to go, someone's at the door."

Hanging up, Ikuko shouts towards Chibi Usagi's room. "Get dressed! I'll drop you off at day care!" Jogging down the stairs, Ikuko yanks the door open. "Usagi!"

Haruka glances behind herself, unflappable, or at least flap-resistant. "I guess she's not in," she observes.

"Oh, Tenoh-san," Ikuko stammers, caught off her guard for once in her formidable life. "No, she's out somewhere. She and all four of them, I guess... they're always unavailable at the same time..."

"It's mysterious," Haruka agrees. Ikuko, as far as Haruka knows, still thinks of her as a gentleman of Usagi's acquaintence, a fact that always mystifies Ikuko. Haruka's current outfit, the pale blue sport coat and the dark blue dress shirt, will not be disabusing her of this notion today at any rate. "I can stay out of your way, then."

"I'm sorry," Ikuko agrees. "I'm supposed to meet Usagi's father for a work function, and the babysitter's cancelled." She's done up only moderately, her dress pretty but casual; this is no formal dinner. But Haruka's rarely seen her without the apron.

"His coworkers will be jealous." She glances back at her own car for a moment, squinting, the way one might check a watch.

"Oh stop," Ikuko laughs. It doesn't sound like when she wants Usagi to stop something.

"Chibi-Usagi, right? I can watch her for a few hours."

Ikuko is suddenly very focused. "Really?" She, too, looks at Haruka's car, the gleaming Ferrari Testarossa. "Um... I wouldn't want to bother you."

"It's not a problem." Haruka seems as surprised as anyone by her own volunteering. "You'll be back tonight?"

Ikuko nods rapidly. "CHIBI USAGI!" she projects powerfully back into the house. "Tenoh-san is going to babysit! Be on good behavior! I love you, bye!" Looking up to Haruka, Ikuko bows a few times. "Thank you again. Text me if you need anything."

"I don't have your number," Haruka says, in a normal, polite tone. But she can't stop being good looking.

"Oh, stop," Ikuko laughs as she flees.

Haruka grimaces. No texting, then.

 <Pose Tracker> Chibi-Usa Tsukino [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.

Chibi-Usa is in her room, pretending to read manga. Usually she wouldn't have to pretend, but she's very preoccupied lately. She has a lot on her mind! And Luna-P hovers calmingly nearby, but that isn't quite enough to do it. Chibi-Usa looks down at the Time Gate Key again...

Then--

"Coming!" Chibi-Usa says, scrambling back up to get ready, though that wasn't what she was expecting. Manga goes away. Luna-P hovers helpfully.

But Ikuko and Haruka talk and--

Tenoh-san...

Chibi-Usa, dressed in ordinary clothes, opens her door and peeks out. Then she makes her way trundling down the stairs, looking up with big red eyes towards the door. "Haruka-san?" she asks.

"I didn't expect to see you tonight..."

But she smiles. It is apparently a /good/ kind of unexpected.

 <Pose Tracker> Chibi-Usa Tsukino [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.

Chibi-Usa would never befriend a strangely pale individual known to keep out of the sunlight and prone to... hm.

Well, anyway.

Chibi-Usa beams up at Haruka. She doesn't mind being called 'little bunny' by /Haruka/. "Oh, I guess I could've complained," she says, and a little of that distraction may be apparent in her, though she's put away the Key. But then, "That's fine! You just have to make sure the house doesn't burn down or..."

Blink blink. "Ooo."

Luna-P hovers down the steps and after Chibi-Usa with her usual big smile. And--

"Yeah!" Chibi-Usa answers. She will have shoes in MERE MOMENTS. "Where are we going?"

 <Pose Tracker> Haruka Tenoh [Infinity Institute (12)] has posed.

Something about how fast those little shoes go on makes Haruka want to give Chibi-Usagi a hug. She refrains, looking over at Luna-P with an appraising gaze. Will Pluto be mad if she gives the kid junk food?

Well, Pluto's not the boss of her.

"Hm. How about Crown Fruits Parlour?" She steps off the porch either way, headed to the convertible. She pauses by the door; it feels like a lot of trouble to open it rather than just make herself an elevator for Chibi-Usagi, so that's what she does, picking her up under her arms to plop her in the passenger-side seat. She walks around the hood herself, hopping the door thoughtlessly to enter much the same with Chibi-Usagi did.

"Hm, this is your first time in the front, isn't it?" Haruka looks dubiously over at her. "Am I supposed to use a car seat?"

 <Pose Tracker> Chibi-Usa Tsukino [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.

No hug today, but Chibi-Usa's bright smile is like a hug at a distance. She will definitely accept junk food.

Especially junk food that the other Usagi doesn't get.

"Sure!" Chibi-Usa chirps back, and follows along. Chibi-Usa is LIFTED up with a, "Oh!" and then placed in the seat. "Ooh..."

Luna-P floats beatifically over the door, in the meantime, landing in Chibi-Usa's lap after she puts on her seatbelt. And also after

"Nuhhh," Chibi-Usa answers, sticking out her tongue. "I don't need one of those."

"It's fine! Let's gooo!"

And then she looks very thoughtful. She's reminded, of what she wanted to talk about...

 <Pose Tracker> Haruka Tenoh [Infinity Institute (12)] has posed.

Despite the fact that asking children whether they need a safety device is a dubious method of determining its necessity, Haruka buys it. Chibi-Usagi knows better than she does, at any rate. She clicks down the chest portion of the seatbelt as far as it can go, but it's still menacing Chibi-Usagi's neck a bit. Tapping her fingers on the wheel, Haruka considers a moment, then starts up the engine. Luna-P will be observing a rare sight... Haruka following the speed limit religiously.

The trip is short, anyway. Walkable, really, but Haruka likes showing off her car to kids; unlike many adults, they like cool cars for what Haruka considers the right reasons. When she pulls up, she even gets a whistle of appreciation from some elementary school boys who were headed into the arcade. "Somebody want to park it for me?" she asks, offering them the keys as she gets out. But when they start to rush over, pops the keys in the air with a blow to her inner wrist. As they come down, she pulls open her breast pocket, lets them fall in, and winks, to moans of disappointment. After elevatoring Chibi-Usagi out, she takes the exterior stairs up to Fruits Parlour. They're grungy old metal; even a Tokyo alley is a city alley, though rich girls like Haruka and little kids like Chibi-Usagi are equally used to it at this point.

The interior, however, smells sweet, bright colors decorating the wall behind the counter, abstract shapes overlapping on the booths. Haruka marches up and crosses her arms, leaving enough room to make it clear that the important customer is the one accompanying her. Unazaki Furuhata peers over the counter with her usual kind smile. "Chibi-Usagi-chan, hello!" she greets. "Were you playing in the arcade with Tenoh-san today?"

"We were out for a drive," Haruka steps in smoothly, concerned that Chibi-Usagi's pride might be hurt by the idea of being babysat.

"Oh! Was it fun, Chibi-Usagi-chan? Driving seems scary, but I'd love to be driven around one day..."

Oddly enough, Haruka lets that innocent opening pass unnoticed. "You can get anything you like," she tells Chibi-Usagi.

 <Pose Tracker> Chibi-Usa Tsukino [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.

It's very dubious. But if anything happens, Luna-P will keep Chibi-Usa safe! ...No, really. Luna-P will keep Chibi-Usa perfectly safe from that kind of danger. Not that it's necessary; Haruka's driving is expert, even when it's the speed limit...

Chibi-Usa vibrates with excitement about the car; she hasn't /said/ anything about it, but just because she's being cool doesn't mean the way she looks around the exterior and interior both isn't obvious. She gets to be in Haruka's car!

She laughs a little at the boys, and then walks up the stairs. That is the last she thinks of these boys!! For now.

But the interior's sweet smell and bright colors...

They're nice. Chibi-Usa waves to Unazaki. "Hi!" she says, and then Haruka's smooth step is... good! Points won!

"It was!" Chibi-Usa announces, and--hmmmm. That /would/ be a smooth opening for Haruka...

Oh well!

"Then... I'll get some ice cream! Strawberry, with..."

Well, it'll be a moment. But there are sprinkles.

Once that's ordered and Unazaki goes to attend to it though, Chibi-Usa turns to Haruka.

"I have something important to talk to you about today," she says. "So thank you for coming." It's very.. formal?

 <Pose Tracker> Haruka Tenoh [Infinity Institute (12)] has posed.

Haruka looks down, blinking. "You're welcome," she rejoins hesitantly. "Are you sure it wouldn't be better to--"

"Will you be having anything, Tenoh-san?"

"Same as her," Haruka says, for ease. When Unazaki is busy again, she asks, "Sure it wouldn't be better to talk to your mom, if it's that important?"

 <Pose Tracker> Chibi-Usa Tsukino [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.

Haruka hesitates, but Chibi-Usa doesn't. Instead, she notes that Haruka will also be having sprinkles and whipped cream with strawberry ice cream. That's nice. They're samesies! But--

Chibi-Usa shakes her head. "No. It's something only you can do... Just like it's because of something only i can do."

She leans closer, "I'll tell you when we sit down! I don't want to be overheard too much." Whisper whisper.

 <Pose Tracker> Haruka Tenoh [Infinity Institute (12)] has posed.

Since Chibi-Usagi leaning in only gets her closer to Haruka's leg, Haruka understands the problem. She nods.

At the table, she is much closer to eye level, and does her best to amplify that without looking too ridiculous, lowering herself a bit while sampling hte ice cream. She looks at the tiny girl curiously.

"All right. I'm listening."

 <Pose Tracker> Chibi-Usa Tsukino [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.

Ice cream!! It is a perfect backdrop... Chibi-Usa looks at it almost religiously, but it is not ultimately the ice cream that's that important. It's what it represents. If things don't go well, it could be her last ice cream like this...

Chibi-Usa looks up at Haruka with serious eyes.

"...I'm going home soon," she says quietly. "To help Mama, and everyone."

"I'm going to ask Sailor Moon to come with me... And I want you to protect everyone, here. While we're all away."

She barely breathes, for the next fw moments.

 <Pose Tracker> Chibi-Usa Tsukino [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.

Ice cream!! It is a perfect backdrop... Chibi-Usa looks at it almost religiously, but it is not ultimately the ice cream that's that important. It's what it represents. If things don't go well, it could be her last ice cream like this...

Chibi-Usa looks up at Haruka with serious eyes.

"...I'm going home soon," she says quietly. "To help Mama, and everyone."

"I'm going to ask Sailor Moon to come with me... And I want you to protect my family here. While we're all away."

She barely breathes, for the next fw moments.

 <Pose Tracker> Haruka Tenoh [Infinity Institute (12)] has posed.

"Home..."

Haruka dispenses her current spoonful of ice cream into her mouth, but then sets it down, losing her taste for it. She wonders if Pluto knows already. Considering what to ask first, she hesitates, and settles on what surely isn't the most important part of this, and yet sticks out to her all the same.

"You believe in your sister, then." Even though Haruka knows the truth of that relationship, 'sister' rolls off the tongue effortlessly. It's an easy lie when they bicker the way they do. <Pose Tracker> Chibi-Usa Tsukino [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.

Sister. Cousin. Something else? ...Whatever it is, it's an /important/ relationship. And what sticks out to Haruka is...

"That's right," Chibi-Usa says. "...She's noisy, and annoying, and lazy..."

"...You knew?" Chibi-Usa wonders. "I guess I'm not surprised. That's why I knew I could ask you. Because you know so much."

"Anyway, she's all those things by day, but... When it matters, I really believe in her."

"But I don't know how long I'll be gone... I promised that I would come back, though."

 <Pose Tracker> Haruka Tenoh [Infinity Institute (12)] has posed.

Haruka inclines her head, not denying Chibi-Usa's assessment of her, despite the risk it poses. The usual sunlight in her eyes is shuttered, however. There are still things she is not saying.

"That's why you knew you /could/ ask me," she echoes. "But why do you think you should? Your sister has a lot of friends."

 <Pose Tracker> Chibi-Usa Tsukino [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.

There's always things not being said. Chibi-Usa, too, has things she's not saying. So that doesn't bother her in and of itself. ...But the question...

"She does," Chibi-Usa answers. "And I'm sure not all of them will be going."

"...But do you remember? When," she speaks more quietly, "The Black Moon attacked my school... and I asked you not to hurt Momo-chan."

"And you didn't. You didn't hurt her."

"...That's why. Because the people who are after me don't always just fight in a normal way. Because... I trust you, if they come sideways. If they come after Ikuko-mama... mama... or..."

<Pose Tracker> Haruka Tenoh [Infinity Institute (12)] has posed.

"I remember," Haruka says. Horror like that doesn't fade easily. It's an obvious answer, now that she thinks about it from Chibi-Usagi's perspective. She just wishes what Chibi-Usagi thought the situation was, was closer to the truth.

"I know you made a promise, but things don't always happen the way we promise they will. And home... is a hard place to leave." If there is a euphemism there, it is not for the future. "I'm glad you're worried about your mother. But I want to know that you've thought about yourself too, little rabbit. About where you want to be. I don't know anything about being a parent. But I think... it seems to me what it's like."

Her voice is level, despite her verbal stumble. It's just a relevant observation.

"Is wanting what's best for your child, even if it means you can't see them anymore."

 <Pose Tracker> Chibi-Usa Tsukino [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.

Chibi-Usa doesn't know about Haruka's conflicts here. She doesn't know the reasons that Haruka would be reluctant to share them.

"...That's true," Chibi-Usa says. "Sometimes you break promises that you never wanted to break. I know that." How does she know that, at such a young age? She shouldn't. "...But I promised anyway, and I plan to keep it."

That she's thought about herself...

"It's not where I want to be," Chibi-Usa says quietly, the pink-haired girl placing emphasis on 'where'. "...It's who I want to be. I realized, that day..."

"That there are things that only I can do. And so I'm going to do them."

"I can't fight like you can, or like she can." 'She' can only be Sailor Moon, of course. "...But there are still things that I can do."

"I want to be brave. ...A-and," she says, "I'm not going alone, this time. I won't... be alone."

 <Pose Tracker> Haruka Tenoh [Infinity Institute (12)] has posed.

Haruka stares at the little girl across from her. Grief for her innocence wars with pride in her strength. It is a familiar feeling, when it comes to rabbits.

"If I agree," she says. "That Haruka Tenoh will make sure nothing happens to Ikuko and Kenji Tsukino, or to Shingo or Momo. That you can do what you need to do without worrying for them. Will you do something for her in return?"

 <Pose Tracker> Chibi-Usa Tsukino [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.

Rabbits are like that.

"Okay," Chibi-Usa answers, red eyes still big and bright, but serious, as they have been through this conversation. The merry sprinkles on her ice cream still pop on the whipped cream. She hasn't finished.

"...Yes," she says. "Asking for something back is OK. That's fair."

"What would you want?"

 <Pose Tracker> Haruka Tenoh [Infinity Institute (12)] has posed.

"Finish your ice cream," Haruka says seriously. "And play some video games with me. The future doesn't come any faster or slower just because you ask it to. Right now, like it or not, your parents are out for the night, there's no school tomorrow, and you're in an arcade. You owe it to us adults to enjoy this feeling."

 <Pose Tracker> Chibi-Usa Tsukino [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.

The serious statement catches Chibi-Usa by surprise. She opens her mouth and closes it, and blink blinks up at Haruka.

"...Okay," she says, and her smile returns, spreading slowly across her face.

"...I can't leave without everyone else anyway," she admits. "Let's do it!"

She takes a spoon to her ice cream and NOMS happily.

 <Pose Tracker> Haruka Tenoh [Infinity Institute (12)] has posed.

Haruka has learned a lot tonight. And with the sunlight outside beginning to fade, presaging the neon Tokyo night where the other part of her lives, a long-trained instinct in her is twitching to act on it. But she tears her eyes away from her reflection in the parlour window. Chibi-Usa's delight deserves them more, and Chibi-Usa deserves for Haruka to take her own advice. It ought to be harder than it is.

But this kid. She really is cute.

"Hey," Haruka says. "How come our ice creams are the same size, but I'm so much bigger than you are? I didn't know I was sitting with a princess."