Litae watched as her attack combined with Misaki's, making the now one attack stronger than both.  She had to look away as she was momentarily blinded by the bright light, when she looked back, all seven of their enemies had been destroyed.  She let out a sigh of relief now that they seemed to be alone.  She responded to the other's questioning, "That wasn't just my attack, it was yours as well, looks like they were made stronger by combining. As for being done, maybe if we try to leave right away, there could be more enemies farther in the museum."  Mindless enemies like the ones they just defeated tended to have a boss, and she did not want to meet whoever it was.  She held out her hand for Misaki to take, indicating the entrance they had come in through.

A cloud of darkness formed in the room and then dispersed, the curling tendrils revealing the floating figure of a tall woman in a revealing green outfit. She flicked a similarly-coloured ponytail to the side, narrowed eyes darkening as she glared at the pair.

"You're not going anywhere!" Peridoto threatened, hissing angrily at the sailor soldiers.

Her Droids were gone—all of her Droids were gone! How dare those meddling sailor soldiers interfere with her excellent plan. It had gone perfectly until they arrived. Now so many of her resources were wasted. Peridoto snarled at the thought of having to request more Black Crystal shards from her commanders; she was known for her efficiency, not her wastefulness! At least she could stop these annoyances from interfering with her next mission.

She didn't know who they were, but soon that wouldn't matter. She raised her hands and felt the minus energy swirl around her, glowing and corrosive. These sailor nuisances would face her powers now!

"Dark Acid!"

---

:: Sailor Orphelin :: Misaki Togawa ::

She moved to reach out to the other, still unknown, person. The arrival of this other person, clearly evil if all of that black smoke was any indicator—not to mention the unpleasant demeanor, interrupted her motion and distracted Sailor Orphelin. The veiled woman barely had a moment to think about this new arrival before the olivine woman attacked. As the bright green liquid splashed against the floor near the pair, Orphelin smelled and heard the corrosion begin before she saw it. But she saw it, the way the tile was bubbling up and melting away, and her fear only intensified.

Her eyes caught the motion of yet another jet of the awful stuff, this time headed right towards them!

"Watch out!" she cried, moving to push the other young woman out of the way.

Too late! Litae mentally yelled out in her mind as the Lead baddie wasted no time in attacking only a moment after appearing.  She smell the burn of the acid and quickly looked to see if had hit her or Misaki.  Next moment Misaki was pushing her to the side as another wave acid landed near them.  Litae quickly readjusted her balance, brought her fans in close to her, then used them to force the air back out in sharp currents towards their olive-colored attacker.  Then she turned her attention back towards Misaki, checking for acid burns from the latest wave.

:: Sailor Orphelin :: Misaki Togawa ::

Sailor Orphelin yelped, her voice high and pained, as she failed to move completely out of the way of the enemy's attack. A few droplets of the evil acid landed on her upper arm, searing right through her uniform and her skin. She gritted her teeth, trying to ignore the pain. There was no time to be distracted now; they needed to get out of there!

But then she remembered Daeka. Daeka, who she had dragged to the coat closet and left there, trying to protect her. That poor young woman, traveling in Japan from somewhere else, only to have her first day interrupted with all of this. Sailor Orphelin knew that she couldn't leave without the other woman. She would never forgive herself.

"I'm fine," she lied (badly), noticing the other girl's concern. "You should get out. I have to go back. My friend is still in there!"

---

The air currents were more powerful than she expected to be, pushing her back against her attempts to hold herself steady. She crossed her arms in front of her body to block some of the wind, but she couldn't see well or aim easily through the gust. It was providing an opportunity for the sailor soldiers to retaliate, and that angered her.

Observing that her attack miss only increased her fury. Peridoto wound up again, encircling herself with the corroding power, focusing on an even larger-scale blast than her previous attempt. Her eyes burned as deeply as the acid did that slowly damaged the museum. If they thought they could simply dodge her, they would be sorely mistaken! They were going to die for their obstruction of the brilliant work of the Black Moon Clan! She could feel the energy of the Black Crystal amplifying her powers despite its distance.

This time, when she screamed out her attack, the torrent of acid blazed forward, eating its way through everything in its path. This would be the last moment of the sad lives of those pathetic pests known as "sailor soldiers"!

Litae could easily tell that though Misaki declared she was fine, she was indeed injured.  She could see that some of the acid had burned the girl's arm.  The sudden mention of a friend still in here caused Litae to stop in confusion. Was Misaki referring to her?Did she really not recognize her?  Maybe she needn't know...  However before she could set Misaki right as to who she was, the woman was releasing her rage into another attack aimed well at them.  Litae quickly scooped the other senshi up into her arms and jumped as far she could to the side of the attack.  The attack flew past them and landed against the wall, the materials quickly liquidating.  Realizing what that could mean, Litae quickly explained who she was in a low voice so only Misaki could hear, "It's me, I'm the one you left in the closet so let's get out of here while we can."

Deciding it was best to not wait for a reply, Litae quickly and expertly moved Misaki to her back and took off towards the now forming hole in the wall.  She used bursts of wind near her feet to propel her forward with extra speed.  They emerged from the museum in a corridor between it and another building.  Litae kept up her enhanced speed and moved the two away from the museum, sticking to alleys to avoid grabbing other's attention.

They were gone.

Peridoto swatted away dust stirred up by the wind from the rubble of the building, cold eyes reviewing everything before her. Those damnable sailor soldiers—they had fought back against her and escaped! Such cowards! She clenched her hands tightly into fists, feeling the nails dig into the skin of her palms. They should have stayed and fought her; she knew that she would have beaten them. They had no idea just how powerful the Black Crystal energy could be!

Her throat felt dry at the thought of reporting back to Green Esmeraude, telling about an encounter with sailor soldiers. This was their fault, for telling her that there were none of the pesky guardians operating in this area! If Peridoto had been supplied with all of the relevant information, she never would have been overwhelmed like this. Maybe someone else had done this on purpose, just to keep her from raising any higher in the ranks. She scowled at the thought, angrily slamming one fist into the other hand.

Ugh, whatever. There was nothing left to do here.

Outside the building, she could hear the intensifying blare of police sirens. Peridoto tossed her green hair and teleported away, her mind concentrated on the two insolent sailor nuisances that had interfered with her plans. They had gotten away this time, but if she saw them again she was going to make them pay.

---

:: Sailor Orphelin :: Misaki Togawa ::

So many confusing things. Everything was happening at once!

First of all, being hoisted into someone else's arms, especially considering that there was nothing "dainty" about Misaki's height and weight, instantly turned her face bright red with embarrassment. In fact, she couldn't believe that the slightly shorter and significantly leaner woman was even capable of carrying someone taller and so much heavier. This was the kind of embrace she had sometimes fantasized about in imaginary relationships with men much too handsome for someone like her, but now it was actually happening and instead it was a really beautiful girl. Everything about today was crazy.

Thankfully they both avoided the next attack from the strange woman with that black upside-down crescent moon mark on her forehead. Sailor Orphelin cringed when the museum was damaged, watching the acid eat away through the layers of drywall and concrete, thinking again about the cost that would be needed to repair the building. But she didn't know how long they'd be able to keep dodging, and Orphelin wasn't sure she'd have enough power to attack successfully.

When the other woman leaned close and whispered in her ear, Sailor Orphelin's sense that there was truly something not right with the world today increased exponentially.

This person was Daeka? Okay, now that it was mentioned, she could see it. Pale blue eyes scrutinized the woman's face, noting that even though Orphelin wasn't terribly familiar with the other woman she had met only a few hours ago, she was basically certain that this was the same face. Although her outfit was different, this person had the same tanned skin and elegant white hair. But how on Earth was a total stranger also able to use weird magical... stuff? Sailor Orphelin felt like she needed someone to explain everything very slowly.

She was thankful for the veil that covered her face, so that hopefully her new ally couldn't see the bright flush on her cheeks when the other woman swiftly changed the way that she was carrying Orphelin and dashed off, away from their attacker. Sailor Orphelin clung to Daeka's shoulders, ducking her head and wondering how the foreigner could be so strong and powerful. The orange-haired girl felt particularly worthless right now: she had gotten injured and someone else was carrying her—she was just a big awkward burden. Plus, even though this weird outfit wasn't exactly a bikini, having so much of herself wearing something so form-fitting felt extra uncomfortable when a mostly-stranger was touching her legs.

She was extremely relieved when they reached a safe distance from the museum and finally stopped. It was a small, quiet alley near a residential area. As soon as her feet were on the floor, her lips mumbling mangled apologies and thanks all mixed up together, she felt the glamour of her guise as Sailor Orphelin fade away, leaving behind just normal Misaki.

"Who... are you?" she asked, shuffling her feet nervously and staring at the other girl. "What is going on?"

The last bit came out a little bit more like a whine than she had intended. But she was so confused!

Daeka couldn't help but respond to Misaki's mumbled gratitude with a smile as she detransformed, the girl's honesty and openness was something she was not privy to except for her closest friends.  Having taken on the title of Sailor Litae and the duties of being the mesite had separated her from those around her even more so than before.  Anyone who had contact with her was always after something.  She believed most people to be hiding their true intentions.  Yet here was someone who continually expressed herself freely and even though she assumed to be an act at first, Daeka realized that the girl's face was true.  

The questions that came next surprised her though, she had thought that Misaki performed this duty like her.  She began to explain as well as she could, deciding that giving Misaki this information would not be harmful.  "My name is Daeka Nikopolis and I am the Senshi of planet Litae, which makes me Sailor Litae.  I came here to get a break from my country's issues... and learn more about my abilities and what I'm supposed to do.  As for what just happened, well I thought you would know more about that."  She paused recalling some of the information that she had read about the planet and it's senshi.  "You're not the senshi of this planet are you, what is your sailor name?"

:: Sailor Orphelin :: Misaki Togawa ::

To the last question, Misaki shook her head, the bright amber hair flying around with the intensity of her motion.

"No, I'm not the sailor soldier of this planet. I mean, I don't think so? I've never met them," the girl babbled.

She fumbled in her pockets for a moment, wishing she had a snippet of newspaper to share with the girl. Even though Misaki didn't live in Juuban, the crazy exploits of the blonde named Sailor Moon was impossible to avoid. The news never interviewed her or the others that were clearly part of her group. Misaki couldn't keep straight exactly how many there were or what their names were. They had a lot of colours—that was what she remembered. They did something recently, but she wasn't sure what exactly it what had happened—not enough to explain to Daeka.

"There are a bunch of them. They're in the news all the time. Remind me and I'll show you. I've only done this once before. My name is 'Sailor Orphelin', but that's not a planet I've been to or anything. I didn't do so well in science class, though; maybe it's an asteroid or something?"

She shivered, even though she was now attired in her familiar and comfortable clothes, not the weird costume from before. Pale eyes flitted back and forth, waiting to see that strange woman in green appear any moment now. She shifted from one foot to the other, nearly losing her balance with the constant fidgeting.

"So if you're actually from a totally different planet..." The blue eyes looked up at Daeka with the evident glow of someone slowly assembling a puzzle and seeing the completed picture. "...You don't have somewhere to stay, do you?"

She really didn't want to be standing in this alley. It felt too exposed. Too close to the museum. Too outside, where that evil woman might be able to notice them.

"Maybeyoucouldstayatmyhome?" she mumbled, looking down at her toes.

It was an embarrassing offer, for a variety of reasons. First of all, the Togawa apartment was not exactly a lavish resort. Mom collected all of that junk. It was clean, but it was so crowded with useless tchotchkes. She rarely had friends over. They also didn't really know each other. Misaki wouldn't have usually asked a stranger into her home, just in case they were insane and dangerous, but so far Daeka rescued her from someone dangerous. That seemed pretty safe. And at least they could talk with privacy. But she still felt like a little kid, inviting someone over to play and fearing they didn't actually want to be your friend anyway.

Daeka listened as Misaki talked about the other senshi, she wasn't surprised that Misaki wasn't the Earth senshi though.  She knew from her journals that Earth housed many senshi not native to it.  It seemed she didn't know who their enemy was as well.  Maybe they wouldn't have to deal with the olive-colored woman then if they just kept off her radar.  However the next turn in conversation did surprise Daeka, Misaki was offering her a place to stay, in quite an interesting way.  When this topic had come up earlier, she had learned that it wasn't customary for foreigners to stay with natives, instead they stayed in communities where other visitors stayed on their own.  She found the change in attitude... interesting to say the least.  Why was she now opening up her home to her now?  Her hesitation was swayed by Misaki's demeanor though, the way she had rushed out the question was funny and Daeka liked it.  Either way, it was certainly a better choice than the hotels.  Daeka smiled, unsure but ready to go with the situation, "That sounds great! Thank you for opening your home to me!"

:: Sailor Orphelin :: Misaki Togawa ::

At least Daeka didn't turn down her offer. That would have been even more embarrassing than making it in the first place!

Soon the two were out of the alley (thank goodness!) and on their way back to the small apartment that Misaki shared with her mother, carrying the various goods Daeka had acquired with her earlier shopping trip. The redhead's thoughts were completely wrapped up in fretting about her home. What would this visitor think upon seeing it? Oh goodness, she could just imagine the judgments that would be made. Why did she think this was a good idea, why?

It was too late to back out now.

Misaki took a deep breath as she unlocked the front door, the pair having climbed up the two flights of stairs that led to the outdoor walkway her family's unit was situated on.

"So, this is my home. At least we can talk with some privacy? And it will be warm," she introduced the place, leading the other woman inside and sliding off her shoes.

It wasn't hard to find a pair of house slippers for her companion—there was a small pile of ugly slippers in generic sizes, still encased in their plastic. Mom had redeemed them with her pachinko winnings. She handed a pair to Daeka, then slipped on her own and stepped up into the overcrowded space that served as living room, dining room, and her mother's bedroom. It had traditional tatami floors and minimal furniture, the low kotatsu table the biggest fixture in the place, but every other available space was occupied with narrow plastic shelves and stuff. Piles of packets of tissues, low-quality ceramic figurines of all shapes and sizes, travel-sized toiletries, and all sorts of other trinkets. Everything was carefully stacked and arranged, but it was still too much with little usefulness filling the space.

Misaki tried to occupy herself by making tea for the pair. At least this way she didn't have to see Daeka's face or reaction. Instead, the young woman hurried to the small attached kitchen and started setting things up on a tray.

Daeka followed Misaki's lead after entering the house, taking off her shoes and replacing them with some slip on pair.  Although she found the behavior a little odd, why not just go barefoot or even just wear your shoes inside, she attributed the custom to extreme cleanliness.  Why else would they do that?  Immediately she was presented with a very full room, the amount of items that filled this room was staggering to Daeka, who had to stand and take it all in.  Besides storage rooms, she didn't know of many houses in her country that had so much in them outside of those with large amounts of wealth.  She wondered if that was also a sign of wealth here. After noticing the amount of items, she began to wonder what they were and what purpose they served.  She wanted to start asking Misaki about them right away, but figured that it may not be polite to do so.

Daeka flashed a grin to Misaki, a slight giggle sound escaping her.  "Your home is so interesting!"

:: Sailor Orphelin :: Misaki Togawa ::

Well, at least "interesting" was better than "wow, your mom is a crazy hoarder!"

Misaki hurried back to the living room area, not that there was a lot of distance to cross between that and the kitchen, as they were functionally in the same room. The amber-haired young woman carried a tray with a small teapot and cups, coordinating traditional designs with muted and earthy tones, along with some rice crackers and a few small individually-wrapped pastries from the convenience store. The cabinets had plenty of others featuring mascot or product characters, also winnings from her mother's hobby, but she was not willing to serve a guest with those. After all, if it had been up to Misaki, none of these things would still be in the house. Her small condolence was that they were all organized and clean.

"Well, it's my mom's collection," she commented, trying not to blush with shame. It was hard for her to associate other emotions with this huge mess.

It was much later in the day now, but mom wouldn't be leaving the pachinko parlor until it closed. They'd have at least a bit of time to talk. There was so much that still didn't make sense to Misaki. She desperately, desperately wanted this to all make sense.

She poured a cup of tea and pushed it over to her guest, then wrapped her hands around her own cup.

"So... another planet, huh?" she asked, her mind buzzing with all of the conspiracy theory television shows or sensational fake "news" articles about aliens. "How does that... happen? And how did you get here? Did you know that crazy woman would attack us?"

Daeka sat on the floor near a table, waiting for Misaki to return, still eyeing all the items that filled the room.  Maybe Misaki would let her try a few out?  She was supposed to be on vaca-totally learning more about her powers.  She was suddenly reminded of why she had been "allowed" to leave Litae.  Her thoughts were interrupted by Misaki with refreshments.  Daeka watched as she came closer, and noticed Misaki's pink face as she attributed the items to her mother.  A small smirk pulled at the corner of her mouth, she found Misaki's honesty so refreshing.  Her rose-colored face also clashed well with her orange hair, it was quite a sight.

She accepted the tea from Misaki, finding the smell of the drink earthy and delightful.  She had just brought the hot drink to her lips when her host started right in with questions about her.  She paused before continuing on to take a sip, she had hoped that she would never even have to reveal herself and yet...  She set her cup back down on the table and stared at Misaki, just for a moment.  She could make something up, it would be easy, besides why should she reveal truths about herself?  It could be used against her later.  But somehow, she felt that here, it was okay; she didn't have to hide anything.  

"Yes I'm from a planet called Litae, as for how that happened, you would be mistaken to assume that there weren't many planets with life on them." All though she hadn't exactly left her planet til now, her people were aware of the presence of life everywhere in the universe.  "To get here, I just flew, I found out how to travel through space in one of my predecessors journals.  It's like a state you can go into when you transform, I think, honestly today was the first time I had done it." Which is why I crashed into you...  "I didn't even know there was a crazy woman, let alone that we would be attacked."  Her nature wanted to turn to the subject back to Misaki, dodge as many questions as she could, but instead she paused, letting Misaki get more questions she had in.  For once, it seemed like Daeka was the one who had more information about the whole Senshi thing.

:: Sailor Orphelin :: Misaki Togawa ::

So... there was really life out there in space. It wasn't that Misaki hadn't entertained the possibility of such a thing, but science was still working on proving their theories. To hear, unequivocally, from an actual alien that it was true... It kind of overwhelmed her, but only mildly. Instead she found herself wondering how long it would take for Earth space groups to figure it out.

She unwrapped a small bean paste-filled pastry and ate it while Daeka talked, nodding every once in a while. Misaki tried not to appear too crestfallen when her guest mentioned not knowing anything about what had happened to them earlier. Solving puzzles was among the fairly large category of contents that were not Misaki's strong suit.

"So... how long have you been doing this 'sailor' thing?" she asked, the question awkward.

"I don't mean to be rude, or anything," the amber-haired girl tried to continued, stumbling over her own tongue. "I've only done this once before and it was really weird, and I just don't know what's going on. Or what is supposed to happen.

"Sailor Moon and the other ones are on the news all the time, like I said, but I don't know them and they're not even usually around this area. They're in Juuban. It's not far, but it's not here."

She remembered her earlier plan to show Daeka what she was talking about. It only took a few moments away from the table to locate a relevant newspaper from their recycling pile. Her mom never actually read these things, but she refused to cancel the subscription. Misaki hurried back over, showing the cover, which read:

Attack at T*A Girls' Academy
Sailor Moon Appears Again

Before Daeka could answer Misaki's question, her host began stumbling over her words.  She really found the extra explanations funny and she didn't try to hide her own chuckle.  She looked with interest at the article showing multiple sailor senshi as Misaki explained a little bit about them. 

"That was only your second time? Not bad then," She really did mean it, Misaki had been very helpful.  Daeka was glad that she had been with the new senshi though, she wasn't sure that was a situation that Misaki could have handled alone.  Wait, why did this feeling of protection come so naturally this time? At least for the time being she knew who was good and who was bad, it wasn't so easy to discern on her own planet.  She remembered that she had meant to answer the question, "I'm 20 years old, I first transformed when I was 15, so it's been 5 years now."  Looking back down at the article, she had a few questions of her own.  "Since you're a senshi as well, why have you not been pulled into this senshi group?"

:: Sailor Orphelin :: Misaki Togawa ::

Misaki laughed awkwardly at Daeka's question.

"They are... really famous," she tried to explain, wondering if that would even mean anything to this tan-skinned girl from a far away planet. "I think if I was supposed to be with their group I would have known? Like, I don't know, maybe I read too many manga when I was a kid, but I thought that they would show up and be like 'hey, other sailor person, join us!'"

She took the opportunity to chuckle slightly and unwrap a few soy sauce-coated toasted crackers. Maybe if she crunched on them loud enough she could stop hearing her words echoing in her own ears, sounding stupid and ridiculous. Gah, she was probably just making a huge fool of herself! Daeka had been doing this for five years. That was hard for Misaki to comprehend. It made her feel a little queasy, actually.

Also, I was really hoping never to have that monster-fighting stuff happen again. She couldn't just say that. Could she? The pale blue eyes looked up at violet eyes of her visitor, then glanced away again. What would Daeka think of her if she admitted something like that?

Somewhere in the apartment, a small digital clock chirped out a synthesized version of the Westminter Quarters for the o'clock. It was some novelty her mother had redeemed with her pachinko winnings. Misaki couldn't see the display from here, but she read the time off a different clock near the kitchen. It was getting late! Mother would be home eventually, and what exactly was Misaki going to say?

She tried to distract herself from how nervous she felt by refilling their teacups as she talked.

"My mom isn't home a lot—she works all the time."

And gambles when she's not working, she thought.

"Still, she definitely can't know that you're from another planet. So we need something to say. Maybe you're a... friend?"

For being a hopeful writer and coming up with stories, Misaki was really, truly, no good at lying.

Although Daeka found it strange that Misaki was not already part of this other group, at home anyone with powers like hers would not be left to do as they please, she chalked it up to different cultures.  Besides even if she wanted to press into the subject more, Misaki seemed upset? Disappointed? Unsure?  She didn't want to cause her host any reason to be uncomfortable, so there was no need to question anymore.  Though she did wonder if this other group possibly knew about the person they had fought earlier.  Maybe she would bring the topic up later...

Wait, why?  It's not like they had to stop that person.  More than likely they were just in the wrong place and they wouldn't even see her again.  Besides, she had no moral duty to the outcome of whatever happened with her anyways.  She wasn't the mesites here, she wasn't anything here except a visitor.  A strange sound interrupted her discussion with herself, though it seemed to be an indication of time.  Misaki seemed nervous as she spoke about her mother and introducing Daeka to her.  The orange-haired girl's shyness was so endearing that Daeka actually laughed for a few seconds, the topic was so different from what she had been debating her own mind.

"Well it's not like friend is a lie right? I mean I hope it's not a lie."  She was almost hoping that Misaki would blush again, it was fun to tease someone who was so... she wasn't sure but it was fun.  "Anyways it's not like I had ever intended to reveal that little tidbit anyways, so my mouth is sealed."

:: Sailor Orphelin :: Misaki Togawa ::

As if on cue, Misaki did in fact blush yet again.

"No, no, it's not a lie! I didn't mean that! It's just complicated," she stammered, hoping she hadn't offended her guest... who was also... her... friend. She knew she couldn't say much more. She couldn't really tell Daeka that the concerns focused on her pathetic lack of relationships, steadily dwindling ever since high school graduation, which her mother obviously knew about considering her constant whining at Misaki to get married and have children like her sisters. No, that was not really something she was ready to address at the moment.

The amber-haired young woman tried to end the current line of conversation with some hasty cleaning, hoping that her flaming face would be at least be obscured with the bustling action. The day was quickly passing into night, and she'd need a bit of time to dig out the extra futons from underneath her mother's collection.

"I'm just, um, going to get things ready," she explained.

It didn't take too long, thankfully, as her own room was spartan compared the rest of the house's over the top assortment of worthless items. It wasn't a particularly large room, but she had shared it before with Kaori and Ai at different times in her youth, so there was a familiarity in setting out the second futon. Misaki wasn't sure what else her guest would require, having no knowledge of the customs of Daeka's homeworld, but she did her best to provide what seemed like the type of toiletries and such that she would offer to anyone temporarily sharing her home.

When Mom returned she barely seemed to notice the addition of another person, giving only brief greetings and nods before retiring to her bed in the main room—also prepared by Misaki. This made retiring for the night almost required for the young woman and her new comrade, considering they couldn't very well hang out in the room her mother slept in and risk disturbing her. Soon the pair was fast asleep.

With her eyes closed and consciousness dimmed, she couldn't notice the strange glimmer that couldn't be moonlight dancing on the smooth surface of Misaki's brooch...

Her hands, wearing long soft gloves, wrapped confidently around a tall staff that shimmered with opalescence and light. Everything around her was dark and turbulent, but she wasn't afraid. She turned her head to see the smiling faces of her beloved friends and teammates, supporting her as always. Someone reached out, securely wrapping her in his embrace, and she felt a surge of love and power that she summoned with all of her might. The words were muffled to her ears, but they felt clear and powerful on her tongue.

...

The others chuckled when they saw her plate piled high with treats, but she responded to their teasing with affection and good humor. Any time that they spent together was always a wonderful time, and this party was no exception. The room was filled with flowers from the realm, decorating every surface and flooding the space with colour and aroma. She loved it, every bloom precious to her, although there was one that of course remained her favourite.

A voice spoke her name, so softly, but she whirled around in an instant. She could have heard that sound anywhere, under any circumstances.

...

The woman in front of her, tall and regal, represented her highest ideal. She listened intently to each word of advice, vowing to make this person proud of her. To see that look of approval shining from those bright eyes always filled her heart with warmth. Someday everything that they looked out on, this vast sea of stars, would be hers to guide and protect as those who came before her did. She knew that with her new powers, she would do even more than that.

...

She wore that strange outfit again, but this one felt different. It looked different, too, she realized vaguely, although she couldn't remember what she was comparing it to. This was her uniform, after all, the outward appearance of the great ability that manifested in her. It felt perfect and whole, as if she were truly the person she was destined to be. The staff in her hand gave her the same feeling: that wholeness and completeness. She would give her all in every way—woman, princess, daughter, lover, warrior... and most of all, protector.

Misaki woke up with a start, gasping and confused. Her mind felt hazy and strange. She felt tired, too, as though she had run a marathon in her sleep. The young woman groaned, wondering what the heck that had been about. Her thoughts tumbled about, a confused jumble of brief images from dreams. There was no easy way for her to tell what time it was; the room remained pitch black.

"Oh man, what the heck was that?" she asked herself aloud.

She didn't even remember that there was someone else currently sharing her room!

Even though Daeka was in a new and foreign place, she fell asleep almost immediately.  Being an orphan and the tough training she had been going through had taught her to sleep when and where she could, you never know when you might not be able to for a while.  So she slept, her dreams filled with the sounds and sights of training, with the smell of the books in the breeze mixed with grass and flowers.  Suddenly her thoughts turned to the last town that she had helped the military take care of.  Their homes on fire filled her mind, their faces were so full of despair that she truly doubted what she was doing.  It's not like exactly trusted those at the Temple or her own government, but she went along with it anyways.  It was easier that way. 

Daeka tossed and turned, trying to escape the fiery chaos she had caused.  She was granted a reprieve when the stirrings in the room caused by Misaki had finally helped her to awake.  She welcomed consciousness just in time to see Misaki shoot up from her bed, talking to herself.

‘Oh man, what the heck was that?’

“I would venture to guess it was a weird dream?” The soft, mellow voice broke the silence that had occupied the space after Misaki’s question.  Daeka felt that anything would be better than dealing with what she had dreamed about. "Why don't you tell me about it, before you forget it?"

:: Sailor Orphelin :: Misaki Togawa ::

She almost screamed when someone else spoke up, but in a few seconds she remembered it was the foreigner who was also an alien and a sailor salami and staying in her house. Oh right, no wonder she was having weird dreams! Her entire previous day was crazy!

Misaki chuckled to herself a bit as she tried to think of the right way to answer the other young woman's question.

"I think I've already forgotten it," she began, her voice apologetic. "It was so strange. I was me, but I was someone else..."

She did her best to describe the small snippets that hadn't faded: She was fighting. She had friends. They were friends like her, with powers like she and Daeka had. She loved them, and they cared about her. There was someone else there, too, who cared about her even more. She couldn't see anyone's faces, but in the dream she knew them as much as her own self. There were flowers—so many flowers! The hues and scents of those blossoms seemed more real than anything else in her dream; that part felt more like a memory. Of course, it couldn't be a memory.

"Strange, right?" she echoed from before.

None of that could be real, of course. There had been a time when Misaki had plenty of friends, but those were not the bonds she imagined in the dream. Those people would never have slowly drifted away from her, moving on with their lives and leaving her behind. She knew that, somehow. Especially that one young man—of course she was blushing again, even in the darkness. No guys liked her—she was too tall and too fat and not at all pretty. That must have been the most unbelievable part of the dream, the conviction of being loved for exactly the person she was and returning that feeling fully. Maybe if it weren't for that she could have believed it was all real, even now. It was so vivid.

"What about you?"

It was intended as a harmless enough question, just random small talk, as she obviously couldn't have known the unwanted memories darkening the edges of her roommate's slumber.

It seemed easy for Daeka to make the connection that Misaki was somehow missing.  But things are different here, the senshi here don't hold the same role I do at home.  Still, she thought this would make a much better topic than- for a second their faces surrounded by flames flashed before her eyes and she drew her breath in.  Definitely a better topic.

"Oh you know, the usual, training nightmares and all." She raised her voice to a more upbeat tone, but still a loud whisper.  "How about that though, sounds like you were having visions of your past life. They sound like you had fun in your previous reincarnation."  Can't imagine what it must have been like surrounded by people you love and trust..

"Was that your first time connecting like that?"

:: Sailor Orphelin :: Misaki Togawa ::

For a moment her mind didn't quite process what Daeka was saying, but as the pieces slowly fell into place Misaki's mouth formed into a small "o" of confusion and disbelief. Not that it could be seen in this darkness.

"Past... life?" she whispered, not sure exactly how she felt about those words. Her head was spinning—maybe she was still sleepy and disoriented from those dreams.

Again, the nervous chuckle.

It was hard to reconcile her feelings. She was a normal young Japanese woman. She knew about reincarnation, thinking about the things her elders had said about karma and metamorphosis. Misaki thought of the funerals she had attended as a small girl: the quiet room and the softly burning incense. She remembered traveling so many times with her mother to sweep the grave and perform the necessary rituals. She knew the traditional folklore by heart, creatures of all types reborn in so many ways.

But did she... believe that she existed prior to this life? No, not really.

Yet... this stranger sounded so confident. Like someone who really knew something about... whatever this was. It made her hesitate to outright contradict.

"I guess it was... my first time?" she continued, voice halting. "I mean, I think it was just my imagination."

That many people who loved you? Who really cared about you? Get real, Misaki. Talk about impossible!

She didn't even notice a faint glow from where she had placed that strange dark piece of jewelry that allowed her to transform, resting on the windowsill.

"Is that a common thing? Do you have a past life?" she asked, unsure of what to say. She twisted her fingers together, fidgeting with nervous energy.

Though Daeka's eyes had grown accustomed to the dark, she still had to listen to pick up on Misaki's nervous laughter, it seemed to be a common event.  Her friend's tone sounded unsure, disbelieving, even dismissive.  It seemed that Misaki was unaware of the possibilities of being a Senshi.  The tanned girl sat quiet for a moment, the last question hanging in the air.  Although she wasn't exactly sure how her last life had ended, she was sure it wasn't from old age.

"Hmmm," she started off slowly, bringing her attention back to the small room they were occupying.  "When a senshi dies, she gets reborn, that's the simple gist, although I don't know the details of other senshi outside of my own past lives."  She debated, how much should she tell her?  The taste of blood shocked her senses as she realized she had been chewing on her own lip.  "My sailor crystal has been reborn several times, though we do differ from each other.  We are each unique but share the same thing, the Litae crystal.  Anyways, what you described certainly sounds like a vision from your past life, I've had them too but they vary in clarity and depth."  Daeka moved from resting her head on her hand back to laying down on her pillow, she suddenly felt very tired.  "Maybe you can find out more if you dream again?"

:: Sailor Orphelin :: Misaki Togawa ::

The visitor's words about reincarnation and "Sailor Crystals" made Misaki's head spin. How could she be herself, Misaki, if she was someone else? How could she be unique but shared with another entity? If this person had the "Litae Crystal", did she have some "Orphelin Crystal"? If so, what exactly did that mean? The thoughts swirled in her head like static on a television set, loud and meaningless. She simply didn't know how to process any of it.

"Hmm, maybe," she replied to the other girl's suggestion that she dream again to learn more.

It was still dark and cool in the room as the redhead snuggled back under her comforter, staring out the window. The moonlight seemed to be reflecting slightly off her brooch, but it wasn't bright enough to be a distraction or concern. Her blue eyes looked out the window, up at the sky, even more unsure about all the things beyond what she could see than she had ever felt before. Somewhere out there was the planet that her new friend came from. Was the same true for herself? She shivered, not liking this train of thought.

"Thanks for talking to me," Misaki commented in the darkness. "Goodnight."

The rest of her dreams were deep and still, like drifting deeper and deeper into lukewarm water. When she awoke, she remembered nothing.

---

Thankfully the next day was one of Misaki's days off. She worked a random schedule, typically filling in around the handful of other part-timers who had more concrete needs—school schedules, other jobs, extracurricular activities, or family obligations. Without her sisters, it was just Misaki and Mama. Without high school or college, it was just the job and writing. And she did less and less and of the writing with every passing week. But this intermittent schedule came in handy at the moment. She actually had a visitor, and she wouldn't have to abandon the young woman or drag Daeka to the bookstore just yet.

So... what to do with a visitor? Misaki couldn't actually remember ever having been a tour guide before. Her home, her country... obviously people found these places interesting, as there was no lack of tourists, but she couldn't say with any certainty that she knew what the appeal was. Of course, there were a few locations and attractions that she knew were popular. But she was just a poor part-timer—she couldn't take them on a bullet train ride to Kyoto or some other equivalent.

Thankfully she came up with an idea while listening to the news and cooking breakfast: the recently-constructed government building had two free observation decks. They could head over there, take a look at the grand skyline, and maybe visit a nearby park. It even had a zoo, although it was very small. (The entrance fee, thankfully, was also very small.) There had to be a nice café nearby for lunch, hopefully one with a budget-priced lunch special.

And that's how the pair wound up standing on the 43rd floor of the building, staring out the seemingly-invisible windows with a smattering of locals and tourists. As a free observation deck, the weekday faces included a variety of foreigners, employees who worked in the building, and other residents from Tokyo and elsewhere. Misaki and Daeka fit right in with the crowd.

"What do you think?" she asked the white-haired girl, hoping she hadn't made a terrible choice for their destination. "Is it similar to where you're from?"

Daeka appreciated that the rest of dreams were unremarkable, void of fiery death.  The next morning she awoke, more rested than she had hoped, than she had been lately at the temple.  Her clear violet eyes looked on as her host prepared their breakfast, curious of the food that differed from her own. 

She had been fully expecting to be left alone for the day, surely Misaki had other plans and people to attend to.  So she was surprised (a little pleasantly) when activities had been offered.  Not really knowing the city, the culture, or even the planet, she fully left her friend in charge of the planning. 

Now she was 43 floors above the ground looking out over the city.  Next to her, Misaki questioned her reaction.  Daeka was as close as she could be to see outside.  It was so-different.  She had never seen anything like it, this city was so different from her home.  Everything was so packed together, so angular and ordered.  There were colors and crowds of people moving every which way. 

Without turning aside, her eyes still staring out the windows, she finally replied, "It's very different, it's so lively, very interesting." She turned now and smiled, truly appreciating the situation.

:: Sailor Orphelin :: Misaki Togawa ::

Misaki grinned at Daeka's response. The observation deck had been a good choice—she could see it in the white-haired young woman's shining violet eyes. Good job, Misaki! the redhead cheered internally, awarding herself a number of star stickers for making a good decision. Those seemed to be so few and far-between lately, after all. Credit where credit was due and all that.

She didn't mind the view, herself. The city looked a lot different when they were up here. To be honest, there weren't all that many taller buildings in the city, despite its expansive size. Earthquakes tended to do that to a place. And at this distance, it all looked quaint and miniature. So much different from above than when you were down there on the streets, just one more ant-sized dot hustling through the metropolis.

Misaki wondered what Daeka's home was like, if it was so different from this. Tokyo was special in a number of ways, but in other ways it resembled other major cities all over the world. But her guest was from beyond this world, from a totally different type of society it seemed. Everything about this must be so strange. Misaki had never even left Japan—she couldn't imagine finding herself on a totally different planet! She found herself admiring Daeka's bravery and willingness to engage in something so unusual.

Hmm, speaking of unusual...! The young woman's blue eyes glinted with a sudden wonderful idea.

"Are you allergic to animals, in general?" she asked slyly, chuckling with glee at her budding thought.

Misaki, you are sooooooooooooo clever! she lauded herself.

Daeka continued to take in the sight, allowing herself to forget everything she was carrying in her mind.  She wondered what the daily lives were like for the people living here.  Were they peaceful? Did they have anything to fear?  She glimpsed Misaki smiling out of the corner of her eye, what about her?  Was life here good for her? Even as a senshi?  Though she recalled that Misaki was a new senshi.  Though she continued facing outward, she watched out of the corner of her as her host's hair seemed to glow in the sunlight.  She appreciated the sight.

The question caught her off guard. Animals? Allergic?  She was the farthest thing from it, she often preferred animals to people.  People will lie, manipulate, and use you.  It was hard to tell what they actually thought.  Animals on the other hand, were very honest, their desires were basic, your attention and food.  They couldn't really trick you either.  So of course her answer, "I'm not allergic, it'd be horrible if I was, considering how much I like them."  She smiled, wondering what the question meant.  She hadn't exactly seen great areas of forest or plains where animals were normally found.

:: Sailor Orphelin :: Misaki Togawa ::

Misaki made a face like the cat that swallowed the canary, completely unable to disguise her self-satisfaction. Her plan was brilliant and soon her visitor would be full of wonder and admiration, and it would be all Misaki's doing. That wasn't something she could say happened often, so she was going to make the most of enjoying it while it occurred. In fact, she only wished that it would have came to mind sooner! Maybe they could have done this yesterday instead of (ick!) all that stuff at the museum.

No, she was not ready to think about the stuff at the museum right now. They'd better move along.

"Follow me!" she insisted gleefully, reaching out for Daeka's hand. "I've got a surprise!"

---

It was still fairly early on a weekday, so there was no line and the pair got in easily without a reservation. Misaki did all of the talking, and there was just slightly less bumbling and awkwardness, gained from the confidence of her current feelings about this choice. The entrance to the place was barely visible from the street and involved a climb up a narrow staircase, but after they walked through the door it was like a wonderland.

The sign, perfectly suited to the 'magical forest' theme of the place, proclaimed the name to be "木漏れ日森の猫"—roughly something along the lines of "Sunlit Forest of Cats". And yes, that seemed to be exactly where the pair had wound up.

A cool 1000¥ per person had landed them 1 hour of kitty time and a simple beverage, although they'd have to pay extra for any snacks or fancier drinks. It was steep, but this place had a reputation that Misaki knew she could trust. The redhead wasn't exactly a regular of cat cafés, although she did like the general premise. She had gone to several with some friends when she was in high school and shortly after graduating, but Misaki hated going out alone, so as the people she used to know drifted away, she spent less and less time exploring the city.

But this was the perfect excuse to do something fun—like hang out in a café with adorable and friendly kitties to fuss over! Even the menu was cat-themed!

Misaki clutched her menu, staring at her new friend with anticipation. She wanted to see what Daeka's reaction was! In fact, the young woman looked complete star-struck and hamster-cheeked, her eagerness as she awaited evident to absolutely anyone who might look at her. The question, "So, what do you think?" hung in the air between them without ever being asked.

Daeka didn't understand what was happening as she followed the red hair to a new place.  How could she?  There was nothing like the place where they were going on her planet.  She looked at the sign, unable to guess what it meant.  Depending on how long she stayed, she might need to actually learn to read the language.  But how long would she be here?  How long could she stay?  She couldn't run forever, she couldn't hide from her mistakes, or from the people that controlled her life.  She would eventually have to return and right what had been wronged. 

Her violet eyes had hazed a little while she was deep in thought as Misaki exchanged with the host.  Daeka had completely missed the conversation, so when she followed them to the room and suddenly found herself surrounded by-

For a second she froze, she had never seen so many wonderful, fuzzy, friendly kittens in one place.  Her mouth hung open as she stared at the scene before her.  Finally, the question asked by the woman who was now forever on her "good list", reached her ears.  She turned, eyes shining brightly, and quickly pulled her friend into a hug.  Daeka hadn't considered what the normal rules were for contact, though she had observed other people while they were out, but for her, it meant something to freely have physical contact with another person.  Growing up without physical affection and with people avoiding you because they think you are cursed by the plague will do that. 

There was so much that weighed on her mind, so much that haunted her dreams.  Though she easily faked it to look like she was relaxed and laid back, her thoughts were running a mile a minute.  However, right now, it all drained away.  Daeka loved animals. 

She pulled back from the hug, aware now that it may not have been something Misaki found appropriate.  She smiled broadly, a real smile that made her eyes sparkle, her cheeks blushed slightly, and turned her attention back to the furry little ones that roamed around her.  She whispered, afraid to disturb the atmosphere, "I've never seen so many precious little ones at a time."  Regaining her sense of motion, she knelt down and after properly letting the cat become used to her, she began petting the cat gently.  She felt it's purring and allow the sound to be a source of calm emotion.  She definitely wanted a place like this when she returned. 

She looked back up at Misaki and saw the menu in her hands, using one hand she reached into her pocket and pulled out some money.  She had left the main stash at home, choosing to bring only some with her.  "Here, use this to order whatever you want." 

OOC:

:: Sailor Orphelin :: Misaki Togawa ::

Misaki felt her heart thump in her chest as though she was being pounded on like a taiko drum. Her body temperature spiked suddenly and dramatically as all of the blood rushed to her face, flushing her skin bright pink from her collarbone up to the very tips of her ears. The pale blue eyes widened, completely shocked.

It had been... years... or perhaps... wait, had she ever actually be hugged by someone who wasn't her mother, father, or sister? Surely there had to have been a friend at some point, perhaps when she was in preschool or elementary school, who hugged her. But she didn't have any clear memories of the experience, and all her emotions flipped about inside like a net filled with fish freshly pulled from the waves. Her mind blared the warning, cultural cautioning against public displays of affection loud over her other thoughts.

When Daeka finally pulled away, Misaki could barely sort though her confused impressions about how secure the delicate yet muscled arms felt around her. Or how beautiful the violet eyes looked when the sunlight reflected off of them. Or the paint stroke-like curve of the other girl's cheek when her face was so unusually close. All she could do was shyly glance back and forth, try to calm her too-quick breathing, and hope she didn't suddenly have a coronary with the frantic beating of her heart. Misaki opened her mouth to speak, hoping she could play this off, but found that her voice sounded squeaky and broken.

At least the good part was that, clearly, her surprise was a success! The traveler seemed completely enamoured with the good-natured, friendly cats curiously regarding them. That was the entire point, after all.

She felt guilty spending the other woman's money, but Misaki tried to think of it as "don't disturb someone who is clearly enjoying what they really paid for: cats". Besides, reading the menu was the perfect excuse to hide her crimson face in it—although she kept peeking, somewhat feline in her own action, over the top edge to watch the white-haired young woman interact with the cats. It was hard not to think to herself: Daeka's reactions are soooooo cute!

It took several attempts to order drinks and desserts—she kept getting distracted watching her companion, and couldn't seem to remember what she wanted or pronounce it without getting tongue-tied. But thankfully, it all worked out in the end, and soon they had a few beverages and desserts, all cat-themed of course, on the table between them. Café latte for Misaki, of course, and this one had cute a little pattern in the foam showing a kitty face and a paw print.

"Isn't it cute?" she commented to Daeka, slightly recovered now, pausing from having the first sip and disrupting the latte art until the other could see it.

"I'm... I'm so glad you like it here," Misaki continued, feeling her cheeks flush slightly yet again. "So there are cats where you come from, too?"