For a small amount of time, her mind was free, completely focused on the innocent creatures near her, unaware of the reaction she had pulled from the red head.  When their beverages and snacks came, Daeka moved to where she was sitting next Misaki, her fingers gently petting the purring kitten, completely black with blue eyes, in her lap.  She wondered at the picture in the coffee, agreeing that it was indeed cute.  Reaching for her own, she took a sip from the fruity carbonated drink as the question made its way through her mind.

"We do, in fact they are very much like these, though we don't have them in places like this."  She set her glass back down and gnawed at her lip just slightly.  "Actually, legend has it that several Litae ago, she went off on a distant journey and returned with this animal.  Ever since they've been considered sacred," And only the rich and powerful were able to have them.  "I've only been able to see them up close after I was chosen." 

She looked into the pale blue eyes that were made only bluer by the slight pink in her cheeks.  What could have made her blush?  Daeka found it interesting, back home it was almost as if the girls could do it on command, all to snag the attention of some boy that held their interest.  So naturally, it wasn't exactly something Daeka had partaken in learning.  But Misaki wasn't like those girls, she wasn't doing anything for anyone's attention.  Wait, why was she thinking into it so deeply.  Her violet eyes focused on the face across from hers again.  A soft smile took her lips, unknowingly to herself.

:: Sailor Orphelin :: Misaki Togawa ::

For some reason, she felt herself blush even harder when the young woman across the table from her met her own eyes and smiled. Misaki laughed nervously, glancing around, thankful for the distraction of so many cats.

"Well, I'm glad you could see them up close here," she commented, mind pondering the story that the other girl had told her about the prevalence of cats in the world where the traveler came from.

Even though she should have been thinking about the cats, or maybe offering some kind of explanation of why exactly this type of place existed, all Misaki could think about were the beautiful, violet eyes of the other young woman. She usually avoided eye contact, honestly, as it was so direct and intimate, but there was something she rather liked about the way Daeka's glance met hers. She couldn't quite put her finger on why.



She adjusted the bow on her uniform, grimacing as she caught a reflection of herself. Nothing about the "cutsey-wootsy" frilled apron and full skirt of this outfit appealed to her. So much sexiness, so completely obscured with ribbons and ruffles. She could never understand why anyone liked this kind of thing. At least Peridoto knew she wouldn't be wearing it for long.

So far she had managed to replace a fair number of human visitors to this café with Droids. Her numbers were looking impressive, which was good—her earlier failure at the art museum bothered her like an unrelenting itch that just couldn't be scratched. Her track record up until now was nearly perfect. This blemish could not be permitted to be known by the other Black Moon Clan members. She had to make amends—fast.

Thankfully, that was basically complete. Still, she could use a few more to really help keep her numbers high. These strange places where humans drank overpriced coffee and paid to look at weird uncooperative animals... It was surprisingly effective.

Right now most of the "customers" of the café were actually Droids, with a few notable exceptions. There were several tables more recently seated that Peridoto had waited to convert. She didn't specifically count how many people were there, but it was more than enough to make the attack most efficient.

"Your coffee, sir," the faux waitress chirped at a young man, her chartreuse ponytail bouncing emphatically. He nodded, then looked away from her to take a sip. Everyone else seemed similarly disengaged from her, too busy looking at the cats. She stepped just far enough away to securely lock the front door.

"Now, my Droids!" she called out, the black crescent on her forehead crackling with energy.

The other patrons turned, lifeless eyes fixating on the group of still-human customers—two of whom may have looked familiar if Peridoto had been paying more attention—and rushed forward. Waves of Minus Energy flowed from the shards of Malefic Black Crystal in Peridoto's possession. The cats, confused and disoriented, initially panicked and ran, only to find themselves caught up in the corrupting emanating from the gem shards. Their eyes went blank, and they turned on the customers as well.

The violet eyes were now trained on the black kitten still occupying Daeka's lap.  Though things had gotten quiet after the last comment, it wasn't an awkward silence.  Instead it was comfortable, nothing was forced.  Her attention was suddenly caught by a voice, it seemed familiar, and it mentioned droids-

Her heart jumped as she realized what was happening, the kitten in her lap had jumped away, along with the others.  Several of the people now appeared to be like the ones back at the museum.  Daeka cursed under her breath.  How could she have been so careless?  She had let her guard down and now...

She used the chaos of the droids rushing forward towards not only them but others to grab Misaki's hand and drag her to a nearby supply closet.  After she had pulled Misaki inside she closed the door quietly.  Then she turned to Misaki and held a finger to her lips to indicate that they make little sound.  

She was angry, this was true.  Angry at herself for getting caught off guard, how could she not notice that they were surrounded by enemies?  She was angry at the miserable wench who had coordinated this attack.  She knew who she would call.

"Cacus Answer My Prayer!" She whispered loudly.  She felt the fire reach around her, the energy wash over her, his presence in her mind.  The fire revealed her outfit, a faded light red tube top, a red shawl draped over her shoulders, a skirt with a faded top layer and red layer underneath.  Her usual gladiator style sandals and braided hair as well.  

Ready to try this again are we?

:: Sailor Orphelin :: Misaki Togawa ::

The startled scream had barely left her lips when she felt her body move of someone else's accord. The fingers wrapped around hers were strong and sure, even though they seemed so delicate. Misaki stumbled behind Daeka's efficient run, as the white-haired young woman quickly moved the pair away from the frantic frenzy of the café. Misaki thought she heard the green-haired woman yell, realizing that something had happened, but she hadn't been able to make much out.

She paused to catch her breath, and realized with an immediate sinking feeling what Daeka expected of her. That weird... sailor thing. Again.

But what about those people? Can you just hide, knowing you could save them?

Misaki reaaaaaally did not enjoy that nagging little voice. It clearly enjoyed being right much more than it deserved to. It knew, just as she knew, that she had to do this. She tried to keep her voice down as she spoke those strange words, her fingers growing accustomed to the feel of that ornate brooch.

"Orphelin Fragment Power, Make Up!"

Somber music, dark feathers, and then she was standing again in these ridiculously useless high heels. Sailor Orphelin glanced over at Sailor Litae, and saw that this time the uniform the other woman wore was different. She glanced down at herself, wondering if anything had changed about her outfit, but no... it looked basically the same.

This is not the time to be admiring her clothes! Misaki chided herself. We have to help!

She turned to Sailor Litae and nodded, posturing with more confidence than she actually felt. As her head moved, she heard her heavy earrings jangle.

"Shall we?"

Although slightly surprised by Orphelin's sudden appearance of confidence, she was none the less pleased.  She nodded to the whispered question as she placed her hand on the door.  She cracked open the door just enough to slide out, moving over to allow room for Orphelin as well.  What was the crazy woman after? Was it coincidence that she had attacked them here?  These thoughts echoed through her mind.

Hahaha, so many enemies, plenty of practice for you! Use that anger as the heat for your flames!

Her heart pounded, she hadn't used this power very well before but maybe- They would just have to find out!

OOC:

"You let some of them escape!" she screamed at the Droids, furious that this round of attack was so soon begun and already some of her targets were now loose elsewhere in the café property. "Drain the energy from these people! Now!"

Peridoto whirled around, her ponytail whipping against her neck, and opened wide her hand to summon more shards of Malefic Black Crystal. She could feel the anger rising in her body, intensifying the Dark Power that she could summon with Saphir's tools. Once these stupid people were taken care of, she'd find the ones that evaded her just moments ago.

The café customers struggled, but it was a vain effort. The faceless Droids, now shed of their human disguises, were too strong. The cats, riled up with the presence of evil, only added to the overall confusion and chaotic fight.

:: Sailor Orphelin :: Misaki Togawa ::

Her heart thudded in her chest, that moment of bravado quickly fading. What was she thinking? Misaki scolded herself. As they slipped back out, she could see it was that same crazy woman from before. The one from the museum. With all of that awful acid stuff and her screaming and look at how many of those weird walking dummies were out here! She quivered, almost stumbling in her silly and useless high-heeled boots, but...

But what could she do now?

She certainly couldn't escape. Or turn back. And what about Daeka? The light blue eyes glanced curiously towards the white-haired woman, and Misaki felt herself blush as she glanced away. She... Okay, maybe it was stupid, but she didn't want to look like an idiot in front of her new friend! Instead, she took a deep breath, trying to think about what she remembered of Sailor Moon and those guys from the news reports, and jumped forward.

"Get away from them!" she called out, managing to somewhat cover up how terrified she felt.



At the voice, Peridoto glanced up, her face enraged as she took in the sight of two sailor soldiers.

And one of them looked familiar! The yellow-green eyes narrowed maliciously, thinking back to her oh-so-recent disgrace at the watercolour museum. She scowled, licking the tip of her tongue across the edge of her green lips before snarling again. The other one... was dressed kind of like the second one from the other place, but the clothes were different this time. Maybe it was her sister or something. How many of these nuisances were there?

She raised her hands in front of her, summoning the swirl of chartreuse liquid that cracked with Minus Energy.

"Dark Acid!"

Litae had to admit, she was surprised when Orphelin jumped from behind her and attempted to warn the people.  She wanted to encourage the girl, she felt that the other needed the confidence.  However there wouldn't be much confidence to be had if they were melted by the liquid acid hurtling towards them.  She was thankful that some of her transformation remained constant, like her footwear, that allowed her to grab Orphelin and spin them out of the way.  The acid hit the wall behind them, already working through the material.  

Litae turned and found herself only a few feet from the nearest droid.  Her pulse quickening, she pulled the only weapon she had with Cacus, a bow.  An arrow made of fire appeared, she pulled back, and released the arrow point blank into the droids missing face.  

Ah yes! Wasn't that thrilling?? And look at all this target practice you have?


Litae huffed mentally, he wasn't wrong.  She did want to make them pay for interrupting her kitten/Misaki time.

:: Sailor Orphelin :: Misaki Togawa ::

Once again, Sailor Litae saved her. Orphelin barely saw the acid flying her way before strong and steady hands reached out for hers, swiftly moving her out of the way just in time to avoid the corrosive liquid. The redhead gasped, barely able to catch her breath from the close call, but already Litae returned her focus to the battle and released arrows of flame that seared through Droids, turning them to ash.

Get yourself together! she scolded, teetering slightly on her high heeled boots as the black-draped sailor soldier turned to face the remaining Droids. She could only imagine how incompetent the white-haired young woman must find her, and Misaki had wanted so sincerely to make a good impression. Maybe that's what I get for trying to show off...

No, snap out of it. This was not the time for self-pity!

More Droids swarmed the area, threatening the people trapped in the café. Everything here was in such tight quarters. Could she attack without hurting someone? Or hurting some poor cat? The desire to run away, or to hide behind her current battle partner, was so strong... But Sailor Orphelin saw the fear reflected in the eyes of the people in front of her, and she couldn't live with herself if she didn't try to help.

She closed her eyes and concentrated, hoping that she could exhibit some control on these strange powers that were still so new and unfamiliar. The power welled up from somewhere deep inside of her, and she focused on shaping it and directing it to hurt the weird faceless monsters, not harm humans or animals. If only it would work!

"Grief Shock!"

The light soared forward, incinerating a Droid mid-motion to strike at a teenage schoolgirl. Sailor Orphelin sighed with relief, only to see another flash of motion in her peripheral vision.

Again, she called out the phrase and hit the other monster squarely, watching it disintegrate into dust. She glanced over her shoulder, wondering how well Sailor Litae fared against the evil things that remained.

Although space was tight, her current weapon fared well in the cramped cafe.  It was easy to aim for the droids while avoiding injury for the customers and cats.  Her blood pumped now, she could feel the heat in her veins, coursing through her.  A few more well aimed arrows took out more droids, although the last one had more explosion than she had intended.  Used to fighting alone, she had almost forgotten that Orphelin was with her.  Hearing the other's attack brought the black-laced senshi back to the forefront of her mind.  

Litae could take out enemies swiftly with her arrows, what they needed was the leader taken care of.  Maybe they could bluff her into leaving?  The safety of the others was top priority and that meant clearing this place out.  It would be hard to keep the acid from causing injury to others though.  She turned around and was relieved to see that she already had Orphelin's attention.  A few well placed steps backwards and she was her back.  

"I can take care of these droids, but we need miss acid over there gone.  Think you could push her to leave? Maybe threaten her with those other senshi that run around?"  She pulled away to take down a droid that was about to step on another young women.

The pair had escaped from her acid attack entirely unscathed, and now her Droids were being destroyed! Peridoto hissed, clenching her hands so tightly that her long fingernails dug into her palms. Her plan had been PERFECT! It was going so well, and she had reported such favorable results up the chain, but now these stupid sailor soldiers were interfering! It was all their fault!

How had they even found her?!

Her anger only seemed to fuel the Minus Energy that she derived from those cultured fragments of the Malefic Black Crystal. The dark power seemed to crackle around her, originating from her earrings and sparking all around her body.

"Get out of my way!" the young woman screamed, swirling power in her hands once again.

"DARK ACID!"

:: Sailor Orphelin :: Misaki Togawa ::

This time, Sailor Orphelin saw the attack coming. As the horrifying dark lightning-looking jolts snapped around the body of the strange woman in green, Orphelin barely had time to think—only to act. She took a deep breath, concentrating on that glowing warmth deep within her core, and moved her arms through the sequence of motions.

"Grief Shock!" she called, her voice ringing out just as the enemy screamed something as well.

The white light that shot forward hit the chartreuse pillar of acid head-on, and Sailor Orphelin winced with concentration as she tried to force the acid back, away from herself and Sailor Litae.



Peridoto didn't continue the concentration on her own attack as she released it, completely blindsighted by the counteractions of the sailor soldier draped with the black veil. Her rage hummed in her ears, completely distracting her from the necessary follow-through for the current situation. When she glanced over towards the sailor soldier in robes, the energy of the other one's move overwhelmed Peridoto's Dark Acid, sending it back towards her.

She screamed, frustration and dissatisfaction vocalized, as the acid washed over her. It didn't harm her—her own body was resistant to the effects of her powers, but the energy that followed gave her cause to scream with pain.

Peridoto recoiled, eyes blazing with fury, clutching her upper arms to keep from shaking. She looked far less confident now that she had only minutes ago.

Though Orphelin wasn't as trained as other she had worked with, it was still nice to trust her back to someone she knew didn't have ulterior motives.  Strange when they've only known each other a few days.  As she watched the other counter the attack out of the corner of her eye, she grinned.  "Nice, good hit!" She whispered loudly to the other.  They couldn't risk her retaliating with acid everywhere though.  Another arrow took down a droid, then she aimed her weapon at the weird shade of green woman in front of them.  "What's your goal, why do you keep attacking people?"  Her voice was firm, loud and steady, a tone she had used when she was head of groups of soldiers.

How dare they! How dare this wench speak to her like that! Didn't she know that she spoke to Peridoto, proud member of the Black Moon Clan?

"No," she reminded herself, before she loosed her tongue in a manner she might later regret. "None of these pathetic fools know what they're up against. They can't. Green Esmeraude's leadership and Prince Saphir's great plan depend on the blissfully unaware state of these pathetic humans."

Instead the chartreuse lady only hissed at the white-haired woman, scowling. She wanted to attack, but as she felt the energy for Dark Acid gathering in her fingertips she immediately noticed how drained she was. It wouldn't do any good, striking back without being able to guarantee damage. She narrowed her bright green eyes at the pair, trying to burn their images into her memory. These interfering sailor soldiers... she'd give them what they deserved soon.

"Get out of my way, sailor scum!" she screamed, swiping a hand across as if to blast the pair with acid yet again... only to teleport away, without a trace.

:: Sailor Orphelin :: Misaki Togawa ::

Sailor Orphelin screamed, about to recoil from the woman's next round of acid, anticipating the horrible burning only to feel... nothing. She opened her bright blue eyes, expecting to see Sailor Litae protecting her again, but that was not the case. Instead, the green woman was gone! She had completely vanished!

The veiled sailor soldier turned to her companion in shock, the confusion plain to see on her face.

"She's gone!" stated Captain Obvious, unable to stop herself from remaking on the strange happenings. It seemed as if the monsters that evil woman in the high-heeled boots controlled were defeated as well. The café seemed now to only be filled with passed out "normal people" and a lot of exhausted cats.

Orphelin looked around her, observing the wrecked state of the place. And it had been so cute, too!

"...What do we do now?" she asked Sailor Litae, as if expecting the alien to be the one with all the answers.

Instead of answering anything, weren't villains supposed to be talkative, the girls' attacker instead vanished.  Even though they had only been faked out, Litae still jumped when her black lace clad companion screamed.  She hadn't exactly been expecting that.  At least it seemed there were no more droids to be had either and everyone was safe, even if they were knocked out.

A smile cracked the tan face that listened to Orphelin's shocked cry.  In answer to the other's question, she turned inward, and suddenly realized how tired she was.  This wasn't a form she was used to mastering for very long, considering it was her most recent trial.  She detransformed back into a civilian and looked around.  

"I'm not sure what you're clean up policy is here but no one looks injured and the cats are okay, so let's just go back to your home."  She suddenly desired a nap greatly and yawned just after she had finished speaking.  She found it difficult to keep her defenses up when around Misaki.  Even now, she was tired and usually at this point her features would become hard, angled, she instead had a small content smile grace her face as she looked to her companion.  How strange.

:: Sailor Orphelin :: Misaki Togawa ::

Their trip back to the apartment Misaki shared with her mother was relatively uneventful. Some food was eaten—something simple and quick—and there was some minor conversation, but overall both young women clearly showed increasing exhaustion. They both embraced the opportunity for rest. Misaki slipped into slumber easily, not used to the exertion of battles. Somehow this use of magic felt draining, even though she knew she hadn't performed too much in the way of physical effort. She fell asleep almost the very moment she closed her eyes.

The dreams came instantly as well, vivid and active. She found herself surrounded by friends, called by a different name. The redhead wore gorgeous gowns her hair expertly styled and her body adorned with jewels. In the dream world, it seemed completely right. She didn't even think about the low-budget taste of her actual wardrobe or the difficulty of finding clothing to fit her not-typically-Japanese figure. Somehow she seemed more graceful, too—able to wear delicate high heels and long skirts without immediately tumbling to an untimely death.

And the people! Never had she been surrounded by so many smiling faces, not even in her school years. Misaki had never been unpopular—she had friends—but this was different, as though every person she encountered was truly happy to receive even just a glance from her. The happiness and love seemed to radiate off their persons as they spoke her name or grinned in her direction. She returned it all with equal fervor, filled with caring and compassion for all she met. Her hand clasped another's so many times, her entire being filled with a sense of camaraderie transmitted from the interaction.

Then there was the romance. His eyes were those she could have stared into for hours, so filled with life and intelligence. She hung on every word he spoke. They could barely keep themselves from drawing closer every time they were near, lips constantly seeking one another. If she had been awake or conscious of herself, Misaki would have been six shades of crimson. Yet here it was perfect and normal and natural.

When the alarm went off, dragging her back to modern-day Tokyo, it all immediately vanished from her mind.

---

Misaki stood behind the register, watching a sparse number of customers mill about the store. They didn't tend to get much more during weekday daytime hours besides old folks and mothers with small children. It wouldn't pick up until after school let out, when the non-club-attending students would flood in as they tried to avoid going straight home. And then the other students getting out of club activities, and then the salarymen... Early evening contained the busy hours.

Right now, it was still and quiet. She had swept and mopped the floor bright and early, then moved on to accepting shipments. After everything was entered into the system for inventory and sorted out for any reservations, she stocked the rest. Not too much to handle this week, thankfully. Even the stacked books had been in relatively orderly states, requiring very little tidying up on her part. Her coworkers hadn't been sloppy when closing up the store the night before.

She found herself thinking about Daeka, wondering how the pale-haired woman was getting along on this unaccompanied day. Had she figured out the currency system yet? What about the language, was it a problem? Misaki didn't quite realize it, but she missed the other's presence. Usually her shifts at Great Books were boring, but not exactly lonely. Today, it felt lonely. Her mind just couldn't stop reflecting on what the distant visitor might be doing or thinking. Was she even thinking of Misaki? The redhead scoffed. Of course not! Why would anyone be thinking about her?

Almost on cue, the door jingled. Misaki snapped to attention, ready with a smile and the customary greeting.

It was only Takuya, late again. Always, always late. Her watch showed his shift officially started twenty minutes ago. The young man didn't even look concerned about it. He still had that easygoing grin on his pretty face, his hair brushed back like he belonged on the cover of one of their fashion magazines instead of putting price stickers on them. He met her eyes with that twinkle that always made her feel insecure and self-conscious, as though he was teasing her without having to say anything.

"The reinforcements for the evening rush are here!" he announced cheekily, slipping his apron over his head and punching in.

She was set to leave at 6pm, one of the other college-attending part timers having asked for some extra hours this week to offset studying time off next week, but she still felt like it was going to be a loooooooong time for the remaining hours to pass.

Though she was weary from their battle, sleep did not come easy to Daeka.  It took a little bit of time for a tired body to weigh down her active mind.  Every time she transformed, she was reminded of why she was here, why she had left her own planet to visit this one.  Thoughts darted back and forth behind her eyes, questions popping out of nowhere like little fireworks.  Finally though she fell into a, thankfully, dreamless slumber. 

Daeka awoke the next day at the same time as Misaki, though she didn't follow her to work.  Instead she went through a few of the workouts she could do in the confined space of an apartment.  It wouldn't do for her to let her guard down, that's when opportunity strikes.  Her mind ended up curious about what Misaki's work entailed.  Jobs worked differently on this planet, they weren't master/apprentice type here.  Later, after attempting to read one of the books she found in Misaki's room, she decided to stretch her legs by going for a walk.  Without even thinking she just allowed herself to wander through the streets, her mind stuck on the growing unrest back home.  She was a tool, she knew that, but what else could she do? What other options were there for someone who belonged to the government.

A watch beeped the passing of the hour, drawing her attention back to the here and now.  She pulled the slip of paper out of her pocket that detailed Misaki's work address and schedule.  Her fiery haired friend had given it to her in case she needed to contact her or anything.  Daeka found that she wanted the company, she was used to being alone, and having friends had always been complicated for her.  That's how she found herself outside the store Misaki worked out, about 30 minutes before she was due to be done.  

There wasn't even a hint of hesitation or anxiety as she pushed open the door and her eyes scanned for the only friendly face she knew.  While she quickly located that smiling face, she found that she would have to wait for the few customers in her line to be taken care of before she could, what was she going to do anyways?  She moved to a shelf close to where Misaki was and pulled a book of the shelf as she waited.

:: Sailor Orphelin :: Misaki Togawa ::

She was handing back someone's change, announcing the value of the coins while she did so, when her eyes caught a glimmer of white hair disappearing between the stacks. Misaki startled, the coins bouncing out of her fingers and rolling in every direction. The loud noise as they dropped only increased her panicked reaction.

"Oh! Oh no! Oh dear! I'm sorry! Please forgive me!" Her only comments were an endless string of apologies and polite phrases as she desperately tried to collect everything that had dropped, bowing every few seconds in between the flustered concessions. When she finally had the coins ready for the waiting hand of her customer, her face was nearly the same depth of colour as her orange hair, only with a truer pink tone.

Had she been imagining things? The blue eyes nervously tried to scan the store, but the young woman was too distracted with her thoughts to really see what was around her. Besides, there was another customer waiting—she didn't have time to pay attention to other things if it was going to result in delayed or unsatisfied purchasers. She didn't drop this person's change, but she continued to make other small mistakes that only dragged out what should have been a relatively simple transaction. If only she could keep herself focused!

When the small line had been dealt with, she barely had a chance to catch her breath before her coworker was back to comment on the situation.

"Wow, what's got you all flustered?" he laughed.

She resisted the urge to huff about it, her mind completely blank of any kind of snappy retort or even a good way to communicate how much she hated the way he teased her, and then her eyes once again spotted something familiar. And then Misaki realized that Daeka was in the bookstore. The lithe tanned woman was right there, flipping through a book! Her brain seemed to briefly short-circuit, overwhelmed by the flurry of activity that had just happened, and Misaki could only stare at the other young woman.

Takuya peered over her, leaning far too close, and eyed the girl that Misaki had focused on.

"You know her?" he asked. "She's hot." His mouth spread into that infuriating grin. "You should introduce me, Misaki."

Somehow his comment made Misaki's skin crawl.

Although she tried to keep her violet eyes trained on the book in front of her, she couldn't help but grin as she heard Misaki's cries of apologies and the sound of things dropping.  She had probably read the page 15 times as she listened to Misaki's interactions with her customers.  It was just too cute to pass up the opportunity to eavesdrop.  Finally she could hear the last customer leaving, she put the book back up and looked over to her friend with bright orange hair and a face to match.  She wondered what had caused such a commotion that Misaki would blush so. 

She was grinning just slightly, then her eyes found the young man that was definitely too close.  Her eyes narrowed slightly, though she left the grin on her face.  Didn't Misaki no better than to let people get that close?   What if he was a droid, or like the green lady, or just someone with bad intentions?  Or maybe she's like that with all her friends, or maybe he was more than friend. While Misaki was her only friend, it wasn't like she was Misaki's only friend.  

She had arrived at the counter, her attention on Misaki, while she had been trained to be diplomatic, she didn't have to act so here, only enough to not get in trouble.  She leaned against the counter, while her voice was low, there was a little bit of an upbeat to it as she spoke, "Misaki, I thought I'd come walk you home and I had an idea I wanted to talk to you about."

:: Sailor Orphelin :: Misaki Togawa ::

It was a huge relief when Daeka stepped over and spoke. Misaki quickly pulled away from the person who had foisted himself so close, eagerly responding to her actual friend's mention. She didn't even think about the fact that this entire interaction, although not unfamiliar to Misaki generally speaking, was the sort of thing that had become a rarity. In fact, she couldn't have ever thought of a time when someone came around the store looking for her. Right now, though, all she cared about was not having to listen to Takuya talk about her friend like a commodity.

"Sounds great!" she replied earnestly, ignoring the young man lurking too close by.

"No way am I introducing you," she huffed. Daeka was her friend. Her super cool, very strong, and very pretty friend. Too cool for the likes of that guy. Was this jealousy? The redhead didn't even notice that it might be, too preoccupied with her desire to keep him away from the other young woman to think about why she might feel that way.

"I'll be able to leave in a few minutes. Just have to finish up a few things."

She wanted to glare the guy, who didn't seem to be taking the hint on her cold shoulder, but couldn't quite muster up enough assertiveness to do anything other than try to will him away with the power of her dislike. After all, she did have to work with him. Constantly. Even if he was never on time.

Although she still kept a somewhat neutral expression on her face, Daeka could feel that little bit of good feeling blossom in her chest when she saw how happy Misaki looked upon seeing her.  While she hadn't really considered that Misaki would at all be bothered by Daeka's own sudden appearance, there was still a little relief that it had in fact been a welcomed surprise.  She nodded her acceptance of Misaki's reply and moved to step back but decided that she could no longer ignore that nagging little feeling.  She turned her attention to the man, who was so unnecessarily close to Misaki, her eyes taking on that sharp little glare, though her face held a small fake polite smile.  When she spoke her tone was polite, questioning, and accusing.  "I didn't realize that coworkers could be so close to each other.  Is this a common occurrence in your culture or...?"

:: Sailor Orphelin :: Misaki Togawa ::

Misaki clung to Daeka's question as whatever kind of life raft it could serve for her in this incredibly unenjoyable scenario. The orange-haired young woman summoned as much of her courage as she could when she leaned forward and wriggled away from her coworker. She narrowed her light blue eyes at Takuya, his pretty face temporarily slack with confusion but lacking the embarrassment less-rude person should have felt.

"Normally, they don't," she replied, more sharply than usual, as she disappeared into the stock room to punch out and hang up her apron. She could hear the silence that hung there when she left, and Misaki hurried as quickly as she could to get herself back into the main area of the store. Her mind whirled with thoughts of Daeka, out there with Takuya, and what he might be saying or how he might be looking at her. He was so used to being treated like he was special just because he was handsome, and he was probably trying to flirt with her friend just like he tried to flirt with everyone attractive.

It didn't seem to dawn on her that she had so thoroughly assigned attractiveness to the pale-haired foreigner. Of course she was gorgeous—anyone could see that! She had such evenly toned warm tanned skin, more perfect than most beach-lounging models in swimwear advertisements. Her face had such sharp angles, like her gracefully pronounced cheekbones, and those lovely violet eyes. Misaki had never seen eyes of such an unusual colour—they were like delicate blossoms. And that didn't even mention the woman's fit figure and lithe muscles...

Unlike dumpy stupid Misaki.

She shoved that thought aside for a moment, barreling back into the storefront and practically dragging Daeka out the door with her. Takuya had been opening his mouth to say something, probably offensive in its suggestiveness, and she didn't want to be present for any of that.

As soon as the pair was outside the store, Misaki released a sigh of relief.

"So, what was your idea?" she asked the other young woman, almost too hastily. Anything to not have to think about those few minutes in the book store. "Can we talk about it now?"

The violet eyes flicked from where Misaki had disappeared in the back to the young male in front of her.  The strained smile quickly fell into a tight lipped expression with matching eyes that was one step away from a full on glare.  Rationally she knew that as a 'recent friend' of Misaki's, she had no say in the young woman's social life.  Still, she found she would prefer that it be far from him as possible.  He was too friendly and in the moments before Misaki came back and their departure, she found that she hadn't even questioned why this concerned her in the first place.

A small, soft smile returned to the sharp, tan face as Misaki whisked them out of the store.  Questions immediately falling from the other's lips as soon as they had cleared the door.  For a moment Daeka had to recall what it was she had wanted to talk to Misaki about in the first place.  "Oh, right!  Well, since you're still pretty new to this senshi business and we never know when those beings will show up again, I figured I could teach you a few combat techniques." Because I'd really regret it if something happened to you and I failed to keep you safe, just like all the others.  The thought finished out in her head though she kept control over her facial reactions.

:: Sailor Orphelin :: Misaki Togawa ::

Misaki felt her entire body tense up when Daeka mentioned... combat. Fighting? Not ice skating or eating crêpes or visiting a museum...? She frowned for a moment at her own thoughts—why did they all sound like ideas for dates? Weird. Maybe she was reading too many magazine covers when she restocked them at the bookstore. Still, there were all kinds of not-date and not-battle things that two young women who were friends could do together... right? Why did it have to be fighting?

She fiddled with her scarf and then with one of her bracelets, her mind whirling with extremely unpleasant comments about her own awful size and shape. Daeka had the lean muscles of a fighter. Misaki, on the other hand, had the soft middle of a couch potato. There wasn't even a couch in the apartment! She wouldn't be able to do anything that the other young woman could demonstrate. She'd be too weak and too fat and too uncoordinated.

But how on Earth could she ever say that?

Nope, she could not say that. She could not admit that her unwillingness to do the activity just suggested had to do with her miserable figure. The thought of voicing such a thing seemed like it would only cement it as an unchangeable reality. No, absolutely not; she did not want to do that. She was already starting to feel too flustered, her eyes beginning to sting slightly as though she'd be tearing up soon. The flame-haired girl took a deep breath and tried to pretend that she felt enthusiastic. (She did not.)

"Oh! How... thoughtful of you!" she chirped, mustering as much false enthusiasm as she could.

Maybe it would be better than she thought...?

Violet eyes stared at the pale face as it changed from tense, to upset, to finally a fake smile.  Daeka might not be an expert at reading people, but she was an expert at faking and that was definitely a terribly fake response.  She paused for a moment, attempting to understand why the idea of combat was so, so, stress inducing?  Multiple memories flashed through her mind before it settled back on the person so near to her. 

"I don't understand why this idea would cause you distress, you are a new senshi, your life will only become more dangerous and learning to fight will only help you." Maybe she doesn't want to be a senshi, I didn't at first, I still don't really.  Maybe she doesn't want anything to do with this kind of life, with me... Loneliness similar to the kind she experienced on her own planet pulled the lines of her face tight.  She shook off the feeling, maybe sharing would help Misaki understand that she just wanted to help.  She stared hard at the ground as her voice, low and just loud enough to be heard, flowed from her. "While I wasn't officially trained before I became a senshi, I had to learn to fight when I was very little, if I hadn't... I probably wouldn't be here right now." She finished with a slow exhale of breath, continuing with her eyes straight in front of her now, not daring to see if her only friend here was still disappointed in this recent turn of events.

:: Sailor Orphelin :: Misaki Togawa ::

Ahhhhhhhhhh! The internal screaming started to drown out everything else.

She knew she wasn't a good liar but she thought she could try and now she had ruined everything!

Ohhhhh, Misaki, you're such a dummy! Now look what you've done!

The redhead reacted immediately, backpedaling at a speed a politician would have been proud of. She waved her hands in front of her as if to dismiss the bad aura that she had just single-handedly created. The ever-present blush was creeping back up her face and neck, this time brought on by her intense feelings of embarrassment and shame. This was her guest and now her friend, and all she had succeeded in doing was making the other young woman feeling unwelcome! What a terrible way to behave—especially after Daeka had done so much for her. She knew she never would have made it out of any of those battles without the pale-haired woman's help. Why couldn't Misaki act more appreciative?!

"No, oh no, I'm so sorry!" she stammered. "I'm just... I'm so bad at sports and such—I always was when I was at school. And you saw me when we were in those situations... I don't know what I'm doing! I'm not coordinated, and I'm not strong. I'm going to make a mess of this; I just know it!"

The words were tumbling out of her, so fast that sometimes they slurred together into a hum of anxiety and panic.

"You're so good at this, I'm so sorry, and I'm so incredibly not good at this, and teaching me is going to be so hard because I'm so slow and awkward! I'm sorry!"

That wasn't what the response she had expected.  Daeka watched, mildly surprised and concerned, as the pale limbs moved erratically in front of their owner and a rushed apology spilled forth from her lips.  When the other was finished, she walked in silence, too stunned as her brain scrambled to catch up and translate.  Finally her lips twinged up at the sides and the lines of her face settled into a much softer look of understanding.  She reached out and took red-heads arm, wrapping her own arm around the limb.  

While her voice was still low, this time it held a soothing undertone, "Everyone has to start somewhere, even those who are naturally gifted aren't masters overnight, it takes practice.  If you aren't good at something, then you have to work at it til you are, if there are certain areas you're concerned with then we can focus on more on those."  

She paused, mentally rolling her friend's last sentence in her head.

"I know you have no fighting experience so I don't have some unrealistic expectation of you.  You're going to be terrible at the beginning, I certainly was, I still have a lot to learn even.  But if I didn't think I could teach you even a little bit, then I wouldn't have offered. So... if you have no faith in yourself, then... have faith in me."  She turned away slightly, realizing as the words fell forth, how caring that statement sounded.

:: Sailor Orphelin :: Misaki Togawa ::

Her heart did that strange flip-flop thing when Daeka pulled her close, linking their arms. Misaki felt the flush creep up over her face instantly, the sensation so intense that the tips of her ears tingled as if they were burning. She had so rarely been close to someone even when she had more friends during her school years, but this person she had met so recently just seemed to blaze through all of the barricades. The white-haired woman's motions were so natural, like this was normal. Expected. And it was so foreign and startling to Misaki. So unlike "normal" here.

And then the words that came from the other young woman's lips... She was so comforting and sure. "Have faith in me," she asked, and something about it made Misaki believe her almost immediately. The pale blue eyes of the redhead turned towards the beautiful fighter beside her, the delicate sculpt of her cheekbones and nose seeming so otherworldly and gorgeous. Already there had been so many examples of trust well-founded. How could she deny it now?

Misaki took a deep breath. She still felt the nervousness from their current physical proximity, but she didn't pull away. Instead, she warmed herself against the human contact, noticing on some subconscious level the way the other's muscles tensed below the skin. She reminded Misaki of those Greek statues carved from marble. She would never be like that. She wouldn't be a trained fighter. But... but maybe she could learn something.

"O-okay," she stammered, not realizing that she had leaned closer, almost hanging on her new friend. "I'll try. I just... I don't know. But I'll try."

Trust.  When had she last made the connection between trust and another person?  Daeka had asked Misaki to trust her, but would she be able to trust her new friend back?  The other woman was so- open with her emotions.  Those she dealt with in the capital certainly didn't act this way and the people she used to know that were similar, they didn't last long.  But maybe this time would be different, maybe this time she could be a barrier, she could help this innocence grow instead of watching from a distance as it shriveled up.  

"As long as you try, that's all I can ask."  The faint stirrings of emotions long shoved under the surface could be felt as a warmth in her chest.  Daeka took a deep breath, keeping her arm interlocked with Misaki's as they walked.  She found her attention drawn to the sensation of another's body pressed closed to hers.  It was soft and warm, just like she is.  As they had been walking, her ever present vigilance had been observing the populace around them.  She could tell that they certainly stood out, some looked at their hair, some their linked limbs, some avoided eye contact.

"Tell me, did you enjoy your time at work today?"  She was genuinely curious as to the process and details of the other's job.  The culture was both alike and different from her own.

:: Sailor Orphelin :: Misaki Togawa ::

At least this conversation topic would help her temporarily not think about the fact that she had totally agreed to be taught how to fight. Thankfully, she also missed the stares that the pair was currently attracting.

"Oh, my job?" Misaki replied, surprised to have been asked about it. She had tried to initiate discussions about work with Mama, although that had run its course quite a while ago. Yet no one ever asked Misaki. To be fair, she just didn't have that many people to talk to. When either of her older sisters called, they rarely opened with that kind of small talk. After all, they had lives much more interesting than hers. Why would they be interested in something mundane like her part-time work?

Misaki wasn't even sure where to start.

"It's... um... good, I guess? I mean, I like books. I don't really like working, but does anyone like working? I don't mind restocking or even helping customers. It was kinda slow today. It gets boring. You can't really do anything about it, though. I like having stuff to do. This morning it was just me, and that's nice. It's almost like I'm in charge."

And then she remembered Takuya.

The way he sauntered in.

The way he spoke about Daeka.

Since it was the white-haired young woman who had brought it up... did she... actually want to talk about him?!

Misaki felt a sudden chill. She didn't realize that the blood had drained from her face, an unusual reaction considering that she usually wound up more in the opposite direction—bright red. Her mouth tasted dry and sour. Her stomach did a weird half-flip that left her thoroughly unsettled. Her pale blue eyes scanned the park, desperately looking for something else to focus on.

"Oh and there's Takuya."

Her tone was different now, very flat. She wasn't even sure how to continue.

Things really were different here, Daeka made a mental note to look up more on that topic later.  Something very interesting was happening that took her attention instead.  She was used to seeing sweet pink that tinged Misaki's cheeks all the time, and maybe she had purposely caused it a few times.  Yet this time was different, instead the color was draining from the already pale face as they continued walking. Her blue eyes darted around, not meeting Daeka's own violet ones.  

The curious woman didn't have to wait long as the next sentence met her ears.  Takuya? Who was that, the one she had seen Misaki with before they left the store? Her eyes narrowed again just a bit, taking on that sharp flash as she spoke.

"Was he the inappropriate one who was too close to you? He seems to be a person whose thoughts stay on the shallow end of puddle."  Though she was a little curious as to the relationship the two had, Daeka figured it would be better to change the subject for now.

:: Sailor Orphelin :: Misaki Togawa ::

The reply from Daeka did not further sour Misaki's mood. She nodded in response to the question, but she didn't really want to talk about him. It would be better if they changed the subject.

"Do you... have a job?"

Was that a weird question to ask an alien? It felt like a weird question to ask an alien. She didn't really watch a lot of science fiction, but she couldn't remember any questions along those lines in anything she had seen. Did other planets have jobs? She knew that people had to work, but what if... not-people didn't. What would other worlds be like, anyway? Did they need governments and corporations and stuff like that? It was really too much for Misaki; she wasn't used to coming up with thoughts like this.

Misaki groaned inwardly. She was making a fool of herself again, wasn't she?