It's Raining Men
WHO: Michael Trinity, Rei Hino
WHAT: Rei returns home to the Cherry Hill Temple, only to encounter a falling Michael. She invites him in for tea, where the two have VERY different ideas on how to play The Game.
WHEN: June 27th, 2008
WHERE: Cherry Hill Temple, Sailor Moon's Tokyo
Phew. It's a good thing school ends when summer begins, Rei didn't think she'd enjoy the long trip home from school in the summer heat, day after day. Not that she particularly minds the heat that much given her element, but who likes being sweaty and sticky? Not Rei, no sir. She brushes her wrist over her forehead as she ascends the steps to the temple, her backpack on her shoulders. The temple seems quiet today, she notes, with not a visitor in sight. That's a shame. She's sort of grown accustomed to seeing new faces from other worlds around the area, and the temple is apparently popular enough to warrant a place in a traveler's brochure.
But no matter. Better too quiet than too noisy, where she'd have to chase people off with a broom. She'd still take care of the temple (with Yuuichirou's help) as she always had, and someone will pop up sooner or later. Maybe she'll finally catch a break from her duties for a change and have a hot bath.
A chorus of loud caws sounds from the rooftop overhead, pulling Rei's attention to the pair of sleek black crows hopping forward over the tiles watching her with their sharp, flashing eyes. "I didn't forget you guys," she smiles, easing the pack from her shoulders and setting it on the ground. Unzipping the pouch pocket, she withdraws a plastic bag containing the roll she'd saved from lunch, breaking up and scattering the crumbs over the ground. The crows wings to the courtyard, greedily pecking up the pieces, even feeding from Rei's hand. They're remarkably tame, at least around Rei, and she loves them. They'd been there ever since she first came to this temple years ago, and she didn't think it would be the same without them. "There you go..." she murmurs gently, one knee on the ground, the other leg bent so she can rest her elbow upon it.
~Coming up next, its Code Thrones: Michael of the Revolution! Zackaku has planned yet another devious trap, this time involving cross-dressing and pegasi! Will CAW Michael be able to CAW his and Nena.Nena.'s CAW out of this CAW...~
The sleeper stirrs, as sounds invade his all too unpleasant dream.
Birds? Why are there birds? There aren't any birds in space. No, wait, he wasn't in space. Johann wanted to take the Thrones on a test run over some old world's version of Tokyo. Something about testing older sensor networks. Throne Zwei's GN drive blew a gasket, Michael had to hide it in a forest while the other two went back to the baseship for parts, he took off his pilot suit and wandered around a bit, found some temple with nobody around, and...
Oh yeah, he climbed into a tree to nap. "Whoa... WHOAAAA!" Whump.
Hi there, strange girl with birds! There's a young blue-haired fellow wearing strange white clothing lying flat on the ground near you. His groan seems to indicate some mild discomfort. Command?
>EQUIP
>BROOM
Seriously, how did she get a broom in her hands that fast? It's probably a reflex by this point, considering how often she's used it in the past, even before discovering her magical girl powers. Luckily this reflex is sharpened by awareness too, because Michael is not being beat senseless where he lies. Rei stands poised over him a moment longer, the 'JUST TRY IT!' look changing to surprised concern with just one blink.
She looks up. Where did he come from, anyway? Sure she'd been hoping for visitors, but having them just fall from the sky? That's ridiculous. She can only guess that he was up in one of the trees. Deciding that she can chew him out for sacrilege later, Rei puts aside the broom and kneels down next to the blue-haired stranger. "Hey..." she gives his shoulder a gentle shake. "Are you all right?"
All he can see at first is fuzzy shadows and shooting stars. Then comes a touch at his shoulder and a voice from above. There's nothing like a potentially hostile audience to put everything back in focus, and Michael's first instinct is to flinch for his pocket. The knife will protect him, the knife always protects him! Once the haze finally clears, however...
"Hey, you're really hot," the stranger smiles. His knife stays in the pocket. The broom, on the other hand...
...is in his face. At least he got the bristled side. "Looks like you're fine," Rei remarks, hoisting the broom to rest on her shoulder like an armyman's bayonet as she rises smoothly to her feet and turns away. ...Mostly to hide the red in her face. She doesn't like being caught off-guard like that, even if it WAS nice to hear. But she's not going to trip all over herself just because some weird guy dropped on his face and gave her a compliment!
She picks up her bag and slings it over the other shoulder, peering back at him. "What are you doing here anyway? Where'd you come from?"
Mmmm, tasty broom. Michael blechs and frantically wipes the dust and who knows what else from his face. So this is what being nice gets him. On the other hand: Hot and spunky. This might just get interesting. "Of course I'm fine!", he retorts defiantly, just before wincing and rubbing the back of his head. "I've had worse."
He doesn't climb to his feet just yet, instead scoots himself over to rest against the base of the tree while he waits for the pain to dull down. Which may not be the right idea, as already the hot girl's starting to ask prying questions. No problem, he can handle this.
All he has to remember is that country that Johann said their names were from. "I'm from Germany," Michael states matter-of-factly. "I was here touring the country when my ride broke down, so I came here to wait for my family to come pick me up. Is there something against resting in parks?"
Rei stops, turning to stare at him. "Parks?" she echoes. "I don't know what your German parks look like, but this is definitely no park. It's a Shinto temple," she says, jutting her thumb over her shoulder at the wooden, oriental building to the left. "And you were sleeping in the tree where people send out their wishes to the spirits. So don't do that anymore."
Eh, he IS new, so she figures she can cut him a break on that. Her tongue-lashings aren't that harsh unless it's REALLY deserved.
"Do you need to use the phone?" Rei offers. "We've got one in the other building you can use if you need it." No fun being stranded, that's for sure.
Temple? Spirit wishing tree? Michael's eyebrow tilts cockeyed much like it would for anyone who was raised by outer space scientists, and he glances back at what appears to be an utterly normal tree. Oh, the things he could say about hokey ancient religions, but that would turn off the pretty girl who's being awfully nice to him. "Sorry about that," he offers with fake sincerity as he holds up a hand solemnly. "I promise not to do it again."
Phone? He digs into a pocket and palms what would be a perfectly normal cel phone - for the 24th century. "Don't worry, I've got it covered," he grins as he shows it off. As long as its not activated or examined up close, it shouldn't look too much different than cel phones from the past four hundred years.
His words are enough to placate the hot-tempered Rei, who nods, and even smiles a little. As long as he doesn't do it again, then everything's cool.
"Oh, one of those..." she blinks as he takes out the cell phone. They're not very modern here, just yet. But she's seen a few of them beyond the gates, and their own communicators are similar in fashion...if somewhat more girly and pink. "Are you from this world's Germany, or a different one?" she asks, her interest piqued at the thought of an interdimensional traveler. They usually have good information to relate.
That's not a good look, nor a good question. Michael likewise blinks and glances over at his cel, with a silent question to himself of just how far backwards of a world this was. Oops. Think fast! "Eh, you've got me. I'm from the Germany of the future," he shrugs guiltily. "We were here visiting worlds of the past when I was stranded." He folds his arms and leans back against the tree, remembers the tree is supposed to be special, and bolts upright and away from the trunk. "You're quick on this gate stuff, I guess you get other visitors here?"
"Quite a few, actually," Rei smiles, now warming up. "Somehow, the Cherry Hill Temple wound up in the visitor's brochure, so some people come here to meditate and catch a little peace and quiet." With only a handful of exceptions, the ones she's been fortunate to meet have been very polite and interesting to talk to. And cute, too, for the most part. "Do you want some tea while you wait? It's nothing special, but we try to make a good impression for the outworld visitors," she says with a nod of her head towards the temple.
He'd much rather have vitamin water, but tea's natural enough. When in Rome with cute girls... "Sounds great," he nods with a smile. A hand gestures off towards the temple building, "Lead the way!"
Beggars can't be choosers, and there aren't any prissy bottles of vitamin water to be offered. Ho ho ho! "Did they say how long they'd be before picking you up?" Rei asks, sliding open the main door to the temple and slipping off her flats. At this, she pauses and points at Michael's feet. "Shoes off, please. You can borrow a pair of guest slippers." She's put on a pair of her own, and pads softly down the hallway. "We have a guest room for special visitors, it's this way. What's your name, anyway?"
"Uh." A long glance is taken at his nice shiny white space boots. Local custom or the start of something more? First the boots, then his top, then... Voting for something more, he eagerly gets to removing his footwear. "They didn't. They had to go back home first, so it'll be a while." No interruptions, my dear!
Oh, right. "I'm Michael," he grunts as the last boot is pried off. "Michael Trinity." A slipper is examined oddly before he figures it out and slips it on a foot. "What's yours?"
"It's Rei," she smiles over her shoulder, before turning to slide open the door. "Rei Hino, pleased to meet you Mr. Trinity." To a sultry Asian seduction chamber???? ...No, sadly, just a small tatami room obviously meant to welcome parties of two to four around a small square table low to the ground, with cushions arranged around it. Illumination is provided via a lantern, which Rei lights with an incense stick.
Seeing that the room is too her liking, Rei plants her hands on her hips and gives a single approving nod. That'll do. "Take a seat," she gestures towards the table. "I'll go get the tea."
For some reason, Michael seems disappointed at first. "Oh." Alright, maybe she likes hard surfaces. Or its the tea first, then the snoo snoo. Yeah, that's the ticket. He takes a quick scan of the room to check to see if there's anything else there before finding a nice cushion next to the door to plant himself on. His legs fold underneath him, and his hand claps to his kneecaps as he sits and waits. Nah, waiting is too boring. "Rei, huh?", he calls out the door. "That's a cute name."
Cute? Rei pauses, hand hovering over the hot water dispenser. What's up with all the compliments? Well...she supposes she is pretty good-looking for her age. No modesty here! "Uh, thanks!" she calls back. "You don't have any names like that in Germany?" She's heard that it tends to be a boy's name in Western civilizations. Not that it bothers her, she's plenty feminine enough that people wouldn't mistake her for a guy. (And if they did, oh, how they'd hurt.)
She fills the teacups, arranging them neatly on a tray with a small plate of coconut cookies fresh from the package. She couldn't bake to save her life, and this is way more convenient when guests come over. Usagi might be disappointed if they run out. Oh well, not like she /needs/ more cookies with all the sweets she puts away.
Rei returns shortly, turning to sidle past Michael and NOT dump hot tea all over his head, setting it down on the table before kneeling on a cushion on the opposite side. "So what made you choose this gate, anything in particular?"
"We don't know any Reis." Which was true. There might've been a Ray or two inside the program, but they were guys. Oops, wait a minute.
"Or I didn't until now!" There, that should cover him.
It's not that long before she returns wih the tea, so he's still seated when she returns. A little longer and he might've started poking around. There's no tea on his head or in his lap, which is a good sign that he hasn't made a dork out of himself too much and that she's not a klutz either. His eyes follow her into the room and turn up at her with a softly upturned smile. She even brought him cookies! He'll have to sneak those out for Nena.
In the meantime, there's tea. Does she pour it? Does he pour it himself? Is there something he's missing here? A long stupid stare is exchanged with the tea pot. "This gate? My older brother chose it. He was curious about this place and wanted to find out more about it." See, he doesn't even have to lie, either!
Rei's pouring the tea. Michael needn't worry his pretty little blue-haired head! She fills one cup, passing it to him, then fills her own and sets it before her, taking one of the cookies and laying it to the side. "Seems to be getting popular," she chuckles. "I guess it's to be expected, what with the Sailor Scouts and all. They're pretty big news." And she certainly wouldn't say no to a little extra fame and attention! Maybe it'll help catapult her into a celebrity spotlight in the future.
Ah, but she shouldn't assume too much lest she end up looking like a dope. "Was that the reason? Or was it something else?"
Aww, she's way too nice, too gentle, too... weak. Eh, she's still hot, though. Michael eyes the cup, notes the steam arising, and takes a gentle first sip. So much for chugging it. "Sailor Scouts?" That came completely out of nowhere. Johann did mention something about resident superheroes, but they weren't anything that they had to worry about as long as they remained airborne. "They're the local heroes, right? I guess we were, my older brother was handling all the travel details," he nods with another sip.
Rats. One of these days, Rei will have fans. She doesn't care if they clamor to her or her persona, she'll get her adoration in due time! "Yeah, they're the heroes," she sighs, trying not to let her disappointment show too much. "Demons show up to suck up people's energy, they show up and save the day, beat the monster, and disappear mysteriously. It's pretty cool! There's five of them." She has not yet encountered the two 'cousins'.
"So what year is it in your gate? I mean, if you've got a Germany too, it sounds like it might be some future world." And she can listen for any signs of Neo-Tokyo.
Oh, Sailor Mars might have a fan much sooner than she thinks...
Michael listens with rapt attention. Demons, monsters, life energy... Its all hard to believe, but fighting Zondar and living dead mobile suits can do wonders in opening minds. Now Rei's talking something he's interested in! Which is why he's a little taken aback when the topic switches back to him. "Where I'm from?" he blinks. "It's the 24th century. We don't have demons or anything like that, just a waste of a world." Someone doesn't sound all that proud of his homeland. "There's stuff like orbital elevators and mobile suits, but its not that special at all." Another sip of the tea. "So... tell me more about these Sailor Scouts. Can they fly?"
Can they fly...? Rei casts her mind back to the last time Usagi was sent sailing through the air with one powerful blow, wailing with pigtails flying in the air. Not that Rei had fared much better...
"No, not really. I don't think so anyway," she amends. Can't know too much about them, after all, people might get suspicious. "They're five female warriors in sailor uniforms, one for each of the inner planets. Mercury has ice powers, Venus has...ah, light, I think, Mars has fire, and Jupiter has thunder. Sailor Moon's the leader." And sometimes that rankles, but not today. She sips from her tea politely. "They only show up when there's trouble. We've had a few incidents at school," she shrugs.
So they can't fly. Michael would've been disappointed by that development, but the next words out of Rei's mouth perk him right back up. "Five /female/ warriors?" She really has his attention now, as his wide oddly red eyes and gaping dorky smile are firmly fixed on her in between chugs of lukewarm tea. "And they only show up when there's trouble?" Hmmmmm. "Maybe I should be coming here more often. Do you know anything else about them?"
What's with that weird look? Rei turns her head to regard him with a sidelong glance. Well, he's not giving off any bad vibes at least. "Not much," she folds her arms, exhaling. "Hardly anyone does. Their identities are top secret." Okay, so she's lying, but it's definitely necessary if she wants to prevent creeps like Szayel from kicking down the door and going after her grandfather and Yuuichirou.
"But they're pretty cool," she boasts with a smile. "They always take down the worst of the worst! And they look good doing it, too." That just comes with the job.
Five female warriors who look good while taking down evil demons. This vaguely reminds Michael of the shows Nena used to watch when they were younger. The memories of which only make his smile widen.
"That's amazing," he declares with the last chug of his tea. "Now, in our world, there's these mobile suits called Gundams." Wait, does she even know what a mobile suit is? "They're, um, giant robots with lasers and swords." That works. "They came from outer space to end all war on Earth by stopping wars and eliminating armies. Not as awesome as fighting demons, but, eh, you can't choose your enemies," he shrugs with a lopsided grin. "The first guys who came down were really weak, so a second wave arrived to bail them out and kick the fight up a notch. They were stronger, and much better looking too." Urge to hairflip... rising...
"Oh yeah?" Rei perks with visible interest. Now THIS is what she's talking about when it comes to interesting visitors. There's a very good reason why she invites them to tea and not the regular visitors from her own world. The stories they tell are way more fascinating, that's for sure. "We don't have anything like that here. Not outside comic books anyway," she shook her head, before taking another sip of tea. She regarded his white jumpsuit for a moment, looking thoughtful. "Say...you haven't flown one before, have you?"
The observation catches him flat-footed and Michael, ever the smooth operator, flinches back. "Er- Me? Uh-"
YOU HAVE WITNESSED TOO MUCH. Where's the knife...
On the other hand, killing a cute and harmless girl would be a complete waste. Its not as if she's accusing him of piloting a Gundam Throne. Hell, she couldn't tell the difference between the IPA and a Haro. "Pfft, no," he waves the notion off as if his moment of panic never exists, "I've seen 'em, think they look cool, but pilot them?
Only soldiers and terrorists fly 'em, and I'm neither of those."
Rei wouldn't even know what a Gundam Throne was, nor what its significance met. Besides, she's not even a member of the IPA (technically), so really, what kind of threat could she possibly pose? Sailor Mars is the one they should worry about if the IPA is after them.
"You've seen them? Really? Hmmmmm..." Rei looks thoughtful. Their summer break IS coming up, maybe she could take her friends by the nose and lead them around to all of the interesting gates. It's about time they got to take a break, and the Negaverse HAS been pretty quiet ever since the fall of Wiseman. "Maybe I'll go take a look someday. It's more Ami's thing than mine, of course," she waves it off. But you know she and Usagi are going to goggle over everything more than anyone else.
Michael breathes a sigh of relief. She bought it. Or did she? That thoughtful look is mighty suspicious, young lady. That offer is even worse. "You want to come see our world?!" Whoops, someone oversold it, didn't he. Bravo performance, Michael, now she wants to visit the world you left with UN forces nipping at your heels. Its been months since then, and that sexy suspicious Chinese agent still hasn't given Johann the all clear to return. Going back could be- Scratch that.
Going back would definitely be dangerous.
"Its kind of complicated," the boy notes as he picks up one of the cookies. Best not to disappoint her. "They might not be open to taking in visitors from the past. I'll see what I can do to arrange it for just the two of us, though," he winks.
That sounds mighty suspicious, but for entirely different reasons than Rei's interest in visiting might spark. It sounds like he's asking her out on a date. And the wink bolsters that suspicion significantly. She'll have to play it cool, and hard to get. That's one calculating priestess. "I suppose it would make sense. Gates from the past suddenly getting access to technology hundreds of years in the future could have a pretty damaging impact on its own development." She'd heard that from Star Trek.
But now to play her own hand. "I'll have to see if I can make time for it. I'm pretty busy, what with being a priestess and all, and I get a fair share of guys coming around to ask me out..." See how desired she is? Sure it's a lie, but honesty isn't an issue when playing The Game.
Very clever, Miss Bond. But you're dealing with a psychopath mecha pilot who was raised in outer space. You're playing poker, he's playing Grand Theft Auto. Michael reclines a bit on his cushion, his brow narrowing to a rather malevolent quirk. Competition, huh? He'll just see about that. "How many of them can promise a trip into the future?"
Wasn't he supposed to be keeping her away from his world?
He has a good point. Neither Robin nor Masataka were from futuristic worlds, but she liked them just the same. They were sweet guys, though the former's real name and face were still unknown, and the latter seemed more than a little oblivious to Rei's interest. NEITHER OF THEM VISITED AS MUCH AS THEY SHOULD! What was with fanboys these days anyway?
Still, there's something about the set of his eyebrows that whispers of danger. Hrmmm...still no evil vibes...but then again, she only gets those when dealing with the paranormal. He's older to be sure, but he was cute, and he was interested. Rei is pretty confident that she could handle him if he tried to sneak past the proper boundaries. "It's pretty tempting, I'll admit," Rei smiles coyly, drawing her finger over the rim of her teacup. A guy with a little thrill is sort of attractive anyway. "But I'm not sure...we only just met, it's a little fast." Yes. Reel him in a little, then ease up...
Perhaps you were playing a little too coy with them, Rei? Hmm?
Don't worry about Michael, though. He's not going anywhere! Nothing to fear about him either, just a handsome and muscle-bound dork from The Future. He even has a cute little mole next to his eye.
Completely harmless! Just ignore that almost wolf-like expression of his that picks up when you play with your tea cup. There's a slight but noticable tilt to his eyebrow, and he places the half-eaten cookie back down to fold his hands in his lap. "Good point. Maybe you know a better way for us to know each other?"
And the ball's back in her court. Looks like he's no stranger to The Game either. And if things haven't changed in 400 years, then Rei must be doing something right. That's heartening!
But now Rei's in control of the situation, and she'd be lying if she said she wasn't happy about that. She LOVES it. "Sure, I can think of a few things," she perks up, beaming from ear to ear. And anyone who really knows Rei and that quick-trigger temper of hers would be more scared of that 'innocent' smile than Michael's ominous expressions. "Why don't we go shopping in the Hub? I've been meaning to for a while, but things keep coming up. And I could really use an extra pair of hands." Meaning that he'll be carrying everything she ends up buying.
Oh, she knows a few things? Michael perks right up as well, leaning over the table with baited breath. All this talk is about to finally pay off. Just as planned. "Yeah?"
Michael's no stranger to disappointment. There has been many a time where Johann has held his fury in check. He's also no stranger to doom, thanks to the first - and last - time he pulled Nena's pigtail.
Doom and disappointment all at once, however? That's an entirely new experience. The pilot freezes in place, his jaw hanging loosely in the air. His one-track mind jumps the track, falls off the bridge, and disappears into the bottomless pit below. General Libido Fault:
Press HARO-ALT-DEL to reboot. "... Shopping?"
WELCOME TO THE HELLISH WORLD OF TEENAGE GIRLS! BWAH HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!
"Sure, shopping!" Rei continues to beam, hands clasped together. It's sooooo exciting, isn't it? "All those interesting fashions, and I can't imagine what kind of shoes they must have to try on! Thanks, Michael, you have no idea how long I've been waiting for a chance to check the Interdimensional Marketplace out. It'll be way cool!"
Yeeeeeessssss. /Way/ cool.
Just be glad she isn't dragging him to a doll show.
She's so close. He can smell her, breathe her, his hands raise and clutch at air - he can almost feel her. Victory is in his grasp, standing right in front of him, all he has to do is just reach out and take it for himself. There's nobody else around, and its not as if she's expecting anyone. He's never let anything like morals get in his way before. Its all perfect, except for the one thought that overrides all else:
What would Nena think?
Michael deflates, collapsing into the shadows at the bitter sting of defeat. You have won the day, Rei Hino, and you can thank his younger sister for that. If she doesn't start plotting against you for stealing her big brother. That's a story for another day, however. Right now, the downed pilot is working his way through the acceptance stage: At least he'll get to see her try on some hot fashions. It can't be that bad, right? Right? "Sure, it'll be fun."
Rei's no Makoto, but she has a black belt in karate. And that's without the face-melting ash-inducing fires of her sailor powers. Michael might be the one that ends up thanking Nena if he ever finds out.
Oblivious to the thoughts moving through the pilot's mind, Rei continues to beam. She got her way! And all is well in the world when Rei is happy; heaven knows it doesn't happen often enough.
"Great!" She finishes off her teacup then stands to her feet. "So what day is good for you? I can't do it tonight, I've got miko duties and chores, but if you let me know at least a week in advance, I'll find a way to work it into my schedule." Which secretly means she'll drop everything, but this is another rule of The Game: don't be too available. "All finished with your tea?"
Michael's a genetically modified human! With a knife! ... Yeah, he'll be thanking Nena.
This way might be more educational, anyways. He was created a rather striking figure, now is as good a time as any to discover how to use that to his advantage! Its a learning experience - with benefits.
Rationalization complete, the Despair Pilot Michael act vanishes and he's back to being in the game again. "A week in advance?", he muses, "Then perhaps a week from today then?" Johann had an intervention in Lavernia planned for next week, but after that the schedule was open.
"Oh- Yeah, I'm done." Not with the half-eaten cookie, which he quickly gets to finishing. Tasty.
"You /are/ quick, aren't you?" Rei giggles. Whether she's referring to his cookie-eating or flirting, it makes no difference. She probably means both anyway. "All right. Next week, then. Come pick me up around noon." Gathering the teacups onto the tray, she whisks it off of the table and takes a step towards the door. "You're welcome to wait here until your family comes in the meantime, I don't mind. Grandpa won't either." Because if he does, Rei will have Words with him.
And if he DOES stick around, he might get a glimpse of Rei in her miko robes, when she /really/ looks striking with all of that long black hair, and pale skin.
Actually, he was just on his way out when he caught that glimpse. Rei may hear the faint echoes of a techno ring tone go off shortly before then and catch some murmurs in the distance. Michael did want one last glimpse before he left, and he wasn't disappointed at all. He thought she was attractive with skirt, the miko outfit on the other hand really is something else. She might just catch the low appreciative whistle, but by the time she glances that way he's already gone.