In the rose garden

[secretofthemoon]

It's a lovely day, the sun shines with strength and the sky has a beautiful blue color on it. However it's easy to see that there's something wrong with this sky. The blue is beautiful but darker than it should, almost a navy blue and there are no clouds, instead the whole sky seems covered with small dots of light... Stars when the sun is glowing

Comments

[queenofkindness]

Mercury is no stranger to such academies, or their locations on various planets in various star systems. She arrives just at the wrong time and doesn't hear the names he's calling for, but when she sees the lost-looking student, she heads over there to offer help.

"Excuse me," she interrupts. "Are you lost?"

[secretofthemoon]

The hair is wrong, but the face and voice aren't. And they are girls, she can't imagine why would Mercury want to dye her beautiful blue hair but; "Mercury! Wow, you look so pretty with that hair color! When did you dye it?" The boy smiles cheerfully at her, looking at her hair with approval and admiration.

"Ah, where are the others? I'm sorry I'm late, my roommate was being a jerk, again;" the disguised princess sighs exasperatedly at the memory.

[queenofkindness]

Dyed...her hair? This person must know her alternate! Alarmed, Mercury desperately thinks of a way out of the situation. She doesn't want to deceive someone, but she can't exactly explain the truth, either.

"I'm unsure of where they are." That's the truth, at least.

[secretofthemoon]

"Eh?" She doesn't know? But Mercury knows everything! Or at least everything Serenity has ever asked so far.

"Ah, you stayed behind to meet with me? I'm really sorry I was late;" she smiles at her friend... Or the girl she thinks it's her friend. "Well, when I asked Venus before she said Jupiter had mentioned the greenhouse, maybe for the biology class? They may be there, what do you think?"

[queenofkindness]

"Actually... I sort of found you by chance," Mercury admits.

Should she try to find the senshi herself? It'd be better not to have to explain the nexus to them, either, but at least it wouldn't be telling it to (she thinks) an outsider.

[secretofthemoon]

By chance? She wasn't waiting for her? Maybe she means she was looking for her too and just happened to find her here.

Serenity smiles; "Ah, I see. I'm sorry I'm always causing you problems. But really, you shouldn't worry about me here, I'll be okay..." She looks around to be sure that no one is nearby before she continues with a mischievous smile. "You see, even though I have to be roommates with that jerk of an Earth prince he doesn't even realize I'm a girl. The disguise is perfect, and with all your help to act more boyish no one will realize the Moon princess is here. So you don't have to worry constantly about me."

[queenofkindness]

Boyish... moon princess? Mercury takes another, closer look and realizes it's true.

Her heart sinks. This can only cause a scandal at best. And here the princess is talking about it as if it isn't even a secret.

"Be more discreet," Mercury says immediately. "You risk yourself."

[secretofthemoon]

Well, it's a secret... For everyone who doesn't know much of the Moon princess except that she exists... Or is supposed to exist, if she hasn't been introduced to society yet then maybe she's still too young, it's not as if her birth was ever really announced. Only the senshi and the royal families know her existence and that she's currently posing as a boy to study at the academy. The most problems it could cause is with the Earth whose people know nothing but... Serenity has never been good at politics, she fails to see the real problem except for people being angry with her

[queenofkindness]

Mercury remembers the explosion of celebrations heralding the royal birth, the heiress to all their prosperous united civilizations. But the more Mercury finds herself embroiled in whatever is going on, the more likely she is to make mistakes herself. (She's really no good at lying.)

Besides, won't the princess realize Mercury isn't who the princess thinks she is, once she sees her own guardian? That's right; she can use that.

"I think this is a misunderstanding," she says. "I am not who you think. We have never met before." She can say the similarities were so great that she didn't realize it at first, either.

[secretofthemoon]

Serenity blinks; "What do you mean? You're Mercury, I would recognize your face and voice anywhere... Are you in disguise too?" Why? It's not as if Mercury can't be there. Well, technically she can be there too, it's just that there was only space left for a boy at the academy, so as a boy she disguises.

[queenofkindness]

"I am not who you were looking for." She plays with words, a way to make the deception a tiny bit more palatable, garnished with half-truths.

[secretofthemoon]

Serenity just stares; "You answered to the name of Mercury. You look like Mercury. You sound like Mercury. You feel like Mercury. I don't understand what you're playing at... Explain me, please." She's not liking this 'I'm not who you think, we never met before' thing.

[queenofkindness]

"You mistook me," Mercury says levelly, treating the stare calmly. If Serenity thinks back clearly, she'll realize Mercury never had explicitly called herself Mercury, or claimed that identity. Everything had been carefully left vague - although she'd answered a question addressed to Mercury, but that can be explained as confusion and preoccupation.

[secretofthemoon]

It doesn't compute, even if she realizes that this girl hasn't addressed herself as Mercury. "Who are you then?"

[queenofkindness]

Who is she...? That's a much harder question to work around. She's someone who belongs in her own world and shouldn't be here. She's someone who should be with her princess. She's someone who should be preparing lessons right now.

"Mizuno Ami." It's... somewhat true. "Now please, excuse me. I am already late." Because of trying to help this boy. She wonders sometimes whether being gentle has ever helped her.

[secretofthemoon]

But it's Mercury! Despite everything, she feels it inside of her, Mercury's kind energy, soothing and calm and deep like a lake. It has to be Mercury, and yet it's not Mercury? How is that possible? And that name... What kind of name is that? She hasn't heard a name like that yet.

Besides... This girl now knows her secret. But hasn't said anything other than scold her for being careless with it. She isn't blowing up the disguise. Why?

"Fine... 'Ami';" she doesn't sound convinced yet though. "Where is your next class? I'll accompany you and explain it was my fault you are late;" she smiles. She doesn't really understand what's going on but... She is sure this is Mercury, or someone like Mercury and definitively someone not blowing up her disguise so it's someone she can trust. And she supposes it's kind of her fault that she's now late to wherever she has to go.