It's Valentine's!

[catchingspirit]

An odd thing has happened in this corner of the moonlocket space. Everything imaginable for a stereotypical Valentine's Day is available.

A row of stores lines the street, boasting wares from chocolate (for those girls too lazy busy to make it by hand) to jewelry. For those interested in a hands-on and do-it-yourself approach, there is even a building

Comments

[pink_is_back]

Sitting in a small cafe along the street is Black Lady. She's dressed in what would be best described as a gothic lolita style dress, complete with petticoat, headdress, socks, and appropriate shoes. Rather than standing out, she blends rather well into this particular cafe.

Upon the table before her, a large pink cake, and two smaller cakes beside it. A number of gifts are sitting around, as well as donuts and shiny pink bat-shaped balloons. She seems a bit confused as she looks over the table, but there's something familiar about it just the same.

[illuminedshield]

Have a Mamoru walking down the street oh-so-casually until he realizes he's in a part of town he never... knew... existed.

This again?

Before much longer, he spots someone sitting at a cafe. The cake looks good, too. Very pink. In fact, everything about the girl sitting at the table seems to be pink. He can't quite hide a smile.

He hasn't met Chibi-usa yet in his world, and Black Lady obviously hasn't happened yet either in that case. So to Mamoru, there's just a pretty girl he wouldn't mind meeting. What? It's not cheating. Really. His head turns some as he passes by.

[pink_is_back]

Someone went through a lot of time making these things, but the name written upon the tags was unknown to her. That didn't matter, they were made out to her... using, that name she hadn't needed to use recently. Was someone from her world here, after all. Cautiously, she began to open a package, while glancing around for anyone suspicious.

That's when she spotted Mamoru. The box in her hands fell to the table, her crimson eyes never leaving him as he walked by. She felt... angry, yet glad to see him. She couldn't quite give the feeling a name, but her outward appearance was one of surprise and intrigue more than anything else.

[illuminedshield]

He's experienced enough in social situations and the Nexus to realize that look is one of recognition. Since he doesn't know her, Mamoru assumes Black Lady knows an alternate of him from a different world.

"Good afternoon" he greets her politely anyway; there's no reason not to.

[pink_is_back]

And now he was moving closer. She looked away, trying to find renewed interest in the package she'd dropped, but it wasn't working. She did know an alternate version of him. She could tell just from the way he looked at her. There was no attempted sympathy, no stern words of warning... rather, when he spoke, his words were rather normal.

"Good afternoon, Ma-" she started, in her normal sarcastic tone. She paused for a moment, glancing away. When she spoke again, her tone was calmer. "Good afternoon."

[illuminedshield]

Alright, that settles it. She knows him. And apparently not in a kindly way. An internal sigh at the infernal ways of multiple universes.

"I'm sorry," he apologizes, "I think I'm a different one of him than the one you know." There's a sentence he never thought he'd say. "We haven't met yet. Can I ask for an introduction?" The last comes out very awkward and lame, somehow; it's just weird to need an introduction when the other person so obviously knows you. Well, 'a' you.

[pink_is_back]

To be honest, the last time she'd encountered Mamoru, she had just slapped Usagi. Twice. So, he wasn't exactly as friendly as he could have been otherwise. Still, a lot had happened since then, and she wasn't in the mood to start trouble. Especially not here. She was still feeling rather mellow after all that had happened recently.

The fact he didn't know her could be a plus. However, simply announcing herself as Black Lady wasn't going to work. It was time to use one of her aliases. "Himeko," she replied simply. "Most people are different from the ones I know."

[illuminedshield]

Himeko. Princess. Coupled with the fact she seems to know him, the name is very suggestive, especially with the diminutive suffix. Now that he looks at her, she looks an awful lot like Usako, too.

This may not end well. But for now, he avoids challenging her and instead introduces himself. Even in this odd situation, it's only polite, right?

"Chiba Mamoru. I'm pleased to meet you."

[pink_is_back]

The name wasn't randomly picked, though most wouldn't bother trying to make any sort of connection from it. Rather, it only proved Mamoru wasn't an idiot. Obviously he was required to pick up the massive amount of slack left by Usagi's stupidity. Or something along those lines. Black Lady actually smiled a little as she thought through that.

"Pleased to meet you, too, Mamoru-san. Something on your mind?"

[illuminedshield]

He shakes his head, a bit confused himself. Although he remembers the past and his identity as Endymion, part of him has never stopped being that person on a quest for his memories and the truth.

"It's just that you seemed to know me," he explains. "I wanted to meet you." He glances back to all the pink and pink and pink and- it's cute and suits her somehow cake. "Are you waiting for someone?"

[pink_is_back]

Black Lady didn't seek much from her own memories. She knew which were hers, and which were hers, but she was also aware some were tampered with. It really didn't matter anymore. She knew who she was now, and those memories she'd amassed since then really hadn't convinced her the alleged warped memories weren't far off. Truth was often just a personal view on a matter.

"I know a lot of people," she answered with a shrug. She looked down for a moment, and began to cut a piece of cake. "Not anymore." With that, she places a slice before him.

[illuminedshield]

There's someone running around with that exact viewpoint. They should get together. Unfortunately, it's not Mamoru. He still believes in his true memories. After all, they're what ultimately reunited him with Serenity - Usako. And the shitennou's memories, true memories, are why they fight at his side to fix the problems of the past.

He nods slightly before seating himself after a polite thanks. The cake looks very delicious, and after a similarly-polite "Thanks for the meal", he proves it by taking a bite. Yum.

[pink_is_back]

They really should. Regardless, the cake is delicious and moist. It also contains no rhubarb, though why it would is beyond anyone's reasoning. Black Lady cut herself a piece and set it down before her. A gift from a friend was all she could really say about it. At least it wasn't jinxed by that Jupiter she'd met. She'd made sure of that. LunaP had wide variety of uses.

She watched Mamoru as he began to eat. Deciding what to do with him when the time came was still up for debate in her mind. For this moment, though, she was content to simply have cake and not worry too much about it. She'd seen too much action recently to look for more right away. Resting her elbows upon the table, she placed her chin upon her hands. "You really don't know me at all, do you?"

[illuminedshield]

The cake also has the advantage of being true. And very very pink. Mamoru takes small, polite bites although he does compliment the taste once or twice over smalltalk.

He really doesn't know her. He's from a time before her, and hasn't really met her alternates - whether 'her' or 'Chibi-usa', either. Neither have they touched at all, so there's been no chance of secondhand memories through that connection he's still unaware of. He shakes his head and offers her an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry I don't," he says. "I'd like you to tell me about yourself." He seems interested, even if - because he doesn't know her - it probably can't be from anything but politeness.

[pink_is_back]

A truer, pinker cake there never was. Black Lady listens to each compliment, despite the fact she confection was not made by her. She'd cut it, and served it, and it was given to her, so by proxy, that made it alright. That was her reasoning, anyway.

She was slowly taking note of things he says, and his general appearance. He looked younger than he should, and he wasn't giving her any speeches about love and memories. She offered a rather genuine smile before sampling the cake on her own.

"Mm. Don't apologize," she replied as she glanced up. She could feel a faint warmth in her cheeks, a sensation she hadn't felt in some time. Foolish, she reminded herself, quickly looking down to the cake. "What would you like to know?"

[illuminedshield]

Bearing in mind Black Lady's - Himeko's - seeming age, his mind forms a few questions about university, studying, potential careers, family... But since they've only just met in his experience, he doesn't quite barge in with thousands at once.

"Do you live here in Juuban?" He's trying to pin down why he can't remember ever seeing her at the high school.