interstellar5555 | Once You're a Square You're a Square All the Way

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Once You're a Square You're a Square All the Way

Who: Usagi Tsukino (Serena Lapin) and anyone who wants to rescue her
What: No one warned Usagi just how serious Garnet's fans actually are about the whole... square thing // There s a Hair Monster that lives in Brad's Diner and it survives on milkshakes // Get a half off bouquet on your next visit!
When: All Day
Where: The flower store Usagi works at/Brad's Diner
Warnings: Rabid fans, mild violence
Notes: I’m more than happy to match styles!

A: Early Morning (The Attack)

Usagi Tsukino was not late.

Not so much a miracle as it was that Usagi finally remembered to set her alarm clock an hour and a half ahead of time to get there exactly on time. On her way to work, she didn't even notice the unusually high amount of people surrounding her. She didn't think much of it at all considering that it was early enough in the morning people were likely on their way to work and school.

She didn't even seem to notice how so many of them had square hair-styles and a lot of them were chewing bubble gum. But Usagi wasn't the sort to judge someone based on hair and eating habits. Honestly, she was the last to do such a thing on such subjects. However, when they all started whistling the same tune, Usagi admittedly got a little... well, honestly she felt a bit... weirded out? But no dark energy, no sense of magic, or anything that felt like she should be worried for her safety. The whistling in unison made her nervous but she was sure it was just the new pop single from one of the many bands she intended on rescuing.

Oh how very, terribly wrong she was.

Usagi blinked at the wall of people suddenly in front of her with square hair cuts. Oookay... When she asked them to politely move, they just sneered at her, still whistling and blowing bubble-gum bubbles.

Usagi made to turn and leave... only to have a wall of square hair cuts there too. Alright, last resort.

Except.

She gave a nervous laugh.

"Uh... i-is there something I can do?" she couldn't transform, not with all these people watching and not when this could be the work of brainwashing. In fact, Usagi's first fear was that this was the act of the labels and they found her out. She put her hand on her brooch.

Of course, that all quickly changed when she saw scissors, hair pins, and gel in the hands of the people surrounding her.

"How dare you talk to Keytar Mom after we WARNED YOU."

"W-What?"

"And then you had the audacity to talk to her at the charity event and take her food from her!"

"T-That isn't a-actually-" she put up her hands in front of her, trying to calm everyone down.

"If you're going to be near goddess Garnet YOU BETTER BE SQUARE!"

When they opened up their scissors?

Usagi quite calmly, eloquently, and rationally...

Let out a massive, loud, and incredibly shrill scream of panic, and kicked one of them in the face.

That had opened up the wall of people and Usagi used it as her chance, since she honestly couldn't risk transforming until she was out of sight. If she could just get around the corner! She let out another scream when she felt her head yanked back as they grabbed one of her tails. She turned around only to be slammed up against a wall.

"Don't do this!" forget it! She'd transform in public! She wasn't going to allow herself to have them attack her like this. Now if only she could reach her brooch! "GET THOSE AWAY FROM MEEEEE!"

B: Afternoon (After the Attack)

Were you looking for Usagi at "Thistle Do Nicely?" If you were, you will be promptly informed by Mrs. Ophelia that any and all information regarding her employees is not available and then would leave it at that. Which is to say, once 'Serena' explained what happened (looking a bit worse for wear but with all her hair quite intact) the older woman took it upon herself to protect her employee.

If you're very thorough, however, you'll find Usagi hiding in a booth at "Brad's Diner" far far away from the diner door and curled up with her third triple-chocolate, chocolate-chip milkshake.

Her hair was not in its usual buns, mostly because in the fray it had all come undone and she was basically hiding in her hair.

Or maybe you're not looking for Usagi, maybe you just came in to Brad's because the food, while greasy, was filling and the waitress Diana was gorgeous and a flirt.

In either case, there was still a giant river of golden hair attached to the head of someone hiding within it and making an impressive dent in her now fourth milkshake (this time strawberry).

Stepping on or near her hair seems to draw the hair monster to instantly shriek and shudder and try and pull all that hair closer.

C: Late Afternoon (Also After the Attack)

After six milkshakes and given plenty of time to fix her hair back into the two buns, Usagi finally made her way back to the flower store. She had to, she had a "family" to provide for and more importantly, she didn't want to let Mrs. Ophelia down. While Usagi didn't know if Terra celebrated Valentine's Day, the flower store was clearly gearing up for something.

While Mrs. Ophelia said that Usagi was more than welcome to go home with pay, Usagi didn't feel right doing that to the older woman.

So you will find Usagi right in front of the flower shop where Mrs. Ophelia can keep an eye on her and anything that should happen, passing out a single blue paper-origami 'Forget Me Not' with a ribbon around it with a simple tag "Don't Forget!" tied to it.

"All this week, Thistle Do Nicely is having a sale! Take this coupon inside and with the purchase of a bouquet today, get your next bouquet on your next visit half off!" she's trying to put a true smile behind it, but those who know Usagi or "Serena Lapin" better will know that it isn't sincere, it doesn't reach her eyes and please be so kind as not to mention that Usagi's clothes are somewhat... well... torn and snipped.

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[Actually, he had honestly come to Brad's to enjoy the milkshakes.

Rumors of this diner and it's fantastic food had slipped into the depths of even Pride HQ, and the raving reviews had been enough to pull the quiet and perpetually sleepless Koumei out from the depths of his closed up bedroom.

Clad in his most shapeless thrift shop hoodie, with his own massive amount of auburn hair amazingly brushed out and pulled into a messy braid, Koumei was just on his way to find a seat near the back so he could people-watch in his insomniac haze when the Hair Monster(tm) 'Attacked.'

Her shriek was met with a startled yelp in kind. Nearly jumping out of his skin at the suddenness of the cry, he upset his milkshake (cookies and cream with an extra twist of chocolate syrup around the interior of the glass) down the front of his obnoxious hoodie, his worn down tennis shoes, and onto the floor.

But he did't notice.

He was too busy wondering where the hell the fire was, if he actually was hallucinating, and whether or not he should be afraid of a tsunami of tears crashing upon his head.]

[Usagi didn't want anyone near her hair. But it was a pain and a half to put it in buns when she lacked hair pins and ties. She would get to it eventually, but at the moment she just wanted to eat milkshakes and exist in her hair.

That wouldn't be the case today, it seemed as there was someone who she frightened. She peeked out of her hair to stare at who she frightened and then slowly stuck her face out and eventually, like some sort of bad fairy-tale, the hair beast turned into a girl and she scooted over to the edge of the booth seat, concern on her face.]

Are you alright?

[A cursory look down at his hoodie and shoes revealed the mess, but that didn't mean a thing in front of the distressed eyes of the young blonde woman.]

I-I'm fine, [he stammered, his own brows furrowing in concern.]

What about yourself? You're the one who screamed.

[He didn't recognize this girl at all, but he wasn't the Den Papa of Pride, Ren Koumei of Cosmic Indulgence, for nothing.]

Sorry... just... rough morning.

[She waved a dismissive hand.]

I'm really sorry about the hoodie. I can't... that is I can't afford to replace it, but I could wash it for you as an apology.

[She honestly didn't want to focus on her morning right now.]

I'm fine, though I'm really sorry, again.

[Dear awful day, can she please start over?]

Don't worry about it, [he said, removing his sunglasses so he could carefully shrug out of the hoodie.] It's just a thrift shop find-- nothing terribly special, and easy to wash.

But maybe we should get all this hair of your's in order, [He added after a moment. Without the hoodie, it was plain to see that his own hair was almost down to his knees-- he was a man experienced with massive amounts of hair like this.]

You have a pretty face-- it's a shame to hide it.

[Any other morning she'd blush at the compliment, even now, she's a bit red in the face. However, she is still very much out of sorts. She put a hand to the top of her hair and nodded.]

I ah... I'll put it up in my usual style. Just uh... my pins and hair bands were [Destroyed] damaged and I had to rush to work. Sorry about scaring you with it.

No- no! It's okay. I might actually have something.

[And, after carefully peeling off his hoodie so that he didn't get ice cream anywhere else, Koumei dug a simple hair tie out of his pockets.]

Let's get it out of the way, for now. It's...incredibly long.

[Impressively so. He thought his knee-length waves were bad, but this girl had hair that trailed on the floor!]

[She takes the hair tie but she's afraid to tell him how all her hair isn't going to fit. She supposes she can at least do some of it half up and half-down in the back. She ties back a small bit in the back, as much as the band can withstand but a good deal of it still spills on the floor.]

Ah, thank you. And yeah, it... well usually it's out of the way because I wear it in buns. Unfortunately everything holding them up got damaged.

[Koumei nods in understanding of her explanation. The sheer fact that her hair had become so disheveled seemingly by an accident was mind boggling for him, but he wasn't going to ask too many questions about it. Instead:]

Would you like me to help you get more pins and ties for your hair?

[She looked up at him and was glad he wasn't prying too much. She didn't want to trouble a complete stranger with her problems, especially not about this. She smiled.]

I-Is that really okay? You don't have to if it would be a hassle? Though I certainly won't say no to such a thing.

It's no trouble.

[He smiled in return, hoping to put the young woman at ease.]

We both know how long hair can get in the way. This isn't an imposition at all.

Ah, yes, that's true! You have wonderfully lovely hair! [Usagi didn't even think it was weird for a guy to have such long hair considering how many she knew who had it.]

Thank you so much, this is really nice of you and after the morning I've had I'm glad for that.

[The compliment earned a sheepish laugh in reply-- as if he were more used to complaining about his mess of a mane than paying actual compliments to it.]

Just because a day starts badly doesn't mean it has to stay that way.

Let's get these shakes paid for and we can go to the drug store down the street. They have decent hair supplies for pretty decent prices.

Ah... [She shook her head, allowing herself to get swallowed in her hair a bit more.] No... I... [It wasn't that she couldn't afford it, she wasn't sure it would be safe for Koumei.]

I don't want those fans to potentially attack you. [She offered.] They were... I mean considering they didn't get to do what they wanted with my hair, I suspect they might still be looking for me. Your hair is way too nice to be square.

Fans? ...Square?

[--Suddenly, it made sense. The twitter tirades, the tabloid articles, the...the mob.]

Garnet's fans did this to you?!

[Oh, no. Oh, no, no no no no nooooo.....

This was not acceptable!]

Uh... [Well crud.]

I mean... er... y-yes...

But Miss Gneiss didn't do anything to cause this! [She didn't want Garnet to get a bad name for this.] She had nothing to do with their actions, they took being a fan and made it something ugly, Miss Gneiss is very kind! [She gave her food! How could she be anything but!]

--I know Garnet's not responsible for them. No one is. They're adults, and they've made their own choices.

[Very bad ones. He couldn't condone this kind of behavior.]

Let's get you straightened up, okay? And I'll talk to Garnet and see if we can do something when we're done. Garnet's a wonderful woman, but her fans...

Well. They're going to give us a bad name.

Are... Is this not the first incident? [Her eyes narrowed softly, and here she had wanted to give them a second chance! But if she wasn't even- if there were MORE people getting attacked... her hands clenched into fists and she swallowed, taking a deep breath.]

I- I'm sorry... I know you can't pick your fans or control their actions. But maybe there is something that can be done?

[He lowered his gaze, too ashamed to regard her directly.]

I admit, I don't pay as much attention to our fans as I should. Garnet's in particular are quite loud and quite particular about their activities, to the point that I really don't understand it.

Just because I can't easily stop them doesn't mean I can't feel bad...although, this may warrant some words publically in the future.

You can't keep track of every fan... though it doesn't hurt to reward the good fans, right? The ones who love you and show that love in a positive way. You can still play music and that music can be for you, but I think there's something amazing about music when it's shared with everyone.

You should do what feels best, but don't worry about me, okay?

I always worry-- because you shouldn't have gotten hurt because of someone else's bad choices.

[The level of obsession that some of these fans displayed always made him uncomfortable on a deep level. Most of the time he was able to ignore it, but he was also the member of the band who purposfully distanced himself from the cameras. His experiences were hardly standard.]

Well, no, probably not, but better me than a child or someone who can't handle it. I have a lot of experience with uh... well bad or crazy fans. My friends back home were in a small band [Forgive her Seiya!] and they had some pretty bad fans in our school.

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Once You're a Square You're a Square All the Way

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