interstellar5555 | wishing on a star (open!)

Who: Minako and any rescuers
What: Crying, laughing, loving. Probably.
When: After the disruption of the ritual
Where: Back on the ship
Warnings: None for now, could change

After that last battle, Minako could really use a break. Not that they can afford one---the situation's more dire by the day, whatever progress they make. She can't let herself fully relax, but...there's been a victory. Two more are now safe.

Yet that isn't exactly making her happy. There's still the question of her friends' future hanging over her head. When this ends...where will the road take them? Will they still be together? She can't know for sure...but what's the point of worrying about that when she doesn't know if they'll survive yet? Getting ahead of yourself there, Minako.

It's eerily quiet that night, so she's taken to bouncing along the hall in whatever wayward castoffs pass for pajamas around here. She's not out to disrupt anyone sleeping, but if anyone else is as restless? She smiles and offers a hand. For what, she's not sure yet, but if they're gonna make it through? They need each other.

"Hey...you're up late. How're you doing?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Usagi was still fully dressed, the ship and stress and everything messing with her sleep. Although, half her stress was now gone, knowing Rei was coming home. Even with the giant bruise on her cheek, she was too happy to be upset. But she wasn't too surprised, either, to hear Minako behind her. She turned to look at her, careful to keep the bruise out of sight for the moment.

"Ah just... well, anxious, but... good, I guess. You couldn't sleep?"

"No, but...I can't remember the last time I dozed off like before" Well, okay, on second thought that was a lie. She did remember, vividly. But that wasn't a night Usagi needed to know all about.

"Anxious about where we're going from here, right? How they're gonna get revenge for our last stunt?"

"Well... he saw us transform, if he was paying attention, so movement will be harder... and... yeah... I don't know if he'll take it out on the musicians still there, he's... well, he's got to keep them for the ritual right?" she pressed her lips together.

"I mean, not that we're exactly going under cover again, but we have to be careful, I don't- I don't have my powers like before here. I can only heal, I can't help as much in a fight."

Minako wrapped her arms around herself. It was a right mess, and she knew that.

"Still...whatever we have, it's more than before. We're all a team now, with everyone else we've met along the way. We can do it together if we trust in each other, right?"

She reached out and wrapped her arms around Minako, thinking it was more important to try and make Minako feel better than to hide the bruise on her cheek.

"And the more we keep rescuing, the weaker they become."

Minako pulled her in with a small nod.

"Right! They get scary in their last gasps, they always do, but we just have to be stronger. There's nothing we can't overcome..."

Her heart had started to lighten, and she'd looked up to smile at Usagi hopefully when that strange mark caught her eye, derailing her train of thought completely.

"...eh? What happened there?" She gently shifted Usagi's chin to see it, careful to avoid touching the mark.

"Hmm? OH!" she touched her cheek, wincing only a little. "Ah well... uh, call it my wake up call, I guess. From uh... Rei. It'll heal soon enough." If she doesn't sound upset or enraged it's because she isn't. "It's fine Minako, nothing I didn't... I mean, it was sorta deserved."

Girlfriend or no, Minako is still a little worried about this. Her grip on Usagi tightens, though she's careful to avoid any tender spots.

"Deserved? How does she figure that?"

"I uh... compared myself to Blanche and Santiago? Among a few other choice statements."

Minako pales. Well, that would certainly explain a lot. "Like...like when you said we'd be no better if we forced her to make a choice?"

"Like - well sorta?" she blushed. "More... about not asking if she wanted to be my senshi and just forcing her to protect me?"

"Oh Usagi," Minako breathed, reaching to catch her friend's hand. Of course it was something like that. And of course...Rei's reaction was entirely predictable.

"I can see why you worry, I know we have our dreams that we're figuring out, but all of this...being Senshi is part of who we truly are. We do this because we love you, we always have," she whispered, leaning over to kiss Usagi's forehead.

It's the kiss that makes what little strength to hold her tears back crumble. She hugged onto Minako and started to sob softly. She only ever seemed to cry in this place but she needed to be stronger, she needed to be more mature.

She needed to be more.

"I'm sorry," she cried, hiding her face into Minako's shoulder.

Suga didn't go to the ritual, but he heard about it. He was glad that they were able to save two people, but he didn't know what he would do if he was in that situation. It showed him how helpless he would have been if he was there. It looked like things were going to becoming worst before they would be better. When that happened would he be able to do something?

Can he do something?

Suga looked up at the question as he tried to give a reassuring smile, but shook his head instead.

"I'm okay, but I'm still worried. How are you?"

Minako stepped up beside him, worry crossing her face as well. "I'm...as okay as I can be. We barely scraped our way out of that one, and that was with our ghostly friends' help. I'm worried about what they have for us in Tokyo...home, but not really."

She finished that with an awkward little laugh. "Funny to think about home when it's this far away."

Meril doesn't sleep all that much any more.

Saying she had the weight of the world on her shoulders was a mischaracterization -- the absence of that weight was what plagued her. Not fully herself in either way, she had too much to think about and no way to get answers. So at night she paced and plodded, impatient and quiet.

Of course, her answer was simply, "I am fine." What else would it be?

Minako didn't know her, not yet, but she could certainly try to sympathize. What she'd been through to get to this point...

But she wouldn't bring that up just yet. "Good, I'm glad. Anyone Rei really loves is an ally of mine."

She nods happily, smile just a little too bright.

"That might be exaggerating it a bit..." Rei didn't, as far as Meril knew, 'really love' anyone. Considering who she was talking to, that said volumes about how much she didn't know about Rei.

wishing on a star (open!)

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