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 Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 6:48 pm
It was true indignity in its purest form. Small Lady Serenity, Tsukino Usagi, Coralie Williams, was grounded! The pastel haired teen hadn't even bothered to try and sneak back into the house when every light was on the night after the Halloween Masque at 3am. No, instead she'd simply winced and gone to face the rather baffling music. He was her guardian, he couldn't really ground her could he?
Apparently, Perry seemed incredibly set on the grounding. Unless there was a school-related reason to be out, and he would know if she lied being as he worked at said school, Allie was to be home as soon as school ended. There would be no going out afterwards, and even her internet time was restricted. This wasn't too terrible, because she liked curling up with a good book, but it was the principle of the matter! She was the Princess of Crystal Tokyo! He couldn't ground her! Yet he had.
So when the doorbell rang, the tiny Japanese girl all but launched herself from the comfortable armchair facing the door to make sure that she was the one to grab it. If it was for her, Perry couldn't tell the person to leave, could he? She'd never been grounded! It was a mystery!
Opening the door to Sidra Winters had Coralie beaming, if looking mildly apprehensive about having a senshi friend over. It had always been very casual for Usagi and the others, but things were a little freer for them. Usagi wasn't really ever grounded.
"Sidra! Come in! Uncle Perry, there is a friend here!"
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Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 11:15 pm
Unlike Coralie, Sidra herself had been grounded more times than she could count-- though it was all recent and stemmed from the exact same reasons that Coralie's did, though her parents were in the know.
It did simplify some things; if they couldn't find her at night, they knew exactly where she was-- which was somewhere outside, somewhere alone, somewhat in danger. She had been told to tell them when she left, they understood, of course! But the reality was a lot different, there was a lot of fighting, silent treatments, and expressions of extreme distaste whenever she mentioned her "other" life. And so she wouldn't tell, and would sneak out, and she'd get grounded-- for what good, Sidra didn't really know. She respected her parents to a point, but what she had to do was just a little more important than sitting in her room and reflecting on what she had done-- which was exactly what she should be doing right at that moment. The anger and frustration was circlical for both parties and there was nothing Sidra could think of, apart from leaving entirely, to make things better. And that was it, wasn't it; no one could make this better until things actually WERE better.
She wasn't grounded at this point in time, anyway. She was between groundings, as it were, and happy to be so. When she mentioned she was going to hang out with a friend, and her mother winked back at her, and Sidra had to explain that, no, really, a friend, I swear-- her mother hugged her. Literally bear hugged the stuffing out of her daughter.
Too bad this girl, with the bright pink hair and happy smile and somewhat broken english, was not as normal as her mother hoped. But then again, who was in this city?
"Hi Cora," Sidra ducked her head shyly, and shuffled inside.
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Posted: Wed Nov 10, 2010 5:46 pm
He didn't want to do it. Perry really hadn't wanted to resort to grounding Coralie, but turning up at home at three in the morning after all the confusing hell that had been raised at that masquerade ball had been the last proverbial straw. Before that there were the little things, occasional disappearances at the off hours of the night he was sure she thought he hadn't noticed -- marked by lightly trampled plants in the garden, and finding the window had been left open over nights where it had gotten too cold for it to be practical to do so. He figured it was nothing serious, probably the same type of high-school sneaking out he got into when he was that age.
But then the Ball Incident gave him a hearty wake-up slap in the face. That situation had been dangerous. Coralie had been in danger. There was no guarantee that randomly sneaking out when it was dark was any less dangerous.
And so there he was, stuck having to choose beween Allie's Safety and Allie's Happiness. Safety ended up winning out, but not without Perry having been sorely tempted to take it back and let her off with the lecture portion of her punishment, if only to get her to let up on that I-don't-know-you-anymore look she had been giving him since.
So when the knock at the door was heard and she was bounding towards it before he had even so much looked up from the quizzes he was grading, it was with a subdued version of his normal smiles that he waved the girl in and closed the door behind her.
"Hey there," he started hospitably -- though Lady had gotten a head start on him in the greeting front, the large greyhound trotting in to invade Sidra's personal space without hesitation. Perry whistled at her to step back and give the poor girl some breathing room before he continued. "Glad to see a friend of Allie stop by. She's got a lot of schoolwork to do though, so I hope you won't hold it against me if I end up kicking you out." This was all said with an amicable tone, but also with a very pointed look at Allie. She wasn't going to get out of this so easily.
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Posted: Wed Nov 10, 2010 6:16 pm
It was the talent of every teenager in the universe to give Perry the look Allie currently was. It was a look of impatience, effrontery, and embarrassment. "Sidra Winters, this is my guardian Perry Westerman." His last name still gave her Asian tongue more than a bit of trouble, though the girl paid it no mind. "I am grounded because I was out very late one night." Shoulder slumped as if this was an injustice comparable to Beryl adopting her.
"Don't worry, Sidra has a curfew too. Things are not always very safe, like you told me." Throwing the lecture back at him was something that she was enjoying more and more too. It wasn't that Coralie cared any less about her 'Uncle' for him having grounded her, it was simply that she didn't think it was at all deserved! However, telling him why she had been out so late probably would work even less. Bars on the window made it hard for sneaking out.
"I have some work, but it is very much because I am grounded." Taking the brunette by the hand, Allie pulled her further into the house with a scratch to Lady on the way. "This is Lady. She is the best." Giggles erupted as the greyhound jumped lightly onto Allie's legs, earing her a hug. The princess had never had a dog before, and it was a wholly new and wonderful experience. "I have not seen you in a bit, how are things?" Everything seemed casual, but the message was clear. Social visit, or more?
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Posted: Thu Nov 11, 2010 8:56 pm
"Eh hahaha," Sidra tittered nervously and slowly edged along the foyer wall-- the undertone of this familial conversation was something she really did not want to take part in. Not only that, but this was the first time she had come over to a fellow scout's house since-- well, she didn't really want to think about that. But even then, the family had not been there, or at least not as much there as Perry Westerman was.
Also, Perry Westerman was there.
"UM. Hi... Mr. Westerman?" It was always weird to see teachers out of their natural habitat when they were just civilians like anyone else.
Snaking out a couple of fingers to scritch at the top of Lady's head, Sidra smiled her most sunniest smile.
"I hope you won't have to kick me out, I promise that we'll be quiet as mice, and do our homework. I mean, come on Mr. Westerman, I'm on the student council, I'm a peer counscilor-- Coralie is in good hands."
Sidra was making jerking motions with her head to leave this situation nowwww to Coralie.
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Posted: Thu Nov 11, 2010 9:59 pm
If someone had told Coralie that grounding her was a painful experience for Perry, and that every act of teen frustration and/or defiance was making him feel a little worse, she most likely would have not believed them. The demeanor he was putting up was one of a laid-back and hospitable individual who seemed glad to have a visitor -- which he was, definitely, but that didn't negate the feelings going on behind the curtain. He felt sort of lousy.
"Oh, you're..." he paused for a moment, running a hand over his hair to puzzle the girl's identity. She'd definitely never been in any of his classes, but it was a head he'd seen bobbing down the hallways more than a couple of times. He could have sworn he'd seen her elsewhere, though, he just couldn't figure out exactly -- "Oh, right..."
Sidra Winters was that girl who'd gone missing before he moved to Destiny City.
Well, what mattered now was that she was a friend of Allie's who wanted to visit her (and Perry was ecstatic that she'd made a few friends at school), so he mentally waved it off. With an amicable clap of the hand on the girl's shoulder, he said, "Good to know. If you want to write down some directions to your place I'll drive you back when it's all done, I don't like the thought of you heading back alone when it's already getting dark outside."
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Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 5:47 pm
Thankfully, sign language was universal and needed no real translator. Of course, Allie could have also started spouting off rapid-fire Japanese, and Sidra would have potentially understood and been able to respond to every word of it. Such things, however, raised suspicion when Sidra Winters had never before shown the aptitude for such a language. Apparently, however, Perry wasn't going to let them disappear into the pink recesses of her bedroom that easily.
It was very nice, having a room to herself again. Some of Blanche's money had gone into furnishing a full-size bed with a white wood headboard, the floral coverlet almost sickeningly pastel. The whole room was frilly, feminine, and designed to suit a teenager's needs. It wasn't quite the same as being at home in her own gauzy bed with the view of Crystal Tokyo's metropolis from the window, but it was a type of home that she appreciated nonetheless.
"I will get paper. She should not write on the grades." It was the most handy paper, but those had to be handed back to the students, and having directions to the Winters' house was probably not the wisest course of action. Swift little feet carried the diminutive girl into her bedroom and back out with the famous yellow pad of legal paper that had been her constant companion as Blanche. "Here. I was trying to tell Uncle Perry I should drive, but he will not let me yet." She had been very excited to learn, once upon a time, but apparently girls who snuck out at night didn't get their learner's permit.
Sigh.
It sucked so hard.
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Posted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 3:42 pm
It was always slightly weird to be left alone in a room with a parent of a friend. So it was probably not all that odd for Sidra to jump when Perry clapped her on the shoulder, though he gave her a quizzical look. What was odd was the sudden feeling of deja vu that spread over the both of them, forcing Sidra to step back, and look at Allie's adoptive father with a pained expression.
"Well. This will make things both harder and simpler, I guess. Welcome back, Shepherd. Kurma, I mean."
And Sidra raised her henshin pen in the air, and was suddenly herself but moreso; to become a Sailor Scout was to remember who they had once been.
"I'm always sorry to have to drag another in to this fight, but always glad to have another on our side. I am happy to see you though. It has been a long time."
Sidra's hair was lighter than it had once been, a very light pale ash blonde.
Things were changing.
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Posted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 8:01 pm
Kurma??The teacher blinked once, then twice, in slight bafflement to Sidra's words. He redoubled his stance and put a fist on his hip, looking down at the girl even as the strange pen, looking more like a cereal box prize than a writing utensil, appeared in her hand. "Look, I don't think--" But he'd stopped as soon as he had started. Was he hesitating? No -- no, he'd just remembered that name she was addressing him by was... very important, and very old. And when the light from Sidra's henshin pen was done flooding the room, she was not the only one who had changed. Curiously, the very first thing he did afterward was turn his gaze downward, a childish grin splitting across his features. A boot scraped against the carpet as he experimentally wiggled the foot within it -- and then he did a tiny hop in the air that lasted a little longer than it should have. He looked absolutely fascinated by the ground he was standing on. Thrilled, even. "Well, would you look at that. Terra firma, how often does that happen, Cosmo?" His eyes shot back up to meet the senshi, still smirking, not looking at all bothered that he'd been dragged into a fight. He walked across the room in the somewhat exaggerated steps of someone who was enjoying the novelty of walking far too much; the large globe in his hands, looking somewhat like a glass buoy, glittered as if it had been crammed full of stars. When he stopped to speak again, Coralie was right in front of him with the pen and paper she'd gone off to retrieve. The smile didn't falter even the tiniest bit.
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Posted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 8:22 pm
Coralie, for lack of a better word, was flabbergasted. Not only was a paler version of Eternal Sailor Nova standing in her living room, but Uncle Perry had vanished entirely and something that was not quite a senshi but was decidedly not Chaos-seeming was standing there grinning at her. However, Allie simply turned around to set down the things in her hands, and looked back at the pair while reaching into her pocket. "We are going to be in so much trouble." In more unconscious habit than showmanship, the delicate hot-pink heart brooch was raised aloft, and the familiar words dropping from her lips with ease.
There were hearts, bright pink lights, even ribbon streamers of magic that wrapped around her. Everything cleared, and Super Sailor Chibimoon was standing with her hands on her hips, looking decidedly more frazzled than her human counterpart had before. "I am starting to think that I will not have a normal life!" It was rather good-natured though, if confused, before she curtsied elegantly. "Hello. I am Small Lady Serenity, Super Sailor Chibimoon, Senshi of Love and Justice. It is very nice to fully meet you....Kurma." The name was awkward on her tongue, as so many things were.
Turning to Nova, she pointed somewhat rudely as a counterpoint to a previously polite action. "Now. Please. Tell me what this is?"
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Posted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 8:49 pm
Sailor Nova put a hand to her forehead and shook her head. They were three powered individuals, rather important individuals (though by Kurma's decidedly boyish s**t-eating grin, not at all mature) and were standing in an unprotected living room, painting a "COME HITHER" bullseye on the house.
Why did they always have to transform to reveal information? Sidra had been on the debate team, she could lead an argument! But that was for other days.
De-henshining quickly, Sidra smoothed her lighter hair with a sigh.
"The glamour is fading; body memory and all that. I'd really like to not go prematurely grey, but I don't think I get much choice in the matter. Hair dye does not work too well, FYI. Sort of gets burned off by the energy residue in our powered forms. Or something," Sidra shrugged, "I actually have no idea, that's just my supposition."
Turning to Kurma and rolling her eyes at his sudden urge to do a handstand, Sidra spread her hands in an "I don't even know" gesture.
"This is Kurma. Shepherd, one of the guardian's of the Galaxy Cauldron-- one of my handmaidens but he hates that phrase," Sidra grinned over to him, "but he's not a Senshi. Or a Cavalier. He's sort of an... enigma? Kurma, you explain. And don't just say you're like that book series-- um. Hitchhiking to the Universe, I don't know."
Sidra had to admit she was grinning despite herself. At least now they weren't stranded here.
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Posted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 9:24 pm
Kurma was busy hand-walking in staggered loop around the coffee table. In response to the 'handmaiden' statement, he stopped and responded, "Yeah, well that's because I'm not usually a lady." He gave a bit of a frown at the thought before flipping back to his feet, scratching his head in bemusement at how Sidra had powered down already. Then his eyes darted back towards to the floor for a brief instant, as if to go wow, gravity!
Then he strode over to Chibimoon, hand on chin, leaning down to get a good eyeful of her fuku and the familiar way she was styling her hair -- it was a lot like the way Cosmos wore hers, except adorable. "Chibimoon... huh... I don't think I've heard of that place yet," he decided with a curious tilt of the head. "Is it nearby? We're on Earth... in the Sol system, right?" Then he drew back up to his full height, and pondered a moment. "Don't think there's a place called Chibimoon in the Sol system, or at least not that I can recall, unless it's new..."
The buoy was lifted in his hands, and he was about to do something with it -- until he remembered Sidra had asked him to introduce himself more formally. So, he set it back down for a moment and turned to face them fully.
"I can explain, sure thing," he grinned. "But first --" and then the smile melted a bit, adding a tinge of seriousness to his expression, "there's somewhere I think we should go. You kids in?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 21, 2010 12:39 pm
Chibimoon was going to power down, but first, had a question to answer. Her look to Sidra was certainly one of 'you started it', but she laughed at Kurma when he said he'd never heard of anywhere named 'Chibimoon'. "Chibi is the word for small where I was born. So I am Small Moon, Sailor Moon's daughter." She hesitated for a moment and thought about the apparent age of the being in front of her. Kurma certainly seemed to be from out of this system, and if he was even from this side of the galaxy she couldn't really say. Certainly, Small Lady had never left Earth!
"Serenity of the Moon and Endymion of Earth were my mother and father. Do you know them? I am not sure how to tell you any other way who I am." She shot a stream of rapid fire at him in Japanese, hoping that maybe perhaps he shared the same language faculties as Cosmos.
When there was no response, the young senshi sighed a bit and her shoulders shrugged. "I am happy to go wherever you would like. You are my guardian, after all." Certainly this was going to make things much easier now!
Maybe.
Just maybe....
"Does this mean I am not grounded now?"
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Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2010 2:00 pm
It was hard to shake off the pressing fear that what they were about to do was going to upset some tenuous balance in the world. Well, she wouldn't be who she was if she wasn't worried about that, Nova surmised. It was a tale as old as time -- older even, in fact -- and Kurma had existed before and so had she and perhaps with Kurma ignoring their powering down and holding on to the spinning fan above their heads with a lazy grin was not going to get them killed. But it certainly seemed like it might.
"Aight, teach us to fly, Peter Pan. It's been awhile," Sidra powered up again-- her hair was even whiter.
She had brushed it off when Allie asked, but it was a terrifying prospect, she had to admit to herself. She hadn't seen Astraea for a couple of weeks, thank the gods, too busy yelling at newcomers and hiding from the Negaverser's who hadn't gotten the memo that cat's really aren't the end all and be all of an organized militia. When Astraea found out... well. She hadn't admitted a thing to Astraea, and it was getting harder to concentrate on not letting her past shine through, as it were. Everyone would just be disappointed, anyway, knowing. She was frankly disappointed; it would have been nice just to be able to change things, to act as a god, but apparently that did not come with the Cosmos tag.
"Why do YOU get to keep your black hair," Sidra grumbled, before crossing her arms and waiting for Kurma to get on with this whole thing.
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Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2010 2:40 pm
"Oh, one of those cultural royal family deals?" Kurma responded, bemused. "Passing down the title and so on, right. I could never get a hang of all that stuff, it would make things so much easier if everyone just did it the same way." He gave another childish frown and blew a lock of hair out of his face before it could get in his eyes. Apparently as far as he was concerned, what he was wishing was a relatively simple thing to ask of people who lived up to thousands of lightyears apart. "But yeah, never heard of either of 'em. Sorry, kiddo, I'm not the best with names. That's Cosmo's job."
The string of Japanese words and phrases bounced right off of him, providing no change in his demeanor besides a pitch of the eyebrow. "Is that some sort of Moon language you're speaking at me? Don't think I ever picked that one up."
When Chibimoon asked about the state of being grounded, however, Kurma paused, and for a moment he looked like he was intense concentration -- trying to remember something. It took a little while before he looked up again and back to her and said, with an apologetic smile, "...We'll talk about that later, Allie."
He nodded jovially at Sidra, and walked up closer to the two of them, tossing the globe up in his air for a couple of times (his face lit up a bit each time it fell back down) before grasping it firmly in his hands. Then, the room was flooded with a bright golden light that Sidra would recognize, and the carpet was yanked from underneath them as they were folded into the fabric of space -- and just as quickly came back into existence again elsewhere.
It took a moment for their vision to return to them, but soon enough they could make out a gathering of bright lights in front of and above them, shining as a guiding beacon against the surrounding darkness.
The lights read:
Steak and Shake.
"Getting woken up like this always makes me so damned hungry," said Kurma, stretching his arms out a bit while leading them across the parking lot. "But that's one good thing about showing up on a planet, I already know where all the good places are. As far as the hair color -- come on, look at this complexion I got, white hair would just look terrible."
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