2606/Fractional Senshi Sleepover

Fractional Senshi Sleepover
Date of Scene:	10 June 2025
Location:	Plot Room 1
Synopsis:	In an attempt to relax, Minako invites Ami over for a sleepover! They gush about some possible romance with their friend Makoto and Masato. The subject turns to each of their concerns over the missing Usagi and the burdens they're both facing.
Cast of Characters:	Minako Aino, Ami Mizuno

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Minako Aino has posed:
The Aino residence was pretty basic for the most part. It was a decent sized house in a residential area not too far away from Usagi's place (but far enough away they hadn't crossed paths until they had found one another through other means.) It was a two story house with a small veranda, and it was just Minako and her parents. Parents who were currently relegated to 'downstairs' because she was having a sleepover with a friend, darn it! It was one of the more normal things she opted to do so there really was no reason for her parents to say no to it.

The room is set up with white and pink and cheery yellows. There's some cat items like a cat tree with a bed atop it, and a cozier bed, and even a few toys (although they were all neat and tidy and arranged in a basket rather than strewn about. Some looked untouched. The mouse was dusty. Artemis refuses to play with a toy mouse.)

Currently a huge amount of pillows are lain out on the floor along with blankets next to a small table set out with a series of snacks.

Mina looks over it all with a nod of approval as she dusts her hands off. "Okay we've got snacks, the TV has Webflicks, and there's hair ties and brushes and face masks. Everything we need!"

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ah, but it wasn't quite everything that they would need. For pretty much anybody else they were set. One of the two happened to be Ami Mizuno, however, and that of course meant a pile of books very quickly found its way clear of the backpack she'd brought to be set beside her.

Perhaps most egregiously, she seemed to be at least excited as Minako was and it'd be difficult to tell whether it were the general atmosphere or the promise of study to come. They coould be entertained and fed and pampered until the ends of time, but Ami would always find a way to at least sneak a quick cram in there as well.

"We're all set for a great time!" Ami grinned exuberently.

Minako Aino has posed:
Minako Aino stares at the pile of books materializing along with Ami. It wasn't an uncommon sight of course. Not even unexpected. She does stare though as some small part of her starts to dread deep down that, oh no, she might be made to *study*.

Still, Ami was happy, so she brushes that little bit of dread aside with a grin at her friend's enthusiasm. "Right? Should we order takeout for dinner later so we don't have to worry about it? My parents said they would let us use their account," she announces proudly even though Ami likely had more access to money than she could even hope for.

"We should relax some first though. Take a seat, Ami-chan! We have important things to talk about."

Leaning in, her voice drops to an unnecessary mock-whisper, "Makoto and Masato mostly!"

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"Oh? Has something happened?" Ami was already settling down opposite her friend at the table. "Well, aside from the usual, of course. He's been awfully fussy about people sending extra work her way recently"

If Minako's staring had been any indicator of things, Ami probably hadn't noticed it. She was already perfectly aware of the blonde's aversion to scholatic pursuits. That's why it was so important to Ami that she press on with it--without her, half of her friends would have probably flunked out or been held back by this point. She was absolutely certain of it.

"What sort of takeout were you thinking of?"

Minako Aino has posed:
"There's always pizza, or sushi or something," Mina suggests off handed about the options for food. She settles down on one of the pillows herself only to snag another which is pulled into her lap. It's held long-ways, and hugged to her chest so she can lean her chin down on it in very much a 'shrimp'ing posture.

Her smile was evident and screams she knew something. Oh boy did she!

"Well! Masato and I went out shopping for clothes, and we happened by Osa-P Jewelers, aaaand he got her a bracelet and necklace I helped pick out! Also... I think they kissed already!"

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami's head tilted a little bit as she filtered that information through layers. Of course, she had suspected that a kiss had been involved somewhere along the line. After all, you didn't just start planning to pop certain questions if you hadn't done that much at least. Kisses, as far as her extensive reading on the subject was concerned, were the bedrock upon which strong marriages were built.

Somewhere in the midst of that, Ami had managed to turn a little pinker. Gosh, a box of juice to hide behind would be handy right about now.

"Just a necklace and bracelet?" Ami decided to ask instead. "No--you know. Rings?"

A pause before she nodded. "No, no. He's a modern gentleman and therefore sure to bring his fiance along when choosing a ring for her. Of course, it makes perfect sense. What were they like? The jewelry, that is."

Minako Aino has posed:
Minako Aino blinks a bit at the question about rings. The little embarassment that Ami was feeling either isn't noticed, or is just so much 'Ami' that she doesn't really see the need to point it out. Especially with that loaded question there!

"A ring? No, why would he get her a ring? It's way too soon for a ring!" Right? Didn't these things come in a certain... timeframe?

"I mean, I've gotten a ring right at the beginning of things before, but that went no where. No, no, it's better to let love blossom naturally and once it's solid, THEN look at rings." With such sage advice bestowed she crosses her arms over her chest with a firm, knowing nod. So sayeth the Senshi of Love.

But they were talking jewelry of another sort now.

Her arms uncross as she bounces to her feet to head for her dresser and the little jewelry box there which she flips open. "Oh! The bracelet is this flower that wraps around the wrist, and is jeweled all over. He was thinking a tennis bracelet but that's *so boring* and not Mako-chan at all. The necklace is this lovely little delicate chain with more flowers dripping down over the collarbone."

Turning around she hops back to reclaim her seat with her hands cupped together around something that sparkles bright yellow in the light. "And he got me this pendant as a thank you!" it was just a simple rectangular pendant with a gold chain. Chunky, classic. Mina.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Leaning forward a little, Ami inspected the pendant with an appreciative little hum. It was simple, but bold and vibrant. Exactly the sort of thin needed to balance out the bold vibrance that was Minako in the first place.

"That's very pretty." Ami complimented, blue hair bobbing in a nod. "It's a good thing you were there to help him find nicer choices."

Teeth caught her lower lip for a moment. "Though, Makoto-san would probably appreciate anything he got for her. It just means we have to look out for them."

Ami was a very smart girl, most of the time. It was just ironic that, in this particular moment, that she was blinded by romantic idealism. The sort of thing that led her to say some very silly things about people she knew to be far more sensible than any of that, really.

"You're probably right though. It's a bit early for rings and doing the whole buy-it-ahead-of-time thing is so old-fashioned." Ami nodded. "Masato-kun is much more savvy than that."

Minako Aino has posed:
Minako Aino leans her elbow on the table while holding her new shiny necklace aloft so it dangles from her fingers, and spins around catching the light. Her eyes dance along with the dazzling light of the gemstone as she sighs wistfully. "I really love it, but it would have been so awesome if some cute guy who was into me gave it to me. Not that Masato isn't cute, but we know who he belongs to," she adds with a firm nod. Makoto. There's NO question there!

The pendant is lowered to the table as she grins across at Ami instead. "Of course she would, but that's why we have to make sure it's NICE stuff. He could buy her something completely awful and she'd wear it and be so proud of it! So we have to make sure it's nice stuff. He certainly has the money to afford nice stuff!" Nevermind he probably wouldn't do something awful like get her a prayer bead necklace or something.

No offense to Rei.

"Right. Anyway yes, when they get to that point they should totally just pick something togther. Although poor Mako-chan probably would die of embarassment." A pause as she murmers, "She really does get embarassed very easily when I bring him up."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami still hadn't seen a great deal of Makoto since her return to Tokyo. As a result, there wasn't much opportunity to raise the issue of Masato with her. Then again, Ami wasn't sure she would have had the boldness necessary to do it right to her face.

Minako certainly did, though, and good for her. If only she could have half the confidence that her blonde friend did for such matters.

"That's lovely, too." Ami nodded toward her pendant. "Will you be wearing it to the wedding?"

The studious senshi really hadn't been out shopping specfically for the event just yet. She might not even really need to, there was plenty at home to choose from. Well. Maybe a new dress at some point, so as not to disappoint Wicked Lady, but she was set for jewelry given the ease with which she could raid her mother's collection.

"It's like someone captured the radiance of your hair and stuck it into a pretty stone." She smiled.

It was nice to see her friend a little pampered and happy. Even if it weren't at the hands of her own personal paramour.

Minako Aino has posed:
Minako Aino nods emphatically at the suggestion of wearing it to the wedding. "Yes! I got a dress for it, too, although I could just use the disguise pen. It'd be nice to not use the energy for magic for that reason though."

"After all," there's a sudden seriousness to her tone as she grows somber. "We may be fighting against some very powerful people. For their own good, of course, but they are powerful. I'd rather not have to hurt them at all."

Here she pauses looking far less confident than she typically did. Words try to come, and fail, as she finds her gaze darting back down to the table. "I'm glad Usagi-chan is safe from Demande, and that Wicked Lady has enough power to defend herself properly, but. They aren't *home* and they ought to be."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
That was really crux of everything, wasn't it? They weren't home and they ought to be, and that brought it all back into stark clarity. Ami didn't so much visually deflate as she did quiet down as her thoughts turned, quite specificaly, to Usagi. Of course, she was worried for Chibusa as well, but there was personal concern bound up in Usagi.

"I haven't heard from her at all since I got back." Ami admitted, her voice low. "And that's a worrying thing. Like, if she's safe, why not? Some part of me doesn't understand it."

A short shake of her head. "But. I've chosen to trust in Mamoru-kun, though, and he says things are alright. She's alright. I trust that."

Ami took a deep breath and stood. She made her way around the table until she could settle down beside Minako and, there, wrap an arm about her friend's shoulders for a squeeze. She wasn't about to let Mina fall too far into the sadness of it.

"That's why we're all doing the things we have to." Ami offered reassurance. "I believe Usagi-chan will be okay and all we have to do is our part, right? Everybody is getting ready for both a celebration and a fight. We'll be ready and we'll bring them back home."

Minako Aino has posed:
Minako Aino doesn't move when Ami switches to her side, other than to turn her head toward the approach of her friend. Her hands which had toyed with the necklace so eagerly before while admiring it were now clenched and held in her lap with shoulders straight, and tight. At least until Ami's arm goes around her.

A breath is let out allowing her muscles to relax, and soften a bit, in favor of leaning in against her friend. "I know. I got a message from her phone number the other week but it was New Moon and she asked me to meet her at the museum. Nothing happened," she hastens to add. "But she had promised to let me see Usagi."

Past tense. Had. Which meant it hadn't happened.

"I had to take the chance," she murmers quietly, and with a bit of guilt, at not having informed the others of what she was doing. "She just called me out on when I was body-doubling Usagi and had run into her and Mamoru. So she knows what I've been doing. At least so far I haven't lured out Demande."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
She tighened her hold again and rested her cheek against Minako's hair.

"I probably would have jumped at the chance to see her, too." Ami admitted easily. "Even if I knew it was just something to drag me out. Even the barest hint of a chance would be enough."

It was easy to find a moment of vulnerability to share with Minako. To let her friend know that she wasn't alone in her worries and her sadness. It was probably something they'd both needed for a little while, just a little space to unravel the much deeper anxieties surrounding current events.

"You've always been brave and strong, Mina-chan. Sometimes, I wish I was a little more like you." Ami smiled and let her tone shift toward something a little more playful. "Then I remember, I like my grades. But, some of your confidence would be nice."

Minako Aino has posed:
Minako Aino lets her eyes slide shut when she feels Ami's head rest against hers. It was nice, and comforting, and warm. She lets an arm slide around Ami to return the hug lightly.

Then a quiet little 'pfft' of repressed laughter comes from her in response to Ami's reassurance. "You have confidence, you just don't use it in all areas of your life. Like, look at you going into tests! You're super confident! That's where I'm *not* confident."

Lightly smiling she lets out a quiet sigh. "The biggest part of confidence is looking the part. I can do that easily. Tests don't care how you look though." Of course there was probably more to it than that, and Ami could lecture her all about it, but... It was more a 'people are easier' thing in her mind.

"Thanks, Ami-chan. For being a friend. I may be trying to take too much on myself, but it's just because I don't want to worry the rest of you, too."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"I know." Ami replied simply. "But, we're here for you, too."

And it really was that simple. At least in theory, given the same was true for Ami and she, also, was probably busy taking on a lot more than she should have. After all, until Rashmi had offered suggestions, she really had been quite determined to try holding Wicked Lady down on her own.

That's what friends were for, though. Not doing it all alone.

"What was that about pizza, then?"