2722/Precious Too

Precious Too
Date of Scene:	03 August 2025
Location:	Crystal Tokyo
Synopsis:	Neo Queen Serenity would like to thank those from the 21st Century for being kind to her daughter, and of course, for rescuing Crystal Tokyo. Minako, Ami, and Amy are quick to both accept her thanks and join the queen for a chat.
Cast of Characters:	Usagi Tsukino, Ami Mizuno, Minako Aino, Amanda Faust
Tinyplot:	Black Moon Clan
Tinyplot2:	BMC: Wicked Ride

---

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
It's been a short while after the defeat of Wiseman and the restoration of Crystal Tokyo. Neo Queen Serenity had spent the first moments and hours of her reawakening opening Moon Space, reuniting with her husband, reuniting with her daughter, and then handling the concerns and fears of a good number of people who were desperate to express their relief and affection and concerns and gratitude and every other emotion one feels when the world ends and is restored, again.

Neo Queen Serenity doesn't resent any of it - she couldn't possibly. She's been queen for more than seven hundred years, and though she's tried very hard to stem the worship that's sprouted up for she, King Endymion, and all of her beloved Senshi, it's a bit hard to turn back when you've saved the world.

Last time, it wasn't possible to restore everyone to life. It had been too long, it had been too hard, the energy it took to maintain her own reality and purify what remained had been more than she could offer.

She's grown a lot since then. She understands so very, very well the miracles that she is capable of.

All of which is to say that the Neo Queen Serenity who finally can join the heroes from the 21st Century and thank them is a couple of hours late and looking equally apologetic and excited to meet them all.

Those from the 21st Century still inside the Crystal Palace had been offered a large lounge to themselves, with snacks and refreshments from what could be scrounged - the world had been restored, but it would still take time for things to be produced again! - which was mostly a large assortment of refreshing beverages, granolas and preserved snacks, and a heaping pile of fresh vegetables and fruits.

"I hope I haven't missed them all," are the first words they'll hear, from a voice similar but not quite the same as Usagi's, richer and slightly deeper with maturity. Then the door pushes open, and there she is - a woman slightly taller than Usagi, a whopping five foot three inches tall, in a dress quite similar to Neo Queen Serenity's, her skin not glowing in the same way that the Moon Princess' did, but the golden sigil of the Moon bright on her forehead. When she sees them present, her smile is gracious and warm with gratitude and excitement.

"I didn't miss you! Wonderful - wonderful. All of you, thank you so much, for befriending my daughter, for listening to her, and for helping her, and through her, all of us, here in Crystal Tokyo."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami hadn't settled herself down with much. Still tiredly draped across a single chair with a steaming cup of some tea or another--she'd tried various since they'd set in to rest and recover--she had the Mercury Computer open in her lap and was tapping away quietly to herself. Going over the data collected throughout the battle because there wasn't really much else to do and Ami Mizuno was never quite comfortable with being entirely idle.

She needed something to keep her head straightened, at least.

It wasn't until the voice came that Ami's attention was drawn elsewhere. It was a voice both familiar and alien to her. Sapphirine eyes lifted from the light of her screen to find the source. The woman who was just as much familiar and alien as the voice had been.

But, Neo Queen Serenity would be met with a pleasant smile as Ami shifted in her seat, computer set aside for now.

"Oh, Your Majesty!" Ami almost managed to sound slightly apologetic herself.

Outside of henshin, she was dressed for school rather than royalty. "It was--Chibiusa-chan is very likeable when she tries."

Minako Aino has posed:
Minako Aino had been lucky in a way: While she had injuries, she had gotten lost in the ship so hadn't gotten the worst of things. Other than fighting the zombie-like crew that showed up here and there she had fared far better than many others who were fighting Wiseman directly. Which is why she had satisfied herself with running ahead to greet the few friends she had made the first visit to the future.

She couldn't hold their attention all the time however so now she had settled into this room after being seen to wait, and recover.

Just as Neo Queen Serenity arrives she's weilding a knife over a plate of fruit she'd carved into little bunnies! It was one of the few things she knew how to do. The little bunnies are arranged on a plate.

As the Queen enters, she bounces to her feet out of her seat turning to face-- "Usagi-chan!"" A pause, and the red-bowed blonde reconsiders. "San? You look so old! But like, in a good way!"

... And she pauses again to squint as she edges closer, voice dropping suspiciously. "Did you get taller...?"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    After getting healed Amy finally turned pain back on and dehenshined. She wasn't planning an extended trip, though the possibility she'd end up sleeping over at Mamoru's or something did occur to her.

    Dehenshining leaves her ready for a cool summer evening in a sleeveless red T-shirt and black cargo joggers, and her 'US' desert camo backpack and her oversized field jacket tied around her waist.

    Setting the backpack nearby she has no complaint at all about the offered refreshments, and takes a moment to relax sipping a cool sweet drink and munching produce.

    By the time the Queen approaches she's resting on a couch just trying to process everything, and the Usagi-but-not-Usagi makes her look toward the door wit wide eyes, and then as it opens she sits, and then stands.

Thank you so much!
    "Uh." is the vague noise of acknowledgement Amy makes. For once she'd relaxed instead of trying to plan for all the angles, and so she's a little caught off-guard by oh-right-here's-a-version-of-one-of-my-best-friends-who-never-knew-me-and-is-almost-a-thousand-years-old-and-did-all-the-things-in-the-future-history-

    She bows, for a second, although she doesn't wait to be told to rise. "Your Majesty." She echoes Ami, and then half-smiles. "Your daughter's a brave kid. I can scarcely imagine going through everything she did from her side."

    And then she double-takes at Minako, trying to tell if she's joking or not.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
The 'your Majesties' are accepted with a gracious nod, though the 'Usagi-chan!' gets a sweeter turn to the smile, Neo Queen Serenity relaxing a touch further. "Please, Ami-chan and - I'm sorry, I haven't gotten your name, though I'm guessing your Amy, from what Endymion's told me - you don't have to use my title, not now. My daughter's friends are my friends."

Being told she looks old on the other hand, earns a scandalized look, breaking the elegance of centuries of rulership.

"I don't look old, I'm twenty-three!" Ahem. "Well, physically, anyway, but... well, it had better be in a good way."

A shake of her head, rueful. "Minako-chan is always Minako-chan, I see, and yes, I am taller than your Usagi probably is. I grew a little taller when... everything was happening. I'm towering over you all, aren't I? This must be how Makoto used to feel."

She's teasing, just a touch, and then she shakes her head, catching herself, rueful.

"I'm sorry, it's just that you're all so much like how my friends are - and how they used to be. But you're all so young, and adorable, and it only makes me think of how small our Small Lady is, and how she's had to be so brave so young. She is likeable when she wants to be, isn't she?"

She's beaming at Ami and Amy for those compliments.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Rising to stand and make her way across the room, Ami came up alongside Minako. The two were almost the exact same height standing close, but the blue-haired senshi was far less--well--Mina-chan. Even now, she clasped her hands in front of her and offered Neo Queen Serenity a gentle nod of her head.

"It's the same for me, but in reverse." Ami confirmed, still smiling. "You look so much like my Usagi-chan. It's--well, it's an interesting experience."

Minako Aino has posed:
In spite of the apparently rudely blurted comments, Minako smiles softly in response to Neo Queen Serenity with a fond expression drifting over her. It was teasing of course. They'd all been through so much -- How could she not tease her friend just a little bit? Even if this version of her was much, much older.

"Well of course I'm the same! I'm always going to be your friend, after all.' Even if there was more than a few centuries age gap at this point. Even if there was another, older version of herself here.

Her head tips slightly toward Ami when she steps beside her to acknowledge her other friend as well. "We all will. There's no question we'd help your daughter, too."

"I haven't gotten to spend as much time with her, but she's great. She's really turning into a fantastic senshi!"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    She's heard of her? Amy nods with a smile, "Sure thing, future Usagi-chan."

    When there's a small argument about age, Amy turns a laugh into a cough.

    She can't help smiling at Usagi -- future Usagi -- claiming that four inches is towering.

You're so much like my friends.
    "I--" Amy starts to say, but then she's hears adorable applied to her and she's pleasantly speechless.

    After a moment, Amy comments, of Chibiusa: "She's been through a lot."

    She looks from the two senshi to Queen Serenity, and nods at Ami's comment. "I'm not sure how I'm contextualizing this? Like, you're future her, and I skimmed those books about what you did, so it's like... it's expected? It's still wild to see, but so is accidentally coming to the future in a spaceship and killing an ancient lich and a planet and you putting everything in your Barrierinth and seeing the future city as it's supposed to be so like... that you're recognizable is the least strange thing about all of this."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"That doesn't surprise me too much, but it's... nice to hear," Neo Queen Serenity acknowledges. "From what Small Lady and Endymion have told me, your Usagi is as lovely as I'd hope to be, and your world is a fair bit more exciting than ours was, when we were truly your age. We were usually only dealing with one new enemy at a time."

Their world certainly doesn't seem so lucky.

"Though, you also have so many friends, new and old to aid you. And have even helped us - my husband is so happy to have found his guardians, and I understand that your group was involved in bringing them to the palace, too."

She does blink a bit, at one particular comment. "My... Barrierinth? You mean, Moon Space?"

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"We do have a lot of friends with a whole mess of skills to help us out." Ami nodded. "It was definitely a very team-effort on the whole. I don't think we would have been nearly as successful if we didn't have people like Rashmi-san and Amy-chan helping us as well."

Even so, Ami seemed to be far more interested in taking stock of the Queen. Her gaze trailing over her for a short moment before returning to the face both familiar and not. It was her analytical brain trying to find all of the subtle differences between this monarch and her girlfriend.

Goodness, she wondered if Neo Queen Serenity even knew? Their timelines weren't quite identical, as far as she could tell. The lack of Amy's and Rashmi's was something of a dead giveaway.

Regardless. Ami smiled.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy smiles, "Yeah, at least there's a lot of us. We'd... we'd be in real trouble if there weren't."

    'Not quite identical' is putting it mildly.

    Moon Space? "Ah... yeah." Amy nods. "We've seen... similar magic abilities called Barriers and Labyrinths, so..."

    Amy winces awkwardly. "Your power is more like the latter, perhaps, but it feels... a little rude... to insinuate that you'd have a Labyrinth... but also your barrier-- err, Moon Space is different from both in important ways."

Minako Aino has posed:
Minako Aino watches Ami from the corner of her eye as she examines the Queen. A knowing little grin creeps over her. That impish sort of expression she often wore when she was about to say or do something to urge her friends on into probably horrible choices.

Instead she takes a deep breath. One hand swings back behind Ami to give her a little pat between the shoulders. Just a light one, as she remarks, "Well! It was lovely meeting you, but I've just been *dying* to have a chat with Sailor Venus! I'm going to go find her if it's okay." Even if it isn't she steps away leaving the other two here with the Queen as she hums happily to herself.

Wait, was she humming 'Sitting in a Tree?'

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Having so many friends, with so many ways to help you all... honestly, that sounds incredible. For so long, it was just the six of us, and then Uranus and Neptune, and then, later, we found Pluto, but she was never able to fight with us..."

The idea of having so many allies to rely on - as many as had been gathered for the sake of her daughter - is heartwarming, bewildering, and almost envy-inducing. She might have continued on, but then Minako is patting Ami on the back and declaring her intent to find herself, and ...humming?

Serenity looks bewildered and yet fond, as she watches Minako go away, shaking her head. "That girl... I hope she knows that Sailor Venus will most certainly not be kissing her, curiosities or not, she's a child. You're all far too young for any of that. I wish I was more surprised by her ambitions..."

She has absolutely misread that, but at least it means Ami can decide how to direct it from there.

"Barriers and Labyrinths... I'm not sure why a Labyrinth is supposed to be rude, but I'm not offended. Moon Space has always just been Moon Space, and - well, home, for many of us. Covering the planet to keep it safe, for magical warriors to fight evil" and the space beyond it, "was almost nostalgic."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
For a brief few moments, Ami stared straight ahead. Face slightly reddened for Minako's knowing pat and humming, scarcely soothed by the evidence that suggested the Queen had no clue. Because, of course, Ami really didn't know how to approach things.

So, she didn't.

"Oh, no. I think that was mostly about you and I." Despite her flush, it was stated quite matter-of-fact. "Our Usagi-chan is my girlfriend. Since she's also quite ecstatically married to Mamoru-kun, I'm given to understand that it can be quite confusing for some people at times, but it's honestly just that simple."

No, instead she just jumped straight on it. Approaches were overrated and got in the way of things.

Ami shrugged. "i don't think that I'm about to throw myself at you, though. Some of us have a little more self-control than that."

It was shade. Not really meant in a particularly unkind way, but stated with the straight-forward earnestness that Ami tended toward.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy smiles at their lvies being incredible, and then nods somberly. She skimmed the books. The Senshi and Mamoru here went through a lot.

    And then Minako is humming, and she glances at how Ami is looking at the Queen, and the Queen comes to a different conclusion, and Amy laughs lightly at the judgement of their ages. Not that she disagrees, rather because her situation makes no difference before the 972-year-old monarch. If anything, perhaps being lumped in with her peers feels nice.

    And then she finishes processing just what the Queen thinks Minako is after, and contains her laughter to a smirk, muttering as she looks in the direction Minako went, "'My own clone', huh? Do people really think that way after all?"

    She watches Serenity's face curiously as Ami mentions the polycule. "It really is simple." Amy agrees. "People are weirdly attached to this idea of expecting people to conform to very narrow possibilities and you all are having none of it. I don't know what I'd do if even at Radiant Heart everyone was expected to only form couples of boy-girl." And she doesn't want to consider it in-depth, but a thought crosses her mind and slips out her mouth: "I guess be Taro's beard, and he mine, if he wanted. Wait, is there another word for the guy in that?"

    She shrugs and shakes her head. Not important.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"About you and I -" it takes a moment for the proverbial lightbulb to click, and then Neo Queen Serenity giggles, not mockingly, but with the sort of astonishment and good humor of someone surprised but delighted by it.

"My, you're darling Ami-chan, I can already tell how much you're just like my own lovely Mercury, but you're a child, to me." And then a slow smile curls over her features, satisfied as the cat with the cream, particularly as she notes ever-teasing Minako who'd abandoned Ami to this situation is absent. "Though, I have to compliment my younger self on so far having the same tastes as me."

Did she just say that? Did she just imply that? SHE DID.

"Curiosities about 'yourself' along those lines still exist, now, given that cloning is very, very illegal, and one of those few areas we're strict with even the detached colony worlds about," she informs Amy, "But if anyone on Earth would take the opportunity, I'd believe it of dear Venus."

She considers the two girls, and then shrugs her own shoulders, "It wasn't common, when we were young, but it was hardly unheard of. I admit, you're farther ahead of the curve than I was... it wasn't until things had gone very, very badly that Mercury and I became girlfriends. But by then - well, no one really cared, did they? There was so much to worry about that you had to be mad to care, and after, we weren't going back."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami let her head tilt a little to the side as she pondered her way through the glaring implications with very slightly pursed lips.

"I suppose it makes sense that there would be some of that same pull, even in alternate timelines." The senshi shrugged vaguely. "It's not as though we're fundamentally different people. There's just the subtle things that creep in for differing experiences and--well--time."

Unlike Neo Queen Serenity, Ami wasn't about to comment on her age as being something that might turn her interests aside. Somewhere deep down, even Ami--occasionally tactlessly honest and logical Ami--realised that saying she was too old was probably an unkind thing to just say.

Instead, she settled back into a smile. "Personally, I think that one Usagi-chan is more than enough for me. Though, you're certainly lovely, too."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    When it clicks with Serenity, Amy watches Ami's face. Even as an observer there is just something warm and fuzzy about seeing someone get good-naturedly teased and complimented... but it seems that given the situation, she doesn't react much.

    When Serenity responds to her, Amy's a bit startled at the serious aside. But oh, right, of course, she took the words entirely literally. "It's more that... it's not so much that I expect human nature to change, as I'm... still discovering it myself?"

    "Uhh... my personal growth was kind of stunted, emotionally, until recently, and a lot of feelings are new to me. Plus, I'm demi or ace or something. So I haven't really... thought about that."

    Red eyes blink. "If it's a thing everyone else thinks about.

    Should she tell Future Usagi? Well she probably is a very wise lady. "To tell the truth, um." Amy looks away and fidgets with her hands. "I might have a crush, or a squish, or some kind of feelings for... other you, and Mamoru said I should confess now that you're married, and she's not gotten back to me yet..."

    Amy looks at Serenity, suddenly concerned and waving her hand. "Not like she's putting it off! She wanted to think about it and this is the second alternate timeline I've ended up in this month, so things really have been busy lately... Also besides the magic stuff there were exams..."

    Amy shrugs and smiles awkwardly, "What can I say. You're-- She's a very wonderful person."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"That's probably for the best. We Usagi can be awfully jealous you know, and I bet your Usagi could steal my crown when it comes to that title." She remembers her youth, distant though it is, and that she bets will also be the same. She waves it off, though, fond. She contemplates apologizing for Minako, but this isn't even her Minako, and Ami seems capable of handling the matter herself.

"Ah, well, the fun thing about growing is that it's never too late to experience it, though, in my experience, people think about that sort of thing quite a bit, whether they realize it or not. You're at the perfect age to be pondering all of that - though, truly, the romantic dramas that can be extended through the centuries might surprise you."

21st Century girls could not possibly imagine the way that a 'will they won't they' story can be dragged out on a soap opera that can last centuries, forget decades.

And then there's the confession, which makes her blink, and ponder, and then consider, "Well, my alternate self certainly has a lot going on in her love life, doesn't she? I'm sorry you've been in a touch of limbo then, Amy, and I wish I could offer any insight. All I can say is that if she hasn't given you an answer yet, it can only be because - besides being terribly busy - she's probably thinking very carefully about your confession. There's very little as precious as someone's heart, after all. A love confession should always be handled delicately."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"It's alright, between Mamoru-kun and I, we manage to keep her grades passing." Ami assured Neo Queen Serenity where Usagi's rather full love life was concerned. "And, you're right. She is definitely very concerned with keeping the people she cares about as close as possible."

Which, of course, was the diplomatic way to suggest that Usagi might be a touch jealous at times.

Fortunately for Amy, given her confessions, Ami's position on the matter generally remained the same. As long as Usagi's dating life didn't impact her studies, Ami was pretty well entirely unconcerned. Whatever relationships she forged with others had little to no bearing on their relationship.

As a result, she didn't have much in specifics to offer. Instead, she smiled a little apologetically and set a hand to Amy's shoulder. Similarly, these were terms--demi and ace--that she'd heard but didn't quite recognise, her vocabulary on queer discourse was not particularly thorough.

"If there's one thing my Usagi-chan is not, it's unkind." There was a pause, a glance in the Queen's direction, another smile, and an addition. "I'd even go so far as to suggest that unkind is not a thing that any Usagi-chans are."

Something about that felt a strange simultaneous combination of strange, terrifying, and wonderful all at once. The fact that she'd pluralised Usagi-chan.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy smiles at Wise Future Queen Usagi's affirmation that it's never too late to grow, and nods. "The perfect age is whatever one it's happening at."

    Centuries-long romantic dramas... "I mean... with all the entanglements and polycules and not being limited to allocishet* expectations and people having long lives... I guess they could get pretty complicated when you're not limited to stretching Ranma or Inu-yasha for hundreds more seasons of comphet 'will-they-or-won't-they.'"

    And when it comes to discussing her and Usagi... Amy nods. "I know, yeah." And she's smiling at the warm feeling of being told, "my heart..." she looks down at her hands, pressed just below her collarbone, one over the other, "...is precious, too..." She nods again, and then again at Ami's touch and assertion that Usagi is kind, smiling in agreement.

* TL note: aroshishetto
**TL note: kyousei ('compulsory') isei ai ('heterosexual love')