Scene #1921:

Owner	Pose
Takashi Agera	Takashi Agera sent Mamoru a simple message, today, after running into him along with a crowd of other people at the Arcade. TXT TO Mamoru: Do you want to try meeting up to talk when neither of us are in the hospital or surrounded by people? Just to try something new? TXT TO Mamoru: If you're free I'm up on the roof of the school but you need to bring your own bento, I'm not sharing. And sure enough, Mamoru would find Takashi, bento and chopsticks in hand, looking out through the fencing atop the building, down at the people milling about below.
Mamoru Chiba	Of course Mamoru shows up, and of course he shows up with his own bento -- while it would be funny to try and steal pieces of Takashi's lunch, they're not dating (thank god tbh) so it would be a little weird too. "People-watching!" he says cheerfully as he approaches, then sits down on the rooftop. "Still one of my favorite hobbies." Mamoru takes the lid off his lunch and his chopsticks out of his sleeve, probably, given the true sleight-of-hand nonsense he has historically always pulled. "Sorry to give you the news in passing like that. Also, sorry I haven't been texting much, I haven't been texting anybody much."
Takashi Agera	Takashi shakes his head, sneding his very long silver hair swaying. "No, it's fine. We've both been busy. My phone works as well as yours does." he notes. "But we haven't really caught up in a while and I thought in this brief shining moment where neither of us were incapacitated or trying to stop an apocalypse, we should try doing that. If we'd done it more often I'd have been able to query you about the whole engaged thing sooner." He says. And then he pauses. "So Tsukino-san is the princess from the memory-nightmare-portal thing of Beryl's that I ate?" He asks. "I'm still trying to sort all of that out, what's real and what's fake. Or maybe it's all real, but a lot of it is pretty difficult to believe. And this is coming from someone who tells the laws of science - that I studied a lot, mind you - to sit down and shut up on a daily basis."
Mamoru Chiba	Mamoru reaches out, smiling, to lightly nudge Takashi in the arm. "I'm glad you thought of it. We ''have'' both been insanely busy," he responds to the whole first part. And then he looks startled, and he laughs a little, reaching up to rub the back of his neck. Before Takashi's finished talking, he gets a bite of a croquette in, which buys a little time to figure out how to answer besides nodding. He chews contemplatively for a moment, then swallows and says, "I didn't see what you saw, but I remember everything that ''did'' happen, at least, everything I saw back then. Just my perspective. It definitely hurt not to go in after everyone, but given how recent the memories are for me, in retrospect I'm glad I didn't. I would have been useless." He pokes at his food with his chopsticks, still and always reveling in the opportunity to take a while to eat instead of scarfing it all down. "But yeah, she's the princess. I already told you I was the prince, and you didn't believe me," he says, laughing this time. He smiles lopsidedly, then. "The Sailor Senshi are her guardians, just like the Shitennou are mine." The Shitennou that Takashi saw trying to build Midnight Tokyo. The Shitennou that Takashi saw eating cities and betraying Endymion in the distant past. "I'm glad the Senshi are willing to trust me after all that."
Takashi Agera	Takashi pauses and thinks about it. "Yeah, I guess you didn't go in so you don't fully know what I saw. I'm assuming, though, that if it was dramatically different than the past - if what went on within there was like, utter malarky - that they would have mentioned it to you, if it was all being a psyop kind of thing rather than... just a retelling." He pauses, picks out a specific grain of rice, and launches it through the chainlink. Not at anyone, just... idly. "But I'll stick to broad strokes. There was a kingdom before time on Earth that you were part of and potentially ran, there was a kingdom on the damn moon, and you were being insufferably adorable with the princess of that moon who is Usagi now, and then Beryl showed up and ruined everything, and then somehow there was a cosmic reset button pushed?" he offers. "And you went through life without me around, which is really the true tragedy, so I guess better luck all around on the second try."
Mamoru Chiba	"Yeah, I mean, from what I understand it was all echoes of moments of strong emotion or events that left an impression on the universe or something," Mamoru says with a little shrug after swallowing a big bite of lunch. "That's all correct except I don't know anything about the reset, because I was already dead." His hand is unconsciously over his chest for a half second, as if checking to make sure it's whole, even as he keeps talking -- but it falls in short order, because he laughs again. "That really ''is'' the true tragedy. You're what made That Place bearable, Taka-kun. I don't know what kind of person I'd be like if we hadn't met. I don't think I'd have known how to be happy-- and you're the only brother I have who's ''never'' betrayed me. Not even when you were working for Beryl."
Takashi Agera	"No, instead ''you'' left ''me''." Takashi says before stuffing a bite of tempura in his mouth and smiling. "I forgive you, though. You were never really happy there, escept coincidentally. Even not counting Beryl's presence." he adds. "I can tell you're happier now." he admits. "It's a shame, but as a scientist and researcher I can't really discount clear evidence when it is in front of me smiling that way you are now." "That being said... I have to ask. How was Paris, in the end? How ''close'' was Paris?" he adds. "I saw the damage she did to the landscape, even if it didn't really 'stick' and I was there after, I could feel the echoes of all of that magical energy thrown around."
Mamoru Chiba	Mamoru makes a face -- it's clear he's about to protest, probably something like 'leaving isn't betraying' -- but Takashi's still going, so he just rolls his eyes a little and chuffs out a tiny laugh at 'I forgive you', and nods to the parts concerning his happiness or lack thereof. "And while I'd love it if you ditched Obsidian and came over here," as if the Light Side were a place, "I know your aspirations. I know you don't want to leave, and that you really do want the world to be better, and that you're sure of your path to that end." Very diplomatic. He eats some seasoned rice and some baked fish while he listens to the last question, and frowns a little, remembering, and shying away from remembering. "It was messy," he admits. "It didn't feel close at the ''very'' end, but it was incredibly harrowing on the way to Beryl, and it was a kick in the teeth when Beryl basically ''ate'' Metallia, the demon from the sun, and powered herself up to kaiju size." That is ''definitely'' a look of extreme distaste. There's a moment of quiet. Then, "We all teamed up and shot her down to regular size, and then I stabbed her like she stabbed me, and then everyone made sure she was dead."
Takashi Agera	Takashi knows that, on some level, he's poking the beehive. That's never stopped him. Ever. He fully expected Mamoru's response to be exactly what it was, too - the request for Takashi to join Team Sparklesquad too. "I wouldn't fit well on the other side. I see how it's been for Hinoiri, and she's not even got any powers to be a threat. I start making youma or stop a salaryman on the way home for a snack and then I've got Obsidian -and- your friends chasing me down. And while I'm very pretty, I don't want that much attention right now." Right now. Maybe one day. "Mmmm. ''Harrowing.''" Takashi notes, producing a can of soda out of nowhere (thanks, Axion) and opening it. "Not a cakewalk, in any case. Clear from your tone." He says. And then he picks his next words carefully, and maybe Mamoru's comment about not betraying him makes him pause. He takes a long drink of the caffinated goodness before giving Mamoru a side eye and adding. "Good thing you had someone on the inside then. Outcome might have been different otherwise. If she had all of her resources available."
Mamoru Chiba	"Hinoiri's more of a jerk than you are," laughs Mamoru, waving a hand around. "But I think the problems she's having essentially boil down to her thinking she can keep treating people who tried to be her friends like they're idiots. Nobody likes having been wrong, but taking it out on other people..." He shakes his head. "It's not smart. But she is, so I'm positive she'll get there!" Maybe one day. Mamoru truly lets it be, at least in this conversation, because you can't help someone who doesn't want help. Well, unless you make them a teleporting escape robot-- "Not a cakewalk, but it was almost as bad as trying to storm Beryl's office in Obsidian would have been. You know how she made her own thing connected to the Dusk Zone, where she controlled everything, made it more hospitable for someone like me, filled it with her youma...? It's never the best plan to walk into Mordor. Of course it wasn't a cakewalk." Then Mamoru smiles crookedly, and then it falls, and his glasses reflect Gendoglare for the briefest of moments. "You realize I counted as someone on the inside still, right? For some purposes, for that fight? I knew how the Dark Kingdom worked. But I was firmly on-side and everybody knew it. Nobody could truly trust Glimmer. Nobody could truly trust Phantom. We had to split our attention watching our backs. It's hard to say whether there was a net benefit to their being present-- and certainly neither of them gave up any secrets of Beryl's, if ''that's'' what you meant." Mamoru sets down his bento and takes a pineapple soda out of his pocket, cracking it open with a hiss. "I do appreciate that they ''didn't'' work against us. I absolutely trusted that you wouldn't-- Beryl's the shittiest boss anyone has ever had, and her dying was definitely in your best interests."
Takashi Agera	Takashi blinks slowly. Once, twice. Mamoru absolutely took the wrong subtext from what he was saying, and Takashi for a moment is rendered speechless as he goes down another mental track. An entirely reasonable mental track, mind you, and one Takashi can't fault. "I wasn't concerned with Glimmer or Phantom. I didn't even know Phantom was there." Takashi admits. "The point I was trying to make without spelling it out... was that Beryl wasn't at her full possible strength for that fight; and you had advantages you can't count on always having." he says. "I don't think my new boss gives a damn what happens to this world, which is a different but more manageable problem, but Beryl's wasn't the only one in Obsidian that has designs on the world, I'm sure." "Even discounting the fact that she cut herself off from the support of Obsidian before going all crazy, you can't guarantee the next person is going to leave themselves so open to sabotage. I've been working against Beryl for ages, you knew her situation immensely, and even with all of those advantages it wasn't a cakewalk? That's not good, Mamoru. Really kind of makes me doubt more than I did that the path you're on is going to be able to handle things." he notes, before returning to a drink of his soda. "I mean, I didn't think you'd be able to defend this planet and way of life without Dark Energy - just from a raw power capability standpoint - but now, I'm even more sure of it. What are you and your people going to do when we 'don't' have these kind of advantages? THAT's the point."
Mamoru Chiba	"Ohhhhh," says Mamoru, relaxing. "To be perfectly honest, we'll have more power, and we learn from our mistakes. But it also doesn't matter what my answer is here any more than it mattered what you'd've tried to convince me with, when I left -- you've long since made up your mind that dark energy is the only way to go." There's a grin at that last, a little tilt of his head, and then Mamoru takes a long swig of his soda. Then he says, "I trust Sailor Moon, and all the other senshi, and I trust all our other friends. It's worked so far. We ''do'' have excellent strategists and tacticians on-side, who are capable of working with whatever's available-- including people capable of pulling miracles out of thin air. Like when I almost died that one time."
Takashi Agera	Takashi shakes his head. "I mean I already ''know'' the situation but I can always hope to convince someone. And I'm a scientist so I'm nothing if not open to new evidence, and I was kind of maybe hoping this would be new evidence?" Certainly not a conclusion he had reached and was just cherry picking the evidence for, no. "Plus, you're also still trying to tell me you wish I would come over there. And I'm standing here hearing that it's not a cakewalk when it should have been but also you want me to come hang out with you guys like Hinoiri has. Maybe I can turn into a little unicorn too and by the combined power of the two of us we can heat up Joker's tea to a mildly uncomfortable temperature." he says. He sighs. "I worry, Chiba-san. About you... but not just about you, but about the whole world. I worry... about the people down there that don't know what's going on. I worry about this planet, and even the Dusk Zone itself, and the worlds that keep getting connected to ours when random people fall through." he adds. "It's too much to ''gamble'' on ''miracles''. I wish I could make you see that, is all." He says. "But it's... it's good that you at least listen to me. Not many people will. So I do appreciate that I have someone who I can explain things to." "Besides, I'll need someone to say 'I told you so' to, later. I just hope I get the chance because I don't really want to be yelling it at a headstone. Like you said, you already almost died once." he notes, looking down at the people below and certainly not at Mamoru. "Speaking of. Before we even get to the engagement, you came to ''the Princess Prom'' as your past-royal selves? Really? REALLY?"
Mamoru Chiba	"I'll be here," Mamoru promises, "even if I'd rather not be. And you can tell me you told me so." It's not the best promise, but it's what he has. Then he laughs ruefully and adds, "You know I've always been terrible at debate, my memory has a tendency to be trash around stress, and I've been stressed for the past three years." He exhales. "But this past summer... I'm glad it's behind us. No more literal torture. No more Beryl. The past is now ''actually'' behind us and we can finally look toward the future." And then at Takashi's outburst, there is absolutely the most shiteating grin; Mamoru sets his soda down again ''just'' to steeple his fingers and drum them once against each other. "Ahahaha~!" he says, instead of actually laughing, and then he starts laughing for real. "I mean ''why not''? It was super cathartic to actually be a prince and princess at the Princess Prom. It's not like we can pull that bullshit off in daily life!"
Takashi Agera	He just sighs, exhausted. "Yeah, I know you're not the right target for debate, but you're the one that matters the most so it's hard to not try to change your mind?" he offers. He turns around and leans against the chainlink fence a bit. "I guess that makes sense. You don't really have magic interacting in your life for a day job. Still, you were spotlight hogs." he says, ruefully. "Tomoe-san and I considered henshin'ing to put you two in your place but ultimately decided I didn't want to get dogpiled by the twenty or so mahou shoujo and shonen that had to be there by showing up as Riventon." he says, laughing, and it's unclear, as often, how serious that comment was. "You know, I was going to say I wasn't sure I saw you as a prince, but it was kind of something you were born into, right? So I guess it doesn't matter. Hereditary royalty is weird." he adds. Then he's a little bit quieter. "...I wonder if I existed in that world at all, the world before this one."
Mamoru Chiba	"Well I'm not really a prince anymore, am I?" Mamoru asks, and it's serious. "I'm some kid with some magic that used to belong to a prince a long time ago. It doesn't matter if I have those memories-- they don't belong to this life, and this life is the important one. Plus, my kingdom is gone except for the part that I locked away." Then Takashi's last question... not that it's really a question, just a quiet wondering. And Mamoru leans to squeeze his shoulder, one handed, leaving his hand there for a second. "I mean, you probably did, but ''either way'' you didn't know me, which is the real tragedy," he teases a little, then lets go. "But honestly, I really feel like you probably did, for whatever that's worth. Even when you're being stupid you feel like an old soul." Mamoru finishes off his lunch, then doesn't just sip his soda, but he also doesn't chug it, he's not a savage. Or in a rush. "At any rate," the prince says once he's finished the can off, "'I'm a prince' really does sound stupid."
Takashi Agera	Takashi smiles. "Well, I'm glad you're being level-headed about all of that. There are some people who, upon hearing that, would let it go to their head." One of them may in fact be on this very roof. "But you always were the level-headed one. I think it's why I like to talk to you. I spend my day surrounded by a lot of crazy. A ''lot'' of crazy. And the not-crazy stuff, well, that's even worse." he says, with a chuckle. "So on some level it's good to hear, because if the most grounded person in my life started showing up to every event as 'Prince Endymion' and all of that I think I'd be doomed." he adds. "Plus I really would prefer to avoid fighting you for rulership rights." he adds with a wink and the very usual maybe he's serious maybe he's not tone. "So, you're engaged to Tsukino-san now. Is there anything else world-shattering you haven't been able to tell me since you freed me from the tyranical grasp of my ex-alive ex-boss?"
Mamoru Chiba	One corner of Mamoru's mouth curls up. "You're definitely the one who likes paperwork more out of the two of us," he grants to the fighting-over-rulership bit, "so you're welcome to it. There's. Oh gods, there is ''so'' much paperwork. Even if you're just in training to be in charge, there's ''neverending paperwork''." Finally, ''he'' turns to lean his back against the chainlink fence. "'Most grounded' is funny, all things considered. But even if I answer to 'Endy' as easily as I answer to 'Mamoru', I literally have to keep correcting Jadeite whenever he calls me Prince. It's embarrassing. I'm positive I don't ''look'' like one." Sidelong, quick, careless little grin. "I don't ''think'' there's anything else world-shattering. I proposed while she was doing a Call of Duty stream. She was so startled that a newb ganked her and everyone screencapped it. And yet, she still said yes. I've gotta be doing ''something'' right."
Takashi Agera	Takashi looks at Mamoru. "Why 'wouldn't' she say yes? She's not going to do any better!" Takashi says, tossing his soda can into a trashcan. "I mean, given that I'm already taken it's simply not possible." he adds, giving Mamoru an elbow. "Silver medal's pretty good still." "And don't be ''too'' down on yourself, I'm sure you could pull off something like a Duke or a Baron. Baron Chiba!" he says, still grinning. "You have me still associating with you AND managed to keep a fiance through a universe reset, so I'd say you must be doing a lot of things right, really." "And when it comes to most grounded you have to remember my usual associations are a nine year old combat prodigy, her wolf-like familiar, a literal Queen from another world, an energy vampire, a gun-toting ribbon goddess, and a cat-woman who grew up trapped in some sort of military school. Most grounded is... relative, but still true."
Mamoru Chiba	Mamoru smirks. Elbowed! He scoffs, "Silver medal." His face says 'suuuuuure' for a second before he grins. Then, "Dukes and Barons still have to do paperwork, don't they? The hell with that, I'll be a loose cannon," he says cheerfully. "And yeah! I gotta be doing a lot of things right-- and I'm really happy that you're still my friend." Before things can get too a-aww, OH NO Mamoru slings an arm around Takashi and hugs him around the shoulders, tight, before letting go. "I'll take 'most grounded' in that lineup, for sure." His watch chimes, and he glances at it, then looks rueful again. "Can't just teleport to class. Bell's going to ring in five minutes. See you again sooner than this last stretch, though? And not out in the field?"
Takashi Agera	"Well there you go then." Takashi says, smiling back just as much. "Yeah, we'll have to meet more often than we have been. And try not to get yourself killed on the field, because I still don't know who you are - and it's safer that way, mind you - but you know. Be safe. Yadayada." he says, pushing himself off the fence and heading to his own classes.