Scene #2912: Advo Asks

Owner	Pose
Mamoru Chiba	It's been busy! It's been a busy time, back to school after the break, teachers loading up students' slates with new tasks and projects and chapters. At least the holiday concert craziness is over. It's been two and a half weeks since he was ''ERASED'' from reality and he'd been getting better about it BUT Mamoru is not feeling great about things right now. "Kyuuu," he complains from the doorway at the back of the kitchen, "I know what was bothering Usako, and, Aoi-san the girl who was erased longer than me, Kyubey's approached her already? And," he's leaning his head against the doorframe now, one arm crossed over his stomach and holding onto the jamb, "I am still not over being erased. Also I fought a witch last night, that was Amy-chan and Yukihime in here..." He takes a breath, then tilts his head back and puffs his breath upwards to get his bangs out of his eyes. "And I almost did something really fun and dangerous because you and Usa and the boys weren't there to yell at me for it, but then I didn't because I knew I'd feel guilty for sneaking it behind your backs."
Kazuo Saitou	And that is when Kazuo hands Mamoru a piece of honey-cardamom candy. Possibly this is an interruption. Possibly it is positive reinforcement for not sneaking fun danger behind their backs. "Yes. Obviously you should only do really fun and dangerous things when we're right there, so you have the extra garnish of our horrified protests." He turns away from the soup he was stirring - it's not Mako soup, it can't be ''that'' important - and comes over properly so that he can also kiss Mamoru on the cheek. Days when Mamoru is not feeling great about things are days when Kazuo takes extra steps to make sure Mamoru knows when Kazuo's just teasing him. "The rest of us are also still not over you being erased. I hope someone's warned the girl about Kyubey. And I hope you and Usagi are doing at least a little better." Not that things were strictly ''bad.'' Just ... uncomfortable.
Mamoru Chiba	"You mean so if it doesn't work, there's someone to mop me into a bucket," Mamoru says piously as he takes the candy, head bowed, former jamb hand now over his heart. Fake-piously, yes. At least he's in a good enough mood to tease back. He tilts his face toward Kazuo for the kiss, (he feels fitful, but tired instead of anxious when thinking about the not-fight's resolution and the unresolvable nature of the problem; he feels itchy under his skin, and restless, and unsettled-- but the kiss itself, the contact, is a grounding thing, and settling has begun) then relaxes into the doorway and puts the candy in his mouth. "We all had appropriate OMG NO reactions, yeah, and luckily Amy was there, so she told everything except the wretched details of the horrible death she promised," he says around it, in his cheek like a chipmunk with a nut. "But thankfully, she's not my problem specifically, the school has her covered and the extroverts are on it. It's just-- there but for the grace of Sailor Moon, you know?" He leans himself into the kitchen and moves past Kazuo with a hand trailing the taller boy's waist, headed for the other doorway, so he can grab a chair and slouch visibly but not have to stand up. "We've been fine, court was just in recess. But the root problem is that she needs time to mourn her magic-free childhood, and by bringing up a magic-ful future, I sort of brought her to a screeching halt. Then I panicked and you know the rest. But-- she ''had'' dreams, Kazuo. She had dreams before magic. She has to mourn them too."
Kazuo Saitou	"That makes sense." Kazuo leans his side against the fridge, head angled against it at an angle where he can consider Mamoru and his chair. "I was about to say that I was surprised she didn't earlier, but - I don't think it really came home to her till it, well." Came home. "And then we were abruptly very busy, and by the time we had breathing space, the moment was past. But waiting to resurface." Waving tentacles, like the kraken. Ship, however, very definitely not abandoned. He detaches himself from the fridge and ghosts his way quietly over the kitchen floor, leaving the soup to take care of itself for a bit. If nothing else, he can decorate the side of Mamoru's chair instead, and leave a hand lightly on his shoulder.
Mamoru Chiba	Mamoru turns his head into Kazuo's side and leans, breathing in the scent that is Kazuo only, the warm weight of Kazuo's hand on his shoulder a grounding one. "And... she admitted that she only doesn't like CC because of what it represents for her -- the fact that I do actually ''want'' magic in my future. So, I think, I'm going to quietly go through the background steps and set things up in advance for joining later, and if she gets okay with it, ''then'' I'll join." He's a little muffled. "She did have some worries about me and my history of joining big shadowy organizations, but like, this one's as aboveboard as something sub rosa can be."
Kazuo Saitou	"Under the rose," Kazuo says, "but the rose is in a planter on a deck. All right, then." His other hand comes up, strokes gently through Mamoru's hair. "If the background steps include the curator trying to get me to be a paleontologist, I'll politely refuse, mind you. ''You'' are the one who runs after dinosaurs; I refuse to take your specialty area away." Quieter, after: "I'm glad she, or the two of you, sorted out which parts were bothering her in what way. I hope that takes a little of the edge off of it for her."
Mamoru Chiba	"I think you should be a dendrochronologist," the prince says, still into Kazuo's side, then turning his face back out toward the kitchen with Kazuo's hand combing his hair. "Though she has a point about you and old bones. I'm sure there's a string of jokes I could be making at your expense, but I'm too tired. And last night it was the giant crocodile chasing ''me'' thank you very much. I got to use Yaling-san's lotus milkvetch candy and superjump off the ocean though." He's quiet for a longer moment, still. "I hope so too. We have to live with it either way."
Kazuo Saitou	Pausing to poke him for a moment at the 'old bones' comment means Mamoru won. Kazuo goes back to fingercombing hair a moment later. "I hope," he says, "that the giant crocodile at least wasn't ticking. Also that jumping off the ocean felt as good underfoot as it sounds." What ''would'' waves feel like, to leap off of? Could he possibly go fast enough to find out? ... probably not. Probably a good idea not to try, because Masato would inevitably find out. He might anyway. Mamoru is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad influence, obviously. The stillness for that longer moment draws Kazuo's attention markedly. He doesn't say anything in return, not aloud. But the hand resting on Mamoru's near shoulder slides around to his far one: arm around, holding quietly.