[Thanks Disney. He knows to someone like Rei it would probably look a little silly, so when she speaks all he can do is groan. It's hard to say if it's out of embarrassment for his superhero stunts or out of the suddenly heavy, sour feeling in his stomach. He presses a hand to his forehead, eyeing the pills suspiciously but not quite taking them. He's still a dumb boy with some of his pride, okay.]
So...that's what you saw? Guess it could have been worse. That wasn't long before I got here. [...wherever there was. What was the name of the city again?]
[Cocking her head to one side, she sets the pills there in front of him.]
Yes, that is. It could’ve been a lot worse, I’m sure. You made it through just fine. [Everyone has dark sides, and then there were all the embarrassing memories that came with being a young teenage boy…
And because he’s being a prickly pear.]
You’re nauseous, take the medicine. That’s the side effect of these little interludes, Hiro. There’s no point in suffering through it, even for pride.
I'm fine. [It's a pretty weak argument though, considering he hiccups then and sinks lower in his chair...before pulling the pills closer anyway. Sigh. Life is hard when you're stubborn. He takes another few deep breaths before popping pills into his mouth, pulling another face as he basically dry-swallows them and reaches a hand up to massage his eyes again.]
Anybody figure out why these are the side effects we're stuck with? I already had to deal with this when I got back into the colony.
A chakra is a point on the body that holds energy. It's a Buddhist belief, but it makes sense. There are places in us, knots of nerves or other things, that cluster together. The groin, the stomach, the heart, the eyes, and a few other points. The stomach is the core, and you know how getting hurt can make you nauseous? This is sort of the same idea. Whatever's happening is affecting us because it hurts. Maybe on a spiritual level.
Okay we both know I'm not good at those things...[A grin.] I'm really bad at meditation. It's way too quiet. [And since he can't see her fox, it means his foot is stretching just right in its path.] What else ya got?
I... [Rei breaks off, reaching for Hiro, trying to shove him just a bit...but not in time. His foot brushes the fox and the vision begins.
It's a scene of red, the entire focus of the memory dominated by a singularly massive celestial body in the sky. From down below, Hiro (or rather Rei) can see it clearly, an onrushing planet about the size of Earth's moon, barreling towards him. Dark energy crackles along it's surface, and it seems alive with malicious energy. In fact, the memory imparts the distinct impression that it is very much alive. Eyes flare up in the atmosphere, malignant cruelty flooding through Hiro...]
No...! Nemesis! [Rei's voice comes out rough, strained, and from off to one side there's a brisk motion and a dark skinned woman dressed like Mars...though trimmed in green and black steps forward, raises her staff, and...]
TIME STOP!
[And that's where it all cuts out, slipping back into the reality of Cerealia, and Rei with her eyes shut.]
[Well that was vaguely terrifying. And by vaguely I mean having something the size of a planet rushing at him/Rei is absolutely terrifying. He gets the implications quite well. And more importantly he knows exactly who these people are and what this thing is.
Nemesis, the black crystal planet where the Black Moon Clan lived and the Dark Crystal resided. Where the Death Phantom was sentenced by the queen. And that other senshi must have been Sailor...Pluto? Yeah. Sailor Pluto. He knows that's right. The Goddess and Guardian of time.
He has way too many questions and though his eyes are wide, he's focused on Rei now. She tried to stop her fox from touching him. That had to be why she was reaching out. For the time being though he'll just...slide a fresh glass of water to her he's procured from one of the waiterbots for her.]
...don't open your eyes 'til you're ready. [He felt pretty bad when it first hit even though most of it's dulled down enough to be functional by now. He can't imagine she's feeling much better.]
[Rei's hand moves to take the water, her eyes remaining shut, her breathing obviously forced to stay even and focused now. The water stays put, since she's not sure she can down it without losing her lunch but...]
[It's the least he can do since he didn't think to have medicine like she did, and he's waiting anxiously to make sure she's not going to totally lose it. But when she asks that question he can't stall.]
Nemesis? It was coming toward you. [A beat.] You never told me that Sailor Pluto kinda looks like Mars, by the way.
I'm fine, but shouldn't I be asking you? I mean I can't...do anything about the past but...I never knew it was actually supposed to kill you if Pluto hadn't stepped in. What was that even about?
[...so no, he's pretty spooked by those implications.]
No, I'm alright. You're the one that saw something nobody should have to see.
[She's a soldier. That's...really all there is to it.]
But it was trying to kill us, yes. Nemesis was alive. Or near enough that it decided to act consciously. I don't know how except maybe Death Phantom possessed it, but it came to Earth, and when it saw that we were about to undo it's work it came at the planet. I guess it thought it would be better to destroy Earth and kill whoever was left alive than to conquer it.
Pluto stopped time. [It cost her life to do so.] and we combined our powers to stop it. It gave us a chance to save the future. Which we did. So, it's alright.
Rei, I know you're a soldier and I know this is your job but...how can you just be okay with this kind of thing and these kind of sacrifices and situations? [It's something he's not sure he'll be able to understand on that level specifically.] I know you saved the future, but at what cost?
Hiro, believe me when I say I didn't used to be. I've been doing this for years now, though. That's why I'm okay with it. I did...and do...what I have to do to make sure that people get to live an ordinary life. Without worrying about a monster, or fearing that the Earth might be destroyed. I'm okay with it because it's the right thing.
[Rei takes a breath and smiles wistfully.]
It's what heroes do. You sacrifice things to do the right thing. I saved the future, and it cost me nothing except having a mundane school life. I gave up on that when I turned ten, you know. And the dividends paid out for that loss far, far outweigh the loss.
[It makes sense to him. He thinks it makes sense, anyway, and it's important enough that he's sitting up straight and listening. He's already rolling those words around in his head and taking them to heart. And in that moment Rei, in fact, has just become cooler than she already was.]
...think I'll ever get to that point? [A light laugh.] I mean I'm not a magical girl or anything but...I'd like to be able to make sure people get to live an ordinary life and keep them safe without thinking about it.
[As if she'd expect anything less, 'little brother'. Rei ruffles his hair affectionately and nods.] I think that if push came to shove? Yes. You'd do the same. I don't want that for you, but I know you would do the same if you had to. [A breath.]
But hopefully there are no monsters where you're from. You're trouble enough.
Hey! [But he ducks his head under the hair-ruffling and laughs a little. She has a fair point, and that weirdly makes him feel better to know someone else believes in him.] I think we're pretty free from monsters...but it's something to think about. Thanks, Rei.
[A grin.] ...are you feeling better? We can actually get lunch now.
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So...that's what you saw? Guess it could have been worse. That wasn't long before I got here. [...wherever there was. What was the name of the city again?]
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Yes, that is. It could’ve been a lot worse, I’m sure. You made it through just fine. [Everyone has dark sides, and then there were all the embarrassing memories that came with being a young teenage boy…
And because he’s being a prickly pear.]
You’re nauseous, take the medicine. That’s the side effect of these little interludes, Hiro. There’s no point in suffering through it, even for pride.
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Anybody figure out why these are the side effects we're stuck with? I already had to deal with this when I got back into the colony.
I forget do you want a memory?
That I couldn't say. Maybe it's getting to us in our core chakra? That can cause nausea.
if you have one in mind, yes! otherwise don't worry too much :>
I'll think on it!
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[Things Hiro Hamada doesn't get: that.]
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[She says, not paying much attention to her own...and it's edging closer.]
Breathing exercises, meditation, things of that nature are good for settling it down, or at least fighting the nausea.
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It's a scene of red, the entire focus of the memory dominated by a singularly massive celestial body in the sky. From down below, Hiro (or rather Rei) can see it clearly, an onrushing planet about the size of Earth's moon, barreling towards him. Dark energy crackles along it's surface, and it seems alive with malicious energy. In fact, the memory imparts the distinct impression that it is very much alive. Eyes flare up in the atmosphere, malignant cruelty flooding through Hiro...]
No...! Nemesis! [Rei's voice comes out rough, strained, and from off to one side there's a brisk motion and a dark skinned woman dressed like Mars...though trimmed in green and black steps forward, raises her staff, and...]
TIME STOP!
[And that's where it all cuts out, slipping back into the reality of Cerealia, and Rei with her eyes shut.]
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Nemesis, the black crystal planet where the Black Moon Clan lived and the Dark Crystal resided. Where the Death Phantom was sentenced by the queen. And that other senshi must have been Sailor...Pluto? Yeah. Sailor Pluto. He knows that's right. The Goddess and Guardian of time.
He has way too many questions and though his eyes are wide, he's focused on Rei now. She tried to stop her fox from touching him. That had to be why she was reaching out. For the time being though he'll just...slide a fresh glass of water to her he's procured from one of the waiterbots for her.]
...don't open your eyes 'til you're ready. [He felt pretty bad when it first hit even though most of it's dulled down enough to be functional by now. He can't imagine she's feeling much better.]
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What did you see?
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Nemesis? It was coming toward you. [A beat.] You never told me that Sailor Pluto kinda looks like Mars, by the way.
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We have similar attire. [And weak laugh.]
I remember that moment, though. You okay?
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[...so no, he's pretty spooked by those implications.]
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[She's a soldier. That's...really all there is to it.]
But it was trying to kill us, yes. Nemesis was alive. Or near enough that it decided to act consciously. I don't know how except maybe Death Phantom possessed it, but it came to Earth, and when it saw that we were about to undo it's work it came at the planet. I guess it thought it would be better to destroy Earth and kill whoever was left alive than to conquer it.
Pluto stopped time. [It cost her life to do so.] and we combined our powers to stop it. It gave us a chance to save the future. Which we did. So, it's alright.
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[Rei takes a breath and smiles wistfully.]
It's what heroes do. You sacrifice things to do the right thing. I saved the future, and it cost me nothing except having a mundane school life. I gave up on that when I turned ten, you know. And the dividends paid out for that loss far, far outweigh the loss.
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...think I'll ever get to that point? [A light laugh.] I mean I'm not a magical girl or anything but...I'd like to be able to make sure people get to live an ordinary life and keep them safe without thinking about it.
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But hopefully there are no monsters where you're from. You're trouble enough.
[=D]
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[A grin.] ...are you feeling better? We can actually get lunch now.
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Yeah. Let's do that.