[Rei's best friend is Usagi, her fated love is Minako, and she's close to Makoto and Chibiusa. The only one of her inner circle who isn't exactly like Rise when it comes to these things is Ami. She knows it's best to just lay it out, make it just difficult enough to get the information out that she'll require prompting, but not blurt it out.]
We did, yes. When she arrived we ran into one another and I recognized her name thanks to Yosuke telling me. We did some exploring in that asylum thing, and talked some. But when she kissed me and confessed to me the other week, I just had to talk to her and get to know her better.
[Rei frowns a bit, looking more at the menu and nodding.]
I felt bad for her, since that wasn't exactly how anyone's first kiss should go.
Yosuke-senpai told you a lot about all of us, didn't he? [Somehow that doesn't surprise her though. Yosuke's always been pretty friend-centric as far as she knows. Still, she follows along, nodding and looking interested in all of the right places even as she leans her elbows on the table to get a better look at Rei.]
...Naoto-kun can be hard to talk to sometimes, but she's really great! She just needs people to keep trying. [That's been Rise's experience anyway, even when they'd thought Naoto was a detective thwarting their efforts. She still went out of her way to try and befriend her after that.] She told you it was her first kiss and everything?
He put a lot of faith in me. And he was very lonely. I think talking about you all helped.
[Rei sets down her menu and writes her order down for the server, so she can focus on Rise.]
Naoto-kun's relatively easy to talk to, I've found. But I think that might be because I met her after you all did, and I had the advantage of catching her already off balance. [Rei nods at the other question, lips quirking up in amusement.]
She did. And I didn't feel right, having taken it. I suppose she told you that I took her to dinner as well?
Sounds like Yosuke-senpai...[She can't imagine what it'd be like to be alone here without the rest of them. She's glad they have each other now.
Still. This is about Naoto and she follows suit to write her order and shoo the server away gently when they come back to pick it up, folding her hands under her chin.]
That's pretty possible. Naoto-kun hasn't always been that way. But she eventually told me that, yeah. [A finger comes up to twirl a lock of her hair.] I didn't really tell her much about you since it's not my place, but...you know. You're both my friends. I wanted to make sure things were okay. [And grill the shit out of Rei but whatever.]
Naoto-kun reminds me a lot of how standoffish I was before I met Usagi and my other friends. [Rei lifts her shoulders in a half shrug, half sigh.] And I told her a good bit. She knows the important things, I feel.
[A little guiltily, Rei adds:]
I told her a few things I've generally kept private. Things I probably should tell you, when we get done here. [Because Rise's one person who doesn't know about Mars, and she probably should.]
I did my best to make her feel more comfortable. She's...actually kind of adorable, and we get along well, I didn't want to muck that up.
[She pauses then, lifting both eyebrows.] Are they bad things...? [That doesn't sound ominous or anything at all, Rei, what the hell.] I didn't think you guys were that close already.
[But then Rei calls her adorable and Rise smiles in agreement.] Naoto-kun can be really cute. She was so embarrassed to tell me everything. [And Rise took a lot of delight in further embarrassing her...] You think you'll want to see her again?
Oh. I think those things are important to know here if you're willing to tell me. [And even so, Rise's now going to slowly die of curiosity because that makes it sound like Rei's talking about powers. Is that true? Is that possible? But she leaves the topic for a brief moment as their tea arrives and she sits up to nod, pausing briefly to thank their server.]
[That'd been the intent. To keep Rise on her toes and make her curious. And hopefully deflect the conversation.
Nodding to the server, she takes her cup and sips before responding.]
It's not bad. It's a little nosy, perhaps, but friends do like to know what's going on in each other's lives.
[A pause.]
And the answer to that is, yes? Probably. I'm not completely certain, but she's fun to be around, and she is attractive. I've been avoiding bothering her so as not to remind her of what happened, and sorting out my own thoughts, but I'd certainly be willing to take her out.
[If she's embarrassed about being called nosy she doesn't show it.] I've never had a lot of friends to be nosy about before people like Yu-senpai, Yosuke-senpai and Naoto-kun. [She knows she doesn't need to explain herself, but there it is.]
I don't think it'd be bothering her. She's pretty embarrassed about what happened since it wasn't in her control but you two both seem to like each other's company. [A pause for a sip of her tea.] You're both way too serious sometimes anyway. It might be good to have each other to have fun with.
[Part of her wants to say "this isn't the first time" but let's not talk about Naoto's shadow. Naoto as a whole is usually very collected though so she nods in understanding. That's completely fair. The question, however, is a curious one.]
I don't think she's ever considered it. She's like me...we've both spent a lot of our lives being so busy and working on our careers it probably hasn't occurred to her. Plus sometimes Naoto has a hard time being friends with people because of her job. She's better now, but...[A shrug.] It wouldn't hurt to ask, y'know?
[Truthfully she takes a few moments to arrange for her tea to go since she kept talking so much she never finished it, but after that...]
Sure. I'm ready. [She's not sure she's ready for whatever Rei has to tell her but she'll try to be as ready as possible.] Where would you like to go that's private enough?
[Up up and away! She watches Rei move but she has a feeling she's not supposed to follow. She stays on the roof (away from the edge but not enough that she can see where Rei's going) and she ponders on the question.]
...well. [Hm.] Have Yu-senpai or Yosuke-senpai ever told you about Teddie?
[She was about to explain who Teddie is and why non-humans don't bother her that much but you know. There's the whole glowing thing and suddenly she's left blinking and wondering how, precisely, she missed this. Her readings always sort of picked up something different about Rei but she associated it with spiritual energy, not this.]
...Mars? [She thinks she maybe remembers that from a movie or something.] Really? And you remember everything about being reincarnated?
[This is a little more startling and she takes a step back to move out of her way but also take in the larger Mars form. Her mouth forms into a surprised little "oh" but her eyes remained fixed on Mars' face.]
That's...really, really incredible. [There's no other way to describe it.] Are there others like you, too?
There's one for nine of the ten planets. And one for Earth's moon, as well as the twin moons of my world.
[Which, you know, may be a bit of obscure astronomy.]
We tend to keep it secret to protect the people around us from enemies, but I think you know how to keep things to yourself. So, there you have it. My big secret.
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We did, yes. When she arrived we ran into one another and I recognized her name thanks to Yosuke telling me. We did some exploring in that asylum thing, and talked some. But when she kissed me and confessed to me the other week, I just had to talk to her and get to know her better.
[Rei frowns a bit, looking more at the menu and nodding.]
I felt bad for her, since that wasn't exactly how anyone's first kiss should go.
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...Naoto-kun can be hard to talk to sometimes, but she's really great! She just needs people to keep trying. [That's been Rise's experience anyway, even when they'd thought Naoto was a detective thwarting their efforts. She still went out of her way to try and befriend her after that.] She told you it was her first kiss and everything?
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[Rei sets down her menu and writes her order down for the server, so she can focus on Rise.]
Naoto-kun's relatively easy to talk to, I've found. But I think that might be because I met her after you all did, and I had the advantage of catching her already off balance. [Rei nods at the other question, lips quirking up in amusement.]
She did. And I didn't feel right, having taken it. I suppose she told you that I took her to dinner as well?
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Still. This is about Naoto and she follows suit to write her order and shoo the server away gently when they come back to pick it up, folding her hands under her chin.]
That's pretty possible. Naoto-kun hasn't always been that way. But she eventually told me that, yeah. [A finger comes up to twirl a lock of her hair.] I didn't really tell her much about you since it's not my place, but...you know. You're both my friends. I wanted to make sure things were okay. [And grill the shit out of Rei but whatever.]
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[A little guiltily, Rei adds:]
I told her a few things I've generally kept private. Things I probably should tell you, when we get done here. [Because Rise's one person who doesn't know about Mars, and she probably should.]
I did my best to make her feel more comfortable. She's...actually kind of adorable, and we get along well, I didn't want to muck that up.
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[But then Rei calls her adorable and Rise smiles in agreement.] Naoto-kun can be really cute. She was so embarrassed to tell me everything. [And Rise took a lot of delight in further embarrassing her...] You think you'll want to see her again?
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[You know, those little things that might be good to know. Signs of trust and all.
Of course, it's her own eyebrows turn to lift at Rise's question. Well...that is a fair one but, my my.]
Are you asking if I want to date Naoto-kun, Rise-chan?
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But that's what I'm asking, yeah. Is that bad?
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Nodding to the server, she takes her cup and sips before responding.]
It's not bad. It's a little nosy, perhaps, but friends do like to know what's going on in each other's lives.
[A pause.]
And the answer to that is, yes? Probably. I'm not completely certain, but she's fun to be around, and she is attractive. I've been avoiding bothering her so as not to remind her of what happened, and sorting out my own thoughts, but I'd certainly be willing to take her out.
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I don't think it'd be bothering her. She's pretty embarrassed about what happened since it wasn't in her control but you two both seem to like each other's company. [A pause for a sip of her tea.] You're both way too serious sometimes anyway. It might be good to have each other to have fun with.
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I meant, more, that I didn't want to remind her that she lost control of herself. The last thing I want to be is a reminder of that.
[But it's probably inevitable.]
Does...she even date, though?
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I don't think she's ever considered it. She's like me...we've both spent a lot of our lives being so busy and working on our careers it probably hasn't occurred to her. Plus sometimes Naoto has a hard time being friends with people because of her job. She's better now, but...[A shrug.] It wouldn't hurt to ask, y'know?
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I'll consider it. She's nice, but dating? I don't know if she'd even be interested in girls.
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[...it's not an invalid question seeing how she never would have guessed Yu was into boys until he told her so.]
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[It's a fair question. But she has no good answer.]
No time, you know.
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[Rei can wait but this conversation needs to happen today.]
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Sure. I'm ready. [She's not sure she's ready for whatever Rei has to tell her but she'll try to be as ready as possible.] Where would you like to go that's private enough?
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[And unless there's an objection that's where they'll go. Rei slips off to one side, away from the edge so she can't be seen.]
Rise-chan, what would you say if I told you I'm not human?
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...well. [Hm.] Have Yu-senpai or Yosuke-senpai ever told you about Teddie?
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[Rei takes a moment to collect herself before stepping back into view, her heart glowing with the light of her crystal.]
I didn't think you'd be bothered by it. I just don't let the world at large know. To protect someone. But you I trust. Yu, Naoto-kun, and Yosuke know.
I am, in my world, the reincarnation of the Goddess of War.
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...Mars? [She thinks she maybe remembers that from a movie or something.] Really? And you remember everything about being reincarnated?
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Rei nods in reply and shifts forms into the taller, more...not-quite-normal Mars.]
I do. And I can become my past self. My past memory is murky, but I know most of it.
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That's...really, really incredible. [There's no other way to describe it.] Are there others like you, too?
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[Which, you know, may be a bit of obscure astronomy.]
We tend to keep it secret to protect the people around us from enemies, but I think you know how to keep things to yourself. So, there you have it. My big secret.
[Sorry she told you last...]
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