Ryder's vision swam into focus, and the sensation of flying abruptly ceased. He looked around, but the first, immediate sensation was of a table resting firmly beneath his elbows.
His first, quick scan of the room revealed that the room he was currently in was fairly small...in fact, it was the size of a bedroom, decorated modestly in a feminine style, though not terribly flashy in it's decor. A vaguely japanese style to the doors and windows lent a slightly exotic look to the pink walls. A bed and dresser and closet occupied three of the four walls, with the table he was currently sitting at taking up the middle of the room.
The table itself was suprisingly short...in fact, Ryder was kneeling at it, peering at an english textbook in front of him. Directly in across from him, a girl with short, blue hair and a conservative, femininely tailored blouse was leaning over a textbook, writing in it quickly, pausing every so often to look up at the tall brunette looking over her shoulder. The tall girl had wavy chestnut hair tied in a high ponytail, and was dressed in brightly colored, casual clothes. Her green eyes widened, and she nodded every so often in response to something the blue-haired girl whispered.
On Ryder's left, a blonde girl, with an odd hairstyle, twin pigtails flowing out from buns on her head, dressed slightly less casually than the brown haired girl, but not much, munched cookies, while reading a manga secreted within her textbook. On her right, a girl with long, flowing black hair, and deep, violet eyes simply stared into space, ignoring the math text in front of her...
After spending a moment, analyzing the surroundings and clearing his head out a bit, Ryder began a mental checklist...
OK... 4 girls around me, check.
Somewhat girly room... check.
Everyone in a study group, check.
Wait... didn't one of those girls have a badly done odang... oh crap, Oh Crap, OH CRAP!
At that point, Ryder's mental checklist, and most of his mental functions for that matter, flatlined and and he stared at the textbook in front of him some more, until he could regain coherent thought, and therefore, react to the situation better. Or until someone were to speak to him...
It was a while before much happened. The rtelaxed silence of the room prevailed, only interrupted by an occasional suppressed giggle as Usagi read.
Rei seemed content to stare into space, pulled into her thoughts. Slowly, she twirled a lock of black hair around her index finger.
Ami continued to help Makoto with English, writing out corrected sentences and explaining them to the tall brunette.
Eventually though, they came upon something they didn't understand, and called upon their friend's resources.
"Minako-chan? Could you help us with this sentence?" A little shakily, Ami held the large text across the table, pointing to the offending sentence with her pencil.
'The people's chomp is on the cold stone of Austin.'
"I've checked it for any misspelled words, and I can't find any that aren't in the dictionary..." Ami elaborated, frowning. "But it doesn't seem right..."
If Ryder's mind was a computer, than Ami's words would have pressed the power button, and it would have looked something like this...
>run "ryder angel version 1.exe"
>restarting...
>10%
>30%
>70%
>Reload Complete!
However, since this was reality, Ryder blinked and crawled over to where Ami and Makoto were sitting, and looked over the sentance in front of her.
"Oh, this is an easy one," she began, "what that says is "The People's Champ is on Stone Cold Steve Austin!"
Mentally she added, BAH GAWD! He's stomping a mudhole in him! Stone Cold's being treated like a goverment mule!
Of course, this brief mental activity of the sports entertainment kid allowed her to put the issue of her gender and person to the backburner for the moment.
Ami and Makoto blinked in unison at who they thought was Minako. Glancing at each other, Makoto shrugged.
"Are you sure you're remembering that correctly? I mean, it sounds fine, but it sounds like one of your quotes..." Ami replied, beginning to write down the sentence.
Rei gave a barely perceptible nod of agreement, broken out of her private world by the discussion, and going back to her math homework...
Smiling a bit nervously, Ryder replied, "Oh, I know I'm correct with this one... Professional wrestling is huge in England, and I was dragged to a WWF show by some friends while I was there."
That was close... Too insider for Minako. I need to think a bit...
Standing up, she said, "I need to use the bathroom, I'll be right back..." and started to walk to where she remembered the bathroom to be in the series.
Makoto nodded, turning back to Ami, who'd already mvoed on to the next sentence.
Rei and Usagi continued their activities undisturbed.
The bathroom was where Ryder remembered it. It was rather compact, with white tile floor and walls. To the right was the sink, three toothbrushes above it, next to a mirror. Opposite the sink was a towel rack, and the toilet. At the far end of the room was a glass sliding door, seeming like it would lead into the bathing facilities.
Ryder turned on the water on the sink and pooled some water in her hands before splashing it onto her face.
Damn, I didn't wake up...
Taking a look into the mirror, she sighed and muttered, "Minako... it had to be Minako. Why couldn't it have been Ami? Or at least Makoto... but no, I got the not-as-ditzy as Usagi ditz."
Cracking her neck slightly, she toweled off and walked out of the bathroom and back to the study area.
Usagi was the only one to look up as Minako returned, blinking in slight confusion, and shrugging. Waiting until the other blond sat down, Usagi leaned over, the beginnings of a begging look already on her face.
"So, Mina-chan, where do you keep the cookies?" she asked, looking shiftily about.
Rei shot an exasperated dark look at Usagi, but math took precedence over argument. For the moment.
Ryder sighed and pointed in the direction of which she saw the kitchen while walking back from the bathroom.
"In the kitchen Usa-chan..." she said.
Usagi nodded cheerfully, getting up to retrieve the food...
Not much happened in the next couple of hours. Most of the girls studied, like most people in high school.
Eventually though, the group broke up.
As Rei left Minako's home, silence reigned. Minako was alone.
Finally alone, Ryder was free to look around her house and get some questions answered...
What day was it?
Did she have school the next day?
Was there anything planned for the next day?
And of course, act like herself, rather than Minako... Which meant that after finding her answers, she was lying on her bed, in a long t-shirt and shorts, playing Halo.
It was Sunday, an October Sunday.
Minako did indeed have school the next day.
And it seemed that, Mondays being Mondays, Minako's friends didn't feel the urge to go about doing things after school.
A while later, as the sounds of virtual combat were still the main noise in the house, the phone invaded that solitude, ringing like there was no tomorrow...
Ryder, being the expert gamer he was, paused the game as he laid waste to another Covenent alien, and picked walked over and picked up the, in Ryder's eyes, disgustingly pink wireless phone.
"Moshi Moshi?" she questioned...
"Hi, Mina-chan!" came an overly excited, but adult, female voice over the receiver, sounding somewhat like Minako's own. "Your father and I won't be home for a couple more days because of some security issues.There should be enough food in the cupboards to last you, but you know where the emergency fund is if it becomes necessary."
There was a brief pause, and some voices in the backgroiund chattering before the woman continued. "So, how's the last few days been?"
Ryder sweatdropped at the voice and demenor of her mother, but still sounded normal as she said, "It's been fine... the girls and I have been working on school."
With further thought, she added, "And yes, we've been shopping..."
"Ahh...so everything's quiet?" she asked, sounding disappointed, but still managing to be bubbly. "How're your friends? How're your grades for that matter? I'm sorry your father and I have been around much, with the Tokyo Museum putting together new exhibits so much..."
"I'm sorry I haven't thrown any wild parties or destroyed the house, but y'know, we've been too busy to do that. It's getting close to exam time, remember?" Minako said with a bit of resignation on her face...
"And don't worry... I'm fine with you guys working so much. We need to eat after all, and I'm fairly independent anyway. Say hi to Dad for me." she added.
Minako's mother giggled softly, her cheeryness almost palpatable over the phone. "Alright...I'll say hi to your father, and remember that it's a good idea to take a night off to just relax during exam times. Go out with some friends and just relax, 'kay? Maybe even pick up a boy..."
Ryder, after hearing that last statement, nearly went back into cartharis... but, managed to hold on this time. However, she did manage to keep most of that shock out of her voice as she said, "Thanks for the advice Mom... maybe I'll do just that."
Like hell I'll pick up a boy... Now, if Ra-chan was here, and was stuck as a guy, maybe, but no other way in hell...
OOC: Not THAT Ra-chan... There's a girl at work I like named Racheal I call Ra-chan.
"Mm, but make sure he's worth keeping, dear..." Minako's mother laughed, voices in the background beginning to intrude. "Ara...sorry, Mina-chan, I've gotta go, see you in a few days!" Witht eh rushed farewell, her mother hung up, leaving the boy turned girl in silence and solitude again.
"That... was weird..." Ryder muttered as she clicked off her phone and put it next to her on the bed.
Looking around her room, she then said softly, "Nevermind... everything's weird."
With that said, Ryder stood up, turned off her X-Box (because Minako's not smart enough to own a PS2), and started to walk around the house, trying to get a feel for it... and to find something to eat in the kitchen.
The home was smallish, but well appointed and almost cozy. The living room and dining room shared space with a TV and computer. The kitchen, like everything else, was rather compact, all appliances tucked away into alcoves or cupboards to afford maximum countertop space.
The fridge and cupboards were stocked with normal Japanese food. Rice and tempura leftovers, a couple boxes of takoyaki, what looked kinda like shishkabobs, and what appeared to be breaded and deep fried nuggets of some sort were the main attractions. Besides them was a large number of raw ingredients for cooking...
Upon seeing said breaded and fried nuggets, Ryder became very hungry...
See, one of the odd food habits of Ryder was his love of chicken (and to a certain extent, turkey, which is why Ryder loves Thanksgiving). In fact, if he had been in his world, he would be cooking some popcorn chicken right now...
But, since Ryder wasn't in her world, that didn't happen.
Anywho, the hungry girl exclaimed, "Jumping Jehosophat Yeehaw!"... very softly, and took a few of what she hoped were chicken nuggets, put them on a small plate, and popped them in her microwave and set it for 2 minutes before pushing the START button.
The microwave hummed for the expected two minutes as it cooked, followed by a loud beeping...
Inside, the nuggets seemed thouroughly cooked, as they were steaming slightly, though they didn't quite smell like chicken. There was definitely meat involved, but not chicken.
Ryder smiled and popped a nugget into her mouth, hoping that it, like most of the food in the world, tasted like chicken.
Unfortunately for Ryder, mashed potatos and beef doesn't quite taste like chicken. At least it shouldn't.
The nuggets were just that. A mix of roast beef and potatoes breaded and fried.
Like something you'd expect to come from some ill-fated attempt to completely combine burger and fries. Only without being ill-fated.
Ryder swollowed the nugget, and then spent a few minutes searching for tin foil...
Upon finding the tin foil, she wrapped the nuggets and decided to give them to Artemis later on. She then looked on the microwave to see what time it is...
The microwave read thirty-two past five in the evening.
Outside, the sun was already falling beneath the horizon, painting the sky a mixture of orange, purple, and red as darkness approached...
"5:32 eh? Hmm... I wonder what's on?" Ryder mentioned to herself as she walked into the living room, found the remote buried under one of the couch pillows, and turned it on...
Almost immediately, the screen blinked on to reveal a crowded arena, and each and every one of the spectators was on their feet, cheering at the top of their lungs as heavy electric guitar music began to play.
The camera slowly panned over to what the crowd was watching, and slowly it came to a ring in the middle of the arena, the roar of the crowd mingling with the music, until it came to the ring.
Suprisingly enough, Minako herself was in the ring, as Sailor Venus. However, she was unconscious, and a girl who looked strikingly similar to Amelia, from the 'Slayers' anime series stood over her, holding a gold belt above her head, and making a 'Victory' sign at the crowd.
The scene cut to a montage, and literally dozens of Anime characters Minako recognized were either dispensing brutal beatings, or recieving them.
Finally, the montage cut back to the orginal scene, and announcer began to speak in the breathlessly amazed manner of wrestling announcers. "It's all happening right here, Tokyo dome, this weekend! Bring on the PAIN!"
The scene cut to black, and the words 'Bring on the PAIN' splashed on the screen in white, under the heading "Chaos Entertainment". With that, the commecial ended, and a Japanese sitcom resumed...
Many thoughts raged through the head of the displaced gamer as she watched the promo appearing in front of her.
So... This is what they meant...
Wait a tic!?! That was me!!!
AMELIA?!? I'D KICK HER ASS IN A SECOND!!!
Hey... That kinda looks like the Big Gold Belt (tm)... I want that belt!
Bring the Pain? That ain't the line, It's HERE COMES THE PAIN.
This weekend? Well... that gives me some time.
Oh crap... I'm going to have to face those people? And to do that, I'd have to be... OH... 5%17
And as if it was a major delayed reaction, the gravity of her gender change came down upon her. Until then, playing the part of Minako and then playing the part of Master Chief had kept her from thinking about the situation she was in...
"Oh no... I am a girl... I am a ditz... I am a Senshi... and I am not f'n dreaming damnit." she said as she turned off the sitcom and headed back to her room.
As she walked into her room, she shut off her X-Box, checked her schedule and alarm to see if they were set with enough time to get to school AND deal with getting ready as a girl... and slipped into bed to try and handle being Aino Minako without causing people to notice the change too much...
She had gotten lucky today after all.
Minako's night was rather lucky as well...
Well, some people would consider it lucky.
One dream seemed to stand out as it began happening, the new girl suddenly becoming more aware of it all.
She was watching things happen. In an...oddly decorated bedroom. Pink was everywhere, along with pictures of a blond man, recognizable as Motoki, the manager of the arcade.
On the rather large heart shaped bed, she could see Motoki, and someone who looked like Mamoru embracing. Rather passionately too. Kissing was involved, and some rather blatant groping of certain parts...
Her vision seemed to zoom in on the frolicking men, trying to take in every detail of their quite male bodies, clad in VERY tight clothing, moving together; even the shuffling of their clothing was audible, and their slight moans of 'Mamo-kun' and 'Moto-kun'...
Minako's brain apparently had major ideas about some things...
Upon her awakening, many things ran through the mind and body of Aino Minako.
For one thing, as is usual for both, they were still tired. But, Ryder was not nearly tired enough to forget the dream, no, the nightmare that she had just experienced, and wished the scream at the horrifying images burned into her memory.
However, her body... See, the body, in a purely physical sense... enjoyed what Ryder felt like pulling out her eyes at. After all, it had been trained to do so.
But, the slight arousal in the body, the greatest feeling going through Minako's body was the urge to vomit. So, Ryder stumbled out of bed, rushed to the bathroom, and did so...
***
5 minutes, and a glass of water later, Ryder was in a dilemia...
She was VERY tired. It was 4:20 AM after all. But, this is normal... it would not be a typical morning for Ryder if he wasn't.
But, she was also afraid. Afraid of having another dream much like the disturbing one that he had just experienced.
And then, there was THAT dream.
She saw Chaos in work. She saw anarchy, she saw mayhem... And worst of all, she saw her own death. He body ripped apart by the same forces tearing apart the Universe around her. All because of losing this weekend...
And there was no way she was going to let that happen. Not when she had time to figure out how to work the powers of Sailor Venus to thier maximum. Even though it meant... wearing THAT.
"I've got to do this eventually..." Ryder muttered as she put down her glass of water and, after a bit of searching for the right door, went to the basement.
She stood in the middle of the small, slightly cramped room, and sighed as reached around in subspace and pulled out the Venus Star pen, held it up, and whispered, since she didn't feel like waking Artemis with her experimentation, "venus star power, make up..."
The wand worked as expected, a flash of bright yellow light filling the room on Minako's command, swirling around her in a dazzling display of energy. Her clothing seemed to dissolve off her form, her nudeness concealed by the energy storm of her powers.
The streaks of light constricted around her, merging into definition as they wrapped around Minako's body, the fade glowing to reveal the sailor senshi seifuku, in orange and white, as well as Minako's high heels...
The magic flowing off of Ryder's body was VERY exhilerating, almost destroying her reservations about wearing such an outfit in public, in front of millions.
It was hard to describe Ryder's mood before she took a step... BUT, it was quickly replaced with a combination of pain and embarrassment as she took a step in the high heels, wobbled, and crashed to the ground.
"Owwwww!!!!" she cried out in pain as she rubbed her right knee, which had hit first on the concrete floor.
"What is it this time?" came a grumbling reply from behind the water heater, followed by the emergence of a white lunar cat. Sitting behind Minako, and yawning in an oddly human fashion for a cat, it looked pointedly at the blond.
"You're acting like Usagi-chan, Mina...what's happening to the world now?"
Ryder quickly stiffened as Artemis spoke, realizing that she had been caught...
Oh shit....
She had been preparing for this confrontation, but now that it had started, she was at a loss of words, except for a bit of a nervous, "Oh... well, It was something I ate. Screwed my balance up a bit..."
Artemis sweatdropped, eyeing Minako curiously. "Um...what the hell did you eat?" he asked curiously, taking a step closer. "I don't think there's anything in the house quite that toxic..."
"Those burger/fry nuggets... I undercooked them slightly." Ryder replied while continuing to laugh nervously.
At least he hasn't asked why I'm in my Venus form right now...
Artemis somehow managed a dubious expression with his feline face at the explanation. "That meat wasn't raw when you put it in...how could they be undercooked?" he inquired, blinking. "They've already been cooked once, too."
With a great deal more laughing, Ryder replied, "Really... I guess they just were not nearly as good as I thought when they are reheated."
Hope he buys that one...
"I guess..." Artemis allowed, stil not looking entirely convinced. "So then, if you're not feeling well, why are you in your senshi uniform and not in bed or something?"
"I had a nightmare... maybe even a vision, I have to talk to Rei about it later," Ryder began saying.
With a changed face, she continued, "The world was dying... being ripped and torn apart because I lost... because I failed in my mission."
Artemis blinked curiously, looking slightly more interested as Minako spoke. "That's odd, thoug...you don't normally have visions of any kind."
"Going to contact Rei now?" he asked, frowning slightly in thought.
Shaking her head, Ryder replied, "No, I'm not going to contact her now... I'm scared, incredibly fucking scared, but not scared enough to risk the wrath that'll come if I wake her at this time in the morning..."
Artemis snickered, nodding slightly in agreement. "So you're just going to hang around in uniform? That's a little conspicuous..."
"Well... I was planning on doing some training, as much as I can do without waking the neighbors that is. It's not like I'm going to manage to get more sleep..." Ryder muttered.
Artemis just sat silent for a long, awkward moment. "Training...? You...? Are you SURE you're feeling alright, Minako?" he asked, stepping within a foot of the senshi.
"This is VERY unlike you..."
Nodding, Ryder replied, "Yeah... I know it seems weird, but seeing this dream has really made me think about what I'm doing."
"And what I'm not doing..." she added after a bit of thought.
Artemis shrugged, nodding. "Though is it a good idea to train in your basement? Senshi powers aren't particularly...contained, and this IS your home. Maybe go somewhere isolated with the others after you've discussed this with them?"
Ryder gave a bit of an embarrassed grin, and replied, "Yeah, I suppose you're right... I wasn't thinking straight y'know?"
Artemis nodded. "So why don't you detransform, and tell me anything more oyu can about this dream."
Oh crap... I don't know how to detransform...
And with that thought, Ryder knew that she could not keep her deception from everyone. Maybe her new friends, but not those like Artemis. So, with a bit of a laugh, she began to say, "Artemis, I've got something to tell you..."
Artemis blinked, looking curiously at Ryder. "Eh? What is it? I was about to go take a nap..."
With a bit of a sigh, Ryder said, "OK, I'm about to tell you something that you may not believe... If you want me to stop so you can catch your breath, ask me something, or try and kill me, let me know..."
Artemis merely blinked, eyeing Ryder a little more cautiously now.
That was definitely odd for Minako to be saying.
And with that said, Ryder began to speak...
"This might be a little hard for you to get, but I am not Minako Aino. My name is Ryder Novello Angel. I was chosen by the Avatar of Order to compete in a competition against her brother, Chaos. At stake, is the fate of this universe. If my friends and I are able to defeat Chaos' chosen, then this universe will be spared from Chaos and his fun. If we are unable to win, then Chaos will be able to do whatever he wants with us. It was because of Chaos and his random spiritual energy that I'm here, and not Minako. I do not know what happened to Minako's soul. If it's been lost because of Chaos, then words cannot say how sorry I am..."
Artemis sweatdropped at the ramble, trying not to narrow his conclusions to only that Minako was going insane. "Okay...'Ryder'...um...I guess this is all possible, considering the insanity Minako and I have been through. But how can I be sure you're not either Minako slowly going insane from stress, or some insidious posessing demon trying to infiltrate the senshi for some vile purpose?"
With a bit of a smile, Ryder replied, "You don't know really... I'm not going to try and convince you that I'm not Minako going crazy or a demon. Whatever I say and do, you'll perceive it in whatever way you want, so it doesn't matter how I try and convince you, right?"
Artemis raised an eyebrow, humming. "Indeed, I guess." He frowned for a moment, eyeing Minako as he thought. "What do you plan on doing about school? By your name, you're a foreigner, though I guess there's the possibility you could be an exchange student..."
Nodding, Ryder replied, "I am a foreigner... American to be precise. And honestly, I don't know what I was going to do about school. I was probably going to go with some BS like losing my voice to keep me from speaking that much."
Artemis snickered, nodding. "Probably a good idea, as long as you can still do the math you might get called up to the board for."
Frowning again, Artemis sighed. "And what about the other senshi? I can't very well keep them or Luna in the dark..."
With a bit of a smirk, Ryder replied, "Hey, I was very good in math... anyway, I'm a freshman in college now, and although I know Japanese math is harder, I think I can handle it well enough."
"And, I don't know what to do about the other Senshi... I'm afraid they'd take this news worse than you did. Luna would give me the Spanish Inquisition I think."
Artemis nodded, beginning to pace back and forth at Minako's feet, a somewhat odd sight. "Is there any other kind of proof about your identity? It'd be helpful to hand Luna something besides your say, and potentially what Rei and Ami can dig out of your aura."
"I wish I had something... my wallet and ID, are, y'know, back with my normal body." Ryder replied calmly...
Artemis nodded, frowning. "A little off topic, but...do you know WHY you were chosen to do this? And why you were put into Minako's body?"
Obviously thinking for a few moments, Ryder replied, "Supposedly, because we were outsiders to this dimention... there's about 8 or 9 of us, who all, by the way, know each other online. Most of the things here are anime and manga in my world, so we'd know our opponents and thier abilities."
With a heavy sigh, he added, "And why I'm in Minako? Chaos... He hit us with some soul bomb, and flung us into bodies at random. I don't know where the others are..."
Artemis hummed, nodding. "So you must know a lot about everyone here."
Beginning to pace again, the cat's toenails clicked on the cement floor, never quite pausing. "Mm...so you don't know anything about the forms your companions took, and no real way to identify yourself...yeah, you're in deep crap with Luna. Think you'd be able to hide your identity for very long?"
"Well... If I didn't have to go into Senshi mode for a battle," Ryder began with a flustered look on her face as she shifted into a more comfortable position, "I could probably hold out a few days, faking some sickness to keep some distance from the girls."
But, with a sweatdrop, she added, "But, if it comes to a battle... I'm DONE for. I can't even walk in high heels, much less use Venus powers."
"Well...crap," Artemis finallyadmitted, sitting back down on his haunches. "Any idea on how long it'll take your friends to find you?" he asked, suddenly blinking. "Wait...if you can't use Venus powers, how did you transform?"
"Well, I knew how to use transform from watching the show... that was easy," Ryder began while absentmindingly scratching Artemis behind the ears, like she does with her cats at home.
"But, I don't know how to use the powers... I don't even know how to detransform," she said with another sigh.
Artemis purred slightly pushing into the attention instinctively, though the reaction seemed a little subdued. "Detransforming should be a simple act of will, Minako's never done anything particularly special about it..."
Stopping the earscratching, Ryder shakily stood up... "Before I do that... I have to do something first."
And she took a step... and nearly fell over again.
"Ah concrapit..."
Artemis laughed, standing up to follow Ryder. "What do you need to do? And why don't you try taking the shoes off? I'm not sure if it's possible, but it might work."
"I need to learn to walk in these things..." she said before taking another disasterous step, this time, sending her into a rather painful looking split...
Of course, it wasn't very painful, it just looked like it hurt.
Artemis sweatdropped, shaking his head. "Crazy...you alright? That looks a tad painful," he said concernedly, standing beside Minako. "Though I guess it's a good idea...and we have some time to kill."
And that's how it went for a few hours... Ryder would stand, and she would fall soon after. But, of course, each time she fell, she went a little further...
Soon enough, she got the hang of it. Not enough to run in heels, but at least, for now, she could walk in them decently enough. It was now 7:15.
OK... Just... will it away.
And with some focus, the Venus outfit disipated, and Ryder smiled warily as she said, "That's better... But, that's only one problem." She then walked towards the stairs to get ready for school.
Artemis followed Ryder upstairs, yawning in a deicdedly cat like manner, being a cat. "What're the others? Well, besides your identity."
"One of my problems," Ryder said as she walked into her room and opened her closet, "is having to wear this all day."
And out she pulled Minako's seifuku...
"Yah gotta remember, I'm a guy inside."
Artemis sweatdropped, nodding. "Yes, that would be a little challenging, wouldn't it...uhm...at least you have the body for it?" he offered lamely, watching Ryder.
"I know that's not much, but it DOES mean you aren't really cross-dressing...sorta..."
With a bit of a sigh, but not a sad one with the silly look on her face, she replied, "Y'know, that's probably the only good thing out of this. I mean, I'm not exactly the most in-shape person I know. Unless "in-shape" means "in the shape of a bowling ball."
Lying the seifuku neatly on her bed, she then grabbed a towel, and added, "Time for problem numero tres!"
Artemis laughed nervously, his eyes obviously a little wild. "Do you want my help on this one? Or should I just stay out of the way?" he asked, somehow managing to fidget nervously.
"I think... I can handle this one. Though, if you hear any weird noises coming from the shower, don't be alarmed. I may have touched a sensitive spot," Ryder replied a bit nervously as she walked out of her room towards the bathroom.
Artemis nodded sagely, though his apparent nervousness wasn't reduced. "More than I really wanted to know, but right."
15 minutes later, because even though Ryder is a master at 5-minute showers, she had some new experiences to deal with, Ryder stepped out of the bathroom, the towel wrapped appropiately around her.
"Well... that was... odd..." was all she could say as she walked towards her room.
"Not going to ask..." Artemis simply said, marching out of Minako's room and past the new girl, giving Ryder further privacy. "Because I'll probably get kicked if I do. If you have a question, yell it through the door."
And thus, Ryder went through the process of changing... of course, this will be censored for those that are perverts.
However, a few minutes in, Ryder's loud voice cried out, "Damnit, how do I get this <bleep> <bleep> bra on!!"
"You reach behind your back, and hook it together. It's not that hard," Artemis called back, snickering slightly. "If you're REALLY having trouble, you could clip it around your waist, and then pull it up into place..."
"That's easy for you to say, you're not the one with breasts!" Ryder shouted at her cat as the audible struggling continued...
Until, at last, a triumphant "Whoooooooooooooooooo!" was heard. And of course, being that Ryder is a fan, the above "Whooooooooooo!" was done in the style of the "jet flyin, limo ridin, wheelin' dealin' son of a gun, the Nature Boy, Ric Flair."
Which of course, Ryder proceeded to explain to Artemis through the door as the experience continued.
Artemis nearly fell over at the explanation, shaking his head in amused exasperation.
"No, I'm not the one with breasts, but Minako's never seemed to have trouble with it, so why would you? Most of the remarks I here tend towards shoulder flexibility..."
"DUH! I'm not used to them..." Ryder replied as some shelves were audibly closed...
And the door opened, revealing that Ryder didn't do badly with changing. It looked a bit unkept, but, what can one expect from someone who was changing into this for the first time.
"I wouldn't know," Artemis answered, yawning again. "Argh, why'd you have to wake me up so early, eh? Whyever WERE you awake at that undecent hour in the first place?"
Standing up on his hind leg, and supporting his forward ones on Ryder's knees, Artemis very carefully took the hem of the skirt, tugging on it slightly to straighten out the waist, then hopping back down."Plan on keeping the bow out of your hair today?"
Walking back into the room, and taking a seat at her vanity, Ryder replied, "I told you... I had a massive nightmare. Well... 2 massive nightmares, but one of them I'm trying to block from my memory."
While sitting down, she started to go through the drawers to find a scrunchy for her hair, saying, "As for my hair, you know that I would have absolutely no chance of tying a bow in it without it looking horrible..."
A white scrunchy was easily found at the bottom of one of Minako's droors, obviously not used in a couple years.
"True...anything else you expect trouble with...Ryder?" Artemis asked, curiously watching his new charge.
Hearing Artemis actually say her name made her stop ponytailing her hair using the scrunchy...
"Yeah, one thing. As much as I like being called Ryder, it pains me to ask you to call me Minako. I need to get used to hearing that as my name for a while..." she said a bit sadly.
Artemis shrugged. "True enough, Minako," he answered, humming.
"Oh yeah...you mentioned you had friends this happened to...know anything about them? Will they work with you?"
"Well, I know who they are outside of thier new forms, if that's what you're asking," Ryder replied as she finished scrunchying her hair...
And upon seeing herself in the mirror, she knew she had one task to accomplish that there was no chance in hell of her doing without help... makeup.
"Crap..."
"What's wrong?" Artemis asked curiously, hopping up onto Minako's bed.
"And is there anything I'd want to know about them? Can we trust them? Do you suspect they'll be capable helpers?" He shot the questions out fast, but paused to let Minako answer.
"Ok... 1) They're mostly very odd people...
1st, we have Kwok. He's a bi... lemme rephrase that, he's a MAJOR womanizer, and somewhat of a coward. However, he's never backed down from a major fight, and usually enjoys it to tell the truth.
2nd, is Cy... To tell the truth, I don't know much about him. He's a bit of a loner, and will tend to be very close to his Fiancee in battle. If Ra-chan is taken out, he might go insane.
3rd, of course, is Ra-chan. She's very playful, and no stranger to fighting... but, she may be too close to Cy to be much help if we're in danger unilaterally.
Next we have Shuk... Shuk's our quiet, reflective type... Doesn't say much, and usually doesn't do much either. Though, when push comes to shove, we'll be able to count on him.
Then there's Rat... Rat's just completely f'n insane Artemis... I mean, he's got an imagination and ego the size of Texas. But, I know for a fact that he's reliable, smart, and willing to go balls out to fight.
Ginny's sort of the veteran of the group... He's willing to fight, but is more of the strategic type, and likes to outwit, outlast, and outplay his opponent in a game of human chess, rather than to go balls out.
May-chan is an interesting type... She'll fight, and she'll fight well, but if my Lil' Sister gets hurt, she, like Ra-chan and Cy, may lose her focus on the battle.
Finally, we have my annoying Lil' Sister, Bean. Note that Bean's not really my sister, but the characters we played were family. Bean's probably the most even-keeled of the group. Not as much of a thinker as Ginn, but more than able of thinking on the fly. Not as balls out as Rat, but still able to fight without a plan. His weakness will be May, because if she gets hurt, he might lose focus."
Taking a breath before continuing, she added, "Can they be trusted... Yes, I can trust them. I can trust that they'll not betray Order and that they'll be capable in the battle ahead." Saying all this, she started to pet Artemis unconsiously, looking at the box of makeup in front of her.
Artemis nodded, frowning slightly as he processed the information. He relaxed and began to purr slightly as Minako petted him, laying down on the bed.
"So...they're all trustworthy, and most sound like they'd know their way around a fight to some degree...no clue on what kind of bodies they'll end up in?"
"No... Chaos probably wanted it that way... makes it so much harder for us to find each other," Ryder said...
Artemis nodded, humming. "Yeah, that makes sense...well, maybe their emergence caused some sort of distrubance Ami could detect...it's a long shot, but it'd be really good if we could find them...prefferably before Rei and Luna figure out you're not Minako."
"That's a good idea... One I should have thought of actually," Ryder replied as she smiled to her advisor and gave him a good rub on the head.
Oh God, if Luna finds out I'm not Minako...
And with that, Ryder's mind spirals into a vision involving Luna, the Spanish Inquisition, and a Comfy Chair... well, maybe not the comfy chair. More like The Machine from the Princess Bride actually...
And with that vision, Ryder shuddered...
Artemis eyed the makeup in front of Minako, frowning again, soon to be interrupted by the head rubbing. "Mmm..hmm...you could probably make a bogus excuse that you got up too late to put that stuff on with being kinda sick and all, if it's a problem..." Artemis offered, looking up at Ryder. "Unless you Do know your way around a makeup kit..."
With a bit of a sarcastic look on her face, Ryder replied, "What do you think? Of course I don't know my way around a makeup kit... Though, your excuse for it makes enough sense..."
"Pfft, why do you think they made me a lunar cat? Luna couldn't bullshit her way out of something if it meant her fur, and she CARES for that fur," Artemis snickered, grinning. "And I have no idea what were like in whatever other world you came from, for all I know you could be a cosmetology major of some sort."
"Oh please, if you wanna know, I'm a Mass Communications major... I'm trying to someday make it as a sports announcer. But, that's the last thing on my mind right now. Hell, if I'm stuck like this; and trust me, even with as much respect I've gained for you over the last few hours, I don't wanna be stuck like this; I might have to end up dealing with Minako's dreams," Ryder rambled as she stood up, deciding that she'll use Artemis' excuse for the lack of makeup, and study how to do it when she got home.
Artemis blinked, eyeing Minako. "Erm...dare I ask...what ARE in her dreams?" he inquired, standing up to follow the young woman when she left the room.
With a shudder, Ryder replied, "That's not quite what I had meant... I meant that I'd have to deal with what she wanted out of her life."
"But, I suppose that's for another day, isn't it?" Ryder mentioned as she went into the kitchen looking for waffles...
"Ahhh..." Artemis nodded, following Minako closely. "Yeah...for the moment it seems, dreams will go on the backburner..." he answered absently.
Waffles were to be found in the freezer, odd enough considering there didn't seem to be all that much western food in the Aino home. The expected accesories were about as well.
"Success!" Ryder proclaimed as she pulled a pair of waffles out of the freezer and popped them into the toaster...
With a few minutes to spare, Ryder said to Artemis nonchalantly, while petting him on the head, "Hey... 2 things... What's your impression of me so far, and where do they keep your food?"
Artemis purred slightly as Minako petted him, looking up at the blond curiously.
"That's a rather loaded combination of questions, and they keep my food in the drawer by your knee."
"Thanks..." Ryder said as she reached down and opened the drawer.
Thankfully for Artemis, not that he couldn't get the food himself, but Ryder knew how to feed cats. She had 4 of them at home to feed twice a week (3 people, 7 days to feed... Ryder got lucky).
So, after setting out the food, she replied to the first inquiry by saying, "I know you miss Minako, that's not in question. I'm not going to replace her, and hopefully, once my mission is complete, she'll return to you. But, in the meantime, we're stuck together, so I just wanna know what you think of me..."
Artemis shrugged, humming as he began to eat. "Wall...gack," he muttered around a mouthful of cat food, quickly swallowing. "Hmm...you seem nice enough, and not evil...I can't really think much of you, since we've only known each other for a few hours. We'll just have to see as our situation develops."
And then... The waffles popped up!
Ryder quickly made herself a peanut-butter waffle sandwhich for herself, a morning staple for her, and began to eat.
After finishing, Ryder gave a quick look at the time, and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth, freshen up, and of course, scream at her nearly accepting the fact that she might not get back...
"What was THAT?" Artemis yelled into the bathroom once Ryder finished screaming, some alert and concern coming to light in his voice. Scratching at the door, he sat down. "Something wrong?"
Opening the door, Ryder looked a little shaken up, but better than one would think after such a scream...
"Nothing's wrong, I just needed to get that out of my system before I went to school," she said with a bit of solomny in her voice.
"Right..." Artemis sighed, padding along with Minako. "Don't forget your satchel, I think it's under the table in your room," he provided, trying to look casual.
"Thanks Artemis," Ryder replied as she went into her room to find the offending satchel...
"Anything else I should be getting that Minako usually brings?" she asked while looking under her table.
"Mmm...besides what's in your satchel, not that-Oh! I'm such an idiot sometimes...your communicator, it should be on your dresser...looks kinda like a clalculator, y'know?"
Sighing at himself, he yawned and stretched. "I hate getting up that early...probably why I missed it." Shrugging, he sat down.
"Actually, I do know what the communicator looks like..." Ryder replied as she pulled out the satchel and grabbed the communicator off her dresser.
"I suppose I'm ready now..."
Suddenly, Ryder's satchel rang.
More precisely, a small cell phone within it began ringing, and the new Senshi of love answered. "Moshi Moshi?"
A sort of brusque, unrefined female accent comes back down the phone, though it sounds a little unsure of itself. "Uh, is this Minako Aino?"
Ryder was not much better, still getting used to being Minako... However, since this seemed to be a voice she didn't know from Sailor Moon, she relaxed and replied, "Yeah, you've got her..."
"Oh, good," replies the voice. "Are you.. well.. not where you should be, in a manner of speaking?"
Blinking at the question, she asks, "Uh, if you're a narc trying to get me, I'm on my way to school! Hell, it hasn't even started yet..."
"Oh. That's not what I meant," replies the voice. "Does the word 'Soulriders' mean anything to you?"
Ryder's eyes suddenly dropped from being happy, with a bit of anger mixed in, to dead seriousnes, as she replied, "Yeah, I know it... Who are you, and what the hell do you want?"
"So touchy," observes the voice. "I'm Carthrat. Who the hell are you?"
Ryder suddenly was happy... Extremely happy... VERY INCREDIBLY HAPPY... as she said, "RAT-BASTARD!!! Thank God!"
"Hah! 'Thank God', indeed.." replies Carthrat, chuckling.
"Hey, out of all of us, there are worse people that could find me first... like Kwok... and Kwok... and did I mention Kwok?" Ryder replied as she smiled to Artemis, mentioning to him, with her hand over the reciever, "It's one of the others..."
"I don't think anyone else got a list of names to search for, though," replies Carthrat, flatly. "By the way.. have you had a shower yet?"
"What kind of question is that? Of course I took a shower... it was... interesting..." Ryder replied, a bit of a blush forming at that last part.
"Interesting? It was.. educational," replies Carthrat, blushing a little herself.
"Yeah... definately..." Ryder added, still thinking about why it took her a while to finish.
"But, uh, that's not what I'm supposed to be talking about. Nonono. Ok. Ok. First, are you in one piece? Had any weird shit happen to you so far?"
"Oh, yeah... forgot to mention... If you haven't guessed by now, my name is," Ryder said before taking a deep breath, "I am known as Valetinez Alkalenela Zeehock Sushira Boherez Gombigomela Blue Stradavari Tralentrent Pierre Andre Charttenhemos E'Vonnivitchi Baldos George Doitzel Kaizer The Third... And you've already called me, haven't you Rodent-chan?"
"I'll call you Ryder for short," replies Carthrat, flatly.
"Aww... How'd you guess it was me?" Ryder replied with a hint of disappointment in her voice...
"Because nobody else speaks like that," replies Carthrat, nodding to herself. "Except maybe Kwok."
"Don't you dare compare me to him..." Ryder warned, before remembering Rat's question, "Well, besides a missing piece that I miss so much, I'm in one piece. And, I've had a couple of twisted nightmares, fell over about 20 times trying to learn to walk in heels, and have to go back to high school... other than that, it's been peachy keen."
"High school? You ain't going to school! We've got stuff to do!" exclaims Carthrat.
"I know that very much, but if I don't go, then the other Senshi will find me out, and I don't want that to happen yet..." Ryder replied, annoyance in her voice...
"Call in sick," replies Carthrat, flatly.
"Har har, that would bring Usagi over to try and make me feel better..." Ryder replied, equally flatly...
"I don't know. Make something up. Or you could just come clean with them. Though they'll probably try and exorcise you or something. Anyway, that doesn't matter just now. You seen anything called 'Steel Angels' or something?"
"No, I haven't... why?"
"Well, someone we know is from that series. Except, I don't know, she's in stasis or asleep or something, in a temple on the outskirts of Juuban.And, y'see, if Chaos or wheover gets to her first, I think she can be turned against us. Now, Remy is the one who told me this. He also told me who you were, along with a few other people."
"But I think it's absolutely crucial that we get to this person before anyone else does."
"It is important... we can't lose anyone to Chaos... Except Kwok."
"Ryder," snaps Carthrat, "Don't joke about that."
"I know, I know... Don't give me the Lunar Inquisition, alright?" Ryder replied, her serious tone and look returning...
"Right. Anyway, the first thing we have to do is *find this temple*."
"All I know is that it's on the outskirts of Tokyo, around the Juuban area."
"Look.. oh, yeah. I'm Ritsuko from.. Those Who Hunt Elves, that's it. Ra-chan is with me; she landed Yomiko Readman. The other people I know of are Sakura Kinamoto, and Tsuruko Aoyama. We're going to try contacting them, and then try and find some place to meet."
"You CAN use my place I suppose... My... Uh, Minako's parents are out of town on work related business, so we could meet here if you can find it."
"Well, you're the one who lives there. I'll get the address off you when we're ready to move."
"Look, after I've contacted as many people as I can, I'll try and get us all to Juuban so we can search for this temple place."
"Alright, that sounds like a plan O'Fearless Leader... In the meantime, I've got to try and keep myself from being found out today. I'd rather have some proof of my identity when Luna finds out..."
"Sure you'll have proof. Us. And don't you have some cat of your own?"
"Of course I do," Ryder replied as she started to pet Artemis, "But, do you honestly think she'll believe him? You watched the series, you know how much faith Luna has in Artemis..."
"Well. Actually. I didn't watch the series," replies Carthrat, flatly.
Ryder quickly whispered, "No offense..." to her cat before replying, "Oh great... well, feel lucky you've got someone who doesn't need to prance around in a CFM outfit to get her powers."
"You do have a point," replies Carthrat. "But any moron can use a gun. Only you can do what you do."
"And of all of them, I had to get stuck with the one I liked the least... Why couldn't I have been Ami or something. Then I wouldn't have to act brainless..."
"On the other hand, if we need to seduce someone, you've got all the equipment necessary."
"Har Har Rat... Go Fuck Off And Die..."
"I'll be doing that. I'll phone you again when we've got our plans sorted out...Oh, yeah. You wouldn't know anything about what's happening yourself, would you? Remy contacted me, I guess something else could've contacted you.. or something."
"Nothing contacted me... I've been in the dark, except for the post-armageddon nightmare..."
"Ok. Any questions, queries, or doubtful points?"
"I think it was my own self-esteem getting in my way... Or, maybe it was a wake-up call..."
Carthrat blinks. "Um.. nightmares? Self-esteem?"
"Sorry... just rambling a bit... No, I don't think there's anything else... Besides, of course, who's phone this is..."
"Oh! I forgot to mention. I'm with Nenene Sumiregewa, in Yomiko Readmans apartment. It's Nenene's mobile. Heaven knows how much of a bill I've put on it." She hesitated. "Here, I'll give you her number."
Ritsuko hesitated a moment, then read off a string of numbers to Minako.
Ryder smiled and replied, putting her pen back into her bag, "Good... Now, if I had actually seen RoD, that would mean something..."
"Well, no time to worry about the specifics. Try and get out of school."
"I'll be seeing you later. Hopefully."
"Yeah... I'll try and cook up something, but, it'll be hard..."
"Well. Stay safe, and all."
*Click*
Ryder closed her cell phone, and sighed...
Suddenly, as Ryder was about to walk out the door, she saw the TV, and it triggered her memory... "Oh shit, I do know that! Fuck me!" she exclaimed as she pulled her cell out and dialed Nenene's number quickly. The phone rang, and an older woman's voice answered. After Minako identified herself Ritsuko's voice returned.
"What? Forget something?"
"Of course I forgot something you idiot, I wouldn't be wasting her minutes if I didn't..."
"Haw haw."
"Yeah... it's all coming down this weekend, at the Tokyo Dome. It looked to me like it was something like ULTRA... Oh God, please tell me you've read ULTRA."
"Not only havn't I read it, I've never heard of it."
"OK... think... you're going to hate this... WWF with Anime"
"I somehow doubt we'll be restricted to wrestling," notes Carthrat.
"Of course... but, that's the style I think it's going in... And it's going to be TELEVISED."
"Er.. right," replies Carthrat. "Televised, you say? Well.. all we need to do is win, right?"
"After that, it doesn't matter."
"Yeah... But, now you know... Tokyo Dome, this weekend... And, we're probably going to be facing other characters we know too." Upon further rememberance, she added, "This was BS... Chaos made the commercial, and then decided to have f'n AMELIA beating me... I'm going to maul him just for that..."
"Amelia? Y'know, when you think about it, she's not all that different to a sailor senshi.."
"Except that we're alot better... the CFM suit does more than make us look like we're dying for attention. I tried it this morning... you get a nice little strength and speed boost, and there's a rush you get when..." Ryder stopped her bullet-train of thought, and added, "Rat, when you see me, make sure to slap me, OK?"
"Huh. Ok."
"I guess I lucked out. Ritsuko doesn't have any weird baggage or odd destiny traits or any of that junk."
"Check that, I'm going to slap you for bragging..."
"Whatever. Anything else you forgot?"
"Thankfully, no... I'm late, and you've probably have already figured out other people, right?"
"Er, we're working on it."
"Riiiiiiiight.... Tell Ra-chan that I'm asking her to keep you in line..."
Carthrat's voice drops to a whisper. "Between you and me, I've had just about enough of that sort of treatment."
Ryder giggled and replied, "It's all cool man... Out of everyone, I don't know who I'm scared most of, Luna or Chaos..."
"Heh. Well, be seeing you."
"Yeah..."
*click!*
Artemis seemed a little more upbeat with the news that they'd been contacted by Ryder's friend, his tail swishing in a recurving motion across the floor. "So...what's the new situation? And when do we get to give Luna enough evidence that you're you that she has a seizure trying to say you're a youma?"
Thinking a bit, she said, "Well, for one thing, we have a member who's trapped in a temple outside of Juuban... If we don't get to them first, they may switch sides."
"Secondly, Rat wants me to skip... But, I can't do that or else I'll have Usagi over "trying to make me feel better' and that scares me almost as much as your female counterpart..."
"Third, Rat's evidence is going to be the united front of us all... which will not be enough, so I gotta find something... I wish I could contact Order."
Artemis frowned, his tail thumping slightly on the ground as he moved it about nervously. "Well...you could try the 'family emergency', but they might get even angrier otherwise...or just a 'personal emergency' that you don't have time to talk about, THAT certainly could be true...you'd have to deal with them eventually, but that'll happen anyway."
Artemis sighed, humming. "As for the proof...well, we'll have to deal with that when it comes up, and hope for the best...oh, and if you pull a 'personal emergency', you're taking me with, I do NOT want to try and explain what's going on to Luna..."
"That idea might work... and trust me Artemis, I wouldn't just leave you behind to face the Lunar Inquisition alone. That might be regarded as cruelty to animals..." Ryder said with a small smile on her face as she pulled out her cell again, looking for a number to reach Usagi...
Artemis nodded, sighing in relief.
Usagi's phone number was readily found on the list of numbers contained in the phone, there were actually two related to her. One was the Tsukino home number, and the other labeled as Usagi's mobile.
*ring ring*
*click* Moshi moshi.
Usa-chan, g'mornin'!
Mina-chan? Good morning! What's up? I'm going to be a little late to our meeting spot, gomen.
That's ok... Listen, can you let the others know that I'm not gonna be in today?
Um...okay. But why? Are you sick? Should I come over and make you feel better?
Nononono, I'm not sick... It's just that an emergency came up and I need to take care of it today...
Alright...do you need any help? Some of us could stop by if you need it.
No, it's fine... It's something I need to do on my own...
I guess...but call us if you ned any help, 'kay? That's what friends are for!
Thanks Usa-chan, I'll let you know if I need any help... Though, can you let Ami know that I'm going to need her notes for the day?
Sure! I'll tell Ami when I see her. So see you tomorrow morning?
Yeah, I hope that this all clears up quickly...
Okay! Bye! *giggles*
Ja-ne Usa-chan... *click*
Hanging up her phone, Ryder smiled at her cat, "Alright, Operation Missing Errant has begun," she said before marching back to her room to change into something... not so fuku-ish...
Artemis snickered, nodding and following Minako until the new girl entered ehr room. "Alright, did you get any idea where to head from your friend? Or are we going to have to find out some other way?"
Through the shuffling of clothes, Ryder could be heard replying, "I don't quite know... but, I could give Rat a buzz real quickly if I needed to. Oh who knows, the temple my drop right into our laps..."
"I wouldn't rely on luck," Artemis called back warily, looking a little worried. This was chaos they were fighting. "I'd suggest calling your friend again, and getting the info from him."
The door suddenly opened, and out stepped Ryder, saying, "Yeah, I'll give Rat a call in a few hours..."
It was a white sweatshirt, with a red vest overtop, and a pair of black jeans. Her feet were covered by a pair of black zipper boots, and she was also wearing a golden chain around her neck.
"Ready to go Artemis?"
"Yeppers," Artemis replied, eyeing Minako up and down, one cat eyebrow raised curiously.
"Interesting," he commented, grinning. "I know this may be a bad time to ask, but...even if you're new to being a girl, isn't it a little early to start experimenting with Minako's boy hunting?"
Artemis was practically flying down the hallway as he finished the sentence. He may have been dumb enough to tease, but not dumb enough to stick around.
OOC: Thanks for the quote, Bean! ^_^ *insists on shifting some blame in SOME direction >.>*
Twitch... Twitch... Twitch...
After about 5 seconds of said twitching, Ryder suddenly shouted, "I'm going to get you Artemis!!!" With that said, she quickly started to chase after her cat...
"Hey! Don't forget we have something to do today!" Artemis yelled, diving under the dining room table.
"We should get going, right Minako?" he asked, a little desperately.
Ryder grinned and replied, "That's right... but remember Artemis, I know where you sleep at night," as she grabbed her purse rather reluctantly.
I'll never get used to this...
However, as she opened the door, she muttered, "And I hope I don't have to," while walking out the door, leaving it open for Artemis to come out to join her...
Artemis followed, staying quiet but smirking slightly. Before going after Minako though, he nudged the door closed, and then leaned on it until it at least looked shut.
And so they were off to Juuban, hoping to survive the experience.