WHO: Usagi & Hotaru. WHAT: Playing the elevator game and bringing back a Cuddling Rainbow Kitten. WHEN: Monday. WHERE: The random building. WARNINGS: Probably none. STATUS: Closed/Started in gdocs, continuing in comments.
As much as she complained about school and chores and everything in between, Usagi did enjoy being a normal teenage girl. No more having to fight evil or worry about evil threatening to take over the galaxy or things like that. But once in awhile, she missed the action and the excitement of it. Mostly, she missed being able to help people.
So when she heard about this elevator game, she got curious and wanted to check it out. She heard that some of the realms they could go to weren't so bad, but some were quite dangerous. "You got your transformation pen just in case we need it?" she asked Hotaru as they stood outside the building that had appeared that day. She had told the younger girl about her plans that day and luckily, Hotaru agreed to accompany her on her impromptu trip.
*** Like her friend, Hotaru found she missed helping people too. While it was nice to be a normal, teenage girl with little to no worries and normal activities like going to school and chores, part of her did miss the action that came in the heat of a battle and the feeling that welled up inside of her when fighting alongside her friends. There was nothing that could quite compete with the feeling of cohesion and love that came with working together with the rest of the senshi. That bond...it was impossible to replace even with those she had come to know and care for here.
Usagi brought up the elevator game in conversation, asking Hotaru if she wanted to join the blond in an adventure that sounded a lot like one they may have experienced back home. Being that it was her Princess and Hotaru was sworn since birth to protect Serenity with her life if necessary, she would have gone with her regardless of her personal opinion. However, the game had caught her attention too and she had been considering asking Usagi to go with her if the blond in all her characteristic eagerness had not asked her first. Hotaru agreed without hesitation to go with her friend to check it out.
“Yes.” Hotaru dug in the pocket of her black skirt and pulled out the purple pen to show her. “I am ready when you are Usa-chan. Let’s go see what kind of trouble we can get into?” She offered what could only be considered her version of a mischievous grin and after a moment, she hesitantly slipped her arm through the other teenager’s.
*** Usagi nodded when she saw the purple pen. "Good, I got my brooch too," she pointed to it, which she kept it around her neck like a necklace. Though sometimes she attached it to her clothing. It kind of depended on what outfit she was wearing that day, but she always kept it on her person at all times. She hadn't needed it in awhile and hopefully she didn't need it anytime soon, but it was good to have just in case.
"Yes, let's go!" Usagi grinned, grabbing Hotaru's arm and leading the way into the building. She received the instructions on how to play this weird game and as soon as she began reading, she became so confused. "Wait... wha...?" she muttered and handed the paper to Hotaru. "This is so confusing. Maybe you'll understand it better." Hotaru was always smart. Usagi was, well, a bit of an airhead sometimes. She figured the other girl might be better at making sense of it.
*** Hotaru hoped she would not need her henshi pen either, but just in case? It was always better to be prepared. “Good,” Hotaru replied, nodding. It looked good as a necklace too and of course Hotaru noticed the change in arrangement of the brooch. She blushed as Usagi took her arm and tugged her into the building. They were handed the instructions and the raven haired girl led the way to the elevator. Not surprising, Usagi became frustrated
In a few seconds, she passed the paper off to Hotaru and the dark haired girl accepted it. “I don’t know-” Hotaru broke off as she studied the slip of the paper in her pale fingers. It was complicated and Hotaru understood why Usagi became confused quickly. “It tells us how to operate the elevator…” Hotaru trailed off. “‘We have to press the buttons in this order and following the directions we end up in...a different world?” Hotaru moved to press the button for the fourth floor and the elevator moved upwards.
*** Usagi was glad she had asked Hotaru to come along. She was sure she'd end up messing up the order somehow. She never was one for following instructions, especially ones that looked as complicated as the ones for this strange elevator game. "Okay, that makes sense, I guess," she nodded as and Hotaru entered the elevator and the black haired girl pushed the button and they began to ascend.
Usagi was doing fine, until they reached the fifth floor and some woman came in. According to the instructions, they were to not interact with her at all. They weren't even supposed to look at her, but even so, Usagi did not like the woman. "She's so creepy!" she whispered to Hotaru, moving as close to her as possible.
*** “Actually, not a single thing about these instructions do make sense, but I guess that is part of the game,” Hotaru offered in a small attempt at reassurance. “That it’s supposed to be all mysterious or whatever until we get to the tenth floor or the first.” Hotaru was worried about the mysterious part of it. The unexpected could be bad, but so far, in following the pattern, they seemed to be doing okay...until they hit the fifth floor and a creepy woman came into the elevator once the doors propped open.
Up until that point, Hotaru was proud of how Usagi was handling herself. She knew the other woman had an aversion to things like ghosts. When the woman slipped inside, Usagi moved closer to her and despite the seriousness of the situation, Hotaru blushed. “She is, but don’t speak to her, remember?” Hotaru whispered back, as quietly as possible. “We are doing good so far. If we keep it up, we will reach the end and find out what world we end up in.”
*** "Maybe you're right." Maybe nothing about this was suppose to make complete sense. Still, the instructions had been pretty confusing to Usagi.
There wasn't much in the world that Usagi didn't like, but ghosts were definitely one of them. Though she wasn't sure if this woman was indeed a ghost or not, she was still creeped out by her. "I know, but still." She was still scared and kept focused on Hotaru, and she found herself able to focus and keep calm in Hotaru's presence. She was so glad she asked her to come along. She probably wouldn't have done it on her own.
After making it to the final floor, they headed up to the tenth floor. The doors opened and she could see a long hallway with a gigantic window at the end. "Looks like we're here."