Shop 'til you drop! ~ Lindy and David

[Tsukino Usagi]

If you'd asked her, ten years ago, what her life would be like at twenty six, Usagi would have had one very specific answer. She would be married to Mamoru, and they would have been awaiting the birth of Crystal Tokyo, and later, their daughter. Fortunately for her, life had other ideas. Things had not worked out that way, and honestly? Usagi could not have been happier. Alright, so she probably could have been, but that was beside the point. Things were just fine the way they were now. She was still working and making money, she had a secure place to live and the means to support herself; which was something she honestly would not have thought possible, if not for the fact that she had accomplished it. She still spent time with her parents, and even her brother. Occasionally, her mother would drop hints about wanting a grandchild, but that just wasn't something she was worried about right now. Who knew? Maybe she'd never have a baby.

Of course, she had bigger things to concentrate on than having a baby. Specifically, there was the fact that she was currently single, not to mention the fact that she likely would be for quite some time. Oh, yes, she had had a few casual dates since Mamoru's return to America, but nothing that had really amounted to much. Besides, she had her friends, and the people she knew from work, so why did she need a relationship? The answer was simple; she didn't. That didn't mean that she was against the idea, it simply meant that she had yet to find someone she had any interest in pursuing something more meaningful with. At least not on this planet, anyway. Rolling her eyes, Usa pushed that thought out of her mind before it even got started. She couldn't afford to start thinking about her again. After-all, wasn't she the catalyst that made Usagi realize how silly her whole situation with Mamoru had been?

Anyway, she was here with one very specific purpose. Today, she was determined to drag Lind and David shopping, in the hopes that they would learn to be a little less serious all the time. Now, she had nothing against being serious, but there was a time and a place for everything. And as far as she was concerned, the two of them needed to learn to loosen up a little. And who better to show them, than Usagi? Nobody, that was who! Well, Minako was a possible exception to that, but she hadn't seen or heard from Mina in ages, so that was out of the question. For this fabulous outing, Usa had chosen a pair of comfortable jeans, a pink tank top with a bunny's face across the chest, and her favorite pair of sandals. Naturally, her hair was in its usual odango'd style. Someday, she might think of changing it, but for now, the familiarity was comforting.

[The Horned Frog]

He was definitely out of his element here. Civilian clothes made the Foreigner feel like he was wearing a different skin. A skin that he didn't care for since the Tartalians had arrived on Earth. For the longest time, he was tucked away on New Masada Island, planning and preparing for the Imperium. That was a twenty-four, seven job. He had to promptly retire from any sort of social life, suspend his vigilante activities, and bear different burdens from the ones he had when he started 'playing the game'.

His role was now ambassador of humanity and in a sense, the guardian of Earth. It was not a title that he had wanted. However, who else would take the responsibility? Internally, he shook his head. He could not think these thoughts, not now. These what if scenarios needed to wait.

Sporting a black t-shirt, a pair of loose blue jeans, and a pair of black Etnies, he was somehow able to blend into the world again. It had been so long since he had worn such casual attire. Looking to his left and right, he trailed behind Usagi - the person who had invited him to go shopping in Shibuya. It was funny how many people were walking by the former and current guardians of the planet and not noticing. Which gave The Horned Frog a thought.

Since Ms. Tsukino essentially looked the same when she was Sailor Moon as well, it raised an eyebrow with him. Really weird how people didn't notice these things. Perhaps, in defense of no one noticing, she was able to keep her face obscured or somehow changed her complexion slightly to keep those identities separate. He needed to ask her about that sometime.

So how did David find himself following Usagi? Simply put, she had invited him from his hideaway with nothing more than wanting a good time and a chance for he and Lind to 'chill out'. Even though he wouldn't call himself a stiff any way, shape, or form...Lind was a different story. No, she wasn't a stiff either, but she was far more serious than he was.

Thinking of the Valkyrie herself, Lind was devoted to her training and teaching her respective students. David would occasionally have his close friends brought to New Masada, while spending a little downtime with the Tartalian Princess herself. To the point where she was comfortable with being a simple Tartalian girl. Whatever that may be, since he was human and she was alien. Although the Tartalians acted very much like humanity...if it got its act together and decided to let a royal family lead them like the despots of yesteryear. Unfortunately, David was not too keen on the royal family concept. It just doesn't gel well with human nature.

Crossing his arms over his chest as he kept walking, David gave a rather awkward facial expression. With a small, complete opposite tone of voice than his usual gruff and gritty usage, he spoke out to the semi-retired champion of justice. "<I appreciate you bringing me out, Ms. Tsukino...but I'm not sure if I fit in with your concept of having fun...>" The Horned Frog spoke in Japanese, alluding to the fact that she was going shopping with both a hardened vigilante and the goddess of extreme violence.

However, if David was feeling awkward, he could not feel how alien Lind was feeling about this situation. The Valkyrie has only known fighting and training. The goddess knew how to keep her composure, but the scenarios that usually play into shopping for clothing and other assortments don't end well with those unfamiliar with the concept. As long as things don't blow up or where Lind is hacking away with her battle axe, things should stay smooth and calm.

[Lind]

If David felt out of his element then Lind felt like she was on another planet that’s how out of place she felt going on this shopping trip as Usagi had put it. In hopes of getting her to stop being so serious. The small goddess had no idea how shopping was going to do such a thing with someone like her who pretty much spent all her time working non-stop at that. Lind didn’t really know what else to do other then work or train by herself to keep her on top of her game of course you never know what might happen at any second. She also didn’t have a social life being a workaholic didn’t allow such things and could you really picture her chatting with everyone about everything?

Unlike the other two Lind didn’t have street clothes she always wore the same thing she was dressed in her Valkyrie uniform which earned her a number of strange looks or it could have been the fact that the three of them looked very odd together? What was she suppose to do on this trip? Aside from chilling out whatever that meant. She never did get to ask Usagi how one chills out. “Agreed, I don’t understand the point in this trip how does it get me to be less serious or to chill out?” even saying the words sounded strange coming from her. She easily kept up with David even though he was far bigger then her and Usagi put together.

[Tsukino Usagi]

Her guests (or as the might refer to themselves, her victims) on this merry little adventure were not exactly what some might have expected. Once upon a time, it would have been Minako, Ami, Makoto and Rei beside her. Oh, how things had changed. But she didn't harbor any ill feelings toward the other girls. They had moved on and grown up, and so had she. And so, here she was, with Lind and David. Honestly, she wasn't entirely sure they were the best shopping associates, but at the moment, the need to loosen them up was more important than how well they would go along with that little scheme. This was going to be fun, she just knew it! If David was at all uncomfortable with walking around in civilian clothing and not being recognized for his other identity, well, Usagi could relate. Then again, she'd spent the better part of her school years doing the very same thing. It really was amazing what people were willing to overlook, wasn't it?

The sound of David's voice snapped her back to the present, and she turned her attention to the much taller male. Usagi couldn't help but grin at his choice of words. Oh, yes, he and Lind were totally right for her idea of fun. They just hadn't realized it yet. Well, the night was young, and they were all free for an evening of well-mannered frivolity. Or something like that. "Oh, don't worry!" she replied easily. "We're going to have so much fun... you'll see~" Yes, Usagi knew very well who she was out with, and yet, it didn't bother her in the least. Why should their status as heroes deny them a little fun now and then? In Usagi's opinion, it shouldn't. Yet, getting them to see it would probably be about as simple as getting Minako to quit flirting with everything that walked and breathed.

Lind's question was expected. Usagi had to smile at the taller woman. In all honesty, she kind of reminded her of another silver-haired woman she had known a long time ago. Then again, Yaten had been a Senshi, like herself, and Lind was the Goddess of War. There was a tiny difference there. Still. It could hardly hurt the woman to have a bit of fun every now and again. Right? "Have you never been shopping before, Lind-sama?" Usagi questioned brightly. Something told her the answer to that was a big resounding no, but it couldn't hurt to ask. Stranger things had happened, after-all!

[The Horned Frog]

Usagi's words of reassurance didn't really sit well with him. In fact, he was worried. Worried that some random villain would spring from the woodwork, causing his downtime to be cut painfully short. That would lead to Lind getting axe happy and prompting the said thug to soil his pants in fright, while David had to stand there and make sure Lind didn't hurt this person too much. As a counter to his initial argument, most places on Earth had been very quiet since the Tartalian arrival. An eerie quiet, like a calm before the storm sort of sensation. Any sort of supervillains or great plans of capturing power or obliterating places and people went to the wayside, especially with grave news of an incoming invasion.

He had to think optimistically here. The semi-active Sailor Senshi was helping him and Lind relieve stress in the best way he could. Yet since the early days, he was never quite comfortable with Usagi. Sure, she was at one time de facto leader of the Great Alliance, but he was held with the fact that she was supposed to be the Messiah. Rumors were spread around that the Earth would face a great crisis and that in the void and chaos of anarchy, she would be step in and become supreme ruler of the human race.

So far, that day never came. She never became Queen Serenity, and her comrades either retired to normal livelihoods or served as part-time members of the Great Alliance. He didn't believe in one savior. One person that can rule at worst thousands of people. As the wise saying goes, whoever holds absolute power is corrupted absolutely.

On the flip side, he was baffled by the way Usagi handled not having to be the 'chosen one'. She wasn't disappointed or angry that she didn't have her kingdom come forever and ever. Instead, she was highly content with accepting her part-time position and handing the keys to the Alliance to the Horned Frog. David remembered that day when Sailor Moon broke the news to the original seven. He recalled her smiling and asking the Foreigner to assume leadership based on his abilities and intangibles. Nodding in response, she thanked him. And a few years later, here they were. The Horned Frog was going into uncharted territory with new allies and a overwhelming challenge.

However, it was his responsibility now. Usagi trusted him without batting an eyelash. In a way, she was being the stress relief. A therapy, in a sense. Reacting to these thoughts, his expressions then softened. Placing a hand on the Valkyrie's shoulder, as he had the move to walking side by side with Lind, David offered his own reassurance. A change of heart, for lack of a better word. "<I believe Ms. Tsukino is wanting us to have some fun for a change. And here on Earth, most women like shopping, it may be the way to go.>" Rosenzweig added onto Usagi's question with a beaming smile. It was a terrible assumption, sure, but Lind had to have a feminine side sometime in her existence.

This is where David had to tightrope walk with his words. Lind wasn't a fan of talking about her past, or opening herself up for that matter. Luckily, the Foreigner knew how to get a halfway decent response out of her. And he had Urd and Peorth to thank for that. It was almost as if he had to take seminars to learn about the cyan haired warrior goddess. "<In your downtime in Yggdrasil, did anyone take you around for a walk or anything?>" He asked innocently, knowing well that Yggdrasil wasn't a place he stepped foot upon.

It was funny. The Horned Frog had presumed that Yggdrasil was like any other place in the cosmos, Earth included. Love, affection, sources of entertainment, dates, you name it. The Tartalians played by that rule, so it was be sound to think that the Yggdrasilians would embrace the same method of living and enjoying themselves. Which would make both races much like humanity, save for the negative aspects of the human experience. But for now, he wouldn't dwell too deeply on those thoughts. His mission now was ease Lind up. If successful, Usagi would coax that rare, beautiful thing that Lind hardly shows to anyone. And that would be her smile.