Another New Arrival The three paused at the door to give Bones a friendly nod, then they headed inside. Hitomi gave them a sweet smile, "Good evening, Haruka, Michiru." She noticed the tall, dark hared woman with them and smiled, "Welcome to Arisugawa's Locket." "Thank you," Setsuna said with a smile. She tried not to gawk as Haruka and Michiru led her inside, pointing out the sights. "There's Ryouko and Minagi over at the bar," Haruka gestured, "and the dance floor's just over there." She then helped them elbow through the crush of people expertly, making their way towards the long bar. "There's dining tables and a library," Michiru smiled, pointing those out, "and even kareoke if you're so inclined." Haruka grinned, and Michiru rolled her eyes. "I wasn't that bad," Haruka protested. "I thought you said I did a pretty good Elvis," she added, sounding hurt. "No," and Michiru smiled wickedly, "I said you were a king in the sack." Haruka blushed at that, and Michiru just smiled sweetly. "I don't think I want to know," Setsuna remarked coolly. "Well, well," Ryouko remarked as they reached the bar, "if it isn't the lovebirds." Without being asked she poured a whisky for Haruka and got a bottled tropical wine cooler for Michiru. She smiled at Setsuna, "What'll you be having?" "Sake," Setsuna asked for the first thing that came to mind. Ryouko quickly produced a bottle and saucer, but before she could say anything else she was called away up the bar. Minagi and Ryouko moved like poetry in motion, back and forth, up and down the bar. Bottles were twirled and tossed as friendly conversation was made, the cool women handling the crowds easily. It was quite entertaining to watch. "I'm still a little nervous about leaving Hotaru with Usagi," Setsuna admitted softly. "But Chibi-Usa wanted to have Hotaru over anyway, so what's the harm?" Michiru smiled. "Besides," she said to Setsuna with a bit more serious tone, "you really do need to take a bit more time for yourself." "Hey, Juri!" Haruka yelled, waving her hand over the heads of the crowd. Setsuna felt a bit of nervousness that she very quickly suppressed. She had heard a lot about Haruka and Michiru's friend Juri, but she hadn't really expected to meet her so soon. She turned to look out at the crowd, wondering how the legendary Arisugawa Juri would look like. The woman who came out of the crowd was as tall as Setsuna herself, but that was almost the only similarity. Her long, orange hair vibrantly caught the light, her clothes stylish and obviously expensive. She was clearly athletic, her slim body moving with an unconscious grace, but her face was her most arresting quality, her eyes confident and clear of deception. "Haruka, Michiru," Juri smiled at the two of them, a shaking of hands for Haruka and a gentle hug for Michiru. She looked over at Setsuna enquiringly. "Juri," Haruka smiled, "I'd like you to meet Setsuna." Juri gently took Setsuna's hand, and them with a bow smoothly kissed the back of it as she said, "I'm honored to meet you." Setsuna was a bit taken aback by the outrageousness of the gesture, but she smiled politely, "I've heard a great deal about you." Juri chuckled softly, looking over at Haruka and Michiru thoughtfully. Both of them tried to look as innocent as possible. "I'd advise taking anything they said with a grain of salt," Juri said to Setsuna with a sigh. Setsuna smiled back at her, and decided not to mention that most of what her friends had said was quite complimentary. "This is quite the place you have here," she remarked to Juri instead. "Thank you," Juri nodded. She seemed to be looking for something to say, when a noise from the dance floor distracted her. She craned her neck, then cursed softly. "Sorry," Juri said with a bow, "got to go." Juri pushed her way through the crowd, and then they could hear her yell out, "Videl! Ranma! If you two want to spar, take it outside!" "Is this place like this all the time?" Setsuna asked Haruka quietly. Haruka chuckled softly, "Not really. You should see it on a busy night." Setsuna sighed, "I walked right into that one." She took a moment to look around, taking in the odd group around her. Couples danced together, stood and talked, and sat together at the dining tables. One colorful trio really caught her eye. The redhead was eating her dinner with enthusiasm, while her companions watched indulgently. She paused, "Umi, Fuu, why aren't you eating?" Umi smiled, pushing her long straight hair back, "I'm not really hungry, Hikaru." Fuu took a little drink, "At least, not for food." Hikaru stopped eating, "Why didn't you tell me? I can always eat later." She bounced to her feet, grabbing her friend's hands, "Let's go upstairs!" A little smile teased at Setsuna's lips as Hikaru pulled the blushing Umi and Fuu towards the stairs, despite both girls being much taller than her. "Cute, huh?" a familiar voice mentioned from beside her. She quickly turned to see Makoto smiling at her. "Michiru mentioned you were coming here," Setsuna remarked. An auburn haired woman came up from behind Makoto, gently putting her hand on her shoulder. "A friend of yours, love?" she asked, looking over at Setsuna with a smile. "Haruna," Makoto smiled, gently taking her lover's hand, "I'd like you to meet Setsuna." Setsuna saw the happiness on her young friend's face, and fought a smile. "Nice to meet you," she said to her gently. Haruka and Michiru, she noticed, had slipped away almost as soon as Makoto had arrived. "Am I being chaperoned?" she asked her curiously. Makoto blushed. "Well, we wanted to make sure you'll be all right," she admitted, "Ami, Rei, Minako and Natsuna are all ready to help out." "I'm not a babe in the woods, here," Setsuna said, sweatdropping slightly. "Besides," she said with a slightly naughty look, "having you all watching over me rather defeats the point of my being here, hmm?" Haruna chuckled softly, while Makoto gave her a glare. "All right, you've got a point," Makoto admitted. Quietly, she added, "So have you seen anyone you're interested in?" Setsuna's first instinct was to say no, but instead she found herself asking, "What do you think of Arisugawa Juri?" The Staff: The bar's owner is Arisugawa Juri, from Revolutionary Girl Utena. Minagi and Ryouko are from the series Tenchi Muyo. Hitomi is from Escaflowne, the movie. And finally, Bones is from Cool Cat Studio at www.coolcatstudio.com Our Cast This Episode: Haruka, Michiru, Setsuna, Makoto, and Haruna are all from Sailor Moon. Videl is from Dragonball Z, Ranma is from Ranma 1/2, and finally Hikaru, Umi and Fuu are from Magic Knight Rayearth.
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