Chapter Text
Ottawa, ON, Canada
February 4, 2017
11:27 AM
"I'm not talking to Mii right now."
Rob Donaldson raised an eyebrow. "Why not?" he asked over his coffee cup.
"Her teams won yesterday."
"Playing what?"
"Basketball. The Hoops Classic games."
"Oh, right - the university matches. I didn't know you followed the varsity games."
Ami Mizuno smiled. "I don't, but it seems like everybody else in my classes does." She took a sip of her own coffee. "This coffee is so good. I understand that Hotaru likes it, too."
"Better than what comes out of my coffeemaker at home, right?" Rob took a quick sip of his coffee while Ami nodded. "Bridgehead is a local chain, and they do good coffee. I don't know what I'd do if they ever got bought out by one of the big chains."[1] He put his coffee cup down. "But you wanted to talk where everybody else couldn't overhear us."
"I did, yes."
Ami took a long, slow drink from her cup.
People walked past the coffee shop, neither knowing nor caring what was happening on the other side of the shop's front window.
He didn't rush her.
"Ever since the emotional hold over us was broken, I've had trouble concentrating."
Concerned, Rob asked, "Have you talked with Washuu-chan about this?"
Ami nodded. "I have. She says there's nothing physically wrong with me."
"Ah. You're distracted by something."
Ami took a sip of her coffee. "Not something, Rob. Someone."
Rob took a sip of his own coffee, to give himself a moment to think. "Someone who lives at Blossom?"
"Someone I'm having coffee with."
Rob nodded in understanding. "Honestly, Ami, you aren't the only one. I've been distracted by somebody who I'm having coffee with, too."
"That love that was imposed on us." Ami took another drink of her coffee. "Shouldn't it have gone away when the effect was dispelled?"
Rob closed his eyes for a moment whilehe considered how to answer her. Finally, he said, "Ami, this is a personal question, so feel free to tell me that you don't want to answer it. Were you ever in love with anyone before we were controlled to be in love with each other?"
It took her a moment to answer. She whispered, "No."
"I thought as much. That's something else that the emotion control took from you: your first love. I doubt I'll ever forget my first love. She didn't love me back."
"Oh. I'm sorry."
"It was long ago. But you've been spared that rejection because I was made to love you as much as you were made to love me, and for that, I'm happy for you."
"But should I still have feelings for you?"
Rob took a drink of his coffee so that Ami couldn't see his smile. Finally, he said, "You're used to magic that disappears when the magician is defeated or otherwise stops the spell. That's a good thing in combat; if your magic didn't work that way, Minato would have been covered in fog by the time you took the battle against Beryl to D-Point." She smiled at the mental picture his statement created. "But most things don't work that way. Are you familiar with the term 'Ontological Inertia'?"
"This is the first time I've heard it, but I think I know what it means. Things don't simply stop existing."
He nodded. "Exactly. Ami, you and I were mind-controlled into loving each other. The emotions didn't disappear when the control was broken... but they didn't remain the same, either."
"So this is normal?"
"Well, I've never been mind-controlled before," he smiled, "but I have been in love. And it's normal for love to change over time. Friendship, comaraderie, affection, even eros; they're all different kinds of love."
Ami sighed in relief. "So I'm not slowly going mad."
"Well, if Caster was here, she'd probably be quoting Plato right now. He did say in Phaedrus that love is a mental illness, but he also said that love is the greatest blessing from Heaven. So, no, neither of us is going mad."
"Because we already are?" Ami grinned. Then she smiled. "Rob, if I understand you correctly, you're saying that I have some thinking to do about our relationship."
He was very happy that she was wearing her uOttawa coat and hat, and thus looked like a petite 18-year-old woman instead of her actual age – just in case somebody overheard their conversation. "We both have some thinking to do about our relationship, Ami. Right now, all that I'm certain of is that I want us to have one, but what sort of relationship that would be, well... I don't know."
"And if that love includes eros?" she asked, not completely teasingly.
"Then we wait. Ask Mii why."
"I'm not talking to Mii right now, remember?" They both laughed at that.
As Rob's laughter trailed off, he replied, "I hope you'll take more than just a weekend to think about all of this."
"I've already taken a month, even though I didn't realize that was what I was doing."
He nodded. "It can be overwhelming, can't it?"
"The circumstances behind me being in Canada don't help, either..." She stopped talking as somebody outside the coffee shop caught her eye.
He saw where she was looking, then looked outside to see an Asian girl with long hair who appeared to be a bit younger than Ami. She was carrying a large box or container of some sort, which she had wrapped her coat around... which showed that she was wearing a Tokiwadai school uniform.
"She'll probably talk to somebody her own age before she'd talk to me," Rob said. "Would you...?" But Ami was already out the front door. By the time he had his phone out, Ami was talking with the girl. He took a photo of the two of them through the window, and texted it to Mikoto Misaka and Kuroko Shirai with the question "Cosplayer or displacee?" and his GPS coordinates.
He just managed to put his phone back in his pocket when Ami led the girl into the coffee shop. "How did you find your way here?"
"I honestly don't know. We were walking home from the veterinarian's clinic when I noticed that the temperature had dropped and I didn't recognize any of the buildings in the area. After I wrapped my coat around Ecaterina's carry-cage, I stepped out from the alleyway I had found myself in to discover that I had no idea where I was. Then you stepped out of this shop and spoke to me, and you know the rest."
'Ecaterina's carry-cage'. Not a cosplayer, he realized. He smiled at both girls, then said, "Thank you, Ami; it would be a shame to let this young lady freeze to death in our climate." Then he turned to the other girl. "I suspect you're only carrying Japanese money. May I buy you a coffee or a hot chocolate, to help you warm up? You can pay me back once you've exchanged your cash for Canadian currency."
She looked at him with suspicion in her eyes. "Would you attempt to make a clumsy pass at me, knowing that I am ..." Rob and Ami joined in. "... Mitsuko Kongo of Tokiwadai?" Mitsuko looked shocked for a moment, then regained her composure and continued, "I see that my fame has spread to wherever this place is."
"Ottawa, Canada, Miss Kongo. And my name is Rob Donaldson; I'm pleased to meet you." He noticed an odd shimmering in the air behind her - one that he knew he wouldn't have seen if he wasn't wearing the glasses that Skuld had given him.
"May I ask how you heard of me, Mr. Donaldson?"
"We told him what a pain you can be sometimes," said the girl who hadn't been there a moment before.
Mitsuko turned on her heel and confronted the girl who had just spoken. "That had better have been a poor attempt at humour, Shirai-san."
Kuroko looked Mitsuko straight in the eye. "You know that I don't like how you try to take advantage of oneesama being friends with you." Then she smiled. "But it's good to see you again, Kongo-san."
"You are behaving oddly, Shirai-san."
Rob cleared his throat. "We'll explain later. Ms. Kongo, do you have a place to stay in Ottawa?"
"I didn't even know that I was in Ottawa, Mr. Donaldson."
"Well, then ..."
Kuroko interrupted Rob. "Oh, no. Don't you dare say ..."
He ignored her. "I run a residence for displaced people, including Ms. Shirai, Ms. Misaka, Ms. Uiharu, Ms. Saten, and Ms. Konori. We have a few available apartments."
"Aargh! You said it!"
"If you can tolerate the drama," he gestured toward Kuroko as he said that, "you're welcome to use one while you're here, within reason." He turned from Mitsuko to Kuroko. "Oh, and Shirai-san, she's your school-mate. You get to explain Refuge to her."
The glare that Kuroko gave Rob in reply was, in his opinion, priceless.
Blossom Apartments, Ottawa, ON, Canada
12:05 PM
"Welcome to Ottawa, Kongo-san!"
She blushed at having the attention of everyone in the room (save for Maika) focused on her. Using her folding fan to conceal her unease, she replied, "Why, thank you! There was no need to welcome me with a banquet, though."
Maika looked at her with lidded eyes. "This isn't a banquet, it's just lunch. All we did was set an extra place for you."
"Thank you, Maika," Rob said to the building's maid, in much the same tone of voice that Jim Hacker or Sir Humphrey Appleby would say "Thank you, Bernard" once per episode of Yes Minister. Turning to Mitsuko, he continued, "We normally have more people here for weekend luncheons, but some of your new apartment-mates are out shopping today." He looked around and failed to see any of the Misaka Sisters, then remembered that the firing range was open. "Or out practicing their hobbies, or whatever else it is they're doing right now. Feel free to choose whichever seat you want."
Mitsuko looked pensive at that invitation, then announced, "Oh, I wouldn't dream of encroaching on your hospitality by taking someone else's accustomed seat."
"Oh, that isn't an issue," Ami answered before Rob could. "We usually change seats every meal, just so we can talk with everyone else at least once a week."
"In that case, I accept your kind offer. But I should see to Ecaterina's well-being before I dine."
Rob nodded. "I suppose you should," he replied, dreading the response that he was sure was forthcoming from almost everyone else in the room.
Sure enough, when Mitsuko unwrapped Ecaterina's carry-cage, Maika, Kasumi, Mamoru, and all of the Sailor Senshi recoiled in fear... except for Ami. "Oh, she's lovely!"
"How can you say that, Ami-chan? That's a snake! Probably poisonous!"
"She isn't venomous, Usagi. She's a python." Ami moved toward the carry-cage, close enough to get a better look but not so close that she'd frighten the snake.
Seeing this, Rob cleared his throat and said, "Perhaps she could stay in your apartment for the moment, Ami-san. We'll figure out which apartment Kongo-san can use after lunch."
Mitsuko looked at Rob for a moment. "You appear to be uncomfortable in Ecaterina's presence, Donaldson-san."
"Not uncomfortable, just respectfully wary of an animal who could crush me if I'm not careful around her."
"She would never do that! I keep Ecaterina fed properly; she has no reason to hunt for food."
Rob smiled. "I'm happy to hear that, Ms. Kongo." Then he looked at the other people in the room, all huddled against the wall farthest from Ecaterina. "But it would probably be best for the harmony of the house if she was to refrain from joining us at meals, at least for a few days until everyone becomes comfortable in her presence."
Mitsuko nodded. "I understand the situation perfectly, Mr. Donaldson. Even in my dormitory in Academy City, there are some people who believe the stereotypes instead of the facts about pythons. But this reminds me; you mentioned Ms. Uiharu is one of your tenants, but I don't see here here."
"Kazari's out getting her laptop upgraded," Ruiko said before Rob could reply. "She said she's probably going to be at Piffle all day, and she'll get lunch at Chiroru."
"Ah. Then I am sure that her seeing Ecaterina again will be a pleasant ending to her day." Mitsuko turned to Ami. "Would you be so kind as to show me where Ecaterina will be staying for the moment?"
As Mitsuko, Ami, and Ecaterina left the room. Rob leaned over to Ruiko. "You've texted her?"
"I texted everybody about Kongo-san as soon as you all got back. By now, Hikari's telling Harley-san, Rin-san's telling Cassiopée-san, Kyoko-san's telling Holder-kūsa, Ui's telling Bob-san, Chika-chan's telling Brent-oji, and Tsubaki-san is telling everyone in the Hanagumi."
"Thanks. I'll still have to fill out a report, though." Then he turned to Rei Hino. "I thought you liked reptiles, Rei-san."
"Lizards! Small ones! Not snakes that can kill me!"
Before she could go into hysterics, Rob announced to the room, "Rei's gone bye-bye."
The Ghostbusters quote had the desired effect; Rei quickly said, "Don't you dare finish that line."
A few minutes later, everyone had relaxed and Mitsuko and Ami had returned. "Your lodging here is more spacious than my dormitory room at Tokiwadai, but less spacious than I am accustomed to at home. Are all of the apartments the same size as yours?"
"The ones that I've been invited to enter, yes," replied Ami. "Except for a few two-bedroom apartments, but those are all occupied by families."
Mitsuko did her best to hide her disappointment. "I see. Well, one must accept what is available."
"Shall we sit here?" Ami gestured to a four-person table, rather than the larger table that had been set for fourteen people.
"I would be delighted to join you for luncheon," replied Mitsuko as Mamoru held her chair out for her. Ami sat to Mitsuko's left, and Kuroko quickly took the seat opposite Mitsuko when she saw that Usagi was joining them to Mitsuko's right. "Even if one of the company might leave something to be desired." Mitsuko turned to Usagi. "And who might you be, miss?"
Before either of the Senshi could answer, Kuroko said with some satisfaction, "You are in the presence of Her Royal Highness, Serenity II, heir to the throne of the Crystal Millennium."
"Oh! Oh, my."
"But you can call me Usagi," added said princess while taking both of Mitsuko's hands in her own. "Pleased to meet you!"
"Please, call me Mitsuko, then," she replied while wondering just who this girl was. The references were obvious, yet impossible... as far as she knew at the time.
Maika and Makoto served lunch - nikujaga, rice, and corn potage - and the girls did the usual pre-meal small ceremonies. "You're lucky," Kuroko commented. "Usually we eat western food on Saturdays."
"Would that be French cuisine, by any chance?"
Ami shook her head. "No, it isn't anything that fancy. This -" she tapped the rim of her soup bowl with her spoon. "- is more likely to be a heavier soup made with peas instead of corn, and the main dish is more likely to be a heavy stew than nikujaga."
"And some of the other dishes are unusual," added Kuroko. "What was it that Rob-san called last week's main course? Tory air?"
"Tourtière," Usagi answered.[2] "I thought it was good. More meat and less bread than a steamed bun."
Mitsuko looked puzzled. "Isn't that French?"
"French-Canadian," answered Kuroko. "I remember that much. The one thing it has in common with nikujaga is that they're both home cooking."
"I see," replied Mitsuko, obviously not understanding at all. A moment later, she turned to Usagi. "May I ask whether that is your natural hair colour? Judging by the way you wear it, and considering the title that Kuroko told me was yours when I asked, one might think that you identify with the old Sailor Moon stories."
Everybody else at the table sighed in unison. Kuroko was the first to speak. "Kongo-san, Rob-san told me to tell you about this reality. We may as well do that now, since you've brought it up. She is Sailor Moon, and Ami-san is Sailor Mercury."
"Your attempts at humour grow less believable every day, Shirai-san."
Ami whispered, "Shabon Spray," covering her own meal - and only her meal - in a dense fog... without transforming to Sailor Mercury first.
"That is an unusual esper ability," Mitsuko commented.
Rob looked at the girls from the next table over. "I doubt she'll believe you without more evidence. How about we watch a beach episode of an anime after lunch?" Glancing at Mikoto, he added, "I'll stop it early."
1:34 PM
"That was me."
Rob nodded as he put the disc back into its case. "Yes, Ms. Kongo, that was you."
"That ... was me."
"We did try to warn you," answered Ami.
"That was ... me."
"I thought the animators did a pretty good job telling the story of that day," Mii mused. "At the time, I didn't realize just how good we all look in swimsuits," she added while silently resolving to buy a swimsuit that actually fit her once springtime came around - she didn't want just anybody seeing that much of her cleavage.
"That -"
"Get over it, will you?" Kuroko almost shouted as she teleported into Mitsuko's personal space. "If you can't handle that, there's no way you can handle the other shocks that are coming your way."
Mitsuko went pale. "You mean to tell me that I need to be ready for additional surprises?"
Just then, the common room's door opened. "We're home, Misaka Niiko announces while removing her coat."
"We used up all of our allotment of ammunition at the firing range, continues Misaka Rei."
"So you'll need to pay for more, Donaldson-san, Misaka Nana adds, hoping that her request will be fulfilled soon."
"Oh, but I see we have a guest, observes Misaka Kokoro. Hello." The barest ghost of what might be the precursor to friendly smiles appeared on the clones' faces.
Mitsuko blinked. Twice.
Completely deadpan, Kuroko said, "Surprise."
2:57 PM
Rob poured tea for Mikoto. "I'm impressed by how well Kongo-san took everything. She didn't lose her composure even when she met Accelerator."
"I think she was numb by then," Mikoto answered as she poured tea for Rob.
"Meeting Mimi - Last Order Mimi - and Chibiusa seemed to cheer her up, though. Where is she right now?"
"Usagi, Rei, Mimi - the older Mimi - and Ami took her to the sparring room, so they could show off their powers. Mitsuko-san asked to see what real magic looks like."
Rob nodded in approval. "We're going to have to start calling them Mimi M and Mimi H, or something else to keep them sorted out. And that'll only work when Usagi's classmate Mimi isn't visiting." Then he sighed. "Why do people from Academy City keep showing up here, though? I thought that this whole Refuge thing was an emergency measure that would be over and done with in a month or two, then you'd all go home. That's why I said we should all attend the Halloween party in New Jersey - I thought it might be the only chance we'd all have to get together. But then came Christmas and another party with even more people, and then you had that snowball war. It looks like nobody's going home just yet."
"It's not just people from Academy City, Rob. Think about it: First we showed up, then the Sailor Team showed up, then Accelerator and my clones showed up, then Hotaru, Setsuna, Mamoru-san, Chibiusa, and the Mau showed up, then Maika arrived, then we rescued Touma and Index, then the Osakas arrived, then we rescued Mimi, and now Kongo-san is here."
Rob sipped at his tea while he thought for a moment. "There was almost a regular alternation going there."
Mikoto looked worried at that comment. "Maybe there was a regular alternation, but we missed seeing some people."
He thought about her comment for a moment. "If that's true, who did we miss?"
She shrugged. "If we're lucky, some of Kuroko's classmates. If we're unlucky," she held up a copy of volume 12 of Touma's light novel series, "someone from my homeworld's Roman Orthodox Church, one or more of the Kihara family, or one of the other Level 5s. Or maybe the other Witches 5."
"If it happened at all," Rob pointed out. Then he frowned, remembering something that one of the other building managers had joked about during the Halloween party. "I think I'll ask the goddesses why we keep getting people from your worlds showing up, and see if they'll give us a list of people to look for. We can't keep imposing on Setsuna and her ability to sense when people arrive here."
"Will they answer?"
"Maybe. But I'm sure of one thing: They definitely won't answer if I don't ask."
Chicago, IL, USA
Same Time
"What are you reading?"
He looked up at his girlfriend. "Books about us."
"Is there anything in them that wasn't in the anime about us that you found?"
"Plenty. And you need to read the parts I bookmarked in volumes 15 and 19." He handed his tablet to her.
Five minutes later, she said, "We have to leave while we still can."
"All three of us, yeah. But where can we run to?"
She handed the tablet back to him, took a few of her pills, let them take effect, then concentrated. Shaking from the drug's side-effects (and her terror at what she'd read), she finally pointed. "That way. A long way away."
He already had a map running on the tablet. Drawing a line, and extending it again and again as he re-scaled the map, he finally said, "Looks like we're headed to ... Ottawa."
Blossom Apartments, Ottawa, ON, Canada
February 6, 2017
3:29 PM
"Are you sure this is the right place? It basically looks like a dump - why would Railgun be living here?"
The only male in the car shook his head. "It's hardly a dump, unless you compare it to either of the Tokiwadai dorms. And remember what we have and haven't seen since we found ourselves in North America."
The only dark-haired person in the car nodded. "They're hiding, just like we are," she said weakly.
"They?"
"There's at least seven espers in the building right now. One of them is the most powerful esper that I've ever sensed, even stronger than Railgun." Both of her companions paled; there were only two espers who were stronger than Railgun, and neither was somebody they wanted to meet, ever. "Five more of them feel like Railgun, but not as strong."
"Some of her clones, maybe?" the car's driver asked, loading a book on his tablet and showing it to the others.
"Clones? Oh, that's basically creepy!" The blonde girl looked at the tablet that the brunette girl had taken from the driver. "Hey... this says we knew about those clones. Nobody told me!"
"You have been something of a security risk lately."
She pouted. "I guess that's why I was going to be the first to die. I don't like your books, basically."
Inside the building that they were watching, three people were returning the favour.
"They've been sitting there for nearly five minutes," Maika pointed out while making sure the sheer curtain on the window remained in place, hiding their own identities as much as possible.
"They aren't hurting anyone," Rob replied.
"Yet. I recognize one of them. Maybe all three of them."
Rob turned to Accelerator - it was unusual for him to offer a comment without being asked. "Are they people we need to be worried about?"
"The one I know I recognize tried to murder Railgun's mother. The other two - well, does the name 'ITEM' mean anything to you?" Rob and Maika both grimaced. "Looks like it does. Think I'll go say hi to them."
"Hang on," Rob said before Accelerator could reach the door. "They probably know who you are - if you go out there, they could either run or fight."
"Whatever. You going, then?"
Maika grabbed Rob's sleeve. "They could kill you!"
Rob smiled kindly as he extracted himself from Maika's grasp. "I didn't know you cared that much about me, Maika."
"It's not that. If you die, then I have to run this place."
Rob's smile disappeared. "If I die, Konori-san takes over until Funtom can get somebody else in here. As for me dying, that's only if they can attack me. I can control water, remember? And there's a lot of snow - frozen water - out there for me to defend myself with."
"Your funeral, if you're wrong," Accelerator pointed out.
Rob nodded as he headed for the front door. "I know. I'm under a geas, remember? Sometimes I just gotta be a hero." After putting on his coat and boots, he grabbed an empty shopping bag, put a book in it, and headed out.
His leaving the building did not go unnoticed inside the car.
"Is that one of the espers?"
The brunette stared at him for a moment. "No."
"So, basically a civilian. Looks like he's going shopping."
"No, he's not," the car's driver said after a moment. "He's heading our way."
The brunette put her hand on his arm before he could do anything, and quietly said, "We have to trust somebody. That's why we came here."
He hesitated for a moment... which was long enough for Rob to reach the car and knock on the driver's window. "Hi there! Got a minute?"
The driver opened the window. "We're not doing anything wrong."
Rob shook his head in bemusement. "Why does everybody who's doing something they know is wrong start their conversations by saying that? No, don't answer that; I don't care. I've got something for you to look at." He offered the bag to the driver... who eventually took it.
He looked inside the bag, then handed it back, saying, "I've got a copy of that book on my tablet, thanks."
"So you already know the important part of what I'm hoping I can talk with you about," Rob answered. "Want to come in? You can park your car in the lot behind the first building."
"We'd better not," the blonde girl replied. "Basically, it's stolen."
Rob raised an eyebrow. "Well, there's a decent-size shopping mall ten minutes' walk away. Ditch it in the lot there and come back. I can wait; I've got all day. See you in a bit?"
"We came here looking for somebody like you," the brunette answered, causing the other two to sigh. "We'll be here."
Rob nodded as he walked back to the building. Once inside, he explained things to the others... and set the Good Neighbour System to Defcon 4.
Elsewhere
Same time
Text alerts popped up on nearly a dozen telephones in Ottawa alone.
Kuroko looked at hers and decided she wouldn't take the bus home that day - it would take too long. But she did text Mikoto to let her know she'd be teleporting as soon as classes let out.
In another classroom, Usagi decided that it was a perfect day to suggest to Ruiko and Kazari that they get to know Naru better - at Naru's home. Then she remembered how busy OSA-P was this close to Valentine's Day, and resolved to protect her noncombatant friends as best she could.
- ↑ RK: Guess what happened in December 2019? Yeah.
- ↑ RK: Tourtière du Lac-Saint-Jean, not tourtière du Saguenay. SI-Rob felt uncomfortable even thinking of serving rabbit to Usagi.