Through Thick and Thin (Ruri/Open) [Awakening]

A light flickered as low, elevator like music leaked from the speakers above. There were few within this store, Lilith and maybe another pair of people wandering up and down these aisles. The place wasn't the best appearance wise, but the price was good and the food suited the white haired girl just fine. It was just her tonight. Her adopted mother and father were out late at work, and the son.. Well she had no idea. She had only seen this mysterious son of theirs in pictures. He was quite attractive if she would say so herself, but he seemed, so serious. as if there was something about him he couldn't live with. Then of course she had this constant nagging feeling that she had met him before. Yet that was impossible. So she merely shrugged it off.

Lilith reached out to a box before her, her eyes scanning the words on the front. It was a simple, throw-it-together Miso box. She liked miso, but she had a craving for something else. Today she wanted meat, red meat to be exact. This wan't an uncommon occurrence, however. She often ate red meat, as red as she could cook, and if alone, she'd eat it raw. Gross? Maybe, but not to her. She could seemingly handle it better than others. Maybe she was strange. Oh well. Not like it would be the first time she stood out from others.

Placing it down, she swiveled on her heel to the left and headed towards the refrigerated meat aisle, her black jacket that covered a pink dress that hugged her frame, flowed with her movements. Maybe she would make kabobs? She didn't have a grill, but she enjoyed raw meat so she just needed raw vegetables she enjoyed to go with it. Her eyes scanned for a decent sized piece of meat t a decent price.

A purple haired girl sighed in annoyance as she walked down the aisles of the store. She was on her way home when she had received a text from her mom, asking her to pick up some groceries. Really, it wasn't that big of a deal, Ruri just liked to be overdramatic about things. It was still annoying, though. It wasn't like she had a lot of money in the first place, and now she had to spend it on groceries.

They wanted hamburger, specifically, which wasn't that cheap. Ruri grudgingly started looking over the meat selections, when she suddenly had this....feeling.
It was like that feeling you get when you know something's wrong. Except, it wasn't a feeling of being wrong, exactly...but she felt like there was something she should be looking for. About to shrug it off, she looked down at the meat again, and that was when she noticed her bracelet glowing.

It had never done that before. Why was it glowing? It wasn't very bright - in fact, if you weren't right next to her, you probably wouldn't notice. Glowing. What did it mean? Was her bracelet trying to tell her something? And that feeling she had...

She looked around her, trying to see if there was anyone suspicious. She happened to see a light haired girl in a pink dress, also looking at the meet choices. As soon as her eyes met with the girl's figure, it was like something suddenly clicked inside her. Every fiber in her being was screaming the same word.
Senshi.
Ruri looked around nervously. If this girl really was a senshi, then she wanted to fight her. To take her down, no less. But she couldn't very well do that in the middle of a grocery store...well, maybe she could. It's not like there were many people here. But still, what if she ended up hurting someone who was innocent? Not to mention, she'd probably be reported to the police...

But she couldn't back out now. This was her mission, and she was going to fulfill it to the end. She approached the girl, standing next to her, but not touching.
"Hey." She waited until she had the girls attention before continuing. "You're a senshi, right? Don't try to hide it."
She had to be. This feeling...there was no way it was wrong.

A low grumble echoed into her ears. She looked around to see who the culprit was, only to end up realizing it was her.. A light blush came to her cheeks as she closed her eyes, her hand on her face as she shook her head. Of course it was her, stupid, there was hardly anyone else in the store and if a stomach rumble was loud enough for her to hear from wherever they were, that was a little concerning.. Lilith hadn't realized how hungry she really was.. She needed to hurry and make her selection.

Grabbing a package of cubed beef, she placed it in a small, square basket she had attached to her elbow, weighing it down a bit, digging into her arm slightly. It didn't bother her all that much. Now she was torn with the thought; should she get more? Even if the others didn't eat it too, she would still have leftovers she could save for another day. Yet she didn't want to spend too much, after all this was her parent's money, not hers. She didn't feel right, even if they said to get as much as she needed. Did she need it? Lilith bit her bottom lip as she contemplated.

What was the harm? Grabbing another cold package of cubed meat, she slid it into her basket. Maybe she didn't need to make Kabobs. She could make stew, or maybe some foreign delight like tacos or something. That would be good, right? She didn't know she wasn't a chef. She was an artist.

"Danger.."

A whisper came to her ears, making her hand jet up to her ear as she swiveled around her until she came face to face with a purple-haired girl who made her heart stop a bit in surprise. She spoke to get her attention, and she merely smiled, that persona she had made coming into play.

"Yes..?"

It wasn't long before she asked if she was a senshi. Senshi.. Soldier? That was an odd question.. Did she really look as if she was in the military? Really?

"N..No, I'm not a senshi.. I'm not old enought o join the military.."

Was she supposed to feel flattered that she could pull off being a solider, or should she take it differently..?

Was this girl serious? Ruri glared at her for a minute, trying to figure it out. She didn't seem like she was lying...but then, why would she reveal her identity to a total stranger? The girl gritted her teeth.
"Not a military soldier. A sailor senshi. You know, defenders of love and justice and all the crap? Fighting the bad guys? They run around in sailor fuku. Don't try to hide it from me, I know you're one."

She decided to wait to reveal who she herself was until this girl fessed up. There was no way she wasn't a senshi; Ruri could sense it. But there was no point putting herself out there for some girl who had no idea what was going on.

Lilith blinked. She was beginning to feel very uncomfortable around this girl. Why was she asking such questions..? Why was she so seemingly angry at her replies? What did she want her to do? Impersonate a military soldier? She may have a persona, a way that she wants to appear to people, but pretending to be a soldier..? Not, exactly her thing. She was beginning to wish that at this moment she had just gone with the Miso.. She would have been gone by now..

"N, no I don't know.. You mean, like the Sailor Moon, Sailor V..?" Was she delusional? "I'm not lying..!! I'm not one of them! I.. I need to go." Lilith began to turn, and walk away swiftly. What was wrong with this girl..?

"Why are you walking away? Are you scared?"

She gasped, stopping in her steps, her hand jetting back up to her ear. There was that voice again.. She looked to her left and her right before looking back at the one she left behind. It couldn't have been her, could it have..? No way..

"N..No I'm not scared.."

"You're not a good liar.. How can you lie to me if you can't even lie to yourself?"

So, she was still denying it. Ruri was beginning to grow more and more frustrated with the situation. Why couldn't she come right out and admit it? Unless....unless she didn't know herself yet. Senshi, if she remembered correctly, had to be awakened into their roles. Perhaps this girl just hadn't realized she was a senchi yet. In that case, she wasn't worth her time. Huffing in frustration, she watched the girl walk away.

However, she only got a couple steps before she stopped, seemingly startled. Ruri arched an eyebrow - what was going on? After acting bizarrely, the girl started talking to herself. Was she going mad? Whatever it was, Ruri decided it would be entertaining, if not beneficial, to stick around to see what happened.

"I told you I'm not scared.. Who are you?! Wh.. Where are you?"

Lilith first heard nothing but silence. She was going insane, she had to be..! Voices in her head? People asking if she was a sailor senshi?! How would she even be able to tell if she was? That girl.. Could she-

"Outside.. I'm waiting outside. Come and see me when you're ready."

As if in a trance, Lilith dropped her basket. It collided with the ground, and spread the items inside all over the floor as she ran out the door. Despite how she acted, she was still confused. If this culprit was outside, how could he be talking to her, inside? In her head to be exact? This was all so confusing to the poor girl.

As she came outside, she looked around. Her blue orbs searched desperately in the darkness, but she saw nothing. Had Lilith been lied to? "Hello?! Where are you?!" She called out, and quickly pivoted to the side when she heard someone approach, but surprised, utterly astonished by what she saw. A dog, the biggest dog Lilith had ever seen, with purely white fur and icy blue eyes looking back at her. It was calm, just staring at her.. Watching..

"Do not feel afraid. My name is Hania. I am here to help you." He tried to soother her. Yet Lilith remained staring. She then began to laugh, and took a step back.

"I am losing it.. Voices.. Wacko's.. Now talking dogs.. I need to go home.." She kept chuckling to herself as she began to head home. She stopped when the dog came in front of her, blocking her way.

"You are not losing anything. I see you have not regained any of your memories yet, but allow me to explain.. You are a Senshi, you belong to a constellation group, and I am your guardian, I was sent to help you, protect you.. To teach you not to be afraid, but know it's okay if you are." Suddenly, the dog's eyes closed, and a small light formed before him. When he opened them again, a necklace dropped to the ground. Leaning his head down, he scooped it up gently, and dropped it in her hand. She looked at it. It was a wolf's tooth with a paw symbol in the middle.

The situate nobly became stranger when the girl suddenly dropped her basket on the ground. Now, Ruri knew something was up. It had to be something to do with her being a senshi. She walked past the items spilled on the ground and followed the girl outside, staying a good distance back. While she wasn't about to go home, she didn't want to get too involved with whatever was going on. That was, until it was time to fight her.

She stood behind the corner of the building, watching the girl talk to herself. Just then, a large white dog appeared and started talking! The purple haired girl smirked, she knew that other girl had to be a senshi. It was too bad for her that she was going to lose her first fight as a senshi.

Angling her arm up at the sky, Ruri waited as her silver bracelet started to glow, and before he knew it, she had transformed into her villain persona.

When she had composed herself, she peeked around the corner again to see the girl picking up a necklace. Ah, good - her transformation item. Things were going swimmingly, now it was just a matter of moments before she transformed.

"Tell me, haven't you always wanted to do something grand..? Be a hero?" The dog tilted his head as he stared forth at Lilith. The question made her heart skip a beat. She looked down, past the pendant in her hands and at the darkened asphalt below.

"..No, not anymore.. I'm not, I can't be. I'm nothing special and I'm no good as a hero. I have to decline." Lilith said, bending herself at the knees lower to the ground as she placed down the necklace. A paw, a rather giant one, was placed softly on the back of it. She looked up to the animal's piercing blue eyes. It made her catch her breath.

"You cannot decline your destiny. I have been with you at birth, I know the tragedies you have suffered.. Lilac would want you to do this, that I know.. If not for her, do it for others who may suffer the same fate if you don't accept who you are, and help protect this planet." She clenched her teeth. How dare he speak of Lilac as if he knew her! Anger began to boil through her veins, but suddenly his snowy ears tilted, and eyes narrowed. "This appears to be no time to argue. Repeat after me!"

"What? I said n-"

"Do it!" He barked, his lips curling a bit. The sudden shout made her jump, and she clenched the necklace that never dropped from her hands because of his paw. She sighed and stood up.

"Lupus constellation power, Make-up!!" Together they spoke, Lilith as if she had said this phrase everyday. It felt natural to her lips, pouring out like water from a faucet. A light then began to swirl around Lilith, from the ground up until it covered her entire body. It twisted around her swiftly, as if a small tornado had formed, glowing brilliantly before zooming off into the sky. Thick gray boots were on her feet, replacing the shoes she had worn previously, as a pink and gray sailor suit replaced her clothing. She spun around in a circle, admiring herself.