12/31PM Transformation (Artemis/Luna)

[Neo Queen Serenity]

Now that she was dressed and ready, Usagi sat outside her chambers, smoothing out her kimono, feeling her excitement grow as the minutes ticked by. She was excited to see the ballrooms all set up, and full of people celebrating. Her fancy for large parties and dancing hadn't faded, even after becoming Queen.

Usagi had insisted that Luna and Artemis join her in these few moments before the party. This was the biggest event for New Earth since the coronation, and with everyone dressing up to go and have fun and ring in the new year with glamor and style, it simply wasn't fair to have her two trusted advisors left out.

It wasn't often that Usagi got to play 'fairy Godmother,' but she was going to enjoy this opportunity, and hoped that both Luna and Artemis even wanted to participate at all! But, what was the fun of having a Ginzuishou if she didn't make a wish now and then to help out her friends?

Usagi wanted everyone dear to her around to enjoy things this evening, and that included Luna and Artemis-- in their human forms.

[Artemis]

Artemis was a bit surprised that the Queen would want to see him before the festivities. He wondered what she needed to discuss with him. He had not visited the Queen since his return. Many thoughts passed through his mind as he walked down the hall. He was feeling a little lost but he had hoped he would find the Queen. He could smell a sweet scent and he decided to follow it.

He noticed a woman in a beautiful Kimono that was an appealing shade of pink with blue flowers and green grass. He smiled as he recognized the innocent face of the monarch he had been searching for. He lowered his head out of respect for the Queen.

“You wished to see me your majesty?”

[Luna]

Luna was uncertain as to why Usagi wanted to see her. She knew that Usagi was excited to get to the party and she would have figured she’d already head there. She herself was feeling both sad and excited at the same time.

She was sad that she would be forced to miss the dancing and the other festivities, but there was a certain amount of excitement lingering in her at the thought of watching the stars out on the balcony with Artemis.

When she arrived outside of the chambers, Luna cast a glance toward Artemis shyly before turning her attention toward Usagi and murmured, “Usagi-chan ... is there anything wrong?”

[Neo Queen Serenity]

Usagi stood as Artemis approaching, ready to say hello when he bowed and greeted her as 'your majesty.' Usagi couldn't help but wince a bit at the title. "Artemis!" she pleaded. "Don't call me such a formal name! It's Usagi-chan, just like normal! I've missed you so much while you've been gone, and I may be Queen now, but we've been friends for such a long time! Seriously, there's no need for the formality. It's just Usagi," she smiled, turning to greet Luna as she came in.

"No, Luna, nothing is wrong! I just have a surprise for you guys!" she grinned, looking at the two of them for a moment before practicing bursting out with her idea, too excited to keep it secret it anymore.

"It's such a big party, you know, and everyone will be there dancing and having fun. And I love you both so much, I didn't want you to miss out! You've been such a good advisor to me, Luna, and I know Minako values you, Artemis," Usagi nodded to him. "So... provided you want to, of course, I thought that, this being a special occasion and all, I could give you human forms for the night."

Since assuming the crown, Usagi no longer had to cloak her 'royal' form, and no one blinked at the insignia on her forehead. It allowed her close her eyes and quietly concentrate, tugging on that power within, pulling out on as if on a string, until the ginzuishou blossomed, suspended between her hands. Usagi smiled at the cats over the glow. "So? What do you say?"

[Artemis]

Artemis smiled at Usagi's reaction. He was glad to see she had not lost her innocent nature and charm. It was good to see the Queen still in a positive mindset even after her break-up with Mamoru-san. He could see how much she has matured.
"I am sorry Usagi-chan but you just have the royal air around you. You are looking lovely this evening. I was being proper but I will start addressing you as Usagi-chan."
When he heard her suggestion, he was speechless. His eyes had bright stars in them but was a bit hesitant to answer. Is this for real? Do I really have the choice to dance with the one I love? Or will Luna decide to dance with Lucan? As the last thought entered his head the stars in his eyes disappeared. He waited for Luna's response to Usagi-chan's idea.

[Luna]

Luna relaxed the moment Usagi said that there wasn’t anything wrong and then glanced at her with a mixture of anticipation and confusion. A surprise ... what could Usagi possibly have for her that couldn’t wait until later. She didn’t have long to wait since Usagi wasn’t able to keep her secret for very long at all.

She stared at her friend with genuine enthusiasm as she heard what Usagi was offering. Unable to contain her excitement at the prospect of actually joining in the party, Luna happily cried, “Really Usagi-chan? You would really do that for us tonight? I ... I wanted so much to join in the festivities tonight, but I didn’t think we would be able to. It would have been difficult to wander around as a cat, but now ....”

Luna was nearly giddy with delight, she would now be able to join in the entertainment. She could dance and talk with the guests without them jumping in surprise. She would really be able to share that New Year’s Eve kiss with that one special person as something other then a cat and she could wear a pretty dress just like all the other ladies at the party.

[Neo Queen Serenity]

"Thank you, Artemis," Usagi beamed at the compliment. However, her smile grew even wider at the cats' reactions to her surprise. Luna was the most vocal, for once, and Usagi felt herself tearing up at Luna's answer.

"Oh, Luna! Maybe I should have suggested this sooner, I had no idea you wanted to go this badly! I'm so happy I can do this for you-- and anytime you really desire to change forms, just ask me!" She just stood there, taking in their excitement. It made her more excited, more happy to be going. It was different, seeing the party through their eyes. It made her realize just how lucky she was to be attending, even with all of the royal duties that awaited her, at least at the beginning.

Usagi looked to Artemis for his consent, but the look on his face was enough. And there was something more, too, the way he glanced at Luna, waiting for her answer... Usagi thought that she had all the acquiescence she needed.

"All right, then," she said softly. "Let's do this." She closed her eyes, thinking about her love for her two friends, focusing on the desire that they change, morph, grow into their true human forms. She played the image in her mind, infusing it with emotion and the power that seemed to flow from within.

The ginzuishou pulsed softly, it's glow extending, and Usagi released the necessary power, drawing on her wish to the ginzuishou.

[Artemis]

Artemis was staring at Luna's excitment and he lost the ability to speak. He watched her eyes light up as bright as the moon. He just stood there in awe at the beautiful cat/woman before him. He wondered what did he do to have earned this night? His heart pounded in his chest and his rare smile returned to his face. Once he found his voice, there was so much to say, to Usagi but he decided to keep it simple and proper.

"We would be honored to join in the festivities. Thank you for giving us this precious gift Usagi-chan."

[Luna]

Luna shook her head and murmured, “It doesn’t matter when you suggested it Usagi, it’s enough that you have suggested it.” She nodded when Usagi told her to just ask whenever she really desired to change forms. Luna wasn’t sure if she ever would do that, after all she wouldn’t want to cause Usagi to use the ginzuishou unnecessarily ... but perhaps she would if there was ever sometime that she really wanted to be a human again. For now she was just very excited for this chance she was being given now.

She closed her eyes as she felt the power of the ginzuishou wash over her and then mere moments later began to feel herself transform into her human form. Once she felt the light fade away she reopened her eyes and glanced down at herself with a grin.

As usual Luna was standing there in her black and yellow dress, the long crescent moon pendant and the yellow ribbon still around her neck. Her long black hair was done up in the odango style favored by the moon people, though not in pigtails. She twirled once with a happy giggle before suddenly stepping over to Usagi’s side and hugging her tightly, something she had been wanting to do since the day she had heard about the broken engagement. She pulled away slightly and murmured, “Thank you Usagi-chan, for everything ... Artemis is right, this is a precious gift you have given us.”

Luna glanced toward Artemis shyly, blushing just a little at the sight of him before turning back to Usagi and adding, “but I don’t have anything to wear ... unless of course you think this is alright?”

[Artemis]

Artemis just remembered closing his eyes for a few seconds as he felt the warm light. He felt the difference from being a small cat to a full height human. He opened his eyes and looked at his reflection. It was still strange to see himself in human form but it was a good change. He gave Luna a dashing smile as she hugged Usagi. It was similar to a fairy-tale and it was good to see Luna that happy. His hair was a little messy and he wondered if he would have to change but thought against it. He turned to the Queen and gave a gentle smile.

"Usage do you have a tie or will I need a tie?"

[Neo Queen Serenity]

Usagi opened her eyes, smiling as she saw Luna and Artemis in their human forms, just as she had imagined and asked the Ginzuishou to manifest. She let out a small sigh, feeling the bit of energy drain, but it was much less than when she was younger, and nothing that would make her overly tired. She pulled the Ginzuishou back into herself, the glow fading. She reached out and returned Luna's tight embrace, exhaling into the hug and just enjoying it for a minute.

"You're welcome," she smiled at both of them, giggling a bit at Luna's question. "No, you'll need something totally floor-length for the ball. Of course, I have an entire closet full of hundreds of couture dresses for you to raid! I'm sure we can find something to fit you, and I have shoes, as well. And if we can't, there's lots of other ladies around with things that will fit you," Usagi remarked matter-of-factly. She had not given too much thought to their wardrobes. As Queen, oftentimes whatever she asked for, she got. No one would blink if she demanded a dress to fit Luna.

"Artemis, you could go wearing that-- it's either white tie or national dress," Usagi explained. "That could be considered national dress! If you really want a tie, you'll have to put on the whole tuxedo, I'm afraid. Formality levels are rather strict," she smiled.

[Artemis]

Artemis was happy to hear that he would not have to wear a tie. He honestly did not see what was so great about them. Still he could understand wanting to look good to impress a specific lady. He knew Luna would be ecstatic to find a beautiful dress to wear, and since they would go together, he decided to be a gentleman and wait on her. He kept messing with his hair to make it look neater

"Thank you for everything Usagi. I will wait for Luna to find the dress and then accompany her to the party. I am sure anything she finds she will look as beautiful as she is on the inside. Try to have a bit of fun Usagi and if anything goes wrong Luna and I will be around to help in anyway we can."

Artemis nearly believed this was a dream. However, the danger was still real enough to convince him otherwise. He smiled at Usagi with a serene look that he had not shown for years.

[Luna]

Luna grinned delightedly, the idea of going through Usagi’s closet full of dresses was a very nice one. She had of course been in Usagi’s closet and had seen all of those dresses that she was speaking about. They were all very lovely and it would be a treat to be able to wear one of them tonight. “I’d love to wear any one of them Usagi ...” she murmured happily.

She glanced Artemis’s way when he spoke up, blushing slightly at his compliment before saying, “Artemis ... don’t be silly. Everything will run smoothly tonight, nothing will go wrong and it’ll be an enjoyable evening.”

Luna did know that there was always the chance that something could happen, but she was certain that if anything did go wrong it would be taken care of. She didn’t want to ruin either Usagi’s or her own evening by thinking of things going wrong. It was far better to enjoy the night and not worry about such things. She would leave the worrying to others better suited to do so, like Lucan and his team. Luna had confidence that if anything should go wrong, they would be quite capable of handling it.

[Neo Queen Serenity]

Usagi grinned at Artemis. "Oh, things will go wrong... someone will get offended, someone will slip, some people will drink too much..." she laughed. "Nothing goes perfectly. But, Luna's right-- it's going to be an enjoyable evening! So, relax! I'm taking Luna into the closet now so we'll be back soon," she winked.

Snagging Luna's hand into her own, Usagi giggled, tugging the other woman along to the dresses. Once inside the closet, she dropped Luna's hand and twirled for a second. "It's alllllllll yours. You can wear whatever you want!" Usagi paused, looking Luna up and down. "Hmm, well with your darker hair, I don't think we should do anything too monotone, too chromatic. You need something that will pop!" Muttering to herself, Usagi began pulling dresses down, holding them up against Luna, muttering some more, and then tossing them aside, comparing and contrasting. "Pick out anything you like!" she encouraged, resisting the urge to rub her hands and squeal a bit. For once she got to help someone else dress!

[Artemis]

Artemis smiled at Usagi-chan's positive outlook but he would still to keep his eyes and ears open. He could see Luna's excited look. He had to admit he would miss her while she was gone.
"Go on Luna find the perfect dress, just don't be gone too long." He added a wink to the ladies. When they were gone he began planning to keep surveillance.