My people humble people who expect
Nothing.
===
"Artemis, stop being ridiculous. It's okay!"
"Minako, it's not okay!"
If it'd been any other situation, Minako would have felt silly, arguing with a 12-pound house cat. But this time, the 12-pound housecat was sitting on a newspaper that read, in bold letters, "High School Heroine? Experts agree: Sailor V a local student!" He pawed at the paper. "This is what happens when you go around with reporters! Do you see these quotes?" He lowered his eyes. "'One scientist notes that, with her height and body features, she couldn't be older than thirteen or fourteen years of age'!"
Halfway dressed, Minako stopped pulling on her t-shirt to glare at him. "He didn't even write it!" she yelled back, and stepped around to jab a finger at the byline. "Garrison Walters. Who is he? Not Alan. It's not by Alan."
"No, but it could be his tip!" The cat hopped from the bed to the desk and then to the dresser, following her as she paced around the room, throwing on accesories. "Minako, you need to stop seeing him. I know the fame has gotten to you, but that's not why we do this!"
"The fame!" She scoffed at him. "I don't want to be around Alan to see my names up in lights! You talk about how I need to be brave and open to everything and trust my abilities. So why can't I trust other people?" She tied back her hair haphazardly. "Why should it stop with you and Katarina, Artemis?"
"Because you don't know what you can expect from him."
"So that means I can't find out?" She rolled her eyes. "What happens when I find the other senshi? When I find the princess? I just ignore them because they might not be who they seem to be? No, Artemis. Being brave is expecting everything from people, not expecting nothing."
There was a long, heavy pause before Artemis dropped his eyes to the floor. "You're still going to him after this?" he asked, very quietly.
Minako didn't answer the question. She said nothing, all the way down the street and to the coffee shop, and even when Alan smiled at her and offered an arm.
"Strange news in the paper today, eh, doll?" he questioned, patting her hand. "Worried you wouldn't come, with all that flying 'bout the news."
Smiling slightly, she shrugged. "It's nothing," she lied, and leaned closer to him.
