"So," Usagi mused, staring at the soft chiffon scarf in her friend's upswept hair, "does that mean you got the job, Mako-chan?" Usagi grinned from where she sat on Makoto's futon. "I've seen that new theme restaurant and I can't wait to go try it. It's supposed to be a replica of a real American 50's diner. Whatever that is."

"Well," the tall woman murmured a bit uneasily, twirling a stray lock of hair around one fingertip, "I didn't get THE job, but I got A job."

Rei frowned, her plum-colored eyes narrowing. "What in Ares' name does that mean?"

Makoto sighed, a hint of disappointment darkening her gaze. "I got there and they said they already had all the cooks they needed, more's the pity. But they had an opening for a waitress and since I needed the money, I said that was okay. So I don't get the experience to add to my resume…but at least I'll have money for my next semester's tuition. Asanuma-kun's even agreed to pick me up each night and drop me home since it's on his way."

Suddenly she grinned impishly, her green eyes dancing merrily. "And you should just see the uniform I'm supposed to wear." When Rei's eyes narrowed further, Makoto smirked, shaking her head. "Uh uh, Rei-chan. Mind out of the gutter. Think the polar opposite of our…other uniforms."

When Usagi only looked confused, Makoto plunged her hands into the closet, withdrawing a long, full circle skirt of grey wool with a crisp starchy crinoline. It was so long it would come to mid-calf, even on the tall woman. In her other hand was a fluffy sweater the color of pistachio ice cream, which was accented by with a girlish, peter-pan collar of scalloped white lace.

"Kawaii!" squealed Minako from the other side of the room, making Artemis wince and hang on for dear life to the blonde's shoulder as she dashed across the room, snatching the skirt from Makoto's hand and spinning around to make it fan out. "All it needs is the sequined poodle appliqué."

With a grin at the hapless feline, Makoto piped up, "Actually, I was thinking more in terms of a cat…"

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"This place is really noisy," Kunzite commented on the packed restaurant, shooting a dark look at the blaring jukebox. Its screaming, electric rainbow of colors made his eyes hurt and that was nothing compared to what was coming out of it. He wasn't sure if he liked this new, loud, confusing time. He was completely oblivious to the stares of the females in the room, whose eyes were unerringly drawn toward the booth seating the three very different but equally fabulous looking males.

"Right. This place is great," Zoisite unintentionally contradicted his leader even as he agreed with him, flipping open his menu. "We can talk right out in the open and nobody will hear or even notice. Hrm…Egg Cream. Sounds disgusting. I wonder what Wet Fries are. Or Purple Cows." He scratched his temple, then noticed the look Kunzite was giving him. "What? I read it right, but I just don't know what it means. And it doesn't say."

Jadeite scowled, shifting restlessly and tapping a spoon on the table top rudely. Inactivity didn't suit him well. "When's Neph going to get here? We're wasting time, you know. We ought to be out actively searching for Prince Endymion every minute. And the ladies too. I need to know if Raye is okay. I've got to apologize. I need to know if I've got a chance or if she's still furious with me."

"We've still got to eat, oh irascible one." Zoisite smirked, his green eyes twinkling with barely suppressed mischief as he tapped his toe to the music. Why, with Jadeite around, he was still considered to be the impatient one mystified him. "Honestly…even during the Silver Millennium, when wasn't Princess Mars furious with you? Your love theme ought to be the song that's playing right now. Great Balls of Fire."

The blue-eyed man seemed to puff up toad-like in sudden fury. Before Jadeite could punch out his fellow Shitennou though, Kunzite intervened, settling matters with a single curt word. "Enough."

Noticing the fourth for their party, he stood, waving an arm at the man who strolled through the door and shooting him a fierce inquisitive look.

Nephrite shook his head sadly as he slid into the booth, his darkly handsome addition to the group drawing still more looks of feminine approval in that direction. His friends' faces, though, fell. They'd pinned much of their hopes on him.

His next words were gently delivered, but their impact was brutal. "Sorry. I spent the last seventy-two hours at the observatory and got exactly nothing. It's very discouraging. The stars aren't telling me a thing about where to find Endymion-sama or Lita or any of your loves."

With a quick sulky look at Nephrite, Jadeite hid behind his menu until he could come up with something to say that wouldn't betray the disappointment he felt. He'd been counting on the seer to come through for them, damn it all!

"Hey-ya sweeties. What can I get you?" a soft voice chirped. The men glanced up, gazing bemusedly at their waitress, who sported loopy spit curls, some of the ugliest black and white shoes they'd ever seen, and a skirt that appeared to have some sort of bizarre looking canine design stitched onto the front of it. They exchanged looks of bewilderment. It truly was a strange, strange new world.

Zoisite opened his mouth to ask about the fries and cow, when the waitress suddenly turned away from them to wave across the restaurant at a departing co-worker. How she'd heard the call of her fellow employee over the thump of the music and the din of the other diners, Kunzite would never know.

"Bye! See you on late shift Monday, Mako-chan." Kimiko winked, smiling broadly. "And have fun this weekend with that cute boy friend of yours...just not too much fun."

"You're so bad, Kimiko-chan!" The familiar giggle of the departing waitress had Nephrite whirling, craning his neck to see over the back of the high booth.

"Boyfriend?" he growled in sudden outrage, staring at the waitress in the snug tea-green sweater who was clinging to a blushing young man's arm.

He abruptly lunged from the booth, startling the other Shitennou and their waitress, who stumbled back with a cry into a busboy who, in turn, dropped his tray of glassware. The noisy collision resulted in a wave of melted strawberry sundae being spattered all over poor Kimiko and Zoisite and turned every head in the place. Suddenly the only sound in the restaurant was the mellow sound of the Big Bopper as the record in the jukebox changed.

Nephrite, however, was practically oblivious to anything but the sassy bob of a curly auburn ponytail as it bounced out into the Tokyo night. Cramming a large, random wad of bills into the dumbstruck waitress' hand by means of an apology, he bolted out the door leaving the trio of men staring after him.

A furious Zoisite was scrubbing with a napkin at the sticky pink liquid matting down his long curls. "I swear, I'm gonna kill him! What the hell's gotten into Nephrite?!"

Their leader's cool grey eyes warmed faintly and he startled Jadeite, coming out with a full broad smile…Kunzite almost never smiled like that. Kunzite, however, had seen the same thing Nephrite had, so it was no wonder he was smiling, suddenly hopeful.

The voice on the jukebox relieved him of any need to answer, crooning, "Chantilly lace and a pretty face and a ponytail a hangin' down…"