1150/Witches and Cake

Witches and Cake
Date of Scene:	20 February 2024
Location:	Plot Room 3
Synopsis:	After figuring out where Hotaru is being hidden, Takashi heads there to meet with her and Mami. He brings cake.
Cast of Characters:	Takashi Agera, Hotaru Tomoe, Mami Tomoe

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Takashi Agera has posed:
    Riventon arrives at the rough address of the Labrynth - as much as these things have addresses, have areas in the real world space that correspond to their openings. He's got that picnic basket in hand that not-Mami put all of the slices of pie into. A familiar tries to skitter out of a nearby alleyway and Riventon blasts it with Dark Energy with his free hand - Familiars become Trouble too, after all. Then he uses his Device to find the same opening the familiar skittered out of - stepping from the real world into the strange space; into a world of paper and quilted craft squares and unknowable weirdness where walls and floors should be.

    Could be worse, could always be flavortown. Now that he's in the Labyrinth, though, he can sense the other two energy signatures. Well, really, three - but one is far more faint. And now he can sense where Yochu is, too. It's a pretty dull walk (as dull as walking through a place that looks like someone's nightmare they had while on drugs can be) for him to get his way back to Mami and Hotaru, waving his hand and smiling. The girl is okay. It's good to see her. Well, good to see both of them but he already knew Mami was okay.

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe had been... well, bored, to put it lightly. At least, until Mami arrived. Being in a witch's labyrinth wasn't actually as exciting as she thought it might be. But... you know what? Bored wasn't so bad. At least nobody was being hurt. After that, however, she'd played some cards with Mami and that was always fun!

But eventually the tea parties and the cards had tuckered her out. And there had been a few moments where Mami had... likely wondered if she should just run. Those moments where Hotaru had clutched her chest, felt those painful spikes through her chest and had pulled away against the wall, hoping it'd subside. It was...

Becoming more frequent. And she was trying to suppress it. To not worry Mami. But at this point? It likely wasn't easy to 'not worry' her.

However, now? Hotaru was taking a rest. Laying with her head on Mami's lap, hugging Yochu to her chest, lightly sleeping. As Riventon approached, she scrunched up her face a little and then, very slowly, opened her eyes. "Riv... enton... senpai?" she asked, blinking a little bit, before giving a small yawn. "Is... it really him?" she asked Mami, glancing up.

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami doesn't need any external inputs in order to worry. She does that just fine all by herself. She worries she's not good enough. She worries she's messing everything up. She worries she's a failure. She worries. Every gemstone has its flaws, and one of hers is anxiety. But, put on a smile and a cute hat and it's all better. Right?

She knew after the first labyrinth that she really couldn't leave Hotaru alone, and so when she moved the girl to this one, she'd stayed with her. That way she could make sure the girl didn't mess up the thing that was keeping her (relatively) safe and secure. As much as Mami loved the girl, her little kohai didn't always make the best choices.

So, when Riventon arrives, Mami's sitting on her heels with Hotaru's head in her lap idly running her fingers through the girl's dark hair and humming a quiet little lullaby just loud enough for her little sis to hear it. The look of relief on her face at his arrival is brief, but there for anybody payint attention. "Yes, Hotaru-chan. I told you I'd find him, didn't I?" She never left Hotaru's side, though. She's just that good. She lifts her hand up to wave to him. "And he brought cake. Do you like cherries?"

Takashi Agera has posed:
    There's a whole little group of people here who might not always make the best choices, though perhaps none of them but Hotaru would actually admit to if asked directly.

    "Yes, it's me, Hotaru-chan." Says Riventon. "And Mami-san pointed me your way, and I've been worried about you and - and yes, there's cake." he confirms, holding the basket up slightly.

    "...It's really good to see you, Hotaru-chan." he says. It's especially good to see Hotaru-chan and not the long haired razor-nailed thing that had erupted from within her a little while ago. "I've been... working with some people to try to help you. Not Obsidian people. Smart people."

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe slowly began to sit up, giving a very light yawn and stretching out her arms. "Nnnnnngggg... you're... not mad? You don't hate me?" she asked. Before she could stop herself. He was here, right? So... he had to care. Had to want to keep her safe. But...

".... How mad is daddy? I... I know... I know he wants to keep me safe, but... if I stayed, I think I would have hurt him.... or..." As much as she hated saying it... "I probably would have hurt Kaolinite, too.... or anyone... everyone... I couldn't... I don't want to hurt anyone..." she said gently.

She leaned against Mami, despite sitting up now. Nestling into her big sister for comfort. "I... I do like cherries. Yochu likes cherries, too... we both like cake when we can share it with people we like..." And yes, she liked it even when she couldn't. But she liked sharing cake with them.

"But... even you and daddy could only... delay it. And even that's not enough any more... And... I mean.... don't.... all the sparkle skirts hate me now? Sailor... Moon probably does... They.... they wouldn't want to help me... Not after everything I've done..."

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami can't get up or move because she is doing the very important job of being Onee-san. So instead she just reaches out for the basket. The basket she'd packed herself so that Riventon could bring it here. With one arm wrapped around Hotaru, she went about pulling the cake out of the basket and serving it up on the plates that she had definitely also packed with it.

"Don't eat the cherry pits, Hotaru-chan, they're not good for you," she notes as she holds a plate in front of her little kohai all nestled up against her. It's a flat sort of cake with cherry stems poking out of the top. She doesn't say why they're not good. Little Hotaru doesn't need to know about the cyanide right now.

Meanwhile, she listens. This is all well beyond her. She knows witches and labyrinths and baking. Whatever is going on with Hotaru? Well that's above her pay grade. Literally.

Takashi Agera has posed:
    Riventon winces a bit. Not because of the cake or Hotaru, but because she brings up Tomoe. And he sighs. "He's not mad at you but he is looking really actively. He's at least acting like the worried father - anything else is just unfounded conjecture." he says. "But... from my perspective it doesn't matter whether he can't help you through this or if there's some other reason. Going back to him won't help you." he says.

    Then he shakes his head. "They don't hate you. They are, however, worried about you in terms of being a threat." To be fair, so was Takashi, but he wasn't going to give his enemies the benefit of telling Hotaru they worried about her as a person like he did. He couldn't even be sure of it. They may have had their own ulterior motives.

    "Anyways. I got some of the ones who can string together full sentences and we sat around and I shared some of my data on you and I've got some interesting stuff back from them." he says. He's still, even now, a bit gritting his teeth. He didn't like sharing the info. But it was for the little girl in front of him so he made an exception.

    "One of them even helped me rebuild Luminous Titan." he says. "Stronger than it was."

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe gave a small nod. "Okay." She was very careful as she ate a bite of the cake, listening to the two of them. Making sure to spit out the cherry pit.

"I... I know daddy's looking for me. That's why I left my phone behind. I know... if he found me, he'd just try to protect me again. But... it's getting worse. I don't think he can... stop it anymore. I don't know if I can. I'm... tired... senpai..." Hotaru muttered that, her eyes drooping. "I just... don't know if I can keep holding it back... I don't even know what *it* is..."

However... when he said that Luminous Titan was BACK?! Her eyes lit up. "Y-you fixed Luminous Titan? It's okay? It... it can help me?"

And there it was, that light back in the little girl's eyes. Luminous Titan was the one thing she'd had... that managed to help suppress the urges. The darkness. That made her feel like she could DO THIS!

AND IT WAS BACK!

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Sitting here in the labyrinth with Hotaru snuggled up to her, Mami doesn't have anything to do but listen, think, and eat cake. And so that's what she does. The clafoutis had turned out so well, it almost pained her to leave her piece on the table at home. She takes comfort in knowing it's the real her eating it this time, and she doesn't have to say anything so she can enjoy it.

As she sits there and carefully eats her cake with one hand, she wonders just what it is Takashi even thinks Dr. Tomoe is or is not doing. Every time he'd talked about Hotaru's father he'd never outright said his doubts, but he'd made it clear he didn't think the man was actually able to help Hotaru. She wonders what that other reason might be. But now is certainly not the time to ask, so she eats cake.

"Oh that's good news!" Hotaru's device being repaired would certainly buy them some time. At least, she hoped it would.

Takashi Agera has posed:
    Riventon nods. "You really did a number on it, but I think it's been rebuilt in a way that'll make it stronger and better able to protect you AND less dangerous for Luminous Titan itself." he says. And then he reaches into his cavernous labcoat pockets to withdraw the familiar little gem on a chain.

    As he holds it out, he continues. "Now, Hotaru-chan... I need you to understand that Luminous Titan may not be the exact same as it was. You put an immense amount of stress on it when you... went critical, last time. Next time you shouldn't risk the core if you have another episode because I learned a new way to handle things, but... it really was touch-and-go for a moment with getting Luminous Titan back. I had to enlist... help." He still says the word help like it's a dirty word. "So understand there may be some slight changes."

    "And look, I've got some plans on how we can put the thing that's causing you to go critical into a sort of... longer term stasis. Luminous Titan should be able to hold you for now though. And we can't really do any of my plan in a labrynth anyways. So we... probably need somewhere else for you to be, somewhere that's easier for me to find you. I'm just not sure who to... pick. It can't be one of us - I'm sure your father has us watched."

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe slowly, gingerly, she reached out and took the device. Holding it... "Luminous... Titan? I... ummmm... I... engage?" she asked. Timid. Soft. Fearful.

<...Standby, ready!> it called out in its dark, ominous voice you'd expect from a horror movie. The kind of voice that sent chills down your spine. The voice you'd expect to hear right before you died.

"Luminous Titan, execute," Hotaru said.

The amethyst necklace around her throat glowed with an ominous, dark energy before erupting in a flash. A strange, crescent glaive formed over her and she reached up, grabbing it in both hands. Purple light washed over her, covering her wrists, torso and feet in purple, tainted light. A moment later the light on her wrists turned into metal wristguards, the piece over her torse turned into a dark purple and gray half-caped suit, akin to a one piece bathing suit, with a butt-cape, a belt and a V neck scarf. Then her feet were covered in metalic boots. Despite the ominous voice, her outfit was more akin to a super hero suit than the foreboding, ominous device she wore. <Firefly, engaged!>

That same creepy voice... that same henshin. It felt the same.

No. There was something else, there. A tension she could feel. Something... Slightly off. She blinked. "Luminous Titan? Are you scared?"

< ... Affirmative. >

"Of me?"

< Negative. >

"... For me?"

< ... Affirmative. >

"... I'm scared for me, too," Hotaru said with a small smile, before looking up at Takashi. "Ummmmm... I.... only... know one person who.... maybe? But.... I don't know if I could stay there long. OR at all. It's.... miss Inai-sensei. She's nice but ummmm... I think she's a... ummmmmmmmmmm..."

"... I think she's kind of... poor... and I think... staying there... when I can't use daddy's money card.... would make things really hard for her..." Hotaru said sheepishly. Still hugging Yochu and her glaive to her chest.

Mami Tomoe has posed:
While Hotaru is busy reconnecting with her device, Mami sits there and eats her cake, carefully placing the pits on her plate. She made that cake and she meant to enjoy it. Besides, she didn't have very many ideas to contribute. Not yet, at least. This had been her big idea, and staying in a labyrinth was not really the best plan.

But then Hotaru suggests Inai-sensei and explains why that might not work, and the reason is financial. The reason is logistical. Really the reason is food. What else would be expensive about taking care of Hotaru, after all? Now food is something Mami understands. "Well, I'm sure we could help out Inai-sensei with supplies. Dr. Tomoe may be watching us, but that doesn't mean we can't do anything."

Takashi Agera has posed:
    And as Firefly henshins, Riventon smiles. "Ahh, it's good to have you back." He says to Firefly. But it's also to Luminous Titan. And it's also to the flow of data, comforting sweet data about Hotaru's current state, that it's good to have back too. It's a sense of security. A sense of his kohai isn't going to detonate a city block.

    "Well, Inai-Sensei isn't a permanent solution, but if you think she won't go tell the cops or Obsdian it's probably better than here. Not that the labrynth is a bad place to hide but it's a terrible place to live and I think part of keeping you... as you... is going to require a little bit more relaxation than this place affords you. Even in Mami-san's lap." he says.

    "The good news is you really... don't each much. At all. I don't know if you noticed, but I'm pretty sure if I gave Inai-sensei the money in my wallet it'd cover you for a week and then some, and I think that's about what we need... long enough to come up with a more long-term solution." he says. "At least... that's my current plan." he says, and finally sits down to eat some of the cake.

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe looked up at the two of them and, sure enough... They came up with a solution. It didn't even take long. Her eyes lit up and she couldn't help but grin. "Ohhhh! You're right! With Onii-san and Onee-san on the job, there's nothing we can't handle!" she said happily.

< ... Affirmative. > But there was definitely some hesitency to those words. Some tension. Luminous Titan.... had nearly died. To say the device was wary was an understatement. And Riventon would know it when he took the scans.

They were more... tuned than they had once been. Closer monitored. Updated more frequently. Luminous Titan was worried.

This was nowhere near handled.

Still, fore now? Firefly happily sat down and ate her cake, honestly feeding more of it to Yochu than she did herself. "This really is good. Did you bake it yourself, Onee-san?" Mami really was so talented.

Mami Tomoe has posed:
"Yes I did! It's a traditional recipe I found and I really wanted to try it. The cherry pits have the same compound in them that almonds do, and so it imparts that almond flavor to the cake," she explains. "I was so excited to try it out and share it with you." But more importantly with Takashi. He called it Danger Cake, and he wasn't wrong. She made that cake because she'd known she was in danger. But boys are nicer when she ploys them with sweets.

But now that everything is settled and they have a plan all that's left is executing it. Mami casts a few glances around the corner of the labyrinth they're tucked away in, and then looks back to Riventon. "Since I'm here, I should really take care of this too," she says, gesturing with a hand in a little circle to indicate the labyrinth. "Do you two want to go find Inai-sensei while I do that?"

Takashi Agera has posed:
    It was impressive, in a way, how one could get the 'feel' of a device even when it only spoke in limited words, or in how it chose to deliver data or how it chose to fight. It wasn't handled. As they said, This wasn't the end. This was, perhaps, the beginning of the end, but that was all.

    Riventon looks around at the labyrinth. "Yeah, might as well deal with the Witch and get the seed now that the use is less relevant. We'll go find Hotaru a place - either with Inai-sensei or a hotel for the evening or something." he says, firmly. Then he stops and looks at Mami.

    "I know I don't need to tell you to be careful, but... be careful anyways." he says as he finishes the last of the cake and picks up the basket. "I can't be losing you either, Mami-san." he says with a wink before taking Hotaru's hand and leading the younger girl and her doll out of the Labrynth.