1682/A Melodious Agreement

A Melodious Agreement
Date of Scene:	19 June 2024
Location:	Function Hall
Synopsis:	Coco offers Hinoiri a job, and with the exception of a minor hitch, the two of them are able to see eye-to-eye and end up having a break together.
Cast of Characters:	Coco Kiumi, Hinoiri Kirara

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Coco Kiumi has posed:
Now that Rashmi and Coco have gone over the various details pertaining Hinoiri's employment, it was time to turn the theory into action, and so Coco had gone over the school map to decide where it was best to meet Hinoiri. It was probably way too early for the Shed, with her just having broken off Obsidian, for the awkwardness of it all at the very least. Besides, she was sure having Cure Kinder there wouldn't help the situation at all, even covered as she was.

A place like the Function Hall was instead just what they needed. As far as she knew, the basketball team had already had their practice for the day, so it would be less frequented than a classroom. Coco could have also invited her home, but then she didn't know if Hinoiri would have been able to swim. No, the Function Hall was the best place.

<PHONE> Coco Kiumi texts Hinoiri Kirara: Hinoiri, are you free after class? Let's meet at the Function Hall. I have a proposal for you.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara was, admittedly... a truly awful, terrible swimmer. So not visiting Coco's home was for the best. She was better than she had been... but that wasn't a high bar.

Of course, when she got the text, well... she had nothing better to do. She didn't want to go far off the campus grounds due to all the times she'd been attacked, but this was on the grounds. And it wasn't off the beaten path.

... And it was Coco. Of all the people who might try to beat her flank, Coco just wasn't on that list. Despite the fact she probably deserved to want to beat her flank more than anyone. Well. Almost anyone. Leaving a girl as a mermaid in a dirty alleyway with a lot of burns was kiiiiiiind of a jerkish thing to do.

So she sent a quick acceptance before heading over. Her hands in her jacket pockets, leaning against the wall. She doubted she'd be waiting long. Unless this was an ambush and... nope. Paranoia would get her nowhere.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
What Coco is about to would indeed look like a weird move for someone who was recently assaulted like that, not to mention the subsequent anguish that came from the worry that if Hinoiri had never been defeated, she would have to say goodbye to her friends and leave her kingdom defenseless now and forever. It was a good thing she had plenty if things distracting her back then.

Still, she knew it was her duty as a ruler to end the cycle of misery wherever she could, and with Hinoiri trying to turn over a new leaf, she wouldn't be worthy of being called a mermaid princess had she not listened to Aqua Regina's teachings.

Not to mention all the complicated feelings that arose whenever her thoughts leaned towards Sara. Which was something really easy to happen, intertwined both her and Hinoiri as they were with the Sealing Key.

So she had really done her best to get over the feelings of hurt that instictively came up with regards to Hinoiri. That had required a lot of introspection together with a relaxed environment.

She is walking with a small rush while she heads over to their hangout spot, and as soon as the unicorn comes into her view, Coco waves at her. "Hello, Hinoiri. Have you had a good day?", the mermaid greets. "I called you here because I want to ask you if you want to work for me."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara glanced over to Coco the moment she called out. Well, here it went. Hopefully this was a--

"... What?"

Hinoiri just stared at her for a few moments before she began to snicker and laugh. "No, seriously, what do you want?"

Upon having it confirmed, she just cocked an eye. "Yeah... I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm kind of not really magical anymore." She snapped her fingers. "See? No sparkle. I'm just a normal, run of the mill, standard 'human'. Can't even use my unicorn magic. Helpless as any other normal person here. And magic is kind of the only thing I'm good at, so unless you're hoping I have some great waitressing future ahead of me, I'm not sure what you'd want me for."

Fortunately for her, what Coco actually wanted did use her talents.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"I am serious", Coco states, not a hint of falsehood on her face. "You are looking for a job, no? And I really doubt you would want to start with some badly paid job that leaves you little in terms of breaks. I can pay you well, and account into the job all the risks that come with living in Tokyo."

Her steps are measured until she is at her side. "You really don't need magic for this job, you know? It's mostly a theoretical job, and I can cover for any actual magic use it would require, even if it wouldn't be much. I would want to be there anyway, because the results at interesting at least and important otherwise. And we are going to supply you with anything you need. I am going to ask that you study the similarities and the differences between Kirarafantasica song magic and the song magic of us mermaids. Do you want to accept?", Coco finally asks, a bit of tension in her voice.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a small nod. Yeah, she was looking for a job... But the more Coco talked, the more annoyed she started to feel. Of course, Coco didn't have an actual job for her. It was just something to placate her. Bad enough she had to depend on the sparkles for so much, now she was going to get some nothing job so she could be their charity case? Buck that. Probably some useless desk job, anyway.

Her ire only started to grow as coco mentioned more of the benefits. Right. Stay in Tokyo. Where she was useless. Helpless. Don't go too far out of reach.

Her ire was near the boiling point and her eyes were narrowed on the mermaid... until she said, exactly, what the job was.

Then Hinoiri blinked and stared. "Wait, what?" she asked. "You want me to *study* magic? You want to hire me for *that*? Wait, you *trust* me to do that? Aren't you worried I'll try to like... steal your magic or use it against you?"

She sighed before shaking her head. "The equipment I'd need wouldn't be cheap. Some of it would be medical, some sound equipment. I'd also need a place to setup a lab. But... yeah. If... you really wanna hire me for that? I could do it. I used to do stuff like that in Obsidian all the time. That was where most my paycheck was coming from, honestly. Doing it for you would be something I'm more than happy to do, on account of you not trying to kill me and all. So... sounds fun. I guess."

"... Are you sure? I mean, I don't have the best.... track record with your friends. They might... freak out if they find out."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"I am choosing to trust you, Hinoiri", Coco says plainly and simply. "I want to believe that the good I have seen in you. Would you try to steal my power again?", she asks pointedly, even if she doesn't really like twisting what happened in that alley against her as she is trying to rebuild. But if she wants to talk about everything she has done, then she will get to hear her every though.

"I was angry, Hinoiri. Almost as much as I when I had learnt La Crima had tried to kill a friend of mine and was then trying to drag her name through the mud. The burns were hurting, I wasn't sure if I could have ever seen my friends again unless they would humour me at the ocean, and I was imagining my kingdom getting destroyed again now that it was powerless. I had a lot of reasons to hate you."

She shakes her head with a frown. "But that isn't really good for us. I would have only hurt myself and others if I kept dwelling on such thoughts. We are warned of staying away from that darkness, to find healthy ways to get rid of it. And I wouldn't have been a good princess, much less a good person if I had chosen to insist on continuing this cycle of misery and hurt you at your most vulnerable."

The mermaid offers Hinoiri a smile. "I want to believe in you, Hinoiri. You may fall along the way, but please, don't see it as it being impossible. See it as building a step and own up to it. You can do it."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara let out a soft, gentle hiss, cringing as quite a few... reminders hit her. Of the pain she caused. The damage she inflicted. She nodded, her arms wrapping tighter around herself. Yeah... yeah.... she'd hurt her. A lot. And Coco, of all people, had every right to not just be mad at her. But hate her.

But, instead? She... offered this. "I..." she whispered, before stopping. Instead, she smiled.

"Thank you. Coco, for that. I... I'd like to. I really would. And... I'll try and be.... I will be better this time. And thanks for believing me when I say that. I wasn't really myself then and... and what I did to you.... I know it was bad. So... thanks. For giving me this shot. I'll try and do some research and figure out what I need, okay? It'll probably be expensive but, well... at least in this? I'm worth it. Heh. Wow. I never would have thought... well. It doesn't matter what I thought. Thank you. For this."

"... I won't let you down." And this time? She meant it. She really, truly did.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco winces with guilt when she sees Hinoiri turn inwards, worried she pushed it too far. She may have wanted to illustrate she knew and she was letting all of it go, but if she pushes Hinoiri away, that was the complete opposite of what she wanted to achieve.

It's also very much a relief that the other girls smiles too afterwards, amidst the stammers and the insecurities. "Thank you, Hinoiri. We are going to supply you with everything. I may need a few days to get it all set up, but I have enough to cover it all. This ended up being a lot more than I meant. Want to end it up with a drink? And maybe a few snacks? I am probably picking mango juice, and those little bread treats with cheese in them."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a small nod. "Then... yeah. This actually sounds like a good idea. Thanks, Coco. I mean it. You didn't have to do it. I mean, sure, I am probably the best magic expert on..." She trailed off and shook her head. "You didn't need to do that. Thank you. And that sounds nice. Something to eat and drink to celebrate a new magic venture, right?"

She'd push off the wall and walk with the other girl, her hands up behind her head. "This actually gives me a few ideas. If I can get the right stuff, I know there's a girl here who uses Kirakirafantastica magic, I could probably involve her and if I could get recordings of both of your singing, maybe check how they resonate and the recordings. I could probably work on some amplification effects. Sparkle magic isn't as flexible as dark energy, but it'll probably work better. It's not quite as destructive."

Already her mind was aflame with ideas and throughout the little snack time? Coco would certainly be able to see a new side of Hinoiri... the fact she was an utter nerd when it came to magic and was more than happy to throw dozens, possibly hundreds of different ideas out at the mermaid... most of which would make no sense because they magic styles didn't really match up. But it was the thought that counted, right?