1891/Crying about Donuts and Vampires.

Crying about Donuts and Vampires.
Date of Scene:	26 August 2024
Location:	Radiant Heart Academy
Synopsis:	Norie comes to Amy to cry about Hinoiri being a jerk and warning about a potential threat!
Cast of Characters:	Norie Okana, Amanda Faust

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Norie Okana has posed:
Norie Okana sends Amy a rare text.

> Norie TO Amy: Meet me on the roof of your dorms after dark

And thusly, Norie is there, sitting on the roof of the dorm's roof, just under Amy's room, knees pulled to her chest as she looks up at the night sky. Her eyes give a rare sparkle in the moonlight as she sighs a little, looking back down as her eyes become dull again, waiting for Amy to show up.

She has a box of donuts near her. A thermos of some sort of warm liquid and some cups with her on the roof as she mutters something under her breath, looking down into the school campus.

Magical girls and their strange meeting locations.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy opens the door to the roof wearing an oversized black shirt with the

¤APERTURE                                                                      
LABORATORIES                                                                    

    logo, pale blue pyjama pants, moccasins, and a small bag with her phone and keys in it.

    She lets the door close before she says, "Norie!" And hurries over, before sitting down. She does not attempt to hug. "What is it?"

Norie Okana has posed:
Norie Okana looks up. And blinks. "Oh. Uhm." she says. "You asked. Questions the other day. I gave incomplete answers..." she says quietly as she opens the box of donuts and slides it towards Amy. She opens the thermos and pouts two cups of green tea. She then starts talking.

"Hinoiri Kirara gave me some donuts. They come from. Another world." she says quietly. "They're delicious. They also....cured me."

"Temporarily. I have two left. Hinoiri played a dirty trick. By giving me a cure...I can't replicate. Can't be replicated. I.."

"I hate her so much." she says quietly.

"I also wanted to... thank you. For trying to help the other night. I didn't expect to get hugged like that. Ever." she says quietly still.

"Amy-chan." she says quieter. "I don't know how to ask this." she says. She looks away, with a blush.

"Can I hold your hand?" she asks. "If it helps. I probably need the energy anyways.." she lies. She got enough when Sarah hugged her.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy reaches for a donut, takes a bite and chews, and then looks *rather alarmed* at the suggestion these are the special donuts Norie needs -- although when she says two left, Amy realizes they can't be these.

    She chews and swallows. "I don't think she meant harm... but I understand if you can't see things that way right now."

    She closes her eyes a moment, then opens them. "Had I lost this form and gained a way to only temporarily return to it, I would be... rather distraught."

    She cocks her head to one side slightly. Is she blushing? Why?

    "Of course. I told you I can spare some..." She holds out her other hand, while bringing the donut to her mouth to take another bite... but before she does, she asks: "Do you... like hugs, but can't have them?"

Norie Okana has posed:
Norie Okana looks at Amy's offered hand and she hesitantly touches Amy's hand before grasping it. She doesn't say anything, but that energy drain still happens. Draining energy, with that dark energy crackle, and the pain that comes with it.

But then she starts to tear up. And then. She starts to cry. "Amy-chan..."

"Amy-chan..." she repeats.

"Amy-chan. Y..you're one of the closest thing I have to a best friend anymore." she says. "-and want to know how I repaid you? I tried to murder your girlfriend without question." she says quietly.

She doesn't comment on anything yet Amy says, fully.

"I just needed to touch someone." she says quietly. "I miss... hugs. I miss. Taking a busy bus. I miss. So much." she says as she cries lightly. Not a sobbing mess, but she sure is living up to the name 'Lacrima' right now.

She then releases Amy's hand before she either overfeeds, or hurts her too much.

"Of--- course I like hugs... and. Hinoiri did it on purpose. She was getting her own back for. For the whole kidnapping thing." she sniffs.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy is surprised, both by the -chan and the crying. "It's not your... well, you can only feel negative emotions. That's... I can't imagine how difficult that is. I... I told you, as long as you don't do something like that again, I can forgive you." It would sound more serious if it wasn't said around a mouthful of donut.

    Norie goes on and Amy has never wanted to hug her so much.

    When she first met 'La Crima', she knew what the 'lacrimae' meant, and mentally nicknamed her 'Tears' at first. She's certainly living up to that now.

    "...Is it just skin contact that does it?" she asks, hopefully. She could easily hug Norie while avoiding skin contact...

Norie Okana has posed:
Norie Okana frowns. "Would you believe it happens when it wants to happen?" she asks. "Some days...most days... clothing... gloves work. Sometimes. They don't for a bit. It's like a cruel joke." she gives a self-deprecating laugh at herself.

"Talk last night...made me so sad. That the girl wanted to hug me. Talk about. Love." she says. "I don't know if I can feel... romantic love." she finally admits.

"I can't....hug. I can't. hold hands. I can't kiss." she says quietly.

"...Is it fair for me to even try dating?" she asks quieter, sniffing, starting to calm down.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Would she believe it? Amy nods. "Yeah, I would. We can see if this is a good day or not..."

    Amy listens, and considers a few things. "I don't know if I can feel romantic love. A lot of people can't, apparently. I just... I want to be close to Hannah. ...I also want to be close to Taro. And a lot of my friends. Although uh. I'd be up for more with Hannah, if you know what I mean." She blushes a little and looks away, scratching at her neck.

    She then looks back at Norie seriously. "Your situation... Well, I have two thoughts." She holds out one finger. "One: There are people who can't be close to their lover who manage. You could do like. An online relationship. There are, y'know... like." She points at her head. "We're brains. With feelings. The body's just sort of an interface, in a way. You may not always be able to touch, but you can still communicate thoughts."

    Amy takes a breath, and holds out a second finger. "Two: Use magic or technology to circumvent it. Maybe you can be hugged through a really thick blanket. Actually a think I saw a series once... Pushing Daisies? About someone whose magic powers meant if he ever touched the girl he loved, she would die. They would hug through a plastic sheet, as I recall."

    "Um. Anyway. This might sound kind of silly but like, for all I know maybe someone can hug you through a robot or make a hugging machine and... if you know the hug is from them, indirectly, is that something? It's not silly if it works."

    Another breath. "And that sounded silly, but... This body is a flesh robot I'm remote-controlling right now. It's actually kind of curious that you can drain me through it. Maybe that wouldn't happen if I put my Soul Gem far enough away?"

Norie Okana has posed:
Norie Okana listens. She sniffs, but has stopped being a crying mess. She looks at Amy and blinks. "Taro? That boy at the tea party. The Slasher's henchman, yes." she says softly. "I had to remember that. What Slasher-san told me. I... never told you that did I?"

"That I met another vampire? He calls himself.... 'The Back-Street Slasher'." she narrows her eyes. "Which is... a name for sure. But I guess. So is La Crima." she says. "He drinks blood. And he can choose to drain. I'm super jealous." she says as she shifts.

"...a long distance might work... and I already know I have trouble through surfaces... but. Mami-chan...Onee-chan." she blushes, but still monotone. "Does that using her ribbons. She makes a clone of herself, using her ribbons. And I'm able to hug that. And there's no drain through it to her." she says.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy tries to keep a poker face as the Slasher is described to her. "You did kind of name yourself 'Tears'. ...I heard that the Back Street slasher tried feeding you; I was glad to hear he did a good deed. I wonder if Dory can hug you? Small though her hugs may be."

    And then as Norie says she's able to get ribbon-hugs, Amy smiles earnestly, just so glad to learn that there is indeed at least one source of hugs Norie can enjoy.

    "Alright. I'm gonna test it. I'll just..." She sets the half-eaten donut down on a napkin or something, walks over to another part of the roof, takes her ring off, sets it down gently, and walks back over towards Norie, before reaching out to gently poke her hand with a finger.

Norie Okana has posed:
Amy pokes Norie. Norie still drains. It seems as long as there's a connection to that soul gem in some manner, she's going to drain. She shifts a bit. "It's okay, Amy-chan." she says quietly. "You tried." she says gently. Her eyes light up again a moment. "R-right don't...worry about. Not finding a solution for me. You're not a scientist. Or knowledgable about dark energy." she says.

Then the name is brought up.....

'You did kind of name yourself 'Tears

And she frowns. "I did...not name myself. It's the name. In my head. What the... the... gift names you. The last owner of this power.... he wanted the power. He wanted to have it. So it named him 'Poderoso'." she looks down.

"I didn't want it. It knew it'd make me miserable. Sad. So it named me. La Crima." she says quieter. "I never spoke to you before. About my power's history." she says quieter. "I know some of it. I dream of him. Poderoso. It's how I learn to do things. I dream. I don't have my own dreams anymore." she says.

"It's always him..." she says. "Always out of order. But..." she takes a breath.

"I know he'll be back soon.... he and his Cursed Castilla...."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy tries again, moving the soul gem as far away as she can. It still drains. She looks at her hands. "How?! How does the power know?! This is just a flesh-puppet, technically! Argh!" She stomps a foot, and then runs across the roof to retrieve her soul gem.

    Not a scientist. Amy sighs a little. "I do have a degree, you know." She may have just lost track of who she's told at this point.

    The name wasn't hers. Poderoso. "I don't know what that one means."

    And as the explanation goes on, Amy's little hands ball into fists and she almost shakes. "Your feelings. Human touch. Your name. Even your dreams aren't your own?!"

    Her voice growls. "That monster... We'll find him and take him down. And we'll fix you. We HAVE to. This is... this is unconscionable. This is torture. I had no idea. How have you lived like this for a year?!"

    She sighs. "No, I know the answer to that. You had no choice. Well it has to end. It has to end!"

Norie Okana has posed:
Norie Okana says. "It means 'Powerful'." she says quietly. "'Mighty." she adds. "He.. reforms every. Few hundred years. Along with his castle. Which I know sounds like a dumb videogame." she says. "Except it really isn't." she says even quieter.

"Besides. There's a reason half his power is hanging out over here in a girl." she snorts. "That's an old grievous wound. He pissed off the wrong person. Someone who knew how to actually harm him. I don't know all the details. All I know is half of him was ripped off into the necklace I wear. It ended up in a fricken second hand shop in Japan. I bought it." she says.

"But. Amy-chan, If I am half this other vampire's power. Will the other half make me whole? I wonder this a lot. Or are we just returning the power to sender." she says softly.

"What if our fates are tied? Defeating him would just end me, too." she says.

"How.. have I lived? Very poorly Amy. But you already know this." she says quietly as she looks away sheepishly. "Poderoso is someone else's problem anyways. You need healing magic. I am made of the literal opposition force to that. Sailor Moon or someone else can defeat him and yell at me later." she says.

"As long as I remain out of the way, and he remains wounded.... half of himself.... someone will always be able to defeat him. If he's whole. Who knows..." she says quieter.

"Besides my affliction is not his fault. In technicality. I assume he'd rather the power back."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Sounds like a dumb videogame? "My life is a dumb manga, so." She shrugs.

    And listens.

    "Sailor Moon may not agree with stuff like this when I say it, but... we're Magical Girls. Fighting for love and justice and all that. And I know this:"

    She points at Norie.

    "It cannot be wrong to help you. If it is, then the world is wrong. If we have to make someone live in misery so that the world can continue on like some fucked-up Omelas?"

    She sweeps her arm in a horizontal chopping motion. "Then such a world isn't worth saving."

    It hurts.

    It hurts.

    The injustice hurts, and it makes Amanda rage against the world in a way it hasn't since she first started hearing news of people suffering halfway across the world and could never do anything to help. Norie is being tortured every second of every day; even dreams aren't a break.

    She grabs Norie's shoulders for a few seconds, drain be damned. "We have to tell people! I know the other magical girls won't stand for something like this! Nor your friends at Obsidian, surely!"

Norie Okana has posed:
Norie Okana is grabbed, and indeed, energy drain as expected, but her expression softens.

"...Amy-chan...." she says quieter. "I've done too much wrong." she admits. "I know it's wrong but. It's so easy...to do things. When you can't feel half of what you're supposed to. Things feel right. Even if they're wrong..." she admits, looking away with that soft expression, she can't look Amy in the eyes right now.

"No one's going to care. Some dumb castle will appear. There will be some youma. A vampire like myself will come out, who thinks he's tough s**t. Someone will launch a big heart at him or something and everything will be normal again." she says.

"-and I'll continue to exist as I do." she says.

"Nothing will change about me. I'll still be the terrible person I am now. And I'll make them all regret helping me." she says.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy grips her shoulders tighter, fire in her eyes. "No. It's wrong. I don't care if I sound like a kid throwing a tantrum, it's wrong and anyone who can't see that is wrong!"

    She lets go, finally. "Of course, you can't feel hope."

    Something in the back of Amy's mind urges not to make promises she can't keep. That these feelings are unsustainable. She'll get tired.

    But, Norie...

    If she can't help someone suffering this much, what is the point of being a magical girl?!

    She wants to scream at the world. To blow whatever's responsible for this up.

    Whenever she starts to cool a little she remembers that Norie cannot even dream her own dreams and the fire rages again.

    "Whoever thought they could manipulate us by stealing your feelings so that we would blame you, will pay."

    "...No. I don't care if they pay. I care that they can never hurt anyone in their light cone ever again."

Norie Okana has posed:
Norie Okana tries to continue to keep her own cool. "Amy-chan...." she says, looking back to Amy. "I don't know why I can't feel. I don't know what happened to my feelings. But an ancient vampire isn't...isn't controlling me. I feel this much is true." she looks away from Amy.

"I think you need to calm down." she says quietly. "And that sure is a statement coming from me." she says in a coy sort of monotone, though her expression still soft.

"Here." she says, pushing the food she brought with her. "Have the donuts. Share them with Hannah. Maybe. I should try to relax, myself."

"Maybe an onee-chan hug." she says as she looks up at the sky again. "Maybe. A lot of things. I think..."

"I am going to walk to my room. Instead of dusk porting." she stands up and starts to walk away. "Be well, Amy-chan..." she says.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    "Not controlling you, no. But altering you, without your consent. It's like if they gave you drugs that kept you from thinking properly. In what sure seems like a plan designed to make sure you draw our ire instead of the curse you're under."

    She's left looking between Norie and the box. She starts pacing around the roof. "'Calm down.' How am I supposed to calm down?!"

    She's probably not getting any sleep tonight.