435/Coffee Beans

Coffee Beans
Date of Scene:	16 September 2023
Location:	Dorms #1
Synopsis:	Darien goes next door to borrow coffee from Adrien, but meets Chrono instead. There is espresso and frank discussion of the dangers of dark energy.
Cast of Characters:	Mamoru Chiba, Chrono Harlaown
Tinyplot:	Lost & Found

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Mamoru Chiba has posed:
It's a sunny weekend morning so the dorms are pretty quiet, even if it's not too hellishly early. There shouldn't be a knock at Adrien and Chrono's door, but there absolutely is--

--and when opened, it reveals a tall and lanky teenaged boy with a pretty face, blue eyes, and black hair that's long but not styled-- it looks like it just grew out of short-back-and-sides for a couple of years and hasn't been cut. At least it's combed. He's wearing glasses, but they're not as scarily reflective as Koji's, at least.

He's looking into the room at Adrien's face's height, and has a sheepish expression that turns into outright surprise as he looks down. "Oh, hi, I'm sorry, are you Adrien's roommate?"

What a dumb question. Well. It's early.

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown opened the door... and he looked like all the world like the world's smallest military soldier. Boxers. Plain white understirt. Perfect posture. White socks. Staring up at the man for a moment. "Huh. I thought Adrien lost his key. Can I help you, sir?" he asked. He was clean shaven, teeth brushed, hair combed, the smell of coffee wafting through the room...

Yes. Adrien did, in fact, teach him how to use the coffee machine. And it was heavenly. "Chrono Harlaown, grade 9, age 14. And you are?" Well, the boy wasn't leaving so he assumed this wasn't just a wrong apartment. But the boy was probably one of Adrien's friends.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
And the tall boy on the other side of the door blinks at the 'sir' this time. "M-- Darien Shields, grade 10, age 16," he answers in kind, then laughs a little sheepishly. "I'm your next door neighbor, Koji-kun's roommate. We ran out of coffee and I was hoping to cadge some beans from Agreste-san, but I can just go to the cafeteria. It's very nice to meet you, either way!"

He shifts his weight a little and takes a half step back in order to bow just enough to be polite. "I hope I didn't wake you, Harlaown-san."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown blinked a few times. "Koji-kun? Silvia-kun? You're his roommate?" Chrono asked. With confirmation... "Ah, a pleasure to meet you as well." He'd even bow politely. "I didn't realize Silvia-kun was our neighbor, I'll need to take better stock of the surrounding territory. And you didn't, I already got back from morning patrol," he said before stepping aside and letting him in.

Then a gentle, somewhat knowing grin formed on his lips. Well, the espresso machine was on. "So, did you truly come for the beans, or did you come because this is where the espresso machine is? I don't mind either way, from what I've seen Agreste-kun is a generally fairly generous young man." Pause. "Also, rich, so it does him little ill if one of his bags of beans go away, so long as I alert him to it."

Chrono... could kind of be a dick at times, but he was also a realist. He had no issue redistributing the wealth, as it was, so long as it didn't actively harm his roommate.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"Oh you're friends with Koji-kun already?" Darien looks delighted all of a sudden; he's of the opinion that Koji absolutely needs more friends. But you don't just SAY something like that unless you're an embarrassing older family member. "Good! Morning patrol?" he asks, stepping inside when invited to.

There's a pause as he's halfway called out. "Well, I wouldn't say no to espresso," he laughs after a second, and then he holds up his hands as if joke-shielding himself from any accusations, "but I promise, we do have a blade grinder and a coffeemaker, and I'd give the rest of the bag back; I can afford my own, too. It's just that neither of us realized there wasn't an extra bag in the back of the wardrobe. Embarrassing!"

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown gave a small, slightly rigid nod. "A bit. I know him from the Korma Chameleon. I'm a friend of Terios-san's. I'm from out of country."

The comment on morning patrol made him sigh. Not a 'Oops, I worded that wrong.' More a 'Oh, right, I'm supposed to keep that stuff hidden and I can't be arsed' sigh. "Oh, sorry. A morning jog. I used to grow up in an area with a high crime rate and so I would call it my patrol back home." Not entirely wrong. When you considered 'space' to be where you grew up.

Chrono did, at least, give a soft, amused chuckle. "Ahhhh. That's fine. We didn't have espresso where I was from, but we had something similiar. It is a particularly fun way to wake up. Like awakening to the hull breach alarm without the dread of impending implosion," he said before walking towards the machine to grabhis own cup. "Did you know how to work it, or have a preference you prefer?"'

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
The absurdly tall Darien trails behind the absurdly short Chrono like a coffee-seeking duckling, slightly bemused but enjoying the surreality of the conversation. "I usually drink my coffee black or like melted coffee ice cream," he answers, "no middle ground. I do like straight espresso... and I've never really had an opportunity to learn to operate one of the machines. It looks like an art, and I'm definitely not an artist."

Then he ends up next to the wall, which he leans against, watching somewhat absently. "Did you grow up on a spaceship?" he asks curiously. "You can say patrol, I have other friends who patrol too."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown gave a light shudder. "Ahhhh. So you drink it like my mother. My condolences to your sense of taste," he said. "Straight espresso it is." He, at least, started to set the machine up. "I do not believe anyone would call me an artist of any sort. But I do like having something warm to drink in the morning and you'd be surprised the things that can motivate a person."

Chrono perked up a bit when Mamoru mentioned the spaceship. He took another drink of his, well, drink. "Yeah. More or less. In the know, then? Can't say I'm surprised. Probably got a hell of a linker core, too. Then yes, patrol. Do you pilot planets around like space ships too, or are you more the makes really tasty food sort? Or perhaps you embody the concept of peace which is apparently a tazer set to maximum charge?" Another drink of his coffee. Yup. He had had a time.

"Espresso is very nice." As the machine finished the other cup, he picked it up and held it out to him.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"Your mother apparently has a wonderful sense of taste," Mamoru says a little teasingly, but only a little. He takes the espresso gratefully, then nods cheerfully. "In the know indeed. One of my friends says I have a normal linker core that's been dipped in dark energy like a hard candy shell, but I remember being able to do things like healing and minor energy transference as a child, so I don't think he's entirely correct."

"I'm on the wrong side." He sips the espresso. "Don't worry. I'm working on getting my people out so I can leave, and I won't use any of this information against you. Once I'm out, I'll find out what kind of thing I can do."

There's a pause, and he looks thoughtful. "I'd appreciate not getting dogpiled by your roommate, my roommate, and their friends, though. I really do need to get my people out."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown actually choked on his espresso then, having to pause and wipe his mouth before turning to him. "Did you say your linker core has DARK energy surrounding it?!" he asked. And wow. He went from... very serious to even MORE serious, staring at the man like he was the sole thing in existence. "Would you mind if I get a scan of your linker core, then? I won't force it, but it may prove beneficial to my investigation."

"But, if you're on that side... hm. Are you familiar with a... no. Never mind. If you are with them and trying to get out, discussing such things of that nature would only make your escape harder. I've seen such things in the past, activities like that. It takes a strong soul to escape. An even stronger one to bring those they care of out of the darkness with them."

"But it is worth it. The past can never be undone. But the future we create is a choice we make every day and it is often worth fighting for."

Siiiiiiiiiiip.

"I won't attack you, however. So don't fret. I will only wish you well in your escape."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Mamoru sips his espresso again as well, noticeably starting to wake up a little more, standing up straighter-- and then he flushes slightly and looks aside at the 'strong soul' part. He knows a strong soul, and it doesn't belong to him. But he looks down into the cup, and when he looks back up, he's very serious too.

"Thank you," he says with genuine gratitude at the 'wish you well in your escape'. "You're perfectly welcome to attack me if I'm doing something nefarious -- in fact I'd appreciate that, too."

A beat. "You're also welcome to scan my linker core, and use what you find to determine how many friends or associates you'd need to take with you in order to attack me. Also, please tell me if you can see anything through the dark energy."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown gave a small nod and then pulled out a strange card from... somewhere. There was a flick and... the most... majestic of henshining sequences later and he stood there. In his full spiky uniform and all, dark rod of destruction in hand. Looking to all the world like the villain here. He even had gauntlets for pete's sake.

He held the rod out to him and began to scan, a frown on his lips. "Hm. Chances are I will. While I can appreciate your desire to escape doing bad things and your desire to change your world for the greater, I cannot condone evil done for the sake of a 'better' later. Thoughts like that only lead to a greater darkness and a spreading of suffering. An ally once enemy must be protected, an enemy once friend must be stopped. That is the role I chose. So... don't take it personally if it comes to that."

He frowned when he scanned. "I will admit... your dark energy is strong. Very strong, even. I suppose it depends on how you wield it. Believe it or not, I've fought and defeated many people with stronger linker cores than the shell coating your own. My own power is nothing particularly powerful, either. It's the application." He did pause, however, seeming to consider his words. "Though, in the event it came to blows between us... I would likely prefer I had allies. Otherwise I would most likely have to kill you, rather than capture you. Fortunately this world seems to be filled with many powerful people who have taken on this weight, regardless of the dangers to themselves."

"I'm unable to detect anything through the darkness, unfortunately. My knowledge of such energy is still quite... small. While I know it is dangerous, I am aware it is powerful. Similiar in vein to a lost logia. A corrupting influence that twists that it touches, granting power but at a steep cost. Be wary of how you use this power, Shields-san. Even the greatest of us can be caught unawares by that we think we have under control. And the universe is rarely so forgiving to let such a lesson be learned gently."

Then he ended his henshin, full majestic, glorious pose and all. Hair flapping in the air, card held between two fingers... Had... Adrien taught him that pose?

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Darien finishes his espresso and holds the still-warm empty demitasse in both hands, then stands still. The henshin earns an impressed look.

"I wield the dark energy," he says frankly, "like a blunt object. There's enough of it that I can generally get away with not having to be clever about it. It takes cleverness to avoid using it when it makes it so easy, and I really don't want to hurt anyone, so I'm careful."

He looks down into his empty cup and says quietly, "It hurts. But it's power. I like to think that even if it turns out I'm not strong without it, I'd give it up when it's safe to. I just don't know that." He looks to Chrono once more. "So I'm trying to set things up so as many people as possible can work together to take me down if it comes to a fight."

Darien pauses. "Let me-- give you something," he says thoughtfully, setting the empty demitasse down next to the espresso machine. Much like Chrono produced a card from... somewhere, the much taller boy produces a black-petaled rose from nowhere. It, too, is coated in dark energy, rather than being made of it or infused with it. He holds it out to Chrono.

"Purification turns them red. They can break concrete either way. It might also help you in your investigation."

Everything else, he leaves unaddressed.

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown watched him for a long, long time. Just stared. Measuring him, perhaps. The rose, at least, got a reaction. Namely, he didn't touch it himself. He grabbed a tupperwear container and put it in that, lid and all. But he was quiet for a while yet, lifting a hand to his chin.

"LL-0872, casaulties, 37, 13 civilian, 24 TSAB agents. The wielder believed they could wield it, that despite the costs they could use it to create a better world. It killed those closest to them and many of the agents in pursuit trying to stop them."

"That is what makes Lost Logia so dangerous, Shields-san. Everyone believes they, and they alone, will be the one to wield it. To use it. They may see it as something they can use correctly. It's easy to see when it is used for hate, greed, anger, jealousy. But it's even harder to see when we use it ourselves, when we see only the good we try to do. Because then we block out the pain we inflict on others, on ourselves."

"If you're waiting for a time that it will be 'safe' to give it up, that time will never come. It may make you weaker. It will likely cost you in the end. Perhaps even your life," Chrono said, staring at the rose through the opaque container. "Perhaps the lives of those you care about. Everything has a cost, Shields-san. Sometimes they're hidden better than others. Sometimes we believe the 'ease' comes with no great price. Sometimes we're even right... for a time."

He finally placed the container on the counter. "I lost my father when I was three, due to one of those moments. A belief that the power could be contained. Could be stopped. Could be controlled. I've helped stop countless such situations, some turn out well. Many turn out poorly. But I can tell you now... get your friends and get far, far away from this thing. Because if you're waiting for some 'safety' to come? It doesn't exist. It can all be shattered in a moment. The most you will ever find is peace... for a time. But power like this?" He lightly tapped the container.

"This will guarantee your destruction, sooner or later. In which case, it depends on which you prefer. A calm, inevitable destruction, or a peace you and others have to fight for."

He uhhh... was a little... grim, it seemed.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"You misunderstand, Harlaown-san," Mamoru says gravely. "It's protective coloration. I'm under no illusions that energy like this can do good. It actively hurts, physically and mentally and emotionally, to allow it to exist in my body, and it makes it difficult to control my temper and my less desirable personality traits. It influences my decisions. It erodes inhibitions. I've lived with it for over two years and I still don't want it. But if I expend it all now or allow for purification, I won't be able to leave at all, nevermind leave with my people. And since I am the one who got them into this mess, I owe it to them to get them out. If you can think of a way to nullify a magical contract with a demon that can control the people who agree even without informed consent, this would be over much more quickly. As it stands, my Shitennou, my people-- who are very precious to me-- would be obligated to hunt me down and give me over to the demon if I were to escape alone. I have already been asked to prevent that by any means, by one of them. Is it dark energy or hope that makes me believe I can find a way to avoid having to kill those I love?"

The explanation is even-keeled and patient, frank but not resigned. "I believe it should be possible to remove the control the demon exerts when they attempt to act against its desires. I believe it should be possible to purge the dark energy from them without killing them, and I believe the same is true for me, even if I should fail to let it go. I am building safeguards to preserve my life even if I should fail to preserve theirs-- and those I love who are on the side of love and justice are very strong. I believe in them."

The grimness in itself is, somehow, something which makes Darien Shields relax. "You should speak with Sailor Moon, truly. She's the strongest person I know, and it's her strength upon which I rely to save me if I cannot save myself. If she were to fail, my only sorrow would be how much it would hurt her. I also wish to prevent that."

A beat.

"Obviously."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown was silent for a long time then, the hand on his chin showing he was thinking again. Considering. "The solution, in that case, is fairly simple in theory, but perhaps not in application. Destroy the demon, nullify the contracts. Unfortunately, I am unaware of how much power would be required for such a thing and while I am certain I have the authority to request the necessary firepower from the TSAB, I do not have access to call for such firepower right now. If the admiral were here and... not affected by the Lost Logia that is this pocket of time-space, perhaps she could access it. But that, again, is a fools errand at this point."

He at least looked thoughtful, though. "Working within the realm of the contract, however... your demon would not be the first threat I've encountered to use such things. Binding others to its will in order to control them. Corrupt them."

"How many shitennou are there? And this... contract... is it a physical thing? A bind placed on them? Do you believe you would be able to get me, or perhaps another mage, close enough to scan them? Because perhaps there is a way to shatter this contract. Not without risk, mind. But such things are often possible."

Only just met the man and already he's trying to figure out if there's a way he can save him and his colleagues. He really didn't believe in relaxing, did he?

"Sailor... Moon. I've heard of her. Already met one of these sailors, as it were. Meeting the... moon... one... should be... interesting," he said with a sigh. One of just pure exhaustion. "I cannot guarantee I can help you, Shields-san. But... I can at least promise you I will try to do what I can to get you and your friends out. And, in the event that fails, I will ensure you never hurt anyone else." He took his job very, very seriously.

"But I believe we should definitely try for the former first."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
This tall upperclassman is unquestioningly having this conversation with Chrono, simply accepting that he is what he says he is and can do what he says he can do, despite literally just having met him. Maybe it's the espresso.

"I would dearly love to destroy it before it destroys them, but it's as you say. Maybe if everyone were to work together, it would level enough firepower against the demon to absolutely disintegrate it-- and that might actually be possible. It would take time to organize, though, and I'm not sure how stable our situation is."

Mamoru leans against the wall again, hands behind his back, still relaxed, shoulders untensed and posture easy, not combat-ready at all. "There are five of us in total, but only three are bound in that way. The youngest is-- she'll come with me where I go; I'm not worried about her. The contract isn't a physical thing, very unfortunately." He pauses. "I don't know if it would be possible to get you close enough. I try to avoid going near it myself, lest it appropriate my will even temporarily." A small exhalation. "There's a mage I'm very close to that I might be able to get in, but if you're someone with clearances and authorities, he may not want to work with you, or share data. He might if he understood my life may depend on it, but... Sailor Moon would certainly be the easiest to work with. Some of our mutual friends would also be a help, but for security's sake, I shouldn't be in on those conversations."

Mamoru smiles lopsidedly at the last. "I think we're on the same page, there, but I accept the possibility that the latter may be necessary. I--"

He stops, frowns, and then laughs in startlement, bright and real. "Piloting planets. I'm sorry, it took me a moment. They don't move the actual planets," he says, grinning, eyes sparkling.

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown gave a small nod. "Possibly. Easy is unlikely, but what in life is ever easy? Have your sailor moon call or text me, will you?" he said, before giving a number. It wasn't... actually his cell. It was his device simulating a cell phone. But close enough. "But even if all we manage is to weaken it and destroy its contracts, that may be enough to begin. If you cut out the support, starving out the beast may be possible." He sighed and lifted a hand to his forehead. "If we had someone capable of enduring the full power of..." And then he shook his head. "There are many exceptional people in this world. Even if once doing this may have seemed impossible, it likely is quite a bit more possible than I'd ever have imagined."

He cocked an eye at the comment on the 'insider' mage. "I can understand that. The TSAB is designed to capture, contain and destroy things like this dark energy. I'd likely be in direct conflict with anything and everything he stood for. But if you'd like to hide my involvement, I don't mind. Operating through this Sailor Moon may be the ideal."

However, upon the mention of them not piloting planets, he managed to look relieved. "I will be entirely honest. One of them implied they could and I have seen too much... stuff... on this planet to ignore the possibility that they could. But I really am hoping she was just fucking with me at this point." A hand up to his forehead and what kind of mental strain had this kid been under lately that he's just like 'Sure, you pilot the planets, gotcha' and just accepts it?

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"...I'm pretty sure she was fucking with you," Mamoru says apologetically, pushing himself off the wall and pocketing his phone again, after putting the number in. "Thank you so much, Harlaown-san. It's been-- a relief to meet you."

He actually bows a little more deeply than before, and when he straightens up, his posture is... different. Carelessly regal, somehow. "I'll see what I can do with the avenues you've given me to explore, and I'll have Sailor Moon contact you."

For a second, Darien Shield hesitates, and then he reaches up to rub the back of his head. "But can I borrow a bag of coffee beans, still?"

And so it goes.