132/Real Friends Help You Move

Real Friends Help You Move
Date of Scene:	21 July 2023
Location:	Radiant Heart Academy
Synopsis:	Wako called Kyouka in as Takuto got to the mulchy remains of the plant youma, examinations of unconscious students and theorizing about the attack and the eyes claiming credit followed.
Cast of Characters:	Takuto Tsunashi, Wako Agemaki, Kyouka Inai

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Takuto Tsunashi has posed:
"WAKO!" comes the most unmistakeable voice, calling out in a way that isn't necessarily loud, but absolutely carries. Then, jogging toward the big tree with an inordinate amount of mulch and some busted pottery in front of it, this gangly redheaded boy slows down and calls again, less loudly, "Wako? What did you do to the pots?"

He's not wildly tall, but he's skinny enough that 'tall' ends up being 'long', and his red hair's sticking up every which way, and his red shirt's got its sleeves rolled up because it's super hot out and he isn't wearing his shortsleeved uniform shirt if his life depends on it. He sticks a lollipop back in his mouth and his hands in his pockets, and he meanders once Wako calls back.

Wako Agemaki has posed:
Of course when Wako called Inai-sensei's office phone, it went to voice mail.

"Inai-sensei? It's Agemaki. Remember how you told me that monsters drain people's energy? Well..."

Once she's summed up the situation as concisely as she can, Wako tucks her phone back into her pocket and - leaving her energy-drained charges resting, for now, on a hastily-assembled assortment of chairs in an empty classroom - heads back outside to wait for the cavalry.

She pushes her way out through the double doors just about in time to hear the familiar voice calling her name. It brightens her up considerably. "Takuto-kun!" Rising up unnecessarily on her toes, she waves an arm to help direct his attention. "Over here!"

Further conversation can wait until they're in slightly more of a conversational distance, at which point she's quick to protest, "I didn't break them, that was - well, it's a bit of a long story. We got everyone moved inside, for now, but I couldn't get the nurse's office or Inai-sensei on the phone, and I don't just want to leave them."

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    "Didn't I give you a business card?" Inai-sensei is suddenly standing /right behind/ Wako, as if she had just stepped out from her shadow. Even Takuto, who was facing towards Wako, wouldn't have actually seen her arrive. One second she wasn't there, and the next she kind of steps out from behind Wako like one of those optical illusion videos of 'ghost cars' that are really just perspective, except this is /actual/ magic. "You're supposed to hold it and think really hard about needing help." She sounds mildly cross. "I'm sure I explained this." She didn't. "Luckily one I got your voicemail, I was able to locate the card and come anyway. Apparently recorded pleas for help actually count, imagine that."

    She's wearing her usual white button-down dress shirt but has the sleeves unbuttoned and rolled up past her elbows, and her narrow rectangular-lensed sunglasses on her face. "So what happened? Potting accident?" A glance as the broken pots. "Something tells me it's probably a bit more than-" She finally notices Takuto. "Oh, hello. This your boyfriend? He's cute." She steps away from Wako and gives a nod of greeting, like a bow without the bow part. "Kyouka Inai-sensei, nice ta meetcha."

Takuto Tsunashi has posed:
Cute and has really gratifying reactions to sudden appearances-- Takuto was just about to respond to Wako when Kyouka just sort of apparates, and abruptly he's jumped back, eyes wide and hands coming up. "Gyaaah! A-hahhh hhhi? Hello nice to meet you Inai-sensei--" hand over his heart, he sags on his feet and tries not to look aggrieved. Until he absolutely doesn't look aggrieved, he looks very suddenly excited. "Wait, the same Inai-sensei that does magic fight practice?? Can I come too?? Oh sorry Wako."

This is not about that this is about the unconscious kids.

He doesn't contradict the 'boyfriend' part.

Wako Agemaki has posed:
Takuto isn't the only one startled by Kyouka's unexpected appearance. Wako jumps a little at the voice from behind her, letting out a yelp of surprise that sounds something like "Wah!" as she scoots away from Suddenly There-sensei.

As soon as she realizes that's who it is, Wako also looks aggrieved, or at least a little indignant. "Sensei, what the heck? Why would I - your business card?" For a second she looks like she's actually going to pull it out, but then changes her mind. "You never said anything about that!"

Deep breath. Wako composes herself, and nods confirmation, also not contradicting 'boyfriend'. Instead, she gestures from one to the other: "Takuto Tsunashi. Kyouka Inai-sensei. Yes, the one doing training classes - I already asked if it'd be okay to bring you. It's looking more and more like it's a really good idea."

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    "I'm sure I told you about.." Kyouka starts to say, then falls silent as she casts her mind back to the meeting at which she handed the card over. Seeming to realize that no, she didn't actually, she quickly changes the subject, "Anyway, that's neither here nor there. What's actually going on?" She casts her gaze around again, but as Wako has already moved the unconscious students there isn't much to see. She wrinkles her nose a little bit, as if she can detect some lingering foul odor. "Some kind of youma? In the middle of campus in the middle of the day?" She sounds vaguely disturbed by the prospect.

    Only then does she seem to register what Takuto had said to her a moment before. "That's right," she agrees, "The one that does magic fight practice. Although we call it Self-Defense Class." She eyes him for a moment, then tilts her head and... lightly sniffs, as if trying to detect something in particular. Then she opens her eyes again and nods. "You're in. Wednesday at 4:30."

Takuto Tsunashi has posed:
He sees the sniff, and Takuto immediately looks suspicious. His gaze slides to Wako and he murmurs, "You didn't say she could also smell prettyboys," a little accusingly.

Then he straightens up and nods firmly. "I'll be there."

And then the lollipop goes back in his mouth and he looks past Wako and into the classroom where the unconscious students are, then actually steps past her and asks with the candy still in his mouth, "Why aren't they waking up? The fight's over."

A beat. "A youma? Like the two-headed bear you didn't get pics of?"

Wako Agemaki has posed:
"I'm pretty sure its our emblems she's smelling," Wako informs Takuto, as though this is a perfectly normal conversation to be having. Then he's looking in on the passed-out students, and her expression wilts a little into one of faint worry. "I don't know. Their pulses are okay, but..." Their continued lack of consciousness speaks for itself.

Shifting position so she can face both Takuto and Kyouka, she explains, "It was a plant guy. Or, well, at first he just looked like a guy. He had this whole setup, letting us come and paint little pots and put plants in them to take with us. It seemed like it'd be fun, until kids started falling asleep, and the guy got really mad about anyone trying to wake them up. That was when he turned into a plant monster."

A beat; she looks to Takuto. "I still didn't get any pictures. Things got hectic pretty fast."

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    "Actually," Kyouka corrects them both, "It's just magic in general. I understand the magic-sense manifests differently for different people.. at least that's what I was told. For me it's smelling." A lopsided smile, just a hint of fang. "Not really smelling like.. not actually? But I guess that's just how it makes sense to my brain. Case in point.." A turn, and a gesture to the disturbed earth and shattered pots. "This place stinks of Dark Energy. Smells like a youma." Ash-grey eyes find Wako as she goes on to describe the incident a bit more.

    "Sounds like a typical energy-drain. Though for the life of me, I don't know why someone would try it here of all places, in the middle of the day." She sounds vaguely troubled by this, more than by the fate of the victims, possibly because Wako had already mentioned they all still had pulses. "They're in there? The ones who got drained?" She follows Takuto's gaze to the classroom, then walks past Wako and in through the door to examine them, though 'examination' might be a bit too generous a term for the vague prodding and nudging she does.

Takuto Tsunashi has posed:
Takuto would arguably do worse at vaguely poking and prodding the students, so he keeps his hands in his pockets and just sort of starts looking for any marks or anything in plain sight. Which there aren't, but he looks.

He says around the lollipop, "Yeah, seems like an attack in a place with Self Defense Class would be barking up the wrong tree."

He straightens up and looks down at them, frowning, then looks over at Wako. "The guy literally turned into a plant? With... chlorophyll and stuff? I mean I know you couldn't get pictures, but. Did he show any signs of being an obvious plant before branching out into the monster life?"

Wako Agemaki has posed:
Wako's already employed the full extent of her first aid knowledge; the best thing she can probably do for now is to keep out of Kyouka's way. Tucking her hands behind her back, she lingers near Takuto, which means she gets to pull a faintly incredulous face at him at the phrase 'barking up the wrong tree'. Really, Takuto-kun?

"He just looked like a guy. He was wearing sunglasses and a cap, but it was bright out so I didn't think that much of it. Turned out his hair was leaves. Really weird. Also, really obsessed with gardening."

She pauses there for a moment, just to make a face at Takuto for his puns.

"There were like three other girls with magic who showed up to fight him," she continues after a moment. "One of them, Tsukiko-chan, was there for the bear monster too. But there was something else that happened, after the plant thing was gone."

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka finishes her perfunctory examination. "They'll be fine, more'n likely." She says as she returns to the two standing nearby. "Energy drain is usually either trivial, or deadly. So if they're all still alive, they'll recover. Probably need to sleep it off. Might have a bad headache tomorrow, but some food and rest and they'll be back to normal. Probably won't even remember anything happened. I guess someone should call their parents or whatever to give 'em a ride home.." She considers. "I'll go tell Meiou-san, she can probably contact their relatives-"

    She falls silent mid-speech as Wako mentions three other magical girls, giving a glance to Takuto and murmuring, "That's why it's suicidal for a youma to show it's face around here," before she returns her gaze to Wako. "What happened after it was gone?" She looks genuinely interested, her grey eyes slightly narrowed, and a pensive frown touching her face.

Takuto Tsunashi has posed:
"Energy drain sounds like the pits," says Takuto, eyeing the students in a new light. "Maybe we should write something on the board for them in case they wake up before Meiou-san gets here. Unless you want to keep watching over them, Wako-chan."

Finally, the redheaded boy goes over to an unoccupied desk and perches on it, all limbs, watching Wako seriously instead of continuing to make her make faces, even if the faces are great.

Wako Agemaki has posed:
"I feel like someone should stay," Wako murmurs. "At least until we make sure they all have someone coming to pick them up, or get hold of the nurse's office, or... something."

She turns her face toward the chalkboard, considering Takuto's suggestion thoughtfully. "...after the plant thing was gone, these - eyes - appeared in the air. There was a voice out of nowhere, too. Angry at us for defeating the youma." The corners of her mouth tighten as she recalls it. "Whatever it was, that's what broke all the pots."

Coming to a decision, she moves to the blackboard and picks up a piece of chalk. "Takuto-kun. Do you remember Ayingott? That's what it was like... not a Cybody, but it gave me that same kind of creepy feeling."

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka considers Taukuto's suggestion. Then she walks over to the chalkboard while Wako is talking, picks up a piece of chalk, and inscribes "DON'T PANIC" in big friendly letters across the entire board. Nodding her head, she replaces the chalk, turning back to the two students. "Eyes, huh?" She considers. "I wonder.." It's possible the Dark Energy she was sniffin' out there wasn't from the youma after all. It is a bit weird for it to linger after the monster was destroyed if that was the actual source.

    "Angry for defeating the youma, huh? Mmm. Sounds like a real charmer. 'I know, let me send a minion literally into the enemy home base and then pitch a fit when it gets instantly vaporized'." She puts on an exaggeratedly-dopey sounding voice, before shakign her head. "I'm not sure if I believe that's all there is to it. But I'm not sure what else they would have been after." She regards the area where the broken pots lay.

    Then to Wako, "The other girls who helped you, they're all okay? I assume so since you didn't say anything, but.."

Takuto Tsunashi has posed:
By the way Takuto's face darkens, he sure remembers Ayingott. "If someone's trying to frighten students like that-- no, if the power behind that is real-- then I think you're right, it's a very good idea for more people to practice self-defense fighting together. If it takes a group to defeat a youma, how much more effort does it take to defeat the power behind them?"

Which is a great speech, but he's still got a lollipop.

Wako Agemaki has posed:
Wako's brows lift as she watches Kyouka write out those big friendly letters. She manages not to look amused, exactly, but some of the shadow clears from her expression. "They're all fine," she assures Kyouka when asked about the other girls. "Honestly, I don't think the plant monster guy was expecting all of us to show up like we did. One of the other students got tossed around a little, right at the start, but she's okay too."

She regards Kyouka's work on the blackboard for another moment, then steps forward to add, in smaller but even cuter lettering underneath: Drink water and get lots of sleep! <3

"I suppose we can't count on them trying stuff right in the middle of campus every time, though," she says as she steps back. "I feel like there's way too much about all of this I still don't get."

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    "I'm not sure what this was supposed to accomplish," Kyouka tells Takuto with a somewhat grim expression. "But I am sure that you're right about practicing. Whether a thing could be done alone or not, it's always going to be safer to do it as part of a group. Strength in numbers is a real advantage, one that I didn't have when I was your age, but I'll be damned sure you kids get to take full advantage of."

    She watches Wako's addition to the chalkboard with mild amusement, but doesn't comment. It certainly can't hurt. "It's like I told you at the dance, Agemaki-san. There's always something happening in this city. I thought I could count on the school as a safe haven but.. apparently even that was an assumption too far."

    She turns and heads back towards the door and the campus beyond. "I'll go tell Meiou-san so we can get these kids home. You can stay and watch over them if you want, but I think they'll be fine, it should only be a few minutes. Thanks for calling me." A smiles, genuine and given with a slight inclination of the head. "Stick together, kids. Stay safe." And then she's walking off towards the administrative building across the lawn.

Takuto Tsunashi has posed:
Takuto slides off the desk and also takes a piece of chalk, and he's silent, listening while the other two are talking. Silent and drawing stars and sparkles in amongst the letters on the chalkboard.

"Bye!" he calls after Kyouka, then, and waits until she's out of sight before he leans a little toward Wako, faintly concerned. "I thought you weren't supposed to dance with teachers."

Wako Agemaki has posed:
A little smile begins to settle on Wako's face as she watches Takuto add his contributions to the blackboard. Yes. Yes, that seems about right. She puts the chalk she was using down, dusts her fingers against the skirt of her terrible uniform as Kyouka takes her leave. "Thanks, sensei!"

then it's just her and Takuto and several passed out kids, and something in her posture relaxes a little as she looks back up at his face. "We weren't dancing," she replies easily. "It was way too crowded, anyway. I had a little talk with her about some things while I was waiting for y--"

She does not quite finish the sentence before her stomach lets out an insistent growl, and Wako's cheeks turn pink with embarrassment.

"--Anyway!" she says, turning briskly to face him. "I'm hungry."

Takuto Tsunashi has posed:
There's a little tilt of his head as Takuto looks down at Wako, smiling, and then a tiny tiny huff of a laugh at her explanation.

The tiny huff turns into a louder laugh when Wako's stomach growls. "Of course! Let's eat! There's a place I just found that makes very very good sweet bean curd, and they also have little octopus-shaped sausages on sticks? And a lot of other things but those are the ones I've tried so far, come on, they're about a block away from the campus gates..."

And he's already tossed his lollipop in the bin near the door, and he takes Wako's hands and starts backwards, leading her back out, and he's excited because-- well. Wako is Wako and they're in the big city and Sugata will get there soon and there are people to fight for and everything to do and see.

Even if Ayingott-person dared to look at Wako.