391/Written In The Stars (Second Take)

Written In The Stars (Second Take)
Date of Scene:	08 September 2023
Location:	OSA-P Jewelers
Synopsis:	Takes place following scenes 382 and 389. Special Agent Nephrite and Lady Wears Sunglasses At Night continue their search for the missing Naru Osaka, narrowing down the possibilities...
Cast of Characters:	Kyouka Inai, Nephrite
Tinyplot:	Dangerous Orbits

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Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Earlier, in the RHA dorms:

    Kyouka stands in the hallway with Nephrite, surrounded by a magical holographic projection of astrology, planets and moons and stars all moving together. In this effort to locate the kidnapped Naru Osaka, Nephrite has suggested they need a second point of reference, OSA-P Jewelers, and offered his arm to Kyouka for transport there.

    She eyes his extended arm for a moment, then flashes a lopsided grin, with one just-slightly-too-sharp canine tooth in evidence. "Thanks, but you'll have to forgive me for not trusting you completely. It's not that I don't think you want to help. It's just that I can't afford to take chances. I'm sure you understand. But don't worry, I know the way. I'll meet you there."

    And suddenly, with a faint sound and a brief rush of air, she's just gone. Teleported, in a way remarkably similar to the way the Shitennou do it- no flashy lights or sparkles. Just gone from one moment to the next.

    When Nephrite arrives at OSA-P, he'll find Kyouka waiting outside the shop, in the same clothes but with a pair of narrow rectangular-lensed sunglasses over her eyes. Yes, despite the fact that it's the middle of the night.

Nephrite has posed:
    Bowing his head in acceptance, Nephrite barely has time to say, "Fair enough." before the counselor is gone. He takes a moment to make the magical display disappear, so nobody with Veil Sight wanders into the hallway and starts asking questions.

    After that, Nephrite just follows Kyouka's teleport signature or, failing that, a quick scan of the city for her aura. Indeed, when the Shitennou teleport, there are no flashy special effects unless they desire to add them. Thankfully, this isn't Zoisite helping Kyouka, so there's no need to explain rose petals appearing and disappearing. Just an entire whole person appearing next to Kyouka. He put up a Glamour, at least, but he isn't going to bother changing identities. He just looks like a tall man in a black suit and white undershirt, with black tie, shined shoes, and black sunglasses of his own. He looks like a security detail or bodyguard.

    Anyone who was nearby and in a position to notice his arrival, such as passers-by or police detectives here to speak to the no-doubt distraught mother of Naru Oasaka, or just anyone in general, has their attention turned away by a Shadow that ripples across the area, whispering in their ears and minds and hearts that there is nothing to be concerned with here, and to go about their business. The fact that the Shadow has a stylized face, Nephrite's specifically, made out of fire doesn't appear to matter to the mundanes.

    The Shadow returns to within Special Agent Nephrite when its job is complete.

    "I've not been here before. I know this isn't where the abduction took place, but you probably know more about this store than I do. If it comes to speaking with the mother, then I will allow you to take the lead while I set up reference points for the scrying array." he says before moving to the entrance. He opens the door for Kyouka, because he has manners and was raised properly no matter what Zoisite says.

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    There's nothing particularly sneaky about Kyouka's transport, so finding her shouldn't be difficult. As Nephrite appears, eyes his new outfit, then watches him summon a fiery shadow to distract any possible interlopers. Luckily, it's likely the police have come and gone by this time of night, but that doesn't mean there aren't still people nearby that need to look the other way. "Neat." Is her only comment.

    As Nephrite moves to open the door for her, Kyouka steps inside, flashing him a bit of a sardonic grin, as if the politeness from an ostensible enemy amuses her. She glances around the darkened shop, as it's after-hours (which of course won't stop a pair of magical investigators gaining easy entry, but should make the investigating easier).

    "I wasn't here for the incident that occured here," She tells Nephrite, though he probably already knows. "However, this is where Naru-chan lives when she isn't at school, and Sunbreaker was also here at least once before, when Naru-chan and Sailor Moon fought her. So hopefully there is still plenty of energy from both of them you can use for a second data point. Hopefully her mom isn't here. Place should be closed at this hour."

    She pauses, looking into one of the display cases at some silver rings with red stones set into them, "Oh, I like those.." she catches sight of the price tag and winces. "But not on my salary. Focus, Inai. Missing girls come before jewelry shopping."

Nephrite has posed:
    Nephrite follows inside. For his part, it doesn't matter if someone is an enemy or not. There's no reason to be uncivilized. Also, if one is escorting a lady, one treats her appropriately. Maybe old-fashioned of him, but it's to Kyouka's benefit that he isn't going to violate such a code of conduct, so probably best not poked at.

    He also doesn't bother explaining that 'energy' isn't what he's measuring, but rather the trajectory of the people themselves as they move along their prescribed paths. Those paths may change due to interactions with others, but it all can only turn out in the way that it must. The complexity of all those objects in motion is what produces the illusion of randomness, because tracking all the variables is beyond a human brain. That's what computers (and magic) are for.

    None of which helps if there are efforts being made to deliberately obscure Naru's location. Locks are unlocked, certainly, and alarms are disabled, and security cameras show an empty store thanks to constellation-like geometric shapes just out of sight of the lenses. "Gemstones and crystals are common magical impliments among magi in general, and within the Dark Kingdom specifically..." he murmurs as he scans the displays. Most of the merchandise has been put away for the night, but what remains on display is certainly pretty at least.

    "A necessity of limited resources in one land, and a luxury of abundance in another." He shakes his head briefly as if to clear it. "This world has so much and most of those who live in it just take it for granted. How would they fare, I wonder, if they were plunged into a realm so dark that even starlight is denied them?"

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    The clash of philosophy between Kyouka and Nephrite can come at another time- although her definition of 'enemy' seems as fluid as the objective at hand, at least in present company. She'd outright laugh if he called her a 'lady', so it's probably best that thought not be vocalized.

    Explanations of the ins-and-outs of Nephrite's magic are not necessary, either. Kyouka has never claimed to be a great philosopher-mage, and is more interested in the results than the mechanics of what the man is doing. So she lets him get on with it without undue questions or demands for explanation. There is some level of trust here, apparently, though it's a mystery as to why there should be, other perhaps than the fact that Darien told her Nephrite could be trusted in this, and she trusts Darien. To a point.

    She shoots Nephrite a glance as he speaks about gemstones and crystals, and the abuse of plenty of which the human race is and has always been guilty. "My experience," She says, in a cheerfully moderated tone, "Is that people rise to the occasion. And when something is denied, it only makes them harder to keep from it. In the end."

Nephrite has posed:
    Nephrite pauses his slow stroll as he searches for something, a gloved hand moving over an empty display case. Then he tap-tap-taps it with his index finger and nods his head. "Well spoken." He turns from the case, hand falling to his side, and repeats, "Well spoken. On that matter, we are in agreement." Though in Nephrite's case, he's thinking of the youma and the human descendants of Beryl's army who interbred with them to produce the current combination of 'pure' youma and the mixed youma race, all prisoner-citizens of the Dark Kingdom thanks to one woman from a forgotten era. Their desire to leave their prison finally, and take what is their birthright, the Earth. "So shall it motivate us to find the young Miss Osaka too, yes?" He offers a quick smile.

    Then he steps towards the center of the room, and starts drawing designs on the floor with his shoe. They spring forth as ghostly symbols of constellations and astrological symbols that then sink into position. The few things he has touched since he entered also shine with previously-invisible writing. Spell glyphs like those back at the academy.

    Nephrite holds out his arms, with his hands cupped several centimeters apart, as though he is holding something unseen between them. He intones, "The Stars know everything..."

    Magic begins to swirl and gather and light up the store in flashes. Like a planetarium, the stars appear on the ceiling and walls, but these are all spiralling rapidly, lines connecting the points of illumination, linking together locations, objects, and destinies, tracking the trajectory of lives along their paths.

    Unlike the Shadow, there is no Dark Energy or evil involved in this spell. It is magic, positive energy, and a power as ancient as the stars.

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka might have some choice words about what the stars do and don't know, but she can easily agree with the sentiment that being denied the location of Naru motivates her more greatly to discover it. "You said it, friendo." Is her only comment, as she watches the man begin to create more symbols. She makes a mental note to check up later and make sure there's nothing being left here which might have untoward effects down the line- but that's a worry for another day.

    Her grey eyes reflect an orange-red illumination in the flashes of magic that swirld and light up the store, as the planetarium-display again appears like in the dorm room, but larger and faster. Her eyes narrow as she looks this way and that, clearly trying to make sense of it when everything is moving so rapidly.

    "She would have been here.. but now, she must be somewhere further away.." She watches the motes of light, attempting to parse any that might abruptly move from near the shop to somewhere distant, but really she's just waiting for Nephrite to reach his conclusions.

Nephrite has posed:
    A line turns blue. It connects and originates and intersects several other points and lines, rapidly creating a new constellation in the sky. It reaches the end of its journey as it becomes complete. Nephrite says, "I've found the next point. Outside of the city, on a mountain. A cabin perhaps? We had best leave quickly, her star is still in motion." he says, abruptly cancelling the light show with a sweep of his arm. "I would let you transport yourself this time as well, but it might be best to simply follow me. Can you do that?" He asks genuinely, not sarcastically. He doesn't know if she can track by aura or sense teleports or any of that, and he doesn't want to leave Kyouka behind in a store where the security measures are going to start working again within seconds of his departure.

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka frowns at the new blue line which seems to point to this place outside the city. She blinks as the stars suddenly all vanish, leaving them in what is simply a dark, empty jewelry shop. At the question of whether or not she can follow, she holds up a finger, then digs in a pocket. After a moment she produces a card- her business card. The front has her name, position, and phone number printed over an RHA logo. "Take this." She says, with a lopsided smile. "It will let me follow you. Just.. if you don't want me being able to find you anytime, don't keep it after tonight, hmmm?" A wink, almost playful. "Go, I'll follow."

Nephrite has posed:
    Without hesitation or consideration of whether it might be a trap or trick, Nephrite accepts the card and teleports to the location he was directed to. A cabin, on a mountain. He scans the area for auras, lifeglow, magic, Dark Energy... There are traces of some of these, but he's not picking up any definite 'pings' from inside. If it's warded, that would make sense and explain why it was difficult to find in the first place. The Second of the Four Heavenly Kings waits for his back-up to arrive before he just busts in there.

    Already, however, he has a sinking feeling.

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka arrives a moment later, as promised. Only now she's in henshin, as Stellar. Her casual clothing replaced by a long white-and-gold almost military-style coat, a black top and leggings worn underneath along with sturdy boots. She's also got a cigarette in her mouth now, though where it came from in the mere moments between leaving and arriving is a mystery. As she arrives, her eyes narrow on the cabin.. and she lifts her nose, and sniffs the air, for all the world like a hound tracking a scent.

    "Nobody's here." She says, perhaps unnecessarily. "Or they're really good at hiding. But there's definitely traces." She moves towards the cabin, casting a glance over her shoulder at Nephrite to see if he follows.

Nephrite has posed:
    Nephrite follows. He's just putting some crystals in the ground to act as an alarm if someone tries to sneak out some back door or somehting. Once he's done with that, he has a broadsword in his right hand and marches along cautiously at Stellar's back, eyes alert and scanning. He is also back in his Shitennou uniform. The Glamour was dismissed as soon as he arrived. "If they had the foresight to change locations, there may be unpleasant surprises left behind." he cautions.

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka doesn't bother with any such precautions. She's walking straight up to the door, and she doesn't knock. She lifts a booted foot and kicks the thing inwards, the blow strong enough to send the door flying in and bouncing off the interior wall, breaking the admittedly flimsy lock and shaking in its hinges. Before the initial shock of the blow is even past, she's rushing inside-

    To find, as predicted, an empty room. Nothing remains of Naru or Sunbreaker.. except a few items strewn about, which may have come from Naru's satchel. Kyouka doesn't notice them at first, instead rushing to check the few rooms of the cabin and make absolutely sure nobody is there.

Nephrite has posed:
    Somewhat startled by Stellar's directness, Nephrite pauses before entering, but does his own search, checking for portal or Dark Gate access, invisible doors, underground spaces, and the like. He quickly determines there's none of those, so moves on to the personal affects of Naru Osaka. He verifies them to be hers after a quick examination, and brings that to his rescue-partner's attention. "She was here. Not too long ago. I will need to start over if I can't link from here to the new location, but this might be sufficient as a third point..." He sighs as he stands up from where he was kneeling. "Or perhaps not, if there isn't a sufficient emotional connection."

    The Shitennou runs his hand through his long hair, and allows his sword to disappear. "We're closing in on her though." He smiles a wolfish smile. "And that means that we have the abductor on the run."

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Stellar is nothing if not direct, in most things in life. Ask Darien about her texting sometime. Regardless, in this case it did no harm, except to the poor door. She re-enters the main room after sweeping the others and finding nothing... only to then notice Nephrite examining the items strewn about. Her mouth quirks, perhaps annoyed at herself for not noticing them herself, but she comes over to glance at them. She agrees with Nephrite's appraisal, nodding her head. "Yes, those are hers, I think. She was definitely here."

    She stands in silence for a moment, considering. "Every minute she's with Sunbreaker, she's in danger." She says, quietly. "And I refuse to stop looking until we track her down."

    A pause, and then she looks at Nephrite. "Thanks. I appreciate what you did here. If we meet again, whether in opposition or accord, you've earned my respect."

Nephrite has posed:
    Glancing down at Stellar, Nephrite inclines his head. "I will feel worthy of that respect only when Naru is back with her family and friends." he says politely. "But anyone who cares as much as you do about saving children already has my respect." His expression hardens as he looks at Naru's belongings scattered on the floor. "There have to be limits," he says quietly. "To how much we are willing to forsake ourselves for the victory of our ideals."

    He isn't going to rest either. He doesn't know why he likes that girl so much. Her intelligence, that potential he senses within her, that she is friendly enough to sit down for coffee with a total stranger and help him remember what being human is like, that she is funny, that she is relatable, that he thinks she might be a candidate to learn Astrology Magic from him and carry on the tradition just in case something happens to him, the fact she is very cute... Probably not the last one. It must be one of the others.

    But he isn't content to standby on this one. This is personal.

    "I will make the limits clear." he says coldly, his eyes weary in the way an old soldier's are. "One way or another."

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    "Respect for trying. More respect for succeeding. But trying isn't meaningless. Intent has value." Stellar says, her voice grave, as if making a pronouncement. "I call myself the judge of worthy foes and the knife-edged truth, because I see value in determined opposition and I speak the truth others don't always like to hear, even if it cuts deep."

    "You are walking a line, Nephrite. I can see it." Her eyes are ashen like the smokey sky above an active volcano. "To one side, ideology, to the other, decency. I've been there- not the same line, but one like it. Sometimes to pursue ideals we truly believe in, we sacrifice decency. Sometimes, it's even worth it. Just make sure that the ideals you sacrifice for are worth the price. Regret weighs heavy, when you learn later the price is higher than you thought."

    She bows from the waist, strangely formal. "I trust we'll meet again. If in opposition, I will treat you with respect. If as allies, with sincere gratitude. Until then,"

    She suddenly grins that lopsided, one-fanged grin, "Try to keep yourself alive, huh?"

    And suddenly, she's just gone.