537/Inner Conflict: Rough Sketch

Inner Conflict: Rough Sketch
Date of Scene:	01 October 2023
Location:	The Book Nook
Synopsis:	Renowned mangaka, Shin Hayazaki, has a meet-and-greet handshake event and book signing at the Book Nook in Juuban Ward. However, he seems to be a bit... Off. And so are the people who buy his books.
Cast of Characters:	Pyrite, Kiseru, Usagi Tsukino, 183, Cho Konishi, Coco Kiumi
Tinyplot:	Internal Conflict

---

Pyrite has posed:
    They called me "The Leather Apron"
    They called me "Smiling Jack"
    They prayed to the heavens above
    That I would never ever come back

    A famous mangaka, Shin Hayazaki, is doing a book signing at the Book Nook in Juuban Ward. He is well-known for his light and fluffy series, shoujo manga, and some shoujo-with-shounen-elements (mostly for his renowned series, 'Secret Agent Sailor V: Code V', in which Sailor V takes on the role of an international secret agent to track down a cell of nationalist extremists planning to set off an atomic bomb in the U.S.A. as revenge for the two dropped on Japan during WWII. She has to go undercover and prevent the villains from either buying a WMD or stealing one, and there's lots of investigation and action in it. It's really engaging, you should check it out).
    Recently, Hayazaki-sensei has had a major shift in his writing style. His multiple works have either started taking on much darker tones, or been dropped in favor of a new series, 'Galatea In Hell', about a living doll who unwittingly murders her creator and tries to become a real girl while on the run from the authorities, only to have to make a deal with the Devil to escape destruction: Deliver six-hundred and sixty-six wicked souls to Hell who are truant on their debts to the Devil, and she will be granted the body she seeks.
    If you're into seinen and darker stories, you should definitely pick it up, it's really good. Just very depressing, violent, and sometimes gorey, so reader beware.
    While he has received critical acclaim for Galatea In Hell, and many readers are interested to see where this shift towards more mature storylines goes, there's even more readers who are confused by the decisions being made, turned off by the violence and despair that their favorite characters are suffering through, and in general are just very unhappy.
    And they still buy Hayazaki-sensei's manga regardless. It's almost like they can't put it down. A couple of his assistants are here for the meet-and-greet handshake event that the proprietor has so kindly allowed to happen in her store, as well a signing for his newest book, a graphic novel side-story to Galatea In Hell, 'The Lies Of Prometheus'. It looks really interesting from the previews, you are missing out if you aren't in line for it. Of course, he also has some of his older series with him. Nono & Friends has its new, darker storyline, 'Vanity Project', about how the titular character, Nono, and her talking animal friends, are all figments of the imagination of a real girl by the same name who is in a coma. The cute and fluffy stories that have been ongoing for nearly 14 years of manga have all been a simulation in an attempt to wake her up. Now, the doctors are trying something new, and trying to use fear to wake her up instead.
    It's a really weird shift in direction, and a lot of people don't like the sound of it, but those who read it as children are coming back to it now as adults, so there's an audience for everything I guess.
    Anyway, the line is out the door and doubles back on itself two or three times, with those little walkway rope things set out to mark where the lines begin and end. Whatever they're called. Like at the movie theater? You know the ones. So anyway, there he is, Shin Hayazaki himself, at the ripe old age of 32, looking like he has aged forty years since his last public appearance. His skin is sallow, his eyes sunken and half-lidded, his hair wild and unkempt. It also appears to have started turning white. He is thin, and his whole body is trembling slightly. All except for his hands.
    He sits behind a folding table, with stacks of his books around him, and his assistants whispering worriedly a short distance away, and he greets each fan who comes up to him, shocked at his change in appearance and apparent health condition, in a barely-audible mutter.
    This is going great so far!

Kiseru has posed:
    The proprietess of The Book Nook is making mad money and publicity off of this, so she is cool with the hawking of wares, even if some people don't like them. Maybe they'll buy something they actually like while they're in here. Everything is okay, and this is all fine.

    She's also nowhere to be seen, as usual. Everything seems to be run by her employees and managers. Though, those sensitive to magic or who can see beyond the Veil can probably pick up the smell of incense or... Smoke maybe? It's faint, and it's not 'fire smoke', so it's probably fine. A very sweet scent either way.
    This is all okay and normal.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi Tsukino is in line for the signing. Of course she is! Shin Hayazaki is one of her favorite manga artists - she's been following his career for most of her life, ever since she begged her mama for an issue of Nono & Friends when she was just six and could barely even read. Secret Agent Sailor V: Code V was a work of genius, and meeting the actual Sailor V had not changed her opinion. The new direction, though?

She's not a fan.

Isn't the world dark and scary enough? Aren't things already so hard for people? Is it not enough to fight monsters every week, MUST she see them from her favorite mangaka's pen?

(She has a lot of favorites?)

But she's not going to say that. Of course not! She's going to get her copy of Nono & Friends Volume 1 signed, and her copy of the Secret Agent Sailor V: Code V Collector's Edition signed, and she will. Reluctantly. Buy Shingo a copy of Galatea in Hell to be signed.

But she's going to be sad about that the whole time!!!
For now though, she's waiting in line, close to the entrance of the Book Nook humming to herself a little, rocking back and forth on her heels as she waits.

She's going to be in for the shock of her life when she sees how bad off he is.

Ayanna D'amour (183) has posed:
Ayanna D'amour approaches the store and slows to a halt, she blinks twice at the line, most likely competing with the lines for bread in Russia she learned about in her history lessons. Thankfully it seems the entrance isn't blocked as the line is for something or someone specific, allowing the obviously western girl to walk past the line of patiently waiting people straight into the shop and steal a glance at the celebrity responsible for it before seeking the foreign book section for books in English or better yet, French. Trying to be discreet about it, her eyes also scan the other shelves, the manga ones, especially where adult people might be. But unlike comic shops abroad, most-all of the books here are stacked in shelves rather than presented so she can't really tell if and where naughty comics might be, not that she'd have the guts to actually browse or even buy any.

Cho Konishi has posed:
Cho Konishi was, well... didn't really read manga. Or games. She was... actually... pretty incredibly boring. She was, however, trying to get better! And she was, even. Sure, not a lot better, but a little bit. In this case, she heard that this really cool book store had opened up and in another endeavor to try and get like... She was trying to force herself to be social and a fancy book store seemed like the RIGHT place to try it. Especially if some people were talking about it.

Apparently some grimdark artist was also going to be there, writing about despair and all of that good stuff? Not... really her thing, but to each their own. She'd even made peach muffins for the line and decided to pick up one of the 'recommended' books. Sailor V. Sounded... less grim-dark.

However, when she saw Usagi... wellllll... "Usagi-chan?" she called out. A few rows down the line, but hey. Calling over the line was a time honored tradition. "I didn't know you'd be into this stuff," she said. And... "Want a peach muffin?"

pause. Blink. "Which, I guess I can't actually... get to you, anyway, from here. So... uhhh... probably rude of me to offer, eh... heh... uhhh..."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco isn't an avid reader, and even then, land books are mostly foreign to her, but the talk around the sudden change of direction in Shin Hayazaki's work was persistent and everpresent enough to reach even her ears. She mostly took note of it through complaints of some of the older fans, but it really seems like there really is no such thing as bad publicity, because that informed her of the more positive works like Nono & Friends or Secret Agent Sailor V: Code V.

While she turns up her nose at the dark turn of his works (seriously, at a quick glance, his older works seem so comfy and/or inspiring, why give it up for stories that only fester in negativity, gloom and misery), she likes the thought of picking up those older books now, and that's how she joined the queue for the book, which is so long it constitutes as a big surprise. 'I guess he really is popular', she obverses. 'I wonder how many are here for the signing of his older books.' Not many, she fears.

Still, she is ready to get her copies signed, and maybe even to ask the writer of the day a question or two, if she has the occasion.

Pyrite has posed:
    Red drops stain satin so white
    The way I sign my name
    The neighborhood's pretty dead at night
    And I'm the one to blame

    The dark mood of the newer manga seems so suffocating that it's like a physical thing, an aura of despair that transfers to each reader who buys a copy or comes up to get one signed. Even when they smile, they seem weighed down, and tired, much like Hayazaki-sensei himself.
    There's... Something wrong here. There's no sign of youma, there's no moustache-twirling villain hovering nearby, there isn't even any trace of people being energy drained despite the change in demeanor when they pick up Galatea In Hell, The Lies of Prometheus, or Nono & Friends: Vanity Project. They slump like they lost something, but they aren't moving more sluggishly, or walking around weirdly like they were Witch-Kissed, or missing their heart that possibly got shot out of them with a big Ghost Busters particle accelerator rifle of dubious scientific merit.
    But the change is there, regardless.
    Soon, it is Usagi's turn to be at the head of the line. Hayazaki-sensei gives the same tired smile and muttered greeting. Galatea In Hell's cover art seems pretty inoccuous, all-told. A pale girl in a white nightgown with long black hair, standing with her back to the viewer, and the post-apocalyptic ruins of a city sprawling out before her in the background. Maybe that girl is Galatea? She might look... Vaguely familiar...
    ...Oh, she must be modelled after Sadako from The Ring. That's definitely it, and not anyone else.
    Also there's a visible aura of darkness emanating from the stack of books, and also the other stacks. Usagi can definitely see it. Coco probably will be able to see it when she gets a look at the merchandise, or sees someone coming back from the front of the line with their purchases in tow. Likewise for Cho, if she can get line of sight while yelling to Usagi.
    Ayanna... Other than noticing odd behavioral changes, there's nothing in particular obvious to normal mundane human Earthling people like the rest of the shop patrons. Nothing supernatural going on here, nope.

Kiseru has posed:
    Ayanna's search is rewarded with a sign in multiple languages marking where the 'International Section' starts! There are shelves for French, British and American English, Korean, Chinese, German, Italian, Portugeuse, Spanish, Afrikaans, and many other languages, each marked with the flag of the country or nationality the language is associated with. Though the stacks seem a bit smaller than the rest of the store, for obvious reasons, there also appears to be more and more merchandise the deeper into the International Section one goes.

    Maybe this is what caused the rumors about the store being bigger on the inside than the outside to spread? It must be some very clever construction methods to produce such an illusion. Yep. That's all it can be.

    Hey, is that the America-only Sailor V spin-off, 'Admiral V: Space Battleship Artemis' light novel? That's rare stuff! Also, there's, like, translation books and study references and junk.

    

Ayanna D'amour (183) has posed:
Ayanna D'amour sort of stumbles through the shop, looking for but also glancing around and pretending not to look for other things, also shooting a curious glance at the line of people having their books signed by this author. She inhales deeper and reaches with her right hand to brush a lock of her raven black hair away from her face and behind her ear, revealing the international section sign! Her already large eyes widen further for a brief moment and she moves with far mor purpose, attracted like moth to an open flame as she catches sight of the tri-color, the French flag. A (long) moment she's stuck there, stumbling aimlessly like a sore thumb and suddenly there's purpose and she moves swiftly into the international section, her eyes and fingers caress the book covers on the French shelf. For a moment she steps back, retreating with a hint of guilt. She shouldn't undulge, it's a new country and she has a new language and culture to learn, but the lure of comfort pulls her back to those books as she looks for something, new yet familiar, maybe something she didn't read before from an author she's fond of?

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Living in a world of distraction, Usagi was surprised to hear the sound of a familiar voice - but from where?

Oh! THERE!

"Cho-chan," she calls over the crowd, waving. Most of those nearby politely pretend this isn't happening. "Hi!! I like his old stuff more, but my little brother wants a copy of Galatea!"

Some of the fans grumble at this, shooting looks at Usagi that imply she just doesn't understand the modern depth of sentiment such dark imagery evokes, the despair rent deep into a sugary land. Usagi ignores them with the kind of confidence only a girl who's proudly owned the battle tag hopbunnychanhop in Call of Duty and Overwatch for years could possess.

"I would love a muffin! When I get my books signed, I'll come back and wait with you!" Just because she's a bit further ahead in line, that's all! She won't give up her place for anything, not even love! Mamochan would understand.

But the line doesn't take as long as it seems it should, and before long she stands before (one of) her favorite mangaka(s), smiling cheerfully at him. "Hayazaki-sensei! I love your work! Thank you for sharing it with us! I have a lot of questions about the direction you took Nono & Friends, but I bet you have heard them all before -"

Unfortunately, this is as far as she gets before she sees the just, wave of darkness that is just this, bad vibes time stack of books. Her eyes go wide and her words cut off and she takes a closer look at Hayazaki-sensei, noticing his sickly demeanor for the first time (what, she was a fan girl, she had had pressing matters on mind at first!) and frowning. How is she supposed to get rid of all that dark energy? Without burning everything?! And also -

"Hayazaki-sensei, are you feeling alright?"

Cho Konishi has posed:
Cho Konishi grinned at her other friend. Heh. It was good to see she was having fun, at least. And who knew? Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. After all, nothing quite like waiting in line with friends. It wasn't good, per se. But it was unique. Supposedly. And she... and she... Oh. Ohhhhh... she blinked, seeing that darkness over the books now, through the hordes. Uhhhh... oh. Ohhhh no.

She quickly ducked out of the line, forsaking such a vaunted position! LEH GASP! well, she wasn't a mega fan, so for her it was okay.

Instead, making her way a bit away... she instead, made a phone call.

"Hey, Coco?" she asked, once the person answered. "Could you come down to this place, uhhh. The Book Nook. I'll text you the address. It... could really use a bit of sprucing up. Maybe some yellow. You know. Really make the place sing." Hint hint. Nudge nudge.

"Wait, you're where?"

.... Facepalm.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
As the feeling persists among buyers and merchandise alike, Coco does notice something is off while the queue, and her with it, goes forward. The princess too gets an heavy feeling on her, although in her case is more the shock and worry of seeing both costumers and author in such a sorry state. 'Sigh, nevermind buying books, for now, but it's good that I was here, this doesn't look normal', thinks the mermaid princess, putting Nono & Friends and Secret Agent Sailor V: Code V on a nearby shelves, as she quickly heads for the bathroom.

Two of her things her songs can do is instill happiness and dispel fatigue like a bad dream, after all, so if anything the current situation is right up her alley. Once in the privacy of the bathroom, Coco is about to transform when her phone rings out from the bag. She is really tempted to ignore it, given the current circumstances, but what if this is important too? She picks it out, noticing it's from Cho, and quickly listen to what her roommate has to say. "I will see you there, Cho, I am already on the case", she whispers before ending the call and putting the phone back.

She speaks out "Yellow Pearl Voice!", the pearl in her shell locket responding to her will and starting to shine with a yellow light. A kaleidoscope of colours covers Coco's clothes as those change into her yellow gloves and boots with flowy extensions, as well as a yellow blouse with a yellow skirt, while her pearl expands into her trusty E-Pitch microphone, its blue shape settling comfily into her hand, the jewel nestled safely in the head's center.

And so the mermaid princess comes out of the bathrooms and back into the bookstore proper, the sphere of white light known as the Live Stage forming around her. "Hello, passionate readers and writer, I can't help but notice everyone is feeling a bit blue", she declares, giving a wave to everyone there with her arm raised high up. "Enjoy this song: "Legend of Mermaid: Pichi Pichi Voice, Live Start!"

The idol sings passionately into her E-Pitch, words of the rainbow wind blowing at a far off coast and of a nostalgic melody ringing out just before down spread around the bookstore. The magic in the words of the mermaid princess acts as a refreshing balm, gifting solace and peace to those in need. The melodious voice of the Yellow Pearl keeps enchanting the atmosphere of the shop, narrating of clouds slowly floating away, vanishing away as they aim for the rainbow's end and of stars that, like pearls, can start releasing a powerful, wondrous light.

Pyrite has posed:
    Can you hear how the children weep?
    Chills of fear like a sawblade cutting deep

    Hayazaki-sensei is still tiredly, absently smiling when Usagi starts speaking to him. It's the face of someone trying very hard to appear happy for his fans, even though he is not doing very well at all. "Questions... Yes... Go ahead and ask them... I'm feeling..." His whole body shudders. "...What was... Your name?" he mutters. Oh, boy. He's not even finishing his sentences. "...I'm..." Tired. It looks like he wants to say 'tired'. Like he's about to say 'tired'.
    But instead, the emotion in his eyes when he meets Usagi's is deeper than that. The desperation of a man with a bomb around his neck, slowly ticking down.
    "I am scared." he admits in a whisper. He's more than that. He's terrified. He has lost so much weight not just because he's not eating, and not sleeping well, but because his body is shivering in fear constantly. Muscles quivering and twitching, burning energy. A body that is always in motion.
    All except for his hands. He lifts them from where they were interlaced in front of him, resting on the table, and reaches one hand out for Usagi's book, and the other reaches for his pen. Both hands are engulfed in Dark Energy. Not that he seems to be aware of it.
    Then, there is light coming from somewhere nearby. What is that? Special effects? Oh, is there an idol singer here as part of the promotion?
    Yellow Pearl Voice announces her presence and imminent performance, and then begins to sing. Colored wind swirls around, dawn breaks, and soothing magic flows around like a gentle sea breeze. The auras afflicting people are blown backwards as though they are black flames in the wind, before finally blowing out entirely. The books take a bit longer, having stewed in the darkness for longer.
    Shin's hands, however, writhe and move like they have their own wills, while the man himself looks pained as he is dragged around by them. The pen is hurled at Yellow Pearl Voice, burning jet black, and flying straight as a (rose) arrow. The other hand, the one reaching for Usagi's book, changes its goal and reaches out for her throat, attempting to grab her and suspend her above the ground despite Shin not being that tall and clearly not that strong.
    Because it's not really him doing the lifting!
    There's another song playing here. A dark anthem of horror and despair, unheard, but there nonetheless, pushing back against the soothing effects of YPV's song even as it continues to free people from the shackles of loss. Where's the youma behind this? There has to be one, right? Or a Dark Kingdom evil crystal? Or an Obsidian doomsday device? Or a Witch? Or something?
    If the mangaka isn't doing this willingly... Then who is controlling his hands!?

Ayanna D'amour (183) has posed:
Ayanna D'amour is pretty oblivious to the drama taking place at the front of the store, 'Blood Red Sandman' by Lordi is, in fact, pretty effective for drowning out external noises and even if screams were to be heard, don't Japanese girls scream at things in general? Or was it just Western girls since.. what, the Beatles? Whatever, locals do theirs and the French girls does hers, which right now is trying to decide which three books will return with her to the dorms and see if she can muster the courage to look for other other things which just might be somewhere further inside... Come to think of it, they're most likely further inside, it actually makes perfect sense not to have them out there in the open. All this time and she didn't relaize this shop has so many nooks and crannies just out of view. Mmm...

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
There's obvious concern in Usagi's face, and she leans in closer as he mutters, his voice paper-thin and wispy. He's just so - sickly looking. Wan and tired and even though he's trying to be happy, enthusiastic, it's obviously a facade. Obviously fake.

It makes her stomach clench.

So she misses some of the obvious signs of what's going to come, especially as he breathes out that admission.

Afraid. Of course he was afraid! There was so much dark energy coming from those books, and Usagi was livid, suddenly, furious at the fact that someone was out there, putting some scheme into motion to hurt this man, at the cost of themselves - wasn't it bad enough to drain someone, leave them weak and hurting, but to make them this sick, this weak with utter terror -

She's distracted.

This is why she doesn't get out of the way in time, as a hand wraps around her throat, stronger than it should be, reaching farther than it should, the palm pressed under her chin as he lifts her -

Her toes scrape against the ground. Her eyes are wide with panic. "Haya- za - ki - sen - sei -"

It's a wheezing rasp, releasing air she ought to be holding in.

Cho Konishi has posed:
Cure Wukong just sighed. Wow. Her friend was here already? Coco really WAS on the ball. She had to give her friend praise. Annnnd there it was. The singing. Yeah, that was what was needed. She pulled out her scroll/henshin device and, a moment later, Cure Wukong leaped up, onto the roof! Unlike Yellow Voice, she didn't have a big singing, purifying ability. What she had... was monkey BS. And so, well... she instead stared down. Time to see what-- WELP! THAT DIDN'T TAKE LONG! Suddenly PEN! Thrown at Yellow Pearl! She'd have been more anxious about it. But her friend was a LOT tougher from when they'd first met and could take care of herself. HA! Take that, universe!

Annnnd then she sees usagi, and her eyes go wide. Oh no. DON'T YOU DARE! She suddenly leaped up, then came crashing down, flipping the table as she went because MONKEY REASONS! Her tail slapped out, smacking the wrist to make the man let the girl go, catching her with a spin in her arms and then leaping to the side about ten feet. "Sorry about that, Usagi-chan!" Cure Wukong said. "Uhhhh, please leave this to us. And ummm, forgot you saw anything, okay? Which, I mean, you probably will. But doubly so. Ahem, right!" She'd put the other girl down and then motion her away like she might a... gentle bunny. Oh. Right. She didn't know who Usagi was. She then turned to the man.

"Listen here, you! I am Cure Wukong! I'm the one who does stuff! Usually punching! Sometimes kicking! Always monkey bullshit!" she yelled before pulling out a toothpick from behind her ear, which grew into a long staff. "And that's my partner, Yellow Pearl Voice, the best background music provider in all of the oceans! So ummm... Stop being bad! Or I'll make you regret it! Oh, and like. I'll probably give you some bruises. And possibly a headache! So what do you say?" Yeah, she was already running towards the man, because she knew what they'd say. It was never 'Oh, yes, let's stop being bad guys' it was always 'RAWR! I'M HAVING MONKEY STEW THIS EVENING!' She wouldn't even TASTE good as a stew!

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Even before the pen is launched towards her, the dark energy of the song opposing her own is enough to act as a threat to Coco, the only thing keeping her safe being that the dark song only started acting when she was already chanting her purifying melody.

The dark song still causes quite the strain for Coco, leaving her to push word after word of her song. The Live Stage shines all the more as Coco forces out more purifying words, singing of a fantasy of a night where stars fall for the shining future, the magical notes still spreading around the area and erasing the fatigue of those who aren't yet back to top form. Under the command of Coco's voice the sphere of white light creates a repelling effect around itself, blocking any unwanted entry or exit, ideally saving her from the pen.

For the song there really is nothing she can do but trying to overpower it, but can she really do it like this? 'I need to activate my Super Idol form, but the moment I stop singing to do it, that song will have me at its mercy', she notes anxiously, still under the strain of the dark song.

'Wait, Cho!' she says in her mind once she notices Cure Wukong attacking the pained man. That man is suffering too, he musn't come to harm is what she would like to tell her friend, but with her voice singing she is unable to do exactly that! The mermaid idol's enchanting voice narrates of a a day where everyone is to journey away from here, but the memories will remain as long as the melody of the seven countries keeps resonating in everyone's heart and voice. In response to the princess' call, a Live Stage forms around the Monkey King, trying to block her inside itself and save the man.

Pyrite has posed:
    "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm not trying to...!" the mangaka whispers out hoarsely, tears streaming down his cheeks as his hands move of their own accord to assault one of his treasured fans. But then! Monkey fun! The smack to Hayazaki-sensei's wrist makes him cry out in pain, but does not make him let go of Usagi. Because it's not him choosing to strangle her. But one hand does snap out to try to (and fail to) grab the tail, burning with Dark Energy even more, now that it looks like there's just flickering white shapes of his hands at the center of a pair of black flames -- like something out of a manga panel.
    But, with Cure Wukong's speed and strength, and the fact one of the hands has disengaged from the schoolgirl's throat, Usagi is pulled free. Only fear and despair linger around her neck, as the black flames dissipate without leaving their corruption imprinted on the twin-tailed girl.
    Cure Wukong threatening Hayazaki-sensei and telling him to give up has him yelling out, "I'm not in control! Please help me!" Many fans are just standing there still, stunned by what's going on. There's a commotion outside thanks to the audible yells, the singing, the lightshow visible through the windows, and everything else, but the people standing in line are caught between shock and sedation thanks to Yellow Pearl Voice's soothing song.
    Thankfully, Yellow Pearl Voice stops Cure Wukong from advancing with her Live Stage. This buys enough time to see the following: though it looked like the Dark Energy was ramping up its intensity now that it's being released, the sudden ignition of the artist's hands ends abruptly. They were pulling him towards the magical girl, only for whatever was possessing them to just... Run out of steam. He falls to his knees, since he was being physically dragged forwards with his feet trying to find purchase, and just shudders and cries a bit more, before falling asleep on the spot. Is it over that quickly? Without the villain ever showing themself? The mangaka's hands look like they've been burned, but not by any natural fire. There's just black marks scattered randomly, rather than uniform damage.
    Out of all the evil plots encountered so far...
    This one has ended the fastest, and the most inconclusively.
    What is even going on here???

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
It all happens in a blur - the familiar lilt of Yellow Pearl Voice's well, voice, behind her, the crashing of furniture - and then someone breaking her free, caught up in the strong arms of another magical girl - one with a tiara, and for a moment, Usagi wonders if she's actually managed to find Jupiter, and also, why Luna didn't tell her, and also also, why she has feathers.

But only for a moment, as she's gently set down, and the magical girl introduces herself as Cure Wukong.

Wow! The confidence she has! To be the Monkey King?

There's nothing Usagi Tsukino can do, but Sailor Moon, Sailor Moon might be able to help. She darts off into the twisting bookshelves, finds a spot where she doesn't think anyone will notice her, and whispers her transformation phrase, fingers pressed to her broach.

"Moon Prism Power, Make Up!"

If anyone hiding in those shelves happens to see her, well, nothing she can do about it, right?

Sailor Moon bursts onto the scene shortly after, staring at the mess - at the toppled tables, the live stages, the magical girls, and the weeping mangaka at the center of it all.

"Hayazaki-sensei! We're here to help you, okay?" Her voice is a little hoarse - the choker around her neck helps hide it, but there are going to be bruises ringing her throat, later, once she's dropped her transformation; the sore throat will be killer. For now though, she forces some pep into her step, and smiles gently. "I don't know what's been happening to you, but we'll help. Between the three of us, we can get rid of this dark energy."

Except her just. Topples over.

Huh.

"Well... I didn't see that coming!"

Kiseru has posed:
    The song of darkness has stopped. The song by Lordi stopped too, but that's literally completely unrelated, it already moved onto the next song on the radio a while ago. Now it's playing 'Don't Stop Believin' by Journey. What a wild radio station that must be.

    Smoke starts to drift out of the back of the store, swirling around, making people even more spaced out than they were before. The sweet-smelling, incense-like smoke flows all around the front of the store, and even spills outside, covering those in line like someone has let their fog machine get out of control. Despite brief yells of surprise or dismay, things go quiet very suddenly.

    Only Usagi, Cho, and Coco remain unaffected.

    Everyone else seems to be in a stupor.

    Out of the fog-like smoke comes a figure in a Chinese-style dress, red and gold and green, bearing dragons and scales and plumes of fire. She has her black hair up in a bun, held there with chopsticks, and a kiseru in her hand, which seems to be the source of the sweet-smelling smoke.

    Eyes the same color as the smoke she breathes out, like one of the dragons on her dress, scan over everything and note the toppled table and scattered books. Then, The Kiseru Lady says, "Ara, ara~..." Her gaze turns to Cure Wukong, Yellow Pearl Voice, and the newly-emerged Sailor Moon. "I ask that you refrain from fighting in my book store."

    A pause. Is she going to introduce herself? No! "And before you ask, no, I am not responsible for this in any way. I am just an admirer of Hayazaki-sensei's work. Well, at least that's cleared up!"

Cho Konishi has posed:
Cure Wukong slammed into the side of a stage and... bonk. She stumbled back a bit, falling on her butt. "W-what?" she asked. "Why'd you..." aaaand then the guy just... collapsed? And... Oh. OHHHHH! He wasn't in control. Well... err. Yes. All... according to plan. She was going to... scare the thing into... giving... up. Yup. Totally. That... that was the plan. Right?

Okay, she had nothing. Cure Wukong just kind of... stood there. With her stick out. And looked around. And ummmm... "I uhhhh... I... I guess... keep singing?" she called out to Yellow. And just looked confused. "So, uhhhh... was he like... infected with... a dark bug? Or... or something? Should we like... go... to his... house or something...? And sing there? Or... or is it done? I ummmmm... I... don't think... this... feels right. It's never that easy. I didn't even die once this time. OR get to hit anybody with my stick. And that's like, the two things I do!"

... This was why Yellow Voice was her Tripitaka. Either way, though, she was incredibly confused right now. She glanced over at Sailor Moon and... "O-oh my gosh! Sailor V? Are you another Sailor V Cosplayer? Wow! That's so cool! Wait, are you actually... a magical girl or just a cosplayer?" It was a comic book store. That was a valid question.

She then looked to Kiseru and... "Wait, can you see us? Shouldn't... you not be able to? Or... well, see is the wrong word but..." She was ten levels of confused.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
The man is safe, sort of? Cho didn't attack him, and whatever was hurting him seems to have left on his own. This is confusing... Coco checks how Hayazaki is doing, and he seems alive at least. 'What are those weird marks, though?' she thinks, nothing the spots on the hands.

Coco turns to Cho and starts explaining herself. "Sorry about that, Cure Wukong. I didn't want you to hurt the man. He was already pained as is, and I didn't know how the force manipulating him would react. Thanks for saving Usagi, though", Coco says, barely holding herself back from nodding towards Sailor Moon. A quick song later and the Live Stage is dispelled, leaving her roommate free to move about again.

"Besides the fact he is unconscious, he seems fine. What do you think we should do? He has those weird burn marks on his hands", Coco relays what she had seen.

"I didn't use anything that could have damaged the place", the mermaid gets on the defensive as the Kiseru Lady shows up. "I only sang purifying melodies and put up barriers", she blurts out before realising that she knows what kind of people they are. "Hmm, is this normal?" she asks confused. "Is it ok to assume you have some idea about what just happened to... Hayazaki-sensei", she repeats from Sailor Moon, "and what he needs to be helped? I do have another stage I can use for a stronger purification and healing" the mermaid princess informs, which probably isn't all that wise when she doesn't know what this new person is up to.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"I'm not a cosplayer! I'm a Senshi! The one and only Sailor Moon! I'm almost as cool as Sailor V!"

Even she is not going to claim to be as cool and wonderful and amazing as the actual Sailor V, who was a friend, but also, an idol! Still, Sailor Moon says it all with a smile, even if she does quickly kneel besides Hayazaki-sensei, giving him a delicate little shake.

The lady who swans in - pretty, kind of tall to someone like Usagi, but with the presence to more than amplify it. Her dress is beautiful, all bright color and the sweet, smoky scent of her pipe is surprisingly pleasant.

Sailor Moon is not developing an instant crush. Really!

She's just really pretty, okay?

"Sorry, sorry, onee-san! We didn't mean to, we just wanted to take care of Hayazaki-sensei!"

It doesn't even occur to her to be surprised.

"Do you know what happened? If this is your bookshop, you might, right?"

Kiseru has posed:
    In a dryly amused tone, the new arrival says, "I see a great many things, my dear. Worry not. I am but a humble merchant, with a mildly unusual pipe. This smoke will suppress memories and subdue emotional trauma. Think of it as medicine..." She practically floats over to the fallen artist, her footfalls silent, and the thick layer of smoke on the floor concealing the movement of her feet. She takes a look at the mangaka (while standing, she is not crouching in this dress thank you very much). "An infection of Dark Energy. It happened long before today, and has been festering ever since. A more thorough examination would be needed to determine exactly when, but I am certain we can all make a guess as to the general time period."

    She turns to look pointedly at the spilled copies of 'Galatea In Hell' and 'Vanity Project'. "I cannot say with certainty that it initiated those works, but it is probable that it influenced them at least. It may have drawn out parts of him that were dormant... Every person you meet has another side to them. Many other sides, in fact. A nearly endless number of other selves just as real as the one they present to others, making up the patchwork that is a person when they are all put together. Any one side or aspect obtaining supremacy over the others is unbalancing, and puts stress on us. He may have had stress, worries, and other issues that weren't being addressed, and so..."

    She wanders over to at least set the table back upright, using only her foot. She clearly doesn't miss leg day. "...When Dark Energy was introduced, it provided an outlet. Unfortunately, he had no capacity to control or regulate the Dark Energy, and it was much greater than what was needed for a healthy venting, so it became an infection. One he almost succumbed to, if he had not had it... 'Excised' here." Bringing her kiseru to her lips, the shopowner breathes in slowly, one arm folded over her chest as it has been since she entered, and then breathes out the smoke again. "...So, excellent work, heroes. You saved this many and many others from a terrible fate. The infection stopped here. There may be some people who went home already with their tainted merchandise, but compared to what was festering within Hayazaki-sensei, it will most likely result in some melancholy and then a bounce back to normal. Like watching a movie where a dog dies at the end, and being sad about it for a few days, and then realizing it was just a movie and the dog is fine."

    Those were a lot of words! And they were said with lips coated in lavendar gloss, and in this quiet yet authoritative voice, like a teacher who is promising a reward to a student if they can pass the next test. Not angry, not lecturing, just encouraging in a way that implies an exchange. 'Do this for me, and I will do that for you'.

    She is a very transaction-oriented person.

Cho Konishi has posed:
Cure Wukong just smiled to Coco and nodded. "Oh, that's fine," she said, leaning back and putting her stick behind her neck, resting her arms against it like she was carrying some burden. "I trust your judgement. Any time you need me to like... not punch a guy, it's okay to do that." Well, Yellow was right in this case, so she wasn't going to object. And she hardly had all the answers, having friends like her was what she needed most the time.

She then glanced to Kiseru lady. "And I... was going to break things, but I never got the chance!" Pause. "Except that table. Sorry, eh heh..."

She then glanced to Sailor Moon and... "Wait. So there's MORE Sailor people? Oh my gosh, are you like a team? That's so cool! How many are there? You're Moon, she's V? So is there like... other elements or things? Is there a Sailor Number? Sailor Plant? Or like... what's the theme for it?" she asked, looking really excited for a moment, before her cheeks went red and she eeped. "O-oh. Right. Um. I'm Cure Wukong, the Monkey King. I'm sure you've heard of... well... the guy who gave me my powers. Hee hee. I'm Yellow Pearl Voice's friend," she said, flashing a grin with all the teeth. "Nice to meet you!"

Then back to Kiseru. And blinking. And... "Can... can magic... does magic work like that?" she asked. "Dark energy? I mean? I thought it was all... so wait, does this mean I need to punch people in the emotions? Or... Wuwu never told me anything like this..." she said, giving a soft whine. "Is there a... brochure or something on this? Maybe we need to like... all get singing purification songs we can just... sing through the city?"

Coco Kiumi has posed:
So apparently, the writer really is safe. Is that really it? Coco is still kind of skeptical about the weird marks on his hands. She would rather sing for three more hours straight rather than leave him alone at risk of a relapse.

"What about the marks on his hands?" she brings up. "They don't seem normal marks. Are we really sure he is no longer at risk of another dark energy build up?"

Coco would rather not leave people alone with the merch either, but... 'There really is nothing I can do there, right?' she acknowledges to herself relunctantly. 'Finding them would really be a very tall order.' At least nobody has ever died of Hachiko, right?

"How does dark magic bring sides out of a person? I didn't look him up for long, but Hayazaki-sensei didn't seem all that unhappy to me. What about you two? Do you know anything of what kind of person he was before his writing started changing?" Coco asks, looking at Cure Wukong and Sailor Moon.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"There's a lot of, and we're Planet Themed! Sailor V is a total Sailor Secret though," Sailor Moon winks, because she doesn't have V-chan's permission to reveal that secret! "We're space themed. Moon and Mars and Mercury and Pluto and such!"

Maybe she shouldn't casually reveal so much with a stranger present, meeting a new magical girl, but she trusts Yellow Pearl Voice, and Sailor Moon trusts Yellow Pearl Voice, so they basically trust each other, right? The like, transitive property or whatever.

The point being!

"Hayazaki-sensei will be okay though, right? He started this up.... I guess it was the maybe two months? When he started putting out a whole new series. He dropped this Galatea in Hell project on the scene like, a whole volume! Right off the bat! Twelve whole chapters! And started messing around with Nono & Friends..." And it was all because of Dark Energy. Seeping in like an infection, bringing out the worst in him - a worse version of what had happened to Hemachan, when he was practically maniacal, leading CyberBeast Linxus at the Power Station... It makes her stomach curdle, the anger coming back. "Do you know how to tell who did this to him? And - if he gets purified, will that be enough?"

Because if so, she can ask someone! She can take care of this as soon as possible, well, with Wako-chan's help, anyway. But she can't leave Hayazaki-sensei like this, and not just because he's one of her favorite mangaka's ever.

It was just.

No one should be this scared.

"He writes really cute shoujo series'. Friendship and togetherness, and getting through the day with courage and love at your side. And - dark energy can bring out other sides in you. It's all... like, jealousy and anger and, and hatred, and the more you feel it the stronger you get, and the stronger you get the more you feel it."

No she will not be disclosing her sources!

Kiseru has posed:
    The smoking lady shakes her head at Cure Wukong's protests of confusion. "Empathic transmission can be used for fighting emotional influence, but it requires opening up to the same from your opponent. An iron will is required to guard against that. Or psychic defenses, whichever. Eliminating the source should be fine for someone like you."

    She smiles mysteriously at Yellow Pearl Voice, and lets Sailor Moon explain. Then she adds on, "People are many-faceted. Being a good person or a nice person does not preclude one from experiening the same emotions and compulsions as everyone else. They may just be less influential in decision making or suppressed to the point of being hidden from the conscious mind. Dreams can be an outlet for strange thoughts and feelings in that manner."

    Then, taking another look at Hayazaki-sensei, the Kiseru Lady says, "And it appears that, in addition to the Dark Energy infection, he also has not slept soundly in quite a while. The overpowering fear and despair being amplified by the infection, and the absence of dreams because of a lack of sleep, made parts of him more suited to the danger to his health come to the surface as a defense mechanism. It's fascinating how the human mind works, isn't it? So much hidden potential." The appreciative and perhaps slightly enthusiastic tone is probably not very appropriate in this situation, but Sailor V, as they say in France. The international section has some books in French, you should check them out.

    The Kiseru Lady looks at the time on a wall clock and says, "That should be just about enough. His injuries will be fine, but you might want to keep an eye on him to prevent a second exposure. Good luck, girls." The smoke begins to flow inwards from the outside, gradually revealing the line of people still standing there, and then the inside of the shop as she saunters away towards the back. Right as she opens the smoke-hidden door to the back of the store, the Kiseru Lady pauses, half-turns to look back at the magical girls, and tilts her head as she says with a smile, "Everything up until now was a freebie. From now on, you will have to pay for information. You will know where to find me if you look for me."

    Then, despite saying she isn't giving them anymore information, she says outloud, theatrically, "By the way, I wonder where he was exposed to Dark Energy to begin with...? Hm... It is too bad I have a store to run, so I can't investigate myself... But I would be willing to trade if someone brought back the answer for me... I wonder who might bge willing to do that?" She winks at Sailor Moon, and then closes the door. Before it closes, all the remaining smoke suddenly sucks through the crack, like the store itself just took in a deep breath.

Pyrite has posed:
    Shin Hayazaki's hands appear to already be healing. They are just welts or bruises now, not weird, scaley black burns. He also seems to be sleeping much more soundly. The people outside and in the store are slowly coming back to their senses. His assistants are already starting to stagger over to the mangaka, and a narrative is being invented in all of their heads to explain what just happened. It appears that no more than a few seconds have passed since the smoke first engulfed everything.

Cho Konishi has posed:
Cure Wukong gave a shrug. "Honestly, not sure. Like... ummmm... I.... actually only just heard of the guy. I never really had much chance to look at manga or things like that until.... I just never really did it. Studies, all that, you know?" she said sheepishly.

... And she was supposed to be Wukong?

"Planet themed? Ohhhhh. I get it. So like... she wanted to be Venus or something, but there was already a Venus, so she went V instead?" ... Well, there was only one V planet. "Ohhhh. Maybe she could choose another planet. Or an asteroid! That'd be cool."

She glanced to the unconscious man. "There's... no more dark energy though, right? I could purify him but... honestly? Yellow Pearl Voice's purification is way more... wide reaching than mine is. I'd honestly be morely worried about him going home so... one of us should definitely follow him home and make sure that like... there's no dark energy stuff hanging around his house? Unless... any of oyu know where he lives? I mean... I figure... go near his place, purify the local area, good to go? Sounds pretty easy, right?"

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"I can take care of that", Coco nods along to Cure Wukong. "I can get him followed by my otters and once I know the place I strike, I will start purifying", she explains her own intentions.

"See you later on, Sailor Moon and Cure Wukong. I will be back to the school by tomorrow, I hope", she says once it's her turn, heading out of the door right away.

With plan otter quite solid and making sure she can gather a group of short Indeed in short order, that should be all.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Pretty, helpful, and knows a lot. Sailor Moon's heart is a flutter with the beginnings of a new and harmless crush; she's had plenty and will have plenty more. But the fact that this woman knows so much about dark energy? It's a little suspicious, but mostly it's helpful. She wonders if Darien knows all of this, and figures he must, since he uses the stuff.

Still.

"Thank you for your help! We appreciate your freebie, onee-san!"

Pay for information, and she'd want to know who did this... well, Usagi isn't the brightest bulb in the box and she knows it, but even she knows that giving up that kind of information could be dangerous.

On the other hand, it's a little weird she wants that information at all. Is this a knowledge is power situation, or a she knows more than she's letting on situation?

But she can't ask, and it's not like Cure Wukong or Yellow Pearl Voice will know, so she sighs, shrugs, and says - "That's a good idea, Cure Wukong! Thank you in advance, Yellow-chan! If you can help Hayazaki-sensei get some rest, everyone will be grateful."

People are moving around them, the aids, worried fans, and for the most part its obvious they're going to think some cosplayers were here; it's a relief, honestly.

"In the meantime, we should probably split. See you both around!"

And then she's off, dashing out the door with a little regret that she couldn't get those signatures.