628/Behind the Mask

Behind the Mask
Date of Scene:	21 October 2023
Location:	Plot Room 2
Synopsis:	After all, this is a masquerade: a place where people hide things, wouldn't you agree? (Side-scene taking place at the D----- Kingdom's masquerade ball)
Thanks to:	Coco Kiumi
Cast of Characters:	Miya Sakamoto, Coco Kiumi

---

Miya Sakamoto has posed:
"Who is that one?"
"Did she sneak in?"
"She must have."
"Hard to tell from her costume. Might be considered a cheap cop-out by an untrained eye, but the leather is actually of pretty good quality."
"But look at how messy her hair is!"
"I bet she hasn't seen a hair stylist in -months-!"

Miya is unaware of the gaggle of young teens whispering gossip (or rather, dishing out judgement) about her as she passes by in her old west trapper costume, complete with coonskin cap. She does tug on her jacket a couple of times to adjust it -- it's a last-minute borrow, so there was no time to alter it properly, but that's the good thing about it: it's a relatively loose fit, so it does not really need to.

That's when she turns to look the other way that the gaggle gasps in unison.

"That plushie beaver!"
"It's -so lifelike-!"
"Where did she get such amazing workmanship done?"
"I'm an absolute expert in the field, and I can assure you, that's a -top notch- product! No seams visible! And the fur! It glistens like it was -real-! I bet her servants have spent -hours- applying expensive lotions to it to make it look that way!"

"I had been planning for the most unexpected contingent scenarios," Enji mumbles in a voice low enough that only Miya can hear him, "But I must admit that being the talk of a high class party as the most distinguished fashion accessory was not one of them."

"What?", asks Miya, confused, who must have missed the bits of gossip Enji must have caught.
"Don't worry, just... try not to attract too much attention to yourself," Enji cuts short.

"A princess!", Miya repeats to herself for the umpteenth time, eyes glistening as she clasps her hands. "I will get to see a -real princess-!" She turns to Enji. "Have you ever seen a princess, Enji?"
"Oh, yeah, I have," he says, conversationally.
"I haven't!", Miya replies.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
The masquerade has proved herself to be rather adequate so far, in company mostly, rather than in refreshment. Seeing so many friends from Radiant Heart was surprising. In some cases, the inventivity of the RHA students was quite peerless, and enjoying playing with their various excuses proved to be the best entertainment of the event.

Coco's reason was mostly a passing curiosity as far as she was concerned, since the obfuscation of the exact details of her kingdom was the only peculiar detail, the papers she presented completely legitimate.

So only the occasional whisper accompanied her around, though it would be hard to say whether she got recognised, or her costume caught the attention of passersby first.

It is as she wanders around like this that her eyes fall on a costume on a costume of the frontier, and recognise who is wearing it.

"Hello, Miya", Coco makes herself heard, advancing through the crowd towards the brunette. "Glad you managed to take a spot too. Have you been enjoying the party?"

Miya Sakamoto has posed:
Miya blinks. And does a double-take. "C-Coco? What are you doing here?", she asks, genuinely surprised to see her friend. "What last minute fix did you perform to be let in?"

Once the surprise dies down, Miya takes a moment to look at Coco from head to toe, and back up. "...Oh. Wait. That dress. That's... that's not a last minute costume," she admits, a bit embarrassed at not making the connection earlier. "What did you fix long in advance to be let in?"

"Oh, wait, you asked a question. I'm... I'm a bit overwhelmed to be honest. This is the fanciest gathering I have ever attended in my whole life! So lavish! So elegant! So..."

Words seem to fail her, so she just gestures around.

Lowering her voice, she hunches over to coco, conspirationally, "So, are you here to see the princess too?"

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"Oh, I actually did nothing", Coco smiles cryptically towards Miya. "I just had to wait and this adress and the ticket for attendance fell in my lap from the sky. After all, this is a masquerade: a place where people hide things, wouldn't you agree?" she winks at her friend.

"But I can let the truth depart from myself on account of our friendship", Coco comments jokingly. "But actually the truth is more boring than the airs I have been giving myself", she speaks to Miya, dropping the mysterious tone. "It is true that I did nothing, apart from requesting it. I had my kingdom send its officials to secure me a spot, while the tailors worked on my getup."

Coco pauses to grab a mini sandwich from a tray passing by and eats it. "What about you, how did you get in?" She also takes a look at Enji, she too interested by the manufacture of the "plushie". "That's really well done, I don't see any defect or seam. Did you make it yourself?"

Miya Sakamoto has posed:
'After all, this is a masquerade: a place where people hide things, wouldn't you agree?'

A wink from Coco.

Something clicks in Miya's brain, and her eyes pop open.

She mouths, full of awe, certain to have understood what her friend is referring to, "The tuna! That tuna sure has connections!"

'I had my kingdom send its officials to secure me a spot, while the tailors worked on my getup'

"Oh, right! You're from abroad!", Miya exclaims, snapping her fingers. "And well-off if I remember corr-"

"Does madam desire a vol-au-vent?"

Miya is startled by the sudden appearance of a caterer as soon as she had snapped her fingers. "Uh... actually... yes, I am a bit peckish."

"What flavor?"

"What do you recommend?"

"The tuna is delicious."

"I... I'll have anything else," Miya stammers, casting a guilty look in Coco's direction.

* * *

Miya nibbles on her snack, and remembers the question of whether or not she made Enji herself.

"Oh, I actually did nothing", Miya smiles cryptically towards Coco. "I just had to wait and this beaver fell in on my face from the sky. After all, this is a masquerade: a place where people hide things, wouldn't you agree?" she winks at her friend.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco laughs at Miya repeating the joke. "What is fair is fair", she says, waving at the caterer to signal getting to her next. "I saw a sandwich tartare going around earlier, could you bring us that, please?", she addresses the caterer, hoping that's going to be more to Miya's taste.

"They have variety here, Miya, so don't be afraid to ask for something else if you don't like seafood", Coco talks to her, misunderstanding why Miya didn't want the tuna.

"Oh, yes, I am well-off", she says, suddenly hesitant and reserved. Is Miya going to take issue with it if she admits to that fact too nonchalantly? Will she take her as a snob? "But still, it's not that incredible, you know? I just happened to be born in my position, and the rest came along."

She suddenly finds the wall incredibly interesting. "I get that being born as leader of a kingdoms doesn't happen to anyone, but you can treat me normally, you don't have to start addressing me by my title. Things are good as they are."

The caterer comes back at this moment with the sandwich tartare. "Thank you", Coco says grabbing some for herself, and offering some to Miya.

"Jokes aside, where did the plushie come from?" Coco asks expectantly. After all, she didn't keep the joke going, so she figured Miya was going to do the same.

Miya Sakamoto has posed:
When the sandwich tartare is offered to Miya and it is time to try the first bite, the girl opens her mouth and somehow forgets to stop until her jaw can conclusively be described as 'dropped'.

"Y- you're royalty?!", Miya exclaims, food still in her hand, unbitten, her voice going squeaky out of surprise.

That explains so much! The artisans building that sophisticated bubble maker! The above average musical skills from class! Being here at all!

Miya remains agape, giving the impression she's trying to areate her head as if it was an apartment. When she collects enough brainpower to close her mouth again, she stammers, "...I mean, I couldn't address you by title not even if I wanted. Mainly because I don't even know what your actual title is..."

"Oh, uh, Enji?", stammers Miya glancing down at her mascot.

"I got it at Makuga Finn's debut concert. Very exclusive game of UFO Catcher. Took place in the staff-only areas."

Well, that's all technically true!

"Nowhere as cool as your otters, but still cool!", exclaims Miya, as she gives her beaver a couple of head pats.

Did... did the Beaver just narrow his eyes at Miya's last comment?

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"Your Highness is a catch-all title that people default to if they don't know the other person's rank", the mermaid admits unwillingly. "But you don't have to refer to me by it or any other title, are we clear, Miya? The two of us are friends."

She examines a tartare before taking a bite out of it. "Just to satisfy your curiosity, I am Coco Kiumi, princess of the South Pacific kingdom." And that was the extent of how much she wanted to talk about it.

"I hope that game of UFO Catcher didn't constitute your pay", Coco comments suddenly disgruntled. She knows that practice exists, and she hates it so much. How is there any guarantee reselling things would earn the workers enough money? And that's probably why Miya didn't choose to resell it.

"My otters would appreciate hearing that a lot. I will be sure to tell them, or maybe you can come with me to tell them yourself." It will be fine, people talk to their animals all the time, she figures.

"Hey, Miya, did Enji just squint its eyes?", Coco comments. She wasn't seeing things, the plushie did just squint, right? Her mind goes back to when she was with Mio on the rooftop that way. Same exact situation, but is it the same exact result?

"Enji is adorable though, I am sure having it with you is like keeping a magical Cure to your side", Coco mentions, stressing those words. "I kind of want to touch it." And with that, she doesn't hesitate, and her fingers go on a tickling attack, target: Enji.

Miya Sakamoto has posed:
"Oh, no, totally unrelated," Miya is quick to dismiss Coco's suggestion that the plushie was to count as her honorary. "I got paid appropriately for my services as a junior member of staff!"

Then there was her whole thing as a magical girl, but that is another-

"What?", exclaims Miya, startled: both her and Enji sprinkle a tiny amount of minute sweatdrops all around at Coco's admission of having noticed the beaver's squinti.

"What?!" further exclaims Miya, doubly pushed off-balance by the Magical Cure comment. Enji may have stiffened completely, probably even having a small stroke at how uncomfortably close to home Coco's comments are hitting.

But nothing beats... the ticklening.

It's a matter of instants: Coco will notice that, under her tickling, Enji... is anything but stuffed. He reacts like a very living creature, beginning to twist and contract into fits of laughter.

But it is only Coco, and only for moments -- Miya recovers something vaguely resembling her wits.

She notices a fellow teenager nearby, dressed in a sophisticated diamond-studded ballerina tutu, improvising a pirouette over a short harpsichord passage, and bowing. Leaning into the costume.

Therefore, Miya grabs Enji by the scruff of the neck, throws him into the air, swings her rifle to point at him, closes one eye...

BANG!

A toy suction cup projectile SLAMS onto his face, and pins him against the wall with a soft thud, after which he begins to slowly slide towards the ground, picking up speed as he descends.

Plop.

Just an 'inanimate plushie', as far as everyone who is not Coco is concerned.

There's a lot of jocular 'leaning into the costume' going on in the area, so Miya's action did not draw much attention except a few giggles and possibly a polite clap or two.

Meanwhile, Miya herself, still holding her rifle in the shooting position, turns her head to look at Coco, chest heaving and sinking to indicate accelerated breathing and increased heart rate.

There is no visible judgement or accusation the look Miya is directing at Coco. Not even disappointment. All there is is shocked surprise. If her expression, eyes wide open, mouth slightly agape, had to be summarized in one word, it would be: "How...?!"

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"Why did you have to throw it!?" Coco questions Miya, looking at where the "plushie" got shot, flabbergasted. She makes a run over there, and grabs it back up from the ground before rushing back to her friend.

"Here, keep your mascot safe", Coco says, handing Enji back to Miya with an annoyed glare. "You shouldn't hurt it just because you want to keep it away from me. Especially with shooting it and all."

"As for how I knew of this, this has already happened to me before, plus I am a magical girl myself", Coco admits, touching the seashell on her neck. "It's part of my royal heritage, the reason I am born, defender of land and seas, holder of the Yellow Pearl, Princess of the South Pacific."

Miya Sakamoto has posed:
Miya holds Enji in front of her, supporting him at the armpits. Her eyes roll down to look at the mascot.

After a little hesitation, Enji looks up.

"I had to keep my secret safe!", Miya whispers to Coco, apologetic.

"I'm made of tough stuff," Enji boast-mumbles, trying to sound like a proud warrior. The thick, black eyebrows might help. The tiny adorableness... not as much.

After Enji is done with his session of sulking, he sighs, uncrosses his arms, and gives Miya a single nod as a signal to go ahead.

"...Cure Spanner," the brunette mumbles as a sort of reluctant introduction. "Holder of the Shifting Spanner and Fixer of Things That Go Wrong with Magic."

"You just made up those titles," Enji points out.

"Just let me have my moment, okay?" She looks at Coco. "Do you see now why I shot him?"

"I -knew- it was a personal vendetta!", Enji teases.

"Oh, shut up, you go through far worse during our training sessions."

"Fair."

That is when Miya suddenly lights up. "Wait, holder of the Yellow Pearl... Yellow Pearl Voice?!", she inquires, with a sense of urgency. "Was that you?"

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"You had to keep your secret safe from who?" Coco mentions, arching an eyebrow. "Miya, look around you. Everyone is paying more attention to us now that before you did that."

Coco takes a deep breath. "But nevermind that. Just ignore them and they will see there is nothing to look at soon enough."

"Good job, Enji", Coco smiles at him and pats his head after his demonstration of resilience.

"Cure Spanner... so you weren't inside the staff-only zone", Coco realises, barely keeping her tone moderate. "You were there, fighting with us."

Coco nods. "Miya is right, Enji. Let her have fun with titles. Titles also help tons with confidence", the mermaid admonishes. "Let's just not go overboard with it." 'Besides', the mermaid keeps to herself seeing them interact is fun. They clearly care about each other under the front they put up.'"

Coco nods with a smile and does a curtsy to Miya. "That's right, Cure Spanner. I am Yellow Pearl Voice, nice to meet you."

Miya Sakamoto has posed:
"Well, I -was- in the staff only area! That's where I met Enji. He arrived with a rocket. I caught him. It's technically a game of UFO catcher!"

One hand reaches for the nape of her neck. "But... yes. I -was- in the staff-only area. That's where I got my field promotion to magical girl. I reached the rest of you moments after. You might remember that I joined later than the other magical people..."

"You have to earn your qualifications," mumbles Enji. "I didn't become Head Engineer by making up titles! I worked hard for it!". And then, after looking between Miya and Coco, he sighs once again and concedes, "But I suppose she can keep -those- particular ones. They're silly enough, unlikely to be confused with official qualifications."

Yes, despite their bickering facade, they do care for each other.

Miya laughs nervously when addressed by her magical name, "Oh, no, I'm just good ol' squishy Miya when unpowered. Cure Spanner is... something else." There's a glimmer in her eyes as she says this. The glimmer of someone who has had a taste magic for the first time, and for whom the world has never been the same since.

"An you haven't finished your training yet," Enji admonishes. "You're good enough to fight a battle in a pinch, but there's still a lot we need to go over."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"I wasn't doubting that! But you weren't always there like you said. You were in the front fighting the monster with the rest of us", Coco explains herself.

"Yes, I remember it", Coco nods. Only vaguely, though. She couldn't recall exactly when Miya joined them.

"Besides Enji, those titles are all true. "It's as if I decided to call myself Mermaid of Aqua Regina. It's not a title I have, but it's not wrong. Can you look at me in the eyes and tell me the titles Miya used aren't true, in all honesty?" Coco challenges him, whispering the mermaid part for extra safety. She really doubts he can, though.

"If you see it way, that's fine, Miya", Coco smiles at the brunette, offering to put a hand on her shoulder as a sense of closeness since she remembers hugs make Miya uncomfortable. "Personally I am both Coco and Yellow Pearl Voice, and I think Cure Spanner is part of you too. Magic is part of us all one way or another."

Coco is left pondering when Enji talks about training. "Would you like to train together, Miya? I am sure we can push each other further than doing it by ourselves."

Miya Sakamoto has posed:
"Fixer of things that go wrong with magic -in training-," Enji notes, but doesn't corretct any other titles. Nor looks at Coco straight in the etyes. "...But I guess we can let that detail slip for the sake of simplicity," he concedes, glancing sideways to meet Coco's gaze.

Miya accepts the hand on her shoulder, but doesn't say anything when Coco mentions that Cure Spanner is part of her too. One hand, however, curled in a limp fist, raises to be held over her heart as she lowers her gaze.

"Cure Spanner is what she is because of you, Miya," Enji confirms. "Your transformed self is a manifestation of your dreams and feelings. Cure Spanner is you, and you are her. You are not two different people..." Looking down at his hands as he makes explanatory gestures, while frowning his thick black eyebrorws in concentration, he continues, "...your Cure Spanner form is more like... what you get when you get turned inside out."

Miya frowns. "What?"

Enji sighs once again, but this time with a smile. "And -that- is why you are still in training."

At the suggestion of training together, Miya clenches her fists, bites her lower lip, and- well, says nothing, but turns to Enji and looks at him, expectant. The beaver takes a second or two to reflect, and finally approves with a nod. "I think that is an excellent idea."

Miya hugs Enji in excitement and gratitude -- hugging mascots is fine in Miya's book, apparently.

"LET ME GO! LET ME GO!", whisper-screams Enji, while flailing his arms in an attempt to districate from Miya's clutch.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco smirks, enjoying the admission she got from Enji, however she doesn't actually say anything that might indispose the Precure fairy.

Coco frowns a little bit when Miya struggles to understand herself in relation to Cure Spanner. And frankly, as another creature born of magic, she has more in common with Enji over there than your average magical girl.

"Miya, imagine yourself when you are repairing a pipe, or reattaching handles, or fixing cables. Or even just remember the moments in which you did those things. That is who Cure Spanner is, and it gets brought to the forefront everytime you transform", Coco tries to clarify in her own way.

"Then, it's decided. We can talk about when to meet at school, ok?" Coco gives a confident smile to Miya.

Miya Sakamoto has posed:
Miya follows with attention. It is obvious that she is not a creature born to magic, and for someone who seems rather apt at pinpointing the source of magical conduits and snipping them, she is struggling with understanding of how it affects her at a personal level.

"We... we can meet, sure! I'd love that!", Miya replies in excitement. Meeting at school with her friend Coco somehow grounds her back to a normality of sort. Granted, now there's the extra layer of Miya and Coco being aware of each other's magical nature. And Coco being a princess. And Coco and Enji giving ideas to each other.

But that is only going to make things more interesting, isn't it?

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco can see Miya is struggling to comprehend what she and Enji are trying to relay, so she figures they should just give her time. Understanding will come the more she gets used to her powers, right?

So for now, why not keep enjoying the moment. Coco nods towards the dance floor and gives Miya her hand before saying "Would you care for a dance, Miya?"

Miya Sakamoto has posed:
"Er...", Miya hesitates. "There... there is a snag...", she stammers.

"...I cannot dance," she mumbles averting her gaze. "This is the first time I attend a dance in my life, and... I came unprepared."

She hurries to add, "In my defense, it is by accident! When I was called in at the last minute to fix the restrooms, I hadn't expected the process to involve choreography, so I didn't prepare!"

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"Don't worry, Miya!", Coco says, her hand still waiting to be held. "We can go nice and slow, and pick up on things along the way. It will be fine, just take a few seconds to relax." The mermaid doesn't move, waiting for Miya to decide it's indeed alright to head for the dance floor.

Miya Sakamoto has posed:
Miya's hand lingers, uncertain. She looks down at Enji.

"Sorry, not related to the mission. This one you'll have to figure out on your own," the beaver comments raising a hand.

Miya swallows, and looks towards Coco, who is still extending her hand.

Miya had it all figured out in her old city. This would be a definite 'nope' moment. Just flee, Miya. Disappear in the background. Do not let anyone notice you. Scuttle away. Leave no trace.

But this is not the old city. This is Radiant Heart Academy.

"A new life," Miya whispers to herself.

And even if scared, worried, she reaches out, and takes Coco's hand.