390/Sharing is Caring

Sharing is Caring
Date of Scene:	08 September 2023
Location:	An Isolated Cabin
Synopsis:	Naru is missing, and Takashi/Riventon said he'd try to sort out what's up and help. And he finds Naru, and they chat. But he can't rescue her himself.
Cast of Characters:	Takashi Agera, Naru Osaka

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Takashi Agera has posed:
Riventon has been... tracing Sunbreaker and Naru for a little bit, now. Success has been obnoxiously slow. She's done a better job of covering her tracks, both mundane and magical, than he would have given her credit for at the start of this. Her weird style of doing magic, the way she mixed whatever she knew coming in to what he showed her about Dark Energy, makes it obnoxious. Begrudgingly, he had to admit the girl could innovate and create. But... it's still Dark Energy, it's still his birthright, and he can still pick up on it eventually. It just takes... a lot more searching manually than he wanted to do, picking up flecks of traces here and there and eventually just having to narrow it down to the cabins around Mt Fuji.

    Even when he's close her magic is subtle - he has to get within a few feet to notice the wards and barriers. He quickly realizes that, if he was to just break through, Sunbreaker would be notified, and then he'd have to explain directly helping, which he doesn't want to do. The barriers -would- be easier to take apart subtly from the inside, he supposes. This means that, after some work to do it smartly, Riventon is stepping between dimensions and using the Dusk Zone and his own power to get inside the barrier without tripping any of Sunbreaker's arcane alarms. This does mean, of course, that he manages to step through space and exit almost directly in front of Naru - Barrier Lab Coat, shadowy mask, glowing red eyes, long flowing silver hair - the works, the full Riventon.

    "Oh." he says, a little surprised to have walked out in front of her, of all places. "I guess you're the one everybody is looking for." His tone doesn't match his visage at all. Calm, collected, while the mask is clearly intended to be more frightening or at least inscrutable. "You are... Naru Osaka-san?" he says, reaching for the name in his memory.

Naru Osaka has posed:
The cabin is, for all intents and purposes, rather nice. It really would make for a lovely vacation. It's well appointed, it should have a gorgeous view. There's not a lot in the way of food choices, but there's enough that Naru isn't starving to death.

Although at this point, she would consider some shenanigans for a coffee.

Still, Naru is hardly handcuffed to a chair or anything. She's been trying to keep herself busy, recovering from a whole /lot/ of energy drain.

She is, however, absolutely bored out of her /skull/ and restless to where the calisthenics taught in gym class that everyone hates seem like a /fabulous/ choice.

She might be more desperate for a good long run than she is for a coffee.

Naru is in the kitchen, lightly puttering about as she washes up. Just because she's a prisoner doesn't mean she has to be a /slob/ about it. There's no view out the kitchen window, it's just the blackness of a dark energy ward.

Naru manages not to startle as someone just /manifests/ in the kitchen, but she does pause in her drying of a glass to consider Riventon from top to bottom. "Yes. You must be Riventon."

Takashi Agera has posed:
Riventon starts to kind of... look, around. He's not looking at the physical world, he's looking at the magic, in a sense, feeling it, translating it. Annoyed that it's not easy to break. That he'll have to be patient and slow to not warn Sunbreaker. He slowly clicks that Naru replied in the affirmative and turns.

    "Yes. A lot of people are looking for you." he offers. "Including me, I suppose, on the behalf of some of them. The sooner we can get you out of here, the safer everybody will be. Sunbreaker too, even." he admits.

    "You have a lot of friends, Osaka-san. They are... not pleased with this turn of events?" he says. "I see why we haven't found you this time, though. Layers of wards, like an onion. The fact that there's so many here but it's not something I could sense from further away is..." he grumbles, but at least Sunbreaker isn't here so he can finish it "... annoyingly impressive. It'll take me some time to... no, I don't think I'll be breaking these myself. I think I'll be... weakening them, so that your actual rescuers can just break through easily when the time is right."

    "I'll get everything ready and then tell the horde where you are. Don't go touching the barriers anytime soon, they might break down early, once I start weakening them."

    He holds out his hand and a triangular Belkan rune bursts into appearance, glowing and rotating under his feet as he starts to slowly break the wards apart from the inside. All Naru (or even most magically inclined people) could see is the runes and him holding his hand out, the occasional flash of energy from his hand to some part of the outside barriers.

    "I hope, for her sake, Sunbreaker has been treating you at least reasonably. It doesn't look like I could say 'well' or you'd have a TV or something at least." he notes a she gets a good view of the cabin.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I cannot say that I am wholly delighted by the current turn of events either." Naru notes a little dryly. "I had other things in my schedule that were not a solo retreat in a remote cabin."

Naru sets the glass in the dish drainer and turns to watch Riventon as he examines the magic. "Thank you." Naru notes quietly. "To you, and them. If I could rescue myself, I would, but this is not exactly where my skills shine."

Naru mms softly at his mention of not touching the barriers. "Right.. so I'm not especially good at noticing barriers at the best of times, beyond.." She gestures at the windows and their layers of darkness. "So if you could give me general areas to avoid touching, that would be helpful."

Naru watches the rune and its flashes of energy avidly, curious but not interfereing at all. "There is a TV, although the dvds are rather old. It doesn't have a connection to the outside world, of course." She gestures to the main living space, just off from the kitchen. "I'm more likely to read or sketch than watch, to be honest, but there is that." She smiles faintly. "But I am not dead, I am healing, and I am not starving. I can confidently accept that I am fully addicted to caffeine, having done /that/ withdrawl, and I'd love a coffee right now, but big picture, I am well enough."

Takashi Agera has posed:
Riventon shrugs. "Well, to avoid the barriers... Don't try to leave until you see what I expect will be enough of a laser light show to put the one at the Tokyo Planetarium to utter shame." he answers, mostly helpfully. "You should be fine otherwise. It's layered magically but they're all basically in the same spot in a physical sense. Like I said, just don't try to leave until it's clear the cavalry has come."

"I was honestly planning to get us both some caffiene on the way back, because I figured we'd already be on the way back by now. Sunbreaker has gotten better... and I don't want it to be any more public knowledge than it already is that I'm directly helping you. So instead I'm setting things up for your eventual rescue and letting them know where to go." He explains.

    "At least you don't seem like you're terribly mad and ready to nurse a grudge. Which is good. Some sort of all-out war because of this would be... honestly, partly amusing, but it would be highly disruptive to things I'm trying to get done. Part of why I'm here." That, and Hematite sounded like he was going to die of panic, even via text.

    "So I couldn't fully make heads or tails of it, with the information I was given. Why did she take you? You're not magical, even if you can see me like this and seem to not mistake me for a common bandit or tell yourself you're still dreaming."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Excellent." Naru nods at the mention of where the barriers are. "Those I assumed, but I wanted to ensure there weren't any super random ones that I might encounter without realizing them."

For being a hostage, Naru is shockingly calm about the whole affair, there's no panic, there's no freaking out. There's just a quiet fortitude about the whole thing.

Other than the missed caffeine potential. That Naru sighs deeply about. "Alas. When this is over, I'll buy you a coffee, how about that? I really do appreciate all of the help. As you, or your alter ego, I am not fussy."

Naru has to consider the grudge thing and then slowly shakes her head. "No.. this isn't something for the factions to war over, that feels ridiculous. I am not /that/ exciting. I also think there are bigger challenges than what feels like a solo dark side type who made some questionable choices."

Naru mmms softly. "Well that's a bit of a long story, can I get you something? Glass of water? Rice cracker? There's plenty of those at least."

Takashi Agera has posed:
Without even the smallest nanoparticle of self-reflection, Riventon remarks, "People make questionable choices all the time, though. From grabbing you to... starting a big fight over someone having grabbed you." he goes on. "I suspect your aura of calm will go a long way towards defusing that. Have you been kidnapped before? Or just had a lot of experience with magical stuff? You're very calm about this. Like you've been around it your whole life." he says.

    "Rice crackers sound miserable, I'll pass. The coffee, I might take you up on. If it's the kind of coffee that's frozen and basically coffee-flavored ice cream, anyways." he adds. "Though probably have to be somewhere secluded what with the outfit. I'm not as comfortable connecting my civilian and magical forms as some people seem to be getting." he remarks. "Too much work to do trying to save the world, to be constantly interrupted by people who think I and people like me are the biggest threat to the very same world." He sighs. "A situation this whole Sunbreaker Kidnaps Osaka-san thing is not going to help. I bet she's losing control over her energy, to act out like this."

    He grumbles, focusing more intently on his 'work' for now. "I wish she'd lost some of her touch when she was making these damn wards, though. I guess we'll be here for a while." then he pauses. "Oh, that does remind me." the hand that's not manipulating some sort of magical BS digs around in his cavernous lab coat pockets and draws out two candy bars that are absolutely legally distinct from and not at all Snickers bars. "You want one?" He pauses. "I just threw them in here this morning, they're not like, weird forever-in-pockets-candy." He does HAVE some of that stashed away somewhere, for sure, but it isn't what he's offering.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"The rice crackers are alright." Naru gives a shrug. "Better with water, they are a bit dry."

"I can pick up coffees and meet you somewhere, and yes, I can get you coffee-flavoured ice cream." Naru flickers a half smile at that. It's not disimilar from what Usagi prefers.

"I.." Naru considers why she's quite so calm. "No..my first time being kidnapped, but I get attacked fairly regularly. I'm pretty much a youma magnet." She gestures towards the table, for the pair of them to have a seat while they chat. It's just a small kitchen table, nothing too exciting. A sketchbook sits on it, with a few different pencils waiting by it. "There's just nothing really to be gained by freaking out about it all." She flickers a half smile. "I don't always win on that front, but I try."

"I would /love/ one of those if you are willing to share." Naru smiles easily. "A bit of extra protein and sugar goes a lot way in recovering from being drained, and I'm light on the protein front."

There's protein in the peanuts. Honest. Do not bring logic into this.

"Right, how we got here." Naru settles herself down, even if Riventon does not. "Over the course of a couple of fights, Sunbreaker decided that I was using magic to enhance those I was fighting with. Which she wished me to explain. Which, as you can well imagine, I could not. I suspect she just underestimated the abilities of the magical people she was fighting, but I was a convenient excuse rather than acknowledge that she might have underestimated someone." Naru pauses a moment and then continues. "So she grabbed me to continue .. encouraging me.. to answer her questions. She's now decided that I am magical but don't actually know how to use my powers, and so she's going to 'unlock' them in me? Or something? That part got unclear." Naru opens her hands to gesture vaguely. "So we'll see what happens there. I somehow don't think I'm going to become more magical than my mundane self, just because Sunbreaker thinks it should happen."

Takashi Agera has posed:
There are several things in Naru's explanation that makes sense. There are some that don't. There are some that... concern him. Like the idea of 'unlocking' some kind of 'hidden' magic in Naru. He sits down, the magic circle not following him (Axion is maintaining it, now) and slides one of the sealed candybars across the table.

    He buys the peanuts excuse, at least. He regards his bar of the two for a moment before also sliding it across to Naru. "You should take the other one. Just don't give it to Sunbreaker. Hide it or eat it, I don't care. There's no dramatic reason for that, I'm just being petty. She's being stupid so I don't want her to get candy from me even indirectly." he admits. "I mean, it is possible for someone to reduce their... signature... so to speak. So it's not an insane idea on the face of it. It's just... insane to still be carrying it forward."

    "And, well, as I understand it, most people aren't exactly magical until they are. Find a magical rock, a fairy, a freaky cat with too many ears... make a deal or just really really hope for something and bam. Frilly skirt or fabulous uniform and you're part of this world. Could happen to you. The fact that we're talking makes me think it's reasonably likely. I mean, if I went to your classmates and said any of this they'd just remeber some weird guy in like, a ski mask and a toga trying to take thier stuff. Not me." he adds.

    "Even at the Academy - which I'm assuming your from since I know people who know you - the people who can't see into this world vastly outnumber the people who can. We're the most magically inclined place on the planet and it's still like... at least 50 normals to 1 magical. Conservatively." Riventon adds. "So the fact that we're talking at least means you're special, even if you're not... magic magic. You're still doing something the average 48 or 49 people in that 50 can't do. Which is experience any of this for what it is."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I mean.. take this all as coming through a filter of a mudane who is sorting out how this works without a glossary of terms." Naru points out as she picks up one of her pencils to fiddle with.

Perhaps not quite as calm as she's faking. Mostly at least.

"Thank you." Naru accepts the second chocolate bar with only a moment of hesitation. "Have no fear, I'll hide it as best I can for later. I'm feeling rather selfish about my treats right now."

"So.. yes. I am magical on some level to be having this conversation. To be able to walk through barriers. To exist as I am. I can remember the transition from not remember to remembering." Naru points out as she moves from fiddling with the pencil to fiddling with the wrapper on the chocolate bar. "So her theory is that I'm broken, or possibly inept.. and that she'll teach me how to use the powers that I don't think I have." Naru adds after a moment. "It doesn't sound so unreasonable, that I'm sort of just magically disabled or something in a lack of powers. That is just how I am, and I'm pretty alright with that reality. I don't think she's going to accomplish what she's aiming to."

Mostly alright. Generally. Almost all of the time.

"Although I really do hope she takes good notes and that she shares whatever she finds out with me, because if she's as good as you say, it will be fascinating magical research." Naru adds.

Takashi Agera has posed:
Riventon shrugs. "Sorry, I'm just not famil..." he pauses. Too much info. "Sorry, I'm just making conversation while I try to get you out of these terribly comfortable lodging assignments. And I always hope I can get my hands on notes, but I don't share them for... well, I'm afraid people will put them to bad uses." As opposed to Riventon/Takashi, who only ever uses science for good. "Not everybody is on the same page about... how things should be. So we're all protecting our own futures, in a way." he admits. "Or, everyone's futures." he says.

    "I think, if anybody deserves to feel treat-selfish right now, though, it's you." he admits. He watches her fiddle with the wrapper, but says nothing. "And... even if you were needing to be taught how to access and use powers... I'm not sure Sunbreaker is the right teacher. I taught her and she has some... unique ideas... about how things work or should work." Riventon notes. And maybe he didn't teach her -magic- but he did teach her to tap into the Dark Energy to make it work here. He counts that.

    "But at least you needn't panic. Even if I wasn't here there's a veritable army looking for you. I don't expect the laser light show will be long in coming. I only found her because I know her, know her magic. And haven't let anybody else know because I'd like to make this process as painless as possible, for everyone - including Sunbreaker. It's already escalating so much, I'm doing what I can to descalate it. My hope is that when her barriers come down like sugar glass and she sees a dozen magical folks out there, she just doesn't try to contest it and all of this stupid business is over nice and easy."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I know, I know.. sharing across the aisle isnt popular, or a thing at all." Naru's expression twists into a half smile. "Forgive me my daydreams of excellent communication all around, possibly born out of having mostly walls to talk to."

"I cannot say that were I the one choosing a teacher, that Sunbreaker would have been my top choice." Naru agrees. "I suspect our theories and methodologies are not exactly on the same wavelength."

Something someting, Dark Energy, something something.

"I appreciate the reassurance." Naru doesn't seem to get any less paniced, but from calm to calm is a pretty gentle step. "And I appreciate the assistance." She quirks her head. "By the by.. did a vampire pass on a message from me? Would have been .. a little while ago. My senese of time is completely and utterly shot at the moment. I don't know if I was dreaming, halluciating, or chatting with her."

Takashi Agera has posed:
Riventon laughs. "Not even across the aisle. Even on the same side of it. Sunbreaker and I are not exactly lab partners. I get the idea though. Time I spend researching the same thing as she does, is time I'm not spending researching new stuff. All of that." he nods. "If I could be sure other people weren't going to blow up the world or try to start an apocalypse or summon a giant clown demon or turn the world into a desert... you get the idea... then I'd be more willing to share. As it is though, it doesn't matter how much knowledge I get out of the deal if I accidentally give the missing key to doing one of those things up to somebody else." he notes.

    "And yeah, the Vampire is one of my teammates. I am slowly putting together a small group of people I trust." Because they are on some level beholden to and dependent on him. Teammates is a much nicer word than how he actually thinks, but, he understands diplomacy. Must be all that hanging out with Hematite.

    "At least I can tell you that one really did happen."

    Then an unfamiliar voice cracks into the conversation, speaking English. <<BARRIER INTEGRITY SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT COMPROMISED.>> Riventon's device reports.

    "Well, that's good news. Means our time for discussion is running short, but also means good things for your intent to relocate to more relaxing surroundings."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Oh I'm not expecting she'll share with you." Naru flashes a bright smile at that. She has few illusions on /that/ front. "I'm hoping she'll share with me."

Because who says you have to /have/ powers to research magic.

"Excellent. That's surprisingly reassuring for what's left of my sanity." Naru nods as she finally notices that she's fiddling with the chocolate bar and nudges it aside. Perfectly calm. Totally. Being cooped up is /fine/.

"Thank you." Naru's tone is sincere. "I look forward to buying you a coffee somewhere that has sky. I don't know how you feel about sunlight, but I am currently a really big fan of it, but I won't inflict it upon you unnecessarily."

Takashi Agera has posed:
Riventon smiles, though his guise hides most of it. "I'm not a vampire. If that's what you mean." Of course technically LaCrima both is and is not. "I'll be able to find you, Osaka-san." He pauses. "Not like, in a creepy stalkery way. Just like, I know a lot of people who call you a friend. So if I want to grab that coffee, I can get ahold of you." he explains.

    "And... yeah, I should let people know where you are now so that the whole 'getting you out of here' thing can kick off sooner rather than later. Better for everyone, right?" he asks. "Thank you for being a gracious host even if it's not your house." he adds with a bit of an overdramatic bow as he gets up. "I'm going to see how many people want to get you out of here. Best guess is a lot." he notes. Then he takes a step backwards, and that step carries him through dimensions, not just through ours, and like someone who has backed through the stage curtain of reality, he's gone. He doesn't want to be anywhere near here when the Mahou come knocking, truly. Hopefully, Hinoiri won't, either...