1330/The Mystery Of The Shed

The Mystery Of The Shed
Date of Scene:	22 March 2024
Location:	The Shed
Synopsis:	Rashmi calls Hinote to the woods, to reveal to him the mystery that is The Shed! Rashmi learns more about Chara, while Hinote learns more about all the weirdness flying around Tokyo of late. Also that books from space can talk and, probably, think for themselves.
Cast of Characters:	Rashmi Terios, Hinote Kagari

---

Rashmi Terios has posed:
--- AT START OF CLASS --

    TXT to Hinote: Meet me at the edge of the woods by the sports building at lunch. I've got something *awesome* to show you. Also there will be cocoa.

Rashmi refused to give any more details than this, but at the appointed hour she is indeed waiting by the sports building, a warm cup of cocoa in each hand. Displaying uncommon amounts of self-control, she has *not* used her waiting time to drink from her own cup... Because honestly few things say 'you're late' more than half-eaten snacks one is supposed to be sharing. Happily, it's still cold enough to wear gloves, so the heat hasn't had time to bother her.

Indeed, she looks like she has a secret she can't *wait* to let the part-time PI in on.

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari gets a text and he answers back.

TXT to Rashmi: Okay. I'll be there. But why...?

He gets no other information it's a mystery and this is making Hinote giddy and Tracy giddy. He walks to the woods after class with tracy floating somewhere over his shoulder. The woods stood dark and mysterious, beckoning me into them, like a cat to catnip. Says Tracy Gravely. Hinote slacks. "Tracy, it's a few trees and a wood shed, what's actually here?" he asks as he approaches Rashmi. "Hey." he says, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry if I'm late." he says. He's wearing the standard Radiant Heart boys uniform right now. Nothing fancy like that. "That's uh. Tracy. My Guardian Chara." he says.

"So what's so awesome back here?" he asks with a small smile.

Tracy pulls out his tiny magnifying glass and zips forward. "Yeah, what's the deal, doll?" he asks as the tiny detective starts examining a nearby tree.

'I'm sorry.' she mouths to Rashmi.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Honestly, Tracy is just *delightful* as a concept, and Rashmi greets the Chara with a bright smile. "Good to finally meet you, Tracy-san!" she chirps. "Okay, so... 'just a few trees and a wood shed,' you're *mostly* right. Except it's not, well... 'just' that. C'mere."

Beckoning Hinote over, she bops toward the shed, and the small concrete tanuki statue left sitting in front of it, for unknown and possibly unknowable reasons.

"So! Just a shed. Nothing up my sleeves, nothing in my hair, no distracting assistants..."

And she opens the door to the shed, and oh boy someone needs to give this shed a good cleaning. Rusted tools, half-rotted wood scraps, and an incredibly scruffy raccoon blinking blearily upward, possibly about to start some violence. "And nothing important in here. Sorry!" she says in apology to the raccoon, closing the door hurriedly before it can get *upset* at the intrusion on its space.

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari watches this with interest. Tracy comes over and also watches with interest as he watches the shed open and---

Oh boy, rusted tools and a raccoon and some scraps of wood. Hinote blinks as Rashmi closes the door and Hinote places his hand to his chin in thought as the door to the shed closes.

"Okay. Are you needing help in garden club or something you're asking?" he says.

"I mean. You can just ask me. I'll help." he says.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Nope!" Rashmi says with a grin. "I'm in Debate Club anyway. So! ...This is a new thing, sec..."

Picking up the tanuki statue with one hand -- an act of effort, out of henshin -- she gives it a look for a moment, then reaches out her hand to open the door the *wrong* way. "Take another look!"

When Hinote looks in again, it's... not a small shed. No rusted tools, rotting wood, or irate raccoon. Instead, it's a *large,* old-fashioned classroom, with desks and electric lights and windows that look out onto the forest.

There are also a couple of whiteboards, one of which bears notes and post-its regarding a project in progress.

And it's bigger on the inside.

*How is it so big on the inside?!*

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari walks to the door and gives Rashmi a look as she does something, and he opens the door- expecting to have to quickly close it at a hissing raccoon or something. Instead it's..

Big. Really big on the inside. It's a classroom? He walks in and Tracy hovers along with him. He looks around as he carefully touches the wall as he huhs. "That is surprising." he says, as he crosses his arms. "So is this."

"And Operations Center for Mahou?" he asks, lancing to the white board, looking back at Rashmi.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Yup!" Rashmi answers, swaying back on her heels. "The statue thing, like I said, new. Now you've been introduced, anytime you want to come here just pick up the tanuki, think 'I'm allowed to enter' -- 'we' of course if you're bringing anyone else in for the first time -- and just open the door the opposite way you normally would. I like to come here sometimes for a quiet place to do homework, but, also meetings and stuff."

Stepping in after Hinote, she closes the door, and moves to one of the desks by the wall. "Also, it can change its size if needed. *Most* of the mahou active a few months ago got together to get everyone up to speed on a big fight, and it was still pretty comfy with a few dozen people in here."

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote glances away from the papers. "Ah. You guys have been. Looking into the towers too." he says as he gives a little smile. "I have the gloves. I'll write a little note then." he says as he nods. "I should introduce myself too. Other people might need help and all that." he says.

Tracy is investigating the shed himself. He pops out of a filing cabinet with his tiny magnifying glass.

"I did ask Tadase before if there was like, A mahou club. Before I was like you know. 'magical'." he says. "I guess this is what he meant by 'kind of'." he says.

He looks back to the papers and starts to read more throughly a moment. He also sips his hot chocolate. "....Right."

"There's this singer. Utau Hoshina?" he asks. "She uses her voice in concerts to... steal heart eggs. Turn them dark. Into X-eggs. I saw it before." he says. "I know which concerts are traps now. I should leave that scheduling book here too." he says. "I kind of. Did an investigation. And stole it. From out from under them."

"It was a real class act." says Tracy.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Let me know when you've got free time," Rashmi says. "I'll call a meeting. Also, Nicomachea's been busy since our thing, and..."

Tapping the red 'gem' at the center of the charm on her bow, she extracts a glowing, featureless cube. "I've got a couple of these, they're called Storage Devices. They're like Nicomachea, except not intelligent, and..."

She sets it on a desk, taps it, and an actual, sci-fi special effects-style hologram of the tower they inspected fuzzes into view above the cube, slowly turning in the air. "Now we've got a model!" She spins it in place, and pokes the area where the panel was, and a window pops up displaying a slightly fuzzy view of the panel that Rashmi had gotten over the youma's shoulder. "It's still pretty bare bones now, but when we talk to the others and get more information, we'll be able to add to it until we have everything we need."

Tapping the cube again, Rashmi watches the hologram fuzz away, then puts the cube back ino her charm... somehow. Sipping her cocoa, she leans against a chair, thinking about this new information. "That... would be *really* a good idea. So... Okay let me see if I have this right. Charas come from eggs that people have... And if they get corrupted, they turn into X-eggs, and that makes monsters? So... d'you happen to know where the eggs *come* from?"

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari narrows his eyes a little as he continues reading what's on the wall, moving to the next paper and pauses a moment to look over to Rashmi and speak. "That's good!" he says walking over to the model a moment. "And we have those gloves. Don't worry. I have them safe somewhere. Let me know when you guys need them." he says.

He walks back to the papers when Rashmi dismisses the model and points a finger to where he's reading and taps a word a moment. "Well. Look. I'm a greenhorn to this stuff. But I'll tell you what I know. Everyone has a heart egg in their heart. It's who they wanna be in there. But it can be corrupted or break a little too easily. I mean. It's an egg." he says.

"The dream inside can become corrupted. And turned into an X-egg. Which can further turn into an X-character." he says.

"I think they come from people. At the museum. We fought one from a kid who wanted to be an astronaut when he grew up. So it was zipping around on a jetpack." he says. "Also." he says. "I got to punch 'Hothead' in the face." he pauses and facepalms. "Sunbreaker. Sorry. The Pulp Detective in me now wants to call everyone nicknames." he says as he looks a sideye to Tracy.

"Tracy is my desire to investigate all this weirdness." he says. "I could see all this stuff for a few months , but I had no magic. So my investigation went nowhere and some people tried to shy me away from it. It's different now." he says.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"So this Utau lady is *corrupting dreams?* At concerts *she's holding?* That's... *horrible!*" Her free hand presses over her mouth, eyes wide. "And sometimes I guess, dreams can be so strong they come to life and give you powers, then?" she says, glancing at Tracy. "I mean... if it's that much reflex to give everything nicknames, then honestly? Run with it. *I* know who you're talking about, and just about anyone who's ever met Sunbreaker'll catch on pretty quick."

As she listens to the story of what exactly created the dream that bore Tracy, she winces sympathetically. "Ooooh. Yeah, I can understand that. Like... it *sucks* keeping secrets from people who just want to help, but the less people know, the less likely they are to get hurt, but the more you wanna help the more you'd feel like you're being pushed aside... I'm sorry, Hinote-kun. And I'm glad you can fight back, now, so... Thank you for showing up, Tracy-kun," she says with a smile toward the Chara.

With that, she sips at her cocoa again, nodding to herself. "*Definitely* a good idea to put up a note about the tour book. Maybe if enough of us show up to hassle her at *every show* she's turned into a trap, it won't be worth the effort to put more on."

Hinote Kagari has posed:
"Yeah. That's what I understand as going on." he says.

"Something about needing purification, too. Something special has to be done. He finishes reading these reports on the wall finally and places the cup to his lips again as he sips the hot chocolate. "Right we heard. Singing. In the Zone. A song. That was Utau's voice." he says pointing back to the paper.

"I'm not surprised she's involved. Also. She's my date to the prom." he says with a laugh that suggests this is forced. "My dad is. Kinzo Kagari, right? Famous Actor." he says. "So he says. 'I know this songtress you should take.'." he says sardonically. "So that's how I'm going on this. Obligatory date." he says. "Because my dad keeps trying to hook me up, you know?" he says.

"Like I get it dad. Stop." he says as he looks down into his cup. "Sorry. I know he means well. It's a little much sometimes." he says.

"Anyways." he says.

"What's an Etheria?" he asks, finally.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"...*I was gonna ask,*" Rashmi groans. "Okay, so Sunbreaker and Utau, probably at least a couple more, all working on a big project that keeps pulling energy from places--" She trails off, because Hinote asks a question she *can* answer.

"Okay, so... There's a few magical people who come from a completely other world, called Etheria. Adora-chan and Bow-kun I know about on our side, Catra-san's on the other. They all come from the same world, but like... different points in time I guess? It's a whole thing, but I guess old Etherian stuff uses magic like technology, a lot like the space Devices like mine come from but fundamentally different."

Having spent a good point of this explanation pacing slightly, she pauses, and spreads out her hands in a shrug. "Magic is like that; a lot of 'same but really way different' that gets just *maddening* the more you learn about other kinds of magic."

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari looks amazed a moment. "Other worlds?" he asks. "There's other worlds?" he asks.

Tracy also seems amused by this information. "So there's whole others worlds out there?" he reiterates Hinote's question as he hovers near Hinote now, having taken in all the information on the wall and looked around.

"Yeah. Everyone seems to have their different thing." he says. "I have a heart egg that Tracy lives in." he motions. "And you have. What was her name. Nicomachea? And like. I think there's a singing mermaid and Puellas and Witches. I was against one of those things when I was normal? Nope." he says, raising his hands.

"Maybe there's a mystery to all it to be solved...." he thinks carefully. Tracy gets wide eyed. Hinote glares at Tracy. "If you Chara Change me now I'll be so angry later." he says. Tracy thinks twice. "Er right."

"Chara Change. Not a henshin. But Tracy makes me more inquisitive. And Narrative. Sometimes. By force. If you ever see me with a magic fedora as Hinote just know that." he says with a little smile.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Don't forget a werewolf and a zombie pirate," Rashmi points out. "*Very* important to not forget the zombie pirate. Basically, yeah... Magic is weird and wild and awesome and *terrifying* but... I mean, yeah."

Unclipping her charm from her bow, with a mental command it envelops itself in a globe of golden light, which shatters to reveal the giant armored book. "Nicomachea, he's... Well he's from a whole part of space where magic can power AIs, he's a combination digital assistant and weapon.

At which point the crystal in the center of the book's cover glows, and a voice akin to a tweedy English professor lecturing on his favorite subject holds forth.

    << *BONG!* >> << MY MASTER SPEAKS, GENERALLY, CORRECTLY. I AM A SUPPORT DEVICE, ORIGINALLY ASSIGNED TO THE TIME-SPACE ADMINISTRATION BUREAU ENFORCEMENT VESSEL ARTHRAS. MY PURPOSE IS TO COLLECT, COLLATE, AND DISSEMINATE HELPFUL INFORMATION. >>

"...And he'll talk all day if you let him," Rashmi interjects quietly, but with a fond smile.

    << IT IS A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU, SUBJECTS 'Tracy' AND 'Hinote.' IT WILL BE A PLEASURE TO PROVIDE YOU WITH SUCH ANALYSIS AS NEEDED TO FURTHER YOUR INVESTIGATIONS. >>

"It sounds like you've got a dream so strong it wants to make *itself* happen," Rashmi chuckles. "I can see how that'd be annoying, but, when you think about it it's also *really* cool. ...Oh! And if you want to solve the problem of, like, a Unified Theory of Magic, I *definitely* need to introduce you to Naru-chan. She's like you were, she can see without having powers, but instead of a Chara she just got... I guess the ability to take *anything* in stride. Kidnapped by a vending machine with teeth? Must be Tuesday."

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari listens to Nicomachea and ohs. "It can talk. Is it like....s..sentient? Erm. Sapient. Look. You know what I'm trying to ask." he says as he spreads his hands. "I'm curious is all. Nicomachea, hello." he says with a wave.

Hinote gives Rashmi a smile. "I guess. And Sure, you can introduce me to everyone you want." he says. "Besides if she deals with it that much she probably needs some help too." he says.

He's about to open his mouth again when his phone rings and he answers it. "Sorry that's gotta be mom. She's. Police." he says as he turns around politely to speak to the phone for a bit. He nods.

"I gotta get home and start dinner apparently!" he says. "So I'll be back later. I'll write the report then, alright?" he says as he gives a warm wave and smile. "Take care. Thanks for showing me around!" he says, before departing.