1406/Conversation over Coffee

Conversation over Coffee
Date of Scene:	12 April 2024
Location:	Gullwing Coffee
Synopsis:	Phantom approaches Ikuto to find out what his game is. He offers to get him a recommendation to meet Beryl in return for information on a mirror taken from him. Ikuto is soooo dooomed.
Cast of Characters:	Ikuto Tsukiyomi, Phantom

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Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Ikuto was trying to relax, for once. The past week had been...a week. He'd caused a lot of problems for himself and others, and even gotten lectured by Yoru, who had just a couple of days later gotten captured in a coffee mug of all things.

He was sitting in a corner of the coffee shop, just..recovering, from the stresses of recent days while drinking an iced coffee. "Why do you have ice cubes in your coffee nya?" Yoru asked. "Because drinking it hot gets me too warm. Do you think she'll be okay?" The Chara smiled a bit. "Chiyo? She'll be fine. She has lots of friends. You still have to go apologize to Yuki too though. You do like her, right?"

Ikuto nodded. "I feel terrible about what happened. I didn't think, and...ugh. Women are more complicated than I ever could have imagined."

Phantom has posed:
As Ikuto is sitting there enjoying his coffee, it's just such a pleasant day, isn't it? Kinda cool, a nice sea breeze. It's a really nice day. Well. Was.

Pulling out a chair across from Ikuto, the mahogany haired boy that takes a seat across from his is sporting a bandage on his jaw as he sets down his cup of coffee. "Scorn really loves this place for some reason." Phantom comments conversationally, in his Philip Toms persona. "But it sounds like you have enough issues with girls. I suppose you should be thankful she decided to skip the prom."

Taking a sip from his coffee, he lifts his blue eyes to the boy. "Don't worry. I'm not here to pull a Sunbreaker. Entertaining as that was."

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Ikuto opens one eye to scan his surroundings and motions for Yoru to relax as the Chara is already putting his paws up in a fighting stance. "He's not here to fight, Yoru. Not in a place like this without a barrier. We wouldn't stand a chance anyway."

The catboy stretches a bit, fully opening his eyes and sitting up properly. "I was wondering when, or even if someone above my step-father would reach out. I can only imagine he's been quite vocal in demanding he get assistance in dealing with his rogue contractor."

Phantom has posed:
"Psht. I'm not worried about what your step-father wants." Phantom offers. No weapons, just that small bracer on his wrist that is much smaller in this form. He takes another sip from his coffee, gingerly working his jaw for a moment. A glance aside to Yoru. "Nor am I interested in seeing if Eternal Gauge works on non-precures." That's a lie, he totally wants to know - but Ikuto will not be the target of that experiment.

"So, they tried the stick first. Apparently, I'm the carrot." A shrug of his shoulders. "Someone higher than me wants to know exactly what it is you're looking for and how to facilitate that."

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Ikuto nods, his expression not changing. Much. There's a slight turn upwards of his mouth. This is what he's been waiting for. The main reason he hadn't struck out at Easter yet. "I hope there aren't too many hard feelings over there. Well, I know at least one person has some, especially after Yoru bit him at prom. Bad attitude. Hangs around with a girl who tends to draw all eyes in the room. Don't think I ever met him. Anyway. It would have looked a bit desperate to go running to big corpo daddy after ditching Easter. No room to make a case for myself at all."

He nods. "But now it sounds like I've proven my determination to someone with a bit of pull at the company. I'd like to have a proper sit-down with them to discuss things. But what I can say for sure right now is that I don't see Obsidian as an enemy, nor as a friend. I instead see an opportunity to achieve mutual goals without directly cooperating."

"I know Director Hoshina has done a piss-poor job of running Easter, and I aim to bring him down and take his place. Obviously I can't run off with the company just because my father used to own it, and that's why I'd like to discuss a plan with someone who can get the ball rolling internally for negotiations when that time comes."

Phantom has posed:
Strife in Easter only makes Mirage look better, and Phantom realizes for a moment that is a good path to have. Another sip from his coffee in a thought. "So you're wanting to freelance, and also be rogue enough to try to wrest control from your step-father. I won't ask if that's something you want to do to keep Easter aligned with Obsidian, you want to dance with that fire, that's your choice."

His fingers drum on the coffee cup in thought. "You know you're going to have to talk to Her, right?" The Her in this statement is going to be Beryl, he imagines. "And if that's what you're looking for you, better be on point in everything, you mess up even one part of it, not only are you going to get on her bad side, you may end up a decoration in her throne room. Heard that happened to Sunbreaker. At least for a bit." A shrug of his shoulders. "You want that meeting though? I'll send it up the pipe. I'm going to want something in return, though."

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Beryl. He stiffens up slightly at the indirect mention. He only had to talk to her once in his time with Obsidian and Easter, but that was more than enough to make him understand just how dangerous she was. He really was playing with fire here. Or ice, rather.

"Right. Her. Yeah...yeah, I'd appreciate it. What do you want from me?" Ikuto wasn't thrilled about owing Phantom a favor, but such was the way of these dealings. If he asked him to help kidnap girls for his creepy collection he was walking out, though.

Phantom has posed:
"Oh, don't look so horrified, you're going to make a terrible CEO." Phantom offers with a small smirk as he finishes off his coffee, setting down the cup. "I captured a Pretty Cure last night, and some interlopers interferred with me before I could add her to the graveyard. I want to know where she is." he comments plainly.

"Her name's Cure Kinder Egg. Yellow and brown. She's mirrored, so not hard to miss. She was taken by some girl with a candy hammer, a mech guy and another Pretty Cure." A pause. "Not asking you to recover her - just want to know where she is. You get me that info, I get you your meeting. Deal?"

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Ikuto nods. "So, not retrieving...just getting a location and relaying where she is to you? I can do that. You know I'm going to have to tell them why I'm asking about this mirror, right? These girls can see right through me any time I try to lie." He was at least being upfront. If he just suddenly started poking around looking for a specific item like that with his new friends, they were going to know something was up and would clam up unless he was truthful.

Phantom has posed:
"Consider it practice for when you go in front of Beryl. Can't keep it together in a group of scrappy girls with big eyes and bright smiles, She'll tear you apart." Phantom points out as he pulls out a couple of bills to set on the table in the form of a tip. "Tell them what you want. I have nothing to hide - and any information you give them will provide precious little. There's only two people that can reverse a mirror. And I'm neither of them."

"I'll get the letter of recommendation together for Mirage-senpai to sign off on to send to Beryl. Anything else you need?" he asks. "And also, Ikuto? You're either incedibly driven, or incredibly stupid. But I'll wish you luck either way."

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Ikuto shakes his head. "Nothing else. As for me being driven or stupid...yes." The catboy offers his hand to Phantom, for a shake. "I know we've been on opposite sides as of late, and that probably won't change anytime soon. If you weren't going around stuffing girls into mirrors you'd have a lot more friends, but hey. I used to go around stealing childhood dreams in search of a magic wish thing so I can't really find fault in you."

Phantom has posed:
"I do what Queen Mirage asks of me." Phantom shrugs his shoulders as he gets to his feet. "She wants the Pretty Cures removed, I will do my part to make it happen." There's something in the back of his head that doesn't exactly understand the whys of it, but it is all in service to his Queen. "As long as Mirage is near, I have no need of friends."

And with that, he opens the portal to the graveyard to step through. "Good luck, Ikuto-san. With all that you do." And away he goes.