1226/Days of Our Outers Episode 1226: Helping Hotaru Hide

Days of Our Outers Episode 1226: Helping Hotaru Hide
Date of Scene:	03 March 2024
Location:	Pikarigaoaka Ward
Synopsis:	Hotaru and Setsuna get to play secret agent as they employ some misdirection and obfuscation to make sure nobody follows Setsuna home with Hotaru. Once there, dinner is chocolate chip pancakes and Hotaru discovers the coolest bed of all time.
Cast of Characters:	Setsuna Meiou, Hotaru Tomoe

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Setsuna Meiou has posed:
After agreeing to take in Hotaru, Setsuna did some work behind the scenes, laying in supplies and making arrangements here and there. While she hadn't informed her housemates just yet, she was prepared to do so later...but she wanted to present them with a fiat accomplii...not that she was really all that worried about either of the other two women raising objections.

Still, once that day or two was up, calls were made, information was exchanged...and arrangements were made to discreetly meet up at a park not far from where Hotaru had been crashing with Kyouka.

Said park is generally fairly quiet this time of afternoon, and is often more or less abandoned.

However, there's a bench next to the bus stop, and sitting there in the growing evening is Setsuna Meiou.

She's currently dressed fairly casually if in a way that's less than normal for her.

Namely, a pair of black slacks and a bright blue polo shirt.

As she waits, she seems to be reading from a small paperback book and absently hums to herself.

Some might even recognize it as one of the theme songs to Lupin III.

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe was... admittedly... doing the same thing. She'd known this day would come.... and now, here it was. She was holding Yochu to her chest. She'd waved goodbye to Kyouka, snuck out as carefully as she could, made sure she wasn't being followed...

Moved a very complex pattern, to get to the park. Making sure there was no way for her to be followed. Bit by bit, making her way there.

She was, in fact, wearing a hat...

And sunglasses...

........ And the scarf.

But, most damning of all?

She was humming the Bond theme music. She... was the most excellent of spies. She moved up behind Setsuna... and yes, the theme music would be familiar. Because when they traded places, that was what she'd hummed as they fled. She walked up behind the chair, hugging Yochu to her chest.

She was secret agent, Firefly. On a do or die mission, everything had gone wrong. Now? She had to depend on the kindness of strangers, well. A nurse... In order to keep both herself, and her family, safe.

"Meiou-sensei?" she asked in a hushed, gentle tone. "I'm told... you're expecting me."

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
There's at least one advantage to meeting someone who hums their own theme music...

You know they're coming.

Thus, when Hotaru speaks up quietly, Setsuna is already producing the piece of apparent voidstuff that she uses as a bookmark, marking her place in her book and with a tiny flourish of her hand, making her book disappear.

She then smoothly stands up and turns to Hotaru with a soft smile, "Yes, Miss Tomoe, I am."

She waves the shorter woman over and says, "We've got only a little bit of a trip back to my place, then we'll get you settled in. Now if the bus is running on time, it should be here in precisely two minutes and fifteen seconds. Do you have any bags with you?"

And true to form, the bus does arrive slightly more than two minutes later.

Nurse Meiou leads Hotaru onto the bus, takes care of the fare, the moves to sit in a place near the rear door of the nearly abandoned bus...and very far from the other two passengers who are lounging near the front.

In a quiet voice, she says, "We're going to take the bus here to the main station where, in the event someone is following, we should be able to lose them in the post-work crowds. Just make sure to hold my hand so we don't get seperated."

Instructions given, she gives Hotaru a more thorough look, "...how are you holding up, dear?"

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe shook her head once she stopped humming her music. No bags. Just her device. And she had very little...

But she didn't speak much. Why? She was counting. Two minutes, fifteen seconds and--

Her eyes glimmered. "You... you were right. Are... are you magic? Can you make the buses run on time? They never run on time... your magic must be amazing..." she whispered gently.

She followed her, sitting by her and...

"Hold... your hand? I don't know if..." She gulped, squeezing Yochu a little tighter. The doll, at least, looked creepy enough most tried to avoid looking at it. "I... I guess... but ummm... just... don't... be weirded out by me? Please?" she asked softly before lightly reaching out to take her hand.

There was definitely magic. A healing touch there. A small light, if she was hurt...

"I... I don't know. I'm trying to just... enjoy it. I guess? But... I know daddy's worried about me. My senpai's are, too. There's... a lot of people. But... I know I'm also a danger. I could hurt people and.... and I think daddy could fix this, if he had infinite time. But he doesn't. Everyone managed to buy some more time... but I don't want.... I just don't want to be a danger to everyone. To anyone. I don't want to... hurt people. It was... fun... to be useful for a bit. But I can't keep being selfish or someone is going to get hurt. Someone... already got hurt... I think..."

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
When Hotaru asks if she's magic, Setsuna just gives Hotaru a big smile and winks, "All shall be revealed in the fullness of Time."

Once the younger woman offers her hand, Setsuna reaches out to take it without hesitation...and though she takes a sharp intake of breath when the small healing hits her, she doesn't look upset or bothered as the healing energy washes away some fatigue poisons. Apparently the Nurse has been running on short sleep for a while.

In fact, she reaches over and pats the hand Hotaru is holding hers with with her other hand, "Yes, I understand about your situation. We can talk more freely about it when we're home."

A glance is given up to the digital stop board at the front of the bus, and Setsuna frowns a little, "Well, we've lost a few moments due to traffic apparently, but assuming no major delays, the train should be an easy enough catch."

Her gaze shifts over to the front windows, "...in fact, here's the station we change at."

She waits for the bus to come to a halt at the train station, then she stands up, waits for Hotaru to stand as well, then leads her out and into the train station as well.

If the young woman is actually paying attention, she'll note that the taller woman is leading them through the crowds in such a way that it would be easy for an observer to lose the pair in the general scrum...especially since apparently when nobody was looking Setsuna seems to somehow have tucked her hair under a black ballcap.

She leads the two of them briskly through the station...but not so fast that Hotaru would have any real difficulty keeping up...and then they're through and on one of the many mass transit trains that crisscross the metro area.

Once more, Setsuna leads the two to a seat slightly back in the car, but the amount of people mean that this leg of the trip isn't as conducive to talking about things of import...so instead the taller woman fills the time with useful but less secret information, "Anyhow, we'll get you settled in. You probably won't get to meet my housemates until tomorrow, as Miss Tenou and Miss Kaiou are, I believe, off at one of Miss Kaiou's concerts, and if I recall the schedule in question, it will go fairly long this evening and they will likely not be back until late."

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe followed along behind her, like a small guppy tagging along behind a shark that could part the waves. She was small and helpless, while the other woman was... not.

It made walking far easier, at least, one hand holding her's, the other around Yochu. While she was far smaller and had to take about two steps for every small step from Setsuna, she tried to keep up. And she was doing better, with Luminous Titan there to help support her.

However, once they were on the bus again and Setsuna started talking, she couldn't help but look up in surprise. "Haruka Tenou? Michiru Kaiou?" she asked. "I met them before. They're really nice," she said, giving a smile that could light up the bus, if not for the fact it was daytime. "I didn't know they lived with you. Is it because you can't afford the rent? I... I'm not going to put a strain on you, am I? I know I was for Inai-sensei. I tried not to be a bother, but... I probably use a lot more than I think..."

Strangly, she didn't. She, in fact, was often far less of a burden than she imagined herself being. At least, financially.

"... Do you think they'll mind me being there? I know this is... a lot to ask everyone..." She leaned in a little closer to Setsuna, pushing against her side a little. "I know... most people would rather be alone than have someone intrude on them like this..."

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
As Hotaru leans up against her, Setsuna hesitates for only a few moments before putting her arm around the smaller girl and giving her a sidearm hug, "Yes, Haruka and Michiru are both my housemates...and no, it isn't becuse of needing to help with rent. The house is mine, free and clear. I just was rattling around in it by my lonesome and they helped me. We've become rather close over the months...and I'm glad they're with me."

She shakes her head, "Trust me, Hotaru-chan...you won't be a burden on us, and I cannot imagine that they will mind you being there at all."

A glance is given to a certain station outside, "If all goes to plan, we're fifteen minutes and thirty four seconds from our stop, plus or minus fourty five seconds on average for stops inbetween."

A glance outside will note that this particular line goes to Pikarigaoka ward...and the higher-end part of town.

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe nodded, glancing out over the street and... "Huh. Daddy and I used to live out here," she said softly. "But then he wanted us to live closer to Obsidian so I'd be closer... and since I was starting at Radiant Heart," she said gently. "And... I know how you mean. Our home is... lonesome, too. It's always so quiet... when you can hear everything... echoing through it. Every step just... reminds you of how alone you are, you know?"

"... Do you like lamps? I... have a lot of lamps. Well. Did. But they're nice. They make rooms not echo and it's... nice. You can make a room, even a dark room, really bright and feel alive with enough lamps."

"Have... you done this before? I mean... taken in a kid like me?"

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna squeezes another little hug, "Yes. I took in Haruka when she really needed it...for reasons that I'll let her tell you, since they're slightly personal. Michiru came to live with us later after her parents died."

The taller woman smiles a soft smile, "...and the two of them? Well...there's a story for another time there, but suffice it to say that they were meant to be..."

A few moments later, the train pulls into the station, and the taller woman stands up and offers her hand again, "...and this is our stop. Just a short walk from here and we'll be home."

And from there, Setsuna once more leads Hotaru through a crowd in such a way as to make throwing off presumtive followers easier...and then she's leading Hotaru on a walk down somewhat deserted streets...but mainly deserted because this is the expensive part of town...and the houses are quite big here, "Almost there."

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe nodded, giving the hand a small, happy little squeeze. "They're... a love story?" Hotaru asked softly, sounded excited suddenly. "That sounds amazing," she whispered. "Are you like... their fairy godmother, then?"

Hotaru could have those moments where she seemed... so adult. So mature. So responsible.

Those moments were not today.

She followed along behind Setsuna, looking around as they walked. "Your house must be really nice. Does yours have a laboratory in it, too? Ours did. I think it was supposed to be secret, though. Daddy didn't let me see it usually, but sometimes I could sneak peaks and it was really cool. There were so many vials and colors and flashing lights." Pause. "Daddy is a workaholic."

"... Do you like board games? Have you ever played Risk?"

She then glanced up at Setsuna and stumbled, barely catching herself in time. "... Do you ever... get these weird feelings of like... deja vu? Like you'd done this before?"

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
The moment she feels Hotaru stumble, Setsuna immediately stops and helps her to catch herself, then waits for the younger woman to get herself composed again, "...yes...yes, they are a love story...and it makes my heart sing every time I see them together."

She then shakes her head, "And no, I'm not their faerie godmother. Too much cold iron around the house, especially since Haruka loves cars so much. I'd never survive if I were."

At the question about laboratories, she shakes her head, "No...we don't have a lab at the moment. Michiru has her room where she paints, however...and I've got a hobby room myself. Haruka's hobby is maintaining and racing our cars. If you want sometime, I'm sure we can arrange for her to take you to one of the local tracks and show you how ludicrously fast she can go."

As soon as Hotaru is ready again, Setsuna leads down one or two more houses...until she's standing in front of a compound that takes up an entire block by itself, with high privacy walls around it.

She walks up to the gate and snaps her fingers...and the gate opens just enough for Setsuna to lead Hotaru in before she snaps her fingers again and the gate closes behind them.

Which allows the younger woman to see a house that is probably far more correctly called a 'mansion', "Here we are. Home, sweet home."

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe blinked a few times... "Oh... so you're not a fairy godmother kind of magic, just a different type? I know you're some kind of magic... you got the bus to come on time. They never do that," she whispered in a hushed tone. Well, not never...

"And yeah! That'd be fun! Tenoh-san gave me a lift once, she was a really fast driver! It was kind of like driving with Eudial except she hit less things!"

When they came to the house, she let out a soft gasp. "Wow... we used to have a place like this... back before daddy had us move closer to Obsidian... but I wasn't allowed to go into a lot of it because it was for daddy's work." Pause. "Is that... like... a hand clapper for your gate? Or... is that your magic? Like the buses?" Hotaru asked, motioning to the gate.

It was... a little telling that she was likely, of the visitors, the least impressed by the mansion.

Then again... Obsidian. She was familiar with weird dimensional spaces and Eudial's driving. It took a lot to flap her.

Like being able to predict the timing on the buses.

"... How do the three of you keep it clean? Do you have maids?" she asked in a soft tone. "Do you have pets?"

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Now that they are behind the safety of the security gates, Setsuna lets Hotaru's hand go and uses one hand to cover a brief giggle, then walks over and opens the front door, waving the young woman ahead of her, "Yes, all of us who live here are magic, so you don't have to dance around that. As for myself...well, in this case, no. That wasn't magic. See, since I'm the Nurse, I need to do things that let the magical students know I'm okay to talk to about that stuff...but that, if one of the mundane students asks, I can just pass off as a bit of stage magic."

She winks, "So I'll confess I've become partial to a bit of theatricality because of it."

She twists her wrist...and produes a small key fob from nowhere, "In this case, I have a remote for the gate..."

Then she conspiratorially looks left and right as if checking before leaning over to stage whisper, "...though I DO cheat and keep it and quite a bit of other stuff in my own dimensional pocket...but stage magicians do that kind of thing so often that more mundane students don't really question it."

Setsuna leads down the short hallway into the kitchen...and perhaps unlike the places Hotaru lived in before...this place just has a sense of...life.

One can just FEEL that a family lives here.

Laughs here.

Loves here.

She shakes her head, "No pets at the moment, I'm afraid. We might do so at some point, but right now we're still kind of getting settled with ourselves."

She then looks around the kitchen for a few moments, "...now, then. It's been a bit of a day. Are you hungry?"

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe gave a small nod. "Gotcha. I'll keep it between me and me alone. I know the rules. Don't share, don't spread info, all of that. Henshins are private. Like... me being Firefly. I wouldn't tell anyone, except... it's important that... people understand that I'm.... dangerous."

"... But that's still really cool. Stage magic... and yessss! Being theatrical about it is the BEST! I was getting taught in Obsidian, you know! I learned a lot, like how to laugh for Hoshikawa-senpai, and I was learning to fight from Deathscythe-chan and La Crema-senpai was teaching me about her dusk plants. She has evil corn. It's so angry and cool! They're all over the top, it's such a silly, fun place there. I hope I can go back one day."

...

"Dimensional... pocket? Like... ummm... Luminous Titan?" she asked, holding up her necklace. "It's really neat."

However, when she stepped inside, it was... different. The place wasn't a mess. But it wasn't neat and tidy. Things were moved. Slightly ajar. Slightly shifted. The signs that... people lived here. Loved here. Were a family here. She sighed and closed her eyes, looking relaxed and... oddly content. "I think I'll like it here..." she whispered. "And... maybe something small?"

A new home. Even if it was with someone else's family... it would be nice being around one again. Who knew? Maybe one day she'd have a family like this.

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna hrms, then smiles, "...how about pancakes? That way you can eat as many as you like, and if you're not going to eat much you can just have one or two."

She then winks, "...and I just recently learned how to make pancakes with CHOCOLATE CHIPS in them."

As she speaks, she reaches into a drawer, grabs a spatula and absently twirls it in her fingers.

As Hotaru shows off her Device, Setsuna hrms, "Actually, I'd been meaning to ask. Is Luminous Titan an Intelligent Device? And if so, how do they prefer to be addressed?"

The proper title is easily heard. Apparently Setsuna isn't uninformed about Devices.

Finally, as Setsuna starts getting ingredients together, she snrks, "Hotaru-chan...I think you'll find that everyone who lives in this household is dangerous. We'll keep you safe...and if nothing else, we can keep things that aggravate your condition away."

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe perked up and nodded. "Oh! That sounds really taste! Sure! Chocolate chip pancakes sound really good!" she said happily, a big grin on her face. "But, ummm... one should be enough." She really didn't eat much, so it would likely be more than enough.

She moved to sit at the table. "Luminous Titan... prefers to be called Luminous Titan, I think. I usually call him him, though. And he's very intelligent. Not as intelligent as Riventon-senpai, but he's still really smart. And he keeps me safe. He's one of my best friends!" she said that proudly.

Her device was very special to her.

"And thank you. Just... keep me safe... and everything safe from me... and I think we'll be fine," she said with just a small, slightly nervous laugh. "I ummm... I'm not very good at cooking, though. But... Mami-senpai is a really good baker. She makes so many incredible treats."

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
It doesn't take Setsuna long to whip up some chocolate chip pancakes...almost like she's had a LOT of practice making them lately, "I'm glad he's doing okay, then. Nicomachea and his Master are good friends of mine, and she told me that Devices are important to their people...persons...humans? You get the idea."

As she bops open the fridge to grab some butter and whipped cream, however, eyes keyed to notice such things might catch glimpse of a bowl that looks suspiciously like it contains chocolate pudding in the fridge...but then the door is getting closed again and Setsuna is putting a plate with silverware and two small pancakes, each only three or so inches across in front of Hotaru, "There's butter, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and various fruits here. Have your pick."

And then Setsuna is sitting down across from Hotaru, "I have dessert in for later tonight, but it needs time to set properly." She then points to various places, "Door next to the front door goes into the garage. Doorway over there is the entertainment room...tv, game systems and the like."

Shift to point at the other doorway, "Bedrooms are down there...some on the first floor, some on the second, Michiru's workshop is a converted bedroom downstairs, my workshop and library is in one of the others. If you like to read, I'm sure I've got stuff for you."

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe nodded. "Ohhh! Yes! I like her. We have a deal. Whenever we fight, whoever win buys the loser lunch! Frankly, I think it's kiiiiiind of unfair. We're the bad guys, we don't win. That'd be silly."

She actually... didn't notice the pudding. What she did notice, however... Was Setsuna. She was... good at some things. She was Takashi's number one assistant for a reason. One thing she was amazing at was memorization. She could read a book and then almost recite it, word for word, after. But she was never good at... adapting things. She could recite the periodic tables, and all of the chemistry stuff. But she could never... consider the tests on her own. She always just followed the book. It was why she appreciated people who could take something and create something new.

... But what she could do was memorize. And she had a small, happy smile on her lips when she watched Setsuna work. Watched her create. It was... nice. It made her happy. Because Setsuna was doing it for her. And it was... It made her hold her doll a little tighter. She nodded along. "Okay. Ummmm... so... where... should I sleep?" She did put on a little bit of butter, a tiny bit of whipped cream... a whole banana... a loooooooot of chocolate sauce. And started gently nibbling at her pancakes, a small, happy smile on her face as she ate. A lot of it would end up in Yochu, though. As she occasionally fed the doll. It....

It hadn't really moved, until then. But its mouth opened. And the food disappeared into it. So it... seemed to be eating. And sometimes, now, when Setsuna looked away? Its head would be lolled to one side... and when she looked back, it would be lolled to the other. But it never moved when she was looking.

Hotaru, though, had a small appetite. She'd barely be able to eat half of one of these. Especially after all the excitement. She gave a light yawn, though, lightly rubbing her eyes after a few bites.

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna arches her eye at the doll, and gives it the lightest of glares...as if to communicate the idea of 'Don't Start None, There Won't Be None'...but otherwise holds comment.

She smiles as she watches Hotaru eat, eating a much larger stack of pancakes for herself.

As she sees Hotaru yawning, however, she nods, "I'll come back and clean this up. Lets get you situated so you can crash out."

That said, plates are set aside and Setsuna stands up to lead Hotaru down the hall, then up the stairs to the second floor.

As they pass them, she points to each door, "That's Haruka's room, that's Michiru's...this one is mine..."

Then she comes to the room next door to hers, "And this one can be yours if you want."

She opens the door to a fairly large room with a very large and interesting looking bed. It looks kind of like a futuristic cross between a couch and bed, with little nooks for nicknacks here and there as well as built in places to sit when one is not sleeping.

She steps into the room so that Hotaru can enter as well, "It's a bit plain, but we can get stuff for you to decorate with...and if you'd like a different kind of bed, just let me know and I'll get it replaced."

She smiles and points to one door in the corner, "Bathroom is over there." Point at the other door on that wall, "Closet is over there. We'll get you some stuff to put in there later...but for now, this should be good? If you need me, I'm not far away."

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe nodded along, though she would try and move her dishes into the sink. She was... actually, not the shortest house guest they had.

She was happy to get up and follow Setsuna to the room. She was a little surprised to know that Setsuna was putting her in the room next to hers, but maybe it was--

Her eyes LITERALLY sparkled. Like jewels. And she squeaked. Oh. Oh those nooks were going to be filled with SO MANY BOOKS! Setsuna would soon learn that there wasn't really such a thing as 'enough' for her when it came to books. But this?

"THIS IS THE COOLEST BED EVER!" she shrieked, running and LEAPING onto it. She didn't hear the bathroom. The closet. She didn't hear anything at all. There was only her... and bed. Special, amazing, magic bed.

HER NEW BED! She was sooooo going to make a bed fort out of it.