1658/The Road to Betterment

The Road to Betterment
Date of Scene:	13 June 2024
Location:	Dorms #1
Synopsis:	Coco introduce Yuuto and Hinoiri to each other, but the atmosphere ends up being quite tense with everyone going their separate ways when Yuuto and Coco have different opinions on Hinoiri.
Cast of Characters:	Coco Kiumi, Yuuto Shiraishi, Hinoiri Kirara

---

Coco Kiumi has posed:
This was probably going to be quite the awkward meeting. If not right away, at least after Coco had finished introducing each other. But the mermaid princess had her reasons to be introducing Yuuto and Hinoiri to each other, considering that they were going to possibly meet each other a lot more. Maybe. She had yet to work out the details with Rashmi.

But until then, calling both of them here would at minimum help clear up the air, at least over certain things. So she has sent both of them a message.

<PHONE> Coco Kiumi texts Yuuto Shiraishi: Hi, Yuuto. Could you come to the common area of the dorms? There is somebody I want you to meet. I bought some sweets and drinks for the occasion.

<PHONE> Coco Kiumi texts Hinoiri Kirara: Hinoiri, could I please ask you to come to dorms' common area? We might have to talk about a few things. My fiancè will be there too, but neither of us mean you harm. I bought some sweets and drinks for the occasion.

And that's where Coco is waiting, sitting at a table there, in front of her an assortment of mochi, sfogliatelle, jam tarts, macarons, and meringues, as well as various juices, all strictly not carbonated. Cora is up on her hind legs next to the chair Coco is sitting on, letting herself be pet as she too waits for their guests.

Yuuto Shiraishi has posed:
Yuuto was in the art club room, working on a sculpture. The clay molded in his hands as he kneaded it - and really, it's his favorite subject, a certain yellow mermaid that has captured his heart. He's finally gotten around to working on that second sculpture he had promised her. Humming along to some music that's playing, the song is interrupted with the phone buzzes.

Stopping his work, he uses his elbow to tap the phone to read the message, and pauses his work. "I guess I'll pick this up later, Tinker." Tinker, the chonky overall wearing fairy shows up in his watch. "We should talk to her about the stuff happening with Red Tree at sea anyway!" he reminds him. "Got it!" Yuuto responds after washing his hands before he texts back to Coco.

<PHONE> Yuuto Shiraishi texts Coco Kiumi: Hey, Coco! <3 Sure, just let me put my sculpting supplies! I'll be over in a .jif <gif of sonic the hedgehog running>
<PHONE> Yuuto Shiraishi texts Coco Kiumi: <picture of a partially completed skirt and legs - the start of an idol statue>

With that done, he takes off his aprob and puts the supplies away before he heads out on the walk to the dorms. Once he arrives, he offers a fond smile as he leans down to kiss Coco on the cheek. "Hey." he greets, still smelling of the clay he was using earlier. "And hello to you as well, Cora!" A little pet is offered to her as he snags a macaron and a fruit juice.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara was going to die. Not, like, today, but she figured it was going to happen eventually.

Then again, considering the sheer number of sparkle skirts who had kept her safe through the, rather sizeable, number of attacks she'd been through? Maybe she wouldn't end up dying at this rate.

So when she received a text from Coco of all people she'd been quiet for a moment, eying it... then sighed. Yellow Pearl Voice had saved her butt enough times, she reallllly didn't think this would be the day she went 'gotcha'.

<PHONE> Hinoiri Kirara texts Coco Kiumi: Yeah, I'll be there in a few.

It wasn't long until the somewhat skittish former bringer of darkness came walking down the hall. She gave yuuto a small nod. "Heyyyyy. So uhhhhh. You must be the fiance, huh? Funny, I wasn't aware that people were getting engaged this early. Congrats, I guess? I wasn't supposed to bring a gift, was I?" she asked, before glancing to Cora. She was cute. Buuuut... after maiming Cora's caretaker, she... didn't want to risk accidentally angering the creature. Better safe than sorry was all.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco kisses him back on the cheek when Yuuto arrives, all accompanied by a nod and a quick greeting. <<Hello, Yuuto>>, Cora replies back to him as he snags some of what Coco has bought. "Your new sculpture is shaping up really well", she smirks at Yuuto before the guest of the hour comes in.

Whom she immediately greets with a wave of her and a smile nodding towards the chair in front of her. "Please, sit down and help yourself to anything", she invites the unicorn. Cora for her part she just glances at Hinoiri with her deep dark eyes, not showing any particular signs of animosity or joy.

"Different kingdoms, different rules", Coco waves away Hinoiri's question. "We mermaids do everything on our own times. We start ruling over our kingdom at the of 13, for one, with a very beautiful ceremony. I have photos of it somewhere." Even if Coco had to hold hers late because she was still Gaito's prisoner then and her kingdom in ruins.

She then clears her throat. "But anyway, yes, this is Yuuto, my fiancè. Yuuto, this is Hinoiri, who until recently worked for Obsidian and now she is trying to pave her own way forward. We are lending a hand where we can, because Obsidian has been trying to, well, get her out of the way. Nevermind the occasional random youma."

Yuuto Shiraishi has posed:
"Well, you are very inspiring." Yuuto responds with a fond little smile. He moves to settle in when Hinoiri arrives. There's a polite smile to her, but when Coco explains exactly who she is... his demeanor changes. One could actually see him reaching for the henshin device, prepared to transform and blast her for what she did to Coco.

Maybe today is the day where Hinoiri gets got.

But it's the rest of Coco's words that calm him down. Because after what she did to her, Hinoiri deserves at least a punch. But, if Coco is willing to forgive her and even kicks into the royal 'We', his hand drops back down to his side, fingers curling in on themselves.

"I see." he finally says, drawing in a deep breath and letting it out slow to clear his thoughts. "So, how are we helping?" he asks, as he puts the macaron in his mouth.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara cocked an eye at the pair, but did smile a little. Well, they were a little cute, she supposed. Was nice to see some positivity, especially considering the recent lack of it she'd been encountering.

That is, until he reached for his henshin device. She tensed up and got ready to run, buuuut...

He stopped. She let out a sigh of relief and reached up, rubbing her necklace. "Nice to meet you," she said sheepishly. "I think currently, well... all I really need is uhhhh... stop Obsidian from killing me?" she offered, rubbing her necklace. "The situation itself is... well... I'll be honest. I'm not from earth, I'm not human. I'm a unicorn. Where I come from? Magic is incredibly common. But here? I have none. The closest thing I have to magic is my geode here. It keeps dark energy from touching me, but it doesn't give me powers to actually like... fight or anything. I was Sunbreaker, but... yeah. It turned out bad. I lost control. So.... I'm just... not. Obsidian wants me dead and I could fight most of them off, easy, if I could use dark energy.... but then I'd likely lose control again, block out the sun and.... nobody wants that. So my options are really.... risk blowing up your world or be useless. Err, helpless, and trust you lot to... keep me safe. So... here we are..."

The more she spoke, the more defeated she seemed, sinking into the chair a bit. She reached out and took one of the tarts, biting into it and keeping her eyes downcast.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
The whole Yuuto reaching out for his henshin device doesn't escape Coco's attention, who then puts her hand on his. "Yuuto, I know things are weird right now, but I am confident that the current situation is good for everyone." It is then that with her other hand she unclasps the Sealing Key from her necklace. "I want you to consider that Hinoiri has personally apologised to me, and even before she left Obsidian she risked her neck to help us. She is why we have the Sealing Key at all", Coco explains as she raises the key for both of them to see. Finding the castle would have been hard enough without it, but even if they had managed that, Coco would have been the only one able to enter.

A shake of Coco's head follows when Hinoiri calls herself useless. "You are helpless against their attacks", Coco admits, briefly biting into a mochi. It would do nobody any favour to sugarcoat that, nevermind that it would be very easy to call her out on that. "But useless? You are still far from that, unless you think Naru is also useless."

She is starting to get fired up, with the possibilities that she thinks Hinoiri could give her. "Despite your claim that our singing employed very different styles, you used what the Black Beauty Sisters taught you with little hardship. Or maybe even none. Had you been on our side from the start, I believe you would have obtained many insights into our magic."

She finishes the mochi she is holding, the delicious yet pastry gone with the second bite. "I am glad you chose to trust us with your protection. And if helps you being a bit more at ease, while we aren't unicorns, all of us here aren't human. You aren't alone, Hinoiri", Coco remarks, trying to instill some sense of camaderie in Hinoiri. If anything, to make her feel less alone.

Yuuto Shiraishi has posed:
"I know that." Yuuto responds to Coco when she points out that Hinoiri apologized to her. But he waited to finish the macaron to speak, because he needed the time to digest what the pair are saying to him. And really, it's true, boys are typically far more hot-headed than girls when it comes to things (this is why girls are so much better at the mahou game), "I am from Earth. And I'm human. Well. Mostly. Being with Coco has led to some changes." He won't go much further than that. "But even if you're from a magical place fully of magicky magic, that didn't give you carte blanche to run amuck and hurt people like you did." A frown at that.

But apparently, he's done speaking his peace as Coco presents the Sealing Key and the story how she got it. "So... she gets 'Redeem Points' for that. Congrats." he says sourly to Hinoiri. "Maybe if you collect enough you can get a free keychain that says 'You're Reedeemed'." Okay, he's got to give her a little grief about it all, as he picks up a meringue. Probably for the best if he keeps his mouth full.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara cringed a little. "O-oh. Yeah. Ummmm, about the key. You... haven't... been telling many people about that, right? I'm guessing Sailor Moon told you? I uhhhh... I told her not to tell anyone." Hinoiri was, admittedly, unaware that Coco had managed to piece it together herself. Sunbreaker was a bit obvious sometimes.

Although, when Coco asked the big question... 'Do you think Naru is also useless?' "I mean, yeah, kinda." She then cringed. "Wait, no, that came out wrong. It's not that Naru is... useless. I just mean, considering this current situation? It's not like she really serves a real purpose. Err, not that she doesn't have value. Like... errr. Just because a bag is ripped and has a hole and a stain in it, doesn't mean someone can't like... still like it? And there's value in that, I guess? I'm sure one day she'll do something that like... matters. Maybe. But... wow I am not wording this well at all..." Hinoiri mumbled, finally just stuffing the tart into her mouth to shut herself up.

Only to sigh a little when Coco mentioned being on their side from the beginning... As much as she wished that was a chance, it wasn't meant to be. She knew she wasn't meant to be with them...

Then Yuuto's comment made her choke a little. She pounded on her chest before grabbing one of the drinks and downing it quickly. She then turned to him, eyes narrowed. "Listen here you little bucking brat. I didn't *ask* to get banished, or deal with your stupid non-magical world, or be the only bucking person here without magic. I--" Then stopped, her anger piddling out. She sighed and reached up, stroking the necklace again. "No... you're right. What I did... I hurt people. It wasn't right and it certainly wasn't fair. It was... I was a monster. I was given another chance, which I am... mostly... grateful for... So... thanks... I guess..." Hinoiri mumbled, collapsing back into the chair.

"... Being on your side was never really an option, though. I might not want to really hurt people. But I don't exactly 'sparkle', either. I'm not really... 'good'... I just make the occasional, rare good decision."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
A small laugh crystalline and clear, exits of Coco's mouth when Hinoiri asks her if Usagi told her. "Hinoiri, there were 10 people that could get inside Gaito's palace. Me, him, you, the Dark Lovers, the Black Beauty Sisters and Sara. The only way I would have gotten back in there without the Key was as a prisoner, and neither the Dark Lovers nor the Black Beauty Sisters have any reason to betray Gaito, nevermind Sara. That left only you. I am really thankful you did that though. Thanks to you, Caren freed Noel, and we are closer than ever to bring the peace back to the seas and rid at least Tokyo of 1 threat."

Her mood however changes when she hears her fiancè speak. "Yuuto, please, tone it down", Coco says, her usual warm voice, now having become slightly frigid, not appreciating either the harshness he has been using towards Hinoiri when she already looks like a ghost of herself, nor him ruining Coco's attempt to make her feel more at home still by going back to calling himself human.

"It wasn't easy for me to get over the wounds she has inflicted me or our friends, but I did it anyway. Kicking her while she is down isn't really useful. She is clearly tearing enough into herself as is", her arm extended towards Hinoiri with an open palm. "Are you hoping she will go back to dark energy? If you treat her like a criminal, then all you are doing is encouraging her to act like one", she glares, her golden eyes burning up.

"Hinoiri", Coco looks towards the other girl, taking on a more somber tone. "If there is something that you must know, Aqua Regina would commend you for those good decisions you have stuck to. The proof that you have so many people willing to stand up for you and believe in you is the proof she would not be mistaken." She takes a sip of mango juice, to help her further steady her nerves.

"But, well, one thing you should remember is Naru is not useless, and neither are you. She knows so many things none of us have the time or availability to discover, and that goes for you too. If I started chiding you and all you have learnt, would you not want to stand up for yourself? I am sure there are many things you have learnt. But even if not, sometimes all a person needs to help is be there when others need it, and provide a listening ear."

It is then Cora approaches Hinoiri and puts a paw on her leg, having decided that Hinoiri needs a little bit more support, a silent communication occurring between Coco and her, one Yuuto is able to pick up on, about Cora asking to tell Hinoiri that she can pet her too. Which is something Coco does not one second later. "She is letting you pick her up and pet her if you want."

Yuuto Shiraishi has posed:
"Noone asked you to be banished here. Noone asked you to do the things that you did. To hurt the people that you did. To put down the non magic just because you didn't have yours. I can take off my henshin device and show you exactly how unmagical I am." Yuuto says flatly to Hinoiri. "I don't appreciate you talking about humans like Naru like they are somehow beneath you. Why? Who died and made you goddess of all humanity?" His tone is angry, indignant, even in the face of the backhanded apology.

And then Coco goes on the defense and attacks him. "Fine. You forgave her for what she did to you. All that time you spent in a bathtub. That's fine. But it still hurt." It scared the hell out of him, and he wasn't there for her, and he is feeling all that guilt. "I'm sorry. I can't." He glances down at his hands for a moment, his fists clenched tightly. "I hope you get right, Hinoiri. For the sake of everyone, I hope you don't end up ... what's the word... bucking it all up and letting them all down. But I'm not ready to be here and play nice yet. I'm furious at you. But that's a me thing."

And the withering look that Coco gives him, causes him to shake his head. "You're a better at forgiveness than I am, Coco." With that, he turns and walks off.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara blinked a few times, cringing. "O-oh. That... oh. Wow. That... that could explain some things... Maybe I should have been more subtle about it. Buck, does this mean they know I betrayed them? Ugh. Probably. If they didn't, they'd likely blame me anyway at this point. Everyone else hates me," she grumbled.

"... Don't... fight with him over this. He's right. I didn't *have* to hurt you. I didn't have to do any of this. I was so bent on.... being worth it... of being worthy of Sora's... that I never considered what I should actually be doing. Just what I thought would be enough..."

None the less, she understood what Coco was saying. Naru wasn't useless, right. Sure, she was just... mundane. Background. 'Listen' to others. When did that ever matter? How did anyone ever get saved from a big monster by someone 'listening' to it? Of course she had time to learn things nobody else did. Those who couldn't do, taught. Right? The otter coming in for a pet made her shake her head. "No thanks. I'm fine." No. No she really wasn't.

And Yuuto's anger? His lashing? It made a lot of sense. He wasn't *wrong*. That was the part that stung the most. It would be easy if he was just a jerk, yelling at her.

But he *wasn't*. She had done so much damage. So much pain. She had hurt so many people. And she... wanted to do better this time. "For... what it's worth?" she called after Yuuto. "I don't... I don't want to let everyone down again either!" she said. She didn't know if it'd help, but... she hoped, just a little, it might. She then glanced to Coco and gave a feeble smile. "I... yeah. I think all of that is... fair. I did cause a lot of pain. But I'll... I'm trying to be better this time. So... thanks. Really." She got to her feet. "This was... nice. Kind of? Thanks. And... thanks for forgiving me. Even after what I did. You're a good person, Coco. And... and I hope I can match your hopes this time. I think I'm going to go lay down for a bit, okay?"

... She wondered what it said about her that, in a weird way? Yuuto's anger made this... easier. She'd bucked up and hurt people. He'd been hurt by her actions. And eventually, he'd probably forgive her. But not every sparkle would just let what she'd done slide. They weren't all perfectly forgiving for every mistake... and maybe reminders like that would help her if she ever thought that she didn't need the necklace after all.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"Yuuto, she gets she fucked up, don't you see?", Coco exclaims when she notices that he is insisting on doubling down on his anger. "We all know she has her issues to work through, that's why she was in Obsidian recently at all. But making them weigh down on her like an unforgivable sin won't help anyone!"

Massaging her forehead with one hand as Yuuto rushes away, she turns to Hinoiri. "The solution here isn't to shout at you. I do expect you to be better, but I don't expect you to get it right the first few times. You will mess up, I guarantee that. What I hope is you will start learning to own up to it, a little bit at a time, and keep doing better."

A nod is what the mermaid gives Hinoiri when she announces she is going to go rest. "I am choosing to trust you, Hinoiri. I hope that gives you in turn a little bit of trust in a better future. I will see you around at school. And you have my number now, I don't mind being called." With that she stays alone with Cora, a sad frown on her face before a yellow portal opens up right next to her, and both the mermaid and the otter walk into it.