1742/Cracked

Cracked
Date of Scene:	11 July 2024
Location:	Cafeteria Plaza
Synopsis:	Seiko's Egg Cracks, She suddenly finds herself singing at an event with Coco and Amy!
Cast of Characters:	Seiko Akai, Coco Kiumi, Amanda Faust

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Seiko Akai has posed:
Its lunch time at Radiant Heart. While many students are out for the summer, More than a few are staying on campus. Among them is the new student, Seiko Akai. She happens to be in the Cafeteria along with the whole slew of other students who are just enjoying their lunch. Its definitely a good lunch today. Well its a good lunch every day really. Today happens to be a variety of different international lunch types. In the ring for American food happens to be Cheeseburgers and fries. Seiko is more than happy to snap up the burger and fries. She is from the US after all. She gets that and a boba tea. That makes her lunch complete. Quietly she makes her way to a table and takes a seat.

At a table across from where Seiko is sitting, A couple students are talking. "I'm bored!" One exclaims.

"Me too! There isn't much to do in the summer though when you are staying at the school." Another responded.

"Well there has got to be something we can do to make it less boring. Right?" The first person states and seems to get a little excited over.

"Like what, Challenge one of the local schools to a game of Lacrosse?" The second person questions.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
School wasn't on that day, or any other day right now, for that matter, since it's summer break at the moment. Even so, some students still choose to eat at the Cafeteria, and Coco is one of those, though, since not many students are around, she has decided to make an exception and bring Cora with herself, peacefully nestled on Coco's right shoulder. Since she doesn't have to explain to a whole Cafeteria worth of people and possibly school faculty that she is a well behaved otter.

Having brought for herself a turkey steak and a side of boiled potatoes and a small plate of salmon for Cora, she is about to sit at a random table when she notices there is a new face in the Cafeteria. "Hello!", she cheerfully greets as she approaches. "May I sit here?" If she gets a positive answer, she places all the plates on the table, sits down and introduces herself. "I am Coco Kiumi, grade 11. Nice to meet you. Enjoying the summer?"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    "Oh man, *cheeseburgers*? The fast food kind are usually lame, but... Radiant Heart makes such good food..." A second American approaches. "What about a D&D game? Or a videogame tournament?" Amy suggests, on her way to sit near Seiko, smiling. "Hi Coco-chan! This is Akai-san. Akai-san, this is Coco Kiumi, she's a mermaid." Coco said she doesn't need people to say that for her anymore, but it does break the ice and let everyone know magic is OK to talk about.

Seiko Akai has posed:
Seiko winces at first. Softly she speaks. "Um okay." She looks down and blushes bright. Her nature has her on edge. Then Amy is there doing introductions. "Umm, Nice to meet you. I'm Seiko Akai." She is still speaking softly. "Sorry. I just... I'm..." She sighs as she looks down. The words are escaping her. "You can sit here." She practically whispers.

"That could be good! D&D is always fun!" One of the people respond.

"A Video Game Tourney would be great!" The second person cheers. "What if we had a fun night. We invite everyone to meet here in the Cafeteria. We have D&D, We have a video game tournament, Heck we could even have entertainment! Maybe a singer."

A soft crack can be heard coming from Seiko's bag. Though its probably hard to hear.

"Seiko hears what they are saying. "I wish I could sing for their event." She comments and shakes her head. "I just can't do it I'm too scared."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"Hello, Amy-chan!", Coco greets back to her friend when she too aims for Seiko's table. "How are you?"

At the comment on a video game tournament, the blonde girl adds. "I imagine things like DDR aren't part of the scope, right?" she asks, even if it is likely superfluous. That's the only kind of competitive game she likes playing.

Though her eyes shine when needing a singer is brought up. "I can do that! I have been singing since I was born!" Most people would take that as a hyperbole even if most assuredly it is not.

When Seiko brings up her desire to sing, Coco goes back to smile at her, even placing a hand on hers unless the pinkette shows reluctance. "Would that be your first time singing in public? Trying new things can be scary, but if you can beat that fear, I am sure you will find it exciting."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    DDR? "Could be. Someone might have the pads and stuff." Amy pats Seiko's shoulder. "Hey. It's okay. You'll get there one day. With a little practice... it won't seem as scary anymore."

Seiko Akai has posed:
"Then just become someone who isn't afraid to sing!" The soft, cheerful voice rings out just enough to be heard nearby.

Immediately things get weird. A necklace that she happened to be wearing changes. The Pendant on it becomes a Star and Immediately Seiko stands up. "Hey! I can sing! I will sing at the event! It will be a lot of fun!" She smiles happily as she sits back down. The necklace changes back to a locket style pendant on the necklace. "What just happened?" She asks as she looks around. A look of panic crosses her face as she is suddenly aware that something happened where she put herself in the spotlight.

The Students at the other table look at Coco and then at Seiko. "Hey! We got two singers willing to put on a show for it! Thanks both of you! We are totally going to have a fun night now!" The two people smile and begin planning a date when they can set up the fun night.

"Ummm I umm..." She begins tearing up. The sheer amount of fear of being in front of people overwhelms her. "I didn't say that though!" She whispers and stands up to make her way to the bathroom.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco stops cutting a piece of her turkey steak when she witnesses the weird behavioural and physical change, the feeling of familiarity only reinforced by Seiko's confusion right after. Even Cora stops tackling her piece of salmon, jumping down from her corner and making her way around to Seiko, sniffing around her to try and detect something or someone extra.

"I believe you", Coco tells Seiko with a reassuring smile. "You are between fellow students aware of magic, so you have nothing to worry about." Especially since she has seen similar transformations before, and the ones who did it were far from a danger, although sometimes, their sense of usefulness left something to be desired. Though, this situation might just be what Seiiko needed.

"So, Akai-san", Coco addresses the alarmed student. "I think I know what is going on here, but just to know for sure, have you met an egg in an unexpected situation, at a time you would have had a hard time explaining?"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy looks... surprised! "Um..." She stands up, "I'll sing too!" She offers, so that Seiko only has to carry a third of the spotlight. And then looks... confused? What does she mean she didn't say that? Amy looks at the fleeing Akai-san, grabs her burger and takes a bite and runs after, waiting until they're clear of the cafeteria to try and reassure her. "Calm down, calm down! it'll be okay..." She looks between Coco and the other girl. "I do recall hearing something about Chara taking over your actions... is.... is that what that looks like??"

Seiko Akai has posed:
"What? The egg did this?!" Seiko blinks a few times and quickly goes for her bag. She is more than thankful that she is away from the other people in the Cafeteria now. Because as she opens it, A little chibi person that looks almost like her floats out of the bag. She is dressed like a pop idol and even has a headset microphone on her head. In her hands she has a pair of glow sticks which she is waving around.

"Hi! I'm Hoshi!" She looks at the three people present. "You've gotta be Seiko-chan! You're the one who has such a big dream! I'm here to help you make your dream come true!"

"But you just made me look crazy! I stood up and announced I would sing! That wasn't me at all! That was..."

The person you wish to be! You can be a singer if you really want to but you've gotta get over your shyness! You gotta get up and command the stage. You can do it!" She twirls the glowsticks in her hands excitedly.

"Amy, I think I'm going to be sick." She looks at Coco, "So... that was a chara change. And this, Hoshi is a Chara. I think I am understanding this now... a little."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Yep, that was a Chara alright. The popping out of the mini-Seiko finally confirms Coco's strong suspicion. Not that much else could have done it. "Hey, Akai-san, it's ok. I am aware a lot of this can be disconcerting, but everything is going to be alright. Try to keep your voice down, we are not alone", Coco reminds her.

"If you know about the term Chara, then you might already know what Charas are, but Hoshi is saying the truth. And that also explains why she is acting so excited." The mermaid says, smiling at the Chara. "Hello, Hoshi-san. I am Coco."

After drinking a bit, the mermaid continues. "You are now a magical girl, Seiko-san. And judging by your Guardian Chara, maybe with singing powers. If so, don't worry, that's the case for me too, so we could practice the use of your powers together when you feel ready to."

Nodding at Amy, Coco says "Yes, Chara can take over like that. They do it when their Bearer is not acting according to their dream and the Charas feel they should push you towards your dream."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    And there's Seiko's chara! A star! Amy stares a moment, it's not every month you see a new chara. "Nice to meet you. Do you already know us?" She holds out her index finger for an appropximation of a handshake.

    She pats Seiko on the back after. "It's a lot. I know. Um. Do any of the vending machines have gingerale to settle your stomach? I think um. You can do it. You'll just need to practice first. Unless..."

    Amy looks back to Hoshi. She's seen Chara bestow all kinds of crazy powers, so... "You got her into this. Can you like... grant her the confidence to do this and keep her from slipping up through the performance? Because honestly, no matter how good she is, if she chokes and lets it get to her it could start a downward spiral. Doing warm-up exercises will help, but we can't get her tons of practice singing in front of an audience in such a short time."

    She turns to Coco. "I suppose on the scale of magical hazards, getting embarassed in front of your classmates is on the low end, but still..."

    She considers this. "Geeze. I dunno *what* wouldda happened had I had a Chara but it would've been embarassing as all get-out for sure." She takes another bite of her burger. She's going to enjoy it while it's relatively fresh and warm, dammit!

Seiko Akai has posed:
Seiko looks at Hoshi and blinks a few times. "Yeah are you going to help me get through it?" She asks, echoing Amy as she stares down the tiny chara.

"No! But I'm going to help you get the courage to do it! I'm going to help you to practice and prepare! And no matter what! You will be ready to perform! Just you wait. You will have the confidence to stand up in front of everyone and sing."

"Are you nuts?!" She tries to keep her voice down. "I can't sing in front of anyone! What if they don't like my singing! What if they just use it as another reason to pick on me? I can't handle being bullied anymore." She frowns and just looks down. "I'm the wrong person for such a gift."

The idol chara flies closer to the pinkette. She puts one of the glowsticks under her chin and smiles at her. "Just let them hear your voice. You are a star in the making! It doesn't matter if someone doesn't like your singing because a lot more are going to love it! All you have to do is believe in me!"

"Wait... you sing too Coco? I mean of course you do, Amy said you're a Mermaid!" She smiles a little. "Maybe you and Laura can help me to sing better. I'm not a bad singer but I can always be better."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"I am not sure it would help at this point, but we actually could. I would just need to get a few mermaids from the South Pacific over here, but..." she stares at Seiko, assessing her as she thinks. "Would you feel up to training with me in front of a select few of my attendants? I can assure you they are all friendly people, you don't have to worry about their judgement."

"Hoshi, while encouragement is a good thing and it's something Seiko could use a lot, try to hold yourself back from a sink or swim training style. If she is that nervous, she is only going to freeze. No, you have to make her gradually", Coco half-compliments, half-chastises the chara.

"Yup! And I would like nothing more than helping you out. I always love singing, and in group it's even better." A beat, and a blinking as Coco considers something, given the context. "Which Laura are we talking about here?"

"Considering your clothing change magic, maybe your Chara would have been a beautician, or a fashion stylist", the yellow mermaid suggests to Amy.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Help her practice and prepare? "That's gonna take awhile, though..." Amy notes, around a mouthful of burger. She finishes chewing and swallows. "You're not the wrong person for this gift. Your singing is *fine* and anyone who can hear music will tell that. Stage fright and losing confidence, especially if you mess up, are your biggest problems here. Messing up... is not the end, though. A wrong note or word happens. The show must go on!"

    Amy waves an arm at the door to the cafeteria. "None of them in there can do better! And if they can even do *nearly* as well, they know how hard it is to even try."

    She looks at Coco for a moment. "...I wanted to make videogames. And unconsciously..." she deadpans, "'white merfolk'." There's no way the latter desire wouldn't have been incredibly awkward. Unless she stayed merged with the chara all the time and pretended to be a new person, yup.

    She smiles back to Seiko, "That's right! You're not a bad singer! You can do this, you just need practice to get more comfortable with it!"

Seiko Akai has posed:
The pinkette frowns as she looks at Hoshi. "You got me into this mess. If I can't do this you better be ready to get me out of it."

"Hoshi smiles and spins around. "You can do it! You can do it! Go Go Seiko-chan!" She sings as she dances about. "You just need to build your confidence up. Just do your best. Thats all that anyone can ask of you." She smiles. "Plus I will be in your corner cheering for you!"

"Seiko turns to face Coco, "Oh there is another Mermaid who just started here named Laura. She offered to help me with singing too." She then considers the attendants. She trembles a little as her nerves are already getting to her, "Umm... Okay. I don't mind..." The girl smiles softly. "By the way, I'm Seiko Akai, grade 8." She gives a little more confident of an introduction.

Turning her attention to Amy, she nods. "You're right. I can do this! I think..." She shakes a little bit but tries to hide the fact that she is pretty scared. "Its just a small get together right?" SHe asks as she looks at the small crowd forming to get the fun night going.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
She looks at Amy and nods, thinking she understands what the redhead is getting at. Possibly at least. If she is saying that is something of a different type from a 'dream'. Or does she mean something else? Leaving the matter of the exact meaning aside, she tells Amy "That would probably still be an interesting niche. I don't think I have seen a videogame Chara yet."

When Seiko tells Coco that Laura is a mermaid, a look of recognition shines on her face. It is a name she had heard, even if it's not one she associates to a face. "Laura La Mer from Grand Ocean?" she asks for confirmation, even if there would be something to be said about how she has never met two people with the same name. "I think you would be in good hands with either to hone your talent, Seiko-san. I would say you could think about it", the blonde girl replies with a relaxed tone.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy blinks. "A dream of being a gamer... Doesn't that kind of peak early? Although I guess being an athlete is the same... Oh you mean for making them... Huh. Yeah I wonder what a gamedev chara would be like..."

    She nods. "Yeah... you can do this, we just... need to get some practice in and hopefully your chara will help." She looks to Coco. "You said your retainers are willing to be a test audience? Um... where do they *live*, anyway?"

Seiko Akai has posed:
The pinkette takes a deep breath and smiles nervously. She looks to Coco and nods, "That is it. Thats her name and she mentiones the Grand Ocean a lot." She smiles a little. "So I'm going to be singing at This event and I've never sang in front of anyone before." She sighs and facepalms.

"That sounds like a really cool dream. Making video games, playing them and just enjoying life? That sounds amazing." Seiko comments as she takes a moment to not think about the singing thing. "I guess my dream was cool enough to cause Hoshi to happen." She laughs.

She pauses and thinks for a long moment. "So I think I am going to go get my lunch and then I guess I need to get to know Hoshi a little bit. Maybe I need to practice singing. Figure out what I am going to sing? Maybe I can find a decent song that is really pretty that I can use to show off my voice."

Hoshi smiles and nods happily. "Thats it! You gotta show off! Put yourself out there and be a star!" She happily floats around Seiko, cheering on her bearer. "Just do your best!"

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"In the South Pacific", Coco replies to Amy, not really understanding the purpose of the question. After all, Amy already knew where Coco's kingdom is, so it feels like she is missing something important to the redhead's question. She doesn't understand what's the matter, she can just go over to fetch... Oh, of course. "Amy-chan, I can just open a portal to the South Pacific and let them come here, I am not asking them to stay away from their homes", the yellow princess clarifies.

"Don't worry, just practice a bit, and I am sure you will do great!", Coco cheers for her, adding a few words of reassurances. "And remember that you have two singers that see your potential, so try not to give up, ok? When you need it, remember there is nothing to worry about over going to either of us. Just ask whoever makes you feel more comfortable."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy smiles. "Enjoying life is wonderful." She nods. "I confess I don't know as much about modern pop music..." She stares at Coco. "You can open a portal at *any time*? Well that's handy... Is there a song you like, Seiko-san?"

Seiko Akai has posed:
Seiko smiles anxiously. "I don't know. I like a lot of songs! I will have to think about it. I will see you all a little later." She smiles and quickly waves and slips away to go get her lunch and then to go to her dorm so she can practice and figure out what she is going to sing.

Hoshi follows, "Seiko-chan! Wait up!!! Seiko-chan!!! You are supposed to say goodbye when you leave!"

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"See you some other time, Seiko-san, and be careful not to trip!", Coco waves over to her as the pinkette rushes away for practice.

"Yes, of course, want to see what's like?" Coco offers, extending a hand over to Amy for her to take so they can go visit her home as a yellow portal opens just besides at her pearl's glow.