803/Is There A Loop To Be In

Is There A Loop To Be In
Date of Scene:	23 November 2023
Location:	School Library
Synopsis:	Tadase runs into Naru, and they discuss previous and future interactions. As well as who is in the loop, who is out of the loop, and if there is even a loop.
Cast of Characters:	Tadase Hotori, Naru Osaka

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Tadase Hotori has posed:
Tadase Hotori is only brief time removed from his first actual henshin, but as any magical boy or girl knows, fighting evil doesn't mean you get a pass from schoolwork. After all, even Radiant Heart Academy - probably the most large concentration of Magical Girls in this or any other time - is still a school for at least 97% normal students. And its primary purpose is education of a mundane variety. Which means schoolwork.

    And schoolwork means studying, especially book reports. And between trying to be as helpful as he could without a henshin, getting into more trouble after getting said henshin, his prodigal almost-brother semi-returning, his student council duties... he might have let it slip. So now he has a week to pick, read, and report on an appropriate book. Whoops! This has lead to him browsing the shelves of Radiant Heart Academy's massive library.

    "I don't see why you can't just be excused. You were fighting monsters and stuff." Kiseki said, the tiny King floating above Tadase's shoulder.

    "That's not how it works and you know it." Tadase says, with a sigh. "If you want to be helpful you can look for an interesting sounding title."

    "But then you'll just read it." Kiseki says.

    "...yes that's the point." Tadase replies with a sigh. Maybe he should try and see if someone that would be more helpful than a shard of his own personality.

Naru Osaka has posed:
If anything, in Naru's experience, fighting evil by moonlight gets you MORE schoolwork. Just not schoolwork you get to turn in for school credit.

Being ahead a grade does not confer any sort of immunity from book reports upon Naru, and while he's might not be due in merely a week, it's sooner than she really likes to think about.

At least she feels better after getting shot? That's something?

Still, her satchel is looped across her to leave her hands free and Naru turns the corner of the library bookshelves to see Tadase. And Kiseki. "Oh! Hi." She smiles to them both.

Tadase Hotori has posed:
    It's actually Kiseki that turns around first. "Oh, hey. You can see me, right?" Kiseki asks.

    Tadase looks up to Kiseki and then back to Naru. He pushes the book he was thumbing through back into the shelves and kind of taps the side of his head. "Osaka-san?" he asks, curious if he got the name right. He's much better with the names of students in his grade - or troublemakers from the nearby grades - but he manages to hold a lot of thoughts in hos head. "How are you? It is good to see you looking... less fabric-y."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Absolutely." Naru replies to Kiseki with a smile and a nod. "You got it right, Tadase." She chuckles softly. "Why thank you. I absolutely appreciate my fine motor coordination again." She wiggles her fingers in an illustration of that appreciation.

"How are you both?" Naru steps closer, to start considering books as well. "Keeping well, and safe?"

Tadase Hotori has posed:
    "Better! We can transform and fight like the others, now." Kiseki just blurts out, like he's been holding it in for a while. He's absolutely the less calm one of the two of them - but anybody who sees them together figures that one out quickly. "We can help out more, that way."

    "And I presume being able to drink coffee. I heard the business with Sailor Eclipse got handled." he says. "But I've also been meaning to talk to you, too. You can see Kiseki, but it didn't seem like you were transformed at all during all of that, and I think if I recall correctly you got attacked by the Phantom Empire at one point, too." he notes. "That's unusual. Do you have another identity?" He follows that up quickly, almost flailingly. "I mean you don't have to tell us, specifically, I just want to know if you can keep yourself safe and all of that."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"That's awesome! Congratulations!" Naru sounds delighted for them as she replies to Kiseki first, without any hint of jealousy that might linger at the fact that they can transform and she.. well she cannot. "I expect it's very exciting, and probably a little nerve rattling."

Her attention shifts to Tadase and her smile holds. "Drinking coffee is also another feature of not being a stuffie anymore, yes." She mmms softly. "No. I'm always just Naru. I'm aware of magic, but I don't have any powers myself, that I know of." That last, that's a new addition to her usual reply, not that Tadase would realize it. "I.." She starts on the topic of staying safe and then can't help but start to laugh softly. "I'm resiliant."

Tadase Hotori has posed:
    "It's weird, actually." Tadase says, scratching the back of his head. "But it's a lot less tense than trying to sneak around the outside and not take an attack without my shield, for sure."

    "It seems like you find yourself in trouble a lot." Kiseki says. He starts kind of buzzing around her head, doing circles. "I don't sense anything like, super-weird about you though, yeah. But I can't always tell unless people are Chara Bearers." he notes. "Do you go looking for trouble yourself?"

    "I'm sure she doesn't try to get in trouble, no." He says. But there's something in his eyes that seems to indicate he's not a hundred percent on that, and well, Kiseki IS at least partly a personality shard of Tadase. "I just... hmmm. I'm not sure how to say it." he admits.

    "I don't want to see anyone get hurt, is all."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I am generally bad about that whole 'sneaking around the outside' part of it all." Naru admits with a bit of a rueful chuckle.

She shakes her head to Kiseki. "Nope, I don't go looking for it, but it is very very good at finding me." She flashes a little smile. "Theory is out there that attracting trouble is my magical ability." She nods. "Not seeing people get hurt is an admirable goal. I think most people have that as their aim."

Tadase Hotori has posed:
    "Well, not everybody is concerned about that. If they were, our job would be easier." Tadase admits. "And yeah, I kind of got that you weren't the meekly hide behind a fruit stand type when you tried to smash that thing of Sailor Eclipse's." he says, smiling. "Which was brave of you." he says, pausing. "Even if it didn't directly work."

    "You don't feel like trouble to me." Kiseki notes. "Or like you're pulling it more than any other human."

    "And you know, I guess the same could've been said for me, let the people who had real trasnformations do stuff and hide, but I never have been good at that." he says. "Couldn't keep my nose out of things. It's like a whole other world. But nobody has turned me into a stuffed Tadase or put me in a mirror. That might change the way it feels. But it sounds like you don't expect to be avoiding it in the future, either. You're one of those people who want to avoid others getting hurt too, right?"

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Well.. alright. True. I suppose I still think that those with empathy for those they dont' know personally are in the majority. Optimistic perhaps, but here we are." Naru comments lightly as she pulls out a potential book to consider. She makes a little bit of a face, although if it's at the book or the fact that breaking Sailor Eclipse's watch didnt work, hard to say.

"It was a good theory, although only half of the solution. I didn't account for it being more sturdy than I expected." Naru considers a moment and then mmms to Kiseki. "Well, based on how many youma I see in an average week, I'm pretty sure I'm not wholly like every other human. Still, I appreciate the vote of confidence."

Naru smiles to Tadase. "I do appreciate you helping me home after the mirror thing. I have to say, that's been one of the worst, but mostly because I was awake for the whole thing." She laughs and nods. "Yeah, I'm certainly one of the ones who isn't fond of others getting hurt. I'm not always the most effective at helping directly in combat, but I do what I can."

Tadase Hotori has posed:
    Kiseki (and Tadase) are not the most scholarly of people, but the little Chara makes a bit of a show of rubbing his chin. "You see a lot of youma? Are the times we know about the only times you've been grabbed or attacked, or is there more weren't around for." Tadase asks, not knowing what a question that is.

    "You know, once Tadase read something about some blood types attracting mosquitos more than others. Maybe it's like that for youma and people too." Kiseki says, after a moment.

    "When you say you 'do what you can' - what do you mean by that?" It's not an accusing question, just a nice one. Like he's trying to understand to provide her assistance in her own attempts to assist.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Well. I don't know how much you know about the times I've been attacked." Naru points out reasonably. "But I would hazard a guess it's only a small scratch of the surface of how often I'm targeted." She pauses and then adds. "I mean.. just to start I've been shot twice and kidnapped once. That doens't even touch the youma sightings and various drainings. So it's.. it's a thing." She is very matter of fact about it all. It's as much a normal part of her life as book reports are.

The book she pulled from the shelf doesn't pass muster, and gets put back into the spot it belongs before she considers a few more titles.

"I research magic, as much as I can. I'm working on some theories around a single unification plan around different magical types." Naru replies with a little shrug. "I try and ensure that information about various threats gets out to the community, at least amongst those I know, who hopefully share with those they know. There's a few other projects in the queue, trying to keep our community safer in the bigger picture than immediate and obvious threats on the ground." "

Tadase Hotori has posed:
    Tadase blinks. "That is absolutely more than anyone I've ever heard of. It's a miracle you're able to keep up a sane conversation about everyday life or..." he gestures to the library around them "...normal schoolwork." Tadase says.

    "But what you're talking about doing... that's a really valuable thing, too. I've really wanted to build connections with everyone who can... well, everyone who can see Kiseki and doesn't need to be smacked around so they stop being evil. But I can't forget my normal responsibilities either, both to student council and to my family." he says. "So I'm glad someone is way ahead of me. I can sleep easier, haha."

    Then he pauses. "So does this mean I'm actually one of the few out of the loop on things?"

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I'm not sure I have sane conversations about everyday life, to be fair." Naru points out with a snicker. "I mean.. we're standing in the library discussing youma.. soooo." She gestures around them.

"Connections have been a challenge and the fact that you are wondering if you're out of the loop highlights the problems that we have with the ad hoc version that we've been going with." Naru points out with a little bit of a sigh. "So no, I wouldnt say that you're one of the few out of the loop, there's more than a few who are out of the loop. The shed should help.. but even that requires us to find everyone." She pauses. "We have a meeting place, but the only security is word of mouth right now. I can show you after we've found books."

Tadase Hotori has posed:
    "Well, this isn't the vast majority of my discussions, usually it's stuff about clubs wanting things or somebody not pulling paperwork together or some kid causing trouble. Trouble of a not-magic kind, I mean." he says. "If you have a place I'd very much like to be invited." And then pauses again. "Wait, if security is word-of-mouth, what does that mean if somebody decides they want to go to Obsidian." Or, in his thought, back to Obsidan.

    "...on that note be careful of a boy named Ikuto Tsukiyomi. He's got a little cat Chara, same deal as my Kiseki. He... works for Obsidian. At least for right now. He might be getting out soon. But I'm still trying to get in touch with someone who can judge better than I can if that's legitimate. We have... personal history."

    And at the mention of the thing they're actually there for, Tadase blinks. "Books?" And then his facial features change to annoyed understanding. "Oh crap, right, I was here to find a book report book." he says, smacking his forehead. "And I got pulled into the whole conversation." he sighs. "Sorry, Osaka-san, but speaking of everyday life I need to balance it a slight bit better... Is there a good way for us to get into contact again without relying on random chance? Not that random chance has been particularly bad to me so far. But I'd like to be... in the loop, and maybe I can help with what I know about Charas, Obsidian, that stuff."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"It feels like this is the vast majority of my conversations." Naru admits. "It's not really, but it just /feels/ that way more often than not." She wrinkles up her nose. "Currently? I dont have good suggesiton on how to better secure things. Barriers need energy and maintenace.. so they are awesome, but not practical." She gestures. "Suggestions welcome."

Naru considers that name. "I don't think I've met Ikuto.. but thank you for the warning. I know a few people who work for Obsidian, and I'll add his name to my mental list." She sighs softly. "It can be hard to leave, if he needs help, let me know."

It's like leaving a cult. Truly.

Naru laughs softly and gestures. "Books. We're in a library. We need to pick books, I presume you also have a book report due soon?" She prompts and then plucks a book off the shelf to offer to him. "I can give you my number. Text me anytime. If I'm in class, replies might be slow."

Tadase Hotori has posed:
    "No, I understand that. Even if you have other conversations, the ones about monsters and magic kind of have more stickiness to them than the ones about schoolwork and bentos." he nods. "So they sit more in your mind."

    "There are other people trying to leave? That's good. I only know a few things about them - more about one of their companies, Easter. But all I really need to know, and what I'm sure you know, is that they're up to no good. Lately they've been playing around with creatures called Witches, and if you've ever been in one of their lairs you know why that's a bad idea. It's not the pointy-hat and cauldron kind of Witch." he sighs.

    "Yeah, I suppose there's no point in saving the world and failing class." he says, with a laugh. He looks at the book. It'll do. Or maybe that's Kiseki's influence telling him to just pick something and get on with it. Who knows.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"They really so." Naru agrees whole heartedly about conversations having more sticky to them when they're about magic.

"Mmm. Yes. There are others hoping to leave. Of course I can't share their identities, not yet, but if Ikuto is trying to leave, he wouldn't be alone."

Naru mmms softly. "Witches with a labyrinth, or the ones that are working on the soul shooting guns? I only know about the former in the theoretical, but I dont think any of those are wokring with Obsidian. I have met the later a couple of times.." She pauses and then adds. "Both times that I've been shot by the soul stealing gun, to be precise."

Naru grins to him. "Study groups with other magical kids also work well, then you dont have to remember not to say odd things but still not fail math class."

Tadase Hotori has posed:
    "Man... soul-shooting guns. I am out of the loop, or at least your loop." he admits. "The Witches within a Labrynth, in this case. No idea what they're doing but it was apparently bad enough that it was the last straw for Ikuto. Whether I believe him wanting to leave, I can believe he doesn't want anything to do with the project. That I can see in his eyes." Tadase says.

    "Study groups sounds like a great idea, too. A good way to meet people." Kiseki groans at the idea of a study group. He really is just a floating, boy shaped fairy ball of impulses and desires less tempered by responsibility. "So... I'm gonna go see if I can read this in time to string together a report... but I'll throw you a text message and you can show me the shed." He says, using the term like it is not, in fact, The Shed as he'll see it on first look.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"At least they aren't lethal anymore." Naru grins on the topic of the guns.

Because /that's/ reassuring.

"Text me, I'll try and get you back into the various loops going around. Or at least enough so you can be as confused as the rest of us." Naru chuckles easily. "Good luck on your book report."

Tadase Hotori has posed:
    "...anymore? Were you shot with one when they WERE?!" he asks incredulously, then shakes his head. "That's for later I guess. Thank you, Osaka-san." he says, with a slight bow. "I look forward to my... expanding confusion and shock." he says with a sigh. He is both looking forward to it and not.

    "Gotta be more interesting than whatever's in that book. Bye-bye, Naru Osaka!" Kiseki says, waving with his small hand before following Tadase out of the bookshelf maze.