1192/The Corn comes for thee

The Corn comes for thee
Date of Scene:	27 February 2024
Location:	Juuban Ward
Synopsis:	While meeting with Naru, Hinoiri discovers that she upset La Crima at some point... when they're both kidnapped. By corn. Oh dear.
Cast of Characters:	Hinoiri Kirara, Naru Osaka, Norie Okana

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Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara was, well... meeting someone today! Naru. One of her lackeys. Not that she told the girl that but... come on. The girl was PRIME lackey material. Not magical... yet. At the forefront of like... everything. Friends with Usagi, so you knew she was good people.

So she was against the side of a building, one foot out, a study guide in hand. It wasn't so hard. All she'd do is just... ace the tests, until Ami made a mistake. How hard could it be?

She flipped through the book, occasionally glancing over towards her. The main reason she wanted to borrow Naru was...

Her coffee machine had broken and she figured if anyone knew a good, proper brand that wouldn't BREAK AFTER A DOZEN LATE NIGHT USES, she would.

She paused and pulled out her phone, sending Naru a quick little text.

Text from Hinoiri to Naru: 'On the corner, hot girl in the leather jacket with the book. No rush, just letting you know.'

She wasn't going to make the girl rush her reunion with her mom, after all. That'd be rude.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Yes Mom. Everything's fine." Naru is chatting with her mother in the store, and apparently it has been just long enough since her last visit that her mother feels obliged to ask about everything at school. "Usagi and I still like each other, even living together." That probably has lost at least a few people some bets.

Naru's phone bings and she digs it out of her pocket. "Oooh.. I'm meeting with a friend. You're good?" She confirms with her mother as she taps out a quick text in return.

TXT from Naru to Hinoiri: Almost there. Just saying good bye.

Naru's mother is already distracted by a customer while Naru was typing, and that's perfect time to wave to the long term staff and slip out into the street outside.

It doens't take long for Naru to spot the 'hot girl in the leather jacket on the corner' and she grins as she heads over there. "Hi there Hinoiri. Sorry about the wait." She gestures towards a coffee shop just down the street. "Shall we grab a coffee?"

Norie Okana has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara once sniped Norie Okana once. It was mean rude but not that big of a deal in the long run. But for Norie Okana it was a huge deal. How dare someone makes fun of her candor! She can't control her monotone/voice anymore. So what!?

So Norie shot Hinoiri Kirara with a Heart Stealer rifle, and that felt... good...(?) for a few seconds. But still, it was not enough. Hinoiri needed to pay.

So Norie Okana looks at the dusk zone version of 'Corn' that's been in her lab space for a bit. She stares at it, and gets a wild hair. Yes!

So Norie Okana is walking around, seeking Hinoiri Kirara. When she wasn't at school, she went searching into Mitakihara and saw nothing. But now she's angrily searching Juuban.

She's about to give up as angry feelings fade. Until she spots the redhead from afar.

She snoops into an alley before she can be seen and passes through---

Lacrima sweeps down from the top of the building Hinoiri was leaning against and quickly as she scoffs. "You...!" she splutters out at Hinoiri, before she throws, through the air, spinning at it's center of gravity an ear of corn right at her head!

"Take that!" she says.

Currently, that's all she does, clenching her fists angrily.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a light snort, smirking to Naru. "I hope you brought the invincible coffee container of yours. But yeah, coffee sounds great. Actually what I wanted to ask you aboud." She closed her study book. "I needed to ask your--"

And then she hears someone from above? What? She glanced up and... "La Crima?" Hinoiri asked, slightly bewildered. "Huh. Naru-chan, did you--" And then something was thrown at her head. She yelped and held up her arm and...

And the corn bounced off her sleeve. "Ow! HEY! What's your problem, you psycho bitch?! Did you just throw a--" And then... then she saw what was thrown.

... A corn cob.

"... Did you just throw CORN at me? SERIOUSLY? Who does that? What's WRONG with you? Who jumps off a roof to throw CORN at people?!"

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Oh that coffee continers provided invincibility." Naru teases with a laugh just about to turn towards the coffee shop. Who, knows her by name, because she used to live here, for goodness sake. They might be responsible for her addiction.

The voice from above is familiar and Naru looks up. "Oh, hi La Crima."

And then there is an agreesive vegetabling. With a corn cob.

Naru looks from Hinoiri and then to La Crima nd then back and forth a couple of times. "Apparently you two have met?"

Norie Okana has posed:
The corn flops to the ground after hitting Hinoiri's sleeve. It bounces once and rolls to a stop.

"!!!" she goes. "Oh. Naru-chan. Naru-chan this is really unfortunate." she says. "But Hinoiri-san needs to pay for what she's done!" she calls out. "CASPICORN!" she calls out, throwing her hand out.

Then that ear of corn starts to engorge. And...and wigggggle and grow tendrils from the bottom of it's stem as it begins to growl and get to the size of a small dog. Then a big dog. Then a VERY big great dance. Then the size of a bear, quickly.

It roars and snaps open it's maw, husk opening to reveal sharp rows of corn teeth that look harsh, sharply and snappy as it tries to snap down on Hinoiri.

Plant tendrils seem to play for Naru Osaka, from the Caspicorn- but not making an attack yet on her.

"J--just run away, Naru-chan, this isn't your dumb fight! I'm after her." Lacrima says angrily.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara shrugged to Naru. "I mean... I saw her do one of her dark energy attack things? But it's not like I--"

Aaaaand then La Crima said she needed to pay. "I... need to... what? What in the world are you talking about? I've never done anything to you. We've never even talked!" Was it Sunbreaker? Did La Crima know who she was? No. She'd never told her.... and Takashi couldn't...

But why come after her? She hadn't--

"... Wait, Caspicorn? Is that like a spicy-- CRUD!" she shrieked, her eyes going wide when suddenly the corn was MUCH bigger! She stumbled back and tried to kick the corn in the, well... head. Stumbling back and landing with a startled squeak. "W-what in the world are you talking about?! I've never done anything to you OR your corn you cornbread casserole!" She tried to scramble away from the corn, a mix of terrified and pissed off. Damn it, if Naru wasn't here and she could just get a second she could transform but THIS CORNY COB CHOMPER OF CONFLICT WAS CAUSING HER CONCERN!

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru takes a step back as the corn starts to grow, and then a few more steps back as the corn CONTINUES to grow into a significantly agressive cob of corn.

"La Crima.. this seems to be /really/ agressive when Hinoiri doens't even remember what you think she did to you." Naru attempts to be the voice of reason here, while trying not to get eaten by spectacularly spicy corn.

Naru has always been bad at the running away thing.

Norie Okana has posed:
Lacrima huffs angrily. "THE FACT SHE DOESN'T REMEMBER MAKES IT WORSE." she says as she throws her hand out dramatically and starts to hover upwards, because that's just what she does. "I'm SO tired of excuses... fine. You wanna stay, you're coming along too." she says, throwing her hand out.

"When I take you away, I bet no one even comes to save you, Hinoiri-san!" she finally says as the corn throws out tendrils, trying to ensnare both the girls around the torso in a tight snake-like death squeeze, one large tendril for each girl from the back of the beast as Lacrima controls it.

"Go ahead, call out for help, see who comes...! she bellows, throwing her hands out to either side.

"Go on, yell...!"

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
"Well maybe you should just TELL me what has you throwing this tantrum!" Hinoiri yelled. "Then we could do something about it! Or calm down before--"

Wait, takes her away? No one would come for... of... of course nobody would come. Why would they come for her? Sure, if they were there when it happened they'd... save her. But nobody was going to go out of their way to--

And the distraction cost her. She let out a startled shriek when the tendrils coiled around her. She thrashed about, trying to get free, but all she managed to do was... drop her phone.

Which made a low 'cracking' sound when the screen on it broke and it took a distorted picture of things... the corn. The vines... possibly a corner of La Crima... Did vampires even have reflections?

However, as she thrashed around, the squeeze... was hurting. And... "H-help! Somebody! Anybody! HELP!" she finally screamed.

Someone was always there, right? When this kind of stuff happened? Someone... someone had to... come... right?

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Wait.. coming along?" Naru had been looking to start moving out of tendril reach, although they got really REALLY friendly all of a sudden. Faster than she was expecting, that's for sure.

"Taking us where?" Naru asks as she tries to wriggle her way out of the grip. She manages not to squeak, and the advantage of not having been to the coffee shop is that she doesn't have a coffee to drop.

But she also doesn't have a coffee.

"La Crima." Naru's voice is strained, it really does hurt. "Let us go so that we can discuss this over some doughnuts. You can't get anything out of squeezing us to death."

Norie Okana has posed:
Hinoiri cries out for help...!

But Nobody Came.

La Crima does stop a moment as she has the two in the grasp of the Caspicorn and looks around a little glancing, No one. She then sweeps her hand upwards and the Caspicorn starts climbing the building as La Crima hovers along.

"We're going to a quiet place. I only planned for one though so I'll need to get more comfortable things I guess for you." she says, looking at Naru. "I'm really sorry about this." she says a little quietly. "I'll let you go later or something when I figure things out."

Up the building they go as she looks back to Hinoiri and shoots her a glare. "Why should I even bother talking to you, you'd just laugh and say Good. or something." she says, narrowing her eyes.

If she notices the phone breaking or taking a picture she doesn't do anything about it. For now she's just absconding with the two quickly, and off the street.

She'll get to the roof fast enough, and starts hopping rooftops.

"Sorry..." she says to Naru again. "NOT SORRY." she then yells at Hinoiri.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
And nobody came... Of course not. Why would they for her? But Naru was...

"Good?! Quiet place? Listen here, you monotone speaking... child! Put m--" Pause. "Go back to ground level and THEN put me back down on the ground! Both of us! You can't just... just kidnap us like this! AND YOUR CORN IS STUPID! I'LL BET IT'S NOT EVEN EDIBLE! I'LL BET IT'S NASTY CORN! LIKE CORN SYRUP BUT WORSE!"

Hinoiri tried struggling again, attempting to escape the grip of the vines but... well... They had her tight. "If you weren't magic I'd MAKE YOU SORRY!" Hinoiri yelled...

... Trying to sound less scared than she was. Could she... would... she... Could she henshin like this?

Was this for Sunbreaker? Did La Crima know? If not... why target her? She was innocent! She'd never done anything aside from... slapping Madoka... and the dozen other things she'd done.

... Crud.

Naru Osaka has posed:
It's a painful grasp, and that doens't make Naru scream or call for help. Really, that just feels like yet another Monday.

But then they start climbing and that's when Naru does something that isn't normally part of Naru's MO.

Naru squeaks in fear and she grabs the tendrils that are holding her painfully tightly, to grab it just just as hard right back, her eyes closed so tightly so she can't see the street vanishing beneath them.

For once, Naru is not the voice of reason here. She's too busy remembering to breathe and not looking at how far away the ground is.

Norie Okana has posed:
La Crima continues to roof hop for a while, as she's following along hovering next to the corn monster. "HEY I'VE BEEN STUDYING IT, It's great! But you're right it isn't edible but imagine a corn that could eat bugs if we crossbreed it a lot!" she says before she trails off. "OKAY YOU SHUT UP NOW." she says as she realizes she's getting off her mental track.

"If I wasn't magical I wouldn't be in this position you've put me in, you.. you bully."

Says the girl using the giant corn monster to kidnap someone she dislikes and someone she likes at the same time.

"If I wasn't magical I'd...be...be so happy!." she says more angrily. "But here I am. Making you pay. FINALLLLY." she says.

Eventually, she makes it to the roof of an old, closed, abandoned warehouse. Probably somewhere on the cusp of the The Forgotten District. It's branding suggests it's either is or was Obsidian owned by a child company. At one point, but not anymore.

She spins in the air, and sweeps her hand forward and the corn sweeps through an old doorway at the top of the building, and down a musty smelling row of stairs inside, finally.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara was, admittedly... a lot more focused on herself than Naru at the moment, otherwise she would have been a little concerned by her fellow captor's sudden silence.

As it was, her worry was mostly focused on her right now. "I... I'm not a bully!" Pause. Well, maybe sometimes she could be... bully... aside. But she was... well... "I'm not... You know this is just going to get you in a lot of trouble! It... you can't just take people! I'm not a bag for you to haul, it--"

And then... the musty stairs and the dust. She coughed, hacking and trying to cover her face with her sleeve. "W-what... what are you planning to do with me?" she asked.

She then glanced to Naru. Well... At... least... someone would come for her, even if not for Hinoiri... right?

... Oh she swore if she got out of this she was going to turn that corn youma INTO POPCORN!

Naru Osaka has posed:
The arguements between the pair of them really just prompt Naru to whimper a little more, and hold the corn more tightly as she feels them continue to bounce around.

It's not until they are steady for a little while, that she bravely opens an eye. She's being carried, but it's not bouncing at least.

Oh solid ground. Oh even musty and awful, but it's not /in the air/. "Are you just leaving us here?" Naru asks, still a little waver in her voice after the ride to get here. "Where.. where /is/ here? Ugh.. this can't be good for anyone." She coughs a little, at the dust and mildow in the air.

Norie Okana has posed:
Lacrima gets to the room. Which is an old managers office. It looks a mess. There's a desk! There's a chair! There's a newer fresh blanket. There's a small food supply- and a bathroom. All the comforts of home away from home.

"Oh, yeah. Don't worry, the caspicorn is gonna be here to keep you two company." she says, dramatically.

"This is an old warehouse. I'm gonna keep YOU HERE." she says pointing to Hinoiri. "Until I figure out what I wanna do. Probably fill you up with terrible amounts of strange energy and see what happens. Maybe you'll explode and die if we're lucky!"

"YOU..." she points at Naru. "Are just gonna sit tight and be bored for a small bit until I'm done. I'm really sorry about this again I'll have to get things for you. Maybe a coffee maker." she says.

She then has the caspicorn hunker down in the middle of the room as it finally lets the two go----

Finally---

But not until tendrils have overgrown all the windows, and the door out.

Well, it's obvious how she intendeds to keep them here now.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara stared at the corn... then Lacrima... And she had nothing. She couldn't say anything. Couldn't... think of what to say. She just stared.

... Lacrima hated her. La Crima hated her in a way she'd... never... seen anyone... What did she do? Why would she...

She just sat down on the edge of the bed, a little stunned. "I... I don't... get it..." she said softly. "Why... do you hate me so much? I don't even think we've really even met before..." She tried to think of La Crima's alter ego... Norie? They'd met once... but... No. She'd never met her as Hinoiri. Had she?

Nope.

Didn't make any sense.

She looked to Naru, a confused, somewhat frightened look on her face... If Naru wasn't here... could she henshin? Possibly? But if she tried, would the corn... how long would it take? Would she be able to do it fast enough? Could she get her mind stable enought TO do it? She certainly couldn't do it with Naru here... she...

"I just don't understand..." she said softly, wrapping her arms around herself. How could someone just... hate her... so much?

Naru Osaka has posed:
"A coffee maker would be great, please." Naru looks around at the accomodations and then shrugs a little. Seriously.. this is just Monday for her.

Naru comes over to sit down on the bed next to Hinoiri and puts her arm around the other girl's shoulders. "I don't really understnad either. You can't remember anything of why she might be THIS mad.. cause this is Big Mad."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara shook her head and, in an oddly... small effort to seek comfort, she leaned into Naru's shoulder a little bit...

She closed her eyes and sighed. "No. I can't think of anything, honest. Like... there are a few people I could see wanting to do this to me. But like... I don't think she'd be one of them. Most of those other girls had it coming, anyway. I don't... think I've ever had anyone this mad at me before."

"... I think the worst part may be not knowing why..." she muttered, closing her eyes and sighing. "Sorry I dragged you into this. I..." She blinked and then... groaned.

"I... lost my phone. I just..." She started to pull away. "I'll... sleep on the floor, okay? I can probably just... read my exam book until a sparkle shows up or-- Dang it! This BETTER not make me miss the mock exams! Ugh! I can't beat her if I'm not THERE!" she said, glaring murderously at the corn.

Priorities. She had them. They were wrong. But she had them.