1780/Operation: Not-so Eternal Coffin

Operation: Not-so Eternal Coffin
Date of Scene:	22 July 2024
Location:	Plot Room 2
Synopsis:	Chrono and Rashmi awaken from their eternal prison to find out... only a couple of hours have passed. They then have to spend a few more hours dealing with massive headaches, err, the now civilian DG girls, and getting them into the hands of the authorities. Now that they've made it through this battle... they re-commit themselves to each other and share a lingering kiss in the rising sunlight of Paris.
Cast of Characters:	Chrono Harlaown, Rashmi Terios

---

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
The Eternal Coffin was a spell designed for trapping any target, permanently. However, in the wake of powerful enough magics... even it could be stopped. Generally not from the inside, but from the outside.

As a Lost Logia went off, triggering a grand refresh of, well... everything. Of those lost, of those trapped, of those who gave their all...

The ice cracked. It broke. And finally, it shattered.

Chrono, arms around Rashmi, blinked a few times and smiled up at her. "We did it," he whispered. The world wasn't on fire, in fact... a quick scan revealed they were in the catacombs too. "I think... they did it, too," Chrono whispered. The Jewel seed disappeared into his device, likely to never be released again. In many ways, the fact the two of them had been able to channel it at all had been its own miracle. He held her tighter.

"Brace yourself, Rashmi," he whispered. "We have been locked away in the ice for..."

Then he blinked a few times as he got the feedback. And his tone shifted considerably. "About... three... hours? Mayyyybe four? That... that can't be right... what?"

A small orb of light came from his device, illuminating the area... Bones. Skulls. Darkness. One other girl...

Who after a moment? SCREAMED LIKE A BANSHEE!

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Screaming in the darkness can be embarrassing, after it turns out there's truly nothing to fear.

Luckily for the girl who was once Aon, the first sight of the room around them has Rashmi clinging to Chrono, screaming in an extremely un-Enforcer-like way herself.

"...Sorry," the redhead mumbles a few moments later, leaning down to hug Chrono tightly. "...Reflex..."

She trails off, brain traveling back and replaying Chrono's first words after the ice released them. "...Wait. Three *hours?* Bu-- wh-- Did..." Her speech *and* logic centers lock up for a moment, and she unleashes a gusty sigh. "...I'm gonna guess it's Moon's thing's fault, which has to mean they won. C'mon... let's find our way out of he--"

Trailing off again, she blinks across the mage-lit gloom, at the girl in there with them. "...Hi?"

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown gave a small nod. Another... Lost Logia. Okay then. Well. He supposed... yay? Another fundamental law of reality shattered by this planet and these people. He was happy, certainly. If a little bit more concerned. This planet really made no sense.

The girl's scream, however, did make him twitch. And Rashmi's didn't help him much better.

"W-who are you people?" the girl asked. "W-where are we? W-why am I here? Are you some kind of creepy cultists? Or... worse... incel fans?!" she asked, pointing a finger accusatory at them. Then... looking down at them. "... Or... their... kids?"

Chrono gave a soft sigh. "I am Time Space Administration Bureau Enforcer Chrono Harlaown," Chrono said, flashing his ID and--

"Oh my gawd, it's worse than that. You're cosplayers. What are you, like, six? Are you his babysitter? Where are we?"

Chrono's eye twitched. "... We're search and rescue."

"... Since when do they let toddlers in search and rescue?"

"......"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
For a moment, Rashmi just has to stand and stare for a moment. 'Incel fans or their kids' *has* to be the single dumbest thing she has heard over the course of her life to date. It's almost awe-inspiring, in the sheer *mass* of its density. "...You're in the Paris catacombs," she finally says. "We heard people got lost, and we're looking for them. Would... you *like* to get out of here?"

'Cosplayers' floats through her mind, and she sends a faintly amused thread of thought to Chrono.

<< ...I think she's Aon... but she's *lost her magic.* People don't call us 'cosplayers' unless they don't have magic... >>

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown gave a small nod to Rashmi. << ... Ah. So she's a civilian. Then I suppose we... oh no. >> There was a sigh and the look he gave to Rashmi... was a long suffering one. << That likely means the others are as well. We'd... better... find them... >>

"Of course I want to get out of here. I don't even know how I *got* here. So, like... are you his babysitter then? I'm, well, you probably know who I am. Takako Fujiwara, the one, the only." She did, in fact, do a hair flip. "So, hurry up and get us out of here. Do it quick and I'll maybe give you an autograph."

Chrono's eye twitched. "Of... course. But first, there are some others who are lost down here, we need to find them as well. Let's... go. Please, stay close, these catacombs are massive and it would be a... shame... if you were to get lost. Again."

He turned and started walking.

<< Rashmi, can you link your device with mine while we scan the local area? It'll make mapping the catacombs easier. >>

Takako gave another shriek when they passed by some bones. "What kind of crazy larpists ARE you?! You shouldn't bring little kids here, you know!"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
<< ...I mean... *yeah,* we probably should... >> The more this girl talks, the more Rashmi begins to understand how she got such an affinity for Dark Energy.

As Nicomachea links with S2U, and begins analyzing the sensor take from both Devices, Rashmi lifts her glasses to massage the bridge of her nose. "...I know it's creepy, but like... you're in Paris. There are *tours* through these things. It's weird and it's scary but it's history, y'know? Just stay close, let's find the others, and then we can aaaaaall get out of here.

<< ...I have a terrible question, Chrono... How are we gonna get them home? >>

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
<< Truly, they are a prime candidate for such powers. I couldn't imagine very many people more... attuned to such magics. >>

"Ohhhh, so, what, you're like a tour guide then?" Takako asked Rashmi. "Is he your lil brother, or more doing two jobs at once kind of thing? I feel yah."

<< ... Once we have them in the hands of the authorities, that'll be their problem, not ours. Our duty is to just make sure that they're safely out of this dangerous place. But I suppose we will alert the others of our allies in the area and... have them advise us. >>

It wasn't long before they found the one formerly known as Zwei... Youko Aota. Which, admittedly, was quite the surprise. Considering she was supposed to be dead.

<< ... Looks like we weren't the only ones saved in... whatever happened. Huh. >>

Unfortunately, two things soon became clear.

"So, like, can the five year old step it up or something? I'd like to be out of here by like... before I look like one of these bone piles." Youko was no better than Takako.

"Ugh, I know, right? And just look at the silly soldier getup of his," Takako said.

The two girls get along.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"...I'm sure you won't have anything to worry about," Rashmi replies, the Teenage Sighs getting a workout today. Under her breath, she mutters, "long as we get out of here in a couple hours, if that's what you're afraid of..."

<< So... The Silver Crystal is... pretty powerful, >> she muses. << The last time it got used against Beryl, it sealed that demon she worshipped into the sun, and made sure all the other Senshi could reincarnate into this time, so... It's starting to sound more and more like Usa-chan used it to finish things off... >>

As Nicomachea trawls the local internet and news feeds ( with helpful translations ) Rashmi raises an eyebrow. << ...Nothing. There's *no news.* Not even any destruction, no word about a flood or even the *beginning* of one... Chrono there wasn't a Barrier. A fight on the scale we were readying for... Half the city would be collateral damage. >>

"...Also," she speaks up into the gloom, "he's not five. He's *fourteen.*"

Was speaking up a bad idea? Probably. But, one of the few things Rashmi can't tolerate is intolerance.

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown was already getting a headache. He had to give Obsidian props, when they made an annoyance, they went full tilt.

<< Possibly. The scary thing? I don't think the Silver Crystal of hers is even the most powerful of the Lost Logia on this planet. This place truly is... a nightmare. I fear for the amount of paperwork I'll have to do if the TSAB ever does get into this locale. If I ever manage to get my reports out from this world, nobody will believe it. >>

"Wait, he's FOURTEEN? Oh my gawd, what happened? Girl, you could SO do better than some weird munchkin who likes to go through tombs at night."

Chrono's eye twitched again. "Search and rescue," Chrono said. "I was a fast bloomer." He regretted the word choice almost immediately as the girls just started to laugh. He sighed. Just... so much sigh.

Next was Mika Harada, formerly known as Fem... Who actually hugged the other two girls. And they all began to talk in so much rapid succession that Chrono didn't even *try* to decipher any of it.

<< Have I told you how everyone on this planet appears to be breathtaking? >> Chrono asked. << I believe I will have to amend that statement. >>

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"There really *is* no one better than him," Rashmi says with the exact mixture of confidence and pity that says 'And he's all mine, but you can't find one of your own? That's *so terrible* for you.' If it lands, it'll probably sit in the head for days. If it doesn't? Well, she still stood up for her man.

<< You're probably right. Which *is* scary, but... At least it's an ultra-powerful magical superweapon in the hands of someone considerate enough to do... all of this. Including free us from having to time-travel the long way? >>

As they weave their way through the catacombs, and pick up their third and immediately begin the feedback loop of chattering gals, Rashmi knuckles her temple for a moment.

<< ...So there's a lot of definitions of 'breathtaking.' 'Sucks all the air out of the room' is I think the one that applies here... >>

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
"Oh, honey, no, is that what he tells you to think? Listen, just cause you're like a... four... doesn't mean you need to settle like--" And her reply was cut off when some bones 'somehow' managed to fall on Takako. Out of nowhere. Strange, that.

"I think we're almost done here," Chrono said in her firm, no-nonsense tone. Only two more...

And soon, Noriko Motosugi (formerly Chaar) and Rie Mori (formerly Drie).

And, alas, any fear they once had seemed to vanish as they were led from the catacombs, a five person unit.

<< Sucking all of the air out of the room they're in might be a mercy at that point... Not that I'd ever consider such a thing, >> Chrono added quickly.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
'A four'

The words ring around in Rashmi's head for a while, and it's a good thing that bones manage to mysteriously come loose from their hundreds-year-long moorings, and fall right on Takako's head.

It's also a good thing there's no throwable furniture to hand, because Rashmi's hands are starting to clench.

<< Thank you, love, >> she says, studiously ignoring the girls now. Leaving them to wander the death halls lost would be a bad thing. It would, in fact, probably be murder. If not *incredibly* awful negligence.

And both murder *and* negligence are bad.

Yes. *Terrible.*

<< So... when we get out of here, and meet up with the others? What d'you say about staying here a couple days? It's a whole completely different kind of culture from Japan, and the rest of it probably doesn't have anything to do with dead people! >>

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown just gave her a small, gentle smile. << I haven't done anything. The strain on that rib just happened to give out due to a sudden, and minor, shift in temperature is all. >>

Oh, he was so behind it. << ... As long as these five aren't a part of the 'others', I would love to stay with you here for a little bit. I have a few places I'd love to visit, recommended by my roommate. He's from here, you know. >>

And soon... "You know, he's kind of cute. Like a tiny lil GI-Joe. I wonder if she made his little outfit?" And then the other girls laughed and...

"Will you look at that, daylight. We're almost free," Chrono said, the relief in his voice clear even to people OTHER than Rashmi. Freedom... so... close...

Rashmi Terios has posed:
<< Oh maybe if it wants, he can show us around! >> Rashmi says, brightening in ways that have nothing at all to do with the peek at daylight and -- if she's feeling uncharitable, which after a few hours of having to listen to their chatter... -- the promise that soon these five will be someone *else's* problem.

"So hey! Look! Light!" she says, pointing toward what probably the mouth of the tunnel. "Did you know you're in Paris? Soon you'll be taking selfies on the Eiffel Tower or something!"

It's probably the stress of the late night, the lack of food, the almost-dying, the witnessing horrors uncountable... That's probably what's frayed Rashmi's patience near the breaking point.

"Also you're welcome for not leaving you surrounded by darkness and bones!"

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
"Like, why would we thank you for doing your job?" Takako asked, rolling her eyes. "Like, if you're supposed to be search and rescue-in-training, shouldn't you have had like.... water and food and stuff? We're exhausted. I want to talk to your manager."

"Oh, right," Chrono said, before pulling... a small box out of his device. "Here, food and water. A *thousand* apologies. It must have slipped my mind. It's not much, but it should make the long journey to the security guards... over there... much easier. Now that we're done, we'll leave you to it."

He then, very quickly, grabbed Rashmi's hand and *walked quickly away.* Ignoring the rather angry screeching from Takako. Who, apparently, was kind of the leader of the group.

"I think we found a new lost logia, because people like that are certainly the downfall of some civilization..."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
There is no power on Earth or beyond, that could get Rashmi to turn back toward that screeching. Not when the light is so close, and the promise of the City of Lights, one of the most romantic cities on Earth, so near at hand. "...I have never actually *met* someone who wanted to see a manager," she murmurs wonderingly. "I thought they were just a story on the Internet..."

But there's no time for that, and soon Rashmi is striding as quickly as Chrono, the pair hand in hand. "Hey, uh... Chrono? I'm really glad we won, and didn't sacrifice our lives for nothing, but um... can we make a promise right now? Next time, let's... don't?"

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown gave a small sigh before... slowly shook his head. "If only. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you the number of times I had rescued someone from the jaws of death.... only to have them ask to speak to my commanding officer because I dirtied their shoes or something. They were often quite annoyed when it turned out I was an Enforcer and there was little they could do to me."

His hand remained locked with hers and he smiled as comfortingly as he could. "Rashmi... would that I could make that promise. Unfortunately... it is one I would have to break. I took an oath, long ago, that I would lay down my life it I must, to protect those who needed it." His hand squeezed hers, just a little tighter. "That I would do all in my power to ensure a happy ending for those I have vowed to protect. There is a chance I will need to, one day, make good on that vow. And... should the day come?"

"... I won't hesitate. But that doesn't mean I will lay down and die if the time comes. I will always endeavor to make sure you and I have that happy ending as well. I know all too well that there are other people waiting on us."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Seriously?" Rashmi says, goggling at Chrono. People *not grateful just to have their lives?* The mere thought is alien to her...

As Chrono admits it's a promise he can't make, Rashmi sighs quietly, nodding along. "I know... I know. I mean it's nice to hope, but... At least more rational just to hope that we won't *have* to again. Because I hope by now you realize... As long as you're here, you *never* need to give me another out. I'm with *you,* as long as you'll have me."

Raising their linked hands, the redhead kisses Chrono's fingers. "So let's just try our hardest to get that happy ending, okay?"

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown nodded. Alas. Some people were dumb.

"I know. I knew you'd join me. But... But I know I ask a lot of you, Rashmi. Because... Because I can. Because I must. There will always be an out. But I, admittedly, don't really expect you to take it."

"You're an enforcer, Rashmi. But... I will never force you to walk the path I do. But I will always appreciate the fact you've made the choice to walk it with me."

His hand reached up to cup the side of her cheek as he stopped in place.

"And there is nobody I would rather have this happy ending with... than you."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
As they emerge into the dawn of Paris in high summer, Rashmi turns to face the owner of the hand on her cheek. Leaning into the touch, she puts her hands on either wide of his face, leaning in for a long and gentle kiss.

When she finally breaks away, her cheeks are aflame, and her eyes are shining. "It's because you don't ask anything of me you won't give yourself that I can manage it, Chrono. I've told you before you want to make me be a better person than I thought I could be... and that's never gone away. If I'm worth anything as an Enforcer, it's because I have you to thank for it."

Her Barrier Jacket shatters, leaving her in the light summer dress and floppy sun-hat she'd worn the day before, and she leans in to enfold him in a tight hug. "But right now... we *did it.* We *won.* Let's go find the others and get all the crying out of the way."