2205/Mid-Loop: Coco

Mid-Loop: Coco
Date of Scene:	06 January 2025
Location:	Dorms #1
Synopsis:	After far too many loops, Hinoiri starts trying to find out what the source of all of this weird magic is... one of the first people she investigates is Coco, her patron. Still, while she doesn't get all of the answers she seeks, she does get some advice and a few ideas. She even decides to spend the day having fun, for once. After all, what does it hurt?
Cast of Characters:	Hinoiri Kirara, Coco Kiumi
Tinyplot:	Hinoiri's Endless Loop

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Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
The first few loops had been fun, if concerning. However, after a dozen or so, Hinoiri had realized that this problem wasn't going to just solve itself. Something magical was going on and, despite her best efforts, she hadn't found out what. Or who. SOMEONE was doing this and... she didn't know who.

So she was eliminating some of the likely suspects. First? People with a grudge against her, but not able to actively work against her. One of the first on that list were Coco. Primarily due to a certain friend of hers.

So early that morning there was a knock on Coco's door. Coco was likely still getting ready for class and her roommate had already headed out, but... frankly?

Hinoiri didn't really care if Coco missed class today. It wouldn't affect her attendance at all.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco had stayed behind that morning thanks to Hanon's impromptu visit to their dorm room. The blue mermaid mostly wanted an update to what Mitsuki had been doing recently, but the thing had gone on a bit longer because she had taken this opportunity to nudge her again in Nagisa's direction. The sooner she stops denying her feelings the better.

When Hinoiri knocks at the door, the blue mermaid has long since departed, and Coco is just shy of having gotten ready, having already worn her uniform and only adding the last few notebooks to her bag. "Coming!", she exclaims with a note surprise at the unexpected sound.

"Hinoiri? It's quite early in the day. Has something happened?", she inquires upon finding herself face to face with the redhead.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave Coco a little smile. "Hey, Coco. I uhhh... I need to talk with you. It's pretty important, related to the whole.... mermaid thing you got going on." Pause. "It might... you might want to call into class today." She'd then slide in and lean back against the wall, letting Coco close the door behind her.

How to even start? Ugh, today was turning out to be the biggest day of her life. So. So. SO long.

"... I need to ask you a lot of questions. I guess to start with... I need to know... when you were captured, put in that big fish tank? How did he capture you?"

Going straight for the throat today, it seemed. Just tell me all about your traumas now, please.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco smiles back when Hinoiri does, not mentioning anything until she has gotten inside, leaving her the opportunity to close the door behind them. Hinoiri asking her what transpired back then, on top of requiring her to skip class, were serious enough that she had to listen to what was going on.

<PHONE> Coco Kiumi texts Cho Konishi: Not coming to class today. There is something important I have to check. Tell you more later.

"Have you not been sleeping much?", she inserts a question of her own into the discussion when Hinoiri leans against the wall, before asking Cora to pop on her legs after taking a seat.

Petting the otter, Coco starts turning her mind to just what Hinoiri is asking her to delve into. "You know about Sara", she begins with a slight sight. "And you probably know Mitsuki Taro, the Radiant Heart music teacher." The irony.

"After a particularly painful breakup with him, Sara was no longer the same. I could see becoming more lost in herself by the day, despite my efforts to help. They were really serious about each other."

Her blonde hair sways a bit when she almost imperceptibly nods to give herself a push. "When it became too much, she fell to the darkness and freed Gaito. I tried one last push to help her heal, but I haven't been able to help her there either, and she gave me over to Gaito, who then left me in there after taking my pearl from me."

All of that was said in a wistful tune. She waits for Hinoiri's other questions, giving her the time to lead to the center of the problem.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara couldn't help it. She laughed. She full on laughed when she was asked if she'd been sleeping. "Oh, I have gotten *so much* sleep. Day four and five, I think. You know? Figured if I did nothing, it'd HAVE to fix itself. But NOPE! Buck, felt a bit guilty about that one, though. I just..." She then gave a soft sigh and shook her head. "Sorry, yeah. I've slept plenty."

She listened as Coco talked, cocking her head to the side. "So... there was no fight? Just you went there, tried to talk to her, and she snatched you up? No big battle? No strange... distortions? No epic, wild free for alls? No, say... strangenesses? Like... say... anything related to.... time? In any way?"

She glanced away from Coco as she said that. "... Do you ever wish you could have done things differently? Say, turn back the clock and try a different way? By any chance?"

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco's brow furrows at Hinoiri's sudden laugh, staring into her eyes at the hard to decipher string of words that follows. "Maybe, but not very well", she comments with a direct timbre. How are Gaito and Sara related to this problem she has?

Coco knows nobody else can have recovered the Sealing Key but her. Is this the return of his nightmares? But Hinoiri likely already knows he can do that. What is the point of these questions?

"Sara has minor time powers, but neither of us used our powers then. I just wanted to talk to her, and... I was more focused on that than taking care of myself. So it wasn't particularly hard to paralyse me", the yellow mermaid admits.

Fourth and fifth day, time, and now anything she could redo... "Sure would be interesting if people redo things...", Coco looks at Hinoiri with slight concern.

Coco's heart beats heavily as she takes a minute to consider Hinoiri's question. "I don't know, maybe I would try to persuade Mitsuki not to break up with Sara, that way I wouldn't have failed her. She wouldn't have destroyed our own kingdoms or freed Gaito. And maybe I would have been able to hold my coming of age ceremony at the right time and invite her to it", she lets her regrets spill out.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara just kept leaning back against the wall, her eyes closed. Letting Coco's words wash over her. Mmmmm. Yes. A nightmare. She'd almost believe this was a nightmare. Had, once. Thought, perhaps, if she'd just... forced herself awake, read a book, tried any number of... many, many things, she'd be out. But nope.

"Wait, Sara DOES have time powers? What kind of time powers?" Hinoiri asked. Was this it? Was this what she was looking for? "And what do you mean, coming of age ceremony? How did you miss it? What happened from it?" she asked. Was this it? Was this the line of questions that would solve everything?

Maybe. She hoped so...

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Hinoiri isn't intending to come out and say what's her problem is, yet. And if she goes by her hunch, there isn't a lot of time for her to help, as crazy as the whole thing would sound. "Hey, Hinoiri, just be careful, ok? Make sure to take care of yourself and not fall over exhausted", she says for the time being.

Her thoughts turn back to Sara. "She can take a moment in time and make it last a bit longer for those she chooses, not by much. It's mainly useful for having some more time to enjoy something before it goes away", she explains placidly.

"We mermaids come of age at 13 years old, and for us princesses it's also when we start governing over our respective kingdoms. I had been forced into Gaito's prison the year before, and ever since I was freed last year, I haven't really had the time to stop and hold a proper one", she looks at her interlocutor as she answers as neutrally as she can.

Which is not saying much coming from her, she has never been good at keeping her feelings to herself.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara stopped breathing for a moment. That was it. 'Extend' it. "So... by extending it... could she like... take a day... and make it happen? Over? And over? And over? And over? To someone? Maybe to multiple people? So no matter what happened, they just kept doing the day again and again and again?" she asked, her eyes finally opening.

She looked... admittedly... a tiny bit crazed. And she was shaking. And her fists were clenched. And she looked... tense. To say the least. Staring at Coco with so much intensity it might seem like she'd erupt into flame.

However, after a moment she shook her head and lifted a hand over her face, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Sorry... sorry. Is... the coming of age ceremony... a big deal? To your people, I mean?"

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Yes, she can safely say that was it now. And Hinoiri's sudden desperation would have made her ask anyway. She can't just ignore something like that. "Unless things changed when she was taken by the darkness, she should be able to keep it going for a few minutes at most. How long have you been repeating today?", Coco asks seriously.

She doesn't really see the point of going over their culture when this is happening, but still, it's not like keeping it from her is going to change things either. "Very. The most important, probably. It's when you get your full rights and take up the sacred duty of protecting your kingdom. Every mermaid princess goes through it since so long ago we don't even know when it started."

She takes a breath, her mouth downturned slightly. "The only other thing that compares is when a Pearl gives birth to a new Mermaid Princess. And even if you can take a reparatory ceremony later, you only really come of age once, and it's a big celebration. Everyone is there to see it, you put on your royal dress for the first time, and there is a big feast afterwards with everyone invited to commemorate the joy of the moment..."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara blinked a few times and then, slowly, she leaned back, sinking down to the ground slowly. "Oh... So unless... well... maybe it is. But if all she can normally do is extend things..." She trailed off and shook her head. "I don't know. A few dozen times, at least? Don't... worry about it. I'll figure it out. Just... heh. If there's anything you want to do and you want to know the effects of, but not deal with the consequences? Now's the time to do it..."

Hinoiri banged her head on the wall a few times. "So... maybe it's Sara. Payback for getting you the key, possibly. Or for breaking those jars. Who knows? It might be her working in combination with someone else."

She then focused on Coco for a moment, before sighing. "I... yeah... I... can get that. We ummm... had something similiar. Back home. When we got our... cutie marks. Heh. A whole big party, to celebrate us 'growing up' and what not. Only happens once. Sora... yeah. She... made an appearance." That was all. An appearance. "So... I... I know it must have sucked... missing it. I know you can't really go back and get it a second time and all... so... I'm not... sure what I'm saying other than it sucks and... I'm sorry it sucks. Sara... Sara was a shitty friend, Coco. You deserved better." She reached up to grip the door, pulling herself up. "Sorry to bother you. For what it's worth? Unless something major happens? It won't have ever happened..."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
As much as Hinoiri says not to worry, Coco isn't really the type to ignore something like this happening. That said, she also isn't the most qualified person to ask. "Besides Sara, Noel would have a better shot at cracking the problem. She knows a lot on magic, and for what she doesn't know, she is guaranteed to have a book about it", Coco muses out loud, looking at Hinoiri in search of interest.

Coco's mouth curves into a smile this time. "So it was you who freed Noel. Caren has been silent all this while, we would have had a better luck getting secrets out of a clam. You should really tell Noel, you know? And the me from the first tomorrow you get free. Gaito likely knows, and you would only make people happy. Staying in there really wasn't comfortable, that was a good thing you did, Hinoiri", she tells her chipperly.

"Sora really isn't fair to you, she should be better than that", the blonde girl observes in turn, giving Cora a few more pets. "Even with everything that Sara did, I still care deeply about her, Hinoiri. What we had before things got awry was special. We made a promise, with a yellow rose. I wouldn't be a very good friend if I turned on her just because she fell on hard times", Coco shakes her head.

Something consequence-free that she can do today, but no other day... "I can't really think of something I would like to do only today, but let's hang out for a bit. We are already skipping school."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara was silent for a few moments before shaking her head. "I... maybe. If... I can't figure this out. As far as I know? This is my problem. It's my job to fix it. Besides, by the time I got a hold of you in the morning, and get.... huh. How long would it take for you to even get Noel, anyway? To contact her?" she asked.

"And... yeah. I mean, I didn't do it alone. Caren was there. But... I just didn't like the fish bowls, okay? There's... I can understand if the alternative is like... death... but even then... I just... always hated them. And knowing she did it to her supposed 'friend'? That just pissed me off more. I thought friendship was supposed to matter and whatnot..." Her arms crossed, she glanced over to Coco.

"A promise with a yellow rose, huh? Is... that a mermaid thing? And I don't know. I think kidnapping you and locking you in a bowl so you could be the eye candy for a weird fish guy who can't even wear a proper shirt is plenty of reason to stop being her friend. Then again, I devoured the sun so... maybe I'm not the best judge of what is, and isn't the limits of 'forgiveable'."

She pushed off the wall and glanced towards the door. She then paused and gave a shrug. "Meh, why not? Sure. Let's hang out. What do mermaids do on their days off, Coco? Let's try that. We can call it... I don't know... mermaid research. Sayaka will probably love to hear all about it later, heh."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
She really wants to do anything herself. Normally, Coco would go and ask Noel anyway, by herself if Hinoiri wouldn't want to come with, but time repeating doesn't make that practical without Hinoiri's assistance. "I am sure getting Hippo on the case will be enough. And we have the Pearl Pier nearby now to get into contact with everyone. Maybe a hour or two at most."

Coco visibly shudders uncomfortably at the image Hinoiri paints of her situation. She has really been trying not to think of having been there for Gaito to gawk at for years. "Well, thank you for helping her out of there. I have been talking a lot with Noel, after everything, and it really means a lot to us." She thinks both of them needed that talk.

"A yellow rose is a symbol of friendship for mermaids, and humans should hold it in the same regard. And I believe in Sara more than anything, Hinoiri. It will be hard to help her, I know that, but as as her friend and as a princess, I will not allow that girl to sink any further into the abyss", she comments resolutely.

"What we do here on land is much the same as anyone our age. What we do underwater includes sightseeing, sports, reading, taking care of the local fauna and flora, and taking part in festivities if something is going on."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a small nod. "Well... tell you what. I want to try a few other things first. But if they don't work? I'll... come back to talk with Noel. Though... this does give me an idea..." she mumbled, a hand moving to her chin.

Takashi knew a lot about this world's magic, too... and if they worked together... perhaps...

The talk of Sara, though, made her pause for a moment. And consider that... then sigh. "Yeah. Wish... I'd had a friend like that, back home. Maybe if I had, things wouldn't have turned out the way they did."

She then walked over towards Coco and smiled. "Well... then let's do that. Or, try. I guess? You mermaids have some kind of like... magic... underwater thing, right? So why don't you show me just what this special kingdom of yours is like, Coco? It's not like anyone will miss me... here..." she said, before pausing. Then shrugged. No. It'd all be undone tomorrow, anyway. "And you know what? How about you see if Noel can meet us there? No problem with doing both at once."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Her willing to give it a try is good enough, Coco nods. "That sounds good to me, and Hinoiri, I want you to know that if tell me you are repeating today, in other tomorrows, I won't have any problems you", she stresses to her before concentrating to make the portal to her kingdom appear.

Giving her back to the swirling yellow circle, she gives Hinoiri a smile. "You may have not had it back then, but we are all here now, so I am sure your future will be a lot more positive now. And I bet your friend Sayaka will be there for you no matter what."

Then it is time to appease Hinoiri's concerns. "Don't worry, we have magic for situations like this, you won't drown out there or anything. And if you need help swimming, I can help you myself or bring out a Live Stage. Lastly, none of what you see is a secret, so feel free to tell all of it to Sayaka", Coco winks before turning and heading into the portal.