541/Best cookies ever

Best cookies ever
Date of Scene:	02 October 2023
Location:	Plot Room 1
Synopsis:	Koji has some news for Chrono... very, very interesting news. One of the crew of the Arthra... have finally been found.
Cast of Characters:	Chrono Harlaown, Koji Silvia

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Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown sighed and just... drank his coffee. It had been a long... day. Week. Month. It had just been long. He'd had a bit of time to recover, but life didn't stop just because you did. And so he was back on the beat... and working up to certain things. His student was in the hospital, he'd screwed up and possibly cost Adora more than he knew, Molly was traumatized and... he didn't know what to do. What he COULD do. How could he fix any of this? How could any of them?

This world was exhausting and he was so, so tired. So he just drank his coffee and wondered if he could actually do this. How could any of them do this?

Because they had to. Because... because someone had to. Just as his student had stood back up, so would he. Because he had to.

Koji Silvia has posed:
*BUMP BUMP BUMP*

It was coming from the wall.

*BUMP BUMP BUMP*

Then a muffled "Hey Crno!"

The physical space between the dorm rooms that have Adrien and Chrono, and Koji and Darien means that Koji's bed is on the side of the room that has the wall next to where Chrono sleeps. Strange way that works out.

This is followed by a message via S2U...

    <I know you're there. I can smell the coffee through the vent. Chrono, can you come over here for a minute? I need to show you something.>

Oh his side of the wall, Koji has a rather wan look on his face from staying up late at night, and a paper box next to him tied with a red string and with a shrine charm resting atop it.

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown sighed and sent a message back. Welp, life never calmed down. <I'll be right over.>

He took one last sip of his coffee. Well. Koji didn't ask for one so he didn't make him one. Instead he stepped out from his room and walked over, lightly knocking on the door. He was as prim and proper as ever. Pants, buttoned up overshirt, a nice undershirt, all tucked in. He'd even done morning PT. Nobody should be THIS punctual about everything first thing in the morning. Especially at his age. He reached out and lightly knocked on the door.

Of course... if he saw that box... he'd say in the most straight faced tone. "You know, I appreciate the thought but I don't actually take shrine offerings." Smartass.

Koji Silvia has posed:
When Koji opens the door, his hair is up and back in a bun, a pencil and a pen stuck in it to hold it back. He's in a Space Battleship Yamato 1999 t-shirt, regulation track pants for school and lacking socks. His glasses have a little bit of dust on them even. It's quite the site, "Oh good. It was fifty fifty to be honest, but I know you've be-..."

He cuts off and looks you over, sighs, and then just turns and walks back towards his desk and laptop, "How about you come in and shut the door."

Sitting back down at his desk, his hand goes to the box and rests on it as he looks at Chrono... and adds, "Sit on my bed. And you might want to put the coffee down, please. I don't want to explain stains on the floor during an inspection."

Despite all of that, his mood isn't grave, or somber, or even the pall of injury he had before. It's excitement...

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown narrowed his eyes and took another looooooooooong drink of his coffee this time. Well. If someone was going to tell him to sit down and explain things to him... "Did someone else almost die?" he asked, suspiciously. But he then placed his empty mug down and sat on the bed, staring at the boy. Yep. He could feel it.

This was going to be bad. Koji was excited. If there was one thing he knew, it was people didn't get excited to see him unless it was for the wrong reasons. Oh gosh what if Koji made a move on him? He wasn't awake or energetic enough to have tact for this.

Koji Silvia has posed:
It's an agonizing three-count as you settle yourself down like that, and Koji watches you carefully the whole time, and each heartbeat seems to contain it a bit more. He takes a breath, and may suddenly put Chrono at ease.

"So you requested help looking for any members of the Arthra who made it to the ground. While I've been healing up and avoiding doing anything remotely resembling combat... I've had Hanzo scouring articles, forums, social media groups, pictures... everything based on the kind of parameters we've noted. Past-20s, memory issues, possible language barrier issues, odd clothing... well... odd for Japan anyways... and..."

TIME IS NOT GOING FAST ENOUGH!

"I've got a hit."

Koji turns the computer to face Chrono and there is a picture of a shrine celebration with several dozen people and a few priests present... but the picture is zoomed to the background of a smiling young lady with short lavender hair. She's mostly turned her head, but you can see the edges of it and one eye.

"Hanzo says it's an 82 percent match based on the profile."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown stood up slightly more at attention as Koji went on. "What... are you saying?" he asked. Eyes narrowing. He stared at the picture. And tried not to get excited. Elevated heart rate. Slightly dilated eyes. He started to get up. "Where?" he asked.

It took a lot of restraint to avoid grabbing the monitor and start shaking it. If one of the crew was found... He had to find her. He had to go.

Koji Silvia has posed:
With a sense of what might be about to happen, Koji puts up a hand in front of Chrono to stop him, "So here is the weird ask to confirm..."

He slides the box with his other hand towards the young TSAB enforcer, "This is a picture from a shrine on the edge of the Edogawa Wards, pretty much almost into Chiba prefecture. It's from 2 weeks ago at a local celebration for a wedding. The girl in the image apparently made a huge batch of cookies and everyone who attended the wedding got a box. You could also gift the shrine and they would give you some for good fortune."

The hand comes off the box, "Do these smell or taste familiar from your time on the Arthra?"

When the box is opened, inside are a dozen little people-shaped cookies. All of them decorated with little uniforms that have a badge on the left breast, and all of them with different colored-icing hair. Green, Blue, Lavender, Red... and most of them have a little hard candy 'gem' in one hand.

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown stared at the cookies. He took one and then, without hesitation, bit into it and... yeah. Yeah. Koji could see it the moment that it clicked. The moment that that all too familiar taste hit his tongue. Were they good? eh. They were alright. But they were familiar. They were something he knew. Someone he knew.

"... Where is she?" he asked again. There was one last test he had to do, of course. One final identification...

Her device.

Koji Silvia has posed:
Changing from the picture he has up, Koji switches to a web-page for a Shinto shrine picture and directions via mapping on the public rail system to get to it. It includes times, costs, and the walking route afterwards. The hours for the shrine being open to the public are also noted there, "Chrono... I went there... and Hanzo said he couldn't find an active Device. It doesn't mean she doesn't have one, but that it could have shut down from the damage and without an active Mage with a Linker Core to draw on, it's using what little it can find to self-repair. Remember how damaged S2U was when you first got here?"

The enthusiasm is still there as he fishes into his pocket and puts down a prepaid rail card for the young man, "Here... I know you can fly, but I put enough on here for you to go out and come back so you could confirm for yourself. She was very nice to me when I asked about the cookies. When she handed them to me she said 'Thanks, let's everyone do our best'."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown blinked a few times and then sighed. "Silvia-kun? I have her device. I have ALL of their devices. THAT'S why finding them is so hard. Finding their devices would be easy. Once I can re-register them to their devices it'll be a lot easier as well. Even without their abilities." But... but that required them to be alive. Them to be here. Them to be safe.

He was already accessing his own device, registering the information, grabbing the site and picking up the card. He was tempted to fly out there, but... Koji was likely right. If she was... if she was one of the crew, she was possibly confused. Arriving via flight might cause more problems. Hurt her, even. And he...

He nodded. "I'll... I'll be back by this evening. If this Urahoshi Takemi..." Deep breath. "Thank you, Silvia-kun," he said before quickly walking away...

However, after a moment he came back. No, he ran back... And he just... He hugged Koji. A very tight, very sudden hug. "T-thank you. Thank you... so much..." he whispered, squeezing for just a moment. Before he turned and he ran away.

One... small... tiny step. But one more step he needed.

Koji Silvia has posed:
"...ribs..." Koji gasped out, and ended up wincing in pain...

And by the time his eyes opened, Chrono had already closed the door behind him and left.

"Right... so..."

Turning back to his e-mail, he sends everything he has to Chrono's student account, and closes the box of cookies, "All of that time, and still a kid. Heh."