Scene #843: Who is named Low Battery?

Owner	Pose
Runealy Waldia	After class, most students go to their club. Rune has not joined any clubs, and usually leaves school as soon as possible. Today is different. The weather is calm, but Rune is not. She is sitting down next to one of the school buildings, her hands pressed against something on the ground. The object is small enough that her hands are able to cover it, hiding it from view. Whatever it is, she keeps pushing her hands down on it over and over. Rune is not saying any words, but she does make a frightened gasp every few seconds... and her eyes are wide, wavering with fright and worry. There is no obvious reason for Rune to be this way. There is nothing wrong with the ground, the building she is sitting beside, or anything else. Nothing dangerous is happening, but Rune looks almost ready to panic.
Coco Kiumi	Turns out the Music Club is closed for the day. Someone wasn't quite as thorough as they should have been with cable maintenance, so a small fire was started as a result. Luckily, it was quickly dealt with, but the room had been closed down until the damage can be ascertained. Which is actually more of a formality and it will be reopened in a few hours. Nonetheless, that is why the mermaid is walking outside of the club building and is making her way outside of the school. If she can't sing here, she can always find a karaoke. The campus is almost deserted, with everyone else busy as they with club activities, so the figure of Rune stands out, despite sitting down next to a building. The mermaid is about to cheerfully greet the other student when she notices her anxiety and frightened gasps, replacing her joy with worry. Is something going wrong at the school? Or is that a magical issue? "Hey, Rune", she says as the other princess is approached. "Is something wrong?" she asks in a concerned tone, sitting down next to her, looking at her face.
Runealy Waldia	When spoken to, Rune looks up and immediately starts crying. She shouts: "I have slain my telephone!" As always, Rune uses complex words and very old grammar; most other people would have said 'I killed my phone.' Rune raises her hands, revealing a normal black phone on the grass. It has no decorations, and its screen is turned off. The phone is not damaged, but Rune is shaking with fear and worry. She pushes several buttons on the phone, but nothing happens. The screen stays off, and Rune leans down next to the phone while sobbing. "It did not deserve this fate!" She refuses to look at Coco; Rune's face is pressed against the phone and grass.
Coco Kiumi	The weird statement causes Coco to stare at the phone in Rune's hands, expecting it to show cracks or similar signs of reckless usage, but no, it's in perfect conditions. "Hey, it's ok", she says, relaxing her tone to send the message this is nothing to worry about. "That doesn't look broken, it's probably just some minor malfunction. We can totally fix it." Coco gives her a reassuring smile before continuing. "What happened the last time you saw it work?"
Runealy Waldia	The phone is undamaged, and ''new.'' It hasn't been used for more than one or two weeks. "What?" Rune finally looks up when Coco tries to calm her down. "I have heard others say their telephone is dead, so I thought mine had also perished!" Coco asks for more information, and Rune immediately knows how to answer the question. "A person named Low Battery wished to speak with me," Rune insists. "So I tried to respond to them, exactly as the telephone merchant instructed! I must have made a mistake; I did not speak with Low Battery, and they sought to speak with me several more times throughout the day!" Rune shakes her head several times, "When it happened again, several minutes ago, the telephone's candle stopped burning!" This is obviously not how phones work, but Rune speaks with a worried, sincere tone.
Coco Kiumi	Now things get clear, both regarding the phone and Runealy's behaviour. Her atypical inexperience does make Coco curious as to how she could know her way around phones so little, but that's a secondary matter at best. Both solving the issue of her phone and calming Rune down are more important matters, so for now they should get somewhere more private, so the pinkette doesn't attract attention she wouldn't like from the 1 or 2 people passing by on herself. "Ok, that's no big deal, Rune. Your phone isn't broken at all, and it can easily get to work again, but how about we move somewhere more private first? That way we can talk without possibly being bothered." If Rune says yes, Coco gets up and starts leading her through the school's wood patch, until they get to a shed in the middle of a clearing.
Runealy Waldia	"A telephone, even one that is deceased, can be restored?!" Again, Rune uses fancier words than most others in Tokyo would. And she seems convinced that phones are living creatures. Despite this misunderstanding, Rune immediately agrees to follow Coco. She picks up the phone and stands up, walking with Coco. Coco has managed to get Rune to stop crying, even if the princess is still very confused. She notices the shed, but does not say anything about it right now. Instead, Rune mostly looks at her phone, then Coco, then the phone again... back and forth, switching between staring at the phone and Coco. "What sort of miracle can revive a phone?"
Coco Kiumi	Before they get inside, Coco has to make a few matters clear. "What am I about to show you is special and only the people you really, really, really trust should get to know of it. Secondly, you know me better as Yellow Pearl Voice, and this Shed is a special base for all the students with magic on the side of good at RHA." That said, Coco starts demonstrating why she led Rune here. The mermaid turns the handle one way, opening it to show just what you would expect, a typical run down shed. She then closes the door again and turns the handle the other way, this time revealing a clean room furnished with chalkboards, tables, chairs and cubbies. Motioning for Rune to come in, Coco waits for her entrance before closing the door and sitting at one of the chairs. "Ok, phones just need to get charged once in a while. Low Battery wasn't someone calling you, but the phone's warning it was about to run out of energy."
Runealy Waldia	Rune stares at the shed with wide eyes as Coco explains what it is for. "It is that important? It seems so small! Yet, if it is as you say... I shall keep its secrets and...!" She stops talking with a sudden gasp as her mind finally figures out the connection between Coco and Yellow Pearl Voice. Even as Coco starts to open the door, Rune asks: "Then you are the one who controls that grand stage?" That is not quite the name Coco uses for it. "It seems obvious now that you have told me..." Her voice fades, Rune says a little more, but whatever she was saying is just a whisper to herself. She follows Coco inside, and looks at the chair. "And I ignored its plea for energy? How cruel of me!"
Coco Kiumi	It may look small from the outside, but that's what magic is for, because the shed is a reminder the laws of physics are definitely just a kind suggestion with how large the magic version is compared to the normal one. And that's what Coco points out when she opens the secret entrance. "Luckily size it's not a problem, and it can contain many more of us than its actual parameters would suggest. But yes, keeping it a secret is good", the blonde girl smiles to Rune. Of course, the Live Stage is hers to control and distribute, but Coco isn't sure whether to be glad or not that's all the red princess remembers about her powers. If she made the connection between Coco's songs and the princess' mermaid nature, that would be less dangerous to her, but on the other hand, if she ''didn't'' realise all the way, and instead started prodding her for answers? That would be Coco's worst nightmare. Coco invites Rune to sit down by gesturing towards the empty chair before replying "It's not that big a deal, phones certainly aren't alive enough to hold it against you, it's just a preset reminder meant to help you", she explains. "Anyway, you should have a charger in the box the phone came in, no? Just connect one end to the phone and the other to an electric socket, and in a few hours, it's going to be back with no issues."
Runealy Waldia	The Live Stage is all Rune ''mentions'', at least. She is more interested in paying attention to Coco's explanations about the shed and how phone batteries work, instead of listing everything she remembers. Coco is doing an excellent job calming her down, as Rune sits in the offered chair. "Telephones are not alive? I wonder why people say their phones are 'dying', then? But... what is a 'charger'? For that matter, what is an..." Rune's voice fades for a second as she tries to use words she is hearing for the first time in her life. She manages to finish the question: "...an 'electric socket'? I know what a box is, but everything else you just described makes no sense to me."
Coco Kiumi	Oh, that too. Coco is admittedly getting very puzzled with Rune's unfamiliarity with technology. She knows these things too, and there is nothing like that to be had underwater. Well, admittedly, she has been living among humans for a while now, but still, Runealy is 100% human herself, no? "I don't mean to pry, but is everything alright? This kind of thing is typically general knowledge nowadays. That's not to say I take issue with explaining, it just stood out to me, that's all!", Coco explains nervously. Let's hope Runealy isn't bothered by her question. "As for it dying, that's just a figure of speech that's used for when its battery gets depleted, but it's not meant to be taken literally. A charger is this item comprised of a cable and a structure with prods that connect a socket and a phone. An electrical socket is this sets of small holes in the wall that when connected with a suitable device like a phone by the use of a charger, provide energy to it, to recharge its battery."
Runealy Waldia	Rune blinks several times, not sure how to answer. Coco is asking very good questions, but it takes a few seconds of silence for Rune to figure out what she thinks is the best mix of truth and lies to protect herself. The princess does a bad job of hiding that she is thinking about her answer; her head tilts down, avoiding looking at Coco eye to eye. After that odd silence, Rune finally responds in a calm voice: "We do not have televisions, telephones, or electric socket chargers in Euro--" Wrong word. Rune tries a slightly less ridiculous lie: "...in Liechtenstein. Yet you mean to tell me ''that'' is what all these holes in the wall are for? To get energy? How much energy is inside them?"
Coco Kiumi	Coco is starting having doubts about Runealy's human origin. She is distinctly sure the red princess isn't a mermaid - she doesn't carry the distinctive shell locket they all bring with themselves - but that doesn't exclude she could be some other supernatural species. She knows Sunbreaker is an alicorn, for example. Then there is her mentioning those things not being present in Europe - despite her not finishing to say the word - or Liechtenstein. She has been in neither, admittedly, but she is quite sure they do have things over there, which only strengthens her doubts. "Runealy, are you the one who has been using Sailor Europe as a cover story?" Would explain quite a lot. "Because that's not how things work. Electricity is actually the standard in Europe, including the Liechtenstein." Coco starts fiddling with her shell locket out of nervousism. "Who are you really? I don't want to press, but if there is some reason you can't say the truth, then it's ok. Otherwise, you can be sincere with me." "The sockets cover cables that all form a big network connected to factories whose purpose is producing electricity, so there is exactly just as much as people everywhere need to use their appliances."
Runealy Waldia	"I ''was'' claiming to be Sailor Europe." Rune shakes her head a few times, hair swishing softly. "No more. Someone who knows Sailor Moon and her friends better than I asked me to stop, because I was confusing others and might bring harm to them. So... I am no longer 'Sailor Europe.' If you need a name for me, then 'Rune', 'princess', or 'the Red Princess' will suffice." She shakes her head again, and this time looks down at the ground to avoid facing Coco. "Once people know information, it spreads. If I tell you who I truly am, there are others who will hear of it and do something I could never set right. She still isn't meeting Coco's gaze. "Therefore... I am lying to you. I am speaking nonsense and falsehoods, because it is the only way I can protect people. However, you may have solved my greatest problem! If these electric sockets do what you say, then I can...!" Rune stops talking with a sudden gasp, holding a hand to her own mouth as she realizes she said too much.
Coco Kiumi	Coco shakes her head. "You aren't lying ''to me''. Quite the opposite, you are actually honest and upfront, despite having reasons to not share your story." She moves over to give Rune a hug, though the is going to stop midway through if she perceives any sign of discomfort or Rune straight up tells her. Everything is fine, is the message Coco wants to give. "I understand, though being from Liechtenstein isn't enough of a cover story still. I suggest you start claiming to be some magical creature to explain why you are out of touch with human society. I think I remember you using wind powers. You could start claiming to be a wind elemental, and so not completely in touch with human society." "I am glad to be of help!", Coco smiles brightly. "Your dorm room at RHA should have a socket for you to charge your phone."
Runealy Waldia	Rune does nothing to prevent the hug. She blinks several times, and holds ''very'' still during it, but she does not try to push Coco away or slip out of the embrace. "I will add better lies upon my current ones, of course... but there is one thing you should know." Now she tries to pull out of the hug, staring at Coco with narrowed eyes and a sharp, low tone of voice. "I have no dorm room. I shall experiment with the electric charging sockets elsewhere, but I shall never have a dorm room. There are far too many people who would be in danger if I stayed here after class, so I will not do that! You have my thanks... you may well have solved my greatest problem. For now, however... I should depart." As usual, she uses fancier words than most normal people would.
Coco Kiumi	Coco blinks at Runealy's statement. Can she really be in such danger that it's better if she stays away from the school? She is rather skeptical at that. And the thought of Runealy living who knows where saddens Coco a lot. If she is living a life of secrecy, she can't be anywhere comfortable. That's what Coco thinks, at least. After undoing the hug, Coco tells her "I have a friend here at the school who is quite literally chased by hitmen, and I am the target of frequent kidnapping attempts myself, but everybody is still safe. Please reconsider your decision not to have a dorm room, it would be so much better for you." If she sees Runealy is still against it, Coco continues. "If you don't like that, I have another solution. I could buy you a place anywhere you would like. I have the money to spare." She stares at Runealy with a determined expression. She is quite serious about that.
Runealy Waldia	"That is a very kind offer, but... I cannot accept. It is not a matter of money, but protecting everyone. I know," Rune holds up a hand to delay any response, wanting to say more. "I know, that sounds absurd; what place could be more protected than one where all of Tokyo's defenders and their friends reside? Yet for all the lies I tell, and will continue to tell... this part is true: I have already found the best place to stay. In time, I will explain myself. Until then... thank you." She turns her back to Coco, and begins to walk for the shed door.
Coco Kiumi	The sadness as Runealy turns down Coco's offer still is quite palpable, however she says nothing. If that's her decision, changing it would be impossible. She just hopes to be wrong about her domicile. And as awkward as it is, they are going in the same direction, out of the shed, so Coco walks alongside her for a while. When they split as Coco heads to the dorms, the mermaid tells the other girl "Take care of yourself, Runealy."