2019-07-01 - It Was One Time
| Title: It Was One Time | |
|---|---|
| Summary: Westar is informed that Dark Fall has a new ally in Mikoto Minagi. He has questions. | |
| Who: | |
| Where: Akihabara Electric Town | |
| OOC - IC Date: 2019-07-01 - June 12th, 2019 | |
<Pose Tracker> Mikoto Minagi [Ohtori Academy (11)] has posed.
<SoundTracker> Nine Inch Nails - The Greater Good https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seXBoFSnw48
After her defeat at the hands of Cure Passion, Mikoto rests on the obsidian throne, her head lain safely in her Lord Brother's lap. She dozes, half out of sleep, black-glass dreams running through her mind. The warmth of other people doesn't seem to chase them away, any more, but that's okay. They're reminders of her happy youth, her Lord Brother's love.
But as she slowly wakes, comforted and in comfort, more recent memories start invasively seeping in. Those girls said so many things. Her eyes scrunch, lips pressing together. Half-asleep, it feels like there's something to those words she can't... quite... gras--
"Mikoto," she hears his gentle voice, feels his fingers stroking concern through her hair.
With a sleepy little noise, her eyes blink open, and she smiles up to him. She is love, love, love. What was she thinking about..? Her obsidian heart is so full, with the love she sees in his eyes, too.
She pushes herself up, leans against his side with the sluggishness of old slumber. Slowly, in the intimacy of silence, the question comes back to her. And when it does, there is a troubled little tint to her eyes, a breath drawn in and held for long moment. She looks down, to her fingers curled in against his jacket.
"Mikoto," he says again, softly, as his capable hand pauses in stroking her hair to tilt her head, gently guiding her gaze back up to his. He looks at her and she knows she is his world, focused with such concern on her and her alone. "What's the matter?"
Is anything wrong?, Mikoto has to ask herself, in the wake of his worry. Doesn't she know that her enemies will say things to hurt her and try to turn her blade aside? Enemies are enemies, he told her. She can't listen to them.
... but...
She finds her voice is meek, when she answers, fear that she has failed him. "They're our enemies," she ventures, uncertain. "... but... they said..." She can't quite manage to say what they said. It's too scary to approach.
He sees her pain; he feels every inch of it, concern written plain for her. "Oh, Mikoto," he sighs, the breath revealing to her how heavy the weight he carries. "They'll say anything to sway you. But they'd never accept us. Those girls will always fight what they cannot accept. You survived among them... I'm sure you saw it. They are very dangerous, Mikoto."
She can't deny it: there have always been some people they strove against, people they fought, even people they killed. Before the war, those people...
'Mikoto... look at me... in the eyes. ... we have the same eyes.'
'But I remember when /I/ opposed Pretty Cure and Puella Magi.'
Their words run through her mind, and the implication frightens her. His eyes are so gold; their eyes are so gold. She finds herself almost wanting to look away. She finds she can't, gaze flicking to the side of his face and centering back on him, him, him. She looks up to him, and her uncertainty is his.
"Mikoto," he soothes her, fingers stroking gently in her hair, "believe in me." It is a reminder of the commission which binds her, and the tension in her face softens.
"Yes, Lord Brother."
For long moments they are silent, as he gazes to her eyes. He is her world, too. There is nothing in existence but the glow of that gold.
Finally, he speaks, takes mercy on her confusion. "Against strong enemies," he explains, softly, "we must have strong allies, who will not be misled by the ones who oppose us. Do you understand, Mikoto?"
"Yes, Lord Brother," he asked and Mikoto must answer.
A smile crosses his face, before it fades to something more serious. "Who opposes the magical girls of Tokyo, Mikoto?"
It is only natural he would ask her; she fought alongside them for so long. (She thought she was one of them for so long.) She knows the answer. Her teeth press in against her lip, as she looks up to him, helplessly. He looks to her, gentle and expectant.
She knows the answer. She must answer. "... Dark Fall."
"Good," he praises her. Presses further: "Who are our allies, Mikoto?"
'I'm not good... but I'm not like Westar!'
Oh, she realises, warmth at the pendant by her chest. It dulls her gaze, dulls her protests, a hundred clashes with dark forces. "Dark Fall," she answers, again. "... we're Dark Fall." And that's why the magical girls can't accept them, she realises. That's why they oppose her - and her Lord Brother. It makes so much sense, now. That's how he knows they'll hurt them. That's why they're a threat.
He smiles his pride at her conclusion, and joy sparks in the morass of her heart, a fragile smile flickering over her face in turn. "Good," he murmurs. "Get along with them, won't you, Mikoto?" As if he has seen the conflict she struggles with: "These are people you don't have to fight."
Gratitude shines in her eyes, because he's still looking after her. "Yes, Lord Brother."
They have allies. They're not alone.
...---...
There are all sorts, in Akihabara on a Saturday: cosplayers and nerds of every variety. It's the sort of place someone could blend in - even if they're not dressed for the season. At least it's not so warm in the morning light, a light drizzle leeching away the heat of summer.
The young scion of Minagi sits under the broad umbrella of an outdoor cafe, the sort where every waitress has a themed outfit. It's hidden in an out of the way corner of the district; there isn't much traffic, back here. She likes it better that way.
If she finds someone, she'll give them a hard time. But no one can blame her if there's no one around, can they? It's not that she's neglecting her duties, she justifies it to herself. She's not avoiding it.
Us three, she thinks, out of nowhere.
Fine, she goes on to herself, exhausted. Maybe she's avoiding it a little. Her Lord Brother did warn her it would be hard. And she wants to make him happy, she really does. Making him smile is the most important thing in the world. It's just - everyone was so...
She really betrayed them, she thinks, gaze dropping to the half-eaten cake on her plate. It's delicious. No one could tell, with the morose look she gives it.
But even though she hurt them, so many still call her their friends. She couldn't even call Cure Passion's display vengeful. She was fighting her, but she didn't...
"I don't get it," Mikoto mutters, to herself. Don't they understand - she's their enemy?
Mikoto stabs half-heartedly at her cake with the western fork this cafe uses, scowling at it. She can remember their litany of destruction. She knows how dangerous her erstwhile friends are to her. Hurting them shouldn't worry her any more.
<Pose Tracker> Westar [Infinity Institute (U)] has posed.
Directive: Reclassify Earth entity designated 'Mikoto Minagi' as tentative ally of Labyrinth.
"...my foot she is."
The note had arrived just as every other official notice from Labyrinth - ornately sealed and delivered immediately and directly to Westar's present location.
At the time, that was his apartment, in his bed, landing directly on his sleeping face.
It's been some time since it arrived, and still he scowls at the contents. Northa's hand would be recognizable even without the signature, yet part of him really wants to disbelieve. With a sigh, he folds it back up, tucking it into a pocket of his cape.
In any other part of Tokyo, walking around with pale green hair and a billowing cape would get at least three magical girls challenging him within minutes. In Akihabara, it's Saturday, and he's gotten a dozen enthusiastic compliments already.
(The cape would normally get overbearing in summer heat. But after last summer, he learned to stick ice packs in it.)
Unfortunately, the enthusiasm is a double-edged sword. Wander as he might, he can't find any easy opportunities for misery - frankly these lunatics would probably cheer at the sight of a Nakewameke. Give it another few hours, and maybe it would be hot enough that something might work...but right now? Right now there's almost no potential misery to be found.
And yet, speaking of double-edged swords...
"...that's pretty good timing for Earth." He clenches one fist a bit, but steps across the cafe's boundary without hesitation. No point in waiting to be seated - he has a table in mind, and between his confidence and his arms the waitstaff seem content to step back and watch for the moment.
A shadow passes over the cake, a figure looming taller than the girl seated here. His arms are folded, and he glances between the girl there and what's in a nearby case. Present, difficult to ignore, but just out of stabbing distance...
"...not like us, huh?"
<Pose Tracker> Mikoto Minagi [Ohtori Academy (11)] has posed.
Capes are hot, but Mikoto doesn't stay out too long, so it's fine. She's not uncomfortable with the warm way her Lord Brother has dressed her. He just wants her not to get cold at home.
A sharper shadow joins the gentle one of the umbrella canopy, as someone joins her underneath it, out of the lightly-pattering rain. Mikoto frowns, irate but unhurried, as she turns her head to see who has the gall to interrupt her.
And then she has to look up, because she was expecting a tall girl, not a /very tall man./
... is this better, or worse?
For once, Mikoto doesn't reach for the strap of her sword-case, on seeing Westar. She remembers her Lord Brother's command, and she has no intention to cause trouble. But her lips press tightly together, because it wasn't so long ago she did intend to. It's not easy, seeing him now.
Then he asks his question. Her eyes widen, and she looks away, humming through her lips. Perhaps she's ashamed she didn't realise it. But, then, she'd never have listened to an agent of Dark Fall, telling her she was just the same. ... because, she thinks, magical girls don't listen to them.
"I didn't know," she insists. "Didn't remember." She thought she was like them. She tried so hard to be like them.
A breath puffs through closed teeth, and she clicks her tongue against it in frustration before she returns her attention to Westar. And here she says, perhaps, the most unlikely thing in the world: "... Westar was right about me. I should've listened."
Because she is good, and she is like Westar.
<Pose Tracker> Westar [Infinity Institute (U)] has posed.
The fleeting sunshower pitter-patters down onto Westar's head, the patio umbrella offering no respite to those who stand clear of its protection. The Executive himself seems unperturped, however; months and months of Soular stealing his umbrella on stormy days has inured him against the sorrows of rainfall.
He's like a boulder as he waits for an answer. The answer is memory, apparently, a statement answered in turn with a noncommittal grunt. The following statement is clearly a surprise, though,, the Executive taking a step back as his eyebrows shoot up.
"...I was right?" A fleeting joy is ruthlessly squashed, however, as he returns to that same looming glower. "Well. That just goes to show..."
Maybe a frown, instead, as he considers the girl. "Hang on. So you're working with us now...but before, you were helping them. You said you didn't remember which side you were supposed to be on...but you were still that ruthless?"
Westar starts pacing. Unlike some, he never got the memo about intimidating circling, so instead he just walks back and forth, muttering aloud. "How's that work, anyway - are you going to do more or less of that whole..."
Awkwardly, he gestures to the sword-case.
<Pose Tracker> Mikoto Minagi [Ohtori Academy (11)] has posed.
Mikoto frowns, fingers tightening around her fork. She remembers telling Eri enemies must be defeated; remembers telling Kasagami she was not merciless enough to be King; remembers telling Chitose murder was her best option.
She takes in a breath; she nods, scowling, with a quiet little grunt.
How did she not realise just how different she was..?
... maybe she didn't want to realise.
Westar starts pacing, but Mikoto is secure enough in her own power to stay seated. Or maybe she's trying to avoid problems; awkward as this situation is, misunderstandings happen. He's muttering, but her ears are sharp enough to listen anyway. It's a shame. If she couldn't hear him, she might not have heard him cut to the core of the issue a second time.
Mikoto hums, unsettled, as her eyes fall on Miroku again. Miroku, who cries out for bloodshed, who is designed to kill.
Just like her.
And now she knows it - now she really, truly knows it, the way she never could before - and there's something else, too.
That boy... he...
Perhaps the long silence is unsettling, too, as Mikoto deals with her discomfort. "... Lord Brother said I don't have to kill them," she says, finally. "I just gotta make them suffer." Those are her orders: it's easier to think about them.
Maybe it would be easy to leave it at that.
But people move like that when they're nervous, when they're unsure. And maybe there's still a part of Mikoto who wants to be understood with words, not just intuitively.
She's more hesitant, when she speaks again. "It'd be easier... if I was like that. I have to, think about it, all the time. Remember, to think. So I talk to them. 'Cause I have to think about it." Her fingers rub at the fork, quiet for a moment. "It's just... I wanted one of them dead. I got what I wanted... but, by then I remembered what I'd done, and... I didn't want it no more. I think... that's why my Lord Brother let me do it this way. I just... couldn't afford to, know how sad killing was. I guess if I did, I would've remembered..."
Mikoto really shouldn't be so sad around someone who deals in sorrow. She shakes her head, biting at her lip for a moment, pushing aside those complicated feelings.
"If my Lord Brother decides it's best way to hurt them," she says, firmer now, "I won't hold back. But if they think they can still reach me, they'll suffer more, won't they?" It's a convenient sort of justification. Maybe that's what she tells herself. "I've learned they draw line at killing. Everything changes when someone dies. So, that's why..."
Her lips scrunches, eyes blinking shut for a moment. They were her friends, she thinks and does not say. The fighting was supposed to be over. She was supposed to...
She desperately does not want to kill Eri again.
"... that's why," she says, instead.
<Pose Tracker> Westar [Infinity Institute (U)] has posed.
Westar's mutterings were always meant at least for a giant monster's ears; he might not have been as quiet as he thought he was.
It's an awkward situation, regardless, and the mystery that is HiME Mikoto Minagi sits before him with unfinished cake. Someone fighting against Labyrinth, but with a willingness to kill - she's not unique, but is certainly rare. Understanding people is difficult, but maybe...
And then in a handful of sentences, Mikoto's change of heart is made clear.
Westar's footsteps slow to a halt, and he looks at Mikoto with his head tilted. There's elaborations, of course, and some of them are even useful tips. The core of everything is clear to him, now. The most important decision that Mikoto has made is understood.
"So in short...someone finally started giving you orders properly. Good. Sounds like this 'Lord Brother' guy is doing a better job than whoever you were listening to before."
The tragedy of death is something that, officially, Westar isn't supposed to contemplate. At most, unnecessary waste of resources is meant to be avoided. He...might be a little more tentative than intended there. Maybe.
Flimsy justifications always were flimsy.
He takes a few steps away from Mikoto, looking out over the outdoor cafe's fence. A moment, considering the city, considering everything that was said. Then an answer, without facing her directly.
"...you'll fit in just fine. People who die can't produce sorrow or misery or suffering, which makes killing...wasteful. My orders are to gather as much of those things as I can, so the line they want to draw works out for me." He drums his fingers on the fence, hesitating again, then turns to face her.
"Glad you're on board for now. You do your thing, I'll do mine, and hopefully we won't have any more problems. Just...don't expect much working together in this group, not like you used to have." He frowns. "Learned that the hard way. So yeah. Good luck with all that suffering, and listen to that 'Lord Brother' of yours. Sounds like he's got good advice."
With a flourish of his cape, he turns to walk away, leaving behind girl, sword, and cake. A thought strikes him on his way out, though, and he turns for one last parting word.
"And no more dropping trees on me or my allies, you hear me?!"
<Pose Tracker> Mikoto Minagi [Ohtori Academy (11)] has posed.
Mikoto isn't a /giant/ monster.
(Especially compared to Westar, she's actually very small.)
Perhaps it isn't surprising, that someone like her can offer workable advice in misery; she is well-bred and finely crafted. More than that, she is inside their hearts, where their blood should be. She learned so much - how did her Lord Brother put it? - surviving with them.
A lot of the things she learned were good. Some, less so.
Westar comes to understand her explanation, and the truth behind it. Her tension relaxes when he reaches his conclusion; the only correct conclusion. "We're family," she says, smiling up to him, as if it explains everything: why her Lord Brother knows how to consider her feelings, why his orders are good and right and just.
It's nice to hear /someone/ appreciate her Lord Brother's assistance. The girls say such awful things about him. She hates that most of all. How could they insult him like that? He's the most important person in the world.
Westar steps away, and gives some hard-earned advice of his own. This time, Mikoto is listening. "Thanks," she says, and she means it. "I will. Let's get along, Westar." That's what her Lord Brother told her to do, after all.
But perhaps he doesn't quite understand who Mikoto's family really is, and they're allies, so she clarifies as he turns: "Westar might know my Lord Brother as the Obsidian Lord."
That might have been the end of it, if Westar didn't turn around. For a moment Mikoto's face is stricken, as she remembers what she did to Yumi. Sadness floods her eyes, as she is confronted with the danger she can pose even to the people she loved.
She can't accept that sadness; she can't feel that regret. She pushes it aside with anger, angry Westar would linger on the past, angry he would assume she'd go against her Lord Brother's wishes to hurt her allies, angry Westar made her feel bad. After a moment of stunned silence, she yells after him:
"ONE TIME!"
