2024-02-20 - Moving Forward
| Title: Moving Forward | |
|---|---|
| Summary: After some startling revelations, Raiko and Yumi take some time to reckon with it. Raiko invites Yumi over to her house to discuss how they move forward from there. | |
| Who: | |
| Where: Chofu Suburban District (Tama Outer City) | |
| OOC - IC Date: 2/20/2024 - Tuesday, May 17, 2016 | |
.****************************** Tama Outer City *******************************.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* Chofu Suburban District +*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Chofu was built on a vast natural terrace that reinforces the town against
the slope down to the sea. It has its own town limits, and it is large
enough that you can get anything you need without leaving them. It has
lovely houses and apartments, well-appointed town centers, and beautiful
green fields around it. But the Tama River that flows through and past Chofu
feeds into the main city, and the great splay-legged power lines that follow
its course at a safe distance link town to metropolis. This is and is not
Tokyo.
Just fifteen minutes (and a scant 230 yen) by high-speed rail from Shinjuku
Station, Chofu is one of the largest "bed towns" for central Tokyo. Most of
the people who live here work in the Special Wards, the short commute buying
them vastly cheaper, less cramped lodgings, though some maintain local
businesses. While this makes Chofu a suburb of inner Tokyo, it is certainly
still Tokyo, and the expansive lawns and sprawling development one envisions
when thinking of a suburb are not to be found here. Still, there are no
skyscrapers here, and freestanding houses replace the massive apartment
buildings of Tokyo.
Chofu's river banks host old-fashioned festivals that draw many from
surrounding areas at the proper times of year. In contrast, Chofu is also
home to the headquarters of JAXA, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency.
Though Japan is not yet involved in manned space travel, those interested in
Japan's satellite or other space-related technology can find ample materiel
for research or wrongdoing.
<Pose Tracker> Raiko Takashima [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
Raiko... has been doing a lot of thinking the past day or two. There was... well, a lot to take in, and she had almost gotten sucked into it that night at the hospital, but had pulled herself out of it by a need to take care of Yumi. Yumi had wanted to go to Mikoto's dorms for a couple of days to get away from things, and Raiko had been hesitant but accepted it, in the moment.
She /did/ make absolutely clear that Yumi was, under no conditions, allowed to go confront her mother at home. With threats that she would be Very Cross if shedid.
Her own retreat from the dorms was to go back home, after filling Shori in on things and picking some stuff up from her dorm. Her first act had been to reinforce and strengthen the wards around her house, just to put herself at ease, and then for the rest of that night and most of the next day she had let herself wallow in thoughts with Shiori, trying to make sense of everything they had learned. And then...
She'd gotten to work.
First order of business: collect and isolate the book and the puzzle. The puzzle didn't like her, and Raiko was fine with that. She didn't like it either. She'd have preferred to shove them into a pocket dimension, hopefully never to be seen again, but they proved too magical for that. So plan B was to stuff them in a box, lock it, and then enchant the lock.
The main thing was to try and keep them from influencing Yumi until they could figure out what was going on.
Next was to sit down and start making plans. Real, actual plans, not just wallowing in the doom and gloom of it all. Clear, actionable steps to address the myriad issues this presented. And she had been working on plans until she'd gotten word from Yumi that she was ready to talk.
A quick trip to a nearby restaurant, and she had several containers of take-out curry, with plenty of sides and drinks for herself and Yumi, and a couple of fish for Shiori and Tama.
She was curled up on her couch, dressed in a skirt and t-shirt, trying to keep her mind occupied until Yumi arrived.
<Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.
There was a lot to take in indeed, but Yumi needed rest, and she needed rest somewhere away from her usual haunts. Mikoto took her away for that, and Yumi trusts Mikoto. When she woke up the next night, after a long day of emotional exhaustion, she'd texted Raiko:
>Definitely not going home. Don't worry. Will come to see you tomorrow. Can we go to your house? I'm not ready to go to the dorms yet.
The puzzle, indeed--didn't and doesn't seem to like anyone touching it but Yumi or with Yumi's permission. But the book is only a book, and while it won't be held without more specialized magic, it at least doesn't have super bad vibes to send.
Yumi arrives on time; she's in some of her usual clothes, a green dress and a light jacket over it, with flats. "Raiko-chan?" Yumi says, after she knocks.
Tama is there, too; she had a chance to catch up with Yumi, and is quietly standing next to the young witch.
<Pose Tracker> Raiko Takashima [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
> I'm already here and cleaning up.
The house is a compact two-story with a small footprint. Where other people might say 'cramped', Raiko's grandfather had always preferred cozy, and somehow they had made it work for the two of them for as long as Raiko could remember.
There was a quick shout of "Coming!" and Raiko rushed to the door. She's in a white t-shirt with the logo for some magical girl show on it, a blue skirt, and plain white socks. When she opened the door to see Yumi there she rushed forward and pulled her into a tight hug. "Yumi-chan!" She stayed in the hug for a moment if Yumi let her, then stepped back inside. An implicit invitation, but not an explicit one.
"Hi, Tama. I got food for all of us. Shiori's here, too. It's all in the kitchen." She turns to head that way.
Shiori comes strolling out of the kitchen at that. "Hello, dear." She's much calmer now than she was, but she still shows signs of stress, but she's mostly calm. Tama gets a respectful nod of acknowledgement.
Raiko's stressed too, but she's been dealing with it by keeping busy doing things.
<Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.
It's cozy! Cozy is a good word for it.
Yumi hugs back, and does indeed let Raiko linger. There's a sigh, then--she still looks... fatigued. That's the word for it; she looks like this sometimes when she's in the hospital, but she's not going there right now, and she's able to walk around under her own power, anyway.
"Thanks," Yumi says about the food, and follows.
"Good," Tama agrees. "And good day."
hiori strolls out, and Yumi waves, following Raiko to the kitchen, as Tama pads over to Shiori.
"Raiko has informed you?" Tama confirms, seriously and not ungently. "I've been out getting in touch with some of our contacts--checking movement. ...There's no sign of her minions acting just now."
<Pose Tracker> Raiko Takashima [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
Raiko honestly can't blame Yumi for being fatigued. She would be too, in Yumi's shoes. She does worry about Yumi's health, but... she trusts Tama to steer her there if it becomes truly necessary.
The kitchen, like the rest of the house, is Also cozy. A few appliances on one side of the kitchen, and a table on the other side, with several large windows for light from the back corner of the house. There's plenty of room for 2 people to sit, though. There's several bags of food there, still steaming hot, and Raiko quickly gets to work unpacking them and setting out places for both her and Yumi, and once that's done, she gets some fish out for Tama and Shiori.
"There's plenty, so... eat up!"
She's definitely trying, a little, to put on a brave face, and also compensate for things by keeping busy. But she's nowhere near the bad state she was in when Yumi and Raiko first met.
Shiori nods to Tama. "Yes, Raiko and I have been discussing the situation at length. She has reinforced the wards on the house, and we have done our best to sequester the book and the... puzzle." But no signs of her minions moving... Shiori nods. "That is good. Perhaps She--" Shiori would rather not say either of The Hungry Queen's names in front of a distressed Yumi "--is keeping them on a tighter leash, after..." After the stunt Conflagria pulled.
<Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.
Tama will accept fish--but only after she confers with Shiori. First, she looks at her sister familiar and then inclines her head. Her tail flicks lazily in thought. "Wise. While the book seems to be safe... the puzzle I have suspicions about. Especially given the dreams that Yumi described, in light what we now know."
Yumi grimces and takes a seat. "Thanks, Raiko-chan," she says for the food. "I'm really hungry."
She does notice that Raiko is having a hard time, so, "...You don't have to go too hard, though. I'm okay, really. Tired, but... I'm not going to just do as she wants. Even if she is my mother."
A pause. "...But I'm sorry. I didn't now... I was linked. That means the trouble my family has caused yours..."
Tama's ears flatten, but in what may be a surprising move--she looks to Raiko, rather than immediately retorting.
<Pose Tracker> Raiko Takashima [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
"Yes. Raiko described that the puzzle was... displeased, shall we say, with her handling it. I presume the feeling is mutual." The dreams... Shiori nods. "They may contain portents of what is to come."
Raiko nods. "Gotta keep your strength up, right, Yumi-chan?"
She blushes a little as she's called out, looking down at her bowl. "Is... it that obvious?" She fidgets with her spoon for a moment, stirring a bit. "I'm just... it helps me to have my hands busy, instead of sitting around not doing anything."
She looks up, then, blinking. "Wha--But, that was your mom, not you! You've been amazing, and supportive, and I'm not gonna blame you for any of this. Because--" she pauses for a moment, struggling with how to phrase something. "There's more to family than just... who you're related to by blood, you know? You don't get to pick that. But I think the family that you pick matters more than the one you get by chance."
"Anyway... you were there for me when I needed someone really badly, and... I'm gonna make sure you can lean on me now, Yumi-chan."
Shiori blinks a little, sharing a glance with Tama and making note of Tama's own reaction. She looks back to her witch and quietly comments, "Well-spoken, dear..."
<Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.
"They do," Yumi says quietly. Of her dreams. "I understand them better, now. They were showing me what to expect. ...The sort of power I could expect."
Yumi smiles when Raiko says to keep her strength up--and when she fidgets, too. "It's only obvious because I know you," she says. But Raiko has--a lot to say, actually. Yumi is surprised, at the way she phrases that. At the way she says it...
"...I'm not so sure," Yumi says, "Family is... The family by blood is important. I can't ignore that."
"...But it's nice, to remember that my friends--my covenmate--that you're important too."
"So okay," Yumi says. "I'll... try not to think like that. Instead of feeling bad, I'll just try to rely on you. Okay?"
Tama closes her eyes, slowly. "Just so," she says. "While I think your ideas are a little more advanced than the traditions Yumi is used to..."
"...It is true that some family, at least, is chosen. The pact of the coven; the bonds of adoption, or marriage."
"Marriage..." Yumi sighs. "My life did kind of blow up though," she admits. "I don't know what I'm going to do. I mean, I know what I shouldn't do. But..."
"Everything I was planning was based on my family..."
<Pose Tracker> Raiko Takashima [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
"The Hungry Queen's kind of power?" Raiko asks quietly.
"I guess we have gotten to know each other pretty well," Raiko says with a small smile.
"It's important, yeah, but... you don't have to be defined by it," asserts Raiko. But there's a bigger smile and a firm nod when Yumi says that her friends are important too.
"You can feel bad, it's... probably not good to pretend this isn't bad news, but... you don't ahve to feel responsible for what happened to my grandfather, okay? I'm not blaming you, so you shouldn't either."
"You can count on me, Yumi-chan!"
"Yeah!" enthuses Raiko to Tama's statement about choosing family. "We're covenmates! Well, I mean, I guess we sort of are just because of the staves, but... even if I hadn't been picked to be the Witch of Wise Levin, I... I still would've chosen you as... a coven sister." Or possibly just a sister, but maybe now's not the time to say that.
"This is certainly a complication, dear, but..." says Shiori. "You have strong friends who will stand by your side and support you in your time of need."
Raiko scoots her chair over next to Yumi's and brings her dinner with her, and leans over to give her a side hug. "Then we'll figure out new things to do for yourself."
<Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.
"Yeah. That's what she wants, Mikoto and I figured out. The reason she's 'leaving it up to me'," she says. "Instead of just... using her powers to force it, or something. She wants me to take over the family. It's just... It's not the family I thought it was. Or it's not the... Well, you know what I mean."
Right?
She smiles back; it's not a big grin or anything, but it is real.
"I'll... remember that. Both of those things." Not being blamed, and that she can count on her.
"You still chose the path. You could've walked away, remember? But you wanted to help me." She smiles. "So I believe you."
Strong friends...
Yumi leans back against Raiko. "Okay," she says. "I'll... figure that out later. It's not like Mother's pulling me out of school or anything, so I can still figure that out."
"...It explains why she's been so distant the past year or so, though..."
Tama doesn't add much, here; she just hops up to a high place, thoughtful. "I'll eat as well," she says. "But... I have a lot to consider, as well. This frankly shouldn't be possible. And I'm still figuring out why it is."
<Pose Tracker> Raiko Takashima [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
"What if she can't force it...?" says Raiko quietly. "Lots of stuff in magic works on will and intent, right? Like, you can't use mind control to make someone enter into a magically binding oath--" She pauses, and looks to Shiori. "... Right?"
Shiori shakes her head. "No, dear."
"Okay good. Anyway... remember what Mikoto said, when we found the book? That it was for tempting? I'd wondered for a long time why Conflagria would tell her that..."
Raiko bites her lips and frowns. The subject of Mikoto brings up some unpleasant things to discuss, and she shares a concerned look with Shiori.
The familiar catches the look and sighs, then gives a slow nod.
"That's true... so I guess in a way I chose to be your coven sister, then." Raiko considers that for a moment and then smiles. That's a nice thought. "And I still do. Shiori and I have been discussing a bunch of things, and, well... I think one of the first things I need to do is tell the Magic Association that I'm a magical girl now."
"It's okay to take your time to figure that out, I think." But not being pulled out of school... "Okay. Um... if you ever want to go to a place that isn't your dorm, you can always come here. I tried to reinforce the wards on the house to make it safer."
Raiko gets up and places the fish in the high place for Tama, and then Shiori picks a second high place for her meal.
"There is much we do not know," comments Shiori. "If we could locate Kenji, his assistance would be most valuable to us."
<Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.
"Yeah," Yumi says. "If she wanted me to be her servant, she could definitely force it--Conflagria managed to trick us like that, and she's not half as powerful as the Hungry Queen. But... If she wants me to be the next Queen, then..."
"Then she wouldn't be able to force it, yeah."
For tempting... Hmmm. "I think... The book I'm going to want back," she says. "Running away from understanding Conflagria almost got us all really hurt. If I'd tried to understand her sooner, maybe things would be different. Maybe she wouldn't be dead now."
"The better we understand our enemies, the better we can fight them. But..."
She shakes her head. "I don't want what that puzzle is offering." Then, she smiles. "I'm glad, too. And..."
"I think that's a good idea," she says. "Telling the Magic Association. We need all the allies we can get. And I'll... remember that, too. The dorm should be safe--the Association sees to that--but I... I didn't want to go back, yet."
"But I thin you're right, Shiori. That's our next priority. We find him, and see if he can help."
"Better than waiting for her to strike again, right?"
<Pose Tracker> Raiko Takashima [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
Raiko sits up straighter as Yumi mentions wanting the book back. "I've been thinking about it a lot. I think we should study it, but... I think that I should be with you when we do, and that we shouldn't leave it with you. It..."
Raiko looks down. "Yumi-chan, I said that I would still pick you as a coven sister, and I mean that. But... you're also linked to The Hungry Queen, so... we should take that into account when making decisions."
She hesitates a moment more and then says, "... That goes for Mikoto-chan, too."
She doesn't feel great about saying it, and Shiori doesn't look pleased either, but it's something they've given a lot of thought to together, the last couple of days.
"Conflagria... I dunno if she ever would've gotten what she wanted... It's kind of sad, but... she made her own choices, too...."
"That puzzle really doesn't like me," admits Raiko. "I'm really worried it might have some kind of hold on you, or a link of some kind... but we definitely need to understand The Hungry Queen better."
"Not just allies," comments Shiori. "But also resources and information. If we are to understand our enemies, we will need to avail ourselves of every advantage we can get."
"Shiori and I have also discussed making sure that we're at our full capacity," says Raiko. "I need to empower Shiori, and make a new broom."
<Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.
"...I'm not going to run away," Yumi says. "And I'm not going to be handled with kid gloves, either." She's very insistent about that. Especially since, "And Mikoto didn't know what she knew. I'm not going to treat her any differently."
A pause. "If I were going to be 'influenced', I would've been by now." Yumi says this quite seriously. "...But I'm willing to study it with you, too; it's part of where I got the power to face Conflagria the last time, remember? I got it because I was studying that book."
"No, she probably wouldn't have. But I could've acted differently. And that matters to me."
She pauses, "The puzzle probably does have some link. But it's fine, we'll keep that locked away unless we think of a way to use it, together. I have a lot less interest in being with the puzzle alone, considering that talking with Tama, it was definitely meant to influence me."
Resources, and information...
"I agree," Yumi says to Shiori, as Tama continues to listen for now. But Tama does chime in, "Good. We'll need to arrange that as soon as it's safe and possible for you to do so."
<Pose Tracker> Raiko Takashima [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
Raiko looks up to Yumi. "I'm not saying to run away, and I'm not saying not to do stuff, I'm just saying..." She sighs. "Look, there's a lot that we don't understand yet. We can't just ignore that there might be some trap, or a connection, or something. That puzzle still has a connection to you, right? And... Conflagria was intent on taunting Mikoto-chan with information about the book. What if it goes deeper than that? Don't you owe it to her to and to yourself to at least consider the possibility that there might be problems to address?"
She looks up to Yumi again. "I know the book helped, I'm just saying... I want to be extra careful with it now, knowing what we know."
They could have acted differently. "Yeah, I guess you're right... I still think about what Conflagria said to us the last time... it still doesn't sit right with me."
"We did manage to discuss some of the specifics today," comments Shiori. "On both of those matters. But we will proceed with all due haste."
<Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.
"Sure, there might be problems," Yumi allows. "...But it sounds like you were getting on the verge of not trusting me." She pauses, and considers how to phrase, "...Basically, I'm not saying there's no possibility of issue--we should go in with our eyes open. But at the same time, we shouldn't let it stop us moving forward at all."
"Being careful is one thing. Setting you up as my keeper is another thing completely. That's what I'm not willing to do. So, no more of this talk about keeping stuff away from me unless I'm on board with it."
"...Which thing?" Yumi wonders. "She said a lot of things."
Tama says, "Good, good. Let me know if I or my contacts can assist."
Yumi adds, "Me too. Let me know. I want to help, too. I'm not... some invalid that you have to 'look out' for. We're partners. Right?"
<Pose Tracker> Raiko Takashima [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
Raiko sits up straight. "Yumi-chan, the only people I might trust more than you are Grandpa and Shiori. I'm just... worried about you, that's all. I..." She blushes a little and glances away. "I spent a lot of time the other night just running through all sorts of crazy magic theories before concluding that I didn't know enough about dark magic to substantiate any of them."
"And I would stress, Raiko, that is a good thing," interjects Shiori.
"I know, I know, I just... don't want to lose you, that's all."
"Okay, okay, I won't keep the book. But I do want to look at it, too. Getting fresh eyes on it should help us look at the book from multiple angles, right?"
"That retribution is a hunger for vengeance..." It's hard to forget parting words like that. "You mentioned trying to understand her better, and... well... if e'd been able to react to her in a different way..."
Shiori nods to Tama. "I will."
And Raiko nods to Yumi. "Right."
<Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.
"...I'm sorry to have worried you," Yumi says more gently. "Shiori's right. It's not a bad thing that that's not your area. ...I do know a little more of them, so..." She gestures.
"Anyway cool. I will leave the puzzle here, though--I don't... Have any interest in what it has to show me, right now. Maybe, when we know more, that'll change. Do you think we should leave it here, behidn the wards?"
A faint smile. "We can look at it together," she says. "That I'm definitely on board with."
Pause. Retribution... "I'd say vengeance definitely is. ...So let's think about it. Let's analyze our own 'hungers'."
"But right now," Yumi says, "The biggest hunger I've got is the literal one... How about we eat before it gets cold?"
A pause. "Thanks, Raiko-chan."
<Pose Tracker> Raiko Takashima [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
"It's not you, it's just... this whole situation. Sorry, I'm just trying to keep my head on straight so I can face this head on." She glances to Yumi. "... Yeah, I know..." She's owrired that Yumi knows about that, but... right now they might need to try and work that to their advantage.
Raiko shakes her head. "I'm not so sure. Until we understand it better, that makes my house a potential target, and I'd rather not risk it long-term. We could ask the Magic Association to store it, but I dunno if they'll take the risk. But if we don't want to do that, or theyu don't want to take it... I say we bury it. Ward up the box as much as I can and dump it in the woods. Maybe find a nice sanctified area to do it in."
She nods quietly to the thought of considering their own hungers. "... Yeah..."
A small smile at that thought as she nods more enthusiastically. "Sure!" She leans in for another hug again. "You're welcome, Yumi-chan!"
