1241/Study Buddies

Study Buddies
Date of Scene:	21 March 2016
Location:	Pikarigaoka/Uminari City - Hikawa Shrine
Synopsis:	Utau uses a study session as a front to meet with Mikoto and discuss how to help Ikuto.
Cast of Characters:	Utau Hoshina, Mikoto Nakajima

---

Utau Hoshina has posed:
    The Hikawa shrine is one of the most peaceful places Utau knows. With the abundance of greenery on the land, it's also easy to hide from the general populace, including certain Easter officials that she'd rather be rid of. For now at least, she is safe and thankfully the place does not seem to be busy this evening which will work just fine for her purposes.

    Through her connections with Easter and Eclipse, she had found a way to get a message on Mikoto's cellphone, albeit a deliberately vague and carefully construed message. Quite simply, she had pretended to be a friend who was expecting to meet Mikoto for a study session under the old Sakura tree in the center of the park behind the shrine.

    Having included a false name, Dutau Loshina, and a simple message, 'Looking forward to meeting your boyfriend', she was hoping it was enough of a clue as to what this was really about.

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto was in her dorm at Infinity, changing out of her school uniform and getting ready for an afternoon of working on her Great Big Pile O Spaceship Wreckage, when the text message came in. She'd already made plans to ditch her friends for the day - doing that way too often lately, you know, they're going to think you've joined a cult or something.

She's never been to the shrine before, but it's fairly popular, and not too hard to google directions. So she dresses up fairly nicely - black slacks and jacket over a royal blue blouse - and of course Carnwennan's amulet form, hanging like a pendant around her neck. Just to play a hint to the spy game, she adds a violin-shaped pin to her jacket lapel.

And then it's time to head out there. Given who she's meeting - and the code is rather obvious to her - she goes by the regular city bus, rather than private car.

The private car will be for 'Uncle John' and Hikari, who will be keeping an eye on the meeting site in case any goons have followed Utau, or something else stupid happens.

She arrives at the shrine, soon enough, along with the regular crowd on the bus, and walks calmly up the stairs. John and Hikari are already there by this point, of course, and she pretends not to notice them as she makes her way through the crowds to purchase a good-luck-in-romance charm, before heading around and into the park.

Utau Hoshina has posed:
    In spite of her best efforts, taking the public transit, then walking a few stops down to get to the shrine, her bodyguards are probably indeed around here somewhere, searching for her. Utau had managed to slip away at some point and had made it to the appointed place.

tOf course, she's got some text books and note books spread out on a little picnic blanket, along with some punch and sandwhiches. If she's going to be having a study session, might as well make it a convincing one.

    She's dressed in her school uniform, looking ready for a good math grind. As usual Iru is sitting next to her, stuffing her face.

    Every so often, she glances around, noting that her 'aunt' and 'uncle' are still lurking around, but a few other people pass by to buy the odd charm or make a prayer. And there, she sees the girl she's looking for.

    Utau peers at her for a while, before looking back at her book, not wanting to attract too much undue attention. The old sakura tree is not hard to miss, being the biggest and oldest tree in the shrine.

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto's phone buzzes, and she takes it out to reply to a seemingly-innocuous text. It's actually 'Uncle John' and Hikari letting her know about the extras hanging around. So it looks like Utau didn't quite get away from her minders after all. That will mean she'll have to be discreet, in case they have some way to listen in on the pair.

Well, it isn't as if she hasn't already committed herself to the long game. She spends a couple of minutes looking around the park, then spots Utau under the sakura tree, and ambles on over there. Putting on a show of being entirely casual, no sense of urgency or worry. Nothing to hide.

Shortly enough, she arrives, and sinks down to sit on the edge of the blanket. "It's a pleasure to meet you again, Hoshino-san," she opens. "A chance to study with a good friend is always welcome." There's a very slight stress put on the word 'friend', almost unnoticeable. "Thank you for inviting me."

She sets her satchel down, pulling out her own math book, and opens it up to the current week's topic. "What would you like to start with?"

Utau Hoshina has posed:
    She glances up as the girl joins her, noting out of the corner of her eye that the bodyguards are still lurking around but heading back down the steps. Probably checking to see if she took the bus back, but they'll likely be back soon. They're pretty smart afterall, and one would have to be, given the many times she's succeeded in shaking them off in the past.

    Nakajima-san. Good to see you again. I guess I stayed up too late at the dance party, and now I've fallen behind in my studies." A forced smile is given. She was never really good at these. Still, she opens her mathematics textbook, and Mikoto may notice that there are lined looseleaf pages in there, and a pen. Well, that's one way to communicate without being overheard, especially if Utau got bugged or something.

    "We can start with mathematics. Did you bring your textbook?"

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto nods, her own light smile gracing her face. "Of course, of course." She pats the book in front of her, and - noticing your own extra papers - takes a notebook from her bag. "The dance was certainly fun, and well worth attending, though. I was glad to see you there."

She starts to write something on the page, but apparently her pen doesn't work, so she sets it aside to get another. "Which section are you having trouble with?"

Once Utau has chosen a problem to work on, she'll work through it on the paper, angling it so you can see exactly what she's doing.

And so you can see the impressions the 'dead' pen left on the paper, invisible from more than a few feet away: Do you need an out immediately? Are you safe?

Utau Hoshina has posed:
    "Hmm, you know, I really hate math. I guess we should do these exercises here, starting with algebra? There's a test in two weeks, and the prof said it'd be mostly algebra equations, remember? Let me see.."

    She picks up the spare pen and scribbles something down, angling so that Mikoto in turn can see. 'I'm fine, don't worry about me. I need to give you something though.' Utau bites her lip as she continues to write. "Like this? Is that right?"

    Although pretending to write something on her exercise book, Utau slips a strange, unmarked envelope over to the other girl, then slips a blank page over it. "Here, 2x + 55y equals 100z? Then you go like this...Did I get that right? Subtracting this..And carrying this over?" She scribbles on her paper. 'From DL.'

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto nods, then points to the second question again. Are you safe?. "Yes, they're not exactly complicated. I've read some of the upper-year calculus books, now that gets interestingly complicated."

She tucks the envelope into the back of her textbook, keeping it covered by her notebook as she does so. "You've got the right idea, certainly. It's all about balancing the equations and isolating each variable so you know what they are in relation to each other. Then the guesswork starts."

She sketches out another problem, adding a brief note: How is he?

Utau Hoshina has posed:
    Utau frowns a bit at the next message she receives from Mikoto. Since when was she concerned about Utau's wellbeing? Utau's not really used to anyone caring about her wellbeing, outside of signing autographs or making music and being productive otherwise. But then, she doesn't really know Ikuto's girlfriend, and now's the opportunity to get to know him better.

    She simply nods slowly, scribbling something else. 'I'll survive. I'm strong. But Ikuto is very tired..They work him too hard.' When Mikoto mentions reading upper-year books, she smirks, "Oh? That's good, then you can help me pass this test coming up. I'll bet you're really smart at this kinda stuff. But If I'm having this much trouble now, I dont want to know what calculus is all about.."

    Utau sighs, scribbling some more notes. "Kind of like this, then..? I think I'm getting the idea. So if I want to find out what x is..I just pull it over here.." She nods towards the card. 'Read it. He left you a message.'

    Should Mikoto open the envelope, she will find the following: An autograph card with a picture of DL playing violin on the front, and on the back, the following is written:

    The support of fans like you has never FAILED to TAKE my breath away. I hope you'll always support ME, and I'll look for you DOWN in the audience! Let's make this happen together, PLEASE.

    It's written in Katakana. Since when does Ikuto ever write in Katakana?

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
A nod answers Utau's written note, and Mikoto pauses for a brief moment. "It's not that bad. It's all about curves, really, and calculations involving them. It's huge if you go into physics or engineering at all... maybe not so much in music, I guess, but I think even in that, you'll be forced to at least take a semester or two of it once you're in college."

She watches Utau work through the next problem, nodding, and then hmms at it. "I think you've got it, let me check something." She flips to the back of her textbook to 'look something up', letting her eyes linger on the card while she is apparently checking the index.

"Hmmm, yes. I did remember that one right. It's a little simpler if you try it this way," and then she shows you a slightly different way to do it. Along with another note: 'In trouble again. Just like him. I need to meet him, please.'

Utau Hoshina has posed:
    Utau sighs, "Ugh, what do we need math for, anyway? It's making my head hurt. Let's take a break. I brought some food if you're hungry?" she points to the little picnic basket full of goodies: A big bottle of gingerale, a bunch of pre-made sandwiches of all sorts. A variety of colorful fruits and berries and nuts. Not a very elaborate picnic lunch, but it'll do.

    "Okay, I'll do my best and try to finish this problem while we eat." she scribbles on a notepad, pretending to work on her problem, frowning softly at Mikoto's note. "Hmm..This goes over there..." It takes her a while to figure out how to respond to this.

    'It'll be tricky. He's under lock and key. Always tired. Not sure what's wrong, or if can smuggle him out. But will try. Have any other messages for him?'

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto settles back to let Utau work, picking out a sandwich and taking a brief sniff. More to let Carnwennan's sensors check it for anything off, than to actually see what it is. She's not a very picky eater.

A few minutes later, the sandwich has been eaten, and the math problem solved. She leans over to take a look at it, her eyes skimming over the note, and then she goes over the problem. "Yes, you've got this part right. And here.... yes, that's right, too. I think you're getting the hang of this, even if it does end up giving you a headache."

She smiles a little and picks up the paper to write out something more. "Here," she says, "Try this one, let's see if you can do it again." Under the new problem is written, Sounds like they aren't trusting him. Any chance you could smuggle me IN?

Utau Hoshina has posed:
    Utau leans back against the tree, rubbing her temples as if she were getting a real headache. This whole situation is getting pretty complicated. And potentially dangerous. Not that she is a stranger to danger, but..If they dont play their cards right, it could end badly. Really badly.

    However, she's determined to make this work, for Ikuto's sake. "Hmm, oh I see. Like this..Ah! I think I've solved it.." She takes a hungry bite of her sandwich, and then doesnt stop until she's eaten the whole thing. Wow, she must be really hungry! Utau even chokes a little, before pouring herself a cup of gingerale, washing the whole thing down with it.

    "Ok.." She sighs, "I guess I'll try this one again.." She scribbles on the page with a slight frown on her face. ' 'It's possible to get you in. I could think up a disguise, have you working as a dancer in my next music video. However, getting out will be tricker. As for him..' '

    Utau pauses again, uncertain of how to solve this little problem. "Hmm, so I go like this..Subtract this one..Divide here.." scribble scribble. ' 'Trickiest part is catching him alone, always being guarded. But I know of a safe place in the building. Will need to talk to him. Are you in danger? Why?' '

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto waits patiently while Utau eats and works out the problem, then leans close to check her solution. And her answer. "You missed here," she points out a spot. "You need to do this to both sides in order to keep it balanced, and then isolate each one and combine them."

She works out the problem correctly, to show where it went wrong, and then adds her own note in reply. Still working on secure safe house. No danger to me. How tight is security? Guns? Youma? Wards?

That done, she settles back to pour herself a cup of gingerale, and sip it demurely while munching on some of the fruit and nut mix.

Utau Hoshina has posed:
    Utau nods again. "Oh! I see. Like this?" scribble scribble. "Did I get it right this time?" she peers down at Mikoto's notes and nods. 'High tech weapons. Lots of security cameras and guards. A few wards and detection devices. No youma, but the laboratory has x-eggs that can be used as weapons. Security is tight, but if you play your cards right, it'll be ok. Leave it to me. I need to discuss it with Ikuto first and see if I can shake off the guards. This will need time to work.'

    She takes another sip of gingerale. "Ahh. My head hurts. I think I need a break. Let's go..Stretch our legs." Glancing around, she notices out of the corner of her eyes that her bodyguards are nearing their picnic sight and it has her feeling a bit nervous. Might be time to book it or move camp, perhaps?

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto reads it quickly, then nods. "I think you've got this down enough for the test, at least. You probably ought to work another problem set or two, and check it against the answer key, just for practice... but yes."

She curls lithely to her feet. "I could use a little stretch, yes. Sitting like that for a while... I need to move."

She reaches down to offer Utau a hand up. Meanwhile, 'Uncle John' and Hikari are moving into position to cut off the bodyguard mooks, just in case they make trouble.

"So, what other subjects are you having problems with?"

Utau Hoshina has posed:
    "Ugh..I guess so. I just want to get this test over with. But I guess it comes with practice, doesn't it." She nods, smiles a bit even, as she takes the offered hand. Hey, Ikuto's girlfriend doesn't seem half bad. She at least, has passed Utau's first little test. But will she pass the next one? Will she prove to be strong enough to help her save Ikuto?

    Climbing to her feet, she notices again out the corner of her eye how some other people have moved to cut off her bodyguard and frowns, hoping they know what they are doing. Her bodyguards grin wickedly at Uncle and Aunt, pointing at their concealed guns and attempting to push past them anyway.

    Utau bites her lip, deciding to leave the picnic blanket and food where it is, to make it look like she intends to return to that spot, and begins to walk towards the shrine entrance. "Well..Mostly just math. I'm pretty good at the others, although some of the history is making my head spin. Perhaps we should leave that for another day, however. I'd like to explore this beautiful shrine. I think there's going to be a meditation session in the interior in a while."

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
John and Hikaru aren't intimidated by the guns - they've faced worse - but they pretend well enough, even if they just circle around to keep within sight of the girls, ready to intervene if needed.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea. And I find meditation really helpful... keeps my balance, helps me focus my thoughts..."

She walks along with Utau towards the shrine. "And I hear the miko here is pretty cute. A lot of the boys at school talk about her, at least."

Utau Hoshina has posed:
    "Hmm.." Utau winds slowly back to the shrine itself. She'd like to find a quiet place where she can actually speak to Mikoto freely, although it may be tricky with the bodyguards. When they see the girls stretching and leaving, they relax a bit, leaning against nearby trees, paying no more attention to John and Hikaru for the moment. They dont seem like a real threat afterall.

    "What do you know about the Miko of the shrine? I hear she's a little strange. Like she can find lost objects, or predict the future through visions. I guess..She must be pretty lonely." Utau can relate to that.

    "Yes, meditation can be calming. I have not tried in a long time. Perhaps you can give me some..Pointers? I believe the meditation room is in the main shrine, a few doors down."

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto would love to be able to speak freely, too. Writing everything down is clumsy, takes a long time, and leaves a record that someone could find. Which is why she's tucked both notebooks - and Ikuto's card - into the bag she keeps with her.

"I've never met her, to be honest. But I've heard some of those rumors, too." She hmmms softly.

"I'd be glad to help you out. Maybe if you tried meditating a bit before going on-stage, next time?" It seems like it would help, at least.

Utau Hoshina has posed:
    Utau nods, glancing around briefly, before stepping into the shrine. Its a few twists and turns through the main hall before they come to the meditation room. Often there are meditation sessions going on, but for now it's actually empty.

    However, she does not actually enter the room, knowing it's exactly where the thugs might look. Instead, she motions for Mikoto to join her in a private room a few rooms down. A little tea room perhaps.

    "Yes, I think I might try that." She slips into the little room, waiting for Mikoto to join her before closing the door. After she's sure they haven't been followed, she locks the door and starts checking her clothes for bugs. Those thugs always manage to plant a bug on her somewhere, but this time she seems pretty clean.

    "We have a little time to speak freely, but make it quick." her tone returnst to being a bit more curt, now that she has no need for the buddy-buddy facade.

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
There is, in fact, a session scheduled, starting in just a few minutes, but the room is empty now. Mikoto doesn't question when Utau walks right past it, but instead simply follows her to the private room.

Mikoto nods and lifts her hand to have Carnwennan run a quick scan for bugs. The Device will probably be much more reliable than a manual check.

"My people can try to delay them, but they'll only buy us a few minutes," she adds. "Just how bad is he, really?"

Utau Hoshina has posed:
    Utau doesnt realize she is being scanned but seems to feel safer here, at least for a moment or two. "Your people? Who exactly ARE you, anyway?" It's a question she's asked the other girl plenty of times before, and when she has asked it, it was more than just the girl's name she was looking for.

    She folds her arms loosely, looking a bit tense, a bit guarded - a sharp contrast from earlier. "I understand that you and my brother have some sort of relationship going on, but I want to make it clear that I dont want him to get hurt because of you either. All those shenanigans earlier were because I understood his need to communicate with you, nothing else."

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
"Who am I? I am the last person Easter should have annoyed." Mikoto smiles a slow little smile. "There isn't a whole lot of time right now to explain, but I have my own connections. Think 'Nakajima Heavy Industries', if nothing else."

She isn't going to mention her own powers right now, she doesn't trust Utau that much just yet. But she's willing to give a little.

"Please trust me, Hoshino-san. I'm doing this for Ikuto's sake. And because he wouldn't walk away from them without you."

Utau Hoshina has posed:
    Utau peers intently at Mikoto for a few moments, trying to connect the dots it seems. Clearly this girl has higher up connections and perhaps that is where she gets her confidence from. But she cant help but feel there's more to Mikoto than meets the eye. She's pretty smart, pretty confident..And who were those pair that seemed to be keeping an eye on her bodyguards?

    "I see. Seems we have more in common than I realized. Then you must be the heir to a powerful corporation." However, she is right, they dont have much time to delve into each other's histories and get to know each other. Time is of the essence and those thugs may return at any moment. Furthermore, Utau needs to work out a plan to rescue Ikuto. Mikoto may well hold the key to that plan.

    She is surprised however, when Mikoto talks of Ikuto's loyalties towards Utau.

    "Really..?" Her gaze softens some, "He feels that way..?" how strange, he was always so very distant towards her. But if she is to believe Mikoto..No, she'll think of that later. "Then let's get down to business. You want to infiltrate Easter, so you can talk to Ikuto? It will be tricky, but as I said, I might be able to work something out for you. However, Ikuto is often very weak and tired, and when he's not, he vanishes for long periods, and is always accompanied by guards. I may be able to get him alone for a short while, but it will cause suspicion, unless we had some sort of distraction.."

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto gives Utau time to think for a moment, and seems to be pleased by the result. "He does," she assures the singer. "He's your brother."

She listens, then, and nods. "The timing will have to be perfect," she agrees. "And whatever they're up to with him... you saw how he was at the concert, yes?" Like a zombie...

"Whatever they're doing to him, it's probably worse than we think."

Utau Hoshina has posed:
    Ikuto really cares about her. It makes Utau smile, if just a little. "..Thank you. I needed to hear that. Sometimes it's not so clear to me." And it makes her all the more determined to make this work.

    "I have an idea, I think. You can leave the distraction up to me. It should buy you time. But you will need to slip him a message, letting him find you during the chaos. But, it will be hard getting information from him in his current state. I think..."

    She sighs, thinking back on her last encounter with Ikuto, shivering at the thought of what happened behind the scenes, "I think they enchanted his violin with some sort of energy to enable him to draw out X-eggs."

     In the same way that she does. Although Utau doesn't bother to mention that part, she already has enough enemies. "But it uses a lot of his energy and leaves him drained. At least that's what he told me. I'm afraid that's really all I know. But it's strange, he didn't even remember playing at the concert a few days after."

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto nods. It's always good to know that someone you care about, returns your feelings.

"I definitely saw something from the instrument during the concert. I'm not as intimately familiar with that sort of thing as some, but..." She shrugs.

The description of its effects on Ikuto, however, worry her. "That sounds like it might be..." She shakes her head.

"It must be draining him a lot," she concludes. "Are they letting him walk around the facility at all, or keeping him in a room?"

Utau Hoshina has posed:
    Utau nods slowly, "Yes. His violin glows when he focuses his energy on it. However, I'm still trying to figure out where they keep his violin when it's not in use. He was pretty out of it the last time I saw him, and I didn't want to push him too far." She clenches her fists now, looking really upset.

    "I cant stand the way they treat him! There must be a way to free him from their control, but even if he escaped, I am certain they would find a way to bring him back, or use me to get to him."

    Utau peers curiously at Mikoto as she suggests something but let's it drop. "Hmm?" she arches a brow, but shakes her head when Mikoto returns to the topic at hand.

    "He's like a prisoner, always accompanied by guards, they keep him in a cell I think, although I haven't quite figured out where. They had him in the infirmary the last time, where he's a little freer, but usually they keep him somewhere else. I will need to locate that violin, and his cell. It may be the key to all of this."

    Seems she has her work cut out for her, and this is becoming a lot more dangerous than she first envisioned when she promised to pass a message to Ikuto. She can hear noises outside, and it makes her nervous, "We have to hurry, Mikoto, are there any messages you want me to pass onto him, to alert him to our plan? Although he may resist the idea and try to stop us 'for our own good'."

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto nods. "We will get him out of there, and you as well. I promise you, as I promised him."

She takes mental noes as Utau describes the security on Ikuto, and nods. "The violin will have to be purified, or destroyed," she muses. "I'll have to see who I can get in touch with that can do that sort of thing." She might be able to talk Sailor Moon into helping, but it's not guaranteed.

"Tell him I love him, and he has my word, my promise, that I will get him and you free." She is utterly serious, here. She believes she can do it - is certain she can.

Utau Hoshina has posed:
    Utau nods, but says little about how she will escape this. If she decides to go ahead with her plan, she may not see the light of day again. "Then I will find that violin and free Ikuto, once and for all." amethyst eyes narrow in firm resolve and she simply turns and walks towards the door, unlocking it but pausing briefly before leaving. "I Will tell him so...Til next time." And then she flees.