1267/Reading the Snake-Slayer

Reading the Snake-Slayer
Date of Scene:	25 March 2016
Location:	Verone Academy
Synopsis:	Tsubasa talks to Mamoru about Noise, about people, and eventually gets invited to a house-fixing party.
Cast of Characters:	Tsubasa Kazanari, Mamoru Chiba

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Tsubasa Kazanari has posed:
Although not entirely too keen on this whole co-operation thing, Tsubasa has to admit that she can't handle everything alone, and thus after some looking into things came to the conclusion that a certain 'Tuxedo Kamen' was a guy worth talking to.

So Tsubasa called him with her section 2 issued communicator, asking a little forcefully to meet her after school at a public spot that happens to be somewhat near Verone Academy. She didn't mention a name. At the indicated spot, one girl is leaning against the indicated tree, wearing a hoody drawn low. She's early.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
A public spot in the daytime. Well: because the request came over a Virtue communicator, the assumption is that his ID is already known by whoever's calling. This is handy, since a masked boy in a cape and formalwear is generally kind of an attention-getter.

A ridiculously tall hipster with an e-reader and fashionable glasses, completely out of any kind of uniform, meanders into Tsubasa's stakeout area while still reading. His steps slow, clearly finishing a paragraph-- and finally he shuts it off, feet already stopped in conversational distance of the girl against the tree, and he pockets it and bows slightly. "I take it," he says mildly as he straightens, faintly amused, "that the cloak and dagger is necessary? I should warn you that if you're looking to do something to me, it won't go well."

Tsubasa Kazanari has posed:
"Only for my comfort." Tsubasa answers, a Verone Academy high uniform peeking out from below the hoody. Which probably explains the choice of location, "If you'll indulge me." At the very least she's honest that it's probably not necessary.

She then proceeds to get to the point, "I trust you are familiar with many of the threats that the world faces." She starts, keeping her voice low enough to avoid drawing undue attention, she's also doing something weird with it, like she's deliberately trying to avoid her voice being recognized, "Have you ever heard of the Noise?"

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Mamoru pushes his glasses up and hooks his thumbs in his pockets; the faint amusement doesn't go away until Tsubasa gets to the point-- though the voice disguiser does actually make him have to suppress a grin. "You know," he says under his breath, leaning in a little, "there are areas of the school rooftop not covered by camera, and if we were up there in henshin, this would probably be a lot easier. Next time, maybe?"

Then he straightens up and shrugs a little, shaking his head. "I haven't. I mean, I've a passing familiarity with a number of threats, yes, but I also don't always know them by name-- and I've been out of the loop for about three months."

The Virtue boards, from the notice of his death -- which incidentally blew his ID -- to the notices regarding his tenure as a villain, and then the various reports stating his rescue et cetera, do give a pretty decent accounting of exactly how out of the loop he's been, but only if one digs specifically for it.

"What's the Noise?"

Tsubasa Kazanari has posed:
"Maybe." Tsubasa says in a rather non-commital tone of voice, she doesn't seem to think it's that important. So she moves on to the next part, yes she's read up on Mamoru, but she hasn't really bothered to dig through all the files. That didn't seem important at the time.

"Well to give you the short version" which coincidentally excludes certain classified elements, "The Noise are a kind of Youma, they strike unpredictably and with varying numbers, though even a small group of Noise numbers in the hundreds."

"They seem to be attracted by Phonic Gain, and they are very dangerous." Tsubasa takes a moment to get a file out of her school bag, handing it to Mamoru. It contains photographs of various kinds of Noise. "Any unprotected person will crumble to dust at their touch, and they cannot be affected by nonmagical attacks."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Reaching out to take the file, Mamoru lifts an eyebrow over his glasses at Tsubasa, looking down at her. Then his attention flips to the file itself, though he's clearly still listening as he scans the photographs. "So if you turn up the sound, they show up. They attack concerts? I know Moon was at an impromptu outdoor concert last fall sometime, and the performers were magical-- apparently at first she and the Cures who were there thought the band were actually youmas. That might be something to look out for, maybe you can recruit them."

His brows furrow as he flips through the papers. "But you're saying these actually kill people? Rather than just draining their energy. If you do mean musical or tonal volume by Phonic Gain, wouldn't mass deaths at concerts have shown up in the news even under a cover story?"

Tsubasa Kazanari has posed:
"Phonic Gain is music, in a sense, but it's music of a kind that magical power can be derived from it." Tsubasa clarifies what she means by that term, "We are still working out what exactly causes phonic gain, though we have been able to use it against the Noise, too."

She fishes a little red cracked crystal pendant out from below her hoodie, "This is Ame no Habakiri, an incomplete relic powered by Phonic Gain. Specifically, the Phonic Gain produced when a compatable girl sings." She shoves it back below her hoodie, "I have been wielding Ame no Habakiri against the Noise for years now."

Then, she starts considering the other things Mamoru says, "Thank you for mentioning those. I'll look into it, as for concerts. They are a common target" Especially Tsubasa's "but we are aware and are constantly scanning for their signature waveforms. Most of the time we manage to stop them with minimal casualties." Most of the time is not all, and minimal is not zero.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"I see," Mamoru says with a slight frown at the definition of Phonic Gain. He watches with muted interest as Tsubasa pulls out her artifact, but generally just listens, closing the file folder. He nods in acknowledgement of the thanks, and is generally solemn as she continues. When she says 'minimal casualties', his eyes narrow fractionally.

"Right. So you'd like help; I assume that's why you asked to meet with me? I have to admit I'm not entirely certain why you sought me out in particular, when presumably you have access to the rest of Virtue-- I'm not especially musical. I can certainly spread word if you like." He nods in the direction of her now-hidden artefact, and his gaze flicks back to her face-- or what of it he can see, anyway. "And I take it there are other relics that react to different types of Phonic Gain. Is it specifically that kind of attack that the Noise reacts to, or is it any kind of magical attack?"

Tsubasa Kazanari has posed:
Tsubasa notices the eyenarrowing at minimal casualties, and she sighs, her professional facade breaking ever so slightly. "If we could reduce that to zero casualties we would, but the numbers combined with their tendency to attack crowded areas make that difficult. We do our best." She sounds a lot like she believes their best isn't good enough.

"Mostly, I'd like to get to know my fellows in Virtue better." Tsubasa says softly, like this isn't something she likes admitting. "I am admittedly not the best at that kind of thing, and the data seemed to suggest you are well-connected within virtue."

Then, finally she answers his question. "It does not appear to be the case that you need a Symphogear to fight the Noise, we have insufficient data if Symphogears are better at fighting them than any other form of magic, but yes, Section Two currently employs two Symphogear users, myself included, and there's at least one more we're aware of."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Maybe it's strange for Tsubasa, maybe not, but when the professional facade breaks the first time--? There's the slightest release in the older boy's physical tension, a subtle relief. Mamoru does nod again, but...

It's not until she's saying the real reason for contacting him that Mamoru actively drops his own facade, the aloof upperclassman type, untouchable and maybe a bit arrogant. He essentially warms up immediately, giving her a much better smile than the faint amused things he was handing out before. It's a little wry, a little self-deprecating, but it's a true thing.

"I have to admit to not actually having learned to people until last year, myself," he confesses ruefully. "And my best friends are even worse at it. If you'd like to do something aside from magical business, my friends and I are working on fixing my girlfriend's family's house right now-- it got wrecked during Walpurgisnacht. I mean, it's not a party or anything, it's still work-- but it's also not an emergency, and the food is amazing, and the company's all either magical themselves or in the know."

Then he holds up the file. "Is it okay if I keep this to show around?"

Tsubasa Kazanari has posed:
"I used to ..." Tsubasa cuts herself off, before the already somewhat apparent pain in her voice gets too obvious, and she changes that subject away from herself and towards Mamoru's other things. "I was at Walpurgisnacht. Ended up in hospital due to it." She says instead, "If you need help, I'll see what I can do. You know how to contact me." She looks at the file, and nods. "Nothing in there is classified."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
She doesn't even have to finish. Mamoru's smile changes, fades: it's not a look of pity, it's not mockery, but it's still a look that's a smile around the edges of his eyes, affectionate through commiseration. Empathy, though not the x-files kind he's also possessed of. Understanding.

It's still there in the background when he shakes his head. "I'm inviting you to come help because it's a chance to get to know some of your fellow Virtue members a little better in a non-emergency setting that's also not frivolity or a waste of time," he explains matter-of-factly. "A setting that's relaxed but still useful, and possessed of social value and the opportunity for building camaraderie." A beat. "Also, I cannot stress how good the food is. Our friend Makoto is an amazing culinary artist, and is basically catering."

Tsubasa Kazanari has posed:
"Send me some details, I'll see if I can make it." Tsubasa seems to not quite realize that this might come over as an attempt at saying no without saying no. "It sounds very interesting, but I can be quite busy. Between school, the Noise, and my ... job." She pauses, and then decides to do something rash.

"Keep this secret, okay?" She lifts her hoody, revealing the face she's been hiding. Whether or not Mamoru recognizes depends on just how familiar he is with J-Pop. "Tsubasa Kazanari. I'm an singer and, uh 'idol.'"

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
If Mamoru thinks it's an attempt at turning him down, he doesn't give any indication-- he just agrees. "Will do," he says with possibly surprising good cheer. "I totally get busy schedules."

And then any doubt that his actual message may not have gotten through is completely dispelled by the next thing Tsubasa does. He's not extremely familiar with J-pop, tending to listen to classical and neo-classical, but he's had more exposure than he ever thought he would, with the introduction of a group of five very particularly enthusiastic teenaged girls into his daily life.

His expression immediately shifts into a crooked grin. "I won't. But if you show up out of henshin, I'll warn you that my friends do include a subset who will probably ask for your autograph and do some fangirling before they settle down-- but they also include Minako Aino, so it's possible it won't be too bad."

Tsubasa Kazanari has posed:
Tsubasa nods. "I'll figure out what the best way will be." She answers to the last bit, and then her communicator makes noise, she picks it up; it looks a lot like a cellphone from a past decade, and just asks what the matter is. Shortly after "I need to be elsewhere. Sorry."

That's about when the sounds of a chopper start becoming obvious, and she puts her hoody back over head to cover it once again, looking towards the approaching black chopper. "Thanks for coming."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
The young prince gives Tsubasa a slight bow, his hair getting somewhat wild in the approaching chopper's downdraft, and his smile's more self-amused than anything else, now, as he straightens up. "Of course," he says, mild once more. "Good luck. I'll be in touch."

Then he backs away, out from under the tree so he doesn't also get brush and leaf detritus in his hair, and starts away. He doesn't take his e-reader back out until the wind has died down-- and there's no chance of Tsubasa overhearing him when he says in passing to another tree nearby, "Don't laugh at me."

Tsubasa Kazanari has posed:
The chopper doesn't land, it just throws down a ladder that Tsubasa grabs and then it flies off, reeling the girl in as they go. "Thanks." She says after the slightly older boy before she gets too far from him for that to be easily heard.