147/Cake and Eggs

Cake and Eggs
Date of Scene:	07 July 2015
Location:	Pikarigaoka - Seiyou Public School
Synopsis:	Nagisa and Tadase meet after a bake sale.
Cast of Characters:	Tadase Hotori, Nagisa Momoe

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Nagisa Momoe has posed:
    The Infinity University Cooking Club may have overdone it. While their recent bake sale was a smashing success they not only overestimated how many sweets they would need, but also how many amazing bakeries there are in Tokyo. No, really they're everywhere. So while they've made a very nice chunk of money for funding their club for the rest of the year they have amazing amounts of treats left over. What could you possibly do with so many desserts?!

    After they ate themselves nearly sick there was -still- way to many left over to reasonably handle, and so rather than giving themselves diabetes they started handing them out. The club president had a great idea though- rather than just giving them to whomever, they would make a great peace offering and show of goodwill towards the other schools. And so each of the sister schools of Tokyo had a lovely cart full of confections sent to their student councils, delivered by a member of the Cooking Club.

    Seiyou Academy, however, had the singular distinction of getting a second cart, sent to the elementary schools Guardians. And who better to send than one of the most prolific of the Cooking Club's elementary students, Nagisa Momoe.

    An appointment was made but no real mention of the special occasion, merely that a representative of the Infinity University cooking club wished to meet with a member of the Guardians. When the time arrived Nagisa could be found in her school uniform pushing a large treats cart along the path to The Royal Garden, having a bit of a struggle with it due to it's size and weight but managing well enough. She stops the cart just outside the entrance to the greenhouse itself and knocks, rings any doorbell present... or simply panics a bit, not wanting to intrude without invitation despite having the appointment.

Tadase Hotori has posed:
Right before Nagsia gives up and knocks on the door, it opens! Standing before her is a vaguely familiar elementary school boy, a few years older than her, with blonde hair. Floating just behind him, above his shoulder, is an equally familiar little chibi version of himself dressed like a fairy tale king.

"Oh! Hello there!" Tadase says, smiling wide. "Are you the representative from Infinity?" he asks, regarding her small size, and trying to remember where he knows her. Kiseki helps in this regard rapidly - leaning into Tadase's ear and reminding him she was there during the fight with Scorn. He smiles at her again.

That's when he sees the desserts. Tadase might be reasonably mature for his age - but he's still an 11 year old, and these are still fabulous looking cakes. His eyes drift rapidly to them. "Oh!" he adds, and opens the doors much wider. "Is there a special occasion I'm not aware of?" Kiseki puts his hand on his chin, trying to remember.

Nagisa Momoe has posed:
    Taking a hurried step back as the door opens, Nagisa gets a bit of a surprise when someone she recognizes opens the door! She too needs to take a moment to place where she knows him, but Kiseki jogs her memory quickly when he floats into view. That's the boy who tried to help when Sakura's brother was attacked! That gets a smile from her as she remembers, but quickly her expression shifts back to something more neutral- or more distinctly something more polite.

    "Yes I am." She steps aside to let the cart better into view, "The Infinity University Cooking Club offers this to you, a bounty of delightful treats made with love and care by our own hands. We humbly offer you this gift as a gesture of goodwill and cooperation." As she finishes the little speech Nagisa bows deeply, her hair momentarily flipping over her hat before righting itself. There's little doubt the speech was scripted but the young girl manages to make it resound with sincerity, her manners impeccable for one addressing a noble superior, an uncommon feat for an elementary school student these days.

    "Please enjoy as many as you would like," she offers when she sees him looking them over. There is quite a nice variety of cakes, muffins, candies, and sweet buns available. Notably missing is cheesecake- there was none left over after the clubs binging.

    When the door is opened further she moves behind the cart and begins pushing it in, "Is there anywhere you would like me to put these?" It's still heavy for her though she does her best to move it in without complaint or showing difficulty!

Tadase Hotori has posed:
Tadase rapidly does his best to help Nagisa with the cart, once the set of doors is opened. As he pulls it forward on his end, he turns to look at her. "We'll just pull it up to the stairs here..." he adds. As Nagisa and Tadase enter the Garden proper, Nagisa is similarly treated to the opulent nature of the Guardian's Royal Garden.

There are small waterfalls and fountains, a beautiful mixture of flowers and shrubs, all leading up to a massive gazebo in the center, atop the stairs, where a single small table with six chairs sits. Every aspect of the greenhouse seems like it must be meticulously kept.

"Thank you very much!" he says, with a lot of honesty. Tadase does, after all, love sweets. And with Nagi so busy readying for yet another recital, he's been unable to sample hers. "Infinity University Cooking Club..." he muses, making a mental note to be sure to write them all a proper thank you letter. "They all look so wonderful, they look like they were professionally done. You girls must be quite talented!" he adds.

Now that they're inside, and alone, he can bring something else up too. "And you were there to help with the Raven girl too, weren't you?"

Nagisa Momoe has posed:
    Nagisa inwardly balks. Oh no, the person she's delivering to is helping her with her cart, the shame of not being able to do it properly on her own! ...but extra secretly she's happy for the help. The splendor of the garden is far from lost on her, and it's a good thing Tadase is leading the way, as she's caught looking this way and that at all the magnificence. Waterfalls even! "This truly is a garden fit for Royalty..!" she says in a quiet voice.

    Upon reaching the stairs she steps away from the cart, once more holding her hands in front of her and bowing deeply as she accepts the thanks of the Guardian. "It is our pleasure to be able to offer this gift." She can't quite help put a proud smile when the treats are complimented further, "We have all worked very hard get where we are today. We, the club seniors, do our very best to help our juniors along."

    Aha! So he remembers her as well. "I was, and I want to thank you again for helping Sakura-chan and her brother. I only wish there was more I could do for them both. I'm not especially strong right now, but I'm doing my best to get stronger so that I can do more to help!"

Tadase Hotori has posed:
Tadase smiles back at the compliment on the Garden, and then responds to Nagisa's comments. "It's important that the club seniors lead the way! That's how things keep together, after all." he says.

"But I'm really glad to see you again, because I wanted to speak with you - about the sort of things we both encountered on that street, along with your classmate. We're able to do things normal people can't do, see things they can't do, and that gives us a small degree of responsibility, I think."

He gestures to one of the chairs in on the gazeebo. "Would you mind having a seat, miss..." He's grasping for the name. While he tries to remeber it (if even he really knew it) he goes into a side room and returns with a small platter, upon which sit two cups of hot tea. He sets one in front of the chair he motioned to and keeps one for himself.

"Unless you're too busy - in which case I understand." he says, knowing full well it would be rude for her to leave now that he's gotten out tea.

Nagisa Momoe has posed:
    Nagisa nods quickly, "It is! Especially in baking where so many things can go quickly wrong if attention isn't paid." She then looks surprised when told he wanted to see her again, and shakes it when asked if she minds sitting. "Not at all," she replies, taking a moment to bow and introduce herself. "Nagisa Momoe, 2nd year Elementary at Infinity University."

    Then she sits, happily accepting the tea when it's set before her. She lifts the cup gently with both hands and takes a careful sip before setting it down, "Thank you! Your tea is delicious." Once Tadase sits down the fact that there is a veritable treasure trove of sweets down below and they're having tea occurs to her. "While you are already enjoying yourself with tea, perhaps I could get you something sweet to go along with it?" If only she had anticipated the tea offering, she could have simply brought some up with her.

    It's only after these formalities are taken care of that she starts talking about her their magical dispositions more seriously, "I agree with what you said earlier about responsibility. I don't think people are given these kinds of powers without reason to use them. There are certain responsibilities that I have no choice to take care of... but if I'm able I'd also like to be able to do more. There's enough sadness in the world without mean people going around and creating more of it!"

Tadase Hotori has posed:
"Oh, certainly - cake would be nice. It's always good to have a few sweets to eat while talking about serious things." he says, then sips a bit at his tea. Then, he goes on.

"I honestly don't know where you got your strength from - you don't seem to have a Guardian Character like Kiseki." Kiseki nods a bit, sitting on the edge of the table drinking his own, tinier tea out of a doll's cup. "But I saw you stand up when other people wouldn't, to protect a friend. That's something less people would do when you think. So it's obviously deep down the strength of your heart that you draw that power from, as much as it is for me." he continues. "And there are a lot of people in this world that lack that strength - like Sakura-chan's brother. And there are people who use their strengths for the wrong reasons, for selfish or evil reasons. Like the girl on the broom." He also instantly thinks of Ikuto.

"So I want you to know..." he begins, setting his tea down and looking across the table "...that I want to help you - if you want the help, that is. I know it can be harder, it's not everything the mangas made it out to be. But protecting people, helping people, working with friends - it can make one's heart shine so brightly." Tadase says, half of his proper articulation having been fed to him by Kiseki.

Nagisa Momoe has posed:
    It would be very rude to just up and leave to get snacks while being talked to in such a way, so Nagisa waits and listens to what the older boy has to say.

    "If I was too stubborn to accept help I wouldn't be here to drink tea with you today," the white haired girl replies. "I'd be grateful to accept any help you can give me, and I'd be happy to help you when I can as well. Working together with friends- I think that's the best way to go forward. There are people that disagree, but I've already made up my mind that's how I want to live my life as a Magical Girl."

    She takes a moment to turn her two-tone eyes upon Kiseki as the Guardian Character sips on tea. Then after a moment she holds out her hands. In a sparkle of white light her soul gem transforms from a ring into it's true form, egg shaped and inside a golden casing, a little lollipop swirl at the top and glowing from within with a nearly pure white light. "This is where I draw my strength from. It's called a Soul Gem, and it's given to those that make a contract to exchange a miracle for a life of fighting." Very carefully she sets it down on the table somewhere between herself and Tadase, though closer to her.

    It's also precious enough that she's going to delay running downstairs for desert, despite how much she wants some!

Tadase Hotori has posed:
Kiseki floats over and looks at it. He gives it a fair amount of space, not touching it. But he looks a little entranced. "Pretty." Kiseki even says. "But it's not a Guardian Character, Tadase." he adds. That also means he can't order it around, so he returns to Tadase's side as Tadase gets up. He turns the dynamic around a bit by picking up two small cakes from the cart and sets one down for Nagisa and one for himself. He smiles. "You brought it in here, I can serve it." he adds.

"I've never seen one of those before." he adds, gesturing to the gem with a fork. "But you should be careful." he begins. "I mean like... you shouldn't transform in the street like you did. That's dangerous. I wouldn't be talking to you like this if we weren't alone." he adds. "The people who do those horrible things... you wouldn't want them to know who you were on your normal life, that's all." he adds, before taking a bite of cake. He also passes a small bit to Kiseki. "This is really good!"

"Anyways, there are people who might try to take advantage of the knowledge of who you are. I wouldn't want to see any harm come to you or your family." he adds. "I guess that's a wierd thing for me to say right after I told you that we need to trust each other but... it's a balance to keep."

Nagisa Momoe has posed:
    When Kiseki floats closer to the soul gem it allows Nagisa a chance to get a bit of a closer look at him than she had before. He... really does look like a tiny version of Tadase in regal garb! She's watching him until the cake is set down in front of her. Again she inwardly balks since she's ostensibly here to do a favor to him by delivering it, but as he smiles all that kind of fades away and she smiles back. "Thank you!"

    The gem is scooped up and changed back into a ring after he gets another few moments of looking at it, and she picks up her own fork and happily takes a bite of cake, saying with her expression rather than words how delicious it is.

    She gets a look of concern on her face, then, when told she should be more careful about transforming. "I... I hadn't thought of that. Thank you for warning me. It would be horrible if someone targeted Papa because of what I've become. We've had to go through so much already... I don't know what I'd do if somebody hurt him because of me."

    After another small bite of cake she shakes her head a little, "It isn't that strange. Being a magical girl; it's a lot more complicated than I thought it would be at first. I'm still very new to it so I appreciate all the advice. That fight with the girl on the broom- that was the first time I've used magic on my own."

    She turns her attention back to Kiseki, watching him eat a little bit while taking another sip of tea before asking. "I apologize if I sound naive, but what exactly is a Guardian Character?"

Tadase Hotori has posed:
"Yeah, I think for a lot of us it just comes naturally. Practice helps, and we get better with time - but your heart knows a lot about how to use magic already, I think." he says, pushing the rest of the cake over to Kiseki, who helps him finish it with joy.

"It's okay, I'm just now learning there are a lot of other magical kids in the world. Until recently, Guardian Characters were all I was aware of. But not everyone has them." he leans back in the chair a bit. "A Guardian Character is like... it's like a small version of you - but not the you that you are right now. The you that you wish you were."

A pause. He knows that's a bad explanation. "I think maybe my story would be the best explanation. You see, when I was nominated as the King's Chair, I wasn't good at speaking in public. I was shy. I wasn't a good leader. But I really wanted to be one. I wanted to be like all of those kings you see in fairy tales - the good kings, the wise rulers, the ones who talk strong, who make the right decisions and protect all of their subjects. It was out of those dreams that Kiseki was born." Tadase says, and Kiseki nods, mouth full of cake.

"All kids - you too - have an egg in their souls that contains their would-be selves. But it's only in times where there's a huge need that your Guardian Character hatches. Most people's never do - either they give up on their dreams, or they achieve them. When they do hatch - you get a Guardian Character, who helps you to become that person you wish to be."

Nagisa Momoe has posed:
    The long explanation is a perfect time for Nagisa to catch up on eating her cake, which she does happily while listening to Tadase's story. Throughout she is either watching him attentively so he knows she's paying attention, or watching Kiseki as he's mentioned.

    "So it's your dream of what you imagined you could become that brought him to life? That sounds amazing. It must take someone with a strong will to create a Guardian Character like Kiseki." She stops staring at the tiny king so intently and relaxes back in her chair. "It sounds like a noble goal too, wanting to be a proper leader. How long have you been the King's Chair? It seems like it must have been a long time ago; you've done a wonderful job explaining things to me and giving me good advice!"

    She then looks briefly down at her ring and tilts her head from side to side, like it's a scale with an ever shifting weight. "It's a little bit like what happened with me, but different in a lot of other ways. Instead of helping me become something I thought I could be, I was given the chance to wish for anything instantly. That sounds better at first, but the fighting is for repayment."

    She looks down at her ring and twists it a little on her finger. "Someone told me that for as much hope that wish could bring me, the fighting would have to cause an equal amount of despair to balance it out. I don't really understand that, though. To be honest, even though it's scary and dangerous I'm happy to do it, because it means protecting people from terrible monsters."

    She turns her gaze directly to Tadase now, "I would be very disappointed in myself if I had the power to 'use the strength of my heart'," she uses the term he did earlier, "to help people but turned my back on them." She frowns a little then, momentarily looking far off as she thinks of a very different attitude, that of Kyouko Sakura. "I... Right now I don't think I'd hold it against someone else, but for me I think it would be wrong not to help someone if I'm able."

Tadase Hotori has posed:
"I was really glad I was able to see all of us fighting to try to protect that girl's brother." he says, after a pause. "There's a lot of people out there - like the girl on the broom - who have power, but they don't use it for good at all. They use it to take things from people, to hurt other people. I don't understand that, but they're out there." he adds, taking another drink of the tea now.

"That's why I wanted to talk to you here. Because it's also important to know that not everybody's like that." he says, with another smile. This one is a very honest smile - warm, but with a little tinge of regret. He picks up Kiseki and sits him on his shoulder. "...Even people with Guardian Characters. Sadly, sometimes the person someone wants to be, deep down, still isn't very nice." he adds.

"But anyways! That's not the point. The point is... I work with a group of people, and we try to protect Tokyo from monsters, and people who... might as well be monsters." Ikuto in his mind, again. "And... it's not really a group you join, like a club... but we help each other." he says, with a smile. "We call ourselves Virtue, though. We try to always do the best thing for everyone - even the people we fight, when we can."

Nagisa Momoe has posed:
    Nagisa nods her head vigorously, "So was I! Even if we were too late to really protect him, we all worked together to keep her from hurting anyone else. And if we keep working together we might even be able to find a way to save everyone who's already been hurt." She only nods a little at the mention of more people who are willing to use magic for their own ends, either hurting other people or disregarding them.

    Looking to Kiseki as the Guardian Character is set on the older boy's shoulder she smiles, "I've met far more people that are willing to be kind and helpful than want to hurt others, so I know very well that not everyone is like that. The people that refuse to cooperate, I hope those of us that do can show them how it can work by living as examples."

    Which would really make you think she'd jump at the chance for what Tadase is offering. It's even true that at first she is sitting forward with wide eyes- but then after a moment that fades a bit. "I'll think about it," she finally answers trying to keep her tone neutral so it's not too much a disappointment; she sure did switch back to formal and polite speech quickly! "That isn't to say I won't help you or your friends, or anyone else I see that is in danger," she gets a curious look on her face as she has a hard time thinking of exactly how to put her thoughts. "It's just that I've recently learned that I need to be very careful about making important decisions."

    She takes another sip of her tea as a way of giving herself some more time to think and then sets it down, "Please understand, it's not so much to do with you. You've been very kind, but I know nothing about any of your allies and I need to be careful to protect myself, like you've said yourself. It's too dangerous for me to jump feet first into the unknown without knowing what I'm committing myself to."

Tadase Hotori has posed:
"That's perfectly fair!" he says, doing a good job of keeping the dissapointment out of his voice - mostly. "And I think, as time goes on, we'll see each other around more anyways. I certainly wouldn't dream of not helping you, because of a decision like this." He thinks about it, and takes a sheet of paper out of his school bag (which has been tucked under the table the whole time!) and writes out his number on it. "Actually, take this. It's my number, for... well, magical business, for lack of a better word." He grins this time, much more than a smile. "Sorry, sometimes talking about all this really makes me feel a bit out of my depth, even though I've been doing this sort of thing for a year, and I've known Kiseki for longer."

"Anyways, if you'd like, you can put that in your phone. And anytime you feel like you're in a pinch, you can give me a call. I'm sure you can handle yourself well - you're a strong girl, I can see it in your eyes. Kiseki can feel it in your heart. But we all get in over our heads some time." he says, really trying his hardest to indicate it's an option she can use, and that it's not because he thinks she isn't strong enough to deal with things on her own.

Nagisa Momoe has posed:
    Nagisa offers the boy a smile of her own, feeling a bit bad for turning him down, all the more so because he had just let her know his dream was to be a wise and strong leader. "Yes! I'm sure we'll see each other again, and I'll be happy to help you too, if you need it." She watches as he takes out a piece of paper and starts writing on it, only to become a little distraught when she realizes what it is. It's with a resigned sigh that she accepts the piece of paper from him, and he'll know why after he suggest she put it in her phone.

    "I only have my home phone. Papa has told me I'm not old enough to have my own phone yet." Her tone suggests she very much disagrees with this. She's not quite rebellious enough to go against him just yet, but maybe a little convincing is in order. "I'll hold onto this, though, and make sure I keep it somewhere I can get to if I need your help!"

    Nagisa certainly seems to be taking him at face value on this, carefully folding up the piece of paper and zipping it into a small hidden pocket in her skirt. "Ehe... I know very well that I will need to rely on people from time to time. If you were hoping you could give this to me without ever getting a call, you're wrong!"

Tadase Hotori has posed:
Tadase laughs. He remembers not everyone has their own phone, and blushes a bit. Both because he feels a bit rude, and because it hits him how young Nagisa still is, and how much he's asking her to take on. "I just want you to remember you don't have to do this on your own. I'm behind you, and so are a lot of other people. It's not the easiest thing, to fight like this. But we've all been chosen for very important reasons." he says calmly.

He's uneasy about the fact that Nagisa's fighting, now, and looks into his tea for a moment. But then he realizes he's young too, and he remembers something Tsukasa said. "Just remember, Nagisa. There's a reason we were all chosen, to bring good into this world, and make everyone smile. Even if we don't know what that is." he says, as he looks up from the tea and right at her.

Nagisa Momoe has posed:
    The laughing puts redness on her cheeks as well. Even when you know you're young compared to someone you're speaking with, it's embarrassing to have it shoved to the forefront like that. She had been doing so well, too! A less polite girl might get up and run out right then while calling him an idiot.

    Nagisa simply sits there and lets her cheeks burn for a moment, closing her eyes and trying to focus on delicious tea. After she sets it down she actually gets up and walks over to him. It's a bit of a role reversal, but she reaches over and sets her hand on his shoulder, "It's okay. There are a lot of people looking after me and making sure I'm doing well. I've made a lot of wonderful new friends lately, both with magical powers that let them fight and without."

    She takes a deep breath and shakes her head, "And I'm not afraid to fight. There are things that are harder and more painful than fighting could ever be, so I don't need to fear it."

Tadase Hotori has posed:
He looks up at her. "You are stronger than you look. I was right." he adds, with a soft voice. "I'm glad."

Everything is cut short though, as little Kiseki suddenly jitters like a powerful shudder has rocked his body. He quickly tugs on some of Tadase's long blonde hair. "Tadase! There's an X-Egg nearby!" Kiseki says with sudden urgency. Tadase gets up from the table, rapidly. "Nagisa-san, I am sorry to cut this short - but there's... someone's dream is in trouble!" he says, rapidly, in a state of controlled urgency. He's not panicking, but that's only because of Kiseki. "Tadase, Hurry!" shouts the little King, as he flies away from the table, and tries to get Tadase to follow him. Tadase does, but then he turns to Nagisa.

"...I know this is a lot to ask, and so suddenly, but would you help me?"

Nagisa Momoe has posed:
    The girl smiles again as he speaks, only to look over in confusion as Kiseki seems to have a little meltdown and start pulling on Tadase's hair. Her head tilts a little at the mention of an X-Egg, this seeming to be an important bit of information she's missing. The blonde boy's reaction to this tells her most of what she needs to know.

    "Someone's dream is in trouble?" she repeats, not entirely understanding. But when she's asked if she can help her response comes quickly. Nagisa's entire body is quickly covered by glittering sparkles and she does a quick twirl before the sparkles explode off of her while she poses with her arms held out, fully transformed after a quick henshin. "Yes!" Time seems to be of the essence!

    That they're both currently hidden from prying eyes is a nice bonus.

Tadase Hotori has posed:
Tadase Chara Changes on the way there, acquiring his crown as he runs, Kiseki leading the way. The two of them leave the Royal Garden and run down the path to the athletics portion of the school, where a young boy, about Nagisa's age, sits underneath one of the basketball goals. A spattering of his tears wet the ground, and a basketball sits beside him. Tadase and Nagisa arrive next to him just in time to hear his woes.

"I'm not going to ever be good enough to get on the main team. I'm never going to become a star, no matter how hard I work." he says through his tears. "All of my dreams, all of my work. It's all impossible." he says.

As he says the word impossible, ribbons of negative energy rise out from his body, knocking both Tadase and Nagisa away! "Impossible. Impossible. Impossible. Impossible!" the boy says as the ribbons rise up, creating a black egg in the air with a large white X on it. "My dream is... impossible!" he shouts one last time before he passes out, toppling over to the side.

The egg above him, however, begins to crack and hatch, revealing a small creature, a humanoid roughly Kiseki's size created of negative energy and dark emotions, a big red X on it's head, and dressed somewhat like a basketball player. Kiseki points at it. "Tadase! An X-Character!"

Nagisa Momoe has posed:
    Nagisa really has no idea what to look for. The only thing she can really sense are Witches, Familiars, and their barriers, so she doesn't know to look at the crying boy, instead trying to look for something that would cause the crying.

    That's about when she's hit with the blast of negative energy, and she goes tumbling head over heels backwards. Luckily she has some practice with that already, managing to stop her tumble after one or two flips and get a grip on the ground before picking herself up. She notices the X-Egg just in time to see it hatch.

    She gives the X-Character, so named by Kiseki, a careful look, glancing down at the boy afterwards and then back up to the tiny chibi figure in the air. The big X certainly gives away why it'd be called that. "What should we do?" she asks Tadase, not wanting to run in hot headed and do something she might later regret. "Should we try to destroy it?"

Tadase Hotori has posed:
Tadase looks at Nagisa. "No!" he says, a little too forcefully. Then he calms down quickly. "Sorry - but that's someone's dream. They've just given up on it right now. But if you destroy it, you'll destroy their dreams along with it. We just need to wear it down so I can seal it. Just try not to..."

Tadase is cut off by the X-Character, who begins to hurl dark energy basketballs at varying distances towards Tadase and Nagisa. "3 point! Dunk!" it shouts, in time with the ranges, though the balls all bounce up towards them anyways, effectively making multiple angles of attack. "HOLY CROWN!" Tadase shouts, his scepter appearing in his hand and a giant golden-white burst of energy interceding between Tadase, Nagisa, and the oncoming attacks, protecting both of them.

"This one's really tough!" he says through gritted teeth as he holds off the attack. "It's okay to attack it, just don't overdo it!"

Nagisa Momoe has posed:
    This is an entirely different ballgame than a fight with a Witch! Fighting a Witch you do your best to kill it while keeping yourself safe and unharmed. If you see an opening you can hit it with your hardest punch and the fight can be over. This, however, is more complicated.

    "So we... wear it out. Okay, I'll try!" Nagisa responds, watching with no small amount of admiration as Tadase's energy shield keeps them completely protected from the oncoming blasts.

    "Got it!" She replies, running out from behind the protection and immediately rolling to avoid a stray basketball. As she comes up in a kneeling position her trumpet forms in her hand, and she holds it up and lets out a loud note, sending a large number of small, relatively quick bubbles at the X-Character. None of these are designed to actually hit, though they will do some damage if they do, but rather to force it to get on the move, the little bubbles exploding all around it.

Tadase Hotori has posed:
Tadase holds off the basketball barrage while Nagisa gets into position, doging one herself impressively, and then shooting a burst of bubbles out at the X-Chara! Most of them miss and simply pop around him, though when it makes a clumsy dodge a couple burst on it. Most importantly, it stops the barrage! "Impossible! IMPOSSIBLE!" shouts the angry little X-Chara, and it starts dribbling a basketball in the air, ready to fire it at Nagisa or Tadase!

"Oh no you don't!" Tadase shouts, the crown dissapating. "ROYAL LIGHT!" he shouts, firing a beam of energy at the X-Character. The beam strikes it, and it screeches out a bit. However, it still recovers and fires a stream of basketballs at Nagisa, and then generates a massive backboard, swinging at Tadase, who barely manages to get his wand up in time! But now the thing's back is exposed to Nagisa, depending on how she handles the barrage headed her way!

Nagisa Momoe has posed:
    Nagisa thinks she sees a good opening when the bubble burst actually manages to hit the X-Chara, dashing up and jumping towards it. Unfortunately it leaves her moving entirely predictably when it fires off it's basketballs, the first three smacking her in the face and sending her tumbling to the ground with a surprised cry- though thankfully out of the way of further assaults.

    Luckily it seems to focus on Tadase for the moment, who seems to be able to handle himself X-Characters well enough against the X-Character's attack. Now that's a real opening! She jumps again, cape fluttering and hat baubles swinging, seemingly undeterred by her previous failure. Just at the height of her jump she gets up behind it, and with a cry of, "Not Impossible!" she swings hard with her trumpet and bops it hard over the head, trying to send it hurtling to the ground like she was just a few moments before.

Tadase Hotori has posed:
The creature is entirely focused on trying to get at Tadase for the time being, and doing a good job, literally trying to beat him with its oversized backboard, which he is just barely parrying with his scepter! And that's when Nagisa jumps up behind it, flying through the air like a butterfly with bad fashion sense, her trumped landing on the X-Chara's head with a satisfying 'whumph!'.

The creature turns around... but its eyes are spinning from the impact of the blow, and it starts to fall to the ground, slowly, sliding back and forth like a feather. Sometimes the simplist attacks are the best!

"Thanks, Nagisa-chan!" Tadase says, pointing his scepter down at the dazed X-Chara.

"Now, that's enough of this. IMPERIAL SEAL!" Tadase says. Suddenly, a burst of light comes from the end of his wand, and it encases the X-Chara in a bubble of golden light. As it tries to escape, suddenly, the two halves of its X-Egg reappear, and begin to close on it. Even as it struggles to escape, it finds itself re-trapped within its X-Egg. Then, the bubble of energy shrinks, becoming a metallic-looking seal that keeps the two halves of its egg sealed tight, even as the egg rattles!

Tadase then suddenly drops to his own knees, the act of the fight and the sealing seemingly draining to him. "T...t..thank you, Nagisa-chan." he says, as he tries to catch his own breath. He reaches out to take the sealed X-Egg and place it in his pocket.

Nagisa Momoe has posed:
    As the X-Chara starts to float to the ground lightly Nagisa passes it on the way down. Look how weak and vulnerable it is, she thinks as she lands. She almost sends another blast of bubbles up into the nearly helpless thing, only to have Tadase's beam of light hit and surround it. Will it be enough?!

    In the end it is, the X-Egg forcibly closed with the X-Character sealed inside of it. Nagisa lets go of the trumpet, which fades into nothingness, and runs over to Tadase's side. "Are you okay?" she asks, kneeling down beside him and offering herself as support should he get a bit wobbly. "Maybe I should have hit it a little harder..." she comments after seeing how tired the regal boy looks.

    Even as she's making sure Tadase is okay, she looks around for the boy the X-Egg originally emerged from, unsure what's going to happen to him now that the characterization of his dream has been locked up and sealed away.

Tadase Hotori has posed:
Tadase stays there for a moment, still breathing heavily. But soon he's up on his feet again. And he's grinning. "We did it, Nagisa-chan. Thank you so much. I would have been in real trouble if you hadn't agreed to help me. And so would he." he gestures to the boy. "I'm fine. I'm okay. It just... it takes a lot out of me to do that. I'm not much of a trump card, for a King." he says with a soft smile.

"I have a long way to go, too." he adds. But he walks over to the young boy, still unconscious, and scoops him up in his arms. Even though Tadase is only a few years younger than the boy, he carries him and starts walking towards not the school, but the woods around it.

He's headed for the planetarium and for Tsukasa Amagawa. The boy's dream, trapped in the balance between hope and despair, is only confined, sleeping, and someone has to help him out of it. Tadase can't think of anyone better than the Headmaster, and somehow he knows that Tsukasa won't be in his office, but working in the planetarium. He turns to look at Nagisa. "Thanks for the cakes - and the help. I really mean it. And... consider what I said. Everbody can use someone to lean on in times like this, right?"

Nagisa Momoe has posed:
    Nagisa nods a little bit, looking a little relieved when reassured by the older blonde boy. "We did! I'm really glad I was able to help." When he mentions not being incredibly powerful she gives a shake of her head. "That's not true! If you hadn't invited me to tea and encouraged me I wouldn't have been there to help. If the role of a King is to properly rally the troops and bring them to victorious battle I think you did it splendidly."

    The best part about that kind of compliment is that it naturally reflects well on her as well!

    Some of her enthusiasm quiets down as he goes and picks up the sleeping boy. It's hard to be completely cheerful when someone is in such a state, their hope for the future teetering in the balance. "You're welcome. I really am happy that I was able to be of use."

Tadase Hotori has posed:
Tadase smiles as he turns, the boy still in his arms. "You were more than of use. You're amazingly strong, Nagisa. I think that strength comes from your heart. So you must also have a large heart." He grins a bit. And then the boy shifts a bit, and Tadase has to shift his balance to not fall over.

"Thanks for the compliment, but really you did more work than I did." he adds. "But now, I'm going to take him to the Headmaster, and hopefully we'll be able to get him to believe in his dream again." he says. "And if everything works out, it'll be thanks to you that he didn't lose his dream. Take heart in that, Nagisa-chan! And if you ever need anything... you have that number. I owe you one." he says, before heading off into the forest. It's admittedly a bit rude, but he has to attend to the boy with the fading dream before pleasantries.