1515/Chasing Shadows

Chasing Shadows
Date of Scene:	26 May 2016
Location:	Uminari City - Seishou Public School
Synopsis:	Kunzite meets Ayana, and after reassuring herself that he's not a fairy tail from her imagination, she decides to discuss her vampiric friend.
Cast of Characters:	Ayana, Kunzite

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Ayana has posed:
School is out at Seishou, but only just. Most of the school's students are still busy with after-school clubs, but Ayana has steadfastly refused to find any such activities, so far. This affords the kitsune an opportunity to meet with people while Ikiko is busy at Animal Care Club before the two walk home.

Today, she's using that opportunity to meet with a friend just a short distance off campus, at a small playground meant for much younger children. Ayana is still dressed in the blue middle-schooler fuku; the same one Kunzite is used to seeing on Naru, Usagi and Ami. She supplements with tall white stockings an a big white bow in her wild mane of hair, at least today.

Seated on one of the swings, the fox-girl looks largely alone, staring down at her loafers boredly while she waits for Kunzite to show up.

Kunzite has posed:
It's not as if she has long to wait. Granted, she only texted him ten or fifteen minutes ago, and there's no telling where in the city he was; there's no reason to expect him to be there that soon. Or anytime soon.

There is certainly no reason to expect someone to be bringing her yakitori still hot from the street vendor. (Something that must have been planned in advance to know which vendors to risk. Canine systems don't get along all that well with allium, and it's best to stay on the safe side when wondering whether that translates to a fox's girl body.)

The scent is off, and it's not just the chicken that's causing it; it's not the one she first knew, which barely passed for human, and not the one from the dance, more rose than anything else. This one is human. Almost. Still that trace of endless sun-heated sand.

The look is off, again, even from after the dance; the mane of silver-white hair has been cropped shorter than most of the boys at school.

But the quiet steps are the same, and the height, and the casually self-possessed posture as if he knew where every bone had to go to balance him best, from his own right down to the bones of the earth. And the equally casual gravity as he offers her a skewer of meat. Cooked, granted. But humans do that. "You sounded worried," is all he says.

Ayana has posed:
Even if her ears aren't visible, it's still the sound that Ayana catches first: footfalls where a moment ago there were none. The smell catches her next. Even her human nose is more sensitive than most. As she looks up, her nose sniff sniffs twice, then she tilts her head curiously and watches the silver-haired human approach her confusedly.

It doesn't smell like him; doesn't look like him, except superficially. But the mannerisms are the same. The smile is the same. The eyes are th esame.

Ayana blushes despite herself as she looks up to gingerly accept the offered yakitori from him like it were chiminage for interaction with her.

"Kun-saito-senpai?" she asks, confirming his appearance confusedly. Sticking the meat in her mouth, she slides off of the swing to her feet, then reaches up onto her tiptoes and reaches up to try and touch his hair, staring at it curiously as she rubs the short stubble.

"'m kay," she mumbles around the meat in her mouth. Then she blinks free and meets his eyes as she settles back onto the flats of her feet.

Taking the stick of yakitori out of her mouth, she says, "You smell different every time I meet you. Not like ... different perfume, but different you."

Ayana studies his face a moment, then tilts her head. "Are you real?"

Kunzite has posed:
The fingers in his hair are greeted the way she'd expect from him; gray eyes narrow just a little, but he lets her get away with it, even bending his head a little so that she can reach to investigate. Not too long. Those eyes are a warning of that. But she has privileges. And it feels like the last time she touched him -- solid, warm.

And her question is neither brushed away nor met with laughter. "I am," he confirms, offering his hand palm-up to her as if to invite further inspection. "Do you remember what I told you last time we saw each other, about what you helped to rescue me from? It was the poison you smelled the first few times, and then the making of something real that you smelled the last. This is real. Flesh and blood and bone. It was brand-new the last time we met, that's all."

Ayana has posed:
Ayana's bow twitches a little. Is she hiding her ears behind it? Is the bow itself an illusion? Whatever the case, the girl seems uncertain of herself as she sniffs at Kunzite again, then sticks the rest of the yakitori in her mouth. She chews, swallows, then licks her lips carefully before offering him a smile. "Thank you for the snack," she says honestly, then considers him another moment.

Finally, she comes to her own worries as she says, "I have a friend." But she pauses there and reconsiders her words for a moment, then nods. "Yea. She's a friend, I think. I hope. She's um ... kinda like you were. She doesn't seem to have her body anymore; only a construct made of shadow and darkness. And like I was, she has to leech energy from others. But she's not ..." Ayana trails off, trying to find the words.

Worried really is an understatement. The fox isn't worried, she's upset; hurting a little, perhaps at the memory of what she had to do, and the fear that someone else now has to go through that, too. "I don't know how to help her, Kun-saito-senpai," she admits. "I tried to teach her to drain people subtly. Just to take a little bit at a time, and to do it without drawing attention. But she has to say this weird trigger word, and she can't seem to mouth it quietly. And it stings when she does it, in a way that it never did for me. I'm not smart enough. I don't know how to help her. But she doesn't want to be a monster. I can't ... fix this. I need help. She needs help."

Kunzite has posed:
Kind of like he was. The shadow that passes over his expression is barely noticeable; it is not anger, and it comes in tandem with a nod, silent confirmation that she should go on. When she can. He doesn't rush her in that silence. Lets her talk at her own pace. Lets her find her way through a maze that's no less real for being one made of emotions, of memories, of connections that are if not quite human certainly personal.

"It sounds as if it might not be exactly the same for her as it was for you, or for me," he says. "For you, it was a power given to you when you were ... I don't know what the right word might be. When you were first woken from being only a fox." Not something he'd say under every circumstance. But between the two of them, they can tell if anyone comes anywhere near. Safe to talk, as it's been safe for her already. "Something that was made part of you. And for me, it was already part of me, only turned against its purpose. This sounds as if the power might not be part of her. Might be something she has to call on something else for. Harder to learn fine control with, that way. Harder to learn a lighter touch, or to learn to draw on other forms of energy than life and pain."

He's silent for a moment, as if measuring something; then meets the fox's eyes, if she's looking toward him by then rather than at her shoes again. "What do the two of you need from me?"

Ayana has posed:
Ayana's eyes are almost desperately focused on Kunzite's face. Hopeful, needful, uncertain. When hsi eyes meet hers, she blushes and averts her gazealmost right away. But then he asks what she needs, and Ayana looks back, meeting his gaze again.

"I don't know," Ayana admits quietly. "I hoped ..." she trails off, then shakes her head, and that bow seems to twitch again. "Well, that's asking too much. I just don't think I know enough to teach her. I don't understand dark energy like you did. Like he did," and there really ought not be any need to explain who 'he' is.

"I've been trying so hard to help her," Ayana explains. "She's started taking some other form; 'Lacrima' she calls it, but I don't know what that means. She says it's easier if she just becomes that girl mos tof the time, instead of pretending she's the girl she used to be. I think it's a curse. I've asked Ikiko-chan to try and figure out what it is--to try and break the curse. But meanwhile, I just ... want to help her figure out how to take as little as possible. So that she won't draw attention of magical girls who don't understand what it's like. It's not her fault. She's not a monster. But she'll become one if she gets punished for just existing."

Here, Ayana reaches up to rub her nose, then hunches her shoulders and asks, "Will you meet her? Maybe ... see if you can teach her what I don't understand how to teach?"

Kunzite has posed:
Lacrima.

The way he breathes out is quiet, unremarkable, except that it goes on just a little too long.

"I have met her," he says. "We were fighting on opposite sides at the time. It may make things a little awkward." Being social with someone who might or might not have been trying to kill you last time you saw her, and vice versa: never the easiest thing in the world. And there are worse things . "But you're not the first person I've talked with lately who's been concerned about her."

There's that faint little crease at the corner of his eyes. "You are the one who's actually trying to do something about it. I don't know if I'll be able to do anything for her. Both because I may not have the capability, and because my first loyalties have to be elsewhere; because there are people I'm sworn to protect, and some of the things she does may threaten them. But I think that so far, she's done that out of ignorance or misunderstanding, not out of malice. And that's not a small difference.

"So yes. I'd like to meet her under better circumstances. And we can see if there's anything to be done."

He hesitates, watching that shoulder-hunch. Watching the way she holds her head. And then asks, more carefully: "Ayana-san - has she told you who else she's working with?"

Ayana has posed:
Ayana whimpers, and now it's very clear that the bow is not a bow, but an illusion of a bow cast over her ears, because the whole bow seems to wilt and deflate against her head. "Hai," she whines out hunching her shoulders. "Riventon-san," she mumbles the name, even softer, as if saying it might summon her former master.

"I've asked her not to," Ayana explains. "I've explained that he's a liar; that he's only trying to use her. But she's scared, and ... he's a lot like her," Ayana notes. "A creature more darkness than light. A creature of the Dusk Zone. I think ... she just wants to feel like she's not alone. I can't blame her. But Kun-saito-senpai, it's not her fault," she whimpers. "She doesn't mean to be bad. If I introduce you to her, please will you meet her? Will you try not to judge her poorly?"

Kunzite has posed:
Her shoulders hunch, and a moment later ... well. From the perspective of someone watching, clearly the older teen is trying to straighten the younger girl's bow. From Ayana's perspective, there's a warm hand on her ears. Reassurance.

"Good," he says quietly. "If she were trying to hide it from you, then I'd be wary. But you know, and you can take precautions if you ever need to. That's what I wanted to make sure of. And your answer speaks well of her. I'll meet her, and we'll see what happens from there. Maybe we can find her answers. Maybe not. But the least that we can do is try."

Ayana has posed:
The reaction earns excitement from the kitsune. Her eyes widen at Kunzite's generosity. It's not that she didn't expect it, it's that she didn't even dare allow herself to hope for it. The bow pops right back up into its mostly stable state, and the back of her skirt moves as if affected bya wind that isn't there. Ayana bounds forward a half step, but then catches herself just shy of flinging herself into hugging him outright.

But those blue eyes said she shouldn't push her luck with physical contact. So she doesn't push her luck. She hugs herself instead, and smiles broadly at Kunzite. "Oh thank you," she tells him happily. "There's this old church we meet at, most of the time. I'll ask her to meet me when she can. I should warn her about you beforehand. I don't want her to think I'm tricking her. But once I've done that I'll text you again and we'll figure out when we can all be there. Okay? Thank you, Kun-saito-senpai. Thank you so much. I don't know if we can help her, but I have to try. I can't let her become like I was. I can't let someone else be like that."

Kunzite has posed:
"Talking with her first is a good idea," Kunzite agrees, letting his hand come down off her head. Not a quick or rough thing; only a trail of warmth, settling on her shoulder for a moment before letting go altogether. "She seems very quick to latch on to conclusions, whether or not they make any sense. Surprising her or making promises wouldn't be good. But warning her will help. Don't worry if it takes me time to answer a text; I spend a lot of time out of service areas, I won't always get them till the next day."

Minor issues. Side things. The important one is the last thing that Ayana said, and he nods to it steadily. "We may not be able to save everyone," he says. "But we can try. We can always try." One more payment on both their debts, to all the people who tried for their sakes.

He has the suspicion that Ayana's view of it might be a little less mercenary. But it comes to the same thing in the end.

Ayana has posed:
Ayana nods her head once, twice, then smiles at him again. "Thanks," she reiterates, then glances back briefly towards Seishou, then to him again. "I'm sorry I made you worry. That I dragged you away from what you were doing. I'll try to text you sooner, next time. I just didn't know what else to do," she admits softly. "I should probably go see if Ikiko-chan is ready to go home. But thank you again," she says now for the third time.

Kunzite has posed:
"Don't be sorry. We're both too busy lately; it's good to see you." Kunzite's eyes flicker toward the school as well, and his mouth curls up just the slightest bit at one corner. "Though not as good as it will be for you to see her. Go on. I'll watch for your texts."

Ayana has posed:
Ayana hops up onto her toes and, unable to contain herself, gives him a very quick squeeze of a hug. Then she's turning, twisting, bounding away, moving not with the grace of a running girl, but of a bounding fox. Leaving behind the one boy she doesn't hate to see the one girl she loves more than any other.