2245/The Girl Coming In From The Cold

The Girl Coming In From The Cold
Date of Scene:	21 December 2016
Location:	Uminari City - Juuban Avenue - South
Synopsis:	Machi Ono has had a rough time. She could use some cocoa, and maybe a rest, and maybe some help to stand up once again before darkness overwhelms her world.
Cast of Characters:	Machi Ono, Sakura Kinomoto, Haruna Kurosawa

---

Machi Ono has posed:
    December 21st.
    How long has it been?

    It's snowing right now. That's unpleasant. You generally don't want to walk around out in the cold like this without a few layers on. Temperatures close to five degrees.

    The worst part is, she doesn't really know where to go. She's so tired and Tokyo's so big that a whole lot of places are blending together right now. And nobody's really noticed her so far.

    Maybe it's because a lot of people don't tend to notice a silken magical girl walking in their midst.

    Machi Ono, ne Ace of Clubs, is walking along Juuban Avenue. She's haggard, she's exhausted, and right now she's using a huge blue and gold sword, as a walking aid.

    She would love it if someone took notice of her.

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
Sakura Kinomoto was leaping from roof to roof, giving her friends free cable! No, no she wasn't. She was actually on her way to see Haruna-sempai, one of her best friends! They were going to try cooking together, and she wanted to show her all her new cards! She was getting so many. Oh, and she'd made a new friend. She'd even dealt with the bully all on her own, Haruna was going to be so proud!

She leaped over a roof... then stopped. She leaped back, frowned and stared over the roof top. Then sent Haruna a message to meet her at the address, there was a wounded lady here. She jumped down, landing a few feet behind the woman. "Hello? Miss? Are you okay? Do you need an ambulance?" she asked, stepping a bit closer.

Haruna Kurosawa has posed:
Haruna Kurosawa is... still recovering from the other night. To say it was 'hard' would be the understatement of the century. She kind of wanted to go back to.. hiding. Like before all this magic stuff entered her life. Just blot out all the people. Hideaway.

But that wasn't going to happen. She didn't want it to happen. She's been there. She didn't want to go back.

So Sakura's text is a welcome distraction.

She goes ahead and takes the mundane route of getting there. Buses. Corvus is left at home.

She looks down at her phone and her GPS and is following the trail laid out. (She's careful not to bump headfirst into things.).

She looks up and blinks a moment. "Sakura-chan?" she asks with a blink, as her eyes look over to Machi with a short frown as she takes a jog over.

Machi Ono has posed:
    It's badass. Oh, wait, you weren't actually doing that? Now how is Machi going to get cable?
    No, no, now isn't the time for levity. Let's concentrate on the exhausted girl hobbling through the snow.

    Machi definitely has the air of magic about her- threadbare and exhausted, like someone who's been pushed to their brink, but there nevertheless. It definitely doesn't 'feel' like anything familiar.

    As Sakura and Haruna approach her, she feels a surge of relief. The spider-like crest clings tenaciously to her hair as she walks to meet them in the middle.

    "Ah... thank goodness," the small girl says. The sword she's carrying is strikingly blue against her clothes of green. "...could you help me find somewhere to rest...?"
    "...I need to get myself ready. Round Zero is approaching fast."

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
Sakura Kinomoto stepped forward the moment the girl showed relief at there being other people here. She moved besides the girl, letting her lean on her. "Round zero? What's that?" she asked, trying to support the girl.

Her willingness to just rush in and help someone who shows just the bare minimum of 'I might not stab you' is really, really going to bite her one of these days.

"You're magic, right? Haruna-sempai, is there somewhere we can take her to keep her safe? Maybe a safe home or... or a hospital? Something?"

Haruna Kurosawa has posed:
Haruna Kurosawa gives a little wave. "Hey." she says softly. It's not the big wide hello she usually gives. She's here at least, though and that's something. "Um. Not a good idea. To take her to a hopsital, if it's a magic thing... is it a magic thing?" she asks Machi.

Round Zero? Nothing she knows about- but she purses her lips thoughtfully.

"My coffee shop is up the way. It isn't open yet... but. It's mostly done." she says softly. "Come on. We'll go there." she says as she motions the two along. "Can you make it that far?" she asks Machi.

Machi Ono has posed:
    "It..."
    Machi blinks, and shivers. "Maybe... it's not the kind of thing I should talk about out here, yeah."

    She looks again at Sakura, then Haruna, bearing an expression that looks for a moment like she's sizing them up. Then, it's dismissed. Beggars can't be choosers. "I'm sorry to just walk up to you like this, but... I need someone's help. I don't have anywhere to go..."

    "I've walked a long distance already. A little more won't hurt, I guess." It's unfortunate that she has to use this sword in such a way, but the blade doesn't seem to be any less sharp for its use as a walking stick. The staff roped to it doesn't exactly seem as if it would be any better, really.

    Such a mystery.

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
Sakura Kinomoto nodded, then pulled back. "Hold on. Float!" She drew a card and tapped it. "Make her weightless!" she ordered. Magical energy would flow around the girl and a moment later she'd feel light as a feather. Which would allow the much smaller Sakura to help carry her.

"Okay, Haruna-sempai, lead the way!" she said happily, gently guiding the girl along and then... "Wait, you never told me you were opening your own coffee shop? C-can I come visit it when it's open? You're so cool Haruna-sempai!" .... Not really the time to gush over her.

Haruna Kurosawa has posed:
Haruna Kurosawa looks to Sakura and gives a short smile. "It opens soon." she says. "I'll make sure you get to come by." she says. "But no coffee~ But they'll be hot chocolate available." she says. "Fresh and Hot." she says.

She leads the way down the way. "So." she says. "Why are you out here alone?" she asks quietly. Down the way, walk walk walk.

Out to a former diner turned coffee shop. It looks nearly ready to open!

She unlocks the main door and leads the two in and turns on the lights.

"Go ahead and have her sit down. I'll get the first aid kit." she says as she moves behind into the kitchen.

(Place Looks Like: http://pastebin.com/TmXATpJR)

Machi Ono has posed:
Machi Ono's face is full of this can-you-even-do-that astonishment for a moment, expression changing from one way to another as her body feels much lighter all of a sudden. Goodness, but that makes walking much easier...

    But she's still going to find the first oppurtunity she can to sit down, as soon as she makes her way into ... wow, this really does look like a nice place.

    Her astonishment as she approaches the place in Sakura's arms speaks of someone who perhaps hasn't had a safe place to sit down in for quite a while... but before that, the way her face softened as Sakura openly gushes about the diner is absolutely enough to show Machi feels safe around these two.

    "Thank you so much for your kindness," she says quietly and formally as they walk in. How long has it been since she's had anything to warm herself like that, anyway? Too long, regardless.

Machi finds somewhere to sit down. In terms of actual injuries she's not really got much, or at least she's the kind of person whose magic can soak up a lot of injury without it damaging the body. It's strange that she puts the sword down on another chair first.

    She feels like she could melt into the first chair that can take her weight. "I know something bad is on the horizon... as far as being magical girls go, we failed."

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
Sakura Kinomoto nodded. "Yay! It looks so--" Pause. "I-I could drink coffee! I-I'm... I'm r-really good at drinking bitter things, honest!" No she wouldn't. It'd have to be like syrup.

She did gently put the girl on the chair, her weight returning. Then she followed after Haruna and... it was obvious. The way she kept leaning back and forth, trying to peep into every little nook and cranny. She wanted to explore. Sooooo badly. But alas, she cannot. After a few minutes she blinks and runs back, to help the girl. She reaches out and takes her hand, looking up at her.

She then takes a deep breath. "Don't be afraid, or scared. No matter what happens, everything will definitely be alright," she said with a big smile, looking up at the girl. "No matter what it is that's coming, there's a LOT of really, really strong magical girls now! Like Sailor Moon, and Cute Flora, And Cute Spark, and Cute Gull, and Hannah-sempai, and so many many others! We'll get through this, i know we will! No matter what happens!"

Haruna Kurosawa has posed:
Haruna Kurosawa aquires a first aid kit-- and----

<Rolling Mirror Change!>

<N-n-nurse!>

Haruna shoves a nurse precard into her PreChan mirror and suddenly she looks the part. Somehow this endows her with light medical knowledge. She'll never know why or how. She peeks over Machi and opens the first aid kit.

She huhs and taps her bottom lip. "You look fine. Physically. /Do/ you feel hurt?" she asks.

She looks over to Sakura. Cute!? "Cure." she says. "It's Cure, Sakura." she giggles.

SHe stands back up and walks behind the counter and turns one of the inactive machines on and lets it warm up.

"Something bad?" she asks. "Like what?" a pause. "It's not some jerk in like a military outfit, a jerk grasshopper with a hat and a fancy lady who isn't really all that fancy is it?" she asks.

Machi Ono has posed:
Sakura, no. Coffee is a grown-up drink, for grown-ups. You drink your chocolate milk, now.

    Machi feels... strange. With that first admission, made in that moment of sudden relief from just being able to /stop for a moment/, it feels like she's wobbled on the silken tightrope. Her eyes droop a little right away.

    How strange must it feel, for Sakura and Haruna, to take this mysterious messenger of doom in out of the cold? Clearly not too strange at all, because Sakura's first reaction is strength. Machi listens.

    "...thank you," is all she says at the end of it. "I..."
    She rolls her tongue around the inside of her mouth. "Water, please?"

    "I think I... I've been walking long enough that somethings are healed... I always was good at taking hits." For a twelve year old, that's a disturbing image, and yet she says it with confidence. "I'm just tired and... powerless, I guess."
    "It's kind of strange that you have cards," she says to Sakura, and reaches for the chunky buckle on her belt. Removing it causes her transformation to dissipate, and the staff disappears but not the sword. The buckle becomes a flip cellphone, and a card she removes from inside it.

    She listens to Haruka, shaking her head once after another as she asks if any of them are familiar.

    "Their name is HUNTERS. 51 totem spirits, the animal lords... I guess they have a lot of them, now. And my other friends... I ... was the only one who escaped."

The card has a spider on it with the symbol of Clubs on its back. One can guess where Diamonds, Spades and Hearts are.

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
Sakura Kinomoto nodded. "What? It's... oh, right! Of course!" she smiled up at Machi. "We're going to cure you, just you wait!" she said happily. Completely missing what Haruna meant. Then blinked. "Oh gosh, not the grasshopper guy again! He was so mean! He trapped Tomoyo-chan in that mirror!"

She then blinked a few times, then smiled. She reached up and hugged Machi around the waist. "It's going to be okay. I promise. I don't care if there are 51 or 500 of them. We'll take them. Because we're all really, really strong! The girls are amazing, they've already saved my life like, a dozen times! A-and I'm getting stronger, too! I'll be good enough to fight alongside them soon, just you wait!" she said firmly, giving a big nod.

"And don't worry. We can protect you. Haruna-sempai is super, duper strong! She fought the fight card! And the fight card is like, one of the strongest cards!"

Haruna Kurosawa has posed:
Haruna Kurosawa returns with two Hot Chocolates! One is for Sakura, one is for Machi. "Here." she says. "Water in a moment." she says as she walks back behind the counter and fills a similar mug with water from the soda fountain that's back there.

She returns with it and places it down in front of Machi.

She frowns a bit. "Sounds like Pretty Cures who face down Phantom. They don't come back." she says softly. "I'm sorry." she says gently.

She looks to Sakura. "Oh!..." she says. "Right. Me and Hannah are done looking at it, so I'll be bringing it back to you soon, okay?" she says.

"Unless Hannah has some more ideas." she says.

She looks to Machi. "Do you have anywhere to stay? Where's your family?" she asks with a soft frown.

Machi Ono has posed:
    "...it was just the four of us, before," Machi says in a thoughtful way. "...come to think of it, I don't know why we ever... found other people."

    "...you all sound like incredible people. The magical girls of Tokyo must be an incredible lot. It really sounds like... like you're strong together."

    Where were they, before, anyway? Machi knows where her and her friends /went/, to find where HUNTERS called their home, and she definitely remembers the running, and when she knew she wasn't being chased there was definitely walking. But where were they before? She sips her drink, listens to Sakura. Why has she never met any of these people-

    "I think I would like to make more friends. Then, maybe I can become strong enough to..."

    She trails off. Listens to Haruna. It's clear they have their own business which is going on, threading through this encounter with her.

    Despite her tiredness, relevation is breaking through to Machi. Her family...?

    "...mom and dad were never... but how long /have/ I been gone, anyway...? I don't even know what date it is."

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
Sakura Kinomoto nodded, letting her go. "And they are. There's a lot more than four of us! Heck, I'm LEARNING from more than four people! So many people are teaching me! and some of us are really, really strong. I mean, I keep messing up but they help me all the time. And they'll help you, too. We all will. And we'll help you find your family." She sipped the cocoa and gasped.

"You're hot cocoa is so good, Haruna-sempai... and thank you. I'm... not sure if the card will listen to me now, though. But I'll talk to Kero-chan about it."

Haruna Kurosawa has posed:
Haruna Kurosawa ahs. "It's December 21st, 2016." she says softly as she sits down. The Transformation fades away and she's back in her bussiness suit. She sort of rocks the legs back on the table.

She frowns. "Well." she says. "I kinda..."

"Well this place has a secret? There's a sort of. Magical. Secret Place under it. I had some friends make." she says.

(The sign outfront says 'The Contractors'.)

"And sorta. Made a place. For people to go. Without having to. Barther. Loyalty." she says softly. "At least temporarily." she says.

"I mean. I still need to buy. Things. Like a table and chairs. But there's like. A few beds?" she asks. "But.. no blankets yet." she sort of scratches the back of her head.

"We're SOOooo not ready for open." she laments.

"But. I can. Let you stay there. For now." she says softly.

Machi Ono has posed:
    "...I think I started out becoming a magical girl because mom and dad were never there," Machi admits. "I mean I-- I know where they- where my home is, but... nobody's ever there, and I-- I don't know if they know- if they know I'm gone, or... how long I've been gone, or..."

    She shakes her head, and drinks again. The idea of... of not being on her own is immediately appealing, it's a safety net she needed to know she was falling into, a walk through the shadows back into Tokyo and into somewhere safe. "I think... I would like to stay here, for just a little while, perhaps."

    She finishes her drink. She's rested a little, so she walks a few paces and across. She stops at the wall, at the window- puts one hand on it.

    "51 totems in the hands of HUNTERS. They'll make them fight... they're already making them fight. Round after Round, winners and losers... like I said, Round Zero is approaching fast. That's when there'll only one one left, the ultimate monster."

    "But if I'm the only one left, then I'll have to stop it..."

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tw4eK6CNwLA
    ELEMENTS
    RIDER CHIPS - 2004

    "But I won't be alone, right? You... will you be my friends, please? Will you help me-"

    Machi not being tough enough, the weak link breaking-

    The memory of cards scattering, the line broken-

    "Will you help me become brave and find my strength again?"

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
Sakura Kinomoto nodded, giving her a big hug. "We'll be all the strength you need, I promise. All of us will. And it doesn't matter if there's one giant monster or fifty one tiny monsters. We can beat them all as long as we're together."

She looked back to Haruna. "Right, Haruna-sempai?" She pumped a fist into the air. "Besides, I've got almost half the cards now! After fighting all those, I'm almost an expert at dealing with spirit card things, yes!"

Haruna Kurosawa has posed:
Haruna Kurosawa head tilts a bit and seems to bite her lip.

"I... um." she says softly. "Sure." she says. "I have others I can poke you toward's too. Other Precure." she says softly. "I mean. Our cards are different. But..." she scratches the side of her head and sighs a bit.

"Right. You should. Find Virtue. They'll be able to help you better, too. Connect you with others." she says softly.

"I'm not on..friendly. Terms with them. Nowadays." she says sadly.

Machi Ono has posed:
Machi gets hugs! And Haruna- well, Haruna's there too. That's good!

    Three different kinds of cards are being shuffled together here tonight. Machi wonders if she's heard the name Virtue before, thinking of going out to meet them- more friends, more allies. More preparedness against the approaching threat. She sits down again, picking up the sword that she left there on the chair.

    It's none the worse for wear, gold and shining and holding an edge that would cut through darkness. Its edge reflects her face.

    "Tonight I'm tired, but tomorrow I'll be... hm.

    Jun... Kimi... Etsu. I'll find a way."

    When I awake from sleeping, I'm in the future, the place where my sadness ends.