392/Sunglasses and Secrets

Sunglasses and Secrets
Date of Scene:	19 September 2015
Location:	Uminari City - Abandoned Convenience Store
Synopsis:	Runealy returns to the team's improvised home after a barely-explained absence, reluctant to explain herself even to sworn friends. What will they discover?
Cast of Characters:	Runealy Waldia, Hinote Kagari

---

Runealy Waldia has posed:
Rune missed school for the last few days. She had at least called her friends to let them know she was 'out looking into something', but she hadn't returned to the store on those days either.

Today, in the late afternoon to early evening hours, she does so. She uses the little trick to open the back door, then slips inside with her head low and demeanor rather quiet... aside from a few coughs. Notably, she has added another piece of 'Earth fashion'; along with the thick red scarf, she now has some large black sunglasses, the sort wide enough to cover the side of her head as well. They look absolutely ridiculous on her.

Perhaps well aware of this, she's working on opening the door to the cooler area to head for where her improvised bed is. All this without a glance or word to anyone.

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari has been dealing with his own problems. Hinote wondered if Runealy talked to Gaofelle about what he'd done. He wondered if Gaofelle would confront him about it. Regardless, a few days, he returns in some form of his usually chipper self. Not quite full blast, but enough to know he was dealing with it more healthier. He decided to visit, but when he got there, no one was around so he tapped his chin and walked into a side room. Runealy wouldn't know he was there.

He comes out just in time to see Runealy.

"Oh...! Runealy!" he says with a smile.

He pauses. "Uh...."

"What's with... the eye blinders." he asks concernedly. "Please don't tell me this is a Waldian Custom because I won't belive it." he insists.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
Rune jolts in place when spoken to, apparently not expecting it. "Wh!? Ah... I..." She turns around to face Hinote, leaving the cooler door unopened. "We don't have sunglasses," she figured out the right word for them immediately because they were very clearly labeled at the store, "or if we do, they're not at all like these. I just got these because I wanted them, that's all."

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari thinks back to the night before...... the end of what...whatever it is he was doing. He got flung across the rooftop by Tuxedo Kamen.... he dropped a barrier crystal...and his sword was shattered. When he was able to put the puzzle pieces together, he ran. He ran because it's all he could do. He hid by a dumpster....

He could begin to understand why Runealy called herself trash to some of these people now.

But more importantly- he got called back up by Tuxedo Kamen. Runealy was... expelling? leaking? black mist--- when she tried to send the energy back. He never did get an answer for that. And right now, it's what he's thinking about. He's not making any grandiose gestures to remove the stuff Rune is wearing.

"Runealy....are you hiding something from us?..." he asks. The tone isn't accusatory. No. Really, it's one of great concern--- Runealy would remember this tone from one of the first few nights they met. With him stocking food...and some supplies. Before the whole Guardian Knight thing he agreed to.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"Huh? What would I be hiding?" A lot of things, Runealy realizes without even having to think on it. She stays by the cooler door, talking to Hinote from some distance as a result. "I mean, we don't tell each other every single thing we do, but I check in when I'm out on those... 'hunts' alone. This one didn't turn up much. Thought it would."

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari pauses a moment....

"Runealy? Why were...you smoking the other day? When... When you caught me..on the rooftop." he asks softly. "You said that Tuxedo Kamen or the Puella Magi didn't do that to you.." he softly asks.

"D...did I attack you?" he asks hesitantly...really afraid to the answer of that question.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"Smoking?" Rune tries to think back to what Hinote would mean by that... it's not quite the word she would use to describe anything she has done. Then a chill lances through her nerves, a cold fear as he provides context, and now she understands. "No! Of course not. I would have said something if you had," she hopes this will be an adequate deflection, an odd case of telling the truth to cover up a different lie.

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari sort of... tries to make this make sense in his head. Kamen? Didn't attack her. Puella Magi? Didn't attack her. Himself...? Didn't attack her.

Then...then why was she hurt? Why did she need to roust her away at Kamen's summons? That. That doesn't make sense to anything. "Princess...." he looks down...

"If I ask you...to remove the glasses...and that scarf." he asks. "Would you?" he asks softly.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"Ah?" Runealy starts to feel trapped, mind racing for more lies and deflections. "I guess I could, but why? I like these. They're not hurting anything."

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari looks down....to the side. He feels shame. It's evident on his face. He's felt...weird. He's felt off since that night. Something is wrong with The Princess. Maybe...she doesn't know it? Maybe the scarf is evil magic? Just...Just... people don't...explode into mist and/or smoke for no reasons.

"Runealy...Tuxedo Kamen had me whisk you away because you were in pain. What hurt you. If it.. if it wasn't me. if it wasn't them. What was it?" he asks. "I can't...help...or protect you...if...if that Miss White put some kind of curse on you...!" he says through clenched teeth.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
'What hurt you?' It's a question Rune is scrambling to find answers for. She can't tell the truth, disaster is the only outcome she can imagine for that. Hinote provides a perfect answer for her, though. Miss White. "Yes, th--"

She cuts herself off, imagining what Hinote might do if armed with that 'information.' Would he storm off to pick a fight with her? Would he try to kill White over a lie? What happens when he finds out his 'dream princess' effectively sent him out on a 'revenge killing' all because of a lie?

Would White use that bizarre, somewhat 'ghostly' form again and gleefully make good on her graphic threats of precisely how she was going to murder Rune's friends? Is there any plausible way this doesn't end in something absolutely horrible happening to someone?

The demon influence spreading through her body sends impulses urging her to do it anyway, that it's the smartest overall option that won't end in him turning on her here and now, that she can deal with the fall-out /after/ the Barrier keeping their world protected is restored; focus on the top priority!

Yet the thoughts of what happens if either side - or even an uninvolved party - were to die over this lie overwhelm her, preventing Rune from crossing that particular line; she can see Hinote's parents (or her mental 'assumption image' of them, as she has never met either of them) finding him, dead... and she knows exactly how they would feel. She imagines Ao finding 'Miss White', and knows how that would feel too.

"That's... not it. I'm... I'm fi--" She starts to backpedal toward the back door, planning to flee. Instead, she trips and squealingly finishes her sentence as "--iiiine!"

Then her head smacks against said door, and she bounces off with an "Ow!" and collapses on the floor, starting to pick herself up. Her sunglasses stay on, but at a lowered, loosened angle due to the impact.

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari watches as Runealy....fumbles... she starts saying 'Yes'.. that's it and you can almost see the start of the jitter to dig his relic out of his pocket. Yes. Yes he would go find Miss White, and yes, that would probably be a fight to the death as Hino demands White free Runealy from whatever foul curse she placed on her---and of course, White couldn't do that, since well.... There is no curse and she didn't place any!

But then she recants... or seems to try. As she tumbles. His makes Hinote frown. Something is wrong. All... this. All this is wrong.

This is not the Princess who asked him what he would like his home to look like. This is not the Princess who promised him a life a Waldia. This is... this is like. A shadow of that.

Hinote opens the door, and then leans down to scoop Runealy off the floor. He steps into the cooler---and lays Runealy down on whatever she uses as a bed.

He doesn't touch the scarf....but he does try to pull off those sunglasses. He doesn't say anything yet---but he has a sad sort of expression on his face.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
Rune manages to get to her feet by the time Hinote is by her side, then... she doubles over, coughing and clutching her neck. "Hhk! C..." She's too distracted by this to put up any real fight to being shown to her bed - a roughly assembled frame from scrap wood from pallets, playing host to a discarded matress and blankets that were thrown out for having too many holes in them.

Yet when he reaches for the sunglasses, she protests. "Don'--hh!" Another cough, and they're off...

...Revealing that her eyes have a faint yellow glow where normally clear white would be expected, and their overall surface looks... literally glassy or glazed. Not just 'looks bad from lack of sleep', but genuinely, physically not normal. It's the sort of thing that would have been hard to see in the candlelight they used to rely on here. Not impossible, but hard. It's... much more clear to notice with modern lighting, which is installed back here and is usually left on even during daylight hours since it is otherwise hard to navigate this area.

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari sort of recoils a bit. He expected...bags under the eyes? Red eyes from no sleep? No. No this is something else entirely and he can sense it. "Runealy. What's going on?....." he asks as he does his best to take a deep breath and keep calm. He's not making for the scarf yet. "Is... is there more things wrong under the scarf?" he asks softly.

He sort of closes his eyes, taking another cleansing breath. The method that Runealy might remember him trying to teach her about dealing with stage fright, even!

Runealy Waldia has posed:
He wants to know what's happening. 'More things wrong'? Rune's mind scrambles once more for some kind of answer, some sort of lie that will prevent this situation from collapsing upon her. She could run. Maybe. She might trip again, and would have to get past someone who is right next to her, bigger than her, and in better health even if not. This does not strike her as even slightly useful.

She could invent another lie. 'A Witch did this to me.' It's a coin-flip; he might believe it, then ask Homura for help understanding the problem... and then he would wind up asking what /really/ happened since the story about the Witch didn't actually check out once investigated. That's not going to work.

She could claim a demon did it. This would raise the very obvious question of why she wasn't instead camping out at the portal, waiting to return home the very instant it opened up wide enough to let her go back and see if the Barrier had already collapsed. Also not useful.

And so she sits in silence for seconds, her mind quickly playing out each lie and its most likely outcome. Eventually she shoots every one of them down, and is left with no more answers, no more ways to kick this can further down the road.

Runealy starts sobbing, and answers Hinote with a nod. All she can do now is wait for everything to fall apart, in the same way a criminal suspect would as investigators are all of one or two steps short of finding absolute proof of their wrongdoing.

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari closes his eyes and begins to undo the scarf then. He doesn't ask. This is a problem now. She says there's things under the scarf. He's kind of taking a bated breath because, there could be anything there. A horrible deep cut (Is Runealy actually from a zombie world!?), maybe an endless eyeball scar, or reptile scales. But really- he won't find out until he's able to get the scarf off. He does ask a question thought.

"Runealy...who did this to you?" he asks softly.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
Rune starts to protest, starts to reach up to stop Hinote from doing this, but... stops herself, realizing there's no real point; if this comes down to who's going to out-muscle who, he's going to get the scarf off one way or another.

And so it comes off, revealing... a diamond-shaped bruise, somewhat similar in 'size' to the crystals from the Barrier Shrine they have been using to drain others. However, the shape is disrupted by numerous jagged lines branching out from it; that is /not/ a match for any crystals Runealy has supplied any of the Guardian Knights to use in targeting Tokyo's defenders.

'Who'? Her head lowers, eyes shut as she continues to cry. It takes several seconds before she admits: "I did."

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari looks at the bruise. Dark. jagged... "You did!? But... But why....I...!?" his mind goes to a really, REALLY bad place suddenly....then he shakes it off and and huffs. "How did you do this to yourself!? Was... was it that stupid thing we brought back!?" he seems to be just a tad panicked, but calms down. Because.... Runealy. Is crying still. All he can do his take one of her hands. And he does that.

He does his best to think comforting thoughts....

Oh...how he wished he could do that wispy gold thing that Tuxedo Kamen did..

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"No, it wasn't that 'battery'!" Rune is speaking in sobbing shouts, not at all an indoor voice. "You want to know why!? Think about it!" She's not angry, she's having what amounts to a nervous breakdown as fear and guilt slam through her. "Remember what that man said when he attacked me in the alley? When you and Gaofele showed up and chased him off?" The question is rhetorical, she's not specifically expecting Hinote to remember every word someone said, especially not when it was months ago.

"He said I couldn't accomplish anything without you doing it for me. And he's right!" Her shut eyes, her shaking head turn abruptly to look down and to the side, away from Hinote. Toward a wall. "The whole reason we're here is I can't do anything right! If I could, the Barrier would already be back at full strength and everyone would be okay and we never would have come to Earth at all! I tried! I tried it over and over and I'd either mess up a step or I'd get it right and it still wasn't good enough and the energy I sent to it would just vanish!"

She carries on, speaking with sharp gasping breaths and the occasional sobbing noise punctuating various words, "So I brought those along to make sure that when it counted, when we were fighting out here, I could do something! That I could win, without having to hide behind someone else! So I could succeed even though I don't even come close to what she can do!" Whoever 'she' is.

This perhaps answers the 'why', if not the 'how.'

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari has a very good idea who 'she' is. But he isn't going to say it. Not right now. Runealy's already told him the story about why they're here. And her two parents. He looks down. Not dissapointed. Not depressed...no. He's just. Wishing. Wishing super hard that.... he could just place a hand on Runealy's forehead and make this all go away...or take it into him. He does closes his eyes.

"Runealy.... I. You can't .... use...whatever you're using anymore. You... you couldn't even heal that Puella Magi...you..you went into a coughing fit and collapsed and started..billowing stuff. H..How are you even do what you need to do at home to save Waldia like /this/!?" he says with concern.

"I....Runealy. We need help. I need to find out how to fix all this.... we need to do this. We..." he tightens his palm around Runealy's hand.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"It might not have worked anyway," Rune insists; she got /some/ of Homura's energy restored, but this is perhaps an academic distinction at this point. "But it really doesn't matter at this point, we're close to what we need. I just...! I have to hold it together for one or two more big pushes to get the rest of the energy we must have, then we go home and we'll make this work! We're /this close/," she insists, head snapping around to face him with wide eyes and tears flowing. "So let's just get this done, okay?"

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari seethes a little now..."Runealy.....you're going to break....." he says. "You're eyes...are..unearthly! You're ...weak! You couldn't... even walk backwards without falling down! C..Can you even still transform!?" he asks panicedly.

"Runealy....." he says... "Princess...please. Let's...lets fix this first. I... we can ask Tuxedo Kamen. Maybe. He knows people who can help!" he says.

"Then...then we can worry about the last shards." he says.

"I... please. Please give me that time...." he says now basically straight up worried for Runealy.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"Of course I can! I'll show you. Summoning Prin--" Runealy is interrupted by Hinote suggesting a massive change of plans. Maybe the question about transforming was rhetorical. "'Fix this'... are you serious? Why would they? At every turn, we've hurt them. And now we're supposed to go to them, and they'll 'fix this'? If any of them are in their right minds, they'll say 'yes' so I come in, then hand me over to the guards as soon as they can! I can't restore the Barrier if I'm in the dungeon," apparently another term she hasn't picked up the modern equivalent of.

"So explain to me how going to them is a good idea?"

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari looks down. "I don't know why they would....." he says softly.

"But....you've heard. Everything Tuxedo Kamen says... What... the others say...." he says. "It sounds. Like they want to help. And... those that don't... are. The ones I won't be approaching anyways. Like that Black Jerk...or White...." he says softly.

"I won't...bring anybody back here. I promise." he says.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"The store won't matter, you know! Not at that point! They might want to get the crystals here, but their /real/ problem would be over because they would have put a stop to what we're doing!" Runealy is still speaking in hysterical shouts, pounding the bed with the hand Hinote isn't holding.

"Hinote, you need to understand! Before you tell me to go see them... understand, that's an all or nothing gamble. Are you that confident that they'll 'fix this', that you'll put both our world and Earth at risk if they decide to just solve all this with a locked cell or an execution?"

She realizes that's a loaded question, and points out her own side on it: "Because I think about that every time I do this to myself. 'Is this worth risking at least two worlds over, possibly more'? And I do it because it seems like the best answer, even if it's making me sick! So if we're really going to think about trusting every life to them... you have to be really sure. This will decide what happens to everything and everyone. Absolutely everyone. Are you telling me this is worth the risk?"

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari looks down. "Runealy....t..this. This isn't sick! This is...madness! You're hurting yourself!" he looks down. "Tuxedo Kamen. Has no reason to trust you or me. You have attacked him twice. You broke a deal with him. He found it /disguisting/ when you attacked those kids. But yet..... he shows you where he lives. He shows you...who he really is. He still talks to you. He's willing to belive farfetched stories about devices that control my mind and make me hurt people we're not supposed to. Do you have... any idea how that felt? To be sitting on that sofa, with the safety of the magic hiding who I was!? While he trusted you.. and /me/ with his personage?" he asks. "IN HIS OWN HOME." he says.

"If...if there's one person. I think i can trust to help. It's him." he says.

"If I have to...I'll. I'll try to fill two more crystals. And we'll get our last two crystals. But--- but you can't do anything like this! This. Is. It feels like that /Mister Black/." he says.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
Runealy responds with a sharp, hurt noise as Hinote recalls some of the things she has done. She wants to retort with some justification or excuse, but all that comes out is stammering syllables that go nowhere, and then just give way to more crying.

Yet after several seconds she manages to ask back, "What can he do about this? Anything? I... I'm listening, I just don't know what he could do?"

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari says. "You heard him last time. He has some connections. He's willing to be vauge. I. I think if we asked him, to be vauge. He'd do it." he says. He looks down. "But. That's all I can garner. I... Runealy. It's very important....it's important to me... that... we get you better. You look. horrible. You don't... even look human in the eyes." he says with terse teeth. Speaking of which.... he refolds that scarf around Runealy's neck gently....... and puts the sunglasses in a place she can easily reach them and/or won't be stepped on.

"Runealy... what is it exactly you were using....?" he asks.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"Ah!?" Runealy flinches, physically recoiling from Hinote's words. "'Don't even look human'... By the Barrier, I... I..." She's not going that far while in bed though, and he's able to get the scarf re-applied.

Her crying quiets. It's still there, but she's no longer shrieking and shouting about everything. "Do you want to hear about it here and now, or..."

Those sentiments keep echoing in her head. 'Like Black', 'don't even look human.' They pound away at her resolve as she thinks about how things will go, how they're likely to end at this rate as she's caught between two huge gambles; keep using 'demon poison' as a power source - one that is starting to weaken her instead of granting vast powers as it once did - or throw herself upon the mercies of Tokyo's defenders, people who have every reason to hate her... even as Hinote points out some of their sentiments. Her thoughts flash back to things Seishi and Tadase have said as well, and finally she finishes the sentence.

Head lowered, eyes closed, she concedes. Her plan has fallen apart, and she speaks with the quiet defeat of someone who has lost any further spark of defiance or confidence. "Do you want to hear about it here, or... on... on the way to... his home?"

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari pauses. "We're not going anywhere tonight. I want you to rest." he says sternly. "I want you to tell me. And I need to know where you are keeping them." he says softly. He of course let go of her hand to tie the scarf. So it's free again. He does close his eyes.

He looks away a little bit, before looking back to Runealy. "Runealy....I. You mean a lot to me." he says softly.

"I just want you to be happy. I want to be able to help you save home." he says.

"I'm not. Upset. I promise. I'm just. Really. Super. Concerned." he says looking down, a little shamed.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
Rune isn't sure which is worse; his worry, or that she was expecting righteous fury followed by him storming off, or even being all too glad to turn against her on the spot. A reaction that she still fears from others.

"'Happy'... at this point, I don't know if I can do that, if that will ever happen, but..."

She decides to go with the other topic. "Back home, sometimes we come across crystals that aren't like the ones from the Barrier Shrine. They're made of dark energy. A demon's power, as far as we can tell. There are mentions in history of people - what was left of them - being found dead, with these 'demon crystals' near them. We made them illegal as soon as we found that out, that's how it has always been. If you find one, you bring it to the castle for a reward and the queen destroys most of them. We keep a few to study, so we can figure out what the demons are doing."

She sinks into her bed, looking aside to Hinote. "They're power and poison. We guessed that much from the accounts of people being found dead next to them, of doing extraordinary things beforehand. We're certain of it now, because... well, I gathered all but a few that we had in the castle vault, before coming over to Earth. I've been using them when I was out alone, so I could... get things done without having to rely on everyone else all the time."

As for where they are? "A few are still in the vault. We really have been just studying them up until now... I don't think anyone in the royal family has actually USED them other than me! Those will be staying, we need to find out how they work, where they come from, so we can deal with it. The rest, though? They're on me. I pull them out from my bow when I fight, I've got them all hidden there. What's left of the supply, anyway."

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari listens to Runealy. "You were....using....." he parses this. "W..Why would you...use something...that you know kills people...." he says. He sounds more confused than he does upset. He just shakes his head. He closes his eyes. "You'll..be happy again. Someday Runealy. I promise." he says as he takes her hand again. Really. He wants to hug her. But. Not now. That can come when this is all over.

"I guess...I feel ashamed. We should had... been there for you...so you didn't need to rely on these to fight..." he says softly.

"I know that you don't think I should think like that." he says with a slight smile. "But." he yawns. "I'm... going to be sleeping here tonight in the other room, Rune." he says as he gets up. "Do you need anything?... Water? Food?..." he asks softly.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"Because we're out of chances," Rune insists. "If we don't get it right this time, absolutely everyone is going to die. So I took that chance, because we /have/ to succeed! Because I couldn't go back and face people, I couldn't tell them 'no, I will not go that far to save you. Sorry.'" She lies still, letting Hinote hold her hand.

"And don't look at it like that! I used these because /I/ was the one screwing up, not you! You've done pretty much everything as right as could have been, and the things you didn't... do you think any of us had any clue at all? You made the right choices for the right reasons, even when they didn't work out like we hoped. So don't you look down on yourself!" Rune is very firm on this. "This was because, just like he said, I couldn't get anything done /without/ you!"

Then her mood dials down to tired, quiet defeat. "Sleep wherever you want. I won't say 'no' to either of those things right now, but... when I feel ready, I'm going to take care of one thing before I go see him. There's something I need to settle first. It won't be a fight, though. And speaking of..."

A few head shakes follow. "You mentioned trying to fill up two more crystals if it would make me give up and stop. Don't. Just don't. It's not going to change anything at this rate. Don't do that to someone else, don't do it to yourself, just stop. Okay?"

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari looks down and then looks back up. "Okay." he says. He stands up. He doesn't know what else to say, sort of a genie magically appearing and telling him he had one wish. Then he knows exactly what he'd ask for. But for now.....

"I won't fight anymore people unless I'm protecting myself...or someone else then." he says.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"That's fine... do that. Food, water, sleeping here or there," Rune is interrupted with a short, spasming cough, but she gets over it relatively quickly. "Protecting yourself or others, all of that, it's all fine," She's starting to ramble at this point, voice sounding distant as if she's not entirely alert.

"Just... whatever you do, you've... you've done fine, don't look down on yourself." Then Rune's eyes close as she fades into sleep, exhausted from the extended mis-treatment she has heaped upon herself. Her sleep won't be entirely restful, nightmares will define much of it, but at least she isn't reflexively slamming herself with demon-crystals at this point...