611/How Eggs Are Made

How Eggs Are Made
Date of Scene:	22 November 2015
Location:	Pikarigaoka - Clover Street - South
Synopsis:	A very worried Amu is distracted from her worries by a boy who's just given birth to a pair of eggs. She tries to explain everything to him, but there's so much to take in at once! In the end, she just promises to tell him more, and then runs off to face her worries.
Cast of Characters:	Amu Hinamori, Alejandro Tatakai

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Amu Hinamori has posed:
Evening has fallen in Pikarigaoka, and most of the city is on edge. There is a sense that something meaningful is happening, but most people can't tell what that something is. It's not something visible to the naked eye; not something that Tokyo's common residents can see. But even they can sense it.

"Amu-chan, wait up!" comes a worried voice in the still of the evening. It's a very small voice, coming from the very small little fairy in a cheerleader outfit.

The cheerleader is chasing after a more normal sized girl who is running down the street full tilt. Except she's not exactly dressed for 'running'; tall red-and-white stripped stockings and a pair of flat Mary Janes don't exactly go well with the whole "runner" thing. Doubly so when combined with a striped pink hoodie shirt beneath a black overall dress. Cute? Yes. Practical for running? No.

"I have to do something," Amu Hinamori replies to the chasing Chara as she comes to a stop on the sidewalk, staring up at something in the distant sky. She sounds worried; furiously worried, in fact. "He's out there fighting, and I was too scared to go."

Ran catches up with Amu and pants a little sigh of relief that the girl stopped running. "Amu-chan, it's okay. He told you that you didn't have to go."

Soon, another two little fairies catch up with her as well: one with green hair and another with blue.

"Geeze, Amu-chan, you worry too much," Miki intones unhappily.

Amu grimaces at her charas, then starts pacing back and forth on the sidewalk. "I know I do, I just. What if he gets hurt? What if he needs help?"

"Then he'll call you on your cell phone and tell you," Miki is quick to point out.

Su is busy catching her breath, but she doesn't miss the opportunity to point out, "We could go get ice cweam so that you do not worry, Amu-chi?"

Amu scowls at Su, then turns a full circle and goes right back to pacing. "I just don't know what to do. I'm too scared to go fight that thing with him. I'm such a coward. I should be there with him."

Alejandro Tatakai has posed:
Seated on the stoop of one of the nearby houses is a boy, maybe ten or eleven years old. He has a bag next to him, leaning up against his legs, but his dark-eyed focus is definitely on the things he's holding in his hands. From afar, it might be difficult to tell exactly what they are, but someone with enough context or good enough vision might know them at a glance. They're eggs, brightly colored, although their designs are largely obscured by the boy's own fingers. He seems to be looking at them with confusion, though his touch is gentle.

Of course, then there's the noise of the others talking, and he looks up to see the girl run along the sidewalk, followed by...floating...fairies? His eyes bug a little, mouth starting to drop open. What the...?

Amu Hinamori has posed:
"Amu-chan," Ran says, trying to console Amu once more. "You don't have to do anything. Just believe in Platinum Royale like you believe in us."

Amu sighs and sits down on a low wall along the side of the road, staring up at the sky once again. "I do believe in him," she mumbles quietly. "He's the strongest boy I know. But I'm scared," she reiterates quietly.

Ran flies down to land on Amu's shoulder, and gives her a hug, but Miki? Miki is fed up with this whole 'feeling sorry for yourself' thing. She flies in front of Amu and points a finger right at the girl's nose. "Get over it," Miki tells her sternly. "Sometimes, people have to do things that are scary. You fought that catboy and his girlfriend. You fought against that X Character with the hammers, too. Those were scary, but you didn't get paralyzed by your fears, then. Stop being paralyzed by it, now. Either go help him, or--"

"Amu-chi," Su cuts her off. Miki turns to glare at Su, but then blinks in surprise.

Amu turns to look where Su and Miki are both suddenly staring, and blushes. "Crap, I didn't know we weren't alone," she mumbles quietly under her breath when she spots Alejo. He surely heard her talking to the charas.

"Amu," Ran whispers, "He's got eggs."

Well that comes as a surprise to Amu, whose eyes widen in surprise. "Really? Wait, crap, really? That means he can see you guys. Oh geeze, I bet he has no idea what's going on." Amu grimaces and pushes herself off the wall gain, then wipes her hand across her bottom to clear away any lingering dust. She hesitates, and glances one last time up at the sky. "Be safe, Tadase-kun," she murmurs, before gathering her courage and walking towards the stoop, a trio of charas in tow.

Alejandro Tatakai has posed:
The boy very, *very* clearly can see the charas floating around Amu. He keeps looking at them, unsubtle, and then trying to jerk his attention back to Amu herself like he thinks he's going to be in trouble for acknowledging that he can see them. He doesn't look at all like he's about to interrupt Amu, or try to stop her in any way. Thus, he's a little visibly surprised when she redirects to start coming in his direction. Hastily, he turns to start shoving the eggs into the bag by his legs, without really understanding why he feels the need to hide them. Amu gets a hesitant, uncertain smile.

Amu Hinamori has posed:
Amu takes one more breath as she draws near, then glances around him briefly, looking him over left and right, then says, "Hi."

"I don't see them," Ran says confusedly. "He's probably hiding them."

Miki rolls her eyes at Ran, then flies up towards the boy and pointedly says, "Hi, I'm Miki. Did you recently come across some eggs?"

"Miki!" Amu scolds the chara, who has just enough good sense to look a little bit chagrinned. Amu sighs and opens up the box on her hip. "Everyone back in the box," she tells them, and all three charas dive back inside. But they do peek right back out so they can watch. Amu takes a moment to study Alejandro, then lets out one last sigh of frustration. "Please don't freak out," she asks him. "I know it's weird, but I can explain it to you, okay?"

Alejandro Tatakai has posed:
Somehow those brown eyes just get wider. The boy looks over Amu as she comes up to him, saying in a quiet tone that's almost too-hesitant, "Hi." He looks a little surprised when Ran says he's *hiding them*, like maybe he wants to explain that he isn't hiding *anything*, even as he tries to put the bag beneath his legs further. "H-how are you?"

Of course, then there's Miki in his face, and he recoils just faintly, blinking at her. He opens his mouth, but Amu chastises the chara before he can say anything, and he finds himself watching bemusedly as all of the little people pile into Amu's box. At which point he says, very mildly, "You have little...flying...friends." He's not to freaking out yet, *but*...

Amu Hinamori has posed:
"Guardian Characters," Amu replies quietly. She squats down and hugs her knees for balance in front of him. "They're Guardian Characters. And ..." she trails off, trying to figure out how to explain this. "Well," she starts again, but gets nowhere further.

So she hesitates a moment before finally figuring it out. "Sometime recently, you found some eggs, right? Colourful ones. Like American Easter Eggs? Just randomly. And they're probably a little warm to the touch, and you have no idea where you found them, but you feel this strong sense of protectiveness for them. Right?"

Alejandro Tatakai has posed:
"Guardian characters?" Ajelo echoes, a faint look of confusion passing over his face. His eyes are mostly on Amu's little box, but he's reached down to keep the strap of his own bag clutched close. "What are they guarding?"

His eyes trace back up to Amu's face a moment later, and he sucks in a brief breath, overcome with the shortest moment of bravery. "I'm Alejandro Tatakai. But you can call me Alejo if you want, I know, I have a weird name." He winces, as if he's not sure whether he should have introduced himself, or done so in that manner. His voice drops in volume, like he's trying to share a secret, something abruptly intent about his expression. "Y-yeah. This morning. They were just on my dresser. How did you..."

Amu Hinamori has posed:
"A-re-han-du-ro," Ami says, squinting as she tries to say his entire name. She fails pretty miserably, then gives him an apologetic expression. "I'm Amu Hinamori," she explains to him. Yeah, that girl. The Joker of Seiyou Public School's Guardians; the number one cool and spicy elementary student.

"Guardian Characters ... guard your dreams," she explains thoughtfully. "You probably, very recently, prayed for the power to make some major change in your life, or made a wish that you could be someone who you aren't, or maybe you just really wanted to do something amazing that you thought was impossible. I don't really entirely know how it works, but I know some people who know better than I do. But the point is, they're a part of you. From your own thoughts and dreams. Most people only have one. Somehow I wound up with three, because ..." well, best not to admit she has no idea who she wants to be.

"Anyways, when they hatch," Amu says, "they're probably going to give you a little grief. But don't worry, the only people who can see them are people who are special, in some way. Just like you are."

Alejandro Tatakai has posed:
"They're going to *hatch*?!" Alejo's voice spikes, suddenly louder than it has been, and he rocks back from Amu just to look shocked, like she's slapped him. He doesn't even address the point where she's just admitted to being one of the most popular people in the school. He doesn't focus on that at all. He reaches like he's going to pull the bag free and stare inside, slightly horrified. "They came *out* of me and they're going to *hatch* into *people* that I have to take care of?!"

He's only eleven! He's not ready for motherhood! "Oh, oh no, I--how is this even possible?!"

Amu Hinamori has posed:
"Hey, who, hey, calm down," Ami says gently, reaching up with both hands like to touch him, except she doesn't, quite. "It's okay. They aren't going to be babies or anything ..."

"Ran, come out here," Amu says, and the little pink-haired chara zips out of her bag-box almost immediately, a smile on her face. The pom poms are put away, at least. "This is Ran," Amu introduces the little chara. "She was born just a few weeks ago. My first chara. She came out looking just like this."

"Hi!" Ran says, wiggling her fingers. "Don't worry, Alejo-kun! Your Charas are here to help you; you don't have to take care of us."

"Mmm," Amu sounds like she disagrees just a little, "You will, a little. They eat, and they sleep. But they mostly take care of themselves, and ... you. Much as I get mad at Ran when she tries to make me be more honest than I want to be, she and Miki and Su all have my best interests at heart," Amu explains. "Your Charas will, too. Because they're a part of you."

Alejandro Tatakai has posed:
"Hello, Ran, it's nice to meet you." Alejo says, almost on reflex. He wiggles his fingers right back, in greeting, although he still seems reserved and a little overwhelmed by it all. He looks down at his hands, then back up at Amu. "This barely makes any sense."

Now, he's feeling a little braver, pulling the bag out from behind his legs. He opens it up and, indeed, there are two large eggs nestled inside, all bundled up in what seems like an old flannel shirt. One of them is white with a little red plus repeated around its middle. The other is blue, with a yellow shield symbol around its middle. "I made parts of myself into eggs because I wanted to help badly enough? And then they'll turn into tiny people who have my best interests at heart? How will that...help me help?"

Amu Hinamori has posed:
"Because they're magical," Amu says with a faint grin as she stares down at his eggs. "With your Guardian Characters' help, you can reach the full potential of who you want to be. Ran is my cheerleader; when she's helping me, I can pull off really amazing athletic feats. Like I can beat most of the boy's team at soccer, or do gymnastics super well.

"I can't do any of those things on my own," Amu continues, "but I could if I worked really hard at it and practiced. With Ran, for a little while, I can skip the practice. Not that ... I can skip it entirely? Like I can't just be a super amazing athlete and get paid for it, because not only would that be cheating, it's also kinda tiring for me and for Ran."

Amu reaches down and opens up the box, and Miki and Su both flitter out as if she told them to. "Miki," she motions to the blue-haired chara, "helps me with art and design. She's also really good at critical thinking and mathematics. And Su," the green-haired Chara floats forward and curtseys very girlishly, "well Su just hatched two days ago, but she's a really great cook and really handy with crafts."

Alejandro Tatakai has posed:
Oh, okay, *magic*, clearly. That makes sense. Alejo keeps these thoughts to himself, looking down at the eggs in his bag. He isn't sure if the blue one just rocked on its own or if he caused it to move by moving, himself. "I wouldn't want to cheat anyway," He admits, glancing up at Amu and then to Ran. "It would make me feel bad. Like I was lying to everybody all the time. Are my little...my guardians, are they going to look like yours? Will they give me the same abilities or different ones? Will I have to hide them from my Mom?"

Each of them gets their own greeting from Alejo, at least. It could be worse, he *could* be freaking out a lot more.

Amu Hinamori has posed:
Amu glances up at the trio of guardians, then grins at them before looking back to Alejandro. "I don't know what they'll look like, but they won't look like mine. One guy I know has a little catboy for a Chara," Why did she think of Ikuto, first?! Amu pauses a moment, rocking back on her heels to consider that, then blinks and shakes her head. "Another ... another one looks just like the boy that made him. Except chibi. Another looks like a little king, and another is this beautiful Japanese maiden. Every Guardian Character is different. Yours will be unique, and as special as you are. Who knows what they'll let you do, but it'll be who you want to be," she promises quietly. "Even if you don't realise it. Your mom won't be able to see them, though; only really special people--people who have their own Guardian Characters, or other kinds of magic--can. And ... little kids. My little sister can see mine, because she hasn't gotten old enough for her own dreams to really form."

Alejandro Tatakai has posed:
"*I* think my Mom is pretty special." Alejo's voice is mildly wounded, almost--protective? Like this is a sore spot, something he's been prodded and teased about before. He doesn't elaborate. "When do they hatch? Just--whenever? Will I know or do I have to watch them? Do they need to be kept warm? Turned?"

Amu Hinamori has posed:
"Mmm," Amu agrees, then smiles a little. "I'm sure she's very special. I meant ... magical," she says with a sigh. "I don't like sayign the word. It makes me sound dumb." She shakes her head, then glances up at her Charas. "I dunno. Mine all hatched separately. Ran was pretty quick, but Miki took a week, and Su took almost four. Keep them with you. Keep them safe; they can break. But they'll keep themself warm, and whatever else. Just keep them safe.

"But also," Amu says, and seems to draw in a little, "Be really careful. Your dreams ... there are people out there who would try to corrupt them. Who want to kill your dreams. Believe in these two," she says, reaching out a hand to very gently lay atop the eggs. "Don't let anyone tell you you can't do it. You can do anything, Tatakai-san. As long as you believe in yourself, and in your Guardian Characters."

Alejandro Tatakai has posed:
Alejo nods, then, folding the bag closed and wrapping his arms carefully around the eggs inside. He seems to be taking the instructions to keep them safe very seriously. "I won't let them break, Hinamori-san." He says, his voice sounding a great deal like he's making a promise. "I'll take good care of them. I won't let them get hurt."

His cheeks color, just a little, at the implication that he can do anything, but Alejo doesn't try to dismantle it. Instead, he nods, and finally looks up to the sky. For a little while, he seems thoughtful. Then, he asks, "...so what's with the giant flower in the sky?"

Amu Hinamori has posed:
Amu smiles as Alejandro takes her instructions so seriously. Look, she did a thing, and it was a good thing! That feeling of self-confidence and self-approval comes hastily crashing down when he mentions the white flower. "Ghgk!" she declares, and turns to stare up at the White Flower again. How could she have forgotten Tadase? So bravely fighting against who knows what evil things that flower has probably spawned!

"That ... that is magic," Amu explains worriedly. "Look, I should get going. I need ... I need to make sure a friend is okay. But hey," she turns back to Alejo. "Don't be surprised if you get an invitation to the Royal Garden after school on Monday, okay?" She can't make that decision. But once she tells Tadase, he probably will.

"I need to go," she reiterates, then turns around and grabs the little lock dangling from a chain around her neck. "Ran, I think I'm brave enough. Come on," she calls. Because oh man is she worried, now.

"Atashi no Kokoro: UNLOCK!"

There is a light, so brilliant and warm, that suffuses Amu and grows out from her. It should be blinding, but instead it's just encouraging, like hope and faith personified. Ran winks at Alejo before diving into a little pink egg with hearts all around it. Inside the light, Amu's whole outfit seems to be clinging to her body--is it even there?--as she reaches out her arms for the little egg. It fuses with her, literally merges with her chest. And then the light fades, leaving Amulet Heart where Amu was only a moment ago. "Amulet Heart!" she announces herself, then winks at Alejandro before leaping into the sky.

"I'm coming, Platinum Royale," Amulet Heart calls as she glides towards the city center.