902/Last Stop

Last Stop
Date of Scene:	22 January 2016
Location:	Uminari City - Seishou Public School
Synopsis:	Months after two friends join forces to fight the darkness of Griselda, they part ways.
Cast of Characters:	Hiroko Koumoto, Reiko Touyama

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Hiroko Koumoto has posed:
    Some things you don't see coming. It's not because they're truly surprising. It's not because there weren't a thousand warning signs marking the road to that destination. No, with some things, you simply tell yourself they won't happen because they shouldn't happen. This isn't the way it's supposed to be, you think. This wasn't supposed to be my story.

    It started as a story. Two girls, then three, once bound by friendship, finding themselves drawn into a world of magic. This was their fantasy. This was their dream adventure. Heroism. Adventure. More than that, fun. That's what it was before, what it was supposed to be now. It didn't quite turn out that way.

    Months have passed since Reiko Touyama's last confrontation with Griselda. The Gray Girl has been spotted since then, but her Orange nemesis never rushed to meet her in battle. She was smart enough to be cautious, or maybe brave enough to admit when she should be afraid. No, Reiko's focus stayed on the Shades: the minions of Griselda who did her dirty work in draining people and places of color. The Shades were the ones causing harm, after all, and for now, it was good enough for Reiko defeat them while she mastered her powers and got stronger. She didn't catch all of them. Sometimes the Shades were gone before she arrived, their work already done. Still, she got most, and even when she was too late, those drained recovered. Eventually, even if not fully. Where was all of that color energy going? She doesn't quite know.

    That wasn't enough for Reiko's comrade, Mei. It started with the two of them, side by side, fighting the Shades in unison. But something changed in Mei as time passed. While Reiko focused on the Shades, Mei went after Griselda alone, even against her friend's desperate urging. Was she angry, trying to avenge the harm done to a little sister she promised to protect? Or was she just being a good leader, trying to protect her friend Reiko from the fate she only narrowly avoided in her first battle with Griselda?

    Mei's skirmishes with the gray girl took a toll on her. Griselda was playing for keeps, and for all her bravery and increasing mastery, the girl in red only narrowly escaped most of those battles. She came to school with injuries more than once, and though she never told Reiko why, the orange girl knew. Mei's resolve only hardened with each defeat, though, and as it did, she drifted farther from Reiko. They haven't spoken in weeks now, beyond the obligatory polite hello at school.

    Tonight, Mei finally breaks the ice. Reiko gets a text surprisingly late, just past midnight. "Meet me at Station 23. Come before 12:30." That's downtown, a large station that leads almost anywhere you could want to go. Mei and Reiko used to meet there often, taking the train to their favorite places. Tonight, it feels more serious. Even if Reiko flies, she'll only make it there without about ten minutes to spare. That almost seems by design.

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Indeed. It's been a harrowing six months. Shades... Griselda. Heck.. Griselda almost killed her and the only reason she didn't /die/ is because the Cute Wolf was there. She'd beg Mei not to face Griselda alone, to ask her for help but that didn't happen. Mei was doing it alone and she knew it. But what could she say? She can't make this better-- and Roy, Biv and GiGi can only provide so much support.

Mei's been distant again. The last time this happened, it was because Mei was keeping the secret of the Prism Keepers being real from her- then things went 'back to normal' as far as contact was concerned but now she was worried.

Was she actually upset at her...?

She'd been doing her best...

She was a cruddy Prism Keeper, she thought...

Maybe Mei was going to take her Crystal away...

Ugh nonono, she'd never do that!

Reiko arrives via flying and untransforming. Train station? What was that about. She'd hurry to the proper station and run into the main foyer, looking around worriedly.

Was Mei expecting someone? Or...

Was something else happening.

Hiroko Koumoto has posed:
    You get a follow-up text as you approach. "Platform 6B," is all it says. Reiko knows the layout of this station. A large foyer admits entry from the street level, with a series of snaking stairways leading upward to myriad platforms. She has grown since last she came here, but still, to her ten year-old eyes, it seems so very large. But she remembers how to find her way. 6B. Didn't they use that platform once on a school trip?

    On her way, it's hard not to notice the red-and-black LED sign that sits above the tunnel which leads to platform 6B. A single word indicates the destination, "YAMAGUCHI." Yamaguchi, the capital city of the Yamaguchi Prefecture, on the very southwestern tip of the main Japanese island of Honshu. It's far, far away from Tokyo. She's not really . . .

    Reiko steps out of the tunnel, out onto the open air platform. The lamps which are staggered across the platform every few meters don't quite dispel the darkness of this night, casting only a series of orange glows that aren't quite bright enough to reach other. In the distance, Mei's red-haired figure can be seen, a warm coat wrapped around her to keep out the January cold. There's a large suitcase not far from her, and judging by the fact that she and Reiko are the only two on this platform, it couldn't be anyone else's. She's standing there, alone, eyes cast upward at the night sky above. Not many stars can be seen amidst the ambient light of the high rise cityscape that seems to wrap around this place in every direction.

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Reiko Touyama digs her smartphone out and begins jogging. Indeed, she's been here before. School Trips... seeing Grandpa off every other month when he has to visit the hospital a town over. Lots of reasons. She follows to the platform and looks around. Just her and Mei? She peeks at the lights as she stares at the red led destination as she frowns wide.

Reiko is wearing her usual blue jacket. She always wears it- regardless of the weather. When you have a look you like, you go for it.

She frowns... "Mei... what are.. you doing!? Why are you packed!?" she says with a frown.

"---is this about... is this about me not working hard enough!? I promise...I'll try even harder! I--I'll quit... the Art Club so I can have more time.. just...!"

She seems to think this is her fault, but Reiko kind of always thinks it's her fault because in her head that means she can fix the issue.

Hiroko Koumoto has posed:
    Mei turns slowly, with a look on her face that mixes concern and the affection of loving friendship. "Reiko." She smiles. It's not a good smile. It's the kind of bittersweet smile she used to wear when she was keeping her magical life a secret: an expression that says she's carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders and doesn't quite know how to share it. "It's not like that. It's not your fault. I just . . . " She smiles a little wider, this time more genuinely, a hint of relief on her face. "I think I might have finally found a clue about what happened to her." Her? There's only one 'her' that she has been looking for. "My mom."

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Reiko Touyama sort of eyes widen! Well she's happy it's not her! She was worried about that too when she was hiding things. That she'd done something wrong. It's just a short lived relif because Mei brights up 'her'. It only takes a moment for Reiko to realize who Mei means.

"R..really!? That's great! What did you find out!? But---w--why are you telling me now!?" she asks.

"Mei---you know I'll go with you! Lickety split! It's not like my parents will even notice I'm gone and my Grandpa can cover for me.." she mutters.

She knows the answer she's going to get. If Mei intended to relent, well.

She'd not be contacting Reiko about it right now. Reiko is smart.

But...

She still has to try.

She has to because that's what friends do!

Hiroko Koumoto has posed:
    "I don't know what I'm going to find, or how long I'll be gone," Mei says. She swallows nervously, shivering a little despite her coat. Cold? Or nervous? Afraid? But there's still determination in her eyes, a fire that hasn't quite gone out despite her recent trials. She isn't easily swayed; that has never been her. "I'm going to be transferring to a school in Yamaguchi until I can figure things out. I guess I've gotten good at forging school papers, huh?" She laughs uneasily, trying to break the tension. It doesn't quite work.

    "I'm leaving Momo here. Gigi will be taking care of her, and Biv will be staying at my house. I didn't want to interrupt her school. I haven't told Roy yet. He would've just tried to stop me. He'll help you from now on, though, I'm sure."

    She looks down there, perhaps realizing she needs to offer some explanation. "I found something when I was going through my mom's things. I'm not really sure what it means, but it's the only lead I have on what happened to her. I'll . . . I'll be back as soon as I can." She doesn't sound convinced when she says that, though. She opens her mouth as if to say something, but can't quite find the words. She's choking up.

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Faking School Papers is kind of a nessacry thing to do as a magical girl! 'Sorry, Reiko can't go to school today because the god of hyperdeath injured her.'. No, you fake a doctor's note for the school 'Reiko sprained her leg and can't go to school today' instead. People'll belive that one.

She looks down, okay... she was going to ask about Momo- but if she's taken care of- well.

Reiko doesn't know what to say either, but she /does/ know what to do. She gives Mei, in fact, a big hug, just leaning into her and giving her a tight embrace. She doesn't say anything yet, not for a few moments.

"I'm sure that... if you think you can find your mom there, Mei! Well! I know you can do it!" she beams wide!

Hiroko Koumoto has posed:
    The light on the platform seems to brighten a bit. In the corner of Reiko's eye, words scroll across another red-and-black LED sign. TRAIN INCOMING. And then a woman's voice begins to speak, an automated safety message filling the air with a mostly-pleasant-monotone. "A train is approaching the platform. Please stand back from the edge of the platform." Convenient timing, perhaps, or well-engineered: a goodbye that someone didn't want to drag on.

    The light gets brighter now. You can see it clearly now in the distance, the bright headlamp of an approaching train as it begins to brake to stop at the station. Mei can't quite hold back tears as she feels Reiko's arms around her, responding in kind, her embrace tight and warm. "You can do this. Just remember . . . You don't have to be the hero. Friends . . . friends protect each other." There's emphasis on each other there, a hint of pain in her voice saying it was a lesson hard learned for her. As the two pull away from each other, Mei reaches into her coat, withdrawing a bag. Reiko might remember that bag from when she herself awakened. These are the Prism Crystals. The drawstring pouch is pressed into Reiko's hand. "I always tried to protect my friends from this. It's up to you how you're going to handle this now. Take care of them. And . . . take care of yourself."

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Reiko Touyama blinks and relents the hug without issue. She looks at Mei curiously as she reaches into her jacket and removes the pouch-bag, the same one Roy drew the Orange crystal from. She holds it and looks down at it with a blink... she looks up at Mei!-- she wants to say something. She knows Mei never wanted to drag anyone in on this. Reiko's... always kind of disagreed. But she'd never told Mei outright. Now she feels bad, because here she is, holding the crystals and----

What does she even do? Does she go around town hoping one of these activate?... does she need Roy? Will /Roy/ even let her do that!?

Ugh.

The train is coming. Mei won't have much longer here. She's not too worried about anything like money--- Mei has that magical bank card Biv and Roy gave her- she can get a hotel room and food and all that. But that's not what's on her mind. Mei's going and she's going to be alone.

"You... better call me! Once a week!" she says, stuffing the bag into her own jacket snuggly--- holding it close to her like it was the world's most important item. In a way, it is. Those are colors.

She looks down, and gives Mei one finally shorter quick hug that's broken.

"Be safe... and don't be afraid to call.. if you need help!" She does her best to wear her biggest smile!

Hiroko Koumoto has posed:
    The droning voice of the announcer again chimes in, the slightest echo in the cold air off the nearby towers of glass and steel. "The train is approaching the station. Please stand back from the edge of the platform." Reiko can see the light of the approaching train shining on her now, the red of Mei's eye coming into clearer view as the sound of rolling steel on steel grows louder.

    Mei smiles a little wider as the sound intensifies, only to begin to die down as the final moments of braking bring the long train to a halt. You can see inside now. The train has just enough people inside it to justify keeping this route running at this hour. It likely started quite a ways north of here; many of those inside are already asleep at their seats. They'll probably still be sleeping when it arrives; even Mei might be. Yamaguchi is hours away, very likely the last stop on this line.

    And then the platform quiets to an almost silence. "I'll do my best to keep in touch." She moves to her suitcase as the hydraulic hiss of the releasing brakes is heard from the now stationary train. The doors slide open. She doesn't seem to have anything else to say. She seems a little exhausted; months of desperate battles have left their mark on her. Maybe she needs this more than she knows. Maybe being in a quieter city for a little while will do her good.

    She tilts her suitcase as she begins to drag it into the train, turning back toward Reiko from beyond the train's threshold. Mei doesn't seem to have a lot of words to offer, but the genuineness on her face says enough. She's a lot of things. Excited. Sad. Tired. Happy. It's a little of everything at once, which is perhaps not so unusual for a magical girl. "I don't know when, but I'll be back," is all she manages to say. "Stay safe, Reiko. And thank you . . ." A wide smile follows, one that's characteristically brave and enthusiastic, a brief show of her best traits for Reiko. She always seems to have one of those smiles in reserve somewhere, even in her darkest moments. "For being my best friend."

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Reiko Touyama gently holds Mei's hand as long as she'll let him-- she reaches out for it- but she has to let Mei go. Mei obviously needs to do this- and it isn't forever. Eventually, Mei will find out what she needs or doesn't need and come back. Maybe not soon, but she sighs. She figures, she'll visit if she can.

That's going to be some train ride... "Stay safe, Mei-chan....!" she begs and pleads as she gets onto the train... and she stands there, and she wants to... chase the train. Or transform and grab the top and go along without Mei's knowledge. But she doesn't. She entrusted the crystals with her.

She just looks down and... "Bye..." she says to the ground.

Reiko moves back to the Foyer to mope in the terminal- part of her wishes Mei could had spoken to her about this before she decided- but- even then, she couldn't talk Mei out of this. She knows that much.

She gently feels across her jacket, where the crystals are. Nrg. What does she want to do?

She'll have to talk about this with Roy. Very very soon.

In fact, she's already calling the number.

This is going to fun to deal with, she sarcastically thinks.