View source for 1146/Truth Upon A Star

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2016/03/06
|Location=Uminari City - Juuban Avenue - North
|Synopsis=Sora gets home after an unexpected long night out, full of leftover aggression. Ayana provides a suitable target, but curiousity sparks when certain weaknesses become obvious. An uncertain truce is made.
|Cast of Characters=151,86
|pretty=yes
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{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:151|Sora Hisakata| (151)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Sora has been out late, without telling anyone; which is unusual even for the arrogant teen. Her parents are worried, and perhaps a little angry, and this has shown as they done their job on the Hisakata residences. Being family, they haven't seen a reason to hide it if people asked what's wrong either.<br /><br />It is approaching midnight when Sora comes within walking distance, she looks like she's not had the most fun evening, but not tired by any stretch either. She's making no attempts to hurry home either, in fact it's quite the the opposite, she's walking slower than her normal pace, looking somewhat pondorous.

:'''{{#var:86|Ayana Tasogare| (86)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Ayana is also prone to going out late. The difference is, she sneaks out by window, either long after Ikiko is asleep, or with her girlfriend'ss full knowledge that she is doing so. And always with a promise of 'I'll be back!'. Of course, given Cute Wolf Tsukiko does her own share of midnight roof running, this isn't really abnormal.<br /><br />Tonight, Ayana is simply lounging on the Hisakata roof, staring up at the stars in thought. She's fully visible from the road, dressed as she is in a pink tanktop, white pleated skirt, and black spats. Thankfully she's at least hidden her ears and tails from the nighbors, though some of them will certainly wonder how the girl got to the roof inthe first place, and more importantly: who is letting her ''dress'' like that and go out in pubilic!<br /><br />The sound of Sora's approach does draw Ayana's attention from her stargazing, and she narrows her eyes quickly when she spots the incoming Hisakata. "Out late again," she notes. "Your parents won't be happy."

:'''{{#var:151|Sora Hisakata| (151)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Unlike you, I don't make a habit out of this." Sora bites, right away, and stops moving. She stares at the kitsune girl, "I've gone to talk to some people, to check your claims." That much is true, though she was done with that well before dinner. She doesn't mention that bit, "Fifty years a fox. There's no way you're that old, so you must be what you call a wild fox."<br /><br />"And I forgot to let them know where I was going, and my phone is on the charger. That happens, honest mistake." Not entirely incorrect, more accurate would be to say she forgot to lie about where she was going. "I'm sure they won't be happy, but I'm also sure it's none of your business."

:'''{{#var:86|Ayana Tasogare| (86)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Fifty years a fox," Ayana repeats the phrase with a sigh. "That is also a requirement for wild foxes, too," she points out with a roll of her eyes. "It's like you were born stupid. Or maybe you work at it intentionally, I can't tell. I am three years old, if you must know my /exact/ age. And you're right, that means I am not old enough to be a kitsune. I got a special allowance from Inari for reasons you don't need to know about. I've never lied about any of this," Ayana points out. "Nor have I tried to hide that I am not fifty. But I'm also sure that none of this is /your/ business."

:'''{{#var:151|Sora Hisakata| (151)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"See, that's how I know you are lying." Sora responds with a somewhat clear need to take out some frustrations on someone, "And I don't care how you made Ikiko believe you, or what she says happened, because it's clear she's fallen for your tricks hook, line and sinker."<br /><br />"There's no way a Kami would make an exception for a little snotty bitch like you." Sora balls her fists, and puts her book bag on the ground, "Let's make it clear, I'm not falling for your lies, not tolerating the disrespect you show to a Kami by making such a foul lie, and I want you gone."

:'''{{#var:86|Ayana Tasogare| (86)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The kitsune can't help it. Her ears pop into visibility, laid back along her head in anger as she glares down at the girl on the ground. Those four tails lash behind her, as well, like snakes looking for a target to strike. "How dare you," she says between literal growls of anger. "You know ''nothing'' about me. Nothing about the evils I have faced and come through. You know ''nothing'' about my relationship with Ikiko, how it formed, why it persists, or how much I have sacrificed for her, or her for me."<br /><br />Ayana leaps down from the rooftop, and it is no surprise that witht he magic of a Kitsune she lands on the ground unharmed, despite the two-story fall. "How ''dare'' you!" She reaches up to clasp the starlit ball dangling from her throat, and the little ball instantly flartes to life, glowing with twilight and shadow that suffuses the kitsune and gives her an altogether feral gleam. "This is my starball," she says angrily, holding it out for Sora to see--but oh so careful not to let her touch. "It was forged by Inari himself, at the place of my birth in the fires of creation. I was once a liar. Every word I spoke was falsehood. And you dare accuse me of that ''now''? You are a stupid, selfish, jealous, greedy, deluded ''brat'', and I'm not going to let you hurt Ikiko with your lies and your insanity. If you want me gone, you will have to make me leave."

:'''{{#var:151|Sora Hisakata| (151)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>For a brief moment, blink and you'll miss it brief, easily believed to be an error in perception, Sora's purple eyes flash red. "Gladly." She doesn't bother with the starball, assuming it's just an illusion meant to lead credence to the story. "Don't worry, if gets too much for you, you can always flee."<br /><br />Then, she rushes to close the gap, balled fist aimed squarely at Ayana's gut. She's physically fit, but honestly not much of a martial artist, volleyball doesn't really teach you much related to that

:'''{{#var:86|Ayana Tasogare| (86)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Ayana did ''not'' expect Sora to actually go for a fight. If she'd been thinking clearly, she might have at least worried about being ready for it. But between anger, indignation, and a sudden feeling of protectiveness, the kitsune is taken entirely off guard. Worse, her starball isn't on her collar where it belongs, which means it could easily be lost at the moment.<br /><br />This leaves Ayana with a choice: defend yourself and risk the starball, or defend the starball and risk yourself.<br /><br />It's not a very difficult choice. Ayana clutches the starball tight in her hands and takes the punch to the gut with a loud and sudden exhale. She doubles over around Sora's attack, but also lets it carry her backwards.<br /><br />The volleyball girl likely has the edge in raw strength and physical fitness, but Ayana has been ''fighting'' a lot longer. Six months as a primarily melee combatant has taught her a lot of how to take a blow, roll with it, recover from it, and respond to it. Her bare feet slide backwards on the rough road, and she yelps in pain, but then immediately drops down onto one leg and spins round, sending a vicious kick to the back of Sora's knees in an attempt to send the girl to the ground. And with that opportunity gained, Ayana also reaches up to hook her starball back on the chain where it belongs.

:'''{{#var:151|Sora Hisakata| (151)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Volleyball doesn't prepare you for a fight, but it does help with your reflexes, it's a game that requires quick responses, so while her reaction to the kick isn't quite what it could've been, she at least manages to turn in time for that to hit the /side/ of her knees, still unpleasant, but it won't make her quite fall over.<br /><br />She jumps towards Ayana, trying to fight in a way that makes her raw strength matter more, trying to grab Ayana by the shoulders and push her to the ground, "Why do you have to make this so hard for yourself, stupid fox?"

:'''{{#var:86|Ayana Tasogare| (86)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Ayana dodges to the side, narrowly avoiding Sora's attempt to pin her to the ground. "I don't expect someone like you to understand love," she says. And because it is simply second nature to her, the fox leaves behind a duplicate of herself, just sitting there doing nothing, as she dashes towards a tree.<br /><br />Ayana leaps into the tree and stays there, glaring out at Sora. She doesn't say anything further--that would give away her hiding place. But she does watch to see what the girl does with the still duplicate.

:'''{{#var:151|Sora Hisakata| (151)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Love isn't built on lies." Sora bites back with a true statement that fails to have bearing on the situation. The underlying accusation is no less clear for it, and she rushes the illusion with a jumping tackle, only to fall through and hitting the ground face first.<br /><br />"Damn fox!" She yells, and this time the flash of red in her eyes lasts a little longer, it fades quickly enough, but her anger is growing, and she looks around, searching for Ayana now the illusion has been revealed to be just that, and it doesn't take her too long.<br /><br />She might not be able to leap into it like Ayana did, but she can climb pretty well, even though her face is scratched open, and it looks kinda nasty, she's not letting it hold her back. "This is not your tree to hide in."

:'''{{#var:86|Ayana Tasogare| (86)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I was trying to avoid hurting you," Ayana says as Sora tracks her to the tree. "But since you're ''determined'' to get your ass kicked," she says, then uses her own body weight to drop out of the tree straight onto Sora, legs first in an attempt to scissor her to the ground and gain the advantage.

:'''{{#var:151|Sora Hisakata| (151)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>And then Sora is falling to the ground with a foxgirl on top of her, her immediate response is to try to use her strengthe advantage to change that to being on top of the fox, "You were trying to avoid a fight, you mean." She bites verbally, and reaches out in an attempt to rip that starstone off Ayana's neck.

:'''{{#var:86|Ayana Tasogare| (86)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Sora's twisting strength is enough that when the hit the ground, both girls are roughly equal in advantage, hitting hard. Ayana yelps in pain and scrabbles to try and get back atop Sora. "Because I don't ''want'' to fight you!" retorts the kitsune, ears swiveled forward alertly towards Sora. Her skirt gets caught on a root and rips, but she just twists away, tearing it off entirely for the freedom.<br /><br />Then Sora's reaching for her necklace, and Ayana's eyes widen with sudden, very serious shock as the girl's hand closes around her very literal soul. The jerking motion to try and take it is largely ineffective, but Ayana's ears are pointed straight up, eyes wide, fanged teeth visible as she becomes very, ''very'' still.

:'''{{#var:151|Sora Hisakata| (151)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>And it's that moment of weakness that creates a cruel grin, her eyes fixate on the stone, on the soul she's touching, "I wonder..." She doesn't even quite seem to be wondering for Ayana's sake, no, more her own; "... it doesn't matter." It's the kind of curiousity that she seems to be aware must not be indulged, and yet can't help but have.<br /><br />She tries to use the advantage to put herself firmly on top, and then lets go. "I guess you weren't kidding when you said that was your starstone, huh." She seems actually kind of taken out of her anger, whatever is spinning in that mind of hers, it's soothed her aggression, "What did you do to earn that?"

:'''{{#var:86|Ayana Tasogare| (86)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Ayana is ''easily'' subdued, giving Sora the upper hand, now. When Sora finally lets go, Ayana's ears fold down along her head, and she cowers beneath the girl, as if nervous about what she might do. "It's real," she whimpers faintly. "And I still don't know what I did to deserve it. I don't think I do. But I have it, and I try to be worthy of it anyways."

:'''{{#var:151|Sora Hisakata| (151)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"This changes little, I still don't trust you." Sora says, as her hands leave Ayana's shoulders and she rolls to the side, taking in deep breaths as the adrenalin starts to leave her body. "But I believe enough to give you a chance to prove me wrong, don't blow it."<br /><br />She then gets up, and still looks at the starball, curious. It's obvious that she's running over several trains of thought at once, but the cruelty that first came with recognizing the impact that has is gone; it's a more benign curiousity now. "Sound fair?" She asks, holding out a hand in a gesture of peace.

:'''{{#var:86|Ayana Tasogare| (86)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Ayana swallows hard when Sora rolls off of her, then scrabbles away until her back is to the tree, staring up at the other girl like she's waiting for the other shoe to drop. How is it that someone so previously full of bravado is now so very scared? Was the confidence just a show, or did something else happen?<br /><br />Sora's words, though, draw Ayana's eyes down to the offered hand, and her ears perk back up suspiciously. She sniffs at the air once or twice, saying nothing, then reaches out for her torn skirt with one hand. Once she has it, she reaches up to take Sora's hand and uses it to help herself up, ''very'' careful to watch for another attack. It's clear she doesn't trust Sora, and this has only made matters worse.<br /><br />Nevertheless, she does nod her head. "Fair," she croaks out quietly. "But I still don't know what I ever did to make you hate me so much."

:'''{{#var:151|Sora Hisakata| (151)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>There is no other attack coming, Sora for her part seems genuine. "You're a nasty piece of work even if you haven't been lying, just not the kind of nasty piece of work that I get to object to." It sounds begrudging, like 'it's not my place' rather than 'I don't want to.'<br /><br />"You're an ungrateful know it all." Pot, meet kettle. "You started it, anyway." That may not be an entirely accurate recollection of events, but apparently Sora holds a grudge and her memory is subject to the same kind of flaws that any human being's is, "Even if I end up trusting you, I doubt we'll ever get along."

:'''{{#var:86|Ayana Tasogare| (86)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Ayana sets her jaw in upset, then offers her skirt to Sora. "You're bleeding," she says flatly, glaring at the girl. "You should probably wipe your face before you go inside so they don't think you've been more badly injured than you are. And," she notes, "I don't see why we shouldn't get along. You're more of a know-it-all than I am, ''and'' you're just as much of a brat. Honestly, we should be working together, not against each other. But I'm not going to back down just because you're being nice, now. If you try to come between me and Ikiko I'll kick your ass," she promises. "She's all I've got in this world. I won't let you destroy that."

:'''{{#var:151|Sora Hisakata| (151)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Sora wipes her face with the inside of her shirt-sleeve instead, refusing to accept aid offered, something that would upset her if the situation was in reverse. "The thing that makes it different is that I'm right." She says that with the kind of self-confidence that is completely at odds with the fact she just acknowledged that she may have been wrong.<br /><br />"And if you bring trouble to my home, I will kick yours." She responds to that, and heads to pick up her back, clearly wanting to stop associating with the fox, who she clearly still doesn't like. "It's all I have." She adds, essentially echoing Ayana's motivations without even seeming to be aware of the fact.

:'''{{#var:86|Ayana Tasogare| (86)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Just like you were ''right'' about me being a kitsune?" Ayana asks, glaring at Sora. But she doesn't chase after the girl. Instead, she leans back until she's slumped against the tree again, staring up at the stars with anger writ all over her face, ears twitching this way and that at every little sound. "Stupid Hisakatas," she mumbles to herself. "Every one of them so stubborn and blind."

:'''{{#var:151|Sora Hisakata| (151)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I'll..." Sora bites her tongue, swallowing a sarcastic reminder that Ikiko is a Hisakata. The other bit wasn't ever going to get a response, so instead, the girl just keeps walking carrying her book bag, headed for her immediate family's appartment with no further comment.
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