View source for 2148/Quiet day at the park, for now...

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2016/11/22
|Location=Mitakihara/Pikarigaoka - King Penguin Park
|Synopsis=Naru and Kyouko and Kukai and Sayaka go to the park. Nothing tries to eat them. They do discuss nightmares, weird puella dreams, rampaging vegetation and factions, though.
|Cast of Characters=127,78,141,7
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The weather is gorgeous for the end of November, just edging towards cool in the breeze, but warm and sunny and delightful. The sort of weather where its downright a crime not to be outside to enjoy it. There's not so many who are, its easy enough to find a fairly quiet chunk of park without a lot of random foot traffic.<br /><br />Naru is torn between wishing to actively tackle her deep aversion to the park, and wishing to be nearly anywhere but here, easily startled by pretty much any noise, even with a security-Kyouko around to ease her anxieties that /something/ is like to appear or emerge or animate and try to kill her at any moment.<br /><br />To be fair, statistics are on Naru's side here.

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyouko walks down the park path, arm-in-arm with Naru- doing her best guard-dog impersonation, though in truth it's not her best at all; that'd be when she's hovering around Mamoru or Kunzite during an actual crisis. Now, she seems at ease- the park holds no terrors for her, and though she stays close by Naru's side, she's laughing and generally cheerful as the two chitchat on their walk.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I can't believe there was another one o' them damn flowers." She's saying, as they come to a relatively un-populated portion of the park, a nice grassy hill with a single tree standing at its apex. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to help.. I got a personal stake in shreddin' those things, you know."

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kukai wasn't exactly sure what he's doing today. He'd been unable to sleep well the past few days, and it was starting to wear through even his endless stamina. No baggy eyes yet, but certainly a persistent, nagging yawn echoed out from the young man as he walked along the paths of the park in jacket and thick pants and solid sneakers - not quite patrolling, not strolling for his pleasure, just... out of the house and wandering around. Daichi is asleep in one pocket, tiny little snores echoing out for anyone sensitive enough to hear them. <br /><br /> He'd missed most of the flower fighting - mostly he'd heard that there was a flower, and people had fought it, and that was the most of it. Still, though, it had been something he'd wished he'd been able to get to. Maybe he was sick? Nah, couldn't be. He never got sick, not even a cold. Muddled eyes looked back and forth past redhead and blonde for a moment before snapping back over - hey, that's Naru. And Kyouko? Yeah, Kyouko. He turns, moving towards them. "Hey, Naru, Kyouko. How're you two doing toda..." The end of his sentence is punctuated with a yawn.

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I almost didn't get there to help." Naru comments to Kyouko as they wander through the park, the former grateful for being arm-in-arm with the later. "I've never seen Jupiter's big zorching and /wow/.. she got out plenty of irritation on /that/. It was awesome. Sunday was a crazy day, all in all. I'm not delighted that the dude at the store wasn't a one off."<br /><br />The voice makes Naru startle a little, as she looks over towards the source of it and relaxes. She smiles and waves to Kukai. "Hey Kukai.. I'm good. You look exhausted.. you okay?"

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Mako-chan is pretty impressive when she gets mad." Kyouko says, in the appreciative way of a professional admiring the skills of a colleague. "She comes off as pretty mellow most of the time but.. well, I'm glad she considers me a friend when the chips are down." She laughs, shaking her head.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As for the dude at the store being a 'one-off', the redhead gives a faint shrug. "Let 'im show his face again. We'll take care of him." Utter confidence, grown in not really being aware of the scope of the potential threat, but then again, unwavering confidence is one of Kyouko's strong points (even if it often gets her into trouble).<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kukai approaches, and Kyouko wuirks a brow at him. "Hey." She offers, having only met the dude a few times. Her natural distrust of people she doesn't know well (no offense to Kukai, it's just her nature) manifests in a slight tensing that Naru, at her side, can clearly feel, though she does an admirable job of remaining relaxed-looking on the surface. She lets Naru address the boy for the most part, though.

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kukai grins ruefully at Naru and shakes his head. "Well. I'm healthy, just not been sleeping well. Dreams, crap happening at night - I'm going to have to take a nap in a shrine or something. It's kept me from being involved like I'd like. How're you? You look jumpy..." <br /><br /> He eyes Naru for a moment before turning to look at Kyouko. "Heya. How're you doing?" He notes Kyouko's quiet, almost sullen attitude, and answers it with a big, wide grin, the Jack's Grin, that irrepresible, roguish smile that opens so many doors and hearts for him. "It's good to see you again."

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Is it the weird puella dreams, with no offense to puellas.." Naru asks of Kukai with a quirk of her head, and a glance that includes a smile for Kyouo before she looks back to Kuaki. "Or nightmares? Or both.. cause if you've got bad enough nightmares to look like that, you need to talk to dream people, and then you can avoid the lectures /I/ got when I didn't." Naru speaks as the voice of experience /there/.<br /><br />"I was glad she told me to move before she did it, cause I was close enough to pepper spray it and I really didn't want to be that close to the boom. Apparently she does like me." There's a bright grin, teasing from Naru.

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyouko is not sullen-looking, so to speak- she does a good job of maintaining a friendly exterior, a necessity when one is a retail clerk. Only Naru, close as she is to Kyouko's side, would really notice the difference. It's not even that she dislikes or distrusts Kukai in particular, it's just that the very-open Kyouko who appears around trusted friends tends to flee behind walls when people who do not fall into that very limited circle appear.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I'm fine." She returns to Kukai, in a casual tone and with a faintly lopsided smile. "Nice to see ya."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She eyes Naru at mention of 'weird Puella dreams'. "It has been a bit odd, huh? Weird Puella dreams are kinda the norm for me, but usually they ain't shared with everybody else.." Then she laughs. "Of course Mako-chan likes you. She only spars with people she likes, you know."

:'''{{#var:7|Sayaka Miki| (7)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fortunately, due to an 'incident' at the school a few days ago, class had been cancelled for a few days as they tried to determine the cause of the 'explosion' that had destroyed all the windows in the science lab. Sayaka was quite relieved as she had another exam that day, and had failed to study for it, having discussed her 'weird puella dreams' with Kunzite the night before instead.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Speaking of which, she does catch sight of Kyouko and Naru and..Someone she doesnt know, and the mention of 'Weird Puella Dreams' does catch her ear!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Heh, Naru-san, you're having those dreams too huh?" she says with a smirk as she creeps up behind her and Kyouko. Kyouko is given a long, thoughtful glance too, although things have been pretty awkward between them lately. She bites her lip, nodding to her. "...Hi."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Finally, a curious glance is given towards Kukai, wondering if he heard about the 'Puella Dream' bit or if he's another magical type. "Heya, friend of Naru's? She's so popular!"

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kukai rubs his head. "I... guess? I think so. I read the report and everything about them so I suppose they are. And I don't think nightmares that are that bad. Just random stuff. Having to keep the world held down and stuff, the usual. You had dream troubles? I didn't know. But yeah, if I get that bad, I'll talk to somebody about it." <br /><br /> He smiles at Kyouko and nods. "You too. I've been trying to find some time to hang out with you or something but life, y'know." He looks back and forth at the conversation between Naru and Kyouko about Mako, not recognizing the name offhand but glad that - wait, Naru is sparring with people? <br /><br /> There was the sound of footsteps and a voice - Kukai looks over to see the blue haired girl nearby, speaking, and nods to her. "Hello! Yeah. My name's Kukai Souma. Naru and I..." He looks over at Naru and grins. "Well I guess we're friends. We met shopping through one of the little flea markets near my apartment, looking for presents for people, and we've kept in touch since. Especially now since we hang out in the same groups."

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Naru still has her arm casually looped through Kyouko's and she gives the other a nudge. "After the convo with Ami, I half expected Mako to kick me in the shins, and I'm going to bet that you're not /sharing/ the weird puella dreams, although if you are, could you quit it? That'd be /keen/."<br /><br />"Hey there Sayaka!" Naru waves her free hand at the other girl. "Yep, so far everyone I've asked has been having the same weird dreams, which is making the weird factor even weirder."<br /><br />Naru can't help but laugh. "I do know a lot of people, and I /try/ and meet plenty of people. I like people, generally, even if I find them overwhelming in large doses, but small groups? People are /fascinating/. So I am social, in my own way. I don't hold a candle to Usagi-level of social though."<br /><br />Naru wrinkles up her nose at Kukai's mention of bad dreams, "I didn't think my nightmares were that bad /either/ and it ended up escalating to where I was getting drained in my sleep. Sooo.. earlier rather than later, or else you break tiny unicorns and that is just heart rendingly sad."

:'''{{#var:7|Sayaka Miki| (7)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Just random stuff, huh?" Sayaka frowns, shaking her head. "I dont think nightmares are random, especially if so many people are experiencing the same thing." she smiles and nods to Kukai, "nice to meet you, I'm Sayaka Miki!" she smiles and bows her head briefly, "So, Naru, you;ve been having the same dreams? I was a bit worried, I wonder if Kyouko's having 'em too?"

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyouko blinks at hearing a familiar voice behind her.. turning her head to spy Sayaka creeping up behind them. She offers a smile. "Hi, Saya-chan." She says. "What's up? I was just playin' bodyguard for Naru here so she could visit the park.. seems she has bad luck with the place." She grins slightly.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She gives Kukai another side-eye- the concept of 'hanging out' with people who have not gone through a vigirous and rather long Kyouko-vetting-period something that doesn't generally enter into her frame of consciousness, but she shrugs in a noncomittal manner regardless. "I do know life, that's for sure." She says, with a little laugh.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Not on purpose.." She says, in response to the talk of dreams, then adding to Sayaka. "I have been. I don't remember 'em as clearly as Naru seems to, but I hardly ever remember my dreams.. but I'm definitely seeing them too."

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kukai hmms, listening to the girls. "Maybe one of the Puella are emitting them, somehow? Even if they don't know what they're doing? But it can't be random - it has to be explainable somehow, yeah? And if you find them, kindly ask them to stop." There's actually a smile from Kyouko for Sayaka - he's not even sure if Naru gets those. All he gets is side-eye. <br /><br /> Kukai hmms, thinking. "...Maybe we could figure out where they're coming from? Do some people have more trouble remembering the dreams than others? Maybe after a certain point the transmission gets blocked or something, and the closer ones have an easier time?"

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Naru gets smiles, even if not right at the moment. "The park is out to get me." Naru sounds confident on that point. "In reality, and in my nightmares, which generally makes me skittish and vaguely freaked out turning up here alone. But it's a nice park, and Kyouko was willing to babysit."<br /><br />"I've been having the same dreams, yep." Naru nods to Sayaka and she looks ot Kukai too. "And I remember them in crazy frustrating detail, and I can't /do/ anything in them, which is super frustrating. It's like a movie.." She mmms at Kukai and nods slowly, thoughtful. "That's a really interesting theory. I remember them well. Do you? Kyouko doesn't.. how about you Sayaka?" A quartet of magical types, a perfectly reasonable beginning sample.

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I do remember them some," Kyouko says, quirking her lips to the side in a thoughtful expression. "Just not in as much detail as you seem to, Naru-chan, or nii-chan does. That's not really surprisin' to me though.. like I said, I don't often remember my dreams well." Long ago she learned to shut them out pretty effectively- otherwise she'd never get any sleep.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I dunno if it's a Puella like.. broadcastin' them? Although I guess it could be. I mean, Puella got all kinds of wacky powers, and the dreams do seem to be about a Puella, so it's as good a theory as any."

:'''{{#var:7|Sayaka Miki| (7)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sayaka nods to Kukai, "That's always a possibility, but the only Puella I can think of who would do that is the white flower, and she's dead..Or at least I thought she was. Actually, I guess she became a wi--Err.." she glances uncertainly towards Kyouko, not really sure who Kukai is or how much he knows. "Well...It's complicated. And I need to talk to you about it further a bit later, Kyouko, if I may?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But right now, she doesnt want to interrupt this nice walk throug the park, not too much if she can help it. "Kyouko-chan, you too?" well of course, she's a Puella, it'd make sense. But Naru's dreams are..<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Wait, what exactly is your dream, Naru-san? What do you mean the park's out to get you? Me, I've just been dreaming about some little girl who is approached by Kyubey to make a wish, that she can be herself and not what others want her to be. But..It's kinda sad. I wonder if the White Flower is still alive, somehow?"

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kukai can't help himself. He glances around at the park. "....The shrubbery does look quite menacing, yes." He grins faintly. "I know what you mean, though. So much crazy stuff comes through this park." He rubs his head, listening to the two of them. "I may be way off base, though. It's just a theory. I hope I can help, though." <br /><br /> Kukai looks at Sayaka for a moment, then pulls his phone out, flipping through something. "....The White Flower, huh?" He looks a little disturbed. "I thought what's her name, one of her trainees or whatever, recently broke out? I remember reading the note but I don't know anything about all of it - it was before I really caught wind of everything that was going on in the Tokyo outside my school."

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"White flower? Who is that?" Naru asks, curious in spite of Sayaka cutting herself off and asking to chat with Kyouko in a more private setting. "Those are the ones, and they are sad. I feel bad for her in every one. I mean, she's an artist who doesn't fit in.. until I realized others were having the same dreams, it seriously could have been my subconscious taking me down not /that/ big of a side path to my own life."<br /><br />"I.. I have a whole slew of dream issues, which .. honestly.. the weird puella dreams while frustrating, are actually a bit of a relief from my usual dreams. Take /that/ as you will." Naru's smile is a touch rueful and she gives a bit of a shrug. "But the dreams where the park is actively trying to kill me seem to be unrelated to the puella ones. Probably lingering xenian trauma, which recent giant killer plants are doing their level best to have me re-live, but that's whole /different/ flavour of mess."<br /><br />"Oh!" Naru holds up a hand, as clearly she's just remembered something when she spots Kukai flipping through his phone. "You were looking for Virtue folks, Sayaka? Kukai and I are both part of Virtue, although I'd lay money that Kukai is better for question answering, if that's what you're aiming for."

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyouko glances at Sayaka, drawing her brows together slightly. "Sure, we can talk Saya-chan, but I dunno if I'll have much to offer you in the way of new info. I know you talked to nii-chan about it some recently. I didn't have much to do with the White Flower last time she was a problem.. I was kinda caught up with my own stuff at the time." Specifically, she had been off in the Dark Kingdom.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To Naru, she adds, "The White Flower is some kinda powerful mutant Witch, or somethin'.. I guess kinda like Walpurgisnacht but also really different? I dunno, like I said I wasn't around last time it was an issue." She nods to Kukai. "Yeah, Madison Perry. Mamoru and Kunzite told me about that, too. Apparently she recently managed to steal the White Flower's Grief Seed from where.. it had been kept." Kunzite had made a post about ''that'' on HeartNET too, although Kyouko doesn't have access to it. "That could have somethin' to do with it, I guess. I dunno though, I'm not sure if she has that kinda ability. It's not outside the realm of possibility by any means, though."

:'''{{#var:7|Sayaka Miki| (7)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Huh, so there was a giant plant attacking the school or something? Were you there, Naru-chan?" She scratches her head, "no wonder you were having nightmares. Sounds like you're having several different kinds though." Sayaka nods and sighs though, agreeing with Naru's feelings about the Puella dreams.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I know! I hate feeling powerless, but really there's nothing we can do , right? She chose her path long ago, and she was already defeated, apparently. So I'm not sure what she's trying to tell us, except maybe she didnt want this? Maybe she needs our help.."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Sayaka may get more information out of Mikoto and WPS however. But she's careful not to bring this up, recalling how a lot of people hate WPS, including Kyouko. She is still unaware that Kukai is Sky Jack, the same Sky Jack who attacked WPS too..<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But when he pulls out that Virtue phone, she remembers what Kunzite says and peers at it curiously, "Woah, you're part of Virtue too?" Saya smiles, "That'd explain why you have an interest in all of this, and are not the least bit surprised.."

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kukai nods. "Yeah, they are sad, but I knew it wasn't me creating the dreams. I mean, I'm not a girl, for one. And I'm really not an artist, for two!" He nods after a moment, then eyes Naru. "Uh. Your dreams are... worse? That's not good. Oh. Nightmares. OK, yeah. I had nightmares about Walpurgisnacht for months afterwards." <br /><br /> He listens to the description of the White Flower, gleaning a little bit more information, then grins ruefully. "Ever think we missed some of the important stuff, Kyouko? Yes, that's her, Madison Perry. I actually think I fought her once. Maybe." He scratches the back of his head, remembering. "If we can.. help?.. her or find her or whatever, that'd be good." <br /><br /> He blinks, then turns to look at Sayaka again. "Um, yeah. I'm the Jack of Guardians, Sky Jack, and I work with Tadase pretty closely. If you have Virtue questions, I can probably answer them." Thanks to the magic of henshins, he probably wouldn't know anything about either Sayaka and her Puella form. He chuckles. "Nope. This is actually a slow day for me."

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"What's a Witch?" Naru asks simply enough. Not even ironically. "And what's Walpurgisnacht?" Because there are some fairly giant holes in Naru's knowledge and experience here.<br /><br />"Yes, I was there for the giant plant. I was there for it's baby brother a few weeks back too." Naru nods to Sayaka. "Although baby brother wasn't at school at least, but yes. I swear, at the rate this is going I may never have a houseplant again in my natural life." Naru adds after a moment. "I have plenty of nightmare options at my disposal."

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyouko blinks at Naru. "Sometimes I forget that you haven't been.. involved in all this for that long." She sighs a little bit, the topic clearly not one she has any great love for, despite it being so close to her existence in more ways that one. "Long story short- Witches are what we, Puella, used to fight before Wraiths. It's.. complicated, but the same general principles apply except that Witches tend to be smarter and stronger, but less common."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Walpurgisnacht was a mega-Witch of some kind. She attacked Tokyo last.. January, I guess? We had a big alliance of magical people to fight against it and managed to drive her off or somethin'. it was kinda a big deal."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I'll.. tell you more about it later if you want, okay?" A bit of a significant look at Naru, trying to communicate the fact that she isn't comfortable going into more detail in public.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To Kukai, she says, "I always feel like I've missed important stuff. I try to catch up when I can." Just a hint of sarcasm, not for him but for life at making that the pattern. She says nothing as Sayaka asks about Virtue, just watches with some interest.

:'''{{#var:7|Sayaka Miki| (7)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Sky Jack, huh?" she winces at the name, and all she can manage is a grimace, "Oh...Yeah, I remember you. Heh. Attacked WPS because you thought we had some of your..Hearts Eggs, was it?" she frowns, "Now, I know what you're gonna say, WPS is bad news. However, I believe in Miss White, and I know I can steer them towards good." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sayaka folds her arms, determined to stand by her words. Heck, Miss White and the others believed her and took her seriously. And more importantly, made her feel like she 'belonged' somewhere. Although lately, they havent been very active or in the spotlight much. But, she hopes to change that.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Finally, she glances back at Kyouko thoughtfully, feeling like she missed out on so much of her life this past summer. "Well, I would like to investigate this Madison Perry..And I'd really like if you could back me up, Kyouko, seeing as it's largely a Puella thing. Maybe we can, I dunno, talk sense into her, and somehow communicate with the White Flower's grief seed. She might understand us as often misunderstood Puella, perhaps in a way that she could never understand Madoka and Homura..But I'd understand if you have other..Commitments."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sayaka bites her lip, looking away a bit, feeling as always, that she's 'getting in the way', somehow.

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kukai is a little nonplussed at Naru, but then follows in behind Kyouko. "Yeah. All I knew Walpurgisnacht as was a giagantic storm youma that threatened the entire world. It was... a thing." He looks over at Kyouko for a second, but then shrugs. He can go over his side of it later with Naru if she wanted. "And yeah. I shot down the idea of a rooftop garden from my brother Rento a few months ago with some difficulty..." <br /><br /> He chuckles at Kyouko. "I wonder what we're missing right now, y'know?" He turns back to Sayaka for a moment and frowns. "Oh. Yeah. Wait, were you one of the defenders of WPS? I didn't know. And yes, WPS is bad news. Miss White's whole egg stealing thing is bad - so is anybody who does that. But I'm putting that behind me now - Hannah and I got things straightened out. She came to see me while I was in the hospital, after all." He sees that stubborn posture and matches it with one of his own. <br /><br /> Kukai looks back over at Kyouko. "I'll see if I can find her as well, as long as I can catch a night or something where I'm able to sleep all the way through in between. At this rate I feel like I'm going to skateboard into a tree at top speed or something."

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"It was the end of February, almost March really before I clued in." Naru nods to Kyouko at just how recent Naru's induction was. "To say that it's been an eventful 9 months would be an understatement. Later would be great, though." She nods, easily accepting that some topics are just not awesome for conversations in the park.<br /><br />Naru pffts softly at Kyouko and Kukai. "You two think you've missed stuff? Sheesh. I'm a zeroth level commoner who gets to hear about the grand adventurers stories." The grin says she's teasing, so does the tone of her voice.<br /><br />Naru quirks a brow as Kukai and Sayaka have a posture-off about Hannah and she gives a little shrug. "Hannah's a sweetie. Rather than force of nature, but I'm fond of her."<br /><br />Naru watches Sayaka get called away and glances to Kyouko. "No offense to the puellas, but I think it declared itself to be not just a puella thing when /whatever/ is going on started sharing dreams with everyone /else/ too."

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyouko glances at Sayaka as the girl asks her for backup, shrugging her shoulders in easy agreement. "If I can help, I will.. s'long as there's time between all the other crap goin' on. Just lemme know when you're gonna go lookin' and if I'm able to I'll see if I can back you up." It's an open offer of help, as one would expect, although with her other responsibilities it may very well work out that Kyouko doesn't end up being as available as she'd like.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sayaka gets a phone call and rushes off, and sighing, Kyouko turns her attention to Kukai. She scowls. "Miss White and WPS are bad news, for sure." She shrugs at the mention of Kukai looking for Madison as well. "Any info would help, I guess. Several people I know, who I trust, are pretty concerned about what she's up to, so the sooner we track 'er down the better."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To Naru, she adds, "Frankly, it's my opinion that nothing is 'just a whatever thing'. We're friends, right? Don't care what the origins of the problem are, it effects us if it effects our friends, so we should try an' figure it out and take care of it. I haven't been rich enough in friends in my life to wanna lose any just 'cuz somethin' "ain't my business"."

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kukai blinks at Naru for a second. "You're a what now? Sorry..." He grins weakly. "I don't get the reference." He sighs and shakes his head. "I think I woulda really liked Hannah if our... second?... interaction hadn't been 'she shot me with a blast into an abandoned diner which then blew up.' That takes some getting over. And yeah. Whatever's going on is trying to drag everybody into it." <br /><br /> He grins at Kyouko, though. A common theme of 'WPS are butts' - he can work with that. "Yeah, I know what it's like looking for somebody. I'm still looking for a particular catboy, even after he popped up out of nowhere at the big party they held at Mamoru's place. The sooner the better." He nods again. "And you're right. Troubles shared are troubles lessened. We'll all help!" Another big yawn breaks the cheery grin he was going to give. "Aaaauuwah... dang it."

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I tend to be of that opinion too, but as often as not.. I dont actually /know/ when it's a whatever thing, thanks to the glorious degree of ignorance that I've already illustrated today. It generally affects all of us, some to greater extents than others, but I agree. I'd rather us all work together to sort it out than leave anyone feeling left out and overwhelmed." Naru nods firmly in agreement with Kyouko's sentiment.<br /><br />Naru giggles softly at Kuaki's puzzlement over her analogy. "I hear stories of the big and dramatic things that happenned in the past, but I'm too new to have direct experience. It's a very different perspective, but that's great big thinky thoughts and I'll leave /those/ alone for now."<br /><br />As the sole hold out in the 'They're not so bad' camp about WPS and Miss White, Naru wisely just keeps her mouth shut other than a simple comment. "Hannah's been really good to me, so again, different perspective."<br /><br />Naru hrms softly "The catboy was one of two people I'd never met before at that party, and he's the only one I've not managed to meet since."

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyouko grins slightly to Naru. "S'far as I'm concerned, Naru-chan, that makes you better off in this particular case. I'd rather everyone was like that, honestly. I've come to recognize the value of a lack of preconceptions.. not that I can really claim to be free of 'em either."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She sighs a little bit at the continued talk about Hannah and WPS. "Remind me to tell you that story sometime too, Naru-chan, preferably when we're at home with comforting drinks and someone around to restrain me if I start frothing at the mouth. Suffice it to say that Miss White was responsible for some very not-good things that happened to me. I've buried the hatched with her since and she actually helped me an' Momo out to some degree, but I'm not the type to forgive and forget."

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kukai ahs and then nods at Naru's explanation. "Rgiht, got it. I know what you mean. I felt the same way when I got started - 'what the heck is that? what the heck is this? what the heck are those? who the heck am I?' - but it'll straighten itself out eventually. We'll help you get your bearings." <br /><br /> Kukai mmphs at Naru about Hannah. "Well. She did kinda pay for my medical bills, so... I can't be too mad at her. And yeah, I haven't seen Ikuto since then either. Just like him to drop in unannounced and then vanish again." <br /><br /> He looks over at Kyouko and then grins. "Do you froth at the mouth often?"

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Depends on what she's been eating." Naru replies with a straight face and a dry tone. And then ruins it in short order with a giggle.<br /><br />"I'm getting pretty good at at least knowing all the words. My powers are... under developed to say the lesst but nothing changes the shared experience thing." Naru gives a little shrug. It is what it is.

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyouko quirks her lips to the side and waggles her hand in the air in a sort of 'so-so' motion. "More often than a lot of people would like." She says, with a bit of a smirk. "Although other people might claim it's one of my most valuable qualities. It depends on the situation."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then she elbows Naru at the girl's dry joke, before shaking her head and chuckling a little bit herself.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Not under-developed." She adds. "New. You've been makin' good progress." She staunchly defends Naru's magical prowess, even if the girl herself is wont to be self-deprecating.

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kukai looks over at Naru for a moment. "You mean you actually picked up some kinda magic of some sort? That's kinda cool! Do you... does she know what it is?" He looks back to Kyouko, then grins. "I'm sure you look properly scary when you're ranting and raving and trying to hurt things."

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Naru turns a twisted half smile to Kyouko at her defense. "Slow progress that feels like two steps forward and three steps back." She nods to Kukai and her smile turns just a shade shy. "Yeah. I have powers of my own these days. Which I largely can't control very well yet and periodically have paranoid moments thinkibg I've lost them again. I pull things out of my art."<br /><br />"Joking aside, Kyouko is freaking terrifying when she's got her mad on. Don't get it aimed at you." Naru advises sagely.

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyouko has the good grace to blush slightly at all the compliments (at least so far as she sees them). "Aww, you guys are too nice to me." She says, grinning.
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