View source for 3569/Safer Places Than Warehouses: A GUIDE FOR THE MAGICAL REFUGEE

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2018/12/06
|Location=Gullwing Coffee
|Synopsis=The new book from C. Gull, coming soon. Also Haruna helps Akari find a place in her magical bunker basement while she gets back on her feet from running from Eclipse and a breakup.
|Cast of Characters=63,222
|pretty=yes
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{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:63|Haruna Kurosawa| (63)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Haruna Kurosawa is closing the store, she's cleaned up most of the mess of running a store makes. The counter's been wiped down and most of the machines save the main coffee machine have been broken down and cleaned already. This is why the soft serve machine is always down in McDonalds.<br /><br />She's sweeping the floor now, though the store is still technically open-- for the next five minutes. It's why she still keeps the main coffee machine open till the last minute.<br /><br />Never know when that one last late night person will dash in for a cup! It's good to have SOMETHING on to sell.<br /><br />Corvus has the day off, so it's just her at the moment- as she whistles while she works.

:'''{{#var:222|Akari Hayabusa| (222)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Akari is patient, but once again, the fact that her mind is literally just that of a human is actively working against her nominal functions. Nevertheless, she manages to wait until right when it's closing.<br /><br />When she steps into the Gullwing Cafe, she seems in many ways like the opposite how she looked the last time Haruna saw her. Instead of a red dress, she has blue track suit (which still looks stretchy), and she's wearing her Rubindorn-pendant on full display. Most obviously, however, her confidence has been replaced with nervousness, bordering on outright fear. She ... clearly hasn't been resting very well the past few days, either.<br /><br />She glances around to make sure they're alone. "Um ... hello, Kurosawa-san," she begins. And then she laughs nervously. "... wow, this is gonna be ''really'' awkward, considering the way our last conversation ended up ... uh ..."

:'''{{#var:63|Haruna Kurosawa| (63)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Haruna Kurosawa goes to finally lock up when--- oh! Akari steps in. "Oh!" she says. "Hi Akari-san." she says. She brushes her hands down her apron a moment as she steps past her. "Just a moment." she says as she locks the door. She looks back to Akari. She blinks and rubs the side of her head.<br /><br />"What's wrong?" she asks. "Doesn't sound like you're here for coffee or turnovers~" she says softly.<br /><br />She motions to the stools at the counter and she has a seat and sits back. "What's up?" she asks softly.<br /><br />The blonde girl crosses her arms as she yawns a bit. "S-sorry long day." she says, patting her mouth with a hand a moment.

:'''{{#var:222|Akari Hayabusa| (222)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Akari watches Haruna, feeling inwardly relieved that she isn't going to be the only exhausted one in this conversation. She waits until Haruna sits down before saying, "I'm on the run from Eclipse."<br /><br />There, that was an easy enough starter. "I ... decided to quit because I decided that I care more about Sakura-imouto and being someone she could be proud of than, y'know, ''draining peoples' energy indiscriminately'', but they higher-ups want to kidnap and brainwash me, and ''then'' I broke up with my girlfriend which I ''don't want to talk about at all'' so I'm living in a warehouse alone and I have no money." It's starting to come out in a torrent. "I was, um, a friend of mine, Cure Shield, was helping me out getting me at least one meal a day, but she got injured and can't henshin right now because an ''unrelated'' Eclipse agent broke her shield, so she can't help protect me either, a-and --" She sniffles; there's obvious tears in her eyes now. "... and there's a group of legendary Belkan Knights called the Wolkenritter who are living magical programs like me and they're going around and draining peoples' Linker Cores, which I mean is their basic ability to ''use magic'', and their leader is interested in ''me specifically'' ..."<br /><br />Her voice is shaking. She rubs her eyes. "Y-yeah, I'm ... I'm tired and I'm hungry and I ''don't know what to do'', and I thought of you because you're my sister's sister and ... and ..." She shakes her head, and rubs her eyes again. "... yeah ... I'm, I'm officially scared now."

:'''{{#var:63|Haruna Kurosawa| (63)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Haruna Kurosawa listens and lets Akari get to the end of her talk, politely listening as she purses her lips occasionally during the story. She blinks a bit, as she taps her bottom lip. "...I'm gonna tell you a story..." she says softly.<br /><br />"Once upon a time I was a mess. A long time ago, it was just me and my sister... then... something happened to my sister. It had appeared she died in a fire." she says quietly. "So. I was alone. And a mess. I stopped talking to everyone for a few years. Then..."<br /><br />"Then I met Corvus. At the time, he was a bird in a weird stone tablet. Basically, a few good hundred years of dark energy build up turned him into a hateful crow demi-god." she says. "-so he wanted to steal souls so he could become more than just a demi-god and eat all of Earth for a perceived slight of humanity being dumbasses in the past. BUT he tricked me into thinking if I stole souls I could power a wish to bring my sister back."<br /><br />"I was a dumb so I agreed because really. It was the grief talking." she says quietly.<br /><br />"So I became a 'Witch Priestess' named 'Scorn' and I started stealing souls. That's how I first met Sakura-chan!... well. Met. More like. Stoleherbrother'soulbut that isn't important." she says rapidly. "he's finenowreally!" she says more rapidly.<br /><br />"Anyways. I ended up with Eclipse because they wanted my ability to steal souls. Then when people sealed Corvus for the first time-- I was still tied to this dark energy junk. So I still hung out with Eclipse." she says.<br /><br />"....that and Hannah-chan was there and I wasn't aware I had a really really big super crush on her yet." she asides.<br /><br />"Anyways." she says. "I left Eclipse when I became a Pretty Cure." she says. "When my soul was fixed... and I fixed what had happened to Corvus during the whole mess." she says.<br /><br />"They never came after me, but I think it's because I didn't have the ability they wanted anymore at that point." she says.<br /><br />"Anyways. The thing is, you and I have at least a little bit in common on that front." she says. "But..."<br /><br />"I'm gonna assume that on the run means they still want you. Which is dumb for a lot of reasons but I think Eclipse isn't as smart as they think they are." she asides.<br /><br />"-but I'm asuming that 'not being a magical program' isn't a choice here." she says making a tapping motion with her foot as she thinks.<br /><br />"Anyways. My story is important to your problem too, because like. I didn't have anywhere to go when Corvus was sealed the first time? I was still filled with dark energy." she asides.<br /><br />She makes a downwards pointing motion. "There's a secret little magical bunker beneath this place. Some friends of mine created it at my request when I was remodeling the place." she says.<br /><br />"Basically. I wanted to give a place for people to run to. Since I didn't have a place to run to." she says. "--so I mean. There's some bedrooms-- and I offer jobs! I mean..."<br /><br />"If you don't mind working up here." she asides. "-and I pay a little over minimum wage! And-- I mean you're not gonna loose your job if you're late because you we're fighting a monster because I actually know about that stuff and you won't need to make up some dumb lie to me." she says.<br /><br />"-and I mean. There's a fridge and pantry and small kitchen down there so there's food." she asides. "So if you wanted a better place to live that isn't actually a warehouse until you save up enough to get your own apartment-- I'm willing. No one's staying there with me. The last person staying with me left a long while ago."

:'''{{#var:222|Akari Hayabusa| (222)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>At first, Akari has trouble listening. Then she becomes a bit confused, then surprised, and finally somewhat relieved.<br /><br />"... no, changing myself into a human isn't an option," she says weakly. "If it was that easy ... one of my old bosses might not still be with Eclipse, but ... the ... mysterious man who appeared as a silhouette on a screen ... just wants to take me in to be 'reprogrammed', and ..." She squirms slightly where she's sitting. That thought ''really'' makes her skin crawl. "... ugh ..."<br /><br />She sighs, and manages a weak smile. "Well, anyway ... I accept," she says. "And, and I'm fine working here, sure." She hesitates. "... I'm not sure I'll be able to buy an apartment in the long term, because I ... well, my entire identity was faked by Eclipse after I got salvaged by the Dusk Zone, and for as long as these mysterious higher-ups are after me, I can't see them approving any paperwork to let me wander off on my own." She shrugs. "But, um, having a ''real'' roof over my head and some stability under my feet is ... definitely appreciated, thank you."

:'''{{#var:63|Haruna Kurosawa| (63)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Haruna Kurosawa snorts. "---There's ways around the red tape." she says. "So don't worry about that. If we have to, we'll get you a new fake ID." she asides. She sits back. "I mean if you want to. My sister had to do that stuff when we we're living alone." she says softly.<br /><br />She shivers. "Ugh... been. There. In the brainwashing stuff. Dark Kingdom. Not fun. I don't really remember any of that, but sometimes I have nightmares about a dark place... and-- nrg. Not important right now." she says shaking her head.<br /><br />"But you'll at least be able to save up some money. And have you know, a room and also food." she smiles cheekily.<br /><br />"Also I'm sure lilsis will be super excited to work with you~ She'll be able to show you how to do anything you'll be doing I think." she asides. "Except for the baking stuff. You're old enough to operate that equipment-- or at least appear to be- so it'll be nice to have someone that can do that, give me or Corvus a day off every so often~" she teases.<br /><br />She is a little curious about what happened with you Akari and Mikoto but isn't pressing the point. She does tsks a little. "Here..." she says as she stands up and motions Akari over behind the counter down a small hall to a broom closet in the back. "Broom Closet.." she says as she opens it. Indeed, broom closet inside!<br /><br />She closes it again and knocks three times on the door before opening it. Staircase! "That's how you enter the bunker." she says as she walks downstairs.

:'''{{#var:222|Akari Hayabusa| (222)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Akari nods at the idea of fake IDs. "Might have to look into that," she says quietly. "It feels weird because ... 'Akari Hayabusa' is a fabrication made up by Eclipse, but I still feel like 'Akari Hayabusa' is my 'real self' somehow."<br /><br />She grimaces. "... yeah, and on top of the whole idea of mind control in general ..." She shrugs. "... It's the fact that Mr. Mysterious doesn't even think of me as a person. I'm just ... a weapon to him. A 'malfunctioning asset.'" There's a little bit of bite in her voice; the fact that she isn't human is kind of a touchy subject to her.<br /><br />She breaks into a smile at the mention of Sakura, though. "Oh, yes!" she says. "She's the most important person in the world to me right now, I think." She glances down at herself. "My official age is sixteen," she says, "and that's the age my creator brain-scanned herself to create my mind, so that's the age I feel like, so, yeah. Not gonna be a problem."<br /><br />She follows Haruna over to the broom closet. She isn't the least bit surprised at the revealed secret passage, and grins knowingly as she descends after her.

:'''{{#var:63|Haruna Kurosawa| (63)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Haruna Kurosawa says, "Yeah Based on what I know about Belkan stuff-- which isn't very much, mind you--- you're either very very young technically or very very old technically so maybe it's best to just stick with sixteen~" she says a little teasingly as she walks down the stairs.<br /><br />Haruna comes to a small little common room. There's a table, a small kitchen, a TV two couches... basically a big living room/kitchen area it looks like. "There's times you might be sharing this room with others- but right now there isn't anyone visiting or staying." she says.<br /><br />"Mamoru-kun might bring people here he doesn't feel comfortable staying at his place... younger girls-- like that." she says. "Valid worry." she asides. "He brings Sakura-chan mostly after big dumb fights and calls me. Now he can call you two!~" she smiles.<br /><br />"Food is free access unless someone like.. labels it? Right if you buy something special for yourself-- label it. Like... yeah. Corvus sometimes comes down here to peck and make sure things are tidy so don't want you to catch him with his beak in a box of your Sailor V-O's or something." she asides.<br /><br />She taps her bottom finger and opens a drawer and picks out a key from about five. She hands the key to Akari, along with another one. One is labeled 'three'. One of the rooms down the side is labeled three. "That will open the third room down the hall. Bathroom is shared-- but once again-- you're the only one here right now. But you know. Knock anyways~ Good polite habit!" she beams.<br /><br />"The other key opens the backdoor, so you know, you can come and go as you need to during all hours."<br /><br />"--right. Tomorrow, we'll do the employee paperwork! But not right now..."<br /><br />"It's late and stuff..." she says. "And I'm tired and I bet you're tired." she says.<br /><br />A pause. "Do you... like have things?" she asks awkwardly. "I mean. Like. Clothes? Anything?" she asks. "I mean if you don't, there's a closet filled with random things I bought at the end of the hall you're welcome to raid in the meantime and claim it for yourself if it fits and you like it?.. and I pay for the work uniform. But like if you want me to pay for a small shopping trip we can do that sometimes soon, too!" she says. "Like. I mean. You should have clothes right?" she asks. "At the least?..."<br /><br />Yes Awkkkkkward. "That's up to you thou. I don't mind!" she says."

:'''{{#var:222|Akari Hayabusa| (222)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Akari smiles. "Ritterglocke, the Device which contained me, was in the Dusk Zone for nine hundred eighty-two years," she says, "but when it was activated in April, that's technically when I was 'created' basically."<br /><br />She accepts the keys, and nods along with the rules. Seems reasonably simple. "I have a bunch of clothes and some kendo equipment, but I can move all that on my own --"<br /><br />And then she blinks. "Oh! Speaking of Ritterglocke ... Uh, can you stick around here for one sec? I want to step out so I can teleport over and grab ''it'' first, because it has a bunch of systems for maintaining, um, me." She shrugs. "Which probably won't ever be ''that'' much of a problem, since I usually heal like a human, but, uh ... better to have it and not need it, than need it and have it be sitting in my warehouse away from ... home." She cracks a smile.

:'''{{#var:63|Haruna Kurosawa| (63)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Haruna nods a bit. "Whew, good." she says as she nods. "I can stick around for a second, do your teleport thing and then come back... the basement.. 'physically' exists here so teleporting should work. It's just the entrance that's like magically obfuscated." she says with a short smile!<br /><br />"Well that sounds important I mean... if I leave my computer on for too long it gets all slow and if I couldn't reboot it that'd stinkkkkkk" she asides.<br /><br />"So go get it!" she says.

:'''{{#var:222|Akari Hayabusa| (222)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Akari chuckles, and grasps her pendant. "Rubindorn? Let's go!"<br /><br />The gem flickers, and her pendant pings.  ''Certainly, Mistress!''<br /><br />And then, with a surge of blue light ... Akari is suddenly just shy of seven feet tall, she has glowing golden cat-eyes, and there's markings on her face that look like downward-pointing triangles, faintly glowing dark blue. Oh, and the track suit seems a lot more tight, but it's stretchy enough that it probably isn't ''too'' uncomfortable.<br /><br />"Oh, I got purified from the darkness, by the way," she adds. "Okay, be back in a second!"<br /><br />A Belkan spell-triangle appears around her feet, she glows rosy reddish-blue, and then the light seems to shoot upward, vanishing into the ceiling.<br /><br />A couple minutes later, the light shoots back down again, and Akari materializes in the same spot, carrying a large black round bell with an emblem in the shape of her pendant etched into one side. "I'm back!" she says. "I'll, uh, when I get a chance, I'll write a note with some instructions. Just in case."

:'''{{#var:63|Haruna Kurosawa| (63)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Haruna Kurosawa head tilts at the transformation as she disappears then... returns! "Probably a good idea." she says softly. "Writing down things I mean." she says. "Purified yeah? I hope it wasn't uncomfortable. I remember purification hurting like crazy." she winces.<br /><br />"I have a Lost Logia friend named 'Unity Loop'. I don't think she's Belkan. She's part of a set of five or six that worked in tandem. She was the main CPU basically- 'Unity' because she's making sure all those parts worked together." she asides.<br /><br />"...but she can also help different kinds of magic work seamless together that normally would not." she asides. "--she gravitated towards me when we destroyed the... well I guess it was the mental scan of someone who lost their sister to Mid-childian dumb things-- and her brain scan was kind of trying to get revenge? So she corrupted all the parts of device and tried to use it to destroy Earth---OH!"<br /><br />"Right the device that Unity Loop was originally a part of created stars. So you know. Creating one where Earth currently is... not a good idea." she asides.<br /><br />".....I think I confused it... at least enough to let us stop it... asked if... it's sister would had wanted it." she shifts. "Kind of... hit home... remember... being asked that. When people found out what I was doing as Scorn..." she says quietly.

:'''{{#var:222|Akari Hayabusa| (222)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Akari shrugs. "Uncomfortable is one way of putting it," she says. "Purification hurts when you're dark. And the ritual was originally designed for removing demonic influence, not ..." She smiles wryly. "... not ''my'' weirdness. I was in bed in their safehouse for a few days." She shrugs. "Worth it, though."<br /><br />She nods along with the story, looking thoughtful. "Well ... speaking as a Lost Logia myself," she says softly with a faint smile, "that exact kind of thing is basically why I quit Eclipse, too." She chuckles. "When I first met Sakura-imouto ... on August 9th, I helped her capture a Clow Card in my 'Nightbell' identity, and I happened to mention that I didn't have a family, so she said ''she'' was going to be my sister."<br /><br />She smiles. "At the time, I thought it was weird ... or possibly I ''thought'' I thought it was weird ... but ''the very next day'', I decided to tell her about my dual-identity, and that the day after that was when my birthday party was gonna be." She shrugs. "I guess I was ''really'' desperate for a family. Worked out for the best, though!"<br /><br />And then she grimaces. "... Though, my actual birthday got disrupted by ... really weird magic stuff."

:'''{{#var:63|Haruna Kurosawa| (63)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Haruna snorts. "Really weird magic stuff describes pretty much everything really." she says. "When you're involved in this stuff. Did you know that my last birthday was the first time me and Hannah-chan celebrated it and NOTHING at all happened?" she asks. "No dumb attacks, no dumb swords mind controlling Hannah-chan, no Oresky being a dumb butt." she says.<br /><br />"But sorry it happened." she says with a soft series of nods. She smiles a bit. "Right..." she says.<br /><br />"---if you know someone is like, a magical hero? Give 'em a fifteen percent discount. There's a button for it on the register." she asides. "That's my own policy." she asides with a curt series of nods.<br /><br />She taps her bottom lip. "Demon.. Purification... Waldians?" she asks. She scrunches her nose.<br /><br />"Nice people. Not when they we're attacking and draining everyone thou." she says. "I think they stopped doing that since I think the reason was like-- they needed to save their home? Anyways." she says.<br /><br />"I setup the Virture safehouse for them when I was still with Virtue. I quit because Blue and Tadase are big jerks." she says with a curt matter of fact nod.

:'''{{#var:222|Akari Hayabusa| (222)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Akari smiles and nods at the comments about birthdays. "Fifteen percent discount for heroes, right," she says. "I only know a few at the moment, but ... I'm gonna try to change that, of course."<br /><br />... And then blinks. "Wait, the ''Waldians'' used to drain people!?" she says. She opens and closes her mouth a few times as she tries to process this. And then she laughs. "You, me, Runealy-san, Fate-chan, who knows how many others ..." She shakes her head. "Tokyo is the city of second chances, isn't it." She grins. "But, uh, yes. It was Princess Runealy who purified me." She pauses, and gets an odd look. "... and ''they'' drained people, too ..."<br /><br />She yawns suddenly. "... uh, I only slightly know about a Tadase and I don't know a Blue," she says. "But I can tell that's going to be quite the story ... when ... we're both better-rested." She grins. "But really, thank you so much. I'll see you tomorrow and then I'll start earning my keep, all right?"

:'''{{#var:63|Haruna Kurosawa| (63)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Haruna Kurosawa sighs. "Their story is a good one about being too afraid to ask people for help so doing the dumb things instead. Like me, like them... just. Never. Ever. Be afraid to ask for help." she nods once. "I'm pretty sure they needed energy to save people." she says.<br /><br />She shakes her head. "No worries about 'earning your keep'..." she says. "S'hard enough worrying about everything else." she snorts. She smiles.<br /><br />"But no worries, you have friends here, psuedo-sis~" she sings teasingly.<br /><br />"So go ahead and settle in. If you need anything, my number's by the phone." there is indeed, a landline phone there. "So relax-- eat-- watch TV or something and rest in a bed that's in an actual room and not a warehouse." she asides.<br /><br />"I gotta finish upstairs then I'm gone until morning~" she asides! She'll begin to take off unless Akari stops her!

:'''{{#var:222|Akari Hayabusa| (222)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Akari smiles. "Yeah, don't worry," she says. "I know to ask for help. It's the reason I came here now instead of like two weeks from now or whatever!"<br /><br />She shrugs. "I know, I know! It's just ... you know what I mean." She grins. "But yes, thank you. See you tomorrow, pseudo-sis!"<br /><br />She waves goodbye, and then flops into bed, deciding to just rest for a moment. After the weeks of being ready for battle at any moment, being ''safe'' for a few moments almost feels ... odd.<br /><br />Akari smiles. Well, ''that's'' just another thing to get used to, really.
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