View source for 401/What Will it Look Like

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/09/22
|Location=Mitakihara - Mitakihara General
|Synopsis=Runealy offers to allow Miss White to visit some measure of revenge upon her. White ends up having other ideas...
|Cast of Characters=27, 29
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Recent events have filled Rune's head with new questions and thoughts. Some of these compelled her to call a phone number - such a strange, alien thing to her - that she has not used in some time. White's number. "I have something I need to ask you," was the vague request.<br /> <br />Yet it was one that had apparently been agreed to, as was the princess' proposal to meet near the edge of Mitakihara General's parking lot at night. It shouldn't attract much attention, she figured... unless either party opts to start trouble. Near a hospital. She was hoping White wouldn't do /that./ A gamble, given the graphic threats made earlier; it strikes Runealy as possible that White will attack regardless, but she hopes not.<br /> <br />Now the princess, in full magical garb, stands near the edge of the light cast by an overhead lamp at the end of the lot. Not many cars are here at this night hour. She looks around, waiting to see if White will really show up as planned... and definitely on guard for her to arrive in sudden, violent fashion.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:27|Hannah Sharpe (27)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> She'd never expected to get a request like this from one of her worst enemies. But Miss White has had quite a few things on her own mind, and between exhaustion , guilt, and more than a little curiousity, the woman made preparations to meet Rune. <br /><br /> They did, after all, have a truce. She doesn't quite trust the woman, but she has her own pride and reputation to upkeep. Rune also missed a rather important loophole. <br /><br /> The first sign of White's arrival is five black sedans rolling up into the parking lot in a semi-circle formation. Not exactly the kindest way to have a meeting, but paranoia is warranted here. Not a moment later, a Barrier goes up to keep the mundanes out. <br /><br /> Then the doors open, and a good fifteen of those robo-guard-youma that WPS uses so often step out in neat, orderly lines. Miss White steps out behind them, standing in front of the column, in full henshin and with her Device held loosely in her hands. She crosses her arms. <br /><br /> The woman looks, frankly, terrible. Her tanned skin has paled, there's bags under her eyes, and her breathing seems erratic. <br /><br /> At least with her guards she doesn't have to bother with threats. <br /><br /> "Alright, Bandit-chan. I have had a very, very bad week. So this better be bloody good to get me all the way out here at this time of night. I hope you brought coffee." <br /><br /> A snap of her fingers, and some of the robo guard haul out a sturdy, decorated folding chair and two seats. She's prepared, at least. A briefcase is left there as well as a few writing implements. White doesn't sit down just yet, eyes on Rune, seeing what she's going to do.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Not immediately expecting a whole 'convoy' to bring one person here, Rune at first doesn't pay much attention to the vehicles... until she notices they seem to be keying on her location, and deploying some of those strange monsters from the bank robbery a few months ago. "Wha!?"<br /> <br />She reaches over-shoulder, bringing her wand in hand and taking aim. Notably, the orb tip on it is much smaller than it normally is... slightly larger than half its usual size, and this in turn is much smaller than it tended to be when enhanced by dark-crystals.<br /> <br />It's not just White's eyes that are messed up; Rune's are literally glassy/glazed in physical appearance, and there's a faint yellow glow mixed in with the normal white one expects of the sclera. It's easy to see, with how wide her eyes are and full of alarm at this reception. The barrier raised means she needs to pick between targeting monsters or finding a hole to punch to get out of here!<br /> <br />She opts to aim at the ground in front of herself, just about to use a wand-blast to kick up a dust cloud she hopes will give her even a few seconds to retreat, when White emerges. "I... I asked for you, not you and half an army," she remarks even as... a table is set up? "And no, I didn't bring anything besides myself. Wanted to ask you something, no ambushes, no fights. Are you making this into one?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:27|Hannah Sharpe (27)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> The feeling of her wand and the general aura of Rune tips the other girl off, even if her eyes can't ntoe the problems. As Rune protests, she gives a little smirk. <br /><br /> "You didn't say I couldn't bring bodyguards, Bandit-chan. And I never said you couldn't bring your little friends as backup. I just happened to come prepared, kiddo. If you wanted me alone, you should have said so. Learn to use your words /carefully/, okay?" Taunts the girl. <br /><br /> "Oh, calm down. If I was going to ambush you, these guys would have opened up, driven you into a nearby alleyway or inside the building, then I would beat you to submission. Sit. You look terrible, by the way." She walks over, and casually kicks out the other chair. Opening the briefcase, she sets out manilla folders and a braille typing machine. <br /><br /> "So, let's skip the usual pleasantries and get this meeting underway. Hey, Viktor. Take minutes!" <br /><br /> The big russian man peaks out of one of the cars, and pulls out a laptop. <br /><br /> "Da!" <br /><br /> A warm smile to the man, and she crosses her legs, leaning back with as much confidence as she can muster right now. There's definitely fire missing from her. She just looks tired.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Insulting Rune works well enough; her head lowers, taunts finding easy purchase against her bordering on non-existent self-esteem. "Fine, whatever." She doesn't sit, but does put her wand back behind her back again; it sticks to the side of her bow as if magnetized.<br /> <br />"And what are you doing... 'taking minutes', putting all these cell phones out," Typewriters and laptops are not cell phones, but 'everything is a cell phone' to the alien princess. "I just wanted to ask you something. So..."<br /> <br />Her eyes close as she asks White: "What is it going to look like? Your revenge on me."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:27|Hannah Sharpe (27)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> "I am a professional, Princess. We are having a meeting. So, I am going to conduct it like I am the CEO of a very successful company. What you say here has an impact, in some small way. So it gets recorded." <br /><br /> Then she shrugs. "And if this whole thing ends in another one of your deals, I have audio and written evidence you broke your contract with me. I don't trust you." <br /><br /> The question gets a raised brow, but then she smiles. <br /><br /> "Well, that depends entirely upon you and what you are going to get up to in the coming days. Now, if you had asked me a month or two ago, I would have said that I would have fed you and your friends to my little pets back at the lab. Now? Well, let's just say now that we have our truce, I don't need to do that anymore as long as you stay on the level. I have bigger ambitions to find, and things to fix that I screwed up." <br /><br /> She leans in, holding up her chin with both hands. <br /><br /> "As it stands? When you are done with...whatever it is that you're up to, I'm simply going to ask for a fight. No tricks. No one else aside from Ao-chan around. No magic that gives you defense or strength. Just us, our fists, and obscured identities. Oh, and if you could give me back that magic you stole from me that one time, that'd be greeeeeat."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"You shouldn't trust me. I'm pretty much the worst," Rune comments back, voice low and flat. "I can't give it back, I need it. But if you want to hit me and hit me and hit me and keep going until you're satisfied, I'm right here. If you want to call Ao so she can watch, I'll wait for her to get here. That's not speaking for my friends... as far as I know, none of them have gotten near you except for that time near one of those seeds the Puella Magi want. So you have nothing to do with them. But I'm here."<br /> <br />She makes a tiny nod, still keeping her distance. "So go ahead."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:27|Hannah Sharpe (27)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> Miss White's brow blinks. <br /><br /> "Hey, hey, hey, while I'm all for hearing my enemies crying, lamentations of their women, driven before me, et cetera, this is getting pathetic. Seriously. Have a little pride at least that you actually managed to beat me, even if you had to cheat to do it! You're not street pizza. Yet, anyway." Seems she definitely expects the woman to break that agreement. <br /><br /> "Besides, from what Hat-Guy says, we've both descended into whining lately. Let's try to act like adults." She's still totally not an adult yet. <br /><br /> "Wait...huh? Now?" Arms cross. <br /><br /> "No, no, no, no, no! You do not get it at all. First of all, I do not want to just beat a limp puppet into the ground. No satisfaction, no fun, no release in that kind of thing. I want to see you struggle against me, try to beat me while we do it. And besides, look at us both. If I did that to you, I might actually kill you right now. And believe it or not, I've passed that bridge. I let a guy go that has done more to me than you ever have." <br /><br /> A deep sigh. "Sooo you get to walk away here with your annoying face in tact. You finish up whatever you are trying to do, you go off and do it, then you and me, mano-a-mano. Got it?" <br /><br /> There's a feral smirk. <br /><br /> "Besides! You get to beat on me too! You might find it fun, right?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Rune is likewise a few years removed from being an adult, even if she was thrust into a queen's duties suddenly. "'Whining'... I don't know if that's the word for it. I... huh?" She pauses to listen to White's circumstances, surprised. "'More to you'... I can barely imagine what that would be." Very vague ideas come to mind on what could be worse than being amushed in a forest and having one's magic partially, painfully ripped out by a process never meant to operate that way.<br /> <br />Yet even in the face of White's smirking and enthusiasm at the prospect of a fight, Runealy looks down and aside. "No. I really wouldn't. Fighting isn't fun. It's dangerous and scary and people can get killed. You probably know about that... 'look at us both', you said. If I had to guess, it sounds like you've had some really close encounters with that already. No... I don't want to fight you, I wouldn't like it even if I won. It wouldn't 'prove' anything or resolve it or make me feel better. What I want to do is do what I have to, then come back and... offer something. I don't know what. Something that would at least try to really make restitution for this. Then I could vanish from your life, you'd never have to see me again. But I really don't want to hit you."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:27|Hannah Sharpe (27)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> Here, Hannah actually laughs. It's a bitter one. <br /><br /> "Let's see...tried to kill me three times personally, found the youma that made Ao deathly ill in the first place and tried to use him to kill us both. Again. Aaaand tried to use a bunch of shadow youma to kill Ao on top of it all." <br /><br /> "So look at things like this: you're no where near as bad as that guy." It likely won't be much of a comfort. <br /><br /> The girl looks utterly dissappointed, and hmph's. <br /><br /> "Bah! Girl is weakling! Should send to gulag!" Yells Viktor. <br /><br /> "For the last time, Viktor, no gulags! Do you have /any/ idea what shipping to siberia costs?" Huff. Right. <br /><br /> "Wimp. Killjoy." She gets in on the insults too. <br /><br /> Ahem! "But, I guess you have a point." Her eyes light up with pure greed. <br /><br /> "Oh hoh, now /that/ is a big promise! Do you actually think you can find something to offer /me/ that would make up for everything? You know, I am over the whole magic and pain thing. We might have a truce, but you still haven't settled the most important one." Meaning, of course, Ao. <br /><br /> "So make sure you find something equal to her. If you even can. I will be very, very upset if you end this all with an insult." <br /><br /> Then, she just nods. "Deal." She offers out a hand to shake.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"What? Ill? So that's..." Rune ponders these revelations. "So /that's/ why she stopped answering my calls... I thought she had just gotten sick of showing up when I 'found my next hero' and wanted out, so I stopped calling. As for what to find for you and Ao... I don't know. I want to, and was about to tell you the offer went to her too, but..."<br /> <br />Her head shakes a few times, gaze low. The hand is not immediately taken. "I don't think it's my place to say what your restitution is. Or at least not my /sole/ place. You two are the ones who got hurt, after all. You have some very real say in how this goes. There may be limits to what I can give to even try to make up for this, but... don't just leave it to me as some vague guess. I don't know. I really don't."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:27|Hannah Sharpe (27)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> "Yeah. She first went downhill thanks to that youma. She has her ups and downs. Between getting caught in Tokyo's lovely crossfire between magical girl, youma, and whathaveyou, her bouts of magical illness, and then getting doused /again/ in the same stuff that caused it in the first place? I'm lucky she's alive. She's not the type to stop helping people unless she really can't. It's why I love her so much." <br /><br /> Her eyes close, and she thinks, long and hard. <br /><br /> After a while, she flashes a big, toothy grin. <br /><br /> "I'm not going to speak for Ao. You can call her up and do that. Don't worry, she'll answer now. As for me?" <br /><br /> She leans back in her chair a bit. <br /><br /> "You trampled over me and Ao with your dreams. So you are going to help me with mine. My, ah...last weapon turned out to be an uncontrollable mess that likes to try to kill its user. So, I need something better. You are going to go off to wherever you come from, and you are going to find me a weapon. A powerful one, something that can help me climb to the top of this world, and realize my dreams." She tilts her head. Then, slowly she leans in. <br /><br /> "And I will even toss in an incentive. When you go off to do whatever it is you're up to? If you ask nicely, I miiiiiight just tag along and give you a hand." Wait. What?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Rune's gaze lowers as White explains Ao's circumstances. "I had no idea... I want to say 'I would have helped', but it's not like either of you had any reason at all to trust me with that information. As for a 'weapon from my home'... sorry, I can't. There's nothing like that, or I would have already used it!" She's very frustrated about this point. "I looked everywhere, I tried and tried and used everything I could think of, everything we've ever had in the castle vault, and I still got nowhere. The only thing close to that description?" It's a leading question.<br /> <br />One she 'answers' by reaching into her dress' bow and pulling out one of the familiar jagged, black-purple crystals. "Is these. This 'crutch.' It's not even that, in the end. You get power from it at first, but eventually it kills you. It's already starting to do that with me, and I just have to hope I can keep myself together to finish 'my dream.' You don't want these things. ...You probably don't even know what 'my dream' is. I never told you. I'm almost ready to, but... the company you keep would use that information to hurt people."<br /> <br />She begins crying, a fairly quiet thing that isn't disrupting her speech too much, but that voice speaks with stinging realization: "Still, I can't give you something that doesn't exist! I wish it did! I would make a Wish to make it exist, if I could!" Perhaps invoking what little she knows of the Puella Magi's origins.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:27|Hannah Sharpe (27)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> A deep sigh. <br /><br /> "Jeez, no world-rending weapons or ridiculous magical stuff falling from the sky in your home? Where /do/ you live!? It sounds boring!" <br /><br /> "What, did you think I go to lengths like this just for jollies? I have a plan, and in the end, Ao-chan is never going to have to suffer ever again when I'm done." <br /><br /> She's crying, and explaining the crystals, and finally Miss White looks to Viktor. <br /><br /> "Meetings over, get out of here Vik." He looks up, confused, but after a mental conversation the horde of robots and Viktor and the recording devices are all swept away. In a minute or two, it's just Rune and Hannah. She reaches into her suit, pulls out a sake bottle and two glasses. Pour. Pour. Sip. <br /><br /> "You can keep the crystal. We both know things like that that can't be controlled are for idiots now. More fools us." She raises a toast. <br /><br /> "And yeah, yeah they would. For once, it won't benefit me to let them. So. Here's where we're at. I want power. Want to make things up to me? You are going to owe me a favor, and when I need it most, I am going to call that in when I make my next big power grab. You and your little friends are going to be my secret weapon. Nobody is going to die, so no need to get your morals all twisted up." <br /><br /> "Do /that/, and we're even. Ao will call you tomorrow and tell you what she wants." <br /><br /> She writes down a number. It's her White number. <br /><br /> "Here. You're right. I don't know what your dream is. But I want to know. So call me up on that number some time, or get Hat-guy to tell me. I want to know what all of this was for, Princess. Why you did what you did." <br /><br /> She huffs. "Don't go there. Those girls are broken mages who die in torment. Nobody deserves that." <br /><br /> Then, she shrugs. <br /><br /> "Do what you want, those are my terms. The offer to help stands."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I wasn't offering it to you," Rune notes as she starts to put the crystal away. "I was telling you what my 'answer', a very stupid, wrong 'answer' was when I asked myself for the same thing you want. The person I wanted to help isn't boring, though. They're important enough that I was stupid enough to use these!"<br /> <br />She doesn't join in the toast, hands balling into fists from frustration even as the 'meeting' disperses. "The Guardian Knights are not your 'secret weapon.' You're not using them to make up for my mistakes, my orders, my decisions and my attacks. Don't call them 'boring', or your 'weapon', they're not tools! I was offering restitution, not to order my friends to be your minions!" This line of thought has changed her mind; in a fit of anger, Runealy doesn't stow the crystal. She flings it at the ground as hard as she can, causing the dark gem to shatter into useless pieces as the dark mist within flows around, then vanishes uselessly<br /> <br />Rune nonetheless staggers, posture lowering as she goes into a coughing fit... one ending just as she takes the phone number. "I already have this, I think. ...From what I can tell. It's hard to read." Which is odd since there's probably nothing wrong with the handwriting in question. "Maybe I'll tell Ao about this... but if you're going to use people for power plays, then I think my fears, the reasons why I struck from ambushes and hid like a coward were pretty reasonable."<br /> <br />She carries on, "I can imagine it now; you'd use that information to threaten me into a second instance of being your 'weapon', then a third, and a fourth, and it wouldn't stop. 'Do as I say or I will reveal it to others'... that's what I see happening if that's how you think of my friends. 'Secret weapon...'" She hurls the writing to the floor too. It, fortunately, does not shatter into glass and evil-mist.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:27|Hannah Sharpe (27)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> Miss White winces briefly at the suddenly outburst, then the thrown crystal. What a waste. It could have been useful for study. <br /><br /> "Not your friends, eh?" She shrugs. In a way, she can respect that and Runealy's anger. <br /><br /> The girl throws down her number, and she's accusing her of being a cheater. A fake. The glass is slammed down, she kicks away the chair, and she's up in Rune's grill. Poke! A finger prods her in the chest angrily! <br /><br /> "Hey! Watch your tongue! When have I ever lied, ever cheated you when I gave my word!? You don't want your friends involved, fine, I get that, cool! Just you. Just you Princess! I do a lot of terrible things, but, what I will never, ever do is compromise my integrity and word when I give it! So back off with the conspiracy-hack stuff, got it!?" <br /><br /> With an angry grunt, she rights the chair, and sits back down. <br /><br /> "I said that you would owe me /ONE/ favor, and on Ao, it's going to just be one time. I promise." It's a simple oath, but one that means a lot to Hannah, and it shows in the fire renewed in her eyes.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Back at Runealy's home, the only reason those crystals aren't destroyed on sight /is/ for study. Her bringing them here was a mistake on many levels. She jolts back a step when pushed and confronted, anger dispelled in favor of... a low-headed, quiet-voiced sadness. "Fine, I was out of line saying that, but... you still don't get it. I don't like fighting. I don't like the idea of 'owing' someone fighting, using it as a trade good. I'll repay Ao, and I'm still willing to repay you, but not like that. And I'll tell you why not!"<br /> <br />Rune's voice raises, but not in anger. She's choking up again, sad and upset but no longer furious. "We didn't come here to invade. A lot of people have, you know. They talk about killing people and calling those lives what's 'due to their kingdom.' We're not like that. We tried absolutely everything before coming here and doing this! We don't think that doing this to you was some stupid 'tax' we're entitled to, something it's totally fair and natural to take from some... 'non-people.' We don't see Tokyo like that! If you're going to ask for something, it will be /restitution/, not attacking someone! I'm not your weapon, and that's just going to make me owe someone else amends for hurting them! If you want 'one favor' of hurting people, the answer is no!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:27|Hannah Sharpe (27)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> Finally she gets it. A rub of the back of her head. <br /><br /> "So you want to end it all non-violently after you went around beating people up, stealing their magic...in a freaking /excrutiating/ way by the way! Have you ever had that done to you!?" <br /><br /> Her anger finally calms though. <br /><br /> "You're annoying to deal with, you know? Terrible at making deals." Still, she gives plenty of useful information. <br /><br /> "You must be working for an interesting goal, then. Is it for someone you love? Your home maybe?" <br /><br /> "Okay, then. Your favor is going to be pulling me out of danger when it comes down to it. My life is dangerous, and Hat Guy has a looot of girls he needs to protect. So if he's not around? You are my guardian Bandit Angel."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Has Rune ever had that done to her? "I have. We tried it /before/ coming here! We tried it on ourselves to see if that would work, and for some reason we barely got anything out of it. It works fine when we do it to people from Tokyo, but not on us for whatever reason. You just don't do something like this as a first resort, or second or third or... it was the absolute last idea we had, we really tried everything else at the time! So yes, I want to apologize and /make restitution/, not make someone else want revenge on us in order to satisfy you!"<br /> <br />And finally she relents. Still sniffling some, crying doesn't stop immediately, but she confirms White's guess. "Someone very important to me. Someone who is going to die soon if I don't find the right answer! What you're asking for in return... that's something I might do anyway, you know. One of our rules was that if we had the opportunity to stop a monster, and at the same time we had the chance to hurt someone and steal their energy? Monster came first. Witches and Demons and invaders from other kingdoms... they kill people. Kill. It's the most permanent thing there is, and... think about it."<br /> <br />She offers an example. "What if we had gone for what was convenient, and Ao was one of the healers who arrived at the aftermath? What if she saw someone killed, gone forever, and asked me how it happened. Do you think she'd ever accept 'I needed power, so I took it' as an excuse for not stopping that?" It's a rhetorical question, of course. "So if one of those things comes after you, I'd jump in anyway. Is there some reason you think you're asking for more than that, with those conditions?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:27|Hannah Sharpe (27)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> Restitution. It's something that clearly isn't one Hannah's used to. <br /><br /> A small nod. "Alright." She doesn't have any reason to disbelieve her. She seems on the level with all that emotion. <br /><br /> Her brow twitches. <br /><br /> "She'd be...don't even say things like that." She shudders at the mere thought. <br /><br /> "Ugh. You're making me guilty! Just...don't go getting yourself killed over me, okay?" A far cry from her threats so many days ago. <br /><br /> She closes her eyes, thinks, and then nods. <br /><br /> "Alright. Fine. I want to meet this person that's so important to you. I want to see with my own eyes whether or not she or he is worth all of this. And I promise I'll keep it to myself."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I can't get killed," Runealy comments. This is not a bold statement of infinite combat prowess; she says it with a wavering voice, frightened. "If I do, everything is over. Listen... you want to meet them, judge whether they're worthy of me doing something this stupid, this awful to you and so many others around Tokyo?"<br /> <br />Her first impulse is to refuse, again remembering the company White keeps. One of which is someone whose goals run absolutely, disastrously contrary to the alien princess'. Yet she remembers the shouting, and that poke, when she accused White of how easy it would be to blackmail Rune into more and more 'favors of fighting.' "I'll hold you to that. Not just the letter, the spoken words, but the spirit of the deal. I want to know you won't use this to threaten me, or make my friends fight for you, or get revenge by leaking this information to someone else. I don't want a promise 'to the letter', something with loopholes in it, but a promise in good faith that I'm not going to hate myself, and you, forever for telling you this."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:27|Hannah Sharpe (27)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> By now? Hannah crosses her arms, walks forward, and then offers her hand out once again. <br /><br /> "Heh. That all? Alright. No loopholes. No gains. You have my promise that the only person who will know about this will be me and whoever else you tell unless they somehow manage to rip it out of my brain. That would take pounding the rest of me to dust, and you know how stubborn I am." <br /><br /> "Deal, Princess." She ends firmly, her eyes sombre and serious.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"No, there are other ways to get that knowledge. Someone already has done it another way... though... thankfully, they're not trying to kill us now that they know." Runealy stares at that hand, and with a resigned demeanor she finally takes it.<br /> <br />Then, "I'm not from Britain." She had said as much earlier, based on White's guess during the ambush. "Or any part of Europe, or Bermuda or anywhere else I've said." That hand is pulled back, reaching up for her own tiara. It's pulled off, causing it to disappear.<br /> <br />A flash of red light engulfs Rune. When it fades, she's standing in attire that would fit in better with the middle ages. Europe's middle ages. She introduces herself with lidded eyes, ones gazing down at the concrete all over again. "My name is Runealy, Crown Princess of Waldia. In a few months, my world is going to die. Once the demon army has had their fun ruining our world, Earth will probably be next." This is not a very proud way to present oneself.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:27|Hannah Sharpe (27)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> A firm shake. She smirks. <br /><br /> "No accent, and you keep calling weird things cellphones. Naw. I never could have guessed you weren't from Britain." Sarcasm levels rising Captain. <br /><br /> And then she's standing in front of a Ren-Con actor. Her magic sweeps over Rune in a scan. <br /><br /> "...So you're a Rennaisance Fair act...oh." <br /><br /> Pause. <br /><br /> "Wait. Wait wait wait wait wait!" Oh, /now/ she's confused! <br /><br /> "Are you telling me you're an alien!?" Then she remembers that guy at the concert. <br /><br /> "Yup. You're an alien. From some under-developed po-dunk planet. That makes sense I guess, I mean why else would you be here when..." <br /><br /> Those gears in her head grind to the inevitable conclusion, and then she's bearing Rune a face full of the utmost fury and annoyance. Both hands go to her shoulders, and she's smiling, trying to be polite for all the progress they've maid. <br /><br /> Throwing her through a wall is real tempting right now though. <br /><br /> Squeeze. <br /><br /> "So. For these past few months. You've been going around beating up people and stealing their energy. And you knew your world was dieing. Okay. Okay! You know what, I believe you. Because that is way too simple, and way too tragic, and way too /dumb/ for it not to be the answer. You're just desperate and dishonest enough to where that makes sense." <br /><br /> And then her face is nose-to-nose with Rune's. <br /><br /> "WHEN WERE YOU GOING TO MENTION THE 'EARTH-KILLING DEMON' PROBLEM YOU IDIOT!?" All of that, at full volume, right into her ears. Then she shoves the girl away, hard. <br /><br /> A hand goes to her head. <br /><br /> "Okay! That's it! I'm going with you to this 'Waldia'. We're going to take the stuff that you gathered, use it to patch up whatever is about to slaughter your world, and we are going to punch every single youma right back to where they belong! I am not going to see Earth, or any other world, consumed by those scum-sucking, girl-poisoning, useless piles of garbage that take innocent people and devour them! You got that!?" She gasping, panting in pure fury as she vents her wrath. At least Rune isn't getting punch.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"An alien, yes." Rune is indeed the same person who was so very confused at the festival concert months ago, and who had rarely attended major events in 'mundane' guise since. "But don't call my home 'boring' or 'podunk' or stupid or anything else," White hadn't quite said that last one. "They're important to me and... huh?"<br /> <br />Grabbed. Rune's first impulse is to try to do something about it, but... what? Without her transformation, she has no real power and all of her combat training was built around the assumption she would be bringing magic to bear.<br /> <br />She offers an explanation for the plan. "We tried everything else. Right now, most of the demons are sealed away... but that seal is breaking. We tried to restore it, but every time the result is the same. I screw up, or even if I do it right, the seal rejects what little energy I can give it. So that's why! That's why we've been doing this, to shove as much power into the Barrier as we can. 'Desperate' is the word for it. We're scared, because we're probably only going to get one more shot at this before everyone...!" She can't finish the sentence.<br /> <br />"So... the plan was to fully restore our Barrier, then come back and explain ourselves and offer what amends we could, then... never show our faces in Tokyo ever again. You were going to hear about the problem after the seal containing them was fixed." Rune offers no complaints to being called an idiot; she has called herself worse to others, and even worse than that to herself at night, when being in bed gives rise to idle thoughts.<br /> <br />"So... that's how it is." She blinks several times as White vents at her. "Do you still feel that way, about going with us, now that you know? There are those around Tokyo who would want to make sure we fail, you know. Because they think this is all a fun game, or a great chance to study a new power, or whatever reason. And if you go with us, they'll be angry with you. They might hurt you for it..." Her posture is rattled by White's outpouring of fury, voice wavering.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:27|Hannah Sharpe (27)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> "Booooooring~." And now, she's just mercilessly teasing Rune. Something about the way she regards Rune has shifted, just a little bit. <br /><br /> Wince. Her grip loosens just a bit. <br /><br /> "Okay, I mean, I hate to rain on parades here. And the plan actually isn't all that bad. But have you studied the energy capacity of that seal-thing? Is this spell you use to put it all back in going to do things gradually, all at once, or do you have a choice? Basically what I'm getting at, is that you don't want to suddenly shove all that powerful magic into something too fast or it's probably going to go out of control. Trust me. I kind of did that to the magical equivalent of my soul recently. I almost died." <br /><br /> Call her paranoid, but this is putting all of her senses on edge. <br /><br /> "Right. Cool. Worry about restitutions and stuff later. We have bigger things to worry about than Tokyo right now." <br /><br /> "Oh, no, no, no. So you guys are going off on your own to deal wtih that? Oh, heck no. Hate to say it, but you've been as stupid as me in using something horrible on yourself. 'Just your friends' going off to restore that barrier? Not your call." <br /><br /> Then she asks an important question, and that fury deflates. <br /><br /> "Let me put it this way: the only people I'd make angry about helping you are either already people in my way, or ones I know how to deal with. I'll get, ah...insurance on that end. 'New power', right? You've got a wellspring of demons about to bear down and ruin all of our lovely little plans and schemes, right? I'm going to get evidence of that. I'm going to study those bloody demons as we kick them back into their little hidey holes. Aaaand I'm going to get enough data to try to re-create something like your barrier back here just in case. Trust me. That'll keep them off my back, Rune-chan. Hell. I might even get a promotion!" <br /><br /> She's gone from anger, to that pure, radiating /confidence/ she's been known for. Who knew her mortal enemy would help recover her so well. She slaps the girl on the shoulder. <br /><br /> "Go talk to Hat Guy. Tell him everything. He'll get all the magical people worth dragging into this together. He's got contacts. Real Fixer, that guy."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:27|Hannah Sharpe (27)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> Then she gives a little wink. <br /><br /> "Oh. And don't worry about your planet. Data is a crazy thing. Coordinates get scrambled in mass teleportations, bits of data get lost, you forget things like 'names' and 'geography' from really chaotic fights...comes with the territory." Grin.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>It may be well intended, but even the teasing stings and just lowers Rune's gaze further. As for the plan itself, "It's close enough to instant that it may as well be. When the Queen does the Restoration Ritual, she's able to provide a lot of energy to it in the span of a few minutes. A /lot/ of it, so I needed to get my hands on as much as possible! But... come along with us? I... I really can't say 'no.' You'll get to see the faces of the people I'm talking about. We're not as big as Tokyo... you measure cities in the millions here on Earth, we still measure them in the thousands. Even 'thousands of people' is more than I can keep track of sometimes... we used to call this place 'impossible' because we just couldn't imagine how you get /this many/ people all in one place, and it's just one city on this world!"<br /> <br />Then she finally meets White's gaze, just in time for that shoulder-smack. "Copying the Barrier? That may be a pretty tall order. The First Queen made it thousands of years ago, as far back as our history recalls. You can try, but I really don't know how far anyone can get with that. It's pretty much the thing that defines our world, our life. Without it, we would all be dead. As for talking to him..."<br /> <br />Rune makes a tiny noise, almost a laugh. "I already have. He said something about making arrangements for me to talk to... it sounds like whoever's in charge of Earth," that's not quite right, but it's the conclusion she reached. "The King of Virtue or something like that. I'll have to explain all of this to him too, and I imagine Earth is going to want a /lot/ to make up for what we've done, but... it's over. We're not attacking people anymore, I won't be calling Ao for that ever again."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:27|Hannah Sharpe (27)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> One eye closes. She considers, and nods. <br /><br /> "You're not your Mother, and I don't mean that in a bad way. You can't screw this up right? So think carefully. Consider your magical strengths. You get one shot at this, sounds like. You've been trying your mother's solution all this time, and it's failed? Go with your gut, blaze new territory if you have to, and don't be afraid to deviate from what people did before you. Maybe it's a sign. Maybe you're the generation that needs to innovate in order to keep your world alive. Like the bloody industrial revolution...and no I'm not explaining that one, look it up. Sounds like you need one back home." <br /><br /> <br /><br /> Hannah sighs a bit. "That sounds like a big town. Kinda rustic actually. But I'll know what to think when I lay eyes on it." <br /><br /> And then she's being told she 'can't do something'. <br /><br /> "'Oh, Miss White, Grief Seeds can only be used by Puella Magi.'." She mocks a Homura voice here. Poorly. <br /><br /> "Only idiots let things like 'impossible' or 'insane' or 'morally questionable' stop their path to advancement, strength, and their dreams!" That would explain a lot about her. <br /><br /> "Wait. No one's in charge of..." <br /><br /> Blink. Wait. <br /><br /> "/OH/! That guy. Okay. Umm, not quite there, but fine. I know him. Eh. I'm not going to say 'steer clear' of those Virtue guys, buuuut just realize they're all a bunch of naieve idiots." Shrug. <br /><br /> A small sigh, and she's packing up the table. <br /><br /> "Great. Then we need to finish this up, I have too many enemies as it stands. After this? You're off the list. Don't have to worry about me anymore." Pause. <br /><br /> "...Oh, and by the way, that whole execution thing? I was screwing with you. If you really want to be a Queen, you need to learn when your enemies are trying to mess with your head. Good luck, call me when it's all ready and set." <br /><br /> And then she dispells the barrier, and walks away casual as can be with a wave. She'd never imagine that she's actually feeling /sympathy/ for Runealy Waldia.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I know I'm not my mother," Rune is quick to agree with this, and unlike White she does use it as a bad thing, a reason to tear into herself. "We'll talk about innovating once all of this is figured out, though. Just be careful what you study on our world, it's not the sort of thing where 'oops, I goofed' is okay... we rely on these things to live!"<br /> <br />Several headshakes follow as Virtue is described. "The only person here I'd call an 'idiot' is myself. Right now they sound like part of the only other chance we have to make this work, so I'm going to see them."<br /> <br />A sharp cough follows, then Rune heads over to help with the table. She's only so much help on this, utterly and embarrassingly lost in even basic domestic tasks... but she can do things like pick up a chair. "I'm not sure I believe that. You... you tried, you know. You really tried, and you came really close. I didn't even know what you were doing at first, and it almost worked. The only reason it didn't... is she told me to not freeze up like that. That even if I'm totally confused, to either try something or at least defend; standing there dazed will just let the demon win. But... so long as you're done with that sort of thing, I'll..." She shudders, recalling the line of wind-magic on her neck, "I'll... get over it eventually." The wave is met with a quiet "Good bye," then the alien princess turns and begins to walk off.<br /> <br />She had expected to limp away from this having been beaten into the ground as a suitable apology to White; 'hit me until you are satisfied.' This turned out far, far differently... it's a lot to consider, as new ideas and possibilities race through her mind.<br> <br>
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