View source for 488/Royal Invitation

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/10/24
|Location=Mitakihara - Downtown
|Synopsis=Runealy invites Kazue to meet her at a familiar restaurant, where the two get to know eachother better.
|Cast of Characters=29, 111
|pretty=yes
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{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:111|Kazue Yamamoto (111)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Make sure you send us a text if anything even looks suspicious, okay Kazue-chan?" Minako Yamamoto says to her daughter. Kazue had to bring her parents along if she wanted to meet with Runealy today. That Witch encounter yesterday was enough to rouse even more suspicion on Kazue's whereabouts as she makes her trek home from school. The three were taking a leisurely stroll around the park (Kazue's idea) near that restaurant where the two Witches appeared. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"And don't let us hear you've been goofing off in Pikarigaoka or something," Kazue's father says suddenly, pointing an accusing finger at her as they walk toward the shops down the street. "You're getting a burger and you're coming straight. To. Us." The exaggerated sterness in his face is enough to cause Kazue to chuckle a bit. "Dad, it's just across the street, and you'll probably be watching me go in the whole time, stop worrying." r<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The three split ways, as her parents decide to take a detour themselves at a nearby music shop. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kazue opens the door to the restaurant, appreciating for the first time the quaintness of this once deadly food establishment. Rune's gotta be around here somewhere...<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The morning after the fight with /two/ witches, Rune realized she did not tell the Puella Magi when exactly to meet her! That's a pretty big mistake to make, and it has resulted in the alien princess having to spend much of her day here. The staff found that very odd, but indulged it since she was ordering stuff fairly regularly and tipping well enough.<br /> <br />She's sitting further back, far enough away from the windows to not be able to see Kazue's conversation with worried parents. Instead, the first she sees of Kazue is when the Puella Magi walks in. It takes a few seconds for Rune to figure it out since she has only seen the fancier magical attire before, but eventually the association is made and she raises a hand, waving Kazue over to a table-for-two.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:111|Kazue Yamamoto (111)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ah, there she is! Kazue waves back to Runealy, but almost hesitates when she gets a good look at her attire. Taking a seat at her table, Kazue inquires on the attire of the princess. <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Uh, hey! I wasn't expecting you to still be transformed for this... Is that a formality or something?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Once Kazue is closer, Rune looks to be a little tired and a bit pale. No surprise given the hit she took yesterday; it was blocked, but it did still send her flying and left her woozy on her feet. Still, this is not critically bad. She begins looking Kazue over out of similar concerns, trying to assess the Puella Magi's health...<br /> <br />...Then blinks at the question. "What are you talking about? I'm not. No wand on me, see?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:111|Kazue Yamamoto (111)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kazue appears to be in full health, with not a single visible scratch on her: an uncanny characteristic of Puella Magi that likely would have never been noticed by Kazue until she saw Runealy's pallid expression. All of her injuries from yesterday have all but vanished... Meanwhile, this girl seems to be wasting away. <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Um, nevermind." Kazue says, quite embarrassed as Rune responds. "I just thought that outfit was another one of your transformations or something. It's quite an extravagant thing to wear, for a simple hangout at a burger place."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Rune isn't quite /that/ dire, though first impressions from her time at the harbor might have lead to her health being seen that way. "Huh?" She's surprised by this remark. "Oh... oh! Right." It certainly is extravagant attire. A slight smile forms. "Sorry, this is what I wear normally. I wanted to talk to you, is all. Wanted to say thanks for your help a while back... saw what you did, charging at the monsters going for me."<br /> <br />She decides to offer a polite-toned, if reserved, introduction. "I'm Runealy, or 'Rune' for short. Crown Princess of Waldia." An odd thing to admit in public, but currently nobody's close enough to overhear that and think much of it. "Ah, whatever you're wanting today is on me, I'll cover it."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:111|Kazue Yamamoto (111)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kazue smiles broadly at Runealy's words of thanks. "It was nothing, really!," she says, waving a hand dismissively. "I keep hearing talk of how Puella Magi are supposed to be ruthless and selfish and all that, but I'm not gonna let that sway me from doing the right thing." Kazue straightens herself in her seat, trying to appear serious despite the obvious flattery she is feeling."I am happy to have been of service, Runealy-Sama." Kazue says, giving a subtle bow in jest. "I'm Kazue Yamamoto, as you may already know, and I was born and raised right here in Mitakihara. If you ever need help with directions or anything like that, just give me a call." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Upon hearing Rune's offer to foot the bill, Kazue is once again overcome with a bashful pride in her actions. "I really appreciate that, thanks," Kazue says, ordering a burger and a milkshake as the waiter comes by. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Kazue decides to learn a bit more about her new aquaintance as she takes a sip from her shake. "So, what's Waldia like, I've never heard of it before. I hope you've adjusted well to Tokyo, despite all of the... Y'know, magical stuff happening."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I know a little about Puella Magi, some of you have told me about yourselves... and I'll say this. Surviving isn't selfish. How you do it, that might be, but I'm not going to look down on someone who has to find answers to the question of 'how do you keep living'." Rune's tone is distant, but serious.<br /> <br />Kazue's introductions jar her out of those thoughts, however. She calms down, smiling and waiting as Kazue places an order. Once that's done, then she returns to the conversation at hand: "Magic is the least unusual part of it. Where I'm from, we don't have cell phones or electricity, or 'glass candles' or the horseless carriages you call 'automobiles.' I've been telling people we're from a remote part of Europe, but that's not true. My friends and I are from another world, and we're here because we're having to find answers to that exact same question... just on a larger scale. We... chose the wrong answer at first."<br /> <br />As for the offer to be a guide on some parts of Tokyo life, Rune digs around in her belongings and eventually places a piece of paper on the table, sliding it to Kazue. It has Rune's name, phone number, and the address to an apartment around where the Mitakihara and Pikarigaoka areas merge. All of this information is hand-written. "I'll do that, but the same goes for you; if you need something, call me, okay?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:111|Kazue Yamamoto (111)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Honestly, I think I'm lucky that I haven't had to fight another magical girl to get a Grief Seed. I have no idea what I would do in that situation, and I'd rather not find out any time soon." Kazue is beginning to realize that every Magical Girl has got a heavy burden to carry by themselves. Despite all that, this is her life now, and cowering in fear is only going to kill her faster. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kazue was already thinking Waldia was some remote European country, but hearing that Rune hails from an entirely different world is both intriguing and distressing. What kind of danger could Rune's world be in that she had to travel to hers? <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;With a nod of understanding, Kazue reads the note and begins recording Runealy's contact information onto her phone, listening intently to the princess. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I hope you don't mind me asking," Kazue says, pocketing the device. "But what exactly did you choose? I don't mean to poke my head where I don't belong, but this sounds like some heavy stuff. I hope you aren't stretching yourself too thin trying to save your world..." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;This is kind of a hard concept for Kazue to grasp. She's heard of situations like this in fiction, but imagining a girl her age with the fate of an entire world on her shoulders is just hard to stomach.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"You might have to." Rune says this immediately, in a low tone. "My Knights have been given orders to make sure only a Puella Magi, or a friend of one, is allowed near any Grief Seeds they find. We don't take sides beyond that, but it's easy to imagine someone else grabbing one and forcing you to do what they want in order to get it... or pitting two of you against each other."<br /> <br />What choice was made? Runealy glances around to make sure nobody is in immediate ear-shot besides Kazue, then answers: "We unsealed the portal to the 'Unknown World', Earth, and attacked innocent people to steal the energy we need to save our world." She immediately holds up a hand, trying to stall off what she expects would be a shocked or even hostile retort. "We've stopped, and before we even set foot on this world we had plans to offer what restitution we can. You're not in danger from being around us. We don't know what the right answer will be, but I can tell you what we were doing was almost completely the wrong one."<br /> <br />Her gaze is as low as her tone during that admission; it's not a prideful thing at all.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:111|Kazue Yamamoto (111)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I know I'll have to do it someday," Kazue admits. "I'm glad that I've been able to have such a good start." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kazue looks aimlessly down towards the food before her as Runealy Speaks, waiting patiently for her to finish, and before she can ask how long she had been doing this for, she is immediately cut off. She didn't know what to expect from Runealy's "choice." It certainly wasn't attacking innocents, but... can she really blame her? If she was near-death and had to choose between saving innocents and killing the Witch, what would she do? <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Listen," Kazue says, raising her head. "I'm not in any place to tell you how to rule a kingdom, or how you should be protecting your world, but I just want you to know that I don't think less of you for what you did. You're just trying to protect your world, and you realized what you did was wrong before you became a real monster. It's going to be tough, but... You have my support, as long as you keep searching for an answer that everybody can be happy with."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Better than some people I've met, definitely. I don't know your full circumstances, but you seem to be in a good place... and I'll make the same offer to you that I've made to your peers." Rune faces Kazue with a single nod. "I can't do it right now, we've both seen what happens when I try while I'm like this, but once I'm better... if you need someone to help 'hunt' for those seeds, for the 'food' you need to live, I'm around. I'm normally about on your level, not getting tossed around like that, so you won't have to 'babysit' me."<br /> <br />As for the rest of that? "And you're not the only one to say those things. It's weird. Our original plan was to take what we need, then go home and never show our faces here ever again. At first it looked like we'd have to do that. And not everyone has been able to just move on, can't blame them for it... but a lot of people are talking just like you are. I'd shout that I'm a bandit, traitor, monster, and worse... and most of the people protecting Tokyo say 'not a monster'. You too. Because of that, our new plan is to get me back to the health I need to be in, find the solution to our problem before time runs out... then we're coming back to Tokyo for a while."<br /> <br />Her gaze stays firm on Kazue. "We're going to help with hunting Witches so Puella Magi can live, help when monsters attack the 'hospitals' your healers work in," Runealy is notably speaking in archaic words... clearly about the same language as modern folks in Japan use, but several parts are a few centuries out of date and just sound weird even though she's using them without irony or sarcasm, "and all of that. So you can be protected and happy... truly safe, in our sense of the word. And if you want to be part of that,"<br /> <br />A smile finally forms, "Then thank you. I'd like that."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:111|Kazue Yamamoto (111)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Okay, I have no idea where most Puella start out, but I'm pretty happy with where I am, despite what I've been dragged into." Kazue gives Rune a reassuring smile as the princess extends her support. "Then I hope we'll get to fight side-by-side on the same terms, someday." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Of course, it'd be hard for some people to move on," Kazue says, referring to Rune's choice. "I don't have the full picture here, but judging from your actions, you don't seem to be the kind of person to let injustices go uncorrected. I respect that, but there are obviously going to be people you've wronged that won't respect what you did. I can't really give you any advice on how to deal with them..." Kazue shrugs. "I'm still trying to figure out how to deal with my own actions." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Even with Runealy's archaic speech, Kazue manages to understand the gist of what the priness is saying. "You can count me in," Kazue replies. Kazue's phone vibrates, and just as she suspected, her parents are checking in on her while they buy something at the store. Kazue summons the waiter and asks for a box to put her burger in. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I've gotta go. It was great talking with you," Kazue says, picking up her drink.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Most of Kazue's comments go unanswered; Rune just isn't sure what else to say, and moving on may be best. However, she does lay out a few coins on the table - the wrong kind at first, actual silver coins that aren't at all a local design, before correcting the error and replacing it with proper yen - to pay for Kazue's meal.<br /> <br />However, the last half of what the Puella Magi has to say nets an enthused "Great! Then we'll work together, as soon as I'm back in shape to do it. That's a two way thing; I'm going to help you back too."<br /> <br />Realizing that she needs to speak quickly, Rune has just one last thing to add before Kazue goes. "And it's not just fighting monsters. If there's something around Tokyo you want to do, look me up and we can give it a try!"<br /> <br />These remarks at least are more enthusiastic than her earlier admissions.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:111|Kazue Yamamoto (111)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I will!" Kazue says, regarding Runealy one last time before picking up the box holding her meal and rising from her seat. "Goodbye!" Kazue bids farewell to the alien princess and exits the restaurant, back into the busy streets of the city, to reunite with her parents, patiently standing outside of their store for her arrival. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As the three walk home, hope begins to rise up in Kazue, as the chaos that seemed to inject itself into her life is beginning to fade more and more...<br> <br>
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