2092/Milkshakes, shadows and swords.

Milkshakes, shadows and swords.
Date of Scene:	02 November 2016
Location:	Uminari City - Game Center Crown
Synopsis:	The Crown hosts a conversation about shadows, doodling, redemption and doodling.
Cast of Characters:	Naru Osaka, Jiaying Maki, Ikiko Hisakata, Tsubasa Kazanari, Seth Locke

---

Naru Osaka has posed:
Wednesday. The week is only half over, and it started with Halloween and a lot of people on sugar highs and sugar crashes. There is one surefire way to combat a sugar crash.. MORE SUGAR!

Which is how Naru finds herself at the Crown, sipping from a dayglo pink milkshake that isn't her usual flavour of preference and only tokenly with school books out on the table in front of her. Really, she's doodling next to the notes she's supposed to be studying from, which is only 'studying' for the loosest definition of the term 'study'.

Then again, how much serious studying does anyone actually do at the Crown?

Jiaying Maki has posed:
Jiaying Maki is drinking a dark purple colored shake with darker bits stirred throughout. She's settled conveniently at a table near Naru without having noticed Naru because she was sort of wrapped up in reading. What she's reading looks to be in Chinese and with the way she flips back and forth through the pages on the digital device, one gets the feeling it may be complicated. Or she's just not getting it. There's a sketchbook nearby with a few half-finished sketches and one empty shake glass where she's already gone through it. That one was pinkish looking at some point.

Poking a few pages back on the reading tablet, she slowly turns it upside down, then back rightside up. Maybe she had hoped it would make more sense that way. Either way, she is actually studying in the Crown! It's just not doing her any favors.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
One way of dealing with a sugar high is to put it to work. Ikiko's been reading through her family's archives, trying to figure out what item might be responsible for her cousin Sora becoming Shadow Witch Shiniko. It's been leaving her tired, but the extra energy has let her study for an extra hour or two each night.

And what better way to relax after extra studying than some delicious dessert?

After getting a chocolate milkshake, she looks around for a place to sit. Well, there's a pair of people she knows! "Hi, Naru, Maki-san!" she calls out, waving and heading in their direction.

Tsubasa Kazanari has posed:
There's the sound of a motorbike stopping outside the crown, and a girl in a motorbiking outfit, complete with helmet, comes upstairs to join the cafe. The famous pop idol removes her helmet as she's in there, and approaches the counter to order a vanilla milkshake. When she gets it, she looks around for a place to sit.

Naru Osaka has posed:
Ikiko's voice calling her name prompts Naru to look up from her doodles and there's a smile and a wave in return. Distraction enough to note others she recognizes as she reaches for her glass and takes a sip. She waves to Jiaying as well, her greeting after she swallows clearly meant for both of them. "Evening! How are you both?"

The sound of the motorbike makes Naru's attention dart towards the door to see who is arriving, and when it's Tsubasa with helmet and gear there's a smile of greeting for her as well, but clearly from her expression, it wasn't who Naru was expecting.

Seth Locke has posed:
Walking into the Crown carrying a sports bag, dressed in a black tracksuit, is Seth. As he takes a few steps inside, he looks around momentarily at the arcades, to take in the mood going on at this hour.

Then, he makes his way to the cafe, setting his sports bag aside and ordering a milkshake. As his order is prepared, he looks around for familiar faces...

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata sits down by Naru, giving Jiaying a welcoming smile if she looks up from her studies. The arrival of Tsubasa is noted with a bit of surprise, but there's milkshakes and friends right here.

"So, how are you today?" Ikiko asks Naru, tilting her head to get a glimpse of the doodles.

Jiaying Maki has posed:
Jiaying Maki stiffens up and looks around quickly, then relaxes and says, "Hey" to both of them, offering a wave. She closes the cover on her tablet, securing the strap before stuffing it into her bag. She takes adrink of her shake and offers something of a shrug, "I'm uh- I'm alright?"

Tsubasa arriving is given a curious look for a moment before she gathers her things up and moves them back to the other table, settling in across from the other two. "How about you two?"

Naru Osaka has posed:
Today's doodles are these odd little plant creatures, almost looking like shadows or some sort of spectres of plants. Certainly still on the halloween creepy trend, that's for certain, planted all around the edge of her notes.

"I'm alright. Tired, but it was a really /good/ run today, and somehow that made things far better. How about you, Ikiko? Did you ever find the owner of that poodle?" Naru asks of the other girl.

Seth's arrival prompts a wave of greeting, even if her attention is largely upon Ikiko as they converse.

"Hey Jiaying." Naru smiles over that direction too. "Pretty good, pretty good. You sound skeptical about your 'alright' status."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
"Yup!" Ikiko beams at Naru. "Turns out he was from a couple of neighborhoods over, but we found his owners and got him home. A very happy reunion, on both sides!"

She gives Jiaying a small smile. "Haven't found anything directly useful in my research, but I might have found a few little tricks that might hinder the power of the shadows," she explains. "I think I'll be able to spend a bit more time sleeping now."

Seth Locke has posed:
Seth Locke smiles as he notices Naru, and Jiaying too. Collecting his milkshake, his look falls upon the blue-haired biker idol, to whom he nods a politely; he doesn't recognize the idol, though - maybe he's not so much into music. Then, he approaches the table the gathering is taking place. "Konbanwa", he says in general to the girls.

Jiaying Maki has posed:
Jiaying Maki leans back in her chair and watches Ikiko as she talks about shadows, "I was just stuffing Shiniko's shadows with positive energy, though that stopped affecting her after... a while back. When I found out."

Looking to Naru, then at the art, she pokes at the art, ignoring the question about her being alright. "Something new? Or something to test out?" Not a very subtle change of topics, though at least after returning from Taiwan she seems less frustrated.

To Seth, she offers a wave though beyond that she's not sure what to say, she can't actually remember how much he knows about the magical world despite trying to maybe intentionally push him into it. On a whim even. "Evening to you too."

Tsubasa Kazanari has posed:
Tsubasa overhears the word positive energy, and other things that sound magical, and decides to slowly head over that way, keeping her ears open as she sits one table over, slowly sipping at her milkshake. She's pretending to be listening to music on her headphones, making it sound like she's humming along. Anyone familiar with her music should be able to recognize it, it's a song of Zwei Wing, the duo she used to be part of.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Sleeping is totally not overrated." Naru notes with a quirk of a smile to Ikiko. "Trust me on that one. I'm glad your research is giving any clues, even if not big obvious answers" She waves her pencil at Seth as he comes near enough to greet. "Evening."

Naru quirks her head a little to Jiaying and mmms softly. "Shadows feel like they've entwined in so many other threads these days." She glances down at her notebook and then wrinkles her nose a little. "Just getting stuff out of my head, in a vain hope that putting stuff on the page will help me focus. No luck yet, but a girl can hope at least. I swear, eventually I'm going to end up re-copying all of my notes, just because I'll have doodled so much on them. One way to force me to study them, I suppose."

Seth Locke has posed:
"But then, you'd end up making doodles on those new notes, just because you're bored, or maybe because the paper seems too empty and dull", Seth predicts to Naru. "I have a sister at home that does just the same." He looks at the new acquaintance, Ikiko, and presents himself. "I'm Seth Katsumoto Locke, pleased to meet you."

Jiaying Maki has posed:
Jiaying Maki looks to Tsubasa and the song in particular, trying to remember where she's heard the tune. She offers the girl a curious wave, brows furrowed briefly. A quick shake of her head, then she turns to look to Naru, "What are you trying to study for this time?"

Running her fingers through her hair, she settles back in her chair. "I don't doodle in margins because it looks empty. I just do it because it's something to entertain my mind- it keeps me from doing something stupid. More often."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata nods to Seth. "Ikiko Hisakata; likewise glad to meet you!" she smiles.

She listens to Jiaying's description. "Blessed lights might help weaken her minions, although I'm not sure if it'll have any effects on her," she notes. "But reminding her of who she used to be, giving her a reason to fight against Shiniko... that might have some effect."

Tsubasa Kazanari has posed:
After weighing the odds, Tsubasa decides to pitch in a comment. "If she's given in to darkness, she's lost already. You can't cleanse when there's nothing left behind it." She sounds rather harsh when she says it, and without any attachment to the sentiment. "If she's a danger, do what must be done."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I probably would doodle on my next set of notes, but ideally by /then/ we'd be onto a new section, midterms would be done, and I would have a whole fresh set of class notes to cover with this and that." Naru smiles brightly to Seth, acknowledging the reality of his words.

"These notes? Geography. I swear, that teacher has some sort of ambient field around him that impedes comprehension or /something/. Anything he teaches, I basically have to relearn later." Naru makes a face as she gestures vaguely at her doodled upon notes.

Ikiko's words make her pause, and she takes a sip of her milkshake, thoughtful. "It's helped in other places, certainly, when people have been fighting against themselves. Not always super obvious, but sometimes just that moment of pause is really valuable." Naru turns her head to Tsubasa's pragmatic addition. "Its hard to tell, as often as not."

Seth Locke has posed:
The american boy looks between every girl here assembled for a couple of moments. "So, uhm... Magic, right?" He looks around, in case of any potential eavesdroppers, then sighs. "Might as well take a seat for this one, if you ladies don't mind." As he says this, he points towards a seat, silently asking for permission.

With this, he looks at Tsubasa, "I've seen someone give in to darkness before, but she pulled through alright in the end." He retraces memories, which would probably be best to stay buried. "...In a way."

Jiaying Maki has posed:
Jiaying Maki looks at Tsubasa and says dismissively, "You give up too easily if you think that." before giving her a dirty look. Looking to Ikiko she nods and says, "It's what I do with-" she stops short of saying the name with Tsubasa there and continues, "I planned on trying that, but I haven't seen her so..." She shakes her head quickly.

To Naru, she says, "It will help." Leaving it as simple as that. Sure there might be more to it after, but it'll work out eventually. One way or the other, she's sure.

To seth, she snrks, "Sure sure. Magic" She does give Seth a curious look at his comment about someone else giving into the darkness though.

Tsubasa Kazanari has posed:
Tsubasa makes a 'tsk' sound. She doesn't seem entirely impressed by the others, "If you want to play games with your misguided hopes and dreams, that's fine and all, but don't play games with the lifes of innocent people." She takes a sip out of her milkshake and looks away from the others. "People will die if you fail to take action when you need to, good, innocent people. And you will be held accountable."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
"All actions have consequences," Ikiko says icily, glaring at Tsubasa. "The trick is to take the action that has consequences you can live with."

She takes a long drink of her milkshake to calm down, then takes a deep breath and gives Naru an 'I think I'm okay now' smile. "Exactly -- something similar has worked before; I think it can work again, as long as it's properly adapted," she agrees.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"There's a balance." Naru gestures with her pencil at Tsubasa. "Because I don't disagree with you. I just suspect my line falls further down the path of redemtion than yours does, for reasons that are as personal and real to me as I expect your reasons are to you. It's not a game, no matter how often people try to categorize any sort of strategy as a game of shogi."

Naru nods to Ikiko, returning the smile with a gentle one of her own. "Planning, research and as much information as you can shove at the situation. It's never easy."

Seth Locke has posed:
"So, dare I ask...", Seth intervenes with a question of his own, "...who is this person that seems to have fallen to the... 'dark side'?" He makes the quote gesture, too.

Jiaying Maki has posed:
Jiaying Maki looks flatly at Tsubasa and says, "My methods are my own, my consequences are my own. If it goes wrong, that's on me, not you." She lets her breath out, resting her palms on the table, then breathes in and seems to relax.

Looking to Ikiko, she says flatly, "I will not take her methods." while pointing to Tsubasa, adding after, "Whatever I have to do, I will do though."

Finally to Seth, she says, "Just that someone has and that she can be saved."

Tsubasa Kazanari has posed:
"And if the consequence of your naivety is the death of innocents?" Tsubasa asks coldly, getting up and putting on her helmet. She seems to have heard enough, though she lingers long enough to hear the response to that question. Her hand is reaching for a cellphone, flipping it open but not quite acting with it yet.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata takes another long drink of her milkshake. "If worst comes to worst, we will deal with it," she says coldly. "But if you cannot save your own hope, then you cannot save anyone else."

She slurps down the rest of her milkshake, using the resulting ice cream headache to push away her annoyance at Tsubasa. With a nod and a thin-lipped smile to Naru and Jiaying, Ikiko walks out -- somehow without stomping like an undersized kaiju -- and starts heading for home.

Seth Locke has posed:
"Fair enough", he nods to Jiaying. As Ikiko moves to leave, he nods to her in a silent farewell. Then, he turns to the remaining people discussing on what to do about Shiniko. "Everybody here has their points", he starts. "But, I have to believe, that for all the dark that's out there - and trust me I've seen dark, even have the scars to prove it -, people can come back to their former selves if they want to." He adds, after some consideration, "If you're thinking it's impossible, then haven't you already lost the greatest weapon of the warrior, their unshakeable conviction?"

Jiaying Maki has posed:
Jiaying Maki smiles at Tsubasa and says, "You've given up, that's your decision. Don't drag others down to you." She makes a dismissive gesture and mutters to herself in Chinese. Ikiko getting up gets a wry smile herself and a wave, then it's back to looking dour for a moment as she focuses on her inner calm.

She looks at Seth with some confusion and says, "I never once saw myself as a warrior." She makes a quick gesture towards Tsubasa, "She probably does. I saw myself as something else, a protector, an exorcist, never that."

Tsubasa Kazanari has posed:
"I'm a Sentinel." Tsubasa answers Jiaying dismissively, "Thus I am nothing but a sword." She entirely ignores Seth and Ikiko, and heads back to her motorbike, driving off quickly.

Seth Locke has posed:
The american boy watches the blue-haired girl as she heads out, pretty much speechless. When she's driving off, he returns his attention to Jia. "It's a figure of speech, if you will. One which I was hoping would support the opinion about bringing back that girl you mentioned." He sighs, "But instead..." He sorta shrugs, apologetically.

Jiaying Maki has posed:
Jiaying Maki flat laughs when Tsubasa says she's only a sword, "You need help. And a hug." and a therapist, but she doesn't say that last aprt, she has no room to talk there. Shaking her head, she says, "Whatever you lost, I hope you can find again."

Looking to Seth after, she shrugs, "Why give up if you have a chance at helping?"

Seth Locke has posed:
Seth Locke looks at Jiaying, somewhat confused. "You're saying I have a chance at helping out in this situation?"

Jiaying Maki has posed:
Jiaying Maki shrugs and says, "I honestly don't know. I don't know what you can do, what you work with or how you work." She shrugs again and begins to drink her shake as she sinks back into her chair, focusing on other things for now

Seth Locke has posed:
"I don't work with anything", Seth replies. "I don't have any magical abilities that I know of. All I know is that, at some point in my life, my mother got somehow affected by something, and she tried to affect me in turn. But I somehow stopped her, with what I believe was the force of love."

Jiaying Maki has posed:
Jiaying Maki shakes her head, "If you don't have any magical abilities, you probably should hide if she shows up with her shadows, you'd get hurt." She points to him and continues, "Just be careful either way though."

Seth Locke has posed:
"You're telling me I probably should hide, and I would agree", replies Seth, his milkshake for now scratched out of existence in his mind. "But you still haven't told me who I should hide from, or what her deal is. A little information goes a long way, you know?"

Jiaying Maki has posed:
Jiaying Maki stands up, taking her empty glasses with her as she points to the counter, "I need to head out. We did mention earlier that it was Shiniko though Locke." She gestures towards the door, "The shadow things out there are probably her. Just don't let them grab you."