2141/Soon There Should Be Chocolate

Soon There Should Be Chocolate
Date of Scene:	20 November 2016
Location:	Uminari City - Central Harbor
Synopsis:	Lacrima takes Kunzite to look in on Sora. Sora is, as expected, not doing well. But it's a familiar kind of not doing well.
Cast of Characters:	Sora Hisakata, Norie Okana, Kunzite

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Sora Hisakata has posed:
Sora is sitting on a bench near the boardwalk. She's dressed for warmth, more so than is entirely warranted from just the weather, all black except for her hat, which is a red ushanka. She's got some music coming out from her headphones, that sound is seriously too loud, playing a recent song of Utau Hoshina, while some pocky sticks out of her mouth.

Norie Okana has posed:
Lacrima is going to go visit Sora. She didn't go with Jiaying, because girlfriend time is girlfriend time and she didn't want to be this dark dour third wheel. Besides. She was bedridden. In the Curse Hunter's compound. Aka: 'A place she definitely should not want to be.'.

She texts Sora. Meet on the boardwalk.

A pause. A text goes out to Kunzite.

TXT from Lacrima: I am going to visit sora.
TXT from Lacrima: You should come to.
TXT from Lacrima: I'm sure she wants to meet someone else who helped her besides my sad butt.
TXT from Lacrima: Right? >,>

Yes, the unsure eyes are part of the text.

Lacrima, regardless, walks down the sidewalk- pale with the same purple features- but casual clothes as she gives a soft wave to Sora. "Hello Sora-chan." she says quietly. "You look better." she says.

Kunzite has posed:
TXT from Kunzite: Doubtful. But I can at least provide contrast to help you look more reassuring.

Which, after a brief negotiation of intended locations, result in Lacrima having company when she arrives. Kazuo is dressed as he's usually dressed, jeans and a white button-down shirt. His concession to the weather (gray, as befits the season, and cool when it's not outright chilly or raining) is his sleeves not being rolled up, this time. Sooner or later he should probably acquire a coat.

His first glance at Sora takes her in and moves past her, as he does with the others on the boardwalk. It's Lacrima's wave to her that calls his attention back, then prompts a nod of his head toward her as Lacrima's greeting. This is probably where he should be saying something. He fails to actually do so, which doesn't entirely help with the entire 'trying to avoid looming ominously' thing he has going on.

Sora Hisakata has posed:
"I don't feel much better." Sora answers in return, eyeing the girl in front of her. "So should I call you Lacrima or by your person name? I never quite figured out which you preferred." She bites off her pocky stick and chews, then looks up at the big guy standing across her. "You do know you don't need a bodyguard around me right? Or is this to protect me in case you get hungry?" And that's how you can tell Sora is doing mostly fine, she's poking fun at people. "Sora Hisakata, formerly known as Shadow Bi-Witch Shiniko."

Norie Okana has posed:
Lacrima head tilts. Kazuo doesn't introduce himself. Likewise. She didn't introduce Kazuo. She doesn't know who's failing this is. "Oh. This is.... Kazuo. He's one of. The people who helped save you on that night. I wanted to bring him around because I don't think he was going to come otherwise."

She head tilts. "Lacrima. For now. I...still need to. Figure. Things out." she says quietly.

"Has Jia-chan visited you yet?" she asks.

She knows she has. She just has to ask. "I didn't like...lying. To her. About you." she says quietly. "She was upset at me when she figured it out on her own." she says.

She peeks over. "Do you feel any lasting effects?" she asks. "Nothing whispering to you?... things like that? Making you feel things you don't want..?" she asks cautiously. "Has anyone checked you for lingering trace dark energy?"

Kunzite has posed:
"Kazuo Takeba," the tall young man confirms, with another bow of his head. Whether Lacrima is correct on his not turning up otherwise, he doesn't say. He glances this way and that, then finds a lightpost to lean against that's convenient to Sora's bench; it lets him slouch enough to eat a few inches of the height difference.

Once Lacrima's rush of questions is done, he adds one of his own. "How are you feeling in general?" he asks quietly. "'Not much better' is probably useful for Lacrima here, but I don't know how you were feeling the last time she spoke with you."

Sora Hisakata has posed:
"Save me? I'm not sure that's the right way to say it." Sora half-shrugs, turning off the music and taking a better look at Kazuo. "Probably better put it as 'stop me doing something that was an extremely bad idea.'" She bites off another bit of pocky and chews a little, thinking about the other things. "She has, but not very long. I was tired, and I needed more sleep."

"I'm sure someone has, but if they found any I don't know if they'd tell me." Sora answers the bit about traces of dark energy. "But without the Tome of Shadows, I don't know if I could do stuff. Where did that go anyway? Tell whoever has it not to listen to it, or worse, talk to it it's crafty and quickly figures out how you think."

Finally, to Kazuo, the tall-ish girl sits up a little straighter, "Cold, tired, nightmares, guilt-ridden, and I think I missed a couple things."

Norie Okana has posed:
Lacrima head tilts. "I don't know the current whereabouts of the tome. Measures were taken to keep it safe and sealed." she says frankly. "I don't think anyone is opening it anytime soon." she says.

She head tilts. "You appear...? Still human. I didn't bring my scanning equipment." she says.

"So. If there is any lingering traces it should dissipate as long as you don't feed it the stuff it likes-- sadness, despair, hopelessness. Stuff like that." she says.

"I understand chocolate works wonders for that sort of thing." a pause.

"I should had... brought you some chocolate. Um.. Soon. Later today! I will.. bring over. Chocolate." she says.

"Tome of Shadows. Is that what it's called?" she asks.

"Regardless. It's safe." she insists.

She head tilts. "Should I.. inform Riventon and my associates about your condition? So they're not... calling on you?" she asks.

"Should I ask them to visit?"

"Riventon-san is out of the country though, soon- if he isn't already." she says.

Kunzite has posed:
"It's been sealed by multiple people independently at this point," Kazuo confirms quietly. "There are people looking into what to do with it in the long term. Several advocates for setting it on fire, but we're not sure that would be either effective or safe."

He inclines his head to Sora, straightforward. "If those are the normal aftereffects," he says, as if anything about this were normal, "and not lingering interference, there are certain things that may help. Spending time with people you care about is the primary one. I'd say sunlight, but it's November. Eating meals in company. You're already listening to music; that's potentially a good start. Being near growing things -- again, it's November, but there are greenhouses and botanical gardens."

Sora Hisakata has posed:
Sora listens to Lacrima ramble on a bit like that. "Does regret count?" She asks about one point, and then adds about the Chocolate. "Valentine's isn't for a few months yet, you know?" Teasing, teasing. Clearly Sora isn't doing half-bad if she can joke about things like that. "If Riventon asks you anything about Shiniko, the answer I want you to give him is that she's coming for him." It sounds like it's a total lie, but Sora clearly doesn't care. "Miss White... uh. Miss White you can give my phone number."

Sora tilts her head towards Kunzite's talk about the book, and says in a very harsh book. "Whatever you do, don't let that demon out of that book." She sounds very worried, "Even when I was at my worst I knew better than to even consider doing something that might set it free. The Tome of Shadows is a prison." She pauses, and adds a little sheepishly, "I uh, may have given it the idea that I'd free it at some point if it kept giving me power." The bits about music, sunlight and growing places just get an affirming 'mhmmm'

Norie Okana has posed:
Lacrima head tilts a little. She frowns a bit. "I'll.. tell Riventon something else. I will let Miss Kasumgi White know." she used her full name. That means she's disliked by Lacrima.

She head tilts- and looks back to Kunzite and purses her lips and looks back to Sora. "I specifically rejected ideas of destroying the book for that very reason." she says.

"Jiaying wanted to burn it." she mutters.

"I asked her to seal it instead for now." she offers.

She looks to Kunzite. "Do those things..actually work?" she finally asks.

Kunzite has posed:
Kazuo bows his head toward Sora a third time; it's more difficult from the slouch, but he doesn't appear to care. "I'll pass that on to the one making the decisions," he says. "Who is not me. I have a poor track record in that regard myself." He pauses, and adds, "Jiaying did seal it. There have been other seals added over hers, without disturbing them." Not necessarily a permanent measure, but the beginning of one.

Lacrima gets a likewise matter-of-fact nod. "Humans generate an energy from such things that feeds and helps to heal their spirit," he says. "Not universally; it can be overcome, if the situation is tainted or if the human is carrying enough dark energy, or merely sufficiently embittered not to be receptive. There are always exceptions. But it tends toward helping, on the whole."

Sora Hisakata has posed:
"You dare betray me?" Sora asks Lacrima with an angry undertone, getting up and ... letting herself fall back with a soft giggle. Clearly joking, "If you don't pass on that message just don't say anything, ok? He's got no right to demand to know what I'm up to, I've never been fool enough to think he cares about anything other than himself." She shrugs, and thinks about the book some more. "Well, make sure to let them know. Whatever is stuck inside... it's been in there a long time, and it's angry."

The other bit, about how those things help, Sora smiles faintly at Kazuo's last clarifications. "Translation: it won't do anything for you, Lacrima." Because she knows enough to know that's why Lacrima was asking that. "Anyway, I'm sorry about all the stuff I've done. I know that's easy to say, but I don't know what else I can do."

Norie Okana has posed:
Lacrima head tilts. "I know what it's like to have something whispering in your ear. Telling you things you don't want to hear, but you do it anyways because you feel you need to." she says quietly. "I don't hear it anymore, but I'm sure it's because I don't need to." she says.

She head tilts and frowns. "Oh." she says quietly.

She's kind of. All. Dark Energy.

Yeah.

"I was afraid of you tipping over the edge." she says.

"But Jiaying kept rebuffing me." she says quietly. "And ignoring it." she says. "Even though it was very real."

Kunzite has posed:
That specification of humans was important, yes. A silent admission that he doesn't know what those things would do for Lacrima, if anything. Kazuo doesn't speak, not at this juncture; he doesn't interrupt what Lacrima is telling Sora, or try to speak to something he doesn't know enough to understand. But his gray eyes linger steadily on Sora herself at her admission that she doesn't know what else she can do. It's not an accusing stare, not in the slightest. It's anything but that.

If anything, it might perhaps be a silent question of whether she wants to know. But that will wait. Just a little while.

Sora Hisakata has posed:
"It's called hope, faith and love, Lacrima. It's kind of a big deal." Sora softly defends her girlfriend, not going into too much detail about the topic, not wanting to get side-tracked in a conversation about whether or nor Jiaying was right. The lingering grey eyes make Sora raise an eyebrow, "No more magic, not really. The Hisakata clan tricks don't count. I feel kind of... pointless. Little fish in a big pond, wanting to make a difference, you know?"

Norie Okana has posed:
Lacrima frowns a little at Sora as she purses her lips. "You were getting more and more irrational Sora-chan." she says softly. "But I am not very conducive to feelings of hope." she says quietly.

"Or love. Or.. anything. Mostly positive. For that matter." she says matter of factly.

She head tilts. "I don't know how to address that." she says. "I mean. I could. Fix it. For you. But it wouldn't be much better than what you were using before and also Jiaying would seal me for like a thousand years or some such." she insists.

Kunzite has posed:
"Magic is useful for countering immediate threats," Kazuo says. "Much less so for repairing damage one's done. That needs to be done with words and actions, effort and time." He curls the fingers of one hand absently at the word 'effort,' opens the hand again over the next couple of syllables. "You have some tools for that that no-one else has. Other people know what was done where they could see it; you know what was done in privacy. There are things you could do with that. Talk to your cousin, perhaps, and work with her to ameliorate it. Or other things, as you will."

He shrugs, brief and not appearing particularly concerned. "Or perhaps there is nothing that has not yet been addressed. But if there's anything -- I'd recommend turning your hand to it now, or as soon as you can. These things go better if you move on them yourself, rather than waiting for them to manifest and surprise you. When my brothers and I were in your case, for instance, one of us had created a monster that consumed memories. The monster outlasted our allegiance to its side; when it attacked someone we knew and was traced back to him, the situation caused considerable awkwardness before he could hunt it down and restore its victim."

Sora Hisakata has posed:
"I know, Lacrima. Let's just... hmmm... Jiaying knows me well enough to know that I've got pride, whatever I was going to do to push beyond the line, I was going to be there myself and I could be stopped. Pride is what got me into this whole thing anyway, I thought I could outsmart the damn thing." Sora sighs, finishing off her pocky stick and shivering slightly.

"I'll try to think if there's anything along those lines... closest I can think of is, well... some of the creatures I made may still be around, but I'm in no position to fight them, and I don't think they'd be loyal to me anymore." She shivers more, despite how warm she's dressed. "I think I need to go home and get some warmth."

Norie Okana has posed:
Lacrima head tilts. "You can't outsmart possibly hundreds year olds demons locked in books." she says. "I have a feeling that always turns out bad." she says matter of factly. "I know you won't do it again." she says softly as she purses her lips and sighs a bit. She sighs. "Right. Get home, get warm and rest." she says. "Oh... right."

"Me and Jiaying found an old manor we've been restoring. Well. I've been restoring." she says. "Um... if you ever... need somewhere to go. Just ask me for the address later, or Jiaying for it." she says. "There's a couple spare bedrooms and all that. If you feel you need to be away from some others for a bit." she says.

"Or just alone with Jiaying." she says.

"You think there's still creatures around? I'm capable of controlling such things. It may be easier with their 'master' no longer around for me to do that." she says. "I would just send them to the Dusk Zone. They'll be happier there." she insists.

Kunzite has posed:
"We recover," Kazuo says quietly to Sora. "We clean up what we can of the mess we made. We do what we can to make up for the rest. And then we go on." He tips his head toward her, and adds, "Staying warm counts. Here."

He straightens up, takes the couple of steps necessary to come within arm's reach of the bench, and offers her a card. The number on it is, probably not by coincidence, the same one Lacrima texted him at earlier.

"Eight months ago," he says, "it was me at the Tower. If you find you need to talk -- there's a few of us."

If she takes the card, he nods and backs away. If she doesn't -- he lets it drop onto the bench beside her, and backs away. Either way, she winds up with space to move in.

Sora Hisakata has posed:
"They won't be, I made them to want to do something specific. They can't do it in the dusk zone, and I was worried about someone like Riventon twisting them for his own ends so I made them resistant to that kind of tampering. Just destroy them." Sora picks up the card Kunzite leaves, and looks up and away. "I should go home, I shouldn't be out, I'm just pointless hurting myself by being outside like this." She doesn't quite address Kazuo's own admission, but she does start to walk off. "Have a nice day. Thanks for talking to me."