View source for 2603/Trouble(d) Miko

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2025/06/09
|Location=Cafe BAKE Neko
|Synopsis=Ahmya meets up with Mamoru Chiba to discuss a plan that is possibly completely terrible and going to go horribly wrong if she's not careful.
|Cast of Characters=207,38
|pretty=yes
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{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:207|Ahmya Karashima (207)}} has posed:'''<br>&lt;PHONE&gt; Ahmya Karashima texts Mamoru Chiba: I just got out of class, I don't have any club meetings today, if you have time, I shall head to the cafe for the previously mentioned advice. <br><br>After getting a confirmation from Mamoru, it wasn't that long after that Ahmya had arrived at the cafe, having taken ~just~ a brief pause at home to change out of her uniform and into a comfortable outfit. She hadn't gone out to the nines or anything today though, instead having opted to go for a relatively light black t-shirt with a ruffled dress with little black skull-and-crossbone print on it. It had a chain on it, like something one might see out of a Hot Topic or something, really. <br><br>It /does/ take her a short while overall to get to the cafe though. Too young to drive, she'd taken public transit, which is quite quick! But, well. ...It was probably about an hour and a half after her text that she'd finally arrived at the cafe, which she'd made sure to let Mamoru know was roughly the timeframe she'd be there. Give or take delays of course. One never knows when a traffic sign is going to be turned into a youma, after all. <br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba (38)}} has posed:'''<br>A black-haired boy with frosted bubblegum pink tips is sitting at a two-person table in the window, a white chocolate mocha already in hand. He's wearing a very loose black-and-mauve cotton haori over a violently pink t-shirt that has a picture of a giant rat pushing over an oil drum, and the text: 'Unfortunately the vibe is continuing to deteriorate'. It is, of course, over black skinny jeans and criminally expensive dress shoes. His glasses are smudged and he looks tired, but he waves when he sees Ahmya.<br><br>"Hey," he says, "just order whatever, it's on me, you're at my table and I'm stupid rich." He sips his mocha. "And then we'll examine this situation you've got and how it compares to my experience."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:207|Ahmya Karashima (207)}} has posed:'''<br>Well, Mamoru is easy enough to spot! That T-shirt is pretty eye-catching really, and seems to make her eyes glimmer slightly with an amused little smile on her face as she reads it. <br><br>"That certainly is a good description of Tokyo's current state." She comments amusedly as she slips into a seat across from Mamoru. She orders some tea and a couple of snacks alongside it. It was a relatively modest order, but well. Her parents probably had dinner for her later. "Right. I'm ... sure it won't match up exactly, but you are the person who I think has the most experience with such things, so..." <br><br>'You regularly hang out with people on the side of dubious morals' is kind of awkward to say outright, so she just kind of trails off. <br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba (38)}} has posed:'''<br>"Mmm. The problem as I see it is-- how are you going to feel about her needing to die to let Molly have her body back? If you adopt her as your project, I mean." His voice is a little lower than regular conversational volume, and both of his hands are around his cup for now, even though it's hot AND it's hot out. "Because she ''is'' a demon possessing the body of a teenaged girl."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:207|Ahmya Karashima (207)}} has posed:'''<br>'Adopt her as your project'. <br><br>That wording actually left a bitter taste in Ahmya's mouth. "It's..." God that wording isn't that far off though, is it? "I don't particularly care for her, though. But I have been... thinking on that, somewhat. Obviously if I could convince her to leave of her own will that would be preferable, but that is kind of how I have always operated. When there's an option to end things without combat, well..." <br><br>"...I try to reach for it. I just... can't ignore the fact that was presented to me, accidentally or intentionally. This might just be all another one of her games where she just decided she might try to play with a mahou and see if one of them tries to bite the bait set out in front of them." She muses to herself thoughtfully. <br><br>"It's a terrible plan, honestly. 'I should try to spend time with her and maybe reduce the potential damages she might do!' ... I'm sure it's going to go terribly, but I just can't stop thinking about it, that if I don't..." <br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba (38)}} has posed:'''<br>"...mmm," says the pragmatist, the opportunist, the reckless idealist who's been soaking in dark energy for the past few weeks. He taps the side of his mug, tap tap tap, while he's thinking of how to say things. "You're ''going'' to care for her if you spend time with her, and the longer you're around dark energy the more okay it seems. I've got... a lot of practice with dark energy. I swore off it totally, last year, so I'm ''not'' going to pick it up and use it, no matter what sweet poison it whispers when I'm less vigilant. But I ''have'' been in it, close to it, cuddling with it every night, for a couple of weeks. It's put me in a wretched mood, spiked my anxiety, made it easier to lose my temper and harder to stay calm, and that's just proximity. That's proximity with ''experience''. It is a bad idea. It is a terrible idea. In this case, I don't believe it will work, simply because of what Seriss Nyx ''is''. But you're determined to try, so we'll have to see what we can do to minimize the danger to you."<br><br>He sips his mocha and sits up, starting to fidget with folding a napkin after setting the drink down. "Also keep in mind that the girl who crushed the neck of a nine-year-old enjoyed the hell out of our Earth after coming from a hell planet. Sailor Moon killed her, and then needed purification, because she let the hate for Koan win."<br><br>"There are three examples of what you're talking about that I can think of. The situation I'm in right now, which is very close to what you have in mind but is mitigated by the fact that they're my ''family'', Chibiusa's been ''corrupted'', she didn't start out as a demon. And it's a terrible idea, what I'm doing, but it's something I can probably pull off because of prior experience with dark energy and the fact that I'm already connected to them." <br><br>He takes a breath. "The second case is Zoisite, one of my Shitennou, trying to convince Saphir of the Black Moon Clan to abandon his side. I don't think that will work, but there's a chance of it, so I'm backing him. But he's not planning on going to spend time with Saphir in his den, he's handing off information and hoping logic will work."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:207|Ahmya Karashima (207)}} has posed:'''<br>"Yeah. I already do care for her, in a way." Ahmya says with a slow sigh. "All life has value. I... my parents taught me that from a young age. I can't... I can't stand seeing suffering, it makes my heart ache in the most painful of ways. I hate that so many of those on the side of darkness we have to fight over and over and over and inflict wounds and suffering and..." Ahmya cuts herself off before it just turns into full on rambling. "...I would rather it be ended peacefully, or quickly, to be to the point." She summarizes, instead. <br><br>She does, though, let Mamoru continue. She isn't here to debate with him, after all. She wanted his advice. So she fell quiet, and she listened. Watching him. His description of dark energy. That's the part she was the most concerned about. She didn't intend to go hang out in Seriss' den. She intends to go ... get food with her or whatever. <br><br>"...Oh god my plan is to basically date her isn't it." Ahmya suddenly says in a moment of realization, as she leans on the table and puts her own head in her hands. "I... don't intend to spend time with her in her den, though. Just on earth. I'm not going to go to her den, but you have the most experience of being around dark energy and being... relatively okay." Pause. "...I can do a little bit of purification if you'd like me to by the way. It's not very strong but it might help a little with the irritability and stuff." <br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba (38)}} has posed:'''<br>"... you realize you basically dating Seriss Nyx is going to make Rashmi-chan hate her more, right? And you're not going to be able to keep it on the down-low, not if you plan on showing her a good time around Tokyo," the Prince says, taking off his smudged glasses and rubbing his face, then starting to wipe off the lenses with his haori hem.<br><br>"And yes: all life has value. Sometimes that value is buried under a lot of evil. Sometimes that value is as a heat source if burned." Isn't he supposed to be Tuxedo Mask? Isn't he supposed to be the Prince of Earth? Isn't he supposed to be the fiance of Sailor Freaking Moon?<br><br>Mamoru looks grim, he's only glancing at Ahmya while he polishes his glasses, not watching her steadily. "I'm not telling you not to do this. I'm just trying to make sure you understand the pros and cons. Before I tell you a story about forced purification, why don't you tell me what the tangible, real pros of your project's success are? Like, what are you looking to accomplish? You ''will not'' get a demon to willingly give up life."<br><br>He closes his eyes. "I would ''deeply'' appreciate some purification, yes. I would not recommend ''getting'' experience with Dark Energy. It's like getting experience with heroin."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:207|Ahmya Karashima (207)}} has posed:'''<br>"I am unsure if Rashmi can hate her more. The reaction she had was immediate upon noticing who it was." Ahmya responds quietly. She was pretty sure that there were moments away from a fight when that happened. "...But yes. I ... hm." Yeah, she couldn't keep it secret, and it absolutely wasn't a good idea, but she can't stop thinking about the possibility that it might even help a little, might even save one or two more lives. Ugh. <br><br>"...Her value is a twisted hope, honestly." She says quietly. "...She brought back Molly. Otherwise, I'm unsure we'd have ever seen Molly again." Her lips were pressed into a fairly thin line at that. Because talking about Seriss and hope felt /wrong/, even if a part of her knew the truth of the matter. <br><br>"The pros of success would be... that... well. Like you said, I won't get her to willingly give up, but ... I guess... a form of insurance? That, even if, somehow, we should lose, MAYBE she might be more willing to rule the world instead of hand it over to her Mistress which would likely destroy it, instead. That one or two more lives may be saved." <br><br>The cons, of course, being that interacting with darkness is dangerous. She already knew that. She glances around upon being told that Mamoru would appreciate some purification. "One moment." She says, before she stands up, just in case. Aaaand goes to the restroom real quick. <br><br>...And comes back as Goldenweb Yorotsuchi, holding a prayer slip, which she offers to Mamoru. If he takes it, it would give a small, gentle wave of purification. It's not strong, it's not a huge amount of cleansing of the darkness, like a gentle salve on a burn. Which might be enough for someone who is only around darkness, instead of using it himself. <br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba (38)}} has posed:'''<br>"That's not hope, that's the cancer happening to correct something accidentally on its way to killing you," Mamoru says really quietly. "There ''is'' hope. There's hope as long as Molly's alive. That's Molly, that's Molly fighting. I've been controlled before, I've been ''puppeted'' before, and ''only'' a fight and a massive amount of purification were able to get me back. Purification is ''very'' rarely willing. And if finally purifying that body means that Seriss Nyx turns into ash and a wisp of dark energy, and Molly is left in place, it's..."<br><br>He sighs. "You know, I said no to messing with Beryl, too. But I'm actually in charge of my guys, and they listen if I give a hard no. I wish I could give you a hard no." Then he puts his glasses back on and looks at his hands. "You're Rashmi-chan's friend. Would you listen if she gave you a hard no?"<br><br>But then she's up and back in henshin, and Mamoru takes the prayer slip from her and there's a gentle wave of purification and he ''wants'' it, and it's a balm on his soul. His shoulders relax; his face loses the rigidity of tension lines. "Hey," he says softly, "can I have one of these to go, too?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:207|Ahmya Karashima (207)}} has posed:'''<br> "I suppose it's more accurate that she brings hope with her, then, I guess." Ahmya says hesitantly. Mamoru had a point, at least on that point. "Sorry, I was ... doing a lot of thinking last night while I was practicing on the fact that all life has value and trying to think on the value in hers. I suppose when you're actively looking for something, you're more prone to finding it." She muses out loud. "...I agree on that point though. I really don't think that we can save Seriss, I'm... not quite that naive." She says with an awkward laugh. <br><br>So Seriss, to Mamoru, is equivalent to Beryl. She shifts a little awkwardly at that. "I..." Would you listen if she gave you a hard no? "...I think she'd give me a hard no even if there was more hope of saving Seriss, just out of her rage at Seriss' existence." It's not a direct response, because honestly she's not entirely sure either. <br><br>The prayer slip is accepted, and she gives a slightly hesitant response at the request for one of those to go. "You... can, however my magic tends to fade fairly quickly when I am no longer in henshin, though I do keep real prayer slips on me in case I am called upon to purify a haunted area regardless. I won't guarantee the efficacy of it." She pulls out another prayer slip, this one not weaved of her golden threads, it's a proper prayer slip, traditionally made. Red with golden symbols and letters inscribed on it. "But you can always come to me for more if you need it." She offers with a small smile. <br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba (38)}} has posed:'''<br>"Oh-- wow, thanks!" Mamoru says, blinking, then taking the proffered red slip. He tucks it inside his haori carefully, then smiles back. It's an easier smile, with nothing bitter in it, though the underlying grief and exhaustion haven't faded. "I'll keep it on my person. Maybe it'll work as a preventative."<br><br>He reaches for his mocha again and holds it in both hands, taking a much bigger sip. "I do notice, however, that you're certain she would give you a hard no, and plan to do it anyway. It's not entirely fair to do something like that knowing in advance you'll be forgiven so you don't have to ask permission. And she will be livid when she finds out. So you'd probably better have a more confident delivery of your idea that it might be harm reduction, and you might want to be open to using anything you might develop with her as a trap. Even if it's real. Because you cannot forget whose side you're on."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:207|Ahmya Karashima (207)}} has posed:'''<br>"You're welcome. It is suffused with my energies, so perhaps it would work that way." Even if it was mostly just a sense of security that such a thing might bring, which might help ward off the negative feelings of the darkness, it might help. Maybe. Her magic would fade once she leaves her henshin though, so it would have minimal energy. <br><br>Aaaand Mamoru delivers the brutal truth. Which, well. That's probably the kind of advice she needed. She knew it was a terrible idea from the start, and that it wouldn't be a particularly popular one. "She'd have probably given me a hard no to making a deal with the Jyrougumo spirit as well." Not that she'd known Rashmi at the time. <br><br>"It's not a matter of forgiveness or lack of it. It's not a matter of permission, or lack of it. It's a matter of threat management, harm reduction. Just like you summarized. I am glad that I talked to you about this, though." She ... somewhat glosses over the comment of the trap. <br><br>The thought leaves a bitter taste in her mouth. The thought of getting close to someone purely with the intent to harm them later, or entrap them into a dangerous situation. And yet. <br><br><br>...She can't deny that it's a good idea, if it works. <br><br>But the fallout if she did that, sprang a trap, and it /failed/ would likely be catastrophic. <br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba (38)}} has posed:'''<br>"I don't think anyone in Obsidian ''isn't'' an opportunist," Mamoru says a little wryly. "Don't think that the minute you start getting close to her she's not going to look at ''you'' as an opportunity to sow discontent and distrust. Please be very aware of that. Don't get drawn in. Don't let it get beyond the duty of care you've assigned yourself, don't try and stop people from attacking her, don't sacrifice yourself for her. And get regular purifications from other people, even if you ''can'' self-purify. Make appointments to do it, regularly scheduled, so you're accountable."<br><br>There's a pause, and then Mamoru tilts his head back a little to regard Ahmya thoughtfully. "Think you can wait to try this until ''after'' the wedding? You're coming, right?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:207|Ahmya Karashima (207)}} has posed:'''<br> "You're right about that." Ahmya responds. "...That there's no chance that this won't be attempted to twisted back, that they might try to turn me to their side... or use me as a weapon..." And if she can turn Seriss into a weapon against Obsidian as well? Hm. No, no, that thought isn't worthwhile, she doesn't have much means of doing that really. "...So what you're saying is I should, if I do this. ...Go and arrange it, talk with people actively about it. Assuming that i can even get Seriss to be interested, she was being hesitant, but she's seemed fairly receptive to stroking of her ego from what I've seen." <br><br>The request does get a slight pause. "Well... I'll wait to do it more actively, at least? I'm not going to say no if Seriss invites me out earlier, because if I deny her or try to deny, I wouldn't want her to lose interest and then I lose the chance at the same time." She adds. "But otherwise, yes, I do plan on coming. ...I may be a bit out of the loop, is there a particular theme for those not in the main wedding party?" She asks. <br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba (38)}} has posed:'''<br>"You absolutely should do this with a multipart safety net, yes. I'd rather you told Rashmi-chan and have that fight with her beforehand, so that you have the benefit of her and Chrono's monitoring, too. This is one of those cases where we have the important thing that, on the whole, Obsidian doesn't have. Friends and teamwork." Mamoru finishes his mocha and sets the cup on the table. "The theme is basically 'whatever you feel comfortable wearing to a massive fight with a party afterwards'. Also, Riventon's going to be there and he'll be fighting on our side this time."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:207|Ahmya Karashima (207)}} has posed:'''<br> "The way to do this as safely as possible, basically.. and with friends." Especially since, in her opinion, she wasn't necessarily the strongest of the Mahou on their side, either. But this wasn't a combat thing, and she was sure she could keep herself calm regardless of the situation, most likely. Unless Seriss did specific things, at least. But, well. Everyone had at least one trigger that would drive them to violence. <br><br>"Ah, so probably weaving myself a dress of golden silk wouldn't be the worst idea." She replies amusedly. "It's too bad my threads disappear when I leave henshin, there's so many beautiful things I could make... I tried to make a scarf for someone once, the absolute disappointment I had after I started it and then dropped the Yorotsuchi form and it disintegrated into golden motes of light." Seriously, who /wouldn't/ like an outfit weaved out of golden silk threads? ... Okay probably a good few people, but that's beside the point! <br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba (38)}} has posed:'''<br>"Yeah," Mamoru agrees with the first statement, "be as safe as you can, and have backup."<br><br>He grins at the idea of a dress of golden silk. "It sounds lovely, but unless you want to fight in it and are sure you won't drop henshin, it seems a little risky," he laughs. "Otherwise I'd definitely commission you for a golden ''something'', not sure what, but so cool. I bet it's weightless too."<br><br>Then he gets up and picks up his cup. "I'm going back to school in a little bit, but I need to make sure salmon was distributed fairly upstairs in the talking cat department. Keep me up to date, okay? After the wedding I'll have my hands considerably less full." With a jaunty 'ja ne!' and a delinquent's version of a salute, the older boy takes his cup up to the counter, pays for his stuff and Ahmya's, and then heads out the door.<br> <br>
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