Scene #2968: I'm not hungry

Owner	Pose
Masato Sanjouin	Masato's apartment, despite the fact that he very much did live in it, was a very orderly place and spotlessly maintained. Opan plan kitchen and dining extended into a minimalist living space, with carefully selected furniture of class, matched to a very particular sense of style. Slightly outdated, but high end, and with no shortage of astrological paraphenalia to be found on careful display. Across from all of this, a bar boasts soft neon light and glass shelves, immaculately stocked. Where one might expect a large television, there simply isn't one. Instead, a low table with a Chinese Elm bonsai sits on proud display. Not far from that, set into the wall, is a house shrine with appropriately Shinto fixings and a small photograph of his mother-- the same picture from the broken frame at the house, in fact. When Masato opened his eyes to this place, instead of Setagaya, he was initially confused. Unfortunately, his thoughts were sluggish. The softness of the couch was welcome, as were the voices of others, as he sat up a little to blink himself into better consciousness. "Is the house still...?" He managed, groggily putting the question out. "What happened?"
Mamoru Chiba	"Standing? Yeah. Haunted? No," says Mamoru from where he's sitting across from Masato's couch, very probably right next to Usagi. "Wasn't your mom's soul, was an onryou trying to become a tatarigami." He turns his cup around in his hands; it's steaming; it's coffee from across the hall in Mamoru's own apartment, where the Ridiculous Coffee Setup lives. He falters there, then looks up. "It was bad, my friend." He opens his mouth again to say something else, then doesn't. It's a far cry from the Mamoru who was initially like 'gimme that ghost'.
Kazuo Saitou	"You're recovering from the spores, the energy drain, and whatever else happened while you were out of our sight," comes Kazuo's voice from - not immediately by Masato. But not far away. He has not inflicted himself upon any of Masato's furniture; he's leaning against the nearest open space of wall that's also a respectful distance from bonsai and shrine. "Izou and Mizuno are all right, they've gone to check on the maple. The detective's also all right. You're the last up and around."
Usagi Tsukino	Usagi is absolutely very near to Mamoru, sitting very close to him, and likely only not properly in his lap out of respect to their friends. She yawns a little, but smiles warmly at Masato when she sees that he's awake. "We were both got, for a little while, but we're okay now. Everyone was pretty worried, though!" She's mostly recovered herself, aside from a touch of exhaustion.
Makoto Kino	There's a polite tapping on the door to the apartment, a knock that doesn't wait for a response before the person on the other side simply tries opening the door outright. "Hi?" It's Makoto who peeks in, a little more hesitant than usual. "I didn't see anyone at Mamoru-san's place, so..." She trails off there, green eyes skimming over as much of the apartment as she can see from the doorway. It doesn't take her long at all to home in on Masato, poorly-veiled concern written all over her expression.
Amy Faust	Amy's sitting on a couch, or wherever's free, in her pre-magicced clothes -- field jacket, red T-shirt, black cargo pants with holstered mini-maglight and swiss army knife (she forgot, but her jacket covers it anyway) on the right side of her belt and phone holster on the left, and regular sneakers. She's a bit fuzzy on the relationship and difference between onryou and tatarigami, and so far looking up on her phone hasn't helped yet. She smiles when she hears them speaking, nodding at the others' words. "You're awake! Welcome back. I'm told you have to deal with haunted houses a lot, but that still must've..." She frowns and looks at the floor briefly. "Sucks to got got." She looks back to him. "We purified her though. So I guess, like... she can move on? Wait, the onryou isn't actually the ''person''... Sorry, I'm still getting the hang of this." "...How are you feeling?"
Masato Sanjouin	An Onryou, trying to become a Tatarigami? It takes a few seconds for those words to even begin to filter through the molasses in Masato's head. His expression flickers from studying Mamoru's head as if it's the wrong shape, to relief, to deeper concern as it processes. Mamoru's tone and his lack of cheer do not bode well. It is this that first settles the dread into his bones, even as his eyes turn towards Kazuo's voice. He answers the questions Masato would have asked, before he asks them, and for that much he is grateful. He nods slowly, and looks to Usagi. Her smile is comforting, but the smile he returns to her is slightly apologetic. It brightens a touch when Makoto appears, as if simply seeing her face rejuvinates him just a little. Sapphire eyes turn to Amy and he nods. "It's... more like something that the person has left behind. A deep feeling, with nowhere to go, that takes on a power of its own. Sometimes they can grow so strong and vengeful, it can become like a force of nature and affect other people in the area, too." He notes softly. "I'm... not hurt, at least." That's not an answer to her actual question, and he knows it, but Masato clears his throat. "Mostly, I'm glad you all made it out okay. Really." He sighed with as much relief as he could muster, at least for that. "I have no idea how you all managed it, especially if Usagi-chan went down... Sorry to put you through that. I know I'm not always great at accepting help, but I appreciate it."
Mamoru Chiba	"With difficulty," Mamoru answers succinctly, "and a Star Driver." The prince's intestinal fortitude is legendary: Mamoru finally gets the words out after putting his coffee on the table and threading his fingers through Usagi's. "I-- I think he cursed her to die, Masa-kun. With dark energy. I don't KNOW that, but that's--" His other hand comes up to his chest, closed, but not in a fist. "That's what it felt and looked like. She was trying to protect you. The maple, and the butterfly ornament on it, they were a gift to her from him, for their anniversary. There were a lot of memories. I'll share them with whoever you think should have them while we figure out what to do about your father, and the house."
Kazuo Saitou	Kazuo stays mute this time, inclining his head to Makoto and making a little turn of one hand Masato-ward. Everything he might have said, just now, is being said already. The most he can do is indicate to Makoto that yes, come in, be here - not that she ''wouldn't'' - and keep an eye on Usagi, while Mamoru's talking to Masato. She's recovering, too.
Usagi Tsukino	The apology in Masato's smile is unnecessary, and Usagi's own little nods says as much. When Makoto arrives, she brightens yet more, looking to her with ssuch genuine, warm relief. "Mako-chan! You're just what the doctor ordered!" Because really, Makoto is ''exactly'' what Masato needs, and what the rest of them need, too, especially with what Mamoru is going to share, which she already knows. "She didn't want to hurt you, and I know she'd be glad, very glad, that you're going to be okay. Her grudges... her anger... they weren't for you." She remembers what he had said, at the start of this adventure - his fear that he had been a bad son. She hopes any of what she says soothes the blow.
Amy Faust	> I'm... not hurt, at least. "That's good." "...It really was a lot like a Witch. Giant tree with butterfly wings, and a woman in a kimono inside under the bark. ...Maybe that's backwards. Maybe a Witch is like an Onryou left behind by a Puella Magi... except you're stuck with it? Together in the grief seed, or something." She frowns at that thought, but she's not sure it leads anywhere and right now is about Masato. "Anyway... I suppose... if Dark Energy has always been around... given its connection to dark emotions... I guess it only makes sense that a deep enough feeling like that would create something magical." After Usagi's comment, she adds, "It seemed like under the, the everything, she was trying to protect you, but touching you in that form could only drain you..." > I have no idea how you all managed... Sorry to put you through that. "We knew we were in for ''something''," Amy pats the backpack sitting next to her, "And we called Wako-san. Or rather, Usagi did and she showed up to help." "But we were ready to kill it with raw force, if necessary." She briefly lifts her hand to show the soul gem with only a sliver of darkness at the edge. As Mamoru discusses the death curse, she frowns again. "I still don't understand it. How horrible he was to her and you, I can understand-- not emotionally, I mean, but I know that people become like that, can see the pattern. But why would he want her to ''die?'' How's ''that'' benefit him?"
Makoto Kino	Any hesitation on Makoto's part quickly evaporates, and she steps the rest of the way through the doorway into the apartment. She nods to Kazuo's silent greeting and flashes Usagi a quick smile, but it's Masato she makes a beeline for. "I'm glad you're not hurt," she says. A brief, worried glance toward Mamoru - Kazuo had forewarned her, to a point, but hearing more detail definitely makes it weigh heavier. "It sounds like you all had a pretty rough time. Do you need anything?"
Masato Sanjouin	It's stupid, so stupid-- and maybe a hold over from the little boy that witnessed parts of these things long ago-- but when Mamoru suggests 'he cursed he to die', Masato's first instinct is to ask, "Who?" It's the most quiet little question, not actually asked of anyone. Simply that terrible moment before his mind grapples with what his friend is actually telling him about his own father. Usagi's voice seems to drift in as if from far away, beyond the ringing of his ears. 'Her grudges, her anger, they weren't for you'. It does soothe him, or those most delicate parts of him, but it does little to arrest whatever else is echoing inside of him now like a stone cast into a pond. The ripples roll through his whole body as it sinks in. "Thanks, Usagi." He says distractedly, but sincerely. Amy's voice flows through his ears and his comprehension feels like its running at a delay. He's very still. "He lives in California now with a new wife." He observes after Amy's question monotonously, and looks up at Makoto. It's not an answer, but it is a thought that swirls in him-- why would he want her to die?-- as he traces Makoto's features. He reaches for her hand absently.
Kazuo Saitou	"He told her," Kazuo says to Amy, and his voice is remarkably gentle. "The card, in the kitchen drawer, with the butterfly. The one that he gave her with the bonsai. 'Happy anniversary; to a new beginning and many healthy years ahead.' She was ill. And they argued, often; and she'd told him that she would rather Masato spend all his time watching American movies and looking at the stars than turn out at all like him. If the illness took her life ... no-one would trace it to him, and it would win him sympathy. Not like the problems a divorce would pose. It would be easier to marry again, and cause him less trouble." He exhales quietly. "I'm not ''certain'' he killed her, or hired her killed. It's the most likely possibility. It seems ... faintly possible that he might only have been aggravating enough to her to burn her energy, to make her die faster. But I suspect Mercury and Izou might be able to figure that out between them." His eyes drop to his hands, and lift again, studying Makoto for a moment. "I think," he says, "the thing we need most at the moment is you, here. If anyone wants anything, I'll go and fetch it." Another glance to Usagi. Just in case. It's not often that she's ''not'' hungry.
Usagi Tsukino	"I'm sorry, Masato-kun." There's nothing to say, to soothe that kind of pain. This is a horror entirely man made, ancient and persisting: the horror of family gone sour, of marriage unwanted, of being unable to ''leave'' and ''escape''. She has not asked about Masato's maternal family, and if they would have helped - she would never ask, would never hurt him that way, forcing him to wonder, to question, or to coldly assess that they would not. These are the horrors of unwanted marriage, of arrangement, of - Yes, there are many reasons that she can't think of how to soothe Masato on this. Which is all the more reason to be glad that Makoto is here, because she is what Masato needs, clearly. "I wouldn't blame... just Dark Energy," Usagi says, slowly, glancing at Amy. "I mean, maybe it is, but... I have a hard time connecting the two, I guess? I mean, an onryo is... an onryo, and Dark Energy is Dark Energy. It's like how it doesn't take Dark Energy to make a Witch, but... but we all know it can make one happen faster." Kazuo gives a very clearcut explanation, and she hates how much sense it makes to her own thoughts, of what it means for a man to take a new wife, and for a woman to be of an arranged marriage, and... She's not hungry, in the emotional sense, but her stomach grumbles, and she smiles Kazuo's way when he offers something, and there's his eyes, watching, and she doesn't want him, or anyone to worry. "Something light, maybe?"
Mamoru Chiba	Mamoru's head tilts a little as he glances to Amy, and something she says makes his brain false-start, but Usagi addresses it so smoothly that Mamoru wonders how good his cautious shielding really is, too... And oh, Masato. Oh it's bad. Mamoru's voice is more grave. "I'm so sorry." There's Endymion's weight to his tone, and he squeezes Usagi's hand and -- gently through that touch -- she can tell he doesn't know what he can possibly do for Masato. Kazuo answers that readily, and then Mamoru's tone is gentler as he says, "And I'm sorry I can't let you just sleep it off, but you have like half an hour to process... before we need to decide what to do about your father seeing the house. We can't possibly fix it in time for him not to see it if he's here." He glances aside to Usagi, then his eyebrows go up and he looks to Kazuo. "Yeah, that. But-- do you want us to give you some alone time or do you want to get the talking over with?"
Amy Faust	> He lives in California with a new wife." "Oh." Beat. "...''Seriously?!'' Over ''that?!'' Kazuo lays it out. If The old wife doesn't like you, and you want a new wife, the old one's illness is an opportunity to hide murder without getting the 'Murderer' or even 'Divorced' negative social traits which would affect your peers' opinion rating of you. Some people ''actually see the world'' that way, and when you know that, history suddenly makes a lot more sense, but she hadn't been applying it to the common day. And it leads to those patterns Usagi and Amy are both thinking of. Amy's voice goes cold. "It doesn't matter exactly how he did it. 'Make her die faster' is still murder." Colder. "Of someone he had power over, forced to be in a vulnerable position to him." She doesn't care about whether an onryou is dark energy or not right now. She's thinking... what do they do next? No one's said. "He's coming here? We have ''magic''. I'm not saying ''kill'' him, or anything, but there's gotta be some way to make sure he can never hurt anyone again. It's not like we can tell the cops he cursed his wife to die."
Makoto Kino	Makoto inclines her head gravely in reply to Kazuo. When Masato takes her hand, she laces her fingers with his, not tightly, just present. She doesn't say anything, for the moment; she wasn't there at the house, to see what the others saw, and her thoughts on the matter of Masato's father are the opposite of constructive right now. Mostly along the lines of 'I could punch his face in.' But she's ''here,'' a quiet steady support that even the grumbling of Usagi's stomach isn't going to move. She sits down beside him on the couch, close enough that her arm rests against his. "If you can't think about it right now," she says, "it can wait a little while."
Masato Sanjouin	Masato looks to Mamoru and looks lost for a moment, before his eyes shut tight, and he forces his head to move forward. "Right... Right, the house is..." His thoughts shuffle. "Now that it's purified, I can set up an illusion to make it look like it should, short term. I'll just need an hour or so to prepare it before you meet him there. We'll.... arrange it for tomorrow." His eyes are still closed even as he licks his lower lip, tentatively. "I want to see what you saw, Mamoru. What happened, after I was out. And... if Mako-chan wants to see them, show her too." He pauses, considerate of everything Mamoru's already done, "But... Later. Please." Kazuo is right. He's right about everything. Even as he allows for the doubt-- and Masato is grateful that he does, because part of him isn't ready for his father to be guilty of this-- something deeper resonates with the horrible truth. Amy's concerns aren't something that falls on him deafly, either. If his father is capable of this... what other skeletons are in that closet to find? Suddenly Masahiro's epithet in the business world starts to make sense-- "Sometimes, people call him Oidashibeya no Maou, behind his back." The Demon-King of the Banishing Room. "He's the sort of man to remove obstacles from his path without sentimentality. Ruthlessly efficient, very old fashioned. I don't doubt that, if he can do this to my mother, he's done it others." His hand squeezes at Makoto's briefly, the entwine of fingers and the warmth of her gentle weight against him keeping him present as he works through the strange queasiness that's gripped him. "I'm not hungry."
Kazuo Saitou	"If you were," Kazuo says to Masato, a little dry, "I'd be worried." He inclines his head to Amy, a silent sign that ''might possibly'' say he has some ideas on that front ... but then he pushes lightly away from the wall (no marks left, not here) and makes his way to the door. Something light, maybe. Maybe he'll just hunt through Mamoru's kitchen for ice cream and wait for its mere presence to lure Usagi to comfort.