Meguca ?: Organization and order is for dweebs--also, SUFFER

[16:42] <GeMshuku> As the party ventures onward, ready for more conflict, they can't shake the bad vibes, which become ever more apparent. With those vibes hot on their trail, the need to rush continues...however, despite that, what they end up seeing ends up stopping them, at least temporarily. In the distance, they see...two staticy Miyu(?)s much like the one they had beaten down earlier, paired with...a decidedly less staticy Miyu(?(?)), who looks rather puzzled even from this distance, and is...on the phone?
[16:44] <GeMshuku> If there's words to get in, you might have time to get them first, for she seems to still be on it.
[16:46] <Himukai_Renge> "Didn't realize someone like you needed a phone. Who're you talking with?" Renge asked with sincere curiosity.
[16:48] <Shinohara_Haru> ...Phone? That...wasn't how the Miyu's actually communicate with each other, right..?
[16:52] <GeMshuku> "Oh, you'll find out soon enough. I told her--or, it? I told it to hurry up!" Ah.
[16:54] <Shinohara_Haru> "...Let's not wait. We should probably push through."
[16:55] <Himukai_Renge> Renge nods in agreement, and readies her spear. "I need to get home in time for the new season premiere of Magical Girl: Sunshine. There's no way I'm going to be late for that."
[16:59] <Matsubara_Hotaru> "Why do I have a very bad feeling about this?" she said very worryingly.
[17:00] <Himukai_Renge> "All the most reason to get out of here as soon as possible."
[17:04] <Satori_Komeiji> "...We should get out of here, yes. That might be for the best. But...where can we really run to?"
[17:04] * Satori_Komeiji is now known as Kasuga_Makoto
[17:05] <GeMshuku> "Because you don't have the luxury of time anymore! I just had the idea of handing a core off to...'it' to make 'it' arrive faster, since we can't take our time anymore. Honestly, I didn't think you'd come this way. That'd be too smart for you, but yet here you all are! You'll all make good youma." Them's some colorful threats.
[17:06] <GeMshuku> Speaking of colorful threats, bad vibe suddenly feels a lot closer.
[17:06] <Himukai_Renge> "I hate it when villains play the pronoun game." Renge rolls her eyes and sighs
[17:08] <Shinohara_Haru> That...sounded like this was the right direction to go? Unless that Miyu was trying to trick them, but...judging from that arrogant tone, that seemed somewhat unlikely. Haru held her antenna-staff at the ready, preparing to provide support!
[17:16] <Kasuga_Makoto> "...Any idea what direction the main force's coming from?" Makoto whispers... "If we can avoid them, we can get out before any of this gets worse."
[17:20] <GeMshuku> "Also, I can do this." ...AND she takes out a youma core. Oddly, you only see the youma core that's taken out about a second later, as if its presence was delayed. "Always have this one on hand in case someone catches me off guard--which you girls have, I'm still impressed! But, that's quite enough out of you." And then she uses it...and nothing seems to happen, yet at the same time, everything feels...as if its going by faster.
[17:24] * Matsubara_Hotaru suddenly startled by an unfamiliar voice speaking to her, she panics and is now confused. "Uh, did anyone...?" However she stopped herself from finishing asking that, so come to think of it, that voice sounded more like in her head. "...Hmmm..."
[17:25] <Himukai_Renge> Renge wasn't too sure what just happened and due to the severity of the situation, decided to go with a wait and see approach.
[17:26] <Shinohara_Haru> "!? This is...she's trying to delay us! We need to disable her and take that core quickly!" Haru exclaimed with alarm. This Miyu army evidently managed to collect quite a few youma cores to distribute among themselves, meddling with them with just four people was a big mistake..."At this rate...we might have to rely on our own youma cores to get out of here
[17:26] <Kasuga_Makoto> "...Something feels definitely wrong. We can't waste any more time!"
[17:26] <Shinohara_Haru> alive. They're too well-equipped."
[17:26] <Kasuga_Makoto> "...If that's what it comes down to, that's our only option!
[17:27] <Himukai_Renge> "R-Right!" Renge quickly springs into action and charges forward, brandishing her spear.
[17:32] * Kasuga_Makoto summons some light options around her and concentrates. She didn't come this far to die here! And ahead she goes, light spears at the ready around her!
[17:37] <Matsubara_Hotaru> "W...What are you saying?" Hotaru saying seemingly to the air. "Am I going to disappear...? And if I don't then everyone will...?" She seems to be not acknowledging whats going on around her right now.
[17:41] <Kasuga_Makoto> "...Matsubara, we need to focus on escaping, for now! Hang in there...just..." Makoto seems a bit nervous as well, but tries to push down her worries. "As long as we're here, I don't plan on letting you out of our sight..."
[17:42] <GeMshuku> ...You do charge forward, but while you feel like you're going the speed you should be, it all feels a lot slower. Oddly enough, the Miyus seem affected by this as well (though they're not going anywhere, you can just tell!), but--is that a red light behind you in the distance? Huh.
[17:43] <Matsubara_Hotaru> "...It has all come to this, hasn't it? And I need to use all the youma cores...? I'll... ask my friends for them then, and I'll also say my final good byes for them..." While looking like she's talking to herself, she seems to be really taking this really hard of course.
[17:44] <Himukai_Renge> "What the? What's going on?" Renge is visibly confused by the speed she's going at.
[17:46] <Himukai_Renge> Renge decides to fire off a bolt of lightning at Miyu holding the core seeing as she wasn't going to get within melee range fast enough
[17:47] <Shinohara_Haru> "Matsubara-senpai, hang on! We'll all get out of here!" Haru tried to coax the shaken Hotaru along as she strained against this...slowing effect. Something seemed to be coming...
[17:48] <Kasuga_Makoto> "M-Matsubara, what are you talking abou--..." She struggles as she tries to keep moving. She had to stop that Miyuclone from whatever it was doing. She tried as hard as she could...and even so, felt like she was inching closer.
[17:50] <GeMshuku> ...And at once, you feel like you can move faster--but that's only because something else has entered the scene. ...One you can FEEL behind you, and it's potent enough that you're forced to look.
[17:52] <GeMshuku> For a non-verbal description, http://puu.sh/t6eD9/94f01f021e.png . For a verbal one, try 'SPACE BALL WITH AN EYE OF DARKNESS, GLOWING RED'.
[17:53] <GeMshuku> And a rather large one at that. One that speaks with the voice of Pandora--because you're pretty sure it is. "Finally caught up! Thanks for the call, Miyu!" WELL THAT'S NO GOOD
[17:53] <Kasuga_Makoto> "...Excellent..."
[17:54] <Shinohara_Haru> "T-This is bad! Everyone, use the cores! It's time to go all-out if we want to get away..!"
[17:54] <Matsubara_Hotaru> "...Everyone, give me the youma cores. All of them. Right now." she said hastily
[17:56] <Kasuga_Makoto> "...Matsubara, are you sure? Do...you even know what'll happen to you...?"
[17:56] <Himukai_Renge> "Whaa? What are you planning to do with them?" Renge is still trying to process everything that is going on as she reaches into her pocket to take out the cores.
[17:57] <Kasuga_Makoto> "...Not even that much power's capable of stopping Pandora. A-At that rate...we might not be able to save you."
[17:57] <Kasuga_Makoto> "And I refuse to let someone else die on my watch!"
[18:01] <Shinohara_Haru> "W-Wait! Even if you're better than us at using the cores, isn't that...a bit too much..?
[18:01] <GeMshuku> "...Wait, are we doing this again? We're doing this again. She's doing that again. That bitch." Pandora seems to understand what's going on, perhaps better than everyone else does, and it's not pleased at ALL, taking aim at Hotaru and firing before anyone gets the chance to TRY anything. ...It's very rapid fire.
[18:02] <Matsubara_Hotaru> "...as long as my friends make it out alive and I wipe out this monster, it'll be a happy ending to me."
[18:06] <Matsubara_Hotaru> "Give me your cores. Please. This is our only shot." she pleads her friends.
[18:07] <Kasuga_Makoto> Makoto attempts to stand in the way or block the incoming attacks, but her defenses are rather easily shattered. She tosses she tosses the white core to her with a heavy heart...
[18:10] <Himukai_Renge> "Hotaru, watch out!" Renge dashes in front of Hotaru, draws her shield and attempts to deflect the lasers. Renge quickly uses this opportunity to pass the red and blue cores to Hotaru whilst she absorbs the attack.
[18:14] <Himukai_Renge> "I-I don't know what it is you have in mind Hotaru, but whatever it is I will bet it all on it. I've never seen Pandora react like that before." Renge was shaken, but not stirred as she stood firm against the lasers.
[18:16] <Kasuga_Makoto> "...If it's the only option we have left, I...have no regrets! If Pandora fears this, let's show her what 'fear' means all over again!"
[18:21] <Shinohara_Haru> "Please...be careful! Don't overdo it..!" Just the red core alone seemed fairly troublesome...Haru was worried that it'd be very hard to keep it in check while also managing all the other cores at once, but given the situation there didn't seem to be any other options...
[18:30] <Matsubara_Hotaru> "...Thank you everyone. I am eternally thankful for you all for being my friends throughout, even in bad times we've pulled through together. When I've realized I wasn't "real", and when my "existence" was fading in and out, I had so much doubts about myself. But you all were always there for me, and I'm glad my friendship has also affected you. It made me realize even if I'm just made of magic,
[18:30] <Matsubara_Hotaru> I'm as real as you all are. And you've all probably figured out what I may be doing at this point but... I will not let my sacrifice go in vain. The only thing that can make me happier is if you all live and these creatures are wiped out for good. I will see you all again, someday... somewhere. This is good bye."
[18:35] <Himukai_Renge> Renge turns her head to the left, and glances towards Hotaru, giving a silent nod. A nod that conveyed so many words and feelings of the time they had spent together before facing forward again towards Pandora in a defensive stance.
[18:38] <Shinohara_Haru> "W-Wait! S-Senpai! I said--don't overdo it..!"
[18:39] <Kasuga_Makoto> "Hotaru..."
[18:40] <Kasuga_Makoto> "...Y-you're right. Someday, we'll meet again. I'll make it happen..."
[18:40] <Kasuga_Makoto> "...Hold those things back as long as we can! Give it everything we've got!"
[19:13] * Matsubara_Hotaru turns to Pandora's direction. "I will make sure Pandora doesn't harm anyone anymore. I will do the right thing and eradicate all these Miyu clones too." She begins to focus on the cores she has collected, all of them. "I will take them all down with me. I will change the course of our fate, even if I will never live to see this. My sacrifice will turn the tables and I'll let my friends
[19:13] * Matsubara_Hotaru live another day!" The youma core powers eventually finish charging as she is ready to use them at their full potential and then...
[19:32] <GeMshuku> ...and then, a blinding flash of light (which, coincidentally, drive Pandora's next few dozen lasers off course)! ...Standing in Hotaru's place...isn't Hotaru, fully. Thankfully, it isn't a youma either. Rather, it looks like Hotaru, but possesses an aura that Makoto recognizes rather quickly, and everyone else can feel the signifigance of--the aura of Iru, goddess of the world. Said aura is so powerful that while Hotaru looks exactly the same save her hair becoming decidedly blue, you can barely put her name to the person before you--yet you know she's still there, with the goddess, as one. ...And she speaks with the voice of the goddess via telepathy, to all in the area, as she stares Pandora down! "...I didn't think I would end up here like this, but yet, here we are."
[19:38] <Himukai_Renge> "Yeah, sorry about that. But as you can see, this is a dire situation we're in."
[19:42] <Shinohara_Haru> Haru widened her eyes at 'Hotaru', taken aback as the aura that suddenly started emanating from her was nothing like what she would expect. However, she knew that this wasn't a bad outcome, and rallied her wits to deal with the Miyu's blocking the way ahead to not waste Hotaru's effort. "...Senpai, and whoever else is there...thank you." Haru began to realize
[19:43] <Shinohara_Haru> the significance of Hotaru's mutterings earlier, and gripped her staff tighter with a heavy heart.
[19:44] <Himukai_Renge> Renge also tightens her grip on her spear, there was no way that she was going to break a promise to her friend. All of them were going to get out alive, one way or another.
[19:53] <GeMshuku> Pandora blinks, surveying the situation rather quickly. "...AGAIN. You've done it AGAIN. It wasn't enough that you killed off that Ginko girl to give yourself an edge, but now this Hotaru one too. How much of them will have to die before you get that control you don't even deserve? ...Seeing as I can't stop that juggernaut, and that my falling here is inevitable one way or the other because ~otherwise it demerits her sacrifice~, let's see if we can't get the others." At once, Pandora's aura, which had previously flared up for lasers, begins to come to equal footing with 'Iru''s own. However, unlike Iru's, said aura starts tearing at the seams of reality--Iru's repairs it, forming one hell of a view, as their very fighting spirit seems to do battle. "You think you can get away with the same thing twice, huh? You continue to underestimate me."
[20:01] <Kasuga_Makoto> "...So...this is a battle between gods..." Makoto adds, spellbound. BUt still on her guard, of course. She's trying to pull back where she can manage and keep moving... "...It's not as if we wanted to sacrifice our friends! You're the ones hurting what reality we have left, twisting it to your own ends!"
[20:02] <Kasuga_Makoto> "...Hotaru...Iru...whatever you might be, We're sorry to have roused you like this. But...I hope our friend has...secured your attention."
[20:04] <Kasuga_Makoto> "...You've seen our resolve, r-right...?" She trembles a little, still reeling from Hotaru giving her body up to be a vessel for such power. "You know what kind world we want to protect..."
[20:05] <Kasuga_Makoto> "Please...we're desperate. Help us..."
[20:08] <Himukai_Renge> "Resolve, huh?" Renge looks down at her hands for a brief moment, they're visibly trembling but a smile formed on her face as she looked back up. "Well, Hotaru showed her resolve today. Perhaps it's our turn now."
[20:10] * Shinohara_Haru ([email protected]) Quit (Quit: http://www.mibbit.com ajax IRC Client)
[20:10] * Raitaki ([email protected]) has joined #meguca
[20:10] * Raitaki is now known as Shinohara_Haru
[20:11] <GeMshuku> Pandora turns to Makoto. "To be frank, I'd stop shooting you if you stopped getting in the way. I'd even keep your little world intact, if you didn't mind everyone else's as much. But now that another one has sacrificed themselves to stop me, I don't see that happening. Crafty little witch we've got here." Iru-Hotaru's aura sharpens, and she returns a glare. "You don't and can't understand people." "Oh believe me, after all these set-backs, I'm actually trying! I've learned THAT lesson, that's why I have real, humanish helpers. Speaking of which, Miyu? Call your friends. They might be able to drag some bodies."
[20:16] <GeMshuku> ...The Miyu's, however, have blank stares. "You've forgotten who I am. While they have your touch, the youma are ultimately my own creations." "And I'M the one that doesn't understand people. So you have murderous peons. Lovely. But...they'll come to." Quite the talk they're having.
[20:17] * Mir (chatzilla@gensoukyoueasternstory.net-797BF265.hsd1.va.comcast.net) has joined #meguca
[20:19] <GeMshuku> ...However, it seems to be drawing to a close. "...And I am aware of that. Regretfully, I can only hold all of these Miyus at bay for so long, and I won't be able to get in all of their ways once they attack, and I know their blows will leave a lasting effect that you can't afford to take. In the meantime, you'll have to escape."
[20:24] <Shinohara_Haru> "...So we can just...run past them..?" Haru stared cautiously at the Miyu trio and tentatively took a few steps towards them. "Are you...coming with us?"
[20:26] <GeMshuku> "If I followed...Pandora would too, and proceed to shoot you with more vigor than she did earlier. So, no, I'm afraid not..." She clearly doesn't like the idea, but she seems resolute about it.
[20:29] <Himukai_Renge> "Then let's not waste anymore time." Renge turns to face the Miyus ahead of their escape route.
[20:35] <GeMshuku> "Please...be careful...And don't forget, it's unity that will help us truly beat Pandora." "You really think they'll ever catch on to what you actually mean by that? Cute. Now, run along children. Resume playing your given roles." Pandora sends them off...with aimed lasers that Iru manifests a barrier to block! It seems you don't have much time to spare!
[20:35] <Shinohara_Haru> "...Then, I'm...sorry." Haru grimly turned away from Hotaru/Iru, and headed in the direction of the "leader" Miyu. They needed every advantage possible in other to escape, therefore Haru's aim was to pry the youma core that emitted the slowing magic from the ex-magical girl's hand, and turn it off if possible.
[20:37] <GeMshuku> "OK, I have to break the mood to say this. Stealing from the inanimate. Spicy. I'd like that if it weren't being actively used against me." The slowed time-zone resumes normal speeds once pried from Miyu's inanimate fingers! However, shooting might take a bit more time than you have.
[20:38] <Kasuga_Makoto> Makoto takes one more fleeting glance at the goddess-powered Hotaru before she starts running... "I wish I could do more to help you...both of you. But it seems we don't have much choice..." Makoto tries to move up and follow Haru, though her emphasis was on escape more than confrontation!
[20:38] <Himukai_Renge> Renge follows up in the rear, making sure that any possible stray lasers are deflected by her shield.
[20:38] <Kasuga_Makoto> "...I hope both of us will meet again. We're grateful!"
[20:45] <Shinohara_Haru> After taking the core, Haru tried to break into a run, but hesitated halfway and briefly turned back. "We will try to get out of here quickly, so...please, if possible, please get senpai's body out of here for us, too..!" She shouted back at Iru/Hotaru's direction, before gritting her teeth and forcing herself to turn around and continuing fleeing.
[20:45] * Shinohara_Haru ([email protected]) Quit (Quit: http://www.mibbit.com ajax IRC Client)
[20:49] <Matsubara_Hotaru> A familiar voice coming from Iru's direction could be heard, "Please don't worry about me, your safety is more important and the thing I want most. I am thankful for our journey together... Farewell..."
[20:56] <GeMshuku> And with that, the party leaves behind the warring god-duo, as well as all of the Miyu's traps, as they quickly exit the sewers and THEN continue fleeing, leaving behind that awful scene, in an awful place, with that awful smell, with all those floating Miyus. Eventually, the trio loses sight of all of them, and it's only then do they feel safe enough to stop at all.
[20:58] <GeMshuku> Somewhere, some asshole is thinking 'that'll teach em to charge into a defensive perimeter with just four people and not much of a plan'. Will that be what's on their minds, too? ...Whatever the case, time getting screwy has ultimately forced them to ponder that or other things at night.


---SCENE CHANGE---


[21:20:30] <Himukai_Renge> At the front of Makoto's house, a lonely figured rang the doorbell.
[21:59:44] <Kasuga_Makoto> * And who should answer but Makoto's rather cheerful mother. Though, seeing one of her daughter's friends brought quite an unpleasant expression to her face...
[22:01:11] <Kasuga_Makoto> * She tries to keep up the front for the time being and adds... "Ah, evening. Makoto's upstairs. She came home with a similar expression to yours, you know. Did...something happen?" Of course, being a normal, she had no clue of any of this. But even so...
[22:02:33] <Himukai_Renge> "I guess you could say that, yeah...it's been a rough day. I figured that we could keep eachother company since that's what friends are for."
[22:03:54] <Kasuga_Makoto>  * She offers a faint smile to the weary girl. "It's fine. She might not be in much of a mood right now, but...I'd heard something about a terrible accident lately, and I've been worried all day..."
[22:05:00] <Kasuga_Makoto> "...Come in and warm yourself up a little. You're welcome to stay as long as you'd like." And with that, she heads off to make some tea. It soothes the soul, don't you know...
[22:06:12] * Shinohara_Haru ([email protected]) Quit (Ping timeout: 243 seconds)
[22:06:23] <Kasuga_Makoto> "Now then, if...you'd like to talk about what's on your mind, I'll help where I can." She calls from the kitchen! Doesn't seem that Makoto's coming down, yet.
[22:08:56] <Himukai_Renge> "Thank you very much." Renge steps inside and sits down. "I guess a terrible accident is one way of putting it..."
[22:11:06] <Kasuga_Makoto> She returns with a couple cups of tea. One for her, one for Renge. Another, presumably, for Makoto. It's wholly normal tea, of course. Average in every way...
[22:11:56] <Kasuga_Makoto> "...I see. If it's...not too much trouble, you look like you've quite a lot on your mind. Here. This will help you calm down a bit..."
[22:12:39] <Kasuga_Makoto> "I've been in situations like those, before. A lot of us have. Where something terrible happens all of a sudden and there's nothing we can do about it."
[22:13:03] <Himukai_Renge> "Thank you." Renge takes the cup of tea and takes a sip. It really was average in every single way, but the fact that it was made by someone else and not herself for a change was quite satisfying.
[22:13:57] <Kasuga_Makoto> "I hope I'm not prying too much, but...did something happen to one of your friends? Poor Makoto headed up the stairs without a word." She looks legitimately concerned...
[22:14:25] <Kasuga_Makoto> "...Makoto's only ever that quiet when something major happens."
[22:17:13] <Himukai_Renge> "...I see." Renge pauses for a moment, thinking about whether she should open up the box and seeing the look of concern she started. "...Yeah, something did happen to one of our friends today. It was in fact Hotaru."
[22:23:37] <Himukai_Renge> "I don't wnat to go into the details as I think that's up to Makoto to share that with you, but...she's no longer with us..." Renge takes another sip of tea, holding back her tears as she does so.
[22:29:07] <Kasuga_Makoto> "O-Oh. I'm..." She quiets down a minute and nurses her tea. "I'm...sorry to hear that, dear..."
[22:34:16] <Kasuga_Makoto> "...I'm not sure what to tell you, but..."
[22:35:05] <Kasuga_Makoto> "The last time I'd seen you all feels like such a long time ago. All of you seemed so happy and hopeful for the future. And...understandably, maybe the future doesn't look as bright as it did..."
[22:36:11] <Kasuga_Makoto> "...But I'm sure your friend wouldn't want you to be stuck under all kinds of regret. Makoto wouldn't, either. Even at her worst, she's always an optimist..."
[22:37:29] <Himukai_Renge> Renge nods, "Yeah, that's the type of person Makoto is and was why I was so drawn to her. She reminds me a lot of my childhood friend because of that."
[22:37:47] <Kasuga_Makoto> She quietly pats the girl on the shoulder, sympathetically... "I know that isn't easy, either, of course. But you're welcome here as long as you wish. And if your friends want to stay over, that's fine as well."
[22:38:37] <Kasuga_Makoto> "On that topic, you do have a point. You mustn't forget your friends, even if things come between you. Even if the worst of life seems to sneak up on you."
[22:39:21] <Kasuga_Makoto> "...I'm glad you feel that way about my daughter. And I'm so relieved that, even with something so terrible going on, that you're able to stand strong."
[22:39:55] <Kasuga_Makoto> She smiles... "You and the others might not be my children, but I'm still quite proud of all of you for sticking together this long."
[22:40:50] <Kasuga_Makoto> "...What was your childhood friend like, by the way? You've made me a bit curious?"
[22:41:16] <Kasuga_Makoto> * In the background, the sound of a door opening and careful footsteps to the bathroom.
[22:43:45] <Himukai_Renge> "Where to begin...I was very similar to Makoto when I was younger, always kept to myself and the other kids didn't want to talk to me. But during lunch one day I was approached by a girl with long orange hair, that would be Nozomi."
[22:44:21] <Kasuga_Makoto> "...She must've been a kind girl, to take you under her wing like that."
[22:48:32] <Himukai_Renge> "She definitely was. When I had told her about my hobbies of watching anime and my dream of wanting to become a magical girl, instead of laughing at me or giving me a weird look...she actually smiled and told me that was a dream worth going for. That was when I realized that she was different from everyone I had ever met."
[22:52:39] <Kasuga_Makoto> "It's always those sorts of people that turn your life upside-down, isn't that right?" She sips her tea and adds... "And how did things go with her? Did you stay friends for a long while?"
[22:55:54] <Himukai_Renge> "We stayed best friends until the start of junior high. Her family had to move and that was the first time I had been separated from her...we stayed in contact online and our phones for a couple of months..." Renge trailed off a bit before continuing, regaining her composure. "...Until she had stopped coming online for several days in a row and whenever I called her phone there was no response."
[22:56:46] <Himukai_Renge> "To this day, I still don't know what had happened to Nozomi. I feared the worst and had checked the news, both online and in the papers but there was nothing about her there either. It was like she had completely disappeared from existence."
[22:57:12] <Kasuga_Makoto> "...That's terrible, dear. I...I'm so sorry that you've had so much trouble keeping friends together..."
[22:57:56] <Kasuga_Makoto> "When I was younger I had a few friends of my own. Many of them tend to drift away like that, and sometimes that's simply how it is. But...eventually, after a while, old friends tend to find their way back to you, one way or the other."
[22:59:05] <Kasuga_Makoto> "Perhaps your other friend did the same thing? Perhaps she's still looking...who's to say. But the least you can do is thank them for the time they'd spent with you."
[23:00:07] <Himukai_Renge> "That's has what kept me going. I know that one day we'll meet eachother again. I guess that's both Nozomi and Makoto's optimism rubbing off onto me."
[23:00:18] <Kasuga_Makoto> "I'm sure Makoto feels much the same way that you'd felt, after all that time alone, as well." Nothing can really dampen the woman's cheerful mood. "...And let me just say one little thing that kept my spirits bright..."
[23:01:06] <Kasuga_Makoto> "...Even over distance and time, they say that the souls of dearest friends find ways to see one-another again."
[23:02:28] <Kasuga_Makoto> "I know, it sounds like some silly romantic TV show, but...sometimes it really is true. I'd like to believe so, anyway..." She chuckles a little. "Whether you do or not is up to you. But my daughter thinks quite highly of you, even if she was nervous about everyone, at first."
[23:03:24] <Kasuga_Makoto> "...You did your best to make your other friends happy. You did all you could do. And that's fine. But don't forget about your friends that you have /now/, either."
[23:04:02] <Kasuga_Makoto> "That's...probably something Makoto would say, actually." She smiles warmly. "Perhaps you should check on her, in a little bit?"
[23:05:46] <Himukai_Renge> Renge nods. "Sure thing, mom..." Renge pauses immediately after she had stopped talking. She quickly grabs her cup of tea and sips it, hoping the awkward moment passes without any acknowledgement.
[23:08:52] <Kasuga_Makoto> She giggles... "...Not a problem~."
[23:09:52] <Kasuga_Makoto>  * Seems she did hear. SHe didn't mind, though. There's a bit of noise coming from upstairs still. A door up there, probably Makoto's, quietly closes shut. Though you get a distinct feeling she peeked down here for a moment.
[23:10:03] <Himukai_Renge> Renge clears her throat, "Well, I guess I better go check up on her then." She sets down her cup and gets up from the chair.
[23:11:56] * Himukai_Renge heads upstairs and knocks on Makoto's door, "Hey Makoto, it's me. Renge."
[23:20:16] <Kasuga_Makoto> Makoto's voice replies rather quietly. Perhaps with a hint of sadness to it, though she tries to hide it...
[23:20:35] <Kasuga_Makoto> "...Renge, I'm glad you're here."
[23:21:12] <Himukai_Renge> "Can I come in?"
[23:24:39] <Kasuga_Makoto> "Mm...sure."
[23:26:35] * Himukai_Renge slowly opens the door and goes inside
[23:26:51] <Himukai_Renge> "...So, how are you holding up?"
[23:36:13] <Kasuga_Makoto> "...Not very well. I...tried to act strong back there, for everyone's sake. Even for Hotaru's sake."
[23:36:37] <Kasuga_Makoto> "But really, you know...there isn't much I could've done. And I wish I could have done something!"
[23:41:54] <Himukai_Renge> "You and me both...but this is one of those times where we couldn't do anything about it, and it really pains me to say that. But because of Hotaru, we managed to get out of there alive."
[23:44:17] <Kasuga_Makoto> "...Yes, but...but we lost someone else."
[23:44:40] <Kasuga_Makoto> "You don't realize...how much even the smallest lost means to me."
[23:47:52] <Himukai_Renge> "...I and everyone else probably won't, not unless you open up and talk about it." Renge sits down next to Makoto, "Unfortunately I'm not a mind reader, otherwise that'd make it a lot easier..." This wasn't one of Renge's better moments at lightening the mood.
[23:51:17] <Kasuga_Makoto> "I'm sorry...I wish I knew what I could do. BUt...just being here is enough."
[23:53:44] <Himukai_Renge> "...Fair enough. Everyone has their own way of dealing with loss." Renge reaches for her bags and rummages around inside of it and pulls out a small box, on the front of it was two cops shooting at an armored helicopter with a giant stop watch looming in the background. "...and I guess this was my way of dealing with it."
[23:56:24] <Kasuga_Makoto> "...Oh? I...is that a movie?"
[23:56:58] <Kasuga_Makoto> Makoto quietly sits up and pats beside her. "Whatever you've got, sit down with me. I don't mind. I...need the company."
[23:58:23] <Himukai_Renge> "Sure thing," Renge sits back down with Makoto. "Remember that day when we all went to the arcade together? This was the game that Hotaru and I played together when we were there, well the console version."
[23:59:37] <Himukai_Renge> "I felt like I had to have something physical to remember Hotaru by. Something that I could hold and cherish in my arms."
[00:00:35] <Himukai_Renge> Renge smirks slightly, "Heh, I guess old habits never go away after all..."