Love And Property Damage

[silentasthe_glaive]

[Well that’s one way to make an entrance. Or at least, the aftermath of an entrance. There’s a small, perfectly spherical crater in the ground, tinged at the edges with what looks like purple energy. If someone scans the damage, there appear to be trace amounts of something that could be magic-based energies. Also, ringed around that crater are the tattered remains of a poor and unfortunate couch in the wrong place at the wrong time.]

Added to all that, there’s a young girl perched on another couch nearby. (And this one doesn’t carry any grudges for the untimely destruction of its kin.) She looks just shy this side of dazed and out of it, and the brochure is being held in shaky hands.]

“This is really interesting but… how do I go home? CAN I get home? I’m not sure if-“

[She cuts off on that. Things are still blurry and out of focus, and she can feel a headache building if she focuses too hard. So instead Hotaru rubs at her forehead, and switches tracks.]

"…Maybe I should ask a different question? If that’s okay, um… actually I don’t know what else I should ask. What should I ask about?”

Comments

[sumarusfinest]

Poor girl has probably sent a good few of the nearby Nexus denizens running in every direction due to the magical explosive drop she's made into the Forum.

There's one person running toward the destruction, however. A very concerned looking police officer carrying a first aide kit.

"Miss. Miss! Are you okay? Does anything hurt?"

[silentasthe_glaive]

Perhaps equally unnerving is that there isn't any trace of an exit portal; like the whole thing is a 'blink and you'll miss it' event where one second there's a couch, and the next there's a bunch of shredded upholstery.

...And yeah, of all things Hotaru looks REALLY concerned about the whole 'destroyed couch' bit.

"Ah? Um... yeah I think I'm ok? My forehead hurts a little but I'm alright otherwise.

No one was using that chair, were they?"

[sumarusfinest]

Oh thank god. She wasn't hurt or bleeding. Crisis temporarily averted. Katsuya heaves a huge sigh, but his relaxation is short lived. It's yet another young child dropped into the Nexus. Concern skyrockets upward again.

"No, there's chairs and couches everywhere, don't worry. It's alright." Katsuya honestly doubts any damages here will still be there in a week. The Nexus is weird that way.

[silentasthe_glaive]

He's not the only one to give a relieved sigh. Good to know she hasn't caused any permanent damage and that the public works and recovery here rivals anything in Tokyo.

"That's good... I didn't want to start off by causing any trouble here as well." She glances at the first aid kit... and that's when it really hits home that aside from the headache, she really does feel mostly ok. No dizzy or weakness spells or anything like that.

"I-I'm actually feeling a lot better." More and more by the second. She sounds flat out amazed this is even happening.

[sumarusfinest]

That is the exact opposite of what someone who suplexed the Nexus forum in their entrance should be saying. Katsuya adjusts his sunglasses with one hand, trying to process this. But, the young lady does seem to be remarkably intact. Nothing that looked broken or bleeding or even cruised.

Wow.

"You do seem to be alright." He nods slowly, setting the first aid kit down. "Do you know where you came here from?" There doesn't appear to be a door or any gaping holes in reality. Gaping holes in upholstery, sure.

[bestdadinamestris]

He may not have seen it happen, but boy did Hughes hear her entrance. And, of course, seeing the young girl perched on the couch nearby immediately flips on his 'dad' switch. His child or not, he just has that protective streak in him.

As the dust from the exploded couch begins to settle, Hughes is right there, offering her a hand and a concerned look.

"I'm afraid I missed your question in the aftermath of all of this," he gestures to the remains of the exploded couch with the hand he isn't holding out to her, "but I'm happy to answer it if I can after everything is settled. Besides, I'm more worried about you, given the state of the couch. Are you all right?"

[silentasthe_glaive]

Pardon that bewildered blink; the whole smoking crater thing has yet to fully sink in. Plus there's something about this new person's manner that catches her off guard. It isn't a bad feeling either; far from it!

"Y-yes? I'm not sure why exactly, but I think I'm ok..." This is starting to feel weird though; as hazy as her memories are, there's a pretty consistent feeling of danger to them. Meaning she has to ask.

"What about you? Are you ok? Is... everyone else around here ok, too?" Glancing around there's nothing that suggests "world sundering threat' at least.

[bestdadinamestris]

Wait. She's asking how he is? That's... well, that's one he hasn't come across before. He can't help but chuckle at that, though it's obvious that he's not laughing at her - his amusement is with the statement, not her.

"I'm fine. Everyone else seems to be as well. A little spooked, but I think the only thing hurt was the couch." He smiles and gingerly takes a seat next to her to get more 'on her level' as far as vision goes. Yup. Definitely a dad.

"My name's Maes Hughes and it's a pleasure to meet you." He smiles softly. "And who might you be?"

[silentasthe_glaive]

"Hotaru. Hotaru Tomoe is my full name," and it turns out she can also smile, given the opportunity.

And even if she hasn't consciously realized it, the Dad Mode is strong with this one.

"If this really is where worlds meet," and it's a LOT more friendly than the last dimensional merge she and Chibi-Usa found themselves in. "I should probably include where I'm from, right? I'm originally from Tokyo."

[bestdadinamestris]

That smile is going to melt his heart, just a little. It's nice to see her smile - makes him feel a lot more comfortable about seeing such a young girl here all by herself. Not that he wants to leave her alone, but...

One step at a time, Hughes. Seriously, you can't just take her home and give your daughter a sister with you. She came from somewhere and probably wants to get back to it at some point. You can work on that part later.

"I'm afraid I don't know where Tokyo is," he admits, his look a bit sheepish as he rubs the back of his neck. "I come from a world that doesn't have many of the places people say they're from. We have a few different things going on with technology and science than other worlds, though. Some of it is... almost magical."

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

"There is nothing wrong with the desire to return home," a thin, well-dressed man assures the young lady smoothly. "It is but one journey among many in this place. Alas, every journey requires some expenditure, some sacrifice. It may be well to ask what price you are willing to pay, to return home."

[silentasthe_glaive]

"I-I'm worried about what's happening to Pappa and my friends. I think- wait, I know that they were in trouble when I left." Even if the details are still hazy at the moment.

"Do you mean something like money? I don't know if I-" Hotaru's fingers ghost over her pockets for a moment, before she realizes that she doesn't have any currency on her.

It was wishful thinking anyway; there's something about the whole 'price' that makes Hotaru think this won't be very straight forward.

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

"Something like," he not-quite-agrees genially. "From time to time, I do offer wayward souls guidance to a portal back to their world. For only a small fee, generally. A favor will usually do."

[silentasthe_glaive]

"What sort of favor?" She shouldn't grab this so readily... but it's a chance to go back home and be sure everyone is ok. She can't pass it up so easily.

"I could do something in return for finding a way home. Do you need..."

What DOES a sharp dressed man need?

"Someone to do the laundry? Or go get a new pair of shoes?"

Can't blame a kid for guessing, at least.

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

"I don't know, yet," he admits, smiling pleasantly, "what I might need. Think of it more as a sort of floating promise: one day, when I have a task suited to your skills, I may ask it of you, and its completion would be the clearing of your debt."

[loose_cannon]

There's a man skulking along the edge of the Nexus, doing his best to avoid the crowds. He has a pistol at the ready.

Jesse hears the question and hazards a red-eyed, panicked glance at the speaker. This was entirely a mistake. As his eyes linger on the woman, the more his face takes on a look of mixed torment and pity.

"It's okay. It'll all be over soon," he soothes as he raises his gun, training it on the newcomer. Whoa. That seems a little extreme!

(( Jesse was fear-LOL'd here and is hallucinating like, a lot. ))

[silentasthe_glaive]

Even allowing for dimensional voids and beating monsters at card games, there are limits to what all Hotaru can roll with. Guns getting pointed at her go well and beyond that category. For lack of a better option, she raises her hands up and shows that there's nothing in them.

"Excuse me," (that seems like the best way to start this conversation without getting shot) "but I think there might be a mistake? I don't think the gun needs to be pointed at anyone-"

...She cuts out and wobbles a little where she sits. That's weird; it's like she just got a combination of head rush and deja vu.

[loose_cannon]

Jesse takes a cautious step back when she raises her arms, but maintains his steady aim. He hates when they can still talk and plead. "Don't make this harder than it has to be. I know you're suffering, but there's no going back now!"

Welcome to the Nexus, Hotaru!

[silentasthe_glaive]

It's such an emotional welcoming, too.

"But I'm not hurting. I'm fine-"

Why does this feel so familiar? In the back of her head there's echoes of looking at... not a gun, but something just as dangerous. A breath of hot air, or a cool almost drowning sensation as someone yells out an attack.

She's been in this situation before. But this time around she feels weirdly exposed, like she lost whatever was shielding her the first time around.

"I-I need to warn you not to do this." She feels weirdly detached as she says that, too.

[loose_cannon]

Jesse's perception of the Nexus swims sickeningly and the illusory mutant lined up in his sights shifts. Its skin recedes, revealing a woman for a split second before it snaps back into place.

This crack in the hallucination is enough to make his gun arm sway uncertainly. There's a strong smell of alcohol about him. Maybe he's just very drunk?

"W-why shouldn't I?" Is the stammering related to drunkenness, or is he actually afraid?

[icebearforpresident]

[Ice Bear happens to be late to the party, stumbling upon the crater after other people have assisted Hotaru. He does see the girl and pauses, wondering just how a small girl can create such damage to the surroundings. That's the least of his concerns, as Ice Bear walks over to Hotaru, wanting to make sure she's okay.]

Ice Bear doesn't have a good answer to your question. However, Ice Bear can try to help you out in some way.

[silentasthe_glaive]

[...That. That is a bear.

A cuddly looking bear. That talks.

Since Chibiusa is not around to beam over it, this solemn duty obviously falls to Hotaru.]

"Oh, thank you? I tried finding a way home already... but I don't think it worked. The door doesn't want to let me back through, and I went through it a couple of times to make sure."

[Thus why she's sitting down right now. Getting tossed back into the Nexus is dizzying work.]

[icebearforpresident]

Ice Bear knows the feeling. Ice Bear's door got stuck in the beginning, but eventually opened up.

[The bear looks Hotaru over, noticing that the girl looks very tired. He takes a seat next to her to seem less intimidating (hey some kids are scared of bears and Ice Bear isn't taking any chances).]

Maybe Ice Bear can help in a different way then.

[silentasthe_glaive]

"So maybe I can find my way back, eventually?"

[It's reassuring, even if she's without a way back for now.

The couch gives one of those brief dips-and-bounces with a bear settling down on it, but that doesn't seem to phase Hotaru too much.]

"Talking, maybe? Talking to people could be nice, and it helps that you can listen. And that you're a bear-"

[Oops. Didn't mean to say that last bit out loud.]

[icebearforpresident]

Yes. Ice Bear believes that all worlds are connected here and the path home will open up eventually. Ice Bear has faith in you finding your way soon.

[The bear just nods, not minding at all that Hotaru wants someone to talk to.]

Ice Bear is more than happy to listen to what you have to say.