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.

[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]

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.

[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."

[silentasthe_glaive]

"Tokyo, Japan. And I was-"

...Ok, this is where things start to get unnervingly familiar. She's had blackouts like this before, although this one has a weird, slightly different feel to it.

There's still that light headache settling between her eyes, but past even that, it's like Hotaru is trying to remember the exact details of a month old fever dream. She shuts her eyes and does her best to think past an odd, red and violet haze.

"I had to leave where I was and help someone... A-a friend, Chibi-usa.” Once she remembers that, her back goes straight with alarm. “And I had to help her; she was in trouble and…”

And she’s already getting the sinking feeling that it’s her fault.

[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."

[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."

[sumarusfinest]

Japan. Good. She's from a world Katsuya understands. A version of a world he understands, at least.

"Hey. Look at me." Katsuya tries his best to put on his Most Reliable Officer face. The look Maya used to call his 'big brother' face. "I'm from Japan too. It's okay. You're not alone, okay?" Katsuya is down on one knee now, letting her look down at him from her perch on the couch.

"There are ways to go home. It's going to be okay." He's firm about this. She needs someone to be confident.

[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.

[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.

[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]

"Really!? Magic?" That's the voice of someone whose curiosity is well and truly raised.

"We... I don't know if you'd call it magic, but there's people with some amazing powers where I live. I got to meet them once or twice." And from the sound of it, there's just a little admiration in her voice.

"Can you tell me what it's like?"

[silentasthe_glaive]

"You are?" It's taken a little while for it to really click that she might be talking to an authority figure. In Hotaru's defense, getting flung across dimensions after some sort of conflict (which keeps nibbling at the edges of her brain but stays frustratingly out of reach) is enough to scramble most people's heads.

"You... wouldn't be with the police, would you?" She sounds so tentatively hopeful with that question, too.

[bestdadinamestris]

"Amazing powers, huh?" He smiles. Her admiration is duly noted. "I take it they're the 'good guys' where you come from?"

Hughes puts a hand to his chin as he thinks. Alchemy isn't his thing, so he'll have to hope he does it justice with his explanation. "Alchemy... It's a kind of science, technically, but I'm afraid I don't have any talent for it. It takes a very special kind of person to do it. Basically, the idea is that you use alchemy to change one thing into another, using what's called a transmutation circle as a kind of diagram for what you want. There's a lot more details to it than that, but that's the grand idea." He chuckles and shakes his head a bit. Roy would kill him for such a second-rate explanation. "People specialize in all kinds of alchemy - like my best friend, who specializes in creating and controlling fire."

[sumarusfinest]

"I am." Katsuya nods and slowly pulls out his badge to show her. He hopes this is the answer she wants. Katsuya has no intention of lying to her, and he really is worried about her. She looks close to having a panic attack.

[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.

[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."

[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?

[silentasthe_glaive]

That 'good guys' comment gets an enthusiastic nod from her. Sure, she might not own any of the merchandise that features the Senshi, but she's heard and seen plenty about them.

"They're all very brave, strong and selfless." Yep. Definitely admiration. But she switches that off long enough to listen to the explanation.

"Science?" She stirs a little in her seat at that; weird half memories that keep trying surface, but listening to this sounds a lot more interesting. And marginally less unnerving; Hotaru promises herself that she'll give those thoughts her full attention when she's not sharing company with someone else. "I haven't heard of anything like that in Tokyo, before. At least not with regular science programs... there's research into computers, but no fire manipulation."