1814/Lute and Miko Hang Out

Lute and Miko Hang Out
Date of Scene:	15 March 2015
Location:	Pokemon-2
Synopsis:	Lute and Miko hang out at Lute's place for a while.
Cast of Characters:	188, 589

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Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute has, once again, invited Miko over to his house. The beautiful home currently has its door hanging wide open. Yes, this is in fact an attempt to get Miko to come inside without knocking. As waiting, he's playing some video games a bit. Fighting games, specifically. He lays across the couch, in a rather relaxed position. He's wearing fairly normal clothing today: A black tank top, and a pair of loose shorts cut just above his knees.

     Today, his goal is rather casual. He just wants to spend more time with Miko. After all, well. She is currently the girl he is likely most fond of, by far. Possibly tied with Sarracenia. And, one of the things he knows about relationships: To truly succeed, the partners need to be able to be bored with eachother. So he just wants to hang our with Miko for a bit, without doing much.

     Of course, notable today: Harp isn't present. She's decided to give Lute some alone time with Miko.

Miko Fujimoto (589) has posed:
    Miko has come dressed more casually this time as well. No attempt to look special beyond what she normally would as a Japanese girl. Presentation and 'cuteness' are vital, after all! But this time she just wears her standard outfit, a white shirt, with a brown sleeveless vest overtop, and a knee-length brown pleated skirt. White Rose was left behind for today. Miko offers, "Ojama shimasu! <Forgive the intrusion!>" when she enters Lute's house, bending down to remove her shoes and leave them by the entrance. It may not be a Japanese home, but it's a habit born of cultural expectation. It's going to take more than being in the Multiverse for a few months to stop bowing and being polite, after all!

    She makes her way to where Lute is, bending forward to look down at him on the couch as she smiles. She reaches up a hand to brush some of her hair behind her ear since leaning forward tends to cause it to drape and fall out of place, and says, "You look very comfortable. Thank you for inviting me over today as well."

Lute (188) has posed:
     As Miko arrives, Lute smiles a bit. Well. Seems leaving the door open did work a bit. Enough to let her just come in. He sets the controller down, smiling as he looks up at Miko a bit.

     "Yeah, I've been trying to relax some. Lots of stuff going on, and things have just been getting, well... Overwhelming. ...Plus. I know you've been really busy and working hard recently. ...So I wanted to make sure you could relax some, too."

     He rights himself up off the couch, standing up and moving in for Miko. At first, it looks much like he is going in for a hug, but as his hands grab at her waist, he pulls at her, trying to bring her down on top of himself as he crashes back down. And, of course, he immediately moves in to give her a short kiss on the lips, letting it linger a bit.

     "...So, how've you been? I heard you went to take care of some things with Kilik the other day. How was that?"

Miko Fujimoto (589) has posed:
    Miko nods, starting to straighten up when she sees Lute getting up into a sitting position, thinking maybe he's making room for her to sit down too. But then he's putting his hands around her waist and pulling her down! She lets out a small yell of surprise that breaks up until giggling as she suddenly finds herself sprawled on top of Lute on the couch. She reaches down to make sure her skirt stays down, just incase Harp walks in or something, and returns the kiss. Then she just lies on top of Lute and looks down at him. Some of the good humor leeches from her face as she recalls the battle the night before. "Ah, we were successful. Though I sort of have to wonder what exactly the enemy is telling these people when they give them magical, life-stealing, monster-mutation devices. The old man spoke of immortality, but I don't think he was fully 'him' anymore at that point. And when the monster fully took over, he spoke of taking the 'time' he had stolen to the Epoch Saints, not of keeping it for his host."

    Miko sighs, and tries to pull her legs up a bit and put them out straight so that she's not in such an awkward position. "For all I know, that old man was just hoping to keep making clocks for people awhile longer. But whatever his original deal was, it became twisted by the Nether Realm. I know that supposedly the Nether Realm would make better Confederates, but I think there's a difference between doing whatever's needed, even taking pleasure in the act, and 'dragging in civilians with no involvement and making them do your dirty work'. It's like..." Miko chews her lip a bit and tries to think of a comparison.

    "Let's say you came across an injured pokemon. It allows you to capture it because you promise to treat its wounds. And then instead of treating its wounds, you use it as bait to draw another trainer in to help it, and blow up both the pokemon and the trainer with a landmine. Blowing up the enemy trainer might be justifiable, under the right circumstances. Maybe they're Union or known to be antagonistic towards the Confederacy, or maybe you just plain don't like them. But killing someone or something that trusted you in the process?" She shakes her head.

    "And that's not even scratching the surface of what these monsters are willing to do. Forget pokemon. They will gladly go after young non-Elite children. They will betray anyone, at any time. Even Nether beings from the same group have turned on each other or sabotaged their greater plans for the sake of petty revenge. They will gladly drink a whole world dry, taking all our friends, allies, and resources. And they will target magical girls - even loyal ones who fight by Confederate rules, like me. I don't want those things on our side. You could never, ever trust one. Not ever." Miko seems to realize after a few seconds that she's going into deep and serious talk and looks away as she says, "Sorry. You said you wanted to relax. I shouldn't be bringing all this up."

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute just keeps hugging Miko a bit, looking into her eyes. He simply smiles, as he looks at her. Even as she goes over her problems. The things she has to deal with on her world. And... He sighs. Yeah, when he heard there were evil creatures on her world? This. This is not what he thought when he first heard of evil illains in Miko's world.

     But, even if the point is relaxation? He's fine with helping her with her own issues. It's hard for both to relax if one can't. And so, he reaches to put his right hand through Miko's hair, slowly rubbing the back of her head. His left reaches down between her skirt and shirt, as he tries to slide his hand past the back of the shirt. He's trying to rub her back a bit, to massage her.

     "...Yeah. The Nether Realm does not sound like Confederates. It... It really doesn't. We don't kill kids. We don't torture innocents when we have better methods. That.. They're terrible. I'm sorry you have to deal with them. And... If it's on your mind, I'm fine talking about it, alright? Sometimes even just talking will take the stress off."

     A sigh, though, "...So, well. Is that part of why you use your powers, then? You took up a magical girl lifestyle to save people? ...You've got a big heart. Just... Don't get too stressed out. If you need help with it? If you need help with /anything/, let me know. I'll share the burden. I just want to make you as happy as possible."

     He continues to stroke the back of her head.

Miko Fujimoto (589) has posed:
    Miko actually feels... Relieved by Lute saying that. She might not agree with all the Confederacy does, but she thought she might have been falling short of some kind of immorality threshold if the Nether Realm was 'ideal Confederate material'. Knowing they wouldn't be welcome affords her some peace of mind. She rests less on her arms and hands and more on her chest as she finally lies down fully on Lute, scooting down a bit and turning her head so that she can rest her cheek on Lute's own chest. At the question of whether she became a magical girl to save people, Miko has a very, very short answer, that - despite its shortness and simplicity - holds a lot of meaning that may not be clear.

    "No. No, I didn't."

    Saving people was the furthest thing from her mind. She wanted to hurt people, to destroy things, to vent the feelings she had kept contained in her heart. An Artifact that didn't care if she did good or evil as long as she abided by its rules was ideal for her. Not just because it let her do terrible things, but because she could change over time to do wonderful things if she wished without impacting her powers, or even do terrible things to her enemies and wonderful things for her allies. She's still not a good person, but she knows what it is to care about people and want to protect them now. And she didn't before.

    That's growth, right?

    There's a small tensing as Miko feels Lute's hand slide up under her shirt, but he seems to just be rubbing her smooth back to comfort her, and she soon relaxes. Even if her heart is beating a bit faster. After awhile of just being silent, she says, "You're always welcome in my life. To fight alongside me or not. And if YOU ever need help with anything, please let me know too, okay? Because..." She pauses and finally says, "I... The only experience I've had with love, is that when you love someone... You want to make them happy, even if it's hard for you." That isn't QUITE the full extent of her experiences, since it was less 'if it's hard for her' so much as 'suffering greatly', but she considers them to be the same thing. Suffering and hardship... It's all perception and degrees, isn't it?

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute really hasn't talked to Miko much about her magical powers. She knows she found the artifact, she knows that White Rose told her of its powers. And now he knows it isn't for that. But, he has some other ideas of why.

     "...So what do you want to use the powers for? Why did you use them to become a magical girl? ...I really want to know more about you."

     With Miko's head on Lute's chest though, she might actually be able to hear his heart beat. As she mentions the whole 'Welcome in her life' and 'make them happy, even if it's hard', well. That's what speeds it up, makes him a bit more nervous. He knows that she is suffering for him. And he is glad for it. But, it still makes him feel terrible. Can he... really still ask for this from her?

     For a second, he pauses. And then, he speaks, "...Miko. What can I do to make you happy?"

Miko Fujimoto (589) has posed:
    Miko opens her eyes part way after they had started to sink closed. "To vent pain and hatred on others," she answers honestly. "I had no control in my life. I could only follow the rules laid down for me. So when I got power and the freedom to use it, I used it selfishly, to satisfy my desire to make others pay for my suffering. Nether Realm, other magical girls, common criminals. I used more force than was needed, and went after anyone who angered me. But I never went after the people who were the cause of it all. Now I'm not around them anymore, and I'm not doing what I used to... But... I still did it. Acting like a rebellious child. Now I'm fighting the monsters to keep their hands off my world, but before it was more coincidence than anything if I ran into them. If I sought a monster out, it was so that I could hurt them and kill them, not so that I could save anyone."

    She sighs. At the question from Lute, she hesitates. No, she can't talk about that yet. She's already divulged information about herself that has been paining her for awhile. Any more than this, and...

    "...What would make me happy right now? Just hold me." Then she slips her arms around Lute as best as she can in this position, and hugs him. She knows what would make her happy long-term. But she also knows Lute wouldn't agree to it, ever. She ALSO knows it would make Lute miserable. And she wishes she could say that even if Lute agreed, that miserableness would make her unhappy... But honestly... If he offered to be hers and only hers, she isn't sure she could say no - even knowing he would just be doing it to make her happy.

    And knowing that she might accept an offer of something that would make this man unhappy, damage his relationship with many other women, and all just to make her selfish desires come true... That makes her feel even worse. Because she thinks she should have the strength to put him over her. And she might not have that strength. So for now?

    For now... She's content just to be like this and not think about anything except the present. Warm, soothing. Her soft body on his toned one.

    Nothing else.

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute just hugs Miko tight. Smiling. And then, he says something a bit strange. A bit odd. Or at least, it might be to her. But, he has his own darkness within him as well, or else he wouldn't be a Confederate.

     "Well. If hurting people makes you feel good, let's hurt people sometime. I mean... Isn't it just natural to want to hurt people, sometime? ...Hell, that's part of why I'm a Confederate. It's good to have a reason, though."

     But, he just hugs her tightly, wrapping his strong arms around her. Pressing himself to her. He leans his head up, to kiss her on top of her forehead, just slightly.

     "...Miko. I... I think I..." He ponders. Is it even love yet? He knows that if it is, it will, almost definitely, end in heartbreak. ...And yet, he was able to convince Sarracenia that an atypical romance would work.

     "...I think you're amazing."

     And, of course, he doesn't spit it out, for fear of making things more complicated. And, for fears on whether it is even love or not. There have been very few women he has actually 'loved' in his life. If he really falls for a woman who can't be with him for a long time due to other women...

     He pauses, then speaks again, "....Sometime, a bunch of people want to go bowling with me. I'd like you to come too, if possible. Alright?"

Miko Fujimoto (589) has posed:
    Miko isn't sure if it made her feel good. But it made her hurt less a little bit. Mostly because it distracted her from her own pain. That kind of sadism isn't... Part of her nature. She doesn't think so, anyway. But it was definitely something she indulged in, that she felt was probably wrong. But she kept doing it anyway. Now she's moving away from that. Or wants to be. She doesn't want to run off of hate and fear and pain anymore. She wants to be a better person.

    But while she's trying to claim all these things she feels will make her better, she still has dealt with the root problem. And Miko is too scared to deal with that.

    But Miko tries not to think about any of that. She focuses on Lute, and when he says he thinks she's amazing, she raises her head, resting on her chin, and smiles up at him. "I feel the same about you." Then she raises her hand and starts to trace small circles on Lute's chest with the tip of her index finger, as she says draws one leg up to bend her knee and says playfully, "I've never been bowling before. Do you think I can handle it? I might need someone stronger and more experienced to show me how."

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute chuckles, as he just continues to hold Miko tight, looking into her eyes as her chin rests on him. He doesn't know all of the thoughts swirling through her head. The only one he can guess at right now is her romantic troubles. But, for now, he feels incredibly confident they can be resolved.

     "Yeah, I can show you how to bowl. I'm sure you'll be good at it! Sanary and Sarracenia were the ones who had the idea, and Harp might come along too. But I'm /plenty/ strong to teach you how."

     He gives Miko a quick squeeze to show. Nothing painful, more of just playfully showing off his strength. He sighs happily. While there is a bit of stress, well. He's just focusing on the good thigns to come in the future, and the happiness of the present.

     "...Also, you and I should go to the beach or the hotsprings sometime. Or to the mountains, maybe. ...Though that could be combined with the hotspring idea, I guess." He pauses, considering just briefly. ...Could he trick her into sharing a hotel room with him? Ehhh, probably not, and that would be unfair anyways. Maybe. But even as he thinks, his hands start moving down a bit, to rest on Miko's rear. Because he totally wants to make her blush right now, because of how cute that is.

Miko Fujimoto (589) has posed:
    So a bunch of Lute's friends/girlfriends/wives/whatevers... Miko is... Actually okay with that. Kind of. She hopes. Because the last thing she wants to do is make another scene like she did with Harp. It'll just be them all going out and having fun together. Nothing troublesome. Nothing worthy of being jealous of. "I'd be delighted then." She doesn't mind being squeezed, just smiling and squeezing back with her considerably less strength. The idea of going to a beach or hotsprings or the mountains or something is appealing, but... "That also sounds wonderful, but I feel somewhat obligated to also keep working as a Confederate. More of my time should be spent helping the faction than on my own recreation. So as long as we can find time to go out on missions together as well, I'd be more than happy to spend time at exotic locations with you!"

    When somewhere a bit lower is squeezed she squeaks and blushes, before burying her face in Lute's chest and giggling. There's some things she's still not used to. But, just like with everything else going on for her... She's growing and learning. And hopefully, with Lute, and Sarracenia, and Metal Man, and Kirikou, and Zod, and all the people she's met and has yet to meet within the Confederacy... And even people she knows from the Union, like her new friend Sakura... Together, whatever she lacks as a person will be made up for or taught to her.

    And when she has gained all that she lacks, she will be healthy and happy.

    That's definitely what will happen.