3574/The Truth Hurts

The Truth Hurts
Date of Scene:	27 December 2015
Location:	Kawakami City
Synopsis:	Yari is cornered by a paranoid Momoyo and admits her espionage interest in her has been personal.
Cast of Characters:	691, 928

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Momoyo Kawakami (928) has posed:
     Momoyo texted Chiyo to meet at a coffee shop, one of the rare instances she contacted Chiyo first other than one of her friends, and on her own initiative to boot. The conversation sounded like she was going to bum money off of the Au'Ra like normal, bask in her infatuated attention a bit and then go back to her usual friends for the lazy week.

    The conversation was going to be anything but, after Yang's commentary. She sat dressed in her black vest and slacks at one of the tables just inside the coffee shop, unable to order anything just yet. But she wasn't even looking at the menu so much as staring at the wall, her chin in her palm.

Yari Takane (691) has posed:
Ninja or not, 'Chiyo' has a horrible habit of being curious, and that's doubled when she's taken an interest in someone. Thus, the young woman arrives just on time, dressed again in her usual kimono. She /still/ hasn't gotten one in a modern cut, almost defiantly flaunting it. Traditionalist Au'Ra is go.

"Good morning, Momoyo." She offers as she walks towards the table, for once not bothering to hide herself. She pulls out a chair, sits down, and crosses legs and tail. The tip flicks energetically, Yari's eyes staring right into the other woman's. Sigh.

"It's rare for you to ask me directly. If you wanted to have breakfast that badly, I would have taken you somewhere in the Multiverse." At least the ninja is generous with her money! A pause.

"What's on your mind?"

Momoyo Kawakami (928) has posed:
     "Mmm, I'm done resting and wanted to see your face and tail again, naturally~." she replies, her thuggish grin continuing through her bangs as you sat down. Her fingertips drum on the table, but she was oddly not terribly interested in hustling out your purse just yet toward one of the new Multiversal ATM's.

    After a long pause, her gaze drifts out the window. "So, Yang said you were a good person working for bad people, after you interrupted our training the other day. What's it like? Working for the Federation, I mean." she asks. After all, Momoyo was a relative newbie to the politics involved, herself... but while this conversation was inevitable, nobody could dump a bucket of cold water on it like her. The tension she had been hiding was obvious. She was upset about something, but it was hard to tell if that was even what was bothering her the most.

Yari Takane (691) has posed:
That grin, that drumming of fingers, and those /words/. Yari Takane blushes furiously at the blunt compliment, before coughing and trying to retain some actual composure. Blunt honesty is still something she's not at all used to, particularly coming from seemingly delinquent martial artists!

Still, there's a lingering sense of something being off the ninja quickly picks up on. And then the martial artist chucks a verbal bucket of freezing ice water all over her. It's about as effective as Momoyo was likely hoping for. She actually flinches, that nervous little smile twisting to the slightest of frowns for a moment. Why is it so hard to do her job around this woman!?

Her cover's blown, and she's forced to evaluate the situation. A fight with Momoyo so publicly would only further ruin her designs here, even if she already has her worries with the headmaster. And it'd be just as bad if she tries to escape or disable the woman.

And it's not like she can squirm her way out of it through misdirection with Momoyo being so blasted blunt. Her lack of tact is working to her advantage.

Finally, after an awkward silence, she sighs.

"...So you know then. I'd hoped it could've lasted longer." That voice of her is tinged with some amount of sadness she can't quite hide.

Another moment's consideration, and she decides honesty is her best weapon here. She leans in, whispering to Momoyo as she looks at the woman's face.

"It gives me the freedom to pursue my goals and ensures the honor of my homeland so long as I work for them. In exchange, I work beside many people I call the best of friends and family, and those that in other circumstances, I'd kill without hesitation. I don't agree with many of the things that the Confederacy does, but I'm honor-bound to serve them. Have you ever felt the touch of war, Momoyo? 'Bad'...I wouldn't be so quick to judge the Confederacy until you've fought alongside and against their members."

"We seek to conquer and impose our own wills, each for our own reasons. Some more altruistic than others. The Union seeks democracy and preservation of 'freedom'." The last bit has her snorting dismissively.

A shake of the head. "And I can't call myself 'good', either. I've spilled too much blood for that. I'm simply someone who has chosen her path and walks it, for good or ill."

Momoyo Kawakami (928) has posed:
     Momoyo grins at the window. She might have been a high school student, but she had beaten enough students that had seen worse than her, that Yari referencing war didn't faze her one bit. "That's fine." she replies. It seems like, she didn't feel too strongly one way or the other... befitting given the faction both Momoyo and Yari knew Momoyo was in. Yari couldn't see the forms Momoyo had signed, getting that close to Amalthea was suicide when she was in Momoyo's room during the week she was detained. But her other actions made it blindingly obvious.

    "So when were you planning to bring more assassins to gang up on me, Chiyo? I'd like to know when you're going to kill me. It would have been fun." was her cold sarcasm... it was the sort of flat reply that could only hide the kind of unease that barely conceals unbridled rage. She was angry about something but even that question didn't get to the bottom of it. A server dropped a coffee cup all over a customer in the background, but Momoyo didn't even turn to notice it when the rest of the coffee shop did. Depending on what Momoyo was angry about, Yari herself could have walked into a trap.

Yari Takane (691) has posed:
That cold reply only puts Yari on edge further. She's almost too calm, Momoyo is. There has to be something more to it all, and not having the information is /bad/ in this situation. That tail of hers reaches into her kimono as quietly as she can. The ninja's prepared for violence, it seems.

"...What would be the point? I've invested a lot of time in watching you. I'd just be wasting the few resources I could summon, even assuming I wanted you dead in the first place. No, if anyone is going to kill you, Momoyo-sempai, it's going to be me." Her voice hardens for just a moment, and yet that edge of fascination she's always had in her voice around Momoyo never fades.

The ninja is definitely peering around with her senses as discretely as she can. The ninja's worried, on the wrong foot, and essentially trapped.

"But that's not what you're really upset about, is it? I think I have a fairly good handle on who you are, Momoyo Kawakami. Blunt, thrillseeking, you want strength. But a very specific kind. The kind that doesn't dwell in shadows or diversions or preys on weaknesses."

Yari leans in, leaving herself quite vulnerable.

"It's not like you to hold back. What are you really angry about? Is it because of the way I fight?" A pause.

"Or is it because I'm not Chiyo at all?"

Momoyo Kawakami (928) has posed:
     "I live honestly. It's not that difficult to understand. It's a code, the code of my family." she turns to face Yari. If the other blonde could see and hear this right this second, it would be difficult to tell who was the bigger fan of Kawakami.

     "I hate liars. I hate people who hide things. That's why my friends are in the Kazami Family... and you're not."

    The truth was so heartbreakingly simple. So that was really why she was angry, she uncovered the deception and couldn't be persuaded to see a reason for it. It was just a childish rejection of politics and spying. Momoyo's feelings were obviously a little hurt, but, it was still quite early in the game to make a scene about it. The differing factions really had nothing to do with it.

    Other than some people casually wandering nearby and the presence of random samurai girls in whatever range Yari could sense aura in (or possibly Yang) it was suddenly very very obvious that Momoyo hadn't planned an ambush. If she was going to hurt Yari, it would have been a simple matter to break her remaining arm and end any other struggle very quickly in a Union cell with only a pissed off grandfather to deal with. She didn't even do that despite the implied threat in the Au'Ra's voice.

Yari Takane (691) has posed:
The ninja can't quite seem to relax, but that weapon does slide right back into her kimono. So that's it. It's not the first time Yari's found herself in this position. She's burned away a number of names and lives in the interests of Empire and Confederacy.

But hearing it from Momoyo hits her like a punch to the gutt. Yari can't lie to herself. She'd been telling herself it was all for her work.

No, this had become far more personal.

A hand runs down her face. Surely that wasn't a tear. Yari drops the act, and simply looks into Momoyo's eyes. She looks tired.

"...So that's what it's about, hm?"

Another long pause. The other women are ignored. All the world is Momoyo right now.

"In my world, holding that kind of honesty so bluntly means people die, Momoyo. I'm a spy, an assassin. Deception and lies are what I do." Her teeth grit.

Then she leans back and sighs.

"But, you know? I think that's why I'm so interested in you, Momoyo. There's very few people I can be honest with completely. You're the exact opposite of myself. You're innocent, you've never known the truth of war and politics and how it twists people. You've never seen criminals cut down others without remorse for their own greed. Never seen companies sell others as livestock to the twisted pleasures of others. And yet, all of those things that show just how rotten and wretched the Multiverse can be, the lack of that insight hasn't harmed your strength."

A shake of her head. "Alright. I'll be honest with you, Momoyo. But only if I can trust it won't lead anyone I work with or care for to harm. You...deserve that much."

She stands, and then Yari motions to follow. She'll try to lead Momoyo to a back corner of the cafe, free of intruding ears. The ninja gives horrible glares until people sod off.

Yari crosses her legs, and tells Momoyo everything.

Yari Takane (691) has posed:
"I'll spare you the details, but the short version is this: My name is Yari Takane, Centurion of the Empire and Ensign of the Confederate Elite Forces. I was born in a land called Doma, I never knew my parents. My foster mother raised in the Empire's military forces as a scout and spy, and eventually, as an assassin. I fought for the empire in the shadows and on the battlefield until my world entered the Multiverse. We formed an alliance with the Confederacy. Eventually, my nation was forced to return to its own affairs, and I was sent to the Confederacy as a peace gift. Now I serve them, while I kill those who make the Multiverse a darker place."

A flick of her tail.

"I have been tracking you, Momoyo, because at first I thought you were dangerous. Powerful, recklessly so. You could be a powerful enemy or a wonderful ally." She bites her lip.

"Even after I realized you never would join us, I kept following you. It's part of my duty, certainly. But...it's as you say. That honesty you possess, how your honor lets you be so forward with your companions and make truly strong bonds. I'm jealous. And I'm fascinated. Both in your strength, and the kind of person you are. I..."

She closes her eyes.

"I just wanted to be 'Chiyo' for a while, to get to know you, and maybe become friends with an amazing person, to grow stronger with you." She finally ends, letting out the last bit of truth she'd been hiding even from herself.

Momoyo Kawakami (928) has posed:
     Momoyo shakes her head, her arms folded as she tossed her hair lightly. That being said, the tension suddenly released from her shoulders. She wasn't about to throw Yari through the glass pane anymore.

     "So aside from you being interested in me on a personal level... in exchange for the dribbles of information you're giving back to the Fed about Kawakami City, you get to stay in a neutral zone and hide away from the war for a bit... if you don't piss off any of the other shinobi trained girls here." She looks down at the girl with her legs crossed. "In exchange, as long as it's not an unaffiliated student of Kawakami Academy, it's really difficult for you to be harmed on a war footing... so you wanted to be normal. Am I understanding that right...?" Her voice was still measured and a bit cold, but it was obvious she was about ready to just exhale in relief comparatively.

Yari Takane (691) has posed:
Yari can't help it. She chuckles lowly.

"...It really does sound like a stupid desire coming from someone else." She mutters, shaking her head.

"Even if you're raised in it, even want war, it...wears on you until you either break, or your turn into a true monster. I don't want that. I have too many people I care about to become a heartless person that way. It's why I love Dun Realtai. And why I feel the same for this place. Here, I'm under no obligation to hurt anyone unless they come to me. No more tragedies, and I'd like to keep it that way if I can help it." She admits.

"Becoming a simple student of martial arts and shinobi techniques here is what I want from this place, yes, Momoyo." She offers honestly.

Then, she looks the woman back in the eyes.

"Well? What now? Are you going to beat me into the ground?"

Momoyo Kawakami (928) has posed:
     Reaching down, she ruffles Yari's hair lightly, between the horns. "I don't feel like coffee anymore." she says quietly, with just a wry smile.

     "You're such a crazy schoolgirl, Chiyo. I hope none of the other girls get jealous of you, hmm~? See you next week." she replies, turning about on her heel... satisfied as she leaves Yari in a puddle of her own emotions in the corner. Just as abruptly, like nothing happened, Momoyo was perfectly her normal self again. It seemed as if she wasn't really going to let the complexities get in the way of everything else as long as she was satisfied nothing was hidden from her anymore.

Yari Takane (691) has posed:
All of Yari's talk of war is quieted as a hand reaches in, and ruffles her blonde hair surprisingly gently. Her mouth gapes a bit, peering at that little smile as the woman gets up. She walks out, Yari staring all the while, eyes a bit wide as that gaze follows.

Five minutes later, Yari stands up, runs a hand through her hair, and then just falls backwards to collapse on the floor with a thud.

"...Th...that girl is more dangerous than I thought! She...defeated me even that way." Even as she speaks to herself, and patrons look at the ninja, there's a wide smile and tears flowing freely as she sobs in joy and relief without a care in the world.