Scene #8470: Different Worlds

Owner	Pose
Hibiki Tachibana	This version of Japan is, if you ignore the fact that dimension shifting monsters that reduce organic life to raw carbon just sort of show up whenever they want to, an incredibly nice place. So nice that, at least at a glance, it'd be very easy to assume it's like many other modern-era Earths that have unified with the greater Multiverse; the only real difference that'd stick out compared to most of them is that the timeframe is a bit shifted up. The calendar is currently in the 2050's, and a fair bit of striking architecture reflects that futurism in its materials and design - from recently constructed high rises to the the massive, sweeping concert hall overlooking the coastline the city is built beside. Between that, the view of the ocean, and the forested hills and mountains surrounding much of the metropolis, it's an eye-catching blend of nature and urban sprawl glinting in the midday sun. Whether you're looking for a very pretty example of what Earth could be, or you're looking for Hibiki Tachibana in particular, both of those can be found here! And because today happens to be a weekday...the latter will probably be at one Lydian Private Music Academy, given her attendance at such is hardly a secret by this point. ... "No, no, this whole thing is /exactly/ like something out of an anime!" So declares an especially energetic girl, brown hair tied into two pigtails and clad in Lydian's uniform and skirt, right outside of school's campus. A hand is on her hip, while the other has a finger pointing dramatically towards a certain sharp-toothed Lobotomy Corporation agent. "It's the second time a mysterious transfer student has shown up, even!" "...Shouldn't that make it less weird, if it's the second time, Yumi?" Hibiki herself intones, part of a small group standing nearby and In The Conversation, also all in uniform. "Nope, they have totally different vibes." Her pointing hand falls down to her hip as well, as if that clinches it. Just to come off of it again, index finger pointing straight up, as if explaining the obvious. "This time, it's the classic example of appearances being deceiving - someone who looks scary and unapproachable if you don't know anything about them, showing up mysteriously before trouble started, but they're actually as nice as can be! Ahh, it's totally like the second season of Lightning Detective Ban...~" Well, someone's going to be walking in on...uh. Something.
Angela	Rose has had a rough life. She has told Hibiki some of her story, certainly, but for the most part she's trying to put that behind her and live in the present by going to school. Despite being a Fixer, Rose is relatively young--enough that she can go to the Lydian Private Music Academy and still fit in. She wears the local school uniform along with a red bandana around her neck that used to go around her mouth but after experiencing the culture of the school, she ultimately settled on showing off that monstrous scarred mouth and lips that make her look like some kind of monster woman. In truth, it's a 'Gift' from an Abnormality she got along quite well with. Maybe too well, Rose is realizing. IMAGE REF: https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lobotomycorp/images/f/f4/EGOGiftCrimsonScar.png/revision/latest?cb=20181214025139 Funnily enough in that horrifying mouth is indeed a piece of toast. Even Rose has gotta eat and toast is easy to prepare when in a hurry. She did, however, add a little bit of grape jam to it while she's seated on the outside step tying her shoes. She looks at the finger pointing at her, freezing in place. ''It's the second time a mysterious transfer student has shown up, even!'' Rose's cheeks start to get a faint bit of pinkish color to them as she finishes tying her show and bringing a hand up to pull the toast free so she can speak only for-- Yumi summarizes her character in like one sentence. That pinkish coloring deepends to a full on blush. "U..um..." She's not sure if she should be indignant or grateful but ultimately she settles on the latter because it's actually kind of nice to hear someone say she is 'as nice as can be'. It's not something Rose is accustomed to hearing, frankly. "Thank you kindly. Er..." She stands herself up, rubbing the back of her neck with a hand which only makes her look more anime. She offers Yumi a hand, body stiff. "Howdy. I'm, er, Rose. Though you maybe know that already? You a friend of my--er, a friend of Bikki?"
Dysnomia	Dysnomia couldn't help staring at all the...The green! She was used to seeing it, she thought, in extensive hydroponics facilities, or on the great moonside domes that the rich had made into little bubble-earths. But nothing of it prepared her for the vast plains of greenry, the trees interwoven with the side paths. A wealth of habitable space lay unused all around her. Wasted. Or so she thought, but at each chance she saw to look beyond it she saw more and more space, all of it effortlessly oxygenated, in abundance enough to make her head spin at the sheer scale of it. Was this what earth was supposed to be? Its horizon made her feel so very small...She wasn't altogether sure if she regretted investigating this world or not. She had been expecting nothing, but something this was more than Dysnomia had been prepared to find. Aimlessly, she wandered the streets, eyes gliding from one place to another as the sun slowly rose in the sky, painting the world in strange colors, like an old painting. It was luck alone that drew Mia to the Academy grounds, her appearance, somehow, more out of place than Rose. She was dressed in an all-black, formfitting suit, her eyes pupilless and glowing orange, with luminous silver-blue hair tied into a ponytail behind her. Her eyes tore away from the latest wonder that had caught her eye at the sound of voices, snagging on a viscious maw of a mouth on what looked to be a...Normal student? Was that normal here...? She honestly couldn't say.
Hibiki Tachibana	"Yumi is...well..." Hibiki starts with rub on the back of her neck, in the vein of figuring out how to explain the relationship, although Yumi takes it upon herself to do it instead. Apparently, she's got the opposite of either of their stiffness, happily taking Rose's hand with both of her own. "Yup~! It took her a while to warm up to me and the others, but now? Totally! We all eat lunch together a ton. Actually, we heard about you and her having it, too - so I thought we should all get together for it sometime!" This elicits a somewhat embarrassed glance away from Hibiki, who has slid her hand forward to idly scratch at her cheek with a finger instead. Seems like right now she's having some trouble matching that kind of energy. It's because of this that she's the first among the small gathering of students here to actually recognize someone else very much not in a school uniform approaching; the girl with the radiant hair and shining orange eyes, who...Hibiki definitely can't say she's ever seen before. A few stray students passing by at a distance have caught sight of her on her way in too, although despite Dysnomia's appearance certainly not matching anyone she's seen during her lookaround of the place - their hushed gossip and questions to each other seems to be less of the 'afraid' kind and more 'curious'. Mia's looking the way of Rose and the others, after all - maybe she's a friend of theirs from offworld...? Hibiki, who's not entirely sure about things just yet herself, takes a moment - and then decides to simply raise a hand up in a small, single wave. "Uh...hey?" Smooth. Well, if nothing else, at least that's a voice that Mia might recognize, even if they haven't exactly met in person yet.
Angela	Rose shakes Yumi's hand. She honestly can't match Yumi's power either. She is certainly charmed. It's hard not to like someone who is this friendly. Her face is always kind of smiling so it's the rest of her facial expressions where the shyness come in. "I...Yeah... Sure. I'd like that." She sneaks a peak at Hibiki to see if she's doing this right but Hibiki is already looking away and scratching at her cheek with a finger. "Everyone's been really nice. It's still a little tough to get used to--" And ten... Rose may be living a normal(ish) school life but that doesn't mean her Fixer instincts have changed. She lets go of Yumi's hand and steps forward suddenly, presuming threat before potential friend because that's just how she's been trained and you can take the Fixer out of the horrorpunk but you can't take hte horrorpunk out of the Fixer. Her initial instinct is actually not to assume tat Dysnomia is an Abnormality but rather someone suffering from EGO Corrosion. She squints, trying to think of who might be wielding an EGO like that back at Lobotomy Corp. Certainly not Nonon but it could be Carol--though Carol's EGO weapon wasn't... ''Uh... hey?'' Rose feels guilty immediately. Even though she has a pretty intimidating look herself, she fell into the same damn trap. Her cheeks are now at full red as the shame of it all hits her all at once. Her posture relaxes qucikly as she pushes down those instincts. They mentioned another Transfer student so... "Are you...the other transfer student...?" She wonders aloud. She is having a hard time getting a feel for this person's age, frankly. In the distance, a pair of other Agents are approaching the scene. The easy one to recognize is likely to be Nonon because she's a nearly 7 foot tall woman with pale blue hair, a muscular disposition, and two large yellow gloves along her hands--She just stands out naturally. The other, a much smaller woman with dark skin and long blue hair is hanging back some distance behind her, looking obscurely uncomfortable, but they seem to be hanging back for now--observing the situation. "Name's Rose." Rose says, offering Mia her hand too, just as stiffly as with Yumi. She thinks she's nailed it, right?
Dysnomia	She doesn't notice the stares...Or if she does, she doesn't show it. And why would she, anyway? This was nothing. Just another day. "Uh...hey?" She turned to face Hibiki then, and when strange girl's mouth opened, it revealed unmarred black teeth, a volet light shining from past in her throat, the strangeness never ceasing. And this exceedingly odd girl said, in familiar voice-- "I know you." She said, her brows pinched, the familiarity a puzzle. "...Oh. Hibiki, isn't it? I didn't think we'd meet." Her frown was almost an apology. "Are you...the other transfer student...?" Dysnomia studied Rose as she approached, relaxed and at ease. "I don't know what that is." A pause. A sigh. "Just...A traveler, I guess." She took Rose's hand. Her grip was firm, but not painful, and she met Rose's gaze with steady, strange eyes. "I'm Dysnomia. I'd always wondered what an Earth looked like. Now, I guess I know."
Hibiki Tachibana	Honestly, Rose isn't exactly alone in feeling somewhat guilty; the sight of her putting her guard up, along with the sense on the back of her neck that comes with the other Agents keeping an eye on things, almost makes her feel like she should have been more careful herself. If it /did/ turn out to be someone she should have been worried about, or if someone ended up hurt because of it... ...Well, of course, it didn't. The opposite, actually. As soon as the other girl speaks, that immensely odd smile delaying her response, Hibiki takes a moment before her somewhat tired-looking eyes light up in the recognition of matching a voice to a face. "Wait--Dysnomia...right?" That talk wasn't all that long ago. She remembers. Which brings to mind a question. "I didn't think...we would either. /Especially/ not here. What are you...?" 'Doing here' is the obvious end to that trailed-off question. Of course, by this point, the rest of the small gaggle of students assembled who had already been here have also turned their attention to Mia, with varying levels of inquisitiveness. To the surprise of perhaps very few present, it's Yumi who practically has stars in her eyes. And who also happily moves ahead to Rose's side, after a moment. "Does that mean where you're from, you've never seen Earth!? Any kind of Earth!?" Dare not ask how many first-contact-with-aliens shows she's going over in her head right now. You won't like the answer. The pigtailed girl also extends her hand forward. "Then let me, Yumi Itaba, be the first to officially welcome you to our planet~!" She glances back to Hibiki. Then to Rose. "...The third to officially welcome you to our planet!" And it's about after that that Hibiki steps around to get a little closer. "Um...not the transfer student, no," she says offhandedly to Rose, although that didn't really need clarifying. "You'll probably meet 'em sooner or later, though." With that, it's Dysnomia who gets her attention, a lot more subdued compared to the other schoolgirl's. "...You were...getting your first experience with it here?"
Angela	Rose isn't sure if Dysnomia noticed or not. She shakes Mia's hand for a bit as she explains what she is--rather than a student. She doesn't shy away from looking into Dysnomia's eyes though. She makes sure not to turn away. "What do you think?" She asks, actually curious because--Rose has only ever really known Earth. She has no idea how it would look like to someone outside of it. The camera pulls back a bit with perfect comic timing to reveal Yumi with stars in her eyes and Rose turns her head, sees them, and stumbles back because this is more alarming to Rose in its own way. But gradually, that ever present smile of hers actually reaches up to her eyes as she just--observes Yumi Itaba in her natural environment. "You might be the friendliest yet." She says, one part amused and two parts endeared. "Maybe we should show the lady around, pardner." Rose suggests to Hibiki. "Help her feel comfortable." Nonon and the younger woman start approaching the small grouping. "Heeeey~! Rose! Long time no see! Carol's been achin' for you to come back. Haven't been back since the Meltdown." Carol is visibly armed with a red knife but is otherwise dressed casually. SHe has a natural gloomy disposition as she stares at Rose. "...This what you've been doing out here?" She says softly. "We've had to cover your share while you were... playing schoolgirl." Rose stiffens again and doens't answer them. She mutters under her breath, "Sorry about this," to the girls closer to her.
Dysnomia	"What do you think?" "It's all strange. Nice enough, but..." A moment's hesitation, as she searches for the word. "Suffocating. I don't belong here." Not a complaint, a statement of fact, leaving no room for debate. "But visiting is alright." "...The third to officially welcome you to our planet!" The bubbly excitement in Yumi unnerved Dysnomia more than a snarl would. She wondered what the girl wanted. To say she met a girl from space? "Not really, no. Not from this close, anyway." Grit your teeth and bear it, she told herself, as she let the irritating little pest shake her hand. "...You were...getting your first experience with it here?" "Yeah. I had to start somewhere, didn't I?" She crossed her arms. "I can't stay in space forever." Hibiki didn't need to know how desperately she wanted to see another living thing again. Or how long it took her to start. "Students...So, you're learning. This is your college, then?" She looked to the music academy. "Sorry about this," Dysnomia's eyes never left the other agents, even as she spoke to Rose. "Friends of yours?" Her arms crossed, her expression falling into a scowl.
Hibiki Tachibana	If Yumi has an idea she's being (pretty understandably, given she started gushing frame one) seen as a pest, it doesn't really show. Maybe Rose's compliment helped with that, although at least to her credit, she's more than happy to step back as the agent puts the metaphorical ball in Hibiki's court, even nodding with the suggestion. "It's important to have someone to show you the ropes, isn't it? And it's great for bonding~!" Hibiki is, for better or worse, not really in a position to argue that. Especially when it comes to, well, someone touring her own world. It'd be kind of irresponsible to just leave her to explore a brand new environment all on her own, especially given the current...situation. And because she's already been irresponsible enough, lately. "From the couple of times I've been in space...yeah, I guess not," she nods in agreement with Dysnomia. "This is..." Hibiki also turns to glance the way of the academy; the campus really is a whole lot of sprawling green, and the front courtyard is perfectly positioned between the several glass-paned buildings making up the whole complex. "...well, an academy more than a college, but I guess it's that too. It's a /music/ academy, but honestly, they teach pretty much everything a normal school would, too. I don't..." Hibiki trails off again as the pair of agents approach. Nonon, she hasn't really ever spoken much to directly, but she recognizes her even at a glance. Carol is a new one as far as she can recall, though, and her gloomy glower is matched with a slight furrow of her brow. Compared to how lethargic Hibiki's been lately, there's some notable defensiveness in her tone. "...She's still here doing her job, isn't she? So what's wrong with her getting used to things, just a little bit?" Ignore Yumi leaning in from the side perked up for more info on that front.
Angela	Rose smiles briefly. "Yeah. It's...I didn't really get to go to school ago. It's fun. I enjoy it. I know it can't last forever but..." Rose finds it charming, really, even if it's a little alarming. Her ability to be intimidating is at an all time low because she is presently holding toast (there's even a bit of jam) in her free hand. She tries to sneak some munching in when she thinks nobody is looking because she wants to free up that hand of hers. ''Friends of yours?'' "...Yeah." Rose says in that way that is full of extra meaning beyond that affirmation, enough that it is spilling over into her body which tenses and avoids looking directly at them. It's not secret hate or anything, but there is a faint anxiety despite her not lying that these are friends of hers. "Coworkers." Nonon grins at Dysnomia. "Well hey there, nice looking gear! Or maybe you just look like that? You look pretty tough!" She is being just as genuinely friendly as Yumi, though that doesn't mean it won't neccessarily rub Mia te wrong way. Carol, meanwhile, is quieter. She glances over to Hibiki. Then lowers her head down at her hands. She seems upset? But she struggles with articulating the why and how of it. There's more to it than just a matter of someone not showing up for work--even though that is part of it. "Everyone wants these jobs on the outside... But in the end, it's not our world." "Why should we be loyal to our world?" Rose mutters. "It sure as hell isn't loyal to us." Nonon rubs at her neck, sensing the awkwardness. "Er, well, I just wanted to see how it was goin'. I got a MAgical Girl EGO too, after all! That makes two of us! You wouldn't believe it, but the King of Greed just came back to us, we didn't even have to hunt it down. If only it was always so easy. Guess she missed me, ha ha ha!" Rose looks back to Mia. "Never been to space. Is it nicer up there? Or about the same?"
Dysnomia	"...well, an academy more than a college, but I guess it's that too. It's a /music/ academy, but honestly, they teach pretty much everything a normal school would, too. I don't..." Dysnomia nodded along as if she understood the distinction, filing it away into the ever swelling lists of things to reassess and figure out on her own time. "If you want to show me around, I suppose I won't say no." "Well hey there, nice looking gear! Or maybe you just look like that? You look pretty tough!" "Depends on what you're looking at." Mia said, evasively, looking the little agent up and down. "...You could say that." "Why should we be loyal to our world...It sure as hell isn't loyal to us." "Sometimes, our worlds asks for too much." Mia's words came out roughtly. "Why not leave that ungrateful shit in the dust, where it belongs?" "Never been to space. Is it nicer up there? Or about the same?" "Space is the most beautiful place you'll ever see." Her black smile was bitter and ragged, like a tear in sackcloth. "But people are still people, no matter where they go."
Hibiki Tachibana	Seeing Carol's reaction once again makes Hibiki feel that small tinge of guilt, getting her to purse her lips and glance off to the side - it's not like she specifically knows whatever goes on between her or Rose, but hearing her call it 'playing schoolgirl' after hearing the latter's story... ...Still, not being able to express exactly why she feels that way. It's not like she can't empathize. "...Not your world..." She murmurs, while Rose does the same with her own thoughts, Nonon plays recovery (and drops the title of another Magical Girl), and Mia drops in a very charged-sounding opinion. Charged enough that Hibiki blinks, still not looking straight at her, mouth opened even though no response finds its way to it. Other than a quiet exhale a moment later, at the mention of 'people are still people'. "For better or for worse, right? ...And usually, when someone says it like that, it's for the worse." There's a momentary pause. "...Sorry." It's difficult to tell if she's apologizing for being so straightforward, for whatever she presumes happened to her, or for talking about it at all. There's probably not much doubt that some things from their earlier radio conversation are going through her head. Whatever the truth is, she shakes her head afterwards and looks back to Dysnomia directly. "If you won't say no, then I don't mind one bit. Plenty of time before there's any classes I'm worried about - so the least anyone could do is show you around here and answer any questions you got. ...Might even like it more than you think." It's equal parts responsibility, wanting to keep herself busy for her own sake, and wanting to take the chance to try to get to know her even a little bit more. 'The least anyone can do'... In the background of the camera shot, Yumi is letting the more serious proceedings go on for now without her energetic interruptions, communing uncharacteristically quietly with a pair of other girls. Hm.
Angela	''Sometimes, our worlds ask for too much. Why not leave that ungrateful shit in the dust, where it belongs?'' "...Was it easy for you to do that? How long did it take you to leave?" Carol says sullenly. "I'd feel bad for those you left behind. It's not as if all of us were lucky enough to make new friends on the outside to pull some strings and enable an escape route." Rose looks at Mia, surprised to hear her say that you can just hit the bricks before looking down at her toast a bit lamely. ''Space is the most beautiful place you'll ever see. But people are still people.'' "Heh... In a way it's a relief, you know? To know that we weren't particularly worse or better than anyone else. It's just how it is." Despite saying it like that, she doesn't sound exactly happy either. Maybe it was easier for her to imagine her world as especially horrible so that she could imagine the other worlds filled with kinder folk than that. But even if people are still people, the people here--what they did for her--that doesn't go away just because the mean averages out. "I hope they didn't wreck it too much for ya." She mimes tipping a hat to Dysnomia. Nonon laughs awkwardly and says, "Well...It's our world after all... I never minded it so much, I guess, but I know I'm made different." Rose looks to Hibiki. "..." She's thinking about 'When someone says it like that, it's for the worse.' "Maybe it's just luck... But you all have been real sweet to a scoundrel like me so I don't wanna be too sour even if I can't argue." She looks to Carol. "Is it wrong to seek happiness?" "...You saying I couldn't make you happy?" Carol asks. "Nobody can make you 'happy' but you. S'how it is. If you can't find it where you're at, you gotta mosey on down if you can. And if you can offer a hand to an old pal to help them on their journey, y'oughta." Rose extends her hand. Carol slaps it away. Neither of them seem too surprised by this development. "...We had a duty." Carol says softly, tears in her eyes. She turns and runs off on her own, leaving Nonon behind. "Ah...well...You konw she's the overly serious type." Nonon manages. "You don't gotta come back if you don't wanna, but I'll have to drop by more often myself wen I get the leave for it!" Nonon grins. "I can mosey all on my own, don't you worry, hehe... And maybe Shajo can come too!" Rose watches after Carol for a moment and finishes off her toast. "We should do that tour." She glances to Hibiki. "I'd say penny for your thoughts but it looks like I could spend a whole dollar. I'm here for ya when you need me, pardner." But she isn't the sort to get too pushy so she looks back to Mia, smiling. "Well we won't know what you like until you see it. No shame if you gotta cut out early."
Dysnomia	"...usually, when someone says it like that, it's for the worse." "It certainly wasn't for the better." She growled, sullenly. "I don't understand much about this place. A tour'd fit right in. Maybe it'd save me from asking so many stupid questions." "...Was it easy for you to do that? How long did it take you to leave?" "Easy?" She tested the word in her mouth, like a wild berry you weren't sure was safe to eat. "Is that what you think it was?" Her stare was downright icy. "I gave them everything I had. And it was never, ever, enough." She looked Carol up and down, assessing her. "Will your world ever give back for all the punishment you've taken? For all the things you've done for it? Or will it just throw you away and forget you were ever there, the moment you don't have anything left to give? How much do you have to give before you're 'allowed' to cut your losses?" "Don't answer that. I already know; you don't GET to leave. You don't get to pick for yourself. Stay here forever. What you want doesn't matter. You owe us your life!" She caught her voice rising and stood there for a moment, hearing her heartbeat drum hard in her ears. "Well we won't know what you like until you see it." "Good riddance." She breathed as Carol left, massaging her arm. "I know this tactic too. 'We need you.' 'You owe it to us.' 'You belong here.'" She took an unsteady breath. "...Yeah. Sure. I could use that tour."
Hibiki Tachibana	'It's not as if all of us were lucky enough...' 'Maybe it's just luck... But you all have been real sweet...' "...Sorry. I don't mean to be a downer." Hibiki already misses Yumi filling the space with an excess of energy, since that let her take the background spot without any problems. Right now, it's all she can do to get that out quietly, before Rose, Carol, and Dysnomia have their moment. The battered-away hand might not be a surprise to either of them, but it makes her face tighten up in a wince. There's obvious history there that's better not asked about right now - and Mia's emotional outburst added on top gets her to purse her lips tightly. It's enough that she thinks she can hear her /own/ heart thumping in the moments of silence. '...For no one to control or trap me. To never look around and see no room left in my life...for me'. That's what she said before. How much did she have to give, for things to end up like this? How much did she have to go through, for it to be better to wander? And Carol...it's more than just that for her, isn't it? Her and Rose... ...Nobody can make you 'happy' but you. Is that true...? I... It is, in fact, Rose that snaps her out of it. Hibiki blinks, glancing from her to Mia, still going on in the wake of that. A moment passes, and the magical girl gives Rose a slightly apologetic look. "...Yeah. I appreciate it more than you can imagine. And the same goes for you too, y'know. Right..." There's a nod, helping her brace herself more than anything, and she gestures for both of them to come with her - there's a whole campus, and it just so happens that the school is situated high enough to have a whole overlook of the city. Plenty of chances to explain how things work. She doesn't say it, but she thinks she could use this tour, too. ... Only after the trio is out of earshot does Yumi cast a concerned glance after them, having broken out of her huddle with two others. They all exchange a nod with each other, and the twintailed girl pumps her fist. "...Right. Plus one for those lunch plans? All agreed? ...All agreed!" But they'll (try to) enact that operation another day.