Scene #8883:

Owner	Pose
Hibiki Tachibana	Thursday, late afternoon in Kagoshima. On this Spring day, the weather is fair enough that it would be a shame to /not/ go out and take in some of the sights. That doesn't only go for those local to this particular 202X Japan, but also for those who come from another one. As long as they keep it quiet. Even if that's never helped the feeling in the air here. Hibiki Tachibana has never been to her homeworld's own version of the prefecture, but she's been to this one quite a couple times already. In all of them, it always involved Temptations and the Refulgence, or the Kirenai's... well, mostly just Meika, really. So it's maybe a little surprising that this time, she's here for something else entirely. The Magical Girl of Love! Or rather, Chevalier Love. She called ahead to her specifically to chat, and made it clear she knows she's on standby for trouble, so they'd probably have to do it without leaving anywhere. If any trouble comes from it - like, say, when that evil terrorist convinced Meika to indulge in illegal activities - she'll take any blame. "...Sorry. It's gotta seem kind of weird that I came here to see you and not either of the sisters, doesn't it?" The first thing that she gives Love, whenever she finds her at their requested meeting point, is an apology. It's a scenic overlook of Kagoshima Bay, with the shadow of Sakurajima looming in the distance. Notably, she's picked out a spot that's devoid of any others who might be passing through at this time of day. Wonder why. "Well. One of them, anyway. I don't think Kayoko has a real good opinion of me. ...Not really surprised." She rubs at the back of her neck with one hand, before switching tracks away from that. "I thought about checking in with Meika, although... ...I dunno what I want to say to her, so soon after yesterday. But...!" Away from that kind of dour opener, Hibiki turns towards the magical girl with her hands on her hips, whatever's in the conspicuous sidebag she's carrying rattling with the movement. "I wanted to check on you, too. You sounded-- ..." Come on, Hibiki. You can do better than say sad things two seconds after you just told yourself you'd stop that. "...I don't think we've ever sat down and actually talked, especially not after what Tamamo did for you guys. So... I came to."
Angela	Chevalier Love isn't going to leave Kagoshima again if she has any say about it (she might not). She learned her lesson , she tells herself. Never again. Chevalier Love also only has one outfit. It is an outfit forged from the dreams within the collective unconciousness taking its form from a dark fairy tale AND it's a magical girl uniform but there's the issue that it is an outfit that tends to draw looks and comments but Love doesn't seem to be paying much attention to any of that. But there is one new element to Love's outfit: A bright red hairtie that might look a little familiar to Hibiki is tied tightly around Love's wrist. She keeps looking at it, unable to avoid drawing attention to it. But she doesn't speak about it when she arrives. She smiles and waves to Hibiki, with a veneer of worry lingering... "Um," Love says. "You wanted to talk? ... I shouldn't do any crime, I've caused Kagoshima enough trouble..." But she gets an apology and Love doesn't seem to really get it, quirking her head like a dog being confronted with a mystery. "We usually meet at the base... Justice says I ''draw too much attention''." She wiggles her fingers up and down in quotes before turning to look at the VIEW. "Ahh....it's so pretty..." She rushes over to take a looksee, leaning againstprotective fencing se's not supposed to lean against. "...Yeah, I don't always know what to say either." She'll cop to that, at least. Her eyes haven't even focused on that sidebag at all. ''You sounded--'' "Ahahah.... Even a magical girl can have a bad day now and then, Bikki! You know that, silly!" She fiddles carefully with the hairtie while looking out over towards the volcano. "...How is Miss Tamamo? ... Could Miss Tamamo help Chevalier Vermilion like she helped us?"
Hibiki Tachibana	Love's outfit is certainly plenty more bombastic than Hibiki's usual, but accounting for that is probably why she went out of her way to hold this somewhere they wouldn't be bothered, and at a time of day where not many would just be loitering around. She's seen that magical girl outfit plenty, but the new addition to it... "Is that..." Hibiki starts, and then stops. If she can guess, there's no point making Love explain it out loud. Actually, it might be better if she doesn't. Hibiki doesn't follow up, instead matching the other girl's glance back out to the volcano over the bay, walking behind her as she rushes ahead to the fence. "...I figured, but you can't /only/ ever come out when fighting, can you? Maybe something else to wear would help...?" While contemplating that, Hibiki gives an only somewhat awkward and dry chuckle at 'you know that' - because she sure does, both personally and from more than one fight they've all had - while reaching a hand down into her bag. "As long as you're feeling better. In case you weren't, I thought lunch would be nice to bring. ...Er, a pretty late one, I guess, but still." What she pulls out is a little bento box - not a fancy or lacquered one or anything, but the type you might bring with you to school. In the middle of offering it over to Love, though, the question makes her pause and her expression visibly grow more complicated. An answer doesn't come immediately either, but after a couple seconds of silence. "...I dunno," Hibiki ends up admitting, shifting to lean her side on the protective fencing she should also not be leaning against. "Not gonna pretend I know exactly how her powers work... but it wasn't just her, but those two wanting to help you guys more than anything, no matter what. And I think that's how they made a miracle, just as much as Tamamo helping out." Having been looking down at the ground while saying that, she turns her head back up to Love. "So I wanna believe as long as people want to help her, it can happen someway or another. I know Lilian still has to be, so I wouldn't be surprised if Tamamo has already looked into it." She tries to sound reassuring as she can, but it doesn't entirely hold up as her eyes also fall on Sakurajima. "It's like..." Hibiki lets out a rough sound. Nope, doesn't hold up at all. "...I've never, ever been good at talking to her. I don't even think I understand her close to as much as I want to. But I still want to help her. I just don't know... how. And I hate-- ...I can't just sit and wait for it to happen. Knowing it's coming, and not being able to do anything about it..." For a moment, she's looking a very long way off. "...is the worst."
Angela	"...I don't know, I think she's pretty easy to talk to." Love says and then adds, hastily, "Oh but I can...leave when I want, but Justice can't really pass as 'normal' even compared to me so I keep her company in the secret base. I just need to be ready to go fight Temptations so I can't leave Kagoshima. I left Kagoshima once and it went real bad. I'm not going to do it again. Kayoko works so hard... I can't make it any harder on her." HEr eyes widen at the idea of ... ANOTHER OUTFIT but ... honestly clothes aren't really big on her mind right this moment. Kagoshima is so pretty. Those Temptations make her so mad going around ruining lives, erasing important memories like they were never there. Killing people. Ooh it makes her so mad! "Lunch? Um, okay. S-sure! We can eat!" But it wasn't just Tamamo, it was those two. Hibiki reminds Love of something she could never forget in the first place. "They saved me... They saved us... They let us... live so..." Her hands curl into fists at what Hibiki ''doesn't'' say. The wind rustles her hair. She pushes that little weird pigtail that looks a little too anime normally down and works on the other. "Does that mean ... nobody wants to make a miracle for them?" She asks. "...Or I guess they just don't know how." ''I can't just sit and wait for it to happen.'' "...And what will you do ?" She asks quietly.
Hibiki Tachibana	Despite the promise of lunch being something meant to help keep things lighter, even Hibiki herself doesn't have much of her usual appetite as she opens it up. Inside certainly is a spread of rice-and-chicken, complete with sauce and some vegetable sides... except it's all kind of a mess, and not just from her carrying it here. Definitely not store-bought, actually seems homemade, it's just... ...Hibiki isn't a very neat person, nor does she usually make this kind of thing herself. Does that mean ... nobody wants to make a miracle for them? "I don't think that's it. They've got people who care enough about them to want to try and make it better - Lilian, Sougo and Woz... Petra's close to Meika, too. I don't even think Meika herself has given up, judging from what she said the other day. That doesn't mean one is just gonna magically happen, just that it /can/ happen. Knowing how to do that, though..." Love says as much herself. Not that easy. And she asks Hibiki what she has in mind, which once again gets some moments of silence. There's only that dramatic blowing of wind that the other magical girl is probably responsible for invoking. "I'm not good with big and complicated problems. If I think of it like one, I'll never get anywhere. I know what I wanna do, but not how to get there." "...I've been thinking. Back home, we finally figured out where our monsters come from - that they're not just something random that we can't help at all. I'm not gonna pretend like the same has to be true everywhere..." Hibiki murmurs, easing more weight against the fencing while looking out towards the bay. "But... you think if we learned more about Temptations, about Magical Girls and why they /have/ to lose their powers, why it /has/ to be this way, there'd be a way to change things?"
Angela	Love frowns faintly at the mention of Sougo and Woz--she doesn't know Lilian that well but she does have a positive opinion of Petra even if she hasn't really met her all that much either. But Sougo and Woz ... Last time there was a fight and ... She doesn't know what to say about that. ''That doesn't mean one is just gonna magically appen'' Love firmly believes that with enough friends working on any problem a solution is inevitable and she paces around agitatedly, flexing and unflexing her hands as she is faced with a problem that she can't blast. She is being reminded of Hate over and over. "It should be enough." She says. "Enough will wanting the same thing. It shouldn't feel helpless when everyone wants the same thing." She grips her arm with the hairtie and holds her hand still, keeps it from writhing. ''If we learned more about Temptations...'' "But everything about them got erased! And everything about magical girls is forgotten." Love says. "I mean, it's obvious to try and figure out that stuff, right? Even I can figure that out and I'm not... ''smart''. I didn't get good grades in the stories..." She exhales softly. "...I'm sorry, I'm being mean to you because I... she keeps... No, that's probably private right? I shouldn't say right? ... Do you think you're smart enough to figure this stuff out?"
Hibiki Tachibana	Love isn't the only one upset about a problem that can't just be blasted away. After all, Hibiki knows full well that one of the only things she's good at is applying her fist to things. When it's something she can't punch, she doesn't have anything - so watching the magical girl pace around like that, she can't help but feel empathetic. Enough to make her fist tighten up enough it hurts. It should be enough. Enough will wanting the same thing. "It should be enough," Hibiki echoes without any hesitation. "When people come together, and they all want something badly enough... that can change things. A lot of the time, it'll still need help to make it real, like Tamamo's... but will is why miracles can happen. That's why you and Justice are here the ways you are now. ...Why I'm here at all." She trails off at that, lifting a hand to idly fiddle with one of her hairpins, in a not dissimilar way to love with the hairtie. But everything about them got erased! And everything about magical girls is forgotten. ... Do you think you're smart enough to figure this stuff out? "You're not being mean. And... no, I'm honestly really stupid." Yeah, they're not that different on that front. She's picked up that something must've happened between her and Meika, but she won't push her to talk about it. Instead, "No chance... at least by myself. But we're not alone on it, are we? And like you said, if everyone wants the same thing, it /shouldn't/ feel helpless." "...I'm sure there has to be something somewhere in this world. I don't know where yet. But I'm not just gonna accept that everything is gone and there's nothing to learn, or that Cherubs just show up because God sent them, and that's all there is to it."
Angela	Love says, "...You don't know what it's--" She pauses. "...Do you know what it's..." Her stomach grumbles because girls can get hungry even when talking about this sort of thing. "But when Justice and I reunited with our fellow magical girls...it only caused problems. Trying to rescue Courage caused so many problems for Chevalier Vermilion. It's all my fault. I ruined everything, being here. Every gift they gave me meant something I took away from them. You can't give a gift of humanity like that to something that isn't supposed to be without paying a price." She wipes some tears from her eyes and snot from her nose with her wrist. ''But we're not alone on it, are we?'' "''No matter where I go I'll never be alone''," Love says. "But that doesn't mean anything. It's something people say to reassure themselves that their loneliness is fine actually." She shakes her head. "I'm not alone but I ''feel'' alone. I feel like I'm getting more alone with every moment. How do I stop it, Bikki?" She suddenly reaches out to grab her hands, holding onto them tightly. "Don't you know? You've been a person for so long, you must know. I don't like feeling this way. I don't want to lose sight of everything that's good, I don't want to forget, I don't want to be a monster again, I don't want..." She trails off. ''Or that Cherubs just show up because God sent them'' "I don't know much about God," She admits, "But they're mean. Drop was so mean to her."
Hibiki Tachibana	...Do you know what it's... Hibiki grimaces, glancing away. She doesn't reply to that, but she does leave the contents of the bento for Love. She'll eat for herself at dinner later. It's fine. It's all my fault. I ruined everything, being here. "...I can't talk for Kayoko and Meika, or how they feel," Hibiki starts slowly. "But they did their best to give you that gift because they wanted you to have it. I can't imagine either of them see you as anything close to a burden." There's a pause, and another one of those half-glances away. "...Not so easy to not see yourself as one though, right? You feel like everything's your fault, and you gotta repay everything and then some." "Don't blame yourself so much that you get wrapped up in your own head. But don't forget how much you want to do back for them, either. That's... what you can turn into the power to help them." I feel like I'm getting more alone with every moment. How do I stop it, Bikki? Don't you know? You've been a person for so long, you must know. I don't like feeling this way. I don't want to lose sight of everything that's good, I don't want to forget, I don't want to be a monster again, I don't want... Hibiki is openly surprised to have her hands held so suddenly, eyes going wide, although she doesn't pull away. "L-Love..." It takes her a second, a long one as she processes exactly what it is that she's saying. But the she swallows, and her brow furrows - and she grips back, taking a step in closer as if to emphasize it. "...Like this." She brings their joined hands up a little bit higher. "This is how you don't forget. This is how I remembered. When I became a monster, when I thought I was all alone, that I was going to die all alone... someone reached out and took my hand, and pulled me back." Her intent stare slowly shifts towards a tiny and somber smile, voice lightening up. "I'm not strong enough to be a person all by myself. I need to rely on other people. If you're worried you're going to turn back into that... trust the people you care about. They won't let you. I won't either." "And not being alone is more than just a saying to feel better. A lot of people working together and doing everything they can might really be the only way we'll change anything." I don't know much about God. But they're mean. Drop was so mean to her. Hibiki's expression grows complicated again, before she comes to a simple conclusion. "...If 'God' stuck those crappy Cherubs to the girls, if the way they made things is putting one of their Magical Girls through all this suffering over it... I think they deserve a punch to the face."
Angela	Love grits her teeth. They look sharp, for a moment, sharper than they usually do. But she manages to refrain digging her nails into Hibiki's wrists. But she doesn't argue. She pulls on her hands a little but doesn't break free from Bikki because Bikki brings her hands up suddenly and Hibiki has a stronger grip. Love's eyes slant towards her hands but doesn't look up at the Symphogear User's eyes. She just... keeps looking at those hands. She doesn't look at the smile or the eyes. She takes a calming breath and says, softly, "If I lose them I won't have anybody else to trust. I don't want to just move on either. If I have to I'll protect Kagoshima until I die." She pauses a moment as if uncertain about that statement--like...can she even die? She's not sure. She supposes she'll find out if and when it happens. "...Okay, we'll try to do it together. If you ever... have any idea, you clearly know how to get ahold of me, right?" Love finally looks up and smiles. "I don't really know much about the Cherubs, but I got one for myself, though. Tachycardia! Though I call them Tacky, ahah... Maybe I didn't really understand but--at least it makes it so I know where to go." She finally pulls her hands away and adds, "...I don't know, I don't know enough to say something about how they should be. I'm basically a baby at this. I guess we'll see." She reaches into her magical girl uniform, drawing out a pair of earbuds. "...Thanks for talking with me. I don't know if it helps or what or if I should've even said anything but ... thanks for checking in with me. You didn't have to."
Hibiki Tachibana	Sharp teeth and biting nails wouldn't bother Hibiki Tachibana of all people in the first place. She gets it. And she listens intently to Love reaffirming those things to herself, and when the other girl finally looks back at her, she nods. "Yeah. We'll figure it out together. And... probably also with a lotta help from people who are smarter than the both of us combined." There's an approximately zero percent chance they solve a mystery like that, paired up or no. There's no resistance to Love pulling her hands away, and Hibiki puts one of hers into her jacket pockets, where the warmth still lingers for a tiny bit longer. "It doesn't exactly sound like the girls know a lot about the Cherubs... I mean, other than that they let them know about Temptations, and that they're jerks. If they're supposed to be straight from God, I wonder much they actually know..." Wires fire off in her brain, but as they often do, they fizzle out before long. Thinking too hard about what-ifs will do that. They'll track down the truth one way or another. And when Love gives her thanks, Hibiki scratches at her cheek in a way that might be taken as slightly embarrassed, but takes it anyway. "Ah... don't mention it. I know Meika is having it the worst of all right now, but that doesn't mean how you're feeling isn't important too. If you're feeling even a little better, I'm glad. ...Say hey to Justice for me, alright?" One day, it'd be nice if nobody had to 'protect Kagoshima until they die'. She's been starting to think about how, no matter what ends up happening with Meika... ...there's going to be a lot more girls where she came from, in a world like this.