2026-04-15: A Request for Help
- Log: A Request for Help
- Cast: Kazusa Motojima, Haruka Konno
- Where: Lotus Plaza
- OOC Date: April 15, 2026
- IC Date: Thursday, October 25, 2012 (Evening)
- Summary: Kazusa properly meets Haruka, this time in Sumaru. Eventually it comes out that Haruka's brother is in danger, and Kazusa finds herself unable to turn them away.
(|=============================== Lotus Plaza ================================|)
-=============================================== Sumaru City/Rengedai Ward ====-
This shopping mall offers an unparalleled view of the river that flows around
Rengedai. It boasts somewhat fewer stores than comparable malls and shopping
centers around Sumaru City, but it's only a few blocks away from Seven Sisters
High School, so it's a favored hangout for teenagers all the same. Its stores
include Time Castle, a strange antique store run by the Count, and, for those
with the eyes to see its door, the Velvet Room.
To eat, there's Gatten Sushi, a sushi restaurant run by the Mishina family; with
stone flooring for most of the store, raised bamboo flooring for tables, bar
seating for those who want to watch the sushi chef and restaurant owner Kankichi
work his magic, and a massive aquarium, the atmosphere is welcoming and
encourages one to fill up. It's a favorite of Sumaru rumormonger Kenta "Toro"
Yokouchi, a successful salesman (and Persona user).
For the weary, there's Kaori, a perfume store owned by the eponymous Miss Kaori;
its naturalistic wooden flooring, potted plants, and ivy lattice that arches
over the glass doors inspire a relaxing atmosphere. The fragrances for sale
there only underscore this--the scents are *so* relaxing that they can literally
heal customers, body and soul.
And, of course, it's not Sumaru City without a local Satomi Tadashi Pharmacy
branch. This one looks the same as all the others: aisles and walls laden with
medicine of all kinds, overseen from the back counter where magazines are
available by one of seven identical sisters. Satomi Sister #6 runs this one; the
classic version of the store's theme plays here. "The eternal ally of those who
fight: our city's friendly drug store! o/`"
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kazusa spent a couple of weeks holed up in her studio, when she wasn't at school, trying to cram enough to survive midterms. She has a feeling she did okay, even if she didn't perform to her standards, and as much as she wants to hide from the world... she has to keep moving forward.
And that meant... getting equipped to handle this crazy new side of the world she's found herself in.
She's just stepped out of the Time Castle. After some inquiries she's gotten some details on where some of the tools eh needs are... and there's some other shopping she can do while she's in the area, too.
She looks a lot different than the last time Haruka saw her. For one thing, she looks a lot more serious and focused now. And she's also scowling a little bit. She looks at the entrance to the Velvet Room and tenses, then quickly looks away.
Also her fashion is a lot different. She's wearing a cropped black leather jacket, a pink blouse, several pairs of silver bracelets on each wrist, pink nail polish (okay that might be the same), skiny black jeans, and ankle boots. She's got a black leather backpack on, and she pulls out a smart phone from her pocket to check something before heading towards another store.
And most of all... she doesn't feel like a Homunculus at all, anymore.
<Pose Tracker> Haruka Konno has posed.
Midterms were sort of easy for Haruka. Honestly they wish they could've just blown off the whole thing since it was mostly review. The purple haired "boy" walks through the crowd, sighing as they think about everything.
Hiro was still in a coma. They still didn't understand much of the...Haruka wasn't even sure what to call it. The weird time of night? The weird parts of town? The time when Haruka felt alive?
They sigh as they start to walk by Kazusa, blinking when they spot her face. That was...the weird girl? Haruka had barely noticed her since there wasn't that terrible aura now.
How did she?
The Seven Sisters student stops in their tracks, looking directly at Kazusa. "I...I..." Say something witty. "I see you...got better." Haruka says in that quiet almost mumbled. "H,how?"
Haruka scowls, feeling slightly nervous. They weren't in the right body so this feels harder than it should be.
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Sadly, Kazusa spent all of the semester up to midterms being a Homunculus, so she had a serious study deficiency... and her other self's notes weren't that good, either.
Kazusa is walkig with intention, eyes scanning the shop signs. But she stops as she sees someone looking at her, giving them a critical eye. "... have... we met...?" There's something familiar, but not everything the Homunculus did rings clear in her memory.
And this had been a one-off interaction, with someone she didn't see frequently...
She crosses her arms at the mention of getting better. "... yeah, I'm fine. Do I know you?" The question is a little sharper with the second asking.
Good news, Haruka. Kazusa's not a supernatural monster anymore. Just a normal, every day unpleasant person.
<Pose Tracker> Haruka Konno has posed.
Haruka flinches when she takes a tone with them. Great, her 'evil' self was the nice one. They put on an uneasy smile despite wanting to tear into this girl and her bad girl act. But right now, Haruka didn't have the power to do that.
Still, that doesn't mean Haruka can't mess with her some.
"Oh uh...you were much nicer last time. I barely recognize you." Haruka smiles, tilting their head as they scan her outfit. Leather jacket....real original. "But yeah you're the girl I led out of the tunnels in Shibuya...You seemed sick last time...are you ok? Did you get some sort of treatment?" Haruka makes eye contact, seeming to have a fire behind those eyes. One that didn't seem to jive with their meek act.
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Yes, the 'evil' one was the nicer one. Though... that doesn't really make her the better one, by any means. She as still kind of terrible as a Homunculus.
"Last time..." Kazusa scowls. "Oh, great." She presses a hand to her forehead, closing her eyes. "Look, whatever that... other me said, you can just... forget about it."
But then she lowers her hand and fixes a stare on Haruka. "Uh, no? I've lived in Shibuya all my life. I really doubt you were the one leading me. If anything it was probably the other way around."
Her other self wasn't that helpless as to forget how to navigate the subways near her home.
She hopes.
'Treatment.' That's one way to put it. "... yeah, something like that."
<Pose Tracker> Haruka Konno has posed.
A slight smirk comes on Haruka's face when she reacts to her other self.
"Oh. I guess I was mistaken." Haruka can feel the energy radiating from Kazusa's scorn. It is sort of firing them up....Suddenly they are feeling just a tad more wicked than usual. "No, no...your outfit was very memorable...though the color choices were..." Haruka cringes a little. "L,like I'm sure you were impaired in some way...S,so it's good you're feeling better."
Haruka makes eye contact, giving her a sheepish smile before his eyes move off to the side. The pretty "boy" puts a hand under his chin. "Let me check my phone to see if I snapped a picture of your outfit. It was quite something..." Haruka puts out their smartphone and makes an act of checking his photos. Each one gets a expression designed to make Kazusa think they have found one only to reconsider. "Oh... ...no, that's not it."
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
"Kazusa crosses her arms. Yes, she's trying to become a better person. But she's not going to do it overnight and besides, she gets the sense Haruka is messing with her. "Yeah, whatever this is, I'm not amused."
She's glowering as Haruka is scrolling through their phone, checking the photos. "Ugh, not another photo," she mutters. It was bad enough that Moriko got one of her other self. She stares at Haruka a moment longer, frowning. "... do you need something? Because if not, I'm going to go."
<Pose Tracker> Haruka Konno has posed.
While this was amusing, Kazusa seemed about to leave. The purple haired bishounen shakes for a moment before holding up a hand. "Wait."
Haruka needs to figure something out and while they would rather it were someone else, this girl was their only lead so far. Killing shadows during the Dark Hour had yielded nothing...neither did Hiro's girlfriend who transferred after being spooked by all of this nonsense. So it was now or never.
Haruka sighs and looks up from their phone. "L,look...I..I need your help. You clearly have some idea about something I'm wrapped up in. I know I'm a stranger but there is someone's life on the line."
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kazusa pauses, but she arches an eyebrow at the 'Wait.' It was the type of expression that said, 'This had better be good.'
Kazusa is still... aoefully new to a lot of this supernatural stuff. And she's only heard of a lot of it, much less experienced any of it.
Kazusa frowns, as HAruka speaks. The look she's giving them is sharp and analytical, and completely like what that other version of her would've had. Kazusa's natural inclination is to just... call this out and leave, but after the experience she's been through...
She thinks of what Hazuki would do, in this position. She'd... probably hear them out, right?
Kazusa sighs. Of course she would.
"Look, if this is some kind of prank..." She unfolds her arms. "Alright. What's going on? And save the funny stuff."
<Pose Tracker> Haruka Konno has posed.
Haruka sighs, feeling the pressure building now that they got her to stay. This was not ideal...This was not a strategicly advantageous place to be. But they had to be here with this particular girl. Frankly, that Akechi kid from school seemed more pleasant than dealing with Kazusa to be honest. At least then all they would have to deal with was a smug person and his fans.
They bow their head, wanting to shrink back down into the street. In this weak body with none of their witch powers. Haruka pulls a stern expression as they sigh and look off to the side.
"My brother is in a coma due to this. I need to figure out what is going on. And you are the only person I've met who has dealt with this all...I need help. " Haruka says quietly.
"Y,you clearly got out of it so I'm desperate..."
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kazusa watches Haruka as they take their time to start, frowning a little still. But she's at least staying silent, giving them room to speak.
Kazusa hasn't really engaged with her supernatural side. Thinking about it... still makes her feel exhausted, honestly. She's still not sure she's fully recovered from her ordeal--she probably hasn't, given that she threw herself into her midterm studies.
Their brother. A coma... and it's related to what she went through.
Kazusa looks off to the side a little too, her defenses dropping. And with it, she also suddenly seems a lot wearier. "... that 'other me' you met was a Homunculus," she says quietly. "... and if one took your brother over... I'm sorry."
She brings a hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose. "Look, I don't really know all that much about this stuff yet, either, and I needed... a lot of help. But... I know someone who knows more. So if you want... I can talk to her about it."
<Pose Tracker> Haruka Konno has posed.
Haruka nods, looking back at Kazusa. "Thank you..."
They aren't really sure how to feel since this is all so uncomfortable and potentially hazardous. After a moment, they take a deep breath and sigh, feeling a little less on edge as they realize that maybe this can work.
"Alright. I'm going to give you my info so we can set up a meeting. Would it be possible to meet during the weird time of night...Does that have a name?" Haruka is already fishing out their phone. "It might also be easier to explain everything then."
Haruka holds out their phone with their info on it. "Here it is."
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
"Sure." It sounds dismissive, but Kauzsa is trying hard not to make it sound that way. They just kind of have resting dismissive energy.
Kazusa frows a little. "Weird time of night... oh, the one that happens at midnight? That's called the Dark Hour. At least, that's what I've been told. We'll..." Kazusa frowns. "If you're from Sumaru that might be difficult, we're both in Tokyo... though..."
She thinks of Akari. "... oh right, she's in Sumaru, maybe that'll help..."
She takes the information and records it, then sends Haruk a text with her name to share her info. "We'll figure out something, I guess."
<Pose Tracker> Haruka Konno has posed.
Haruka nods at her response, sensing that this is going better than expected. Good. They didn't need anymore stress.
"Dark Hour? Huh...I guess that's a good name for it." Haruka cups a hand under their chin. "Tokyo...I could get to Tokyo for a night if need be. I'll tell father that I'm on a trip for sensei..."
Haruka gets the text and nods. "Alright. We'll be in touch then....T,thank you." Haruka nods, feeling slightly under pressure to make a none awkward exit to avoid appearing weak. No blood in the water here. "Until then." Haruka nods once and stiffly walks away.