2026-09-15: Two Cracked Hearts
- Log: 2026-09-15 Two Cracked Hearts
- Cast: Morgana, NPCed by Ren Amamiya, Kasumi Yoshizawa
- Where: Aoyama-Itchome Station
- OOC Date: September 16, 2026
- IC Date: January 10, 2013
- Summary: Two miserable souls cross paths at a certain construction site in Odaiba. Ren happens to catch up just in time to see Kasumi and Morgana disappear into a new Palace and follow after.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Daybreak, Thursday, January 10th...
Morgana emerges from the Meiji Shrine building where he'd spent a near-freezing night after Ren and the others had given up on chasing him into the woods. Now that he's had time for his temper to cool, the reality of his situation has sunk in. He's really cut ties with Ren and the others.
He doesn't feel good about it. In fact, he feels awful. He can't possibly come crawling back now, though. It would be too humiliating. Everyone's got to be disillusioned at best, disgusted at worst--and once she hears about it... Lady Ann will hate him for sure.
He really is alone now.
"I-it's fine. They really weren't doing me any good," he tells himself out loud, forcing heat into his voice. "Who needs them?! I'll find another Palace all on my own, and I'll figure my curse out--all on my own!"
And so he bounds back into the forest, away from the shrine and back towards the gloomy-skied city.
----
Afternoon...
The last bell rings. Ren grabs their bag and is out the door like a shot. Now more than ever they're grateful for their unpopularity at school; no one tries to stop them, no one tries to chat them up. Ann already knows the situation at this point and encouraged them to find Morgana, and Mishima's not difficult to dodge.
They don't leave school grounds immediately, though. There's one thing they do need to do first before they head out, and that's visit a certain underclassman on the first floor.
As they pass a classroom on the way to Kasumi's locker, they hear some giggling behind the door. They note it but don't think too much of it. As they approach, they offer her a subdued, sympathetic look.
"Yoshizawa, hey," they murmur in greeting. "How're you doing after yesterday?" They step a little closer, leaning in to murmur, "And I didn't want to bring this up last night, but if you've got any news about that from Motojima-san..."
That, of course, being Shinichi Nagisa's Homunculus. Ren and the other Phantoms certainly can't ask her for the link to his Atelier directly, but lucky for all of them, Kasumi decided to reveal herself to her after she decided not to join The Phantoms officially. It's still not the best timing, but better to rip the bandaid off now after what happened with Makoto.
This is something The Phantoms need to know, for the protection of their own.
<Pose Tracker> Kasumi Yoshizawa has posed.
Kasumi's day has been pretty painful. She's spent all of it on edge, dreading the possibility if she'll be called into the 'guidance' office to receive the bad news. The waiting is possibly worse than the news itself...
The results of her competition has been on the tip of her all of her classmate's tongues. "I can't believe she still came to school..." "Doesn't she have any shame?" "Even an elephant would have more grace!" It's humiliating, and why she tries to not pay attention to the rumours.
By the time school ends, the usually cheerful Kasumi is utterly downcast, reflecting the weather. "Of course it's raining..." She mutters to herself, as she searches her lockers on the first floor. She struggles to find something, and gets surprised by someone calling her name. Kasumi jumps, looking up. "Oh! Senpai, you scared me..."
Ren asks how Kasumi's been doing, and Kasumi bites her lower lip. "I've been better." She says, in an attempt to minimize herself. Maybe, if she says she's okay, she really will be okay. "...Oh, of course!" A beat. "I-if you want to talk about it... I was going to go to Odaiba. There's a place there that I like to go when I'm down, and we could talk about it there..." Kasumi looks back towards her cubby. "I'm missing my umbrella though... I really don't know where it could've gone..."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
"Sorry," Ren tells Kasumi. "Didn't mean to startle you."
She seems even more in her own head than ever right now. They get why, but... they glance into her locker--just enough of a peek to see that there's no umbrella inside. None on her, either. When she says her umbrella is missing, it's something they've already noticed. They hear the giggling in the classroom at their back intensify. "..."
So they offer her a slight smile and their own umbrella. "Here. You can borrow mine," they reply. "Odaiba, right? Text me the exact location and I'll catch up to you once I find another."
They'll wait for Kasumi to leave, then step around the corner. Presently, a trio of first years exit the classroom. One of them is holding what Ren recognizes to be Kasumi's umbrella--and definitely not just one that looks like hers, because between the three of them, they've got four in hand.
"Awww, that's no fun. Some boy gave her a new one," one of the girls pouts.
"That's precious Yoshizawa-san for you. The guys are all gaga over her, even now," says the second, rolling her eyes as she folds her arms, two umbrella hands sticking over her shoulders.
"Ugh, he was cute, too," the third huffs. "Kind of familiar, though. There was something about a curly-haired guy in glasses, wasn't there?"
The first girl stares at her. "Wait a second... isn't that... the legendary criminal transfer student?! The guy who deals drugs on the side and breaks the arms of anybody who crosses him?!"
The third girl gasps. "No way!! I heard--I-I heard he even killed somebody, but no one can prove it because he dropped the body to the bottom of a river...!"
The second girl shudders. "S-seriously?! N-no, that can't be right! What would a creep like that be doing with a goody-two-shoes like Yoshizawa-san?!" She lowers her voice and leans in to whisper, "A-anyway, I heard the Student Council President tamed him with love...!"
The other two girls gasp, eyes sparkling...
...that is, until a shadow falls over the three, and a hand gently but firmly pulls the second umbrella up and out of Girl 2's grasp.
Slowly, degree by degree, the three first years stare up and over their shoulders.
Ren glowers down at them, Kasumi's umbrella now leaning on their shoulder. "..."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA," they delicately respond, just before scarpering.
They sigh and shake their head, ignoring the stares this draws from everyone else in the hallway. Without further ado, they head out of school, picking up their pace to catch up with Kasumi.
They will, too, at the train station--but only just in time to barely slip onto the train to Odaiba. Kasumi's in another train car. Ah well... If they just watch carefully for where she gets off, they can reunite with her there.
---
At Odaiba, afternoon...
Morgana's been hunting around the city all day. He's stolen a few hot treats along the way--if everyone's going to think that's what he is, why not act the part? He just has to get his human body back. That'll show 'em...!
During that time, though, he sensed a certain feeling in the air: a Palace. It wasn't very distinct, so he can't be quite sure, but after circling around the area, he's finally reached a certain construction site in Odaiba. Seated on the fence surrounding it, he eyes it suspiciously.
This seems to be the place, but how to get inside...? For now, he hops down the other side of the fence, just out of sight of any humans who happen to pass by.
<Pose Tracker> Kasumi Yoshizawa has posed.
"Oh! A-are you sure...?" Kasumi accepts the umbrella, but hesitates for a moment. She flinches lightly at the giggling from the other classroom. Then, clings it to her chest with a nod. "Thank you, Senpai..." She says a little softly. She closes her locker, and starts walking out.
Left in ignorance of where her umbrella is, Kasumi walks through the rain, grumbling lightly to herself. She tries to open up her phone now too, but in the rain, but the humidity might have it on the fritz.
Yet another pain. Kasumi gets off at the train station in Odaiba and starts making her way to that construction site. "I'm so useless..." Kasumi mutters to herself. "I used to win so effortlessly. Why am I struggling now?"
She can see the construction site in view now. "I'm just burdening Amamiya-senpai, Motojima-senpai, and even Dr. Maruki... Coach Hiraguchi must be so ashamed of me, too." She lets out a groan, as she reaches the wall. "I'm supposed to be the Kasumi Yoshizawa too..."
To the side, she overhears some garish looking students. "Ugh, you got us totally lost!" One says. "Where are we supposed to be, anyways?" The other scratches his head. "I dunno. Some kinda community center? Or a research lab?" "How am I supposed to know?!" The gal exclaims. "Come on, let's try this way!"
Kasumi looked at them for a moment, and rolls her eyes once they're looking away. "It's not a lab, it's a stadium..." She then narrows her eyes, as she spots a tuft of black fur. "Huh, is that... Morgana? Morgana!" She rushes to catch up with the agile not-a-cat! "Morgana, why are you here alone in the freezing r-Wha?!"
Metanav Activated
Reality shifts around the two... And perhaps a third!
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
With the afterschool crowds and the rain the way they are, Ren only just barely manages to catch sight of Kasumi getting off at the correct stop in time to get off themself too. By then, there's enough people in between them and her that they can't easily catch up. That's fine; they're headed to the same place, so they decide not to sweat it. They open up Kasumi's umbrella for themself, now that the rain's getting harder, and walk towards where they saw her go.
At the stadium in progress, Morgana's deciding on the best method of egress in this construction site when--
'Morgana? Morgana!'
They jump, not unlike a nervous cat--but he knows that voice, and turns to see, "Yoshizawa! What're you doing here?"
It's as much a relief as an alarm when the Meta-Nav activates, considering what Kasumi had been in the middle of asking. Morgana doesn't have a good answer for that, and whatever's about to happen will be a fine distraction.
Ren's not that far behind Kasumi, though, and when they see the telltale signs of the blur of reality around her--when they see a certain black cat on the fence--they break into a sprint, reaching the edge just in time to
---
"I knew it! This is a Palace!" Mona utters, leaping wide-eyed into the air when, before him and Belle, there's suddenly a brilliant white building before them. "But... whose Palace is it?" He stares up at Belle next. "Hey, that was your Meta-Nav, right, Belle? How'd you know about this place?"
The shadows are long in this area. If a certain person in a black coat hugs to the edge of them for a while longer, surely that's just fine.
<Pose Tracker> Kasumi Yoshizawa has posed.
Reality shifts into the Metaverse, as the rain stops falling and snow melts into pavement. Just beyond the walls of the construction zone turns into trees, and a brilliant white spire just after. "Woah!" Kasumi's eyes widen she sees a Palace manifest over reality.
'How'd you know about this place?' Morgana asks.
"I-I don't know!" Kasumi replies. "I've never been here before..." How could this have happened? "You knew there was a Palace here, Mona...? That's incredible!" She says happily>
Forgetting for a moment about her deal with Amamiya-senpai, or perhaps deciding to get the layout to share the news with Joker in a bit, Kasumi runs along the wall. She reaches a fence in the wall, and there they can get a better vantage point. "Mona, over here! It's beautiful, isn't it...?" She takes a moment to admire the impossible architecture. Then, she wonders. "What does it look like to you...? Palaces are all themed, aren't they?"
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
"What? So you didn't activate it?" Mona utters, taken aback by this news. This is weird--it shouldn't be like this! He can get in on his own without that app, but even he needs to know a name, at least. Belle's heaping of praise gets a smile out of his kitty face, though. "Hehe~ Aren't I, though?" he boasts. "That's just one of my many talents!"
Even as he says it, though, the words taste like ash in his mouth. It's one of his many talents, but The Phantoms are full of so many amazing people, does anything he can do stack up in comparison...?
He doesn't have time to feel sorry for himself, though--not with Belle running along the perimeter of the Palace and finding a new vantage point. "Hey, wait up!" he utters before chasing after her. Belle--no, not even Belle, Kasumi lacks experience compared to him. He's got to look out for her. That's what a gentleman would do!
...if his old companions would even think of him as a gentleman anymore...
"It is beautiful," he admits when he gets a better look at the gleaming, towering structure. "It's so brilliantly white, it's a little eerie. What kind of distortion produces a place like this?"
What's it look like, though? Mona considers this as he folds his paws. "Hmmm... Now that you mention it, it's hard to tell. Other Palaces have been obvious--a castle, a pyramid, even a wedding reception hall. But this is sort of... what is this? A community center? That can't be right, though..."
His tail undulates as curiosity starts to overcome him. A Palace this mysterious has got to have loads of secrets hidden inside. Maybe even the secret of his missing memories! "I'll just have to take a closer look and see for myself!" Mona declares aloud. He pauses (pawses), then looks over at his new companion. He hesitates; then: "...You coming with, Belle?"
<Pose Tracker> Kasumi Yoshizawa has posed.
"I didn't! I...don't think I did, at least..." That begs the question, doesn't it? Just who's Palace is this? She only gets a moment to think about it, as Mona starts boasting. Kasumi giggles, and crouches down to pet Morgana. "Mhm.~ Very well done.~" She says, earnestly.
There's really no time to feel sorry for yourself! Kasumi thinks thoughtfully about what kind of distortion would give birth to a place like this... And is coming up with nothing. Is it good that she can't understand? Or another one of her failings?
'A community center', Mona posits, and a connection suddenly clicks in. "It can't be... A research lab?! But why?! This is supposed to be a stadium?" Who would see this as a research lab??
Mona leaps towards exploring, and Kasumi smiles a little. "Sounds like a plan!" She says, jumping herself up too. She hops up over the fence, and goes running with Morgana towards the facility!
As they pass the trees and enter the elevator up, they enter strange, sizeable room of pure white. Going up the stairs results in them finding another elevator that's locked, and a series of bulletin boards. Going around the elevator will require a grappling hook, so Belle instead goes to the bulletin boards posted with posters. "What are these...? Health... Happiness?" She scans them for any identifying information, and is coming up with empty.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Belle pets Mona! He 'mreeowrs~' in pleasure!
He hates himself a little more afterwards.
"Huh? A research lab?" Mona utters, blinking over at her. He frowns, folding his paws anew. "That's one heck of a distortion if you're right. I really don't see how you get from Point A to Point B there. Then again, that's the point of a distortion. Who'd see a school as a castle--or as a war bunker, for that matter?"
She takes him up on investigating together, though, and if there's relief in Mona's smile, surely that's Kasumi's imagination. "Let's go, then!" And the two race onwards towards that strange white facility!
... A black shadow follows them at a respectable distance...
The inside of the facility's pretty, too. So bright and clean, it makes Joker's eyes hurt--but Joker isn't here right now, are they? Mona, who is here, inspects the locked elevator, frowning at the angles of egress and how this would be so simple to circumvent if Joker were here with their grappling hook. "Darn it!" he hisses.
But Belle's checking something else out. "Huh? What's up?" Mona hops over and checks out the posters too. "Huh... This isn't your typical Palace fare, that's for sure," he comments. "I could see 'health' if it's supposed to be a research lab--maybe it's medical research--but what's 'happiness' got to do with it?"
Being an amnesiatic not-a-cat, clearly Mona has little use for mental health. Maybe Kasumi, who has a therapist of her own, could shed some light on the matter, though.
<Pose Tracker> Kasumi Yoshizawa has posed.
You're so real, Mona...
"Right? I guess humans really are weird if they can get a war bunker from a school..." Kasumi agrees. She really wonders though. It feels so strange.
Definitely just her imagination. Why would the great Mona need to be relieved?~
It's a dead end right away... At least they can scope the place out at least a little bit.
"Happiness... Maybe it's something about mental health?" Kasumi only really visited Dr. Maruki once, so... "Living Well... Choose Kindness... Actualization... You matter... Free Mental Health Check?" She looks back to the elevator. "I don't think it's open yet? Maybe we should go back to fill Joker-senpai in on this..."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
The more of the posters Morgana reads, the less they make sense. Futaba did prove that having a Palace doesn't mean one is a bad person, just has a distorted view, not that he didn't know that already, but... what kind of distortion would lead to all this? It's baffling... but it's also fascinating, somehow. Even this kind of personality can be 'warped.'
"That would explain why it's based off a construction site," Mona admits of the place not yet being open. "But then why would it be here in the first place?"
The mention of Joker makes him flinch, though. "N-no! I mean--no," he replies, this time firmly. "They've got their hands full with other stuff, so we're working separately. No need to fill them in right now."
It's more or less the truth.
On the way out, though, once the two descend the initial elevator, a few footsteps sound behind their back. Mona stops.
"...I had a feeling you might be skulking around here," he says, voice hardening.
Joker's gaze on him is steady, though they do give Belle a glance of acknowledgement. "Mona... Let's talk about this."
"There's nothing to talk about. Don't you have more important things you should be doing?"
"You're important too."
Hearing that, Mona wavers and hangs his head. It's an opportunity for Belle to get a word in edgewise.
<Pose Tracker> Kasumi Yoshizawa has posed.
It's baffling indeed... Kasumi really tries to think hard about it, but... Her head starts to hurt. And a feeling in the back of her head to stay away. It makes her feel a little sick.
Kasumi nods in agreement. It being a construction site would make sense... "I don't know... It's impossible to tell."
Joker's got their hands full? That doesn't sound right... "Are you sure...? I don't think they would mind..." But, maybe Mona would know Amamiya-senpai better? And she'd just be a burden on them once again...
They leave the elevator, and they have a few footsteps behind them. Kasumi goes for her blade, thinking that it's a shadow. But Mona knows who it is, and Belle whirls to see Joker. "Ah! Senpai-"
Kasumi stops, picking up on the mood. It's feeling tense. She's not totally sure what to say here... "Did, uh... Did something happen between you two? Please don't fight..." Uh... Kasumi's struggling to think of something to say. "Um... Mona felt out the Palace, Senpai! I mean, we can't find a way in, but..." It's a little stressful...
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Mona knows Joker wouldn't mind. That's something about them that irritates him right now. To Belle, though, he just says firmly, "Sure I'm sure."
He might feel ashamed about how he acted last night, but that doesn't mean he didn't mean anything he said, either. He just wishes--
...well, never mind.
Joker looks back at Belle. "...Yes. But I don't know if I should share the details."
Mona folds his paws defensively. "Hmph! Why don't you go ahead and tell her?" he says, tone challenging. It's as much to hear how Joker describes what happened as it is a dare, though.
Joker pauses at that. That gives Kasumi a chance to talk about the Palace and the dead end they encountered. "...I see. We'll have to check it out more later. I don't know whose this is, but we ought to keep an eye on it." They rub the side of their neck. "I just saw space warp around you two and rushed in. I'd appreciate an explanation, if either of you have one to give."
Mona's tail coils as he lifts his head. "Hmmm... So you don't know either, huh?" He turns around. "That's just perfect, then! Me and Belle will figure out this Palace on our own, at our own pace. You don't have to get involved, Joker!"
Joker grimaces a little. "Mona..."
Mona, seeing that expression, looks away--towards Belle. A metaphorical light bulb flashes over his head. "Th-that's right! Belle's my new partner now!" he decides. "I was getting tired of that dusty old attic, anyway! Got it? I'm not going anywhere with someone who doesn't keep their end of a deal!"
"I..." Joker shuts their eyes, mouth pulling into a flat, pained line. "...if that's what you want."
Mona looks away. "It is," he stubbornly insists, as much to himself as to anyone else.
"Then... I'll bow out here." Joker looks to Belle. "...Before I go, though. You had some news about Nagisa-kun's Homunculus to share?"
Mona doesn't look back at them, but his ears do perk.
<Pose Tracker> Kasumi Yoshizawa has posed.
Be careful for what you wish for, Mona. Something resonates within the palace. Somthing unknown to either of the intruders..
Kasumi is.. Well, left to the side a little as the two fight... It's private, huh?
Though... Kasumi watches them go back and forth, and she gets a terrible feeling like she's seen all this before. Ren wants an explaination, and Kasumi chimes in. "I really don't kno-" Kasumi gets cut off. 'That's just perfect, then! Me and Belle will figure out this Palace on our own!' "Eh?" Kasumi tilts her head, needing a second to process.
'Belle's my new partner now!' "Ehhhhhhhh?!" Kasumi lets out a surprised noise. And yet. There is something about the idea that is deeply appealing.
S..y...way... ...umi...sh...za...
"I'll do it, Mona!" Kasumi exclaims! "We'll solve it together!"
"Ah!! Yes!!" Kasumi clues in. She really should've done it earlier... She explains what Motojima-senpai explained to her earlier. "He's even taken photos of people he has grudges with... Motojima-senpai's worried that he's going to get revenge on them, somehow."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
At the very least, Joker isn't going to be the one to explain it here and now. They don't want to put Belle in the middle--though they know she's not in a better position not knowing anything at all, either.
They're surprised to see her decide to go along with Mona so rapidly, even with that initial shock. They're not sure how to feel about that. They decide not to argue it. Mona already made his wishes clear. Though...
Still, there remains the matter of the Homunculus. Joker's expression is grim when Belle passes on the news. "I see. I'll be sure to warn Queen. And you said you've got the link to get us into that Atelier, right?" They nod over their shoulder. "Let's get out of here and handle that." They pause and look back at Mona. "...If that's all right with you."
"H-hmph. Who do you think I am?" Mona huffs, which does not actually say anything.
Joker takes it to be a yes, though. Soon enough, the three of them leave the Palace, and reality wobbles back to the real world...
It'll be a moment's effort for Ren and Kasumi to exchange umbrellas and Atelier links. Once it's over, they give her a nod of thanks, then look back at Morgana.
"...If either of you need anything, you know how to find me," they say quietly.
Morgana doesn't answer.
They sigh noiselessly, then look back at Kasumi. "Sorry to put you in the middle of this," they murmur. "Thanks for the help, too. ,,,You two take care of yourselves."
Ren turns to walk away. There's still time to catch up with the others in Shinjuku to help with exploring Hana's Kingdom... If they can't do anything further about Morgana, then at least they can do something about that.
Morgana remains seated under Kasumi's umbrella. The sidewalk's still wet, but at least he's not getting actively rained on. He still doesn't look at Ren, though his ears are pointed their way. Once they're gone, Morgana finally looks--in their direction, then up at Kasumi.
"Sorry about that too," he says, subdued. "We can meet up here again some other time, if you want."
<Pose Tracker> Kasumi Yoshizawa has posed.
There's a lot of reasons she jumped so fast on it... Most of all, she's been watching Motojima-senpai and Oosaka-senpai not talk to each other. Maybe some space is best?
And... Kasumi couldn't save her relationship with her own sister. Maybe a different path can save Mona's and Ren's.
Kasumi nods. "Of course, I can get you the link back in reality." ...Kasumi looks back to Morgana. Is this really okay...?
Kasumi awkwardly carried Morgana in her arms, with her umbrella and everything... Morgana can't exactly go inside her bag just yet, he's wet! "I'll take good care of Morgana, Senpai." She's already intending of sharing hourly photos, daily updates... Or is that a little much and contradictory with giving them a little space? Oh, she doesn't know at all...
In any case, she can't really say 'I really want this to be temporary too," with Morgana right there, so... "I'm really sorry, Senpai." She says, a little shyly.
They split, and Kasumi starts heading home.. "It's alright. I just, um... Go there when I'm feeling a little depressed, sometimes." A beat. "It might be nice to have you around, too. My parents left on a work trip today." She stritches a little behind Morgana's ears, and shakes her head. "Never mind that. I'll get you some milk at home, okay?"
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Morgana had meant that he and Kasumi would split here, and that he'd find his own place to stay while they're working together--so when she instead simply carries him with scritches and an assumption that they're both heading back to her place, he perks, already feeling a little better.
Especially with the offer of milk. He'll have to teach her how he likes it, too. Ren isn't... that is, they can't... he means, "...Okay."