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Shards of a Broken Sun [Megaten/Shugo Chara/Exalted]

Reader mode
I think the issue with specifically Miki's Illusion plan is that she's extending her 'natural' self, not making a decoy body.
I mentioned this earlier but if she was going into egg-mode and using that as the brain/heart, I wouldn't worry.

However, this seems to be more a "I'm a real girl" effect, effectively using her Chara body scaled up.


Re: Getting her back if lost, I don't think that would be possible at this point. Miki as a Chara we might be able to recover, but not Miki-the-not-quite-chara-boon-person.
 
Assorted thoughts:

Baughn said:
She couldn't say it. Couldn't make her mother think of Kana-chan that way. Amu knew beyond any shadow of a doubt that Kana was a killer, several times over even. Yet the thought of her mother thinking less of Kana, of Kana being treated like a criminal, made her feel a little sick. It wasn't who Kana was, wasn't anything she'd have chosen, and even if Amu didn't think it was right-
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How many of Kana's kills does Amu know about, anyway? We the readers are only sure of one, though we've had reason to believe it was far from an isolated incident.


If we need to roll for secret-keeping in a higher-stakes situation, we'll need more dice. The least problematic way I've come up with to apply psi is to have Amu biokinetically control her reactions. (There are of course the obvious options of using mind reading or mind control to deal with social situations, but those options are... problematic.)

With Socialize 0, Amu still won't know what to say, and she won't know the right reactions to display, but she might be able to biokinetically suppress obviously bad reactions, like nervous sweat or blanching. In situations where a poker face is appropriate, she could probably put up a decent poker face, too.

Long-term secret-keeping sucks, though. It only takes one slip-up to bring things crashing down, and it doesn't even have to be Amu's slip-up. Plus, it can be very psychologically taxing.


I wonder how Cascade of Cutting Terror interacts with grenades. Modern throwing weapons don't really fit the paradigm the Thrown charm tree was designed around. I don't know how many problems we'll face where "chuck a hundred grenades at it" is a good answer, but it could be a decent combat option.


Baughn said:
The Second Ring, the Blessed Isle, is the terrestrial centre, the place where the will of the gods is carried out by the hands of heroes. As such, it is the second great authority. It stretches eight thousand by ten thousand miles across, though it was once larger. Only in the databanks of Shard 0-60 and its kin are its specifications recorded, using terms that no longer have meaning to the denizens of Creation.
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I'm guessing "Shard 0-60 and its kin" refers to the POV exaltation (type 0, serial 60) and the rest of its caste. Holding this info sounds like a job for Eclipses (the organizational specialists) or Twilights (civil engineering and geomancy would be Twilight things), so that might be a hint for what caste is ending up in this story. It definitely doesn't sound like a Dawn job.

I wonder if we can do anything useful with whatever remains of the shard's copy of this data.
 
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Quine said:
How many of Kana's kills does Amu know about, anyway? We the readers are only sure of one, though we've had reason to believe it was far from an isolated incident.
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She knows for sure there was... one. Kana clamped down afterwards. Thing is, Amu can make a good guess based on what Kana doesn't let her see—she believes there's probably three or four at least. Also, and this may be concerning, Kana feels a great deal of satisfaction around some.

Quine said:
I wonder how Cascade of Cutting Terror interacts with grenades. Modern throwing weapons don't really fit the paradigm the Thrown charm tree was designed around. I don't know how many problems we'll face where "chuck a hundred grenades at it" is a good answer, but it could be a decent combat option.
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It's a stylistic effect. Mechanically, the charm doubles your attack pool while removing dodge DV—which is reasonable for the cost.

Doing it with grenades sounds amazing! Terrific, even.
Quine said:
I'm guessing "Shard 0-60 and its kin" refers to the POV exaltation (type 0, serial 60) and the rest of its caste. Holding this info sounds like a job for Eclipses (the organizational specialists) or Twilights (civil engineering and geomancy would be Twilight things), so that might be a hint for what caste is ending up in this story. It definitely doesn't sound like a Dawn job.
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It could also mean "all solar shards", "all celestial shards", or "all shards" even, though the latter is unlikely; terrestrial exaltation doesn't seem to work the same way, I doubt there are exaltation shards in the same way as 0-60 and 1-60 here.

Shards are inviolate, by and large. I found it interesting that this implies the Three Spheres Cataclysm should also be unable to alter them, and so they contain records of Creation as it existed prior to then. The only such records, in fact. They can't talk about it, both because they can't talk and because the concepts were burned out of Creation; no Creation-native would be able to comprehend.
 
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Quine said:
If we need to roll for secret-keeping in a higher-stakes situation, we'll need more dice. The least problematic way I've come up with to apply psi is to have Amu biokinetically control her reactions. (There are of course the obvious options of using mind reading or mind control to deal with social situations, but those options are... problematic.)
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If we're talking about resisting torture or interrogation by a clearly hostile party who intends to do harm with the information, I say it can be fairly easily stunted into using Stamina + Integrity + Mind Control under the pretext that, despite what is listed on her Character Sheet, "keeping her friends safe" is a critically intrinsic motivation for Amu and much more than "living a normal life". After all, we just had a chapter that outright spelled out a key personality driver for her was "save anyone you put in front of her".

In a situation where she knows giving up secrets would result in them being use them to harm her friends, I'd bet that letting it to happen could constitute a betrayal of her own self, allowing Integrity to be used for the stunt. This is the principle behind a Solar's Righteous Lion Defense charm, after all. And if the situation was dire enough, it would also potentially allow for a course of action as extreme as using Mind Control on herself to wipe or seal off a portion of her own memories.

The main issue is if the person trying to ferret out secrets isn't a blatantly hostile party, but rather someone who appears to be a friend. Keeping secrets from her friends is a pretty un-Amu like thing to do. It would probably need a stunt involving Perception just for her to check whether they intend to help or hinder.

And I also highly suspect it would be a moot point - because in that scenario, even us questers might not be fully aware they are a traitor and/or wouldn't have full consensus on whether they were really untrustworthy and so wouldn't see it as a high-stakes enough situation to warrant a full-blown stunt to prevent her from talking.
 
PistachioCookies said:
If we're talking about resisting torture or interrogation by a clearly hostile party who intends to do harm with the information, I say it can be fairly easily stunted into using Stamina + Integrity + Mind Control under the pretext that, despite what is listed on her Character Sheet, "keeping her friends safe" is a critically intrinsic motivation for Amu and much more than "living a normal life". After all, we just had a chapter that outright spelled out a key personality driver for her was "save anyone you put in front of her".
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I was thinking more along the lines of just keeping secrets in ordinary social situations with people less inclined to keep our secrets. If things degrade to the point where people are trying to torture us, we'd be acting by very different rules of engagement. Mind reading, mind control, and straight-up killing them would all be on the table.
 
I got the impression that for it to come down to a roll would require the other party to be making a serious, concerted effort to pry the secret out of Amu beyond just idle curiosity. That is to say, not the sort of thing that anybody polite would try to press her on in an ordinary social situation. Maybe a reporter thirsty for nitty-gritty on Amu's life, but in that scenario, it could be taken as a hostile interrogation where Amu would expect them to do harm to her friends by publishing it. Rude strangers are not friends.

Personally, I was thinking more of getting cornered by mundane police and sat down in a room with a bowl of katsudon and 2 officers taking turns shouting at her with different flavors of carrot and stick.

That's the kind of hostile interrogation where Amu couldn't just resort to brute force, but would need to hunker down on her own until a proper lawyer can get there to bail her out.
 
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Chapter 2.3
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    • "Yeah, so…" Miki materialised a beret from thin air and tugged it down, slightly covering her eyes. Amu could sense she didn't like what she was going to say. She didn't look for what Miki was planning to say—she wouldn't do that, not now—but Miki's heart was a cauldron of ugly, cheerful-but-missing-foundations… self-deprecating? Angry? Worried? This was hard to read-

    -plenty of emotions, none of which she liked-

    "I was thinking I could go there instead of Amu," said Miki, while Amu felt her blood begin to freeze. The emotions coming off of Miki weren't… upset. All the conditions were there for it, Miki should have been screaming, but she wasn't. Instead, just that fake-cheerful- real cheerful, even though it shouldn't be-

    Mom was catching on almost equally fast, and Mom didn't have the benefit of seeing it happen.

    "Then you don't need to be so scared, Mom," said Miki. "I'm not exactly a real girl, and even if something happens, I keep all my important parts inside of Amu."

    -Miki, whom Amu had long since stopped thinking of like a chara-

    "Miki..." Mom's tone of voice was a warning, but underneath it- Amu was too shocked to talk. Mom, it seemed, had no such problems. She was also shocked, however. Shocked, angry, horrified—the cauldron of emotions brewing inside her was easier to read, and it wasn't within Amu's means at that moment to keep from listening in. Staying wholly out of her head took focus, focus which Miki had already obliterated.

    -had Miki stopped thinking of herself as a chara?

    Her ears were ringing.

    "And it's not like anyone would be able to tell the difference," Miki added, looking herself over. She ran a hand through her hair under the edges of the beret, feeling her new features while, bizarrely, smiling. "This is weirdly like being in a chara transformation, only quieter. Like it's only me, instead of me and Ran and Dia and Su and you all together. I wonder..."

    "Miki," their mother said. "If you're trying to make me feel better, this isn't it."

    "You're worried about her," Miki shot back, "and I can't blame you. Amu's- well-"

    That's not it. That wasn't it. Amu could feel Mom's growing horror, which Miki certainly couldn't. Miki wasn't much of an empath, nor any good at mind-reading in general, but she shouldn't have needed to be. Mom was worried about both of them. She loved both of them. That should have been obvious.

    "-not good at this stuff," Miki finished, oblivious. "So send me instead."

    "I'm better at it than you!" Amu shouted. She didn't mean to. She was just completely off balance.

    "That's not the issue, and you know it," their mother shot back, her voice calm. "I'll leave aside that-" She looked between them, then shook her head. "One week ago I thought I had two daughters. Now I know I have three, and I want to keep them. That, Miki, includes you!"

    Amu squeezed her eyes shut. Her ears were definitely ringing.

    "You're not a replacement for Amu, nor would I want you to be. Amu is my daughter, and so are you. I love you both, and I won't pretend otherwise." Mom gave Miki a very gentle pat on the head, which turned into knuckles rubbing through the beret. Miki's eyes widened.

    "Mooooom," she mumbled, not even attempting to move away.

    "No, don't you mom me. Not until you've learned that you're not replaceable."

    "But-"

    "Do you think you're a burden, Miki? Is that it?"

    "What?" Miki's eyes were wide.

    "Because if so, then you should remember that we love having you. And we'll be happier with you here, not in danger. And if that's the problem, and you're just doing this for our sake, then please. Stop."

    "But I'm not-"

    "Then tell me why you want to put yourself in danger!" Mom's voice had risen. "I've had enough of this! I want a real explanation, or else neither of you is allowed out of the house until next year. And if Kana's in trouble, we can call the police. That's what they're there for."

    "We can't."

    "Why not?"

    "It's-" Miki paused, then looked at Amu.

    Amu shook her head, still not able to speak. Kana was a distant second in her mind right, a distant, almost unimportant thought. Mom was doing the right thing, but she didn't have the right idea. Miki didn't think she was a burden, Miki just thought—still thought—she'd go away. That her lifespan was limited, and-

    "I'm not really a person," said Miki. She was talking slowly, and her voice was low and quiet, a little bitter, and not like her at all. "I wasn't always this, uh... talkative. I mean, I was always a bit, um. Outspoken, I guess? But..."

    She couldn't listen to this.

    "Miki." She didn't mean to. "Shut up."

    "Amu..." Her mother's voice was soft.

    "Shut up," she said, again. Her hands were clapped over her ears. It wasn't helping. "Miki. Shut up. You're wrong. Just- just shut up, okay?"

    "I'm not," Miki mumbled, quiet enough that it sounded like she didn't consider the argument worth having.

    She was, though. Amu wasn't sure how to get it through to her.

    "I know what you're thinking," she said, voice rising, "Because I'm Ran and Su and Dia, too, not just Amu. I remember everything, the way you do. You- you're not a burden, or an illusion, or anything like that, Miki. And you're not going to go away, ever. So stop trying to- to- do stupid things. Like getting yourself shot at. That's- it's- dumb."

    "It's not," Miki said.

    "Yes it is!"

    "You were planning to go alone."

    "So?"

    "So?" Miki looked at her, and the pain in her eyes was almost physical. "Amu, you're my... you're the most important person to me, ever. More important than any of us. How can you not understand that?" She looked up at Mom as well, eyes pleading. "If Amu dies, we all die. If it's me, then it's just… me."

    "Nobody's dying!" Amu's voice broke. She grabbed Miki by the shoulders, wanting to shake her. "Stop- stop thinking like that! Because I'm- you're just as important, and- and-" She drew a deep breath. Mom seemed content to let them sort it out on their own, her expression pained, but that wouldn't last. Not with this sort of awfulness. "Mom's right. You're a person. So am I. Miki... do you remember when you were born?"

    "Not really." Miki looked away. She was lying.

    Amu remembered the egg. Remembered the first time she'd seen her. Miki running away, because she thought Amu didn't want her. She'd followed her, eventually. Amu had chased her… Amu had also told Ran to go away, and she remembered that from both sides.

    "But you remember meeting me," she continued, ignoring the pang in her chest. "Don't you?"

    Miki nodded.

    "Do you remember how you felt, the day you were born? The first time you woke up? What was it like? Were you scared? Confused? Happy?"

    Miki didn't answer.

    "Because I'm also Ran, and Su, and I remember everything," Amu continued, her voice soft. "'I'm Miki. Amu-chan's 'wanted personality'. But it's unclear if I can go on by myself. I'm at the point of vanishing…'" Amu trailed off. That was something Miki had told them a long time ago, the first time they met. Even if Miki had forgotten, it wasn't the sort of thing Amu forgot easily.

    She'd never treated her like an appendage... had she? That tiny, doll-like girl hiding in her eggshell. She'd been so timid and frightened. Miki had never been just a 'chara' to her.

    She drew a deep breath.

    "Miki," Amu repeated. "Please tell me. If we can't- if you're going to go away, tell me, so I can fix it. Because I didn't fight to get you back, just so you could vanish, okay?"

    "But I'm not- Amu, why are you so upset by this?" Miki sounded genuinely puzzled. "If visiting Kana is safe, then why does it matter who does it? And if it's not…"

    "Because I didn't get you back because I wanted my 'Shugoi Charas'," Amu retorted, her voice laced with a raw pain that belied her attempt at steadfastness. "I got you back because- because- I missed you. You're my sister. I don't want you to disappear, okay? Not ever. Not- not like that. I want you here, and- and..." She trailed off, burying her face in Miki's shoulder. It felt hot, and her nose was running.

    "Amu-chan..."

    "You're my best friend, Miki," she mumbled. "I'm counting Utau in that. You're the only one who's always believed in me, even when I was being dumb. You're the one who taught me how to draw, and- and-" Amu shook her head. "You can't- you can't think like that. You're not allowed. You can't. Because I'm- I'd cry forever. I can't- we can't lose you. Please don't make us lose you. Please."

    "Amu-chan." Miki was trying to argue. She wouldn't let her.

    "Shut up, Miki," she muttered. "Shut up and let me finish. Because you're not- you're not an appendage, or a replacement. You're you. Okay? And- and we're twins now. And you can't make decisions for me, okay? So you can't decide to go instead of me. Or to- to- just-"

    "Amu-chan," Miki repeated, and Amu didn't have the words to fill the air with. "And Mom. Listen, please. I used to be a chara, and those are only people because their hosts are people. Amu treats me like a real girl, but... it's not the same. I don't need to eat, or drink, and- um." She gave them a nervous smile. "The whole point of… this-" Miki gestured at her body, twin to Amu's own, "-I was thinking, maybe I could pretend? To be a person. Just like the two of you."

    Oh, bull.

    Amu pulled back, her pulse quickening. She gripped the side of the table.

    "That's not even remotely funny."

    "But I'm not joking?" Miki said. She made to continue, then trailed off, eyes falling on the table. The corner was splintering under Amu's grip. There was a loud crack-

    -which everyone there ignored, though Amu tried to at least relax her fingers. It wasn't easy.

    "Miki," their mother sighed. "Honey, what are you talking about? You are a person."

    "I'm really not," Miki muttered.

    Amu grimaced, and if she wasn't worried she'd break her like the table, would have tried to shake some sense into her. Yes, maybe that had been true once, years ago. But not now.

    "Yes, you are," she told Miki. "Just like Eru and Iru, or me, or Kukai. And- um. About what you said. If you could... pretend. To be a person." She hugged herself. "Don't say that. That's- That's not okay. Not when I'm right here."

    "But-"

    "No," Amu insisted.

    "You know charas aren't people," Miki said, her voice plaintive.

    "And you aren't a chara!" Amu snapped.

    "But I-"

    "Not anymore."

    Miki opened her mouth, then closed it and looked away. Amu was aware that her mother was staring at her, and her cheeks went red, but she didn't look away from Miki.

    "You're a person, okay?" Amu continued, her voice softer. "Just like the rest of us."

    "You are, and you're also my daughter," their mother said, stepping in. "And I'm not going to let you run into some disaster of a situation because you think you're worth less, and definitely not as a decoy. Do you understand?"

    "Yeah." Miki looked down, then up again. "But Amu's going to run in there and risk us anyway. I could do it instead of her."

    "Miki," Amu complained.

    "No," Mom said.

    "But-"

    "No," Amu said.

    "Furthermore, no," Mom agreed. "Miki-chan. Please. I can't pretend to understand everything you've been through. It's not fair of me to claim I do, and I'm not going to, but I know a teenage girl when I see one. I know my daughter when I see her. You're a person, and I love you, and I won't treat you as anything less than human."

    "I'm not really a human," Miki mumbled. "Not like the two of you."

    Mom exhaled. Her face was painfully drawn. She found Amu's hand, giving it a squeeze before continuing.

    "Then neither is Amu," she said. "Nor Utau. Nor the rest of your friends, as far as I can tell. I've never had children before, and I have to say- it's a challenge, especially knowing I can't understand what they've been through. But you know what?"

    "What?" Miki asked, looking up.

    "I don't need to." Mom's voice was gentle. "I love you both, and I'm happy with having you as daughters. Stop trying to categorise it as anything else." She smiled. "And if you ever try and pull a stunt like this again, you're grounded until graduation. No arguments."

    "Sorry," Miki whispered.

    "I know," Mom told her. She wrapped her arms around the girl and hugged her, holding her tight. "Just- don't do it again. Please. Because the thought of losing either of you... it's terrifying. And you don't need to prove anything."

    "Okay," Miki mumbled, leaning into her.

    "And the next time you feel like this, talk to us, all right?"

    Miki's nod was slow, hesitant.

    "I'll try."

    "Good," Mom said. She drew a deep breath. "We'll go shopping for a bunk bed tomorrow morning, Miki, and some other important bits. Clothes, too—I know you can make your own, but let me do this. Now. Let's see if we can figure out a solution to this mess, before either of you run off on me and get in trouble."

    She paused, arms still around Miki before turning her gaze on her oldest daughter.

    "Amu?"

    "Y-yes, Mom?"

    "Why are you so insistent you're the only one who can help Kana? Why is it dangerous, and why not the police? No deflections, please."

    = = =

    Ah, publicity; there's really nothing like it. You needn't worry that Kana will be left high and dry, as Amu came by her personality honestly, but there's a number of different ways this could go. Instead of just answering Midori's question, let's have a general vote on     how this should be approached.

    [ ] Deflect
    - You were literally asked not to.
    - Contested Socialise roll. Amu will almost certainly fail.

    [ ] Use an analogy
    - Does this     really count as not giving anything away?
    - Roll wits to make a good one. This has no storyline effect.

    [ ] Call in help. Mom will accept not knowing if you aren't the one to go. Probably.
    - [ ]     Who?
    - This is more true if you ask for help from an adult, or better yet JPs.
    - It's far less true if you put Utau or Tadase in harm's way.
    - Potentially a contested roll of… Manipulate + Socialize.

    [ ] Play the risk of death down. Realistically, checking Kana's house shouldn't be     that risky, right?
    - Would have been more believable earlier.
    - Contested roll, specifics depend on subvote; Manipulate + Socialize by default.

    [ ] Explain that you have a 'radar' ability, to check inside without actually entering. This is true, and if it's empty you won't have to enter, right?
    - Prepare for another argument if there     is a danger inside, because you aren't going to be able to leave it alone at that point.
    - [ ] Get Miki on side by promising (telepathically) that you will let her scout     invisibly if there's a need?

    [ ]     Write-in
     
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    • Thanks go to @Nero200 and @Quickshot0 for review. Sorry, Shadow, I sort of forgot and now it's too late in the night.

    This was never going to be a long one.

    <Midori> She's been a teenager for less than a month!
     
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    How's this?:

    [] The most important part of the truth: they don't trust anyone but you and each other. And they're not that sure about you.
    -[] The danger is that they especially don't trust people like JPs, and the entire country knows you've been talking to JPs. They don't know for sure that you didn't tell JPs anything about them.
     
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    Baughn said:
    "Why are you so insistent you're the only one who can help Kana? Why is it dangerous, and why not the police? No deflections, please."
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    Ugh.

    She's just not going to let this go, is she.

    Couple of questions before I post the stunt I'm thinking of:

    1. Were Amu's parents there at the birthday party when Kana attended?
    2. How easily would Precognition be able to tell if someone going to a particular house ends up with them getting injured/killed shortly after?
    3. How easily would Precognition be able to tell if police going to a particular house ends up with someone getting injured/killed shortly after?
    4. Would Midori also accept not knowing if Amu went along with someone else she thought was reliable (as opposed to just pushing it all onto the third party)?
     
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    PistachioCookies said:
    Ugh.

    She's just not going to let this go, is she.

    Couple of questions before I post the stunt I'm thinking of:

    1. Were Amu's parents there at the birthday party when Kana attended?
    2. How easily would Precognition be able to tell if someone going to a particular house ends up with them getting injured/killed shortly after?
    3. How easily would Precognition be able to tell if police going to a particular house ends up with someone getting injured/killed shortly after?
    4. Would Midori also accept not knowing if Amu went along with someone else she thought was reliable (as opposed to just pushing it all onto the third party)?
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    The horror of parents who care.

    Since it's come to this, I can let you in on a little secret about the 'publicity' bane: It adds very little publicity. What it did, instead, was remove the 'masquerade' trope. Cameras work, adults aren't idiots, and in general you can't rely on magical girl tropes letting children do their own thing.

    In combination with picking Miki as a boon, it opens the door to conversations like this... and allows Big Miki in the first place, as it would be very difficult to justify their parents not noticing a sudden addition to the family. I can hardly say 'impossible', but it wouldn't have happened nearly as automatically.

    Alas, then you need to cope with the consequences~

    1. They were there, but as the lack of mention indicates, not involved. They've seen Kana, and would probably recognise her.

    2. At 1 dot, precognition is essentially uncontrollable. It might give Amu a bad feeling about going there... it might not, and it wouldn't warn about a problem she's likely to overcome. Even if it's just 'likely'. Dia is the precog, really, not Amu. (Though, precog is troublesome in general; I can't really let you make it reliable, as that would make the story impossible to write!)

    3. Much harder. Tsukasa could possibly do this; his tarot readings are more controllable than Amu's 'raw' precognition. Though then you'd be talking to Tsukasa.

    4. It seems unlikely. Maybe, maybe if she went along as well, but I think Midori would like to keep Amu safe for now.
     
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    PistachioCookies said:
    She's just not going to let this go, is she.
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    Miki's suggestion has backfired. The context of this trip has shifted from "checking up on a friend" to "potential suicide mission". Midori isn't letting anyone go on this trip without a damn good reason. After all, "the thought of losing either of you... it's terrifying."

    I'm not sure we can get out of this with any of our secrets intact without just clamming up. The best option might just be "[] Fuck it, full disclosure." Any attempt at enough partial disclosure to satisfy Midori is likely to just turn into full disclosure anyway.

    Baughn said:
    Since it's come to this, I can let you in on a little secret about the 'publicity' bane: It adds very little publicity. What it did, instead, was remove the 'masquerade' trope. Cameras work, adults aren't idiots, and in general you can't rely on magical girl tropes letting children do their own thing.
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    On the other hand, people like Manticore should have a much harder time keeping their shit secret, if we manage to bring their existence to light.
     
    Baughn said:
    1. They were there, but as the lack of mention indicates, not involved. They've seen Kana, and would probably recognise her.

    2. At 1 dot, precognition is essentially uncontrollable. It might give Amu a bad feeling about going there... it might not, and it wouldn't warn about a problem she's likely to overcome. Even if it's just 'likely'. Dia is the precog, really, not Amu.

    3. Much harder. Tsukasa could possibly do this; his tarot readings are more controllable than Amu's 'raw' precognition. Though then you'd be talking to Tsukasa.

    4. It seems unlikely. Maybe, maybe if she went along as well, but I think Midori would like to keep Amu safe for now.
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    Oh, then it should all be fine.

    [X] Plan - Seeing Is Believing
    -[X] Call in help:
    --[X] Saeki Nobuko.
    ---[X] Your own mother apparently isn't willing to unconditionally trust her own daughter (which is a bit sad). But there IS one person you know Midori seemingly holds an irrational level of faith in - that old fortune teller, Saeki Nobuko, who writes a column for the magazine your mother is the editor of. Given they worked together, your mother almost certainly has Nobuko's phone number.
    ---[X] Saeki Nobuko may sound like a hack on TV, but her powers are very real. Way back from the very beginning, before you ever joined the Guardians, hearing her words was what led you to give birth to Ran, Miki and Su. Later on, when Ikuto disappeared, it was Saeki's powers of foresight which allowed the Guardians to find him again.
    ---[X] Ask your mother to call Saeki Nobuko and request a reading on what she foresees if police were to be called the Scavengers' property.
    ---[X] Then ask what she foresees if Midori Hinamori were to go to the property.
    ---[X] And then ask what she foresees when Amu goes there.
    --[X] Midori Hinamori.
    ---[X] Seeing is believing. If your mother insists in having a reliable adult accompanying Amu, she surely wouldn't object to it being herself. Your mother can draw her own conclusions when she gets there, rather than relying on anything Amu has to say.
    ---[X] You made a promise not to ask anybody for help or disclose the Scavengers' circumstances without first running it by them. So if your mother is that eager to help, even without your asking - she can go and ask them for the details herself and run herself by them. If the Scavengers want to lie to her face and convince her everything is fine... they are welcome to try.
    ---[X] When Kana was there at your birthday, there were few adults present. Your mother was one of the few - that freshly-baked cake didn't bake itself, after all. Kana will recognize her, perhaps Naomi too, if she was able to glimpse her before leaving. Whatever may be waiting there, your mother should be safe from the Scavengers at least.
    --[X] Miki.
    ---[X] In the case there's someone at the house who aren't the Scavengers, Miki can invisibly scout the property and help to protect everyone in the event that it should be needed.
    ---[X] Though, obviously, not by using herself as a bulletproof vest.

    Saeki may not be Tsukasa, but she's essentially the next best thing (at least who Amu can reach). Plus, Midori Hinamori actually knows her professionally, if not personally.

    Before anyone points out that Amu herself would be wary about getting her mother into trouble - that's the reason why I'm calling for a precog reading by Saeki first. I personally predict that Saeki would predict that police would be a bad idea, but Amu going would be good. I have no idea what she would say in regards to Midori going there and I also make no assumptions as to how Midori would react to whatever Saeki says. Proceeding to the part where we successfully invite Midori to come with Amu is an outcome I only expect to occur in the event that Saeki gives the green light and Midori also trusts her enough to believe it will be safe. In which case, it should be enough safe to bring her and let Naomi handle the mess of convincing her not to worry (or Midori to convince them to let her help).

    In every other case, all I'm actually hoping for an interrupt that gives us the benefit of extra information from Nobuko's reading.
     
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    [] The most important part of the truth: they don't trust anyone but you and each other. And they're not that sure about you.
    -[] The danger is that they especially don't trust people like JPs, and the entire country knows you've been talking to JPs. They don't know for sure that you didn't tell JPs anything about them.
     
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    [X] The most important part of the truth: they don't trust anyone but you and each other. And they're not that sure about you.
    -[X] The danger is that they especially don't trust people like JPs, and the entire country knows you've been talking to JPs. They don't know for sure that you didn't tell JPs anything about them.
     
    [X] The most important part of the truth: they don't trust anyone but you and each other. And they're not that sure about you.
    -[X] The danger is that they especially don't trust people like JPs, and the entire country knows you've been talking to JPs. They don't know for sure that you didn't tell JPs anything about them.
     
    Winged One said:
    How's this?:

    [] The most important part of the truth: they don't trust anyone but you and each other. And they're not that sure about you.
    -[] The danger is that they especially don't trust people like JPs, and the entire country knows you've been talking to JPs. They don't know for sure that you didn't tell JPs anything about them.
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    Pretty sure this counts as deflection and will result in Amu needing a Manipulation + Socialize roll contested by Midori that is all but guaranteed to fail.

    Which means it's essentially voting for full disclosure to Midori, as she will continue to press on why exactly they have such extensive trust issues and "especially don't trust people like JPs" and then pry out the fact they're being hunted by a government group.

    At that point, she will probably insist on coming with Amu at the minimum and if she's going to force herself along, I would at least like some early warning of what would happen if she did.
     
    PistachioCookies said:
    Pretty sure this counts as deflection and will result in Amu needing a Manipulation + Socialize roll contested by Midori that is all but guaranteed to fail.

    Which means it's essentially voting for full disclosure to Midori, as she will continue to press on why exactly they have such extensive trust issues and "especially don't trust people like JPs" and then pry out the fact they're being hunted by a government group.

    At that point, she will probably insist on coming with Amu at the minimum and if she's going to force herself along, I would at least like some early warning of what would happen if she did.
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    It's literally answering her questions, though?
     
    PistachioCookies said:
    It's not. It doesn't explain why it is dangerous and why the police area bad idea.

    Them not trusting people absolutely does not explain why there is a risk of anyone getting shot, which is Midori's main concern.
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    How does "they might think I've betrayed them to the psychic cops" not explain a risk of getting shot? :confused: Isn't it common sense that snitches get buried in ditches?
     
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    Winged One said:
    How does "they might think I've betrayed them to the psychic cops" not explain a risk of getting shot? :confused:
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    Uh. When normal teenagers don't trust someone, they generally don't start pointing guns at each other. At least not in Japan. They shout, they get into fistfights or catfights, they bully each other. The refuse to invite them to parties or sleepovers. Etc. Etc.

    When normal people don't trust the police, they just don't call them and stay as far away as possible.

    They usually don't respond by pulling out guns and shooting any police that show up outside their doorstep.

    Midori does not (yet) know that Kana is a murderer who habitually crushes people's brains by thinking at them. If she did, she wouldn't really need to be asking why it is dangerous for anyone other than Amu to visit.
     
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