You lean back, frowning at the ceiling and sinking into the cushions of the sofa as you think it over. Noriko and Akemi's offer is... one that solves a lot of problems, you have to admit. And they're right that having the Soujus nearby means that not only can you easily keep an eye on them, it also means you'll be able to
talk to them: both to try and help them understand what they did wrong, and maybe to try and learn their Grief dissipation technique.
There are a few problems that might have to be addressed ahead of time, but none insurmountable, you feel.
Also, the ceiling is
meticulously clean. Oriko and Kirika's work, you suppose?
"
It... would solve a lot of problems if that's something you're willing to take up," you admit as you sit back up to smile at Noriko and Akemi. "
But you should
know one more thing about them before you make that decision."
"
Ah, go on?" Noriko says.
"
They seem to have this disgust
with bodies in general," you say. "
It's partially grounded in their... I don't want to say psychosis
, but it's the closest word I can think of. It's partially grounded in their psychosis about Soul Gems being tarnished with Grief. And, well, given your Wish, Miss Watanabe..."
You give Noriko a meaningful look, and she looks back at you with two pairs of eyes. One bottle green, one topaz yellow, framed in turn by hime cuts of yellow and green. One soul in two bodies.
She nods slowly in turn, her expressions turning thoughtful as she looks to Akemi, the two of them sharing a silent conversation without even resorting to telepathy. A tilt of the head, a quirk of an eyebrow, a smile, a softness to their expressions you can't help but look away from, for fear of intruding on something quite so personal...
... you can't help but wonder if you and Mami look as sappy when you do that.
"
We are willing to do our best," Noriko says finally, turning back to you. "
And... I think that we're in a good position to do it, as I said.
"
But we'll be mindful of our limits and avoid pushing the matter too hard if we are unable to surmount the, ah, challenges presented by the Soujus," Akemi adds firmly, dark eyes giving you a direct look.
"
That's more than reasonable," you say with a nod. And you mean it. Being cautious about something like this is completely understandable. "
And if it comes to that, we'll figure out some alternative arrangement. That said... well, I usually do a morning check-in with my friends every morning. Would you like to be included? Granted, you can just call me anytime, but a regular check-in migh-"
"
Don't do it," Sayaka says sharply, sitting bolt-upright with eyes blazing. "
For your own sakes. Save yourselves before it's too late."
"
... what do you mean, Miss Miki?" Akemi asks cautiously.
"
Sabrina is a morning person
." Sayaka whispers it like a damning indictment, with every trace of sincerity on her face... for all of two minutes, before it bleeds off into a smirk. "
Also, the morning check-in comes at like six thirty. Every weekday morning."
"
Ah," Akemi says, exchanging a look with Noriko. "
That... is
a little early."
"
I was going to get to that," you grouse, flicking a cookie crumb at Sayaka and ignoring the snickers filtering through telepathy. "
But yeah. Mami and I wake up early, since she has to go to classes andsodoesSayakadon'tlistentoherliesshe'sjustbadatmornings, and I do the check-in with my friends. Would you like to be included?"
Sayaka flicks her own cookie crumb back at you, and you catch it with Grief. No reason to mess up the Kures' nice clean floor, after all. It takes a moment for Noriko and Akemi to finish another silent conversation and speak up again, Akemi nodding slightly.
"
We appreciate the offer," she says. "
But we wouldn't want to intrude."
"
You wouldn't be intruding," you say. "
Still, I understand. Maybe later in the day?"
"
That would be fine," Akemi says.
"
Alrighty, I'll figure something out then," you say, and take in a deep breath. "
With the subject of the Soujus themselves dealt with, next topic: the Soujus' victims."
"
Niko's volunteered to help!" Kazumi says. "
I said that, right? I think I said that..."
"
You did," you say.
Mami swallows a giggle, an expression of fond melancholy stealing across her face for a moment. You rest your hand on hers, and she turns a smile on you, interlacing your fingers together and squeezing gently. Kazumi
was one of Mami's students, after all.
"
Oh, good!" Kazumi says happily, ignorant of the byplay. She's still in Asunaro, after all, all the way on the opposite coast of Japan. "
Niko'd kill me if I didn't."
"
... yes, anyway," you say. "
Uh. Where was I... ah. What comes after
that is going to be... a bit of a logistical challenge. We're going to have multiple girls to house temporarily and return to their homes if at all possible, and possibly find them long-term lodging if it isn't."
"
Unfortunately, I do not think I can accommodate them." Yuki's the first to respond. "
We are not... lacking for room or comforts, but we lack the skill to handle potential trauma of the sort they may have faced. We could certainly house
them, but care for them..."
"
Yeah, I get it," you say. Unspoken, of course, is the fact that she's currently running Constellation's temporary incarceration facility. It's not exactly an ideal association to be made. "
Though I should say that my fallback option for the short-term would be hotel rooms somewhere here in Mitakihara, and we'd be able to talk them through it, I hope. It's... serviceable, I think, but not much more than that."
"
Ah... well, we do have a few extra rooms still," Noriko says. "
Especially, ah, if the Soujus decide to stay as a Soul Gem. But by the same token, it probably isn't viable to put them and their victims in the same space."
"
I could
wrangle Nakano Corp to make some more property investments in Mitakihara," Mika notes. "
But it won't be fast. Might I suggest that Miss Shizuki's hand might help here?"
Akemi blinks, her eyes flickering to you, then to Mika's portrait as she evidently makes a few mental connections.
"
Possibly, yeah, and..." you frown slightly. "
Hm. Yeah, I could ask her about it, and, sorry, uh... Miss Tsuruya, Homura hasn't gotten back to you about setting up a claim for you here in Mitakihara yet, has she?"
"
Nothing further beyond expecting to have a location ready for you this week," Yuki says.
"
Right, uh..." you say, drumming the fingers of your free hand against your thigh. "
Sorry, my mind's running a dozen different tracks at the moment. Uh. OK. We might need to prevail upon you for transport, Miss Tsuruya, and I'm going to talk to Homura about having a temporary claim for you in Mitakihara until she can get a proper location for you. Is that possible?"
"
It would be," Yuki agrees cautiously. "
It does
need to be a proper building, though..." She hesitates. "
Something as simple as a shed could work, but a building that could be a home
would be ideal."
"
Right..." you say, frowning. "
OK, I'll come back to that in a moment, because, uh - Kazumi, are we coming to you, or is Niko coming to us?"
"
You'll come to us," Kazumi says promptly, then her voice brightens. "
... ooh! You're coming over to us! But, um, yes! Niko's lab is here."
"
Right, right," you say. No matter how you try to square it, there's going to be
some doubling back on your route today, it seems, but that's acceptable. It's just a question of how you want to order things, really. "
And I..."
You trail off, frowning.
"
OK, this is
a bit more of a tangent, but uh. Miss Tsuruya, you've indicated that you want to claim buildings as your holdings in other countries, right?" you say, frowning. "
And as far as you know, you have no range limit on your claims?"
"
Indeed so, to both," Yuki says. You get an impression of the curious tilt to her head incongruously cute for someone so ferociously professional. "
Are you planning on making a trip somewhere?"
"
No- I mean, yes, but not in the immediate
future," you say. "
But my brain just derailed onto a slight tangent, so... I mean, OK. I'm... pretty sure I can get us into space without issue. I mean, it's just a matter of going straight up, since I don't actually care that much about matching orbital velocity."
"
Soooooooo space station?" Kazumi asks.
You blink.
"
I mean, you were talking about buildings. And space!" Kazumi says. "
Sorry if I ruined the big reveal."
"
... nah, it's fine," you say. "
But yes. Space station, or possibly a moonbase, and quite possibly in the near future. Would that be possible, Miss Tsuruya?"
"John Madden?" Kirika mutters under her breath.
"No," you say firmly, pointing at her while failing to stifle the grin threatening to crack your firm disapproval.
Sayaka blinks at Kirika.
"
I admit, I'm not sure. I'll admit I'm less certain about a space station as opposed to a base on the moon, in the same way that I'm doubtful about being able to claim a ship as opposed to an oil rig," Yuki says slowly. "
But I would be delighted
to make the attempt. On all four types of structure, if only to explore the limits of my magic."
"
Right, fair enough, though I'd make the argument that a space station is
conceptually more similar to an oil rig than a ship," you say, waving your hand vaguely. "
But yes. No reason not to shoot for the literal moon here, I suppose. I'll figure out what's practical and bring it up with everyone sometime in the near-ish future, then, and... OK, look, if we build a moonbase, we're naming it the Moon Kingdom, right?"
"
Yes, certainly," Yuki agrees without any trace of irony.
"
Yes!" Kazumi says.
"
As if any option were on the table," Mika observes.
"
Duh," Sayaka says.
Akemi snickers, nodding.
"Oh, Sabrina," Mami says, smiling fondly at you even as she contributes a cheerful, "
Of course."
Kyouko groans, burying her face in her hand while placing the other on Yuma's head in a decidedly futile effort to try and stop her from bouncing eagerly on the sofa and cheering. All she actually succeeds in is trapping a green-tinged blur on the sofa as Yuma vibrates in excitement.
"
Dibs on Uranu-" Kirika chokes the rest of the sentence off, mouthing several words to herself before shaking her head decisively. "
Dibs on being
Sailor Uranus! Oriko will be Sailor Neptune, of course."
"
Motion passes, then," you say, and raise an eyebrow. "
Though we're only calling
the moonbase that, because we're not
planning a hostile takeover of the world or anything like that, right, Sayaka?"
She snickers, waving her hand at you.
"
I know, I know, it was a joke," she says. "
Ruling the world sounds like too much trouble, anyway."
"
Amen," Kazumi says cheerfully.
"
Right, good," you say. "
So. To sum up: the Soujus will be going with Miss Saito and Miss Watanabe, to stay in Mitakihara, of course. Niko will be helping re-embody their victims, and... Kazumi, do we have an estimate on how long the re-embodying process might take?"
"
Sec!" Kazumi says.
You all wait patiently, and a moment later, you feel a new presence join the mental call.
"
As little as a day, as long as, mm, a week," Niko says crisply. "
I've got theories, but I've never attempted it in earnest. I've never had cause
to attempt it in earnest, thankfully."
"
Alright," you say. "
I'll have temporary lodgings available, then, as well as sorting out the, ah, transport network, if Miss Tsuruya is amenable?"
"
Of course," Yuki agrees. You can
hear the wolfish grin she's wearing at the moment. "
All things considered, having a link to Mitakihara seems both convenient and prudent."
"
Speaking of travel," Mika says. "
Miss Vee, I realize that this is short notice, but do you think you could arrange a meeting between myself and Miss Shizuki today? I believe that together, we might be able to make something happen vis-a-vis our sudden need for housing - if not immediately, then certainly in a less... ad-hoc manner. Hotel rooms would be suitable in the short term, but not, perhaps, in the future."
[X] Talk to Homura and Hitomi about the acquisition of a building for Yuki
[X] Really quickly finish off the previous topics:
--[X] You're planning on heading to Kyoto and Kyushu tomorrow to talk to the Murasaki Shrine Maidens and Kagoshima Group. Does anyone want to pass a message along or attend?
--[X] Note that you *do* have contacts in Touhoko and Rissho Universities, for law students.
[] Any other business?
[] Get to work!
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)
=====
Ugh, this one took too long. Sorry about that.
