[Monday morning: Audio, open]

[kazeninaru]

[Someone's feeling a lot better. Stage one of the disease, gone! Poof! She's also a bit flustered. Checking everywhere she thought she might find her partner is turning up nothing... so, here's the next option.

In Japanese, everyone hears:]

Michiru? Michiru, do you have your phone with you, or your communicator? I'm out of the hospital, and dialing you directly has given me nothing. Pick up your phone, would you?

[About ten minutes later, there's a second broadcast, this one in English:]

Has anyone seen Kaiou Michiru? She is a tall woman, with long wavy hair, colored green-blue, generally seen with me.

Comments

[Audio]

[evervarying]

Where did you last see her?

[Excuse the stupid question - Ashley doesn't speak Japanese.]

[Audio]

[kazeninaru]

[It's not an intuitive answer, anyway. Haruka's frustration when she answers isn't directed at Ashley, it's more just an expression of annoyance and a slowly growing sense of worry.]

Yesterday night, when she left the medical place. The sickroom. I have tried calling her phone, but there is nothing.

[evervarying]

Has she been sick?

[The image of someone stuck helpless amidst the chaos of the plague is...not a hard one to conjure, really.]

[kazeninaru]

No, that was me. I am feeling much better, but she had no symptoms. They would not show up so quickly, I think, would they?

[Nor would Michiru hide from her, if she was showing them, not with Haruka already getting over the whole thing.]

[evervarying]

Couldn't say. Sounded to me like they could hit hard and fast, but I'm not a doctor.

[Beat.]

Do you know her usual haunts?

[kazeninaru]

Yes. I have already been to them all. Unless she is trying to hide from me, she seems to have left the town.

[Or, she supposes, is buried in one of those sickrooms. She's sure she would've noticed if Michiru was getting sick, but... maybe she'd best check, just in case.]

[evervarying]

Huh. Know if there've been any raids from the dome recently?

It's possible she just got out - seems like a lot of people are - but it's better to rule out the worst cases first.

[kazeninaru]

Not that I have heard. No one has been in the hospital or sick houses with wounds, just the illness.

[Which would suggest no major raids. Besides, Haruka is moderately sure Michiru could take those soldiers just fine. Bandits, too, especially if they're outside.]

What do you mean "got out"?

[evervarying]

Out of town. You didn't hear that bottom-feeder urging everyone to make a run for it?

[kazeninaru]

No, I-- wait, I did. I remember that. But she would not have gone without telling me. We are partners.

[The thought that she might is actually painful. They've never done things separately, not since they found each other.]

[evervarying]

People do strange things in a crisis.

If you don't hear from her soon, I'll help you look.

[It's at least something to do.]

[kazeninaru]

[Though she's a bit taken aback by the offer, Haruka does reply, after a moment of trying to decide how to reply.]

Ah. Thank you. That is very kind. I will perhaps call you again if I have not found her later. What is your name?

[evervarying]

Ashley Williams. Good luck.

[kazeninaru]

Tenoh-- ah, Haruka Tenoh.

[She's getting a bit better with the English ordering, since everyone else seems to do it that way, here.]

It was good to speak with you. I will let you know in the future, then. Ja.

[And with that, she hangs up, to get back to the search.]