1011/Little Boxes

Little Boxes
Date of Scene:	16 January 2024
Location:	Nounamu Sweets
Synopsis:	Mamoru and then Kazuo come over to Nounamu Sweets to help fold boxes and generally do as they're told to help, and poor Chiyo can't get a break.
Cast of Characters:	Mamoru Chiba, Chiyo Sakai, Kazuo Saitou

---

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"Like this?" Mamoru holds up a box he's just finished folding: they're not hard to do, there are instructions and tabs and everything, but it does help being shown the way the first time. Now his first unaided box is on display for Chiyo and Kazuo both! Validation: he craves that mineral.

He'd shown up ahead of Kazuo, and it's a lovely afternoon, and he brought coffee for himself and Chiyo and Kazuo and her grandpa if he wanted any (if not it won't go to waste), and he acted like there had been Zero Embarrassment Earlier. He's still acting like that.

He's big on attempting to save people face.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Mr. Sakai had taken the coffee with a nod and murmer of thanks before just going back to his usual station at the front of the shop. They were still waiting for the repairman to come for the alarm system, and he could watch out for the repairman this way. (He was also figuring his grand daughter might not want her grandfather around possibly embarassing her around a young man.)

The coffee that Chiyo takes is sipped from with a look of appreciation. It wasn't often she drank coffee, but it was a nice little boost and change of pace to get her mind off of... Well. Everything. Stacks of unfolded boxes were stacked up on one side of a prep table, and she sits on one side while Mamoru sits on the other. The boxes they make can be set to the opposite side.

Chiyo looks up to nod in approval at the box with a smile. "Perfect, just like that." A few more are deftly folded without thinking about it. She really could just do it without looking.

After a bit of silence between them she quietly offers, "I'm sorry if I made things awkward earlier, Mamoru-kun."

Kazuo Saitou has posed:
Kazuo was just a little behind. Is just a little behind. Is regarding Mamoru's box from the doorway - it's just as well that her grandfather's seen him with her before, and the hair's hard to forget. Steps inside quietly to --

Oh. Oh no. There is no way to make this less awkward.

So he forges ahead. "I don't think you made anything awkward," he says. "The whole situation is awkward, and I'm sorry for that, but none of it's your doing."

The aforementioned hair is bound back neatly, and netted, and he moves to wash hands fiercely before coming to join the other two properly. (The net may possibly look just a little ridiculous on him. That's fair, they look ridiculous on most people.)

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
There's a moment of frozen where Mamoru's glancing at Chiyo saying that alongside watching Kazuo step in even more awkwardly than before, and he can't help cringing a little. "Sorry! He only just stepped in!"

He hurriedly puts the box down and holds out a coffee for Kazuo, then hides in his own for a second while Kazuo talks, and then he puts his coffee down and focuses very hard on folding another box. While blushing.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Oh no. When she heard Kazuo was running late, Chiyo had rather hoped she'd at least have enough time to apologize properly to Mamoru. Instead she hears his voice from behind her. For the first time in a long time she fumbles the box she was folding ending up leaving a crease in the corner incorrectly. A single deep breath is taken as she calmly folds it in half twice, and drops it to the side in a little bin meant for mistakes or just random trash that might pile up from box folding.

Her own hair is pulled back into a tight bun at the nape of her neck, and she has blue nitrile foodsafe gloves on. Just because folding boxes really did dry the hands out after awhile as well as wanting to be clean.

The apology from Kazuo and Mamoru gets a little shake of her head. "It's okay. Before anything else, you're both my friends."

In an effort to lighten the mood a bit she jokes, "It's not any worse than fake-dating Koji-kun."

Kazuo Saitou has posed:
Coffee is accepted. Coffee is even drunk from, instead of just holding it forever. Then coffee is set aside and Kazuo hunts in his satchel, takes out matching gloves in his size, pulls them out of packaging and puts them on.

"I think," he says, tone matching Chiyo's joking one, "that the entire dating scene at this school has somehow been coordinated for maximum confusion. Maybe there's some weird spirit setting things up and snickering from just out of sight."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"I got scolded for flirting nonstop with Sailor Moon when everyone knew she was dating Darien Shields, but that wasn't remotely the only configuration of scolding there. I'm positive we're not the only ones who caused that kind of ruckus, though," Mamoru says, but he doesn't sound as positive as he says he is. He sounds like he's trying to convince himself.

Then he pauses, setting the second box aside and picking up a third, starting to fold it, still a little red but recovering as long as he doesn't look up. "She said it's fine if it's Kazuo. We talked about it before we were even officially a thing. And we," he gestures between himself and Kazuo with the folded box, "are still figuring stuff out. I haven't been free for very long."

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai lets out a small breath at Kazuo's remark about everything being confusing. "Very," she has to agree with a little chuckle. "Maybe that's some secret plan no one knows about yet. Confuse us all so we're distracted."

Though she keeps her gaze downturned for now, focusing on the boxes, her face was just a little red. Not so much she couldn't manage though. There was still that thing to do though... "Um, you fold them like this," she offers while slowing down her progress so that Kazuo can see. Likely he would have picked it up regardless. "Thank you both for coming out to help."

Breifly she pauses at Mamoru's issues with the whole double/triple identity thing. "I never scolded you. I just... thought Usagi was having trouble making up her mind, or something. I wanted to talk to her about it as a concerned friend."

At least it causes her to quirk a grin. "It made so much more sense once I found out you were also Hematite."

Kazuo Saitou has posed:
Whether or not he'd have picked it up regardless, Kazuo pays close attention to Chiyo's hands, glancing back to his own as he follows along, copying her movements. "It's a pleasure to be able to help," he answers her thanks. "You and your grandfather deserve better than you've been getting lately, and evening the scales even a little is a privilege."

... and then she says that things made so much more sense once she found out Darien - Mamoru - was also Hematite, and there is a moment when all Kazuo can do is duck his head suddenly and try to stifle a snicker. A snicker at Mamoru, mind you, not at Chiyo. "That sentence exists in the world now," he says to the other boy. "Sorry about that."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"Oh not you! I actually literally got scolded by two different girls and also someone at Obsidian," Mamoru reassures Chiyo. "You were very nice about it. I mean I also got scolded for being Hematite--"

He shifts his weight and reaches out a leg to nudge Kazuo's shin in protest, wounded dignity writ large on his face. Bold of him to assume he has dignity.

He folds another box studiously, primly.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai glances up to watch the interaction between the two as Kazuo snickers, and Mamoru nudges him. If she wasn't certain there was a connection between them before she would have been after that. It does cause her to smile a bit at least as they were clearly just being playful with one another.

"Thank you," she murmers again at the assurance that helping out was just setting things right. Another box is set aside before reaching to pluck up another to work on. "Ojiisan raised me. I don't know who my father is, and my mother is so focused on her work that ... I doubt she'd step in to take his place. She's had that chance so many times and never..." A bit of hurt anger is in her voice so she just lets it trail off. "I was really, really worried for a lot of reasons."

"Even so, I shouldn't have lost my temper as much as I did the other night. If you, and Usagi and the others hadn't been there, I really don't know if I would have stopped."

All of that is said as calmly as she can until she finally pauses to look up at Kazuo with a wan smile. "Don't think you and Mamoru being together is going to get you out of sharing that baklava recipe though. I'm holding you to that."

Kazuo Saitou has posed:
Kazuo's shin is nudged. Kazuo solemnly returns his attention to box-folding. He's not nearly as practiced as Chiyo, but the first couple are precise, and he gains assurance and therefore speed quickly.

"I understand," he says quietly to Chiyo about her family. "I'm lucky enough that my mother isn't as focused, but ... when I was very small, my grandmother came to help, so my mother could go back to work."

He breathes out, slow, not toward the boxes. "When you're angry for good reason - when you're angry because you need to protect people you love - it's very hard to keep it under any kind of control. After all, if you don't protect them well enough, something terrible might happen. The other night - you did stop. You were able to recognize when you could stop safely, and do it. Getting better at it is a good idea, sure. But you got the important part, the hard part, absolutely right."

And then she lightens the tone deliberately, and Kazuo lets his pale eyebrows twitch upward at her look. "Of course you are," he says. "Do you have something dedicated to rolling out pastry sheets already? I can probably talk my mother into lending you ours to practice on, if not - with me in the dorms it's not going to see any use - but if we don't have to move it, no reason for it to take up space."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Mamoru is getting faster, but Kazuo's already outstripped him in speed -- he hasn't lapped him in boxes yet, but he certainly will in short order. He listens, watching their faces as they talk, falling into the rhythm of companionship when other people are carrying conversation and he doesn't have to. Another box finished, and he smiles, putting it on the closest pile.

"I get to eat some baklava, right?" is his eventual contribution, as he folds another box.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai slows in her box folding as she considers what equipment she may have here that would be suitable for philo dough. "We have rolling pins of course, and the fridge for chilling." She twists to regard further into the shop where the lights are a bit dimmer. There were more lights she could turn on easily but they weren't necessary for folding boxes.

"Hang on..." She steps to the side, reaching up to flip on some light switches. There's a momentary hum of electricity before the lights fully ping on showing the entire kitchen. Including several long prep tables, an honest to god brick oven, as well as a modern one.

"Would this area work?" She asks with a grin gesturing over her shoulder. Mamoru's question earns a quick laugh. "Of course! Got to have taste testers for a new recipe. Well, new to me at least."

Kazuo Saitou has posed:
"It would work," Kazuo says firmly, with a hint of a grin at the revelation of the ovens. "But we are not going to make you suffer with rolling pins, and -- unless you've got a roller dedicated to wheat dough on hand already. I'll haul the one we use over when you're ready. A one-way trip with it is easier than doing even one batch completely by hand. You can go that way for the complete experience after you've gotten enough practice in that it won't all end in tears." ... the ripping kind of tears, if nothing else.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai opens her mouth to protest the usefulness of a rolling pin. She doesn't get far as she considers the benefits of a machine versus hand rolling laminated sheets of wheat dough. "That's a good point. We can definitely bring it here, I'm sure Ojiisan wouldn't mind at all. And," she adds with a little sheepish grin, "We do have a truck for getting deliveries. I don't really know how to drive though. I'm sure we could find someone to if we need."

Kazuo Saitou has posed:
There are reasons Kazuo uses the term 'suffer.' Those reasons may originate in his grandmother's kitchen. "It's not a commercial model," Kazuo says quickly, just to reassure. "I think between us we can manage without the truck. It's just awkward-sized, not big." Gloved hands lift away from the box process to gesture loose dimensions, which look like they would be heavy if the widget didn't involve a lot of airspace instead of metal. "You have a truck?" That sounds more impressed than it has a right to be. They have a business. Need for transport happens.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
"It's not a *big* truck," Chiyo assures with a sheepish laugh at the tone he mentions it with. "Just a Toyota. It helps us haul things when we need ingredients. Or when Ojiisan wants to bring in more plants or dirt for the garden in the back."

Her hand lifts to rub at her chin thoughtfully considering the size that he suggests the roller is. "That's not too bad. I should be able to carry it without problem. If it's too big I might need help balancing it though."

"Unless Mamoru knows how to drive? Weren't you friends with that tall guy that drove the fancy car?"

Kazuo Saitou has posed:
"Or at the very least someone to hold doors," Kazuo agrees. "But we should be able to get it over one way or another. I'll just need to get my mother to convince herself she wants the counter space. That should take about three seconds, she really doesn't have much." A breath of a pause. "How is the garden doing, by the way?"

Tall guy? Fancy car? He glances blankly at Mamoru. Nope, he missed that one.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Mamoru, continuing to make boxes, also makes a face. "Me? When would I have had a chance to learn?" He can drive in theory. He will not admit it. "It's true, though, Masato can drive. But I'm pretty sure you won't need his expertise, unless you're just hoping for a ride in a fancy car with a roller in the trunk," he teases.

He puts another box on the pile and takes another flat one to start folding up.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai looks just marginally embarassed at mention of riding in the fancy car. She, too, had been taken by it when he showed up on campus that one time. Though she wasn't sure why now that she thought back on the situation. "Oh, well. I thought if you didn't know how to drive then maybe he might be able to. That's a lot to ask someone to do though, I guess."

Grinning back toward Kazuo she just nods letting her gaze linger a moment before looking to the back of the shop where the door to the back garden was. "It's... A bit rough. There's a little bit of, ah, lightning damage mostly. Not that I blame her at all. It did help. Plus the wall is being rebuilt, and the greenhouse. It's mostly intact. At least lightning is a decent excuse for all the damage!"

Kazuo Saitou has posed:
"Masato can drive?" Kazuo asks with an amused mock-wariness. "How many fancy cars has he gone through courtesy getting distracted by the inside of his own head?" ... yes. Yes, be concerned about the man thinking too much to pay attention to traffic, not about the recent dose of evilling. Clearly that's the problem.

To Chiyo, he says, "Don't be too concerned about things being a lot to ask of him. I suspect he's going to be willing to do a great deal for people for the near future." At least, if guilt is much of a driver.

And then he exhales, over the garden damage. "At least," he says, "isn't lightning good for soil? Or something like that? I ... should remember more about earth science, but the parts that have to do with ecology sort of slipped my mind after the tests."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"He could, but I don't... know where his head is at right now," Mamoru says, glancing away. Looking down. At the box he's folding. And then Kazuo swims up with that amusement, and Mamoru looks to him, a little wry. "He's not generally a bad driver, but... he did hit Luna once. That was why she was in a cast at the cookout we had in the woods. So I wouldn't necessarily say he's a good driver either."

Then he waves a hand a little. "Ask him to do anything you want and tell him Mamoru said to do it, see how far it gets you. It might work as long as you don't get too outlandish." A glance at Kazuo as Mamoru puts another box on the pile. "What even counts as earth science?"

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai jerks her head over toward Mamoru when he mentions this Masato had hit Luna. "HE'S the one that hit her!? I had to make so much bacon mochi to feed to her so she could heal quicker! It was mostly to distract Usagi with eating it so I could feed a few to Luna, of course, but..." She trails off with a shrug as she frowns recalling that entire situation. That was when she had outed herself to Usagi as a magical girl completely.

Turning back to the table she flips a few boxes open and into 'built' status in an irritated way. It's energy that's quickly burnt off at least in favor of taking a deep breath. "I'm not sure on the soil. I never was good at gardening, that was Obachan and Ojiisan."

Lifting an eyebrow at Mamoru, looking quite amused, she assures him, "I promise I won't abuse your boys good will."

Kazuo Saitou has posed:
Healing bacon mochi. "You're supposed to dissuade people from getting hurt, not reward them for it," Kazuo teases Chiyo gently. Very gently, because he doesn't want that irritation turning on him. Not more than she already has reason to, at least.

A pause, and then he eyes Mamoru. "As far as I can tell, 'anything that isn't outright biology.' I stopped trying to find a reason for it when they decided that astronomy counted."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"He used up a lot of magic to save her, too," Mamoru says, "from what I understand. But you have bacon mochi. I want bacon mochi now." A beat. "I'm sorry."

He folds folds folds. He's at least a little faster now, too. He glances at Kazuo again, eyebrows up. "Biology is also obviously earth science. You know what isn't?"

Mamoru leans in and says, like it's a big secret, "Xenobiology."

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai cracks a grin at the lighter joke about rewarding people. At the very least she didn't seem upset by the joke. A good thing. "It's the only way I can heal and purify people, unfortunately. Which doesn't really work on enemies. I mean what am I going to do?" A hand waves in the air lightly with a crinkle of her nose. "Pin someone down and force-feed them? It does help my friends though."

A wry grin is flashed toward Mamoru with a shrug. "Sorry, it's not a usual for the shop. I had to think of something I could cook while transformed that a cat coudl eat being an obligate carnivore."

The stack of boxes that are folded has grown in size. It's regarded a moment before sighing. "I guess we could take a snack break, though."