1111/Tada, Candy!

Tada, Candy!
Date of Scene:	12 February 2024
Location:	Nounamu Sweets
Synopsis:	Chiyo helps Tadase buy some candy.
Cast of Characters:	Chiyo Sakai, Tadase Hotori

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Chiyo Sakai has posed:
It was February 12th. Two days until Valentine's Day. To say the shop was busy was an understatement! There was a bit of a lull at the moment which meant that the staff was doing their best to restock and quick. The part-timer boy that worked there was sweeping behind the counter and spot cleaning with a cloth any finger prints on the case, while Ojiisan was filling boxes with his Wagashi.

Chiyo? It's hard to immediately see her behind the stack of filled boxes she was carrying carefully to the front. The stack towers over her head, likely heavily, as she balances it on one arm tucked in against her elbow and shoulder for balance. Her free hand pulls from the top to slide the decorative boxes into their spots on the shelves.

A bit of her hair had fallen into her face from the topbun she usually kept it in, and she blows her bangs aside with a puff of breath.

Tadase Hotori has posed:
    The door opens and a blonde-haired boy walks in, looking over his shoulder (at something Chiyo, but not the rest of the workers, can see.) for a moment, before stepping up to the calendar. The tiny little fairy with the crown and purple hair presses their face against the display glass, looking at the sweets with big, big eyes.

    The blonde boy makes a bit of an act of looking at the sweets there, but it's obvious that the person actually -looking- and the one who's decision he's waiting for - is the far smaller of the two. "Can I grab..." he pauses.

    Kiseki floats up to Tadase and says "I want the imagawayaki!" he says excitedly.

    "Can I have two of the imagawayaki, please?" he asks, with a polite smile as he pulls out his wallet. The little fairy looks like it's practically vibrating with excitement.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai looks over toward the jingle of the door bell when Tadase enters to offer a cheerful, "Welcome to Nounamu Sweets. I'll be right with you," she assures as the last few boxes are deftly slid into place. At least the armful she had been carrying were apparently being set into the same area so it's a quick process.

Her hands dust off on her apron quickly as she moves to the side of the case. A sidelong glance is cast at Kiseki as she passes by though she doesn't turn her head toward him. Really it was surprising how many magical sorts showed up here, and she was used to seeing the occasional mascot. This was a new one for her but at least it wasn't Kyubey.

That thing creeped her out.

"Would you like that for here or to go? We have free tea for refreshment if you'd like. It's Jasmine Green Tea today which would go well with the imagawayaki."

It's now she finally glances up to smile at Tadase taking a good look at him as she does. "We also offer discounts for Radiant Heart students. I don't think I've seen you in here before though?"

Tadase Hotori has posed:
     Tadase looks back at the girl, pausing for a moment. Eventually (it's not too long, really, he's just very impatient) Kiseki floats up and tugs, phsyically, on Tadase's cheek. "Ow - For here, please." He says, and doesn't give her the glare he wants to give his small personality shard. "Oh, the tea does sound wonderful. Also... yeah I'm getting a lot of that." He says, scratching the back of his neck a bit nervously.

    "I think it's because we're in different grades, though. The school is so huge it's hard to even know everybody in your own grade." he admits. "Tadase Hotori, I'm on the Student Council for grade 8." He says. "I don't recognize you either, to be honest, and you're probably a bit older than me. So I bet that's why. I know most of the people in Grade 8 and 9." he admits.

    "I've got a student ID if the uniform doesn't count, though." Oh of course he wants that discount, it's not like HE has a part time job.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
When Tadase doesn't respond immediately, and instead stares at her, Chiyo starts to feel a little embarassed. It wasn't as if people stared at her often. The urge to check herself in the reflection of the case comes as she wonders if there's something on her face. Surely it wasn't anything else, right? She's starting to blush just a bit by the time Kiseki pinches him into awareness.

"Here, perfect. Let me get that on a plate for you." Her steps take her to the side as she grasps some tongs to pull two of the treats out. The first goes flat on the plate while the second is leaned up at an angle against it so that it makes a nice presentation.

"I'm Chiyo Sakai, grade ten. That explains why, then," she agrees as they were a bit apart in age. "Plus I admit I don't really participate in school events a lot. I'm only in manga club and flower arrangement--Though I think that one is on the brink of dissolving due to lack of interest."

The plate is sat down on the counter for him to take along with a fork and rolled napkin. All nice and neat and tidy. Again she smiles, shaking her head as she assures, "I believe you. Our school colors are kind of unique after all." Orange. Really? And blue? Though at least the muted orange wasn't too bad.

Glancing up toward him again she seems to consider a moment, before asking, "Would you mind if I joined you while I take my break? It's always nice to meet new students." And if he agrees she glances over her shoulder toward the older man there. "Ojiisan, I'm going to take a break."

Tadase Hotori has posed:
    "Yeah, I guess unless you were a RHA student you wouldn't really consider this uniform." he admits, tugging at it idly. "At least it's not like, weird tartan print or something." he says with a shrug as he watches her plate the treats - albeit not with the same energy that Kiseki seems to. But the attention to detail is nice and very memorable. "Please, I'd be delighted to." he says politely.

    As they sit down, Tadase breaks off a bit and sets it to the side. He takes a bite of some of it, but the rest sits on the tray - it's for the smaller one, and a mundane would probably not notice (or their brain would tell them they didn't) as it started to vanish, the little King chara taking bites that frankly should send him into a sugar coma by relative size. "Oh, this is like, really good." he says after a moment, and that's his own opinion. "I see why people talk about this so glowingly. I figured it was just, you know... kids and sugar." Kids and fairies.

    "I guess you're going to be doing a heck of a business for Valentine's day, lots of girls coming by to pick up chocolates?" he asks. "And then White Day not too long after."

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai gets herself a cup of tea before sitting down. It really was nice to take a break even if a small one after all. Her fingers wrap around the cup that was a nicer version of the ones out for guests. It wasn't that they didn't appreciate their guests, but this one was easier to identify as 'hers' through her shift all day rather than having to constantly get a new one. The ones for guests were all a plain white matched set. This was a traditional clay one with the design of mountains on it.

"Thank you. I'm glad you like it. The store's been in the family for three generations, so we follow traditional recipes and try to showcase the flavors of the ingredients as much as their sweetness."

The tea cup is raised between her hands to sip enjoying the warmth a moment. "Mmhmm. It's been very busy. We do chocolate year round but never at this level. Usually we focus on more traditional sweets. I've been up late making trays for the past few weeks to prepare," she admits with a chuckle, and glance toward the boxes they were loading up. "We don't usually have many left after Valentines day, but the few we do we put out at discount as 'friendship boxes' then."

Tadase Hotori has posed:
    Chiyo can clearly hear the little fairy whisper "Hey, friend chocolates! I'm your FRIEND!" to Tadase at the mention of discounted chocolate. Tadase mostly ignores him.

    Instead he nods along with Chiyo's comments about the upcoming holidays. "Yeah, I heard you telling your grandfather you were taking this break - so I figured it was a family operation." he says with a smile. "Which explains how it's so good. Something passed down like that, a family tradition, across generations... it's the source of amazing things." he says. "I envy you being able to work with your grandfather." he says, after a brief pause.

    "And to be busy is better than the alternative, right? Being involved in people's ability to share their heartfelt feelings through your work, through your chocolate... you're responsible for making a lot of people very happy, even if they never thank you or know how late you've stayed working." he says, looking up for a moment. "And getting to work with your family to do it."

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai either isn't aware of the little fairy or just doesn't react to him. Her attention is fixed on Tadase to the point that maybe, just maybe, she can't see him? It may seem that way at least for now.

A slow smile spreads as she looks back to her tea with a single nod. "It is great getting to help out and work with Ojiisan. I really do take pride in what I do. I know it may not seem like much, but.. I'm happy doing it. Plus," she adds looking up again. "I get to see others enjoy what I make, too."

"After Valentines Day I'll be holding some wagashi making classes if you're interested at all. I haven't figured the exact date yet but a lot of people have expressed interest. I mean," she hastens to add with a soft chuckle. "If that's something you might want to try. It can be fun to learn how to make them, too, and useful if you ever want to do something special for someone."

The tea is raised for another sip, and her eyes finally flit over toward Kiseru. "Provided you can keep your friend with a sweet tooth out of the ingredients."

Tadase Hotori has posed:
    Tadase's just finished a bite when she looks up and says that she enjoys watching others enjoy it, and he smirk-smiles. "Well, it's probably easier to see people enjoy what you make when it's so delicious. Hard not to." he adds.

    Then when she suggests a class to learn how to make things he brightens even more. "Oh, I'll have to make sure I know when it is then. It's possible I'll be tied up with Student Council business..." or magical boy business but he can't just -say- that "... or something else, but if I'm available at the time, I'd love to learn." he admits. "My grandmother is a great cook but she doesn't really... she's not able to do it so much anymore. And I'd like to be able to make something that even approaches as nice as this for her." he says.

    Then he's drinking tea at the same time Chiyo is, and that comment she makes about his little friend causes a reaction - he gulps, the tea is not all the way down so he has to cough, and then Kiseki mid-eating is also surprised too so the two of them are mirrors of each other as they try to get the food and drink to go down the right part of the throat and breathe.

    When he can again, Tadase looks at Chiyo. "You are very good at pretending like you didn't notice, then."

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai hadn't meant to time it when they were taking a drink! It was a bit amusing though. It was always a bit interesting when such a reaction comes due to something she did, for some reason. Just a bit. She does reach down to snag a napkin and offer it over to Tadase with an apologetic smile though.

"Not all mascots are nice. There's one I saw that tried to make contracts with people. It didn't seem 'right' to me, and since then I've learned those that have dealt with it have very bad issues to go along with it. So I try not to notice outright. Just in case."

Her voice is kept low so that others don't really overhear. At least there were enough tasks that went on in the shop to keep others busy, and there was a radio often quietly playing on the other side of where Ojiisan worked. Either playing music or whatever game was currently on that interested him.

"I'll be sure to tell you about the class then. I'm sure your grandmother would really appreciate whatever you end up making. I'm not as good as ojiisan, but I'm good enough to teach. It just takes me a bit longer to make each individual wagashi. He can do so many so quickly."

Tadase Hotori has posed:
    Tadase takes the napkin and cleans up the few errant drops of tea - generally he's an incredibly clean eater/drinker, especially given the pastry. He also taps Kiseki on the back with a finger to help him. It makes his crown sit at a jaunty angle and he doesn't notice.

    Tadase nods when she talks about the little white rat. "Well, Kiseki is kind of a part of me and I don't think he can offer contracts to anybody." he says. "And if he did I probably would tell you to read them carefully, though." he says. "But overall pretending not to notice is probably a good policy. I can't really hide anything since Kiseki is always around and it's pretty obvious he's kind of mine, but yeah, if I could I probably would." he admits.

    "But yeah, I really would like to come to the class. Also, I'm going to guess since you've got a whole shop here with a generational thing going on, you live in the area, rather than being one of the far away students. Has your family always been in this area?" he asks, a bit curious.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
A part of him? Had she met anyone like that before? Kiseki is regarded a moment while she leans her chin into her hand considering. Maybe she had but hadn't realized... There was at least the first month of school that everything was a bit of a blur between learning her own powers and meeting others. Her gaze shifts back toward Tadase with a little nod of understanding.

"That would make it difficult, I guess." Smiling softly again she nods once more. "Yes, we've lived in the area as long as I can remember. I'm local. Actually, I just found out I'm second cousins with another student at the school through our grandmothers," she adds with a little bit of a bemused expression. THAT was still sinking in.

"It's just been Ojiisan and I since Obaasan passed away." Absently she adds, with a roll of her eyes and flick of her hand as if dismissing the topic entirely, "My mother's off pursuing her career elsewhere."

Lightly tilting her head she asks, "What about you? Where are you from?" Given his hair it's not a hard guess that he might be non-local, but she could be wrong. Especially with the whole 'magic' worked into the situation thing.

Tadase Hotori has posed:
    "Oh, but that's cool. Surprise family member. I mean, as long as you found out because you like each other and not because someone was like 'stop fighting with your cousin' or something." Tadase says. He now knows that Chiyo can 'see' magic things, but he also knows Naru can, and Naru is adamant about not having powers, so he doesn't expect that being able to see Kiseki means she has them.

    "It's just me and my Obaasan, actually, at my place. My Ojiisan passed away a long time ago, and I take care of my Obaasan." he says. "But... I guess that also explains the other question. I'm from here. Live in Pikarigaoka ward, my family has been here for at least two generations too." he says. "My Obaasan remembers the lands around the school being bought - my parents weren't local - and the giant campus going up, haha. Before then apparently the wards had many seperate schools." he notes.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
"Oh, no! No we get along fine." Chiyo sits up straighter with her hands lifting slightly as she laughs at the very thought of it. "We're good friends already. It's just a surprise is all. I've never had a cousin before." Or sibling. Or anything like that.

Lowering her hands back to the table she reclaims the cup of tea just to hold onto it for now while listening. "Ah! Ojiisan mentions that a lot, too. Apparently he used to go to a much smaller school near here." Fondly glancing in his direction she adds, "Sometimes he'll complain that he should have bought some of the land the school was built on years ago so he could have sold it to them when they wanted to build. He used to go hunt for bugs and forage mushrooms in the forest when he was younger, with his friends." That sort of thing wasn't done too often anymore.

"There's still some forest but not like that, at least."

Tadase Hotori has posed:
    Tadase nods. "Yeah, my Obaasan said if the family house was a mile over they would have been able to make bank, haha." Tadase nods. "Apparently when Radiant Heart came in they just threw money around to get the land the school is built on." he continues.

    "You know, I didn't used to think much of it... but now... with all of the interesting stuff going on? I wonder if there's a reason for all of that." he says, conspiratorially. "Actually, the Headmistress can see Kiseki, which is really unusual for an adult." Kiseki looks up from his now half-eaten portion and nods.

    "Pretty much the only magic adults I know of are you know, bad guys. But I don't think she is one." Tadase continues.

    Kiseki looks up. "Well, dogs and cats can see me. I don't know what that means for the Headmistress though." he says.

    "Someday I'll ask her." he continues. "But yeah, apparently they really wanted to build this big school right where it is. Maybe that has something to do with all of the magic people being here."

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai hums thoughtfully at the idea of that particular location being something special. Maybe it was though. "It could have something to do with it. Maybe something special about the land itself. Though it's also a good location that just hadn't been developed before. Close to the city but enough distance that there's some buffer room between it and the rest of Tokyo."

"I know the school nurse is also a bit... Talented," she opts for in regards to magic as she flashes a sheepish grin at using such a phrase. "So there are some adults. I'm not certain how though, of course, but... Somehow. I guess even magic realizes people might need mentors of some kind."

"Now I'm really curious about the school though. I was already considering actually moving to the dorms next semester to help keep this place safer. After something happened recently," she admits. "Maybe that would be safer there, especially if there's some reason for all the magic sorts being at the school."

Tadase Hotori has posed:
    "Yeah, and it must have been a lot of work to get such a large, continuous set of land together." he notes. "I know some people are trying to figure out why it goes away after a time. I mean, it makes sense for me... Kiseki is kind of an embodiment of who I wanted to be when he hatched. I've already grown a bit away from that, so it makes sense as time goes on we might diverge more. But for some of the other people I've met, and where they seem to get their powers from, it seems a little bit less obvious." he says.

    She mentions something that happened recently, and Tadase tilts his head a bit. "Do you mean the explosion at the girls' dorms? If anything I think that would make me less likely to move in." he says. "Plus, your family lives so close anyways, assuming you're not a lot farther than this shop. Even if there is a reason you're basically here already, right?" he says. "I dunno, I just can't imagine leaving my Obaasan, with my parents being away working so much. She'd probably tell me to leave, though, if I asked." He says, chuckling a bit. "Especially if she thought there was a chance of helping other people in the process."

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Explosion at the dorms? Chiyo blinks in surprise at that particular news. She'd heard of it of course, but at the time there was so much going on just in her own little world that it hadn't really come to mind until it was mentioned. "Oh, no. I mean..." Her gaze sweeps back over to the old man behind the counter. He was still pretty spry looking but his face was weathered and aged.

"Ojiisan was ... very sick recently. He'd picked up some flowers for out back that were siphoning off his energy." Her gaze drops, then lifts again as she murmers, "I want to be here for him, but it was--" Here face scrunches as she fights to explain it properly. "It was so dangerous for him."

Tadase Hotori has posed:
    "Do you think he was targeted because of you?" Tadase asks, his expression serious as he leans forward a bit. "It sounds like you blame yourself, but... the bad guys siphon energy from regular folks all the time, it's like... their thing. What would have happened if you weren't here at all?" he asks.

    "Do you think being here is more dangerous for him than not?" It's not an accusation, it's a question. The look in his eyes gives off the idea that he, too, might be considering it for his own loved ones.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
"I don't... I don't know," Chiyo admits quietly looking back to her tea. There was no answer to be found in the cup she holds. It's raised to take the final few sips. All she can do is shake her head.

"The fight was here too though. I almost lost control for a moment." She had in fact, but there were others there to stop her. Thankfully. "It could have been so much worse. I'm so glad I'd had some friends who came to help."

Ojiisan looks up about this time to call out, "Chiyo, we're going to need more mochi from the back."

"Yes, Ojiisan!" Apologetically she dips her head toward Tadase. "I'm sorry I should get back to work now. It was nice to meet you Tadase-kun. Please take your time and enjoy your treat," she adds as she rises from the seat. Flashing a grin she adds, "Maybe we can talk more later."

Tadase Hotori has posed:
    Tadase nods. "Our friends are the biggest benefit we have going for us. If you ever see me and need help, let me know." He says, earnestly. "Or of course, just want to talk." He adds as she's called away. And he certainly will enjoy the delicious sweets...

    Not as much as Kiseki clearly is, though.