1414/A Funny Thing Happened...

A Funny Thing Happened...
Date of Scene:	15 April 2024
Location:	Pikarigaoaka Ward
Synopsis:	Following the events of Lunch Zone, Rashmi heads to Casa del Outer, to visit Setsuna and talk through the day's doings.
Cast of Characters:	Rashmi Terios, Setsuna Meiou

---

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Rashmi has been fairly nervy all day.

Volunteering to help out at the Korma on Sundays is a great way to keep connections with her family, and they were shortstaffed when a massive order came over a slow lunch rush. So of *course* it was Rashmi who volunteered to load up the bike's trailer and take the order over, when she learned it was for a spot in the middle of the active Eclipse Zone.

And of *course* the order was a 'company lunch' for the entire multi-division contingent of Obsidian employees supporting Sunbreaker's most continuous successful project to date.

The rest of what happened was ill thought-out, and left Rashmi with one metaphorical eye over her shoulder for the rest of her shift. When given her hugs, and her thanks, and told she could get back to enjoying her day off, she thought about returning to the school...

...And figured that Setsuchan would be more likely to be at home on the weekend, so diverted her route that way.

Which is how she comes strolling up to the front door of Casa del Outer, bag of fresh bakery goods in one hand, two-cup carrier of cafe drinks in the other. After a moment's consideration, the bag hand is the one she uses to ring the doorbell.

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
It's a slight bit of wait after Rashmi rings the doorbell before the door finaly opens to reveal Setsuna Meiou in what is fairly typical 'bombing around at home' dress for her.

Namely a ridiculously oversized t-shirt big enough to double as a one-piece dress. This one's black and bears a cartoonish picture of a few slices of cooked bacon and in large letters the statement:

    BACON is proof that God loves us and wants us to be HAPPY

As she sees who is waiting on her doorstep, the taller woman shakes her head for a moment before stepping aside and waving the redhead in, "You know, Rashmi-chan, YOU don't have to wait at the door. I'm preetty certain that everyone who lives here is perfectly fine with you just coming in if you want."

Leading the shorter young woman into the kitchen, Setsuna gets out a few plates and pulls a couple of chairs out at the island in the kitchen.

As with very many houses, it's kind of the metaphorical 'heart' of the home...that place where family gravitates around and where you entertain close friends since with them you don't feel the need to put on airs.

Sitting down across from Rashmi, Setsuna asks, "So what brings you to my humble abode on the weekend? I'd figure you and Chrono would be out doing something."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"I know, but..." Trailing off, Rashmi lifts up both occupied hands with a wry grin. "Didn't feel like testing my balance and anyway it felt rude to open the door with my foot."

Following Setsuna into the kitchen, she sets both bag and caddy on the counter. Setsuna is offered a chocolate-filled, blueberry-studded croissant, and what smells like a cinnamon-dusted cappucino. "Well, I volunteered to help at the restaurant every other Sunday, and today's the day... And then something happened I kiiiiinda want to tell you about. Not because I want you to *do* anything, but... I could use some advice, I guess."

Drawing in a deep, deep breath, she picks at an ube-stuffed round of milk bread. "...So Sunbreaker outed herself to me by accident, and uh... I might have outed myself to her, *just to be fair.* I'm pretty sure it was a dumb idea, but, I don't *regret* doing it... I, um... just... kinda... wondering... why nothing's tried to fall on my head all day."

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna rolls her eyes, "Pretty sure Haruka at least has opened the door with her ASS at least once."

She knows SHE has.

Accepting the baked good and caffeine delivery system, she takes a long sip, then arches an eyebrow, "...I know I've been working on my cooking skills lately...but that was primarily as a short order cook...not the kind of stuff you guys get up to at the Korma...and I'm pretty sure you're still better than I am, anyway."

And then Sunbreaker is mentioned, and Setsuna's entire demeanor changes from 'playful' to 'srsbzns'.

A moment later, however, she's blinking in utter confusion...and then she, perhaps unconsciously, does the Picard Double Face Palm.

She's quiet for a good few seconds as she seems to be visibly composing herself before taking a deep breath and saying, "...Rashmi-chan..."

Setsuna trails off for a moment as she takes another deep breath, "...being 'fair' is phenominally stupid. If you find yourself in a 'fair' fight...either you have made a grave mistake or something has gone terribly wrong. You don't do things 'just to be fair'."

There's another pause, then she goes on, "...which is not to say that what you did is necessarily WRONG...there IS a time and place for balancing scales like that...certain kinds of de-escalation in particular..."

She trails off for a moment, then nods slightly and goes on, "...which, on reflection, I imagine is probably what you ACTUALLY meant."

A shake of the head is given, "...sorry about that...I've seen FAR too many people over the years who got their teeth kicked in because they thought non-sport fights should be 'fair'."

Setsuna heaves a big sigh, then says, "...that being said...I imagine that the reason nothing bad has happened is because you're effectively in a state of MAD with Sunbreaker."

She absently takes a bite of her croissant, then goes on, absently gesturing with the baked good, "...which is rapidly becoming kind of a THING with her...she's been getting increasingly unstable...you're in fact the third person who's learned who Miss Kirara is that I know of."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Yeah... No if you're fighting fair, you're doing it wrong," Rashmi says without hesitation. "But if you're gonna not fight fair, don't fight when you're outnumbered forty-to-one, and it's not just youma there, but *managers.* And since I wasn't gonna want my outing to end up in the beancounters' hands, I slipped a note *with* her receipt."

Sipping her drink, apparently some strawberry-and-melon milk tea concoction by the smell, she shrugs. "But unstable's... Iunno if that's the right word. *Distracted,* definitely. She tried to pay with her *personal credit card.* She's spinning too many plates and they're *gonna fall sooner or later. And it just... felt unfair to have that to hold over her, y'know?" Lifting her shoulder, she sighs, picking at her bread. "I feel like I'm gonna need to walk into Obsidian at some point and set up something official with HR, d'you know how *many* people there end up just wanting curry sometimes?!"

A pause. THen a blink, and a furrowed brow. "...Wait you've been parti-timing in a kitchen?"

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna shakes her head, "No, I think 'unstable' is accurate enough..."

She takes another bite of her croissant...then looks at how much is left.

After a moment's pondering, she chews and swallows, then tosses down the last bit left.

After a few more moments chewing, she washes down with a bit more caffeine, "...she's got a bunch of things that she's BARELY got control of...she's making increasingly more mistakes...very soon now, I think, everything is going to fly apart on her...and with that incredibly toxic 'must be the best by myself nobody can help me because that would be weak and I can't be weak because I have to be the best' mindset she's got, when it DOES fly apart on her, I imagine the breakdown she'll have will be EPIC."

At Rashmi's confused question, the taller woman snorts, "I'm surprised nobody apparently noticed." She shakes her head, then goes on, "...yeah, a few months ago, I got a part time job at a diner to expand my basic cooking skills, and picked up how to do short order cooking fairly well."

She waves a hand, "...which means I can do a fairly mean breakfast and a few other things now."

A pause and a sip, "...enough to get by, at least."

Setsuna nods, "...it made for some REALLY rough days where I caught maybe three-four hours of sleep over a three day stretch or so...but it was an interesting experience. I had to quit when we took in Hotaru, though. Being out that long wouldn't be fair for her."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"I mean... Setsuchan, I noticed you were hard to get ahold of for awhile, but like... if I were to guess, it would *not* be that. It's *awesome* you've picked up some tricks, though! And if you want, I can show you some more things? Curry is a stew, and stews are stews, but the spice ratios are the other real secret. ...The first you probably learned in the diner; always use twice as much butter as the recipe says."

Rashmi grins widely, but the mirth fades as she contemplates Setsuna's words. "...I *am* kinda worried about how big the explosion's gonna be when she breaks down, though. Because I look at what she's willing to do to herself, and what happens when all *that* slips its bonds?"

The redhead can't help it; a shiver passes up her spine. "Brrr. But I don't suppose there's anything reasonable to do about it now... How *is* Hotaru-chan doing, by the way?"

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna frowns and nods, "Yeah, not really much whe can do beyond keeping our heads down and wait for the inevitable."

She then shakes her head, "...I just hope Miss Kirara doesn't manage to do anything permanent to herself or others in the process...otherwise picking up the pieces is going to be...messy."

A final sip is taken...then she glances into the little hole at the top of the lid and looks inside before sighing and setting the empty cup aside, "...still...all we can do there at the moment is wait and do damage control."

She then hrms and makes a slight twitching gesture with her off hand that Rashmi has probably seen before...it's what Setsuna looks like when she's rummaging through her dimensional pocket...after a moment or two of doing that, she ahas and pulls out...a ballcap.

Which she quickly inspects and pops on her head. It's black with a yellow checkered logo for 'Waffle Hut'...a chain rather well known in the US...but there was that viral video of the waitress parrying a thrown chair a while back that might have made it over to Japan, "Yeah, the butter trick was pretty much the first one we got taught. I also learned that carmelized onions go great on a LOT of stuff."

The question about Hotaru causes the other woman to smile, "She's doing fairly well...at least as well as one could hope."

Setsuna stands up and absently begins grabbing the trash and plates, taking the one to the can and the other to the sink, "She seems to be doing a lot better away from Obsidian and the crazies there, too."

She trails off, "...I worry about the whole situation around her...I'm fairly certain it's going to be REALLY big..."

The greenhaired woman goes quiet for a few more moments, then she blows out a sigh and turns to walk back, "...but things are fairly stable there for now, so that situation can lie for a while...and we've got more immediate problems to deal with."

As she sits down, she rubs a hand over her face, "...some days I REALLY wish I'd never needed to learn the plural form of 'apocalypse'"

Setsuna snorts, then goes on, "In any event, other than her reminding me every third day that I owe her a helicopter ride, things are otherwise fairly normal around here."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Oh yeah, caramelized onions," Rashmi grins. "Mami had to convince Papi once, *not* to offer an onion dessert, just because of the waste. It was *really good,* but I don't think even Japan is really ready for *sweet* bhajjis with chili."

The name Waffle Hut tickles her brain a bit, and after a moment's wondering she gives up and consults her mundane electronic oracle... and shortly after a laugh is startled out of her. "Okay *wow,* if this video's right that's like learning how to fight with your hands by walking up to a Yakuza tough and punching him across the face. You really *don't* believe in half-measures, do you Setsuchan."

Aaaand since the phone is already out, a moment's more looking-up... "...Apocalypsoi? That's we-- oh, Greek! Okay. I think. Huh. The more I learn..."

Shaking her head, she taps her phone against Nicomachea, the former blinking and disappearing into the latter. "I'm glad Hotaru-chan's holding up well, though... And yeah, of that situation blows up, it's gonna make Sunbreaker's meltdown look like festival fireworks by comparison..."

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna snorts, "Well, my short game is a bit lacking as all the people around me are either also ranged specialists or don't practice staff. I figured I might as well go somewhere where I might get in some hand to hand practice as well."

She then taps a finger to her lips, "...actually, come to think about it, you should get with Miss Faust and Miss Skyline and arrange a time some weekend. I did promise the the two of them a helicopter ride. I suppose I can fly us all over to Nagoya for a day trip some weekend unless they'd rather do something else."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Oh yeaaaah," Rashmi says... apparently the helicopter ride had been blown completely out of her mind by today's little escapade. "Oh hey you're the driver, and Nagoya sounds like a lot of fun! Papi worked in an okonomiyaki stall there, way back ago. Saving up the money to take his trip, as it happens, but I've never been! So sure, I'll talk to them and see when they want to go!"

Rashmi then raises an eyebrow at Setsuna, then leans over the counter. "...Okay I know what you *mean* by 'short game, but c'mon. With those legs your 'short game' is pretty relative, don't you think?"

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna raises an eyebrow, then shrugs, "Eh, I kinda do...but it's more a matter of the Garnet Rod is a functionally indestructable staff, I should probably know how to use it as one...but without a sparring partner, my ability to fight with it kind of hit a plateau."

She wavewaves her hand, "...and while I've been able to minimize the incantation on my main attack, there are certain mechanical reasons for it's somatic components that I can't really do away with...so I've rather got a minimum range below which I can't rely on magical attacks that's perhaps smaller than some...but still a fair bit longer than I can reach with my arms or legs alone."

She nods towards Rashmi, "...what about you? Nicomachea doesn't really lend itself to melee...what's your plan for if you're caught at short range?"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Yeah that makes sense... Hm. ...Maybe if you see Cure Wukong around -- And, y'know, can have enough patience to be around a foot-tall Monkey King -- See if Garnet Rod trains well enough against Magic Staff? ...And yes, in case that's a question that comes up... Tokyo has a Cure Wukong. No I don't know either. Anyway, my plan?"

Rashmi reddens, then shrugs. "I have a few *emergency* spells that Nicomachea's got on his 'doesn't need orders' list. One of them is turning a shield into a metaphorical truck. The conversion's kinda inefficient, I get a lot more out of the tactic when they're built to collapse to begin with, but uh... I managed to kick that scary Testarossa girl into a tree, so... It works... It's not the kind of trick you use too *often* but it works."

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
As Rashmi describes her option for using shields as emergency bludgeoning surfaces, Setsuna nods, "...fair enough."

She nods, "The only advantage I'd have is that one of the secondary powers I get as a Senshi is a certain degree of super strength."

She waves a hand, "We can't causaully fly...but being able to leap several stories from a standing start isn't a horrible alternative...and it DOES allow us to put more than a bit of muscle on something if necessary."

She snorts, "I'll never forget the look on Haruka's face that time she was fighting to get the lid off a jar of pickles and I just transformed, reached over and absently opened it."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"...I get that too," Rashmi laughs. "It's part of the Barrier Jacket spell, my henshin costume is kinda like... um, whaddayacallit," she says, snapping her fingers. Since magic came into her world in the form of Sufficiently Advanced Science, she's been trying to catch up on her sci-fi terminology, but... it's been fairly low on her priority list. "....Power armor? Yeah that's it. Helps to get hurt people to safety when they don't feel any heavier than a big bag of rice."

But the pickle story earns a very heartfelt snicker. "Oh man I wish I could have seen it! I'm just *picturing* it, and it's funny enough, you must have been grinning for days."

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna delivers a reasonable fascimilie of said grin, "You have NO idea."