1852/Jan-Ken-Debrief!

Jan-Ken-Debrief!
Date of Scene:	10 August 2024
Location:	Penguin Park
Synopsis:	While spending some downtime reading in Penguin Park, Rashmi gets a ping from the TSAB's most dangerous soda vendor. During the conversation, she apprises Zephyr of what happened in Paris, current events to keep an eye on, and gets some very, very useful advice on how to handle the long tail of trauma.
Cast of Characters:	Rashmi Terios, Zephyr Windstar

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Rashmi Terios has posed:
A lot has happened, since coming home from Paris. As the bulk of it was far lower-stakes than the fight against Beryl and her entire department, it *could* be considered easier. But, not the sort of 'easier' that allows one to do much in the way of unpacking trauma and sorting it through.

Which is why Rashmi is occupying a shaded bench in Penguin Park, a light novel on her lap and a large, floppy white hat to complement her yellow-floral print sundress. Because diving into fantastical worlds is a getaway she hasn't indulged in much, these days, and sometimes the best medicine for upsetting thoughts is to read about someone else's seemingly-insurmountable challenges, for a change.

Zephyr Windstar has posed:
    Zephyr's been keeping things in check as best she can, while the team went to deal with Paris. Though she's made a dedicated effort to maintain her job.

    Speaking of which, the tall foreigner pushes the cart down the path to set up in a corner of one of the many plazas to sell cold drinks to thirsty people as they go about their days.

    The presence of Rashmi doesn't go un-noticed, and her Device would recieve a telepathy ping from Tenraikaze, while Zephyr herself continues talking to the civilians coming to her cart.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
At the ping, Rashmi's head snaps up, surprised... But only for a moment, as it makes absolute sense that the Jan-Ken-Pop cart would be in the area.

<< I'll be right there, >> comes the return message. << Good timing, I was starting to get thirsty anyways. >>

Her place in the book is marked, and the book tucked away, before she stands from her bench, and ambles toward the cart. And of course, the Mage is not one to cut in line, so it does take a bit before her turn to order comes. "Three melon, please, and one lychee?"

<< How've you been, Agent Windstar? Sorry I haven't come to see you before this, things have been... pretty busy, weirdly enough. >>

Zephyr Windstar has posed:
    Zephyr spares a glance toward Rashmi as she reacts, but doesn't break her stride in serving her customers. As the line progresses, she slips money into her cash box, passing out little paper bags with peoples bottles and cans inside like a practiced machine.

    Then the other Devicer approaches and places an order. She smiles warmly, working as she shoots back through telepathy. << Surviving, keeping the peace, the usual, you know? I kinda figured you were dealing with things, it's why I left well enough alone for a while. >> is her reply. She places a bag with Rashmi's order on top of the cart, glancing to the crowd slowly dispersing. << I'll close up for a few, so we can chat. >> she decides, tugging the little sign down into the Closed position, with an apologetic look to a man who diverts from his path, only to resume it on seeing the sign.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
<< Understood, >> Rashmi messages, taking her bag, stepping back and allowing Zephyr to take care of business. In the meantime, she cracks open one of the melon sodas, waiting for the cart to close up.

Once Zephyr is free, she bobs her head. "Thanks for that... but it's probably best to get back to networking. Chrono and I met with Sequoia-chan, by the way... I like her a *lot.* It'll be interesting to see how well she does over the next while!"

Zephyr Windstar has posed:
    Zephyr steps over to join Rashmi on a bench under some shade, nodding along. "She took my suggestion then. She's a good kid. A bit unique for how it goes." she remarks, taking a drink from a water bottle. "I met a few others. And there's someone running around called Laura. She's got this whole thing going on, looking for people to help her out. Not sure how to contact her though." she remarks.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Oh Laura-chan, yeah," Rashmi says, nodding. "She's, well... So there's a kind of mahou known as a Pretty Cure, they get their powers from kind of... fairies? gods? Some kind of supernatural being, and well... Laura-chan's the mermaid version of those spirits. She's here looking for people to empower, so they can fight the enemy of her people's kingdom."

Maybe a slightly inaccurate summary, but... it'll do well enough for the moment.

"Anyway I promised I'd help even if I couldn't join, so... I'll ask if it's okay to give out her number, and if so I'll get it to you."

She sips her soda, and blinks as a thought occurs to her. "...Oh! Also. Something more within our wheelhouse; I need you to be on the lookout for a Device signature. Specifically, Starcrash is the Device, it's missing a bunch of memory modules. Best theory we have is, it was half-disassembled in the shop when the Arthras exploded. We found one in the middle of a *warplane youma* of all things, like a museum piece from the 40s. I'm still making sure it's safe to install, but... That's a thing, now."

Zephyr Windstar has posed:
    Zephyr nods along. "Cool, yeah. I meant to give her my number last time, but it must've slipped my mind. Some kind of cement truck youma made by one of the big bad guys, called it a Layabout." she rolls her shoulders, then glances down at Tenraikaze on her wrist. "Hear that Dee... keep your sensors open for an unknown Device signal, standing order." she says, before looking back at Rashmi. "So, how have you been... I didn't exactly get a debriefing of what happened." she asks, looking at the other Devicer. "If you're comfortable talking about it, that is. Don't wanna pry."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
At the question, Rashmi lets out a long, deep breath. "Well... I mean, we *won.* You can tell by, like... nothing happening in Tokyo, but... It was... hard. Chrono and I... we had to use one of the Jewel Seeds to make sure that one of the major threats -- *and* a flood that was gathering to wipe out the city -- got stopped. So, we didn't see *how* the battle was ultimately won."

Reading between the lines, it's pretty obvious that the only reason they didn't see the battle is because they weren't *able* to participate. Especially if a Jewel Seed was invoked, as patently illegal and unwise as that would be.

Zephyr Windstar has posed:
    Head tilts, mis-matched eyes narrow a little, then Zephyr shrugs. "Harlaown-san has a good head on his shoulders, if he authorized it... he must have had a good reason." she remarks. "All's well that ends well, as my father would always say. You made it back, that's better than we could have hoped for, right? Everyone made it back, you defeated the bad guy."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"It was the only way," Rashmi says simply, with a shrug. "But... yeah. We all made it back, and Beryl is gone. Same with everyone directly under her, far as we know. It wasn't..." Pursing her lips, she looks up at the Enforcer.

"Um... d'you mind if I ask a question? When you were working, before you got stuck here... Did you see any truly horrible action? Like... the kind that gave you nightmares?"

Zephyr Windstar has posed:
    Zephyr blinks at that question, she looks like she's about to scoff and laugh it off, but something in Rashmi's eyes stops her.

    She turns pensive for a moment, looking off into the middle distance as she recalls her prior missions. "I had to deal with a Summoning-type Logia. It had a psychic element, taking images from my memories, so I was fighting poor quality copies of people I knew. Sometimes I still think of those lifeless faces."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Whatever Rashmi was expecting, it was *definitely* not that, not by the sincerity of the shock in her eyes. But she remains silent for a bit, working through the horror and considering the answer. "So... it still gets to you, huh? How long ago...?"

Trailing off, she shakes her head. "...Actually I'm not sure I need to know, unless you want to tell me. But... yeah. I think... Paris is gonna be that, for me."

Zephyr Windstar has posed:
    "Three years." replies Zephyr without hesitation. "It was one of my first retrievals." she reaches over, and places a gentle hand on Rashmi's shoulder. "It'll never go away. It will always be with you, that's how trauma works... My CO told me a good analogy that lets me visualize it. Imagine this feeling like a ball. Then imagine that ball inside of a box that's just a little bit too small for it. Within that box is a button that when pressed, causes all the feelings, and thoughts about the event to come rushing back at you as if they just happened."
    She gives a tiny squeeze. "The box, is your ability to handle those emotions. At the start, it's contantly pressing that button, but eventually, the box will get bigger, so the ball has room to bounce around, and not hit the button. It will still do so, but over time, the box will get bigger, and bigger, and the button pressed less and less often."

    She smiles softly. "If you need someone to talk to, any time, you know how to contact me. We can chat over text, or you can call me. Heck, I'll even drop by the curry shop to hang out if you really need me to."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
At the hand on the shoulder, and the squeeze, Rashmi smiles a bit, nodding along with Zephyr's CO's advice. "That's... that actually really helps, Zephyr-san. I'm definitely going to remember that... And I will talk to you, absolutely. Especially if I need help. Because as much as I'd wih otherwise... I really, really doubt that Paris is gonna be the last really horrible memory I have. There's just... too much going on, here. It makes me *really* happy there's so many of us all over the place."

Looking up, her faint smile blooms more fully. "Also you're *always* welcome to drop by the Korma, whether or not I'm there! I can probably get you set up for a friends-and-family discount too, if you want."

Zephyr Windstar has posed:
    Zephyr rolls her shoulders. "I won't say no, but don't go out of your way on my account." she replies with a lopsided little smile. "As for other threats, as long as we have each other, there's nothing we can't overcome... with the Puella's magic, the Cures fists, other Device users, and all the others in between, we have the firepower, the fortitude, and the friendship to stand up to anything the youma makers can throw at us."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
This time, the nod is much more emphatic. "That's *right.* No matter what, we're stronger together anyway. Thank you, Zephyr-chan, seriously," she says, finishing the first of her sodas. "Was there anything besides Sequoia-chan that really stood out lately, by the way? Oh... And are you familiar with Madoka-chan?"

Zephyr Windstar has posed:
    "Nothing comes to mind... I met someone named Onihime, she mentioned Nicomachea... then there was Hope Blossom. She was there at the cement truck youma incident, alongside someone going by Magical Girl Rocket Red... I think she was at the ship crash incident a few months ago... the one with the Belkan aboard."

    "Oh, right. I chose a 'cover name' for when I do the magical stuff. I go by Wind Dancer now." she adds, clearly a bit proud of herself.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Rashmi nods at each name. "Onihime... yeah she's great, I've known her for awhile. Same with Red, as long as you get her to focus she's a lot* of help! Hope Blossom... yeah she's who I wanted to warn you about. She's a Chara Bearer, right? Her power comes from the strength of her dreams, is what that means, but... Seems a few of her dreams went rogue. So if you see a few little fairies that kind of look like her causing trouble, *maybe* making youma but *definitely* taking energy, uh... Yeah. That. Try not to destroy them, but *definitely* stop them."

At the name... Rashmi sighs heavily. "Damn, that's *really good.* The best I've been able to get is Page Mage, which I don't like but *man* has it stuck."

Zephyr Windstar has posed:
    Zephyr frowns a bit. "Yeah, I had a chance to talk to her about them... one of them was talking to the Layabout controller for like, the whole fight... ran off before we could do anything about it." she sighs softly. "I'll keep my eyes open." she promises.

    "Hey, Page Mage rolls off the tongue really well. I suppose you could try Mahounomicon?" she suggests. "That's a bit of a mouth full though." She ponders. "Lemme think about it some... maybe we can still get you something different."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
'Mahounomicon'...

Chuckling, Rashmi waves her hand. "I doubt *anything's* gonna stick as well, honestly, and I've already caught Chrono using it as a term of endearment, so hey... Probably it'll grow on me. Like a mushroom. But yeah... Keep a lookout is all I can ask."

Zephyr Windstar has posed:
    "Will do, Operator." remarks Zephyr, then glances over at the cart. "I, should head back to work. Take care of yourself, yeah?" she says, before standing, dusting her backside on reflex. She pauses long enough for any parting words from Rashmi, before striding back to the cart, and turning the sign back to Open, and slipping her customer service mask back on.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"You too, Enforcer," Rashmi says with a chuckle. "And, seriously... thanks a lot. What you said about the box? I think it's gonna be a big help."

With a cheerful wave, the redhead turns to amble back to her bench, cracking open her bottle of lychee soda along the way.

To sit, to read... and to think about a box, with a button. And how the box only gets bigger over time.