1905/A Fry-day in Electric Town

A Fry-day in Electric Town
Date of Scene:	28 August 2024
Location:	Akihabara
Synopsis:	Setsuna and Usagi spend a day in Akihabara!
Cast of Characters:	Usagi Tsukino, Setsuna Meiou

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Usagi Tsukino has posed:
It's a beautiful day in the midst of a beautiful summer, and on that beautiful day, Usagi Tsukino texted Setsuna - not on her communicator, but on her regular cellphone -

TXT to Setsuna: hey suna-san~! Wanna hang out in Akihabara together?

Simple. Straightforward. A princess who boiled it all down to the common denominator of - friend! dear friend! want to play?

But that was as much as there was to it. Summer break would be ending soon, as much as she hated to admit it, and before it did, she wanted to be sure she'd had as much fun as possible - and that she'd enjoyed hanging out with her friends whenever she could, and wherever she could. And while they could totally take the train to Akihabara, as she had plenty of times - Suna-san has a car.

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
It takes very little time at all for a text to come back in reply:

    <<TXT to Usagi: Sure thing. Where and when do you want to meet? Also remember I have a car now, so I can drive us there if you'd like.>>

Yes, meshing well with said rememberance that Setsuna has a car is the fact that she just got it recently, and is thus very heavily into that 'PLEASE give me ANY excuse to drive it.' phase.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
TXT to Setsuna: Yaaay~! Sure, I'd love a right! How about around 2pm? I can meet you at your house so you don't have to trouble yourself.

It's been a while since she's been to Setsuna's house. They both remember when the last time was. And sure, she probably wouldn't come inside, since they'd be leaving to Akihabara - but she hopes it's a bit of a sign? No, she's not comfortable with Hotaru - how could she be, when they haven't even talked again, when there had been so much - but there's openness to the potential of an encounter.

And just as importantly - it's no longer something that's going to keep her entirely away from her friend's home.

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna is actually waiting outside. Not because she's trying to keep Usagi out, but because she hasn't bothered to rearrange her garage and put one of the cars there in long term storage so she can park her Rogue inside...but she isn't sure she wants to make Haruka choose which of the other three cars she has in there to put away for an extended time.

Still, it's not a HUGE imposition, and she waves from where she's standing by the driver's door. She's dressed rather relaxed today. A black T-shirt that reads:

Things I hate:
1:T-Shirts
2:Lists
3:Irony

Said shirt is tucked into a knee-length denim skirt, "Hey there, Usagi-chan. Hop in and we'll head out."

Having said so, she climbs in and buckles up before absently tapping a few things into the large display on the center console and bringing up a directional map to Akihabara Station (which has parking), "Was there anything you were specifically interested in? Because I wanted to drop by the tech store I went to before to get a thing or two and maybe one other place I'd heard about."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
When Usagi arrives, wearing her favorite eye-bleed-y outfit; a bright orange shirt with ruffly cap-sleeves and a high-waisted pink skirt with suspenders, a pair of pink heart-shaped earrings dangling from her ears. The second she sees Setsuna's shirt, she bursts into giggles, and greets the woman with a quick hug before following her suggestion and hopping into the car.

"I didn't realy have plans besides wandering around and seeing whatever looks fun," she reports cheerfully, strapping in. "I've been to Akihabara a lot, because my grandpa and great grandfather live pretty close. What are you wanting to pick up? Are you getting a new computer, a new monitor, headset?"

The Electric City will have all things tech and otaku-y of course, but the fact that Setsuna's got a specific store in mind means something, of course.

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
The ride is smooth and even as Setsuna pulls out of her drive and down the side street to pick up the main way.

Electric drive be like that, yo.

Her driving is the rather sedate driving of someone in no particular hurry, "A new mouse, mostly. Probably something a bit chonkier than the one I got the first time. It's not BAD, but I hear there are ones that are probably better for me. I think I'm good with my current three-monitor setup...but I think I could use a new headset. Maybe one with a better range so I don't have to disconnect if I want to bop over to the kitchen to get a snack. I figured I'd go look at the place where I got my current rig and see what they have. Plus there's another place around the corner I want to look at."

She chuckles a little, "I've been to Akibahara a few times, but the time I went a few months ago WAS the first time that I was there since they wired the place for electricity."

As she pulls onto one of the main thoroughfares, the radio kicks on...and it kicks on to a song that, while more than a few years old at this point, is one that's a bit of a singalong classic...and has had some recent high-profile appearances 'Mister Blue Sky' by ELO.

After the happy litle intro, Setsuna picks into the song's main line 'o/~ Sun is shinin' in the sky / There ain't a cloud in sight / It's stopped raining everybody's in a play / And don't you know / It's a beautiful new day / Hey Hey. o/~"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
The drive is smooth and easy, and Usagi enjoys the ride - Setsuna's a steady driver, and Usagi's not been in tons of cars; the family car, sure, but like most Tokyo natives, she's used to public transport. You never get over the convenience of a private car - especially when you're used to roaming the rooftops instead.
R
"Oooh, a new mouse, that makes sense. I used to go through those a lot until I finally got a couple of good gaming mice! Is the glide not smooth enough? The buttons too slow, or they stick?" She's not an expert with technology, but she does game, a lot, and that means knowing a certain amount. "Headsets... can't really help there. I don't usually bother to carry mine far, just near the computer..."

And then she blinks.

"Really? You could have met my great, great... great? Grandparents, then, at least on the Tsukino side - but wait, no, really? I... maybe it's silly, but I kind of thought you didn't leave the Gates until recently."

Honestly? She's relieved that's not the case.

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna absently waves a hand. She generally keeps hers on the wheel only momentary gestures or taps of the console buttons draw her away, and nothing far out of the realm of normal interaction.

"A little more the size isn't right and I want something with a few more buttons. The one I got at the time was a pretty basic one...but it's only a three button mouse, and it's sized for hands smaller than mine. I'm given to understand some of the gaming mouse have more buttons on the sides where they'd be useful and can run to something a bit larger that I'd find more comfortable."

She shrugs, "As far as headsets, It was suggested I get a wireless one, and I like it well enough, but once again, I got something kinda entry level at the time. Now I know what I'm looking for a bit better."

She chuckles, "Oh, if I were stuck ENTIRELY at the Gates for my entire time, I'd probably be even crazier than I am now."

She winks at Usagi, then goes on, "...no, I got to leave them once in a while. Certain major functions of the Gates needed to be recalibrated or otherwise go through some downtime now and again. There were systems in place that did it all automatically, but while it was going on, there were windows of up to a few days every few decades where things were offline...which gave me enough of a loophole that I could duck back to Earth for a little while. It happened enough over the years that I've gotten to visit quite a few places here and there...and see...a few things."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Oooh, yeah, a small mouse will do it. If they're not the right size then that'll get irritating really fast - and yeah, gaming mice have plenty of extra buttons, especially on the sides, which is pretty useful when you're trying to get comfortable."

She cocks her head, considering the problem in her mind.

"It's always fun to get more stuff, once you've gotten used to it."

The chuckle and comment get a little hehehe type laugh as Usagi rubs the back of her neck, and she considers this.

"That still... sucks, but it's better than the alternative, huh? You got to get out in the world, and see things every now and then."

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna snorts, "When it worked out. I had a bit of bad luck here and there."

Eventually, she pulls into Akihabara station and eases backwards into one of the parking spaces.

Said task made MUCH easier by the big center console screen flipping over to a rear facing camera with smaller insets showing clearance from the sides.

Setsuna shuts the car down and climbs out, "Prague, for example. From what I hear, it's a lovely city...but I tried going there four times over the years, and every single time I went there, somebody got thrown out a window and it started a war."

She shakes her head, "Every. Single. Time."

Setting the alarm, she waits for Usagi, then starts walking, "...but yes, for the most part as long as I didn't try drinking, everything was fairly good."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Bad luck like...?"

Fascination is clear in Usagi's voice as a parking spot is found, and she climbs out and grabs her bag, throwing it over her shoulders. And then Setsuna explains, and she can't help but giggle.

"Not to be mean, but are you sure you aren't a little cursed, Suna-san? Four times? Out a window?" That's a lot of coincidence! And sure, Usagi can't pick Prague out on a map - she's the kind of girl who definitely mixes up geography and geometry - but even she can guess those were pretty bad deals. "Not all of it was cursed though, right? You had good times too?"

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna shakes her head, "Oh, of course. It's just when things went bad, they went REALLY wierd. I sometimes toyed with the idea that some kind of byproduct of the Gates was messing with probability, but I could never prove it, and the really wierd stuff didn't happen TOO often."

A gesture is made to kind of indicate the world in general, "No, generally it was just normal relaxing days. Good thing was that, within some limits I could put off or move forward a downtime, so that let me do stuff like be there to watch the first Space Shuttle Launch, for example."

As she says that, Setsuna turns a corner...and before the two of you is her OBVIOUS destination.

It's a place that a single glance screams 'COMPUTER HARDWARE' given all the major brand logos all over the place. Brands like oBsidia, WMD, and Untel.

Setsuna holds the door open for Usagi, then steps in after her...and as she passes the threshold, at least one person seems to take notice.

A young salesperson (whose nametag reads: 'Hi! I'm Ken1!') bustles over fairly quickly, "Ah! Meiou-dono! What brings you in today?"

The woman in question smiles. While she doesn't always get this kind of service the first time she shops someplace, she often gets it the SECOND.

Dropping the better part of three million yen on putting together a PC will generally garner that kind of response, after all.

A brief discussion ensues and she is led over to where the gaming mice are at, "Was there anything you were interested in while we were here, Usagi-chan?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Oooh, I hope not, that doesn't sound like the kind of thing you'd want to have even a little bit of a hand in it..."

That just didn't sound fun. It sounded like the kind of thing that could weigh on a soul. The kind of thing to keep you awake at night, maybe. Better that it all just be poor luck and circumstance, than some probability warping nightmare.

And meanwhile? They reach their destination. A store that Usagi Tsukino has most certainly shopped in a time or five, though she's never gotten this kind of reception. Honestly? She's a little jealous, watching the salesperson come over and stop just short of fawning. For a second, there's an obvious interest in her eyes, at getting something new, but -

"No, but thank you Suna-san! I've updated my rig pretty recently, and Hanzo-kun takes a lot of pride in helping me finetune my hardware, and... this is a very nice store."

In other words, as much as she likes the idea of getting expensive gifts, she's polite and raised well enough to not greedily ask for all the nice things she sets her eyes on.

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna gives Usagi a glance, "Are you sure?" After a moment, she shrugs...then taps her lips for a moment, "...maybe instead pick out a nice mouse pad and give it away on stream or something? That's something streamers do, right?"

She shrugs, then looks through the mice...and after experimenting a bit with various ones that are on display, she settles on a nice one that's a good size for her with plenty of extra buttons to use.

A few more moments are spent looking for a nice headset, and she finally settles on one with bluetooth and a good range rating.

Ringing up her purchases (including any from Usagi if she decides to take up the offer), Setsuna thanks Ken1, then leads the younger woman out, "...now this other place I wanted to check is SUPPOSED to be just around the corner from here..."

And Setsuna leads away from the main thoroughfare and into the less traveled parts of the block...until she turns another corner.

This place is a lot less built up and obvious than the previous one.

Whereas the 'PC SHOP ark' is easily discernable for what it is at a good distance...this place might be missed if you didn't know where it was and were looking for it, as from the outside, it's very nearly just a hole in the wall with very little storefront.

Still, the name of the place is 'Cosplay Shop Mitsuba-Do', so there's a good chance it's more than it seems.

And stepping inside, it indeed IS. Not only are there plenty of little useful accessories for cosplay like various bits of moldable plastic for harder parts, but also a wide variety of wigs and accessories and all the way up to actual premade costumes for purchase.

Once inside, Setsuna smiles, "Oh! Excellent. I can probably find some accessories for some of the costumes I'm making here."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
There's so much beautiful fancy tech and Usagi is not really a tech head at all, but she loves gaming, and she's pretty good at knowing what makes for a great rig. And she has a great rig, admittedly, and customized controllers now, but can you ever really have the best say, graphics card, when they're always making better ones? Can you?

Eventually... she caves a little, and asks if Setsuna would be okay with buying her (not an extremely expensive new graphics card) a new mouse too, because they've got a very fancy ergonomic mouse that fits just right in her hand when she gets to test it.

"Streamers do give stuff away! I've never really done it though, because I don't do like, fundraising or anything. My family would not be pleased if I was doing any of that - keeping it a hobby is the only reason my Papa hasn't tried to make me stop," she huffs a little, shaking her head at the thought.

"Thanks again," she says when they're walking to the story. "Where are we going next - oh!"

It's a cosplay store that she's seen before, though she wouldn't have guessed Setsuna would be in... "You make your own costumes?"

She's looking around at various items, from wigs to accessories to materials to make new accessories and items - it's all kinds of great stuff!

"Super cool! I've never really tried cosplay, but this is neat."

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna happily buys Usagi a new mouse, and if asked about the cost, she just waves it away with the comment, "It's only money...which is a paltry price to pay for something to brighten a friend's day."

Once they're in the costume shop, Setsuna nods, "Oh yes. I've always loved to sew...and cosplay gives me ever so much to try."

She waves at all the costumes on sale, "Most of those are secondhand costumes from people who love doing them like me. I make all my own, but places like this are great for finding all the little bits and bobs that go along with a costume that you can't just sew or you can easily save time on."

She looks over at a rack of various patches for military units and/or schools or what have you from anime.

After a bit of rummaging, Setsuna grabs an assortment of various patches and accessories for this and that...and if Usagi finds anything that catches her eye, that gets thrown into her purchase.

While the premade costumes are upwards of 5000 yen (~$40), the accessories and patches are pretty cheap, as they're literally just costume jewelry.

Once again purchases are paid for, and Setsuna leads Usagi out of the store.

Stopping in front of the place, the taller woman hrms and taps her lips, "...right about now I imagine something to eat would be good...but what..?"

And, as if the heavens themselves were answering the Plutonian's question, an instantly recognizable scent wafts through the air.

Freshly made french fries.

Setsuna blinks and looks over at Usagi, "...well, THAT smells good."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Thanks," is what's said about money, "I don't want to take advantage, you know? But I appreciate it, a lot!"

And then, it's a shopping montage!

"Cosplay would give you lots to try - especially with how unique some of the outfits in anime can get - man, I don't think I could sew at all! My Mama is pretty great at it though, sometimes she'd help fix things from my Papa's shows -"

But aside from those inputs, the shopping trip goes over with conversation along those lines.

Usagi doesn't buy much of anything here - with her disguise pen, she can have any look she wants, which is a great cheat for costuming when you have like six feet of hair and refuse to cut any of it no matter how much it doesn't fit.

Not that she's especially into cosplay - gamer that she might be, she's never really done costuming, outside of casual cosplay looks from her closet for streams. She explores the various options in the store though, including drawing amused looks posing with replica weapons, swinging a lightsaber, cooing over the supply of keyblades -

But eventually Setsuna has found her purchases, and they're making their way out, Usagi having offered to carry a bag, and the thought of food is a good one. None of the pop up cafes here are for anything she's super interested in, so a regular restaurant might be a good idea, and then - sue her, the scent of fries is enough to have her stomach growling.

"Oh, that smells good."

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna pulls out her phone and flips through a few pages until she finds a picture which she then turns the phone around to show Usagi.

It's a selfie of Setsuna wearing a complicated costume that involves a black duster with lots of little armored plates here and there over some kind of arrangement of a black and white crop top and white skirt with red leggings. Strangely, she's also wearing a belt that appears to be one solid ring of metal...and there's a very conspicuous golden crystanthemum in the center as well as some headdress arrangement that also seems to be mostly metal going around the sides of her head with two larger pointy bits protruding back and to either side.

The backdrop is a large building that Tokyo natives will recognize instantly as the Tokyo Big Sight...and between that well-known venue and the loads of people in costume that can be seen in the background, it's almost certain the selfie was taken at the recent Comic Market.

As the smell of fries hits, Setsuna nods towards where it's coming from, "Let's go get some."

And it's a very short walk down one block and around yet another corner to reveal a tiny shop that's barely got standing room to walk in and order that apparently sells almost nothing but twice-fried bavarian french fries with a vast array of offerings for mayo dipping sauce.

Setsuna smiles at Usagi, nods towards the place and says, "Order what you like. My treat."

And she's right after Usagi, ordering an extra large for herself with the black truffle mayo.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Oh - wow, did you make that?" Usagi takes in the costume, looking over all the details and all the pieces that look so fiddly, and she considers it in detail before she delivers a verdict - "You're going to make so many people get crushes on you."

A high compliment, honestly.

"Oh, was this Comic Market? You probably already did!" She giggles, "Honestly, I had no idea you had a hobby like this. It's nice, isn't it, to have something that just lets you nerd out?"

Oh, she has no idea.

They follow the scent of fries to a tiny shop, that sells nothing but fries and sauces and it's the most delicious, wonderful looking thing that Usagi has seen all day.

"Ooooh, I haven't been here in ages! Can I get the honey mustard, and the spice curry, and the sour cream and sweet chili sauce? And two orders of fries?!"

She can. She does! And soon, they've got themselves a place to sit and enjoy their fries, on a wonderful summer day, with plenty more shopping to do. Friendship is the crisp crunch of fries, the savory taste of sauces, and the sweet sound of laughter.