2198/To be a Meister

To be a Meister
Date of Scene:	03 January 2025
Location:	Korma Chameleon
Synopsis:	Chrono calls Rashmi to meet with him and gives her a new task... one that can give her the role of Meister... at a dangerous risk. Can she rise to the occasion? Only she can know.
Cast of Characters:	Chrono Harlaown, Rashmi Terios

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Chrono Harlaown has posed:
It wasn't the worst day when Chrono arrived, his mother in tow. It was a playda-- a baby sitt-- Okay, no, Chrono was NOT just dumping his mother off on Rashmi's parents to hang out. Truly. It wasn't that his nerves were frayed or anything or he was trying to help his mother hang out with people her age. And it definitely wasn't that Lindy was getting to know Rashmi's parents so they could all better plot the wedding or anything like that. Nope, totally not.

The important thing was that Chrono and his mother was there, and Nicomedia would get a message from S2U that Chrono was on the roof, wishing to meet with her... also, apparently they were joining Rashmi's parents for dinner. Apparently 'I've got homework' or 'am busy' was not an acceptable response.

So, for the moment, Chrono was helping in their little greenhouse... mostly just cleaning and moving some things, not really interacting with the plants themselves.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
One of the great things about owning your own business is, you get to set your own hours. One of the great things about *responsibly* owning your own business is, you can train your employees well enough to handle tasks without you for the bulk of the day. So whether or not Chrono's nerves were frayed to their last strands, the Terios elders have been *overjoyed* to host Lindy. To ply her wth food and drink, tell stories, give Lindy some adult companionship and -- most importantly -- give Chrono the busywork he needed to get him out from under her mother's fond, if fuzzy, regard for a bit.

The task list given to Chrono, luckily, doesn't *require* much actual interaction with the plants, and even contains a request to inventory supplies! He could be up here for *hours* in the warm, blessedly silent greenhouse! How Ananda knows these things is a mystery. Maybe she *does* have magic of some kind?

When Rashmi gets the message, she more or less drops her reading on the spot. Dinner at home? With Lindy-sama? And Chrono? It's an absolute treat and one to *never* pass up. So it's about thirty minutes after she gets the message, that Rashmi steps out onto the roof, in the matching sweater-mittens-and-hat that Chrono loves so much, nose already starting to redden from the cold. She taps on the door of the greenhouse first, then opens it up to stick her head in, with a knowing grin. "I think Papi's already adopted your mom," she says, entering the building and shutting the door behind her. "He's got her playing Smash Bros, and when I peeked in he was pretty surprised at how quickly she was learning how to wipe the floor with him."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown didn't look up from his position as he, neatly, stacked bags of fertilizer. "I can't say I'm surprised. She taught me how to play TSAB Domination 7 when we were on Midchildia. Not even the Lotte sisters could take her. If it's anything like that, I imagine it's only a matter of time before they learn how she got her nickname as 'Merciless Smile'."

The bags, neatly stacked, finally organized, allowed him the chance to look back at her. He... was about as straigh lace as she likely expected. Shirt tucked in, pants unwrinkled. He was getting taller, though. Soon, he might be able to look her in the eyes. The thin layer of sweat from the heat and manual labor was also helping to make it clear that, well... the TSAB morning regiments were working out for him.

But his gaze was now on her. "So, I know you have been working with Hannah as of late, to become a meister. So I've been ruminating on how to authorize such a rank for you. Normally, another meister would take over and run the test, but well..." His options in that regard were... Hannah. Alternatively, possibly Riventon. But ah ha ha ha ha no. He didn't know much about Axion, but he knew that was NOT TSAB allowed.

"So, after careful consideration I've finally determined what a proper 'licensing' test for you would be. It will be a bit... different from the standard, as I am not a meister, but I believe it will be an adequate test of your capabilities to earn the rank."

"Assuming, of course, you're interested."

He crossed his arms and stared at her. 100% business... even if she was in those adorable mittens and he wanted, so badly, to just reach out and squeeze them and pick her up in a big hug...

Rashmi Terios has posed:
At the story of Lindy's videogame skills, Rashmi can't help but chuckle. "Poor Papi... If it wasn't for me, he wouldn't beat *anyone.* Mami might give her a run for her money before long though, she's *really* good at reading us."

First the mittens come off, then the hat, and Chrono's talk about Meister qualifications has her quite visibly perking up. She nods as Chrono trails off in his 'but well,' knowing full well that Hannah's idea of qualifications would probably involve time at a forge with a hammer, just for the base-level technique of weapon forging.

The greenhouse is *warm,* though, and she's shrugging out of her thick knit sweater, swinging her head back to get all her hair behind her where it should be... Only to stop and blink in surprise, when he says he has a plan. Tucking an errant lock of hair behind her ear, she listens very, very closely, and nods with absolute seriousness. "Of course I'm interested," she says with a small smile. "I've already worked on a few Devices besides Nicomachea, but maintenance and Device spas can only go so far, y'know? Especially if we can get Alo-chan back to herself, I want to know what I'm doing when I download Unaufhaltsame Schwester back where it belongs."

Leaning against the sprouting table, she tilts her head at the growing Chrono before her; yes, indeed, the hard work and physical conditioning *is* paying off... Niiiiice.

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
"The answer is simple," Chrono said before he turned and got back to work. Busywork, sure, but he didn't mind that. "I want you to rebuild Nicomedia. Entirely, from the ground up. The only piece you'll use is the core of the device, but everything else? You'll need to use from parts on earth, from the fragments we've acquired from the Arthra and whatever else you can cobble together."

"Once you're done, both it and you will need to hold up against a test from a TSAB Enforcer... and if the device manages to not crack or shatter? You've succeeded. If it breaks? You've failed. Simple enough, I imagine. I'd love to give you something more in-depth, but well... the only think about device crafting I know is basic maintenance and programming our spells. Past that, I'm as much in the dark on how to create one as anyone else on this planet."

He said a 'simple' test... but she likely knew what he meant by a 'test'. If he mentioned 'breaking' the device would cause her to fail? Chances were he was going to do everything in his power to shatter Nicomedia into a thousand pieces. And it was going to take a LOT of work to make sure such a fate wasn't met.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
'Rebuild Nicomachea from the ground up.'

"Y..." Take apart her Device, her partner in combat, her literal lifesaver, and the only thing allowing her to *respond* to the manifold threats that plague Tokyo and, more importantly, her friends and loved ones.

"Bu..." And he has to be rebuilt from parts sourced on Earth, which means even if it would be a stupid loophole not worth taking, no just taking him apart and putting him together. Improvements *have* to be made, somehow, with only the tools she can steal from Hannah and a workshop she can steal by throwing up a Barrier in the shop club classroom.

"Wh..." And the final test is indeed, simple. Very much pass/fail. If Chrono, who has never once held back on her, cannot overstress the new build into breaking, then she passes. If he can, she fails. If she fails... there might not be a place for her in the fight anymore.

If she fails, Nicomachea may be irretrievably destroyed.

If she wants to qualify as a Meister, after a bare six months of Extremely Belkan Education, she is going to have to put her future, and her Device's 'life,' on the line.

All of this plays very visibly over Rashmi's face, resulting in a few minutes of dumbfounded silence as she works through the implications. But, finally, what decides it is a soft *bong!* from Nicomachea, hanging around her neck.

    << MASTER, >> Nicomachea says, his professorial voice loud in the close confines of the greenhouse. << IT IS A GOOD TEST. AN ELEGANT TEST. A TEST I WOULD LIKE TO HELP YOU OVERCOME. >>

Reaching up, she closes her hand around the starburst charm, and closes her eyes. After taking a long, deep breath, she looks back up at Chrono, and simply nods, once.

"...Then I guess I have a lot of studying to do," is all she says.

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown let Rashmi consider it all in silence. He didn't even look up at her, or try to comfort her. Or tell her it would be okay. He didn't even know if she could do this. Perhaps he was asking too much of her.

But this world was asking too much of them all. He didn't know, but he believed in her. He wouldn't offer this test if he didn't think she was ready.

But passing, or failing, would require more than just being ready. It would require luck, skill, determination and a lot of hard work.

However, when her choice was made he gave a small nod. "Very well. Now, under normal circumstances you'd have a week to ready your device... but under normal circumstances you'd have access to a wide array of Midchildian resources. You don't, here. So there won't be any rush on this, take as long as necessary. This is anything but a 'normal' circumstance, so applying standard criteria to the situation would only result in a rushed device and a broken mage. So for now? Prepare." He then wiped some sweat from his brow. "And I... should go and clean up before dinner. I'm sure you and Nicomachea have a lot to discuss." Pause. "Oh... and while you are allowed to ask for help, Hannah and I are not allowed to do any of the work for you. You may only ask us to confirm or deny any hypothesises you may have, and answer any questions. Any actual design or configurations will need to be done by you, exclusively."

He'd then head towards the door to give the two of them some alone time...

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Chrono, wait," Rashmi says, snaking an arm out and wrapping it around Chrono's waist. "Before you go..."

Rashmi leans down -- faintly struck, that she doesn't have to lean *quite so far* down as she used to -- and places a kiss on Chrono's lips. "I'm probably going to be cursing your name in a couple weeks," she says with a quiet laugh. "So *right now* I'm gonna say, thank you. For believing in me enough to push me this hard. You've always made me see I'm better than I thought I could be, and it's one of the things I love you for."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown stopped and glanced over... Then a small smile formed on his lips and he kissed her back. He, also, noticed she didn't have to lean down as far. Before long... who knew?

As they say, one grows to the size of their environment...

"Of course. You've managed to surpass reasonable expectations at every step, I can't do anything now but believe in you," he said firmly.

Before giving her another soft, affectionate squeeze. "And I know this will be no exception. You're incredible, Rashmi, and you'll be just as amazing in this as you are everything else, I'm certain."

His belief given and affection delivered... he started to pull away to go clean off.

Down below he could hear his mother's laughter and the cries of 'Roy's our boy, Roy's our boy...'

Rashmi Terios has posed:
As Chrono makes his way out of the greenhouse, Rashmi watches him until the door closes... Then looses a long, deep sigh, taking off her glasses to rub at the bridge of her nose. "Okay," she murmurs, raking a hand through her hair. "So first off... I'm gonna need your Operator's Manual, Nico-kun. And an inventory of all the bits and bobs we have on hand, including parts earmarked for the Mahounet project. Then a reminder to beg Amy-chan and/or Koji-kun for the sword they got off Alo-chan's ship... What am I missing, what am I missing..."

Rashmi's muttering, and Nicomachea's chirped responses, fill up the greenhouse for the next half hour or so.

And this is just the *start* of her journey toward full Meister status...