2309/Stirring Chocolate

Stirring Chocolate
Date of Scene:	09 February 2025
Location:	Nounamu Sweets
Synopsis:	Chiyo and Taro work together to get chocolates made for Valentine's Day! While talking Chiyo informs Taro about her new powers, and broaches the topic of the impending Fade that she may have to face in a few years.
Cast of Characters:	Chiyo Sakai, Taro Yamada

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Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Nounamu Sweets was... Closed? It was a rare event but it was also an annual event for them to close for a few days in preparation of Valentine's Day so they could prep enough stock of chocolates for the inevitable surge of sales that would come with that fateful day that plagued the lives of many a school-goer.

The lights were on for those inside, and Chiyo was there tying on her apron and preparing to get into the routine of melting down chocolate to pour into molds. There were all sorts of things that could be added: Bits of candied fruit, gellee gumdrops for chewy centers, nougat, crunchy bits of dalgona candy, and of course edible glitter to dust off the tops. The variety was nearly endless.

"Sorry I'm late," she calls out as she ducks into the bck of the shop where the kitchen was already heading to wash her hands before beginning. "How have things been going?"

Taro Yamada has posed:
Nounamu Sweets was closed. Valentine's Day was the day where the piranha of love swarmed, so it was adviced to get as many cows ready to throw into the water as possible. (C...hocolate cows? Taro's used to watching Valentines' from a distance.)

While Chiyo melted chocolate and added in all kinds of delicious treats, Taro was busy chopping fruit and nuts, getting the ingredients ready - preparing his food coloring and chocolate, too, for when he'd decorate the finished products.

"Welcome back! I've basically been camping out here since February started," Taro reports. "Sales have been through the roof. I'm trying to convince your grandfather that I can safely make some amezaiku to put in the front of the store - yeah, making a molten sugar candy with your bare hands isn't hygenic, but it's ok if we don't sell it, right?"

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
"Mm, that should be fine yeah if it's just for decoration to draw a crowd in. He's probably just afraid that you'll burn yourself," Chiyo remarks with a grin as she looks over her shoulder at him. But she can work as she talks so she's soon back to the chocolate making sure it tempers properly so it doesn't crystalize over, or burn.

"That's usually how February goes. I could probably get Kazuo-san or some of the others to come help out but we should keep my cousin and her fiancee away. They'd snack so much. Wako-chan too," she has to admit thinking of all her snack loving friends.

A pause follows as she stirs the melted chocolate, and then clears her throat. "Soooo. I got my Mark. I've got a Cybody now--Reshbal." Grinning she steals a glance over at Taro clearly brimming with excitement at the news, though she was trying to restrain herself. There was work to be done! "Same type of power as the other Star Drivers."

Taro Yamada has posed:
"It's really hot, but I've done it enough that I won't burn myself. It's about building tolerance," Taro says. Hving your life stretched out like taffy had it's benefits - like developing the kind of heat tolerance that usually only showed up in master candy artisans who molded hot candy for a living.

Once he has the bowls of nuts and dried fruit for Chiyo diced properly, he swaps over to check out his small pot of white chocolate that he's colored pink. No sign of clumping yet... "If Usagi's eating us out of house and home, she can at least pay for it."

Taro is practically vibrating when he hears the news. A Cybody! A cool robot super form! "So now you can summon a cool robot and shoot youma with lasers?"

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai laughs warmly at the very mental image of that. "Yes! Reshbal's the twin to Takuto-kun's cybody so it's a fighter type. It has the Turqouise Star Sword which is really cool. Though I don't know how to use a sword, really, so it changes into a war hammer for me. But... Yes, it's so cool!" She has to agree with a laugh. "I'll show you sometime soon."

The chocolate hits the right temprature so she ladels out some into candy molds. They don't sit that way long as she starts to drop in the fruit and nut bits with her free hand allowing them to sink just to the center. Then the molds are tapped against the counter to knock out any air before she puts them into the freezer to chill. A timer is set, and she's off for the next batch.

"I've even thought up a name. Ginga Hanma!"

Taro Yamada has posed:
"I want to see it! A fighter's perfect for you - and there's already enough mahou with swords, so it's good you can bring your hammer powers in!" It's going to be SO cool, SO worth it!

Taro begins painting the line of waiing chocolates with the pink chocolate mixture, delicately making hearts and stars on each tiny candy.

"Does it feel good getting powers back? Do you need to fight with them or can you still do fighting independantly?"

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
"It's... Very different this time. The powers," Chiyo explains after a moment of consideration. "I still have to transform of course, and the Cybody isn't it's actual size here compared to the island. They're Kaiju size on the island! So I can fight, and other things."

"There *is* one other power that Reshbal has." She steals a glance over to Taro, then back to the chocolate with a sigh. "One I've been told could be problematic, but so far I don't really see how. Apparently it can 'see the truth'. I think the last guy clawed his eye out over it? I don't know he had an eyepatch at least."

A sudden sideways tilt of her head comes as if she'd heard something, somewhere. Only to exhale a sigh. "No, I do know, Reshbal just confirmed it."

Taro Yamada has posed:
"That's so cool! I wish I could have seen it!!" He's probably banned for life after accidentally calling Sugata a seme, but STILL. he's been a mecha fan since 1957. He can dream of seeing enormous horrible robots.

The other power has him tilting his head, considering. "Some people lie because they think the truth is worse, or they hold it back. Like, my grandparents died because they got sick. But when I was little, my aunt told me they'd just fallen asleep and died, becasue it'd upset me to hear otherwise. So learning a nice lie was actually a cruel truth could do it."

(If Reshbal can see it - Taro's doing the same thing right now, telling a soft half-truth to avoid going into the morbid facts. His grandparents died of radiation sickness.)

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai had suspected as much from what she'd been told of Ryousuke, and having seen how readily he gave up the Mark. Having it confirmed was a bit unsettling none the less. Her stirring of the chocolate resumes out of pure habit finding her nerves soothed by the work.

"I know that. You know that. The Cybodies are apparently from space though. No one's really sure where, they appeared on Earth a long, long time ago. Each has it's own ability to lend to it's Driver. In Reshbal's case it's seeing through lies, I guess." A pause, "Mostly lies?" 'The Truth' was so subjective after all.

When Taro starts to talk of his grandparents she turns to regard him watching with those pink eyes. It's almost easy to miss if you didn't know her when one turns completely red to gaze at Taro, but the expression she makes after is impossible to miss.

"Oh god, radiation poisoning? I'm so sorry, Taro!"

Taro Yamada has posed:
"Is it bad I want to fight alien youma? It'd be a nice change of pace. Obsideon's goons are so boring about what they want. Oooh power, ooh a love of violence, no sense of style at all." His face twists bitterly -

And then jostles into surprise when Chiyo speaks the truth, the heart he's painting smearing down. "Yeah, they - they did. Um. Thanks?" He hadn't mentioned what they died from, hadn't mentioned - didn't mention it most of the time - "I guess. The truth thing works like that?"

(They'd died well before he was born. He was sad, abstractly, but it didn't affect him like it had affected his mother and aunt. It was one more piece of a puzzle he'd never seen the full picture for.)

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai reaches up to cover the red eye a moment as she nods with a rapid blink. "He kind of borrows my eye and uses his instead? It's hard to explain. Harder to understand. We're linked now. He hears what I hear, can sometimes see what I see. Talks in my head."

"It's kind of nice in a way. Never being alone. A little unnerving in others," she adds with a chuckle as she allows her hand to drop away again. The ruined candy gets an apologetic grin. "Guess there's a 'freebie'. I should figure out a way to handle this power without it causing disruptions. Maybe just a 'heads up there's something I need to tell you' but tell me later if I'm busy, or something."

Taro Yamada has posed:
"It's like me and Dory," Taro says. "Except Dory has her own body to have fun with? I'm guessing Reshbal-san can't really hop to his robot body in Tokyo."

Two minds, one skull. They were both their own person, but sometimes they could share.

"Yeah, this could be disruptive in a fight. Tell Reshbal it's helpful but you're trying to make sure you stay on target in battle, that's what's worked for me."

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
"That's a good idea. And true enough. Especially since I'm still learning how to use the power our connection gives me. Reshbal is very good at trying to keep me on-task in a fight when we were training," Chiyo agrees. Still it was a good idea, and she'd have that chat with Reshbal later. Right now was candy making time and hanging with Taro.

"Sooo how are things going with you and Amy? I wasn't sure if there was something with you two or not." A pause before she adds, "I kind of thought you liked boys but you spent a lot of time with her."

Taro Yamada has posed:
"Do you want to spar? It's been a while since I went out to fight anything, so it'd be good for both of us to get some practice in."

It had been - maybe a month and a half? Felt longer. Felt shorter.

"Oh, no, I definitely like boys and she definitely likes girls - but we like the same kinds of horror movies and - well, you probably know she's older than she looks? Not in the same way I am, but it's nice talking to someone who gets the whole time weirdness."

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
"Yes! That'd be great to do sometime. I do need more practice, and I've been out of it for awhile. Although Sugata-kun has been wanting me to learn kendo." Chiyo pauses to just grimace a little. "They get up so early to spar."

Of course she was already up by then herself, being used to prepping things for the shop, but she'd begun to like her lazy hotspring mornings before breakfast!

Turning her attention back to the talk of Amy she nods in understanding. Or at least attempting to understand. "Ah, she has mentioned that before a few times. It was so weird at first but I guess she was older like you in a way, so that makes sense. Compared to you I'm pretty young."

Her stirring of the chocolate slows. "Taro? ... I've only got a few years left before The Fade might start to affect me. ... You're going to still remember though, right?"

Taro Yamada has posed:
"That's when we prep for the shop! And you can't go from the shop to practice or vice versa without a bath or there'll be sugar sticking everywhere." Their precious cooking time!!

He nods as well. "Yeah. I think I'd be around Ojiisan's age if I aged like normal? I'd be 79 this year," he says ruefully. "Being in puberty for thirty years sucked, but it meant that I got to be a good age now. Plus I'm gonna be great at small business stuff - "

The needle scratches.

"...Yeah, I'll remember you. I've got at least fifteen years left," he says slowly. He puts down his paintbrush and the small bowl of chocolate, turning to Chiyo. "And I'll still work here. I don't know how I'll explain not aging, but I'm not leaving."

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai smiles softly at Taro. There's worry in her gaze but she's trying not to show it. This was a tough situation but one that had been slowly creeping up on her in more ways than one. "I was afraid it might set in sooner since I didn't have powers, but..." All she can do is shrug.

"Well the Fade makes people kind of not notice things. Maybe you can get away without having to explain anything at all," she remarks with a weak laugh. An attempt at smoothing things over some.

"Sorry. I just." Here she pauses, clears her throat, and nods solemnly. "Thank you. For staying around."

Taro Yamada has posed:
...he can reheat the chocolate. There's more important stuff going on.

"They say some people age really gracefully? And since I'll still be magic, I can keep getting new fake IDs from Kyouka. I can pass for an adult if I dress right. It'll work."

It has to work. Ah. With the worries about Chiyo's safety without her powers and the frenzie of holiday baking, he'd let it slip to the back of his mind -

"You're the closest thing I have to family," he tells Chiyo seriously. "You and Ojiisan. I'll stay as long as I can. If you have kids, I'll walk them to the store so they can learn how to buy bento and - and I can babysit."

He doesn't want her to forget. (She can't forget!) But even if she does -

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Fake IDs. If she has kids. He would be Ojiisans age but looked closer to hers... That meant that he had a good long life ahead of him provided nothing would bring that to an end. This had to be hard for him too, Chiyo realizes.

Without a word she steps over to him pulling him into a hug. One she holds tight while nodding quickly in agreement. "I think Usagi-chan and her group have been trying to find a way to get rid of The Fade. Just. Just in case though. You'll always have a place here you know. Even Ojiisan would agree with that." She knew he would, he got along so well with him. A couple of old men making candy.

Taro Yamada has posed:
Taro freezes - then hugs her back tightly. (He's gotten better about that.)

"I - I think, once the holiday rush is done, I should ask to join them. If nothing else, if they fail, I can keep records of everything. I don't know if I'll start aging like a normal person once I turn eighteen but - I still have a lot of time to record things. Maybe make things easier for the next roster of mahou who come through here - right? Since everyone is getting older..."

(Everyone except him. Again.)

"I know. You're my family. I'm not leaving even if I have to fight another freaky water lady about it."

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai manages not to laugh at the mention of the freaky water lady. "Hopefully no one will need to fight for that reason. I think joining will be a good idea though. Friends are good and some of them are family too."

Releasing poor Taro she grins at him again after a moment. "Dory counts as family too in case she's wondering. Now..." She looks back to the chocolate with a sigh.

"We reeeally have to catch up on this."