326/When Maxwell Met Molly--I Mean Naru

When Maxwell Met Molly--I Mean Naru
Date of Scene:	29 August 2023
Location:	Radiant Heart Academy
Synopsis:	A destined encounter written in the Stars.
Cast of Characters:	Nephrite, Naru Osaka

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Nephrite has posed:
    Stress. Stress is not a good condition for making good decisions. So it is, that Maxwell Stanton goes tearing through the streets in a sportscar. The Starlight View Mansion is in tatters, but at least he still has his cars. This one practically looks like the Batmobile. It's sleek, black, unfolds in dozens of directions, and is very fast, and very expensive. A W-Motors Lykan Hypersport. It's the kind of car that looks like it also turns into a motorcycle and also a helicopter.

    Burn off the anger by burning rubber. Burn, burn, burn everything.

    The unseasonal stormy weather matches the man's mood. It's overcast, with fast-moving winds, and the sound of thunder rumbles periodically. It'll be raining sooner rather than later.

    After finding himself passing by Radiant Heart for the third time since beginning his drive, Max just rolls his stormy blue eyes and slows down before pulling into the parking lot. This visit is overdue. The energy schematics of this place need closer examination, and he needs to scout some more talent that can actually be trusted to competently carry out a basic job without bringing down the entire Magical Girl population on their head.

    Really, just a normal, mundane job. Nothing fancy, nothing magical, just 'Hey, would it be possible to run this errand?' or 'Please negotiate with the construction crew to begin work right away.' or 'What if you try not either seducing or threatening everyone you meet, Zoisite, just for a change of pace?'

    Gods, he's already getting mad again. As a result, as he pulls out his visitor's pass and clips it to the front pocket of his jacket, his handsome features are marred slightly with the same sort of look in his eye that a soldier might have. Like he has seen so many terrible things that he has become accustomed to seeing terrible things. He is a teenager who presently looks like he's in his early twenties thanks to a combination of presentation (clothing, hair, how he carries himself), natural looks (he already looks three years older without any touching up at all), and minor illusion magic so that someone looking at Maxwell Stanton doesn't also see Masato Sanjouin or Nephrite. Less a visual thing and more of a 'mess with the capacity to recognize' thing.

    He crosses the distance to reach the front gates. With the school being closed for summer vacation, a visitor is probably a little unusual, but whatever security there may be will be given the completely believable explanation, "I'm here to Darien Shields. I'm his math tutor." They both have western/American names, so obviously they know each other. This is is how it works.

    They're also both absurdly tall. Nephrite switches on the charisma and the clear baritone voice as-needed, but turns it back off again as soon as he is past the front gates and headed for the dorms. Maybe he can find out what the hell Kyouka is up to while he's here too.

Naru Osaka has posed:
It is summer break, although there's more than enough people who live on the grounds that the place is pretty busy. It will get busier, most assuredly, but it's hardly a ghost town.

It is hard for the petite young woman to not look young, when one has to stretch a little to get all the way to 4'9". Even in a crisp blouse and knee length denim skirt, rather than a school uniform, there is no mistaking Naru as not being the student that she is. A satchel is looped across her, and she's heading towards the entrance, clearly on her way out.

Polite to the core, Naru nods polite as she approaches the tall unfamiliar visitor. "Good afternoon."

Nephrite has posed:
    The vaguely baleful look in Maxwell's eyes disappears as he is greeted. He smiles, and the look becomes mere tiredness. "Good afternoon." he replies pleasantly. Does he know this person? Have they met? Why is she greeting him? Just being polite? Well, he does look a lot like a westerner in ways (parentage related, assuredly), and so he stands out considerably. There's just the faintest sense of familiarity in this initial interaction, or perhaps he senses that smoldering potential he came here looking for. Enough to pause and turn to keep speaking with the young lady. "My apologies. I came here to speak with a student, but I've just realized he isn't here today. My head is a mess lately." He chuckles a bit under his words, as he squints his eyes a bit.

    A glance up at the still-stormy skies tells him he'd be best on his way in one direction or another soon. "I was going to ask if you had the time to spare to answer some questions about the curriculum here, from your perspective as a student. But you are clearly on your way somewhere, and I am already intruding enough without catching you out in the soon-to-be rain." He bows his head in apology. "Please excuse me for interrupting your day." he says before starting to turn away.

Naru Osaka has posed:
Politeness is rather endemic around here, and Naru is fully infected. There's no flicker of recognition in her gaze, her body language speaking to social politeness with an edge of helpy.

"I'm not on a deadline." Naru shakes her head at his offer to wander off. "My shopping can wait for a little while if you'd like." She gestures a little and smiles. "Your choice of cafeteria coffee, or .. cafeteria coffee, really." She chuckles softly. "It's drinkable, its even not awful, all things considered, and has the advantage of not being rained upon." She gestures easily. "There's other beverages if you don't drink coffee."

He would hardly be the first visitor to the cafeteria, nor the last.

Nephrite has posed:
    Maxwell pauses in his turn as he is stopped. He faces the young lady again, and thoughtfully strokes his chin. "Hmmm... A momentous decision." he says gravely. Then he switches to a teasing smile and says, "I shall take you up on your offer, young miss. Oh, and my manners are also scattered today it seems. Maxwell Stanton, man of many talents. Finding the cafeteria is not one of those talents, so it's fortuante we happened to meet." He does glance up at the sky again to gauge how quickly they will have to move to avoid getting rained on. "Shall we?" he invites cheerfully.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"We should get a move on, before it starts pouring." Naru turns and heads towards the cafeteria, even if Maxwell just introduced himself. Priorities!

"I'm Naru Osaka, pleasure to meet you, Maxwell Stanon." She is confident in her movements through campus, taking them in a well familiar path back towards the cafeteria plaza, and the promised coffee.

"Which student were you coming to see?" She asks, with simple curiosity as they walk.

Nephrite has posed:
    "The pleasure is mine, Osaka-san." he says with a hand over his heart and a slight bow at the waist. When he resumes walking like a normal person, he answers the question reflexively. "Oh, I have several students here who I tutor or coach. The one today is named Darien. There's a math competition, for a chance at a scholarship, and I was to help him study for it. But he already let me know that he wouldn't be here today, and so I simply forgot." Maxwell shakes his head and shrugs, with his hands in his pockets. "Life is complicated. It becomes even more so once you have an appointment scheduler on your phone. So much for the convenience of not having to remember things, eh? I went and forgot to check the very thing that was meant to help remind me."

    The irony of discussing memory and remembrance when he has been losing entire days of his life with no clue what he was doing during them is not lost upon him. But it's true that he needs to reprioritize right now. He has been focusing on independently-driven plans, when he has an actual job. It's beyond time for him to do what's expected of him, and right now that means drinking coffee and chatting with Naru.

    Oh, woe is he.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Ahh. Darien." Naru's voice is fond at the name, and her smile warm. Clearly she's familiar with the student that he's supposed to be tutoring. "Too bad that you didn't get the date correct."

Naru gestures him towards a building over on the right. "I'd be lost without my phone." She acknowledges. "Although you do have to check it to have it help all that much." Naru giggles softly, her teasing gentle.

Naru holds the door to the cafeteria building for him, tiny as she is and as tall as he is.

Nephrite has posed:
    "I probably should have assumed you were acquainted." he admits ruefully with a shake of his head. "In a school of hundreds, thw two people everyone seems to know are Darien Shields and Usagi Tsukino." When the door is held open for him, Max makes a show of dramatically accepting the gesture, and says, "What a gentlewoman. Thank you." on the way through. He then holds the door once he's inside, so that Naru can enter without getting hit with it once she lets go. Because, clearly, Naru Osaka is someone who needs help navigating the intricacies of doors. End sarcasm on that one. It's the thought that counts.

    "Coffee... Hm..." Looking around, the towering tutor picks out a seat near the window, so that whenever it does start raining they'll be in a position to watch. Funny that he should want that. It has nothing to do with why he came here. It just seemed like it would be... Nice. "How do you like yours, Osaka-san?" he takes out his phone, checks it, perhaps prompted by Naru's teasing, and then places it on the table to claim it while preparing to go order. "I'll try whatever you find most cafeteria coffee out of all the cafeteria coffee available."

    He doesn't step away until he has pulled out a chair for Naru with a smile.

    Is this what is known as a manners contest!? No, it's just Nephrite being Nephrite. Since long, long, long ago. Show-off, theater lover, smooth talker, and also just a scholar who genuinely enjoys learning. Things he hasn't had much opportunity to pursue of late. Maybe it will help recenter him to just be himself for a change, even if that means Maxwell Stanton is slightly less professional, driven, or dashing.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I try and meet a wide selection of people." Naru comments with a flash of a smile, not commenting on her relationship with Usagi. "Thank you." She murmurs as she steps into the cafeteria.

It's not prime time, and the cafeteria is quiet. Still food available, there always is, but not hot dinners, but prepared and waiting food. There's a few students scattered through the place, finding it a quiet place to do some reading, although without classes in session, there's precious few using it as study space.

"Just milk, thank you. Although I'll drink coffee in any configuration, truthfully." Naru accepts the offered chair, accepting that he's going to be fetching coffee for both of them. "If you're not feeling brave about cafeteria coffee, they do have bottles of iced coffee. Although the weather is hardly screaming 'iced coffee' to me today. Rainy days rarely do. I can also recommend the lemon cookies." She gives a tiny shake of her head. "If you're a chocolate junkie, I've bad news for you about the chocolate cake. Not the best I've ever had, alright in a pinch, but there's better desserts." She pauses a moment and then notes. "Just coffee for me, but I won't be offended if you eat when I'm not."

Becuase in a manners contest, it's polite to establish some guidelines.

Nephrite has posed:
    After helping to scoot Naru's chair in, a short time later Max has returned carefully sets the coffees down in each place, before seating himself. "I will keep the cookies in mind if there is another opportunity to visit the cafteria." he says with a wink. Then there's just a pause. The first dark spots begin to appear on the ground outside. A few at first, but that will soon change. Then the quiet almost-imperceptible sound of individual water droplets impacting will become a steady background rhythm. It's very, very soothing for Maxwell. And also very sad, for some reason he can't think of.

    Something about lightning just makes him melancholy.

    For now, however, he keeps a pleasant smile on his face. He directs his gaze towards Naru. "So, may I ask how you find the education quality here? Is it matching expectations?"

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Thank you." Naru sets her satchel on the empty chair next to her, the pair of them having taken over a table for four by the window. The view is good, watching those drips darken the ground. And a few more. The trees starting to glisten as the rain picks up a bit. Not the downpour that Naru predicted, but rather that steady rain that soaks things, and prompts hot beverages and blankets.

Hot coffee and a cafeteria will just have to do.

"I've been pleased." Naru considers the question. "Good teachers, plenty of opportunity for independant study." She sips from her cup, no matter that it's hot. Clearly she's familiar. "Lots of extra curricular opportunities."

Nephrite has posed:
    Maxwell nods along amicably. "That matches the sort of things I've heard. But you never know if the advertising matches what's actually happening. An actual student is more likely to give an honest assessment." He tilts his head a little bit. "Have you had much involvement with astronomy? Whether as extra currcular, or otherwise."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Astronomy has never been one of my interests." Naru gives a little shake of her head and then flashes a quick smile. "I'm an art student." She chuckles softly.

"I'd say about half my class would be complaining about homework, so student perspective is probably as biased as the advertising, just in somewhat different ways." She nods a little towards his coffee. "At least the food is good. Always a concern when coming to a boarding school."

Nephrite has posed:
    Nothing changes about Max's appearance or demeanor, but his energy and interest fades a little bit at that answer. He's still smiling and nodding, and accepts the reminder to actually drink his coffee before it gets warm. He does so, while listening to Naru. "To learn is to expand one's awareness, of the self, and of the universe. And as one becomes more aware of all there is to learn, the thirst for more learning is a natural consequence." He shrugs. "Or so it was where I went to school. The politicking and pettiness of personalities and egos is an unfortunate byproduct of putting at least one human in the proximity of another human."

    Art is a divergence from Max's usual interests but not at all foreign. Accurately depicting the stars is an important part of his life after all. "May I ask what your preferred medium is, and how common it is in comparison with other art students here?"

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Although, I will agument my comment about astronomy.. I don't know anything about stars, save that poetry and books describe the sky as something very different from what I can see looking up in Tokyo, and I've lived here my entire life." Naru opens her hands, almost in apology for her ignorance on a topic that he clearly is fond of. "But the expanding of one's awareness? Of every piece of learning teaching you first of how little you know, and how much more fascinating things there are in the world? That.. that is alive and well, even when one has different perspectives and interests and opportunities."

Naru smiles warmly. "I am primarily a textile artist, although that is a fast train to starvation and poor grades, so I also work in watercolours. I am not quite unique as a textile artist, but rare at best. Drawing and painting, in basically every permutation and combination therein is much more common. We've a few sculptors, but those are also more on the rare side."

Nephrite has posed:
    Mildly chagrined, Maxwell says, "I did not mean to infer judgment for not sharing my own fascination with the Stars. The variety of interests and skills people have is what has made civilization what it is. If someone wasn't the first to ask, 'What happens if I do X?' and have the interest to find out, humanity might not even exist anymore. But, that's a pointless hypothetical, really. Curiosity is a core trait of what makes someone a human. The two can't be separated." Realizing he's speechifying at someone who clearly understands already, he looks down and chuckles a bit. "Apologies. I'm used to being in the teacher's position. I promise I don't just like to listen to myself talk." A glance out the window reveals the grounds are thoroughly darkened with water, and the rain is coming down hard. The winds are picking up as well.

    "Textiles, is it..." he mutters, listening to the breakdown of focuses among art students. "Clothing, tapestries, blankets, and the like?" His clouded blue eyes turn back to Naru. "There might be a scholarship of sorts for that."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Have you ever paused and considered something we take for granted and just wondered what went through the first human's mind to try it." Naru postulates as she leans back in her chair with her coffee. "Sea urchins, or mushrooms. Crabs.. things that look so wholly unavailable, but yet someone was persistant enough, and likely hungry enough, to have curiosity win out over what seems like good common sense." She gives a little shake of her head in wonder.

Naru smiles easily. "It's alright, I don't mind philosophical ramblings, even when they sound very familiar."

Naru mmms softly. "My current series would best be described as embroidered tapestries or wall hangings. There's a careful balance between the generally inherant practicality of textile work with the apparently desprate need for Art to be impractical, lest it become the dreaded Craft." She lifts her mug in salute to him. "And be warned if you click that npc button, I have Opinions and we might need more coffee and you'll be bored out of your mind when I start ranting about Art vs Craft and end up down the path of the patriatchy."

Nephrite has posed:
    "I bow to your superior understanding on this subject." he says humbly. Then Maxwell says, "There is a cultural crafts scholarship being offered by a subsidiary of Beryl Holdings. Preserving Japanese culture and history in tapestry form, for potential display in museums and cultural centers. If this is something you might be interested in, I would be happy to reach out for further information." He isn't about to get into the subject of the patriarchy. He answers to a queen. Two of them, really. If someone wants to fix what's broken with society, he will cheer them on or even offer a hand.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Interesting." Naru considers that a moment. "I assume they have other scholarships as well? Cultural crafts is a really narrow niche, and while not what I've been doing in class, is not outside what I can do." She is thoughtful. "I would be interested in more information. Deadlines, what they require in the portfolio, that sort of thing."

Naru has no illusions about the application process, a very good thing if one has any dreams of being a full time artist. Grant applications, forevah!

Nephrite has posed:
    Taking a longer drink from his coffee, Maxwell considers the question. "I will research it and get back to you. It's just the first one that came to mind." Picking up his phone, he punches in some numbers with his thumb. Looks at the screen for the result, and then says, "If you'd like, I can register your phone number for a call back when I find out more?" Not that he's in a hurry to end this conversation, given the storm blowing through outside. Anyone who is out there is hurrying quickly towards the destination of 'not out there', and the man in the suit is very much inclined to stay put. It's strange that they were have this storm so unseasonly.

    After consideration of the weather, Maxwell Stanton finally declares, completely seriously, and without any other context, "It must be global warming." Or Dusk Zone integration to Earth, one of the two.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Sure." Naru isn't shy about giving out her number, and this is no exception. She waits for him to be ready and then recites it slowly so that Maxwell catches it as he types. "Or if there's a website or something, I am willing to figure out what scholarships I can apply for."

The random declaration has Naru pausing to giggle, not having fully considered the weather outside. "Global warming is the reason for scholarships?" She follows his gaze outside and then ahhs softly. "Or for the rain. I mean.. rainy Augusts aren't unheard of, but it is odd. It's better than the mind melting heat wave we had a few weeks back. Rainy days are a good excuse to spend them in the studio kind of days."

She considers and then offers. "Harder to look through one's telescope though, I'd assume."

Nephrite has posed:
    Playing along, once he has the number recorded, the brown-haired man shrugs and says, "Perhaps scholarships to get more people solving the problem of global warming and climate change could be considered a factor?" Maybe a little bit too tortured of logic. He also writes down the website for Beryl Holdings scholarships and grants, with a list of companies and organizations, including those not affiliated with BH, like the JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) that may be tied to Darien's scholarship and study path. Mathematics are a core part of space exploration. There are a lot of calculations to make sure everything works properly.

    Once he has as much helpful information as possible written on a napkin, he rotates it and slides it over to Naru. "To see the Stars even during a storm..." he says softly and thoughtfully. "...You need only find a way to stand above the clouds."

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru reaches for the napkin to consider it more carefully. "Thank you." She smiles. "There's a lot of scholarships around climate change, if that's your jam." She leans over to tuck the napkin into her satchel, clearly where everything in her life probably lives. "Did you take advantage of the scholarships when you were in school?" She pauses, considering him. "Unless you still are in school."

Naru smiles at the poetic notion. "To stand above the clouds, and see the world above and below, spread out before you."

Nephrite has posed:
    Thinking back to the distant past, clouded with a sapient darkness, there's very little that Max can salvage. "They were none available at the time." he answers with a smile. The rain seems like it's petering off to a drizzle, as quickly as it became a deluge. The sound of thunder rumbling as the storm moves away indicates that soon the rain will be gone completely. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Osaka-san, and I hope to speak with you again in the near future. But it looks like I shall soon have to go to my next appointment, now that my excuses are drying up." he says with mock seriousness.

    "I really do hope that you keep pursuing what interests you. The energy put into a single pursuit seeking the peak of one's potential produces a far greater result than dabbling in scattered bits and pieces of what might have been." With coffee in one hand, and phone being tucked away with the other, Maxwell Stanton rises from his seat. "I don't mean to sound overly mystical or 'New Age', but I think I sense great potential in you. Whatever you choose, I'm sure the outcome will be amazing." As he rounds the table, he also puts a collapsible umbrella on the table that he got from... Somewhere. Maybe he had it in his jacket? "For the journey to the next rain-free refuge. Don't worry about returning it. I can get another easily." Because the umbrella is made of psychoplasm and will eventually dissolve into the aether when it loses its form, but he leaves that part unsaid.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"It's been a pleasure to meet you as well." Naru smiles, standing as he does. "You have my number." She gestures vaguely in the direciton of his phone. "I'm nearly always up for a coffee break. Although my schedule gets a little silly once classes are back in session."

Naru quirks her head at him a moment and then laughs softly. "I'm pretty sure that there's some obligation to tell students that they have great potential if only they apply themselves. But thank you, nonetheless." She reaches for the umbrella. "Are you sure you don't need this? I can just wait out the last of the rain, but you've an appointment to keep."

Nephrite has posed:
    "I'm not paid to lie. I encourage, but giving someone false hope is against my personal code of ethics. That's why I decided to do this, so that people actually know what they're in for and the options available to them. I'd rather students make an informed decision, instead of getting a commission check based on number of clients or something slimey like that." As he moves to the door, Maxwell turns and says, "Don't worry. Perhaps I'll just walk above the clouds to stay dry." Then with a respectful bow and a pleasant smile, he opens the door and steps out into the rain. At some point, anyone watching him will just lose track of where he went.

    Maybe he's just walking above the clouds after all.