604/One Thing We Can Agree On

One Thing We Can Agree On
Date of Scene:	16 October 2023
Location:	Juuban Ward
Synopsis:	Firefly and Rashmi meet atop a skyscraper in Juuban. At first the discussion is guarded, but the pair resolve to find a way to remain amicable regardless of if they're on opposite sides. One thing they have in common? Magic is *so cool!*
Cast of Characters:	Rashmi Terios, Hotaru Tomoe

---

Rashmi Terios has posed:
As the sun begins to dip behind the Tokyo skyline, Rashmi settles down on the roof of a skyscraper, ankle wings fluttering once before stilling, as the spell swaps into standby maintenance. She'd taken a couple of hours after school to fly patrol, in the mostly-vain hope that she might stumble backward into news about Chrono-kun's crew.

But nothing has been forthcoming, and it's getting close to time to go home and do some homework. But for now?

It's time to enjoy the absolute best thing about being magic; flying up onto the tallest buildings within reach, and enjoying the view.

At which point Rashmi tugs a bag of peach gummies out of Nicomachea's display gem, because a good view and snacks are the *best* combination.

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
It had been a while since Nicomachea had sent a message. An invite to Firefly, one of the Obsidian members. A friend request. She'd accepted it, because of course she had. But the request to meet with her had been... well. Never replied to.

Until today. Where a single, small message was sent. < So, uhhhh, did you still wanna meet? I have a little bit of time. >

... the truth was that Hotaru felt incredibly nervous about it. It could be a trap. Or worse. But... she kind of wanted to. But then didn't. But then did. And she'd wrestled with it for a while, until finally...

So much time had passed that she hadn't had the courage to accept. What if the other person was annoyed? Was mad? Was it rude? But...

Finally, after weeks, that small, insignificant response came from Luminous Titan.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Rashmi's head perks up as the message ping arrives. Then, upon *reading* the message, pleased surprise suffuses her being.

    << Hi! Yes! I'm just taking a break on the roof of XXXX Industries' office building in Juuban, I'd be happy to! Also I have peach gummies if you'd like to share. >>

Now *that's* hospitality. Not just being willing to meet, but an offer of sweet snacks?

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Firefly felt her heart skip a small beat. And not just because of her health. Sure, partially because of her health, but not only.

<< I'll be there in about twenty minutes. I ummm, I'll bring some crackers. >>

Because if someone was going to bring gummies, she should bring something too, right? It took about eighteen minutes for her to arrive, having used an obsidian door to come out from a graffiti covered phone booth that had loooooong ago been abandoned because obsolete.

She then flew up and... landed a bit away. Her glaive kind of... held horizontally over her lap. She stared at Rashmi before, promptly, bowing. "H-hello! I-I'm Firefly! This is Luminous Titan, my device! Ummm, nice to meet you and uhhhh. I hope you're... not hoping to fight." She then pulled out some... saltines. From her device. Well. A baggy of them. And held it out. As an offering. There were like... twelve in it. Well, eleven. She'd had one earlier. "Nice to ummmm, m-meet you."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
As Firefly flies up, and lands upon the roof, Rashmi scrambles to her feet, and bows in return, her huge armored book floating at her shoulder. "It's lovely to meet you, Firefly-san. I'm Rashmi, and this is Nicomachea," she says, gesturing at the book.

    << *BONG!* >> << HAIL AND WELL MET, LUNIMOUS TITAN AND MASTER, >> says the book in a voice that, while monotone and flat of affect, still resenbles a tweedy old English professor about to lecture about his favorite literary master.

Carefully approaching, she takes the baggy of saltines, looks down at her opened bag of sweets, and chuckles. Nodding to the lip on the edge of the roof, the redhead smiles. "I'd really rather not fight if I can help it, no. Want to have a sit, and share?"

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Firefly let out a small relieved sigh. She was a little worried the other girl would attack her... But... it seemed this really was just a meeting. Good. She walked over and, nervously, sat down.

<< Greetings. >> Luminous Titan said in a dark, ominous voice you'd expect from a horror movie. The kind of voice that sent chills down your spine. The voice you'd expect to hear right before you died. Yet it was carried by a girl who looked like she was dressing up to go to a Teen Titan's convention as her favorite OC, woobie girl, donut steel.

"That's nice. I ummm... I don't really like fighting either. Well, except when it's fun. Then I don't mind it. But uhhhh... I gotta be tough, you know? Cause... errr... stuff. Y-yeah," she said sheepishly, poking her fingers together. "So, uhhhh, did you.... want... to talk about anything in particular or ummmm... are you just hoping to setup a like.... bond... thing... with random villains you meet?"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
The chill that travels up Rashmi's spine is very nearly visible, but save for perhaps a momentary freezing of her smile, she perserveres. "Honestly... I was curious? There was all that noise at the ship, things and people just all blowing up and everything, and a bunch of friends of mine got really, really badly hurt... But then I heard your voice, and you didn't sound like a 'villain,'" and yes, she uses the quote fingers, "like, at all."

Using the baggy as a placemat, she arranges half the crackers and half the gummies on it, for Firefly to take.

Firefly gets six crackers,because 'good host' habits die never.

"*Are* you a villain, Firefly-san?"

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Firefly took the baggy back and held it in her lap. She picked up a gummy and, very gently... bit off a piece of it. Not all of it, oh no. Just a piece. A small nibbly bit. That was all. A tiny, itty bitty nibbles. She seemed to be taking her time thinking about that.

Finally... "I hurt people," she finally said. "Even when they don't deserve it. I don't... know if I'm really a villain. Riventon-senpai says I'm pretty bad at it. But I'm not one of the good guys, either. Maybe... I'm more of a anti-hero?" She took another small bite of the gummy.

"Either way, I'm your enemy."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Why?" Rashmi says after a moment. While she might not give the cracker the same nibbly treatment as Firefly gave the gummy, it's still clear that she's taking Firefly's words to heart. "...Okay that's a really open question, and while I'm curious about the 'why do you do these things,' honestly... I want to know why we have to be enemies, y'know? I hurt people too. People *get hurt* in fights, and I know what I'm getting into when I go fight in one. Like I *just got out of the hospital* because some villain took a badly-aimed shot *really, really personally.*"

"And I'm scared of her, and wish she maybe cared more about keeping her head in a fight, but... it's dangerous. Fighting is dangerous. So... Iunno."

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Firefly sighed and just gave a shrug. "I... don't know. I'm just bad, I guess. Weird. I.... used to hurt people without knowing it. I used to do it a lot, all the time. But... since... Riventon-senpai started helping me, I at least know when I do it now. I haven't put anyone in the hospital for a while, at least."

She finally put the rest of the gummy into her mouth. Chewing on it. "I'm... sorry you got hurt, though. It's... never fun to be in the hospital." Speaking from experience, there. "Now, it's... because we need these things. For good in the end. I... know you probably won't believe me. But our intentions are good. Well. Mine and Riventon-senpai's are. There are people who... don't... have good intentions at all," she said that with some bitterness in her voice.

"But I also know you have to try and stop us, and I don't mind that. And sometimes you'll even get stronger from fighting us and maybe you'll stop one of the people who are bad. So... I think it's okay if we're enemies. I won't hurt you too much anymore, though." She held out her glaive. The blade was now covered in energy. "Riventon-senpai upgraded it! Now I can't kill anybody unless I want to. So aside from uhhhh... one person, it's perfectly safe."

Kaolinite, meanwhile, sneezed and rubbed her nose. Was she getting a cold?

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Okay..." Rashmi says slowly, tilting her head. "...I... hm. Okay so... I mean obviously I don't agree with, like, shooting people's souls out of their body as a *good idea,* let alone a means to any kind of good end, but... I mean..."

Settling back, she ponders what exactly she's trying to say, and then just sighs. "Nothing you've said to me tells me you're a *bad person,* Firefly-san. You're *happy* that your incredibly menacing sword-on-a-staff won't kill anyone unless you mean it. You talk about hurting people like it's something you didn't have any control over. You *actually brought crackers* when I offered to share my snacks."

Because she can't help but talk with her hands when she really gets going, she spreads her hands out above her head in a super exaggerated shrug. "I don't see enemies in that! Not even if I have to fight them!"

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Firefly stared at her, her eyes going wide. "W-wait, what? Shooting their..." And there it was, that indecision on her face. Silent for a moment. "I... I don't know anything about that. But... I... I'll try and figure it out," she said softly.

Completely unaware that, in the end? She was the root cause of that.

She sighed when Rashmi called her out. "Yeah... I... know. I seem... nice. Harmless. Soft. Weak. Delicate. I don't seem... dangerous. But... there's... a difference, I think. A big difference between hurting people a lot versus hurting them more, but a little. I'm going to hurt people either way, Rashmi-san. At least... this way it'll mean something." She took another nibble of her cracked. She didn't seem to be a very big, or heavy, eater.

"I'm not your ally, though. If... you try treating me like I'm one, you'll just get hurt in the end. I... hurt people all the time, Rashmi-san. Not in little ways. Not... gentle..." She looked frustrated and upset. "Classmates, friends, pets... If you... try... treating me like I'm anything but an enemy, when we're out there? You'll get hurt. Again. If you don't want to see me as an enemy when we're done fighting, that's fine. But... on the battlefield? You need to take me seriously or I will put you down," she said, trying to force the harshness in her voice that she didn't feel.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Rashmi listens very carefully, nodding her understanding now and again, and draws in a deep breath, letting it out in a long, slow sigh. "Firefly-san... I'm *not* going to treat you like you're harmless. Nevermind the fact that Luminous Titan-san makes that kind of impossible, but I *know* how it feels to be treated like that. And just... no. You're probably a *lot more* dangerous than I'll ever be, and it would just... Iunno, be *insulting* to act otherwise."

But frustration twists her face for a moment as well, and she removes her glasses to rub the bridge of her nose. "It's pretty obvious to me you don't *like* hurting people. Like... If you had the option, you just wouldn't. If you *did,* if you *enjoyed* it, then yeah I probably wouldn't want to sit down like this and talk. But..."

A gummy is contemplated, then chewed on. "...Okay look. I'd *way* rather have friends than enemies, but like I said; fighting is *dangerous,* and it's pretty easy to take getting hurt personally, right? So... How about we make a deal?"

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Firefly gave a shrug. "I mean, most people I don't wanna hurt. Some people... deserve to be hurt," Hotaru said. "Though... I don't think I really like that either. Sometimes, though, there's not a lot of choice. They'll only learn if you hurt them enough they can never forget."

Hearing that from a girl who didn't look much older than ten or eleven likely wasn't the most comforting thought. Then again, she was taller than Chrono.

"But no, I don't enjoy it. A lot of the people I hurt... I didn't want to. I don't even remember doing it. I... still don't. And I... I hope one day I never have to hurt anyone again. But, for now? I still have to. So... please... don't try to tell me I don't have to. Or we can just... not fight. I know that's not how it works. No matter how much I wish it was."

She took another small bite of her cracker, cocking her head to the side and eying her. "A... deal? What... kind of deal?" Firefly asked, her eyes narrowing slightly and watching the other girl with just a hint of suspicion.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"None of that," Rashmi says, shaking her head. "I mean... I kinda Have Opinions about a world that makes a girl younger than *I am* have to worry about when it's okay to Really Hurt Someone... anyway. No. I think it'd be insulting to you -- And to Luminous Titan-san, honestly -- to ask that we don't fight. But the deal is, it's not personal. If we have to fight, we both do our very, very best. And afterward, whichever one of us wins gets dinner for the both of us. Because if you're in this world, you *have* to do your best or things could go really wrong, but... There's no reason you can't win and be kind, after, y'know?"

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Firefly blinked a few times, cocking her head to the side... Well.... she had her own opinions. Honestly... A part of her had to bite her tongue to avoid saying 'I won't fight when I'm older than you'. She'd likely never live anywhere near that long.

But she didn't need to tell the other girl that. It might make her not fight as hard. Lose... an important fight.

"So... basically, whenever we fight, you buy me dinner?" she asked in a teasing tone. "Because, well. I'll be honest. I know my side has a terrible track record. Probably good, though. I mean... you guys think you're doing what's best and a lot of times you're probably right. Some people on our side... well... some of them... aren't... nice..."

She thought to Yochu... and a frown was on her lips, now. What happened to her... "But sure, it sounds fun! Who chooses where they eat?"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Hey, I've lost too," Rashmi points out, smiling crookedly. "And if I'm gonna take you seriously, I'm not even gonna *joke* about always buying dinner."

But the acceptance of the offer brings deep relief to Rashmi's heart. Because Firefly is right, there *are* people on her side who are, to understate things dramatically, not nice. But *one* opponent who isn't resolved to be an *enemy* is... comforting? And maybe a solid step toward more. Toward a world where... maybe... they don't have to fight at *all.*

Wishful thinking, perhaps, but if she's to achieve her life goals, might as well start shooting for the moon early on, right?

"I mean, I know a couple places, but... if we're being kind about this, the person who loses is probably gonna want their favorite to cheer them up, so... let's go with that?"

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Firefly gave a light chuckle. "I guess. I don't think I've really won before. I mean, I guess I kind of won in the thing with the ship but... there was lightning. I do not like lightning. It didn't... feel like I won," Firefly said, hugging herself and giving a light shudder. "But, for obvious reasons I have to stay in henshin. So... it'll probably be takeout and then we can like. Fly up to a roof and eat it there. Like super heroes! Watching over a dark, mysterious city. Dun dun duuuuun," she said, making mock hero sound effect.

"Oh... uhhhh... so I'd... have to... choose? Uhhhh... huh?" She then stopped, looking down at her device. Were they... talking?

Then her face lit up. "Oh! That's a great idea! Okay, so how about... we choose three places! Then the winner can pick from those three which to go to? That way it's not all on one person to make all the choices all the time!"

... Yes, she knew she was going to lose a lot. But.... but making choices by herself was... hard. And made her feel bad.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"...Okay yes dinner on a roof like this *does* sound like a lot of fun," Rashmi says with a chuckle. "And I mean... I'd suggest sparring from time to time so you get used to knowing what to look for, but... I'm a pretty awful sparring partner. Most of what I do best is boosting *other* people, there's not much you'd learn from me."

"...Oh, that sounds perfect, picking from three! I'm guessing that was Luminous Titan-san's idea?"

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Firefly nodded. "Uh huh! Luminous Titan is super smart! I'm really lucky to have a partner like him to help me figure all this out. Magic is awesome, you know? And he helps make sure I don't get sick as much and when I get sick Riventon-senpai can come and make sure I'm okay. As for ummmm... sparring... with other magical girls... I don't... think I'm... supposed to do that. If... if I need to, I can with other girls on our side. The... nicer ones. But..."

"... If I shared my secrets, I think I'd get in trouble. I'm not really the best fighter anyway, so I couldn't really help much either... I think I'm usually more of a hindrance than a help..."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Sick?" Rashmi says, mostly out of surprise, but she immediately shakes her head. "Nevermind. If you *want* to talk about it, that's up to you, but I'm not gonna pry."

Tilting her head to one side, Rashmi smiles. "Well... I can let you in on a little secret, myself." Leeeeaning close, the redhead admits her deepest, darkest secret. "I *still* feel like I don't know what I'm doing a lot of the time. And when I was figuring all this out at first, I didn't even know I didn't have to *turn Nicomachea-kun's pages* to get what I was looking for! I felt like such a dummy, the first time someone told me I could just think at him!"

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Firefly nodded. "Yeah, don't uhhh... worry about it. I just get sick sometimes. It's nothing to worry about." For her, at least.

"...Oh my gosh, I know! I remember when Riventon-sensei told me I could talk to them IN MY BRAIN! It's like I'm telepathic! Isn't it the coolest thing EVER?" she asked, almost shrieking. "And I love how the magic lets me do all kinds of things I normally can't! Like floating! Oh my gosh, floating is SO COOL! I can like, fall over and BAM! Don't even hit the ground. Cause Luminous Titan got me. That and spells. Oh my gosh, I can do magic! That's SO COOL!" she definitely shrieked then. "And then sometimes you can like, do these tutorial things IN YOUR HEAD! That's the BEST EVER!" And now she'd gotten up and was kind of hopping in places, her snacks entirely forgotten in their resting place besides where she'd been sitting.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"It *is!*" Rashmi agrees, laughing. "That's why I'm even here! Sunset on top of a building I *flew up to* with *magic spells* is just like a *treat* for me whenever I need it! And there's *so much to learn,* I've barely scratched the top of everything I could do! Nico's trying to teach me how spells're put together, but it's *so confusing* but I don't care *I can do magic!"

By this point, Rashmi is also standing, fists clenched under her chin and bouncing on her toes. "Magic is *so cool!*"