863/Lucent Drive Owner: Verified

Lucent Drive Owner: Verified
Date of Scene:	08 December 2023
Location:	Juuban Ward
Synopsis:	After having slept off his purification in 'TSAB Requires Extraction,' Chrono wakes to learn that another of his crew has been found! He and Rashmi travel to a construction site in Juuban to confirm, and along the way be a tooth-meltingly cute couple.
Cast of Characters:	Rashmi Terios, Chrono Harlaown

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Rashmi Terios has posed:
It's the day after she ran across the candidate at the contstruction site. The day after Chrono was *purified,* a thought that still gives Rashmi the chills. That he'd needed help of *that* caliber, and nobody had really noticed it until it was almost too late. Not even her.

Which was part of why this was so important to her. Primarily, Chrono badly needed a win, a bit of unambiguous progress on his hunt for his crew. But there's a small part of Rashmi that was determined to find another crewman... so she could have *helped* in securing progress.

If she's going to be as reliable as she wants to be for him... doesn't that mean *being reliable?*

Right at the moment, Rashmi is at a cafe near the train station in Pikarigaoka, securing hot drinks for the both of them. Chrono doesn't sleep late normally, and midmorning feels about right for what someone of his chill levels would consider 'sleeping in.' So it's a fairly secure gamble that when he does wake, and does see her message, and does immediately reply, his tea will still be warm.

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown replied rather quickly. << On my way. >>

He would have done PT first, but well... Fenyx had made sure he slept in, like it or not. She'd been scolded for not alerting him the moment the message had arrived, as she'd delayed...

But he'd needed the sleep. Even he couldn't deny that. So the scolding she received was more a token than anything else. Rashmi was correct, though. When he arrived, the tea was still warm. He took it with a smile, the cool morning causing his breath to come out in a light mist. Giving her a kiss on the cheek, he... well...

He took a slow drink of his tea, his eyes closed for a moment. And she could tell he was revving up to say something. "Rashmi..." he said, very slowly. "I... before we go. I have something I need to tell you."

"I'm happy you're my partner. As an enforcer of the TSAB I'm expected to be able to operate in solo operations from time to time. And I can, rather effectively... for a time. But I'm supposed to have oversight. People who monitor me and make sure I am maintaining all necessary requirements to my role. Who I can report to and have my status measured by. I don't... have that now. An enforcer isn't supposed to operate alone like this, I'm supposed to have checks and balances to ensure I don't... go too far."

"... What I'm trying to say is... thank you for being that for me. When I needed you to be. And don't make any mistake. I needed you to be, there. So... thank you."

His cheeks were a bit red, not from the tea, either. "So, ahhhh.... shall we?" he asked, offering his hand to help her up.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Rashmi prides herself on being a Good Listener, especially when it's important. And when a speech like this *needs* revving up for, it's twice as important that he be heard. And when he lands on the 'thank you,' with all the emotions and context behind it, she beams. "You're very welcome, Chrono... and I hope I never let you down."

With that, she puts one mittened hand into Chrono's... then rises out of her seat with *zero* reliance on the grip, because c'mon. Why hold hands for any other reason than its own sake?

Taking up her own coffee with her free hand, she nods toward the train station. "If I remember right, it was three stops from here, then about four blocks' walk," she says, and Nicomachea chimes his verification of this guess.

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown gave her a small smile and a nod. He didn't think she could ever let him down... she'd gone so, far far above what was necessary already. She was, for lack of a better term... his support mage. There were none like her and she was his. Also oh my gosh the mittens made his heart soar.

Granted, he was wearing the bomber jacket she got him that, frankly, looked far too perfect on him when out of henshin. So it was probably a fair trade. Her cute mittens, his bomber jacket. Their hands held gently and lovingly, even through them.

Normally he would have flown. In fact, a part of him wanted to fly... but...

Another part of him wanted to keep holding her hand. To just... feel her hand in his. To give it that gentle, loving squeeze. And a decently long train ride was a good way to remind him. "So, anything new to report while I was away?"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Nothing *else* new," Rashmi chuckles wandering down to the platform at Chrono's side, and just... being *glad* that his smile comes so much easier, today. "Finding Isorai-san was news enough! ...Or, well... who we *think* is... ...You brought Lucent Drive to be sure, right?"

Shaking the doubt out of her mind, she returns the loving squeeze, smiling at the boy who depends on her... who *she* depends on, in turn. "Also Usagi-san's been talking about getting as many of us together as possible, to talk about the Midnight Tokyo thing. Turns out those decryptions *were* holding some important stuff."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown gave a small nod, squeezing her hand again. "Yes. Lucent drive is with me," he said before pulling out a small ring. "Here's hoping," he said before sliding it back into his pocket. "You know, someone tried to steal one of the devices from my pocket recently. I don't think they realized I could track them because they were now carrying one of the devices."

He, at least, seemed amused by it.

"A get together to discuss Midnight tokyo? Sounds like it could be interesting. I'm happy our devices were able to assist in this decoding. Still... concerning. I swear, nearly every day I am in this world I find more and way ways it is just... unnerving and... admittedly... fills me with dread. To imagine any world could be this cut off and altered from reality as a whole. But... I'm happy, if nothing else, I've been able to create a new TSAB here. With trusted individuals like yourself."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Seriously... What I want to know is, how did *TSAB space* manage to intersect with all of this," Rashmi says, gesturing subtly at the train car in specific, and all of Earth in general. "Feels like it *should* be a dimension disconnected with anything that the TSAB would interact with, but..." Squeezing Chrono's hand again, she settles against a pole, frowning in thought. "But I mean... I keep hearing that magical stuff in general is *super* dense, compared to even last year. So that's a question that kind of helps me feel better all the craziness; it's crazy even for people who've been doing this for awhile."

That is a thought to sit with for a bit, before being thrown off. "...Someone *stole* a Device from you? Wow *that* was a bad idea," she laughs.

'With trusted individuals' produces a reaction that most would assume is out of all proportion with Chrono's words... if one did not know Chrono well enough to catch the subtext. "Awwwwww. I'm glad you're here too, and not *just* because you're the best first boyfriend a girl could have."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown gave a light chuckle, rubbing the back of his head. "Well... think of it like... imagine a sinkhole under a road, okay? One day a vehicle goes over it, the road collapses and now that area is untouched. It's blocked off, you have signs warning people away, but in the grand scheme of things everyone knows to stay away even if they can get there."

"Well, this time something big, dangerous and destructive fell into the hole. We had to go after it or risk it coming back. We tried to pursue it, but the deeper we went, the less things made sense. The arthra's sensors were damaged and we had to keep trying, but... well... then it all went even worse. Though, honestly? The magic here is so strange... but I like to believe that I was sent here for a reason. That, somehow, the magic drew me in. But maybe I'm just overthinking things." Chrono? Overthinking things? Noooooo.

"But yeah, things are certainly incredibly active here. Even by TSAB standards things are... wild."

He did snort to her reaction, before giving a nod. "Yeah. Pick pocketing a device... doesn't... end well."

He did smile much easier now, though. And he even didn't mind when the train got a little crowded and he had to push into her side a little. But, soon, they arrived at the station and were able to depart, walking towards the lost crewmate. Giving her hand another gentle squeeze.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"And that's the Jewel Seeds you were talking about before, right?" Rashmi says, tilting her head. "But even everything else aside, that means that Hannah's uncle is just a coincidence? ...Yeah I have to wonder if you being here *isn't* destiny, or something like. Because there are way too many 'just happened's for me to not go 'You're sure about that?'" Flushing, she clears her throat. "But whatever the reason, I'm glad you're here. And with me. And all of tha--"

Which point they round the corner, and the construction site starts to come into view. "...Ahem. So last I saw her, she was wheeling tools around. If she's not here now, maybe it's just a different shift, so, we can come back later."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown gave a small nod, then shook his head. "Yes, it's the jewel seeds. But not as much as you may think. You see, this area being a magic dead zone is... well known, ish. At least as well as I'd say this world's 'bermuda triangle'. Fleeing here, if you've given up on any ability to come home... or are too arrogant to consider the dangers, makes it a good place to hide. And considering we're fairly certain the jewel seed transport was... sabotaged... it's possible they hoped we wouldn't pursue."

So, perhaps a coincidence. Or perhaps everyone did their moves when they did because it was destiny. There was no way to tell.

Then the construction site, however. As they approached... "Begin scanning," he told his device. He then moved his shoulder and Fenyx flew off! Such a well behaved bird, just sitting their quietly as the two snuggled on the train. Didn't even cause a problem on the train or anything.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"...Wait so it was *forced* to crash here? That's... concerning," Rashmi murmurs. And thoughts of all of Earth being the galaxy's 'Bermuda Triangle' occupy her quite solidly, as Chrono releases Fenyx and begins the scanning.

...At least, until a non sequitur completely derails her train of thought. "...Wait, so does that make Hannah Amelia Earhart?"

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
"Exactly," Chrono said. "It's possible that Hannah's uncle is involved, but I find it unlikely. They are powerful lost logia and if someone could acquire all of them, they may believe it'll be possible to escape this world. I doubt it, though. I imagine it'd be more likely they'd try and end up wiping out this entire dimension."

Overhead, Fenyx kept flying, looking around the area... and... there hadn't been a hit yet. And she could see the look on his face. The way his smile... wavered slightly. As it slowly shifted to his 'work' smile as opposed to his true smile, the one she'd helped him learn...

Rashmi Terios has posed:
As Chrono's smile begins to fade, Rashmi's thumb gently rubs over the back of his hand. "Like I said," she murmurs, "she could just be on another shift today... Or she might even have today off! We don't know her schedule after all..."

Realizing that she's borrowing disappointment just as much as he is, she trails off and shakes her head. "Maybe give it a half hour? By that point we'll probably see almost everyone working at this place right now..."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown gave a small nod. "Right. You're right. It's... it's always possible they're just.... that she's just not here today. Nothing to get worried over."

Chrono rested his head on her shoulder. As for Amelia Earhart... I'll be honest. I don't know who that is."

Excuse me, kids!" a voice called out from behind them. Chrono whipped around to see... a rather large woman. Full on hard hat, jacket, pants which were slightly dirty from cement. He moved aside, watching her go... only for her to stop for a moment and glance back at him. "Hey... kid, do I know you?"

"Taktak?" Chrono asked.

Her eyes went wide and she opened her mouth, trying to come up with a response...

"You knew my mother," Chrono said quickly.

"Oh. Oh yeah! Right. Heh. Stay away from the construction, kids. It's a dangerous area."

Chrono, meanwhile... just watched her go. < Bio-signature recognized and locked on. Takanori Isorai, damage control specialist. > A voice said in their heads. And Chrono... just sighed and closed his eyes.

"I love you... so much."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
This is not the kind of moment to say 'yay!' at any volume, no matter *how* celebratory Rashmi feels. And let's be honest, there is a *big* reason to celebrate, in this moment. Instead, Rashmi just leads Chrono slightly away from the site, as instructed by the woman they now know is his old crewmate. "I love you too," she says softly, wrapping her arms around him and simply being, in the moment.

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown couldn't help but smile. He was.... relaxed. He let her lead him away. His hand tight on her own. When she hugged him, he hugged her right back. And he held her. And she held him. And she could feel the light tremble in his hands. "Thank you," he whispered to her.

She... She really meant so much more to him than he could say. And this? This was just another thing in the long, long list of reasons she was his partner. Not just in a relationship manner, either. She... helped keep him keep stable in ways he couldn't fully explain to her. But ways she likely understood.

The fact she smelled like curry often helped as well.

"... If you ever end up lost somewhere, though... I'll be your Amelia Eirhart..." he whispered.

... And then he said things like that which were, frankly, a clear sign he didn't get the reference.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Chrono will be clued into the fact that he got it wrong, by the tiny little snerk noise that Rashmi makes, against the top of his head. But she doesn't correct him... yet. Right now he's simply feeling better, and he got a big win, and it's okay to just bask in all of this for a bit.

Then, about the time that breathing might be an issue, she leans back, enough for conversation. "Y'know what sounds good after a victory? Yakitori. I thought I saw a place a couple blocks over, want to burn meats for lunch?"

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Breathing? What value was breathing in comparison to hugs? However, in this case it was probably the right choice. He looked up at her.... and while to most, the shift was subtle, the smile on his lips was true. One she'd helped put on his lips more times than he could count.

"I'd love to burn meat with you, Rashmi." Letting her, once again, guide him to where they were to go. He... really should touch base with Hannah again someday soon. Earth girls were amazing.