335/Office Hours -- Nanoha

Office Hours -- Nanoha
Date of Scene:	26 August 2023
Location:	Administrative Office
Synopsis:	Nanoha comes by to see Kyouka after her friends are worried about her.
Cast of Characters:	Nanoha Takamachi, Kyouka Inai

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Nanoha Takamachi has posed:
Two of Nanoha Takamachi's best friends have come to the guidance counselors with concerns. "She's disappearing all the time!" says Arisa. "Into alleys and booths...!" she says. "Yeah!" says Suzuka. "Then she'll just come back later apologizing and acting weird. She never showed an interest in a pet before, but now she has a ferret she's with all the time now!?" says Suzuka more.

"We want you to talk to her to find out what's up and why she's acting so weird!" the two say.

And thusly, now Nanoha Takakmachi finds herself in thee office over break, because her two friends are worried about her keeping important secrets from her. Speaking of ferrets. It's with her. On her shoulder, Yuuno hanging out on her shoulder and generally being a polite little thing, keeping to itself.

"I wonder what this is about..." she speaks to Yuuno quietly. the ferret not talking here, but looking a smidge worried.

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Ironically, Kyouka can tell almost immediately what it's about- the complaints were enough of a clue, given the world she is steeped in, but the strong scent of magic coming from Nanoha as she approaches the office is more than enough to confirm her suspicions. Which is why Nanoha was sent to her specifically in the first place.

    As the girl opens the door to her office, Kyouka is sitting in the large padded chair behind her desk, waiting. Her hands are folded on the desk in front of her, but she does her best to smile and look friendly. Nanoha is younger than the students she deals with most often, and there may be a little bit of 'help, how do I deal with kid', but she's doing her best.

    "Takamachi-san," She says, starting off polite, but friendly. "Please come in and have a seat!" She gestures to the two comfy-looking armchairs positioned to face her desk. She does not comment on the ferret, not yet.

Nanoha Takamachi has posed:
Nanoha Takamachi reeks of magic, yes. Yuuno, less so, but still, yes. When Nanoha walks in she has this air of 'am I in trouble? I'm in trouble! D:' to her candor and indeed, she's much younger than most magical girls her age at nine years old compared to the usual Kyouka must deal with. She bows.

"Hello, Inai-senpai, I hope I'm not causing too big of an issue." she says.

Yuuno doesn't bow, but looks with a tilted head on her shoulder still.

She has a seat and gets comfy in the big comfy looking armchair. She looks adorably small on it compared to the usual age Kyouka might have in the office. She looks around, and smiles at the big orange sun with the 'be the best that you can be' on it. She believes that, mister sun!

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka shakes her head a little bit when Nanoha asks if she is causing an issue. "No, no.. well, I mean, yes, but it's not really an issue." She says, leaning one elbow on the desk in a more relaxed posture as she regards the girl. Perhaps interestingly, she does not comment on the ferret at all, simply accepting that he is there and not asking why.

    "Your friends are worried about you, and how you've been running off and coming back with weird excuses." She says, with a small laugh. "They mean well. And I know that you do too. But I can't blame them for being concerned. It's just.. well. I know you've got new responsibilities. And finding the best way to mesh that with your everyday life can be difficult. It's something we all have to adjust to."

    A vague gesture at 'we all', as if meaning everybody. But clearly not meaning everybody.

Nanoha Takamachi has posed:
Nanoha Takamachi sinkkks into the chair as the reasoning for being here is being brought up. U..ugh! She doesn't know how to handle this with an adult because she hasn't needed to yet. What can she say. That she'll stop. She can't promise that. Instead, she just sinks deeper into that chair, deeper into.... desperation.

The ferret also goes down to laying down over Nanoha's shoulder all floppy like as the conversation goes on. What's she supposed to blame on this, going to the bathroom all the time or something!?

"Look...sometimes. Stuff comes up and and.. I gotta do my best. But. Things. and stuff." she says, tapping her bottom lip.

"And stuff and things!" she insists!

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka smirks at the excuses... not in a mean way, more in a 'oh hunny' kind of way, but she quickly holds up a hand to forestall Nanoha from needing to put forth any more desperate attempts. "Don't worry, Takamachi-san. The reason you've been sent to talk to me is that I know what you're doing.. those sorts of things and stuff."

    "I know you're a magical girl." She taps the side of her forehead. "I can tell. And it's my job to help magical girls (and boys!) to sort things out. When you're new to it, it can be a bit hard to find the right balance... but it's important work. And you can find a way to do what you have to do, and still keep your friends from worrying too much."

    She shrugs. "It's.. not always easy. But it is possible, and usually worth it."

Nanoha Takamachi has posed:
Nanoha Takamachi sinkkks into that chair even more when Kyouka smirks at her but then Kyouka lets the cat out of the bag and she suddenly skirts up. "That's...not it at all!" she denies. "If I was a magical girl I'd be very bad at it!" she says. Yuuno facepalms dramatically at this and falls over on her shoulder.

Yuuno is not impressed with this at all. But is keeping quiet. Nanoha Takamachi keeps seated up finally, as she nods and crosses her arms. She nods, matter of fact!

"S..she's actually. Quite good at it." says the Ferret. Finally.

Nanoha opens her eyes suddenly and then says. "YunnNNNO!" she complains. "You're the one that told me to keep a secret!"

Yuuno shrugs. He's used to dealing with adults. more so than Nanoha is. "Apologies, Inai-sensei." he says. "But we're doing important things. It's hard to keep that uh. Balance." he says, crossing his tiny arms.

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka smiles, not seeming at all surprised by the ferret talking, although perhaps she does look a bit interested. She's seen talking mascots before, but Yuuno seems a bit more articulate than a lot of the ones she's familiar with.

    "It's okay, and you should keep it a secret, generally speaking." Kyouka tells Nanoha. "But it just so happens I'm in a special position. I can sense magic, so I could tell right away when you walked in. Most people can't do that. For your own safety and that of your family and friends, it's generally a good idea to keep the whole thing a secret."

    "But the fact that I can tell is part of why it's my job to help. I know it's hard to keep that balance, but your friends are worried about you." She addresses Yuuno. "Perhaps telling them, at least partially, wouldn't be wrong... either that or coming up with a better story. They really do mean well, but if this continues as-is, they will only get more suspicious and concerned."

Nanoha Takamachi has posed:
Nanoha Takamachi wilts back into the big chair. Oh boy. The School Counselor knows now and that's a big problem for her, but she guesses not for Yuuno. She ughs. "-and I'm apparently a big ol' magical beacon I guess." Nanoha Takamchi says as she resettles up in the chair. She nods a little. "So. What am I to do then? I ju..just can't tell them!" she says dramatically.

Yuuno considers. "The main worry. I have is. They will want to help. But. They can't. It's dangerous. What me and Nanoha-chan do." he says as he considers.

Nanoha sulks a little. "If they're so worried they're talking about it to you... well I don't know what to do." she says as she considers, crossing her arms in thought.

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka does her best to reassure Nanoha. "Don't worry- like I said, most people can't tell. It's just a particular skill I happen to have that helps me do my job. And I'm here to help.. that's why the Headmistress hired me to begin with." She leans forward on the desk a little bit. "I can tell that you have a lot of power, and that does come with responsibility. But learning to manage that is part of growing into a powerful magical girl."

    She nods her head in agreement to Yuuno. "I understand. It's natural to want to help your friends. And it's natural for you two to want to keep your friends from getting hurt. But if they're really your friends, they should understand."

    "Maybe the proper thing to do is to talk to them without telling them the whole truth. They may not believe the whole truth, anyway. But you should tell them something.. even if its only part of the truth. I'm not suggesting you lie... just that you maybe frame things in a way they will be able to understand."

Nanoha Takamachi has posed:
Nanoha Takamachi sighs and continues to sulk. "What can I tell them without telling the whole thing? That I have something important going on? Arisa and Suzuka will wanna know everything." she says, placing her hands on the side of her head as she sinks into the chair again.

"They are rather nosey." says Yuuno. "But not too nosey." he says as he crosses his tiny adorable little arms as he seems to ponder, tapping a claw against his snout tip.

"So like. What do I tell them then?" she asks, wondering if Kyouka has an answer at all. "Because all I can think of is telling them I'm a magical girl and then they tell me I'm silly and to tell them the truth." she says.

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    "You could tell them something like.." Kyouka taps her lip, clearly thinking.. then she shrugs, because she doesn't have any amazing ideas either, not knowing Nanoha's friends personally. "Maybe something like you have an important obligation that might keep you busy sometimes, but you can't talk too much about it because you've been asked not to. They might not be entirely happy with that, but hopefully they will understand."

    "Either way, I want to give you this." She reaches into her drawer and pulls something out.. it's her business card, with her name and phone number printed on the front over the RHA emblem. On the back, she writes the info for her self-defense classes as well, before handing it over. "If you get in a tight spot, you can call me for help, alright? And you should think about coming to my self-defense class sometime. I have special lessons afterwards for people with.. your sort of situation."

Nanoha Takamachi has posed:
Nanoha Takamachi listens to the advice and closes her eyes as she looks over to Yuuno. "I dunno if that'll work, but it's worth a shot. I tried something like that before. But. Here I am." she says softly as she sighs again.

Yuuno accepts the card on Nanoha's behalf, taking it into tiny ferret hands as he looks over the card. Both sides. and hands it to Nanoha, who does the same as she puts it away.

"Thank you, Inai-sensei!" she says. Then she pauses.

"Self-defense classes?" she asks softly. "Special lessons?" she asks curiously. Yuuno also seems curious.

It's not like the two operate under an identity or anything.

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    "Yes, well, I teach regular self-defense classes in the sports pavilion," Kyouka explains. "Generally geared towards the high school students, so a bit above your level probably. Things like how to keep yourself safe and how to get out of bad situations."

    "But after that I have a special class for magic users. Where you can practice without worrying about being seen, and even test your skills against other magical girls." She tilts her head a little. "It's valuable to have that kind of practice, even if you have a lot of talent."

    She shrugs her shoulders. "Anyway, it's not required. But you are welcome to attend, if you want to. I think it would be helpful for you."

Nanoha Takamachi has posed:
Nanoha Takamachi considers a bit. "I guess it couldn't hurt..." she says softly. "To at least attend and see what it's like." she considers. "So. Magical. Practice? I guess that couldn't hurt." she says. "I don't really have any practice besides the uh..."

"Well. Training sims." she shuffles a little and stands up. "So I'll. Try to tell Arisa and Suzuka again. But I can't promise they won't be in here like. Complaining again." she admits.

"I guess I can try telling them some version of the truth." she says with a resigned sigh.

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka nods sympathetically. "I know it can be a challenge. But there are people who can support you. Myself, as that's my job. But also your friend there," She gestures to Yuuno. "And if you come to class and make some other friends who already know about magic.. then they can help support you too. I am not saying you should replace your old friends with new ones.. just that having that support without needing secrets is valuable too."

    "And if your friends show up and complain again.." She shrugs her shoulders. "I can try and talk to them too. I won't tell any of your secrets obviously. But maybe they'll accept an explanation from me that would sound weird coming from you."

    She smiles. "Just keep doing the good work, Takamachi-san. What you're doing is important.. that's a fact. It won't always be easy, but you should keep at it."