55/Currying Favors

Currying Favors
Date of Scene:	10 July 2023
Location:	Korma Chameleon
Synopsis:	A small unexpected meeting occurs between Chiyo, Ikiko, Koji and Melona. Food is ordered, bullying is discussed, and in the end things are left in emotional turmoil for several. Melona rushes out with her food. Koji rescues Minako from a bad fall. More confusion ensues.
Cast of Characters:	Minako Aino, Ikiko Hisakata, Chiyo Sakai, Koji Silvia, Melona Mizu

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Chiyo Sakai has posed:
The lure of Korma Chameleon was hard to ignore at times. After a rather long day of studying, and helping prepare ingredients for the oncoming week at Nounamu, Chiyo wanted to just sit and enjoy a meal rather than deal with takeout.

After the incident that occured last time she's hesitant to step inside. Once she has the delicious, enticing smells of the food put her instantly at ease. There was no Darien this time to worry about.

Her path is made toward a table where she picks up one of the menus to begin studying it in-depth.

Melona Mizu has posed:
     Food! Food is always good, even if food is technically not strictly necessary for a Puella anymore... it still tastes good, after all! This is why Melona is in Korma Chameleon, looking around for what's probably a good mark to get a free meal out of.

     Seeing someone she recognizes from the last time she was here... Melona casually wanders over to the table that Chiyo was sitting at, though her plan changes rather instantly during that. "Was Geht? <What's up?> You came in here alone. Waiting for those three again?" She asks as she sits down, reaching for a menu of her own to flip through. Let's see, let's see... hm. Yep. Lots of good food. Lamb curry. That sounds delicious.

Koji Silvia has posed:
"IRRASHAIMASE!"

The chime at the door sounds as a familiar (to some) face is seen. Nose half in a light novel, and the interior light gleaming off his glasses when he shifts from the outside, Koji has his earbuds in and is currently (and seemingly) oblivious to most. Instead of going to the counter for a to-go order, he ends up settling himself down right at a table facing Chiyo and the others, absently finishing out his chapter and track. For anyone looking at the cover will see it's volume 3 of 'My Ex-Boyfriend the Demon Lord just sent me to Japan!', a reverse isekai tale.

While he does not have the sense to be rude, he does end up putting his feet up on one of the chairs at his table as he drums out some of what he's listening to on the table, and then takes a moment to glance around.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Another day, another group of stray dogs visited and fed. Ikiko's meandering route back towards the dorms led her towards Korma Chameleon, and the delicious smells reminded her of the yummy food she had the last time she was here.

Taking a quick glance around to make sure there's nobody directly behind her, she walks through the door and steps to the side, pausing to see if there's anyone familiar there. Let's see...

Ah! At one table, there's Chiyo, and... that one blacksmithing girl who showed up at the Animal Care club get-together. The next table over, there's a distracted-looking Koji. Two friendly faces, and one known face; good enough for her!

"Hi, Chiyo-san!" the younger girl waves as she heads over to the female half of Operation Decoy Couple, giving a nod to Melona as well as she approaches. "How are you today?"

Ikiko casually positions herself where she can observe Koji while still being conversationally open to Chiyo; when Koji's attention seems to be off of the manga he's reading, Ikiko smiles and waves at him.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
"Ah?" Chiyo's head lifts to blink questioningly at Melona when she greets her. German was sadly not a language she was familiar with! Though she guesses the rest, to some extent, when Melona speaks further. Context clues help a bit. "Those three...? Oh! Oh, no, I'm not waiting for anyone," she hastens to assure with a quick shake of her head. The recollection of where she'd seen Melona, however breif, came to mind which is why she has suddenly started looking a bit embarassed at the topic brought up. "Those three are in the manga club. I was just trying to be friends with them." Something that *they* seemed to not care about at all. "I just didn't want to cook tonight so grandpa said I could eat out."

Her eyes wander toward Koji as he makes his appearance to flash a smile that fades just a tad. He was busy with that book after all! Though she does murmer, "Oh that's one I haven't read yet."

The though is forgotten when Ikiko arrives as well. A more genuine smile comes at last as she greets her kohai with, "Ikiko-chan, hello! I'm fine. Would you like to join... Uh, us?" Melona is regarded again as she simply says, "I'm sorry I didn't get your name. I'm Chiyo Sakai. Grade ten."

Melona Mizu has posed:
     Oh. Look. Another person from the manga club probably entering. Melona glances over towards the boy with his nose buried in a book. Hm. But he doesn't seem to be here for Chiyo, considering how deep he is into the manga. She opts not to directly engage him right now.

     It's hard not to engage with Ikiko though, who walks straight over, greets Chiyo, and nods towards her. Ikiko gets a nod from Melona. "I am doing well, though I believe you are talking more to Chiyo. Hm. You were at the animal thing the other day, yes?" She muses out loud to herself. It will make it harder to talk business. "You seem to know Chiyo. I saw her the other day. Her ... ... friends ... at the manga club did not seem to be treating her well. Is this normal?" Direct, to the point, possibly a little bit too personal considering she literally has technically not even really met Chiyo.

     'Trying' to be friends with them. Hmm. Melona drums her fingers on the table, thinking quietly as she looks at the menu for a few minutes. Before finally speaking. "...I will be straight to the point. I do not like how they treated you. It was not good. They are not good friends, will likely simply take advantage of you." Melona responds. She pauses, dipping her head towards Chiyo. "Ah, apologies. I am being rude. I am Melona Mizu, grade 7." Yes. She's significantly younger than Chiyo. No, she doesn't seem to care. Yes, her feet probably aren't reaching the floor right now. S-shut up she's just a late bloomer.

Koji Silvia has posed:
Fishing into his vest pocket, Koji takes out one of those thin metal rod bookmarks with a little tassle on the end of it, and closes up shop before putting the light novel into it. Next comes out a small case for his earbuds. It's like watching a ritual. Feet come down off the chair and he moves to stand up and make his way across to the others.

Ikiko gets her head rubbed by him in passing, and he then he nods respectfully to the girl who just introduced herself, but he didn't hear, "Hello. I apologize, but if you don't mind, I'd like to join you all."

Finally, he looks over at Chiyo, and there's this faint grin on his face like they're sharing some kind of joke!

"Oh." He adds and turns to face Melona, "My name is Koji Silvia. Grade 10 at Radiant Heart. Is this your first time eating here? I've got a spare coupon for your first meal if you need."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
"Ikiko Hisakata, grade 5," the younger girl beams to Melona, even as she slightly leans into the headrub. "I'm not familiar with the goings-on of the Manga Club, but Chiyo-san and I have met each other a couple of times, including one time she was picking up a to-go order here." Mind you, she's not going to mention the details of that particular visit, partially to spare Chiyo the revisited embarrassment and partially because it's not particularly relevant at the moment.

As she sits down at the table, Ikiko glances between Koji and Chiyo as they share a conspirator's grin, and Ikiko does her best to hide a grin of her own as someone on the periphery of the scheme.

She even manages to mostly suppress a giggle.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai is just a bit taken aback by the blunt remarks from Melona. Blunt, but true she knew now, especially now that she'd met people who were far better than those three. Her eyes drop to the table with a small smile. "I know. I just saw how close they were as friends, and I think I was a bit jealous." It was hard to admit such things, yet she does. It needed to be done.

Looking back up she grins anew at Ikiko, and Koji. "I've met much better friends since then. Of course you can join us, Silvi--" Wait what was she supposed to call him now? Her face reddens a bit as she struggles to find the perfect thing.

"Koji-kun."

Grinning perhaps a bit too much she looks back to Melona to finish off her prior thoughts. "Thank you for looking out for me, Mizu-chan."

Melona Mizu has posed:
     Melona gives a bit of a shrug towards Koji. "I do not mind, no." There were already people there, so what was one or two more, after all? "Koji Silvia. I see. ...It is my first time eating here, yes. I just moved to this area recently." She says. "I am interested in lamb curry. It sounds delicious." And of course a drink, of course.

     Meanwhile there are conspiratory grins all around her! Gasp! So many secrets and hidden... things! Actually Melona mostly doesn't notice those, her attention mostly on looking through the menu in case something else jumped out at her. "I see. It seems that this place is a place to meet up in general, then. I met her ... indirectly ... when approaching an ice cream cart and then a bunch of people passed out and it was weird." She shrugs helplessly.

     "Very bad ice cream. Barely counted. It was not refreshing. Very much abklatsch. <A cheap copy>." And then... Chiyo admits it straightforward. "Ah, so you do not hold any feelings for them now? Good." Melona states simply. "Jealousy is understandable." Melona leans back in her chair lazily. "You are welcome." Though it was more for her than for Chiyo, it /did/ feel nice to be thanked. "If I see them being mean to anyone again, they will regret it." In spite of the implied threat, Melona sounded almost cheerful when saying that.

Koji Silvia has posed:
Settling himself in the chair on Chiyo's right, he takes off the vest he has on over a set of comfortable street clothes and drapes it over the back of the chair so that the book held in it bumps on the frame, "Chiyo-Kun."

He seems almost as unsure on saying it as well, despite the grin on his face, before looking up at Ikiko, and then leans in to point a finger at her nose, "If you want me to pay for a snack for you, you can stop that."

But that seems to make him smile even more as he sits back and looks to the menu, and then reaches for his pocket. A neatly folded coupon is taken out and passed to Melona as his head tilts slightly towards the conversation, "Oh, you're talking about the thing with the Dippin Dots vendor. I heard it was some kind of poison or gas that went off close by the cart. My roommate was there."

Looking back at Chiyo for a moment, his affable look fades, "So is something going on at school I need to know about?"

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko clasps her hands together and gives Koji the most innocent-looking apologetic wide-eyes as possible! You could almost swear she has a halo over her head -- albeit precariously balanced on a pair of wolf ears that are even less visible than the invisible halo, but there nonetheless.

Still, the corners of her mouth still try to keep twitching upward at the interaction between Chiyo and Koji, but Ikiko can sit and wait when there's a promise of food present. After all, she teaches her canine friends as much, and she should always strive to be a good example to them, even if they're not currently present.

She looks slightly askance at Melona's cheerful enforcer tone, but slowly nods. If someone was threatening her canine friends, she'd definitely would fiercely protect them, especially if it was a cruel person. "An... understandable sentiment, Mizu-san," the young girl murmurs.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
"Oh... I guess that's fair?" Chiyo doesn't seem entirely certain about Melona's remark. Maybe it was just the urge to look out for others though, she reasons. That she could understand. "That's very nice of you Mizu-chan." She's sincere as she says this giving an approving nod to the young girls' apparent desire to look out for bullies.

When Koji joins them sitting beside her she finds herself smiling anew. He's even so kind as to offer Melona a coupon! The talk of paying earns a chuckle of amusement. "I can pay if anyone needs. I do have a job and rarely spend my money." No, that was going into savings usually. Except for the latest manga releases. With the offer made she glances at the menu thoughtfully. "Lamb curry does sound delicious."

Koji's question causes her to pause tearing her attention away from the menu held firm in both hands. It's set down on the table again lightly. "No... No, it's fine, Koji-kun. I first met Mizu-chan during the incident with the icecream. You know, where I also met Darien-san." She's probably going to have to explain, right? It was simple though. "Three of the girls from manga club left me to clean the club room alone so they could go to the shops instead. It's okay," she hastens to assure. "I usually clean the club room anyway. I don't mind the work. It needs to be done."

Melona Mizu has posed:
     "Yes. That is basically what I understood it to be, too. Some sort of poison. It was rude. Very unpleasant. Luckily I did not eat all of mine so I did not get effected much." Melona wrinkles her nose thinking about that 'ice cream'. Bleh. "Your roommate? Ah, I hope they were not too badly effected. Luckily some people seemed to come to help get people up and to safety. I don't remember much of it though." Yep.

     She reaches to take the offered coupon, unfolding and looking over it, before musing. She carefully looks over the menu, quietly pulling out a small pen to do quick math to calculate the cost of what she wanted, minus the coupon, before pulling out a little wallet to count out the yen for the price.

     Also did that boy just pet Ikiko? That was a little weird but whatever. "...Yes. ...Sorry, I was bullied like that for a while. ...Short person problems." The last part is muttered under her breath, more than a little bitterness in her tone. "Moving on. I am glad that it seems to be resolved now, though. At least... mostly."

     The talk of how nice of her it was gets a small smile from Melona. That's right. It /is/ nice of her. "...I just don't want other people to be taken advantage of like I was." She mumbles under her breath. There was a small pang of guilt that's quickly pushed away though. She was absolutely doing it for herself. "Eh? Leaving you to clean the room isn't that big of a deal, they didn't save the manga for you and were clearly holding it over you that they had it and you didn't, even teasing that ~maybe~ they'll let you borrow it later. The cleaning the club room thing isn't great if they do it all the time, but..."

Koji Silvia has posed:
Looking at the three girls, Koji leans back and then works his fingers together. All can swear that his glasses give off a gleam... or at least the light shifts on them as he ponders this. He pauses to look at the menu, and then puts it back down before he looks to signal a waiter to come over for drinks and such.

"Well Chiyo-kun..." He begins, and then a small smile curls his lips. One that looks more appropriate on either a bad guy who's about to beat the heroes, or at least a smarmy anti-hero about to trump everything that just happened, "Here's what you do. Get a meeting scheduled for the manga club room. At the meeting, have a set of meeting topics... specifically... schedule of chores for the club meeting time. If they don't show, then I suppose it's just up to you and whomever else is there to set the schedule for all the rostered members."

Spreading his hands wide, "It's only fair after all. The Animal Care club wouldn't ask Ikiko to clean up every time they meet, would they? It's not fair on you either. Plus... you get the advantage of submitting it officially to your liaison teacher, which means no one gets a right to complain. If they want a say in the club, they need to do more than just show up and read."

His eyes travel to Melona, and he says to her, "I was bullied too when I first got here. My roommate put a stop to it. So I get it. People should treat each other with respect, no matter their background."

The topic changes to something more pleasant as he asks Ikiko, "So... how does samosas sound? They're like gyoza."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko nods in agreement with Koji's idea for chore-jitsu. "Some of us have chores that we prefer doing, but we all chip in, with the people bringing pets making sure to clean up after their pets," she chimes in.

Melona's mutter was heard more clearly than perhaps Melona had anticipated, but keen ears in close range can pick up more than might be initially apparent. "Making the world a better place despite what it hits you with is admirable, Mizu-san," Ikiko smiles gently. "Some bullies just like being cruel, but others are only cruel because they've never been given kindness." Figuring out which is which is another matter entirely, but that's beside the point.

Turning towards Chiyo, Ikiko fishes out her coinpurse, adding, "I can chip in for my part; the fact that I met up with all of you was just a nice coincidence."

Koji's explanation of samosas prompts a widening grin from the young girl. "Oh, that sounds awesome, Koji-kun!" Ikiko beams. briefly licking her lips.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai makes a little noise of surprise when Melona starts to fill in what else had happened that day. Her hands start to lift half hidden by the edge of hte table with fingers splayed in a 'hold on!' gesture that she tries to not make obvious. It doesn't seem to matter. What's said is said and she's left feeling her cheeks burning red over it.

Then Koji starts to lay out his suggestion.

"That's a bit..." Chiyo pauses to let it all sink in. Mean? No, it really wasn't mean. While she didn't mind cleaning the club room they *had* been taking advantage of that fact for awhile. She was the one who restocked the manga in the shelf they'd been allowed to keep for club resources. She was the one who swept the room and stacked the desks and cleaned the windows and chalkboard. She was the one that brought snacks, too! Chiyo draws a single deep breath as it all sinks in.

"That's a great idea, actually. It wasn't always this way. I think they just got used to me always volunteering to help and now they don't do anything." She looks down to the tabletop with a little smile forming. It wouldn't hurt to stand up for herself some more. "Okay. Thank you. I'll give that a try."

"Oh, samosas are good, you'll like them," she assures Ikiko. "I think I'll get some naan and curry. It's like fry bread but not greasy."

Melona Mizu has posed:
     Evil glasses?! Oh no! Melona glances over towards Koji. An evil mastermind. Melona will have to make note of that. And then he... ... states a well thought out plan to take care of the problem. "And if that doesn't work, you punch 'em." Melona adds cheerily. Brute force fixes everything, after all! "Make an example of 'em so that nobody else dares to mess with you." She nods firmly. The two schools of thought of anti-bullying. Regularly debated.

     Samosas. Hm. Those do sound pretty good. "Samosas are fairly good, yes. I had them very occasionally when growing up, sometimes spicy, very pleasant either way." Some bullies like being cruel. "Mm." She taps her lip thoughtfully. "...I guess. But. Bullies are bullies. Nothing excuses it." These three were almost toothache-inducingly nice it seems. Except the evil mastermind. That one is just scary.

     A motion to 'hold on' goes... more or less either unnoticed or ignored by Melona. It's hard to tell if it's intentional or not. Still, as Chiyo thinks and talks... there was a small smile creeping on Melona's lips. "Yep. And if they don't listen? I'm in the crafts club, I have all sorts of devices that can be used to whip them into shape!" She says, that smile turning into a full on grin. Oddly, not malicious. She probably is thinking something harmless. Probably. "Hm... anyway, I think I'll take mine to go. I should get going. I need to do something for the club." And go witch hunting.

Koji Silvia has posed:
Koji says very politely, "Miss Melona." Taking a breath, he closes his eyes a moment, "We do not resort to violence here. If violence happens, that means that all attempts at decorum have failed. Yes, there are people who will always try to solve their problems with their fists... we do have our gangs and our toughs... but as my mother is apt to say? If you fight as your opponent dictates, then you will lose."

The young man looks almost apologetic as he goes on, "The world is not fair. And honestly... we don't want it to BE fair. Because if it was, then every bad thing that happens is because whatever good that we do has to be balanced with something bad. That, to me, isn't right."

But all thoughts and philosophy is put on hold as the waitress arrives to take everyone's order, and instead of speaking up and telling them what everyone wants, he instead waits and motions with his eyes towards Ikiko so she can make her request first.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko taps her chin thoughtfully at Chiyo's menu discussion. A hearty snack and some simple dessert? That does sound good! "I'll have an order of samosas and some naan, please!" she beams to the waitress.

Melona's declaration of love of violence is met with a careful wariness. Ikiko doesn't say anything, but the next time she shifts in her seat, it's to increase the distance between herself and the short girl slightly. Better to always try to make the world a better place, without having it keep getting worse at the same time!

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai is seated in a chair beside Koji at the same table as Melona, and Ikiko. Her attention turned back to the menu as she fumbles over where she'd left off reading it having decided on the option she was getting. She hadn't expected the waitress to arrive so swiftly... then again, they she had lost track of time during the conversation about how to handle bullies.

"Ah, Mizu-chan, self-defense is fine but I'm not about to go around starting fights. Ojii-san would be so dissapointed." He was more of the 'finish a fight' not start it sort and she had picked up that mindset from him. Looking up again at Mizu's last remark she 'ohs' quietly. "If you need to go, then that's okay. It was good to meet you, Mizu-chan!"

Oh, right, her order. Ikiko had already gone, so she glances toward Koji before deciding to place her own. "I'll have the naan and vegetable curry please."

Melona Mizu has posed:
     As Koji talks, Melona's hands start to ball up. Her eyes lower and any hints of a smile fade from her lips. She opens her mouth, but closes her mouth again. She sits silently, her lips pressing into a fine line, teeth grinding ever so slightly. "..." There was a slight tremble to her form as she continued to listen. She reaches to quietly grab the yen that she'd put on the table, slowly placing it back into her purse as she continues to listen, hands lowering to her side as she moves ever so slightly in place. If she weren't sitting, she'd probably be pacing right now.

     A love of violence might be a bit much. That slight shift away from her. Melona's gaze shifting around. Right. These aren't her friends. Why was she being all happy go lucky with them again? Why did she care? After all, it's not like she even really knew them. She'd just gotten carried away because she'd seen some bullies. The silent rebuke from Ikiko. The words from Koji. And Chiyo saying basically the same thing.

     "I should have known better." She mutters under her breath, the trembling stopping. Her hands unclenching as she stands, "Sorry for bothering you. Bye." She states coldly to the three, making her way towards the door afterwards, not paying too much attention on who might be in her way as she goes, her gaze not meeting any one person's in particular. None of them understood.

Koji Silvia has posed:
When Melona stands like that, Koji looks surprised for a moment, but then as she turns to leave, he says in that quiet kind of voice that still carries, "Wait. Please... Forgive us. We don't know your life or your situation, Miss Melona. If we have offended... for my part at least, I apologize."

He looks back to the seat she gave up, "At least let us cover the cost of your meal to go."

There is a certain calm intensity to his eyes, more like someone trying to coax a wild animal instead of someone showing concern, as if trying not to make the situation worse. Something Ikiko may have seen before with others.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko looks worriedly between Koji and Melona, with the occasional side glance to Chiyo. Melona was certainly scary in her own way, but now she was reminding Ikiko of some strays that were mean because many people were vicious to them. Koji's apology was a good start, but more than words was needed here. To earn trust and accpetance...

...one must first show trust and kindness.

Standing up from the table, Ikiko swiftly walked over to Melona, taking the older girl's hand in both of her own. "Please don't go," Ikiko whispered softly, her eyes wide and apologetic, her voice hopeful. "Would... would you like a hug?"

Minako Aino has posed:
What a day! Fight Youma, fight evil magical girls, get a -barely- passing grade on her most recent school assignment because she'd been too focused on the first two and not on study...and she was spending the afternoon alone! Not to mention the fact she'd been lectured by a cat. Sure it was an intelligent alien cat mentor, but still!

Pushing through the door into the restaurant, the inviting shades and scents of spicey meals was enough to give the somewhat dejected blonde with the red bow in her hair a moment of pause, a moment to take a deep breath and reestablish the smile on her features as she moves in. Hey, maybe some good food would make the world right again, that's what she'd came here to try anyway!

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai watches Melona get up abruptly after that small outburst. A sense of guilt washes over her as she realizes how it may have seemed: Like they were ganging up on her, or calling her out for that being her response. The quiet girl lowers her head while the other two rise to apologize and lure Melona in to calming down again.

"That said," she starts raising her voice just a *tiny* bit. "If I saw someone bullying my friends, I think I'd have to slap their bully into a wall." Slap them into a wall? Okay, she wasn't exactly *expert* at tough talk here. She's trying!

Chiyo looks up again glancing toward the trio, and past toward the girl that just entered with a look of worry and uncertainty. Given the other two were handling Melona she turns back to the waitress to request, "Please get everything we ordered, and some lamb curry to go for our friend? I'll pay." That at least gets the ball rolling to try and keep Melona from bolting.

Melona Mizu has posed:
     Melona turns towards Koji as he tells her to wait and asks for forgiveness. "Forgive you? For what? You're not wrong. I'm just a violent disappointment, like you said." She says, her eyes narrowed and tone a cold mix of spite and anger. "You're right though. You don't know about my past. You don't know what I've been through." Cover the cost of her meal, she sighs at that, her hands closing again.

     A closed hand that is grabbed by two other hands, and Ikiko's gaze is met with red eyes with a quiet anger burning behind them. Wide and apologetic eyes. She gives a slow exhale, lifting her hand to gently pat the top of her head. "It's fine. You're fine." She says quietly. It's hard to say no to puppydog eyes. And more people were entering. They were making a scene. Whispers from other patrons, looks towards her.

     Shame starting to fill her chest, Melona quietly begins to walk back towards the table, gently, but not necessarily angrily pulling her hand from Ikiko's as she moves to sit back down, gaze staying back on the table. Great. You got yourself involved in something you shouldn't have, made a scene, and now have them trying to keep you there. She lifts her gaze towards Chiyo. "You don't have to stand up for me. Thank you for trying. I know you don't really mean that, though." She glances towards the girl coming in the entrance. Great, another person to witness her shame. "Sorry for making a scene."

Koji Silvia has posed:
Actually, Koji chuckles at that and says, "Oh I've seen worse. You should see when my roommate Darien-san is around. He cannot go ANYWHERE without getting attention."

His eyes flick to Chiyo, "Am I right?"

The smile is back on his face, but then he moves to stand up and says, "I'll go get us some waters, since we forgot to ask. Be right back..."

Moving off from the group, he goes to check with the person at the front to see if he can get some ice waters delivered to the table and asks for a second order of Samosas to be added since he never got to make his order. All quietly and away from the group. This unfortunately puts him right in line with Minako's forward movement...

Minako Aino has posed:
Thump!

Daydreaming, small space, distractions about food? All of it coupled together brings disaster to the forfront...or at least, makes for Minako colliding with Koji and sends her sprawling to the floor and has her phone skidding away somewhere under the tables. "Hey!" she speaks up, rubbing her lower back as she makes to climb back to her feet. "What the heck?"

Yep, the graceful and beautiful guardian 'Sailor V'...way to go Minako-chan!

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko sits back down as well, sympathetically patting Melona on the back. "You're like an umeboshi, Mizu-san," she notes. "A surprise that shocks those who aren't expecting it, but still tasty to those who get to know you." The metaphor might be a liiittle mangled, but the supportive sentiment is there.

She also nods to Chiyo. "A fight might not be my first choice, but if it turns out to be the only available choice... well, I won't turn away from it," Ikiko admits.

The hubbub of the collision catches the young girl's attention, and she happens to note the cellphone sliding away. "'Scuse me," Ikiko says to the other two girls at the table, and quickly scampers after the errant electronics.

Picking the cellphone up, she heads over to Koji and the new girl. "I believe this is yours, miss?" Ikiko inquires, holding the phone out.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai lifts her eyes back to Melona to offer her as welcoming a smile as she can when she comes back to the table. Her hands cross lightly, fingers linking together ontop of the table as she sits in a less than lady-like way to fidget her fingers together. "I'm not, though," comes her quiet reassurance. "What I mean is..." It takes her a moment to determine the proper words while she sits with lips pressed tightly together. "Everyone says I'm so quiet, and I've never really been part of any friend group for long. But if I had a real friend, I wouldn't care about being 'good' or quiet. I'd just do what I need to help protect them." This is said with a quiet convinction, and no hint of uncertainty as she had sometimes displayed when it came to standing up for herself.

Koji's remark causes her to smile again as she looks back toward him. "Oh, yes, Darien-san must enjoy the taste of his shoes." She agrees readily with a quick chuckle at the recollection of how many times he'd already stumbled horribly around her and Usagi.

Before she can say more though the collision between Koji and Minako occurs. "Oh!" Her hands press down on the table while standing suddenly, the chair she sat in scooching back from her legs. "Oh no, are you both okay?" She was about to move to help them, but Ikiko is already up and getting the phone. That would just create as much of a road block of people around them as she had created accidentally at the sports day recently. For now she holds her ground.

Koji Silvia has posed:
Koji moves... fast...

Not just in the manner of someone who is honed to alertness by danger, but in the kind of manner that suggests something else behind it, and his hands swing down as he goes to his knees to catch Minako before she hits her head on the floor of the restaurant. He cannot stop the sprawl in full, but one hand to the shoulder and a brief twist is enough to help her roll sideways out of it before the worst can happen.

Looking down at Minako he says, "Sorry... sorry... here let me help you up... we have a table over here... I am so sorry, that was totally my fault miss."

Should Minako accept it, he will help her to the seat he was in!

In the meantime, however, the first wave of food is brought for everyone, samosa, naan, a bowl of curry, and then a small bag with Melona's order of lamb curry and rice, with a folded note over some extra slices of Naan from the proprieter.

Melona Mizu has posed:
     'You should see my roommate Darien'. "...Ah. Him." He was there that other day, teasing that one blonde haired girl. What was her name? ... Bun hair..? No, no, that's just what her hair looked like. Hmmm. "...He seemed... interesting." Yep. Koji walks off, Melona hears the thud of Koji hitting Minako, and the skittering of a phone. Hmm. Yep.

     You're like an umeboshi. Hmm. "...That's. ...A sour plum, isn't it?" She muses out loud. Yeah, that sounds about right. And then Ikiko gets up to grab the cellphone. Okay. That's probably fine. "...Well, yes. ...That was the, y'know. If it didn't work option." She mumbles quietly as Ikiko leaves.

     Listening to Chiyo talk gets a slight uncomfortable shift from Melona. "...I don't do friends anymore, so I wouldn't know." There's a reason she's here in Japan, after all. There were too many rumors about her in germany. Chiyo stands and moves as if to go help too. Melona shifts again in her chair. She should go help too, but the others have it in hand. "...They seem fine, I think." She says, glancing towards the two. "...Don't seem to be moving in a particularly pained way, more embarrassed." She murmurs. Maybe trying to reassure Chiyo? And then... the food is brought to the table. She reaches to quietly take her bag and stand. "...Have a good night." She says quietly, this time more friendly and less cold as she walks towards the doorway, slipping past Ikiko gently, and then around the two that had just fallen over. "Such a gentleman, Teufelsbrille. <Devil glasses>" She says with a mild teasing tone towards Koji as she slips out the door.

Minako Aino has posed:
For her part, Minako -did- know Usagi, she even knew of Darien...but she was kinda busy not hitting her head. Assistance her way is accepted, the blonde beginning to speak only to trail off and blink as she was guided to the chair in one smooth move. "Oh uh...thanks?"

Whatever scolding she might have intended was clearly quashed with the apology and the offer to join them. "It's okay really! I was just-"

she trails off as Ikiko offer her phone out to her, the pink plastic item held out to her earning a blink and a blushing thanks as she lifts a hand out towards the pair.

Oh. Melona was leaving?

"Did I scare your friend off?"

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
"She mentioned that she had club stuff she was going to go do," Ikiko smiles to the newcomer. "And that was before you entered, so... I'm pretty sure you didn't scare her off!" The fact that Ikiko is fairly certain that Melona is hard to scare isn't mentioned.

Chiyo's declaration of protecting friends is met with a nod. "Friends are always worth protecting," Ikiko nods. Including from themselves, in a pinch, she admits to herself.

She licks her lips as the food is delivered, grinning in appreciation as Koji sits next to her. Glancing again at the newcomer, Ikiko blinks twice, then has a sudden realization. "Oh! I'm Ikiko Hisakata, and these are Koji Silvia-kun and Chiyo Sakai-chan," she beams. "We attend Radiant Heart; grades 5, 10, and 10, respectively. Nice to meet you!"

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai can only stare in bewilderment as Koji responds with such quick grace to catch Minako before she hurt herself. It was like watching a scene from a manga acted out right in front of her! The unexpected encounter, the accidental sweeping-her-off-her-feet and catching her before she could get hurt. Eyes locked, hearts in their throats. This is where feelings would emerge and love would begin to blossom.

Except she as supposed to be seeing Koji.

A look of clear confusion flits over Chiyo's face warring with how she was supposed to act. Jealous? Angry? She had no right to be though. If something happened that would lead to Koji meeting his one-true-love she certainly couldn't get in the way of that! There was on real claim there on her part... Right?

The thoughts are shaken off as the food is delivered stealing her attention away. "Oh, yes, thank you," she quickly offers as the food is placed in the right areas. When Melona takes her order to go it's not a huge surprise. At least they had made sure that she was getting food. "Have a good evening, Mizu-chan. Enjoy your dinner."

A reassuring glance is offered back toward Koji and Minako as he escorts her over to the table. With Ikiko's excellent introduction she dips her head toward Minako in greeting. "Pleased to meet you. I hope you're all right. Feel free to join us."

Koji Silvia has posed:
Giving one last look towards where Melona is leaving, he has this almost... pensive look on his face, and for a moment the reflected light shifts off his glasses and back again, obscuring his expression partly from anyone watching. Standing behind Minako like he is, he moves the chair in and removes his vest from it, and only then notices Ikiko's expression as he's next to her now, and just on reflex, he gives headpats again.

However...

All he has is a glass of water, while his deft maneuver has provided his plate of samosas to the newcomer!

He adjusts his glasses a moment, and then reaches for the cold drink as if everything was just as planned. Sighing after taking a sip, he nods once to Minako, "Again, I am sorry if anything happened. If your phone screen is cracked, let me know. I'm in computer club and we can get it fixed at cost."

Minako Aino has posed:
Oh! Fellow students! Minako actually gives a little grin...though she didn't touch any of the food since she'd not ordered any of her own just yet!

"Minako Aino," she offers with her hand gesturing to her own chest to indicate herself. Had she noted Chiyo's moment of thoughts tending towards jealousy? Sadly she'd been too busy not falling on her ass. A shame really, because her 'Shipping' senses would probably be in full overdrive!

"I'm in Grade 9 at Radiant Heart myself!"

Of course, she'd only recently transfered back to Japan, but she didn't mention that!

"I think it's okay," she smiles as she comes to inspect her phone. It had been through worse given her extra-curricular activities! "Me too really. I just got a little startled, my head's kinda elsewhere."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko looks over at Chiyo's confused expression for a moment, then glances over to Koji and back. Well, this is an interesting development!

But she says nothing, other than a brief arch of her eyebrows. Some percolations should not be rushed, especially when there's someone present who's not in on what's going on.

There's a brief moment of contemplation as Ikiko looks at the distribution of food and people, then she shrugs slightly and eats one of her samosas. Her eyes light up at the flavor, and while she's not rude enough to talk with her mouth full, there's definitely an appreciative grin on her face!

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai settles back into her seat easily as things begin to at least get back to normal. Normal-ish? The difference in where the food has settled does become noticed and she hesitates only a moment before sliding her plate over to Koji. She didn't have samosas, but it was something at least. It would be rude to just take the plate out from in front of Minako.

"No one was hurt, that's the important part, right?"

Koji Silvia has posed:
Seeing the offering from Chiyo he shakes his head, and there's a light flush to his cheeks from it as he looks between the two people he knows, and the newcomer, before saying, "It is a pleasure to meet you Miss Aino. I am sure that we will be seeing a lot of each other around school before long."

Then he looks a little stuck, and his eyes flick to Chiyo in apology once more. It seems the calm has crumbled and there is in fact BOY underneath all that armor. So instead, he stands up and goes to his vest, taking out some bills and leaving them on the table before slinging it on, "Here... this should cover the samosas, and think of it as a... thank you for being so polite."

The skip in his tone is audible before he looks to Chiyo and Ikiko, "I will see you both later I promise. And I am sorry Chiyo. We didn't get a chance to talk like you wanted. You have my number, so please... feel free to text me. I'm happy to hear your thoughts on..."

And now he's stepped too far in it, so he just tries what Darien would do. He turns, he smiles... and he walks out... in the meantime sweating bullets.

And he's HUNGRY!

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko takes a drink of water as she observes Chiyo's slight hesitation and resulting food distribution effort. Definitely a better choice for supplying Koji with food than Ikiko would be, especially given the parity of age and their romantic cover story.

As Koji prepares to leave, Ikiko nods and prepares to say a goodbye to him... but his unexpected emotional vulnerability catches her off guard. To hide her look of stunned surprise, Ikiko casually eats another samosa, physically chewing on her food while she mentally chews on this new revelation. It was definitely oblique, but... it really felt like Koji was indirectly confessing a certain level of feelings for Chiyo!

Well. Perhaps something is sprouting within Operation Decoy Couple!

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
The way Koji leaves has Chiyo looking more puzzled than ever. Perhaps he felt bad that they hadn't yet had a chance to speak and work out what this 'fake relationship' was exactly going to entail. Winging it was not easy! At least... well she gets to have her curry back.