551/Coffee, tactics and burnout.

Coffee, tactics and burnout.
Date of Scene:	03 October 2023
Location:	Midori-Ya Cafe
Synopsis:	Naru and Kyouka discuss Midnight Tokyo, and support systems and the value of tactical training over coffee and cake.
Cast of Characters:	Naru Osaka, Kyouka Inai

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Naru Osaka has posed:
A table has, indeed been claimed. Naru is ostensibly doing homework, she's not that bad a student! She's gotten two coffees, two slices of cake, one set waiting on the other side of the table from where she's sitting.

Naru's own coffee has only barely been sipped at, her focus is on the notebook she's jotting things into, including a quick sketch or two. She looks tired, although perhaps that might change once there's less of the coffee in the cup, and more of the coffee in Naru.

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka arrives without warning- not teleporting, just not hesitating in walking right up and pulling the chair opposite Naru away from the table and sitting down in it. She pulls her sunglasses off as she sits, tucking them folded into the neck of her shirt, as she glances down at the cake slices. "Good choice." She says, taking the coffee nearest to her and pulling it over towards her.

    Grey eyes take Naru in, noting that she seems tired, before straying to the notebook. "Did you have a particular reason for calling me out today, Osaka-san? I assume it wasn't just for my company, charming as I am."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Can't a girl harass a counsellor out of working for just no reason?" Naru quips back as she sets her notebook down on the table when Kyouka joins her. She snickers softly, clearly teasing.

'Not entirely, although some vague hope in the back of my head said that if I was off campus, perhaps I'd get a moment of peace, although history generally says no. I get attacked more out here, but that's neither here nor there."

Naru reaches for her coffee for a sip, setting it down before continuing. "We're up to three known attacks with the gun so far, although you were there for the last one, so I rather assume you know about it. Midnight Tokyou has apparently begun work in the dusk zone. I haven't yet seen any real signs of changes here yet.. have you?"

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    "She can, but I suspect that isn't what's going on here," Kyouka says with a lopsided grin as she leans back in her chair, crossing one leg over the other as she sips her coffee.

    "Different kinds of peace, I guess." She allows. "You have to pick your poison- friends and schoolwork, or monsters. The fact that you chose to risk monsters tells me quite a bit about your state of mind." Also teasing, but maybe not really.

    "I haven't noticed anything." Kyouka sighs, at the mention of the Midnight Tokyo Project. "I'm still hoping we can crack that cypher and maybe have some idea of what they're actually trying to accomplish. We know the end goal, but not the intermediate steps, which makes them difficult to counter."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Pluto is hoping that Mercury can help her get further on the cypher." Naru nods slowly in agreement. "I'm still planning to go check out some shrines and see if there's anything untoward. The places of power seem likely to be where we'll notice things first, so I don't want them to be quietly trickling dark energy into the city for ages without us noticing or something. Like a leaky pipe you dont realize is dripping until the ceiling falls in."

On the topic of choosing monsters, Naru smiles just a touch, lifting her cup up in salute.

The smile is short lived and she sighs. "How do you not get discouraged when all of the intermediate steps probably involve thwarting a global mega corp with more people, youma, resources, knowledge, equipment and demons."

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    "Well, I don't care who cracks it, as long as somebody does." Kyouka grumbles, regarding the cypher. "The map is a start, but it still feels like only half the story. I know people have checked out a couple of the locations but all we've really found out is that yes, they are doing something there, but the what and why still feels elusive."

    At the statement about the odds of stopping a mega corp, she shrugs her shoulders, giving a bit of a sardonic grin. "You know the story of David and Goliath, right?" Japan isn't, by and large, a Christian country, but some fables are ubiquitous. "Being a giant means having manpower, money, and strength. It also means being slow, unwieldy, and prone to getting in one's own way. Trust me- everyone has weaknesses, even megacorps. You just have to know where to stab."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Apparently there's some sort of drill, or other distruption in the dusk zone as part of the project. So with that in mind, I still think they are pulling power from various sites. I just don't know how.. nor can I really detect that sort of thing on my own." Naru gives a little shrug. There are limits, often many, to being mostly mundane.

"Currently it feels a little less Devid and Goliath, and a lot more like fighting a hydra. Every youma lopped off feels like it comes back as two more." Naru returns back to that fable analogy. "And I can't even help with fights."

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    "That doesn't really tell me anything." Kyouka says, with a shrug. "I don't know that much about the Dusk Zone to know why they'd want or need to drill in it in order to make it overlap with normal reality. I guess it gives us something to go after, though- if we destroy the drill it should screw up their plan, right? Except it's kinda hard for non-evil people to y'know.. survive in the Dusk Zone."

    "Hydra is also a decent analogy, and the lesson is the same." Kyouka shrugs. "Find the weakness, strike it." At the mention of not helping with fights, she smiles. "We have lots of people who can fight. We have less people who are good at thinking, and putting together puzzle pieces. Trust me, your contributions are valuable. I could have used a friend like you back in the day."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"You're more likely to survive that field trip than I am." Naru points out with a soft snort of laughter. "At least you're magical." She considers a moment, getting a touch more serious. "The drill might be only a representation too, it is probably not a literal thing, but more of a metaphysical concept given that form."

Someone has been doing her mystical homework. Clearly.

"I know, and I'm even generally pretty good at saying that when I have it pointed out that I'm not any good in a fight." Naru wrinkles her nose a little. "Still, having to wait to be rescued, and not being able to take any of the fight burden off Moon.. " She trails off, giving a shrug.

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    "Barely," Kyouka snorts. "Don't even get me started on the hoops one has to jump through to retain even a small amount of magic over the age of 20. Without resorting to the dark side, I mean. You should have seen me 10 years ago, I swear. You'd be a lot more impressed than you are now."

    "Even if its just a representation of a drill, it being a representation of a drill probably means its supposed to be doing some kind of drilling... metaphorical or otherwise."

    She shakes her head slightly, sipping her coffee again. "I mean.. trust me, I feel you, Naru-chan. Look at me- I used to be a fighter. Now I can't be. I can't take that burden any more than you can. But I can help prop her up, and the others who fight. That's valuable too, y'know. Fighting is hard.. it takes a toll on both the body and the mind. Having people there to tell you you're doing the right thing, to keep you pointed in the right direction.. it matters a lot."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Still more magical than I am." Naru points out with a tip of her coffee cup in Kyouka's direction. She may of ordered herself cake, chocolate even, but she hasn't eaten any of it. The likelyhood that Usagi will have chocolate cake waiting for her when she gets back is high. "But I appreciate your point, and I expect that's epic frustrating, to have had it and then lost it and know what once was."

Naru considers Kyouka a moment or two. "I would disagree. You're still a fighter, you're just a completely different style of fighter than you were as a teenager. I've watched you in fights, you are not a non-combatant, not like I am." Immaterial of the fact that she often ignores that practical reality, and every scrap she gets into proves that just a little bit more wrong. "Still, I do follow your point, even if I'm debating the details of it."

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    "I'm not actually sure about that." Kyouka notes to the notion that she's more magical than Naru. "You can perceive magical items and creatures and seem to be immune to the Veil. You may not have flashy combat powers, but there's clearly something going on there, because it shouldn't work that way. Yeah I can teleport and make shields, but I have a feeling there's more to your abilities than we've yet discovered. You may never be a fighter, Naru-chan, but there are other powers one can have that are just as useful and impressive."

    Kyouka shrugs her shoulders. "I know how to fight, sure. But if I can't use magic to attack, I'm of limited use in a magic battle. If some mundane mugger tries to corner me in an alleyway, sure, I can take care of 'em. But against a youma all I can do is defend and run away. It's not nothing, you're right. But it's not really fighting either."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I'm not wholly mundane anymore, certainly." Naru has to agree on that point. "The veil has completely surrendered on me and barriers that exclude mudanes don't excluse me." She quirks a smile. "Even if I couldn't actually read the notice on it, cause magic." She sips from her coffee before she continues. "Sunbreaker's theory was that my magic was broken and she was trying to fix it."

Naru's smile flashes and she comments. "You respecced from DPS to Tank. Clearly you just need to update your tactics. Tanks are crap at soloing."

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka gestures with her coffee cup, smirking. "Well there you go, then. I don't know what exactly your deal is, if you'll excuse the blunt language, but it's clearly something. You'll probably be putting me to shame in no time. Or maybe not- it doesn't really matter in the end. I doubt its broken, although really who knows. We do what we can. You're already proving to be a valuable asset in terms of information gathering. I appreciate that, at least."

    "Even tanks do some damage." Kyouka grumbles. "It's all very well and good to soak damage while somebody else attacks. But that requires someone else to be there attacking. Group tactics, as you say.. but the real world is seldom so kind to me."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Information gathering only requires someone that isn't affected by the veil and beyond that?" Naru smirks a little. " It's mostly the worst of all group projects, with the world at stake, rather than your grade. No biggie."

"You do /some/ damage, just not enough to make you happy. All of us are crap at tactics right now, and worse at communication. We'll figure it out before we're toppling Goliath. Hopefully."

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    "Don't say 'only someone that isn't affected by the Veil' as if that's insignificant or easy to come by. You're literally the only one I know in that position. It could be that you have other powers that just haven't awakened yet. It could be that you're unique. I dunno. But it's not just some little thing. I can't disagree about the group project thing though.. getting a bunch of school-age students into some form of shape to save the world is a tall order."

    "I do damage if the enemy runs into my shields. I can't actually send them at them, or anything like that." Kyouka shrugs her shoulders. "I appreciate the attempts to puff me up, Naru-chan, but don't forget, that's my job." She laughs. "A bit of tactical practice surely wouldn't go awry, though."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"There's more than just me, I'm sure of it." Naru comments as she considers. "Sayaka is still a mundane, but she's talking to Kyubey about wishes, which is most assuredly not wholly affected by the veil and also feels super sus based on what little I know about Kyubey." She mmms softly. "Alright.. so I'm kinda failing to come up with others right now, but there must me more."

Naru hunhs softly and then moves on from that thought. "It's not about trying to puff you up.. okay.. not entirely, but you are also one of our resources and having your tactics not only settled but tied in with ours is not a bad thing." Naru gestures a little. "We might call on you, and that's awesome.. but we don't do it wiht the knwoledge of how we can best use it in a fight. Tactical practice would make that more effective."

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    "Kyubey needs to talk to mundane girls in order to get them to wish." Kyouka says, somewhat sourly. "That furry rat cheats somehow. I dunno how he does it, but talking to Kyubey doesn't make you special. I mean, it means you have some sort of magical potential or he wouldn't be interested. But it doesn't make you a mundane who can see past the Veil." She shrugs a little bit. "Maybe there are more. Just none I know about."

    She heaves a little sigh. "I appreciate your interest in integrating my tactics, and it's probably a good idea in general, but you know, I'm not supposed to be a front-liner. My contract is specifically for training and support. If I start to push those boundaries.. well, I'm not sure exactly what would happen. But I'm also not entirely eager to find out."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I'm trying to cat herd a bunch of teenagers into fighting a mega corporation, forgive me when I try and wring every shred of advantage I can out of the pack of us." Naru points out. "I'm not aiming to rely on you for the front line, but if we call you for support and then don't know how to use your abilities? That's not as helpful as it could be."

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    "I appreciate that, Naru-chan, and I also appreciate your efforts. And I want to help as much as I can, but seriously.." She leans forward a little bit, elbow on the table. "You don't need to herd them. At least, not by yourself. I get where you're coming from, but maybe consider leaning on some of your friends for help with the herding?"

    She smiles crookedly. "Your roomate, for example. She's got nothing on you in the big-brain department, but she's a natural leader. She represents her ideals with conviction, and people notice. If people won't listen to you, they might listen to her. And she listens to you. If you tell her what you think needs to be done, I'll bet she'll help you make it happen."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Yeah.. I havne't really figured out how to make that work." Naru admits. "I don't know of anyone else who is making an active effort to keep track of all of the threads of what's going on to who and where."

Naru smiles warmly. "Usagi is doing so well, I'm so proud of her. She's stepping up amazingly, I just dont want to stress her out any more than she already is. She's /so/ tired... and not just physically."

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    "I understand that, and you're a good friend for thinking that way." Kyouka says, smiling. "But there's more at stake than her levels of stress.. or yours, or mine. Do you really think it's going to stress her out less if you have a breakdown because you're trying to take on too much on your own?"

    She sips from the coffee again, making steady progress. "I'm not saying you should put it all on Usagi, or that you should rely on her exclusively. I'm just saying people are often stronger when combining their talents then when trying to go it alone. Just like you said about tactics." She sighs. "Which is also a good point, I have to admit."

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru starts to protest and then pauses. And lets out a slow breath. "You're right.. me falling apart doesn't help /either/." She mmms. "I still am not /good/ at that part though, but I am trying to find ways to even just take a break from a constant stream of crisis and information and more crisis. I think that helps?"

Naru nods a little. "I don't just rely on Usagi for support either, I do have other friends. I even have other friends in the know who can listen to me complain and drink coffee with me. We're going to need more than just the senshi for this whole thing, no matter how awesome they might be together."

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    "Well, I'm glad you at least recognize the need to decompress." Kyouka says, with a small chuckle, as she finishes the last of the coffee. "Nobody can be 'on' 24/7 and not seriously regret it. Let someone else take a shift if you can. Or take a day off. Chances are the one day you choose to take a break is not the day the world is finally going to end."

    "And you're alright right about that. I said the same thing to Usagi, not that long ago. We're all on the same team. Take help where you can get it, and don't limit yourself based on who is 'supposed' to be working with who according to origin or sharing a mascot or whatever. Do what works."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"And if it is? Well.. I'm sure someone will text me." Naru smirks a little on the topic of choosing the one day the world decides to end. Because you know it's going to happen.

Naru lifts her coffee to finish the last of it. "Fortunately I don't seem prone to that. I will happily take information from any generally credible source, no matter their magical theory. Some need a little translating to bring into line with my understanding, but I'm not particular on that front." She sighs softly. "I will admit to being a little jealous of Riventon's lab and resources, although not of what he chooses to do with them. But a whiteboard in my dorm room is not the most .. elegant solution to infrastruction. It works though."

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka laughs softly as she stands up, pushing the chair back. "Well, we do go to a school which has a vested interest in providing us with the tools to do our job, and has quite a large operating budget, at least based on the looks of the place... maybe we can get our hands on something like that. I won't promise exactly as high-tech as Riventon's lab might be, but.. we can probably do something. I'll look into it."

    "For now, I need to be getting back. I do have to at least pretend to do some work if I want them to keep paying me." She smiles. "Thanks for the coffee and cake. Keep doing what you're doing, but remember.. it's okay to take breaks and its okay to lean on other people a little bit. Don't burn yourself out, because then we would be down a pretty valuable resource." She tilts her hand in a jaunty wave, before heading for the door.