678/Cake, Donuts, and Gossip

Cake, Donuts, and Gossip
Date of Scene:	30 October 2023
Location:	Cafeteria Plaza
Synopsis:	Mami sits down for lunch with Norie. She learns about Norie's affliction, sets out on a mission to see that Norie gets hugged, and reveals that she has a boyfriend. None other than Takashi Agera, Norie's boss.
Cast of Characters:	Mami Tomoe, Norie Okana

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Mami Tomoe has posed:
Usually, Mami eats lunch by herself, when she eats on campus at all. But, lately she's been trying to turn over a new leaf, and today she's decided she wants to find somebody to talk to. So she takes her time making her way from class to the cafeteria, letting so many students go before her. She figures if everyone else is already eating when she gets there, she'll be able to find someone to sit with.

She collects her food--a salad, some sushi, and a slice of cake--and then turns to look out over the crowd, seeing if she spots any familiar faces.

Norie Okana has posed:
Norie Okana is a familiar face.

She's also sitting alone, in a corner, daintily eating a donut. Now, to be sure a donut isn't the only thing in front of her, she has a sandwich of some type in front of her, a bag of chips, and okay there's four donuts but at least it isn't the only thing in front of her.

She gives off the impression she eats alone often. This seems to be part involuntarily, sometimes Mami, next to her, can hear other girls tell others not to sit next to 'that one.'

But surely, she could move to another table? Regardless, her she is, with her donuts, sammich w/bag of chips. and also there's like one of those milk cartons. She's just got the barest what the cafeteria staff would let her get away with to get donuts, clearly.

Mmmmmm.

Donuts.

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami spots Norie and she smiles. This is perfect. She'd been feeling a little guilty about inviting that girl to her tea party, then all but ignoring her because of Sayaka's nonsense. So getting the opportunity to chat with just her gloomy little kohai? That was great. She could be a good senpai. She knew she could.

"Okana-chan!" She greets warmly as she approaches the table holding her tray. "Do you mind if I join you?"

She doesn't really wait for an answer, though, setting her tray down on the table, and then sitting down in front of it. She looks at Norie's donuts and then her cake and then up to Norie and grins. "We didn't get a chance to really talk much last time, and I've been a little worried."

Norie Okana has posed:
Norie Okana is approached by Mami Tomoe. She has mnostly okay things associated with Mami. Until things started getting weird as things normally do.

She looks around a moment, as she points to her. Me? You...want to sit with me? She blinks. "I..if you want, Tomoe-senpai." she says softly.

The girl sits down and she looks towards Mami and places down her donut before she inhales it in worry. Someone's been worried about her.

This is nothing new for her to hear. Lots of people are worried about her. She wonders if this is about the usual things thought.

"My apologies. I don't...mean to..worry anyone." she says quietly. "Things got heated and....I maybe said things I shouldn't had. I'm sorry."

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami shakes her head and waves her hand dismissively. "There's no need to apologize. You didn't make me worry, I did that all on my own," she says, sounding serious, but then ending with a giggle. "If anything, I should apologize. I was not a very good hostess," she adds, her eyes turning down for a minute.

"Anyway, I saw you were sitting here alone, and thought it'd be wonderful to get a chance to chat with just you," she says, looking up at Norie again. She looks at the pile of donuts again and giggles. "I see you've got just as much of a sweet tooth as I do."

Norie Okana has posed:
Norie Okana blinks a little. "Oh, you we're fine. The lemon cake was. Just fine." she says softly. "It's not your fault Miki-san is a little hot headed. Or that she touched me." she says quietly.

She looks down at her donuts and then back up. "Donuts are. My center. They don't judge me, over things I can't do. They just sit there. And be delicious." she says as she takes a bite out of the one she was eating before. She places it down.

"But what do. You want to talk to me about? I am not. Really. Talkative on my own." she admits, sinking in her seat a little, again, but not much. Not as much as last time at least.

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami Tomoe opens up her chopsticks and breaks them apart, and then takes a bite or two of her salad as she listens to Norie explain the centrality of donuts to her life. She giggles just a little. "I can't say that I disagree. Donuts are delicious," she says with a smile. Then she takes another bite of salad.

"Well aside from that you're in grade 7 and can see magical things, I don't know much about you, Okana-chan, and I'm a curious girl," she answers. She grabs another bite of salad, and then gestures with it toward the younger girl. "I'm curious. Why was it bad that she touched you?"

Norie Okana has posed:
Norie Okana kind of mutters. "I can see. Magical things. Yes." she says. She doesn't elaborate more on this for a bit as she looks down. She frowns a little. "I got upset. Because. Everyone at that table... had a choice to be magical. Or wanted to be so bad." she says quietly.

"It." she says. "I am. An energy vampire." she says quieter. Staring at her pile of donuts. "I drain on touch. When people touch me. I drain them. I hurt to touch. It..." she just shakes her head.

"I didn't ask to be this way. It's why. I got so upset when everyone else. Got a choice. Or wanted to be what they are. I didn't get a choice. I just. was. One Day. Because I bought a dumb necklace." she says quieter.

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami's heart breaks just a little when she hears Norie's story. She can relate. Sure, technically she had a choice, but not really. It was either be a magical girl or die. But she did still get to choose. Norie didn't even get that much.

"Okana-chan, I am so sorry that this happened to you," she says, quietly. "This world is a lot to be a part of, and to just have that forced on you like that? It's awful." Not to mention, having touch taken away from her. Mami can't even imagine. Not getting hugged would be the worst.

Mami takes the last bite of her salad, and starts to thinking. She taps the tips of her chopsticks against her lips and then points them at Norie. "Is it just when you touch people?"

Norie Okana has posed:
Norie Okana sulks a little as she nibbles her donut. She doesn't like talking about the what ifs. or rhetorical choices. Or what she's already tried to do.

So she doesn't instead she merely sighs. "I also can't. Laugh. or smile. Or feel good things. Which is the main sticking point." she says quietly.

"People get upset when you can't smile. or laugh." she says quieter.

"It is when I touch living things that aren't..." she says. "...like me. Dark energy based." she says quieter.

"I should be wearing gloves. Dormmate is. Working on some for me." she says quieter.

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami Tomoe eats a piece of sushi while she listens to Norie explain. "But it's not your fault!" She's not really loud, just rather insistent. This girl is isolated because she had this magic forced upon her. Mami can't stand by and let that be.

That poor girl needs a hug in the worst way, and Mami knows just how to make it happen. Unfortunately, it's not as if she can henshin right here in the cafeteria. That just means she needs to make sure they part as friends, and with plans to see each other again. Easy peasy! She only messes that up like half the time.

And then, as she's eating another bite of sushi, her brain makes a connection. "Do you have any other help than your roommate? Does Obsidian have some sort of program for afflicted young children like you?" Takashi _had_ said that he had some charges at work that were like his little sisters.

Norie Okana has posed:
Norie Okana shifts a bit. "I.. I know. But I can't... explain that to my family. Former friends. I tried it. Never ended well." she says quietly. "I can't exactly tell them I'm a magic vampire and all these things we're stolen from me." she says quietly.

"I'm sorry what happened to you. I know it must suck to have to wish for something like that." she says quietly. She tries not to carry on the but of technicality there of choice.

Then Obsidian is brought up she... seems caught off guard. "How do you..."

She shakes her head. "I work with. A boy named Riventon." she says quietly. "Riven-senpai found me when I was hunting energy. He brought me over. He's trying to. Find some way to fix my emotional issues. But in the meantime. I am helping him with his dark energy studies, when I am able." she says gently.

"Dark Energy creatures are more friendly to me. So we can study them better. They are one of the. Few things I can pet." she says quietly.

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami Tomoe shakes her head. "I don't know that I would have made a wish, if I'd had the choice. But every day I live as a Puella Magi is another day I _get to live_, and so I'm very glad I made that wish." She picks up the last piece of sushi on her plate and eats it while she listens to Norie explain her work situation.

She's clearly one of the girls on Takashi's team. Mami can't help but smile just a little before she catches herself. She's got to keep up appearances when it's Riventon that's being talked about. "Oh, you work with him? He helped me kill a witch the other day. He mentioned he had a team."

Takashi had said that the girls on his team were like his little sisters. If she was his little sister, then she was Mami's too. She was going to make sure this girl got hugged, and soon.

Norie Okana has posed:
Norie Okana nods. "Yes. He has a team. I'm on it." she says. "He doesn't...push me. When I can't smile or laugh. He's happy when I'm content and I can reach content if I try hard enough. Content is.. Neutral. Not feeling, Much of anything." she says quietly. "Sorry if that's hard to hear, but when I can keep the bad thoughts and feelings away, that's a small win." she says.

"I'm glad he helped. Those things aren't... reasonable." she says. "Those 'witches'." she says. "I fought one before. They're so. ugh." she says as she nibbles her donut.

"Though I gave that. What was it. Grief Seed? to Riven-senpai. I didn't know what it was. I probably should had. Saved it for someone like you." she says. "They're dangerous and not very useful to me or anyone except. Puella. Magi. Right?"

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Once again, Mami can't help but smile as Norie talks about how Riventon meets her where she is, and is happy for her on her terms. He's really quite a good person, for a villain.

And then Norie says she gave him a grief seed and Mami giggles. "Oh I am going to have to give him a hard time about that," she says. Then she pauses. Oh, she should probably not have said that. She looks up at Norie and laughs awkwardly. "Well, someone like me did get it. Me specifically. He gave it to me after we killed the witch. Though he made it sound kinda like he collected it."

He was trying to impress her. She's gonna give him such a hard time.

Mami sets down her chopsticks and reaches for her cake, and the fork that's on the plate with it. She slices off a little bite and stabs it with her fork, then gestures with it toward Norie. "So did you kill that witch all by yourself?"

Norie Okana has posed:
Norie Okana will blink owlishly a little. "Please don't...give him a hard time." she says quietly. "He works hard. Just because. Dark energy is scary looking, doesn't mean it's bad, you know." she says. She's assuming the hard time is on about something else. She obviously deals with something like this every so often.

"Oh, did.. he give it to you?" she asks. "Good then." she says. "He must had figured out what I did by listening to others talk about them, that they're useless weird energy. Well. Useless to. Folks like Riven-senpai or myself. If you could use it, that's better. Than... what is it these things do again. Turn back into a witch?" she asks. "I've heard lots about them from others."

"But. From. others. Not Puella Magi."

Then she shakes her head. "There we're others. I had help. I didn't. Go in expecting to kill the thing. I was hoping it was a lost youma. Something that wandered out of the Dusk Zone. That was not the case."

Mami Tomoe has posed:
"Yes, if you leave a Grief Seed alone long enough, it'll hatch again," Mami confirms. "He said he had to kill it several times. He actually seemed rather relieved to be rid of it. If you ever find another one of those, though, you can just bring it right to me, okay?" She smiles brightly.

There's a buzz from Mami's pocket. She pulls out her phone and looks down at it, that same smile creeping onto her face again. She taps out a quick text message and then sets the phone face down on the table. She picks her fork back up to take another bite of cake. The phone buzzes again a moment later, and she's looking down at it, grinning, and tapping a message back out again.

Then she looks up. "Sorry," she says, a little blush rising in her cheek. "My boyfriend," she explains. Then she takes another bite of cake.

Norie Okana has posed:
Norie Okana enjoys her donuts while Mami explains Grief Seeds. "Oh dear." she snorts. "That one was a jerk to fight." She watches Mami deal with her phone. she keeps quiet. It's not like Norie is demanding all of Mami's attention right now.

"Ah." she says as Mami explains. "that would explain why you might wanna check your phone. I bet he must be someone nice if he strikes your fancy much." she says, trailing off a little.

She doesn't have anyone in her mind at the moment. She just eats her donut before asking."

"So uh. Who is it?" she asks curiously. Because sometimes asking about a simple girl thing of 'who's your boyfriend' is a nice break from 'hey monsters are terrible'.

"I mean. You don't have to tell me. Or anyone. I guess." she says. "But...." she says. "I don't get to gossip much anymore." she admits.

Mami Tomoe has posed:
"Well you can rest assured she'll never hatch again. We use them to clean our soul gems, and when they're full, we give them to our friend Kyubey-san to deal with. I gave that one to him the other day," Mami says before glancing down at her phone, smirking, and then tucking it back into her pocket finally. She wants to focus on Norie.

And her cake. She takes another bite. Cake is delicious.

Then Norie asks her who her boyfriend is, and she is so excited to tell someone. She tries to not look so eager, but fails. "Oh yes. He is. He's rather handsome, and kind-hearted, even if he is a bit dense at times," she says with a giggle. "He's in Grade 10. Takashi Agera."

Norie Okana has posed:
Oh. OH. Okay. So it's...like... That? Is it? Does Mami know Takashi is Riventon? Better to errr on the side of assuming they are two different people for now until Mami lets on otherwise. She isn't gonna be the one to blurt out that secret.

"Oh. Taka-senpai. I know him. He's. Who I took my phone to to get it repaired." she says. This isn't a lie. "He really is kind." she says with a series of nods, agreeing and confirming this for Mami..

"I have..."

"...no comment..."

"...on his denseness." she says quietly. A small truth. Small. She saw him trying to play off his birthday party, afterall. But said with a slightly muted tone.

Mami Tomoe has posed:
"Oh yes, I imagine that would be pretty easy for him to do at work, wouldn't it," Mami says, putting a little bit of an odd emphasis on the one word. She nods, agreeing with herself, and then takes another bite of cake. She's mowing right through it. She loves cake. "I'm glad he was able to take care of your phone. I was worried when it got damaged."

She twists her lips just a little and glances down, her fork resting on the plate next to her cake "I usually just have my tea parties alone. Those ones never go so disastrously."

But then she brightens up, smiling. "But all's well that ends well, I guess, and we can still be friends!" She seems rather pleased at that idea. She's been so lonely for so long. The idea of making friends is exciting.

Norie Okana has posed:
Norie Okana can understand the emphasis. She winces a little, like she's caught. "Yes. It's easy for him to do things like that. With his work." she says. Mami must know. Which means. That Riven-senpai probably has a lot of trust in Mami, if he's willing to let her know.

She files this way in important points to remember.

"I'm glad he fixed my phone too. It's the only link I have to my 'family' at the moment..." she says, not very excitedly.

"I'm sorry your tea party went badly. I trust. Amy. The red haired girl, to not cause problems. I dunno about the others. Miki-san is...pushy."

She head tilts. "I could use more friends." she admits. "That understand my issues. And won't... be upset because I can't laugh at their jokes or smile." she says. "-that I'm not. Gloomy because I don't like being around someone. It's just. What I am." she says, nibbling her donut softly. "And you seem to. Understand."

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami laughs and shakes her head. "It's hardly your fault. Sayaka-chan is just..." She thinks about how Sayaka attacked her while they were out hunting "...yes, pushy." She agrees.

She takes the last bite of her cake and then looks up at the clock. She twists her lips into a frown. "I've got to get going."

She rises up from her seat and grabs her tray, so that she can bus it on her way out. "I'll see you around, okay? We should hang out some time. Maybe you could come over to my place for tea and cake?"

Norie Okana has posed:
Norie Okana is enjoying her donuts. Mami will notice a marked improvement in her candor since earlier. She speaks in a strange monotone.

That's usually a good sign. "Yes, later. If you.. text me I will come." she says. Quickly rattling off her phone number for Mami.

"I will. See you later." she says with a nod.