640/Costumes and News

Costumes and News
Date of Scene:	24 October 2023
Location:	Pikarigaoaka Ward
Synopsis:	Setsuna invites Chrono and Rashmi over for a halloween preparation, sharing her talents of costume design... and they share the news of their new relationship.
Cast of Characters:	Chrono Harlaown, Rashmi Terios, Setsuna Meiou

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Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown was, of course, keeping in contact with Setsuna. After all, she was really the closest thing he had to a fellow operative who also was way too old for how old they actually were (albeit, in an entirely different way). So when she'd mentioned her halloween costume... and he'd kind of jsut shrugged if questioned on his. 'Probably final fantasy villain'. No, he couldn't jsut go around all day in his TSAB uniform. Leh sigh.

He'd suggested 'Hey, how about I bring Rashmi over the next time the girls are out and we can discuss it?'

Why? Because he didn't want to be teased about his new girlfriend by Setsuna's roommates/angels/demons. But he did want to share with her this new change in his life.

So he'd prepared a small care basket (After warning Rashmi of the state of their cooking abilities) and were now arriving! Via flight. Because flying with your girlfriend was just cooler, okay? Knocking on the door... the smell of khorma wafting from the bag (it could be a care basket even if it's in a bag, okay?!)

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Flying over Tokyo with your boyfriend is *awesome.* Especially when you both have access to the same flying magic, and can hold hands while swooping over the rooftops. Which is *definitely* something Rashmi made sure to do, as the pair made their way to Setsuna-chan's house.

In her other hand is a Korma Chameleon tote bag, with a couple of things she'd promised her friend, as well as a few extras. As Chrono knocks on the door, Rashmi herself simply gawps at the huge house, wide-eyed and amazed. The laptop makes a *lot* more sense, if this is where Setsuna chooses to live!

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna, for her part, had been taking care of...well, not a lot that was important. Which, for a change, left her with a lot of time for her hobbies. In this case, putting the final touches on some sewing...because Halloween was coming up and she'd been preparing for it for a few months on and off now.

The knock on the door, however, goes unanswered at first...but then after a brief wait, there's the sound of footsteps approaching from within...and then the door is opened by...

Pyrrha Nikos.

Okay, no...on second glance, it's actually Setsuna in a VERY GOOD Pyrrha Nikos costume. Leather torso piece, neck torc, waist sash, large armored boots and all.

Upon seeing the two, she smiles, "Ah! Chrono, Rashmi. Come in, come in. I was just making sure my final alterations were done."

And with that, she steps aside and gestures to the two younger people to enter.

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown had liked the holding of her hand and swooping over rooftops more than he would admit... but...

Now was the time to focus. And he blinked when she came down, pausing and staring for a moment. Finally... "A... centurion?" Chrono asked. "I... could be wrong, but I don't think the outfit is... authentic. Having that much exposed flesh would likely cause you more problems, since your vital organs would easily be perforated. While protecting your knees is wise, I imagine you'd want the bracer on your sword arm, as your shield arm would likely be hidden behind the shield. Though I suppose as your shield arm would likely be further out, having it shielded isn't... entirely a bad idea. Still, I feel I'm missing something again?" he said, looking slightly bewildered. And a little red in the cheeks. Well... he wasn't going to say 'Are you a sexy centurion', because NOPE!

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"It's cosplay, Chrono," Rashmi laughs. And it's *really good too,* did you make it Setsuna-chan? That's... um." Snapping her fingers, she follows Setsuna's gesture. "That show with the transforming weapons... Um... American, internet... Oh! Right! RWBY, right? Seriously it's *super good,* like it'd be costuming for a movie!"

Turning, she hoists her tote bag. "We brought lunch! And I got some things together too, from what we talked about at the hospital..."

Trailing off, she gets her first look around the interior, and according to her wonderstruck face, it's just as impressive as the outside. "Whaaaaa... Is there a trailhead at the kitchen?"

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna just smiles as Chrono cannot HELP but overanalyze things from a much more martial perspective than is needed at the moment, but Rashmi fills him in before she needs to, "Yes, I always liked the character designs in that show. And the fights, while often a bit over the top ARE rather spectacular."

She then leads the two down the hall to the kitchen (and on the wall at one side there is a series of stylized arrows pointing in that direction that Chrono might recognize as being the exact shade as Haruka's hair printed on bog-standard A4 printer paper).

In the kitchen, Setsuna points to the island in the middle as a place to put food down, and she walks over to the cabinet to get plates, "So, what brings the two of you here to my ever so humble abode?"

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown stared for a few more moments. "O-oh. I... see. So... the... character is... an... american centurion?" Chrono asked. "Seems... interesting. I imagine a fight involving a centurion would be interesting, though."

He eyed the arrows and chuckled. "It's not so bad, though I am personally grateful I'm not responsible for keeping this clean. Back on the arthra we had to have daily wipe downs to ensure that dust couldn't build up and get into the machinery." Pause. "I imagine you have a cleaning service that comes by every weak to stop that kind of problem from occuring." He just... couldn't imagine the three girls dedicating a day each weak just to clean all of that.

"As for what we came for... well... the primary reason was to ensure that you have actually been eating food other than just takeout. The secondary reason was ahhh... so, ummm... the dance. While there, Rashmi and I were... keeping an eye on Adora and Catra. To ensure they stay out of trouble and uhhhh..."

"... Long story short, I am now courting Terios-san." ... Yes, his cheeks were red and rosy now.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"'Courting,'" Rashmi echoes with a giggle and a fond headshake, dropping a quick kiss on top of Chrono's head. "But it's lucky nothing bad happened with Adora-san and Catra-san, because... Well, we were pretty terrible lookouts that day. Anyway... yup, we're dating!"

With the good news delivered, Rashmi sets the tote bag on the counter, and removes a trio of ceramic, hinge-locked canisters, each bearing a label with a name and a number.

    --Paanch Phoron (1)
    --Bhaaja Moshla (2)
    --Bengali Gorom Moshla (3)

And then a booklet of bound printer paper, with <3 HOW TO CURRY <3 on its topmost page.

"So I talked to my parents about it, and told them how you guys would be at the level of 'decent home cooks trying a new genre,' so... we put together a little recipe book of the simpler ones, and made sure to number them to make it easier to know what goes in where. Then at the back there's a list of 'what you could just mixen them into' if you wanted to try out new spices in familiar food!"

Rashmi may have more chill than Chrono, but clearly... She does not understand what 'half measures' are.

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
As Chrono confesses that and Rashmi confifrms that the two are, indeed a couple, Setsuna blinks, then smiles wide, "Really? Congratulations are in order to the two of you, then!"

She holds up a finger to indicate a momentary wait, then she steps out of the room and into the next.

Once out of sight of the two, Setsuna does a quick little happy dance, then composes herself and steps right back into the kitchen.

At which point she gets given the 'Terios Crash Guide to Cooking Curry'...and after a few blinks to process this, she smiles a bit more softly, "...well, I won't turn away this gift...but truly, we're not THAT bad here."

Though, yes, takeout DOES happen more than cooking in these parts...

She then smiles, "Oh! And I have a bit of a gift for the two of you, as well."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown chuckled softly and... oh dear. Cooking instructions. He wasn't so sure that was a good idea... but... well. Who knew? Maybe it'd be useful. As talented as the three were he didn't doubt they were capable of cooking. More... they were likely too busy to commit to such.

"I do hope you don't take this to mean we intend to alter our other plans. I think the three of us have quite a fun and pleasant experiences when we get together for our regular cinematic gatherings," Chrono said. Very matter of factly. However...

"A gift for us? You didn't need to do anything like that."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Oh it's not *bad,*" Rashmi stresses, "just, using a new flavor palate can be like learning a new language, y'know? It helps to have a primer."

Rounding the counter again to sit on one of the chairs, she tugs Chrono to the one beside her. "And just let us know if we get *too* saccharine during movie night, okay? We're both still learning how to be dating. But... he's right, we *really* appreciate it. What's 'a bit of a gift'?"

This, said with a chuckle, given the last 'minor gift' Setsuna favored her with.

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna waggles a finger at Chrono and ahhs, "Now, now. This is as much cultural acclimitization as anything else. See, there is a holiday coming up called 'Halloween', where it is customary to dress for that day in costume, and while not everyone does so, if one wishes, it's not seen as particularly strange."

She then stands up a bit straighter and smiles, "As it happens, I happen to do sewing and costuming as a hobby...and I took the liberty of making costumes for the two of you for the occasion."

She then steps out of the room, and after being gone for a few minutes, comes back with a pair of modest boxes that she hands to each of the two, "If you're interested, I'd appreciate the opportunity for you two to try them on so I can make any adjustments as needed. I had to eyeball your sizes, but I think I got them down."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown nodded and took the box and... he opened it. Blinked. Then shrugged. "I guess. I'll... need a moment, though. I'm not changing in here."

No, it likely didn't need to be said. But well... with the people he knew... he headed up to the bathroom. Paused.... "Rashmi, would you like to go first?" he asked. And now she'd know WHERE the bathroom was. While she could change in there... He'd head down to... likely a different room. A place like this had a LOT of places to change in. Then, after taking a while to change, he eventually would come out, and blink a few times. "Is this ruby thing also a final fantasy?" he asked. "Am I playing a villain? I could work on my evil cackle, if you like."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Rashmi accepts the box, then opens it carefully... "Whaaaaat, oh *wow* Setsuna-chan this is *amazing!* I... huh."

Luckily, Chrono, thinking ahead, was gallant enough to point the bathroom out to her! With a deep, deep bow of thanks, Rashmi dashes off down the hall, following Chrono's locator ping -- because in a house that requires arrows to guide people around, pinpointing a voice is just impossible -- and rushing to try the costume on.

It takes a bit longer to fit hers than it does for Chrono, but eventually the redhead emerges back into the kitchen, cheeks aflame as she tried to not tug down on the skirt. Because while it's no shorter than school-regulation length, Rashmi has always favored something closer to the ankle, and showing off any thigh at all is a new experience. "So... how do I look...?"

Which is when she catches Chrono's costume, and the embarrassment drains away. "Oh wow Chrono, you look *cool.*"

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
As the two get back, the kitchen is empty...but sounds are coming from the Entertainment Room right through the next doorway.

And as the the two enter, Setsuna has a particular scene up on the screen that she starts so that Chrono can get a good idea of what the series is like.

Namely, the Deathstalker and Giant Nevermore scene from Players and Pieces.

As it plays out, she says, "Bear in mind that this is actually their REALLY EARLY stuff. They get MUCH better as the series goes on."

As she sees Chrono and Rashmi interacting, she just smiles a bit more. Originally, she'd made the costumes as a subtle push for the two...but since they've beaten her to that punch, she'll be more than happy to see them enjoy things as a group exercise.

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown glanced back when Rashmi came out and uhhhh... oh. Oh wow. His cheeks went red and he gave a flustered little squeak before looking away. "You uhhh, you look... great. It uhhhh... suits you," he said sheepishly. Watching the... fight. And... cringed when the character he was playing got thrown across the room. And then... hit the wall. He was about to ask if the character he was dressed as was the... joke/comedy character.

Only for Rashmi to say something that made his cheeks go a bit redder and that goofy grin to form on his lips. "You... uhhhh... you think I look cool?" he asked. "I... would like to state, though, as someone who has fought scorpion aliens like that before, you really do NOT want to grab them by the stinger like that. Many of them can shed their stinger and it does not result in a... pleasant experience."

Then smiled to Setsuna. "So, is this a subtle way of saying you want us to watch this series next?"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Yes I think you look cool, silly," Rashmi chuckles, slipping an arm around Chrono's shoulder, and watching the video. "I've seen clips here and there," she says after a bit. "But never the whole show. I'm pretty sure the guy you're dressed as, Chrono? Generally the strong, silent Big Brother. And, yeah... pretty cool. Also seriously Setsuna-chan these are *great.* If it wasn't so elaborate I'd think about making it just an outfit to wear anytime! ...And I am one hundred percent prepared to believe that you've fought giant scorpion aliens, Chrono."

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna shakes her head, "Not particularly. I mean, we can if you want, but I think Rashmi and I want to introduce you to a lot of other things first. Besides, unlike some of the others, this one's available freely on the internet, so you can easily watch it whenever you want."

Maybe even together. ^_-

She then looks over at Rashmi, "If you want something less elaborate for more everyday wear, I'll make up Nora's season 2 outfit for you. It's relatively simple compared to that.

She then indicates the low table that she's spread the food out on in a small buffet style, "In any event, I have us set up for foodage. Thanks again for bringing this by."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown was, maybe, jsut a bit, preening a little bit at being told he looked cool. Okay, a lot. "The strong, silent big brother?" he asked, a hand gripping his chin and looking thoughtful. "Hmmmm. Yes, I do believe I could do that."

"And of course. There's a lot of strange, weird creatures out in the world. Giant scorpions aren't really that shocking. Though, I will admit I've always been surprised by the sheer number of planets that just seem to have crabs. Dragon crabs, monkey crabs. Once crab crabs... don't... don't ask," he said, giving a shudder.

"Of course, Meiou-san. I figured if there was anyone I should tell directly, it was you. The only other one who knows is..." Pause. "I guess my roommate... I should... probably come by and talk with your parents about it," Chrono said, looking thoughtful. "Does... this world have any courting rituals I need to know about? Do I need to fight your father for your hand?"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Season 2..." Rashmi pulls out her phone, poking until she finds the look. "...Actually I could probably get that out of stuff I already have! The cutout would be a logo though, because uh... cutouts... Not really me," she says with a bit of a bashful chuckle, as she circles to sit on the couch... Then looks down, flushes, and crosses her legs for the first time in probably a long while. "But you're super welcome, Setsuna-chan!"

"...Y'know I hear that crabs seem to be kind of a natural endpoint for evolution, at least on Earth. I remember it from a biology class, crabs happened on separate evolutionary lines like a *bunch* of times over the years. But now you're making me think of crabs with crabs for claws, and I think my brain needs to stop working now. C'mere Chrono."

Then the boy asks about courtship rituals, and Rashmi just looses a belt of laughter. "I mean if you watch TV, probably! But Papi knows better than that. He wasn't even *nearly* upset when I told him about the dance, just thought it funny that we gave up at least three once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for... oh man how'd he say it. 'Ice cream an' canoodlin','" she drawls, mimicking her father's stubbornly thick Osaka accent.

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna snorts as Rashmi tells of how sangune her father was about finding out she was seeing someone, and she starts giggling uncontrollably.

As soon as both of them are looking at her, she goes on to explain, "...sorry, sorry. I just think your father could have had a bit more fun with finding out. Perhaps challenging Chrono to a proper duel in HIS realm..."

She pauses, then adopts a much more FLAMBOYANT manner, "...KITCHEN STADIUM!"

She does some of Chairman Kaga's more overblown arm gestures, "TODAY'S SECRET INGREDIENT IS...BACON!"

She tries, at least, to suggest an ingredient that's not as common in Rashmi's family's specialty cuisine so that Chrono might have stood a tiny chance in such a confrontation.

Then, as she realizes that Chrono is not going to follow, she quickly brings up an episode of Iron Chef Japan to play on the television as they eat.

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown gave a small, knowing nod with Rashmi's hypothesis. "Indeed. It's... not worth thinking about. Trust me. You're... close. Incredibly, distressingly close." Then he glanced at Rashmi again, then quickly looked away. And he wasn't thinking about crabs. He was thinking about cut outs. And yeah. He was still a teenage boy! Super soldier or not!

And... and then Setsuna. And her quotes. And his confusion. Just staring at her with bewilderment. Then... "Oh. I hadn't realized you watched cooking shows, Meiou-san. I don't think it would have approached a fair battle, though. I would have had to resort to cheating and that'd hardly be a noble way to earn Rashmi's hand," he said. In that dry, matter of fact tone of his. It... it was a joke though, right?

He then turned his eyes back towards Rashmi. "Three once-in-a-lifetime opportunities?" he asked. "And waht's canoodling?" he asked. "All we did was kiss and share a couple's sundae."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"BACON!" Rashmi echoes, throwing up her arms with a laugh. Then as Setsuna explains-by-example what the reference was for, Rashmi leans into Chrono's shoulder. "It would *absolutely* have not been fair, but Papi *has* been known to accept challenges from line cooks who want a good reference at a bigger restaurant. Those're fun days, but we're always sad to see the cooks go, even if they *are* headed to bigger and better things."

At 'earn Rashmi's hand, the redhead ruffles Chrono's hair. "'Canoodling,' a slang word for 'smooching' or 'going off into a corner and being upsettingly sugary-sweet.' Which, if our silly grins were matching... The sundae *does* count. *Both* of the sundaes."

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna smiles as she watches the two interact, "Oh, I've watched a bit of everything in my time. Iron Chef was far from the worst thing I've watched to pass the time, and while the stuff they make is far beyond my meagre skills, it's still a very fun show to watch. Heck, it's one of the few shows where the foreign spin-off was almost as good as the original."

She shakes her head, "...if Flay hadn't been on it, I might have even said Iron Chef America was AS good...but that man is a disgrace to cooking...and I will never understand his obsession with mangoes."

She shakes her head, "...to be honest, one of these days when it's not so hectic I'm going to have to get with Guardian Daifuku and provide her with some really top-notch ingredients and see what she can come up with in that kitchen of hers."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown gave a soft chuckle and shook his head. "I imagine those days are gilled both with amusement and delicious food," he said before leaning against her a little bit. "I see. So... canoodling would be akin to... hanky panky?" he asked, sounding actually genuinely curious. "Though, I'm still curious. What were those three once in a lifetime experiences? I don't think I like the idea of denying you such rarities. I feel it is my duty to ensure you can experience them yet."

He then glanced to Setsuna and well... he kept his thoughts to himself. After all... he knew it was likely funner to watch others cook than to study it oneself. That and well, he legitimately swore he only understood one out of every three words from her sometimes. ???

He did, however, understand why one would desire to have magical cooking. "Indeed. IT would be nice to meet Guardian Daifuku without believing one of our colleagues is about to meet her end. Have there been any more... pranks since then?"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"In Papi's words," Rashmi says, ticking off on her fingers. "'Seein' a real-live Princess, seein' a priceless jewel, an' clearin' out a canape table worth more'n our yearly take.'" Chuckling, Rashmi shakes her head. "But frankly, stuff is stuff, and I was a *lot* happier at the ice cream parlor."

"See, Setsuna-chan, I barely watched *this* show, but man... Papi *loved* it when it was on, you and him would probably have room-shaking fights over Iron Chef French's Battle Lobster."

Then both Setsuna and Chrono mention the prank, and Rashmi perks up. "That's right, nobody ever said *who* that happened to. Who was it, anyway?"

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna shakes her head, "From what I understand, aside from one very brief blip, Ironbutt has kept her head down since the girls and I went and slapped her down pretty hard."

She sighs and rubs her forehead, "...I'll admit I might have been a bit...harsher in my aims than I probably needed to be...but in our defense, the kinds of threats the Outer Senshi were empowered to handle are generally a whole different type of threat. Eldritch ambominations from beyond the stars and that kind of thing...and I probably wasn't thinking my clearest as I'd just had Miss Skyline very nearly die in my arms screaming after having one of my best friends get severely burned...so I suppose I defaulted to the Chicago way."

She shakes her head, "Perhaps not my finest hour...though I can but hope the silence from Ironbutt is due to her rethinking the error of her ways."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown nodded. "I see. Well, I believe I can show you many priceless jewels, we've met many princesses... and... hmmm. The canapes will be slightly more difficult. But shoulkd I ever manage to get access to the TSAB again, I will ensure that the finest of cuisine's are prepared for you at least once. And you can clear the table then," he said cheerily.

He then glanced to Setsuna and nodded. "No, I see what you mean. When I first got to this planet... I'll admit, I was figuring putting down threats that were dangerous or could become more deadly was ideal. However, the longer I have been there... the more I have begun to realize, perhaps, such methods should be done sparringly. Enforcer training is rather... clear... on putting threats down if they cannot be reasoned with. But..." He glanced to Rashmi. "I imagine Catra isn't the only one amongst... the criminal element who have someone on our side who cares for them. This entire situation has become so much more convoluted than I'd have imagined possible when we first came after the jewel seeds."

"Hopefully, whoever cares for her can eventually convince her to not be so foolish."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Miss Skyli-- MOLLY?!" Rashmi says, shooting up out of her seat... then slowly lowering back down, closing her eyes for a moment. "Ooooh. So *that's* why you didn't say her name." Taking a moment to remove her glasses, fish a microfiber out of Nicomachea, and clean them, she lets out a long, slow sigh. "...I stand by what I said, and... yeah. I kinda hope so too. But I *understand* why you were so upset, Setsuna-chan, and... Well I mean. You're not gonna need my forgiveness on the subject anyway, so MOVING ON."

Making herself comfortable again -- which involves rather more leaning on Chrono than it would have a week ago -- Rashmi looks to the Enforcer. "The way you were talking at that Riventon guy, Chrono, it sounds like deescalation and rehabilitation are the TSAB's first move. Also what's a jewel seed? You've never mentioned them before."

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna blinks a few times, "Riventon? Guy about yay high? Real full of himself? He was the one who seemed to be managing the raid on the ship debris when it came down."

She shakes her head, "Don't underestimate him. He took a Dead Scream head on and managed to walk away...though he seemed more than a bit the worse for wear after."

She frowns, "Given how quickly he took advantage of the whole thing going up, I'm fairly certain he's the one who arranged for it all to blow...which is how he got away."

That's her story, and she's sticking to it...the weakness of her short game didn't have anythign to do with his escape, and there's certainly no evidence of her having been thrown skirt over teakettle by the shockwave of the blast.

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown reached out and, gently, stroked a hand down Rashmi's spine. "It's okay to be angry about what she did. What she did was cruel and vicious."

He then glanced over to her. "I haven't? They're the lost logia we were pursuing when we got trapped in this dimension. And yes, our first task is deescalation and capture. If a threat refuses to stand down and they show no signs of remorse, we are to eliminate them if capture is an impossibility," he said it with that same cold, calm tone.

"But yes, Riventon... is definitely a threat. How much of one I cannot say, but he's adaptive and intelligent. His device is.... strange. It can wield dark energy. But, fortunately, he's not focused. He uses both belkan and midchildian magic, resulting in a device that is incredibly unoptimized. I believe the dark energy is allowing him to bypass the normal weaknesses associated with doing such a thing."

"... him setting the explosions is also troubling. Because that implies he knew the Arthra was going to crash there. That... I definitely need to discover. Still... since our first encounter, while he has shown a cleverness, his arrogance is a solid weakness to exploit and he's not... as wicked as I would have expected. He had ample opportunities to exploit civilians for his ends, but never even tried as far as I could tell. Additionally, the way he spoke about dark energy... I believe he may be using to to cover up a medical condition of sorts. As he seemed to believe he needed it to survive. Or he was a raving lunatic. Either or, truly."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Oh of course he was there too," Rashmi sighs. "Well *that's* fun. Terrifying wanted criminal, mad scientist, and a complete cinnamon roll of a hopeful villainess, all of them *I guess* under Obsidian's umbrella and at the crash? ...Also by the way Chrono if you run across anyone calling herself Firefly...? Like... Take her seriously, but try not to *hurt her feelings.* Which is weird when you're talking about people fielding life-sucking youma, but... She's a cute kid. We met on a roof, and she brought *crackers.* So weird..."

Shaking her head, she leans into Chrono's hand. "You saw more of Riventon than I did, Chrono. I just know he looked about ready to flatten you when I got there."

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna blinks a few times at the mention of Firefly. At which point she gets a very serious look on her face, "Yes...please. One hundred THOUSAND percent. Trust me on this. It's something I CANNOT speak on for several extremely important reasons...but Firefly is someone we very certainly do NOT want to upset."

She sighs, "Fortunately, she's a problem that can probably keep until after we deal with the people wanting to sink a greater metropolitan area into the Dungeon Dimensions, as it were."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown blinked a few times and just... stared at Setsuna. He then sighed and shook his head. "It really, truly was so much easier then," he mumbled, before leaning against Rashmi in kind. "And... he might have. Dark energy is powerful and dangerous. But the more I fight it, the more I can try to understand it. He sounded like pretty much every other lost logia user I'd ever run into, though. So focused on his own self importance and assured that he, and he alone, was some chosen one."

"... I'll try not to hurt their feelings. But I'm not exactly... known for my delicate touch in that regard. But I'll try."

"... Dungeon dimensions? What? Dear heavens, jsut what have I been out of the loop on?"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"...Okay Setsuna-chan I gotta ask," Rashmi chuckles, "*please* go easy on the references around poor Chrono. *I* know Discworld, but Chrono's got way too much to do in a day to cram forty years of pop culture. Especially when this planet doesn't seem to *have* a single native magic type, which lets us dream up stuff almost as wild as reality."

Rubbing Chrono's back to comfort him, she rests her cheek on his head. "About Firefly... I'm curious but I'll take your word, Setsuna-chan. Chrono, just think about it like this; she believes she's doing the right thing, and she just wants to be taken seriously as a fighter, but she doesn't *want* to do lasting damage. So... Don't treat her like a child, treat her like a soldier. Someone just fighting for what they believe in. At least... that's what I plan to do. And to buy her dinner if I win the fight."

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna throws her hands up in mock exasperation, "I GAVE him the complete set of Discworld books! They're all light, quick, fun reads! It's not MY fault he's torturing himself like that!"

She harumphs and folds her arms as she shakes her head at the foolishness.

She then sighs, "And apparently one of the ongoing slow-rolling catastrophes we're trying to work on is that some of the Obsidian types are trying to enact some kind of ritual that will sink the greater part of the Tokyo Metropolitian area into the Dusk Zone to harvest the energy of several million people all at once. We've got a line on their plans, but we've got to find a certain special computer to decode them. In the meantime, foiling their attacks is keeping their plans at bay and buying us time."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown blinked a few times. "I... I've read a few of them. I like the luggage. And Vimes is a pretty interesting character. The daughter of death is also amusing, though I found the idea of using one's magic to keep their legs warm as a bit excessive." Pause. "It'd be more efficient to create a sphere of heat around yourself than just making up for the sock." HA! HE CAUGHT UP ON SOME OF THEM! "But no, I'm still missing plenty. But, I tell you both what. If, in the course of my time here, I manage to attain the same level of immortality that you have, Meiou-san, and Rashmi does as well? I will allow you to spend the next three hundred years forcing every pop culture reference into my head you desire. I could be a regular Ark of the Fifth reign," he said with a light, amused chuckle.

"As for this Firefly, I'll be careful. And trust me, I won't underestimate any soldier for being a child," he mumbled. Memories of his encounter with Fate coming to mind.

He groaned and lifted a hand to his forehead. "That. That is a stupid plan. I swear, there's just... some of these people. I cannot believe how vicious and greedy they are at times. To imagine they'd be willing to kill so many people... sigh... Have either of you ever been to the dusk zone?"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"...Never even heard of it before," Rashmi says, brows furrowing. "But by context, I'm guessing it's not exactly hospitable to humanesque life? Which, uh... If they manage it, great, but what's next? What's even the *point* of having that much energy, and no more anymore forever?" Pursing her lips, Rashmi burrows into the couch, winding her arm around Chrono's and interlacing her fingers with his. "So what kind of a computer d'you need? Nicomachea's not really *built* for decoding, but he can give it a try; he's gonna run something Naru-chan has about something big that I'm guessing is what you're talking about."

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna blinks, "...well, the problem is that it's a cipher written in a language that's been dead for fourteen thousand years. Basically I and maybe some of the people at Obsidian are the only ones that speak it. One of the Senshi has a computer that can probably make short work of it, but she's not available at the moment. That said, I'm glad that Miss Osaka is making good use of her time. She's apparently taken up the task of comparative magic cross studies."

She shakes her head, "As for the Dusk Zone? Apparently whomever is behind it never got the memo about never consuming an energy field larger than your head and intends to try and ascend to Godhood or something nonsensical like that."

She trails off, then smiles at the two, "...and while normally I'd tell you that living for thousands of years is not what it's cracked up to be...at least there's two of you, so you avoid the problem I had."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown gave a small nod... "I... have a device that may be able to help, though I'm not sure. The devices from the Arthra crew may be able to help decode it, but they're.... not familiar with things from this planet, so it may not be of any real use."

"However... if you can get me a copy of the data, I'll have them begin work." It was a long shot, but... well.... better than nothing, right?

"As for living for thousands of years... I find it unlikely to happen. But you're wrong. There'd be three of us," he said, giving her a small smile. "I wouldn't wish an eternity of being alone on even my greatest enemy. And while I find the actual notion of immortality to be a fool's errand... I'd say that about most of the stuff in this strange world. So it wouldn't be the strangest or silliest thing I've had to deal with. Besides, you're both good company."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Setsuna's talk of Naru has Rashmi bobbing her head in agreement. "I was kinda tempted to give her guest access to Nicomachea, honestly. The way he's built, I could probably just leave them both in a room together and it'd make her whole month. ...Speaking of!" She turns, grinning at Chrono. "I'd mentioned us, and she had to work *very hard* to reassure me she doesn't have designs on you, which is *adorable* by the way. So that was fun."

Settling back, she chews on the inside of her cheek. "I mean I'd probably never *go* looking for immortality, but if by some random fluke it found the two of us? Yeah, I don't think I'd mind sharing eternity among the three of us. ...I mean ask me again in an epoch or two, obviously," she says, wrinkling her nose. "Setsuna-chan... I know it's a dumb question, but, you don't happen to have a sample of the language? Maybe hot gossip about Enkidu-sama? Cos yeah if it's not a language our Devices have a way to translate, that's gonna be slow going."

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna shakes her head, "Samples, no. Not really. I know I'll recognize it once I see it written, but it's been so damn long since I've had a chance to read it that I know I'll need the jog to actively work to remember how it goes. Basically, it's a language that hasn't been used since the fall of the Silver Millenium over fourteen thousand years ago."

She shrugs, "Which is why I was hoping Mercury could help us with her computer, since I know it'll have those languages in it's database."

"And Enkidu was WAAAAAAAAAAAAY later."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown glanced towards Rashmi, blinking a few times. "I... don't understand. Why would Osaka-san have any desires towards me? OH! Wait, I understand." Pause. "I've been making her little worksheets for midchildian magic and how the math operates, since she doesn't have a device of her own." ... He didn't get it. At all. He was clueless sometimes.

"Indeed. Eternity is... really all about who you're with, I imagine," he said, his hand stroking down her spine while he nestled in against her touches.

"Sounds like you need a server of the golden tower," Chrono said. "Unfortunately, I don't have anything even close to that. If we can find this mercury, though, it..." He then trailed off for a second. "Should we... try... to go to mercury? Is that a thing? If we could get into orbit I could possibly get us there... hold on, I'm going to run some calculations..." he mumbled, glancing off into the distance.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Nuno Chrono," Rashmi chuckles -- shivering a bit at the hand down her back, but not apparently in any uncomfortable way -- "you forget how it works here; if you have similar magic, your working names'll probably be similar too. So... Pluto," she says, gesturing to Setsuna, "Moon, Mars... So Mercury's a teammate of theirs, and probably their analyst if her computer would be a key to this problem."

"...So will it do us any good, Setsuna-chan, if when Naru-chan gives me those files, to bring them here? If the cypher's in the language from back then? ...Or d'you already have them?"

"Also. Chrono? She was saying she really liked you, and then hurried to make sure I knew not in the way *I* like you. It was funny! But you've made a really good impression on her."

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna shakes her head, "No, I already have a copy. Not that it does me any good. The cypher's WAAAY beyond my meager codebreaking skills. I recognize the script it uses, but that's about it. And yes, Sailor Mercury was the one who was basically the IT specialist."

After a few moments, she snorts, "Ah, Rashmi...I think this might be a bit of an ongoing thing for you two...unknowingly leaving trails of broken hearts in your wake."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown shook his head. "No, I figured she is another planet pilot, for Mercury. Huh. I wonder if there's a sailor earth running around somewhere?" he asked before shuddering. "And lucky, I guess, there aren't sailor other planets outside of this system. Imagine a Sailor Midchildia," he said before giving a light chuckle.

"I'll see about setting up some of the devices here, to help. They'd be in guest mode, and I'll need to run code breaking as an enforcer admin, but... it should be able to alert you, at least, if they find anything."

Then he glanced back to Rashmi and... "Oh. OH! Of course! We're just friends, after all. I think she might have something for Adrien, but... well... he is fairly attractive as well." Model and all. "And that's good. I try to leave a good impression where ever I traverse. It doesn't do for people to look upon the TSAB and find it... disheartening, as it were."

He then glanced to Setsuna. "I don't doubt it. I really was quite lucky to fall into Rashmi's life when I did. If I'd met her much later, she'd have likely been snatched up by now."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"...Wait what?" Rashmi says, looking between Setsuna and Chrono. "When was *I* breaking hearts? *Chrono* got all the confessions!" Poor Rashmi just has *no idea* about herself, does she?

"And maybe there's something with Adrien-san... he *is* pretty, but uh... Personally I liked the way his suit looked better on you, Chrono. ...But nobody *has* to pair up as quickly as we did, or Usagi-san and her boy. ...Besides if more people start *literally* falling out of the sky into peoples' hearts we've got bigger problems."

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna snorts, "Love. Sometimes it's Destiny that brings two souls together across the gulf of the ages. Sometimes a magical boy falls out of the sky into your lap. Strange are the ways of the universe."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown just gives Rashmi a look. A gentle, kind look. "Oh my dear, sweet Rashmi. I am so very fortunate that even the angels are apparently blinded to their own beauty," he said in the most teasing of tones. He certainly seemed to be loosening up around her.

"And no, I imagine not. And... who knows? Perhaps you'll find someone more fitting for you one day. Or perhaps we were destined. The magic of this world is strange and... not altogether terrible. I look forward to learning more about it amongst both of you. The angel I fell into the arms of, and the angel who saved me when I fell in battle." Yes. He was going to call Setsuna an angel too. What? He was from the stars, he knew beauty when he saw it.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
'Angels are blind to their own beauty.'

Well, if *anything* would silence Rashmi's protests, it would definitely be that. Her only real response is somewhere between a whistling teakettle and a mouse's squeak, as she just stares, wide-eyed, at the often-awkward TSAB Agent who managed to just scramble her brains with one *incredibly smooth line.*

"...I think I'm doomed," she finally manages to utter, burying her face in Chrono's shoulder. "Help me Setsuna-chan he's gonna make my head explode and I'm not sure it's the embarrassment or the ego-boosting."

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna can't respond. She's too busy nearly falling out of her chair giggling.