250/Kureha, or Curry-ha

Kureha, or Curry-ha
Date of Scene:	16 August 2023
Location:	Korma Chameleon
Synopsis:	Kureha and her minder of the day decide to sneak a stop at the Korma Chameleon! Kureha meets Rashmi again, draws her line in the sand over the mahou lifestyle... And experiences her first hot-food awakening.
Cast of Characters:	Kureha Senkenzan, Rashmi Terios

---

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    For once, it is not Kureha Senkenzan's idea to stop somewhere.

    The past few weeks have been a major adjustment period, for both Kureha and her three attendants. Chisa has adapted the most easily - having Kureha healthy enough to go out into the wider world has made her happy, and she's readily encouraged it. But Emi and especially Yozakura have been trying to stick to the script, and their exasperation with the girl has been nigh endless.

    But at the very least, Emi is just doing a job. And she knows that if she bends, once in a while, Kureha definitely isn't going to tell anyone. So finally, for the first time, the minder-by-another-name gives in. On their way home from a father-mandated trip, she stops for food at a restaurant she's been meaning to try.

    The Korma Chameleon.

    As the car pulls into its parking and Kureha catches sight of their destination, her eyes briefly widen. She's memorized the name on that voucher; far from planning to use it, she's shoved it in a drawer and vowed to never visit. But it looks like fate has conspired against her! But she quickly schools her expression.

    "I think you'll like authentic curry, young miss," Emi says as they pass in the door. "And just this once, your dad and Yozakura don't need to know."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
And Kureha is greeted with the traditional "IRRASHAIMASU!" that comes from any restaurant with Japanese roots... But neither the look or the *smells* of the Korma Chameleon carry the same obvious signposting.

While the air-conditioning is indeed running full blast to keep the restaurant at 'slightly cool,' the decoration, lighting, and red muslin over the windows makes the restaurant *feel* warm, regardless. It's a perfect complement to the smell of lamb, beef, and spices that reach out like a warm hug.

In short order, the two are seen to a table by a cheerful host and left with menus combining traditional Indian dishes with mystifying names (Dol Maach? Lamb Vindaloo?) with Japanese-fusion recipes that spark curiosity by the name alone. (Butter Chicken Tsukemen. Coconut Shrimp Donburi?)

After the pair has a moment to try to parse the menu, a familiar red-headed girl wearing the uniform of the Korma's waitstaff bops out of the kitchen, beaming behind her glasses. "Hello-o-o, Welcome to the Korma Chameleon! Would you like a lassi to start? We've got mango, coriander, and lychee right now, it'll be a nice treat the way the weather is."

Either blissfully oblivious, or possessed of an amazing poker face, the student waits, pad and pen at the ready.

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    The smells, the sights, all of it is entirely new to Kureha Senkenzan, and at the very least she's not afraid to let herself be seen looking around. Or sniffing. The smells are so... intense. So interesting. A hint of wonder slips into her expression for a moment or two - and Rashmi might even get to see a hint of it, before the yukata-clad girl notices she's there.

    There's no wide-eyed reaction this time; Kureha has prepared herself for the possible appearance of the girl who handed her a voucher, so her face is almost immediately a calm, neutral mask. She can't recall if the redhead saw her before she transformed - or even saw her transforming - but at the very least, it's possible 'the medical miracle girl' will be recognized from school. It's kind of a widely-told story, after all.

    "I..." Red eyes dart over the menu, trying to parse everything, trying to quickly come to a decision so she doesn't look utterly baffled. "...I'll try the mango lassi," she declares, before Emi adds a much more confident, "Lychee for me, please."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Skritch skritch skritch goes the pencil, and Rashmi bobs on her heels in acknowledgment. "Okay, that'll be out in just a moment!" A swirl of skirts and off she goes to the kitchen, emerging in less than a minute with two tall, chilled glasses containing what looks like smoothies. The pale-green one is set in front of Emi, and the yellower one, in front of Kureha.

"Okay! So I'm guessing this is your first time here, is there anything you'd like me to explain? Also if you have any dietary restrictions, just let me know; Papi likes the challenge, and we have a whole other Buddhist menu if you need it."

In her element, with a well-practiced script to follow, Rashmi appears to be just a whirlwind of sunny charm, happy as can be to treat newcomers to the world of food that she happily grew up in.

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    "You're certainly cheerful," Emi says, pleased. Kureha, meanwhile, sniffs at her drink curiously, before taking a sip. What follows is the universal expression for someone is trying not to show how much they like the new thing they just tried.

    The well-dressed woman is already giving a thoughtful look to the menu, tapping her chin, but soon enough she says, "I think I'm quite ready, no dietary restrictions for either of us. I shall have the butter chicken tsukemen, I'm curious to see how that turns out. As spicy as you can make it."

    The younger girl is still looking at the menu, brow furrowed. Emi leans over slightly and says, "You might start with something simple, miss. The butter chicken?" Kureha glances at her, then the menu, and nods once. Emi seems pleased by this, then sits back up and adds, "She's never had spicy foods before, so perhaps mild in her c-"

    "Medium."

    Emi turns to look at her with surprise. "...m-my lady, are you sure that's-" "Medium," Kureha insists, her expression hard. "Whatever your midway point of heat is."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"It's always nice to see new faces, okyaku-sama," Rashmi speedily answers with a grin; apparently this is *far* from the first time her cheerfulness has been a matter of comment.

The byplay is watched as unobtrusively as one *can* watch a vaguely tense conversation wen one is standing front and center for it. When Kureha firmly states her preference, Rashmi bobs her head, smile never leaving her lips. "One butter-chicken tsukemen, and one butter chicken, three-star," she repeats, pencil flying across her pad. "Would you like garlic naan to go with that?" Directly addressing Kureha, now, since she's definitively established herself as in charge of her own order. "Everybody loves garlic bread, and it'll help cut the heat if you need it. Between that and the lassi, you should be fine!"

Unstated: If the stories are right, Medical Miracle-san *definitely* has better spice tolerance now, the desire for more hot makes sense.

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    To be fair, Kureha has no clue what kind of spice tolerance she has! She's mostly just being stubborn. 'Start in the middle, work your way up or down' is not typically a method people use to get acclimated to spicy food. But she seems to be resolved to deal with whatever mistake this might be. "I would like that," she replies to the offer of garlic naan. Emi, however, says, "I'll pass on that for now. Ah, young miss, could you watch my things for a moment?" she asks of Kureha, before standing up and taking a smaller makeup compact with her to the restroom.

    Needless to say, this leaves Kureha alone with Rashmi. The yukata-clad young lady decides to cover any awkwardness by... sitting there in complete silence, hands folded in her lap. Okay so it's the exact opposite of covering the awkwardness.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Awkward silence is awkward, though Rashmi *does* have a job to do; luckily, handing out the ticket takes little time at all, and in short order she's back at the table, tilting her head at Kureha's statue-like reservation.

"...So," she says, a champion icebreaker. "How've you been doing since...?" Her pencil-bearing hand revolves, as if to take in all of time, space, and magical reality in a single gesture. "Was everyone okay?"

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    Fidget. Maybe she didn't see. Maybe she doesn't remember. Maybe-

    -oh.

    Crimson eyes drift up to meet Rashmi's gaze; Kureha's expression isn't quite 'cold', but it's definitely neutral to the point of defensiveness. "...fine. As you've no doubt heard, I am in the best health of my life, by a wide margin." She reaches up to take her lassi in hand, giving Rashmi a slightly wary glance before adding, "Chisa's hospital stay was relatively short. She has returned to her duties. My father attempted to locate the culprits behind the... costumed riot, but met with no success and has given up. In his eyes, I suppose he has only profited from it."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"I'm glad to hear she's better," Rashmi answers, sounding extremely genuine. "And I didn't mean your health, but like... everything *else,* y'know? Just... It was a lot to adjust to for me, so I figured..."

Trailing off upon seeing Kureha's stony, obviously-defensive mask, Rashmi gnaws on the inside of her cheek. "...But you'd probably rather I left you alone, for now?"

Making friends is *so much more difficult* when you don't understand the other person very well... Maybe now's *not* the best time to try and break the ice?

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    There's a pause, during which Kureha regards Rashmi warily, as of considering something. How much to say, how much not to say. Her voice is a little bit softer before she finally replies, "Three times. Three times since the museum, I've had to use that power again. I keep stumbling into dangerous situations. My attendants keep being there. And so do girls from the museum." She sets down her lassi, and folds her hands in her lap. "I didn't ask for any of this. I don't want to be involved. But the number of people aware of my identity, of... other things I don't want getting out, keeps increasing."

    There's just a faint bit of tension in her voice. "...what does it take to buy you all off? To make all this stop happening, to stop getting the one person I care about involved in all this nonsense? I don't want to be around long enough for the bill to come due."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Ask me that again when I've figured out an answer," Rashmi says softly. "It's *terrifying.* That explosion at the Clover Mall? That too. I was there. It wasn't a game, Senkenzan-san, people got *really hurt* and the only thing I could do was too late to stop it."

Shaking her head, she draws in a deep breath. "I wish I had an answer for you, I really do... But I don't. Horrible things are happening, and some of them are ridiculous and some of them are annoying and sometimes it's *really super scary.* And the only way I've figured out how to handle it is... Money is power, because money lets you change big things if you want to. Well... Power is power too. And if my stupid little wings and silly spells can save lives... Then I can't wish it away. Not if I want to be the kind of person I want to be." Lifting her shoulder, Rashmi glances down at Kureha's lassi.

"But that's my answer, not yours. And it looks like you need a refill, Senkenzan-san. I'll bring one right back, okay?"

Back to the waitress script, Rashmi turns and hurries back into the kitchen, low dread pooling in her gut at what she couldn't help but say. Will Kureha be insulted? Furious? *Will she leave?!*

That last seems like it would be the Worst End: a potential friend so insulted it takes business away from her parents.

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    Well, the good news is that Kureha is still sitting there by the time Rashmi comes back. But she's wearing that same neutral mask the entire time, from the moment the redhead steps away to the moment she returns. She's had far too much practice at keeping a poker face.

    And the bad news turns out to be that she has a completely different understanding of Rashmi's response than what was meant. "I've heard enough people lecture me about 'doing the right thing because it's right' in my own household. I'm not going to be so easily taken in. The bill always comes due. The 'free' assistance always comes back as another favor owed. I'm not going to put those few around me in danger just to hear 'you owe me one' somewhere down the line. I'd rather just throw money at the problem and walk away."

    The shorter girl sits up a little straighter in her seat, then coughs a bit uncomfortably, and adds an awkward, "...th-thank you for the refill."

    Judging by the sound of the restroom toilet, they're not going to have too much longer alone.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"You're welcome," Rashmi says, the relief evident that at least she didn't scare off a customer. "And I told you, that's just my answer to the question. I can't make it go away because I don't think it'd be right. If you *do* find a way out, though? Let me know... There's probably some other people out there who'd love to take it back too."

"Your food is probably about ready so I'll go get it. Just... Until you *do* find a way out? Think of it like this; maybe it's not what one of us wants out of you. Maybe we're just happy to have one more hand."

And once again, she disappears into the kitchen to collect their order.

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    Kureha doesn't have a response, not even something simple as Rashmi walks away. The girl keeps her thoughts to herself; but internally, she's promising herself yet again, that she's not going to get involved next time. She's not going to be that 'one more hand.' She'll just take whatever attendant is with her, and get out of there ASAP. Especially after the melon incident. And the aquarium. Especially especially the aquarium-

    "Young miss?"

    Kureha actually jumps a little. She'd been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed Emi coming back. "You were staring a hole in your lassi. Is it not to your liking? We can send it back and have them-" Kureha cuts across, "It's fine. I was simply lost in thought." Emi nods a little, sliding back into her seat. "Well, our food should be just about ready, right?"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Whatever was on Rashmi's face the last time she disappeared into the kitchen, she's all smiles when she pops out again, bearing a wide tray and a fold-out stand to place it on. Emi's plate is a bowl of rich, orange gravy-like sauce, with freshly-boiled ramen, orange-colored grilled chicken, a halved softboiled egg, and various ramen accoutrements arranged on the plate around the bowl.

Kureha is treated to a bowl of fragrant, long-grained rice, a plate of flatbreads speckled with herbs and smelling wonderfully of garlic, and the stew... A bit more red than Emi's sauce, chunks of potato and chicken piled high, with cilantro leaves decorating the food like trees on a hill. Both dishes being similar, the table is soon the center of a cloud of tomato-y, spicy, summery smells that make one think of the heat shimmers over the street, but *pleasantly* so. Paired with the lassi, the feeling is of basking in the warm summer heat, then running through a sprinkler to cool off, over and over again.

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    It seems Emi has good timing! "My, that looks wonderful. And smells wonderful!" the woman says, settling herself in. Kureha's expression is more one of curiosity, at least at first; but then she gets a whiff of her food, and her eyes widen. "It smells..." She has no words to describe it. But the look on her face isn't one of revulsion. In fact, it's the exact opposite. She takes up her spoon, looking between her bowl, Rashmi and Emi with wide eyes, before offering a hesitant, "...I-itadakimasu."

    After the first spoonful goes in her mouth, there's a pause. Thoughtful chewing, which slows down to a stop briefly as the heat starts to hit. She swallows, but then sits for a moment, eyes slowly widening as the fullness of what she's just put in her mouth hits. "Th... this is... this is spicy food?!"

    Emi has paused just before taking her own first bite, looking at Kureha with growing alarm. "Miss, if it's too much, we-"

    Kureha shovels another bite in her mouth. Then another. And another.

    Emi blinks in mild bewilderment.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Seems she guessed her heat levels just right, okyaku-sama," Rashmi chuckles, *delighted* at the reaction the butter chicken is getting. "I'll let you enjoy your food, then... I'll be back with a refill when you need it!"

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    It is pretty thoroughly undignified, the way Kureha absolutely shovels. Emi eats her food as well, but she does so... well, much more slowly. After all, she did ask for hers as hot as they can make it. She's enjoying the heat, but she has to pick her way through it carefully, while the young girl in the kimono is just devouring. She takes occasional bites of the naan, occasional drinks of her lassi, but soon enough she's completely done. And... left looking awkward where she sits. Fidget. Fidget fidget.

    "A-ah, Emi, can... can I try a little of yours? I want to see what 'hotter' is like."

    Emi blinks in surprise, but then lets out an amused laugh. "Goodness, we've got a little heat fiend on our hands. Alright, just this once. Just a little."

    Kureha tries just a single noodle, with a bit of the orange sauce, and there's a few seconds' pause, before...

    "This... this is really good!" Oh no. She's a monster. "Where did that girl go. I want to order another plate. Hotter."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
And out comes Rashmi, a pitcher in each hand. "Okay, I've got refills right heeeeoooh *wow* I'm impressed!"

Carefully topping up each glass in turn, she turns a knowing grin on Emi, before looking back to Kureha. "So I have to ask for form's sake; you want me to take that away for you?"

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    "Yes, please," Kureha replies, reaching out to take up her lassi again and have another quick swallow. "And another plate of butter chicken. Maximum spice this time." That's some determination in her eye, there. Emi is just kind of looking flabbergasted. "I swear, she's never had spicy food before today. A month ago, we wouldn't have even considered it..."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Rashmi's demeanor goes from all happiness and sunshine, to amused-but-deeply-considering. "Well you never know until you try," she says, looking to Emi and just sort of shrugging, helplessly. "So, Senkenzan-san, how 'bout I make you a deal. I'll bring out a maximum-spice plate, which is going to annoy Mami but She Has Opinions about hot food. If you finish the whole thing, and don't regret it tomorrow? Come back, and I'll tell you about the challenge plate."

Picking up the wreckage of the butter chicken, she offers a grin with more than a little challenge of her own in it. "What do you say?"

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    Emi bites her lip, looking more and more worried by the moment. "O-ojou-sama, I don't think-"

    Kureha clenches both fists on the table. "Do it." She looks up at Emi and adds, "...you've all been telling me for years it would be too much for me. I want to see how far I can push it now." The attendant has no real reply to that.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"She'll be perfectly fine, okyaku-sama," Rashmi reassures. "Nothing my parents have created was ever to hurt people *on purpose.*" Pausing, she considers the truth of this. "...Well unless they took the challenge. I'll be right back, okay?"

Because the customer always knows what they want, Rashmi doesn't wait for Emi to overrule her young charge, and it's off to the kitchens she goes.

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    Despite the show of forcefulness on her part, Kureha maintains the grace and poise expected of a scion of the Chikafuji line. She drinks from her lassi... not delicately, per se, but calmly, politely, without any excessive noise or spectacle. She's the perfect picture of the young rich family's daughter. And yet, here she sits, calmly waiting for a restaurant to serve her food so spicy most people wouldn't dare. In a way, it encapsulates her own alter-ego - dressed elegantly, full of grace and poise, and yet powerful enough to punch a train off the tracks.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
What Rashmi brings out, some twenty minutes later, is not butter chicken. It is a series of beaten-copper pots; one with half again as much rice as the last order, a smaller one with a paste of mango, tomato, and the distinctive rings of jalapenos, and the third...

Three whole chicken legs poke out of the pot, arranged in an artful spiral. The gravy they sit in is runnier than before and warning-light red, with a distinctive layer of oil on top, and chunks of potato swimming between the portions of meat. "Papi said if you're interested enough in heat, you're interested enough to try Bengali home cooking," she says with a grin and setting the pots down. "This is Murgir Jhol; Bengali five-spice, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, cardamom roasted in mustard oil, and used to make the base of a pretty simple tomato-chicken-stock sauce. It's not something you'd normally get in a restaurant, but..." Rashmi shrugs, and looks to Emi. "Papi said 'If she wants the deep end, she gets it with my compliments, and condolences.'"

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    Kureha listens, intently, nodding once or twice; she's grown up in an environment where every word merits close attention, and she doesn't miss a beat. "Wait, that's not what she..." Emi begins, but Kureha just shakes her head at the woman. If this is the challenge the chef wants to put down in front of her, she'll take it.

    And take it, Kureha does. Fearlessly, she starts with a bite of chicken, only after rolling it briefly in the sauce. And... there's a pause. A wide-eyed look, just a hint of surprise. Emi's order was not at all comparable to this. But after getting the feel for it, the tiny little girl in the kimono takes another bite, and then another. It's not as fast as she devoured her butter chicken, but it's still an impressive clip, all things considered.

    Emi, meanwhile, has that silent, hollow-eyed look of someone who's just been completely outdone by a girl half her age or less.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Rashmi, meanwhile, is all-too-familiar with the scale of Kureha's appetite; magic costs energy, after all, and energy is calories. That the spice level is more than she, personally, prefers, she chalks up more to the essential nature of the oni within that she witnessed at the museum.

But upon spying Emi's blank stare, Rashmi chuckles, tucking the tray under one arm, and leans down to murmur in Emi's other ear. "Mami would say that an appetite like that is the best possible sign of good health. If she can eat like that, then she must be *lots* better than anyone thought, hey?"

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    "I-I suppose. She has been eating a lot more since that riot at the museum. And yet she doesn't gain a pound..." Emi almost sounds jealous, but only in that usual way adults feel about the bottomless stomachs of their juniors.

    Meanwhile, Kureha is working away steadily; she distracts her tastebuds once in a while with some of the rice, and even tries some of the paste here and there to change the flavor up. And she manges to finish up pretty much the entire plate; she's a bit red-faced by the end, but she seems in no way hard-pressed by the heat, and settles back in her seat with a soft, contented sigh. "...I think I like spicy food," she observes. She's well aware it's obvious at this point, but... well, she felt the need to declare it.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"I imagine her metabolism is making up for lost time," Rashmi says, amused again.

And as Kureha finishes her second meal, Rashmi can't help but laugh. "I'd say you do!" she says, clearing the wreckage of discovery back onto her tray. "By the way, would either of you like some desserts? We have a rice pudding recipe from Bengal, but most of our desserts are made with kneaded cottage cheese. Personally I adore the chom-chom, and I think Papi's got jasmine syrup in the rotation for those, but I think you'd like the sandesh, okyaku-sama. It's an Indian kind of wagashi, with almonds, cardamom, and saffron."

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    Kureha seems to consider this for a moment, before nodding her head once. "Okay. I'll try that." Emi just shakes her head gently. "I couldn't possibly, that dinner was already plenty." She is at least finishing her lassi, though!

Rashmi Terios has posed:
*Victory.* Rashmi is just the best at salesing! And it's with pride and renewed spirits that she bops back into the kitchen... only to emerge with a much smaller plate, bearing four of what looks like miniature Twinkies, faintly-pink glazed and glistening, and two confections that look more like meringue cookies topped with nuts and spices.

"Just in case it looks too good not to share," she says, winking at Emi.

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    Somehow, Kureha just keeps finding more room for all the delicious food. Although she's finally slowing down, at least; the desserts disappear much more slowly. She still eats them all, though. Emi looks grateful, but she just doesn't seem to have room for any more. She does, however, quietly take out a check card while the young miss is finishing her dessert, and hands it over to Rashmi with a faint nod. It is, perhaps unsurprisingly, the sort of card that looks like it has a limit somewhere in the stratosphere.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
The card is accepted with a return nod, and taken away. A bit longer than one might expect, Rashmi returns, setting down the receipt and card in front of Emi, and a small folded thank-you card the size of a business card in front of each of them.

The receipt enumerates a surprising array of discounts and comps, with the meal coming out to just a bit more than the cost of the original orders. And in Emi's card, is a handwritten 'Hope to see you again! --The Terios Family'

In *Kureha's* card, the message is 'Next time, ask for the sampler. Then you'll get to try a little bit of almost *everything.* Thank you, oni-chan! >:)'

Since the business is concluded, Rashmi hurriedly takes herself off into the kitchen, and from there upstairs to her bedroom, so she can laugh into her pillow for a bit before summer studies.