1886/Can't We All Just Get Oolong

Can't We All Just Get Oolong
Date of Scene:	24 August 2024
Location:	Classroom
Synopsis:	Mami hosts a tea party in the cafeteria. Nobody seems to hate her. It's probably because of the cakes. When the conversation turns to romance, things get dramatic. Sarah hugs Norie, Mami henshins to rescue her kohai, and in the most mean-girl move she's done on camera, tells Sarah that her girlfriend is a villain.
Cast of Characters:	Mami Tomoe, Taro Yamada, Coco Kiumi, Kureha Senkenzan, Madoka Kaname, Amanda Faust, Norie Okana, Scorpia

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Mami Tomoe has posed:
After the fight at the docks, Mami was sure everyone hated her. Or at the very least, they were all disappointed in her, and that was almost worse. She'd spent her entire summer working, and school was around the corner. She fought witches almost every day and the idea of having to face every one was terrifying.

She knew she was going to have to win everyone back over, and she had the perfect tools for that: caffeine and sugar. She would host a tea party! It was still summer, though, and so she didn't figure she'd attract very many people if she just set up in the cafeteria like she had before. So, this time she put up some fliers around campus. Then she spent all of her free time baking, which is to say, she did nothing different.

And now? Now she's set up at one of the big round tables in the cafeteria. There are two big trays of assorted petit fours set out in the center of the table, along with tea cups and saucers. She really goes all out when she throws a tea party. The cakes are all so tiny, but all of them immaculately made. There are eight different kinds: strawberry gateau, almondine with lemon zest, triple chocolate square with white chocolate mousse, financier with apricot jelly and chopped pistachios, cocoa crumble with dark chocolate ganache, caramel and cinnamon financier with tatin-style apple compote, raspberry cheesecake, and opera cakes.

Mami is milling about the table finishing setting everything up as people start to arrive.

Taro Yamada has posed:
Taro has brought a small plate of matcha tea and strawberry boba oatmeal cookies, in part to exchange with the host and in part as a way to get his thoughts in order before the party. He doesn't DO parties, much. He didn't have a social life, much less a busy one, before he came to this school. Going spontaneously to a party - held by a girl - is not in his vocabulary.

And yet. Here he is. Trying something new, with a peace offering of cookies.

"Mami-san, right? I'm Taro," he asks, walking in his unseasonable red hoodie and sweatpants, his bangs nearly hiding his narrow eyes. "I saw you were a baker, so I brought you something so you're not stuck eating your own cooking tonight."

Behold! Cookies! Green matcha with strawberry bubbles waiting!

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco had never met someone called Mami Tomoe before, but there was literally no reason to turn down a tea party. It certainly seemed like fun! Come the day of the event, the blonde has thought to bring a little present just not to come up empty handed at this party, a small keychain with a teacup and cake by the end of it. Seemed pretty safe considering the theme of the flyers.

Walking towards the cafeteria, she is carrying the gift inside a little packet decorated with drawings of flowers and pearls. Walking towards the table Mami has setup, she waves at the other blonde. "So, this is the tea party", she says, turning around to check the arrangement. "Very nicely arrangement, it all looks really delicious", she looks back at Mami with a smile.

"I am Coco Kiumi, Grade 11, nice to meet you", the mermaid bows her head for the introduction before showing Mami the packet. "A little thank you gift for the invitation" is added as an explanation.

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    With summer break in full swing, Kureha Senkenzan has been largely occupied with tasks set by her father. Certainly, she had a (brief) window to visit her mother's ancestral family home, but other than that, it's been a cavalcade of social events, business openings, and any other event where Hozan Chikafuji would want to show some presence without actually bothering to appear himself.

    So when Kureha spotted one of Mami's flyers by pure chance on a brief visit to school, the chance to do something of her own accord, within the social stratum of 'people her own age', was just too much to ignore. It helps that one of her attendants is entirely onboard with the 'young miss' branching out and reaching out.

    Thus it is that circumstance finds Kureha stepping in one of the doors to the cafeteria, clad in a very summer-appropriate yukata that won't leave her overheated. Chisa is content to remain at the door, letting the young lady venture forth on her own to investigate the petit fours. And that... is exactly what the young scion of the Senkenzan line is doing.

    There is, at the very least, a brief glance of recognition towards Coco, though! That's someone she's seen before.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Not one, not two, but three tiny fairies float into the cafeteria at the appointed time. They fly far overhead, looking down at the table that Mami is setting up. The trio of tiny troubles keep their distance at first, wanting to make sure that it was safe before committing to the approach.

    Rens turns to Gretchen and asks, "Is that the one?"

    Gretchen says, "Yeah, that's her. Mami Tomoe. Hinoiri mentioned her earlier." The X-Witch watches as others show up. "After the stunt we pulled yesterday, we should be careful who we approach, though."

    Tia looks down and pulls on Gretchen's arm. "Oh, why worry about that? It's a tea party! Can't we go have a tea party?"

    Rens and Gretchen look at Tia for a moment before relenting, and the three start to descend upon the table. The three of them stick close together, feeling very guarded, though once Tia gets close enough she starts setting out her own set of ceramic white teacups and a tea kettle.

    Seeing that others are bringing gifts to the party, Gretchen says, "We'd have brought food, but... none of our food is safe for consumption by outsiders." After a moment she notices Coco and says, with some amount of reservation, "... Hi..."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy was not at the fight at the docks. Her feelings about Mami...

    At first, Tomoe-san was the only other Puella Magi who didn't mysteriously hate Kyubey.

    Then, she was... working with Obsidian. Which like... hey, if she's hunting Witches and getting paid for it that isn't actually in anyone's way! The one time at the TV store when they were at odds was kind of an issue, though.

    But she hasn't really thought about Mami since sharing the news of what Witches truly were. She told Taro to seek her out if he encountered a Witch, kind of.

    She wasn't at the docks. She has no idea. But hey, free food, and probably a gathering of mahou! Worth checking out, right?

    Amy shows up in dark slacks and a red T-shirt with a chibi cartoon tiger on it saying 'nyo'. She doesn't dare proclaim her... situation? Identity? What she is? to people, but also sort of has the urge to not pretend to be normal, and the shirt with the obscure pun no one will get is like a safe outlet.

    "Hey, Tomoe-san, long time no see!" Amy waves, smiling, and to Coco as well, and nods in greeting towards Kureha, a familiar face, and...

    "Taro!" She runs up to hug him. "How've you been?"

    Although, before she can focus too much on catching up, she hears other voices, and turns to the Meanie Dokas...

    And they get a smile and wave too. "Heeey! How's the research goin'?"

    See, people worried everyone hates you? Amy doesn't hate you, at least!

Norie Okana has posed:
Norie Okana was here, arriving with a basket of donuts.

They're the good kind she likes, from Karou's Donut shop truck. So they have little hearts for holes. She says, in clear monotone. "Hello, onee-san." she says. "I hope your tea party goes well." she says as she places the basket of donuts on the table with the other items people have brought.

She expects for Mami's pastries to vanish first as she has a seat. "I am..." she says ,still stilted monotone. "...Norie Okana." she says to the other people arriving. Then tiny fairies arrive.

And she blinks. Huh, she thinks silently. Maybe this'll get a lil weird.

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami looks up as Taro arrives. She finishes folding the last little napkin and placing it on the table just so and then smiles. "Hello!" She says, brightly, offering the young man a wave. She takes him in and her eyes dip down to the tray of cookies and her eyes get big and her smile bigger. "Oh thank you, how delightful!"

Coco arrives with her gift, and Mami dips her head just a little when she accepts it. "Oh, thank you!" She didn't expect gifts. She expected something entirely different. Why is everyone being so nice?

"Faust-san! Norie-chan!" She bounces and smiles as she waves her greeting to them. Her eyes get big at the box of donuts. "Oooh. Norie-chan, those look delicious," she says.

Kureha steps in and approaches the table and Mami is lifting up a hand to wave and introduce herself to everyone when the fairies float down to the table. Mami blinks. It's been a while since she's seen Gretchen, and she doesn't recognize the other two, but most importantly, she has never seen them without Madoka around. She's out of the loop.

"Um, well, that's quite alright," she says with a light laugh and a gesture to the table. "I think we've got plenty to eat. I'm just happy you're here." Then she looks up to everyone else and smiles. "Thanks for coming everyone," she says. Then she gestures to the petit fours. "I made plenty of food, so please don't hesitate to try one of everything." That's way too much. "They're all delicious."

Taro Yamada has posed:
Taro will simply. Make a plate of one of each pastry, so that he can sample the lot. Delicate, tiny cakes decorated with jam, with nuts, with spices - each one looks more tantalizing htan the next. He's not used to Western cooking as much as Japanese flavors, so this will be fascinating.

"I stress cook, and it's been a wild few months, so I figured we could at least benefit from the cookies," he tells Mami, looking sheepish. "Amy said you were cool? I figured it'd be good for us to actually meet - "

And speak of the devil, there's Amy, who he wraps an arm around in a hug as he keeps the plate of cookies steady. "Hey! School is behaving for once so I figured I'd try and meet people! I'm going to do SO well socializing."

He recognizes the mermaid girl from the dollhouse event - she'd been beautiful enough that Jack had prioritized fighting her over all the others, which was. As much a curse as it was a compliment.

And there was the vampire girl, he thinks? The one who was like him, trapped consuming others to survive. He'd appeared to both of them as his monsterous form, but not as a human, so he'll stick to waving politely to both of them right now.

And to the little Doka fairies, who he recognizes, but knows they won't recognize him as a civilian - "Greetings, fairies! You look very powerful and benevolent. Would you like to share some cookies with me? I brought plenty for everybody."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco takes a place at the table once the gift is given and introductions are made, taking a slice of that almondine with lemon zest with herself. She brings the force down to separate a piece, lifting it up and bringing it to her mouth. Needless to say, the sweets flavours that she tastes are absolutely delucious and she doesn't waste a second in telling Mami that. "This is really good. It must have taken you a long time to prepare so many things that both taste and look good. Is your dream job to open your own pastry shop?"

Coco has yet to be informed of the more recent news about the more activities of the X-Chara. All she knows is her being accompanied by two more X-Charas and the fact she has gone missing. That were plenty worrying by themselves. "Hey, Gretchen", she waves back relieved, but also puzzled at just seeing her here in the school. She doesn't seem to be missing anymore, yet the poster is still there.

"Are you ok?" she asks the main X-Chara before turning to the other two with a smile that betrays uncertainty and concern. "You must be Rens and Tia. I am Coco, a friend of Madoka and Gretchen. It's nice to meet you."

She waves back at Amy and Kureha when she sees them, glad to see more of her friends at the party, even if the thought of the Charas is kind of occupying her mind. "Hey, Amy-chan, Kureha-chan, how is it going?", she checks on her friends.

Of the other people present, she only recognises Norie as that girl who was at the movie club, so she gets a wave and a smile too. Taro was the Slasher all the time at the Dollhouse event, so she wouldn't be able to recognise him. "Hi, Norie-san."

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    There's a couple familiar faces here, but the first one Kureha spots is Amy. She gives the Puella Magus a faint nod of greeting; shortly thereafter, there's a second for Coco. "I am well, thank you. How are you faring?" Admittedly, Mami is an entirely new face, but the young scion of the Chikafuji greets her with a similar, faint nod. "Thank you for graciously hosting this party." And... then she's adding snacks to her plate. Rather a lot of them. Shovel shovel shovel.

    Those crimson eyes do linger on the hostess, however; a long, appraising gaze.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Gretchen, Tia and Rens look at Amy as she greets them. Rens answers first. "Well it was a bit rough at first but we are starting to make progress. Though," she clears her throat, "this is not the kind of research one wants to speak of too openly. Apparently we are not the only ones pursuing this field."

    Gretchen adds, "We know we're on the right track. That's all I can really say about it here."

    Tia somehow does a hovering curtsey to Mami, says, "Why thank you, Mami-san," and picks up one of her own saucers that looks like it has had some kintsugi work done to it. She picks out a few of the petite fours and places them on the plate, bringing it back to her fairy sisters who start to gobble them up.

    Tia blinks at Taro, but then smiles widely at him, brining over another plate and saying, "Why, don't mind if I do!" before taking an offered cookie and carrying it back to her sisters to share.

    The three of them start to relax a little bit as they notice that not only is Mami here, but so is Norie. Sure, the X-trio isn't associated with Obsidian at all, but at least they aren't the only dark users around here.

    Gretchen nods to Coco as she chews down a tiny treat. Once swallowing, she says, "For given values of okay. Rens, Tia, this is the singer I told you two about. Coco, this is Rens and Tia." The dark fairy introduces her fellow X-Chara in turn.

    The three seem content to eat and watch others for the moment, wondering who is actually safe to talk to.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    They're not the only ones?! "What?!" Amy is pretty shocked to hear that, but... nods. Okay, now's not the time to talk. "Do you have, like... a phone? And my number?"I'm going to do SO well socializing! Amy smiles upon hearing that. "I'm glad!" She, too, starts gathering one of everything... then thinks perhaps her eyes are bigger than her stomach. She's had plenty of time to get used to a smaller stomach and not forget, after all. She'll... maybe skip the apricot-pistachio? That still leaves so many treats... oh well, any whole pieces she doesn't end up getting to try she can give to Gretchen, right?

    And Norie is here too. "Hey." Amy waves, smiling, although a bit awkward as she feels bad for... not having gotten around to trying to do anything for Norie's condition. While breaking off a piece of donut to try, she says quietly -- pretty sure, at least that probably everyone here except maybe Coco, Kureha, and the fairies already knows, so she tries not to be overhead by them: "I just got a grief seed, so if you need a an energy donation today, I can help."

Scorpia has posed:
    Sarah had been to a few tea parties back on Etheria. It was one of Perfuma's favorite things to do, besides tend to her gardens. But this would be the first time she could *actually* participate and not struggle with her pincers.

Dashing through the school's hallways, she finally makes it to the door of the cafeteria, breathless and brushing her fingers through her hair to make it behave. She hadn't meant to be late, of all things! But she wanted to bring the hostess a present! That seemed like the right thing to do. Sarah really had no idea. Things on Earth were really weird.

She takes a deep breath and walks through the door. She's dressed in black slacks, cuffed atop her laced up combat boots with a crimson red button up tucked into the waistband, the top few buttons undone to give her space to breathe. The dark colors contrast noticeably against her pale skin and even paler hair.

Dark eyes scanning the space with a huge grin on her face, she approaches the girl who is obviously the hostess and extends her hand. It's full of assorted flowers of many different colors, shapes, scents. Perfuma would be so proud, "Hi! You must be Mami! I'm Sarah. Sarah Point! I hope you like flowers, here you go!" the big blonde sets the flowers aside and scoops the hostess up in a bear hug, "You're so cute! I hope that we can be friends!"

Norie Okana has posed:
Norie Okana is indeed the vampire girl. Norie Okana is the name Lacrima gave him at least. She doesn't know who Taro is, at least by first name alone, so she waves back politely and shoves a pastry into her mouth, chews and swallows and closes her eyes.

Onee-chan's pastries may not be donuts, but they give her the same kind of... 'comfort' donuts do? It's always hard to explain. Okay. That done, now she can PEOPLE a little bit.

"Hey, Amy-san. How have things been?" she asks. "I've been...." she seems to look far off a moment before replying. "Well I've been." she says.

Research is brought up and if Norie's eyes we're capable of sparkling right now, they would be. Instead. Rens gets a look as she looks away and asks. "If you can't speak too openly about it. Is it dangerous is why?" she wonders out loud. Then she looks at Mami and coughs. "M--maybe later." she says. "I don't want to clog onee-san's party with uh. Talk like that." she says as she looks over to Kureha, who is just absolutely loading that poor plate up.

Then suddenly Sarah Point exists and is scoop hugging Mami while introducing herself. She bites into a piece of cake as she watches. She can't have a bemused expression, so she watches comically straight faced, probably.

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami grins at Taro. "Oh me too. I'm always baking," she says. Life as a Puella is stressful, and baking sure helps her keep an even keel. It's delicious too. Nothing better than some delicious macarons or a rich slice of cheesecake after a tough witch fight. Turning to Coco she shakes her head, saying, "Truthfully, I haven't thought that far ahead, though honestly, I have no idea how I'd manage to run such a thing."

She steps away with the kettle to fill it up and get it going, and then returns just in time for Sarah to arrive. Just in time for Sarah to extend some flowers out for her, then set them aside and scoop her up in a bear hug before Mami even fully has a chance to process the new arrival. The twin-tailed blonde just goes with it, laughing. "It's, ah, nice to meet you, Sarah-san," she says. She pats Sarah gently on the back, and then says, "Now, if you'll put me down, I'll start steeping the tea."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    When asked by Amy who else is researching that topic in general, Gretchen tilts her head towards Mami and says, "Honestly? She might be better at answering that question than us. Or rather, her boyfriend might, or so we hear."

    Gretchen glances at Norie, and then Tia and Rens do too. She knows, because she was with Madoka when that cat got dumped out of the bag, but she's not saying anything about it. "Yes, maybe later," confirms Rens. That's a bridge they can cross when they aren't having a tea party.

    Sarah shows up, and Gretchen only barely recognizes her, though someone that huggy is a little hard to forget. Rens and Tia don't know her at all.

Taro Yamada has posed:
"It's difficult! Things have been very strange lately,"Taro agrees with Mami.

And then Mami wanders, and Taro steps back to let her - this is a big place to wander around, after all! Lots of people showing up! People that he doesn't know.... hoo boy. He is a little out of place here. Not to be sexist, but everyone else here can transform into a cute girl and he is a Halloween Decoration, and as much as he knows he wouldn't scare the girls here, it's his instinct to try and make himself smaller, less intimidating. He'd grown up with two women raising him and two girls as cousins, and - yeah, he'd had a boy cousin, but he was gone most of the time by the time Taro was old enough to know he existed.

"It's nice to meet you all, Coco, Sarah, Norie, and Rens and Tia. You all seem real nice. I don't really know any of you," which is a lie that he will stick to, thank you very much, "but it's nice meeting more entities my age. Have you had an easy time finding substances you can consume? You haven't had trouble from the big fights in July, right?"

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    When attending any sort of party, it's always expected to at least briefly visit with the host or hostess. Kureha very nearly forgot - the various snacks are particularly distracting for someone with a large appetite. But a brief glance at Mami seems to remind the young lady in the yukata, and with her plate fully loaded, she approaches the blonde with a curious look. "Ah, would... you be the hostess? My name is Kureha. Senkenzan Kureha. Thank you for hosting this event.

    Anyone present might recognize her name - A girl who had spent her first year or two at Radiant Heart Academy walking with a cane, or sometimes not at all; frail and constantly 'guarded' by an attendant. Until, a little over a year ago, she suddenly and inexplicably got better. Not just better, but particularly healthy. There's also rumors that say she joined the Cooking Club.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Her boyfriend might. "Ohhhhhhhh." Amy nods. And also to Norie, a bit sadly, at 'Well, I've been.' "Are there... any leads at all on something that can be done to help you?"

    Did Taro just say 'it's nice to meet more entities my age'? What? "They sure have been strange..." she nods.

    Kureha. Amy's heard rumors of a few people like her. Yaling, too. It's not hard to guess what might've happened, but... that's also private!

    And hey, there's a new person here! Amy blinks at the big tall lady who she has actually never met before at all! "'Sarah'? You're not from around here either, huh?" She seems slightly... intimidated? Or something, as she walks up to extend a hand. "I'm Amanda Faust, Amy for short, from America. 10th grade."

Norie Okana has posed:
Norie Okana nibbles a cake as she eyes the tiny charas as they point to 'her boyfriend'. She nods. It's true. They are. But she doesn't verify that. She nods. "Later. I think I have a better idea now, though. Of what it is you want." she says.

She looks over to Amy and looks uncomfortable. "Something non-reproduceable that uh... I can't say or talk about, loudly. But. I'll talk. Later." she says quieter.

Because 'Hey a magic donut from another world fixes me temporarily' is weird to say out loud.

"It's..." monotone. "Nice. To meet you too." she says. So far no one has called her out for her strange manner of speech so she's happy for that.

Norie Okana does suddenly grow a strange expression when Sarah turns to the crowd and oh god, please do not touch her. She'll energy drain. It'll ruin the day. She'll have to run away. Instead, Sarah gains a plate and piles it with food and this relaxes her as she sighs and sinks a little into her chair.

Scorpia has posed:
Sarah releases Mami with an easygoing laugh, "Sorry bout that, I get so excited to make friends! I hope you like the flowers!"

Turning to the rest of the crowd, the blonde waves cheerily, "Hello! I'm Sarah! I have not met any of you, but I'm Ryoko's roommate and girlfriend. I am in the 11th grade! I've only been here a few months or so, I honestly don't keep track of time! It's really nice to meet you all!"

Resisting the urge to walk around and hug every single person, even the smallish flying people, Sarah grabs a plate and piles it with yummy looking snacks. She bites into the chocolate looking one and groans, eyes closing as she chews, "Mami! This is SO good! Thank you so much for having this party!" And she's sitting down at a table close by to stuff her face full of deliciousness. She knew nothing about any of these people or the things they were talking about. She was just happy to be around people.

But then, there's someone speaking to her! With a mouthful of pastry, she stands quickly, wiping her hands on her pants absentmindedly before grasping the smaller girl's hand and shaking it excitedly, "It's so nice to meet you Amy! Would you like to sit with me? I have plenty on my plate that I can share with you!"

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami's set down and she smiles, actually looking up at Sarah for the first time. She blinks. The girl is rather striking. "Oh yes," she says, looking over to the table, and picking the flowers up. She brings them to her nose and inhales a lungful. "I do, thank you! They're so pretty." Setting them back down she goes about preparing a couple pots of tea, scooping oolong into each of the pots and then pouring the steaming hot water in to let it steep, glancing at the clock on the wall to note the time.

"Oh hello, and thanks for coming! It's a pleasure to meet you Senkenzan-san," she looks down at the fully loaded plate and smiles big. "Oh good, you got one of everything! I especially like the strawberry gateau and the caramel-cinnamon financier," she says, pointing out the specific petit fours on the plate. "But they're all so good."

She misses most of the rest of the conversation except for one important word: boyfriend. She hears it and she glances and she sees the indications toward her when it's said again. Well, he happens to be one of her favorite topics to discuss, so she looks to Norie and Gretchen. "What's this about Takashi-kun?"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy nods to Norie before heading over to introduce herself to Sarah and get her hand shaken. Maybe her whole arm shaken with how energetic Sarah is. Strong...

    "Uhh, sure." She sits down and sets down her plate. And looks at the taller girl, thoughtfully, for a moment. Considering everyone else who's here...

    "So, where are you from? And this might be a weird question, but are you... magic?"

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    While Kureha isn't quite sure what she expected, the number of people here is a bit beyond it. But it's fine. You've done much larger parties before, Kureha. Just socialize. You know how to play this particular game. "A pleasure to meet you, Sarah," she replies to the rather enthusiastic girl. She feels like there should be something else, but... well, she's at a bit of a loss, and Sarah seems enthusiastic enough to make up for any gaps in conversation. Norie seems at least vaguely familiar, but beyond a curious glance, Kureha doesn't reach out just yet.

    Then again, if Mami's addressing her, it's not surprising her attention might be diverted. Even if Kureha is a touch embarrassed at having the fullness of her plate pointed out.

    But the young daughter of the Senkenzan clan doesn't let her faint hint of bashfunless show on her face at all. "I shall have to try them, then. What sort of tea are you planning?" she adds, curious.

    There is, briefly, a glance at Amy. And it takes every ounce of her willpower not to yell, 'You can't just ask someone if they're magic!'

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Gretchen's answer is not reassuring at all. What could be going on now? "If you want to talk about it. This testing too, I have been funding some studies of magic lately and reading the research, so I would like to hear if that is troubling you", Coco offers the tiny pinkette, biting her lips as she ponders exactly how serious her situation might be. "Gretchen told you about me", the mermaid smiles towards the mini-doka's sisters. "Singing is really one of my main hobbies, the main one really. If you want to hear me yourself, we can do that whenever. No magic", she specifies, having well in mind how delicate it the subject could be from the past occasions with Gretchen and wanting to reassure them this wasn't about that.

"If these cakes are any indication, you would do amazing", she remarks on the subject to Mami.

"Entities your age? What do you mean with that?" Coco repeat, decidedly puzzled by the odd method of introduction. Had he not included Sarah and Norie (as far as Coco was aware), the mermaid princess would have assumed Taro had meant people born of magic. Though she knows for sure that he is aware of magic, thanks to the inclusion of the X-Charas. "Nice to meet you too, Taro-san", she adds smiling, not wanting to be seen as unwelcoming. "It's always nice meeting a fellow student."

"We are in the same grade", Coco tells Sara, before she picks up on the conversation turning towards love. "What are your partners like? I think that's always something really lovely to hear, Sara-san, Mami-san", she says with a vague hint of fiery ardence to her demeanor.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    The Meanie Dokas notice that Mami herself is asking for clarification. The three X-Chara look at each other for a moment before considering how to respond. Gretchen says, "I was talking to a friend earlier about some research we were doing, and she mentioned that your boyfriend was looking into the same thing." Gretchen considers how to hint at it without giving too much away. Surely Mami knows the truth by now, right? "It's a little complicated to explain here, and it's a really long story, but ultimately it's about Witches."

    To Coco, Rens shakes her head. "Oh no, we aren't troubled by anything you're doing. Though I have to admit I'm curious as to what kind of studies you're funding. You're the ah... princess from overseas, right?"

    Gretchen clarifies, "More like underseas."

    Tia picks up on relationship chatter and starts to float a little bit closer. "Oh? Are we talking about romance now?"

Norie Okana has posed:
Norie Okana looks over to Mami. "I think they want to ask Takashi about his uh. Internship stuff." she says, coyly. She then looks over to Amy with wide eyes as looks between Kureha, Coco, Saraha, Mami and then with disbelief says: "Amy! Y..you can't just ask people if they're magic!" she says in a blunder.

"Oh it's about Witches. I've been studying them heavily." she doesn't expound on the matters.

The concept of love comes up, and she looks down, and shrinks in the chair further. She tries to ignore her bad feels. She's failing.

Scorpia has posed:
Sarah is used to the hub bub of being surrounded by people, so she trains her attention on Amy, laughing and tossing her head back, "Oh! I like you! Straightforward is my favorite direction!" Not really knowing any of these people, but also not really caring, she nods, "I come from another planet, and timeline. I think. It was explained to me, but I don't rightly remember how it went. But yes. Magic is fun! Are you magic, Amy?"

Her gaze circles the room, pausing on Mami as she prepares the tea and talks with the others. So. Cute. Her eyes land on Coco and her face lights up as she begins to gush about her girlfriend, "Ryoko is everything! I moved into the dorm room with her and taught me about something called 'boundaries'? Also, she's so pretty, and so nice. She took me to eat at the ramen place and shared hers with me. It was delicious. She's my favorite person here on Earth so far!" She included the small fairy-like girl in the conversation as she drifts closer.

But then. The girl in the chair. Is sad. That can't be. Sarah is up and moving, grabbing hold of the girl, lifting her up and hugging her nice and snug, "I don't know why you look so sad, but I am here if you need to talk about it!"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy looks back at Norie and holds out her hands as if to indicate the conversation. "You are openly talking about witches! Also, you've been studying them?!" She waves a finger at Mami, Norie, and the Meanie Dokas. "All of you like, trade notes or something and find out what we know, this is literally life and death for a bunch of us eventually."

    Amy looks.. at least kind of shocked that Sarah actually answered that she's from another planet and timeline.

    Are you magic, Amy?

    "Uh, well..."

    Sarah really doesn't seem like she could be bad. But also, Amy hasn't seen her before. But also, she should reciprocate...

    And then she realizes how she can show she's magic without actually revealing her identity, and feels so clever for thinking of it she just has to do it!

    Amy stands up. "That's right!" She holds out her hand and begins a transformation phrase. "Pinpuru pampuru pam pom pim!" She holds out her other hand and plows on. "Panpuru pimpuru pim pom pan!"

    And she transforms in a shower of pink sparkles!

    ...Well, her outfit changes. Everyone who's actually seen her Puella Magi form can tell she didn't henshin. And that's not her outfit -- it's the one from when she transformed in front of Sailor Eclipse, and when she first transformed as a doll.

    It seemed like a good idea at the time, okay?!

    Aaaaand, that ridiculousness over, she pays attention to her surroundings again just in time to see Sarah hugging Norie. "Wait no!" She runs over, alarmed!

Mami Tomoe has posed:
"Oh! Yes yes," Mami says, nodding to Gretchen. "Ever since I joined the team, we've been doing quite a bit of research into that topic," she says. Then she beams. "It's a priority because I'm a priority," she says. She turns and looks to Coco. "Takashi-kun is so wonderful. He's handsome. He has great hair. He takes me on the most romantic dates. Our first date was in one of the best tea houses in Tokyo. We had dinner in the Eiffel tower in Paris on a work trip over Christmas. He's so thoughtful sometimes," she says. "I just wish he'd actually listen to me more often."

As she talks about Takashi, she goes about pouring everyone's tea. It's been steeped long enough. Looking to Kureha, she says, "Oolong. This particular variety is very slightly sweet and a little fruity. It goes so well with all the petit fours." She makes her way back around the table and sits down at her own seat, reaching for one of the cookies Taro brought, one of the donuts Norie brought, and one of the cinnamon-caramel financiers. They're her favorite.

Sarah talks about Ryoko and Mami just eats her donut. If she has pastry in her mouth she can't say anything she'll regret. But then the donut is gone, and she has words. "Ryoko? Ryoko Gushiken? Long black hair, impeccable fashion, always with the expensive stilettos?" She rolls her eyes. "I don't know what she's like around you, but at work she's horrible. A real ice queen. She walks around Obsidian tower like she's the one on the Board, and not Hokori-sama."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Rens snappoints at Norie. "Yes, that." Then, after a moment, she asks, "Wait, you too? How interesting..." Rens starts nodding as Amy talks, and also listens to what Mami has to say about Taka, but before she can get much more of a word in... Sarah is already moving in on Norie for a hug? While Rens is somewhat surprised by this development, it's Gretchen that actually objects.

    "W-wait, don't just--" calls out the Witch Chara, then winces when she realizes that she might be too late to stop anything.

    Tia looks at the eldest X-Doka with a raised eyebrow as if asking a silent question. Then, as if they share some kind of telepathic bond, she gets her answer. She covers her mouth, "Oh dear, please hug responsibly!"

Norie Okana has posed:
Norie Okana looks at Amy and facepalms. "I can blow off my discussion as video games, you can't." she says, dramatically. She sighs miserably. She looks back over as Amy does...some sort of weird transformation thing that isn't her henshin. She then looks miserable suddenly, as her mind wanders to sad thoughts.

No one can touch her. She can't hug someone.... she can't...hold someone's hand. She can't....even kiss someone? This makes her rub hands up to her face as she remains sad and sunken in the chair.

Which means she doesn't see Sarah coming in for a hug until she can see the shade of something covering light and before she can move, or say something she's picked up and hugged. Some things. Norie Okana is light as a feather.

Secondly, pain. Norie Okana is basically a magical cactus. Picking her up, touching her, hugging her, results in a dark energy crackle that is intended to be painful and she starts draining Sarah's energy as she squeaks. "STOP PUT ME DOWN! DON'T TOUCH ME!" she yells loudly as she starts flailing her legs. "HELP!" she calls out. "I'M HURTING YOU." she pleads.

Taro Yamada has posed:
Mami drifts and wanders, talking to the others as he tries to chocolate opera caoke - which is really good, rfrankly, some excellent chocolates...

He has no idea about the boyfriend stuff. He's not ready to reveal himself as magic either, so he'll let Amy take the lead. So he'll sidle over to the growing conversations to offer his own cookies?

"Entities my age- it seems like a lot of people here are magic? My grandpa is magic, so I know some stuff," he tells Coco, and wiggles his hand - because he is but a clueless civilian, not anyone magic or suspicious.

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    Norie says exactly what Kureha's thinking. It's straining the poor girl's poker face skills to their absolute limit. But she manages! She does. "I-I don't believe magic is something that ordinary people like us should be discussing. It sounds like childish fantasy." There's a soft cough, and a brief but pointed stare at Amy. There are probably normal people in attendance!

    ...probably!

    ...maybe.

    Regardless, Mami is moving to take a seat, and so Kureha does as well, seating nearby with her tea and stancks alike. "You have a job with Obsidian, though? That's wonderful. I don't believe my father has worked with them, but the name certainly isn't unfamiliar."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Despite it being nothing special, Gretchen's correction makes Coco giggle slightly, who then admits "Yes, that's me. From the South Pacific. And there is someone else here with singing magic, but hers is quite different from mine, so I have hired her to test exactly how they differ and report their findings to me", she explains to Rens.

She taught her about boundaries? Coco looks between Mami and Sarah for a second, thinking of the latter's strong hug. She kind of wonders, would Sarah have hugged everyone here had she not been taught that? An indisputable hugmaster. "You make her sound so special. I am really happy you found each other", Coco smiles brightly, Sarah's enthusiasm deeply touching to her, though Mami is no slouch either. "That's a really gallant description, I have heard really good things about Paris, I am glad your work allowed you to take that break. Did Paris live up to its reputation?"

"I am not quite that far away from home", Coco replies when Sarah reveals parts of her origin. "My home kingdom is in the South Pacific, about 3000 meters deep. How are you adapting here? Are you having fun?"

The blonde mermaid raises her eyebrow, concerned about Amy's alarm. "Are you ok? What's going on?" It's really not like Amy to just shout and react in such a hurry. In the face of that, Coco doesn't really address Mami is from Obsidian yet, or what that means for the fact they are researching Witches for her.

Scorpia has posed:
All objections about giving this lonely looking girl a hug, are ignored. She lets out a startled, slightly pained gasp as she feels the pull on her magic. Norie's pained cries of concern are more than enough reason to keep holding on. She obviously needed love, so Sarah would give her some. Even if some of her energy was drained in the meantime.

Her voice strained from the pain running through her, the tall blonde looks equal parts confused and angry, "What do you mean by all that about Ryoko? She can't work for Obsidian! Isn't that where the bad guys work?" Her heart pulses in her chest at the thought of her stoic, but sweet love having anything to do with what Obsidian was known for.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    All the talk of Sarah's girlfriend communicates something important: The tall huggy lady likes girls, and any thoughts about why Amy's brain would care about that are shoved aside for oh no she's gonna get drained!

    Except um. She is drained. And clearly knows she's being drained. And just keeps hugging Norie, despite the latter's protests (which should basically answer Coco's question as well.)

    "Ummmmmm. So are you like. Extra-resistant to energy drain or full of infinite energy or can turn off pain, or something...?" She looks, a bit confused, between Sarah and Norie, not sure what to actually do.

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami is definitely about to tell Coco more about Paris, but first Amy changes without henshining and Sarah picks Norie up in a hug. She blinks for just a second and then stands up, kicking her chair back from the table. Norie's yells and Sarah's refusal to let her go are all she needs to see to make a choice.

She's never used a different name. She's honestly never been that careful about the secrecy. She didn't see a point. Not until she joined Obsidian. She thought everyone hated her because she just assumes everyone knows. But with choices like the one she makes? Well, everyone will know.

As soon as she's up to her feet there's a flash of yellow light and she's standing there as Puella Magi Mami. "She said put her down," she says as several ribbons whip out from her wrist and wrap around Norie, yanking her up out of Sarah's arms and setting her down right next to Mami. The ribbons form into a little hand of sorts and pat Norie on the head before fizzling out into thin air.

"Yeah, she works at Obsidian. She's Hokori-sama's executive assistant. Word is your girlfriend practically runs DUST Entertainment," she says. She wrinkles her nose. "And she really didn't teach you a very good lesson about boundaries."

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    And... people have transformed. Especially Mami, right in front of everyone. It's so completely open and blatant that for once, Kureha Senkenzan's poker face is just entirely broken, tea halfway off the table. "Wh... what are..." Is everyone here magical? Did flyers for a tea party just completely by chance happen to only pull in people like her?

    And moreover, it's not hard to parse that there's some drama going on - and not just someone being so huggy that she'll disregard her own safety for it. Quickly reining in her own shock, Kureha forces her poker face back on, and quietly watches.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
All Coco really knows from Norie's cries is that there is something hurtful that happens upon contact. It is just like La Crima, but the Veil is blocking that particular realisation from her. So instead, she only knows magic is somehow at play here, magic that Norie can't control.

"Let go of her, Sara-san!" Coco says, approaching the taller girl, who is apparently quite resilient to whatever is going on. "You aren't comforting her, you are only making things worse for Norie-san. Let her go, she doesn't want you hurting yourself."

She doesn't pay much attention to Mami transforming - everyone here being magic had already been established anyway - and she only seems to be trying to fix the problem at hand anyway. She is not transforming just yet, unless the situation escalates further. Mostly because, her purifying magic wouldn't mean well for the X-Charas.

Norie Okana has posed:
It's like hugging an actual, magical cactus. It hurts. And Norie is trying to actively resist draining. She closes her eyes tight and starts tearing up. She doesn't like this it's like...like someone force feeding you.

It's intensely unpleasant for her, it's unpleasant for Sarah on some level. And soon, Onee-chan is saving the day, yanking her away from Sarah with the safety of ribbons and a headpat and she sits there wide eye'd for a long moment, wrapping her arms around herself, next to Mami, and expression going eerily cold.

"Please. Do not hug me. Again." she says. 100% pure, creepy monotone.

Scorpia has posed:
Sarah, for once, looks dejected. She opens her mouth, but no words come out. Her eyes water as she looks from Norie, to Mami, to Coco, and all the way around the group people, back to Mami. Her girlfriend was a bad guy. And she'd upset others by offering comfort. It reminded her of her friendship with Catra, before she left the Horde, and it made her heart throb with pain.

"I--I'm so sorry! I just. I just wanted to help! I'm so sorry. I--I'm going to go!" And she turns on her heel and starts to walk briskly away, tears running down her face. She wasn't sure where she would go, but she was obviously no longer welcome here, so she would go somewhere else. Anywhere else.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Is everyone here magical?! Yes!

    Amy turns to Mami. "Damn, dude. Lady. You stood up and kicked a puppy in front of everyone... because your friend was in distress. I gotta respect those guts and the commitment to do something even if it made you look..." She holds out a hand and makes a vague 'eh' gesture.

    And then looks to Sarah. "Um. So yeah. Don't um. I know hugs are great. I love 'em. I have been running on a hug deficit for years I'm trying to make up for now. But don't assume everyone likes the--oh, woah, wait!" when Sarah runs off crying she starts running after, and then screeches to a halt and looks back. "Hey quick check, everybody uh. Okay? I am not running off when someone else is gonna think I'm blaming them for something?" She looks around at the others, not actually continuing to run off after Sarah until she's reasonably sure she isn't repeating her mistake from the meteor shower.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    The Meanie Dokas watch all of the Norie Sarah situation unfold, Mami's interference, and various people's warnings. "Poor girl," says Tia. "She has cuddle allergies."

    Seeing Coco start to move, Gretchen says, "If you need to use your magic, don't worry about us. We'll just go... though it may be harmful to others as well."

    Rens adjusts her glasses as she sees things unfolding. "In fact, maybe we should regardless. Any more detailed discussion of researching the salvation of souls In Minecraft would have to be done elsewhere anyways."

    Tia says, "Quite. Mami-sempai, thank you for your generous hospitality. I'm afraid we must be taking our leave."

    Then, with the three Meanies in consensus, a Labyrinth portal opens and takes the three of them away.

    ... For those who can sense it, that Portal is a bit less Chara-Witchy than it normally is for Gretchen, and is a bit more Actual-Witchy. That's probably not an issue, right? No one's getting attacked by a Witch. The feeling is only there for a moment, and then gone, because the portal is closed and the Doka Dominion has excused themselves.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco sighs, not particularly pleased at how it ended. "Sorry your tea party had to turn out this way, Mami-san", Coco turns to the blonde girl. She is still not transforming even with the X-Chara having gone away, partly because the only reason to do so - healing Sarah - has run away, partly because Gretchen's warning was clearly meant for Norie.

"We really should go see how Sarah is feeling", Coco tells Amy, agreeing with her essentially, "but Norie might also need it. She really was trying not to hurt her whatever caused it in her touch. You did your best", she ends it by addresses Norie directly.

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Norie is safe, and that was Mami's top priority. She just looks at Sarah as the girl stutters her apology and then runs away, an almost cold determination on her face. Nobody messes with her kohai. Not even really good looking tall blondes.

She looks to Amy and laughs. "I did her a favor Faust-san. Clearly her girlfriend has been keeping things from her, and that's not healthy for a relationship," she says. That girl has literally no self-awareness. "And it was a terrible lesson on boundaries. I'm surprised she didn't hug everyone at the table." She shrugs. "Of all the reasons to dislike me, I'd hope honesty isn't one of them." She completely missed the point.

Gretchen, Rens, and Tia thank her, and she smiles. "It was a pleasure," she says with a smile. A smile that turns to a little bit of a frown as they step into the Labyrinth. She can definitely feel that difference. But it's pretty easy to dismiss. Gretchen has a labyrinth, and she was perfectly nice the whole time. Nothing to worry about.

Amy runs off after Sarah and looks back. Mami nods, and lifts up a hand to wave in the direction Sarah ran. "Go on after her, Faust-san. She probably needs someone to talk to." Mami might be brutally honest, but she's not mean. Not this time at least.

"It's okay. I still think it turned out better than last time," she says, looking to Coco. Another several ribbons coili out from her wrist to wrap around Norie's shoulders like an arm. It's almost like a hug. "Don't worry about Norie-chan," she says to the mermaid, then she looks down to her kohai, and says, "Help me clean up, and then we can go back to my apartment, and I'll give you some hugs." Because Mami has the best power. Ribbon clones can hug all they want.

Then she dehenshins and smiles to Kureha. "Thanks for coming to my party. Feel free to take as many of the cakes as you want. I can always make more if I want them," she says, before going about cleaning up with her kohai. They had hugs to get to.