370/Counselor

Counselor
Date of Scene:	05 September 2023
Location:	Administrative Office
Synopsis:	Rashmi shows up for her appointment with Kyouka with a different agenda than the one she's initially had; right now, she just needs to know how Kyouka handled the sudden, severe presence of mortality that comes with putting on the skirt. And Kyouka has her leaving, feeling *much* better than when she came in.
Cast of Characters:	Rashmi Terios, Kyouka Inai

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Rashmi Terios has posed:
Honestly, it's a good thing Rashmi booked this appointment. Perhaps not for the reasons she did initially, but, things have taken place that it would be very nice to speak to An Adult about. Not, like, peers who try their hardest to be adults, but an Actual Adult. And if what Koji says about the Counselor is true... Maybe she'll get to be straightforward about it, and not have to waste a whole bunch of energy hunting for metaphors and hypotheticals?

Regardless, come the time of her appointment, Rashmi knocks gently on Kyouka's office door, screwing up her courage to weather whatever road she'll have to navigate.

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Let's be entirely honest- calling a 23-year-old, especially one like Kyouka Inai, an 'Actual Adult' is correct in only the most technical of ways. That said, she does have plenty of connections, and being straightforward is one of her particular set of skills. Not always appreciated, but not about to change either.

    "Come in!" She calls from within the office as Rashmi knocks on the door. Inside, she's seated behind her desk with the chair half-swivelled to face the window behind her desk, one elbow on said desk with the hand supporting her cheek as she looks outside. As Rashmi enters though, she straightens up and turns back to face the door, with a smile. "Terios-san, was it? Have a seat." A gesture at the two stuffed armchairs facing her desk.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Um, thanks, Kyouka-sensei," Rashmi says with a bit of a nervous smile. "...Has anyone told you you look like a CEO when you do that? It's actually kind of impressive... Oh. Sorry..."

Closing the door behind her, she slips into the other comfortable armchair, then begins the sequence of Things To Fuss With While You're Trying To Start An Inverview Right -- Hair, skirt, bow, schoolbag into lap, the whole nine yards.

"So um... before we start, a friend of mine told me that you might, um... have some connections in some, I guess, *extremely* extracurricular activities? Things that might need a special-effects studio to try to fake?"

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    For her part, Kyouka seems almost bored- not that this is any insult to Rashmi at all. This is just her job, and as far as she's concerned, a rather routine interview. That's not to say she isn't attentive or polite, just that the way she leans on the desk with one arm and smiles a lopsided smile is very casual, perhaps even more so than one would expect from a guidance counselor.

    "You don't need to beat around the bush too much, Terios-san." she says, tapping a finger against the side of her nose. "I can smell the magic on you. That's part of my job around here. So yes, I know people in the 'biz', as it were. Why, do you need something in particular?" Brows arched, perhaps more interested now. "I was under the impression this was a pretty standard meet-and-greet."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Oh okay good thank you," the redhead sighs, deflating in her chair. "Well I mean... I *did* need some help with something, but turns out that's been taken care of kind of out from under me. But I didn't want to waste the chance to talk to someone else who *actually* knows what they're doing, so um... how to put this."

She falls silent for a moment, brows furrowing, then looks up. "...When was the first time you realized you might actually *die* doing this, sensei? How did you *handle* it?"

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Once again, Rashmi's declaration that Kyouka actually knows what she's doing may be entirely too optimistic, but at the very least it's good for the counselor's ego. She quirks her brows, perhaps in mild curiosity at the mention of something that required help but apparently has already been taken care of. She might have pursued it, except Rashmi follows up with a much more philosophical question, one which gives her pause for a moment.

    "The first time I realized I might die? Or the first time I accepted that I might die? Because those are two pretty different things, and lemme tell you, they did not happen at the same time."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Well I mean, the first one for starters?" Rashmi says, looking up. "Because I'm... still trying to wrap my head around it. The explosion that happened a couple days ago, that... I mean some of us there *did* almost die, and that's... really got me shaken up, sensei. I got that it was dangerous the first time something picked a fight, but like... That was different."

Shaking her head, Rashmi lets out a long, slow sigh. "So I just wanted to know, how you handled that. Because if you managed it long enough to get to the accepting part, well... Probably you did *something8 right?"

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    "Well," Kyouka says, leaning back in her chair and folding her arms behind her head, looking contemplative. "I guess I realized it more or less right away. Things were a lot different back then, you know. Ten, fifteen years ago, I'm talkin'. There was no RHA, or at least, not the way it is now, and there were a lot less magical people around. Maybe ten or twelve in the whole city, at least that I knew about. There were probably more, it's a big city, but my point is, it was a big, lonely place for a lot of us. Not much in the way of support networks. So yeah, fighting monsters.. you realize pretty quick that if you don't win, you're probably dead."

    "How I handled it, though? That's an interesting question. Truthfully I don't think I've ever thought about it much. I've always been the sort of do-or-die person who leaps before she looks." A bit of a self-deprecating grin. "It's gotten me in trouble more than a few times, I'll admit."

    "I guess the way I handle it is to look at it like this... I mean, we're all gonna die eventually, right? Whether you're a magical girl fighting monsters or a salaryman. Nobody lives forever. You could get hit by a bus tomorrow, and end up in the same place as a monster fight gone wrong. The thing is, when you're a magical girl, and you're fighting that monster- yeah you might die. But you're also saving people. You're doing a good thing, that matters. If you don't do it, because you're afraid of dying, then somebody else is probably going to die. And are you really okay stepping aside and letting someone else, even a stranger, die in your place? I never was. Best result, of course, is nobody dies. Except the monster, of course. But I wasn't about to save my own life at the expense of an innocent's. Just could never accept that as a possibility." She shrugs.

    "So maybe you die, eventually, doing this job. But if you've saved ten, a hundred, a thousand lives before you do? I'd say that's worth it. The alternative is to do nothing, let all those people die, and live with that guilt. That sounds way worse to me. And hell," She grins. "Maybe you won't die at all. I mean, from the monsters. I'm still here, after all."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
And Rashmi is not belligerent or bored in the least. As Kyouka speaks, the redhead gives the impression of attentiveness, earnest listening, and undivided attention, nodding now and again and breaking eye contact sometimes, to consider what she's told.

"Well," she says, slowly, after a short stretch of silence. "That... makes a lot of sense. And it's not far from what I told my friend, so... Great minds, I guess?" she says lightly, with a bit of a smile.

"I mean... I couldn't imagine falling into all this and just... *not caring?* That just makes no sense to me."

    << *BONG!* >> << AFFIRMED, >> says a monotone, somehow professorial voice from the charm clasping her bow shut. << SUBJECT 'Kyouka' DISPLAYS WISDOM, MASTER. >>

"...Thanks, Nico," Rashmi murmurs, cheeks fairly glowing red, as if a favorite dog had knocked a new guess to the floor. "...Sorry sensei, that's Nicomachea, my Device. Sometimes he Has Opinions too, but mostly I think he just wanted to introduce himself since he knows he doesn't have to keep secret."

And the Device emits another << *BONG!* >> as if to agree.

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka shrugs her shoulders, as if to say 'of course it makes sense, I said it didn't I?' but thankfully doesn't actually say that out loud. Instead, she just gives the Device a glance as it agrees with her, and smirks humerously. "Well, I like Nicomachea already- I don't often get told I 'display wisdom.'" She seems pleased with herself. "Guess that means I'm finding my footing in this job." More to herself than to Rashmi.

    She then goes on, "Well, it's appreciated anyway. One of my close friends growing up was a Device Mage. He-" She pauses, as if realizing perhaps this isn't the time for that particular story, and just shrugs without finishing her sentence.

    "Anyway. The long and short of it is that it's a dangerous job, but it has high job satisfaction. At least in my experience. I guess there's people out there who aren't suited for it, but I've found that most people who have the talent to do it find that they are suited for it, whether they initially thought so or not. I have a feeling you will find the same, Terios-san."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
There's a softening of Rashmi's eyes, a suspicion that the story Kyouka almost told was going to end with '...and then he died, too.' "Well, that and he agrees with both of us," Rashmi chuckles. "Saving lives *is* a pretty important trade for the danger... And again, thank you a lot. I mean... I *was* going to be asking you for help figuring out what to do with the alien boy couch-surfing at my apartment while he grows his blood back, but turns out *someone* at the school took care of that, and anyway existential crises feel a lot more relevant to a counselor visit, y'know?"

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    "Well, I'm not actually a guidance couneslor," Kyouka admits, with a shameless grin. "I mean, that's what it says on the books. But the Headmistress hired me because I can detect magic and because I can train young mahous how to survive. You know, the whole not-dying thing. The Guidance Counselor gig is mostly just a cover.. which is why I don't see non-magical students." She pauses, then amends, "Without a good reason, anyway, which usually relates to magic anyway."

    "But it does feel good to be able to give some advice that's appreciated in something other than 'ways to throw a punch and not break your hand'. Which is important, of course. But while I may not actually know much about psychology or career paths other than this one very specific one, I do have quite a bit of experience in this gig. I was younger than you when I started. And I'm the last one from my generation still here so.." She pauses, realizing that sounds quite bad, and adding in, "Some of them retired and are totally still alive, just y'know, not in the game anymore. Anyway, point is, its nice to feel like I have something to contribute. So I appreciate the appreciation."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
It can't be helped, Kyouka's hurried reassurances *do* actually bring a chuckle out of Rashmi. "Then I'm glad *I* could help too, senpai. But I mean, if you've been doing this long enough to retire, and you *can* help people like me? I'm shocked more people aren't telling you that, making it up as you go along is *terrifying* when you have to make it up to *save lives.*"

"...But speaking of throwing a punch, um... Is it true that there's a whole club for magical people to practice fighting? Because that sounds like something I'm going to need a lot more of, considering everything that's happened the last couple days."

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka shrugs her shoulders. "It's a new niche. I don't think that there's ever been a structure in place for people like me to help people like you before. So if you have to thank anybody, thank the Headmistress and RHA in general. That's what makes this possible, not me personally."

    She nods her head. "I was going to get to that before you left, but yes." She reaches into her desk and pulls out a business card. On the front it has her name, position and phone number written over an embossed RHA logo. On the back, she writes the time and place for the self-defence classes, and slides it across the desk to Rashmi. "Every week. Feel free to bring anyone else you might know who could need the help."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
The card is taken, and carefully turned over, before Rashmi bobs her head in thanks, and tucks it into a gem vastly smaller than the card's dimensions. "Well I do intend to thank them if I ever have the opportunity, but you're here, and you're helping me, so... thank you too, Kyouka-senpai. And I'll definitely do that, I know a couple people who could just use the knowledge that it *exists.*"

"...Oh! Also if you ever get an appointment with a Chrono Harlaown in the future? That's the boy I was talking about. He's... kind of a space police-soldier, so it'll probably help most to talk to him like a soldier, y'know?"

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka nods her head. "Like I said. The class is open to anyone who qualifies, so to speak. It's technically only for students of the school, but I'm not going to nitpick over that." A mild shrug of her shoulders. "The school is a convenient framework for this sort of thing, but it's not the be-all-end-all."

    She smirks a little at the advice regarding Chrono. "Duly noted, although I'm not sure how much help that's going to be. I've never been much of one to respect authority, which means soldiers and military parlance aren't exactly my natural inclination. But I'll keep it in mind regardless. Thank you."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"I'm happy to help, sensei," Rashmi says, by now *much* more comfortable than when she walked in. "And y'know... that gives me *so many questions* about this school, but... Thinking on it, I'd probably not get any of the answers I wanted anyway, and... I think I can live with that?" Chuckling, the redhead lifts a shoulder. "I'll keep that in mind about the club, too, and probably you'll be seeing me there a lot. ...Oh! Also before I forget..."

She digs about in her bookbag, and extracts a slightly crumpled flyer, advertising for her family's restaurant. "Just in case you ever feel like curry, sensei, that's a first-visit discount. Not much of a thank-you, but... Anyway, is there anything *I* could help with?"

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    "You're not going to get any answers about this school from me," Kyouka says dryly, "and whether you believe me or not, that's mostly because I don't know them either. I was hired to do a job, and it's a job which aligns with what I want to be doing anyway, so I took it. But I have no insight into the higher-level machinations going on here, aside from suspicions and small glimpses. Which I will not be sharing with a student." She smiles.

    She takes the flyer, glancing at it. "Oh, your family owns this place? I'm familiar. Not a regular haunt of mine but I've been a time or two. It's good stuff. I'll be sure to say hi next time I find myself in the area." And by 'say hi' she means 'order lunch', of course.

    At the question of whether there's anything for Rashmi to help her with, Kyouka quirks her lips. "I've got a couple projects ongoing, but I'm trying to be careful about who I involve, without need. Don't worry though.. if I find myself in a position of needing an extra hand, I won't hesitate to ask."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"That's all I could ask for," Rashmi replies, rising from her chair. "Thank you again, sensei. I'll think a *lot* about what you said. Sorry to bother you with such a little thing, but... You did help, a lot."

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka nods her head. "That's what I'm here for. And you have my card now." She gestures vaguely, since the card itself is no longer in evidence. "If you get into a scary situation where you think you might need help.. call for me. I can come help you. That's part of my job, too." She smiles. "It was nice meeting you, Terios-san. I hope to see you in class."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Oh...?" Rashmi extracts the card, turning it over again to read both sides. "...That's actually really reassuring, senpai, I'll try to use it when I *really* need help only. It was wonderful meeting you too, and thanks again!"

With a cheery wave, the redhead hefts her bookbag, and turns to the door.

Either the mahou life will eat her alive, or the other way around.