503/I think these are yours

I think these are yours
Date of Scene:	25 September 2023
Location:	Radiant Heart Academy
Synopsis:	Chrono returns to school! And... gets buried in love letters. This... requires him to turn to two of his friends for sage advice in these trying times. Rashmi and Adrien can surely help straighten him out, right?
Cast of Characters:	Chrono Harlaown, Rashmi Terios, Adrien Agreste

---

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown was feeling... better. Was feeling a LOT better, actually. He'd taken some days off, relaxed, saw the sights, talked to a weird cat/dog thing, and was feeling... calmer. Being around Casa Deh Outer had been... an experience, at least. But a nice one. Seeing a family like that, dysfunctional but still altogether not awful was... comforting.

It gave him hope.

Not that they'd ever be able to cook, mind. That he had abandoned any hope for. But, on that monday, after a weekend of radio silence... he returned. In this case, to school. So it was on that morning that he had walked in through the door, given a few waves, and made his way to his locker. His, for some reason, was on the TOP row... but it was near the part where they left their shoes behind and walked up to the school proper, so long as he stepped on there and leaned he could juuuuuust reach it. He had to stretch a bit, but... a moment later his locker opened.

And then there was a startled yelp. And the sound of... falling?

As letters just rained on him from on high, making him shield his face with an arm.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
While she had worried about Chrono, Rashmi also knew that the boy was as close to a real adult as any of them would ever be, around this age. So when he announced he was taking the weekend off from life, Rashmi respected that. At least after school, she'd be able to catch up and see how he was doing.

Thus with a cheery wave and the first sound of the first syllable of Chrono's name on her lips, she

    watches

        Chrono

            get absolutely *buried*

                under what she can only assume to be 'secret admirer letters.'

So instead of calling out the name of her younger senpai, she has to clap her hands over her mouth to stifle the giggles. When she can finally regain control of herself enough to trust her voice to work without quivering, she gamely makes the attempt. "A-are you okay, Chrono-kun?"

...Okay so it didn't *completely* work, but what matters is the effort was there.

Adrien Agreste has posed:
Adrien Agreste was a bit relieved to see Chrono back and all right. Sure, he'd given word he was taking some time away, but you never knew. He knew how hard it could be to do this magical hero thing alone--Though it seemed Chrono had more friends, connections, and associated types that perhaps he had a better base of resources than Adrien himself could have. He needed to keep his secret still.

Having wrapped up classes himself he was at his own locker around the corner when *a sound* happens. A familiar sound that was for once not coming from his locker. Not that there weren't a few letters inside, there usually was, but he checked more often knowing how bad it could get. He may have also blocked the slats that would let one slide letters into his locker.

Adrien leans around the corner to blink at Chrono and the pile of letters a moment. "... First time?"

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown just gave a pitiful little squeak, slowly, finally, looking up. "Is... is it over?" he asked warily. "What in the world was that?" Slowly, gingerly, he leaned down to pick one of them up and open it. It had a little pink heart on it and... Oh. Ohhhhh. They could both SEE the moment the realization hit him. The way the blush started at his cheeks, went back to his ears, then down his chin, over his neck and... Oh wow. His full face had gone red. How could someone get THAT red?

He looked around wildly. Then looked down. Then looked back up at Adrien and... and went straight to deflection. "I-I think... I think I got your ummmm... m-mail, Adrien," he said, with all the calm and collected tone you'd expect from a TSAB officer... standing on top of a charging plasma cannon barrel.

And, in his defense, some of them WERE signed to Adrien... it seemed in lieu of using Adrien's locker, they had used Chrono's. But some... a lot of them, actually... were for Chrono. "H-hello... T-Terios-san. Errr... could you see if I got them all? Out?" He had not. But she was taller than him, so she'd be a beneficial grabby hand of tallness.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"...Of course, Chrono-kun," Rashmi says, her voice still wavering as she hops up onto the bench and peers into the locker. Reaching in, she pulls out the last half-dozen, and *actually giggles* at the clashing perfumes that waft up from a couple.

"Welp!" she says, hopping down and offering a hand to the poor blushing kid. "Looks like you're the new 'romantic mystery man' in school! ...Except these." Two of the letters are separated, and waved. "...I think these are for your roommate?"

Which point she turns, to see the actual model leaning casually against the pillar, looking like a model. "...Uh. Wow, uh... Hi?"

Adrien Agreste has posed:
Adrien Agreste can only chuckle a little bit while Chrono receives help up from Rashmi. "Maybe some, but I wouldn't be surprised if several were for you, too. Like she said, a 'mystery man' is usually a great way to catch the attention of a lot of fans." The explanation is given up until Rashmi looks toward him which earns her an easy, warm and friendly smile back.

"Hi, I'm Adrien Agreste. Chrono's roommate. Here let me help clean up this mess. It's not the first time this has happened." To him at least.

He crouches down easily to begin sweeping up the letters with one hand to neatly tuck into a pile in his opposite hand until, soon enough, there's none left on the floor. A few are glanced over while he stands again not paying much attention to how someone might be staring at him. "Ah, yes, I'm pretty sure a good half or more of these are for you. I can teach you how to fix your locker so they won't put them in there. That means they might actually try to confess in person though," he warns.

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown took the hand, letting her help him up. "A-ah. Right. Errr... why? I mean, what? I mean, why would someone... I..." And then he gulped, looking between the two. Oh. Right. "A-ah. Rashmi Terious, this is my roommate, Adrien Agreste. Adrien, this is the young lady I told you about, who saved my life and who's family runs the korma chameleon." Which, by now, Adrien would likely know the food of. Considering how often he'd brought take out from it.

He nodded rapidly to the 'stop them from putting them in there'... until he got to 'confess in person'. "Oh god..." Chrono mumbled. "I-I... why would they... but I'm not a mystery! I tell everyone exactly who I am. I mean, not everyone. But I don't hide much!" he objected. Right. Because that made him 'not mysterious'.

He then stared at the small pile of letters he received before, taking a slow, cautious breath. "So... right. Should I... write... back? Or... or how does one do this? Can I feign my own death?" ... He sounded serious. "I know enough magic I could probably make myself likely seem like someone else." He was definitely serious.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"I-it's good to meet you," Rashmi says without *too* much flubbing, bowing to Adrien.

Thankfully, Chrono provides a distraction in the form of minor panic, and her skirt flares a bit as she spins in place to face him. "Chrono-kun," she says gently, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I know you don't mean to, but... seriously, to anyone who doesn't know you? You *are* a cool and mysterious type. People don't know what a soldier *is,* most of them, but you walk and talk like one. No small talk, questions answered efficiently and clearly... I mean c'mon. Would *you* look at someone acting like you and not wonder what they're hiding?" This last, said with a gentle chuckle.

"But don't worry about it. By the look of some of those envelopes, most of your admirers are in middle school. Which means it'll be their fondest wish to, like, hold your hands for ten minutes."

Adrien Agreste has posed:
"Oh, hey, great to meet you finally Rashmi. I mean... Terios-san," Adrien corrects. Usually he was very polite but he'd had so many people lately tell him to just drop the formality because they themselves didn't use it. He slips back into it again easily.

While Chrono is having a panic induced stroke at the thought of such he holds up a hand to hopefully stop any further train of thoughts from going off the tracks. "Respond," he says simply, "By saying that you wish to focus on your studies for the time being since you're new to the city. Thank them for their interest and hope that they find someone that can treat them well. That's usually the best way to do it I find."

Reaching out he claps a hand on Chrono's shoulder reassuringly. "She has a point. Offering solid, assured answers is a great way to appear very confident. Confidence can also make you very popular even if you don't realize it."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown blinked a few times and then glanced between Rashmi and Adrien. And... "Terios-san, are you okay?" he asked. Was she... no. No, he was sure it was something else.

"Of course I talk like one. Short, direct orders are vital to ensure that important instructions are heard in the heat of combat. To help minimize the possible casaulties and..." Then he blinked a few times and slowly reached up, scratching his chin a little bit.

"W-wait... so... I'm... cool? Not... not cute? But... cool? I don't... think I've ummmm... been cool before..." Okay so he kind of liked that. "... Do you really think I'm cool, Terios-san?" he asked.

He then shook his head, his cheeks going red and cringed. "I-I... I can't be... I'm not... t-there should be no hand holding of any kind at this juncture, I still need to find the rest of the crew and try and get everyone off and... even if... I mean, I don't... I... h-how does one... ummmm... reply to these? Is there a... mailbox I send them in, or..." Well, if nothing else, he wasn't a soldier of the 'love' battlefield...

"... This isn't... going to be common... is it?" he asked sheepishly. "I-I didn't get these in the academy... then again I was almost 20 years younger than most the other students..."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
It is taking *all of Rashmi's willpower* not to absolutely melt at Chrono discovering his coolness. Seriously, if there was a way to convert adorable teenage awkwardness to electricity, Chrono could power Clover Tower all by himself.

"...Actually I think Agreste-san's got the right answer, Chrono-kun. If one of them comes up and asks if you got her letter, just say what he said." She glances up at the boy in question, relaxing a bit despite his incredibly good looks. "I can't think of a kinder thing to hear, myself. Thank you, Agreste-san..."

"A-anyway, just... hang onto them for now, and don't let anyone see you disposing of them later. But remember, this is Japan; if someone *does* come up and ask you if you got her letter, it's, like... *astoundingly* brave. Most of the time we'll do that whole 'pining from afar' thing."

Tucking a strand of hair over her cheek, Rashmi glances about the entryway, checking to see if anyone's listening in. "...And uh... do I think you're cool? I mean... I've got like a dozen *more* reasons to think you're cool than most students will. I've *seen* what you can do when there's a problem, Chrono-kun. Yeah, you're cool. Inspirational, even."

Adrien Agreste has posed:
Adrien Agreste smilese a bit sheepish at the thanks to such a thing. The fact that he knew a good way to do it was possibly either a sign this had happened often, or he'd made mistakes in the past. Maybe a bit of both. "It's true in a way. You want to focus on other things in your life. All you're lying about is school instead of..." He lifts a hand to give a vague gesture, voice dropping, "Other issues."

"Either respond to a few in their own lockers, or ..." His gaze shifts to Rashmi a moment considering. "See if you have a friend you could have a fake public confession with where you let it be known you're focusing on studies?"

He rubs the back of his head causing his blonde hair to shift from it's perfect state to slightly rumpled. "I have a blog, so I guess it's easier for me."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown nodded. "Y-yeah. I... I guess I could be ummm... y-yes. I could be concise. As flattered as I am by this proposition, at this point my duties require my focus elsewhere and I do not have the mental energy to consider a relationship with any man or woman at this time. How... how's that?" he asked nervously.

He then pulled out his card and... pulled them into dimension space. "So I can just store them indefinitely?" he asked. Oh he was sooooo bad at this. "... Wait, so if someone is astoundingly brave, it's my duty to just... crush her heart?" Annnnd now he looked ten levels of guilty. "... I miss fighting the youma. Fighting monsters and power hungry mages is much easier than this..." he mumbled gently.

Still, he did smile and maybe stand up a little taller when his student said that he was 'cool'. Which was impressive, since his posture was impeccable.

"... Is a blog a term for that bodyguard of yours?" he asked Adrien. "And... I don't... think I'd want to do a fake public confession thing. That sounds... demeaning to my friend and just... I don't... like lying to begin with.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"If you have any kind of duty at all, Chrono," Rashmi says gently, "it's to be honest about your feelings. That's all. If you're kind about it, it won't be crushing. But I don't think you'd ever be cruel, if you could help it. You just don't seem the type, y'know? Just... remember to thank them too. Because -- I mean, I imagine -- it *is* flattering to know that *someone* admires you like that."

Patting Chrono's shoulder, she taps the envelopes in her hand against the card... the ones addressed to Chrono, at least. Then she glances at Adrien, and chuckles. "I'm a terrible actress, and Chrono-kun is a worse liar, honestly. If we tried something like *that,* we'd belong in a comedy manga."

Adrien Agreste has posed:
Adrien Agreste can't help but laugh at the very suggestion. "Ah, you're right, I'm sorry. I think I may have been spending too much time watching dramas in the background while I study. That's not a good idea in real life." Still serious about the subject though he does nod in agreement with Rashmi.

"That's really the best thing you can do. Be gentle but be honest. No matter what you do it's going to hurt in some way, but if you handle it genuinely and politely, it should at least help them move on."

Here he pauses glancing aside as a thought hits him. One which he keeps quiet, before shaking his head a single time. "A blog is something like a public online journal that you let others read. Since I work as a model and have many fans I post little updates to keep people up to date with what projects I'm working on, or other little things."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown nodded. "Yeah. And I don't even know what my feelings are. In six years I'm likely going to lose like... ninety percent of who I am, if I'm even still on this planet," he muttered, staring at his card. "I have no idea how that'll even work. Will I imagine something else, or will there just be empty, hollow space? And if not that, I'll likely, at best, have six years before I'd have to leave if leaving is even an option. But then there's the arranged marriage, am I still obligated to it? Or at this point should I be expected to move on? Should she?" he asked before sighing.

"Then the fact half the people I meet look like they belong on the cover of a romance novel about crash landing on an exotic planet. I mean, exhibit A," motions to rashmi. "Exhibit B," motions to Adrien. "So that's a whole other bundle of feelings I do not believe I am in any state to try and unravel until I've managed to find everyone else from the Arthra."

He gave another sigh "... So I have no idea what my feelings are even right now to be honest about them."

Gentle but honest. Yeah. He could do that. If he knew what honest was for himself.

"Ohhhhhh. Right. I should find that, it might be useful. It... oh. What's--"

And then his face went scarlet. "Y-your world's internet is... a fascinating... place..." Googling 'Male' 'Model' 'blog' was a poor choice. "W-we should get to class... Eh... heh... eh..." Oh yeah, that blush was going to linger. Also, woo for 'wireless' internet access through device!

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"...Hangon, what?" Rashmi says, blinking owlishly. "Romance novel? ...*Me?*"

Compliments are weird things; some immediately land as intended, some are so fantastical they can be brushed aside like water falling onto roof tiles. And *some* are so unexpected that they cause an immediate BSOD in the brain of the person that received them. To be told she's 'romance-novel cover' pretty? *Definitely* qualifies for the latter.

It's probably gonna take Rashmi a bit of time to wrap her head around the idea that she's anywhere near as good-looking as a *professional model,* which Adrien *actually is.*

Adrien Agreste has posed:
"Oh, I wouldn't do that---" Adrien begins when Chrono mentions looking things up. The sudden apparent embarassment earns a sympathetic wince from the green eyed model at his roommate. "I'll just send you the link later, Chrono. A direct one. So that it's... easier to find." Without all the added shrapnel of the internet in general.

Taking a breath, he lets it out in the smallest of sighs. "We should probably get to class. When you have some free time I can help you look through the letters?" he offers only to glance down at the few that had his name on it. "As well as the ones they sent to me, apparently."

Glancing at Rashmi he offers her a warm smile. "I'm no cook but anytime you'd like a good cup of coffee, please come visit, Terios-san. I can make a pretty good cup."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown nodded quickly to Adrien. Yup. Direct link would be good. That was what devices pretending to be magical things were for! "I mean, yeah. I don't know how you look by earth standards, but by TSAB space standards you'd certainly rate at an incredibly high standard. I... think. I may be the wrong person to ask, though. I wasn't the one reading most of those books. "Adrien, how does she compare by earth standards?" he asked. Completely serious, not even a hint of flirting in his tone. He sounded... genuinely serious and informative. Just... wow.

"Oh, right! Classes! My cover, yes." He started swapping out his shoes...

... He was so good at this. This. This was the 'heart throb'.

"But yes, Terios-san, you are welcome to the dorm any time. Just, um, make sure to knock. Oh, and don't mind the... minor issue with a gnome. Don't ask," he said quickly. "Just pretend it's not there."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
And it's like with every word, a glowing red blush rises higher and higher on Rashmi's face, eventually fogging up her glasses. Because she's never *actually considered* her own looks much at all, and the idea that people might think she's pretty tended to get tossed over the shoulder into the same box that most of her previous interactions with people went -- labeled It Never Really Came Up So I Just Figured No -- but now, reality is crashing down her, a little.

So if she sounds a bit manic when a conversational out is given... I mean she probably is just that desperate to leave her looks unexamined THANK YOU VERY MUCH PLEASE.

"Coffee! Yes! Coffee sounds great! I should probably go get some!"

And she's off toward the cafeteria.

...She doesn't even *drink* coffee.

Adrien Agreste has posed:
"Uh! W-well!" Adrien never was good at being put on the spot like that. He'd just MET Rashmi and now Chrono was asking him if she was pretty? This was so much like the other night at Hinoiri's when she was asking him if HE was 'hot'. These were questions that had answers, but it didn't seem right to answer yourself.

A bit embarassed himself he can only offer a bit of a smile along with a simple nod. "Of course she's pretty," he begins only to have Rashmi dash off for coffee leaving him to deflate.

His head snaps downward, and shoulders sag so that he has to grab hold of the lockers to hang on. "Chrono please, please don't keep doing that. I think you embarassed her. Of *course* she's pretty, but she's clearly unused to hearing it."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown blinked a few times, looking bewildered and... "Oh... oh! Oh no!" He, well, honestly? Despite being teased so often... he'd honestly not really considered that the commends could upset other people. He thought it was just him who was overly sensitive about such things. If he... hurt her...

No. No, she was likely just flustered. Like he got. It was... Ohhhhh. Was that why they did it? Okay it was kind of fun.... but he'd make sure to not tell her how pretty she was anymore. Because he cared.

"I'll keep such comments to myself in the future. Thank you, Adrien," he said with a smile. It was a good thing he had such good friends to help him navigate... all of this. ALL of this. There really were so many traps here...