657/Coffee with a side of busking

Coffee with a side of busking
Date of Scene:	27 October 2023
Location:	Tako Cafe
Synopsis:	Mizudori plays some violin on the sidewalk near the coffee van while Norie, Naru and Sayaka get hot beverages. Accusations and song abounds.
Cast of Characters:	Naru Osaka, Norie Okana, Mizudori Teion, Sayaka Miki

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Naru Osaka has posed:
As October gets closer and closer to the end of the month, the potential of rainy and chilly weather gets more and more likely. Today, however, is still glorious. Which means that coffee van is still a thing! There's not much of a lineup right now, but Naru waits behind an office worker to request her coffee. She's in her school uniform, with her ever present satchel, enjoying the warm and sunny day.

Norie Okana has posed:
Where there's coffee. There's donuts. And where there's donuts, there's Norie Okana. Okay that last thing isn't a rule but the first two are usually rules so Norie is here for two things, a cup of tea and donuts. Why tea? Because coffee stunts your growth!

Wait, does Norie even need to worry about that anymore as a vampire? She doesn't know. But she isn't taking that chance! So instead, she's waiting in line. She JUST got in line which means she's somewhere behind Naru. Maybe not directly behind, but behind enough.

"Hi Naru-chan." she says quietly.

"Coffee..?" she asks. "Or tea?" she asks as she waits in line.

"Tea. For me." she says softly.

Mizudori Teion has posed:
    Nearby the the coffee truck, along the wall lining the pedestrian walkway and separating it from the beach, a girl has set up to apparently play music for passersby. Dressed mostly in black, though with green highlights, most notably in her hair as dyed stripes, she looks either artsy or like a delinquent depending on your perspective- numerous piercings in her ears and even a ring in her eyebrow adding to this appearance, as such things are not common in Japan.

    She's standing on the low wall, which is only about four feet high, and she has a violin. It's one of those modern electric violins, black and sleek and made from some kind of plastic or resin, with a wire coming off the end and plugging into a small amp she has set up next to it. She's playing as people walk by to get coffee, and it's clear she's good. The music is of a more modern style, the tones of the violin run through some kind of synth to sound vaguely electronic while still recognizable as a violin. The song is upbeat, and she's tapping her foot as she plays.

     Most people passing by glance her way and seem to appreciate the music, though she has a small stack of flyers in front of her which have her name and logo, youtube page address, other storefronts you can buy her stuff at, and even adverts for upcoming live shows, and those seem to be mostly ignored.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sayaka remembers this place. She was here once on her own when the weather was actually chillier than today, despite it being much closer to the beginning of October, and she had things to think about, but the tea left a good impression on her, so the bluenette is here to have more of it.

The girl is wearing headphones, but the music she is listening to is low enough to let her pay attention to her surroundings, in particular what the cashier will be telling her when it's her turn to order tea. This means she hears the pleasing violin sounds Mizudori is playing.

A 'ugh' escapes her lips when she sees who is playing it, and she speeds up the pace to get closer to the van as soon as possible. Why did they have to meet again so soon, and when she wanted to relax, to boot? She waits when the cashier turns attention to her to order tea, in the meantime continuing to look at her with suspicion, wondering if she is trying to start another attack.

However, the bluenette gets distracted when she realises Norie is the person in front of her, embarassed over their previous encounter. And she is talking with Naru too. At least she doesn't have any awkward situations concerning the latter. "Hello, Osaka-san, Okana-san?" she turns on a smile to ask. "How are things going?"

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Coffee for me." Naru turns at the familiar voice and there's a smile as she replies to Norie's querie. "I mean, I'm hardly going to turn down a cup of tea if its offered to me, but coffee."

if it does stunt your growth, that could explain a lot about Naru's holding steady at a whopping 4'9". Even Usagi has outpaced her at this point.

Her attention drifts over to the musician as they wait, watching for a while and listening. Apparently the guy at the front of the line is ordering enough coffee for an entire office building, or at least that's how it feels for those waiting. "She's good." Naru remarks absently.

Naru smiles warmly at Sayaka. "Not too bad, all things considered. How about yourself?"

Norie Okana has posed:
Oh look, it's the bluenette who can't keep her hands to herself. Lovvvveelllyyy.

"Hi...Miki-san. Was it?" she asks quietly as she looks away back to Naru. She doesn't smile the whole time but that's normal for her, as she listens to music.

At least it isn't magical, purifying music that is hurting her so there's that, as she plays synthy violin. Norie doesn't play an instrument, so she can't comment on the skill, as she looks back to Naru. "I guess." she says flatly. Which is the best compliment she can give anything ever in her current state that isn't a donut.

"I hope they don't run out of donuts..." she says, to both girls.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"Chaotic", she murmurs in response to Naru. "I had a falling out with the extra guy that came with me from last time", she explains Kyubey's absence briefly. "We aren't really going to associate anymore, but I accepted his proposal", she continues, passing a finger onto the ring that denotes a Puella.

And Naru compliments Mizudori's skills, of course. Can't blame her on that, the musician actually is good. If only she hadn't taken the path of putting people in danger to give herself publicity. "She really is impressive, but she is too desperate to get her name out there", the bluenette comments, still alert and tense over Mizudori's presence here.

"What are you going to order, Osaka-san?" Sayaka doesn't know of any such rumors about coffee, and certainly doesn't guess Naru is actually in the grade above hers, so matters of height aren't why she is ordering tea.

"That's me, yes", the bluenette replies to Norie, her hands quite close to Sayaka's own body this time. She doesn't want a repeat of what happened just as much as Norie, and so she is keeping a safety distance from the other girl. "Was the money enough? I can get you more if that's not enough to cover the cost of the replacement parts", she mentions nervously.

Mizudori Teion has posed:
    Mizudori finishes whatever piece she had been playing, likely something she just invented on the spot, pulling the bow from the electric violin and then hopping down from the wall. She replaces the violin in it's case, which was laying on the sidewalk next to her pile of flyers, and then straightens, shutting the case. She glances around, noting the few people looking her way, and sighs with a small frown.

    Then she walks over towards the coffee cart, apparently taking a break to get a drink. She glances at the small group of students, but the only one she should recognize is Sayaka, and if she does she just gives her a brief look as if to say 'what', not offering any comment as she gets in line, waiting her turn before buying something sugary and full of caffeine.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I dont think they're likely to run out of doughnuts this early in the day." Naru gently assures Norie as the gentleman at the front FINALLY finishes his order and lets Naru step forward.

"Coffee, hot with cream please." Naru's order is pretty simple. "And a takoyaki, please." Because clearly caffeine needs to come with a treat on the side. Even if it's highly unlikely that Naru is going to actually finish it.

"I'm here often enough, I'm surprised they don't just know my order." Naru admits with a bit of a sheepish smile to Sayaka as her order is revealed by.. well.. ordering. She nods to the bluenette about the lack of Kyubey. "I've never been fond of ... that companion.. myself." She manages not to call the fuzzy little brat exactly that.

Naru's attention moves between Sayaka and Norie, curious about 'replacement parts' and what exactly got broken, but then she looks over to Mizudori as the girl joins the line. "Um. Could I get one of your fliers?"

Norie Okana has posed:
Norie Okana looks to Sayaka. "It..it should be enough. I have a friend fixing the phone for me soon." she says softly. She looks to Naru and looks reassured as best as she can be. Which means not very much, but enough as she tries to relax. She'll wait for Naru to order, then finally orders her tea, w/ plenty of milk and a little sugar (but not Lindy amount of sugar). She then looks to Mizudori as she gets in line.

"You we're...okay...to listen to. Can I also get one of those fliers?" she asks.

She then 'ohs'.

She orders five donuts. For herself. Because that's a normal amount of donuts to order for any one person.

"I don't come to this truck often for tea." she says. "But I didn't wanna travel far today."

Even if far is relative when you can teleport.

Mizudori Teion has posed:
    "Um yeah, sure. That's literally what they're for." Mizudori tells both Naru and Norie at the question about the flyers, sounding like she's wondering why they are asking instead of just taking one. She flashes an easygoing grin, though, taking the sting from the response as she gestures out towards the small pile, which is sitting on the low wall by her violin case. "Help yourself."

    As her turn to order coffee comes up, she steps up and orders a large latte with extra sweetener. Paying and taking the cup, she steps back and to one side. "I have music for sale too." She tells them, with a brighter smile. "If you want to buy my latest single. You can also get it online. The name's Teion, but you can call me Bass-chan, that's my handle. Remember it, you'll probably be seeing me on TV soon."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Oh!" Naru looks back over to where Mizudori was and yep.. fliers are still there. "Okay, yep. That was a dumb question. I thought you'd completely packed up." She chuckles softly and nods. "I'll grab one in a sec. Thanks." She quirks a smile. "I mean.. I did see you on TV this morning. Something about yet another explosion at the mall." There's just something about how she uses the word 'explosion' that seems to come with it's very own set of air quotes.

Naru has stepped out of the flow of the lineup as chatter takes the place of ordering. She has her coffee, she has her snack, and there's some chairs and tables available for folks who aren't in a rush to get back to the office, or school. "I come here moderately often. I like getting a bit of a walk from the school and this is a great spot for a little break."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"You list everything so quickly, Osaka-san. Maybe they haven't committed it to memory because you tend to be precise?" she theorizes. Though her classmate is right. That would be a bit lazy of them, honestly.

Next is Sayaka's turn to order, and she requests Hibiscus tea with half a spoonful of honey. "A serving of takoyaki too, please", she imitates Naru, having been reminded by her order that they actually named the business after it. That means it should be good, right?

"I am glad to hear that it's being fixed soon", she replies to Norie, sighing in relief that there doesn't seem to be unexpected complications.

"My best friend has opened my eyes about that companion. I am just glad it's all over."

"I am sure they have already seen you on tv, Teion-san", Sayaka comments negatively. Of course she was seen, that's what she planned for since the start. "You were pratically grabbing the camera off the employee, and what was it you said then? Making yourself the victim by blaming it on the corporate music industry was quite the bold move after you summoned that youma." Sayaka takes her tea and takoyaki, and balances the former between the zippers of her bag, so it doesn't spill while she focuses on eating her food.

"That's a lot of donuts", Sayaka looks curiously at the amount Norie ordered. Makes sense why she was worried about them running out. "Is it your favourite food?"

Norie Okana has posed:
Norie has her tea and bag of donuts. She sips her tea and closes her eyes and tries to find her center... tea... bag of donuts. Yes. Gooooddd. Neutral. It's the best she can hope for.

If she can feel hope anyways. She isn't sure about thaty. Still, she looks over between Naru and Sayaka and Bass-chan as she blinks a little and steals away a flier into her pants pocket for later purusing.

"A... youma. You say? Huh?" she asks blunty as she looks between the group.

She doesn't watch the news. Else she'd probably know more.

Mizudori Teion has posed:
    Mizudori carries her coffee back over towards her violin case, leaning her backside against the low wall and taking a sip. She makes a face at Sayaka, not quite a tongue-out but kind of an eye-roll like 'get over yourself'. "I am the victim, it hardly matters what you do. The independent artist is always going to be morally superior to the corporate drone. You probably just buy into all that capitalism nonsense. Nothing good has ever come from people wearing suits and talking about business, okay? We need to be free to create." She makes a wide gesture with her free hand. She doesn't say anything about the alleged youma she allegedly summoned in the mall. Allegedly.

    After a moment she puts her coffee down and opens her violin case to take the instrument back out. She places it to her shoulder and lifts the bow in the other hand, beginning to play a more sedate piece of music while still leaning back against the wall.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"It's easy to be precise when you know exactly what you're asking for." Naru notes to Sayaka with a smile. There's an arching of her brow at the mention of a 'youma' and 'summoned' and her attention goes over to Mizu.

"That poor mall." Naru comments mildly, thoughtfully as she takes a sip of her coffee. She might have ordered a snack, but she doens't seem to be in a rush to eat it right off the top at least.

"Everyone come out of the attack alright?" Naru asks Sayaka and Mizudori alike, even if the violinist is now over back with her instrument.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"Yes, the incident that wrecked that music shop at Clover Mall was caused by Teion-san", Sayaka informs Norie.

"And it's too bad for you Usagi-senpai, Agemaki-san and Tsunashi-senpai were there too", Sayaka replies to Mizudori after finishing her takoyaki and recovering her tea from her bag.

"You aren't getting out of anything by avoiding mentioning the youma, and you make me sick if you think it's even going to work."

"Yes, Agemaki-san had this barrier that pushed us and the monster 'to the side', as she said", Sayaka reassures Naru. "So nobody was harmed while we dealt with the monster."

Norie Okana has posed:
Norie Okana listens to this and sips her tea and purses her lips.

"She's right there. And you know for a fact she summoned a monster for...personal gain?" she asks quietly.

"Then why don't. You do something about it?" she asks. She asks this with a confused expression as she looks between everyone and then looks into her bag and fishes out a chocolate donut as she takes a bit. Nom.

"That mall needs to stop having problems. I need to shop there soon!" she complains.

Mizudori Teion has posed:
    Mizudori continues to play her violin, picking up the pace a little bit, as if trying to drown out Sayaka talking about how she allegedly summoned a youma at the mall, of which there is no hard evidence other than unreliable eyewitness testimony. Then she starts to sing, her voice sweet and notably pitch-perfect, effortlessly matching the notes of the violin.

    "Hey, blue-haired lady, why don't you stop, you're driving me crazy! I didn't summon a monster, that's silly, I'm just trying to bring joy to the city! Music is about freedom, stop bringing me down, you're only making yourself look like a clown!" She sings these words to the tune she's playing on the violin, then has the audacity to wink at Sayaka before she stops the singing, though she continues playing the violin.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I suspect you'll be fine shopping at the mall, Norie." Naru reassures her as she moves a little further from the van as the conversation settles into the firmly supernatural. The mundanes who are getting coffee don't really need to have their memories challenged /that/ much.

"Hmm mmm." Naru nods thoughtfully at the listing of who else was there is provided from Sayaka and the presence of the warding. Hamster balls can come in a wide variety of sizes after all.

Naru can't help but flicker a smile at the song. Even if it's actively teasing Sayaka, it IS clever.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"I intend to be on my guard when she is around, for what's worth", the bluenette replies to Norie. "Not sure what else to do besides that. The Veil hides proof from those non-magically attuned, so I can't exactly bring her to the police."

Sayaka feels reassured everybody here falls outside of that category, eyeing Mizudori torbidly as she continues denying her accusations.

What makes Sayaka's blood boil is when the musician starts teasing her in song form, and with a violin no less, basically her comfort instrument. If she starts associating the violin with her ugly mug, Mizudori will have to hear some words from her.

"Enjoy your music and the time you have to feel witty", she scowls at her. "That won't last once word about what you did starts spreading."

Norie Okana has posed:
Norie Okana listens to the song making fun of Sayaka.

She manages to snort out loudly, but grabs her face suddenly, dropping her donut in the process, to hold her mouth literarily shut. Donuts. Think only of Donuts.

Please do not laugh at this blunette's misfortune. Please do not break down into Oujo laughter.

"O..oho..." she manages to get out before snorting again. She manages to stop herself and takes a deep, breath okay centered again. Donuts. Donuts aren't silly, donut's are delicious.

"I'm so sorry!" she manages to say as she snorts again and starts shoving a donut into her mouth before she can try to laugh or snort or anything ever again as she chases it down with tea and looks to Naru.

"O--Oh okay." she says as she manages to say before she deep breathes again.

"Okay. I'm.. fine." now. She lies.

Mizudori Teion has posed:
    Mizudori leaps up onto the wall, seemingly without effort despite it being nearly the height of her waist, still playing the electric violin (the amp is sitting on the wall, so there's enough slack in the cord that this isn't particularly dangerous. "That's right! Word should spread! Bass-chan the Magnificent has deigned to grace your lowly mall with her presence, with her entertainment!" She enthuses, the melody on the violin getting faster, more lively.

    "Lament the loss of your boring life not, my do-gooding damsel, because we're entering a world full of something much more valuable than 'goodness' or 'safety'." She spins nimbly leaping over the cord of the violin to avoid tripping on it. "We're entering a world full of adventure! Of beautiful chaos!" The notes become discordant on the violin, and her tone is sing-song, although she isn't quite singing, each word falling on a pitch-perfect note. "Art is beauty, chaos is art, and the wilder shit gets, the more the creative flourish!"

    She stops playing, striking a dramatic pose and pointing at Sayaka with the violin's bow. "So how about you thank me for bringing this city the best gift it's ever gotten.... me." She gives a big, wide smile, green eyes seeming luminous above perfect white teeth.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I don't know if she'd get along swimmingly with Hinoiri or if you two would fight like cats and dogs." Naru muses almost absently as she sips her coffee and watches the impromptu 'performance' by Mizudori. "Probably both." She decides after a moment.

Naru glances over to Norie as the vampire struggles to get her giggles under control. "You sure about that?" She asks and then nods as Norie assures her.. and perhaps her own self too.. that she's fine. Fine. Totally fine.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"I wonder why you feel like I should something, then you find it funny when she uses her song to mock me about the danger she poses", the bluenette mentions with melancholy, only accepting Norie's apology insofar as not particularly reacting against her. But it gets to her a bit. Just a bit.

"Glad you are fine", Sayaka responds with a sulk, slowly drinking her tea.

"There were several of us telling you that your chaos isn't welcome here, and that people do not find being harmed and suffering fun!", Sayaka retorts, her eyes falling on her ring before taking a breath and focusing back on her tea.

You mustn't let her get to you, think about Kyousuke's music. His music is so much better than anything Mizudori could ever produce. Think about what Madoka would do if she were here. She wouldn't want them to fight against each other, she would want a peaceful solution. Sayaka doesn't know what peaceful solution though. Why does this girl have to be so... Chaotic stupid?

She sighs, more of her hibiscus tea going down her throat as she keeps herself calm.

"No way she would get along with Kirara-senpai. She is fun to be around and hardworking, totally unlike her", she comes to Hinoiri's defense. She knew she worked a lot in the Yearbook club, and the two times they met she feels they got along well. Their mutual distaste for Kyubey also helped matters.

Norie Okana has posed:
Norie Okana grows sour as the talk about Hinoiri picks up. "I do not like that girl." she says sharply. "She makes...fun of my candor... my way of talking..." she says softly as she sips her tea. She stuffs another donut into her mouth as she huffs. "I..I wasn't...laughing I..." she frowns. This sucks, when you can only get joy out of someone elses misery. She hates herself for it.

"I'm sorry." she says as she sulks a lot. She looks at the last donut in her bag and sighs a little. Her tea's almost gone as she listens to Bass-chan sing and play her synthy violin.

"I'm. sure. I'm fine now." she says quietly to Naru.

She tries to clap politely as Bass-chan ends her song pointing the bow at Sayaka.

"The world is pretty weird already." she adds.

Mizudori Teion has posed:
    Mizudori hops down from the wall, returning the violin to its case yet again. "Jokes on you, I get along with everybody." She tells Naru, despite obvious evidence to the contrary standing there in the form of Sayaka. "But hey if you want to bring this Kirara-san to my show, more the merrier! Nothin' like a mosh pit to settle a disagreement, amirite?"

     She laughs again as she closes the violin case, and picks up her coffee to take another sip, having left it sitting there the whole tim she was playing. "The problem is that people are so trapped in their... their silly little boxes," She says, holding her hands in such a way as to make the shape of a box, still with coffee in one. "They don't realize how cool the world is. I'm gonna change that. People should be grateful. Even if they're scared. Even if they get a little hurt. Y'know, being scared is soooo much more fun than being bored. Why do you think people go to scary movies? Besides, it's not like anybody's gonna die. I got it under control." So confident in herself.

    "The world is weird," She agrees with Norie, but it lacks a certain flair. If all the world's a stage, then now's the time to claim the spotlight."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"There is SO much chaos and weird in the world." Naru comments, watching the chaos that is the general conversation even. So much ambient chaos. "As well as so much wonder, and beauty and amazing things. Six impossible things before breakfast, I think that's the usual goal, hmm?" Perhaps only to those who read vintage trippy children's literature. She sips her coffee, apparently calm amongst the chaos that has only lightly touched on art.

"I'm fond of Hinoiri." Naru notes quietly. "But she also has a certain.. confidence about her." Yeah.. that's a word for it. Confidence. "I would expect that Bass-chan is also really hardworking. Making a living at music, or art, is absolutely brutal."

Mizudori Teion has posed:
    Mizudori picks up her violin case, then the amp by its little handle in the same hand, the second hand reserved for her coffee. "Anyway, I gotta split. Places to be, things to do, you know how it is. Always in demand." She grind again, and whoever decided someone so annoying should have such an endearing grin was doing the world no favors.

    "You all have fun now. Take a flyer!" She's leaving them there, in a small pile right beside the coffee cart. Probably hoping people will keep taking them, even if that's technically not allowed. "And stop by the Untidy Squid, I'm playing next week! Peeeeace."

    And she's off, walking down the sidewalk, violin case in hand.

Naru Osaka has posed:
As Mizudori peaces out, and Norie takes her leave, Naru accepts that she's not likely to eat much of her snack and just tucks the bag away. "I should also get going. I'm glad you didn't get hurt at the mall, Sayaka." There's no commentary about the right or wrong of Mizudori's actions, she's willing to let each of them come up with that on their own.

"I'll see you later." Naru waves her mostly finished coffee and on her way out.. she picks up one of those flyers. More information is good!