945/Coffee Confessional

Coffee Confessional
Date of Scene:	30 December 2023
Location:	Gullwing Coffee
Synopsis:	Masato and Naru finally go for coffee (and tea). They have all SORTS of things to talk about.
Cast of Characters:	Naru Osaka, Nephrite

---

Naru Osaka has posed:
It's been a busy little while and now that purifications have happened, and there's been some 'vacation' (roughing it) at the Gates of Time and even school is done for holiday. It is time for coffee.

Naru got there a little early, found a table and is settled there. Her sketchbook is out, doing some idle little doodling. There's a coffee at the table, and it's tucked into a corner of the coffee shop.

Nephrite has posed:
    Masato arrives promptly at the designated time. He seems to have had a bit of a growth spurt. It was there already when he was purified, but has only become more pronounced now that he is no longer straining to hold himself together, walking around with his back straight, and his head held high, and finally at peace. He is wearing a black longcoat over a dark-blue turtle-neck sweater with silver stars embroidered across its surface, with charcoal slacks and black, point-toed boots.

    As soon as he sets eyes upon Naru, a smile appears on his face, and he moves to join her. As he slips out of his coat and leans over to hang it on the back of the chair across from the budding artiste, he says, "I hope I've not kept you waiting long. I'm always late to everything, but I thought I was on time for once."

    He pulls out a bouquet of blue roses he had behind his back, and half-bows to offer them to his coffee companion.

    It's a mix of light blue and dark blue roses: Peace and tranquility for the former, dreams, imagination, thoughtfulness, and creativity for the latter, and in the Japanese language of flowers, blue roses symbolize, 'a dream come true'.

    They couldn't have been chosen more fittingly.

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru looks up.. and up.. she's tiny at the best of times, and even more so when sitting down. Her smile is warm as he joins her. "You're right on time, I was early." She sets her pencil down and reaches for the flowers. "Aww. That's so sweet of you. Thank you."

Naru leans in to sniff the blue roses, admiring both the colours within and the faint scent they give off. "I wasn't sure what you'd want for coffee so I didn't get you one in advance."

"I hope you've at least started recovering?" Naru asks, up at him. "I know Mamoru is still sorting himself out to some degree."

Nephrite has posed:
    Seating himself, the now over-six-feet-tall teenager shakes his head. "That's fine. Given my history of punctuality, or lack thereof, ordering in advance would reasonably have meant cold coffee." He raises a hand to indicate he is ready to order, and a server comes over. He just asks for cinnamon chai tea. Then he focuses back on Naru.

    Even when he's happy, he has a very stoic exterior much of the time. But now he's comfortable just smiling, and speaking in his natural voice, even as raspy and gravelly as it is, when before he would cover it up with that rich baritone he uses when he wants to make a good impression. Because he lacked confidence in that one aspect of himself.

    "For the most part. I must admit, virtually all memory of myself as 'Masato Sanjouin' from before Mamoru recruited me is missing. I don't know if that means permanently gone or just 'it will take time to recover'. But I remember everything from my previous life as Nephrite, and everything from the past two years." He tilts his head. "Well, almost three years now. And I've a birthday coming up on the third. Same birthday in both lives, if you can believe it."

    Then he says, "What about you? You weren't... Hurt, were you? At the park?"

Naru Osaka has posed:
Sketchbook gets tucked back into her bag such that the flowers can sit on the satchel as well. Naru tucks her legs up under her on the chair such that her feet don't dangle and make her feel like very small child.

"As akward as it sounds, you are Nephrite in my head.. or Neph.. and it's odd to call you Masato." Naru notes, just a tiny bit sheepishly, and with a soft laugh. "Masoto fits better than Maxwell at least."

Naru blinks at the mention of his birthday coming up. "Wait.. your birthday is on the 3rd? Mine's on the first." She wrinkles her nose a little. "The joys of having a birthday on a major national holiday.. but our birthdays are really close together."

Naru shakes her head. "No, I wasn't hurt. I am not so delusional about my skills to toss myself into melee with your former selves." She smiles easily. "You guys were not pushovers. I was at the back, running comms generally."

Nephrite has posed:
    An 'aaaahhh' of enlightenment as he is reminded of Naru's birthday. He doesn't remember where he learned it originally, but many things like that have been popping up as he encounters them. Memories buried just below the surface that spring to life easily and readily now that there's nothing reburying them or adding more layers to keep them hidden. "Well, if it helps, I still think of myself as Nephrite in my head as well. You are not the only one who will have to make an adjustment, even if it's only with those who aren't aware of my identity. So, I will answer to either name."

    Then he gets out a new phone, and turns it on in. His number should be in the texts he sent, but he makes doubly-sure by sending it directly. "I meant with Shingo Tsukino, not at the Shrine, though... Yes, I am glad you weren't harmed there either. I was trying to prevent being in a situation where I could be possessed and forced to hurt the people I care about, so I have kept my distance while still trying to be around you when I can... I hope that distance has not soured any interest in becoming closer, now that the danger has mostly passed."

    Then he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. "Perhaps bringing that up is moving a bit too quickly. My sincerest apologies." There's so much he has missed out on. So much he feels like he has to make up for. But he doesn't need to rush any more. He paid the price for using the Phoenix with a corrupted body and soul, and he paid the price of purification to drive out the Demon Goddess herself. His time limit is still hopefully not going to be up for many decades to come.

    So he tries to think of something mundane. Casual. Simplistic. Human. "How are, err... Your grades?" he finishes lamely.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Oh!" Naru laughs easily. "The park was fine.. I was trying to get you to kidnap me rather than Shingo, but it all sorted out in the end." She is utterly comfortable with that comment. It just is what it is, and she clearly doens't seem to hold it against him.

Naru reaches out her hand to settle on his arm. "It feels.. honestly.. like we need to actually meet. And get to know each other now that you get to be fully you again. And see what's going to happen with the spark." Naru takes a deep breath. "No.. it's fine. We've sort of done things oddly. I mean.. purification feels personal, but yet.. we haven't had opportunity to actually become /friends/."

Naru laughs brightly. "My grades are pretty good, thank you. Not top of the class, but I do alright. Are you going to be in class full time next term?"

Nephrite has posed:
    Nephrite--Masato--Nephrite, really, just smiles ruefully and closes his eyes as Naru touches his arm. He briefly puts his own hand over hers, squeezing it in thanks, but not holding it there if she wishes to withdraw it. "I agree. That would be best. I'm not running out of time any more. I'd like to slow down and take life as it comes at me instead of racing to find the best solution constantly." When his tea arrives, he opens his eyes, thanks the server, and then looks down at the cup, and the steam that rises from it, wreathing his face. It's almost hypnotizing. Maybe it's just reminding him of something. "I should attend. A lot of knowledge I have now may be outdated in the modern era. With my life pre-awakening gone, at least for now, anything that helps me make new connections or restore existing connections would be helpful."

    He looks up at Naru. "Or, to put it in simpler terms, since I am frequently ridiculed by my colleagues for my flowery language: I need to relearn what being human is, and I would greatly appreciate it if you could be with me during the process." Then he inclines his head in acknowledgement. "As friends, while we find out what just being 'Naru and Masato' means."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I mean.. that's part of life though.. trying to find the best solution, but a little less manic, I suppose." Naru considers that a moment as she picks up her coffee for a sip. Black coffee at the moment, it isn't always, but tonight that's what she decided on. "There's a lot to be said for the social connections.. yeah." She nods in agreement. "The knowledge is all fine and good and all.. altough I find classes to be functional, but I get more out of my own research, but that's besides the point. The connections are valuable."

Naru has settled her hands around her coffee cup for the moment, stealing the warmth out of the mug. "I am happy to be friends while we sort out what 'Naru and Masato' means.. there's a spark there.. but." She takes a slow breath and then plunges ahead. "Full disclosure.. not only is there a spark between us, but I'm /also/ very fond of someone else as well." She mmms softly. "So there's a whole lot of finding out going on."

Nephrite has posed:
    Nephrite's smile shifts a bit, along with a furrowing of his brow, at that news from Naru. Like he's confused. But he's a smart man. He doesn't remain confused for long.

    "Ah."

    One hand goes around his tea cup, and the other reaches into his coat hanging behind him, and retrieves a bottle from an inside pocket, before pouring a generous dollop of bourbon into the tea. Then he mixes it slowly with one of those tiny straws. "Surprising, but understandable," he says finally. Then he drinks his spiced-up cinnamon chai as he looks thoughtfully across the shop. He's not smiling, but he doesn't seem angry or anything. None of the violence or grief or intensity that was there when he had Dark Energy amping up everything and pushing him towards aggression.

    "I have not exactly been around much. And I've not been in your life as much as I'd like. Research into the self is as worthy and valuable as into the Stars. That is something I have come to believe wholly -- that the heart is every bit a mystery." Then he looks across at Naru again, his smile back, but only faintly. "I apologize again, for rushing things. It was arrogance to assume your life had been put on hold for me. Like so many things while under the influence of foreign elements... It made sense at the time."

    He nods his head a few times as he looks back to the tea. Nostalgia washes over him, as he finds himself asking a similar question of Naru as he once asked of Darien. "So... Tell me about him. What is he like?" Then he pauses. "Or she, I suppose."

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru watches him pour a little 'something something' into his tea and quirks a brow, but she doesn't comment on it. She takes a sip of her coffee and nods a little.

"I have a lot of life." Naru considers her words thoughtfully. "And you've had a lot of life." She offers a gentle smile. "It doesn't feel like rushing, per se, so much as we didn't dance around things, thanks to months of things being decidedly odd, courtesty of .. everything."

A delicate way of putting 'demon in one's head'.

Naru smiles warmly, she can't help herself. "No.. not she. I went on one date with a girl and we established that I am absolutely straight." She chuckles a little ruefully and then settles thoughtful. "We're in the same grade, but not the same class. But he's new to Japan and he's sweet, and adorable and we've been hanging out and spending time together and doing tourist things."

Nephrite has posed:
    16 is the legal drinking age in some countries, and Nephrite is almost 17, it's fine, it's all okay, it's perfectly fine. He also does not offer any to Naru, because 14 or 15 is very much not the legal drinking age in Japan, and Masato isn't about to introduce his vice to someone so sweet and innocent. He listens attentively as Naru describes the boy. Attractive, kind, exotic, and most of all present. "Does he appreciate your art?" is his first question. Something important to Naru. What she sees herself doing in the future.

    It's important to Nephrite that Naru's interests be important to whomever she is with. Even if they do not feel the same way about the topic of art, valuing Naru's commitment and interest and validating her work is just... Important. "Also, how does he feel about ghosts and capybaras? I was going to invite you to come with us on a trip to some hot springs to show capybaras to Himeko, but I thought you might want to bring him with. Not everyone responds well to..." He pauses and looks up at the ceiling thoughtfully. Ghosts? Formerly-murderous specters? High-octane nightmare fuel? The supernatural? Small children? "...Himeko." Right, that's the one.

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru might be only a couple days from 15, but she doens't ask for an extra dollop into her coffee.

Naru has to pause and think about what she's shared. "I've been so hung up on the shrine stuff that I feel like I've barely had time to draw. I feel like I've /finally/ gotten to sit down with my sketchook just in the last few days. But yes.. he appreciates my art, and he's beena good friend when I've needed one."

"Well, he's aware of the Weird, so ghosts are rather part and parcel of life when you're aware of things." Naru smiles, a touch ruefully. Their lives are not exactly a hallmark movie. "I can ask him, though. How's Himeko doing?" She pauses only a moment. "How's Jadite and Zoi doing too, for that matter? I assume you've seen both of them more recently than I have."

Nephrite has posed:
    Nephrite nods as he listens. "I'm not sure about Himeko. I haven't seen her lately. Jadeite is still sorting out how to walk. His motor functions were in the part of his brain that got blown out of his head, apparently, so he's just trying to reconnect everything. Zoisite has been quiet, which is never a good thing. It means either's he's planning something or he's deeply ill. I think it's the former. I saw him writing, so he's probably adding to his list of alliterative nicknames to call Himeko by."

    Nephrite sips at his tea as he thinks. "Good. It's good you've had the time to draw again despite..." He stops speaking abruptly, his throat closing up. He needs a moment as guilt overwhelms him. Then he looks down. Then up. He needs to make eye contact while he says this. "...I need to apologize for so many things. I'm sorry about the shrines. I'm sorry for coming up with Midnight Tokyo. I'm sorry for fighting on the wrong side, and involving you in things that put you in danger. I'm sorry for lying about my identity, and about trying to deceive you. At Princess Dia's ball, I actually thought about having my Shadow possess you and use you as a vector to possess the princess. I decided against it, but the fact I even thought about it despite how I felt about you, I--"

    A lot of it was Dark Energy tampering with his judgment. A lot more was Metallia in his head, constantly encouraging him so that he couldn't tell her voice from his own thoughts. But he isn't going to deflect responsibility by blaming either of those things. As he goes down the list of terrible things he has done, planned to do, or considered doing, he realizes gradually that it was arrogance to even think he could be friends with Naru, let alone anything else. Why is he still trying to be in the life of someone he has wronged so thoroughly and so many times?

    Eventually, he stops speaking, as his voice gets quieter and quieter, until there's just nothing left for him to say. He's sorry for so much.

    But that doesn't undo any of it.

    His eyes were a stormy blue before. They can still be that, but they are bright and clear and unclouded, because he's just a human now, and he can take an honest look at his life, and realize there is so much to work on still.

    "I'm also sorry for turning coffee into a confessional."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Poor Jadeite.. if he's back in Tokyo and he's got a phone again, I should send him a message." Naru winces a little on his behalf. "I don't know Zoisite well but I do know how much it makes Mamoru happy to have all of you guys back properly again."

Naru reaches over again to touch his arm gently, a little squeeze. "Spoilers.. coffee often turns into those sorts of conversation. That's okay.. it's part of spending time, and having conversations.. even the hard bits."

It is clear that Naru isn't at all dissuaded by the gnarly past, be it long ago, or recent. She's comfortable with that eye contact, nodding a little as he explains a few more of the more egregious things he'd consiered.. or tried.

"You had a demon in your head, and you were full of dark energy." Naru notes plainly. "Which you feel responsible for, but that wasn't you. Yes.. those things happened." Naru nods a little and there's a flicker of a smile. "And you're irritatingly clever, cause Midnight Tokyo was a complete pain in the arse. You should be proud of your evil self, even if he was utterly clever in completely the wrong direction." She mmms softly. "But you guys are not.. and were not.. the only things that are dangerous out there." She makes a face. "I really /really/ hate getting mirrored, but that's besides the point."

Nephrite has posed:
    He starts to protest. "They would never have happened if I hadn't sacrificed everything for... Whatever it was I even received back then. Power? Knowledge? Why would I ever givve up my loyalty to Endymion for..." He rubs his forehead with his free hand as Naru touches his arm again. Like she did at the park. Soothing. Anchoring. Calming. He lets her continue without interruption. No one likes to consider that they could do evil, terrible things. Nephrite has been confronted with the truth that he is fully capable of them, because he did them.

    That isn't something easy to look away from after you've seen and accepted it. He can't just... Put aside that knowledge. It's always there, making him feel dirty. Used. Like he might contaminate Naru just by casual physical contact. His hand drops from his face to go over Naru's again. But this time, he is gently removing her hand from his arm.

    She's so small compared to him. Not just her height. He knows she's tough, strong, resilient, brilliant, loving, and very, very cute. But just like in a distant past when he was secretly dating the Senshi of Jupiter, even though she did not need his protection, he has this ridiculous chivalry complex where he feels he needs to be there, just in case. As though his presence would make the difference when the woman he loves can make quick work of him barehanded. Perhaps Naru isn't there yet. He hasn't fully given up on the notion that she might be a reinarnation, or a candidate for something.

    But holding her small hand in his large one, he feels a pang in his heart. The desire to protect, but the knowledge that the one she needed protection from was Nephrite himself.

    He is drawn out of his thoughts, putting off turning all moody and brooding until he's alone somewhere private, preferably with a glass of scotch, except no he should be cutting back on his drinking. It was already becoming a bit much back when he had a healing factor regenerating the damage so he couldn't even get drunk. He isn't about to become an alcoholic and prove Zoisite right with those verbal jabs of his. Step one of improving himself: Stop drinking so damn much.

    "So what do you like?" he saks finally, a strange topic shift for right out of the blue. "Not mirrors, I know, but anything else?" He turns half-way to again get into his jacket and rustle around.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"No.. they wouldn't.. but time travel aside." Naru has to add that caveat these day, because reasons. "This time around, it did. And it made sense when you did it, even if you don't understand now. You just have to move forward. What happened, happened and the what ifs did not."

Naru lets her hand be removed and her smile is gentle. "I know that's eaiser said than done, but if I repeat it often enough, perhaps it might sneak into your thoughts.. somewhere."

"Why is it such questions always make people's mind's go blank." Naru laughs softly. "What do I like? I know its not cool to enjoy lessons.. but I do enjoy the challenge of the puzzles of mystical math, or working through your cypher." Because she was the one who literally did it by hand with Mamoru. "Mirrors are a specific attack that I just really dislike." She considers. "I like coffee." She laughs softly. "Which sounds so banal, but I'm utterly an addict." She considers again. "I'm a vegetarian?" She smiles to him. "What do you like that isn't astonomy?"

Nephrite has posed:
    The Guardian with the wavey brown hair nods. He can't undo the past (maybe). But that makes it no easier to unburden himself from. He lets go of Naru's hand, belatedly. He is making mental notes of everything Naru says, but he turns around and places a small present wrapped in paper bearing kittens, stars, and numbers. Not exactly common wrapping paper. Obsidian has custom wrapping printers in the office, so he made sure to abuse them. He had that privilege back then.

    He doesn't blurt out the answer that first pops into his head. 'You.'

    It would make things uncomfortable, probably, and be inappropriate. The next two answers to come to mind are either equally insipid or equally complicating. 'Endymion'. 'Sailor Jupiter'. No and no. 'The other Shitennou.' No. Also 'alcohol' is right out.

    Eventually he settles on an answer that satisfies him. "Keeping promises. Making the people I care for smile. Being accepted for who I am." Then less poetically, he says, "Not being the sole reason that Beryl Holdings was profitable anymore. Do you have any idea how hard it was to keep them in the black? So many schemes and start-ups and luxuries on company cards and general waste. Jadeite was in finances, and he still wound up spending the most on each of his operations that got shut down as quickly as they started."

    A slow shake of the head about that headache.

    "Ah, and magic. I definitely... Like magic." His expression is sad for some reason when he says that.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"A present?" Naru blinks in surprise as he presents her with a small package in custom wrapping paper.

"Those are really interesting answers." Naru comments as she carefully unwraps the necklaces. The first, a pretty green stone in a setting makes her smile. "Oooh, that's pretty. Thank you."

Naru laughs warmly. "I can only imagine that there is not really tight finances at Beryl Holdings.. I saw how Hematite used his company card.. just to /start/."

"I can imagine that having to give up the ease and extras of that much dark energy sucks a whole lot." Naru has no illusions on that front, and a general comfort in conversations around magic in spite of her own lack of extensive practical experience.

Save that she holds the second compass necklace in her fingers and squints down at it, her forehead lightly furrowed as she tries to place the sense about it.

Nephrite has posed:
    Nephrite smiles a bit more as he watches Naru open the present. "Yes. Merry Christmas, belatedly. I meant to have them to you sooner. I suppose I wound up being late after all." He isn't about to talk about what he lost. The Dark Energy was... Well, it was worth losing it. It did more harm than good. He doesn't want it anymore. But he isn't going to claim it didn't feel good to have. That's how it hooks people.

    But he lost so much more that he's not prepared to talk about yet.

    Instead, he murmurs an explanation for the second. "It's a Mana Compass. I had it restored and tuned by a knowledgeable artisan, so it should remain accurate and functional for a long time. It points towards the nearest concentration of mana or the nearest source of magical energy emanations, preferring stronger over weaker. My hope is that it will help you get to where you can make a difference and get away from where you can't without anything happening to you."

    He pushes back his chair and stands up, and then moves around the table. "May I?" he asks as he holds out a hand, to help put the compass on Naru.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Oh /fascinating/." Naru listens to the explinations about the compass and she passes it to him after a moment of more careful examination of it. "Does it just attune to whoever is wearing it?" She reaches to lift her hair up out of the way for him.

"I've never really done Christmas.. I try and give New Year's gifts." She flickers a smile. "There's something poetic about giving gifts on my birthday. I like it."

Naru doesn't press him on the lack of dark energy, she isn't /that/ curious. Not yet.

Nephrite has posed:
    Nephrite gently unclasps the chain and draws the ends behind Naru's neck, before reclasping them, and making sure it is firmly in place before letting go and moving back around. "Is it loose enough? Is it too heavy?" he fusses like a mother hen over Naru as he leans to the side to get a good look at her. He had to guess because he didn't exactly get the chance to measure Naru. And the artisan in question is rather expensive, since people capable of restoring a mana compass they didn't make themself are even smaller than the number of people capable of making a mana compass to begin with.

    He decides to seat himself instead of fidgeting next to the table, and looks with equal parts excitement and concern as he awaits the verdict.

    "It should be attuned to you, but with a large baseline buffer. Otherwise virtually everything magical would get the compass going. You do not exactly have vast reserves of mana. Not that I can detect at least." And he no longer has his Star Chamber to measure potential and when it is at its peak anymore.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I'ts not too tight." Naru assures as she lifts her hand to settle onto the compass where it settles just below the neckline of her shirt. She really is tiny. "It's heavy, but not too heavy. A little bit warm.. but again, not too warm."

"I wondered if it was going to comment on half my classmaktes or not." Naru smiles a little at the mention of the buffer. "No, I shouldn't." More than she gives credit for, certainly, but more than none isn't much of a threshhold.

"It's lovely and a thoughtful gift. Thank you."

Nephrite has posed:
    Nephrite--No, Masato, smiles more broadly, relieved. He worried briefly that giving gifts to someone who is dating someone else might be taken the wrong way, but... Like they both agreed, they are going try out just being friends. There is nothing wrong with giving a friend a couple gifts. "Ah, I was going to bring something to show you how it works, but it might draw attention from undesirables, and triggering the defensive mechanism might be jarring for what was meant to be a casual social meeting."

    He then expounds upon said defensive mechanism, "Essentially, if there is something so strong and dangerous that you should get away from it as soon as possible, there is a mental shock to make you aware of it. It means you're not ready, and you should not tamper with it or involve yourself with it." He raises his eyebrows and says decisively, "At all." He really wants to emphasize that point. He can't dictate her actions, but there are some things in this world that one doesn't tempt fate with.

    Then he goes back to his tea, and finishes it off before it can go cold. Once his cup is back on its saucer, he pulls his wallet out of his pants pocket and moves to pay for both of their drinks. "I would like to meet again, if you care to. Do you have plans for New Year's?"

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I am going to hope that I dont get a demonstration too soon." Naru notes after a thoughtful moment. "But I've also met me, and well.. I still hope I don't get a demonstration too soon." She laughs softly. "And I'll take any mental shocks under advisement as being a terrible idea to go and investigate."

Which really isn't the same as not doing it, but she'll at least know it's a terrible idea.

"I'd be happy to meet again." Naru smiles warmly. "Part and parcel of that whole 'keep getting to know each other', thing." She nods at his quesiton about plans for New Year's. "I do, yes. Do you have plans for your birthday yet?"

Nephrite has posed:
    Ah, right. The boyfriend. Of course she would want to spend that day with him. Masato pauses, and then resumes putting down the yen for their drinks. He almost adds a healthy tip, but reminds himself that isn't customary here. It's so strange. He was born and raised here, but there's customs in his head from other places that come more easily than his birth country. He can't even place where the tipping custom came from. Something he did when he was operating in another country as a Shitennou? Something from Silver Millennium?

    Something to sort out at another time. Gradually.

    "I didn't think I was still going to have anyone to spend my birthday with two weeks ago." he admits. "No. No plans. Though speaking of that, I may swing by on your birthday if that's alright. I have another gift that is taking some time to arrive. It's an import, so to speak." Then he gets up from his seat as he starts slipping into his coat. He smiles at Naru. "Thank you. For everything."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"You are welcome to stop by." Naru confirms as she finishes her coffee, and moves to put on her coat as well. The other pretty necklace gets tucked, along wiht the wrapping, into her satchel. "Although fair warning, even wihtout plans, New Year's Day is a hard day to catch people on, most folks are out and about being copious levels of social."

Naru smiles warmly. "I don't think you'll have trouble with no one to celebrate your birthday with." She shakes her head a little. "You are clearly trying to spoil me. Thank you.. for coffee, and conversation and being willing to make the effort to find you again."

Nephrite has posed:
    Masato--No, Nephrite, crosses an arm over his chest, and bows formally at the waist to Naru. "I shall endeavour to live such that gifts, conversation, coffee, and being findable become expected rather than an exception." Then he straightens up, nods to the server who attended their table, and departs into the cold. He should go check on the status of his dorm room to see if it has dried out yet or not, and to see the status of Naru's birthday present. Another thing he should try: Not being late so much.