Scene #2877: Social Chameleons

Owner	Pose
Takashi Agera	Takashi Agera is not a terribly common arrival at the Korma, but all the same, he's been here before, and he does cut a bit of a memorable figure, the string-bean body with long silver hair that catches the lights of the shop, memorable as Mamoru's brother (one of two, to some people) - but he's never been here with the girl who's next to him and slightly behind him almost-slightly-hiding - a short girl with purple eyes and large classes, long purple hair with a pink streak in it, both of them wearing the Radiant Heart Academy's uniforms. "Relax, the Korma's traditionally entirely safe." Takashi says to the girl behind him, as they wait to be shown to a table."Plus you're here with me." "O-okay. It's been a while since I've been anywhere nice..." she admits, looking around at the Korma. "Two, please." Takashi begins, as he's asked how many by the person working the front. Though it's not terribly uncommon for a group of 2 to turn into a larger group quickly when they're wearing the uniforms of Radiant Heart.
Rashmi Terios	The interior of the Korma Chameleon is, deliberately, decorated to be a warm hug for the eyes, as much as the food is for taste and smell. The pair are cheerfully shown to a table by the window, where the curtains throw a color filter on the world, making it seem lit by warm firelight. Menus are set in front of Takashi and Yuyami, and the pair are left to consider their options... For a bit, at least. Until their waitress bops up to their table, all bright smiles and long red hair and oh god Chrono's girlfriend is helping out at the shop again and of course she has their table.. "Welcome to the Korma Chameleon!" she chirps, her customer-service smile warmly genuine. "Hello, Agera-san! And I see we have a new face, have you ever had Indian curry before, Customer-san?" Worse: She's in a good mood.
Hinote Kagari	Hinote Kagari sweeps in, rain behind him in the backdrop of a city where honor has gone soft. The World a haze of---it's a perfectly cromulent winter day out. But he's thinking it because he's in pure thought at the moment. Tracy, the detective chara is hovering besides him looking through a tiny notebook. The notes are all about how Mamoru is 'The Cat Burglar. Hinote Kagari thinks it's silly. As always. He looks over at Rashmi and gives a wave, before looking over to Takashi. Whooooo... he hasn't met before. At least not as 'Takashi'. His friend though? She's familiar. Book girl. Right. "Hey there." he says with a wave. "Hinote Kagari. Hello again Yuyami-san!" he says, introducing, and reintroducing himself to the two seated. "Rashmi-san, everything alright today?" he asks. "Not overworked right?"
Takashi Agera	Takashi and Yuyami are partly here because of that 'warm hug' atmosphere, and partly because earlier in the day Riventon got punched into a divot and really he just wants to get his mind off of that. So of course the girlfriend of another one of his notorious problems is waiting his table today. But on some level one has to expect running into Rashmi Terios when he's going to the Terios family restraunt, and the food is just that good. He smiles back at her - he's practiced at being polite and it's much easier in his civlian form. "Ah, hello. This is Kagayaki Yuyami." he says, introducing her formally even as it seems the slight mention of the girl's name has her hide slightly behind the menu she was reading. "No... no I've never had curry that wasn't instant, before." she says, more to the menu than Rashmi. Takashi smiles gently at her. "You really don't have to hide. Nothing's gonna bite you here unless you order the highly spicy stuff." he says, and the girl slowly seems to uncoil slightly from her stress. And she asks Rashmi directly. "So... what do you recommend, for someone who's never had Indian curry before?" she asks. Despite the shyness there's a way she speaks and a light in her eyes that shows her mind is running rather fast at all times. She is doing pretty well until Hinote uses her name and she makes a slight 'eep' noise before turning to regard him. "Oh, h-hello... Kagari-san." she says as he helpfully reminds her. She whispers not-at-all-subtly "...and Tracy-san." She had no problem remembering the name of the MAGIC FAIRY, though!
Rashmi Terios	Hinote's entrance is -- a bit -- distracting, but Rashmi has been waiting tables long enough to simply turn and beam at the Chara Bearer, at first, then immediately take her attention back to her table, her sunny cheer gentling somewhat in the face of Yuyami's. "Well it's great to meet you, Kagayaki-san! And first-timer... well. Two questions; how hungry are you, and do you like spicy food at all? That'll definitely help with reccomendations. ...Oh! Also allergies or restrictions, if you have any." Her mind is awhirl with questions; everything she's heard about this girl says she's working with Obsidian... yet here she is having lunch with Mamoru's brother? And the stage-whisper says that she's definitely magically active, so no need to fake ignoring the poor Chara. Shifting faintly to one side, she chuckles at Hinote. "Not anymore, the last rush was over a couple hours ago so you've all got great timing."
Hinote Kagari	Tracy gives some finger guns. "Heya Dollface." he says, notepad disappearing magically to...somewhere. Hinote Kagari sighs sufferingly and looks at the two. He has no idea if Takashi can see Tracy and honestly he has no inkling to ask or find out the hard way... and Tracy has just enough tact to not yell 'CAN YOU SEE ME!?' in people's faces. Jusssst enough. Barely. For a chara. "Mind if I sit with you guys?" he asks. "I was gonna sit alone but foods always better with friends." he flashes a friendly smile. "I wanted to try something spicy today for a change." he says. "You guys can watch my suffering I'm sure."
Takashi Agera	Takashi might have politely told Hinote to find his own table, but despite her shyness, Yuyami is the one to speak up close. "Oh! You can sit with us, sure." Takashi can't really take it back and he's pretty sure she spoke up because of Tracy. He's gonna have to get this girl her own Chara or something at this point to keep her out of trouble, he thinks. She's in fact watching Tracy so much that Takashi has to wave his hand in front of her face. "Hey, Kagayaki-san - ordering?" he says, and the girl blinks twice. Then slowly her brain catches up with what she heard Rashmi say but hadn't yet fully processed. "O-oh. Yes." she says, clearing her throat. "I don't have any allergies to my knowledge, no... and I'd prefer not spicy for my first time? If that's alright." she says. Takashi sighs and leans back. "To make it easier on you can I just get a medium Tikka Masala?" Takashi asks. "Also, my name is Agera Takashi, and I think you heard, but Kagayaki Yuyami." he says, gesturing to the girl who has produced a cellphone and is using it to take notes in the most unsubtle way.
Rashmi Terios	"That's absolutely okay," Rashmi chuckles. "So not spicy, no restrictions, I think you'll like the Butter Chicken for a first time, Kagayaki-san. And two-star Tikka Masala for Agera-san, and Hinote-san... how about the Macher Jhol, that's pretty spicy? Especially if you like mustardseed." Yuyami is really reminding Rashmi of Entrapta, to the point where if the rumors are true, Rashmi's heart is breaking a little for the poor girl and the environment she's been mired in. But, gotta go on with the waitressing spiel. "And for drinks... Kagayaki-san, we have a nice cool yogurt drink called lassi, it's really helpful if something's too spicy. If you want that, we have mango, strawberry, rosewater, and cardamom? Or something else, and what would the rest of you like to drink?"
Hinote Kagari	Hinote Kagari would had sat alone no problem if asked, but Yuyami makes the choice for Takashi and he sits down and smiles. She's taking notes. Tracy peers and tries to look over at the phone. But doesn't get too close. Hinote doesn't seem to mind note taking. Maybe he'd even answer questions if asked and maybe Tracy would answer if Hinote wouldn't. Who knows. Rashmi Makes a suggestion. He gives a cocksure smirk. "You know what, sure. And maybe some extra mustard seed to spice it up more." he says. Yeah he's feeling it today, he can take on the world!
Hinoiri Kirara	There was a fluttering of the door opening and then... The clatter of shoes and then... "Takashi!" Hinoiri snapped, slamming a palm down on the table. Her eyes leveled on him with a look that threatened and promised violence. For a moment, there was tension... before she sighed and slid into the seat by Hinote. "Hey, Rashmi, can you get me something just short of 'cry in the bowl' spicy? Surprise me," Hinoiri said. "Hey, Hinote. Hey, Yuyami." She then glared at him for a few moments... before... giving a slow, annoyed little grunt and letting it out. "You're paying for my lunch today," she finally said. "You and I are going to have words later." Oh. She was definitely peeved at him about something. But at least the flames died down quickly, when it came to her. She then glanced towards Yuyami and smiled. "Hey. Glad to see you're still doing good." She actually did have something in her bag for her... but she didn't want to give it to her in front of Takashi. Or mention it in front of him. "So, I'm not invading your guys like, board game night, am I? Or this just random happenstance?" she asked.
Takashi Agera	"Oh, Lassi sounds delightful..." she pauses and looks to Takashi for a moment, and he nods. Well, that makes sense, he's probably paying. "Okay, one of those please." she says. It seems like she's slowly unwinding from her shy shell. Or well, not very slowly at all. "I'll have one as well." Takashi requests. Yyuyami does, slightly, slowly, edge closer to Tracy. Eventually she whispers "...how are you floating like that? Is it natural or conscious effort? Is it easier than walking?" she asks him. Ah, she does have questions. And this is just the start. Takashi, on the other hand, is thinking about how amusing it might be if the detective chara's owner can't handle the spice. Maybe something to relax him after... and then all thoughts of relaxation end as Hinoiri puts her hand down on the table and while Takashi only straightens up slightly, Yuyami does jump a bit. "Oh... hello... Kirara-san..." she says. Takashi doesn't talk until Hinoiri finishes, and Takashi gestures to the seat she's already occupying. "Well, if we were doing a board game night, you just volunteered to play by sliding in, so either way you're here." he says. "And of course I'll cover the lunch. Yours to, Kagari-san, just to make things easier on our waitress and all." he says. "We just stopped in for some food." Takashi says, and Yuyami nods a bit. Now her attention is split between hoping Tracy has an answer for her and keeping an eye on Hinoiri. "You know each other?" she asks Hinoiri. Gauging what she should worry about, if anything.
Rashmi Terios	Hinoiri's entrance even makes Rashmi jump slightly in place, wide-eyed. Much like half the restaurant, who turns to stare at the new redhead with concern, right up until she settles, and slips into the booth. At which point she clears her throat. "Four-star Niramish Aloo Dum," she says. "It would've been five-star, but you didn't actually try to start a fight, Hinoiri-chan." And while her voice is mostly light, there's just enough edge to it to make it clear that the threat was real, because everyone knows that five-star in the Terios family restaurant means you done goofed -- either in ordering it or in disturbing the peace of the Korma Chameleon -- and are about to pay with more than money. "And extra mustard paste for the Macher. ...Okay! I'll be right back with your drinks, your orders should be up soon!" And indeed, it really is not long before dinner comes out; warm orange-red Tikka Masala for Takashi, a gentler, buttery orange chicken dish for Yuyami, An entire-ass fish steak and vegetables swimming in a thick golden stew for Hinote, and baby potatoes in a frighteningly red sauce with Hinote, the latter accompanied by a smell that by itself could set your nose on fire. "I'll be back in a bit to see how everyone's doing!" she chirps, then bops back off to continue her shift.
Hinote Kagari	Tracy looks at Yuyami softly and says. "I'm a magic fairy. I float." he says with a shrug, tilting his tiny fedora up. "Also. Tiny legs mean tiny steps. If I walked, I'd need to run everywhere and still take minutes to get across rooms!" he says. He's smart enough to know that much about himself. Hinote Kagari seems fine to let Tracy answer basic questions like that. Then the food arrives! and Hinote smells the dish and he ''coughs'' and whews! "Amazing. It's what I asked for. Thank you!" he says as he takes up the silverware and considers how to tackle this, spoon stirring the thick stew. He's working up courage. He'll take a bite in just a moment... he goes to take a bite and--- Suddenly Hinoiri! He coughs and drops the spoon as he's caught off guard and then looks over to Hinoiri. "Hey Hinoiri-san. Er, you two know one another?" he asks as he looks between Takashi and Hinoiri.
Hinoiri Kirara	Hinoiri Kirara nodded to Yuyami. "Mmm? Yeah, Takashi and I are friends. I used to work with Obsidian, we used to talk a lot and theorize stuff together. Even if I left, the two of us still hangout and chat." "... It doesn't mean he's not a pain in the flank from time to time. He's also dating my best friend," Hinoiri said. "Which he better not screw up." She then gave an apologetic smile to Rashmi. "Noted, and your mercy is appreciated. And I would never start a fight here and I would try to not finish one here, either." "But yeah, I'm annoyed at Takashi for some things, but it's more personal. I haven't had a chance to actually see him in a while, so I haven't had a chance to yell at him like he deserves." She stuck her tongue out at him. Then paused. "Keeping all your magic notes in your phone? Good luck, trust me. You're going to want a notepad. It won't be long before you need to start drawing things, not just writing the words. And trust me, that stuff gets... headache inducing."
Takashi Agera	"Ah, come on now Hinoiri-san, we don't need to turn a nice lunch into a full information unloading and threat session, do we?" He says, but there's a look in his eyes that's something of an unspoken 'I appreciate you not saying more' and also 'don't say more.' Yuyami's taking her notes, mumbling to herself as Tracy answers, and then Hinoiri addresses her and she blinks. "I can... draw on my phone?" she suggests, pulling the stylus out of the pocket of the DARK Electronics branded phone. "If I kept all of my notes on paper I'd have to bring a binder everywhere." she protests. "In my defense I didn't know she was your best friend and ex when we started dating." he says, and Yuyami turns to him before Takashi simply says "Veil." and that seems to answer her unspoken question about that. "But you've got nothing to worry about, it's ''me'' we're talking about here. You shouldn't stress." he suggests. It's around this time Yuyami looks up. "Wait, you used to work together? You left? That's ''crazy''." she notes. "Anyways..." she turns back to her primary focus of Tracy. "Why do you look like you're a protagonist from a 50s movie here in Japan. Are you from overseas?" she asks, looking briefly to Hinote then back to Tracy. "Did he find you on a vacation?"
Hinote Kagari	Hinote Kagari gives Takashi a suspicious look when Hinoiri explains a little about Obsidian, but since more isn't expounded on yet he can only conjecture. Maybe he's just some intern. Yeah. Maybe Hinoiri's intern? "Oh did you have an intern, Hinoiri?" he asks, motioning to Takashi. Hinote and Tracy seem to ignore the romance drama. THAT isn't his business. Still. Tracy is asked question. "Eh? What do you mean, dollface?" he asks. Hinote Kagari answers for Tracy, softly. "I read...and watch... a lot of Noir Detextive novels. You really need to read a few classics like The Maltese Falcon. The Big Sleep?" he asks. "There's movie versions of those, too. You'd understand then." he says. "Why Tracy...and I... am the way I am." he says as he suddenly just absent mindedly shoves a spoonful of stew into his mouth. Then he pauses. And swallows slowly.... Cough. Cough. Cough cough cough. CoughCoughCoughCoughCough---
Hinoiri Kirara	Hinoiri Kirara nodded and well, she had a strict 'No outting people' rule. She was friends with too many people on BOTH sides to be okay with just tossing that info out there. "... Wait, you can draw on your phone? That's so AWESOME!" Hinoiri said, her eyes lighting up... Before she reached into her back and pulled out a notebook... with a pen on it... and it was like half filled. "Uhhhhhh... so this... isn't normal?" she asked, glancing around. Of course. Not all of them had a magic device that could take notes for them, mentally, as needed. "Oh, and don't you even try to lecture me on what I should and shouldn't stress about," Hinoiri said in a flat tone to Takashi. "How many things do you stress about that have nothing to do with you directly?" She then glanced towards Yuyami before sighing. "Yeah. It was... rough. There were some disagreements, things went... south. I may have eaten the sun... There were witch ruins... a lot of people got hurt and, luckily, nobody died but it could have gone real bad, real easily. I was incredibly lucky. After that, a lot of people in Obsidian didn't want much to do with me aside from a bit of murdering me, but Takashi is one of the ones who at least I get along with." She then glanced towards Hinote. "Mmmm... Intern might be a good word. Get lunch, things like that. But we weren't directly in the same department or anything, we just got along. Lots of people like that in Obsidian, if you knew where to look." "Huh... so that's why... I always wondered why your chara had the cute little suit. I might need to pick up one of those books, see if I can... Err. Hinote? You okay, buddy?" Hinoiri asked before picking up a little of her own Niramish aloo dum... It smelled nice, and putting it into her mouth, she shuddered, face going red. "O-oh... t-that's... t-that's o-ow... g-good..." Every bite must be a victory for her... owie...
Takashi Agera	"Oh, so his form is because of you, so he is your fairy, not just something you found. Right, I remember the primer on these! Manifestations of inner desire and future you." she says, eyes sparkling. "Okay. Now it all makes sense! I have a lot of books to read, and I prefer books to movies - there's almost always something lost in the translation - but..." the she pauses and realizes she is somewhat yammering and blinks. "Ah. Thank you." she syas, looking down a bit. The list of people Takashi wanted to give their experience-at-Obsidian overview to Yuyami right now was short and absolutely didn't include Hinoiri with her overdosing on Dark Energy and getting chased out of Obsidian then attempted to be assassinated. So the girl was in the middle of showing Hinoiri she could in fact doodle on her phone with the pen when she paused, looking between the two of them. "Murder?!" Yuyami exclaims. "Well, she kind of turned everything upside-down pretty heavily when she left and a lot of people were mad but that was years ago." Takashi says by way of trying to sweep it under the rug. "Anyways, see the way they're handling it? Good choice to not start at spicy for your first time. Indian Curry hits a little different than instant stuff. But, when it's hot, it's still good - it's not like instant curry where it's hot just to cover up the lack of flavor." he says. And then motions to her food. "Try some." And then starts to work on his own.
Hinote Kagari	Hinote Kagari is too busy coughing to answer Yuyami or Hinoiri so Tracy answers for him. "Eh, he's fine. He'll be fine. Probably." he says. "-and yeah. I come from Hinote, so I'm in his inner person. Kind of. Who he wants to be all that, dame." he says, shooting a single finger gun. "Whatcha taking notes for anyways, you one of 'em there wiseguys?" he asks. He means smart people. Hinote Kagari finally hacks a final cough. "That hurts so good." he says. "It's delicious but oh is it spicy." he says as he reaches for the lassi he definitely remembered to order earlier. He sips it and ahs. That's better. He takes a smaller bite next time. Less coughing. "What Tracy is asking is if you're like scientist." "Yeah one of 'dose guys." Tracy interjects.
Hinoiri Kirara	Hinoiri Kirara gave a snort. "Left? I didn't leave, they kicked me out. Severance package with real 'severance'. Even destroyed my bank accounts and identity," Hinoiri said. "I had to get a lot of help to fix that." She paused. "Err... unicorn, from another world. Guessing he didn't tell you about me. So that... probably wouldn't make much sense why I had those, if not for that." Was she still bitter? Yes. She was. She took another bite, coughing and covering her mouth. "Well... if you are a scientist... he likely is the right person to be with there. I'd also check out Fuyoko. Works in HR. Actually really useful, I worked with her a few times, helped me navigate things. Takashi ended up helping me figure out phones when I was used to like hooves." "I'm obviously, much better with fingers now." As she was speaking, though, the entire time... she didn't cough. But she'd started talking faster and faster. She did, however, have tears going down her face. And finally she went for her OWN drink, downing almost a third of it all at once, before breaking into her own coughing fit. But she got her words out! Victory!
Takashi Agera	"I hope he'll be fine, that looks... rough..." Yuyami says regarding Hinote. "I'm not a wiseguy, I'm a wisegal." she says, a little bit of puffed up ego in that. "A genius, really. I'm a scientist, but I'm not sure if you can call what I'm doing science, because it's only the scientific method if you're testing theories and I'm not doing that here, I'm just taking notes, researching, gathering data." she says. Takashi pauses from his really quite delicious food to look at Hinoiri. "You made a series of decisions that lead to you getting kicked out. It's sorta like saying 'I didn't quit, I just threw coffee in my boss' face.'" Takashi replies, sighing between bites. "Wait, you're a unicorn?" Yuyami interjects, because that is very important. "But you don't look like one, you look like a normal person and - is this an illusion?" she asks, and doesn't ask permission before grabbing Hinoiri's wrist and hand. And then she pulls back. "Ooops, sorry, heheh I should not have just... done that." she says. "But it doesn't feel like a hoof or a horse leg..." she notes, before whispering something to Takashi. "No, she's only a horse in her homeworld, but my understanding is that applies to anyone who came through. And if they come through here they turn into people. Though I did hear someone especially brilliant managed to get her to be stable as a horse here for a brief period of time." And yes, 'stable as a horse' is an intentional pun.
Rashmi Terios	"Aaaaand how are we doing?" comes the chirpy voice of their waitress as she bops up, all smiles and attentive looks. "Hinote-kun, Hino-chan, d'you need some naan to cut the heat?" Because she is, after all, a kind and merciful waitress. "Agera-san, Kagayaki-san, everything all right? Also, if you have room for dessert, I can talk you through a lot of things you won't find on a Japanese menu." When one grows up in the food industry, trying to upsell on dessert is second nature, after all.
Hinote Kagari	Hinote Kagari coughs. "Yes, please. Naan." he says to Rashmii. Hinote is glad for the reprieve from notetaking from Yuyami to let her take interest in Hinori being a unicorn. He listens to the Obsidian drama information taking it in, filing away notes for later. What for? Who knows. But info of all types always comes in useful as he polishes off his lassi quickly. "Oh, also. Another lassi. Please?" he asks poltiely.
Hinoiri Kirara	Hinoiri Kirara gave a small nod. "That sounds like scientific work to me, it's gathering information to test future hypothesises," Hinoiri said, nodding rapidly to Rashmi. "I didn't make a series of any choices, I'd snapped. The fact I survived that at all in the end is a miracle unto itself. And it's not a horse. I'm not a horse, I mean. Pony. I'm a pony. The horses are a different country." "Hm?" Hinoiri asked, glancing down at her wrist before shrugging. "Meh, it's cool. You're excited. I would be, too. Magic is a lot more common where I come from, but... here? Where its's all wild and new and like... exciting? I imagine it must be pretty fun for you. Maybe I can take you there sometime. I should warn you, though, there's a lot of singing where I'm from. And... yes. Someone did help me, and while it wasn't... ahem... a proper fix... it was an... interesting change of perspective. However, it seems they bungled it a bit. As I was a pony... who was three inches tall," Hinoiri said, rather curtly. "Some might see that as a bit of a error in the calculation, as it were." "... Though, since he was helping me, I am still grateful for the help he gave me. If I ever want to be a hamster sized pony again, I know where I can get the help for it," she said dryly. One might note that she had yet to have taken a second bite of her food yet. That was because she was bracing herself. And wiping tears from her eyes. "The lil spirit guys were always a lot of fun. Charas. So, what are you two celebrating? Anything major? Or just wanted korma?'
Takashi Agera	"We're doing very well, thank you, Terios-san." Takashi says. "Well, Kagayami-san and I are. Kagari-san and Kirara-san are certainly... making their way through." he says, with a small hint of amusement. "Do feel free to get desert though, Kagayaki-san." he says. And that makes her eyes light up - okay less than talking about Unicorns and Chara did, but a little bit. Yuyami turns to regard Hinoiri. "I don't know, in some ways it feels almost wrong to call it science, because it operates on such a fundamentally different level than all of the science I've ever studied or done... but the scientific method still applies... sometimes, anyways. I'm hoping there's still just variables I haven't discovered that explains why things are so hard to pin down." the girl admits. "Maybe your whole world is actually smaller and the size was correct, though? Who knows. Magic portals can change all sorts of things." Takashi notes. "Anyways, it's less a celebration and more that... it's probably not good for us to live off vending machine food in our everpresent quest to avoid running into It's Food." Takashi says with a laugh that indicates it's not JUST a joke.
Rashmi Terios	Rashmi visibly, full-body shudders at the mention of It's Food, has she come into contact with it. Oh gods, did she eat some?! "Aheh... Yeah. Though I mean, take it from a Tokyo food tourist, that's actually not that hard! There's so many neat little places all around, like that kara-age spot that moved into an old KFC!" At which point she marks the fullness of the spice-cowfolks' plates, and the emptiness of their lassis. "....Actually I'll be right back, lemme just grab a pitcher..." A quick dip in and out of the kitchen, and she does, indeed, have an entire pitcher of lassi, which gets plonked onto the table, and right next to it a large plate with a heaping pile of charred flatbreads smelling wonderfully of butter and garlic. "There!"
Hinoiri Kirara	Hinoiri Kirara nodded as she listened, taking another bite of her food and... yeah. This was going to take a while for her to get through. It might kill her, but she was going to do it. And she made another note of how the girl's eyes lit up. Had nobody offered to buy her dessert before? ... Was this really this world's version of Yuyami? Of the girl who replaced her? She imagined the girl would be almost tired of having that kind of attention and yet... Huh... "It's still a science," Hinoiri said. "I'm sure just about every field of science had a period where people were saying it wasn't 'real' science. Or put under a different field. It's called Parapsychology in this world, right? And trust me, I've been studying magic my whole life and even I could never figure out what that variable was. Magic in this world is just weird." However.... Takashi's mention of her world being smaller? That made her pause and actually consider it. That wasn't a variable she'd actually considered. And she didn't think it was, gravity felt similiar? But what if it wasn't? What if they WERE just much smaller, and due to their perceptions... She started writing in her own notebook, then, humming a little... before taking a generous bite. Only to close the book and put it away, tears in her eyes. "I-it's... it's r-really good, R-rashmi..." she managed to choke out. "B-buck. Punches like a minotaur, but good... wanna try a bite?" she offered the others before she took a deep drink of her lassi.... And put some more from the pitcher, choking out a thanks to Rashmi. "... Y-you d-didn't actually h-have her eat any of that s-stuff, did you? I-I've heard stories of interns w-who did and n-never recovered... Spent t-the rest of their days doing... b-busywork..." She shuddered.
Takashi Agera	To be fair, this Yuyami spent a lot of time being shunned and disconnected, and didn't have a great family structure to back her up. She was still finding her footing... and then there was the Dark Energy. "Well, maybe we'll spend some more time out of the office once we finish up what we're working on. Kind of on a time crunch for some of it. Business nonsense." he says. Yuyami looks at him for a moment again, and he looks back at her, and she doesn't elaborate more. "No, we didn't ''eat'' any of that stuff, I think that was the second instruction she was given." he says, laughing a bit again. "I don't think food should come in cubes unless it's... supposed to be in cubes." Yuyami notes. Then she looks at Hinoiri. "You've been studying magic your whole life? I'm so jealous. I only just got involved thanks to Riventon-Sensei." she says, smiling. "But I'm sure ''I'll'' have it figured out soon enough." she adds, with a distinctly different energy than her shyness, a level of confidence in her own abilities that mixed with the Dark Energy to go a little bit past confidence (and make her seem more like the kind of person who might fall in with Riventon.) "Mmm. I should probably ask about to-go boxes before Kagayaki-san here sets off Kirara-san and causes you undo stress, Terios-san." he says with a light chuckle and a hand on Yuyami's shoulder in a sort of 'don't push the other girl' way.
Rashmi Terios	"...I mean I could see fine-dining food happening in cubes," Rashmi says slowly. "But that'd involve a lot of work and skill, and I'm pretty sure if anyone at It's Food! came into contact with an actual flavor, they'd turn into dust on the spot." Because truly, while other departments of Obsidian are dangers or threats, It's Food! is the only one that can comfortably be called 'a menace.' "Oh trust me," Rashmi chuckles in an attempt to defuse the academic situation before Hinoiri can finish choking on chili pepper. "There're so many kinds of weird magic out there, you're barely likely to hear about them all, let alone understand them. I've been at this a couple years myself, and I'm pretty decent with engineering now, but not the theoretical magical physics. Not sure I'll ever have a complete lock on that."
Hinoiri Kirara	Hinoiri Kirara gave a small nod once she could speak again, wiping more tears from her eyes. "I know how that is. Current project has me pretty focused too, but it's going well." Project he'd know, at least. Or at least think he knew, considering he gave her the jar. "M-man, they just... don't make food like this back home. We have the market covered when it comes to sweets, but... when it comes to spicy? Savory? M-my gosh i-it's a whole other level..." she said, coughing a little. She did agree with the 'my food isn't cubes unless it's supposed to be' sentiment. And definitely with Rashmi's view on it. She did, however, freeze when the girl said she'd have it figured out. Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Will you now?" Hinoiri asked. And oh, that fire was building. But... as Rashmi spoke up... she did relax, slightly. "Admittedly, though, Rashmi is right. When I could do magic here? Gem magic, incantations, all of that stuff? I had it down. But the stuff that some of the people here do... well, it's nothing like back home. And we have schools dedicated to studying them. You could spend multiple lifetimes in just one field, and there were dozens. And even then this world's magic seems to have dozens of different styles. I had a huge leg up on a lot of the people here when it comes to it, but some things in this world don't make any sense to any rules of magic or science, so trying to find some unifying theory... well... One person trying to understand it, heck, even two or three might be futile at this point. You'd need a whole team of people trying to solve it all to break it down, or even scratch the surface. If you can figure it out? I'd have to acknowledge you were... better at it than me." "... If." Hinoiri said, rather firmly. Well, she was still competitive. But she was, at least now, able to accept that it took all of them working together to understand how it worked... and that she couldn't do it all alone. No matter how much she once tried to.
Takashi Agera	"I can't say never, now that magic is in the picture. I mean what if I figure out the secret to immortality, or if I can be in two places learning at once? Then the impossible becomes inevitable, right?" Yuyami asks. "It's like infinite doors were thrown open, now that I can manipulate magic." Takashi sighs, and can see where this is going when Hinoiri talks, especially the IF - he knows both girls too well. "Alright, Kagayaki-san would you please pick a desert and put our food into the carryout boxes? I'm going to run to the restroom real fast while there's still a chance of me getting out before you two start throwing mathmagic problems around to try to challenge the other. Please, nobody burn down Terios-san's family establishment - or eat the sun - or any other celestial bodies - or at least hold off long enough for me to get back." He steps up and walks away, and Yuyami does - without question, notably - the things she was told, picking a desert that looks good off the list and then trying to help pack away both of their foods. She looks up. "Sorry, it's just, I spent my whole life with academics and books and school as what I was good at. And now there's this whole new thing, and I'm good at it too, but I'm having to remember I still have a ways to go and things I can learn from others around me." she admits as she scoops food. "It hasn't been like that for a while. I meant no offense."
Rashmi Terios	"Nothing to apologize for!" Rashmi chuckles. "It's always a huge shake-up when magic comes into your life, and it takes a while to learn the real... shape of your new reality. Cos yeah, there's a lot that should be impossible but is doable... And a lot that you'd think would be possible but isn't. And to make it worse, most of that gets determined by the particular flavor of your magic. So you need to learn the limits of what woke you up, to allow you to have a good grasp on what's even possible, y'know?" With that, she starts to clear the table, smiling gently. "Anyway, lemme start boxing that up, and lemme just say the chom-chom was a really good pick. I'll make sure you get the sampler, so you can have a little of every flavor we've got, okay?"
Hinoiri Kirara	Hinoiri Kirara chuckled softly. "Yeah... becoming an alicorn and... err. Right. Ahem. Yes. I guess at that point... Except then you run into the issue of forgetting things, and it really depends on how many layers you go down, all of that," Hinoiri said. She snickered at Takashi's comment, shaking her head. "come on, I'm not going to ever risk getting thrown out of here! Where would I go?" she asked, mock offended. Moving the spoon towards her mouth... Before stopping. There it was. The apology. She froze, the spoon coming closer, before putting it down. She then sighed. Well... "So... I'm not a part of Obsidian anymore. And since they went all 'Burn the place down around her' on me, I'm kind of... iffy on helping them out. But..." She reached into her bag, before pulling out... a book? On the cover there was a small picture of a unicorn, a pegasus and a pony. "I'll lend you this. It's not much, a basic, beginner book on magic from my home. On one condition. Nobody in Obsidian knows. Not even Takashi. Two reasons. One, I don't want most of them knowing, a lot of them are jerks. But the second reason is for your own protection, and his. He and I are cordial and such, but if anyone there thought that I was helping him? I don't want him getting fallout from this. Especially since it's a minor thing, as far as it's concerned. But well... it seems like the kind of thing you'd really enjoy." "But don't read it at Obsidian, got it? Only at home or your school. And nobody at Obsidian finds out, that's the deal. I'll have to take you at your word... but I'll have to put a bit of faith in you for that." She held the book out, letting her make the choice... And under the table, Rashmi might she her make a small thumbs up with her other hand.
Takashi Agera	"It's been the biggest shake up of my life." Yuyami agrees. "Everything was... honestly, going pretty bad, and all I wanted was out of my current situation and then BOOM, all of the stuff I was trying to sort out started making sense, the bad situation I was in was behind me, and there were entirely new fields of study for me that I hadn't even dreamed of... and it was all because of Riventon-Sensei." she says. Ah, she was doing good perhaps till the end of that line. "I'm still adjusting to the new school where everyone is so much nicer, to the whole world of magic, to the fact that one of my coworkers is a crab man! It's mind-blowing but it also feels like it's right where I should be." That energy is just oozing out of her. "Oh, the sampler sounds perfect, yeah. But I'll have to come back and tell you what was my favorite, since we're going." she says. Then Hinoiri brings out a book - which Yuyami almost grabs out of raw instinct before anything is explained. But when she says not even Takashi, her hand moves back - just a little bit. "But... I'm not really... sure I'm... comfortable with not sharing information... with him..." she says, a little bit squirmy even as Hinoiri explains the why. And she's clearly being pulled in the directions of opposite forces, sometimes hand moving closer and sometimes further away. Until she heard Takashi's footsteps and she grimmaces. "FineOKIt'sASecret" she says rapidly, because the girl simply cannot let the promise of a book of magic go no matter what. She grabs it and lightning-fast stuffs it in her backpack. "Ready to go, Kagayaki-san?" he asks. She's bright red as she nods, but that's not terribly abnormal for her. Takashi pays and leaves a proper tip for the excellent service. "I'll catch up with you later, Kirara-san, so you can yell at me properly." he promises. Yuyami clutches the backpack she'd stuffed the book in tightly as Takashi picks up the food and they leave the Korma.
Rashmi Terios	As Takashi and Yuyami make their exit, Rashmi stands there, watching them leave... then sinks into the booth across from Hinoiri with a sigh. "So... that happened," she says. "Good call, though, Hino-chan... Shame she had to go so quickly though." Rashmi is silent for a while, staring at the tabletop, lost in thought. Perhaps she is consumed by worry, or working through some incredibly complex tactical situation... "...Hey Hino-chan? ...Does Kirakirafantastica have any gesture like a thumbs-up?" ...Or not.
Hinoiri Kirara	Hinoiri Kirara nodded. "Yeah, he was pretty good to me, too, when I was there," Hinoiri said with a smile. "We are still friends, even if I do want to smack him upside the head somedays. Somedays nobody can piss you off like your friends, though. And just wait until you meet the big wolf guy. Heh... avoid the clown, though. Do not talk to the clown, do not make eye contact with the clown." And when she took the book, well... She nodded. "It was nice talking with you, Yuyami. Keep her out of trouble, Takashi," Hinoiri said, watching them go. Once they were gone, though? She let out a a sigh of relief and then leaned back, poking her food. Whew, it burned, but it WAS good. "I really thought it'd be harder to give her that. The Yuyami from my world recommended it... It has some basic magic stuff... but nothing people at Obsidian I know don't already know if they listened to me. But it also has some ideas that she said... might be good for her to hear..." She then snickered and started to giggle. "Well, creatures with hands can give a thumbs up. But we kind of do a like... a few hoof waves? Like 'All clear' is up and 'no don't' is down. Things like that. Fingers really are a magic all their own."