Scene #856:

Owner	Pose
Setsuna Meiou	It's Thanksgiving at Casa Del Outer...and for a wonder, Setsuna is actually up and awake on a day off before 10am. In point of fact, she got up some indeterminate amount of time ago, and has been puttering around the kitchen for a while now. Sad to say, her skills as a cook are still down at a fairly 'basic' level...but she's got some shortcuts and cheats to make up a chunk of the difference. In this case, she's used some of her contacts to get one of those 'Thanksgiving in a Box' setups from wherever it is she gets her American food. Thus, she's got a nice large spiral-cut ham that's actually pre-cooked, so all she has to do is follow the instructions on putting on the packaged glaze and reheating it in the oven. Similarly there are containers of potato salad and baked beans that she's transferred over to some large serving bowls and put some plastic over. Finally, as a nod to the fact that different tastes may want different things and that this is a time when leftovers will be the order of things for the next few days, she's arranged for a quiet delivery from Korma of everyone's favorites just in case. After a moment of double and triple checking to make absolutely sure the stuff in the bottles is actually sparkling grape juice and non-alcoholic cider, she nods to herself and heads over to the pantry to get a pair of boxes that she sets off to the side, then heads into the entertainment room to wait for her two sleepyheaded housemates to wake...as the scent of food is beginning to fill the air.
Michiru Kaiou	Michiru Kaiou may be a lot of things, but a sleepyhead she is not. She thrives on routines, and research shows that the best sleep schedule is one that is the same every day. So, she's ''usually'' up before dawn every day. On days off school she usually spends her mornings painting. When she sleeps in her room, at least. Today, though, today she ''is'' being a sleepyhead. Because ''somebody'' kept her up late. So it isn't until a bit after 10am that she comes wandering into the kitchen from the hallway that leads to the wing of the mansion where Haruka's room is. "Morning Setsuna," she says, sounding much less bright and chipper than usual. "What is all of this?" She asks, gesturing to, well, ''everything''. She has definitely never done American thanksgiving before.
Haruka Tenoh	Haruka Tenoh is usually up before ten, but that's because the streets are emptier the earlier in the day it is in Tokyo. So she often staggers to some form of consciousness before now, but today she's also a late riser. Jean shorts and a plain white T are what she grabbed to put on, short hair slightly disheveled as she walks into the kitchen. Far be it from Haruka to look a large meal as a negative. But she does know that this isn't the normal way things occur in the house. "Hey, Setsuna-san." she mumbles, coming in just after Michiru. "What's going on?" she asks, Meiou-san being left for the school grounds but Setsuna being at home. She comes up behind Michiru as she asks, hands draping around the slightly shorter girl from behind.
Setsuna Meiou	Setsuna comes back into the kitchen a few moments after she left, just as the other two are ambling in. For her part, she's dressed a LITTLE more fancy than her usual bombing about the house wear, but it's just a knee-length denim dress and matching denim button-down blouse. She smiles at Michiru and Haruka, "I'm not sure if I'd told you before, but before things happened, I HAD more or less expected that all of you would be awakening in America. It IS basically the cultural hegemon of the planet, after all." She shrugs, "...and one of the things that I thought was always a wonderful little thing was having a big family meal at Thanksgiving." She starts to wave her hands at the spread...then she pauses as if responding to some unseen and unheard timer before suddenly turning grabbing the oven mitts and opening said oven to take out the now heated glazed ham which she sets up on the counter, "Some people have a big, fancy, posh to-do...but I always kind of liked the idea that some people have of just setting out a lot of things you can come back to and instead of just having one big meal, having a day together with food and family." She points at the stuff on the table, "...We've got the ham over here behind me, that's potato salad, and those are baked beans. I got some Korma as well if you find you don't like any of the other stuff." She shrugs, "It's a bit of an experiment, but I thought it would be nice to try."
Michiru Kaiou	Michiru Kaiou may have slept in, but she still looks fabulous. She's wearing a burgundy, cable-knit sweater dress that does not quite make it to her knees. It would be cold if it weren't for the knee-high leather boots that match the belt at her waist. She ''sounds'' like she needs coffee. She ''looks'' like she just got off a runway. "So this is all just for ''us''? To eat all day?" She blinks. "It's not for the staff?" It is the 23rd of November, after all. Michiru is used to a very different sort of thanksgiving celebrated on this day. One where she shows her gratitude toward the servants in her employ, Takuya-san especially. But for now, there was food, and she was hungry. It all ''smelled'' delicious. She wasn't about to wait a moment longer before putting together a plate.
Haruka Tenoh	"Well, maybe Tokyo's special in it's own way." A tired Haruka says, and not just because Michiru is here. "But I don't think America's the only place that does that." Haruka knows a little about holidays in the world, primarily because often motorsports will be held near holiday weekends. "Specifics aren't important, though. I'm happy to have a family I like, to share food with. Whether it's potato salad or curry or just a burger and fries, it's all better when I get to have it with you gals anyways." she says with a smile, to both of them. Haruka looks at the two of them, both beautiful in their own ways, and sighs happily. Not just beautiful, but warm, caring, good people, teammates. People she can rely on, trust. People who like Haruka Tenoh, just the way she is - even if they're elegant and beautiful and she's just here in a t-shirt resting her elbow on the table. It's a beautiful thing, being loved - truly loved, for who you are, not just someone's image of who you could be. This all results in her maybe looking a little bit happy-dazed as she looks at both ladies. Before she actually picks up on what Michiru is referencing. "Well, considering us family is much better than considering us laborers, I think. Not that there's never any overlap." she notes, chuckling to herself a bit.
Setsuna Meiou	Setsuna blinks a bit overdramatically, "...I have STAFF?" A moment later, she's got the Garnet Rod in her hand, "Why I DO have staff!" She holds the Master Key to the Gates of Time out dramatically for a few moments before she banishes it back to wherever and giggles, "Sorry. Yes, this is just for us. One of the traditions of an American Thanksgiving is that you usually make too much food, but then you can be a bit lazy and have good leftovers for the next day or two." She turns and points at the ham, "For example, I know that the three of us are not going to be able to eat all or even most of that...but that just means if any of us wants to pack lunch for the next few days, we have sandwich fixings." She then smiles at Haruka's comment, "Having dinner with family is what this holiday is all about over there. Here it's 'Thanksgiving Labor Day'...and not always on the same day...but this year things lined up, which made getting the stuff that much easier." That being said, she grabs some plates and serving spoons for various things, then points to the silverware drawer for people to get what they need, "So let's dig in and be thankful."
Michiru Kaiou	Except it always is on the same date, unless that date is a Sunday, in which case it's the day after. It's the Ameri--oh. Michiru stops the current of her thoughts as she realizes Setsuna meant the two different holidays: American and Japanese. That makes much more sense. "Yes, Thanksgiving Labour Day is the one ''we'' always celebrated," Michiru says as she puts a couple slices of ham onto her plate. She follows it with a scoop of potato salad and a scoop of baked beans. It's a very American meal with all those things put together. But it all smells so good. If smells could feed her, she'd already be full. "But I don't suppose there is a staff ''here'', though," she looks thoughtful for a moment. Then she looks to the other two. "Would you mind if I invited Takuya-san? I've always done something nice for him, but this is the first year since..." Since her parents died. Michiru sets her plate down and starts crying. At least she didn't drop it.
Haruka Tenoh	Well, that isn't... normal. Haruka's gotten her plate and looks up from eating, a bit of ham in her mouth almost rather like toast in a schoolgirl's, when Michiru puts her plate down and starts crying. Haruka looks to Setsuna, finishing her bite and putting the rest down. Michiru is a strong woman, Michiru isn't usually known to cry. Really, the only times she does is if she thinks one of them are in danger... or... Haruka puts an arm around her from the side, the one opposite Setsuna in case she tries to do the same. "Hey, hey. It's okay..." she says. "Whatever it is, you don't have to deal with it alone." Haruka doesn't want to bring up her parents in the offcase it's not that, though the time fits. Better to not remind her if that's NOT where her mind is. "Setsuna and I are both with you, Michi." she whispers.
Setsuna Meiou	Setsuna hadn't gotten around to sorting out a plate for herself yet, so she doesn't have to set one down. Still, she waits a short beat for Haruka to be the first to Michiru before she steps up and reaches out to hug them both. Fortunately, her being so tall means she's got arms long enough to pull that off. She lets Haruka speak, then she replies, "We're here for you...and you can invite whomever you like."
Michiru Kaiou	Michiru Kaiou cried plenty, just not where other people could see her. Michiru almost always was masking. Her expressions and mannerisms carefully crafted, honed over years of etiquette training to ensure that she could conduct herself properly as a member of the aristocracy. Rich people don't particularly like neurodivergence. But almost every time she didn't mask it was in this house, with Haruka and Setsuna. She trusted them. They were family. They were family in a way no-one else ever had been, not even her parents. And so it was so easy to just lean into their embrace and open the floodgates. Drop after drop of her own personal seawater running down her face and into Haruka's shirt where her face is buried. Grief is a bitch. "It hasn't even been a whole year since they died," she finally says, after a long shuddering breath. "Every year father would cook a meal for the staff. It was the only time he ever cooked. He would cook, and mother and I would clean, and do the other housework on that day. He insisted we show our gratitude to our servants in this way." She doesn't really have much of a staff any more, since she moved into the mansion. But she does have Takuya. She can't do his job, but she ''can'' invite him over for a meal. She pulls out her phone and shoots off a text, then she smiles. "Takuya-san will be here shortly."
Haruka Tenoh	Haruka puts her hand in Michiru's hair and runs her slender fingers through it. "You know, it's okay to be sad about it. It's normal. You're tough as hell but everybody needs to cry." she says. "Every now and again. Especially us. We have... a lot... all of us. Setsuna has dealt with more crap than I can imagine, your parents aren't around, mine don't want me around... but you know what? We're also all amazingly strong princesses and fighters and we're gonna save the whole damn world." "So cry when you need to, and if anybody gives you shit about it, I'll bust their jaw." she says. And she makes it clear this applies to their ancient guardian friend as well. "We're united now. Not alone. Together. And that means everything is gonna end up okay."
Setsuna Meiou	Seetsuna gives the two of them a little squeeze to punctuate Haruka's words, then steps a bit aside, "I'll get an extra plate for him, then." And she puts word to deed before walking down the hall to unlock the front door. As she returns, she comments, "Just tell him to let himself in when he gets here, Michi-chan." Once she does, she starts setting out silverware once more, then then remembers, "Oh! And as an extra little special something, I've got some mystery sweets that Guardian Daifuku gave me." She points at the two extra boxes she set to the side, "But those are for later."
Michiru Kaiou	That Michiru had been crying at all was a testament to how safe she felt. She closes her eyes and wiggles her head a little toward Haruka's hand. It feels good. She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly and then opens her eyes. "Thank you Setsuna-san," she says, quietly. Then she turns to look up at Haruka, both her hands coming up to rest on Haruka's upper arms. "I know we're not alone. Not any more. Not this time." She smiles softly. "We're going to do things differently, and save the world." She gives Haruka's arms a gentle pat, and then turns to pick up her plate and take it over to one of the place settings.
Haruka Tenoh	Haruka slowly went back to her place, looking at both of them, moving carefully, like she was ready to grant emergency hugs to anyone."We're gonna do things right this time." she says. "I know it." And then she pauses, and smiles. "I know because of how right it feels to be sitting here with you, today. For the first time, I haven't wanted to run away from my home life." she says. "And for that, I'm endlessly thankful. So... I know the road to bringing us all together was bumpy as all hell. But nobody can break us apart, now."
Setsuna Meiou	Setsuna pours out three glasses of sparkling grape juice, hands one to each of the other two, then holds her glass up, "A toast. May we be loved by those we love. To Family."
Michiru Kaiou	Michiru Kaiou picks up the glass handed to her and lifts it up. "To Family. May we lift each other up to be our favorite versions of ourselves," she says.
Haruka Tenoh	Haruka does likewise. "May the best of our past be the worst of our future. To Family." she adds to the round of toasts.