1405/Change The Game

Change The Game
Date of Scene:	22 April 2016
Location:	Uminari City - Midori-Ya Cafe
Synopsis:	A late-night gathering at the Midori-Ya Cafe.
Cast of Characters:	Nanoha Takamachi, 158, Chloe Stingray, Mikoto Nakajima

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Nanoha Takamachi has posed:
Close to closing time.

Nanoha was asked to help close up shop. So thusly, here she was, helping to wipe down tables, as much as she could. She was good at it, and she did not in fact, mind helping. Large rushes were not really common this late at the bakery--- most of the bread could be considered day old at this point, pastries too. New batches would be baked bright and early tommrow!

Nanoha moved from table to table.

She had things on her mind, but mostly good. Some bad. Introspection was one of her specialities, afterall.

Thinking, always thinking, as she worked. At least she was easy to spot!

Nicola Esprit has posed:
Nicola has decided to drop by, because Nanoha is her classmate, and she remembered seeing Nanoha in some specific circumstances recently. Thus, she decided to come by for a visit. And tasty, tasty pastries. She doesn't really care if they're not the freshest, but she heads straight for her friend; albeit in a relatively loose sense of the word. "Nanoha-chan!"

Chloe Stingray has posed:
    Ever since the meeting with Sierra, Chloe had been taking more of a look at the cafe. Mostly, what was on their menu and drinks and stuff. She'd been all over the city, not that anyone would recognize her, and this was the only cafe for sweets. It was strange. Despite her being here though, she did notice the cafe was being cleaned up and she was taking her time with her cake. She had a few things to think about.

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto has been out working on a few new ideas for her own projects. Flying burns calories pretty quick, and sweets are one of the easy ways to get a few back. At least she doesn't have to worry too much about her figure! One benefit of the magical lifestyle.

The first familiar place she spots is the Midori-ya, which she's visited more than a few times before. And luckily enough, despite the hour, it's still open.

She grins and drops her Barrier Jacket in the alley outside, reverting to her casual outfit, and paces around to the door. "Good to see you, Takamachi-san," she calls over to the young hostess. She doesn't immediately approach, seeing Nanoha busy with someone else, but she spots Chloe at another table and wanders over to greet her.

"Evening, neighbor. Long day?"

Nanoha Takamachi has posed:
Nanoha Takamachi turns around from the table she was cleaning and---- there's Nicola, coming by to say hello! She smiles. "Hello Nicola-chan! How are you?" she asks softly she looks past Nicola and sees Mikoto! Mikoto gets a wave, but indeed, Nicola approached her first. "Is everything okay...?" she asks with concerned eyes suddenly.

She pushes a chair in as she keeps most of her attention on Nicola right now. Though she does peek over to Mikoto and the table she does walk to to speak to the person who's been eating her cake!

Nicola Esprit has posed:
"I'm okay. I just... saw you, when Fate-chan was being weird, and I was hoping we could talk about that." Nicola explains, her voice a little soft to avoid drawing attention to that. She seems to be aware enough to know this isn't something to discuss lightly, and she glances towards Mikoto. "Is she a friend of yours, Nanoha-chan?"

Chloe Stingray has posed:
    Chloe looks up and smiles a bit to Mikoto. "Not really. Just spent most of the day thinking about things." She says looking over to nanoha and Nicola, not knowing that they may be going through the same thing. "Sitting down and eating a brownie is one of the few things I can eat here that's universal, instead of trying to convert." She then sighs. "How've you been?"

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto waves cheerily to Nanoha, as she walks over to Chloe's table. She takes a moment to contemplate what's left in the display case, then pulls a chair out from the next table to turn it around and sit, with her arms folded over the back of the chair.

"Been a long day," she opens. "Got my schoolwork taken care of, headed over to my Secret Lair to do some work on a personal project... finally just had to get out and get some fresh air. And maybe something tasty, you know?"

Nanoha Takamachi has posed:
Nanoha Takamachi blinks. "Oh.. right you were..." she taps her chin. "Fate-chan is a friend, yes!" she says. "Also my rival! Well. Used to be now." she says softly. She head tilts. "You know Fate, too?" she asks softly. "Tell me about that." she says softly.

She purses her lips a moment in thought.

Nicola Esprit has posed:
"I don't know her well, really. But I owe her." Nicola says softly, and glances around, keeping her voice low. "My device was lost for a while; and before I got Ruby Rose back, I wandered somewhere scary; like an evil barrier, and Fate-chan and her Familiar protected me."

Chloe Stingray has posed:
    Chloe smiles to Mikoto and eats the last pieces of her brownie. "the brownie's good, at least. I had been nursing this for a couple of hours and it stayed moist the whole time. They really do some good baking here." She says softly as she lets out a breath. "It doesn't get any easier....does it? Schoolwork, making sure your friends are safe.....over and over again."

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto nods. "It never really ends, no," she agrees. "Sometimes, you just need to kick over the table and change the game."

There's a soft 'ding', and she reaches for a smartphone to read over an email quickly. "Mmm. Well. That happened," she mulls, then taps out a quick reply.

"Word of advice, timing is everything." The phone is tucked away once again and she turns just in time to see Nanoha rush out, leaving Nicola at loose ends. "Huh. That was quick. Must be some sort of family emergency?"

Nicola Esprit has posed:
Nicola is left behind as her classmate rushes off to take care of things, and she heads towards the closest thing to a familiar face; the person who greeted Nanoha and got greeted back. "Hi, are you friends of Nanoha-chan?" The girl with the red flecks in her eyes asks, she's got a distinctly foreign accent.

Chloe Stingray has posed:
    "Yeah. Seems that way." Chloe then looks up. "What happened?" She says softly. "By the way....I like the choker look, I just need to find the right one for myself. And change the game. Well.....seems I can detect reactions as they happen, if they're inside of a certain area of me, or further away if they're really strong." She then looks to Nicola. 'hello there." She says softly.

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
"It works pretty well, if you can pull it off, and don't get too garish." Mikoto smiles lazily. "Unless garish is your whole theme, but that's more of a bad-guy thing."

She chuckles lightly, for a moment. "None of those here, I take it?" She looks around briefly, actually grinning now. "Good."

She casts a look over to Nicola and nods. "Something close to that, at least. Come on over and join us?"

Nicola Esprit has posed:
Nicola doesn't say no to the invitation to join them, sitting down and smiling. "I am Nicola Esprit, it's nice to meet you." Her language feels a little stilted, like she practiced the sentence many times but it still doesn't come natural to her. The accent on it is a little diminished, however. "I'm a classmate of Nanoha-chan"

Chloe Stingray has posed:
    Chloe smiles to Nicola. "I'm Chloe. Nice to meet you, Nicola." She then tilts her head as she listens. "Is your primary language another language?"

She turns to Mikoto and chuckles. "Nah. More of a practical, nylon look. That way it'll not turn my chest red again."

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
"And I am Mikoto." She inclines her head slightly, in substitute for a polite bow. "You have a beautiful accent, Nicola."

A look is cast at the back door where Nanoha disappeared. "Takamachi-san is a wonderful friend to anyone she's willing to call thus, yes. Be glad to know her."

Turning back to Chloe once again, she nods. "I'm a bit more fond of velvet, myself, but unadorned, if so."

Nicola Esprit has posed:
"Yes, we moved to Japan last year and I transferred to Seishou a few months ago, before we moved a grade up." Nicola explains, her Japanese is pretty good but it's clear she's still learning. "What are you two talking about?"

Chloe Stingray has posed:
    "I meant for this." Chloe says holding up her device orb. "Dunno if a chain would do much good really." She then looks to Nicola. "Fashion, actually. "I have a chain, and I'd like a choker, if not a chain..."

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto nods slightly, and reaches up to tap an amulet that hangs around her neck. "I wear mine much the same," she agrees. "I've considered a choker, but... well, I don't know. Maybe I should try it."

She shrugs and looks over to Nicola. "What do you think?"

Nicola Esprit has posed:
Nicola looks at the amulet, and the orb and seems a little curious. There's a little red glow from below her shirt, just a moment. "Something to place your device in?" She asks softly, which pretty much explains the red glow itself. "Uhh... I just have mine on a little chain. I don't need anything special."

Chloe Stingray has posed:
    Chloe tilts her head at Nicola before she looks to Mikoto. "I'm going to guess that anyone that has a device can detect another device, hmm?" She says softly. "That'll be handy to know, if things start going badly."