2544/FIFTEEN Burgers!

FIFTEEN Burgers!
Date of Scene:	06 March 2017
Location:	Uminari City - Game Center Crown
Synopsis:	Norie Eats Burgers. Talks to Ami Mizuno about Takashi. Annoys Motoki.
Cast of Characters:	Norie Okana, Ami Mizuno

---

Norie Okana has posed:
Norie Okana is walking with a cane because she's still getting used to being back in her proper body. It's cold. She can't feel good things anymore. Sometimes she jerks a bit like she was a bad marionette. This doesn't happen too often. Luckily, the cane explains it away. Something happened with Seth-kun earlier. Seth is okay as far as 'being alive'. She'll follow up later.

For now she looks at the entrance to the Crown and walks in as she hobbles towards the counter and purses her lips up at Motoki as she waits to place her orders. She does.

"I would like fifteen burgers." Motoki blinks. "To go?"

"No, for here."

He squints. "Are you expecting friends?"

"No."

Motoki just shakes his head and goes about making FIFTEEN BURGERS ugh!

Norie turns around and walks to an empty table and sits down as she stares straight ahead at the empty booth seat in front of her. She narrows her eyes in thought, thinking of nothing particular as she watches her peripheral.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami Mizuno has been on the first floor playing video games for about an hour now, sucking down an endless supply of cokes and generally avoiding responsibility for anything not advancing her own scores. 'Honing her tactical skills' she would call it, but in truth she's just plain enjoying herself.

It's rare that she gets to do that, but on a Sunday, there's no school work and she has all the time in the world for just that sort of thing.

But the endless coke supply has finally run dry, and she's got high score on every game she cares about, and so it's time to put such frivolous things away and instead focus on the responsibilities she's been avoiding.

It's not all school for the bluenette!

Grabbing her satchel, Ami makes her way up the stairs to the cafe and heads to the counter, then squints at the kitchen she can see through the window. "Guess business is good today, eh, Motoki-kun?" she asks of the mass of burgers being cooked.

"This is all one order!" Motoki expresses in response.

Ami's eyes widen a little, and then she covers a laugh. "Guess I'll just get a double straw-raspberry for now. I'll come order food later when you're less overwhelmed."

Ami pays, then heads off to find another seat to herself, not far from Norie, to wait for her drink. While there, she pulls a small blue tablet out of her bag, with the golden symbol of Mercury emblazoned on its back.

Norie Okana has posed:
Norie Okana watches blue hair pass by. Ah. She gets up and walks by the counter again and turns to Motoki. "You can just put them in containers. Don't worry about wrapping. I probably won't be leaving with any of them." she insists. "Just make sure they're cooked through." not like she can catch food poisoning anyways.

She turns back forwards to Ami Mizuno and walks up to the table- a slight jerk to her arm as she resettles- and turns as she talks. "Hello." she says softly.

"Mizuno-san. May I please sit down?" she asks softly. "I wish to talk with you a moment." she says softly. "If that would be okay with you."

Her eyes appraise Ami a moment, down, then up as if reading body language for a moment.

"I apologize for my odd movements. I just got done an ordeal. It was unpleasant. It is unpleasant."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami looks up from her tablet to the questioner, then blinks in surprise. She squints a little at Norie, tilts her head this way and that, then observes, "I'm sorry, who are you?"

But she doesn't stop Norie from sitting, at least. Neither does she invite her to. Dilemmas.

Setting her tablet down, Ami replies politely, "I'm sorry for your unpleasant ordeal. Is it ... something you need help with? Should I call emergency services?"

Norie Okana has posed:
Norie Okana sometimes forgets she has 'Norie' up. She'd been so long not using her 'disguise'-- who she basically /is/- that she confuses people when she starts talking. She leans down and says more quietly. "I was with Riven-sama when you were trapped in that maze. I work for him. You may know me as 'Lacrima'." she says as she leans back.

Regardless, she sits down opposite of the both.

She looks around. "I had my body switched with 'Kukai Souma' for a while. That was the unpleasant experience. The fault of one of those cards of course." she says annoyed.

"I wanted to see how you were faring since that incident." she asks. Not an entire lie. She is curious. Not the reason she walked over though.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"Oh!" Ami replies, then glances around to see if anyone else overheard that. Satisfied that they're alone in their little alcove, Ami motions to the seat across from her. "I remember, now," she says thoughtfully. "I didn't recognize you without the ... you know. Purple," she expresses.

The body switch draws a curious look, and Ami taps something into her tablet. "That sounds like it was uncomfortable. So many questions I am not going to ask about that. Is Koukai alright?"

But she was asked her own well being, too, and Ami replies, "I've been fine. I've had a kindof rough month or so, but the maze was the least of my troubles. Thank you for asking, though."

Norie Okana has posed:
Norie Okana head tilts as there's a frustrated sound from the grill area in the background. ALMOST DONE.

She nods. "Yes." she says. "It is not exactly a secret. Regardless. Kunzite knows. As does Mamoru. As does Kukai." she makes a wide motion.

"Well you should ask Kukai about his experiences. He may have insight about being a dark energy mass for a while and then turning back. I don't wish to talk about it too much." she says. At least not to Ami.

"Yes." she says quietly. Just yes. She knows tests were given back. She got low scores. She still does the practice ones. Not like it matters to her.

"Takashi-sama mentioned that he was having girl troubles when I visited him in Kukai's body to update him on my. Condition at the time." she says.

"He will not tell me what happened. But..."

"His well being is important to me. I'm wondering if you can please tell me what may have happend?"

"Of course. You may be as unwilling to talk to me about it. This is fine." she says. She has a very deliberate and deadpan way of talking overall.

She turns to the counter. "My burgers are almost done. A moment. Do you want anything from the counter while I'm there and back?"

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"My milkshake should be done when your burgers are," Ami observes of Norie, considering the questions the vampire has posed thoughtfully.

By the time Norie returns, Ami has sent off a text message, and is busy taking some notes in her tablet again.

She looks up, then smiles thanks for fetching her milkshake. But the smile fades quickly. "Takashi and I ..." Ami thoughtfully considers, "... I don't really know. We have different priorities," she explains. "And it's probably at least half my fault. Maybe more. I'm not a very good girlfriend, despite trying to be. If you're interested in him--in making him happy--I'll understand."

Norie Okana has posed:
Norie Okana grabs Ami's milkshake. And her fifteen burgers. She returns as she places the milkshake in front of Ami and the burgers in front of her. She takes one and begins to eat as she listens to Ami talk as she swallows. Another girl might blush and be taken aback by that sentiment. Norie is not that girl.

"For starters. I already have an important person. Important people. To me. In that sense." she says deadpan. "I am not asking permission to chase after Riven-sama. But. Riven-sama is important to me because. He was the first person who ever talked to me. When I was early on in being this thing I am. Rather than shoot me. Or punch me. Or treat me like a monster." she says quietly.

"He wanted to help me. He did. He made a device for me..." she motions to the bracelet-like device on her wrist. "That acts as a flow control for my energy. I used to just bleed away over time- like I was a leaking hose. This has stopped that. It's been one of the major things in my life that has given me some form of 'stability'." she says. Still deadpan.

"So when he says he is having problems. I wish to know if there is anything I can do to help him in turn." she says.

"However..."

"This does not sound like a problem I can help with." she admits, perhaps just a sound of disappointment. Wait. Is she already on her third burger? HOW!?

"I guess. He is more like a big brother, in my head." she says quietly. "However. I would not admit as such to his face." she says.

"Yes. By the way. I am trying to find Usagi. If you see her, can you tell her? I have not had much luck finding her myself."

"Ah. Nothing. Bad. Just. Things I need to say. I realized when I was without this dark fog in my head." she says.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
If Ami is surprised by the speed with which Norie eats, she doesn't say anything about it. Then again, she eats just as fast, and almost as much. She does, however, do a very good job of litening, and waiting for Norie to finish talking before she formulates a reply.

"I'm afraid it's not something you can help with," Ami agrees, "unless you are interested intaking actions Takashi wouldn't agree with. And no offense, but I don't want you to take those actions. While I would dearly love for him to be rid of the dark energy that sustains him, I don't want that forced on him. I want him to choose to part ways with it, if possible. And even then, only after we're absolutely certain it won't kill him." A pause, then she explains, "I think we want the same thing for him, in the end: happiness." A sigh, then she reaches for her cell phone. It buzzes just before she starts typing, so she pauses to read. A quick reply, then she flips over to another text and sends another quick message, then looks up to Norie. "I've let Usagi-chan know you're looking for her."

Norie Okana has posed:
Norie Okana looks up. "Ah."

"I do not think he would be happy to have that taken from him no. I don't have a choice to be this thing. I just am." she says. "If it was taken from me, I would cease to exist."

She continues to eat as she nods. "Thank you." she says.

"I think she was aware of the switch. Kukai mentioned her when we switched back."

She nods. "I want him happy." she says quietly two more burgers gone.

"I study Dusk Zone flora and fauna." she says softly. "It's interesting. Because of what I am, I don't need anything special to walk there. I'm learning a lot." she says.

"...I feel more at home there than I do on Earth though." she says quietly.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami considers that statement for a few moments, then tilts her head in thought. "Interesting," she murmurs. "I'd be interested in seeing your notes, if you are taking them. They sound curious." She smiles just a little, then offers, "No obligation, but ... as I understand it, you weren't always like this. Do you want to be this way, now? If someone could return you to normal, without the darkness, would you like that?"

Norie Okana has posed:
Norie Okana gently head tilts a little at Ami in her odd manner as she eats. "I'll think about sharing my notes. I've done a lot of research and I treat the Dusk Zone as it's own ecosystem. As in, it is. In a bizarre way." she says.

She frowns. "I used to be human, yes. Then this happened to me. I did not ask for it. But it is what I am now. I do not have a 'human' body anymore to return to normal." she says. "And besides. This is a curse. Knowing my luck I could find a new body but it'd just happen again in a month." she mutters.

"Of course. That doesn't answer your question. I'd need to think carefully about it if I had such an opportunity. One of my.. important people." she says quietly. "Will be as long lived as me. He is tired of being alone. And losing people. Over the years. If I were to 'become normal', I would just be leaving him alone again." she says.

"Do you understand?"

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"I do," Ami replies thoughtfully, "although there are many ways to attain immortality. Princess Mercury of the Silver Millenium has notes on the topic which seem to indicate she either found or was close to a solution. It's still not clear to me. But I have built a new body for a creature made entirely of shadow before, and so far it hasn't failed him. I may be able to do this again, although not by the same methods. Please consider my question very carefully, and take your time in doing so. If you are important to Takashi, then you are important to me, even if we are not together anymore. The answer to the question may alter my priorities."

Norie Okana has posed:
Norie Okana frowns. "I don't know. People have a track record of promising me 'help' and rarely following through. I can only name three such people out of the many who I've asked and promised to help me." she says frankly. "I'd rather not be given a reason to dislike you. So I'll politely decline this offer." she says.

"Besides. I'm sure Riven-sama likes me as I am right now." she says. "He didn't like that I was powerless. In so much as not liking me." she says. She is then left with five burgers. She's eaten ten.

"I a going to get these to go." she says.

"If you wish to pass on a message to Riventon- but do not feel comfortable to do so yourself, you may go through me." she says. A pause. She passes a card by. It has her number on it. She keeps these because it's happened enough.

She sighs a bit and shakes her head. "My apologies for bothering you. Thank you for your time." she says more politely as she begins to walk to the counter and ask for a contain.

A distant: "YOU ATE TEN OF THEM!?"

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"I didn't make you a promise," Ami replies quietly. "And I didn't make any offer for you to decline," she points out. "I simply said that knowing how you feel may alter my priorities. It is not a promise, not an offer, and not a suggestion; just information for you to consider carefully when you have the time and interest."

She shrugs a little, pockets the card, then says, "Have a nice evening, Norie-san. It was nice to get to meet you outside of trouble."