View source for 2782/Manor Meeting with Rashmi and Koji!

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2017/07/02
|Location=Plot Room #3
|Synopsis=Lacrima wants company so texts Rashmi and Koji! Cookies, Tea are had and they talk about a variety of stuff!
|Cast of Characters=160,198,202
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima isn't allowed home right now. So thusly, she has moved her proper home to the manor. She is currently not doing very well. She finds company helps. She gently looks through the contacts on her phone. She'd bugged Kunzite already. She really needs company right now... but she'd bothered him enough about this for now. Name... Riventon.... has his own problems to deal with right now.... Mercury-chan thinks she's going out with Riventon and probably wouldn't be a sensitive ear really. Like Riventon. Too Rational. Might be worth it to try but... then she lands on Koji's name. Then Rashmi's name further down. She purses her lips and sends a text. Tap tap tap.<br /><br />''Hello Koji. Hello Rashmi. I'm at my manor. Would you like to visit? I could use company. I guess. Maybe.'' yes she actually types that out. The 'i guess', the 'maybe' that comes with 'I really want company right now but the horrible darkness makes me doubt that you'd bother anyways or am bugging you.'<br /><br />''I can make tea- and bake cookies. Cookies come from a package thou.'' she says.<br /><br />Thusly, she waits for a reply. She also reminds of directions, if needed.<br /><br />Also, she's dressed in her super fancy dress because that's how she dresses when she 'lives' here.<br /><br />It seems appropiate.

:'''{{#var:198|Rashmi Terios| (198)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The reply comes back from Rashmi's phone: ''Sure! Koji-kun, come by the restaurant and we'll go together, I know the way. I've got leftovers if you want to have dinner, too?''<br /> <br />A second text is sent to Koji: ''I'm'' so so so so ''sorry for presuming, Koji-kun, just... Norie-chan's'' really hurting ''and she could use all the friends she can get is all. I'll tell you what happened on the way, but, basically she tried to tell her brother what's really going on and basically got disowned only meaner.''

:'''{{#var:202|Koji Silvia| (202)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>First comes the reply from Koji's phone, ''Sure, I can come over. I can bring some snacks for your tea too. I just need the address.'' <br /><br />Then he catches Rashmi's text just as his own goes off, and he ends up adding a response to her as he's changing into some clothes to go out at night in Tokyo, ''Allright, I will be there. And it's okay. I would have come if she asked anyways.'' <br /><br />The entire context of her brother is ignored for now, but he does make a last minute grab from his things and stuffs it into a messenger bag before telling his parents he's going out to visit with friends. With both of them still in recovery but going strong, they only ask he's got his portable charger for his phone and he's staying close by.

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima has gotten up and placed a medium sized crystal the size of her palm onto an ornamental stand onto of the coffee table in the vestibule. She also checks up the various ones she's setup around the house. All are empty or not full. The crystals are kind of like cleaners for the stupid dark aura she's been occasionally generating in her not so entirely well state.<br /><br />Because she really doesn't want Rashmi and Koji to enter then start feeling immediately horribly depressed.<br /><br />''I'll have the tea ready by the time you two arrive then. Cookies go into the oven.'' she says.<br /><br />She goes to start this, putting on hot water and putting packaged cookies into the over. They are simply sugar cookies, with apparently some attempt at a summer theme colored onto them- pastel brights of a sun, and wavy water lines and various sport balls. She buys these packaged seasonal cookies all the time. They are cheap and she eats a lot of them at a time.<br /><br />When the water gets hot, she starts steeping tea as she pulls the tray the tea service is on back to the vestibule's coffee table.<br /><br />''Feel free to just walk in.'' she texts after. ''or knock. I'll still answer.'' she adds.

:'''{{#var:198|Rashmi Terios| (198)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Rashmi makes her excuses to her parents -- A friend is ''really in need of a friend'' but she'll take the pepper spray and promise to be home before midnight -- and after some light grilling, is let out the door to wait for Koji. Once Koji arrives, she guides the young man to their destination, more or less spilling the story of Norie and her brother on the way.<br /> <br />They round a corner, and it becomes increasingly apparent that their destination is, in fact, the ''legendarily'' haunted manor house that the neighborhood kids are so scared of, they won't even throw rocks at the windows. It's ''that creepy.''<br /> <br />But Rashmi wastes no time in edging past the gates, striding up to the walk, and knocking on the door.

:'''{{#var:202|Koji Silvia| (202)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>While sort of being swept along for the ride, Koji does force Rashmi to stop off at a Konbini for about five extra minutes and comes out with a plastic bag that has a few things in it.<br /><br />This does, of course, only forestall the inevitable viewing of the mansion in question. When Rashmi just goes right on in, getting past everything and working her way to the front door, he's just caught staring there for a long moment. He gulps once, and then closes his eyes... takes a couple deep breaths, and then fingers the cracked-lens glasses of Tyrfing hidden under his shirt and coat. It's about all he can do to reach one trembling hand to the gate to push it open enough to follow along... but eventually he does. <br /><br />Once he's caught up with Rashmi, he looks around, and says in a rather small voice, "I don't suppose now's the time to remind you I can't activate Tyrfing still... right?"

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima does open the door and peeks first, before she opens it the rest of the way. "Hello Rashmi-chan..." a peek past Rashmi. "Koji-kun?" she asks. "Come on. It's not like it's haunted. Unless you count me. Then it's haunted by a vampire." she says lowly. "Well. There is a quirk. But I'll explain it when you're inside." she says.<br /><br />She turns back around and marches them inside.<br /><br />The vestibule is large. A cross between a living room and entry way. There's two half-spiral staircases along the wall to the top, and a sitting area set between the two staircases middle.<br /><br />There are two corridors down to either end of the manor, and two doors, one to what seems to be an old sitting room, and the other a soft glow of the moonlight peeking through. The tea sits on a table near the seating area. There's an old portrait of a man in red, ancient finery and a cloak and red hair and eyes at the top of the stair's landing.<br /><br />It's just a little spooky and also sterotypical.<br /><br />"Go ahead and sit down I need to check on cookies..." a pause. "Thank you. Again. For. Trying to help me the other night, Rashmi-chan." she says quietly. "I spoke with Kunzite. Not much he could do. He gave me a box of cupcakes to try to deliver to him. It didn't really work well. Of course." she says.<br /><br />A pause. "Has anyone looked at your device yet, Koji-kun?" she asks as she meanders back down the hallway to the east.<br /><br />Hey, was that a sniggle of movement to your right? Nope. Nothings there~<br /><br />She steps back in. "Right. Rashmi knows. But. You may see and hear things. Ignore them. They're not really." she says as she turns around and steps back towards the kitchen. "I need to check the cookies."

:'''{{#var:198|Rashmi Terios| (198)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"It'll be fine," Rashmi chuckles at Koji. "I've delivered here before, Norie-chan keeps a, um... more or less well-trained house."<br /> <br />Which point the door opens, and Rashmi gives the vampire her sunniest delighted-to-see-you smile. "Hi Norie-chan! And Koji-kun brought guest snacks I think, it's good to see you again!"<br /> <br />Trailing after the vampire, the redhead can't help but stare around the place. I mean after all, who knows when one might catch what's behind the mysteeeeeeerious movements. Failing completely, she turns back to Norie, her smile disappearing by inches. "It was still good to try," she says gently upon hearing of the cupcakes. "He can't be stupid forever, Norie-chan. He just can't."

:'''{{#var:202|Koji Silvia| (202)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>This part of the conversation causes Koji to be a little lost, the explanation of Rashmi's about what had happened still not entirely registering with him. The weird movements and THEIR explanation are not helping him any as he's inching away from the thing he thought he saw, and then back again once more, until he's almost back to back with Rashmi.<br /><br />The plastic bag rustles a little, and jars him a bit back into being able to speak once more as he addresses Norie, "Oh... umm... n-no. I just got my parents settled in the new apartment that Chiba-sama helped us find. It's a really nice place too, second floor so there's a little deck but not so far that they have to take a lot of stairs." <br /><br />There's another breath taken as he settles himself on his heels and then almost whispers to Rashmi, "Are you okay?" <br /><br />But then he speaks up a bit more, enough so his voice carries to the kitchen, "It's nice to see you again, Norie-san. Did you want any help in the k-kitchen?"

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima returns with the store baked cookies on a plate. They are still hot. She places them onto the table. "Let them cool." she says quietly. She looks up to the other two , from one to the other. "Like I said. Ignore anything you see. It's not real." she says. "Before this house belonged to one of Kunzite's former associates when he was 'evil'." she says. "She is gone. But she tainted the house a little. It'll be gone in time." she says. "Maybe another year." she says.<br /><br />She sighs and sits down finally. "Thanks for bringing snacks, Koji-kun." she says.<br /><br />"You both may. Have the police question you about me. Since no doubt my parents will have done so by now. I expect the news report by tomorrow morning." she says.<br /><br />"Just tell them. You haven't seen Norie Okana." she says quietly.<br /><br />"If you must call me by name, just call me 'Lacrima'." she says. "For now." she shifts uncomfortably.<br /><br />Then she eyes Rashmi and says dryly, after sipping her tea. "Then you have not known him as long as I have." she says.<br /><br />She looks to Koji. "Ah..."<br /><br />"I tried to tell. My brother. About me being a vampire. It didn't go well. I'm not allowed to go back home." she says quietly.<br /><br />"My brother was. My first victim. He's the one who came to try to wake me up the day I woke up as... this the first time." she says. "But it was brutal. Everyone I've drained since has never needed a few hours, an overnight to recover from a drain. He was in the hospital for a week."<br /><br />"My family has been a mess ever since I've become this thing." she says. "I hate it."

:'''{{#var:198|Rashmi Terios| (198)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Rashmi's eyes soften at being told she needs to deny seeing anyone by Norie's name. "...Kind of okay," she murmurs to Koji. "I'm just ''so angry'' at her brother..." When Norie comes back out with hot store-bought cookies, the redhead blinks, head tilting to one side. "I.... did you make those, Nori--Lacrima-chan?"<br /> <br />When Lacrima starts talking about possible police questioning, the redhead swallows, but nods determinedly. "I hope they don't show up, I don't want to lie to the police.... but... I will, Lacrima-chan. If that's what you think is best."

:'''{{#var:202|Koji Silvia| (202)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Koji sighs deeply, and then walks over to Lacrima and holds out the bag to her, "There's some Ramune, some Strawberry Pocky, and package of matcha KitKats. Sometimes you need something just... that's being a kid." Whether or not she accepts it, the young man leaves it close by before he steps back and his hands go into his pockets. <br /><br />After a moment longer of silence, he then adds, "I wish I could let you stay with us, instead of being here alone. Being alone just seems like it would make the feeling worse. I know people like my parents, or Rashmi's might make you feel like you miss your own family more... but..." He looks around, and then back to Lacrima, "I won't say anything about you. I promise. Just don't lose contact with us. If you can... maybe you can buy some of those pay as you go phones and give one to Chiba-sama... like they do in the spy movies. So you won't lose touch with others."

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima frowns. "Well you can lie. Or you can become a suspect in a missing persons case without means to prove otherwise." she says. "Your choice, Rashmi-chan." she says. "You can always just say you saw me last that night and left and then never saw me since." she says.<br /><br />She nods. "They're from a package. Don't be so awed by them. I put them on a tray. And then I put them in an oven. Then I took them out." she says lightly and deadpan.<br /><br />She shakes her head. "I already have multiple burner phones. It's part of working who I work with Koji-kun. Kunzite knows one of them. I text him a lot usually." she says.<br /><br />"We have similar musings about Dark Energy and it's effect on people. Speaking of which. That crystal." she motions to it. It's glowing light now. "Is absorbing the aura you encountered the other time, Rashmi-chan. Sorry that... got to you. When I'm enough of a mess, I start-- well oppressing the feeling on everyone else. It's really just a common youma trait really that I share with them, more than it is unique." she mutters.<br /><br />She accepts the snacks and peers into it. "Thank you Koji." she says quietly.<br /><br />"I wish Jia-chan was still here. Last time I had to run away, she let me live with her and her dad. Her dad-- knowingly, mind you- married a... Kitsune demon of some sort. So was used to things like me being around. And she's the result. Fox girl with green fuzzy ears and tails. She's the one that helped me track down a lot of things and information about what I was early on." she says.

:'''{{#var:198|Rashmi Terios| (198)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I said I didn't ''like'' it," Rashmi repeats. "Not that I wasn't ''going'' to. Some things are important enough, and anyway I'd have to lie about at least a few other things if I was ever asked, so..."<br /> <br />Trailing off with a shrug, Rashmi inspects one of the crystals, interested. "I.... hhhhhuh. How? I mean, I'm not even ''worried'' about what happened earlier No-- Lacrima-chan. You were just a wreck, and you had every right to be, and it's not like you did it on purpose so don't apologize about it anymore, okay? And... Koji-kun's right. If I could figure out a way to manage it, I would ask my parents to let you stay, but... We just don't have the extra room, y'know?"<br /> <br />Lifting her shoulders in a helpless shrug, she lets out a long, slow sigh. "I'm sorry about your friend... I wish there was more I could do to help."

:'''{{#var:202|Koji Silvia| (202)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Maybe you should go on a vacation." Koji suggests, obviously wracking his brain for anything he can offer as a means to help with what's going on, frowning slightly, "You could ask Takeba-san if he would go with you. Go out to the coast or someplace for a week that's not here. Not Tokyo." <br /><br />Reaching over, he takes a cookie and breaks it in half, offering one part to Lacrima as he nibbles on the other before saying, "All these super powers we have, all these magical abilities... and right now I'd give them all up for a chance to see any of us get back to normal. Like you said, you hate it. But that's a good thing... because it means that you love too. I know it's trite. It's stupid, really... but emotions always come in pairs. You might not be able to feel the love like you used to, but I'm sure it's still there someplace. And if it is, only a little bit, then it's enough for me to be happy for you even if I have to lie to someone about it."

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima shakes her head. "If I need to stay with anyone, I can always ask Eilam if I can move into his estate. I already know the answer is yes- and there's worse fates than living with someone who genuinely cares for you and thinks you're one of the best things to ever happen to them despite being a horrible abomination." she says dryly.<br /><br />She looks between the two. "Eilam-kun... has a. Condition." she says quietly. "That..." she bites her lip.<br /><br />"I shouldn't talk about it. Besides. It's embarrassing enough considering. The relationship of... /basically/ boyfriend... without using that term... exactly." she mutters.<br /><br />"So. Please do not-- worry about. Placing me anywhere." she says.<br /><br />She blinks at Koji-kun. "I remember how affection and... platonic love used to feel. So I know when I should... usually. Be feeling it. Romantic love was something else and confused and frustrated me. Because I never felt that while I was human."<br /><br />"I got a chance to feel it, when I was stuck in Kukai-kun's body for a month or so. So now I have a baseline for that. It's... helped. Helped a lot. Actually." she figets a little embarrassingly.<br /><br />"I still can't... /feel it/. But I do know /who/ I love now, rather than... wonder if I do or not to begin with." she says.<br /><br />She shakes her head. "Normal is just a term for a baseline. I'm slowly getting back to what 'my' normal is. I just need time to. Deal with this. Family thing more." she says lightly.

:'''{{#var:198|Rashmi Terios| (198)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Rashmi Terios presses her lips together for a moment, then nods slowly. "It's less that we're worried about placing you anywhere... but Koji-kun is right again there. The more time you spend around people who care about you, the easier it'll be to smooth out the emotional tracks your family's caused, whether they mean to or not." ...Okay well even angry, Rashmi is willing to give the benefit of the doubt, so she's not ''completely'' out of character.<br /> <br />"If that means staying with this Eliam for awhile, then that's great," she says, leaning over to take up a cookie and give it a small, curious bite. Raising her eyebrows in appreciation, she bobs her head. "And anyway, N-- Lacrima-chan had a good question, Koji-kun. ''Has'' anyone looked at your Device yet? Or are we waiting on Sharpe-san to forgive us all enough to get to work?"

:'''{{#var:202|Koji Silvia| (202)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Almost speaking up to the topic, looking a bit less haggard on the entire subject of Tyrfing, Koji's mouth open and then snaps shut as his smartphone buzzes. Giving an embarrassed look, he pulls it out and looks at who's dialing, then lets it go to voicemail for the moment, "Sorry... my parents are calling. Probably wondering when I'll be back." <br /><br />But since it's asked, he takes a breath and shakes his head, "He's there, I can sort of feel him there, but he's not been able to come up from this stasis."<br /><br />As if to demonstrate, he takes the glasses out from under his shirt on the chain they're on, and shows off the still-cracked lens, "Now that we're settled in the new place, I can try and focus on him. I just couldn't do both at the same time. My parents needed me there to help be their feet and eyes and ears. I think he'd understand if he was around. Tyrfing knows that my family and friends come first." <br /><br />But to that being said, he finishes his cookie and then bows, "So I'm sorry to cut my visit short, but I do have to get back. Rashmi's right though. Going to this Eilam-san's place sounds like the best idea of anything we've heard. And don't think of it as hiding. Think of it like... healing. And to heal, you need time and a place where you can feel comfort."

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima watches Koji leave she nods a bit to him and then back to Rashmi. She sighs a bit and leans back and draws er legs up to her chest a bit as she thinks. Yes while in the fancy dress. She sighs a bit. "Eilam-kun, has offered me in the past, a new identity." she says softly. "Complete with papers and identification that can be verified. But it comes with stipulations. Such as not being Norie again, and not dropping it. Because it takes a lot of money, and bribery, to make that sort of thing happen." she says.<br /><br />"If I can't... help my brother see... things. The right way. I may take him up on it." she says.<br /><br />"We even decided on a first name. Maria." she says.<br /><br />"Because of the Spanish?" she shakes her head a little.<br /><br />"I think it's a cute name. Really." she admits.<br /><br />"I like Norie thou." she says.<br /><br />"Besides. I know I can't take another disguise. I'm either. Lacrima. This... or. Norie. or. Well. Lacrima, but not the humanoid form." she says. "The more... cloudy.. dark mass.. thing." she mutters.<br /><br />"Don't really like that form."

:'''{{#var:198|Rashmi Terios| (198)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"That... yeah," Rashmi murmurs. "That's a ''really'' big step, giving up your identity forever." Frowning, she shakes her head. "Norie-chan... Your brother is acting really pigheaded, but... I don't know, I think that's mostly coming from being scared, y'know? I'm ''hoping'' it'll just take time, now that he has an explanation of what happened that isn't something he made up himself and only halfway fits things."<br /> <br />Lifting a shoulder, she switches seating places, dropping down next to the vampire. "Maybe what'll help most is time, and being reminded of the good things about his sister. I think the cupcakes are a good idea. Even if they don't solve everything... it's a good start. A foot in the door, y'know?"

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima nods. "I already gave him the cupcakes Kunzite gave me. I had to leave them with a note." she says. "He told me he... threw them out and not to bother again via text. Eventually he'll just stop texting. Probably Soon." she says.<br /><br />"I dunno." she says softly.<br /><br />"I ran away before." she says.<br /><br />"Because when Jiaying told me the things she found online, I became. So angry. I started to storm home to. To.. I don't even know to him. Probably something bad. I finally caught myself. And I ran away. Because I realized I was a danger to my family until I could... calm myself easier." she says.<br /><br />"....part of that mess was. I drained a small girl. Who tried to be my friend, into a Coma for nearly a year. Sachiko. She had offered me the energy freely. But... her girlfriend.. disagreed. And started pelting me with purification blasts. And those drove me a little loopy. And I took more energy than I should had." she says quietly.<br /><br />"She woke up at some point and that's when I decided to go back home. Because I felt I could handle life again, now that she was okay." she says.<br /><br />"My brother didn't seem... sad? I was back. I dunno." she says quietly.<br /><br />"Sorry I just. Talk a lot. When I'm like this. I'm told I should talk. Just talk. Even if it's to myself. When I feel bad." she says.<br /><br />"Else it actually bottles up inside me and it starts affecting me poorly."

:'''{{#var:198|Rashmi Terios| (198)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"You don't need to apologize, that's probably the best thing to do," Rashmi says quietly. "I don't mind. Just... I don't know. I'm like Koji-kun, I ''want'' to help more than I ''can,'' y'know?"<br /> <br />She reaches out, takes another cookie, and begins nibbling. "...These're really good..." She pauses, turning the half-nommed cookie in her hands, and frowns. "''Is'' there anything I could do, besides the thing with the police? I'm just... Iunno, flailing around here."

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima purses her lips. "Just... check in? Every so often?" she asks. "There isn't anything you can do to help me." she says. Then he phone goes off and she looks to it and flutters her eye lashes. "Huh...." she says softly, as she looks at the message from Sakura. She purses her lips. "Interesting..." she mutters to herself.<br /><br />"....a helpful youma..." she says lowly as her eyes seem to search the ceiling as she looks back down at Rashmi. "Ah. Sorry I just got a text. From... an acquaintance. Who apparently was saved from something by some sort of 'friendly demon'." she says.<br /><br />She places the phone back down on the coffee table as she sits up.<br /><br />"Do you want to take the rest home? You can." she offers. "I buy them in bulk since... I usually eat a lot of them at a time." she asides.<br /><br />"It's okay. I'm not expecting help Rashmi-chan." she says. "There's not much that can be done for me and I've accepted that a long time ago."

:'''{{#var:198|Rashmi Terios| (198)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Rashmi Terios starts at about the same time Norie checks her phone, slipping an older-model one out and poking at it. "....Huh.... Yeah I got the same message," she murmurs, "I'll have to ask about that..." Shaking her head, she puts the phone away, and putting a smile back on her face. "It's not about ''expecting'' help, Norie-chan... Just, I ''want'' to, however I can. So yeah, I'll be glad to check in. I'd probably be doing that anyway."

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima nods. "That's all I can really ask then Rashmi-chan." she says.<br /><br />She shifts a bit as she purses her lips a bit in thought. She nods a bit at Rashmi. "I know what you mean." she says. "Just. I feel bad. Because people want to help me. But they can't. Short of... finding me a way to feel emotions again I can't. Even that would make.... the rest of it bearable enough. But it'd be nice to be human again too." she adds. Then a pause.<br /><br />"You know Sakura-chan?" she asks as she head tilts.<br /><br />"I Know her because she hunts those stupid dangerous cards." she says. "I hate them. They've done nothing but harm me and someone very close to me." she says sourly. "I don't see why they're so important. Just a youma in a card form."

:'''{{#var:198|Rashmi Terios| (198)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Well, Mizuno-senpai put me on Virtue's messaging list back after the factory," Rashmi shrugs, "and it was a mass-mail, so... I don't know what's up with those cards... But they must be ''kind'' of important, as ragged as she's been running herself."

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima frowns. "Clow Cards." she huffs. "I met the man who made them in a vision. He's dead. But not? It's strange. He's a big jerk. Told everyone our futures in vauge soliloquy. Said I have darkness ahead of me, but won't fall- but it's my choice on what happens to me when I reach that far point." she says quietly.<br /><br />"It's why I worry so much about.. things like. Ariel's mother being taken from her and brainwashed or... doing things to others. Or becoming someone like that." she says.<br /><br />"I think that might had also been his subtle way of telling me I won't be human again." she says a little lowly.<br /><br />"But that it's also my choice if I truly become just another monster wanting to...hurt humanity or something." she says quietly.

:'''{{#var:198|Rashmi Terios| (198)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Um... I mean I can understand being worried about that, that's all pretty justified worrying, but..." She pauses, as if wondering whether or not to go on, then just blurts, "that's just ''so uselessly vague!'' I mean, ''I'' have darkness ahead of me, and probably won't fall, and what happens between 'then' and now's going to be completely up to me! I just.... 'what?'"

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima frowns. "I was told I have a long, hard road to walk and it'd be painful on my way there through it. He called it.. Redemption." she says softly. "Also. Everyone saw... visions of my past. Everyone got to see me how I used to be. Which. Was nice I guess. Wasn't nice for them to see all the private stuff. Like me muttering.... 'not human' to myself repeatedly when I'm alone...-- also saw me hurt my brother that first time. I'm glad Mamoru and Kunzite keep privacy." she says quietly.<br /><br />"The card there was called. 'The Return'." she says. "It ties people to the past. To 'Return' to it." she says.<br /><br />"It was draining Eilam-kun for energy." she says.

:'''{{#var:198|Rashmi Terios| (198)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"...Oh god Norie-chan that's awful, and I'm glad you all stopped it, but... Even still. I mean ''everyone'' who's ever hurt someone by mistake has a long hard road to travel called 'Redemption!'" By this point her frustration has her gesticulating over her head, and she looses an explosive sigh, arms dropping back down. "I'm ''seriously'' not trying to make light of all of this, Norie-chan, but it's like... the creator of magical, I guess if not evil than just wild magical cards, tells your fortune... And he could replace you with someone who hit a pedestrian with their car on accident, and the fortune would be worded ''exactly the same,'' that's just... I don't even know, Norie-chan."

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima frowns. "Clow Reed." she says. "I did research. He was 'the greatest mage who ever lived', who combined two schools of magic. He supposedly died. But his cards apparently did not. He apparently also somehow manages to both be alive and dead at the same time in some sort of temporal non-existence as far as I can tell from that encounter." she says.<br /><br />"He's also supposedly, just a legend but that's obviously not true." she says.<br /><br />"I don't know more than that. I had to dig deep in.... archives. I have access to." she says.<br /><br />She shrugs.<br /><br />"I don't think the cards are evil but they do run rampant until Sakura handles them." she says.<br /><br />"One of those cards switched my body with someone elses. A boy no less. That was weird. But for a bit. I could feel things again. While. The boy, Kukai Souma got to live as me for a bit." she says quietly.<br /><br />"He stopped ... trying to dictate how I handle my life after that. He saw how hard it was to just.... stick to draining 'thugs'. Because crime isn't something that's happening all the time around you when you seriously need to recharge your energy." she asides.

:'''{{#var:198|Rashmi Terios| (198)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"...Y'know I think it says a lot about how weird my extracurricular studies are that that doesn't even confuse me anymore," Rashmi sighs. "I'm pretty sure I could spend a few hours with Nicomachea and Mizuno-senpai, and I'd be able to spout some unphysics nonsense that'd explain how Midchildan or Belkan magic could do something similar..."<br /> <br />Shaking her head, she looks up at the vampire, nodding. "That's good... I mean, I imagine the experience was weird, but, I can't ''count'' how many times I've wished that exact thing would happen to two people who're arguing."

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima nods. "Kukai Souma didn't know how hard it was being me. Then he found out and he stopped... being kind of a jerk to me." she says. "I also kind of. Fixed a personal problem he was having of a private manner while I was in his body so I think he was at least thankful for that." she says.<br /><br />She shrugs a bit. "Kukai has always been sort of a .. frenemie anyways. I have a lot of those." she says quietly.<br /><br />"Though to be fair. Most of when Kukai knew me I was still in my irrational monster stage." she says quietly. "So not like his thinking was unjustified." she says.

:'''{{#var:198|Rashmi Terios| (198)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I.... okay," Rashmi mumbles, cheeks flushing as she tries not to wonder what sort of problem is being spoken of. Shaking her head, she clears her throat. "''Anyway,'' that makes sense... And I hope we'll still be friends if I have to fight you again, Norie-chan."

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima sighs. "I fight a lot of my friends, Rashmi. I fight Kunzite sometimes. Sometimes I fight Mercury-chan. Sometimes I fight Sakura or Kukai and various people. It's not personal, if I'm doing something like that. It's things I have to do because of who I work for." she says.<br /><br />She head tilts. "Ah. The problem was not that embarrassing. Romance trouble." she says.<br /><br />She sighs a bit and nods. "I wish you could work for them too but you'd not enjoy the work I don't think. You're better off talking with Mercury-chan and helping her." she says.<br /><br />"I am a researcher. I'm not really a scientist. I explore and take notes about the Dusk Zone primarily."<br /><br />"Do you know about the Dusk Zone, Rashmi-chan?" she asks.

:'''{{#var:198|Rashmi Terios| (198)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I've heard ''of'' it, from you and Mizuno-senpai but that's it," Rashmi says, nodding her understanding of what happens when the fighting starts. "But not really much more... I'm still wrapping my head around basic cross-dimensional unphysics. I could probably power Tokyo just by hooking up a dynamo to Euclid's spinning grave."

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima nods. "The Dusk Zone is a dimension that sits next to the dimension earth is in. It's fairly.. Euclidean, yes." she says. "It's filled with dark energy and tends to be toxic to living life. But creatures and people that are filled with enough dark energy-- or. are it, can exist there. For me. It feels more comfortable there than on Earth." she says.<br /><br />"I'm positive that, the majority of creatures that sometimes attack people either find a way to wander through to her, or are summoned here from it." she says.<br /><br />"I explore and take notes of the creatures and flora there." she says.<br /><br />"It's interesting. Some of it is strangely beautiful."<br /><br />"But more importantly. People like me can use it as a means of travel. Move there. and move to somewhere else in a second." she says. "Like a teleport." she says.<br /><br />"I wouldn't try to visit it until you have some means of shielding yourself from the containments. If you don't die, the darkness will try to... get into your head. Start breeding. And before you know it, you're like me or something." she mutters.

:'''{{#var:198|Rashmi Terios| (198)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Huh..." Rashmi sits back, brow furrowing. "That's.... huh. Interesting. I wonder how that came to happen, honestly... Like, why is that even a thing to begin with, y'know?"

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima purses her lips. "I think it's a ying yang concept. Earth or this dimension, is light. The Dusk Zone is an exact opposite." she says.<br /><br />"I've spent the past year studying it and dark energy theory. Mainly as a means to learn more about myself. Which I have. I've been meaning to pass on what I've collected to Mercury-chan. She's..."<br /><br />"She's been sharing what she can about my condition to me as she learns things. So I owe her that much." she says.<br /><br />She frowns a bit as she looks to the left and right.<br /><br />"I should... rest. While I've calmed down." she says. "My coffin is in the basement. Um. I'll pack the cookies...." she says as she stands up and makes for the kitchen, returning with a paper bag she begins to pack the cookies in, a pause.<br /><br />"I may stop by Korma Chamelon in the next few days." she says. "To make an order. Okay?" she asks.

:'''{{#var:198|Rashmi Terios| (198)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Norie-chan," Rashmi says gently, "you don't have to warn me ahead of time. Come by ''anytime'' you like, seriously. And thank you for the cookies... And if you like, you could give your research to me to give to her? She's still tutoring me every other day or so, after all."

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima purses her lips as she stands up and walks up stairs a moment. She walks into a room off the upper east wing and there's a moment. She reopens the door and walks back down and hands over what effectively looks like an SD card.<br /><br />"Here." she says softly.<br /><br />"You would see her before I will, yes." she says.<br /><br />"Thank you, Rashmi-chan." she offers softly. "Don't forget the cookies."

:'''{{#var:198|Rashmi Terios| (198)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Thank ''you'' Norie-chan," Rashmi replies, smiling brightly. "And for the cookies. If you're not at the Korma within a few days I'll come back here, okay?" Leaning over, she gives the vampire an impulsive, but brief hug, bows, and heads toward the door.
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