View source for 3009/So Many Chicken Dinners

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2017/11/14
|Location=Korma Chameleon
|Synopsis=Lacrima invites Kokoro out to talk about things over Butter Chicken, Chicken skewers and then Kokoro is also eating more chicken when she gets home apparently. ALSO they talk about their respective pasts and problems- and some potential avenues to figure more out.
|Cast of Characters=160,200
|pretty=yes
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{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima has been a mess. She's been LESS of a mess since the Halloween Party, but she's still a mess. Between Alexis-niisan being missing and her own emotional trainwreck of an existence that perhaps barely qualifies as one at times.<br /><br />She remembers Kokoro being confused that party night though and she gently sighs and decides it's time to finally poke her about it.<br /><br />She pulls out her phone and begins tapping out a text. ''Hey Kokoro-chan.'' this is a little different than the usual greeting she gives others. ''Would you like to meet me at the Korma for dinner or a snack? I'd like to talk to you, regardless. Please?''<br /><br />Then she flops forward into the booth she's claimed at the back with a large bowl of what appears to be butter chicken and two lassis and two smaller bowls to share the big bowl of butter chicken.<br /><br />She's ready to sit here and eat the whole thing alone if she says no, but she's hoping she says yes!

:'''{{#var:200|Kokoro Akakuma| (200)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It takes a few minutes before there's a reply, but it does pop up, eventually.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''momokos making dinner but i can do snacks''<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''be there in a few''<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And true to her word, it's not much longer after that when Kokoro opens the door and steps inside, tugging a jacket off her shoulders as she does so. She's changed out of her school uniform into a jeans-and-tanktop ensemble, and while the outside weather is cool, in here it's warm enough for bare arms. The jacket lands on the booth bench shortly before Kokoro's backside; rather than speak any particular prompt, however, she just picks up a menu and starts looking it over, waiting for Lacrima to start talking.

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima is sitting there and she gets a text back and she checks it WAY too fast as she reads it, relaxes a little. Then Kokoro comes and her eyes trace Kokoro as she sits down. Lacrima is not expecting Kokoro to talk first. Kokoro is not usually talkative.<br /><br />Kokoro reminds her some strange cross between... Jupiter and Kunzite. All the strength and height but all the quiet and straight face.<br /><br />"I liked your costume." she says quietly. A pause. Then a panic. "Ah--ah! No..that isn't. Why--why I wanted to talk..." she mutters.<br /><br />"I could had. Just texted you. /that/." she mutters.<br /><br />"....I'm sorry I made you punch my brother." a pause. "I mean. Ryo-niisan." she says quietly. "That man was. Some sort of spirit or ghost possessing my brother. I realized when he seemed to have some information that he shouldn't have otherwise." she says quietly.<br /><br />"It's why I had you punch him."<br /><br />"Exorcism by Knockout." she insists.<br /><br />She fidgets. "So. I just. Didn't want you to feel bad. He's kind of the reason I'm this mess now anyways. I mean. Ryo. Not. That man. You'd probably had decked him anyways. He's kind of a jerk about the whole mess anyways." she mutters.

:'''{{#var:200|Kokoro Akakuma| (200)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"...thanks," Kokoro mumbles. The costume is still a bit of an embarrassing point. But at least it's getting praise.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She finally decides to just order herself a couple chicken skewers as a snack, and while she's waiting for those, she sits and listens; a few customers probably think they're getting the stink eye from the tall, glowery girl, but she's mostly just finding something else to stare at while she listens.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"...after what your brother did to you, he's lucky I didn't dive back in when I found out who he was," she finally replies. "I ain't exactly fussed about it, now I know it was him." There's a brief glance Lacrima's way. "...I could still go give him one more if you want." Was... was that a joke? Did Kokoro just crack a joke?

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima purses her lips. "I think he's had enough punches for a life time, between Alexis-niisan breaking his nose and that night." she mutters. She fidgets upon mentioning the name Alexis, as she sighs a bit. "That. Man. The one possessing Ryo. That was. Poderoso. He's the man... or rather. The vampire that had this power before I did." she says.<br /><br />"The basic gist is. He wanted that power. It's why it named him Podoeroso. 'Powerful'." she says. "In Spanish."<br /><br />"He lived for a very very long time, during a period that History generally records as 'The Spanish Inquisition'." she offers. "Lots of records and books burned. Not a lot of preserved history about him. Or the ritual about this power." she says.<br /><br />"But he was powerful enough that he couldn't be 'destroyed'. He resisted the things that... 'a horrible dark energy abomination' is usually 'hilariously weak' to. "<br /><br />"Some Italians-- some 'Hunters' devised a way to split the power from the mind and body." she says tapping her bottom lip.<br /><br />"The body died. Of course. The power went into the necklace that's around my neck. And the mind. Well."<br /><br />"You were there." she sighs. "So that's what that was about. He wanted 'what's his' back." she says.<br /><br />"Of course. What he did was kind of like trying to rob a bank by asking very nicely while clearly being unarmed."<br /><br />"....yeah. Just. That's what it was about. My mess." she says.<br /><br />"Sorry you got involved." she says.<br /><br />".....did you know... that... when I started laughing when... Kukai. Came in. The boy who. Dressed like me? As humor?" she asks.<br /><br />"...that was the first time I'd laughed since I was human." she says quietly. "Like. Actually. Laugh at something. Funny. And humorous."

:'''{{#var:200|Kokoro Akakuma| (200)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A vampiric power so embraced by its user that they more or less became one, and had to be split apart to have any chance of stopping. And now he's showing back up. Not wanting to level her usual scowl at Lacrima, Kokoro instead gives her newly-arrived skewers a very irritable look. "...Don't think we should just write him off. Jerk like that, he thinks that power's his by right. Kinda guy who'll do just about anything. And he knows where you live, who your friends are, how to hurt you. Get him desperate enough, he don't need power of his own to get at you." She takes a bite of her skewer, then adds, "Oughta have those magic folks look into ways we can get rid of him. We'll probably need 'em."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then she settles back in her chair, taking a more contemplative expression - or perhaps just more somber. "...real, honest laughs, huh. Ain't had one of those in a while myself. Not somethin' I do often."

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima shifts uncomfortably. "It's on my radar." she says. "But he wouldn't had waited for /Halloween/ to do that. My theory is that he may be able to exist or pass through into the living world when the wall is weak between that. I dunno." she says.<br /><br />"Not saying he could find someone stupid enough to keep him tied down here. The old 'I'll give you unlimited power if you help me' trick."<br /><br />She melts a little more as she shoves food into her mouth like she isn't even trying. "I used to laugh at the stupidest things." she says softly. "When I was human. Then I couldn't anymore." she says quietly.<br /><br />"I mean laughs in mirth as opposed to..."<br /><br />"Well I've laughed before. But it's always been in bad mental breakdowns."<br /><br />"/That/ kind of laugh." she says quietly.<br /><br />"It's fine if you don't laugh Kokoro-chan. I know people that don't laugh. Or have subdued reactions." she says quietly. "Kunzite-kun. I've never heard him laugh. I've seen him smile at things. But even that takes a lot or the right moment." she says.<br /><br />"I appear to be good at enough dry humor to get that from him at least." she says quietly.<br /><br />She shifts a bit. "Thanks. For coming. By the way. I remember. I made a promise to you. About only texting you. For information." she says quietly.<br /><br />"I hadn't forgotten just..."<br /><br />"...a mess right now. And was worried suddenly. About that night."

:'''{{#var:200|Kokoro Akakuma| (200)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;For most of what Norie has to say, Kokoro just remains quiet, listening and... absorbing, perhaps is the correct word. In a way, it hits home, more than she cares to admit. So for now, she doesn't. But then the dour girl reaches the point of both thanks and apology; before Lacrima can go any further than she already has, a hand comes up. "...don't worry about it. I ain't mad." She finishes off her first skewer at last, then sets it down. "I'm, uh." Pause. Fidget. "...I... I got a home with folks that ain't tossin' me out just 'cause I'm willing to swing my fists, and people who ain't gonna drop me just 'cause I got worse problems than what dress to wear to the mall. I'm trying this whole... 'getting to know people' thing." She doesn't say the F-word. Only one person's earned that, just yet. Though perhaps if anyone else is close to being the second... well. "...so I guess if you need somethin', just ask. Still might have to stand in your way some day, you ever lose it and go nuts. But I ain't..." Pause. "...I'll be doin' it so you can look yourself in the mirror when it's all over. If that makes any sense."

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima stopped trying to argue people as friends vs. not friends a while ago. It was a habit Ariel vigorously absolved her of. "That's good." she says quietly. "Based on what Rashmi-chan said about the costume it sounds like they do care about you." she says quietly. "--and accept you as you are." she says.<br /><br />"....Unlike some jerks. Who shall rename currently nameless." she sighs. Cough, Ryo. Cough.<br /><br />"Problems are hard. I find you shouldn't ignore them. I stopped doing that. I have people I go to try to talk out anything." she says quietly.<br /><br />"Mamoru-kun, Kunzite-kun and Rashmi-chan." she says quietly. "Primarily. Mamoru is able to. Help me in a direct... Mechanical way? I'm pretty sure he's the reason I was able to laugh at Kukai like that." she says quietly.<br /><br />"He's been helping me fix various facets of my mental landscape and heart." she says quietly.<br /><br />"Have you met. Mamoru-kun?" a pause. "Sometimes Goofy. Sometimes serious. Top hat and formalwear...um. Rose. Darts." she says.<br /><br />"That guy." she says quietly.

:'''{{#var:200|Kokoro Akakuma| (200)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;More chicken is eaten. More words are listened to. Talking about Kokoro's foster family leads her to blush faintly, but the topic thankfully moves on. Rashmi, Kunzite, and...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"...yeah. Yeah, I've met that guy." If it weren't confirmed enough already, the quiet facepalm probably says all it needs to. "Look, I... I ain't the smartest person when it comes to all that magic stuff, and I know I'm crap at talking, but I can think a problem through if I gotta. You ever need bodies for dealin' with somethin', even maybe if it ain't fighting, you call me, alright?"

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima nods. "I know that much." she says quietly. "I mean. You. and. What not." she says. "I mean. I'm not even usually very talky but I've been talking a lot recently and I talk when I'm a mess sometimes mostly to myself." she says as she takes a deep breath.<br /><br />She's finished her Butter Chicken. She's working on that lassi now. Delicious, delicious mango. How did she exist without you before?<br /><br />"But I know." she says. "I know I can trust you. That's why I asked you to punch Ryo." she says. "I know you'd do it. If I asked. Without questioning." she says.<br /><br />"...I thank you for that. Still. By the way. I'm pretty sure someone else would had hesitated. That would've made things worse. And that you trusted my motive for it." she says quietly.<br /><br />"Not that you knew it at the time."<br /><br />A pause and sulks. "Ugh. Somehow I think it sounds like I'm saying it's a bad decision you did that but it isn't." she says. "I don't typically ask people to punch other other people without reason." she says quietly. "And I didn't want to touch him. In case he had some trick up his sleeve to get into my body or something." she shivers a bit like 'ick'. "Touch. Is how we drained energy afterall." she says quietly.

:'''{{#var:200|Kokoro Akakuma| (200)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kokoro shakes her head firmly. "No, no, I get it. You knew what you were doin'. If you weren't sure, you wouldn't ask me." She polishes off her second (and final) skewer, then sits back in the booth, folding her arms over her chest and closing her eyes. "Y'don't hesitate in a fight. Someone you trust says to do somethin', you do it. Hesitate for a second, you lose your chance, and it's your nose broken, not theirs. I..." She trails off for a few moments, as if not sure whether to proceed or not.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But then, finally, she does. "I always had a head for fightin', even when I was little. But ever since I picked up that hammer, it's more'n just being a scrapper. I... I understand fights. I ain't never read Art of War or Five Rings or anything, but I get it. Not just how to swing a hammer, but how to ''fight''. I understand how a battle flows. It's weird." For a second or two, she pauses, then adds, "...that's another thing, though. That hammer. Never saw it before in my life, but I pick it up and it's like I been swinging it every day since I was born."

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima nods. "This is a common... facet? Of Magical people. They know things. Or things make sense that didn't before." she says. "It sounds like you were obviously meant to 'fight'." she says. "In some form or another." she says quietly.<br /><br />"Most of what I 'know' is from dreams of that man doing things. Then I repeat it, and I can do it too. But I don't know it before that point." she says quietly. "It's why I know that man intimately, because I've lived portions of his life- in a way- in dreams." she says.<br /><br />A pause.<br /><br />"Do you dream, Kokoro-chan? Have you ever had an odd dream?" she asks. "One that didn't make sense? Or something...like that?" she asks.<br /><br />"If...it's too personal. You don't need to talk about it. But. You may want to talk to someone that can interpret dreams. Ariel-chan. or one of Ariel-chan's Dream friends." she says quietly.<br /><br />"I remember the discussion we had in the past." she says quietly. "About... your birth family. And some sand creature?" she asks. "Mph...."

:'''{{#var:200|Kokoro Akakuma| (200)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"...I was real young when that happened," Kokoro says after a rather more stony silence. "Real young. I figured I didn't remember it at all, but I guess once or twice I had a dream... screams. Angry, scared. Me bein' carried. Thunder." She shakes her head. "'s it. Don't know if that sand thing had anything to do with it. It just showed up and chased me down while I was out walkin'. Running away from it, I went the only way I knew, ended up back at my old home. 's where I found the hammer." Another shake of the head. "Don't really do weird dreams other'n that. Well, I do, but they're... normal-weird. No prophecies or visions of the past or weird crap like that."

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima nods. "You being carried... Thunder..." she taps her chin. She nods. "That's good. I mean that you have normal weird dreams. I can't even... normally dream. Dreams are for humans." she says quietly. "I have some weird sleep state that acts as a dream." she says quietly. "But it's close enough." she offers.<br /><br />"But I don't dream of things like humans do. I dream of that man. Or I find myself in my weird ... mental landscape." she says.<br /><br />"Or I just dream of flashing colors and shapes." she says. "Which appears to be a common facet of 'dark energy creatures in their stasis or sleep states'." she says. "As I have three similar reports that other similar beings have similar 'dreams' to that bit."<br /><br />"Ahahahaha I'm a jerk." she suddenly snorts to herself. Yes she snorts and mocks laughter. It's very nervous. "I talk about myself too much. Also a facet of dark energy beings. Ego. Inward. A lot." she says.<br /><br />A deep breath.<br /><br />"Back then. Tokyo was not as magically active as it is now. I know that much. I can look into various old old files. In the organization I work for. It's unlikely I'll find anything. But it's possible anyone that did notice something going on, or acted in it, could had made a report or a note, or maybe even a passing note of something in that direction." she says.<br /><br />"....If I could do that. Would you want me to?" she asks asks softly.<br /><br />She shifts. "I just. Wanna do something for you too... you know and there's not really... much I can offer." she says quietly. "Except that I know I'm a good researcher. For some reason."

:'''{{#var:200|Kokoro Akakuma| (200)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A possible lead. A possible lead into the loss of her parents - into the event that has left her entire life a fractured wreck that's only just beginning to pull some semblance of 'together', to the night that led to the emotional mess she is today. She's said it before. How much she'd give to have her parents back even briefly. And here Lacrima puts out an offer to... well, it's not even a lead. Just a chance of a lead, and a small one at that, from the sound of it. But that's more than she has now.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Yeah," Kokoro replies, without skipping a beat. She even looks Lacrima in the eye. "Yeah, I... if you can find anything, I'll take it."

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima nods. "I'll... start. When. I... I sort out some of the specifics of my current mess, okay?" she asks. "I won't be long to start. The actual research may take a bit. I may find nothing. I may find out only a little. I may find out a great deal." she says quietly.<br /><br />"When I think I've found as much as I can, or... nothing at all, I'll let you know." she says quietly.<br /><br />She shifts a bit.<br /><br />She sighs a little. "I'm slowly loosing my ability to think straight. So I think I'm at my emotional limit for the night. I'm sorry Kokoro-chan." she says quietly.<br /><br />A pause.<br /><br />"Thanks for coming. I know you didn't have to." she says quietly.<br /><br />"...do you want to take home the rest of the Butter Chicken for you or the family you're staying with?" she asks softly.

:'''{{#var:200|Kokoro Akakuma| (200)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;This time, there's a simple, relaxed nod from Kokoro. "Yeah." As close as she typically gets to 'you're welcome', and at the same time, an acknowledgement of the caveats about Norie's offer. She starts to slide out of her seat, only to stop when Lacrima makes her an offer. It's tempting. Enough so that she stops and stares at the food briefly. But then there's a simple, "Nah. Dinner's chicken anyway." The slide up to her feet is smooth, and so are her strides; she's already got the jacket back on by the time she's out the door.
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