View source for 3756/Milkshake Shuffle

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2019/06/13
|Location=Uminari City - Game Center Crown
|Synopsis=Lacrima talks with Miho about things over Milkshakes and Lemonade.
|Cast of Characters=160,220
|pretty=yes
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{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima is dressed in normal, everyday clothes. She is sitting in a booth in the mid area of the crown with a milkshake and a half eaten cheeseburger. There's a variety of empty milkshake glasses around her table which suggests the one she's drinking has not been her first. Also. The plate is stacked on other empty used plates which suggests more than one burger or food item has been consumed.<br /><br />She is mostly poking a finger at the condensation of the glass, drawing a line fron the top to the bottom as she seems.... well not 'sad' but definitely dour about something. At least it seems that mundane sort of dour. The kind a regular down and out girl might show rather than a horrid dark matter entity being upset.<br /><br />She pokes the bun of her burger before picking it up and taking a bite. She sighs a little bit.

:'''{{#var:220|Miho Kagami| (220)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Miho has been jogging! She has a fairly regular exercise regimen as part of the track team, and she's looking a lot more fit than she did this time last year. She decided to top it off with some lemonade at the Crown!<br /><br />Of course, when she sees a familiar face, this changes her plans somewhat.<br /><br />She heads over to Lacrima's table with two glasses of lemonade and an 'ice cream smoothie'. "Hey, Lacchan," she says gently; she's wearing her trademark green T-shirt, black skirt, and shorts under the skirt. "What's up?" She just sort of ... not-so-subtly pushes the 'okay you know what this is totally a milkshake' over to Lacrima.

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima looks up and mphhhs. "Oh...! Hi Miho-chan." she says as she perks up a little. Small smile! She head tilts a little. She head tilts. "Oh-- um. Just..." she shifts. "Right did I.. thank you? For your help? I mean with... the Poderoso problem.." she says. "If I didn't... thank you." she says with a soft bow at the table, before she sighs. "But I feel I did. Just... making sure. Ya know?" she asks as she shifts a little.<br /><br />She sighs. "Just... expected. More to change after that, ya know? Thought with him... actually gone... I'd be able to have my own dreams again but... all I get is the same usual... either black with abstract glitter shapes... dreaming about ''his'' life... or I end up in my dreamscape." she says softly.<br /><br />"...I mean. Don't.. get my wrong. I'm not ungrateful. He's gone for good. I don't need to worry about his mess anymore." she says. "Just...."<br /><br />"Was hoping he'd take those dumb dreams with him." she says softly.

:'''{{#var:220|Miho Kagami| (220)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Miho nods. "I don't think you did," she says, "but I mean, honestly, it was no problem." She smiles. "If you ever have that kind of problem again, there's pretty much no way I'm ''not'' gonna help you out, y'know?" She shrugs. "And, I mean, also the little stuff, too, like I'm not even gonna slow down on healing and purifying the people you, uh, 'feed' on."<br /><br />She frowns at the other situation, however. Once again, she feels a brief twinge of her usual helplessness, although on the bright side, in this case it's not due to being made of purification. "Oh, jeez, I'm sorry to heal that," she says. "Have you talked with like Ariel-chan about it? I mean if anyone would know how to ..." She hesitates, and then shrugs. "I mean ... I admit I don't know about that much at all, but I mean Ariel ... sounds like she'd be it."

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima snorts. "He's gone. Super... super gone. I can feel it. So are the other vampire problems. And the one somewhat reasonable one, Jiaying helped 'pass on' properly. The pirate. There." she says softly. She shakes her head. "I haven't spoken to Ariel about it yet. She was.... very shook up. Basically, wouldn't let go of me all morning. She'd never...." she says. "She'd never... 'struck' anyone. Ever. Period. Not even indirectly." she says quietly. "I feel like all my problems are just... making her feel bad things. Right now. Ryo... making her feel anger... Poderoso, for causing her to ... act on physical violence..." she says quietly.<br /><br />"I'll ask her sometimes soon. Really. I guess I should be glad things are at least 'normal'. If not 'better'." she says quietly.<br /><br />"I need to write a thank you card still to the boys." she says. "I mean.. 'boys'-- Mamoru and.. Kunzite." she says.

:'''{{#var:220|Miho Kagami| (220)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Miho nods. "I mean, things don't get more final than 'literally dragged through the door to hell'," she says mildly. "I meant in a more general 'you need help' kind of thing."<br /><br />But then she frowns. "Norie-chan," she says firmly, but in a low enough voice so as not to be overheard, "it is ''not'' your fault. Being in a relationship as deep as you and Ariel-chan are, I mean, you shoulder each other's burdens and stuff, right? It's ... you gotta take the good with the bad, kind of thing."<br /><br />She hesitates. She realizes she isn't entirely sure how 'deep' she is with Aki. Especially after the quiz show. But she feels as though she has a reasonable enough grasp on the theory that she can give someone ''else'' relationship advice.<br /><br />She shakes her head. "Basically, uh ... what I'm trying to say there is ..." She grins. "If you literally ask her if she thinks it's worth it, she'll say 'yes' without like even a little bit of hesitation. Y'know?"<br /><br />Well, maybe not ''that'' much of a grasp on it ...<br /><br />She shrugs. "But anyway, uh ..." She tries to figure out how to move the conversation along. "... how ... I mean ... do you ... do anything particular for thank you note? Or is it just, like, a usual note?" She stops. "... Okay I'm not even sure what I'm asking here," she says frankly.

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima blinks, and then blushes fiercely. "Um-- Well I guess." she sputters. "Just... Ariel admits she... panicked... that... she was afraid. He was gonna take me away. So she... just. Slashed." she says. "But. I'm just glad she's okay.. and I'm okay. Really, in the end. And... I'm sure her parents talked with her about it. Her moms are good about catching that." she says.<br /><br />"I mean. They sent her out, to learn about the world and not be sheltered so much as far as I could understand so..." she sighs a bit.<br /><br />She looks up. "Oh." she says. "I write a note. It says thank you. My script is always super fancy. I think it's the whole magic stuff. Anyways. The note says thank you, why and then I also usually leave a box of the artisan donuts." she says. "Enough to account for Nephrite or Kyouko eating probably an entire box and all that." she snort giggles.<br /><br />She shifts a bit and sighs. She lifts her head a bit. "When did you become a dealer of relationship advice, anyways?" she asks.

:'''{{#var:220|Miho Kagami| (220)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Miho giggles nervously. There's a bit of redness on her own cheeks as well. "Well, I mean, I'm definitely glad ''she's'' okay, too," she says. "She is definitely awesome. I've known ''that'' since we invaded that one Raskoph place."<br /><br />She blinks as Lacrima talks about handwriting. It never occurred to her that "magic stuff" might actually affect your handwriting. "Huh, nifty," she murmurs. "I mean, as far as that goes."<br /><br />Another nervous giggle, and her blush deepens. "Well, I mean, uh ..." She shrugs. "I dunno, I've just ... recognized stuff from pop culture. And sorta putting it together with how I've observed the way people work? Which ... was originally sort of a trans thing, 'how girls should behave' and all that stuff." She sips her lemonade thoughtfully. "I think the only other time I actually ''gave'' someone romantic advice was ... August or September? I ran into Fate Waldia when we were both at the ECFH, and she was asking for advice about this girl she liked, and yeah." (She is still blissfully unaware of the impending doom from the fallout of ''that'' incident.)<br /><br />She grins sheepishly. "Somehow, though, this doesn't translate to having the slightest confidence in my ''own'' romantic business and stuff." She most likely would have mentioned Aki in Lacrima's presence before.

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima blinks once. "Fate was interested in someone? I always seen her for someone who wasn't really into those emotions. But. Most my knowing her was..." she trails off and shakes her head. "Nevermind." she says softly. "It is probably none of my business anyways." she says. "I don't know Fate-chan all that well." she says.<br /><br />She head tilts. "Lots of ''magic stuff' affects me weirdly. Like suddenly knowing most European languages. When I knew Japanese and English before." she says bluntly. She sighs a bit.<br /><br />"MPhhh. You never told me much about your romantic business. Except a maybe girlfriend?" she asks curiously.

:'''{{#var:220|Miho Kagami| (220)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Miho shrugs. "I don't know her very well, either," she says. "All I know is it's a girl named Nanoha Takamachi, so ... yeah."<br /><br />She smiles. "Yeah, Aki Kurosawa," she says. "She's ... well, Aki-chan's really nice. She's in the dance club at Infinity. And like ... I could just spend all my time with her? If I ... didn't have an even more limited romantic capacity than my social capacity?" She shrugs. "And also we're both kind of ridiculous anxiety-wise so we've agreed that we don't have to make everything a ''date'' and all that stuff. But, like, it's ''totally'' worth it."<br /><br />She hesitates. "Also she referred to me as 'beloved' in, uh ..." She's not about to out another magical girl to a member of Eclipse, best friend or no. "... a context which was pulling a fast one on her sister Haruna-san ... and ..." She giggles nervously. "I'm kind of exploding inwardly because of that because my brain just goes anxiety-shutdown instead of actually trying to interpret it properly or use stuff like common sense ..."

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima makes a face. "Someone Riven-sama dislikes. I wonder if he knows...." she trails off, then shakes her head. "Isn't important right now." she says softly as she peers up.<br /><br />"...Ah..." she says. "We're both in separate school's Dance Clubs. She's decent. I don't know her well beyond that." she says. That last name sounds familiar for some reason but she doesn't dwell on it either.<br /><br />She mmmphhhsss. "Well. She's dating you. So she has feelings. How.. um...." she blushes and tries to think of a tactful way to ask something personal. She scrunches her face. "Hrm--- Sorr---sorry. I'm trying to figure out a way to ask... how affectionate are you with one another -- like... hugging?... cuddling...." um. "Kissing...?" she asks. "I find... physical contact. Of most sorts. Is where the relationship is going somewhere, you know?" she asks. "People 'just Dating'.... don't do that. If it isn't also a relationship?" she asks.

:'''{{#var:220|Miho Kagami| (220)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Miho considers the question. "Well, uh ..." She thinks about this, blushing bright red. "We've kissed once, and, uh ... we've ... hugged a few times, so, uh ..." She grins nervously. "We were ''trying'' to ... take it slow, but there ... was ... a bunch of ... y'knowwhatnevermind."<br /><br />She looks like she's gone all the way through 'relationship anxiety/awkward embarrassment' and hit a kind of calm from the other direction. "You know what, when you put it like that," she says, "I am like ninety percent sure ... ninety-''nine'' percent sure ... that, uh, the answer is slipping towards sort of 'yes'-ways. As the ... bottom line I guess."

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima snorts. "Relationships either are slow burn or sometimes quicker..." she says. "With Ariel it was.. basically a year knowing her until something started clicking in my head. Then I kinda was an idiot and kissed her because I didn't have the energy to use my words and it kinda spiraled from there." she says meekly.<br /><br />"I'm just glad her mom doesn't murder me in my literal sleep." she snorts. She sighs a bit and finishes her milkshake. "Sometimes... it's just chemistry, you know?" she asks softly. "Just... click." she says as she pushes two fingers together.<br /><br />"Though I admittedly feel lucky for the people that didn't even need to try I mean... like. Mamoru and Usagi was practically actual destiny?" she says. "As far as I can figure out." she says with a series of nods.

:'''{{#var:220|Miho Kagami| (220)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Miho shrugs. "In Aki-chan's case ... her sister tried to set us up together, basically," she says. "But we just sort of met each other completely independently of that. And then she asked me out once she realized 'oh hey this is the girl my sister is trying to set me up with'. And, um." She grins. "I guess that's ''my'' romantic situation dealt with! My parents think it's great. And ..." She shrugs. "Yeah, dunno what else to say about that. I dunno how Usagi-san and Mamo-kun work, but like, it ''clearly'' works for them, so more power to 'em!"

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima snorts. "That sounds like... a romance comedy manga..." she says softly. She snorts and has to stifle the giggle, which she does primarily by practically shoving the rest of the cheeseburger into her mouth and chewing as she thinks and swallows. By then she's under control enough to not laugh in Miho's face.<br /><br />"But... still. Good you two met, right?" she asks softly as she bites her lip. "I ever tell you how I met Ariel?" she asks softly.<br /><br />"...Kinda. When I started running into other people. I'd been this thing for about a year, right?" she asks. "But never ran into others. Anyways. She caught me mid... erm. Feeding..." she says quietly.<br /><br />"She didn't judge me. Or try to give me a justice speech. Or assume I was some sort of malicious entity. She..."<br /><br />"I mean she asked me why I did that. Sort of disappointedly?" she says. "And I told her. That I needed to. And why. I don't think she was happy at the time but... she was one of the first one to understand that I needed to do it." she says.<br /><br />"....I sorta started helping her with some dream troubles after that." she says. "...it. Felt kinda wrong. To not repay that at the time since..."<br /><br />"Well Kukai basically sliced my arm off once when I was feeding. So." she snorts. "So talking was appreciated.. rather than a fight... how it used to go a lot of the time."

:'''{{#var:220|Miho Kagami| (220)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Miho grins. "I know, right!?" she says. "Man, don't even get me started on ..." She hesitates. There is no ''way'' she can actually ''tell'' someone about the 'indirect kiss' nonsense. "... actually, uh, never mind."<br /><br />She nods. "I don't think you've told me about that before, actually," she says. She listens as Lacrima tells her story, and grimaces at that last part. "Wow," she says, and gives a lopsided grin. "Well. Good to know you and Souma-san are on good terms ''now'', at least." She shakes her head. "I can't even ''imagine'' what it's like to ... to ''have'' to be in that situation."<br /><br />She glances towards her shadow, and glances at her hand. "... and I don't intend to find out, either," she murmurs.

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima head tilts. "Well. Kukai and I aren't exactly on 'great' terms just talking terms I guess." she says softly. "Which is better than 'Soccer ball to the face' terms." she says with a sigh as she leans back in the booth's seat and thinks a moment.<br /><br />She snorts. "Wanna know how I met Mamoru?" she asks. "He was under a street light. Playing Pokemon Go at like... very late at night alone? So I thought.. 'easy'." she says.<br /><br />"Except... the stuff I leeched from him was... like..." she says. "Like how humanity feels direct from the tap--- warm sunlight. grass. Happy... stuff like that." she says. "So... I didn't... stop. When I normally would and that... basically summoned Kunzite and Sailor Moon like. Immediately." she says.<br /><br />"One of them managed to get me offa him and then I got back a little to my senses enough to basically run. After apologizing to Kunzite. Because.. stuff." she mutters.<br /><br />"...Then Mamoru basically invited me fricken over when he realized what was going on and why I attacked him. Because he lives dangerously and takes chances like that." she snorts.<br /><br />She shifts. "Still thankful for that." she says quietly. "Since he could had been like. 'Ahahaha I hope I never see you again because I'm gonna rose your face in' or something."

:'''{{#var:220|Miho Kagami| (220)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Miho raises her eyebrows. "I mean, the first time ''I'' met him, he basically tried to protect me even though he was still powerless from Her Worshipfulness, and the monster as after him anyway," she says. "But, like, yeah, sounds like him."<br /><br />She shrugs, and grins. "And, like, obviously trusting you worked out for the best in general! Like, just apart from the Sailor Flat Earth stuff, my understanding is you've been a ''really'' important part of saving the world a couple times." She grimaces. "... I'm not even gonna say anything about how much you've helped Lamya-san and Miki-san." Left unsaid: how much worse the situation with ''Ryo'' might have been ...<br /><br />And then she blinks. "... did I just say 'Sailor Flat Earth'?"

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima frowns and shifts. "....Things like me, should... try to do as minimal damage as possible. I mean... monsters that have souls or... something enough like it." she says. She sighs a bit and seems to take a deep breath a moment. "---y--yeah. I wasn't aware of the Sailor Earth stuff. I would had... told Minako what I knew." she says. "When she told me it was hurting Mamoru I would had told her anything if I knew it." she says. "But..."<br /><br />"Riven-sama rarely learns his lesson and I was an idiot for not looking into it." she says quietly.<br /><br />"Know none of that was my fault. Still kind of blame myself partly. But.. pretty sure... that's jus the dark energy talking, yeah know?" she says softly.<br /><br />"Lamya-chan is my friend, so is Miki-san." she says.<br /><br />"I mean. You are too." she says softly. "-and I know I'm not perfect. Sometimes it's hard to control what I am." she says. "Like... Um, Unmei-chan's new girlfriend.. i think at least...." she says. "...kind of smells really enticing to my vampiric self? And I wasn't actually paying attention before I found myself kind of just inches away from draining her. So I mean.... Yeah know...?" she shifts.<br /><br />"Usually if I know it's coming I can brace myself. Like when Mamoru had to heal me twice... I was able to kind of stop myself from leeching off him. I don't think I would had been able to if he just kind of snuck up on me and tried the same thing." she says.

:'''{{#var:220|Miho Kagami| (220)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Miho nods thoughtfully. "I feel like I'm starting to get a clearer picture of how dark energy affects people," she murmurs. She shrugs, and looks Lacrima in the eye. "Lacchan, I gotta say, you're one of the strongest people I know," she says. "Like. Even in your situation, you ''can'' hold yourself back. And, I mean, because of that, you're in a ''good'' situation, compared to ... compared to how it could've been otherwise. Like it's easy to see how it could've been so much worse." She smiles. "And, like ... I already said this, but I'm glad I'm able to help you out with improving it, in the ways that I can."

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima frowns. "I'm not strong. That's other people." she says. "In my studies, I've found that one of the the best counters to 'dark energy infestation' that you can't immediately solve with purification or can't solve with purification is making friends that push. Even if you don't want to. At first it was like...." she says. "....like taking medicine you don't want to." she says.<br /><br />"But eventually, the edge starts sticking." she says. "-and it's easier to ignore the voice in your head trying to drive the dark energy into bad ways." she says. "-and having a friend that's been there helps a little. Even if you don't talk about it often because... bad memories of them." she says.<br /><br />"If people didn't want to be my friend. or... I did thinks to drive them away which-- was entirely in the realm of possibility I mean.... I literarily eat people's energy..." she says. "I would probably be some cackling villain by now." she admits.

:'''{{#var:220|Miho Kagami| (220)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Miho nods, listening intently. This is all very good to know. "Well, I mean, that's fair," she says. "But friends are their own kind of strength." She grins. "''You'' heard what I told Poderoso. I wasn't just, like, talking on empty, either." She nods. "The important thing as I see it is, you ''do'' have friends who've stuck with you, and you ''didn't'' turn into a cackling villain."<br /><br />She takes another sip of her lemonade. "Well," she says, "you be sure to talk to Ariel, all right?" She smiles. "I'm sure she'll be able to give you some peace of mind!"

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima sighs and purses her lips as she nods. "Yeah." she says softly. "Poderoso had friends but... well obviously. He decided to take their remaining energy back. I mean it wasn't enough they we're all defeated once..." she snorts.<br /><br />She sighs. "I gotta go. I'll try to bug Ariel tomorrow." she says as she gets up. "Thanks for chatting Miho-chan." she says with a smile.<br /><br />And off she goes!
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