Scene #1468: A Lunchtime Meeting

Owner	Pose
Serori	Lunch time in the Pleasure Palace! Serori's off in a side room all by her lonesome. Sitting out in the open tends to attract too many bothersome visitors who would rather talk than let her eat or work in peace, and while she's sometimes tolerant of such things, today she's definitely in no mood. Mostly-empty plates are stacked up on the table next to her left arm. Next to her right, she's still got a stack or two of pancakes and bacon to get through. A steaming mug is somewhere in reach, and so is a digital tablet she's poking at from time to time. She's in casual dress well-suited to her relaxed state of mind and body.
Kirikou	The Pleasure Palace is one of those sorts of places. A fascinating draw for someone like Kirikou, but also a source of guilt and discomfort. Of course when the twins are around he's got a built-in excuse to avoid the most disquieting sorts of places while still being 'man enough' to at least be in the Pleasure Palaces and indulge himself in those sorts of pleasures he appreciates without having to worry about facing teasing over those OTHER sorts of pleasures he'd rather stay more private. Besides, even the kids like to eat big meals. If not quite so big as Kilik does. So yes, they're pretty eager to come in and indulge in this sort of feasting. None of the trio are interested in disrupting Serori's time and attention from her own food and work, but the question does come up. Is there a business meeting? Well, no. But there is a high officer in thearea. Deciding to at least pay his respects, Kirikou waits until there's no one looking to tell him it's a bad idea, then pokes his head in the door to Serori's private room. "Hey Kernel! If I'd known you were here I'd have suggested getting food together! You look almost done now. How's it going?"
Serori	Kilik's just one of those guys who can get away with a lot. Serori's developed a real fondness for him, and his two tiny weapons, so while she might make a face and shoo away many other intruders, she doesn't feel the need to chase away the young Meister. After a startled blink, she takes on a warm smile, and waves her fork in greeting. "Aah, sorry, Kilik. Sometimes I'd just rather eat alone, I suppose. Nice of you to think of me, though. Things are going well enough -- up to three Dragon Balls, now, and other activities seem to be moving along okay." She shrugs a bit, and beckons him in. "You can help me finish my bacon if you want. I'm stuffed." Anyone /should/ be stuffed, after ten plates... "Everything going okay with you and the kids?"
Serori	Serori doesn't seem to notice the nickname Kilik's used, by the way. The words sound too much alike to her ears.
Kirikou	"Never turn down bacon." Kirikou states emphatically, gesturing the twins inside. They rush in with arms flapping and waving in the air, so much so that you can almost hear the shrieking glee they're not uttering. "You don't mind if I order some pancakes too? They do things the right way here." he grins. Food is definitely one of Kirikou's loves. And a faithful sort of love that'll never let him down. "Three dragon balls huh? Course I bet things are going to get tricky soon. The first ones have to be easiest, when no one else knows what you're up to." he shrugs. "Maybe I can help out a bit, though I don't really know anything about your world. About all I know about dragon balls is sometimes when you face someone really big and tough you have to hit 'em somewhere tender." he says. After a moment he seems to realize what he's saying, and to who, and starts coughing. "Er... cough yeah. So we're doing good. Things have been a bit weird recently. And... well, that kinda reminds me." Kirikou says, suddenly a bit self-conscious.
Serori	"Kilik!" Serori tries to sound scolding; the laughter gets in the way. "You've got a dirty mind. I shudder to think at how you must be influencing these two." As soon as Fire and Thunder come into reach, she snatches up Thunder, scooping the little girl into her lap. Fire's hoisted into the chair beside Serori by her tail, so that he can also reach the bacon on Serori's plate. The saiyan's laughter dies down to a chuckle as she ruffles Thunder's hair. "Saa. Your help'll be welcome. So, what's so...weird?" One of the wait staff steps into the room to take Kilik's order. While she's there, Serori drinks what's left of her coffee. After the waitress is gone, she gestures at Kilik. "Talk."
Kirikou	While Kirikou wanted the twins out of the way when he'd investigated Medusa's death, he doesn't mind them hearing the conversation now. The only concern was when he was potentially saying or doing something that could be considered disloyal. To shelter them most of all. With this, he has no questions in his mind. Nothing Fire and Thunder can't hear. For their part, this is all mostly meaningless chatter. It's not that it goes completely over their heads, it's just not something they find particularly important. They trust Kilik implicitly, and leave such matters to him most of the time. "They'll never repeat a word of it." Kilik says with a smirk, before snagging some bacon and taking a bite. Then he shuffles a bit, trying to get comfortable. It's a metaphorical, or perhaps metaphysical, discomfort he's in. Finding comfort takes a bit of time, so for a bit he just fidgets and tries to figure out how to bring this up. Finally he shrugs and starts talking. "Actually I think you might already know. At least I hope you do. I could see you finding out pretty quick, or maybe even knowing beforehand. So by me telling you, I'm just saying I know too. And of course if you haven't been told, then you should know right?" he says.
Serori	/That/ is a pretty loaded statement. Serori gives Kilik a long, contemplative look marked by the brief and almost suspicious narrowing of her eyes. It's just a quick squint, but it's an indication that some of her thoughts might be darker than others. Is Kilik up to something? Is he about to announce something...delicate? He's tense; that much is obvious. Tense, uncomfortable -- nervous? Or just uncertain? Serori had learned a great deal about humankind since entering the Multiverse, but she's still not always so adept at gauging their emotions, especially whenever a human's emotional reactions can be so unpredictable. "Whatever it is, I'm sure you're doing the right thing by telling me about it." Serori finally quits leaving him hanging, and quits playing the guessing game. "Are you in some kind of trouble?" Best to get the worst case scenarios out of the way. "You're not doing something risky, are you?"
Kirikou	"What?" Kilik asks, apparently taken entirely off-guard by the question. And with his apparently genuine surprise and presumed bad ability when it comes to deception, this should reassure Serori that he's not in trouble, not up to something inappropriate. "No no! Nothing like that." Kilik reassures her. It's only AFTER he thinks about it a moment that he realizes he might actually be doing things like that. Well, kind of. "I'm looking to get involved with Alexander Academy a bit. Been talking to their students and thinking maybe there's some good people there. But that's... that's not what I'm talking about!" he protests, waving a hand more defensively than dismissively. "I'm talking..." Kirikou says, taking a deep breath. Oookay, just out with it. "I mean, I've asked around about Miss Medusa. And I'm sure she's not really dead. I hope she contacted you and just didn't tell me because she doesn't trust me. But I figure she trusts you and maybe she's just scheming something that's not... totally bad. Or something." he adds. Oh, this is not going well... But then, it's about Medusa.
Serori	Right. Kilik's surprise is as genuine and transparent as it gets; so's Serori's. No, it's obvious Medusa hasn't contacted Serori in any way whatsoever, /if/ she is still alive. The initial shock's a bit hard to work through. "M-Medusa...alive?" She doesn't sound as if she can decide between being skeptical or hopeful. She's always liked Medusa, so she'll settle on hopeful once she's had another second to think. "Are you sure? What makes you think she is?" The conversation's interrupted again by the arrival of breakfast for Kilik, Fire, and Thunder. Serori uses the break to gather her thoughts. "I don't care about Alexander Academy. I'm sure you can learn something interesting there from the students and the teachers. I'm sure it'll at least expand on the education you've gotten at the Death Academy -- which has probably taught you /something/ about Witches I don't understand." Serori kicks back in her seat once Thunder flees her lap for her own chair. "Explain."
Kirikou	"Isn't the first time she's done this." Kirikou explains, now on somewhat firmer ground. And with breakfast present and accounted for, he begins to settle down and lay out his thoughts. Gesturing with a sausage, he continues. "Back before multiversal integration, Miss Medusa betrayed Shibusen." he explains. This, Serori likely knows. Kilik's already explained that ancient past, most likely. How Medusa had pretended to be an ordinary nurse, then revealed herself as a witch when she released a demon upon the world. "One of the strongest of the school's teachers, along with a deathscythe and some students, hunted her down. They couldn't stop her from succeeding, but they did kill her. Cut her down so she ... well, she exploded. Just like she did this time when D stabbed her." he explains. "We thought she was dead. I don't think you'll be surprised to find out we were wrong." he adds, grinning slightly. "She left behind her body, or at least most of it. But her soul remained, and she was able to find a new body." Kirikou adds, shrugging. Medusa's one of the strongest powers of his world, and definitely one of the most devious. The twins listen in, not seeming either upset or unfamiliar with the discussion. And not turned off their food either. They may not have the screaming appetites of a saiyan, but they make up with it with the way their mouths open to take in huge masses of pancake at once. Then they both sit there, chewing their way through the mass blissfully while Kilik continues. "Naturally, that made me suspicious." Kirikou says. "And it's not proof. Not even close. Was enough for me to look deeper. So I asked one of the fighters who was there what happened." he adds. "I wasn't there, and I haven't seen proof with my own eyes, but ... well, I'm convinced. And besides, you know what she's like, right? Do you really think she'd have fought like that, toe to toe, never trying to flee, if she thought she'd be really killed? She's EIGHT HUNDRED years old! Witches that have lived longer than Shibusen's been around don't just survive all their hunters by luck, or by fighting when the odds are even. They ALWAYS have an edge. Always."
Serori	"I see." Serori leans her elbows onto the tabletop, and rests her chin atop her fists. "Hm, hm. So, how long did it take for her to make a return, the last time she blew up? Does she need time to regain her strength? How will we know she's returned -- do you think she'll reach out right away, or bide her time?" Another thought makes her frown. Hard. "And if she /is/ just a floating-around soul at the moment, do you think she's especially vulnerable, and in any danger?" She gives a little shake of her head. "I would hate to think she's in need of help, and us completely unaware. You're right, she's way too cunning not to have these preparations made /now/ if she's had them made in the past. D's a dangerous guy, and she wouldn't put herself at risk without a safety line..." A soft grunt. "I'm willing to trust your judgment on this, and to do what we need to in order to assure her continued safety."
Kirikou	Kirikou shrugs. "I got no idea how long she needs. Could be months, could be days. Might be she's already alive and she's working on a scheme of some kind." he says neutrally. It's no great secret Kilik dislikes and distrusts Medusa. At the same time though, he warily admires her, and respects her power. "When she's back, she might tell someone. Or she might bide her time. Depends what she's planning." he adds. He doesn't say 'depends on who she intends to betray', but that's because Kilik's not a complete idiot. "I think if she needed help, she'd seek it." he says instead. It's a safer thing really. "So I figure she doesn't actually need help right this moment. She's safest if no one knows she's still alive. You should know though. And probably Lord Dracula, and anyone else you think needs to." he adds, being diplomatic about it. "But it shouldn't be common knowledge. If she's keeping it secret, there's a good reason for that." That reason might well be because she's planning something the Confederacy doesn't like... but Kirikou won't be the one to say that aloud! "Oh, and I don't think she's just a disembodied soul." Kilik adds after a moment's thought. "That's the strongest evidence she's still alive after all. No one saw her soul." he explains. "They didn't know they should watch for it of course, but if anyone'd seen it it'd be unmistakeable. Anyone from my world leaves their soul behind when they die. A witch's soul though, that's unique. If no one reported a violet glowing light left behind, then her soul's not loose." It's in one of her snakes, or in a part of her she hid away, something like that. Kilik's not sure how it works. He can imagine, but even though he knows more about witches than most, the subject's still a bit of a mystery.
Serori	"Mmh. I see." Serori continues holding onto her frown for awhile. It's clear she doesn't like the situation, though it's probably the uncertainty of it all that's bothering her more than anything else. She doesn't seem to fear anything Medusa might be planning. Either she's very confident the Confederacy could weather any treachery Medusa could conjure, or the thought that Medusa would be crazy enough to antagonize the Confederacy hasn't even crossed her mind. "I'll inform Lord Dracula. We'll discuss together if anyone else should be made aware of the possibilities." Pushing a hand through her hair to shake it out seems to also shake up her mood. After a gusty sigh, a faint smile returns, and she shrugs. "So it's a waiting game. I hate those, but for her sake, I'll be patient. If she comes back in a way that's valuable to us, good. If she's using her 'death' as an excuse to change the course of her life...well, that's her decision. She'll be missed. I'm just glad that there's a chance she's still out there." A gladness Kilik no doubt fails to share. "Thank you for coming to me with your insights. I know she's not your favorite person."
Kirikou	Not his favorite? No, that's true enough. She's a deadly beast. But as long as she's the CONFEDERACY'S deadly beast, she was safe enough. Now that she's on her own, she's a worry to Kirikou. Unlike Serori, he does assume she might be crazy enough to do something that'd antagonize the Confederacy. She'd take on an entire world, when that world was everything. Having all hands turned against her for the sake of her beloved chaos.... yes, it's all too possible. "I wish she'd told someone by now." Kilik says, instead choosing to be diplomatic. "Maybe she's still struggling to put a body together or something." he suggests, though he doesn't believe it. Snakes grow new skins quickly. "But I'd feel better knowing what she's up to. I mean, knowing she's about." he says with a crooked grin. "I don't think I ever knew what she was up to..."
Serori	"I guess...it's like you said. She'll show herself in time, if she's still out there." Serori doesn't sound thrilled about that, again, but she never likes not having any control over any kind of personal investment. She cares about Medusa, to some extent, so not knowing what's going on, exactly...it kinda sucks. Better to focus on other things, in the meantime. Fussing over Medusa's fate would only be an ugly distraction from more important work. Kicking back again, feet on the table, Serori settles into watching the kids eat and play, finding them overall a more pleasant thing to be concerned about. She enjoys Kilik's company for as long as he sticks around, of course, but she really does like children, so she doesn't dote him the way she does his cousins. Though she supposes that kind of doting might be embarrassing for him, anyway. He's at that age, right? Anyway, it's a nice lunch overall. Serori'll leave it feeling happy.