Scene #3649: Cultural Exchange

Owner	Pose
Hoshi Amakasu	The spirit of giving had been a thing Hoshi wasn't used to when her first Christmas had rolled around here. She'd recieved far more than she'd been expecting, and one of those had been from Sanary. Thus, it was in the spirit of giving that Hoshi contacted Sanary and mentioned buying her food. In this case, she's even gone to the lengths of bringing Sanary to her home city, Osaka, at an alternate Japan. It seems Hoshi's spied out a particular ramen chain that she was hoping would exist--and lucky enough for her, it does. "Hey, Sanary. I found a good place for us to eat when you're ready." She gives the address, and is waiting inside for Sanary's arrival. The place she's chosen is a pretty small shop not far from a big suburban area. Pushing aside the curtains and the door behind it opens up a big, steamy room room filled with the scent of spices, cooking meats, and simmering noodles. Hoshi is sitting at the bar with her own bowl, though it seems she's waiting for the healer to arrive before she starts.
Sanary Rondel	It's been a busy day for Sanary! Recovering, recovering soem more, making sure people are actually sleeping for once. By the time she arrives at the ramen shop in Osaka, she's looking a little worn down. Perfect opportunity to cram all sorts of food into her face! She's had Japanese food before, but she's not one to turn down more food, especially if it involves meeting with someone that may or may not want her dead. And yet, she arrives without a single weapon on her. The healer doesn't even have a shield or piece of armor on her! Just her semi-trademark white coat, the eyepatch, and a pocket full of cash. Spotting Hoshi, she glances around a few times before holding up a hand in a lazy wave to the girl and taking a seat next to her at the bar. "Hey there, Amakasu. Haven't been waiting for me too long, have you?" She's even grinning without a care in the world, peering at that bowl with a curious look in her eye. "So this is the place these noodles come from... Er. What are they?"
Hoshi Amakasu	Taking a look at her, Hoshi's completely unarmed as well. In fact, she hadn't even brought her special hair tie this time. She didn't want to taint her image of her home, back when she would've thought having a weapon constantly was silly. Aside from that it looked like she was wearing a Japanese school uniform. Hoshi turns her head at the sound of the door opening, and she gives a small wave in return. She actually stands and bows once the healer comes close, giving a small, polite smile. "A half-hour, not so bad. I wasn't entirely sure if you'd be coming. If you're really hungry, I'd recommend the Super Tonkatsu. The pork here is really good." Looking down at her own bowl, Hoshi smiles a bit and starts stirring it. Thick slabs of still-hot pork bend and break around her chopsticks. "In my world, yeah. It's called ramen. I'd like to say that Osaka ramen is always the best. We're a food city. You offered me something traditional from your home, so I figured I should do the same."
Sanary Rondel	"Hey. When I say I'm coming, I'm coming." Sanary offers Hoshi a smirk as she says that, although her expression does waver a moment later once she realizes just awkward that might sound. Thankfully, there's food recommendations, and that's gotta trump any sort of... That. "Super Tonkatsu... Nice name. Yeah, I'll go for one of those." She orders a bowl of that and is just about to ask for beer when she turns to Hoshi with a raised eyebrow. "Say. Uh. Are there any rules on drinking around here? Like ages or times or whatever?" Even if she's in the Union, Sanary's still got a responsibility to be a good role model! Relatively. She watches Hoshi working on that ramen and pork, almost entranced by the interaction of meat on utensil. It's probably for the best that she didn't eat much earlier. "Ramen, huh? Smells great. So they use pork here, you say..." She chuckles lightly, some gears starting to turn in her head. That's a business opportunity for another time, though. "Traditional food's usually the best. Don't have to worry about all that weird space-shit or... Whatever the hell soykaf is."
Hoshi Amakasu	Thankfully, it seems that Hoshi doesn't quite get the innuendo. She sits down once she's done stirring and starts slurping up some noodles, smiling at the familiar taste. The question about drinking age gets a dry laugh out of her. "Twenty, technically. But nobody actually cares about letting teens drink or smoke. I was never interested. It's hard to smoke and do kendo." After slurping a couple more noodles, the kendo girl grins. "I don't really know what soykaf is, either. I've never heard of it." She pauses, and leans forward a bit. "... You know, I'm curious. Why'd you send me that soup, anyway? At the time we weren't exactly friends."
Sanary Rondel	That's good enough for Sanary. She puts in an order for extra sodas before shifting around in her seat to get comfortable. "Fair enough. Never tried smoking, and drinking's... It's more fun to watch other people drink and make asses of themselves." She'd make a great designated driver if it didn't terrify her. Adjusting her eyepatch, Sanary shrugs lightly at the mention of soykaf. "Me neither. I've just seen it in Seattle and a couple of other places in some Americas. Tastes awful, but it's cheap." She's caught off guard when Hoshi leans in, though, blinking a few times before furrowing her brow in thought. "You know... I don't remember. I think it was because you wanted to kill me? But..." She shakes her head. "No, there's been a couple of people like that already... Uhh. Seriously want to, maybe? Gives me more Confederate cred, anyway." She laughs freely and takes a sip of her soda, tapping a finger to her chin after a moment. "Haven't sent anything to Fassad yet, though... Hmm. Well, what about you bringing me here? Is it just because of the gifts?"
Hoshi Amakasu	Hoshi gives a dry little chuckle for Sanary's reasons. "That's... fair I guess. Let me guess, you're also the type that likes to make fun of people you've seen goofing off." Hoshi's not completely innocent of this, but she doesn't like holding things over people. Cheap, awful things are things that Hoshi hasn't really dealt with in a really long time. The mere thought of it brings a icked expression to her face. That expression turns bemused. "You sent me food because I wanted to kill you." Which is apparently exactly why she did it. She sighs and rolls her eyes, deciding to jam some pork in her mouth and chew for a bit before she talks. "Confederate cred... I really just don't understand. It's like you guys actually hate little people. Like Fassad--what's he going to do, anyway? What's beating up or killing children going to win? I just... don't get it." Grumpily, the teen nods somewhat. "Kenshin fed his greatest rival Shingen rice and salt. And I owed you a gift."
Sanary Rondel	"Only for a little while. Longer if they're assholes." After another laugh, Sanary's food arrives, and she takes some time to just move the food around to take in the scent of it all. "Well, I mean it's not /just/ that. It's like... I know I'm doing my job right if I can get that much attention for not actually doing anything, you know?" She freezes after saying that, clearing her throat uncomfortably and distracting herself with the ramen again. Did she let something slip? Good thing there's pork and noodles to distract herself! She sips a bit of the soup, tastes a bit of the food, and her energy seems to be coming back to her almost immediately. "... Oh damn, this stuff's /good/." A few more bites later, and she finally continues. "Not all of us. There's people like me that... You know. Have friends. And then there's... Other people." Another awkward throat clearing. "For me? I've got people that I need to protect, and I need power to do it. So if I have to choose between some people I don't know getting hurt or them /and/ people I know getting hurt?" She shrugs simply and slurps up a chunk of pork, a vaguely resigned tone in her voice. "At least it's not everyone getting screwed."
Hoshi Amakasu	It's official. Had Sanary been born in her world and gone to Drachenblatt Academy, Hoshi probably would've tried to avoid them at all costs. It's pretty ironic that she actually invited the person here to eat with her this time. "Getting that much attention... Heh. You mean how we should be trying to finish off the people that are leading you? That's pretty clear already, y'know." She goes silent to start eating more seriously before everything started to cool off, but she still listens when Sanary talks, nodding enthusiastically when she mentions how good it is. Once she's done swallowing, she gives Sanary a wry look. "Not all of you. Who hurt the Kokiri again? Admittedly, you are a lot more friendly than, say... Valeth." The kendo girl's lips draw into a thin line, heaving a quiet sigh. It's like Sanary is so close, but falters. "Okay, yeah, sure. Let's say you get super strong. All that does is bring stronger people against you. Not to mention, how are you going to save your friends from something like--I dunno--old age? Sickness? Pure freaking happenstance? There's nothing you can do. And then you have all that power sitting there, stolen for nothing."
Sanary Rondel	"Heh... Well, it /is/ a war. And we're not Elites for nothing, so we gotta earn those paychecks." It's so much simpler for Sanary to process that way. Not as much thinking about why the war's been going on for so long, how it isn't all that different from her own world. It's shinier, at least. She nearly gags on her food when Hoshi brings up the Kokiri, though, taking a moment to dislodge a piece of pork before swallowing it again. "Ah... Well, if you wanna be specific about it..." Should she elaborate? On one hand, it's something that she's already built up some animosity for. On the other hand, it's not as if Hoshi herself seems too disagreeable in general. "... All I did was talk at the Tree. Didn't shoot it or cut it or anything." She mutters, quietly enough to try and keep any other prying ears from hearing it. "But if anyone asks, I didn't tell you that." The healer flashes the kendo girl a grin, then takes a big sip of the broth. She only recoils a little! "If stronger people come after me... Eh. Just means I need to get stronger and more dangerous until they stop. I have no problem if they die normally, but..." Sanary pauses to cram some more ramen into her face, apparently not the sort to let things like conversations stop her from enjoying her food. "I don't want to see my home blow up or my... Friends killed in front of me again. Er. Unnaturally, that is."
Hoshi Amakasu	Given that Hoshi had officially become a career member of the Union, there's not much of an arguement she can make there. Even though she didn't necessarily /need/ the checks, she got them anyway. "I do have to wonder how many crazy plots you guys have going behind the scenes, though." She pauses, and grunts. "Not that I really want to, anyway. I'll just get annoyed and it'll spoil dinner." Picking up some noodles and slurping, she whips around when she hears Sanary choking, splashing herself with soup with a comically alarmed look on her face. This eases to a quizzical one, seeing how uncomfortable Sanary was with this. The reason why makes her tilt her head, then nods slowly. "Yeah... sure, I guess. But, uh. Not sure if you've noticed, I'm not very good at lying. I won't bring it up unnecessarily, though." Why was it so important to hide that, anyway? That's... A fair reasoning too. In fact, it's one that Hoshi can stand with, what with her own position on her world. "That's a good start, and fair. I guess. But there has to be a better way to do it. If I believe that the only way to keep yourself and what you love safe is to sacrifice something else, I should've just let myself die in the Mirror Forest. Get eaten by the Pale Wolf. I'm still alive for something, so..."
Sanary Rondel	"Oh, loads. I don't really understand how most of 'em work, but..." Sanary shrugs and laughs again, nodding slowly at Hoshi. "Fair enough. Don't worry, even I got my limits." Where those limits are, of course, is up for debate. "Hnn... Thanks, though. I mean, it's not a huge thing, but..." She gives Hoshi an appreciative smile at that, although she appears to have confused herself somewhat. It only lasts for a moment, at least, and she resumes eating and drinking, apparently enjoying the food quite a bit. "There probably is a better way, yeah. But if there is, I haven't found it yet. I'm still alive, though, so whatever I'm doing has to be working, right?" She grins at the kendo girl, a curious look coming to her face after a moment. "What about you? I mean... Can you really say you'll become strong enough to protect everything that's important to you by never hurting people?" There's a hint of concern in her voice. "Hell, you know the sorts of people I work with. I bet some of 'em would freaking /eat/ each other if it meant taking their power. If the only way for you and your friends to stop 'em from destroying your world was to... I dunno. Eat a magic talking puppy, would you?" A pause. "... You did eat that Pale Wolf, right?"
Hoshi Amakasu	Hoshi waves the thanks aside. "It's fine, don't worry. You want everyone to think you're a scary badass. I get it." She pauses, and coughs. "That sounded rude. Uh. Look, just don't worry about it." Looking down at her ramen, her bowl is almost empty. She picks it up and starts taking swallows of broth to avoid this part of the conversation. Once she's done swallowing, she sends Sanary a wry look. "Have you even looked? Honestly tell me. /Did/ you ever try to find a better way?" She rather doubts it. "It's not even the never hurting people... I just don't want to kill anyone. I'll kill unthinking monsters and Shadows just fine, but there's nothing wrong with not wanting to take the responsibility of someone's entire live and every thought they ever had. That's what it means to kill someone." Leaning towards Sanary, she put out her hand. "The idea is this. Instead of just taking things or attacking people, let's you and I work together to fix a problem. Then someone else gets interested and wants to help. Then others. When there are enough minds on a task, anything can be solved. Otherwise how did we all come here from being dumb cavemen?" Many, many things. But cooperation was a key. As for eating the Wolf, Hoshi gives a hollow little laugh. "Oh no I didn't. That thing will kill me and anyone else it runs into. You look into the eyes of someone like, say... Valeth. Evil, power hungry, sure. You look at the Wolf, all you see is the end. Of everything. Hungry violent death that doesn't care about anything else." She shudders and clutches herself tightly, going silent as she frowns down at her soup.
Sanary Rondel	Sanary actually snorts in amusement at the first comment. "Hey, I'm totally a scary badass. Just... You know. Not all the time. Definitely when I'm angry, though." She does sigh a bit, though, upon realizing that this probably isn't anywhere near her most scary or badass. She can make it up later. And then it's back to the heavier topics. "Sometimes. I mean, I do training and exercise and stuff, but pushups and jumping around with a broom between my legs hasn't gotten me punching through walls bare-handed or flying yet." The healer's just about done with her own ramen, but she's still taking sips from what little soup is still left in there. "I mean, there's nothing wrong with not wanting to kill people. I usually try not to unless my allies are in danger or we're on a timer. But we're in a war, so..." Sanary gives Hoshi a long look, then rubs her forehead and chuckles awkwardly. "Well, try to keep it that way. Killing people gets easier after the first four or five, so... Don't start if you don't have to." She raises an eyebrow at that offered hand, listening to the kendo girl speak with a pensive look on her face. "Cavemen...?" Clearly, ancient history is not something she's studied much of. Still, she takes Hoshi's hand and shakes it firmly. "Yeah, why not. Worst case scenario, it'll just take me a while longer until I do the... Hurting and killing thing." As for the comments about Lezard and the Wolf? That doesn't draw much of a reaction from Sanary at first, although she does reach over to nudge Hoshi's shoulder lightly afterwards. "You okay?"
Hoshi Amakasu	To what depths was Sanary looking, though? Hoshi had to wonder. She also had to wonder why looking badass was so important to the other girl--she'd never placed much interest in what others thought of her. It seems so strange that this bigger girl would be more self-conscious about it. It would probably be better to let this one slide lest she come to close to insulting her dinner guest, so instead Hoshi picks up her bowl and takes the last few gulps from it's rich broth before finally setting it down. It's Sanary's reaction to the hypothetical situation that Hoshi had been putting forth that gets a reaction out of the kendo girl--namely a slow, bemused blink. It takes a second for her to switch gears, but eventually she shakes the hand in return. "Yeah... Okay, fine. I guess we're doing this. Let's find a problem we both want to solve." The nudge is given a light nod and a sigh. "Yeah, mostly. If you're actually curious, I'm sure Ms. Ordria has said something about the Mirror Forest. Take it from me, it's just bad in every way. The only good thing to come out of it was my Persona."
Sanary Rondel	Sanary's looking quite satisfied by the time she finishes off her food, slouching back a bit and munching on a chunk of ice. Patting her stomach idly, she casts her gaze to ceiling while mulling over what would be a good starter problem to work on. And after only a few moments, she straightens up and looks straight at Hoshi. "Easy one. Uh... Magic. Yours was pretty good at giving and taking hits last time, but what about other stuff? I can't do non-healing magic without cheating, so... How about that?" She's really hoping that made more sense in her head than it did coming out. "Gudako hasn't mentioned it to me before, I don't.. Think? Or maybe she did. Uh. the name's familiar, at least, but..." She strokes her chin. "What's this about a Persona, anyway?"
Hoshi Amakasu	So... Their first problem that she wanted to work on was magic. "Well, since we're starting off so easy..." Hoshi says wryly, chuckling. "You're right when you say I'm good at fighting. The rest of it isn't so much. Rosamond and I can use Light magic, nothing else. Does magic come with studying or something? I'm not actually that smart." Could she ever actually be good at magic? Until recently she didn't believe any of that stuff existed. Hoshi actually can't believe that Gudako might have kept her mouth shut about something like this. Maybe Sanary just didn't remember, or something. Anyway... "You've seen my Persona. It's the 'mine that's pretty good at giving and taking hits'." She snickers at the wording. "Anyway, if I'm told correctly, it's a facet of my personality that I can summon to fight with me. You've seen it in action. It's actually really cool, I have to imagine everywhere Rosamond goes. It's... hard to keep up sometimes."
Sanary Rondel	Hoshi's question gets a light shrug from the healer. "Sometimes, I... Guess? All of the mages I've seen have been smart, at least." Sanary does sound rather intrigued as she says that, peering at the kendo girl again. "So you're not a...? Hmm. Well, there's our first problem, then. Only magic I can manage is healing, and everything else is just me cheating with magitech and stuff." Progress! And an admission, but there's no way to make progress without being upfront about that. Grinning again, she rests an arm against the counter while listening to the explanation about Rosamond and what a Persona is. "Kinda like Linne's thing, then... Huh. Does it do anything except hit stuff and take hits?"
Hoshi Amakasu	"Not a mage?" Hoshi queiries with a snicker. "Probably not. I couldn't do anything vaguely magical before I got my Persona, and even now the only way I can use magic is to summon Rosamond and have her do it for me." She pauses, then coughs. "I guess technically that's me using magic, because Rosamond /is/ me, but I can't do it alone. I never said I understood the whole thing." Comparison to Linne is one that Hoshi was expecting, though it still made her grit her teeth slightly. Seeing that thing she'd summoned had made both Persona and wielder uncomfortable. "Like I said, it can use Light magic. Aside from that, it's just a really big woman with a sword. Oh, but she can fly, actually. But... that's generally used to hit stuff."
Sanary Rondel	This was sounding trickier and trickier. "So... What we need to figure out is how to get you to do it without Rosamond, then. Or... To do more things than light magic." Sanary chuckles at Hoshi's admission, shrugging after a moment before holding out her hand surrounded by a faint green light. "Hey, I don't even get how mine works, so you're not the only one. But as long as we can get other stuff working, then... Good enough, right?" Catching Hoshi's reaction to the mention of Linne, Sanary raises an eyebrow slightly, but doesn't press further. "I know there's White Magic over in Galianda, but that's all healing and curing weird effects. None of that... Whatever you hit me with last time. Wouldn't mind learning either of those myself, honestly." After another laugh, the healer slides off her chair and offers the Persona user another smile. "Looks like we've both got extra homework to... Work on now. "
Hoshi Amakasu	A shrug and a helpless sound is what she gets. "Yeah, I guess. This is probably going to take a lot of time, you know. I'm okay--I'm persistant. I'm hoping you are too. We'll have to figure out theories and stuff." The problem is, Rosamond is a black box to the kendo girl. She knows the Persona exists and how to use it, not the how or why. The only place that Hoshi could forsee learning anything new on that front was in the Mirror Forest, where it came from. Looking up at the time over the bar, Hoshi lets out a little distressed sound. "Oh, dude. Look at the time. We should probably get back home." Hoshi stands from the stool, offering a bow and a word of thanks to the chef before she turns to Sanary. "Yeah. A ton. It's not too bad, though." Pause. "If you ever feel like coming into the Forest for curiosity, let me know. I'll give you a tour. Just, bring a weapon and try not to be too conspicuous in Alberichstadt." She offers a bow from her waist. "It was nice to eat with you. Guess we'll be seeing each other more from here on in, so let's settle this right now: no fighting unless we're both doing stuff for our jobs." With or without the agreement, Hoshi makes her way to the front door and waves with a small smile before pushing out into the Osaka night.