Scene #7815: Concerts in Cadenza

Owner	Pose
Cantio	It's the night before December 26th, but nothing's happening on the 26th. Instead, today is the special day! A light snow falls on the city of Cadenza, just enough to coat the ground in a light dust while the lights of streetlamps and translucent floor panels make it easy to see each individual speck coming from the sky for anyone willing or compelled to do so. The ambient music of city is subdued as it usually is at this time of night, and notably lacking in that horrid retail-hell Christmas tone favored by many bustling cities. Instead, the music has more of a gentle, legitimately relaxing tone to it, like someone playing a music box just before bed. The royal palace, is always, is still open to the public, although its main gathering hall is actually closed to the public for once. The lavish room is still a hotbed of activity, however, as its been reserved for a party. Invitations have already been sent out to those involved in resolving the Bugster situation around and outside of the city, and bringing along guests to partake in the festivities is openly encouraged. The only thing that's not encouraged is bringing any of their own food (outside of any specific dietary restrictions), and the reason for doing so is clear. No expense has been spared in getting the finest of foods prepared: Slabs of meat, shellfish and salad bars, tasting tables full of assorted fancy cheeses and spirits, and even an entire line of desserts and takeaway containers for anyone that's gorged way too much on everything else to think about dessert now. There's a live band playing, of course, and they're playing all manner of licensed Christmas-y music that they're clearly not obeying any copyright laws for. They're really good at it, though, so they can just say it's a cover or something. All that's left is for the guests of honor and their plus ones/twos/fives to arrive.
Shotaro Hidari	The Narumi Detective Agency makes its appearance in full. Shotaro is the easiest to recognize out of the group, with his head of hair, beneath a stylin' hat. He wears a suit, with a blue tie and screams like someone who's trying to replicate those old detective show outfits. Despite that dated style, he looks fairly stylish. Of the three, he's the slowest to move, it's obvious that he's injured. Occasionally the other two move to help steady him. However, Shotaro wasn't going to not show up, not after everything he's done. With him is someone who dresses masculine, but more androgenous. His hair is styled to one side, with clips keeping the part steady. He wears a red and white striped shirt, with comfortable blue jeans and a blue half robe that does more to accentuate the red and white shirt. Philip, as he goes by, is more interested in the things going on around him...but not necessarily the /people/. Between them is a woman who is in a rather flattering dress plane, though colored with a royal blue hue and heels. She has a brown coat over that to keep the chill out, but if taken it's a sleeveless affair. Her hair is done in a ponytail with a pink bow at the top. Despite the attempt to look fancy, the bow sticks out as childish. Akiko Narumi is the chief of the detective agency and had only been tangentially involved in the case. Mostly handling communication from the client to Shotaro and Philip and back again. When the fanciness of the party is on full display she nearly runs off, leaving Shotaro nearly being knocked over, but thankfully Philip's there. "Oh my gosh, looooook at all of this spread!" she says excitedly, and then there was the band and the fact they were in a castle. Her country accent comes out for a little before she composes herself. "Well, we should pay our respects.." she coughs. Shotaro rolls his eyes at this but is far too used to Akiko's outbursts and disappearing. Philip looks more amused at everything when he's not studying something that's caught his interest. Hopefully, he won't get TOO distracted, or obsessed over something he sees.
Hibiki Tachibana	Busy day as the 25th may be, there's always time to be made for the important things - and Hibiki considers a direct invitation to Cadenza's palace and the festivities there to be extremely high up on the list. And not just because it's a good chance to unwind from all sorts of recent events. She's pretty sure it's the first time she'll ever be attending a definitively royal party, especially after throwing hands with one of the people responsible for it only a short time back, so there's a certain feeling of being slightly out of her element as she moves through the quiet city streets despite the fact she's already visited the place once. But it's all but gone by the time she steps into the hall with the plus-one anybody who knows her would expect to be there, a certain black-haired girl, arm-in-arm with her. Both are dressed in matching, knitted sweaters big enough to overlap some with equally comfy-looking winter pants and boots, capped off with woolen scarves thrown around their necks. The only difference is that Hibiki is in beige, while Miku is in darker purples. "Whoa--I've never seen that much food in one place before..." "And the music! I know it's the City of Song, but it's even more beautiful than I expected." Both of their attention gets immediately take up by different things, only for them to look at each other and exchange small smiles before stepping further inside. There's a lot to see, but the pairing sticks together as they take it all in and get used to the pleasant atmosphere. Everything food-related is respectfully left alone for the time being. The time for that will come. Though Hibiki, for her part, gravitates enough in Shotaro and Philip's direction to give them a small wave of greeting, while also idly glancing around to see if the only ones who could be the hosts of the whole affair have made an appearance yet. That being Cantio and Saltavi, of course.
Rita Ma	Is this really okay? After all that happened, I don't think I can hate her. But being invited to something like this, in her palace, after that day... My heart is telling me not to go. But after what Cantio told me about her sisters, I have to. Because we didn't kill her, it's my responsibility to make sure she doesn't do bad things again, right? So I have to understand completely why she did it in the first place. Rita is dressed simply, almost severely: white blouse, black skirt, thin red ribbon tying her blonde hair back. While trudging through the snow- something she regards with the wide-eyed wonder of someone who's rarely seen it before- she pulls one of Liza's too-big heavy coats tight around her shoulders to keep out the chill, but keeps it bundled up and tucked under one arm rather than entrusting it to a doorman once inside. I'd feel so bad if I lost it! Akiko nearly drops Shotaro. Philip has the situation under control, but just in case, Rita slips over to catch Shotaro's other side. "Ah! Mr. Hidari! And you're... Mr. Philip, right?" she says, waving awkwardly with the coat-holding hand from around Shotaro. "It's good to meet you! Um, in person. Without the whole suit on." "Are you doing okay, Mr. Hidari? Is there anything I can get for you? I've got some painkillers here. Oh, or I could make recommendations for the food!" She is, maybe, a little over-enthusiastic to help; if they're perceptive, one of the pair might notice a guilty undertone to her expression. Does she fault herself for how that fight went? Her attention's only diverted from the detective duo by enthusiastically waving at the other pair she recognizes. "Hibiki! Miku! I'm glad you could make it!" There's palpable relief in her voice; Shotaro, Akiko, and Philip are real sophisticated adults, but now she's no longer alone in being utterly lost and out of her element.
Xion	Xion has had a lot of letters arrive at her 'house', things lost in the post when they're addressed to XION CASTLE OBLIVION NOWHERE - NOWHERE She looks at the flashy Royal(egally distinct) envelope and type face and pop-up effects. The noirette gets up to wash her face instead. An hour later she returns in a black tank-top with a white towel around her shoulders and wet hair, flopping into her chair and exhaling into a slouched weariness felt in the core of her stomach. Picking up the invitation between thumb and forefinger, she lifted it to her tired eyes, and flipped the card over. "Another letter on my desk, huh? The theme's getting old." Xion tosses the card across her desk and slouches back, slack armed. "And I don't waaaant to think about an outfit for a party. I just want to..." Her eyes light up. "Marshmallow." AT THE DOORS TO THE PARTY, Xion sweeps in, with plus Nobody - ha ha - in tow. Just herself, in black shoes with buckles and black socks, and a black fading to cream-brown around the shoulders and down the arms. Around her neck is a fluffy toasted-white scarf -- the toasted marshmallow on the hot coat-coa. And as soon as she enters, she smiles, looks around, and makes a big, thankful exhale. "Oh good, this is a party and not a trap... phew. Hi, everyone."
Cantio	Although Philip and Akiko aren't recognized on sight, coming in with Shotaro and his old boy detective getup certainly makes it easy enough to lump them in as his crew. The same goes for Hibiki and Miku as they step inside arm-in-arm, drawing some mildly delighted noises from some of the maids, and Rita linking up with them all gets practically the whole room looking their way. The only person that gets somewhat less of an immediate 'oh shit it's ____' reaction is Xion when she shows up looking like the personification of a nice wintertime drink, but she's easy enough to accept as involved-in-that-shit once everyone takes a look around and realizes she isn't dressed in townie colors. Naturally, this whole group is the talk of the town, and it's probably not too unexpected when quite a few guards and members of the wait staff gather around. They're still keeping enough distance to not crowd them super hard, of course, but it might be a bit overwhelming when they pepper the group with questions about how they know Cantio, what kind of work they're involved with outside of here, and what kinds of food they're looking for (presumably to get some special orders in). Seeing Shotaro's trouble standing, meanwhile, one of the guards heads off and returns some minutes later with a wheelchair to minimize any concerns of him flopping facefirst into a table or misplaced stool or something. Strangely enough, however, Cantio and Saltavi aren't anywhere to be seen at this party. Instead... "Welcome, honored guests and treasured friends!" A deep voice booms out of the speakers mounted high along the walls of the gathering hall, causing all of the serving saff present to turn towards the source of the voice. A woman in a dark purple plunge dress with an opening down the side to show off a generous amount of leg, matching gloves, and a massive pair of braids approaches the group of Elites once they've arrived, circling around the band and looking like she could very well be Cantio's and Saltavi's mother. She comes out from around the band that's still playing their music, albeit at a slower pace and without vocals. "It's our pleasure to have you here at this little celebration today. The situation over the past few weeks has been trickier than what we're used to handling here, even for myself, Amethyst Soul. We fear what could have happened without your timely aid coming as it did." She continues, drawing light nods from the other party-goers as their gazes are all but fixed, not on the speaking woman with the giant clips in her hair, but on the Elites themselves. "On behalf of everyone here at the royal palace, I thank you for bringing our Candidate back to us." All at once, the hall erupts into cheers and clapping, the lady in purple included. It lasts for a good minute before it finally settles down, and then she speaks again. "Please, partake, and enjoy yourselves as long as you like." She curtseys formally, then starts walking towards the group. She slows down as she gets closer, leaning in uncomfortably close to them briefly to deliver a quieter message of "When you're finished here, she's in her room resting. You know the one." before heading towards the opposite end of the room to make a quiet exit.
Shotaro Hidari	Shotaro smiles at Hibiki and her guest as they approach. Shotaro, takes his hat off and makes a small bow, before placing it back on his head. "It is in fact a very fancy reception for us. Though honestly, I wonder how welcome we really are..." Shotaro says, with a side-eye around. Not that he thinks that'll turn into a brawl, but rather an uncomfortable conversation eventually. To the question, if he is okay, Shotaro looks towards Rita, and gives her a waning smile, "I'm han-" The wheelchair is brought out, which starts getting a less than 'cool' objection from him before the guard walks off. He huffs, but Philip takes hold of Shotaro's shoulder and firmly walks the man to sit down. "This'll be easier than praying you don't go face-first into a plate of foot or trip over some poor lady's dress." Shotaro grumbles but sits. "I'm not in that much pain, thank you, Rita," he says, perhaps a bit wounded on the pride more than before. Though Philip has an idea and motions towards Rita towards the wheelchair's handles, as she wants to help so much. "It'll be just like coming back home after the fight...with less princess carrying," Philip says with a 'more than actually amused' expression. Akiko comes in once Xion is about, gasping at the absolutely adorable scarf. With a small squeal, she asks, "Oh gosh, where did you get this? It's absolutely adorable on you!" She does this while also balancing a large plate of food she's managed to acquire. She sets that down on Shotaro's lap, now using him as a living stool to hold stuff for her. The group follows the voice of the speech giver, looking at each other for a moment. Especially so when she tells them that Cantio is waiting for them once they are 'finished' here. While Akiko is more absorbed in the elegant outfit of the woman, the partners look at each other. Who can say how that will go. Akiko, however, grabs the plate and starts binging on it.
Hibiki Tachibana	"Hi, Rita! It's good to see you again! You've been doing okay, haven't you?" Far from the first time they've met or even spoken at length, Rita gets an incredibly warm and cheerful greeting back from Miku - with her wide smile taking on a slightly sympathetic turn when she picks up on the expression that she had been making just a moment ago."I'm really glad to see you here, too." "Yo--uh, you're sure, Shotaro? Honestly, I think it'll be..." She trails off. The look on Hibiki's face has also changed up albeit towards concern, once she's able to get a better look at the state he's in. Though she's also not terribly surprised, after getting pushed to the point that Philip had to step in himself. She can't offer much that the help or Rita hasn't already offered, but halfway through her concern, she catches Xion coming in wearing-- Actually, that looks delicious. "Hey, Xion. I'd hope its not, after all of that..." She rubs at the back of her neck with a dry chuckle. What she wasn't expecting was the series of questions, which she seems pretty flustered over at first--mostly because she apparently didn't expect their popularity to surge from all of that or something. Most of the ones she actually /does/ answer involve food because that's easy and she wants everything, which gets a mildly amused chuckle out of Miku. At least until the speech kicks up, and Hibiki is actually surprised to see neither of the people she expected up there. Is that their mom? The open praise and cheering that ensues gets Hibiki shuffling in place with a bit of an awkward smile, and Miku taking it much more in stride with a reassuring pat on her back. "Smile a little bit more! You and everyone else did a good thing, and everybody here thinks so." And she tries, though she looks more curious than anything by the time it's died down and they're snuck that whisper. "...Cantio..." After a thoughtful sound, Hibiki inquires with a few of the guards and staff still around--specifically, on what their Candidate's favorite meals are. She'd like to try some.
Xion	Akiko's fawning disarms Xion getting into a back-and-forth cutscene squint-and-ellipse-off with one of the guards, findind it in her to gather the Osakan girl's hands in her own gloved hands and squeeze lightly. "Thanks, Akiko. It's from a place a friend showed me showed me." She answers, before leaning in. "Actually, I'm stealing the design off the internet, because nobody has the money for a three hundred dollar scarf. Art is theft~." She giggles, and releases the other girl and turns to Hibiki. "Hey. Are you... alright?" She squints at the other woman for a few moments, a distant look in her eyes before, eventually, she shrugs. "Because we've been in a lot of close fights recently. I'm glad you brought someone to the party."
Rita Ma	Rita puts up her hands defensively as she's crowded around, looking a little flustered by the sudden attention. "Ah... I'm a diver, I guess? Things that fall into the ocean are lost forever unless someone gets them back. It's an important job!" Not entirely truthful, but it's close enough. As for food: "Do you have any hwareo-hoe?" she asks brightly. The term seems roughly equivalent to 'fresh sashimi'. "If not, then steak please! Blue. Uh, no need for any sides!" That is definitely something she's picked up in the Multiverse. She seems just a little embarrassed asking for it, but at least using the real culinary term is classier than saying 'practically raw meat' out loud. When she's assigned to wheelchair duty, it seems like a relief- she has a Job To Do now, and she takes it extremely seriously. "Just tell me where you'd like to go, Mr. Hidari!" she says, with all the practiced crispness of The Help. Even outside of Mr. Hidari being a teammate, being the one to take care of someone else for once... I can't deny it feels nice. Philip gets a slightly baffled look. "Princess carrying...? Ah. Ms. Grier said I look like a princess once! Is that why it's called that?" Clearly she thought it was just the Normal Way To Carry People. "I've been doing great, Miku!" Rita says brightly, leaning on the wheelchair's handles to assume a properly relaxed gossiping posture. "I've got a new roommate! It's been really really nice. If you'd still like to do that sleepover, though, you should tell me! I really want to cook for you and Hibiki sometime. How have you been? Are you getting time off from school? Everything still good at home?" She stops the lady in purple for just a moment, long enough to whisper: "Is Ms. Saltavi here too? If she's not, that's okay. I just... had a question or two."
Cantio	With Shotaro safely seated, many of the staff members breathe sighs of relief. With Akiko using him as a food tray, they're put fully at ease and able to focus on their work. They might overhear the staffers saying something about "yeah, a sister knows" and "he'll be fine with her". Apparently, they might be getting the wrong idea about who's related to who here. If nothing else, they're able to focus a more on getting that Q&A session in, even if it mostly involves food-related answers. Xion's ellipse-based negotiation tactics gets a nice long list of STUFF for her to sample, and they're more than willing to get the word around to adjust their food preparations accordingly once more specific items are identified as the good stuff. Hibiki's appetite, strangely enough, doesn't get a second guessing from any of the staff. Some of them even go "oh, just like-" before cutting themselves off and skittering away to get that extra food ready for her. Those that stick around, meanwhile, explain her habits. "She's not a picky eater, usually. But... Just between you and me? She's not great at hiding that she really likes cold stuff when she thinks we're not paying attention. Pudding, ice cream, even cold noodle dishes from offworld. If you want, I can bring some over. Or even upstairs, if you've got business in her room." Rita's talk of divers gets her even more attention, but the people asking her those questions have enough sense to realize she needs a bit more space than they're giving her and take it easier on her. "Whoa, diving? So is that like mining?" "Does that bends thing really happen?" "Is there really stuff with ten eyes down there?" And then she goes for the real FOOD answers. Some of them even seem impressed by her requests for blue steak, although the hwareo-hoe takes a bit of translation effort before they soon leave her alone to get all that food prepped. She asked, and she will get. Asking about Saltavi, meanwhile, has one of the remaining guards glancing around. "She was here just a minute ago. I guess she must've went back to her room, too, but I'm sure you'll be able to catch her on the way up." And indeed, if Rita does break off from the party to look for Saltavi, she'll find her waiting for one of the elevators in her usual parka and hoodie getup!
Shotaro Hidari	Shotaro shrugs, "I feel she's not wholly convinced maybe? Sure we won, but I almost feel she's a bit more lost than she puts on..." The detective muses, "Which means he thinks the case isn't completely solved yet," Philip says, before asking for some help getting a plate for the two of them. Shotaro's plate is normal...Philip literally asks for everything available. He will spend that time literally eating everything he can to experience it all. Shotaro does nod to Miku, "She is right, Tachibana. We did do a good thing, and even if it's not over there is no reason to at least not be happy with that...it just means we need to look for the next clues." Philip on the other hand nods to Hibiki. "I know my advice was...harsh, but I'm still happy to see you took it to heart." Akiko on the other hand is conspiring with Xion, nodding as she gives the cover story, and the side whispers REAL story. She gives a solid nod, "Very true...did you make it yourself? If so your needlepoint is very good!" she admits. She does hear the conversation between Xion and Biki, which causes her to put her plate on Shotar's head, so she can pound her fist lightly. "Well, if you're all so beat up...it might be time for a spa day to get all of that negative pain out of you, and put in the positive relaxation!" she says, nodding once. "Hmm...but we'll have to budget it..." she takes the plate again, Shotaro shooing her away with his hands, and having to fix his hat. Shotaro avoids giving Rita a sour look, less mad and more embarrassed. Philip laughs, as he pulls a book out, and words dance across the pages. He reveals what a princess carry is on them, before showing Rita, "I am thankful to you for the help, I am not very physically adept..." Shotaro sighs, "Yeah, I appreciate you getting me to a doctor," He admits with a smile. "Don't let me being prideful sour that for you," he admits. Philip listens to various conversations around him, as does Shotaro. Though when people talk to them, Philip looks uninterested unless they reveal something he doesn't know about, and then asks for /everything/ they know about it. Shotaro, on the other hand, starts telling stories. Or leading an ear. If it comes up, he talks about his own city, and while this one and his are different, the Music here is much like the wind in Futo.
Rita Ma	"I... I don't really know anything about mining! I couldn't say if they're alike," Rita says haplessly. She doesn't have to use oxygen, so she fumbles the next one a little too: "The bends? ... Oh, right! Um, it's a real problem. But there's technology things you can do to make it less scary." The last question is the only one she nails without hesitation, if perhaps a little more cheerily than she ought: "Nope! Most things down there have two eyes or zero!" A little sigh of relief escapes her as the crowd disperses. It'll be a few minutes before her food's ready; that'll be a much-needed reprieve. "I understand, Mr. Hidari," she says in her best reassuring-voice. "You're really strong, aren't you? You're used to taking care of other people! So being hurt is weird for you, and it's hard to just relax. My big sis was always the same way when she got hurt!" Her hand squeezes his shoulder gently. "But you did a good job protecting everyone else from Cantio. And an even better job saving Cantio from herself! That's something you can be really proud of. The fact that you have to rest now is only because you pushed yourself so hard then. So I don't think it's anything to be ashamed of!" In due time, she wheels him up to Cantio's room, knocking twice on the door: "It's Rita! Oh, and Mr. Hidari!" But she doesn't linger there herself. After dropping him off, and giving Cantio an appropriately shyly-contrite wave, she says "I'll be right back!" and slips off down the hallway. "Ms. Saltavi! Please wait up!" she says, breaking into a little sprint to catch up at the elevators. She offers the older girl a wan little smile on approach. "I'm sorry. We... haven't really met. I saw you, once, but you didn't see me. But you were really worried for Cantio, weren't you? And Cantio talks about you a lot, too." "How is she lately? Is everything okay?" But those are questions she could get answered just as well asking Cantio in person. It doesn't take her long to circle around to her real question for Saltavi: "She says she wants to be a hero like you, Ms. Saltavi. Why does she think she can't do it? Why did she turn to something so desperate at all...?"
Hibiki Tachibana	"Eh?" Hibiki's initial response to Xion's questioning is a flatfooted blink, followed by the hand at the back of her neck moving up higher to run through her hair, with a wavy and very small smile on her face. There's the impression she's looking somewhere far away when she glances to the side. "...Yeah. We have. And of course I'd bring someone important to me. I'm o--" She pauses and corrects herself, her other hand resting somewhere on her chest. "...I'll /be/ okay. I just need a little time to get my head on straight and figure some stuff out. More than anything, I'm just glad Cantio is okay and back here now." This kind of reaction apparently doesn't escape Miku, who has a brief and almost imperceptible glance of concern back over her shoulder before she faces forward for the gossipfest with her same smile. "Really? First I4 and Mr. Shijima, and now you too? Congratulations!" There's an excited few nods of her head, hands clasped at her waist. "I've been doing just fine. Especially thanks to all of you! I still don't know how to thank you..." She closes her eyes briefly, then opens them back up with her grin getting bigger. "But I'm making sure everything is fine back there, one way or another. How does sometime the week after next sound? Hibiki has been looking forward to it even more than you'd think!" Meanwhile Hibiki, in her thoughts, is snapped out of them briefly to glance up towards Shotaro, Akiko and Philip. "...Yeah. You're right. And I think I said it before, but thanks again, Philip. Sometimes you need someone to give that kinda advice. That's part of why you and Shotaro are such a good team, huh?" The idea of a spa day also lightens up her expression, just a bit. Not entirely, but a bit. When she starts getting her answers on Cantio's preferences, she looks like she's thinking about something briefly before nodding. "...Yeah. All her favorites, if you don't mind, and double up on it. I think I /do/ have some business up there." She glances back to some of the others for a second. "...And not just me. Miku, I'm...uh..." "I understand. I'll have plates put together for when you get back! And I can get to know some of the others." "...Thanks." Hibiki's going to head right on upstairs after that, towards Cantio's room. She'll knock.
Xion	Xion isn't a guilty eater in any sense of the term, but she doesn't really have time to gorge herself or even disappear any food away -- mostly she just hangs out with Akiko and nibbles at finger foods with efficient large bites interspersed with cheek-patting 'mmm'-s. "Did I make it myself? Umm... Yes-sorta? I had help." She answers with a fork hovering near her mouth, and then smiles. "Thanks. For thinking I was that kind of talented myself." But then -- instead of eating and trying to ask Miku embarrasing things about Hibiki -- they're swept up in Rita pushing Shotaro in his Broken Toku Legs Mobility Chair towards the ABODE OF CANTIO. Waiting outside of the door while Hibiki knocks, Xion looks to Rita with a tired smile. "You're looking better, too, Rita. I'm glad. Everyone got a little knocked around, even if they didn't get bruised."
Cantio	Recognizing Philip as one of the more efficient eaters here, those preparing his plates make sure to get the widest spread of things possible with just enough to handle two or three bites each. That way, it'll keep him from overloading on any one thing! They'll have to confirm if he wants that to include desserts, too, but the workers aren't going to say no to anyone here. Sadly, their stories might not be as interesting for Philip as the stories Shotaro has for them. There's a few that are able to divulge a whole lot more about music theory than their positions might suggest, but it's mostly stuff that would probably be within his archives (unless he hasn't learned about idols or streaming yet). They're asking a lot about Futo, though, especially about that mysterious wind he mentions. They're mostly familiar with ambient music, after all, so the very wind doing the same thing must be some kind of oddity to the people here. Hibiki gets reassurance that getting that food upstairs will be no problem. It'll take a bit to get it all prepared, especially with double portions, but she's given a guarantee that it will get there. Xion, meanwhile, gets some concerned looks from the older staff members. Some of them even approach her to make sure she's not feeling sick, to ask if she's eating enough, and generally being doting grandparent-esque figures to make sure she's not going hungry because of a diet or something that might make a young lady not go full-feast in the face of so much stuff. It probably doesn't help that Akiko's totally going hard on eating next to her.
Cantio	Eventually, the group heads up stairs, and there's quite a bit to unpack. It takes a little while for Cantio's door to finally open, and she's dressed surprisingly plainly for once in lilac purple pajamas and fuzzy slippers. Her hair's also not straightened out in the slightest, sticking out at odd angles while she's still rubbing the grogginess out of her eyes. Between that, the still somewhat messy state of her bed, and her breath still smelling slightly minty, she probably just woke up recently. "Hn...? O-oh, hi everyone! Come in, don't mind the mess. It's a little..." She glances back at the inside of her room, and it's actually cleaner than it was the last time they had come digging around here. The smell of burnt electronics is still there, but the rubbery smell is almost gone. Her bed's a mess, of course, but the working area has actually been cleaned up recently. "... I'm still working on getting back on a normal sleep schedule." She laughs lightly, then takes a seat on the bed and smooths her hair out a bit. Her arms are still visibly bandaged, but the rest is mostly hidden by the pajamas. "So... Um." She looks up briefly, then off to the side after seeing the state that Shotaro's in with the wheelchair and all. "Sorry about all that trouble. It's... Thanks for coming." She's definitely feeling awkward about all of this. There's no real way around all of that built up awkwardness from what's happened, even if someone's coming up with trays full of desserts and cold noodle dishes sooner rather than later. Rita, meanwhile, catches up to Saltavi rather easily. She glances back as she hears someone calling over to her, already grinning widely in her approach. "Oh, hey again! Guess you couldn't get enough of me before, huh? Don't worry, I get it all the time~" She starts, and then her grin shifts slightly into a warmer smile when Rita asks about Cantio. "That I was. Am still, too, in case any smartasses are listening. She's been settling down alright. Sleeping here, not sneaking out... To think she'd be the one sneaking out to do wild stuff, even. Talk about being a bad influence on her, eh?" Saltavi laughs while scratching the back of her head lightly, although there's a twinge of regret in there. "T-L-D-R, she thinks too much and doesn't know how to trust herself enough. When you think about what a hero is, does, says, what do you see? " Saltavi gives Rita a moment to respond, and she takes a seat on a nearby bench in the meantime. "She's always compared herself to other people, and that's... Probably kind of my fault. All the glitz and glamour, all the interviews, all the 200 IQ noscopes... When someone's doing all that stuff next to ya, you get a lo-ooo-ot of time to think about what you're not doin', you know? Ways to become more relevant without thinking about how much you're already doing."
Shotaro Hidari	Shotaro tilts his head when Rita gives his shoulder a squeeze. He, does, however, give her a sheepish smile, and laugh a little. "Trying to be the one to comfort others, but needing a little myself. That sounds about right," He says, at the expense of himself. "Don't worry about me, I'm not unhappy with how things turned out. I knew the risk and put myself on the line. I'm just glad I had a good partner, eh?" He says, out of earshot of Philip. "You sister huh? I had...someone who was like that for me. I think I'm still trying to catch up to him. He was a real detective, extremely...how to put it.." he pauses, "Manly. Stoic, hard to surprise...had a big heart, even if he was pretty aloof." This causes Akiko to frown softly. The two seem a bit lost in thought about the man. Though Shotaro breaks into a smile, "Gota work hard to measure up to your heroes, huh? Though it makes me happy you think I did in that situation." Philip, who has been pretending to not listen looks over the moment Shotaro isn't paying attention and gives a smile. Philip's attention is grabbed back by Hibiki, "Well, I asked him a long time ago, 'Do you want to ride with the devil'. Obviously, he said yes, but it's still something that I have to do. Shotaro, despite what he tries to be, has a big heart. It's easy for people to appeal to that and take advantage of it...and I see a lot of that in you too." Philip says, with a pause as he tries some of the new things on his plate. "Oh, that's good.." he muses. "Don't worry though," he says toward Miku, "I'll apply my eyes to keep a lookout for your 'partner' too," he says with a smile. Though when people go up, he says behind, "Mmm, I'm not terribly interested. Besides, I doubt she'll appreciate seeing someone who interrupted her battle." he says, before eating a mochi. His eyes light up, "Hey do you know what this is?" he asks Miku, who is likely to get caught up in what will happen next. Akiko smiles at Xion, "Well, your help has very good needlepoint! And your welcome, I can't say mine is as good, but I could show you if you're ever interested." she says, proud of her work, even if she isn't an expert, "Though Really, I'm better at disguises and managing the business," she says with an over the top proud stance. With Cantio, Shotaro takes his hat up, and gives a small bow from his chair, "Your guard insisted on it. I can't be accused of being a bad guest," he says, though in reality, he was embarrassed about the whole thing. He does observe the room, and can't help but crack a smile at the word 'sleep schedule'. "Perhaps we can talk about what we started during the fight...with your head a bit clearer," Shotaro says, relaxing in his chair. "Because I think you said you weren't strong enough..." he looks at himself, "And I disagree. So...what's really eating at you?"
Rita Ma	EARLIER: "Ah... congratulations?! Is that really something you congratulate people for?" Rita is, distantly, afraid that Miku might have gotten the wrong idea. But then, she's holding Liza's coat, so... "I'm not sure what you should be thanking us for. But if you and Hibiki are doing well now, at least, that makes me really happy." Her rueful expression is swiftly forgotten, though. "Of course I can do week after next! You'll tell me about any allergies, spice tolerances, and preferences, won't you?" A LITTLE LESS EARLIER: Rita grimaces a little in response to Xion's remark. Her eyes slide off to the side. "Yeah," she says, embarrassed. "I did a lot of hiding, so I'm really mostly okay by now, but..." "Is it better to show Cantio how much trouble she gave us, and make her feel strong? Or is it better to hide it, and not make her feel guilty? ... I think the second one is probably better. That's what I'd prefer, if it were me. But it's really up to you." NOW: Leaning against the wall next to the elevator doors, Rita listens with only a slightly uncomfortable air. She winces sympathetically at the mention of being a bad influence, but keeps quiet until- "A hero is someone who protects their community, who sides with the poor, and who gives people hope," she says. It's obvious by how quickly and firmly she says it that she's given the exact criteria a lot of thought. But her expression drifts into becoming more glum as the conversation continues. "She's already so special. But it's hard for her to see that, isn't it? When she's put next to somebody who has all that, and also a little bit more, it's that missing bit she focuses on." Rita crosses her arms and looks down at the ground, dissatisfied. If she had something to thoughtfully chew on, she would. "Do you think... it'd help her to get out more? To start comparing herself to normal people, and not to someone like you."
Hibiki Tachibana	"You think so, huh..." At Philip's comparison, Hibiki couldn't help a glance in a certain half-boiled detective's direction, looking thoughtful about it. "...Maybe we really aren't that different. And I don't know what I'd even do without my own partner. Shotaro..." Once they've ASCENDED THY STAIRS, Hibiki is...not surprised to see Cantio a pretty put-together state, but it's definitely a new look. "'Course we'd come. Sorry if we stopped you from getting some more sleep," she says after Shotaro, with another noticeably awkward smile on her part. Her eyes go from Shotaro back to Cantio's bandaged arms with a quiet look at she steps inside. Now that she's here, she can only imagine how Cantio must be feeling about everything after the fact... She finds an empty spot on the wall to lean against and lightly fold her arms as discussion kicks up, and Shotaro takes the lead. When she speaks up herself, it's fairly slow and measured, with all sorts of things from back then coming back to mind. "...I think you're pretty strong, for what it's worth. Even after all of that, I'd still trust you to help me any day. And...I know how hard you had to try," she finishes softly, replying to something both of them were too tired to keep going with at the end of last time. "...And how strong you've gotten. Shotaro's right. Plus, 'nobody's perfect', right? You don't have to try to carry everything you're carrying on your own. So don't...beat yourself up too much. We can just talk now. Normally." Meanwhile, in the PARTY HAUS: Miku gives a grateful smile towards Philip, after reassuring Rita she'll forward any necessary info and staying worryingly vague on the subject of congratulations. "I'm glad she has so many people worried about her. It makes me happier than anything else." She's putting together a plate of seafood when the question is asked. "Oh, mochi...? Mhm! We have it back home, after all. They're rice cakes you make by pounding them--and since it's so close to the New Year, maybe I shouldn't be surprised to see some here! Actually, I've been learning how to make it for that whole reason, and..." Worryingly(?), Miku is both happy to provide answers to any question she can, and almost inhumanly patient about it no matter how deep into it he gets. They'll be just fine down there. Probably.
Xion	Xion has never been to Cantio's room, and it is only the shared context of the room that clues her in to the idea that Cantio didn't stress out so hard she started electrical fires. But there's a few frames of surprise when she pushes into the room of a digital princess-type and finds her room 'burnt' on the inside. First, a frame of shock. Then, worry-guilt. Then, a breaking relief of the worry - but not the guilt. Rita asked the right question to set the moon: Was it okay? To parade all their wounded in front of Cantio's family and then going up to seeing her? Was it alright? Why the doubt? It has to be, right? It's exactly what they deserve/need to see. "Strong enough. . . huh? It seems to be something in the air." Her fingers twitch, and she closes them slowly, crossing her arms across her chestand tucking her hands under her elbows. "Like there's got to be some weird monster-person who's waving an evil magic wand with an angry face on it, obsessing everyone about it. Power. Power and going beyond." Lifting her hands then to rub at her face with the end of her scarf, she exhales and coughs into a sigh. "You invited me to a party, Cantio. After all that. So, thank you." "And merry Christmas, Cantio."
Cantio	"I'm not surprised. They're pretty attentive about that sort of... A lot of things." Cantio replies to Shotaro with a light chuckle, leaning back for a moment before remembering that she's sitting on her bed and has to resist the urge to just lay back down. She shakes her head lightly at Hibiki, chuckling after a moment. "Ah, not at all. I woke up a little while ago anyway, but it's hard breaking that habit of just speed-napping." She doesn't elaborate on what that is, but it's probably a good part of why she's actually looking more awake now than she usually does at this time of night. "But... Y-yeah. Sorry about all that. It was a... It definitely showed me a lot of things." Cantio pulls her legs up onto the bed, kicking off those fuzzy slippers a moment later and rests her head on her knees. "I mean... If I was stronger, I'd still be working on all that now, so I definitely could be stronger. But-" She holds her hands up as if pantomiming scales, then goes back to hugging her legs. "But no, that... That really wouldn't have solved the problem I was having anyway. The progress I made with the cure wouldn't have gone any faster than it's been going, and..." She pauses for a while. "Those people I killed for that data and that progress would still be dead. Xion mentioned it during the fight, and it didn't really click until then, but... Have you ever made a promise that was a lot harder to keep than you expected it to be? One that you've put too much into to give up on even if the alternative is pouring too much more into it just to keep going? It was kind of... No, it was just that." "I couldn't give up on trying to find something even if it meant using those creatures as test subjects, but continuing those tests meant more risks. More pain. More... Everything that happened anyway." Xion mentions a monster-person's wand, and that actually gets an amused laugh from Cantio. A genuine one, too, and she actually winces after a bit. It seems she hasn't fully healed yet, in case the bandages weren't already an indication. "I wish it was that easy. Then we could just go beat up that thing and call it day. But.. No, that power grab and everything... That's all me. Power like that's important for getting things done, right? Getting things done, and stopping people from going overboard with it. Which..." She wrinkles her nose, then taps her chin against her knees idly. "There's... Not really a clean solution to all of it, is there? But if nothing else, at least I can finally say I've had a bunch of friends come over from outside of the System. So that's something!"
Cantio	"Whoa. You've been asked this before, huh?" Saltavi asks Rita with an impressed little chuckle, kicking her feet up and crossing her arms behind her head before leaning back against the wall. Considering that there's nothing to prop her feet up against, she's probably got some good core strength to be sitting like that. "She is. She doesn't get how much she does for this place compared to yours truly. I'm not exactly what you'd call a management material, y'know?" She continues, nodding slowly after a moment and letting out a sigh of her own. "And that's exactly it. Even though she's amazing at keeping track of everything that needs doing here, all she sees is... Well, that. The missing bit. What other people can do. It's..." Saltavi lets out another sigh, this one a bit more frustrated than the last. "I don't think she'd ever compare herself to normal people. If anything, she'll just be comparing herself to other bigger fish even if I'm nowhere to be seen. Heck, I bet you know a couple of 'em already, but we can't really keep her away from them, right? And with all this stuff that happened, I doubt we'd be able to keep her here even if we wanted to. So..." For the first time since Rita's seen her, Saltavi actually frowns and slumps forward. "I don't know what to do. I want her to be happy, but... I don't know. You got any siblings out there?"
Shotaro Hidari	'Nobody's Perfect,' gets a glance from Shotaro, and he nods once towards Hibiki. It's true, they all need help from time to time, and that's what people need sometimes. Shotaro rests a little easier in the chair, despite the situation. He was worried this would turn a bit sourer, but it seems that sleep has helped the situation. "I saw someone who cried out for help, even though she didn't know she needed it," Shotaro says, and tips his hat. "That's what I do, and that's what I think it means to be a Kamen Rider. Using your power to help those who need it. To protect the happiness of those you can." "Though I understand, making a promise. You can't break your word, that's something that I've learned...but just because you made a promise, does not mean you have to hurt yourself in the process.." he says towards Cantio. "The Bugsters are a bit odder than expected, right? A cure might exist, but perhaps it's not a lack of ability on your part, but a lack of knowledge." "Not everything might be found in the Bugster's themselves. If you need an investigator, though, I might know someone. Just give him a few weeks for you and him to recover, alright?" He flashes her a smile, though he becomes a bit more somber, "The man who used to run the detective agency I run now..." he continues, "He asked me to watch things for him until he got back." "So, that's what I'm doing. Doing his work, and not just for Futo, but for who I can in the multiverse as well. I don't do it alone either, I have two partners who I rely on. I got friends who support me when things are too tough." "That means sometimes, letting them wheel you around in a wheelchair when you're barely able to stand. It means clashin' with them when you disagree, but...it also means trusting them when they're trying to tell you something, or when they reach their hand out," he looks towards Hibiki. "Anyway, enough ramblin' from me. When we're all recovered, find me at my office." "I'll do what I can to help you with that promise you made, eh?"
Rita Ma	"It's something I've thought about," Rita admits, rubbing the back of her neck with a twinge of embarrassment. Her eyes find the floor again. Unable to match Saltavi's effortlessly cool pose, she just hugs Liza's oversized coat to her chest and squeezes the fabric restlessly. "I don't think I could ever be that way, but..." Her lips press together and eyebrows tighten in worried thought as Saltavi continues. "It's true. The Multiverse is full of really impressive people, isn't it? If you're always comparing yourself to whoever's above you, and only on what you lack..." She shakes her head sadly. "A change of scenery won't do any good. It's that habit that's got to change." "You got any siblings out there?" Rita perks up with a little startled noise. "Yeah! My big brother Bota, and Kana, who's... I guess we're not really related, but she's like family too. They're both amazing heroes! They fight monsters and protect people! I know I could never be brave and strong like them, but..." Rita trails off, her voice getting a little softer. Her smile becomes less enthusiastic and a little wan. "But there's value in what I am, too. Even if I feel guilty sometimes..." A pause, then she startles, remembering that she's still in the middle of a conversation. "Ah, sorry! Why do you ask, Ms. Saltavi?"
Shotaro Hidari	Elsewhere... Philip has not stopped in his persuit of the secrets of mocha.
Xion	It takes Xion a while to compose herself. Her voice hits a threadbare quality, audible just as she breathes. She doesn't even paw at herself and tighten up, instead slackening at the shoulders. "Learning and growing is really hard. Making promises and doing your best is hard. Love can be the most difficult when it means you have to stop something. Cantio, you're not alone in feeling like having more power, or more in you, will make you different. Different in ways you want to be different. Different in ways that terrify you." Shotaro lifts his voice and makes a declaration. Xion winces. "That's.... that's right. You can't just break your word, but I don't know anyone so thin as to only have made one promise in their life. Getting turned around, wanting to be told..." Xion moves to sit on the edge of Cantio's bed, back towards the leg-hugging girl as she slouches onto her elbows, tired. "... You're right. It would be easier if it was just some evil thing. But it's not. Hearts are so hard... But I've got the Key Words for you, Shotaro." She holds up a pointer finger. "Power." The thumb. "Desperation." Middle. "Wanting to be saved." She pantomimes opening a book and leafing through the pages. "If nobody comes. . . if nobody stops me. . . then that means it's fine, right? If nobody comes. . . then the rest of that stuff isn't real." Xion closes her hand around her imaginary book and the pages audibly clap shut as she does. "So, Cantio. As long as you keep counting up your sins, like Shotaro said, you won't forget. You still have a promise to keep." Getting up to leave, Xion leaves behind two items - both faded pieces of plastic with greeble-studs and handles with the plastic moulded out and unfilled. Because they're cheap.
Hibiki Tachibana	"Words that turn into something binding you down..." Hibiki remarks with twinge in her expression, ruminating on Cantio's promise. "...Mm. Power can help with a lot of things, but not everything, huh? Not everything..." Xion gets her to glance up with a slight grimace, only for her to glance back down again after a moment. She has a lot of conflicting thoughts running through her head, and most of them she doesn't want to say out loud - especially not when it'd sully the sacred words of 'Merry Christmas'. So she ends up taking a deep breath in before letting it out in a sigh. When she looks back up, it's with a lighter look on her face, drawing on the same thing she felt when she finished speaking to Saltavi during her last visit to the palace. She shares a resolved nod towards Shotaro before putting her gaze back on Cantio. "And so will I. Taking on that sort of thing, trying to shoulder all of that alone...that's too sad. I said it before, but if I was in your spot...maybe I wouldn't have done things all that differently." "But you have us, everyone in the Concord, anyone you call a friend...your people...and a sister who loves you probably more than you can imagine. And none of them would want to see you shut yourself away from them and try to...do all that. It's too much." After a small turn of her head away, "I wish things /were/ that simple. People too. But even so..." And back, "We'll figure out the hard stuff together, whether it's the Bugster virus or anything else. Without you needing to give up on smiling. So smile a little bit, Cantio. It's Christmas." "...And I made my own promise to your sis that next time I stopped by your room, it'd be to play. I'm definitely gonna keep that one, and we'll keep yours too."
Cantio	"It really is, ain't it? Here I thought I was the only transformer around these parts, but then it sounds like there's way more of you than meets the eye!" Saltavi replies to Rita with some of her usual upbeatness returning to her voice. "But then when someone manages to do way more without that kind of gimmick, it's... Yeah, it's a kick in the teeth alright. But breaking that habit's pretty hard without something real big to call your own. Something like what she was working on, but more..." She doesn't finish that thought, but not for a lack of trying. Maybe she just can't figure out a way to say 'more useful' politely. "So two of 'em, eh? Sounds like the life, although... I wouldn't really know anything about being the younger one for obvious reasons." Saltavi says despite being two or three inches shorter than Cantio, and over half a foot shorter than the lady in purple from earlier. "But maybe what Salty Junior really needs is some healthier way of learning how to deal with not being like her big sis." Sliding off the bench, she snickers and walks right on up towards Rita. "Someone like you. You're just brimming with that reliable lil' sis energy, yanno? It's the same type of energy as hers, so it kinda breaks my heart to ask you this." Saltavi reaches over to give Rita a light pinch on the cheek, still smiling warmly if a bit more sadly than before. "Could you and the others keep an eye on her for me out there when I can't?"
Cantio	"It's not so much about hurting myself, but... I-I mean, not that I wasn't, but I still owe it to them to keep trying." Cantio answers with a light nod towards Shotaro, looking at her hand again after a moment. "Especially after causing-... Killing them to create that first set Bugsters to begin with." She struggles a bit with that pause, as if reminding herself not to minimize what she did. "If I can't bring them back, I can at least make those deaths mean something, right? Whether it was finding a cure or..." She looks over at Xion and Hibiki. "... Gaining more power, even if it came at that price. Even if it was completely different from what I was even trying to achieve in the first place, and... Didn't really help with much at all yet." Cantio takes a deep breath, inhaling sharply once as Xion hits the nail on the head again. It takes her a little longer before nodding once more. "Exactly. I can't allow myself to forget about all of this. About all ten of those promises." She continues, spouting out a long string of ten names in a row without glancing at any notes or pausing to remind herself of anything. They're fairly normal sounding names, too. Luckily, there's a brief break in the gutpunches as a waiter knocks on the door, then wheels in a tray full of frozen and cold foods: Various flavors of ice cream, pudding dishes, and even a pile of cold noodles with meat sauce. Cantio goes for a plate of the latter, then gestures at the rest. "Oh! There's way too much here for me to eat, so please, feel free." Once she's settled back down with her food, she furrows her brow in deeper thought. "A lack of knowledge... That's what I was trying to eliminate through collecting so much data from the tests. Through continuing them with the Pokemon, and studying those Bugsters that came from them. It's just turning all of that information into something tangible where it kind of got a little lost in... Um... The suck." She chuckles briefly after that failed attempt at sounding smart, then turns to Shotaro with another nod. "Yeah, I think we all need some time to rest up after all of that. Not too long, though, because that cure won't find itself. And if we can get more eyes from that other person you know on this, the better. I've got my own contacts and a potential lead, too, so fingers crossed!" As Xion gets up, Cantio notices that she's left some things behind. "Oh! Xion, your..." She trails off when she sees what they are, picking up those faded greebles and staring at them wide-eyed. "Holy sh... Xion, are you sure? These..." She keeps staring at each of those things, bringing a hand up to cover her mouth as her gut comprehends what she's seeing far faster than her brain can. She knows exactly what she's looking at, even if they're cheap and faded. The gutpunches don't stop coming, though, as Hibiki reminds Cantio of her blessings. As Shotaro offers his support and reminds her of her promises to those ten people. As Xion provides her with potential keys to cracking open so much unknown information. Cantio lets out a strained noise as she sets those greebles aside and rubs her face, looking off to the side and visible trying not to make it obvious she's tearing up. It's incredibly obvious she's tearing up. She puts on a smile for all of one second before sputtering, going into that ugly, snotty, happy crying. It takes her several more seconds after that to recompose herself, but only enough to show that she is smiling through the ugly sniffling. "Th... Thank you. All of you. A-and Merry Christmas."
Rita Ma	Rita emits a soft 'mlehh' noise when her cheek's pinched. She doesn't even roll her eyes in exasperation like most people would; instead they open wide and her eyebrows tense in obvious consternation. She rubs her cheek when Saltavi finally lets go. "Keep an eye out for her...?" Just a few days ago Hibiki was asking me if I thought she could ever be redeemed. I couldn't even give her a square answer. Now here I am, a special guest at her palace, being asked to watch over her... it feels like I must have done something wrong, for things to take such a sudden swerve. But isn't it natural? I chose to have faith she could get better. Of course I have to make sure she doesn't stray again. "I don't think I can be a good role model for anybody, Ms. Saltavi," Rita mutters. She clutches handfuls of Liza's heavy jacket tightly, her gaze wavering. "Hibiki's way better at that. But... I can keep an eye out for if she's starting to slip into bad things. At least I know what that looks like." It does feel nice to be in this role for once. Even if I'm not sure I'm up to the job, I can't deny that. She looks back up from the rumpled jacket in her hands, and smiles with a bravery she doesn't really feel. "We'll take care of her together. It'll be okay. You don't have to do this on your own, Ms. Saltavi."
Cantio	There's a strong temptation to keep messing with Rita's cheeks when she makes that noise. Unfortunately for her, Saltavi's impulse control is pretty weak, and she totally does mess with her cheeks a little bit more after that. "You don't think so? Well, I'm not gonna pretend to know what that means, but I will elect to ignore it!" She announces proudly, then sighs lightly and puts an arm around Rita to give her a comfortable side-hug. It's the sort that would normally be employed by someone way taller than she is. "Don't sell yourself short, Reets. You've got a good enough head on your shoulders to be able to recognize something like that in the first place, yeah?" Saltavi gives Rita a playful tap on the forehead, then releases her and steps over towards the elevator at a languid pace. "So between your two thirds of a good head and my one third of a head, the math all checks out because the numbers don't lie. Between the two of us, we'll form. A head!" Saltavi flashes Rita a peace sign and a more confident smile as a light appears around her, and it lingers for a few moments before disappearing and revealing that same lady in purple from downstairs earlier. "Now, I have to see to the guests downstairs, but feel free to stay and eat here as long as you like. And sincerely..." "Thank you."
Hibiki Tachibana	"Xion..." Even though the other girl is standing up to leave, Hibiki briefly smiles towards her and the set of faded-out greebles she's leaving behind...right before Cantio starts breaking down into tears right then and there. Her own expressions starts wavering, in a good way, and she tries her best to keep it together and settle for a simple nod or something...before she just gives up on even bothering, forced to bring up a sweater sleeve to rub at and hide her own face for a moment. It takes a lot of seconds before she's able to lower it down with a sniff, and with an exaggerated clearing of her throat and mostly-dried eyes, she goes to throw herself down into a seat beside Cantio and take up one of the bowls of pudding that had been wheeled in. "...Merry Christmas. You guys have /way/ too much food here, so I'll be more than happy to help you do somethin' about it. And then there's still everything downstairs...let's enjoy the party while it lasts." That smile was what she wanted to see more than anything. And she'll do her part to make sure Cantio can keep it.