Scene #9172: Winter Hotpot Escape

Owner	Pose
Natsuki Nuki	Natsuki, decided in her quest to get to know White as a coworker and contemporary, had asked the closed-eyed text typer if she was more of a 'Nature Girl'. Having answered in the affirmative was White's first 'mistake'. Unless she didn't mind being called out into the Osaka area of course! While the metropolis of the early 2000's is impressive all on its own, with the Golden Caterpillar's tower rising in such a way to look down on the old city and temples beyond, the natural area surrounding the town is all the more jewel-beautiful. The beaches extend west and south down the coast, while the Osaka Bay canals through parts of the city, the Osaka Castle, and other major areas. The warpgate, at Osaka Castle, has become a tourist attraction as well as an official post of the Japanese government, but White can immigrate easily with her Concord ID and a pre-approval from a local resident-- That'd be Natsuki, of course. Sougo isn't even questioned, nor is Woz, as both of them are Japanese, and even White throws local enough that the still-fairly-racist transit authorities are much more interested in 'dirty' foreigners. Passing through the city, a private car picks all three up outside Osaka Castle and delivers them in tinted window limousine luxury across several bridges and out of town, stopping at a small park overlook and stall. Natsuki awaits at a stall, with one foot up on the midbar of a stool in front of a concession window of the rest stop old-style general store. Dressed in a black collard shirt open at the top button, red tie almost-loose around her neck, and a white hoodie with golden interior fuzz and x-eyed white rabbit charm draws and zippers over black skirt and white ruffly socks. Besides her stool is a fashionably overwrought backpack in white and gold. White had been invited for a 'Nature Girl' hangout, and Sougo... <Sougo. That new Partner, White, I heard she was a Demon Army commander. You'll get along famous.>
Timespace Riders	Sougo and Woz arrive without much trouble or fanfare, although Sougo does insist on dallying in the castle for a bit--it's a little out of the way from his house and it's just too cool to pass up since it's on the way! Nevertheless, they don't keep Natsuki waiting long, and it's not hard to spot either of them. Woz is dressed as he always is, and Sougo still prefers pastels like the blue chinos paired with his soft pink button-up. For the winter, he's added a violet overcoat with fleece lining, and his favorite hiking boots again make an appearance. Curiously, neither of them seem to have brought anything in the way of camping gear, which might be more noticeable than their general attire as they take seats in the stall. "I heard that, too," says Sougo, brightly enough to indicate his sincere agreement with Natsuki. "I wonder if she could give me any advice," he ponders aloud. "Having a perspective from someone who worked that position would be really helpful. Anyway..." "It's good to see you again, Natsuki," beams Sougo. "I love your outfit!" "Indeed," Woz agrees with a little smile. "Pray tell, where would you have us venture to, on our little nature retreat? I have known you to have only the most discerning taste, so I do hope you'll forgive my eager inquiring."
White	White is a little surprised at how many people want to talk today. She must have made a great impression! That last mission wasn't too bad either, even if she isn't quite sure how to interpret the way certain people were acting. All in all, a good 24 hours. Capping that off with a visit to Natsuki and another introduction doesn't feel like much of an exertion with that in mind, so she keeps to her usual rule of thumb and tries to show up a bit early, only to almost end up late instead having to endure the discomfort of interacting with government employees to gain passage. She resolves to sneak through next time! She spends most of the wait thereafter pondering whether Osaka was always this weird or if it's just this version of it- but she supposes her own version of Earth might just be too boring to get its own warp gate. Not that she's checked, yet... Once she's in the car, she's immediately more comfortable with the tinted windows and such separating her from strangers and paper-pushers. She can't quite melt into her seat or be consumed with whimsy and wonder about her first limo-ride, but it doesn't lack novelty either. Arriving and having to disembark reveals the most about her impressions, as she momentarily struggles to peel herself from the seat and get on her own two feet again, wondering if she can just... Steal one of those seats to use as a couch at home. Something to look into later, she concludes while finding her footing and straightening her clothes out. Natsuki is right there waiting, and White is recognizable like ever in her usual colors, though this time her hair-braid isn't wrapped around like a scarf (she's wearing a real scarf, actually), just the end tucked into a pocket on her dress so that it doesn't drag too close to the ground. Her usual sleeves and shawl-piece are swapped out for what looks like a store-bought fluffy white coat, and it seems barely-worn. With Sougo and Woz speaking to Natsuki first, she ends up slinking along behind and to the side of the duo, but within Natsuki's line of sight so she can sneak a little nod-bow at her when their gazes meet without interrupting. When the other two take note of her presence despite not announcing it, she does the same to them. They know who she is already, well enough to guess at least, right? Inwardly though she's already wondering, 'Maaaaan what did I sign up for now? I'm totally going to have to pretend my job was super complicated right? Or do I just play it extra cool and say vague stuff about life and death all day? 1v3 is so hard, I need to turn these outings into tag-team matches somehow...'
Natsuki Nuki	Natsuki finishes eating from a deluxe noodle cup, chopsticking into mouth and turning gaze only at the roll-up of Woz and Sougo, perking up from her mild chilly wait at the trailhead store while the Demon King of Time parks it. "It's good to see you now, sure." She teases, watching out of the corner of an eye and curling-toned rather than outright declaring annoyance. "You must like sightseeing - don't you have a Japanese passport? Customs shouldn't have given you any problems at all." Natsuki comments while beckoning over the cashier/cook. Pushing forward her eaten container with the disposable chopsticks, she holds up three near-human fingers (with inkdrop red nail polish) and leans into the window. "Four canned coffees." She orders, while her tail lift from its lazy looping-curl sprawl on the stool to stare at Woz and taste the air. "We're not staying." She adds, rotating in seat. "Just waiting here. Easy to meet." She admits, placing left hand into lap and leaning in on right elbow. "You're looking for advice? On Demon Army things? What, looking to assemble a fighting force?" She asks quite seriously. Then, her outfit is praised, and the dark-masked face lights right up with chuckling birdsong of her laughter. "You've already got taste. I doubt it'll be that hard, especially with Woz..." But, realizing that she's suggesting he confidently not interact, abates with a fainter and more genuine smile. "It was something I thought seemed in common, too." White's arrival is welcomed with Natsuki rising from her seat on stool upon noticing the car's ridden up, tail extending at it lazily unravels from post and mouth-snatching backpack carry handle to lift in her wake. There's a light jangle of kit from within, but her carry is smooth enough despite exaggerated sway in steps that it doesn't make overmuch noise while she sways out from Sougo to greet White and. . . She's not there. Searching around immediately and finding White in the periphery of the trailhead stand momentarily spooks her, a bounceflick of her ears and a stance-step back that gets her touching suddenly-orange and expanded tiger orange forearms and hands. Calming with a hand to her chest, Natsuki exhales and works back to a smile. "White! It's good to see you again. I wanted to introduce you to my Partner 'Patron', the experienced Partner assigned to me by my onboarding program. I didn't know if you had one already, but I'm sure Sougo wouldn't mind taking on someone else to help, since he and Woz qualify, it should work out, right?" She waits, but just barely, for an answer, before immediately launching into continuation, hands transferring to hips as she leans down just a bit with her smirking look, back to normal. "Since you don't like the restaurant life, I thought we'd eat out-out. And since you don't like menus -- don't worry, I've decided everything in advance. So!"Looking at Woz and Sougo, she gestures the boys -- and her canned coffees -- over from the concession window. "Gentlemen, this is Miss White." Natsuki points at the sneaking sneaker. "Miss White, these are the Demon King of Time, Sougo Tokiwa, and his chronomantic vizier, Woz. He's a sweetie," Sougo. "And he's a dramatist." Woz. Obviously. "Let's walk and talk. Pass out the coffees!" And at the head of the group, Natsuki hikes, taking a footpath up a gentle incline towards a steeper wooded hillside path up into the forests of Osaka. "I know a place, don't worry. You three get to know each other some."
Timespace Riders	You're looking for advice? On Demon Army things? What, looking to assemble a fighting force? "Mm... no, but that'd be good to know about too," he says. "O-oh!" Sougo startles to rise from his chair, followed by a more graceful motion of similar intent from Woz, once White is present and introduced by Natsuki. "Hi, White!" His acknowledgment of her is indeed verbal and exuberantly so. "I'm Sougo. This is my retainer, Woz. We spoke on the radio a while back, but it's nice to meet you in person!" Woz offers her a respectful, stately bow at the waist, one hand over his heart.. "Hail to you, Commander White." I'm sure Sougo wouldn't mind taking on someone else to help, since he and Woz qualify, it should work out, right? Sougo's head bobs in a merry affirmative. "I'd love to!" Asked to pass out the coffees, Woz takes this task upon himself. "But of course, Lady Nue." Sougo, talking and walking as bidden, starts off with an icebreaker as requested by Natsuki. "I was wondering," says Sougo, "Um... when you were a commander, what would you say the most frustrating parts of the job were? I want to be a good king. Not just to my subjects, but to the people who answer to me, too. So getting to speak with a commander of an army is kind of a big deal for me! Haha." He cracks open his coffee, takes a sip, and utters an appreciative 'mm.'
White	White isn't quite sure how she startled Natsuki, but given she seems to do that to a lot of people it isn't that strange. So, she acts like nothing happened! Rather than her usual mini-bow greeting, she finger-wiggle waves to Natsuki, trying out something that feels more casual. Then, she's a little surprised; her eyes are closed, but she leans backward just barely as if they'd be widening otherwise. 'Wait, I never heard of a sponsor program. Do I have one? I guess Boss Vampy seemed pretty enthusiastic last time we talked about the partnership, but it's not like she's been giving me tips since... Well, she did give me one back then I guess? Aaaaaaa-" White slightly absentmindedly gives Sougo and Woz the same finger-wiggle wave as Natsuki, and rouses back to attention when the canned coffee is pushed into her hand. She opens it and sniffs it, but leaves it hovering in front of her mouth without sipping just yet as she works up the courage to speak. Hiding part of her face helps very slightly, at least. "I remember. It's nice to meet you." she starts, her faint and breathy speech a little harder to make out outdoors, especially if there's a wind blowing. She takes a strangely cautious sip of the coffee, but after a moment she nods to herself and drinks more, and begins to walk after the others. Behind her eyelids she's looking at Woz in particular for now, trying to puzzle out the difference in demeanor between him and his apparent leader-liege. It's a little odd, but also reminds her of someone... But, she doesn't ignore Sougo's question, she's just a little late to answer and it's hard to tell she heard it at first. 'Most frustrating' could be a lot of things, but what comes to mind first is... "A lot of people want power. They think they know how to use it better than anyone else. Usually they're wrong."
Natsuki Nuki	Getting her canned coffee and returning finger wiggle with smirk and hooking finger into the tab to crack the seal with the barest exertion of force, Natsuki knows what she's getting immediately and relishes her first sip openly, not having to talk for a second as she smiles at Woz and puts Sougo on icebreaker duty. She leads, transferring backpack from tail to hand and then voer shoulder, where it clunks a bit more. The path up the hills isn't that stiff of a climb for non-hobbyists, and is well-trod enough. Despite a faint forest mist, the mid-afternoon light coming from the sun gives the hills a diffused-light blanket through the sparse and primarily one-sided tree cover. In the forest, not too far in, a buck rises head in the middle distance, looking at the quartet and staring while chewing slowly. Nothing happens until the Nue's tail swivels its gaze onto the animal, at which point the buck bolts like a racer at a starting line hearing a pistol - pivoting and launching itself in anxious energy away before putting trees and mist between it and the group. It's not too long - a few minutes of walking - when Natsuki brings the trio of walk-alongs to a hilltop campsite area and scenic view zone, passing a small shrine to the at a fork in the path towards the various areas unattended under a mist-veiled gate, and heading through a narrower path. "Not far now." She assures. Passing a 'beware of drop!' sign and entering a small islet clearing of the foliage cleared for sitting and sightseeing but too foggy to see out, Natsuki heads for the center and dumps her pack. "Right here's good." The Nue then begins to unload her fashionable pack, revealing a mid sized cooking pot and camp stove apparatus tucked cleverly into each other for easier packing. Starting with unpacking items and ingredients, Natsuki's fashionable camping backpack reveals a zippered cooler area filled with trays of pre-cut ingredients, setting up the stove and fingering some butter in at a squat. "We're doing hotpot, which should be great in this chill. Woz, come come," She waves the retainer over to settle the various plates of meat and vegetables into useful array, beckoning like an older sister. "Help me with the ingredients, they have to go in order before we can take it easy." While they coordinate cooking vegetables in the bottom of the pan before adding any stock or water to bring up the level, White has a little time to answer. Sougo's question. When she does... 'Usually they're wrong.' "Ha! That's definitely the truth. Having to deal with the pick-mes and the want-to-bes. Most successful business have to deal with that, you know - it's why you get bouncers for clubs. But I'm interested how you deal with that, White. People who're wrong about power."
Timespace Riders	A lot of people want power. They think they know how to use it better than anyone else. Usually they're wrong. Sougo is patient and attentive; though he raises his brow slightly he doesn't interrupt or ask White to speak up. Her answer seems to interest him. "Hm... what is 'better?' I mean--that's kind of the Concord's whole deal, is that we can and do use it better. Earth's history has a lot of examples that prove you right," he adds with a frown, "But then a lot of that is because those people's idea of 'better' is stupid." "Some of them have thought 'this country would be better without this ethnic group or that religious group;' some thought 'better' meant 'double down on all the stuff that's hurting people because the problem is we weren't hurting enough people.'" "And a lot of times... like, an embarrassingly high number of times," says Sougo, making bounding steps over the sun-dappled path, "It's 'killing the people who are angry about being hurt.' I have my own idea about what 'better' is. But what is it to you?" Right here's good. "Wow, no kidding," says Sougo appreciatively. Woz is among his most at-home when arranging libations, and Natsuki is one of vanishingly few people that he could honestly say he's delighted to be around, much less that he enjoys her company. Thus, called to assist with the ingredients and the preparation, he does so, with gusto. "I took the liberty of preparing a dessert, if it please," says Woz during the preparation. "Should you wish, I shall plate it after the main course. Otherwise, I shall be delighted to offer it as a parting gift."
White	White might once have complained about a long hike as a use of time and effort, but thankfully she's past that phase of her life. With Natsuki handling the navigation and organization of the trip, she can relax and keep pace while occassionally taking in the view, shifting her hands between the coffee-can or the front of her fluffy coat for warmth. She doesn't seem particularly cold, at least. She only has a few moments to be tempted to catch the wild buck out of habit before it's spooked away, and in the following moments gives the Nue-tail a peculiar look. It's an attempt at some kind of sympathy, but rather hard to interpret with her eyes closed and her face barely moving. 'You too huh, buddy?' she inwardly commisserates, but doesn't say aloud. Sougo's response is thoughtful and steady, but it isn't an end to the topic. She has a hard time being verbose enough to satisfy these kinds of lines of questioning, and there's a faint wriggle of her mouth as a frown fails to deploy fully before her expressive inertia resets her to neutral. She takes another sip to stall for thinking-time and wet her throat, so she's a bit slow again. What does better actually mean, to her? There's only really one answer that's fully honest. "It depends." is her understandably weak start, and she takes a little longer to elaborate. "... I told a god once, when he asked if he seemed foolish... 'Do what you think is best.' I didn't know he was considering killing me at the time. But he didn't make his mind up. It makes me angry, sometimes." She ends on a long and quiet sigh, warming her wrists in front of her breath. Once Natsuki indicates they're at the right place, White takes a moment to gaze out and around, through and past the fog to see more of the true view available. She's somehow a little bouncier in stride at that, being able to enjoy the safety and secrecy of concealment with none of the drawbacks. A personal privilege of hers, rarely enjoyed outside of home. Stepping over to Natsuki and setting the coffee aside (rather, dangling it from a treebranch with a silk string) she leans around on the opposite side from Natsuki's tail to look while she unpacks, helpfully taking things to set them aside if there's not enough room to heap it all without moving. She spends a little bit of extra time looking at the portable stove, like she's looking at a long-lost toy with nostalgic fondness. But, that only lasts so long, and as she's implicitly asked to sit aside and wait while Woz helps Natsuki prep the food, she finds a nice spot to sit down on the ground with her knees up to her chest nearby and finally speaks more of her desired wisdoms. "I try not to kill people that matter. I'm trying not to kill my classmates, at least... It would make Miss Oka sad. But otherwise..." She stops, her jaw clenched a bit, and reconsiders how to convey the rest. Eventually it comes down to her extending her hand out and manifesting the words in the air, in small sentence fragments of blocky illusory lettering. "If someone's strong and they won't get out of the way, and they won't listen, there isn't much else to do but kill them. I'm not willing to die so someone can be stubborn and ruin everything."
Natsuki Nuki	While the spot that Natsuki's picked out is a mist-shrouded lookout that's not quite seasonal for the summer glow of glory that might be normally revealed, White's special sort of seeing pierces through the fog barrier and sees through the veil. . . There's a reason that 'here was good'. Stretching out after the vertical hike up the hill is the whole cut of Osaka itself, glittering away with a green wash of treetops spreading and fading around roadlines and the rivermarks, until lowland gives way to highrise, canals, beaches, and beyond. In the winter, it's not that scenic for the unseeing -- but White could enjoy the view here year-round. Natsuki bustles at an easy pace with Woz helping her while setting up just the camper start, though she keeps looking up at the idly-dissociating White and considers with a thoughtfully calculating doubled gaze. Then she hands over the ladle for Woz to manage and looks up at White. "You like stuff like this, White? I didn't get enough of a read on you, before, but stuff like this is... childhood again, to me, almost. A camp stove meant we could go out and not even double back for dinner, staying out late since the cold didn't bother us. Plus, it's better when you cook it in a circle. That's a hotpot rule. C'mere, if you eat all the meat we can go into town and get seconds." She suggests, not wanting to hustle off White just when the activities got good! Perhaps she's in activity management mode. Being used to being the biggest and the oldest sibling meant being used to setting out the spreads herself, providing, preparing, presenting. Or, at least, it 'used to and now did again'. "I'm sure Sougo knows hotpot - have you ever, Woz?" Natsuki asks, layering leafs and mushrooms in before pulling out the stock bottles and topping up the soup after Woz has the aromatics cooked in butter and sesame oil. Soon the pot is to a boil, and the trays of meat are ready. "After the stock is ready, everyone puts in what they want and let it cook. So, White, are you a big meat chucker, or do we load up on the veggies for you?" Natsuki inquires. Leaning over to Woz, crouched besides the bowls and burner, the Nue quirks a brow and smirk both. "Appreciate you bringing something, but if we leave here hungry I'm going for seconds, not sweets." She admits. Then, White explains in almost-poetry, statements-in-order, her warrior way. Somberly given voice to in the hills, she looks at White's back, and then, her closed eyes, and smiles a little before dipping to push in a spoon and stir gently to even the cooking of noodle and bubbling pot, adding in several portions of thinly sliced and well-marbled beef herself to start sweetening the seasoned soup pot. "So you're a sentimental type, but, still a pragmatist." Natsuki turns that over, before nodding. "Respectable. People thinking they can get away infinitely is bad for relationships. That 'real' retribution isn't possible is... poison. A curse I know. So being willing to cut those knots is..." She stirs. "Respectable."
White	White finishes her little illusory script-display and lowers her hand again, looking at Natsuki as she asks and shares about camping experiences and the like. It sounds nice, the way Natsuki talks about it, and even though her own experience and reasoning is a little different, it's close enough for her to nod at whether she likes it. She doesn't fight the invitation to come and circle around; the warmth of the stove is somehow soothing to the loner portion of her, an unnoticed little nook of habit and comfort from months of fireside huddles mostly forgotten. "I didn't have a... I didn't do things like this as a child." she course-corrects midway. She's realizing lately that a lot of relatively minor (to her) facts about her life seem to strike others in a really pitiful way, and only just starting to catch on to what types in particular well enough to avoid it. "But I've seen these on TV." As for what she'll eat, "I'll... Try a little of everything." She's determined not to waste the opportunity after all, and if she has to endure an upset stomach for it later... So be it!! So, now gathered around to watch it all get set up and keep a little warmer, she has something to watch with those lidded eyes of hers. She can see everything around anyway, but this is a little more natural looking probably. She just kind of looks distractedly hungry. In truth, she's re-processing Natsuki's take on what she said. It's not quite what she expected, to be called sentimental. Something about it bothers her just a little, but she can't put a finger on why... And she's almost inaudible when she uncharacteristically seems to talk to herself oh so faintly. "Most people don't agree." She chooses that moment to check her nails, then turns that hand over and teleports her coffee into it so that she can finish it off. She said it was hard to learn before; how often does one have to cast a spell until it becomes second nature like that? And why?
Timespace Riders	'Do what you think is best.' "Hm... that's a terrible thing to be indecisive about--maybe even the worst--so I can understand being angry." I'm not willing to die so someone can be stubborn and ruin everything. Sougo sips his coffee and takes a seat opposite white, one palm supporting him behind his back, legs crossed. "Has it been your experience that strong people who don't listen or get out of the way... want to kill you?" "If you could say something just once and have everyone who heard you listen to it, and really, really take it to heart... what would it be?" I'm sure Sougo knows hotpot - have you ever, Woz? Woz ladles sedately, with a practiced hand. "But of course, Lady Nue," he says. "Food is both material and social sustenance, when done best; the hotpot exemplifies this, particularly during the winter. My Demon King is fond of pork belly and enoki; I mayself enjoy daikon and bok choy." And so when it comes time to add in ingredients, that's precisely what he adds. He also, for curiosity's sake, and probably for some other reasons, watches what Natsuki puts in. "By the by, Commander White--have you had the opportunity to work much with our august Concord as of yet?"
Natsuki Nuki	"No?" Natsuki wonders, 'sinister'-red vertical slit and black nick-marked eyes up-and-downing White with a fresh evaluation before moving to adjust the hotpot with drenched chopsticks and heat-fearless fingers. The little portable gas-electric stove bubbles away as the quartet squats and sits around their blanketless picnic. The ground around the stove slowly thaws and dries, creating a mistless clear zone about the group that's comfortable to sit at or lurk about, and Natsuki adds some hard boiled eggs to the pot to soak in flavor and float to the top of the meat and noodles as eye catching garnish and join the tofu in textural delicacy. "Well, we better make sure you get your choice of additions, huh? Hotpot's better when everyone adds, but if you don't pick anything of course I'm adding more eggs and meat." She makes good on that promise too, while Kodoku slithers into her bag to drag out a spare container of eggs and start snapping them up as treats while it 'waits'. Really, it just hangs out in its own way -- eating is something every kind of demon enjoys, and the company can't be beat on topic or tone. 'A little bit of everything' means that there's more veggies added than Natsuki may honestly prefer, but the beauty of hotpot is that adding in whatever White wants means she can let it soak in the broth of bubbling friendship until her ingredients are good and done, and then pluck the delectable up to sample. There's some tempura shrimp, broccoli, and potato that Natsuki seemed to have only brought for sharing and doesn't go for herself, so White might try those items all for her -- and they're perfectly prepared, if kept in cold containers for transit. A dip in the soup revitalizes the flavor, thankfully. Natsuki boldly snipes at the pork belly, but also adds more when her meat pile gets thin, and gamely will let the wagyu go if there's another morsel she wants-- But she flips soup-eggs at her hungry tail here and then, snapped out of the air without a drop of spillage. 'Most people don't agree.' "Being willing to kill to get what you want isn't special." Natsuki observes, holding a dripping-steaming curl of cooked beef pinched with some enoki and a bit of cabbage leaf for texture over personal soup bowl. Pausing to take the bite and enjoy it, the cycling-click of teeth pauses her, but the thought isn't over. "Being willing to go that far, though, for a reason, is 'conviction'." "Being unwilling to die--" Natsuki reaches forward to pinch something Sougo has already claimed, sits back with a smirk, and swaps chopstick hand to a knee-lean while replacing bowl with canned coffee for a sip while she reclines. "--that's a different thing entirely. 'If it's them or me, I'll make sure it's me' - that's respectable. The rules are sentimental, but the conviction's there."
White	White looks at Sougo in slight exasperation, but she's doing her best. 'I'm doing my best!' she tells herself, just to be extra sure. 'He's probably just young and naiive, he's got that whole future Demon Lord thing going on he's figuring out, just breeeeathe girl...' So, she breathes, quietly rather than sighingly. It's not every day someone actually challenges her to explain some part of her views. But, Natsuki is a friend probably, and food is on the way, surely she can manage to push herself a little. "... Mostly." she answers first, to the question of experience. "They'll talk, but..." she pauses, and takes a little while to condense a sort of persistent discontentment into words. "They complain, and they tell me to stop. I have someone who can explain things tell them what I'm doing. They don't like it, but they don't have any other ideas. So they go to 'or else'." She's out-and-out frowning now, equally because she isn't happy with how that answer came out, and because of the experiences that informed it. 'Then it's unfair when I 'or else' them harder.' she thinks, not quite making that part of what would otherwise be a lengthy rant by her standards. At some point she's begun looking at Woz again as he helps with the hotpot. He seems to perplex her for some reason, in a subtle way. But she can't stall on that other substantial question from Sougo forever, even if it's quite a hard one for her. She's never really considered having that kind of opportunity before; she's not the type to wish upon a star in any seriousness, but it seems to mean something to Sougo and like any other interaction, who knows what good might come of giving a good answer later? So she tries, even if it's a bit like pulling teeth. Even still, when she comes to her conclusion she still feels deeply unsatisfied, like she's missing something obvious. "I guess... 'Get the whole story if you want to be a hero'..?" Oh no... Now she's sulking, kind of? She ends up just shaking her head a little at Woz's question, while leaning in once Natsuki (and Kodoku) starts to eat to follow suit and serve herself, snagging up a piece of every distinct thing once cooked, and adding a bit of each to replace it once she's done so, such that the pot looks much the same as before she got involved. She seems content to get comfortable with her sampling-bowl for the moment, though also appears to struggle between competing urges to hamster-nibble her food or swallow it whole. In particular, the egg almost vanishes down her throat unchewed before she remembers herself and has to do some unseen juggling to get half of it back into the bowl. Her appetite is truly a cruel limiter. But, even if eating makes her mumbling a little harder to parse it seems to boost her mood relatively quickly. "Ifsh grrd miff nasgi." She swallows, thinks, crunches a bit of broccoli, swallows again and then murmurs, "... It's hard to explain the world to someone when you've had a head start but they don't think it counts. I guess me and my... Friends each had that head start, sort of. It still makes me mad to hear 'no' from someone who's still scared of blood though."
Timespace Riders	So they go to 'or else'. "And then," says Sougo, as if he'd read her mind (he hadn't! or even looked into her past at all), "When you challenge 'or else,' and win, they get really mad," he sighs. "I see that a lot. Not with me, personally, but I'd have to be blind not to see it at this point. I wish people wouldn't be that way--so ready to ignore their own actions and say that other people's reactions are the instigation." 'Get the whole story if you want to be a hero'..? Sougo nods with a thoughtful frown, standing and helping himself. "Wow," he says, after his first bit. "This is great! Good picks, everybody," he commends with a bright smile. "Hm..." Between bites, "I kind of thought that getting the whole story was the bare minimum for being a hero. I'm not even trying to be one, and I still think it's..." A little bounce on his heels as he tumbles the words around. "Like, step zero for trying to help anyone at all?" A laugh, half-amused, half-disappointed. "But it's pretty rare." "Most people are like dogs," Woz says, with the energy of repeating a well-used aphorism. "Responding to tone before anything else." It still makes me mad to hear 'no' from someone who's still scared of blood though. "Rightfully so. It is insulting to be lectured on civility, propriety, on what is right or what may be done, by those who expect everything they desire to be passed down to them like leaves in a river." He smiles, then, over his bowl, indulging in a bite of bok choi immersed to perfection in the characterful broth. "I believe you will enjoy your time in our Concord."
Natsuki Nuki	'So they go to 'or else'.' "They don't like it, but they want to feel respect. And they don't understand, it's not their role to like it, it's to do better, or follow the plan." Natsuki agrees, dim of opinion with a curl of noodle in the grasp of chopsticks, and a fat mushroom speared on the end of her implements. "I know people like that. Sure, plenty. And that's why I trust myself first, and the people on my level next, and complainers and bellyachers dead last. If they can't even handle raw meat, they're no use to me." Even if White will replace everything she eats, that just means there's more stuff for Natsuki, who doggedly will chuck everything she's gotten out with a steady rate -- but every time White goes in, Natsuki seems patient and ready to let the closed-eyed woman take her pick. Eventually there's no more real choice bits to add. Eventually they have to eat it down, and the pot liquors into a more and more concentrated broth - fit to ladle out and drink once the burner turns off, which Natsuki starts taking as a hot broth tea with a scoop of her sampling bowl, settled back into an elbow-leaned sprawl. "Go wild on the eggs, that's the good part." She suggests, fully sat back with at least one last treat in the bowl for white -- and Natsuki had openly been one-biting whole bit-portions the whole time. If there was shame to be had, she was immune to it. If there was shame... Natsuki looks to Sougo, and eyes track across Woz. '...when you've had a head start but they don't think it counts.' "'They complain'. 'They don't think it counts'. White, it sounds like you've had the lowest quality help in your life. It sounds-" Like things she's familiar with. What counted. What didn't. "You're part of the Concord now. And I'm worth an army just on my own. And hey, the Demon King." A shrug. "And I hear this fancy wizard he's got brought desert. So..." Natsuki leans up, and while Sougo and Woz get off their last few bits, or Woz gets out the treats... She stands up, heading to the outskirts of their little hotpot campground. With fingers, she reaches out to the horizon, fingers pinching a bit of mist and peeling at the fog. In the distance, a great breeze rolls off the mountains, the fog rolling away from the city as the early evening settles on Osaka and the orange-yellow windowlights glitter in the hues of human habitation. For a moment, the stiff breath of a storm gust brushes aside the curtain, while Kodoku looks back behind her at the trio. Then Natsuki leans over her shoulder, smiling faintly. "It's a decent night. Why not stay out here a little longer and enjoy ourselves? Away from people stuck on tone."
White	White slightly, slowly nods as she listens and eats. She's relieved to be understood, as she usually would be, and gives Woz a little thumbs-up with a cheek full of the other half of that egg to excuse her wordlessness. She slowly finds a dining pace somewhere between 'rodent' and 'glutton', albeit slightly on the faster side, and tries to eat evenly of everything present as much as possible until her stomach is as full as it can reasonably get and she has to sit on her legs instead of with her knees raised. Unfortunately, though, while it's easy to nod along while the others share agreement and personal takes, she starts to look at Natsuki a little bit oddly partway through her own turn of the conversation. It's only once she's sure of the misunderstanding that she tries to raise a hand halfway for Natsuki's attention. She opens her mouth, closes, then opens it again. "I'm not talking about allies. I'm talking about the Hero. And Ariel can't fight him." She pauses again, looking at Sougo and Woz while considering what Natsuki said. "... I'd be happy for the help. It might be the only way not to kill him and still do what I need to. I can't fight him anymore either, after last time." She gazes out at the sky, the view subtly different now that Natsuki has cleared the mist. She seems absent for a few moments as she realizes she hasn't looked at the stars like this for a while. So she sits there, looking up eye-closed and blindly chopstick-plucks another morsel from her bowl to stuff into her already filled belly. "I..." she murmurs, then takes a deeper breath and tries to brace her voice a little more. It still doesn't raise above a stage whisper though. "Should probably make more scarves."
Timespace Riders	Natsuki is right, to glance Sougo and Woz when White mentions head starts. Sougo's expression says it all--it's a familiar topic, albeit one he doesn't have the wherewithal to discuss outright at the moment. Given the amount of focus he's put into asking about White's personal outlook, maybe he wants to get more of a read on her before he jumps into that. At the very least, he meets her gaze for a moment. I'm talking about the Hero. And Ariel can't fight him. "Oh," says Sougo thoughtfully, pausing in his eating. "It's a 'The.' Huh... I guess we'll have to talk more later," he concludes. "That is, if you don't mind!" It's hard not to notice that she speaks so softly, and sometimes hesitates in giving her answers. It's a decent night. Why not stay out here a little longer and enjoy ourselves? Away from people stuck on tone. "I sure wouldn't mind," says Sougo with a little smile. "Especially since you just gave us such a nice view." Woz, meanwhile, flicks his grey scarf outwards. It expands impossibly then retracts and returns to its state as a normal garment. With its passing, there is revealed a wrapped tin is deposited next to the hotpot, with little bowls and spoons. Unwrapping that tin reveals a warm, sweet desert just as filling and suited to the cold as the hotpot was--bread pudding with nutmeg! "I hope this humble offering will help stave off the bite of winter," says Woz. "I shall look forward to our continued success."