2023-01-15 - My Angry Valentine! Unexpected Outbursts At Linden Baum

My Angry Valentine! Unexpected Outbursts At Linden Baum
Summary: An afternoon treat at everyone's favorite Western diner turns unexpectedly dramatic when two different would-be lovebirds explode with emotion.
Who: Setsuna Higashi, Kyouka Okazaki, Mai Tokiha, Nori Ankou GM: Pink Moon Stick
Where: Linden Baum
OOC - IC Date: 1/15/2023 - 2/10/2016

<Pose Tracker> Pink Moon Stick [Admin] has posed.
<SoundTracker> Natsu, Sora, Umi-kaze - Mai-HiME OST - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QPhHXskFKo

It's the later end of the after-school rush at Linden Baum. Kids who stopped here on their way home from school have already been served and are probably close to paying and leaving (or, as the case may be, are just starting their shifts); those who had club first are just arriving. Not every booth has one of the thousand brightly colored uniforms of Tokyo middle and especially high schools, but many do.

Outside it is a gray and dreary February afternoon. Not as dark as this time last month, and not as cold, and not as wet; but still dark and cold and wet enough, certainly. Spring has not begun to touch the city with even its most subtle traces. The trees are still bare, the shoots underground.

That makes inside all the more a paradise. Everything seems to have a golden glow, and the heat of the kitchen plus the heat of the crowd combine to a warmth greater than the sum of its parts. It smells more sweet than savory today, presumably because it's the week before Valentine's Day and the menu's specials are geared sharply in that direction. Chocolate, strawberry and raspberry-themed desserts (and nominal entrees, if one is sufficiently open-minded) rule the day.

Most booths are packed with groups of friends; the majority either all-girl or all-boy, with perhaps more of the former than the latter. There are a handful of mixed tables, though, and some of the two-tops especially are providing entertainment, avidly watched by the remainder of the restaurant for any romantic developments worth gossipping about. So far not much has happened, though, and the air is much more filled (by the groups much more than the couples) with the topic of potential Valentine's Day plans than any actual commitments.

There is a line out the door, but happily, Kyouka and Setsuna are at the front of it, and should be seated quite soon.

<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

Setsuna Higashi, of course, wanted a snack after school! And snacks are better with friends. So she was more than happy to bring Kyouka along, and probably didn't even have to drag her! For the moment she is still in her Juuban uniform, excited by the season and the day. It's the week before Valentine's Day and it is perhaps one of Setsuna's very favorite holidays now, for mysterious and unknowable reasons that start with the letter 'L'.

She beams, looking forward to chocolate and strawberry and raspberry if she can help it. Setsuna Higashi is a girl with a serious appetite. ...But, too, does she have her eyes open, in case someone decides to interfere with all this happiness.

It's not only her own that she'll protect!

But right now... "This is nice," Setsuna understates, looking around at the crowd. It's a little intimidating to her, admittedly, but the happy sounds of the crowd are reassuring in their own way.

<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

Kyouka hasn't really gotten a chance to celebrate a proper Valentine's before, and has taken somewhat of an interest in learning how Japan celebrates it, even planning to participate in her own fashion. No plans for dates, confessions, or gossip on her part, but it has been an excellent excuse to try some recipes for making chocolate she hasn't tried before. At the very least, her classmates and friends should have some nice handmade (and completely platonic) chocolates to look forward to.

Though she'd be lying if she said hadn't contemplated some of the other stuff, too.

But chocolate-making is for later. Right now, on the other hand, is a good chance to hang out with a friend and get a snack, which will be especially nice after working up an appetite exercising in club. And every's been talking about Linden Baum's holiday-themed items. (Kyouka doesn't really go for gossip about people, but gossip about food...) She did, indeed, eagerly accept Setsuna's invitation to go with her, having eaten there before and thoroughly enjoying her meal.

Kyouka is also in her Juuban uniform, and while she doesn't have quite the appetite of her friend, she can pack away a fair amount of calories herself. She's just excited to try something new, no matter what she ends up with.

"Yeah, it's got a really lively atmosphere," agrees Kyouka, with a grin. Seeing everyone happy and enjoying themselves is always a nice sight. "Wonder if we'll run into anybody else we know."

<Pose Tracker> Pink Moon Stick [Admin] has posed.

It's rare for Valentine's Day to be on Sunday -- the day with the fewest plans for the average kid, and even fewer for the average grown-up worker, many of whom work Saturdays. It is probably impossible, this late in the game, to get a reservation at any remotely date-like spot in the city. There is already a lively black market of such reservations; indeed, some enterprising Infinity entrepeneur is deep in discussions with clients to this exact purpose, alone on her side of the table while boys are absolutely packed in on the opposite bench, a spread of restaurant menus under her well-manicured palm like tourist pamphlets at a travel agent's; on the backside of that booth, girls are craning over in even greater numbers to observe who's buying what, while those too well-mannered to do so look on curiously.

A somewhat harried-looking server, trim in his butler-like work uniform, passes the black market table on his way to fetch Setsuna and Kyouka. Before he can work up the sternness to give them a hard time for lingering on such a busy day, the dealer girl gives the peanut gallery a stern look of her own.

"Watching is free, but seats are not," she reminds them in a businesslike way.

Thus the waiter is detained for a minute taking another round of drinks and snacks from everyone, which -- due to sheer quantity -- he winds up writing down with a pencil and pad, in self-defense.

Only then does he arrive before the latest customers.

"Right this way, miss, miss," he says with a nod to each of Setsuna and Kyouka. "Apologies for the wait today. Things are... extra-busy!" He tries to make this sound cheerful, but he mostly sounds stressed.

They wind up being seated at a two-top not far from the black market booth; easy to see what's going on there, though they may also want to peruse their menus.

"Anno, eto," stalls a strapping young lad who plays baseball for Juuban. "I don't know if I can afford any of these..."

"First come, first served," says the girl. "Anyone already know what they want?"

<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

Setsuna Higashi probably already has her arrangements taken care of for the big day. ...Probably.

But right now, Setsuna glances to the black market table, and tilts her head curiously. If she had any idea of what was going on there she might be bothered, but she really, really doesn't.

"Mm!" Setsuna agrees with Kyouka about hte lively atmosphere, and then she watches the waiter in his stress. "Yes," Setsuna agrees. "There are many people here."

It's... fine. She glances to the other table again... but only a glance before she's suddenly looking into the menu. The menu!! She eyes the desserts. SHe considers them. And in about three seconds--

"I do!" Setsuna says. "...I would like one of the chocolate and one of the raspberry, please."

Having asked for two one-person desserts, Setsuna looks brightly to Kyouka. "What about you?"

<Pose Tracker> Mai Tokiha [Ohtori Academy (12)] has posed.

The after-school rush has always been a little rough in Mai's eyes, if only because a significant chunk of Linden Baum's staff have to rush to get here before the lines get too overwhelming. At least by the time clubs are out, the second wave is usually met by the assorted members of the Go Home (Or To Work) Club, which helps deal with the numbers. Usually.

Fun fact: Mai was not originally scheduled to work today. Given school plans and medical worries and extracurricular fires to put out (or ignite), she left her hours as 'casual' and only planned for a shift or two a week.

Fun fact: a couple of Mai's co-workers called out for assorted reasons.

So it wasn't until she settled down with a recipe book after class that she even saw the text asking if she could come in, and she had to scramble to make sure her uniform had made it through the laundry, and she barely made it here before the second wave herself. But on a day like this, any hand on deck is welcome.

Mai sweeps out of the kitchen balancing two trays of assorted drinks and just-decorated parfaits, stepping to the side of a passing waiter, making her way toward the black-market table. The smile on her face is a customer-service one, a cheerful mask as she heads towards - well, not the ticketmaster herself, but the adjacent table with the less-subtle gawkers.

She does at least recognize a couple of familiar faces, though - a shift in her eyes, a happier moment before she glances to her burden and continues in a hurry.

"Okay, that's tea for you, coffee for you and you, the mocha parfait..."

It's a big order to remember. At least she doesn't have anyone trying to purchase black-market reservations. ...that she knows of.

<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

Kyouka laces her fingers together and stretches her arms high up above her head as she waits, rests them against the back of her head. Not out of anxiousness or impatience, just to break up the monotony of standing in one place too long.

She notes the table with the lone girl and the boys all crowded around it (and notes how it delays their server, as well.) She has no idea what's going on there, but it does remind her of... something. She just can't quite put her finger on it yet. She looks to Setsuna to see if she has an idea, but judging from the expression on her face... Maybe not.

"No worries," she says without a hint of emnity as the server apologizes for the wait. "We can see you guys have your hands full."

She's already planning in the back of her mind to leave an extra good tip for the staff.

She peruses the menu herself and considers... Then looks up when Setsuna addresses her. "Chocolate and rasperry, huh...?" She grins a bit. "Yeah, alright. What the heck. Chocolate and strawberry."

If she doesn't finish it all she can always take it home.

After giving her order she glances over at that table again. "What do you think's going on over there?"

<Pose Tracker> Pink Moon Stick [Admin] has posed.

"Two choco two raspberry," that poor guy repeats, before absconding to the kitchen. They didn't order drinks, so someone will need to get them some waters, at the very least.

The girls leaning over their booth to watch the action at the adjacent booth disentangle themselves for a moment to receive their latest round. They give Mai a friendly look, and in some cases a familiar smile, but they're eager to get back to the floor show.

This was obvious from the start, but the mind simply refused to accept it as true: the girl sitting by herself in the booth, armed with a spread of Valentine's reservations, is in an Infinity elementary school uniform. It really is the school for geniuses... She has the presence of a high-schooler, and in terms of capitalistic energy is at least thirty-five. She has long honey-blond hair, worn mostly down, but with twin tufts in red ponytail holders that stick out above her ears like tiny antennae.

She has just sold a reservation to one of the city's hottest steakhouses to a boy from Ohtori almost twice her age. She collects her fee with one hand while sliding the menu across the table with the other, like someone conducting a hostage exchange. It seems that the reservation time and, well, name that it's reserved under, are on a sticky note she's just attached inside.

This guy gets a bunch of back slaps from his supportive bros, while the girls gamely heckle.

"Oy, Ogata, who are you taking to Steakhouse Tartare?" asks a broad-shouldered senior with the devil's own grin.

"Whooooooooooooooooooo???" echo the girls around her, like a Greek chorus.

But Ogata, it seems, is tough enough to handle this good-natured ribbing. "Wish it were you, Takegaru?" he fires back.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!" chortle the boys around him, at slightly higher volume.

*rap rap*

That was the elementary schooler, rapping her knuckles on the table like she was banging a gavel to call order in court. Or perhaps a Diet committee. This does have the frat-room feel of excessively enthusiastic politics.

"I've only got two left today," she informs the remaining boys. "Better not take too long. One is sushi, one is Italian."

<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

Setsuna forgot a drink!! She was so focused on dessert. Hubris iself...

But now that she's done watching the menu, she grins at Kyouka. "Yes!" she says. "It is important to live in the spring of youth, or..." Pause. "Love said something like that." Love, her sister, who is not here today but is usually the one Setsuna goes home with. But here and now, there is more of a spectacle than the table itself! There is...

"Steakhouse... Tartare?" Setsuna wnders, thoughtfully. She looks between the others. The girls and the boys are all very lively about it. It does have a political feel, but Setsuna tilts her head, looking. And in that moment of quiet she says, to Kyouka mostly, "I would like sushi..."

It's an offhand comment for her, of course. But now she's thinking about it.

<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

Kyouka grins when she sees Mai--though she's not about to wave the girl down or try and bother her to chat--she's working, and it's clear the Linden Baum needs every hand right about now. But if they do happen to catch each other's eye she'll give a small wave. Just enough to say 'hi' even if they don't get to exchange actual words.

But when she sees the exchange of a manu (plus sticky note) for... cash, then it clicks.

Replace the little girl for a shady guy in a trenchcoat littered with watches or some other black market ephemera... And you might get that scene. Minus the gawking girls, perhaps. Or maybe not.

She's distracted momentarily by figuring out what's going on that it takes her a moment to register. "--wait, did he say two chocolate and two raspberry? I ordered strawberry... Ah well, I'm sure it'll be good anyway."

"Well, unless I miss my guess, that girl is selling reservations, so if you want to take Camry-san out to sushi for Valentine's day, you'd better act fast. But you're probably better off saving your money."

<Pose Tracker> Mai Tokiha [Ohtori Academy (12)] has posed.

It takes a little while to dispense all the drinks. Maybe a little longer than usual, as even if she doesn't have anyone right now pledged to take her to nice places, or even someone with a weird maybe-interest and more enthusiasm than sense...

Well. It's still kind of nice to dream, right? That if things were different maybe she'd have one of those menus to look forward to.

She's admittedly caught up in the show herself, is the point.

But as things settle down, so does she return to her duties. A cursory check to see if anyone is ordering anything else at this time - of course they aren't right now, there's more important things than food - and she can check in with the other tables in the area. That waiter has run off with Setsuna and Kyouka's order, and he's...probably got things under control, but...

It isn't her table, but Mai can play favourites.

"-strawberry? I'll catch up and remind him. And grab some waters for you, unless you want another drink." Mai's smile shows her teeth a moment, looking at Setsuna and Kyouka, and then after a second for those last-moment requests she's got a waiter to correct.

<Pose Tracker> Pink Moon Stick [Admin] has posed.

Back in the kitchen, the waiter looks ready to pull out his hair.

"I'm so sorry, Tokiha-san!!" he cries, clapping his hands together and bowing over them. "You saved me... do you want to take that table? You deserve the tip... if it's you, I bet it'll be extra big since they know you saved their order..."

He's not going to take no for an answer, and it doesn't feel like he's trying to slough off work, either. Mai Tokiha's hunger for tips is legendary.

Back on the restaurant floor, with an obviously finely honed sense of misandry (or maybe just a keen business sense), the little girl pauses in her haggling to look away from her booth of male customers entirely and towards the nearby two-top.

Two girls... her clear gray eyes glimmer.

"What's that?" she asks, probably-unintentionally affecting the voice and manner of a countryside granny. Which, given how posh and poised she seems to be, is probably something she's only ever seen on TV. "Do I hear... another customer? Come in, come in, come in to Arisa Banning's little Shop Of Dates, there's always room for one more, and anyway, Ogata-san, our transaction has... come to a close..."

Ogata takes the hint and exits the booth. Rather than cause a huge pileup, he just puts up a huge arm and vaults over the back of his into the one behind, which is miraculously empty. PROBABLY he looked first.

Juuban Baseball Guy is left behind, alongside a reedy-looking nerd with huge bottlebrush glasses -- NOT Gurio Umino, who is way too considerate to forget to make a reservation well in advance for the hottest date of the year for his now impressively long-lasting girlfriend -- and a tall, dark and handsome type, with a gaijin look to him, who'd be the protagonist in any other genre. JBG is still nervous; Meganerd (megane-nerd, not mega-nerd) is clearly cheap, he's counting bills unhappily; and Shounen Out Of Bounds is quiet and thoughtful.

"Italian," he says with sudden decisiveness. Meganerd moans; that's the one he wanted the most, but it's out of his price range. He was hoping to pick it up cheap if it was left over.

"Hai hai," Arisa says sweetly. "That will be," she names a staggering quantity of yen for the mere OPPORTUNITY to go to a famously romantic Italian restaurant on Valentine's Day. But it might be a sliding scale; SOOB isn't in an Ohtori uniform, but he is wearing a gold star on his lapel.

<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

Setsuna doesn't see Mai at first, but she knows her serving prowess well! Mai is part of the reason that Setsuna has come to love black coffee! That, and spite. A lot of spite.

"Oh, did he?" Setsuna wonders. Then, "Oh... Is she? I think Lera already planned us something, but..." She considers, thoughtful.

Did she?? Or did Lera forget?? Can she afford to take that chance??

"Oh, hi Tokiha-san," Setsuna says. "Yes, a coffee please?" Her usual is fine. And then that guy... Awww.

"Maybe you're right," Setsuna says to Kyouka, and Setsuna turns to wave over at the table with Arisa. She will wait her turn! The Italian is on for now.

"Hmmm," she says. "I remember hearing about the gold stars..."

<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

Kyouka is admittedly caught up a little bit in the spectacle and doesn't quite notice Mai getting within hearing range. "--Oh, yeah, thanks Tohika-chan. One of those raspberries should be a strawberry. I wasn't planning on saying anything, but if it's not too much trouble I'd appreciate it. and yeah, water would be great."

"Seems like it. She probably bought them up ages ago when they were still pretty cheap so she could jack up the price for people who forgot and need reservations at the last minute because they forgot to check the calendar."

She doesn't say that part particularly loud.... but she's not particularly quiet, either.

She lets out a low whistle when the kid names that price. "Kind of impressive, she can get that much. That's Infinity's elementary uniform, right?"

"If she didn't, there's probably plenty of romantic things you can do without a restaurant reservation. Do a nice candlelight sushi dinner at home or something."

<Pose Tracker> Mai Tokiha [Ohtori Academy (12)] has posed.

In the kitchen, a brief conversation and correction...

"Mistakes happen. Just try not to get too overwhelmed. But if you're offering..." Mai absolutely does hunger for tips. As much as they show up.

There's another few dishes to deliver on her way to bringing Setsuna and Kyouka their drinks - a big basket of fries for one of the booths absolutely enjoying the black-market show, a couple of parfaits for a pair of guys scheming different plans entirely - and then back to Setsuna and Kyouka.

"Water for you...and the regular for you." Mai didn't even bother grabbing the sugar or milk to go with Setsuna's coffee - black and strong from the employee pot. She actually purses her lips as she sets it down, but she really has no room to judge.

The part-time waitress, however, absolutely does flinch at the sheer sum that Arisa is asking of SOOB here, and she turns visibly to just stare at the guy wearing a gold star.

"...romantic glamour takes effort. Or funds." And that's her two yen on the matter, before the next order she has to take and/or deliver...

<Pose Tracker> Nori Ankou [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.

"You know," says someone behind Kyouka, "You're very right. But even so...!"

Someone leans out to the side, looking towards Arisa with benign and bright curiosity. "You know," says Nori Ankou, representative of AkaMira, who has JUST gotten into the door and is probably very glad of this source of warmth to go with the obvious one of, you know, not being in a line into the shop, "I've always been curious about fine Italian dining. I have had some experience, but..."

"I am terribly sorry to cut in," Nori says, looking towards Arisa, "but did you say" $largesum "?"

She smiles a little wanly at the Shonen out of Bounds. "You already have your plan, don't you...?"

<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

Setsuna nods to Kyouka as she explains. "I believe this is the economic system called 'Capitalism' at work," she says seriously. "Elementary schoolers can be very industrious..."

She smiles at Mai as she mentions 'the regular'. "Thank you," she says. "You always remember my favorite." She sips the coffee. It's bitter as misery. ...When did she start to enjoy it?

Maybe she still does because it's her own freedom to choose the bitterness, this time.

Romantic glamour...

But Setsuna tilts her head to smile at Nori. The representative of AkaMira! Her curiousity!

"Are you going to complete?" she wonders placidly.

<Pose Tracker> Pink Moon Stick [Admin] has posed.

Arisa is a little put off by Setsuna not coming over to the booth, but she brightens up considerably when the dark and handsome foreigner, his fingers about to touch the precious menu, is interrupted.

"Wow, it's Red Future," the girl says brightly. She's a card-carrying member. But the stars in her eyes aren't quite as simple as that. "Counting a real model among my clientele... this will send profits soaring...!"

She may not have meant to say that out loud, but she's unblushingly shameless once she realizes that she did.

"Well then!" she chirps, looking back at the Gold Star Guy. "It seems you've been outbid, sir, unless...?"

He pauses to consider, then shakes his head.

"Alas, father taught me never to bid in public," he says with a perhaps overweeningly well-bred voice. It's a little fatuous, but not too much so. "I suppose I'll take the sushi then. When in Rome, after all."

Arisa shrugs, innocent in her indifference. "The waitress is right. Effort or funds, Italian or sushi, it's all the same to me..."

She holds out a palm towards Nori, ready to complete this transaction.

When--!

*CRASH*

At the table to the opposite side of Setsuna and Kyouka's two-top -- which is to say, it was between this table and the black market booth -- water has spilled everywhere.

That's because a girl threw it in the face of the boy across from her.

There's a beat of dead silence in the restaurant. Her face grows pink. Then red.

But not with humiliation...

"HOW DARE YOU?" she shouts at the boy, who looks startled by the sudden aggression in his tablemate. "HOW COULD YOU--!"

She looks like she's about to get up and start strangling him.

<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

Water! Gotta stay hydrated after all of that exercise. "Thanks, Tohika-chan."

"Romance takes many forms, though. ... Or so I've heard, anyway." She's hardly an expert, but she doesn't she doesn't feel quite like saying that part out loud.

She cranes her neck up, and smiles as Nori interjects. "Hey, Ankou-chan. Good to see you." She raises an eyebrow when she sees Nori looking over at Arisa's table. "Come for the snacks, stay for the show, I suppose," she says quietly, but in a mostly joking tone.

She has no idea what that gold star might mean. And might not even care if she did.

The increased price does raise an eyebrow from her. Modeling must be good for her. Or her family's good for it.

She nods to Setsuna, "I mean, yeah, but it's..." How to explain all the socioeconomic implications of scalping. Honestly she'd normally be upset--it's a bit unfair and a bit irresponsible on opposite ends of the transaction there, but... she's honestly kind of impressed by the kid's hustle.

Her head whips around, away from the unintentional show to a much more intentional one. "What the--" She glances at her other friends close by to see if they have any clue what's going on.

<Pose Tracker> Mai Tokiha [Ohtori Academy (12)] has posed.

Mai is, for her part, delighted to see Nori as well, and checks to see if anyone has seated her or if she's just joining the discussion. And then Nori quotes $largesum and Mai twitches all over again, smile freezing on her face.

...rich people...

But Setsuna is happy with her coffee, and bitterness really is a choice.

The drama around Gold Star Guy is something to behold, and Mai can't help but breathe a sigh of relief that everyone's been spared a bidding war on this day. She tucks her tray under her arm, nods to Setsuna and Kyouka and prepares to return to the kitchen for the next wave of dishes to deliver.

When--!

"Oh no. Not again." Battle experience has Mai check what dishes the table had, first - only drinks so far, no entree yet, probably those sundaes that are just getting the whipped cream added. Simple mop for the water should be enough for the cleaning.

But there's probably going to be worse than drinks thrown around in a minute. Mai checks for a manager or supervisor, but they have a talent for being scarce at the worst of times, don't they? She takes a deep breath, holds her tray in front of her as a bit of a shield, and makes her way toward the table in question amid the silence.

"Excuse me. Is there a problem, here?"

<Pose Tracker> Nori Ankou [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.

The gold star guy is there. Nori gazes at him with soft blue eyes, with a little smile at her lips and a twinkle of starry mischief. She seems to have something she wants to say, but then he shakes his head and -

-

"Ah," she says, turning around to face Arisa and getting out her phone, for a deal, after all, is a deal, and you can hardly just decide to say 'wait no I was going to do something spontaneous and fabulous to you, hot guy I just saw,' at least in the middle of a crowded diner. Romance rarely gets backsies. But -

Splash!

"It does seem rather lively," Nori answers Kyouka, before smiling at Setsuna even as she gets the payment app out, ready to keep to her word with the modern-day digital hustler. "Did you have plans?" Nori asks Kyouka and Setsuna, although she is definitely side-glancing towards where Mai is approaching the couple with intent to Regulate. ("Maybe a table will free up, at least...")

<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

"It does," Setsuna agrees, as if she knows a lot about it. Then again, she does have a long-term relationship going for her. She keeps some attention on the bidding, but, it's easy to focus instead on her friend, the good Nori! But back to Kyouka first, "But?" she wonders. Then... Again?

Mai has it covered, so Setsuna doesn't have to, though she is ready to support Mai if needed!! ...Mostly as a meddler, at this point. She then looks to Nori, who asks if she had plans, and smiles.

"I was going to try to bid on the sushi," she explains, in the quiet made by the crashing water. "Because I'm not sure if she remembered to get us a reservation..."

She turns, and looks hopefully at Arisa.

<Pose Tracker> Pink Moon Stick [Admin] has posed.

"I say," remarks the Gold Star Guy.

The peanut gallery straighten up from where they were hanging over the back of Arisa's booth to look. One of them has the quick wits to pull out their phone...

Arisa is also looking; business is paused for the moment, though not SO paused that she and Nori can't clink phones together to complete the transaction, at which time she gives Nori the menu to the Italian restaurant, with the time of the Valentine's Day reservation (7:00pm, prime time) and the name it's under (Sato, basically the Japanese 'Smith' insofar as it's incredibly common), helpfully written in neat if slightly juvenile penmanship on a sticky note inside.

It sounds like sushi is going to have to wait, though.

Mai looked too quickly; it isn't that there's no food on the table, it's that they've already eaten; there are empty plates, an empty parfait dish also. Only one, so they probably shared it. This is, in other words, the end of a date.

"IS THERE A PROBLEM?" explodes the girl, who is renowned at Juuban as a wallflower. This really isn't like her at all, she's known to be just the sweetest, quietest thing. "TAKAMOTO-KUN, DO YOU WANT TO TELL HER WHAT THE PROBLEM IS?"

"I-I," stammers the unfortunate Takamoto-kun, who is white beneath his runner's tan -- he's on the cross-country team. "I don't, I didn't... we were just getting a snack, like we always do..."

"WRONG," yells the girl, slamming a flat palm on the table. The cutlery shakes. "YOU were just FAILING to ask me out on a Valentine's Day date... AGAIN!"

"B-but," the boy quivers, "I thought we were... were just..."

It is possible that if he is allowed to complete that sentence he will be dead. The girl has stood up from her seat and is towering over him, a mouse who has discovered that today, she is a mountain.

She starts stalking around the table.

<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

Kyouka keeps a eye on that table. Mai's approaching it, but that girl looks about ready to strangle someone, and... well, okay, she's not worried about Mai's safety--she's seen her fight--but magic isn't really the right tool here, and she doesn't know how well Mai can handle herself in a physical dust-up. So she's ready to lend her own muscle if need be.

Nori gets a faint shake of the head. "Nothing romantic," she says, to answer the question of plans. "But I am making chocolates for my classmates and friends. You're included, of course," she says with a grin.

She shakes her head in response to Setsuna's question. "It's just a little unfair, that's all. ... Then again, I suppose that's also capitalism, to a large degree."

She vaguely recognizes Takamoto--she doesn't do cross country but she's seen him around. She's not sure she recognizes the other girl, but she doesn't like the look she's giving him, or the way she's moving around the table. She gets up, hoping to physically interject herself between the two to prevent any violence. "Hey hey, I get that you're mad, but no need for actual violence here. Wanna step outside with me and talk about it?"

<Pose Tracker> Mai Tokiha [Ohtori Academy (12)] has posed.

Mai did in fact look too quickly. Maybe her focus was on what food was still there to be splattered, empty dishes not registering - but properly approaching the danger helps put the situation in its proper light.

...someone on staff will get the blame for broken dishes, though. So she can't just step out of the way and enjoy the gossip about Setsuna's Valentine's plans.

For all that the bidding war had Mai flinching dramatically, the explosion brings forth a smaller wince. The waitress looks between the furious girl and the bewildered boy, catching eye of what dishes are on the table, and determinedly decides not to ask if they're splitting the bill.

Ah. It's like that, then. However this ends...

"Ah - " Mai winces briefly at Kyouka speaking up, and tries to give her a subtle shake of the head before turning back to the mouse-turned-mountain. " - could I ask that you finish your conversation outside, please? You might have more...audience than you'd like in here."

An apologetic look to the girl, a slightly stern look to whatever tables are watching.

...which might be a lot of them.

<Pose Tracker> Nori Ankou [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.

"Oh, no?" Nori tells Setsuna with a rather soft voice. Very soft. It's a damp kind of soft. Tender. Wistful. "I'm sorry... and I hope that you can find out before things become too maddening."

The exchange is made. Even for Nori, this is probably the 'fun money' for quite some time. This is the way of the world. There's always a bigger fish, a more handsome boy, a more affluent queen or a princess at least... and a louder girl, and a more feckless boy.

"Oh, thank you," Nori answers Kyouka, not quite looking at her. "I'm glad to hear it. I've never been able to get the knack of it. Maybe I'll try this year; its easy with a double boiler, isn't it? That's what I had heard, at least."

They're screaming. They're fighting. Mai and Kyouka both are encouraging them to take it outside if they're going to take a disturbance to this level. Nori looks down to the helpfully annotated menu from the italian restaurant, and then she takes a step to the right and moves forwards, leaning inwards a bit to the argumentative girl to say:

"Ah - you wouldn't happen to be 'Sato,' would you?"

<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

"It's all right!" Setsuna says. Kyouka said earlier that there are plenty of things to do without going 'out' somewhere; Setsuna thinks that's true, too. Though saying as much would be more words that she's usually going to take...

Her sushi can wait. This is a crisis, as it turns out. She thought Mai had it handled, but clearly not alone. The girl, and the boy...

Setsuna looks to Kyouka for a moment. She said it was unfair, but... Now she's looking to the girl. And Setsuna thinks about it, before she also rises from the table. She walks around it, to reach out to him, and she gets up right beside him and says, "Takamoto-san." She pauses. "I think that it would be best if you didn't finish that sentence." She pauses.

"Or maybe any sentences." Another pause. "Did you mean to ask her out?" she wonders. "It's okay if you didn't. I'm sure she'll understand either way, if you're clear and honest about your feelings! You just have to do your very best."

<Pose Tracker> Pink Moon Stick [Admin] has posed.

"...fr--" Setsuna stops Takamoto from making the last mistake he'd ever make. But enough of a syllable got out that the message is all too clear.

There's an electric moment where it seems like a very real possibility that Kyouka is about to get bodychecked by someone about half her size -- bookworm vs. jock is unlikely to go well for the former. But Takamoto's "friend" seems ready to overcome this setback with raw aggression. Her red face is mottling even darker, like a kettle that isn't so much about to boil as a pasta pot boiling over, sizzling steam off the range in big gulps of starchy water.

"DO I WANT--" she -- she doesn't yell, she hisses, she hisses so viciously. "COULD YOU ASK--" she snaps her head over to Mai, and then... "...Sato???"

She shrieks frustration from behind pursed lips.

"FINE," she vents. "I WAS JUST LEAVING." THAT was at a full-throated roar.

"K-kanna-chan," Takamoto calls mournfully after her, but she's gone, leaving nothing but a sense of deeply wounded feeling in her wake.

He looks at Setsuna. "I, I mean... I didn't think she..."

"ENOUGH," interrupts the Meganerd.

But he doesn't just spit out the word backed by the fury of a thousand fiery suns. He explodes, a flurry of uncoordination, of unexpectedly lanky limbs, and in a sort of broken mirror of Ogata he tries to vault over the back of the booth. Of course, it isn't empty anymore, and he winds up in Ogata's lap.

Ogata dumps him into the aisle with a not-too-unfriendly chuckle -- ready to laugh this off as well. But there are tears of rage leaking from behind those bottle-thick lenses, and he's shaking, shaking all over, like a leaf and like the storm that ripped it off the tree, all at once.

"You don't deserve this," he spits at Gold Star Guy... holding up the sushi menu, which he grabbed off the table while everyone else was distracted. "Just because you're so rich... the rest of us have the right to nice dates too! Waltzing in here like you own the place."

"Um," Arisa tries to interject, and he rounds on her.

"And YOU, you little brat, you think this is FUNNY? Making a quick buck off the rest of us? Here's an economics lesson for you -- possession is nine tenths of the law."

And now Meganerd is leaving too, and at speed -- breaking into a trot before he's even halfway across the restaurant.

<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

Kyouka makes a mental note to apologize to Mai later for intervening--but, well, she kind of acted on instinct.

They've... had that conversation before. At least the stakes here were way, way lower than the last time she tried to step in between two people.

Setsun makes a laudable attempt (though maybe not a fully correct one--they can discuss that later), but in the end, the boy lets enough slip, and for a moment--

Kyouka sets her jaw, muscles tensing as Kanna's fury looks fit to boil over--she's confident in her skills, but then again, there's something to be said for the emotional state of your opponent helping you read into their next actions.

In this case, she is actually concerned for her own well-being for a moment.

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, after all.

She lets out a sigh of relief as she turns to leave. "Okay, maaaaybe give her some time to cool off. Setsuna-chan, let's see if we can track her down at school tomorrow and check on her." She glances down to Takamoto. "... As for you, maybe try to be a little more perceptive, huh?"

She gives Mai a slightly awkward smile. "Sorry for butting in. Habit." She's about to take her seat again when Meganerd has his outburst, and charges out of the restaurant.

She could intervene but... what's she gonna do, return the reservation to the person ripping people off? She sits down with a heavy sigh. "Okay, not getting in the middle of that one."

<Pose Tracker> Mai Tokiha [Ohtori Academy (12)] has posed.

There are words that should not be said, and Mai hears Setsuna warning Takamoto not to say them almost in time. Almost.

Management, ostensibly, has training on how to defuse a situation like this. In theory. Mai is not a manager and definitely feeling completely out of her depth at the rage; all she can really do is step out of the way of the scorned young 'Kanna-chan'. This has gone badly, and love advice is really better given by those who have not failed at it.

She can collect the empty plates. That would be appropriate, right now. Check for broken glass from that first throw, because that would warrant a broom, and it's not like she's even getting the other cutlery out of the line of fire, but honestly the only certainty is that a couple is not occupying this table any more.

-and then there's this drama. Mai spins on the spot as Meganerd breaks into a trot, and she takes in his appearance for a moment. There's words that could at least be thrown at him, but-

She didn't serve him. She doesn't even know if he ordered a drink, let alone if he's settled any non-Arisa bill he might have. So frankly, it's not her job to stop him.

So she doesn't.

Laden down with a trayful of dirty dishes, she glances at Takamoto. And...maybe she can't help herself, giving him a comment before moving on. "...if you decide to follow her, make sure to settle your bill afterward. Or first."

And another comment as she passes by Arisa's table on her way to the kitchen, muttered in passing without even slowing her stride. "We blacklist dine-and-dashers. Food for thought."

<Pose Tracker> Nori Ankou [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.

"Ah, yes, because --" Nori begins, before clutching the Italian menu to her chest as Takamoto is left calling after a girl who is just now leaving. Nori, a little paler than usual, shrinks back as best she can in the press, raising the menu up to cover her lips without pressing against it, eyes flicking back and forth.

Not for the first time, Nori is wondering if she should have just gone home. She has coffee at home. She has a rice cooker at home. That's definitely less...

... whatever this is, than that!

And she wouldn't have - her eyes prick up for a moment, before THE MEGANE RD speaks up. Nori glances to the side, and she could not argue that me? Ganerd, given this emphatic if somewhat gallootish statement. "Ah!" Nori says, before he too breaks into a run, and then her eyes track back to Takamoto.

"You're all pretty courageous, Higashi-san," Nori addresses Setsuna, taking a deep breath through her nose for a moment and then exhaling.

"I think that we need a second holiday," Nori says quietly, to nobody in particular, "one we don't tell people about, so that none of this sort of thing will happen."

<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

Setsuna believes in what she's saying; she knows that relationships need honesty, and her experience tells her that that honesty can be enough. But...

But it's not what the two of them needed, right now. Setsuna's face falls, as she sees her storm and and then him mournfully calling after. She looks toward him at a loss, and does not look back at Kyouka. Until...

The Meganerd cometh.

He shakes, with rage. Setsuna blinks at him in surprise. She knows rage intimately, for all that she seems so calm now. She knows it well--the pain it can cause. The pain it covers. And she watches the guy shout and run.

"...I..."

She looks to Mai who mentions following, and then mentions blacklisting. She continues to stand where she is, though.

"I'm..."

She looks to Nori, who calls her courageous, and she mostly looks sad and a little confused.

"You think so?" she wonders, and then she looks at the boy. "...I'm sorry," Setsuna says. "I thought it would help..."

<Pose Tracker> Pink Moon Stick [Admin] has posed.

Kanna threw the water, not the glass, so fortunately no broom will be required. And Takamoto is still looking deeply shaken by the whole encounter. He looks between Kyouka, who chides him; Mai, who reminds him of the bill; and Setsuna, who apologizes.

Like the others, he doesn't bother going after Meganerd, who is gone as fast as his spindly legs can take him, clutching the sushi menu tightly in one fist.

"Yeah," he grunts. "Don't be sorry. Your heart was in the right place. It's," he blinks a few times, still working through the shock. "I just... she's never like that. She's always so soft and gentle."

Standing up, pink-cheeked, he bows to the restaurant as a whole. "Sorry for all that." And he leaves payment for the two meals on the table, and takes off -- NOT at a run. Probably wise that he doesn't want to catch up to her quite yet. But wise and kind are not always the same thing; sounds like something was seriously wrong with his 'friend,' for her to lash out like that.

Either way... Arisa shrugs, too. "No need for that," she says to Mai. "I'll pay his tab."

She opens her hand, and within it is a sticky note. The sushi date remains intact... and in play. Gold Star Guy leans forward; he's been too stunned by all of this to really be involved, but now he perks up. "Is that still..."

"For the record, I think that guy was wrong," she answers, which is not an answer at all. "It was so obvious that there'd be a run on reservations this year, worse than normal, with Valentine's falling on a Sunday. If I hadn't done this, someone else would have; indeed, many others did; and I'm raising money for as good a cause as any in this world." (Dogs. Arisa raises money for dog shelters, as her best friends Suzuka and Nanoha and Fate know well.)

She looks at the girls.

"But," she says simply, "Bravery is rewarded."

And she hands the slip of paper to Setsuna.

<Pose Tracker> Mai Tokiha [Ohtori Academy (12)] has posed.

The worst of the drama is coming to a close. Arisa seems to shrug off the suggestion, which baffles Mai briefly - and then she sees the sticky note, and grins to herself all the way to the kitchen. It isn't long before she emerges again, carrying another pair of platters laden with goods.

Mai smiles as she sees Takamoto following Kanna - finally - but with the drama largely concluded she does have a job to do. Another round of drinks for this table, bills to deliver to these two, another basket of fries just in case - and the four desserts for Kyouka and Setsuna. Chocolate and raspberry for Setsuna, chocolate and strawberry for Kyouka.

A grin, but she has to move on, there's a lot of business today...though she sneaks in a quick murmured reply to Nori's comment in passing.

"...a nice thought, but it wouldn't help. There's already Christmas. I'm not sure there's any salvation for poor souls desperate to prove their romantic prowess."

A dismal thought, maybe. But Mai has a job to do, confections to deliver to those poor fools chasing romances she dares not pursue.

<Pose Tracker> Nori Ankou [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.

"Yes," Nori tells Setsuna. "Being with someone else... it's brave." Then she looks towards Arisa then, as she offers to speak. A sushi date of choice is still available, and Nori looks towards the boy with the gold star as Arisa explains herself, articulate and pure of heart in her brokering. Would it have been best if she never had to? Assuredly; but is this better than sorrow entire?

Setsuna receives her due.

"I had thought about asking you if you'd wanted to share the cost," Nori tells the boy with the gold star, her eyes turning down, "But I don't really want to spoil your pride. I hope that you have a wonderful valentine's day."

"Perhaps," Nori says to Mai, wistfully. "Perhaps we need to have a longer year..." But then it would just fill up with days, wouldn't it? With this, Nori turns and moves towards the exit-- hey! She didn't order anything.

It's like that, some days.

<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

"You said it, Ankou-chan. This is not what I was expecting as part of the Valentine's day experience."

"You did fine, Setsuna-chan," reassures Kyouka. "She was already upset, so it wasn't going to take a lot to set her off." They can maybe discuss some of the context Setsuna might not have had later. It wasn't bad advice, though.

Kyouka perhaps sounded a bit gruff when offering her initial remarks to Takamoto--she was still tense from the near-altercation, but once she's had a few moments to regain some calm... "Hey, Takamoto-san!" she says, to get his attention before he heads out. Her voice is a bit softer now as she continues, "You know she got upset because she likes you, right? I'm not saying you have to reciprocate, but just... think on that, okay?"

Arisa professes a good cause--Kyouka would surely support the cause if Arisa voiced it, though still disapprove of the means. Still, there's blame enough to go around.

She gives Mai a big grin as their desserts are finally delivered, tucking into the strawberry one first. She's already made a note to tip generously, just due to the hectic mass of business going on... and to slip Mai something to give to their original server, along with a 'no hard feelings' sentiment regarding the order mix-up.

<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

Setsuna looks back to Takamoto, and nods. Then she frowns, thoughtfully. Something 'not like her'... But, instead of trusting her instincts, she wavers; she misjudged the situation pretty badly already, after all. "I see..."

But he goes. And ARisa, too, shrugs. Gold Star Guy is still involved. And Arisa...

"Ah?" Setsuna says, and then smiles again. "Oh." It may seem underwhelming, but she reaches out to accept the paper, and her smile is warm and plain.

"Thank you," she says. "...My girlfriend might've forgotten, I think..."

She looks to Mai. Poor souls...

Nori explains, and Setsuna nods. "All right. Thank you."

But Kyouka says she did all right, too, and Setsuna smiles back, finally sitting down to eat her chocolate.

It's... nice.