Scene #1887: Words Mean Things

Owner	Pose
Chiyo Sakai	Sunday was one of those lazy shopping days. School was out which meant that Chiyo (and perhaps the newfound other workers for the shop) could help out more. Really though, it was just the part-timer, Chiyo and Ojiisan today. The sun was up, birds were chirping, and while the weather was still warm a few decorative plants had been added to the little cafe tables that were moved outside of the shop to add to their already very small seating options. There's still room to pass on the sidewalk of course. It's this area that Chiyo is currently out sweeping. It's clean and tidy just like the rest of the shops in the area, and obvious that it's kept this way by the shop workers themselves. Nounamu is no exception.
Amy Faust	Sunday! A lazy day for those with no job -- ''well I '''do''' have a job, it's just that magical girls don't '''get paid''''' -- and a welcome one. ''School lasts 'till way too late in the day and half-days on Saturdays? No '''wonder''' salarymen and -women can be exploited by black companies so easily here...'' ''Too much school and he's working part time on top of that? Well, Taro, you may be stuck as a teenager but in a way aren't you like a salaryman anyway?'' Such thoughts drift through Amy's head as she wanders over to Nounamu sweets. Seeing a familiar face, she smiles and waves. "Oh, hey Sakai-san! ...Um, is Taro in? I was patrolling in the area and thought I'd take a break and say hi."
Chiyo Sakai	Chiyo Sakai pauses in the sweeping to lean her weight slightly againsst the handle of the push broom. It was more balanced and covered more area than a regular broom, so excellent for cleaning outdoors, a well as leaning on. The familiar face is met with a slight grin. "No, he's not right now. He'll probably be by later though," she remarks only to glance up toward the sky with a little squint. Patrolling. The grip on the broom handle tightens some, and she takes a deep breath pushing down that little surge of loss she feels hearing that. No need to dwell on it now. "You know him well?" She asks with an eyebrow raising just a bit questioningly as she fixes the redhead with a suspicious gaze.
Amy Faust	"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." Amy considers how to answer that question. She can't really tell people about ''ojisan club'' or why they've kind of ended up calling it that -- well, she doesn't really mind her fellow magical girls knowing ''her'' backstory but that would be revealing a secret of ''Taro's'', as well. "...yes." She finally finishes. "Well. In the. Like. Sort of coworker or online friend way? Where you know about at least one of someone's interests you've talked with them about, and also like, there's stuff to talk about since he's also magic-aware," he's... gah, that's what calling it ''ojisan club'' gets him. Her. She's pretty sure there's a good chance Taro and Chiyo have talked about that, and it neatly covers for the ''bigger'' secrets, "but I don't like... It's not like I've known him for years since we were kids or anything. There's probably a bunch of stuff about him I ''don't'' know, so maybe it's a stretch to--" She pauses and folds one arm across her body under her chest, and rests her other elbow on her wrist to wrest her chin on her fist, red eyes looking thoughtfully up at nothing in particular. "How do you define 'well'?" Yes this is how a normal person would asnwer that question, wondering how to define it.
Chiyo Sakai	Chiyo Sakai watches the obvious confusion and indecision war over Amy's face as she tries to decide just how she knows Taro. Or how well. The other eyebrow lifts a bit as she remains quiet allowing Amy to dig any holes she may dig all on her own with just the faintest hint of an amused smile the entire time. It's only after several false starts and attempts at defining it that she finally allows herself to chuckle at the entire situation. "I just thought you might be one of his 'dinner dates', perhaps." If she could understand what that meant then in all likelihood she knew he wasn't just 'the grandson of the Backstreet Slasher' as he tried to play off. A little tip of her head back to indicate the shop she stands in front of is given. "He watched over Ojiisan for me when we went to Paris," she explains. "And the two seem to have gotten along well."
Amy Faust	Dinner dates? "Oh, is he dating? Find anyone promising yet?" Getting along well with Ojiisan. "Yeah, I bet they would. He probably doesn't get to hang around-- uhhh. Old people much. But I think he'd get on well with them." She looks increasingly flustered as each thing said seems like it begs further explanation for why she would say it.
Chiyo Sakai	Chiyo Sakai blinks at the immediate response. "... No? He's not dating anyone that I know of. If he were, I'd have to make him change his hairstyle a bit and be a little neater. He really doesn't have a lot of self-confidence in himself that way, and I'm sure Dory would want to help give him a makeover, too." Something to think about. "I meant his... Condition?" She pauses only to shake her head quickly over it. "Nevermind. Yes, he gets along well with Ojiisan. I'm glad. Ojiisan doesn't really have anyone but me these days it seems like so this gives him someone new to chat with." "Not that Ojiisan is overly talkative. That's just how he is though."
Amy Faust	Amy winces slightly as Taro's discomfort with his appearance is indirectly brought up. But also she mentioned Dory. Amy thinks back to talking with the little doll about how her life is spent. "I dunno if Dory'd be that much help; she kind of, only gets to learn about things through the internet and do you think she's looked up men's fashion?" A thought crosses Amy's mind. "Wait, if he's not dating then what'd you mean by--" Her eyes widen, and then her mouth moves faster than her brain again. "You think I want to talk to him because I ''got slashed''? Who would ''do'' that? And why would they come looking for ''Taro''?"
Chiyo Sakai	Chiyo Sakai grins a bit at the thought of Dory and mens fashion. "Oh probably not, but that doesn't mean she wouldn't want to help. She's very sweet after all." At least it seemed Amy knew Dory so that meant she also likely knew about-- Okay. That was NOT the reaction that she was expecting when Amy finally gets what she means by 'dinner date.' Chiyo instantly lifts her hands up to wave them trying to shush Amy just a bit. "Woah now, calm down! There's some people that volunteer to ... I just thought perhaps..." Her hands drop down again with a little huffed sigh. "Well I have before. I'm not about to let him die or starve! I'm sorry if I assumed incorrectly."
Amy Faust	Amy blinks at the explanation. "Ohhh!" She claps her hands together and then shakes them as she lowers her voice, "Right, yeah, yeah, ow. Like I've done with La Crima a few times. I've never actually ''seen'' him, uh, 'hungry'. Dory cut me during the doll fight so he was fed then. Of course I'd be happy to donate." ''Does Taro know that? Note to self, explicitly tell him so later.'' "I can even turn off pain, and won't even have to spend energy regenerating after since his power does that." Beat. "So... you know ''that''... Does that mean you also know why he'd get on well with ojisans?" She watches Chiyo for a reaction.
Chiyo Sakai	"I better know that about him," Chiyo blusters just a bit with a puff of breath from her cheeks. "He's like, practically my brother now." An odd situation that she hadn't expected, but one that she was admittedly finding rather heartwarming in a way. "Ojiisan took him on as an apprentice and he keeps an eye out for me when ..." When what? Chiyo deflates a little, and her own voice drops a bit. "When I'm dragged into things. Since I can't protect myself anymore." Her hand find the broom handle again giving a little angry push of dust toward the curb. Hmph. "And yes I know he's an old man pretty much even if he never really grew up. He even knows a bit about a candy artistry that's gone out of favor."
Amy Faust	While her brain is rushing forward to consider further explanations and trying to remember if Amy ever told Chiyo about herself, Amy is surprised to learn Taro has a practically-sibling he hasn't heard of yet! And then she frowns in confusion at the comment about not being able to protect herself, but nods at what follows. "I mean, I think a lot of people never got to properly grow up." She sighs. "Being a teenager this time is a whole lot different than the first time..." "But hold on, what do you mean you can't protect yourself anymore?"
Chiyo Sakai	Chiyo Sakai turns her head aside a bit glancing down toward the ground. Her gaze flits around under the lame excuse of looking for more things to sweep, and a few errant swishes of the broom push her along the sidewalk a few steps. It wasn't secret. Not at all. She'd just rather thought word would have gotten out by now. Then again things had seemed a bit quieter since Beryl was defeated. A bit. "I died." Comes her curt response as she flicks some plum curls out of her face. "I came back. My magic didn't. I'm out of the game, so to speak." Still aware of course. That at least hadn't been taken from her.
Amy Faust	Amy blinks. ''I died.'' is a heavy and dramatic sentence, and there is a slight disjoint between the context of here, with Chiyo, in front of Nounamu Sweets, and there, with Daifuku, in the catacombs under Paris; Plus, while Amy hasn't particularly tried to ''forget'' that, when everyone came back it meant that it no longer intruded upon her life in the way it does when one dies and you never see them again. It has a certain... lack of stickiness. Anyway there is ''just'' enough distance for a flash of confusion and surprise to cross her face right before the memory does. Amy ''was'' there, after all. There's some confusion -- Amy didn't know it was possible to ''lose'' powers, short of the Fade -- and then concern for Chiyo, and then the concern of how to not let it dominate social interactions. Amy had a wheelchair-bound friend in America, and now the light of her life is blind. You don't spend all your time on the obvious questions or the concerns of the abled that they will nonetheless have to answer thousands of times. "I see." She says, neutrally. One question kind of sets the path of how to proceed, though. "Sorry, I hope this isn't prying, but kind of... Did you ''want'' to be a magical girl?"
Chiyo Sakai	What a confusing question. Chiyo turns away to move to the shop to rest the broom against the wall while she considers it. "Originally, you mean?" Did she want to be? Her eyebrows knit with thought, confusion, and other emotions mixed into one. "It never crossed my mind until it happened. It's not like you can pick it up as a class, or decide to study to be one. It's just something that happens and you learn to adapt when it does." "And adapt again when it's gone. But now you know what it's LIKE, and you can still see and know everything, and... It's frustrating not being able to react the way you would have before to help." A little shake of her head finally comes. "I never wanted to be a magical girl. I didn't dream of it. That was just fantasy and fairy tales before it actually happened and I knew it was real." Here Chiyo pauses to smile wistfully. "It's a bit like trying a new flavor of candy or icecream. You may not know if you'll like it or not, but then you taste it, and it's your new favorite thing."
Amy Faust	Amy shrugs at 'originally', but otherwise nods as she listens, leaning back against the wall herself and folding her arms. After listening, she speaks. "I'm--" she starts, then pauses, then interjects in her own explanation to explain, "I'm autistic, and there's this thing autistic people do where they try to show empathy and understanding by attempting to relate their own experiences to others'. If that comes across weird... sorry." Disclaimer out of the way, she continues: "While I never really thought of it as a career choice, I suppose I envied the magical girl's validation by some higher power, and the ability to fight drawing on her very conviction in values like friendship and love for the power to actually ''do'' something." "Heh. I guess it's funny how it turned out that's not how it ended up working for me at all." Red eyes focus on Chiyo. "But I have no idea how to function in this world as much else, or what I could dream of, now that I'm here. I want to help people, but I'm not the kind of person who attracts power and even if I did I wouldn't know how to use it; I'm not a natural leader." She looks away. "I should know better after the first time, but I've got no plan other than to hope we beat the Fade. My best hope for any other future is returning with Princess Hannah to Tharkad as her consort. Some feminist ''I'' am." Beat. "...Ah, ''shoot''. I said I was trying to empathize but I kind of wandered off-track in my own rant. Look, um," She looks at Chiyo apologetically, "What I ''wanted'' to get to was asking, if we should be looking for a way to get you powers again or not, as impossible as it seems, everything ''else'' that's happened lately is ''also'' impossible, so... I... I believe in helping people... how do I put this... be what they want to be. And if that's what you want I'll--" And then she stops, and slumps a bit against the wall, looking away again. "...Except I said the same thing to La Crima and have done basically ''nothing'' to find a way to help her. I'm trash at this, nevermind." "Sorry."
Chiyo Sakai	Chiyo Sakai blinks rapidly when Amy pauses to explain about being autistic. Some of the ranting that occured during fights seems to make a bit more sense now, even if at the time it was very confusing to her to see. Frustrating at times, even. It's accepted with a nod though as she listens in turn. A little snort comes from her at the mention of feminism. Shaking her head, she lets out a sigh. "Feminism is about having the opportunities to do what you want and the freedom to choose what you want. There's nothing un-feminist about doing what you want." "I don't know if my powers can come back. I wouldn't know how to go about it to begin with. Even my spirit guide doesn't know -- I was the 'first try' for this type of magical girl." Here she shrugs some. "I appreciate the offer, but without any idea of how to move toward that, it's just wishful thinking. There are other ways I can help and support my friends, too." "I think for now I just need to recover a bit from... From everything."
Amy Faust	Amy blushes and smiles a little at being told it's fine to consider, uh... house-consort to a dashing princess as a viable alternative to a career path. First try? She has so many questions about that, but... she already talked too much and it's not like whoever it was 'first try' for hasn't been consulted on the matter if at all possible. "Wow." She realizes she said that out loud and looks at Chiyo, then away. "Ah, sorry. I just was thinking about how the old me would've thought he was smarter than everyone and pestered you with a ton of questions about this first attempt, convinced I'd find some solution no one else saw. No wonder I didn't have a lot of friends." She stands up and steps towards Chiyo. "Alright. Anything you need right now we can help with? Or um... is talking about ''anything else'' while you process it, more what you need?"
Chiyo Sakai	Chiyo Sakai absently dusts her hands off on the shop apron she wears giving the pocket there a pat out of habit to make sure she hadn't left anything in it. "I think that's something magical sorts have a bad habit with to begin with. Not all," she hastens to add, "But wanting to find a solution to a problem in general. Except... Not having powers shouldn't be a problem. Especially if we're on a time limit for such things in the first place." Another deep breath is drawn as she contemplates, and tips her head back to squint at the brighter sky. "Other things is fine. I'm really glad I can still remember in the first place for now, but as far as powers go. Other topics are fine." With the explanation given she does glance back to the shop peering into the window a moment. "I should probably get back to work myself though. I'm trying to get Ojiisan to take more breaks, otherwise he just works all day."
Amy Faust	Amy's expression hardens slightly. Not being able to be who you want ''is'' a problem, even if it's impossible. But she can't fix it. Ojiisan. "Shoot, ''right!'' We were talking about Taro, and..." She looks at Chiyo, and follows her gaze into the shop. "I'll... check back for him later, I guess. Sorry I couldn't... Sorry. Um. Would a hug make you feel a little better?" She'll give one, if told so. "Taro's a... special friend to me. So if you're like a sister to him, if you're... like his family now, that should make you important to. Um. I'll see you around, I guess." After goodbyes are said, she walks into the nearest alley, and Chiyo may see the fiery light of a transformation before Magical Rocket Girl Red leaps up onto and across the rooftops.