[No, it's more like she'll remember he'd want to be treated out of nowhere. He'd like to have a surprise. He'd like to be pampered for no other reason than just that someone was thinking of him... That's how she takes it.]
[ She's not wrong: what he would value most is having his needs and comfort being anticipated and met without needing to be said. Not exactly to be waited on hand-and-foot, but the mythical condition of so-called "having someone look out for you."
In any case, as arranged, they'll be wandering into Early Bird Hall at around the designated time. Tomura is dressed as usual, hair loose, black-on-black athleisure wear—the comfortable and baggy sort, unlike the skin-tight clothing offered during Sports Week. ]
What do you want to eat?
[ Being dinnertime, they've found themselves in a small rush of guests; maybe he should've pushed it later, but he doesn't know if Tohsaka is the type to eat on schedule. At the very least, it means virtually no shop would be closed at this time, leaving a vast swathe of bustling option sprawling out before them. ]
[Tohsaka arrives in a black top, red shorts, and semi-sheer tights. On her left wrist is a cinnabar bracelet given to her by Marco, while her hair is tied up in a bun adorned by the hairpin she received from an anonymous gifter. The perfume she wears this time is different from her usual. Its earthy sandalwood base blends in with her natural scent while the floral mid-and-top notes bring to mind her usual fair. However with its different profile it brings forth more of the herbal patchouli she usually attempts to mask.
All the accessories, even the perfume, are things someone else gave her. An item that someone else must have picked up because it reminded them of her. She wears them as often as she can.]
A parfait, but we should probably have something more sensible for dinner. Something with protein.
[After all, she shouldn't do her nightly blood draw if she's low on iron.]
[ Tohsaka is well-dressed, even for a very casual dinner at the food hall; this may be typical for her, but to Tomura, it's unusual enough to be notable. Even when he could afford it back home, he didn't have much of an expansive wardrobe, so perhaps her fastidiousness seems fairly remarkable. She's even wearing her hair up with a familiar pin, though he keeps a perfect poker face regarding his recognition of it.
A parfait... He realizes now that he doesn't know much about Tohsaka's tastes. Does she have a sweet tooth? Is this her usual choice of indulgence? But if she says it can wait— ]
Sure. We could grab burgers. Or donburi... I'm fine with anything though.
[ As they maneuver through the somewhat crowded Early Bird Hall, they'll pass by any manner of protein-filled affairs: sandwiches, tacos, skewers, stirfry... He's content to keep her company until she fins a stall that catches her eye. ]
[To Tohsaka her looks are just another avenue in which she can seek to hold power over another. It worked back in Homurahara high, and there are a small handful of instances in where it's worked in the Golden Peacock, too. Though with her being able to not play the polite and distanced popular girl she's had to find other ways to gain appeal.
Tohsaka leads them around, seemingly indecisive, until she settles on a cart selling samosas. Little fried dough triangles packed a variety of fillings and spices. While Rin loves indulging in tasty food, her death has her criticizing... well, a lot about herself. So something that comes in individual pieces that she can tell herself, "stop eating after this much" is ideal. Her choice will lean toward meat and veggies, and not toward the traditional potatoes.]
These should be good.
[If he's agreeable, they can probably find some place to sit and eat with the cafeteria style seating arrangements.]
[ He'll follow Tohsaka in her search for something—other than parfait—that she wants to eat. Rather than scanning for his own dinner, however, he watches her studiously as she walks, searching for... Well, he doesn't know, really, but maybe just anything off. A limp, or a sign of pain or weakness—anything that would indicate that Tohsaka had died and come back to life. But, same as with Twice, there doesn't seem to be any such thing. As far as Tomura can tell, it all appears normal: her gait, her movements, any little remarks she makes. Even Search tells him this is the same girl who's accompanied him, all this time. All of it so eerily, impossibly normal he'd almost think she was lying about the whole "dying" thing if she hadn't tried so hard to keep from saying it earlier.
He's forced to leave such contemplations aside when Tohsaka finally settles on a stall. Not being particularly picky, he gives his assent with a silent nod, and orders three lamb samosas for himself; unlike her, however, he has no reason to restrain his appetite. Even if his chips run low, he'll just make up for the difference somewhere else. He winds up staring at the cart's chalkboard menu, featuring a short list of curries alongside the samosas. None of them sound familiar though; Tomura would have a hard enough time trying to decide with traditional Indian curries, nevermind whatever Golden Peacock fusion has been incorporated into these ones. He stares at them a little longer before looking over at Tohsaka for help.
Order for him... Then he'll pay and they can go sit down. ]
[Tohsaka, being a certified "he asked for no pickles," bitch, accepts his look pleading for her help without a second thought. In fact she might be overeager to do what is silently asked of her. Though in the end she simply gets a large order for them to split rather than grabbing something different for him. She'll even ask for a huge drink with two straws! Typically she's the type to dig deep into someone else's pocket, but despite the fact she's chipless, Tomura is still many, many ranks below her.
When they have their order and settle on a seat, she starts portioning out her small handful and leaves him the rest.]
[ He trusts her taste in food, so she'll receive no complaints over the items she's selected. The drink, however, earns somewhat of a doubtful stare, mostly for the intertwined, heart-shaped bendy straws that get stuck into the large plastic cup. Perhaps a slightly more understandable assumption from the workers than usual, given that Tohsaka only places a single, large order aside from the samosas; he's curious about it too, until they settle and she starts portioning out her food. It's difficult for him to tell whether it's more or less than her usual, as he's mostly seen her eating snacking portions.
Well, they can always get something else if what's in front of them isn't enough. His bank account may not be as bottomless as royalty, but he knows how to pinch pennies when it gets dire. He can afford a bigger expense every so often.
He digs in, tearing apart one of the samosas to let the center cool while he eats in from the edges. ]
Gonna tell me what exactly happened with you?
[ In the fight ring, that is. It feels like he should know the "who" and "what" and "why" of the events—not to mention they're supposed to figure out what happens if she lies. This line of questioning just might trigger it? ]
[Tohsaka allows the food to cool without tearing into it. At least for now. Instead she ventures a sip from that cutesy straw before twirling a lock of hair around her finger as she thinks back on the incident.]
I was fighting this guy who didn't really seem into the fight. I wanted to put him down quick because I was starting to get exhausted from the back-to-back matches. I guess I went a little too hard, and cracked something enough to pierce his organs. He died. Only for a moment, though. He got up pretty quickly, and I tried to fend him off. It wasn't enough, and he must have snapped my neck or crushed my windpipe...
[She huffs a sigh before taking another sip of the drink. Allowing a pause in her recap for any questions if Tomura has them. Her eyes strayed away from his gaze during her explanation, but they come back to his after. Is she searching for something? Forgiveness, maybe? For worrying him. Or maybe for burdening him with spotting her this meal.]
[ When she glances back at him, Tohsaka won't find any blame—nor forgiveness—in his eyes. Well, he doesn't think she has anything to apologize for, not to him—maybe to the man she'd killed. It's not that Tomura thinks anything of it, ethically, that she had committed a murder—moreover a murder that wouldn't even stick—but Tohsaka isn't the same kind as him. Rules or no, he doesn't think she would've taken it lightly if she'd ended that man's life for good, and that means her kill had been careless, a miscalculation, something that might warrant regret. That means it's luck—the twisted luck of their imprisonment in a world that defies nature—that an unintended death wouldn't dog her footsteps into the future.
He won't point it out. Far be it from him to kick her while she's down, whether she has realized her own mistake or just wishes to lick her wounds from defeat. In any case, this time her victim has taken his own eye for an eye. Tomura's only question is whether it had truly been only the luck of the Peacock's interference... ]
He got back up—without being taken away or removing his bracelet?
That's right, [she huffs, and immediately starts chewing on the straw of their shared drink like gnashing her teeth on it will fix anything.]
It must be something naturally occurring with his body that they felt no need to stop. Stupid— the power for my magecraft occurs naturally in my body too! Just because I need to conscious activate it doesn't mean it should have been barred... My crest, too. If it was working he probably would have had to try a lot harder to kill me.
[After all... the crest is a double edged sword. An organ that rejects her body and causes her pain, yet also like a parasite that needs its host. Something that would reforge and remake her piece by piece if she was channeling enough power through it. It once did just that — allowing her to recover in a matter of 24hrs what would have taken anyone else years to bounce back from.]
What's that look for? Know a couple people who have a knack for returning from the grave?
[ Being deliberately obtuse about her particular choice of phrasing... And then maybe that would be the time to take a cool and unbothered sip of juice, if Tohsaka hasn't taken custody of it to use as a chew toy. ]
You should've known some powers weren't blocked after you fought me. [ While he hadn't tried to go too hard against her, some of his opponents afterwards may have gotten their feet put to the fire, in a way that evidenced his strength was nowhere near natural. ] But, yes. There was someone I faced later on who could heal by himself.
One: no, it doesn't include me. I didn't come back by natural means. Two: I had no reason in the moment to think he had anything of the sort. Three: was it a tall guy with dark hair?
[Rin abandons the drink and decides to dig into her own food finally. Forcing herself to give Tomura a chance to reply before she goes into trying to defend her position or complain about how "unfair" it all was.]
[ ... No comment on her first and second points. He'll let her have the final say, if only for his own peace and quiet; he'd rather eat than debate the finer points of her untimely demise and unnatural revival. ]
Mhm, yeah, [ he mumbles around a mouthful of samosa. ] Fits th' d'scr'ption.
—So what? Do you think it might have been the same guy?
[Did they lose track of the point? No, it's only a detour to get the facts settled before testing things out. After all, Rin is curious to know more about the man who... well, they're even. Almost. She may hassle him to cough up some chips for a meal since his version of killing her was more expensive than her version of killing him.]
[ He swallows and takes a sip of the drink before answering. ]
Might be. The guy I fought was called Blade.
[ He remembers it because it's edgy... Also because the guy had that regeneration ability. Although the physical description may not be too out of the ordinary, it was pretty unique for someone to retain a power like that while wearing the bracelet. Odds are it's her guy. ]
[He wasn't a cheater, but she believes he is! Wholeheartedly! Well, perhaps not wholeheartedly. Rin is salty over what happened, but she logically knows she can't begrudge him. And that if it wasn't a quick death that it's likely something like her family crest would have started kicking in to prevent her from dying. It's just he had the better ace up his sleeve.]
[ Tomura stares blankly while she makes her accusation. Big if true... ]
How'd he cheat? By beating you?
[ It's not like he intends to defend Blade's integrity or anything (hell, he barely even knows the guy), but he does know that Tohsaka is a sore loser, thanks to the game Jin Mingming started on the network... ]
[Because she didn't exactly expect to get called on that, Rin recoils and sputters immediately. Her body language is clear in the way she rears back against the backrest of her seat and her spine goes ramrod straight.]
No! That's not it at all! I overpowered him first. If he wasn't some kind of weirdo I would have won!
[And be saddled with near-eternal guilt. Though the denial is partially a lie, so it begins. It starts as something small. A tiny urge akin to an itch. For now she ignores it.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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I'll remember that.
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[ he doesn't think he's ever really suggested otherwise. ]
I'll be at the entrance to the food hall at 7
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Okay, see you there.
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In any case, as arranged, they'll be wandering into Early Bird Hall at around the designated time. Tomura is dressed as usual, hair loose, black-on-black athleisure wear—the comfortable and baggy sort, unlike the skin-tight clothing offered during Sports Week. ]
What do you want to eat?
[ Being dinnertime, they've found themselves in a small rush of guests; maybe he should've pushed it later, but he doesn't know if Tohsaka is the type to eat on schedule. At the very least, it means virtually no shop would be closed at this time, leaving a vast swathe of bustling option sprawling out before them. ]
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All the accessories, even the perfume, are things someone else gave her. An item that someone else must have picked up because it reminded them of her. She wears them as often as she can.]
A parfait, but we should probably have something more sensible for dinner. Something with protein.
[After all, she shouldn't do her nightly blood draw if she's low on iron.]
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A parfait... He realizes now that he doesn't know much about Tohsaka's tastes. Does she have a sweet tooth? Is this her usual choice of indulgence? But if she says it can wait— ]
Sure. We could grab burgers. Or donburi... I'm fine with anything though.
[ As they maneuver through the somewhat crowded Early Bird Hall, they'll pass by any manner of protein-filled affairs: sandwiches, tacos, skewers, stirfry... He's content to keep her company until she fins a stall that catches her eye. ]
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Tohsaka leads them around, seemingly indecisive, until she settles on a cart selling samosas. Little fried dough triangles packed a variety of fillings and spices. While Rin loves indulging in tasty food, her death has her criticizing... well, a lot about herself. So something that comes in individual pieces that she can tell herself, "stop eating after this much" is ideal. Her choice will lean toward meat and veggies, and not toward the traditional potatoes.]
These should be good.
[If he's agreeable, they can probably find some place to sit and eat with the cafeteria style seating arrangements.]
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He's forced to leave such contemplations aside when Tohsaka finally settles on a stall. Not being particularly picky, he gives his assent with a silent nod, and orders three lamb samosas for himself; unlike her, however, he has no reason to restrain his appetite. Even if his chips run low, he'll just make up for the difference somewhere else. He winds up staring at the cart's chalkboard menu, featuring a short list of curries alongside the samosas. None of them sound familiar though; Tomura would have a hard enough time trying to decide with traditional Indian curries, nevermind whatever Golden Peacock fusion has been incorporated into these ones. He stares at them a little longer before looking over at Tohsaka for help.
Order for him... Then he'll pay and they can go sit down. ]
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When they have their order and settle on a seat, she starts portioning out her small handful and leaves him the rest.]
These are good, I promise.
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Well, they can always get something else if what's in front of them isn't enough. His bank account may not be as bottomless as royalty, but he knows how to pinch pennies when it gets dire. He can afford a bigger expense every so often.
He digs in, tearing apart one of the samosas to let the center cool while he eats in from the edges. ]
Gonna tell me what exactly happened with you?
[ In the fight ring, that is. It feels like he should know the "who" and "what" and "why" of the events—not to mention they're supposed to figure out what happens if she lies. This line of questioning just might trigger it? ]
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I was fighting this guy who didn't really seem into the fight. I wanted to put him down quick because I was starting to get exhausted from the back-to-back matches. I guess I went a little too hard, and cracked something enough to pierce his organs. He died. Only for a moment, though. He got up pretty quickly, and I tried to fend him off. It wasn't enough, and he must have snapped my neck or crushed my windpipe...
[She huffs a sigh before taking another sip of the drink. Allowing a pause in her recap for any questions if Tomura has them. Her eyes strayed away from his gaze during her explanation, but they come back to his after. Is she searching for something? Forgiveness, maybe? For worrying him. Or maybe for burdening him with spotting her this meal.]
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He won't point it out. Far be it from him to kick her while she's down, whether she has realized her own mistake or just wishes to lick her wounds from defeat. In any case, this time her victim has taken his own eye for an eye. Tomura's only question is whether it had truly been only the luck of the Peacock's interference... ]
He got back up—without being taken away or removing his bracelet?
[ This pattern sounds somewhat familiar. ]
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It must be something naturally occurring with his body that they felt no need to stop. Stupid— the power for my magecraft occurs naturally in my body too! Just because I need to conscious activate it doesn't mean it should have been barred... My crest, too. If it was working he probably would have had to try a lot harder to kill me.
[After all... the crest is a double edged sword. An organ that rejects her body and causes her pain, yet also like a parasite that needs its host. Something that would reforge and remake her piece by piece if she was channeling enough power through it. It once did just that — allowing her to recover in a matter of 24hrs what would have taken anyone else years to bounce back from.]
What's that look for? Know a couple people who have a knack for returning from the grave?
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[ Being deliberately obtuse about her particular choice of phrasing... And then maybe that would be the time to take a cool and unbothered sip of juice, if Tohsaka hasn't taken custody of it to use as a chew toy. ]
You should've known some powers weren't blocked after you fought me. [ While he hadn't tried to go too hard against her, some of his opponents afterwards may have gotten their feet put to the fire, in a way that evidenced his strength was nowhere near natural. ] But, yes. There was someone I faced later on who could heal by himself.
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[Rin abandons the drink and decides to dig into her own food finally. Forcing herself to give Tomura a chance to reply before she goes into trying to defend her position or complain about how "unfair" it all was.]
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Mhm, yeah, [ he mumbles around a mouthful of samosa. ] Fits th' d'scr'ption.
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[Did they lose track of the point? No, it's only a detour to get the facts settled before testing things out. After all, Rin is curious to know more about the man who... well, they're even. Almost. She may hassle him to cough up some chips for a meal since his version of killing her was more expensive than her version of killing him.]
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Might be. The guy I fought was called Blade.
[ He remembers it because it's edgy... Also because the guy had that regeneration ability. Although the physical description may not be too out of the ordinary, it was pretty unique for someone to retain a power like that while wearing the bracelet. Odds are it's her guy. ]
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[He wasn't a cheater, but she believes he is! Wholeheartedly! Well, perhaps not wholeheartedly. Rin is salty over what happened, but she logically knows she can't begrudge him. And that if it wasn't a quick death that it's likely something like her family crest would have started kicking in to prevent her from dying. It's just he had the better ace up his sleeve.]
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How'd he cheat? By beating you?
[ It's not like he intends to defend Blade's integrity or anything (hell, he barely even knows the guy), but he does know that Tohsaka is a sore loser, thanks to the game Jin Mingming started on the network... ]
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No! That's not it at all! I overpowered him first. If he wasn't some kind of weirdo I would have won!
[And be saddled with near-eternal guilt. Though the denial is partially a lie, so it begins. It starts as something small. A tiny urge akin to an itch. For now she ignores it.]