2022-10-27: Ashford - Hope's Fortress
- Log: 2022-10-27: Ashford - Hope's Fortress
- Cast: Emilia Eschonbach, Milly Ashford
- Where: ~MASTER'S CHOICE~ Maid Cafe, Nagoya, Area 11
- 'OOC - IC Date: 27 October 0096
- Summary: Emilia gets requested by a customer at her part time job. The conversation is more serious than the venue might imply. (The email referred to is available as +bbread 354, and replicated at the end of this log.)
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
~MASTER'S CHOICE~ Maid Cafe in Nagoya is doing astonishingly big business. Part of that is lots of people have steam they want to blow off after exams, and many nicer venues are closed. And part of that is the quality (read: looks) of the maids they higher have been going up.
tAnd the other part is the recent 'one on one' service tables. Everything about them seems suspect. A curtained off area, private seating with maids. And it is, just not for the obvious reason. It means it gives the cafe an area for backroom deals to be made in broad daylight. By Emilia's estimate, maybe one third of customers going there were legitimate.
Emilia, meanwhile, with Decufes done and exams out of the way, is clear to make up for some lost income. So Mimi, the lavender haired shy maid was back on shift. She got good tips, but didn't tend to get regulars. Mr Kwani was as close as she had, but he wasn't exactly a big paycheck. He was a good customer, though. It would just be nice if he brought some friends.
As she cleans the table of her last customer, a girl on door comes over to her. "Hey, you got a request. Table 4, One on one service with a Brit lady, now. Boss says don't fuck it up." She grumpily pushes 'Mimi' out of the way, and Emilia nods. She picks up a menu, and braces herself. This was her first time doing this, and she walks to her allotted booth. She steps through the curtain and bows, "Welcome h-home, m-mistress! I'm M-M-Mimi, I'll b-be your m-maid for today. Th-thank you for s-selecting me."
It's then she straightens up, and actually gets to see her client.
<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.
Milly feels a little bit like this is cruel -- but at the same time, Master's Choice has a reputation for discretion and that discretion is important right now, if not for the expected reasons. She has a mid-sized folio in front of her as she waits, and she's flipping through its contents yet again as Emilia arrives.
"Thank you for your service," Milly says, lips curling up into a smile as 'Mimi' finishes stammering her way through an introduction. "I'd like the omurice, personal attendance, headpat permission, spoon-feeding, and the teaset picture service." She wants to soften the blow on this one, and spending A Little Too Much Money is a great-enough way to do that.
"... But once the omurice gets here," she says, expression a little more serious, "I have something I need to discuss with you. It's not bad, and it's not your fault. But it is complicated."
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
For a moment, Mimi's whole body freezes. She'd been avoiding Milly for... so many reasons. She hadn't yet been strong enough to see her yet. And now... she's here. After a few moments, Mimi gives a shaky nod. "Y-Yes. Omur--ice, personal attendance, h-h-headpat permission, sp-spoon feeding a-a-and t-teaset picture s-service." She notes it all down with the diligence she did as treasurer. "A-a-anything to d-drink, m-m-m-mistress?"
The comment after grips her heart. But she nods. Even Milly wouldn't do something like this for a prank. Emilia nods. "I-I'll be r-right back." She bows again, and disappears.
----
One-on-one customers get priority on meals too, so Milly's Omurice plus any drinks she orders arrive promptly. Emilia places them down, and controlling her shaking hands, draws a heart with the ketchup. A surprisingly steady and elaborate one all things considered- she's had time to get good with it. (She may also be showing off a little, without thinking.) She finishes it off with a Japanese rendition of Milly's first name across the center- in case there was any uncertaintly about which side the bread was buttered on here.
She then places everything to one side, and takes her seat beside Milly in the slightly cramped little booth. She picks up the spoon, and looks to Milly. "A-a-are you ready. T-to begin, m-mistress?" Is she trying to put off the talk that would make Milly come here? Does she really want to do this maid thing? It's a little hard to tell.
<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.
Milly does her best to remain in confident smirk mode the entire time, saying, "Oh, certainly. I'll have the gyokuro tea." It's a little pointlessly extravagant to order that at a place that isn't actively doing tea service. Then again, that may be the point.
"Oh yes," Milly agrees, getting comfortably seated. One hand plants in her lap; the other opens up the folio.
"Your grandfather," she starts, "wants you to no longer be attending Ashford Academy, effective immediately." The hand that opened the folio pulls out her phone, and says, "First: that's not happening. Maybe being told 'no' for once in his life will put him in the hospital and this'll be solved, but I don't think we're that lucky."
"Second: I'm fairly certain I can get you until winter exams for us to figure out a solution to this." Reaching into her bag, she pulls out a pair of reading glasses. (They're actually slightly AR glasses; she doesn't normally use them. But she wants them here, for dramatic effect.) Flicking them such that the arms stay out, she slides them on and notes, "I can keep going, but that omurice smells really good, so let's get started."
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
Milly can *feel* Emilia tense up next to her, and that grip on the spoon tightens. She pulls her legs in under the bench just fast enough to be noticed. She looks down at the omurice as her shoulders pull in and up, tightening. Her long hair hides her face and her reaction- if that's all that you're looking at. The spoon is trembling, faster and more violently. She knew it was coming. She knew it.
'First: that's not happening.'
Emilia head darts up to look at Milly with a start. The fact that Milly doesn't give her time to pause or object is probably the right approach, as Milly states what is going to happen next- that she's going to give them time. It hearkens back to their first meeting, but instead of disbelief, Emilia's face is awed instead of disbelieving. She's actually going to do it.
Emilia gathers some of the Omurice onto the spoon, and lifts it- still trembling but less visibly. She offers to Milly, holding the spoon so Milly can take a bite a her leisure. It's probably not until Milly takes that bite until she speaks again, as she finds the words she wants to say.
"...I'm s-s-sorry," she says her voice a little lighter, that weight of fear and anger starting to lift. "I d-d-didn't r-really believe th-that y-you meant it..."
<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.
Milly takes a bite of omurice. Oh, that's good, she thinks -- you just can't get that diner omurice texture at home if you don't know what you're doing. She doesn't mind having dropped a little too much money here; honestly, she might come by a few more times just to help pad 'Mimi's' numbers.
"You've had a lot of people in your life who don't follow through, or worse, only follow through when it hurts you," Milly says. "I'm not interested in adding to that list." Her lips curl up in that slightly foxlike, I'm-planning-something smile. She taps at her phone, and says, "Read this."
She has the email she sent out to GUTS before things started up on that; she gives Emilia a little time to read it. After about a minute, she explains, "All of this is true! Whether it's true in the order presented is a different matter but that matter's his problem and not mine now."
As a summation, she announces -- with a sip of tea -- "Now, I can't remember, but someone told me not to leave my fortress during a siege."
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
Emmy relaxes slowly, as Milly seems to enjoy the food. As she appears to be comfortable, despite the news she's delivering. As though she's-
And then the smile is on her face. Milly is absolutely up to something and it makes Emilia's heart leap. Emmy reads the email quickly, her eyes widen. "A-a-and... visas o-out of here are..." She remembers the nights Milly stayed up sorting things out. The sheer level of bureaucracy that it would cost too much to simply bribe through. Anything short of Manhunters would-
She pushes herself to raise the fear. "G-G-Grandfather has lots of a. Associates in... Th-th-the NIA. And. Blue C-C-Cosmos. Wh-wh-what if he c-c-can... g-get their help? Ch-cheap enough, I mean." The tone of her voice is level, but she doesn't know if Milly has an answer. Yet. If Milly has an answer yet.
And then she blinks, as Milly seems ahead of her by a beat there. "Ah!" Her own advice, that late night. That of course means... having to leave some things.
"O-okay. I-I-I'll stay in o-our fortress. I d-don't..." She's trying to hold back her tears. She shouldn't cry at work. So for now she doesn't. "I w-want to st-stay here, i-in the f-f-first school that e-ever wanted m-me." Her voice becomes softer, quieter. "W-w-with you."
<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.
"I also know whose emergency contacts lead up the chain in NERV. I can get ahold of Chief Shishioh or Colonel Katsuragi. I don't know if they'd stall just because I asked, but I think they'd treat NIA interference the same as any other 'hostile actor' when it comes to a transfer request." She isn't entirely sure how much time that adds to the top half of the hourglass, but she doesn't hesitate in saying it.
She gestures for another spoonful of omurice. She's not going to not get service just because Emilia is someone close to her. She's fairly certain this place would chew her out a bit if a customer left an omurice mostly untouched.
"And I want you to stay here, too," she says, once Emilia's made that last point (and given her some more omurice.) "With me, even, until I graduate! But after that --"
... nervewracking. She doesn't want to say it, especially after she just gave Emilia so much hope. "... but I can't. I already told you about my family situation, right? I'm on an indefinite moratorium on that kind of happiness." Milly feels like she owes Emilia that answer. Even if it's unhappy. "I think we should try to make the most of the five or six months we have left, but I don't know what the future even holds past that."
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
Emmy nods. Those are big names up the chain- Or she thinks she is. Didn't one of them try a coup?
Though the mental image of a giant robot lion smashing through her Grandfather's penthouse is somewhat heartening.
That next spoon is lifted much more cheerfully to Milly's mouth. "A-as you wish, m-mistress." Her heart rises- until she hears the but coming a sentence before Milly actually says it. For a few seconds, Emilia wordlessly scoops another spoonful, just avoiding the edge of the ketchup heart. "Th-th-then..." Something behind her eyes *sparks*. "We h-h-have f-f-five or s-six m-months."
The sudden steel in her voice is not the tone of acceptance. She empties the spoon onto the side of the plate, and digs it into the center of the omelette, pulling up a part of Milly's name in ketchup. She lifts it to Milly's mouth, her grip steady, perfctly stable. Emilia looks up at Milly, her green eyes glinting with the light she had all those months ago.
"T-t-to figure out a so--lution to th-this."
<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.
Milly leans in to take a bite of omurice. This is actually really cheap ketchup, Milly reflects -- but that's the good stuff. No one has childhood nostalgia for overdesigned, fifty-gilla-a-bottle gourmet ketchup made with San Marzano tomatoes. People want ketchup made with off-shape, hideous dirt-fruits no one would ever buy. That's the stuff.
She's about halfway to chewing it to her satisfaction when Emilia finishes her sentence. Her eyes widen, and her shoulder blades stiffen a bit; she doesn't choke or sputter, because she's a proper lady, but she has to consciously stop chewing, slowly shift everything around with her tongue, and then restart, with a bit of a half-cough, half-clicking noise in the back of her throat as she gets started again. She looks incredulous.
"I -- really didn't waste any time teaching you the important stuff," she says, once she swallows. She doesn't want to tell Emilia this is impossible right now -- least of all after she's just done her best to kick over the board for Emilia's own sake. It wouldn't be fair.
Besides: If they can thwart institutional power for two months, they can thwart it for six. And if they can thwart it for six --
... that's actually more complicated than Milly can wrap her head around right now? And a little dizzying, besides. ... but she's not opposed.
<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.
After another steadying drink of tea, she tentatively says, "... I can't make any promises. But I guess a system that old and top-heavy is about due for something..."
... she really ought to listen to the things she says more often.
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
Emilia shakes her head. "N-no. B-but it took me... a little long. T-to l-learn s-some of them." She readies another spoonful of Omurice, unless Milly has her stop. She let's herself think a bit, after that sudden outburst of boldness.
Finally, she's very quiet thought, just for the two of them. "...Th-things that don't ch-change d-d-die out." She's staring down at that Omurice. "S-s-sometimes there j-just n-needs to be. A c-catalyst." Maybe that will be them.
Her point spoken, Emilia shifts a little closer to Milly. "M-Mistress, please d-don't forget your r-requested priveliges. Th-they expire wh-when your time does." This isn't the student council room, where they can take whatever time they want. And if Milly's paid, Emmy doesn't want her to miss out.
<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.
Leveling back off and enjoying the omurice, Milly listens. When she hears what Emilia has to say, though -- she can't stop grinning. If this is who Emilia is after just a few months of swimming against what her family's done to her, she can't wait to see how she turns out.
"... I suppose if I don't choose to be part of the change," Milly starts -- and then trails off. It's clear Emilia has underlined something important for her, though: if she doesn't change, she'll go extinct.
-- Oh right, she thinks, abruptly switching tracks as Emilia points it out -- she does have some decidedly untouched privileges. And a distinct lack of things she needs to do with her phone and her folio. Reaching up to push those AR glasses back up a bit, Milly says, "You're really on the ball. They're lucky to have a hard worker like you around," she says, before patting 'Mimi' twice gently on the head. "Do we take the picture for the teaset when I head out, or...?"
With a slightly embarrassed laugh, she admits, "This is the first time I've purchased something that personal." ... and it is, at this point, really quite personal.
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
Emilia... may have been gunning for that headpat a little too hard, with slight blush and smile on her face. Thought part of that blush is for the compliment too. (The club may not be the only ones who are lucky. "Y-yes. We, um, h-have a b-booth with a c-camera set up." It's still basically print club, though, but that may be more fun for Milly. And by now Emilia knows how to be a very good photo. "D-don't worry, I-I'll help."
Still, Emmy's a little sheepish again. But... "Um, Milly... Wh-when we g-get back. W-would it. B-be okay if we. Got th-the futons o-out again?" She's spent long enough running away from the people she wants to be with. It's time to start running towards them instead.
+----------------------------< Board 29/Post 354 >-----------------------------+ | Title: Transfer Request Moratorium Poster: Milly Ashford Date: Thu | | Oct 27 | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------| <Email blast to every student at every GUTS affiliate school with a registered email address, crossposted to the GUTS online discussion board.> Ashford Academy's Student Council has received a warning from the leader of a government-affiliated anti-science criminal agency that a, quote, 'hostile actor,' has been fraudulently altering the education plans of students at several GUTS institutions, leading to dubious transfer requests. Effective immediately, transfers involving all GUTS affiliate institutions will require review by the visa office in the municipalities of both the sending institution and the receiving institution. Transfers will also undergo review by a third-party administrative body whose mandate includes so-called "science crime" (see BU Human Experimentation And Trafficking Act (Title 12, Part I, Chapter 124, Sec. 2005-2017); Japan Anti-Scientific Exploitation Acts Sections 4 through 7; Colony Common Charter (Title 20, Part II, Sec. 1-5) for definitions of governing bodies with appropriate jurisdiction) for potential suspicious activity. Transfers flagged as suspicious or potentially harmful to the welfare of the student will be placed on hold until the sending institution, the receiving institution, and the independent organization concur that there is no risk of wrongdoing. Please be aware that while some suspicious or fraudulent transfers have already occurred, students affected are not in trouble. Ashford Academy presently believes this to be malicious tampering by a third party using a backdoor related to a student's dual enrollment at two GUTS schools, and all faculty and administrators have been advised that removing affected students would be an exercise in pointless cruelty. -- Milly Ashford, Ashford Academy President, GUTS Coordinator +-----------------------------< SRTMOO +bboards >------------------------------+