14281/Maki My Day

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Maki My Day
Date of Scene: 28 February 2023
Location: Kenka - Japanese Restaurant
Synopsis: The Runaways go for ramen. Instead they get a fight. Molly learns the finer points of a tetsubo vs a van door in a fight. (She wins with the door)
Cast of Characters: Karolina Dean, Nico Minoru, Molly Hayes




Karolina Dean has posed:
What's better than a home cooked meal? A dinner out, of course. Mostly because A) You don't have to cook it and B) You don't have to wash the dishes. It's honestly the latter that drove Karolina to gather up Molly and Nico and drag them out for a nice dinner.

She would have gone fancier, but this was spur of the moment.

Now, she leads her two favorite people into Kenka, smiling as brightly as almost always. "This place is good! I can't vouch for ... stuff with animal products, but the vegan food is great," she says as she just takes the crazy little joint in.

True, it's not a fancy restaurant, but Lina dressed up -a little-. A little black dress, low heels and some light makeup.

"Let's find some seats!"

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico was tempted to use the Staff of One. What's one little scratch, a few murmured words and channeling the power of an extradimensional potentially demonic being compared to having to get dolled up the old fashioned way? Is it so wrong to take the easy way out?

Probably. Which is why Nico spent the better part of an hour getting ready. But she thinks it was worth it.

That dark hair is done up in two short braids, not quite so perked up as to be pigtails, they point down, framing the high collar of her dress. It really is a collar, snugged around her throat, straps stretching down from it to spread over her shoulders, a narrow slit of a neckline offers the barest glimpse of cleavage, and the backless design reveals most of her slender frame from those shoulders down to her tailbone. The skirt itself wraps around her hips snugly, ending a little north of mid-thigh but not _so_ north her stockings are exposed, dark fabric clinging to her legs, interrupted at top and toes by bands of white so bright they're almost glowing silver, showed off by open-toed black patent leather shoes with a modest heel. Her eyeshadow is dark, intense, but also kept close to those big, dark eyes, highlighting them without stretching out to continue the shadow onto her face. refined goth, not punky, bad attitude rebel goth.

Fancy sushi bar goth.

And she's keeping close to 'lina and Molly, reaching out now and then to steal little touches, only to be caught biting her lip and trying not to grin like a fool after. She's in a _good_ mood. This is so... normal. A kind of normal she never thought any of them would have. Let alone all of them together!

Molly Hayes has posed:
    Molly might... be the odd one out? Maybe not. She absolutely needed help with makeup, but the youthful lady is absolutely glowing. Even if her outfit is absolutely out of the norm for her. To the point where she keeps grasping the skirt part of her dress and tugging it down. Not that she's immodest! The matching spats under the black dress keep her upper legs warm and covered. Plus the diving neck of the dress is countered by the cute pink blouse she's wearing! Right down to the pink kneesocks and black Mary Janes she's in.

    Fancy? Maybe not *too* much. But definitely on par with her girlfriends, perhaps. Especially if they touched her up with some dark lipstick and a hint of eyeshadow. A classy girl, with classy loves! There's even a little black purse and of course, her hat. A Sanrio Chococat licensed hat. Adorable. She holds hands, in the middle of both Nico and Karolina, eyes widening when she sees the way the place is decorated. "Oh WOW! Isn't there an anime convention this weekend too?!" she practically squeals. "AH! I still haven't... gotten a costume!" she laments, then does a one-eighty when she sees the RAMEN CHALLENGE and promptly goes silent. She's in awe, looking at the faces on the wall and probably the rules. "...oh..."

Karolina Dean has posed:
Karolina almost always seems to be glowing. It's part and parcel of who she is. Sometimes the glow is literal, but it's merely figurative at this moment. Holding Molly's hand, Karolina gives it a squeeze before she gets the spin for the ramen challenge. "You can do it if you want, Molls. I think you can beat it."

She smiles over at Nico, eyes twinkling in the light. She should have expected her to dress like that, but, well, she was surprised anyway. In a good way, of course. It's good to get out of the house with her girlfriends.

The trio are waved to seats around the big, communal table. Greetings are shared by their neighbors, but it seems like most people are just too busy eating. Drink orders are taken, of course Lina gets green tea, and the staff bustles off. Karolina looks at the other two. "This is nice, isn't it? I thought about someplace fancier, but too short notice to get reservations."

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico grins and bites her lower lip to try and fight it from becoming /too/ big. "I... yeah, I'm pretty sure you could do a ramen challenge, Molly. I mean, you demolished that huge burger when we first reconnected... and hey, sometimes it's worth trying and failing. Especially if 'lina is paying for us!"

Nico goes for an iced tea herself, as she presses her lips in a thin, thoughtful line, eyes darting along the menu as she hums and mumbles softly. "Oh! Is that convention this weekend?! Dang! We should try to make it! I mean, I've... uhh... got a costume. I could work with it, get it... convention ready."

Nico does not mention that 'convention ready' means getting some more props and... clothes. The original was one she magic'd up at a Hellfire Club Halloween party. It is... almost a very nice swimsuit.

Molly Hayes has posed:
    Molly wiggles into a seat, shifting this way and that, trying to get used to sitting down in a dress. Does it go like this? Like that? "...how do.. I.. um.. it's like.. having a tail, right? You just.." Wiggle wiggle. "..or no.. like... this?" she wiggles again. And stands up. And sits back down. Finally she figures out where it goes, right under her butt. She's been wearing shorts and pants for so long she'd forgotten how to wear a cute little sundress or an overalls dress or something.

    "Oh! Uh. Uh. Sprite, please!" she orders up her drink, something bright and effervescent--not unlike herself. Then as she's being encouraged by the others, she looks between them. "Are you sure? It's.. kind of a lot of food.. and I wouldn't be able to try other stuff if all I'm eating is ramen.." she ponders, scooting her chair forward and looking around at everyone seated with them.

    "...hey.. this... kinda reminds me of when we'd all used to gather around.. whatever.. and eat together.." she says with a small smile. "An' just because Lina can afford it doesn't mean I wanna waste it..." she pouts a little, playfully maybe. "..you two look.. super-duper nice. Like whoa"

Karolina Dean has posed:
"I agree, sometimes we learn more from failing than we do from success, Molly. So have the giant ramen. If you can't do it, take leftovers home!" The blonde smiles gently, not at all judging Molly's difficulty with the dress. Even if it is kind of funny.

"I don't think I've ever been to one of those conventions. I might not be nerdy enough, I'm afraid. You two should go without me if you want, though!"

Again, she thinks, what's the point of money if she can't use it to help others and make them happy? She's only ever wanted them to be happy. Her heart feels like it may burst with it.

Life continues apace in the restaurant, but outside, something troubling brews. Two black vans pull up, double parked and just sit there for the moment. Running, but still.

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico grimaces... and it's clear the grimace is her attempt to fight another grin, but it keeps... slowly... growing. Her breath is shallow, almost rasping, and then she /squeaks/, and her voice breaks as she mumbles out, "I mean, if they... let her keep the bowl... it might be big enough to be a hat? Or, or, we get a _bunch_ of keys and use it as a key holder by the door."

Nico doesn't notice the vans pull up, because she's still scanning the menu, brows furrowing, lips pursing in a thoughtful frown, "I don't... knowwwww... I... oh! Tempura! Yessssss. Vegetable tempura! That's vegetables! But _delicious!_"

Molly Hayes has posed:
    "A...are you sure?" Molly blinks. "I mean... it's not like I'm gonna get a tummy ache but..." she feels the rumble in her belly. "...o-or I could eat... big... cuz... I kinda skipped lunch at school today.." she says sheepishly, blushing deeply and hoping the other girls didn't hear that dull roar from her belly. She hunches down in her chair a little before looking at the menu. She also giggles at Nico, "Oh come on you know Lina can make that at home!" she teases. It's true! She knows Karolina can do some seriously great deep fry action!

    "Oh! They have... wow. Like. Twenty kinds of ramen! How does the challenge work? Pick... um... pick four?" she wiggles in her seat, looking over the choices and her eyes just keep getting bigger. "...o-ok maybe this'll be fine... a-and if I win I get my picture on the wall! I'll be famous!"

Karolina Dean has posed:
"I can make it at home, Molly, but here I don't have to do the dishes!" Karolina replies. "And they even have vegan options, but I can't do that, I'd die," she says with a giggle. She makes a face at Nico regarding vegetables. "I make vegetables all the time, and you never complain!" She pauses, putting on a prety good fake grumpy face and leering over Molly's head. "You're not ... -lying- to me, are you?"

Outside, the vans' side doors slide open, and three men, armed with shotguns, pile out and burst into the restaurant.

"These fine folks who own this place have decided that they don't need to pay the protection fee, so we're going to take it out on all of you now." The guns cock noisily.

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico nods solemnyly and chimes in, "Plus, this way we don't have to scrub down every surface in the kitchen to get rid of the grease haze... I swear, I never understood the claim that deep frying food wasn't worth the pain at home until I tried it."

She's torn between looking at Molly, eying 'lina, and trying to find something other than her tempura plan... because one dish isn't enough!

And then there's the sound of guns cocking and threatening voices, and Nico cranes her head, looking over her shoulder. Lips press into a thin line. "Really? When we're _just_ about to order?"

Molly Hayes has posed:
    "Oh... is Nico in trouble?" Molly asks, peeking up as Karolina looms over her. She can't help but giggle though, looking between her two girlfriends. "So... uh... let's see... deluxe... um... spicy garlic... miso... oh... and kogashi?" she asks, "... did I pronounce it..." Then the sound of shotguns. A sound she's... rather all too familiar with after a recent visit to Gotham. "...right...?"

    The small girl in the cute dress looks over her shoulder, blinking owlishly at the goons. "...not cool...!" she pouts. "So not cool! Come back later, I'm grumpy and hungry!" she tries her best to scowl but it just makes her look even cuter somehow.

Karolina Dean has posed:
Lina's fake grumpy face was on its way to her making moon eyes at Nico when the ORGANIZED CRIME GOONS bust in with guns. She sighs, turning in her seat to look at them. "They picked a really bad time for this, didn't they, ladies?"

She looks at Molly and then Nico before she reaches down and slips her heels off. She extends her arm towards Nico and jingles the bracelet at her. "Would you mind holding this for me, sweetie?"

The goons, for their part, don't seem threatened by anyone in here, but they do seem confused by Karolina's actions.

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico sighs and nods her head mournfully to Lina, "They really did. Like... just the worst luck. Maybe someone cursed them. I mean, I am /hungry/, and I was going to order some tataki and..."

She laces her fingers together, stretching her arms above her head, and then reaching over to take Karolina's bracelet and unclasp it, only to re-clasp it on two fingers, flipping it and slipping it onto her wrist, her left hand flexing, metallic fingers showing a growing purple glow between the joints. "Well, let's make 'em regret it."

She glances over to Molly with a bright smile, "And then we can go home and make 'lina cook if this place has to close early."

Molly Hayes has posed:
    It's hard to be threatening when you're a five foot two girl in a Sanrio hat. But boy howdy does Molly try! She watches as Nico and Lina get their shine on, and she pushes her chair back so she can stand up. "...is it cheating if I work up an appetite even more like this?" she asks, frowning at the Wall of Fame. "...are.... are mutants even allowed to participate in the challenge?" She's got her mind on her stomach, but for her, she did skip lunch. Maybe anticipating date night. Orrr fretting over studying.

    Both? Both. Both is good.

    Then she politely pushes her chair back and turns to just stomp towards the three guys with shotguns. "...go on! Git! Shoo! Stupid jerkbutts! People are hungry 'n stuff! You wanna have your whole body embedded in the wall or something?" she grumps. Molly's mean when she's hungry! "Get outta here before we over-toast your biscuits!" she makes dismissive gestures with her hands--as if the cute girl in the adorable dress is going to scare *anyone ever*.

Karolina Dean has posed:
Karolina smiles at Nico lovingly as she takes the alien bracelet. No sooner has it left her skin that she changes, pale flesh becoming scintilating light, blonde hair rises into a burning rainblow, and Karolina's feet lift off the ground.

"Molly," she says sweetly. "Would you go make sure there aren't any more lurking outside? Nico, well. You know what to do."

Karolina is the distraction. She starts to zip around, leaving a glittering rainbow trail behind her as she starts to buzz the gunmen. Patrons are using this to get the hell out, ducking and bolting for the nearest exit.

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico sighs and slowly curls her fingers of her artificial hand and exhales slowly, "Okay... focus... punch through... control the pressure... something about my hips..."

Nico's realizing one night's training in throwing a punch from 'some blonde lady' in Gotham two years ago is not exactly world class martial arts training. Especially when she hasn't punched anyone since then that wasn't some sort of monster, demon, or that one animated vinyl Santa.

"Ahh screw it."

The goth strides forward with a bit of a stumble on the first step because this is the first time Nico's ever been attacked by gunmen in heels. Normally her stompy boots are the fighting attire. But she's adjusted so she's got some momentum and a good bit of speed when she charges her chosen gunman, his weapon swinging around when she reaches out to grab the barrel and squeezes... and while she might not be Princess Powerful, there's the squeal of bending metal. And a flare of purple fire... the gun barrel glowing, sagging... _dripping_, "Whoa! Back up dude, that's HOT METAL!"

Oh yeah. Nico really isn't used to fighting 'some guys'.

Molly Hayes has posed:
    "Aaawww fiiiine.." Molly pouts as she's told to go 'play outside'. Probably because the risk of collateral damage is far, far greater with her indoors. "C'mon everyone! Go go go!" she shouts to the panicked patrons rushing for the doors. She's waving them towards the door she's heading out, completely ignoring the gunmen now that she's said her piece and was given instructions.

    So outside she goes! Into the cold! "Brr...." she hugs her arms to herself and grumps. Karolina had totally driven them here in a nice warm car! Now there's two vans out here and she stares. "...you guys suck at parking!" she huffs and looks around to see if there's anyone else keeping watch or holding down the fort or taking a lunch break with a burrito in a van.

Karolina Dean has posed:
Inside, the one gunman that Nico approached conveniantly swung the barrel towards her. That was a mistake. He watches the metal hiss and soften and melt under her terrible magic powers. He just drops the gun and bolts.

The other two are drawing beads on Karolina, lifting their guns to take shots. "Get Rainbow Girl!" One shouts, squeezing off a spray of buckshot. She yelps as she's peppered with the steel balls, luminescent bioplasma wisping from the many tiny wounds. She rounds on the guy, and lifts both hands. "That's Glitterbomb!"

She unleashes a blast, but the other guy is still there!

Outside, Molly can see the vans are still running, each has an anxious looking driver. They look at her, and the one in front says something towards the back. The side door opens again, and another guy gets out. He's much, much bigger, and has, for some reason, a giant metal club. "Keep goin', kid. You don't want to be here."

Nico Minoru has posed:
As Nico crushes, melts and throws the shotgun away, she hears the roar of another firing... and... a familiar voice yelping? Oh no. That will not stand. But Nico just melted the nearest blunt object.

But she didn't melt its owner. If you can't throw a gun, you can throw a gunman! She grabs the hapless criminal with that glowing hand, eyes flaring with rage, but she focuses, concentrates... no need to incinerate this guy.

'lina is still fighting, blasting the guy who shot her. Which means the last guy standing there isn't really at fault for her girlfriend being hurt.

Buuuuut on the other hand, he's responsible enough. And she already grabbed his friend. And also she threw him. At the guy.

In her defense she's pretty sure it seemed like a reasonable decision a second ago.

Molly Hayes has posed:
    "I 'unno, I was gonna have dinner an' then a buncha meanies came in..." Molly sways back and forth, her skirt sweeping her legs as she does so, trying to keep her teeth from chattering. "...an' you guys are gonna get a ticket if you park like that..." she points at the vans being double-parked as she moves around to the street, in front of both vans and looking at the drivers--and the big guy with the club. "You don't wanna get a ticket, do you?" she asks, Molly is just so so very sweet!

    Then she shakes off the cold, slaps her cheeks with her palms a few times, and stalks forward towards the van parked in the street. "Let me help!" she exclaims, chipper and bright, "...cuz I wanna get my dinner on! There's a..." she grabs the bumper in both hands, loving the way cargo vans have that steel reinforced thing going. "...ramen challenge I wanna beat! But you guys... gotta go first!"

    There's a creak of metal and she leans back, lifting the van up over her head. The engine block is near where she's at, so the distribution of weight isn't too terrible. It's still a big ol' object with... probably a driver flailing around inside, though! She staggers back a few steps, then to the side, before bringing the vehicle down *right* on top of the other one! "Better.. parking..!" she huffs loudly.

    "...woo.... oh it's not so cold out here now... you wanna go, Bat Man?" she points at the guy with the club.

Karolina Dean has posed:
Inside, things are going quite well. Sure, Karolina got shot, and was about to be shot again, but Nico, using her crazy magic cyborg arm, hefts the guy and hurls him into his buddy in an almost textbook act of beating a motherfucker with another motherfucker. The men go down in a heap. Definitely dazed from the impact. They won't be bothering anyone anymore for the moment.

The other one gets blasted by Lina's shiny rainbow powers. The gun goes flying and the man tumbles into a couple loose chairs, geting tangled up. "Stay put," she says looking to Nico. "You okay?"

Outside, the drivers do, in fact, freak out as a van is lifted by a not very large girl. Hefted like it weighs no more than a sack of dog food and then deposited on the other one with the squealing crunch of metal. The driver of the top van throws the door open and leaps out, nearly landing on his face. He immediately starts running. The bottom van driver bolts out the back doors, running the other way, leaving only the large man with the club. "It's a -tetsubo-," he corrects, hefting it. "Yeah, you're strong, but are you tough, too?" He rushes Molly, drawing that club back and mercikessly baseball swinging it at her midsection. A blow that would crush an average person's torso into paste.

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico stares at Karolina, mouth falling open, "ME?! You got _shot_! Those total _dickbags_! I'm fine, I mean, I almost stepped in a puddle of gun but... uhh..." She frowns, "Okay, starting to think my big boots are actually a practical crime fighting choice."

Which is about the time Nico turns to look out the window and see that while she hit a motherfucker with another motherfucker, Molly is apparently hitting _vans_.

"You know, I bet she's going to want the big ramen after all." Nico offers deadpan.

And then Johnny Tetsubo is rushing towards Molly, winding up his swing and Nico flinches, grimaces, "Awww... no dude... just.. you coulda just _walked away_..."

Molly Hayes has posed:
    He could have. He could've walked away. Not only did the guys outside deprive Molly of watching her girlfriends totally kick some more ass (though it's probably better that she didn't see Lina get shot...), but this one is debating the finer points of samurai weapon nomenclature. Nerd that Molly is, though, sighs. "...tetsubo, canabo... they're all members of the same club!" she quips.

    And gets a smashed midsection for her trouble. They can hear it inside, the impact of metal staff to soft midsection. WHUNK. The force slams her into the side of the van, making a distinctly Molly-shaped dent in the black metal. CRUNCH!

    Then the girl in the cute hat peels herself off of the wreckage and huffs. "...not cool... if you know so much about weapons an' stuff you could totally have a way cooler and less crime-y job!" she admonishes in her big-but-so-small voice. Her fingers dig into the metal of the van door and she just rips the already-crunched sliding panel right off of its track and absolutely broadsides the guy with it with the same ease as swatting a fly.

    "AN' THIS IS WHY I'M STAYING IN SCHOOL!"

Karolina Dean has posed:
Inside, Karolina floats next to Nico, watching the goings on outside, laughing a bit. "That poor bastard," she says. She holds out her wrist towards Nico again, literally beaming at her. "Thanks for holding on to that for me. I don't think we're gonna be able to eat here today, though. Shots fired kind of ... ruins things. I'll get you guys pizza on the way home." She looks outside again. "Two pizzas."

The big guy with the club looks like he almost feels bad as he pastes Molly into the side of the van. This remorese fades into shock, then terror as Molly peels herself free and yanks a steel sliding door from a van. "Oh shi--," is all he can get out before Molly's titanic blow sends him sailing for at -least- a block.

Besides the hissing of ruined engines and the wail of approaching sirens, it's quiet now. Lina looks at Nico and gestures with her head towards the outside, stopping to slip her heels back on. "We should ... probably go. Like I told Nico, we'll have to come back another time, but I'll get pizzas for you two."

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico eyes Karolina's bracelet on her wrist... and then grins impishly as she offers it back up and murmurs softly, "I think this is yours. Not that I don't love like... hanging out admiring your glow. But we can do that at home. With the pizzas. We'll relax. Get a bottle of wine? ...Twoooo bottles of wine?"

Her eyebrows perk expectantly.

And then she's looking back outside as Molly crawls out of that indentation in the van and rips the door off and... thwunk. She winces.

"You think he had like... powers? ...We should uhh... go home the other way. Pizza's... better... that way."

Molly Hayes has posed:
    Molly drops the van door and sighs, rubbing her arms, "...don't these butts wash their cars? I got dust all over my dress..." she whines softly. Then she leans over, picking up the tetsubo as it clatters around. "...still kind of a bat to me.." she carries it over to the door, resting it on her shoulder. "Um... um.. pizza? O-okay. I'll... just. Challenge next time, okay?" she asks, looking a little sad.

    "...I didn't even get to drink my Sprite..." she whimpers a little. "Sorry our date got all bad guy infested, Lina, Nico..." her lip trembles as she looks between the two women. It looks like she's going to cry, the poor dear!

    "...you even got me all pretty! Yeah. Let's... let's go home.. um. Can we... can we go to the place that has like... the super veggie pizza? I'm..." she wobbles, using the tetsubo to lean on now. "...really really really hungry."

Karolina Dean has posed:
The bracelet back on, Karolina stops glowing. She runs a hand through her hair, it always gets messy after she changes back, and she smiles kindly at Molly. It shifts a little when she turns to Nico, a twinkle in her eyes. "Of course, Molly. We can get whatever you want. Two bottles should be plenty. ... Though a third wouldn't hurt."

Lina moves to Molly and bends down a little and kisses her on the forehead, before she starts to walk away from the encroaching sirens. "Let's go girls. Looks like we've had our excitement, and now we just get another evening at home."