Dulcinea and Jasper!

Shokyou looks like she just stepped into Wonderland. There's this big goofy grin on her face when you take her hand, Jasper, and when you promise to [i]sing[/i] to her, she's just in heaven. Her eyes light up and sparkle as her grin goes from ear to ear. "Okay, okay, you definitely need to recover then. That's [i]very[/i] important." She gives you the most solemn nod she can manage, her hair only bouncing a little bit and absolutely no giggles whatsoever (please ignore the lip twitch). 

The two of you start heading to the ramen place Dulcinea suggested. As you round a corner and Shokyou gets the paper airplane with its offer of comics chatter though, you can audibly hear an extended high-pitched squeeing in the distance. 

[Jasper go ahead and take an XP for doing sunny things. Dulcy, you're capped out on XP this scene already (barring a mention of the Archives) but I think enough time has passed that you can get another emotion XP. Also flagging to you that this is getting you an In Over Your Head issue when I do the weekly wrap up]

Oh, don't think we're done though. The ramen place is a classic Fortitude restaurant. The entrance is marked by some bright red wool curtains with the characters for ramen written across them. When you pull them aside, you find a nice warm room full of low pine-wood tables and chairs. Each table has its own little nook to it separated by various painted screens so that you can only see out the direction where you enter from. The air smells of noodles, soy, and a little garlic in a delight to the senses. You can hear people chatting, laughing, and slurping their noodles, but it's not so loud that you can't hear yourselves talk. Everything about the place is warm and homey, full of good memories and gentle care. 

Once you enter fully, the hostess, an elderly woman named Ms. Mino, offers you a warm smile and a "table for two dears?"


*****

Mila and Rinley

The figure in the mirror is wearing a mask, so you really have no idea who it is, but she definitely isn't either of your reflections (I mean, probably, maybe one of your reflections put a mask on when you weren't looking). 

This is, how would I put it, a little early for this sort of thing to be happening, but you invoked this and invoking names has a certain power all its own. Plus, you did it on the day of an outside storm that seems to have it in for you personally, Mila! 

So if you're paying attention, it's not a surprise that the reflection starts talking, but it's not any fun either. "Wow, a maid cafe? I mean, really? Like, don't get me wrong, the costumes are cute, but I bet you've only got the one, right? First time you trip and spill some ketchup on it, you're done, never mind coming up with the cash necessary to dress the cook and your new waitress. Plus, you know they're going to end up wrecking the place, you've got zero practice as a manager and they're both obvious trouble, there's no way you're going to keep them in line. Fortitude isn't into these kinds of gimmicks either, everybody here just wants to eat at the same place they always eat and have the same food they always have. Nothing but fish and noodles. No way you're going to get more than the scattered customer. Like, seriously, you should just forget this and call it quits. Trust me, I'm only trying to save you pain here, this just isn't something you're good at. So, how about you pack it in for the day and head back to the archives for a nice long nap? It will save everyone time."

The sounds of Seizhi cooking outside and some laughter from the straw-haired girl come back into focus. You hadn't noticed they'd faded, but now that they're present, you can both breathe a little more easily at least.

[Mila take a point of the sickness issue. You would get it at the end of the week wrap-up, but I think it's worth giving it to you now. Note that it comes with a free MP.]

Rinley, you probably didn't actually hear all of that word for word. It was directed at Mila. But, well, you're you and if I know anything about Rinley Yatskaya (besides the fact that she has a bushy tail, which is a thing I know) it's that she's way better than the average dreamer and she can see into people's hearts and know that she's looking at a labor of love when she sees this place. So you know that somebody showed up in that mirror and did dreamlike things and that something's happening here that could make Mila's heart waiver. This is concerning. You should be concerned. It is also a mystery! You should mystery at it!

[Mila, I'm tossing you both an under siege and emotion XP here because I feel bad for writing this already. 
Rinley, you get an emotion XP for getting this ball rolling. Also depending on how this goes, this could be a 3 XP flag for your adventure quest if trouble really starts here. Maybe, maybe not.]