The A-ko Files: Offenses Against Decency #557
WHO: A-ko Magami, B-ko Daitokuji, C-ko Kotobuki (NPCed by A-ko by the terms of the treaty of HG Ramen)
WHERE: The humble and modest Daitokuji residence, Graviton City
WHEN: Approaching the end of summer vacation, sometime in the 1980s.
WHAT: The crude and callous A-ko forcibly invades the Daitokuji residence and commits numerous offenses against propriety and public morality, but narrowly evades a just death despite the revelation of her cruel and wicked schemes.
WATCH FOR: The cruel misuse of the innocent Ms. Kotobuki, the mockery of an ancestor's portrait, a completely unbiased editorial perspective, and a scheme most foul - for murder!
Graviton City
Ahh, Japan in the 1980s. It's a picturesque day in Graviton City, the sunlight reflecting dazzlingly on the water pooled in a lake at the bottom of the massive crater this city was built in. Several neughborhoods and districts cluster around the edges of the waterline, grey concrete and steel set off brilliantly by the greenery growing up the sides of the crater. A bustling downtown district is situated on a man-made island right in the middle of the lake, five bridges connecting bits of the mainland to Downtown's roads. The buildings on the island are taller than their counterparts outside the lake, with one rising taller than all the others.
On top of that spire, a GIANT spaceship is delicately speared in the middle. It still seems full of bustling activity, however. A sign on the side of the grounded ship proclaims it to be 'HOTEL SPACESHIP'. The ship and the tower it rests are tall enough to be seen from anywhere in town.
at any given time, there's generally a fair amount of what's either construction or repairs going on all over the roadways and buildings.
--
Contrary to popular opinion, A-ko does not break EVERYTHING she touches. B-ko's front doorbell is a good example of this. It chimes pleasantly through the house, a polyphonic rendition of 'Love Me Tender' that Hikaru Daitokuji had installed for possibly nefarious purposes, but mostly because he is an Elvis otaku. A-ko and C-ko wait patiently on the steps, A-ko looking a little sour and out of place, C-ko smiling brightly with her hands clasped in front of her. She tries to peek in through the peephole on the front door with little success, she's just too short! "B-ko! Are you hoooooooome?"
--
The servants almost opened the door before remembering.
B-ko, at long last, opens the door. She is wearing a rather modest (by her standards) housedress that goes down towards her ankles and is a light yellow, with a little frilling and slightly puffed shoulders. She seems out of breath.
"Ah," she says, "C-..."
"Ko," she concludes, looking directly at A-ko. Her expression is sour.
--
If anybody's looking sour around here, it's A-ko! "Hi, B-ko," she grumbles awkwardly. The redhead looks distinctly uncomfortable (though slightly awed by the size of the mansion), though C-ko is her usual unphasable self. "HI B-KO!" the blonde waves enthusiastically. "We were in the neighborhood and wondered if you were home! I had a great time the other day even if A-ko had to go home early and I thought GOSH wouldn't it be fun if we could all spend time together?!" The red-and-yellow pair are dressed up, not too formally or anything, but at least it's not the school uniform again. C-ko has on the cutest little white babydoll dress with a big sunflower on the chest and jelly shoes, while A-ko wears a light blue top and matching skirt with nice, clean sneakers and baggy socks. C-ko carries a little straw purse and wears a broad-brimmed straw hat with a pretty ribbon! Perfect summer clothes.
--
B-ko looks down at the tiny bundle of terror, the turbulent currents of her emotions obvious in the strained but astonished expresion on her face. "Ah, ah yes - I had a wonderful time, too, of course," she says, her voice trying to be soft and caring and ending up nervous and strained.
She looks up at A-ko and her styling casual outfit, expression briefly one of disgust. Then back down to C-ko as she reaches up to rub the back of her neck through all that long hair. "Well, ah... I believe lunch would be ready soon. You've caught me while I was..." She looks at A-ko. "Working. On something."
--
"YEAH! B-ko's so great!" The diminutive princess cheers, slipping past B-ko to go inside the house and peek at all the decorations. "Oooooh! That looks really delicate!" The soft squeaks of her shoes on the parquet echo quietly.
A-ko looks like she's swallowed a bug, eyes narrowed at B-ko with the sourest expression of anyone who's ever just been invited to lunch. "Hope it's better than all your other designs," she retorts, adjusting the black bracers on her forearms. "That funny-looking orange one you brought out the other day didn't even make me break a sweat." She grins and follows C-ko inside the house, using OMG SUPER STRENGTH to get past any objections B-ko might have to a middle-class girl entering the foyer.
--
As they step in, B-ko glares at A-ko's back. It's a full-on, twitchy-eyebrowed, squinting and teeth-clenching glare. It's almost exciting to have such a thrill of seething inner hatred.
Which one, she thinks as she follows after, is the funny-looking orange one? She knows for a FACT, based on sensor relays and forensic analysis, that she DID start swearing against Pretty Lady Jane, and she's fairly certain Galatea as well - at least, Galatea took her slightly longer than usual to demolish.
The dining room is being hastily set, with audible plate clatters behind a door that is slightly open. The walls are, after all, generally rather soundproof in here.
--
A-ko doesn't remember the name very well. She was too busy screaming in the throes of BURNING HATE FILLED PASSION as she ripped all six of its limbs off one by one and then stomped a hole into the main motor compartment. She was actually disappointed, B-ko's robots are usually at least a little challenging! You know, for cheap five-minute entertainment. She follows C-ko deeper towards the sound of food, eyebrows raised curiously at some of the art decorating the hall. "...Uh, that picture's really nice, B-ko," she mumbles, motioning at a framed oil piece flanked by two vases full of lilies.
"FOOOOOOOD!" C-ko cheers happily, arms spread wide like airplane wings as she skips down the hallway. Ah, such delicate innocence! "Your house is really pretty! I like it a lot!"
--
B-ko was having an off day. Perhaps this is something only HUMAN women have, instead of FREAKY HYBRIDS and ALPHA CYGNANS. She follows after, and says with a curt nod, "Yes," at A-ko's complement. The person is a woman in a kimono. The hairstyle and features seem to imply that at one point...
It can't be genetic, can it?
B-ko says, towards C-ko, "Oh, thank you... ah... you remember, I'm sure, where the dining room is!" The smell of something way, way too expensive is wafting out from that half-opened door, before it is abruptly shut.
She says, in a low tone of voice, "Wash your hands." This is aimed at the redhead.
A-ko Magami says, "Is that a Minmei reference?? Xd"
B-ko Daitokuji says, "No :("
A-ko Magami says, "What was it? I missed it. :("
B-ko Daitokuji says, "MY ANCESTORS ALSO HAD IMPRESSIVE HAIR, OK"
A-ko Magami says, "XD XD"
--
C-ko grins that jarring grin of complete and utter youth, vitality, and alien hyperactivity. "YAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!" And runs on down the hall, taking a sharp left into what's presumably the dining room. A-ko wouldn't know.
A-ko also, with nary a pause in her step, extends an arm to touch the beautiful, most-likely antique brocade wallcovering, and swipes her hand in a long line down the length of the hall. ...MAGAMI GERMS ON YOUR PRECIOUS HOUSE! o/'
--
B-ko feels her heart skip a beat. The dining room is there, although perhaps not as ornately laid out. There's only filet mignon, lobster, and some foie gras on crackers; a nice light lunch when taken with the organic artisan bread and the selection of wines.
Her eyes narrow and she feels, clearly, her blood pressure rise at the sight of that GREASY SMEAR being left on the wall - really, it's a microscopic discoloration in the first two inches, but it's like having a dog turd smeared across your car!
"Is that how they teach you to wash your hands, where you went?" she says, with a forced little laugh. "Please, let me call someone, to show you how we have done it in this part of the world."
--
"Gee, sorry B-ko. It just looked so pretty I wanted to see how it felt!" IT IS NOT GREASY WTF. D: The redhead brushes her hand off on the hip of her skirt, smiling where she thinks B-ko can't see. Oh man, maybe coming here with C-ko wasn't a bad idea after all! If anything, she's bound to get some laughs since B-ko won't be able to call out the mechs with C-ko around. Because that would be Very Disappointing for everyone's favorite blonde, to have her two bestest friends fighting like that!
She went in prepared for something over-the top and ostentatiously presented, but A-ko's eyes actually unfocus a bit at the delectable spread set out. "Gwuuuhhh..." C-ko has already seated herself next to the head of the long table, napkin daintily tucked into the collar of her dress and a nervous-looking steward carefully pouring juice for her.
--
It feels expensive.
B-ko's lips purse. "Hmf," she hmfs as she follows after A-ko. There is a fair amount set out, but what is present is geared towards B-ko, who is not a terribly heavy eater, with an eye towards feeding her father later, plus some extra (which the help probably eats in the back later.) This would be quite generous for perhaps half a dozen people...
"Help yourself," B-ko says towards A-ko's back in a rather nasty tone of voice.
--
A little tiny stream of drool threatens to fall down A-ko's chin. She surreptitiously swipes at her mouth with the back of her hand and follows B-ko to sit on the other side of C-ko (buffer zone!), pulling a cloth napkin into her lap. Must not drool at the table, must not drool at the table. It is terribly rude even for her. Instead, A-ko takes a niiiice, long, almost pornographic look at the food set out. That same helpful steward comes forward to provide damage control, placing portions of steak, lobster, and crackers on her plate after he's served C-ko and the mistress of the house. He's heard the rants. He knows the score. A-ko manages a smile (and not to grab the serving fork out of his hand).
C-ko holds her knife and fork in each hand, the foreign utensils somehow looking at home in her dainty little hands. They're not the right ones for the meal, of course, but that just makes her look even cuter!
--
With a little thinking, B-ko's tirades and tearful fits are probably a fine source of somewhat biased information about A-ko, aren't they?
B-ko doesn't look at her food as she subjects A-ko to a withering glare. She can see where those eyes are undressing the lobster. She knows that mindlessly gourmandizing glare, that face that indicates that soon delectable, subtle tastes will be washed down into a seething churning mass of venemous digestive fluids!
Grr.
"We often eat a rather large lunch here, when school isn't in session," B-ko informs C-ko in a sweet voice. "Supper is much lighter!" She picks up her own knife and fork, glaring once again at A-ko, who she is certain will just shove it all into her mouth in about five seconds.
--
That lobster was totally asking for it. Just sitting there in the coquettish red shell, a teasing glimpse of meat peeking through the long slit down the tail carapace... oh yeah. Mister Lobster, you have been very naughty. GET IN MAH BELLY. The redhead waits impatiently for B-ko and C-ko to begin first (at least she's got that much good behavior). Finally, she's able to take a nice, big bite of crustacean, a wobbly smile of happiness crawling across her face while her toes curl a little inside her sneakers. Aaaaah... foodgasm.
Between the other two girls, C-ko is enjoying a bite of cracker and pate. "This is really yummy! What kind of pudding is this? I've never had any that tasted like meat before!" She chews and swallows the last bite and reaches for another.
--
B-ko had picked up a cracker carefully - it CAN be done with a fork but is not, generally, worth it - and had taken a dainty nibble when it happened.
She stares in horror at A-ko as she cracks open the lobster with her BARE HANDS and feasts on the tender flesh within. It - it's like she's eating a bread roll, she thinks, before C-ko talks.
"Oh, eh," she says, "It's actually a sort of -" Damn, she thinks. If she knew exactly how it was made she'd probably cry... honesty should be the best policy but this isn't the right place to deal with that, and it'll be in A-ko's favor if she does. "It's actually made from goose," she explains with a smile. "It's called 'pate de foie gras'. Like our teacher kept saying when it was raining out, last year. Do you remember that?"
The pleasant expression goes away briefly to glare at Miss Eater-of-Molluscs.
--
"Oooh, how weird! Don't you think it's weird, B-ko, that they make pudding out of a goose? But it's really good, I mean really good!" The blonde tries to think back to Miss Ayumi's class. Maybe it was Classical Literature? No, she always daydreams through that one. Hmmmmm... "Nope, I guess I must've forgotten!" she chuckles, rubbing the back of her head. Then suddenly, there's a look that seems alien to her sweet little face, something almost... crafty? NEVER. C-ko is an innocent flower! "Actually, B-ko, since you're inviting to to lunch, we were wondering if you'd come and eat lunch at our houses sometime!"
Delicious lobster. A-ko eat now.
"Let's see, how about A-ko's house first?" Innocent look.
Halfway through the last bite of lobster, A-ko turns an alarming shade of purple.
--
B-ko looks shocked at the idea. Such a thing - especially when taken by itself. Ah - this is the sort of concern that outweighs the fate of nations! "I," B-ko stammers, leaving her food neglected. "Well, eh heh..."
While pretending to be coyly embarrassed at the invitation, she thinks furiously. C-ko of course is making this offer in good faith, but their arrival, motivated as it was by A-ko, is suspicious... Perhaps, she reasons, the expectation is to feed some sort of strange food that will prove fatal to natives of Earth!
However, the reasoning continues, it would have to be something that would be dangerous to her but harmless, or nearly so, to A-ko herself. (C-ko, presumably, would either be ignored or would be sacrificed in this plan!) But then, she reasons, A-ko's brutish, inhuman physiology could be expected to absorb far more in the way of some horrid toxin...
Her eyes widen slightly and she gives A-ko a small, tight grin of triumph as if to say 'I'm onto you,' continuing the reason. The most plausible thing that A-ko possesses that she herself - and in turn, C-ko - lack, is raw muscle mass, or rather, density and function. So much of the body is built around muscle - the heart, for instance... some sort of cardiac poison? So ironic, B-ko reasons, to use an assault on the heart itself to dispose of her!
After a moment to appreciate this richness of meaning, so uncharacteristic of A-ko - but then, a monkey might write a poem if you give it a typewriter and wait - she contemplates how it could be done. A cholesterol compound, perhaps, carefully engineered to stick to the valves of the heart and cause them to degenerate subtly... yes! That's it! And what food...
Oh! So obvious! An -egg-.
She says, as she holds up the cracker and pate, "Only if I am the one to provide the eggs." She munches, then, in glory.
--
C-ko smiles sunnily. "Okay! YAAAAAAAAAAAY, WE'RE GONNA HAVE SO MUCH FUN! I'll bring some cookies, Mama showed me how to make them yesterday! It'll be like a pitfall!"
A-ko chugs her entire glass of juice, finally washing the rogue bite of lobster down her throat. Red-faced and panting, the redhead stares at both of her dinner companions, and quietly wonders if they're both quite mad. But... but why does HER house have to be first? What if B-ko parks her mech on the garage? Mom will be furious if anything happens to the invisible plane. "...Uh... Sure, I guess," she warbles weakly, already envisioning her future grounding.
"And uh, C-ko...? I think you meant 'potluck'."
--
"Of course," B-ko says, warmly.
Damn! she thinks: She didn't strangle.
WHERE: The humble and modest Daitokuji residence, Graviton City
WHEN: Approaching the end of summer vacation, sometime in the 1980s.
WHAT: The crude and callous A-ko forcibly invades the Daitokuji residence and commits numerous offenses against propriety and public morality, but narrowly evades a just death despite the revelation of her cruel and wicked schemes.
WATCH FOR: The cruel misuse of the innocent Ms. Kotobuki, the mockery of an ancestor's portrait, a completely unbiased editorial perspective, and a scheme most foul - for murder!
Graviton City
Ahh, Japan in the 1980s. It's a picturesque day in Graviton City, the sunlight reflecting dazzlingly on the water pooled in a lake at the bottom of the massive crater this city was built in. Several neughborhoods and districts cluster around the edges of the waterline, grey concrete and steel set off brilliantly by the greenery growing up the sides of the crater. A bustling downtown district is situated on a man-made island right in the middle of the lake, five bridges connecting bits of the mainland to Downtown's roads. The buildings on the island are taller than their counterparts outside the lake, with one rising taller than all the others.
On top of that spire, a GIANT spaceship is delicately speared in the middle. It still seems full of bustling activity, however. A sign on the side of the grounded ship proclaims it to be 'HOTEL SPACESHIP'. The ship and the tower it rests are tall enough to be seen from anywhere in town.
at any given time, there's generally a fair amount of what's either construction or repairs going on all over the roadways and buildings.
--
Contrary to popular opinion, A-ko does not break EVERYTHING she touches. B-ko's front doorbell is a good example of this. It chimes pleasantly through the house, a polyphonic rendition of 'Love Me Tender' that Hikaru Daitokuji had installed for possibly nefarious purposes, but mostly because he is an Elvis otaku. A-ko and C-ko wait patiently on the steps, A-ko looking a little sour and out of place, C-ko smiling brightly with her hands clasped in front of her. She tries to peek in through the peephole on the front door with little success, she's just too short! "B-ko! Are you hoooooooome?"
--
The servants almost opened the door before remembering.
B-ko, at long last, opens the door. She is wearing a rather modest (by her standards) housedress that goes down towards her ankles and is a light yellow, with a little frilling and slightly puffed shoulders. She seems out of breath.
"Ah," she says, "C-..."
"Ko," she concludes, looking directly at A-ko. Her expression is sour.
--
If anybody's looking sour around here, it's A-ko! "Hi, B-ko," she grumbles awkwardly. The redhead looks distinctly uncomfortable (though slightly awed by the size of the mansion), though C-ko is her usual unphasable self. "HI B-KO!" the blonde waves enthusiastically. "We were in the neighborhood and wondered if you were home! I had a great time the other day even if A-ko had to go home early and I thought GOSH wouldn't it be fun if we could all spend time together?!" The red-and-yellow pair are dressed up, not too formally or anything, but at least it's not the school uniform again. C-ko has on the cutest little white babydoll dress with a big sunflower on the chest and jelly shoes, while A-ko wears a light blue top and matching skirt with nice, clean sneakers and baggy socks. C-ko carries a little straw purse and wears a broad-brimmed straw hat with a pretty ribbon! Perfect summer clothes.
--
B-ko looks down at the tiny bundle of terror, the turbulent currents of her emotions obvious in the strained but astonished expresion on her face. "Ah, ah yes - I had a wonderful time, too, of course," she says, her voice trying to be soft and caring and ending up nervous and strained.
She looks up at A-ko and her styling casual outfit, expression briefly one of disgust. Then back down to C-ko as she reaches up to rub the back of her neck through all that long hair. "Well, ah... I believe lunch would be ready soon. You've caught me while I was..." She looks at A-ko. "Working. On something."
--
"YEAH! B-ko's so great!" The diminutive princess cheers, slipping past B-ko to go inside the house and peek at all the decorations. "Oooooh! That looks really delicate!" The soft squeaks of her shoes on the parquet echo quietly.
A-ko looks like she's swallowed a bug, eyes narrowed at B-ko with the sourest expression of anyone who's ever just been invited to lunch. "Hope it's better than all your other designs," she retorts, adjusting the black bracers on her forearms. "That funny-looking orange one you brought out the other day didn't even make me break a sweat." She grins and follows C-ko inside the house, using OMG SUPER STRENGTH to get past any objections B-ko might have to a middle-class girl entering the foyer.
--
As they step in, B-ko glares at A-ko's back. It's a full-on, twitchy-eyebrowed, squinting and teeth-clenching glare. It's almost exciting to have such a thrill of seething inner hatred.
Which one, she thinks as she follows after, is the funny-looking orange one? She knows for a FACT, based on sensor relays and forensic analysis, that she DID start swearing against Pretty Lady Jane, and she's fairly certain Galatea as well - at least, Galatea took her slightly longer than usual to demolish.
The dining room is being hastily set, with audible plate clatters behind a door that is slightly open. The walls are, after all, generally rather soundproof in here.
--
A-ko doesn't remember the name very well. She was too busy screaming in the throes of BURNING HATE FILLED PASSION as she ripped all six of its limbs off one by one and then stomped a hole into the main motor compartment. She was actually disappointed, B-ko's robots are usually at least a little challenging! You know, for cheap five-minute entertainment. She follows C-ko deeper towards the sound of food, eyebrows raised curiously at some of the art decorating the hall. "...Uh, that picture's really nice, B-ko," she mumbles, motioning at a framed oil piece flanked by two vases full of lilies.
"FOOOOOOOD!" C-ko cheers happily, arms spread wide like airplane wings as she skips down the hallway. Ah, such delicate innocence! "Your house is really pretty! I like it a lot!"
--
B-ko was having an off day. Perhaps this is something only HUMAN women have, instead of FREAKY HYBRIDS and ALPHA CYGNANS. She follows after, and says with a curt nod, "Yes," at A-ko's complement. The person is a woman in a kimono. The hairstyle and features seem to imply that at one point...
It can't be genetic, can it?
B-ko says, towards C-ko, "Oh, thank you... ah... you remember, I'm sure, where the dining room is!" The smell of something way, way too expensive is wafting out from that half-opened door, before it is abruptly shut.
She says, in a low tone of voice, "Wash your hands." This is aimed at the redhead.
A-ko Magami says, "Is that a Minmei reference?? Xd"
B-ko Daitokuji says, "No :("
A-ko Magami says, "What was it? I missed it. :("
B-ko Daitokuji says, "MY ANCESTORS ALSO HAD IMPRESSIVE HAIR, OK"
A-ko Magami says, "XD XD"
--
C-ko grins that jarring grin of complete and utter youth, vitality, and alien hyperactivity. "YAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!" And runs on down the hall, taking a sharp left into what's presumably the dining room. A-ko wouldn't know.
A-ko also, with nary a pause in her step, extends an arm to touch the beautiful, most-likely antique brocade wallcovering, and swipes her hand in a long line down the length of the hall. ...MAGAMI GERMS ON YOUR PRECIOUS HOUSE! o/'
--
B-ko feels her heart skip a beat. The dining room is there, although perhaps not as ornately laid out. There's only filet mignon, lobster, and some foie gras on crackers; a nice light lunch when taken with the organic artisan bread and the selection of wines.
Her eyes narrow and she feels, clearly, her blood pressure rise at the sight of that GREASY SMEAR being left on the wall - really, it's a microscopic discoloration in the first two inches, but it's like having a dog turd smeared across your car!
"Is that how they teach you to wash your hands, where you went?" she says, with a forced little laugh. "Please, let me call someone, to show you how we have done it in this part of the world."
--
"Gee, sorry B-ko. It just looked so pretty I wanted to see how it felt!" IT IS NOT GREASY WTF. D: The redhead brushes her hand off on the hip of her skirt, smiling where she thinks B-ko can't see. Oh man, maybe coming here with C-ko wasn't a bad idea after all! If anything, she's bound to get some laughs since B-ko won't be able to call out the mechs with C-ko around. Because that would be Very Disappointing for everyone's favorite blonde, to have her two bestest friends fighting like that!
She went in prepared for something over-the top and ostentatiously presented, but A-ko's eyes actually unfocus a bit at the delectable spread set out. "Gwuuuhhh..." C-ko has already seated herself next to the head of the long table, napkin daintily tucked into the collar of her dress and a nervous-looking steward carefully pouring juice for her.
--
It feels expensive.
B-ko's lips purse. "Hmf," she hmfs as she follows after A-ko. There is a fair amount set out, but what is present is geared towards B-ko, who is not a terribly heavy eater, with an eye towards feeding her father later, plus some extra (which the help probably eats in the back later.) This would be quite generous for perhaps half a dozen people...
"Help yourself," B-ko says towards A-ko's back in a rather nasty tone of voice.
--
A little tiny stream of drool threatens to fall down A-ko's chin. She surreptitiously swipes at her mouth with the back of her hand and follows B-ko to sit on the other side of C-ko (buffer zone!), pulling a cloth napkin into her lap. Must not drool at the table, must not drool at the table. It is terribly rude even for her. Instead, A-ko takes a niiiice, long, almost pornographic look at the food set out. That same helpful steward comes forward to provide damage control, placing portions of steak, lobster, and crackers on her plate after he's served C-ko and the mistress of the house. He's heard the rants. He knows the score. A-ko manages a smile (and not to grab the serving fork out of his hand).
C-ko holds her knife and fork in each hand, the foreign utensils somehow looking at home in her dainty little hands. They're not the right ones for the meal, of course, but that just makes her look even cuter!
--
With a little thinking, B-ko's tirades and tearful fits are probably a fine source of somewhat biased information about A-ko, aren't they?
B-ko doesn't look at her food as she subjects A-ko to a withering glare. She can see where those eyes are undressing the lobster. She knows that mindlessly gourmandizing glare, that face that indicates that soon delectable, subtle tastes will be washed down into a seething churning mass of venemous digestive fluids!
Grr.
"We often eat a rather large lunch here, when school isn't in session," B-ko informs C-ko in a sweet voice. "Supper is much lighter!" She picks up her own knife and fork, glaring once again at A-ko, who she is certain will just shove it all into her mouth in about five seconds.
--
That lobster was totally asking for it. Just sitting there in the coquettish red shell, a teasing glimpse of meat peeking through the long slit down the tail carapace... oh yeah. Mister Lobster, you have been very naughty. GET IN MAH BELLY. The redhead waits impatiently for B-ko and C-ko to begin first (at least she's got that much good behavior). Finally, she's able to take a nice, big bite of crustacean, a wobbly smile of happiness crawling across her face while her toes curl a little inside her sneakers. Aaaaah... foodgasm.
Between the other two girls, C-ko is enjoying a bite of cracker and pate. "This is really yummy! What kind of pudding is this? I've never had any that tasted like meat before!" She chews and swallows the last bite and reaches for another.
--
B-ko had picked up a cracker carefully - it CAN be done with a fork but is not, generally, worth it - and had taken a dainty nibble when it happened.
She stares in horror at A-ko as she cracks open the lobster with her BARE HANDS and feasts on the tender flesh within. It - it's like she's eating a bread roll, she thinks, before C-ko talks.
"Oh, eh," she says, "It's actually a sort of -" Damn, she thinks. If she knew exactly how it was made she'd probably cry... honesty should be the best policy but this isn't the right place to deal with that, and it'll be in A-ko's favor if she does. "It's actually made from goose," she explains with a smile. "It's called 'pate de foie gras'. Like our teacher kept saying when it was raining out, last year. Do you remember that?"
The pleasant expression goes away briefly to glare at Miss Eater-of-Molluscs.
--
"Oooh, how weird! Don't you think it's weird, B-ko, that they make pudding out of a goose? But it's really good, I mean really good!" The blonde tries to think back to Miss Ayumi's class. Maybe it was Classical Literature? No, she always daydreams through that one. Hmmmmm... "Nope, I guess I must've forgotten!" she chuckles, rubbing the back of her head. Then suddenly, there's a look that seems alien to her sweet little face, something almost... crafty? NEVER. C-ko is an innocent flower! "Actually, B-ko, since you're inviting to to lunch, we were wondering if you'd come and eat lunch at our houses sometime!"
Delicious lobster. A-ko eat now.
"Let's see, how about A-ko's house first?" Innocent look.
Halfway through the last bite of lobster, A-ko turns an alarming shade of purple.
--
B-ko looks shocked at the idea. Such a thing - especially when taken by itself. Ah - this is the sort of concern that outweighs the fate of nations! "I," B-ko stammers, leaving her food neglected. "Well, eh heh..."
While pretending to be coyly embarrassed at the invitation, she thinks furiously. C-ko of course is making this offer in good faith, but their arrival, motivated as it was by A-ko, is suspicious... Perhaps, she reasons, the expectation is to feed some sort of strange food that will prove fatal to natives of Earth!
However, the reasoning continues, it would have to be something that would be dangerous to her but harmless, or nearly so, to A-ko herself. (C-ko, presumably, would either be ignored or would be sacrificed in this plan!) But then, she reasons, A-ko's brutish, inhuman physiology could be expected to absorb far more in the way of some horrid toxin...
Her eyes widen slightly and she gives A-ko a small, tight grin of triumph as if to say 'I'm onto you,' continuing the reason. The most plausible thing that A-ko possesses that she herself - and in turn, C-ko - lack, is raw muscle mass, or rather, density and function. So much of the body is built around muscle - the heart, for instance... some sort of cardiac poison? So ironic, B-ko reasons, to use an assault on the heart itself to dispose of her!
After a moment to appreciate this richness of meaning, so uncharacteristic of A-ko - but then, a monkey might write a poem if you give it a typewriter and wait - she contemplates how it could be done. A cholesterol compound, perhaps, carefully engineered to stick to the valves of the heart and cause them to degenerate subtly... yes! That's it! And what food...
Oh! So obvious! An -egg-.
She says, as she holds up the cracker and pate, "Only if I am the one to provide the eggs." She munches, then, in glory.
--
C-ko smiles sunnily. "Okay! YAAAAAAAAAAAY, WE'RE GONNA HAVE SO MUCH FUN! I'll bring some cookies, Mama showed me how to make them yesterday! It'll be like a pitfall!"
A-ko chugs her entire glass of juice, finally washing the rogue bite of lobster down her throat. Red-faced and panting, the redhead stares at both of her dinner companions, and quietly wonders if they're both quite mad. But... but why does HER house have to be first? What if B-ko parks her mech on the garage? Mom will be furious if anything happens to the invisible plane. "...Uh... Sure, I guess," she warbles weakly, already envisioning her future grounding.
"And uh, C-ko...? I think you meant 'potluck'."
--
"Of course," B-ko says, warmly.
Damn! she thinks: She didn't strangle.