A new mother figure

[sun_droplet]

Who: sun_droplet and mantarayhealer
What: Dinner time with Retsu, talking about Rapunzel's power, and Rapunzel finding a new mother-figure.
Where: House 9
When: Dinner time; right after this
Warnings: Cuteness?

Comments

[mantarayhealer]

It was only after turning off the PORTAL that Retsu realized she hadn't asked the young woman's name. Nonetheless, she supposed she would find out soon enough. Her dinner was standard fare: curry on rice, along with green tea and steamed dumplings.

She answered the door with a smile. "I am so glad you could come," she said warmly. She looked the girl over surreptitiously, both with her eyes, and with her inner senses. She was human, as far as Retsu could tell--a westerner, of course. But there was an odd feeling of power about her, one Retsu hadn't encountered before. The closest she had felt to it was the power of Orihime, the human girl who could heal. It confirmed her suspicions that this young woman's questions about healing were not simply theoretical.

As she motioned her in, she added, "I'm afraid I didn't catch your name earlier." She held her PORTAL in her hand, hoping it would handle the translation in face-to-face communications, just as it had earlier.

[sun_droplet]

The first thing Rapunzel noticed about Retsu was her hair. It was so long. Not as long as Rapunzel's, of course, but longer than she had seen on others. Rapunzel smiled brightly. It was nice to know that she wasn't the only one with long hair. Now they had more then one thing in common.

Rapunzel's PORTAL, a small book, was in her hand. "I'm Rapunzel." She said, wearing a bright smile on her face.

Retsu had such a nice expression, and the air around her felt safe and welcoming. She wished that she had someone like Retsu in her world, so she wouldn't feel so alone. Having her mother was important, but knowing there were other people like her made her wish she could've been around them.

"You know how to cook too?" She ask as she smelled the curry in the air. "What is that?" It wasn't a smell Rapunzel was used to, or smelled before.

[mantarayhealer]

"Pleased to meet you, Repunzel-san." She noticed, as the young woman came in, that her hair must be quite unbelievably long to form a braid that thick, and twined that many times. It must fall well past her feet.

"It's curry and rice--a common food, where I come from." She closed the door, motioning her to a cushion on the floor, beside a low table. "I find cooking quite relaxing, though I don't always have the time for it."

[sun_droplet]

"Curry?" Rapunzel took a deep breath of the smell. It was something she never smelled before. She gave a questioning look at the smell. It wasn't disgusting, but it was very different.

"Oh! I love cooking! It's one of my favorite hobbies!" Rapunzel wasn't used to being around people, so she still wasn't used to the concept that other people were interested in the same things she was.

Rapunzel took a seat next to Retsu, trying to copy how the other woman sat. It was so different, but Rapunzel was opening to trying new things. "How do you eat it?"

[mantarayhealer]

Retsu sat down as well, tucking her legs behind her in a neat seiza. "I use chopsticks, like this." She picked up the chopsticks and picked up some of the curry and some of the rice together. She had heard that westerners had different eating utensils, but she hadn't ever seen them, and her room seemed equipped with what she was used to.

She smiled at the young woman's enthusiasm. "I didn't learn when I was young, but it was something I picked up while I was at the Academy." Cooking hadn't been seen as a necessary skill for a noblewoman, but it was acceptable for a shinigami.

[sun_droplet]

She watched Retsu use the chopsticks and stared. She never seen anything like it in her life, but then again, she hasn't seen a lot. but, she hasn't even read about it. She was just amazed. Rapunzel grabbed her own and tried to copy how Retsu was holding them. She looked very deep in thought as she held her chopsticks and tried to grab some of the rice and curry, that slipped from her grasp.

"How can I make mine do what yours did?" She asked, after trying to get food a few times.

[mantarayhealer]

"It takes practice." She moved over so she could place Rapunzel's fingers properly. "The idea is the bottom one doesn't move, and the top is used as a kind of lever. There are spoons, too, if need be." It was just easier to eat curry with chopsticks, if you were used to it.

[sun_droplet]

Rapunzel tries to work the chopsticks without going for the food. She wanted to practice a bit and see if she had it down. She went down to try to see if she could actually try to grab the curry, and she did. Rapunzel slowly brought it to her mouth, but it all fell back onto her plate. Embarrassment and annoyance washed over her face. But, she just looked back up at Retsu, trying to smile. "Would it be alright if I used a spoon?" She didn't want to insult anyone, but she really wasn't getting the chopsticks.

[mantarayhealer]

"Of course, be my guest. I'd offer you the silverware you're more used to, but I'm afraid I don't have any." She smiled reassuringly, and was glad that she had chosen something that could be eaten with a spoon, if necessary.

She offered Rapunzel a dumpling before eating in silence for a few moments. "You must have many questions," she asked as she looked up.

[sun_droplet]

Rapunzel ate the food without fear. She was actually pretty excited to be trying these new foods. The curry tasted funny, but a good kind of funny. Rapunzel was actually enjoying it. As for the dumpling, Rapunzel loved it. It tasted so good. She wasn't stuffing her face with food, but she was eating a bit faster then she normally would. It wasn't a really noticeable speed. It was just at a speed of a girl enjoying her meal.

After finishing what she was chewing on, Rapunzel nodded. "I do." She answered. "I've never met someone else who could heal." She said it out loud before she had a chance to catch herself. She just blurted out her secret, and even though Retsu had been nothing but polite, Rapunzel was still nervous about Retsu's reaction.

[mantarayhealer]

She nodded. "In my world, I am the captain of a whole squad of healers. It is an unusual gift, and rarer among humans. Nontheless, it is not unheard of." She guessed that Rapunzel must have developed some kind of healing power. Perhaps she didn't know how to use it or control it, or perhaps she had some kind of bad experience with others being afraid of her powers, or taking advantage of them.

[sun_droplet]

Rapunzel reached for her hair, which was still braided, and petted it as Retsu spoke. Rapunzel wasn't alone. Maybe in her world she was, but not here. Other people could heal, and maybe have the same power Rapunzel had because of her hair. She didn't speak for a moment, and tried to think about what to say.

"So... even humans can get these powers? That means, I wouldn't be the only one?" It was already clear that Rapunzel was talking about herself, so she wasn't going to hide it.

[mantarayhealer]

"I know a human girl who can not only heal, but can undo an injury as if it never happened--which is beyond even my own power." She looked at the tea in her cup. "It must be...lonely, I would think, being the only one you know with powers like your own."

[sun_droplet]

"Like me?" Rapunzel asked without even needing to think about it. The thought that someone else could do exactly what she could made her sing with glee. "Was she kidnapped? Did a lot of people go after her?" She didn't even stop to think that a lot of questions could annoy Retsu, but she had to know. Rapunzel had been locked away in her tower for so long that she needed to know if this other girl had been too. Retsu was right, Rapunzel's life was very lonely. Having mother and Pascal was nice, but in the end, it wasn't enough.

[mantarayhealer]

She thought for a moment, considering what she should tell and how. "She was kidnapped, but not for her healing powers. She, along with many others got caught up in a war, and she was kidnapped as bait, to make one of our strongest allies go after her to rescue her." It had forced them to split their forces at a crucial time, and they were all lucky it hadn't been a fatal move.

[sun_droplet]

Rapunzel sat back and looked down. She felt awful for bringing up such sad memories for Retsu. "I am sorry." She said. She did feel a little happy that people weren't after the other girl for her powers, but it was still such an awful thing to hear. "Is she safe now?"