Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
October 11, 2016
5:57pm
"Aren't you done yet? It's almost time for dinner!"
"Stop thinking with your stomach, Usagi-chan," replied Washuu distractedly. "I need some more readings."
"I need dinner! I'm a growing girl."
"If you really understood what you just said, I'd be happy. Most girls your age are obsessed with a 'perfect' body weight that isn't at all perfect for them. But I think you just want to stuff your mouth."
"And what's so bad about that?" demanded Usagi.
The sound of a polite cough came from the room's doorway. "This is what's wrong with that," answered Rob while gesturing at his own waistline. "Learn from your elders and practice moderation."
"What he said," Washuu added. "Moderation in all things - including in moderation."
"Huh?"
"I think she means that it's okay to let yourself go once in a while. But only once in a while. Right?"
Washuu nodded. "Your landlord's got it right, Usagi-chan. Now go help him get to the dinner table before he falls over."
"Oh!" Usagi rushed to help Rob to the dining room.
6:02pm
"What's this called?"
"Supper."
Washuu gave Ruiko a sideways glance with pursed lips, then saw the girl's smile. "Ha, ha. Very funny."
Minako swallowed the bite she had in her mouth and turned to Washuu. "It's called 'bangers and mash'. Pork sausage, mashed potatoes, onions, and gravy. It's English cooking."
"Not just English," Rob added. "It's a simple meal that you could get in any British pub."
"It's a heavy meal. I hope you don't eat this kind of food every day."
"No, of course not," said Mikoto. "This is something that Rob-san likes, so we thought we'd make it for him."
"It's also a relatively easy English meal to make, if you buy the sausages already made," added Makoto.
"Which I did yesterday," Rob finished. "There's a butcher in town that sells pork sausages and pork chops in bulk, but you need a car to get there."
Ruiko giggled. "Ten girls in the house, and the only man buys the groceries."
"Well," Washuu grinned, "at least he knows how to choose a decent piece of pork."
Rob grinned back. "Tell me about it. There are far too many stores around here that are happy to sell people heavily-processed, chemical-laden things that they claim are meats. I prefer real food."
"Don't knock technology. That processing and those chemicals extend the shelf life of those foods."
"If I was still living alone, that would make a difference. We go through enough food in a day that the shelf life of food here is measured in hours, not weeks."
"All right, that's reasonable." Washuu took another forkful of mashed potato. "This stuff is just starch, though."
Rob sighed. "I know - I couldn't find any decent potatoes yesterday. Sorry about that."
"I'm home!" came a cry from the hallway.
"Ami-chan!" Usagi jumped to her feet. "Come eat! You're in time for dinner!"
"We have company!" Rob added.
"Oh! Hello." Ami smiled from the common room's doorway. "I'm Ami Mizuno."
"I'm Washuu Hakubi."
"I'm pleased to meet you, Hakubi-san."
Everyone else in the room, in unison, said "'Washuu-chan'!" Washuu looked around, then continued, "If you don't mind."
"What brings you here, Ha-- Washuu-chan?"
"Rob asked me to come run a few medical tests on everyone. I'll be your household's doctor until you graduate."
"That's kind of you, Washuu-sen-- Washuu-chan." Ami glanced at the table. "Western cooking? I thought there was going to be a Japanese meal tonight."
"Rob-san needs some comfort food today," explained Makoto.
6:44pm
Ami looked at the platters and bowls in the middle of the table. "We have sausages and potatoes left over."
"Save some for Mii-san, and fry up the rest for breakfast tomorrow," suggested Rob.
"Mii-sempai told me that she's having supper on campus today," Kazari replied.
"And potatoes and sausage don't go well with fish and rice," added Ruiko.
Usagi frowned. "What's wrong with a western breakfast sometimes? Ow! Hey!"
"Dinner's over - back to the scans!" Washuu continued tugging Usagi's hair.
"All right, I'm coming! Ow!"
7:46pm
"Finished!"
"Finally! Nobody else's exam took that long!"
Washuu, completely serious, looked at Usagi. "Nobody else has these readings."
"What readings? Is there something wrong with me?"
"No. There's something different about you, but it isn't something wrong."
Rob looked up from the couch. "I suspect I know where this is going."
"You think so, do you?" Washuu typed a few commands, and a virtual screen and keyboard appeared in front of Rob. "Go ahead and type in what you think I'm going to say."
He did so, at length.
Washuu followed they text on her own screen for a few minutes, then said, "Huh. Yeah, you're pretty close."
"I have the advantage of having seen her anime, and having read some of the supplementary materials."
Usagi pouted. "And we don't know anything about you. It's not fair!"
"I know. I'm sorry. You are allowed to ask me almost anything, you know. But we were talking about you, not me. Your mother - not Tsukino-san, but Queen Serenity - was, if the supplementary material is correct, essentially a goddess."
Usagi nodded slowly. "That sounds ... right."
"And how many times have you done something that other people thought was a bad idea and made it work anyway? You were right about how to react when Tomoe-san became Mistress Nine, to give one example."
"Anybody would have done what I did."
Rob looked Usagi straight in the eye. "You know that Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune would not have done what you did."
After a moment, she replied, "Yes."
"You know the right way to react and the right thing to do. You are not a god, but you know the divine will."
At that, there was a thump on the closed door.
Rob and Washuu exchanged a quick look. "Of course they're listening in. They're her friends."
"Do you want them to come in?"
Usagi nodded, and Washuu opened the door to reveal ... Mikoto, of all people. "Are you sure?" she whispered.
Rob shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe. Mikoto-san, Usagi-san might just be the Level 6 that Academy City was founded to create."
Mikoto sat down, with no expression on her face.
Usagi looked at everyone else. "What's a Level 6?"
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
October 11, 2016
5:57pm
"Aren't you done yet? It's almost time for dinner!"
"Stop thinking with your stomach, Usagi-chan," replied Washuu distractedly. "I need some more readings."
"I need dinner! I'm a growing girl."
"If you really understood what you just said, I'd be happy. Most girls your age are obsessed with a 'perfect' body weight that isn't at all perfect for them. But I think you just want to stuff your mouth."
"And what's so bad about that?" demanded Usagi.
The sound of a polite cough came from the room's doorway. "This is what's wrong with that," answered Rob while gesturing at his own waistline. "Learn from your elders and practice moderation."
"What he said," Washuu added. "Moderation in all things - including in moderation."
"Huh?"
"I think she means that it's okay to let yourself go once in a while. But only once in a while. Right?"
Washuu nodded. "Your landlord's got it right, Usagi-chan. Now go help him get to the dinner table before he falls over."
"Oh!" Usagi rushed to help Rob to the dining room.
6:02pm
"What's this called?"
"Supper."
Washuu gave Ruiko a sideways glance with pursed lips, then saw the girl's smile. "Ha, ha. Very funny."
Minako swallowed the bite she had in her mouth and turned to Washuu. "It's called 'bangers and mash'. Pork sausage, mashed potatoes, onions, and gravy. It's English cooking."
"Not just English," Rob added. "It's a simple meal that you could get in any British pub."
"It's a heavy meal. I hope you don't eat this kind of food every day."
"No, of course not," said Mikoto. "This is something that Rob-san likes, so we thought we'd make it for him."
"It's also a relatively easy English meal to make, if you buy the sausages already made," added Makoto.
"Which I did yesterday," Rob finished. "There's a butcher in town that sells pork sausages and pork chops in bulk, but you need a car to get there."
Ruiko giggled. "Ten girls in the house, and the only man buys the groceries."
"Well," Washuu grinned, "at least he knows how to choose a decent piece of pork."
Rob grinned back. "Tell me about it. There are far too many stores around here that are happy to sell people heavily-processed, chemical-laden things that they claim are meats. I prefer real food."
"Don't knock technology. That processing and those chemicals extend the shelf life of those foods."
"If I was still living alone, that would make a difference. We go through enough food in a day that the shelf life of food here is measured in hours, not weeks."
"All right, that's reasonable." Washuu took another forkful of mashed potato. "This stuff is just starch, though."
Rob sighed. "I know - I couldn't find any decent potatoes yesterday. Sorry about that."
"I'm home!" came a cry from the hallway.
"Ami-chan!" Usagi jumped to her feet. "Come eat! You're in time for dinner!"
"We have company!" Rob added.
"Oh! Hello." Ami smiled from the common room's doorway. "I'm Ami Mizuno."
"I'm Washuu Hakubi."
"I'm pleased to meet you, Hakubi-san."
Everyone else in the room, in unison, said "'Washuu-chan'!" Washuu looked around, then continued, "If you don't mind."
"What brings you here, Ha-- Washuu-chan?"
"Rob asked me to come run a few medical tests on everyone. I'll be your household's doctor until you graduate."
"That's kind of you, Washuu-sen-- Washuu-chan." Ami glanced at the table. "Western cooking? I thought there was going to be a Japanese meal tonight."
"Rob-san needs some comfort food today," explained Makoto.
6:44pm
Ami looked at the platters and bowls in the middle of the table. "We have sausages and potatoes left over."
"Save some for Mii-san, and fry up the rest for breakfast tomorrow," suggested Rob.
"Mii-sempai told me that she's having supper on campus today," Kazari replied.
"And potatoes and sausage don't go well with fish and rice," added Ruiko.
Usagi frowned. "What's wrong with a western breakfast sometimes? Ow! Hey!"
"Dinner's over - back to the scans!" Washuu continued tugging Usagi's hair.
"All right, I'm coming! Ow!"
7:46pm
"Finished!"
"Finally! Nobody else's exam took that long!"
Washuu, completely serious, looked at Usagi. "Nobody else has these readings."
"What readings? Is there something wrong with me?"
"No. There's something different about you, but it isn't something wrong."
Rob looked up from the couch. "I suspect I know where this is going."
"You think so, do you?" Washuu typed a few commands, and a virtual screen and keyboard appeared in front of Rob. "Go ahead and type in what you think I'm going to say."
He did so, at length.
Washuu followed they text on her own screen for a few minutes, then said, "Huh. Yeah, you're pretty close."
"I have the advantage of having seen her anime, and having read some of the supplementary materials."
Usagi pouted. "And we don't know anything about you. It's not fair!"
"I know. I'm sorry. You are allowed to ask me almost anything, you know. But we were talking about you, not me. Your mother - not Tsukino-san, but Queen Serenity - was, if the supplementary material is correct, essentially a goddess."
Usagi nodded slowly. "That sounds ... right."
"And how many times have you done something that other people thought was a bad idea and made it work anyway? You were right about how to react when Tomoe-san became Mistress Nine, to give one example."
"Anybody would have done what I did."
Rob looked Usagi straight in the eye. "You know that Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune would not have done what you did."
After a moment, she replied, "Yes."
"You know the right way to react and the right thing to do. You are not a god, but you know the divine will."
At that, there was a thump on the closed door.
Rob and Washuu exchanged a quick look. "Of course they're listening in. They're her friends."
"Do you want them to come in?"
Usagi nodded, and Washuu opened the door to reveal ... Mikoto, of all people. "Are you sure?" she whispered.
Rob shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe. Mikoto-san, Usagi-san might just be the Level 6 that Academy City was founded to create."
Mikoto sat down, with no expression on her face.
Usagi looked at everyone else. "What's a Level 6?"
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012