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-quote="Das Tor"]Let's ride.

It took an entire week, Zeke called her nuts, then insisted on making sure she made enough for the house later - but while the nexct batch of Mesopotamian beer fermented in her closet where her little sisters couldn't touch it, because THIS WAS HER BEER DAMNIT, Oumuamua almost skipped her way to meet Hyakutake, a large, generous Earthenware jug under her arm as she hopped to see Hyakutake, humming a song from one game oir another - or wqas it Givew A Reason? - as she hopped to meet the other senshi. As Oumuamua approached Hyakutake, she lit up, motioning.

"Hwy. So Zeke bullied me into a second batch because he feels left out and wants to see if his old man wants ancient-style beer in a jatr later buuut I got the first batch of bewer made and it doesn't stank like some frat party exploded on the block. Where do we wanna campo to taste this? Since I assume yttou covered patrol since I'm late."

Because Ezekiel was pouting about wanting a beer himself still. Oumuamua was still amused her ototo was pouting at her over home made beer, but apparently, he was curious now about the stuff she watched after seeing Japanese rationing on the Home Front in World War II.

"Susanoo was STILL upset he has to wait on the next batch. I think I have created a monster."

"I mean., It's Mesop[otamian to my knowledge,. I got the recipe on Youtube so the aromatics aren't exactly your usual." Oumuamua fumbled around, then facepalmed. "Ah s**t. I let the steins at home. Okay hold on to ya butt. I = I know where we can get a stein for each of us." Oumuamua looked incredibly apologetic, really, as he linked arms with Kyakutake, fishing her senshi phone out of her pocket sdpaces. Holding the beer in her free arm, the senshi managed to input the command for her homreworld in with her nose.

Well it was something.

As Destiny City dissolved into the Atrificial environs of Oumuamua, the younger senshi sighed patiently, beer jib firmly in her grasp as she frowned. Inwardly, she was cursing herself, but soon enough a city reached on high - well. Five stories high, but high - buildings brown and brass and gold with ancient plumbing. A very faint smell oif hops and barley filled the air and Ou,uamua shook her head at hertself, letting go as she walked into a building.

"This one should probably...." Oumuamua set her jug of homebrew down and iopened a cupboard in an empty house, fishing out two steins, and turned, holdsing them up, surprisingly pristine.

Each mug was a dark burgundie, marked with spiralling spoheres like a binary shooting star in golds, with golden embellishment as Oumuamua held them up.*

"Cips!.... Sorry, sorry. Furst place I thought of." A pause. "Welcome to my homeworld? I owe you a trip to yours."

"I mean. I am curious. I kiund of came away depressed last time." Oumuamua poured beer into b oth mugs - it was faintly effervescent, scenting faintly of cardamom, and star anise - even a little faintly of cinnamon. It was opaque, of course, and yet, it looked nice, and Oumuamua sat at last to her own stein of the ancient-themed beer. The air felt... Surprisingly easy. As if this were the most normal thing in the woprld for the senshi of beer. As if this were right.

"And I planned top bring Susanoo too, or try. Zeke moved in. Turns out his brother's a jag off and they had a row. I actually get to meet his dad. Mom's been sending him to schoiol with bento some days. He's really weirded out by the family. I'm pretty sure Dad's already background checked him and the family's bloody adopted him. You know. Like Matt all over." Oumuamua smiled though. Shy.

"So you can meet our ototo any time you maker it home."

"Same. Apparently, Rama had her own Matt or Hiroyuki." OumuaMua admitted, motioning. "All I know is, this place ran on beer like water. Not to drink either. Power. Hence all the piping. Reminds me of the old Steam Minecraft mods. Like the steampunky one." Oumuamua sighed. Slowly the senshi took a sip of beer. Effervescence tickled her toingue. Dominantly is was a beer, of course., But she could faintly taste thje aromatics, espoecially the cardamom and star anise. It wasn't unpleasant ewither - Oumuamua had chosen complimenting flavors. There was the faintest but noticeable fluctuiation in her aura - instead of vascillitating between too strong and normal it seemed to calm. Stablize - normalize. Oumuamua was oblivious, oif course.

"IO made another jug, same blend for home. Mostly Dad but it's a bigger batch. Zeke wants to give his dad a jar. And yeah." Oumuamua grinned. "Yeah no. Zeke moved into a spare room and he's working on his psych doctorate right now. So no, no. He HAS been good with Chris and Kimi though! Really good, he's been teaching them self defense and he does try to breeing hoime coffee for everyone with his worjk markout. He's finally NOT a weeb of an otaku. He's uinfortunately decided he likes Journey to the West though. Someoine handed it to him when he asked about literature from Japan and oh godss. OIh gods he's learning."

Then she looked insecure a moment.

"Zeke moved in saying he felt I'd be less protective than Flint, evidently. Mmm! He's a good fighter though as Susanoo for things. His m,agic is protective of others. But I mean. I think you might like him. Maybe even a sparring buddy."

"Like I said, Mamqa sometimes sends hium to wschool for his supervised stuff with BENTOS." Oymuamua laughed. "Hey, I'm not much better. I still work at the Geek Squad asking myself why I'm trying not to yell at customers for bringing me their busted computers when it's an easy home fiux. Especially the sticky ones." Oumuamua narrowed her eyes into slits at 'sticky' and shuddered. "Do not like texture of sticky. anyhow, no, no. Mama's elated. He needs the experience for his PhD so he's gonna be a doctor."

And then Hyakutake asked the dreaded question and immediately Oumuamua chugged a moment. It was a sipping beer. she'd make more.

"Uggghhh. That Nega attacked me again and my magic decided to go splash." Oumuamua piunched the bridsge of her nose, shutting her eyes in irritation. "Gagaruibn abd ?Suysanoo came out of nowhere and Gagarin went psychoposturing on the nutter. From what I saw I get] why Zeke came to me and not him. He's vicious. Might be fine for other order folks. Not chaos."

THAT memory was seared into her memory. Gagarin was... Able to flip from dangerous to surprisingly kind on a dime and Oumuamua had a feeling he was angry under all the magic and posturing.

And she was tyerrible readiong people.

"Offer stands to introduce you to Gagariun. He awakened a couple months ago apparently. In the Star Festival. He's a freaking baby./"

Oumuamua emptied her cup and sighed, shaking her head.

"Trust me. I know." Oumuamua admiotted. She sighed, closing her eyes.

"Both Mama is over the moon about it, and... About the Negaverse." Her hand trembled a moment, voice going quiet.

"A lot of time before losing my pen was... Fighting. Battle. A lot of time... Struggling to survive. Against all sorts." Her gaze went distant a moment. Quiet. She almost drew in to herself. All of those fights replayed in her mind. Ichnusaite's insult burned in her mind like a candle for a moment before it wqas blown out. It reminded her of what this was. A long, slow cold war with no clear winner, no clear loser. Simply... People. Change without progress.

A breeze outside picked up on the scents of beer, of dust and of old metal. A reminder of what chaos could do unfettered. Thousands of vouces quiet, and a species extinct. It felt like a lot.

"It's like the cats should quote Kyuubey. 'Wanna make a Contract? I can make miracles happen!'. Except we don't... Turn into witches, I hope. We're just... We just.... Get dragged into a war ewith no goal and no end. Like the Dragonsong in Fourteen. A war of attrition only."

Oumuamua sighed, and closed her eyes, for only a moment. Processing. Just... Visibly trying not to go off about how sytupid it all felt to her, and finally she sighed, and shifted.

"Any... Anyhow. How's the beer?"

Oumuamua nodded, and hugged Hyakutake tightly, hiding, just foir a moment, in the calm. The quiet, and the coimfort of her sister. She would see to her trials.... Later.