Workplace Invasion [Rin]

As the maid walked off, the distress visible in her step, Maria couldn't help but feel at least a tiny bit bad about it all. Of course, her ruse wouldn't last very long so she still allowed herself the slightest of grins. She was still going to make up to them, both to Rin and the other girls working there. She wasn't sure of the cafe gave them a bonus based on revenue, but even if it didn't Maria was going to find a way to make sure more money than usual ended up in the pockets of the girls working there. Although Maria was practically already feeling at home, she still couldn't help but be taken aback by what followed. As she had expected, Rin really did show up. Asking for the manager had been a bit of a gamble from the start as she couldn't be sure that Rin was the only manager there, but it had worked out. However, now that Rin had responded to the call, Maria found herself blinking almost in sync with Rin as if mirroring her confusing.

A moment of silence lingered after Rin had greeted her. Blinking a couple more times, now for emphasis more than anything else, Maria allowed herself a soft chuckle. "My, I didn't know Rin-chan could be this... thespian. And really? You actually have to call girls mistress? I'm kinda amazed." as Maria's amusement slowly faded it was replaced with a feeling of relief. She hadn't been completely sure about how Rin would actually react to having Maria come to her workplace like this, especially unaccounted. But the genuine and warm greetings, and Rin's happy and energetic disposition made it clear that she did not mind one bit. Although she had just shown that she could in fact put up an act, Maria could still tell when the girl was being earnest. Almost as if guessing what Maria's intention was Rin brought up the menu and what the cafe had to offer. Maria opened the small booklet placing it in front of herself before addressing Rin again. "To tell you the truth I primarily came here to see you and your workplace. You were kinda forced to become acquainted with mine so I thought it'd be only fair if I returned the favour." as Maria spoke a faint smile formed on her lips. She still remembered the role she played in Rin's kidnapping and subsequent incident. Considering where Rin was now, it didn't seem all bad, but Maria was still determined to not let go of that memory. It was an important lesson, and she'd rather not go trough the process of learning it twice. Of course, she also made sure to not allow it to colour her interactions with Rin too much. It was true that at first she had reached out to her out of a feeling of guilt and mild pity, but she had quickly grown to genuinely enjoy Rin's company and the friendship they shared. It was something she cherished, not only for Rin's sake, but for her own as well.

"It seems like you have it nice here, I may get into the habit of coming here even on days when you're not working. Although the implications could be a bit weird, with all of the "mistress" stuff. Say, do you get a lot of female customers?" Maria was casually looking trough the menu as she talked, a gentle smile not leaving her lips. "And of course I'm going to try all the things you can recommend me. It'd be rather rude of me to come to Rin-chan's cafe and then not enjoy the fine things on offer." a pause followed as Maria raised her head to look at Rin. "Care to join me? You do get breaks here right? I'd love to share some desserts with you while chatting."

Being called mistress for a second time, now with emphasis did not fail to make Maria chuckle again. It was going to take her a bit of time before she was used to that. She had a feeling Rin may start doing it on purpose if Maria took her time adjusting to it. "Well, you're doing a pretty good job at it honestly. Thespian may be too strong of a word for it, but being able to put up a convincing bit of theatrics can go a long way. And I think that doesn't just apply to your job at this cafe either. It's an important skill for heroes as well... and villains." Maria spoke a bit more quietly at the end. It was the part she was the most confident in, the one where she could fully speak from experience, but it was also something Maria wanted to be discreet about, especially while in her civilian guise like this.

Hearing Rin confirm that the cafe indeed made for a good workplace made Maria glad. Of course from the get-go the cafe looked fairly decent and not necessarily worry-inspiring. But, Maria was still aware of horror stories about working in an environment where the image of the establishment and the appearance of the employees was front and center. Idol culture in particular came to mind, with the strict schedules and level of outside control inflicted upon the lives of the girls who pursued that career. Working at a maid cafe wasn't exactly the same, but Maria saw the potential for some strict and stressful elements to make their way into the profession. Hearing from Rin's own mouth that the place was great was cause for relief. "You don't have to convince me of that... I'm not necessarily enamored with my work all the time either." Maria's tone was still a fraction quieter than how she usually spoke. The statement itself was a case of her giving up some ground without even realizing. Usually she was fully confident and optimistic when it came to her job and what she did, singing the praises for the exciting lifestyle. But it was rather difficult to do so with Rin and Maria couldn't pretend like the girl didn't have a point.

"Huh, how progressive." though there was a hint of surprise in her voice, Maria didn't find it too strange. She herself had come to see the cafe as a pleasant little retreat rather quickly, it probably wasn't much different for many others. Of course, the public at large may look at it as somewhat weird, but Maria didn't feel like she'd struggle too much with coming here just for the nice atmosphere, the food and drinks without feeling particularly awkward about it. Naturally, the fact that she could directly support her friend and her coworkers as well as meet up with said friend played a significant role in endearing the establishment to her, but that didn't change the fact that she wouldn't be forcing herself to go there. She had already told Rin that she wouldn't mind visiting even on days Rin herself didn't have a shift there. Rin went on to confirm what Maria had already suspected, having the maids sit down to eat with customers was a no-go. Maria was hardly surprised and she didn't exactly hold it against the cafe either. Setting a precedent like that could lead to trouble further down the line if people suddenly started making request and it could ruin the "immersion" for some of the customers as well. Still, by the sound of it they could make a little meeting work, if in a slightly roundabout way. "Works for me, Rin-chan is Rin-chan, maid outfit or not." Maria in fact Rin raising her voice and announcing what was happening brought a grin to Maria's face. Rin was proving herself to be quick on her feet when it came to this sort of thing, and this time the theatrics weren't fully in the service of the cafe either. "Please lead the way." Maria said in a louder, somewhat distinguished tone, playing along as she got up to follow Rin.

Once they made their way to the back, Maria got comfortable and took a look at the menu just as Rin had suggested. "You do the same. Don't even think I'm not treating you to something while I'm visiting." Maria called out to Rin as the girl walked away. Maria was a bit of a picky eater, but most of the things were enticing enough as a little snack. After a minute of looking trough the pages she settle for honey cake, a milkshake and strawberry tarts. As simple as it all was, Maria was rather looking forward to it. It had been a while since she treated herself to something sweet. Even more so considering she was going to share it with a friend.

She continued to absentmindedly turn the pages of the menu as she waited for Rin to return.

It seemed Rin too was aware of her own progress. It made Maria doubly glad. Noticing how well she was doing was bound to help build up Rin's confidence. From the start, having seen the situation Rin was in and having taken part in deteriorating it further, Maria hadn't been sure how quickly Rin would recover, but so far she seemed to be doing great despite everything that had happened. Maria was determined to keep it that way.

The wait for Rin to return did not end up being particularly long, in the meantime another maid had already taken Maria's order as well as confirmed the paying arrangement. It amused Maria somewhat to see that the other employees here were treating her just as kindly. It was almost a bit alien at first, but getting used to it was rather easy and in a way it added to the charm of the place. As the maid waitress was leaving Maria made a mental note to ask Rin a couple questions. She still intended to sweeten the day for the maids working there and repay them for the little joke she pulled on Rin when she had arrived at the cafe. Rin took a bit longer than expected, but sure enough she joined Maria with a new outfit to boot. Both of them had chosen to wear a summer dress it seemed. Maria smiled as Rin sat down with a sigh. "Honestly I think that's an even better fit than the maid uniform. Cuter too." Maria half-teased and half-complimented the girl sitting opposite her. Rin's own order seemed a bit smaller than Maria, mostly due to the fact that Maria had ordered a small cake for herself. Not that she had any intention of eating the whole thing on her own, as small as it was. "Ooh, we gotta share. I have no idea what that drink you have there is, but I wanna try." Maria said as she noticed the rather over the top and excessive arrangement. Maria first took a bite of the complimentary cookies, rather than turning to her order right away. Digging right into the cake would just be a bit too much. "Speaking of which, you're not the only sweet maid here it seems. All the girls look like they're doing a pretty good job. What's the policy here with tips and the like? I think I gave the one who tried to serve me first a heart attack, I wouldn't feel good about it if I didn't make it up to them at least a little bit.", Maria was almost certain the cafe had to have some sort of system to let the maids earn a bit extra, but she wasn't sure that just throwing them money into their lap was the way to go.

Rin sounded rather content as she spoke about her workday. However Maria imagined that the girl also had to be at least a little bit tired. "Mhm, I tend to feel the same way. Though I guess when I finish a job the relief comes with a couple different aspects to it. But yeah, once it's done, nothing really beats going home and having a shower, knowing the things you took care of are done and they're done well." Maria sighed as she took a sip of her milkshake. All she said was even more true now with the weather getting hotter and hotter. "And I'm glad I don't have to tell you that you need to put time aside for yourself as well. Both a fairly demanding job and U.A. at the same time can be rather taxing I imagine. Even more so since U.A. is a lot more demanding than the average high school. Actually, how is there anyway? Anything interesting happening? I don't really have much insight into what goes on there, even if my profession kinda dictates that I should."

Rin seemed to be more confused than flustered by Maria's comments. But, that was amusing in its own right, enough for Maria to let out a soft chuckle. Maybe Rin took the comments just a bit too seriously. Not that Maria was dishonest in any way, but it was still fun to see Rin try and process the compliments. Maria's mirth wasn't to last long however as it was soon Rin's turn to chuckle at her. Apparently Maria's desire to have a sip of the colorful drink was rather predictable. "Huh, so I fell for a marketing strategy, hook, line and sinker?" Maria let out a small sigh as she accepted her weakness to commercial engineering. She did always enjoy the finer things in life after all. With the admission out of the way, she wasted no time actually taking a sip. The drink matched up with her expectations surprisingly well, so well in fact that she didn't even feel manipulated in the end. The product's flavour matched its appearance.

Having Rin refuse to take some of Maria's cake was a bit of a problem however. Though Maria could be somewhat of a sweet-tooth at times, there was no way she'd be able to eat the whole cake on her own. Not to mention that even if she could, that didn't mean that she should. Still, that was a worry for later. For the time being Maria would just enjoy the dessert, cutting off a small piece and taking the first bite.

As Maria ate, Rin explained to her how the tips worked at the cafe. It was an interesting system. Maria wondered for a moment if it increased or decreased the number of tips the girls received. In any case it was sure to prevent unwanted pictures being taken so regardless of any of the potential negatives, that benefit alone was most likely enough to justify the policy. Once she was done with Rin she'd go back to the front of the cafe and get herself some pictures. She'd still have to check if she could just get a picture with any of the maids, but at the very least she was going to repay the one who initially approached her. Of course Rin too came to mind, but that was hardly necessary. The two were friends, if Maria wanted to give Rin something nice, she'd give her something nice. Come to think of it, the same was true if she wanted a picture with her friend, she'd just get one. "I see. We can do that later when I'm about to leave then. Hope it won't be too awkward for the girls."

Hearing Rin describe U.A. as almost mundane kinda surprised Maria. She wasn't expecting anything too over the top, but the description she received could very well be due to Rin's more reserved nature. "Mhm, I only know what normal high school is like so I wouldn't know either way. Well, I say normal but it was actually a really posh private one. In any case, my frame of reference here is a bit wonky." though Maria sounded fairly casual about it, she did actually resent the fact that she had so little experience when it came to things of that nature a little bit. It was one of the drawbacks of being born into a rich family. Not that she was the type of complain or lament her tragic fate just because she didn't get to go to a "normal" highschool. She knew well enough that there was a myriad of far worse possibilities out there and as it happens Maria managed to dodge most with her birth into the right family. Even if things didn't work out perfectly in the end, she was thankful for what she had.

Maria smiled as she drank the last bit of the drink Rin had given her. So far every development of that day had been a pleasant one. Now that streak had to end. Trough the same door Maria had entered the back area, a woman came in. The moment Maria laid eyes upon her the smile disappeared from her lips. The woman looked a couple years older than Maria, with straight blue hair, immaculate skin, wearing what could almost be described as a business suit. "Oh, here you are. Thought you could hide in the back huh?" the woman chuckled as she spoke, her tone almost cordial but with an unmistakable edge to it. "Ariadne..." Maria muttered a greeting under her breath, her eyes fixated on the woman. "I hope you appreciate the fact that I came out here myself rather than send some goon." the woman continued with the same tone though it was almost reaching mocking levels now. Maria knew full well that Ariadne decided to show up in person because whatever she had to share with Maria, it wasn't going to be good news for her and Ariadne just wanted to see her reaction. "Well, things were put up for voting, just like you suggested and my proposal was the one that won out in the end." hearing the words Maria's frown deepened. Ariadne was her quasi-partner-in-crime. After Maria expanded her operation, with the arrest of her former boss she found herself working together with a number of other villains with similarly sized organizations. Ariadne was her counter-part in a way and her biggest partner. While Maria managed to work with she couldn't deny that the woman was just unpleasant. They had less of an alliance and more a careful balance of power, keeping each other in check while also collaborating occasionally for their mutual benefit. "So, when the time comes I expect your full support, alright?" Maria replied with a small nod and a muffled "Mhm", doing her best to pay the woman as little attention as possible. Mixing business with pleasure wasn't something Maria was fond of to begin with, but this was possibly one of the worst variations of that occurring. Rin was present, and as far as Maria was concerned she had seen and heard more than enough of Maria's villain business for the rest of her life, having Ariadne come in at her workplace was crossing a line Maria wasn't comfortable with.

"Gotta give it to you though. Good taste. The place looks lovely front and back. And the girls too." Ariadne let her eyes linger on Rin for a moment. "I'd stay and order something, but you know what it's like. Busy, busy, busy." she was already making her way to the door, the words maddeningly sweet and deceptive. "But you know, maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to make an official visit. Maybe after a job well done. Bring the boys along too, I'm sure they'd love the place to bits. And oh, you could introduce your little friend here too. But, work first and play later, that's how you like it right? In any case, hope you can prepare on time. I have to run, so, tata for now." with those words, a wave and a grin aimed at Maria Ariadne left.

Maria sunk into her seat a bit. She didn't want that burden on her mind right now. Not on that day. There were so many things to consider, to analyze, to plan for. The voting didn't go as planned. There was a whole operation to prepare for and... there was a threat at the end. Maria was sure of it. She knew it was all just power-games and grandstanding, but it still gave her a knot in her stomach. She wasn't in the mood for it. She wasn't in the right mindset for any of it. Maria crossed her arms over her stomach and took another bite of her cake.

She glanced at Rin watching for a reaction from her friend.

Even Ariadne received a warm welcome. Maria wasn't sure what to make of it all. On one hand, just the idea of Ariadne interacting with Rin was a frightening one, but on the other hand Rin's sweet approach may have helped to defuse the situation, though Maria couldn't be certain either way. Ariadne was just incredibly hard to read for her. There were times when the woman was reasonable enough, it's the reason why Maria was willing to work with her in the first place, but she could also turn on a dime and be a downright bitch with little to no provocation. Still, considering that she was leaving she didn't have enough time to cause an incident. Rin's words only brought out an infuriatingly self-satisfied and smug grin, aimed at Maria before Ariadne disappeared. It all soured Maria's mood far more than it should have, in fact she knew that was most likely Ariadne's goal from the start, yet even with that knowledge in mind Maria could not help herself. She didn't have control over the situation, so all she could really hope for now is that Rin and Ariadne never meet again and that the latter doesn't follow up on that idea of bringing her gang along.

Even after she left Maria remained silent for some time. She sipped on her drink some more, but her appetite was already gone. She wouldn't exactly say the day had been ruined, but it certainly didn't seem like it was ending on a high note. Based on Rin's body language Maria could tell the girl knew something was off and once Ariadne had left she confirmed it. Maria fully shared in her sentiment. Even after working with Ariadne for some time and sorta getting to know her, Maria was still in roughly the same position Rin was in, except she had a bit more insight in the terrible side of that woman, which made every interaction just a tiny bit more stressful. The topic was a delicate one and Maria wasn't fully certain how to approach Rin about it. She knew that she couldn't lie to her, that wasn't a solution and would just complicate things further down the line. But, the less Rin knew about Maria's activities as a villain the less danger she was in. It was a difficult balance to strike and it had been weighting on Maria's mind for some time now. It had happened more than once where she got home from a job and almost instinctively called Rin to tell her about an amazing heist she managed to pull off or to complain about whatever had managed to go wrong, only to bite her tongue at the last moment and change topics. Rin was her friend, and she wanted to share things with her, but she couldn't help but feel like it would only burden the aspiring hero. A part of Maria was also afraid, afraid that Rin might think less of her if she shared every detail and told her about every single crime.

Maria sighed, half because of Ariadne, half because of the general feeling of frustration that was welling up inside her. She nodded once before looking Rin in the eyes. "Yeah... you're on the right track. Um, I think I've exposed you enough to the ugly side of my life as is, but Ariadne is part of it. Honestly, I'm not even sure what sort of advice to give you cause I sometimes struggle myself when dealing with her. Best just stay clear of her. She can be incredibly unpleasant, but I don't think she'd go out of her way to target people who don't have anything to do with her usual business. I'm... working on things. To make things better, for everyone. Myself included." Everything Maria said was the truth, but she skimmed over details. About how her and Ariadne planned heists together. How Ariadne sometimes used her position to pressure Maria into going along with things she usually wouldn't. How because of her she had to associate with villains she didn't particularly appreciate. Perhaps calling her a bad influence would be fitting. Except Maria was fully aware that the woman was a bad influence and she was trying to minimize the effect Ariadne was having on her, but she was simply not in a position right now where she could make any big demands. A small shock passed trough Maria as she realized something. "The ugly side of my life", that had been the second time she referred to her villain work as something negative. She didn't use to think like that... what had happened, did her outlook change or was she just more considerate while being around Rin? Maria sighed softly once more and surrendered for the moment. Her mind was burdened with enough things already, she couldn't start looking for answer to those questions on top of that.

Almost as if to offer her an escape, Rin mentioned that she'd have to get going soon. "Oh. I came by car so if you want I can drive you home." Maria offered immediately before letting some of the tension leave her body. Once her focus was on Rin again it became slightly easier not to worry. "Thanks for today. I didn't really figure out how this visit would go down, but... I worried for nothing." Maria offered her thanks and a smile to her friend. She quickly finished what she could off her dessert and got ready to leave. Although Ariadne had gotten her off track for a moment, she still remembered the other maids and her promise. Maria made sure to get as many pictures as she could with as many of the maids as was possible.

Once everything was taken care of Maria made her way to the door. Despite the unpleasant visitor and the thoughts that had swarmed Maria's mind, she'd be able to go home with a smile. Now the only question was if Rin would accompany her.