An explosive solution [Jasmine | Saga]

When a familiar voice called out Elise lifted her gaze, and although she merely smiled calmly she had to admit she was slightly surprised. There was no denying that the facial features belonged to the young woman known as Jasmine Noir, but there was something different to them compared to the last time she had seen her. It wasn't just the grey hair, no it was more of a difficult to describe feeling. A certain calmness, a sense of maturity that in the past would have made little sense to be associated to the explosive lioness.

"Heh~ I wouldn't mind doing that, but then I might get Tetsu to complain at me~" She nodded at the waitress, ordering some tea while her gaze turned back toward Jasmine as Jasmine inquired about how she had been doing, the little comment about her grey hair and getting old earning a soft snicker from the Eisenberg. "It fits your look~ Hopefully, the age came with the wisdom~" A brief grin lingered on her lips as she jested in kin.

"I been doing alright, in terms of my personal life I got little reason to complain, well aside from the fact I wish the school year was already over so Tetsu would move in with me. In terms of work? That's another story~" She laughed weakly as she decided to soon clarify afterward. "It's been quite a handful, in the wake of Ishtar's bounties I was assigned to assist the school in keeping an eye out for the students their safety, but you know how your schoolmates are~ Rebbelous at their best, and actively seeking out danger at their worst. I don't think we should treat them like children, but many of them underestimate the danger that villains can be. I don't want to wake up to hear the news one of the students was kidnapped again, or worse... killed."

She sighed deeply yet tried her best to lift the mood again shortly afterward. "How about you? Have you been able to get used to things again? I do hear that there is quite a culture shock between Japan and the states." She didn't know for sure if now was the good time, but she also expected that Jasmine wasn't the type to prefer such delicacy by beating around the subject. "I have to admit I was quite surprised when you returned by yourself. Did something happen to Rin-chan?" By the time she had asked the question her smile had faded and a thoughtful frown was upon her visage. Perhaps she was overthinking stuff, but it just felt odd that Rin Kurama had not been with Jasmine, there was something that didn't make sense, she doubted those two were the type to get into a lasting fight or argument, so she had hoped that Jasmine would have some sort of clue or information for her to go by. Nonetheless, as she pondered those thoughts the waitress had arrived with their drinks, giving them at least a chance to enjoy a drink while talking.

There was some irony in the fact that the two had changed so much since they last met. Just like Jasmine had changed in certain ways, so did Elise and yet fascinatingly enough there were still parts that were similar. Perhaps it was their age, the experiences they had gone through that had forced them to grow up, to mature faster than most of their former classmates. Indeed, when exposed to the harsh nature of reality the two of them had no means of remaining the same naive children they had once been. And in Elise's case she had been forced to acknowledge the fact that her idealistic views were just that: idealistic. She shouldn't expect that she could change the world to fit those, but she'd sure as hell would try to change things for the better.

Hearing Jasmine snicker at her joke Elise nodded her head, her lips curving back into a sheepish grin as she replied to the comment. "She might not look like it, nor show it but when it comes to me she can get jealous. It's a bit of an endearing charm of her." She mused, the memory of their date during Golden Week stirring in her thoughts. The moment where Tetsuko had leaned in and whispered into her ear how she disliked all the attention because she wanted her all for herself? It had been enough to make Elise blush intensely back then, and nowadays the memory filled her with a certain joyous warmth that only Tetsuko could provide her.

Jasmine's remark on the concept of wisdom being a weird association with her earned a soft chuckle from Elise who mused softly. "I shouldn't be surprised considering one of your mentors was Jaeger after all~" True, the two of them had this interesting thing. A certain type of street smarts that made them clever, but not exactly wise either, reckless sometimes, but they nearly always had a plan to get out of a mess.

Jasmine's thoughts were correct, it was a bit odd even for her: She might had been chipper and in some ways talking to people and attempting to make friends felt natural to her, she was not exactly someone who would hold a grudge unless one was responsible for hurting Tetsuko or someone else who was dear to her. Still, it was only natural that Jasmine might had expected to receive some form of a cold shoulder given their past, and yet it didn't seem to be the case. Why? Because in a way, Elise was grateful to Jasmine. Her actions had led Elise to realize things, had allowed her bond with Tetsuko to blossom and in a way, Jasmine's actions that night had been part of what led to the fact that Elise was now in a relationship with her childhood love. If anything, in the past she might have held a grudge, but now? Now she only felt gratitude.

"Heh~ I'm afraid it will take more for them to grow up. But you have a point, you would expect that with villains getting bolder, the students would realize the need to learn, to prepare for their future as the next generation of heroes. Instead, we get bickering kids and lover quarrels every day. Almost makes me wonder if I'm watching one of those television shows, and not one of the fun type." Yes, Jasmine was right, it was up to people like them who understood the danger that something had to be done, something to keep those foolish teenagers from getting themselves killed.

So Jasmine had grown used to Japan? She guessed a few years could have done that, after all Elise had lived in Japan for more than eleven years already and considered it more of a home compared to Germany where her roots had been. Elise remained quiet, allowing Jasmine the time to talk. Rin wasn't here, and Jasmine had no idea where she went? Elise nodded her head lightly in response to the events at Madison Square Garden. "Mhmm, I remember, it was around the time I transferred into my apprenticeship within the Public Safety Commission."

She remembered the news, about a terrorist attack that had happened there, still what followed was quite surprising. Although Jasmine's attempt to lighten the mood was appreciated, the serious look upon the girl's features was evident of how focused she had been. So Jasmine had ended up in a comatose, her brain-damaged and the doctors had declared her brain dead? Sounded familiar, but she quickly pushed the gloomy thought aside as Jasmine explained how she had woken up from her comatose as if she had taken an extended nap, a feat that by all means was by regular medical science impossible to explain.

"One hell of a nap." Elise muttered softly, a hand raised to her cheek as she pondered. "As a brain surgeon I can tell you that if they declare you brain dead, the chance for you to recover by means of traditional surgeries are as low as me ever getting into a straight relationship." Despite the jest it was true, such extensive damage was borderline impossible to recover from, yet when Jasmine commented about her hair and eyes she mused softly. "Hmm, that would explain a lot. I recall Rin-chan's Quirk and its medical capacities, it's not too far-fetched to say that she used her Quirk to bring you back."

She paused for a bit, pondering on how to explain the next part in easier terms. "Simply said, extensive exposure to another person's Quirk can lead to lingering effects. For example, while I can't exactly show it- since turning into my true form will likely cause a bit of panic, or excitement from monster museum fans, I possess traces of Tetsuko's iron, I'll leave the how-to to your imagination~"

She smiled briefly, yet her smile faded soon afterward. "It's a possibility that there are traces of Rin's Quirk within you, and this feeling? This feeling that she might be alive? Some might describe it a bond, sounds romantic although the scientific explanation is that the fragments of the person's Quirk inside you is pulling you subtly toward its owner, like a magnet. I feel the same with Tetsu, so there is some reassurance in the fact that as long as you have that feeling, the chance that she is alive is to be quite strong."

She went quiet, pondering about the next course of action. "Truth to be told, I'm not sure where she would be either. I don't think Touma has anymore info that you aren't already aware of, and while I can check at work I'm not sure..."

It was then an idea hit her. "Perhaps... it's not much, but I might be able to find a way to reassure you that she is alive. But for that, I'm going to need your cooperation, and fortunately, it will help me also since I was working on something that will benefit immensely from those tests."