2014-05-30 - Apologies, Answers, Abandoned Tea
| Title: Apologies, Answers, Abandoned Tea | |
|---|---|
| Summary: Cure Peace, feeling guilty over what happened in the battle against the Cardiax, stops by Mai Tokiha's apartment to apologize. This helps clear up a slip of the tongue Akane made...or does it? | |
| Who: | |
| Where: Ohtori Dormitories | |
| OOC - IC Date: 21 January 2014 - 5/30/2014 | |
<Pose Tracker> Yayoi Kise [Infinity Institute (7)] has posed.
Yayoi Kise is walking through the hall of the Dormitories looking bizzarely at it all. Ohtori was so weird....she was still in her school uniform, which made her feel even MORE out of place. Regardless.... she comes to the room. And knocks. Just once. She kind of peeks around a little with a little worry on her face. Maybe this is a bad idea....
<Pose Tracker> Mai Tokiha [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
It's a little while before there's an answer to the knock - long enough that one might think no one's coming at all. Finally, though, the door opens to reveal Mai Tokiha - changed out of her school uniform's jacket, still wearing the shirt and skirt, and having donned an apron. A few bits of tomato juice have splattered it. "Sorry about that, I had to turn off the stove - can I help you?"
<Pose Tracker> Yayoi Kise [Infinity Institute (7)] has posed.
Yayoi Kise eeks. Okay...you're...Mai, so she got the right door and doesn't have to awkwardly explain to some rich handsome student how she knocked on the wrong door. "Ah--um...My name's.... Yayoi Kise." she says a little. That name should be familar to you from your conversations with Akane. "Um..can I come in... are you alone?.." she asks a little quizzically a bit. "It's.. um.." she says. "I dunno if it's really important." she says.
<Pose Tracker> Mai Tokiha [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
Mai blinks, taking a moment to make the connection - she looks a little tired, all things considered. A few more seconds, and she claps her hands together. "Akane Hino's friend, right? Er, sure." She steps aside, allowing the younger Infinity student entry. "My roommate's still running around, I was just getting supper ready in advance."
Behind her is a dorm room for two - the table has homework books laid out on it but not yet open, the kitchen counter set up with a number of cutting boards. Tomatoes on one, onions on another, a small package of meat with a bright SALE sticker on a red one... Once the door is closed, Mai smiles brightly. "So, what brings you here? Oh, would you like any tea or coffee, first?"
<Pose Tracker> Yayoi Kise [Infinity Institute (7)] has posed.
Yayoi Kise is tiny for a 7th grader. Really tiny. But maybe adorable because of it. She kind of turns around. "Yeah...! Akane's friend." she says with a soft nod. "I guess.. some tea." she kind of eye widens. "I mean...please. Tea Please." she says. She seems so flustered! She seems to be worrying about something...
"Um....is your brother alright?" she asks sort of tapping two fingers in front of her together, looking ashamed just for a moment about something. "I guess I heard he got hurt really bad?..." she asks softly as she waits for you to get tea.
<Pose Tracker> Mai Tokiha [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
Mai can't help but giggle at the girl's panic. "No worries, I'm not going to stand on ceremony. It's not like this is a fancy dinner party." She heads into the kitchen, starting a cup's worth of green tea steeping with practised ease. Once that's brewing, she measures some instant coffee granules into a mug for her own drink.
Yayoi's question catches her off-guard, however, and she pauses with the mug under the hot water dispenser. "How did you..." Well, rumors run round the city. Mai shakes her head before turning to face the tiny Infinity student. "It's fine. He has a medical condition that gives us some scares, sometimes - he was just in the hospital for a day or two so the doctors could make sure the winter weather didn't make things any worse."
<Pose Tracker> Yayoi Kise [Infinity Institute (7)] has posed.
Yayoi Kise sort retreats into the chair as she sits down, like she was jacknifing down into it. Maybe..maybe it's better if she just rips the bandaid off right now. It looks like she might explode from the completely lack of confidence!
"No--I-I'm sorry. That was, a lie. I was there...I know what really happend..." she says a bit worriedly...
"I'm.... Cure Peace." she finally says.
"I'm sorry... I didn't meant to shoot at your brother like that.. heroing is just really easy in my mangas and shows and I guess it's really not that clear cut like in real life." she says.
"I'll leave if you want me to..." she says a bit clearer. Seems ripping the band-aid off helped a LITTLE , she's sort of fumbling a littttle less now.
<Pose Tracker> Mai Tokiha [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
Mai stops dead in her tracks. Cure Peace - who ran into Mai on the rooftop (which explains how she knew to come here), who helped on New Year's, who was at the battle with the Cardiax.
Who shot at the fake Takumi.
Mai's hand comes to rest on the counter to brace herself. "...oh." There's silence for a time - one can almost hear the tea steeping in its little pot, that faint sizzle of dry leaves becoming hydrated, as Mai stares at the quiet girl. She shot a lightning bolt at Takumi...but for all its words, for all its appearance-
"...it wasn't him." Mai isn't exactly smiling - she's looking directly at Yayoi. "The thing you attacked...it wasn't him. Some...ice monster that had taken on his appearance, made of his anger or something-" She waves off explaining further. "So...I can forgive you, because it wasn't actually him. Just...lead off with a heroic speech next time. That's what good heroing seems to look like, from what I've seen - gives you time to figure out what's actually going on."
Her hand isn't shaking. Honest.
<Pose Tracker> Yayoi Kise [Infinity Institute (7)] has posed.
Yayoi Kise sort of closes her eyes. "I tried to..but it knocked me down." she admits. "It...interupted me during my introduction...I don't even kinda have control over that. It's just a thing happens! So ..I kinda paniced...!" she says as she sinks back deeper into the chair. "But...we didn't know then and...nrgg.."
"I'm still sorry..." she says a little bit. "But...he's okay!" she smiles.
"Um..I--um. What does he...um... what does he su---um... what condition does he have?" she suddenly decides on a polite way to bring that up that isn't 'suffer from', with is entirly insenstive, or 'what does he have' like it was some cold, or flu that could be cured away.
<Pose Tracker> Mai Tokiha [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
Mai closes her eyes. It would be so easy to yell at Yayoi, blame her - but she doesn't deserve it. She was just trying her best to do good. Be a hero. Rather than answer immediately, Mai turns her attention back to the kitchen. Finishes adding the hot water to the instant coffee, strains the leaves out of the tea, pours it into a cup. Saying nothing, Mai approaches the table with both teacup and coffee mug, and takes a seat.
"You were trying your best. Just be careful - especially if whatever it is looks human. But he's okay, you don't have to worry." Mai motions for Yayoi to take a drink, and sips her coffee while considering the question. Normally she wouldn't say anything, but Cure Peace was there for Takumi's - the fake Takumi's rant. The cat's already out of the bag. "...to put it briefly, it's a heart condition. His heart isn't as strong as it needs to be - if he's in too stressful a situation, he can have an attack. Medication can only help so far, so we're holding out for him to get a transplant. Until then..."
<Pose Tracker> Yayoi Kise [Infinity Institute (7)] has posed.
Yayoi Kise couldn't hear most of it. She was too busy being lost in her own horrible despair.
"Oh..." she says a little sadly. "I'm sorry...maybe I should...bring something..for him next time. Are there things he can't eat..?" she asks softly.
"I bake good cupcakes... and cakes! and muffins! and..lots of stuff." she says with a series of nods. "Um...I can make sugar free things too..." she suddenly says silently...stuff like that probably isn't good for a heart. She doesn't know. "I...Mai.. what are your powers about...?" she asks softly and suddenly. "Is it.. just fire?.. Like.. are you a mage, or something?" she asks. She's never met a HiME before, afterall, at least in name.
<Pose Tracker> Mai Tokiha [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
Mai gives the younger girl a smile. "You don't need to go sugar-free. As long as it's not deep-fried, it's probably fine - but don't worry about it, honestly. As far as I can tell, he doesn't remember any of what happened, so you don't need to worry about apologizing. Maybe save it for February 14th..." A small grin.
The topic of the HiME, however, has Mai looking out the window a moment. Out there, somewhere, is the moon. Near it, a certain red star...and somewhere else in the night, her missing roommate. "I'm a HiME. Which isn't much explanation, but basically it means I can summon two things. Those rings you saw me using - which is pretty much just fire and a bit of flying around - and Kagutsuchi." The dragon needs no further introduction, hopefully. "Other than that - just a part-time waitress, honestly."
Mai turns back to Yayoi, and considers. "I remember you saying you were involved in fighting the Bad End kingdom, and you've got 'Cure' in your name. Is that about-" Abruptly, Mai claps her hands. "-you're teammates with Cure Sunny, right? That must be what she meant by 'more than just friends'! I had completely the wrong idea...."
<Pose Tracker> Yayoi Kise [Infinity Institute (7)] has posed.
Yayoi Kise ahs..."Yeah...Sunny...is the reaosn I'm a Cure....kind of..." she says... "I...I draw. and Sunny said I should enter a poster contest, because she thought I was really, really good. But I lost... and I was kind of upset, because...I'm so critical. Then ... Akaoni came, and turned my poster in a monster. and I didn't really understand what was happening. and then... Cure Happy and Cure Sunny were just right there. And that was even weirder. But..I guess.. I saw them for who they really were for a moment? The friends who helped me with the poster! So, I kinda did something silly and threw myself in front of them. But--I'm kinda a crybaby..I guess." she says.
"And then.. well. I got the Smile! Pact, it kind of protected me for a moment and --------"
.......
"....more than just friends....?" she asks as she head tilts "Wha...---what did she tell you...?" she asks with wide eyes. "Um..do you know... who she really is?" she asks a little more meekly.
<Pose Tracker> Mai Tokiha [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
"Good work." Mai gives Yayoi an earnest smile. It's getting increasingly hard to be angry at this person. "I don't know about 'crybaby' - you're out trying to do good, and you're the type of person who would protect her friends even without powers. Sounds like your heart's in the right place - just make sure you're careful, okay?"
As for Cure Sunny's awkward slip of the tongue. "We kind of met normally during a rainstorm, and wound up facing some sleet-monster together - so yes, I do. Anyway, she stopped by the Linden Baum diner last week - that's where I work, by the way - and happened to mention your name." Mai takes a sip of her coffee. "She said it was more than just being friends, and I guess she must have meant the whole Cure thing."
<Pose Tracker> Yayoi Kise [Infinity Institute (7)] has posed.
"Ah, probably... maybe she didn't wanna tell..." she taps her fingers. Then she gets a call goes. "Eek, I gotta go..Mom's home and Need to help cook... sorry--um...sorry...again, too I mean... um... thanks for the tea." and then she skitters off.
<Pose Tracker> Mai Tokiha [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
Mai blinks. "Okay, then-" And Yayoi is already gone. She gets up to take the abandoned tea to the kitchen, close the door, and thinks to herself the whole time.
And then it's back to the kitchen, to continue making supper. Let's see, a the tomato sauce needs something extra - does she have any garlic?...
