2015-07-22 - Tripping Over Good Fortune

Title: Tripping Over Good Fortune
Summary: It's a nice day at the park, unless you're prone to tripping over cats. And running into potential nemeses. Other than that, though...
Who: Hibiki Houjou, Kanade Minamino, Makoto Kenzaki, Setsuna Higashi
Where: The sidewalk near Nishitama Park District
OOC - IC Date: 10 August 2014 - 07/22/2015

<Pose Tracker> Hibiki Houjou [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

There is a dread menace that looms over all who attend school. While there is freedom from class for a precious six weeks, a shadow stretches long over those sunny days - the shadow cast by the pile of summer assignments to be completed. Essays and worksheets and projects - schoolwork remaining to be completed while the summer is to be enjoyed. Still, the day must come when it must be done...

Hibiki Houjou has decided that this is not that day.

"Come on, Kanade, go long - it's a frisbee, you're supposed to throw it a long way!" The grassy fields of the local park beckon to those determined to enjoy sunny days, and Hibiki has counted herself among that number. There are games going on in various corners, and picnics, and general happiness to be seen. Hibiki, for her part, has a plastic discus in one hand, a duffel with other games (and snacks) on the ground behind her, and a grin on her face. "Bet I could toss this clear to the other end of the park, if I tried - so this should be no trouble!" She winds up, and tosses the disc lightly - her friend's barely a dozen steps away, it should have no trouble getting to its destination.

"NYA!" A third of the way there, the disc is intercepted by a blurry white form, leaping to knock the frisbee from the air to land in the grass.

<Pose Tracker> Kanade Minamino [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

Kanade gave a laugh as she back up to be in the right position to catch the frisbee. "It will only get to the edge of the park if I don't catch it first," she cried as her friend tossed it. "You should never under estimate me-"

She was caught off as Hummy and leaped like a jungle cat and tumbled in the grass with her prize.

"Correction..." Kanade said slowly. "That is if Hummy doesn't catch it first."

The fairy cat grinned proudly. "I caught the frisbee. Does this mean I win?"

"Err..we weren't really keeping points," Kanade said as she kept a watchful eye to make certain no one saw their talking friend. Although, she was relieved to see the fairy tones had the same thought and were keeping watch up in the tree branches.

"Ooh...nya," Hummy said as she stood up. "Then how about you get points if you can get the frisbee back from me! He he!"

Hummy ran off, happily carrying the frisbee in her mouth and headed straight to the sidewalk.

"Hummy! Get back here!" Kanade scolded as she gave chase. Honestly, the cat was as bad as Hibiki.

<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [None] has posed.

Setsuna doesn't even /go/ to school on Earth, and she's not free of summer assignments. She doesn't need to do an essay, though. She of course can't just put them off for another day...

But she can brood about what she's going to try to actually /do/ next. She's still reluctant to go home, so at the moment she's accomplishing this by wandering around the city, watching all the people with their smiles and their games.

Or well, she would be watching, if /instead/ Setsuna weren't actually just sort of staring into space while she walks in her casual attire. What can she do differently? What can she make work? What can...

She isn't even noticing the frisbees; instead, she's fiddling with a deck of ornate cards, frowning down at them as she shuffles through. And that's when....

'Nya~!'

Setsuna sees a blur of white where she's about to put her foot, and startles. She overcorrects, her elbow flying up, she loses her balance--

/Thud/. Cards scatter. Her bag falls to the ground and scatters out a phone, a wallet, a couple of snacks, a notebook.

And Setsuna herself lands face-down on the ground in front of herself.

...She /almost/ didn't see their talking friend. Almost not at all.

<Pose Tracker> Hibiki Houjou [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

"Wh- Hummy! No fair intercepting, you don't even play-" Hibiki, less maternal than Kanade, is more inclined to complain at the girls' feline friend about the interception. Of course, complaining to a cat is fruitless under the best of circumstances - and Hummy running towards the nearest sidewalk is far from the best of circumstances. "What - you - get back here! I will not looooose!"

So girl gives chase to cat, the latter proving surprisingly nimble and agile. Nimble enough to dart ahead, and trip up some poor passing girl, and cause a minor cat-astrophe. Hummy skids to a halt, blinking owlishly at the loud crash from behind her. "Nmph! Mymph mya mmphmymyamph mumph-"

Hummy forgetting she shouldn't speak in front of strangers and Hummy forgetting she has a frisbee in her mouth, mercifully, cancel each other out.

"Get back here, you fluffy-headed- gwah!" Barrelling after the felonious feline, Hibiki doesn't look where she's going - and gets her own foot caught in the strap of Setsuna's fallen bag, stumbling past the fallen girl with staccato steps. Eventually, she comes to a halt - though those snacks are likely scattered even further now.

Wait, someone was fallen there.

Hibiki turns around, sees the face-down Setsuna, and calls out. "Sorry! Are you all right - I was just chasing after my cat, who-"

"NYAAA!" Just flipped over the Hanged Man card, apparently.

<Pose Tracker> Kanade Minamino [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

Kanade can't blame Hibiki for scolding Hummy, the little cat could get carried away. However, the becomes the least of her concerns as she saw the scene that played out before. Bad enough Hummy almost got tripped on, but a girl had fallen.

" Oh, no, are you alright?" Kanade asked as she checked the girl for injuries and offered a hand. "We're so sorry, our fri-um..pet can get really carried away."

The said cat had now flipped over a card that said 'Lovers'. The pictures were so pretty. She couldn't help but wonder how you were suppose to play this game. Was it like that Goldfish game?

<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [None] has posed.

Since there's a frisbee, Setsuna doesn't actually have to hear the awful ailuros speaking, though she does hear.... /something/ from behind her. But more to the point, the purple-haired girl landed primarily on her arms, which she threw out to catch herself with mixed results, seeing as how she was carrying things. Around her are scattered more of the cards, many face down, but right around here in particular are three: The Chariot, The Devil, and Death. The pictures are done in lovely paints, though these in particular are printed, rather than hand-done.

Then there's Hibiki falling past her. Then apologies--

But Kanade's the one to actually come up to her. Setsuna, still confused, blinks up to her, starting to lift herself with a wince. "What...?" Pause. ...Pawse. "I'm--fine," she says, still trying to get her bearings. "Your..."

She seems to forget the hand as she suddenly sees Hibiki there. "--! Don't touch those!"

<Pose Tracker> Hibiki Houjou [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

"N-nya!" The now-dropped frisbee rattles on the sidewalk as Hummy meeps in panic as Setsuna calls for a halt to whatever she's doing, the cards scattering around a bit more. The little white cat goes stiff for a moment - but then blinks again. Her head tilts, more than feline curiousity in those eyes as she stares at Setsuna's own gaze. She opens her mouth-

"She was just playing, don't worry." In comes Hibiki to scoop up the cat, plucking her safely from the spread-out cards. "Sorry for the trouble - she just decided to run off all of a sudden. You're okay, right?"

The brown-haired girl starts to go for the cards - thinks better of it, and goes to gather the rest of the scattered items. That should be fine, right? It's slightly slow going, due to her trying to hold a curious cat in one arm - and she glances up as the Devil card, face-up, catches her eye.

"...they're kind of creepy..." Was that in stereo? Can't have been, there's just a girl and a cat.

<Pose Tracker> Kanade Minamino [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

Kanade froze at the 'halt' command and frown. The poor girl looked really rattled and Kanade is relieved when Hibiki scoops up their feline friend before anything Hummy caused any more trouble.

"It's alright, Hummy meant no harm really," she said as she made sure to keep her hands away from touching the cards. "They're really pretty...are they tarot cards?" she asked curiously. "I remember reading about those online."

That was when Kanade had been researching ways to predict her future, which may or may not had been wondering if a certain 'prince' was involved, not that either of the girls had to know that. "Are you a fortune teller?"

<Pose Tracker> Makoto Kenzaki [None] has posed.

Setsuna isn't the only purple-haired girl walking through the outskirts of the park. Makoto Kenzaki, also known as the rising idol Makopi, is also taking a walk through, here during some of her precious spare time. She wears a frilly purple-and-white polka-dotted sundress with a white purse, sandals, and wide-brimmed had that conveniently covers up her hair. The dark shades over her eyes conceal her features nicely, though not so well that she can't peek over the top as she looks this way and that through the park.

"Makoto?" a voice whispers from closeby, though she appears to be alone. "How is it so far?"

"I don't know," she murmurs back. "I thought this might be a good place to look for clues, but there's nothing that--"

CRASH. Nearby, a girl trips over a cat and eats dirt. Makoto snaps her attention over that way, then relaxes when she realizes that no one was hurt badly, and that someone's already going over to the girl who tripped. She presses a hand to her chest and breathes out a faint sigh, eyes softening for a brief moment at the sight of that little white kitten. Then she turns to start walking again.

A card flutters down from the air in front of her.

Makoto takes it, blinking. She knows trump cards well, though tarot cards are not her personal wheelhouse. She flips it around to reveal an image of a tower, shattered and broken by a lightning bolt.

"..."

"Is something the matter?" the voice whispers again.

Makoto shakes her head slowly, then looks back over at the girls and their pet cat. "...No. But I should return this."

This is especially so when the girl who tripped gets awfully upset when she sees other people touching those cards. Makoto turns towards the three of them, picking up the pace into a determined gait, not pausing until she's within conversational distance of the group.

"Excuse me," she says, to draw their attention. When she has it, she holds out the tarot card to Setsuna. "I think this is yours." As she does so, though, she glances curiously at Kanade. A fortune-teller? ...If that's true, then maybe this is the clue she's been searching for--although it wasn't in the form she'd hoped for.

From Makoto's purse, what appears to be a feline-headed iPhone peeks up and out, then ducks back down before anyone save perhaps Hummy can spot her.

<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [None] has posed.

Hummy looks at Setsuna, and Setsuna blinks back, dull red eyes thoughtful. There's something about this cat...

"Oh--" ...Oh, she just shouted at these girls' cat, didn't she? "I'm sorry," she says suddenly, hesitating as she tries to read the situation. ...But, Kanade's a little more perceptive than she expected.

.../Was/ that in stereo?

"Oh, ah--I'm fine, really," she says, and now she does finish getting up. Her knee is scraped, but she doesn't particularly notice it; it only becomes obvious because she folds her knees to start picking up her cards. Finally, she can answer, "...I am. This is my deck of tarot cards, yes. I was... thinking of doing a reading out here," she admits, and then finds Makopi, too, right in front of her. "...Yes, it is." She reaches out and takes it.

"I guess I wasn't really looking where I was going. I didn't hurt your cat, did I?"

Now that there's all three of them here... "...I'm Setsuna," she explains, to fill the otherwise awkward moment.

<Pose Tracker> Hibiki Houjou [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

Fortune teller? Kanade saying that reminds Hibiki of something from not too long back. Now, how had that gone, again?...slowly, she gets a cat-like grin of her own. There was some fun at the festival, wasn't there?...

Teasing material for later. First, helping the fallen girl - who's calmed down enough to make it safe for Hibiki to set the cat down as she starts gathering the scattered snacks and so forth. A high-pitched voice answers Setsuna's apology. "It's fine!"

"...iiiis what my cat would say if she could talk, don't worry," Hibiki fills in in a rush. Clearing her throat, she holds up the now-replenished bag. "We weren't looking where we were going, either - anyway, I'm Hibiki, and this is my cat Hummy. Who can't talk."

She knows Kanade, so she turns to the fourth person here expectantly. So, too, does the cat...

<Pose Tracker> Kanade Minamino [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

Kanade had the same heart attack that always happens when Hummy talks when she's not suppose to. "Yup, that's exactly what Hummy would say if she could," she gave a force laugh and was happy to change the subject.

"Anyway, I'm Kanade," she looked to the both the fallen girl and the new girl that appeared. "I don't think I've seen you two around before. Do you go to school near here?"

Meanwhile, Hummy blinked curiously. Was that a fellow cat she saw? Oh! Maybe they knew Luna or Siren, either way, potential new friend! Must greet! The little fairy cat silently walked over and tried to reach the page. Normally, she would call out to the new friend, but she couldn't do that with the other new girls here. Kanade and Hibiki would scold her if she did.

Instead, Hummy gave a loud "Meow!" in hopes to call out the new friend.

<Pose Tracker> Makoto Kenzaki [None] has posed.

So she *is* a fortune-teller. That piques Makoto's interest. She waits a moment for Setsuna to apologize for tripping on the cat and introduce herself, and for politeness's sake waits for Hibiki and Kanade to introduce themselves too (though she blinks in confusion when it seems for a moment like the cat spoke; fortunately, she didn't actually SEE Hummy speak, and so believes Hibiki's cover-up), but the *instant* that's done, she asks Setsuna, "Do you do fortunes for other people?"

A nudge from her purse makes her blink and look around and realize that Hibiki and her pet cat are staring at her, as if waiting for her to introduce herself. She reddens a little and coughs into a fist. "Oh, um, I'm sorry about that. My name is Makoto." No last name given, of course, since no one else did. Makoto itself is a common enough name. She pauses and looks down at Hummy when the little white kitten hops out of Hibiki's arms, walks up to her just under her purse, and utters a loud meow.

...she's so cute...

Feeling her expression slip to reveal this, the purple-haired girl straightens and adjusts her shades, then covers it up with a friendly smile. "It's nice to meet all of you." Does she go to school around here? Fortunately, she has a ready answer for that: "No, I'm home-schooled."

She glances down again at Hummy. The strange cat-like creature in her purse doesn't make another appearance, but Makoto's attention has certainly been arrested.

<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [None] has posed.

Hibiki's smile concerns Setsuna for some reason she can't entirely place. But she's busy picking things up for the moment, quickly gathering her belongings. Luckily, she keeps a certain diamond-shaped object much better-secured than most of her things, so as she picks up a little package of dark chocolate she replies casually to Hummy's high voice, "All right."

She is talking to the cat. ...Maybe she didn't notice she was talking to the cat.

"...Huh?" Hibiki's answer--Kanade's answer--cause her to look between both of them. "I... suppose your cat would be very polite, then?" Pause. The cat 'can't talk.' "It's nice to meet you," she says, instead of pressing the issue /yet/. "I... don't, I just work nearby," Setsuna answers. ...Home-schooled. ...Is that a thing?

"It's nice to meet all of you," she says, "And... well, yes, I do fortunes mostly for other people." As she speaks, though, her eyes are on Hummy. But surely it's just that she finds Hummy to be super-cute. Surely.

<Pose Tracker> Hibiki Houjou [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

Hummy is the picture of cuteness. A white cat - well, kitten, really, given the size of her head - with red markings and big friendly eyes. There's no feline malevolence, this is a cat who wants to just hug everyone in the world, and she sniffed out something, and so she's staring with adorableness at Makoto.

Though she can spare a smile and a wave for Setsuna. Waving. With her little cat paws. And soft fur. And a cute little meow. "Meow!"

Hibiki's smile, on the other hand, isn't warm and comforting. It verges on the nefarious. It's gone for the moment, though, as something seems familiar about Makoto, the home-schooled girl...someone Hibiki's father introduced to her, maybe? Not sure. "Well, nice to meet you - though I don't need to apologize for tripping you up, at least. And - huh. I guess you'd win at the sports matches, then!" She grins.

And then heads over to Kanade, throwing an arm around her friend's shoulders as she turns to grin at Setsuna. "Fortunes, eh? So, for example, you could foretell who a popular boy might be interested, riiiight?"

Look at that grin, Kanade. Hibiki remembers.

<Pose Tracker> Kanade Minamino [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

Kanade is all smiles until Hibiki mentioned a 'certain boy' and her face goes bright red. "Hibiki...' she growled under her breath. The girl had problems remembering to do her homework, but THAT she cares to tuck away in her memory.

She would have ranted at Hibiki, but swiftly remembered they were not alone and to do damage control.

"Uh..No! No! No! It's not like that! I mean uh...I wanted to know about his health!" She pushed her two index fingers together as she shyly stared at them, wishing she would become invisible.

<Pose Tracker> Makoto Kenzaki [None] has posed.

Fortunately for Setsuna, it seems perfectly reasonable to Makoto that a fourteen-year-old girl might be working instead of actively getting an education. It does seem odd that she seems weirded out by the idea that she's home-schooled, though, but then, maybe people of this world have different standards. Makoto decides it'd be in her best interests not to press the matter (and so one weird alien manages to not accidentally out another weird alien).

Ahhh, but Hummy meows again, and internally the idol gushes a bit. She's always had a soft spot for cats, and this one is just so... cute! It even looks like she's waving at Setsuna somehow! She must be a very smart cat. But no, no, she's not here for cats, she's here for an important reason. /Focus/, Makoto. She clears her throat and makes herself look back up again. She catches the look on Hibiki's face, then blinks at her for a moment--but Hibiki doesn't recognize her, and instead opts to troll her friend, beating her to the punch by asking for a fortune for her now extremely embarrassed friend.

...Friend. Who wants to know about someone's health. No, she can't let her self get distracted. Makoto looks back at Setsuna, all business again.

"I'd like a fortune, too," she says. "There's someone I'm searching for. Can you do a fortune about where they are? Or at least if they're all right?"

<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [None] has posed.

Kittens. Kittens, Setsuna remembers, are efficient. They don't need to be taught many important things that help them succeed in their little cat lives. Cats are a model that more humans could stand to emulate.

Setsuna blinks back at Hummy again. "...I've never seen a cat /wave/ before..."

Ah. Right. "Does it count as winning if you aren't competing with anyone?" she asks Hibiki, but then the grin is back. Setsuna is once again suspicious, though her expression stays blank, and then--

"...Interested?" she repeats, uncomprehending. Kanade growls, but why would she be mad or defensive about...?

Ahhh, she doesn't want to show that she's interested in his health. Perhaps he's a rival of some sort. That would make sense.

"I suppose," the young fortune-teller answers. "Though it's not the sort of fortune I usually do." A pause, as Makoto--who seems very sensible--asks for her own. "That's not really the sort of thing I can predict... Sorry." She glances down.

It would make things easier, of course.

She gathers the rest of the cards, not appearing to notice the particular order of those that had fallen near her. "There... But, ah, I'm not really sure what interested has to do with health, so I'm not sure which reading to use..."

Makoto of course seems to Setsuna a perfectly ordinary Earth girl. ...Even if, yes, if she'd thought of home-schooling it could have made her cover story /so/ much easier than what it's been in practice. That's annoying.

<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [None] has posed.

Kittens. Kittens, Setsuna remembers, are efficient. They don't need to be taught many important things that help them succeed in their little cat lives. Cats are a model that more humans could stand to emulate.

Setsuna blinks back at Hummy again. "...I've never seen a cat /wave/ before..."

Ah. Right. "Does it count as winning if you aren't competing with anyone?" she asks Hibiki, but then the grin is back. Setsuna is once again suspicious, though her expression stays blank, and then--

"...Interested?" she repeats, uncomprehending. Kanade growls, but why would she be mad or defensive about...?

"I suppose," the young fortune-teller answers. "Though it's not the sort of fortune I usually do." A pause, as Makoto--who seems very sensible--asks for her own. "That's not really the sort of thing I can predict... Sorry." She glances down.

It would make things easier, of course.

She gathers the rest of the cards, not appearing to notice the particular order of those that had fallen near her. "There... But, ah, I'm not really sure what interested has to do with health, so I'm not sure which reading to use..."

Makoto of course seems to Setsuna a perfectly ordinary Earth girl. ...Even if, yes, if she'd thought of home-schooling it could have made her cover story /so/ much easier than what it's been in practice. That's annoying.

<Pose Tracker> Hibiki Houjou [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

Kanade's frustrated and/or embarrassed growls are music to Hibiki's ears. Sure, Hibiki doesn't always remember history facts or math formulas, but for the really important stuff? Fuel for her teasing must be preserved.

Kanade's cover story is...well, it's a cover story. A shame she has Hibiki with her. "His health, riiiight. I'm sure you're all kinds of interested in-" And before even trying to finish that sentence, Hibiki breaks away, jumping back with a grin.

<Pose Tracker> Hibiki Houjou [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

Kanade's frustrated and/or embarrassed growls are music to Hibiki's ears. Sure, Hibiki doesn't always remember history facts or math formulas, but for the really important stuff? Fuel for her teasing must be preserved.

Kanade's cover story is...well, it's a cover story. A shame she has Hibiki with her. "His health, riiiight. I'm sure you're all kinds of interested in-" And before even trying to finish that sentence, Hibiki breaks away, jumping back with a grin. And maybe a stink-eye.

She might have to start running soon.

Makoto still looks weirdly familiar, but she'll remember eventually. Maybe. Not one of the things she cared to keep a hold of, apparently. Unfortunately, it sounds like her question can't be answered by fortune-telling. Hmm....

As Hibiki starts darting away from Kanade's pending anger, she calls out. "Not how it works, fortune-telling's for vague things. Like...hey, Setsuna-chan! Try seeing if the 'prince' likes sweet things, that'll be all kind of help!"

Hibiki might not actually be helping.

At Makoto's feet, Hummy's just padded over to pat her consolingly on the shoe. Nya, nya.

<Pose Tracker> Kanade Minamino [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

Kanade had a moment of relief to hear Sestuna can't answer the question...although there is a pang of disappointment in her heart for losing her chance of finding more about her prince. However, both emotions get replace by humiliation as Hibiki asked about sweet things.

"That...that..." Kanade stammered. She just HAD to ask about one of the things that was most personal to Kanade. What if Ouji didn't like sweets?! What if he couldn't stand them?! Or what even he couldn't even eat them due to his health?! Kanade wasn't sure her heart could take that information right now.

Then she recalled Makoto's request and swiftly went to try to change the subject. "Um...Makoto-san, who is it exactly you're looking for? Maybe Hibiki and I have seen her?"

It was unlikely, but ANYTHING to get the attention away from her.

<Pose Tracker> Makoto Kenzaki [None] has posed.

"Oh... You haven't?" Makoto asks of Setsuna, blinking once behind her shades. Cats waving isn't normal on this planet...? She did think of Hummy as a clever little cat, but in that case, maybe it's a special pet trick, although it seems rather subdued for a trick. ...Makoto may have a skewed perception of what is and isn't a normal pet trick, considering what the cat *she's* used to is like.

Her expression clouds when Setsuna says she can't do fortunes on that kind of thing. "Oh... I see." Her face clears when she feels a touch at her feet, and looks down to see Hummy pressing a pawpad to her feet. Well... A little can't hurt, right? She kneels down, tucking her skirt beneath her, and reaches out a hand to scratch Hummy under the chin.

Even so, she looks back up at Setsuna. "What kind of fortunes *can* you do, then?" she presses. There's no point in giving up before she's even tried. Maybe one of the other things she can do would be helpful instead, somehow. Even one of how the future will go would help, even a little. She can't afford to be picky.

At least her focus on getting an answer she wants means she's not paying much attention to Hibiki's teasing of Kanade. (As Hibiki peers at her again, the wind ruffles her sundress. Although it's not the same design, it might look reminiscent of a recent commercial. Which one was it again...?) Whatever they have going on, it's not her business, nor is it her place to interfere. That changes when Kanade asks Makoto about who she's looking for.

"Eh?" she utters, staring wide-eyed at her as she gets up to her feet. "I-it's okay--it's my problem, not yours," she adds, clearly taken by surprise by the suggestion. It would certainly explain the bluntness of her response.

<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [None] has posed.

"No... Though I haven't seen very many cats," she admits quickly as if to cover it up. ...But then, animals are normal here, apparently, "...My family doesn't let me keep them," she explains further. But here, she can't help but notice the way Hibiki and Kanade interact here, the easy means of it, if--

...Setsuna-chan, huh? This girl is way too familiar.

Setsuna appears to take it in stride, "Well I wouldn't call it /vague/." To answer Makoto while she's at it, "I usually focus on the future... Sometimes relationships in particular, but what will be instead of what was. If you want to know what was... Then you don't really need a fortune, do you?"

Since she doesn't watch TV, of course, she doesn't recognize Makopi at all.

"...But I wouldn't think a prince would like sweets very much. Wouldn't they prefer something else? They wouldn't have time for things like that."

Setsuna is still staring down at Hummy.

But... Ah. It's her problem.

/That/ is not something she tends to hear out of Earth girls at all. Setsuna tilts her head and thoughtfully looks Makoto over. "...Are you sure? Isn't a problem easier to handle when you share it?"

Somehow, she delivers that line with a completely straight face.

<Pose Tracker> Hibiki Houjou [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

Hummy is a perfectly ordinary cat. Honest. And currently practically beaming with happiness as she gets her chin scratched, sighing in satisfaction. As cats do, of course. Cats can sigh in happiness. And this cat? Is happy.

Setsuna is staring down at Hummy, though, and after enjoying the scratching a little longer - she'll have to remember that spot and get Hibiki or Kanade or Buki to scratch it later - she turns to stare up at Setsuna, meeting that gaze. Those eyes...are they kind of like Siren's, maybe? Then there's only one thing to do!

Rubbing her head up against Makoto's hand for a moment - and oh, is her fur soft - Hummy bounds over to Setsuna, padding her way in close. The cat, approaching, tail twitching, and just sheer /friendliness/ in her eyes. A Lovely gaze, to be sure - and then the cat nudges her head up against Setsuna's elbow. Will she pet the kitty?

Hibiki, meanwhile, does another double-take at Makoto - and she's beginning to get an idea, but... "Fair enough, your problem I guess. Though it helps if you ask for help, you know. And speaking of which..." Setsuna's given a bit of advice!

Not what Kanade was hoping to hear, probably - and so Hibiki quits her darting around, and heads back to her friend. "Well, that's one answer - but hey, you can always try and I'll just take any leftovers. All of them." Completely facetious grin to Kanade, she has there.

<Pose Tracker> Kanade Minamino [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

Kanade goes quiet, looking nearly heartbroken at the statement. Yes, she suppose Setsuna had a point. Why would a prince care for sweet things when there were more important issues to attend to?

"Er...well, I suppose you're right," she muttered, with a look of gloom over her face. Although, Hibiki's suggestion does cheer her up a bit. That's right, it couldn't hurt to at least try, right? And there was no guarantee that Ouji didn't like sweets. "That's true, thanks, Hibiki." She takes a breathe to regain her composure and looks curiously at Setsuna. "I'm curious though, have you ever read your own fortune Setsuna-san? I have been wondering how well one can read for themselves or if it's better to have another person do it for you."

<Pose Tracker> Makoto Kenzaki [None] has posed.

Makoto isn't too familiar with princes; the royalty she knows are kings and princesses. If princes aren't really into sweets... well, what can she say about that? She does feel a bit sorry for Kanade when she looks heartbroken at the statement, but not knowing what to say, Makoto merely watches her for a second, pursing her lips.

It's certainly true that princesses do like sweets, though. When the thought crosses her mind, her expression goes distant for a moment as she remembers times with the Princess, eating sweets together on the balcony, overlooking the sweet summer days...

The bittersweetness of the memory is mitigated somewhat by Hummy's affection. When Hummy wanders on over to Setsuna, and when Setsuna tells her that she shouldn't need a fortune, her expression sharpens, not unlike a blade.

"That's true. If all I needed to know about was the past, I wouldn't need a fortune," she agrees. "But I need to step forward into the future. If that's something you can predict, then your fortunes have value, isn't that right?" So give her a fortune, her demeanor seems to say. It seems she won't be easily dissuaded. ...Perhaps there's some kind of happiness she's seeking along with this person she mentioned?

She's surprised again when Setsuna wonders if a problem isn't easier to handle with others. Makoto blinks at her twice; then she shakes her head. Hibiki seems to understand, mostly, for which she's grateful.

"Not this kind of problem," she replies, for both of their benefits, since Hibiki tries to argue, however briefly, that help is better than no help. The matters of the Trump Kingdom, its fall and its Princess... That's not something she can burden normal girls with, nor can she risk endangering the Princess further. It's her mission and hers alone. "Will you give me a fortune or not?"

She goes silent then as Kanade also presses her questions, though hers seem less... focused. Nonetheless, it might be good information to have, so Makoto watches her for a second, then looks back at Setsuna for the answer.

<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [None] has posed.

Setsuna /is/ staring down at Hummy. There's something about this particular cat that stands out to her. Something unlike other cats. But she can't be certain about it. So Hummy moves towards her, absurdly friendly, vaguely reminiscient of someone she knows...

Elbow.

"...Well, it would be rude not to," she mutters just loudly enough for Hummy, and gently pats Hummy on the head. ...On very soft cat fur. That's way softer than something has a right to be; for a moment Setsuna worries that she's put her hand /through/ Hummy. ...And this is where she entirely misses Kanade's gloominess for a second.

"Hm?" Oh, right. "...I'm not an expert on princes or anything. It just seems like them." ...Is she... defensive about this? Maybe a little.

But the fortune--that /is/ worse. Setsuna opens her mouth but doesn't actually speak, and abruptly stops from where she'd been slowly starting to pet Hummy.

"...Well... You /can/ give your own," she offers experimentally, "It's... Fairly normal to try. There's no reason not to. But a fortune-teller gives you a different perspective, and might know more about the subject than most."

Setsuna's eyes slide to Makoto, though, as she talks about 'value'. For a moment, there's a certain sharpness in the Labyrinthite's eyes, too. "...So this is something new, to you." Pause.

'Not this kind of problem.'

It's awfully demanding of her... But that's what she's supposed to work with, isn't she? Someone who wants something so badly...

"Sure," Setsuna answers. "I don't have the materials to work with here, and you may not like what I see. But if you're willing to risk it, then I know a place you can go."

<Pose Tracker> Hibiki Houjou [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

That tail twitches. Left, right, left, right, Hummy's head pressing up softly against Setsuna's hand. She tilts her head in confusion as Setsuna abruptly -stops- petting her - and she looks over to Makoto. The other girl - the one who might have a cat, she's sure she saw something! - has turned serious, and now the cat looks sad.

Hummy rubs her head against Setsuna one more time, then pads over to Makoto to pat her comfortingly on the leg. As cats do. She meows cheerfully, and opens her mouth again-

At which point Hibiki breaks off from comforting Kanade to scoop up the cat again. "Something to keep in mind - if Kanade and I come up with a question that needs answering. Where is it?" Keeping a friendly, firm, and most importantly mouth-obscuring hold on Hummy, Hibiki looks between the two girls.

She picks up the discarded frisbee, too - grinning to herself for a moment - and waves it around. "But hey, the future's ahead of us, right now it's a nice day - we'd just started tossing the frisbee around, either of you want in? Kanade and I can always try reading her fortune later~"

That last definitely aimed at Kanade. Hibiki's future-prediction may not be 'reliable'...

<Pose Tracker> Kanade Minamino [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

Kanade nods in agreement. "Agreed, we can always go to the place later to get our fortunes read, at least for Hibiki and me." She grins as Hibiki brings up the game they had been playing, feeling much better as her mind is taken off her love troubles.

"That's right, and it's such a nice day. It would be a shame to let it go to waste." She patted Hummy on the head. "Believe it not, Hummy enjoys playing it too. If you stayed an watched, I'm certain you can see her wanting to take part in the game." As long as Hummy didn't forget and talk again during it, it should be fun for her to have an audience.

Hummy blinks innocently and says "Meow" as she stares hopefully at the other girls. Having more people to play with was always more fun, nya.

<Pose Tracker> Makoto Kenzaki [None] has posed.

You can give your own fortunes, hm... Makoto rests a hand on her chin, thinking about this. Unfortunately, while she knows *about* fortunes, she doesn't know anything about how to give or read them. If Setsuna ends up refusing to do one for her, she'll have to respect that. But running into her here couldn't be just a coincidence... right?

"I'm not new to cards," Makoto replies as she looks up at her, which could mean anything or nothing. Yes, she knows of card-based fortunes. But she never needed to get one before now, either for herself or others...

But Hummy comes over and pats her leg again, and Makoto finds herself smiling anew, quite against her will. She's just *too* cute. Her expression turns wistful when Hibiki scoops her up, but... well, she's here for other things, after all. She nods at Hibiki's question. "Yes, I'd like to know where it is, too."

The future *is* ahead of them... but it's much more pressing for Makoto than (as far as she knows) it is for Hibiki, Kanade, or Setsuna. She shakes her head at the offer to play. "Sorry, but I can't stay long," she replies. It's true, too; she only had twenty minutes to look around, and it must be about time to start getting back to the limo. "But I hope you all have a nice day."

And Makoto, too, will make good on her word and leave--after she hears from Setsuna about the fortune-telling mansion.

So it's somewhere deeper in this area, huh... Once she's gone, she'll take out her phone to talk to her manager. She'll need to pay another visit later today, for sure.