2022-08-07 - There's Many Different Foods On Earth
| There's Many Different Foods On Earth | |
|---|---|
| Summary: The new girl on the Track Team has a lot of rumors flying about her! Setsuna investigates! | |
| Who: | |
| Where: Juuban High School / Asakusa Traditional District | |
| OOC - IC Date: 08-07-2022 - Saturday January 02, 2016 | |
| Next: | |
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
"Hello!" Setsuna Higashi had greeted Kyouka Okazaki after a little meetup of the track team, making a point of lingering after to talk to her. "I know we already welcomed you..." You would think she'd trail off to finish that sentence, but instead she just lets it go and says instead, "Would you like for me to show you around? I was new here once, too. There are a lot of nice places near the school!"
For context, Setsuna--purple-haired and red-eyed--is a /very/ quiet girl; she's popular in the club, but doesn't actually say very much. She's very intent and focused on club activities, and is known to have good grades as well as academics. And of course, she still has a little of that transfer student magic, though she's more recognized now.
And now she's invited Kyouka to hang out! Despite the rumors about her; a few people are already buzzing about this, considering those, and it'll surely be all over the school soon enough.
"There's a lot of good food out in the temple district," she suggests, and smiles.
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
It was... an interesting time for Kyouka to join the school year, an unfortunate byproduct of the timing of her family's move to Japan. Kyouka had just enough time to get some familiarity with some of the students and classses before finals and winter break, including a chance to get introduced to the track club.
On the track? She could definitely hold her own with the rest of the students. Off the track? Friendly, but perhaps a tad awkward still. So she was a little surprised when Setsuna approached her--either because anybody at all had bothered to talk to her, or because it was the normally-quiet Setuna. Perhaps a little bit of both.
"Oh, hi! Um... Higashi, right?" Lots of new names to remember, but she was trying. She listens curiously, noting the dropped sentence, but perking up a bit when the offer of a show around comes. "Oh! Um... yeah. Yeah! Thanks, I'd really appreciate it. I've been so busy getting set up with school I haven't been able to look around as much as I'd like."
Kyouka stood out for enough reasons already, but the black and purple dyed hair probably didn't help her blend in any. She was pretty decent academically, though she hadn't had much chance to show that off around here, yet (though her performance in the placement exams might have circled a bit) but definitely got it more from hard work rather than being born with a genius IQ.
Speaking of rumors, the truly observant might have noticed she had taken to wearing a leather bracelet all the time, wholly unremarkable in other respects, but she didn't start her stint at Juuban with it, and it only showed up exactly when some particular rumors started to circle...
Kyouka grins, "Okay, if there's good food to be had I'm /definitely/ going to be there."
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Setsuna probably /should/ be awkward, but somehow she just isn't. For instance: she doesn't even react to the idea that it might be surprising to hear from her. She doesn't show a whit of hesitation. Instead she answers, "Yes! And you're Okazaki." She is pretty good with names. But the show around, "Great." A nod, and then--hmm. Purple and black dyed hair... That does stand out. As does the bracelet. Now, any subtle girl at all would of course know not to mention either of those things. However:
Setsuna Higashi is not very subtle.
"There is," she confirms, good food. And... "Let's go this way; the bus should be coming shortly."
She'll lead her along, though she pauses, and looks back. "Do you dye your hair?" she wonders. "I think that's a good color." Onward!!
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Kyouka seemed to do far better with awkwardness once she let her guard down a bit, though that hadn't happened a lot so far in her short stint here. She nods a bit to acknowledge her last name. "Right! That's... me." Was there a bit of hesitation in her voice there? Probably nothing. She just nods along to the suggestion of the bus, turning from the direction she'd been heading previously to follow along with her classmate.
"I love trying new foods, actually," she says conversationally as they head towards the bus. "It's, uh... pretty handy trait when you've moved around as much as I have, you know?" Despite her being a transfer student being the most obvious 'strange' thing about her, she actually tried not to drop the fact that she's moved a lot into conversation all that much.
She blinks a bit at the question about her hair. "Uh... yeah. It's, uh... not too weird, is it?" She looks a bit taken aback by the compliment, but then smiles a bit sheepishly. "Oh, thanks."
"So... how far away is this place, anyway?"
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Setsuna doesn't even notice the hesitation. Or at least, she doesn't seem to. She just tilts her head and smiles again. In point of fact, one thing that may be noticeable about Setsuna is that she sometimes looks a little... blank, when she thinks no one is looking, like she forgot to put on an expression or something. But not just now!
"Is that so?" Setsuna asks at the conversational tone. "Oh, yes. That would make sense. There are many different foods on Earth." Pause. Did she say something funny? Nah, it's probably fine. "I haven't done a lot of moving, myself," she decides to say instead. "But I also like new foods."
Then she shakes her head. "It is not too weird at all! The two-tone effect is very nice."
"Not far," she answers then. "A few minutes by bus?"
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Kyouka gives Setuna a bit of an odd sidelong glance when she mentions 'on Earth.' It's... /technically/ a true statement, but... not how she would normally phrase that. Still, that's not /that/ out of the ordinary, either, so she lets it pass. "Well, if you like new foods but haven't moved a lot, um... you should come over to my place to study sometime?"
She kicks herself mentally for phrasing that as a question, and hastily adds, "What I /mean/, is, I /also/ like to cook, so I could probably whip up some stuff you haven't tried before, if you're interested." Is this how making friends goes? Why did this feel so much easier when she didn't feel like she was rooted in a place?
Did being in an actual high school just add stakes to everything? That was ridiculous.
Kyouka ran her fingers through her hair to muss it up a bit more, "Oh, cool then. Thanks. I'm glad you like it."
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Setsuna looks at Kyouka as she's talking, but doesn't have any particular reaction to that odd glance. Maybe she didn't notice? But more improtant to her is the offer that Kyouka makes. Setsuna goes '!' and blinks once.
"I would like that," she says pleasantly, evenly. On the bright side, she does seem sincere--on the other... she doesn't offer any assurance that it wasn't awkward.
"Yes!" Then, "Oh, it's just over here..."
There will probably not be a lot of time for talking on the bus, busy as it's likely to be at this hour. But that's fine. If it's too busy to talk, then they can pick up conversation a few minutes later!
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Kyouka is definitely relieved that her offer of study and food was accepted. Not that she wanted to bribe friendship out of everyone but... gotta put yourself out there at some point, right? Right. "Cool. Then... yeah, we can set something up sometime. Maybe... see if some of the other people in the club want to join in?"
Trying to make multiple friends at once. Now that was living dangerously, for sure.
The hustle and bustle of the bus is such that carrying on a conversation is a bit difficult, but she can still enjoy watching the scenery pass by and the chance to get to see more of her new neighborhood. Regardless, she does make sure to keep an eye on Setsuna to make sure she doesn't miss the stop.
Upon stepping off the bus and getting to properly take in the scene, she lights up. "Oh, hey. I love the atmosphere here already." Busy shops, lots of people--she inhales deeply through her nose. Mmm. The smell of food.
But most importantly, just a place with a good /vibe/. Definitely different than if she was trying to visit a place like Shibuya.
She turns to Setsuna, "Sooo, where to first?"
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
"That's a nice idea," Setsuna agrees about inviting others. She is very willing to be sociable!! Living dangerously or not! But the scenery is indeed nice, and Setsuna calmly waits for their stop until it's time--at which point she steps off and makes sure Kyouka is with her before looking around.
"Good!" she replies about loving the atmosphere. Setsuna, still in uniform, starts down the sidewalk immediately, turning to Kyouka and pausing a moment to let her smell the roses, as it were. "I have a friend who works at a shrine in the area... but she's probably busy today." Pause. "I was thinking we could visit a ramen stand I know out here. It's a little down the way, but that means you'd have a chance to look around before we get there. If you want to stop at any of the stalls or shops that's OK too."
That's a lot of words for her! She may need a moment to recover before she speaks more.
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Kyouka does her best not to spend /too/ much time on smelling the food instead of actually taking action to go get some for real. She quickly follows along with Setsuna, also in her uniform, naturally. It feels a bit weird wearing one still, and especially going out in it, but... well, it seems to be the norm around here, so she should just get used to it.
"A shrine, huh?" she says thoughtfully. "I've been wanting to check one out at some point..." Then she hastily adds, "But we don't have to do it today, or anything. Visiting a ramen stand would also be interesting, too. I'll follow along with whatever you think is best."
She does her best to make small talk as they walk along, without wearing the other girl out. Kyouka can be very talkative once she gets over her initial awkwardness and gets rolling, but can also enjoy some amicable silence, too. "So... what do you like to do outside of school?"
She does take advantage of the invitation to look at the shops and stalls, though more with an eye to come back later instead of purchasing a lot right at that moment. Gotta get the lay of the land, first.
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
There are plenty of other youths in uniform out on the streets, some of them Juuban, some of them other schools. Setsuna doesn't think to point out each as she goes; she just turns back to Kyouka, and nods. "Then hers would be a good one to visit later," Setsuna says. "It's the Hikawa shrine. Her name is Rei Hino. She goes to Ohtori."
A ramen stand it is! This is what Setsuna is good at!! Arranging food! As for small talk, well. That is /not/ what she's very good at, Kyouka might have the time to discover. Because she answers, "I enjoy spending time with my friends, hiking, and music."
...That's /all/ she answers at first, though true to her word, she's happy to stop and wait for Kyouka to look through the stalls. She even does a little looking herself!
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Kyouka does actually recognize a few of the other uniforms that are out and about--she checked out a few different schools before deciding on Juuban, but likewise lets them go unremarked.
"Hikawa shrine...." she says to herself, just to help her commit it to memory. "Got it. Yeah, I definitely wouldn't mind making another trip back here. Several, in fact. Seems like there's a lot to see and do here."
The other girl is more than willing to put in her share of the conversational work, at least. But despite the sparse reply, there /is/ something for her to follow up on. "Hey, I like hiking, too. And camping, too, actually. Maybe I can ask you about some good trails in the area sometime? Hopefully ones that allow dogs, so I can take mine with me. Oh, um... I've got a siberian husky named Wolfy at home.... do you have any pets?" She's doing her best to keep some semblance of a conversation moving without just wearing Setsuna out.
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Setsuna doesn't really seem to notice how considerate Kyouka is being about not wearing her out, but on the other hand she seems to be in a good mood hanging out with her anyway. So maybe that's good enough?
"Good! It's easy to reach from the school and is a very nice area."
She brightens visibly as Kyouka mentions that she also likes hiking. Her red eyes sparkle a little as she looks over. "Camping is also fun!" she agrees. "My girlfriend is the one who got me into both of those," she volunteers. "You can definitely ask me. I think a lot of the trails are very pet-friendly if you're willing to clean up after." Then she 'hmms'. "Wolfy... Yes, good." Nod, nod.
Pets? She thinks about it. "No," she says, "But I help at Buki's parents' animal hospital sometimes."
Easier to talk about for her: her friends!
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Kyouka can /also/ enjoy amicable silence, so doesn't feel the need to push the conversation too hard... though she does a tiny bit just to try and learn about her classmate.
"Yeah, most days I just head home from school, though sometimes I run by the store to pick something up for dinner." She gets a little contemplative at that, as if remembering something, but quickly shakes it off.
"Oh yeah?" she replies as Setsuna mentions who got her into hiking and camping. "Cool! Does your girlfriend go to our school? For me it was my Dad who got me into it. Camping's our favorite thing to do together. Well, that and fishing. I, uh, might have also applied my cooking talents to freshly-caught fish before." No need to mention that she's also an old hand at gutting a freshly-caught fish to prepare it to be cooked. She's not bothered by it, but a lot of people are.
"Yeah," she says in regards to cleaning up, "that's not a problem for me." She actually blushes just a bit when you contemplate on the name Wolfy. "I, uh... I was 8 when I named him, so... yeah. But he's super friendly."
"An animal hospital, huh? That's kinda cool, actually... What kinds of things do you do there?"
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
"I live farther away from our school than most, so I tend to plan in advance if I go somewhere else."
"There are a lot of good things to eat in the stores around here," she answers to that, rather than pushing about the thing she's remembering. She smiles again when discussing the people in their respective lives, though. "She doesn't. She goes to Infinity Institute. But I think that's nice." She seems to stop a moment to try to think a little harder. But she can't quite figure out what she wants to say. She looks down. Then, up again! "Fresh food is very good."
But Wolfy! "Does that age have significance to wolves?" she wonders, tilting her head thoughtfully. But she doesn't dwell on it, instead righting herself and saying, "I like dogs."
"I help to care for the animals. I don't have the skills to treat them medically, but I can feed them and give them social interaction as well as exercise."
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Kyouka nods a bit when Setsuna mentions planning more due to the distances involved. "Ahh, I see."
"Yeah, there are," she says in agreement about the stock the stores have. "My Mom and I take turns cooking dinner. She's actually a teacher, though she's not teaching at Juuban." Thankfully. She notices Setsuna pause for a moment, and waits before asking, "Everything okay?"
"No, no, it's not significant it's just... I was a little kid when I named him, that's all." She rubs at the back of her neck a bit. "So, you know, I might've named him something different if I was doing it today. But anyway, I'm sure you'll like Wolfy when you get a chance to meet him. He loves everybody."
She nods along as Setsuna describes what she does at the hospital. "That's still pretty neat, though... Social interaction and exercise are important. For dogs and people both."
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
"Oh, I see." Setsuna nods along at the explanation. "...I sometimes help my mother with dinner. My sister and I both do." Then she takes a moment to actually address the question, saying, "...I know someone else who likes to fish, but I don't get to talk with him very often," she says, and it is a little sad the way she says it. She doesn't really like talking about Westar, these days.
But the explanation. "Oh," she says. "I see. So you would name him something different now that you're older..." She isn't sure she gets it, admittedly. "I think that seems likely," she agrees pleasantly of the dog though.
"Yes," she says. "I agree. I used to avoid it more... but I learned otherwise, when I made some friends."
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Kyouka files that little tidbit away. "Oh, you have a sister? That's cool. I'm an only child, so... Most of the time it's just me and my mom, when my dad's busy with his work." Her voice softens when Setsuna explains about her friend. "I'm sorry, that... can be rough." It's her turn to look lost in thought for a moment, as she turns slightly away. "One of the downsides of moving around a lot," she says glumly, but doesn't elaborate any further on that thought. She's definitely missing some context, to say the least, but she's doing her best to commiserate regardless.
She doesn't really feel the need to make any more comments on the dog name, and she's definitely eager to get onto a happier topic. "Soo... ummm..." She tries to play back the conversation to see if there's anything else she hasn't followed up on. "So what kind of music do you like?" Music was a thing that got mentioend, right?
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
"Yes!" Setsuna answers. "I live with my sister and her parents, and now they're my parents, too." However confusingly worded that might or might not be, she sounds fond when she talks about them. It's hard to explain her life to someone without knowing if they know about magic, but she has adapted well enough. "...It's nice, to get to spend time with a parent."
But Kyouka seems thoughtful too. "Thank you," Setsuna says first of her friend. But then, "...I see. Yes. I moved away from my home once. I understand... a little, at least."
But she's content to move to a happier topic. Music! "I like dance music," she answers. "But I'm not much of a dancer. I have friends who are, though!" She seems to think for a moment, and remembers something. "What kind of music do you like?"
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Kyouka has to chew on that description for a moment. Eventually she reaches the conclusion that there's... some sort of adoption or foster arrangement at play, maybe. Like a... half-sibling that got adopted, maybe? That.... almost made that description work. Almost. Regardless, she's not one to judge someone's family situation. "Yeah, it is," she says in agreement to being able to spend time with a parent.
She gives Setsuna a little nod when the other girl says 'Thank you.' There's... not really a lot of good things to say in response to that line of dialog. In response to Setsuna saying she moved and understands... Kyouka does something that's probably more American than Japanese. She puts an arm around Setsuna's shoulders and gives her a little sideways half-hug thing, along with a pat on the shoulder, as a silent gesture of commiseration. Then she promptly remembers herself and draws back.
"... Sorry if that was too familiar," she says quietly.
"Dance music, huh? Um... I'm guessing you mean more like... club music or something? I haven't listened to a lot of that." She perks up a bit at the mention of friends who dance. "Oh yeah? Do they like dancing to club music or..." She thinks on how to answer that. "How do I put it... This is kind of a weird thing to describe, but like... cultural music, if that makes sense? They usually have their own dance styles that go with it, too, and I've picked up a number of those. Oh, and... I /do/ kinda like rock and roll and stuff like that." At least there's one fairly normal thing she likes in there.
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
If Kyouka decides to indulge in GOSSIP she will learn that Setsuna was adopted by a nice family after a mysterious past. If she doesn't, well, foster adoption arrangement is close enough. Setsuna doesn't explain for the moment. Instead--
She goes '!' at the half-hug. She doesn't actually startle or flinch, but it's sort of an obvious surprise moment. She smiles back at her when she draws back. "...It's okay," she says. "I was surprised, but I appreciate the thought."
She /likes/ hugs, she's just even less touchy than most.
"Mm, more like..." She thinks about humming it, and then instead says, "Oh! I have a music player. When we sit down I'll show you some of it. That's easier than explaining. I'm not very good at understanding culture..."
"Rock! Yes, Lera likes that too."
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Kyouka will keep her ears open, but hasn't been around long enough to really be hooked into all of the gossip... and she's not about to go around specifically asking about a hopefully new friend she's /just/ made. That would be kind of creepy.
She smiles back when Setsuna assures her that the hug was okay, nodding. "Good." Even though she was giving and not getting in that hug, it did her some good too.
"Oh! Sure, that's be cool. How much further is it to the ramen place, anyway?" It had honestly slipped her mind for a bit with all of the stuff they'd been discussing. "Oh, and I'll show you some of the stuff I was thinking of sometime, too. It's not really stuff you'll find on the charts or anything, but... I dunno. I kinda find all of the history and culture around this stuff interesting."
"Lera?" She tries to match the name up to something mentioned previously, and takes a guess at someone mentioned but not named. "Is that your girlfriend you mentioned?"
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Setsuna will explain eventually, probably.
When it comes to things like hugs, Setsuna's very shy herself. But it's nice. As for the ramen place... "Oh!" Setsuna says, "Yes, I almost forgot too. We're nearly there! It's just over that way."
She points, and then proceeds to start walking towards it, presumably with Kyouka. "Oh?" she says. "I'd like that," of being shown these things. "I also find culture very interesting."
But she didn't name her girlfriend before--so realizing her mistake, Setsuna nods. "That's right! Lera Camry. She's part of why I decided to stay around here."
The ramen stand, as advertised, is a stand, and it has the delicious scent of handmade ramen and broth wafting forth towards them. Here, Kyouka will discover two things: one, that this is a great ramen stand. Two... that Setsuna can eat a /lot/ of food.
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Kyouka looks to where Setsuna is pointing, and grins, rubbing her hands together. "Alright! I can't wait to give it a try." She, of course, does follow Setsuna over--part of the point of this whole trip, after all.
"Oh, cool. Yeah, I've got stuff from... literally all around the world. Oh! And I've gone hiking and camping in a bunch of places, so I've got a bunch of cool pictures I could show you, too!" She might be getting a bit excited at the thought of making a friend who shares a number of her interests. It definitely doesn't show or anything.
And again, that phrasing is... well, it's not /wrong/ but it does does have some weird implications if you think about it too hard. "Your girlfriend is why you decided to stay here? Like, in Tokyo?" She's never had the option to choose where she stays or not, but maybe Setsuna's situation is different.
Kyouka is definitely very ecstatic when we finally reach the booth and she gets to inhale all of those delicious smells. She's ordering from all over the menu, trying to sample as much as she can. She's a pretty big eater herself--lots of physical exercise and muscle tone means her metabolism cooks along at a pretty good rate. But eventually she has her limits and she has to sit back and take a break.
"Dang... I don't know if I've ever met someone with an even bigger appetite than I have..." She actually sounds legitimately impressed. "Remind me to prepare a lot of extra servings when I have you over for studying." There's not a single trace of mean intent in her voice, either. She really just wants to make sure she takes care of her guests properly.
Of course, sitting together for such a long time might offer the best look yet at the bracelet secured snuggly to Kyouka's wrist, should one be interested in keeping an eye out for that sort of thing.
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
"That sounds great." Despite the lack of exclamation, to look at Setsuna she means it completely--she's just not a very demonstrative person. The truth is that she's also excited though.
"Mm!" Setsuna answers, nodding once and then explaining, "Not the whole reason. The Momozonos took me in when I didn't have anywhere else to go. But she's part of why I decided that I wanted to."
Setsuna just sort of chows along. She gets one thing, but it's a really /big/ one thing, to the point that the guy at the front might question it... if he hadn't seen her here before. It's fine. Super fine.
"Mm! It's very good," Setsuna answers, and then--she does sound impressed, doesn't she? "If it's not any trouble," she replies to that sentiment. ...But it sure looks like she's looking forward to it. Then, she considers. How to do this subtly... How to best bring up...
"Your bracelet is unusual!" she decides.
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Kyouka thinks she might be starting to get a better read on her classmate after spending the afternoon chatting, so is perfectly willing to take her excitement at her word.
She guesses that the Momozonos is the family that adopted her, based on context, so doesn't afsk for confirmation on that one. "I'm glad there was somebody able to take you in when you needed it." She definitely doesn't push on that any further. If Setsuna wants to tell her sometime, she will.
Kyouka is eagerly chatting with the shopkeeper while she eats, but even more so after she has to pause, asking about different ingredients and preparations and so on--though always respectful not to veer into anything that's in 'secret family recipe' territory or the like. But it's clear that even if she hasn't cooked ramen before, she definitely knows her way around a kitchen.
"Yeah, delicious," she agrees. To the chef she says, "I'll /definitely/ be back." Kyouka just grins at Setsuna, "Nah, not any trouble at all. I'll just be glad not to be the only one going back for thirds anymore."
And then there's the topic change. She blinks a little bit, and not-so-subtly tried to pull the sleeve of her blazer down a bit to hide it better. "O-oh, this thing? I didn't think it was /that/ unusual. Just... something I picked up somewhere, you know?" Technically true, though Kyouka's got kind of a bad poker face, being caught off-guard as she is.
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
"Yes," Setsuna answers, sincerely once again. She is very grateful to the Momozonos! And she is glad that she went to seek out Kyouka now. It has been a good time. But eventually she does need to consider one of the reasons she sought out the new girl...
The shopkeeper's happy to discuss; in fact, he's /eager/ to discuss with someone who appreciates it, especially someone who knows her way around a kitchen! Kyouka might've made more than one new friend today.
"Good!" the chef says, and laughs, tending to another customer as they finish the conversation. "That I'm happy to help with!" Setsuna says.
But she has... not managed to very subtly go into this. Hm. Setsuna is not very good at lying these days. "Oh, it's unusual in a good way!" she follows up, and then decides that that doesn't really help. "I see..."
She considers. "Well," she says brightly, "If you ever want to talk to other people who like unusual accessories, I can put you in touch!"
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Perhaps only one of the only things Kyouka loves more than good food, is discussing food--well, anything, really--with someone passionate about their craft and knows a lot about it. So she'll definitely be coming back for both good food and good conversation.
Kyouka is... a bit conflicted. She is actually pretty desperate to talk to someone who might know anything about Strike Wolf, or even just intelligent devices in general. Strike Wolf didn't seem to come with a user manual (probably one of the many, many things that didn't get installed correctly), but on the other hand... her first encounter with another magical entity kind of trashed a city block in the process of stealing Strike Wolf, so she's feeling the need for an abundance of caution.
Even so... "In a... good way, huh?" She studies Setsuna silently for a few moments and finally decides to take the leap. "So..." She pulls the sleeve back again, but this time very specifically uncovering Strike Wolf's standby form clearly. "So... you've seen something like this before?" Kyouka is perhaps a little bit better at being subtle, but it's still a bit nerve-wracking in the moment.
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Setsuna could be wrong, of course; it could be that the rumors are just a misunderstanding. But Setsuna has been involved in the magical world for some time, and her instincts are good. So while she doesn't know about Kyouka's experiences... She can only try to be someone worth talking to, if indeed there is something like that going on.
"Yes," Setsuna answers, a little lamely. She seems troubled; even she realizes this isn't going very well for a moment. But when Kyouka asks her about it...
"Yes," Setsuna answers. "I've seen... Devices like this before." If Kyouka doesn't know what an Intelligent Device is, she'll just think it's odd phrasing. If she does, then maybe...
Setsuna pulls out her cellphone at this point, and sets it down on the counter. But it's not an ordinary cellphone; it's white, and flips open at the side, and is beautifully ornate. It's not the same as an Intelligent Device, but fair seems fair to her--it might help.
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
There's some /definite/ recognition showing at the word 'device' there. A widening of the eyes, a sharp little intake of breath. She knows. And what's more, she knows that /you/ know. That's /far/ too specific a word choice, even for the girl who sometimes phrases things a bit oddly or has some complicated explanations for things that you can kind of rationalize an explanation for.
And there's a gear turning in the back of her head. But she looks down at the cellphone that Setsuna puts on the counter, and... She's looking at it. /Really/ looking at it. For far, far longer than anyone not involved with magic might look at it. Slowly she looks back up from the cell phone to you, even more gears turning now that she's seen that, and she softly states, "So... there's many different foods... on Earth, huh?" There's just the barest of emphasis on the last part of that question. She might not be able to make an astonishing deductive leap to figure out everything behind what Setsuna's said... but she's definitely open to the possibilities.
She looks down at her empty bowl and takes a deep breath. She pulls her wrist into her lap, fidgeting with the bracelet a bit. "I, uh... if you know somebody that knows about these then... I'd appreciate that."
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
There--Setsuna sees it. It's enough! This is a risk itself; Setsuna could be revealing herself to an enemy... but that might be why Setsuna is the best person to /take/ this risk.
The cellphone--more properly a Linkrun--is white and red. It has no recogniz0000able brand attached to it, no logos. It could just be a fancy phone case. But it isn't.
"...Yes," Setsuna answers, and thinks--she thinks that Kyouka knows somethning more about her, now. "I've only been in Tokyo for a couple of years now," she explains without fully explaining. But Kyouka fidgets and asks, so--
"This isn't a good place to talk about that," she says quietly, "But I do." She looks to the bracelet, and says, "Hello."
Then she looks back up to Kyouka, "But if you're willing... I can arrange a meeting?"
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Funnily enough, Kyouka has the same reservations about potentially revealing herself to an enemy as Setsuna does, though... well, she was going to have to take that risk at /some/ point, really. Unless she just got lucky and found Strike Wolf's creator, returned him and then...
Well, that didn't bear thinking about at the moment. Either way, to get more leads she was going to have to find someone she could trust. She's developed a sense for people just by dealing with lots of different people, and hopefully... hopefully that sense isn't leading her astray at the moment.
When Setsuna explains about how long she's been here, Kyouka looks up. "Must have been a hell of a move," she says quietly. She was ready to commiserate about moving readily before, but now that she's got an inkling of the truth... there's a deeper note of empathy there.
She nods, "Right, yeah, let's... yeah." Then, when she speaks to Strike Wolf, Kyouka glances very briefly at the shopkeeper and the other patrons--all thankfully paying very little attention to the two of them.
"It's okay," she says in the quietest of voices.
There's a small shmmer of light from the intelligent device as it says, <Hello.>
Kyouka smiles a bit at Strike Wolf, and then looks somberly up to Setsuna. "I'd like that," she says with a small nod.
