2022-10-29 - Coffee and Conversation
| Title: Coffee and Conversation | |
|---|---|
| Summary: After their harrowing encounter fighting the Sulfuric Ogre, Nori invites Kyouka out for coffee so they can get acquainted under less harrowing circumstances. | |
| Who: | |
| Where: Harajuku Trendy District (Yamanote High City) | |
| OOC - IC Date: 10/29/2022 - Friday, January 22, 2016 | |
.***************************** Yamanote High City *****************************.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* Harajuku Trendy District +*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+
A street like Takeshita likes to warn its visitors what they're getting
into. Mounted on chromed gates, LED displays draw rainbows and flowers over
and over, cheerfully welcoming one and all, and beneath them the road has
just enough downward incline to appreciate just how many people have
accepted the invitation. This street is the heart of Harajuku, street
fashion capital of Japan and a world-famous mecca for youth culture.
Daring, experimental styles compete and combine here in a free-form paradise
of sartorial Darwinism. There's a place for frilly gothic lolita, glam-rock
visual kei, and even interpretations of Western styles like punk rock, and
only the boring is forbidden. Particularly on Sundays, young people treat
Harajuku like a catwalk, inspiring and inspired by the hip local designers
who run small shops here, all looking to create the next big thing. The
corporations moved in long ago, and so plenty of big international chains
have thrown their hat into this lively arena.
Harajuku is rare among the elite fashion districts of the world, however, in
that it is still genuinely youth-driven. Where Paris's Trocadero would have
an expensive cafe, Harajuku has a famous McDonald's. Cutesy candy shops,
crepe stands, and kitschy tee-shirt stalls combine with a whimsical
aesthetic to make Harajuku's target audience clear. This district is good
for wasting money fast, but it's mostly allowances and part-time paychecks
it's gobbling, and so the prices it demands are surprisingly -- dangerously
-- reasonable.
<Pose Tracker> Nori Ankou [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
They spoke, through the shimmering invisible wires, and Nori Ankou - or La Sirene - or whoever that girl is suggested a place:
> streamer coffee
> harajuku
> you will find it easily
The building is easy to find, though it is not very large.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CjJ6s0gL0mw/?hl=en
It's made out of old shipping containers, on a narrow little lot.
There was school today so the rendezvous must happen after classes, although it seems that Nori was able to duck out of club and potentially skip last period like a *reprobate*. She is here - and she is very recognizable in her sleek black hair, a wine-red sweater with a light floral-print wrap round the neck to keep off the lingering chill, slacks in eye-catching kimono print fabric, and warm-looking shoes. (A parka - not fashionable, but cozy looking - is on the chair's back behind her.)
Nori has not yet gotten her coffee, and as she looks out the window scenically, she is chewing lightly on the end of a plastic stir-straw held artfully between her fingers. Truth be told, part of her is anxious. What if Kyouka - what if she has something to hold against her? Or what if she scolds her? What if her attitude repels her, or she seems shallow? What if she's jealous? What if, what if -
She has already decided that Kyouka will caffeinate today for free.
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Kyouka recognized La Sirene last night from her previous encounter at Sanbu, and hadn't had a chance to talk to her yet--though last night did provide the opportunity to share some barbeque of questionable legality and exhcange phone numbers, but, well, some conversations are best had without others present. And when she got that text...
> I'll be there!
Kyouka did not skip her clubs, though she did take it just a little easy, considering the rather late night she had already. But she did have to stop by her house to take care of her dog, which also gave her the opportunity to change, and it was all conveniently sort of on the way anyway.
Kyouka has not been to Yamanote area much, and her appearance perhaps suggests a bit that this isn't her native territory, to to speak, as it might be for some of her peers. She's certainly not nearly as fashionable as some of the styles that get displayed in the trendy district. Not completely, anyway. Dyed black hair with purple streaks, kept in a deliverately messy style, a favorite (read: well-worn) dark purple parka, black t-shirt, blue flannel shirt, black jeans and comfrtable (read: also well-worn, but also warm) hiking boots.
Though she will admit she does see a thing or two that does catch her eye as she makes her way through.
She's got her phone and the address to guide her, and Nori can see her making her way up the street, stopping to check out the outside of the shop--there's a smile and a nodding in approval at some aspect of its exterior, and then she steps inside.
She likes meeting new people, and has rapidly gotten used to the idea that she shares a common cause with the other MGs she meets, so she isn't as concerned about the meeting... for the most part. This is still a pretty trendy area of town, so her concerns are more about not fitting in, not knowing the local zeitgeist, and... well, all of the stuff she's been worrying about how to fit in since she got to Japan.
She speaks the language fluently, looks mostly Japanese, but there's still... a little bit of an accent, a bit of her body language that doesn't read as native despite looking it, that makes her stick out just a bit.
But she grins as she spots Nori and heads over, taking a seat. "Hey! Thanks for inviting me. How're you?"
<Pose Tracker> Nori Ankou [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
Nori watches Kyouka approach. There are many little signs, although Nori does not speak of them; they all sink inwards, even if the blue flannel suggests that despite her hopes and dreams for a red future of the world, she may face a blue princess, even so...
But that's alright.
That not-quite-fitting is something that tickles the back of Nori's thoughts. Nori, to all appearances, is a perfectly ordinary if slightly affected young Japanese girl, although her growing height and some subtle aspects of her features might suggest she is not entirely of Japanese ancestry. But she is only different enough to be *stunning* - perhaps it saves on makeup for the modelling.
"You're very welcome," Nori says with a small smile. "I'm glad you could find the place. Isn't it charming? And you could smell it, coming all the way down the street..."
"I'm doing quite well," Nori says. "And yourself? Are you - I mean, are you feeling alright?" She continues despite this question, gesturing - "I thought we could order, and then perhaps enjoy our drinks upstairs." The place isn't busy, and so the implication might be: in privacy.
"Would that be alright?" Nori says, her voice just a little smaller, almost tentative.
(And, should Kyouka accept, to the counter they go - and Nori will casually arrange for her own card to carry the burden.)
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Is, in fact, an Aohime member, though the doesn't really dress exclusively in their fashion--she loves her old parka and boots too much, after all. But she's honestly not that much of a clotheshorse regardless, dressed more for comfort than style.
Kyouka's got just a little bit of height on her too. A couple inches over average. Must be those American genetics.
"Yeah, those are old, like, cargo caontainers or something, right? That's honestly kind of a cool look. And that's a cool idea, repurposing something like that, too. And definitely. I don't always drink coffee but I will admit, that smell is awfully enticing..."
Kyouka glances around as Nori asks how she's feeling--then gives a little bit of a shrug. "I mean... mostly. Kind of tired, but, well... I am running a little short on sleep, so you know." She nods, "Of course. Though, I'm not used to getting coffee in a place this... upscale. Got any recommendations?"
She follows Nori over to the counter, chats with her and the attendant, and picks one of the house specials to give a try. She doesn't object to Nori paying for the drinks.
<Pose Tracker> Nori Ankou [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
"They are," Nori concurs. "Aren't they lovely? I thought it makes the building so stark and dramatic, and it gives it this wonderful character... and see how bright it is!" The short walls are often entirely made of window glass, now. And then, laughing, she says, "For this, I think you should choose whatever you might like. I can speak at length about coffee later, but I do not want to overwhelm you..."
After paying, Nori and Kyouka receive lattes... with ART.
Kyouka has a delicately elaborate snowflake.
Nori has a moon with seven stars, a Pleiadic conglomeration. She gets out her phone, taking a picture of it almost immediately. After this, and when any additional sweets have been chosen and paid for, Nori says, "Shall we head upstairs...?"
It is only when they are partway up the staircase that Nori says, "This place reminds me of how they build in my home. My real home, I should say." Around the next stairwell... in the seating space on the second floor, there is one person listening to audibly-perceptible earbuds while typing on his notebook and facing away from them, and so Nori chooses a seat in the *other* window, which is sunnier anyway.
While setting down, she says, "I meant what I had said- thank you- you were... I mean, it was terribly brave of you to do that. The other night, I mean to say." She laughs; "I'm sorry, I'm not always the most eloquent."
Nori Ankou has partially disconnected.
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Kyouka doesn't frequent a lot of coffee shops, but she has heard the stereotype of a dark and moody one... and the extra lighting is kind of pleasant, not that she would have necessarily minded the former. "Using the containers kind of helps them make the best use of their small amount of property they have to work with too," she observes.
She grins a little as Nori promises to speak at length on coffee another time. "I'll look forward to that. I like learning about what people are into."
And so she winds up with a latte, and--surprise art, apparently. She blinks a little, looking at hers curiously, but when she sees Nori rushing to take a picture, she does the same. Her phone is a bit dinged up in places, and a few years old, but apparently still ticking along.
She also picks up a muffin to go with her latte before they head upstairs. "Lead the way."
That note about building methods--that catches her interest. "Oh? Are you not from Japan?" That has her interest. Though she's thinking a foreign country (probably) or, admittedly, alien (which seems less likely, but then again, she knows at least two, so she can't rule it out.) "I'm... well, I'm a U.S. citizen but I'm not really from there. Family moves around a lot."
She also notes the person on their laptop, but doesn't object to moving to where they're behind him, though she does keep half an eye on him, just in case.
And at that compliment, she blushes a little. "Aww... I mean, you're welcome, but... well, I just... did what I thought needed to be done, you know? Besides, I should thank you all for... well, covering for me in turn, you know?" She looks down at her latte. "I think I... might've felt a little bit of the... effort," she says, in a slightly euphemistic way, "everyone put in..."
She takes a sip of her latte, and her eyebrows raise up as she considers the flavor. Unfamiliar... but not bad, so far.
<Pose Tracker> Nori Ankou [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
They all do that, it seems.
Nori's phone is not quite brand new, but very near. It may just be a matter of time. Even models can't always get the newest model day-of, right?
"Well," Nori says as she sets down, "I was born in Japan, but ultimately I am from another world." This seems to make her swell slightly, as if in pride. "It is not America, though I have, met others who came from islands near to America. It is the Sea of Tears; it is a place that is very far away, it is not easy to reach."
She raises the biscotti that she purchased and gently dips it into her latte, spearing the moon.
"I understand what you mean. It... moments like that, you remember them," la Sirene says, from behind Nori Ankou's face, but it's Nori who continues to speak: "and you should take your time. Many of us, who you have met, we know what it is like. In the general if not the particular, I should say. That ogre, though, ugh. Uugh! And to think, it might come back, in the future? Hopefully not for a very long time!"
She raises the biscotti to nibble the softened part.
"How long have you been doing-- this?"
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Another world. So... alien after all, then. Well okay then. There is a little surprise on Kyouka's face, but not that much. She understands what it's like to be 'from' a place that you weren't born in. America, as she thinks about most often, but in many ways, Japan, too.
"Sea of Tears, huh? That's an evocative name." Said without judgement, just appreciating it for what it is.
"Yeah, it's... I won't be forgetting it soon, that's for sure," says Kyouka as she carefully tears off a piece of the muffin, and pops it into her mouth. She nods as Nori mentions many of them know what it's like, her thoughts turning briefly to her friend Setsuna. "Hmm. Yeah, I imagine if you've been at this long enough..."
She shakes her head, "Yeah, my first real fight was against an ogre, actually, though... it was much less intelligent than the one we fought. For a while now I've thought fighting another ogre might not be so bad, given some of the other encounters I've had, but... I think I might be rethinking that a bit."
She takes a deep breath. "Mmm... about three weeks or so, I think? I, well... I only moved to Japan a couple months ago, so... still... adjusting to a lot. What about you?"
<Pose Tracker> Nori Ankou [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
"It is," Nori says, with a shy little smile.
She takes a deep breath and lets it out. "Well, the question I suppose isn't how good or how bad it is... It's important to take these things in their stride. Um. I don't think that I have a lot of specific advice, though if you have any questions, I mean, do feel free."
Moving is a bigger story. Easier to talk about. How can she just tell Kyouka about the Queens? About the ruins of Luxor? About the tragically luxurious boardwalk? The images live behind her eyes, and doubtless live elsewhere (barring unexpected massive disaster).
But moving --
"Oh! Your Japanese is tremendously good," Nori says. "I haven't really ever been abroad on Earth, so it's difficult for me to understand... I understand Sapporo is more like a Western city than Tokyo in some ways, but that might also just be the sort of thing you hear from the tourism boards. How do you like it? The winter's a little drab in Tokyo..."
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Kyouka chuckles a little when Nori says it's best to take things in stride. "Yeah, it's... well, I guess I'm used to taking things as they come. All that moving, I suppose..." She does contemplate questions for a moment. "Oh, something I meant to ask. What was that thing you were doing, in Sanbu, with your gloves? I think I remember you chanting something...? But it got so hectic that I never got a chance to ask."
Probably a tad more specific than Nori was intending, but still!
Kyouka loves seeing the world. Seeing other worlds might be even more interesting but... well, such things are naturally a bit harder to do. Can't book a plane ticket for an alien planet, after all.
Kyouka smiles at the compliment, "Oh, thanks! Yeah, my Mom is originally from Japan, and she also taught me growing up. Also taught me about Japanese culture, wanted me to be aware of my roots and all that. She actually homeschooled me most of my life, but now she's teaching at Ohtori. I'm at Juuban, though. I have had to pick up some of the modern slang myself, though..."
"But I'm actually enjoying it quite a bit!" she continues. "I, well, kinda love exploring new places, so there's been a whole lot to see. And lots of new food to try, too!" She looks thoughtful for a moment as she sips at her latte some more. "I had to do a lot of convincing to get my parents to let me enroll in a regular school, and all I really wanted was just to... make some friends and have a place that felt like home for a while. And then... I discovered magic existed, so... in a way, I kinda got my wish to make friends, I guess."
<Pose Tracker> Nori Ankou [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
"Oh!" Nori says. "Well,"
and she has to pause to collect her thoughts. The Moon is speared again by the biscotti. "Hm... this is a little complex... the Pharos, the lantern that I bear at my hip there, it provides a sort of flow for the glow of light from beneath the Sea of Tears. It's not quite light, of course. The black diamonds - they're from the Sea of Tears, did you know? I mean, all of them are - anyway, they are able to, what's the word..."
Think, think. "Refract! To refract the light, and focus it. So I can kind of bounce it back and forth."
"It's good for those situations." NOW Nori raises her drink to her lips and takes a sip, raising her eyebrows as she asks, "Homeschooling? You mean she taught you at home...? Were you on a journey or...?" It's not something, perhaps, that Nori has encountered! Even on the Sea of Tears? (Don't ask how long she's actually spent there.)
"Tokyo is beautiful," Nori says with a smile. "There's so much to see and find here. All sorts of things! I feel bad, honestly, when I see a busful of tourists or something like that. It's like they're tasting a vast soup..."
Nori then laughs, small, sudden, genuine. "Friends--? Oh; I know what you mean. I... Well, I suppose you would have had difficulty making friends if you were always at home instead of going to school!" From Nori's expression, she does not expect this to be the case; but it's a polite reason, a reason that hides the sorrow.
"Though," her head tilts, "did you not want to attend Ohtori? I mean I don't blame you some days, but I would think, if your mother is an instructor..."
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Kyouka looks keenly interested as Nori gives her explanation, especially since it involves some details about the Sea of Tears. "Light from under the Sea of Tears, huh...? Interesting..." Seas, not usually known for their brightness down in the depths, but who knows how an alien sea works?
Besides, she's got an alien magical device strapped to her wrist, so she who is she to argue?
"How did you find out about your real home, anyway?" she asks, as a follow-up.
"Oh! Well, my dad's in the military, so we're always going from base to base in different countries. Not always a school around in a language I can speak, sooo... my mom's a teacher, so she taught me. She always said the Japanese standards were better, so that's what she used for me, too. Buuut, it did come in handy when we came here. Dad's still on base, but Mom and I are in a house over in the Shitamachi area, near Juuban."
Kyouka smiles and nods, "Yeah, it is. I love the outdoors, and there's some beautiful landscapes around here, but it's also just so fascinating seeing all the culture up close and personal, you know?" She chuckles a little bit. "I mean, I still feel like a tourist myself, some days... Just... on a slightly longer timetable, than most, I guess..."
"I mean, the making isn't the hard part, it's..." She pauses a little. "Well, I guess a little bit that, but also just... keeping them. I'm still writing letters and e-mails to a bunch of the people I know, but... it's not the same. And even then I still kinda stuck out, you know? But here... Well, I mostly fit in anyway, and then being what we are... having that shared connection makes me feel like we have this certain bond, which is nice."
But at that last question she laughs a bit. "Sorry, I shouldn't laugh, it's a good question, it's just... How do I put it. Well, for one, my mother and I haven't always seen eye to eye on things." She makes a little face at a recent memory. "She actually pushed me to go to Ohtori, but... all my life I've always wanted to go to the US and just attend a regular school. Juuban's not quite a Western school, but... it just felt the most like the schools I'd wanted to attend, you know? Besides, erm, and no offense, she fits in with all that high society stuff. Me, not so much."
<Pose Tracker> Nori Ankou [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
"Yes," Nori says. "It's not exactly light, of course."
Ah, so it's like that, huh? That explains everything.
no it doesn't
"Mm... well, some of it's a little personal... but I went out to sea in a storm, because I was very sad," Nori says, "and our house was very near the sea anyway, and instead of being smashed to little bitty pieces, like I had sort of imagined would happen, I went all the way to the Sea of Tears! That's how you get there, you see; you have to sail into a storm in just the right way."
"Ahh," Nori says, with a thoughtful frown. "Do you speak English?" A little more sadly, she asks, "Do you think that you will have to move along before too long...?"
"I've thought there must be a lot of fun, in the ordinary places," Nori muses. "That must sound really stuck up of me... but I suppose I mean, I came here from Sapporo, to go to Ohtori, and it's only been a little bit that I've been able to unfold myself. It sounds like you've been spreading your wings for quite some time."
"What other countries have you been to?"
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
'Not exactly light'. Oh, well then it doesn't have to obey physics, she supposes. So that's fine. (Also, you know, magic.)
Kyouka frowns a little as Nori describes... sailing out into a storm, and expecting to get dashed on the rocks. "Damn... sorry, I didn't mean to pry into something so personal unintentionally... Still... I'm glad you made it through that experience, even if it sounded like that happened unexpectedly."
She grins a little, and switches into English. "((I sure do. My dad's American, so... Pretty much grew up bilingual. How about you?))" She knows English is part of the cirriculum here--it's probably her best subject, besides PE, though that's hardly fair on her part. But she switches back to Japanese. "Plus a bunch of phrases here and there in other languages."
That followup question does make her frown, and she uses a long sip of her latte as an excuse to avoid answering. But finally... "I dunno. I hope not... After how hard I fought to go to school here, I'm... hoping I get to be here for a while, but I guess my dad could always be posted elsewhere at any time. There's so much to do here, and that's not even counting fighting the good fight. I don't wanna lose all my new friends, and if something happens and I'm not around to help..."
Kyouka chuckles, "Maaaybe just a bit," she admits, on the issue of sounding stuck up. "Though, I'm curious, what do you do for fun, anyway? And what's Sapporo like? I recognize the name, but... I'm still getting to know Tokyo so I haven't read up on the other nearby locales."
And to the observation about spreading her wings she nods. "Yeah, I guess you can say that. I've always been... well, I try new things everywhere, new foods, seeing new places, camping out under some of the most beautiful night skies you'll ever see. ... On Earth, at least," she adds after a moment. "But... well, I guess I missed some stuff, too, you know?"
"Oh, let's see... Germany, Italy, South Korea, we've bounced around a bunch of the Latin American contries...
<Pose Tracker> Nori Ankou [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
"((Oh! Wow! Good English,))" Nori replies to Kyouka, eyes widening. She touches her own collarbone: "I know some French, myself..."
She takes a deep breath and lets it out. So what DOES she do for fun. That's a good question. "Well, I enjoy spending time with -- animals; and of course I do not always have a ton of free time. I played games on my phone for a while, though I'm terribly behind... Let's see... I also enjoy simply doing things LIKE this. I suppose that isn't that glamorous of me to say, is it?" She smiles, then.
It is a mildly glamorous smile.
She has clearly studied model work to *some* extent; it's not all talent and height.
"Sapporo is... hm. It's difficult to say," Nori says, "because it's sort of either-or. It's not that different from Tokyo in some ways, but the air is very different. You know? It's the weather, I think, ultimately. You know I am sure that Japan has four seasons? Well, they hit differently in Sapporo. Sometimes - I've seen this myself - there are *meters* of snow. Not near Sapporo usually, of course, but further inland..."
Pursing her lips, Nori says in thought, "What did you see, under those skies?"
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
"((Well, I kind of grew up speaking it, so I'd hope so,))" she says with a small laugh, but smiles and takes the compliment anyway. "But thank you!" She looks interested when you mention you speak French, and concentrates for a moment. "Tu... parles francais?" She's asking a question, of course, but her voice is even more questioning than that, since she's not entirely sure she said all that correctly.
A purist would probably scoff at her attempt, but the meaning is clear.
"That's about all I know, though," she adds hurridly. "Well, that and how to ask where the bathroom is. It's useful being able to figure out what language a person knows, though."
"Oh, animals? Cool! I've got a pet dog at home. Wolfy. Been my best friend since... I was bout 7 or 8." She nods in sympathy about not having a lot of free time. "Ah. Your studies keep you busy or... work?" A beat. "Or... work?" she asks, with extra emphasis. That other type of work.
"Haven't played a lot of video games, but... Mikoto did show me this one dancing game at the arcade, it was kinda fun." She grins at the mention hof conversation. "Hey, glamorous or not, this is nice. I'm glad you invited me out. This is... well, one of the things I'd hope to do here. Get to make more friends."
She nods as Nori explains about Sapporo. "Yeah... sometimes the weather can do that... Any time you change hemispheres, too, you get wildly different weather than what you were just in, you know?"
Under those skies... "Oh... lots of things..." She looks out the window a little as she ponders. "All kinds of different people, all kinds of different cultures... So many different ways people live their lives, the things they prioritize like traditions or food... Some days I wish I could just spend all my time traveling just to see all the new and interesting places out there..."
She looks back to Nori, "Though, sometimes, it's nice to have a place to hang my hat, too."
<Pose Tracker> Nori Ankou [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
"Oui oui," Nori agrees. She then continues in -
- well -
It *sounds* like French, and Kyouka may not know it to not be French, but it's actually a French-based creole language from somewhere else. "((It's what they speak in my mother country; the change of language is a very rare thing, it's only happened several times in when they have records.))"
But she returns to Japanese in time to hear about: "Wolfy?? Oh! Do you have a picture!"
And then with a mild, weak smile, she says, "It's both of them. I have a lot of commitments, I suppose, but they make me very happy, once I take everything on balance, so you cannot complain too hard, n'esct ce pas?" That was probably correct.
"What is the furthest south you have ever gone? Have you seen penguins? I mean in the wild," Nori asks, with a little smile, leaning in as she says. She must not have been kidding about animals.
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Kyouka frowns a little as Nori continues in the language of her people, listening intently and trying to place it. "Sounds... kind of like... creole? But I'm not that familiar..."
But she grins and nods, "Oh, sure! Hang on." She takes her phone out, flipping through... there's the photo from a few moments ago, of the snowflake on her latte, of course, several with some of the sites around Tokyo and a few of the other magical girls, but she goes back a bit... "There!" She turns the phone to show Nori a picture of Kyouka with a Siberian Husky who appears to be barking excitedly at something. They're outdoors--there's a camping setup just visible to the side of the frame. "Here he is! He's a Siberian Husky. Guy loves the outdoors as much as I do."
She nods, "I see... I mean, on some level it's good to keep busy. I don't really have a job, but... I've been taking care of the house a lot. Mom's got a longer commute than I do, so I'm trying to help out. And... well, training, too... Regular training in the morning, and, ah, other training at night, so... What is it you do for work, if you don't mind me asking?"
Kyouka grins and shakes her head a little. "Nah, not quite that far, sadly. I've been to South America, though. Let's see, where exactly were we...." She thinks for a moment. "Sorry, I've got a journal at home with all the places, but after a while it gets hard to keep track of."
<Pose Tracker> Nori Ankou [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
Nori pauses for a moment in thought. "Does it? Well," she says, "I suppose that there is an accent, to be sure!"
Nori is in for a surprise when she tries to take a French class.
But there is something far greater on hand. As Kyouka searches Nori sneaks a sip of her coffee - it's been a minute, hasn't it? - and then she leans forwards to see that big fluffy dog and "Oh!! He's so handsome!! I bet he would adore the snows up in Sapporo. You were camping, too...? What is that like! I haven't ever gone, except -- well, once there was an accident and I had to hide in a sea cave for a bit."
A beat passes. "Just bad weather," Nori says, even though this was absolutely a military invasion of the Ohtori institute.
Is that bad weather?
"I work for the AoAka design label," Nori says. "You may have seen posters? I can help you get one of the discount cards if you want, as a person at the Sister Schools you are entitled-- but I mean, I model some of it. It sounds like it's easy, and, well, sometimes it is, but it's also a different sort of endurance."
"Mm," Nori says. "... Perhaps you can tell me later." She smiles, hesitantly.
"I haven't travelled much overseas on Earth," Nori says. "Hawaii once, when I was very small. About six years old. I don't think my mother cared for it. I know that that's rather unusual to say, isn't it?"
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
"I mean, I think? I've heard a lot of languages, but I'm hardly an expert, so..."
Kyouka grins as Nori looks over the picture of Wolfy. "He really is. Energetic, loveable, and, like I said, loves the outdoors. And yeah, this was the last trip I got to go on with my dad--I got my love of camping from him, actually. I wish we got to go more often, but, well, duty calls and all that. But yeah, it's fun. Being outside, in the fresh air, catching fresh fish for dinner, getting to take in the views... it's the best."
She looks at Nori curiously when she says she had to hide in a sea cave. "... Oh. Well, I hope that wasn't too stressful or anything, then."
"Oh! I've heard of that," she says, in a way as if it makes it sound like not everyone has--to be fair, she hadn't, until a few weeks ago. "Yumi-chan and Shimanouchi-chan got me signed up for a card already... I, er, had to go dress shopping so I'd have something to wear to a dinner my mom got invited to, so... Didn't really have..." There's a bit of a blush. "We tend to pack light, and I don't wear them that often, so I didn't really have anything suitable..."
"Oh, you're a model? Cool. I, uh..." She looks down at herself. She's not really wearing any AoAka stuff, and while the shirt and jeans are new, the parka and boots definitely aren't. "Not really the most... fashionable person, I guess." There's a bit of a self-consciousness there, all of a sudden.
Kyouka blinks and nods. "Huh. Yeah, kinda. That's just one of... those kinda places. Kinda like saying you went to Paris or New York and weren't impressed or something."
<Pose Tracker> Nori Ankou [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
"Oh-- I wish I knew my father better," Nori muses. "He's always busy with business."
She looks up at Kyouka. "Do you want to know the secret? It's crab. If you're ever in the supermarket, check the frozen section for the crab dumplings. That always seems to be in stock! (They are good, so I assume it's just popular...)"
Having advertised the family affair, Nori folds her hands. "Oh that's lovely. What dress did you pick? Tell me about it --"
And then she smiles. "I think you're giving off a very honest image with how you look. Open, earnest, rather 'rough and ready' if that makes sense... and you like the outdoors! Of course you can dress however you want, but you may understand more about fashion than you think..."
"Yes," Nori says, tilting her head. "I wonder if something bad happened? We don't really speak... She may have just not liked it. I don't really remember it... What I remember was a lot like when we went on our school trip to Okinawa and that was very similar. Which I suppose is logical, really, but then why go all the way to Hawaii?"
Nori Ankou has never had the plate lunch
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Kyouka shares a nod of understanding. "Yeah... Right now he's living on base while Mom and I are in the city, so I can attend school more easily, so... I'm seeing even less of him than usual. ... Doesn't help that I've got an actual school schedule now too, I guess."
She frowns a little bit. "I mean, sure, but... there's really nothing that compares to catching your own dinner and cooking it... Though..." She looks thoughtful for a moment. "... I don't think crabs are usually catchable in rivers, but I should check..."
"Oh, well... hang on..." She flips through her phone and then turns it to show the other girl. "Here." It's a dark blue, with a halter top that shows off her arms and upper back, a cluster of sequins on the bodice that spread outwards in roughly concentric circles, but they overlap in a way to give the impression of ripples on the ocean. With her arms and upper back bare it's clear she works out--she's not bulky but there's some pretty clear definition, and the dress fits her more or less perfectly. "It's, ah, this one. Mom got invited to dinner with the headmaster, she wanted the whole family along, so..."
She blinks a little at Nori's assessment and actually looks a little surprised by it. She looks down at herself. "I mean, 'rough and ready' is my kind of thing, I just..." She looks up to Nori. "You really think my look is honest? I've... never really thought that anyone could ever accuse me of understanding fashion." She looks down at her cup, taking a sip from it as she thinks.
"I mean, you're the model, so I'll defer to your judgement, it's just... I dunno." She looks out the window. "The only skirts I own go with my school uniform. I've spent so much of my life traipsing all over the globe and playing sports and camping that... it feels like I missed learning about stuff like... fashion and makeup."
She looks a little disappointed when she hears Nori and her mother don't speak. "I mean, similar's not the exact same. And I guess if she had a bad time, then it may hae soured her experience. Which is kinda unfortunate..."
<Pose Tracker> Nori Ankou [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
She's AoHime. And Nori sees that and -
She smiles;
And she looks up to say, "Yes! Of course it is." She picks up her coffee cup, holding it in both hands. "Fashion isn't some esoteric art... it's about expressing yourself with what you wear. You can do it with anything, though of course some things are easier to express than others."
She sips her coffee. "Eheh... Well, I don't know all of the details, with fashion... I know enough to describe what I am wearing, and I'm picking up some things as I go along."
"That's quite true," Nori muses. "Perhaps one day I'll ask her." she won't
After a sip of her coffee, Nori asks, "You're fond of crabs? I mean as an animal, not - food."
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Kyouka did sign up with Aohime--it seemed closest to her style, though she's still not sure she's 100% found her footing with it. There are some things to figure out, still.
When Nori looks up she turns the phone towards herself again, looking at it and contemplating the photo. "Yeah, I think Yumi said something about it being expressing yourself, too... I dunno. I always kind of thought I expressed myself through action, and that the clothes were just to facilitate that, I guess." She sighs and puts the phone down so she can take another piece of her muffin to pop it into her mouth.
She rests her cheek on her hand as she keeps contemplating. "I dunno. The part of me that likes trying new things also kiiiind of wants to try something new with my look... And there's a part of me that wants to try fitting in better, too. Still, I found a dress that looked nice and it made my mom happy, but... it didn't feel like me, you know? So I dunno where to go from there."
Kyouka sighs, "Sorry, you don't need to listen to my personal issues. Um... I'm curious, how'd you get started with modeling?"
She blinks at the question. "I mean, sure? They can be kinda cute? I'll be honest, I 'm way more familiar with woodland animals, just... camping, you know?"
<Pose Tracker> Nori Ankou [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
"Hmmm-mm-mm," Nori says, thoughtfully. "Well, if the dress pleases you and ALSO her, that's good, but if it pleases only her, then that's not good; I suppose you might do something to please someone, for a wedding or a memorial, but..."
Another sip of her coffee. "I'm glad to hear it!" Nori says. "What kind of a look would you enjoy?"
And then there is the question of how she got started in modelling.
"You know," Nori says, "I don't quite recall. But I believe that AoHime's ambassador recommended me. I was very flattered at the time... I didn't think that she saw that kind of thing in me. She goes to Ohtori - or, well, she went to Ohtori at the time when she invited me."
After a moment, Nori says, "Camping? You mean like staying at a lodge? Or a mountain hotel or a ryokan?"
does she not know
what camping is
She smiles a little, because no, she does, but -- for FUN?? What an idea.
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
"I mean... I didn't hate it, but... that's... hardly a ringing endorsement, yannow? Might've helped that I went shopping with friends instead of my mom, at least. Though, to be honest... I know how hard my parents are working in order to let me go attend a normal school and life a normal life, so... Wearing a dress for an evening to make my mom happy at a dinner party that was important to her wasn't the worst thing in the world..."
"I'm not sure. I try looking at the racks or online sometimes nd it's just... a lot to take in. Yumi-chan and Shimanouchi-chan seemed to be hinting at something, but also wanted to let me discover it on my own so... Dunno. Not sure where to start looking for different options. I kinda like this kinda stuff--" she gestures to herself "--but it's not like I could wear this to a dinner party or something."
"Aohime... ambassador? Oh, so... does she only wear Aohime stuff? Do you only model one of the two lines?"
Someone really is learning everything from the ground up, it seems.
"What? No, not like that. I mean, I'd love to give those a try sometime, but I'm talking like... camping camping. Like with a tent and a sleeping bag. Making my own campfire, all that. It's pretty fun! ... Though I will admit, it's not everyone's cup of tea."
That... might go a long way to explaining her 'rough and ready' look.
<Pose Tracker> Nori Ankou [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
Nori looks sympathetic, if abstractly, to what Kyouka says. She may not understand material want, but she understands mothers.
"Well," Nori muses, "there are styles and there are styles..."
"Yes," Nori says. "I am AkaMira," what a way to put it, "and she is AoHime. I would be jealous of her being a princess, but I think to be a future is pretty good, don't you think?"
Nori's face gets a little blanker.
"But -- you can't just start a fire," Nori says. "I mean, I suppose you can, but... isn't that illegal??"
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
"Lots of styles, sure, but... it's not like I grew up in any one place long enough to absorb everything... and it all changed the next place I moved anyway, so..." She shrugs a little. "What's a style for a girl who doesn't like skirts and dresses?" she asks, somewhat rhetorically.
She blinks at that statement. "You... are AkaMira. Oh. Oh." Seems like somehow gets it. "I see. And... sure. I guess there's something to it. Got a cool ring to it, at the very least."
"Sure you can, it's easy, even if you don't allow yourself to use matches or a firestarter." She laughs a little, "Wellll, that is a bit dependent on the local laws, and sometimes you have to camp in the proper areas. But uaully the issues arise when you let the fires get out of control. Proper fire safety can ensure it doesn't, though. A small firepit can be perfectly safe."
<Pose Tracker> Nori Ankou [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
"It's meant to be a sort of general idea," Nori says with a smile. "But I like it, even if they tell me that sometimes it's a little spooky..."
"Hm!" she then says, "as for style, if you *hate* skirts and dresses that does close some options, but you don't have to dress like a boy, either. (Though it's okay if you want to.) I suppose I would ask you what you would like other people to see in you, when they look at you. Could you tell me a little more there...?"
And as for fire...
"Oh... I see, like a charcoal grill but with wood?" Nori says. "I've never really... I mean, hotels in the woods, certainly, but that's different, it sounds like. Those have had fire pits at times, like in the lobby?"
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
"I mean, hate is a strong word, I just... never wore a lot of them. I spent most of my time outdoors playing sports, or exploring the outdoors. Camping, hiking, rock climbing, all of that kind of stuff, so a skirt or a dress was never really the most practical thing to wear. So now they're just... kind of foreign to me."
That comment about dressing like a boy does get an eyebrow raise from her, and she contemplates that for a moment. "Oh, gosh. That's... that's a question. More contemplation ensues, with some sips of her latte. "I spend most of my time not caring about how I look to other people, I suppose... Spent a lot of time proving I was just as tough or capable as the guys at whatever sport was popular in the area. So... I dunno. Tough, but not like, macho tough. Umm... I like to think I'm friendly, I like sports and doing stuff outdoors..."
She looks at Nori a little uncertainly. "Is... any of this helping?"
"I mean, kind of, but not..." Kyouka frowns, trying to think of how to explain. "Think more basic. Like, you take a shovel, you dig a small hole in the ground, and you start your fire in there. And then you can use it for light, for heat, for cooking, whatever you need."
<Pose Tracker> Nori Ankou [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
"Hmmmmm," Nori muses.
"It is," she says, "but I will admit to you right now that I am not the best at this. I have learned a lot from Tsuru but I have not learned *every*thing. I do think that you chose well, though, when you went to AoHime... they have a better outdoors line." She takes a deep breath then and lets it out.
'-'
"Really...? But what if it gets out? You might set the entire forest on fire if it wasn't damp, that would be awful! Like in America!" Yeah, it ends up on the news. "Does it really work to keep you warm like that? I suppose in the distant past, it must have, or every human of that time would have frozen..."
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Kyouka, oddly enough, smiles a bit as Nori admits that she isn't the best at this. "Hey, you're bound to be better at this than I am. 'Sides, I don't mind getting multiple points of views on things. Wisdom taken from a single source grows stale and all that."
She does nod, when Nori mentions she chose well. "Yeah, I kind of got that impression, too. And it seemed meant for layering, too? Which honestly kind of appeals to the practical part of me. Layering's very handy when you're dealing with uncertain weather."
She shakes her head a little. "That's why you put it in a pit, to help contain the embers. And why you don't leave it unattended. Besides, not as big a problem, normally, as in places like California, if you're not dealing with extreme drought conditions all the time."
There's a moment of thought. "I heard somewhere that agressively fighting forest fires actually makes things worse, if you believe it? Natural fires can clear out a lot of the dead brush and kindling, but if you fight them too agressively, they build up, so the next fire is going to be even worse."
<Pose Tracker> Nori Ankou [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
"A great many things in AkaMira are thicker than you might expect for ladies' clothing," Nori says, "but it's true that layering is important, and I can see how in the weather and everything it would be quite a concern... though, could you go camping in the areas nearer the equator, I wonder...?"
Blink, blink, blink, and Nori says, "Really? That's... So strange to think, but I know that nature can make use of anything that's there. Like hermit crabs with glassy shells, or -- well, the example wouldn't make sense..."
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
"Really? Huh," she says, of the ladies' clothes being thicker than expected. "Well, if I understand it correctly, I'm kind of locked into Aohime anyway, so..."
She shrugs a little. "I mean, I don't see why not. Just need the right preparation, you know? I haven't done it, but there's people that go camping in the desert. Which admittedly does sound kind of interesting, but it's hard enough for my dad to get the time off for a normal camping trip as it is, so..."
"It sure can... actually, there's a number of species that have evolved to use fire as part of their life cycle. There's some cones that only open up from the heat of a fire, or when fire has cleared out some vegettion to allow a particular type of seed to get some needed sunlight."
She nods, "Yep, like that." She tilts her head a little. "Or...?" she asks. "Try me, I'm game."
<Pose Tracker> Nori Ankou [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
"In the desert...?" Nori says. The desert seems like a very abstract question to Nori, but perhaps it's understandable. After all, she has spent time in her life in
* Japan, not a place noted for low rainfall
* Okinawa (in Japan), sunny but definitely not a desert
* Hokkaido, which is perhaps a LITTLE dryer than the Kanto region and gets cold, but again --
* Hawaii apparently
* The Sea of Tears (another planet)
And probably has never actually felt dry skin.
One day she'll find out... perhaps in scenic Los Angeles.
"Mm," Nori says. "Well..."
"The water in the Sea of Tears is quite salty," Nori says; "but it is less than you might expect. What I was told is that it is in fact perhaps, on average, a quarter of the saltiness as you might expect from a proper ocean here on Earth, or on some other worlds... You would not want to drink it, but it is *different* from the water here. Neither salt nor fresh, as such."
Nori considers.
"There is a very clever fish which has learned how to secrete the salt it must swallow as it breathes into its tongue, rather than try to learn how to live like a seaward fish does. That quarter-portion of salt gets concentrated... and then, flick! A little smear of salt!"
"Now that doesn't sound like much, does it?" Nori says. "But imagine it licking this around a little nook in stone. Some kind of chemistry keeps the algae from growing over its eggs - but in time it becomes something much more friendly, as the -- atoms or something leach out. So there are these great bubbly *reefs*, which do have coral grow on them but are quite distinct *from* coral by their shape..."
"And it's all because a fish learned to push salt out of its tongue," Nori concludes. Her eyes widen.
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
"Oh sure," says Kyouka, of desert camping. "You have to be equipped to handle the heat, of course, but you also have to be equiped to handle cold. Temperatures in a desert can plummet drastically at night, so you need to make sure to pack both sunscreen and a sleeping bag."
And she's saying all of this with a perfectly straight face as if it was a totally normal thing, regardless of how her conversation partner might view it.
She listens with rapt fascination as Nori describes a most unusual fish, seemingly hanging on every word. "Amazing," she murmurs when Nori finishes. "I... think some marsh plants secrete excess salt, too, but... I've never heard of salt reefs. That sounds like a sight to see."
She ponders that for a moment. "Standing on the shores of an alien world. Now that's an adventure..."
She notices Nori's eyes widen and blinks, glancing around to make sure they haven't been spotted or eavesdropped on. "Everything okay?"
<Pose Tracker> Nori Ankou [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
"I suppose that that makes sense," Nori muses. "Sunscreen's important in snow too, you know. A lot of people get taken by surprise with that when they go skiing..." She takes another nibble of her sweet, which is getting rather scanty. "Huh! I wonder if some islands have plants like that. I never really had the chance to travel... but I don't want to burden you with all of my own cares."
She then blinks for a moment, before thinking, and putting things together -- "Oh! I mean that they're really impressive. I wish I had a photo to show you. If I ever have the chance to tour again soon I will definitely bring my phone."
do they get cell service on alien planets?
"And," Nori adds, "it isn't alien to me.~ But I understand what you mean, don't worry."
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Kyouka grins and nods, "Yep, that too. Snow blindness is also a big concern, too." Nori's reference for snow being skiing... makes some sort of sense, but Kyouka's not going to knock it. "Haven't gotten to do a lot in the snow before... kinda wanna try snowboarding at some point, I bet that'd be really fun."
"Could be. There's all kinds of interesting adaptations in nature..." She chuckles, "Ah, don't worry about it. You listened to my worries, I'm more than happy to listen to yours."
She lets out a little sigh of relief as Nori clarifies. "Oh, right, okay. Sorry, guess I misread your expression or something. But yeah, that does sound impressive." A grin at the idea of photos. "I'll look forward to it."
Reception or not, the camera should at least work still, right? Probably.
Kyouka laughs a little and holds up her hands in a gesture of mock surrender. "Okay, fair enough. I guess I should work on my... Gaea-centric viewpoint?" A pause. "Terra-centric? Earth-centric doesn't sound right either..." She shakes her head. "Well, anyway. I never get tired of seeing new things, but... I've also heard travelling to other worlds is difficult so... Not raelly holding my breath on that one. Still plenty of cool stuff to see here, though."
She picks up her phone again and stats swiping through the photos. "Gotta organize these sometime," she mutters, before finding one of a vista--it seems very high up, but it encompasses a forrested valey, with a lake situated in the middle of it. "Speaking of photos..." She turns the phone to Nori. "Had to climb up a rock wall to get this shot, but it was worth it."
<Pose Tracker> Nori Ankou [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
"Snowboarding IS pretty fun," says Nori, in thought.
She may not be an expert, but when you have spare money and are in the area...
"I'm sorry," Nori continues with a fainter smile. "I suppose it's my face, isn't it? It's hard for me to express these things, sometimes..."
"No no, it's quite alright. And it is difficult, much harder than flying across the world would be - though I could also do it even if I had no money, if I could get hold of a boat, at the right time."
She cranes her head a little then. "-- Oh! Where is THAT? You really climbed up the side of a mountain!?"
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Kyouka perks up, "You've done it? Maybe you can show me a few moves sometime, then."
She shakes her head, "Nono, it was all me. I've just been... a little on edge, and I misread. You're fine."
A boat, at the right time... What was it she said, something about sailing into a storm? "That still sounds rather difficult..."
Kyouka grins, "Yep! One of the last proper camping trips my Dad and I managed to take. Here, let me show you..." She turns the phone towards herself, tapping at the screen to pull up the GPS data and then a map, and then shows Nori. "It's this place in the states called Crater Lake, in the state of Oregon."
<Pose Tracker> Nori Ankou [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
"I think that I know only two moves," Nori says, "but I COULD show you how to stand, certainly..."
"Oh! Wow... It must be strange to be so far away from the sea... It looks so beautiful though! It is itself almost like a different planet...!"
"You know," Nori muses, "I don't know if I've had a conversation like this one in quite some time..."
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
"Hey, we've all gotta start somewhere, right?"
Kyouka is used to being in all kinds of places, sea or not, but doesn't comment on that. "Yeah, it's... really something to see. Lots of interesting things to see there, too..." She's flipping through pictures, though holding the phone upside down so that they appear right-side up for Nori. Several more pictures of the lake, some of the forests, even a fair number in some caves. And her father, mother, and pet dog in a good number of them, too, as well as a few others. "We got to spend a whole week out there, it was great." She sighs nostalgically. "I really hated to leave."
"Oh yeah? And what kind of conversation would you call this?" She sets her phone down, screen unlocked, and goes for another piece of her muffin and a few more sips of her latte. "It's been fun. I'm glad we got to have a nice conversation instead of only meeting when there's some kind of disaster or emergency happening."
<Pose Tracker> Nori Ankou [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
"Ohhh - oh goodness - you even brought -- Did he climb the mountain too!?" Nori sounds dubious, but hey, anything's possible, right?
"I suppose it hasn't been easy, but these are wonderful things... it seems as though all my memories are here in Tokyo. And Tokyo is beautiful, but I don't think it's a permanent place - not like that lake is..."
But then there's a question, and a very good one. Nori blinks a couple of times and doesn't answer right away, settling back in her chair. She picks up her coffee, holding it in both hands; she takes a sip, thinks a little more, and smiles.
It's a small, occult sort of smile.
"A conversation that's friendly.~"
