Confusing the Little Girl
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Near Layer 1
The large and spacious hall is lit brightly with sunlight coming through the glass wall that overlooks the street. On the floor, four Layers are arranged in a long curve, with two chairs beside each - and most are busy and full of action, as Angels fight and onlookers cheer. You are standing within viewing distance of Layer number 1.
By the far wall of the hall corner, a counter with a terminal stands right below the railing of the upper floor, and a smiling attendant rents out the layers.
Notes First part of the scene is missing. Logging only begins when Keiichi and Saneko enter the scene.
Setsuko looks back to Kino as he introduces himself, remaining silent at length and staring blankly. She remains silent even as Kino stops speaking, and looks to Momoko with a single raised brow and a half-interested, 'is that so?' expression. "He does not sound like anyone of relevance," she informs her friend, and slips the pocketwatch from her belt, holding it on the chain secured to her corset. "Hour of the monkey," she mutters, giving her friend's bumped head a last inspection before releasing her nurse's headlock on Momoko. "Momochan, this place has too many humans in it. And I am thirsty."
Kino raises his eyebrows as she hears that they used to play a lot. The whole part about not being able to do anything is heard…but not commented on. "Well then…we shall have to do so at some point indeed. I'd be interested in knowing the level of the players in Kyoto." He smiles and then hears Setsuko's interpretation of things. "I am relevant…but only because I am the first prophet of the Goddess." He smiles brightly. He then hmms and points back towards the way he came…"Upstairs there is a cafeteria."
Keiichi makes his way into this particular layer area from one off to the left, having finished messing around there. Hands were stuffed into the pockets of his jeans, and his gaze was mostly downcast as he made his way through, pausing only when he heard Kino's voice. A faint smile cracked his lips at the comment, and his head tilted slightly to peer towards the boy, freeing a hand to offer a wave, "Oi, Kino-kun." He shifted in stance a bit, glancing towards the others, "Friends of yours?"
From pretty much out of nowhere, Saneko comes racing past Keiichi, directly at Kino. She stops short of running into him (he is, at least, spared that). "Kino-kun! Hi!" The girl bounces, then, with a giggle, and looks to the other girls. Seeing Setsuko, she blinks and seems to retreat just a tiny bit, biting her lower lip. But, a bright smile is quickly flashed, and she hops forward. "Setsuko-san!" She's quite for a moment as she reaches into the bag strung over her shoulder, and pulls out Akui, holding the little zombie geisha up for inspection. Her kimono has been completely replaced - this one is very similar, but the design is much more simple, and the needlework is /far/ superior than it had been. "See? All fixed!"
Momoko stares up at her friend, her expression almost conspiciously blank, and deadpans in response. "Setsu, he is the Jade Ninja." Eyes twinkle a little mischief as she turns back to Kino, before they blinkblink. "Oh.. which Goddess??" She steps closer to him, big brown eyes peering curiously at him. "Amaterasu? Shinatobe? Tsukiyomi?" Peerpeer. She's a little distracted when they other two come in, especially when one speaks to Setsuko, those brown eyes peering at her now. "So you DO know someone in our new school!" She nudges her friend, grinning impishly. "I'm shocked!"
Kino at least has a moment's notice when he hears Keiichi's voice. "Oh…Keiichi-san. Friends? I have no friends…" And yes, that is right when Saneko bounds up to him like the roadrunner. "Only little annoying sister-types." He reaches out and ruffles the younger girl's hair playfully. He is obviously joking around. "And how is Chiyo today?" He's talking to Saneko it seems. Then, Momoko gets in his face. "Waah? Oh, /the/ Goddess. The pure, white Goddess to be exact." That is all he says before looking back to Keiichi. "These are the two newest students in my class." Speaking of which, what animal class are we even…anyone know? Ahem… "I don't really remember their names though. I'm terrible with them."
Setsuko stares down to Setsuko as she approaches; Kino seems almost brushed aside. "Good afternoon, young lady," she greets, crouching a little to regard the Angel held aloft for her inspection. "I am pleased to see that she is properly dressed now. I hope that Akui and her garments will remain in better repair." Momoko's teasing earns a dour frown. "Miss Misaka is not a classmate, Momochan. She was a fortuitous intersection during yesterday's dowsing. Is there a reason we are still here?"
Keiichi chuckles and shakes his head a bit, "Oooh, right then. Acquaintances?" He offered the boy a wry grin before moving that freed hand to nudge at his shoulder. His eyes shifted towards Saneko, then Setsuko lifting a brow slightly. "New students and you already know them Neko-chan? Maybe I'm not keeping as close an eye on you as I ought to be." He regards the other two girls a moment before offering a shrug, and a friendly smile. He remained otherwise quiet though.
Saneko giggles as Kino musses her hair, and smiles at both Setsuko and Momoko. At Keiichi's words, she turns to him, sticking her tongue out a moment. "I only just met Setsuko-san. She was … ano … looking for dragon blood?" She looks quite confused for a moment, then, but shakes her head and smiles brightly before turning back to the girls. "Yuu-chan did a really really good job, didn't she?
Momoko blinkblinks at Kino, and steps back a moment to consider this. "It must be Amaterasu then." She nods sagely to this, and them chimes in helpfully. "I'm Kimura Momoko, and this is Shizue Setsuko." She motions to her friend, then catches her comment, and hmpfs, crossing her arms. "We're introducing ourselves to our classmates! It's a very important ritual! Now.. say hello." She puts her hands on Setsuko's back and literally shoves her forward a step. Then taps her foot expectantly, alternating peering at the ones who haven't said their names yet. You know who you are! Her attention is distracted by Saneko though, finally peering down at her angel. "Oh, how cute!"
"But they are irrelevant…" she protests, and then stumbles forward as Momoko shoves her by the corset straps. "It is a pleasure to share academic space with all of you. I look forward graduating in four years and terminating this relationship with a minimum of bloodshed," she advises the assembled 14-year olds, then crouches slightly again to join Momoko in fussing at Saneko's angel. "Your Yuu-chan is indeed a skilled seamstress. Her kimono is stitched in the Kanagawa manner. Yokohama?" she inquires.
Kino holds out a hand to Saneko and asks, "Can I see Akui-san Chiyo?" He wants to take a closer look at the alterations to the kimono. "So Keiichi-san did not do the tailoring this time?" His eyes just barely look up from the angel to glance at Keiici. Kino doesn't seem to mind the nudge…and while he looks like he may nudge the boy back…for now his attention remains focused on Akui. Then he looks up to Momoko and laughs. "Hai, very important ritual. Otherwise I might mug you in the hallway and not realize my error." He grins innocently…though who knows if he is kidding or not. Kino sighs as he realizes his manners…and goes to open his mouth. He takes one look at Saneko and Keiichi and then closes his mouth. He's not one for manners…pfft, they can speak for themselves heh. Setsuko's mention of bloodshed makes Kino grin. "But where is the fun in being classmates if there is no fighting?"
Keiichi says, "Ano… dragon… blood?" Keiichi blinks for a moment, then shrugs. "Nevermind, I don't really need to know about that I think…" He then tilts his head slightly as Momoko and Setsuko introduce themselves, that smile remaining. "Misaka Keiichi, though if you're classmates of Kino-kun here, I'm not in your grade. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." His hand found its way back into the jean pocket it had escaped from earlier as he offered a nod to both of them. He made no retort to the indirect pass at his tailoring skills, he'd maybe get him back for that later."
Saneko beams and hands Akui over to Kino. "Yuu-chan stayed over last night. She helped me fix it up really nice, nyo!" She looks back to Setsuko, with a little bounce, only paying attention to the words she understood this time (so as to keep from having to stand there dumbfounded so much) "Yep! Yokohama. She had to go back this morning, though, nyo." The young girl nods emphatically, then giggles, turning to Momoko. "Misaka Saneko, 11-years-old! It's very nice to meet you!" She bounces back a bit, at that, stepping closer to the two boys.
Momoko sweatdrops and sighs at Setsuko makes her greeting, but honestly looks more resigned than surprised by it. She beams as the rest of the introductions are made, and looks down at Saneko, "And Akui is your angel's name? I bet she is fierce on the layer! Let's play sometime!" She winks a big brown eye, and then looks up at Kino, giggling. "Oh, I put a hex on all my belongings, if you take them you'll lose an extremity within the year." She doesn't say which, use your worst imagination. She holds out her purse cheerfully. "Here, all yours!"
Setsuko frowns crossly and bats Momoko's hand down, snatching the offered purse. "He will take it, Momochan. Despite the consequences, you have a valuable set of I Ching coins within that I do not wish to replace." She tilts her head down to regard Saneko again. "I was searching for dragon -lines-, young lady. Dragon's blood is drawn from plants that are not native to this continent. I believe you are confusing the object of my search with the metaphor we discussed, in which I compared them to veins." She straightens, clasping her hands primly below the waist. "This is understandable."
Kino doesn't really need his extremity. He doesn't really like girls in fact. He shrugs and reaches for the purse…"Well…if you're giving it to me, then it's not really stealing…so the hex wouldn't work. Thank you though!" He tries to take the bag if she'll let him. Apparently he a) doesn't believe in hexes, or b) really doesn't care about his body parts. When Setsuko states that there are I Ching coins…Kino grins. "I'll take those if she really doesn't want them." Kino hands back Akui and smiles politely, "It is great Chiyo."
Keiichi watches the interactions of the others with mild interest and shakes his head a bit at Kino's indiscretion. He notes Sesuko's corrections to Saneko's words and nods absently before tilting his head back a bit and peering up towards the cafeteria above, which was where he had been going before he stopped. "Well, it was nice meeting you all, but I'm hungry… so I'm going up to the cafeteria. If you'll excuse me." He offers them all a nod, and pats Saneko on the head lightly smiling down her way. "Take your time with your friends Neko-chan." He then makes his way towards the stairs, food winning out over interaction.
Kino turns as Keiichi starts heading off and his stomach rumbles insanely loud. He forgets all about the purse and then runs off after the boy. "Waaah, my stomach is hungry too!" He disappears up the stairs.
Setsuko has already claimed Momoko's wildly offered handbag, and doesn't appear about to return it to her friend- or to hand it over to strangers, for that matter. "You will take nothing," she replies. "In fact, you will leave…" she begins, trailing off as Kino, in fact, does so.
Saneko giggles. "Aki-chan is really really strong, but I'm not strong enough for her, nyo." She blinks a bit, though, when Keiichi and Kino sudden run off, leaving her behind. In fact, she gives a not-so-little pout.
Momoko hmms thoughtfully. "I didn't think that part through.." She admits, and since Setsuko has her purse, now he'll have to actually work to get it. She grins at him all the same though. "You win this round, Jade Ninja! But on the layer, it'll be different!" She puts a hand over her mouth and ohoho's at him. She blinks as everybody heads off. "Byebye, Misakasan, Katosan." She also pouts a little, puffing out her cheeks and crossing her arms over her chest, but when she look down and see's Saneko also pouting, she giggles at her and adding to Setsuko's explanation. "Dragon lines are very important, they have good chi!"
Setsuko silently hands back Momoko's purse as Kino retreats. "Jade Ninja…" she murmurs to herself, repeating it several times more quietly as if deciphering a riddle as she moves to a chair and arranges her skirts to take a prim seat. She watches her friend chat up Saneko, observing wordlessly.
Saneko continues to pout for a bit, them hmphs and suddenly smiles. "I don't really understand, nyo. Setsuko-san tried to explain it to me, but …" She giggles, and raps a knuckle against her head, as though that explains everything. Then, after hugging the zombie, she places Akui gently back in her bag.
Momoko giggles, and nodnods. "It's okay, when you find one, you'll understand!" She doesn't really explain much more, but instead offers. "Let's go with sit with Setsuchan, ne?" She takes a moment to tuck her own slightly battered witch angel into her purse too.
Setsuko sets the large drawstring velvet bag from the tabletop into her lap and loosens the strings, drawing out a compact sketchpad about the size of a paperback book. "If you would like, Miss Misaka, I will illustrate it for you. While the eyes should not be trusted, they are not without their use."
Saneko cants her head slightly, then nods. "Okay. Pictures help sometimes, nyo." She smiles brightly, and bounces over towards Setsuko, looking attentively towards the sketchpad even before the older girl begins to illustrate anything.
Momoko bounces after, and thuds into a seat, idly smoothing her long skirts around her before leaning back against the chair in most unladylike fashion. "Kyaa, Setsuchan, you were really fired up on the layer today." She's not actually talking to Setsuko though, or Saneko. Just kind of speaking upwards into the air.
Setsuko opens the cover of the pad and pages quickly through the preceeding sheets in search of a blank one. She doesn't seem to care to show off the existing drawings, all of which are in pen and ink (some of them bearing the broader strokes of a small inkbrush). Brief glimpses may be had of people- mostly busts or faces but occasional portraits, nearly always with some subtly macabre detail, such as unnatural growths on their heads or shadows of strange creatures behind or around them. Opening to a blank page, she takes out a mechanical pencil from the bag. "Here is the Earth," she intones, drawing a near-perfect circle- yes, she's one of those annoying people who can draw freehand circles- and rests her head against Momoko's adjacent shoulder as she does so. "As you may know, Miss Misaka, there is the north and south pole." Scritch scritch. "These are called such because they are where the earth shows a particular magnetic nature."
Saneko blinks, and nods. Earth, North, South - for now, at least she's following. "Okay, nyo …" The girl is standing up while she watches the sketching, occasionally canting her head from one side to the other.
Momoko lets her arm dangle around the taller girl's back and props herself up enough that Setsuko can draw and be comfortable, but doesn't really interrupt into the explanation. She could end most of Setsuko's sentences for her, but it would just be confusing. She doesn't really pay attention either, just sort of stares idly off, watching this person and that person go by, ocassionally peering a bit closer at one, then losing interest.
Setsuko seems pretty absorbed in what she's doing- she's getting to talk about something she considers terribly important to someone that actually seems to have a care. "Let us say, then, that there is a line through the center of the earth that connects these two poles." Scriiiitch. "And so there is. This is one of the principal dragon lines. It is a fundamental aspect of feng shui. Certain actions are best taken in a northerly direction or a southerly direction, depending upon many factors. For example, there are certain days where travel to the northeast courts ill fortune. This is why the Emperor will never travel in a directly northeastern route."
Saneko bites her lower lip a little, furrowing her brow slightly as the older girl begins using a few big words, again. But, for now at least, she stays quiet, bouncing just slightly on her feet while she watches the words transfered into lines on paper.
Momoko let's Setsuko continue, still not interupting, although as somebody walks by she goes, "Ah." And sits up a little, peering at them curiously for a moment. Then she sighs, and settles down again.
Setsuko lifts her head from its rest on Momoko's shoulder as her friend seems to stir at the sight of a passerby. "What is it, Momochan?" she asks, briefly wary, before looking back to Saneko with an all-business face once again. She begins to draw other lines through the sketched globe, vaguely resembling longitude lines. "The earth has major meridians, just as the human body does," she continues. "But there are also many minor lines that come and go, some lasting only several days. They appear when significant events occur along them, or when places of great energy are prohibited from allowing this energy to disperse.." she looks to the young girl. "Do you understand?"
Saneko blinks a bit, canting her head a bit. "Ano … it's like graphing paper, nyo?" She smiles, but still looks quite confused.
"Nothing, false alarm." Momoko mumbles, settling down again and looking pretty blank. Suddenly she hops up. "I'll go get some tea, I'll be back in a little bit, I'll bring Saneko some too!" She grins cheerfully to the both of then, and dashes off to the cafeteria before they can protest. Must not be the sit still type.
Setsuko taps the pencil on the page for another long moment, her eyes darting over the sketch while she tries to wrangle a better explanation for the girl. Eventually she shrugs, clicking away the pencil's lead. "Perhaps we should leave it at this: dragon lines are like rivers where you can go the way you want to more quickly. There are big ones and smaller ones that don't last very long, but they are all useful."
Saneko opens her mouth, looking a little confused, then smiles. "Roads?"
Setsuko nods tentatively, flipping the sketchpad closed. "That is an acceptable metaphor, if you view them as one-way roads- they will go one particular way or lead to one particular thing. A road that will only lead to the doll shop, for example." She looks to Momoko, raising her brows. As her friend prepares to leave, she rises hastily as well. "I will come with you," she informs her, with a touch of anxiety, then looks back to Saneko. "Eh. I suppose that is all, for now," she says to the younger girl, seeming a bit awkward.
Saneko nods, and smiles. "I should really go look for Aniki-chama or Kino-kun, nyo." She gives a little bounce, and waves. "Ano … thanks, Setsuko-san!" A little giggle, and she rushes off, barely avoiding running into random passer-bys.
