Aberrant: Quantum Zero - Nippontai High

[BlueNinja]

Class 1B:

Hearing Miyako's comment Kohana manages to drag herself away from Jinsei's side & head over. Bowing slightly she smiles pleasantly at Miyako & Akira, saying,

'Actually that's Tuesdays - Mondays is PE after lunch... there was an announcement in class last week, remember? We've got swimming next...' glancing at Akira she adds, '... the boys have track & field I think...'

A moment later they are joined by Ryoko, who bows low to Miyako,

'May I ask if the art club will be aiding with the decoration of the gym for tonight's tournament, Miss Miyamoto?' she asks politely, 'Your work always adds so much to the festivities, & showcases the school's talents to our visitors.'

Just then Ryoko's phone bleeps, but she politely ignores it until Miyako has answered her...

Miyako stops, thinks about it, and blushes slightly as she nods. "You're right, I'm still trying to get the schedule straight." She motions to Ryoko to answer her phone as she pauses to hunt through her backpack, finding with relief that she did pack her things for swimming last night.

Ken looks up at Ryoko when she asks for their assistance in decoration when Salene hops up and takes off. He shakes his head at the poor girl, then looks at the Art Club president. He considers a second, "Mendo-san, Im not sure if we would have time at this point to do that...If you had come to us a few weeks ago mabey...but I dont know if we would have enough materials for that. Especially with our own competitions going on..." he explains, attempting to get out of decoration duty. Not that it was bad...but that usually meant cleanup and sales duties as well, something he was not fond of.

Miyako looks at Ken, attempting (and failing badly) to keep her expression from Ryoko, even though she should be answering her phone. "C'mon, we can do that. Besides, I already told those two new members to be there to draw appropriate victory scenes so we can convince the paper to run them. If we get more publicity, then our club can get better funding, and we're good enough to get our stuff into the local paper. If you don't want to get stuck doing cleanup, then think up a way to bring the whole club." She pauses to think it over, trying to come up with something they could do to decorate the gym in an hour or less. Muttering to herself, she turns back towards Ryoko, hoping the other girl has dealt with her phone by now.

[Bahamut810]

Ken frowns. "If you really think we have the time for it...I am sure that the Fund Raising club will pay for the materials we will need, Right Mendo-san?"

[Centimane]

The brutish newcomer's insulting & disrespectful tone draws gasps of shock from the gathered pupils (in passing drawing their attention away from Yoshio's rather brooding exit). On his knees, staring at his overturned stand with tears threatening at the corners of his eyes, Mister Tendo shoots the impolite youth an angry glare. Pushing himself to his feet the noodle stand owner wags a finger at Kazuo,

'Watch your mouth, kid,' he snaps back, 'what would your parents say if they heard you talking to your elders like that? I don't know... what's the youth of taday coming to... when I was a lad we knew how to treat people with respect...' as his comments drift into a muttered stream Mister Tendo tries (in vain) to right the heavy cart...

At first Kazuo is unmoved by the noodle vendor's tirade and indifferent to his wagging finger, but as soon as Mr. Tendo starts talking about Kazuo's parents his already sour expression turns dark. He drops his cigarette on the concrete with the subtle skill of a long time addict so that it lands with the blazing tip no more than 3 cm from the toe of his right shoe, and so is able to snuff it out by simply shifting his weight. Then he puts his hands in his pockets, looks off to one side so that it's not exactly clear if he's still listening to the ranting vendor, and takes on a positively glum demeanor.

What would his parents say? How the hell should he know?! It's not like they ever actually talk to him or anything....

When Mr. Tendo starts to trail off Kazuo, still looking off to one side says, "Che!", and looks as though he's about to say more along the same lines, but then he stops. Kazuo has just realized he may have made a tactical error by insulting the man who will, in all likelihood, be selling him his lunches for the forseeable future. It occurs to him that he may want to rethink his reply.

"Ok, look Ol...uh, Sir. I didn't mean nothin' by it, ok? I haven't eaten all day, and your noodles looked really friggin' good, that's all. Have a sense of humor..."

Kazuo then visibly gathers himself, in the manner of a soldier going to certain death, and says, "I'm sorry...", and bows while he does so.

Kazuo's idea of a bow, however, has more in common with the motion a puppet makes when its puppeteer momentarily loses control of it (a sort of convulsive dipping motion, followed by an equally convulsive rising one) than it does with an actual bow. It's passable, but so is a C minus in most American schools, and everyone knows how that's turned out....

After the newcomer shows up and exchanges words with Mister Tendo, Kenshi puts in,

“Nippontai High, but no student did this. Being impolite is bad, there’s no telling where it could lead.”

“Perhaps if we cooperate we could put the stand back upright?”

Kenshi moves around to help put the stand back.

(OOC: Just to be clear, what Kenshi just said could be applied to the mitoid, Mister Tendo, AND the new comer.)

Kenshi's remark about politeness and where it could lead appears at first to have approximately the same degree of impact on Kazuo as a mosquito slamming head first into the grill of a fully loaded eighteen wheeler while it is barreling down the freeway at one hundred kph, which is to say, none at all really.

But then Kazuo, who has been too busy trying to gauge whether his star-calibre performance just now has mollified Mr. Tendo, realizes that Kenshi's remark has some kind of bearing on his current situation. He gets a light in his one good eye, which then fastens on Kenshi with a look of open admiration (his blank, dead eye tries to follow suit but, being dead, can't do much more than sit there and so it settles for glaring at Kenshi balefully instead, which more or less completely ruins the effect Kazuo's other eye was going for but, y'know, what can you do?), and says, "Mm! You're right." Kazuo says this as though he has just added some great piece of wisdom to the conversation.

Satisfied that he has masterfully brought this situation to a peaceful resolution (a rare thing for him), Kazuo moves over to help Kenshi right the noodle stand. He wonders if this act of generosity on his part might net him a free bowl of noodles tomorrow....

((Che is used as a slang expression indicating extreme disgust at some thing or situation.))

[ProfPotts]

Helping Mister Tendo:

"Ok, look Ol...uh, Sir. I didn't mean nothin' by it, ok? I haven't eaten all day, and your noodles looked really friggin' good, that's all. Have a sense of humor... I'm sorry..."

The noodle stall owner appears completely underwhelmed by Kazuo's efforts at an apology, but after a couple of seconds grunts & shrugs his shoulders,

'Yeah, okay kid...' he mutters, then adds as an after-thought, '... just keep a civil tongue in your head from now on, okay?'

“Perhaps if we cooperate we could put the stand back upright?”

"Mm! You're right."

Mister Tendo gives a nod of acknowledgement as the two pupils lend a hand. Moments later, following Kenshi's example, the other Nippontai High students who were witness to the recent events also come over and help out - soon (through the magic of co-operation :jumping40: !) the stand is righted, & the scattered pots & pans returned. As it turns out, then damage isn't as bad as it first looked - mostly being cosmetic - Mister Tendo confirms this when, after a quick inspection, he declares he'll have the thing fixed & ready to start vending again tomorrow. As he starts to wheel the cart away he pauses, turns back to Kenshi, & says,

'Thanks, kid - you'd make your father pround,' casting a furtive glance at Kazuo he then adds, in a mock whisper, 'if you can get that one to toe the line then you might just make mayor yourself some day!' ::wink

Class 1B:

Akira glanced at the clock to see how long they had until start of next class.

Akira notes that there's a little under a half hour left of the lunch break - plenty of time to visit the school nurse if she's quick...

"If you really think we have the time for it...I am sure that the Fund Raising club will pay for the materials we will need, Right Mendo-san?"

Whilst Miyako & Ken were talking among themselves Ryoko took a moment to, discretely, glance at the text message on her phone - when Ken addresses her again she appears to be trying to supress a happy smile. Even so she manages to form an apologetic expression as she replies,

'I'm so sorry, Yamada-san - all proceeds go to charity. If...' Ryoko averts her eyes & appears to be holding back tears, '... if your club feels they can't contribute I'm... I'm sure everyone will understand... I just feel so sorry for the many, many, guests & visitors who won't get the opportunity to view your most excellent artistic skills for themselves...' ::cry

Ryoko bows to the two Art Club representatives & starts to back away...

Averting Disaster:

"Morning ladies! I hope you're all coming to see the Judo tournament tonight?"

At the approach of not one, but two (count 'em, two! ::w00t ), class presidents the three Junzo groupies hesitate for just a moment... then turn & (neatly & in unison) bow,

'Good morning Mister Maro,' they chime (again in unison), 'good morning Mister Hanzo.'

"You haven't seen Junzo around, have you? We need to discuss tonights line-up with him..."

The three girls exchange glances, then the lead girl steps forward & bows again,

'Of course, sir - it would be out honour to escort you to see Lord Junzo.'

The girls lead the way - heading towards the two lads 'talking' to Haruki. As he, Akaji, & Keiko follow on Takeshi glances towards Nabiki & Rumiko & winks ::wink ...

... When Akaji's group gets closer to Haruki & Junzo's two 'elite', Haruki glances up - a nervous look on his face - then runs off before he's forced into conversation. The two 'elite' bow (slightly) to Akaji & friends, then briefly take them aside to rapidly discuss something in hushed tones. A moment later they return & one of the boys addresses Akaji,

'Lord Junzo wished to not be disturbed, but if you'll wait here, I'm sure he'll make an exception for honoured fellow members of the Student Council.' He nods to one of the girls, who hurries off & enters one of the store buidlings behind the main school - a bulding which is (technically) off-limits to pupils... ::unsure

Averting Disaster 2:

"No, no Nezumi, I- I mean, I...dammit."

Nezumi 'harumphs' & turns her face away with obvious indignation...

"Okay, no, we need to start over. I was just trying to joke around with you, I wasn't really trying to mock you that badly...I was just, um..."

The novox singer still refuses to look at Seiji, but does manage an overly dramatic fake yawn...

"Look, you're famous and such a big deal around here, and...ah, dammit. I didn't know what to say, okay? I was trying to joke around and it came out bad. Second chance?"

At first Seiji fears that Nezumi is all too willing to leave him out in the cold... but finally she sighs & turns back to him. Glaring down at him from on high she frowns,

'I guess I can think of some way you can make it up to me...' she declares. Against his better judgement Seiji feels an enormous sense of relief flowing through him that he may be granted a chance at atonement (even though his logical mind is doing this: ::brick ). Peering up at Nezumi he sees that her expression has softened & recognises a mischevious sparkle in her eye as she adds, '... how good are you at English homework?' ::innocent

[Bahamut810]

"Uhhh...Im sorry, Mendo-san. If its really that important to you I am sure I could chip in enough to cover the materials..." he says to her, standing up.

[Expendable]

Class 1B:

Akira notes that there's a little under a half hour left of the lunch break - plenty of time to visit the school nurse if she's quick...

With a wan smile, Akira steps out of the classroom to seek out the School Nurse's office for her headache. She's about half way down the hall when she frowns.

"I wonder why she said the boys were having track and field...?" Akira wondered. Her head throbbed. Maybe she was warning that the track and field was next to the pool and the boys would be staring with pervy eyes. With any luck, the nurse wouldn't let her swim today anyway, not with this headache.

[Centimane]

Kazuo regards the old man's departure with a wry grin, and then turns to Kenshi.

"Nanda aitsu?", he says, jabbing his thumb in Tendo's direction, and with a genuinely bemused look on his face.

Standing this close to Kenshi, Kazuo has to look down a bit to look him in the eye. While this gives him the appearance of looming over the younger pupil, Kazuo's demeanor makes it obvious that's not what he's trying to do. He says, "What'd he mean about you becoming Mayor anyway?" But he seems to lose interest in the answer almost before he's done asking and instead moves on to something really interesting.

"So...they got lots a hot babes here?", he says, smiling as he does so (and like a shark's, his is all teeth).

((Nanda aitsu is slang for (or at least an informal way of saying) "what's wrong with her/him?" Also, I forgot to mention this in Kazuo's Meet the Characters post, so I'll clarify here. Kazuo is just over 185 cm tall and weighs about 81 kg (that's just over 6' and 178 lbs for all us Americans), which makes him about 4 or 5 inches taller than the national average and about 30 or 40 pounds heavier. Hence his "looming" over Kenshi (who Alex described as being neither short nor tall).))

[phoenix]

Slurping up the rest of his noodles, Jinsei checks the clock, and looks to the bulky Tetsuo.

"Tetsuo-san. Let's hit the grass outside, shall we? We have about 25 minutes we can use for grappling practice: let's set up challenge lines and maybe play bumper cars," Jinsei says, referring to a pair of drills for students of judo. "It's too nice to spend the day inside, even in the company of all these beautiful girls."

He grins across the room and lets his gaze sweep across Akira and Miyako and Ryoko, but it is Kohana on whom his eyes settle and to whom his smile widens, before he turns and claps his larger friend on the shoulder, leading the way out into the sunlight.

[Alex Green]

Helping Mister Tendo:

As he starts to wheel the cart away he pauses, turns back to Kenshi, & says,

'Thanks, kid - you'd make your father pround,' casting a furtive glance at Kazuo he then adds, in a mock whisper, 'if you can get that one to toe the line then you might just make mayor yourself some day!' ::wink

Kenshi is never quite sure what to make of compliments like this so he blushes and gives a bow. ::blush But he has to admit, at least to himself, that he felt pretty good about the whole thing and how it turned out... although he wasn't looking forward to explaining to his father that he'd jumped into a fight with a mitoid.

To the new comer he says, “I don’t recognize you. Are you a student? I'm Kenshi.”

[ezekiel]

The girls lead the way - heading towards the two lads 'talking' to Haruki. As he, Akaji, & Keiko follow on Takeshi glances towards Nabiki & Rumiko & winks ::wink ...

... When Akaji's group gets closer to Haruki & Junzo's two 'elite', Haruki glances up - a nervous look on his face - then runs off before he's forced into conversation. The two 'elite' bow (slightly) to Akaji & friends, then briefly take them aside to rapidly discuss something in hushed tones. A moment later they return & one of the boys addresses Akaji,

'Lord Junzo wished to not be disturbed, but if you'll wait here, I'm sure he'll make an exception for honoured fellow members of the Student Council.' He nods to one of the girls, who hurries off & enters one of the store buidlings behind the main school - a bulding which is (technically) off-limits to pupils... ::unsure

AKaji smiles

"Of course, thank you."

and waits patiently with Takeshi and Keiko.

[Centimane]

Helping Mister Tendo:

Kenshi is never quite sure what to make of compliments like this so he blushes and gives a bow. ::blush But he has to admit, at least to himself, that he felt pretty good about the whole thing and how it turned out... although he wasn't looking forward to explaining to his father that he'd jumped into a fight with a mitoid.

To the new comer he says, “I don’t recognize you. Are you a student? I'm Kenshi.”

Kazuo looks at Kenshi as though he's just encountered a strange, and not entirely appealing, new animal.

Little bozu blew off both my questions , he thinks, and what sort of introduction is that? His daddy tell 'im not to talk to strangers or something?

Kazuo, neither of whose parents had ever told him any such thing, talked to strangers all the time. This had gotten him into a lot of awkward situations, even a few scary ones when he was younger, and it was arguably a much harder way to learn this particular lesson than if his parents had simply told it to him when he was little. However Kazuo, not given much to self-analysis and being a classic underachiever, had solved this little problem by simply not learning his lesson at all.

As a consequence of all this Kazuo can't quite understand the purpose of Kenshi's remarks, unless they're an excersize in stating the obvious. And, Kazuo being Kazuo, his reaction to just about anything he doesn't understand is to scoff at it.

"He?", he says, and looks down at his uniform then pointedly back at Kenshi's, "What do you think?", and begins walking through the gates. Over his shoulder he says, without looking back, "Name's Kazuo. Nice to meet you."

((Bozu means "kid", sort of like calling someone "squirt". He is just a way of saying "what" or indicating surprise or confusion.))

[Expendable]

Akira paused, looking for some sign of the Nurse's office or someone to ask....

[Alex Green]

Kazuo looks at Kenshi as though he's just encountered a strange, and not entirely appealing, new animal.

"He?", he says, and looks down at his uniform then pointedly back at Kenshi's, "What do you think?", and begins walking through the gates. Over his shoulder he says, without looking back, "Name's Kazuo. Nice to meet you."

Kenshi shrugs, decides this must be (another) arrogant upperclassman, and goes back an finishes his noodles.

[ProfPotts]

Class 1B:

"Uhhh...Im sorry, Mendo-san. If its really that important to you I am sure I could chip in enough to cover the materials..."

Ryoko's reaction to Ken's words is an instant transformation - the threat of tears vanishes to be replaced by a happy smile ::biggrin . Bowing deeply she replies,

'Many thanks, Mister Yamada - you are as generous as you are talented!'

With a final sweet smile for Ken, Ryoko almost skips from the room - as if she's in a hurry...

Nurse's Office:

After asking for directions a couple of times Akira finally locates the nurse's office. Her knock on the door is answered by a cheery cry of,

'Come in!' followed a moment later by, 'Don't be shy!'

Opening the door to the room Akira finds a full doctor's office, complete with bed, privacy screen, numerous machines which go 'ping', & walls covered in medical charts - both 'Western' medicine & 'Eastern' medical charts detailing energy flows & pressure points. Standing amidst the medical paraphernalial is an attractive young woman dressed in a white nurse's outfit (complete with cap), with a pair of large round glasses perched on her nose, a stethoscope around her neck, & a large stack of card folders in her arms threatening to spill everywhere at the first opportunity. The nurse's hair is fastened up in a Chinese-style bun, although odd strands have broken loose here & there resulting in a rather less professional image than was obviously being tried for. Peering at Akira over the top of the folders the young woman smiles,

'I'll be right with you, dear,' she declares, 'right after I find somewhere to put these down...'

Outside:

"Tetsuo-san. Let's hit the grass outside, shall we? We have about 25 minutes we can use for grappling practice: let's set up challenge lines and maybe play bumper cars... It's too nice to spend the day inside, even in the company of all these beautiful girls."

Jinsei's words bring a flush to Kohana's face ::blush , even as she tries to hide an embarassed smile, but she still follows him & Tetsuo outside & makes sure to seat herself on the grass near where they start their practice. As the two judo team members begin their display several more pupils wander over to watch - interest in the team fuelled by the upcoming tournament. Some just watch with appreciation, while others comment seriously amongst themselves on the two fighters' form & technique. The distraction is enough for Kazuo's entrance to go mostly unoticed...

... As Kazuo enters the school grounds proper he's greeted by the sight of the radiant Ryoko Mendo running to meet him - although as soon as she spots him she slows to a more sedate pace as she tries to look casual ::innocent . Small knots of pupils are gathered here & there in the yard, although the big draw appears to be a pair of boys practicing judo in front of a growing crowd. Reaching Kazuo, Ryoko pauses (a little short of breath), then looks up at the tall boy through her lashes, hands held behind her back, & says softly,

'Hi Kazuo, I'm...' again it seems as though the girl is fighting herself to not sound too eager as she concludes, '... I'm glad to see you made it here after all. When you didn't show up this morning I thought...' for a moment Ryoko glances away, then she shrugs a little & finishes, '.. I thought that, you know, you'd changed your mind or something...'

Awaiting an Audience:

"Of course, thank you."

Round the back of the school Takeshi watches the Junzo girl enter the store building, then frowns & nudges Akaji,

'What do you think?' he askes quietly, 'Is our great leader holding court, or just sulking about the way Nezumi spanked him this morning?' ::sly

A step behind the two class presidents Keiko fails to suppress a guilty giggle at Takeshi's disrespectful words. Glancing back at her Takeshi mocks a terrified expression,

'Oh no!' he exclaims, 'What if Junzo has super-hearing too?'

Keiko giggles again, this time drawing the attention of the nearby Junzo 'elite' - who shoot her withering stares. At once Akaji recognises his friend's frown turning serious as Takeshi steps slightly into the line of sight between the Junzo elite & Keiko, returning the stares with a no-nonsense glare of his own... until Junzo's supporters turn their eyes away again. Glancing at Akaji, Takeshi mutters under his breath,

'What's taking so long? There's something not right here...' ::angry

[Bahamut810]

Ken head falls forward as Ryoko skips away, making a small 'gah' sound. He falls back into his chair, and his head falls back.

He kicks his feet slightly, and ruffles his hair with his hands (in a very dramatic and more importantly, ANIME style).

"I cant believe I fell for that!"

[ezekiel]

Awaiting an Audience:

Round the back of the school Takeshi watches the Junzo girl enter the store building, then frowns & nudges Akaji,

'What do you think?' he askes quietly, 'Is our great leader holding court, or just sulking about the way Nezumi spanked him this morning?' ::sly

A step behind the two class presidents Keiko fails to suppress a guilty giggle at Takeshi's disrespectful words. Glancing back at her Takeshi mocks a terrified expression,

'Oh no!' he exclaims, 'What if Junzo has super-hearing too?'

Keiko giggles again, this time drawing the attention of the nearby Junzo 'elite' - who shoot her withering stares. At once Akaji recognises his friend's frown turning serious as Takeshi steps slightly into the line of sight between the Junzo elite & Keiko, returning the stares with a no-nonsense glare of his own... until Junzo's supporters turn their eyes away again. Glancing at Akaji, Takeshi mutters under his breath,

'What's taking so long? There's something not right here...' ::angry

Akaji lends his support to Takeshi as he stares down the "elite" with a no-nonsense look of his own. As Takeshi mutters his comment Akaji responds confidently as he walks towards the store building.

"You're right, if anything's holding Junzo up, we should help him. That is what the student council is for, after all..." ::sly

[Expendable]

Nurse's Office:

After asking for directions a couple of times Akira finally locates the nurse's office. Her knock on the door is answered by a cheery cry of,

'Come in!' followed a moment later by, 'Don't be shy!'

Opening the door to the room Akira finds a full doctor's office, complete with bed, privacy screen, numerous machines which go 'ping', & walls covered in medical charts - both 'Western' medicine & 'Eastern' medical charts detailing energy flows & pressure points. Standing amidst the medical paraphernalial is an attractive young woman dressed in a white nurse's outfit (complete with cap), with a pair of large round glasses perched on her nose, a stethoscope around her neck, & a large stack of card folders in her arms threatening to spill everywhere at the first opportunity. The nurse's hair is fastened up in a Chinese-style bun, although odd strands have broken loose here & there resulting in a rather less professional image than was obviously being tried for. Peering at Akira over the top of the folders the young woman smiles,

'I'll be right with you, dear,' she declares, 'right after I find somewhere to put these down...'

"Hai," Akira replies tiredly, absently rubbing her forehead. She had felt fine until she'd gotten to school this morning. Ever since Morioka-sensai broke up whatever the pink-haired Nezumi did to make them all sing at Junzo.

[BlueNinja]

Ken head falls forward as Ryoko skips away, making a small 'gah' sound. He falls back into his chair, and his head falls back.

He kicks his feet slightly, and ruffles his hair with his hands (in a very dramatic and more importantly, ANIME style).

"I cant believe I fell for that!"

Miyako snickers, and promptly abandons her chair to perch on the top of someone else's desk next to the window, where she has a good view of the judo practice. "I can," she says, as she pulls out her sketchbook and starts on a blank page. "It's not the first time the Fundraising Club has sent a girl with a pretty face to talk you into handing them your wallet." She pulls the pencil away from the page for a moment. "Oh, Ken, surely someone as handsome and talented as yourself would help us with this tiny little project!" she says in a bad imitation of one of the other junior members of Ryoko's club. Then she turns almost her full attention to the page, sketching furiously.

[Centimane]

Class 1B:

Outside:

... As Kazuo enters the school grounds proper he's greeted by the sight of the radiant Ryoko Mendo running to meet him - although as soon as she spots him she slows to a more sedate pace as she tries to look casual ::innocent . Small knots of pupils are gathered here & there in the yard, although the big draw appears to be a pair of boys practicing judo in front of a growing crowd.

Outwardly, Kazuo barely reacts to the sight of the beautiful girl running up to meet him. His pace does not quicken or slow, and he gets no stunned expression on his face, though a sly half-smile does form on his lips when he sees her see him and suddenly slow down. Externally he seems completely at ease as she reaches him. Definitely not disinterested, but not exactly waiting with baited breath for her to speak either.

Inwardly is a different story however, and Kazuo is glad he's always been hard to read, because his heart is probably breaking some kind of beats-per-minute record here and the last thing he needs (badass that he is) is to look emotional in front of everybody. He remembers to blink, and is quite proud of himself for it.

Reaching Kazuo, Ryoko pauses (a little short of breath), then looks up at the tall boy through her lashes, hands held behind her back, & says softly,

'Hi Kazuo, I'm...' again it seems as though the girl is fighting herself to not sound too eager as she concludes, '... I'm glad to see you made it here after all. When you didn't show up this morning I thought...' for a moment Ryoko glances away, then she shrugs a little & finishes, '.. I thought that, you know, you'd changed your mind or something...'

"Nah", he says eloquently, and follows it up with, "I was just hungover". Kazuo seems to think this explains everything that needs explaining, because he doesn't add anything to it. He looks Ryoko over once and his smile breaks into a suggestive grin. "But if I'd known how hot you look in that uniform I'd have been here hours ago."

He gets a (slightly) more sober look on his face and says in a more subdued tone, "I'm glad you're here too Ryoko. It's nice just to be talking to you somewhere other than a hospital."

With a start, Kazuo realizes he's just said something meaningful and - in an attempt to salvage the situation before it becomes a complete debacle- promptly changes the subject.

"So this is the school, huh?" he says lamely, looking around desperately for something (anything) else to talk about.

Then he spies the two boys practicing Judo and says, "Hey...is there a fight going on?"

[Alex Green]

Kenshi shrugs, decides this must be (another) arrogant upperclassman, and goes back an finishes his noodles.

They're cold and he eats them quickly, then rushes back to campus.

Back on campus, seeing Kazuo and Ryoko Mendo together, Kenshi thinks,

Oh joy, he really is a student. Must have the blood because he did not come here on his personality. Or he could already be a nova. That would explain a fair amount ::unsure

Then he spies the two boys practicing Judo and says, "Hey...is there a fight going on?"

::huh

[Bahamut810]

"At least they sent in the big guns this time. Any idea's? I think I have some long rolls of red paper I can get, We can do a Emperors court thing..." he says, leaning back in his chair.

[Sai]

Once again, Salene staggers into the 1B class room. Almost completely out of breath, her little gym bag hitting the floor with a thud as she sits down. Without a glance to the other people in the room, she puts her head down and tries to relax.

[Expendable]

Nurse's Office

Something wasn't right about this nurse's office. There was too much. Back in her old middle school, there was one cabinet that held the medicines and the bandages and a refrigerator to hold ice packs and medicines that needed to be cold and a couple of hygene posters on the wall. A desk, some chairs, a bed behind a curtain, a computer and a digital thermometer. But that was it.

Here it was almost like someone wanted to make a small emergency room look like a nurse's office.

She eyed the nurse with the armful of records. 'Or maybe headaches make you paranoid.'

"Uh, do you want help with those?" Akira asked, taking a step forward.

[ProfPotts]

Best Foot Forward:

"You're right, if anything's holding Junzo up, we should help him. That is what the student council is for, after all..."

Takeshi half-smiles ::sly & matches pace with Akaji - the sheer confidence the two of them radiate being enough for them to have strode past Junzo's 'guards' & be halfway to the shed before the 'elite' even register what they're doing ::confused . Also caught a little off balance Keiko has to hurry to catch up, but does so - making sure to keep close to the protective influence of the two class presidents.

Finally gathering their wits Junzo's supporters trot up behind Akaji's party, retroactively trying to ask them to stop, in rather stumbling terms. This, however, is brought to a quick end as Akaji & friends near the shed & the door slams open to reveal Junzo in all his Nova glory! For a moment the student council president's expression apears to be one of rage ::angry - even Akaji & Takeshi find themselves stopping in their tracks as small cracks can been seen (& heard) spreading out from where Junzo's super-strong fingers grasp the door ::scared ...

... Slaming the doot shut behind him Junzo stalks forward to loom above, & glare down at, his fellow student council members. Then his expression softens (possibly by sheer mental effort...). Taking a moment to moisten his lips he manages a polite smile,

'Gentlmen,' he begins, 'what can I do for you?'

Throbbing Heads & Machines Which Go 'Ping':

"Hai... Uh, do you want help with those?"

'Oh, thank you dear,' the nurse smiles &, with a certain amount of obvious relief, proceeds to dump the stack of files into Akira's arms. Headache or not Akira manages to juggle the files much better than the nurse did &, following directions, places them safely on the office's desk once the nurse has cleared a space. Leaning back on the desk the nurse brushes a stray strand of hair from her face,

'Phew!' she exclaims, winking at Akira ::wink , 'you're a lifesaver!' For a moment she looks thoughtful, then giggles, trying to hide her mouth with her hand as she does so, 'Sorry,' she explains, 'that just seemed funny - you know, I'm the nurse & I'm telling you you're the lifesaver...' Shaking her head the nurse gets it out of her system, then turns once more to Akira, her face now a mask of professional concern, 'Alright then,' she says, placing her hand on Akira's forehead, 'what seems to be the problem?'

Outside:

"Nah... I was just hungover"

Ryoko gasps in shock ::ohmy ...

"But if I'd known how hot you look in that uniform I'd have been here hours ago."

... then blushes & tries to hide her face under her bangs ::blushing ...

"I'm glad you're here too Ryoko. It's nice just to be talking to you somewhere other than a hospital."

Peeking up through her lashes at Kazuo Ryoko nods her agreement. It looks like she's about to reply, a serious expression crossing her face, when Kazuo adds...

"So this is the school, huh?... Hey...is there a fight going on?"

With the subject successfully changed Ryoko seems to abandon whatever deep & meaningful reply she was going to give, & follows Kazuo's gaze to the judo practice. Grinning, she nods,

'Oh yes - that's Aki-san & Takahashi-san: two of our school's championship judo team! They are both in our class too - 1B. They're practicing for the big tournament tonight - you are coming, right Kazuo,' she shoots the scarred boy a look which manages to blend hope & instruction, adding, 'the fundraising club needs all the volunteers we can get...' Suddenly Ryoko grabs Kazuo's arm & starts to pull him in the direction of the fight, 'Come on,' she declares, 'I'll introduce you to everyone!'

Class 1B:

"At least they sent in the big guns this time. Any idea's? I think I have some long rolls of red paper I can get, We can do a Emperors court thing..."

::ninja 'Ninjas!' ::ninja

The sudden exclamation from the back of the class takes everyone by surprise. For a moment Kio Takemine, the boy who had the outburst, looks lost ::blink , then embarrassed ::blush , then he sticks his head back into his latest ninja-themed manga as he mutters,

'Just meant the theme should be ninjas, that's all...'

With a collective groan ::rolleyes everyone goes back to what they were doing...

... Trying to relax now she's finally prepared for the next class, Salene glances at her gym bag... only to realise that, in her hurry, she's grabbed her athletics kit, not her swimming kit ::ohmy ! For some reason she starts to feel that the clock of her life is fated to forever be out of pace... ::brick

[Expendable]

Throbbing Heads & Machines Which Go 'Ping':

'Phew!' she exclaims, winking at Akira ::wink , 'you're a lifesaver!' For a moment she looks thoughtful, then giggles, trying to hide her mouth with her hand as she does so, 'Sorry,' she explains, 'that just seemed funny - you know, I'm the nurse & I'm telling you you're the lifesaver...' Shaking her head the nurse gets it out of her system, then turns once more to Akira, her face now a mask of professional concern, 'Alright then,' she says, placing her hand on Akira's forehead, 'what seems to be the problem?'

Akira gives the nurse a worried look and a half-smile, then sighs when she puts her hand on her forehead.

"Headache, really bad," Akira says, letting her shoulders slump. "It started after I got to school this morning, it's been bothering me all day, sort of Hana ni Arashi (clouds over the moon, storm over blossoms) I guess."

[Jeremiah]

'I guess I can think of some way you can make it up to me...' she declares. Against his better judgement Seiji feels an enormous sense of relief flowing through him that he may be granted a chance at atonement (even though his logical mind is doing this: ::brick ). Peering up at Nezumi he sees that her expression has softened & recognises a mischevious sparkle in her eye as she adds, '... how good are you at English homework?' ::innocent

Seiji relaxes, most of his tension falling away as she begins to forgive him, but then freezes again at the suggestion of english homework.

"Hahaha, oh this is too good. Please become her little servant. Oh god, so good...look at you, you're already giving in. You can't walk away. What a baby."

Seiji scrunches up his face in annoyance for just a moment, but then loosens up again, trying to give an easy smile and sticking his hands in his pockets looking down at her.

"Oh I'm good, but what does that have to do with anything? You want a tudor or wanna work together? I'm not trying to get your english homework dumped on me, sorry Nezumi."

While proud of himself for not giving in, Seiji is desperately trying to control his emotions and hormones, doing his best to not give into this girl, although he feels himself slipping...

"What a little baby. What if everyone back in Tokyo could see Mr. Too-Cool Seiji getting wrapped around the finger of this little pop girl. HAHAHA, wonderful..."

[phoenix]

Jinsei and Tetsuo grapple. Tetsuo is massive and very strong, but Jinsei is the more experienced judoka, and well able to keep his balance even under the pressure of the larger student's weight.

"Tetsuo!" whispers Jinsei to his larger friend. "I need to talk to you about Kohana Mitsu. I think I might be in lo--" Unfortunately, Jinsei is forced to cut off his plea for help as he notices other students walking in the direction of the grappling match - no way he's taking the chance that one of them might overhear.

[BlueNinja]

Class 1B:

::ninja 'Ninjas!' ::ninja

The sudden exclamation from the back of the class takes everyone by surprise. For a moment Kio Takemine, the boy who had the outburst, looks lost ::blink , then embarrassed ::blush , then he sticks his head back into his latest ninja-themed manga as he mutters,

'Just meant the theme should be ninjas, that's all...'

With a collective groan ::rolleyes everyone goes back to what they were doing...

At the sudden outcry, Miyako's pencil streaks a black line across her otherwise pristine sketch of the judo practice, and she turns to glare daggers at Kio. ::glare With exagerrated care, she tears it out of her sketchbook, and using her body to shield her movements, folds it carefully into the proper shape. Then, using furtive glances over her shoulder to time a moment when Kio is otherwise distracted, she turns carefully - and lets fly with a paper airplane! ::samurai

This all-important task done with, she turns back for another quick discussion with Ken before she has to head off for swimming class. "Red streamers ... think you can do some cardboard forms for some quick impressions of something Imperialistic? We can hand out some quick and simple assignments to the rest of the Art Club. We have some time between the end of classes and the start of the tournament, right?"

[Sai]

Class 1B:

,,

... Trying to relax now she's finally prepared for the next class, Salene glances at her gym bag... only to realise that, in her hurry, she's grabbed her athletics kit, not her swimming kit ::ohmy ! For some reason she starts to feel that the clock of her life is fated to forever be out of pace... ::brick

Salene looks at her bag in disbelief....

With intense care she peals open the flap of her bag, unties the string, and reaches into her bag. Shock registers on her face as she manically digs through her bag, flinging gym clothes on the floor. What were once nicely folded and ironed clothes are now strewn about the floor around her desk...

With a frustrated sigh, she looks around the class, just realizing what a spectacle of herself...

With a smile Salene stands up, "I'll give a 1000 yen to who ever packs my bag back for me while I run to get the right one... As long as everything is in it when I get back ofcourse..." She eyes the men warily...

Without further ado, Salene rushes out the door once again... But a bit slower than last time, apparently a bit annoyed at so much excersize before the actual gym glass...

[Bahamut810]

Ken considers a second. "Not if I am going to run home. I could just skip the rest of classes today..."

[Alex Green]

Kenshi looks at his watch and decides he has time to watch the judo practice so he walks over.

*They're very good* he decides.

[Centimane]

Outside:

With the subject successfully changed Ryoko seems to abandon whatever deep & meaningful reply she was going to give, & follows Kazuo's gaze to the judo practice. Grinning, she nods,

'Oh yes - that's Aki-san & Takahashi-san: two of our school's championship judo team! They are both in our class too - 1B. They're practicing for the big tournament tonight - you are coming, right Kazuo,' she shoots the scarred boy a look which manages to blend hope & instruction, adding, 'the fundraising club needs all the volunteers we can get...' Suddenly Ryoko grabs Kazuo's arm & starts to pull him in the direction of the fight, 'Come on,' she declares, 'I'll introduce you to everyone!'

"Hontoni?", says Kazuo as Mendo-san tells him that the two judoka are in his class.

Maybe this school won't completely blow after all....

He's pretty sure he could take both of the boys wrestling with each other, but Kazuo thinks this about pretty much everyone, including (to his lasting regret) the people who took his eye, so this is hardly surprising.

When Ryoko asks if he'll be at the tournament, and slyly throws in a request for help with the fundraising, Kazuo distractedly and without actually committing himself says, "So-dane..."

Then Ryoko grabs his arm and jerks him towards the gathered crowd, which catches Kazuo completely off-guard.

"Agh-Rreh!? Careful! Ya don't hafta tear my arm off, y'know?!"

Despite his protests, Kazuo follows along willingly, and it's pretty obvious that he's enjoying the attention.

((Hontoni means "really?" or "oh yeah?", So-dane is kind of like "yeah, ok" or "whatever...", When Kazuo says "Agh-Rreh" that's just my attempt at conveying how he shouts the word Are which indicates surprise; in posting slang it's like "WTF?". BTW, that last bit of dialogue, about not tearing Kazuo's arm off, was intended as the kind of "filler" dialogue that gets used in anime as characters walk off screen and the scene changes to something else (so there's never actually an on-screen response from the person being spoken to), so you don't really need to respond directly to that if you don't want to Prof. It was just a bit of flavor.))

[ProfPotts]

Nursing a Headache:

"Headache, really bad... It started after I got to school this morning, it's been bothering me all day, sort of Hana ni Arashi (clouds over the moon, storm over blossoms) I guess."

The Nurse looks shocked ::ohmy ,

'Oh my,' she exclaims, 'you must be erupting into a Nova!'...

... then hides her mouth behind her hand again as she bursts into a giggling fit! Finally catching her breath she manages to force a serious expression onto her face,

'Sorry, ' she offers, 'it's just that you're the fifth pupil to come in here today complaining of a "really bad headache" while kind of looking hopeful at the same time... I swear, if some OpNet site proclaimed that skin rash was a sure sign of become a Nova then I'd have to buy in extra supplies of ointment!'

With a sigh the nurse offers Akira a couple of tablets (asprin, on closer inspection) & a glass of water, adding,

'If it's still bad by the end of the day then come see me again - I've just got in some really big acupuncture needles which I'm dying to try out...' ::sly

Flirting with Disaster:

"Oh I'm good, but what does that have to do with anything? You want a tudor or wanna work together? I'm not trying to get your english homework dumped on me, sorry Nezumi."

For a long moment Nezumi gives Seiji an appraising stare, as if trying to make up her mind about something. Finally she grins,

'Hey, you didn't just cave - I like that. Most guys - & lots of girls - just fall at my feet... if they do that, then how am I supposed to know where I really stand?'

Yawning & stretching (a feline motion which forces Seiji to once more focus his will to prevent his... eyes... yes 'eyes' ::unsure ... from popping out... ::blush ) Nezumi glances around then innocently (as if... ::devil ) comments,

'Hey - I bet they all think we're making out all alone in here...'

Suddenly taking a step closer to Seiji, so close in fact that her perfectly formed Nova body is pressed up against his chest - seperated by nothing but a couple of layers of insignificant fabric - Nezumi stares up into his eyes & adds in a husky whisper,

'... wanna' prove them right?' ::devil

First Impressions:

"Tetsuo!.. I need to talk to you about Kohana Mitsu. I think I might be in lo--"

Not the most sensitive of people, Tetsuo takes the opportunity to slam his sparing partner into the ground... ::wacko

... When Jinsei rights himself he notices that the watching crowd had parted, leaving Ryoko standing alone with what can only be described as a... 'thug'... on her arm. For some reason she's smiling - probably frightened out of her wits by that obvious brute, the poor thing...

... in the mean time, failing to notice the look in Jinsei's eyes, Ryoko has turned to Kenshi,

'Kenshi,' she beams, 'have you met my friend Kazuo? He's going to be in our class...'

Class 1B:

Kio's famed 'ninja reactions' fail to save him from the devestating aerial assault... or maybe he just manages to restrain his killer instincts... ::ninja either way, he gets beaned up side the head - much to the class's collective amusement! ::laugh

Salene's antics, however, produce even more laughter - although as soon as she's out of the class a couple of the less mature boys make grabs for her sports kit bloomers... ::rolleyes

[Bahamut810]

Ken looks at his watch. "Alright...if I am going to get that paper I should go ahead and get going. We have black paint here already right? Get some phrases ready to paint on them...anything else I need to pick up that you can think of?"

[Alex Green]

First Impressions:

... in the mean time, failing to notice the look in Jinsei's eyes, Ryoko has turned to Kenshi,

'Kenshi,' she beams, 'have you met my friend Kazuo?...

*Oh No* ::blink

...He's going to be in our class...'

*OH NO!!* ::blink ::blink

Kenshi opens his mouth and runs with his last coherent thought, which was that this must be an erupted student,

”Pleased and honored to meet you Kazuo.”

Kenshi gives a more formal bow than is strictly required for this occasion.

[Jeremiah]

Flirting with Disaster:

For a long moment Nezumi gives Seiji an appraising stare, as if trying to make up her mind about something. Finally she grins,

'Hey, you didn't just cave - I like that. Most guys - & lots of girls - just fall at my feet... if they do that, then how am I supposed to know where I really stand?'

Yawning & stretching (a feline motion which forces Seiji to once more focus his will to prevent his... eyes... yes 'eyes' ::unsure ... from popping out... ::blush ) Nezumi glances around then innocently (as if... ::devil ) comments,

'Hey - I bet they all think we're making out all alone in here...'

Suddenly taking a step closer to Seiji, so close in fact that her perfectly formed Nova body is pressed up against his chest - seperated by nothing but a couple of layers of insignificant fabric - Nezumi stares up into his eyes & adds in a husky whisper,

'... wanna' prove them right?' ::devil

Seiji always carries a small notebook with him to write down song lyrics, words just flow out of him throughout the day, and usually with no small amount of eloquence or wit. But right now, he's completely speechless. He blinks once, looking at her.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS!! SNAP OUT OF IT!! GO GET HER!!!!"

Seiji shakes off his stupor and relaxes quickly, giving a sly smirk. For the first time he's actually feeling a bit of confidence around this girl as he slides his hands to the small of her back, pulling her into him and speaking softly...

"Yeah, why don't we?"

Seiji leans down and kisses her, ignoring the voice in his head.

"YES! Now that's what I'm talking about. Can't believe you talked your way out of that one. Alright do your thing, I'm just along for the ride..."

[BlueNinja]

Class 1B:

Kio's famed 'ninja reactions' fail to save him from the devestating aerial assault... or maybe he just manages to restrain his killer instincts... ::ninja either way, he gets beaned up side the head - much to the class's collective amusement! ::laugh

Salene's antics, however, produce even more laughter - although as soon as she's out of the class a couple of the less mature boys make grabs for her sports kit bloomers... ::rolleyes

Miyako watches, and notes the names, of every boy grabbing for Salene's scattered clothes, and then addresses them. "It's so nice to see so many of my fellow students willing to help their fellow classmate, with no thought of reward. I certainly hope that Salene won't have to report any of her items missing," she pauses her overly-sweet speech, with her pencil over her sketchpad, and lowers her voice to a level that most of them won't hear, "especially since I have every single one of your names written down here." ::sly

[Expendable]

Nursing a Headache:

The Nurse looks shocked ::ohmy ,'Oh my,' she exclaims, 'you must be erupting into a Nova!'...

"What?!?" Akira demands, her jaw dropping. Her? Erupting?

... then hides her mouth behind her hand again as she bursts into a giggling fit! Finally catching her breath she manages to force a serious expression onto her face,

'Sorry, ' she offers, 'it's just that you're the fifth pupil to come in here today complaining of a "really bad headache" while kind of looking hopeful at the same time... I swear, if some OpNet site proclaimed that skin rash was a sure sign of become a Nova then I'd have to buy in extra supplies of ointment!'

Akira sighs. How silly of her, falling for that. The nurse obviously thought she was an idiot who'd believe anything.

"No, no, I wasn't thinking of anything like that at all," Akira denied, her smiling face burning with embarassment while waving her right hand dismissively. "Such a thing would never happen to me." I could never be that lucky.

With a sigh the nurse offers Akira a couple of tablets (asprin, on closer inspection) & a glass of water, adding,

'If it's still bad by the end of the day then come see me again - I've just got in some really big acupuncture needles which I'm dying to try out...' ::sly

"Arigato," Akira winces, bobbing her head. Taking a sip of water, she pops the two asprin in her mouth and then drinks the rest of the water. She hands back the glass and bows slightly.

"Ah, I have PE next period," Akira said, glancing up at the nurse hopefully. "It's not that I'm lazy or anything, but I don't think I should be exercising with a headache...." Please don't think I'm an ochikobore (1).

1 ochikobore - a dropout; a student who cannot keep up in class

[Centimane]

Kenshi opens his mouth and runs with his last coherent thought, which was that this must be an erupted student,

”Pleased and honored to meet you Kazuo.”

Kenshi gives a more formal bow than is strictly required for this occasion.

"Dore dore!", says Kazuo with a smile. He performs another of his atrocious bows while reaching out and slapping Kenshi on the arm at the same time.

"Ohisa, Mr. Mayor!"

Kazuo can't help but notice that this kid looks like maybe he swallowed a bug or something. Kazuo can't help but notice that a lot of people look this way when he first meets them, but so far he hasn't been able to attach any significance to it. Whatever.

"De, we're in the same class now, eh? Cool, I guess."

Kazuo looks back at the judo match.

((Dore dore means sort of like "Hello, what's this?", Ohisa means like "Long time no see!", De is just an interjection and, in slang usage, is like saying "so..."))

[Alex Green]

"Dore dore!", says Kazuo with a smile. He performs another of his atrocious bows while reaching out and slapping Kenshi on the arm at the same time.

"Ohisa, Mr. Mayor!"

Kenshi starts to reply,

"No, that's my err..." ::blush

"De, we're in the same class now, eh? Cool, I guess."

Kazuo looks back at the judo match.

Kenshi says,

"I guess." ::unsure