Big Eyes, Small Mouth (BESM): Monster Academy - Chapter 9: Kyoto Overdrive

[Justin OOC]

Though it was early in the year, things had been changed so that the Juniors would take their Field Trip to Kyoto first, and the Seniors would go after Midterms. It took ten bus to get everyone going on the trip Into Kyoto, each bus carried four faculty members, and two more drove vans carrying another eight faculty each. Still less than sixty faculty, only 20 of them teachers, for 540 students, it was roughly one adult per ten students. Miss Nekomone of course was her club's chaperone, and actually sat with them for the bus ride into the Human world. "Now remember, no one is to use their powers, or their true form for any reason."

,,

"This field trip is both a fun experience, and a learning and assessment one for all of you, and us. I want you all to have fun, to see all we can, together, but let's try to have abit less of a rowdy time than we did at the hotsprings."

,,

(Everyone is seated around each other, and sadly for Kuro, he's in a cat carrier. What it took to get him in there is evident by the scratches on his sister's hands, and his general displeasure at being treated like a pet. It was however necessary, as once she got him inside, she told him there are springs that might help him..I want to let you all talk some on the ride there, then I'll get you to the hotel, to unpack and then go site-seeing. it is right at 8am when you start, and you've been on the bus an hour.)

[Katrina DeWitt]

For Katrina the Human world was quite familiar. The smells, soounds, and tastes of Kyoto would be weird though for her southern tastes.After Skye left her alone in her dorm, she had considered just dropping out and returning state-side again... she hadn't been adapting well at all. Her Japanese lessons were taking longer than she would have liked, She was average otherwise in her studies. She welcomed this trip though.

To her it felt like it would be a chance to start over. She already swore to herself she was done with her own kind. To her, she was an unofficial exile, and nothing or no one now would change that, Sparing the Panther King having a change of heart or some coup-de-teante overthrows him. She could not have any hope of changing her people... so she decided to forsake them and follow her own path.

Everyone themselves on their own merits were interesting, and some quite fun. But the overall consensus about her group, was they were dangerous, and chaotic.

But... they were her classmates, and with some polish the could do great things. Or on some of their demeanors horrible things...

Katrina sighed. If there was one thing she hated was long bus trips.

[Karren Gaunt]

"What happened on which trip to the hot springs?" questioned Yuuki to the group, not quite entirely certain as to which incident the teacher was refering to, a frown on her lips. She kept her hands folded on her lap, carefully making sure to not look at Kyohei. She was still... uncertain after a month how to feel about him after his rejection, making every effort to spend as little time as politely possible in his presense, given her responsibilities to protect him. Even her fellow Hina were better, at least they were predictable.

,,

The no magic injunction found itself filed under 'obey unless my connection to my tree seems threatened and/or I have no other way to protect Kyohei's life'. The young Dryad had responsibilities to herself and her clan after all.

[z-Skye Angelus]

“Ask Delilah.” Skye was cradling Kuromaru’s carrier on her lap, drawing her legs up so he was cradled against her chest as well. She was close enough to hear his continuous growls, though no one else was able to catch them over the roar of the bus. She blinked at Yuuki with her bright blue eyes before returning her attention to her boyfriend. “That was right when I joined the school, and I don’t remember what happened. But if it was at a hotsprings, then it probably involved Delilah and sex.”

,,

As the succubus prepared to defend her honor, she caught sight of the slight smirk on her fellow cheerleader’s face. Skye had made the team easily, and it had caused a slight lessening of hostilities from the half-angel. While that was a slight lessening of general hostility, it was due completely to the camaraderie of the team. “Hey!” Delilah replied, “not everything that goes wrong is my fault!”

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Skye smiled crookedly. “Of course not. Because Kyohei is the troublemaker in your relationship.”

[Delilah Synn]

"He can be," Delilah said with a sly glance toward her boyfriend before turning back to Sky to petulantly protest her innocence with a hand to her breast. "But that time was totally not my fault, I swear! It was, like, our second case with the Newspaper Club, looking into missing students at a Hot Springs. Shoulda been awesome fun, was gonna help Kyra start a real wardrobe..."

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A slight frown shadowed the tempting teen's exuberance as she recalled what happened before nodding at Yuuki, a smile fixed on her face and ignoring the uncertainty she tasted from the Dryad. "That was when we first met Skye - which was great. It was also the time when I first met Kyohei's sisters... That wasn't so great." I nearly died! Kyohei felt Delilah shiver next to him, but she shook it off with her habitual high-spirits. She stood up on the bus and proclaimed, "Kyoto will be better! By Hell and Heaven, I'll make sure we have the awesomeness time, ever!"

,,

Delilah had grown up in the Human World and though she'd come to enjoy aspects of Monster Academy - like more chances to spread her wings without having to worry about Monster Hunters or Angels - she still loved the Human World, for the shopping, let alone anything else.

,,

With the strict admonitions to keep their Seemings in place and not to reveal their natures and powers, Delilah had shifted her appearance to more easily blend into the mass of humanity. Her burgundy hair was now a bright red with blond highlights in a short, sassy style and her uncanny purple eyes were instead a vivid emerald green. She'd also reduced her bust nearly as much as she could, rendering her merely largely endowed instead of hugely endowed

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And instead of her usual risque and provocative fashion sense, she was dressed simply in jeans, sneakers, and a hoodie. If the jeans were fetchingly tight and frayed, the sneakers had an integrated wedge heel and platform sole that added five or six inches to her height, and the hoodie had a wide, low neckline that was constantly in danger of slipping off her shoulder and revealed the upper slopes of her breasts, it was still a big improvement.

,,

All in all, it was a much more natural look than her natural voluptuously gorgeous appearance. And she still managed to look like sex poured in a girl-shaped mold. Or made like girl poured in a sex-shaped mold. 'Blending in' was apparently a relative term.

,,

After sitting down again and snuggling up to Kyohei for the bus-ride, Delilah gave Skye a playfully prim sniff. "And you should be nicer to me. I'm team captain."

,,

Skye knew she had nothing to fear about that. As vain, vacuous, and self-centered as Delilah could be, she actually took her role as captain of the Cheerleaders with fierce devotion and intensity. She encouraged everyone and never abused her position except in joke. And for the most part, her teammates responded with equal fervor. Maybe it was because they were monsters pretending to be what they thought human cheerleaders were like, or that they had played the roles so long it had seeped partially into them, but Skye had been welcomed far better and witnessed far less backbiting than she ever had among cheerleaders in the Human World.

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"See! Told you the girls weren't so bad. I should see if we can arrange to compete in the Cheerleading championships in the Human World."

[Justin OOC]

Kyohei remained strangely Silent. He had some relatives in Kyoto, though not monsters like the main family. He sighed. He'd definitely end up running into them though, he could just feel it.

,,

He had his arm around a very sedate looking Delilah, compared to normal, and chuckled. "We're going to the Shikonshi springs aren't we Miss Nekomone? That's where we're actually staying."

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She nodded. "How did.. Ahh, I see." She smiled. "Yes we'll be staying there, everyone please behave."

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The rest of the ride was spent talking about school, and the scenery they passed, and finally they reached Kyoto. Most were ready to get off the busses, and it was a real spectacle when they were finally able to do so. The bus left after discharging the students and faculty at the Shikonshi Inn and Resort, a breathtaking inn and series of springs on the side of the mountain, overlooking the town. Transport to town would be arranged, but for now it was time to get everyone settled in.

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knowing it was going to happen anyway, Miss Nekomone got the club assigned to the same block with her, with Darrik, Kuro, and Kyohei sharing a room, Kyra, Natsuko, and Sia in another, and Delilah, Skye and Yuuki together. Aria would be staying with her. Once they all got settled in, Everyone met back at the entrance, where a Tram was waiting to take a load of students into town.

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Everyone got on, and were taken into town. "The Tram runs every three hours, be here or wait for the next one."

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Now they were left in Kyoto, and Kyohei smiled. "So, what do you all want to hit first?"

[Toby Lupin]

Darrik looked a bit uncomfortable in Kyoto. For all the curiosity of what had once been his kind's home world... a certain anxiety held its place... technology had been something he had to acclimate to, and quite honestly the horror tales of persecution never entirely left his mind. "Whatever you guys want."

[Katrina DeWitt]

Katrina moved back her blonde hair. Adjusting it into a ponytail. "Well... I think I'm just going to wander about. We got a few days here and more than enough time for as much sight seeing we can get in... besides I need practice with my Japanese... of course I'll need someone who is sharper with it to follow along with me."

She brushed her blue windbreaker, and made sure her Jeans were just right. Of course she didn't mind her red converse sneakers. "Any volunteer?"

The look on her face said it all. "Please oh please don't let me mess this up too..." She was thinking.

[z-Skye Angelus]

“Eh, I can come and help, but I warn you, my Japanese isn’t much better.” Skye shrugged her shoulders as if to say what can you do? “I mean I lived here for a while, but it was my second language, too, and German does not go so well with Japanese.” She hoisted Kuromaru’s carrier a little higher so that he could see and said, “I wanna go shopping. Who’s with me?”

[Katrina DeWitt]

Katrina shrugged to Skye's suggestion. "Sounds fine to me... I'll tag along. I sort of feel like wasting some money here."

Katrina felt like just tagging along with the first group she could feel comfortable in.

"To be honest I hope it's not just us two, though."

[Karren Gaunt]

"There's always Nishiki market. They have nearly anything food-related and aren't too far from Nijo Castle if any of us want to get the touring started after we're done sampling. Apparently you don't need an appointment to visit, either," Yuuki offered, the hopeful tone to her voice indicating she was one of the ones who wanted to get the touring (and sampling) started soon as possible. She was eyeing any native humans walking by carefully, losing her edge by inches as she readopted to human crowds in the city.

[Delilah Synn]

"Shopping doesn't mean shopping for radishes and fish," Delilah scoffed, arching a condescending brow at the dryad. Then the red-headed succubus grinned, giving Skye a one-armed hug. "Skye has the idea! The real shopping is at the Teramachi and Shin Kyogoku Arcades and on Shiro Street. C'mon, it's this way! Mom did work in Tokyo and we've visited Kyoto before."

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Sauntering ahead, Delilah began leading her classmates in what she claimed was the right direction and just as likely could be leading to the red-light district, chatting amiably. "And I can help with the Japanese - I have a very gifted tongue." She demonstrated, speaking Japanese fluidly, with only a trace of an accent. "Bartering will totally have you guys, y'know, put it into practice, I swear. Then we can sight-see and find something to eat, 'kay?"

[Justin OOC]

Kyohei nodded, shopping it was. Everyone followed Delilah, shopping in a group for hours. Kyohei was taken advantage of, in that he served as pack mule for everyone. Some great deals were found, and some hard bartering done. Still, Eventually everyone gre hungry, and Kyohei reccomended a small restaraunt they came to. They got a table near the back, and noted that there were other students here. Indeed, a few teachers were here too. He smiled and looked at them. "This place is run by a Siren, one of three living in Kyoto."

,,

"Don't drop your seemings, but we're largely safe in here, and this place will cater to more exotic tastes, so long as they're still legal."

[z-Skye Angelus]

Skye grimaced as she realized they were back in demon central. So much for a nice meal, she thought, checking her oversized shoulder bag to make sure Kuro was still comfortable. Her boyfriend had hidden in the bag for the duration of the trip, napping and carried like a king – well, if a king had ever been in a carry-all.

,,

“So, please tell me they serve normal food, too.” A sudden thought occurred to her and she asked, “Wait, how do you know about this place?”

[Delilah Synn]

Delilah ate the cherry off the top of her strawberry milkshake, twisting the stem into a bow with her tongue, then twisted her lips in a wry grin at Skye while cocking her head towards Kyohei. "Don't you remember when we first met?" the succubus said, making a production of liking the whipped cream off her milkshake. "Kyo's sisters? Why wouldn't you think they'd know where all the monsters are in Kyoto?" She sniffed. "Poor Siren is probably under a death threat if she leaves the restaurant."

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Delilah gave her boyfriend a soft, apologetic smile. "Sorry about ragging on your sisters, Kyo. I'm sure it's nothing like that." She didn't sound entirely sincere. She took a bite of fish. "Food is tasty enough. Betcha they have awesome karaoke here."

[Toby Lupin]

Darrik showed remarkably little interest in the conversation, picking at his food - his mind elsewhere. Still dealing with the consequences of fatherhood and the battery of issues he would face as a result. It was the right thing, he felt, to acknowledge and raise his would-be children as a parent, but not easy by any means.

[Justin OOC]

Kyohei looked at Skye. "I have family here too. My cousins aren't like my Sisters thankfully, they're just normal girls, They keep tabs on the Yokai population, largely serving as a go-between. Those who are too strong to be policed by the local Yokai, well they would call my sisters and I in to take care of the problem."

,,

Which was a very polite way of saying kill or exorcise whatever monster was causing trouble. "Not all humans are capable of dealing with the true forms of Yokai. I admit, Akari's Song is probably the most beautiful i've ever heard, and I thought so, even back then."

His smile brightened as a shadow came to stretch over the table. "Hello, Kyo." The way she said it bespoke a certain fondness, and she nodded. "What can I get for you and your friends today?"

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Kyohei smiled. "Everyone, this Akari, the owner of this diner, and the most beautiful song around." She blushed abit and shook her head. "I'm still young, I've not mastered my song yet."

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"These are my friends, Yuuki, Darrik, Kyra, Skye, and my girlfriend, Delilah."

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She nodded to them "pleasure to meet you all." She pulled out a letter. "Your big sister came in earlier today, and left this for you." Kyohei seemed to lose all color as he took it. "Anything else?"

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"She was smiling when she left it, it can't be bad Kyo."

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He nodded. "Well to answer the other question, I'll take the usual, The Daily Special Surprise."

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He looked to the others. "It's human food, don't worry, nothing bad."

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He looked to her, and a big kettle of the house blend of tea. I can only get it here, so I am definitely drinking a kettle at least.."

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Akari looked to everyone else. "What would you all like?"