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[threelayers]

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*BEEEP*

It seems that Neopolitan still isn't managing to master the fine art of caring to be properly sociable. Still, the inbox does work, and she's known to respond fast enough, if she likes someone. So, at least there's that?

(OOC Note: 99% of all replies will come in the form of Text Messages unless Neo has a strong reason to send video messages. She might send pictures, but she prefers text.)

Comments

text; un: lookingforshinsengumi

[tealeafs]

hello
please forgive me if i have reached the wrong person i am still not entirely sure how to work these things but i think this is who i was looking for
i am not sure if you remember but you talked to me on my first day here and i really appreciated that
so i was wondering if maybe you would like to come over and have a meal with me
i think it is only proper for me to cook for you at least once to show my appreciation
if coming over is too inconvenient for you i do not mind coming over to where you live instead with a meal

(ooc: i know this is around the same time neo is dealing with the whole winter thing and the.. let's say aftermath of that.. so feel free to have her reply be belated or whatever!)

Early March

[threelayers]

[It took until the beginning of March to get back to this. Neopolitan had come down with a bad case of "not being alive." But, when she did wake up, after a day of being weakened and in terrible shape, she was checking her messages and noticed this one.]

Sorry for the late reply there.
I was a little occupied so I didn't see your message at first.
Everything's fine now, and I think I might know who this is?
But yeah, we can grab something to eat if you want.

[tealeafs]

[ It's definitely a little worrisome that there's no answer at first. But after a few days pass, Chizuru just starts to figure that maybe the other just wanted to say no, but is too polite to do so.. So she's really trying to do her best to forget she ever sent the message in the first place.

Until a message suddenly arrives for her, that is. It flusters Chizuru a little, and even more when she realises she didn't even sign it on her own end, leaving the other to have to figure out who it was-- ]

yes this is chizuru i am so sorry

[ It's hard to tell the fluster is there because of the way Chizuru types, unused to writing messages like this, but. Trust me, it's there. ]

i am very glad to hear that everything is fine though
you deserve to have things be fine for you
and the offer definitely still stands even though it is a little later now
if you have any food you enjoy in particular i could definitely try making that for you

[threelayers]

It's kind of cute that you think I deserve nice things.
I absolutely, positively, really and unabashedly do not deserve them, haha.
But I'm happy to take them all the same, I assure you.

Why don't we go for simple this time?
You can try and cook the feast for me one of these days.
But for now we could just grab a bite at a place in town?
I know a place where girls hang out a lot.

[...ya know, stop offering to take girls to the lesbian bar, Neo. It sends the wrong message, even if it is your favorite hang out.]

[tealeafs]

oh of course
if that is where you want to go then i will gladly go with you

[ .. look at this sweet summer child. She is totally oblivious of what's about to happen with her. Time for Chizuru's first visit ever to a lesbian bar, apparently.. ]

would going right now be alright
i do not have anything in particular to do so i could meet you wherever is most convenient for you right now

[threelayers]

[First time for everything! At least she wasn't trying to pick her up in the process. It was a nice way to be introduced to Sapphora, really.]

Going right now is perfect.
So, go to one of those little lanterns and think "Gate" when you touch it.
That'll get you to the right district and I can take you from there.

[tealeafs]

[ Thankfully Chizuru does have a little bit of experience with using the lamps by now - which means that she doesn't totally freak out at those words.

.. though, honestly, she might be getting a little nervous all the same, since she's not used enough to them to be entirely confident here. But if it's the easiest way to meet up with the other, then she tells herself to just be brave and try it out. S-She can do it! ]

alright
i will go do that right now
will you be waiting for me there

[threelayers]

[Neopolitan headed over as soon as she'd gotten herself out of the Gate. It wasn't hard to find. The upside was that the Gate was so dominant in Prufrock, that it made it easy to go anywhere else afterwards. When she caught sight of Chizuru at the lantern location, she waved and skipped over.

...

Because she liked skipping damnit.]

[tealeafs]

[ The lantern travelling still is weird to Chizuru, but thankfully she manages to make it over there just fine all the same. And after having a brief moment to recover from this way of moving across town, she looks up to spot Neo already moving her way.

.. or rather, skipping her way. But it's not like Chizuru is the type to judge something like that. Sure, it's new to her, but if it's something the other likes, then Neopolitan should be free to do it. ]

Hi.

[ She politely bows, just for a moment, before uprighting herself again in front of the other. ]

Thank you for offering to take me out here somewhere. I haven't been around here much yet.. [ Or at least, not just to go sit somewhere and have some drinks or something to eat. So this is entirely new to her! ]

[threelayers]

[She arrived, bounding up and rising to the ball of her feet while grinning up at Chizuru and then bowing in turn. Ah, so she was one of the sorts who did the bowing. Neo'd seen that from time to time. It just took a moment to remember.

Shrugging and nodding, she motioned for her to follow while pulling out an omni. The text appeared in the air beside her for the other to read.]

Not too surprising.
A lot of folks are more confused than they are curious around here.
Takes a while to get used to it all.

[tealeafs]

I guess this place is pretty different than what most people are used to, huh?

[ That's at least a bit of a comforting thought. And it's something Chizuru has noticed too, during the month she's been in this place. Even though she's new, it's not like she's the only person who's confused.

Everyone still seems to be figuring this place out, at least to some degree.

And while she's respectful of the other's privacy, not asking and prodding about every single thing, Chizuru can't help but let her mind and words both drift off in the direction of a question while they walk. ]

Was it strange for you as well..?

[threelayers]

Unless you spent time in the nightmare, it's way out there.
I don't know more than a handful from worlds where there's blood and monsters everywhere.
though there's a couple, I guess.

[While the two of them walked, she laughed silently and shook her head before smiling over at Chizuru. A quick shrug followed, the text continuing to type out at a pretty quick pace. It was very obvious that she'd become a speed typist long ago.]

So, this place is beyond what I ever dealt with back home.
But our world's full of pain and monsters and lots of trauma, so it wasn't that much of a shift.
Just different kinds of monsters, really.

[tealeafs]

[ It's obvious how good Neopolitan is at the typing, indeed. Especially to Chizuru, who isn't exactly used to that sort of thing. And there's one more thing that's obvious about the other - that she's got to be strong. Because even though Neo is talking about monsters and all sorts of awful stuff, she's still smiling as she says it.

Like it's no problem for her. ]

A world full of monsters.. that must be tough to deal with. [ For most people, she means. For a moment she stares ahead of them as she walks. ] There was a lot of fighting where I come from as well, but it usually wasn't because of monsters.. It was just people fighting with each other. And.. um, at least you can reason with people, you know?

[ That's why it feels a tad more bearable to her. ]

Monsters wouldn't listen, even if you'd talk to them.. probably.

[threelayers]

[Well, she was admittedly pretty good at stabbing things with the business-end of her weapon when it came down to it. In combat, she was considered very dangerous by most who'd ever fought her. But, what she was really good at was being completely and totally full of bullshit. Those smiles she wore were as much a fabrication as her illusions. She just never liked to show people her 'real face' under all the lies. Always perfect. Always smiling. Everything was fine. Never look behind the curtain at the wizard.]

Not going to lie, but it's really rough if you're not great in a fight.
Folks end up relying on the huntsmen and huntresses to keep their cities safe, and keeping their emotions low.
Since monsters are keyed up by people's emotions, everyone keeps it all a little mute.

Human problems are their own sort of thing.
They're less scary than a monster, but when one of them goes real south?
Betrayal can suck really bad. Still, a little envious.

Like you said, you can reason with some people.

[tealeafs]

Back home.. we have something like that too.

[ But even as Chizuru is saying that, she's still thinking. It's been more than once now that the other girl had alluded towards her not exactly being the best person back home.. But that doesn't make sense to Chizuru. Partially since Neopolitan is so nice to her now, but also because..

Well, it's a world filled with monsters.

Why would people have to fight each other or be rude to each other if they had a common enemy..? It makes no sense. ]

It's a group called the Shinsengumi. The shogun.. um, that's basically a ruler where I come from. [ She figures that not everyone might be used to her world's terminology. ] They're a group that the shogun assigned to protect Kyoto, since most people can't really fight where I come from either.

[ Chizuru goes quiet for a moment, seeming to think this over. ]

I guess some things stay the same across worlds, huh..? Even when circumstances are different.

[threelayers]

[Ah, the trick of a 'smiling face.' It didn't always hide a smiling heart. But Neo knew how to keep up appearances, though she had definitely improved somewhat over the last few years. Ruby'd helped a lot, but so had others.

She nodded along as they talked, and up ahead was a very colorful looking four story building. It was almost gaudy with the various colors of it, and everyone outside or going inside were women. As they got closer to Sapphora, she smirked and shrugged.]

You change the names, but you end up with the same thing.
City Councilman, General, Headmaster, King. Shinsengummy, Hero, Huntsman. But it's kind of likely the same.
You one of those Gummy folks?

[uh... she didn't know Japanese spellings well, clearly.]

[tealeafs]

.. gummy?

[ Maybe some people would immediately realise what the other was talking about, but apparently Chizuru needs a moment longer. It's almost as if there's question marks floating over her head as she seems to consider that word, before.. ]

Oh, um, you spell it gumi! G-u-m-i! [ Thank god for language barriers not being as much of a thing here, or spelling that out would be really hard. Let's not even start on describing hiragana to the other.. ]

But.. yes, I do! [ She's still walking though, having glanced at the building, but apparently being relatively unfazed by it so far. Chizuru is used to seeing things here that don't quite fit her own experiences.. ] I actually was the page of their vice-commander.. I have been that for a few years already before suddenly ending up here instead.

[threelayers]

[Page page... she thought about that as they were coming to the door. She held it open for them, revealing a pretty rowdy lower bar and motioning right for the stairs. She didn't really take Chizuru for the type who'd want to shoot pool with a lot of hardened warriors, and she wanted a bit of quiet herself.

Laughing softly at the explanation, she nodded. Gumi, huh?]

So, basically you were the military attache or something like that?
They teach you how to fight much?

[tealeafs]

Ah.. a little!

[ Chizuru is grateful to follow the other up the stairs, really. It's not like she hasn't seen something like this before - because it very much seems like the way nights at the Shinsengumi compound would get once they'd start drinking, except with only men rather than only women - but that doesn't mean she necessarily likes being around a bunch of rowdy strangers.

And as she follows, she continues to speak. ]

Since I was a page, I wasn't really on the front lines too much. I more just.. helped Hijikata-san take care of his personal business. And helped to ensure that things continued to run smoothly across the compound, by helping out with cleaning and making food..

[threelayers]

[The second floor was considerably less rowdy. It wasn't exactly sedate, but there were booths set up to the side, places that folks could relax. the bar wasn't saturated, and they even seemed to be serving wine. Neo waved to one of the bartenders and pointed towards a booth before leading the way.]

Have to be able, just in case they get past the front lines.
But, yeah, if you're mostly handling the logistics that'd make sense that you wouldn't do much.
You wanting any lessons while you're here?

[tealeafs]

[ Chizuru follows the other's lead until they get to the booth, and then proceeds to get herself settled in there, looking around curiously for a moment - before her gaze returns to the other.

The question seems to be considered in her mind for a moment. ]

I.. have been thinking that it might be a good idea. [ Chizuru is a little cautiously in admitting it, since she so isn't used to being able to talk about anything freely the way she can here.

She had to pretend to be a lot of things back home, after all. And trying to get used to that no longer being the case is taking some work. ]

It's been a little hard to ask anyone for it, because I wouldn't want to be a burden. But on the other hand.. I think that I should be able to defend myself if things were to get dangerous here. It'd be the responsible thing to do..

[threelayers]

[She nodded. When the server drew close, she held up one finger, getting a nod. It wasn't like they didn't know her favorite drink after all. Motioning over at her, she indicated the server and nodded for her to put in an order before typing out her response.]

It'd be a good idea one way or another.
We've got the hunters like me and the rest here to handle the big stuff, but things tet through.
Learning from the folks around here isn't a burden.

Just gotta pick your fights carefully.

[tealeafs]

[ .. oh.

Hold on, Chizuru would reply to what Neopolitan was typing over there, but she's momentarily very distracted by the fact she has to order. After all, this is Chizuru's first time in a place like this, and she has absolutely no clue what to order.

For a moment she seems to be trying to figure it out herself, but her face is growing increasingly red with a blush as she gives Neo that frantic desperate puppy stare, indicating that she has no idea what to order here, but is too shy to say as much out loud. ]

[threelayers]

[She blinked and then giggled before one finger became two and she winked over at the server, who just grinned away and chuckled herself. The waiter raised an eyebrow and looked about to say something, but there was an idle tap to one hand, over her ring finger, and she shook her head. It wasn't the first time that the girls here had thought she'd picked up a stray.

'Sure thing, I'll be back with your drinks,' they said before toddling off. Neopolitan, for her part, turned and smirked, reaching over to ruffle her on the head.]

Don't be so nervous around here.
Nobody's worried in this place if we look a little silly.
You're among friends in Sapphora.

[tealeafs]

[ It's so easy to ruffle Chizuru on the head. Her hair is so nice and fluffy, and she doesn't move away from the touch in the slightest either. It really is as if Neopolitan just brought a puppy in here..

Especially since Chizuru still seems a little shocked by it all, even now it seems the other took care of her order. ]

W-Wait, um..

[ She leans a little closer towards Neo when the other is done ruffling her hair. ]

Sorry, but.. this isn't some sort of.. gang, is it..? [ Look, that question is a lot more understandable when you consider the fact that meeting in inns is something gangs did all the time where Chizuru comes from.

And Neo's whole remark about being 'among friends' sure only made it seem even more that way to someone as innocent as Chizuru who would not recognize a lesbian bar. ]