The Causeway, Late Friday Morning
To the casual passerby, Dōjima looked the very image of confidence as she lingered at the Causeway, waiting for her portal to ripple into existence. She should be confident. This is what she wanted, what she had been training and waiting over a year for.
If she was honest with herself, it was what she had been wanting since long before SOLOMON approached her. It was a chance to prove that she was worth more than just her name. Or maybe, worth something despite it.
If she didn't get her team killed first. If they even showed up.
Romeo Montague
Romeo did not trust any of this, and his face and manner as he approached the causeway carried some of the nervousness absent from Dojima's.
But the mission was for her, and for her sake he did his best to smooth it over.
"Are we ready?" he asked simply, and patted the slight bulge his holster made under his jacket, as if for reassurance the gun was still there.
Dōjima Yurika
She smiled at him and tossed her hair back over her shoulder. "As ready as I'm going to get!" she answered, favoring him with a smile. "Just watch; we'll be in and out, with enough time to get your cousins something nice from a Rome gift shop."
In all honesty, Father Juliano would probably smuggle them out of the city and to Japan for her 'official' on-the-record test at STN-J as fast as possible to keep people from seeing her, but it never hurt to be positive.
Romeo
"Maybe even stop by the Vatican and see the pope," Romeo said, managing a tiny smile. "It'll be a vacation. Just with extra bits."
Not that he entirely believed that, but if she could pretend, so could he.
Dōjima
"I do have to stop by Japan before we go back to Fandom, so I can spectacularly almost-fail my 'official' test at STN-J," Yurika said as she reached out to smooth his jacket. She was assuming she'd pass. Positive thinking. "We should take Reno and Rikku out to the clubs before we come home."
Romeo
"Did you have to study, to almost-fail?" he wondered, mostly kidding. "And definitely. I think Reno would be in his element, and Rikku, well, Rikku would be a fashion plate."
Dōjima
"Hai! It takes a lot of work, to convince people you're a complete flake!" she said, giving him wide, innocent eyes. "It has to look effortless, or they know you're faking."
Romeo
He laughed at the innocent eyes. "And of course one must not accidentally choose too many correct answers."
Reno
"Who's got answers for what, now?" Reno sauntered up to join the pair at the causeway, his stun baton resting casually on his shoulder. He wasn't the sort to be subtle. But hey, he'd put it away if he was told, anyhow. "Nobody's cheatin' on any tests or whatever, are they?"
Rikku
"Is there a written part to this test?" Rikku asked, joining the other three with minimal bounce. "'Cause if so, I'm just gonna write in swear words in Al Bhed."
There was a duffel bag slung over her shoulder, with her weapons and armor and whatever else she was going to need. She hoped.
She still wasn't sure she liked this whole mission-thing, but this was the posse, and that was what mattered. Right?
Dōjima
"I have to fail a test. Well, almost fail, so I have to cheat to fail," Yurika said, waving one hand. "My on-the-record test scores can't actually show that I'm competent, or that kinda defeats the whole point."
She glanced at Reno's baton and rolled her eyes. "You're going to scare the nuns, Red."
Reno
Reno gave the baton another little tap against his shoulder, and then he shrugged.
"What can I say? The ladies find my rod imposin', yo." He shrugged again, and then he tucked it away inside his jacket anyhow. "It's more effective when I get to show it off, zoto."
Rikku
"Let's not traumatize any nuns with your massive rod," Rikku said, rolling her eyes. "So, can we help you fail? Near-fail? We should have some kind of a signal, and, like, if you say 'oatmeal', that means we should mess something up. I'm totally willing to throw bombs around. I'm good at looking like an idiot."
Well, she was. Being underestimated was like her secret weapon.
Dōjima
Yurika shook her head. "What you guys are helping me on, the SOLOMON test, I have to pass. Otherwise I will have a very very cranky priest on my hands, and Father Juliano is scary enough when he's not annoyed with me. It's my 'official' on-the-books test in Japan where I have to make them think I'm an ineffectual airhead."
The portal winked into existence right on time, and she adjusted her hold on her back and looked at the three of them. "That's our ride, does everyone have everything? Questions? Anything?"
Romeo
Romeo took Yurika's hand and squeezed it deliberately as he stepped toward the blinking portal. "I think I have everything I need."
Reno
Reno offered his winningest grin, accompanied by a raspberry, and he shoved his hands into his pockets.
"Just say the word, Doji."
Dōjima
Yurika squeezed Romeo's hand in return quickly before giving them all a wide grin.
"In that case; all aboard the Dōjima express! First stop: Rome."
[OOC: And we're off! NFI. That they're off on a trip to Rome is FB, details are not. Preplayed with the way-awesome fair_montague, raspberryturk, and the_merriest]
If she was honest with herself, it was what she had been wanting since long before SOLOMON approached her. It was a chance to prove that she was worth more than just her name. Or maybe, worth something despite it.
If she didn't get her team killed first. If they even showed up.
Romeo Montague
Romeo did not trust any of this, and his face and manner as he approached the causeway carried some of the nervousness absent from Dojima's.
But the mission was for her, and for her sake he did his best to smooth it over.
"Are we ready?" he asked simply, and patted the slight bulge his holster made under his jacket, as if for reassurance the gun was still there.
Dōjima Yurika
She smiled at him and tossed her hair back over her shoulder. "As ready as I'm going to get!" she answered, favoring him with a smile. "Just watch; we'll be in and out, with enough time to get your cousins something nice from a Rome gift shop."
In all honesty, Father Juliano would probably smuggle them out of the city and to Japan for her 'official' on-the-record test at STN-J as fast as possible to keep people from seeing her, but it never hurt to be positive.
Romeo
"Maybe even stop by the Vatican and see the pope," Romeo said, managing a tiny smile. "It'll be a vacation. Just with extra bits."
Not that he entirely believed that, but if she could pretend, so could he.
Dōjima
"I do have to stop by Japan before we go back to Fandom, so I can spectacularly almost-fail my 'official' test at STN-J," Yurika said as she reached out to smooth his jacket. She was assuming she'd pass. Positive thinking. "We should take Reno and Rikku out to the clubs before we come home."
Romeo
"Did you have to study, to almost-fail?" he wondered, mostly kidding. "And definitely. I think Reno would be in his element, and Rikku, well, Rikku would be a fashion plate."
Dōjima
"Hai! It takes a lot of work, to convince people you're a complete flake!" she said, giving him wide, innocent eyes. "It has to look effortless, or they know you're faking."
Romeo
He laughed at the innocent eyes. "And of course one must not accidentally choose too many correct answers."
Reno
"Who's got answers for what, now?" Reno sauntered up to join the pair at the causeway, his stun baton resting casually on his shoulder. He wasn't the sort to be subtle. But hey, he'd put it away if he was told, anyhow. "Nobody's cheatin' on any tests or whatever, are they?"
Rikku
"Is there a written part to this test?" Rikku asked, joining the other three with minimal bounce. "'Cause if so, I'm just gonna write in swear words in Al Bhed."
There was a duffel bag slung over her shoulder, with her weapons and armor and whatever else she was going to need. She hoped.
She still wasn't sure she liked this whole mission-thing, but this was the posse, and that was what mattered. Right?
Dōjima
"I have to fail a test. Well, almost fail, so I have to cheat to fail," Yurika said, waving one hand. "My on-the-record test scores can't actually show that I'm competent, or that kinda defeats the whole point."
She glanced at Reno's baton and rolled her eyes. "You're going to scare the nuns, Red."
Reno
Reno gave the baton another little tap against his shoulder, and then he shrugged.
"What can I say? The ladies find my rod imposin', yo." He shrugged again, and then he tucked it away inside his jacket anyhow. "It's more effective when I get to show it off, zoto."
Rikku
"Let's not traumatize any nuns with your massive rod," Rikku said, rolling her eyes. "So, can we help you fail? Near-fail? We should have some kind of a signal, and, like, if you say 'oatmeal', that means we should mess something up. I'm totally willing to throw bombs around. I'm good at looking like an idiot."
Well, she was. Being underestimated was like her secret weapon.
Dōjima
Yurika shook her head. "What you guys are helping me on, the SOLOMON test, I have to pass. Otherwise I will have a very very cranky priest on my hands, and Father Juliano is scary enough when he's not annoyed with me. It's my 'official' on-the-books test in Japan where I have to make them think I'm an ineffectual airhead."
The portal winked into existence right on time, and she adjusted her hold on her back and looked at the three of them. "That's our ride, does everyone have everything? Questions? Anything?"
Romeo
Romeo took Yurika's hand and squeezed it deliberately as he stepped toward the blinking portal. "I think I have everything I need."
Reno
Reno offered his winningest grin, accompanied by a raspberry, and he shoved his hands into his pockets.
"Just say the word, Doji."
Dōjima
Yurika squeezed Romeo's hand in return quickly before giving them all a wide grin.
"In that case; all aboard the Dōjima express! First stop: Rome."
[OOC: And we're off! NFI. That they're off on a trip to Rome is FB, details are not. Preplayed with the way-awesome fair_montague, raspberryturk, and the_merriest]