ooc: ooo I can imagine Natsuki following her and then the confrontation that could follow either immediately after or later back in their room.
Again Natsuki felt the pang of guilt shoot through her as Shizuru chose to sit opposite her. There was far too much going unsaid between them but Natsuki didn't know how to break the silence and fix it. She didn't even know if they could be fixed.
Natsuki forced a smile at Shizuru's comment, knowing avoidance when she saw it. Not wanting to press her, Natsuki decided to tell Shizuru about her earlier discovery.
"I met a girl earlier when I went to check on my bike, she said there are a few places to race around here." She said, excitement lacing her voice as she spoke in hushed tones. She took a breath before continuing, unsure how her offer would be taken, "I was thinking of checking them out later if you wanted to come with me."
"You don't have to," she added quickly not wanting Shizuru to think she was obligated, but then what if she thought she was just asking to be polite? "I mean I'd like you to but if you have other things to do..." Natsuki trailed off a blush spreading over her face. I'm so bad at this friend stuff, she thought. How does Shizuru put up with me?
Shizuru was taken aback by the invitation, no matter how many times Natsuki said she didn't hate Shizuru for her betrayal, the older girl could never force herself to believe it, but here was some actual proof. Natsuki wanted to spend time with her, she couldn't hate her...of course she couldn't love her either, but Shizuru pushed that aside. On one hand, Shziuru thought it was best if she stayed away from Natsuki, but if Natsuki wanted her friendship, then Shizuru just had to once again maintain the balancing act of being a friend and nothing more.
This time she just couldn't screw up.
Natsuki's cute blush forced her out of her own thoughts before she became melancholy and to her original question. "I'd love to spend time with Natsu-chan!" Shizuru said falling back onto her teasing to give her a semblance of balance. Sometimes it really astounded her how pure Natsuki's heart was, after all that she had done, Natsuki still wanted to be her friend.
"But we should get in line for some food now that the line has gone down," Shziuru added with a smile that was a little freer than her last. There certainly was a lot of emotional ups and downs if your name was shizuru Fujino and you were in love with one Natsuki Kuga.
Natsuki was so glad that Shizuru seemed happier now that she didn't even scold or glare at her for using the annoying nickname.
Standing she followed Shizuru to the line, which had indeed become a lot shorter than when they had first entered the lunch room. Looking around she was surprised by the amount of students, she hadn't realised just how popular the school was. Hoping not to upset her but being naturally inquisitive (or rather nosey) Natsuki asked Shizuru the question that had been on her mind for a while, "Shizuru, what made you chose this place?"
"Hmm.." Shizuru didn't really know where to start to answer that question, there really were so many factors, some she knew would upset Natsuki a bit. but Shizuru decided to be honest knowing that Natsuki would want the truth, and know when she wasn't getting it.
"When I was...in the First District, I came across a lot of information. One of the things that I learned, was that SEARS was going to try and infiltrate this school." Shizuru couldn't stop the overflow of her emotions as her mind brought up memories of the destruction she wrought, and the slips of paper that fell from a man's hand to her feet. The same papers led her to this school's discovery. After a small pause Shizuru regained her composure and continued. "I couldn't ask Yukino to help me research for...obvious reasons, but instead I turned to an old family friend who did some research for me..."
Shizuru wasn't eager to share that really it was the first district that directed her to this place, but if SEARS never truly infiltrated, then perhaps it was safe. Or even better of an excuse, she knew SEARS well enough to help keep any remaining bits of the organization away, not that she didn't do a thorough job of making sure there were no bits...
Natsuki tried to hide the surprise she felt from showing on her face but probably didn't do a very good job. SEARRS, amongst everything else they had done, had managed to destroy the one thing she had held onto since she was a little girl; her mother had not died protecting her but instead had been willing to sell her to them. As much as she wanted to hate her mother for that she had shifted most of the blame onto the SEARRS foundation.
To discover this school was somewhere they were going to infiltrate and that Shizuru had found this out through information in First District was somewhat surprising. She had to admit the school knew what it was doing and also, from what little she had seen, would have been a great target. So much talent and power under one roof, it was worrying to think they may have come close to getting their hands on it.
Natsuki raised her eyes to Shizuru, "Thank you for telling me Shizuru" she said sincerely with a small smile. Before she could say anything else the line moved and they had to chose their food before making their way back to their table.
Shizuru out a small stiff nod, relieved to know that Natsuki wasn't upset over the involvement of the organization. She knew that the biker was still sensitive when it came to them, and didn't fault her a second for it. Also, it felt as if one small secret flew away and made the burden on her shoulder's lighter, as inane as that sounded. It hurt for Shizuru to keep so much away from Natsuki, but the other girl had made clear before that she didn't love Shizuru more than a friend, and that was a distinction that caused her to keep most of her feelings and problems locked away.
Sitting down, Shizuru again sat down across from Natsuki, the pang in her heart returning once more as she did so - it was always there as she drew away from her unrequited love.
"But now, how do you like it here?" Shizuru asked still surprised that Natsuki travelled across the world to find her.
ooc: i'm a thinkin' Ralph'll be here soon, just an fyi
Natsuki noticed Shizuru once again choosing to sit across from her and tried to ignore the disappointment again rising up in her, what was wrong with her?
Raising her hand she flicked her hair away from her shoulder and shrugged with a smile, "It's ok so far. The people seem nice and the lessons aren't as bad as I expected" she grudgingly admitted. "Though I may change my mind as soon as I'm given homework" she added with a grin
"Hey, Pretty," sounded from behind Natsuki. "How was your day so far? Can I still expect to see your face at the Gunnery practice?"
Ralph leaned over Natsuki with her lunch in one hand. "I hope Latin wasn't too boring. As for the homework, I've only noticed a lot of homework at Magical History and studies of the Magical Beasts. But being a mage, you may have some more homework."
It was then that she noticed Shizuru sitting across the girl. "Oh, hey. I don't believe we've met yet. I'm Ralph Ashton, nice to meet you."
Shizuru immediately bristled. It didn't matter who this boy was - wait, this was an all girls school - no, either way, female or not it was just not acceptable. No one flirted with her Natsuki! Anger flared up in Shizuru, much like it did during the carnival, and Shizuru had the crazy urge to call Kiyohime and eradicate this person.
But she didn't; she was Fujino Shizuru, friend of Kuga Natsuki, and it was not an action a friend would do. So instead she gave Ralph her normal fake smile as she reinforced her "kaichou mask" so to speak, and responded with a tone of voice that only betrayed the slightest hint of jealousy.
"Fujino Shizuru, have you and Natsu-chan met?" Okay, so perhaps there was a bit more jealousy in her voice than she'd admit to, but she hoped Natsuki wouldn't notice. And perhaps, she was being a bit jealous using the nickname to reinforce the perceived "closeness" between them for Ralph's benifit, but could she help it if she was possessive? All of Shizuru's intentions to draw away and be only a friend evaporated, the only thing taht remained was the distinct urge to keep the biker as hers.
Natsuki froze; instantly picking up on Shizuru's reaction. Hearing the jealous tone in her voice Natsuki did her best to diffuse the situation.
"We met this morning Shizuru, he saved me from getting lost on the way to my first class" Natsuki said, keeping her voice as neutral as possible. Smiling what she hoped was a reassuring smile at her before turning back to Ralph, "Thanks again for that by the way. Would you like to join us?" Natsuki asked, moving to sit next to Shizuru.
Although she was not as good in sensing emotions as some of the other Slayers - and definitely most of the Seers - she had enough experience to know when she dealt with a jealous lover. It was subtle, and the girl called Fujino Shizuru appeared to be very skilled in hiding her true emotions. But she still caught on to that hint of jealousy in her voice, and Ralph couldn't help but grin inwardly.
She didn't show she caught on to this jealous hint, however, but appeared oblivious to it. "Nice to meet you, miss Fujino," she replied with a small, courteous bow. "As your friend here already indicated, we met this morning. It does not happen every morning that such a beautiful lady stumbles into your arms and I felt it was my duty to help her find her way in this new school."
Ralph then smiled at Natsuki's offer. "That would be very kind of you. It's always so crowded during lunchtime, it's hard to find a seat here." She put her tray down and seated herself across the two girls.
Shizuru was startled, and somewhat mollified, when Natsuki slid into the seat next to her. If she would have sat next to this "Ralph Ashton" Shizuru certainly would have to call Kiyohime, now however, she could bide her time with a smile waging war against this newcomer.
"Ara, I would have walked said "beautiful lady" myself, but I am unfortunately preoccupied most mornings," Shizuru said with a pleasant smile that did nothing to hide the vitriolic acid that was being projected from her red eyes. As long as she kept her tone neutral than Natsuki would never catch sight of the death glare she sent across the table, also, Shizuru was hinging on Natsuki being a bit oblivious as she could be sometimes (not that it made the kyoto native love her little Natsu-chan any less!).
Natsuki smiled, happy that Shizuru seemed to have lost the jealous edge she had previously.
"It's fine Shizuru. Ralph helped me and now I know where it is I'll be able to get there on my own" Natsuki felt herself blushing when Shizuru referred to her as a 'beautiful lady' hoping she wouldn't notice she focused on Ralph.
"How was your lesson? I hope you weren't too late" Natsuki said pleasantly
Again Natsuki felt the pang of guilt shoot through her as Shizuru chose to sit opposite her. There was far too much going unsaid between them but Natsuki didn't know how to break the silence and fix it. She didn't even know if they could be fixed.
Natsuki forced a smile at Shizuru's comment, knowing avoidance when she saw it. Not wanting to press her, Natsuki decided to tell Shizuru about her earlier discovery.
"I met a girl earlier when I went to check on my bike, she said there are a few places to race around here." She said, excitement lacing her voice as she spoke in hushed tones. She took a breath before continuing, unsure how her offer would be taken, "I was thinking of checking them out later if you wanted to come with me."
"You don't have to," she added quickly not wanting Shizuru to think she was obligated, but then what if she thought she was just asking to be polite? "I mean I'd like you to but if you have other things to do..." Natsuki trailed off a blush spreading over her face. I'm so bad at this friend stuff, she thought. How does Shizuru put up with me?
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This time she just couldn't screw up.
Natsuki's cute blush forced her out of her own thoughts before she became melancholy and to her original question. "I'd love to spend time with Natsu-chan!" Shizuru said falling back onto her teasing to give her a semblance of balance. Sometimes it really astounded her how pure Natsuki's heart was, after all that she had done, Natsuki still wanted to be her friend.
"But we should get in line for some food now that the line has gone down," Shziuru added with a smile that was a little freer than her last. There certainly was a lot of emotional ups and downs if your name was shizuru Fujino and you were in love with one Natsuki Kuga.
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Standing she followed Shizuru to the line, which had indeed become a lot shorter than when they had first entered the lunch room. Looking around she was surprised by the amount of students, she hadn't realised just how popular the school was. Hoping not to upset her but being naturally inquisitive (or rather nosey) Natsuki asked Shizuru the question that had been on her mind for a while, "Shizuru, what made you chose this place?"
Reply
"When I was...in the First District, I came across a lot of information. One of the things that I learned, was that SEARS was going to try and infiltrate this school." Shizuru couldn't stop the overflow of her emotions as her mind brought up memories of the destruction she wrought, and the slips of paper that fell from a man's hand to her feet. The same papers led her to this school's discovery. After a small pause Shizuru regained her composure and continued. "I couldn't ask Yukino to help me research for...obvious reasons, but instead I turned to an old family friend who did some research for me..."
Shizuru wasn't eager to share that really it was the first district that directed her to this place, but if SEARS never truly infiltrated, then perhaps it was safe. Or even better of an excuse, she knew SEARS well enough to help keep any remaining bits of the organization away, not that she didn't do a thorough job of making sure there were no bits...
Reply
To discover this school was somewhere they were going to infiltrate and that Shizuru had found this out through information in First District was somewhat surprising. She had to admit the school knew what it was doing and also, from what little she had seen, would have been a great target. So much talent and power under one roof, it was worrying to think they may have come close to getting their hands on it.
Natsuki raised her eyes to Shizuru, "Thank you for telling me Shizuru" she said sincerely with a small smile. Before she could say anything else the line moved and they had to chose their food before making their way back to their table.
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Sitting down, Shizuru again sat down across from Natsuki, the pang in her heart returning once more as she did so - it was always there as she drew away from her unrequited love.
"But now, how do you like it here?" Shizuru asked still surprised that Natsuki travelled across the world to find her.
ooc: i'm a thinkin' Ralph'll be here soon, just an fyi
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Raising her hand she flicked her hair away from her shoulder and shrugged with a smile, "It's ok so far. The people seem nice and the lessons aren't as bad as I expected" she grudgingly admitted. "Though I may change my mind as soon as I'm given homework" she added with a grin
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Ralph leaned over Natsuki with her lunch in one hand. "I hope Latin wasn't too boring. As for the homework, I've only noticed a lot of homework at Magical History and studies of the Magical Beasts. But being a mage, you may have some more homework."
It was then that she noticed Shizuru sitting across the girl. "Oh, hey. I don't believe we've met yet. I'm Ralph Ashton, nice to meet you."
Reply
But she didn't; she was Fujino Shizuru, friend of Kuga Natsuki, and it was not an action a friend would do. So instead she gave Ralph her normal fake smile as she reinforced her "kaichou mask" so to speak, and responded with a tone of voice that only betrayed the slightest hint of jealousy.
"Fujino Shizuru, have you and Natsu-chan met?" Okay, so perhaps there was a bit more jealousy in her voice than she'd admit to, but she hoped Natsuki wouldn't notice. And perhaps, she was being a bit jealous using the nickname to reinforce the perceived "closeness" between them for Ralph's benifit, but could she help it if she was possessive? All of Shizuru's intentions to draw away and be only a friend evaporated, the only thing taht remained was the distinct urge to keep the biker as hers.
Reply
"We met this morning Shizuru, he saved me from getting lost on the way to my first class" Natsuki said, keeping her voice as neutral as possible. Smiling what she hoped was a reassuring smile at her before turning back to Ralph, "Thanks again for that by the way. Would you like to join us?" Natsuki asked, moving to sit next to Shizuru.
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She didn't show she caught on to this jealous hint, however, but appeared oblivious to it. "Nice to meet you, miss Fujino," she replied with a small, courteous bow. "As your friend here already indicated, we met this morning. It does not happen every morning that such a beautiful lady stumbles into your arms and I felt it was my duty to help her find her way in this new school."
Ralph then smiled at Natsuki's offer. "That would be very kind of you. It's always so crowded during lunchtime, it's hard to find a seat here." She put her tray down and seated herself across the two girls.
Reply
"Ara, I would have walked said "beautiful lady" myself, but I am unfortunately preoccupied most mornings," Shizuru said with a pleasant smile that did nothing to hide the vitriolic acid that was being projected from her red eyes. As long as she kept her tone neutral than Natsuki would never catch sight of the death glare she sent across the table, also, Shizuru was hinging on Natsuki being a bit oblivious as she could be sometimes (not that it made the kyoto native love her little Natsu-chan any less!).
Reply
"It's fine Shizuru. Ralph helped me and now I know where it is I'll be able to get there on my own" Natsuki felt herself blushing when Shizuru referred to her as a 'beautiful lady' hoping she wouldn't notice she focused on Ralph.
"How was your lesson? I hope you weren't too late" Natsuki said pleasantly
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