don't want to hurt anyone. ( open )

[methodicals]

Characters: methodicals & anyone else!
Setting/Location: On the stairs up to Level 1 from Level 0. Beyond isn't sure he wants to go any further into the caravan.
Date & Time: Day 1, morning.
Warnings: NONE ... I THINK. If there end up being any I'll update this. PANTIES, THERE IS NOW A WARNING FOR PANTIES.
Summary: Beyond is just sitting on the stairs being

Comments

hush you ALSO LOOK I TAGGED BEFORE YOU GOT BACK 8D

[libraria]

Nodoka flushed when the boy turned, shifting awkwardly where she sat and placing her hands on her lap quickly. She didn't want to give the appearance of being a nervous little schoolgirl (that's not what she was, not anymore!) and so she did her best to steel her expression. Nothing could fight down the blush on her cheeks, however, or the nervous twitch of her fingers as she felt his eyes brush over her. It didn't feel as though he was examining her, nothing like she had become used to over time, but it was uncomfortable, being so very close and so very unfamiliar to this person

uhuhuhu and yes I am v. proud

[methodicals]

Beyond-san. The suffix was polite, really, not a direct indication of genuine, personal respect, but it still jarred him a bit. He knew he wasn't deserving of respect, had in fact worked to ruin anything about him worth respecting. Unfortunately he didn't think it was a good idea to ask her to address him as just "Beyond;" she would probably add -kun instead, which would be even more uncomfortable for him.

Why, though? Why was she so insistent on speaking with him? He wasn't really in anyone's way, she could easily avoid him without even appearing on his radar; he wouldn't have noticed. It was ... more than a little strange to him.

Was he feeling all right? No, not really; not at all, actually. Physically he was fine, though, and discussing his emotional attachment to a man he'd only briefly met lately but spent the majority of his life obsessing over was just awkward, so he wasn't about to get into it.

"I was busy, where I was before."

/////

[libraria]

Nodoka opened her mouth, and then closed it quickly. She felt the sick feeling of embarrassment and nervousness creep over her spine and she looked away, disappointed in herself. She should have left the boy alone and now she punished herself, mentally, for listening to her instincts that said talk to him. It was evident that she should have left him be. She rose quickly.

"I-I'm sorry, Beyond-san," Nodoka said quickly, bowing. "I didn't mean to bother you, I-I just thought that you looked a little upset, so, ah..." The girl looked away attempting to hide her blush. She felt foolish now, and she couldn't hide it.

Nodoka stepped down the stairs, shifting uncomfortably. She stepped down the stairs and nodded at the man. "I apologise, um... I-I was just... I..." She flushed and bit her lip a little, chewing on the skin with her nervousness. "I'll n-not bother you again."

[methodicals]

Upset. The word triggered him; he looked upset. Okay, so he was upset. But that didn't mean he had to show it, not to strangers, even if he was miserable at the lack of metaphorical sun in his life--

So. She'd wanted to comfort him? That was ... sweet, if baffling and awkward and a little flustering. He must look innocent enough, the crimes he'd committed invisible in his countenance. Or perhaps Nodoka Miyazaki was a bad judge of character, he couldn't know just yet. Regardless, she was managing to snap him out of his misery, so he was silently grateful. He rose after her, extending a hand in supplication.

"No, you're not bothering me. I'm not busy here."

[libraria]

Nodoka stuttered awkwardly to a stop, hovering on the last step. She turned to face the man, a soft flush on her cheeks as he rose, her arms resting lightly by her sides. This was a change of events, and a rather quick one: perhaps she hadn't been as foolish as she had believed herself to be. She pushed a smile onto her face

[methodicals]

...Really. He hadn't actually met a girl like Nodoka before; they'd seemed to be confined to mangas. Clumsy, timid, shy but determined and very physically attracting, alluring almost.

--Ah. Panties. Okay, yes, not almost: definitely alluring, if very very awkward for him, because he couldn't just stare at her like that, could he? It wasn't appropriate. Luckily she covered up, somewhat, quickly enough, and he was jolted to recover at a similar speed. A smile playing at the corners of his mouth, he stepped nimbly down the stairs to her and extended a hand to help her up.

"There's no need to apologize to me."

[libraria]

Nodoka took the man's hand, slowly lifting herself to her feet with his aid. She looked down at her feet, toes twitching in her little brown shoes. She could not be more embarrassed, more upset with herself. It always happened to her - she was always the klutzy one who tripped and showed Negi-sensei her panties or got stuck in a tube where Negi-sensei had to push her through from behind...

"I-I really didn't mean to, this always happens, really, ah... I'm sorry," Nodoka stood up straight, trying to look as tall as possible. It wasn't really successful - she still looked her tiny, five foot self. "But thank you, um... Haha..." She looked up at the roof, her eyes flicking around, looking anywhere but his face. She was tormented by her own embarrassment and it was not something she could push away this time.

"You can laugh if you would like to. I-I mean, it was quite funny, and embarrassing, so... Yes, um..."

[methodicals]

Nodoka Miyazaki, weight roughly 120 pounds. Her hand was warm, and the sensation of touching another human being... It wasn't as though it had been a long time since it happened, but -- it was definitely rare. Subtly he squeezed her hand to, hopefully, reassure her before letting go and gracelessly stuffing his long fingers into his jeans pocket. Beyond couldn't chance letting his hands stay free; he might act on his urge to touch such a cute girl, and she was timid enough without him messing up so quickly.

"Perhaps it was funny, but I will not laugh. They're quite cute, by the way; very modest."

[libraria]

Nodoka laughed nervously, quickly returning the squeeze of her hand swiftly before placing it down by her sides. Her fingers twitched nervously, but she tried her best to smile. His words, however, made her flush nervously, her eyes widening. It was almost comical the way her eyes portrayed her shock; she bit her lip nervously and smiled at the man again once more.

"Oh, um, t-thank you, ah," Nodoka replied nervously, her eyes flicking between Beyond and the floor. How does she repond to that? "I..." She was embarrassed, but she couldn't really put it into words. The thought did, however, remind her that, really, she had only one set of clothing. She needed to find some more... But that was certainly not somethign that Beyond needed to know about, that was more than one hundred percent certain.

"Thank you again, I really am sorry. I-It's very embarrassing..."

[methodicals]

He watched her closely, observing the slight twitches in her expression, hoping to read her; what was she thinking about? What did a girl straight out of a manga think about? Beyond was more than just a little curious about it.

"Did you need to go?"

He softened the question to show her it was only an inquiry, to try to glimpse what was going on behind the panicking and the blushing.

[libraria]

"Oh, n-no, I didn't-- I don't, I mean..." Nodoka flustered, her eyes darting around more. Soon enough, she forced them to settle on Beyond. She offered a bright smile, shifting herself to stand more confident. "I don't need to go at all. Did you need something?" She was curious, she had to admit.

The man was strange, she had to admit, but she didn't mind it - it wasn't a bad strange, at least so far. She found herself liking him and the strangeness that seemed to surround him - she couldn't find herself disliking the aura. She found him oddly charming, and that made her smile a little brighter.

[methodicals]

"No, I don't need anything, Miyazaki-san."

It was truly strange to be using honorifics after such a long time; he'd been away from Japan for longer than he'd been there as a child. As easily as English rolled off his tongue, too, he found it comfortable enough for his jaw to slip back into his native language.

Nodoka Miyazaki was ... almost unreal to Beyond. Girls like her just didn't exist as far as he knew, and definitely not in his own world. She was sweet and innocent and kind, or at least appeared to be so; in his world the most anyone appeared to be was civil. He'd done a bit of charming on his victims' families to earn them as clients, but that was simply business. And if Nodoka was concealing something, she did it expertly well. He wondered about her; why was she here, why had she been brought? What was she good at?

"Miyazaki-san... Is there something special you can do?"

[libraria]

"Ah, a-alright." Nodoka replied softly.

Beyond didn't seem much out of the norm to Nodoka. He seemed like any other man she had met in her life, save that now she was less intimidated by the gender as a whole. She had gotten more confident over her time as Negi-sensei's partner, and it lead her to being more able where the confrontation of the opposing sex was concerned.

"Something special?" Nodoka asked quietly, eyes widening. There was no way that he could sense her power, right? It was impossible; surely it would be impossible to even begin to sense her pactio with Negi. "No, I... I don't think so. I mean, I-I'm fourth in my class, but..." She tried to brush it off with a soft smile, leaning forward to regard the other man. "But I'm not very good at sports, though.... Nn."

[methodicals]

Fourth in her class and bad at sports; well, he couldn't have said either of these things were surprising to him. If Nodoka was approaching strangers, her primary focus in life probably was not academics even if school was important to her, and her co-ordination -- well, lack thereof -- had spoken for itself.

Beyond had tensed slightly when Nodoka leaned forward; not that her moving closer was unwelcome, only unexpected. He quickly relaxed, hoping she hadn't noticed it at all. Suddenly he felt ... restless, antsy; Nodoka was very cute, but -- he had to figure out if L had arrived, to check the network constantly, keep an eye out for any roaming Great Detectives. Later, though, when he was less preoccupied...

"Miyazaki-san. Would you dine with me sometime?"

[libraria]

Nodoka's eyes widened at his question and she paused, staring at him. Did he really just - just ask her out? Of course it wasn't a date or anything, that would be far, far too much for her to presume, but it was certainly startling. Nodoka would have never guessed that her attempts to help the seemingly upset boy would lead to him asking her for dinner - it was strange.

"Oh, um... I-If you would like, yes," Nodoka replied gently. If it would help him feel more chipper (because Nodoka was still a little concerned that he was a bit upset) then she would go for dinner. It was only a meal - surely nothing too bad could happen? She'd had a lot of meals in her lifetime and nothing terrible had happened at most of them, so she did nothing more than smile.

"You can contact me on the junogram when you're free, Beyond-san!"

[methodicals]

Whether Nodoka would consider it a legitimate date or not, Beyond couldn't know yet; he certainly wasn't going to dissuade her if she wanted to, however. She was a cute enough girl for his tastes. He grinned sheepishly -- an act, of course, but he felt genuinely pleased at the thought of a date with Nodoka Miyazaki enough to pull it off. Remembering her Japanese manners, he bowed slightly.

"Thank you for obliging me, Miyazaki-san."