when I loaf'd on the grass [open]

[pleasethesoul]

Characters: Sei Satou (pleasethesoul), Miku Hinasaki? (tattoosandropes), and anyone else!
Setting/Location: District 1, outside an inn
Date & Time: Day 0, late morning-ish
Summary: Sei's offered to lend Miku her books, so Sei is just sitting and greeting people who walk by while she waits. Come and say hi!

Comments

[keytoanewworld]

Sumire still wasn't quite sure what she thought of this place. The people seemed nice enough, like that person she had met over the Junogam or that little boy with the arrows (who claimed to be a country, and she really didn't understand what he had meant by that), but the butterflies in her stomach still fluttered as intensely as ever. She had hoped that walking around would eventually calm her somewhat.

She spotted the blonde woman out of the corner of her eye and waved back, and then she spotted the books in her lap. "Oh, hello," she greeted, smiling.

[pleasethesoul]

Sei had figured out a flaw in her plan. She had told Miku where she would be and how to find her, but she hadn't actually asked what the girl looked like. She watched Sumire approach, but the voices didn't sound the same.

"Hi there," she responded. "Sorry, but you're not Miku-chan, are you?" She held up the poetry book. "I'm supposed to lend her these." She'd noticed that the books were what had caught the girl's attention. She put the book back down and propped her chin on her hand, smiling. "Or are you another book lover?"

[keytoanewworld]

"No, my name's Sumire Takahana," she answered, stepping closer. "Are you waiting for this Miku?"

She caught the name of the book before Sei put it down, although she didn't recognize the author's name. "Ah, I guess you could say that. I didn't bring any with me, though."

[pleasethesoul]

Sei nodded. "She said she was looking for a library. I don't think there's anything like that here, so that's why I offered her these." She chuckled. "I didn't really mean to bring these along - they're books for class. Not exactly light reading, but it could be worse. Could've been my history textbook."

There's a slight pause, and then Sei grins a bit sheepishly, scratching at the back of her head with one hand. "Sorry, I always forget to introduce myself." She resettled, her eyes still bright but her tone easily slipping into something more formal. "I'm Sei Satou. Nice to meet you, Sumire-chan. Ah, can I call you that?"

[aveclumiere]

Well, at least the people (or whoever, really) in charge of this place were courteous enough to give them room and board. Of course, Lightning was more concerned about a more immediate response to her endless look-through of the city and she'd been hoping to come up with some new information she could start piecing together but the entire effort was fruitless.

The natives echoed back what Cid had announced in different variations and that was that. None of the people who were here with her seemed to be able to find their way out of a paperbag so she really wasn't counting on someone finding a way out of here before she did, but still.Her gunblade sheath bounced against the back of her leg as the other weapons and assorted items jumped around in her leg pack. She made for a pretty threatening figure and it was easy to see how quickly others got the message when they parted as she navigated her way around, keen on avoiding any conflicts

disaster comes early?

[pleasethesoul]

Sei Satou could be called a lot of things. She'd offer adjectives such as "smart", "cute", and "funny" while others might offer things more along the lines of "stubborn", "baffling", and "completely frustrating". And those were her friends!

Yet everyone could agree that sometimes Sei just didn't know when to keep her mouth shut.

So when she spotted Lightning striding towards the inn, she couldn't help cocking her head to the side and watching the woman's approach. Sei knew that people were upset and confused, and she'd certainly talked to people who were worrying way too much, but this woman was taking all of that to a whole new level. Impressive, in its own way, the same way that one could enjoy Sachiko's outrage.

Maybe it was that mental comparison to her friend that compelled Sei to open her mouth and ask, "Where's the fire?"

lightning waits for no one!

[aveclumiere]

Maybe it was because she was on her toes, or the last batch of her nerves completely shot--but the sudden question put her on edge and she swiveled around quickly mid-step and glared squarely at Sei.

She held the dark gaze for a couple seconds too long before relenting, forcing herself to calm down and to relax. Not entirely, of course, in case the stranger was someone threatening but she seemed altogether too ordinary to pose any real threat. Still, you didn't get as far as Lightning did in the GuardianCorps just to let your guard down when someone flashed you a smile.

"There is none. Might be better if there was though, cause maybe then something worth knowing would spill out of the dark."

[pleasethesoul]

But Sei has such a winning smile! If you asked her, at least. Said smile widened and Sei tipped her head to the side. "Should I find some matches for you? Though I believe that would make people less inclined to talk to you."

She spoke easily, still lounging against the rail. She was fairly practiced at radiating a "who, me?" sort of aura, and that sharp glare from before made Sei think that would serve her well here. Still, that look had only strengthened her mental image of Lightning-as-Sachiko, and Sei couldn't resist pushing it a bit with this stranger. "Besides, they'd be much too busy actually putting out the fire to stop and confess to any conspiracies. So," she said with an air of finality, "since there's no fire and it wouldn't be a good idea to start one, you can take it easy, right?"

[tattoosandropes]

Miku slowly approached the inn, giving a soft wave when she spotted Sei at the steps.

"Excuse me," she inquired, "I'm Miku Hinasaki. Are you the person who offered to lend me your books...?"

[pleasethesoul]

"Ah!" Sei gave Miku a wider grin as she approached. "That's me. Nice to meet you in person, Miku-chan." She gave an abbreviated bow as a nod to politeness, though it was hampered by her sitting and the books in her lap. "I'm Sei Satou. And these are Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson," she said, holding up the books as she "introduced" them. "I hope you guys get along."

ffff, sorry I'm slow

[tattoosandropes]

"Nice to meet you in person as well, Satou-san!" she said, bowing.

Miku smiled, continuing on with the joke. "I'm sure we will. I've heard good things about those authors."

no problem at all!

[pleasethesoul]

"Good, good. It's much easier when my friends get along with each other," Sei said. Because of course it was all about Sei's comfort and ease of life. She offered Miku the books. "It's a poor substitute for a library, but I hope it's enough."