[Rail IC] Academy City II: Electrokinesis Is Love~

[Terry576]

Moroe felt her spirits sink a little as she heard that final question. A fellow human being had just asked if his name troubled her, then offered to change it. Others would treat their name as a part of their identity, but to 2796 it was apparently just a label, to be discarded without hesitation if it didn't meet with Moroe's approval.

"I really am your whole world, aren't I? I'm the reason you exist."

Well, she wouldn't abuse that blind devotion. She wasn't going to become like her 'comrades', who revelled in the power they had over the innocent. This newborn soul was going to have a sensei rather than a master; A sensei who would teach him, care for him and give him a new beginning. Hmm, 'beginning'. 'Beginning'...

"...Hajime. I'd like your name to be Hajime. And as for what I thought about Fuschichou Sou-"



Moroe spun around with an alarm that grew stronger once she saw what Shougo was doing. Clearly he was having some trouble accepting this new development. She sometimes forgot how shocking things like this could be to people who weren't used to them. Moroe quickly took a step towards him, hands held palm outwards in a placating gesture.

"Nimori? Nimori, calm down. It's okay, it's okay. This isn't Fuschichou Souji; And he's not a 'thing' either."

Though most of that plea was spoken in a reassuring tone, the last sentence had a cold edge to it. She braced herself to step in if the situation turned ugly. It looked as if this new trio might be off to a rocky start...

"Hajime smiles. "Thank you for the new name Master, I will use it well."" He says it with his usual expression.

Hajime doesn't react to his loss of identity - there's a flicker of happiness in his eyes before it is swiftly and abruptly stamped out.

"Hajime stands protectively in front of his Master as Nimori begins his descent into madness. "Stand back please Master, Nimori appears to be undergoing some kind of seizure." He stares apprehensively at the boy."

[Duos]

((OOC:It's meet n' greet time! Pardon the intrusion, lads, but I figure 'tis better to seek forgiveness than ask permission.))

Yori checks the room number to make sure he's got the right one-the doctor he's planning on meeting didn't want their meeting to take any longer than necessary. He hitches his scrubs irritably-he hated them. Not enough pockets. But they were necessary-regular clothes would attract too much attention,a fact he grudgingly acknowledged when his contact pointed it out to him. Now, he looked just like any other intern or orderly, albeit one with a few too many scars.

Yori hefts the clipboard he's carrying and lifts up the papers clipped over a thick manila envelope to make sure it's still there, and opens the door. He's greeted by the sight of three people having what appears to be a rather awkward moment-a boy with silver hair stands next to a girl, staring at the patient whose room this presumably is as he stares back, groping at the table behind him. Yori blinks a few times, trying to think of something to say that would explain his presence. He grips the clipboard and waves it vaguely at Nimori.

"Shouldn't you be in your bed?"

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

Shougo managed to calm down at Moroes' behest, even though his eyes were still locked cautiously upon the tall, slim and somewhat motionless form of Souji-If only barely. Whilst his hands had stopped fumbling across the desk behind him, they were still visibly shaking. And that was when Yori came in, breaking the brief silence that had sprung up amongst the trio of teenagers in the room.

"A...Ah, my apologies, denreisha-san. M...My injuries were not as bad as they make it out to be, bed rest was simply a precautionary measure...I apologise for my display...It is simply that I was startled by the appearance of ...Hajime-san...He...Uh...Was a childhood bully of mine, you see..."

In mere seconds, he had come up with a cover story; and he had done it with the practiced ease of someone who had done it many a time before-Which, Shougo was loathe to admit, he had. Although he realised that it was a major failing of his, one that his father was prone to chastise him for, Shougo was incredibly self-conscious. He unduly and irrationally feared that people would think badly of him; and as such he would only speak his mind at any length to people he felt he could trust-Like Moroe. For other people, however, like this particular orderly...

They did not need to know the real reason why he was afraid of Souji, nor did they need to know who Souji truly was, or why he and Moroe were here. Hell, in his opinion, they need not know who Shougo was, either. They would, he thought, complicate things unnecessarily and come to the wrong conclusions-Ironic, given his current situation with Moroe. They would judge him, and they would hide their disgust and disdain behind those masks they called faces, visible only through their eyes. Those horrible, unkind eyes, always measuring him, comparing him to people who were no doubt his betters, and always judging him as having fallen short of their expectations, as low as they were. They were everywhere and they were always watching. And to that end, his fear of being judged by others overcame his fear of that horrible, horrible series of rapidly approaching nightmares in that orphanage, if only for the moment. He locked eyes with Souji and glanced at Moroe, urging them to play along.

Suddenly and without warning, his eyebrows changed expression and he waved his hands placatingly in front of Yori.

"N...No, it's not what you think, denreisha-san! He was...Um...Here to make amends with me."

[Anyr]

Moroe just barely managed to keep her expression from giving the game away. Unfortunately she was nowhere near the weakest link in Shougi's story. Acting fast to plug an obvious gap, she quickly glanced over at 2796 Hajime and mouthed two words to him.

[Don't speak.]

She then turned to the newly arrived 'orderly' and gave him a curt nod. Hopefully a bit of deflection would solve this problem before Hajime was forced to put his (probably nonexistant) acting talent to the test.

"That's right. Not that it's any of your business. Why exactly are you here, anyway?"

[LibrarianHuntar]

Nanashi calmly walks toward the less amazing side of AC, a car battery in hand, ready for whatever may come his way (aka anyone in the same area, or even just some NPCs).

[Duos]

Yori coughs and skirts the three, taking a seat in one of the visitor chairs near the window. Why was he here? Well, he had no reason to lie...

"I'm meeting with one of the doctors here about a treatment regimen for a patient. Not you, of course..."

He glances at Shougo, and waves the clipboard again by way of explanation.

"As to why this room, well, we work on different floors, in different wings, and this is about halfway between the two, so it got picked by virtue of being easily accessible to both of us, as he's a busy man, and I get 'gophered' quite often so I'm usually running around as well. You know, go for this, go for that..."

There's an awkward pause as Yori trails off, not wanting to push his story any further, which is thankfully interrupted by the creak of the door once again as a short, greasy-looking doctor with a bad comb-over and beady eyes enters the room. He clutches an attache case to his chest like it was about to explode-gingerly, and with great care. He licks his lips and stares at Yori past his glasses, eyes flicking briefly to the other three occupants of the room. He waddles over to Yori and begins conversing in a quiet, nasally tone.

"Eh, so, you have my, eh, files?"

Yori stands and guides the doctor into the far corner of the room, as far away from prying ears as is possible in the small confines of the room, leaning over to whisper to him.

"I do. Of course, you DID promise me this room would be EMPTY..."

He looks back up at the middleschoolers and offers a weak smile, one that comes out as half sneer due to some of the scar tissue on his right cheek.

"Sorry kids. Doctor/patient confidentiality stuff, you know..."

The doctor gives Yori a triumphant smile, the kind usually reserved for preschoolers being congratulated by their parents for a fingerpainting. He whinnys back at Yori, his voice cracking as he strains to keep it low.

"Yes, I, eh, did. But I'd rather have some, eh, witnesses just in case. So no, eh, funny business. I went through a lot of, eh, trouble to get these, you know."

He wiggles the attache case under Yori's nose.

[KerfuffleMach2]

"Indeed. Not too much, though, or those trigger happy teachers will get us for being badly dressed.

It was nice meeting you, Shiota-san; At least the second time round."

Kin gave Crocell a neat little curtsey, before rushing off to find some good dirt. Once she'd found it, there followed a period of artful hair-messing and clothes-dirtying. She examined the final effect in a hand mirror and nodded to herself.

"Not bad at all. Come on, let's head back to school before even this isn't enough to get us off the hook."

Krystal gives a smile and wave to Crocell as she follows Kin out. See ya!

Suppressing a fit of giggles, Krystal follows Kin's lead on the messing of her appearance.

She nods in agreement. We should rehearse our story on the way back. So we don't mess it up.

[Anyr]

"Another good thought. Okay, let's take it from the top: We were walking along..."

The two of them made the best of the time they had. All too soon, though, they reached the main doors of Tokiwadai. Kin had always seen those doors as a symbol of oppression, so now they looked especially imposing. She gave one last reassuring smile to Krystal, before they both stepped inside to face the music.

The interrogation which followed seemed to go on for hours, at least as far as Kin was concerned. She was vaguely aware that the teacher couldn't really have grilled them over an open fire while beaming telepathic rays into their skulls, but that's what it had felt like to her. The whole time she'd been expecting to be denounced as a liar and sentenced to six months hard labour. It was a genuine surprise when, eventually, the teacher shut off the flames and begrudgingly let them go free. Soon after that the doors of Tokiwadai opened once again, allowing the two friends to taste the sweet open air once more. Kin collapsed against the school's wall and breathed a massive sigh of relief.

"Ha, there, see? Nothing to worry about. A lecture about bad influences for you and a few extra ability control lessons for me; No problem."

[KerfuffleMach2]

Krystal didn't seem to take the lecture as badly as Kin. Sure, she didn't like it. What student would? But, she knew it was coming, and knew that it was their fault, so she took it.

Outside with Kin, she gives a smirk. And I'm sure those extra lessons could be useful for you. She winks.

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

Shougo looked rather displeased and put off by the sudden intrusion of their two unwanted guests.. For one, Shougo noted, the one with the missing ear moved oddly-Not like a doctor at all, more like a predatory animal. But of particular oddness was his right arm and his right leg; something was not right, he noted. He couldn't put his finger on it, but...When they hung loose...

He shook his head. He was probably seeing things; Fuschichou Souji was in the room, after all, and that was probably playing on his nerves. Even if the two individuals who had recently entered the room did not exactly look (or sound) too trustworthy.

"Uhh...My apologies, denreisha-san, sensei (referring to the doctor), may I inquire as to what you are doing in this room, exactly?"

[Anyr]

Kin didn't return Krystal's smirk. A shadow passed over her face, and she suddenly looked a little pensive.

"Maybe. They've never helped much before, but who knows."

Having completed her much-needed collapse against the wall, she righted herself and started walking. It was a while before she spoke again, this time in a far more serious tone.

"It scares me sometimes; How much my control is slipping. Remember yesterday, and how hard it was for me to let go of your hand? If things get much worse I'm afraid that...I might not be able to let go at all. It wouldn't matter so much if I had an all-around weak power, but my grip is so strong. Back on the staircase we laughed off our little difficulty as a harmless joke; Next time it might not be so harmless..."

[KerfuffleMach2]

Krystal follows Kin as she walks, listening to her friend.

Hey, come on now. Krystal will go to put an arm around Kin's shoulders, giving her a reassuring smile. You gotta keep a positive attitude if you want it to work. Sure, it may not be easy...but if you stay positive, and keep at it, you will get there. I know you will.

[Duos]

Yori coughs and looks back up at Shougo, his gaze sliding sideways as he speaks. The lad was perceptive. And if the sick kid could tell something was amiss, his friends surely couldn't be far behind in their own deductive reasoning. Best to wrap up the deal quickly before it had a chance to go pear-shaped...

"I told you, we have to discuss a treatment regimen for one of my patients, we're both busy people, and this room was a convenient meeting spot. I did't know the room was occupied when I agreed to meet here, I apologize for interrupting your reunion..."

He bends back down and glares daggers at the doctor, hissing contemptuous words at him.

"This is why I wanted an empty room, you fool. Witnesses tend to as QUESTIONS, you know. Do you feel like explaining to the hospital board and the city administration why you're selling THAT to someone like ME?"

He jabs a finger at the attache case. The doctor swallows nervously, but stares back defiantly, his beady eyes squinting in indignance.

"I work here, and you, eh, don't. All I have to do is tell them you threatened me and they'll, eh, drop it completely. But, eh, give me my money, and I'll let you walk out with the case."

Yori sighs and unclips the envelope from his clipboard, handing it to the doctor, who greedily flips open the top and peers inside. He breaks into a wide smile, closes the envelope and slides it into his lab coat. He straightens up, hands the case to Yori, and turns around to walk out the door. He pauses with his hand on the doorknob, turning to speak loudly, his nasally voice filling the room.

"It's, eh, a good thing you consulted with me about that, eh, patient of yours. I just so happened to, eh, have seen similar cases before, and I had the treatment regimen on hand. You take good care of that, eh, patient of yours, you hear?"

Yori grits his teeth. Just leave already. Leave now, leave before they ask questions, we're done here, stop dragging it out you moron. I don't want my schedule ruined by your gloating. He manages to put on an insincere smile, waving a farewell to the slimy toad.

"Of course, doctor. I don't know what I'd have done
without your help."

The greasy little man smiles back, triumph in his voice. He reaches into one of his pockets and holds up a small brown bag. He shakes it slightly.

"When you need the, eh, second half of the treatment, come see me, you hear?"

Yori's eyes instantly narrow into slits, his good hand tightening on the handle of the case. He raises his right hand to pinch the bridge of his nose before it drops back to his side and balls up into a fist, his sleeve falling a bit to reveal a seam on his artificial wrist where the flesh-colored latex stops and the metal begins before he drops his arm. He takes a deep breath and flexes the fingers on his right hand. His voice drops to a quiet and forced calm as he tried to keep the patient metaphor.

"I'm sorry, I thought this was all of it, which is why I agreed to meet you here at such an awkward time. Did you say "second half"? Because I hope you don't think that I have the time to come by again during work hours. You should probably let me have the other part now. My patient is rather ill, you know. Unless you want me to drop by, say, after hours..."

[Anyr]

Of all the shady deals Moroe had ever seen, this was by far the most incompetent. These two clowns might as well have had signs on their backs saying 'up to no good'. She honestly felt a little embarrassed about watching their pathetic attempts to be devious. Unfortunately for them her curiosity outweighed her sense of charity. Taking care not to draw attention, she slowly reached into a coat pocket and extracted her phone. She traced the controls with her fingers and found the one which operated the camera, then proceeded to take a few snapshots of the two interlopers. It'd be interesting to see what she could unearth about them in the city's databases.

Krystal follows Kin as she walks, listening to her friend.

Hey, come on now. Krystal will go to put an arm around Kin's shoulders, giving her a reassuring smile. You gotta keep a positive attitude if you want it to work. Sure, it may not be easy...but if you stay positive, and keep at it, you will get there. I know you will.

Kin relaxed a little when she felt the comforting arm of her friend. She gratefully rested her head on Krystal's own shoulder, in the same way as she had earlier. And so the two of them walked arm in arm out of the Tokiwadai gates, enjoying each others' company.

"You really think so? Sorry, of course you do; I can feel it. It's just, well, you're the first friend I've had who doesn't mind talking about this sort of thing. All the others just get uncomfortable when I try to bring it up. It's nice to have found someone who'll share the bad times as well as the good."

[KerfuffleMach2]

Krystal smiles. Aw...how could I not? That's what friends are for. No point in being friends if you aren't willing to share.

[Duos]

The doctor's smile falters a bit.

"I'm, eh, sure that's not necessary. I think you should just bring, eh, the rest of your patient's files tomorrow. I'll give you this then."

He waves the bag at Yori again.

Good lord. Yori wanted to strangle the man. First, deliberately having the meeting in an occupied room. Then, making the deal as obvious as possible. And THEN having the gall to try to extort more money from him. So much for the path of least resistance. So much for wanting to get things done as quickly and quietly as possible. Back to the hard way. Yori HATED the hard way. It left too much evidence...

Yori takes a deep breath and points an angry finger at the doctor. His voice is harsh.

"Ugh. Forget this. I'm not an actor, I can't do this. We had a deal, doctor, so I'm going to take the other half of the catalyst now, and then you're going to leave."

There's a hiccup in the space under the doctor's left arm as the air bulges and twists, and Yori punches forward, his arm seeming swallowed up by the air around his hand. Yori's hand reaches through the fold in space and wrenches the bag from the startled physician;s hand, yanking it back through the wrinkle in space, which vanishes with a small pop. He glares daggers at the man, and wiggles the back back, echoing the doctor's earlier taunt. The man freezes for a second like an animal caught in headlights as his gaze whips back and forth between his now empty hand and Yori's basilisk glare before he lets out a small squeak and flees, slamming the door behind him. Yori looks at each of the three children in turn, the collapses onto a chair and buries his face in his hands.

"Every time. EVERY TIME I try to do things the nice way garbage like this happens."

He peers over the top of his fingers at the middleschoolers. One looks vaguely confused, one is... amused? and the other stares blankly back.

"Do me a favor, kids. Well, two. The first is this: Never deal with people who are willing to screw you over for a fast buck. The second is that you're going to have to forget that horrible excuse for a swap ever happened."

Yori flips open the attache case and drops the bag in, then slumps back in his chair, mentally crossing his fingers. He'd have to spend the next WEEK shedding heat and dodging old 'friends' if these brats got too curious.

[Anyr]

Moroe had to restrain herself from snapping back at Yori with some well chosen sarcasm. His condescending attitude was really getting on her nerves; Particularly the way he kept calling the three of them 'kids'. Okay, so technically they were kids, but it was still irritating. However, it didn't seem wise to antagonise a man who could casually punch a hole in spacetime, so she held her tongue. Instead she just gave him a quick nod and tried to look scared.

Krystal smiles. Aw...how could I not? That's what friends are for. No point in being friends if you aren't willing to share.

"Exactly!"

Out of nowhere Kin's voice shot up in volume. Her spirits rose along with it, the former gloom giving way to a new burst of optimism. This time she did return Krystal's smile, although it was hard to see given their current position.

"That's exactly what friends are for! Finally, someone who says that and actually means it!"

[Duos]

Yori exhales heavily. Alright, that's one less thing to worry about- from the looks on their faces, the three children would probably keep quiet. He stands up and stretches, his back popping once or twice, and grabs the attache case.

"Well, hopefully I'll never see you three again. No offense meant, I just mean that I don't want to be reminded about having to deal with that weasel of a doctor ever again."

Yori walks over to the door and grabs the door handle. The air around the doorframe warps, like it's being looked at through a distorted lens, and he opens the door. Instead of leading back out into the hallway, as logic and sanity would dictate, the door instead opens up into an alleyway-at ground level. As he steps through, he pauses and turns back.

"Good of you guys to visit an injured friend, by the way. I keep seeing brats who ditch their pals when friendship stops being convenient. You kids are all right."

He walks off, letting the door swing shut behind him. There's a dull *whump*, and the door frame stops bending improbably inwards, snapping back to normal. A few minutes later, Yori walks out of the alleyway, sans scrubs but plus some more comfortable civilian clothing-some practical cargo pants and a t-shirt with an Escher print on it, attache case in hand. As he reaches the street, he stops and stares up at the hospital, half a block away. The doctor's office was on the seventh floor, near the corner. He'd come back later and make sure that he didn't have to worry about the doctor spooking and blabbing to the wrong people about Yori's plans.

[KerfuffleMach2]

Krystal grins, glad that Kin is so happy now.

Well, somebody's a little excited here. She chuckles.

[Terry576]

Hajime just watched - unsure of how to react.

And the Reality Controller watched through him, depressed by the now emotionless Lonely Clone.

He was a ray of light in her darkened world. He was a bird in her sea of sameness. And now he had no soul, no heart.

But she could fix that.

A single piece - from another of her many clones - was taken. It wasn't a noticeable piece, it was just a small piece of what made them human, in a small way. And her taking the piece meant nothing, because they were nothing. They had no soul. They had nothing. Not like the Lonely Clone.

That single piece was put into the Lonely Clone.

A single strand of Hajime's hair turned blue.

And there was a flash of blue in his eyes, vanishing as quickly as it came.

[Anyr]

Moroe stared thoughtfully at the closed (and once again normal) door. The feat that she'd just witnessed almost made her doubt her eyes. It also made her lament how unfair life could be sometimes. Why did a common criminal get such an amazing power, while she got stuck with one which barely qualified as a parlour trick? Still, her curiosity had been piqued. She made a mental note to look the man up as soon as she got some spare time. Someone that distinct would likely stick out like a sore thumb even in Academy City's gallery of freaks.

With a sigh she put the mysterious stranger out of mind and returned to more immediate concerns; Namely the two boys with whom she'd become hopelessly entangled over the past few days.

"Okay, interruption over. Back to business. Hajime, you can speak again. Now, am I right in thinking that you two have some sort of problem with one another?"

Krystal grins, glad that Kin is so happy now.

Well, somebody's a little excited here. She chuckles.

"Excited? My friend, I am positively exuberant! Thanks to your ministrations, vim and vigour have been restored to my ailing soul."

Kin detached herself from Krystal in order to do a few graceful twirls. She started dancing around the other girl with an energy that simply hadn't been there a few minutes ago.

"Let's not waste this precious time. The evening is young, our responsibilities are behind us and infinite possibilities wait around every corner! So, which of them do you want to chase first?

[KerfuffleMach2]

Krystal seems to be getting a little excited, too. Not quite Kin's level, but enough to notice.

Well...we could always work on those costumes. She gives a bog grin.

[Terry576]

"Thank you Master. Hajime says, trying to express his gratitude. I do not have a problem with the idiot over there Master, I am merely worried for your safety. Hajime answers his Master's question in full, attempting to explain to her the situation. Perhaps the idiot may have a problem with Fuschichou Souji, who existed in the past? Hajime says in a questioning tone."

[Shiki, Small Girl]

Pant pant.

Run faster. Go. Get out now. Run run run.

"Aaaahn... So much work!"

No. Don't stop to think. Move. Faster, faster, stop standing around!

"Awww... do I have too?"

Shelter. Nearby. Go.

"Fiiiiiine~"

A small girl looks up at a closed door in a hospital room, and hears a soft, emotionless voice on the other side. She's too short to reach the handle, and her white hair outlines her small, angular face well, as well as her eerie eyes.

Academy City wants this girl. She's a Level 0, and so innocent, so clueless. She can heal wounds with a touch - just a touch.

She's the Witch of the North - and she's all alone.

"Nnn! Nnn! I can't reach!" She pouts, unable to grab the door handle that's mere inches above her head. She puffs her cheeks in anger, and stomps her foot on the ground, jumping for the handle, and grabbing it, tugging it downwards. She peeks inside before entering, and a scene is set before her eyes:

A silver haired boy is staring complacently at another boy - one who glares back at the silverette with righteous fury - as a girl watches the scene with a sort of hidden amusement directed toward the silverette, as if she's laughing at a joke nobody else can hear, with a look of an unending suffering covering her face.

The small girl - the Witch of the Universe, the girl who controls time and space - tugs on the arm of the boy in front of it. "Oniichan, what's going on?" The silverette ignores her. He stares at the girl in front of him, his eyes blank of any and every emotion.

The small girl glares at him, puffing her cheeks out and stamping her foot on the ground, making a small noise of frustration as she turns to face the girl. "Oneechaaaan!! Why won't aniki say anything!!"

This small girl has broken the tension that had danced in the room.

Her name is Kamijou Shiki.

And she is going to die.

[Lady Serpentine]

[Streets, Near Alia's]

A tall, pretty, girl of about nineteen, with short hair, dyed dark blue, is walking down the street, accompanied by a man several years younger, with brown hair, who's about the same height, and looks as though he's probably her brother. Both are wearing jeans and t-shirts; her shirt has an odd symbol on the front, while his is simply plain black.

Of course, it being Academy City, there's also something a bit odd about them, notably that the man is doing his best to avoid coming in contact with any objects he doesn't have to, and the girl has a small cloud of sand trailing after her.

[Tanjun]

A boy has just finished class at Azabu academy, sulking he trudges out the front gates and meanders in some direction chosen at random. A small wind ruffles his long black haired which had been pulled carelessly into a pony tail. The sun glints off his brown mahogony eyes as he raises one hand to his temple to survey his surroundings. He comes to a horrifying realization. He had, once again, gone in the complete opposite direction of his chosen destination.

Hmm...I could have sworn I'd went towards the dorms...but now I'm all the way here...wait...which direction is my dorm in again?

Scratching his head the boy surveys his surrounding, until his eyes come to rest on a pretty young girl with blue hair and her male companion. Without hesitation he makes his way at a rather quick pace towards the two.

Yo, One-san! That shade of blue really suits you!

Placing himself in their path he gives an impish grin and waves at her in a friendly manner.

I'm Yuuma Saitou of Azabu Academy, I'm 16 years old, Leo, and my blood type is AB+. Finding such a cute girl today, it looks like my day is brightening.

He glances at the boy with brown hair seeming to just take notice of him.

Oh...um don't take it personally, I'm not trying to steal her or anything... Just ever since I started meeting a certain friend of mine I've gotten into the habit of greeting women like this. You know that old proverb about habits and vices...

Searching his memory Yuuma unfortunately can find no such proverb. Shrugging that off he gives a good natured smile and offers his hand to the brown haired boy.

[Lady Serpentine]

Johnathan, for that is the boy's name, shrugs, grinning at him, though ihs hand isn't taken just yet.

"Johnathan Hunter. And considering that she's -"

"-His sister, Alia, stealing me isn't an issue. I'm glad you like my hair. A lot of people are put off by it," the girl says, smiling, and going to take Yuuma's hand instead of her brother.

"By the way, sorry about not shaking your hand... I'm an empath, and skin contact is required for it to work, so I prefer to warn people before I touch them."

[Dello]

She had been waiting, quietly, unnoticed by most as she stood there waiting for someone. School was over, and she had something to give him. Clutching at her book bag, she occasionally lifted her eyes to watch as male students passed through the gates. She made sure to turn her head away as soon as anyone turned their attention in her direction. There was no need for eye contact with strangers.

Heaving a sigh, she patted at the skirt of her uniform removing a wrinkle. She was in her Tokiwadai Middle School uniform, although she really wished she had more breathing room to wear other clothes.

“Mmmn…he’s late…” Her light brown waves tossed forward as she turned her head staring out dimly at seemingly nothing. Her bright, sky blue eyes sparkled from the light of the sun. But sparkly or not, she was getting bored of waiting.

She was just about to leave, until someone caught her eye. Not just someone, but the person who had taken his sweet time to get out of class. Raising her hand in a wave to get his attention, the boy with the ponytail passed her without even so much as glancing over at her.

‘Yu----uma…’ She thought, puffing her cheeks in anger. She may have been short, but 5'3" was NOT by any means so short as to be passed by.
She followed after him keeping a close distance. Like a stalker, but she wasn’t anything like that. Although, from other peoples’ point of view… She very well may have been a stalker. If only they knew. As she continued to follow the boy (totally not stalking him) she realized even before he did, that he was getting himself lost.

By now, he had finally stopped. For what reason, she did not know. She was too focused on what was at hand, and that was yelling at Yuuma. Stomping over to him, she reached up and yanked on his ponytail.

“How long do you plan on ignoring me?” The girl gave the boy a glare. It was only when she realized other people were near by, did she release his hair from her grasp. With a small squeak she inched herself behind Yuuma. Peering from behind him, she gave a small wave.

“Hello... I’m Koto Tachibana-Bauer.” Her voice was barely above a soft whisper.

[Tanjun]

his hand slipping from Ailia's hand shake, Yuuma felt great force exerted on his hair and a sinking feeling developed itself in his stomach. Fidgeting backwards Yuuma successfully kept his balance although he feared his introduction had been ruined the the small fluffy girl that had accosted him.

Ow...Koto...if you pull like that I'll get a bald spot

eventuall pulling free he rubbed his head ruefully.

What did I do to deserve that?

Yuuma considered quarreling with the small fluffy creature that had finally caught up with him but decided against it. Turning to Ailia and Johnathan, Yuuma attempted to recover what little dignity he had left, which in fact wasn't much and was probably long since lost to him.

Ah...this day is just full of surprises *dull tone*
This is an old friend of mine, Koto. Lessee...she's 15, a Cancer, and what were they again...? Oh right! 22, 32, 32

Satisfied with his introduction he pats Koto's head. Before continuing as if nothing strange had happened.

[Lady Serpentine]

Alia and her brother laughed, smiling at - or at least as much at as they could when she was behind Yuuma - Koto.

"It's nice to meet you, Koto. I'm Alia Hunter, and this is my brother, Johnathan," she says, sending a hand made of sand around Yuuma, and offering it to Koto. "Is there some reason you're hiding behind Yuuma? I don't mind, but... It's just sort of odd, and I'm curious."

[Dello]

“You ditched me!” She muttered still hiding behind him. She was about to scold him for giving away private information to strangers. That was just wrong and… Did he really just pat her on the head like a pet?

About to pull on his hair again, regardless of his complaints of a bald spot, she paused with her arm up about to grab his hair. Funny. That hand of sand wasn’t there before. Was it? Using the arm that was already up in the air, she shook it after a few seconds.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She stepped out from behind Yuuma, and took a minute to respond to why she hid behind him. “Well…” She began to say, keeping her whispery voice. “I’m not use to strangers.” She scratched the side of her face, sheepishly.

Then that’s when it hit her. She opened her book bag shuffling and moving things around before finding what she was looking for. She stuck a Manga in his face. “Here. I told you the new volume was out.”