MissingNo
Inactive Member
(OOC: Original Document: 2004-04-05)
ON> Kyoto.
Araiah, having acquired permission for leave on Yamatai from Ayame, arrived at Kyoto about a day or so later, in time to meet with the OpTech group at the city's edge. Once there, they spread out to find temporary accommodations (if there were any hotels in Kyoto) to wait for their ride, which would leave in about 18 hours. In the meantime, Araiah and a couple of the children decided to go sightseeing in the famed Capitol of the Yamatai Star Empire.
It was night and the city was dark, its cobblestone streets dimly illuminated by ambient low-intensity lights and the occasional streetlamp with a fire burning inside the top. The area Araiah was in was one of the commericial districts, full of little shops, many already closed because of the time. There were not a lot of windows in the buildings here, so the activity inside the lit buildings along the street were obscured. Locals and visitors made their way about the roads, conversing, while patrols of uniformed samurai Nekovalkyrja silently moved through the darkness.
"Arisu, wait up." Araiah glanced behind him -- once away from the Celia, he had morphed into his previous humanoid shell, but with a different face and neon blue eyes instead of the yellow ones -- and paused to give the 10-year-old boy time to catch up. Scion, the boy, had been distracted by one of the Nekos, and was staring intently at her face. Arisu, a seven-year old girl with dark violet hair, stopped and called back at Scion. "Hey, slowpoke, I want to see the Palace! If we don't get there soon, there won't be enough time to see the rest of the city!" she hollered at him.
An old wheeled tank drove by, fairly quiet for its bulk, with an armored man standing in the open back of the turret in front of a high-caliber chaingun. A nearby group of samurai nodded to the unseen tank commander while the vehicle passed. Each of the samurai carried a sword and a pistol, rather than the rifles GSA troops would normally carry. Some of the pistols hanging on the girls' slender hips were actually revolvers, too, instead of an energy weapon. No one seemed in a hurry.
Scion narrowed his eyes at the samurai guard, as if he was sizing her up, but finally turned and strode over to where Araiah was waiting. Scion was just a foot shorter than Araiah was, with crew-cut brown hair and a stocky build that would have been expected of an elementary schoolyard bully. He almost had the same attitude, too, except he was quiet...almost too quiet. Arisu, on the other hand, was just the opposite. Well-formed for a girl that age, she was very energetic. The young girl kept shifting from foot to foot as she waited for her 'brother'. The tank made her stop, though, and she watched it pass with a wide grin, as if she was watching a desired birthday present go by. When Araiah and Scion caught up with her, the trio continued walking down the street to the Imperial Palace.
"Michiko?" Yui grinned at her daughter. "Want to go get some dinner?"
Michiko smiled brightly as she looked at her mother with bright blue eyes. "I do! Where are we gonna go? Some place new with tasty things and yummy treats, like ice cream again?
Mom had on a fluffy white robe with a pair of matching boots protruding from the bottom, which was around her knees. The Kikyo was watermarked into the translucent airy material. "Sure. I was thinking a little bakery where we could get soup in bread bowls. It's very good. They make pastries there, too, honey." She grinned and sent Hinosami in to help her daughter get ready.
The trio continued down the street, Araiah holding Arisu's hand to keep her from running off by herself as she stared in wonder at the city. She and Scion had been out in the wilderness where OpTech had been based all of their lives, so this was a new experience for both of them. The shapeshifter smiled as he noted the broad difference between the kids' reactions to the new place.
"Bread bowls?" Michiko looked from her mother to Hinosami and walked towards the wardrobe to pick out an outfit to wear to dinner. "Oohh.. I like this one!" She pulled a knee length navy blue dress made out a soft material from the rack with a smile. "I want to wear this!"
Scion glanced sideways at Arisu. Zero-One had asked him to keep an eye on her, and he had so far. The new girl had the whole group on edge, mainly because she was so different from the rest of them. Special request, minimal training, and the kind of precision you'd expect from a practiced surgeon performing an operation combined with the energy of of a hyperactive ferret.
Hinosami nodded quietly and helped Michiko put it on. The servant girl herself was in a somber-looking black dress with white ruffles exploding from beneath, dressed up like a gothic doll, complete with the black lipstick, white makeup, and a collar.
Once Michiko was dressed she scooped up her teddy bear and gave him a big hug. "Can I bring Bear Bear?"
The boy had noticed Araiah had taken Arisu aside and talked with her for a long time when they had first acquired their evening accommodations. There had been a period where neither of them had said anything, where the shapeshifter had put his hand on her head and her eyes became glazed...but when he took his hand off, she was the same as always. But that is when her actions had become a bit more deliberate, as if she was constantly planning something. Scion debated asking Araiah about Zero-Five (Arisu's number) but decided to let 02 ask instead. He would probably not succeed in getting anything from him, but 02 was an excellent interviewer. With that silver tongue of hers, the older girl could talk her way out of murder and even pin it on the judge!
"Alright, Michiko," Yui nodded. In a few moments, they were in the shuttle and on their way into town. Zemer had joined them, too.
Zemer grinned, "Michiko, you look lovely as ever. Saito was in the baths so I left him be. You know how demanding mommy can be," he half-joked. Yui gave him a weird look.
Michiko smiled again, "Ah ok, so Saito-sempai is going to protect the palace tonight with the samurai? But Mommy says that we're gonna have bread bowls and that there are yummy treats there too!"
"How about you bring some back for him, Michiko?" Yui proposed. Zemer nodded, "He'd like that."
Arisu smiled as they came within view of the vast building. "Wow! That's a huge building!" she grinned, turning to look up at Araiah, who was a couple steps behind her. Scion was lagging behind again, but not because he was distracted. Arisu stared at the building with a smile, then a mischievous look came into her eye. "I want to see inside, can you take us there, 'Rai?" she asked, turning puppy-dog eyes on him.
Araiah frowned, seeing the trios of guards on the grounds, and the artillery posted around the area. Kind of overkill compared to other government buildings he had seen, but he supposed it wasn't seen that way for the Geshrin, considering what was inside. "Eh, I don't think they give guided tours, Arisu," he said, then saw her expression. He groaned inwardly.
"The palace may not give tours, but you can, right?" she asked sweetly. He shook his head. "I can't do it either, those guards might hurt you," the shifter answered. But she grabbed his hand and started dragging him toward the wall anyway..."Scion, stay here," he ordered the boy, who merely nodded and stayed put. "Arisu, can't you take no for an answer? Ms. Reika is gonna get mad if you-" He stopped as they came within 200 yards of the first set of guard Nekos...he didn't know how far their danger range was, but it had to be at least this far. "Arisu, stop!" She kept pulling. Bracing himself, Araiah reached back and grabbed a light post. "Arisu, no! Stop, now!" The girl jerked back like a dog reaching the end of its lead as Araiah's halt stopped her too. The shifter glared at her.
"What type do you think Saito-sempai would like? But, what type of yummies do they have?" Michiko continued to smile brightly as she gently placed her bear in her lap. "Is Saito-sempai going to be disappointed that he didn't come?"
"All kinds," Yui smiled as the shuttle touched down. "Cookies, cakes, croissants, breads, biscuits, muffins..."
"How much should we get?" Michiko picked her teddy bear as the shuttle landed. "Are bread bowls yummy?"
"Of course they are!" Yui shot Michiko an "Are you kidding me?" look.
"We're going back to the rooms now, if you don't obey me when I say something the first time." The girl lowered her head and loosened her grip on his hand. "I'm sorry, A.J.," she said softly. "I won't do that again." They walked back to where Scion was, and Araiah half-smiled. "How about dinner? From how Reika scarfed up lunch, you guys haven't had anything but MREs for a while, have you? What about something new? Maybe we can find a good restaurant around here. My treat." Arisu beamed and Scion almost smiled. "Alright, then. Let's start looking."
The back of the shuttle opened and Zemer was the first to get out. The shuttles always made him feel cramped because of his large figure and even larger wings. Yui followed. Hinosami seemed to insist on being last. In fact, she had a leash on, but she wouldn't be so bold as to actually offer it to someone.
Michiko followed her parents out of the shuttle happily carrying her teddy bear. "Yay!"
"She's so adorable," Zemer whispered to Yui.
Hinosami quietly scooted out of the shuttle, shuffling her feet in tiny footsteps, as if her ankles were bound. Her leash she carried in one hand; her face bore a downcast expression that seemed sad.
Michiko looked up at her parents as they seemed to say something, tilting her head to one side as she looked back at Hinosami. "What's wrong Sami-sempai?"
Hinosami offered Michiko her leash. "Please?" she begged in a whisper.
Michiko nodded as she took the leash in her hand, shifting the teddy to the other. "Okies."
Zemer gallantly strolled in though the doorway, where a shirovakten approached him. The two conversed quietly for a moment.
After a few minutes of walking up one street and down the next, they found what they were looking for. Araiah frowned as he saw the shuttle parked outside. Odd. At least no one would recognize him...but he dimmed his eye color to a more normal shade of blue rather than the abnormal shade it had been. "How about this place?" he asked the other two. Scion nodded and Arisu grinned and nodded. "Sure!" She shook off his hand and started jogging toward it. "Hungry, isn't she?" Araiah murmured to Scion. The taciturn boy just nodded.
Hinosami smiled gratefully and grabbed the sides of her dress. Mommy called Michiko, "Our table's ready, little one."
Michiko looked around as she lead Hinosami into the shop towards the table where her mother was sitting. "It smells yummy."
Arisu arrived a couple minutes before her friends and slipped inside. She quickly glanced around the room, the smile dropping from her face as she realized she didn't know what to do. "Excuse me?" she said, looking at the nearest employee.
"Are clams okay?" Yui asked the group once everyone was seated.
"Clams?" Michiko asked.
The restaurant's door attendant was quick to reply to Arisu. "Miss, how may I serve you?"
The girl frowned a bit harder. "Do you know I need to do?" Arisu asked. "I'm hungry, and AJ said that we would be able to eat here," she said as politely as the words would allow.
"They're sea creatures with shells...the inside is meat that is edible. You'll see for yourself, I suppose," Yui explained to Michi. Zemer grinned, looking forward to it, and nobody bothered to ask Hinosami. The Empress ordered everyone clam chowder in bread bowls, with ice tea, steamed green beans, fish fillets, and a massive bowl of shrimp to share.
"So what do you do with the shells of the clams?" Michiko asked as she set down the leash and let her eyes wander around the restaurant.
"The shells are usually thrown away," Zemer explained. "It's the meat people want."
"Ah ok. So can the clams see when they are alive?"
"See?" Zemer asked. "Um, I don't think they have eyes."
Michiko seemed puzzled by this. "They don't have eyes and live in a shell? Are they like a turtle?"
Hinosami smiled discreetly, amused by Michiko's curiosity. Her little hand slipped onto Michiko's belly and gave it an appreciative pat.
"No, it's more like two shells that cover the top and the bottom. The open like a hinge," Zemer explained.
"Like a box? So how do they eat if they live in a shell and have no eyes?" Michiko asked again, trying to picture how the creature lived.
Araiah stopped outside of the restaurant and glanced over the shuttle. Must be a pretty important person to get a shuttle to fly them to a restaurant. He put a hand on Scion's shoulder and sent a message through the contact. Is this place safe? Scion's eyes half-closed and he nodded. Yes. There are armed people around, but there is no real danger right now. Araiah nodded too, and they both strode to the door.
"I really don't know," Zemer said with a shrug.
The attendant told Arisu, "I can seat you immediately, you don't need to do anything."
"Thank you, missus kitty-lady!" Arisu smiled shyly and turned when the door opened again. "The nice lady is going to seat us, then we can eat!" she said happily. Araiah half-smiled and looked up at the attendant. "Thank you, Miss," he said, bowing his head to her.
A small parade of waitresses snaked around through the tables toward the Ketsurui family. Small mountains of the finest seafood soon adorned the table. Zemer had to use a lot of self control not to immediately grab one of the shrimp out of the bowl. Of course, it was Yui's job to tell them when they could begin. Apparently, she was equally hungry, because she just nodded and grabbed one herself.
Michiko looked at the food curiously and picked up a shrimp seeing her parents do it and sniffed it curiously before eating it, crunching on the tail a moment before making a face. "Crunchy. Is this a clam?"
"There's a dress code, sir," Araiah was told.
"Oh. This is formal, then?" the shapeshifter asked.
"No," Zemer said. "That's a shrimp. You're not supposed to eat the
tail." He handed her a napkin to spit it into.
"It is, sir" the restaurant attendant nodded.
Arisu looked confused. "What's a 'dress code', AJ?" she asked, looking up at him. "We have to have the right clothes, dear. Come on, I think I know where we can get some, okay?" The girl put a hand on her stomach, and he nodded. "I know you're hungry, but we'll be back soon."
Michiko took the napkin and spit out the shell into it and put the napkin down on the table. "Ah ok. Are all fishy things crunchy at first?"
"Not really," Zemer said. Hinosami made a weird face, her hand still on Michiko's belly, which caught Yui's attention. Yui raised her eyebrows interrogatively, starting on her bowl of chunky clam chowder. Hinosami shrugged, uncertain if she should say anything, but tapped Michiko's shoulder gently.
They left, and came back a few minutes later dressed a bit more appropriately. Instead of Arisu's sundress and t-shirt and t-shirts with jeans for the boys, Arisu wore a formal gown that came up to her neck and left her arms bare while Araiah and Scion wore clean tuxedos...they weren't the most recent style, but they were good enough. Araiah approached the attendant's desk and requested a table for three.
Michiko looked at Hinosami curiously, "Yes, Sami-sempai?"
"Is something moving in your belly, mistress?" Hinosami asked.
"Sir," the door woman nodded, and led the Jal group to a table not too far from the royal family.
Michiko blinked. "Moving in my belly?" She felt a little confused by the question. "Does that mean I'm sick?"
"I'm sorry," Hinosami timidly apologized, removing her hand from Michiko's tummy.
Letting Scion lead the way behind the attendant, Araiah followed him and Arisu to the table. Bits of low conversation floated around him from the other patrons of the restaurant, and he ignored them for the most part. One voice seemed to stand out, however. Not knowing what it was, Araiah glanced around him before sitting down at the given table.
"AJ!" Arisu tugged on the shapeshifter's sleeve, whispering excitedly to him. "Who is that lady?" Arisu had spotted Hinosami, who was dressed a bit differently from the rest of the Royal Family. But when Araiah looked up, he just noticed Michiko. Chiharu?
Michiko looked at the bread bowl and the soup inside, picking up a spoon. "This is clam?"
He glanced at the others nearby and quickly recognized Yui, but not the Elysian seated at the same table. "I don't know, Arisu. I think she is part of the Royal family, though...see that lady there? That is the Empress Ketsurui Yui."
"There's clam meat in it," Zemer explained, picking out some of his own and displaying it in the spoon.
Yui finished off a biscut and then leaned over to Hinosami. "What were you asking?"
"Oh, I see. Is that girl a princess, then?" Arisu got up and walked over to Hinosami before Araiah could stop her.
"Ah ok." Michiko dipped her spoon in the bowl and daintily tasted the soup and a piece of clam. After chewing a little she spoke again. "I like it, it's chewy!" She looked around again, and was filled with a sense of wonderment as she saw Arisu approach. "Konbanwa." She smiled brightly at the girl.
Hinosami said, "I thought I felt something inside her move," very, very quietly to Yui. Yui gave Hinosami a worried look and then looked to Michiko.
"Ko...konbanwa." Arisu smiled and waved shyly. "Uh...Are you a princess?"
Michiko smiled brightly. "I am. How are you?" She was intrigued by the new person, usually no one ever approached her when they were out.
Yui watched the girl, protective of Michi like an animal guarding her eggs..
"I am fine, thank you, Princess," Arisu said, courtesying with a smile. Scion frowned slightly as he watched her from their table. Manners wasn't something that she had been programmed with, nothing beyond basic table etiquette. Meanwhile, Araiah didn't say anything outside of ordering their meal, whatever the chef recommended. While he waited he kept an eye on Michiko out of his near-perfect peripheral vision as he watched the other people in the room.
"My name is Arisu...what's yours?" asked the cheery girl.
"My name is Ketsurui Michiko. Dozo yorishiku." Michiko continued to smile brightly. "Are you from here? Usually people never ask my name, they seem to know me."
"Dozo yorishiku...?" Arisu shook her head. "I'm from out of town. We don't get much news at home. But we are moving." After the courtesy, she folded her hands in front of her.
"It means, 'It's Nice to meet you.' You're moving what's that like?" Michiko asked again, curious as always.
Yui and Zemer ate slowly, watching the girls speak.
"It is fun! We got to go camping for almost a week, and we had campfires, and Mommy blew up the old house...POOF! Like that! And we're going somewhere that Daddy thinks will be better for us."
"Your Mommy blew up the house?" Michiko blinked. "Where are you moving too?"
Arisu smiled as she remembered the silent explosion that Reika had made to destroy the compound. "I don't know. Somewhere. Daddy won't tell us."
"That's odd. Why wouldn't your Daddy want to tell you where you're going? But you have brothers and sisters?" Michiko asked again.
Arisu shrugged. "I never asked. I'll ask him when we go back to the rooms, though...AJ is buying Scion and us dinner, he's nice...I have three brothers and a sister. Scion is my brother, he's over there," she said, pointing over to where the two guys sat. Araiah gave a small wave, but Scion didn't do anything for a second; then he waved when he saw Araiah do it.
Michiko's gaze moved over to the men, looking at them curiously and offering a friendly smile and a wave. "AJ?"
Scion, the ten-year-old boy, looked away and poured some salt on the table, spreading it out over a small two-inch area and started etching a simple fractal design into the sandy substance. Araiah smiled slightly. "AJ's the big one. He's not really big, but he's bigger than Scion and me," Arisu answered. "He's a pilot, he's helping us move."
"Is everything alright?" a waitress asked Zemer. While the words were clear, it was also clear that she was indirectly asking if the visitors were bothering the Ketsuruis. Zemer didn't see any problem with the girls conversing for now, so he simply nodded. The waitress smiled politely and refilled all the glasses on the table.
"That's nice of him." Michiko smiled again. "So how do you like Yamatai so far?"
The fact that his order hadn't arrived yet didn't bother Araiah, but Scion started acting a bit edgier than usual. His fingernail started scraping the tabletop and Araiah glanced down at him. "Are you alright?" he whispered to the boy. Scion shook his head. "I'm hungry. I need to eat soon," he whispered back. "I'll see what's keeping our order," Araiah replied, and started to get up.
Arisu looked a bit confused. "Yamatai? I thought this city was called Kyoto."
Araiah nearly bumped into a waitress carrying a giant tray of seafood similar to what the Empress had ordered. "Sir!" the neko jumped a little at his movement.
"This city is Kyoto. As a whole it's called Yamatai." Michiko nodded.
"Oh! I'm sorry!" Araiah quickly re-balanced himself between the chair and the table, then maneuvered himself to stand. "Um...may I help you with that, miss?"
Michiko looked towards the commotion and directed her question to the waitress and Araiah. "Are you right?"
Araiah glanced at the waitress...he was, but it would be polite if she answered since it was his mistake.
The waitress smiled and said, "I've got it, sir," and set the tray on Araiah's table.
"Alright. Thank you." Araiah smiled at the waitress and nodded at Michiko. "We're fine."
Michiko smiled again, the smile was the spitting image of Chiharu as she pushed her hair back behind her ears. "I like getting to talk with people!"
Arisu smiled when she saw the food arrive. "Hey! Do you want to eat with us? I'm kinda hungry, but you're nice. And I think we're having the same thing, so you wouldn't be missing anything!" She got the pleading look again, folding her hands in front of her. "Please, Michiko-hime?"
"Aww," Yui felt a pang on regret, feeling sorry for keeping Michi all bottled up in the palace.
"Mommy, Daddy, may I?" Michiko looked to Zemer and Yui for permission.
Araiah fought hard to keep from staring after he saw the smile. Chiharu...was it her? Did Yui respawn Chi? He looked down at the shrimp and took one, dipping it before taking a bite. Scion looked at the food for a couple minutes, as if deciding whether this was edible or not...then he took three and neatly bit the meat off of all of them.
"That's alright with me. It's good for her to make friends. Hinosami can go with her to watch out for her" Yui said. "And we'll have a little romance alone, alright?" she hinted to Zemer, who grinned and then agreed.
"Yeah! Come on, Michiko!" Arisu grinned and offered a hand to lead Michi over to her table.
"Arigtatou." Michiko smiled brightly and stood up, picking up her teddy bear as she followed Arisu to the table, taking her hand with her empty one.
Hinosami quietly followed Michiko.
"Arigato, my lady!" said Arisu, half-butchering the Japanese word. She went back to her chair and stood behind it. Araiah stood, and so did Scion after a second. "AJ, Scion, this is Ketsurui Michiko. Her mommy said it was okay if she ate with is, is it?" Araiah nodded and smiled, then circled the table to pull out a chair for each of the girls. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Ketsurui," he said, offering her the first chair and waiting for her to sit before doing the same for Arisu. Scion started to copy him, but sat down when he saw that Araiah would take care of them both.
The dainty little servant girl in black sat gracefully, with well-practiced form. Her thinly-gloved hands rested politely in her lap as she waited for permission to eat. Her golden eyes looked from person to person, never lingering long enough to be considered staring. Occasionally she'd take in a soft gasp of air to keep her alive, although the dress she wore seemed to make breathing a difficult process.
Michiko continued to smile brightly as she sat down. "Arigatou. Dozo yoroshiku, oniisan. You are AJ?"
"That's what Arisu calls me, so I guess I am," Araiah said with a half-smile. The shapeshifter shook his head as he sat down, and selected another shrimp. Something was off about Chi. He knew she couldn't recognize him, but it wasn't that. Maybe the respawn left something out. Then he noticed just how much Scion had managed to eat at this point; almost a quarter of the platter had been picked clean.
Arisu was doing her share, too, but at a bit slower rate than her brother. "AJ took me to see the Palace earlier. You live in it, don't you?" Arisu asked after swallowing.
"Yes, I do live there." Michiko nodded as she set her teddy bear in her lap. "Sami-sempai, please eat." She ate slowly, not really hungry as she was curious, something felt odd to her. "It's big and pretty, you'd like it."
"Yes, mistress. Thank you." Hinosami nodded and began to eat, displaying her well-mannered nature in every movement.
"I liked my old home, but we're staying at a...a..." "A hotel," Araiah cut in. Arisu nodded. "Yeah, someone is letting us use their house. It's fun, there are these really soft beds and blankets and pillows, and the beds are in the floor too!" Scion shifted his attention from Araiah and Arisu to Hinosami, watching the well-bred (or would it be well-trained?) girl eat. He slowed down and started to try to mimic her methods, matching her move for move within a few seconds.
Hinosami stopped and set her fork down.
"Can I tell you a secret, Michiko?" Arisu glanced sideways at Scion, then looked back at the princess. Scion set his fork down too, then waited for the gothicly-dressed slave to do something else. He wanted to eat more, he still wasn't full...but Hinosami seemed to be doing the right things.
PAUSE>
Wes - Yui, Zemer, Hinosami, restaurant attendants, and Nekos
Kim - Michiko
Nick - Araiah, Arisu, and Scion
ON> Kyoto.
Araiah, having acquired permission for leave on Yamatai from Ayame, arrived at Kyoto about a day or so later, in time to meet with the OpTech group at the city's edge. Once there, they spread out to find temporary accommodations (if there were any hotels in Kyoto) to wait for their ride, which would leave in about 18 hours. In the meantime, Araiah and a couple of the children decided to go sightseeing in the famed Capitol of the Yamatai Star Empire.
It was night and the city was dark, its cobblestone streets dimly illuminated by ambient low-intensity lights and the occasional streetlamp with a fire burning inside the top. The area Araiah was in was one of the commericial districts, full of little shops, many already closed because of the time. There were not a lot of windows in the buildings here, so the activity inside the lit buildings along the street were obscured. Locals and visitors made their way about the roads, conversing, while patrols of uniformed samurai Nekovalkyrja silently moved through the darkness.
"Arisu, wait up." Araiah glanced behind him -- once away from the Celia, he had morphed into his previous humanoid shell, but with a different face and neon blue eyes instead of the yellow ones -- and paused to give the 10-year-old boy time to catch up. Scion, the boy, had been distracted by one of the Nekos, and was staring intently at her face. Arisu, a seven-year old girl with dark violet hair, stopped and called back at Scion. "Hey, slowpoke, I want to see the Palace! If we don't get there soon, there won't be enough time to see the rest of the city!" she hollered at him.
An old wheeled tank drove by, fairly quiet for its bulk, with an armored man standing in the open back of the turret in front of a high-caliber chaingun. A nearby group of samurai nodded to the unseen tank commander while the vehicle passed. Each of the samurai carried a sword and a pistol, rather than the rifles GSA troops would normally carry. Some of the pistols hanging on the girls' slender hips were actually revolvers, too, instead of an energy weapon. No one seemed in a hurry.
Scion narrowed his eyes at the samurai guard, as if he was sizing her up, but finally turned and strode over to where Araiah was waiting. Scion was just a foot shorter than Araiah was, with crew-cut brown hair and a stocky build that would have been expected of an elementary schoolyard bully. He almost had the same attitude, too, except he was quiet...almost too quiet. Arisu, on the other hand, was just the opposite. Well-formed for a girl that age, she was very energetic. The young girl kept shifting from foot to foot as she waited for her 'brother'. The tank made her stop, though, and she watched it pass with a wide grin, as if she was watching a desired birthday present go by. When Araiah and Scion caught up with her, the trio continued walking down the street to the Imperial Palace.
"Michiko?" Yui grinned at her daughter. "Want to go get some dinner?"
Michiko smiled brightly as she looked at her mother with bright blue eyes. "I do! Where are we gonna go? Some place new with tasty things and yummy treats, like ice cream again?
Mom had on a fluffy white robe with a pair of matching boots protruding from the bottom, which was around her knees. The Kikyo was watermarked into the translucent airy material. "Sure. I was thinking a little bakery where we could get soup in bread bowls. It's very good. They make pastries there, too, honey." She grinned and sent Hinosami in to help her daughter get ready.
The trio continued down the street, Araiah holding Arisu's hand to keep her from running off by herself as she stared in wonder at the city. She and Scion had been out in the wilderness where OpTech had been based all of their lives, so this was a new experience for both of them. The shapeshifter smiled as he noted the broad difference between the kids' reactions to the new place.
"Bread bowls?" Michiko looked from her mother to Hinosami and walked towards the wardrobe to pick out an outfit to wear to dinner. "Oohh.. I like this one!" She pulled a knee length navy blue dress made out a soft material from the rack with a smile. "I want to wear this!"
Scion glanced sideways at Arisu. Zero-One had asked him to keep an eye on her, and he had so far. The new girl had the whole group on edge, mainly because she was so different from the rest of them. Special request, minimal training, and the kind of precision you'd expect from a practiced surgeon performing an operation combined with the energy of of a hyperactive ferret.
Hinosami nodded quietly and helped Michiko put it on. The servant girl herself was in a somber-looking black dress with white ruffles exploding from beneath, dressed up like a gothic doll, complete with the black lipstick, white makeup, and a collar.
Once Michiko was dressed she scooped up her teddy bear and gave him a big hug. "Can I bring Bear Bear?"
The boy had noticed Araiah had taken Arisu aside and talked with her for a long time when they had first acquired their evening accommodations. There had been a period where neither of them had said anything, where the shapeshifter had put his hand on her head and her eyes became glazed...but when he took his hand off, she was the same as always. But that is when her actions had become a bit more deliberate, as if she was constantly planning something. Scion debated asking Araiah about Zero-Five (Arisu's number) but decided to let 02 ask instead. He would probably not succeed in getting anything from him, but 02 was an excellent interviewer. With that silver tongue of hers, the older girl could talk her way out of murder and even pin it on the judge!
"Alright, Michiko," Yui nodded. In a few moments, they were in the shuttle and on their way into town. Zemer had joined them, too.
Zemer grinned, "Michiko, you look lovely as ever. Saito was in the baths so I left him be. You know how demanding mommy can be," he half-joked. Yui gave him a weird look.
Michiko smiled again, "Ah ok, so Saito-sempai is going to protect the palace tonight with the samurai? But Mommy says that we're gonna have bread bowls and that there are yummy treats there too!"
"How about you bring some back for him, Michiko?" Yui proposed. Zemer nodded, "He'd like that."
Arisu smiled as they came within view of the vast building. "Wow! That's a huge building!" she grinned, turning to look up at Araiah, who was a couple steps behind her. Scion was lagging behind again, but not because he was distracted. Arisu stared at the building with a smile, then a mischievous look came into her eye. "I want to see inside, can you take us there, 'Rai?" she asked, turning puppy-dog eyes on him.
Araiah frowned, seeing the trios of guards on the grounds, and the artillery posted around the area. Kind of overkill compared to other government buildings he had seen, but he supposed it wasn't seen that way for the Geshrin, considering what was inside. "Eh, I don't think they give guided tours, Arisu," he said, then saw her expression. He groaned inwardly.
"The palace may not give tours, but you can, right?" she asked sweetly. He shook his head. "I can't do it either, those guards might hurt you," the shifter answered. But she grabbed his hand and started dragging him toward the wall anyway..."Scion, stay here," he ordered the boy, who merely nodded and stayed put. "Arisu, can't you take no for an answer? Ms. Reika is gonna get mad if you-" He stopped as they came within 200 yards of the first set of guard Nekos...he didn't know how far their danger range was, but it had to be at least this far. "Arisu, stop!" She kept pulling. Bracing himself, Araiah reached back and grabbed a light post. "Arisu, no! Stop, now!" The girl jerked back like a dog reaching the end of its lead as Araiah's halt stopped her too. The shifter glared at her.
"What type do you think Saito-sempai would like? But, what type of yummies do they have?" Michiko continued to smile brightly as she gently placed her bear in her lap. "Is Saito-sempai going to be disappointed that he didn't come?"
"All kinds," Yui smiled as the shuttle touched down. "Cookies, cakes, croissants, breads, biscuits, muffins..."
"How much should we get?" Michiko picked her teddy bear as the shuttle landed. "Are bread bowls yummy?"
"Of course they are!" Yui shot Michiko an "Are you kidding me?" look.
"We're going back to the rooms now, if you don't obey me when I say something the first time." The girl lowered her head and loosened her grip on his hand. "I'm sorry, A.J.," she said softly. "I won't do that again." They walked back to where Scion was, and Araiah half-smiled. "How about dinner? From how Reika scarfed up lunch, you guys haven't had anything but MREs for a while, have you? What about something new? Maybe we can find a good restaurant around here. My treat." Arisu beamed and Scion almost smiled. "Alright, then. Let's start looking."
The back of the shuttle opened and Zemer was the first to get out. The shuttles always made him feel cramped because of his large figure and even larger wings. Yui followed. Hinosami seemed to insist on being last. In fact, she had a leash on, but she wouldn't be so bold as to actually offer it to someone.
Michiko followed her parents out of the shuttle happily carrying her teddy bear. "Yay!"
"She's so adorable," Zemer whispered to Yui.
Hinosami quietly scooted out of the shuttle, shuffling her feet in tiny footsteps, as if her ankles were bound. Her leash she carried in one hand; her face bore a downcast expression that seemed sad.
Michiko looked up at her parents as they seemed to say something, tilting her head to one side as she looked back at Hinosami. "What's wrong Sami-sempai?"
Hinosami offered Michiko her leash. "Please?" she begged in a whisper.
Michiko nodded as she took the leash in her hand, shifting the teddy to the other. "Okies."
Zemer gallantly strolled in though the doorway, where a shirovakten approached him. The two conversed quietly for a moment.
After a few minutes of walking up one street and down the next, they found what they were looking for. Araiah frowned as he saw the shuttle parked outside. Odd. At least no one would recognize him...but he dimmed his eye color to a more normal shade of blue rather than the abnormal shade it had been. "How about this place?" he asked the other two. Scion nodded and Arisu grinned and nodded. "Sure!" She shook off his hand and started jogging toward it. "Hungry, isn't she?" Araiah murmured to Scion. The taciturn boy just nodded.
Hinosami smiled gratefully and grabbed the sides of her dress. Mommy called Michiko, "Our table's ready, little one."
Michiko looked around as she lead Hinosami into the shop towards the table where her mother was sitting. "It smells yummy."
Arisu arrived a couple minutes before her friends and slipped inside. She quickly glanced around the room, the smile dropping from her face as she realized she didn't know what to do. "Excuse me?" she said, looking at the nearest employee.
"Are clams okay?" Yui asked the group once everyone was seated.
"Clams?" Michiko asked.
The restaurant's door attendant was quick to reply to Arisu. "Miss, how may I serve you?"
The girl frowned a bit harder. "Do you know I need to do?" Arisu asked. "I'm hungry, and AJ said that we would be able to eat here," she said as politely as the words would allow.
"They're sea creatures with shells...the inside is meat that is edible. You'll see for yourself, I suppose," Yui explained to Michi. Zemer grinned, looking forward to it, and nobody bothered to ask Hinosami. The Empress ordered everyone clam chowder in bread bowls, with ice tea, steamed green beans, fish fillets, and a massive bowl of shrimp to share.
"So what do you do with the shells of the clams?" Michiko asked as she set down the leash and let her eyes wander around the restaurant.
"The shells are usually thrown away," Zemer explained. "It's the meat people want."
"Ah ok. So can the clams see when they are alive?"
"See?" Zemer asked. "Um, I don't think they have eyes."
Michiko seemed puzzled by this. "They don't have eyes and live in a shell? Are they like a turtle?"
Hinosami smiled discreetly, amused by Michiko's curiosity. Her little hand slipped onto Michiko's belly and gave it an appreciative pat.
"No, it's more like two shells that cover the top and the bottom. The open like a hinge," Zemer explained.
"Like a box? So how do they eat if they live in a shell and have no eyes?" Michiko asked again, trying to picture how the creature lived.
Araiah stopped outside of the restaurant and glanced over the shuttle. Must be a pretty important person to get a shuttle to fly them to a restaurant. He put a hand on Scion's shoulder and sent a message through the contact. Is this place safe? Scion's eyes half-closed and he nodded. Yes. There are armed people around, but there is no real danger right now. Araiah nodded too, and they both strode to the door.
"I really don't know," Zemer said with a shrug.
The attendant told Arisu, "I can seat you immediately, you don't need to do anything."
"Thank you, missus kitty-lady!" Arisu smiled shyly and turned when the door opened again. "The nice lady is going to seat us, then we can eat!" she said happily. Araiah half-smiled and looked up at the attendant. "Thank you, Miss," he said, bowing his head to her.
A small parade of waitresses snaked around through the tables toward the Ketsurui family. Small mountains of the finest seafood soon adorned the table. Zemer had to use a lot of self control not to immediately grab one of the shrimp out of the bowl. Of course, it was Yui's job to tell them when they could begin. Apparently, she was equally hungry, because she just nodded and grabbed one herself.
Michiko looked at the food curiously and picked up a shrimp seeing her parents do it and sniffed it curiously before eating it, crunching on the tail a moment before making a face. "Crunchy. Is this a clam?"
"There's a dress code, sir," Araiah was told.
"Oh. This is formal, then?" the shapeshifter asked.
"No," Zemer said. "That's a shrimp. You're not supposed to eat the
tail." He handed her a napkin to spit it into.
"It is, sir" the restaurant attendant nodded.
Arisu looked confused. "What's a 'dress code', AJ?" she asked, looking up at him. "We have to have the right clothes, dear. Come on, I think I know where we can get some, okay?" The girl put a hand on her stomach, and he nodded. "I know you're hungry, but we'll be back soon."
Michiko took the napkin and spit out the shell into it and put the napkin down on the table. "Ah ok. Are all fishy things crunchy at first?"
"Not really," Zemer said. Hinosami made a weird face, her hand still on Michiko's belly, which caught Yui's attention. Yui raised her eyebrows interrogatively, starting on her bowl of chunky clam chowder. Hinosami shrugged, uncertain if she should say anything, but tapped Michiko's shoulder gently.
They left, and came back a few minutes later dressed a bit more appropriately. Instead of Arisu's sundress and t-shirt and t-shirts with jeans for the boys, Arisu wore a formal gown that came up to her neck and left her arms bare while Araiah and Scion wore clean tuxedos...they weren't the most recent style, but they were good enough. Araiah approached the attendant's desk and requested a table for three.
Michiko looked at Hinosami curiously, "Yes, Sami-sempai?"
"Is something moving in your belly, mistress?" Hinosami asked.
"Sir," the door woman nodded, and led the Jal group to a table not too far from the royal family.
Michiko blinked. "Moving in my belly?" She felt a little confused by the question. "Does that mean I'm sick?"
"I'm sorry," Hinosami timidly apologized, removing her hand from Michiko's tummy.
Letting Scion lead the way behind the attendant, Araiah followed him and Arisu to the table. Bits of low conversation floated around him from the other patrons of the restaurant, and he ignored them for the most part. One voice seemed to stand out, however. Not knowing what it was, Araiah glanced around him before sitting down at the given table.
"AJ!" Arisu tugged on the shapeshifter's sleeve, whispering excitedly to him. "Who is that lady?" Arisu had spotted Hinosami, who was dressed a bit differently from the rest of the Royal Family. But when Araiah looked up, he just noticed Michiko. Chiharu?
Michiko looked at the bread bowl and the soup inside, picking up a spoon. "This is clam?"
He glanced at the others nearby and quickly recognized Yui, but not the Elysian seated at the same table. "I don't know, Arisu. I think she is part of the Royal family, though...see that lady there? That is the Empress Ketsurui Yui."
"There's clam meat in it," Zemer explained, picking out some of his own and displaying it in the spoon.
Yui finished off a biscut and then leaned over to Hinosami. "What were you asking?"
"Oh, I see. Is that girl a princess, then?" Arisu got up and walked over to Hinosami before Araiah could stop her.
"Ah ok." Michiko dipped her spoon in the bowl and daintily tasted the soup and a piece of clam. After chewing a little she spoke again. "I like it, it's chewy!" She looked around again, and was filled with a sense of wonderment as she saw Arisu approach. "Konbanwa." She smiled brightly at the girl.
Hinosami said, "I thought I felt something inside her move," very, very quietly to Yui. Yui gave Hinosami a worried look and then looked to Michiko.
"Ko...konbanwa." Arisu smiled and waved shyly. "Uh...Are you a princess?"
Michiko smiled brightly. "I am. How are you?" She was intrigued by the new person, usually no one ever approached her when they were out.
Yui watched the girl, protective of Michi like an animal guarding her eggs..
"I am fine, thank you, Princess," Arisu said, courtesying with a smile. Scion frowned slightly as he watched her from their table. Manners wasn't something that she had been programmed with, nothing beyond basic table etiquette. Meanwhile, Araiah didn't say anything outside of ordering their meal, whatever the chef recommended. While he waited he kept an eye on Michiko out of his near-perfect peripheral vision as he watched the other people in the room.
"My name is Arisu...what's yours?" asked the cheery girl.
"My name is Ketsurui Michiko. Dozo yorishiku." Michiko continued to smile brightly. "Are you from here? Usually people never ask my name, they seem to know me."
"Dozo yorishiku...?" Arisu shook her head. "I'm from out of town. We don't get much news at home. But we are moving." After the courtesy, she folded her hands in front of her.
"It means, 'It's Nice to meet you.' You're moving what's that like?" Michiko asked again, curious as always.
Yui and Zemer ate slowly, watching the girls speak.
"It is fun! We got to go camping for almost a week, and we had campfires, and Mommy blew up the old house...POOF! Like that! And we're going somewhere that Daddy thinks will be better for us."
"Your Mommy blew up the house?" Michiko blinked. "Where are you moving too?"
Arisu smiled as she remembered the silent explosion that Reika had made to destroy the compound. "I don't know. Somewhere. Daddy won't tell us."
"That's odd. Why wouldn't your Daddy want to tell you where you're going? But you have brothers and sisters?" Michiko asked again.
Arisu shrugged. "I never asked. I'll ask him when we go back to the rooms, though...AJ is buying Scion and us dinner, he's nice...I have three brothers and a sister. Scion is my brother, he's over there," she said, pointing over to where the two guys sat. Araiah gave a small wave, but Scion didn't do anything for a second; then he waved when he saw Araiah do it.
Michiko's gaze moved over to the men, looking at them curiously and offering a friendly smile and a wave. "AJ?"
Scion, the ten-year-old boy, looked away and poured some salt on the table, spreading it out over a small two-inch area and started etching a simple fractal design into the sandy substance. Araiah smiled slightly. "AJ's the big one. He's not really big, but he's bigger than Scion and me," Arisu answered. "He's a pilot, he's helping us move."
"Is everything alright?" a waitress asked Zemer. While the words were clear, it was also clear that she was indirectly asking if the visitors were bothering the Ketsuruis. Zemer didn't see any problem with the girls conversing for now, so he simply nodded. The waitress smiled politely and refilled all the glasses on the table.
"That's nice of him." Michiko smiled again. "So how do you like Yamatai so far?"
The fact that his order hadn't arrived yet didn't bother Araiah, but Scion started acting a bit edgier than usual. His fingernail started scraping the tabletop and Araiah glanced down at him. "Are you alright?" he whispered to the boy. Scion shook his head. "I'm hungry. I need to eat soon," he whispered back. "I'll see what's keeping our order," Araiah replied, and started to get up.
Arisu looked a bit confused. "Yamatai? I thought this city was called Kyoto."
Araiah nearly bumped into a waitress carrying a giant tray of seafood similar to what the Empress had ordered. "Sir!" the neko jumped a little at his movement.
"This city is Kyoto. As a whole it's called Yamatai." Michiko nodded.
"Oh! I'm sorry!" Araiah quickly re-balanced himself between the chair and the table, then maneuvered himself to stand. "Um...may I help you with that, miss?"
Michiko looked towards the commotion and directed her question to the waitress and Araiah. "Are you right?"
Araiah glanced at the waitress...he was, but it would be polite if she answered since it was his mistake.
The waitress smiled and said, "I've got it, sir," and set the tray on Araiah's table.
"Alright. Thank you." Araiah smiled at the waitress and nodded at Michiko. "We're fine."
Michiko smiled again, the smile was the spitting image of Chiharu as she pushed her hair back behind her ears. "I like getting to talk with people!"
Arisu smiled when she saw the food arrive. "Hey! Do you want to eat with us? I'm kinda hungry, but you're nice. And I think we're having the same thing, so you wouldn't be missing anything!" She got the pleading look again, folding her hands in front of her. "Please, Michiko-hime?"
"Aww," Yui felt a pang on regret, feeling sorry for keeping Michi all bottled up in the palace.
"Mommy, Daddy, may I?" Michiko looked to Zemer and Yui for permission.
Araiah fought hard to keep from staring after he saw the smile. Chiharu...was it her? Did Yui respawn Chi? He looked down at the shrimp and took one, dipping it before taking a bite. Scion looked at the food for a couple minutes, as if deciding whether this was edible or not...then he took three and neatly bit the meat off of all of them.
"That's alright with me. It's good for her to make friends. Hinosami can go with her to watch out for her" Yui said. "And we'll have a little romance alone, alright?" she hinted to Zemer, who grinned and then agreed.
"Yeah! Come on, Michiko!" Arisu grinned and offered a hand to lead Michi over to her table.
"Arigtatou." Michiko smiled brightly and stood up, picking up her teddy bear as she followed Arisu to the table, taking her hand with her empty one.
Hinosami quietly followed Michiko.
"Arigato, my lady!" said Arisu, half-butchering the Japanese word. She went back to her chair and stood behind it. Araiah stood, and so did Scion after a second. "AJ, Scion, this is Ketsurui Michiko. Her mommy said it was okay if she ate with is, is it?" Araiah nodded and smiled, then circled the table to pull out a chair for each of the girls. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Ketsurui," he said, offering her the first chair and waiting for her to sit before doing the same for Arisu. Scion started to copy him, but sat down when he saw that Araiah would take care of them both.
The dainty little servant girl in black sat gracefully, with well-practiced form. Her thinly-gloved hands rested politely in her lap as she waited for permission to eat. Her golden eyes looked from person to person, never lingering long enough to be considered staring. Occasionally she'd take in a soft gasp of air to keep her alive, although the dress she wore seemed to make breathing a difficult process.
Michiko continued to smile brightly as she sat down. "Arigatou. Dozo yoroshiku, oniisan. You are AJ?"
"That's what Arisu calls me, so I guess I am," Araiah said with a half-smile. The shapeshifter shook his head as he sat down, and selected another shrimp. Something was off about Chi. He knew she couldn't recognize him, but it wasn't that. Maybe the respawn left something out. Then he noticed just how much Scion had managed to eat at this point; almost a quarter of the platter had been picked clean.
Arisu was doing her share, too, but at a bit slower rate than her brother. "AJ took me to see the Palace earlier. You live in it, don't you?" Arisu asked after swallowing.
"Yes, I do live there." Michiko nodded as she set her teddy bear in her lap. "Sami-sempai, please eat." She ate slowly, not really hungry as she was curious, something felt odd to her. "It's big and pretty, you'd like it."
"Yes, mistress. Thank you." Hinosami nodded and began to eat, displaying her well-mannered nature in every movement.
"I liked my old home, but we're staying at a...a..." "A hotel," Araiah cut in. Arisu nodded. "Yeah, someone is letting us use their house. It's fun, there are these really soft beds and blankets and pillows, and the beds are in the floor too!" Scion shifted his attention from Araiah and Arisu to Hinosami, watching the well-bred (or would it be well-trained?) girl eat. He slowed down and started to try to mimic her methods, matching her move for move within a few seconds.
Hinosami stopped and set her fork down.
"Can I tell you a secret, Michiko?" Arisu glanced sideways at Scion, then looked back at the princess. Scion set his fork down too, then waited for the gothicly-dressed slave to do something else. He wanted to eat more, he still wasn't full...but Hinosami seemed to be doing the right things.
PAUSE>
Wes - Yui, Zemer, Hinosami, restaurant attendants, and Nekos
Kim - Michiko
Nick - Araiah, Arisu, and Scion