1485/Tea Party and Phone Numbers

Tea Party and Phone Numbers
Date of Scene:	17 May 2016
Location:	Plot Room #3
Synopsis:	Nagihiko and Kukai are catching up on Guardian paperwork. Nicola joins them. Nagihiko steals Kukai's phone.
Cast of Characters:	Nadeshiko Fujisaki, 158, Kukai Souma

---

Nadeshiko Fujisaki has posed:
Nagihiko pinches the bridge of his nose as he moves a piece of paper to a pile and pulls another from an even larger pile. After a moment, he gives a sharp shake of his head before setting about again. "Remind me not to take breaks during the semester again, especially during a time when paperwork accumulates. It almost makes me wish this were all digitized."

He'd taken it upon himself to do most of the paperwork, starting when Temari first took her extended 'nap.' Now, though, while he's almost caught up with last term, there's still this term to contend with. Fortunately, Kukai's...agreed to help.

Also fortunately, one of them had the genius idea of moving from the garden to what Nagihiko's secretly started referring to as 'their' coffee shop. The coffee here is good, with more caffeine, and at this time he's oddly not up for making tea.

Temari perches on the end of a biscotti.

The table they found is not intended for less than four people, but with the paperwork everywhere, it seems their party of two is much larger than it is.

Nicola Esprit has posed:
There's a little girl with weird red flecks in her eyes, gingerly holding a cup of tea as she looks around for a table. She's alone, and her gaze eventually settles on Temari. She's staring at the guardian character, and isn't doing a particularly good job at hiding it.

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai sighs and takes the paper off the top of the pile Nagihiko placed it on and begins scanning it, following up on his paperwork with his part before finally making a note and putting it on a smaller still stack of papers. "I know, I know. You wouldn't have taken either of your breaks if not for me, believe me, I know. We're gonna be all night doing this."

He looks over at the pile and makes a small noise, rubbing his eyes for a moment. "At least we've got coffee and cookies and things to console us. It goes faster when we're doing it together." He grumbles. "I dunno why you decided to do it all though and not leave some of it to Tadase and Amu."

Daichi is nomming on the other end of the biscotti. He's hungrier than usual today, so treats are in order!

Nadeshiko Fujisaki has posed:
His face turns a shade of pink, flustered. "I-I didn't mean-- I wasn't--"

He sighs and continues the work. "When I first took it on, it was because...it was the only way I could be useful to you guys."

It's said without any self recriminations, but as a statement of facts as he saw them.

Temari, feeling unfamiliar eyes on her, turns to see Nicola looking at her.

Feeling as though a spotlight is on her, she does as any chara of a Thespian would do: she floats into the air and flows into a traditional Japanese dance, fan included.

Nagihiko notices and looks around. Seeing someone he doesn't know but sees Temari has his arching an eyebrow.

Nicola Esprit has posed:
Nicola can tell her staring has been noticed, and almost drops her tea. Instead, she just takes a step back and pretends to star intensely at her tea. She doesn't quite seem to know how to handle the situation, so she's pretty much paralyzed by indecision.

Kukai Souma has posed:
A hand reaches over and pats Nagihiko on the shoulder. "It's ok. And.. yeah, I remember. It's ok." He makes a little noise. "Y'know, I haven't heard you mention the other egg in forever. Is it..." He looks at Nagihiko, curious.

Then Temari raises into the air to begin dancing. Daichi looks up, watching her, and Kukai does the same, then looks over to see who she's dancing for. A grin splits his face. "Oh, that's Nicola. Don't move too fast, or she'll bolt. She's really skittish for some reason." He hmms, then nods. "I'll go try to say hello to her again. Be back in a few minutes."

Kukai moves away from the table, grateful for the chance to not think about paperwork. A few moments after he's gone, though, his phone, which he'd left on the table, vibrates quietly with that familiar 'vrrrrr' noise most phones make.

Nadeshiko Fujisaki has posed:
Nagihiko pulls out the blue egg from his satchel. "He's...still asleep. Not sure what's going to wake him, to be honest."

Apparently Kukai knows the girl. It shouldn't surprise Nagihiko. He turns back, eyebrow still arched. "A bit young, isn't she?" Salty? Who's salty?

When Kukai's up to greet the newcomer, Nagihiko looks down at the vibrating phone. Normally it wouldn't cross his mind, but how many other Soras are there out there?

Picking up the phone, he scrolls through, furrows his brow, and a few minutes later any trace of what he just did is no longer there.

He shakes his head and looks at Daichi. "What have you gotten him into?"

Nicola Esprit has posed:
Nicola doesn't run, or scatter, or flee. "Hello again." She acknowledges having met Kukai before, and smiles faintly. She looks past him towards Nagihiko, and heads that way, placing her tea on the table before dipping into a polite bow. "I am Nicola Esprit, I'm a fourth grade student in Seishou Elementary. It's nice to meet you." She has some unusual, distinctly foreign accent. It's hard to place where it's from originally.

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai looks at the egg for a moment, then nods, standing up. "He'll wake up when it's time." There's a small snort from him as he stands. "She's like 7 or something - she's just somebody I met, Nagi, jeez."

He walks over towards Nicola and nods to her. "Hey Nicola. Want to come sit with us for a minute? I think Temari wants to say hello since you've been watching her." He grins, then stands, turning back just after Nagi sets the phone down and pulls out a chair for Nicola.

Daichi moves over, then waves to Nicola, grinning. "Hiii!"

Kukai grins, but doesn't sit down himself just yet. "Give me a minute, will you? I'll be back in just a moment. Do either of you want another cookie or pastry or something?"

Nadeshiko Fujisaki has posed:
Nagihiko moves more paperwork out of the way, careful not to ruffle any piles too much. Temari floats a little before Nicola, large eyes wide and curious. After the young girl introduces herself, Temari's is just as polite with a graceful little bow. "I am Temari, it is a pleasure to meet you."

Nagihiko gives his chara a fond smile before turning to Nicola. "Hello, I'm Nagihiko Fujisaki. It's nice to meet you."

More paperwork, yay.

He blinks and looks up at Kukai. "Um...something sweet."

The punk was just delaying his return to paperwork. Jerk.

Nicola Esprit has posed:
<I am Ruby Rose, if you attempt to harm my mistress, you will regret it> The little red bead hanging from a rope around Nicola's neck glows briefly as it makes this announcement in a subtle, feminine voice. Nicola sighs, "I don't think they were thinking of anything like that, Ruby." She says softly, and sits down at the table. "It's nice to meet all of you."

Kukai Souma has posed:
The other boy dips off out of sight for a few minutes, heading towards the back and the rest rooms. He's gone for several minutes.

Daichi oohs and then peers in at the little red bead. "Oh wow. Your necklace talks!" This is funny, from someone who's invisible to the general public.

Finally Kukai reappears, heading over towards the counter to order some more cookies to share with the others, carrying them over and setting them down to sit down next to Nagi again. "Here we go. Chocolate chip cookies."

He nods at Nicola. "So.. you less freaked out about everything than you were last time I saw you?" He picks up another paper, looking at it and keeping an eye on Nicola as he works.

Nadeshiko Fujisaki has posed:
Temari's eyes glint dangerously as she looks at the small red bead. "If I wanted ta hurt ya, you'd be cryin' by now, you glorified cellphone charm!"

Nagihiko turns to Kukai and stares. He wonders if he stares long enough, confessions will be done.

After a beat, he turns back to his paperwork.

No reprimand for Temari. Besides, the small chara was already perched on the biscotti once again.

Nicola Esprit has posed:
"I have Ruby Rose again." Nicola answers Kukai in response to the little less scared bit, while her Device answers both Daichi and Temari. <This is just my standby mode. Pray I do not enter my combat mode.> The feminine voice does not seem impressed by Temari. Nicola sips her tea, ignoring her Device's grandstanding. "Sorry about last time."

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai blinks, looking back at Nagihiko's staring. He's... not quite sure what he's done, now. But then Nagi turns back to the paperwork, leaving him to wonder. "Aaah... so this is your... friend, then, Nicola? OK, cool."

He looks over at Temari for a second. "If you wanna fight, no more riding Nagihiko without his permission, Temari." Daichi reaches up and takes Temari's hand. "Hey, c'mon, it's not that big a deal..."

Kukai turns to Nicola, pushing the cookie plate over towards her. "No, it's ok. I mean, I get it. It's not the worst response I've gotten to Daichi, really." He grins. "But yeah." He picks up another piece of paper and looks it over before moving it to the finished stack. "What've you been up to, Nicola? I've been off the grid for a while. Finding Ruby, I guess?"

Nadeshiko Fujisaki has posed:
The tiny chara's face turns red and steam shoots from her ears. She turns to hiss at Kukai, and then growls at Daichi. "Not a big deal?! HAH! All I did was say 'hi' and that mannerless plebian threatened me!"

Gathering her skirts, Temari tilts up her nose and floats off and out of the cafe.

Nagihiko squints at the paper he's working on, holds it close, then wipes at the paper. Ah, a crumb. The extra zero makes much more sense. "She has a point."

Signing off, he slides the paper toward Kukai before deciding on his own break. Leaning his elbows on the table, he picks up a cookie and enjoys the aroma of the coffee before taking a few sips. He looks at Nicola. "It's good you have your Ruby, then. Felt exposed without her?"

Nicola Esprit has posed:
"Ruby was made to protect me from magical threats, she can be a little overzealous." Nicola explains, watching Temari float off a little awkwardly. <You have been attacked multiple times before I was recovered, and have gotten in fights since. This world is dangerous.> The device justifies its zeal, Nicola just tries to ignore that. "Ruby was my only friend for a long time, I lost her when some things happened and it was scary."

Kukai Souma has posed:
Daichi rolls his eyes and follows Temari out into the night to keep an eye on her.

Kukai looks back and forth, then shrugs. "I guess? I dunno.." He lets Nagihiko take a break as he looks over the paper as well, then sets it on the finished stack and picks up another one to go over.

A frown comes across his face as he looks down at Nicola. "Geez. Somebody attacked you? That's awful. Are you ok?" He hmms. "Do you have any other friends now?"

Nadeshiko Fujisaki has posed:
Nagihiko looks at Kukai. "Yeah, she could have handled it better, but she could have handled it a lot worse. Being protective is one thing, being antagonistic is another."

He turns back to Nicola and takes a bite out of the cookie. Sipping the coffee, he nods. "I'm glad you got her back. And that you're more or less in one piece?"

Nicola Esprit has posed:
Nicola sighs, glancing after the guardian characters. "I've got a few friends. There's my cousin Bryony, and my classmate Nanoha Takamachi." She lists the two, "And some others, too. Like Fate-chan, she saved me when I got attacked by a Witch."

Kukai Souma has posed:
Daichi flies back in, looks around at the three of them, then descends, picking up the biscotti and hoisting it in both arms, then flying back out with it. Temari wants her platform snack back.

Kukai nods. "Yeah. Maybe tell Ruby to calm down a bit unless she's sure somebody's gonna attack you, yeah? I mean I met you before, I coulda done whatever badness I wanted to then, but I didn't, because I'm not that kinda guy, and neither are my friends. So..." He nods to Nagihiko, agreeing the point. "Anyway. It is not something to be arguing over."

He looks back to Nicola. "Oh, ok." He thinks for a minute. "Never heard of them, but... hey, I'm still meeting new people." He hisses at the last word, though. "Ooooh. Wow, yeah, you should be happy you got out in one piece. I hate those silly things."

Nadeshiko Fujisaki has posed:
When Daichi comes with the biscotti, she gives him a shy smile and takes her seat. "I did it again...didn't I."

Nagihiko nods along as Kukai talks. At least -- until the end. He looks at Kukai, confused. "I wasn't arguing."

He turns to look at Nicola and her bead. He opens his mouth to say something, but realizes neither girl nor bead have talked about the subject for a bit now. So he snaps his mouth closed and gets up to refill his coffee.

Nicola Esprit has posed:
Nicola seems to realize Nagihiko meant to say something, so she asks, "I'm not sure how to ask this, but did you mean to say something?" It's here, with an unfamiliar phrase, that her Japanese goes from 'strongly accented' to 'a little broken.' She's still learning the language, though immersion seems to have done a good job.

She looks towards Kukai, even as she ignores the Charas for the time being. "It's not the only thing that happened, the other things were just as scary." She explains softly.

Kukai Souma has posed:
Daichi grins weakly and sets it down between them for her. "Yeah, but it's ok. I think they're talking in there." He hugs Temari, then sits down with her.

Kukai watches Nagihiko stand up, then grins a bit as he walks off. "I think Nagi meant to say he wasn't arguing is all." He leans on the table, then winces. "Well you said someone attacked you, so yeah, I imagine so." He picks up another paper, looking at it, then back at Nicola.

Nadeshiko Fujisaki has posed:
Temari just sighs and sulks. "Ruby was rude." It's something she doesn't understand. She can be abrasive, and people and objects react poorly. However, even when she's behaving herself, people and objects react poorly to her. "I hope Blue hatches soon." Maybe then her Nagihiko could have a good chara.

When Nagihiko returns, its with two coffees and the same tea Nicola's drinking. (Hey, the nose knows tea.)

He'd heard the question, of course, but at that point he'd been too far away. "All I was going to say is be careful. Temari can be antagonistic, and she gets me into trouble sometimes. It's admirable to be on guard, but sometimes, well. Honey and vinegar and all that."

Nicola Esprit has posed:
"Back home... Ruby and I didn't meet many people we didn't already know." Nicola sorta explains, without really revealing much about home. "The first time we saw people we didn't, they attacked us." She shrugs a little bit, "I lost Ruby soon after, I think she's trying to avoid a repeat."

The girl accepts the new cup of tea, she'd just finished the old one. "Thank you." She doesn't look at the papers, trying not to be nosy, while Ruby pipes up again. <You're forgetting that those people are responsible for bringing you to a world where Witches and those other threats are even an issue, Master.> Nicola sighs.

Kukai Souma has posed:
Daichi grins and hugs Temari. "So you have somebody who agrees with you about how rude people are and how awesome you are?"

Kukai takes the other coffee and grins weakly. "Thank you. Can't believe I already drank all of that other one." He takes a sip, looking at Nicola, and nods. "Yeah. The down side of being a Character Bearer - our hidden natures tend to run away with ourselves sometimes." He winces ruefully. "Temari's sweet, though, as long as you're polite to her."

He winces. "That sucks, really bad. I guess I can see why Ruby's so uptight. And... hmm." There's that word, 'world'. Kukai doesn't comment on it, though, but gets the idea. "Well it's not all bad. We'll help keep you safe."

The papers are fairly straight forward - some look like short essays from young children of all ages, some look like info sheets, some look like early grade homework, even one or two letters or notes or pictures. All sorts of things.

Nadeshiko Fujisaki has posed:
Temari gives a soft shrug. "Sure. That'd be nice."

She's a bit frustrated. She's supposed to be a pressure valve, not a ticking time bomb.

Nagihiko's pretty sure he's made everything...awkward. So he focuses again on the paperwork. He does smile, however, when he finds a drawing he missed before handing it over to Kukai.

Nicola Esprit has posed:
Nicola looks down, seeming to be sad. "I miss home." She says softly, and this little sentence seems to carry a lot of weight to her. Home, whatever it is, wherever it is, is something she wishes to return to; and she seems to have no faith this will ever happen. Then, it's followed with an even sadder, "I miss dad..."

Kukai Souma has posed:
Daichi doesn't mind. He's here to make Temari feel better with hugs and biscotti nibbles. He's awesome like that.

Kukai takes the picture and grins, but the grin is interrupted as he looks over at Nicola. That is a definite indication of sadness. It's followed up by an even sadder one. He looks at Nagihiko and nods over as he shifts a bit, putting an arm around Nicola's shoulders and patting her back. "It'll be ok..."

Nadeshiko Fujisaki has posed:
He is, indeed. And Temari takes full advantage by leaning against him.

Nagihiko looks up at Nicola's words. This is definitely something he'd have to take cues from Kukai on. His own father mostly traveled, and had for so long he'd been used to it. When Kukai nods his head over, Nagihiko follows suit and inches toward Nicola. After a moment of hesitation, his hand is warm on her back. And at least his hair smells nice.

Nicola Esprit has posed:
"It won't be." Nicola says softly, with complete confidence. And in a fit of petulance, adds, "I was dragged here by the people who killed dad, and they're demanding me I live with them." This time, it's Ruby who is the voice of reason. <They are law enforcement agents who neither intended to kill your father nor get stranded on this world, Master. Please do not misrepresent the situation.>

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai smiles at Nicola and then sits back after a moment. "Aah.... hmm. Well... if Ruby's a friend of yours, she wouldn't lead you wrong." He looks over at Nagihiko with that 'what have I gotten myself into?' look. "Are they bad people? I mean.... besides the obvious?"

Nadeshiko Fujisaki has posed:
Nagihiko gives a helpless shrug. He has no idea. But its the sort of thing that just falls in the laps of those with...certain abilities. Or, at least, Kukai's.

"Intent is a large part of a sin. But I can see why you'd be disgruntled."

Nicola Esprit has posed:
"I don't like them." Nicola answers, it's a bit of a dodge. It's probably true, but reasonable people can dislike people without thinking they're bad people. And Nicola is nine, and it involves homesickness and loss, she's probably beyond reasonable at this point. Ruby answers, <I believe their intent holds merit, and that harm done was either through ill fortune or justified uses of force>

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai nods and then keeps petting Nicola's back, finally pulling his hand back. "I dunno what to say, Nicola. It's sorta outside of my knowledge." He looks at the little red bead on her neck. "... I guess I'd say 'trust Ruby, and believe in her.' If she thinks they're good people..." He nods.

He sighs, then leans back, continuing to work through the stack of papers. "I guess all I can say is things will get better."

Nadeshiko Fujisaki has posed:
"And if they don't, when you get older, emancipation is tough to do but its a choice."

After a moment, he sets down the paper he'd brought with him and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Kukai, think it would be okay if we called it a night on this? My head's gonna start killing me, soon."

The only indication that he realizes the forgotten honorific is pink cheeks. Oops.

Nicola Esprit has posed:
"I hope they will." Nicola says softly, finishing up her tea. She nods, "I'll be off, too. Before Jessamine gets mad for me being late." She bows quickly and starts to run off to the door, seeming quite concerned. Before she is quite gone, however, she stops near Temari and Daichi, and seems to expect something from her Device. <Please forgive me for my harsh language, protecting my Master is my first priority, but I issued my warning pre-emptively>

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai nods and bows his head to Nicola as she exits the cafe, then looks back over at Nagihiko. "Oh please, yes. I can't concentrate on it any longer or I'm going to stand on my head. Let's just pack it in."

Daichi waves at Nicola and grins. "Bye Nicola!" He looks back and forth between Temari and the little red bead.

Nadeshiko Fujisaki has posed:
Temari blinks at the bead before she gives a bow. "No lasting damage was done."

HAH! She can still be polite!

Nagihiko breathes a sigh of relief and starts pulling the papers in organized piles. He rolled his neck a bit, both tired and hungry. Maybe a touch crabby. "Do you ever forget we're only fourteen?"