1505/Blame The Jet Lag

Blame The Jet Lag
Date of Scene:	24 May 2016
Location:	Mitakihara/Pikarigaoka - King Penguin Park
Synopsis:	Kukai meets a new person while out in King Penguin Park, Jiaying Maki! Oh, and she can see Daichi. This sparks a conversation.
Cast of Characters:	Kukai Souma, Jiaying Maki

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Kukai Souma has posed:
It's a warm and slightly humid day today across Tokyo. No amount of sea breezes can quite knock the heat away from the city, but it's pretty and lovely outdoors. Now that school's out for the day, some students are going home to work on homework, but others are going out to loaf about. This seems to be Kukai Souma's purpose, anyway. He'd taken enough time to change out of his school uniform into actual clothes from his backpack (long shorts, a light tshirt, and sneakers), before going out to the park to walk about.

It'd been a hard few weeks for Kukai but things seemed to be looking up for him. He'd gotten out of the hospital, he'd made peace with Miss White, but then there was the new issues with Sora. And where was Sachiko? So there were, of course, always things on his mind, but for now it was enough to walk through the park on an early patrol and enjoy himself.

Riding on Kukai's shoulder was a small figure, maybe 8 inches tall, of a young boy with sea blue hair, held up with a bandana, in a yellow tennis tshirt and white shorts and sneakers, flitting off his shoulder to look at the other normal people as they pass from time to time, even though they don't (or can't) see him. "Hey, Kukai? Do you think we could find some noodles or something? I'm getting hungry!" Kukai grins. "Yeah we can look around, Daichi. I don't think there are any stalls or carts near here, though."

Jiaying Maki has posed:
Jiaying Maki is making her way home from classes herself and totally exploring the park. It's not that she got lost and then saw penguins which got her attention, not at all. Really. It's been an interesting few days since she's moved to Japan and she's still adjusting to both the locale and time difference. She seems happy enough with the new surroundings and distractions, though she is struggling when reading, mixing up the Kanji and Hanzi in her head. Still, it is a nice park and she does want to see the shrine, once spotted at the body of water, wondering who it's to and why it's there, or why a playground was built around it.

All of that gets pushed to the side after a few moments though since she spots something strange out of the corner of her eyes. Tilting her head, she openly stares for a few moments at the sprite-thing before catching herself and quickly resuming the lost look she had before. She not-so-subtly turns on her heels and starts making her way towards the boy, her mission of exploring the park and maybe asking for directions forgotten in the name of curiosity. She's still in her school uniform, which sort of stands out as it's not a local uniform. A detail which has gotten a note included in her pack so that she can get the correct uniform for classes. One would think she'd be better at tracking without making it so obvious though, she'll blame jet lag if asked.

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai is looking away, so he doesn't notice the girl looking at Daichi, who isn't paying much attention either, looking at the flowers on the side of the path, but when she begins moving towards him he grins, turning on a wide, infectious, cheerful grin, the Jack's Grin. He politely moves to one side if she wants to step through, but he has a feeling she might stop and talk. "Hiya!"

Kukai examines her for a moment. She doesn't look like she's from around here, with the different school uniform he's never seen and the slightly different looks to most of the girls he knows. But hey, variety is the spice of life, right?

Jiaying Maki has posed:
Jiaying Maki does stop after walking past at first, curiosity getting the better of her. She's so bad at this, shrugging though, she turns around and offers a cheery grin and says, "Ni-erh Hello." Sort of, it gets a bit jumbled briefly as she runs it through her head, then she shakes her head and says more confidently, "Hi!" She does a tolerable job of not letting her eyes wander towards the tiny one too much really, instead watching the boy for the most part. One might catch her trying to catch glimpses though.

Eventually though, she leans left, then right realizing once again she's being a bit odd and adjusts the weight of her pack before asking a bit lamely, "Who is the shrine to?" Then she scowls, that's a stupid random question. "Erh, do you go to school around here I mean?"

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai watches her walk past, but then smiles as she turns and grins back to her. "Hello!" He watches her shake her head, then smiles. "Everything ok? Oh. The shrine? I don't know, really. The penguins, the park, the lake, whomever. I never really looked into it. A lot of people hold ceremonies and festivals there, though."

He watches her scowl, then smiles. "It's ok, really. Just relax and use your words. And yeah! My name's Kukai. I go to Seiyou Public School." He points to the south, down along the streets, out of sight. It's nice to meet you, miss. Are you new around here?"

Jiaying Maki has posed:
Jiaying Maki shrugs to the first question as she tries to regain her composure, what little is left really. "Yes yes, everything is fine! Just lost and uh..yeah lost." She may glance at the little sprite again, just her eyes this time at least. The answer to her question gets a bit of a frown and she asks, "There's not a.. plaque? Or a uh.. a monk?" She seems to struggle to remember those words briefly. Still, she offers a polite nod and smiles, offering her own name as, "Maki, I go to Seishou! Well, I've gone there once, but I am going there again." Sort of answering the question at the same time really.

Shifting from foot to foot after some thought, she does answer it properly though, saying evenly, "I am new around here, it's very confusing. I keep reading signs wrong."

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai ohs and then nods. "Ah, ok. If you need some directions, I'm free right now." His eyes catch hers as they flick to one side, and he grins, just for a moment, then rolls his shoulder. To anybody else looking on it'd just look like he was rolling his muscles, but Daichi cheers and bounces on top of the shoulder, giggling. "It's very nice to meet you, Maki! And that's cool. Are you staying in Tokyo for long?"

Kukai aahs and then nods. "Well if you need some help, I can help you go wherever, like I said. As for a monk or plaque... maybe a plaque, but I've never thought to look. The local people help take care of the shrine as best they can. It stays pretty clean."

Jiaying Maki has posed:
Jiaying Maki doesn't really hide her look at the giggling too well and it's probably pretty obvious what actually sparked her curiosity more than anything else. She sighs and shakes her head quickly, taking a moment to focus again before offering up a smile again. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well Kukai-.. uh" she scowls and taps her foot, trying to remember something, then shrugs. She'll look it up at home. She looks back at the boy and grins, "We've moved here, so probably a while. It means I have to learn sooner or later."

Adjusting her pack, she tilts her head back curiously, like she's listening for something while replying, "I'll have to go look for a plaque and take a picture or rubbing or.. something. Still! Have you lived here long Kukai? Do you know all the neat places to visit?"

Kukai Souma has posed:
Daichi grins and sees her looking at him, then suddenly hops over to land on her shoulder, grinning up at her! He's too cute to not love.

Kukai smiles and then hmms. "Yeah, but it's a lot to take in. Going too hard can be overly stressful." He laughs. "Maybe I'm just lazy, though. You may be right. And yeah, I've lived here for a long while now. It's a really great city. All of my friends and stuff are here."

He rubs his chin, looking at her for a moment. "Neat places to visit? Yeah, sure, there's a bunch of them. Clover Tower comes to mind right off, and there's a bunch of malls, and the Clover Path, which is a bunch of open-air stalls and things, and downtown, and the harbor... all sorts of places!"

Jiaying Maki has posed:
Jiaying Maki claps her hands together and starts to say, "Perfect! Lots of things to do while-" she blinks, turning her head to look at the sprite now sitting on her shoulder. She says calmly, "Hi there" and tilts her head, hoping she doesn't look too crazy. She shifts her bag a touch away from the wee little one, somewhat subconsciously and looks back to Kukai, muttering to herself for a moment, then once more in Japanese she says with a grin, "Malls are fun, there are uh, older. Old? Places, like not just old Edo too right?" She did do some homework at least!

Tilting her head, she suddenly stops and finally just asks the small one, "What's your name anyway?" Wondering if it can talk. Then she scowls and murmurs, "Probably shouldn't talk so loud huh." She looks around quickly before asking, "You can see him right?" Maybe a touch late on confirming that.

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai grins and nods at her. "That's Daichi. Sorry, he's like that sometimes." Daichi giggles and waves up at her. "Hi! Yup, I'm Daichi, Kukai's Chara!" Kukai continues on, like the little character on her shoulder is the most natural thing in the world. "Older places, in Tokyo? Yeah, I think so. Shrines and temples and such."

Kukai smiles and then nods, looking around. "Doesn't seem to be too many people around, but there's a bench over there out of the way if you wanna talk. But yeah, he's my Guardian Chara. I can sure see him. And you can too, so.."

Jiaying Maki has posed:
Jiaying Maki taps her foot quietly on the ground as she ponders what she's hearing. "Daichi? Nice to meet you as well" She says quietly, somewhat distracted. Finally she shrugs and asks, "Wait, what's a Chara? Is that like a Pixiu or Foo Dog? Are you a uh.." she taps her foot, thinking and finally gives up and asks, "Are you one of those Onimethings?" Well she at least sort of remembers the term. Sort of. She wanted to avoid run-ins with them just in case really.

She tilts her head back again and close listening might get the hints of a distant voice and laughter. She replies quickly and sharply then says, "Do you use paper tags?" That works, she knows those and the words used there at least. She doesn't explain why she's talking to her bag though, it's normal after all!

Kukai Souma has posed:
It takes a moment for Kukai to respond. "It's... actually a kinda long story. I don't mind telling you, but I'm sort of starving. There's some food stalls near here. If you don't mind, can we walk that way while I talk? I'm getting hungry."

He looks over at her for a moment. "Onimethings? I... honestly, I don't even know what you're talking about. I'm a Guardian, and Daichi is my Guardian Character. It's a little strange, but as far as strange goes in Tokyo, it's pretty normal actually. And we're peaceful, I promise."

He looks at her for a moment, looking down at her bag. He can't hear the voice or anything, and sort of figures she's just talking to herself in... what is that, Taiwanese? "Paper tags? For... shrines? Yeah, every body does. They're the cheapest sort, but they work just as well." He coughs. "I'd pull my phone out and show you a picture or something but I kinda lost it recently. Don't tell anybody."

Jiaying Maki has posed:
The girl perks up at the suggestion of food and she glances around again, looking for these stalls. Finally, Jiaying grins and says, "Do they have the.." she scowls and mutters, then says, "Chicken on sticks." as she's talking she holds her fingers apart, about where she figures a skewer would measure and says cheerily, "I love those, they're tasty." Something something about chicken.

The comment about the tags for shrines being the cheapest sort gets a confused look from her and she asks, "You buy them? I meant do you make them. You've got a.." she points and says, "Chara. They're like a Shi?" She shifts from foot to foot and adds, "Uh, the guardian lions. Those. Those are Shi." Figuring she should probably explain herself. The comment about the phone gets a curious expression, "I don't know anyone to tell. I traded mine away once, it was a cheap one though and it was for a good reason."

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai grins and walks along with her as they go towards the stalls, around a few corners. "I think they've got grilled chicken skewers? I know I've had them before here. I'm in the mood for ramen and chicken, myself. I've been hungry since about an hour after lunch." He smiles.

He looks confused as well as she talks, then makes a noise. "Oh! You mean, like... No, no, I'm not a monk or priest or anything. It's different than that. Daichi is..." Kukai looks over at Daichi, who's still sitting on Jiaying's shoulder. "OK, so. There's... a lot of different magic types. I'm not sure what you have, since you can see him, you have something. I won't pry about what, that's your business. But Guardian Charas.... Every child has a egg in their heart, a representation of who they could be when all their dreams come true and their hard work pays off. Sometimes when some people are confused about what they want to do, or need guidance or help with something, and they pray very hard for help, their heart's egg will hear them and the Chara inside will wake up and come out to help them be the best person they can be."

Kukai scratches the back of his head, then grins. "If that all sounds kinda weird, well.. yeah. It's just the way it is. But Daichi is sort of like who I want to be when I grow up, but he's his own person, too. He's got his own ideas about things. In some ways he's younger than I am." Daichi frowns. "I am not a little kid!"

Kukai hmms. "You may want a cheap smartphone. Everybody and their cat here has a phone and uses them to text and call one another and look stuff up."

Jiaying Maki has posed:
Jiaying Maki seems to be focused on food at the moment as she says, "I would think if I had an egg like that I might have eaten it already." Probably entirely missing the point. She'll blame it on language barrier later though. She'll get some mileage out of that one she's sure. Glancing over, she asks, "Is that all.. children like all children or is there other versions for like.." she taps her chin, then says, "Like maybe uh.. if there were descendants of Sun Wukong or somesuch. Would they get that?" Well, at least she went for an easy one she thinks.

As for the bit about it sounding weird, she shrugs and says, "You should read about mythology sometimes. You have haunted umbrellas and we have the Xie Zhi who are.. interesting." She decides talking about those aren't great before food, at least casually anyway.

She nods at that and fishes around in her bag for a moment before pulling out a simple white phone with a few strange things scribbled all over it. Most of it looks like stick figures. Her idea of decoration maybe. "I need to get it set up though. Locally that is, baba's already complaining about the bill."

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai laughs and then pats her on the back. "No you wouldn't! It's a very special egg!" He grins, then hmms, rubbing his chin. "I don't know. I think it's very... Earth based. Very... like something normal people who don't have any other recourse get. I dunno how to explain it. I think that descendants of famous people like that might have their own backup. But they might not. I don't know the way that works."

He chuckles and then nods. "I know, but a lot of people who find out about this sort of thing tend to freak out, especially when they find out they're part of it. It's something I've dealt with a few times before."

He grins at the phone. "I'll give you my number at some point and I'll write yours down too, I've got some paper and a pen in my wallet, and then you can just call when you get it set up."

They've reached the stalls now. There's grilled chicken and beef on skewers, ramen, egg rolls, and all sorts of simple street fare food here. Kukai grins weakly. "Most of the time I would offer to buy your meal for you, but I kinda just got out of the hospital a few days ago and I'm running low on funds."

Jiaying Maki has posed:
Jiaying Maki looks over her shoulder at the patting and says, "Huh, so w-they wouldn't have one. Wonder if it's just famous sorts or something else though. Neat." she stops short of anything else she had been about to joke about and rolls her shoulders back, careful not to knock the little passenger off. The smell of food definitely has her attention and pretty soon she's shifting from foot to foot. Out of her backpack, careful to avoid showing off exactly where, she pulls out a few bills, Yen, luckily no Yuan.

Looking at the guy she holds a few notes up and asks, "I can help for now? Just buy next time?". Then she, pauses, says "Uh, right number. Here!" before she rattles off the number, only getting a few numbers backwards and correcting them after the fact. Though as an after thought after she's retrieved an impressive amount of food for such a small girl, she asks, "Why would people freak out? I thought it was neat."

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai shrugs. "I'm not sure what the rules are for Guardian Charas, except that everyone who has one has prayed very hard for something they wanted very, very badly. So..." Daichi moves from her shoulder over to Kukai's as he waits, letting Jiaying order first before moving up, ordering a bowl of chicken ramen and a bottle of water for himself, then sitting down at a nearby table. "Sure, next time, then!"

He pulls a pen and paper from his wallet and writes her number down, then writes his down on another piece and tears it off, handing it over to her. "OK. I dunno where my phone got off to. It's kinda annoying, but I'll find it eventually."

He leans onto the table, thinking. "I dunno. I guess when people don't know what it's like, it scares them. But I've had Daichi around for years, and I bet you've had your gift or whatever for a long time too." He grins as Daichi is busy slurping down a noodle. "I'm glad you thought it was neat, though."

Jiaying Maki has posed:
Jiaying Maki nods quickly and with some enthusiasm as she digs into her small pile of food, quickly becoming a small pile of sticks. High metabolism! Between bites of chicken, she shifts on the seat to get comfortable, legs crossed and content as she can be and with her head tilting back and forth as she hums. At the mention of the phone thing, she asks, "Have you called it? I mean, I have other ways of finding mine, but that gets weird and annoying sometimes, but the ring tones help." She pauses, trying to make sure that made sense, then with a toothy grin adds, "Yep yep, had it since I can remember! Had to learn a lot of things." None f which she goes into. It's embarassing!

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai eats a little slower, since he's sharing with Daichi and trying not to get soup everywhere. Still, teenage boys are made of hunger and the tasty bowl of chicken ramen isn't long for this world. "Yeah, and it's not in my house, at least, not that I can find. I hope I didn't leave it somewhere powered on and the battery ran out so I can't hear it at all. I'll find it in a month underneath a bunch of stuff. I'll never live it down." He grumbles. "Had some important stuff on there too..."

Kukai laughs and then nods, letting out a sigh. "Yeah. I know what that's like. And there always seems like there's more to learn. It's incredible. I went from 'everything is fairly safe but the hopes and dreams of children are at stake' to 'monsters will eat you in a heartbeat, fight without mercy' in ... half a year?"

Jiaying Maki has posed:
Jiaying Maki shakes her head and scowls briefly, then quickly shakes her head again and says, "Not all monsters are bad! Some of them are just as miserable as we are. Gotta make sure they're doing bad things before doing things to them." She hesitates and adds, "That's what I was taught anyway! I uh.. some ghosts don't like being around and some monsters are feeling threatened you know? And... yeah." She takes another bite of chicken and looks a touch embarassed as she adds, "Uh.. I try to talk to things either way."

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai sighs and then nods. "There's this one girl I know who's tottering between the two extrems of 'normal' and 'monster' and she's pretty miserable. So I know what you mean. And I know, I'm trying to not start fights. But when... well. I'm not gonna say much, but there are some things that are very much shoot first and don't ask questions." He grins and then shrugs. "But yeah, talking is the good thing to do."

Jiaying Maki has posed:
Jiaying Maki rubs the back of her head at that and says curiously, "Is it really that bad here? That you have to have that kind of policy?" she seems honestly surprised, but shrugs it off after a moment. Leaning back as she polishes off another skewer, the last it looks like, to her disappointment. "I will definitely try talking more! It helps me make more sense!" She then frowns and adds, "In Japanese I mean. I make perfect sense in Chinese I think." Sort of.

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai hmms. "I wouldn't say 'bad', but it's certainly active all the time. There's always something crazy going on that needs to be dealt with, but there's always someone who is very good at dealing with it. It's more that everyone's starting to learn more about each other as we go along, and we're doing better at interacting with one another."

He grins as he leans back. "You sound really good in Japanese! And I don't speak any Chinese, sorry. A little English, but not much. That's about it." he chuckles. "My teachers always want me to do more work than I want to."

Jiaying Maki has posed:
Jiaying Maki runs her fingers through her hair and smiles cheerily, "I'm supposed to learn English as well, but it's hard. It's a funny language with weird rules and.. that includes Chinese." She shrugs and crosses her legs the other way and leans back to stretch out. Looking over she asks curiously, "Just how many are out there? Is there a meeting club? Is it like the.. TV show clubs? The cartoons." She glances up and adds, "Oh! I need to get home! Do you know your way around well?"

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai nods and stands, grinning, eyes flashing green for just a moment. "If you need some help, I'll do what I can. And... yeah, something like a meeting club. If you stick around long enough I'm sure you'll run into more of them."

He looks up at the sky, where the sun is gently gliding towards the horizon, and nods. "Yeah, sure, I'll escort you home if you want. I'd be happy to."