153/Princess of Orange, Queen of Gray, Knight of White

Princess of Orange, Queen of Gray, Knight of White
Date of Scene:	09 July 2015
Location:	Uminari City - Seishou Public School
Synopsis:	Hiroko has something to say to Reiko during lunch. Does Ikiko intervene to help her new friend?
Cast of Characters:	Hiroko Koumoto, Reiko Touyama, Ikiko Hisakata

---

Hiroko Koumoto has posed:
    The weather hasn't been perfect, these last few days, but for many citizens of Tokyo, the changes have been a welcome respite. It has been a bit cooler, down in the low 70's, and the drizzling showers peppering the city have helped to take the edge off the heat felt earlier this summer. And on the grounds of Seishou Public School, this afternoon, the students likewise seem to be making the best of the circumstances. A few of the younger students brave the light showers, playing anyway. Most take refuge underneath awnings or other forms of shelter. One tree, in particular, has branches wide enough to accomplish this goal, long having served as shelter for a specific group of friends.

    There is no group today, though. Beneath a Japanese lilac tree near the center of the school's grounds, there sits a girl with orange hair, alone. Her usual lunchtime companion is still absent, tending to far more serious affairs.

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Reiko Touyama is indeed, sitting underneath the tree with the light sprinkles. Drizzles and Gray clouds always made her a little sad. But when it's raining, the koi always come to the surface to investigate! She'll have to get her rain slicker later and go to the gardens, she thinks.

Indeed, Mei is absent. Mei is worrying and taking a break.

She peeks open her bento box to find an array of rice, tiny smoked sausages, and some sort of ketchup sauce in the corner. She beamed a little, Grandpa still packed the best lunches. She began to eat as she ponders things, and looks at the rain drizziling. She is wonder if the rain is going to last until tommrow, perhaps!

She eats a little bit of the rice as she sighs a bit to herself.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
The cooler weather is a blessing, and some of Ikiko's classmates are making the most of it by eating lunch under one of the awnings. The talk is fairly normal for students: amusing rumors, talk about favorite bands, and some good-natured complaining about the rain.

Ikiko herself is listening to the chatter and occasionally adding her own comments, but mostly she's just enjoying the social hubbub and the rain-cooled air, and looking out at the falling rain.

A now-familiar head of orange hair catches her attention, and she looks over towards a wide-branched tree. Yup, that's Reiko over there. For a moment she contemplates heading over there, but a classmate asks a question and her focus is brought back to the group.

She still glances over towards Reiko, though -- it's always good to see how a friend is doing.

Hiroko Koumoto has posed:
    There has always been one unfortunate reality associated with Mei not being around. On those days, Reiko has to stand against Hiroko alone, the gray-eyed shark of a girl always managing to find some reason to take a bite out of the orange-haired girl in the most bothersome of circumstances. Hiroko always seems to find a way to corner her when she's alone. And with Mei gone for so long, one would think Hiroko would have gone on the attack, maybe even more than once during her long absence. But that hasn't happened. No, everything has been different for Reiko since she awakened, even Hiroko. It's not clear why. Is the orange-haired girl simly exuding more confidence? Or is something else happening in the life of her schoolyard nemesis?

    If one were looking hard enough, they might think the latter. Because today, Hiroko too is alone. And she has been more than usual, lately. Where once she was perpetually surrounded by her coterie of mean girls, Hiroko now seems a little more distant, even to them. And if it were going to stay that way, Reiko might be happy with this status quo. But it looks like it won't. Across the grounds, Hiroko's hawkish eyes trace toward the tree, watching Reiko. It's that look: the, "I'm coming over there," look. For now, though, she's waiting. Why? Picking her barbs? She doesn't usually hesitate.

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Reiko Touyama using chopsticks, stuck one of the tiny sausages into her mouth, along with the rice, when----- her eyes peer over across the courtyard. Her heart sank a bit. She just wanted to enjoy lunch, outside in the cool drizzle and ponder over a lot of things.

She knows it's coming, so she slows down her eating so she can put that koi-shaped bento away immediatly, if she has too. She wonders what Hiroko is going to insist of her today.

At least Mei isn't around to hear that Infinity University speil like in the art room.

Then she realizes Hiroko is just... standing there. Huh.

Maybe she decided against it, or didn't find her worth the trouble!

Hiroko Koumoto has posed:
    Hiroko's gait as she stalks across the grounds is, as always, cool and collected. She's nothing if not superficially poised, at least to outsiders. Reiko has seen her angry, though. Once upon a time, Mei was the only one who got under her skin like that, but increasingly, the orange-haired girl has been the unfortunate recipient of her bad side. But she doesn't look mad, at least not yet. No, it's just the usual haughty look on her face: smug, superior, collected. And when she finally arrives, stopping a few feet from the other girl, she's silent for a few moments. She always does that, as if to let her presence sink in. That itself might be a form of intimidation.

    "Hello Touyama-san," she eventually begins. "How have you been?" Polite, at first, always.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata is still listening and replying to the conversation around her, but her focus is mostly on Reiko. The orange-haired girl's body language seems to be wary about something, but at first Ikiko can't tell why.

Then Hiroko walks over to Reiko, and it starts making sense. While Ikiko doesn't know Hiroko by name, her reputation is enough that even the upper grades are at least aware of her.

And she's stalking toward Reiko like a predator approaching prey?

Ikiko narrows her eyes. "Sorry, I have to go do something," she murmurs to her classmates. "I'll see you back in class after lunch." She strolls over towards the tree, not in a direct line, but in an arc that meanders that direction. Sometimes the indirect presence of a looming packmate is more effective than a direct confrontation, especially when you wish to support a friend in the face of trouble instead of taking it on yourself.

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Reiko Touyama takes a deep breath, no...she's coming over here. She wasn't lucky. Indeed, Reiko doesn't like Hiroko. She's always... mean. She never has anything sincerely nice to say. But Reiko is too polite-- and maybe intimidated to tell her to go away. She huffs and sighs.

"Hello Hiroko. I've been well as I can. What do you want." she merely asks right off the bat.

"Mei's sick and taking care of her sister." she says, as she takes a bite of rice with her chopsticks. She's keeping as calm and cool as collected as possible. Her eyes looks over to Ikiko a moment, then back to Hiroko as she adjusts her glasses.

Hiroko Koumoto has posed:
    "There's no need to be rude, Touyama-san," Hiroko says with a widening grin. "This is just a polite, friendly conversation." She has said that before. Another heavy pause follows. "Right?" is added, almost in challenge. Even from afar, from Ikiko's distance, it's not hard to pick up the unfriendliness in Hiroko's demeanor, the veiled aggression which permeates her actions. It's also a first chance for the Curse Hunter see the other girl more closely. Hiroko's taller than most of her peers, though not overly so, leaving her only about an inch shorter than Ikiko herself. To girls her age, at least to those without orange hair and a lot of guts, she might be a little imposing.

    "What happened to Momo?" Hiroko adds a few moments later, a bit of uncharacteristic directness for her. It doesn't quite seem like her usual game. She hasn't ever mentioned Mei's little sister before. No, bully as she may be, she tends to attack Mei or Reiko directly. Maybe she's punching a little lower, today?

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Reiko Touyama frowns. "She has that thing that's going around and putting people into comas." she says rather flatly. Reiko isn't aware of the real situation yet. She just knows Momo has it. She wishes she could go into a coma right now, so she wouldn't have to deal with this--- then feels bad for even thinking that! She never explains it out loud.

Reiko looks to her backpack for a moment, then back to Hiroko as she frowns a little. She continues eating, silently, as she waits for the next words out of Hiroko's mouth. She grates her teeth a little. Still.... she holds out the bento. "Sausage?" she asks, perhaps a little flatly.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata's mosey continues. She pauses under one of the nearby trees, looking like she's considering its suitability as protection from rain.

And if this tree happens to be within earshot of the conversation, why, that's /just/ a coincidence, right?

As she turns around, appearing to be thinking about the coverage of the tree (opinion: not enough shelter), she flashes an encouraging smile to Reiko -- with Hiroko behind the line of her shoulder, the bully-by-reputation might not catch the expression.

Still, that bit about Momo... Ikiko might have to ask about it later.

Hiroko Koumoto has posed:
    "Really?" Hiroko seems genuinely surprised by that, and she can't quite hide it. She's not the most perfect social creature out there, after all, as she is, ultimately, ten. But still, that feeling is squelched a moment later, the girl catching herself and returning to her usual practiced standoffishness. Though one might wonder how she even knew about Momo at all. It's almost strange, though one never knows with Hiroko. She has a way of discovering people's secrets; gossip fu is an unfortunately talent of the worst female bullies.

    "Is that why Akatsuki-san is staying away from school?" Perhaps true, but "staying away" is a pretty lousy way of phrasing it. "You should really tell her to be more responsible and come back, Touyama-san. Her mother can watch over her sister. She shouldn't be missing this much school. If her sister is going to recover, this is a pretty poor excuse for truancy." There's almost a questioning tone to that last sentence. If, meaning, is she? Though she doesn't ask that in as many words. And Reiko might not even catch that subtext. It's not clear if Hiroko even wants her to.

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Reiko Touyama withdraws her bento at the insituation of truancy. "F-family is more important than-- school and books and lunch periods and everything, Hiroko-san!" she says in a sudden standoffish way. "No Truancy officer would haul her back for that! That's the truth!" she says through gritted teeth. Now she's upset. It's enough to get her standing up from her postion sitting against the tree.

She sees Ikiko there, and catches her smile. But even Ikiko's prescene isn't disarming her!

"If you disagree, I dare you to tell the Principal!" she says. "I double dog triple dare you!" she says angrily- as if trying to call out some sort of bluff.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata turns slightly, as if to hide the fact that she's listening in. Reiko might need someone to talk to after this, but for now, the orange-haired girl seems to have this well in hand; best to let this take its course for now, then step in if it happens to be needed.

But the pieces of information Reiko had mentioned before are starting to come together, bit by bit...

Hiroko Koumoto has posed:
    Something about family gets to her. Reiko can see it on Hiroko's face as soon as that word is mentioned: the way her eyebrows fall, eyes narrow, and mouth presses together tightly. Yes, Hiroko usually puts on a really good show of being refined; that's probably all her teachers and family ever see. But at school, she can play at dignity until she gets mad, and then suddenly she's not playing anymore, and her feelings shine through. "You're an angry _child_!" Hiroko says, her fists clenching slightly, right foot stamping forward in a distinctive pose that anyone can recognize as belonging to, yes, an angry child. But again, she catches herself a few moments of glowering later, her hands relaxing, stepping back into her own personal space. Once again, poised. At least for the moment.

    And when she continues, her voice is again calm, self-satisfied, superior, and perhaps more than a little infuriating. "Please don't be childish, Touyama-san. Between Akatsuki-san and yourself, one of you has to be a /little/ smart, and it's certainly not going to be her. We both know Momo-chan"--since when is she Momo-chan to Hiroko?--"will get better in time, and there are other members of Akatsuki-san's family whose job it is to take care of her. Akatsuki-san's job is to go to school and do well at her studies, even if the 'do well' part is not very likely at all. That's her responsibility, and she shouldn't run away from it. And _you_ should grow up and tell her these things, instead of being dragged along in her childishness."

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Reiko Touyama is ready for this. Her fists tighten, she's about ready to knock Hiroko one in the gut if she even tries to touch her. She'll do it! She'll go to detention for a /month/ if she has to, but she'll do it! She waits and waits and---

Hiroko backs down-- when she does, her postion relaxes a bit. Maybe a bit of relief, but only for a moment.

"No! Mei-chan has to be with her family right now! I've been making sure she gets her assignments!" she says through gritted teeth. "If my grandpa was in the hospital! I would be away too!" she says. "And I bet, if something happened to your parents, you'd be out of school for a while, too!" she says, as she puts her fists down against her sides a bit.

The look of anger and amazement is present on her face. "-and don't even say otherwise! Because even I know you're not /that/ heartless!" she says, stammping her foot down on the issue.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko's eyes narrow at Hiroko's fury, then widen slightly at the anger in Reiko's stance. She turns slightly, ready to intervene as needed, in whichever direction might be necessary--

But the two of them both back down, albeit slightly, and Ikiko untenses a bit. Fight averted, at least for now.

Reiko's last comment prompts an inquisitive look; that's not something that could be said idly, especially not in the heat of the moment like this! Yet another question for Ikiko to ask later, when the time is right...

Hiroko Koumoto has posed:
    It takes some doing this time. Hiroko just stares at Reiko balefully, lower lip quivering, shoulders tense. She's trying her best not to get outwardly angry again, but it would be clear to most people that she's feeling it on the inside. At least to adult eyes, if any were present. Eventually, the black-haired girl manages to calm herself, but there's still a tinge of anger in her voice, even though she's speaking more quietly and deliberately, trying not to show it.

    "No. I _wouldn't_, Touyama-san," she says lowly. Of course she wouldn't. Hiroko has never missed a day. Even on the rare days that she was sick, she showed up, albeit with face masks and hand sanitizer to politely keep from spreading it. "It doesn't matter what I want or what Akatsuki-san wants. Our job isn't to care for the sick. There are doctors and nurses for that. There are /adults/ for that. That's not what we're supposed to do. We have our own work." Her expression hardens, eyes falling, her voice even quieter now. "You can't give in to your feelings every time you want to run off somewhere, y'know." And finally, she looks up again, her voice suddenly rising to a shout. "Don't be childish!"

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Reiko Touyama grits her teeth. "Then maybe you /are/ heartless, Hiroko-san!" she huffs! "People just don't need medicine... and doctors when they're sick! They need to know someone cares! and is there for them!" she says. "If living in your kind of world means I can't feel, then screw living in your world! It's stupid!" she says as she huffs!

She closes her bento and shoves it in her backpack. "I'm leaving! If I hang around you anymore, I might catch your jerkiness!" she says. That didn't even make any sense!

She leaves passing by Ikiko as she huffs.. "I...I'll talk to you later Ikiko...." she manages to say, totally in a badmood now as she stomps away in the drizzle which most certainly isn't helping her mood right now.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
"Take care," Ikiko murmurs as Reiko passes by. Sometimes the best thing you can do for someone is to give them the time they need to calm down, and to be there for them afterwards.

Still, she scowls at Hiroko. The bully certainly has a well-deserved reputation! Too bad there's not much she can do to Hiroko that wouldn't make her a bully as well.

At least she can still be a friend.

Hiroko Koumoto has posed:
    Hiroko's now-clenched fists tremble as Reiko walks off. Ikiko might see, barely, the wetness pooling at the edges of her gray eyes, even as the expression on her face is one of barely-controlled rage. But it's not visible for long. A moment later, she's stalking off. Both girls, before long, have disappeared into the young crowds bearing identical uniforms, absorbed into the rolling masses of students in their conversations and play. A few moments later, there's no sign there was ever a fight here, the only witness beyond the Curse Hunter being the old Lilac tree. It has seen fights before, though, not only from other girls but from this very same group, and it will likely see more before this particular conflict is over.