7/Foraging in Clover (Street)

Foraging in Clover (Street)
Date of Scene:	21 May 2015
Location:	Pikarigaoka - Clover Street - South
Synopsis:	A foraging Gaofele meets a skating Sakura, and an offer of conversation is made.
Cast of Characters:	Gaofele Doiru, Sakura Kinomoto

---

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
The past day or so had been turbulent for Gaofele. While cleaning up the abandoned store that he and Runealy were using as shelter hadn't been very hectic, the news Rune brought of the magical fight at the concert had left both of them somewhat rattled.

A calmer thing that came out of that discussion was the need for furniture for them to use, especially for beds. They had realized that they couldn't purchase furniture through normal channels, so other means had to be used -- namely, spotting things in the trash.

His search last night had yielded a bedframe and a mattress, but today's search hadn't been as fruitful, and as evening draws on all he had to show for his efforts was a single futon, folded and tied to his backpack. "Well, it's better that what I've been using," he sighs to himself.

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
    After a long day at school and a very fun offscreen trip to a skating rink with some of her friends, Sakura is finally on her way home! Clover Street isn't normally on her route, but it happens to be on the way to her destination and it's safe enough, so she skates along one of the sidewalks at an easy pace, not especially worried about getting home late. It's not too far, after all!

But it isn't difficult to notice the guy trekking about with a futon on his back, and curiosity gets the better of the kindhearted young girl. Turning a bit to the side, she skids to a stop near Gaofele with a wave and a friendly smile. "Hi! Do you need help with that?" she asks him, sizing up the futon and estimating how much it probably weighs in her head.

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
Gao blinks a bit at the unexpected offer of help, but smiles at the younger girl. "I'm okay," he replies. "It's more bulky than heavy, and I'm used to hiking with a loaded pack. But thank you for the offer, though!"

The odd movement's of the girl's armored shoes catches his attention. "Those are some interesting shoes you're wearing," he comments, a tone of wonder in his voice. "How do you get them to move like that?"

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
Sakura Kinomoto nods and smiles up at him. "Alright, but don't be afraid to ask if you do!" As for those 'shoes' of hers, she's standing a little awkwardly with them, her feet planted in such a way as to keep the wheels from moving. At Gao's question, though, she gives him a look of disbelief. "Hueeee!? You really don't know what inline skates are!?"

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
"Skates?" Gao blinks, then tilts his head to get a better view of them. "Oh -- wheels! No, I'm not familiar with... 'skates'," he admits. "I'm... not from around here. A friend of mine and I recently moved here, so we're still not familiar with several of these local things."

A thought crosses his mind. "Do you have a suggestion on where I can learn more about this city?" he inquires. "I've been picking up stuff here and there, but it's been slow going."

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
Sakura Kinomoto nods again! "Yep! Skates are like shoes that have wheels on the undersides. You can go pretty fast with them, and if you're good enough, you can weave through any obstacles in your way! Hanyuuu, it's like flying on the ground~" she explains, slightly dreamily at the end, but then realizes that there's another question that needs answering. "Oh, in that case, welcome to the city! You must be from way out in the country if you don't know about something like inline skating! Now let's see, ummm..."

A moment or two of thought passes as she taps her chin, but she finally seems to have an idea. "Well, the best way to get to know a city is to go experience it, right? Not that there's much you can really do this late..." she suggests, then beams as she seems to have another idea. "Ah! Hey, why don't you come to my place? My dad's a professor at the college, so he could probably tell you a thing or two!"

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
Gao smiles a bit at Sakura's description of what skating is like. "Skates do sound like fun! I'm more used to forests, so wheels aren't as practical there, but a good run is still awesome," he agrees. "And thank you for the welcome!"

He nods along at the suggestion of experiencing the city -- he and Rune have been trying that, with varying degrees of success. Sakura's other suggestion makes him stop for a moment. On the one hand, a chance to learn more information! On the other... a college scholar? Someone that smart might be able to learn more from Gao than Gao could learn from him.

His original task offers a solution. "My apologies, but I won't be able to spend much time on a visit," he remarks. "I need to get this back to where my friend and I are staying, and she's expecting me back by a certain hour." Which is completely true. "However, we might be able to take you up on that offer and visit another day, if that would be alright?"

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
Sakura Kinomoto nods in agreement! Lots of nodding here today, it seems. "Mm! They're my favorite way to get around!" Though, his comment about forests doesn't go completely unnoticed, as she touches a finger to her cheek and imagines what the guy's house must look like. "If you live in the forest, then it's no wonder you don't know a lot about city living. I bet you can't even drive a car in there!"

But it's true, the sun is quickly going down and she only has a few minutes at most to make it home before her dad starts worrying about her. So, with yet another nod and smile, she agrees to the idea. "Yep! That sounds great!"

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
"Excellent!" Gao smiles. "Thank you again for the offer, miss... oh, my apologies; I almost forgot to introduce myself." He bows slightly. "My name's Gaofele Doiru, or Gao for short; pleased to meet you!"

The lowering sun doesn't escape his notice, either. "Perhaps I should escort you home?" he suggests. "Both to make sure you arrive safely, and to know where to go when my friend and I come to visit?"

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
    Oh, that's right! Sakura forgot to introduce herself, too, which she quickly rectifies with a hasty bow and and apology. "S-sorry! I completely forgot! My name is Sakura Kinomoto, nice to meet you!" she quickly blurts out, but recovers at the offer. "Oh, okay. That sounds like a good idea. Come on, it's this way!" And off she goes, skating down the street in the direction of her home, a bit quicker than before since she's spent so much time here already.

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
Gao jogs along, marvelling at how these 'skates' enable greater speed on foot. There's certainly several things that he can talk to Rune about tonight, including the offer of talking with a scholar. Rune might be able to handle that better than he could... but if they do take Sakura up on her offer, he'll still attend, to give support to Rune.

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
    As stated before, Sakura's home isn't too far from where they were, so she makes it /just/ before the sun fully falls below the horizon and shadows creep across the ground. Opening the door and heading inside, Sakura calls out a cheerful "I'm hooooome~" before sitting down to take off her skates and the shoes underneath them.

A moment later, a tall, remarkably handsome man rounds the corner, looking surprised for a moment at the sight of Gao before giving him a welcoming wave and a soft smile. "Oh, hello there. I see Sakura made a new friend. You're a little older than I would have expected, but you look like a trustworthy young man." Kneeling down to give Sakura a gentle ruffling of her hair and a "Welcome home," he then approaches Gao and offers to shake his hand. "My name is Fujitaka. I don't think I've seen you around before. Are you new here?"

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
Gao bows slightly, then shakes the offered hand. "My name's Gaofele Doiru," he replies. "My friend and I are new in town, and there's quite a lot that we still don't know."

Internally, Gao is amazed. This man is a scholar? And this is a scholar's house? The people of the world of Japan certainly live well! "A pleasure to meet you," he continues, doing his best to avoid stammering in surprise.

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
    It's true, Sakura's house is quite nice, being two stories with a basement and everything. And by the look of it, Fujitaka and his children keep it practically spotless from ceiling to floor! Such a perfect family couldn't possibly exist, could it?

"Ah, I guessed as much. Welcome, welcome." the older man says, his face never dropping that gentle-looking smile. He positively radiates fatherly compassion! Stepping aside, he gestures for Gao to enter, offering, "Would you like something to eat? Dinner's cooled off by now, but it should still be fine."

"Dad, he's gotta go meet his friend at a certain time. I don't know if he has time to eat dinner with us." Sakura interjects, standing up after finally getting her shoes off and setting them carefully aside.

Fujitaka lets out a small laugh, patting her on the head. "Well, we can at least offer him a meal to go, can't we? How about it, Gao?"

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
A soft smile spreads across Gao's face. "I'd love that, sir," he replies. Some home-cooked food? That should help bring a smile to Rune's face! They've been making do with their supplies, but travel food is never as good as what's cooked in a hearth.

The earlier discussion returns to his mind. "Sir, your daughter mentioned that my friend and I might be able to ask you about this city at some point," he remarks. "If we may, when would be a good time for that?"

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
    Fujitaka nods in agreement, having already made a few assumptions about Gao. Primarily, that he must travel a lot since he's carrying a futon on his back, or at least is having to scrounge a bit for supplies. So, a little homecooked food certainly couldn't hurt, now could it?

"Ah, did she? Well, I could tell you a few things, I guess, depending on what you want to know. Oh, Sakura, would you mind making a bento box for him, please?" he says, and with a cheerful affirmative, Sakura makes her way to the dining room. Fujitaka, in the meantime, rubs his chin in thought. "Hmm, I have a very busy schedule at the college, but I should have some time off a few days from now. Plenty to get you acquainted with the town, at least."

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
Gao's smile widens. "That will be great, sir! Thank you!" A couple of days to finish settling in at the abandoned store, and to prepare for the conversation -- all in all, a very reasonable plan, and one that Rune would likely get behind.

.oO(Guess this day turned out better than I was expecting,) he thinks to himself. Sufficient bedding and such, a possible source of information, and a surprising gift of food; the day's foraging was a grand success, as far as Gao is concenred.

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
    Fujitaka bows respectfully to the young man. "You're very welcome, Mister Doiru. I'll look forward to our meeting." he says, and then Sakura returns with a wrapped box which she offers to Gao.

"Here you go! It's my favorite, rolled omelet and udon noodles with shrimp!" she happily exclaims, and by the few flecks of noodle stuck to her cheeks, it seems she dug in a bit herself before bringing the bento box back.

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
"Thank you -- both of you," Gao says gratefully as he accepts the box. "I'm sure my friend Rune will also thank you, as well."

He takes a step back towards the door, bowing to both of the Kinomotos. "Protection and happiness upon your home," he intones, repeating a traditional Waldian blessing. "Until we meet again!"

And with a wave, Gao starts making his way back to the abandoned store, an extra spring in his step as he thinks about today's good fortune.

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
Sakura Kinomoto nods happily, glad to have made another friend today as she waves and calls a goodbye to Gao. "Stay safe and happy travels!" Her father accompanies her in the waving as well, and when Gao is out of eyesight, he turns to Sakura.

"Sakura, you shouldn't eat until everyone is present." he says, though he doesn't seem angry as he pats her head again.

Sakura, in return, answers sheepishly, "Ah, but I still have room for more..."

With a soft chuckle, Fujitaka closes the door and starts heading back to the dining room. "That's good, at least. But I think you should wash up first. Your brother doesn't need another excuse to tease you."

All in all, not a bad way to end the day.