826/Bumping Into A New Friend. Literally

Bumping Into A New Friend. Literally
Date of Scene:	08 January 2016
Location:	Mitakihara - Kikoku Street - North
Synopsis:	Madoka and Shinobu meet each other on the streets of Tokyo and end up having a nice meal and conversation together.
Cast of Characters:	Madoka Kaname, Shinobu Kimura

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Shinobu Kimura has posed:
    The sun is hanging in in the winter sky as clouds drift lazily across the crisp blue sky. Its the kind of day where it would be lovely to just be out and about if it weren't so blasted cold! There are a few people out walking the streets but most are either working or avoiding the cold. Those who are out walking are bundled up. Amongst them is a young red head who is wearing dark sunglasses. She's bundled up in a green parka. In her hand is a long white cane with red stripes. She is moving across the ground, keeping close track of the building beside her and occcasionally tapping a person with it.

The young redhead is definitely unfamiliar with the area. She's unfamilar with this whole district. Even now she is moving along at a slow pace. Every now and then she bumps into someone. A person stops and snaps at her, "What are you, Blind!" Then they see that yeah, she actually is. Without saying a word they beat a hastey retreat trying to not to further embarrass themselves.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    The air is cold enough again today that Madoka is bundled up in her beige coat with a faux fur lining, more faux fur at it's cuffs and bottom hem and three large balls covering the buttons. A dark pink scarf with a large bow on it is wrapped securely around her neck and she's also wearing a pair of matching mittens. The bottom of a red tartan dress can be seen a few inches below the coat, though the hem cuts fairly high, especially for winter. Partially to make up for this she's wearing long white stockings, and fuzzy beige boots match her coat.

    The pink haired girl with red ribbon-tied twintails seems to be in an exceptionally good mood today, a bright smile on her face and a bounce in her step despite the fact she's not doing anything particularly exciting, walking down the street not particularly far from her home. She has a vague plan for the day but no urgency to get it done- the joy of being a teenager while school is out.

Shinobu Kimura has posed:
    The redheaded girl continues walking along. There is something a bit off about the way she is moving. Despite the occasional bumping into people she is actually dodging people. She sidesteps when people get close to her. Is she hearing them? Possibly. Sadly it doesn't always seem to work. She stops midstride and takes in a deep whiff of the air. "I gotta be getting close to one by now. I think I smell it." She states to herself and starts walking again.

    A few more steps are taken and then... BUMP! Right into a pink haired girl with red ribbon-tied twintails! "EEP!" Down to the ground the redhead goes. "Oh sorry! I didn't mean to run into you. I thought I had given you enough room. Gods you're bright." She states as she uses her cane to get up off the ground. "Oh umm sorry. I umm... don't mind me. I didn't say anything." She idly starts moving again, worried just a little that her own private secret might be exposed.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka lets out a squeak of surprise as she's bumped into. Her balance is getting a bit better than it used to be thanks to dancing and ice skating, but with someone collapsing about her she tries to keep both of them up. This predictably results in neither of them managing to stay on their feet and Madoka collapsing in a heap!

    After a moment she pushes herself up into a sitting position and tries to figure out what just happened, only to see Shinobu... and her white cane! "No, it's okay, I'm sorry! I should have been paying more attention!" She's certainly not going to let a blind person take the blame for a run-in. She gets up the rest of the way herself and brushes her stockings off for a moment, "Are you okay? I have band-aids if you need one." She then tilts her head a little and asks, "Bright?"

Shinobu Kimura has posed:
%r    Shinobu turns back and looks towards Madoka. "Its alright. I'm fine. I'm used to it. I tend to fall down a lot because this sort of thing. I'm fine." How is she looking at Madoka? She moves her cane to her side, finding a brick wall. She moves towards it and leans against it.

    "Then there is that one word. The word she herself had mistakenly said. She smacks herself in the head, "Idiot!" She frowns. "Me not you. Um I think there is a resturant around here. If you'll pardon the phrase I was looking for it. I'm not used to this district yet... ugh. Tell you what, You lead me to the resturant, I'll cover both of us and then I will explain what I meant. I don't wanna talk about it out her." She raises her cane blocking someone from walking into her, "Pay attention." She states to the man and he quickly gives her a wide berth.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka peeks at her legs a bit to see if she got hurt, turning her head and holding them out one at a time, but to her relief she is fine. Her coat is heavy enough that this time she doesn't check her arms. She makes a nervous little laugh, "I'm a bit clumsy too, that's why I carry them around." They've come in handy on several occasions, and not just from falls.

    She blinks a little when Shinobu bonks herself on the head, looking around before asking, "Okay! Do you mean the noodle shop? There's one just a few shops down." Madoka steps a bit closer to Shinobu and offers her arm, letting her coat brush against her so she knows what Madoka is doing. When someone nearly walks into them she gives him a frown even after Shinobu stops him. Assuming she was right about which restaurant she'll start leading the way. Probably a bit slowly at first, because she doesn't know how fast Shinobu usually walks.

Shinobu Kimura has posed:
    Shinobu gives a little smile, "Thank you you very much. Yes, the noodle shop sounds great. You sound young... Do you go to Infinity University?" She asks as she continues using her cane in front of her. "I don't mean to pry, I am starting there soon. I'm Shinobu Kimura. Nice to meet you Miss."

Shinobu goes quiet for the rest of the walk there. With the aide of Madoka, she does pick up her pace a little. Its a leisurely pace, not fast but not slow. As they arrive at the resturant, she states, "You go ahead and order first." She gives a soft smile as she thinks about what she wants.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka leads the way to the restaurant, smiling herself and nodding a bit, "I do! I'm a second year middle school student at Infinity. My name is Madoka Kaname, it's nice to meet you too!" After a moment she adds, "You can call me Madoka, if you like since we'll be schoolmates."

    The walk isn't especially long since they're already close, and Shinobu being quiet gives Madoka a bit of extra time to talk, "I actually transferred into to Infinity at the end of the first term! The classes are just as hard as entrance exam suggests." She makes a little laugh, "I only made it in because I used to go to Mitakihara before the accident... but I've finally gotten my grades up to average!" That's something she's rather proud of!

    She then blinks a little, blushing softly, "Sorry, I'm probably bothering you by talking about myself so much." After a quick look over the menu she orders something simple but good, "One ramen bowl, please." Pause. "Oh! Maybe an extra egg."

Shinobu Kimura has posed:
    "Oh my, you aren't bothering me. Its actually pretty cool that we will be in the same school. Call me Shinobu if you like. I'm first year high school." Shinobu faces the counter and orders her own food, "Tokyo Ramen Please." Pulling out some yen she pays for both girls. "I got accepted to Infinity on a broadcasting scholarship. I love public speaking. Its fun!"

When the two are seated, the redhead gives a smile and then speaks quietly. "When I was eleven I had an accident. My father," She scoffs and just shakes her head. "Well he had done something really foolish. He brought home this purple stuff. I thought it was grape juice. I poured myself a glass and went to go see him because at the time, he was my hero. I loved hearing about his work... if you want to call it that." She pauses and rubs her head for a moment. "He was playing with me and tipped my glass when I went to take a drink. The stuff tasted horrible and I spit it out. It ran over my face and into my eyes."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka nods happily, "Okay, Shinobu-chan!" She's friendly enough even if they won't be in the same class. She looks a little surprised when the other girl pays for her, eyes widening slightly when she hears Shinobu got in on a scholarship, "You must be very good at it to get a scholarship to Infinity. Public speaking, too..." Just the thought of it is enough to get Madoka squirming a little. Having the eyes of an entire room of people on her... eep!

    She sits down across the table from the redhead. She listens to the story, getting a bit of a sinking feeling at 'thought it was grape juice'. By the end of the story she is a bit horror stricken, seeming to be guessing that that was the cause of Shinobu's blindness. "Oh my gosh! That- that's horrible, Shinobu-chan!" Even though she thinks she knows the answer she asks the requisite question, "Were you alright?"

Shinobu Kimura has posed:
%r    Shinobu gives a warm smile, "Sorry, Madoka-chan. I don't mean to upset you." She takes a few moments before she actually continues. "I lost my vision. Been blind ever since." The two bowls of ramen are brought over to the table and served. Shinobu presents a few more yen, "may we please have some drinks too?" She asks politely.
%r     As the person goes to retrieve the drinks she continues. "Over the next year, things changed for me. I think that stuff did something to me beyond hurting me. In a way I can see some things. I can see the energy that life creates that and umm... Magic." she leans forward and takes a few bites of her ramen. "Its not something I talk about so much and I was hoping you had overlooked it. I would hate to be some scientific test subject and if I mention the M word someone will likely think I'm crazy."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka takes a few moments to settle down, looking worried when her suspicions are confirmed about the liquid, whatever it was, causing Shinobu's blindness. "That's so terrible, to have something like that happen. To think if that stuff would have just been put somewhere safer, out of your reach..."

    Sad stories like this hit Madoka pretty hard. She can all too easily envision the kind of pain and suffering that might have been caused by an accident like that one. With words like 'at the time, he was my hero' make it clear he no longer is, which is a sad thing on it's own. The fact that it was likely brought about by a horrific accident makes it all the worse. She doesn't even notice at first when the food is set down in front of her, blinking a few times as the delicious smell wafts up to her.

    "I'm so sorry to hear that, Shinobu-chan." She isn't really sure what to say beyond that, but the story isn't over. Her head tilts slightly and she gives the girl across the table from her a curious look as she talks about what else the liquid did other than just blind her. "Oh! I see, so you can't see normally... but you have a different kind of vision instead?" It's the kind of thing that's a lot harder to understand if you haven't experienced yourself; at least to the pink haired middle-schooler.

    A test subject? That gets another start from Madoka, and she leans forward in her seat, "Don't worry, Shinobu-chan! I won't say anything about it. I won't let anything horrible like that happen to you because of me. It sounds like you've been through more than enough already without me making things worse..."

Shinobu Kimura has posed:
    Quietly, Shinobu eats a little more of her ramen. A smile crosses her lips. "Mmmmm THis is really good! Its the perfect thing for a cold day." A few moments later she speaks on things agan. "Yes. I see in a weird way. Its far from perfect. Like I can see the life energy that you make as well as the energy of everyone else here and a few buildings from here too. To me you're yellow light. Very bright yellow light. That is why I said what I did when we bumped into each other."

    The drinks are brought to them and set down in front of them. "That is how I see everyone though. Varying shades of yellow light. That is different though for certain types of people. When magic and a life force blends, They get a different color to them all together. Crazy huh?" She takes a sip of her drink. Tea as it stands. Then its back to the conversation. "My dad is a thief. Its why I don't look up to him. I didn't realize how bad that was until this all happened."

    A big smile forms on the girls face. For a brief moment, one might think she was going to come across the table to hug the other girl but thankfully that doesn't happen. "Thank you so much Madoka-chan! That means so much to me. That scares me almost as much as some of the things I see!" She laughs. Than a puzzled look crosses her face. She doesn't act on it. No, not at this time. Instead she goes back to her yummy food!"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka starts by eating the egg out of her ramen, very much not saving what she thinks is the best for last, at least this time. Soon after she's eating some of her noodles also, though her pace is a little slow, her thoughts distracted. Her light is very bright? "Hm... I guess I am very much alive!" she says, laughing a little bit.

    She nods a little, tilting her head slightly. "It does sound a little strange, but magic itself can be strange at times so I suppose it shouldn't be surprising." She blinks a little when Shinobu's father's occupation is brought up and she replies with a stuttered, "O-oh..."

    There's a smaller but warm smile on Madoka's face as she's thanked, "It's okay, Shinobu-chan. It isn't a very big thing for me to do, since all it means is that I have to keep your secret safe." She considers for a moment while eating some more of her ramen before asking, "Are you new to Tokyo as well, since you're transferring schools? Or, um, recently new? There is a lot of magic happening here. People have told me it's a lot more common than it was even a couple years ago. If you can see magic... that might actually be a good thing so you know to stay away from dangerous things and keep safe."

Shinobu Kimura has posed:
    "You're a good person. It makes a good person shines bright. A person who is not so good is really dim. Magic works the same way. I wonder if there is a link between life and magic?" Shinobu gives a smiles. "I had a falling out with my parents. I was going to school just outside the city limits. I was going to wait to until next school year to transfer to Infinity but I decided to leave home. My mom is a lawyer and she was defending my dad so I made a choice." She smiles

    Quietly she goes back to her food. She doesn't really pick anything out at choice. She just simply eats, enjoying whatever she gets. A sip of her tea follows and she takes a napkin to clean her mouth off. "Are you talking about the swirls?" She asks curiously. "They are really scary. I seen one not long ago its so dark and black inside."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka looks up a little, "I wonder..." She does try to be good. Following rules, doing what her parents say, and not telling any lies. But does that actually make her a good person? She nods a little hearing that Shinobu lived close to Tokyo, wondering for a moment just how widespread the magical activity around Tokyo extends. It's a large city and the greater Tokyo area is even bigger.

    A sympathetic smile and a slightly anxious, "Eheh..." is given when the girl talks explains about moving and her parents. "It sounds like you have a whole lot to deal with, Shinobu-chan. I hope things start getting easier for you once you're in Infinity." Maybe she'll be the kind of person who can really throw herself into her studies? She is in on a scholarship, after all.

    "Swirls?" She responds to Shinobu's question. "I don't know about any swirls, but there are all kinds of scary things. If you don't have any way of defending yourself or someone around to protect you it's probably best if you try to stay away or out of trouble." Her head lowers slightly and she flushes a light shade of pink as she admits, "I had to find that out myself the hard way."

Shinobu Kimura has posed:
    "What are you wondering about, Madoka-chan?" Shinobu asks curiously as she sips at her tea. "Believe it or not, things aren't so bad. My mom insisted I never be a victim like the ones she defends. She put me in some special classes to teach me self defense. Okanawan weapons. I learned how to handle several of them before the accident. I still practice with them when I know I am safe to do so. I would hate to harm someone by accident."

    She takes old of her cane and just gives a little smile. "Scary things? You seem troubled? May I ask what happened?" She prods a little before commenting. "In a worst case scenario I can use my cane for defense but its not the best thing to use. Training or not, It's on the thin side which means it would probably break easy."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka blinks a little, only to give a shake of her head, "Oh! It's nothing, Shinobu-chan, don't worry about it." She takes a drink of her own tea, and then eats some of her noodles, only to blink in surprise. She very carefully finishes a bite of long noodles before shaking her head, "That's no good, Shinobu-chan!" She is suddenly very legitimately worried about the girl sitting across the table from her. "If you see something dangerous that's magic, don't try to fight it. Just run!" It's an impassioned plea.

    Her head shakes quickly back and forth, "My friend tried that, and all it did was get her put in the hospital!" She pauses then, and considers briefly that there's more to those 'special classes' than meets the eye. "Unless... you have your own kind of magic power to fight them with." She looks unsure, wringing her hands a little. "There are very many dangerous magical things and people in this city, Shinobu-chan. So like I said, unless you have your own magic to protect yourself, or someone else who does with you, you should just run away."

Shinobu Kimura has posed:
    Shinobu gives a little smile, "I will Madoka-chan. As long as I have a clear way to run I am fine. My esp doesn't compensate for physical things." She smiles a little bit and nods, "Not like my cane could do much to anything magical. Its just bamboo I think." As she listens to the words of her new friend there is a look of worry to her. Quietly she picks up her bowl and sips the broth.

    "You're really worried... You don't hardly know me but you are worried about me." She blushes a little. "It is for good reason you are so bright." She thinks a few minutes before commenting, "You don't have to worry. Just because I know how to physically fight doesn't mean I'm going to go after anything magical. It really scares me. Especially when I see it really dark. I usually try to hide."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka sits back in her chair and looks relieved. Maybe she's spent too much time around people all too eager to confront danger; her warnings may have been a bit overboard considering how quickly Shinobu was 'convinced'. "I'm glad. I'm really glad to hear that, because I don't like it when people get hurt." She blushes a little herself when Shinobu mentions her looking bright again.

    Embarrassed, she uses her food as a good excuse to both stay quiet and keep her head down for a bit. When the other girl speaks again she looks up and nods. "Yes, hiding is good too. A lot of the time you can be safe so long as you don't bring attention to yourself and just try to keep safe." She lets out a soft sigh, "I ended up getting hurt once by trying to get involved, also. It can be really terrifying, how strong magical monsters can be."

    It wasn't that long ago that she was almost jumping out of her own skin at the thought of magical danger. Madoka has so many people willing to protect her now that it isn't quite that bad, but that doesn't mean she can be careless about it. Meeting someone else aware of the magical world but without any way of protecting herself reminds her of that.

Shinobu Kimura has posed:
    "I figured." Shinobu states almost matter of factly. "For someone to be that passionate, there had to be a personal situation. Your friend, would cause some of it but having a personal experience like that... It changes ya." She states feeling a little out of place saying that.

    The waiter comes around with more tea and tops her off. She lowers her head a moment. "Madoka-chan, You've encounted all that stuff more than once. Why? I mean unless you are one of the people that fight that sort of thing but, if you aren't... Why? You don't need to chase after that sort of thing do you?"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka considers that for a moment. Actually for her it isn't so much that she worries about herself- it worries her more that her friends will get hurt. It's just that she also has friends that worry very much about her as well, and getting hurt herself will upset them and she doesn't want to see that. She doesn't say any of that though, instead simply sitting there looking contemplative, making a little nod and, "Mm." to Shinobu's comment.

    The question asked of her actually catches her a little off guard and she blinks a few times. "Why..?" She has to actually think about it. "I guess it's because I have friends who do? Sometimes I go along with them." That's not just it, though. "I also just seem to find myself in a lot of danger for no reason at all. My friend Sayaka-chan says I'm a 'trouble-magnet'."

    There's also the fact that Kyubey has been after her to make a contract with him ever since she arrived in Tokyo, but she's not going to bring that up. She's been warned that the deal he offers is dangerous and not worth even the miracle he gives numerous times and by several different people. She's not about to inflict him on anyone, especially when mentioning him might very well bring him around.

Shinobu Kimura has posed:
    "Well I'm not trouble and ya ran into me!" Shinobu lets out a laugh over that thought. "That is a good thing actually. I understand and I can respect that. If any of my friends were facing that sort of thing, I don't think there is a power in the universe that would prevent me from going to help them. I don't have many friends and those I do have I treasure."

    Shinobu leans back in her seat and proceeds to sip her tea. "Nothing like tea to relax you, huh?" She smiles and sips a bit more. "Thank you by the way. If we hadn't run into each other, I'd be having dinner in quiet and wouldn't have made a new friend."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    There's a laugh from Madoka too, but it's a bit embarrassed because she still feels bad about that. "It's good that you really care for your friends," she offers in agreement. She's been eating a bit slower so she still has a bit of her ramen to finish off, which she works on quietly while Shinobu speaks.

    After she finishes it she looks up and smiles, "You're welcome. I always think it's better to eat with other people, too. That's why I always bring a bit of extra lunch with me to school." Or rather that's why she asks her to pack a lunch that's large enough to share. It's come in handy on a few occasions, and even if she does end up eating alone the leftovers make a nice snack once classes are over.

Shinobu Kimura has posed:
    Shinobu just smiles and finishes off her tea. "That isn't a bad idea. It would help others out a lot. THen again I usually just pick up something for lunch because Its just easier then fooling around trying to get things together to actually prepare." She goes quiet for a moment, thinking over the conversation thus far. "You said you don't know what the swirling magic is? I got an idea."

    Reaching into her coat pocket, she withdraws a voice recorder. Hitting the button she speaks, "There are things, things which pose an unseen danger to our fair city. Avoid them. Avoid the spirals. For they lead to a dark place where magic destroys all life. IF you can not see the spirals, Than you are safe. At least, that is what they want you to believe." *CLICK* She shuts it off. For that brief moment her voice is intense, abrupt and mysterious. She gives a little smile. "Sorry. Its a habit."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka smiles sheepishly, "My father makes my lunches for me, so I don't have to actually do much except maybe tell him what I feel like having that day." A bit more energetically she adds, "He also makes our breakfasts and dinners; he's a really amazing cook!" It's not quite bragging, but Madoka is fairly proud of her family and doesn't hesitate to give them credit when it's due.

    She shakes her head a little again at the mention of swirling magic. There's so many different kinds of magic she's seen that she isn't going to hazard a guess, especially when she thinks it's better for the girl not to get too heavily involved. That might be hard since she's already aware of magic, that seems to be what started everything off both for Sayaka and herself, but juts maybe Shinobu can have a chance at a normal life if all she has to worry about are seeing purple spirals.

    The recording gets a blink of surprise from her and she tilts her head, a curious expression on her face while she listens. After a moment it occurs to her that a curious look isn't going to be enough to prompt a response and she blushes a bit before asking, "What was that for, Shinobu-chan?"

Shinobu Kimura has posed:
    Shinbu blushes as she slips her recorder into her pocket again. "Since I was a little girl I loved radio. To me it was the most amazing thing. I could listen to stories and paint them into my own imagination. I could hear music and just enjoy it all. When I lost my sight, I got a little voice recorder and started keeping notes that way. While I can write, and I can read braile, its just easier to record my thoughts. One of the big draws for me at Infinity U is one of the clubs! Radio club! I actually want to be on the radio and stuff."

    The redhead giggles a little and for a moment there is nothing wrong in the world. "The idea I've had was to use what I see and know. I want to use it to trip people out. Some of it is real. Some is fiction. I want my listeners to never know which way is up. It will be amazing!"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    As she listens to the explanation Madoka has a small smile on her face. "It sounds like that's something you really enjoy. I'm happy for you, that you have such a nice hobby and interest." She takes a moment to remember what Shinobu had said before, "And also something you can use for school, too! There are so many interesting talented people at Infinity. I'm sure you'll fit right in!"

    At the actual explanation she nods a bit, "Oh, I see. 'Listeners', so for a radio show!" She makes a soft little hum, "That might work out really well, so long as you didn't go into too much detail about the 'real' stuff." She finishes her tea and notes, "There are some secrets that are very important to keep and that can get people hurt."

Shinobu Kimura has posed:
    "That is the beauty of me doing this sort of thing as opposed to anyone else. I don't know anyone. Even if I do, I can't tell one magic person from another. I see colors, not much else. Thaty means anything I speak of is going to contain a lot of anonimity. Plus if I am mixing in fiction, will anyone really know if I actually am talking about the real thing or just getting lucky with crazy ideas?" Shinobu shrugs her shoulders and just lets out a little giggle.

    "Beside, I am sure if I get too close to a mark, I will have people banging down the door to tell me about it... maybe I should use an alias? I know! How about Hakumei? I can be DJ Hakumei and just keep my mysterious tone going while I do it so I can hide myself a little bit? Do you think that would work, Madoka-chan?"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    "I guess that's true," Madoka agrees with a little nod. "Though it might not be a good thing if people actually start coming to bang down your door," she adds with a half embarrassed, half worried expression. She pulls out her cell phone and checks the time, giving a bit of a hum. At the mention of an alias her head tilts a little. That's pretty normal for people who do broadcast shows, right? But then maybe it's different for a school thing. "I think that would work, though I don't know very much radio myself. If you think it's a good idea then I think you should go for it, Shinobu-chan!"

    She stands up from her seat and stretches, lifting one arm up above her head. "I need to be going now, but it was very nice meeting you, Shinobu-chan. Thanks a lot for the ramen! The next time we eat together I'll be me who gets you something, okay?" She takes a couple steps towards the door before looking back, "And remember to try and keep safe!"