View source for 1185/A New World, a New Friend

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2016/03/12
|Location=Uminari City - Seishou Public School
|Synopsis=Nicola and Bryony's first day of school arrives. A new beginning with a new friend.
|Cast of Characters=156,158,6
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:156|Bryony Elan| (156)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It has been a cloudy week, with a few light showers scattered throughout, that kind of weather normal for Tokyo during this time of year. But today, thankfully, has been a bit of a reprieve. It's warmer than usual, at 12 degrees C (55 degrees F). And above, the sky is clear, a bright morning sun illuminating a white-clad crowd as they drift northward along the small avenues adjacent to Juuban Street. It's almost time for school.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;More people are walking today than usual. There's still damage on some of the streets, following the infrastructure failures throughout the city during D point, and so several bus lines have been forced to drop their young passengers off early, forcing them to walk the rest of the way.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Most of the school year has already passed at Seishou. It's uncommon to get transfer students this late. But as uncommon as it might be, two unfamiliar faces are walking side-by-side, down the street, wearing Seishou's distinct white-with-black-trim elementary school uniform. There's a conversation going, a lively one with the way one of the two girls is gushing.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Nicola! We're almost there!" Bryony has said that before, on this very same walk, no less. "Aren't you excited?" She has asked that too. "I can't believe we're finally doing this. Do you think they're going to like us?" That too.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;They reach a crosswalk. Bryony almost steps out into traffic before suddenly stopping herself, remembering to check the signal. Is she not from around here? She certainly doesn't look it. A moment later, the walk signal finally lights up, and the two begin to cross, heading toward the opposite corner, where a girl in the very same uniform waits.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Nanoha Takamachi. She doesn't walk often, but with the bus issues today, she didn't have much of a choice. Maybe it won't be all bad, though. Two new faces are walking toward her. What language is the brown-skinned girl speaking, though? It's not Japanese.

:'''{{#var:158|Nicola Esprit| (158)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I am excited." Nicola agrees, in Japanese with a clear accent and somewhat stilted phrasing. It's clear she's still learning. "But Jessamine said we should speak Japanese, to fit in better." The black-haired girl looks somewhat more like she's from this part of the world than the girl she's walking with.<br /><br />"I hope they will." She answers the bit about whether they'll like them, "But I'm afraid we won't fit in very well." She seems like that worries her a lot, "We'll have to see, I guess."

:'''{{#var:6|Nanoha Takamachi| (6)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Nanoha, you're quiet." says Arisa. "Yeah what's up?" asks Suzuka, as the trio walks along. Nanoha Takamachi was being quiet as Arisa and Suzuka was discussing the current events of what went on and they finally noticed. A Tsunami so soon after the major storm! So unlucky! Maybe the city was bad luck they thought.<br /><br />Nanoha knew better, but that wasn't what was on her mind. No, what had been on her mind was Fate.<br /><br />She couldn't really begrudge Fate for loving her mother. Even-- even if that was the way she treated her. It felt wrong. Something was /wrong/ there. She'd hope to find Fate soon. She'd have to search. She was just thinking how to do that when her two friends caught her off guard.<br /><br />"Y-yeah it's uh. Pretty bad. Isn't it. Ahahaha I'm gonna... move on---- forwad! yeah!" she says as she jogs forward suddenly fast.<br /><br />Arisa and Suzuka blinks and Arisa sigghhhhhhs. "I swear that girl is keeping a secret." she says. Suzuka shrugs. "Remember what I said? Sometimes there's even secrets you gotta keep from your friends." she says defeatedly.<br /><br />This is when Bryony and Nicola begin approaching her- having left Arisa and Suzuka in the dust.<br /><br />Bryony seems to be speaking in some sort of language she doesn't understand. It sounds pretty, regardless. Doesn't it? She looks over to Nicola, who is talking Japanese, if a little stilted. Oh, they're headed this way! They're in the same uniform as she is, regardless! New students?... she doesn't know these girls.<br /><br />"Hello...?" she asks with a warm smile. "That's an intresting language you're talking!" she says softly. "What is it...?" she asks softly- it's a friendly question!

:'''{{#var:156|Bryony Elan| (156)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Bryony's face erupts into an embarassed blush when she's suddenly asked about her language, cheeks darkening. She looks like a dog caught with its paw in the cookie jar. Dogs eat cookies, right? She's not familiar with those, either.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The girl laughs awkwardly, trying unsuccessfully to act casual. "Yes!" She begins, finally speaking a language Nanoha understands. "How are you!" Wow. That accent. Whatever language she was speaking before was smooth and flowing, almost lyrical. But her Japanese? It's not pretty. It's worse than Nicola's by a good margin. Her pronunciation is a little off, and a few odd grammatical quirks hint that she's used to a language with a very different structure.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Her embarassment suddenly vanishes, though, when she finally bothers to take a good look at Nanoha. Her face lights up, a wide smile blossoming. "You . . . you're from Seishou too!"

:'''{{#var:158|Nicola Esprit| (158)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Hi." She makes a formal bow, it's so precise looking it's probably been drilled into her with military precision. "I am Nicola Esprit, and this is my cousin Bryony Elan." She raises to full length again, "As of today, we'll be students at Seishou Elementary, third grade."<br /><br />Those lines sound practiced, then again, with her Japanese accent it's probably a good idea to practice important stuff like that to make sure you don't get it wrong. Like Bryony, she doesn't answer the question. She tries to distract from it, "Who are you?"

:'''{{#var:6|Nanoha Takamachi| (6)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nanoha Takamachi looks between Bryony and Nicola. They don't precisely answer the question about the language, but she still smiles- and doesn't seem to dwell on it too much. Maybe if she's lucky, she'll hear it again and Raising Heart will pick up on it.<br /><br />Maybe it can translate. She doesn't know! Raising Heart does a lot she doesn't know. Like allow her to communicate telepathically.<br /><br />The two girls have a hard time with the language, but she still understands it, and that's all that matters, doesn't it?<br /><br />"Oh! We're in the same grade then! Perhaps we'll be in the same class then!" she says with a soft bounce to her feet.<br /><br />"Hello then, Bryony-san and Nicola-san!" she says. "My name's Nanoha Takamachi, I'm also in Seishou, yes! The same grade, as I said." she smiles.<br /><br />She's glad to talk to new people because new people don't ask why you're so quiet thinking about the girl with the sad eyes.<br /><br />"Why don't we walk together then?" she asks softly.

:'''{{#var:156|Bryony Elan| (156)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Bryony turns to Nicola, a hopeful look on her face. "That sounds good to me. Is that alright with you, Nicola?"

:'''{{#var:158|Nicola Esprit| (158)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Oh that would be nice." Nicola smiles, having potentially already made her first friend. She reaches out for Bryony's hand to give a gentle, excited squeeze, "It's nice to meet you, Nanoha-san. We've never gone to school in Japan before." Nicola sounds nervous about that, "Please forgive us if we make any mistakes."<br /><br />"What is it like?" She asks then, trying to make small talk, it's pretty clear that talking to people isn't something she has a whole lot of experience with; but she's trying.

:'''{{#var:6|Nanoha Takamachi| (6)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nanoha Takamachi smiles and follows along with the two! "Of course it's okay!" she says. Indeed, she has no trouble following along with the two students. "Where are you two from?" she asks softly. "Are you exchange students? Or did you move to Tokyo recently?" she asks.<br /><br />"Regardless, I can help!" she says. "So no worries!" she smiles.<br /><br />"My family runs a bakery cafe named 'Midori-ya' in town, it's very popular!" she says. "You two should stop by later! I help after school and on the weekends!" she says. "If you'd like to come after school...I can show you where it is. But- I dunno if you need to hurry home!" she says.<br /><br />Yup, Nanoha is always turned up to 11 on the befriending front. It's better when that doesn't involve lasers!<br /><br />She taps her chin... she's already formulating a plan...

:'''{{#var:156|Bryony Elan| (156)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Bakery," Bryony repeats quietly, lost in thought as she racks her brain to try to remember something. After a few moments of pause, though, she brushes off whatever she's thinking. Action seems to win out over deliberation. The brown-haired girl takes a few hurried steps ahead of Nanoha and Nicola, smiling as she turns around to face them, walking backwards now.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Enthusiastic eyes meet Nanoha's. "We can go!" A glance at Nicola follows. "Jessamine won't mind, right?" Who's Jessamine? Back at Nanoha, she adds, "I'm looking forward to trying it!"

:'''{{#var:158|Nicola Esprit| (158)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"We did come to Tokyo recently." For certain definitions of recently, anyway. Nicola has already lied to protect her cover, this is just stretching the truth a little. "It's why we don't speak Japanese as well as you do, but we try."<br /><br />Whoever Jessamine is, Nicola had also mentioned her, and in another context relating to permissions. Some kind of parental or guardian figure, maybe? "I don't know, she can be a little strict, but we could ask." She responds, a little less confident than the other girl. "I'd like to go, though..."

:'''{{#var:6|Nanoha Takamachi| (6)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nanoha Takamachi beams as she smiles! "Yup a Bakery!" she says. "We make all sorts of breads and cakes and pastries and some basic fare because we're also a cafe of sorts." she says softly. "It's busiest when I need to be getting to school though." she says.<br /><br />Nanoha Takamachi head tilts. "Jessamine?" ahhh she thinks, in her head, they must be the person they're staying with while they're here on exchange, she thinks- though neither confirmed if it was an exchange or not- she figures that works best. "Ah-- well, you can call and ask if you want!" she says with a short smile.<br /><br />"Always best to ask, even if you wanna come!" she says. "I can introduce you to my ferret friend, even!" she says. Yes, that's a good idea.<br /><br />She continues to walk along.<br /><br />"What was school like where you're from?" she asks.<br /><br />"I think it'd be the same. Desks, a teacher at the front. That sort of thing!" she smiles.

:'''{{#var:156|Bryony Elan| (156)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Where we're from?" The brown-haired girl's face again grows thoughtful, metallic blue-flecked eyes drifting as she thinks over the question. "I didn't go to school." Maybe she's being a little too honest there? "I had tutors!" And then her expression waxes a bit more curious. "What's a ferret?"

:'''{{#var:158|Nicola Esprit| (158)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Yeah, tutors." Nicola echoes, sounding a little sad when she says it, maybe she misses her tutors. "A ferret is a kind of pet animal, Bryony. They're supposed to be kinda cute." She explains, for Bryony's sake; assuming Nanoha doesn't need it.

:'''{{#var:6|Nanoha Takamachi| (6)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nanoha Takamachi smiles. "Well he isn't my pet, he's a friend." she corrects politely. Or her familiar. She head tilts. "Oh, okay so yeah, School is going to be a LOT different than what you're used to afterall. A bunch of kids in the same class learning from the same person." she says softly.<br /><br />"Don't worry, you can ask questions if you don't understand." she says softly.<br /><br />"Everyone will know you're not from Tokyo or Japan so they should be easy on you just...."<br /><br />"...if someone tells you that you need to clap erasers while spinning and singing in the rain, don't belive it!" she says cautiously! "They're just trying to trick you into doing something silly." she insists.

:'''{{#var:158|Nicola Esprit| (158)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"We've been told how school works." Nicola responds, sounding a little unsure of herself when she says it. Probably unsure the information is a suitable substitute for reality. She doesn't seem to realize what's odd about the latter suggestion, or perhaps something else about it confuses her. "Uhhh" ... she takes a moment, "What is an 'erasor?'" She seems to try out that word, like it's completely new to her.

:'''{{#var:6|Nanoha Takamachi| (6)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nanoha Takamachi smiles. "Oh, uh, Eraser. It's a thing people use to erase things on a blackboard. A blackboard is a thing that you can draw on to show people things in diagrams. The stuff used to draw on it, chalk, gets wiped away with an eraser, so you can draw something new." she says.<br /><br />Nanoha, oddly, doesn't really find it odd that she's explaning the concept of an eraser or a blackboard to someone.<br /><br />It's almost like she understands something already- that rather than be confused these two don't know basic words, that it's much funner to explain things!

:'''{{#var:156|Bryony Elan| (156)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A wry grin spreads across Bryony's face. "Hah! Don't tell me you didn't know what an eraser is, Nicola!" It's clear from her tone that the question is joking. And if that wasn't enough, the look of confusion on her face a moment earlier made it clear that she herself was equally ignorant.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Her expression is a little more relaxed now, especially compared to her earlier moments of panic when Nanoha first addressed her. "I'm glad we met you first. We were kinda worried we wouldn't . . . " A pause, eyebrows briefly falling in concentration as she looks for the right phrase. As she thinks, she reflexively sidesteps to avoid walking into another pedestrian; even walking backwards, she seems coordinated enough. "Fit in?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Tell me about this ferret!" She seems excited by that. "We don't have those where we're from." Something else seems to occur to her, though, before she even gets an answer, her tone growing quieter and more serious as she asks, "Is everyone at Seishou as friendly as you are?"

:'''{{#var:158|Nicola Esprit| (158)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Will we all get our own blackboard?" Nicola asks, trying to figure out what the point is of such a thing. "Wouldn't pen and paper be better so we could keep our notes?" She seems legitimately confused. And then Bryony isn't helping.<br /><br />"Don't tell me you did." Nicola counters, looking just a little miffed by Bryony attempting to make fun of her. She folds her arms and everything. She takes a step to the side to avoid that pedestrian, and keeps walking. "There's a lot of people there, right?" She sounds a little concerned, and excited.

:'''{{#var:6|Nanoha Takamachi| (6)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nanoha Takamachi thinks on this a little. "Everyone's a little different. Some are quiet... some might even be friendlier! But.. I like talking to new people and making friends!" she says softly. "But everyone should be nice enough to you--if..."<br /><br />"They aren't, you /should/ tell someone if someone is being excessivly mean to you." she says.<br /><br />She looks at Nicola. "Oh! You should have a notebook for that. A blackboard is-- well it's at the front of the class---and the teacher will put notes and drawings up there for you to take down. It's so everyone can see it and understand, you know?" She asks softly.<br /><br />She looks back at Bryony. "His name is Yuuno!" she says. "He's cute and likes to sleep a lot." and some other stuff she isn't saying like he's a space ferret.<br /><br />"I don't bring him to school. He stays at home!"

:'''{{#var:156|Bryony Elan| (156)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Aww. I want a ferret now. I hope we can see Yuuno one day." Bryony's eyes drift to Nicola as she watches her "cousin" walk with folded arms. She slows just a touch, enough to reach out and playfully nudge her, seemingly trying to restore Nicola's mood. "I wonder if Jessamine would let us have a ferret?" she asks quietly, her voice thick with fake curiosity. Nanoha can probably tell that's a joke, just from the tone alone. And Nicola? Well, she has heard those rules even more than Bryony has, in their glorious entirety; there are sections and subsections, no less, like a proper body of military regulations. Which one was it? 19-1? 19-2? Absolutely, positively no pets.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Oh! What's your teacher like?" she asks Nanoha. There's only a moment's pause before another question pops into her head. She does that a lot, it seems. "Are we going to have the same teacher?" Bryony looks at Nicola. "We're in 3B, right?" It's 3C. Forgetting her room number is perhaps not a good start for her academic career.

:'''{{#var:158|Nicola Esprit| (158)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Oh that makes more sense." Nicola seems to understand the point of the blackboard now, and nods firmly in her understanding of it, "And then the erasor is used when everyone has taken their notes and new notes go up?" She smiles, and adds, "I'd like to be your friend, Nanona-san."<br /><br />Then Bryony asks that, and Nicola sighs. "Rule 19.2 section 1 pararaph 1a. Under no circumstances will we have pets." Nicola quotes, dry, adding in sections and paragraphs where there are none. The idea that she's making fun of the degree of rules is probably obvious even to those who don't know her. "And we're in class 3C."

:'''{{#var:6|Nanoha Takamachi| (6)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nanoha Takamachi ohs! "Then we're in the same class!" she says with a smile. "The teacher is nice, you won't have any problems with them I think! They'll understand you're new! Though it is odd to get students this late in the year..." she admits a little.<br /><br />"This term'll be over before we know it! Then we all go up a grade!" she says with a matter of fact nod.<br /><br />She smiles. "Well of course we can be friends!" she says as she nods matter of factly!<br /><br />"So yes, we'll have the same teacher. This is good because it means I can help you two out more---"<br /><br />"IF you think you need help." she says, not meaning to sound insulting. But these two seem so adorably lost a little here.

:'''{{#var:156|Bryony Elan| (156)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"We're counting on you, Nanoha!" Nope, no pressure at all. Bryony extends a quick thumbs-up afterward, grinning. That particular bit of Japanese phrasing, awkward as it is, sounds like it was borrowed from one of the kooky action dramas she started watching just this week. The gesture only reinforces that idea: Nicola might have seen it herself in a live action detective show Bryony has rather suddenly become fond off, perhaps too fond of considering she barely understands the dialogue. She claimed, when Jessamine questioned her about how she was spending her time, that it was another way to study Japanese. Somehow, that convinced Jessamine, and this appears to be the unfortunate result.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Behind Bryony, the sounds of traffic suddenly grow louder as she approaches a busy street. She finally turns to face forward again, her voice rising sharply only a split second later. "We're here!" Sure enough, just across the street is Seishou Public School. She's excited again. Was her personality always like this? She seemed a lot quieter back home.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There's a bit more chatter between the three as the group finally makes its way onto the school grounds proper, but Bryony herself quiets down a little. Her enthusiasm doesn't vanish, but now that energy of hers seems to be channeled into a mix of curiosity and nervousness. The walk to school was familiar and easy; Jessamine took them on a practice run or two. This is Nicola and Bryony's first time actually going inside.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And so the group parts ways, if only momentarily. Nicola and Bryony head to the staff room. Nanoha proceeds to her classroom, waiting for the inevitable announcement from the teacher once class actually begins.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"It's a bit late in the semester, but we're getting two new transfer students today." Already there are muted rumblings between the students. Many seem surprised; there was no advance notice, after all. "They're both cousins. This is their first time in Japan, so please be sure to help them." The teacher heads toward the door, sliding it open.

:'''{{#var:158|Nicola Esprit| (158)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nicola is a little quieter, a little more reserved than Bryony, but she too seems excited and a bit chatty. Back home, she never spoke on the few occassions she was in the same room as Bryony, so it's hard to tell whether this is anything different.<br /><br />When they get to class, announced by their teacher, Nicola heads over right away, bowing. "I an Nicola Esprit, and this is my cousin Bryony Elan. It's nice to meet you." She then turns around to write their names on the board, in both latin characters and katakana. This whole display feels highly practiced.

:'''{{#var:6|Nanoha Takamachi| (6)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nanoha Takamachi just gives a quiet smile when she's told they're counting on her! It's really all she can say to that, well. she does add. "I'll do my best!" she says determinedly- and she often means it when she says that!<br /><br />She smiles happily and parts ways, giving a short wave as she takes her seat in class.<br /><br />She smiles and quietly looks between Byrony and Nicola.<br /><br />Things... Nicola does seem practiced. Don't they? Rehearsed? Byrony-san... not so much.<br /><br />Maybe that's why Nicola talks for them both right now?<br /><br />Are they being careful.<br /><br />She seems to quietly be contemplaying that.

:'''{{#var:156|Bryony Elan| (156)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To be fair, Bryony puts in quite a bit of effort to neither undermine or embarrass the girl next to her, trying her very, very best to preserve the initial image Nicola projects of them: just two conscientious girls from a faraway place. Effort, of course, sometimes matters less than actions. Sure, she bows when Nicola does, and keeps her straightest face on, at first. But eventually, once the introduction is finished, she can't help but crack a wide smile somewhere between nervous and friendly, a brief but enthusiastic wave to her classmates following.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The murmuring picks up just a bit. Nicola looks closer than Bryony, but neither of them really appears Japanese. Both are conspicuously foreign. At the very least, transfer students from afar are a novelty, a window into otherness in an otherwise homogenous society. There are probably going to be more than a few rumors buzzing around by the end of the school day.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The teacher speaks up after the introduction concludes. "There are two empty seats in the back." Thankfully, they're side by side. Bryony quietly walks between the desks, smiling at her freshly made friend on her way to the back of the room. It looks like Nicola's seat is just behind Nanoha.

:'''{{#var:158|Nicola Esprit| (158)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nicola also smiles, a bit nervous, and when the seats are assigned, she follows quickly. She takes her seat, reaching out briefly for Bryony's hand, trying to gently squeeze, more for her own comfort than the other girl's, before letting go and taking out her notebook and a pen. She looks both nervous and excited about school.<br /><br />She also shoots a glance at Nanoha's desk, trying to see what the other girl is doing so she can copy it.

:'''{{#var:6|Nanoha Takamachi| (6)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nanoha Takamachi gives a smile to Nicola and Bryony when they pass-- she goes along with the class with the 'hello' even though she's already technically said hello- but she says it with the class too. Her eyes follow them as they sit down behind her.<br /><br />She turns her body. "Seems you're sitting behind me then!" she smiles wide.<br /><br />Nanoha has her homework out. Nicola and Bryony probably don't need to worry about that today.<br /><br />"Just relax!" she says with that soft smile.<br /><br />Nanoha tends to get along with most everyone in her class- it's pretty obvious why at this point. No one seems particularly surprised about how she's already talking to these two.<br /><br />Nanoha also has her textbook out. It seems to be a science textbook of some flavor.

:'''{{#var:156|Bryony Elan| (156)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Bryony smiles at Nicola, briefly squeezing the other girl's hand before her attention returns to the teacher. She seems a little more calm, the tension in her shoulders loosening now that they're at their seats. It's a place of relative safety, after all, compared to the scrutiny of having to introduce one's self in front of a whispering classroom. Especially considering they're sitting in the back, with no curious eyes behind them. Taking a cue from Nanoha and Nicola, she unzips her bag, withdrawing a still-uncracked copy of the same science textbook the others have open. She flips to the page number the teacher just mentioned.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then confusion. Bryony stares down at the text on the page, looking at Nicola next to her quizzically. What's the problem? Does she not understand? Maybe it seems that way to Nanoha. To Nicola, her actual thoughts might be a little more obvious. They both knew this was a backwards world, but they're actually teaching their kids this? Even Bryony, who is not the studious type, might be a fair bit ahead of this with the education she has received thusfar. And Nicola, considering who her "tutor" was . . . <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There's a question from the teacher, a request for someone to come up to the board and answer it. Silence fills the room. It's a hard one, apparently. Nicola knows, though.

:'''{{#var:158|Nicola Esprit| (158)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Seems like it." Nicola agrees with a smile, looking through her bag for a copy of the same textbook and pulling it out. Unlike Bryony, she's already looked through it. When she opens it up to the relevant page, she's not surprised to see what it's covering, and glances towards her 'cousin.'<br /><br />In that strange language Bryony was speaking before, just a little less fluid than the other girl, she makes an encouraging statement. "Just play along, we'll be making friends, right?" She gets started on the listed exercises, making good progress at material that for her is old news.

:'''{{#var:6|Nanoha Takamachi| (6)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nanoha Takamachi peeks back at the two, the two are talking that language again. It's still not one she recognizes. She just shrugs, it's not important to her at the moment. She knows they're most certainly not talking bad about anyone.<br /><br />Nanoha does her math. It's easy enough for her to do it- it's something she's kind of gotten good at- more out of nesscity of weird technomagic than anything else. Not that anyone else here knows that, but she is moving faster down her work than the other students in the class--<br /><br />Besides Bryony or Nicola probably.

:'''{{#var:156|Bryony Elan| (156)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;An aura of dread rises, filling the air of the now deathly silent classroom. What is this? A youma? Dark energy? A barrier erected by some unseen villain? Nope. It's just thirty children terrified in unison that they're going to be called on. These are the moments of peril in which heroines rise and fall. Or answer questions about elementary school-level chemistry.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The teacher lets out a long sigh, removing her glasses and briefly rubbing her nose. So much for scholastic enthusiasm. Eventually, she looks out across the class. "Miss Esprit. Your records say you've had good grades in science." /Damn you, Lindy./ "Would you care to try answering this problem?" She holds out the chalk. Apparently, this isn't a request.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Bryony? She just snickers a bit, only to stifle herself a half-second later.

:'''{{#var:158|Nicola Esprit| (158)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nicola looks at Bryony briefly, and then a self-conscious glance towards Nanoha, and then she heads to the front of the class room, solving the problem on the way there and just writing down the answer with quick strokes of the chalk. She does this wordlessly, just looking at the class, and the teacher, unsure what else she's supposed to do.

:'''{{#var:156|Bryony Elan| (156)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The teacher watches carefully, though there's not much to watch. A problem like this should take a minute or two to work through for someone her age. Instead, it takes Nicola all of five seconds to write down the correct answer in full, along with all of the required work to get it. The teacher wasn't expecting that. Judging by her dumbfounded look, she was expecting Nicola to get it wrong, likely intending to use the girl's mistakes as a teachable moment for the class.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The class murmurs again. They're impressed. So much for a low profile, not that they had one to begin with.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"That . . . that will be all." The teacher sends Nicola back to her seat, beginning to explain the process she just used to the class.

:'''{{#var:6|Nanoha Takamachi| (6)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nanoha Takamachi has already finished her math work--- she was fast enough, and now she's doodling spell circles on the scrap piece of paper. Basic spells. Sometimes she erases part and furrows her brow and redraws them. She's trying to teach herself in the time between work it seems--- Yuuno can cast some spells without a device. Wouldn't it be neat to be able to do that too, she thinks.<br /><br />She still has a long way to go though. She sighs and places the book over the scrap paper when Nicola is walking back to her seat.<br /><br />She turns back to the other two.<br /><br />"Wow, that was quick! Usually it'd take me a bit little longer if It was me." she says with a smile. "Seems the teacher expected you to take longer and make a mistake." she giggles. "I think that's why I don't get called up anymore, really." she says.<br /><br />"So you probably won't be called up a lot either." she says to Nicola and peeks over to Bryony a moment before looking back forward.

:'''{{#var:156|Bryony Elan| (156)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Bryony is done too, though she might be in trouble soon enough if she turns that in. She just wrote down the answers, and even though they look right, she didn't include any of work required to get them. The teacher usually doesn't give any credit when people do that. And it might be even more of a problem for her specifically, if the teacher starts thinking she's just copying off of Nicola. Wait. She didn't just copy Nicola's sheet, did she? It doesn't look like it . . .<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She leans over a touch when the teacher's back is turned, nudging Nicola with an elbow. "Show off," she whispers jokingly.

:'''{{#var:158|Nicola Esprit| (158)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nicola has to suppress her thoughts on the teacher's response, so she simply bows and then heads back, and she smiles nervously at Nanoha, giving half of the answer for why that was easy for her. "Chemistry is my hobby." She then sits back down, not really dwelling on the rest.<br /><br />She glances towards Bryony, not looking at the other girl's work, "Was I supposed to pretend it was hard?" She asks in their native tongue, again emphasizing the foreignness of the girls.

:'''{{#var:6|Nanoha Takamachi| (6)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nanoha Takamachi just smiles a bit as she head tilts, looking back again. "Chemistry? Don't know much about that." she says with a short smile. "I'm just good at math." she says. She doesn't mention the 'help' she has while learning. "Heh, I dunno how I'd feel about being second or third fastest now." she says stroking her chin.<br /><br />She doesn't seem to be particularly perpturbed at this fact, merely speculating as she turns back to the front of the class as they start talking in the language she doesn't understand yet.

:'''{{#var:156|Bryony Elan| (156)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Bryony suddenly looks thoughtful as Nicola asks her that question. It doesn't seem like she had given that any thought before this moment. For the past week, she has been a bubbling fount of excitement at home, unable to suppress both her joy and fear regarding her first day of school. Now she's actually living that day, and she's suddenly left to make decisions like this in practice, rather than just theory.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She has secrets to keep. Nobody can know about where they're from, Jessamine told the two of them. Nobody can know about magic or other worlds. Does that mean Bryony needs to get used to lying? She has skirted by thusfar on selective truths, but what happens when she needs to lie? What happens when she needs to lie to Nanoha's face? How can she betray her new friend like that? The other girls can see the growing worry on her face as those thoughts swirl in her mind.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But she's resilient. This isn't the first time she has found her way out of mental mazes like that one. Her visible worry starts to abate and then fade, and a mischievous grin spreads across her face. She again waits quietly for the teacher to turn her back before leaning over to whisper to Nicola. "No. One of us has to be the smart one, right? I like it better when you're yourself. We both should be ourselves, as much as we can." That seems to be what she has decided, and it's spoken in Japanese no less, leaving Nanoha with the odd sensation of hearing the answer to a question she didn't understand.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The hours march on. Nicola and Bryony prove themselves to be clueless in perhaps too many ways, but with Nanoha's help, they muddle through their first day, prompting hushed whispers from the other students in most of their classes. It comes to a head during lunch. A small crowd gathers around the three of them during lunch, launching a barrage of questions about their homeland and their past life. Nicola deflects most of them with answers that sound a little coached. The other students are more curious than anything else, thankfully; transfer students can be an exciting change of pace, especially when they seem so . . . Is foreign the right word?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Eventually, though, the day ends. True to her word, Bryony hasn't forgotten. In fact, maybe she has been thinking far too much about this throughout the day. "So, Nanoha-/san/ . . . " Suddenly with the respect? She smiles wide. "You mentioned something about a bakery?"
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