View source for 2155/The Final Verdict

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2016/11/24
|Location=Earth Court Frat House
|Synopsis=... is that Alex is suspended for fighting. Naru is completely unsurprised.
|Cast of Characters=182,127
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:182|Alexis Raskoph| (182)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>It's almost an hour after the series of text messages before Alex comes ascending the building. And he's... well. He's not really full of the same kind of internalized energy that he usually is. His eyes are slightly gazed off, like he's not really evne focusing directly on the world around him, and his steps are slightly sluggish compared to his usual determined stride. It continues all the way up to the door of the penthouse, too, and continues to be apparent even after it's been opened in response to the buzzer. Meanwhile, he constantly nurses his gloved right hand, idly. For some reason.

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Naru is already there, unsurprisingly, and opens the door at the buzzer and ushers him in. The apartment is quiet, the people who actually live there are either off studying, or off doing other things, or hiding in their rooms rather than in the common area. She's made coffee, to judge by the smell in the air.<br /><br />"So what was the final verdict?" Naru asks as she shuts the door behind him. "And what did you do to your hand?"

:'''{{#var:182|Alexis Raskoph| (182)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Suspended until further notice," mutters Alex once she's stepped inside. He doesn't make any signs for bothering to shed himself of the trademark leather jacket or even the dark-red scarf coiled around his neck to help ward the cool weather, but he does half-heartedly reach down to begin untying the laces of his boots.<br /><br />Her question brings him to a stop, however, and...<br /><br />"Well..." He slowly, carefully, draws the glove off of the hand in question, and once the fabric has slipped over the knuckles, the skin there is revealed to be darkened red from bruising and torn skin, though most of the broken skin is caked over by what must be dried up blood.<br /><br />"I wasn't joking when I said I hurt him more than a little too much."

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Well, at least now you've an excuse for not going to school." Naru points out with just a touch of a smile before she looks down at his hand.<br /><br />"Ow, that looks like it hurts, and probably hurts all the more for the glove being on it." Naru winces and takes his hand gently. "Get out of your outdoor stuff, and then we'll get it washed and bandaged. I wish I had healing magic, but alas, still just an artist."

:'''{{#var:182|Alexis Raskoph| (182)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"If it was hurt worse, maybe you could art up some morphine if nothing else," suggests Alex with... a tone that is meant to be of some dry humor, but ultimately just comes up as deadpan, with his current lack of energy.<br /><br />It's still a bit sluggish, but he does eventually get his jacket off, after the boots, and allows her to lead him on, through the apartment.

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Naru takes his jacket, and scarf, although he gets to cope with his boots. The dry is met with a soft bit of laughter, accepted for the humour that it is. "I haven't tried that yet, and currently am not reliably drawing anything, so it's fairly moot."<br /><br />Naru brings him to the kitchen, the easiest spot for two person hand washing. "Let me get the bandages and ointment and stuff." She leaves him to start on cake or hand washing as he wishes, while she vanishes off to the medicine cabinet. Healer or not, this place is stocked.

:'''{{#var:182|Alexis Raskoph| (182)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Give it time, maybe," he murmurs before they come up to the kitchen -- and he apparently prefers to get to washing his hand now instead of worrying about the cake or anything such. "Think it will be okay if I stay here for a while?"

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Define a while?" Naru asks as she returns for his question, clearly not needing long to find what she was looking for. "Hours, yes. Days, probably, but I'm less confident in agreeing without at least mentioning it to someone who lives here. Indefinitely? Even /your/ parents would notice if you vanish completely."<br /><br />Naru gets the water running to warm, not too hot, if anything a touch on the cool side and offers to take his hand. "Magic is .. yes. Time and practice, and sorting it out and not getting frustrated and cranky and morose about it, which is easier said than done."

:'''{{#var:182|Alexis Raskoph| (182)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I don't know. For like... A day or something..." Murmurs Alex while he just... well, he just lets his hand sort of hover underneath the running water for the time being. "Today was... I dunno..." His brows furrow down into a scowl, and his head dips downwards. Words are hard right now, somehow.

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>As Alex uses few of his words, Naru rubs her hands with soap before gently working on getting said soap onto Alexis' hand and getting blood and dirt off.<br /><br />"So you don't have to face your parents tonight?" Naru asks, not actually looking at him, watching what she's doing instead.

:'''{{#var:182|Alexis Raskoph| (182)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I'll have to tomorrow at the latest, probably," he murmurs, wincing lightly when the soap starts spreading over his ponies, but he at least makes an effort of keeping himself fully still while she works on getting the wounds attended to. "... I kinda really messed that guy up too."

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Sorry." Naru murmurs as she feels him tense up next to her. She knows it has to sting, but better than staying all gross. "Almost done, I promise." She turns his hand over in hers, to ensure there's no extra scrapes hiding before making sure she's got it rinsed clean.<br /><br />"Which is probably why you got suspended." Naru nods a little. "It does sound like he was a prime piece of work, even if it feels weird to encourage you beating people up and then at the same time, spectacularly hypocritical, considering the fights I end up in."

:'''{{#var:182|Alexis Raskoph| (182)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Honestly, I've gotten used to it," Alex assures her in regards to hte word of apology, and flashes a small, akward smile sidelong towards her.<br /><br />"I'm probably kind of not a very good person," he murmurs then, with a slow dip of his head downwards again, to send his eyes down at the battered hand. "I never really hesitate with these things, you know. Even if they are 'bad' people."

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Alright." Naru reaches to turn the water off, getting a towel and offering it for the drying of the not icky bits. "I wouldnt say that. I don't think you're a bad person. I don't think Kyouko is either, for that matter, and I could be having the same conversation with her." She reaches for the end of the towel to dry her own hands before getting ointment and bandages. "The fact that you actually do distinguish, and your axis of 'good' vs 'bad' seems to be generally in line with everyone else's is perhaps a bigger thing than you realize."

:'''{{#var:182|Alexis Raskoph| (182)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Doesn't really mean that the way I actually respond to these things is good either way, you know," Alex points out, with a surprisingly solemn tone in his voice for once. "STill... Thanks." With taht, he tips his head over and down, to plant a quick, soft kiss onto the top of her head. "...I am probably very definitely going to be sent to a different school."

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I know." Naru acknowledges, with a little smile at the kiss. "And I worry about you, but I worry about most people I know on some level." She smiles more fully. "And someday, you'll either decide there's a better plan A and save fists for plan B, or you won't. You're still a good person."<br /><br />Naru mmms softly. "I suppose the 'explosion' that was totally not an explosion, in our science lab is not helping Seishou's odds of you going there, hmm?"

:'''{{#var:182|Alexis Raskoph| (182)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Or violence in general, I guess," he murmurs sheepishly -- actually, there might be more guilt in his eyes there, now. "But... no promises in all that."<br /><br />His expression turns rueful then, at the mention of Seishou, and he shuffles just a bti closer to her, so that he can reach his head down and to leaning his forehead against the top of her head. "WE can hope, right?"

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I'm more realistically hoping I can get you into something with a bit of range, rather than figuring that you're going to turn into a pacifist on me." Naru leans into him as she bandages his fingers. "Because then I'd have to assume that you'd been replaced with a clone and that's a whole different sort of worry."<br /><br />Naru's tone is gently teasing. "You might not like going to the same school as me.. same school as me, and Usagi and Ami and Makoto and we'll /all/ know if you aren't there." Oh the terrifying force of a pack of teen girls.

:'''{{#var:182|Alexis Raskoph| (182)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>He falls into silence for a few seconds. And squuuiiints his eyes at her. "... Is that your way of saying you're not going to let me skip school, then?"

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Naru lifts his bandaged hand for a kiss upon the bandages. "I don't know what might make you say that, my dear darling." She tips her head back to look up at him and smile. A totally innocent smile.<br /><br />"Just think, you'll have company at lunch, and everything." Naru points out with that same smile.

:'''{{#var:182|Alexis Raskoph| (182)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"No idea at all..." He repeats in a mutter, though the kiss to his knuckles does at least draw out a faintly warm smile from him. "At least most of the students there aren't arrogant spoiled kids there..."

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"It's pretty mixed." Naru confirms and then grins. "By rights, I'm one of the spoiled kids, y'know." She points out as she leans in to steal a quick kiss before she moves to climb on the counter and get herself a mug. "Do you want coffee? I'm assuming you want cake, yes?"<br /><br />"And some of the are arrogant arses, and some of them are annoying as all /hell/ and most of them are just normal kids." Naru adds after a moment. "And in my class, normal kids all stressed out about high school entrance exams, so at least you're past /that/."

:'''{{#var:182|Alexis Raskoph| (182)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I never really learned to drink coffee, tell you the truth," Alex admits with a faint wrinkle of his nose. "I... could never get used to the taste. I'll have cake tho--" He pauses his words in place when she starts climbing, and he immediately brings his good hand over to press into her shoulder in an effort to stop her. "You know I am tall enough to reach without climbing, right?" He poitns out, sheepishly, and thus reaches up for the cabinets above.<br /><br />"...Either way. I guess. Who knows if I even end up over there."

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Sheesh, you and Kyouko both. More for me." Naru grins on the topic of coffee. "Tea then? I think there's hot chocolate in the cupboard too." Naru does pause when he provides tall for her and its her turn to look faintly sheepish. "I know, I know. I think nearly everyone is, save for Usagi and I, climbing is just habit, really."<br /><br />"It seems a good bet. I mean, it's the next closest, I think." Naru mmms softly, thinking on it as she pours herself a coffee and then moves to get cake for both of them. Its a dark, rich spice cake with some bite to it, not super sweet.

:'''{{#var:182|Alexis Raskoph| (182)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Kyouko doesn't like coffee either?" Alex's eyes narrow. Why does she sound so stupidly similiar to him sometimes?<br /><br />"If you *want* to climb then that's fine too, but..." He murmurs, and lowers down two cups from the cabinet. "Might as well make use of me if you rather stay on the floor instead. Hot chocolate, yeah?"

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Kyouko doens't like coffee either." Naru nods and accepts the mugs. "Thank you." She can reach the hot chocolate mix at least, that only requires tip toes.<br /><br />"I'm short all of the time." Naru points out with a grin for him. "So it's not so much wanting to climb as not even really thinking about it, and just doing it. I am glad not to be so scared of heights that I can't even climb a counter."

:'''{{#var:182|Alexis Raskoph| (182)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Wouldn't it be more ergonomic and possibly safer to just pull over a chair you can stand on, then?" Alex points out with a curious, slow sideward tilt of his head. "...That's what I usually do when I can't reach high up enough, anyway."

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Mmmm." Naru turns as she waits on the kettle to make hot chocolate a reality and there's a grin. "I spent Sunday evening using pepper spray on a giant killer plant. I'm willing to live with the danger levels of climbing up and down off the counter."<br /><br />"And that was /after/ I'd already done a 10k race that morning. I think I'm good for counter climbing." Naru reaches out to give him a gentle poke, amused. "Besides, getting a chair takes longer."

:'''{{#var:182|Alexis Raskoph| (182)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"... Did the pepper spray work?" Alex wonders with a curious frown playing along his brow briefly, and then he's pushing away from the counter to go for the table, instead. "Thought you'd need, like... eyes, or at least a mouth to inhale it from for it to do it's work. ... Do killer plants have eyes?"

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"It did, actually." Naru nods. "This one did have a face, sometimes yes, sometimes no on the eyes. Depends on the killer plant. Killer plants seem to be a theme, I've met more than a couple in the last year. This one, very dead now."<br /><br />Kettle goes click, and Naru pours hot water into Alexis' mug, stirring well to ensure everything dissolves nicely. Milk in hot chocolate, and milk in coffee and cake before she comes to join him. "I've been carrying pepper spray around for ages, first time it actually panned out for using it."

:'''{{#var:182|Alexis Raskoph| (182)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Learn something new every day..." Alex mutters, thoughtfully-- or maybe that's just the tone of him being vaguely bemused by the whole idea of a plant with a face. Maybe both.<br /><br />"From what I've gathered," he says, with a more of a wry tone then. "You running into pretty much *everything* has been a theme, actually."

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Well. Alright, that's fair." Naru nudges the mug closer to Alexis and then curls up with her own mug of coffee. "Although that's WAY down now that I'm not leaking magical energy everywhere, which is a relief. Not that we know that was for sure the problem, but the correlation was pretty strong. Plants have been enough of a theme that other people would agree, and enough for me to figure prominently in my nightmares."

:'''{{#var:182|Alexis Raskoph| (182)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"What caused *that* again, anyway?" Alex asks, then. There's mostly curiousity in his voice, but there's also that certain hint of concern over her, there -- and in the frown that tries to play along his face, too. "Was it just your powers forming up, or did something else make that happen?"

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Thats, no clue." Naru shakes her head. "My powers forming up is as good a bet as any, because once I started being able to channel some of the energy myself, it got better, but we're not actually sure what happened." She wrinkles her nose and reaches for some cake. "I don't actually reliably know how to use them anyhow, so there's a lot of 'I have no idea' going on."

:'''{{#var:182|Alexis Raskoph| (182)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"When you guys know just as little about something as I do, that's probably a slightly worrying sign," Alex points out -- still kind of just nursing his mug of hot cholate with a single hand (the unwounded one, mind) instead of actually drinking any of it yet. "You at least didn't run into any trouble at the run, did you?"

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Naru grins. "There's probably theories about my magic, but I don't understand enough to know them yet, or haven't asked quite the right question yet."<br /><br />A sip of coffee, Naru's actually drinking her hot drink, and she shakes her head. "Nothing more dramatic than a couple people who cant' run straight, and a handful of people who were /super/ optimistic about their pace time and were in my way at the start. Once I left them in the dust, it was a good run." She grins and laughs. "Kunzite was kind enough to stay at my pace, I'm fast, but he's got damn long legs."

:'''{{#var:182|Alexis Raskoph| (182)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"At least that went more or less quietly then..." Finally, he brings the mug up to sip the cocoa, but right after that, he sets the mug down again in favor of propping his elbow onto the table and lowering his chin down onto his palm. "...I'm sorry I didn't come to watch you there, by the way. I was... Well, you know how it is."

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"It's okay." Naru smiles easily. "I was okay with that one being pretty quiet. I mean, I wasn't sure how it was going to go, or anything. I knew I could do the distance, I've done longer in training, but would a race make it weird? It was fine, but it was sort of nice to just scope it out quietly." She quirks a smile. "Next one, though. Once I decide what it might be. Turning sixteen opens up more options."
}}