1010/Sports and Chocolate

Sports and Chocolate
Date of Scene:	07 February 2016
Location:	Pikarigaoka - Seiyou Public School, and a nearby Ice Cream stand
Synopsis:	Mikoto goes looking for Amu. Instead, she finds Kukai, and Frozen Chocolate.
Cast of Characters:	Mikoto Nakajima, Kukai Souma

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Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai Souma is sitting at the tble in the middle of the Seiyou Public School Royal Gardens, working on some paperwork and eating the last of a sorbet he'd gotten at lunch. It's a bright sunny day, beautiful if a little chill.

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto has been up to a lot of things, lately. The past few weeks have kept her incredibly busy. And she'd really meant to come and visit Amu at some point... she just hadn't found the time.

Today, however, she's managed to steal a couple of hours. And so she heads up to the Royal Gardens, pacing casually down the path.

*knock knock* She raps on the door...

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai Souma looks up and calls across the garden, which is a bit of a stretch. "Hello! Come on in!" It's not the voice of Amu like she was expecting, and he wasn't really expecting anyone, so...

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
The door opens, and in walks a tall young woman in an Infinity uniform. Her hair is straight and jet-black, her eyes a vivid green. She walks up to the table, pausing to look around briefly before her eyes settle on the only other person here.

"Ah, hello," she says. "I'd come looking to speak with Hinamori-san."

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai Souma looks like a bit of a mess, with messy, spiky brown hair everywhere and bright, grinning green eyes that match the infectious smile on his face as he sees her walk in. "Hello! I'm Kukai. I'm.. sorry, but Amu-chan's not here. Just me - everybody else left early for the day. I had some paperwork to go over." He waves a sheet of paper at her. "Want to come sit down?"

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
The girl does so, with a pleasant little smile. "Thank you," she says, smoothing out he skirt and taking a seat. "Though I've met Hinamori-san and Hotori-san, I don't believe I've had the fortune to meet you, my young friend. I'm Mikoto."

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai Souma arches an eyebrow at that 'young' bit. "I'm 15, but if you're older, that's fine. It's nice to meet you, Mikoto! Forgive me, but I have no idea what uniform that is."

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
"Well, sixten's good enough for me. I'm just over from Infinity." She rests one arm on the table and remains smiling. "Are you sure she's never mentioned me? It seems odd."

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai Souma is loathe to admit that if Amu had mentioned her he hadn't paid any attention. "Honestly, lately I've been swamped with new names to remember. Usagi, Mami, Hina, Homura, and those are just the normal ones. I'm sorry. Forgive me?" He grins at her, bringing his hands up and putting them together in front of him in a gesture of forgiveness. "Infinity, huh? I've heard it's really high tech. That's awesome." He folds his arms onto the table, leaning towards her a little.

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto settles in her seat and nods. "Yes, all sorts of good people involved," she says with a slightly wider smile. "Once you start poking your nose in the doorway, you start to see just how big the room is."

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai Souma lets out an exasperated sigh. "The room is the size of the planet apparently. I'm going to need a vacation at some point after the world is safe or something. Not to mention that it's hard to find time to practice when you're running all over town." He stretches his arms across the table, leaning over his pile of papers almost as if to put his head on them, then sits back up. "But anyway! What about you? Did you want to leave a note for Amu-chan?"

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
"I know, I know. It's been like running a marathon. One thing finishes, another one starts." She shakes her head. "I have so much on my plate right now I barely have time to turn around, between homework, training, and sixteen thousand different little problems that keep popping up..."

She sighs and shakes her head. "I was kind of hoping she'd be here, or at least pop up when she heard I was. I suppose it'll have to do... unless you've seen Ikuto-kun in the last day or so?"

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai Souma shakes his head. "I haven't seen Ikuto-san in a long time, actually. I'm not sure where he's at." He frowns good-naturedly, an expression of 'I'm not much help, I know' on his face. "We'll catch him around at some point." He laughs. "I guess one good thing about all these big monsters is that there's a lot fewer X-Eggs floating around."

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
"Hmm, yes. I suppose that is a benefit." Mikoto doesn't seem terribly impressed, however. "Sometimes I wonder if it just means we're blinded to the smaller problems."

"Sometimes..." She sighs a little. "I have a bad tendency to get hyper-focussed on a problem I'm working on. So I've had a few too many lectures about missing important things like that."

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai Souma hmms. "And I bet you've got a problem like that on your mind now, huh?"

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
"Could say that," she agrees. "I've got some technical issues I've been dealing with, and it turns out I've been neglecting some other important things."

A gesture of her hand, and for a moment she's holding a sword in it. Then she isn't.

"I'd promised Hinamori-san some lessons, once."

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai Souma leans back as the sword pops into view, then shifts in his chair, grinning wide, his cheerful nature warm and comforting. "Well I'm sure there'll be time for all of it soon enough, but do you know what you need right now? An ice cream."

He stands up out of his chair, picking up the two sheafs of paper and the pen he was working with. "C'mon, I know a place nearby that sells these really amazing frozen chocolate bars. You gotta try one. What do you say?"

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
"That sounds like an amazing idea," Mikoto agrees. "It's Hinamori-san's own fault she's missing out on it." She chuckles lightly and stands up.

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai Souma smiles wide and nods, walking with her out of the Royal Garden, depositing the papers into a nearby office meant for Royal Garden business along with the pen, and then escorts her along the hallways.

The few students they do pass respectfully move to either side, greeting the Guardian Jack in the blue-checkered cape with cheer, and one girl sees him coming, goes stiff, and flees down a nearby hallway.

Soon enough they're outside and through the front gate of Seiyou Public School, walking down the street. Kukai turns to her as they walk. "So tell me about yourself. What do you like to do with your free time?"

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
"What free time?" is her first answer. "I've got school, clubs, research, monster-fighting... got to fit eating and sleeping in there somewhere..."

"But a good book or a boardgame will catch my attention. There's a few really good ones out there."

She eyes the girl who runs away for a moment, then shrugs and dismisses it for the moment.

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai Souma laughs, a little lost for a moment because he is not a reader, and while he likes board games he prefers being out and running around on a field. "Oh yeah? Are you good at board games?" He points at a small ice cream shop nearby, opening the door for her. "Here we are."

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
"I like to think so. I've got a few going on by email right now, that I'm keeping up with. Had to drop some, though. Just takes up too much time." She grumbles a little, at that. She really misses them.

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai Souma awws and then grins. "I bet I could put you to a good fight, whatever the game was." He walks up to the counter. "I'd like a mixed frozen fruit juice bar, please?" He looks over at Mikoto. "Remember like I said, the frozen chocolate bar is really good!"

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto chuckles lightly. "Hey, it's chocolate!" She actually grins, now. It seems chocolate mends all wounds. "I'll have the chocolate, like he said," she tells the girl behind the counter.

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai Souma smiles, seeing the grin on Mikoto's face. A few moments later the girl behind the counter hands both of them frozen bars, Kukai's a multicolored frozen bar of red and white and clear and purple, which he nips the end off of while digging out a little money to pay the clerk with.

Mikoto's frozen chocolate bar is deep, rich milk chocolate, heated and mixed and then flash frozen so it is a solid piece, but breaks easily and melts in her mouth as she eats it. It's sweet without being sugary and very, very good chocolate. Kukai watches her as he leads her over to a nearby booth, grinning at the look on her face.

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto settles into the booth before taking a bite of the chocolate. Mmmmmmmm, that must have really hit the spot. "Ooooh. That is good. I was thinking you meant one of those cheap 'fudge' bars, but this... this is different."

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai Souma lets out a hmph of derision. "Nooo. Not by a long shot! I meant something good!" He grins at her. "I tend to mostly play sports, but I've been spending more time listening to music and borrowing my brother's workout equipment. I've just started, but I can tell it's helping. And it's almost like meditating."

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
"Sports have their place," she agrees. "I practice kendo, myself, and a few other sword forms. Old family school, so I really didn't have much choice, but I like it."

She actually does, it's true. "And you're right, it can be quite meditative. Losing yourself completely in that focus on the physical... the feel of your body moving, precisely and exactly..."

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai Souma smiles, a much softer smile, thinking about his own training. "I never learned kendo. I sort of wanted to but - believe it or not - I was never really good at combat sports, like kendo or wrestling or anything like that. I like team sports, and that's where my abilities lie. Speaking of..."

He looks around, apparently expecting to see someone. "...Huh. Have you.."

He looks at her for a moment, considering, eyes narrowed for a moment - not in suspicion, but in consideration. "You haven't seen a little blue haired guy with a yellow shirt and green shorts flying around anywhere today since you got to Seiyou Public, huh? About 15 centimeters high?"

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
"Hey, you do what works for you. If it's football, it's football, if it's kendo, it's kendo." She shrugs and takes a bite of chocolate.

"Blue hair, fifteen centimeters... oh. A Chara-type? No, haven't seen any of those lately."

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai Souma's shoulders slump a little. "Yeah, my Chara, Daichi. He must be asleep back at school. I had better go get him." He stands up and smiles, nodding to her. "It was a real pleasure meeting you, Mikoto. Come around again more often!"

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto nods. "Yeah, it doesn't sound like a good idea to leave them lying around like that. You never know what they might get into."

She chuckles softly, and waves. "Definitely, Souma-san. And thank you for the chocolate."