Verone's kendo club practice for the day has been over for a while now. Seishi, though, stays late more often than not, and even though she's no longer a first-year or the newest member of the club, she volunteered to clean up after getting in a little extra practice. So it is that, well after the rest of the club members have dispersed, Seishi has just finished putting away the practice gear.
Of course, the kendo club is hardly the only athletics club that has practices on Monday. Somewhere between old habit and idle curiosity and a certain reluctance to head home just yet, she comes wandering over to see if the archery club is still practicing or if they've already wrapped up for the day as well.
The archery club is just wrapping up, the younger students engaged in cleaning the range and equipment, while the senior members are taking their showers and changing out of their practice clothes. It's been a long day for Hokuto, and she takes her time in the shower, letting the hot water pound out some of the tension in her muscles.
Eventually, however, she does have to come out, and shortly enough she emerges dressed in her preferred casual shorts and jacket - she takes any excuse to avoid wearing the Verone uniform, having expressed her dislike of it more than once.
Returning to the halls of the school, she pauses briefly as she spots a familiar face waiting for her. "Hello, sempai. It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"Hey," Seishi offers, raising a hand in a little wave of greeting when she catches sight of Hokuto. She's in street clothes herself, jeans and a plain black t-shirt, damp hair braided back from her face and tied with that ever-present red ribbon.
The smile she cracks is a slightly self-conscious one. "It has," she agrees. "I got a little busy, trying to make up for running myself ragged before. It was like suddenly I looked up and it was summer break. How've you been?"
"Ridiculously busy. The family's had me getting ready for a few little... well, family issues. You know how some of the old clans can get... things have to be - anyway." She sighs and shakes her head. "Not something to discuss in the open hallway."
A shrug accompanies the dismissal of her concerns, and she looks around. "I don't suppose you know a good pizza place? I've got a craving."
Hokuto's explanation gets a wince of commiseration and a brief little nod. "Family's tough."
And that's all that's said on the subject for now - as Hokuto says, there are some things better not discussed out in the middle of the hall like this. She hooks her thumbs into the pockets of her jeans, adopting a mock-thoughtful expression instead. "Pizza, huh? I'm sure we can find someplace. If you're all done here, then let's go."
Hokuto nods. Things have been ... stressful, at home. She needs to relax, and a nice comfortable snack with her sempai will be just the thing. She slings her gear-bag over her shoulder and nods. "Lead on, then."
Not very much later, they're both tucked into a small booth at a pizza joint frequented by high school students. The place is doing brisk business, and the hum of ambient noise and chatter means that nobody's likely to be overhearing any particular conversation.
In other words, it's a perfectly good place to hang out, eat, and relax.
While they're waiting for their order to come out, Seishi stretches in the booth, arms reaching upwards for a moment. "Oof. Pizza was a good idea, I'm ravenous. Practicing in this heat takes it out of you, doesn't it?"
Hokuto's tension seems to drain out the further the pair get from campus. By the time they slide into the booth at the pizza place, she's actually managing a genuine smile. "It does," she agrees, and tries to get a waitress' attention so she can get a glass of ice water.
"When does winter get here, again?"
"Sometime after fall, I hear?" The quip is made with a lopsided smile as Seishi settles back in her seat. "I can't decide if it's 'not soon enough' or 'too soon.' I'm definitely ready for cooler weather, but not for the break to be over."
She waits a bit for the waitress to stop by so that Hokuto can get her ice water. Once she's moved on with the order, Seishi folds her hands on the table and leans in a little. "So how are you holding up, really?"
"Good point," Hokuto agrees. "Besides, winter means snow." And she grumbles again. Then she stretches out, letting out a soft sigh. "It's always fun to find out that family's been keeping secrets from you."
She slumps against the corner of the booth, putting one foot up on the seat. "Sometimes I wish someone else was in the top spot, but this really takes the cake."
"Secrets?" That has Seishi's head lifting a little, and her eyebrows draw together in concern. "What kind of secrets?"
A beat or two passes before it occurs to her that this might be an awkward question for Hokuto for any number of reasons. "--that is, if it's something you can talk about," she adds hastily. "If you'd rather not, I'll understand."
"Mmm. Well." She mutters something under her breath, then: "Wait 'till we've got our pizza, so I can make sure we're not overheard without freaking the waitress." Then she produces one of her ofuda from the pouch she carries constantly and sets it next to the napkin dispenser.
"What kind of pizza are you up for? I'm wanting some meat..."
Nodding her understanding, Seishi sits back a little. She glances at the ofuda, but doesn't remark on it. "I'm good with anything but mushrooms," she says. "Meat sounds good, if that's what you're in the mood for."
Hokuto nods, and as the waitress approaches with the water-glasses, she sets the menu aside. "We'll have a large with pepperoni, sausage, ham, and onions," she says, and the waitress nods. "And a pitcher of ice water."
"I'll get that right in," the waitress answers, and after ascertaining that that's all the two want, hurries off to the kitchen.
"It's not something too terribly secret," Hokuto explains. "Just ... old family stuff."
"Hmm," is Seishi's response, with a little nod of understanding. "Still, 'not secret' doesn't mean 'not personal.' Especially not when it's family stuff."
It's clear, though, that she's prepared to listen if Hokuto wants to talk; rather than saying anything else, Seishi subsides, watching her kouhai attentively across the table.
Hokuto looks down at the table and hmmms softly. "It just ... needs some explanation, I suppose." She fiddles with a napkin, then straightens in her seat to face Seishi more properly.
She waits, though, until the waitress returns with the pizza and water, and then activates the ofuda she'd pulled out - creating a little zone of silence around the table.
"You know how I'm supposed to be the next family head, with my parents gone, right?" She'd mentioned it to you at some point before, likely.
"...Right, you mentioned something about that." It's a complicated blend of emotions that flickers across Seishi's face as she nods her confirmation. Hard to imagine the situation that Hokuto is in as her family's heir-apparent... harder still when Seishi's thoughts shy instinctively away from looking ahead to 'one day' when her father is no longer there.
But this is about Hokuto's family, not her own. Shaking those feelings off, she listens to what Hokuto has to say.
Hokuto nods and peels out a slice of pizza, blowing on the point briefly to cool the melted cheese. "Well, I've known for a while that not everyone in the family was wholly enthusiastic about that idea," she begins, then takes a bite of the pizza.
She mmms softly in appreciation, deciding that the pizza is quite well-made. Eventually, she continues. "It turns out that they've been doing a bit more than just disapproving."
Seishi claims a slice for herself, but she's paying more attention to Hokuto than to the food. This statement has her raising her brows again. "...That doesn't sound good," she says. "How much more?"
Another few bites go down before Hokuto brings herself to answer, and she takes a long drink of water first, as well. "It's my cousin, Suzuka. She's... well, we used to be close, but we sort of drifted apart the past few years. Turns out it was because certain members of the family think she'd be a better head than I would." She chomps down on another bite of pizza to stifle a grumble.
Nibbling on her pizza, Seishi processes this, forehead creasing. Chew, chew, swallow. "Suzu..." She's heard Hokuto say that name, she's sure. It takes her a moment to place it. "From the dream?"
Hokuto nods. "Yeah, that's her." She works her way through a bit more pizza, then sets it down to take a drink. "She's been getting more.... abrasive, the past few months, that's why she showed up that way."
"I see." Sei meditates over this, chewing on another bite of pizza. "Encouraged by the ones who want her to be next in line instead of you?" Or maybe not so much. Either way... "That's a rough position for you to be in, isn't it?"
Hokuto mmms softly, nodding. "I'd rather have my friend back, but..." She sighs. "Suzu's a good fighter, but..." She shakes her head, unwilling to bad-mouth a relative in front of an outsider. "I've been training all my life for this, and they want to make it for nothing."
"Mmm." She's quiet for a short while, contemplating the half-eaten slice of pizza. "It'd be one thing if you decided not to do it. Different to have people trying to push you out that way. Especially using your cousin to do it." Letting out a breath, she sets the piece of pizza down on the plate in front of her and looks up toward Hokuto again. "Sorry you're having to deal with that."
Another bite of pizza is demolished, and the crust set aside as Hokuto nods. "It's annoying. And worrisome." She sighs and reaches for a second slice. "Enough about me, though, what've you been up to?"
Seishi cracks a half-smile and shrugs a little, letting the subject turn from one to the other. "Really not very much," she admits, fingertips tracing abstract patterns in the condensation on the side of her glass. "Things have been pretty quiet on the dream front since the hunter went down. Which is good, I guess. I had a bunch of make-up work to do." She makes a face as she says it.
Hokuto nods, working her way through her second slice while she listens. "Yeah, I had a lot of work to catch up on myself." She keeps eating while you talk, though she makes it clear she's paying attention.
She picks up her pizza again, fusses with it a little. "There's really not much else to say," Seishi says after a moment or two of silence. "Up until the break started, it was pretty much school and kendo club. Now it's club practice and waiting for the next term to start. Or the other shoe to drop, whichever comes first. The Eater of Dreams is still under wraps for now, or at least that's what O-Yasu tells me."
"It's been much the same for me," Hokuto answers, "Aside from dealing with the family politics. There's been the occasional youkai making trouble, but nothing major."
"I'd say that's good," Seishi replies with a quiet hitch of a laugh, "but I can't help wondering if it's just the calm before the storm or something. Or is that paranoid thinking?"
Hokuto eyes the rest of the pizza, and the half-slice left in her hand, and hmmms. "Is it really paranoia when they really are out to get you?"
Seishi laughs again, rolling her eyes expressively. "Good question," she says, and shoves a hearty amount of what's left of her slice into her mouth. Life is uncertain, but at least there is pizza. Om nom nom.
Paranoid or not, for this afternoon, at least, the calm remains undisturbed. No youkai or nightmare monsters emerge to interrupt their meal, and the two girls are free to sit and chat the afternoon away.
Or at least until family calls, as family is wont to do.