Norie Okana is sitting on the couch in the vestibule of the manor. Yes, Norie. Black hair, blue eyed Norie. She looks super depressed and overall mopey. Jiaying rarely, if ever, sees her like this nowadays. She always just. Hangs around as the purple haired, pale skinned vampire, usually.
Did something happen?
Who knows. She just sort of sighs a bit as she looks at the magazines on the table in front of the short coffee table in front of the couch. There's a few fashion magazines there. High end stuff. There's also a carefully folded purple dress there with a long skirt.
There's also a few history news magazines, taken out from the library- they seem to deal with victorian era fashion and culture.
Well that's a morass of odd reading material.
The Manor, otherwise, feels perfectly normal. No surging of dark energy. Nothing felt thrashing about. Wards check out as being in place if Jiaying placed any at any given time.
Lots of time and effort into the manor seems to have paid off. It's look tremendously better- and cleaner on the inside. The outside is still... well.
The outside isn't priority. Right?
She did text Jiaying, telling her where she was earlier, however. So she wouldn't worry.
Jiaying Maki makes her way into the... what is it, living room? That sounds too small for a manor. She makes her way there though, carrying her schoolwork and sets it all down on another comfy couch that she then flops on.
Looking at Norie, she asks, "Going to stay this way a while longer?" Pointing to the fact that she's what she expects. "Still need to figure out how to make what I saw permanent..." She sighs and lays back, watching the ceiling.
"Still thinking of leaving too, right?"
Vestibule. - http://www.au-chateau.com/BouceelVestibule.jpg
Norie doesn't answer at first. She actually doesn't acknowledge Jiaying for a moment until she twitches a bit and then...
"Huh...?" she asks.
"Oh... you're here." she says. Which may come off as 'Oh, /you're/ here.'-- but she is just stating a fact. She frowns just a bit softly though- but Jiaying's probably use to frowning Norie to matter or care. It's either frown or neutral face- always.
"Leaving...?" she asks. "Not yet. I..."
"Just..."
"Haven't... been like this. For a bit. I forgot what I looked like... and how it felt..." she says quietly. "Sorry. I'm not trying to concern you." she says flatly.
"I don't even know what you saw. And you won't tell me what I said. Or acted like." she says. "So I don't know how to feel about that." she says softly.
She sort of shifts uncomfortably. "I feel like I should be dressing certain ways... ever since. Shinobu-san put a parasol in my hand the other day when I was hanging out in the Sunset Tower's rec room." she says quietly.
"But I dunno..." she says.
"Dressing up doesn't make me feel happy. It does make me feel... pretty?" she asks. "I guess." she purses her lips.
"But... how I want to dress is so.. ornately out of date." she mutters.
"Been feeling like... cramped spaces too." she says.
She head tilts. "Oh..." she says.
"Right.. um. How. Are you?" she asks. "Did today go okay?" she asks. "I miss school." she says softly.
Jiaying Maki points at her and says, "I told you how you acted, I've also told you some of what you said. I even talked to someone I'd rather just avoid at this point to see if we can do it again and make it permanent." There's a beat, then she says, "You know if it's in your head... I wonder if we can do the dream thing again and split again."
She shakes her head and sits up, turning to face Norie after, resting her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands. "Shinobu?" Looking confused. Did she know a Shinobu? "If you feel anything other than cackling evil, it's probably not a bad thing really." Fishing out her phone, she begins searching for images and adds, "There's a few people that go around in that look. It's not for me no-no. I go bad enough with qipaos and some of the traditional kung fu outfits." Beat, "And the sorcerer robes I had or halloween that I totally didn't keep after."
The question about how she's doing confuses her. Tilting her head, she starts to ask something until it makes sense when Norie mentions missing school. "Did you give up on being an exchange student with a fake ID?"
Norie Okana head tilts. "I never started that. I just. I would had messed it up." she says quietly, as she shifts uncomfortably. "I've just been staying here...or at your place, and trying to keep myself fed and coherent." she says.
"I don't know how 'the dream thing' happened." she says flatly. "I dunno if it was a fluke. Or if Ariel had something to do with it. Ariel's been.... visiting. My dreams. Since then. Trying to talk to me about things." she says.
"It's... helped. A little." she says.
"I just... trying very hard. To keep my 'cool'.. as it were." she says.
She sort of bites her lip. "I just want to go home... and be with my mom, and my dad and my brother again..." she says.
"I wish I could tell them... what I am. I just." she curls up. "I don't think they'd understand. Or accept it." she says. "or maybe put me in a institutional facility." she says.
She just shakes her head a bit.
Jiaying Maki rubs the back of her head and says, "Maybe I should go talk to her. She's not at the park anymore though. I'll figure some way out." She leans back on the couch and stretches out, then lays down on her side, enjoying being lazy on a couch. "Keep your cool?" Not quite understanding.
She drums her fingers a few times before asking, "Ever thought about cluing them in? Or would that go poorly?" She hesitates before continuing, "Since I don't know them too well or anything. If you were willing to risk it and we had a plan, maybe we could try that. I mean... you still burned touching purification, but it would help right?"
Then Norie herself mentions trying to maybe tell them. "If you need help proving the supernatural, that's not a hard thing to do at all. Just wheel you up to your house with a yellow jiangshi tag on, let you bounce around a bit, then summon the three ghosts to chase you around for a bit while I pretend to be some power crazed huli jing. It would be funny."
Norie Okana head tilts. "Keep your cool. Meaning. To keep calm... and. Comfortable. and not worry..." she says. "That always leads to me. Doing stupid stuff." she says. She bites her lip a bit. She doesn't have 'fanglies' like this. "No... my parents. Wouldn't understand. They'd get scared after that." she says.
"But...my brother..." she says. "I just..." she says. "I miss him... a lot..." she says. "If I could get him.. to understand... and not be scared. I just..." she says. "I know he'd cover for me with mom and dad then." she says quietly. "I feel like such an idiot." she says. "for leaving now. But. I wasn't. Able to handle myself. I'm still not able to handle myself."
She sighs a bit.
"I hate this..." she says quietly.
Jiaying Maki shakes her head and says, "I know what the phrase means, even if it's silly. I m-... nevermind. I think they're already scared for what it's worth." She shrugs while saying, "It wouldn't be that bad a thing to try would it? Though I could just haunt him for a while. Meifeng would probably enjoy it." beat, "I mean to get him used to the idea of the supernatural. Not just because it would be funny."
Looking around the room curiously, she asks, "Are you feeling more, lately? I know the loneliness thing isn't new, but it seems to be settling in more and... I wonder if more of the real you is breaking though maybe."
Norie Okana head tilts. "Feeling more what lately?" she asks. "I haven't.. felt much different. Than I normally do. I have some new... feelings... of sorts... like. The dressing up and... comfort in cramped spaces." she says.
"The cellar is almost clean." she says quietly. "It's very bad. Lots of old broken wine... and spilled chemicals that have been illegal in the past fifty years." she says. "Some of the wine may have survived though." she says.
She head tilts. "Eilam-kun said that turning into a bat.. and this manor... and effectively wanting to feel like I wanna sleep in a coffin now are so stereotypical." she grumbles. "Like I have control over it..." she says.
Jiaying Maki holds a thumb up and says, "That, the comfort in cramped places and dressing up. I keep notes on that kind of thing so it's easier to look for new quirks." She rests her chin on her hands again and says, "Eilam asked to meet my mom because he was sure she'd be gorgeous. I'd take anything he says with some salt."
There's a yawn as she looks down at the floor, imagining the cellar. "Did you find any secret switches or doors down there? I bet there would have to be some. I won't touch the wine though." Not just because the wine would probably be awful by now either!
"I've got a friend that wants to make a training area and hangout for our group. I wonder if the cellar wouldn't be a good backup for that. Though... probably not."
Norie Okana sort of purses her lips a bit and seems to be searching her thoughts. "I've been everywhere.. in that manor in my dreams." she says softly. "I've seen events in every room at least once. I know the layout-- in my head. How to get from one end to the other. It's large." she says.
"But..."
"I've never... been to the basement. or Cellar." she says.
"...I know one exists. I've seen the square doors in the floor before..." she says silently...
"I wonder.... why nothing's happened there..." she says.
She purses her lips and searches her thoughts a bit.
"Not feeling anything about it." she shrugs.
"Maybe it's just not important..." she says.
She sighs a bit and just frumps. "I was thinking of actually... seeing if.. Riventon-san. Wouldn't install a dark matter containment room down there for me." she says quietly. "That is. A small chamber, flooded with dark energy-- from the dusk zone." she says. "It's good for me, to relax in it. As I am at the moment." she says.
"And it'd be safer than going to the Dusk Zone proper."
"Of course. That might come with other stuff. Like he might ask to use this place for experiments or something in turn." she says.
"Meh..." she says. "I'll just settle for one of UMBRA's containment tanks." she says.
She head tilts. "Maybe I can put a coffin down there..." she says. "I mean. To try it. Just once or twice..." she says.
"Where am I going to buy a coffin though..." she says tapping her bottom lip.
She head tilts- and frowns. "Only if they're here when you are. I don't want... a lot of random people in this manor." she says quietly. "Unsupervised. Or without myself or you present." she offers.
Jiaying Maki drums her fingers on the arm of the couch where she's sprawled out. After a moment she says, "You know, I wonder if that's how the necklace escaped. The manor was lit on fire by some strangely dressed guys, three of them. Short of dragging any ghosts out from the time, I don't know who those three are though. Don't know if it would even help at that point. I almost want to look into other... methods." She shrugs.
"Probably shouldn't mention it to her then. I think she's fine. She eats curses which is... I'd heard of sin eaters, but a curse eater's new." There's a beat, "I wonder if we can split you again and have her eat the curse while you're split."
Norie Okana head tilts and frowns. "I have a feeling that'll end badly for me Jiaying." she says softly. "Talk of this 'splitting' seems like it'll end badly." she says gently as she sighs and sulks a bit.
"Your friend is a curse eater? huh." she says softly.
"I'm not a snack." she then frowns.
She head tilts. "I'm not sure about the men." she says flatly. "I'm not sure. How that works. Just. How it's done." she says quietly.
She sort of frumps a bit as she sighs.
"I'm sorry..." she says quietly.
Jiaying Maki twirls her finger around and says, "It's speculation. I wouldn't try it without some safeguards." Which is why she hasn't mentioned her other idea. She's still convinced that one would definitely work, but it's probably not much of a step up.
"I never said you were a snack." She says flatly before continuing, "Wrong guys, I meant he ones that burned the manor to the ground. I told you about that."
Finally she shrugs and drapes her arm over her eyes, "Your other side has some kind of control thing going, it didn't want you saying your birthday or talking to others. The fear of splitting might be tied to that."
Norie Okana head tilts. "Oh." she says. "You mean the Italians." she says softly. "I'm not sure about them. I feel as if. There's. Some sort of connection there. I don't know." she says. She sighs a bit and leans a hand against the side of her head.
"Huh?" she asks. "What...No... I didn't. Want to tell you." she sulks.
"I didn't think it'd matter..." she says as she bites her lip a bit. "I didn't want to tell anyone. I just wnated to ignore it."
Jiaying Maki points and says, "I've said it before, you said the other side didn't want you telling that. You also wanted me to tell a few people a few things. Which... I will be doing now that I'm back." She stretches out and asks, "What happens if any time you think it won't matter to anyone, you do it anyway? I wonder if that's a better way to go about it?"
Sitting up, she asks, "Do you have any snacks? Eggs maybe?" What, she's in a good mood, eggs are a treat! "I skipped grabbing a snack after classes and I still have homework."
Norie Okana head tilts. "The refrigerator is stocked. The kitchen is working." she says. "What do you want? I can cook. Or. Just grab a bag of chips from the cupboard." she says. "I stock heavily." she says.
She sort of sighs a bit. "I dunno if that's a good idea." she says silently. "Sometimes it's good advice. Sometimes it isn't." she says quietly.
She sighs a bit and mutters. "I feel so broken most of the time." she says softly. "So I dunno." she says gently.
"So do you want...anything?" she asks. "Just let me know. I can cook."
Jiaying Maki shrugs as she makes her way towards the kitchen, curious to see what she's stocked to indulge in anyway. Calling over her shoulder, "It's not always great advice, but when it's something like telling your girlfriend what you think of her, maybe it's not a bad idea." She'll say it if she has to, but that feels weird. And she figures it would mean more from the vampire herself.
"I just wonder if enough fighting back against the necklace would make it easier for you to be yourself. It kind of seemed no matter what happens you'll still be uh... well you were breathing then, but my tag burned you too. So who knows."
Norie Okana softly lifts off the couch and walks after Jiaying into the kitchen. It's indeed, fully stocked with what one would expect during a 'normal' grocery shop, including eggs! but also milk and snacks and other kinds of foods. Overall, it's a good mix of foods to keep the manor stocked. None of it is tainted- dark energy wise. At least.
It's not likely.
"I am myself..." she says quietly. There's a certain tone to that, suggests she's taking it more like an insult of an insinuation that she isn't.
Jiaying Maki steals at least a half-dozen eggs as she begins looking for a pan. She hesitates as she fills it with water. Padding back over, she pulls the other half-dozen and says, "If you're going to hard boil, might as well do a full set. Best snacks." She looks to Norie, down at the eggs, then back at Norie. "That's okay right?" Well at least she caught herself.
"I've seen three versions of you Norie. The one I'm dubbing the real Norie had blue eyes, breathed and told me things. There's you, who is... uh." She taps her chin, "Trapped Norie?" She shrugs, then she says, "The last is Lacrima since that's an easy enough excuse to use that name sooner or later, even if I mangle it. You're you for the most part, but the Lacrima side does lock things down." This is all speculation of course. There's a few moments pause, "I wonder- I wonder if over the next break I can go home and try to ask some of my ancestors for help- Maybe from either side. Or auntie's. I bet an old witch like her would have to know someone. I'll- I'll write her a letter."
Norie Okana head tilts. And nrgs. "That's so confusing." she says. "I don't get it." she says. "I know there's... two. Of me. I talk to. The other me." she says. "but that doesn't sound right." she says softly. "That she's 'locking me down' or 'hurting me'." she says silently.
"We both... like Natsumi-chan. I know that much." she says. "We both just want to be left alone and not attacked to feed..." she says.
"I mean..."
"Even if I was... 'Norie Norie'..." she says. "I'd still need to feed. Like this." she says silently.
"Nothing's going to change that..." she says.
She head tilts. "Ancestors?" she asks. "I dunno. Where you live is an awful far distance from Spain..." she says.
Jiaying Maki looks to Norie and says, "They know magic better than I do and my mother's not around which makes my immediate source not an option." She says that a touch angrily, then catches herself. "As for the distance from Spain, I don't have a solid option there. My family might know... monsters, ghosts, underworld contacts. Literally. That sort of thing." She's not sure if they'll even reply, but it's a better option than before. "Maybe I should see if shinigami are a real thing too."
Norie Okana walks to a cabinet and removes a box of prepackaged donuts. She walks to the counter with them and begins to eat them. She'll probably eat the entire box herself as she shakes her head. "I don't even know what a shinigami is." she says softly. "My family isn't really... traditional. A lot of these things are new to me. Like. Myths. And stuff." she admits a little shamefully- since lots of Japanese familys ARE like that most of the time.
But now always.
She lets Jiaying make her eggs. "I'm going to go back to the vestibule." she says picking up the donut box. "I wanna figure out some clothes..." she says quietly.
Off she goes!