Sakura Kinomoto was standing in line, spinning her baton around as she moved in unison with the other girls, tossing it up into the air, then catching it deftly in her fingers.
Her mind was racing. After what that woman said before, what if it was true? What if all these different magical girls did exist? Well, she definitely wasn't magical. She was a little, she supposed. But that was only because the key of clow and the cards. She didn't have any innate magic of her own, she was sure.
But... now that she was part of this world, she couldn't help having noticed things and--
Bonk. The baton hit her on the head and she cringed. "Sorry!" Picking it up and starting again.
Nicola is watching from the sidelines, she's sure no cheerleader, but she is curious about what those girls are up to. She's never really seen anything like this before, so she leans back and watches. She telepathically asks something, and though she wasn't intending for anyone to overhear, she also wasn't bothering to try not to broadcast, so it's likely that Sakura can overhear the voice. < What do you think they're up to, Ruby? It looks weird? Is she supposed to drop it on her head like that? > Another voice responds, < I don't know what they are doing, Master, but I don't think she is >
Sakura Kinomoto urked. Twice, even. First at the weird comment, then at the dropping it on her head. She looked around in confusion, before she went back into her routine, marching in place. She was trying to find the source of that voice, though she didn't see it anywhere.
Were some of the girls making fun of her? That couldn't be it, could it? She was... well... she made the occasional mistake, but she was still pretty good with the baton. Eventually, though, the club ended and she let out a sigh of relief, wiping her brow and looking around.
That voice had seemed... odd. Somehow. Where did it come from?
< I'm going to ask! > Nicola decides when practice ends, and the girl heads over towards Sakura. "Uh. Hi, I was wondering, what was that thing you were doing with the ... uh... long tube thingy? I'm sorry, I don't know what it's called." The voice is obviously belonging to the same person, but like this there's a clear accent, something foreign but impossible to place. "I've never seen anyone do anything like that before."
Sakura Kinomoto blinked a few times. Wait, what? "Oh, ummm, this? It's a baton! It's our routine, we use it to cheer on our teams during games. here!" she said, holding it out. "Would you like to give it a try? All you need to do is try to flip it around in your fingers and, when you toss it up, catch it."
She gave the girl a soft smile. "My name is Sakura Kinomoto, nice to meet you."
Nicola blinks when she's offered the baton, holds it a little uncertainly before throwing it up in the air, whereupon it proceeds to go off in some random direction. At least it doesn't bonk on her, or anyone's, head. "This seems hard." She shrugs a bit, seeming not particularly interested in pursuing this path of hobby. "I'm Nicola Esprit, I'm a transfer student." The little red gem pendant on her necklace glows for a moment, < Master, be careful. Strangers are dangerous > Nicola ignores her device entirely. "I'm in Chemistry club!"
Sakura Kinomoto cringed as her baton went flying. She raced and, fortunately, managed to catch it before it could hit the ground. "Whew..." she said softly, before turning back. "It can take a bit of getting used to, for sure." She said with a nod before walking back over.
She looked around a bit. She swore she heard... "A transfer student? Oh! Welcome to Seishou then! Nice to meet you, Esprit-chan! Where did you transfer from?" She couldn't help but keep looking around. She swore she was hearing something. "Did... you hear a... nevermind. It's nothing.'
"I had a private tutor back home, which is in a different country, and we can't return there." Nicola sounds very sad when she repeats that technically true sentence, although it kind of... is vague and intentionally misleading. But then she can't really tell some stranger she just met she's from outer space, so this'll have to do. The second bit seems to cause her to tilt her head. < I think she can hear you, Ruby. Can you hear us, Kinomoto-san? > < It looks like she can, Master >
Sakura Kinomoto nodded. "O-oh. I'm sorry to hear that. I didn't--" And then eeped when she said that. Her eyes went wide. "I-I didn't, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hear you! I'm sorry! Gomen gomen!" She kind of folded her hands and baton in her lap, bowing quickly and apologetically.
"It's fine, if it was something I didn't want to be overheard I can do that. It's just uh..." She lowers her voice a little, "Most people can't, and most people would think I was crazy if I talked to Ruby." She points at the little red gem, which shows has a line of text passing over the side 'Nice to meet you!' "That's weird though, that you can. Makes me curious~"
Sakura Kinomoto blinked and looked down at it, then her eyes went wide too. "Are... are you one of those magical people too?" she asked softly, sounding a little excited. "I-I mean, err, well, I guess a necklace would have to be magical to ummmm... be able to do that." She looked around to make sure they weren't being watch. "But are you... well... are you?" She almost asked if she was an alien, too, but what were the chances of THAT?
"I'm one hundred percent certified badass!" Nicola answers with a grin, and then more softly, "Which means 'yes'" She smiles and sits down on a nearby bench, looking up. "And I guess you are, too. Most likely thing, anyway." She smiles, "There's lots of magical people in Tokyo. I was told there wouldn't be many, but whoever told me was wrong!"
Sakura Kinomoto eeped as the girl went into 'badass'. She stared, her mouth falling open. She used a bad word! She moved to sit be her. "W-what? Oh. No. I'm not really a magical person. I just, well... I more... fell into magic. Or... broke some magic things and... I don't have any magic of my own. It's all the cards and I'm just the one who has to find and capture them all. Is your magic... ummm... can you make barriers that hide from non magical people too?"
"That makes you magical people." Nicola decides, quite quickly. Perhaps because being around magical people means she can talk more freely. "Sure, you might not be the most magical, but you're kinda magical and that counts." She shrugs at the other bit, "I can. I'm not supposed to do so unless it's important, though. Jessamine gets mad if I 'abuse magic' and I don't want to make her mad."
Sakura Kinomoto nodded. "Ohhhh. So ummm... wow. Err..." She looked around. "Have you seen anything like these?" She asked before pulling out the windy card. Even in the cheerleading outfit she was still wearing it. She held the card out a bit nervously. "I need to find them all and there are apparently a LOT of them. I'm still learning the whole... magic is real thing so I'm not really the best with them. I don't really even know anyone aside from..." Then eeped. "S-se told me not to tell anyone, sorry..."
Nicola looks at the card and blinks. "Nope, never seen anything like it. But there's a lot of weird, so maybe someone has?" She's about to ask questions until that last thing comes up, and she makes a mouth zippy motion. "I won't ask any questions then, but uhh..." She quickly writes down a phone number. "If you need help, just send me a text. If I'm nearby I'll try to come!"
Sakura Kinomoto nodded and took the number, putting it into her phone quickly. "Thank you. I ummm..." She sent her a text. Hi! :Dc Yes she used little kitty emotes. She was that kind of person. "Do you know a lot of the other magical girls and ummm..." She moved in a little closer, looking around and... "Is... Sailor... V... real?" she whispered.
"I know a couple, but not a lot." Nicola answers honestly, looking at the text and responding with 'Hello! d^.^b' "I don't know, she might be? I just have never met her or anyone who told me for sure." She shrugs, and then adds, "But, I didn't ask any of them. Maybe if I had I could have told you." She pauses and then adds, "Be careful, there's some dangerous magical people, too."
Sakura Kinomoto nodded and then glanced at her phone. Two new people now, hum. Maybe she should have asked that other girl about her number? "How long have you been doing this for? Has it been long? And ummm... if... you don't mind me asking, can you tell me how it happened? If it's not too personal? I uhhh, could tell you how mine happened, too, if you want?"
"Since ever? I've had Ruby Rose since as long as I can remember." The little gem glows briefly, < I have been Master's intelligent device since she was one year old > "Yeah, that's what I mean. So it's... uh. I kinda grew up with it?" She shrugs, and puts her phone away. "I could introduce you to some other magical people, though..."
Sakura Kinomoto nodded, glancing to the device. "I... I know it's kind of stupid, but could you show me? I mean, I need to go change, but maybe we can go out somewhere and you can show me some of your magic? And... I'd really like that. Honestly, it's very overwhelming. I thought I was the only one in the world who could do magic, until yesterday. Now it turns out there are so many others I can meet!"
"Sometime, probably! I'll have to ask Jessamine, but I don't think she'll say no." Nicola answers, she's mentioned that name a couple times now, so presumably it's important. "Or I could tell a friend of mine, if you don't mind, and they could show you. They don't need to ask permissions, I don't think so anyway..."
Sakura Kinomoto nodded, giving an excited little sqwee. "I can't wait!" She rocked in place a little bit, before urking. "I ummm... please don't. Not... not yet. I'd rather keep the whole being a magical girl thing quiet until I can... actually know if I can do it. I haven't even done anything yet other than send the cards scattering..."
"Oh. Sure, she's really nice though, and if you become friends with her you'll get the tastiest things. Her family owns a bakery." Nicola half-bribes, half-offers, "I'll introduce you to her even if you don't want me to tell her, I'm sure she'd love to make more friends!"
Sakura Kinomoto gasped. "W-wait, she owns a bakery?" Could almost see the drool. She stared with wide eyed excitement. "A-and she's a magical girl, too? So she can help with all these things? Ohhhhh! She sounds absolutely amazing!" She was totally sparkling now and swaying happily from side to side.
"Her family does, it's called Midori-ya." Nicola sounds like she thinks the place is heaven on earth, or at least the closest thing possible. She nods to answer the second question, "I can't make any promises for her, of course, but I'm sure she'd love to help you out! She's really nice."
Sakura Kinomoto gave an adorable little sqwee. "Oh my gosh I can't wait to meet her! she sounds amazing. Her own bakery, too? All of you girls seem so amazing. I really hope I can live up to the same expectations as the rest of you. I can't believe I get to meet so many cool and amazing magical people. So ummm..."
She looked around. "Does this mean... fortune telling is real, too"?"
"I'm sure people don't expect anything from you other than that you do your best." Nicola tries to reassure Sakura, "I don't know anything about fortune telling, sorry." and then her phone rings, and she sighs when she sees the number. She picks it up, "Hey Jessamine." A moment, "Still at school, I'm making fri--" Interrupted, then, "But I thought--" Interrupted again, "Ok, ok. I'm coming." She looks towards Sakura. "I'm sorry, I need to go home."
Sakura Kinomoto nodded and gave her a little wave. "No problem, it was good to see you! I'm happy I got to meet you, Esprit-kun! Bye bye!" she said, waving her hand before heading back towards the school to change and get ready to go home too.