2023-11-03: Return to Sender
- Log: 2023-11-03: Return to Sender
- Cast: Sousuke Sagara, Emilia Eschonbach
- Where: Jindai High School, Nouvelle Tokyo
- OOC - IC Date: 3 November 0097
- Summary: Emilia comes to Jindai to return Sousuke's GUTS withdrawal letter. The two talk earnestly about their friendship- while Sousuke and Kaname's friends get entirely the wrong idea while hiding in a bush nearby.
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
Sousuke Sagara has returned from Wherever That Was - he's been back for a good few weeks now, even, and life at Jindai Nouvelle Tokyo Municipal High School has resumed its normal, boisterous state of being. But he hasn't set off any fire alarms or forced an evacuation of the science lab or scared the janitorial staff to death with a box labeled 'EXTREMELY BIOHAZARDOUS' today, so on the whole, it's all well at Jindai.
It is currently after school. Kaname has some manner of plans with the softball team today, so Sousuke is entertaining himself with homework at a bench and table within view of the softball field.
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
With catching up on work and recent secret conversations, Emilia Eschonbach has been a bit too visit to do interschool visits.
At least until today. Getting over the border was the usual hassle, but now she had made it to Nouvelle, it was a few train transfers and then she was at Jindai. She was still in her Ashford Uniform, since it wasn't that unusual for GUTS students to be visiting other schools. Especially not the GUTS Treasurer.
After a brief check in to see if she could find her target, she headed for that table across from the Softball field.
Seeing one of her best friends sitting there, studying, Emilia smiles. She'd been worried when his VERTEX had suddenly disappeared, and his phone stopped accepting messages. So seeing Sousuke back at Jindai was a relief.
"W-Welcome back, Sousuke." She says, announcing herself toward him. "I've, um. I-I've got s-s-something to return to you." Emilia rummages around in her schoolbag, pulling out an envelope that had clearly been opened. She extends it to Sousuke with one hand. "I d-d-don't think the GUTS c-c-committee needs this anymore."
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
Even with the state of the border, GUTS remains. It's inspiring, in a way. A thing of hope.
Sousuke is less on edge than he has been; proof is obvious enough, as he simply doesn't notice Emilia until she's quite close. "Emilia," he says, and tips his head. "Good afternoon."
He sets his pen down, considering the letter. "...ah," he says, recognizing it. "Indeed, so. I'd heard it didn't get finalized..."
He smiles, thin but sincere, and takes it. "Thank you, Emilia. I...appreciate it." Understatement; but what else does one say?
Meanwhile, around the corner, Kotaro Onodera and Shinji Kazama lean out from behind a bush. "Is that a confession??" Shini whispers urgently. "They look really happy!"
"Sousuke's dating Chidori now, though, isn't he...?" Ono-D mutters. "If that guy's two-timing her he's gonna get eaten alive!"
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
"Y-yeah. I... h-held onto it." Emmy admits, a little quietly. "J-Just in case." There's a slight pause. "I ... don't know what h-happened, but... I'm g-glad I did." After a moment, she slips onto the bench next to Sousuke, awfully relaxed herself.
"I don't kn-know what happened," she says, placing her bag next to her. "But I w-was really worried wh-when you vanished like that." She pauses for a moment, looking down at her hands. "But I w-was really scared I l-lost someone important to me again, and I d-didn't get to say goodbye." It seems like maybe that disappearance hit her a little harder than expected.
"You're... o-okay, right?" She definitely seems concerned, looking up at the older boy. Her hands curl up into fists, sitting on the table. "You're not in some kind of trouble?"
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
"...I didn't have much choice," Sousuke says, half addressing all parts of Emmy's words. "Leaving was out of my hands. But...not saying goodbye, or leaving anything, was my own choice. I was so flustered I didn't think to talk to anyone until it was much too late. That much was my fault."
He looks up to Emmy, seriously. "I'm sorry, Emilia. I frightened you. I wouldn't do that to you on purpose."
With that, he eases into a softer smile. "It was...pretty touch and go for a while. I'm afraid I wasn't in great shape. But, I believe I've resolved my issues. I don't expect further problems." He folds up the letter and tucks it into his schoolbag. Best to destroy that later, probably. It'll wait.
Meanwhile, Onodera seethes, "He's folding it!?"
"I thought you were mad at the concept itself!?" Shinji hisses, doing his best to be quiet.
"What kind of a man folds up a confession letter!! If you're not gonna accept give it back! And if you are you don't just...store it, heck! Maybe he really is two-timing...then he'd need to be sneaky...!"
Behind them, a feminine voice asks: "What are you two perverts doing?" with the mild sarcasm of a friend who is just about close enough to call you that in public.
Mizuki Inaba....!
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
She nods. "...I can u-understand that. I've h-had to move schools suddenly a f-few times." But back then, she didn't have anyone to say goodbye to. "It can... be r-really upsetting."
Still, as Sousuke apologizes, Emilia nods. "Th-thank you. Apology accepted." She smiles brightly again. That's... one less friend who she has to worry about right now, if things are going better for Sousuke.
"I see..." She pauses. "You know, i-if you get in trouble like th-that again, y-you can always ask me for help. A-at least until Graduation. I kn-know some t-tricks for people trying to m-move you against your will n-now." GUTS is far from powerless on these fronts, as she learned herself.
Emmy, for now, doesn't hear the antics coming from the bushes behind them. "Has c-coming back to school been okay so f-far? I know you've got some catching up to do." She shifts a little bit closer. Just a little.
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
She's had to move schools a few times. Ah. ...'him.' Sousuke's eyes dart to the side for a moment, but just a thought to consider before he returns his gaze to her. Well, he's taken care of the problem on his own, he thinks, but...just in case, it's not bad to have help. Besides, the offer is kind on its own. "I'll remember that, Emilia. I believe I've made my wishes known, but I know some of the people are involved are stubborn. There may yet be trouble." He gives her a confident look and a nod. "But, nothing I don't think I can handle with some help. Thank you."
As for coming back, he nods. "It's been...rewarding. I missed being here." He smiles, true and genuine. "Though I fear I'm still struggling academically..." He grimaces. "I doubt I'll ever get a grip on classical history or literature...but, Kaname's been a big help in making sure it doesn't prevent me from passing, at least."
Robble robble, goes the background. Mizuki leans around the corner just as Emmy inches closer. Shinji instantly becomes completely useless because he feels a soft warm girl against his back. "See??" Onodera whispers up.
"Oh yeah, I see," Inaba seethes. "Sagara, you dog! How dare you play with my besty's heart!!"
Onodera blinks a few time and mutters, "Didn't you meet them by slandering her in the bathrooms--ow!"
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
"A-anytime." Emmy responds. Is Sousuke's guardian like Grandfather, she wonders. "It's a l-lot easier to fight these th-things with friends. And being there to support e-each other is what friends do."
The way Sousuke talks about being back at school is kind of heartwarming. "I'm r-really happy for you. Y-you really seem at ease." The cause of that grimace gets a giggle, and then a sympathetic look. "...C-classics are the worst. Th-the amount of times Milly h-h-had to w-walk me through the Aeneid j-just to get that essay done... I'm glad Kaname c-can help you there. Latin's a r-real hard language..."
Classics compendiums are different in Japan, Emmy.
It's honestly nice to catch up with a friend after so long. Sousuke's not the only one looking at ease- but a topic comes to mind suddenly. "...Oh, um, I w-was wondering. You kn-know those earrings you got me? I w-was wondering if... y-you could tell me where to get another pair." She looks a touch embarrassed. "I, um... we g-got caught up in that st-stuff in the transport hub a f-few months back and... W-well, they came in handy."
That's close enough to the truth. She used one of them in the Hub. Sousuke doesn't need to know she used the other on Knightpolice. ...Though if he's Japanese, he might not mind.
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
Who Sousuke's guardian is depends on numerous factors but mostly, no. His *boss* on the other hand...but he can't let Emilia know that, of course. He's still keeping Mithril's secrets. The thought of doing otherwise never once occurred to him.
When she starts mentioning specifics, his eyes narrow briefly. "Ah. Britannian schooling would have a different set, wouldn't it...Japanese classics courses cover slightly more contemporary material than that, but only by a few hundred years. One time I mistook a passage about the Tokugawa Shogunate for being about the Seventh Gundam Fight...I'm afraid Classical Japanese isn't much easier than Latin."
Oh, the earrings... He does look briefly worried. "You've had to use them, huh...I'm glad they served you well, then. They were custom jobs from an acquaintance, so it's not quite as simple as walking to Shinjuku. I'll speak with him about ordering another set, though, they weren't especially expensive." Though...his pay is lower now. Hm. Well, it'll work out.
Meanwhile:
"He got her /jewelry??" Mizuki squeaks through biting a handkerchief in half. "Unbelievable! The gall!!"
"That's pretty far along...wow...d, do you think he's two-timing her with Chidori?"
Mizuki makes a noise anyone over the age of 18 can't hear.
Shinji now knows what boobs feel like when they squirm around and he's not going to be useful again for a while.
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
"O-oh, really?" Emmy seems a little surprised, but... it does make sense. Not everywhere in the world has the same education, after all. "The shogunate is the... Samurai stuff, right?" She nods, though. "It's w-w-weird, right? Wh-who even needs Latin or Classical Japanese th-these days... I-it's all dark ages st-stuff." She sighs. "I'm p-p-pretty sure Britannians just d-do it because they a-always have."
Emmy nods slowly. "Y-yeah... If i-it helps, they w-worked fine. I was really happy with them. I st-still have the bracelet, though." She pulls up her sleeve, to show Sousuke the simple gold bracelet. "I-i'm always wearing it or the o-one Shari made me." Still, the fact that they were a custom job both surprises and impresses Emmy- but it makes sense. "W-wow... Well, th-they really know their work. Th-they were really pretty as w-well as functional." She smiles. "Th-thank you, Sousuke."
Suddenly, Emmy hears a high pitched noise, and her head turns- but there's no one there. Hm. Probably nothing. She turns back to Sousuke again. "U-um, let me kn-know how much th-they cost. I m-mean, I was the one who. L-lost them." Yes. That's a convenient way of putting it.
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
"Indeed. Understanding history has some merit. There is very much truth to the saying that failing to understand history dooms us to repeat it. But...it's really more practically useful for recent local history," Sousuke murmurs. "The particulars of the past further back than even the One Year War are often irrelevant on a daily level." Hm. "Well...no, perhaps at least back to the Space War with the Zentradi, then..."
He returns to Earth from considering the academic merits of nuclear bombs to favor Emmy with another of his pleased smiles. Sousuke's smile isn't hugely energetic and probably never will be, but it's genuinely pleased to have helped. "That's good." He spots the bracelet, and nods. "Good. I'll as if there's anything he can do about the tracker...with the Invisible Burst, I'm afraid it won't be very much use. We'd be lucky to get signal from where we're standing now, let alone from unknown locations."
Hm. He looks over his shoulder, squinting curiously. Wraith...? .. ... ......no. No, probably not. They'd be with Kaname. Wouldn't they?
Still, he quietly starts packing his things. "Hm. If you're certain, yes, I can do that." Sousuke doesn't know about social niceties like insisting on paying.
MEANWHILE:
Mizuki, Shinji, and Onodera are squatted behind the corner with their hands over their mouths. "oh man if Sagara finds us we're TOAST," Onodera squeaks.
Shinji is gonna need a minute to remember what planet he's on.
Mizuki mutters, "You've seen how he holds a knife you know he knows how to silence a gossip!!! This is bad, bad!"
"So stay quiet then!"
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
Understanding history is kind of important, but... "The Britannian C-C-Curriculum would d-d-d-disagree with you." Emmy says, with a little snark. "I h-had to ask a professor to t-tutor me privately to find out d-details about the One Year War." She lets out a little huff. "Th-they act l-like nothing h-happened after 'they' beat the Zentradi."
Even small smiles can be full of warmth. Emmy's was like that for a long term, as she was remembering how. "O-oh, I'll k-keep that in mind." She smiles. "And... hopefully I w-won't need it a-a-any time soon." But she activated it once, didn't she? Or was that an accident? "It st-still means a lot to me. I'm... r-really glad you're my friend... and this b-bracelet is a reminder of that."
She should really make something similar for Sousuke sometime... but what could he use? Something to think about.
"St-still... I'm hoping I c-can still make you c-come back next year for the Millympic games. The f-f-folks who built it this y-year made the c-course way too hard. E-even pros couldn't g-get through clean." She lets out a sigh. "I-it's hard to b-believe we're already t-two thirds through the school year. I h-hope things will be more p-peaceful from here out."
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
<poem> "Is that so," Sousuke murmurs. "That's unwise. But not entirely unprecedented." His eyes flick to Emilia's. "Which they might know, if they taught history."
No sign of a joke. It is one, but Sousuke Sagara's sense of humor is like a stealth bomber, in that you can't see or hear it and can't always tell its presence apart from the ambient chaos of the cosmic microwave background.
Her earnest praise of their friendship and the token representing it earns her a long, quiet look. "I'm glad, Emilia. Thank you, truly."
Next year... His gaze travels off, to the distant sound of a bat hitting ball. "I'd heard it was rough," he agrees. "Next year...I suppose I'll be studying again," he muses. College. Doing what, though? Most students spent the time he was out figuring out the answer to that very question. He doesn't have that long to think.
But...he has a little bit, anyway.