2022-03-26: A Goddess Comes To High School
- Log: A Goddess Comes To High School 2022-03-26
- Cast: Sousuke Sagara, Teletha Testarossa
- Where: Jindai High School, Nouvelle Tokyo
- OOC - IC Date: 2022-03-26
- Summary: With school out for spring break, and Captain Testarossa coming to town for a while, it's an opportune time for a guided tour around the campus. Jindai's administration has helpfully provided one of their least weird student council members for the task.
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
Sousuke Sagara is just a bit frazzled.
Captain Testarossa has announced her intent to stay in Jindai for a little while and at the moment that means staying with him. Sousuke found this only the regular amount of nerve-wracking until Commander Mardukas took him aside one morning check-in and...made his expectations clear. Crystal clear. On top of that, Kaname was unimpressed with a gift Sousuke thought to convey to her, in the event that she came under attack while he was unable to be with her during the current situation. So now he's both thinking about how she wasted one of the flashbangs AND acted like she didn't want him around.
Also, Mao hasn't been able to get away from whatever shallow grave she's burying Kurz in this week so he's having to issue nearly triple the reports he would already be normally filing.
AND IN ADDITION, the school principle has elected to allow young Miss Testarossa a private show of the school she'll be transferring in to, which will be escorted by a member of the student council.
Thus, Sousuke Sagara stands now at the gates of Jindai High, where he has escorted his Captain, superior, temporary roommate and imminently-classmate. His eyes have deep bags under them, making him look all the more like he's seen the face of his death when Student Council Vice President Kaname Chidori looks at the two of them with that tense, plastic smile she always wears right before she hits him with that harisen she keeps around.
Kaname's eyebrow twitches twice, before she grates out, "Wow! What are the odds you'd be here Mister Sagara!" with poisonous good cheer. "I thought I was just escorting a new transfer student! Today! Alone!"
Sousuke contemplates this before managing, "I thought it would be best to...provide my services as a security consultant. To our visiting dignitary."
Kaname's lips peel back into a rictus grin as emotions riot through her, an evil laugh coming from deep in her gut and/or soul. "Yes! Good! Great! That will definitely leave an /excellent impression!/"
She takes a second and then turns a less manic smile on Tessa. "And you must be the new transfer! Uh, Tessa Testarossa, right?"
<Pose Tracker> Teletha Testarossa has posed.
Tessa Testarossa is just a bit nervous.
On one hand, this was a selfish venture of sorts. Any sort of normal, self-respecting, competent commander wouldn't be in the position she was in: Away from her ship, on territory not unilaterally affiliated with Shuffle/Mithril interests, and with a sole bodyguard rather than at least two, four trained in the shadows, and a backup unit ready to sortie on a moment's notice.
Then again. She was not a normal commander, nor was anything about Mithril 'normal'.
Which was why she was at the school gates in the first place: A selfish reason, a selfless reason, and a reason split down the middle. Leaving the actual articulation aside, Tessa did have a uniform prepared. Prepared...and already slightly stained from a stumble literally two seconds out the door. It was still clean! 99% so.
"Sagara..." Granted, she was kept up to date with the Daily Happenings Of A Bodyguard And His Secret Target, but the force of nature that was Kaname Chidori was still a surprise. No, best to leave that particular supposition of what exactly he did by the wayside. (It didn't take a genius to extrapolate.)
A cough. "Yes. Tessa Testarossa." A bright smile seemingly untainted by anything, delivering a perfect bow to Kaname. "I should save the self-introduction for class, but I'm an exchange student here for a small while. I'm in your care." The words flowed like honey; If nothing else, being a commander did make her speech seem natural!
...If she wasn't nervous as all hell inside. Poor girl.
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
The good news is that Kaname only gets on Sousuke the way she does because of his, you know, ENTIRE personality, so once Kaname has slipped into a friendlier face, she keeps it. She dips her own low bow of greeting for Tessa. "Good to meet you, then, Tessa. I'm Kaname Chidori. We'll be in the same year, so let's get along well, OK?" she says. She does have a pretty smile, when she's not preparing to Galactica Phantom Sousuke entirely out of the franchise.
Turning to walk inside. "They have a whole spiel about the history of the school, but I bet neither of us is that interested, right?" She laughs. "I guess we can check out the sports fields first and look around the school building after! Come on, the track's this way."
Sousuke follows, discretely. Or like, 'discretely,' because he's not on his A-game and it's quite obvious when he's snuck into the bushes.
<Pose Tracker> Teletha Testarossa has posed.
An unyielding smile in the face of an everchanging tide of emotions, Tessa keeping a close eye on Angel. On Kaname. No words needed to be said at that; It was what she was hoping for with this small detour. A pretty smile matched with a pretty smile, one that she kept on (albeit slightly looser) as she followed along.
"I don't think it'd be that necessary...The school already sent a booklet about its history along with what I needed for the coming term." Tarabaman fanart corner included. Following along, her eyes worked on natural instinct; Panning over the school, assessing this and that and wha- ...She didn't have to do that. Not here. Not now.
A singular deep breath while walking along the hallways of the school. Breathe in. Breathe out.
Normal schoolgirl.
"I didn't think that the school was this big...I did read about its history, but it looks much newer than it is. Is it...good here?" A delicate question of both asking about the person and the area in general. Perfect to be a transfer student, especially with how the world was.
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
"Oh, Ren got those pamphlets done already?" Kaname says. "Man, she's a real miracle worker."
The school is....safe? Safe. The campus isn't deserted; there's a few industrious students here ahead of time, finishing up final tasks, or, paradoxically, already prepping for the new term in a few weeks.
Given Japan's...issues, lately, Kaname has a low laugh. "Well...with the situation down south," by which she means the total annexation of the southern half of Japan by Britannia, "I guess everyone's kind of on edge, still. Especially with those Black Knights guys creeping around now. We don't have..." ...She stops.
A bush wiggles, and she glares at it until Sousuke's head emerges.
...
"Well, you don't have to worry about that kinda stuff here," Kaname says like she's changing the subject. That loooong cascade of richly blue hair sways to and fro as she walks, punctuated by the red ribbon bundling it up at the end. Sousuke's exhausted eyes follow it briefly before he shakes his head and disappears back into the underbrush. "We've got a couple weirdos, I mean, you know, any school does, right? The martial arts club's a bunch of meatheads, the rugby club... exists..."
She passes by a little stand with signs declaring fresh bread, and she waves at it as they pass. "We have a student-run store for lunches, too. It's good stuff! Gotta be quick, though, they sell out in a hurry."
<Pose Tracker> Teletha Testarossa has posed.
EYes panned left to right as she walked along, taking in the sights and sounds of a New School Life. The bright, blue sky. The chittering of animals. The low din of an occupied building, something so vaguely familiar yet so far away. Her gut instinct worked despite her best efforts, ascertaining security, knowledge, sightlines, the entire gamut.
"...Sagara must have it hard here..." An instinctual phrase. There's so many wide open areas and places to spy from. Case in point, the man himself showing off one (of the more conspicuous) hiding spots. "...Very hard, I think." A small nod towards Sousuke before moving on.
"I'd think every school would be as lucky to be...unique." In a sense. "I wouldn't say that having people like Sagara is bad." Trotting along, walking along while gazing at the sight of that breadstand. Lines and lines of bread, of sandwiches, of what was to be for lunc-
Paff. Ankle over ankle, tripping on her own two feet and falling on the ground with the grace of a clumsy ballerina who'd never amount to a championship. "GHUWAH-" Granted, she's unhurt. Still. Ow.
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
Kaname does not QUITE have Sousuke's Problem downloaded to the degree that she can spot the signs of similar tendencies in Tessa, but she gets a sense she can't quite pin that the girl is actually quite nervous. Kaname half turns, smile growing in preparation to say something to comfort her, which she will probably decide on in the middle of saying it.
'Sagara must have a hard time here...'
The smile falters. Not to any kind of disappointment, so much as confusion. And then she brings him up again, and now Kaname's intrigured. "Huh," the blue-haired escort says, scratching at the back of her head in thought. "Do you know him, then? I thought he just showed up with you, honestly."
Which is about when Tessa trips. Doesn't look like much; a girl like Kaname, sporty in all ways, just squats down in a closed-knee pose with a grin. "Hey, you OK?" she asks, not unconcerned but not, like, deeply worried, either.
Sousuke, on the other hand, charges out of the bushes with a gun in his hand. "GET DOWN!" he yells. "It might be an enemy attack!! Captain, are you--!?"
As Sousuke gets near, Kaname produces a long, folded paper fan from her student bag so smoothly you'd think it wasn't actually in there, and whirls it into Sousuke's belly with geometric anatomical mastery.
"WhOOF!!!" Sousuke yells, as he flies completely skyward, flips end-over-end, and then lands completely flat on the dirt.
Kaname taps the fan on her shoulder like the coolest anime sword guy alive. "THERE you are!" she yells at him. "I knew you'd show up again sooner or later! What kind of 'enemy' attacks two normal girls walking around school, huh!?"
...wait hold on. She glances down at Tessa, and mutters, "Wait. 'Captain'?"
<Pose Tracker> Teletha Testarossa has posed.
One long second of flushed embarrasment at tripping over herself. She was always a klutz. Bad with land. All she could was pilot that submarine, all that she could ever contribute was being in command and little else and now look at this she's face first on the ground in front of the girl who deserves a normal life unlike her's and and and-
The sudden crash of Sousuke's voice jolted her out. Mind cut off from the formerly impending spiral of self-doubt, she brought her head up, slowly brushing herself off with a small smile of amused embarrasment as...as she watched the comedy routine play out.
...Really, he was better adjusted than his reports seemed to indicate, if this routine display was taking place. The eccentricities popped out, but...But, well.
He looks okay enough to not be concerned. Standing up straight, lightly giggling to herself at the wave of relief that washed over her. Good, he's not being left out like...other people were.
"Captain?" Turning to face the child soldier with the smallest pout, shifting right into explanation mode. "We're the same age, Sagara. There's no need to be so formal when we're here." The smallest of sighs, shaking her head.
"Don't worry about it too much. I take it he's...always like that?"
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
Kaname does not quite get around to helping Tessa stand, but gives her a somewhat reserved grin. Still sussing her out...but, she doesn't become unfriendly, even if she's not sure what walls need to be in place. There it is, that was...like, way not a no, she says, to Tessa's admonition.
Sousuke nearly teleports himself into a seated position, looking a bit beside himself. Kaname knows well that this means he is Off-Center, though she's not entirely sure why. "I couldn't possibly dream of speaking with such informality to an officer!!" like he were about to get stricken by lightning fired directly from the hand of Christ.
Kaname squints at him. "So you're a, uh, coworker of his, huh?" she says, with a cocked eyebrow. "Hah. I guess that explains why the principle got a special request." She taps her fan on her shoulder. "Oh, this? This is...a little much, actually. Sousuke, what's even your deal today? You look like you haven't slept in a year."
Sousuke has stood up by this point and is dusting off his pants. "Ah? There's, ah, there's no problems," he says. "That would be quite impossible, Chidori. Studies show human beings suffer almost-certainly-fatal cognitive impacts after only a few weeks without sleep. Having slept within the last 72 hours, that's not a concern."
<Pose Tracker> Teletha Testarossa has posed.
Tessa had a gut feeling about Kaname. Things she was curious about after the enitre hulabaloo of hijacking, moreso confirmed with every passing moment. This girl wasn't a bad person. This girl wasn't someone who deserved to be trapped due to the circumstances of her birth. She was certain of it.
Feelings aside, she gave an even harder pout to Sousuke, the message of equals in the line of off-duty stuff...semi-apparent. Granted, there was no way that the barriers would crash down so easily, but. "But wwe're not like that right now. Call me Tessa, like any other person would do."
"A coworker?" A simple question. "I think...Yes, that would be the proper term for it. I can't say what else it can be." Yes, she can. But she can't exactly say "Superior Officer" in a school with students nearby. "I've known Sagara for a while. You can depend on him." Such a difference.
"...Sousuke. When was the last time you slept?"
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
Kaname looks aside at Tessa's quiet summary of her relationship to Sousuke, and then to the soldier himself, who is ramrod stiff and beside himself with stress. A soft smile plays on her lips. "Yeah," she says, quietly. "I know."
Sousuke blinks owlishly. The thought of calling her Tessa is like asking him to put his head completely inside of a cinderblock. It is a thing you can't do without breaking!! "I took approximately a standard 5-hour shift between 2 AM and 7 AM on the 23rd, ma'am!!" he yelps.
That's! Several days ago! Kaname gives him a Look. "What! What's keeping a nut like you up for three days!"
Sousuke looks dead ahead because he sort of feels like he's on the parade line right now. "For security reasons, the Captain's presence in the city requires multiple additional daily reports! Additionally, I am required to submit regular updates regarding deployments of the Arbalest, as well as regarding your daily--"
He stops.
Kaname's eyebrow ticks twice and she makes a little impatient tch in the corner of her mouth.
"...events!" Sousuke finishes. "Furthermore, I have been facilitating multiple deals to acquire weapons and equipment ahead of the upcoming cherry blossom season!!"
Kaname groans and flops forward half-bonelesslyu for a moment, before swinging her whole weight around to point her harisen less than a centimeter from Sousuke's nose. "And there it is! Why!?"
He blinks at Kaname like he has no idea why this is the part she's questioning, because he does not.
"Historically, festival periods have proven to be an optimal chance for hostile actors to strike at weakened security," he says, like it's obvious. "They are no cause to lower one's guard."
<Pose Tracker> Teletha Testarossa has posed.
Right. She was semi-aware of Sousuke's activites. Right, the entire incident. She wasn't exactly...out of the events in volved. With thoughts and prayters involved, she'd be in no deeper. Tessa was in tune enough with emotional states to conclude that much, at the very least.
Granted, that same skill of emotional tact was enough to tell that Sousuke was, in fact, experiencing extreme distress. This was part of the point; let no one say that Tessa wasn't thinking of others while ordering them to uncertain doom. "Three days..." She couldn't help but trail off. Truly, something to be admired in a better situation. "As much as I'm happy about the additional reports, you shouldn't push yourself as such outside of what's required. Please take more care of yourself when you can." She sounded. Motherly? Kind of? Admonishing?
That being said, the new deals... "...Is that why you've been requisitioning a few more yen from the accountbook?" Granted. They've all been granted. "...I'll let it slide." Mithril approved it; She can't really protest their usage.
"That being said, I don't think anyone will attack a cultural festival on short notice. If we did know something was going to happen, you'd be notified."
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
"Rest assured, Ma'am," Sousuke says, still a bit stiff but slowly unwinding from Full Parade Rest, "that requisitioned funds are used strictly for Miss Chidori's benefit or for the safehouse."
"Wow, they pay you like nothing, huh?" Kaname says offhandedly, and then glances to Tessa and covers her mouth. "Ah, er, that was...a joke. But you've seen that apartment, come on!"
Sousuke doesn't address that one, instead focusing on the Captain's instructions. "...that is true, Ca--m, ma'am. Your timely intelligence has been a great help to preparing for any possible threat to Miss Chidori or the people here." ... "I. ...will endeavor to sleep properly tonight, then."
Kaname sniffs. "Good! Being tired makes you even crazier than usual!"
<Pose Tracker> Teletha Testarossa has posed.
A small frown on yet another episode of admonishment...Before relaxing and blossoming into a similarly relaxed smile, the gal sighing out as fear after fear was slowly stripped away. "I can say that the reciepts provided are within expected boundaries." Ah, she should be relaxing! Not being cover for Sousuke's shenanigans!
"But. Well...Good." A decisive nod as she kept that smile, walking along to a windowview, gazing out towards the city. "Please sleep properly, Sagara. It won't do well if you don't provide your best efforts while you're here. Think about your sleep schedule properly."
"That being said, Kaname." A hand reached out, a simple offer for a handshake. "I hope to get along with you as well as you do with Sagara. He's a handful, but I think he's in good hands."
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
Sousuke is real good with receipts. Every so often they're from the black market but that's, you know, basically just Best Buy in their business. Calling what he does relaxing would be just fully untrue, but he falls into a posture one might call normal, anyway. "Understood, Ma'am," he says, with a serious nod.
Kaname chuckles and then grins, extending her hand to take Tessa's. "Oh, we'll be just fine, I think," she says, looking Tessa in the eye with her big, friendly smile. "C'mon, then, let's show you the fields! We have a whole pool you know!"