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An Unexpected Ally; Sayako Morinaga's Introduction [Closed]
Topic Started: Jan 20 2016, 08:12 PM (874 Views)
The One True Nobody
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"...does this clockwork hand follow you... or guide you?"
Her cousin had greeted her at the train station. The older green-haired woman, whose style of dress was fairly outlandish and whose hair, tendrils of bright green hanging over her face, and long ponytail trailing down her back, drew attention to her from every direction. This was not an unusual sight, for Sayako Morinaga; her cousin, Teruko Muraki, was a spy and trained killer for their family, but Sayako didn't know enough about her family's dealings to know it even utilized spies or trained killers. Teruko spent most of her days gathering information on and sometimes dispatching the Sadako family's Yakuza rivals, but Sayako didn't know enough about their Sadako cousins to know that the Yakuza was even part of the equation.

Perhaps that was why her method of resistance had been less... drastic than Etsuko Sadako's. But Sayako didn't know enough to know about Etsuko, either.

The elevator door opened. Calm and quiet as a midsummer afternoon, Sayako stepped out, her luggage rolling along behind her. Teruko, who was hauling a second bag-on-wheels, followed suit. "And here we are," Teruko said cheerfully. Sayako smiled softly and looked her way, politely acknowledging her cousin. "Your home away from home. Remember, Saya, don't invite your boy-toy-to-be over alone unless you're damn sure he can keep it in his pants. It's, like... the only rule about this move, besides 'do good in school' and stuff."

Sayako laughed softly, tilting her head to one side. "Oh, so you're not going to mention the other rule? 'No other boys, save yourself for Matsuzaki-san?'" she said. Teruko snorted and just said:

"I know you better than to think that's necessary. You'd be pure as the driven snow for the rest of your life if your dad hadn't promised you to someone."

"I probably would be, at that!" Sayako giggled, holding out a hand to take the second load of luggage off her cousin's hands. Good-natured, unruffled by Teruko's backhanded compliment. Sayako had made a lifestyle out of not reacting poorly to relatives she didn't like.

Teruko considered her hand for a moment, and then shrugged, rolling the luggage around so that the pull-out handle was within Sayako's reach. Sayako took it, and as their hands brushed against each other, Sayako was stricken by the stark contrast between them, in spite of their familial bond. It even came down to their skin. Sayako's was a notably golden tone, and she was proud of her skin, but Teruko was very fair, almost pale, as if her skin, despite being exposed by her short shorts, refused to soak up any sunlight after eight o' clock in the morning on principle. Even their hair and eyes were different... Teruko's hair was brighter, more eye-catching, along with her eyes. Sayako's eyes were deep, dark green like a thick forest canopy, viewed from below, and her hair was so dark as to be almost black, the green tint only visible under certain lighting.

And that wasn't even getting into how different their personalities were. If Teruko found out about Sayako's book addictions, she'd probably have laughed her ass off.

"I can find my way to the room from here," Sayako said. "I'm sure you have work to do. Father said you'd be training some students in this city, is that right?"

Teruko's smile became a little fixed. "Training some students. Yeah," she said. "They're real... tough nuts to crack, I'll say that." The woman faltered for a few moments: at that instant, Sayako was quite sure that Teruko was lying to her, she'd come to learn all the telltale signs in the process of learning how to hide them. But she kept her face fixed and waited to see what Teruko would say next, since it was clear she was about to ask a question.

"Something strange is going on in this town," Teruko said at last. "And I'm having trouble figuring out what. You'll come and tell me if you hear anything--unusual... right?"

Sayako blinked, honestly thrown-off by this question. From the way Teruko had hesitated, she'd been expecting something a touch more personal. "Of course," she said automatically. "But I can't say I know where to start looking!"

"You don't have to look, that's my job," Teruko said, a little bit testily, then opened her mouth, closed it again, looking momentarily startled by her own words. The look was swiftly hidden. Sayako pretended not to notice the slip, but what could it mean, she wondered? Was Teruko here for some other reason than training her martial arts students?

The woman smiled, and pulled the younger girl into a hug. "Take care, Saya," said Teruko. "Your room should be just down the hall behind me... room seven-two-five."

"Seven-two-five, I remember," Sayako said, keeping hold of her luggage but fidgeting just slight so that it looked like she wanted to return the gesture. "I'll see you when I see you, cousin. Good luck with your students."

---

The door snapped shut behind her, and as always, with that visual barrier between her and the rest of the world, it felt like a great weight had been lifted off of Sayako's back. Her smile instantly became more genuine and relaxed, and she let the two luggage bags fall to the floor with a loud thump. She leaned with her back against the door, and let out a small laugh.

"Freedom..." she said aloud. "I'm finally... away."

She looked around the room. It had already been stocked with furniture by her parents' paid movers, arranged in a very traditional-Japan sort of way: no couch. Tatami mats around a table. Sayako even had a suspicion that when she made her way to the bedroom, she'd find a futon bedroll in place of a bed. Her first order of business would be to stock this room with some more comfortable furniture, and a television. Maybe (she thought, with a short, exhilarated gasp to herself) a videogame console! She couldn't very well invite friends over and expect them to spend the whole time on their knees drinking tea, could she?

But before she did that, she needed to do some small-scale shopping. She had books she wanted to buy, and there was a certain store she'd looked up on the Internet before getting on the train that she wanted to look into. If she was lucky, they would have what she wanted in stock...

---

They did! They did have it in stock!

Sayako Morinaga, the green sheen of her dark hair glinting in the sunlight that filtered in through one of the Tanjiro Shopping Center's many sunroofs, hugged the bag to her chest as she left the foreign-import video store at the backmost corner of the shopping center, skipping with every three steps. They had them! Oh, she'd been looking forward to this. She'd been looking forward to this a lot. Sayako knew that these movies were useless on their own--she would need a Blu-Ray player, and one that could play American-region discs at that. Unfortunately the video store had sold their last one just an hour before and wouldn't be getting a restock in some time, but Sayako had waited years for this--she could be patient for a little while longer. Or perhaps she would import an American PlayStation 4... that would do for a Blu-Ray player, yes indeed...

She looked around as she skipped through the mall, wondering where the nearest electronics store might be. She had just enough room on her credit card for a good television and maybe that videogame-console-plus-Blu-Ray-player. She wouldn't be able to buy any games, not yet, but that was fine. But the television she could get now, and she also needed to stop by the bookshop... almost undoubtedly, they'd have an English-language section with her favorite two novel series in stock... she could surely afford at least a few of them now... couldn't she?

It had to be English, of course; it just wouldn't be the same otherwise.

Something caught the girl's foot: she glanced down reflexively as she tried to catch her feet, noting that someone had left a half-closed CAUTION! WET FLOOR sign on the perfectly-dry floor in her path, outside of the restroom. She let out a short, startled "Ah!" and although she managed not to trip and fall, the bag and all of its contents spilled out of her arms and onto the floor. "Damn!" she whispered frantically, deftly diving down to retrieve the Blu-Rays, still sealed, that she'd bought from the shop:

English-language versions of the extended The Lord of the Rings motion picture trilogy, in American packaging, and a British-packaged box set of all seven-point-five Harry Potter films. Each a Blu-Ray, and each bearing a bright orange price tag sticker on its outer plastic wrapping on which a considerably high price in yen was hand-written (and in the case of The Lord of the Rings, a sticker on top of a sticker from when the price had changed).

"If I broke one of these right after buying, ooooh..." Sayako mumbled hectically to herself, scrambling to stuff the first box set into her bag. Well, if she'd done that? What was the common way of saying it? Oh yes: that would suck.

How vulgar, referencing fellatio over everyday annoyances, Sayako thought, for about the hundredth time since turning fifteen and learning what fellatio was.
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Nonsequitur
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Yellow Bubblegum
Yuki needed a few things: He needed to get a steamed bun because he was hungry. He needed to actually get a cellphone. Even if it was one of those dinky pre-paid ones that still blew a considerable chunk of his savings.

But more than steamed pork dumplings in his stomach and some means of actually communicating with others, he needed to get the hell out of his house for a while lest he be overwhelmed by the total influx of half of his family tree deciding to stop by at once.

He stopped as a boxed set of blu-rays came to a stop after skidding against his shoe his left hand was in his jacket's pocket, the other one held his prize from the food court.

"You dropped something." He picked up the box and followed the trajectory and the sound of frustrated swears, ready to offer the girl that dropped it her item back before he even got a good look at her.
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The One True Nobody
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"...does this clockwork hand follow you... or guide you?"
She'd retrieved the Harry Potter box and stuffed it in her bag--the greater weight of the set must have kept it from tumbling off too far. She looked around quickly for the other, but it wasn't in her immediate vicinity... had it slid underneath one of the nearby benches, or--?

A male voice spoke and Sayako froze, then she looked up. The short-haired boy holding the other of her two boxed sets out to her was reasonably handsome, and Sayako was at least genre-savvy enough to know that some girls would see this as a fateful meeting... and that some guys would see this as an opportunity to get to know an attractive young lady.

Sayako knew, of course, that she was beautiful; she had no illusions about that, no particular vanity about it but she also felt no need to lampshade it with coy modesty, either. Her looks were something she prided herself on and felt were truly her own, and though her aesthetic choices were simple, she was aware that as she stood up, even this casual skirt-and-blouse complimented her figure well enough that men were prone to glancing down, and even this subtle application of make-up elevated her already pretty face to the level of outright-idealized Japanese beauty.

Not prone to getting hooked on every vaguely handsome face she was surprised by, though, Sayako didn't hesitate or miss a beat even as these thoughts flitted across her mind, unconscious knowledge that had brought itself closer to her awareness so that she could make the appropriate social adjustments. She smiled, and accepted the box as soon as it was offered.

"Thank you," she said. "I'd have spent some time looking for that one if you hadn't happened along. Might I know the name of my poor Blu-Ray's gallant rescuer?"

A tease, not flirtatious, but clearly joking, her lips twitching up still further and her green eyes sparkling with humor. Of course, if he took that the wrong way, she'd have to dial that kind of thing back when he was around--far, far back. But hopefully this rather... emotionless-looking boy had... a sense of... humor?

...

Looking at him now, he really did not look like someone with a sense of humor.
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Nonsequitur
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Yellow Bubblegum
Somewhere, behind mirthless eyes and a somber, stony-faced look. Yuki did indeed have a sense of humor. He laughed at Tony Danza He hadn't much use for it, not lately. But it still wasn't so out of use that he'd not get a joke when it was told around him.

A pretty girl with a nice smile and a sense of humor. Before he would have been just as excited by that chance prospect as most other guys his age. But…life happened. As it was, the detail of 'A pretty girl smiles at you mirthfully' might as well have been another line in an old adventure game.

If anything, he felt a bit uncomfortable. He never was good at friendly small talk but it seemed somehow rude not to keep up the idle banter for a moment. Alas, it wasn't in him. He'd surrender and settle for just giving his name.

"Yuki Harada."

She accepted the box and…he didn't understand a single character of that. It was English, right? Yuki was something of a poor student and that was easily his weakest subject. The girl with the dark hair was into that?

…well that was her business, and none of Yukis, wasn't it?

"Doubtful a fall like that would damage them, it should be fine."
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The One True Nobody
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"...does this clockwork hand follow you... or guide you?"
Oh, too bad, he was the awkward type. If it hadn't struck her as such a cruel option in light of her own arranged engagement, Sayako might have teased him a little and tried to get more of a reaction out of him with some mild flirtation. But she didn't want to risk ultimately hurting someone with that kind of behavior--didn't want to risk hurting anyone--so she refrained from entertaining the impulse. She noticed his lack of recognition as he looked at the Blu-Ray cover, and felt a slight twinge of giddiness at the opportunity to finally, openly share her love for Tolkien's work with another human being!

So much more fun than hiding it under the futon like a dirty magazine or a vibrator or something!

"Harada-san, then," she said, slipping the movie set into her bag. "My name is Sayako. Sayako Morinaga. I just moved here from the country, and I'm a little overwhelmed. The first thing I had to do was see if I could find the movies based on my favorite books, though!"

She held up the transparent plastic bag, through which the front cover of the movie he'd handed her could still be seen. It bore the image of a large golden hoop with fire-like fantasy writing around the outside as its only major cover image.

"I don't suppose you've read it?" she asked. "It's an English novel trilogy, of course, but of course it's been released in Japanese! The Lord of the Rings is a classic among fantasy adventure stories, which is probably why everyone and their mother has borrowed something from it, ha! If you haven't read it, surely you've heard of Dungeons & Dragons...?"
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Nonsequitur
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Yellow Bubblegum
Ah, he'd must have ran into something she was really passionate about. That was…a thing.

The icon of the golden ring didn't mean terribly much to him. Given his limited ability with the language it wasn't as though he'd delved deep enough into Western Cannon nor what was hot and new to pick up the reference instantly.

"Hmm? I suppose a bit." Oh, yeah, right. With elves and wizards and stuff. He responded in a way that was improper. That is to say he answered her second question before the first. "Afraid I don't read much in general, Morinaga-san. My English is horrible, last thing I read was Suikoden

Though still, as he answered, he was a bit puzzled. Just what kind of strange sort of boonies didn't have DVDs but taught people fluent English?

Some boarding school, he supposed.
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The One True Nobody
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"...does this clockwork hand follow you... or guide you?"
Oh. Well, he didn't seem that interested. He was being nice about it, but Sayako wasn't so oblivious that she couldn't tell when someone didn't want to hear more about whatever was being talked about--it was a feeling she could relate to when it came to half her gods-damned family tree. Still, it was nice of him not to be rude about it. Her energy deflated a bit, and she moved to hold the bag to her chest again.

"Ah, well," she said. "I hope you'll give it a try sometime. In any case, thank you for stopping to help me. You wouldn't happen to know where I can find a television, would you? My... dear father and dearest mother furnished my apartment with furniture but don't seem to have deemed entertainment a vital aspect of my new life here."

Sayako shook her head, looking rueful.

"They never approved of any of us watching television or anything of the like," she said with a slight sigh. "But they decided I was ready to live on my own, so I believe that translates to 'ready to make my own lifestyle choices,' wouldn't you say? But as I've never owned one before, I'm not really sure what a good one to buy would be..."

Sayako, realizing this dilemma only at that precise moment, tilted her head up and frowned at the skylight. Well, she mused, there would probably be a salesperson around to ask, if she could count on such a person to be honest and not just to direct her to the most expensive television they could get away with.
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Supnitle
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Monika Apologist

There was apparently an entire plague of Haradas in Nagashima, which was much more than Mai had been expecting to interact with, which was one: Asuka. When she'd gone to follow her step-sister that day, Mai hadn't expected to run into a sudden swath of extended family members. They all seemed nice enough, of course, (well a few of them actually seemed a little rude, but Mai liked to think that it was just her own nervousness from meeting them for the first time) but it was a little exhausting being around so many 'interesting' characters at once. After that day at the dojo, Mai had been happy to go home and rest.

She hadn't seen any of her extended family since then, and was assuming it would be a normal, non-Harada-filled day at the shopping center when she woke up earlier today. Fate had already dictated otherwise, however, as she caught a glimpse of Yuki in the shopping center, just standing around. Mai smiled - the Harada density in Nagashima was apparently so high that she couldn't go anywhere without running into one. The strings of politeness tugged her towards him, as she worked up a smile. "Hello, Yuki-san! We met a few days ago, I'm Mai, your step... uh..."

Actually, what was their relationship? He was her step-mom's son, right? Step-siblings?

Before Mai could finish her statement, she noticed that Yuki appeared to be talking to a pretty young woman. Mai blinked, paused, and then blushed, bringing a hand up to her mouth in embarrassment. "Oh. Um. Am I interrupting something? I'm sorry."
Edited by Supnitle, Jan 20 2016, 11:20 PM.
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Ket
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"Mmmm..." Momoko stared hard at her phone as she walked. She'd sent four texts in a row. Was that too much? Machi normally didn't mind but it had been so long. Perhaps it was annoying her? Well maybe just one more wouldn't hurt. Maybe?

Momoko had been having a hard time paying attention as of late. The blond haired girl had bumped into six people in the past hour alone, but she was QUITE busy texting Machi. Or at least, she HAD been. No response for awhile now! Maybe Machi had gotten bored? Or She'd been texting her too much?

"MMmmm." Awww she'd never used to be this hesitant when it came to her dealing with Machi! Sure it had been months since they'd talked but...things shouldn't be any different right?

Right?

As she walked, Momoko brought her hand up and lightly bit on her nail. What exactly should sh-

"AHHH!" Naturally, due to her inability to tear her eyes away from the screen, Momoko failed to notice the sign laying haphazardly on its side. She wasn't ready in the slightest as her foot caught hard against it. She staggered, but was unable to catch herself.

As she fell, both of her hands shot out. Sadly, that also meant her phone was sent careening from said hands. It bounced sharply against the floor and slid nicely face down between Sayako and Yuki. Momoko on the other hand crashed hard against the ground and simply lay there for a few moments.

With a small whimper, Momoko began to push herself into a sitting position. She sniffled lightly, but seemed more concerned with looking at the ground around her than getting up or even wiping away potential tears that may or may not have been rolling down her cheeks. "Wh-wh-wh..." Where was it?

Glad you have your priorities straight.
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Nonsequitur
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Yellow Bubblegum
"I actually just came from an electronics store. I'd just get an LED that wouldn't be too large for your place." Just something it was relatively hard to go wrong with. Though something stood out when Sayako said she wanted to buy a TV though she already had bought the films on disc.

…was she really just a big enough kid to buy them on impulse and get the rest later? It was--

A question that wasn't going to get investigated too closely that day. Because soon after he asked it of himself, a familiar voice called out to him and approached.

Yes, Mai Takagawa, right? Asuka's step-sister and one of the people who came along to the dojo the other day. She seemed cheerful and friendly. Almost to a fault. He was hoping for some breathing room from the rest of his extended family for a while and technically he still had it, as Mai wasn't actually his sister.

She was, however, jumping to a few conclusions about him conversing with a girl. "Takagawa-san, I just met her." He was perhaps a bit too cold towards her last time, but…it was hard not to be that way with a cascade of everything at once. He was in a place and a mindset to properly treat her, at least. That would start with introductions, yes?
"This is Sayako Morinaga, by the way."

Quite enthused about English books.

At about the same time, the sign claimed another victim. This time he could only watch as the rather dramatic trip and fall befell the little blonde, and her phone wound up sliding between them.

Without so much as a beat passing, he turned to the two. "One moment, please."

His first move was to pick up the fallen phone. After that he approached the sniffling girl and handed it to her. "You're not hurt, are you? Watch where you're going in the future." He crammed the remainder of his half-eaten bun in his mouth and put the wrapper in his pocket. With both hands freed, he grasped the girl by either shoulder and picked her up too.

Over excited people and floor signage was apparently a recipe for disaster.
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