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Posts: 5846
Member Since: 05/19/06
09/05/15 02:13 AM
Posts: 12403
Member Since: 02/17/05
09/05/15 10:00 AM
09/06/15 08:18 AM
Before Haruna left at the end of first period, she advised us that she needed to see the class reps in the faculty office during lunch break. So, rather than join our friends on the roof, in what was starting to become known amongst the rest of the student body as ‘The Junior Student Council’, Naru and I promptly arrived at the faculty office.To our surprise, Kaname and Kubiak were there, as well as four other students we didn’t know. The first two were a rather severe looking pair. The boy had a sharp looking face with aviator-style bifocals and his hair lightened to a warm-brown color. The girl, on the other hand, had no eye glasses and chest length hair that was somewhat untidy, but otherwise in her native jet-black color. Her features were softer, but it was her expression that made her seem as severe as her male counterpart. I picked up a vibe from these two that I should tread carefully.The other two seemed much more friendly. The boy was typical - solidly built with carelessly trimmed black hair, but he seemed friendly and had a aire of dependability. The girl that was with him, though, was ridiculously tiny. I almost mistook her for a grade schooler, save that she was wearing the school’s uniform with a first-year’s neckerchief. Her hair was lightened to a rich Mahogany color that was almost red. It was cut into a tomboyish bob, except for two chest-length locks that streamed from either side of her head. The two most striking things were her eyes and her passenger. Her eyes were a piercing deep-sea-blue, and her passenger was a brilliantly colored Angel.This tiny slip of a girl was a Dues.“Hey guys. You know anything about all this?” I asked.“Oh, Zee-kun!” said Kaname, greeting me with a smile. “Not a thing. Kubi-kun?”Kubiak simply shrugged. Oddly enough, I think the fabric of space warped to give him room to do it.And people call me weird.I then looked to the strangers and decided to try the friendly approach.“Morning folks. I’m Ezekiel Darkwood, male rep for Class 1-C,” I said with a proper bow. “My friend is Naru Osaka, my female counterpart.”“Nice to make your acquaintance,” said the glasses wearing boy. “I’m Yoshito Kikuchi, male rep for Class 1-N. This is my female counterpart, Miyabi Aizawa.”The dark-haired girl gave us all a disinterested side-long look and replied, “Hnn.”Right. I now know who not to bother trying to socialize with.“Good morning!” chirped the tiny girl, who suddenly seemed pleased to have met some friendly faces. “I’m Misaki Suzuhara, and I’m the female rep for Class 1-D. We’re Neighbors! Oh, and this is our male rep, Kotaru Kobayashi.”As the boy gave us a nervous smile and handwave, Miskai’s name suddenly clicked in my mind.“Hold the phone! You’re THAT Misaki? Three-time Japan National Champion of Angelic Layer Misaki Suzuhara?”Even Miyabi took interest at this. “Well well then. So we have ourselves a bonafied celebrity.”Misaki positively fluoresced on the spot.“I... don’t like to brag.”The Angel on her should suddenly sighed. “Of course you don’t. I keep telling you, you’re too much of a wallflower! You should be proud of yourself - you may be small, but you’re beautiful!”Everyone was silent at that pronouncement as we all focused in on the Angel.“Eh-heh,” replied the Angel sheepishly. “I’m Hikaru, Misaki’s Angel. But you all knew that. I apologize for my outburst, but Misaki’s mother installed an app that makes me encourage her when she’s acting too shy.”Suddenly, the homeroom teacher for Class 1-M, Eri Kagurazaka, stuck her head out the door and smiled cheerfully upon seeing us all present.“Oh wonderful! You’re all here already. Please, come inside.” And then she disappeared back into the staff room.I looked to the others and shrugged. “Well, here we go.”We went inside, and found a somewhat crowded space of open cubicles packed with binders, books, and paperwork. At a table at the end of the room, Haruna Sakurada and Eri Kagurazaka sat together with two other teachers and waved us all over.“Hey everyone!” started Haruna-sensei. “I’m sorry to bother you all during lunch, but we all felt it was best to let you all know as soon as possible. But first, some introductions since you may not know all of us. I’m Haruna Sakurada, homeroom teacher for class 1-C. Of course, some of you may have met my good friend, Eri Kagurazaka, who teaches homeroom in class 1-M.“Over here we have two new teachers that just joined us this year: Azusa Fuyutsuki of class 1-D - you may have seen her around - and Eikichi Onizuka, who teaches homeroom in class 1-N.”The two new teachers stood and bowed to us - that was rare!Onizuka looked like a rough-around-the-edges kind of guy, with his bleach-blonde hair and tough-guy looks. I got the impression that I should be wary of him, but otherwise he seemed like someone I could count on when it really mattered.Fuyutsuki, on the otherhand... if there was a Japanese version of ‘The Girl Next Door’, then Fuyutsuki owned it, lock, stock and barrel. She had a sweet, almost heart-shaped face with sporty, yet very feminine shoulder-length hair. This lady was a serious go-getter and a sweet-heart all at once, I could tell.“Yo,” said Onizuka-sensei.“I hope we worked well together,” said Fuyutsuki-sensei.Respective of their students, I would say that these teachers had been paired of very well.That introduction out of the way, we moved on fairly quickly.“I’m glad that all of you were so timely in getting here,” went on Sakurada-sensei. “Because we have big news and we’re gonna need you guys all to move on it pretty quickly.”Fuyutsuki-sensei nodded her head vigorously. “You see, our classes have been authorized to take a trip to Okinawa during winter break! It’s gonna be Christmas in Paradise!”“HEEEE-EEEEEHHHHH!” we all cried out in excitement - myself included!“Winter break in Okinawa!? That’s so COOL!” said Naru excitedly. “Oh, I wonder if I’ll get to make some Winter memories with a cute boy!”“Hoi, hoi!” said Haruna-sensei with a glare. “The only ‘memories’ you’re thinking of had better be suitable for a family audience!” We all broke out into nervous laughter while poor Naru-chan positively radiated embarrassment.I made a mental note to watch myself around Rei. The very idea of her in a swimsuit... the Senshi Seifukus were bad enough!“At any rate, Miss Chidori?” said Kagurazakas-sensei.“Yes?” answered the blue-haired girl.“It shows in your student record that you were in charge of the class trip at your previous school last year. Do you feel up to helping the other class reps out since it’s their first time?”“Not a problem at all, Sensei,” said Kaname with a smile.“Wonderful!” said Haruna happily. She then handed us all sheafs of papers. “That’s all the information the two of you need to get started. If you have any questions at all, feel free to ask us. Now go on, then! You know what to do.”
Posts: 555
Member Since: 12/22/12
09/06/15 08:39 AM
09/06/15 11:58 PM
09/08/15 08:42 PM
09/13/15 02:08 AM
09/20/15 07:15 AM
I glanced sharply at the boys in question. "She can hear you ass holes, you know?"The girl flinched and the boys all gaped at me in shock."Hoi, who the hell do you-""IDIOT!" snapped one of the other boys as he grabbed his friend's arm. "Don't you know who that is? That Ezekiel-fucking-Darkwood from Class 1-C! Even if he doesn't rip our throats out, then his girlfriends will do the same for him!""Yeah," I agreed. "I like to come to places like this so I can have a bit of my own life to myself. No hassles. No girlfriends. No monsters trying to end the goddamn world. Just me enjoying a nice hamburger and fries, nice and quietly. Except ass holes like you gotta come up here and make fun of this poor girl. And that is just plain unconscionable to me." I then looked to the girl, who was staring at me with wide eyes and a horrible rictus of duck-lips frozen on her face and emitting a faint sound that vaguely resembled a tea kettle's whistle. There was something painfully familiar about this situation - memories of a hard-bitten childhood, ostracized and bullied..."Come here. I want to help you."Timidly, the girl jerkily stepped towards me and I had her sit down."Now, relax your face, please." The girl gave me a ridiculously wide-eyed look and began to hyperventilate. Before she could pass out, I reached over and held her nose. "Alright. Instead, how about some slow and deep breaths first?"The girl nodded shakily and got her breathing under control once I let go of her nose. Fortunately, this meant that her face actually relaxed and I could actually get a look at her. Surprisingly enough, she seemed like she was actually pretty cute, if not for the hideous bags under her eyes. I quickly scanned the other girls present and singled out the one that was wearing the most makeup."You there, sister. Let me borrow your makeup kit."Startled into surprise by my sudden request, the girl nervelessly got out the box of makeup she had - which was, as I suspected, an impressive array - and handed it to me with limp-wristed hands."Now, hold still while I do this. It's gonna tickle a little, but not too bad."The girl held still for me, and after a moment one of the girls got up the courage to ask, "Excuse me, Darkwood-san? How do you know how to do this?"I sighed at that and looked to the girl that asked. She had an earnestly curious look on her face, so I decided to answer as I continued to apply makeup."Bullies back in America don't care much about whether or not they leave marks," I said. "And that can be even more troublesome when your home-life is already precarious. Sometimes social services gets the wrong idea about your situation and they think that maybe your guardians are abusing or neglecting you. When I was younger we'd already had one close call. It was bad enough I lost my parents. I didn't want to lose what little family I had left. And so, I learned to cover up the bruises on my face with make up." I then finished up with the girl's face, and then held up a mirrorThe girl across from me gasped sharply in surprise. "I'm... pretty!?"I nodded. "You always were. You just needed a little help. Eye shadow and eye liner to help blend out those bags under your eyes, and a few other touches to help bring out the best features of your face. I know of a nice cosmetics shop where you can get a good deal, and I can show you how to apply the makeup.""But.... why?" she asked faintly as she stared at me with worry and trepidation."Because, like I was saying... once upon a time, I was just like you. What is your name?""To.... Tomoko... Tomoko ku-Kuroki"
09/20/15 11:56 AM
09/20/15 03:30 PM
10/01/15 06:54 PM
10/01/15 07:04 PM
I'd do more here, but my battery is about to die. So, thoughts?
10/03/15 11:36 PM
10/04/15 02:59 AM
10/04/15 10:25 AM
10/04/15 06:22 PM
robkelk wrote:There we go - all nice and started off... and I see Tessa gets to show her resolve. Nicely done. That scene leads me into a bit of speculation: What would the ladies in Zeke's life think of the "Tenchi Solution"? (It's obvious you're going in that direction, even if you hadn't already mentioned ideas along those lines.) Rei ... I'm having trouble figuring out how she'd likely react. In canon manga, she didn't like men at all for reasons you've already mentioned in the story; in canon anime, she dated Mamoru for a while but gave him up to Usagi. In this story, the Red String of Fate is tied between Rei and Zeke, and she knows it. How much manga characterization are you using, and how much anime characterization? Is this Rei the sort who doesn't like sharing what is hers, or is she the sort who would be willing to let someone else warm her man's bed? Magic 8-Ball says "Reply hazy; ask again." Deimos has already said flat-out that she's willing to share, and be the subordinate mate - but that was when the relationship looked to be a threesome. On the other hand, she did perform a divination, so she may already know better than the others what's going to happen; that depends on how her question was framed. I think she's the most likely of the group (including Zeke) to embrace a group marriage. Tessa made her feelings quite clear in this chapter. Intellectually, I can see her being willing to share. Emotionally ... she might insist on being senior wife, which she can't be. (Rei, as a direct descendant of Yosho, is the only one who could be accepted politically by Jurai as the senior wife.) There may be some acrimony in the household because of this - but not very much. Lum is a "pampered princess," accustomed to getting her own way - which Zeke won't let her have. Of the four (so far), Lum is the most likely to reject a group marriage ... unless she gets some character development (in the "emotional growth" sense, not the "telling a story" sense). (And are you brave enough to add Shoko Asami to the circle? She might make a good fit; she's accustomed to dealing with the conflicting needs and desires of her close family members. But would she want to join, and would Zeke want to make the offer? "Reply hazy; ask again.")
10/04/15 08:08 PM
10/05/15 06:38 PM
03/13/16 05:43 AM
That night when I got back to the shrine, Rei simply charged out at me and wrapped me up in her arms. I simply let myself melt in her warmth, happy to have come back to something that felt safe and familiar.The fact that the press was conspicuously absent probably helped - Teletha’s PR people were on the ball.“They told me everything,” she whispered in my ear. “So I won’t bother you. It’s time for you to rest.”I nodded, knowing that she’d more feel the movement than see it. With no words, she led me up the stairs and sent me off to bed with a hug and a kiss on my cheek.##The sphere was blindingly bright and crackled with such barely contained force that it felt like I wast standing in front of a massive bottle of pure malevolence, waiting for just the right excuse to burst free from its container and turn everything into free-floating atoms.But if I looked carefully, I could see how it was contained in a Gordion knot of channels and flows, turning in and out of itself and writhing like a nest of mating serpents.For a moment though, despite the chaos, it seemed all so clear....And then I woke up.I spent a few precious seconds getting my bearings and then I scrambled for my writing desk, practically tearing all my careful organization to pieces to find something to write on and with.Frantically I tried to sketch out what I had seen.... What had I seen?The vision had faded, leaving me with a sketch of some lumpy, spherical object. It wasn’t right at all - all I had was the vague outline of the thing. I had no real clue what I had there. Besides the general shape, the most memorable things about it were the heat and light it gave off.Wait... Heat and light? It was a fusion reactor! But why... oh you cheeky bastard! It was Raven. It had to be. Only he would give me infuriatingly vague clues about how to replicate the plasma lance he’d puppet me into using on Urzu Squadron.I felt that maybe I should go to Teletha’s people about this, but I wasn’t too sure about that - all I had was the vaguest idea, and even if some of the greatest advancements were started by vague ideas, it was better I did more research first.“Zeke?” came Rei’s voice from behind my shoji. “I heard a bunch of noise just a moment ago. Are you okay in there?”I sighed as her voice brought me back to reality.“Yeah, I’m okay. Just a weird dream. You can come in if you want to - I’m decent.”The shoji slid open and Rei, still wearing her pajamas, came in and gave the mess I’d made of my desk a searching look.“What the hell happened?” she finally said at length.“The Old Bird is messing with me again,” I said as I tapped the side of my head and held out the sketch with my other hand.“What is it?” she asked as she took the paper.“Near as I can figure? Some kind of fusion reaction. Probably the same one I used before.”“Huh. You think he wants you to learn how to do it yourself?”“I know he wants me to learn to do it myself. Trick is he’s being tight-lipped about how to do it.”“Why? Can’t he just show you?”“Sure, but from his perspective it’s more fun to watch me beat my head against the wall while I try to figure it out for myself.”Rei snorted. “Figures.”“What time is it anyhow?” I asked. I looked around sheepishly and explained, “I think I broke my alarm clock.”Rei rolled her eyes. “Last I checked it was already past eight.” I was about to say something about that when she stopped me with a fingertip to my lips. “We all felt you needed to sleep in after the day - hell, after the WEEK you’ve had. And I’m starting to feel it, too. In case you never noticed, Kaname and those MITHRIL people decided to stay the night again. Something about killing two birds with one stone.”“Jeeze,” I groaned, palming my face. “I am so sorry, Rei. I swear the first opportunity I get I’m gonna get my own place so you don’t have to deal with this crap.”Rei shook her head. “Forget about it. If I’m gonna be with you I better learn to get used to it.”I sighed and gave Rei a hug. “What did I do to deserve you?”“Everything,” she replied with false archness.
03/13/16 10:55 AM
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