[OPEN] haven't you noticed

[sealeted]

Who: Hakuno and other hard-working Heroes
When: 7/05—8/05
Where: Caissa, Petrosian
What: Hakuno performs hard labor for hard cash. Edit: This also doubles as an overflow post for any Ball/Festival threads that people might want to continue.
Rating: Probably general, will modify as necessary


i. fly angry

Shoot shoot shoot...

[Is she talking to herself, or the jammed tranquilizing gun in her hand? Well, really, it shouldn't matter. What matters, in the moment, is the bulging mail-bag bouncing on her hip as she bolts down the streets and side-streets and the trio of gryphons swooping after her. She skids and bolts around a corner, nearly falling, and ducks inside the nearest coffee shop for sanctuary. She quickly gets away from any windows and flops into an empty seat, offering a tired smile to the wide-eyed waitress as she smoothes down her hair.]

Sorry. Mail delivery is a bit more serious than it used to be, these days.



ii. a good day's labor

[Hakuno is, perhaps, a little too excited for such a normal, banal chore. She's even humming as she bends to weed her plot of land, gently shooing away the squirrel-like creatures that occasionally crop up and try to nibble at the bucket of roughage. Francis Xavier's sweet, pleading gaze is far more effective, so she doesn't pay them any more heed than it takes to send them skittering off.

She pauses after she clears her first patch, retightens her ponytail, and hefts up the bucket to go toss it with the rest of the weeds. Once that's done, she stretches and glances around]

Now, where exactly do I grab those seeds...?



iii. day at the museum

[Hakuno is fascinated. She's buried in a stack of books, eagerly drinking in the recorded history of Gammon. Whatever her feelings about Ryder might be, his country sounds beautiful. There are some tourism pamphlets she's managed to scrounge up, and the elderly librarian agreed to talk to her about his honeymoon to Gammon when he takes his lunch break.]

Such a huge clock... I wish there was a bigger picture of it.


iv. before the stroke of midnight

[Hakuno had a top-level for the party-log here if you wanted to continue anything!]

Comments

3

[fuhrinkaed]

[There's a short, fluffy-haired girl wandering by. She's in a hero uniform, wearing a familiar pair of glasses as she rushes on by with another stack of books.]

[She pauses to look over at Hakuno as she's reading, and then decides to set her books down and have a seat right nearby.]

Heya, Hakuno! I think we're working on the same thing... want some help?

[sealeted]

...?

[Hakuno tilts her head to one side, eyeing this new face uncertainly. Is this another one of those strange semi-dream aftermath situations?]

I'm sorry, have we met?

[fuhrinkaed]

Yep! [She pulls a book over and cracks it open.]

It's Ed. I uh--had a little accident in the dungeon and now, bam, I'm stuck looking like this.

[sealeted]

Ah.

[Hakuno processes that.]

So, before all... this, how did Susan take your apology?

2

[hiryugaeshi]

[ A twisted headband around his forehead, a white T-shirt soaked through with perspiration, and a thick band around his waist. That is the attire Kojirou has obtained for this day's farm work and it's very Carnival Phantasm. He has traded the Laundry Pole for a hoe that's currently resting over his shoulder as he looks over his handiwork, rather satisfied with the digging he's done so far. ]

Hard labour truly has a beauty of its own.

[ He nods rather dramatically, wiping sweat off his chin with the back of his free hand before turning to Hakuno. ]

If you're looking for seeds, they should be kept in the barn.

[sealeted]

Ah, thank you.

[It would be alice to say that her eyes don't catch on his body, but it's a brief thing. She's not one to stand and ogle when there's actual work to be done, so she smiles, nods her head in thanks, and starts heading for the barn.]

Want me to grab you some water or something, while I'm at it?

[hiryugaeshi]

[ Water is nice. How can anyone complain about water? ]

I would gratefully accept, but I'm heading in the same direction myself, so I can get it by myself.

[ So feel free to keep ogling or something. ]

[sealeted]

Then I guess the only thing I can offer you is some company on the way.

[Strangely, despite the fact she was somehow bold enough to kiss him on the cheek just a few days before, there isn't any lingering awkwardness. She hefts the weed-bucket up in her arms a little more securely.]

How long have you been at it?

3

[retains]

[The museum is fascinating, and Lavi is glad that he decided to stop by. The couple of library books he's got tucked under one arm with tourism pamphlets of his own stuck in them like bookmarks are safely out of reach of the paper bag of fish and chips he's carrying around in his other hand.

He hears what Hakuno says, and stops, tilting his head at her.] Hm? Oh-- hey, you learning about Gammon too?

[sealeted]

Mm?

[Hakuno blinks, leaning back to look at... whoever started talking to her. She offers a small, polite smile and a nod.]

Oh, yes. For the job, but honestly this is all really interesting. Are you supposed to be eating greasy food around the books like that?

[retains]

That's my thinkin' too. I'd study up on this stuff for free, but it'll be nice to earn some money for my efforts.

[He hefts the bag of food and waves it around, like that explains everything.] S'fine, cause they're not touching. I'm a professional; there's gonna be no fish 'n chips evidence anywhere. That'd be pretty terrible of me.

[sealeted]

Well, it's more the exhibit designing we're getting paid for, I think. But this is certainly a fun way to prepare.

[She eyes him, a touch dubious despite his confidence.]

Uh...huh. And, when you have to turn pages and your fingers are all slippery?

I

[showsnopiety]

[Caren raises her eyebrows as Hakuno flies in, and skids right to her table. She'd been having a relaxing espresso on break, with her traq gun by her side and...

there she was. Her eyebrows raise to the bulging bag, before flicking her gaze over to Hakuno.]

Something of that sort. I haven't been delivering myself.

[But shooting big things down is rather soothing, even if the protesters are rather bothersome. Caren takes another slow sip of her drink before setting it down.]

Why are you not using your gun?

[sealeted]

Hello Caren.

[Hakuno nods her head in a belated greeting, flushing slightly in embarrassment at her... less than poised entrance, now that she realizes somebody that she personally knows witnessed it.]

Well, it decided to jam on me the third time I found myself with some persistent parents-to-be.

[She holds it up helplessly.]

I'm... well, I'm not going back out until I figure out how to fix it.

[showsnopiety]

Hello Hakuno.

[She raises her eyebrow slightly. Not very poised, looked like she was running from something...yeah, someone is in trouble. Caren makes a small, amused sound, and holds up her hand.]

Let me see. I can not promise anything, but you can hold mine in the meantime.

[sealeted]

Thank you.

[Hakuno quickly passes over the gun, her eyes lighting up a bit.]

Honestly, anything would help at this point. I don't actually know much about guns, nonlethal or otherwise.

[quaria]

[ continued from here! ]

[ Aah, performances huh... Setsuna isn't really sure if he's interested or not. He's not too excited about them, it didn't matter if it was romantic or not. But on the other hand, it might be worth seeing. He might learn a thing or two, especially considering the nature of this world. Even something like a myth is suddenly relevant... It's unbelievable, but it's reality.

Though, Setsuna's thoughts are momentarily distracted after feeling the fluctuation from Hakuno's mana. It seems that this topic is sensitive for her, so he needs to be careful with what he says. ... For some reason, the memory of her frightened state back at the trains resurfaces in his mind. And altogether, he pauses from eating.

Hakuno's been through a lot, too. Yet... there's so little that he can do for her. But Setsuna doesn't want her to carry that mood in a place like this. He understands that she wanted to enjoy it, considering how she regarded this party as something dazzling. It's good that some of her lighter mana seems to have returned, though he didn't want to risk it. What should he do to really cheer her up? ]

Do you want to look together? After dinner.

[ What else... Ah, right. She was also interested in this earlier— ]

Before that... Would you like to dance?

[sealeted]

[That previous dip in her enthusiasm serves as a stark contrast at the way she absolutely lights up, inside and out, when he makes that offer. Her mana is practically shimmering, like the sea at high noon, eager and upbeat as though the self-inflicted moment of bitter nostalgia had never even happened. Outwardly, a bright smile spreads over her face as she nods.]

Yeah!

[She reigns it in, a bit.]

I mean, yes. Both of those sound great. Thank you.

[quaria]

[ Ah... Setsuna didn't know that Hakuno would enthusiastically beam at him like this. She really wanted to go, huh? And to dance. He can't help but feel his cheeks slightly burn from the unexpectedly effective results, though he's relieved as well. Once again, his mask helps obscure his embarrassment.

He shakes his head a little. ]

It is... nothing.

[ He neatly sets down his eating utensils for a moment, then stands up ahead. He properly leaves his chair first before offering his hand out to her. If they're going to dance then, they should do it before finishing their heavy meals. They'll be too full to do it later on. And when everything is done, they can slowly walk it off at the festival. ]

In that case... May I have this dance? [ A light pause and a blink, then continues. He knows his manners well enough: ] My lady.

Jae-ha

[sealeted]

[Continued from here!]

Well, it's fairly simple, isn't it? Back and forth, side to side...

[It's soothing. But his offer perks her right up.]

Really? If you don't mind me taking up more of your time, I would love that!

[flirtations]

That’s the basic gist. But we can add some fun little details too, like this.

[ He takes her hand and directs it upward, directing her into a broad, swift spin, catching her when her momentum slows and dipping her slightly. He leans down close enough that their foreheads nearly touch, his smile growing even brighter. ]

Not at all! I like having such an enthusiastic pupil.

[sealeted]

[She laughs at the sudden spin and dip, sweet and soft and bright. He's close enough to see the way her eyes are glittering behind the mask, like a child at an amusement park.]

I'm lucky to have such a versatile teacher.

2

[suzinkazan]

[Someone else isn't nearly as happy.

Indeed, she nearly looks like she's dying. She was never exactly the physical sort, even with almost two months of training since she arrived. Her face is almost as red as her hair, and she's drenched - fortunately, it seems to be water, rather than sweat.

She's carrying two buckets full of water, all the way from that well.]

Why is it so hooooot. [That comes out very high pitched, like air escaping a balloon.]

[sealeted]

Because... it's summer?

[Sorry, Susan, Hakuno isn't as sympathetic as she could be.]

[suzinkazan]

This feels like it's especially hot even for summer. I should have worn the swimsuit.

[She's almost as red as her hair.]

Are you used to this? You seem almost chipper.