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 Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2005 12:36 am
As Shiori walked towards the main office, her eyes lingered on the familiar yet elegant architecture of the Ohtori Campus. It gladdened her heart that roses were blooming everywhere and still more were carved into the stones or pillar of the building decoratively.
The school shoes which she wore made a soft clicking sound on the pavement and it came to a sudden halt when a very tall (almost a head and more taller than herself!) stood up from the pavement to talk to her.Ryuuno Haruka "Good day, ma'am." He smiled politely, bowing his head slightly. "My name is Alexander-Chistian DuLac. Could I perhaps help you with those?"
"Why, thank you." Shiori replied, her smile never leaving her face. "My name is Takatsuki Shiori." She paused and tilted her head to look into his eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't really catch you name. It sounds foreign. And I'm not really good with foreign languages." She smiled sheepishly. "So where are you from?"
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Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2005 9:50 am
[ Message temporarily off-line ]
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Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2005 3:16 pm
Reaching out, the young fencer took her bag gently from her, the muscles of his forearms rippling slightly as he brought it closer to himself. He had noticed the startled look that flashed across her face when he had suddenly stood. A reaction that was entirely understandable when one considered the fact he stood a whole head and shoulders than most in Japan. She couldn't have expected him to be so tall when he had been crouched on the pavement earlier since most weren't. opalsnow "Why, thank you." Shiori replied, her smile never leaving her face. "My name is Takatsuki Shiori." She paused and tilted her head to look into his eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't really catch you name. It sounds foreign. And I'm not really good with foreign languages." She smiled sheepishly. "So where are you from?" "I apologize. I'm DuLac Alexander-Christian, Takatsuki-san." he said, giving her a friendly smile while bowing slightly again. It had taken him a while to pick it up and now he did it habitually. Without much of a pause he continued. "I came here from France to learn and fence but my hometown is in America." With a name like his paired with his French/American accent most presumed he was from Europe somewhere so questions like hers were fairly common when he first met people. It was also absolutely no suprise that she had missed his name. When spoken with a proper Japanese accent his name got entirely mangled - mostly because there was no "Du", "R" or "L" sound in the language - so he spoke it with his normal one.
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Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2005 7:14 pm
"DuLac-san." Shiori pronounced the words slowly then turned to smile at at Christian as if seeking his approval to the way she had just pronounced it. "Thank you so much for helping me out."
Shiori began walking beside Christian. She found herself having to take faster and more steps to keep up with is long strides.
"Fencing..." Shiori whispered to herself with a slight tinge of nostalgia in her voice. Once again, Shiori found herself tilting her head all the way back to look at Christian. "So, you mentioned fencing. I used to have a very close friend who's the best in fencing." Shiori couldn't keep the pride from her voice. Maybe, just maybe, having such a powerful friend as Juri was something to be proud of. "I'm going to sign up for fencing classes in Ohtori too."And I will beat Juri in it. I will be as good as her. No, I will be better than her. She didn't add those words of course. Instead, her face was arranged in a pleasant smile, completely concealing her inner thoughts.
Soon, the main office loomed in front of them. "Can you wait here for five minutes? I'll be real quick!" Shiori said without asking Christian if he had anything better to do other than waiting on her. Pushing open the wooden oak door, Shiori gave her name at the receptionist and got all the papers she needed. She stuffed them all into her bag without really looking at them except to make sure the location of her dorm.
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Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2005 12:08 pm
Touga watched as his fellow council member would go over to the rose garden. Deciding he had nothing pressing to do - certainly no summons from Ends of the World, and he never attended his classes - he simply leaned back against a pillar and waited for his friends return. A bemused chuckle was his immediate response to Saionji's question, and there was a languid shrug of his shoulders. "Do I need a reason to be anywhere, Kyoichi?" He asked of the Kendo Club captain before a slow sigh would be released. Touga was careful about revealing his emotions to the broad populace, and though he knew deep down he cared for his friend on some level, he also knew that if it were something he needed to do, he would betray the green-haired man. But he knew, at least, that Saionji would never do such a thing to him. He had his own character faults, but keeping a secret was one thing he was quite strong at... almost as much as Touga. "This school is my playground... there's not a single place I cannot go or anything I can't get away with. And yet I find myself completely bored out as of late..."
A slow smile would come to Chigusa's lips as she noticed the girl's nervousness around her, then listened to the conversation between the two girls quietly. An eyebrow would lift slowly as she heard yet another duelling challenge being offered and accepted. "Getting yourself rather busy for your first day, aren't you?" She accused gently, in a careful manner... not to make the girl feel bad, just pointing the fact out... that and she wondered about this girl. The last time a girl had come to this school and made a challenge to a duellist... well, she wasn't going into that.
But as she oberserved the new girl, she casually put an arm over her fellow Order member's shoulders. It was meant to make the girl blush once more, but Chigusa privately knew the moment the girl began to look outright uncomfortable with her actions, she would cease immediately and put between them a dstance that the girl might feel better about.
After changing into a practice uniform in the girl's locker room and shoving the remainder of her things into a locker, Yuna headed out the the batting cages with the equipment she would need. After flipping a switch that would make the ball machine start humming to life, she took a hair band from her pocket and quickly put her thick, wavy red hair back into a ponytail before placing her batter's helmet onto her head and picking up a bat. A single button press would set the machine to launching balls at her and soon the otherwise silent area was filled with the solid cracking noise of a bat making full contact with the baseball before it sailed out, was caught in a net and rolled down toward the center of the funnel-like area where the machines sat, sending the ball back into the area where all the machines drew their supply from. By the time this happened, she was already making contact with the next ball.
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Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2005 12:47 pm
The younger girl smiled gently and nodded her head to Beatrix, happy she had accepted to duel with her. When Chigusa teased her a bit she just laughed, a light tune that drifted through the air on the wind. She tilted her head a bit as she smiled at the pretty blue haired fencer, her own hair falling like a curtain. "Better to wear out than to rust. The both of you seem to be fine fencers and I did come here to learn. It is said that Ohtori Academy has some of the finest fencers in the world, some are even better than the pros."
It was clear that the pale girl was not offended at all by Chigusa's comment as she had immediately spoken up with a quote from Bishop Cumberland. "I only hope that I can provide some sort of challenge to the two of you, I would want it to at least be worth your time. I know there's much I could learn from the both of you." Her smile was sincere and her words rang true. Rina had returned to Japan in hopes of training with Ohtori's illustrious and world reknowned fencers.
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Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2005 5:04 pm
opalsnow "DuLac-san." Shiori pronounced the words slowly then turned to smile at at Christian as if seeking his approval to the way she had just pronounced it. "Thank you so much for helping me out." "It is my pleasure." He smiled at her, turning as she caught up to him and continued walking. Noting that she was having to hurry slightly to keep up with his longer strides, Alexander-Christian conciously took shorter and slower steps. He disliked walking that way because it made him seem like a lumbering brute. Or at least it did to him. For time in his life he had started disliking being so tall after a few months in Japan. Everyone here was so much shorter than him which forced both him and whomever he was having a conversation with to crane their necks or when they walked together he and whomever he was walking with had to adjust their pace. Forcing others to change was not something he was rather fond of, nor was he fond of changing his own way of doing things. opalsnow "Fencing..." Shiori whispered to herself with a slight tinge of nostalgia in her voice. Once again, Shiori found herself tilting her head all the way back to look at Christian. "So, you mentioned fencing. I used to have a very close friend who's the best in fencing." Shiori couldn't keep the pride from her voice. Maybe, just maybe, having such a powerful friend as Juri was something to be proud of. "I'm going to sign up for fencing classes in Ohtori too." "Oh, do you?" He asked politely in an attempt to generate conversation. "I shall look forward to seeing you at the fencing club, Takatsuki-san." For a moment the young fencer considered asking her what weapon she would like to learn before dismissing it. Given her wording he figured she was a beginner then chances were she would start off with epee. If she wasn't then she probably wouldn't have mentioned signing up for classes, instead she probably would have mentioned joining in the practice sessions that the club held. opalsnow Soon, the main office loomed in front of them. "Can you wait here for five minutes? I'll be real quick!" Shiori said without asking Christian if he had anything better to do other than waiting on her. "Of course, Takatsuki-san." He nodded, smiling slightly and shifting the luggage so that he was holding it with both hands in front of himself. Alexander-Christian was already skipping class and was confident no one would take his things, so he had no where he really had to be. He always liked meeting new people, especially the females. Most of the females on campus were fixated on the student council president. Although arrogant, the sabeur knew he couldn't compete against Touga and made no attempt to. Instead he tended to ambush the new ones to help them, hoping that the image of the helpful and polite Alexander-Christian would be the one they remembered and fixated on rather than the pretty boy. At the very least he got the satisfaction of being helpful or a new friend.
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Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2005 5:31 pm
As the song came to a close, Anshii opened her eyes. Her fingers had blindly touched the keys of the piano, producing the beautiful melody, however, her mind was clear now, and there were things she felt that needed to be attended to.
"Are you ready , Chu Chu...?" she asked as she slowly stood up. Opening her eyes and raising her head, she gave a soft smile to the rodent infront of her, He simply gave a nod as he puffed up his chest, and straightened his tie, a sign saying that he was ready for any thing.
With a soft smile, Anshii bent over and repacked her things, holding her bag, she began to walk out of the dusty room, Chu chu now sitting on her shoulder.
Exiting the room, she gave one last look at the piano, it was no longer important to her now, infact, like other things, it had just been used by her, perhaps to buy time for something. Aimlessly, she walked into the halls of Ohtori Acadamy, with no real destination to be off to.
She walked, and walked, and walked. Students snickering as she walked by, some even insulting her in her face. With a placid smile, she greetd them as if she were oblivious to their insults. She managed to reach one of the better known halls, the one adjacent from the rose garden. Stopping she looked out the window noticing Touga and Saionji infront of it. Narrowing her eyes into a soft gaze, She stood still, continuiously watching them.
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Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2005 9:26 pm
Coming out of the office, Shiori quickly walked up to Christian and reached out her hands for her other bag. "I'm sorry I left you out here for so long." She had her head bowed and she was quick to apologize for her mistake. "I shall be able to proceed to my dorm without your help. It's way on the East side so I do not wish to bother you so." Although those words came out of her mouth sounding absolutely sincere, she wished that Christian would offer to help her out of his own free will.
She had on one of her most beguiling smile on her lips. "I do owe you one though, DuLac-san. Maybe I can meet you in the caffe after I packed all the things in my dorm. Say, around six? The drinks on me." Of course, she was rather hoping for him to offer to help her pack as well. Which girl on campus wouldn't want a tall, handsome foreign fencer to do that as well?
But she cannot compromise on her image of being the 'nice' girl. "Oh, do tell me you're free. You do not have any classes or anything like that do you?" She at least, was free for today, since she'd only just arrived. He, on the other hand, couldn't be new here. After all, did she just saw him tending to some flowers or shrubs by the sidewalk just now?
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Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2005 11:19 am
[ Message temporarily off-line ]
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Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2005 1:48 pm
In an unused classroom, Victoria Winters was currently conducting a chess club meeting. As the current president and champion, she was quietly watching over the preceedings as the paired up members of the somewhat small club played against each other on polished used chess boards that had been set up on empty desks. Moving a stubborn strand of platinum blonde hair behind her ear, Victoria's dark eyes roamed the class room, taking in the various games and analysing them all simultaneously. The younger member, Makiko Sayotomi, seemed to be having a bit of trouble at the moment against an upperclassman named Kira Satoshi. She moved over to stand behind them, and in her soft, yet very clear voice, she offered a bit of advice to the younger girl:
"Sayotomi-san, next time you are having difficulty removing an opponents defense, why not try to answer in this situation with your Queen taking King Rook Pawn. Your opponent would most likely reply with his Queen taking your Bishop, and then you would counter with your Queen taking his Queen. This sets the stage for many later moves..."
Victoria glanced at the clock in the room, and then spoke out a bit more loudly to the entire club. "Our club has ended for the day. Please carefully pack up the boards and store them in the cabinets. Remember that next week we will be having a mock tournament. Untill that time, please practice diligently."
The entire class of players stood as one and bowed, and then shuffled about to complete their tasks. Once everyone had finished and exited the room, Tori took her time getting her school bag, sketch case, and fencing sword case, and left the room herself.
She decided to make her way in the direction of the cafeteria, in hopes of purchasing a small snack, and maybe doing a bit of sketching. She ghosted down the quiet hallways, and out onto the Ohtori grounds.
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Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2005 2:25 pm
Beatrix nodded, "Then it's settled! Just wait until we get to fencing practice. If Juri's drills don't wear you out, we'll have a match after class." She laughed lightly and smiled with friendly competition. In that moment Beatrix felt a weight drape across her shoulders and she tensed up. She knew without even looking at it was Chigusa. Her cheeks faintly tinted red again. With Chigusa being so close to her, she could taste the scent of her perfume and hair when she breathed in. She closed her eyes lightly and took a short moment to pause before exhaling. Her tension released and her shoulders eased up to Chigusa's touch. Beatrix wished she was being held in the other girls arms but something had kicked up inside her, like a whirlwind of emotion - it was making her feel sick and nervous. She had wanted to enjoy the moment but something inside was raging, forcing her to stop. She fought with her inner feelings and it showed by her uncomfortable shifting and shuffling.
"Ah, uh... I ... I was just about to head over to the fencing hall to drop off my stuff" Beatrix motioned to her equipment bag that she held in her left hand. "Are you guys headed off to any place in particular?"
+++
"I get that all the time, they probably just chickened out." Juri said with a slight laugh though she knew this was most likely not the real reason. It was Juri who scared off the students, not Miki, even she knew this. Miki was a very approachable person and was well liked by the fencing students and many on campus. She straightened out and her tone became more serious. "With the start of the new year they must have gotten sidetracked, but for waisting your time I'll be sure to make them the practice dummy for next lesson." She smirked and watched Miki gather his things and put them away. "Ah yes, I did come here looking for you. I wondered if you knew how many new students would be signing up for the team this year?" Juri knew fencing was an extremely popular sport at Ohtori and wanted at least a ballpark figure so she could determine how to successfully run her lessons. She had also wondered about funding for this year and since she hadn't gotten any information or been briefed, she wondered if Miki had any idea. "If you're off to find Touga, I guess I'll tag along" she said very nonchalantly, "I haven't seen Touga or Saionji lately, and had just planned to wander around the grounds anyway." Juri shrugged and leaned against the wall "If you wanted to change first, I'll wait here for you."
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Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2005 2:40 pm
The petite girl pushed a lock of hair behind her ear and smiled to Beatrix. "I look forward to it Miss Beatrix." That was true also, Rina was quite looking forward to having a match with the other girl. Having ever only fenced with those from Europe, the green haired girl had no clue how well anyone from Ohtori fenced, and she planned to find that out rather quickly. It would be imperative to her training to fence with many of these people, and besides that, she really wanted to make friends this year, friends that wouldn't abandon her at the first sign of a cute boy.
As Chigusa laid her arm across the shorter girls shoulders her face changed ever so slightly, noticing Beatrix's discomfort. Pointing it out would only make it worse and so she stayed quiet about it, watching her shift a bit uncomfortably. "Oh, I was lookin for the fencing hall. I'd be very appreciative it you could let me tag along."
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Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2005 4:56 pm
"It's quite alright. I didn't mind waiting." The fencer said, still holding onto her bag.
It simply wouldn't do to make the girl walk across campus with her bags by herself. That would be entirelly impolite, especially since he had the time and didn't mind the trip. Shifting the handle of her bag to one hand, Alexander-Christian silently offered to take her other with his now free hand.
"Actually, if you don't mind, I'd like to accompany you. I'm sure I can be of some service to you." Pausing, he grinned. "Even if it's just as a bell hop to carry your bags for you, Takatsuki-san. Then after that we can go for coffee?"
For the moment he decided to leave it at that. As it was she probably didn't want a strange male to help her unpack and head into her dorm room with her. Shiori had absolutely nothing to fear as the young fencer wouldn't be anything less than gentlemanly - a fact well known amongst some of the newer students that he had helped. He intended nothing other than to be helpful, polite and friendly until she gave him some signal that anything otherwise would be welcome.
Her next question, however gave him an idea. The only thing he had planned was to cook that night for himself any anyone else who didn't mind having foreign food. Today he had a classic French meal planned out. He had baked the bread and tart early that morning and prepared everything that could sit around for several hours without needing attention. Compared to a traditional meal his menu was fairly simple; a mozzerella and tomato crepe followed by the infamous onion soup and a beef bourginon then ended with a pear tart.
It couldn't hurt to invite the girl to share his meal. After all she was new and the best way to make friends was over a good meal. Of course, a good home cooked meal with friendly faces was always a good thing. Alexander-Christian had used it to chase away the homesickness of a few of his younger friends.
"Oh, no. I'm quite free since my classes are over. Free until later this evening because I'm cooking tonight, that is. Would you care to join me?" The young fencer inquired in a friendly tone before telling her the menu he had planned out.
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Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2005 8:59 pm
Ryuuno Haruka "It's quite alright. I didn't mind waiting." The fencer said, still holding onto her bag. Quote: "Actually, if you don't mind, I'd like to accompany you. I'm sure I can be of some service to you." Pausing, he grinned. "Even if it's just as a bell hop to carry your bags for you, Takatsuki-san. Then after that we can go for coffee?" Quote: "Oh, no. I'm quite free since my classes are over. Free until later this evening because I'm cooking tonight, that is. Would you care to join me?" The young fencer inquired in a friendly tone before telling her the menu he had planned out.
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