260/Office Hours -- Miho
From Radiant Heart MUSH
| Office Hours -- Miho | |
|---|---|
| Date of Scene: | 16 August 2023 |
| Location: | Administrative Office |
| Synopsis: | Miho meets Kyouka, which turns out to be to talk about the events of The Dangers Of Falling In Love. |
| Cast of Characters: | Miho Aiuchi, Kyouka Inai |
- Miho Aiuchi has posed:
The Aiuchi siblings, Miho (14) and Kurumi (10). They moved to Tokyo a year ago with their mother after their parents divorced, and an unspecified potential was detected in both, leading to an invitation to Radiant Heart Academy.
And then, less than two weeks ago, Miho found herself in a Witch's Labyrinth. (She probably came close to the school at some point where Kyouka would have noticed, in one of her myriad random walks that led her to the Witch in the first place.)
In more mundane news, Miho came out as transgender over the summer break, and arrangements have been made so that she could attend school as a girl full-time once summer vacation ends. She isn't completely sure why she's being called to the guidance counselor's office about this, and she's already dreading the conversation. Despite wearing a skirt now and a jade bangle around her left wrist, she's still looking fairly androgynous, and she's only just begun to grow her hair out. She fights back against her anxiety about a million different things that could be going wrong here, takes a deep breath, fixes her glasses, and knocks on Kyouka's door.
- Kyouka Inai has posed:
"Come in," Kyouka calls out from inside her office, and when the door opens, Miho will find her seated at her desk, the padded office chair reclined slightly on its swivel so she can sit half-sideways alongside the desk, one leg crossed over the other. When Miho enters, she gives a lopsided, friendly smile, sitting up a bit straighter. "Ah, Aiuchi-san, was it? Come in, have a seat."
She gestures to the two padded armchairs set facing her desk in the office, uncrossing her legs so she can face forward and rest her elbows on the desk as well. "This won't take long, just a formality really," A gesture to the side with her hand, as if there's nothing of import and Miho will be able to be on her way soon.
- Miho Aiuchi has posed:
"Ah, thank you, Inai-sensei," says Miho, and her voice is scratchy, but already androgynous; her anxiety would certainly have been on file. (Yet, somehow, she'd had a better time than her sister adjusting to a school as big as the Academy.)
She sits down, and does her best to look Kyouka in the eye. 'Listen to her tone, it doesn't sound like bad news!' she tells herself. "So, um. Not, uh ... news that I'd, I'd, want to, uh ... take your self-defense classes to fight against?" she says dryly. Left unsaid: 'I hope?'
- Kyouka Inai has posed:
Kyouka snorts in amusement, "No, but I did want to talk to you about that.." She says, with a shrug of her shoulders. "Still, first I should probably tell you that you've been approved to attend the school as a girl starting after break." She smiles. "Not really my wheelhouse, like I have nothing to do with that decision, but it's been made and I'm the one who gets to tell you so, congrats."
She leans forward slightly on the desk. "The real reason I asked you here though, is because it's come to my attention that you've recently had a..." She glances to one side, quirking her lips as she searches for a diplomatic way to say it, "unusual encounter. Some weird and spooky stuff, am I right?"
- Miho Aiuchi has posed:
Miho fiddles with her bangle as Kyouka speaks, and she practically wilts with relief. "Okay," she says. "Great! Um, thank you!" She practically tries to bow in her seat.
And then she jumps at Kyouka's next words, which probably confirm them.
Quick, what to say, what to say ... and then she remembers that oh right there was an official cover story. "Oh. Uh. There was this weird ... happenstance ... over in Adachi," she says. "By the, uh, by the Sumida River?" (There were reports in the news of odd disappearances, apparent suicides by drowning, and other such things that had "Witch's Kiss" written all over them.) "Me and ... Kaname M-Madoka-san ... sort of ... caught the, the tail end of things." She laughs nervously. "I got, uh ... so frazzled I kind of yelled at Kaname-san's ..." She's visibly struggling to pick out the most innocuous way to describe Kyubey, especially the way she seems to be trying to look at Kyouka's face for a reaction. "... cat ... kind of thing." Beat. "I should apologize at some point."
- Kyouka Inai has posed:
Kyouka just looks vaugely amused, both by the seat-bowing and then the subsequent fumbling for explanations about a thing which is totally not actually what happened. She waits politely until Miho has finished, then leans back slightly in her chair and clears her throat. "Well, the thing is, Aiuchi-san, that I know perfectly well that what you encountered was a Witch Labyrinth. I'm acquainted with Kaname-san as well, you see, and my job here at the school is rather.. specialized."
She raises both brows, her ash-grey eyes studying the girl in the chair. "I think, if you're the type who is going to be running into things like that, and especially if you're the type who remembers it afterwards... it would probably be a good idea for you to attend my self-defense classes." A more lopsided grin. "I can't exactly teach you how to kill a Witch. Not without magic of your own. But I can certainly help you learn how to survive any.. further difficulties."
- Miho Aiuchi has posed:
Miho actually snorts, and starts to relax in her seat. "Oh. Well, uh, if you're just gonna ... c-come out and say it and stuff." She shrugs. "I, uh ... hm. Y-yeah, Kyubey-san ... also mentioned that. That the, the fact that I could see him was unusual, kind of thing." She frowns. "... I guess that explains the invitations me and my sister got ..."
She sits back heavily. "Y'know what, if ... if, if other stuff doesn't work out, um ... I just might have to take you up on that. Or I mean even if 'other stuff' does work out, I guess." She shakes her head. "Uh I mean either way!" She's still looking a bit cagey, but she's holding back less now. "I definitely want to fight Witches. To ... be ... less helpless, honestly. But. Uh. E-every little bit helps and stuff."
- Kyouka Inai has posed:
Kyouka nods her head. "Yeah, if you got personalized invites, that means somebody somewhere knows you're 'special'. In the magic way. It's not me, for the record... I just work here. But this is my job." She pauses, then adds, "Also, don't trust Kyubey. Just, as an aside? It's not worth it, whatever you might think."
She smirks, but not in a mean way, more in a 'oh boy, you have no idea' kinda way. "Kid, nobody wants to fight Witches. Trust me on that one." A dramatic shudder. "Creepiest things this side of the Dusk Zone. But knowing how to survive them is something anybody will find useful, sooner or later. Just the way it is, I'm afraid."
She nods her head at 'every little bit helps'. "It does. That's why I run those classes. I want to make sure that everybody has the knowledge to live through an encounter like that.. or with any other kind of baddie. Even if you can't win, you can get away to fight another day. People sometimes undervalue that, but it's important."
- Miho Aiuchi has posed:
Miho looks a bit surprised at the warning about Kyubey. "... huh. Okay," she says. "That ..." She glances off to one side. "The specific thing I yelled at him was 'no', but, uh ... yeah. I'll, I'll keep that in mind. Don't even know what kind of wish I'd want, either," she adds under her breath.
She grimaces. "I dunno what a 'Dusk Zone' is, but yeah," she says. "... Guess I'll find out. Uh, so ... do I just show up at the self-defense stuff, or ...?"
- Kyouka Inai has posed:
"You're free to make your own choices." Kyouka says, with a shrug of her shoulders. "Just a word of advice from someone who's been around the block a few times." She winks, then opens the top drawer of her desk, rummaging around for a few moments.
When she pulls her hand back, she has one of her business cards in her grasp. It has her name and office phone number on the front, over the embossed logo of Radiant Heart Academy. She flips it over, and writes on the back "Wednesday 3:30pm, Sports Pavilion", then passes the card over to Miho. "That's your official invitation. But yeah, just show up." She grins. "It's even an official class, so you get PE credit."
- Miho Aiuchi has posed:
Miho nods. "Okay!" she says, accepting the card. "I'll, I'll do my best. To ... figure my stuff out."
(This decision to figure her stuff out on her own will prove to be part of the problem, in the coming months.)
She sighs softly, then smiles up at Kyouka. "Anyway, um. Yeah. Thank you!" she says. "Is, um, is there anything else, and stuff?"
- Kyouka Inai has posed:
Kyouka seems to consider, but then she shakes her head. "No, those were the important things." She says, with a smile. "You've got your permission to attend school as a girl, and you've got an official invite to self-defense class. I think that about covers it for today."
She leans back in her chair again, crossing her legs and half-turning to glance out the window. "Enjoy the rest of summer break. And try not to wander into any more Labyrinths. At least until I have a chance to teach you a few tricks." She grins.
- Miho Aiuchi has posed:
Miho gets up. "Okay," she says. "Um, thank you!" She smiles. "I'll, I'll see you there! ... the, the next chance I get." She laughs nervously. (One of the things Miho has historically had a problem with is taking the initiative towards something that requires meeting or communicating with other people.) "Okay, um, g-goodbye, then!"
