49/A Chance Meeting

A Chance Meeting
Date of Scene:	09 July 2023
Location:	Penguin Park
Synopsis:	Ikiko meets Tori... but how many people *are* sitting on this bench?
Cast of Characters:	Ikiko Hisakata, Tori Morte

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Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
It's early evening in Penguin Park, late enough for people to start thinking about dinner but still early enough to postpone it in favor of enjoying the warm weather. Ikiko Hisakata had spent the earlier part of the afternoon visiting some stray dogs elsewhere in Pikarigaoaka to give them a small meal, and now she is walking near the pond, enjoying the slight breeze and the shade of the cherry trees.

"Still wish I had had more time after the club meeting this morning," she sighs to herself as she glances at her reflection in the water. The RHA uniform she's wearing is certainly comfy, and it's definitely made of durable fabric, but it's not what she prefers to wear when visiting her various canine friends.

Tori Morte has posed:
    A younger girl in a Radiant Heart Academy uniform is also in the park, sitting on a bench. She has long black hair, which a single headband is doing a valiant job of keeping out of her face as she looks down to read a book she has resting on her lap.

    For whatever reason, the book is shifted to the side, resting mostly on one leg, as if she's letting someone sitting next to her read from the page. But, of course, there's nobody sitting next to her.

    Now and then the girl digs into her pocket to pull out her phone, seemingly looking something up before continuing to read.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Seeing a schoolmate reading in the park normally wouldn't give Ikiko any pause; she'd just say 'hi' in passing, or even just wave if it was an older student deeply focused on their book. But this combo of 'book to one side' and 'checking stuff on her phone' has her intrigued.

Heading towards the reading girl, Ikiko's first thought is to sit near her and glance at the book... but as she approaches, she gets a firm sense of Please Do Not Sit Here from that side of the bench. Her eyes widen a bit, but the sensation feels polite and not particularly ominous.

Well, whatever it is, might as well respect its request, at least for now.

Circling towards the other side of the bench, Ikiko clears her throat slightly to make her presence know. "Hi! Wha'cha reading?" she inquires to the younger girl.

Tori Morte has posed:
    The younger girl jumps a bit in surprise at the cough, her head snapping up quickly. She pouts a shoots a look at... whatever presence is to her left, then smiles up at Ikiko. "Oh, um, hello, senpai! It's just a... um, I'm reading a fantasy novel. Some of the kanji is a bit too advanced for me but it's Sayo's favourite book and she hasn't gotten to read it in ages, so..."

    She scoots to the side, freeing up more space on her right for Ikiko to sit down if she wants to.

    "You, um, are my senpai right? That's the right word?" The girl has a bit of an accent - clearly, she's not Japanese. Of course, she looks like a westerner so that's not a hard conclusion to draw. "Oh! Um, I'm Victoria. But most people call me Tori, eheh~"

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko's eyes flick over to where Tori glanced; still nothing there -- or at least, nothing visible there -- but respecting the unseen is generally a good policy, and one Ikiko usually follows.

"Ikiko Hisakata, grade 5," the older girl smiles at Tori. "I think I saw you the other day heading towards one of the grade 4 classrooms? So, yeah, I'm your senpai... but I'm pretty casual about that; you don't have to call me senpai unless we're in a more formal situation."

Tilting her head slightly to get a better view of the book, Ikiko adds, "So, what story are you reading? Fantasy is a fun genre -- and sometimes, surprisingly informative as well!"

Tori Morte has posed:
    "Um, yes! I'm in grade four, should I..." she trails off. "<Should I be introducing myself by saying what year I'm in?>" she asks herself - in English. She then seems to realise something, and smiles apologetically. "O-oh, sorry, still not... really used to living in Japan yet." Her Japanese is really good for someone who isn't used to living in Japan, really.

    "So! Um, right, this is a story about a boy living in a modern day setting who turns out to be the heir to the throne of a medieval fantasy kingdom that's, like, neighbouring the country he was raised in? Like, the fantasy kingdom radiates magic but most of the world doesn't have it, or something like that, they haven't really explained it yet!"

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
"Ooo, that sounds neat!" Ikiko grins. "Is the fantasy kingdom hidden behind an underexplored mountain range, or is it some sort of parallel dimension that has portals or the like to the country he grew up in?" Not a story she immediately recognizes from the description, but the meeting of different worlds (even from the same planet!) is still one of her favorite plot developments.

Softening her smile a bit for encouragement, the older girl remarks, "Oh, and your Japanese is really good; asides from the accent, people just listening to you wouldn't be able to tell that you're not from here!"

Tori Morte has posed:
    The younger girl's cheeks go slightly pink and she looks down at her lap. "Um, th-thank you. Sayo's been helping me a lot. I'm still not super good at reading, but I'm trying to get better."

    She looks up again. "Oh, uh, the magical country is sort of just... there. Like, there's a big wall, and really strict... um... border controls, but it's just a country that exists? It's kinda neat. Sometimes monsters come through from the other side and the border guards have to fight them off! And the border guards can use magic, 'cause the magic radiating from the magical kingdom still reaches past the wall for a couple of miles."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
"That's pretty cool," Ikiko notes, putting a hand on her chin thoughtfully. A quick glance confirms that, no, there's still nobody visible to Tori's left... but whatever it is, this 'Sayo' seems to be a benevolent entity.

And some days, that's all that matters.

This thoughtful introspection is interrupted by Ikiko's stomach not quite growling, but still firmly reminding her that it's getting on towards dinner time. "I should probably get going," the older girl sighs as she stands up. "Guess I'll see you around on campus, Tori-chan. It was nice meeting you!"

Both of you, I think, Ikiko muses internally as she starts walking away.

Tori Morte has posed:
    "Oh, it is getting pretty late, isn't it..." Tori muses. "Um, but I'll probably stay out for a bit more. I had lunch kinda late~" She smiles. "See you later, Ikiko-san!" she bids the older girl farewell.

    Ikiko can hear Tori talking as she leaves. "Yeah, I agree, she does seem really nice. And she totally knew you were there. I hope we can be friends~"