1310/Passing Acquaintance

Passing Acquaintance
Date of Scene:	19 March 2024
Location:	Radiant Heart Academy
Synopsis:	While restocking her special healing candies in nurse Meiou's office, Chiyo runs into counselor Kyouka who inquires about her grandfather's near death experience.
Cast of Characters:	Chiyo Sakai, Kyouka Inai

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Chiyo Sakai has posed:
It was monthly restock time for the 'special candy jar' in Nurse Meiou's office. Chiyo's in the buildin with a jar filled with glittering hard candies individually wrapped neatly. Some were the perhaps now-infamous 'Silver Crystal' lollipops that had made many in Obsidian sick from eating, while others were the popular Kohakutou crystal gummies that looked pretty, were crunchy sugar on the outside, and chewy inside. All of them in the jar were imbued with purification and healing magic to aid for those that may need more than a regular nurse option of 'slap a bandaid on it and take a nap.'

Chiyo stops outside the nurses office to lean in, and not spotting Meiou immediately just shrugs and leaves the jar on the shelf. A quick in-and-out delivery so she turns to start back down the long administrative hall while pulling out her phone to shoot off a quick text informing that the goods had been delivered. Her steps are naturally slowed since her gaze isn't in front of her at the moment for fear of running into anyone by accident.

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka is on her way out of the office, which means proceeding down the same hallway that Chiyo needs to use to exit from the nurse's office. She's wearing her 'school uniform', which is to say a woman's button-down white dress shirt and black slacks, though her leather jacket is slung over one shoulder, held by a couple of fingers. And her sunglasses, of course, the narrow rectangular-lensed things never seeming to leave her face.

    Her progress down the hallway is unintentionally impeded by Chiyo, who is as-noted looking down at her phone as Kyouka comes up behind her. "Hey there kid, 'scuse me." the guidance counselor says, not unkindly, as she puts her free hand on Chiyo's shoulder as a warning as she attempts to navigate around her.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai jerks her head up when the warning and touch of hand comes. The phone goes down, quickly tucked into the pocket of her own uniform jacket. A quick glance is cast over her shoulder as she steps forward and twists so that she's not blocking the way with a quickly flashed, sheepish smile.

"Sorry sensei," she blurts out apologetically out of habit. She wasn't attempting to be in the way after all. A small hint of recognition flits over her face as she spies the jacket-weilding counselor.

"On your way out? Have a good day," she offers politely with another smile, and an awkward sweep of her hand through that lock of purple curls that always fell in front of her shoulder to tuck it behind her ear.

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    To be fair, the hallway is more than wide enough for two people to walk abreast- the warning was more to make sure Chiyo didn't drift and end up with a collision. Either way, Kyouka flashes a lopsided grin and an inclination of her head as Chiyo apologizes to her. "No worries, just wanted to make sure you didn't need to make a second trip to the nurse's office." She must have seen Chiyo exiting that door on her way down the hall.

    She pauses a moment when the girl wishes her a good day, tilting her head. "Sakai-san, right? How's your grandpa doing? I heard you had some.. difficulties a little while back." She gets reports from Usagi and Mamoru (more like conversations, but the effect is the same), so she's heard about these incidents in passing.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai looks back to the nurse's office with a soft 'oh' of realization at how it may seem having just stepped out from there. "Oh I'm fine, I was just dropping off some candy for Nurse Meiou. She's fond of having some snacks on hand," she explains with a little laugh. No one was hurt here, perfectly okay!

At least until her grandfather is mentioned. There's a little flicker of hurt that passes breifly through her eyes, and her smile stiffens a bit before fading entirely.

"... Yes, he was sick for awhile. Had no energy," she explains at least the basics. It could be taken as mundane that way or hint at something more. "He's recovered since then, but it was a bit worrying."

Here she pauses, opening her mouth, then shutting it again with a click of her teeth. There was something more there to say though she hesitates.

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka nods her head, and her grey eyes are sympathetic behind the narrow lenses of her sunglasses, her smile taking on a bit of a commiserative mien as she says, "I heard something about that from Mamoru." No honorifics there, which is notable perhaps. "And Usagi-chan. It must have been tough, but I'm glad he's doing better now."

    "The world's a dangerous place, kid. It's always unfortunate when loved ones get caught in the crossfire. But you've got some good friends, way I hear it, so you're better positioned than most to protect who you want to protect."

    "Don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it though, yeah?" Her smile becomes a bit more genuine as she gestures back down the hallway towards her office. "That's what I'm here for, after all."

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai lets out a little rush of breath at the reassurance, as well as the name drops. She knew some members of staff where in the know, and had been told about training sessions, but never attended. Having to run off to work a lot after school meant there were limited opportunities for that. She was just being cautious.

"Actually... I was wondering if I could look into getting into the dorms next semester."

She fidgets a moment, lips pursed together tightly. "I don't really want to leave Ojiisan alone, but with the way things are going it may be better if I'm not there. So that trouble doesn't keep aiming in his direction."

Her voice drops a moment as she murmers, "He's kind of all I have anymore. I don't want to lose him because of my 'extra curricular' activites."

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka quirks her lips to the side, not quite a smile so much as a thoughtful expression. "I'm sure if you wanted to request a transfer into the dorms you could get it." She says, with a mild shrug of her shoulders. "The school tends to be accommodating for students with special talent." She's definitely talking about magic, but it seems like she is also in the habit of not outright saying it with people she's isn't very familiar with.

    "But I would urge you to consider, Sakai-san," She says gently, her smile returning. "If you care about your grandpa, and he's all you have left... maybe it would be smarter to spend the time with him, instead? It's noble of you to want to remove yourself to protect him, but like I said... the world's a dangerous place. Bad things happen to people all the time, and not all of them involve monsters. I don't say that to scare you, but just to point out that you never know how much time you have left with the people you care about. It's important to make the most of it, so you don't have regrets later."

    She says those words with the air of someone who has experienced such things herself, though doesn't offer any further explanation. "That said, you should decide for yourself what you want to do. If you decide to move into the dorms, I am confident we can make that happen."

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai draws a deep breath which she holds tight in her chest for several long moments as if stewing on the topic. Or really, she'd *been* stewing on it for a very long time. The breath is let out looking both defeated and tired at the same time. Somehow not the cheery girl she'd first appeared when they originally ran into one another.

"I know. I've thought about it a lot. I still can work part time in the shop and visit often, it's just in Pikarigaoaka." Her fingers fidget against the hem of her skirt pinching and pulling at the fabric until it's bunched in her fists. "It's... It's not just *other* threats that I'm worried about though. I really, *really* lost my temper when that happened. I nearly killed..."

Her voice cuts off suddenly with a wary glance around the hall. No one was present though. Her weight shuffles akwwardly from one foot to the other. "I stopped myself but I caused just as much damage. I was just as big of a risk, and I control *fire* so that's a futher danger. If Usagi and the others hadn't been there I may not have stopped."

Awkwardly she clears her throat after that admission. "I guess I've already decided for now."

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka shrugs her shoulders again, as if to say 'so be it'. "If you've decided, then you've decided." She says, her smile unwavering. "I'm not here to tell you what you should or shouldn't do. Just to offer some perspective on things I have a little bit of experience in."

    "I know what it's like to feel like you might hurt the ones closest to you. Trust me, I've been there. But you know, you said yourself that Usagi and the others were there to stop you. You shouldn't underestimate that, either."

    "The best way to make sure you don't do things you'd regret is to surround yourself with friends to keep an eye on you." She grins, lopsided, and lifts just one shoulder. "That's something I have a little bit of experience with too. When you can't always trust yourself, find somebody else you can trust and trust them to keep you from doing anything really dumb. Sounds like you've already got yourself in a good place, far as that's concerned. And you did say you stopped yourself."

    She shakes her head. "Anyway, it sounds like you've got a good idea what you want to do. That's admirable in it's own right. I didn't mean to make you second-guess."

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
"No," Chiyo shakes her head lightly at the part about second-guessing. "I'd rather consider something from all angles. I get enough split second decisions as it is. Sometimes it helps getting to talk things out and I don't really have many people I can do that with." A pause comes, and she chuckles. "Okay I have more than I used to. It's still a valid point. I don't want to miss anything with him but I'm also getting more involved in this... Everything." A vague gesture is made with her hand as if to encompass 'the world in general.'

"Plus finding out Usagi-chan is my cousin is likely to make things a bit more complicated down the line. At least this way I'm not about to murder Sunbreaker while living in the dorms." Even Sunbreaker knew not to attack the school unlike that stupid youma the other day she heard about.

"Thanks for letting me talk it out. And sorry for holding you up," she adds with a glance to the motorcycle helmet. "Oh, and if you ever need a little healing boost, the candies in Nurse Meiou's office can heal and purify a bit. Not as good as when I make them fresh but better than nothing."

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    "Having people to talk to before you make decisions is pretty important," Kyouka says, and somehow manages not to be struck by lightning on the spot for her sheer hypocrisy. "So I'm glad to hear that. But it sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders. I don't think you have too much to worry about."

    She quirks an eyebrow at the mention of Usagi. "Usagi-chan is your cousin? Huh. I don't think I knew that." She taps her chin, obviously filing the information away although why she should care in particular is not apparent. "Well. Either way, she's a good one to have on your side. You're lucky in that."

    She smiles. "No worries, kid. It's my literal job, you know, and my door's always open. And if you want a little extra training, feel free to stop by Self Defense classes. You don't need a special invite or anything. The more the merrier."

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
"WE didn't know, either," Chiyo admits in regards to being related to Usagi of all people. An amused grin comes, and she shrugs a bit. "Apparently our families drifted apart a generation or so back. Ojiisan met her mother and it all clicked into place. Good thing we already got along," she adds with a wry chuckle over the whole thing, and her smile softens notably. It was kind of nice having found some extra family.

"Thank you. I will sometime. I'm just usually rushing out to help at the shop after class. I *finally* talked Ojiisan into hiring some part timers though, so I should be able to on occasion now." Looking a bit more serious she adds, "And I'll drag along some others that I know, too. They could use the help," she adds a bit quietly only to clear her throat. She wasn't *trying* to be mean, just honest.

Another nod is given. "Thanks. And my name is Chiyo, not kid," she teases back a bit with a renewed grin.

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    "Chiyo-chan," Kyouka says over her shoulder as she resumes walking down the hall. "I'll remember that, kid. Have a nice afternoon." A lazy wave, and she's out through the door.