270/Ice Cream in the park

Ice Cream in the park
Date of Scene:	20 August 2023
Location:	Penguin Park
Synopsis:	Naru, Hinoiri, Adrien, Kyouka and Darien enjoy ice cream and conversations in the park.
Cast of Characters:	Naru Osaka, Adrien Agreste, Hinoiri Kirara, Kyouka Inai, Mamoru Chiba

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Naru Osaka has posed:
It's been hot. It's been humid. It's been summertime in Tokyo. There was a thunderburst at suppertime, and everyone /thout/ it was just going to make everything so much worse. But instead, a miracle occurred. The weather broke into something absolutely lovely, just in time for that early evening beautiful light. It's refreshing, the breeze a touch on the cool side, certainly compared to the blazing heat of the day.

Naru has taken herself out for an ice cream, and is willing to put up with a damp butt to sit on a bench and eat said ice cream. The park is quiet, few are back out after the rain, but the light is just gorgeous, and worth taking a moment, or three, to just watch the world go by. Helped with an ice cream cone.

Adrien Agreste has posed:
There were few places that Adrien went to hang out when he was in Paris, but the park was always one. Mostly because it was great for photoshoots as well when the photographer for his father's brand was needing more work from him.

Today was not such a day. Adrien was delighted to get to explore again so he's in good spirits while walking through the park enjoying the rain-cooled weather. An umbrella is tucked in his bag as he walks around part of the central pond exploring what all this place had to offer.

Notably he was avoiding the zoo after yesterday.

Spotting Naru there with an icecream he looks around a moment... Had he completely missed an icecream vendor? Or maybe it was from a shop, or a machine? Those were popular in Japan, right?

A bit hesitantly he walks closer to speak up, "Pardon me, sorry to interrupt you. I was just wondering where the icecream vendor is? It's my first time visiting here."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara didn't have anything against ice cream, not at all. But well... She was starting to feel a bit nervous. Antsy, even. There was... someone out there. Someone watching her. Here she was, finally about to start at that stupid school. She would even have a dorm room before long.

But she swore there was someone... watching her. She'd gotten a letter to report to one of the school counselors. She'd promptly tossed it in the trash. As if. She hadn't done ANYTHING, yet... But she'd been doing everything she could to avoid it ever since. But she swore she kept seeing this 'Kyouka' out of the corner of her eyes. But that was impossible, right? After all, she looked into it. Kyouka wasn't with Obsidian. And her cover DEFINITELY wasn't blown. Nope. She was still 'Hinoiri, the super friendly girl who had a love of leather, spiked jackets'.

She glanced back. Okay, no, she was paranoid. Definitely paranoid. The girl.... wasn't there.

Still, she made a beeline for the park, walking a little faster. A part of her almost dusk ported, but she ignored that. She wasn't afraid of anyone. Nope. She was just... being cautious. Cowers fled. She was just being careful. A tactical retre-- re-organizing. That was all.

As she walked, her eyes fell on Naru and she let out a soft sigh of relief. Perfect. A totally normal kid without magic powers, probably. She walked towards her and then paused. Who was that boy? Her boy friend? No, he was jsut walking up to her. Totally... saying something? What, was he harassing her? PERFECT!

Hinoiri's keenly awful powers of reading the room put to absolutely no use, she approached. "Hey. Buddy. You giving my friend trouble?" she asked, coming up behind him. Standing up a bit taller, her arms crossed, hips cocked at the angle that she had learned from video games totally meant 'go ahead, punk, make my day'.

Yup. Definitely reading this entire situation wrong.

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    It's the early evening after a thunderstorm, and the weather is beautiful, but none of that really matters at all to Kyouka Inai. She's out here for a very simple reason- dinner. Because cooking for yourself is a hassle, at least when a plentiful array of cheap street-food is available in close proximity to your apartment.

    The young woman is walking through the park along one of the paved paths, taking a shortcut between the nearest main street and a side-street where she happens to know a very good ramen yatai is in residence. She is wearing her normal non-school attire, which is to say a black t-shirt with a 'Nemophila' band logo on it, jeans and calf-high biker boots. She's not wearing her jacket, because not even fashion can convince her that's a good idea at the height of summer, but she is wearing her narrow, rectangular-lensed sunglasses despite the sun being almost entirely set. She's also smoking a cigarette as she walks.

    All in all, not someone that would automatically register as a 'faculty member' upon first glance. She does notice the three kids standing (sitting, in Naru's case) along her route, but at the moment sees no reason to actually bother them. She recognizes Naru, but given that the girl seems engaged chatting with her two friends, doesn't automatically head over with a greeting, but rather continues on her path which will take her nearby, if not directly past, within the next few moments.

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru turns her head as Adrien approaches, and there's a warm smile. "Welcome to Tokyo?" She hazards as she considers the young man, who is not exactly screaming 'native Japanese'. "You're almost there, actually. There's a push cart vendor just around the corner there. Not far at all." She gestures a little further down the path. "The mango is really good."

She blinks as Hinoiri rolls up with.. well about as much subtlty as Hinoiri tends towards and then she giggles softly. "We're talking about ice crea, Hinoiri, and the fact that there's a cart just over there. Very threatening. I don't think they have sparkles though, but certianly sprinkles."

Naru lifts her ice cream in salute to Kyouka as she passes. "Inai-sensei." Her voice is gently amused, as if 'catching' a teacher being human is something delightfully illicit. "Good evening."

Adrien Agreste has posed:
Adrien Agreste offers Naru a rather easy smile when she responds welcoming him to Tokyo. She was right on the money after all! While his Japanese wasn't bad, it was a bit on the more formal side, and there was a hard to place accent that seemed to creep up on some vowels. Still, he'd done his best to be easily understood and so far hadn't had any issues. "Ah, thank you! I've only been here a week so far." He just starts to turn to look toward the icecream vendor spotting it now that it was pointed out. There was a shrub partially in the way so he hadn't seen from his view point. "Ah! Thank you--" he begins up until Hinoiri coming up.

"No, at least I don't think I was bothering her? I hope I wasn't," he adds looking back toward Naru questioningly while his hands raise up in an open palmed gesture to show he wasn't armed or trying to appear threatening. Just. Just him. Plain old foreign Adrien. It seems Naru new this girl as well though, and it was just a friend looking out for her. Allowing the unexpected tension to ease (for his part at least) he suggests, "Yes, I was just about to go get one. Would you like one too? My treat."

Then Naru greets the teacher. This was a completely... unfamiliar face to him. Most everyone was so far, other than Setsuna-sensei he'd met while she was playing DDR at the arcade. "Do you both attend RHA too? I'm starting this next term."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara narrowed her eyes on the boy, definitely planning to.... not actually do anything. Because she was mostly just using Naru as a cover for her own paranoia. And it wasn't as if she was going to actually throw down for the girl, she barely knew her. All she knew was that, apparently, she and the rope-hair girl were tight.

But something Naru said made her glance over. "Sparkles?" she asked. "What's threatening about sparkles?" she asked before glancing back towards the boy. Who... offered to buy her ice cream? Uhhhhh... She was about to say something ELSE entirely... when she realized... she had no idea who this boy was. And he obviously had no idea who she was. So his offer wasn't an attempt to manipulate her. It was...an attempt... to be nice? "Uhhhh... sure. Mango is fine," she said. "Hinoiri Kirara, and yes. I'm new. Just moved into town from out of town," she said, lowering her hands.

Alas, unlike Kyouka, she hadn't begun to understand that wearing a mock-leather spiked jacket in the middle of *summer* was a bad idea. But well, if she stopped doing bad ideas, she'd not be with obsidian. And not have a back covered in sweat.

Speaking of... "Wait, did you say Inai-sensei?" she asked, before glancing to Kyouka. Who... That... "... Kyouka Inai's daughter?" she asked. There was no way *this* was Kyouka. She looked... ... ...... Okay, Hinoiri definitely had the WRONG idea about who Kyouka was. But if that was Kyouka... then who in the world did she think was stalking her all this time?

... Also, she probably owed someone a *massive* apology for the stairs. Oh dear... "So, Osaka-chan, how have you been enjoying the end of summer break? Excited to get back to school?" Distraction ho!

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka had no real intention of stopping to chat with the students- after all, ramen was calling her, and she's not on the clock. But the ever-polite Naru calls out a greeting to her, which in turn makes her feel like she owes the girl a response. The other two (Adrien and Hinoiri) are given a casual glance-over, but neither are recognized so she focuses her reply on Naru herself.

    "Osaka-san, good evening." She greets the teen, flashing her usual lopsided smile. She holds her cigarette out and away to her side opposite, though she's not particularly close to the three, trained enough in manners to want to avoid the smoke being an issue. "Enjoying the weather? Or maybe just the ice cream."

    At this point, she looks again at Hinoiri because the girl had made a rather strange comment, and she quirks a brow in question. "Last time I checked I didn't have any kids, and even if I did I wouldn't name them after myself. I'm not nearly cool enough for that." She grins. "Anyway, I was just on my way to get some dinner.. there's a real good ramen shop around the corner, y'know."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"You are not bothering me at all." Naru reassures Adrien with a gentle smile. "Yes. I go to Radiant Heart. Grade nine.. which grade are you coming into?" She has ice cream already, she doens't need another.

Naru giggles softly at Hinoiri's confusion about sparkles. "I was just teasing you about the coffee you had the other day, full of pink sparkles." Which is entirely at odds with the girl's fondness for black pleather and spikes. Even in summer. She looks a little puzzled at Hinoiri's comment about Kyouka, but the teacher has that covered

Naru waggles her hand at the question about looking forward to going back to classes. "I'm enjoying making my own schedule, but still. I don't /mind/ school, per se."

Naru smiles warmly to Kyouka as she stops. "Sorry, didn't mean to inturrupt your quest for ramen." She looks the direction that Kyouka indicates and then back to the teacher. "The one on the corner, or the one that's halfway down the block? Both are good, but only the one halfway down the block has a really good vegetarian ramen."

Adrien Agreste has posed:
Icecream was an excellent way to diffuse a situation as always. Adrien always did try to avoid trouble if he could--That was more his alter ego's thing and it found him often enough. This was Summertime in Japan, no worries, his father was busy but actually felt Japan was *safe* enough to allow him some freedom. It was bliss, even if his friends weren't around.

"I'm Adrien Agreste. I'll be joining grade 9, as well. It's very nice to meet you both," he offers with a sudden... bow? Did he just...? Yes, he bows briefly for both of this fellow students as well as, "Also a pleasure to meet you, Inai-sensei." He doesn't seem like he's trying to make a mockery of things. It's just him trying to be polite.

"I'll be right back with the icecream, then!" He assures Hinoiri with a quick, "Excuse me," as he jogs over to the push-cart vendor. Mango. He could get mango. It wasn't his favorite but try what the locals suggest! Who knows, maybe he'll run into more friends along the way.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara narrowed her eyes on Kyouka. This... was the girl she had a meeting with? Okay. Something was definitely up. She was NOT an ancient crone like Hinoiri had suspected. Was her cover blown? Was this woman... a sparkle skirt?! Did they know who she was? Or was it something else? Was it possible that the school was just trying to look out for new people who came to this school?!!!!

... Okay, probably. But paranoia knew no bounds. In fact, Kyouka barely seemed to be recognizing her. After a few moments she relaxed. Huh. Maybe... she was just worrying over nothing. "Ah, ramen, I've had that now," she said. Then her cheeks went a little red when she realized... she... said that out loud. Uhhhhh. Distraction, distraction. Uhhhhh... Right. Grade... uhhh. Shoot. Numbers. What was the numbers here? Ugh. Maybe this WAS still too early to go to school. Every single one of them was likely still measuring her every move. Plotting. Scheming. Trying to figure out the best way to dethrone her and take her power for themselves. Unaware of who she truly was, but if she wasn't careful then it'd all come crashing down. "I mean, I've had the vegetarian ramen. It's pretty good. The carrots were a nice touch. Grade nine as well."

She watched Adrien walk away, before sighing and sitting down besides Naru. "Are Japanese summers always this hot? Someone really ought to..." Then trailed off. Wait. No. Weather. Unsafe topic. "So, play any good games recently?" There, definitely a safer topic.

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Perhaps sensing she is not escaping this conversation quickly, Kyouka idly stubs out her cigarette and drops it into a convenient receptacle nearby (they're pretty common in Japan) without having to move more than a few feet. That done she can move a bit closer and reply to Naru, "The one on the corner is the one I was goin' to. Nice to know about the vegetarian option, but that's not really my priority, ahah." A hand raised to the back of her head in faux-sheepishness. "No worries about the interruption, though. Not like I'm in a rush.. just nicer to go out on an evening like this than cook something at home, right?" For certain definitions of 'cook'. (Kyouka's involves boiling water and opening a package). No actual apologies offered for her carnivorous ways.

    "Hey, nice to meet you, kid," This to Adrien before he walks off, with a mild shrug, before she then glances to Hinoiri. "You should visit Kyoto if you ever really want to suffer. Seriously, don't go there in summer."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Naru Osaka." Naru manages to introduce herself to Adrien before he vanishes off for ice cream, nodding as it comes clear that all three of them are in the same grade. "Well that's convenient."

Naru blinks a little at Hinoiri, surprised. "Are you a vegetarian as well?" She nods ruefully to the other girl. "They're usually this hot." She confirms with a sigh. "And humid too. You are brave, or a little bit crazy to wear a jacket, no matter how awesome it looks." She has a light t-shirt saying 'I love coffee a latte' on it, and a swishy skirt. Much cooler to be wearing in the heat of summer.

Naru gives a little shake of her head, scooting over to ensure there's enough room on the bench for Hinoiri too. "I don't play a lot of video games, I listen to Usagi play them more often than not."

Naru has to think about that a moment. "Y'know.. I've visted Kyoto a lot of times, but you're right.. never in summer. It's really pretty in the autumn."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
There is an exhausted kid at the ice cream vendor already, buying something with coffee and caramel and fudge in it, and he steps back and away once he's paid-- and it's Darien, Adrien's new next door neighbor who seems so highly distractable. He's in jeans and Chucks and an untucked white button-down shirt, his glasses are on, and his hair is loose, half-wide-curls and half just shaggy.

He looks just like he's on the young side of sixteen, a certain roundness still in his face, and when his steps take him half-around to see Adrien, he's also stepped back enough to see past Adrien, where Kyouka and ohohoho is that Takashi's weirdo? are talking to Naru, and -- god damn.

So his face goes from friendly recognition to looking past and getting an expression like he's too tired to be anything but a pain in the ass so a pain in the ass he'll be.

In a minute.

"Agreste-san," Darien says, then licks the side of his ice cream so it doesn't trip on his hand. "If you haven't met the people over there, I can at least introduce you to two of them."

He staaaaaaares at the back of Kyouka to see if he can make her turn.

Adrien Agreste has posed:
Maybe part of Adrien's haste to hit up the icecream vendor IS the heat. He's got a well fitted but loose pair of jeans on along with his own sneakers, and a t-shirt under a loose unbuttoned shirt with sleeves rolled up to help keep off the sun. Even in Paris he had been lectured about that. Being part of the 'Gabriel' brand his father ran meant he had to look impeccable at all times. Suntans were not a good look when they were patchy.

Seeing Darien indulging in icecream himself as he gets into line he nods in greeting. "Shields-san! I've not really officially met them, but we exchanged a few words," he points out while pausing to request of the vendor, "Three icecreams, please. Two mango and a chocolate." Just in case someone wanted something different. Naru had her own already, but Kyouka was there and they *were* keeping her from her meal. The least he could do was also get an icecream for her. "I was just getting some icecreams for the girls and myself. It's a bit hot to be running around much."

The icecreams are taken in hand once paid for, carefully holding them between fingers so as to not bump them into one another OR drop them. Again he grins up at Darien being just a bit shorter. He was younger though, it wasn't a big deal to his self-esteem that Darien was so tall.

"I'd like that though, yes. Thank you. How are you holding up in the heat? You look a bit tired."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara tensed slightly when she realized Kyouka... was going to stay. Oh dear. Why would a school counselor want to stay around them? Also, what in the world was that thing she just tossed in the trash? Note to self, figure out what those were later. She'd only seen them a few times, but never amongst students...

"No thanks, I'm well versed in... suffering... already..." she said before sighing. Yeah. That... that sounded way cooler in her head. See, this is why she liked BOOKS, not MOOKS. UGH. She didn't even really like books that much, either! "Yeah, him grabbing it was pretty convenient," she mumbled, completely missing which thing Naru was talking about. She then glanced back to her. "Hmmm? Yeah. Can't stand meat. Never could. Just... ugh, blegh," she said, making a face and shaking her head. "Go ahead, though. Just not for me. And, eh." She glanced down at the jacket before shrugging. "It's... a little hot, I'll admit. But it has sentimental value. Also, pretty good because it helps keep me from getting too hurt if I fall off my bike." Pause. "Which I haven't done before." Pause. "Much."

And then, suddenly, there's another distraction! Because... she had no idea where Kyoto was. But one thing she DID know... was... ......... By Sora she missed being able to just IGNORE people or the ability to light them on FIRE when she didn't know what to say. That was what Tokyo needed. Personal flame throwers.

".... Hey, Inane-sensei, I think you've got an admirer," she said, motioning behind her towards Darien... That... that was... a slip of the tongue, right?

She then reached back to take off her jacket. Yeah, if she was going to sit and not-- And then stopped when she realized... oh yeah. That... that was a *lot* of sweat on her back. And her tank top was going to be soaked through and... you know what? A bit of overheating and heat stroke was preferable to looking like an idiot who couldn't take a little heat stroke, right? When had the sun ever hurt her, anyway? Oh. Right.

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Still standing near Naru and Hinoiri, Kyouka laughs idly while she pulls out her phone, glancing at it and tapping at the screen for a few moments before glancing back up, an amused expression on her face. "Oh well, it's miserable in the summer," she says, on Kyoto. "It's in a valley between two sets of mountains, you know, so it just traps the humidity, and-" sliding her phone back into her pocket as she's talking.

    Then Hinoiri talks, and Kyouka gives her this look like, 'excuse me', and suddenly she has this expression on her face like halfway between amused and a shark about to explode into a pack of slow, fish-gorged seals. "Oh, him? Don't worry about him, he's just a bit lost. Probably mistaken me for his big sister again.. then again, maybe he's staring at your jacket. It's alright, not everybody can afford actual leather."

    Finally, she turns head halfway so she can look over at Darien and Adrien out of one eye, face in profile. And she smirks.

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru can't help but just start to giggle, as the conversation settles into the absurd on so many levels. She eats a little more ice cream, commenting absently to Hinoiri. "I also don't eat meat, I don't care for it either."

Naru glances past Kyouka, to where Adrien is getting ice cream and smiles warmly as she spots Darien there too. "Clearly the park is popular this evening." She manages to tuck herself up on the bench, just contentedly watching the chaos of the conversation.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"Just got done dealing with a disappointed little sister," Darien says to Adrien, taking his phone out of his pocket and looking, then pursing his lips and texting back with his thumb. He glances up, and then blinks, and he chomps on his ice cream with a frown and furiously texts for a moment. A longer moment. While Inai-sensei is smirking in their direction, in fact.

Then he rolls his eyes. "For one thing," he says to Adrien, "by the way, the standing redheaded girl is actually one of the guidance counselors. I'd leave a bad review on yelp, but RHA isn't even on ratemyteacher.com. Rude."

And then he's got the phone out again, frowning harder, Naru's waving and he waves distractedly back as a reflex because now he's even ignoring Adrien in order to glare at Kyouka. With ice cream. "You," he tells her, "are not punk rock. When did I insult you to your face? I try really hard to make sure it's behind your back, just like you."

Their texts? Ohhh, their texts--

    (PHONE) A text from Kyouka Inai: stop staring or people will think you're stalking me

    (PHONE) You text Kyouka Inai: are you literally wearing spy glasses

    (PHONE) You text Kyouka Inai: are you really going to get into an immaturity contest with a 16yo and win again? or are you just practicing your mean girl skills on someone who won't cry about it?

    (PHONE) A text from Kyouka Inai: well i can't practice them on you, usagi-chan isn't here to protect you

    (PHONE) You text Kyouka Inai: what do you think what you just did is *called,* inai-san? like think back on all the anti-bullying videos and shit they must have made you watch

    <PHONE> A text from Kyouka Inai: it's called not letting a punk kid get away with insulting me to my face. anyway its not bullying if they actually deserve it

Adrien Agreste has posed:
"Oh? I knew she was one of the teachers from Osaka-chan's greeting but..." Adrien hadn't known more. He trails off a little looking at Darien's glaring session with the teacher. Apparently they had history there. Were they related? Cousins? Maybe, though he didn't know for sure, it was at least easier to accept the odd animosity between them he was getting a vibe of here.

"I'm sorry to hear about your little sister. Let me know if I can do anything to help cheer her up, maybe?" He wasn't sure what though. "I don't have any siblings myself so I'm not sure what, but if you think of something I'd be happy to help."

When the texting becomes out-louding, Adrien lightly bumps Darien's arm with his elbow. Just a friendly nudge to remind him to pay attention. Then he steps forward to offer one of the icecreams out to Hinoiri. "Mango as requested! I hope you enjoy it." A grin come easily to him as his gaze flits over toward the teacher. "I wasn't sure if you would like one, Inai-sensei, but since we're keeping you from your meal I thought I'd offer. I've got mango or chocolate if you have a preference." Then finally he looks to Naru again. "Are you still all right with yours, Osaka-chan?"

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara blinked a few times. Why in the world was she staring at her like that? Wait. Did she just say... shit. Eh. She wasn't a teacher, so it wasn't like she could do anything to her. Then glanced back towards Darien. Then back to Kyouka. She was a bit away from her... why would he be looking at her jacket? Also, it WAS real leather! Probably. She actually wasn't entirely sure what it was made of, though. Or even what leather was, aside from 'fancy'. But hey, whatever the portal of this world put her into when she came through it, she could hardly object and assume that 'leather' was bad or anything.

One day she and the portal were going to have *words*.

"What, is leather expensive or something?" Then cringed. Damn it. "Sorry, my japanese still needs some work, I'm not being entirely clear," she said sheepishly. Funny, while her dialect and word choices at times were slightly... off. she didn't seem to be entirely misunderstanding them. Then again, the things she said were... odd at times. "I mean, why, leather isn't that expensive here, is it?"

Yup. Nice save. No. Wait. That other thing. And now she could overly sweat from nervousness AND heat stroke. Yay! Why couldn't she just cast spells on these people again? Right. Magic. Didn't. WORK RIGHT. Here.

Oh, hey. The ice cream was here. She just stared at it for a moment before, gingerly, with both hands, she grabbed it. "Thank you, uhhhh..." ... Crud. What was his name? "Agrested-san," she said. Close enough. Why was it her job to remember everyone's name, anyway?

... How in the world was she supposed to eat this thing. She just... stared at it. Hands. Hands were pivotal here. But she hadn't thought this far ahead. Shit. No spoon. It had a cone. How. Did she eat this without all of it ending up down her shirt. On the up side, they had ice cream where she was from. So long as she used both hands to hold it, she'd be fine. After all, people did it all the time. She took a long, slow breath. Right. She could do this. Without making a fool of herself. She then took a lick of it and sighed. Okay, it didn't taste bad, either.

Magic was so many times better than hands. Useless obnoxious appendages.

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka wheels around to face Darien as soon as he opens his mouth, glaring at him. "You need to take a step back, Shields. We've already established that behind my back is no guarantee I won't see it, so how about you just keep it civil out of an abundance of caution? And for the record, Nemophila is more like thrash-" She pauses as the fact that Adrien just offered her ice cream finally registers mid-tirade.

    "Oh, hey. Thanks kid. You're alright. Don't hang out too much with this one," She jerks her thumb at Darien and rolls her eyes, "he's not a good role model. I'll take the chocolate one." She accepts it gracefully.

    She then glances back to Hinoiri, and at the girl's stuttering response she.. actually looks like maybe she feels a little bad, and that is totally not a guilty side-glance she shoots at Darien as if trying to deny what he texted at her even if he thought she was talking about him because that's just so typical. "It's.. look don't worry about it. Just watch your mouth, huh? Respecting your seniors is considered good manners." Another glare at Darien, though she's talking to Hinoiri, and also now has ice cream on her face because she couldn't resist taking a bite while talking.

    Finally to Naru, "Hey, sorry to derail your quiet evening in the park, I was really just passing by.."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I'm good, thank you Adrien." Naru provides Hinoiri a demostration on how to eat an ice cream cone, but continuing to eat her ice cream. She is getting down to the cone part.

Naru looks between Darien and Kyouka and she laughs again, waggling her finger at the pair of them. No matter at all that one's a teacher and one is older than her. "You two behave. Don't make me separate you."

Naru gives a little nod to Hinoiri. "Yes, leather is often expensive. And some vegetarians are weird about wearing it, as it's animal skin." There's no judgement in explaining basic things. It's almost like she expects exchange students to know absolutely nothing. It's not an invalid assumption at RHA.

Naru waves her hand vaguely at Kyouka's apology. "Enh, it's fine. Now you can start with ice cream before ramen." She smiles easily.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Darien gets elbowed, Darien gets glared at, new girl is having bigger problems than he is, and there's ice cream. His shoulders relax, he sticks his tongue out at Kyouka, then licks his ice cream again, then sits down on Naru's other side. "Sorry," he says to Kyouka first, easy and sincere, "I couldn't figure out what was going on in your head. Obviously." Then he licks his ice cream again, waving a hand, and says to everyone, "This is not the drama you are looking for."

Well, dark energy can make people moodier than usual. Maybe he spent the whole afternoon with a sad murderghost. Maybe he's just a jerk.

He runs a hand through his hair to get it out of his face, then tilts his head back a little to keep his hair out of his ice cream as he eats it. "I'm a terrible role model," he says firmly.

Adrien Agreste has posed:
Adrien Agreste easily relinquishes the chocolate icecream to Inai before taking a half-step back to 'join' the others closer to his age to enjoy the one he'd got for himself. 'It's no problem at all. I didn't want you to feel left out. It's so hot out, everyone should get a chance to cool off."

He does shoot an apologetic glance toward Darien but it's more sympathetic than anything. Surely he was just upset over the issue with his little sister and that's why he was moody. He could understand that. A lot of his friends had siblings to worry about.

"I should try ramen too soon. I've only had the instant so far, though I've been told it's excellent as well. I really do need to find a good cafe first though. At least until my machine arrives."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara nodded. "Uhhh. Yeah, respect. I'm totally good at that," she lied. She glanced towards Naru. Who was, oddly, providing a perfect demonstration on how one holds it with hands. Right. One hand. Just one. Thank you video games for giving her slightly better hand eye coordination. She took another lick. Good enough. And hey, the new guy and Kyouka fighting was... a distraction.

She then choked on her ice cream. Why? Because she had been PLANNING to give entirely unwarranted advice towards Darien being a rolemodel. Before what Naru said clicked in her head.

She managed to clear her throat, pounding a fist on her chest, before finally speaking. "Right. It's. Animal... skin," she said. Because she certainly knew that all along. Yup.

What. In hades. Was wrong. With. This. WORLD? Oh she was going to TEAR that PORTAL APART and PUT IT BACK TOGETHER as a UNIVERSAL GARBAGE SERVICE!

She took another lick of her ice cream. Yup. Everything was fiiiiiiiine. She was just a totally normal exchange student. Who was mentally going through every arcane means of item creation she knew. Even if it was 'real' leather it wasn't REAL leather, right? It had been made by magic when she arrived. So it wasn't real. Yup. Yup. THAT was just going to be what she told herself. "The ramen here is pretty great," she said, sticking to simple subjects now. Nice. Safe ones. "The vegetarian ones are nice. Chopsticks take getting used to. But they're greeeeeat," she said.

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Perhaps the most surprising thing that happens next is that, as easy and sincere as Darien's apology is, Kyouka responds just as easily and sincerely, seeming to relax nigh-instantly when he says it, her lopsided grin returning as she shrugs her shoulders as if nothing was ever really wrong at all. "It's alright, half the time I don't know what's going on in my head either. I'm not used to being on this side of the 'role-model' equation." She takes another bite of the ice cream- no licking for her, just taking chunks out of the damn thing.

    She looks mildly sheepish at Naru. "Sorry, I'll behave. Although you know when I'm not on the clock I don't feel any particular need to pretend to be respectable."

    To Adrien, she says "Instant ramen is fine in a pinch, but its not substitute for the real thing. You really should find a place, they're literally everywhere." A faint sigh. "Speaking of which, I should actually go get my food now." What about the ice cream cone? Oh, its gone. Yes, completely, already. She's even licking the fingers of the hand that was holding it for any drips. "Nice chatting with ya'll. Don't stay out too late. Not safe for kids your age." She smiles, then turns, tucking her hands in her pockets as she prepares to depart.

    She says over her shoulder as she goes, "See you at school." Was she looking directly at Hinoiri when she said it? Nah, probably just a coincidence.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I have to agree on the instant ramen thing. It's fine in a pinch, but from a shop?" Naru nods firmly to Adrien. "So much better. I can tell you the places with good vegetarian ramen, I have faith that everyone else can offer you suggestions for good meaty ramen."

There's a sidelong glance at Hinoiri as she chokes, confirming that the other girl isn't actually choking enough to require intervention. "Fortunately there's plenty of leather altneratives, if you are wigged out by actual leather. Like your jacket, I'm pretty sure. I think it's one of the faux leathers, but the label inside should tell you."

"Take care, Inai-Sensei." Naru smirks softly at 'it's not safe for you kids'. "See you at school, if not before."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
And after all that, Darien actually waves to Kyouka as she leaves. Cheerfully, if a little distracted, because then he takes his phone out again and erases the conversation, then taps in a new number to text. He works on his ice cream while thumbing out a text to someone whose number he apparently knows by heart.

"Oh by the way, Osaka-san, I wanted to thank you for helping me with my sister earlier. And I also wanted to know if I could give her your phone number, she's looking for people to text duck emojis to," he says as he pockets his phone again.

It's not that he's ignoring everyone else, he's just laser-focused on goals. That's the ticket.

Adrien Agreste has posed:
Adrien Agreste glances at Hinoiris' jacket a moment as she seems a bit distressed by the thought of it being real leather. "It could be faux-leather. It's just plastic and fabric pressed together to resemble leather, but it isn't the same." He could see just from looking at it that it was leather, but she'd seemed so upset over it. A little white lie to give her hope didn't seem to hurt.

His attention shifts over toward Darien and Naru's conversation with another smile. "That sounds adorable. What's your sister's name, Darien-san?"

As for Naru's suggestion of ramen? That earns a ready nod. "I do eat meat, but I try to take care of my health and enjoy vegetarian options as well. I'd love to try them some time," he assures.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara nodded. "A-ah. Right. Probably... yes. Just... just pretend leather. I didn't get it, you see. We don't have... leather... where I'm from." That was a thing, right? "So it was a... welcome... here... gift." She wasn't going to say who from, mind. But yeah. "You... know what? Here. Hold this," she said, holding out the ice cream cone to Adrien. And then, despite her rather slow grip on things, she too that jacket off quickly. And while it was sweaty, the tag on the back... made her blink a few times. Then just... look... unamused.

'100% fairy approved, ethically sourced leather. Sparkle with care <3'

Really, it was the heart that did it. And she wasn't entirely sure WHAT entity had made it, but she swore she'd make them pay for that. Also, she'd need to check the tags on the rest of her clothes later.

She'd take back the ice cream a moment later and then glance up. See her at school? Oh. Yeah. NOT happening. She didn't DO school counselors. She'd been dodging THOSE since she could do basic teleporting. "Yeah, I'll head home before it gets dangerous." She took another lick of her ice cream. Trying to not think about just how much sweat was on her back thanks to the jacket. Fortunately, sleeveless tank tops kept her arms from being too sticky. But note to self, jump in a river or something. She finally glanced towards Darien and blinked. "Uhhhh... Hey. I'm Hinoiri Kirara. Sorry, don't think I actually introduced myself." If she had... she didn't remember. Ah, the last few minutes had been a wonderful ride for her.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"She's welcome to text me." Naru replies to Darien as she finishes her ice cream, wiping her fingers off on the napkin she remembered to grab when she got her cone. "She's fascinating."

Which is a word for it, certainly.

"I need to get going. It was lovely to meet you, Adrien." Naru smiles as she stands. "And good to see you again, Hinoiri and I'll text you soon, Darien." And then.. she's off.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"Darien Shields," Darien says to Hinoiri, after waving to Naru. His eyes crinkle at the corners when he smiles, which he does, mild and friendly. At odds with his mood and appearance when he came in, for sure.

"And, her name's Himeko. She just got her first phone! I'm in trouble, haha," he laughs, "but at least she really does mostly like texting ducks."

Adrien Agreste has posed:
Adrien Agreste glances back toward Hinoiri as she takes the jacket off, dutifully looking away until it's completely off. Just in case there were any accidents in shifting clothes when it happened. When it's clear she's all done he looks back again to offer another sympathetic smile as she seems to have found out the truth by the tag on the jacket.

"Just look for things that say 'faux' or 'vegan' leather from now on. Those are safe. Also look for 'faux' when dealing with items that have fur. Most all other clothes are fine though." He does pause when his gaze drops downward. "Er, other than shoes." And gloves, and hats... You know what he'll just stop now.

"If you ever need any help with shopping to make sure it's things that you feel comfortable with, I can help a bit." A glance is brought back to his icecream. "Ah, not to be weird or anything. I work as a fashion model so I know a thing or two about clothing. Oh, or my friend Marinette is starting school too. She designs clothes. She might be better if you're not comfortable with me."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara just gave a soft sigh before lifting a hand up to rub her forehead. Fox leather. Right. Were foxes a mythical animal here now? Vegan at least made sense. Oh, she could almost feel a headache coming on. "Other than the shoes," she said. Repeating it. Oh, she was going to have to do research later.

On clothes.

"Oh Sora, clothes were a mistake for this world," she muttered softly, still rubbing her forehead. "Sure, why not? It'll be fun. Agr... oh screw it. You're not from here either, right? Can I just call you Adrien? I always found the last name thing kind of a pain." She'd try and keep up some airs still but... well... after the whole ice cream struggles, learning about leather and calling a counselor inane, she was... pretty much out of swagger. She'd planned to have this school eating out of her hands by the first week, now? She was beginning to think this place was going to be more trouble than it was worth.

Also, her next youma was *definitely* going to be 'leather' themed. "Fashion model?" she asked, looking him up and down. Yeah, she... couldn't... judge on this one. She gave a shrug. "Then I guess you would be the one to ask, wouldn't you? You seem nice enough, I don't see an issue with getting your help." At the very least, she was simple enough when it came to fashion. Black. Dark red. She had a villainous fashion sense, it wasn't her fault.

Adrien Agreste has posed:
Adrien Agreste licks at his icecream so that it doesn't risk dripping down his hand. Mango wasn't a bad choice at all, it was rather refreshing on a day like this. While Hinoiri seems to think things over he makes a bit of headway on the treat so that he's not going to be wasting it by talking the whole time.

At the question of calling him by his first name comes he flashes a grin. "Yes, it's all right with me. You can call me Adrien. Honestly it feels a bit strange being called by my last name. Everyone calls my father by that." A nervous little laugh comes as he rubs the back of his neck. That was such a difficult subject for him. "I know it's considered rude not to here, but really I think I'd feel more comfortable if I was just called 'Adrien.'"

The fashion model part earns a nod from him. "I know, I don't really 'dress up' when I'm not working or for a special occasion. I think I'm mostly known over in France, too, maybe the United States some." His head ducks a little grinning. "I think everyone should get to be comfortable in what they wear though. Whether it's dressing up or just in general. If you're not comfortable with certain materials, then that's something to work on."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara took a lick of her own ice cream as well, before just biting into it. Oh well. She'd had enough of acting prim and proper. She needed to re-evaluate her assault on this world's school. The people here were strange, the magic weird, the physics made no sense and just, all around. She had to re-adjust. But you know what? she was good at that. Adjusting. She was very well adjusted.

"Yeah, seems a bit confusing when you can have multiple people from the same family hanging out places. So, Adrien, how do you like being here? In Tokyo, I mean," she asked before leaning back. At least she was drying quickly now that she didn't have the jacket on.

France. United states. Right. "Huh. Probably easier if you dress more casually, then. Most people probably won't recognize you then. Easier to not stick out." He seemed tolerable enough as well. Though she was measuring every movement he made, now. Though... Agreste. Huh. That name DID sound a little familiar, now that she thought about it. Meh. Probably nothing. "So then, since apparently I'm entertaining you until your friend gets off the phone," she said with a sly smirk, motioning towards Darien with her head. "It falls to me to make you as uncomfortable as possible, right?" she asked in a teasing tone. "So then, for all those who want to know... or, well, something I can sell to someone from your fan club if you get one. What... do you like to do to relax?" she asked, now smiling. "Or do you just walk through the park and ask random fellow students if you can buy them ice cream? Not that I'm complaining, it'd just mean I have to swing by the park more often."

Adrien Agreste has posed:
"Aah hah... My fans, right. There's a few websites out there. Thankfully they're mostly respectful." Mostly. Adrien considers this a moment as he looks out toward the center of the park enjoying the view and the peaceful Summer day a moment. "It's nice here. Different than France, but there's just as much to see and do. The city is a bit more dense than Paris, but there's more green parks and natural places here to enjoy as well." He tilts his head back toward Hinoiri. "How are you finding the city so far?"

He hadn't forgotten the question of hobbies though. "I like to play basketball and video games, and I enjoy keeping up with my fencing. Plus There's my piano lessons, kung-fu, Chinese--Mandarin mainly--" he's counting things off on his fingers at this point and lists off many other things.

"Most of those are things my father wants me to learn, though."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara blinked a few times. "Mostly respectful? That sounds like you've been in the tabloids. Annoying," she said with a sigh, before shrugging. "People always gossip though, no matter what you do. They're usually just jealous. Better to just ignore them and their sad little lives," she said. As if she'd have any idea what it was like to be in the tabloids. "And pretty much the same. A bit too crowded, a bit too loud. Parks are nice enough. They've got some pretty nice places to go off road biking on. That's pretty cool." Probably the one thing in this world that she really, really, really enjoyed.

And the more he mentioned about his 'hobbies', the more her eyes narrowed. Then, slowly, she smirked when he mentioned his father wanted him to learn them. "Ahhhhhhh. I was waiting for that. It's always fun having a ment-- a parent you've got to work extra dilligently to keep happy, right?" she asked, before taking another lick of her ice cream. "Never enough until you are doing at least two or three times as everyone around you, right?" she asked, before biting into her cone. "But hey. I guess that's the fun of being an over achiever, Adrien?" she asked. "You sound like you'd like to get out of the city a little bit yourself, though. So, which of those thirty or forty things you just listed off do you actually enjoy doing?"

Adrien Agreste has posed:
Adrien Agreste turns the icecream cone around in his hand to get to the other side. "My father insists I get the best education, and if a school can't provide it, he will. He means well, of course. He just wants what's best form me." Ah, but perhaps there was some truth to that 'not ever being quite enough' sentiment. Even when he was doing well on his classes his father barely remarked on it other than to say 'keep going.'

"Honestly I'd like to be a little bit less of an achiever sometimes. I do enjoy the first few though. I play basketball with my friends, that's not required of me. Video games are okay." Fencing though. Oh that one he DID enjoy, but he decides not to mention it further for the moment.

"You go trail riding? That sounds like it could be fun and a great way to see more of the area." He'd have to think on that one. Which he does as he nibbles his icecream cone down to the very bottom when he finally uses a napkin to wipe his hands and dab his lips to make sure he hadn't made a mess. "To be honest, I'm kind of glad he's busy right now working on his merger. It's allowing me to have some free time."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara nodded. "Mmmmm hm. The best of the best, right?" she asked. "Make sure you over achieve in everything, never fall behind. Can always be the perfect little student." Though, her eyes did narrow slightly. "What, so he doesn't help you with it? Or is this more of a... Go to school, finish class, ace every test, then come home to do whatever your men-- father has designated for you to do some days? Even when half the lessons don't make any sense?" she asked.

She did cock an eye when he mentioned he'd like to be 'less' of an achiever. "Why not try to be the best you can be? If you don't *want* to be the best, why try for it? It's not easy trying to outperform everyone at everything. And if you don't *want* to be that... then you're just going to fall on your face in the end and cause yourself nothing but disappointment. In that case, figure out what you *want* to be, then be it. And if you don't want to be daddy's little over achiever, he can go... ummm... what's the term? Eat sand?" she asked.

Though, she did nod at his comments on trail riding. "Yeah. Didn't have a bike back home, but once I found out about them, well, they are absolutely amazing. The air blowing through your mane, the world blurring by, that thrill of being precariously balanced and knowing if you go the wrong way you might crash. Ah man, I haven't felt that alive since..." Then paused. Blinking a few times before idly tossing the last bit of the cone in her mouth. "Hm..." She couldn't remember feeling that good in... years. She then shrugged. "You ever just try running off? Say 'screw it' to all his rules and hit the road when his back is turned?" she asked... before laughing after a moment. "Joking, joking!" No. No she wasn't. But, well... he wasn't a fairy. The rules here were... different.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Darien comes back and his ice cream's long gone, but somehow he managed to find himself an iced coffee. "Sorry, stuff's come up again--" he tells them both, and then looks briefly to Hinoiri, "but yeah, I'm in grade 10 at Radiant Heart, so if you go there I'm sure we'll see each other." Then he gives a cheerful salute. "See you around, Agreste-san, Kirara-san!"

Adrien Agreste has posed:
Adrien Agreste shifts a bit uncomfortably about where this conversation was going. It was odd. On the one hand she was speaking like some of his tutors (the ones he wasn't very impressed with), and on the other she was talking about running away. It was a very different dynamic from one moment to the next. Plus, it was a bit of a tough discussion to have at all much less with someone he'd just met.

"He has his assistant Natalie set up my schedule and I have to stick to it. He's usually too busy to see me himself. She lets him know how I'm doing, but I have different tutors for everything."

With the icecream distraction gone he just rests his hands on his knees a moment. "No. Sometimes. Maybe." Ah it was so difficult. He takes a deep breath to calm his frazzled emotions a bit and focus on what he wanted to say.

He looks back again to offer a more confident smile, "I like learning, and I enjoy doing well. It would just be nice if I had some free time so I can spend more time with my friends. I want a social life, too." And... maybe an acknowledgement from his father now and then that he was doing well. Or that he cared. They were so rare.

Then Darien returns only to head off, and he looks around them guessing the time had moved along. "Oh, yes, see you Shield-san!" It's only a moment more before he pushes to his feet he clears his throat. "It was nice meeting you Hinoiri, but I should go now, too. It is getting a bit late."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara blinked when Darien just kind of... drove-by on the social encounters. She gave him a small nod before glancing to Adrien.

She then got to her feet and stretched out. Oddly? Seeing him like this... made her feel so much better. Maybe it was time she stopped *playing* nice with people. She cocked her head to the side. "Frankly? I just met you, so you don't have to take my advice. But take it from me. I've been there."

"It'll never be enough. That gold star you want? That pat on the back? That acknowledgement that everything you've worked for, sacrificed for, burned yourself to ash for? That moment where it all slots into place and you're finally seen for what YOU are? Where you can finally *step out* from his shadow and stand besides him, not behind him?"

"It's never going to come like this. You're just going to keep pushing yourself. You're going to be pushed, harder and harder. He'll care less and less. There will always be some excuse as to why it's not enough. The goal post will always move just a liiiiiiiittle bit more out of reach. No matter how hard you try, no matter how ready you are for *everything* she *told you that you would one day be*, it'll never happen if you just keep waiting and watching. Then, after you're spent. After you've given everything you can... all you'll ever be told is how much of a *disappointment* you were. As if you were the one who let her-- him down. The only way you'll ever get any of those things you want?"

"Is if you stop letting him set the pace of who you are going to be and instead take off and choose the pace for yourself."

"And there, that's my advice for the day. Listen to it, don't, it's not my life so what do I care? Consider it thanks for the ice cream. It was great meeting you, Adrien. Let's do this again sometime. Maybe next time we can go biking or something." She then started to walk away, a small, dark flash in her eyes and a smirk on her lips.

Yeah. Maybe it was time she stopped trying to play 'nice' and 'little miss goody two shoes'. This was a new world, after all. Perhaps she best have some fun with it before she takes what was rightfully hers.