73/Time to Unwind

Time to Unwind
Date of Scene:	13 July 2023
Location:	Game Crown Arcade
Synopsis:	A trip to the arcade ends up with Chiyo meeting Ikiko, and the new exchange student, Tori. A few things are revealed about Tori's abilities and magical girls are vaguely discussed. Followed by games, and feeding strays.
Cast of Characters:	Ikiko Hisakata, Chiyo Sakai, Tori Morte

---

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai rarely came out to play at the arcade. It was near the school so she'd always kind of wanted to, but it was one of those places that she felt silly going to alone. These days she was working on her self-confidence. So with a full coin purse she makes her way to the arcade with a goal in mind.

Any distractions along the way are not her fault.

Tori Morte has posed:
    Tori is here already! She's playing a sit-down racing game, currently, with her satchel laid down on the floor next to her, the girl apparently completely unconcerned with the concept of thieves. She's still in her school uniform, but then, a lot of the kids at the arcade are - it's on the way home for several of them.

    A few people keep glancing her way, for whatever reason. Possibly it's because there's a cute white-haired girl sat on the cabinet behind her watching Tori play with a smile on her face, although that's silly - most people can't see ghosts!

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
While taking care of strays often sends Ikiko to some of the furthest reaches of Tokyo, she does also tend to the dogs local to RHA, and today was a day for the nearby strays to get a bonus meal.

Wearing street clothes -- the advantage of not having to travel all across Tokyo today -- and with a bag each of dogfood and food bowls in her hands, she pauses by the arcade to see if there's anything new today.

Hmmm...!

Doesn't look like there's any new machines, but there are two familiar faces! "Hi, Chiyo-chan!" Ikiko waves to the older girl, approaching Chiyo with a walk-and-talk path that will lead towards Tori. Best to not be a mid-race distraction, but she does nod to Sayo as she approaches --

    -- well, more accurately, nod in the direction of the sensed presence, which she assumes is the 'Sayo' she overheard Tori talking to the other day.

(Close enough, right?)

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai doesn't recognize Tori. That was all right though: The sudden arrival of a face she did recognize earns a smile as she turns to walk a bit more alongside Ikiko. "Ikiko-chan, hello! Are you out feeding strays again?" Not something she was holding against her at all. It was an honestly good thing to be doing! "Do you need me to help carry any of those?" She inquires gesturing vaguely to the bowls and other supplies she carried.

Ikiko's greeting to the other girl does cause her to look over toward the one already playing games to nod in greeting as well. "Hello! I hope we're not disturbing." Though, really, wasn't socializing and having fun part of these places? Surely it was okay.

Tori Morte has posed:
    Sayo looks over to Ikiko, blank eyes piercing into her soul... before she gives a friendly wave. Ikiko simply feels the presence focus on her for a moment before seeming to give a welcoming feeling, of course.

    Tori glances to the side, then beams. "Oh! Ikiko-san!" She then squeaks and focuses on the screen again, correcting the skid she found herself in and then crossing the line. In fourth place. Oh, well, she wasn't gonna win anyway~

    She jumps up from the machine, takes a few steps towards Ikiko, and then suddenly looks rather awkward. "Uhm... and hello to you too, senpai!" she greets Chiyo, glancing towards her.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko grins to Chiyo. "Yup, feeding some of the local strays! And while I don't need help, I wouldn't mind help -- or even just company, really," she confirms as they finish their walk.

Tori's nervousness gets a warm smile from Ikiko. "Tori-chan, this is Chiyo Sakai, grade 10; Chiyo-chan, this is Tori Morte, grade 4," she introduces her friends to each other. "I'm glad to see my friends meet each other!"

Focusing a bit more on her younger friend for a moment, Ikiko adds, "How are you doing?" with a small gesture of her hand subtly indicating that the question includes Sayo as well.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai dips her head in a polite greeting toward Tori as she's quite glad Ikiko offered the introductions. Then again Ikiko was good at doing that so it really did save her any fumbling over her words to greet new people. "Hello! It's nice to meet you, Tori-chan!" Standing upright again she allows herself to look between the two younger girls with a small grin. There really were such cute kohai this year that she was meeting!

"I'd be fine with keeping you company, Ikiko-chan. Though I do have some games I wanted to play." She looks down to her bag thoughtfully. "Or rather, some I want to try to play. I never really got up the nerve to come here on my own before."

Tori Morte has posed:
    Tori gives a polite, somewhat stilted bow - a little too low for this situation, but she's clearly still learning. "Please to meet you, Chiyo-senpai! Um, my full name is actually Victoria, but it's... it's okay to call me Tori. I like being a birdy. Chirp~" Because, well, it's usually difficult for Japanese people to say 'V' sounds.

    "Aah, we're, um, both doing fine, Ikiko-san! Sayo-chan can't really... touch the games, so she's just watching me play. So you can tell she's here, huh..?" She glances at Chiyo, then back to Ikiko. "What was she offering to help you with?"

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
"We could do both!" Ikiko points out to Chiyo. "Cheer you on while you play some games, then visit the strays afterwards!" She then gives the older girl a big hug. "And you're working on courage? That's great!" she beams encouragingly.

Ikiko giggles a bit at Tori's bird pun. "I can sense there's A Presence roughly there, and I can tell that the Presence is friendly, but that's about the extent of it," she clarifies apologetically. Training about the basics of possession and other hauntings helps a smidge, but as far as Ikiko can tell it's the instinctual nature from her magic that picks up on Sayo -- but that's more than pushing the limits on what she can explain to her friends, right?

The second question definitely brightens her smile, though. "Oh, I was going to be feeding some of the local stray dogs," Ikiko explains, holding up the two bags. "I like giving them the occasional extra meal, and checking to see how they're doing." And learning about the news on the street, but explaining that isn't something she's going to share with those not in the know -- or at least, not with those who could easily tell others.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Feels something? As Ikiko mentions 'feeling something there', Chiyo turns her gaze to the spot pointed out just... staring. Unable to see anything, or feel anything. Something that she might get chewed out about by her own spirit companion later. Maybe she should work on becoming more attuned with the world around her if she's going to be fighting evil--Though from the sounds of it, this wasn't evil?

The thoughts run through Chiyo's head lending to her confusion. Why would this be a thing for Ikiko? Or ... well she was making a lot of animal noises the other day, but she thought that was just a cute thing to calm down the animals she works with.

Slowly she turns her attention back to the pair blinking owlishly. "Ah... Sorry is... there someone else?"

Tori Morte has posed:
    "You help stray animals? <Oh my gosh>, that's amazing Ikiko-san!" Tori gushes, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "I knew you were a good person. I hadn't noticed any strays but I guess they'd avoid me, huh? Especially if I'm being followed around by Sayo-chan, animals are more sensitive to that than humans..."

    She looks up at Chiyo and blushes a bit. "Oh, um, you can't tell she's here? Right I kinda keep forgetting... I've always been able to see them, and both my parents can tell when they're around usually..."

    She tilts her head a bit, and smiles. "My friend Sayo-chan is standing next to me. She used to attend Radiant Heart Academy, in grade 4, but in 2017 there was an... accident." She glances to her side. "So now she's a ghost."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko manages to keep an 'oh crap, she's onto me' expression off of her face (albeit barely) when Tori mentions how animals are more attuned to the presence of ghosts than humans are. But that internal struggle is quickly eclipsed by intrigued surprise at Tori mentioning that she's able to see ghosts. That... is definitely an interesting ability, and certainly not a common one.

"A pleasure to officially meet you, Sayo-chan," Ikiko bows towards the approximate location of the ghost, then amends sheepishly with, "Well, more or less, anyway." Can't exactly call it a true introduction if you're not able to directly interact with the other person, right?

Of course, that still leaves explaining this to Chiyo. Well, best to go with the simplest sliver of truth, right?

"My family has read stuff about hauntings, so I'm a bit more aware of spirits than most people," Ikiko shrugs to the older girl. Accurate, even if it does leave out several details.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai draws a slow and deep breath as all of this news is revealed to her. Slowly, cautiously, her brown eyes sweep over to the location that Tori had pointed out with a look of some uncertainty. Then again, how could she even claim that spirits don't exist? She had one hanging off her phone case right now in disguise as a little Bao charm.

It was a little different though. The spirit of a dead girl versus a natural spirit. It left her feeling marginally uneasy... She would have to go say a prayer at a shrine later for the girl, then, and hope that it doesn't turn into a bad situation like a vengeful spirit or similar around the younger girls.

A tight smile comes while she bows her head respectfully. "I see. I'm sorry I can't see such things myself, but it's a pleasure to meet you as well, Sayo-chan." With that she lightly clears her throat standing upright again. The urge to fidget and worry at her fingers is avoided at all costs lest she seem more nervous than she is.

"We just have my grandmother's shrine at home. I guess I never thought of it otherwise."

Tori Morte has posed:
    Tori glances in the ghost girl's direction for a moment, then beams at Chiyo. "Sayo-chan says hello. So, um... you probably don't wanna talk about ghost stuff all afternoon, so..." She fidgets and bounces on the balls of her feet.

    "So what sort of games were you wanting to play, senpai?" she asks Chiyo with another bright smile. "Or... do you wanna go feed the strays and then come back?"

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko patpats Chiyo's back. "I think we should do gaming first, and then go feed the strays," Ikiko suggests. "That way, win or lose, we'll have something to boost our moods afterwards!"

She does give Tori an almost apologetic smile. "Perhaps we could talk more about ghost stuff another time," Ikiko shrugs. "Like sitting around in a cozy place with plenty of snack available, just chatting by ourselves."

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai opens her mouth to respond with her own idea before Ikiko pipes up. Looking over toward the younger girl she relaxes a bit at the suggestions only to chuckle quietly. "All right, for a bit. I don't want anyone to go hungry just for some games. Even animals," she points out with a glance shifting over to the ever popular Sailor V game.

"Um, honestly, I've never played that one," she remarks gesturing over toward it. "After all that talk at the club day of the Magical Girl Club I guess I wanted to see what some of the hype is about. Are either of you good at it?"

She also adds, with a bit of a grin, "And I can always provide snacks. Grandpa lets me take what I want since I help him make them to begin with. Though, I do try to make sure the shop is stocked, first."

Tori Morte has posed:
    "Mmh, sure, games first makes the most sense to me~" Tori chirps like the bird her nickname wound up as. She beams at Ikiko. She really has a very bright smile! "Sure! That sounds nice. Kinda... mmh, what's the word... uh, <cozy, cozy...> Comfortable?" she hazards, muttering an English word to herself before coming to a close-enough translation.

    And then her eyes go wide, and practically have stars in them. She steps closer to Chiyo, hands clapsed together. "There's a Magical Girl Club?! Is that a school club?! I was way too late for club sign ups I only transferred here last month and only got out of the foreigners-only course a week ago I didn't know there was a Magical Girl Club!"

    She became fluent in Japanese in three weeks?!

    No, she must have had prior exposure. Surely.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
"It's a flexible schedule, but I know they'll appreciate the visit," Ikiko nods to Chiyo. Glancing over at the Sailor V game, Ikiko gets a thoughtful expression on her face. "Haven't tried it, but I've watched a few classmates of mine play it once," she muses. Definitely nothing like fighting alongside her, though, she thinks, recalling the youma at the beach two Saturdays ago.

"The last time there was a Club Recruitment Fair, the Magical Girl club was just getting started," Ikiko recalls. "From what I remember of their pitch, it's primarily meant for fans of the genre."

There's a slight giggle as she thinks about part of the announcement. "Their club leader did mention that actual magical girls were also welcome to join, but I'm pretty sure that was just a joke," Ikiko adds with a slightly awkward laugh. Well, it's not like she can say there aren't magical girls, obviously, and explaining that there are magical girls -- much less the fact that she herself is one -- well...

She taps her chin thoughtfully as she briefly glances towards Tori and Sayo. Okay, so there's one person (well, technically two) who knows that there is more to the world than just the mundane; still, being aware of the shallows doen't mean that you can fathom the depths. For now, Ikiko will keep the moonlit part of her life unmentioned to her friends.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai can only laugh a bit at the sheer exuberance that Tori shows at the very idea. "Oh, it's..." Ikiko fills in the blanks though allowing her to nod in agreement. "Right, kind of a fan club. Though I'm sure if any *real* magical girls joined they would get quite a few fans and cheerleaders." Was that the right term? Cheerleaders? Either way it sounds as if she doesn't *quite* believe that would actually happen. Sure it might seem like a fun idea, but she couldn't possibly think of doing something that would out herself. Surely others would think the same.

"They're still trying to get enough membership to become an official club, I think, so if you're interested they might welcome you even though it's outside of recruitment time." Her smile softens a bit, "Being a transfer student means you get a bit of leeway with time to sign up for things. Teachers would prefer you get out and socialize after all."

Tori Morte has posed:
    "Y-yeah, of course it's for fans of the genre! Eheh... I've always loved magical girls they're so cool! I've been reading magical girl comics since I was five... and before that I was watching the cartoons!" she babbles. They get those in England? "It's so amazing that I get to- um, to live in a world where they actually exist!"

    She turns on her heels towards the Sailor V arcade cabinet. "Okay! I've played this game a bunch, it's pretty simple but has some fun complexity~ Give it a shot, senpai!"

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai bites her lip trying to repress a grin though it does manage to wiggle it's way out regardless. Part of her wanted to claim they didn't exist if only for her own safety. The other part? Thought it was a shame she would even attempt to bring down her cheer. "It is, isn't it? I've seen a few fight, even! There was this big orange monster that was stealing people's energy from an icecream cart--" She trails off as she turns to head for the Sailor V video game cabinet.

"Okay! Let me try this!"

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko nods in agreement with Chiyo. "Nothing wrong with recent transfers looking for clubs!" Ikiko confirms. "And, uh, normally I'd make a pitch to join the Animal Care club, but..."

She looks over 'at' Sayo and shrugs apologetically. Even polite, friendly ghosts are usually too spooky for animals not already used to said ghost.

Tori's verbal stumble-step catches Ikiko's attention, but the parsing of potential first drafts gets distracted by the phrasing of the replacement -- namely, that Tori is aware that magical girls really do exist.

    Interesting.

...and Chiyo as well?? That was unexpected -- about as unexpected as... hmmm...

Ikiko quietly shakes her head to herself as a grin spreads across her face. "I definitely have... interesting friends," she softly murmurs to herself before stepping forward to a better position to watch her older friend play. "Go for it, Chiyo-chan!" she beams.