Scene #64: Punches after the Storm

Owner	Pose
Naru Osaka	It's been a hot a steamy day in Tokyo. Brilliant sunshine but that sort of heavy oppressive tropical air that lets you know that why yes, Japan is an island and oh yes, here's all of that water shoved into the air. Which also often results in spectacular late afternoon thunderstorms. The kind that are quick and fierce and full of rage and downpours. But that also clear off almost as quickly as they arrived, leaving the air refreshed and the humidity broken, even if only for a little while. The park is drying off after that late afternoon thunderboomer, there's still a few puddles here and there, and the grass is a bit damp for sitting on without a jacket under your butt to keep it dry. The rains have, however, rendered it nicely quiet with only a few families out and about, it is supper time after all. Naru has spread her jacket on a bench, although the bench truly is almost dry enough already, settled in with her legs crossed under her, using her lap as a makeshift desk for her sketchbook. There's a take out hot drink container next to her, balanced carefully on the bench as she sketches.
Makoto Kino	Makoto is taking advantage of the break in the weather. Sure, it was raining before, and it's probably going to rain again, but it's not raining NOW. So the tall, auburn-haired girl is out and about. She's not in the park for the purpose of being in the park; she's just cutting through it on her way between her apartment and the market. She has a shopping bag in her hand, with various groceries contained inside, some poking out the top of the bag, as she moves through the park.
Madoka Kaname	Madoka Kaname is taking a walk. She's dressed in a pure white summer dress with a wide brim straw hat, but she also has her umbrella by her side just in case. Her family finished supper early, minus her mother who's probably coming home late tonight, and so she was going out on a walk to clear her mind. A part of her wonders if something magical is going to happen to her again, but for now she could actually use a break. Her eyes drift off to the park. She spots a young couple holding hands as they walk and her eyes linger for a moment. When she realizes she might be staring she quickly puts her hand on her hat and looks away. Why would she be thinking about that kind of thing? Silly Doka. Kyubey doesn't seem to be around, or if he is then he isn't saying anything to her. He's probably somewhere, but he shows up when he wants to. Madoka's foot lands in a puddle, and the splash disrupts her train of thought. She looks down at it, gets a cute idea, and then starts jumping into the puddle and launching water everywhere. It lasts for a moment or two before she walks away with a smile.
Tadase Hotori	Tadase Hotori, member of Radiant Heart Academy's student council, is also walking towards the same stretch of Park that Naru is in. Mostly just to get away from paperwork. Partly because his roughly-hand sized little floating partner was clearly going a little stir crazy. "Oh finally something to look at besides paperwork and the ceiling." The little fairy-like King floating by Tadase exclaimed. "Mmmmm. It's nice out here." Tadase replied, without turning to look at him. Anyone who saw Tadase here but couldn't see Kiseki would at worst think he was just appreciating the current situation aloud. There's a girl on the bench, closer than he thought she was. She might think he's talking to her. At the very least, he was probably about to be either way.
Misaki Sanjou	Like a worm surfacing from the rain, Misaki too emerged from wallowing in the figurative mud of her empty abode. It was lonely there, and she had no-one to talk to besides her pet beetles, who were good listeners but poor conversationalists. It was a pity! She had so much to say! The world really didn't know what it was missing. Her wanderings brought her to Penguin Park, where she immediately surveyed the nearby area for points of interest. There was the zoo, but it smelled bad and animals weren't any better to talk to than her beetles. There were a few respectable families out and about, some woman passing by... There! Right there! Wasn't that girl in her year? What was her name? Misaki prowls toward Naru, still dressed in her RHA uniform, addressing the girl as she approaches. "Hey! You!" Her hair was extra shiny and lustrous today, and she was counting on it for the intimidation factor, giving it a rote flip for good luck. "Just what do you think you're doing?" Quickly closing the gap, she looks down at Naru expectantly and without further elaboration.
Naru Osaka	The splish splash of puddle jumping not so far away pulls Naru's attetnion up out of her sketchbook and over towards where Madoka is being adorable. She smiles, watching the girl just /enjoy/ for a moment. It looks like fun, and were Naru not quite comfortable where she is, the temptation to join her might be too much. Her attention wanders over to where Makoto is passing by with groceries, frowning just a touch as she tries to place the girl out of context. It's only a moment before her expression clears and she nods. Classmate just not in uniform. Now she's familiar and there's a little wave, the uncertain kind, when you're really not sure if someone has seen you or not, nor if they will recognize you. "It /is/ nice out here." Naru agrees with Tadase, even though she has no idea he's not speaking to her. "Although a little chillier than I expected, if I'm going to be honest." If she was wearing the jacket she's sitting on, she'd be warmer, but that's wholly besides the point. And then Misaki prowls over and demands an explination. Naru pauses a moment, considering the other girl. "I'm sketching in the park." She replies after a moment, calmly and accurately, gesturing towards the sketchbook in her lap. "What do you think you're doing?" She returns the question, although perhaps without the intimidation factor.
Makoto Kino	Makoto was just going for groceries, and for the most part, most of what she's seeing are things that you might expect to see in the park. Girl splashing in puddles, girl sketching, boy walking." For the most part. But Misaki is being intimidating towards Naru. And Makoto has a legendarily small tolerance for bullies. The tall girl changes her approach, swinging her course towards Naru. She doesn't really know her beyond literally just having seen her at school, but she'll approach towards her, letting her course bring her up behind Misaki. Her voice has a decidedly hard edge to it, as she asks "There isn't a problem here, is there?"
Madoka Kaname	Madoka doesn't see Kyubey here, but she does see... What is that tiny kingly looking thing floating around that boy? No one else seems to be reacting to it either. Oh geeze, is this a magic thing? A part of her is curious and wants to know more, but another part of her is worried that the fairy will turn into an eldritch monster and bite someone in half. Wait, is that boy Hotori-san? From the student council? She stares for a moment before looking down to the ground, unsure of how to respond. Should she do something about this? If she ignores it, would that be better? No, ignoring problems doesn't make them go away. If nothing else, if she really wants to help, then she needs to learn more. Madoka starts walking towards Tadase, her eyes spending more time on Kiseki than the student council member, but anyone who couldn't see the chara could easily mistake it for otherwise. What is she going to say? She doesn't know yet. She only knows that she can't leave it alone. Her eyes are pulled away from that as Misaki starts speaking very firmly to Naru, and Madoka suddenly stops in her tracks. Her hand moves to her collarbone as she hesitates. This is gonna be drama, isn't it? Madoka watches as that thing unfolds in front of her, and slips around it to get closer to Tadase. It's very clear from the way she ''directly'' looks at Kiseki that she sees the little chara, but she also glances at the rest of the group and decides against saying anything. She laughs a little nervously, holding up her hands palms-forward. "There's no reason to get upset! I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding!" More nervous laughter. Ugh, why did she involve herself in this?
Tadase Hotori	Kiseki, in particular, gives the girl with the aggressive stance a harsh look. Tadase, on the other hand, takes on his 'diffuse things' tone. He moves over, standing kind of midway between Makoto and Misaki - but based on the way he's facing, and who his words are directed at, it's clear he knows who the aggressor is."Pretty sure the girl was just sitting here sketching." He doesn't quite recognize Makoto but he already respects her willingness to get involved in what looks like a needlessly tense situation. "Like I said, it's a very nice day. Can we please keep it that way?" He looks over between Makoto and Misaki. "I think everyone here is a student at the same school, right? So there's no reason for such a hostile attitude..." Kiseki whispers something in Tadase's ear. "Sanjou-san." Tadase's hoping that by being present and calling her out he can prevent this from turning into a fight, especially given how many people here are wearing their school uniform - it would reflect poorly on everyone. Not to mention Tadase's own distaste for bullies, while it doesn't rival Makoto's, it is there too.
Misaki Sanjou	The gall of this girl! The nerve! In truth, Misaki wasn't sure herself what she was accusing Naru of, but she was a consummate opportunist. Sniffing daintily, she gives herself a moment of silence to let the outrage build-- and to think of something to say. Unfortunately, her train of thought is broken by Makoto, who's approach had gone unnoticed right up until she spoke. Misaki jumps a little, whirling around. The intruder was tall, but that was fine. She was tall too. Ish. Her eyes narrow, hands instinctively balling up into fists. "Haah? What's it to you?" Shoot! She just wanted to maybe scam a soft drink out of the benched artist, and now there was a witness and even a distraught pink girl trying to make peace. Even the student council had gotten involved! It was enough to make her lose her nerve, at least a little. She lets out a slow breath. Rolling her eyes and forcing the tension from her hands, she crosses her arms in a defensive posture. "Things were perfectly peaceful until this creature accosted me," she grouses in Tadase-and-Madoka's general direction, thumb hooked towards Makoto. "But very well. It's a nice day and I can be the bigger person from time to time." She says this while making eye contact with Makoto, allowing the situation to be defused on the off-chance Makoto was willing to put up with her passive aggressive barb.
Naru Osaka	Naru unfolds her legs, suddenly feeling even shorter than her admittedly short self as people are standing around where she's sitting. She looks up at people who have appeared all around. "Er.." She glances between all of the people. There's a brief incomprending moment where it looks like Madoka is talking to Tadase's shoulder, but clearly Naru was mistaken. An almost imperceptable shake of her head, denying that thought. "It is a lovely day." Naru agrees mildly with Misaki, in spite of the verbal jabs and the passive agressive. "More of a lovely evening, really. How is everyone doing this evening? About half of you I recognize from classes, and the other half from around school, yes? I think we all go to Radiant Heart?" She offers out generally to the pack of students surrounding the bench she's on.
Makoto Kino	Makoto doesn't back down at all from Misaki's tone. "Call me a creature again and see where it gets you." Makoto is apparently NOT willing to put up with passive-aggressiveness. There's a reason SHE has a rep as a delinquent, and it usually involves folding bullies into origami shapes. Naru is still there, but Makoto isn't...well, okay, she almost IS ignoring her, just for the face-off with Misaki. She still has her grocery bag in one hand, and the other clenches into a fist at her side. It may not yet be the legendary Time of Go, but she's ready if it heads that way.
Madoka Kaname	Madoka sees the fairy whisper into Tadase's ear, but doesn't see him respond. Is that thing controlling him somehow? When the pinkette realizes she's staring with a sort of wide eyed worry, she says, "You've got... um... something on your..." she points to her ear, but then Misaki talks. Suddenly the tiny fairy king is not the most worrying thing in this conversation anymore. The pinkette decides not to try bringing up the fairy again right now. Tadase either already knows or he doesn't. Trying to talk about it in front of potential non-magicals is just weird. Is that true? Is Makoto at fault? Madoka was admittedly looking at a tiny fairy king and didn't really pay attention to what was happening. She doesn't think it's as simple as what Misaki is saying though. When Naru speaks, Madoka nods firmly with a modest smile. "That's right! I'm Madoka Kaname! I'm in the 8th grade. I was just passing by." She is now pointedly ignoring Kiseki. Spending too much time looking at invisible things just makes her feel weird. Madoka takes one single step back away from Makoto. Not because she particularly is against her or anything, she just doesn't want to be adjacent to her when the punching starts.
Tadase Hotori	Kiseki, though, is as subtle as a brick, and when Madoka points at Tadase's shoulder and tries to subtly tell him she can see Kiseki, Kiseki floats over. "Oh, you can see me! Oh. Just a moment. The girls." he says, pointing. Tadase sighs. "Let her get her words in, they don't mean anything." Tadase says, after debating whether he was going to say anything to the girl. He leaned a little closer and whispered to Makoto, "You know how people like that are, fragile egoes, if they don't walk away with something they can pretend is a win and lie to themselves, they won't. But you don't need to lie, if you make her back down you won." Tadase is, in truth, being surprisingly level-headed about this. But he's also not aware he's talking to Makoto Kino. He doesn't recognize her yet. "Let's all just let the girl finish her sketch, cmon." He says, smiling at Makoto. He's not sparkling at her, it's not yet an 'emergency' in the sense of it's, at its core, just a schoolyard fight. But he is asking 'very nicely'.
Misaki Sanjou	No, perhaps it was unreasonable of Misaki to expect Makoto to back down. She wasn't really ready to give it up yet either, if she was being honest with herself. Like Makoto, her original confrontation with Naru had been forgotten. The words of the peacemakers mostly fell by the wayside. She was still aware of her well-intentioned peers though, dark eyes darting for an instant to Madoka and Tadase before she turns to answer Makoto's provocations. "Creature, creature, creature!" She chants as her expression ripens to its smuggest and most punchable. Her pretty face was tantalizing, offering the perfect ratio of firmness, elasticity, and self-importance. It would no doubt be blissful to sink a fist into. "So what are you gonna do about it?" Misaki steps in, aiming to butt foreheads with Makoto. "Didn't you hear your friend? Aren't you gonna rein in your fragile ego? Huh? Huuuuh?"
Naru Osaka	"Hello Madoka." Naru scoots over on the bench in silent invitation for another non-combatant to join her on the questionably safe spot. "I'm Naru Osaka, I'm in grade nine. I'm pretty sure I've seen you in the hallways a few times. Are you staying the dorms?" She offers a shockingly normal conversation as foil to the tension that's ratcheting up around them. The sketch in question has largely been forgotten, everything else is far too dramatic to get back to drawing, although Naru still has the sketchbook open in her lap. She clearly can't see or hear Kiseki, no matter how brick like he's being. Naru catches just the edge of Tadase's whisper to Madoka and winces a little as it becomes clear that Misaki caught his words too. As Misaki goes for the 'taunt the cranky senshi' tactic, Naru sighs a little, almost resigned to how this is likely going to play out. "At least pass me your groceries so you don't crush anything when you drop them." Ever pragmatic, Naru reaches a hand out to Makoto for her to pass over the bag.
Makoto Kino	Makoto could try a fake-out with the bag handover. But she'll just gently swing that arm forward, tossing it about a foot forward, towards Naru. She's an honorable fighter. But well...she DID warn her. And Misaki is looking eminently punchable. So, Makoto obliges. The trained martial artist's right hand reaches back to...well, probably somewhere around Hokkaido. And then it comes forward. Very quickly, very powerfully, and headed STRAIGHT for Misaki's nose. This would be why she got tossed out of her last school. At least she's not on school grounds this time.
Madoka Kaname	Madoka glances towards Kiseki again, nods slightly, and then looks back at the developing Misaki/Naru/Makoto situation. While she may have seen some of these people at school before, she didn't know them personally. A part of her wishes that she could just slip away. There's always the chance she could grab Tadase later and ask him about the tiny guy following him around. A nurse's aide talking to a student council member isn't that out of place in the grand scheme of things. Maybe approaching like this was a bad idea? "Y-yeah, come on. Let her finish!" she starts to agree, but then Misaki starts doubling down on her namecalling and Madoka can no longer stay neutral in this. "Don't say that! It isn't nice!" protests the pinkette, half expecting her words to go unheard. This is getting worse. Madoka puts her hand on her straw hat and pulls it down, covering her face while her other hand clutches her umbrella. When Naru offers her a spot on the bench, Madoka nods and sits down. It's fine if she wants to go on like nothing's happening. Maybe some problems ''do'' go away if you ignore them. She shakes her head at the dorm question. "Nope! My mom and dad live nearby, so there's no need." She tries not to wince when Makoto swings.
Tadase Hotori	Tadase's no fool, though. He's an earnest person, and he'll try, but both of these girls had chances to back down. He could get in the way, or even use magic and bank on the Veil keeping them from remembering it, and maybe shock-and-aweing the two of them into not fighting... today. But there was a problem with everybody here being from Radiant Heart. And that was that these girls would pass each other again, in the hallway, or on the grounds. Somewhere. And Tadase wouldn't be around to interfere. And with the way they were both escalating now? Well, they would at best have a temporary ceasefire. There wasn't much Tadase could do if BOTH girls wanted to fight so badly. Better here than on school grounds. And at least both of the girls about to have it out had... well, in a way, agreed to have it out. It wasn't like with Naru where it was obvious one girl had done nothing. And Makoto sure didn't look like she needed, or wanted, any help, and neither did Misaki. "Welp." Tadase and Kiseki say in unison. All he could do was stand by and make sure it didn't go from a fight to a brutalizing beatdown if someone got the advantage. Tadase turned so sit with Madoka, shaking his head. Kiseki though, floated nearby. He had the best seat in the house, after all, floating above the two. And he was just juvenile enough to enjoy having it. "It was such a nice day, too." Tadase says, sighing.
Misaki Sanjou	It wasn't that she didn't expect it. She was, in fact, expecting it... But she wasn't /expecting/ it. Her eyes widen, pupils constricting in surprise as the fist sails towards her. Her hands raise to intercept, but she's too slow. Instinctively, she turns her head, managing to catch the blow with her cheek. It wasn't ideal. The force of the blow sends her stumbling back, where she promptly trips over and falls upon the three on the bench, their lamentable timing with bench real estate made plain for all to see. "You hit me! You really hit me! Are you crazy?! Are you an animal?!" She clutched her cheek. Misaki's normally smooth voice had turned shrill with pain and surprise. At this point in time, her squawking had no doubt attracted the attention of all the adults in the park, but she was undeterred. Paying no mind to the people she fell over as she rises shakily, she lunges at Makoto, swinging her own fist in retaliation. It was an aggressive move, but a trained martial artist she was most definitely not, leaving herself wide open as she charged in.
Naru Osaka	It's not the most elegant of pass off, but Naru manages to catch the thrown bag of groceries with only a couple casualties. They're probably fine, as long as they don't get stepped on, they're even in packaging! There's a wince as she watches Makoto's fist head for Mikaki's face and Naru turns quite deliberately to Madoka. If she's not watching, it's not soo bad, right? "Ah, yes. That's handy. I.. my mother also lives in Tokyo, but I decided to live in the dorms to keep Usagi company." Naru scoots over to make room for Tadase on the bench, there's plenty of room enough for all three of them. Her smile to him is rueful. The attempt to mostly stay out of it (beyond rescuing the groceris) is futile as the fight quite literally lands on the bench. Naru tries to put up her free hand to keep from having Misaki land on her utterly, and truly it's only a bounce. Mostly. The apple doesn't think so, it got solidly squished under humans. RIP apple. "You literally taunted her. I'm not here to condone getting punched, but ... " Naru lets the comment slide off. There was futzing around, and now there's finding out. "That's probably enough punching, however. The points have been made." That mild comentary is likely to fall on deaf ears, but if only to protect the lives of more innocent produce, Naru feels obliged to /try/.
Makoto Kino	Makoto looks back at Misaki. "I don't like bullies. And you're one of the worst I've seen in a while." She was expecting possible retaliation. She wasn't expecting it to be so...open. She grabs for Misaki's arm as the other girl swings for her, pivoting her body in towards her, and throwing her hips back, while rolling her shoulder forward. Yep. It's a classic shoulder throw, or it will be if she succeeds in grabbing that untrained swing, trying to lob Misaki over her shoulder and put her on her butt. "Just LEAVE. Before you get hurt. You don't even know how to fight!" And now that she knows that, she isn't planning to punch the other girl again. SHE isn't a bully. But she has no problem using her opponent's momentum against her. "I'm not going to hurt her if I don't have to." Makoto answers Naru. "But I'm not going to let her hurt anyone else. Including me."
Madoka Kaname	Madoka smiles awkwardly at Tadase as he sits down, mentally moving him from the 'that guy I keep hearing' box to the 'guy I have actually spoken to before' box. She nods and adds, "Y-yeah, it was." She yelps out loud as Misaki lands on her, knocking off her straw hat before she quickly grabs it. Madoka rubs her nose before looking down at herself, and then at Naru and Tadase. "Is everyone okay? Are either of you hurt?" The pinkette is, of course, asking the benchsitters when she says that. When it comes to the Misaki vs. Makoto brawl, well... she can't exactly help them until they stop. There would probably be a witch hunt if Madoka stepped in and got hurt right now. It turns out that Madoka's original assessment was correct: Ignoring problems doesn't make them go away. It just means that they'll smack you in the face later. That's why they're called problems. "Stop!" she pleads to the two combatants, but mostly to Misaki. "Is this really worth it? Come on." Under her breath she mutters, "Must be the summer heat..." Makoto's words at least register to her. Between the two, it's clear that there's a difference in training.
Tadase Hotori	Tadase gives Naru a look like 'yeah I already tried that and now I'm not getting in the middle of it' when she tries to convince Misaki to hold back. Tadase is about to tell Madoka he's fine, and then he's not fine, because then Misaki's body falls on all three of them. Tadase's response to being landed on is to flail, and then automatically go to push Misaki off him - but Misaki's getting up. "Maybe you should stay down." is the helpful advice he gives her at this point. He already tried telling her not to fight at all. She gets back up, Makoto puts her back down. "We toldja." Kiseki added, whether she could hear him or not. "I hope you two are done. You can't do this on school grounds."Tadase adds, sounding exasperated.
Misaki Sanjou	Misaki's charge ended with her confused and on the ground, dazed and very confused. To Makoto's credit, she was relatively unharmed... Physically. As she scrambled to her feet, her cheeks burned with something more than blunt-force trauma. It was frustrating! So frustrating! Why was nothing going her way?! The villainess rises, wild-eyed and fearful. The crowd was against her, and she had suffered a terrible defeat. It was the end of the world. It was... Super embarrassing. The adrenaline rush had kicked in, fight-or-flight instincts taking over. Looking around at the bench-sitters and their valiant guardian juxtaposed between her and them, she let out a small shriek, turned around, and ran. "Why do I have to leave?! Why don't YOU leave?!" She called over her shoulder. "I can't believe you hit me! Do you even know who my parents are?!" Her parents were nobody. "You'll pay for this! You'll rue the day! You'll rue the day you messed with me!" Her higher brain was vaguely aware through the slurry of fear, pain, and shame that she was only embarrassing herself further, but she couldn't stop. It was as if some part of her self-control had been eroded. Her defeat was more than a bad feeling. It was fuel. She had been hit hard enough to bruise, but her face was going to be just fine by tomorrow. She stopped, turned around, and shrieked incoherently one final time before disappearing over the horizon. It was time to go. It was time to go home, to lick her wounds, to lament her fate. There was no-one waiting for her there, and just this once she was grateful. Tomorrow... Tomorrow would be better.
Naru Osaka	"Phew. Well. That was a thing." Naru watches after Misaki as she flees, all full of shame and frustration and probably bruises. Even if those bruises aren't going to last. "She is not the nicest person I've met in a while. You alright?" She asks of Makoto, sliding off the bench to be able to retrieve an errant packaged treat that somehow didn't get stepped on. She offers the groceries back as she asks after the other girl's health. "Yeah.. not on school grounds, that would be bad." Naru agrees firmly with Tadase. "I.. well meeting her in the hallway at school is going to be super awkward." She looks after Misaki's retreat again. "I hope she's not badly hurt either."
Makoto Kino	Makoto relaxes as Misaki runs off. She sighs. "Yeah, I'm okay. I probably shouldn't have hit her." But yes, at least it wasn't on school grounds. "Sorry. You're okay?" she asks Naru, and then looks about at the others. "Sorry for all that, especially in public." She takes the groceries back. "If she tries giving you trouble at school, just let me know." Yeah, she'd have done it at school too. She just would have regretted it more.
Madoka Kaname	Madoka starts patting the sides of her dress to see if she has any band-aids. Sadly, no, and she didn't bring her bag with her. She wasn't expecting a fight today. To think that she only came out here for a walk. Fortunately, it doesn't look like any immediate medical care is needed, for which she is grateful. As Misaki flees the scene, Madoka stands up and brushes herself off. "Well!" she laughs awkwardly. "What an experience." She watches her feet to make sure not to step on any spilt groceries, and she places her hand at the back of her hat as the wind slightly picks up. Smiling up to Makoto, she says, "Eheh. Remind me to never make you mad. I'm fine, though. Thanks for asking!"
Tadase Hotori	Tadase sighs. "If you're going to fight her in school, please don't do it in front of me or I'll have to do something. Even if I believe you're in the right, I've got to follow the rules." he warned. "But, 'unofficially', thank you for stepping in. I'm glad you did. But if she starts giving people trouble in school, you should tell someone on the student council so we can take care of it officially... not tell someone to go start a different kind of trouble." he added, just a little bit of chastising to Makoto. "Nothing wrong with having a strong sense of justice, but you might want to look into better ways to put it into use than fighting schoolyard bullies in the park." Tadase said. "Tadase-kun, we should go." Kiseki urged. What was making him leave suddenly - that wasn't shared. He did, however, give a little bow to all 3 girls. "Tadase Hotori, student council, and I'm sure I'll see you all again." On the way out, Kiseki waved good bye to Madoka and continued to talk into Tadase's ear, out of hearing of the rest of the girls.