Endless Waltz
By: Daishi Prime
-11 – Kyoto Redux-
Verner was relieved, in a way, when his parents decided to give him a few days after the incident before calling. It meant he had plenty of time to anticipate their reactions, and to prepare counters for those reactions. It also gave him a bit of time to make sure his own emotions were settled, and to observe the reactions of his classmates.
The second years were frighteningly blasé about the whole thing. Aside from Laura's joking around, none of the second years seemed the least bit concerned. Even Cid-chan and Niranjana, the two second years he had pegged as most likely to panic, shrugged it off. Their confidence in the teachers and themselves was comforting, though he had to question the wisdom of such confidence. But the only concern any of them showed was that he and his fellow first years were adversely affected. Noriko, in particular, had been quite thorough in checking with each first year.
The reactions of his fellow first years were far more normal, in his opinion. Esmeralda had been the most vocal in her worries, though she had seemed to him to be seeking reassurance, more than action. Noriko's tutoring them on shields calmed Esmeralda quickly enough, though she remained a little clingy. Kaemon, Ekavir, Jun and himself were all fairly calm about it, both in accepting Hayate's reassurances and in taking advantage of Noriko's tutoring, though the other three boys remained nervous for several days. Chen-chi became a little more skittish and flighty than usual, Mercedes took to pestering Lotte to teach them to fly, and the twins remained their usual inscrutable selves. It was Didier who had the worst reaction, hiding in his room until Monday morning, most of that time with Shamal or Aria, and retreating further into himself.
His parents did not finally call until Thursday evening, just after dinner, pulling him away from an odd card game Chen-chi was creating, which involved flash-cards of magical concepts, any number of players, and ten-yen bets. He would have preferred a chance to win back some of his losses, but comforted himself with the knowledge that Chen-chi herself was getting cleaned out by Kaemon and Mercedes. He walked out front of the dorm before opening his cell phone, looking for privacy with space.
"Good morning," he said, having to focus somewhat to say it in German.
"Good evening, Verner," his father answered in a mildly amused tone, "is your presentation fully prepared, or would you like another day or so?"
Verner chuckled, "I don't plan everything, father. But yes, I have given some thought to reassuring you and Mother. You certainly waited long enough to call."
"We have been speaking with your teachers," his father replied. "Mostly good news. From the sound of it, were it not for your classmates' habit of wandering, no one would even have been in danger."
"Mostly true," Verner agreed. "The defenses worked just as Miss Yagami promised they would, despite the attackers in question being essentially immune to most of the defenses. The Seed were easily contained, even if Miss Yagami did have to put them down later. None of the injuries were serious..." He continued rattling off the list of reasons not to worry about the attack that he had come up with, until he heard his father chuckling. "Father?"
"Just thinking, Verner. We Germans have such a reputation for over-organization and stoic pragmatism, alles en ordenung and all that rubbish. I was just wondering if whoever came up with that stereotype had met you. You are too calm for your own good, boy."
This was an old argument, and one his mother was worse about, but as he had told Esmeralda and Chen-chi, it just made things easier not to freak out. "I'm sure I'll have my share of overly emotional moments, father," he answered, "but Sunday's incident was hardly worth getting excited over. Concerned, yes, cautious, yes, but it was all over before I knew anything about it. Why worry about what is over, done with, and minor?"
"Tell that to your mother," his father countered. "First thing your teacher told us was that you were fine, and she still hyperventilated. Practically collapsed in tears."
Thin and muffled by her distance from the receiver, Verner could nonetheless hear his mother shout, "I did not! That was you, you overgrown child!"
"Well, somebody hyperventilated," his father chuckled, "though I'll admit, my memory of that far back's a little hazy. You know how us old folks are."
Verner continued to speak with his father for another half hour, his mother another twenty minutes or so beyond that, reassuring them that he was fine and, more importantly, comfortable remaining in Japan. They never quite lapsed into the seriousness he had expected, his father's habitual joking remained strong throughout, but Verner could tell they were worried about him. It was a nice contrast to the usual semi-cavalier impression people had of his family.
By the time he folded the phone closed, it was fully dark, only the internal lights of the buildings disturbing the stars. He took a couple seconds to watch them, then turned and headed back in, following a few steps behind Mercedes, Marcel, and Yussef returning from the library. So he had a perfect view as the two boys, with an automatic air, held the door open for Mercedes, she stepped through, and Laura's vengeance struck.
There was a flash of light, and Mercedes' uniform vanished. Not completely, fortunately for everyone present, as it was replaced, but what was replaced was significantly more revealing. A frighteningly short skirt, a tiny tank-top, and knee-high boots, all in black leather. The worst part was, right in the middle of her lower back, was a brightly colored tattoo – Yussef's name and her own, in a bright red heart, flanked by smiling cherubs. Beneath it was 'Yu-chan and Mercy sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.'
Mercedes did not seem to notice, until she reached the middle of the room and the descending silence became total, every eye on her. She looked down, took a minute to study her knew appearance, then looked around. Laura was nowhere in sight, however, so Mercedes shrugged, and headed for the water jugs set on the lead table. "I've worn worse."
Glancing at Marcel and Yussef, Verner found the first staring at the second, and the second so red in the face it was a miracle he was not bleeding through his pores. Verner could not tell if Yussef's reaction was embarrassment or rage, but either way he was obviously speechless. So Verner moved up saying, "It's not the clothes, Mercedes, it's the ink." She looked at him oddly, until he explained, "Your back. Go find a mirror, then go find Laura."
Mercedes' eyes narrowed, and she twisted around to try and get a look, then her gaze swept over the room again, searching the faces. She finally came back to him, saying in a flat voice, "I'll be back in ten. Be a pal, and when I come back, tell me where she is." Then she stormed off to the Girls' Wing, short skirt bouncing dangerously.
Only when she was gone did a blank spot by the door burst into laughter, before rippling to reveal Laura leaning against one of the doors, hands wrapped around her middle as she bent over letting out the suppressed laughter. "Ahaha! The look on your face, Yu-chan! Bwahaha...!" She was practically falling over she was laughing so hard.
Marcel caught Yussef's wrist, and Verner raised an eyebrow at the sight of glowing energy, then the French boy was leaning in, whispering something urgently. Yussef still looked murderous, but allowed Marcel to pull him back outside, leaving everyone else in the dining hall displaying a variety of reactions.
Tai-yu was the first teacher on the scene, walking across the dining hall from the entrance to the Girls' Wing, where she had no doubt passed Mercedes. She walked over to Laura, who had slid down the door in the meantime and was now sitting there, hands resting on her knees, still chuckling sporadically and grinning hugely as she got her breath back. Tai-yu crossed her arms, giving Laura a long look, before saying, "A set of illusions?"
"Uh-huh," Laura nodded, "three of 'em! Variation on Allison's Cloak to hide her real clothes, one to show the new clothes, and a last one to put the tattoo on."
"You need to work on your integration," Tai-yu informed her. "The three illusions were not smoothly joined, nor were they placed seamlessly. I expected better from..." A wordless shriek, dampened by intervening materials of the dorm structure, cut her off, and everyone glanced towards the rear half of the Girls' Wing. Tai-yu muttered something, gesturing, and a shield slid into place over the entrance to the wing, then she turned back to Laura. "You understand, fun and games are one thing, but that... Laura, you are getting far too personal, taking far too many risks. I will speak to Vita-san, she will keep you close during the trip. When you return, we will work on your illusions. I believe you have Tuesday afternoons free. Hayate will discuss your official punishment at her leisure next week. Until she does, you are grounded. For now, I suggest you return to your room to finish packing for tomorrow, while I try to calm poor Mercedes. Go."
Laura was still grinning and she bounced to her feet. She bowed to Tai-yu, then smirked again, saying, "Totally worth it," before vanishing once more into Allison's Cloak of Light.
Silence resumed for a moment, long enough for everyone to hear Noah, "Man, Alli, why'd you have to go and teach her that? Now we won't even be able to see her coming."
"Shut up, it was worth the price," Allison snapped back, "and don't call me that!"
00000
Noriko wound up having to wait until they were on the bus headed into Kyoto, before she could finally catch up to Mercedes. Even then, she had to ask Esmeralda to move further back, which naturally clued Mercedes in that this was not going to be chit-chat. Still, Noriko managed to keep up a normal conversation with her, and some of the other first years, until they were fully on the road.
"So, Mercedes," Noriko began, "about last night..."
Mercedes instantly frowned, "I don't want to talk about it."
Noriko sighed, and shook her head, "You're going to have to, you know."
"Shouldn't you be talking to Laura? She's the one who went overboard this time."
"I would," Noriko replied, "except Laura's up front sandwiched between Hayate-sensei and Shamal-baa-san, while they deliver their second set of lectures. Not real easy to get to her. So I thought I'd come see how you're doing. I know she hit closer to home than she expected to."
Mercedes grimaced, and turned out the window. For a second, Noriko thought she would not reply, then Mercedes said, "It wasn't 'close to home', it was 'too believable'. My joke about her and Marcel, no one would believe that in a million years. Me and Yussef, though? I've spent too much time with him already, other people or not. Everyone's going to be on my case about it, now."
Noriko blinked at that, surprised by a tone she was uncertain was actually there. "Do you like him?"
"Gah, you see!"
"I'm not making fun of you, Mercedes," Noriko reassured her, resting a hand on the other girl's arm, "I'm asking. If you do like him, if you really are interested, I'll make sure everyone leaves you alone, as much as they can. It won't be perfect, but it would be about what you could expect if you actually asked him out."
Mercedes whipped around to hiss, "Ask him out? He's what, thirteen?"
"Actually, he's the same age you are," Noriko replied with a grin, "fifteen, just like Noah, Toushiro, Niranjana, Allison, Laura, Juliet, and Mariachi. Half my class actually, and only Luke and Natalia are older. Have you noticed any of us paying much attention to relative ages, though?"
Mercedes started to say something, then hesitated, and shook her head, "No, not really. But you're all weird about things like that. I mean, look at Luke. He's the oldest student here, but he follows Yussef around like a puppy."
"A lieutenant, I'd say," Noriko countered. "Yussef is training Luke to be his second. Hardly a 'puppy'. Look at me, though. I'm in the younger half of our class, but the others all look to me, to some extent. Even Natalia, as private as she is, has come to me for help or a friendly ear. So, are you interested in him?"
Mercedes glared at her for a second, then shrugged. "Maybe. He's a nice guy, well behaved, smart, good looking. But he's also a kid, and some of his ideas are just plain weird. He gets all flustered and dodgy whenever I ask about joining the Myrmidons, for instance. So... I don't know."
Noriko nodded at that, then let it slide, "You're right about the believability. No one would believe Laura was interested in Marcel. But no one would believe Laura and Yussef are interested in each other, either, and look how long that rumor has hung on."
"That's different," Mercedes said, "those two are such enemies, they're at each others' throats so often, that the rumor of them liking each other is a great way to make both of them squirm. Me and Yussef, though... that's going to be believable, everyone's going to pick up on it, and there goes my chance to learn anything from him outside of class."
"I could teach you as much as he can," Noriko offered, "though not quite in the same areas."
Mercedes grimaced again, "Yeah, but... the more I've heard about them, the more I've heard about the Myrmidons, the more interested I've become. I thought, originally, that they were some sort of fight club deal, but it's more than that. Those guys are seriously determined to watch each others' backs, not just now, but after they graduate, when they're old, forever. I mean, I heard Noah and Ichigo arguing last week about who got to be 'best man' at Luke's wedding. Luke's wedding! Girls talk about weddings, but not when the guy in question isn't even going out with anyone!"
"They are a dedicated bunch," Noriko agreed, "though I'd be willing to bet Noah and Ichigo were teasing Luke, more than anything else."
"Oh, they were laughing," Mercedes agreed, "but they were serious, too. I don't remember how the conversation got around to the topic, I was working on my Arabic homework, but they were serious. I think they decided on Mariachi, except he apparently decided a ways back that he's covering music for all their weddings, so he can't, and they decided on Zafira-sensei. No idea if he knows about it. But that's not the point. That whole crew is going to stick together forever, and I want in on it. Yeah, I know, I'll never be as 'in' as the current team, but still, it's my sort of group, they're my sort of people, and the best way to getting in on it is with Yussef's tutoring. Which he won't give me anymore, because everyone'll be on his case about 'dating Mercedes'."
"He isn't that shallow," Noriko countered. "He'll grumble and complain, probably whine a little, but he'll still tutor you. I also doubt you'll get talked about as much as you fear. We aren't mean, Mercedes, we just like to rib each other a little. Yussef's boys will watch out for you as well, if only to protect him."
"Maybe," Mercedes returned to grumbling, "That was still way below the belt."
Noriko quirked an eyebrow at her, "Or perhaps too personal?" Mercedes glared at her, so she held up a calming hand, "No joke, Mercedes, just an honest question. Think about it."
"Speaking of honest questions," Allina said, bouncing up to stick her head over the seat, "You've always laughed at any suggestion Laura's interested in anyone, but she's gotta be making eyes at someone. You know who she's after?"
Noriko frowned at Allina, "We were having a private conversation, Allina. Hence the whispers, the leaning together, the lack of talking to anyone else."
"Yeah, but you've gotta be done by now, and I'm curious."
"So am I," Mercedes commented with a grin, "ammunition is always useful."
Noriko transferred the glare to her, "Do not go after Laura in the same way you have just been objecting to. You will find yourself in as much trouble as she is in now, without the sympathy you currently enjoy. As for your question, Allina, Laura is 'after' magic."
Allina nodded at that, "So, Takashi-san?"
Noriko shook her head, "Do pay attention, Allina. She is interested in magic, nothing else."
"She's interested in someone," Natalia countered from across the aisle, "though I doubt she realizes it."
Allina leaned towards her, "Who? Come on, Natalia, you've gotta share!"
Natalia shrugged, "Her brother, obviously. The only person she is guaranteed to ramble on about, the one she always holds up as 'the perfect guy', the one person she'll run to the phone to talk to. She has a crush on her brother, though I doubt she is aware of it."
"No, Natalia, you are wrong. You could just as easily use those same arguments to say she is interested in Signum-sensei," Noriko countered. "Too be honest, I'm ashamed to hear rumors like that from you, of all people. Laura does not have a crush on her brother, but he was the largest presence in her life until she came here. He is one of the defining personalities in her life," Noriko paused, giving Natalia a sad look, "just as Sasha is in yours."
Natalia twitched violently, eye wide, then glared. "Don't you dare..."
"Relax," Noriko ordered, "no insult intended or made. But just as you do not have a 'crush' on your brother, Laura does not have one on hers."
"Good ammunition, though," Mercedes murmured, "maybe for later."
Noriko gave an exasperated sigh, "Mercedes, what did I just tell you?"
Any response was interrupted by Mercedes sudden glare, followed by Laura saying, "Oi, Riko-chan, I've got a seat a ways back, come on. Mercedes, Hayate-sensei wants to talk to you."
The Italian looked quite affronted at that, "About what?"
"About us, obviously," Laura replied with a roll of her eyes. "You coming, Riko-chan?"
"In a moment," Noriko replied, waving Laura further back. Laura nodded and started towards the back, so Noriko added, "I'll take the window seat, Laura, thank you."
Laura stopped to glare, "Dammit, Riko-chan, I wanted the window seat! There's no view from the aisle seats!"
"Too bad," Noriko countered, "now shoo." Laura stomped her way further back, and Noriko could not resist smiling at her antics. Then she turned back to Mercedes, "Do think about what I said, Mercedes, and how you feel. Better to clear such things up with yourself, before you start trying to clear them up with anyone else. And do not try to use Natalia's rumor against Laura. At the moment, you have everyone's sympathies. Return the favor, and you will find yourself in an unbearable situation."
00000
When Mercedes went to talk to Hayate, Allina stopped her with a touch on her arm. "Take Noriko's advice. Don't go after Laura for who she's interested in. Whether she knows who it is she's interested in or not, 'kay? I shouldn't've asked, but, you know, curiosity and boredom."
Mercedes looked confused, then looked back at Laura chattering on, and shrugged. "Don't worry, I've got other plans for her. Why?"
"Just don't," Allina repeated, before dropping back into her own seat. She blinked at her companion for a second, then frowned, "Did you even notice any of that?"
Niranjana looked up from her PDA, "Notice what? I'm sorry, Allina-chan, I was talking with Ekavir about one of the proofs Signum-sensei gave him to do. What did I miss?"
"Gah, you're hopeless," Allina muttered. "It was just the fate of everyone's favorite chaos-magnet."
Niranjana blinked for a moment, then shook her head, "Laura is not a magnet for chaos, she is a generator of it. Look at this, do you remember it from last year? I think I remember the steps, but want to be sure before I tell Ekavir."
Allina gave up trying to get Niranjana off topic, and dutifully ignored the bubble of exasperation, leaning over to contemplate the problem on the PDA.
00000
Staring up at the heavy wooden arch, meter-thick red columns flanked by stone lions, Teri Maunders had to be impressed. She had seen older sites, but this place was not only ancient, but still alive, still in use, still very much a part of the culture that built it. It did not match Tokyo Tower for sheer overwhelming scale, but was the best sight she had seen in Kyoto on this trip.
"It's better inside," Saeko chuckled.
Teri smiled back at her, "Let me enjoy the moment. It's not every day I get to walk into a pagan temple with a native escort. I almost feel like Indiana Jones."
"Pagan?! How rude!" Saeko adopted a hurt expression, but was patently struggling not to smile. "Besides, you'd make a better Laura Croft, like all you overbuilt American women."
Teri chuckled, and started to reply and head inside, but was distracted by a bus pulling in to the parking lot. Quirking an eyebrow, she asked, "Should we come back? Looks like a big tour group, wouldn't want to get lost in the crowd."
Saeko looked over, then shook her head. "Oh, no, groups like that are never a problem. Some of the shrine maidens will keep them in line, we probably won't even notice them. Now come on, I need to pay my respects."
Teri followed her in with another chuckle, and shook her head. Saeko was a fellow sergeant, part of the Japanese side of the planning and liaison team Teri had been reassigned to. On duty, she was painfully formal and all business, to the point of being frightening. Off duty, though, she was friendly and helpful, and had shown Teri around Tokyo just after the move. The first couple weeks, she had shown Teri around Tokyo, and most recently she had insisted that Teri come with her on a weekend pass, to see the sights in Kyoto. Teri was still trying to determine if Saeko had been 'assigned' as her escort, or was just that lonely.
They were barely through the entrance way when Teri looked back, and grunted in shock. Standing in the gate talking to one of the shrine maidens was a tall woman with long lavender hair drawn back in a pony tail. "Signum," Teri muttered, "Ohhh, shit am I in trouble now."
That drew Saeko's attention, "Teri-san?" She looked at Teri, then in the direction Teri was looking, and gasped a little herself, though Saeko sounded happy, rather than terrified. "Oh, my, is that who I think it is? Come on, let's see if we can get a little closer. I wonder if Yagami-sama came with her?"
"Saeko, wait a second," Teri said. "Is there a back way out of here? It would be better for all of us if I was not here while they are." Saeko looked confused for a second, so Teri explained, "I'm a Circle journeywoman. They know me, and they will not be happy to see me here. Not if this is what I think is happening."
Saeko looked absolutely shocked for a minute, then visibly gathered herself together. "There is no 'back way'. To keep the shrine safe, access is by the main gate only."
"I was afraid of that," Teri sighed, then straightened her shoulders. "Come on, if I can't get away without them noticing, I better go make sure they don't think I'm spying on them." She squared her shoulders, and began marching for the gate.
Sure enough, as she approached the gate, she could see a crowd of children, about half of whom she recognized, and almost all of Hayate's mages, including the woman herself. Stay cool, Maunders, she reminded herself, you're off duty, you're on vacation, just seeing the sights at the invitation of a local friend. Nothing for them to get violent about. Given the unpredictability of heretics, though, that was scant comfort.
Signum noticed her approaching before she was close enough to speak, and the woman's face froze instantly into a flat glare. "Journeywoman Maunders," Signum said slowly in English, "Why do I find myself only mildly surprised to find you here today?"
Teri's natural sarcasm asserted itself, "Because you're justifiably paranoid, and a lunatic heretic. Not all coincidences are suspicious, though, Signum. Allow me to introduce one of my co-workers, Sumishiro Saeko, Japanese Air Self Defense Force. She's been showing me around since I was assigned to Tokyo, talked me into a day trip to Kyoto."
Saeko bowed politely, saying in accented English, "It is an honor to meet you, Miss Signum." It might have been more effective as 'polite distance' had she not been nearly quivering with excitement.
Signum's face did not change, nor did she look away from Maunders while addressing Saeko, "You invited her here?"
"I come to Kiyomizu-dera the last weekend in October every year," Saeko answered. "I grew up in Kyoto, it is a family tradition. Teri has been gracious enough to accept my company in visiting my home town."
Signum stared for another few seconds, then relaxed very slightly. "Very well, Maunders. Thank you for informing us of your presence, we appreciate the honesty."
"Better that than the alternative," Teri answered with a shrug. "We'll be on our way."
"No need," Signum replied, "Mistress would never forgive me for preventing Miss Sumishiro from fulfilling a family tradition. Please refrain from interfering with our students, however. The second years will probably remember who you work for, and we would prefer to avoid any incidents."
"We'll stay out of the way," Teri promised. "Saeko, come on."
Saeko followed her away, glancing back frequently. "I can't believe you know them! Even if it isn't on friendly terms... did you know they are teaching one of the Emperor's granddaughters? Is Yagami-sama really as serene as they say?"
As Saeko rambled on, Teri shook her head ruefully. Figures, she thought. The most dangerous people on the planet, and the locals think they're the greatest thing since sliced bread. She sounds like a fan of some pop-star. Then she realized what had just happened, and mentally slapped herself. Hughes'll want a contact report, she reminded herself, and he'll want to know what the local opinion of her is. It made her a little uncomfortable, but she had to ask, "You sound like a fan, Saeko, do you really like them that much?"
Saeko gave her an incredulous look, "How can you not? They're so dramatic, so skilled, so strong. Look at how well their students did after just one year. I've heard that all their classes are college level, despite the students being junior high age!"
Once she got going, it was easy enough to keep Saeko on subject. A lot of what she said was hearsay, but that was irrelevant. What mattered was her tone, her attitude, and there was nothing but respect and admiration there. Saeko actually knew very little about Hayate and her school, but she was obviously proud of them. Surreptitiously watching the reactions of the shrine's other visitors to the teachers and students, Teri realized that attitude, that respect, was not an aberration. Japan is Hayate's, she realized, more than we thought, Japan is hers. This is going to be a problem.
00000
Kiyomizu-dera was interesting, as was the palace before it. But rather than being impressed, Chen-chi was finding herself rethinking a previously dismissed idea. Being in a Japanese city was waking a lot of Chen-chi's old instincts from Taipei. Not just the gambling that was so much fun, but seeing if she could expand from being a rookie bookie, to an actual fixer like the twins had suspected she was. Just looking out the window of the bus, she had been able to see potential, things her classmates would want that, while available on campus, were not easy to get. They were hardly in prison, but there was a world of difference between ordering something on line and having it shipped, and just asking for it. Then there was the simple fact that bigger packages were cheaper, and Chen-chi began to see all sorts of possibilities.
By Saturday morning, she had planned out the basics. Nothing nefarious, just a 'middle-man' position. She would collect orders from all and sundry, order it all from one or two places, preferably in Kyoto, and have the bulk shipment run up to the school. It would take some finagling, but she thought it would work, especially if she could find a couple shops that would give her a deal for repeat business.
She was talking it over with Jun and Kaemon during the drive to the stadium, trying to work out details based on Jun's skepticism and Kaemon's 'local knowledge'. When they reached the box the team owners had made available for them, though, all thought of business vanished. Standing at the window, looking out over the crowd of humanity, finally impressed upon her just what sort of company she had fallen into.
The owner of the Hanshin Tigers, the most popular baseball team in Kyoto, had requested that, for the opening game of their five-game series against their traditional rivals, the Tokyo Giants, a member of the Royal Family throw out the first pitch. Noriko had been selected by the protocol specialists, given her current popularity paired with her lack of availability to the media. As a bonus, the students had been invited to watch the game from the Family's box.
Looking out from that exalted position, over throngs of people finding their own seats, Chen-chi finally realized that, far from being the 'normal folks' they had been acting like, her teachers and classmates were from the sort of rarefied heights she aspired to in her more imaginative moments. It was humbling, in a way, but also grating in an odd way, and a little confusing. She could begin to understand why Kaemon was always uncomfortable with Noriko.
"Man, this is ridiculous," Jun complained, leaning on the rail next to her. "This box must cost a fortune."
"Getting your communist panties in a bunch, China-boy?"
Jun grimaced at her, "Still an uncivilized rebel, I see. Just strikes me as wrong, is all. I can see being able to afford a box like this, but it was given to Noriko's grandfather when the stadium was built, lifetime, free of charge."
"Respect, tradition, reverence." Chen-chi waved at the crowd, "every one of them, all of them, believe in the Imperial Family, Jun. Different countries, different rules, different beliefs. Come on, Taiwan and China come from the same roots, but look how different our countries are. There's almost as much bad blood between us as between as us and Japan, and more recent. Japan's got their ways, and they're comfortable with them. Worked well enough, too."
"Tche, hardly. They've gone through more changes of government and society in the last hundred years than any other real country with the same age, due to their own screw ups more often than not." Jun shook his head, "Besides, you're going a heck of a lot further than I was. I've got no problem with Japan, other than their attitude. It's the ridiculous... what's the word... ostentatious display. I mean, come on, they've got palaces all over the place, do they really have to be given a box at the stadium?"
"Respect and reverence again," Chen-chi said. "I bet they could pay for this, but the owners gave it to them out of respect. See?"
"What've they done to be worthy of it?"
Chen-chi caught Vita's approach before Jun did, and managed to avoid jumping when she said, "How about providing Japan the continuity and authority to accept the ridiculously rapid changes you were just complaining about?" The red-head pushed between them to lean on the rail. "Down there you've got four, maybe five generations. That's over a hundred years of living memory. They've gone from a mostly agrarian, essentially feudal society to a high-tech information-age democracy in that time. From muscle power to nuclear power. From abacus to computer. All in the lifetimes of some of the people in this crowd. Every nation, every people, relies on some sense of connection to the past, of inheritance. Usually, that's a combination of religion and monuments. Here in Japan, it's the Imperial Family and the Shinto religion that provide that continuity, a living connection with their own past, a deeper connection than most nations. That's one of the reasons monarchies last so long, not because they're more efficient, but because they provide people with a sense of stability in time of change. See what I'm saying?"
Chen-chi shrugged, that had been her point all along. Jun was nodding though, "Yeah, I get it. Just by being who they are..." He trailed off with a shrug, "still don't like it. People screw up too easily to be worth that."
"They're the living symbol of Japan. It's not easy, not all parties and grand treatment. Think about what Noriko's doing right now." Vita gestured, and they saw Noriko walking out to the mound, accompanied by Hidan and Hayate. "Yeah, it's cool to throw out the first pitch of a game, to have all those people hanging on your every move. But as cool as it is, Noriko has to live up to their expectations. Over in America, whoever 'throws the first pitch', tends to lob it underhand, a nice gentle sort-of pitch, all they have to do is get it to the catcher. Here, though... if she doesn't give a credible throw, she'll embarrass herself and her family. Every time she appears someplace even remotely public, she has to be aware of the fact that everyone is watching her. Her entire family has to deal with that, all the time. This box isn't 'gratuitous', it's a recognition of the burdens they bear, and an attempt to alleviate it, to express the stadium and team owners' appreciation of their efforts. Understand?"
Chen-chi could not help nodding, trying to imaging what that sort of constant demanding attention would be like. She could only shudder in distaste. Give me comfortably rich anonymity, and I'll be happy, she decided.
Jun, however, turned the lecture around, "so that's why she insists on ignoring it around the school, right? It's not really public, so she can relax, right?"
Vita nodded, "Yes and no. Noriko's fairly calm about all this. If you look close, you can tell she's smiling down there, and I don't think it's just her being formal. But really relaxed... yeah, that's at the school, and at the more secure palaces."
"Nah, Riko-chan loves stuff like this," Laura said, thudding into the rail next to Chen-chi. "Grew up with it and all. She likes the school, sure, but this stuff is fun to her." A roar from the crowd distracted her, and Chen-chi looked down in time to see the catcher rocking back on his heels. "Oh, nice," Laura caroled, "she juiced it with magic! I'm so going to teaser her for that for weeks."
"Which makes me wonder why she puts up with you," Vita commented. "Why she trusts you not to do what you did to Mercedes I'll never understand."
"Almost did," Laura admitted with a smirk. "Last year, a cruder version of Mollybreaker was the next step if I hadn't gotten her hair." Her face shifted to a thoughtful expression, "she might've gotten annoyed with me for that one, though."
Chen-chi could think of any number of things to say to that, but settled for just fading out from between her 'elders' as they took to arguing about Laura's pranks. She glanced at Jin, and jerked her head towards the door. When he nodded, the two of them slipped away, and she shivered all over. "Man, I do not know how she manages to come out of nowhere like that!"
"Years of practice scaring the crap out of people," Jin said, "and just as many years avoiding their just wrath. I don't know how she's survived this long without someone trying to kill her for all her games."
"Luck, skill, the fact that anyone who isn't her current target finds her funny," Chen-chi shrugged, "the usual reasons. Look, I'm thinking of skipping out of here for a bit, get some free time without all the teachers staring at us. Want to come?"
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Natalia watched Chen-chi, Jun and Mercedes slip out the door into the hall beyond with a shake of her head. From their furtive looks and 'stealthy' maneuvers, it was apparent they thought themselves unobserved, but it was also apparent they had no idea what they were doing. A little mental twist put her in touch with Vita, who was technically in charge up here until Hayate got back. 'Sensei, did you see our trio of escapees?'
Vita looked away from arguing with Laura to smirk at her, 'Yup. First they skip out on my lessons, then skip out on the whole class. I'm shocked, of course, disappointed and hurt. Want to go get them for me? Take Marcel with you, since he's whining at me about them as well.'
'I can handle it myself, sensei,' Natalia objected. Part of the reason she offered was to get out of the box herself, away from the crowd. It was not due to her screwed up eye, the eye-patch – now black and marked with an Al Hazred symbol for spiritually protective wards – helped immensely on that score. But she had grown unused to the pressure of people around her, the constant noise and attention, and wanted a break from that. Privacy would be hard to come by out in the halls, but anonymity would provide solitude.
'Take Marcel, and stick with him. Be pretty silly if I send you out to retrieve some strays, only to have you 'stray' yourself. No great rush, but don't take too long.'
Natalia rolled her eyes, but nodded and did not object when Marcel joined held the door for her. The two of them stepped out into the hall, then glanced at the suited figure standing across from the door. He barely moved from his stiff position, hands clasped in front of him, but his head rocked slightly to one side, indicating the direction the kids had gone.
Natalia returned the nod, then started out down the hall, strolling more than walking. Up here in the private section there were very few people, especially given the extra security the class had brought with them. But the direction Chen-chi and her tag-alongs had gone was towards the public areas, which was not much of a surprise. Soon Natalia and Marcel were confronted with a substantial crowd of people to wend their way through.
"I'm surprised you volunteered for this," Marcel commented as they wended their way through the crowd, following the tracers Hayate had placed on each of the students. The distinctive 'feel' of the three in question was subtle, fading into the crowd, but lasting long enough to keep them headed in the right direction.
"Right idea, wrong execution," Natalia replied. I agree with these three, getting out of that box was a good idea. Too many people in too small a space. But they should have asked."
"A little crowded, I agree."
"Worse for me." He frowned, but she smiled back at him, "Library girl, remember? I like peace, quiet, and nobody around to bother me. I'd be perfectly happy to spend the rest of my life in a library, if it wasn't for the total lack of anything resembling a paycheck."
"They aren't that badly off," Marcel chuckled, "and look at Takamichi-san. Yuuno, I should say. He's just a librarian... technically."
Natalia grimaced at the memory of the mousy man. "True, but he's... worse than Hayate-sensei, about what I did last year. She's fine to just let it lie and watch me, but he wants to poke and prod and question and test. Every time I'm in the same room with him I feel like I'm sitting an exam or something, like he's studying some intriguing specimen."
"You have to admit, even just your mastery of the language makes you a rarity. Being a bookworm, of course he's more interested in that than usual. Your eye just makes you more interesting still."
She grimaced again, but changed the subject, "You hitting on me, Marcel? 'Cause you've got a real poor way of going about it, and I think Yussef'd probably be pissed if he thought I was trying to steal you away from him." Marcel actually paused at that, just a moment, before resuming walking, and she frowned, "What? I was joking, Marcel."
"Far too many jokes on that subject recently," he answered. "You caught me off guard with it. And no, Natalia, I was not attempting to flirt. Comfort, support, yes. Flirt, no. Speaking of not flirting, though, I see our wayward kohai."
Natalia followed his gesture, and sure enough, the wandering trio was standing up against a wall – surrounded, by a group of teenage boys who looked more interested in Mercedes than in baseball. Natalia frowned, then swore softly in Russian. "What is it about trouble that it always lands on us?"
"Come again?"
Natalia gave Marcel a dirty look, "You spend too much time with Yussef, Marcel. You've picked up that silly pseudo-chivalry of his. Look at how those three are standing. They're not 'chatting', their trying to watch each other's backs against an enemy. I'd bet my eye those boys aren't taking 'no' for an answer."
"I gathered that, but it's hardly 'trouble', yet, just an annoyance. Teenagers will be teenagers after all."
"That's us you're talking about, remember? Well, time for a little acting practice, I guess." It was something she had worked on over the summer, and practiced a little with Ichigo, originally to deal with strangers who recognized her from the post-February news, though it had helped with Yuuno as well. She had yet to try it on one of her teachers, and was fairly certain any such attempt would end badly, but teenage punks were a far cry from any of her teachers. Settling her face into a faint smirk, she reached up and carefully removed her eye-patch, ruffling her hair a little to make it wild. She shifted her stance, her shoulders, and used just a little magic to deepen her voice and give it a bit of an echo. "Let us enlighten these foul-minded young snots as to the error of their ways," she purred, gliding forward. Mentally, she chuckled as she imagined the boys' reactions, Yes, let's have some fun with Precia, shall we?
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For Marcel, watching Natalia's transformation was one of the single most disturbing things he had ever seen, Takashi included. It was not so much the degree of change – there was no physical change – nor even the 'new persona'. Takashi's general presence was, in absolute terms, more discomfiting, but everyone expected that, was used to it. In Natalia's case, however, it was the radical alteration of her entire being, and the ease with which she accomplished it.
Natalia was, to him, a quiet bookworm with a bit of a temper. She was not as shy as Cidela, nor as studious as Niranjana, but she was definitely one of the more 'cerebral' students. A little odd, with some definite emotional issues, certainly. But she was far from dangerous.
Yet with a few alterations of her stance and face, the removal of her eye-patch, and a shift of vocal tone, she suddenly became a completely different person. He was hesitant to call her walk 'sultry', her attitude was far too disturbing for that, but that was the closest word that fit. Then there was the smirk, the narrow-eyed stare, her disheveled hair, and the glowing tattoo below her eye, all of which combined to give her a definite psychotic appearance. The tone of her voice, low and shifting, with a suddenly formal and archaic structure, woke thoughts of mythical terrors he normally scorned. He had to remind himself as he followed in her wake that this was an act, a mask she put on, but part of him thought it just as likely the 'bookworm' was the act.
Natalia glided through the crowd, ignoring those around her completely as they made way. Marcel prayed silently that the people did not notice why they were clearing Natalia's path, or at least did not question it, hoping to avoid having to explain a riot to Hayate. Natalia's entire attention was focused on the boys around their classmates, and she slid right up to the 'leader', ignoring the three she had to slip passed completely as she reached up to the leader's shoulder to turn him about.
"You would not be discomfiting my kohai, would you, young lad? I comprehend the lure of the exotic, but if you are disturbing my kohai, it becomes my responsibility to intervene on their behalf. Would you not agree?"
Leader tried to sneer at her, but she was his height, and something of her attitude made itself clear even to him, so the expression was weak, for the brief moment it lasted. "What the hell? Get away from me, gaijin, I'm busy with someone else."
Marcel stopped outside the circle, and when two of the boys Natalia had bypassed went to pull her back, cleared his throat. "Boys, you really want to rethink that." Hands in his pockets, Marcel was aware he made a less than intimidating sight, but confidence – which he had in spades, thanks to Yussef's training – showed through, and the toughs hesitated. "Better to walk away now, and save yourselves the shame of being thrown out of the stadium by my classmate here."
One of the two managed a confused, "By your classmate?"
"Oh, Marcel, I would not eject them from the premises," Natalia protested, hand trailing distractedly over Leader's chest. Then she smirked, just one half her mouth, revealing that she was one of those people with naturally obvious canines, "Until they failed to entertain me, at least. After all, I have so few opportunities to try my magics on unsuspecting mundanes."
The boys' eyes locked on her, and confusion faded to fear. Girl or not, none of them wanted to tangle with someone so patently insane. Slowly they started backing away, hands going wide. Leader was the last to go, and the most cautious about it. Natalia did not stop her wandering fingers until he was out of arm's reach, at which point he held up his hands, telling Marcel, "Hey, sorry, misunderstanding. We'll... just be on our way."
Marcel watched them go, long enough to be sure they would not try some sort of double-back, then turned his attention to the wandering trio. Chen-chi and Jun both looked relieved and annoyed, but Mercedes looked just plain annoyed. "Damn it," the Italian girl muttered, staring after the retreating forms, "Why can't I seem to do anything anymore without it blowing up in my face?"
"Because you're here," Marcel told here.
"And you insist upon such foolish behaviors as antagonizing Laura, and ignoring our teachers' instructions," Natalia added, turning her smirk on Mercedes.
When Mercedes flinched back from Natalia, Marcel stopped the Russian with a hand on her shoulder, "That's enough, Natalia. We've got them, now we just need to get them back."
"Oh, come on," Chen-chi protested, "it's stifling in there! Let's just walk around a little longer. No one's going to bother us now. Wouldn't have before, if Mercy hadn't smiled at that guy."
"I didn't smile at him! I was trying not to laugh at the couple snogging behind him!"
"Regardless," Natalia interrupted, voice fading back to normal, "Being out here without the teachers is dangerous. That's how the Circles almost got Laura last time we were in this city. Come along, back to the box."
The trio grumbled, but gave up protesting and began sulking their way back to the others. Marcel hung back, thinking more than watching. Natalia's transformation, the ease with which she had taken on such a disturbing appearance and aura, and the ease with which she shed it, was worrisome. She claimed it was 'acting', but she had never demonstrated any such talent before, and the thoroughness of the transformation was too complete, in his opinion. She might simply be that good a natural actress, but what were the odds of that? He knew he was going to have to discuss this with Yussef, probably with Shamal as well, but first, he decided to try a little direct action. 'Natalia? About your... acting.'
She glanced back at him and grinned slightly. 'Liked it, did you? Did it work? Freak you out?'
'I did not 'like it', mostly because yes, it did freak me out.' He shook his head. 'Where did that come from?'
'I had my own issues with media attention,' She said, 'as well as family and government types looking for more information than I was willing to give, random strangers on the street who recognized me from TV. Cooked up that act as a counter, a way to get rid of annoying people. Works pretty well, too.'
'You just created that out of whole cloth?' He could see why she did that, and maybe a few examples in movies and the like, but that act was too extreme to be entirely a product of popular culture.
'No, I had an inspiration,' Natalia said, then looked around a little guiltily. 'I, ah, did some research, on the woman who wrote that grimoire I got a look at last year. She was a real psycho, but that's what was so useful, you know? So I cooked up the act based on her. Ichigo's been helping me refine it, since classes started again.'
'Sounds reasonable,' he agreed slowly, 'just, please don't use it around me again? I'm liable to take a swing at you.'
'I won't use it on you. I'm usually looking for you, not trying to get rid of you, after all. You want to catch Chen-chi for me, she's about to try going right past the door.'
"Chen-chi," Marcel called out, "I'd take that door, if I were you. Yussef's liable to think you need work on your navigational abilities. I can see a lot of mazes in your future, twisting corridors with no exits." Note to self, he thought, talk to Yussef about setting one of those up for an exercise, see how the kids handle being trapped.
Chen-chi glared at him, but took the appropriate door, and Marcel held it while ushering the others inside. Once there, he sent out a mental query to Shamal, 'Sensei, I think we need to talk about Natalia.'
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Author's Note: Laura's prank on Mercedes at the start of the chapter was beyond the pale and unusually vicious, and I did that deliberately. The prank and reactions to it are part of both Laura's and Mercedes' character development, not just me being dirty-minded. For instance, the most objectionable part of that prank is one version of what I originally thought up for Laura to use on Noriko in Academy Blues, until the hair-color prank occurred to me. See Side Story 12 for the other version.
As for why this chapter was so long in coming, I'm afraid that, abnormally, I had issues with each and every scene. Usually when I get stumped, it's one scene, but this time I had trouble on all of them but the last pair. I had to create those two (the Natalia/Marcel scenes) out of whole cloth in order to get out of the loop. Also, I got distracted by life – family issues and a so-called 'vacation'. If you ever get a chance to travel... don't. Where ever you're going may be indescribably fun, but it's not worth sitting in on a taxi-way for five hours in a window seat in coach. The week itself was fine, too and from were hellish. On the up side, I've done more work on the outline, expanding it and detailing the next few chapters.
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General Reply: Thank you all for your responses on the device-activation question, about doing each device separately or doing them in groups. You all made some good points about repetition, giving the other students screen time, and variety of the devices, thank you. At present, I think I'll go the group route. The Myrmidons will go as one, Allina and Niranjana as another, and the twins of course. I'm still thinking about the rest of the students, but Cidela, at least, will get her own scene.
pfeil: Thanks for the review & response.
Kell Shock: You are very right about how confusing that section was, my apologies. There was originally some more discussion in there that turned into boring repetition of Seed capabilities – now corrected by giving one of the paragraphs to Tai-yu. Studying Seed is problematical, which is one of the things I find most enjoyable about them. Laura's singing isn't a weapon, though, she's just really bad at singing:). Akira's been floating around all along, just not doing anything 'screen worthy'. As for the spy, it is logical that there is one, and that he/she/it is highly placed, but take a look at the Circles pre-Hayate. The Circles existed by a combination of secrecy and knowledge, where intelligence was far more valuable than force of arms, so both the Revenants and Moderns have a great deal of experience in both espionage and counter-espionage. There are spies for both sides all through both sides, and for Hughes, how can he tell who is a 'spy' for one of his loyal factions, or for the Revenants? Even better, how can he tell who is a spy for an enemy, and who is counter-intelligence for him, in an organization undergoing such radical change? You know, the more I think about Hughes' situation, the sorrier I feel for sticking him in it. Thanks for your review!
Morganni: Thanks for the PM. As for the device hacking, it's not so much that Allina is all that eager to control someone else's device, as devices are the most powerful and best defended 'computers' she's ever encountered – if she can hack one of those, she can hack anything. As for how – the 'canon' access route is through the maintenance monitoring links used in As after Raging Heart and Bardiche were damaged. Difficult to use, not designed for the purpose Allina is thinking of using them for, but present fairly generally. Also easy to defend, once the person being attacked recognizes the attempt. You're probably hating Laura for the above prank, and you're right, she has gotten more vicious. Part of that's a facet of age (teenagers are generally vicious, from inexperience as much as anything else, and Laura is prone to going over-board), her own sense of proportion (or lack there-of), and the simple fact that Mercedes gets under Laura's skin like Laura gets under Yussef's. No promises, but both of them should cool off after this. As for the devices, putting a cartridge system into a Midchildan device would provide a lot of advantages, but I can't really see Signum and Vita putting up with it - why go 'half-way' when you can build a 'real' device, after all? As for Hughes, he doesn't seem to want to fight Hayate, does he? It may be a question of buying himself time, or he may be forced to attack against his will. As I told another reviewer a while ago, he has a fiendishly complicated balancing act going on trying to hold the Moderns together, and one of the primary balancing forces he has to work with is the threat of Hayate's retribution. So long as the Moderns fear that retribution, it's a lever he has to hold his people together until something more stable comes along. Thanks for still reading!
TheWhiteMonk: Thanks for the review, and the advice.
stormturmoil: I'd question how much connection/control there is between the device and its user, but you're right, there is potential, if the device is hacked, to control the user. Probably less 'mind control' than 'puppet strings on their magic'. Basic capability to hack a device, however, does not imply they can access 'every device'. Remember how much trouble they had back-tracking the hacker in the first Side Story? Defending against Allina and Niranjana will be easier than them breaking in. Thanks for the review!
Advent000: Takashi is, indeed, working on something secret – I'm looking forward to the reveal for that. Thanks for the review!
Baughn: Glad you liked last chapter. I find I tend to fall into 'conversation mode' very easily, almost automatically, especially when no one is shooting. Had a lot of information to convey last chapter, though, and conversation is the easiest way to do that.
CrimsonDX: Thanks for your suggestion, it's the closest to how I'm going to proceed with activating the devices.
Taeniaea: Sorry it took so long, got stumped a couple times, and distracted by life.