3/10/2003
03:18
AM
Logfile
from Yuurin
Lin's
Dumpling House
This
small resturant is one of those most notable ones on Mott Street with it's
traditional decor and soft lighting. With space at a premium, the tables and
chairs are packed close together, with the waiters darting back and forth
between them with amazing agility. Though service is somewhat questionable, the
aroma of the dumplings that give the restuaurant it's name is simply
delectable. The menu offers almost twenty different varieties of dumplings from
vegetarian, meat, to seafood on top of the usual varieties of chinese cuisine.
Haley
and Yamayake are here.
Obvious
exits:
Exit
Haley
Edged
in royal blue, Haley's center-parted hair is otherwise mousy brown in hue,
curling down to her chin where it abruptly ends. Dark grey eyes rimmed with
blue eye-liner sit above a well-shaped nose, her smooth, pale skin betraying
her Scandinavian ancestry. Cheekbones have been subtly highlighted with soft,
pink tones and her lips bear the simple sheen of gloss. Cleanly lined brows
have been pierced twice on the right side while a row of earrings adorns her
left ear from top to bottom. She stands 5'6, her frame trim without being
bulky, punctuated by feminine curves kept simple.
Haley's
top is a tastefully cut spaghetti string shirt of pale green. The lack of
sleeves showing off her shoulder tattoo: a purple gecko crawls up and over the
Chinese character for creativity. Worn boot-cut jeans clothe her from the waist
down, the back hem of each leg touching the ground. A black belt with several
rows of metallic pyramid-shaped spikes keeps them from slipping down her hips.
On her feet she is wears a worn pair of black boots. A chain hangs from one of
the belt loops on her jeans extending to her back pocket, most likely to her
wallet.
Haley
appears to be 20 years, 3 months, and 19 days old.
She is
awake, but has been staring off into space for 2 minutes.
Yamayake
Sandy
blondish-brown hair just the short side of medium length fairly evenly rests
around a face that still holds quite a bit of boyish charm, but also a certain
maturity as well. Small laugh lines at the corner of his eyes give away his
tendency to smile, while the beginnings of crow's feet around his eyes betray
his other tendency of obsessive worry. Dark brown eyes give away a caring
nature, and usually display a fair level of intelligence - when he isn't being
panicky or impulsive. His build tends towards height rather than muscle, as
befitting a track athlete or basketball player. He practically exudes a sense
of good guy, and seems to have little to no problem with having people feel
comfortable around him.
Comfort
appears to be a main function of his wardrobe, with a seemingly endless supply
of comfortably worn flannel shirts and old sweaters and sweatshirts. Old khakis
and jeans comprise most of the lower half clothing, topping off workman's boots
nearly the same brown as his hair that give him another inch of height. None of
it appears that well cared for, but all of it seems much used and much
appreciated. The occasional suit of workout sweats is also around somewhere,
left from his days of basketball coaching.
Yamayake
appears to be 24 years, 10 months, and 13 days old.
He is
awake, but has been staring off into space for a minute.
Keisuke
nods, digging a hand through slightly-messy hair and sipping his soda - wishing
it was a beer or something stronger. "Yeah, I bartend. Bartender,
basketball coach, errand boy - if it pays, more likely than not I'll do
it." And soon he'll need to be paid again.
Haley
and Keisuke are sitting at two different but nearly adjoining tables, both
alone. Haley eats somemore, before lowering her fork to sit back and relax
again. "Sounds like you know how to survive at least. You'll get a job
soon enough I think. I like bartending myself. Pays well, you get free drinks
now and then. And you aren't waising your money being the one boozing."
Keis is
a good guy; he's not the most observant person in the world. Especially with
jet lag and hunger, both of which he's suffering from, so he doesn't notice
Toshie right off the bat. But it's mostly because the waiter comes back,
carrying his plate - his eyes light up as he realizes that hunger's about to be
abated. "Itadakimasu," he says quietly under his breath, before
digging in - though nowhere near as voraciously as his sister. "Free
drinks are always good," he says between bites. He's the one paying often
enough to appreciate the perks of bartending. "And yeah, if the tippers
are good, the pay is as well."
Haley
nods. "Sure is," she says, letting the same waiter take her plate
away to wrap up the rest. She takes another sip of her soda, looking around the
restaurant once more while giving Keis a chance to eat. Let him get a few bites
in before they start talking again.
Toshie
sets out the money she managed to pull from her pockets upon the table, tongue
poking from between her lips as she counts it out with a narrowed gaze,
muttering one number. "Ano..." As a waiter passes by, the girl waves
him closer and then shoves the coins into her pocket. She asks for something
else that is above the amount she previously muttered, and then sits back to
wait.
Once
Keisuke's at least partially filled his stomach he sets down his chopsticks and
reaches for his soda again. "This is amazing." Yes, he's praising the
cooking, not the soda. New York /does/ have some quality food! "So, niceto
meet you if I didn't say so before." He's getting meet-and-greet customs
mixed up. But he too quickly settles back to people-watch... And this time he
notices Toshie, and blinks. Fairly odd-looking... But could be interesting.
(Especially with that outfit!)
Haley
chuckles a bit. "I don't remember if you did or didn't. But it was nice to
meet you as well. You seem nice enough," which means nothing in this city.
She orders a second soda then, then waiter heading off as soon as he drops off
her wrapped food. She notices Keis watching the girl and chuckles. Men and
tight shirts.
Toshie
waits, and waits, and waits... During this time of waiting the teenager kicks
her feet back and forth, plays with the bracelets about her wrist, reaches up
to idly smooth fingers over the feather in her hair. As she is looked at, the
girl startles as if being caught, immediately drops fingers away, considers,
and then flashes the young man a bright, dimpled grin. In the next breath
though, the waiter returns with dumplings and chop sticks. The girl bows her
head in thanks and then greedily digs into the food as if she hasn't eaten in
quite some time, which is probably true.
Keisuke's
the loser who never gets the girl. Pity him. His record in the romantic arena
sucks horribly - something about 'nice guys finish last' or something of that
nature. But he gives himself a mental smack in the head - she looks a bit too
young for him. College girls at least. But he glances over at Haley - not nice
to alienate people, after all - and gives a general nod in the girl's
direction. "Want to invite her over?" No, he's /not/ doing it so he
can look down her shirt u.u;;
Haley
chuckles. "Sure. More conversation works. And I have awhile until I need
to be at work anyways. Just don't stare at her the way you were five minutes
ago. Girls tend not to like that," she suggests to him, smirking a bit.
Toshie
eagerly eats at her dumplings, handling the chopsticks like an old pro. She
bends over the bowl, the long curtain of her hair falling forward to partially
shadow her. A flicker of a shadow without, and the girl is immediately looking
back up, squinting out the window at the various passersby. "Baka..."
she mutters, and then is back to her dumplings. Yummy things, even if she can't
pay for them.
Keisuke
oh-so-nearly sweatdrops. "I wasn't staring at her," he mutters,
looking a bit put-out - but also slightly sheepish. At least he didn't spill
his drink all over himself this time. "Be right back." He deposits
his napkin on the table next to his chopsticks, gets to his feet, and
approaches the girl. When he's within safe-enough distance, he starts talking
in a friendly tone, hoping not to startle her. "Want to come join
us?", accompanied by a point at the two tables.
Haley
rolls her eyes slightly. "Riight," she says watching him walk off to
ask the girl to join them. The waiter brings her a new can, and Haley pops it
open, pouring it into her glass. She tosses a smile towards Keisuke and Toshie,
her own signal for Toshie to join them, before taking a gulp of her drink.
Toshie
is being addressed. Well, at least this time it isn't some creepy red-faced
lady in a park. Chin lifts and amber-irised eyes draw up to look at the young
man. There is a moment of searching in her gaze as she looks him over, and then
she is looking beyond to Haley with a touch of confusion. Her head tilts to the
side, as if listening for something, and she is already considering. Hrm. Maybe
these people will pay for her lunch. In the next breath she is offering up
another dimpled smile. "That is kind of you. Arigato." She bobs her
head once more, but is smoothly sliding out of the booth, bowl cupped in her
hand. "Could I have your name though?"
Keisuke'll
get Haley for that... eventually u.u;; Being non-vengeful has a tendency to
make you forget your revenges. "Arigato?" And Keisuke visibly
brightens, a grin spreading over his face, switching to and speaking rapid
Japanese - native toungue and all - not waiting for answers. "Are you
Japanese? Great, I was beginning to think I was the only one around here, it's
good to find someone who I can talk normally with, that is if you'll talk. Come
on, come on, you can sit with us." And then he's giving her a hand up and
barely stopping from dragging her back - seems the energy runs in the family.
<<Japanese>>
If he
gets Haley, she might try to convince a bouncer to /not/ let him in to see the
pretty exotic dancers if he ever shows up at Fate or Fantasy. She blinks as
Keisuke breaks into that rapid tongue, and looks rather..clueless.
Toshie
is blinking up at Keisuke, and then is getting tugged along. "Yes, I can
speak the language." She is blinking a bit more at the man before slipping
down into a seat, careful not to spill her bowl or drop any chopsticks along
the way. "I usually just speak this at home though. But... maybe we
shouldn't be so rude to your companion." The girl waves a hand to Haley to
indicate her, offering up her best shy smile. <<Japanese>>
Keisuke
mentally whacks himself again, grinning a bit sheepishly. "Sumi- Ahh,
excuse me. Got a little carried away." He too resumes his seat, picking up
his chopsticks but not resuming eating. "I'm Keisuke, what's your
name?"
Haley
smiles at Toshie. "Hey there. Nice to meet you. I'm Haley. Thanks for
joining us," she tells the girl, glancing at Keis. "And I think you
made this guys day speaking whatever language you two started yammering
in."
Toshie
flashes Haley a broad grin, "Nice to meet you too. I'm sorry. We were
speaking Japanese. My parents often speak it at home, so I was bound to learn
it." But she is wrinkling her nose before poking at dumplings with one of
her sticks. "Nice to meet you, Haley... Kiesuke. I'm Toshie, but everyone
here seems to like shortening it to just Tosh. Again, thank you for inviting
me."
Keisuke
grins sheepishly again, the tips of his ears actually turning a tint red.
"Sorry, just didn't think I'd be hearing Japanese again, except maybe from
my sister." Who he can't find at the moment. His luck sucks, apparently.
"But nice to meet you too, and it's no problem." He /barely/ manages
to hold himself back from glancing down at Tosh's... umm... mid-section! That's
it! But he does it. "Nothing really exciting going on, just talk."
Haley
waves her hand. "It's no problem. Really. Better then sitting here alone,
that is for sure. Nice to meet you Toshie. And Japanese. Sounded Asian. I'm at
least better at guessing then I was when I first moved here." She smirks,
watching Keisuke again, then shakes her head.
Toshie
flickers a glance askance to Keisuke, looking rather feline for a moment there.
"I don't mind speaking it, because I rarely do." She shifts once
more, this time deliberately to cause her coat to open up a little more.
Fingers dance over to flick one of those odd braids off of her shoulder and to
her back, "Yes, this city has quite a number of people of so many
different backgrounds. So much here." But then she is shrugging her
shoulders, offering Haley another faint smile, and then is back at her
dumplings.
Hey, he
stopped himself! He didn't even look down! He's not Lee, after all. "Well,
we weren't quite alone. I think we'd just run the topic of bartending into the
ground, unless we wanted to drag out the customer horror stories." Toshie,
are you /trying/ to drive him nuts? He's a nice guy, he's still a /guy/. It's
verrrrrrry hard to make himself ignore that coat-movement - but he does.
Haley
chuckles. "We could. I tend to have the issue of dealing with drunk men as
a woman bartender. The bouncers quickly become my friends. Worst place to pick
up a guy in my opinion. But," she shrugs a bit. "Don't really have
many issues where I work. They focus on the dancers there. Not the
'tenders." She'd flash some skin. Just too darn cold to walk around like
that this time of year. "I like the diversity Toshie. It's great for my
photography."
Toshie
is only seventeen. She has never been in a bar... right. "Oh. Yes? You
both are employed together?" She blinks from one to the other with the
cluelessness of someone newly arrived at a conversation, which she is. "It
is getting awfully hot in here." Yep, there goes the coat, and she twists
around to drape it over the side of the booth before facing forward once more.
She nods across to Haley, "Oh? You take pictures?"
Okay,
he's not looking at Toshie anymore. Just... being a nice guy is haaaaard ;.;
"No, we don't work together, we just have the same profession. Horror
stories and good things to laugh at tend to circulate." He picked up some
stories from Sapporo when he worked. "Dancers?" Yep, Keisuke's kind
of surprised at that. "You have dancers? You work at a strip club?"
Oooooh! FUN!
Haley
has a hard time not getting distracted now, shifting slightly so her eye level
isn't at Toshie's chest. It's hard to not look when it's right in front of you.
"No we don't. I do take pictures. I'm a photography major at NYU. I work
at a club nights though, to pay for school." She grins at Toshie.
"Not a strip club. Exotic dancing. They aren't completely naked. And like
I said. It pays well. The tips are rather generous there."
Toshie
tucks a bit of hair behind her ear, peering over at Keisuke, only to look on to
Haley. "Dancers? I can dance." Wait. She lets Haley's comment seep in
and then the girl's eyes open wide as saucers. "Ohhhhh, that kind of
dancing." But still... this homeless thing isn't going to work forever.
"I can dance. Would they hire me?" My, the teenager sounds rather
serious there, doesn't she?
"Exotic
dancing? That's still good!" Oh yes, Miaka'd crack him over the head if
she heard that. But she didn't, so it's all good! "Yeah, I bet the tips
/are/ generous." And if he could work in a place like that... actually,
the alcohol'd probably have most of his attention. He's a happy drinking buddy,
after all. But Toshie's question provokes a surprised look in her direction.
"You'd want to work at one?" He's never met anyone wanting to /dance/
at once. He worked a normal bar.
Haley
nods. "That kind of dancing. And like I told him, I'm just a bartender. If
you want a job you need to talk to Tori. Uhh. Victoria Breslin, about a job.
She's the manager." Haley won't even comment about the idea of a girl that
young doing that line of work. She shrugs at Keis. "The dancers make more
then the bartenders. Some of them seem to enjoy it." The ultimate female
passtime. Make guys horny and leave them wanting.
Toshie
blinks over at Kiesuke at his question before frowning, "Why not? It's
better then sleeping in some old drug house, if it'll pay. I can do that. Well,
I think I can." The girl is suddenly pushing up from her seat, climbing up
onto the bench and then from there.. and to the horror of every person in the
restaurant, proceeding to move as if to stand on the table. "I don't think
my instructors meant table-dancing in my future, but if I can do it..."
And it looks like she is gonna try it.
"Whoa!"
Keisuke's first reaction is what he goes with: jumping to his feet and grabbing
her wrist, yanking down frantically - so poor Tosh is pulled off her feet and
basically lands on him. "Oof!" At least she had a relatively soft
landing? He's gonna feel that one in the morning. But he gets his breath back
quickly. "Don't do that in here, you could be arrested! Talk to this Tori
person if you want to try!"
Haley
looks rather startled as the girl starts to climb up the table, her jaw
dropping quite a bit at Toshie. "Keisuke! You didn't hurt her did you?
There are easier ways to get someone off a table then just pulling them,"
she says. "Are you ok Toshie?"
Toshie
was just trying to prove a point, mostly to herself than anyone else. But she
is being yanked down. Normally rather light upon her feet, it takes someone
pulling her down hard to make the girl actually fall hard on him.
"Aieee!" *topple... Flop* But not too hard, she is a rather slight
thing and knows how to fall right. Gymnast. Hrm. Wonder what color Keisuke will
turn if she tells him that? But, yes, she is currently laying flush atop the
man, blinking down at him. "You could have just asked me to get down, you
know. Baka." She turns her head to the side and flashes Haley a smile,
"I've had worse falls.. but the mats weren't as nice looking as this one is."
Keisuke
is bright... red... bright... red... Yes, he is now about as red as a beet, or
tomato. You don't have girls falling in your lap every day. Especially girls
that tease you about your looks. "Eeeh... Sumimasen!" The
embarrassment promotes a switch back to Japanese, and he quickly pushes Toshie
so she's sitting upright. "Sumimasen! Sorry! Just didn't want you to do
anything..." Anything what? Embarassing? Foolhardy? Anything that'd make
his jaw drop? Pick one of the above ;) <<Japanese>>
Haley
grins. "No, I suppose not. He would be rather pleasant to fall on. Just
wonder if he is harder or softer then the mats?" she asks Toshie with a
wink. She reaches for her cup then to take a sip. "I notice he's also in
no hurry to get you off."
Toshie
flashes Keisuke a bright grin as she is pushed from him, taking this moment to
comb back her hair away from her face. "Naughty... you are reverting
again. But I suppose that's okay, I tend to start cursing in Mandarin when the
mood strikes me." She settles back down, and then looks across to Haley,
"He was comfortable, even a rather amazing shade of red." But then a
look to the man once more, "Do anything like climb upon a table and try to
dance? I can still do it if I need to."
His
ears are still burning - especially at the word 'naughty'. And Haley starting
to talk like that as well. And the harder or softer- AAAAH! But yes, he clears
himself of all vestiges of Toshie rather quickly. "Just trying to save you
from being arrested," he mumbles, nearly folding his arms like a pouting
child. But still, it was fun... ;) "NO!" is Keisuke's reaction to
Toshie's suggestion that she do it anyway. "Haley, don't encourage
her!"
Haley
smirks. "He was a rather interesting shade. Good job. I doubt I could make
him blush like that." Haley sets her drink down. Yes, having Toshie come
over was definately worth the amusement it has been providing. She raises a
brow at him then. "Don't encourage her? Would you rather have me climb in
your lap then?" she asks.
Toshie
flashes Keisuke another impish grin, before nodding back to Haley, "This
one is funny, ne? So easy to blush." A look to the man, "And you are
a bartender? One would imagine you'd have more experience in dealing with
girls." But she is shrugging her shoulders and returning to the vastly
cooled dumplings. Nearly all gone. "I think he would probably explode if
you did that... Haley."
"Just
because you have experience doesn't mean it gets any easier, especially when
the girl's not drunk." Okay, so Keisuke's pretty flaming red again.
"And no!" Yes. No! Yes. No! Yes. No! "yes...? NO!" The
internal battle between having yet a second female draped over him clearly
shows in his face. He wants to hide under the table now, but what he does is
groan and lean forward, elbows on the edge of the table, fingers digging into
his hair, and mutter "Why'm /I/ always the one embarassed?"
"I
agree Tosh. He'd be a pretty sorry bartender to get flustered that
easily." Haley pauses a moment, picking up a double meaning to Toshie's
phrase, as she takes another sip of her Coke, and near ends up having the Coke
come out of her nose. She smirks at Keis then. "What's wrong? Don't like
having girls drapped over you? And don't be embarassed. I'd think you'd be
asking for numbers at this point, not whining about it" she says, amused.
Toshie
shifts upon her seat, flicking the man quite a few blinks. "I suppose
because you are the nice guy?" A glance across to Haley, and then back to
Keisuke, "Usually it is the nice guys that tend to behave like that. You must
be one of them... or in need of a few more girls in your life, if you pardon my
being blunt. You are married, ne?"
"The
girls aren't usually in their right minds when they fall on me, it makes things
a lot different! And yeah I like it-" SHUT YOUR MOUTH KEISUKE! Or not,
since that's what they seem to like, you're embarrassment, but too late now!
"I mean, of course I- What guy wouldn't-" Nice guys finish last
because they can't complete one sentence. "NO I'm not
married!!!!!!!!" And ! for good measure.
Haley
sits there chuckling softly. "So not married, nice guy. Blushes rather
easily. Well now. I might have to fight you for him Toshie. Hard to find guys
like that in this town. He seems rather cute when he gets this flustered. I'm
amusing myself at thinking how he must trip over himself when he's drunk and
being flirted with. What about you Toshie?"
Toshie
can do only one thing at this moment, and that is blink. She does it more than
once -quite a few times actually. "No? I wonder why." Hrm, could it
be because the man seems to have some kind of speech impediment? Always
stopping and starting. Yes, never finishing anything. "Clearly you have a
problem with commitment." She flickers a glance over to Haley and smiles,
"Oh, you can have him... just as soon as he pays for my dinner here."
Yeah, she'll just slip that one in there.
"Same
reason lots of other people aren't married, haven't found the girl yet!"
At least he gets /that/ out in one piece. Actually, he has trouble finding
girls... "And I /don't/ have a fear of commitment." No, the girls all
have a fear of commitment with him. "Haley, don't /do/ that." Feel
the red, Keisuke, feel the red... But oh no, he's not falling for that. His
face quickly goes from embarrassed to no-way-in-hell. "No, I'm /not/
paying for your dinner. You got to use me as a landing pad, that's your reward
for the evening."
Haley
continues to look amused until Toshie tosses that last bit in. "Daa-amn.
Know him 10 minutes and already having him pay for the date." She shakes
her head. And she has her bill already. And she's paying for her meal alone.
Though she does tease Keis a little more. "I think you enjoyed her landing
more then she did, regardless of our teasing."
Toshie
clearly didn't slip that in there as well as she was hoping. Damn is right. The
girl smiles back over to him. "Well, New York is a big city with plenty of
girls within it. I'm sure that it is only a matter of time before you find the
right girl... or whatever." Hey, you never know. Maybe it isn't girls he
is into anyway, and all of this was a cover up. "No? You aren't much of a
gentleman at all, are you? And here I called you the nice guy." Guilt trip
attempt.
Keisuke's
ears turn a bit red again, but he doesn't do his duck-under-the-table face again
as he looks at Haley. "Maybe, but I'm not paying!" He's living on his
savings account until he finds a job - and he's an immigrant. Oh man. This'll
be hard. And then back to Tosh. "I'm sure I will, I'm just not looking
now. And I /am/ the nice guy or I would've tried to cop a feel and I didn't,
but /I'm/ /not/ /paying/!"
Haley
shakes her head. "I'll take this as a cue to pay my own bill, and head to
work anyways." She rises then,
smiling at them both. "Good luck finding jobs you two. Maybe I'll
see you around sometime Keisuke," Perhaps hinting nice guys don't always
finish last. She heads to the register then to pay for her meal, slipping the
waiter two singles as she passes him.
Toshie
frowns just the faintest at Keisuke, dark brows drawing down as well as she is
looking a mite perplexed at his tone. The girl sighs, looks away, and then
proceeds to dig into a pocket with one of her hands. Maybe a few more dollar
bills will magically arrive, like a certain stalking mutant of a pigeon. She
glances up to Haley as she leaves, bowing her head to the young woman. "It
was nice to meet you. Good bye."
Keisuke's
look softens at the frown - he's a nii-chan, after all, sucker for younger
girls begging (not that way sickos!) - but doesn't relent in paying. "Sorry
Tosh, I've only got enough for myself." And indeed, when his money is
produced, he's got enough to cover the bill and tip with only about
seventy-three cents to spare. He'd heard not to carry a bunch of money around
New York with you. Keisuke stands, saying something under his breath
("Gochisousama deshita"), and nods to them both. "Nice to meet
you too." And then out he goes, taking a cue from Haley and also
physically handing the waiter the tip.
(Later...)
Central
Park (Northern End)
Walking
farther north through the park, you find that there are several pathways you
can take. A two lane asphalt roadway is open on occasion to incoming cars who
wish to cross NYC by a more scenic route, but mostly it is made for the myriad
of bicyclists and joggers that flood the roadways as they exercise their right
to exercise. Otherwise, one can walk the simple pedestrian walkway that weaves
through park, stone sidewalks guiding your path. The more intrepid actually
climb about the erratics, huge metemorphic stones flung from the ice age into a
city they did not originate.
Up
ahead, the Metropolitan Museum of Art sits at the edge of the park and Fifth
Avenue. Around the back and to the north side are huge glass windows, spanning
all the way up to the roof, and revealing the greek/roman statue gardens
within, as well as an authentic Egyptian Temple. To the west of the museum, you
can see a tall obelisk, the weathered surface testament to the wet climate of
NYC, though it had once stood untouched in the dry climate of its homeland.
Hatsui
is here.
Obvious
exits:
Central
Park (SO) Museum Cleopatra's Needle
Those
stone sidewalks? They're more aptly termed 'slidewalks'. Indeed, Anana's
indulging herself in her usual more-than-fun past-time of -- no, that's not
getting into trouble -- ice-sliding across the patches of ice left in the dips
and hollows of the pathways, her laughter quite clear upon the crisp air. She's
taken her hair out of its braid, though her hat still keeps it from being too
wild.
Toshie
has her hands dug deep into the pockets of her coat as she meanders her way
across the walks of the part. The lapels of her coat are pulled up around her
ears to cover them lest they freeze off. Ohhhhh, how she lives for the days of
warmer weather. She sniffles once, brought on by the cold, and dabs at her nose
with the cuff of her coat. The laughter garners the girl's attention, causing
her to glance up and spy the ice-sliding other.
Hatsui
Wavy
curls of pale pink tumble about her shoulders and frame her face, a few
shorter-cut strands falling to just above her eyes, while the remainder reaches
her lower back when loose. The delicacy of her features has remained, blue eyes
fringed by dark lashes, the sweet curve of her mouth tinted a shade slightly darker
than her hair, while there is a maturity and elegance to her features that is
only expanded upon in her slight frame. Her body is beginning to blossom with
slight curves at hip and chest; she will never be curvaceous, but that would
suit her ill -- her looks are in her grace and delicacy. (OOC Note: To anyone
with any chi sense whatsoever, Anana's a wellspring of yang-based power. It
makes it very hard for her to sneak /anywhere/.)
Neatly-pressed
khakis fit perfectly from waist to ankles, falling overtop a pair of hiking
boots that, while they've seen some wear, are still kept up and tied in a
double-knot. The khakis themselves have myriad pockets, the standard two front,
two back, but there are two down each side at about knee-level, most often filled
with something or another. A cashmere sweater of cool blue bears no brand-name
save for quality, the V-neck exposing a collared shirt as crisply pressed as
the khakis themselves. Her hair, rather than being in its usual braids, is
gathered into one single braid, a few too-short tendrils framing her face.
Hatsui
appears to be 15 years, 8 months, and 29 days old.
She is
awake, but has been staring off into space for 3 minutes.
Anana
is one of those who actually likes the colder weather. Weird sort, no? One
particular skid across the ice doesn't quite go as well as she wanted it to,
and thus, she falls right on her butt, still laughing. She glances up at the
sniffling one, though, a broad smile upon her face. "'lo! Don't mind
me," she says, picking herself up and dusting off the ice from the seat of
her khakis. "Was just having some fun."
Toshie
blinks over to Anana for a long moment, and then simply blinks again as the
girl falls on her rear, "Are... are you alright?" But apparently the
pink-haired one is getting right on back up, which causes the teenager to draw
back a step. "Ie, gomen." And then a wan smile, "Fun?"
"Very!"
Anana replies, laughing. "And... you're Japanese? Neat! A friend of mine
is Japanese... well, several friends of mine are, come to think of it, but
anyway, is everything all right?" She's not used to seeing people step
back from her, really, and so, with a rather quizzical tilt of her head, she
gestures to the ice. "Do you want to try?"
"Sort
of," Toshie responds softly. "But no, I'm American." She just
has some very diverse parents. "No, I'm fine. I just... It's been quite
some time since I've just slid on ice like that. And falling on it is rather
cold, if I remember rightly." The girl sort of edges towards the rim of a
rather large patch of ice, toeing it a bit, tentatively.
Anana
steps off the pathway, sketching an impish bow to Toshie. "Be my guest!
It's /everybody's/ ice... until they salt it away," she notes, chuckling
mischievously. "And if you don't fall, it'd get awfully boring awfully
quickly, you know."
Toshie
wrinkles her nose slightly, before reaching over and shove her hair back into
her coat to keep it out of the way. "Yeah, but there aren't mats her or
anything if I do fall." She shoots a speculative glance over and across to
the side, "Or I could just aim for the snowbanks." Brrrrrrr. She
slides her foot out a little more onto the ice, allowing it to slide around a
bit while the other remains firmly planted upon dry ground.
"Mats?
You need mats for ice-sliding?" Anana's voice turns rather amused at this
thought -- she might appear to be fifteen or so, but she still has her moments
of being twelve. "Oh, just go and /do/ it. It'll be fun! If you need to,
I'll catch you wherever you wind up going. Got it? Do you want me to try to
catch you?" Yes, even if she wound up being more-or-less squished, in
spite of Toshie's light build. The hazards of being a scant five feet tall.
Toshie
has two inches on Anana, wow. "No, more for the falling." She
flickers a glance back to the girl, and then is considering the ice once more.
Teeth bite at her bottom lip as she slowly eases out onto the slick surface,
doing the short foot-slide maneuver. Penguin waddle anyone? Her hands are
extended to either side to keep her balance, just in case. "No, no thank
you. I'm sure I'll manage." *scutter-scutter*
Anana
can't help it anymore. She begins to laugh helplessly at Toshie's gait, though
it's not derisive laughter in the least. "Come on! Like this!" she
exclaims, taking a short little run and hopping in front of Toshie and skidding
the length of the ice-patch -- maybe four or five feet, as though a puddle of
meltwater had gathered both on the walkway and on what would be grass during
the summer. She's got practice doing this, after all.
Toshie
blinks up as the girl goes sliding past her, and looking rather good as she
does it too. A few more blinks are called for in response, teeth bite down a
little harder on her lip, and then she gives it a bit more of a push. Pleased
as peaches that she didn't fall, the teenager looks back up and shoots Anana a
huge dimpled grin. But in the next second it is back down to watch where her
feet are going, "You aren't going to tell me in a moment here that you are
some kind of ice skating princess or anything, are you?"
Once
again, Anana can't help it. She begins to laugh again, shaking her head mutely
until she catches her breath. "No, no! Skating and this are waaaay
different. If I wanted to go skate, I'd go to Wollman Rink." She returns the
grin, though -- Toshie's mirth is infectuous. "My older brothers just like
to play on the ice, so I learned how to deal with it, mostly because they used
to laugh at me when I fell into the snowbanks. I'm just Anana. You can call me
Ana, though."
Toshie
is gaining a bit more in the way of guts her, scampering about to give another
push in the other direction to gain some speed, always keeping her balance.
"I've always wanted to go ice skating, but never had a chance to. So I
suppose ice sliding will have to do." Costs money to rent skates and the
like. Gaze is still rather pointedly down at her feet, "Toshie... but
seeing as Americans like to shorten everything, I'm often called Tosh. Nice to
meet you, Anana."
Anana
watches Toshie with approval, a bright smile upon her face. "Nah, Toshie
works for me. I just know that some people find my name funny with the two
'na's', I guess, so I decided to shorten it. Either way... you're learning
faster than I did. I wish there were a bigger patch to slide on, but the only
decent one got salted away a few days ago." In Anana's opinion, sliding is
more fun than skating.
Toshie
licks moderately chapped lips before pushing off once more, sliding across the
ice with arms delicately held out 'til reaching the other side. "It is not
so hard once you get used to it. Actually somewhat fun... and here I've been
trying to walk around all the ice patches." She looks back up and over
Anana, "But the weather will be changing soon. This might be some of the
last we will see of this cold stuff, and it will not be too soon for me -even
if this is fun."
Anana's
expression flickers into something faintly troubled as she nods. "I love
spring, but I love winter and the cold, too. The weather's already changed, now
that we're into March." Her cheer returns quickly, though, and she skids
across again, another laugh escaping her. "You cold, though? We could go
somewhere and get some hot chocolate, my treat?" It's rare enough these
days that she gets to talk to someone who's close to her own age and who she
doesn't have a long history with, or memories of such.
Toshie
is sliding across again, this time to meet Anana, but being a bit more daring
this time by lifting one foot just a little off of the slick surface. Again,
amazingly enough, the girl doesn't end up faceplanting or anything of the sort.
She skips up onto the dry walk, smile evident. "Oh... your treat?"
That would be the deal breaker right there. "I suppose I could do
that." The girl flickers a glance over her shoulder, looking for her
shadow but apparently not seeing it right off. In the next moment though, she
is grinning back to Anana, "That would be nice. Thank you."
Anana
taps a finger to her lips thoughtfully. "The closest place is probably the
Godiva shop, and they have /yum/ hot chocolate as well as normal
chocolates." It's pricey, but if Anana can manage spoiled rich kid who
doesn't mind, then she might as well treat. "Is someone looking for you,
then?" she asks as she heads towards the south, intent on cutting the
shortest way towards the chocolate shoppe, and clearly expecting Toshie to
follow.
Hatsui
walks south through the park.
You
walk south through the park.
Toshie
trails along at their brisk pace, hands ducking deep into her pockets to try to
warm them anew. "Oh. Godiva?" My, that is along the more expensive
line of goodies, isn't it? She grins faintly before shaking her head slowly
from side to side. "Looking for me," she echoes. "No, nobody
important or anything."
"Mm-hmm,"
Anana says, mirth lurking in her eyes. If it's her guess, it's parental types,
or at least guardians. As they near the exit to the park, she glances over her
shoulder again. "So, where do you go to school?" she asks, a mild
curiosity in her voice as she all but skips through the bars that prevent cars
from entering at this point.
Hatsui
exits Central Park and walks several blocks towards Madison Avenue.
You
walk out of Central Park and walk several blocks towards Madison Avenue.
Toshie
continues after Anana, grinning faintly. "Uhm..." Yes, slight
hesitation. "A private school." Her gaze flickers up and down the
street, before drawing her attention back to Anana, "And you?"
"I
used to go to Marymount, but I'm homeschooled now." And quite happy to be;
it certainly gives her more freedom. Marymount, though, is one of the Catholic
girls' schools, private and somewhat exclusive. "So, which private school?
They used to have inter-school sports and stuff. It was lots of fun, even
though I'm /awful/ at anything physical except maybe gymnastics, but I haven't
tried that at all really this time."
Hatsui
walks into Godiva Chocolatier
You
walk into Godiva Chocolatier
Godiva
Chocolatier
Black
and gold is the theme of this small shoppe, with black marble shelving being
supported by golden rods as one example of the interior decor. The smell of
freshly brewing chocolate coffee or hot chocolate is often wafting about the
air as one enters. A few round tables filled with artfully displayed gold
boxes, grace the floor of this store.
Everything
in the demeanor of the store, from the merchandise to the ever so helpful
associates bespeaks one word. Class.
Hatsui
is here.
Obvious
exits:
Exit
Toshie
nods her head vaguely at the mention of the school, not really knowing all that
much about most of the schools. "I attended an academy in the northern
part of the state for awhile, and then was home schooled as well. My schedule
didn't work well with normal classes. My mother was doing so for about a year
now. She was very strict about my disciplines." The girl hesitates though
as they enter the shop, before smiling faintly at the warmth. "Oh? You are
into gymnastics?"
"Hot
chocolate or coffee?" Anana asks, rubbing her hands together to regain
some of the warmth in them -- while she /was/ wearing gloves, they weren't
thick, exactly. "Hmm? I used to be, but it's sort of hard to get into it
when you don't go to classes with organized practice anymore," she
replies, shrugging slightly. Good save! "So... you've graduated, then?
Neat. I've got to wait a bit longer before I take my GED, and I think I might
wait a few years before actually going to university. Get some real world
experience and stuff."
"Hot
chocolate," Toshie prompts, licking her lips just the slightest in
expectations of such a treat. "Oh yes, that is exactly why I went to an
academy when we came here. They would fit in the classes in the afternoons
after we were done training. But when I had to train for the team, that was
when I had to have my mother take it over... I'm- That is to say, no, I haven't
that yet or anything. No, I haven't graduated."
The two
treats are duly ordered and concocoted, complete with whipped cream and
sprinkles, and Anana hands one of the cups to Toshie, gesturing to one of the
tables set there to watch people try not to drool over the various goodies on
display. "Training for the team?" she prompts, stirring the whipped
cream into the already-rich chocolate. "Sounds serious." She's
avoiding topics that Toshie doesn't want to discuss at the moment, sipping with
the calmness of a duenna at her sweet treat.
Toshie's
eyes grow rather big and round at the sight of the cups. Ohhhh, sinful. She
takes on in her hand, unable to resist a moment of dabbing a finger into the
cream and popping it in her mouth. Mmmm. "Yes, the United States team. I
did fairly good at nationals, so I was brought on as a runner up should one of
the other girl's receive and injury and be unable to perform at the Olympics.
Alas, it was me who got the injury. That was quite a couple of years ago."
Anana's
eyes grow wide and she nearly drops her spoon. "That's so cool, though,
that you were considered for the Olympics and everything!!" she exclaims,
her reaction completely unfeigned even as it softens into a laugh. "I feel
almost like I should ask for your autograph or some such..." Another
slight change, into concern this time. "What happened that you wound up
hurt?"
Toshie
wrinkles her nose, actually looking a little embarrassed. "That was so
long ago. It really is nothing. But I really should be resuming my training
again, if I want to be ready for Greece, but..." She shrugs her shoulder
negligently once more before trying a sip from the cup. "Oh, it was rather
silly. Just another wrong landing on a dismount. Manages to fall a little hard
on my ankle. Perfectly fine now."
Hatsui
nominates you for exceptional roleplay!
"How
long did it take you to recover from it?" Anana asks curiously. She's full
of questions, it seems. "It'd be neat to say that I got to have hot
chocolate with an olympic gymnast and got to slide on sidewalk ice with
her." Now there's a distinctly teasing note in her voice, hiding her smile
behind her mug of hot chocolate.
Yep,
there comes the nose wrinkling once more. Toshie offers Anana a slight smile,
"About six months, far too long to sit out. It was not good at all. But...
I suppose you could say that I enjoyed my time off. It was nice to finally get
away from training all the time and get out. Oh... its not so neat or anything.
I'd say the chocolate is the best part."
Anana
sets her cup down, keeping her fingers wrapped around the warmth of the mug.
"Aww, I won't be able to brag to all my friends?" she asks in quite
clearly mock-sorrow, freeing up one hand to comically lay it upon her forehead
and flutter her lashes slightly before she straightens up again and winks at
Toshie. "What did your mother think of all this, then?"
Toshie
blinks across to Anana before chiming in with laugher. "Well... if you
really must..." But she is rolling her eyes in teasing, "Bah. My
mother, my parents. They are no fun. They want me to go right back to the
training. Be serious now, Toshie. It was tiring, so I left."
Anana
leans forward thoughtfully. "But if you had the talent, why wouldn't you
want to use it?" It's somewhat antithetical to her thinking, in many ways
-- she uses what resources come to hand, unless there's a moral reason not to,
as in the case of her specific ability. "You left?"
Toshie
shrugs her shoulders once more. "I like having time to go out. To play. I
would train again, but... my parents are unreasonable." Or Toshie is just
your typical rebellious youth, with a few extras. "Yes, I left. And I
cannot go back to them now. Things are... well, they are weird." She takes
a tentative sip from the cup, enjoying the chocolate with a sigh of pleasure.
Alert,
alert, Anana trouble-warning sense beeping. It's a wonder she gets into as much
trouble as she does with that, it's mostly that she ignores it in favor of
finding out the reasons behind it. The girl stirs her hot chocolate again, the
spoon clinking against the sides of the mug. "Parents don't get things
sometimes," she concedes, nodding slowly. "Got to find a job-weird?
Or other-weird?"
Toshie
chuckles wryly, "I suppose finding a job would be good. This woman earlier
mentioned this place that has dancers. I could try that... but the man there as
well didn't think it was a very good idea." She shrugs her shoulders
indolently. "No... it is just... weird." As she speaks, the girl
flickers another hesitant glance out towards the window. "She wants to be
in here... I think she wants to keep an eye on you."
That
would be the weirdness-alarm. Anana glances out the window, trying to single
out the person that Toshie means, frowning and ignoring the comment about
dancers for the moment -- there're myriad places in New York that might have
dancers, after all -- in favor of that. "Who wants to be in here? And why
would they want to keep an eye on me?" she asks in apparent puzzlement as she
turns back to Toshie.
"See
now, that is exactly what makes it so weird. Like... how am I supposed to know
things like that? You know..." Toshie looks back to Anana, questing in her
eyes. "That her name is Shen, and that she really wants what is best for
me. But then I'm like... Toshie, think girl... you are talking about a bird.
Some tag-along bird. And... and I think I'm sounding awfully crazy. I'm
sorry."
Anana
combs her hair back from her face with her free hand, expression rather puzzled
indeed. "A bird?" she asks, confused indeed. She doesn't know of any
of the seishi who tend to have birds around, unless Amefuri were to summon one
such. "I don't suppose that the name 'Kokie' means anything to you,
then?" As that's the one seishi she wouldn't be able to recognize at this
point.
Toshie
blinks owlishly at Anana, "Yeah. Admittedly, she is awfully pretty. I
think she is a falcon. Either that or a mutant pigeon, but every time I say
that Shen gives me this look. Trust me, its that kind of look you get from your
mother that says... you did not just say what I thought you said." Another
sip of the chocolate is taken, "I'm sorry. What? Kokie? Is it supposed
to?"
Anana
giggles. "A mutant pigeon? Well, this /is/ New York. Maybe there's a
super-intelligent breed of pigeon whose scion has taken a liking to you,"
she replies irreverently, eyes sparkling. Yes, Anana, mock the familiar.
"And no, it wasn't supposed to mean anything. I would've been surprised if
it had."
Toshie
giggles as well, "I don't think she'd like that at all, no." Another
grin. "No, Shen is rather insistent that the only thing pigeons are good
for are for warming her belly." And it is only after she says that, that
the girl frowns abruptly at what she says. "But she is good at watching
over me, and finding us a place to sleep at night. In that I appreciate
her."
Anana
is now studying Toshie over the rim of her cup, using the steam that still
lingers over the beverage to shroud her doing so. Thus, the frown is noticed,
and she sets down her cup. "Is something wrong?" she asks gently,
"Or did I say something wrong?" She really, surprisingly, doesn't
want to lose her little friendship with Toshie.
Toshie
blinks back at Anana, reaching out as if to touch the other girl's hand but not
thinking at all about it. "Oh no, not at all. It's just me. Talking crazy
and you are actually listening to it. You must be quite a good listener, and a
very, very patient person."
Anana
chuckles softly and bridges the gap without much question about the motion of
giving Toshie's hand a little comforting squeeze, abandoning her hot chocolate
mug completely now. "I grew up here. Weird things happen all the
time," she reassures her, smiling. "Patience isn't my best virtue...
my boyfriend's nickname for me is 'stubborn woman'. Maybe it's that stubborn
belief that you're quite all right as you are that's making it seem like I'm
patient."
Toshie
returns Anana's smile with one of her own. "I suppose you have a point
there, but nothing I would admit to all that quickly." A frown briefly
appears again, and then the girl is sighing, "I should be going. I am
taking up far too much of your time, it is getting late, and we still need to
find a place. Anana? Thank you for the chocolate, and your time. It was nice to
talk to you."
"I
didn't catch your last name..." Anana says quickly, her expression
concerned. "I'm Anana Colins." She gets to her feet, offering Toshie
a hand up. "Don't forget to slide on the ice that you find, though, and to
laugh. That usually helps any sort of weirdness going on around here."
Toshie
hesitates, frowning across to her. "If I tell you my last name, you might
try to contact my parents, and they are the last people I wish to see now. It
is not that I don't trust you, just that I shouldn't say it." In the next
breath though, she offers the other teenager a bright smile, "I will try
to. Thank you." She makes it two steps away, frowns, returns to take up
her cup of hot cholate and down every last drop. And then finally she leaves,
slipping out the door to be immediately shadowed by the 'mutant pigeon'.
Anana
stays where she is for a long moment, watching Toshie go with an expression
that's distinctly mixed between sadness and frustration -- not the ex-chibi's
usual mein, to be sure. And, finally, she just gulps down the rest of her own
lukewarm hot chocolate and leaves a little tip for the waitress. There's this
sneaking suspicion she'll see Toshie again.