4/22/2003

10:04 PM

Logfile from Toshie.

 

Royal Elizabeth - Suite 501

The apartment is in the midst of a fairly extensive renovation, although it appears the bedroom, bathroom, and most of the kitchen are in working order. The living area is left mostly open, a couple of chairs and couches covered in tarps pushed to the far walls to leave that vast and empty area for the current occupant's purpose.

Progress has been made though. The wood floor is varnished and buffed to a fine shine just as the walls are showing signs of being whole once more, the next step only being a new coat of paint and some molding touches. Light fixtures are nonexistent, but a couple of bare lightbulbs just as there are no doors hung yet. But there are signs that someone is actually living here throughout all of this. 

Fresh air is quite prevalent, as evidenced by the single window in the living area always left open.

You see Shen here.

Obvious exits:

Out

 

Kieran knocks on the door a few times before letting himself in with the key, announcing loudly, "Toshie, it's Kieran! I'm coming in... if that's alright? Not make Shen attack me." He likes his hair attached to his skull, thank you very much. Wandering in further, he looks around the place and whistles softly, "Looks good."

 

Toshie is laying full out upon the floor, actually on her tummy upon one of the mats as she goes through with her stretches. At the sound of the key in the lock, momentarily the girl tenses, whipping her head around. But it is the voice that causes her a sigh of relief. The girl is immediately rolling to her bare feet though, bouncing up, and then fairly attacking Kieran. No, he doesn't have any chopping in store for him, just a glomping. "Kieran!"

 

Karen was just leaving her apartment as she caught sight of Kieran heading into Toshie's place, a spark of curiosity prompting her to pop up behind him, peeking over his shoulder as he gets glomped, stopping the door from getting closed with a foot stuck in the hinge, wiggling her fingers in a silent 'hello' to Toshie. Mischief lurks in her expression. "I doubt you are familiar with being pounced upon so, Kieran?" she observes, still standing in the doorway rather than entering just yet. "I hope I am not intruding? I caught sight of you coming by."

 

Kieran has been glomped by Toshie before. He rather likes it. He's in the midst of lifting off the floor and swinging her about in his arms when he spies Karen, grinning in a bit of surprise. "Hey there Karen. Nice to see you. Come in, come in. Shut the door. How have you been?" *spin*

 

Toshie will just cling to Kieran about now, locking her arms tight about his neck in her obvious excitement at seeing him. Happy, happy, happy oni. Peeping over the man's shoulder, Karen's presence is noted with a blink, and then a brightening smile. "No, that's fine, Karen. Come on in. Remember, we are friends now. Please? Karen has been great, Kieran. Get this... she actually took me to get pictures taken in /prom/ dresses. Is not that the craziest?!" She offers another dimpled smile to the woman before muttering something softly in Kieran's ear about needing to talk to him later. Inevitably, she tries to remove herself from him. "It is a good think that I do not get dizzy easily, you know?"

 

"Delighting in my neighbor's company, actually, thank you for asking, Kieran." Karen's words are touched with laughter at both Kieran's actions and Toshie's reaction. "Photo shoot for the prom season," she explains, winking at Toshie as she steps into the apartment, though her comments are directed at Kieran. "and Toshie had mentioned that you had offered to help her find a modelling contract, so I thought that an unofficial first try of it would be more than fair." The laughter breaks free, rather delighted indeed. "You did beautifully, too. I'm glad that you liked the proofs, though those are yours alone; they won't be used," she adds to Toshie, closing the door behind her. "How have you been, though, both of you?"

 

Kieran finally sets Toshie down on the floor again, kissing her forehead. He nods to her whispered words and smiles before turning his attention to Karen. Releasing his hold on the other oni, he meanders to the other woman and greets her with a brush of lips lightly against hers. "Thank you for that, Karen. It's good to know someone else is keeping an eye on Toshie and making sure she's not lonely. I've been a bit remiss in that duty lately. I hope she's not holding it against me."

 

Toshie actually blushes at Karen's words, shooting a glance askance to Kieran, "She flatters me almost as much as you do. One would think the pair of you work together on saying such things." She makes her way back over to them, giving Kieran a half-hearted sock on the shoulder before curling fingers in his shirt, and then doing the same to Karen as well -only the teenager doesn't hit Karen. Nope, that was just saved for her fellow oni. And so, she proceeds to try to drag them over to the couch. "I am fine," she adds softly. "Coach keeps me busy, and such. Come and sit."

 

Karen licks her lips thoughtfully after the light kiss, but is dragged -- literally! -- out of contemplation by Toshie's tugging. "You deserve every compliment, Toshie, and you know... ah!" she says, breaking off her words to pull a keyring out of a pocket. Kieran's getting hit does earn him a chuckle, though. "I'm sure you've been busy. Has all gone well, then?" There haven't been any more calls from Malachai asking her to try to explain something, at least. "Toshie? Here." She offers the two keys to the young woman as she settles down obediently upon the couch. "You may be being kept busy by your coach, but the offer I made the other day is still very much open."

 

The tall man lets himself be tugged over to the couch and he sits down on it, chuckling back at Toshie. "You're so abusive to me, little girl. One would think you didn't really love me." He smoothes a finger down Toshie's cheek, grinning down at her before nodding back to Karen. "I'm splitting my time between Malachai's and Bastian's. Things have been quite well, thanks. Haven't meant to ignore you either though, Karen. Business related events have made me neglectful."

 

Toshie will only release her hold on them when they are upon the couch. Okay, now she'll open her hand to accept the key from the other woman. "I half expected you only meant that in jest. Thank you, Karen." A rather pleased and dimpled smile softens her features for the moment, looking at the keys, and then tucking them into a pocket. Kieran is given another glance, this time almost looking a little accusatory, "You could try to come by more often though. At least once in awhile." Yep, you could say she was feeling a wee bit neglected by him, and it is fairly evident in the tone of her voice there. Poor Kieran. So many demands on him.

 

"I do not jest when my friends are concerned," Karen says firmly to Toshie, having settled down on the other side of the young woman. "I'll also try to leave a window open for Shen, if she deigns to grace me with her presence." There's a subtle note of teasing in her voice as she says that, then turns to Kieran. "I wondered if you had lost interest after all, though Sebastian and Malachai are certainly fascinating." The evidence of Toshie's feelings earns the girl a light hug, almost protective, but she says nothing, waiting for something -- poor Kieran, indeed.

 

Kieran glances between both women and feels a bit out ganged-up upon. But he takes it in good stride, assuring them both, "I have not lost interest. Yes, both the other make for excellent distractions, but there has been some actual business things going on. Dealing with dumb seishi for one thing. One in particular who keeps bothering Malachai. I promise to make sure to visit you both more often. How about I take you both out to dinner sometime soon?"

 

Toshie shoots Karen a wry grin, "Oh, you are asking for trouble then. She will show up when you least expect it -and probably when you are doing something with clothing, and steal your ribbons or such. Trust me. She will." So the falcon likes fluttery things -like Kieran's hair, can you blame her? Again, the brief tense at Karen's hug, but then she eases into it, smiling back to the woman warmly. It doesn't take long for Tosh to wince a little at Kieran's words, especially about a certain seishi, and then the guilty look away. "Saaaaaa, dinner would be good."

 

A brilliant flash of white light surrounds Karen, the color flickering into inky blackness just as quickly. If the woman was going to move, she'll be stopped. Any words will be stilled, and there's a definite sense of the presence of Nainokami for everyone there. 

 

About to reply to the two as the white fades into darkness, Karen stills suddenly, expression blank for a moment and then flickering into determination and the darkness simply accepted without question. The affirmative is clear, and her answer made -- no thoughts of what to waste wishes on for her, though she echoes the words spoken a few years ago by a very different person in a similar situation. "I'll do it." And, with those three simple words, she can move once more. Question is, whether the two here will accept it as easily. "I..."

 

Kieran grows silence and very still the moment he feels this goddess' presence, the heat beginning to emminate from his skin, the crimson glow flickering within his eyes. His gaze falls at first to Toshie, the other onisenshi of Nainokami in the room, but it is Karen's words that cause him to snap his attention immediately to her, brow furrowed in puzzlement.

 

Toshie warms to the conversation, looking about ready to natter on further about this and that, but it is something else that stills her tongue. Lips part and a gasp leaves her at the feel of that presence, her eyes open wide as she lifts her gaze towards the falcon, before meeting Kieran's own look. "Nainokami..." A hand climbs its way over to try to take his, but then she is turning a frown onto the woman. "Karen... What is it?"

 

"She offered me the chance to change the world as her miko," Karen says quietly, "I accepted." Her voice is soft, her expression set in rather neutral lines. "It seems that I am no longer uninvolved or on the sidelines, and I can make a difference. The question is whether or not you will accept me as such -- though I can't change it now."

 

Kieran's hand is caught in Toshie's, giving it a firm squeeze. His puzzlement softens into wonder and he smiles, eyes continuing to dance with their inner fire. "Karen... of course I would accept you if our goddess has chose you. Our own miko. This is good news, isn't it Toshie. But, this means that perhaps you should not be left to live on your own. If you wish, I will move in with you or perhaps Toshie would consider it? Though you are right across the way. I think I'd still prefer if you had one of us nearby."

 

Toshie continues to watch Karen, dark brows coming down just the slightest with a hint of confusion. "Nainokami wants you...?" There is a touch of awe in her own voice, the glimmer showing as well in her golden-irised eyes. "Well if she does, then I do to. You know that, Karen." Delight is winning its way as well. "And... she can have me if she wants. I can protect her. But only if that is okay with you, Karen...?"

 

Karen studies Kieran for a moment before a smile curves her lips. "I wouldn't ask that of you, Kieran; Toshie is here, and you are busy. Toshie can protect me when I am home." She gives him a bit of a wink, though she's clearly a little shaken by all of this. "You don't have to ask if it's okay with me. I am not exactly likely to try to run away from protection I think I may need."

 

"I may be busy at times, but now that you are my miko that means I have a duty to you as well. You have my cell phone number and I want you to use it as often as you wish. Toshie will protect you, but so will I. Though I am glad you two will live together then. I worry about Toshie being alone. Though..." Kieran pauses, thoughtful. "You have your sister to consider Karen. She's Yang. This will likely change things. Likely, it /will/. We seek to overthrow the Yang and their seishi."

 

Toshie scooches up a little closer to Karen, eyes studying the woman in obvious fascination at having their very own miko, and who it is at that. "I'd be happy to. And I will do my best to keep Shen from bothering you -although she seems pleased at the prospect of helping you too, Karen." As only to be expected. "You don't have to worry about me, Kieran, and I can protect Karen as well too." She frowns though at the mention of this sister, blinking over to the woman, "You do?"

 

Karen closes her eyes at the reminder of Kourin, nodding her acceptance. "I'll have to tell her, though Nainokami does not directly oppose her god. It will change a great deal, and I would do almost anything to spare her that, but I can't, and I won't, change my mind." She gives Toshie another hug, a soft, delighted smile upon her lips. "I am lucky, though, to serve you as much as you will protect me. I care about you both a great deal. I... yes, my sister." Looking at the girl, she smiles wryly. "I won't give you up, though, even if I could. Right now, though, I need to think. Tell those who should and need to know?"