Description: (Part 1) Quiet night in the library, no hustle, no bustle... until a bookshelf moves and a punk princess comes out from behind it. Hurricane Hime has some questions, and Arika has no qualms answering most of them. Can she prevail upon the little Hurricane to help?
The library? Some people simply just wouldn't be caught anywhere else, which is doubly-so when one speaks the name of Hurricane Hime. After a wild match at the dojo, and then after a well taken nap, the young superhero has decided to go back to her home away from home, the good ol library. Once she finds Dan then maybe, MAYBE she'd spend more time down there.
The area is obviously very quiet, there's not any hustle and bustle at all, and battles are likely taking place elsewhere. Hurricane resides at a stool with a couple stacks of books resting at her either side, and is reading away not for informative purposes, but simply for her own entertainment and she has to say; ninja reading is pretty peculiar. Also the book she's currently reading, with the cover so worn it's title can't be seen, is brought quite close to her face, squinting as she reads- Her natural WPM talent just isn't any good without her glasses.
Some people wouldn't normally be caught dead in a place like the library... but then again, not everyone knows what the diva knows. Since finding out about the hidden passage and the dojo beyond it, Arika has been spending as many waking hours as possible here, trying to work out logistics for removing the weaponry.
No, she and the Shooting Stars aren't going to try and take the weapons by force... but they would like to see them off of the ship and away from innocent people.
So, it might come as a -huge- surprise for anyone in the library when she just so happens to step out from behind one of the bookcases, notebook tucked under her arm and a rather sizeable black bag slung over her shoulder. She knows that she is definitely surprised to find someone here at this time of day -- most people are dining or relaxing on the promenade about this time. Blinking twice, she just kind of twists herself around quickly and pretends to be looking for research material on the shelves.
Ooooh Arika would only be SO LUCKY to escape the eye of the pink and black-clad fighter. Or rather, her ears. Because when the bookcase shifts, she jumps a little in suprise, nearly dropping her book. By the time she does spot Arika, the diva -does- look like she's just looking for something.. Sort of.
In normal circumstances, Arika might just be given a friendly wave and a 'hello', but because the girl is looking so SUSPICIOUS, she instead frowns a little bit, "HMmn, my Hime Sense is tingling..." she murmurs to herself.
She scoots off of the stool then, and makes a casual pace toward and past Arika, but only a couple of steps past. Before she then walks backward, and makes a dramatic twirl around, and rests her arm one on of the shelves, "Citizen Fade," she greets, with a bit of a smile. "So what are you stealing from the dojo, hmmmmn?"
"Stealing? Me?" Arika blinks and whirls around to face Hurricane Hime (oh if she only knew the truth!). Fingers tap along the notebook and she waves a hand toward the shelf she was just staring at. "Just checkin' to see if Naerose pilfered any more books. Brought a bagful back a while ago." The words come so very easily to her, not a hint of nervousness or an air of paranoia.
Deep blue eyes shift inadvertently to the keybook and she forces herself to glance down at the notebook. "Ah. You know 'bout that, do you? The dojo I mean..."
Well, Hime is certainly no lie detector, Arika pulls off the explaination so well that she actually seems taken aback- Because Naerose is actually a name she recognizes, and not only that the situation is just SO like the red witch that Hime just can't help but laugh for a moment.
"Oh I see, so that's what's in the mysterious black bag? Can I help you put them back then? Please? Pretty please?" the girl then offers helpfully, clasping her hands togeather. Though she then pauses long enough to let the last comment sink in. And looking rather pleased, she nods in agreement, "Yeah me and my roomate had a match in there, of course I didn't know how to use a single thing in there. There's enough junk in there for a ninja army! You think at some point we'll have to battle an army?"
Muttering under her breath, Arika subconsciously snaps a hand down to the bag and ensures that it's closed. "Bloody well 'ope not, mate. We fought an army back in Thailand, and that ain't somethin' I'm ever lookin' forward to doin' again." Pausing, she looks at her hand, at the bag and then blushes. "Right. Ain't no more books in 'ere to put away. Just a few odds and ends. Like uhh..." Ahem. Clearing her throat she looks up at the ceiling. "Like Mary Poppins, y'know?"
No point in hiding everything from the superheroine though. "Wot do y'know 'bout that room, Hime? 'bout this ship?"
Hime's green eyes shift to the hand at the bag, and then back to Arika. She sure has been a bit odd lately, hasn't she? But at least this time around her accent is still there. Setting her hands on her hips, she looks impressed, "Yeah, but fighting an army of ninjas is different! And really, what a plot twist it would be, right? I mean, it wouldn't make any sense but a lot of the tournament doesn't make sense so it works out all right!" The issue about that bag, well she's just going to have to let slide until the other questions are answered.
Hime seems quite satisfied with her theory on the ninja part though. As for the room? "I.. Er, didn't ask anyone about it, really. I just saw all the stuff inside and didn't really know what to make of it. And as for the ship, I don't know a thing about that either. Um, are we supposed to know?" Hime looks mildly nervous, as she didn't really find everything to be a very big deal.
Shoulders lift in a small shrug, fingers tap along the notebook and the diva exhales a heavy sigh. "Don't know that fightin' an army of black clad people with tricks up their sleeves is really my thing... and let me tell you somethin' 'bout these so-called ninjas..." Irritation runs rampant over her face and in her words, but yet Arika is keeping a rather calm exterior. Voice is steady, hands aren't clenched.
Yet.
"No idea 'ow they got -you- involved in this tourney, but they bloody well -kidnapped- me. Knocked me out, tied me up, forced me to fight... and then dumped me in the woods in Southtown with an envelope full'a cash." Deep blue eyes turn somewhat stormy, and she jerks a thumb toward the door. "They drugged me teammate Eva and dropped 'er in the garbage room 'ere on board, forced 'er to fight 'er way to freedom. If she didn't, the roof would'a came crashin' down on 'er." The same thumb jerks toward the bookshelf she stepped out from behind. "Then I find out that they've got a room full'a weapons back there, including at least -two- bazookas..."
Frowning, she points upward. "And up above us? More crates of bazookas. One'a which was fired off the other night by the red witch 'erself."
Hurricane Hime again is stunned briefly. -Kidnapped-? That's way different than her own way of getting there, but on the other hand, she didn't remember seeing Arika within the group at the very first Jinchuu assembly. ... Though she didn't see a lot of people, really.
Hime laughs nervously, "A- Are you serious? That doesn't make sense why would they do something like that?" And then her expression becomes more serious, and definatly confused. "I recieved an invitation.. Did you?" Either way, though, it's quite an unjust method, and one that hasn't quite sunk in enough to make the young heroine mad. Eva she hadn't met yet, but she knows the student is a teammate. She wondered if there was a connection there. "What about Drake, is he here?"
"Invitation? Oh, sure. After the kidnappin'. After we got back from Thailand. Stuck to my dressing room mirror with a dagger." Does that seem normal? Arika doesn't actually vocalize the last question, and she's not trying to upset the little Hurricane. Really, she's just trying to put out what information she has. "Drake? Nah. 'e ain't gettin' 'imself involved in this tourney. 'ad a really good photoshoot that was takin' up a lot'a 'is time and only recently got back to Southtown." But just -how- does Arika know that?
"Look. I know we ain't exactly wot'cha would call friends, but you ain't gonna tell anyone I was skulkin' 'bout in 'ere, are ya? Was just tryin' to figure out a wee bit'a logistics..."
Hime just stares blankly at Arika. The girl just seems to have some sort of bad-luck streak lately or something, it's almost hilarious how calmly Arika gives the information, as if it happens to her all the time. Used to it or not, though, that's seriously not cool! But after having seen Drake in the hospital, there's relief that he isn't on board right now. "That just doesn't make any sense. Why go through all the trouble? It sounds like something is definatly up here.. But good reason or no, I definatly can't let something like this go unpunished, or at the very least unexplained!"
Hime's hand clenches to a fist, her decision at the point quite final. "Anyway, Arika, the important part here is that we aren't enemies. If I could be of any help, I would gladly lend you my skills! But.. You have to swear to me that you're telling the complete truth. A couple of things that you've said so far aren't adding up, and you've been acting weird lately."
Arika makes a split-second decision. The offer of help is muchly appreciated, since looking at what all there is to do, she's been doubting that she and Eva could carry it out on their own. "Sakura..." The look on the diva's face is somewhat akin to someone that's just been sucking on a lemon -- sour and none too happy. "Sakura said that it's likely just the way Seishirou is. Challengin' people. But let me ask you this, mate. Where'd this ship come from? The tourney money? 'ow many more fighters were accosted before this all took place?"
Shaking her head, she stares straight at Himeko. "Somethin' is up 'ere, and I don't 'ave all the info. Problem is, there's all these weapons aboard. If the 'ead ninja 'as as much money as 'e seems to, a few missin' weapons ain't gonna mean a thing to 'im, and it -could- mean that an innocent person gets to live." Reaching onto the shelf and pulling out any old book, she slams her hand down atop it. Resolve unwavering, she solemnly states, "I swear to you, I'm tellin' you the truth 'bout wot 'appened to me and Eva, and the information I gave you. All we're tryin' to do is figure out a way to save innocent people from gettin' 'urt, without lettin' those bazookas get into the wrong 'ands."
There's a very long pause before she adds, "Like whoever those blokes were that were workin' with Naerose the night the truck 'it the ship."
The questions that Arika asks.. They actually have little effect on the superhero side of Himeko, no the thoughts of innocent people getting hurt strikes her more. However, on the reporter side of the heroine, she smells something enticing. This might be.. No, this is definatly what her mentor Ran would call A SCOOP!
Hime closes her eyes for a moment as she lightly strokes her chin. No matter how much confidence she has, though, she doesn't have the experience to work on her own either, so there's little chance of backing out on her end to be any good if she even wanted to.
So with that, the little Hurricane snaps her hand up into a salute, "So those are the questions we need answers, and.. We've got to do something about the weapons. Ok, you have my assistance. I'll try to do what I can, but at this point all I can do is follow your orders."
....
Wait... what? Follow her orders? Arika is left looking quite dumbfounded by this. She knows she's not got the people skills or the trust to make a great leader. "Uhm... uh... sure! Well, so far the plan is to get the crates off the ship. Tossin'em over the side or somethin'... even if someone 'appens to find'em that way, they'll be unusable, y'know? Martial weapons... those we can leave alone. Most fighters can 'andle those no problem any'ow, and I doubt they'd find their way into the 'ands of innocents."
She hopes.
"This likely ain't the best place to discuss tactics though. You feel up to comin' by the cabin? At least there I can try to cover the cameras..."
Hime figures Arika's a better leader than herself, after all she's the one with the plan, as.. Questionable as it was. Secretly, she always did want to replicate the Boston Tea Party, so there's even more points for Arika there. Grinning a little once more, the heroine glances over her shoulder a moment, then seems to be in agreement, "Ok, let's head there then. It sounds like it should be easy enough to accomplish."
Pleased that the results could be anything but negative, she hops by Arika's side, allowing her to take the lead!
Log created on 18:54:14 09/19/2007 by Arika, and last modified on 20:02:57 09/20/2007.