Jinchuu - [R3] [Cut] Following Through

Description: Being very thorough with her job, Sakura stops in to chat with Hotaru to see what the other girl thinks about events going on around the boat as well as to ask her a couple questions with her Chief of Security hat 'half on.' It's a fair trade though, because Hotaru has a couple questions herself and swapping info seems to be the most common transaction aboard the Suiryuu!



Board the boat. See the world. Watch amazing battles. Get front row seats to the biggest action in the world of professional fightin the world has seen since... well, at least since a few months ago! That's what Hotaru thought she was getting into back when she stepped aboard the strangely modified luxury yacht the weekend following the opening ceremonies.

What she hadn't expected as bunking with a paranoid roommate with her fingers into nearly everything going on aboard the boat, having conspiracy theories that would rival the likes of the Area 51 nut jobs. She also hadn't expected to help eject a Mad Gear assault alongside her good friend, Sakura. But that's life. Surprises just keep coming.

Finding her at the cabin she's been given for the duration of this crazy escapade isn't hard to do as long as one drops by late. During the day she's nearly always out and about, mingling with the participants, watching the matches, or hanging out in the lounge having a tasty meal. But at night she's at her cabin. Elle is off doing Elle things. Hotaru tries to not wonder too much about what /those/ things might be.

This isn't the first time Sakura's acted as a security officer... she's worked with Metro City's police force in both an official and an unofficial capacity, as well as the Southtown police department on a few random occasions. And of course there's her less savory time as a Shadaloo agent. But this is the first time she's been =solely= in charge. And it's rather... unnerving.

At times like this, you get by with a little help from your friends... and Sakura's big friend here is named Hotaru Futaba. Like Hotaru, Sakura's out and about for most of the day, as she's not able to stand being cooped up in any one room... but she figures Hotaru's kinda the same, really. And she also has a bit of evidence that Elle =isn't= in the room, which... is good. For her.

Dressed in her usual Suiryuu security officer regalia, and carrying a small clipboard, Kasugano raps her knuckles lightly against Hotaru's bunk door. "Hey, Hotaru? It's Sakura..." When the door opens, she'll be all smiles!

There is a sound of suffling around inside so it's clear that Sakura's at least caught someone 'home'. The handle jiggles a couple of times but the door itself doesn't open. "J-just a moment!" Hotaru's voice calls from the otherside of the wooden portal. A couple more rattlings of the handle followed by a grunt and finally the door swings open. For a moment Hotaru's foot is visible pressed against the frame of the entrance before sliding to the floor, as if she had braced herself to pull the door open.

"Whew," Hotaru laughs when she finally gets the stubborn thing open. She's had trouble with that thing since day one. Stepping back into view, she returns Sakura's smile with a quiet one of her own. "Good evening, Sakura. This is a surprise. I thought the boat raiding mobs weren't scheduled for another few hours. Or is this just a friendly visit?" she asks with a short laugh, stepping to the side and gesturing to invite the other girl into the room.

The cabin is pristine. The beds are made and there's no papers, clothing items, or hardly any signs of being lived in at all. Her own belongings are sealed up in a blue travel bag sitting atop one of the beds while Elle's stuff is in one of the corners. A large paper cup of somewhat cooled tea sits atop the counter near the round window in the hull which Hotaru slips over to pick up before turning back around.

"I'd offer you something to drink if this was back home. But, well, you know," she apologizes with a grin as she sips the beverage, staying standing for now.

Sakura grimaces at the trouble Hotaru seems to be having with the door. They... were playing kinda rough in the halls earlier, so she's a bit worried by the door -- it shows in her anxious expression. Shaking her head worriedly, she runs her fingers through her hair at the odd question. "Actually, they bumped the schedule up, it's gonna start upstairs in a minute or so. We would've made it if you could've gotten that door open sooner." Narrowing her eyes at the door, she quirks an eyebrow at Hotaru: "Has it =always= been like that? Geez..."

Shaking her head again, she steps into the room. Privacy is good! ... Though Sakura seems like she'd be more than willing to help Hotaru shut the door, if she takes a bit too long with that.

"Ah, don't worry about it. I probably won't be long." Kasugano smiles quietly, leaning her elbow against the wall of the smallish room. "Uh... so yeah, sorry... I never really got a chance to thank you properly for the other night. I definitely couldn't have done it without ya!" Still smiling, she looks about the room slowly. "... Aside from that, how're you finding your stay here? All you dreamed of and more?" The tone of sarcasm in her voice shows she's... showing a bit more doubt now than she did a week and a half ago, to say the least.

At the comment about the door, Hotaru laughs a bit sheepishly, the hand not holding the cup coming up to rest behind her neck. "Yeah? Well, I'm sure a gang of masked weirdos can hold up for a bit for us to get there." She glances at the door, eyes narrowing as to give it a nasty, suspicious look. "Yeah, it's been like that since the first night. I don't know what it is. Elle never seems to have any trouble with it." the girl offers a half shrug and roll of her eyes. Maybe Elle just skips straight to the raw, brute force that seems to be the only thing The Door respects.

Hotaru doesn't move to shut the door, but Sakura will find it swings closed without the slightest resistence. It's like some kind of trap. Easy to get in, hard to get out! "Oh, that." She shakes her head, "Hey, considering the trouble I've had with that crazy masked guy before, helping out was part favor and part pleasure for me." the girl grins. The hand resting against the back of her neck lowers to press against her side without thinking, eliciting a bit of wince. Okay, so not /all/ pleasure. Aislinn hits like a fiend.

She turns to set the cup of tea back down on the counter atop a little coaster that keeps it from sliding off as the boat leans two and fro then reaches into her pants pocket to slip out a slivery pendant attached to a shiny chain. It bears the insignia of the Ryouhara. "Hiretsu gave me this this morning. It was pretty nice of him." she comments, eyes focused on the token of recognition for a moment before she sets that down on the counter as well.

"But really, I'm glad I happened by when I did. Looked like you really had your hands full with that group. As far as this whole thing? It's... well, there's a major emphasis on the /more/, let's just put it that way." the girl states, her tone becoming less playful and more somber for a moment.

Elle never has trouble, hm? She's probably not as concerned with peace and quiet as Hotaru is, Kasugano figures. Chuckling faintly, Sakura pivots about so she can rest her shoulders against the wall, rather than just her elbow. Leaning thusly, she nods her head in agreement with the mention of Katana. "Yeah, he's a bit of a dork, but... eh. He's probably easy to deal with, if you tell him the right things."

Hotaru mentions the pendant -- well, =that's= unusual. She hasn't even spoken with Hiretsu that much, herself, so the thought of Hotaru getting something special... well, that's pretty cool! Eyes widening at the pendant, she nods, "Congratulations! That's... that's pretty awesome! You're about like an honorary ninja or somethin' now, I guess!"

Smirking, she flips through the papers on her clipboard, nodding vacantly as Hotaru responds. It's... yeah. More than Sakura bargained for, too. "Well, you probably know this by now, but they weren't alone." Holding one leaf of paper up, she reads off some of her notes. "Right around the same time the truck crashed into the Suiryuu, folks upstairs went to work. Ryuji Yamazaki and a guy by the name of Birdie. Both of 'em looked pretty determined to get upstairs and raid the library. Arika's convinced they wanted to steal the weapons on the other side of the library, too, but she, her friend Eva, and Blanka were able to stop 'em." She lets the papers fall back, and she lowers the clipboard to her side. "We knew all that pretty much the day after, so yeah, probably not news. Have you heard anything else, walkin' around the ship or anythin?"

At first Hotaru looks pleased at Sakura's reaction to the pendant. She felt pretty good to be given it, truth be told. But to be called an honorary ninja makes her grimace a little, the distaste visible in her expression part real and part feigned for humorous emphasis. "Awh, I hope not. I don't think I'm anything like them. Way too many secrets and double speak for my tastes."

She picks the cup back up and sips at it some more as Sakura shares some more information about the attack, her eyes suggesting that some of the details were new to her. "I had heard that there was a second group and that there was some room with weapons that might've been the target, but that was all I knew." the girl states. Arika and Blanka and Eva? The two females she knew were in the Jinchuu event itself, but to know that the jungle-escapee is also hanging out around the boat is news to her. She'll have to catch up with him sometime.

"A room full of weapons, huh? I guess I shouldn't be surprised." Hotaru muses, lifting her hand to rub against her cheek thoughtfully. Then comes the question about her own experiences aboard the boat. Heard anything? Boy has she. Enough rumors, theories, and speculations to fill three clipboards like the one Sakura is toting. "There's a lot of ideas out there about this event, you know. I mean, a lot of it just doesn't seem to add up at all. Doesn't make sense if you think about it too much. I think a lot of people are getting by simply by /not/ thinking about it too much. But then you have those who can't help but dig through everything going on and what they come up with is kind of... well, I'm not sure if creepy is the right word for it." She pauses for a moment, studying Sakura thoughtfully for a moment. What does the security chief know anyway? She would have to imagine a lot more than she knows, even if she has been fed a lot from Elle's intricate mind.

"Yeah, just think, you'll be zipping around from one rooftop to the next in no time!" Kasugano seems to be having fun, milking the 'ninja' angle... but it doesn't last long, thankfully! "And yeah. S'kinda why I'm here. You're like me, y'like to know what you're dealin' with here." That said, she tucks the clipboard away behind her back. She probably won't be needing it.

"Yeah. Blanka... surprisingly enough, he =volunteered= to help. There's a lot of bad people who see a ship like this, and all the weird stuff on it... and wanna use it for their own stuff. Birdie... Yamazaki... Katana... Aislinn... and Naerose, so far. We know they're connected somehow."

Kasugano taps her cheek twice, and adds, "But our hosts, Seishirou and Riko... aren't totally innocent either. S'posedly they kidnapped a couple of the competitors before all that mess in Thailand even happened. Roughed 'em up a bit, but from what I can gather, they're testing the folks."

Sakura smiles distantly, adding, "All of that, you can get just by seeing what's in front of you, and talking to people, right? Rumors, passed along from people just like the ones you mention -- they don't think about it too much, 'cuz it's a lot to think about."

Kasugano nods slowly, here, and looks a little bit sad. "I'm askin' kinda official-like, though, and kinda as a friend... but... has Elle talked with you about anythin' on this ship? If you don't wanna tell me, that's fine, I mean, you're the one that's gotta room with 'er an' all..." She gestures dismissively with a hand. "I've just got some... hunches, y'know, myself."

The tease about being a ninja elicits a short laugh from Hotaru in the end as she shakes her head. She can tell she's being given a rough time about it but coming from someone as quick-witted as Sakura it doesn't bother her really. As the girl lists of the names of people that seem to be causing problems, Hotaru ponders. If a connection exists between them, other than Mad Gear, she can't imagine what it would be though. At least, not yet.

But as the subject shifts through kidnappings, Hotaru's smile fades a bit. "Yeah." comes the simple assertion. "They did that to me... It's why I don't really trust Riko at all. Grabbing people off the street or their homes to go make them fight for some kind of test they don't even know about /is/ rather strange. I mean, for normal folks. It's probably normal for ninjas." she allows with a faint smile. What Sakura's connection to the event's hosts is such that she got this job in the first place is admittedly not something Hotaru has figured out exactly.

But then things swing around to Elle and Hotaru frowns thoughtfully. Deceit, lying, batting around the truth aren't characteristics of the girl, for better or for worse. So her options are to say nothing at all and clearly defy the official-like and friend-like request, or to be upright about what she knows. The girl choses the later.

"Yeah, Elle seems to have a lot of people finding things out for her. Maybe she's connected to Naerose... they had ties at one point a long while back, but I was kind of skeptical about them still being linked. Seems like that so-called witch is rolling with Mad Gear now." The girl takes a couple steps backward, leaning her back against the wall oppsite Sakura, right next to the small window.

"Elle has a lot of ideas. Not all of them based on pure conjecture. She has people feeding her a lot of information. Like about how some Russian mobster, Nikolai, factors into things somehow. Or about the strange ways the boat seems to react to people's chi, or how it ignores them if they can suppress their chi. She thinks this boat is colleting traces of everyone's energy that they're throwing out in their fights. But who knows why?" Hotaru admits with a shrug. After all, information has its gaps.

Hotaru, too? That makes four people aboard this ship that Sakura knows of, anyway -- maybe Riko =wasn't= kidding when she said they'd have kidnapped everyone if they could've. What kind of deal are they trying to run here anyway? It's not that Sakura's all that =surprised= -- knowing Seishirou, she still thinks her acquaintance has everyone's best interests in mind -- but she is a little concerned! "... Yeah... I'm still trying to figure that angle out, myself. I know Sei used to mess with my head a couple years ago, but he never pulled a stunt like =that= on me."

And then the topic changes to Elle, and the ship's security. Kasugano smiles warmly -- she's glad Hotaru's decided to talk. Sakura always has appreciated Hotaru's level-headed view of things -- a more =sensitive= approach than the tomboy usually takes, to be sure, but seeing things from a different perspective can help Kasugano sort things out for herself. And hopefully, it will help Hotaru too, in the long run.

But it does sound like Elle is... actively coordinating with a bunch of different people. The fact that Hotaru =clearly mentions= that Elle is coordinating confirms some of what Riko had conveyed to her earlier in the week.

Though... with Naerose talking with Mad Gear now instead... well, maybe it isn't all open and shut.

Kasugano smiles as Hotaru mentions more of the theories about the boat. The mention of Nikolai is noted with a raised eyebrow -- she'll have to look into that angle a bit more. "... Yeah... I'm pretty sure you're on the level with most of that. I mean, I honestly can't confirm or deny any of it -- Riko likes to dance me around in circles whenever I ask stuff like that, really! But yeah... everything you've said is pretty close to what I've heard."

Shaking her head and looking down at her feet, Kasugano scuffs her shoes across the floor idly. "So why do you think Elle and Naerose =aren't= connected? I'm curious, here -- I've heard rumors for and against, and I'm tryin' to make up my mind." Sakura's expression having gone neutral for a moment, she remembers to smile here. She may be the security chief... but she's still =human=.

Having finished the tea she was sipping, Hotaru places the empty cup in the plastic trash can located in the corner next to her and then folds her arms over her chest as she listens to Sakura's thoughts. "I'll be honest, Sakura," Hotaru states. As if she was being anything otherwise in the first place. "I /know/ Riko and Seishirou and all those ninjas are building up to something. You can tell. They may not say what it is, but there's something coming after this tournament is over or before the end of it. Hiretsu described it as restoring wonder to the world - to show people the truth, to show people that fighting with the mind is more powerful than fighting with the fist. But what does that mean anyway? It kind of makes me nervous that no one but they know what is coming after all this. You seem to know them best out of anyone I've met, and they won't even tell you?"

Hotaru exhales a little, thinking for a moment about Naerose. "Well, I don't know one way or another, to be honest. It's just that, well, I don't know if you've ever met Elle, but... she's a very... serious person. Very by the numbers, very focused, driven even. And... Naerose is pretty much none of those things. It's hard to imagine them getting along for long, ne?" She laughs a little and then shakes her head. "But no, the reason I thought Naerose was with Mad Gear was because she came with that truck of fools in that raid. Or, rather sided with them. Unless..." She squints a little with one eye, thinking on it harder, "Unless Mad Gear is connected to Elle somehow?"

The girl looks mildly alarmed at that conclusion. If it was true, then she would be bunking with the very person who organized that raid... the very one she helped thwart. Sighing a little, Hotaru's brow furrows, remembering the thing Elle tasked /her/ with when they last spoke. It just so happens to do with Sakura!

"Say... have they said anything to you that gives you any clue as to what they're doing? Suggested anything weird... dropped any hints... I don't know. Anything about what their own future might be as a result of this? Like the future of the clan itself?" She takes a stab, "Like, I dunno, something weird, like looking for an heir, or recruiting members, or finding Seishirou a wife or something?" She laughs a little then shakes her head, ruefully, "Yeah, I guess trying to find anything /not/ weird about what they talk about would be the harder question to ask. Heh."

Hotaru's over here stressing out over being 'honest' and whatnot... whereas the conclusions are common sense to Sakura. Kasugano breaks into snickers, covering her mouth with her hand as Hotaru's seriously-stated conclusion slips loose. "Of =course= they're planning something... that's what Sei and Riko do! Nothing gets said without a bunch of thought behind it... s'why I'm actually glad Sei doesn't speak much. Less to figure out later!"

Still snickering, she pushes away from the wall, taking slow paces around the room as she considers Hotaru's words. "Really, I don't think it's worth trying to figure out until they give us more clues. And, knowin' them, they won't, so. Thing is, this ship's =probably= part of it, but I'm almost positive it's separate from the actual competitors. And probably separate from every =thing= on this ship other than the ship itself." She shrugs mildly, turning to Hotaru for a moment. "Just my hunch though. First rule of ninja-ing is that the Best place to hide something's in plain sight."

Taking a breath, she looks back down at her feet, pacing again as Hotaru realizes what Sakura was hinting at: that there doesn't seem to be much evidence =distancing= Naerose from Elle. Just nothing =connecting= per se. "Yeah... Mad Gear probably =is= connected, based on what we saw, since we already =know= Naerose was talking with Elle before." She smiles faintly, looking up again. "But... we don't know for sure yet. It's like... best guess, on my part. ... And no, I haven't had the pleasure of meeting Elle myself just yet. Maybe I should?"

With a faint chuckle, she turns to look out the window, upon Hotaru's question here. The clan's future? Looking for an heir? ... Finding Seishirou a =wife?= "... ehe... =Kinda?=" She laughs uncomfortably, continuing to direct her attention away from Hotaru. But Futaba might notice her cheeks coloring a bit pink. "I heard a lot of things, really, but what's right and what's wrong ain't always easy to pick out. Riko's..."

Well, this is telling. Kasugano actually stops talking for a moment, breaking her gaze from the window, and cradling her chin in her hand. "Riko's tired as heck, Seishirou hasn't even been =seen=. And I know they're =building= something." Kasugano glances over to Hotaru ,finally, raising an eyebrow. "She was speaking in riddles like usual, but Riko mentioned a 'chapel?'" Kasugano shrugs faintly. She'd thought it was a joke, but... she just said herself that both Sei and Riko use doublespeak a lot.

As Sakura reacts to a lot of what Hotaru says as if they were foregone conclusions Hotaru falls quiet and shakes her head slowly. Yeah, the Taiyo grad definitely knows them better than she does. "You're okay with that?" Hotaru asks, her brow furrowed. "Not having any idea where this whole thing is headed? I..." She frowns a little, sounding a bit surprised at that. "I guess I just find it hard to trust them like you do. I-... I don't know. My history with Riko has been, well, tumultuous, and I've never met Seishirou himself. In fact, I've only ever seen him in a photo, nothing else."

As Hotaru takes to pacing, Hotaru listens quietly. It sounds like Sakura has intel of her own regarding Elle and Mad Gear. Yet... Elle has spoken nothing of it, or even referenced her own interference in the raid. Maybe it's best if she just continue to play dumb and avoid the issue with the Blackjack leader if at all possible. "If you do meet her, you'll probably never forget it," the pig-tailed girl states quietly, wondering how Sakura's own chipper demeanor will clash with Elle's own... anti-chipper one.

She takes in the rest of what Sakura has to say, remaining against the wall by the window, turning her head to follow the other girl's movement across the room. Which means she picks up on that blush easily, given the proximity. It's noted, though she doesn't quite understand the significance. The mention of a chapel causes her to blink though and she looks away, eyes averting toward the floor as she unfolds one arm just enough to rest her knuckles against the side of her chin in contemplation.

"Elle thinks that ninjas are doing what ninjas do. Something to further their clan. She said something about Seishirou being the last of them. That's why she thinks this grand event has something to do with trying to perpetuate the Ryouhara - keep them from disappearing off the face of the earth." She falls quiet then, thinking about the other detail Sakura mentioned.

"Riko tired, huh? I've never seen her as anything other than hyper active, like she has some kind of infinite energy cheat code to life. We fought once... it went on for so long, and even in the end when I was about to collapse just from exhaustion, she still seemed spry enough to slip off in typical ninja fashion." Hotaru frowns a little. "I don't know. I... I can't say that I get along with her very well at all. But the thought of her working herself weary for something is kind of worrisome too..." A question comes next. "Where are they building something? Here on the boat?"

Is Sakura =okay= not knowing what Sei and Riko are up to? "Nah, I'm not =okay= with that, but there's no sense in getting worked up over what you aren't gonna be able to change." Kasugano's smile is one of resignation, a willingness to let things happen. "If we find out more, the situation changes in a way we don't like it to, =then= we try an' stop it. Otherwise, if you wanna find out what they're up to, all you can really do is stick around and make sure your own bases are covered." She shrugs, adding, "Which is why I don't want really strong folks like Birdie and Yamazaki on this boat till I know who they are, and why they're here."

Kasugano imagines she won't get along well with Elle, but that won't stop the meeting from taking place. She has an idea it will =anyway, whether she wants one or not, though. As for her intelligence on Mad Gear, Elle, and Naerose... well, that's suspect. All she knows is exactly what Hotaru said -- that Naerose and Elle once worked together. Which is why Sakura asked -- she wanted to see if Hotaru knew =more=, and since she didn't seem to... well, no bother there!

The notion that the Ryouhara clan is down to just Seishirou, though, seems to be... new. Or at least, she's looking at it new in this light. Sakura had jokingly hinted a wedding, and Riko went along with it, talking about restoring the clan, Seishirou's cursed blood... well, =lots= of things, really. Sakura just... flushed it out of her memory out of irritation at being led around by the nose when she was trying to lead =Riko= around by the nose. "Chapel" is all she remembers other than the vague concepts... concepts which Hotaru brings up again. And that brings a frown to Sakura's lips. Frustration, irritation at forgetting what could be a crucial piece of information. "Y-yeah... y'know, Riko did =mention= something like that, I just don't remember what..."

As for Riko getting tired... yes. Very curious. "Yeah, all over the boat. You can feel it, right? Chi flowing everywhere, all flowing to ... somewhere about the middle of the boat or so, lower hull. I'd blast my way in, y'know, but with all the chi there, it'd probably sink us, or worse!" She pauses, realizing that wasn't... =based= in anything. "Or at least s'what I think. Could be totally wrong! What they're gonna do with it, got no idea there."

She laughs faintly, returning to her spot by the wall. Lacing her fingers behind her head, she grins broadly. "You gotten seasick from all the movin' about yet?" Nah, that wasn't =too= abrupt of a topic change, was it?

Sakura's ability to take things in stride as they come along is something that doesn't come as a surprise to Hotaru. The slightly younger girl would just about expect as much. It's probably how Kasugano stays sane after all the things she's been through over the years. No wonder she's so tough! She mentions Birdie and Yamazaki and Hotaru simply nods, "Being in charge of keeping everyone safe on this boat must be a lot of pressure." There's no small hint of sounding impressed in her voice. "But you're doing a good job." she adds with that quiet smile of hers.

"Hmn," Hotaru muses. Riko mentioned a chapel. But it sounds like some of the details of whatever odd exchange the two had have slipped from her mind. The Kenpo artist knows how that goes. Trying to remember what the strange sponsors /say/, let alone what they /mean/ after finishing a conversation with them would be a challenge for almost anyone, she's certain. "Maybe more of it will come back to you with time," she offers, sounding like she wished the brown haired girl could remember more, but understanding quite well how that could be difficult.

"Yeah..." She replies with regards to the chi and the build up down below. "If you even go down there, the air feels weird. Charged. But what would it all be for? Sometimes I feel like they want to get revenge on someone or something, and we're just all along for the ride. It makes me uncomfortable - the not knowing."

Asked about feeling seasick, Hotaru laughs lightly, shaking her head. She appears to take the change in topic almost perfectly in stride. "Ah, no. I- Well, when I was really young, my family lived in China, near the coast. I've been on a lot of boats before. I guess even after all this time, I'm still used to the motion." Probably explains the China-girl attire she seems to so enjoy wearing. "How about you? This is one crazy job, isn't it? What are you going to do when it's all over?" With a year left in High School, herself, she has a while before she has to be able to answer that very question.

Kasugano smiles receptively to Hotaru's praise -- she has a big ego to feed after all! "Yeah, it's a bit rough, but I'm managing, somehow! Thanks!" She's a bit distant when it comes to the mention of the chapel though, not really sure =what's= going on. It does, clearly, bother her, but perhaps she's had more time to push it out of her mind than most.

The notion that 'we're all just along for the ride', though... brings a smile back to Sakura's face. "Well, aren't you? 'Just along for the ride?' I kinda thought that was the whole point..." she notes with no small degree of amusement.

"Oh... me? I haven't... been on a whole lot of boats." She laughs faintly, pushing away from the wall and starting to walk about the cabin a bit. "It's not quite so bad on a big boat like this though... guess it's easier to get used to here."

Sakura's also gravitating towards the door, in her circuit... which might be why she switched topics. "Eh, when it's over I'll just go back to Seijyun." Pause. "University," she adds, for clarification. "I'm on academic hold now, or whatever they call it -- if it takes too long here I'll just start up next semester. No real =rush=, there... I'll do it when the timing's right."

The Ansatsuken student smiles faintly, stopping just by the door. "Anyway... I just wanted to trade stories with you for a bit, kinda sort things out... if I find anythin' about the boat, I'll prolly let you know, okay?" Seems like she's already made up her mind to go... but Sakura is kinda self-serving in that sense.

As Sakura moves toward the door, Hotaru finally stands up straight, no longer leaning against the wall, herself. Her arms unfold and drop down to her sides. When asked if she isn't just along for the ride, Hotaru smiles faintly, looking vaguely uncertain, "Well, usually I know where the ride is going. I can't say the same about /this/ trip though."

She listens to Sakura's academic plans with a ready nod. It's interesting hearing about what peers are doing once High School ceases to dominate their lives. Sakura going on to higher education while Acacia is pursuing a different direction. Ah well. For the Futaba girl, she has her Senior year ahead of her. More long, boring days at Seijyun, herself.

"I'm glad you stopped by. I'm also glad to see that you're doing okay. I, ah, didn't exactly see how that battle against Katana and company ended." She rubs her side absently again. What kind of training gives Aislinn the ability to /hit/ like that, anyway, she ponders idly. "If there's anything I can do to help, just let me know though."

And with that, she falls quiet, watching Sakura intently. Will she be able to open the door with the kind of ease Elle demonstrates? Does she know the secret gestures necessary to invoke it's cooperation?? Or will she be trapped here for the night??? Inquiring Hotaru's want to know!!

"Haha, yeah... I s'pose there is that!" It might be =nicer= to know where they're going, but, as Sakura notes, "Though really, it's like they say -- it's not so much the destination that's the point, but the journey? Hoping that's the case here at least." The chances of Sakura being correct in this instance approach closer to 0% each day.

Sakura nods in reply: "Yeah! I feel bad that I don't have more time to hang out, but people're always making a mess. Walked out my door this morning to find an egg being lobbed straight at me! Craziness...."

Sakura trails off just then -- she finds that her hand was on the handle of the door, and Hotaru is nearly =staring= at her now. Sakura seems to have temporarily forgotten about their earlier conversation, though... and just shrugs off the anxiety. "But yeah... if you hear anythin', just let me know, or shoot a note under my door or whatnot... take it easy, Hotaru!"

And now, the moment we've all been waiting for -- Sakura pulls down on the handle, and the door doesn't budge. She shakes the handle once more... wiggle, wiggle, nothing.

Eyebrow twitching, she jerks the handle a bit more forcefully, practically -lifting- the door out of its groove, and with this technique, she manages to 'break' it free. Still works, just... well, brute force. Mumbling, she looks back at Hotaru, again showing no sign of remembering: "I'll see if we can get this thing fixed for ya..."

And then she steps right out, disappearing to resume her patrol!

Log created on 22:19:22 09/22/2007 by Hotaru, and last modified on 21:05:36 09/25/2007.