Description: It's Christmas Time, in Hibiki Dojo! Mama's cookin' chicken and collard gr- er.. Uh... It's gift giving time, actually, and very very awesome gifts are exchanged between Southtowns future heroines! Also the word 'Badical' is shamelessly stolen from Tran. But is it all REALLY that great? Sources say: What was the question again?
Hey check it out it's the Saikyo Dojo! As always it's got a bit of an urban feel to it, and... A certain Taiyo student had brought it upon herself to invite a friend over for a small holiday celebration... And she really means small, inside the place is actually pretty quiet save for the holiday music and the sound of a girl training; and there's some juice and cookies on the refreshments table. Over to the left of the dojo is a small tree and a wreath to keep the ol' holiday feel in Saikyo land.
Hurricane Hime is really in the mood to get her training on, she's in the middle of the floor throwing high kicks, middle kicks, and spin kicks at the training bag hanging from the ceiling and of course is clad in her very pink superheroine outfit- But instead of her black scarf, she's wearing a big red and green striped one. It doesn't match her outfit well but it's festive nontheless! But there's definatly nothing like doing some training to help keep feeling festive for sure. Plus she's kicking right to the tune of the song: 'Let's hear those sleighbells ringaling, ting-ting-tingling too!' o/~
Receiving an invitation to the famed dojo is certainly something of a treat for Alexis! The young gymnast has never before stepped foot into a proper training facility, but for the one time Himeko brought her out this way, and even then they were really just looking in at it. Though it might be more polite to knock, she just opens the door when she hears the music. Spying Hurricane Hime hard at work, she quietly steps inside and closes the door.
Alexis is wearing something fairly plain and non-festive. A nice pink tank top under a form-fitting grey velvet track suit. She does carry a few festive looking bags though! These she carries over to the refreshments table and settles on the floor. She's trying to maintain her distance while the training is going on.
While it may be official it isn't all that impressive, unfortunatly.. But sometimes you get what you pay for, and Hime isn't paying all that much, if anything at all, come to think of it. But she's certianly got rythem, that much is for certain, and as usual a big, beaming grin on her features.
As time has passed, she's been gradually been accepting her 'new self', and personally feels she's making progress personality-wise.. But that aside, she doesn't seem to notice when Alexis arrives. She's too busy rocking out, but at the end of the song she takes a few steps back and finishes things off with a big butterfly kick, "WATAAAAAOOOH!!" And it's when she lands, she finds herself facing her new friend, and her eyes widen, "Woah!! Alexis, hi! I didn't know you were h- AUGH!"
That'd be the kicking back making it's return sail, knocking the young fighter flat onto her side.
Giggling when Hurricane Hime falls, Alexis covers her mouth politely. It's not nice to laugh at the mishap of a friend! When she gets herself under control, she hurries over to the side of her friend. "Oh! Are you alright? I didn't mean to startle you, Hurricane Hime!" That's right. Alexis is using the 'stage name' of her friend, because she's not entirely sure who all in the dojo knows that Hurricane Hime is Himeko Kashiwagi.
"You look like you're coming along in your training really well! I was just trying to watch and see if I could pick up on anything that'd be useful to me." A few seconds pass before she asks, "Do you think we could train sometime? Just for fun, not all televised or anything!"
Well, Alexis doesn't have to be too careful. After a couple of minutes she'll probably realize that there -aren't- any other students around. In fact where the heck is the teacher of the place, it is a mystery! She gives a wide grin as she stands back up though, "Haha, I'm fine, I'm fine, I got a little overexcited that's all.. Wow, I'm really glad you could make it, Alexis, I was hoping I wasn't butting in on your training again.. Uhhhh.. And you can call me Himeko here, it's all right."
To emphasise the point, she points to her glasses that are hanging off of the collar of her scarf. Then she takes a moment to ponder her friends request. Obviously she can't say no, she just has to make sure something like that would have to be postponed. "Hmmn.. Thanks but to be honest I'm not really sure what physically I could teach you.. But mentally I could teach you al about being one with yourself, and confidence and all that good stuff! And hey, that sounds like a great idea, I'd love to train with you I didn't realize until now that our only match was televised and... Actually that kind of reminds me, I got you something."
The pink-clad girl makes a scramble toward the christmas tree, where she picks up a box wrapped up in red and green wrapping paper; she's a rather talented wrapper, the triangles on the sides where the tape resides is pretty mathamatically perfect. Uh, though perhaps only a nerd would really notice that. Before she resumes blabbing though, she pauses to let Alexis say her piece.
"I'm glad you're fine! That looked like it could have been a bad fall!" Alexis knows all about those! Gymnasts tend to fall a lot during their training, and so she's no stranger to spills and topples. "I wouldn't miss this for the world, Himeko! You're my friend, and though I value my training time a lot, I don't think taking an hour here or there for a friend is going to throw me off track or anything!"
The corners of her lips tug up in a bright smile and she nods. "Style. I may have technique and all, but you have style, and I think you're better versed in chi manipulation than I am. I've had a lot of training with it and I still can't do half the stuff you do!" Alexis doesn't mind that their only match was televised. She's really looking forward to the next season of the Neo League. "I got you something too! I couldn't help myself."
The grey-clad girl doesn't have far to go to retrieve her gift. She reaches down for the festive bags she carried in with her and lifts them up to the table. She's maybe not so good at wrapping presents, as her wrapping consists of pretty little bags and lots of tissue paper and very little tape.
...Style? Hime's eyes light up to the very word.. Well not just the word, but the fact that Alexis thinks she has style is really moving. It's almost enough to move the little heroine to tears, but instead she raises her fists into the air while she jumps, "Yahoo!!!"
"Well, I don't mean to be a show-off, but.. I'm pretty good with chi, but.. I actually need paper as an outlet to really use it. I hope I can still teach you something even with that handicap.. But style, yeah I definatly have that you can bet your bottom dollar! Come to think of it, you kinda need to use your ribbon to do your stuff right?"
Hime rubs her chin and nods thoughtfuly. "Hmmmn, yes yes.. Huh?" Her green eyes open again and what's this.. A bag? Lots of bags? '_'; "Umm.. H- hey that's great, but.. Which one of those is mine, I can't really tell. And this one's yours of course." She walks to the table, offers the box and looks curiously to the bags. Wow a gift.. She never had gotten one from a friend that wasn't Mimiru. Oh, and befor she forgets, "Hey, your outfit is really cute!"
"You're not a show-off! I use my ribbon for my chi, but I don't /have/ to use it. It's just a little easier that way, I think. It makes it flow better since it has an outlet." Alexis lifts her shoulders up in a teeny shrug and then smiles. "You do have style! Great style! You've got the whole superheroine thing going on too!"
"These are all for you! They're all just really small things, only I'm not good at wrapping boxes, so they all got individual bags! Umm... it's just..." Alexis rubs the back of her neck and looks embarrassed a little. "I'm not really good at the gift thing, so I hope you like it! Them!" Taking the box, she begins to carefully open the paper, not wanting to rip into the mathematical perfection.
"Oh! Thanks! I could get you one in like, pink or something, if you wanted!"
Himeko grins brighter, rubbing the back of her head and her dark cheeks flush from the praise. It's almost as if even when she pronounces herself as cool on camera, she's not really all that sure off of it, and man does it feel good! Hime tries to shake off the embarassment by look to the bags again and with an 'oooooooh', she points to herself, and then all the bags. Wow.. So much! And yet she has to laugh to her poor friends plight, "That's actually kind of suprising, but I guess you don't wrap up your opponents much with your ribbon, do you? Hmn, but if it is easier for you to use that, I definatly could be helpful in that respect. Now lessee.. Wow there sure are a lot of them.." She can't even decide which one to open first.
Inside the box, is an outfit. It's a long-sleeved leotard, with white, green, and red colors. Unfolding it would reveal those colors to form a rose pattern, and even the semi-trasparent dress-bit kind of resembles rose-petals! Under that is a duplicate mask; one that Rose Papillion wears, but has more red-sparkles than white. "It's a superhero costume!" Hime pipes. "I figured this would be a lot more fitting for your fighting alias. It might be kind of a pain to switch between that and your normal one, but.." But she doesn't mention that she made it.
Spying the leotard, Alexis squeaks. Very, very loudly. "It's pretty! And glittery! Full of roses!" She squeaks again as she draws it out of the box and spies the mask. Carefully unfolding the leotard, she holds it up against her body to eye the fit. Holding it in place with her chin, she pulls out the mask and slips it on. "How's it look?"
Trying to look at herself and imagine what the outfit looks like, she's all smiles. Then she realizes Himeko's plight and points to the green bag with a singing snowman on it. "You can start with that one if you want!"
Himeko jumps back a little, taking a suprise-take pose from Alexis' sudden outburst! Wow.. She really likes it! If Hime weren't feeling proud already, she definatly does now, and she folds her hands behind her back as she looks the other girl up and down a moment. But she finally nods in approval, "It looks good, no it definatly looks -great-, really stylish, it's an amazing start for sure, yep!"
And now then.. The green bag? Hime rubs her hands togeather and picks it up, gives it a little shake, and then reaches inside. The snowman is adorable, but she's not really one to get squealy over things like that.
Alexis is very girly, so she squeaks and shrieks when surprised or excited. It should be obvious that she does love it, by how carefully she's folding the leotard back up to put in the box so she can carry it home. She's not relinquishing the mask though! That's something she'll probably wind up wearing the rest of the night, or at least until she leaves the dojo.
Inside the green snowman bag are two tiny items. The first is a little stuffed polar bear. As it's drawn out of the bag, Himeko will likely notice a card attached to it that says she's getting a one-year subscription to National Geographic.
Himeko certainly won't complain, she's used to having Mimiru, the super tomboy, at her side. So while it's kind of new, it's really enjoyable. Himeko would probably put herself in the 'middle' if she had to classify herself as girly or a tomboy. Her lips curl inward and she really doesn't know what to say about the girl keeping the mask on. It -does- look really cool though, even if it doesn't really match the current outfit.
She takes out the polar bear, and stares at it blankly for a moment. She then holds it out further away from her face. Once she realizes what it is though, she laughs, "Hey, this is a polar bear! Wow, I love plushie- Hey what?" She notices the tag, and then this time it's hear shrieking, jumping around like a little maniac, "Oh hey COOL!! That's awesome, I never even thought of subscribing to that, now I don't have to wait a month after it's in the library anymore thank yooou! Oh wow, oh wow um.. I'll pick this one now." Squeezing the toy with one arm, she just picks a bag at random to reach inside of, her tongue poking out a little.
Yay! Himeko liked the subscription! Alexis is very pleased by this, as evidenced by the n_n she seems to be giving. She even giggles when Himeko shrieks and jumps around. "I knew you liked reading, but I wasn't sure if you had a subscription to it or not! I'm glad you didn't though! It makes the gift all the more special!" It's also easily renewable at the end of the year, if her friend decides she likes it and wants it for another year.
Random bags are fun, and inside this one, Himeko will find...
... another bookish thing!
This time, it actually /is/ a book though. Entitled: How to Be a Superhero: Your Complete Guide to Finding Secret Headquarters, Hiring a Sidekick, Thwarting the Forces of Evil, and Much More!!!
Well one thing about Himeko.. If there's anything she doesn't tire of, it's practically her way of life- Though now that training is part of it she's had a liiittle less time to do that. Only a little though. The girl gives a quick nod of her head, "Like it? Hehe, that's an understatment if I ever heard one. Now what's thi- Aah.. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!! NO WAY!"
Himeko's jaw just -drops-. She has to hold it out in front of her to see the title again, but it looks like it's another winner! "You've got to be kidding, I had no idea a book like this existed, all I used were comic books!" Hime cries delightedly. Wow,she is psyched. So much, in fact, that she literally dives at Alexis to give her a really big hug!
Yay again! Alexis seems to be hitting home with her gifts. The gymnast really hopes Himeko will like the third one, even though it's a little bit more fun than the previous two. "I found it at this little shop down in the.... aaaaaack!" Giggling as she's pounced upon with a hug, she falls to the floor and laughs. "I take it you like it? I thought it'd be a fun book, since you seem so jazzed 'bout doing the whole hero thing, and every hero needs to know this stuff!"
She continues giggling as the hug is returned, but it's not long before she gets up to her feet and dusts off the nice velvet track suit she's wearing. "You have to tell me all 'bout this one though! I only got to read the intro at the store, then I bought it really quick 'cuz it was the only copy!"
"Yeah yeah! It's gre-- Er whoops!" Hime realizes what she did and is suddenly up on her feet, sheepishly grinning apologeticly. Doesn't look like anyone was hurt though, much to her relief. Her eyes widen a bit though because she didn't think that Alexis would really look into it at all; just thought it would be a good gift. That little spark of interest she thinks is just enough to try and draw her friend into an idea she had. "Oh yeah, you bet I'm going to start reading it as soon as I get home, it's quite clearly a must-read, and it may help me get my game up! Heh heh heh... Ahem now then, looks like there's still something left here.. Um, hey I probably already know the answer to this but.. You wouldn't happen to be on a team or anything, would you?" She asks, as she shuffles through the third bag.
Inside the third bag is a hot pink rectangle of material. Once it's all pulled out of the bag, Himeko will see that on that back in a slightly darker color of sequins are the words 'Hurricane Hime'. Coupled with this piece of material is a smaller rectangle with two eye-holes cut out - mask a la Robin.
"Every good superheroine needs a cape and mask!" Alexis smiles and then shakes her head. "Nuh-uh. I'm not on a team or anything at all. I only just got here, and there weren't like any teams over at the Pacific High in Russia so..."
What the.. Material? Did Alexis somehow find out that Hime can sew? The heroine quirks a brow as she shuffles it out, and then wait a minute.. She catches on to what it is once she sees the eyes, "Woah no WAY! Hey this is cool!"
And of course she enjoys pink. She doesn't waste time putting it on, either, she wraps it over her eyes, ties it up and then beams, just -knowing- she looks really awesome. "Yeah, you're right, and it fits pretty comfy, I must look really awesome now right?"
Hime strikes a pose, winging her arms to the side! Then straightens up. "Oh wow really? Gosh well.. Uh.. Hey I have an idea to present to you the next time that we do a little training. Um, in fact when do you think you'll be free next ime for that? I know my sensei won't mind us using his place for it at all."
"I don't sew really well or anything, but it's kind'a hard to screw up a rectangular cape and mask! It looks good!" Alexis watches as her friend strikes a pose and makes a little whiney sound. "Awww! I forgot my camera! That picture would've been /so/ perfect!" Oh well. Surely they can get another pose at another time! "Oh! I know! When I come for training with you, we can wear our new outfits and get pictures! Wouldn't that be totally cool?"
Someone loves her new leotard!
"I have to go to Tokyo for Christmas. Normally we'd go home to Quebec, but daddy just started with the Embassy in Tokyo not long ago, so we're doing the holidays there. Lucas is gonna be there and everything!" The little gymnast pouts a bit, even though she seems ecstatic. "That means I'm not gonna be really available until the new year, I don't think. But we can train then, right?"
Himeko laughs, and her cheeks pinken again, "Woah wait, you made this? No way, I couldn't really tell!" But Alexis is right, it isn't difficult to tell at all, though when she gets a look at the cape she seems... Mildly uncertain. Can't wear a scarf with a cape. She'll have to think about that carefully. She didn't think to bring a camera either, but her new friends idea is one she can definatl go along with, her expression brightening, "Hey yeah that's true! That wouldn't just be cool that'd be.. That'd be... BADICAL!" she then explains, "That's 'Bad' combined with 'Radical'.. I learned that from Tran. Anyway ok ok! Yeah, lets do that, and what a better way to bring in the New Year! A fight in new costumes, and new.. New everything!"
Hime hops with an energetic pump of her fist, and then her eyes wander to the book she left on the table.. Almost nervously. "So uh.. I guess I'd better let you go then, but before you bail, take some cookies with you ok? They're sugar. Oh and have fun with your family!"
"Badical?" Alexis double-blinks in a curious manner, but Himeko is quick to explain. "Oh! I like that word. Badical!" Along with the word, she gives a little fist pump and hops up into the air. "Yeah! So who's Tran?" She's never heard that name before.
"Oh! I know the cape won't with the scarf but... you could mix it up! Wear the cape on secret superheroine missions or something like that!" Giggling, she nods. "I'll definitely bring my camera to our training session. We'll get lots of pictures and maybe we could use them for promotional things, like if we fight in Neo League again in the new season!"
Looking down at her watch, she bobs her head up and down. "I totally have to go pack. Daddy's gonna have the limo come and pick me up in a few hours for the trip. If you're not swamped over the holidays, give me a call on my cell phone? We can send the limo by to pick you up! I'd love for you to meet Lucas /and/ Vanka! They're both gonna be there, and the three of you are like, my three best friends!"
Alexis moves over to one of Himeko's gift bags and steals a piece of the tissue paper, loading it up with sugar cookies. "They look really yummy! Did you make these yourself? We always had a cook, so I've never actually baked before. I'd love to try it some time!"
"Oooh yeah, the new season is coming up soon.. Great! As for Tran, I'll tell you about him later.." Hime says, with a slight redden of her cheeks. Woah there.. Is the heroine interested in boys after all? It is a mystery that will go unsolved for a few weeks! Hime looks thoughtful a moment, takes a cookie for herself, too. And she looks really really flattered getting an opportunity to get to ang out with Alexis' family and friends, hers aren't going to be home for the holidays.. Again.
She perks up, "Yeah I'd.. Wow, yeah I definatly will I'd really like that, Alexis. Thank you for offering. I didn't buy these though I actually can't cook very well, eh-heh.. This is the work of my guardian. I guess that's something else we can do togeather too, learn to bake! I'm sure my guardian won't mind teaching!"
"Yay! I'll tell daddy when I get there tonight. I can take you on a tour of the Embassy and you might get to meet diplomats or something! It'll be fun and I'm sure my mother will love you." Himeko is everything Alexis' mother likes. She's nice, and studious and would probably behave really well when important dignitaries are around.
"Lucas might even stop playing hockey long enough to realize girls besides me exist," she teases playfully. "Okay! So in the new year, we train and learn to bake! Might be safest to use the home economics rooms at the school since they've got insurance and stuff." Alexis in the kitchen might be dangerous.
Securing the tissue around the cookies and placing it into the box with her leotard, she grins. Bouncing over to Himeko, she leans in to give her friend a big hug. "Hopefully I'll see you in a few days then! Call me! Promise!"
Himeko wh- what?? "What??" Hime isn't exactly sure she caught that right, but she'd better be wary of this Lucas fellow. e_e She then bops her fist into her palm and nods her head, "Home Ec, yeah that's a better idea for sure.."
Well then, it looks like that is about that, and the heroine/student/fighter returns the hug with a way bigger one. This really has been an amazing christmas moment for her, one she won't soon forget! She raises her hand, "Yeah! Scouts honor!"
Hmmn.. It didn't click in until now that Alexis just mentioned limos.. And embassy's. And high class ranking people. It isn't until Alexis leaves that she suddenly pales a little. "W- Wait a minute.. She's -rich-?" @_@
Log created on 20:20:47 01/01/2008 by Himeko, and last modified on 01:36:36 03/09/2008.