Description: Objective: Getting free. Obstical: One stuckup Seijyun princess. Alias: None. Summary: Life isn't getting better for Ayame after she's caught by Sada and Yurika. Forced to do yardwork at Seijyun High, the girl decides to make the most of the situation in her chat with Yurika. Getting out with time served, she's back to her normal hijinks in short order.
Quite a bit of time has passed.. Exactly how much isn't entirely for certain but at the moment it is five in the morning at the oversized courtyard of Seijyun. As the school council president's vehicle pulls up and into the gates, then comes to a stop, Yurika steps out of it dressed now in her normal attire for school. Thrills and frills, that's our musician indeed.
The setting is about as one might expect at this time; there's plenty of mist and fog, the air a bit chilly and the sun, while not sightable just yet, is providing enough light to see the area quite well. Lots of concrete, plenty of paths, and many many many sakura petels littered on the ground. Now if things should go as planned, Ayame should still be in the back with Sada (who had at this point already gone off elsewhere), tied up around the arms and gagged with a black cloth. Was the gag even necessary? ... Duh.
The door closest to the thief and all-around annoyance is drawn open by Yurika whom greets her company with a pleased smile. "I hope you weren't too uncomfortable."
After being kicked, thrown, slammed, and tripped by Sada, Yurika's musical based chi proved to be the limits of what the teenaged trouble causer could take, forcing Ayame to collapse. Barely awake, she didn't put up much of a fight as she was restrained and transferred to the car for transport, zonking out shortly after being seated.
But that has passed, the girl completely awake in the back as Yurika opens the door and greets her so cheerfully. Brown eyes glare at the other girl as Ayame remains quiet, not bothering to make muffled noises against the gag. On the carseat next to her are a pile of weapons confiscated from her person. Her staff, a couple of knives, some cables, a weight of unknown purpose, a giant folded up shuriken, lock picks, throwing daggers... It's hard to say for sure if everything on the girl that might be dangerous was found, but clearly the obvious stuff was located.
With the door opened, however, Ayame simply stares at Yurika quietly. While she was confident she could take the other girl in a straight fight, she knows she's in no condition to put up a challenge to her for now, especially not with so much of her arsenal removed. An eyebrow twitch marks the reaction Yurika gets with regards to an answer to her question, followed by a derisive snort.
The musician passes a glance to the 'confiscated' weapons and her brows raise very very slightly. She knew the girl carried a lot on her but..
Her attention doesn't stay on them long, though, her gloved finger slipping outward to hook into the gag, and a simple sweep of her finger undoes it. She'd then reach to grasp the womans shoulder to help her out of the vehicle. "I know this perhaps isn't the best time to say such things but.. Your appearance is just so endearing when you're asleep. It almost makes me wish a had a little sister just like you." a pause, and then she glances upward. "Well, maybe not -just- like you but I think you catch my drift. Redardless,"
Yurika makes a sweeping gesture yardward. "This is Seijyun High School, as you can see. If you cooperate you should be able to have this task completed before many of the other students wake up. That'd be rather embarassing after all, wouldn't it?" Perhaps not very wisely, she's looking outward as she addresses her company. But she wouldn't be so cocky as to just drop her guard on purpose now, would she? It's possible.
The gag is slipped free and Ayame grits her teeth, eyes flashing. She's still a little groggy, having hardly gotten a /legitimate/ rest since getting ambushed in the streets, but she's awake enough to have a temper for certain. Her shoulder is grabbed however, and still tied up around the arms, she can't really provide much resistence, even if being obstinant would make her kind of happy. Of course, she'd probably just end up face down on the ground after toppling out of the car if she took /that/ approach.
On her feet, she glowers at Yurika, especially as she goes off calling her endearing. She /hates/ that. "Yeah, yeah. I'm sure you'd love nothing more than to have some poor sucker's hair to mangle into that mess you call a style." the irritable girl grumbles, wobbling a little as she tests her balance without being able to move her arms.
Yurika turns to survey the campus in early morning light and Ayame barely follows suit, eyes half lidded as she grouses, "Yeah, I've heard of it before." she adds only to follow quiet as Yurika talks about her having to cooperate, at which point her eyes widen, "Hey, wait... wait what?" she stammers at the other girl's back. And of course... Ayame being Ayame, her hand moves just barely to the hem of her skirt as Yurika turns her back, fingers scooting a needle tucked in a tiny, stitched on hiding place. Laced with a mild nerve poison, she must think that it's going to be worth sticking Yurika with it if she gets the opening...
Yurika is in a pretty good mood. If things go her way she'll probably be so pleased that getting through Seijyun's paperwork would actually be pleasent! The other girls first comment causes her to snicker slightly, though, and almost as if on instinct, reaches to lightly brush at the curls of her hair. Apparently she had the tools necessary to re-do it on the ride back. "Much shorter ones would suit you better, I'd think.. However that isn't what I wanted to talk to you about really. Though more importantly.."
It may seem Yurika hadn't been paying attention, but she turns around anyway to face Ayame. "Yes, you have roughly two and a half hours to complete your sweeping before the athletic teams come out for their morning run. I've decided to show you at least a little mercy, giving you a chance to attone for your destructive activities before a single witness."
"Out of curiosity.. What school -do- you go to, anyway?"
Ayame visibly balks as Yurika comments on what curls might suit her hair. She... she wouldn't! The needle clutched in the fingers of her bound hand, Ayame takes a step forward, intending to spin around and jab Yurika in the back with it once she got close enough. It's... well, it's not going to be the most graceful thing, but that doesn't mean she isn't going to try it anyway. Closer... just a little closer... she tells herself.
This comes to a halt when Yurika turns around unexpectedly. Startled, Ayame freezes mid step, only to realize the needle she had in her fingers has just fallen to the ground in her surprise. A soft 'Che' and new eyetwitch is the only outward sign of her plan having gone awry. Yurika begins speaking about sweeping, however, and Ayame's eyes widen as she takes in the campus courtyard... especially all the petals. "T-that's..." Hanging her head in defeat, the girl releases a sigh of resignation.
The question provokes a blink then a scowl, "I don't go to school. Feh!" She lifts her chin, looking 'down' her nose at the Seijyun girl, "What if I'm just not going to sweep your stupid mess, hm??" she challenges!
The distinct and almost inaudible clink of the needle is pretty much all the musician needs to tell that Ayame had something up her sleeve. What, exactly, she wasn't entirely certain, not that it mattered to her for whatever reason. "For a girl like yourself? I'd say it'd be an hour job if even that much.. Well then!" Yurika claps her hands togeather lightly, "I suppose we'd better get started sha- Mmn?"
Yurika feigns suprise, and perhaps less so disappointment to the very -idea- that Ayame wouldn't be so cooperative. In normals circumstances she'd spend no time belittling the 'surprise' that Ayame doesn't go to school. "Hmmn.. I see, well that's a shame, though not really any of my business is it? Though you're not honestly going to break our proposition are you?"
Yurika steps forward closer and drops into a crouch to try and pick up the needle. "I suppose the alternative would be to poke you with this until you change your mind? It might be fun to find out what it does, 'little sister'."
As Yurika steps forward to reach for the needle Ayame had dropped, the girl panics, looking down, trying to find where it landed so she can slam her foot down over it. But Yurika finds it first, coming up with the sharp, poison-dipped object, which seems to provoke a more cooperative attitude rather quickly.
"Okay, okay!" Ayame blurts out, hopping backward from Yurika, completely convinced that she'll make good on that threat. "All you have to do is take these ropes off and I'll be a sweeping fiend," she remarks, wobbling a little as she comes to a stop. She shrugs... as best one can do tied up as she can, before continuing, "As for school, what's the point. If it's useful information, I already know whatever they would tell me anyway. And if it isn't useful, then why sit around in a class all day listening to it, right?"
She pauses for a moment, mouth curling into a scowl as if something just finally occured to her, "Oh yeah, and I'm not your little sister, so cut that out!" Perhaps becoming aware of the ruckus she's creating, she falls quiet, glancing toward the dorm buildings further in to make sure no bleary eyed students are stumbling out of them. "Ahem."
Yurika studies the needle closely, of course she's holding it quite carefully and for once it seems Ninon's training has helped her out! She tended to prick herself a lot picking up needles when sewing, so that could have been a disaster right there.. Not that anyone but her knows that. She does look rather pleased again though as Ayame becomes more cooperative rather quickly. "Not a point I agree with entirely, really. About school, that is. But if you stuck around long enough, perhaps you'll have found just how useful a school like this can be. Though it extends to the others to a lesser extent.. I won't preach to you about things like that though, there are other reasons why I wanted you here today too."
Sada returns briefly, the good little cronie she is, with a broom; long-handled of course with a rather large brush at the bottom. It's handed to Yurika and she goes off to do her thing. Probably get some sleep? Leaving the musician to move rather quickly. One hand free, she reaches into the large bow at her dress and sweeps her arm upward in a quick motion, so quick that the ropes just fall apart in two halves.. Ayame may have noticed it was a shuriken. "What I am really curious to know is what will Elle do after she catches word of this. You probably know the answer to that, don't you?"
Ayame gives Yurika the ultimate flat-eyed expression of abject boredom as the girl starts talking about the merits of school and how it can be useful. Of course she's just exaggerating her boredom, but even tied up and subdued she still can't help but antagonize the girl in the frilly dress every chance she gets.
She's caught off guard as the ropes are sliced so swiftly, keen eyesight revealing the means by which Yurika accomplished it. There's more tricks to the girl than she gave her credit for, she realizes. But that's something she started to learn the hard way when she thought she could beat her in the street fight. Raising her arms, it looks at first as if Ayame might just want to take a swing at Yurika, give the girl a nice sock to the face perhaps. But she ends up just lowering her arms after a moment and no attack comes. Truth be told, without her arsenal, she's no where near as dangerous in a fight and she believes she'd need to be at her best to fight the strangely talented fighter that's bossing her around now.
Exhaling an annoyed huff, Ayame leans her head to the side a little as Yurika brings up another. "Elle? Heh. Elle..." Ayame grunts, rubbing her forearms with each hand, trying to get feeling back into them. "Elle vanished over three months ago. Disappeared with a significant chunk of money embezzled from the casino and I've never heard of her since."
Ayame shrugs, smiling faintly, "Seems to me that what Elle thinks isn't too important to me now. Nor should it be for you either."
Yurika is actually surprised that Ayame isn't making any moves.. Is it because she really is near defenseless without her weapons? It's almost the same case for her, actually, it's a lot harder for her to fight without a musical instrument. The thought makes her mysterious little smile draw up a liittle higher for a moment.
The broom is swapped to her needle-free hand and offered just as pleasently, faulting only at the surprisingly casually delivered news of the mercenary. ".. Well. That woman certainly does love her money, doesn't she? And.. Well, I suppose you're right, probably."
"So then, it's just back to mischief for you? That seems a bit like a step down, doesn't it? Oh and, this will be yours for the time being. We'd best get started." And by 'we' Yurika means 'yoooooooou'.
Ayame takes the broom begrudingly, but at first she just stands there, fingers wrapped around it. She glances at the wooden handle for a moment then at Yurika, and for a moment she shifts the broom to an angle in front of her, hands slipping further apart. It's easy to tell that she's considering how much the broom feels like her staff, and a flicker of a menacing smirk crosses her features for a moment.
The expression fades though, Yurika's words seeming to take the wind out of her sails as she points out that her current lot in life seems to be a step down from the high dollar, high rolling life she had as a mercenary within the highly profitable Blackjack organization. Deflating a little, Ayame grunts, turning around to slam the sweeping end down onto the ground.
"I have other jobs," she remarks as she begins to sweep the petals on the walkway into clumps, going about the chore very deliberately, mentally sectioning off the walkway into blocks and then traversing each of the blocks of work to be done in a strange pattern that has her skipping back and forth to the ends. The final result becomes clear gradually, though, as the smaller piles become centralized into one large pile in the middle.
"You know, useful things. Like..." she muses, sweeping some more, just talking for the sake of hearing herself talk now, it seems. "Like the SNF people, right? They hired me to investigate some disappearances. Some fighters go missing after some matches and they have me look into it."
Sweep, sweep, sweep. "Turns out... there's some crazy girl disguising herself as a nurse making off with them when they're wounded after the fights. Taking 'em to an organization called Shadaloo. You ever heard of that?" she asks, continuing to gather the piles and add them to each other to form a larger and larger central mound. "Anyway, that whole organization kinda dropped off the radar last year. But it seems like it's making a comeback..." Ayame shrugs, pausing to wipe her brow.
And Yurika doesn't even do so much as flinch, if she's acting she's doing a very good job of feigning ignorance of Ayame's ability to turn almost anything into a weapon. No, she simply keeps a neutral, if not oddly friendly expression as she listens and starts to follow the young lady. The mention of Saturday Night Fights tells her that she needs to be paying more attention to the event, even if her brother isn't in any of them anymore. Shadaloo. Well of course she wouldn't mention being a part of that, but she still can't hide a cringe of pain very well at the mention of the organization.
She's actually quiet for a good long moment, as Ayame moves very quickly with her work. There's some talent! But she eventually does speak. "I see.. Well, I suppose I'd at least look into it a bit myself.. But yes, that most certainly does sound like important work."
Yurika had to concede to that much, "Well then, just one more thing before I let you continue undisturbed.."
Yurika glances upward slightly again, almost as if she were briefly distracted. "What was that fight with Miss Kurosaki about, anyway?"
Ayame goes back to sweeping as Yurika speaks, though she's paying careful attention to the reactions anything she says provokes. Keeping tabs on what people may or may not know is a key component to her current lot in life as an independant mercany for hire. "Yeah?" Ayame replies as Yurika mentions looking into herself. "From what I hear, a lot of the big organizations have ties to various schools..."
She continues sweeping, letting that thought linger for a moment. "Did you know Shadaloo routinely captures young girls and enslaves them? It's a total brain wipe. I've seen one of 'em myself before. Complete psycho. Girl was probably half decent before she ended up like that." Ayame pauses, leaning against her broom for a moment, glancing back toward the Seijyun buildings. "Imagine a place like this would be prime picking grounds for an operation like that."
She shrugs and goes back to sweeping, quiet for a while as Yurika mentions having one more matter she wants to question her on. For all the grief she's given Yurika, she doesn't seem to mind the conversation. It beats sweeping in silence, at least, and perhaps she likes the opportunities to hear herself prattle all knowingly-like.
But when the question comes, she pauses again, leaning against the broom with a sigh, turning around to face Yurika, one hand coming to rest at her hip. "Well." she begins, pondering for a moment. "It was revenge." She turns and promptly begins sweeping again as if that was all that needed to be said. "Not really her fault. She got in my way a month before..."
The strawberry-blonde gets a mischievious grin on her face as she thinks back, "I was conning people out of donations with a fake charity drive. She got wise and interferred. Chased me right off this very campus that day, actually. So I came back to teach her not to get in my way again. Much like how you're teaching me to leave your fellow students alone with this boring job." she grunts.
She pauses after a moment and turns around to stare back at Yurika, "Only reason I haven't just run away is because I want my stuff back, you understand. So when this is all done, I get my stuff, and go. Otherwise, I'm going to break this broom over your head."
Yurika stands quietly again; the whole Shadaloo and Thailand matter happened pretty much during her ignorance age.. Though the lessoned she learned during it all was so bad it managed to mess her up even more! So the details of how Shadaloo works, only reminding her more of the painful incident with Akira makes her smile pretty much vanish, hand to her stomach as if she were ill. It really does explain a lot, especially why Kurow would be involved in something like that!
"... That won't happen. That certainly will not happen.." Yurika murmurs. The nurse.. And probably the masked girl, she'd have to find them she thinks.
She doesn't really seem to be in the mood much longer after that to play around, and as she had expected, the matter that Miu had been involved in was.. Well, a matter that she just plain didn't care about. Justice really isn't her thing unless it's something she cares about. And it seems it wasn't Blackjack related either. And so after Ayane makes the final point clear, the musician gives a small nod of her head; a faint curl of her lips returning as she reaches to take the broom back. "Well then, if that is the condition, you're quite finished, little sister. I think you've compensated more than enough. You know, if you change your mind about anything you're free to enroll here... Otherwise, I probably won't be seeing you again for a while. Unless you show yourself eager to do more chores."
Yurika takes the broom back with another shot of calling Ayame little sister, provoking a twitch from the street rogue. But it seems she's willing to put up with the moniker for now from the Seijyun princess. "Enrolling here?" the girl echoes back, resting both of her hands at her hips now as she glances back toward the school building. "I'm not so sure I'm compatible." she laughs lightly, sounding genuinely amused at the prospect. Besides, she'd probably get kicked right back out on day one for being a KLEPTO.
"No, I don't imagine you will see me again for a while." she continues, turning to face Yurika again, her tone gone surprisingly somber. "I think I've had my share of doing this place's cleaning." she continues lifting a hand to wave it dismissively toward the school in general, "And I've found half the jewelry I've swiped here turned out to be fakes /anyway/. Hmph. The nerve of some rich girls." Ayame continues with a roll of her eyes, one hand coming up to flip her hair back over her shoulder.
"'Course, if you ever need someone good at looking into things..." she continues, a hand coming up to tap the side of her head as she gives Yurika a bit of a wink, "My rates are negotiable." And with that she turns, slipping back over to the car to retrieve her Stuff<tm> from the backseat, slipping each weapon, tool, and gadget into its proper spot on her person.
One last glance over her shoulder is cast toward Yurika before Ayame ventures off, heading for the gates before the first batch of girl athlets start running their exercises. Her hands come up to rest behind her head as she leaves the campus. She's ready for a nap. All that honest work is /killing/ her!
Yurika is genuinely surprised that Ayame would offer her investigative services.. Not that she doesn't appreciate it. Ayame is right, though, as much as Yurika'd hate to admit it.The girl is one of the few that would just be too incompatible for her to seriously 'invest' in. ... It is nice to have contacts, though! The real test would be if Ayame comes back with real information and not something false just to 'get back' at Yurika's punishment.
Although it would seem, to her, that they were even.
She doesn't make any comment about the jewelry or, well anything else, really. Pin in hand she waves her hand to the troublemakers back, and turns around to head back to the dorms herself. ".. I may know just the thing.." she murmurs to herself as she's greeted by her schoolmates that seem just a little -too- excited to be up and about this early.
Log created on 21:57:04 05/22/2008 by Ayame, and last modified on 00:36:55 06/16/2008.