Description: "Dear Diary, This afternoon I met Shurui. I guess she is a bit rogue for now, but it's not like it would be hard to bring her back. I guess that depends on what the grown ups decide. Speaking of grown ups, Shurui said that I should learn to understand more thigns that they do and why they do them. She said that part of making choices is learning the truth to be able to make them. Angel was there to pick me up when I started to get cold. I left Milton with Shurui just in case she needed a friend. - Kula"
There are a couple things odd about the young girl wandering about Gedo High this afternoon. First off, she seems maybe a little too young for High School. While she may just be a very smart child and a bit ahead in her schooling, such a prodigy would probably not be sent to this particular school in the first place. Second off is the fact that she is wandering around in a very warm looking coat that extends all the way down to her thighs. In the winter, this might seem normal enough, but with the heat of summer settling in, there is absolutely no need for such warm clothing as that. Third off, she doesn't seem to mind it.
And finally, the fourth thing that has drawn curious attention to the wandering girl is the way she keeps drawing near any of the few girls brave or unfortunate enough to attend Gedo high to get a closer look at them. Each time she gets close, however, she simply turns around and walks away. Attempts to speak with her have been met with silence, as if she doesn't even seem to notice anyone else.
Attempts to tease her or provoke her with nudges, shoves, or even tugging on her long auburn hair are met with no success as the girl simply responds to such treatment by shying away further, proving to be able to slip around blindingly swift when she wants to, ditching the occasional crowd she draws only to reappear elsewhere on the campus. And thus the stange, mystery girl continues to wander, leaving no one able to divine her purpose, though plenty have begun to try and guess.
A girl who looks a little too young, wears clothing too heavy for the reason, and is walking around poking her nose in other people's business? ....... Well, at least one of these attributes isn't *too* unusual, especially considering the presence of yet someone else around here that looks a little.... young for her age. This girl, however, is generally not as shy to negative attention, and her clothing is much more.... casual. In fact, she's rather proud of the denim jeans she found in the dump outside the ritzy apartment complex! A couple washings with strong detergent and it looks like brand new! ...... It's a little baggy in places but at least it's not hanging over her feet like so many pants do.
.... Meet Shurui Chiang, age sixteen. At least, it's age sixteen on the legal document her adoptive elderly father had to whip out of thin air. Then again, it's not like he *knew* he was taking on a NESTS experiment; to him it was some ragged short skinny foul-mouth kid from the streets who seemed to have been knocked on the head a few too many times.
Today? Not as skinny, not as foul-mouthed, and a somewhat better temper, Shurui's eating some dumplings out of a plastic container, enjoying the rather perfect day that could only come between spring and summer. Not too hot, not too cold, and the flowers and leaves are out in full-force instead of just hard buds lining the skinny branches of the few trees in the courtyard. At first, she doesn't notice the girl at all, simply staring ahead as she chews on a pale round pastry in her hand. Maybe she should make some for K' sometime. Maybe for that one girl too, if he found her yet. Whip, was it?
Thinking on it a moment more, the short girl lets out a sigh of self pity. ...... To be thinking about cooking for people? She *must* be getting bored of staying constantly in one place.
While the students around campus may have not been able to ascertain what the not-quite-lost seeming girl is up to, Kula knows exactly what she's doing. Able to move about the campus and avoid being detained by anyone she encounters, the young scout is interested in one and only one person at the entire school. And as the day draws late, she at last seems to have succeeded in her little quest.
Shurui is identified as yet another Gedo girl from a little ways off. Oh, sure, she might not be clad in a skirt or female school uniform... but at Gedo, who the hell /is/? And thus it is the young looking thing draws nearer to Shurui. That distinct grey hair is a good clue that she's at last found the recently much sought after NESTS clone.
Figuring that Shurui went to Gedo didn't take too big of a leap of investigation. Sure, Igniz is having a fine time grandstanding at each of the High Schools in turn, making sure the student population of Southtown and concerned parents are aware that there is a secret menace that lurks to threaten their schools at a moment's notice... finding Shurui had always been the reason given, but obviously just digging through student body records provide sufficient to do that part. Not that Kula really knows one way or the other. She goes and does as she's told. Investigative work is hardly her responsibility.
Here she's to confirm that Shurui can be found at Gedo High. Little more is necessary for now... But curious as to why yet another 'child of NESTS' would be playing hard to catch, she can't help but draw up closer to the student, hands clasped behind her coat-clad back. "Hello. Shurui is what you are called now, right?" Closer inspection of Kula reveals nothing terribly strange besides her overcoat. Her hands are bare, her eyes a curious violet color, and her ordinary pants matching her eyes.
Only occasionally will the short clone ever agree to wearing the puke ochre uniform, made no less appealing to her with the addition of a skirt instead of pants. Shurui has nothing against skirts; it's just that she's always hated the stuffiness of a uniform, compared to the far more comfortable clothing she has in her wardrobe.
% 'Shurui is what you are called now, right?' ..... this could mean a number of things. Shurui had a number of names. 'Hoodie' was the one she went by on the streets, a moniker created when she had no name by which to call herself. Before that? It's been implied she had a name then, too. But now? Her name is Shurui. Shurui Chiang. Who can this girl be? From her first year of memory? Or from NESTS? The latter seems more likely, but, the girl doesn't *act* like she is. No, something's..... different. Wasn't there a girl like that who faced K' in that match a while ago? .... But, then again, that girl seemed to have blue hair during the times she tried to focus on the screen, not the auburn this one has. .... Yes, auburn. She can see it more clearly now, as the girl approaches. Still fuzzy, but it's not blue.
Slipping the rose-tinted lens off her face, Shurui eyes the girl suspuciously, even if her gaze seems a little.... off. In fact, one could say she is more going through the 'motions' of glancing or staring when needed to show her mood. "... Who wants to know?" she asks bluntly, dark eyes studying the fellow NESTS child carefully as words are exchanged.
That aura. Ice. Shurui sees.... something crystalline, clean. One could say 'innocent' or 'untouched' but when dealing with something as vague and unclear as visual auras, that could be *too* specific a word to apply to someone without knowing them further. And there's something else, something.... familiar. It's a feeling that nags her as something that should somehow be 'obvious'. She assumes. ".... They didn't send just you to pick me up, did they? I really don't want to meet him now, after all the things he did."
"My name is Kula Diamond," the young science project proclaims with great pride. She is, after all, the only clone to come out of NESTS with a last name so far. A token reward, perhaps, for not turning out a failure after the billions of dollars and countless man hours were sunk into designing her. It's not too hard to figure out where she's come from. Though she doesn't have a NESTS badge on her coat's lapel or anything of the sort, she reeks of manipulated science and carefully engineered perfection. She seems a bit confusing to look at. Young, extremely young. But a little older than that in ways as well.
"Oh, no," she continues, lifting her rarely seen bare hand to wave it back and forth in front of her. That she came without her leather armor or her protective gloves is evidence enough to anyone who knows anything about her that she isn't here to fight. Oh, sure, she could contend with riffraff just fine without the defense her NESTS engineered armor provides, but people that can really fight? It gets risky. Not to mention the risk of harming herself.
"I'm not going to pick you up. Someone else will be doing that. Very soon," she speaks, sounding pleased by such a forboding message. "I just needed to see if you were really here. You stopped going to that neat youth center in downtown lately, so..." She shrugs a little, "Best to make sure before larger plans are put in motion. When it's time for you to go, there won't be any choice in the matter, for sure."
The girl clasps her hands behind her back, "But why are you so worried, anyway? Do you even know what would happen if you went back? I don't understand why you would want to make a big deal about it..." She exhales softly, her breath strangely visible for a fleeting moment in the broad daylight, as if she was standing outside on a bitter cold afternoon. "I don't understand."
Brown eyes study the fellow experiment, analyzing the structure and rhythm of the girl's visual aura, the thrumming energy that seems to mark anything that courses with a certain sort of life. There's something familiar, something just *nagging* at the girl's memory until-
Kula Diamond. Oh yeah. That girl. ".... You fought a guy named K' right?" Shurui butts in after the girl's answer. "Recently, during the SNFs." Well, damn. Shurui *wanted* to get to the bottom of all that business, but she didn't think she'd meet the other half of it so *soon*. And yet, with the girl here instead of her image appearing sans any sort of energy signature on a modified TV, the Gedo girl begins to ascern the reasons for K''s slightly strange (albiet somewhat appreciated) behavior.
Speaking of that grumpy Beast of Fire, Shurui really should call K'. She should flip that phone out of her pocket right now and command it to dial his number, and then retreat. That would be the *safest* course of action. But, on the other hand? It wouldn't neccessarily be the best one.
Kula doesn't seem to be weighed down with any pretenious notion of being right or an obnoxious ego. They're also in a position where, if she did try to attack Shurui, people would spot her and most likely interfere. This could be a rare chance for obtaining information. "I heard there was a choice involved." The short girl stares at the fellow experiment before going back to her dumpling, chewing it down before bothering to continue. "That's what Igniz told me. I might've even considered the whole thing if he didn't go around to all the schools, spreading my name around. You got any idea how much trouble that's making for me? It certainly isn't helping his case. You know I could've possibly heard him out if he didn't beat around the bush and then play warmonger with Pacific, Taiyo, and..." She pauses. "That girl's school." What the hell is its name?! "He also ruined the life of a friend of mine. What makes you think he'll play favorites with me once he gets his toy back?"
As Shurui mentions K', Kula nods her head, "I know all about K'." she states and she sounds like she means /all/ about him. "The fight on the beach for that fighting league was one time, yes." she continues to confirm. She's quiet for a moment then, staring at Shurui with those curious violet eyes. If the girl produced a phone to make a call for help, she'd find the coat-clad girl not sticking around at all.
But it seems for now Shurui feels safe enough to chance it. Besides, the little NESTS girl seems so docile and harmless, right? Nevermind she's been pitted against the likes of K' as an even contender! Shurui mentions the word choice and Kula blinks, looking even more curious then. "So you make choices too..." she states, as if she's found a rare individual who proclaims to possess the mighty capacity of choice. K' and Maxima both made such a big deal about it, Kula has decided that it must be a sign of being gifted, an exception from the norm. That's why she's decided that she will be like them and make choices as well! If she can just figure out what she wants to be chosey about.
"Igniz is just worried about you, I imagine..." the girl remarks as Shurui mentions his school visits. "I think being worried makes people act a little crazy like that." She shakes her head slightly, the auburn hair that frames her face moving with the motion, "Besides, he must have other reasons too. We always knew where you were anyway."
Her brow furrows as she mentions having the life of a friend ruined though and Kula looks a little confused. "Why would Igniz ruin someone's life if they were at NESTS?" Clearly the thought that Shurui has friends that aren't part of the great NESTS collective doesn't quite register with the sheltered girl. "I have lots of friends at NESTS, myself. There's the Baron, Sir Winston, Basker..." She brightens noticeably, "When you come back, I'll introduce you to all of them! You'll have to excuse Basker though, he's a little shy..."
She brings a hand up to the side of her mouth and whispers conspiratorially, "Here, I'll even show you one." Her hand ducks into one of her coat pockets and withdraws a small keychain penguin that she holds up in front of her, eyes shifting to focus on the little figurine. "This is Milton. I just rescued him a couple weeks ago. Do you want to hold him?" she offers, extending her hand toward Shurui.
"What do you know about him, then? Tell me." Shurui positions herself to sit cross-legged, a palm of one hand upturned to support her chin. "I'm not gonna go and say he's this nice guy, but I want to know if you have more than one opinion about him, or if he's told you anything himself. That's the best way of figuring out what the truth is, right? Sometimes the truth is something scattered all over what everyone says, and you have to put the pieces together. Unless a person is really blunt."
"..... Yeah, I make choices." Shurui's eyes look upon Kula with marked curiosity as the girl further displays a certain naivete, a calm reasoning that befits that of a logical child gathering information. ".... Everyday, I do. I gather information so I can." .... Almost to an excessive level, at times. Shurui looks nerviously down, uncomfortable with the similarities she privately points out to herself. Is it just her, however? It could be in her own mind.
"That's not worried!" interjects the short girl, snapping out of her thoughts. "I know worried. Systemically going around and beating up people when it's obvious I've been here from the beginning is not worrying. At least, it's not the sort of worrying I want to be done while my name's being spread around!" Raking pale fingers through her grey hair, Shurui's lips tighten into a thin pout. "And I figured. NESTS can't be that dumb to not notice my records. I'm just refusing to run away. That..." She pauses, closing her eyes. "That's my choice. After the information I got."
'Why would Igniz ruin someone's life if they were at NESTS?' "Seems like you need to put some more pieces together yourself. But that's K''s job to answer that. I want you to ask him that someday, though. Maybe, if he thinks you should know, he'll tell you. But I wouldn't ask him if something important to him is threatened. If you want to see the sort of crazy being worried can bring, that'd be K' then."
...... Then, in a heartbeat, Kula has gone in for the kill. The tough, analytical visage that marked Shurui's manner and words dissolves at a suspucious rate when Kula shows her the penguin keychain, albiet blurry in her vision. ".... uh. Could I?" Shurui looks at the blurry Milton, then, with a hesitant motion, holds out a hand to recieve the minute penguin. If allowed to, she'll bring the figurine right up to her eyes, eyes narrowing as if to focus slightly better. "..... This is your friend?"
It's.... a keychain. One side of her says 'it's *just* a keychain', but another side? It dwells in that fantasy a little too long, feeding off of that part of her that finds so much value in the things people throw away or callously devalue. It's evolved into something far more practical, of course; instead of friends Shurui has free clothing, furniture, and, if she's lucky, free food. ".... He's cute..."
Ahh, Milton... yes.
*POP* goes the ever present snap of bubblegum. This is not an odd occurance in pretty much any skill in the entire world -- you know, in countries where it's not call for death, anyway -- but what is an odd occurance is who exactly is popping the bubblegum. Bodacious, bubbly, a little bit devilish. A person whose attire breaks so many school's dress codes so fast that it warps the forth dimension into causing a space time paradox.
Yes, it is Angel, and she is here. And she is in chaps. Generally in her normal attire -- if one can call it that -- one might note that she's wearing a stylish navy blue suit-tie around her neck, and a faux suit collar, but not the rest of a dress shirt or blouse.
If that wasn't enough, Sunglasses. It is summer and all, though the whole sunglasses, bubblegum and blonde (well, white) hair gives an air that is keenly 'babe.'
A fingerless gloved hand comes up to those black framed sunglasses, as she the rather tall -- at least in comparison to the kids in this school -- mexican devil regards Kula and Shurui with mercurial eyes. She slides them down so she can keep over the rim, looking to the chatty cathies.
"She knows he has an abhorrent dislike for combs and practical attire." There's a bit of a grin, and a spin on her heel. One fluid motion -- one spin -- to move around to the other side of the girls. "Making friends at school, I see, Smurfette. Greets, person deigned with Kula-speek." It's not the spin that's odd in itself, but the fact that the middle of the motion has an interlude -- all as she talks -- to deposit those sunglasses on some un-suspecting nerdboy walking through the hall like he's some kind of walking disposal bin. She even takes a second adjust the boy's shirt collar, somehow, as she completes the side changing motion.
Those mischieving eyes of hers regard Milton like one would regard an animate, living object. A slight smile appears on her face, though she doesn't bother with asking Kula if she's completed the research tasks she sent the girl on. Instead she produces a pair of black, horn-rimmed glasses -- brainy specs, you could call them -- and leans over to regard the little keychain all close up. Like she's sizing it up, and she even talks, while doing this.
"Blah blah blah, I'm here to pick you up. Mrs. Langford is out sick, and like, I need your help with something important anyways."
This look should be indicator enough of what she's wondering. Other people probably wonder if she even needs the glasses to see better, however.
Kula brightens as Shurui accepts the penguin figurine, crouching down to be level with the other girl, her arms resting over her knees. She looks delighted, "One of them." comes the answer. "I'm still trying to keep Fluffinheimer from chewing on him when I'm not looking, but otherwise he's fitting in well with the 'most the rest of the gang." The grey haired girl pronounces that he's cute and Kula responds, "Nn. Angel gave him to me to take care of him. If you haven't met Angel before, you should."
She isn't eager to take the penguin from Shurui, merely crouching down next to the Gedo student quietly, violet eyes studying her closely. "You can't see very well, can you." she remarks pointedly. Tact isn't something she's quite grown up enough to understand yet. "It's okay... either can Chancellor Muggs. He lost one of his button eyes," she continues, bringing her right hand up to cover her own right eye. "But that didn't keep him from becoming a Chancellor all the same. That's pretty important, right? That means you can be important too." Slowly she lowers her right hand off of her eye to blink at Shurui.
Kula shuffles her feet out from under her, dropping into a seated position on the ground as she brings one hand up to rest at her chin, looking so very thoughtful as she stares at Shurui. "I don't know why Igniz does the things he does. Or any other adults either. They never tell me. I just guess." she grins, seemingly proud of her scientific method for making sense of the crazy antics of 'Grown Folk'.
"K', why do you want me to tell you about him?" she suddenly topic shifts back to one of the prior subjects seemingly at random. "He used to live at NESTS like I do. For more years than I've been alive, he did. He did the things I do now. When he left, everyone was so upset that he would do that, they wanted to make sure someone was strong enough to bring him back to what he had run away from. That's why they made me!"
She leans forward, folding her knees up higher so that she can rest her chin atop them. "The thing about K' is-" she continues, raising her right hand, finger pointing up for emphasis. And that's when the bubblegum pops and Kula cuts herself off, glancing to the side toward the new arrival. "Hello Angel!" Kula pipes up, violet eyes fixing on the NESTS operative. "This is Shurui." She deflates just a little, however, "It's time to go already?" Kula glances back to the only one who is legitimately here and gives her a knowing nod, "When Angel says it's time to go, it's time go. And she needs my help with something important. It's hard being this important." Kula states, presenting a very solemn expression.
".... You're right," the short girl says simply, seeming not at all defensive by the girl's bluntness. "My sight is shitty. But I have other ways of seeing." Sighing she draws another meat bun from the tuperware container at her side, offering it out to Kula. ".... Don't worry. I'll decide my own importance. That's what he did, right?" The chancellor, that is.
Kula's strange child-like nature seems to be cohesive with the muddled Shurui's; the grey-haired girl can't help but respond to her with the same amount of kindness. But even so, as Shurui saw on the blurry screen of her TV, Kula is no child. She stood toe to toe with a man who was able to mow down Shurui easily, and she seems to have no objections to Shurui coming back, whether forced or not.
In fact, Shurui wonders if she might have unwittingly strengthened that idea in the course of searching for information. Stuffed animals do not make for an even social life, especially as Kula gets exposed to more people. "...." What *is* Kula, then? An adult? A child? A teenager? What is Shurui? "Don't look at things that way," she quietly chides. "There's nothing keeping you from understanding. You just need to do some research of your own. That's what I had to do. Not sure how much time you've had to understand things, but... if I can do it, you'll be able to too."
K''s story seems more truthful to Shurui than anything Igniz said, from a logical point of view, but Kula's state seems to throw things on their side. Why is there such a difference in how the two have been treated? What is she missing here? What will happen to Kula if she accomplishes her goal? "You should ask K' his side of the story, then." Shurui frowns, looking down. "But that's something K' has to tell you himself. If he choses to."
The new voice grabs at Shurui's ears, tearing her away from her brooding thoughts to stare at-.......... is that woman wearing that short amount of clothing or does she just like to wear tones that match her skin? Boggling, Shurui narrows her eyes to confirm which of the above it is, then is shocked silent when Angel's closeness begins to answer the question for her.
"....." .... does she dress like this when it's cold too? "... Uh, hi." Awkwardly waving at the second NESTS agent, Shurui drops her hand nervously. This *really* is looking sort of- wait, they're leaving? Ugh! She still needs to collect more information, damn it! How the hell is she going to prepare?! "Uh, wait! When will NESTS be coming? Did they give you a date? And uh-"
Wait.
Shurui stops her questions, going silent as she considers something solemn. ".... Hey, Kula? Keep in mind, the next time we meet, I might have to fight you. I have things that are important to me too." She frowns. "Just don't take it personally, okay! I know this sounds really dumb, but, you're nice, but I can't trust Igniz anymore."
"No, did I say it was time to go? I said I'm here to pick you up, which isn't something that's mutually exclusive." It's just another exercise in Angel-speak. Her saying something that sounds like it means one thing, but it's all twisted and means something completely different. You have to watch the devil woman's wiley words, oh yes. "Context clues, my dear frostlein."
Yes, she even affects a german accent there. A bad german accent.
The silver haired woman keeps her eyes on Milton for a moment, as-if she's studying it with some kind of great fascination. A hand comes up to, once again, inclines her head, looking over the rim of those geeky glasses as they rest low on the bridge of her nose. Her eyes finally remove themselves from the little keychain, and give Kula this look when she mentions the bit about 'I was created for...' It's something akin to, you know you shouldn't be talking about this in public, and if NESTS found out you were, even to someone who was in the know, they'd all, get mad, go ung, knock over a desk, and kick a puppy.
"As for the important thing I need your help with, well..." She takes a moment to shuffle a hand in her chap pockets, her coat pocket, a her tongue sticking out between her lips thoughtfully as she rummages. Finally, she checks the recesses of her top, pinging "Ah-ha!"
She produces... a handheld gaming console of one type or another. "Okay, look! This game, this damn game right here, Smurfette. I mean, holy hannah." She then points at one the screens, after flipping up the top to wake it from its slumber, adjusting her black framed spectacles to examine it closer, "This doucheface right here won't get guilty, or at least tell me anythin'. I keep pressin' her and pressin' her, and man I know she's lying about the camera, and dang, that asshat, the pretty prosecuter guy, he won't even tell me shit about what's going on with his father, and the murder, and his father's murder. Or his murdering father, I don't even know." Her stance is accented by the turn of her hip, she shows Kula the screen, and keeps pointing at one thing or another, "And what the hell is the parrot all about? Like now I'm questionin' HIM on the stand. What the shit! Next thing you know, I'm going to be pressing a golf cart for answers to murder in this game."
"'Did you or did you not store golf clubs inside yourself, sir?' 'No? NO!? But you're a golf cart, sir!' 'Sir, the prosecution is stereotyping the Golf Cart as a cart that hauls golf equipment. OBJECTION! GEE-TEE-EFF-OH!'" She clenches her free fist, and shakes it. Seriously. "I would go all Hang'em High McCoy on that golf cart's ass, but damnit, I don't know what to do now. I'm a lawyerin' expert, but damn if I know how to figure it out."
"Smurfette? You beat this, right? Right? Tell me." ... "Tell me tell me tell me TELL ME." She a bit like a little kid here, but then that changes when Shurui speaks up to her. "Hello, hi, howdy." she waves to Shurui. "Nice to meet you and all thatness. You can help Kula too if you want." She then ahems into her fist, though it's louder than any actual ahem should be, and in the same motion, offers out the portable gaming console to the ice queen, "Though, did you know you can even get in trouble for 'passing notes' /after/ class." A bit of a /bock clock/ on Angel's part, but she's not sure she likes exactly what she's managed to overhear. "I heard mean ol' Principal Nitz is pretty strict about that, and might throw you into detention, so be careful."
'She's a bit like a little...' Also, add a 'Yep.' after 'Be careful.' in your reading brain.
Leave it to Angel to enact some damage control. In Kula's mind, Shurui isn't too different from anyone else she would talk to within NESTS, which perhaps leaves her far more willing to chat with her openly in ways she wouldn't likely speak to 'outsiders.' The long haired girl watches the experienced NESTS agent change to a pair of old-lady glasses and inspect Milton. "Angel, do you have shitty sight like Shurui?" she asks, echoing Shurui's way of describing it.
Advised to research her own answers by Shurui, she can't help but think of what Angel told her last time they spoke, about always checking things out for herself. It seems weird in a way, to question what she's told. It seems like it's distrusting a little what those who take care of her have told her month after month. But finding out for herself seems to be how other people make their /choices/, so if she's going to go around making choices too, she'll have to do this 'research' thing too she decides. "His side?" she echoes back at the advice about asking K', sounding like she doesn't understand how it is he would have anything to say other than lies contrary to the facts she's been told. "How would I know if his side was right? How do you know?" she asks curiously.
But in the next moment, her attention is squarely on the screen of the portable game as Angel goes into great detail about the problems she's having cracking the fictional case. She caught the telling glance too, and her hand comes up to rest behind her head, a slightly sheepish expression on her face, though she speaks nothing of it. A finger on her other hand is used to point to the screen, "Doucheface isn't guilty, that's why. The story tries to make you think so by dropping obvious hints that would be impossible to miss, but it's only to trick you." She laughs lightly as Angel becomes insistant, "Well, have you questioned this asshat about the camera yet?" she prods with her finger before folding her arms over her knees again. "You can't get to the next part until you do."
The girl takes the device from Angel when offered and peers at it, "Here, I'll help you with this section. It's tricky..." Her voice fades out as if she seems to lose her train of thought, violet eyes shifting to the side to fix on Shurui again, quiet for a moment. "I don't know when." she then answers plainly before exhaling softly with a bit of a sigh, her breath briefly visible once again. "You shouldn't fight me. Here." she reaches out with her free hand toward the hand Shurui is using to hold Milton, attempting to curl the other girl's fingers over the figurine, "You hold onto him for a while. That way I don't have to convince Sebastian to quit picking on him for now. It's okay, I haven't finished adopting him yet. I still have some homework to finish first."
"You're going to have to decide yourself," Shurui says, quite plainly. "They want you to be able to catch him, right? So why would they tell you anything that might make you think twice? They might have told you only the things they thought you should know. It's not the same as lying; but how are you going to figure out *why* he left if you don't ask for another opinion?" She taps on the side of her forehead sternly. "Think for yourself. Or you'll never understand the reasons for why people do the things they d-"
The Mexican drops into the conversation, causing Shurui's words to quiet and lean back with a sigh, using the occasion to bite on a meat bun and reflect on her next action. Okay, the situation: a sympathetic NESTS agent who seems to have no notion of the outside world. Is powerful, but doesn't seem to want to fight. The other lady? This, she doesn't have to squint for; the swirling, energetic energy that resides in Angel's body speaks to her as clearly as any sort of normal sight. As 'flighty' as this young woman may seem, she seems to have some ability of her own as well. Or, at least, the gumption to fight or something vague that *reads* as-
To hear the word 'shitty' fall from Kula's own mouth is akin to seeing a landmine explode in the middle of flowery pastures. D-damn, Shurui didn't mean for Kula to- "... H-hey!" She turns her gaze towards Angel desperately, the look on her face conveying a sort of expression that vaguely reads, 'don't you correct her on these things?!' And yet, to hear word after word fall from the girl's mouth without a care, Shurui chews deadpan on meat bun.
She says these words all the time, but to hear them from Kula? It's just... wrong. Is this karma? Speaking of that..... Is this lady for real? Shurui's beginning to wonder if K' left NESTS not because of the torture, but because of the crazy. Or maybe...
Shurui's almost glad to see the conversation turn to something more serious; she's just not sure *how* to handle all this. Then again, should she *really* be encouraging the two to not be casual? She's plainly outnumbered. "I'm not planning to, but, if I-" She's silenced by the fingers curling her own around the Milton figurine. "..... R-right. I'll keep him safe." God, this is confusing; her emotions are getting mixed in here and that's *not* how things are supposed to go. "No matter what happens."
"Doucheface.. hrmmm.... I think I mispoke. Smurfette, I think maybe the proper word would have been Doucheclown."
She makes note that her attempts to quell Shurui seem to have worked, finally. In the end, Shurui's really only reiterating what she said before, in a way. She'll have to have a heart-to-heart with Kula later about this, though. She should know better than to tell anyone half this stuff. "What, my brainy specs? Maybe I need 'em, or maybe I jus' wear 'em to look smart!" And they're not old maid glasses, they look cool!!
When Shurui looks to her with those almost pleading eyes, she just shrugs to the helpless girl, "Ass shitty titty farts?" On one hand, it has to make you shake your head, at least mentally. On the other, there's something deliberate about it. Kula's gotta find out about no-no words some way.
Is she setting up Kula for a fall? Perhaps. But the girl will learn so much more about things once she finally gets in trouble saying this stuff than if she were to tell the girl 'this is a bad word, don't say it.' She'll have an experience, she'll know, she'll understand it. She'll have a story she can relate. She'll seem more... real.
There is sometimes, truly, a method to the mexican's madness.
"What!? But.. but he.. he has to be guilty, I mean..!" The silver haired girl grrs a bit, and after a good fist shake her calm demeanor returns once Kula decides to take the game and help her, "Thank you, ADA Diamond. You will be remembered in the end times." The girl takes a moment to fish into her pockets again, "Maybe one day you'll even be the DA of Metro City. I hear the Mayor's pretty ripped." Her other hand then points at the screen of the hand held gaming device again, motioning to Shurui, "What do you think, ADA Schoolgirl? Is Smurfette's testimony accurate?"
The motion of her fishing hand being pulled from her jacket pocket is quick and fluid, and only one paying close attention will know what she did. Pulling her cell phone out of her pocket, she holds it up, and takes a picture of Shurui -- dull faux camera snap sound and all -- before placing it back down into her pocket. One must surmise that she went through the camera's menus while in her pocket, and though her ruse -- pointing Shurui to 'look at that,' Marty McFly style -- might have been lame, getting a picture of the girl seems to have been important. Maybe? She at least goes far enough to tie up her loose ends.
"Curses! Darn schoolkids and their cellphones." She takes a moment to push up her top a bit, looking down to investigate ... still wearing the glasses, "Maybe I should't put these on display so much, but then... I *have* gotten offers from the Smithsonian."
Hm... she's going to have to discern the truth from two highly conflicting sources, it sounds like. That's going to be quite the challenge. It feels like heavy responsibility, Kula ponders. All this choice making business sounds like it isn't going to be easy. Thinking for herself... Angel's advice comes back to her thoughts from their last chat and Kula goes completely quiet for a moment, drawing her hand back after bestowing Shurui with Milton's well being for now. The grey haired girl might have been surprised to find just how cold Kula's fingers were during that brief moment of contact. Nimble and life-like, but seemingly far too cool for a warm Spring afternoon.
That her potty mouth has distressed the other girl some doesn't seem to register with Kula at all as she pushes up to standing out of her crouching position, brushing off her empty hand on her coat, keeping the portable game device held in her other hand. "Thanks Shurui," the long haired 'teen' chirps. Turning toward Angel, Kula beams, "ADA is Assistant District Attorny," she remarks proudly. That, or Americans with Disabilities Act. But that doesn't come up until the next case.
The coat-clad girl takes a step toward Angel then, her free hand reaching out to clasp hold of Angel's, "I'm ready to go now. Besides, I need to talk to you about some more stuff." She flips the game closed and slides it into her coat pocket. "I have to find someone but I can't figure it out on my own. I know you can do it though." She takes a step away before pausing and releasing Angel's hand to turn back around to face Shurui directly.
"It was nice to meet you. We'll meet again sometime." Her hand comes up to offer a friendly wave. "I'll do some of that stuff we talked about. Research," she states, "Just like scientists." And then she turns away, slipping her hand back into Angel's, speaking up to the young woman, "Do you have my gloves in the car?" Kula asks quietly, "My hands are getting cold..."
After the tall Mexican shows no viable remorse in response to Shurui's silent plea for backup, the girl simply gives up with a sigh, letting the matter slowly flow away like melting water. To think, after all the times her adoptive father's gotten after her for her cussing, she's now getting after someone else for doing the *exact* same thing?
Kula's fingers feel cold. Too cold. A brief notion of the girl being some sort of futuristic child-like android crosses Shurui's mind, all until she realizes that, if it were so, it'd have to be able to fool her third eye as well. Sure, NESTS seems capable of changing people through DNA therapy, and there's even rumors that they've even done the deed of *creating* altogether new beings, but robots that could go this far? No.
Didn't Kula seem to use something that resembled ice in her attacks, during the footage of that match.... ? Fighting isn't the same when she can't 'see' what's really going on.
Then, looking back at Kula's face, it finally clicks in Shurui's mind in a dizzying blur. That energy pattern. It's like an inverted image of K''s, made ice instead of fire and controlled instead of stuffed up like a clogged volcano. She's not just *made* to bring him back, she's pretty much his genetic opposite and equal, all at the same time. Whip was a cause that Shurui wasn't sure couldn't have been duplicated, but here, Shurui's found someone who could technically be reasoned to be genetically related to K', only in the same way Kyo would be instead of through a natural biological bond. ".... K-....." She bites her tongue. No, she can't tell her. For all Shurui knows, Kula's already in on this fact in one way or another, and really? It won't change anything. Not right now.
She'll sure as hell tell K', though. Even if she *hates* giving him the sort of information that makes things harder to deal with, rather than, well, easier.
Upon being questioned, Shurui shrugs. "I dunno. I don't play video games." For obvious reasons. Seeming to ponder over it for a few good moments while leaning against her upturned fist, the girl replies, "... It's never the guy you suspect the most at first. If it was, then the story'd be boring, right? There wouldn't be any need to go around, asking people, because the case'd be over before you've even begun the game. And why the hell would someone make a game like that? Might as well make games where the cop pulls you over the second you go over the speed limit, or ones where you can't make any food because you don't have any food stamps left. It's always the person you least expect, or the one they try to keep you from suspecting or just glance over. That way, it's revealed, and you get a surprise, and then you're hap-" *click* "... Fuck, you could have *asked* me before you took a picture, you know? What, you needed *evidence* I'm here? The only reason I don't go to my usual spots is because I don't want NESTS finding me there and ruining the place!"
Oh wait, they're leaving. And Kula's being her sunny self, as ironic as that notion may be with Shurui's recent revelation. "Oh, uh. Yeah. Bye." Shurui waves meekly with her free hand to the happy auburn-haired girl, then shoulders slumping, sighs. ".... I can only hope the next time we meet it'll be casual like this. Just...." She winces her eyes shut. "Don't take anything I do personally." There. She said it. It doesn't make her feel that she's been absolved of her actions, but at least Kula's been warned, in case of the worst possible scenerio. "Oh. Y-yeah. Just like scientists." A small smile comes to her face as she sees the girl off, but, when the fellow experiment gets out of her sight, she pauses to look at the tiny Milton in the palm of her hand, her lips tightening in a worried frown. Finally, she sits down at the tree, dangling the little Milton in front of her face.
Feeling no viable course to reason her emotions out, Shurui speaks to it. ".... Would that have been me, if I'd been kept there...? Or would I've been like K'.
"'Don't take anything I do personally... wait for me... I can't tell you the truth.. but I want to so bad... oh my gosh, the darkness of my soul is dark and dingy, like a dark thing. Rar.' ... don't dramatise, don't get maudlin, you won't last long."
Maybe she's just a bit sore Shurui saw through her ruse, but then again... Angel could say she's doing something as simple as cutting a loaf of bread and there would be probably lots of layers to it. Of... subtly and nuance... ness.. and.. bread.. and.. yo..you know what I mean. It's rather matter of fact, anyway. Not a threat, so much as a suggestion, or even just her own outlook on life. "Just a little advice. And here's some more: Loose lips sink ships. Treasure what you have. War doesnt decide who's right, it only decides who's left. Forgiveness is divine, but never pay full price for late pizza. Figure out which one of those cliches means anything to your current situation, and think about it."
"It's like, y'know... when faced with certain death..." she inclines a shoulder into a shrug, offering an upturned hand, "...die laughing."
And then, off into another subject all together, ".... oh yeah, I played a game like that once. I didn't realize you were supposed to run /over/ the hookers." A hand is waved to Shurui, saying goodbye in that good natured tone she seems drip all over the floor, "Anyway, nice to meet ya'. Seeya 'round, Lieutenant Commander LaForge." She gladly takes Kula's hand, and nehs, "I think there's some gloves in the glove department, yeh. If not, we can get some."
Yes, department.
Turning, she begins to walk off with Kula, and even does a little bit of hopscotch on the way out, "C'mon, do it like me. One, then two, then three..."
Log created on 00:06:55 05/24/2008 by Kula, and last modified on 02:53:48 05/26/2008.