Description: Sakura and Ninon continue the 1st segment, where Sakura's natural charisma and star power win the audience pretty easily. Ninon has her own take on the subject matter, leaving things mildly awkward for a first round ending.
And so that leaves the first three contestants standing in the background, Mizuki's bow getting an applause in response as one might expect. The grand stage sports a 'Spring' theme of sorts; 'Cherry blossoms' and benches set up at the sides of a large marble fountain in front of a park backdrop. At the stages center stands the hostess Wanda at a microphone, a woman perhaps in her mid-thirties with short curly hair and dressed in an ensamble of navy blue dress pants and vest with a white blouse underneath. Thus far all she's proven is that she's not that great at comedy.
At the front of the stage, of course, is the judges table, where two judges reside and it seems Howard Rust for the moment has been replaced. Poor old man.
After the applause dies down, the woman speaks up, "Well then, our next entrant should be a familiar face. She's a Taiyo High graduate and currently attending.. Erm." The woman squints her eyes, then seems to give up on trying to read the tiny text. "Please give a warm welcome to our fourth contestant, Miss Sakura Kasugano!" Naturally, another round of applause follows from the large crowd. These people are going to have blisters by the time this event is over.
And Sakura Kasugano makes her appearance promptly thereafter! Kinda. She actually got here a bit late (GASP), but the well-placed intermission had given her enough time to change into costume.
A father, looking upon an arrangement of cherry blossoms, had noted that one had not yet bloomed. That was the father of Fa Mulan, the young woman whose appearance Sakura had chosen to emulate in her costume for this pageant. Sakura's hair is pulled into a high topknot -- no small feat, considering how short she normally keeps her hair. Her Chinese armor -- shoulder and hip plates, wrist and shin guards -- have certainly been embellished from their animated origins -- it seems as if the Ansatsuken Angel had made more than a few visits to an authentic armorer in the preparation of this costume!
The heroine of the ancient Chinese poem strides across the stage with a confident smile, wincing only slightly at the attention she's receiving. It's /Seijyun University/, she wants to shout, but correcting the emcee is probably not the wisest course of action. Waving to the crowd, though, is a move that can scarcely be questioned! "Thank you, thank you!"
Wanda's jaw drops upon seeing the armored Kasugano making her way toward; she's more suprised about that rather than the somewhat .. Um.. Cocky entrance of the girl. But better that than to come zooming in and screeching to a halt, right? But once she pulls herself togeather, she looks very impressed, eyes wide as she can't help but look a little to the front, a little to the back, and even taps the shoulderplate with her pointer finger. "Well we have all sorts of different culture heroes today, don't we? Let's see, so you are Fa Mulan of chinese lore. She was a soldier correct?" she asks, while looking at her card again. "Well, I could imagine why this character would be a hero to you, but let's hear it in your own words, shall we?" as the woman takes a step back from the microphone to allow Sakura to take her place.
What? Sakura's plenty used to the attention from crowds! But really, one couldn't expect one of Southtown's most famous tomboys to strut out in an evening gown or a ballroom dress...
Even still, the girl can get a little self-conscious in front of the lights, and brushes her hand back across her face as if clearing away her bangs... which aren't there at the moment, being tied back. It's a habit! When Wanda walks up, she pushes her wrists to either side, grinning with slightly subdued pride as the emcee inspects her armor plating. Much to be proud of here, in her estimation! "She was a loyal daughter first, though! A soldier by -choice-," her loud insistence being picked up by the microphone even before it's offered to her.
Stepping before the microphone stand, she coughs lightly into her fist. "Well, the story of Mulan always did inspire me! And it's easy to get hung up on it -- Mulan pretends she's a boy, takes up her father's arms and marches into battle, helps win battles and save the emperor, and restores glory to the empire by defeating its greatest enemy! I mean, what's cooler than that, right? Anything you can do I can do better, eh?" Not one to lose her momentum, she throws up a fist, igniting cheers from the gathered crowd.
"But that's only -part- of the story, and as much as it's the fun part... it's not the whole point. Mulan left her home for the sake of her family, for the sake of -love-. She gave up everything, she risked her life, just so her family could live. I mean, that's the ultimate sacrifice to me -- knowing that she would risk death, risk -dishonor- just so that her father wouldn't have to march into battle again." She glances back to Wanda with a faint grin, folding her hands behind her back. "That was always an inspiring story to me, and as a kid, it kind of showed me something. Up till that point, I didn't know why people fought, I didn't know why anyone would go to -war- when they could sit back at home. But it's to protect family, to fight for those who you care for and keep them safe, to make sure there is something to go back home to."
Kasugano leans forward again, grinning at the crowd. "Kicking butt's just an added benefit, y'know?"
Well nervous or not, Sakura does hide it pretty well she's very relaxed and unformal. Mary, while she was rather blank faced briefly, doesn't seem to really mind in the end though her pinkened cheeks seem to say otherwise. Heck, there's even a 'YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!' somewhere in the back row.
% Causing Yurika to raise a gloved hand and use it to cover her face. She shouldn't be suprised. She really.. Really shouldn't.
But Wanda is able to just jump right back into it, giving an excited nod to the most tomboyish of contestants! "Right! You know, my daughter is nothing like that, I swear if someone broke into our house and held us up, she'd yell from upstairs 'Hey can you keep it down I'm talking on my cell phone'!"
Awkward laughter.
"But more seriously, very thoughtful and very inspiring for sure. However, I have one more question for you if you wouldn't mind, on a similar subject." Wanda passing a glance at her card again. "Geese Howard and Ken Masters have been at war for quite some time against one another for televised fighting. If you were to be drafted to participate in only one show or the other, which would you side with and why?" No pressure or anything.
Kasugano scrubs the back of her hand across her nose as she listens to Wanda's ill-advised attempt at humor. Chuckling politely, she manages to keep her composure through it all, like an ancient Chinese girl pretending to be a boy might! "Mm-hmmm..."
When Wanda said this was a related topic, Kasugano had expected a question about fighting in Ancient China, not fighting in the arena downtown! So when she actually hears the question, she looks relieved! Her reply comes without even a moment of thought! "Ken Masters, of course! Mr. Howard's been great and all, and I love fighting for Saturday Night Fight, but if it came down to it, I've really just gotta stick with my gut! Ken Masters and my sensei, Ryu, are the bestest friends, not to mention my -teammates- in the Rising Dragons, so wouldn't it just look a little bit silly if I stopped being a team player just to take Geese's side?" Mugging for the camera more than a little, she adds, leaning towards the mic, "Even though Mr. Howard would probably need all the help he could get, and even though having all three of us on one side /is/ too much of good thing, I just can't let my fans down like that!" She -did- build a fanbase out of her loyalty to the Ansatsuken masters, of course!
"Besides, I kind of like Neo League better. It really shows off one-on-one performance -- really focusing more on the sport than on the glamour and spectacle of it all. Fighting's about heart, for me, just devoting oneself entirely to pushing oneself to the limits. Neo League just seems like it meets that goal a lot better, is all!"
Stepping back from the mic, she folds her arms behind her back, flashing a grin first to Wanda, then the judges, finally returning to the audience!
As Sakura speaks, the older woman nods her head on occassion, and does very poorly in pretending she's not suprised by how quickly the schoolgirl responds. While it may make sense to most of the audience, she's really just kind of playing along as if, gasp, she doesn't follow on the team scene! "That certainly does sound like a no-brainer, Miss Kasugano. Well then, at this point we're going to let the judges score your performance before we, quite hesitantly I assure you, have you join the other girls behind me. And so..?"
The judges table is gestured toward; and it doesn't look like Yurika has to waste any time at all. The expression on her face is completely neutral, she doesn't say a word. It's almost like she was offended for a little too long. Letting personal feelings get in the way? Maybe, but at least she's not Sada. A '8.0' is raised for the street fighter. And believe her she -tried- to find a reason to make it lower.
Throughout this whole question and answer period with Sakura Kasugano, the Gedo High judge has been... Watching the fightin' tomboy rather critically, all things considered. One long-fingered hand reaches up and scratches under his chin, and he looks... Thoughtful.
It's equally possible that he's trying to figure out if offending Yurika's posh sensibilities is worth extra points or not.
Finally, though, with great deliberation, Tenma makes his own decision, and it's probably not what anyone would expect; while it's difficult for the Guardian King to maintain much interest in aspects of a beauty pageant that don't involve bikini competitions, he has to concede that Sakura is pretty well spoken for someone who's probably taken more hits to the head than the entire student body of Seijyun combined. So, with a brief glance over towards Yurika, the lean young man holds up his own scorecard... An 8.5.
He would've rated Sakura higher if there'd been fanservice.
8.0. 8.5. Sakura's proud smile fades a bit there; she'd picked Mulan largely for the message and because it -was- a hero of hers, and... less so for the pageantry... and it seems to have cost her. Why's she gotta be such a tomboy? It's killin' her, she wants to be able to win this thing through sheer force of will, like she can in fighting tournaments. She's perfectly comfortable with actually -talking-, it's just the standing around and looking pretty part that gets her.
Still, despite her smile fading, it never completely disappears; the girl's generally good at keeping her composure when she wants to -- that is, when she's in front of the cameras. If those weren't on she'd probably be popping Tenma in the nose! ... Mainly because it'd surely start a fight, which is about the quickest way to cheer her up after that. Eight! C'mon... that's not the score of a /champion!/
Her smile takes an upturn as she bows to the audience, "Thank you!" And then she steps over to join the others, flashing Sada a brief smirk, while reserving a brighter smile for Alexis. Sure, she's disappointed, but she's not about to be rude about it!
And once Sakura takes her spot to join the others in the background line-up she's still given quite a round of applause- That certainly goes to show who the fan favorite is so far, doesn't it? And the hostess, Wanda, takes her spot back in the center of the stage, flashing a bright smile until it dies down and she talks into the microphone again. "And our fifth contestant of Miss Teen Southtown, she is a student attending at Seijyun High school, and one of the newer ones at that. Please give a round of applause to," she passes a glance to her index card in hand. She frowns at the name as she squints her eyes. "Ah.. Please welcome Nin-non Beart!" The spotlight would shine on stage to cue Ninon of course and follow her to the center of the stage to join the Hostess!
Once at the center, as usual, the judges table is in clear view, occupied still by the somewhat tough scoring Yurika Kirishima, and joining her is a pretty neutral looking fellow. He's likely staff at some school, but it's impossible to tell for certain.
It is quite unfortunate for a girl like Ninon to have to follow up the beloved Sakura. She has always been a person who didn't make herself easy to tolerate, her personality something of an acquired taste that most found too sour to enjoy. Its understandable really. The self-proclaimed witch has made no secret of her disdain for the people around her. She hadn't been rude to the other contestents, she merely hadn't spoken to them. She didn't expect to come out of this competition a winner, but it wasn't because she didn't think she was good enough. Oh no, not her. She had nothing but the highest opinion of herself. It was because she knew how people reacted to her. She had few friends, and it was because few people were worth attaching that label, too. And even they could be discarded if they were holding her back.
There's a slight delay before the girl steps out into the spotlight. And when she does so, she isn't wearing a smile. Her face carries an a neutral expression, but it is obvious as she looks out into the crowd that she doesn't feel an ounce of fear. Stage-fright isn't something that bothers Ninon Beart. The opinions of the sheep around her, they meant next to nothing to her.
Yurika would recognize the outfit that she is wearing. In fact, anyone that had seen her on the grounds of Seijyun High would recognize it, this is the same outfit she wears all the time. That frilly black dress is how she'd come to be known, and it is the same thing that she wears now. Her heels click against the stage, and she doesn't wait to be addressed before she speaks. Her voice, while it seems to carry an air of superiority, also seems sincere.
"This evening, I was asked to come before you dressed as a 'hero'. But what is a hero? My invitation asked me to dress as a person of fiction, someone whom had an effect on my life when I was a child. Those that can have no bearing on reality are not heroes. The very concept is a bit foolish. Any man or woman has the capability to be a 'hero', just as every one of you could easy become a 'villain' as well. Labels like that are meaningless to me, and that is why I cannot come before you dressed as my favorite 'hero'. I believe in myself first and foremost. I do not look to others to solve my problems. I suppose, in a sense, I am my own hero." A faint smile touches her face. It isn't often that she gets to speak like this in front of so many. "So that is why I came dressed as Ninon Beart." She emphasizes her first name, as if to make sure that the foolish woman knows how to say it in the future. "Because nothing in fiction has the ability to affect my reality." Her violet eyes lock onto the judge, as if daring her to look back. "Now, I believe that you have some things you wish to ask me?" Its as polite as she's sounded in a long time.
The funny thing is, because so many of the audience being japanese, there was the assumption that Ninon was a gothic lolita of -some- sort. Maybe from a movie or something but was that culture even popular during the childhood of students? So yes, there is applause; but once Ninon proceeds to speak there are then murmurs of mild confusion.
Of course Ninon could probably only see Wanda's reaction the best, the older womans jaw just falling slack and apparently at a loss for words... At first. "I.. I.. Er.. Wow. Um wow! Those are certainly some insightful and very deep words from someone so young, Miss Beart!" and whispers 'Sorry about the name thing'. "But um, I'm afraid I don't really understand, you're not dressed up as a hero but you're dressed up as -someone- aren't you? That outfit is quite clearly beyond normal attire, is 'Ninon Beart' also some sort of.. I don't know, say, ah.. Villain, perhaps? Of some movie?"
Yurika.. Is just completely astounded. She's dumbfounded. She really shouldn't be so caught off-guard by this and yet she is! Her gloved hand raises to her mouth, looking slightly pale... Er than usual.
It was too much of her to expect to be understood so easily. This is also something that she's used to, people who are on a lower level then her own. People that are trapped in mediocrity. The girl's eyes narrow slightly. She knows that Yurika is there, but it's 'Wanda' that has the lion's share of the girl's attention. They're so annoying, people like this. She probably hadn't even tried to understand. Still, Ninon is on her best behavior, so she doesn't immediantly snap at the woman. She is obviously not too happy with her, though, judging by the dour expression she offers her. Her voice is still nice and calm and not TOO arrogant sounding, either. "You misunderstand, I take it? This is me. This is the person I am. This is not a costume. I dress in this manner because I enjoy it, not because of this contest. As I explained, I cannot dress as my favorite fictional hero, because I have none. Facts before fiction. I have never believe in turning to that which is not real. If you wish to call me a 'villain' because of this, I do not care."
Well.. That pretty much counts as the first question there doesn't it? And while Wanda still looks mildly stunned, she's smiling and nodding as if listening carefully to Ninon's words. "I see, I see, but no no I wasn't suggesting you are a villain it's just there's.. Well there's so much -black-, and dark and spooky, but very pretty in its own way." she then raises a hand to her mouth, "So you're basically saying you are you.. As a doll! Well that's precious, many girls when they were young had beautiful dolls, that's very classic, very beautiful Miss Beart." she gives a bit of a nervous laugh and a slight nod of her head, as if saying 'play along here' to Ninon.
"Well then lets move on to our second question then shall we? And it is.." Wanda passes a glance to her card again. "If you were to appear here as a -non-fictional hero-, then. Who would it be, and why?" and she steps back slightly to allow Ninon the microphone.
Perhaps the dark-clad girl was feeling particularly generous this evening, but she doesn't press the issue any further. If the woman is unable to grasp what she is trying to say then so be it. As long as she was able to tell that Ninon was different from the other contestents, that was fine with her. She didn't even care if she considered the difference good or bad. Just as long as she understood that Ninon Beart was unique. This was something that was likely not too difficult to understand.
The second question may get her more positive points. It allows her to speak of a topic that she rarely goes into, and one that she'd only barely mentioned to Yurika in the past. However, it isn't the sort of information that could be used against her, even if Yurika was brave enough to try and do so. The person in question would be rather difficult to harm, after all. "Ah, now this is a topic that makes more sense to me. A non-fictional hero? I can think of only one person that I can think of that ever had that sort of effect on me. Only one person who ever really mattered that much to me. And that person was my grandmother. She was the one that raised me, my parents far too busy with being rich to worry about something as unimportant as their children. No, they had other things to tend to." She may be sounding slightly bitter here, despite how she'd never shown anything but distaste for her family. "It was grandmother that raised me." She also raised Mignon, but she isn't about to bring up her sister unless she has to. "She was the one that taught me to believe in myself, to trust in myself. She is not a hero in the traditional sense, however. She was old even when I was but a child, and frail as well. Sadly, she is no longer with me. However, in her time upon this world, she taught me everything I needed to know. She shaped me, educated me, and taught me how to defend myself. It is thanks to her that I am the person I am today, and that is why she is as close as I can imagine to a 'hero'. She may not of been able to fly through the sky and lift boulders, but this does make her meaningless. You ask me whom I would appear as if I could? My entire life was shaped by this woman, so I am already appearing before you as a 'non-fictional hero'."
She's silent as moment, fully expecting the conversation to go over the judge's head again. She doesn't give her too much silence before breaking it, though. "Is there anything else you wish to ask?"
Over her head? Or does Wanda perhaps understand all too well?? The thing about Ninon, however, is she's quite a speecher. Not that Wanda falls asleep but she can't say she finds it very exciting. And yet still in the end she's all bright smiles and she nods her head once more, "That.. Is truely adorable. A very moving and touching story, I'm sure your grandmother is very proud of what you've become. However that is all I have to ask, at this point we're going to have the judges score your time here today. So lets take a quick look before I have you join the other contestants, shall we?" and she gestures over to the scoring table of course.
Yurika's going to need a moment, of course. There's just no way she can score this off the bat, but the neutral-looking judge doesn't seem to waste much time at all scribbling down on his card. He thinks the 'not-a-costume' looks pretty great, though Ninon's personality needs some work. However she doesn't seem to be a heartless individual. He also thinks at some point she winked at him so he offers an '8.6'. After a moment, Yurika raises her card as well; quite aware that Ninon's making a very firm statement in her own way, not playing by the rules simply can't be rewarded.. Highly. She offers a '7.9'.
Technically, it was impossible for Ninon to play by the rules. They'd asked her to do the impossible; respect someone other then herself. That was not something that came easily. Had it been Mignon in her place, she may of had all sorts of fictional heroes, but with her grandmother dead, Ninon Beart respects exactly one person and that person is herself. She's actually somewhat surprised to see her scores as high as they are, she'd expected a great deal less then that. After all, she wasn't that good at pretending to be something that she is not. However, the surprise doesn't show on her face. She wears the same calm expression she'd worn throughout her entire time on stage. "If that is all, then, good evening." She offers a small bow at the waist before stepping off stage. In the end she doesn't care if she wins. Its a chance to let the city in general see her, witness her greatness. That is worthwhile even if she's given straight 1s.
Log created on 19:25:17 06/23/2008 by Yurika, and last modified on 16:19:16 07/28/2008.