estoria | First Prayer: I'm not your only friend...[Open]

Entry tags:

First Prayer: I'm not your only friend...[Open]

Who: Rei Hino and you?
What: Day in the life of Rei Hino
When: Some nebulous day between 12/17 and 12/21, or whenever works
Where: Residential District, Gym, Shopping District, Research/Tech District
Warnings: None at present?

Residential District/Research District

[Rei's always enjoyed taking walks in her free time, getting to know the area around her and taking in the sites. She's been given a day off, a small thank you for a project deadline completion, and she's taking full advantage. It's different here, of course, given the alien nature of so much of the architecture but that's actually part of the appeal. She's reminded of what she's seen of her own world's future, and while the CERES logo plastered everywhere isn't entirely her favorite thing in the world it's nice to see some of the advertisements she's been working on around.

Eventually she'll make her way into the Research and Technologies District, looking around at all the sterile government buildings and ominous labs too. It's idle curiosity, combined with her family being involved in the civic system, that catches her interest. As well as possibly finding an entryway into CERES' facilities for later.

She's not paying the most attention to her immediate surroundings, though, so she might just bump into you, or brush past you. Trailing behind her, too, is a Cybuddy, this robot taking the form of a fuzzy baby panda bear. Whoever said she couldn't like cute things?]

CERES Gym:

[Next on her list is to find Abe no Sousei's kendo school. With a little help from Edgeworth, she's actually acquired a shinai of the proper size, and she'll turn up at the gym with that and a bow, wearing some pretty standard exercise clothes (scarlet and black of course) and begin warming up if he's not in yet. She'll start off with rock-climbing, an activity she finds herself actually doing pretty well at, and then move on to perform some pretty impressive gymnastic feats. After that? Archery.

Catch her taking a breather at the juice bar, or maybe watch while she's working out? Whatever strikes your fancy]

Restaurant:

[With all that done, it's time to get dinner. And that means heading out to a restaurant and then to pick up some stuff for the rest of the week. The restaurant she's hitting up claims to serve traditional Japanese dishes, and it's worth a try, she figures...though when she gets the food she orders, Rei's lips quiver in absolute disgust. She doesn't yell, but she gets up and carries the plate over to the counter, dropping the tray down hard enough to clatter and catch staff attention]

This is not Hōtō-nabe. [Ugh.] This is not even remotely close. It's green. And it smells like garlic. And since when are edamame purple? I'd like a refund.

[Naturally, she is going to be that customer. Or that fellow patron. Or...whatever.]

Shopping

[And with that fiasco out of the way, she has to settle for less familiar food, in this case a fried fish sandwich. It is what it is, and she'll eat it, but it leaves her wanting. So it's off to the store, where she goes through a little of everything she'd consider “traditional”, gathering up a rather full basket. Sorry if you were looking for that super-secret sauce or those last pickled plums, she's already reaching for the last one...]

Wild Card:

[No prompts to your liking? Watch to catch Rei in between things? Do it!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Edgeworth is reasonably skilled.

[By which Sousei means he kicks his butt every week in the name of training...but he really does think Edgeworth's skills are nothing to sneeze at.

Still...]

Let me see it.

[He thinks it's fine, but might as well be thorough.]

[She has no context there, so she'll accept Sousei's words at face value.]

Of course.

[And she passes over the weapon. It's pretty ordinary, the right length for her, and about the right weight as well.]

I'll use whatever you want, of course, I just thought it would be better to be prepared.

[He weighs it in his hand thoughtfully, but...yeah, it's clear Edgeworth made a good choice when it comes to her weaponry. He nods simply, offering it back.]

You made the right decision. This is suitable for you.

If I am to teach you, it would be remiss of me to cut corners.

[So he'll be as thorough as can be. If nothing else, she has a very conscientious teacher, for all that he'll be expecting a lot of her as well.]

[She nods and accepts the weapon, rolling the hilt over in her palm a bit. It’s an odd weight, not at all like a bow or a spear, though it’s been some time since she bothered with the spear.]

And I agree. I do prefer to learn things the proper way, even if it is more work.

[And even if some of it is unnecessary. Her real reason for being here is less the lessons though, and more the company. She’ll learn, she’s interested, but she’s also lonely and cut off from everything familiar to her. It’s an opportunity to get to know someone new who shares a common interest in her own awkward little way. And it’s not like he seems unconnected and uninformed, so it’s a chance to network too.]

[This is honestly why Sousei likes her. She's sensible, and dutiful, and it's clear that she has a similar set of values and morals to his own--in a place as foreign as this, that honestly means quite a lot to him.

So he nods simply, willing to take her at her word for that.]

We will begin then with proper form and with your hold on your sword.

[Someday they will work their way up to sparring--but the company isn't bad, and he doesn't mind teaching someone who is legitimately a thoughtful student.]

[She nods and takes a stance that's probably more fitting for aikido, but could be a serviceable sword stance. It's the best she's got, as a complete beginner.]

I know this is wrong. Please direct me, Abe-sensei.

[Formality sits well with her, and she's ready to learn.]

[He's at least been called 'sensei' before this at this point, so he doesn't react in the same startled way as he did the first time. It's still odd to him, admittedly; he's still young, and still has a lot to learn, and 'sensei' is his own master, Kumou-sensei, even if he's been dead now for eleven years.

Nonetheless, Sousei simply nods, and moves to correct her stance and her grip. It doesn't require much, thankfully; her basis in other martial arts will help smooth this through, he thinks.

And as he does--]

You said you were from 1996, correct? I imagine Japan has changed greatly since my time.

[He may not entirely be aware of her desire for familiar companionship, but her seeking him out does make him think she probably wants someone to talk to who is at least from a similar culture.]

[She easily relaxes and allows him to fix the posture. It was common enough when she practiced kyudo, so it comes naturally. She nods lightly, not wanting to disrupt anything as she grips the sword.]

That's correct. And yes, it's changed a great deal indeed. [Her lips quirk in a wry smile.] Some for the best, some for the worst. Good times, and...some of the worst on the planet. But the core does remain the same. Some values never change.

[As soon as her position and posture meets his standards, he steps back, inspecting her for a moment longer.

But it's good to hear, in a way, too. America had talked about modern Japan as well, but America couldn't know Japan like someone who was a Japanese citizen could. But for Sousei, who loved and served his country above all else...

It's good to know that in a few hundred years, it's still going strong.

He reaches for his practice sword, to demonstrate the most basic, simple overhand swing.]

You will want to keep your center of balance low and steady as you swing. You do not wish to overbalance yourself with the weight or force of your swing.

[..."Some values never change"... he waits until she is steady and he has stepped away before he responds to that.]

It is good to hear that the country is still prospering well.

[Rei mimics the swing. The first one is shaky, unsteady. But the second, with the advice, is better. Not perfect, her blade veers to one side just a bit at the very end, which would snap a real blade but it's a start. She recognizes it and frowns, trying again.]

I...[Another try.] Yes, that's...[Another.] Globalization is changing things, but for the best. The wars took their toll, but that was something like thirty years before I was born.

Answer when you feel confident. Focus first on your technique.

[He didn't mean to quiz her while she's trying to learn something new, that's admittedly kind of a mean thing to do--but he really is so very interested in Japan and its changes.

He merely corrects her grip slightly after another try, nodding to himself at her improvements.]

...Wars?

[Does he want to know, he wonders?]

[It's easy to relax into those changes, and she tries again, this time much more certain. It isn't a natural motion for her like for Haruka, but she tries again in silence, and after another go or two feels more comfortable.]

Wars. Two of them, one with Russia and one with...well...the rest of the world.

[Two wars, some thirty years before her time, which would still put them at a good hundred years after his. Still...nonetheless, he's concerned by it. For someone like Sousei, who is entirely dedicated to his country, he doesn't like to hear of any wars at all.

... He can't imagine a war with "the rest of the world" going well for his country.]

I see. [he's...not going to ask. It's not his business right now. (Maybe it would be a little too much for him to handle, when he already has enough on his plate.)]

But nonetheless Japan is flourishing in your time.

[It's a statement--but he really is looking for confirmation. This, after all, is his major concern in the end.]

Edited 2015-04-17 00:37 (UTC)

[He probably shouldn't, she wouldn't wish to discuss the ending with anyone. That's still uncomfortable to think about, really.]

It is, yes.

[She takes another swing, harder this time.]

Japan is a first world nation, one of the wealthiest in the world. We're closely tied to the United States of America, and that did a lot of good. We also disbanded the military, which left more money for social programs. Flourishing doesn't quite begin to describe things.

[And as the daughter of a politician, like him or not, she is proud of her country and the strides it's making.]

[Closely tied with America, huh... that makes sense. Not from his own historical knowledge, but from what America himself has said in this place. Weird, but unsurprising overall.

He nods approvingly at her swing.]

That is better form. Continue in that way.

[Some minor adjustments still to make, maybe; he'll keep working with her on it.

As for the rest....flourishing. He's so glad--even if the rest also makes him arch an eyebrow.]

"Disbanded the military"? [The only sign of surprise is an arched eyebrow, though from him that may as well be a gasp of shock, really. He's a soldier; he never though the military would ever be disbanded.

Though he can't say it's a bad thing, necessarily, it's still...strange.]

Edited 2015-04-17 21:05 (UTC)

[She continues on, and doesn't alter her strikes. Once she's found a rhythm she's easily able to keep it.]

It was a provision laid on the country at the end of the last war. And...honest...after how that went nobody really had much interest in it anyway. It was bad, with effects that lasted decades.

[She really, really does want to dance around the issue of atom bombs, honestly, that might be a little hard to explain.]

[... Yeah, if she's avoiding talking about it, he's rather certain he doesn't want to know. Especially if they are wars he will never be able to influence or be a part of... it's a strange thought to consider that his country will have history in the future that he will not be able to touch despite how passionate he is about Japan.

Hm.]

I see.

[...]

There is plenty I do not understand, but I would not expect to. [it's in the future, after all.] Nonetheless, I am relieved to know that Japan is flourishing.

[Rei huffs out a sharp breath and stops for a moment, giving her arms a rest. After archery, swinging a sword is a little bit hard.]

It'll be that way for a long time. I...have seen visions of the future, and prosperity at least is always in our cards. We are resilient, and hard working.

[And that's about as close to talking about seeing the return of the Silver Millennium as she'll ever get, in all likelihood.]

[He inspects her for a moment, before nodding to himself.]

Are you familiar with stretches to follow this practice?

[if not, he'll teach her those too--strength for swordwork, like every other strength, requires building it up bit by bit.

As for the rest......]

That is correct--we are that as a country. In that case... I am relieved to know of your visions.

[Seriously... it's nice to know that his country will keep on doing well.]

Not overly. Especially if there are things specific to kendo.

[A shrug, because if that's part of learning she's more than happy to do so. It's work, but it's good work, the kind that will improve her.]

Are there...people from your time here? Your version of Japan, anyway?

There will undoubtedly be overlap to the stretches you are familiar with, but I will run through them with you regardless.

[It's good habits anyway, to stretch after practice like this. So he'll start them off, and her question gets a simple nod, not a pause in his stretching.]

Kumou Tenka is my partner--he is also here. [They're from the same time exactly, naturally.] There is also his ancestor here, Kumou Kagemitsu, as well as another of the Abe family, Abe no Hirari. They are both from the Kamakura period.

[so that's...even further back.]

On occasion there are connections like that, though I have yet to see a pattern to who will show up here.

Good, that's good.

[Lowering the shinai, she starts to mimic what he's doing, trying to take some initiative.]

And I'd say with such a variety of people, it'd be difficult to pick up on patterns unless you were some sort of mathematician who had knowledge of everyone that came here. I don't know if that's possible, though. And I'm not really sure it matters.

[She, however, doesn't mention she's here alone though. Nobody really needs to hear it to see how obvious it is.]

[Initiative is good--they're stretches, and as she's clearly familiar with sports and athleticism, he's not too concerned; he knows she'll already be familiar with most of them.]

...It matters. The pattern, perhaps not. But nonetheless, the knowledge of whether or not your friends and comrades will appear from your own world certainly matters.

[After all...it's pretty obvious that she's missing hers.]

I don't intend to give up on understanding any aspect of this place.

[Well, stretches go on then, it's not like it's hard to talk.]

I can't say I wouldn't welcome Usagi-chan, Minako-chan, Ami-chan, or Mako-chan. Or even Luna and Artemis. But I don't know. I really don't know if I want them to come here, either. Given how...odd...that amusement park was. I don't like the thought of endangering them.

But I can't disagree. I do want to know more. A lot more. Because this...world? Is so strange.

It is strange. And often, it is dangerous as well.

[Even so....]

Nonetheless, alone or otherwise, we have the time to learn as much as we can of it. And when we understand this world better, we will be in a less powerless position.

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