places to go, people to see, appliances to stab

[poised]

Who: Natalia (poised) & Co. aka Yamamoto (pluvial), Leia (journaler), Sakura (springful), & Koujaku (kaba)
When: assorted - some before the event, some during!
Where: can't be tamed to one location
What: Sword training, rogue appliances, and debt collectors oh my!
Rating/Warning: should be none!

[ YAMAMOTO ; backdated to before the event! ]

[So training with the One-Eyed Dragon was a little avant garde to say the least. What kind of instructor just tosses her the sword and then tells her to go for it?! Admittedly..... it's not a type of instructing that Natalia can't manage but she also sincerely hopes that there might be a better way to do it. Hence why Yamamoto receives a text not too long after his visit.]

Takeshi, am I correct in remembering that you practice swordplay? Would you ever consider taking on a student?

[run yamamoto

run now and run fast]

[ LEIA ; phase i! ]

[If you wouldn't mind tossing something in the comments, Amm darling, that would be sincerely appreciated!]

[ KOUJAKU ; also phase i! ]

[Not only did her toaster go rogue on her and try to spit some charred pieces of bread at her, but even her hair appliances. Admittedly she didn't react as strong as Yang and turn it into a pile of scrap metal but she wanted to! More importantly, she wanted to see what could be done to amend some of the damage done to the edges of her hair.

Who else would she go to see but Koujaku?

Cue her marching right up to where he normally sets up shop, looking far less enthused and ready to tackle the day than usual. It's Day One and this event has already been rough on her. (She could probably handle ghosts better than this....)]

Koujaku, oh you won't believe the morning I've had!

[Give her haircare and attention now.]

[ SAKURA ; bonus! ]

[What the hell are you talking about crippling debt, this isn't the right Tales game for that.

.... that is--]

You have some nerve! Clearly there has been a mistake in the system and more so even if someone did owe you money, you shouldn't be kidnapping them in the middle of the night! What kind of barbaric, savage and overall incredibly unfair system are you perpetuating in this city? I demand explanation this instant!

[She's taking it a lot less well than Ludger, if at all possible.

So here's Natalia, barking up a storm at the sloth debt collectors.

Sakura, you should maybe stop her before she gets whacked early on?]

Comments

\o/!!

[kaba]

[ His hair hadn’t been much better when he’d used his hairdryer earlier this morning, but it had felt like a one-time fluke and he’d had to drop the damned thing after it electrocuted him.

So his hair this morning is, at least, blessedly intact, even as he begins setting up his folding chair on a roomier part of the sidewalk. Pochi is tucked within his kimono lapels, strangely well-behaved for the most part, though Koujaku’s beginning to realize that his CYbuddy only generally attempts to hurt him and not everybody else.

Besides, the little guy’s apparently cute enough to bring in some more customers, though when he turns up in the direction of that voice he is immediately appalled— ]

Natalia! [ SHOCK. But he recovers quickly enough. ] What happened to you?

[poised]

[THE SHOCK IS PRETTY OFFENSIVE.

It just makes her mood sink all the more. It's probably only because this is Natalia that we're talking about that her shoulders don't slump entirely. Sigh.]

My breakfast was ruined, my time with Leia was spent fighting with haircare appliances because I had thought that I would have better luck than Yang, and now I am both hungry and I'm afraid my hair was damaged.

[Yeah no, the ends are looking more than a little fried.

Hence why she's helping herself to sitting down in that folding chair now.]

I am weary.

[alright drama queen settle down]

[kaba]

[ HE CAN'T HELP IT OKAY ]

Aw, Natalia— [ He isn't even offended by this please do sit thy royal hiney upon thy throne Princess. That'll buy him some time while he tries to make sense of her litany of ills for that morning, as if the words "hair care" might just clue him in on things.

After all, his own hairdryer had nearly attacked him this morning, but his hair had been spared the worst of the damage.

Defective piece of junk. They should sue the company that makes these things. ]

I haven't got all my equipment out here. [ At least not if she wants a full spa treatment from him or something.

Which he's very happy to do for her, mind. ] But from the looks of things I'll have to cut off the worst of them.

[ He looks very sorry about this, even as Pochi wiggles its way out of his kimono to drop onto her shoulder, nuzzling her cheek as if to comfort her as well. ]

[journaler]

[To most people, it's probably too early for a swim, but Leia finds it refreshing. She's dressed in her most comfortable, least showy swim suit (it's really one of many that she owns), and she really feels like a fish out of water--even though her swimming skills aren't exactly Olympic.

What matters is she's having a good time! The pool is heated and she finds it difficult to get out, which is why she's waving at Natalia as she surfaces near her, chin propped up on pool's edge.

There she is!]

Nataaalia. I was about to go see if you needed some help or something.

You look great!

[poised]

[In truth, Natalia hasn't visited the pool that often but considering that this is more of a chance to spend time with Leia, she doesn't hesitate to take the girl's invitation. It's also one of the rare times that she has control over her own swimsuit and the result is some kind of happy medium. At any rate, far less precarious than the one that Emperor Peony had picked out.

And Natalia is amused as she takes a seat at the edge of the pool by her friend, dipping her feet into the water and marveling, impressed at how warm the water is.]

Why thank you! And same to you, Leia. What cute swimwear!

[journaler]

[She blushes a bit at the compliment, but moves to the side just a bit to make room for her as she dips her feet. It's hard not to rush her--or just gently pull her in...

Must resist.]

The water's sooo warm. But be careful. Once you get in, you might never want to get out.

[Joking......... mostly...]

[poised]

[Resist, Leia.

She's laughing faintly at that however as she hums at the temperature. Oh.]

My, that is quite nice! You've picked a good location to relax.

[journaler]

Right?

[She laughs lightly along with her as she makes her way into the pool.]

I thought it'd be nice after such a weird morning. There's this vending machine in my apartment than sent cans of soda flying at me today! I couldn't believe it.

[pluvial]

[ he's on a run around the colony when his phone beeps in his jacket pocket, flopping on a nearby bench to see who it is. oh hey, it's natalia... and it's not a misfire this time, okay. cool.

what a odd question, though. while he does have confidence in his abilities, he's never considered teaching someone before. ]

yeah i know how to use a sword
about the second part im not sure haha
ive never really thought of teaching someone before
why do you know someone who wants to learn?

[poised]

[you do your active person thing, Yamamoto. Natalia's probably texting him from the comfort of some cafe.]

You're speaking with her.
You see, I've been taking lessons from an individual named Date Masamune.

[natalia do you mean the japanese warlord, the one-eyed dragon

yes? oh. ok cool just checking.]

However his teaching methods are rather hard to keep up with.

I suppose I'm looking for an additional instructor and a sparring partner on the side.

[is this swordplay two-timing]

1/2

[pluvial]

oh
i didnt know you were into learning the sword!

[ but wAIT-- ]

[pluvial]

wait you mean
THE Date Masamune?
one eyed dragon and founder of sendai?

[ yamamoto your nerd is showing. ]

[poised]

[oh................... she didn't know that masamune founded anything. the more you know!!]

He was actually the one who motivated me to do so.

Have you met him? He's around here somewhere. I could always introduce you, if you'd like.

If you're interested in a sparring match, I'm sure he'd be happy to agree.

[natalia are you signing up masamune for stuff

natalia are you setting up a sparring match between swords just so that you can watch different styles

natalia]

[pluvial]

ive never met him!

[ man, wouldn't that be a trip. ]

he's actually a historical figure back on my world
we learned about him in school
he's pretty legendary haha

[ not to mention he also grew up watching documentaries of him while play fighting with his dad, but that's neither here nor there. ]

nah that's ok!
i wouldn't want to inconvenience him haha
anyway
so he's teaching you how to use the sword?
that's awesome!
he's really skilled and a master tactician too

[poised]

[it's only because she's comfortably alone right now that she's squinting.... at her screen.....

masamune's really skilled and a master tactician??

the other day he spoiled the end of titantic for her

really?]

Well, it works out fine and his company is pleasant enough until it comes to the actual instructing.

If he's as naturally talented with a sword as you say, I suppose he must take it for granted when teaching others. He gave me a sword and then told me to get right into it without any further instruction.

[sure she figured it out but also like

who does that]

[pluvial]

[ oh. well, that's an interesting method.

but then again, masamune was pretty new age back then anyway so it kind of makes sense??? ]

it's different for everyone but
sometimes the best way to learn is in the middle of a fight
you can't overthink it
when my dad taught me his kendo technique
he'd only shown me all the forms once
so i had to memorize them really quick or i wouldn't get them right
at first i'd always spend too much time thinking about when i should use which form to attack or defend
but thats not how it works
i got hurt a lot haha

when you focus too much on the details you distract yourself
at least with swords fighting is a lot about instinct
when you can react without thinking and the sword becomes an extension of yourself
that's when you've mastered it

[poised]

It's official. I have decided.

[natalia????]

I would like to extend the invitation for you to be my sparring partner. In addition, if you would be interested in provided additional counsel, I'd appreciate it. I can offer you monetary compensation for your trouble.

[are they friends or business partners]

[pluvial]

[ she totally just volunteered him to be her sparring partner. aight. that's cool, he can work with this. ]

haha ok!
i'll do my best

do you have a sword to practice with?
and don't worry about paying me back

[springful]

Natalia-san, it's been a while!

[SWOOPING IN right between Natalia and the debt collectors because yeah, Sakura would rather not see her friend get offed by otters in suits. Or see otters in suits get attacked by her friend, which seems just as likely to happen. She turns back to their captors briefly with a winning smile; with her demeanor so polite and friendly, you'd think she was just spotting Natalia from a grocery trip....]

I apologize for interrupting, but I'm sure you have others here to attend to. If you'll excuse us. [And hopefully before Natalia can continue her tirade, Sakura's already in the process of trying to usher her away from the debt collectors.]

[poised]

[WHAT.]

Sakura? I--

[Well, she doesn't get to finish that sentence because she's now.... being whisked away just because Sakura apparently wants a word with her? That seems more important than dealing with the debt collectors! But regardless as soon as they're a fair distance away, she starts up again.]

Goodness, what is it? I was in the middle of giving those beasts a piece of my mind!

[springful]

[Indeed, now that they're a good distance away... All that cheer fades away, and Sakura practically deflates. As if being kidnapped and being accused of debt wasn't stressful enough.]

That's what I was concerned about... I understand being upset at this situation, but don't you think yelling at them like that might be a bad idea?

[poised]

No.

[OH. THAT WAS FAST.]

They must know that they're in the wrong! This is not how you treat patrons of this colony, particularly over financial matters! It's entirely the wrong way to go about it.

[springful]

[AH..... SHOT DOWN SO EASILY!!]

There's nothing right about this, I agree, but look at how many other people are here. If they didn't listen to these many people about how they were mistaken already, they probably don't care about what any of us have to say.