(Open) Come on, choose one. You mustn't be afraid.

[faithfulflame]

Who: Rei Hino faithfulflame & You! This is open!
When: 2/1-2/6 (7/10-7/18)
Where: All over Cerealia. Entertainment District, Shopping District, Residential District, Research District
What: Rei goes out to check on some people, take care of some business/be social, and spend time with various people.
Rating/Warning: None save maybe language? Will update as needed.

---

I. Residential District:

[Today there's a young woman walking rather briskly through the winding streets of the residential areas. She's got something on her mind, a focus and more than a few worries weighing on her of late. There are questions she has, and people she needs to talk to. If it happens that she brushes past you on the street, there may even be a palpable sense of heat following her despite the chill. Her control is slipping, and she needs to get answers and information.

She's heading for specific apartments, preceded by a simple text message request to speak. Athena Cykes, Nonon Jakuzure, Simon Blackquill and England can all expect to hear from Rei at some point, but there are other people she's checking up on. CR can assume they're on this list, I cannot list all of you!


II. CERES Gym:

[Rei's kendo training is coming along well, and she's showing up at the gym even when she doesn't have classes with Sousei to practice both that and her archery, sometimes late into the evening. Her hands are steady as she holds the shinai, and her eyes are focused on each target she looses an arrow at. To an experienced observer she's much more comfortable with the bow, but she's seemingly taking to the bamboo sword rather quickly. Sweat and hard work may not be particularly dignified, but given how insane everything's been lately? She's willing to just give up on that for now.

Hard at work, she may not notice observers until she pauses, or practically sinks down next to a water cooler. Grab her however!]


III. Research District:

[Realizing that her control is in fact slipping and has for a day or so, Rei makes her way to the hospital to get a quick checkup. It's not that she's worried she's overdoing it...but she is, and she's hardly foolish enough to let the signs of stress go unanswered.

After her checkup, she heads out of the medical facility wearing a very severe frown, looking around and hoping she's not going to run into anyone she knows. That's probably not the case, knowing her luck, but she can hope, right?]


IV. Shopping District/Auto Shop:

[This is a bit of a whim of hers, but one she's decided to indulge. It's not like she can't afford something nice, and after the scare with the buses and trains recently it has a bit more practical application. So, here she is, browsing the selection of motor-bikes available. She's actually considering it seriously, simply to have an alternate way to work.

Look out roads...]


V. Closed to Minako Aino:

[The Shopping District was something alright. The selection of things to eye-shop and possibly by rivaled and probably exceeded downtown Tokyo, but Rei'd never quite admit it. She'd also never admit to Minako that she was letting all this stress and worry get to her, but it seemed the blonde had picked up on that without prompting. At least, that was what the raven-haired priestess had assumed when she'd been told that they were going out that evening for shopping and dinner, so that Rei could 'Loosen up a bit!'

And with no choice in it and the matter settled, here they were, outside a large department store. Just before Valentine's Day...]

Comments

2

[zenryokuzenkai]

[ Nanoha mostly did cardio when she wasn't occupying herself with simulation training, but she also enjoyed watching other people's practice. It was something between an occupational hazard and the hobby of a mother of a martial artist.

Besides, dojos were nostalgic.

For her own target practice, Nanoha would need something closer to a gun range. Probably bigger. But she could definitely appreciate someone who knew how to shoot.

So here she is, watching Rei while sipping from a bottle of water. She's taking a break, not just creeping on younger girls. Really. ]

Good work out there.

I

[shacklebreaker]

[The text message is unexpected, but not unwelcome. So Blackquill is already waiting for her as she arrives, answering the door with his usual grim demeanour. Apparently he makes no effort to tone it down, even when receiving guests.]

To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit, shrine maiden? If you've come to drive out evil spirits, you'll find they're rather scarce here.

IV

[sjokolade]

[All Anna wanted was a break.

After what happened a couple of weeks ago, she just felt like it was time to spend a day all by herself without work getting her way! However, with Valentine's Day just around the corner, she already knew what she wanted to do for her friends! As she wandered down the shopping district with a bunch of stuff in her hand, that's when she spotted a friend nearby

Uh-oh, this was one of those rare times that Anna didn't want Rei to see her here! When she quickly made a left turn to a store close by, hopefully she won't be able to see her!]

iv

[unluckless]

[Komaeda is less interested in the motorbikes, more poking around accessories for them. Not that he has one -- there is way too much that could go wrong if he and his luck were to drive driving one -- but Hinata does, so he will ride with him. He may or may not be looking for a surprise for him.

But when he catches sight of the young woman looking, he'll pipe up.] Are you thinking of getting one? They really come in handy around here I think. At least, Hinata-kun's seems to.

I

[shikisha]

[ Nonon's home, seeing how she texted Rei when she'd be back. For obvious reasons when she opens the door, dressed casually in just pink cotton pajama pants and a blue zip up hoodie, she's not exactly in the best mood, a lollipop sticking out of her mouth, with a jar of sour patch kids in her arm. ]

Do you want to come in or something?

iv

[swordboning]

Are you sure you're old enough for this?

[He's eyeing a bike hesitantly. He doesn't need terrors on the road as another worry in his life.]

[faithfulflame]

[Rei looks over at the stranger and swallows her water, dipping her head in acknowledgement of the compliment. It was nice, even from a stranger.]

Thank you, miss. I appreciate it.

[faithfulflame]

[Rei simply smiles, shaking her head and drumming lightly on the cover of a notebook she'd been carrying with her.]

I had wanted to ask you a few questions, Simon-san. About a few topics not related to dark spirits. I've had quite enough of those for one month, as it is. And to thank you for telling me about Archer's little trick, with the swords.

[faithfulflame]

[It was hard for Rei not to notice when she was being watched, and when someone was avoiding her. Some tingling pressure, likely due to her lack of control, told her to just look to one side...and she did in time to see Anna stepping around a corner.

And into the same store Rei was going to anyway.

She trots ahead briskly to keep up and taps the redhead on the shoulder.]

Anna-chan, how are you?

[faithfulflame]

[And Rei happens to have met Hinata. Her eyes flicker over to the stranger and she smiles coolly. Not unkindly, just the sort of smile one would give a stranger.]

I am, actually. I've been thinking about it since the incidents with the trains and buses a week or two ago. Having my own transportation would be better than relying in potentially troublesome public transit.

[A beat.]

And Hajime Hinata-san?

[faithfulflame]

[Rei, holding a notebook in one hand and a basket in the other, looks down at the sour and candy covered member of the Lollipop guild and nods.]

If it's not too much trouble, yes. I thought I'd check up on you, and...well, I brought you something. And I have a few questions for you, if you don't mind. I don't know how wise asking on the CEREVice will be, though.

[faithfulflame]

I'm of legal driving age, yes. Why do you ask?

[Look, she's 18. And has a millennium of memories beyond that...]

[unluckless]

And knowing this place, the idea of incidents happening again is pretty unavoidable, isn't it? [Glitches are more common than things working correctly around the colony.]

Mm! That's right. You've met Hinata-kun then?

[Not surprising. His protagonist is that sort of guy that meets a lot of people.]

[faithfulflame]

It's inevitable, yes. [A fact of life that she's still trying to learn to deal with.]

Yes, though, I have. Briefly, at the water park not so long ago. Is he someone you know?

[zenryokuzenkai]

You're more than welcome. My daughter does - did - martial arts so I've just gotten used to watching. Sorry if it seems a bit strange, haha.

[ People have told Nanoha she was a little too friendly, but oh well, how bad could it be? ]

[shacklebreaker]

Hmph, come in, then. It would be a discourtesy to refuse you, after you've come all this way.

[He shows her inside. Unsurprisingly for someone who passed the last seven years in prison, the apartment is sparse and plain in its furnishing.

There are, however, a few things that make the owner of the apartment obvious: an array of katanas and knives displayed along one wall, the occasional Japanese-style painting or wall scroll, and Taka's perch by the window. The perch is vacant at the moment, its occupier long gone, as the hawk seems to have been let out for some exercise for the day.

Blackquill turns to Rei.]

If you've a few questions to ask, feel free to take a seat.

[swordboning]

Because I'm pretty sure you're going to single-handedly raise health insurance rates for everyone around here.

[At least he's blunt about it.]

[psycholawgy]

I'm at Simon's. [ is all she replies with, which pretty much means that Rei is more than welcome to visit. She is, of course, unknowing that Rei also has some business with Simon. But perhaps it's when Simon's out or something that Rei catches Athena at the apartment. ]

[faithfulflame]

No, it's fine.

[A little too friendly is better than extremely unfriendly.]

Did your daughter stop for a reason?

[faithfulflame]

Thank you.

[Rei enters and gives the place a cursory glance around. It is truly the home of a weeaboo, but she appreciates it all the same. An affectation for her home is never something that she'd say was a bad thing. He's respectful, and nice. That goes a long way towards earning her good graces.

Sitting, she smooths her miko's hakama out and nods.]

Right, questions. I was actually interested in a few different topics, so I guess I'll start with the heaviest one. Do you know anything about Ryuko Matoi-san's arrest?

[faithfulflame]

Do you think I'm so reckless as all that?

[ =| This look. This is what you're getting.]

[faithfulflame]

[It isn't surprising, all things considered. Athena and Simon were obviously close. But she does wait until Simon is out to come by. Not because she didn't like him (she did, actually quite a lot.) but because she had a secret to share that wasn't Simon's.]

Knock knock!

[swordboning]

Do you want me to spell it out for you or just lie?

[She can take her choice. Though, in the end, it'll probably be the same.]

[faithfulflame]

I'd like you to have a little faith in my abilities. Or have I not given you any positive impressions at all?

[swordboning]

Unless your riding skill hovers around Rank B, until I've seen proof, I'm going to simply assume the worst. That's the truth of reality.