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Post by Rise Kujikawa on Mar 24, 2009 19:49:29 GMT -5
[[NOTE: Still figuring out the date! I'll edit it in when we get more information on the timeline.]]
[[Tag for Chloe C: ]]
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It was a rather dreary day, a thick blanket of clouds in the sky, their dark hue threatening of rain sometime today. They made everything look dull and grey as she walked, and even the bustling Shopping District seemed sad and lonely. Such an ugly afternoon, Rise thought with a creased brow.
She made her way down the dry pavement, her school bag bouncing at her hip with each step as she made for the tofu shop. A few drops of moisture hit her nose as she walked, but she never bothered to take out the umbrella in her bag. It wasn't too long until home would be showing up around the corner anyway -- A little bit of rain never hurt anyone.
Idly, the teens thoughts began shifting to Summer Vacation that was starting tomorrow. School had actually been rather pleasant that day, everyone busily chatting about what they were going to be up to for those days. Rise was rather excited herself, too. Sleeping in, hanging out, shopping for nothing in particular. She would even have time to actually explore Inaba a little bit more, since she had rarely had the chance since moving in. School and Investigation took up way too much time.
I wonder what kind of places I can find around here anyway. Maybe there are some passageways to alternate dimensions in the alleyways. Anything is possible in Ina-
Distracted by the conversation in her head, the idol wasn't really expecting to bump into another body on the street.
Rise quickly let out a long string of apologies to the stranger, bowing her head slightly and letting her hair fall in front of her face. She wasn't really expecting to look into the eyes of a grinning young man when she finished, however. His brow was quirked slightly, and the edge of his lip was curved up in a way that said 'Ohh, look at what I found'. The idol didn't particularly care for it much, but she smiled regardless, not wanting to be rude.
"Really, sorry again for the trouble. I'll pay more attention next time, okay?" She let out a small laugh, "Anyway, I gotta get going now-"
"Risette-chan, right?"
Oh great...
Rise sighed at the name, putting her hands on her hips, trying to sound serious (her serious face was never really that good), but not too rude, "Oh, yeah. Rise Kujikawa, actually."
Not feeling like introductions, she tried again to make her escape with, "Anyway, home-"
The stranger's smile only broadened though, and he reached out to grab her wrist before she could walk away, "I'm a big fan, Rise-chan! Would you want to go out and grab something to eat? My treat."
Oh, ew. Rise grimaced slightly at the offer, letting the fake smiles and silly facade fade a little bit. She knew better then to eat with fans; who knew what the hell the creepy ones would do to her food. Who did he think she was, anyway?
"Oh, no thanks," she smiled, twisting her wrist from his grip, "I have things to do. And, uh, I already have someone I'm seeing, so..."
Ugh, creeper. He was pretty old too, and not even that cute. The least he could do was shave some of that week-old stubble.
He was persistent though, that was for sure. As she tried to step past the older man, his hand whipped out and gripped her upper arm tightly, which only received a yelp from the small idol. Turning quickly, she frowned up at him, though it probably wasn't as scary as she hoped. Tugging for the limb, she finally gave up after he didn't seem to want to let go.
"W-What? Get away from me."
Rise smacked him on the cheek defiantly, though it seemed to do rather little but encourage the freak. Frantically looking about the proximity, the idol tried to register any other human that may be able to help her out. She was in no way a fighter, and her use on the Investigation Team was usually to offer motivation. Physical stuff was for everyone else.
And it wasn't every day she met a really creepy fan. If it came down to it, though, she would be willing to give him a good kick where the sun don't shine.
Ugh, help help help...
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Post by Chloe Abendroth on Mar 24, 2009 19:55:17 GMT -5
It was raining again....
"Hurensohn..."
The tall German girl muttered. While alone, she didn't really worry about other people hearing her muttered curses, especially when they were in German... but the profanity was pretty much all she could do; she couldn't exactly WILL the rain to stop. If she could, she'd make sure the world never saw another drop of rain for as long as she walked the Earth....Selfish, yes, but she was beyond the point of caring at the moment. Rain always put her in a foul mood.
The streets were empty save for her. It was usually like that, seeing as how she usually preferred it that way anyhow. As she walked alone, she absentmindedly straightened the collar of her white dress shirt. Chloe sported a boys school uniform instead of the girls; she had always been more comfortable wearing pants than a skirt. It had taken some convincing, but in the end, she had decided that, even if they told her no, she'd still show up to school in pants. If they had a problem with it, too bad.
A sound brought Chloe back to her senses abruptly. It sounded like a male's voice, and it was coming from a street somewhere to her right. The junior kept walking. It was a voice, big deal. She could avoid the man with the route she was taking now, and wouldn't have to--
A girls nervous giggle.... this made Chloe's steps falter a bit, and her pace slowed. That laugh... she knew that kind of laugh. It usually meant that the person giggling was in a situation that they found uncomfortable. Inwardly, Chloe became curious as to what was happening...but still didn't want to get involved. Whatever it was, it would play itself out and--
SMACK. The sound of a palm striking flesh resounded through her mind like a deafening thunderclap. The girl's voice was now pleading. Without warning, a thought hit Chloe; there were murders going on around Inaba.... what if...just maybe...?
Without realizing it, the tall girl's feet began quickly carrying her towards the sounds she had been hearing. What was she doing? Helping, obviously. No matter how much she tried to stay uninvolved in things.... could she really just ignore someone right in front of her who needed help, possibly life-saving help? Of course not... or at least, that's what she told herself anyway.
Chloe exited the side street she was walking down, coming out on the main street, right near the Tofu shop in fact. Glancing around quickly, she saw what the disturbance was. There was a man with his back to her and.... he had a teenage girl in his clutches. Chloe, already in a foul mood from the rain, felt a growl rising in her throat. The man had his back to her and thus hadn't seen her yet, but the red-headed girl would probably see her coming.... and would probably see the sinister and angry look on her face. Chloe's quick strides took her to directly behind the man and, before he could realize she was there, she grabbed him by the shoulder forcefully, perhaps more forceful than she had intended, and spun him around to face her.
"Is there a problem?"
Chloe said, her voice both icy and venomous at the same time. He was .... actually shorter than her, only about 5'7" compared to her 5'10" frame; she ended up glowering down at him menacingly. Her ice-blue eyes flickered to the girl's face for a moment. She looked familiar....wasn't she the girl who worked at the Tofu shop? Chloe sometimes ran errands there for her foster family. She was almost certain she had seen her there before...
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Post by Rise Kujikawa on Mar 24, 2009 20:01:45 GMT -5
Christ, what was this guys problem? What did he want from her? Rise felt sick just looking at him, what with that gross grin on his face, like the gratification of an animal catching it's prey.
And she wasn't quite sure what to do about it. She didn't like getting physical, not wanting to throw away her image of what an idol should be (cute and funny, or whatever). But the streets were very well near empty that afternoon, and she could feel the chances of a knight in shining armor slipping. Where was Naoto-kun? The Detective Prince worked for the police... Police are supposed to be on the lookout for idols in distress!
Rise glared up at the man, when some movement in the distance caught her eye.
Oh, hello there.
As if on cue, Rise saw a foreign-looking blond girl approaching from beyond the man's vision. She felt a flood of relief, though the expression the girl wore looked rather dangerous. Either way, she was walking towards them, and the idol was willing to take any help she could get.
She tugged for her arm back, trying not to look at the approaching blond, for fear of making the pervert notice her too.
"Rise-chan, please-"
He was whipped around before he could finish the sentence, his grip on Rise loosening greatly -- enough so that she could even gain her arm back. Finally free, Rise stepped back, feeling like a mouse that finally escaped the trap. She held in the urge to give the other girl a hug just yet. They still had this guy to deal with.
"What the hell? No one asked for your help, pipsqueak," came his lame reply as he pushed her hand from his shoulder, and grabbed the front of her shirt roughly. "This is none of your business. Get lost, little girl."
Rise watched from behind, her eyebrow quirked. Did he forget she was even there or something? Because she could definitely prove points of his statement wrong. If you were trying to take someone away in the middle of a street, she was sure it would be any passerby's business. And even though she didn't really scream "help" or anything, she was damn well thinking it.
Still, the idol gave the other girl an apologetic look. This guy had just turned rather angry fairly quick, and she had no idea how to help out. A kick to the man-parts may suffice, but...
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Post by Chloe Abendroth on Mar 24, 2009 20:09:25 GMT -5
Pipsqueak? PIPSQUEAK? He was calling HER a pipsqueak, when she had to look down in order to see his rotten and ugly mug? The calm look on her face, for a moment, flickered. It flickered from the calm mask, to a menacing sneer of contempt before returning to its calm facade. Today was not a day to trifle with her, especially considering the less-than-pleasant mood she was currently exhibiting. This guy really had been bothering the girl, and she could see why now; this man was a sleazebag. If he so much as--
The man grabbed the front of her shirt. Before his grip could even tighten on the fabric, Chloe was moving. Grabbing the older man's wrist with one hand, she pulled him forwards past her. Now standing behind him with her hand still on his wrist, she used her other hand to grab his elbow. There wasn't even a moment of pause. The German girl pushed viciously on the man's elbow, not only bringing him down to the ground... but doing so with a sickening crack.
It had all happened within 2 seconds, from the man grabbing her shirt to the man shrieking on the ground with an obviously broken arm. Standing, Chloe brushed a bit of dirt from her uniform, her back to Rise as she surveyed her handiwork. When she was relatively sure that the man would not be standing for a while, Chloe turned to face the girl he had been harassing....it then hit her how much....taller she was compared to the other girl. Chloe looked blankly at her for a moment before clearing her throat awkwardly, it was almost as if she hadn't just broken a man's arm.
"Are you hurt?"
She asked. Did she have to say anything else? There wasn't much else she could say, was there? She had come to help, and now that she had....it was customary to ask if she was alright, right? Chloe was new to this sort of thing, so she wasn't really all that sure.
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Post by Rise Kujikawa on Mar 24, 2009 20:22:25 GMT -5
Rise watched the scene in front of her happen, mouth agape and eyes large. If she would have blinked, she may have just missed the entire thing happen. Her hazel eyes were fixed though, too transfixed with this girl's style, how quick she moved after he grabbed the collar of her shirt... She saw her grab the man's arm. She saw the swift movements as his elbow was pushed in a way an elbow should never be pushed. She definitely heard the loud crack, followed by that painful howl.
The idol squealed and and put her hands over her mouth. She would have squeezed her eyes shut too, but it was too late; she watched the man fall to the ground, holding the broken arm, and felt sick. He totally deserved it, but... Oh god I just saw someone get their arm broken.
She was definitely used to seeing shadows getting slayed, and those didn't really bother her, even through the bloodshed and torn body limbs. Seeing a person get his arm broken though... Ohgodew. Just the pop and crack was enough to make her stomach twist uncomfortably.
The man was on the ground, sobbing and trying to crawl away from the blond girl. Not only that, but the rain had also decided to finally pick up, pouring down on the three inhabitants mirthlessly. Prying her eyes from the stranger writhing on the ground, she let her eyes fall on the other girl instead.
Oh, her lips were moving...
Oh, she's talking...
"W-what? Oh yeah, I'm fine, hahaha..." Rise rubbed a hand through her damp hair, grinning sheepishly. The girl seemed nice enough, and she did help out. Lips turning into a soft smile, the idol dipped her hand into her school bag, taking the pink umbrella out and handing it to her.
"Here, you can use that, as thanks," she smiled, looking to the man on the ground briefly, then back up to the blond. She really didn't feel like hanging out there any longer. He could take care of himself from there, right? She could hear him mumbling something about 'Little shits' and meaningless threats between sobs. Well, he deserved it, and Rise had to pay the other girl back somehow.
Grabbing her hand, Rise began tugging the blond off in the direction of the tofu shop. "I'll also give you some free tofu if you want! We can wait the storm out at the shop... Oh, Rise Kujikawa, by the way~"
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Post by Chloe Abendroth on Mar 24, 2009 20:52:05 GMT -5
When she looked over, she could see the clear look of disgust on the other girl's face. Chloe suddenly felt....as if she had done something horrifically wrong. The other girl looked so scared..... Maybe that had been a bit too much.... maybe she should have just dislocated his arm? In her defense, it had been an immediate reaction to defend herself; she hadn't actually meant to break his arm. Just from the red-head's reaction, Chloe felt slightly ashamed of herself. He deserved it, she told herself, almost as if trying to justify her actions.
She was suddenly aware that the the red-head was giggling nervously and then felt something being pushed into her hand. An umbrella....a... pink umbrella? It was only now that it became clear that the rain was coming down harder now. Looking at the umbrella, Chloe shook her head; she couldn't accept this. Besides, she had something to take care of. The tall foreign girl handed the umbrella back to Rise before she turned back towards the man on the ground.
Roughly, she reached down and grabbed the man by the front of his shirt, much as he had done to her. She hauled him to his feet, looking him right in the eye. The taller girl leaned in so her face was close to his ear; she said a simple and short sentence to him in hushed tones, and whatever colour was left in his face left him in one fell swoop. She let go of his shirt, and he retreated as fast as he could from the two girls. Chloe watched him go with an almost satisfied smirk on her face. The smirk did not last long, however.
The girl had grabbed her by the hand and had begun pulling her along. It took every fiber of her willpower not to react in the same manner as when the sleazebag had grabbed her; she succeeded, only twitching violently in response. What was the girl doing? Why had she grabbed her hand? The first thing that popped into her mind was '....her hand is warm...' but she quickly dismissed such thoughts. She hadn't held someone's hand since the death of her father and hospitalization of her mother; it was awkward for her. She wasn't sure if she liked it or disliked it. It confused her...
Regardless, Chloe wanted her to stop, she wanted the physical contact to cease....but looking at the other girl's smaller frame, she was afraid that if she put up some resistance, it would bowl the poor red-head over. She'd just have to put up with it until they made it... where ever they were going.
Free Tofu? They were going to the Tofu Shop.....so she had been right; that where she had seen her. Wait, Rise? As in the Idol? This thought drifted through her mind for a second....before she dismissed it. So what? She was apparently like any other person if sleazebags wanted a piece of her.
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Post by Rise Kujikawa on Mar 25, 2009 19:08:26 GMT -5
Rise squeaked helplessly as the blond girl went back for the man on the ground, lifting him by the collar and whispering something in his ear. She wasn't sure what, but judging by his colorless face, it wasn't anything good. He was running away with whatever strength he had left, getting away from the tall girl before she had the chance to tear his lungs out instead.
The idol watched his retreating form, then glanced at Chloe, albeit rather shyly. This girl was tough. She wasn't scared to get her hands a little dirty, or fight for a good cause. She would probably make an amazing addition to the investigation team... However, that would require a kidnapping and risk of death -- Rise wouldn't wish that upon anyone, no matter how scary they were.
This girl's really quiet too, Rise noted in the back of her mind. Not that it was bothersome or anything -- she often found herself being able to hold a whole conversation on her own anyway. If anything, the blond was probably thinking to herself that Rise was too happy and talkative... It was nice to meet someone that didn't treat her like an object, however. She was used to kids trying to be friends with her solely for the fact that she was on TV.
She also noted that the girl was wearing a Yasogami uniform, though she didn't look very familiar. Probably a different class... And a foreigner? There weren't many asians with blond hair and stunning blue eyes.
The idol was dragging the stranger down the streets anyway, hand in hand, trying to get them someplace dry. The blonde had definitely shown that she was tough (and kinda scary), but it wouldn't be fair to allow her savior go home empty handed. She didn't look like she wanted to trouble herself with tiny red-headed idols anyway. Rise would hold no challenge, right?
... Right.
Rise let out a sneeze then, disturbing her from her thoughts. Ugh, better get inside soon. Rubbing her nose briefly, she moved her hand to the pink umbrella that was previously declined from the girl. She held it in front of her, pushing a button on the handle that made the plastic sections of umbrella separate, and held it up over both her and the other girl.
... Not that it helped much, considering they were both very close to being soaked from the rain anyway. She quickened her pace and smiled at the other girl slightly.
"Anyway, let's hurry up, hmm? Unless you'd rather play in the rain. I could think up some sweet dance moves or something~"
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Post by Chloe Abendroth on Mar 31, 2009 19:40:24 GMT -5
Chloe looked down at the girl who pulling her along. The German could almost feel Rise thinking about her, almost judgmentally, and she felt a bit self-conscious. The feeling was shrugged off quickly, however; Of course people would be judgmental, especially about someone such as herself; it wasn't like many people in Japan had bright blonde hair and ice blue eyes. Being taller than almost everyone definitely wasn't helping her case either...
The girl before her was small, and had an infectiously cheery smile. It was almost as if this girl had nothing to worry about, nothing to fear, nothing to hide.... how nice it would be to be able to live like that, she thought. This girl seemed sweet and, to a degree, innocent.... Chloe physically shook her head to clear her thoughts before looking up into the rain. It didn't look like it was going to stop pouring anytime soon.
A sound brought Chloe's thought from wherever they were back to reality. Looking down at Rise, she realized that it was a sneeze. Well... that wasn't good. She would come down with something at this rate. From personal experience, it wasn't any fun doing anything while sick out of your mind. Looking at the umbrella, she knew that probably wouldn't be enough. Inwardly, Chloe sighed....
The taller German girl took off the jacket that came with the boy's uniform she wore, shaking it out as best as she could with one hand before draping it over Rise's shoulders. Contrary to what one might think of such a 'cold' person, the jacket was warm to the touch. Chloe now wore the plain dress shirt and pants, but she didn't mind; she didn't really mind the cold. Chloe said nothing during or after the exchange, but instead concentrated on not tripping over her own feet or that of Rise's as the smaller girl pulled them along the streets.
Why was she being so nice? She wasn't being exceedingly nice. Anyone would give a girl a jacket if she were cold, wouldn't they? It was just polite... or at least, it was where she had come from. Back home, it was a simple gesture usually between friends, but it wasn't so uncommon; she herself had seen complete strangers do it as well. Then again, this was Japan.... maybe it meant something different here? She was unfamiliar with the traditions and customs, so it very well could. It was too late to dwell on the matter, however. She just wanted to see the girl home safely and then be on her way...
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Post by Rise Kujikawa on Apr 11, 2009 9:40:37 GMT -5
Rise was rather shocked when she felt the coat being placed around her shoulders. Slowing her pace, she looked down at it with raised eyebrows. It was nice and warm, the soft lining inside doing good to keep in the body heat. She was getting pretty cold from the downpour, but at the same time, felt increasing guilty for putting her through so much trouble. The blond beside her was now in nothing more then a blouse and pants, which were both pretty soaked by now. Wasn't she cold too?
At the same time, the idol couldn't help but think how adorable the gesture was. She couldn't remember anyone ever offering her their coat, since people probably figured it a lame, old-fashioned thing to do these days. Rise didn't mind, however. It was strange, though, that the first time a coat was offered to her, it was from another girl.
Huh...
Whatever.
The idol giggled, a sheepish grin on her face while willing down a small blush, "Aww, you didn't have to do that..."
Though it was super appreciated.
Grabbing the girl's hand, she began tugging her along once again, wiping her wet bangs out of her face every now and then. She was beginning to feel exhausted. Rain, perverts, this strange girl that barely said a word (though that wasn't necessarily a bad thing). It all seemed to be finally taking their course as they approached the tofu shop. She may as well be catching something, with all the stress of the Midnight Channel coupled with the rain. Baaaah...
Rise put the friendly smile on her face regardless, opening the door for the blond girl. "After you~"
Thankfully, her grandma had decided to close early that day, due to the rain and the fact that no one seemed to want to come buy tofu on dreary days like this. She'd probably retired to her room by now or something. The idol didn't mind though, since it meant being able to see to the girl without any interruptions.
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Post by Chloe Abendroth on Apr 14, 2009 20:27:25 GMT -5
Didn't have to do that? .... Well, she had a point there; she actually didn't have to do it. Yet she did, and it wasn't like she was just going to take back the jacket because 'She didn't have to do it.' The jacket was much too big for Rise; if she were to stick her arms in the sleeves, they'd cover her hands in a rather adorable display. Chloe looked away awkwardly, deciding that burning a hole in the girl's back with her stare was impolite.
The girl once again grabbed Chloe's hand and began leading her away down the street. She already knew where the Tofu shop was and didn't need to be lead.... but she was afraid of bowling the poor girl over in an attempt to take her hand back; she seemed rather adamant about leading. Chloe would just have to put up with it. However, through both line of sight and physical contact, she could tell that Rise was tired. Her movements were somewhat jerky, and every time she stole a glance at the Idol's face, it looked weary. Either this girl was unusually frail, or there was more going on than was apparent to Chloe at this moment in time. Mentally, Chloe made a note to keep a close eye....
They were at the Tofu shop now, and the girl held the door open for her. Chloe backed up from her a bit....and shook her head, much like a dog would do, dislodging the water in her hair. The wetness made it lay flat to her face anyway, and she tried to blow a wet strand from her eye in an annoyed fashion. Having no luck with that, she sighed and let it stay where it fell. She didn't really care what she looked like right now.
.... Aaaand now the awkward silence. Chloe wasn't quite sure what to say. She cleared her throat awkwardly before looking out the window. Now that they were no longer in motion, or she wasn't concentrating on anything else, it was...awkward, to say the least. She didn't know this Rise, and this girl didn't know her either. Yet here they were, standing in a tofu shop, sopping wet from a downpour that had snuck up on them. Chloe could do nothing but gaze out the window, sneaking glances at Rise when she wasn't looking...
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