High in the skies, rapidly approaching Japanese airspace, JapanAir Flight 783 was quickly approaching it's destination, of Tokyo International Airport.
The interior of the plane was a standard affair, rows on rows of seats, too close together to be truly comfortable, but far enough apart to avoid the detested 'business fliers doing a sardine can impression' feeling. It also was stocked with the usual luxuries, in-flight movies, meals, pillows and so forth.
The sun was slowly setting outside the windows of the airliner, and mood aboard the roughly half-full plane was subdued, as the people on board gradually succumed to the allure of sleep that nightfall brought.
Of particular note, because they weren't native Japanese like a good 7/8ths of the plane's passengers, were two yong women, seated near the back.
The first was a young girl, no more than sixteen, clad in a simple outfit of a shorts and a t-shirt, covered by a sweat-shirt style jacket. She could have been from Japan, but her manner and bearing suggested long times spent away from her native land, too long to make her a 'true' japanese.
Her eyes were a soft, light brown, so liquid as to nearly be amber colored in the plane's dim 'night' lighting, which clinted softly off of her her dark hair. She examined the magazine she was holding carefully, even in this relaxed state, her expression carried a certain wistfulness, making her look perpetually sad.
Her companion, in the seat next to her was a study in contrasts. Somewhat older than the girl, in her early to mid-twenties, she was dressed in practical, yet alluring attire of a belted maroon sleeveless sweater, and a short miniskirt, completed with leather calf boots.
She possessed a body fully past the 'developing' look of her traveling mate, and well into the rounded curves of a fully grown woman, a figure that would turn men's heads without being exaggerated in any way.
Long blonde hair tumbled down her head in neatly arranged waves, and artfully arranged bangs brushed the area above one eye, framing a fair skinned face, and intense, crystal blue eyes, her coloring befitting a true daughter of Corsica.
It was to the blonde woman that one of Belldandy's summoned agents came, and with a slight twisting sensation, awoke within the body of Mireille Bouquet...
OOC: Hmm...I'll be using my online OOC name, can't help but think that way around here. @_@
IC: May groaned quietly as she awoke, blinking in surprise. Light? When did my eyes open? She quickly closed her eyes, sighing with the comfortable feel of darkness that enveloped her. For that matter, when did I sit in a chair? I don't remember using the laptop...
Squirming slightly, the young woman got a feel for what was pressed against her, frowning further. Skirt, boots, and a top that doesn't cover my shoulders but comes up my neck...where'd my normal clothes go? This is f***ing strange.
Cracking open her eyes, May looked around. This...looks like an airplane, but I've never flown in my life... Her head fell to the side, playing her usual sleeping act when she didn't want to be bothered. One good look at her companion and she started to wish that it wasn't an act. That's...KIRIKA?! When did anything even named Kirika exist near me besides my hard drive?! She opened her eyes halfway, trying to appear sleepy as she looked the young girl uup and down. And if I'm sitting next to Kirika, in a skirt, with boots... A shift of her head and another sweeping glance told her what she needed to know, and she didn't like it very much. Black skirt, red top, black boots, and what looks like blond hair. Good morning Mireille! Just f***ing great, I wonder who slipped a hallucinogenic into the cocoa.
Well, if I haven't blanked out of this yet, I'll just have to try and live with it. And hopefully our ideas will work. Mireille sat up straighter in her chair, opening her eyes fully and looking around herself curiously.
Not much more detail met Mireille's eyes as she opened them. The plane was a mid-sized affair, rows of seating, spaced _almost_ comfortably apart, and divided by two aisles, each running from one end of the cabin to the other, from the front, disappearing into the back, presumably where the bathrooms were.
The two women were sitting in the right section of seats, Kirika sitting by the window, and Mirielle beside her.
As the blonde woman sat up and looked around, Kirika turned to her, a passively curious expression on her face. "Did you sleep well?"
Mireille nodded. "Yes...thank you," she murmured, returning Kirika's curous gaze with one of her own. "And did you sleep well?" Her voice was soft, almost tentative in the unknown environment.
Kirika nodded slowly, her amber eyes softening slightly as Mireille asked.
"Hai." a small, nearly invisible smile accompanied the reply. "We won't land for another forty-five minutes..." the dark haired girl supplied softly, her gaze never leaving Mireille.
Mireille smiled a little, a hint of warmth tugging at the expression. She's cuter in person... "Arigato, Kirika-chan..." she replied, blinking once as she returned the steady gaze.
Kirika gave Mireille another barely visible smile, then turned back to her magazine, and continued reading. The gentle thrum of the engines could be heard through the window of the plane, one of them visible through the window beside Kirika...
Mireille sighed softly, more memories of what had happened between Mireille and Kirika beginning to surface. Leaning back, she looked at the ceiling, and began to think over the details of what happened.
Kirika continued to read, her expression relaxing slightly in repose, though it retained the slightly wistful look that seemed nearly permanent.
In the ensuing silence, the soft thrum of the engines was disrupted only by the sound of flight attendants on either side discreetly asking passengers if they required anything...
Mireille sighed, humming the ending song of the Noir anime to herself. As she waited for landing, she continued to sort through what she could think of, hoping her talent for extrapolation wouldn't fail her.
She pushed the thoughts distracting her to the back of her mind, trying to block things outside of her current world from thought as best she could. Mireille gave a long sigh, and slumped a little. Too much...
Kirika turned away from her magazine, and gave Mireille a startled look, having hear the sigh, and caught the slump out of the corner of her eye.
"Mireille?" She asked softly, a slight note of concern in her voice.
Mireille blushed, straightening her shoulders and bringing her slight smile back up. "Hai, Kirika-chan?" she asked. Only her eyes held a hint of darkness, something she had pulled inside herself.
Kirika seemed hesitant to pry, but pressed on quietly. "Is there something wrong?" she asked uncertainly as the expression she had been watching vanished.
She glanced up, making sure the flight attendant was still a few rows away...
Mireille opened her mouth, about to reply negative, but shut it slowly. "Kirika-chan...please, ask me when we're off the plane and alone." Her voice was soft, almost shaking in it's tentativeness. She looked at the other younger girl, blue eyes reaching for the brown pair that may hold some assurance.
Kirika's eyes didn't narrow, she simply examined at her companion carefully, and could see something was amiss, but she wasn't sure what. "Hai." she agreed reluctantly.
She glanced over at the approaching flight attendant, wondering if she should have smuggled her gun aboard.
She said nothing further, respecting Mireille's wishes, but wondering what could have caused such a drastic change in the blonde woman's manner. Even her body language seemed slightly 'off' for the norm...
Mireille took a deep breath, suppressing everything she could while in public. Time enough to freak out later, even if later never came. "Arigato." she murmured, tightening her posture, but letting the hint of warmth stay in her voice. She waited for the plane to arrive or the unlikely occurence of Kirika asking something else with her shoulders squared, and her hands in loose fists. Probably don't have a chance if she tries something...but unnecessary paranoia can't hurt too much...
Kirika nodded slightly. "Hai." she replied softly, relaxing against her chair, her eyes alert, wondering what had frightened her partner so badly, and if Mireille agitated state of mind meant that there would be trouble soon.
She cast another discreet glance at the flight attendant, and then at the other passengers, wondering who among them could be trouble, and fiddling with the magazine slightly as she did, rather than going back to reading it...
Mireille closed her eyes, going through things that could relax her mentally. A battle squadron has how many lines again...? It being May, this meant Star Wars.
OOC: Bean, I formally suggest timeskip unless you have anything planned. ^^;;
OOC: Suggestion accepted. ^^
IC:
Roughly an hour later, their plane had reached the airport and landed. The flight attendants re-appeared, and handed out directions for disembarking the plane, and the half-compliment of passengers began to disembark slowly.
Kirika turned to Mireille as the plane began to empty, obviously looking for the older woman to take the lead...
Mireille took her second deep breath and stood, assuming a reserved but slightly superior manner. Waiting for their vicinity of seats to be mostly empty, she checked the overhead compartment for luggage...
The overhead compartment was empty, save for a single black bag of a simple, single strap design. It did't appear to be excessively full, or particulary heavy, so a few changes of clothes seemed to be a safe bet...
Mireille nodded, removing the bag and slipping it over her shoulder. I think Kirika usually carried it...but I need to explain soon...
Stepping out, she followed the instructions for disembarking, keeping her eyes open. It was the first time she'd even been in an airport...
Kirika followed Mireille closely, saying nothing as of yet as they left the boarding station, entering the crowded airport.
The airport's was packed with people, heading to and from their particular destinations, but there was enough room to move about and all the exits and features were clearly marked...
Mireille looked around nervously, her slight discomfort in a crowd apparent as she looked for the unlikely possibility of an airport restaurant that might have a secluded table or booth...
Fortunately, this was an international airport. Signs posted nearby to where the two women were standing informed them that restaurants could be found on the second and fourth floors of Terminal Two of Tokyo's Narita International airport...
Mireille smiled slightly, following the signs carefully to the second floor. Sighting an american restaurant, she headed over, keeping her eyes open and her hands ready at her sides.
Going inside, her smile widened a little at the self-seating sign, and promptly headed for a secluded booth in one corner of the dim restaurant. Dropping the bag in the far side of one of the booth benches, she almost fell into it, letting her previously superior manner fall away.
OOC: Already cleared this with Bean for those who're curious...
As Mireille made her way upstairs, her unusual height and coloring attracted a fair amount of admiring looks from the Japanese businessmen scurrying about in the concourse.
Kirika followed Mireille upstairs, and blinked slightly as the blonde woman headed into the restaurant. She eyed Mireille warily, but sat down in the booth bench opposite the blonde woman, eyeing her curiously, but waiting for her to speak first...
MIreille calmed herself, hoping this wouldn't sound like she'd gone completely insane. "Kirika-chan...I'm not exactly Mireille...oi, this really sounds crazy, but I'm not from this...universe, really...and I didn't want this to happen...but it did...and I don't know how to reverse this..." Mireille stumbled as she spoke, obviously quite nervous.
Kirika blinked at Mireille, a puzzled expression on her face.
"Ano...I don't understand..." She admitted softly, concern showing behind the confusion.
"My mind...isn't Mireille's, this is her body, but not her mind." Mireille tried to explain clearer, groping for words to express it. "I know about you and Mireille because there's an anime about you where I come from..." she continued to stumble her way through it, wishing she didn't have a penchant for such complicated explanations.
Kirika frowned slightly, obviously digesting the first point, and thinking on it for a long moment.
"...How did this happen?" she asked, "And when?"
In the background, the muted hum of other conversations were barely audible, and the waiter seemed busy with other customers, for the moment.
"I don't know how, my only theory is almost jibberish. As for when, when I woke up on the plane, it was me." Mireille sighed, brushing a strand of blone hair back behind her ears annoyedly.
Kirika simply looked even more puzzled. "But...if you're here, where is Mireille?" she asked softly, a hint of worry in her voice.
"I-I don't know...with this kind of situation, she could be dormant in this body, in the body I used to inhabit, or any number of places between..." she said slowly, shaking her head. "This would involve transfers over either lightyears or entire planes of existence...and thus from my point of view, it involves time space anomolies. Which means Mireille could thoeretically be anywhere..."
"..." Kirika looked mildly disturbed by the prospect, but shook her head slowly.
"Ano...then...if you're not Mireille, who are you?" she asked, tilting her head slightly, a slight anxiety visible in her features.
"I'm...May, or Mayumi...some would call me something of an otaku, others add weapons obsessed freak to that..." she said, a wry smile crossing her face. "And I'm a fan of yours and Mireille's...in my world, your lives from when you contacted Mireille until Altena's death were an anime series...with the memories to explain all of it..." Mireille sighed, hoping she wouldn't overwhelm Kirika, but Kirika needed to know how she knew what she would know...
Kirika blinked, blushing and ducking her head slightly at that, unsure of how to respond.
"..."
Fortunately, at that moment, a waiter came by.
"What can I get for you ladies?"
Mireille pasted a smile on her face, turning to the waiter. "At the moment, just a pair of cokes...we still need time to decide on what else we'll order." she said, hoping that would get rid of him for a little while.
The waiter nodded, making a quick note of the order, and then moving on.
Kirika, however, still looked utterly confused. She had a thoughtful expression, as though she were trying to get it, but couldn't quite manage it...
"...anime...?"
"Um...where I came from...this was anime. And the story of Kirika, Mireille, Chloe, Altena, and Soldats...that was the anime known as 'Noir'...I acquired it over the internet, and watched it all the way through." Mireille hoped that shed some light for Kirika, but her pessimistic mind doubted such.
Kirika's eyes widened at the mention of the name 'Soldats', and she shot a quick glance at the doorway.
"Ano...Be careful about how you say that....May-san?"
Mireille smiled, nodding. "I know, but listing off all the names is the easiest way to tell you that I know...and I'll answer to May, Mayumi, or Mireille now...so whatever you wish to call me, Kirika-san..." she murmured, closing her eyes and leaning back.
Kirika nodded. "I still don't understand this..." she admitted. "Do you have Mireille's memories? or just her body?" she wondered. "And why did you come to Mireille?"
Mireille sighed. "Just her body, and the knowledge that the anime gave me. And I didn't choose to come to Mireille...I just woke up like this."
Kirika frowned. "Hai." she acknowledged. "But I wonder why...." she sighed, and mentally switched trains of thought, concentrating on the problem of the moment.
"We should continue on our trip for now...Ano, I think Mireille has our hotel booking information in her suitcase...if you don't mind?" she said quietly.
Mireille nodded, smiling. "I'm capable of falling into character, I just need a little time for it..." she said softly, murmuring to herself. "Gaming came in a lot of use, I guess..."
Shaking her head a little, she looked over at Kirika again. "Ano...I'm assuming our weapons and other luggage were shipped on the plane, but not with us?"
Kirika shook her head.
"Mm. Mireille had them sent over by courier." She replied. "Getting weapons into Japan is a complicated process..."
Mireille nodded, humming softly. "Do you know where we'll be able to pick them up?" she asked, tracing some random design on the table surface.
Kirika shook her head. "No, but Mireille has it written in her day planner..." she supplied, indicating the bag Mireille had brought with them to the table.
Mireille nodded, unzipping the bag and curiously looking through it for the dayplanner. "Is there anything else I need to know to be Mireille for the moment?" she asked, softly but bluntly.
Kirika looked up at the other woman apologetically.
"...I don't know...I didn't expect this..." she replied softly.
Mireille smiled, nodding as she removed the dayplanner and rezipped the bag. "'Salright..." Opening the planner, Mireille paged through it, hoping Mireille's shorthand or notes weren't as illegible as some of the gamers back home. "Hmm...I probably will need to spend some time practicing with her Walther though, if it's possible in Japan."
Kirika nodded. "I know a place." she said simply.
Mireille's search of the dayplanner turned up a largely empty book, with only three pages full, but each of those pages filled from top to bottom with what seemed like neatly printed gibberish.
On the fourth page was a series of numbers, but only three lines of them.
"Ah shit...coded, I guess I'll try, though I wasn't too good with codes..." Mireille concentrated on the numbers, she'd done better with interpreting numbers than scrambled letters...
Mireille examined the page, and noted a tiny sketch of a key in the upper left corner, and a small sketch of a phone in the upper right. Below the key, the numbers themselves read:
7243 663: (5)
7243 896: (2)
7243 84733: (4)
Mireille frowned at the numbers, and sighed. "Ghar...I never did well with codes." Holding the book out to Kirika, she sighed again. "Can you do it?"
Kirika blinked and glanced at the book. Her eyes flicked up to the right hand corner.
"Ano...this isn't too hard...The numbers correspond to the numbers on a touch-tone phone," she explained, pointing to the sketch in the corner.
Mireille shook her head, sighing. "I don't think I've ever been able to decode anything, show a large number of meaningless patterns between the numbers, but no translation..." she said, blushing in embarrassment.
Kirika gave a small smile and shook her head. "I don't mind." she said softly, and looked at the page thoughtfully, then took the dayplanner's pen, and began writing.
Within moments, she'd worked it out.
Page One: (5)
Page Two: (2)
Page Three: (4)
Kirika eyed the pages of gibberish briefly. "Ano...I think page one needs every fifth letter eliminated..." she said hesitantly.
Mireille smiled and nodded, turning the planner sideways so they could both read as she flipped back tot he first page of gibberish. Keeping the kye in mind, she began to attempt reading it without every fifth letter...
And when Mireille had finished reading, she'd come away with a name, and an address.
Fujiko Hitashi
5-8-10 Minami Azabu
Minato-Ku
Tokyo
Japan
Mireille hmmed, looking at Kirika. "Do you know your way around Tokyo?" she asked softly, looking around the restaurant to make sure the waiter wasn't heading their way again.
Kirika raised her eyebrows slightly, but simply nodded.
"Un."
Mireille nodded. "Alright...we should be fine then..." Turning the page, she started reading the second page.
The next page was a list:
Dragunov SVD
Walther P99
USP Tactical
MP7 PDW
Shipping charges: 3,000 Yen...
The third and final page was simply a list of names, reading:
Fuji Hiromoto
Asuka Shinomori
Nabiki Mizuno
Taki Yokohita
Yuki Fujikawa
Kyosuke Sagara
Kirika simply nodded, smiling slightly at Mireille as she read.
Mireille's eyes lit up as she saw the list of guns, and it was all she could do to keep from drooling. "I never knew Mireille had such good taste in weaponry..." she breathed, grinning. A couple of the names made her raise an eyebrow, two of them were almost creepy. Nabiki Mizuno...and Yuki Fujikawa...?
Kirika blinked and looked up curiously. "Ara?"
Just then, the waiter returned, and set two full glasses of Coke on the table.
"There you go, ladies!" he smiled. "Can I get you anything else?"
Mireille shook her head. "We're still deciding..." she told the waiter, turning back to Kirika once he'd left.
"Ano...Mireille's weaponry...a Dragonuv, a USP Tactical, and an MP7 in addition to her Walther...I LOVE these guns. Can be used for almost any situation..."
Kirika nodded. "I don't know a lot about guns beside my own..."
Mireille blushed, smiling. "I was known as 'gun obsessed' at home because I browsed gun web sites as a hobby...I know more than I should." she answered shaking her head. "Mmm...are you hungry?" she asked, eyeing the restaurant's menu as she sipped her coke.
Kirika nodded. "Hai." she agreed, picking up the menu, and staring in some confusion at food she'd never tried...
Mireille gigled softly at the confused look on Kirika's face, already having decided for herself. "Never eaten American food?" she asked softly, smiling.
Kirika not-quite smiled back, and her expression was more friendly and relaxed now, and she shook her head.
"Aah." she agreed.
"Well, I come from America...so I can offer advice if asked." she offered, smiling tentatively. Deeper within her mind, Mireille was evalutating her weapons, and what would go with them for 'any situation'.
Kirika looked curiously at the menu. "Ano...I don't know what any of this is.." She admitted.
Mireille giggled softly, "Well, ask me about something that you're curious about...I wouldn't even know where to start if I just started telling you about things..."
Kirika scanned the menu again, and as she did, the waiter returned.
"Have you ladies decided yet?"
Mireille smiled, "I'll have the BLT..." she replied softly. Her eyes flickered to Kirika for a moment. "Though I don't know if my friend is ready..." she left it open, in case Kirika had decided.
Kirika glanced down quickly at the menu. "...I will have one as well," she told the waiter, handing the menu to him. The waiter beamed at them as he collected the menus and quickly swept away...
Mireille's artificial smile she gave to the waiter fell away, returning to the slighter but genuine one. "Hmm...do you know why you and Mireille were coming to Japan?" she aksed Kirika curiously.
Kirika shook her head. "I'm not sure, but we were going to meet a contact about a possible assignment..."
Mireille nodded, frowning. "It must be pretty complicated if she's bringing an MP7 and USP Tactical...more so since she's also bringing the Dragunov. A high power and penetration sniper rifle, a high penetration automatic sub-machinegun, and a high stopping power handgun plus the usual Walther...she expected to fight a large number of enemy combatants at medium and short range, probably with body armor; and she expected to be sniping through a vehicle or body armor, though a Dragunov may be the only sniper rifle she has, since it is rather low maintenence."
Kirika shook her head slightly. "Mireille wasn't given mission specifics...so she packed for maxium...ano...'flexibilty'?"
"Ahhh..." Mireille nodded, humming softly. "Mmm...well, she certainly did it well...you're still using your Beretta M1934, right?" she asked, her eyes darting towards the pockets of Kirika's sweatshirt, where she'd seen the younger girl keep the gun in the anime.
Kirika blinked, and slowly nodded. "Hai."
"Hmm..." Mireille looked at Kirika for a long moment, and looked away, letting silence reign. Sometimes, you're a little too chatty... she thought to herself.
Kirika let the silence be for a few moments, then suddenly spoke.
"Ano...you aren't as old as Mireille, are you?"
Mireille shook her head. "No...I'm a little older than you, but I'm still a teen." she supplied.
Kirika nodded, her apparent thought confirmed.
Just at that moment, the waiter returned, depositing 2 plates with toasted BLT's on them, along with pickles and sides of fries...
Thanking them politely, he slipped away again...
Mireille hmmed, munching on her fries while not touching the sandwhich. Her eyes would occasionally move to Kirika as she ate in her own peculiar pattern, but her glances always quickly turned away. Do Not start that again...it gets so obvious after a while, and you remember how embarrassing it was in OP...
Kirika ate slowly, not changing expression as she methodically ate her food, and sipped at the drink, aperaing deep in thought...
Mireille eventually finished her fries, and began on the pickle. She ate it in several distinct and quick bites, her eyes going to Kirika once she was done with it. "Care to share your thoughts?" she inquired softly, picking up one half of her BLT as she asked.
Kirika looked up, and swallowed her mouthful.
"Aah. I was just comparing your body language to Mireille's..." she said thoughtfully, her brown eyes meeting Mireille's azure ones.
Mireille blushed slightly, smiling. "Well...how do we compare?" she asked, curiousity evident in her voice as she took a bite of her BLT.
"Mireille has a...ano..." Kirika trailed off, blushing slightly. "She acts calm, even when she's not..." Kirika explained hesitantly, wording things carefully.
Mireille nodded, swallowing her bite before trying to smile in a reassuring way. "Makes sense...I never was very able to conceal nervousness..." she murmured.
Kirika smiled slightly and nodded. "Mmm." she agreed, taking a quick drink, then continuing to attack her sandwich.
Mireille paused in thought for a moment, and then followed suit, starting to eat again. She ate in a pattern, eating the edges and then the center of her sandwhich methodically, beginning on the second half after taking a long drink of coke...
After a long stretch of silence, which, curiously for both, was less uncomfortable than they would have expected, Kirika finished her meal, and looked up expectantly at her companion...
Mireille finished soon after Kirika.
Looking up, she met the brown eyed gaze, smiling softly. "Well, what shall we do now?"
Kirika looked slightly suprised to be put on the spot. "Ara?" she blinked, then shook her head slightly, remembering. "Ano...We need you-Mireille's suitcase..." she supplied tentatively.
Mireille nodded, smiling.
"Thank you...is it going to be delivered to the address in the planner?"
Kirika gave Mireille a curious look, and shook her head slightly. "Mm. It came with us on the plane..."
Mireille's eyes widened slightly, and she swore under her breath. "Fuck...alright...just have to hope luck is on our side..." she muttered, waving the waiter over so she could get the bill, one hand already reaching for the zipper of the bag and hoping Mireille had packed well...
Mireille found a startling assortment of money in the bag, much of it european, but what should be just enough yen to cover the bill for the restaurant, which was fortunate, because the waiter saw the gesture promptly and hurried over with the bill...
Mireille smiled, removing the money and paying the bill. She frowned at the fact she didn't have a long sleeve to slip the small amount remaining into. Sighing, she put it back into the bag and headed out, following the signs of the airport to the baggage claim for her flight...
Kirika followed Mireille from the restaurant, musing on the nature of this new development.
***
The two women arrived at the baggage claim rather quickly, as the route was clearly marked.
As they arrived, Kirika laid a hand in Mireille's arm urgently, pointing to a largish suitcase being loaded onto a cart labeled 'Lost and found'...
"Eep..." was all Mireille said as she rushed over to the cart. "Excuse me...that is my suitcase..."she told them, trying to hide her awkwardness while at the same time thanking whatever kami there was that her luck had played out as it always did in this as well...
The employee loading the cart was a youngish, rather plain girl, who appeared to be somewhat stressed out. She frowned at Mireille.
"Why didn't you claim it at the baggage carousel?" she snapped.
Mireille sighed. "I apologize, but there were some unforseen delays that kept me from doing so..." she explained softly.
The woman sighed, running a hand through her already messy hair.
"Fine, fine...just take it and go." she griped.
Mireille nodded, picking up the suitcase. She wished for one of her pull over tops so she could've kept things available in her sleeves, but it couldn't be helped.
Unshouldering the shoulder bag, she offered it to Kirika...
Kirika accepted the bag, nodding slightly to the unasked question. "Un." she said softly as she slung it across her shoulders.
Mireille smiled, following signs through the crowds to an exit, and turning to Kirika.
"Ano...that address in the planner, will we be staying there?"
Kirika nodded. "Hai, it makes recieving the guns faster." she explained softly, following Mireille to the exit, he hand resting on the strap of the back bag, while the other clutched it.
Mireille nodded, blushign softly. "So...could you lead us there? I don't know anything about the layout of Tokyo..." she murmured, slightly embarrassed.
Kirika blinked at the request. After a moment's thought, she nodded slowly as they left the building and headed to the curb. "Hai...ano, we need to take a taxi into the city..." she told Mireille.
Mireille nodded, frowning slightly as she followed Kirika set the suitcase down next to herself. "Alright...I'll get the fare from the bag while you find a cab..." she half instructed, holding a ahnd out for the bag and hoping she could find more yen...
Kirika nodded and handed Mireille the bag, and darted off.
Mireille hunted through the bag, and within moments, came across a small black purse she hadn't seen the first time she looked...
Mireille blinked, smiling and searching through the purse for yen or even plastic, hoping taxi drivers here took credit cards...
Mireille's search of the purse turned up a surprisingly neat and orderly handbag, with a bank card, around 100, 000 yen, and a drivers license, and other assorted typically female odds and ends.
Mireille gave an internal cry of triumph as she found the cash. Zipping the bag back up snd slinging it, but keeping the purse with her, she began looking around for Kirika...
Mireille spotted Kirika waving to her from a short distance away, standing by the door of a cab. Kirika said a few words to the driver, then quickly trotted back to Mireille...
Mireille smiled to Kirika, shouldering the purse on her left side and picking up her suitcase with her right hand. She gave the bag back to Kirika, and began towards the taxi the younger girl had claimed...
Kirika nodded and accepted the shoulder bag, and as the two women walked to the taxi, the trunk popped open, seemingly of it's own accord...
Mireille slipped her suitcase into the trunk, closing it firmly to signal that Kirika should keep the bag with her. Stepping around, she slid into the backseat with a slight push from her legs to push her to the other side of the cab, keeping her hands free.
Kirika climbed into the cab after Mireille, the slightly coltish girl slipping into place with a out of place gracefulness that seemed both unnerving and beautiful all at once.
This, however, was lost on the cab driver. He turned around to address them.
"Where may I take you to, ladies?" he asked politely.
Mireille recited the address, hoping she got it right, and gave the driver a slight smile. Relaxing into the seat, she leaned back, stretching her neck and back slowly.
The driver nodded, and began heading in the direction of the city, humming slightly as he did. The cab itself was something of a marvel, characterisic of Japanese taxi's, it was clean and well kept, and ran quite smoothly.
Kirika sat silently beside Mireille, still save for the occasional glance at the blonde woman...
Mireille blinked, catching several of Kirika's glances in her slightly paranoid state of mind.
Shifting closer to the smaller girl, she leaned towards her slightly. "Is there something you want to talk about?" she asked, her voice a hushed murmur.
Kirika colored slightly, pausing briefly before shaking her head. "Mm..." she replied softly. There was evidently more to it, but she said nothing further...
Mireille smiled slightly, straightening, but not moving back to her former position. She made a note to ask about it again later, but for the moment, she simply looked out at Tokyo.
The scenery of the countryside passed them by rather quickly, and within a short amount of time, the taxi was careening through the streets of Tokyo, where the ride became terrifying.
The driver of the taxi, though unflappably polite, and an excellent vehicle detailer, drove his little cab with a sense of personal invincibility, navigating the twisting and turning, (and often tiny) streets of Tokyo with nervewracking precision, often detouring through alleys, with scant inches to spare on either side of the small vehicle...
Mireille eeped softly at the insane method of driving, bracing her feet against the floor of the cab in case of any possible impact. But, seeing as the man did seem to know what he was doing, she remained silent.
After about a half an hour of this type of driving, the little taxicab pulled up to a fairly plain temple, screeching to a halt.
"Arashi Temple!" Their driver informed them cheerily.
Mireille smiled, again despite the insane drving, and paid and tipped the man. She made sure no cars would kill her before getting out via the door on her side instead of waiting for Kirika to exit, and headed to the trunk for her suitcase...
Once Kirika had vacated the car, and the suitcase had been retrieved, Kirika and Mireille were left standing at the temple steps...
Mireille took a deep breath, calming herself as she looked up the steps to the temple.
"Hmm...I don't suppose you know the names of the temple caretakers that I arranged this with?" she asked Kirika softly.
Kirika nodded. "Shinomori-san is a miko here, and a friend of your...I...that is, Mireille's family..." she replied quietly, looking uo at the temple at the top of the steps.
Mireille smiled, nodding. "May as well get used to reffering to me as Mireille if possible...though I may be a little too paranoid about the presence of recorders around myself." she said softly, starting up the temple stairs...
Kirika followed Mireille up the stairs. "Ano...recorders?" she asked curiously. "Would anyone here know you?"
Mireille shook her head.
"They shouldn't, but if someone manages to see you talking to 'Mireille' about Mireille, it may look suspicious. And being paranoid up to a certain point can't hurt all that much..." she murmured, keeping her voice low as they ascended.
Kirika simply nodded. "Un." she agreed as they continued up the steps. They were about halfway, now, and the torii arches leading to the temple courtyard grew slowly larger...
Mireille admired the scenery as they walked in silence.
Hmm...first time out of the US and where do I end up? Japan. All that needs to happen now to complete the strangeness is for Bean to show up...
They finally reached the top of the steps, and stood under the temple arches, looking out onto a simple, but well apointed courtyard for a small temple. The stone walks were obviously 'religiously' swept, as they looked spotless in the afternoon sun, and lead to a modest, but attractive little temple, and another path broke off from the main, and wound around behind the temple building...
Mireille hmmed, looking around slowly. She was unsure of exactly how to precede from here, it didn't help that she'd always been quite awkward accepting hospitality until she got really comfortable.
"Ano..." she trailed off, stepping farther into the shrine grounds and looking for anyone around.
"I swear, if it's you idiot teenagers again..." came a loud, annoyed feminine voice from around the corner of the temple. moment later, a woman dressed in miko's robes with long, blue tinted black hair, and elegant, gentle features and an irritated expression came into view, a broom propped up on her shoulder.
She took one look a the two, and the annoyed epression vanished. "Mireille-san!"
"Asuka-chan!" Mireille returned, setting the suitcase down and giggling softly. That came a little too naturally...but it was awkward all at the same time...funky.
The other woman laughed and rushed Mireille, hugging her tightly. "It's been so long! Why didn't you call? I could have come picked you up..."
Mireille returned the tight hug, blushing slightly with the sign of affection.
"I got pretty distracted at the airport..." she compromised, her lips refusing to fall back into a neutral expression. "And aren't surprises nicer?"
"Hai!" the younger woman beamed, releasing Mireille to blink at Kirika. "I don't believe we've met....?" she began tentatively.
Mireille smiled, "Asuka-chan, this is Yuumura Kirika. She's my...'partner'."
Mireille took a slight step back, getting out of the way like she usually tried to do...
Asuka gave Mireille an inquisitive look, but smiled, and bowed politely. Kirika, for her part didn't exactly smile, but did bow.
Afte the two exchanged greetings, Asuka grinned. "So, I suppose you're eager to see your room? Night will be falling soon..."
OOC: Postage...G3 crappiness...it all balances @_@
IC:
Mireille nodded, picking her suitcase up again. "Hai...and thank you for letting us stay with you..." she said softly, smiling.
OOC: ^^;;
IC: Asuka smiled and shook her head, walking around to the corner and waiting for them to follow.
"It's nothing...oshou-sama is very fond of you, and he doesn't mind recieveing the shipments either, so long as there's no evidence to lead back to the shrine..."
Mireille nodded again, following Asuka closely. "Un...there shouldn't be." she replied, smiling slightly. "So how is he?" MIreille asked inquisitively, hoping to gather some information...
OOC: And off to first hour...
Asuka shook her head as she followed the pathway around the shrine, and a small, neatly kept house slowly came into view.
"Same as always..." she sighed. "I swear, it seems like priests are chosen by how hentai they could be..."
Mireille nodded, smiling slightly. And cliche proves it is once again the true power in this world...
"Mmm...perhaps it's the lonely and solitary lives they live?" she said, half jokingly.
"Hey!" Asuka said, pouting playfully. "Are you saying I'm not good company?" she joked, striking an exaggerated pose. "Personally, I think it's us gorgeous miko that push them over the edge..."
Mireille snickered softly, eyeing Asuka for a second. "I think they bring in such gorgeous miko because they're so lonely, and then you're too much for their overly sensitive brains and overload them..."
Asuka smirked. "Of course!" she giggled, coming up to the entrance to the small residence, and removing her shoes.
"Flatterer. No wonder Oshou-sama likes you..." she teased, walking into the house.
Mireille blushed slightly, removing her boots next to Asuka's shoes and walking behind her.
"Not much flattery there, Asuka-chan..." she replied softly ash she looked around.
Asuka blushed and smiled. "Thank you. I still can't compare to you, though." she commented. She moved down the hall, gesturing to the neatly ordered little house expansively.
"I moved to a little apartment nearby with my boyfriend, so you have the miko's residence all to yourself, this time." she said, smiling over her shoulder at Mireille.
Kirika remained silent, and simply removed her shoes and followed Mireille into the house.
Mireille smiled back, her blush darkening. "Thank you..." she murmured, looking behind herself to make sure Kirika was still there.
Kirika looked back at Mireille questioningly, meeting the blonde woman's gaze curiously.
"It's no problem." Asuka replied happily. "Though it IS a shame we only get to see you on business, these days..."
Mireille smiled, nodding. "Mmm...maybe when I take a vacation I'll come to Japan for a while...it's relaxing when you can get your attention away from the city..." she replied, hoping the statement was accurate.
Asuka beamed. "That would be wonderful. You haven't visited for more than a few days since you were sixteen." she smiled.
"Anyway, I should be home soon." she added, apologetically. "Will you be all right until Oshou-sama returns?"
Mireille nodded, smiling. "Though...it's been a while, can you remind me where the miko's residence is?" she asked, blushing in embarrassment.
Asuka frowned. "It must have been too long..." she said, after a moment, smiling and laughing lightly. "You're standing in it. Oushou-sama lives in the temple quarters, remember?"
Mireille's blush darkened to a nearly impossible color, and she mentally cursed herself.
"Ara...yeah, that's right..." she absently murmured, nodding. "Thanks, Asuka-chan..." she said, smiling genuinely and fully.
Asuka smiled. "It's nothing. At any rate, the fridge is stocked, and you have run of the house. Oshou-sama will be back tomorrow, and your...shipment should arrive then, too..."
Mireille nodded, bowing slightly as she smiled. "Un..." she agreed, waiting politely for Asuka to leave before she began exploring.
Asuka smiled and swept gracefully from the room, calling over her shoulder.
"I'll see you tomorrow! Nice to meet you, Kirika-chan!"
Kirika blinked and nodded mutely in response as Asuka slipped out the door of the house, her black hair waving in the breeze...
Mireille smiled, picking her suitcase back up and heading into the house proper once Asuka had left, beginning to look around and explore to familiarize herself...
It was a small, simple house, tidily designed, and decorated with an obvious feminine touch. The porch and entranceway was a small room, but seemed more spacious by virtue of it's design.
The entranceway led to a little hallway that seemed to bisect the entire house. There were three sliding doors on one side, and two open doorways on the other...
Mireille hmmed, opening each of the sliding doors and looking inside, inspecting each room by eye before she closed their respective doors behind her.
Two of the sliding doors opened into small, neatly appointed bedrooms, with futons laid out in expectation of arrving company. The third opened up to a modest furo, small, but servicable...
Mireille smiled, turning to the open doorways and inspecting them once finished with the folding doors...
The first open door led to a tiny kitchen, small, though comfortably equipped.
The second led to the biggest room in the tiny house, a small living room, complete with a couch and television...
Kirika followed Mireille on her tour, examining the rooms silently behind her...
Mireille commited the layout to memory, and stepped into the living room.
Sitting on the couch, she let herself relax, her breath hastening slightly and an insecure shadow tugging at her face. "Is there anything we need from the suitcase?" she asked Kirika.
Kirika looked hesitant. "...For what?" she asked tentatively, standing in the middle of the living room, looking at the woodpanelled room curiously.
Mireille blinked, and shrugged. "I don't know...I was planning on going through everything later tonight, but since I don't know what was planned or what she has, I don't know if there's anything we'd need at the moment..." she explained, slowly blinking.
Kirika shook her head. "Mm. Only clothes, and my gun..." she told Mireille seriously.
Mireille nodded, opening the suitcase and laying it out on the living room floor. "Alright...where's your gun? And the one Mireille would have for herseself?" she asked curiously, inspecting the contents.
Kirika knelt beside Mireille, and slid her hand under the clothes gently. when she pulled it out, she was clutching a medium sized bag with a reflective coating, and dumped it out onto the floor.
The contents, even to the untrained eye, were obviously pieces to her Beretta. Kirika looked up at Mireille, and indicated the black shoulder bag.
"Mireille carries a disassebled ceramic gun in there..."
Mireille nodded, opening the bag and beginning to search for the parts...
Mireille's search of the bag turned up a few random traveling odds and ends, books, maps and the like, as well as a familiar beige handbag, but no gun...until she noticed a slight bulge in the lining of the bag itself...
Mireille smiled, feeling out the bulge and then tracing outwards around it for a seam or fastening of some sort...
The bulge itself seemed to be some sort of pouch, fastened shut with velcro, and the edges seemed padded out with foam to disguise the seams of the pouch.
Mireille shrugged, unfastening the velcro and removing the parts of the gun. She sighed, shaking her head. And I don't know how to assemble one of these... she thought to herself, looking over to see if Kirika was finished with her weapon.
And, just as Mireille looked over, Kirika slid the gun's magazine into place, and looked down the sights of the gun, a curiously peaceful expression replacing the tentatively sad one she normally wore...
Mireille internally laughed, Figures...
She kept her eyes on Kirika for the moment, enjoying being able to watch the girl with a somewhat happier expression on her face for the moment...
Kirika promptly swung the gun around, pointing it at Mireille...and then her eyes widened, and she lowered it quickly.
"Gomen...Mireille and I..." she said quietly, biting her lip.
Mireille smiled warmly, hoping to reassure Kirika. "It's okay, I know...it was in the anime I watched..." she explained softly.
The dark haired girl nodded, her tension releasing slightly, and setting the gun down entirely.
"Mm." She said simply.
Mireille sighed, a dark blush of embarrassment creeping up on her cheeks as she opened her mouth. "Ano...I never learned how to assemble or disassemble a gun...could you...teach me, Kirika-chan?" she asked tentatively.
Kirika blinked. "Ano...hai." She agreed tentatively. "I've never taught before..."
Mireille nodded, moving a little closer to Kirika. "Just...do it really slowly and I should be able to follow it..." she advised.
Kirika nodded uncertainly, and began arranging the parts on the floor in front of her, putting the grip assembly closest, and the barrel near the top, and slowly began to assemble the small gun...
Mireille played close attention to what Kirika did, memorizing the steps...
Within 3 minutes, even moving slowly, Kirika had assmbled the gun, which she then handed to Mireille for inspection.
Mireille took the gun, making sure the safety was on as she hefted and sighted it.
"Nine-millimeter...how many rounds in a magazine?" she asked curiously as she read the inscription of the round it was chambered for on the side.
Kirika eyed the handgrip briefly. "Ano...8, I think..."
MIreille nodded, frowning slightly.
"Have to make all of them count then...and I'm not the best shot..." she said, setting the gun down. "Well, I'll just have to use it to kill at close range..."
"Do you understand how to assemble it now?" Kirika inquired softly, curious.
Mireille nodded. "I'll have to practice, and I may need to ask the occasional question, but I should be fine now..." she affirmed, trying to accustom herself to the grip.
Kirika nodded, and sat back, watching Mireille examine the gun carefully.
Mireille slipped the small gun into the handbag, and set it in her lap. "Mmm..." she hummed, seemingly lost in thought.
Kirika simply watched Mireille think, a curious and pensive expression on her face as she withdrew the magazine from her gun, and ejected the bullet from the chamber, replacing it in the magazine.
Mireille relaxed, letting her head roll back in complete looseness. "Hmm..."
Kirika blinked at the sudden motion. "Ara...Mireille, Daijoubu?"
"Hai, I'm fine, Kirika-chan..." Mireille replied softly, not bringing her head up. "Not really anything to do until we get the shipment...guess I'll work out..."
Coming outo f the relaxed state almost instantly, Mireille slid off the couch and into a kneeling position by the suitcase. She carefully started looking through the clothes for an outfit she could practice karate in...
Kirika watched from the couch as Mireille rummaged through the suitcase, curious.
Mireille found a number of clothes, but the only truly utilitarian clothing werea set of brown fatigue-like cargo pants, and the orange top and brown vest. However, under those, was a pair of chinese-style black silk pajamas...
Mireille grinned at the pajamas, but removed the fatigues smiled in a slightly softer way. "Hmm...I'll need a couple more of these while I'm in this body...though a gi would be a good idea too..." she murmured to herself, taking the cargo pants and orange top and putting them over her arm.
"Mmm...you don't really have anything besides shooting that you can practice normally, do you?" she asked Kirika, smiling softly.
Kirika blinked. "Nani...? I don't understand..." she replied softly, looking at Mirelle in confused interest.
Mireille blushed slightly. "Ano...something that you can practice regularly...like karate, kendo, or Hsing I..."
Kirika blushed in response. "Mm...I'm not sure...I don't remember being taught anything..." the slight girl admitted.
Mireille smiled, shrugging. "Well, if you feel like watching, I won't mind." she said, heading towards the second bedroom. Stopping at the door, she turned. "If you feel like joining in, I won't mind either, though I may want to correct you if you make a mistake..."
Kirika nodded, curious despite herself. "Mm." she replied, getting up off the floor and following Mireille.
Mireille stepped into the bedroom, blushing as she closed the door behind herself.
Gotta remember...they did live together in a studio apartment... she thought to herself, still blushing as she changed...
Kirika watched with an utterly unconcerned expression, moving the futon against the wall and sitting...
Mireille finished changing, and headed outside.
She frowned at her boots, and shrugged. "Guess I need to get used to them eventually..." she murmured, half to herself as she slipped them on and headed out into the yard...
Kirika stood quietly and followed Mireille outside.
Once outside, the two women were confronted by a spacious, but somewhat spartan courtyard, interrupted only by a row of trees near the temple itself, the walks to the buildings, and the temple walls. Kirika backed off slightly, giving Mireille room...
Mireille fell into stretches, smiling as she found herself almost up to her normal flexibility in certain positions, and a little past in others.
Mireille's normal... she thought to herself as she went through the stretches that had been ingrained into her mind.
Kirika sat next to the wall, watching Mireille stretch, and carefully catalogueing the movements, and a gentle breeze swept through the darkening courtyard, as afternoon progressed toward night, teasing the leaves of the trees.
Mireille finished the quick set of stretches in about fifteen minutes.
Standing, she began the proscribed normal workout, not wanting to put too much stress on this body, even if it was used to exertion. And the third day is always the worst... she remembered the words of her father, and smiled wistfully. Sighing, she began with a line of block-counter punch combos, moving straight through the yard for ten stances, and beginning to do it while moving backwards...
Kirika watched the exercises with interest, her eyes widening in recognition in a few places as the movements seemed familiar...
Mireille interspersed the lines of blocks and counter punches with lines of different kicks. She sighed as she felt her muscles begin to strain with certain movements.
She practiced some form of martial arts...but not Shotokan...and these boots are NOT made for this... Mireille mentally noted, frowning.
Kirika watched intently, noting the movements for future reference, her mind going to work on dissecting the combat style to counter in the future, largely on an unconscious level...
The sounds of birds in the trees faded as cicadas began to chirp in the distance, heralding the onset of night, despite the stubbornly persisting daylight...
Mireille finished the rows, having gone through four styles of blocking and an equal number of kicks.
Resting for a moment, she began the first kata she'd been taught, and her smile widened at the wave of memories that it brought...
Kirika inclined her head at the relative simplicity of the new series of movements, and watched Mireille move through them, curiousity at the exercise on her face...
Mireille pulled into the end of the kata, and checked where she was relevant to where she'd started.
"Mmm...not too bad..." she murmured to herself.
Beginning again with basics, she went through the entire thing again, ending with the second kata she'd learned this time...
Not a sound interrupted Mireille's practice, save for the rustling of the trees, and the soft chirping of cicadas.
Kirika watched the exercise so intently that she was nearly motionless...
Mireille sighed, finishing up and heading over to sit by Kirika.
"Wish I knew more than two complete kata...cuts the workouts down a lot if I don't..." she murmured softly, wiping sweat away witht he shoulder of her top.
Kirika nodded, a bit uncertainly. "Mm. You've practiced for a long time..." she said softly, a question in her voice.
Mireille blushed slightly, nodding. "Off and on for most of my of my life..." she replied, leaning back on the porch.
"Did you and Mireille ever spar?" she asked inquisitively, eyeing the smaller girl.
Kirika shook her head. "No...I don't know any martial arts..." she replied softly, looking up at the roof.
Mireille frowned slightly, but shrugged and let it pass. "Hmm...so what did Mireille and you usually do to pass the time before an assignment?" she asked, beginning to hum again.
Kirika smiled faintly. "It depended on the job...Mireille was somewhat fanciful...once we went shopping for flowers..." she remembered...
Mireille smiled, nodding. "Belladonna lilies, ne?" she asked softly.
Kirika turned to Mireille, her eyes wide. "Ara?"
Mireille's smile widened. "It was in the anime...assaulting the hotel, the shopping for belladonna lilies, your trap in the casino hall..."
Kirika looked slightly interested at that. "Was there anything more?" she asked curiously.
"Mmm...the anime stretched from when you sent your e-mail to Mireille, all the way up to when you two left the leaders of Soldats at the entrance of The Manor...and it showed us memories like when you were younger...and Mireille's parents..." she hinted at what she would have said, not wanting to bring it out blatantly.
"I'm not likely to remember details offhand..." she murmured, shrugging. "Never been very good at that..."
Kirika blinked and nodded. "That was only two months ago..." she supplied quietly, suprised.
Mireille nodded, humming. "And what's happened since then?" she asked, curiousity obvious on her face as she watched Kirika...
Kirika shook her head. "Nothing...this was the first job we'd taken after we were no longer Noir..."
"Ahh...that would make sense..."
"So what do you use for a code name now?" she asked, fiddling with one of the pockets on her cargo pants.
Kirika shrugged. "Shi no Tenshi." she replied softly, blushing a bit. "It seems a bit...ano...flowery, but Mireille liked it..."
Mireille stared for a moment, and then broke out in short burst of giggles. "Shi no Tenshi...Death's Angels...shouldn't have expected any less from fate..." she mused quietly, speaking half to herself.
Kirika blinked and looked at Mireille questioningly, wondering why she was giggling...
"Ara?"
Mireille shook her head softly, smiling. "Mm...I wrote some in my world...and one of the groups in my story lines was called the 'Shi no Tenshi'..."
Kirika blink-blinked. "Oh..." she nodded. "You wrote...about us?" she ventured uncertainly.
Mireille shook her head. "No...a few different anime...but not Noir...never had an idea for you two." she replied, humming.
Kirika nodded slowly. "sou ka..."
The sky now was almost completely dark, the deep blue of oncoming night blanketing the horizon, and cicadas chirping slightly carried to them on the soft breeze...
Mireille stood, heading back into the house and slipping her boots off.
"I'm going to take a bath..." she told Kirika, heading towards the living room for a spare set of clothes.
Kirika blinked slightly, and followed Mireille back into the house silently.
Mireille's examination of clothes revealed a wealth of clothes, but all in the same, quasi-formal style. Skirts and shorts of various styles, along with simple, but tasteful blouses, easy to fight in, if the need arose. They were cut for utility as well as elegance, it seemed.
Mireille frowned slightly at the lack of anything resembling what she preffered to wear. Should have expected that...I don't think I remember her ever in something completely informal except for the hotel assault...
Picking out an outfit identical to the one she'd worn on the plane, she headed to the bath...
The bath was somewhat small for an average Japanese furo, but it wasn't crowded. Rather, it seemed small in a more cozy kind of way...intimate rather than cramped.
In addition to the spotless appearance of the fixtures and room, bath supplies had been laid out in preparation...
Mireille smiled softly, setting the spare clothes aside and starting the water...
...a little while later, she exited in her change of clothes, her sweat stained cargo pants and top left in the hamper.
"Ahh...that feels better..." she murmured as she stepped into the living room.
Kirika looked up as Mireille entered, pausing in the act of cleaning her gun. She nodded slightly as the older woman entered, but said nothing, going back to her polishing...
Mireille hummed absently for a moment, eyeing Kirika. After a moment, she closed her eyes and leaned back, hands behind her head as she relaxed in thought.
Kirika finished polishing her gun, and looked up to Mireille, who was still on the couch. Hesitant to interrupt, she coughed slightly. "Ano..."
Mireille's eyes opened quickly, but not seemingly surprised or disturbed.
"Hmm?" she inquired, a tiny smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
"I...was wondering what you were doing..." Kirika asked softly, then colored as she relazed how the question sounded...
Mireille's miniscule smile widened a bit. "Just letting my thoughts wander...and at times thinking about absolutely nothing...it's relaxing." she answered, her voice just as soft as Kirika's.
Kirika nodded slightly, looking confused, and leaning back to watch her.
Mireille blinked at the confused look, leaning forward a little. "Ano...is something wrong?"
Kirika blinked, and shook her head. "Ano...no...I'm just not used to seeing Mireille thinking without frowning..."
"Ahhh...gomen, I don't frown much at all...usually only when I'm confused..." she commented, looking around the living room again.
"un." Kirika nodded in response, and understanding, sitting back on the couch.
Mireille closed her eyes again, relaxing silently for the moment. Maybe something would happen before she felt like going to sleep...
Kirika blinked as Mireille closed her eyes again. She watched for a moment, then tentatively got up and moved into the kitchen to get something to eat...
Mireille sat for five minutes in silence, before her stomach grumbled its necessities. Blushing softly, she followed Kirika...
Kirika stood in the kitchen, reading a piece of paper while holding a plate of fried chicken and french fries, of all things, in one hand.
She looked slightly relieved and confused all at once, looking up at Mireille as she entered the kitchen
Mireille blinked at the piece of paper, opening the fridge. "What's that?" she asked curiously, turnng towards the fridge as she spoke, though pausing long enough to make sure she'd indicated the paper.
Mirielle found a slightly stocked fridge, with another, wrapped plate, identical to Kirika's sitting near the top. There was no other 'prepared' food in the fridge, consisting largely of necessity items such as bread, milk, cheese, some assored, small vegetables and the like.
"ano...Shinomori-san left us a note...the guns will arrive tomorrow at ten o'clock..." Kirika replied, holding out the paper.
"She also left us this food..." she pointed out, examining her plate curiously.
Mireille took out the other wrapped plate, nodding as she took the note as well.
"American food...even though the fries are 'french fries'...and this would be fried chicken..." she informed Kirika, smiling softly. "Hmm...normally we heat it up, but I don't mind it cold enough to do so." she said with a grin, sitting down at the kitchen table.
Kirika nodded, carrying her plate over to the microwave and inserting it in, and setting the food to a minute and a half of heat.
"Hai." she nodded thoughtfully, waiting for her meal to warm up. and smiled slightly.
Mireille yawned softly, rubbing at her eyes for a moment as she waited. "Mmm..."
Kirika blinked, retrieving her food as the microwave dinged. "Ma-Mireille, daijoubu?" she asked softly, sitting down at the table.
Her plate steamed slightly as she did...
Mireille shook her head, smiling. "Just a little tired is all, Kirika-chan..." she answered, waiting for Kirika to start eating before she did.
Kirika nodded, beginning to eat slowly. "Mm." After a few bites, she bit her lip. "Will you need help getting the guns tomorrow?" she asked softly.
Mireille nodded, seeming to eat in bursts. "Un...I don't know who or where for the delivery, actually..." she answered, blushing.
Kirika nodded slightly. "Shinomori-san said they'd be coming here..." she pointed out quietly, eating at a slow, but relentless pace.
Mireille blinked, and nodded. "Mmm...I shouldn't have too much of a problem then...you were planning on doing something?" she inquired softly.
Kirika blinked and tilted her head. "Ano...what do you mean?" she asked softly, after swallowing.
Mireille blinked. "Ano...you were wondering if I'd need any help...and since it's going to happen here at the shrine...I thought you were askign whether or not I'd want you to stick around in the morning...so I was wondering if you had anything planned..."explained her line of thought quietly, blinking.
Kirika smiled slightly and shook her head at that. "Ara...no, I don't have plans..." she told Mireille softly. "But Mireille does sometimes need backup..."
Mireille blushed, nodding. "Mmm...well, I don't know who will be making the delivery...so I wouldn't know whether or not I would need backup...and I don't suppose you know the name of whoever is delivering the guns?" she asked, her embarrassed blush darkening slightly.
Kirika shook her head. "Mm. Mireille used her contacts..." she said softly. "We need to convince them that you're her..."
Mireille nodded, frowning slightly. "Hmm...well...if you could greet them, introduce yourself and then take them to the living room...you could say I was busy for the moment, and meet me in the hall to tell me their name and anything else you found out...hopefully I'll be able to handle it with that information..."
Kirika nodded uncertainly once, then more assertively. "Hai..." she agreed, "I can do that..."
Mireille smiled, nodding. "Arigatou." she murmured as she went back to eating...
"You seem more comfortable with Japanese than Mireille was," Kirika observed as she continued to eat.
Mireille smiled, shrugging. "Watching subtitled anime long enough got me used to hearing it...and taught me a couple of words in it...and the language itself seems to be built into the body."
She shrugged again, seemingly unconcerned with the matter. "Some of it even got into my regular speech pattern, so that may be it."
Kirika blinked. "You must have watched a lot..." she observed softly, finishing off her french fries.
Mireille blushed, nodding slowly. "Un...though not as much as some of my friends...and I never tried learning Japanese before this happened..."
Shrugging, she smiled slightly. "I was something of a nerd..."
Kirika smiled slightly. "Un." she nodded, continuing to eat slowly.
There was a slight stretch of silence as the two women ate, and withing moments, Kirika had polished off the rest of her meal...
Mireille finished her meal a little before Kirika, leaning back slightly and quietly watching the other girl.
It was only a few more moments before she seemed lost in thought, her eyes staring at a spot above Kirika's shoulde.
Kirika looked up from her meal to see Mireille watching her and blinked, inclining her head slightly. "Mireille? Is something the matter?" she asked softly, concerned.
Mireille blushed, and shook her head. "No...nothing's wrong, Kirika-chan..." she answered after a brief pause, moving her glance to the wood of the table.
Kirika sweatdropped slightly. "Ano...You seem to be lost in thought quite a bit..." she ventured tentatively.
Mireille sighed softly, humming.
"It keeps me sane...if I don't let my mind worry about anything, I won't fall apart from the situation that's surrounding me...so I have to fill it with something...like the image of a Marduk Base's eye cannon from this knot in the wood..." she said, pointing at a circular knot.
Kirika blinked and nodded, suddenly understanding. "Like shopping before a mission..." she suddenly realized, fitting the pieces into place.
Mireille smiled, nodding. "Probably..."
Kirika nodded briefly, and the two women sat in silence for a short time, and then Kirika silently got up, placed the dishes in the kitchen sink, and quietly retreated from the room.
Moments later, the faint sounds of the television could be heard...
Mireille shrugged, smiling at the pattern she'd developed this evening. Pushing back from the table,
she followed Kirika into the living room.
She payed no attention to the TV, but instead stared out the window, again seemingly lost in thought.
Kirika seemed comfortable, and disassembled her gun again, cleaning it individually as she watched the bright images on the television.
Time passed, and after about an hour of this, the brightly lit tones of an animated show graced the screen of the TV and Kirika sat up, examining it closer....
Mireille blinked, and turned to pay attention as anime came on...
The opening credits, and bouncy, eclectic music of the sequence announced the anime as 'Cowboy Bebop', and Kirika blinked at the premise...
Mireille blinked, and then smirked. "Some things just don't change..." she murmured to herself, grinning and paying attention completely now.
The half-hour passed quickly, the episode being fairly fast paced, if a touch grim, as the lead characters disposed of an genetically enhanced assassin.
After it, another episode played, this one titled 'Naruto'...
Mireille blinked, shrugging to herself and deciding to continue watching until either the anime ran out or she felt tired enough to go to bed.
The anime, in fact, continued for quite awhile. Show after show came on, from Ranma re-brocasts to Gunparade March...until the night was fairly advanced...
Mireille yawned, blinking back fatigue for the moment.
"Ara...I'm heading to bed now..." she told Kirika, picking up the black silk pajamas from the suitcase and heading to the bedroom she'd changed in before...
After Mireille had entered the room, she heard the sound of the TV switching off, and the sound of Kirika moving around in the living room...
Mireille yawned again, changing into the pajamas and slipping into bed. She turned her light off a moment later, and let her entire body relax completely...
Moments later, a tentative knock sounded on the door to the bedroom Mireille was sleeping in...
Mireille, not asleep yet, sat up in the darkness, blinking.
"Ano...hai?" she asked, raising her voice to carry past the door.
The door slid open, and Kirika stood there, backlit by the hall, her embarrassed blush visible from Mireille's vantage point.
"Ano...I...I mean...I don't usually sleep alone..."
Mireille blushed darkly, nodding as she scooted over a little to allow room for two in the bed.
"Ara...I should've remembered..." she answered, still blushing.
Kirika made her way into the room tentatively, nodding gratefully. She slipped under the comforter for the futon hesitantly, burrowing under, then settling down for sleep...
Mireille sighed, shifting into a comfortable position and closing her eyes, hoping sleep would come soon...
And sleep eventually claimed the two women...
Night eventually gave way to day, and the soft chirping of Birds outside the window, and a shaft of soft light touched Mireille's face through the window...
Mireille groaned slightly as awareness came back to her, reflexively rolling over to face her pillow and shield her eyes from any light as she cracked them open...
...and the light from the widow touched Mireile's eyes gently, dimming slightly with the passing of a cloud, illuminating the spare walls of the small room...
Mireille yawned, letting her eyes adjust to the light before sitting up, suddenly remembering to be more careful in her movements. Kirika probably wasn't too deep of a sleeper...
Kirika, fortunately, was undisturbed by Mireille's movements, sleeping silently, with hardly any unconscious movement. With an almost inaudible sigh, Kirikashifted slightly under the covers, but didn't awaken...
Mireille smiled softly, yawning again as she got out of bed.
Heading into the living room, she leafed through the clothing, sighing happily as she found something entirely in black. She stepped into the second bedroom to change, deciding to muss the bed while she was in there, to at least give the minor appearence that she and Kirika hadn't slept together.
The sun sparkled through the window of the second room as well, and a slight breeze drifted through the open window, carrying in the early morning birdsong...
Mireille blinked, and smiled at the seemingly cheery morning.
Heading out, she started looking thrugh the kitchen for anything she felt familiar enough with to try cooking...
The cupboards and fridge, seemingly in anticipation of Mirielle's visit, had eschewed the ordinary japanese cuisine, and boasted a modest selection of American and European foods...
Mireille hummed softly, shrugging and deciding one the one thing she ahad the most experience with: Pancakes.
Removing the ingredients, she slowly began to work, her smile growing wistful as she did...
Meanwhile, in the bedroom, the smell of cooking pancakes teased the sleepy girl under the futon into wakefulness.
Kirika sat up, looking around briefly before slipping out of bed, blushing slightly as she went to locate her clothes...
Mireille's ears perked a little as she heard Kirika, but for the moment she continued to cook the way her dad had taught her...
Kirika made her way into the kitchen after a time, wearing a light blue sundress. She blinked sleepily at the smell of the pancakes.
"Ohayo..."
"Ohayo..." Mireille replied, her concentration on cooking for the moment. "Sleep well?"
"Hai." Kirika replied, walking up to Mireille, as though expecting instructions. "Arigato."
Mireille checked her progress, and hummed. "Ano...could you set the table?" she asked softl.
"Un." Kirika agreed, and began exploring the cupboards. After locating the dishes and utensils, she laid them out on the table, Organizing them in a western manner...
Mireille hummed softly, deciding that four would be enough between them and turning off the flame. Once she was sure everything was where it should be, she went looking for the two other necessities of pancake breakfast: Butter and syrup.
The butter and syrup were easily located, both found in the fridge, though the syrup was of an odd quality, sweet, but with an unusual taste...
Mireille blinked, shrugging at the strange taste of the syrup. Slipping the syrup into the microwave for a few seconds, she closed the fridge with a gentle push of her foot. She took the time from the microwave to set the plate bearing the stack of pancakes on the table, along with the butter. Turning back around, she removed the syrup, bumping the microwave shut with an elbow
Kirika blinked, watching Mireille move around the kitchen curiously, and watching the warm, dark brown liquid set down in front of her.
She sniffed the pancakes gingerly, raising her eyebrows. "...Mireille keeps burning these..." she said, midly suprised.
Mireille blushed slightly, shaking her head. "Mireille probably wasn't taught properly...I was curious as a child...so my father told me, probably more times than he would've liked..." Mireille's eyes grew distant, waiting for Kirika to start, as seemed a habit of hers.
Kirika tentatively began to eat, nodding in response to Mireille's story.
"I see..."
Mireille began an instant after Kirika did, her expression distracted and wistful as she ate...
Kirika looked up, curiously at Mireille's expression. "Ano...Daijoubu?"
Mireille blushed, shaking her head. "Memories...that's all..." she dismissed it softly, going back to eating.
Kirika resumed eating asking between bites. "You look sad..."
"Ano...if i think about it...I am. My boyfriend, father, friends...Bean, Seraya, Sakura, Demos, Sephir, Shinobu, Shuk...those were all nicknames, just like Kikyo-chan the Ceramic Miko..." she snickered for a moment at the memory, but fell from the humor in a second. "All gone, though...and I know that some of them will react very badly..."
Kirika blinked, her own expression slightly sad. "Gomen ne..." she said softly. "...Ano...'Ceramic Miko?'"
Mireille blushed, snickering again. "Ano...a friend of mine started calling another friend of mine 'P-chan', so a few other friends and I started calling him Kikyo-chan the Ceramic Miko as a sort of revenge...'Ceramic Miko' because the character Kikyo eventually becomes clay...and she's a miko." she explained, shrugging.
Kirika's lips twitched slightly into a small smile, which she smothered behind a piece of pancake. "Your friends are very strange..." she observed quietly.
Mireille laughed softly, shaking ehr head. "That's nowhere near the strangest they've been...and our gaming has been stranger at times..." she said, seemingly cheerful.
Kirika blinked. "Like how?" she asked curiously, tilting her head slightly.
"Mm...well...there were the telekinetic bitch-slaps of the Emulators...the time the players groveled for a feather from an NPC's wings...or when 'Joe Mammy' pulled his 'invade the base and blow up the reactor in ten minutes or we're nuked' operation...ano...the walking arsenals of the Cthulhu campaign..." Mireille listed a few of her experiences, blushing.