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 Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 7:14 pm
Setsushi scrupulously avoids looking too closely at that glowing white skin, nodding quickly instead. "Let us take that strategy, then," he assents, laughing nervously.
Setsushi hastily scrawls the note for Kouyo -- just a quick message explaining that he is out with Madame Lucretia, written in Porcelain script -- leaves it on the table and skips ahead to the doorway. "Where are we headed?" he asks; are they walking, taking the bus...?
As he makes his way to the gate, he also inquires, out of idle curiosity only, of course, errr, "Does Madame's family often eat game?"
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Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 7:43 pm
Ah, can't read it. The Raevan shrugs a little and heads back towards the door as she sees that Setsushi is writing in something other than Gaian.
"It's a long walk, or a short bus ride from here, I think," she tells him, frowning a little as she thinks of the route coming from this part of town. "So however you want to go, I guess."
Lucretia then appears to ponder his question for a moment, then stares back at him blankly. "What's 'game'?"
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Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 7:50 pm
Setsushi wonders if they should not "Save our strength and take the bus?"
As they progress to the bus stop -- Setsushi, now fairly familiar with the layout of the town, does not need to be led -- he explains that by game he means "Wild animals hunted for food," as opposed to domestically-raised animals. His reason for asking is that "Madame expressed pleasure in hunting. Is there much game in Gaia?"
Setsushi was under the impression that most Gaian food came from farms, factories, terrifying mad-Sorcerer laboratories...
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Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 8:05 pm
"Kumoru does, but not very often," she tells him after thinking about it for a moment as she drifts along beside him towards the bus stop. "I don't eat Gaian food, two of my brothers are vegetarian, Xiao Huo hardly eats anything but bananas and toasts, and Jilan's been away for a while, so there's not usually much meat in the refrigerator."
"I haven't hunted anything big enough to be really worth eating yet," Lucretia adds, though she appears to consider it with a faint eager smile. "Just mice for Daddy. Er, not that he eats them. He just sucks their souls out." The girl nods sagely and falls quiet.
... "Oh, where has Jilan been, by the way?"
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Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 8:18 pm
"... Oh," Setsushi replies, trying very hard to give his best projection of interest and understanding.
"I believe Jilan is in the 'Silver World,'" he replies to her question, "or that is what they call it, at least." He pauses, then frowns. Strange that he hasn't seen the children in quite some time... wasn't time supposed to pass more quickly on that side? ... Or on this side? ... Or maybe Setsushi shouldn't try to think about metaphysical questions like that.
"... Did he not tell his family where he was going?" ... Perhaps he did not. Setsushi remembers that the children were attempting some sort of secrecy until Setsushi sort of discovered their plot. Setsushi is not sure what all that was about, frankly...
... Setsushi should really stop rambling and talk about something interesting, but if only he knew how... ._.;
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Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 8:41 pm
"I think he told Daddy where he was going, but he didn't tell me. Or he at least said he would be leaving." Lucretia shrugged. "As long as he's okay back in Porcelainland. I kind of miss him, I guess."
As they get to the bus stop, Lucretia drifts up to the sign to check the timetable. "Looks like we have a few minutes to wait, but not too long." Then she looks around a little, but Whitestone Used Books is a few blocks away and around a corner or two so she cannot exactly see it from the bus stop. Hopefully the rest of her plan was working out....
The Ice Rose moves back closer to Setsushi suddenly and reaches for the tall Porcelain's hand, exclaiming, "That's right, I think the laser-tag place has a discount for couples today. Totally forgot about that~"
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Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 9:12 pm
Setsushi follows Lucretia's gaze curiously, but still cluelessly.
But when she reaches for his hand, he starts and recoils, pulling his hand quickly away. After a moment he realizes this was quite rude, and apologizes meekly. "Couples?" he repeats, carefully hiding his slight sense of horror as he asks her if she does not merely mean people grouped into twos...?
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Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 9:27 pm
Lucretia sighs a little as he pulls his hand away, but does not say anything about it.
"Yeah, like, two people together on a date," she clarifies like it should have been obvious. "Although sometimes they give a discount to me and my brother when we come together, just because we're regulars."
When the bus pulls up, she gestures for Setsushi to get on first.
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Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 9:35 pm
Setsushi climbs onto the bus, deposits the fare for two, and, finding an empty pair of seats, almost gestures for Lucretia to take her seat first -- then realizes that she cannot, in fact, sit, and plops awkwardly down himself. sweatdrop
Hoping to believe, for the moment, that 'fun' really is the only reason for this outing, he asks, "Are we then to attempt a subterfuge?" Setsushi gives off a feeling that on the one hand acknowledges the sensible frugality of such a plan, but on the other hand is not quite comfortable with taking advantage of the proprietors and going against the spirit of a holiday that is meant for, well, real couples.
... ... ... But if it is very important to Madame, he supposes he can make his best effort at playing along?
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Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2009 12:22 am
Lucretia has her bus pass halfway out when Setsushi pays for her fare, and shrugs a little before putting it away again. "Just so we're clear, I'm paying for our game," she tells him with a blank stare as she follows him to a seat and grasps the nearest handle. "Since I asked you out, and all."
The bus lurches into motion again; the Raevan drifts backwards then forwards ever so slightly in mid-air, inertia seeming to affect her even though she is quite obviously not standing on the bus. A faint smile creeps back onto her features as she considers Setsushi's words.
"Well, we are going on a date, right? Because I asked you, and you said yes, and here we are." Lucretia shrugs a little, peering down at Setsushi from where she floats at about standing height and swaying occasionally as the bus bumps along. "So I don't see why we shouldn't be able to pay as a couple."
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Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2009 3:25 pm
Setsushi agrees that Lucretia invited him, and he agreed, and they are now on an outing, and that he supposes that indeed makes them a couple in the sense that they are a pair of people -- but, but, but.
sweatdrop
... Well, he supposes that if the proprietors sometimes give a discount to Madame and her brother, they may indeed decide to give a discount to a pair who look like an uncle and niece...
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Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2009 4:02 pm
"So we're like one of those May-December romance things, I guess," Lucretia says with a shrug. "You're May, and I'm December." With a sudden devious smile, she reaches for Setsushi's neck with both ice-cold hands to demonstrate her reasoning.
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Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2009 4:26 pm
Setsushi leans awaaay from the hands, walling off feelings of terror and horror, though they still seep somewhat into his facial expression.
"But we are not a romance thing," he protests, speaking quietly but in a distressed tone. Nevermind the age, they're not even the same species...
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Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2009 4:39 pm
The Raevan thinks nothing of his reaction, since she gets that a lot when going after people with her cold hands. She briefly considers going after him (with the window in the way and her position blocking the aisle, the Knight can only escape for so long!), but being in public and on a date and all, Lucretia decides against it.
"Well, yeah, we're not," she concedes. "But I was just saying...." Lucretia tried not to let herself feel too terrible that she was keeping him from a date with his real valentine. "Ah, never mind."
She falls quiet again, alternating between watching the Porcelain and looking out the window. After a few moments, Lucretia asks, "Oh, um, Setsushi? How do you break a Porcelain's heart?"
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Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2009 4:43 pm
Setsushi relaxes back into a normal posture, seeming relieved and a little ashamed at the same time -- privately, he thinks to himself that even if she is being frightfully improprietous, she's not Porcelain, and perhaps just doesn't understand...
But those feelings are once again interrupted by her question and a new wave of surprise and anxiety. "... Pardon?" What does Madame mean -- it is a bit of a shocking question. What has prompted this interest of hers?
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