Monday, Early Evening, On way from School to Dorms

[greenexorcist]

Shiemi might be going to school in America, but she was still an ExWire level exorcist and she still had missions to go on and cram classes to take. Or so she'd found out when the summons from the Director had come and she'd been whisked off back to Japan to help the team chase away young kappa from school pools.

But but but! Shiemi had been given a new exorcist key! The Director had given it to her personally! Exorcist keys, he'd reminded her, worked to bypass anti-demon barriers around the town and the Japanese True Cross Exorcist headquarters; any door opened with an exorcist key would open a portal to get to the one specific place that the key was primed to. And this new key opened a door to Fandom Island. She now had THREE exorcist keys! None of the other ExWires had three! Shiemi gave her now heavier key ring a small jangle and beamed happily at it as she put the new key into her family shop's front door - "I'm off, Mother!" - and stepped eagerly through.

And promptly fell onto the floor of the school hallway, the door of locker 327 swinging shut behind her and closing the portal.

"Eh?!" She'd expected her room or maybe outside the dorm building, not in what appeared to be a hallway of the school building. "Well, at least no one saw me fall?"

Shiemi stood and dusted off her kimono. Huh. Why was the school so quiet today?

"Ah!" She headed for the school exit; she needed to get to her room and give Margaery the present she had for her!



[Shiemi is walking from the school to the dorms, open!]

Comments

[soniaroadsqueen]

The thing about being outside while it was still light out was that there was a reasonable chance that you'd hear a high-pitched whine and one of various sound of delight just before Ringo Noyamano hurtled around some blind corner and nearly ran into you.

At least her reflexes were good enough to launch into a flip, hair whipping around behind her, and not actually run into you?

[greenexorcist.livejournal.com]

"Ooooowhaaaaaaaaaa!" A barrier of strong sturdy branches went up around Shiemi, just in case.



Someone was a little jittery still from their last mission.

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo was already apologizing before she landed. "Sorry, sorry, sorry!" she called out. Her feet hit the ground and she spun in place to make sure that she hadn't hurt anyone.

And. Um. Huh?

She wasn't really sure how to react to a sudden wall of branches.

[greenexorcist.livejournal.com]

"Ano... Ringo-sempai???" The branches shrank away and revealed Shiemi staring curiously at her. A small green 'creature' wearing a leaf hat was floating in front of her, sinking down into her cupped hands, and the branches could be seen disappearing into its belly.

"Are you okay?"

[soniaroadsqueen]

Oh, Ringo was just fine.

Well, except for the staring. The wide-eyed staring.

"Ohmygosh it's so cute!"

[greenexorcist.livejournal.com]

"EH?" Shiemi blinked for a moment and then covered her mouth in surprise. "Ah! I forgot Nee-chan was out!"

Nee-chan was, in fact, currently unconcerned with Ringo anymore. The last of the branches had disappeared and he began climbing a strand of Shiemi's hair to get to his favourite perch on top of her head.

Shiemi tilted her head to the side and smiled cheerfully at Ringo (causing the strand of hair and Nee-chan to sway slightly and flail his tiny legs) "You can see him? Isn't he the cutest?"

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Sooooo cute," Ringo agreed excitedly, leaning forward so she could study him from just a couple of inches away.

Cute, cute, cute!

"Um. I don't think I've ever seen anything like him before."

[greenexorcist.livejournal.com]

"Hopefully not," Shiemi giggled. "He's a demon. I have to summon him from Gehenna."

Nee-chan leaned right back at Ringo and waved. "Nee!"

[soniaroadsqueen]

"A demon?" Ringo frowned, extending a finger out in case said demon could, and wanted to, shake it somehow. "He doesn't look scary or anything." Not at all like those demons Dante always seemed to be dealing with.

[greenexorcist.livejournal.com]

"Well, he is a baby," Shiemi admitted reluctantly. "I'm still in training, you see. Lot's of demons aren't scary, though. And if they are summoned by a Demon Tamer, it should be okay." Or if they were cute boys raised by a monk exorcist...

"Nee-chan, this is Noyamano Ringo-sempai. She's a friend."

Nee-chan floated up and high-fived Ringo's finger. "NeeeeEEE!" He cried cheerfully.

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Pleased to meet you, Nee-chan." And. "Awww! He's so cute!"

Then the rest of that processed and she glanced back at Shiemi. "So, um, are you a, uh, Demon Tamer, then?"

[greenexorcist.livejournal.com]

"I'm trying to be. And a Doctor." Shiemi blushed lightly as Nee-chan settled back onto her head. "Both are really hard levels of exorcist, though. I'm not sure I can; I'm not as good as the rest of my class."

She smiled gently. "Why were you running so fast? Are you in trouble?"

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Exorcist?" Ringo cocked her head curiously, still studying Nee-chan with a smile.

Wait. "Huh? Oh, no!" Ringo flushed. "I was just having fun." She flashed a grin. "Doesn't everyone like just going top speed sometimes?"

[greenexorcist.livejournal.com]

"I'm not very good at running," she confessed with a chuckle.

"Exorcist." Shiemi reached up to pluck Nee-chan from her head and held him out to her sempai. "You know, someone who fights demons?"

Nee-chan took the cue and floated up to Ringo's hand, ready to descend into it if she would just let him.

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo eagerly opened her hand, and then held it very still, as if Nee-chan was a butterfly or a bird or something, and she might spook him if she moved too fast.

"Um, yeah." Ringo frowned, distracted by how cute Nee-chan was. "I know someone who fights demons. But I don't think anyone's ever called him an exorcist." Dante would probably look disgusted if someone did, too.

[greenexorcist.livejournal.com]

Nee-chan sank happily to her hand, probably feeling more like a pile of moss than a butterfly or bird. He was less than a foot tall so he didn't way much, though.

"Nee!" He chirped and saluted at her as he stood on her palm.

"He fights demons but isn't an exorcist?" Ah! "Is he a monk?"

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo froze for a moment, then sort of snorted and choked at the same time, and then broke down into uncontrollable giggling.

She was actually having a hard time trying to catch her breath because.

Dante? As a monk.

Thinking about it just set her off again.

[greenexorcist.livejournal.com]

"Eh?" Shiemi and Nee-chan both stared at Ringo, confused. "What's funny about a monk?"

[soniaroadsqueen]

Remembering that she still had Nee-chan in one hand, Ringo tried to wave reassuringly with her other one. "No," she gasped. "No. Not."

Sorry, just trying to explain set her off again.

[greenexorcist.livejournal.com]

Ringo's laughter was contagious and Shiemi found herself chuckling.

Which confused Nee-chan even more. He looked from one girl to the other. "Nee?"

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo finally managed to get herself under control, gasping for air once she'd finally (mostly) finished laughing. "Sorry, sorry," she said, waving her hand. "It's just, um, the guy I'm thinking about is very, very, very much not a monk."

At all.

[greenexorcist.livejournal.com]

Nee-chan patted her wrist gently.

"I don't know why that's funny," Shiemi beamed at her. "But okay. He still fights demons? That's very brave. How does he do it?"

[soniaroadsqueen]

"I think he mostly uses a sword." Ringo snorted. "And a lot of swearing."

[greenexorcist.livejournal.com]

Shiemi snickered. "That sounds just like Rin. Except he's an ExWire like me." And half demon. "I wonder if that helps, swearing?"

"Can I meet him someday, your friend? Maybe I could learn from him."

[soniaroadsqueen]

"ExWire? Is that a, um, type of exorcist?"

Ringo considered Shiemi's question, then shrugged. "You probably will whether I introduce you or not. He's another student here at the school."