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]

"Well, he's kind of a brat." Said Ringo. With a straight face.

[greenexorcist.livejournal.com]

... "His name isn't Okamura Rin, right?" Because so far, Ringo-sempai was pretty on the mark with describing Shiemi's friend.

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo laughed, shaking her head. "No. His name is Dante." She grinned over at Shiemi. "But you know one, too?"

[greenexorcist.livejournal.com]

Shiemi giggled, nodding. "Except the sword-using brat who makes me laugh is an exorcist. And he's really a nice guy when you get to know him."

"Dante... Isn't he in Jono-sensei's class with us?"

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Yeah." Ringo sighed. "He's in quite a few of my classes." If it weren't probably just how few classes there were, Ringo would totally accuse him of following her around.

She might do that anyway.

[greenexorcist.livejournal.com]

Shiemi beamed EXTRA happily at Ringo.

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo blinked. "Hmm?" What was with that expression?

[greenexorcist.livejournal.com]

"That's why you don't want to introduce me, right? Because he's your boyfriend?"

[soniaroadsqueen]

Another blink. Then a long, long stare.

"Wha-- What?"

[greenexorcist.livejournal.com]

"You're in all the same classes and he makes you laugh and you know about demons from him." Shiemi sighed. Sempai was so mature!

[soniaroadsqueen]

"No."

"No, no, no, no, no." Ringo threw in a theatrical shudder for good measure. "That's just. Ugh! That's the worst idea I've ever heard!"

No it wasn't. But it was a pretty terrible one.

[greenexorcist.livejournal.com]

"Eh?" Shiemi blinked away the sparkles in her eyes. "You're not dating him? But you sound so close."

[soniaroadsqueen]

"No. Definitely, definitely not."

Well, Ringo shrugged and relented slightly.

"I mean, we're friends, sure." Though you generally had to twist her arm to get her to admit it. "But that's it."

[greenexorcist.livejournal.com]

"Oh. That's okay!" Shiemi bounced towards Ringo as if to encourage her. "That's good too. Having friends in your classes must be so nice!"

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo blinked, then laughed and grinned. "Of course," she agreed. "And friends in general are pretty great, too, you know?"

[greenexorcist.livejournal.com]

"They are!" Sure, get Shiemi excited. "And I'm going to make lots and lots of them!"

"Nee!" Nee-chan raised a fist in solidarity from his perch on Ringo's hand.

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Of course you are!" Ringo agreed easily. "You've already made a good start, right?"

[greenexorcist.livejournal.com]

"I have?" Huh?

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo widened her eyes in a sudden pout. Totally fake, and pretty obviously so.

"Are you saying we're not friends?"

[greenexorcist.livejournal.com]

"Are we?!" Shiemi's eyes opened wide, eager. "Really?"

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Well, we don't have to be if you don't want to," Ringo said with a reassuring smile.

[greenexorcist.livejournal.com]

"I do! Oh, I do!" Shiemi fixed a determined look on her face. "P-please be my friend, Ringo-sempai?"

And then she bowed deeply.

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo grinned, reaching out to ruffle at Shiemi's hair. "You got it." She hesitated for a moment before adding. "Kohai."

[greenexorcist.livejournal.com]

Shiemi's head lifted, her smile brilliant. "Thank you!"

[soniaroadsqueen]

"You know," Ringo said with a laugh, "you don't have to thank someone for being your friend. You just have to be a good friend back."