So... Winged Knight and I wrote another thing.
Noise resounded across the walls of Mitakihara Mall as people ventured about, looking for whatever struck their desires. Families walked together, hand in hand, enjoying the day. A cool breeze made its way across the open areas, bringing refreshment and keeping the light from the sun from becoming overbearing.
The mall itself was gigantic, a towering, flowing mixture of form and function. Vast portions were left to the open air, allowing for enjoyment of the weather. To simply wander about was as much of a treat as to gather whatever the patrons desired for the day. It was a testament to the skill of the designers that their creation brought arguably more joy to experience than to simply shop.
"These… clothes, are very uncomfortable," Sosuke said, picking at the collar of his too-tight shirt with one hand. "Are you sure I couldn't wear my kimono?"
"You'd get too much attention," Sabrina replied.
Sosuke looked about. People were staring at him, gaping at his looming height. He glowered at them, not enjoying the sensation he was being put on display for their amusement.
"Really?" he asked, voice deliberately loud. "From all these tiny people? Feh. I'd have gotten their notice anyway."
The gawkers flinched, the bubble of people coalescing around them collapsing as they returned to studied indifference.
"More attention," Sabrina amended, rubbing at her nose. Homura and Oriko snorted in stereo unison. They promptly glanced at each other, and then looked sharply away again. Kirika giggled to herself.
"Ah… I'm sorry," Madoka said, voice tiny. The pinkette looked down, tapping her fingers together. "My father isn't as… big, as you are."
Sosuke winced, his lips turning downward in a frown. The little girl's words brought full relief to his ingratitude. These people had no obligation to help him. He stood here, beyond the reach of the Celestial Order. He was Samurai, but what did that mean without the context of the Empire? These people around him were not peasants, and while Gaijin they resembled his people closely enough that he had to remind himself of the fact often.
Frankly, it was all very confusing. Sosuke didn't want to imagine what his experience here might have been like without their aid. And now he was spitting upon their hospitality simply because they didn't wish to cause a scene? It was a disgrace. Even here, amongst people who did not know the true meaning of honor, he had to uphold an ideal. Such was just the way of things.
"I apologize, Kaname-san," Sosuke said, stepping in front of the girl and bowing low. The shirt, already stretched tight around his bulky form, strained alarmingly at his shoulders. "My words were ill thought, and do not show you the respect you deserve for aiding me. I will not repeat this mistake."
Madoka flinched. "N-no! Sosuke, you don't- I don't- don't apologize!" Homura placed a hand on Madoka's shoulder in silent support.
Sabrina slapped a hand to her face, groaning into her palm. "Not again. Sosuke, what have I told you about this kind of thing?" At her side, Mami covered her mouth, eyes crinkling into a smile.
"I recall, Sabrina-san," Sosuke replied, rising from his bow. "I have simply elected to ignore it. There is a proper etiquette for living one's life, and it must be adhered to."
Sabrina groaned. "In Rokugan. We've talked about this."
"And I still disagree," Sosuke said, continuing to walk. "If I am all that exists of the Emerald Empire in these lands, then that simply means I must hold ever stronger to the proper way of things."
"He's so serious!" Kirika burst out in giggles, earning herself a withering glare from Sosuke. Oriko patted the black haired girl on her head, a fond, amused smile on her face.
"These are serious concerns," Sosuke replied, looking forward such to not grant the response any further attention. "And should be treated as such."
Sabrina groaned again, knuckling her forehead as she recalled the sheer petty annoyance of Rokugan. The sheer ossified social conventions had been an enormous pain to work through, let alone what they thought of tea. What was so wrong with reheating tea? Everything, apparently.
"Yes, anyway, let's go," Sabrina grumbled, waving the entire group forward. "Time's a-wasting and we really need to get you out of those, Sosuke."
"I can agree with that," the young man replied.
The motley crew headed into the mall. The interior was expansive, nearly cavernous, cool white lighting beaming down from above. The sounds of hundreds of people, chattering happily as they go about their own shopping trips resonate off the walls, sights and sounds and smells assaulting them from every direction. A pair of concierges, dressed in smart yellow uniforms zoom by on segways[1].
Sosuke drew his arms up in a ready stance at their passing, eyes wide with alarm. The Samurai prepared to strike at the concierges on instinct, but they moved past too quickly for him to do more than prepare. He relaxed as the two vanished into the crowd, though he still kept his hands up. His feet shifted as he walked, subtly taking a moving battle stance as the group made their way throughout the mall.
Kirika started giggling again, clamping her hands over her mouth as she quivered with barely restrained laughter.
Sabrina and Mami turned in unison, the former quirking an eyebrow as Sosuke slowly lowered his arms. The young man glowered, before shifting his eyes to face resolutely forward, obviously ignoring the curious looks directed his way.
A few minutes later, the group found themselves at one of the many, many clothes shops in the shopping center. "Alright, we can start here," Sabrina said, turning to face the rest of the group. "They, uh, might not have anything your size, but… say, Madoka, where does your father shop? We could sta- where's Sosuke?"
"Oh, he stopped a while back," Kirika said, grinning as she jabbed a thumb over her shoulder.
Sabrina stared at her, then Homura, who shrugged fractionally back at her. The white haired girl's eyes shifted to Oriko, who raised both eyebrows at her, indifferent expression belied only by a tiny smirk curling the side of her mouth. Madoka mouths a quiet 'sorry' at Sabrina's martyred face.
Mami covers her mouth and giggles.
Sabrina grumbled. "... alright, where did we misplace him."
Sosuke had been staring at the images in the book for quite a while. The language was similar to Rokugani, at least in form. He could almost work out what the book actually said, though it took him effort to interpolate between words. It seemed to be about the adventures of some Gaijin and his family.
That wasn't what caught his attention, however. What drew his eyes were the various strange poses the characters seemed to indulge in every few pages. They all looked quite odd, and frankly Sosuke wasn't sure they were actually physically possible to do in any quick or comfortable manner.
"Hmm…" he muttered. "Well, let us see."
Sosuke set the book aside, propping it open on the shelf so that he could glance at it for reference, and lifted one leg, turning his hips to the side. He forced his other leg to turn, folded in the opposite direction of his hips. His left arm crossed his body, elbow bent with his palm facing downward. His other arm, meanwhile, rested adjacent to his side, tensed with his hand held in a fist. Said fist also leaned upward, in opposite of his downward facing left hand.
"This is not easy," he said to himself, keeping his balance with effort. His shirt creaked dangerously at the seams, and his pants became worryingly tight. "It would not be so difficult in my kimono…"
A familiar voice reached his ears, sounding relieved. "Sosuke, there you- oh what."
"Hello, Sabrina-san," Sosuke responded, still holding the pose. "Tell me, could you explain the purpose of these poses? The characters in that picture book seemed to do it before and during battle, but I'm not seeing much point."
"I'm not sure, but… hmm," Sabrina muttered, eyeing the books. "Let me try the other one. Mami, could you hold my bag for me?
"Of course, Sabrina, but what are you doing?" Mami asked.
"Posing," Sabrina answered. She cocked her hips, one leg in front of her and the other shifting backwards. One arm curled in front of her body and her hand rose in front of her face, fingers splayed open. Her other arm hung clear of her body, hand curled into a tight fist and twisted to flex what paltry muscle she had. Certainly paltry by comparison to the hulking young man by her side.
"This takes quite a bit of effort," Sosuke said, sweat beading on his brow from holding his pose.
"Oh, you're both doing it wrong," Kirika said brightly. She stepped forward, releasing her arm from around Oriko's waist, and eyed the book for a moment before effortlessly and flawlessly striking a pose. First Sosuke's, holding it for a moment before returning her leg to the ground and bringing her hand up to her face to take on Sabrina's pose, drawing applause from the gathering crowd.
"... well, I should have expected that," Sabrina muttered. Mami chuckled, patting her on the shoulder in consolation.
"That is very impressive," Sosuke said, his tone earnest. "I am going to try another one I saw in a different book."
The young man shifted his stance. One leg pointed to the side, the other supporting the majority of his weight, and his head hunched forward to give an intense glare forward. His left arm was held straight down in front of him, wrist bent to fold his hand out in a straight L-shape, and the other arm coiled back behind his head, as if he was about to punch downwards.
It was then that Sosuke's shirt, already overburdened and abused so terribly, gave up. The fabric flew apart, ripping all over and sending strips of cloth flying through the air. His heavily muscled torso was bare for all the world to see, his toned arms likewise without covering save for the few meager remnants of that valiant shirt that had tried so hard to hold up against the rigours it had been subjected to.
Kirika wolf-whistled, grinning broadly, while Oriko shook her head slowly. Madoka raised a hand to cover Homura's eyes, though the implacable girl didn't seem to care too much about the sight of Sosuke's bare chest.
"Well," Sosuke said, standing straight. "At least I'm more comfortable now."
"This is karma, isn't it?" Sabrina muttered. "Mami, was my brain damage ever this bad?"
The mall itself was gigantic, a towering, flowing mixture of form and function. Vast portions were left to the open air, allowing for enjoyment of the weather. To simply wander about was as much of a treat as to gather whatever the patrons desired for the day. It was a testament to the skill of the designers that their creation brought arguably more joy to experience than to simply shop.
"These… clothes, are very uncomfortable," Sosuke said, picking at the collar of his too-tight shirt with one hand. "Are you sure I couldn't wear my kimono?"
"You'd get too much attention," Sabrina replied.
Sosuke looked about. People were staring at him, gaping at his looming height. He glowered at them, not enjoying the sensation he was being put on display for their amusement.
"Really?" he asked, voice deliberately loud. "From all these tiny people? Feh. I'd have gotten their notice anyway."
The gawkers flinched, the bubble of people coalescing around them collapsing as they returned to studied indifference.
"More attention," Sabrina amended, rubbing at her nose. Homura and Oriko snorted in stereo unison. They promptly glanced at each other, and then looked sharply away again. Kirika giggled to herself.
"Ah… I'm sorry," Madoka said, voice tiny. The pinkette looked down, tapping her fingers together. "My father isn't as… big, as you are."
Sosuke winced, his lips turning downward in a frown. The little girl's words brought full relief to his ingratitude. These people had no obligation to help him. He stood here, beyond the reach of the Celestial Order. He was Samurai, but what did that mean without the context of the Empire? These people around him were not peasants, and while Gaijin they resembled his people closely enough that he had to remind himself of the fact often.
Frankly, it was all very confusing. Sosuke didn't want to imagine what his experience here might have been like without their aid. And now he was spitting upon their hospitality simply because they didn't wish to cause a scene? It was a disgrace. Even here, amongst people who did not know the true meaning of honor, he had to uphold an ideal. Such was just the way of things.
"I apologize, Kaname-san," Sosuke said, stepping in front of the girl and bowing low. The shirt, already stretched tight around his bulky form, strained alarmingly at his shoulders. "My words were ill thought, and do not show you the respect you deserve for aiding me. I will not repeat this mistake."
Madoka flinched. "N-no! Sosuke, you don't- I don't- don't apologize!" Homura placed a hand on Madoka's shoulder in silent support.
Sabrina slapped a hand to her face, groaning into her palm. "Not again. Sosuke, what have I told you about this kind of thing?" At her side, Mami covered her mouth, eyes crinkling into a smile.
"I recall, Sabrina-san," Sosuke replied, rising from his bow. "I have simply elected to ignore it. There is a proper etiquette for living one's life, and it must be adhered to."
Sabrina groaned. "In Rokugan. We've talked about this."
"And I still disagree," Sosuke said, continuing to walk. "If I am all that exists of the Emerald Empire in these lands, then that simply means I must hold ever stronger to the proper way of things."
"He's so serious!" Kirika burst out in giggles, earning herself a withering glare from Sosuke. Oriko patted the black haired girl on her head, a fond, amused smile on her face.
"These are serious concerns," Sosuke replied, looking forward such to not grant the response any further attention. "And should be treated as such."
Sabrina groaned again, knuckling her forehead as she recalled the sheer petty annoyance of Rokugan. The sheer ossified social conventions had been an enormous pain to work through, let alone what they thought of tea. What was so wrong with reheating tea? Everything, apparently.
"Yes, anyway, let's go," Sabrina grumbled, waving the entire group forward. "Time's a-wasting and we really need to get you out of those, Sosuke."
"I can agree with that," the young man replied.
The motley crew headed into the mall. The interior was expansive, nearly cavernous, cool white lighting beaming down from above. The sounds of hundreds of people, chattering happily as they go about their own shopping trips resonate off the walls, sights and sounds and smells assaulting them from every direction. A pair of concierges, dressed in smart yellow uniforms zoom by on segways[1].
Sosuke drew his arms up in a ready stance at their passing, eyes wide with alarm. The Samurai prepared to strike at the concierges on instinct, but they moved past too quickly for him to do more than prepare. He relaxed as the two vanished into the crowd, though he still kept his hands up. His feet shifted as he walked, subtly taking a moving battle stance as the group made their way throughout the mall.
Kirika started giggling again, clamping her hands over her mouth as she quivered with barely restrained laughter.
Sabrina and Mami turned in unison, the former quirking an eyebrow as Sosuke slowly lowered his arms. The young man glowered, before shifting his eyes to face resolutely forward, obviously ignoring the curious looks directed his way.
A few minutes later, the group found themselves at one of the many, many clothes shops in the shopping center. "Alright, we can start here," Sabrina said, turning to face the rest of the group. "They, uh, might not have anything your size, but… say, Madoka, where does your father shop? We could sta- where's Sosuke?"
"Oh, he stopped a while back," Kirika said, grinning as she jabbed a thumb over her shoulder.
Sabrina stared at her, then Homura, who shrugged fractionally back at her. The white haired girl's eyes shifted to Oriko, who raised both eyebrows at her, indifferent expression belied only by a tiny smirk curling the side of her mouth. Madoka mouths a quiet 'sorry' at Sabrina's martyred face.
Mami covers her mouth and giggles.
Sabrina grumbled. "... alright, where did we misplace him."
Ten minutes later
Sosuke had been staring at the images in the book for quite a while. The language was similar to Rokugani, at least in form. He could almost work out what the book actually said, though it took him effort to interpolate between words. It seemed to be about the adventures of some Gaijin and his family.
That wasn't what caught his attention, however. What drew his eyes were the various strange poses the characters seemed to indulge in every few pages. They all looked quite odd, and frankly Sosuke wasn't sure they were actually physically possible to do in any quick or comfortable manner.
"Hmm…" he muttered. "Well, let us see."
Sosuke set the book aside, propping it open on the shelf so that he could glance at it for reference, and lifted one leg, turning his hips to the side. He forced his other leg to turn, folded in the opposite direction of his hips. His left arm crossed his body, elbow bent with his palm facing downward. His other arm, meanwhile, rested adjacent to his side, tensed with his hand held in a fist. Said fist also leaned upward, in opposite of his downward facing left hand.
"This is not easy," he said to himself, keeping his balance with effort. His shirt creaked dangerously at the seams, and his pants became worryingly tight. "It would not be so difficult in my kimono…"
A familiar voice reached his ears, sounding relieved. "Sosuke, there you- oh what."
"Hello, Sabrina-san," Sosuke responded, still holding the pose. "Tell me, could you explain the purpose of these poses? The characters in that picture book seemed to do it before and during battle, but I'm not seeing much point."
"I'm not sure, but… hmm," Sabrina muttered, eyeing the books. "Let me try the other one. Mami, could you hold my bag for me?
"Of course, Sabrina, but what are you doing?" Mami asked.
"Posing," Sabrina answered. She cocked her hips, one leg in front of her and the other shifting backwards. One arm curled in front of her body and her hand rose in front of her face, fingers splayed open. Her other arm hung clear of her body, hand curled into a tight fist and twisted to flex what paltry muscle she had. Certainly paltry by comparison to the hulking young man by her side.
"This takes quite a bit of effort," Sosuke said, sweat beading on his brow from holding his pose.
"Oh, you're both doing it wrong," Kirika said brightly. She stepped forward, releasing her arm from around Oriko's waist, and eyed the book for a moment before effortlessly and flawlessly striking a pose. First Sosuke's, holding it for a moment before returning her leg to the ground and bringing her hand up to her face to take on Sabrina's pose, drawing applause from the gathering crowd.
"... well, I should have expected that," Sabrina muttered. Mami chuckled, patting her on the shoulder in consolation.
"That is very impressive," Sosuke said, his tone earnest. "I am going to try another one I saw in a different book."
The young man shifted his stance. One leg pointed to the side, the other supporting the majority of his weight, and his head hunched forward to give an intense glare forward. His left arm was held straight down in front of him, wrist bent to fold his hand out in a straight L-shape, and the other arm coiled back behind his head, as if he was about to punch downwards.
It was then that Sosuke's shirt, already overburdened and abused so terribly, gave up. The fabric flew apart, ripping all over and sending strips of cloth flying through the air. His heavily muscled torso was bare for all the world to see, his toned arms likewise without covering save for the few meager remnants of that valiant shirt that had tried so hard to hold up against the rigours it had been subjected to.
Kirika wolf-whistled, grinning broadly, while Oriko shook her head slowly. Madoka raised a hand to cover Homura's eyes, though the implacable girl didn't seem to care too much about the sight of Sosuke's bare chest.
"Well," Sosuke said, standing straight. "At least I'm more comfortable now."
"This is karma, isn't it?" Sabrina muttered. "Mami, was my brain damage ever this bad?"
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