2026-02-04: Broken like the Greenhouse
- Log: Broken like the Greenhouse
- Cast: Tsubasa Seki, Niko Kirisaki
- Where: Kasugayama - Greenhouse
- OOC Date: 2026-02-04
- IC Date: Fri, Sep 21 2012 (nudged forward half a day)
- Summary: Niko has a look to see if Tsubasa's still alive, one day, after school. Tsubasa isn't happy to see her, for some reason. They point a bokken at her, and yell at her, and call her mean things, all because she tried to tell them that rules are rules! Why is their friendship as broken as this greenhouse?! It's not fair!
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Fridays always drag on. Tsubasa sits at the back of their classroom, tapping their pen to the desk, face propped up on the other; their cyan-white-pink wig shadows it all, in a metalhead mess atop their head. Their Kasugayama boys' uniform has the sleeves rolled up; below their desk, their shirt's half-unbuttoned and tied around their waist, exposing the binder beneath it.
They never volunteer answers to questions.
But... they've at least started answering correctly when the teachers call on them instead of telling them to pound sand and getting detention.
Now school's out, though, and Tsubasa's headed back to the ruined greenhouse behind Kasugayama to straighten things up a bit. (The Princess has detention today, instead, and she told them to go ahead.) There are a few plants growing here, but there's also a big hole in the glass on the top of the greenhouse, aside from the ones on the sides; Tsubasa has to fix the tarp there, since it always ends up slipping. They're working inside the greenhouse to do that.
It's hot as hell in here, but that's not the only reason they're sweaty.
<Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
Friday isn't really any different from most other days, for Niko. Not like she actually goes to school, though anyone assuming she does would probably also assume it's Kasugayama she goes to, looking the way she does. Granted, what she wears is not even close to a school uniform and probably offends many people's sense of decency. But it's not like she's ever seemed to care about anyone's opinions.
If she did, she might have thought twice about casually strolling around on campus grounds like she belongs here. She may not have been among the most clearly involved with the 'gang violence' incident that happened back in June, but she was involved in a fight happening outside of the school gates at the time. It's certainly possible students have seen her, and drawn their own conclusions. If they want to make something of it...
Well, Niko also has the look of someone who's just itching for someone to make something of it. Why else is she smiling so cheerfully and waving to people who look in her direction while effectively trespassing? Gotta be taunting folks, right?
It might have been more of an issue, had she been noticed straying onto anyone's turf in the process. But that didn't happen. Not yet. Not until she arrives at the greenhouse. She hasn't exactly been hiding her approach, but if she still hasn't been noticed by then, her voice is bound to give it away.
"Ahhh... it's all broken up. What a shame." She bends forward, hand on her chin, inspecting the damage on the sides. "Have people been throwing stones while living in glass houses, I wonder? Really aughta know better."
If that's still not enough to get some attention... well, she'd just have to go and waltz right in, won't she?
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
What a shame...
Tsubasa hears that voice, freezes up --
And immediately yelps "SHIT!" as the tarp rope slips out of their hands and comes right down on top of them. So much for treating Niko like a T. Rex! Now they're flailing like a moron!
They manage to get it off of themself, though -- fixing their wig back on their head in the same aside motion -- and grab a bokken stashed behind some bags of chipwood.
Which is just enough time for Niko to waltz on in.
"Stay back!" Tsubasa snaps, holding the bokken -- much like a saber, really, they remember that lesson. "Where're th' others?!" They point, towards her, with that wooden blade. "Ya unit! Strega! I know all about it! You back to fuck th' Death Boss up more, or you want a piece a me?!"
<Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
Don't worry Tsubasa, Niko didn't notice you embarrassing yourself. You can tell because she absolutely would have laughed if she saw that.
That may be a plus, but the way she just... entirely fails to react to having Tsubasa charge her with bokken in hand might be a little frustrating. It does stop her advance, but that's about it. Rather than react with any sort of alarm, she just raises a hand for a friendly wave, the same smile she entered with still plastered on her face. "Yo, Seki-kun!"
If she even has any sort of danger sense then it must be broken. She can tell that this is hostility she's facing, right? You'd never know if she can, looking at her relaxed posture. Ah, but finally that smile wavers a bit... except that's because, "That's such a bummer, I gotta think of a better nickname to call you."
At least she is staying back. The questioning, though, just has her tilting her head, as if it confuses her. "Unit? We're not a unit. We just hang out, y'know? But not today, today it's just me." A hand goes to her chin. "Death Boss... I forget, did we do something to do that guy?"
The worst part is that she's not even playing, she genuinely doesn't remember. But she does remember Tsubasa, that bright smile quickly returning. "I just came to see you! No reason, really, just bored. Curious if you were still alive. 's it." She gives a small shrug.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Don't need one," Tsubasa dismisses Niko's thirst for nicknames. How cruel...
(Their knuckles are looking a little white, curled around that weapon.)
Niko's at least stopped. Tsubasa takes a moment to assess the situation. She's between them and the door; are they quick enough to get past her before she grabs them? Fuck no, look at those arms. But if they rush her, they might be able to daze her long enough to --
Their assessment is cut short by Niko's reply. "Right, fuckin' buddy gang've assassins," Tsubasa hisses, derisively, through their teeth. They bare, snapping, as they raise their voice to yell: "YOU GUYS TRIED TO KILL HIM, BASTARD!"
Yeah, she gets the full kisama treatment, it's deluxe.
"You people are watchin' me," they growl, shifting back on a heel. "I know you are. Who's givin' you orders, huh? Who's up the chain?" They're not at all friendly, as they brandish that very fancy stick. "Answer me!"
<Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
Silly Tsubasa, of course you need a nickname. Everybody needs a nickname. Unless their first name is already two syllables or less, she can work with that. Last name is just too impersonal though. Don't you see?
Thankfully for everyone, Niko doesn't actually go into that whole spiel aloud, even though that's totally how it works. She does keep her eyes on Tsubasa though, even if she doesn't appear concerned in any way. Not fearing a weapon doesn't mean she won't stay prepared for any attempts to use it.
But surely Tsubasa wouldn't think of trying to leave now. Niko is not done talking yet. Are you going to be rude to Niko?
"Wow, rude." Apparently so, she didn't care much for the assassin moniker. Totally unimpressed by the yelling too, which gets a surprised, "Whaaaat, nooo." Another shrug. "I never even met the guy myself, so, that's nothing to do with me. Pretty sure he's not on any of our lists or anything." She smiles, mysteriously, or so she thinks. "He's on someone's list, though~"
She scuffs her foot on the ground, idle digging in the heel of her sneaker a bit as she sighs. "I thought I told you, nobody tells us what to do. And it's not any of us who's watching you." She puts her hands behind her head, as if she wasn't saying anything particularly concerning. And wasn't about to continue doing so.
"You didn't really think a little escape trick was gonna fool Ojisan, did you? You're still on his list, too. Eventually it's gonna circle back around to you. Not like there's a choice, he has to kill the people on his list. Sucks, but that's just how it works."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Man, not even their girlfriend's nicknamed them!! (They like 'Tsubasa' as a whole statement better, anyway.)
Tsubasa gets the sense that leaving before they're excused is hazardous to their health, though. You know, on account of the being set on fire. That's not the only reason why they haven't made a run for it, yet, but it's certainly part of their calculations.
"Nothin' to do with you?! You were with th' Joker Killer when he showed up to kill him, I know you were." They weren't out front when Niko and Jin attacked, though... they must have heard about it afterwards. "Don't say you two ain't workin' together when you both tried to kill me!"
Still... no one tells them what to do. Is that really true, or did the NWO really just let them off the leash to do as they pleased...? "Let's say I believe that," they issue, sceptically.
They fully take a step back, though, when Niko refers to her uncle -- the Joker Killer? -- THE JOKER KILLER IS NIKO'S UNCLE?! -- no it's gotta be slang; they don't look pale, but it's just because of all that fake tan and concealer and makeup on their face. "That... how it works?" They ask, and they're not entirely able to hide how freaked out they are, though their teeth grit and they toughen up a moment later. "Whaddya mean, he ain't got no choice?! Who're 'they' holdin' over his head, huh?!"
<Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
Sounds like Niko should talk to certain girlfriends about nickname science! This is important if you're gonna be close to someone, you know. Niko-sensei is ready to help any time! ...yeah, lucky thing this is not a topic being discussed aloud.
But yes, it's important to stay friendly. What goes around, comes around, as Niko firmly believes. Thus, she won't treat anyone poorly... as long as she doesn't think they deserve it. Which can change quite quickly depending on the circumstances.
The first accusation seems to just kind of slide off of her - it's arguing semantics in her view, no big deal. But the second one, that makes her feel like she should defend herself. "What'd I do to you? I never attacked you once!" Technically correct, which as we all know is the best kind of correct. "I was just running interference, no need to make such a big deal out of it." She was just trying to make sure others didn't stop people from being killed, that's totally different from killing people.
Would you believe it - she actually looks a little hurt, from what she can only assume was a misunderstanding. "It's not like I want interesting people like you to die. It's just, you're on the list. Don't you get it? That means you not dying is against the rules. Like, sure, I'm a troublemaker, I'll cop to that. But I'm not a rulebreaker. That's just... no good, you know?"
Whatever it is that she's talking about, she isn't just blabbering random nonsense here, from her point of view. She genuinely believes what she's saying. That this is, indeed, how it works. But Tsubasa asks her to explain that. That has her scrunching her face up in thought for a moment. She gets it, but how on earth can she help someone else get it? She still doesn't look entirely sure of herself when she speaks again, but, she makes an effort.
"It's... just what Ojisan has to do. Not the 'being forced to' kind of 'has to'. The has to 'has to'. It's just, on his mind, constantly. Can you imagine what that's like? It's like if during vacation, everything you studied in school stuck around in your brain, forever. You'll be having ice cream and still going over the strokes of 'utsu' and 'odoroku' in your head. Wanna take your mind off things with karaoke? You'll get your lines mixed up with lines from The Tale of Genji. You wanna sleep? Nope, solve x to the second power plus 4 x plus 4 equals zero."
A final shrug of helplessness. "I dunno about you, but that sounds like torture to me. Don't you feel bad for him?"
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Look, Tsubasa's thoughts about Niko and Ichika start and end at STAY AWAY FROM THE SUMMONER --
"Bullshit!" Tsubasa yells. "You an' that Joker Killer, you teamed up to fuck me up! Don't give me none of that 'I didn't start the fire' crap!" Tsubasa, who can't even speak English, couldn't tell you why that song's so popular to begin with.
They really aren't all that bothered about Niko looking hurt right now. She wanted them to burn alive. ... or at least wanted something else more than stopping it.
"Fuck th' rules!" They snap, tightening their grasp on their bokken. "What kinda rules make ya kill shit anyway?!"
And she says that the Joker Killer has to, and Tsubasa just, straight up spits that out, off to the side of the greenhouse floor. "Fuck that. So you're tellin' me he's jus' a fuckin' psychopath? He oughta light himself up, that'll cure it." No sympathy whatsoever. "An' you're askin' me -- do I feel bad -- for the piece a SHIT who wanted me to BURN ALIVE?! You're fuckin' abnormal!"
They brandish their bokken, quite beside themself in their fear and anger both. "So what about you, huh?! They kidnapped ya little brother, or got some real compromisin' pictures, or maybe they just grabbed one a th' special kids an' told ya this was a fun game?! Why you doin' it!"
Tsubasa doesn't have much sympathy for psych patients, huh. Why are they so cruel about that...?
<Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
Oh look at that, Niko can flinch! That happened at the sudden 'bullshit', doesn't look like she saw that one coming. Why would she, she explained herself so well!
There is somethingly oddly catchy about that song. But Niko isn't thinking about that right now. She just looks kind of sulky at the conclusion Tsubasa came to. "I didn't, though," she insists in regards to starting that fire. She couldn't have, no fire spells. QED.
And then she looks downright uncomfortable, when Tsubasa denounces the rules. Didn't she just say that's no good? No good at all. What should she do in this situation...?
She hadn't made up her mind yet, by the time she formulates her response. But again, Tsubasa just doesn't seem to understand. Do they even want to understand? Why are they being so difficult about this? In Niko's world, it's Tsubasa who isn't making any sense.
"I knew it..." Softly, almost sadly spoken words. "You can't understand." Her smile returns, but it doesn't reach her eyes. "Guess that's on me, for thinking otherwise. Of course you can't understand. You're not like me. That's good though, probably. If you were, then... you'd be in even more trouble."
Her eyes widen, when Tsubasa professes wanting to know. Exactly what it is that's up with her. For a fleeting moment, Niko considers trying to explain again. But...
"That's enough." It's not a demand, it's resignation. Any more would be pointless. And besides... this isn't fun anymore.
Though she sounds calm, on the inside, she is anything but. "I get it. You're the type who believes that all it takes to win and get a happy ending is to defeat all the bosses. That's how it should be, right? Wouldn't it be great if things were as they should be?" She sniffs. "At this rate... at this rate, things will never go back to the way they should be."
Abruptly, she whirls around, and dashes for the exit. Running away, just like that. Good riddance? Perhaps. Except... was that a tear in her eye...?
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Tsubasa can get her to flinch, they note, and there's a callousness to their survivalism. Good. If they can shake her, they can get past her, get to the others...
"You facilitated it," which is way too big a word for a punk thug's vocabulary, but Tsubasa's always been a bit weird.
"I ain't like you," Tsubasa hisses, teeth grit. "I ain't never bein' my father's child. I will tear each and every one a you down -- brick by fuckin' brick!" Who's 'you', anyway?
Maybe that's why they want to know.
She sounds resigned, though, and Tsubasa remarks -- scoffs -- at the idea that she'd be reaching out to them, after what she did to them.
"I don't give a shit!" Tsubasa yells, and they might have said more, except Niko turns tail and runs, and they shift gears to yelling: "STREGA FUCK OFF!!"
They don't stick around the greenhouse long after she bolts, though.
Tsubasa beelines right back to go find Ichika and Hibari, ASAP, before Niko can go bring back her friends.
(Seriously, what's up with those NWO agents working independently? She's gotta just be lyin' to their face...)