2026-09-23: Rooftop Rendezvous
- Log: 2026-09-23: Rooftop Rendezvous
- Cast: Hitomi Mandai, Akihiko Sanada
- Where: Iwatodai Dormitory, Rooftop
- OOC Date: September 23, 2026
- IC Date: January 14, 2013
- Summary: Hitomi calls Akihiko for an evening meet-up atop the roof of the Iwatodai Dormitory. They discuss ways to defend against a gunman, and begin to workshop possibilities together.
<Pose Tracker> Hitomi Mandai has posed.
MONDAY, 14 JAN 2013
6:20 PM
"Maybe this was a mistake," says Hitomi Mandai in her buttoned-up coat as she shoves her hands in her armpits. She has a tray with her, with two cups and a thermos - so that's covered, at least - and she is awaiting the arrival of someone very important. But important in a different way than is typically the case.
When the man of muscle mystery arrives, Hitomi looks up and brightens. "Oi! Sempai! What's up? You want a cup of tea? I thought it'd taste even better out here in the cold, you know?" As if on cue, a seaward breeze kicks up, running through her hair.
Hitomi is wearing her hair down, which is new. It flutters, artfully.
Having said this, she crouches down and opens the thermos to pour herself a cup, looking up to Akihiko for confirmation. It steams immensely, given the conditions.
<Pose Tracker> Akihiko Sanada has posed.
A evening rendezvous atop the Iwatodai Dormitory? My, how scandalous! If Junpei Iori heard about this... Well, both Hitomi and Akihiko's reputations would be at stake. Fortunately, Akihiko isn't one to assume anything by it.
Akihiko arrives at the dormitory rooftop with his white winter jacket slung over his shoulder, while dressed in a beige sweater with a red stripe around the torso. "Yo, Mandai-san." He says, raising his free hand in greeting. "Tea? That sounds good to me." He nods gratefully, as he joins Hitomi on the other end of the tray.
Akihiko will gratefully accept the tea, taking the tea as it is. He's not one to be fussy. Once the tea is poured, he brings the cup to his lips and gently sips from it. "Not bad." He comments. "So, what's the occasion?"
<Pose Tracker> Hitomi Mandai has posed.
Both Akihiko (self-explanatory) and Hitomi (5'9") are Bigger than Junpei, and could, if necessary, do him up Kozue-style.
There's a lot of stairs, Junpei. We're just saying. Things happen.
While still crouched, Hitomi pours another cup and rises with smooth movement. She hands the cup to Akihiko: it's the same green tea he probably has had in the dorms dozens of times before.
"Mm," she says then, looking outwards, towards the sea.
"... It's a little weird. So... hear me out, and I mean, like, ask me anything. I haven't ruled out that I'm just being crazy."
Hitomi sips her tea.
"I've been thinking about that time I got shot," Hitomi says.
(That totally happened --editorial)
(it was that 'Kandori' person at the Full Moon Shadow/evil Buddha statue incident in Sumaru, and Hitomi's weird luck meant it was mostly scraping flesh and fat on her arm. --also editorial)
(she also got stabbed by a hobo in the kitchen during Strega's unannounced visit but that was a while ago --ditto)
"... You haven't ever gotten shot, right?"
<Pose Tracker> Akihiko Sanada has posed.
Okay, well, Akihiko doesn't know about that... Hitomi might be on her own for that one!
He does like that green tea. Akihiko goes to sit across from Hitomi, as they admire the view. Then, Hitomi asks her question.
"Shot?!" Akihiko's eyes widen in shock, and his brain searches for when that happened. As he comes up short... He wonders about similar things that happened, and arrives at the most reasonable conclusion. "Ah. You mean from Kandori, right? Have you not healed, yet?"
Akihiko shakes his head. "I can't say that I have. Well, gotten shot by anything similar to a gun, anyways. Plenty of shadows have gotten a shot on me." He takes another sip as he considers whether Hitomi is still freaked out by it. He decides that it'd be better her to express it herself. "Why do you ask?"
<Pose Tracker> Hitomi Mandai has posed.
"No, it's fine now," Hitomi says. "The nurse who sewed me up, it was the same one who had done it for the knife, right? She actually kind of razzed me for it. Not much," Hitomi adds, pinching finger and thumb together, "but just a little bit."
She takes a deep breath.
"Well... I was thinking about it..."
Hitomi sips her tea, looking out towards sea. "If it's like the military, with automatic rifles and military guns... we're basically boned from the start. So, that's not worth worrying about. It's like worrying about if another Great Kanto Earthquake's going to happen, right? That'd like, destroy the world economy and it'd probably kill millions of people," Hitomi says, before, stopping.
More tea gets sipped. This is what it's for.
"But what is a real problem is... knives. And small guns. He had a pistol, right? I only - hah, it's kind of funny, I kind of was... staring and when I saw him flinch I kind of fell to the side. Did you ever watch that old show with the guy who's like a bounty hunter in Tokyo? My dad had most of it on tapes, and even a laser disc of the OVAs."
"So when I saw him do that I fell to the side," Hitomi continues, turning now to Akihiko, "but I was able to do that because I was watching him."
"But."
Hitomi purses her lips together.
"I also read pistols aren't very accurate past about ten meters. So he might have just gotten unlucky."
"... I forgot where I was going with this... Oh, duh. So," Hitomi says, "what's the fastest way to make a gun someone has, not a problem?"
That's where she stops talking.
<Pose Tracker> Akihiko Sanada has posed.
Akihiko chuckles lightly as Hitomi talks about the nurse who helped her. It sounds like a nice relationship to have. "I'm glad she took care of you."
Akihiko takes his turn to sip while Hitomi talks. Then, once she takes a pause, "Yes. We can prepare for the worst, but worrying about it might be too much," he replies. "I doubt we'll face down the military, though."
Knives and small guns are much easier to conceal and to slip out. They really are the bigger problem. Not to mention that Strega man who flaunts a revolver in his jeans... "That's not a bad call." Akihiko replies. "You reacted well."
The question though. How to make a gun not a problem? He crosses his arms as he thinks about the question. Akihiko lets out a high, his breath turning into steam as it leaves his mouth. "There's not really a lot of good options. Hiding behind cover helps, and then you can attack at range. Or, if you're prone to martial arts, if you get in, you can make it harder for your opponent to fire, but that's difficult - and dangerous. You can try moving, and staying unpredictable. Or smack the gun out of his hand, or break his arm." He explains, but shakes his head at the end of it. "Putting something between you and the gun is the easiest solution."
<Pose Tracker> Hitomi Mandai has posed.
Hitomi sips her tea.
"But there's often not a something," she says.
"So I want to learn how to take those things away from them," Hitomi continues. Her head turns downwards.
"Because if I have *one* advantage other than dumb luck, it's that I'm pretty good with my hands, and they're absolutely not going to expect it, right? Like if someone's got a gun, or a knife, and you go - *towards* them - that's totally insane. Especially if you're not like bull charging, just... I don't know."
Hitomi looks over. "Do you know how to do that? I - guess that's what I was hoping to ask."
("I mean breaking the arm is cool too but I'm not nearly as strong as you.")
<Pose Tracker> Akihiko Sanada has posed.
"Good with your hands, huh...?" Akihiko wondres, stroking his chin a little. "Why don't we practice then? I don't know if I can give you the answer, but we can figure it out together." He says with a smile. "I'm sure Iori-san has some toy guns somewhere, and we can workshop what works."
<Pose Tracker> Hitomi Mandai has posed.
"Oh," Hitomi says, shifting and reaching into her coat, "I thought of that actually. Though," and then Hitomi PULLS OUT A GUN
it's a plastic toy in blue and white. it's probably from k*men r*der
to pass over to Akihiko, holding it by the barrel. "I could've saved money if we just took his."
Hitomi also finishes her tea. "You want a refill, sempai?"
<Pose Tracker> Akihiko Sanada has posed.
"Ha!" Akihiko lets out a laugh. "I shoulda figured you had something up your sleeve." He shakes his head, flashing a toothy grin. "No, why don't we get started right now? Exercise will help warm us up just as much as the tea does."
Akihiko takes the toy gun in hand, and walks to a clearer part of the rooftop. "Now, come at me!"