2025-12-18: Olympic Idol
- Log: Olympic Idol
- Cast: Isabeau Fontaine, Miho Ijuuin
- Where: Tennis Courts, Kagurazaka
- OOC Date: 2025-12-18
- IC Date: Mon, Aug 27 2012
- Summary: Isabeau meets THREE-TIME OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST MIHO IJUUIN, and miraculously manages not to faint from sheer starstruck awe. Even though Isabeau's always fighting to be the best, and Miho demonstrably IS the best... luckily, Miho gives her some very good advice. Isabeau doesn't quite realise how much information she's given her in return.
<Pose Tracker> Isabeau Fontaine has posed.
What did you do during Summer vacation?
Isabeau improved her FUCKING serve, that's what.
(don't tell her dad she'd describe it with a swear please)
She's been out here, day after day, hour after hour, hitting balls served to her by a machine designed for that very purpose. The tennis courts are luckily shaded from the rain, though they're visible to the street; it's a lucky thing, too, when a late-August downpour starts pelting to break the sweltering heat.
Well. It would be fine if it DID break the heat and didn't just MAKE IT WORSE!
Isabeau doesn't complain about that, though. She's too busy angrily tossing more serves across the net... until the ball machine runs dry, of course. Then she jogs over to grab the net which feeds the balls into the machine... and takes a stop near the entryway to the courts to drain a bottle of water.
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
Miho has been doing a lot since returning from the Olympics, and not all of it has been horrible NWO business. For instance, she's had business here in Kagurazaka, where there's a thriving fencing club that has been wanting to see her--among actual business interests of the Katou Corporation. And accordingly, she comes by the tennis court often.. and habitually sees that same girl.
This time, on her way back, she diverts her path. Miho is dressed in a nice womens' suit, with short green hair. She is very tall, and today, she has an athletic bag over her shoulder.
"You take your practice seriously," she notes.
It's not a question.
<Pose Tracker> Isabeau Fontaine has posed.
The door to the courts creeeeaks open, and Isabeau turns, water bottle still in hand, to see --
To look up and see, like, she's tall, but she's not that tall --
"`Oh my God!`" Isabeau exclaims, in her native French. "`Ohmigod, omigod!! Is this real?!`" She clears her throat, trying to muster some level of decorum but still clearly starstruck. "You are Miho Ijuuin, yes?" She asks, this time managing to remember to speak Japanese in Japan, though it's stilted and textbook enough that she definitely hasn't been speaking it all her life. "Winner of two Olympic Gold Medals for women's, broad fencing," she forgot the word for saber don't @ her, "at the twenty-twelve Olympic Games, Miho Ijuuin?!"
(the eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee is silent)
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
Creaaaaak. Miho, as it happens, understands French. And she understands this kind of reaction, though it's not so common that it's unpleasant. She considers; a foreign girl, here in a largely foreign district...
"`Yes`," Miho confirms in French, "`That is me. I'm pleased that you recognize me; it shows that you have an interest in sports beyond your own. I also do; I enjoy tennis.`"
"`Whenever I pass this place, I seem to see you practicing on your own.`"
<Pose Tracker> Isabeau Fontaine has posed.
"`Really?!`" Isabeau is all too happy to move right back to French; Miho's is really very good, and she sounds much less stupid in her native language. "`Wow... of course! Yeah, I was following everything in the Olympics! I had to give my dad the full report, you know?! He's busy with his work, but he loves the Games, too!`"
She's positively beaming when Miho compliments her (again?! SHE WAS FREAKING OUT TOO HARD TO NOTICE THE FIRST TIME OH MY GOD!), nodding with vigour. "`That's right! I looked up how the greats in tennis practice, and I'm doing that, too! Eight hours a day, just like a job! I'm going to be the best player in my club, or -- or nothing!!!`"
Isabeau sighs, though, looking over to her serving machine. "`The other members of tennis club aren't taking things seriously at all, though... they always say they're busy with dates, or hanging out, or going places. And I'm like, hello? We're on vacation? This is the one time we can put all this practice in without school getting in the way!`" With a huff, she folds her arms, water bottle still tilted against the muscles (and curves; she's not skinny) of her upper arm. "`Geez... did you have to put up with this stuff when you were in school, too?`"
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
Miho's French is expert because she uses it for business, and because many important fencing ideas are discussed in French. ...Also she's rich. That part is important.
"`I see`," Miho answers. "`How diligent`."
But the greats practice eight hours a day... Miho is thoughtful about that one, looking at the machine. The others are busy. Hmm.
"`I dealt with my share of unfocused clubmates,`" she agrees, "`But more often, interpersonal disputes. Much as it would ease our training, we do not live in a world of only sport.`"
She pauses. "`Your diligence is commendable... but are you not concerned that practicing with a machine instead of an opponent will dull your ability to react dynamically to different situations?`"
"`Drills have a strong place in practice, but there is nothing like a human opponent.`"
<Pose Tracker> Isabeau Fontaine has posed.
An OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST called ISABEAU 'diligent'!!!!!!
Her smile's sfx is still, 'eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee', though she's at least dignified enough not to vocalise it.
And listen! Listen! Our training!!! Isabeau gets to be in the same category as Miho Ijuuin!!!! "`Man! Who would argue with you?! You're like... the best saber fencer in the country! You won individual's Gold twice!`" Isabeau was also watching the last Olympics, apparently.
She looks from Miho to the machine, though, and sighs. All the weight of her insisting she can do it on her own can't hold back the experience of a woman who's stood at the top. (The fact that she calls her diligent again sure takes the sting out of it, though.) "`... you're right,`" she says, her shoulders falling a little. "`I know this isn't as good as practicing against a real person... but my clubmates just don't want to come and practice with me. Not that any of them can match me, anyway... well, except one girl, and... I really can't ask her if she wants to come and practice. It's really frustrating, you know? I always said I don't need anyone, and I don't...! ... but even a fancy machine like this only has so many settings. Besides, I can't psyche a machine out...`"
Isabeau, isn't it unfair to psyche your opponent out during tennis?!
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
Miho indeed considers Isabeau a young sister in sport. There is a certain sorority and fraternity both in the act of competition; Miho is one of those who believes in it. "`Thank you,`" Miho says. "`I appreciate your attention to my hard work.`"
But...
"`Indeed, I would say that overpracticing one thing can be to your detriment long-term, much as it's tempting. ...Sometimes, the most important thing you can do with your time is rest your body and mind.`"
But one girl... Hmmm.
Miho is fine with psychic warfare. That doesn't bug her. Mysteriously.
"`It is very frustrating, when there are troubles within one's club. I could not always get along with my peers...`"
She thinks of her wife.
"`But my training was worth the trouble.`"
She considers. "`But I would say...`"
"`We all need someone--even if only as an opponent. There is the soft embrace of friendship... but true rivalry will lead you to heights you could not reach on your own.`"
"`...Though your approach can work well, too. My main rival was myself, as well. But consider what I've said. It would be worth it to practice for a shorter duration if your practice was more fulfilling.`"
She's decided; she's going to watch some of Isabeau's practice today, if she practices any further.
<Pose Tracker> Isabeau Fontaine has posed.
"`You -- you can overpractice?!`" Isabeau yelps, with the exact tone of betrayal a diligent toothcare enthusiast feels when being told that overbrushing leads to cavities too. "`I mean, I put rest days in just like the schedule said, but...`"
But practicing at something like a job during vacation does kind of imply one is not having a vacation.
Miho couldn't get along with her peers, either, though, and Isabeau wonders: what if she'd be more comfortable in the Olympics too? Just leave all these miserable halfwits behind and be the best definitively! "`That's right! Training is it's own reward! There's nothing better than finding your way past the next thing blocking your path!`"
Still, Miho insists that they all need someone, and Isabeau might have protested that one (internally, obviously) if not for the fact that apparently rivals count double. "`Opponents... I definitely have those,`" Isabeau nods. "`Then I had better goad them way more!`"
Man. This kid must be TERRIBLE at making friends. She probably expresses attachment by dousing people with cold water or something.
Isabeau does, indeed, consider Miho's words...
... and proves herself to be formidably bold, despite evidently feeling a bit shy, when she asks: "`Um, then... would you like to play a match with me? I always bring a second racket, just in case I break mine again! And -- and it isn't like you can go out there in the rain without ruining your nice suit, anyway!!`"
She pauses, and adds, with that same touch of shyness: "`I really like your style when you're not on the field, by the way, Miss Ijuuin...`"
(Of course she would; her jean shorts and blouse aren't entirely unfeminine, but they're definitely far sportier than a highschool girl in Japan ought to look. This... is a baby butch.)
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
"`You can`," Miho says.
But Isabeau might be more comfortable in dedicated competition. It's possible. But right now, "`Accomplishment is indeed a fine reward of its own.`"
To goad them... Miho actually smiles at that. "`Good luck.`" She doesn't really need to meddle in the girl's social affairs; goading or through friendship, one way or another she'll find someone to train with. "`Though at the highest levels, we generally need not fight outside the arena...`"
Generally. There are definitely exceptions.
But Isabeau is indeed bold. Miho considers it. Then, she smiles.
"`It is true,`" she says, continuing in French. "`Very well. I will play with you.`" She is not an expert at tennis... but her general athleticism should make her a formidable opponent even as an amateur, given that she's played before. Also her sheer size and reach will go a long way.
"`Thank you`," Miho says of her style. "`I enjoy feminine styles... on others`," she says, a bit wry. "`For myself, I find that it's all too much trouble. And in fencing, one's body and face are covered in any case.`"
She sheds her jacket, which is the main thing that would restrict her movement for the moment, and hangs it. "`"The racket?`"
It will be interesting to see her style.
<Pose Tracker> Isabeau Fontaine has posed.
Isabeau is so shocked. At least Miho agrees with her about accomplishments!!
She beams a little brighter, when Miho smiles, too. See?? The Olympic Medalist (eee) AGREES with her METHODS! Antagonism WORKS, BABY!!! "`Oh, don't worry,`" she assures her, "`no one in high school is at that level. But if I'm not going to be the best, why am I even trying?!`"
Clearly she can stop fighting the world when she becomes the best. That's just logical. She won't have anyone to fight when she's won all her battles already!
"`Really?! That's great!`" Isabeau chirps, and anyone from school who saw her now really wouldn't recognise her: why is this jerk so honestly excited? They might ask. To which she would of course reply: because Miss Ijuuin's forgotten more about excellence than you'll ever learn, idiot. If only someone from school would appear to right the cosmos, she would surely demonstrate her venom, but alas: the only one here is an icon.
AND SHE WANTS TO PLAY TENNIS WITH HER
"`Hahaha,`" Isabeau laughs -- in French, so it probably sounds like HON HON HON, no wonder she sounds like a total ojou in Japanese -- when Miho remarks that she likes dresses just fine on other women. (Well. Implicitly women.) "`Me, too! I like it when girls dress up, but man, I can't climb anything in a skirt... and it's not like you want fancy clothes for tennis, either, your footwork would be miserable!`"
Isabeau goes over to rustle up her second racket, turning it about to offer it to Miho. "`Right here, Miss!`" She grabs a tennis ball, too -- there are plenty of them around the edges of the court after she was such a menace -- and calls out: "`Okay! Are we ready?`"
And while she does know a lot of dirty tricks, she starts with an honourable serve -- from a powerful closed position, Miho might note, which at least means she'll have a reasonable challenge striking the ball back.
Miho's absolutely stronger; there's no question there, even in a sport which isn't her mastery. But Isabeau clearly is good -- and it isn't just because she's been drilling rote all Summer.
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
"`For some, it's enough simply to enjoy the game. To learn camaraderie, to dip their toes in a wider world...`"
"`And there is nothing wrong with that,`" Miho says. "`But the chase can be much grander...`"
She smiles. "`A good game is a better use of my time than wandering in the rain.`"
Not that she doesn't have a driver for that, but shh. There's still walking involved from any reasonable parking place.
So Isabeau likes it when girls dress up specifically? "`This is true. Though... I do not have to do so much climbing,`" she admits.
The racket she takes; there are plenty of balls, as it happens. Miho accepts their position a moment later, "`Allez!`"
Miho can handle that initial serve; it's powerful, but Miho's general athleticism carries her while Isabeau concerns herself with 'honor'. Her raw strength goes a long way towards Isabeau's skill.
...But Miho sees it; Isabeau has more to her, more skill than she has seen so far. More passion.
"`Are you going easy on me?`" Miho goads. "`You mentioned how you handle other opponents... I'm curious to see it.`" Her stance shifts from open to semi-open, then, as she serves back this time.
<Pose Tracker> Isabeau Fontaine has posed.
"`Camaraderie isn't really something I get at school... but that doesn't mean I don't have any! I'm part of my father's crew, you know? We're always hunting together!`" That's probably illegal; you need to be twenty years old to attain your hunting licence, in Japan. Unless... "`That doesn't mean I can't do that on my own, either, of course. I'm working hard to get to their level!`"
(The teenager just isn't good at opsec. Eveline wept.)
She's beaming, though, as Miho declares that a good game is a better use of her time.
"`I love climbing all around the city,`" Isabeau shares. "`It's like the world's biggest obstacle course, you know?`"
... which means she must be someone who likes athletic problem-solving, if she's doing all that parkour.
Allez!!! And Isabeau can hold her own against Miho's strength, certainly, but --
"`Huh? You want me to play like that?`" Isabeau asks, as she serves the ball back -- somehow able to ask that question and keep track of the ball, which is its own mark of skill -- before she grins. "`All right!!`"
And the next time Isabeau serves the ball back... it's just gently tapped over the net, in such a way that it's actually hard for Miho to use her full strength tossing it back. Bap!
Again, the next time she hits it back, it's a drop shot which is hard to respond to: bap!
Again, the next time --
-- she SLAMS the ball in a spinning lob, sailing even over Miho's head at her height, deep into her side of the court.
Going from minimum power like that straight into a maximum-power shot is dirty pool, and yet...
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
"`Oh, so?"`" Hunting together. On face value, of course, that would be ILLEGAL, and yet... And yet. "`Of course. Having comrades to catch up to is another way to improve.`"
Isabeau likes to climb all over. "`Yes, this makes sense`," she says. "`A puzzle for the body as much as the mind, then.`"
But Isabeau asks, and Miho inclines her head. "`Yes`," she answers. And there--
The tap Miho can handle, though it is not as fierce a return as it would usually be. The drop shot just makes her pump that much harder to succeed. But the shakeup...
"Ha ha ha!"
Miho glances to the ball where it flies well out. "`There we are,`" she says.
"`Such tactics won't win you popularity, but will win you matches`."
"`But the key to a good weapon is knowing when to deploy it. Against your teammates, it may only discourage them. You should save such tactics for when victory is vital.`"
A smile. "`I'm pleased, though. You're a talented player. It's good to see young people excelling in sport.`"
She considers. "`We should talk again sometime. These days, I have a day job to consider, instead of only my training, now that the Olympics are over...`"
She extends a business card in her hand. It's polite to offer it with both hands, but Miho is a rebel and Isabeau is a teenager. "`But I would like you to tell me the time of your next tournament. I will be interested in seeing your progress.`"
<Pose Tracker> Isabeau Fontaine has posed.
"`Right! They've been at this way longer than me, but I'll prove I'm no slouch!!`" Isabeau doesn't want people to have to carry her weight, huh...?
"`Oh... yeah! It's a lot like a puzzle! Except if you screw up you'll end up in hospital... so it's way more high-stakes than a puzzle!!`" ... and she's a bit of an adrenaline junkie, apparently.
And Miho may well feel Isabeau's Resonance ringing out as she hits that shot successfully over her massive height -- something best characterised as wasplike. She really bugs people, huh?
"`Wow... you're really impressed?`" Isabeau asks, though she's smiling, as she moves to the net to speak with her more comfortably. "`Yeah, you're right, they always complain... even though I'm trying to toughen them up!`" Huff!
But Miho -- three-time Olympian gold medalist Miho Ijuuin -- thinks she's talented, and Isabeau frankly looks over the moon. An Olympian thinks she's talented!!! "`Thank you very much, Miss Ijuuin!`"
She wants to talk to them again, though, and Isabeau's quick to nod. "`Oh, wow -- yeah, of course!! Wow, you must be so busy with all that going on... do you at least have help at home?`" No ring on her finger, so Isabeau's pretty sure she's not married, but...
Isabeau, luckily, doesn't know that Miho isn't handing her her card in a polite way, and frankly the fact that she's receiving it at all is amazing just wait until dad hears about this at dinner tonight!! "`Absolutely! I'll let you know as soon as we get another match! It would be totally amazing if you were there... it was totally amazing you stopped to join me today, too!! Even when we were playing, I could tell how strong you were... I can't wait to get stronger, too!`"
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
Miho does feel that Resonance, though her own may be harder to sense at the moment, controlled and contained as she is. If Isabeau realizes it, she may scent steel and brimstone... but then, she may not, too.
"`Good. On a team, none must be dead weight.`"
An adrenaline junkie indeed, though. Miho grins at that. "`A risk-taker, then.`"
But she is impressed. Miho returns to the net as well. "`You are welcome.`"
"`I do`," Miho confirms, have help at home. She doesn't elaborate for the moment; talking about Yua is fraught, and talking about Eiko is 'bragging', even when it's just to show off how skilled Eiko is at her work. But she does mention, "`My driver saves me some time.`"
'`Good,`" Miho answers. "`I will attend if I am able. ...I look forward to seeing your skills against appropriate opponents.`"
A smile. A Persona-user and a tennis player...
"`Strength is a continuous practice. One does not only become strong; one is always gaining strength.`"
"`Before I go...`"
"`What is your name?`"
<Pose Tracker> Isabeau Fontaine has posed.
"`That's just what I think!`" Isabeau agrees, vehemently.
And she nods, firmly, when Miho calls her a risk-taker. "`Guilty!`"
When she steps up to the net, she's all smiles. "`That's great,`" she says, hearing that Miho's at least not doing everything herself; she's not about to pry, of course, but the fact that she has a driver does suggest some things to her.
... daddy's rich, but, like, not chauffeur rich.
"`I won't disappoint you!`" Isabeau promises, boldly, when Miho looks forward to her skills.
She hasn't picked up on Miho's own secret, just yet; she was too wrapped up in defeating her to pick up anything so subtle.
"`Always gaining strength, huh... yeah!`" She pumps her fist, nodding firmly. But then --
"`Huh?`" Isabeau blinks. And then --
"`OhmiGOD I totally forgot to introduce myself that's so rude!!`" Being fair: she was kind of distracted by meeting a real life Olympian. (Seriously, she's SO big. She's WAY bigger than she looks on TV? Isabeau is PRETTY sure she could grab a man by both arms and yank him so hard he'd split by the ribcage????) "`I was just so excited... um, I'm Isabeau! Isabeau Fontaine!!`" It's a very French name, which explains the method of conversation they've been having.
"`It's really nice to meet you!`" She adds, chipper.
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
It is great! Miho can focus on important things, in this way...
But Isabeau's bold promise gets a nod. She then waits through Isabeau's fist-pumping and general excitement before--
"Heh." It is pretty funny, but it would be rude to laugh more than a little bit.
Also, Miho has never split a man at the ribcage with her bare hands. ...Excepting gingerbread men. Those have fallen to her might many a time.
"`Isabeau Fontaine... I'll remember that.`" A beat, "`And as you know, I am` Miho Ijuuin."
"`It's a pleasure,`" Miho agrees. "`But I do have someone awaiting me at home... I'll see you at the match, Miss Fontaine.`"
With an opportunity to shake her hand, Miho will grab her jacket, return the racket, and make to go.
She is very cool as she walks.
<Pose Tracker> Isabeau Fontaine has posed.
Nope, sorry, Isabeau's convinced you can rip a man apart limb by limb with your bare hands now she's seen you in real life, Miho.
AND SHE'LL REMEMBER HER NAME AAAAAAAAAAAA
"`Right!`" Isabeau nods, firmly, when Miho introduces herself formally.
But Miho has someone waiting for her, and Isabeau nods, again. "`Yeah, of course! I'll see you later, Miss Ijuuin!`" (They're pretty sure 'miss' is right; there's no wedding band on her finger. And it's not like she's corrected her!)
She absolutely shakes Miho's hand when she offers it out, though; her own grip is firm, though not crushing.
Which means...
... which means...
... an Olympian athlete recognised her as her opponent...
Isabeau waits for Miho to walk away (SUPER cool), at least, before she puts her curled hands to her cheeks and squeals.
"eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!"