2026-02-10: This Is Just Good Planning!
- Log: This Is Just Good Planning!
- Cast: Suzume Fukura, Aigis
- Where: Iwatodai Dormitory
- OOC Date: February 10, 2026
- IC Date: September 23, 2012
- Summary: Aigis encounters a studying Suzume in the dorm common lounge, and it's the first time the two of them get to talk directly. They talk about SEES, school subjects, clubs, fashion, and sports ... then Suzume concocts a plan to both replace the television and evade scrutiny over whether she's completed her math homework or not.
(|============================ Iwatodai Dormitory ============================|)
-================================================== Iwatodai City/Iwatodai ====-
A large four-story dormitory used by the Specialized Extracurricular Execution
Squad, only five minutes from Iwatodai Station. Upon entering, one passes a desk
with a sign-in book for guests to find a large carpeted common room that's well
appointed for co-ed gatherings.
A TV is usually on with the local news or a movie that's been loaded into the
DVD player for a student to enjoy. A table for shared dinners, or more often
study sessions, takes up the other half of the dorm, as well as a kitchen should
one dare to show off their skills to their fellow students.
There are two winding staircases on either side. The one on the left simply says
'Boys' while the other on the right states 'No Boys Except By Invitation.' The
implicit threat of execution need not be written down for those who violate
these rules. The second and third stories are living spaces divided by gender
with common spaces that have study areas and bookshelves available.
The fourth story is the command center with surveillance capabilities for not
just different parts of the city but each room within the dorms. The Chairman
has assured all who live here that this capability is strictly necessary.
BGM - Dormitory Theme - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj-FrFI0qnM
<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.
Iwatodai Dorms -- Sunday Evening
The dorms are not always the most hopping place, but they're almost never completely empty either. There's enough SEES students that SOMEONE is frequently coming, going, or hanging around, whether alone or in a group.
Though she tends to spend her days elsewhere when she can, Suzume Fukura frequently takes the television for Sunday evening sports when nobody is using it and there's a game on, even if it's just background while she does something else. Well, took - ever since the Strega attack there hasn't *been* one in the lounge. But tonight, she's still here.
Why? Homework.
Suzume is currently sitting on one of the couches in a position that looks kind of uncomfortable, with her legs tucked up and balancing a notebook and a textbook between them and the couch arm. She's flexible enough to do it, though.
Unfortunately for her, Suzume is doing *math* homework. And Suzume is not a math fan. As far as she's concerned it's fine when it's things she can do in her head, like arithmetic; anything more complex (such as, say, trigonometry, which is what she's currently staring at) can be left for either computers or the experts, whichever is more convenient.
So in short, Suzume is doing math, hating it, and desperately looking for something - anything - to be a distraction. She can't even have a baseball game on in the background!
<Pose Tracker> Aigis has posed.
As of late, Aigis has been tentatively involved with various club activities -- she's in a phase where she's trying things out to see what best sparks her interest. (Right now, the Art Club has best achieved that.) While there may have been a point in time where she went directly home after school, she has been more scarce and often returns home just an hour before curfew.
When she does arrive home, she immediately takes to her studies ... to mixed success, depending on the exact subject. Math is one of the subjects which Aigis hardly needs to expend any effort to understand, and her particular weaknesses lie in the humanities -- she's about ten years behind when it comes to the nuance often required to comprehend her reading assignments.
Her usual spot is at the dining table next to kitchen (she tends to prefer the couch when reading strictly for pleasure), but she spots Suzume on the couch along the way. "Good evening, Fukura-san," Aigis calmly greets her. "Are you studying tonight? Would you like some company?"
With some concern in her voice, she adds, "Are you doing well, given recent events? I fear that I have been lax in checking up on others."
<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.
Suzume is actually not involved in any clubs; when the school year opened, she wasn't in the mood to join, and these days it seems kind of awkward to do so. Where she goes on days off or after school is sometimes a mystery.
(But if Aigis is doing it, maybe she should...? It's not like she'd be the only new person...)
Suzume quite likes history, though she has trouble admitting it. Unfortunately, well... she doesn't have a history test tomorrow, and she *does* have a math quiz, so guess which one gets the work?
But she is very happy to be distracted by Aigis, and looks up with the kind of expression that suggests she's just been saved from a dire, math-infested fate. "Sure, sit down," is what she actually says; there's another couch AND she's only taking up half of this one, so Aigis has her choice of locations. She lies, "I'm just finishing up some stuff. Nearly done," but Suzume is not the best liar in the world. She should not be nearly done.
"...I should be asking you that," she says, setting her pencil down; there's not a table within easy reach, she's been balancing her notebook on a knee, so she tucks it behind one ear, where it nearly vanishes in her hair. "You're the one who's dealing with that. There's SEES stuff and you've only been at Gekkoukan for a few weeks."
"At least you got a uniform that works for you, huh?" Suzume hadn't been at the major clothes-purchasing trip, but she did volunteer a baseball cap. Because Suzume likes baseball.
<Pose Tracker> Aigis has posed.
Strength in history's something they both have in common -- or at least partially so, in Aigis' case. Memorizing the dates of events and the names of the figures involved is the easy part for her, but she falters when an assignment requires her to convey a coherent argument formed from those facts.
Rather than express doubt that Suzume is actually done, Aigis decides to check that she isn't going to be an unwitting accomplice to the crime of shirking her studies by calling her bluff more indirectly: she steeples her fingers together and leans forward with an expression which exudes her innocent pride and joy at Suzume's claims. "I am glad that you are making good progress! May I see for myself?"
Aigis shakes her head. "While I am ... adjusting to school life, and it has been an awkward transition, I consider myself naturally suited to some other aspects of what we do -- namely, the 'SEES stuff', as you say. I exist to suppress, eliminate, and destroy Shadows; I was explicitly designed with that as my primary function."
She gestures at Suzume with a hand. "Rest assured, I am not as burdened by that half of our lives." She closes her eyes and drily comments, "Now, if I could only navigate certain social situations better ..."
After she glances down at her own choice of casual wear today in the form of a white dress shirt, black slacks, and her signature red ribbon, she looks back up at Suzume and smiles. "I have, yes. I have been considering the Fashion Club, as well, but I am not certain if I would have the time to do so."
Most sports clubs are out of the question unless she's just there to serve as an assistant. Still, as she's reminded of the topic of baseball, Aigis turns her head to the void where the television used to be. "Perhaps we could attend a baseball game in-person sometime? Or find somewhere else to watch one."
<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.
"Uh..." Crap, Suzume thinks, she's as bad as Mitsuru about it. And now she's trapped! She looks left and right as if checking if there is a way she can get out of it. No distraction presents itself. "...sure?"
Suzume is about half done. She has done an OK job with most of what she's done but a couple are just flat-out wrong, and she's done some doodles when her mind wandered. (Not doodles OF anything. She just does abstract repeating patterns. Which are kind of math-y in their own way.)
Busted...
She tries to distract Aigis by keeping the conversation going, though Suzume is not exactly restrained when she gets going anyway. "Yeah, well... I know that. I mean, now that I know you're a robot and not a tourist - "
Suzume pauses, scowling. "Do I call you a robot? Or is there a better word for it? I don't know, it feels kind of..." 'Dehumanizing' is the word she's looking for, but the right word isn't coming to mind. "Whatever. But anyway, I know that much. And I'm glad to be working with you. You saved our butts once already."
As for social situations, well, Suzume is prone to putting her foot in her mouth on a regular basis anyway, so she reddens slightly. Aigis isn't trying to make fun of her like some people would... but it still kind of FEELS like it.
It's easy to be reminded about baseball, because Suzume's idea of casual clothes is a loose-fit Hanshin Tigers T-shirt - one of the ones with this year's mascot, which is cuter than usual - and a pair of jeans. She hasn't exactly mastered fashion, or at least not popular fashion. It seems comfortable enough though; she's at least switched from shirts that look too baggy on her short frame to just regular loose.
"Fashion club?" she says, somewhere between surprised and incredulous. Aigis wants to do... fashion? She can't see it. But then again Suzume is, as mentioned, not exactly the most fashionable dresser in SEES. If there's anyone she dresses the most like, it's Junpei. (Right down to not wearing skirts. She wears one at school because she has to have one on her uniform. In the dorms, it's always pants or shorts.) "Really? You? Fashion club?" She doesn't mean to be insulting, but, well...
Foot, mouth, etc.
And she realizes it, because she continues hastily: "I actually went to one over summer break. I can't go much." Baseball games are expensive by Suzume's standards; she does not have Kirijo money. "But we could find somewhere to go to watch one... actually, that gives me an idea. I'd need your help for it though!"
<Pose Tracker> Aigis has posed.
"Fukura-san." Her tone is as neutral as ever, but now-absent of the effusive praise she had given moments before, the quick switch may easily be understood as disappointment. There is no ire in her response, only judgment-free gentleness. "Would you like me to assist you in your studies tonight?"
As far as she's concerned, she is a robot; that isn't an insult, it's an accurate descriptor. "'Robot' is one term for it; 'android' is another." Those at least afford her some agency while still acknowledging what she is, but ... she closes her eyes in distaste. "I would protest the use of a term such as 'doll', however, if I understand what you are getting at."
She quietly stares at Suzume after she thanks her for saving their butts at least once, then averts her gaze. "You are welcome. I hope there is no further need to save any of you, but should another crisis arrive, I hope that I am able to do so again."
Aigis slightly frowns, lowers her shoulders, and tilts her head after Suzume expresses confusion about what Aigis may see in the Fashion Club. "Yes, really." She has a logical explanation for this and initiailly thought this was plainly apparent to Suzume, but seeing how that isn't actually the case, she continues, "It is a form of self-expression, and it may serve as an avenue for me to gain a more clear picture of who I truly am. I have found that even I have my own aesthetic tastes and preferences."
"Oh, I did not realize they were difficult to attend..." Aigis lowers her head in thought, but raises it again shortly after. "What is this idea of yours? If I am able to help, I would be glad to do so."
<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.
Aigis' tone sounds like disappointment to *Suzume*. She really is like Mitsuru, Suzume thinks to herself, reddening despite herself. Should have guessed the Kirijo employee would be.
"Uh, sure, if you want." A pause. "What are YOU studying?" Please tell her it's something other than math, something that Suzume knows anything about. Then she won't feel quite as much like she's being patronized. She hasn't gotten a good look at Aigis' books.
But then she's getting stared at. Suzume draws herself up, more confident: "Next time I'll save you," she says, with a very slight grin. "If it comes up. But hopefully we won't need it." Not that she intends to shirk her Shadow-fighting duties - rather the opposite. Suzume just likes being the one being depended on more than the one who depends on someone else to bail them out... even if her taking risks sometimes mean she *does* need it.
Thoughtfully: "OK. So, no karakuri then." Aigis doesn't really feel like a mechanized puppet... "Anyway, I wouldn't. You're a robot. Robots are cool. As long as you're fine with it." She was honestly hoping not to need to use 'anti-Shadow suppression weapon' every time. 'Weapon' feels wrong for the same reason karakuri - or doll - would.
She has limited knowledge of fashion, and lets out a noncommital sound that might be a grunt if you're being ungenerous. "I guess. I don't really..." She trails off before blurting out, "I don't *get* fashion. I know Takeba-san's mad for it, but it's like, whatever. As long as I'm dressed. Guys have it lucky there, nobody expects a whole lot out of them." She expected Aigis to have her own ways of self-expression (well, maybe; she's STILL kind of shocked there's actual robots out there) but was clearly not expecting fashion to be one of them.
Do all girls like dressing up? Suzume thinks to herself, with a sigh. Then why don't I?
She leaves THAT thought for later. "Baseball games cost money to attend a pro game," Suzume explains, "and you gotta buy the tickets early if you want good seats. So it's something you can't do all the time. But the idea - right!"
Suzume waves her hand over to where the television was. "The TV's gone," she says, "but there's still the place where the cable goes to plug it in. And some of the dorms have televisions in them - old ones, chunky CRTs, 'cause this place was apparently a hotel first. Mine does, actually, but it's being used. If we could get one, maybe out of one of the empty dorm rooms, we could hook it up...? It wouldn't be as good as the old television because those are smaller and older but it should work."
"...I just think it would be easier to get down with two people, those things are heavy." She's still astounded that Hitomi made it down with one! She could have sworn she's stronger than Hitomi. "Plus, uh... we might have to get into some of the closed-up rooms."
Suzume cannot unlock those doors.
<Pose Tracker> Aigis has posed.
"Oh. Modern literature." Aigis glances down at the books in her bag and furrows her brow. "I am struggling in the subject." In addition to the textbook, she's checked out a few copies of full novels ... just to better understand the excerpts from them in the textbook. "I would appreciate some help with it, if you are able. Perhaps we could mutually benefit from such an arrangement."
Her mood brightens when Suzume returns the offer to save her. "Hopefully we will not need it, indeed. All the same, I am glad that we may rely on each other."
'Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon' is a mouthful, yes. Aigis nods. "I am fine with it, yes."
"I seem to have caused you some distress. I was not aware that gender norms came into play so heavily ..." Aigis folds her arms, closes her eyes, and tilts her head. "In my instance, having a choice in apparel is a very recent novelty. I think I would be interested regardless of which gender I may more closely resemble."
She leans her head in the other direction and her frown deepens. "Men and boys partake in fashion, too, as do you, so I do not entirely understand your confusion in this regard. For instance, you express your enthusiasm for your sports team of choice through wearing their merchandise, correct?"
There's a gap here -- Aigis hasn't quite grasped the full connotations of what people usually refer to by 'fashion' beyond the simple question of clothing choice.
Her eyes light up with excitement. "The designs of bosozoku uniforms are quite striking, in my opinion. A long jacket, emblazoned with a symbol that inspires the allies standing behind the man who wears it ..!"
... she's been reading some other novels for pleasure, it seems.
"I should be able to lift something heavy, sure. However, does the Kirijo Group not have the keys to those rooms?" She glances down at her bag again, then up at Suzume. "I can assist with entry if not."
<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.
Modern literature, huh...
"That stuff's not too bad," Suzume says, with more confidence than she really feels. But her grades are actually pretty good in them - it was one of the courses bringing up her average - so maybe she deserves some of that confidence. "I can help a bit. I can get my notes too if you wanna look at them."
They might even be useful!
Suzume lets out another noncommital sound at Aigis' enthusiasm for clothes. "What? I mean - yeah, I do cheer for the Tigers, but - " She's thrown for a moment. "It's not quite the same. Everybody keeps *judging* girls for it. What they look like, what they dress like, whether they have makeup on. How they do their hair. For guys - I mean, people do that too, but not the same way."
How do you explain the difference in expectations? Something Suzume is acutely aware of, but doesn't really have the words to explain. She gets tongue-tied when she tries, or embarrasses herself, and she is determined NOT to do that in front of the cool robot.
Especially when she's so enthusiastic about... bosozoku. Really?? she thinks. "Uh, you're a little out of date for bosozoku, that was big when my *parents* were kids." A pause. "They were kinda cool, I guess, but... nobody does that anymore."
But they could, part of her brain points out. Suzume ignores that part.
"But hey, my SEES outfit has a jacket, a kinda long one. Maybe you could get one of those?" Aigis doesn't have the same kind of jacket, Suzume thinks, but what's stopping her. "And... put a symbol on it...?" What symbol would she even use?
Oh, she can just ask. "What would you even put on it though?" she asks, curious.
As for the keys... "They have the keys. I don't," Suzume shrugs. "But it's way easier to just do it and worry about it afterwards. If I asked Kirijo-san, she'd say..." Suzume clears her throat and pitches her voice a little bit differently. "Fukura. Is it really appropriate for you to spend your time on watching television? Perhaps after exams." Back to normal voice: "And then something in French."
"But if I just do it, everybody else'll be happy enough to have a TV that nobody will get in any trouble for it."
<Pose Tracker> Aigis has posed.
"Very well, then. We can get started shortly." Not immediately, just soon.
Aigis pauses in thought to take in what Suzume has relayed to her about the societal expectations placed on women. This description makes it seem like it's something imposed by others, not something that comes from within as she's seen it ... Suzume's reluctance and Yukari's zeal for it now seem more clear to her. "I see. That does explain a few things in hindsight ..."
Woefully, Aigis admits, "I am aware they are no longer in vogue, yes." But they could, part of her brain points out. Aigis barrels headlong into that part. "Nothing prevents someone from doing something similar today, correct?"
The offer about the jacket is tempting, but ... "I do not yet know of a fitting symbol. I may contact you about that after I determine one."
Aigis thoughtfully considers Suzume's impression of Mitsuru. She finds it convincing: Mitsuru would act that way, at least according to her mental model of her. Yes, Suzume is right, this way is simply more optimal. "I am quite adept at picking locks. If this will hasten matters, I am happy to assist."
<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.
Suzume has pretty strong opinions about gendered expectations for appearance...
...but she's not very good at putting words to them. She knows what she means. She tries not to interrogate herself too much about it because it makes her uncomfortable in ways she DEFINITELY does not want to think about.
Even this is, a little. She unfolds herself from where she'd planted herself on the couch. "Don't contact me, I'm not the one who makes the outfits! And you can't just borrow mine, it'd never fit." Suzume is short, Aigis has several inches of height on her - and more than that, Suzume is concerned that it'd get caught in those joint guards she has around her shoulders.
How does she do that with regular clothes? Suzume thinks. Did someone have to tailor ALL of them?
"...but nothing's really stopping you, no. It's long ago it might even be retro," Suzume says, thoughtfully. She usually only thinks about retro video games. Retro fashion is something she's never considered in her life.
As for the last...
"Great," she says, brightly. "Tell you what. Let's get a television down here before it gets any later, so that we don't keep anyone up by bringing it through the hall. And I can get my literature notes while we're up there, so you can look at them when we get back."
The fact that it gets Suzume out and away from her math homework is a completely different thing and definitely not at all related. Not even a little bit. This is just good planning!
It's going to be a busy evening...