Shanghai Teahouse

[An older, taller woman approached. It seemed she didn’t get the message. So much for Reimu’s plan to keep this low-key.]

"Thanks, I guess. It wasn’t anything worth praise, though. Just a dirty street fight." [She turned back towards the other student as they thanked her, responding to them just as she had to the stranger. After they left, she turned back towards the redhead.]

Nonetheless, Meiling smiles back. She places her hands at her hips and cocks her head, examining any visible wounds with a quick eye-check.]

Well a fight's a fight, no matter what. And y'sure?... Ahh, it'll be quick and easy -- I've got a lot of practice in it, y'know.

[She laughs some and straightens up, ever the optimistic.]

[A punch flew by. Then a kick, swiftly dodged by the would-be recipient. Thank the gods that Reimu went to school in Kairos. What would the citizens of Paralia think if they saw a shrine maiden fighting? It would be a disgrace to her shrine.]

[Reimu grit her teeth as another punch flew by, this time properly connecting with her cheek. She staggered, but held her ground. They’d been fighting for about ten minutes now, her and the group of delinquents she called classmates, and a sizeable group of both students and citizens alike stopped and stared. It could be due to their sadistic pleasures, but it was most likely due to her standing her ground against four other kids, all of a much stronger build than she was. It was obvious that she wasn’t a fighter; her moves weren’t refined enough to be ones properly learned from a master, but they still packed a punch.]

[The shrine maiden looked towards the group, and then back to the beaten student behind her. To think, she stepped in to save this one from bullying… why couldn’t she have just ignored it and gone home? Having a sense of justice was such a pain…]

[This fight dragged on, with strikes constantly being exchanged by each party. Finally, however, the bullies decided it was too much work to deal with her for such a petty prize. Scoffing, they left.]

[Reimu sighed, looking down at her clothes. Her favorite hoodie was marked up with shoe scuffs and blood. Thank the gods that her mom wasn’t here to see this: she’d have a fit. Still, that meant it was up to the shrine maiden to clean it herself. What a pain.]

So she stands back like the rest of the rubber-neckers, heart fluttering in her chest in anticipation of every punch, kick, every time they'd land a hit or vice-versa. It feels like forever but eventually the brutality ends and the rest of the crowd slowly disperses upon the girl's announcement. Meiling, as stubborn as she could be, stayed behind.]

Hey!

[The girl's obvious irritation does nothing to cause any hesitation in her step as she moves forward, head dipping in worry.]

Whoa, are you okay?... [She pauses, a smile lifting her features.]

That sure was something! You fought 'em off all by yourself, I'm so...! Er -- but really, you okay...? I can call the hospital or...

An adventure, he supposed he was meant to think of it. Moving to this new city, Kairos after living with his family his whole life… it was certainly interesting. But he was here to represent the Amell family, as he always had and would continue to do. He was their only child,and an heir to the Templar Corporation and important in his own right. Part of the reason he was now in this city was because of his education after all. He’d somehow manged to now get into a good college, probably with assistance from his parents. They wanted to make sure the person who’d probably inherit their company would succeed in life.

The apartment the heir had taken up residence with wasn’t exactly as glamorous as the Amell mansion, but it would have to do for now. The one thing he wasn’t expecting of all things was to be recognized.

While Daylen knew the Amell family was important, he knew it’d be a while until he was put into any position of power and he wasn’t planning to force his way in.. Still, he’d taken a walk down a particular alleyway and was stopped mid-step by a random mugger. For most people in Daylen’s position, they would just hand whatever money and possessions were on them to the mugger and run. 

“I know who you are. One of those Amells aren’t ya?” the name was spat out indicating this other man clearly wasn’t a fan of the Amell family, or the Templar Corporation.

“If you really think you can just try to steal my money and attack me, then you’re even stupider than I would have thought.”

The mugger apparently took this as being egged on. Bad idea, considering as soon as the mugger tried to throw a punch the heir was able to grab him and smash his head against a nearby wall, almost knocking him out cold instantly. Daylen’s interest in keeping strong and fighting had been unique to him in the family, but he’d tried to keep it under wraps. It was only to protect himself anyway.

But right now, someone had stumbled onto him. He turned around to meet their faze, hoping they would at least understand his reasoning.

...Just in time to see a guy get a little too roughly intimate with the wall beside them and pass out. Her eyes slowly drag from the now-stone-cold perpetrator to the man calmly apologizing for the fact he just bashed a guy's head into the wall. Uh.

Her hands don't lower from their prepared stance. She simply stands there for a while, switching her gaze between the guy unconscious and the guy conscious. Suddenly, she tenses up again. Okay, it's all clear now -- obviously the unconscious one was the guy getting assaulted in the first place, right? Right. Time to guard this place's security with vigor! She clears her throat, sounding as serious as she can.]

Alright, just step away with your hands up and no one has to get hurt...

[A harsh salute, annnnd she's off, determination blazing in her soul.]

I PROMIIIISE!

Cool, that's totally... firetruck. Ha, ha!

[She's not really making the connection here.]

So a nerd is just another word for a mirror or something?

The girl seems to have brought her lunch. Panne squints, wrinkling her nose a bit. Who would want to eat in a noisy area like this? Panne certainly wouldn’t. Eating at the dining room table in perfect silence was her preference.

Panne was about ready to leave… when it happened. The girl rubbed her butt. Her butt. Her butt was rubbed by this girl. Panne jumps slightly, smacking the girl’s hand away. “What the hell are you doing…?! I did not give you any sort of permission to touch me! What is the meaning of this?” Little did she know, the girl was only trying to wipe off whatever this peculiar white substance was. Hopefully it wasn’t bird poop. Nobody wants a bird poop smudge on their incredibly fancy, expensive, and stylish jeans… Well, Panne’s were old and torn, and she was no fashionista… But we can pretend.

"I suggest you learn to keep your hands to yourself!"

With a little huff, Panne started walking down the sidewalk once more, only to ram her toe into a green trash can. Ow.

[Her hand is smacked, Meiling retracts. It seems something's angered the other woman. Could it have been her?]

Oh... S-Sorry, I was just - Er...

[She's off with a huff and Meiling's left with the heavy blanket of rejection and regret. All she can do now is hope that the tattooed-woman happens to cross a mirror or reflective window sooner or later and be enlightened to the speckled paint across her rump. A sigh leaves the guard's lips as she finally lowers her hands and turns back to her lunch. However...]

--!!

[A crash and a curse rip Meiling's attention away from food and has her up and ready to fight, lunch spilling forgotten to the ground. It takes a few seconds for her to find the source, horrified to find the same speckled-butted-woman now flopping on the ground with the most pained of expressions.

She doesn't waste any time to lament over a lost lunch and immediately flies to her aid.]

Miss -- Miss, oh my God are you okay? Oh, God...

[She crouches down with her hands floating and frozen -- she wants to help but... she's unsure what to do.]

a nice looking girl is blushing and offering him food…..

(Could this finally be it!? Is this finally Kamijou-san’s big moment!?…..no, no way)

The spiky-haired highschool student bitterly brushed away that fantasy from his head. Although, he was not a completely unlucky person, the boy felt that a relationship just popping out of nowhere was something only seen in anime or manga

(But, the fact that I can get to taste a girl’s cooking that isn’t my mom’s is a chance I just can’t afford to lose!)

[Meiling makes a 'phffft' noise by pushing air out of pursed lips, wiping her mouth immediately after because she accidentally drooled... Either way, she's still grinning grand.]

Of course not! That's why I offered, y'know. 

[She offers a plastic container with rice and burnt fish -- is she assuming he'll just eat it with his hands?]

Oh -- I'm Hong Meiling, but Meiling's just fine. It's nice t'meetcha, Touma.

Today was, in every aspect, not a good day.

Panne was never a big fan of driving up to Kairos, let alone being there in the first place. It was loud there. Too loud for her tastes. Every time she went, she made it a point to get whatever she was doing done within thirty minutes. After that, she would speed back to Paralia as fast as her good old clunker would take her. Unfortunately, that was not the case today.

Panne had been here for a grand total of three hours. Why, you ask? Well, it was all because she was lost. The old lady was sick, and her doctor ran a small clinic/pharmacy in Kairos. This establishment was incredibly hard to find. Panne had already stopped in at least four clinics, only to be told each time that she was in the wrong one.

At this point, she was irritable. Horribly irritable. Whenever someone bumped into her on the sidewalk, she would glare them down before telling them to get out of the way or get off of the sidewalk. In general, she wasn’t the friendliest person in Paralia… Most would stay away from her, and she would do the same. Panne was certain capable of being nice, but… She just didn’t like people.

This poses a huge problem for the woman who wants desperately to sit but desperately does not want to get paint all over her clothes. Such a dilemma...

Saving grace soon comes in the image of one particular bench. It's occupied by a very forlorn looking stranger, but the fact alone that someone's sitting on it must mean it's completely and utterly paint-free! Right? Cheerfully Meiling grabs the paper bag containing her lunch and plops right down beside the other, taking solace in the fact her bum would not be covered in paint when she gets up. At least, so she hopes... The person beside her must have had good enough sense and vision to clearly see if this bench had wet paint on it or not, right? She turns to smile at them, but flinches when a cold glare is edged her way.]

O-Oh, I'm so-...

[The other woman is already beginning to stand, and suddenly Meiling sees it:]

[A spot of something wet and white stuck to the others clothing, right in their seat-area. Could it be... paint? Unthinking, Meiling reaches just to make sure in attempt to wipe it off.]

Hey, wait, you got a little -- I'll get it...