15952/Tresspasser

Tresspasser
Date of Scene:	26 September 2023
Location:	Nevermore Point (Manor House)
Synopsis:	Jubilation catches Noriko being a weird stalker. Things end up better than expected and also much worse for the ghosts of the manor. Monet drops by to check on Jubilation and things go awry again in a much less pleasant way.
Cast of Characters:	Noriko Ashida, Jubilation Lee

---

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Noriko stares at Jubilation, her face unreadable, but her jaw ever slightly so clenched.  "Whatever, night," Noriko says after Monet before shutting the door and then turning to lean against it, facing Jubilation.

"I'm not leaving till you tell me why you are kicking me out after-"  It becomes clearer, from those sparkly pooled eyes, why Noriko was gritting her teeth.  "Did that mean /nothing/ to you?"  This question is everything.  Everything.  She might as well have HANDED Jubilation a dagger and pointed it toward her own heart.  Go ahead, push, her tone of anger seems to say.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "I'm not kicking you out," Jubilation answers. "I just have stuff to do." She's being purposely vague, aloof, disengaged and it shows. No eye contact. Tensed shoulders. Without waiting for Noriko's response, Jubes turns and makes her way around the perimeter of the hole in the floor and towards a love seat from the same set as the ill-fated texting chair. She sits down in the dead center of the love seat and hugs one of her legs against her chest. Her gaze lifts, just briefly, before she slides over to make room for another person.

    And then, as though she's got some sort of role to play in this relationship tradition, Jubilation hits her mark by looking away from Noriko, pretending to be uninterested in seeing if she comes over to sit.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Noriko speaks VampireCat fluently enough to know she's supposed to sneak (race) over casually and just appear next to Jubilation as if they just both happened to find themselves on the same love seat, and that is exactly what she does.  She wanted to anyway.  Once seated, she leans forward, propping her forearms up against her knees so she can look over at Jubes.

Instead of saying anything, she takes a deep breath and straightens up to see if Jubilation will let Nori rest her hand on her shoulder.  Only, it takes Nori a moment or two to feel like she has enough control over her power to do so, so there's a moment where she pauses just before touching Jubilation.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Just as Nori's about to make contact, Jubilation opens her mouth. "Why'd you gotta pick /now/ to be all too cool for school, Nori?" she complains, her tone carrying some unresolved tension. "Like, with /her/ here..." Some kind of wound has been salted, but this one is coming out of nowhere. She waits just a moment for a reply before making a generic sulking kind of noise and tilting her head back so she can stare up at the ceiling. Good old ceiling. Strong. Solid. Absent of holes.

    Instead of elaborating, Jubilation just sucks in a bunch of air like she practiced and lets out a long sigh!

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Noriko pulls her hand back, but not before a tiny bit of static electricity gets released with a little audible snap.  "I thought you wanted me to act that way, because of how you started out," she says tentatively like someone trying to coax a live hand grenade away.  She reaches out to ground herself and let out some charge before reaching out again, just gently resting her hand.

"Jubes I'm sorry.  I didn't know...I know the ceiling is way easier to look at than me and that's okay.  One second."  Noriko darts away and comes back with a brown sack that she puts over her head.  A stick figure face is drawn on it, with closed eyes but open ears.  "Okay I'm ready.  This might be easier."  She's hoping it will make Jubes laugh or maybe just smile.  "Seriously though.  What's going on?"

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilee sits there among the electrical chaos, seemingly nonplussed by it. While being undead is no walk in the park, not getting electrocuted by Noriko Ashida is one of the few benefits. Even still, the accumulated static electricity has given her a hair-do that can only be described as 'troll doll.'

    "Yeah, but, like, I was joking. There's no way anyone would've believed that. Especially not Monet," she answers. She stops to let Noriko disappear to do whatever errand. When Nori returns wearing a brown sack over her head, Jubilation's expression wavers between glum and a subtle smile. She made her mind up that she'd be upset and she's trying her best to stick to that!

    "What are you wearing? Where did you even get that?" Jubilation demands, focusing on the wrong bits entirely and dodging Noriko's question, too.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"Huh?"  Noriko can't help but angle her head up and down to glance at the extent of Jubilation's troll hair through the little holes she pencil punched out.  She reaches out gently to touch Jubilation and the vampire's hair undulates slightly before dropping.  It probably won't last for long, but she couldn't resist the instinct.

The paper sack person is about to be serious, so Noriko holds up a flashcard with the bottom half of :| drawn on it.  Yeah, a straight line.  "Well there's this corner store, but is that really important?"  She holds up an eyebrow and lifts it with her other hand.  "It's a brown paper sack that I drew on.  What else would it be?"  That eyebrow is getting listless and slumping a little like Salvador Dali has gotten a hold of it.

"Look, I was just trying to let you know that she was messing with you while staying in the act.  I didn't know we weren't supposed to keep it up.  But why does it matter?"  She tilts the corner of the mouth up slightly as she tilts her head.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilation stares at the bag-face and its flashcard features. "It's just an expression," Jubes answers. "Like, obviously it's a brown paper sack you drew on, Nori." When Noriko lifts the mouth, Jubilation looks away and reaches out to shove Noriko a little, like a child might if someone was trying to feed them vegetables.

    "You wouldn't understand," is the response Jubilee decides would best express what has her so upended. "You wouldn't understand why it matters."

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"Doesn't it matter if you tell me, even if I might not understand?"  Noriko takes the paper bag mask off in normal velocity after she's been shoved.  "If it matters to you, it matters to me."  She doesn't seem to need any more reasoning than that for her motivation.

"Just try me."  Noriko sets the paper bag aside before she lights it on fire, and the flashcards on her lap soon follow.  "Last night was so special," she is not a poet, but she is genuine and has a natural charisma that makes the dumb words sound more convincing.  "I didn't want it to end.  I don't want us to end.  And I don't know what I did just now but I need to know.  It's important."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "Just... Monet.... Moe Nay. Muh Nah. Mon-Et," Jubilation starts saying Monet's name. Each time is pronounced a little different. Each repetition is less correct than the one before it. The irritation in her voice increases with each until she sounds like she's practically going to vomit from saying it. "...Little Miss Perfect," she mutters under her breath as she rests her chin on her knees, hugging them close to her chest. Jubilee stares forward. "You didn't do anything, Nori," she adds, still sounding like the stick up her butt is still there. It might have even grown.

    "...Just... she's always, like... Just..." Jubilation decides to just let it out, no matter how childish it might sound. "...She's just, like.... Ehhhhhh." Jubilee's face scrunches up as she drags out that sound, as though she's trying to suggest that it's a noise Monet herself might make. "She's, like, /tall/ and /pretty/ and /rich/ and, like, ooooh, 'I'm from Albania' or wherever," Jubilee complains, getting Monet's national origin very wrong. "She's the /worst/.... But everyone thinks she's the best at, like, everything, everywhere, all the time, always!"

    "Ooo!" Jubilation frowns, even glaring, as she remembers something. "...And what kind of See-You-Next-Tuesday throws her /own/ welcome party? I did my best when she first showed up -- snacks, posters, the whole thing -- and she blew it out of the park... private caterers! I can't compete with that! I mean, maybe /now/ I could... But, like, I'm sure she'd top it."

    Jubilation hesitates for a moment and then sighs, calming down a little so she can get to the core of the thing. "...And, like, every time I do something embarrassing, she's always there to see it. Always. Every time. And she's always got something to say. She's like those two old fogies up in the balcony, like, from the Muppets... But, like, everyone loves her." Wow. Baggage. Jealousy. Immaturity. Self-consciousness. Rivalry. No matter what responsibilities might be on her shoulder, no matter how dead she might be, Jubilation Lee is still a kid. But what does this have to do with Nori?

    "...So, like, I dunno... I was /happy/ Nori... and, just like every other time... I opened my big, fat mouth in front of Little Miss Perfect -- I shouldn't have, but I did. I was showing her how I was all happy about last night, and, like, you strut around, like, all 'whateverrrrr' and 'sup'" Jubilation explains, borrowing a surfer vocal fry to really nail down how casual she thought Noriko was being about it.

    "...It was, like, embarrassing. I'm up there like I just found a quarter in the coin return at the skeeball machine and you're just being all... 'the price of stamps are going up next week.'"

    It's not a well thought out argument. Instead, Jubilee drops the censor that would normally exist between her brain and mouth and just lets it all flow. Oops. But, she's not unreasonable. Despite those who would struggle to believe it, she has matured a little bit and, for that reason, she has one more thing to add. "...And, like, I'm not mad at you, Nori..." Jubilee adds. She lowers her head and rest her forehead on her knees. "...But that sucked."

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"Yeah.  She is pretty annoying.  She probably doesn't have any real friends."  Noriko shrugs as if not having real friends isn't the end of the world.  It could be a poor joke from anyone else, but the teen spent years on the streets and alone in her room before that.  Even now, no one really exists at her velocity.

"She did help me make sure you were okay though...-well okay that's not the impression I got.  And honestly I was kind of busy trying to look presentable, so clearly I wasn't paying attention enough to get the real story of what was going on.  I'm sorry.  I just didn't read things that way.  I didn't mean to hang you out to dry.  Truly.  I thought I was playing along."  Noriko wishes she could blame this on her English, but she's pretty sure those days are long past.

Noriko sighs as she continues to let Jubilation's words sink in.  She watches as Jubilation rests her head against her knees.  Nori's instinct is to reach out, something she's had to suppress in herself for a many years.  Now, with the physical freedom to do so, she has to wonder if it is welcome.  She should wonder if it is welcome.  She doesn't.  She acts from her heart and reaches out to rest her hand tentatively just at the base of the back of Jubilation's neck.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "And, like, no matter what I do, she's always looking down at me," Jubilee complains. "Like, I'm a /vampire/... We're the coolest... Stay up... Party all night. Never die. Super hot. And, still... 'You've got something in your fangs, Ms. Lee'" Her impression of Monet is nasally and unflattering. "And since /that's/ not good enough... I'm, like, vampire nobility now! But, does she care? No! She's just over there being tall and pretty and a /genius/ while I'm over here looking into the basement of my cruddy, old house."

    It's perhaps a coincidence, but there's a quiet creaking as the house shifts a little. It's just the sound of a creaky, old house settling, right? Spooky.

    Noriko's explanation of her view of the situation gets a nod. "Yeah, I know," Jubilee replies. "Like I said, not mad at you. But, I don't get why you needed to have /her/ of all people look for me. Her! Plus, it's not like I'd be in danger. I'm a rockstar. My basement has vaulted ceilings. I have truly made it big." She rolls her eyes at that. "Figures she'd come by and see what a mess this place is right now." This is not a side of herself that Jubilation reveals very often.

    The gentle touch from the speedster's bare hand causes Jubilation to shift a little. She hesitates for a beat before looking up and turning to face Noriko. She says nothing.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"She caught me crying," which is a nightmare for Noriko, but much less melodramatic than elaboration would provide.  "I don't remember how or when," because time flies for Noriko, "But she told me stuff-not related to us or anything, like, her family stuff...Because something happened or is happening.  Anyways, I told her I would help her with it...but that's not why I went to her.  I didn't really go to her.  She found me in bad shape and I didn't know what to do," she tries to explain, but it is all coming out so quickly.  It isn't a nerves thing, but more of a deregulation, like someone's handwriting sliding off the line the further they go.

"I just wanted to know you were okay.  I didn't want to know where you were...because...I knew I wouldn't be able to help myself," Noriko says with a blush and a look of shame.  It's why she showed up.  "I think we vaulted your basement a little more.  I can help get it back into shape.  I mean I don't know anything about building but I could help someone who does.

"Jubes.  You are my family.  I didn't go to anyone else," Noriko tries to explain, unable to flesh out the full meaning of that.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "Ugh. She has, like, a radar for that kind of stuff, doesn't she?" Jubilee points out. Of course it would be Monet who finds Nori crying. Still, Noriko's explanation does little to pull Jubilee off of her high horse. "Nori, next time, just... Ugh. Listen. Rogue. Logan. M-A. Even Hambone, for crying out loud. Just not Money La Croix, okay?"

    "You didn't go to anyone else?" Jubes repeats, confused. "What's that m--- you know what, doesn't matter. I need to get dressed. It's already seven," she points out before releasing her knees and standing up.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"Yeah.  She does," Noriko says flatly as if annoyed by it.  "Next time I'll tell her to go for a hike."  She means 'take a hike' but it's been awhile since anyone's said that phrase in her daily tv regimen (which has certainly gotten more marathon-like since Jubilation has left).

"I didn't go to anyone," Noriko explains.  "You left on your own.  I wanted to respect that.  I only asked her to do it because I was weak."  She ducks her chin a little as she rises, trying to stay in the same velocity but also not show the wave of emotions talking about this has triggered in her is...challenging, but she's a big girl.  "Yeah I should get back to the school before I run into problems...I'm already running pretty hot."  Noriko's been passively absorbing electricity since they had their little tumble in the basement.

"Leave me a note somewhere if you want to talk," since Noriko still doesn't have a phone.  But now it is time for her to leave.  Now is the time when she would normally give Jubilation a kiss goodbye, if this had been their dorm apartment...but it isn't.  It isn't their apartment.  It's Jubilation's house, and Noriko isn't sure exactly how long she's just been looking at Jubes in trepidation of the moment when she finds out they no longer have that.  She's just stuck in that moment, waiting for it to crash into her.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilation nods her head. "Okay, yeah," she agrees before moving around the gaping hole in the floor to the front door to the house. She reaches for the brass knob and opens it for Noriko. "Probably should do that." She briefly glances at Noriko's bare hands. McCoy can get that sorted out.

    Jubilee holds the edge of the door with both hands and leans into it. It's heavy, she's not, so it easily supports her without needing to rotate on its hinges. She sways her hips a little, though, and uses the door to prevent herself from falling forward. It's just one of those idle movements that young people do when they don't know what else to do.

    "See ya," Jubilee says, unsure of what else to say.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
With two words, another reality collides with the speedster.  She has to face that they are now like strangers.  Embracing is even more intimate than time and space permit.  It feels unwelcome and alien in the wake of last night's expression.  Noriko wears it in her body, in her limbs.  There's just something out of place in the way she moves her frame.  The air of hesitation...and loss.

"Bye."  Noriko spares Jubilation the agony of watching her leave.  One moment she is there, the other the ghost of her presence, a small vacuum pulls the door, but not enough to dislodge it from Jubilation's body.  Her paper bag mask and stack of expression cards are the only evidence of her presence...aside from the gaping new hole in the floor, giving new meaning to the term 'open floorplan.'