6221/Nihonjin Futari AKA Not The Only Japanese

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Nihonjin Futari AKA Not The Only Japanese
Date of Scene: 14 May 2021
Location: Laundry Room
Synopsis: Yukio makes new discoveries at Xavier's Mansion. Like secret passage to the laundry room!
Cast of Characters: Noriko Ashida, Yukio, Jubilation Lee




Noriko Ashida has posed:
This isn't the first time Noriko has been chosen a laundry duty partner for ulterior goals.  The girl doesn't have the reputation for the most winning personality (that title would go to Jubilee), though socialization still seems to be on the menu.

Noriko is already here, her feet kicked up on the chair opposite, her own tipping precariously, wavering gently as if she might nearly be someone in a rocking chair.  She's wearing bright neon yellow parachute pants and dark blue hi tops with orange accents and stripes.  Her hood is pulled forward and she appears perfectly still for this brief moment.

Yukio has posed:
Yukio is still very much new to Xavier's and hasn't actually managed to explore every little bit of it quite yet. She has been fascinated by the weird chute leading to the laundry pile below. Unfortunately, she hasn't quite been told what it is, or she has been told and absolutely misunderstood. English is still quite new to her, though she is improving! Nevertheless, she has decided to embark on an adventure of daring exploration, and went and slid leg first into one of these chutes.

The result, as Noriko might hear, is a shrill excited cry coming in fast from within the wall, before Yukio in her awesome sakura patterened haori, purple sash and black leggings get up, winds up tossed out of one of the chutes, landing in a big pile of laundry, sending some clothes flying out of the bin, before she leaps out of it and lands on the ground, after a perfectly executed flip. She crouches real low and looks around suspiciously before spotting Noriko, and freezing in place. Was what she just did against the rules? Was Noriko there to enforce those rules? Would she tell on her? Big unnerving questions in a foreign land.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
The sudden noise causes Nori to appear to...well, disappear momentarily.  Probably nothing really noticeable, but there's a little visual blip of her changing positions like a bad stream when she darts out of the laundry room and back from her dead sleep.

Now back, poised, she stares at the other Japanese girl.  "Seriously?  They put us together for laundry duty?"  Noriko rolls her eyes.  "At least maybe this time they could tell us apart," she comments with about as much interest as she can muster up for any given dust mote.

"Nice flip."

Yukio has posed:
Yukio did not expect to find this secret area, or more specifically, find it inhabitated by anyone at all. Slowly rising to her feet, she may not notice Noriko zipping in and out, but from her alert look, it's like she knew she was there. But once Noriko is fully back, and Yukio gets a good look, her eyes grow wide and she beams with delight, from Noriko's looks alone, she immediately starts with Japanese <ohmygo,ohmygod,ohmygod,ohmygod, y-y-you're Japanese too! You are! Yes? Right? Japanese, you speak it, yes? Hello! Yukio! Pleased to meet you, be kind to me, thank you!> followed by the expected bow. She's so happy there's someone she can speak to fluently.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Nori briefly considers just responding in English, playing dumb, but is it obvious that she understands what Yukio is saying?  Unbeknownst to her, absolutely.  There are those tiny shifts in expression and body language that indicate some sort of absorption of the meaning.  Automatic.

"I was taking a nap."  Still, Noriko, programmed since birth, shifts to stand and perform a cursory bow.  "Are you visiting or a new kid?"  It's hard to tell the teachers from the students apart here and Nori is no exception given the faculty's average age (and Logan does not count in this calculation).  Her attitude might be the only indicator of where she stands in the pecking order of the school.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Suddenly, the normally quiet, forgotten, perhaps even dreary, sub-level corridors fill with life. A ruckus seems to be getting closer and closer to the laundry room. Those unfamiliar with Xavier's might have difficulty identifying what's coming, but anyone who's been here for a little bit know it can be only one thing. The ruckus is moving very, very quickly and seems to be made up of equal parts skating and muffled singing. Whatever -- whoever -- it is, has absolutely no thought of sneaking up on anyone. In fact, it's almost like she's trying to be as loud as possible.

        o/~"Yeah, I'm a rocket ship on my way to Mars
        On a collision course
        I am a satellite I'm out of control
        I am a sex machine ready to reload....

    The singing is getting louder and louder and louder... And then...

        Like an atom bomb about to
        Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, EXPLODE!"

    The laundry room door swings open under the pressure from a well-placed kick. Jubilation Lee skates in, rolling quickly on the hidden wheels of her Heely sneakers. She's wearing black Ray Ban sunglasses -- INDOORS -- and has a pair of buds tucked into each ear. A red Twizzler hangs lazily out of her mouth. Jubilee reaches up and slides her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose and tilts her head so she can look past them at Noriko and an unfamiliar face. She grips a plastic bag filled with lumpy mysteries.

Yukio has posed:
Yukio stares, horrified, as Noriko proceeds to talk to her in English, disregarding everything she just said. For a moment, Yukio looks confused and at a loss. She could have sworn she read 'understanding' on Noriko's face, and yet the girl spoke perfect English (at least to Yukio's ears), and disregarded everything she said. Yet there's the reciprocal bow, meaning, Noriko at least understood some basic decorum. "Ummm, ehhh," Yukio murmurs, confused, as she tries to recalibrate to English.

"....you undosutando?" Yukio asks, her cheeks starting to flush, just to be safe, she goes about the introduction again, pointing at her nose, "me is Yukio, you is...?" She does nods several times over at the question of whether she's visiting or new, before ansering along with a bow, "yes, yes, me am now, prease be nice, tank you."

Then Jubilee strikes her entrance, singing, skating, shades on while indoors and at a basement level at that, and Yukio is awe-struck, silencing herself and staring out right, unable to avoid muttering "kakkoii..."

Noriko Ashida has posed:
It is perfect English.  On rare occasion someone might be able to pick out that Noriko's vocabulary isn't all on the same level like someone native who floated around between remedial and honors classes.  Yukio isn't the only person fooled by Noriko's command of the English language.

"~I prefer English,~" in perfectly native Japanese.  "Noriko...What grade?" she keeps the sentence simple and doesn't bother counteracting the curtness it gives off.  Yukio's sprinkled bows feel prick away at Noriko, but she gives away nothing unless one counts the little micro expressions that flash past.  She's doing her best to stay in /this/ moment, at regular human speed.

Those lightly veiled eyes flick to Jubilation when she rolls in in all of her glory.

"Please tell me you switched laundry duty with someone?"  There's a splash of hope on that cranky face.  "Or is this just visiting hours?"  Her eyes drop to the sack she'd expect Jubes to have regardless.  "Oh.  Yukio.  This is Jubilation.  Jubes, Yukio.  She's new.  Working on her English.  I pressed C5 and she came down the chute," she says, deadpan.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Blink. Blink. Smile. Jubilation was expecting one person down here, not two. Eyes narrow a little bit as Jubilation tries to work out that unfamiliar string of sounds -- kakkoii -- .... Oh, who cares? She has business to attend to! With almost no say in the matter, the red Twizzler dangling from Jubilee's mouth flaps up and down as she starts talking.

    "A new kid!" She asks with some excitement, her tone suggesting that Noriko's explanation brought on some relief to her curiosity. With almost no delay, Jubilee pushes off and rolls across the floor with her arms extended outward to force a hug with this stranger. "Welcome!" The plastic bag swings lazily in the air. The Twizzler is non-plussed.

    Apparently some sort of self-appointed welcome wagon, Jubilee releases the girl from this forced hug and pushes away to roll towards Noriko. "No, I didn't switch Just figured... You probably haven't eaten in like ten minutes, so..." Noriko also gets a hug, though this one seems different. Jubilation's cheek is pressed gently against the other mutant's and she seems reluctant to let go. Though, she does, and turns to set the plastic bag down on top of one of the washers. It seems to be filled with candy. An opened bag of Twizzlers can be seen. Scandalous!

    "I'm Jubilation!" she nearly shouts, looking back to Yukio. Apparently she missed some of what Noriko said. "Jubes. Jubilee. Whatever!" Jubes reaches up and pulls the earbuds from her ears, allowing everyone in the room to hear the music blasting from them. She pockets the earbuds and then shifts her weight over one hip. "Yukio -- that's a cool name! It's like..." Jubilee tilts her head towards Nori. "Noriko..."

Yukio has posed:
<Ara! Japanese! You speak it!> Yukio gasps at Noriko sudden quip of Japanese, not sure if she's more offended at the attempt to fool her, or at least what she perceives as such. That is until Noriko notes she prefers English, absolutely baffling Yukio, who quips <but English is so difficult!>. Looking a bit flustered, Yukio thinks a moment, before murmuring, "fureshuman," it's evident her rate of speech is much slower in English, as she thinks out on the words she wants to say. At least it's possible to understand her. For the most part.

Then she's introduced to the awesome Asian girl who just skated in, and Yukio turns her full attention to the Awesome on Wheels, even though Jubes' skates are hidden. "Yukio desu," she slips up in her attempted introduction, perhaps because of how amazing Jubilee looks in her eyes at the moment.

"Yes, new, me," Yukio concurs with Jubilee's assessment of her status. The skating towards her makes Yukio nervous, but as it's done outright in the open, and not on the sly, she doesn't think it's supposed to be harmful, so luckily she stays put. But then Jubilee keeps coming closer, and Yukio nervously braces for impact, before finding herself grabbed in a tight embrace. "...he-ro," she greets in turn, blushing and awkward, she looks like she sounds. Clearly, she's not used to being hugged, yet at the same time, is polite enough to not say anything about it.

"Preased to meet you, Jubiration," Yukio proceeds to give Jubilee a formal bow. Then she hears the multitudes of variety of nicknames on offer and giggles, "Jubjubes?" She asks cautiously, before proclaiming, "kawaii!"

She does giggle when Jubilee notes the similarity of Yukio's name to Noriko's as she points between the two, and notes, "Noriko, rike Yukio, Japanjin, yes. Samu, samu, in name."

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Noriko smirks as she watches Yukio get Jubed.

The difference with how Nori treats Jubilation is painfully obvious.  Her whole demeanor softens as if to rub in one's face that the blue-haired girl /is/ capable of kindness and warmth.  That guardedness drops instantly when she 'gets Jubed.'  Noriko doesn't break off first from the hug.

Nori looks in the bag and nods to answer Jubes' question about eating.  She leans in a blur to give Jubilee a little kiss on her cheek.  "Thank you."  And suddenly, now, the open bag has seen a fourth of its contents disappear.  If they up and walked off, no one saw them, save for Nori.

"Wow.  You're so creative," Noriko rolls her eyes at Jubilee with a warm, amused smile.  She reaches out to carefully give Jubilee the lightest of...well she's trying to faux shove Jubes.

Noriko sighs and gets started.  "I've got work to do," she says with a Twizzlers hanging out of her mouth.  It's a simple explanation for...well, her blurring off to do her routine.  Washer doors open 12345 done.  Clothes a beat or two later, because Noriko can be seen for a frame getting another twizzler and waving it.  To make a short story shorter, it isn't but a few breaths before she's back to sitting on her butt, balancing her chair on two legs again.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    The kiss placed on her cheek tightens Jubilee's mouth into a stretched smile. It confirms a possible suspicion that despite usually smiling, she has extra levels of 'happy' just waiting there. "I got all your favorites..." she replies quietly, smiling at Noriko and briefly falling into some kind of dreamy hazy. SNAP. OUT. OF. IT.

    In response to the formal bow, Jubilation makes a point to return it in the most absurd way possible. She curtsies and does so in such a broad and slow fashion, perhaps to communicate purposely that she doesn't normally do this. Still, her limbs move with precision, grace, and without any awkwardness except what she's doing on purpose. The sudden outburst of 'Jubjubes kawaii!' directs Jubilee's gaze towards Noriko, her eyebrows cresting over her sunglasses, and then...well, she shrugs.

    "Want some candy, Yukio?" Jubilee asks, pointing an index finger at the plastic bag that seems to be getting less lumpy by the second. "You better act fast." Jubilee grins before suddenly turning and waving back at Noriko when she waves the Twizzler in the air -- it's like Jubes was waiting for it. Totally in sync with the other girl who moves with blurriness. It's a very quick moment -- that wave -- before Jubilee looks back at Yukio.

    "So, you're Japanese, too. That's cool!" She decides with a grin. "My parents were from China, but I was born on the mean streets of Beverly Hills!" A hand is slowly extended into the air, a gesture befitting the pomp and glamor of Beverly Hills. "Speaking of..." A mile a minute, this girl...

    "Your outfit...Is...Awesome! Isn't it, Nori?"

Yukio has posed:
"Noriko...bery bery fasto, yes?" Turns out Yukio noticed the way Noriko holds back, jitters, and when she does moves zips about.

The manner in which Jubilee returns the bow offered by Yukio, gets an amazed awed expression out of Yukio, and when she speaks, it becomes clear she's only seen such curtsies in one place, "Jubjubes is a princess?" Yes, Disney movies.

The offer of candy makes Yukio extends both hands, palm upwards towards Jubilee, "I would give aya shirabe, but all done, shared with yanki-garu and Gabugabu."

Yukio smiles sheepishly at Jubilee and nods, "I am, yes. I could tell you are Chuugokujin," she giggles, the Chinese features are quite notable on Jubilee for those that can spot them, well, those who spot them better than the usual fair of all Asians are alike. But that bit of news in the end catches her off guard, "ah! Amerikajin!" She blinks, and then gasps, "that is why Jubjubes is so...kooru!" She hadn't quite gotten 'cool' pronounciation down, but is getting there!

Then there's some praise offered to her outfit and Yukio squees, before twirling about, sending the long wide sleeves of her haori ruffling about. "Tank you so much! Very nice to say! I rike it too!"

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Noriko pauses out of her speedy path back to get more candy to agree.  It's about as much of a head nod as someone can get from a speedster.  Yes.  Yes I was listening.  Yes.  Yukio's outfit?  Yes.  Stretched out to a speed that can catch the single syllable, "Yeah."

The speedster ends up next to the candy when she hears 'princess.'  "Yes," Noriko says emphatically to Yukio's question of Jubilee being a princess. "Princess of Beverly Hills."

"Badass is easier to say," Noriko offers between pixie sticks.  "So what do you do?  How come you are here?"  She licks some dust off the lower corner of her mouth.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    As Yukio shifts effortlessly between English and Japanese to her offer of candy, Jubilee simply stares. Blink blink. There's a moment of silence before Jubilation's mouth opens again. "There's Twizzlers," she explains, totally un-phased by her complete lack of understanding of whatever shirabe or yanki-garu mean.

    "And... Runts...." Snap-turn to Noriko. "...There are banana-shaped runts!" Back to Yukio. "She loves bananas," Jubes adds before snapping another bite from her own Twizzler. "There are also Kisses... And some Reese's. I would go for the chocolate /or/ the Twizzlers and Runts, but not both. You'll be sorry if you switch." She shrugs a carefree sort of shrug. "But, if you want to mix and match, be my guest -- if Nori left any, I mean..."

    Jubilee's second-stage smile returns as Noriko returns to the conversation. "I'm n---" And then Noriko answers. Blink. Shrug. Smile. Chew. "Yeah, I mean, it's no big deal..." Jubilee's gaze shifts back to Yukio. "You don't have to call me Your Highness or anything if you don't want to." Shrug, look away, smile at Nori. Does she just assume Yukio will understand the subtleness of the joke? Or is she outright lying? Does she care? Nope.

    "Actually, on second thought... Your Highness will be fine. Until we know each other better, I mean..." Jubes adds, grinning from ear to ear. Jubilee starts munching on another Twizzler before translating Noriko's question with a mouthful of candy. "She means... What are your powers?" she asks, her voice muffled by the candy.

Yukio has posed:
"Wwwwwaaaaaaa!" Yukio gasps in awe, "I never meeto a Princess before!" Looking at Jubilee wide eyed, she never doubts for a second that Noriko would ever lie to her. She even gives Jubilee a much lower bow upon learning this title of great respect.

At the question aimed at her, Yukio looks a little less thrilled, shifting her head somewhat cutely this way or that, sending her pink locks flying with her head movement, before she eventually explains, "...more English school, yes..." no need to heap history on random people after all. Maybe if she gets to know them better down the line.

Offered all manners of candy she never heard about, Yukio asks cautiously, "you have azuki? Mmmm...like a mochi ball?" Yeah, because that will make it all the clearer. Either way, the joke is absolutely lost on Yukio, who immediately takes Jubilee's comment the wrong way. "Oh, of course," she covers her mouth with the palm of her hand, lowering her head towards Jubilee, "sorry for not call highness befour, your highness!"

The question of powers is far clearly, as she grins, "ah...the giftu!" She nods her head as if it all now makes sense to her, "I do...shockingu!" She strikes a very martial arts-esque pose. Some sort of a palm strike, while keeping her body low to the ground. It does look impressive.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"~I am teasing her.  Now we can call her Princess forever.  Well you can,~" Noriko says casually to Yukio as she rifles through the offerings.  Yukio isn't wrong, it seems.  "Bananas are okay.  They are easy to eat and fill me up."  Can this girl admit to liking anything?

"I'm her food taster," Noriko leans into the 'ruse.'  She's really the worst side of sidekick for either of them, not really paying much attention as she refuels.  Priorities.  She looks like she's going fast, but Jubilee knows the truth of Nori's blur when it comes to product packaging.  She's really just failing really fast over and over and over again with those gauntlets, which might be why she doesn't answer Yukio's question about azuki.

"I think Yukio would kick my ass," Noriko comments on Yukio's power pose.  "I still don't get your power."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "Oooh, another shocker. We're getting lousey with them... Or is it overloaded?" GRIN. Jubilee nods her head at Noriko's assertion that she's the food taster. "She tastes my food to make sure it's not poisoned," she explains to Yukio with a smile directed to Nori. "Standard royalty thing. You know how it is..." Perhaps one day, Yukio will know the truth. That day, hopefully, is not to-day. Jubilee slides her sunglasses back up her nose with a push of her finger.

    "Well, I must be off. Princess business," Jubes explains. "I have to get ready..." Jubilee leans in to hug Noriko again, cheek-to-cheek, lingering there. "...for tonight." Those last two words are said quietly, just lingering there against Nori's ear. What the heck does that mean? Anyone's guess. With some reluctance, Jubes pulls away from Noriko and grins at Yukio. "Well, welcome to Xavier's, Yukio! You're just going to /love it/ here. And, if you don't, let me know. I'll make sure you do," she adds with another nod. With that, Jubilee pushes off and rooooolls to the door. She turns to look over her shoulder, back at Yukio.

    "Start with a Twizzler," she suggests with a wink. Jubilee makes a throwing sort of gesture in the air, causing a sudden cloud of made of thousands of bright lights and colors, little fireworks and explosions, to appear and disappear with countless whistles and streamers, before pushing off on her Heely sneakers again. By the time the light show's final explosion putters out, she's gone!

Yukio has posed:
While Noriko took pity on Yukio and revealed the truth, it looks like by sheer happenstance, Yukio doesn't even understand it. "Are?" She quips in Japanese, before switching back to English, "...tijingu...?" She mouths out the very foreign word, looking as confused as can be, shifty eyes from Jubilee to Noriko and back, "tiijiinguu..." she tries slower as if that would help comprehension. "Mmmm....sorry, no understand."

She's more than glad to shift subject, though, nodding at the Royal Food Taster explanation.

Jubilee gets the most adorable beaming smile out of Yukio for being so welcoming, and a few bows to go with it, "thank you, thank you, bery much."

When Noriko says she still doesn't understand, Yukio reaches for the coiled chain at her hip, she loosens some of it and starts to whirl it in a small arc infront of her. "Chain, yes?" She notes, and suddenly the chain comes alive with electricity arcing up and down the chain, "shokingu!" She explains, as she makes the electricity soak up inside her. Looks like they have more similarities than just being Japanese and having -ko ending names.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Noriko shrugs.  "She's also my roommate.  It pays to keep her happy."  Another joke?  She directs a nearly toothy grin to Jubilee in turn, one that diminishes quickly hwne Jubilee announces that she has Princess Business.  The speedster's expressions flash quickly, but openly around Jubilee.

Jubilee's words leave Noriko a little shell shocked when she pulls away.  Noriko blinks twice and then grins, lost in whatever thoughts were just stirred up...or lack of thought.  If asked, Noriko wouldn't be able to tell if she was faster or slower than anything right now.  It's the perfect kind of state to not process the possibility that Yukio is still completely oblivious to the truth of Jubilee's Kingdom of Mt. Nothing.

When Yukio reaches for the chain though, Noriko blinks and snaps out of it in an instant.  Her body tenses slightly and immediately relaxes, her flighty eyes a slight blur.  The sudden familiar crackles and light, the sensations seem to relax Noriko into the realization that is right in front of her.  She reaches out to grab the chain, let it wrap around her gauntlet.  She remains unhurt, flashing a delighted grin to Yukio.

"I take and give electricity," Nori tries to put simply.  "It makes me fast too."  Oh she's trying to slow down her speech so much it's a torturous endeavor.  All this enunciating gosh.

Yukio has posed:
"Oh! Roommate! Rike Yanki-Garu and Gabugabs!" Yukio seems to have been introduced to the concept of roommates already. She grins wide at Noriko, "me too, but not fasto, not Noriko fasto..."