Faceless stranger
"Not to mention that she is not a small or light girl. It was very difficult getting her here... But I suppose the wheeled barrel may be a hint?"
Faulkner slid her hands under Nekomi's torso, letting the nurse take her legs.
"I await your appointed time."
Ichigo smiled.
"You know it isn't supposed to be like this at all, tradition-wise. You're supposed to be a dude, and I'm supposed to hide who I am from you and ditch you when you find out. But, well..."
The kitsune shrugged.
"It's a bunch of old stories with endings that kinda suck, so, well, screw tradition."
She smiled.
"You're not the first one to see my pearl... But you're the first one I've showed it to on purpose."
With that, she opened the door to the classroom, olding it for Hikaru.
"After you, Ren-chan."
Ai kicked off her shoes, letting them tumble to the ground. She was barefoot, perhaps unsurprisingly.
"When she squirmed, if I squinted just right, I could kinda see around the back where you had to put a few knots to hold everything together. Like, you know, Momo-chan's wrists."
The succubus licked her lips and giggled.
"She gift-wrapped for anyone in particular?"
I'm nobody, who are you? Are you nobody too?
A Forbidden Rendezvous
Hikaru managed a snicker as she headed through the door and down the stairs, still holding Ichigo's hand.
"Hopefully the class hasn't gone too insane yet," the glasses girl murmured offhandedly.
Avatar from http://x0whitelily0x.livejournal.com/7486.html
(Avatar by Coffee)
Sakura turned toward Hikaru. "Leave your sanity with your shoe at the door, Rensaki-san. The music-sensei is teaching about BSDM. She wants us to identify those knots," she said and pointed toward Momoko with the violin's bow.
The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground
A Forbidden Rendezvous
"..."
Hikaru blinked at Sakura's words.
"...wait, what?"
Please say there was another explanation for that...
Avatar from http://x0whitelily0x.livejournal.com/7486.html
(Avatar by Coffee)
"Wait, what, indeed," said Sakura. "Our dear Ms. Faulkner rushed to the infirmary with the fainted Nekomi, and put Yurika-san as a sub. Then this music-sensei came along and decided that we should learn how to tie people up."
edited 24th Feb '12 6:53:24 PM by desdendelle
The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground
A Forbidden Rendezvous
"..."
Hikaru still had nothing to say to that, but it wasn't like she could walk away now.
She turned to Ichigo, muttering a quick "Next time I resist skipping class, remind me of this, okay?"
Avatar from http://x0whitelily0x.livejournal.com/7486.html
Faceless stranger
"We've still got time to skip this one," Ichigo replied playfully.
I'm nobody, who are you? Are you nobody too?
A Forbidden Rendezvous
Hikaru sighed.
"I think music-Sensei might have seen us. Besides, Faulkner-Sensei is going to come back at some point, and we need some relatively sane people in the room...and the burden can't all go on Sakura-san and Yurika-san."
Her expression made it rather hard to tell if she was being deadpan or not.
Avatar from http://x0whitelily0x.livejournal.com/7486.html
Faceless stranger
"Speaking of Yurika-chan," Ichigo mused, "isn't she supposed to be the one in charge now? Why is the music teacher even here?"
I'm nobody, who are you? Are you nobody too?
Figure of Hourai
"Well, now that we know that at least one person here is fully capable of restraining someone else for whatever reason, we can move onto something that might at least be slightly more interesting," Natsumi said, freeing Momoko from the coils of the rope and wrapping them up on the table. "Tell me, what do all of you know about the legal system or organised crime?"
Nekomi was resolutely unconscious.
edited 25th Feb '12 4:33:06 AM by RainehDaze
Avatar Source
(Avatar by Coffee)
"Well, quite a lot, music-sensei," said Sakura, "both here and in Israel." While her face was totally composed, its frozen expression revealing nothing, she was immensely puzzled. Why would a music teacher ask about organised crime?
"For example, it is said that this country's organised crime - the Yakuza - controls the stands that cater to pilgrims in various holidays. The Yakuza are also likened to this country's innards - not something you want to see, but something it cannot do without." She paused. "I have also read about a most curious story - that of an Israeli professor that was admitted into one of the Yakuza's families - Kyokoto-kai, if I am not mistaken."
"Of course, Satsuki-sama."
Momoko, incredibly gland to be free of the bindings, quickly snatched up her clothing and dressed herself, rapidly returning to her seat. That was an experience she'd rather not go through again, really.
Aiko, on the other hand, was still laughing. She was having trouble stopping, really.
"Oh, dear. The toad, the monkey, and the dog have all screwed up."
The Maid
"I know just about as much as the next person" Yurika answered honestly once again. Those were two subjects that she had really not given much mind during her life.
If I'm sure of something it's that I'm not sure of anything.
Faceless stranger
Ichigo took her seat, shrugging.
But inside she was smiling. It wasn't often she got a chance to talk about her work.
"I know that, even in the digital age, money laundering is vital. Sometimes, a particularly bold and clever arrangement will have a launderer handling multiple syndicates to further muddy the waters with regards to what money goes where, splitting the profits and sending them zig-zagging in different directions, so that no one gets their own money back if it can be helped, a cut goes to legitimate charities, and the laundromat keeps enough to pay the rent and such."
She smiled.
"Or so I've heard. I do know that sales of bootleg music and movies are drying up nowadays, though. With the advent of digital piracy, anyone disinclined to pay full price will just download what they're after. Yurika-chan's albums, for example, aren't worth the effort of bootlegging... but if you're looking to pirate mp3s them, you'll be facing some of most trafficked non-pornographic servers in Japan. Well, uploaded from Japan... the severs are all over the world..."
She paused to figure out how to get back on track.
"On the other hand, there's really no way to download a designer handbag."
Faulkner continued to await the nurse's signal, and hoped the wheelbarrow wouldn't get in the way too much.
Ai piped up.
"All the crime I know about is pretty disorganized. I've seen a lot of nasty stuff, and been on the bad end of some of it, but most of it seemed to be for kicks or turf rather than money. Sorry."
edited 25th Feb '12 9:29:47 PM by Scrounge
I'm nobody, who are you? Are you nobody too?
A Forbidden Rendezvous
Hikaru took her own seat, glad she had missed the lesson in ropes. Ichigo-chan's extensive knowledge of money-laundering took her by surprise, although in retrospect she supposed it shouldn't have.
"I know some about the legal system, Sensei," she said quietly once Ichigo and Ai had finished.
"For instance, the conviction rate is very high here—I believe somewhere in the 90% range?—and defense attorneys have it a little bit rough." She shrugged.
"I know a bit more about the American system, but I don't suppose that's very applicable here."
edited 25th Feb '12 9:49:46 PM by IchigoNeko
Avatar from http://x0whitelily0x.livejournal.com/7486.html
Faceless stranger
"Rule one," Ichigo replied. "Don't get caught."
I'm nobody, who are you? Are you nobody too?
Figure of Hourai
"Rule two, have an exorbitant amount of money. Rule three, never get your own hands dirty. Of course, the last two are hard to achieve unless you're high-ranking, but it's a career path like any other," Natsumi said, looking faintly amused by the sheer amount of knowledge that these people were displaying on crime and the like. "Often, the only way to convict those that sit at the top is on some minor charge where they themselves never directly did anything but can be accused of conspiring."
Avatar Source
(Avatar by Coffee)
"Well, it's getting tougher, this rule number one of yours," said Sakura. "A few years ago, when some Yakuza boss was suspected of some crime, one of his kobun would go and sit in jail for him. Now, however... It isn't happening any more; the police now wants to get the culprit and not just anybody."
She paused and put her violin and its bow back into its case. "Ideally, of course, everybody would obey the law. The Yakuza - the older generation, anyway - is to be complimented for its restraint; in that regard, they are infinitely better than the Chinese Triads, or some of the terrorist groups we have here - the Japanese Red Army, for example."
While her face was still expressionless, a great hate seethed in her as she said the name, and she clutched her braid. "But it's breaking down, this system, isn't it, music-sensei?"
Faceless stranger
"All systems do," said Ai and Ichigo in Unison, before turning to face each other, Ai laughing as Ichigo silently seethed.
Ichigo turned to Sakura.
"And the law is not always right. Lawmakers are as corruptible as lawbreakers. Clean or dirty, there's money and power on the line."
Ai piped up.
"And like I said, local gangs and lone-wolf crooks seep into the cracks. Disorganized crime. If the Yakuza is this country's guts, What does that make the small-timers?"
I'm nobody, who are you? Are you nobody too?
Figure of Hourai
"Entropy does indeed mean that nothing can remain stable forever. Still, a more detailed description boils down to tradition's being forgotten and many of those joining the Yakuza forgetting that such things as a code of honour exist for a reason. The increasing proliferation of guns does nothing to help matters," the ghost said, looking at the two that had spoken in unison. Such strange people, really...
"I guess we could also blame Western gangster films for giving people a different set of ideals."
Avatar Source
The Maid
Yurika for her part was about to lose entirely her ability to concentrate in the subject at hand, taking off her cellphone to browse the net and her messages.
If I'm sure of something it's that I'm not sure of anything.
Faceless stranger
Ichigo shook her head.
"Simple ecology. If there's a niche, something will fill it. As long as there's trash, the tanuki will eat it."
She frowned.
"Sensei, we should probably talk... privately..."
I'm nobody, who are you? Are you nobody too?
(Avatar by Coffee)
"Well... That'd make them the microbes that reside within the stomach, I think," said Sakura. "As to what you said, Ichigo-san... The law isn't always right, but it is usually better than the alternative of lawlessness and the Natural State. As one character in Clavel's Shogun said, 'Law may upset Reason but Reason may not upset the Law'."
The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground
Figure of Hourai
"Talk privately? Can't it wait until after the lesson? It's not that long, now, and since your next class is music..." Natsumi answered, making it clear that people wouldn't be expected to stay in this room, which meant that they would get some privacy. Not to mention that it was hard to be late for a class when you were talking to the teacher.
Avatar Source
Kanako had underestimated how boring the textbook really was. There was a reason she hadn't done more than skim it this school year. Try as she might she couldn't not look at what was going on in front of the classroom. And it made her blush instantly. Momoko was still up there, the teacher was going on about the artistry of her work, and Sakura was still playing her violin. Setting her book down without having found any examples to follow, she raised her hand and then spoke before being called upon.
"Sensei, there won't be a test on this, will there?" she asked, totally unsure of exactly why.
Nurse Mino just stood there and stared in disbelief at the wheelbarrow containing a student. Of all the strange things she'd seen in the course of a morning this had to be the weirdest. She didn't even react to Faulkner's comment about her not being occupied or whatever. What did catch her attention was the name of the teacher Faulkner had mentioned. Asuka still walked over to have a preliminary look at Nekomi, but was clearly more interested in what the teacher had said.
"Another student fainting.. there's not something in the air circulation I hope," she remarked, then looked to Faulkner, "Yukimura? I regularly treat a student with that name.. I wonder if they're related? In any case I don't see why a teacher's name should have such an effect on a student."
She motioned towards one of the beds that hadn't been broken, "We'll need to get her onto the bed there, and be careful to do it in unison. Don't want to rattle her even more."
Avatar from: http://x0whitelily0x.livejournal.com/5953.html N: 5 F, 0/40 S