1356/Shibusen Campus Tour

Shibusen Campus Tour
Date of Scene:	17 January 2015
Location:	Soul Eater World
Synopsis:	Kyra and Dominic are given a tour of Shibusen Academy and Death City by Kirikou.
Cast of Characters:	127, 626, 655

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Kirikou (127) has posed:
    It's not at all hard to get to Death Academy. There's a warpgate nearby, and the locals are used to tourists. It's the most cosmopolitan city in the world... and what a world it is.

    The most outstanding thing for outsiders is going to be Mr. Sun, the chortling orb of fire high above. Creepy and life-giving, yep. But there are other things too... giant flaming candles in the Academy itself. Gaslamp streetlights. All with a backdrop of people wearing digital music players and headphones, or playing around on computer tablets and phones that, if not identical to those found elsewhere, are at least similar enough. The business of the City is that of tourism, mostly. The Academy itself, well, it's full of kids. Anywhere from preteens to late teens, though most of the students seem to be early teenagers of all ethnicities and nationalities.

Dominic Masoch (655) has posed:
Death City and Shibusen Academy are both wonderous and amazing places. This is shown by the look on Dominic's face as he wandered through Death City and towards the meeting location that Kyra had arranged for the both of them, "Truly a wonderous world. Of the many Extraversal worlds I have seen so far, it most reminds me of our own."

"It's still very different, though." He brings his phone up and tries to get a good picture of that crazy sun in the sky (failing, though, due to the intense glare and the lack of a zoom), "Their sun resembles a Bomb, does it not? Though it feels less... ornery." He notes. A hand comes up to adjust the leather messenger bag he wears around his neck and resting against his side.

It hadn't been his IDEA to come, instead it being Kyra who was so excited that he couldn't refuse the invitation. But, judging by the look of wonder he wears, he does not regret the decision at all.

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    With a name like 'Death Academy' Kyra couldn't help but be extremely intrigued. The rest of the chatter on that 'global' channel had gradually been tuned out in light of Kirikou's responses to her often very nosy questions. Eventually, she just reached out and asked if she could come visit. Dominic had been conscripted into coming though Kyra found him a willing companion.

    With squinted eyes, Kyra had spent a long while staring up at Mister Sun. It was actually kind of a relief to her to see a sun that was outright alive, even if it did look like a Bomb. She finds the strange mixture of technology a little odd-by Galianda standards at least with the archaic mixing with the modern. Some poor soul (not the literal kind) on the streets is stopped by Kyra along the way to ask if they had electricity here, as dumb of a question that may be.

    "It really does. But I like it...him? more than the other suns I've seen out there. The sun is male, right? He sounds male." She seems gunshy about asking a really dumb question to a local.

    "...oh! That-" Kyra points to Death Academy off in the distance, "-that's it, that's Kirikou's school. C'mon!" Reaching over, Kyra snatches up Dominic by the hand and more or less drags him away from his sun pictures.

Kirikou (127) has posed:
    It's not like Kirikou minded answering questions about Death Academy. It's the greatest place in the Multiverse after all, and worth being proud of. While he respects the Confederacy, there's an awful lot of self-serving interests there he doesn't agree with. There's some of that here of course, but the self-servers never amount to much in the academy that divides the EATers from the NOT.

    Yes there's electricity, Kyra will be told. If she proceeds to ask about electric lighting though, she'll receive only a puzzled look. Perhaps the vaccuum light bulb was never invented here, or maybe it's a cultural thing. That question is a bit weird, but then so are people who seem so enchanted by the sun. It's ... the sun. They must come from a strange place indeed to be so surprised by the sun!

    Kilik waits for the pair at the top of the Academy steps. That might not be as casual as it sounds, however. The steps are pretty long. The Academy itself is at the top of a rather high hill, high enough that those with no athletic inclinations might be tempted to rest on the way up.

    And yes, there's plenty in the ant-hill city to distract someone before they even reach those stairs! Several coffee shops including Deathbucks Cafe, Death Robbins ice cream, the Deathsteraunt, and a whole host of other less abnormal things, even an airport. Plenty to do for the discerning visitor.

Dominic Masoch (655) has posed:
"He does seem happy enough to be up there. It's welcoming in a way. Just lemme try to get one m- Ah!" Dominic jostles a bit. Despite being much, much taller than Kyra, she has almost no difficulty taking him by the hand and dragging him along. The blonde-haired Fencer is pliable enough that the smaller White Mage can generally lead him off.

"Slow down!" Dominic says, gripping her hand tightly as she continues to lead him along. He finds the architecture and the design of the city fascinating enough that he would probably get lost solely documenting the art style for later use in a tourism app for his company's products.

This means that it is probably for the best that Kyra IS dragging him along. If he reaches the stairs with her, his lifetime of preparation and training at the gym will be put to the test. He'll make it all the way up without needing a break, but that's pretty much solely due to 7 years of spending every day at a gym training to chase and capture criminals.

He'd feel terrible for Landon or Cirra if they were here, he couldn't imagine that climb in platemail.

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    "It kind of reminds me of a birthday cake with all those candles." Kyra murmurs to Domnic, unsure if she'd provoke LOCAL RAGE if they heard that comment. Poor Dominic does get a little 'slowing down' in the dragging but only so Kyra can eye up Death Robbins. Ice cream with Dominic...hmm.

    She files that thought away for later and resumes dragging, wondering how this place managed to not use electricity for lighting. That was one of the first uses it came to in Ramuha...though given the environment, that probably isn't so much a surprise.

    From the bottom of the stairs, looking up, Kyra gives Kilik a cheerful wave. He might even hear a very faint 'hiiii' before she follows Dominic up.

    Dominic makes it up there first and Kyra winds up falling behind a little. She seems winded when she finally reaches the top of the stairs. "Hello..." she breathes out, once she catches her breath. "I'm Kyra Hyral and this is my friend Dominic Masoch. Thanks for letting us come visit, especially so...uh, randomly!"

Kirikou (127) has posed:
    Kirikou catches sight of the wave, but doesn't stir from atop the stairs. They want to see the Academy after all. It's not like they don't need to come all the way up here. Besides, the Twins are with him. Carrying them down only to carry them up, that'd be a pain. If it makes him look a bit standoffish, he's unaware of it and probably wouldn't care overmuch if it did. He doesn't KNOW these people after all. Not yet.

    He seems friendly enough though, when they finally reach the summit. While not particularly tall and no doubt looking up at Dominic, Kirikou's begun to fill out and probably outmasses the long-limbed fencer. He notices the blade of course, and doesn't seem phased by it. He reacts somewhat more to the noble clothing, his brow furrowing slightly. Kyra gets a look-over as well. He doesn't stare or anything. She's admittedly cute, but he doesn't lose himself in admiration or anything silly like that. Sure he's a teenager, but he's polite when there's no reason not to be.

    Kirikou sticks out his hands in greeting, fingers not quite open to show palms, not closed enough to be considered fists. A half-way sort of gesture, letting the guests dictate what sort of greeting should be offered. Nobles might not want to shake hands after all, and some girls can be funny sometimes, but fighters can always offer greetings with fists... at least in his opinion. "Welcome to Death Academy!" he greets. "Hope you had a good trip up." he says, NOT looking at poor puffing Kyra as he says 'up'. "I'm Kirikou Rung. This is Fire and Thunder." he says, gesturing to the Twins behind him. Dark-skinned like Kilik, they're possibly related to him. They're all but indistinguishable to each other, except in clothes... identical in style, slightly different in accent colors.

Dominic Masoch (655) has posed:
"Greetings!" Dominic says to Kirikou as he and Kyra are greeted. He bows slightly and says, "I am Dominic Masoch of Ramuha, from Galianda. Your world is truly amazing and I am happy to be welcomed to it." He then takes Kirikou's extended hand and gives him a firm handshake after this. He pauses for a few moments and then moves to unclasp his bag while Kyra is on her way up, "Oh yes!"

"It is not much, but I brought you a gift in thanks for allowing us here today." He produces two lucite boxes about a foot tall from inside his bag. Inside them are what look to be robotic moogles and remote controls, "They're called Mighty Moogles. A slightly destructable battle robot toy powered by magic. They don't have batteries, but as long as you give them magic, they will fight. Easily reassembled and with a number of simulated attacks. My company will be debuting the official line soon." He explains, holding both boxes out to Kirikou with a bright smile.

Overall, Dominic seems pretty happy to be here and is very clearly enraptured by the school. Blue eyes dart around, taking in various sights as he cradles the two gifts he brought, "Between you and me, and all formality aside, your world is really cool." He adds, dropping to a more casual tone.

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    As per way of greeting...Kyra doesn't seem to be inclined to hand shaking. Nor does she go with a fistbump (those are for the higher leveled social links) but opts for a sort of three-fingered wave at Kirikou. There's a friendly grin on her face and an almost manic look in her eyes that suggests she's exceited to be here. Maybe a little TOO excited.

    She does not say a damn thing about the stairs. She does resolve the next time to use a float spell to cheat her way up, though. "Heya." She then peeks around Kirikou to the twins, "Hey you two." She pauses, then squints a little more, trying to discern their gender. Both were young enough that it was actually not easy to tell at first look.

    Upon seeing that Dominic brought presents for their host, Kyra smacks a hand to her forehead, "Ugh, I should have done that." Another pause and she starts to reach towards something under her hoodie...but stops. The 'stuff I have on me gift' consolation prize is actually sort of rude, isn't it? Kyra avoids doing just that and stuffs her hands in the front pockets of her hoodie.

    "Dominic's the heir to a big company on our world." Kyra offers, "I'm...uh. Nothing like that. So you don't need to be formal with me-just call me Kyra, alright? You've got us all curious about this school of yours. If I'm reading it right, you come here to train to be fighters?"

Kirikou (127) has posed:
    Some would find it surprising that Kirikou, who often comes across as a thug to those opposing him, manages to get decent marks even in diplomacy classes. He shakes hands with no sign of unfamiliarity or distress, and not even any clear wariness. He seems entirely open and trusting, which would only be surprising if someone didn't realize he was on home turf here, where everyone literally is on his side.

    Fire and Thunder seem wary though, at least at first. More shy than wary perhaps. Yes, it's almost impossible to tell their genders, and they have no voices to give hints in that way. Still, when Kyra peers at them they wave back in eerie synchronization, mimicking her three-fingered gesture. One at least seems pleased. The other... might frown slightly less.

    Kirikou looks at the gift, eyes gleaming behind his glasses as he hears the explanation of the boxes. "Wow, that sounds awesome!" he says enthusiastically, like a kid at Christmastime. He takes the boxes, handing one each to Fire and Thunder. Not as beasts of burden, but because they ARE like kids at Christmastime. They'll have loads of fun with this... and of course so will Kirikou. "I'm not sure if we have the right sort of power to work 'em, but I'll let you know. Got some smart people here and someone's bound to work something out, if they don't just run on soul wavelength. Oh, and... yeah, that's a point. Might want to be careful talking about magic here. Doubt you'll get in trouble or anything, but you might make some people a little uncomfortable." he claims.

    Rather than going into more detail, he turns to Kyra. Her question is a bit more pressing, in his opinion, than his elaboration on magic. He grins boyishly. "Some do, yeah. Some come here because they want to be good rulers when they grow up. To be responsible and familiar with other possible heirs and rulers." he says. Dominic would not be out of place here, really. There's others here that have a very similar position. "Some nations even require service to Shibusen here before a person can serve public office. Those sorts of people are the majority of the students here." he says. Shibusen, loosely, would be like saying 'Deathcademy', only it rolls better off the tongue. "The top ... roughly ten percent are the ones who train to fight monsters one on one. We're the ones who kill, when we have to." he explains. "Oh, and you can call me Kirikou. Or Kilik. Most of the students call me that."

Dominic Masoch (655) has posed:
"All yours!" He happily hands over the boxes, glad to see that his gifts are appreciated. Once his hands are free, he clasps his bag shut again and gives Kirikou a wide smile, "I think that 'soul wavelength' should be close enough. In theory. I'll be careful about mentioning magic in the future." He notes, taking Kirikou's advice seriously. He wants to respect the customs of other worlds while he's visiting, obviously.

When Kyra mentions who he is, he humbly waves a hand at her, "Really, I'd prefer to be noted as a great Fencer or adventurer than an heir to a company. It's a much less boring introduction." He notes to her. Not that he can deny her claim, because it's technically true and he can't deny the claims of the White Mage.

"Dominic is just fine to call me. I opt not to go in for titles unless necessary. Makes things convoluted," He notes. He continues looking around him. When Kirikou describes what the school does, Dominic lets out an 'oooh', "That sounds similar, in function, to Alexander Academy and other such schools on our world. Places to train people to use their natural talents and, more importantly, instill responsible usage of them."

"Truly amazing."

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    Fortunately, Kyra would have to see some 'action' before she starts judging anyone as a thug. Many have earned such a title in her books, though! Strange as many people from the multiverse seem, Kyra's at least been making an effort to not jump to conclusions.

    For those few moments, Kyra seems fascinated with Fire and Thunder as they move in concert...up until the facial expressions, though. The sudden difference draws a laugh out of Kyra. "Well, won't know until they try, right? I think it depends on the world's metaphysics. But if it does or doesn't work, I'd be super interested in the outcome." 'Soul wavelength' did sound like a likely candidate for a 'magical particle' local equivalent, as Dominic points out. "Though it sounds like 'magic' is a seperate thing here."

    Though to the question at hand, Kyra listens intently, nodding, but not interrupting and waiting until Kilik's finished. She CAN be patient when she's putting effort into it. "Though this place also sounds prestigious enough that anyone gunning for some important position...though what do you mean by 'service' though? It's more than just classes?"

    She doesn't question the monsters. That seems like a completely normal thing to Kyra. There are monsters. You fight them.

    With a smirk she nudges Dominic, teasing, "You'd need to become a /great/ Fencer before you introduce yourself like that~"

Kirikou (127) has posed:
    The thing on magic isn't a custom, it's a prejudice. Even Kilik struggles with it, though he handles it well. "Mostly, 'magic' is done by witches here. And witches are... well, usually they're not the good guys. Only a few of us realize not all witches are doomed to the Madness of Destruction, and ..." he pauses, shrugs. "Our problem, not yours. We're workin' on it." he says, trying to sound like it's no big deal. "Soul wavelength now, that's safe to mention. Say 'Soul' instead of magic, most people will accept whatever you're talking about as white hat stuff."

    Kirikou turns, gesturing to the academy up ahead. The grounds are large, and ... well, there are plenty of people about. A lot of students, even if only ten percent are fighters. "Come on, I can show you around. There's always people in lessons, and I don't think we can interrupt, but most of the lessons are boring anyways. Supplemental lessons are what're fun, and they don't happen on-campus!" he smirks. He glances back. "You mentioned natural talents. Well, that's the biggest reason for the school. The reason it was founded, you could say. It's to teach Weapons how to control their power, how to live in society. And of course, with the Weapons, there are the Meisters. Meisters wield and empower the Weapon. I'm a Meister by the way. Fire and Thunder are weapons. Pots." he says, hiding a bit of a smirk. No one EVER thinks pots are weapons.

    "It IS prestigious." Kirikou nods. "Because that's the second function of the school. Because of the Weapons, we learn to fight. Some of us learn to kill people who... well, bad people." he says. Getting into the whole discussion on Asura, well, it's a long story. "Anyone who comes here though, they're willing to risk their life to protect the world. Even if they're not good enough to take on threats one-on-one, they all go up against smaller threats in groups before they can graduate. It's like military service, only instead of serving your country you're serving the world." he says.

    "So. Anything in particular you want to see?" Kirikou asks. "Maybe another time, you can show me around your academy, or I can come along on one of your own training things or games or something? Because your academy does sound a whole lot like this one. Sounds like an awesome place really!"

Dominic Masoch (655) has posed:
"Got it," Dominic says to Kilik. As he's exposed to the Multiverse more, it's made him acutely aware of some prejudices that exist even in his own world, so he is grateful to the other young man for the warning. A term like 'White hat' sails right over his head like an airship, though.

"So some students are..." He puzzles over the explanation given to him of Meisters and Weapons. He's not against it, it's just a huge thing to process all at once and takes him a bit, "Amaaaazing. To have such a partnership! To be Weapon and Wielder, but also close friends. It is truly a blessing, I imagine!" It's a dreamy and admiring sort of tone from him, "And a huge responsibility, as well."

"For where to go, I will defer to Kyra," He notes, falling in to prepare to walk behind Kilik and next to Kyra. This is, after all, her excursion. He is just along for the ride. He does, though, stop and look over to her at her comment about becoming a great Fencer and her nudge to him. He sticks his tongue out at her in a slightly immature manner, "Eight point delinquent." Is all he says in reply. The grin on his face implies it's just a counter-jab.

"I am sure you would be welcome at Alexander Academy," Dominic notes as a follow-up to the other young man, "And arrangements could be made for a Dungeon Expedition or an outing, certainly. It would be a great chance for cultural exchange."

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    "I'll stick with 'healer' if anyone asks. I'm certainly not a witch. Or, hmm, maybe 'soul wavelength repair technician.' That makes it sound official. Or just 'Doctor', though I don't have my certs yet. /Yet/." She gives Kilik a smile. "But I get where you are coming from."

    She takes after Kirikou as he moves. "I wouldn't mind sitting in on a lecture but I don't think you guys would find it as interesting so...let's avoid that. -oh, yes, the Meisters. I've heard of those but you are the first one I've met."

    Kirikou introduces his Weapons and while she's not surprised that the mysterious silent children are Weapons, she IS surprised they are-"-Pots? How....how do you fight with pots?" Sure, Kamon could figure out a way but he didn't mainline equip pots. This guy did.

    "Do you have a gym here? A library? I'd be interested in seeing either! Though it sounds like the supplemental lessons are were all the real fun stuff happens. Hmmm." This place, ultimately, did strike Kyra as a lot more altruistic than her school. Far more about the world service, in a way, which made her wonder. "Oh, hey, we'd be happy to have you over to show you around Alexander Academy. Chocobo should be fine now."

    Kyra frowns at Dominic and pokes him with a finger as they walk, "I thought I was sixteen points! Did the total go down? I'm clearly not skipping enough classes." In turn, she sticks her tongue out at him.

Kirikou (127) has posed:
    Kirikou isn't much into religion, but he nods in agreement with Dominic's assessment of the Meister/Weapon bond. A blessing and responsibility, certainly. He notes their banter, but aside from a grin makes no comment. It's clear they're friends, and that's fine with him.

    He laughs aloud, though good-naturedly, at Kyra's question. He holds up a fist, which the Twins seem to note with avid interest. "Pots." he says. "You could call 'em gauntlets too, but they're more than that. Elemental force." he explains. It's hardly a secret. He's been in two WMATs after all, with five matches between the two years. The only reason he doesn't show them off is humility. Such things are suitable in their own time and place, not in front of guests more interested in the school than in the trio.

    "We've got a running track, a competitive gym, a fitness gym, dojo, dance studio, and a gun range." Kilik says, ticking off those buildings he would consider serve functions close enough to 'gym' to count. "We're pretty big on fitness here." he laughs. "Only one library, but it's pretty huge. Couple stories high. I'm only allowed on the first level." he grins playfully. "A healthy soul and a healthy mind dwells within a healthy body, right?" he claims, apparently quoting a saying by the way he almost chants the words. "Not that I got much claim on the middle one. I mean, I'm not FAILING or being a delinquent or anything, but I leave the heavy thinking to the smart people." he says, glancing slyly at Kyra and smirking when he mentions delinquent. "I'd be happy to skip classes and come see your school any time!" he says. "Maybe even make it official-like. Diplomacy, right?" he shrugs.

Dominic Masoch (655) has posed:
Humility is a quality that Dominic can respect in someone. Mostly because he's forced to persistently under-represent his own abilities. Even the faintest hint of it from Kirikou is noted and filed away as a good trait for someone to have. Dominic keeps quiet, though. Opting to listen in on the features the school has.

"A well-equipped school," Dominic states in a complimentary tone. It's clear to him even in hearing from hearing how many different versions of a gym they have. He still states no preference on where to go, instead opting to let Kyra continue to decide, and being content with following her. He will ask Kirikou, "Does Shibusen have many experienced pracitioners of swordplay?"

Kyra, when she sticks her tongue out at him, gets a hand firmly planted on the top of her head and a ruffling of her hair. The hand then falls from her head to her shoulder and Dominic lets out a light laugh at Kirikou's offer, "If ever there was a good use of diplomacy, getting out of classes would be one of the top candidates."

"If you use martial arts and elemental allignment, I wager you would enjoy meeting the Monks or Geomancers. You may even be able to teach them some new methodologies."

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    "...gauntlets? I...think something was lost in translation. I'm more familiar with the pots that get cooked in." Or that Kyra fails to cook in. "But I can buy that elemental gauntlets thing." She still seems genuinely curious, though, and half expects them to be summoned from the Twins.

    But instead, they move on with the tour. Hopefully in the future Kyra will see Thunder and Fire in actually-and hopefully not in some Union versus Confederate conflict either since they might end up being pit against each other-or the other Light Warriors.

    "...a /competitive/ gym? For, what, like squaring off against each other in martial arts?" It all sounds eerily familiar, dance studio and gun range included. "Hey, let's swing by that, maybe we'll catch some people practicing on each other. That might be a better idea to crash than a lecture."

    Beneath her hoodie, her hair is mussed, and bits of red poke out from beneath the hood. "Heeeey." she doesn't move his hand afterwards, either not noticing or not minding.

Kirikou (127) has posed:
    Kirikou laughs at that. "Nah. Competitive martial arts is in the dojo, or on the grounds somewhere." he chortles. "The competition gym's for basketball, volleyball, that sort of thing." he says, clearly amused. "Might be possible to go to the dojo. Maybe join in if you're up for it..." he says, his voice shifting towards intrigued, and perhaps a bit taunting. He's curious, after all. Two academies, both turning out dangerous fighters. who wouldn't be curious?

    "Best sword's got to be Tsubaki. Though she doesn't spar for fun as a blade. More likely to go as dagger or sickle than sword. Black Star, with her as a sword, is damn near unbeatable." he says. By the sound of him, Kirikou's fond of both, and perhaps somewhat envious. "There's a couple other swords. Some decent, some NOT."

    Smirking with the inside joke, Kirikou continues. "I'm considered skilled with most weapons. I'm a Technician. That's someone who can adjust their soul wavelength. Fire and Thunder are the best though. I wouldn't take on a serious fight with an inanimate sword, or any weapon but them really, so I'm probably not your equal." he says frankly to Dominic. "I'm not sure what you mean by Monk. I'm not into that sorta thing, I think. But they're the geomancers, not me." he grins.

Dominic Masoch (655) has posed:
To the comment about joining in at the dojo, Dominic visibly stiffens up, "Maybe if they had practice blades. I don't have one with me and I wouldn't ever draw my sword against another Hume unless totally necessary," His voice takes on a slightly distant tone, remembering an uncomfortable memory, "Too much risk of injury."

The term 'Technician' and its description causes a tilt of Dominic's head and he's happy to move onto a new topic, "Ah. That sounds like a very useful ability." He isn't sure what else to say. He doesn't know too much of the mechanics of this world, but he can draw enough basic conclusions from the information he's been given: Weapons and Weilders require a close partnership, people here train heavily, and him stating he has such an ability.

"Oh, we've been running into this a lot. Monks are martial artist specialists. People who train their bodies for combat using their bare hands or gloves," He explains. It's not the first time the mixup about Monks has happened, so he doesn't seem at all bothered by having to explain it. Just a minor difference between worlds.

He curiously asks of Kirikou, "Tell me. How long do students usually study at Shibusen? What are the graduation requirements?"

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    Kyra suddenly reddens a little as Kilik reveals the much more /mundane/ option for the competitive gyms. Of /course/, since it wasn't like compettive sports were things that were SUPER UNUSUAL for her world. "Oh." she says sheepishly, "Then the dojo would be the spot. I-" she suddenly holds up her hands, waving them a little, "Oh me myself, probably not, I mean., I'm not much of a physical fighter. Dominic on the other hand..."

    Speaking of other hands, Kyra seems to actually notice the hand now. She still doesn't do anything about it.

    "Hand to hand fighter." Kyra also adds about monks, "The phsyical stuff feels like all the same to me, to be honest, even though I know it's not, hahaha."

Kirikou (127) has posed:
    "It's a rare talent." Kirikou nods. He doesn't entirely understand the issue himself, at least not enough to explain it to another. It's pretty metaphysical. Still, maybe he can give the barest hint of it. "No two people are exactly alike, right? Not even twins. And that's good. A meister who's too similar to his Weapon's almost useless with it. So you find a partner you're different to, but who you can... bond with." he says, though his tone's a bit uncertain. He's oversimplifying, but isn't sure he can do better. Not to someone who's not taken a term of basic theory anyways. "Boy and girl, rich and poor, shy and outgoing. Well, not so much that one. Horndog and ... look, you get the idea. I'm just a good fighter with a flexible soul, and maybe an open mind. So it's easy for me to make a partner. But Fire and Thunder are still the best." he says, clapping a hand on each of the kids' shoulders. They, for their part, grin in fierce pride. Okay so one of the grins is a bit of a smirk, but it's still a grin.

    "We got practice swords, of course." Kirikou nods. Then he laughs, possibly trying to draw Dominic out of his mood. "We're trained to be able to kill, not to kill each other." he jokes. "There's a lot of duelling at the school though. Some times people get hurt. But we fight to win, not to kill." Hell, he doesn't even kill Union soldiers, not if he has a choice. They're enemies, but generally they're not monsters.

    Of course Kirikou notices the hand play between Kyra and Dominic, but he doesn't say a thing. Why would he make an issue of it? It's nothing to him if they're a couple. He's here to show them around, not to pass judgment. So he just nods. "To the dojo then." he says. "Ah... yeah. Length of study. Well, that really depends, I guess! No set time." he claims. "Weapons stay at least until they can control their change and are able to be in public safely. Anyone else can leave any time. The careerists stay long enough to get a high school diploma, or sometimes just junior high. And the top class..." he grins. "Well, we tend to stick around as long as we can. This's the best place to get missions, so it's the best way to..." he interrupts himself, thinking briefly. It's no big deal really, no secret. "Well, to serve, I guess." he hedges. "So long as you work for Shibusen, either as a student or as a death-scythe level graduate, the world's open to you. It's a pretty sweet deal if you can make the grade."

Dominic Masoch (655) has posed:
"Oh? Excellent, then yes. I would be happy to test myself in your dojo," He notes, seeming to realize the was over-thinking the matter and letting out an awkward cough before his face shifts to a smile, "Dueling around the school can be good for morale, so long as no one is gravely injured. It also helps students learn to handle their disputes personally."

He muses on this fact while they walk. Kirikou also makes an interesting assessment of being a Technician, which causes Dominic to muse over it. To be compatible with so many people truly is all the more impressive, he decides. He gives Kirikou a nod of his head while he listens to all this, "I see. A flexible soul. But it's nice to have such close friends like that. You three must be quite the team." He states in a complimentary tone, "Anyone can tell that."

"So it's that variable in education. It would seem we differ, there. At Alexander, we have a regimented set of grades that one goes through. Once you graduate the Academy, you can take jobs with any number of fields, from... medical care to dungeon diving to cooking." He waves his free hand idly and says, "So there's little incentive to stay at the Academy unless you want to become staff or faculty."

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    "Huh, so a Meister tends to do best with a Weapon that is opposite of their personality in some ways?" Kyra offers, gradually understanding and looking to the twins. It's easy to assume that the pair were shy to some degree since they hadn't spoken yet and Kilik himself was pretty outgoing. Obviously there was going to be more to it than their meeting would allow Kyra to suss out. "Is it possible to use weapons other than the one you've partnered with? Or does it just not work out during fights?"

    She seems a little shocked at the length of study at the school-or lack thereof. Just stay as long as you wanted for graduation? "Sounds pretty chaotic." Kyra reflects, "I kind of like that. Freedom to come and go as you please. Rank based on how much work you're putting in. I can get behind these things."

    With a smirk, she pokes Dominic again as he wastes no time in setting up an opportunity to fight. "There you go again, challenging the world! Can't say I'm too surprised by that~"

Kirikou (127) has posed:
    "It's really only the top class that stays." Kirikou notes. The top ten percent. And even some of them graduate 'early'. "Not cheap to stay here. Unless you're sponsored, or you got a scholarship. Tuition's high for most so the school can take care of needy students for free. I'm sponsored." he admits. Nope, Kirikou's poor as dirt... or he was before he joined the Confederacy.

    "You're right about the ranks though." he admits. "And ... yeah. With weapons, you have to appreciate someone BECAUSE of your differences, not in spite of them." he explains. "The three of us, yeah. Not the best here, but we're pretty good!" he says, reaching out to tap knuckles with the silent Twins, clearly pleased and amused. "I can use other Weapons, yeah. I'm a technician." Kilik notes. "But you don't do that, most of the time." he notes. It's not that it's rude, not exactly. It's not even super intimate, though the bond can sometimes be that way between two people. There have been more than a few pairs that ended up married, or otherwise in a serious relationship. Mostly though, it's just that other Weapons know Kilik's found his preferred pair, and they'd rather find their own match than try to work their way into another fit. "Most people though, their work is in strengthening the bond between them. They try to bond with a Weapon they don't really know, they won't have any power." he says. Then he laughs. "Sometimes they can't even pick the Weapon up off the ground!"