Scene #8637: Petra Raids The Orphanage

Owner	Pose
Petra Soroka	PHONE: Phoning Touta Konoe, Petra Soroka says, "Konoe." PHONE: Phoning Touta Konoe, Petra Soroka says, "I'm coming to that orphanage." PHONE: Touta Konoe says, "Mmm? Petra...?" PHONE: Touta Konoe says, "Wait...You're coming over? ...Why?" PHONE: Phoning Touta Konoe, Petra Soroka sighs. "Obviously. Why else would I go there? The stuff you said in the radio." PHONE: Touta Konoe says, "Honestly...I don't know how I feel about letting you near kids, does Lilian even know you're planning to come over?" PHONE: Phoning Touta Konoe, Petra Soroka says indignantly, her voice rising, "Excuse me?! 'Letting me near kids'?! What the fuck?!" PHONE: Phoning Touta Konoe, Petra Soroka says, "What the fuck are you implying, Konoe?!" PHONE: Touta Konoe says raising his voice, "Look, I'm not the one who tried messing with an entire planetoid! Plus the death threats you give me all the time, excuse me if I think you aren't kid frie--" Before he can finishes speaking another voice more feminine voice cuts in from the background, "Touta, who the hell you yelling at?" PHONE: Touta Konoe says, "It's nothing, just someone trying to check out the orphanage from back in the Multi--" Again interruption ensues, "Oh, someone checking in about the donation or something? Yeah, just put their name on the guest list. That's pretty normal for this sort of thing." PHONE: Touta Konoe says, "Wait, Yukihime...That's not..." Suddenly the voice becomes more prevalent, "Ugh...This is the receiver for this thing, right? Hello there~. If you're looking to come visit we'll just ask that you please leave your name and reason for your visit with Touta here. Should we expect you today?" PHONE: Phoning Touta Konoe, Petra Soroka lets out an angry hiss, then scoffs. "This is exactly why it's me coming instead of Lilian. Freak." PHONE: Phoning Touta Konoe, Petra Soroka says, "I'm Petra. I'm visiting for-- those letters thanking Lilian." PHONE: Phoning Touta Konoe, Petra Soroka says, "I'll be there." PHONE: Touta Konoe \|The voice over the call hums a moment. "Just the letters? That all? If you're working with Ms. Rook you're more than welcome to check-in properly. Though if your time's limited, we can make sure someone's there to greet you when you arrive with the letters ready." PHONE: Phoning Touta Konoe, Petra Soroka says, "W-well. I'd also like to-- to check in and look around, since Lilian's never been there herself. To-- to report back to her." Petra lowers the phone, gut and teeth still clenched like she'd been punched. 'Letting me near kids'. Letting me near kids. She exhales, then slams the phone down onto the table. That sick, pained feeling doesn't fade, and when Petra leans over the table, she feels tears stinging in her eyes. That's really what it's come to? People think I'm a danger to kids?! <B-anter> Meika Kirenai says, to Petra, her tone grimacing. "Were you only... nice to me, because I'm a girl? Chevalier Hearthward was curious." Petra wheezes out a half-laugh, remembering the Paladins' reactions to learning she'd talked with Meika. There were always going to be those whispers from now on, weren't there. It's what she gets, really, but not being trusted around kids is the most painful that being on the side she'd finally chosen has been. At least there are some kids that I-- Petra clenches her hands into fists and straightens back up, cutting off the train of thought with headache-inducing grinding of her teeth. She grabs her jacket and throws it on-- no need to scare them-- and heads out the door to the orphanage.
Petra Soroka	When Petra comes through the warpgate into the reception room, she's wearing her black Nirvana tee, bomber jacket, and jeans, slouching while she walks so that the clothes swallow her up a little. For once, she seems to have unequipped every-- visible, at least-- weapon on her person, and her pockets are filled with random garbage instead of various guns. Uncomfortable with the lack of weight, she shoves her fists in her jacket pockets instead. She mutters her name to the staff, then steps into the elevator, using the ride to readjust herself. She stretches upwards, undoing her slouch with a grimace. She splays her fingers in front of her, checking her nails for any potential dried blood left over from work, then detangles her hair with a finger. Anything to look a little less like a hooligan, not that her outfit is conducive to that. Once she reaches the door of the orphanage, she knocks a couple times, then habitually returns her hand to her jacket and slouches. Immediately, she readjusts her posture again, and to ease the stress of 'standing properly' (and the sickening ache in her stomache), her hand flickers towards her cigarettes, then stops. Right before the door opens, Petra thinks about how her jacket probably reeks.
Touta Konoe	Upon arrival through the Warpgate, not much seemed to have changed since the last time Petra had come to Senkyokan. She comes in through the Warpgate to find on the opposite side that the same check-in area was being manned by the same two women previously, and with them appeared the same men that appeared like statues at each side of the desk. Her presence is immediately noted, it only made sense given she was the only guest to be expected from the Warpgate today. Before their guest was permitted upon the elevator, it seemed as though the eyes of the staff had almost been scanning over her for a moment. Only briefly if that, or maybe it was just her imagination? Regardless, she isn't impeded while heading to the elevator. Once cleared, she'd be permitted to enter and once she presses the button seamless transition as the door opens, feeling as though there wasn't even any movement from the elevator at all. "So, you're our very special guest for the kids I've been hearing about, huh?" A voice calls out with a hint of intrigue. A taller man with red hair that while spiked up top, has a ponytail reaching down his back makes his way forward a cheeky smile that contrasts the lifeless eyes that peer over Petra. If he thinks she looks like a hooligan, it's not showing on his face. His attire is what one might expect of someone working as staff at a resort like this. A white-collared shirt with black tie, a black dress suit vest, along with black dress pants that has some sort of server apron wrapped around his waist. "Name's Jinbei Shishido, I'll be your guide for the evening. Anyway, the orphanage is kept off the normal path of the resort, so I'll be having you follow me please." Like the last time, once leaving the main resort hall the two walk past the sandbar as waves gently ebb and flow, though rather than walking back towards it or towards more of the aesthetic parts of the establishment, she'd find that she was being brought to another edge of the island altogether. "This part of the island's usually reserved for staff. So you're getting a bit of an insider look. This route will take you down to staff housing along with the orphanage." At this edge it appeared this was another small beach area and some space away appeared to have the two separate buildings. While both definitely seemed more modern than the original edo-like exterior of the main resort. The first that caught the eye would be what looked like a two-story building complex. The outside is adorned with potted shrubbery and other greenery. A small pavilion that appears to have a few picnic tables set up as well with a tiny playground area a bit further than that. Even further beyond appears to be some sort of fenced off area with tape going about labeled 'Construction'. Then past that is what almost looks like a building stacked right on top of itself like a tiny apartment building, though definitely not having as much flair as the first building. "Speaking of, still have to fill you in on the rules. First, kids are about ten years or younger, so we just ask to keep the language and such rated PG. As for rule two, keep any weapons you have on you out of sight. We know Elites have their reasons but some of these kids have had bad experiences so...Best for everyone. Though, looks like you've already got that one handled so thanks." As the two make it to the front door, and Petra knocks he doesn't immediately let her in. "Touta's already inside so we'll let him get it. Before that though..." Instead he looks her over one more time before slowly tapping at his shoulder and then extending his hand out to her. Yeah, he can smell the jacket... "Last rule...These kids are a little impressionable, so do your best to put on your best adult face, kay?" The last rule comes out sounding more like a bit of advice than anything, but before she can remark on it one way or another someone opens up the door from the otherside, that person clearly being...
Touta Konoe	"Looks like you two made it--Jinbei...Is that...?" Touta is dressed down in similar attire as Jinbei, albeit unlike Jinbei it looks like he's got a little pair of arms wrapped around his neck. There's definitely a kid getting a piggy-back ride from him while he's answering the door. "Yeah, yeah, my bad. Ms. Soroka came in while I was having my 'special' break. Mind showing her around first while I get a clean shirt?" "I got it...Really hope it didn't cling to her..." Touta takes a moment to look Petra right in the eyes. Rather than the annoyed tone in his voice from the radio, Petra finds him looking back at the Gremlin on his back and in the most calm tone possible speaks to her. "Hina, can you wave hi to Petra?" One of the girl's hands moves from Touta's neck to wave briefly, and in response one of Touta's hands moves to make sure to absolutely be supporting her weight. She's definitely a smaller kid, black hair in a bit of a bob-cut and wearing more traditional Japanese attire. Though, the moment she gives the wave, she starts receding to hide behind Touta once more, hand back on his neck just as quickly as it appeared. Definitely a shy one. "...Can you wait in the main hall for a second? I'll see if I can gather everyone up." After asking, he'd open the door just enough to let her through to the main room. At first sight it seems like a rather long hallway with multiple doors going down both sides. There's a more open path that leads to what looks like a kitchen area, and if she can look further past that it appears like there's a dining area as well. At the very least there's a couch in the front near the entrance for her to hang out by
Petra Soroka	Of course it's not her imagination. Pertra rolls her eyes at Jinbei, a motion that, again, naturally flows into slouching, and she readjusts her posture after. "I'm not a special guest. You'd have a much more special guest coming by if your freak of a coworker had been capable of acting normal for one fucking conversation." Every instinctual response that Petra has while following Jinbei is sullen and hostile, and she flinches away from all of them. Not out of a desire for good behavior, exactly-- even without Jinbei himself expressing it, the word hooligan is everpresent in Petra's mind. But whose voice...? In effect, this pretty much means that Petra is mostly silent and neutral during the walk to the orphanage. The views are nice, sort of. She's been here before, but the variation in the more mundane buildings catches her eye for a bit. The playground and pavilion are appreciated, quietly. "Only ten and younger?" Petra looks up at Jinbei, surprised. "Did something happen? Or is there another place the older kids go?" 'Ten and under' is, perhaps, the exact cutoff before the age of children that Petra is most comfortable dealing with. Teens and tweens are basically tiny people, but children that age are harder to predict. There really shouldn't need to be an excuse for why Petra shouldn't have weapons revealed around kids. It should be obvious that she wouldn't do that, without having to bring up the orphans' trauma like a bargaining chip. Like it's the only language she'd understand or be swayed by. Petra huffs air out of her nose, a little irritated, but agreeing with the end result, and then shakes her head at the offer to take her jacket. Cigarette smell is the lesser of two evils, there. Then, one last barb before the door opens. Petra immediately bristles up, about to retort, but is cut off by the appearance of Touta and Hina. "My adult f--?!" I am an adult! I don't need to be coached on how to treat children! Stop fucking patronizing me, or acting like I'm a wild fucking animal that's approaching the kids! What are they imagining that I'll do?! Touta's stare is met with residual anger from her cut-off outburst, then Petra's expression slides into derision, then flickers away to look at the ground before whatever else is might have progressed into. She takes a breath, then raises her face to look at Hina, matching her wave with a small shoulder-height one of her own. With a much softer tone and a feeble smile, she says to Hina, "Hi, Hina. I'm Petra. You know Miss Lilian? She sent me to meet all of you." There's no way for Petra to say anything she'd want to to Touta with Hina there, so the nods and murmurs agreement at staying in the hall. At first, she tries to peek around a little, since nominally part of her goal is to assess the status of the orphanage for Lilian, but that starts feeling weird quickly, and she dreads the moment where someone approaches her to ask why she's creeping around like that. So instead, she sits down on the couch, thighs crossed, fingers laced over her knee, and stares into space until Touta successfully gathers the kids.
Touta Konoe	"Freak huh...?" Admittedly he starts chuckling at the remark. Again hard to tell if he actually might agree with the remark, or something else was funny about it all. "Well, that or not, we definitely end up with plenty of special guests without the whole Warpgate." While her responses are definitely more on the defensive side he doesn't seem to be bothered by it. Simply letting her go at her own pace for that sudden surprised expression changes the pace a little. "Nothing crazy. It's just the natural way we start letting them leave the nest. I'm not sure if you're aware or not, but this island is about ten miles off the coast of New Tokyo. Keeps the kids from trouble, but there's only so many we can take in at a time, and it's still important that we don't coop them up here forever. Luckily, Yukihime has a history with the headmaster at one of the more well regarded schools in the city. It has student housing set up and the school program goes up till high school. We still try to make sure that we're keeping up with how they're doing with grades, check in to see if they're making friends, all that. They're also fine to come visit if they want. But when they leave, they've usually got a few pals of their own they want to stick with. Hell, most of the time we get asked if they can just bring friends over during break. That's when we have to start putting the brake on things if we get busy." When she starts snorting about there's a look of confusion that shows on Jinbei's face for a moment, though along with the refusal of the taking of the jacket, he lets it go with a nod. What's probably more interesting for her though is that in the instance that the conversation between Touta and Jinbei was cut off, in the short instant that she lowered her head down, there's just a final parting group of words he gives softly. Still with that carefree tone to his voice. "Have fun with the kiddos, kid~." Before she can look back his way to even attempt to vent any more frustration (Which would have been great since it'd hide her expression from Touta and Hina in the moment) he's just gone...Not in a blind spot, not inside, not in the distance. Just gone.
Touta Konoe	At the very least, she might get a better response in what transpires next. Clearly, she had said something right, cause the moment after she gives her wave, she can see as Hina's head bobs gently from behind Touta's. She doesn't say anything, but the look in her eyes speak wonders. A brilliant blue gaze peering at Petra like she herself was the hero that Hina's been hearing so much about, though it diverts to turn back to Touta whose eyes look to Petra for another moment with a more neutral expression and then...With a smile of his own, nods back to Hina to confirm the stranger's remarks. Hina looks back to Petra at this point, the smallest little smile starting to curl on her lips before she starts nudging her arms around Touta's neck. As though trying to get him to start moving. At that point he steps away with Hina still on his back. In the time that she's trying to peek around, she can still hear Touta's voice as he knocks on door after door, calling name after name. In that period of time she looks around, she can definitely tell the place is meticulously kept. No specks of dust, no disorganized chairs, no random stains or left over toys anywhere to be seen. What can be seen is a few pictures hosted up around the walls. Or at least they see like regular pictures at first. Perhaps because they're simply too many photos to go around, she finds that each frame has the kind of pictures that transition every few seconds, as if each one is a little slide show. Some she can see already have Hina with what must have been a few of the other kids, as well as individual pictures. Each one appears to have a year next to it. The more recent ones even have a few with Touta there with the kids...One even looks like he's helping one of the kids learn how to ride a bike without the training wheels. At least from appearance alone. Some as recent as the current year...To some going as far back as perhaps nearly another fifty or so at least. "Petra! Over here! Dining Room, just go through the kitchen!" Touta's voice rings out to her, but it does give her a bit more free reign to look around, especially to the kitchen, which also looks like it's fairly well maintained given its size and the amount of food that likely has to be prepped every day. Once cutting through she'd find the dining room was a bit smaller, or maybe it was just that the two large dining room tables made it appear as so. Though it did seem like it was enough for the amount of kids Touta's said they house. Speaking of the kids they house... The moment that Petra passes through the kitchen door, she'd find that there's dozens of beaming eyes just staring laser beams right at her. Looks ranging from confused to excited all directly focused on her. "Everyone, say hi to Petra. She's the one who's gonna make sure your letters get sent to Lilian." She can also spot that most of the kids either have envelopes or just papers in front of them where they were sitting. At this point leaning over, he whispers to Petra, "Jinbei was supposed to grab'em for you when you both showed up...It's fine, I'm sure they wanna show off anyway."
Touta Konoe	Before he can even speak up again, one of the kids starts raising his voice, an older boy with a bit of freckles looks to her, "Are you Lilian's sidekick?" Then another girl's voice speaks up just as quick, "Do you know if she likes blue?" All a sudden, more voices start turning into a swarm. Looks of excitement, and questions start to swarm the room as the rambunctious children start looking like they're about to jump out of their seats till Touta claps once...Then twice...Then looking like he's gonna clap again they stop. Or at least, it calms down a little. "I'm sure if you all ask nicely, Petra might be able to answer a question, or look at your pictures." At this point, he looks back to her, as if waiting to see what she wanted to do.
Petra Soroka	Without much else to do while waiting, Petra idly looks at the pictures in the hall. At first, she's just passing the time, but soon enough she's invested, fingers resting on her cheek while she watches the frame scroll, eyes locked on the pictures. It's different, always a little different, but not so unrecognizable that the pictures don't echo pictures and memories of her own, with the groups of kids growing up together. It really is a lot like how she remembers growing up in the Instrumentality Foundation-- but it's not, really. For the others, maybe, but not her. She could leave, and did. Still, when she touches her cheek, it's slightly damp, and Petra swallows and rubs her eyes. The pictures are cute, really. She's broken out of it by Touta's call out to her. She shakes her head to clear her thoughts, hair fanning out, then claps her hand to her cheek. She's just here to get a look around, get the letters, maybe spend a moment with the kids to show that someone related to Lilian was here-- nothing much more than that. Even so, she gives the kitchens a critical eye as she walks through, internally rating them to make sure they're up to standard. Petra is halfway to raising up a hand in greeting to the kids, a little awkward in front of the crowd, before the flood of questions pours out. She immediately turns pink and starts stammering, then giggles, finally moving the rest of the way to put herself in front of the table. "Hold on, hold on, I haven't even said hi, yet! Hi, everyone, like Touta said, I'm Petra, it's nice to meet all of you." The very first question gives her pause, and she spreads her hands out on the table, leaning on it. She opens her mouth wordlessly for a moment, turning a little pinker, then looks up at the boy who spoke and smiles. "Well, uh..." She pauses a beat for him to announce his name, "Mika, there's actually a specific word for that. Miss Lilian's a knight, you know? She fights monsters and saves people. And a knight's sidekick is called a squire, so I-I'm--" Petra presses her lips together and looks away, stammering for a moment. "Kind of like that. Her squire." Petra doesn't even seem to second guess engaging the rest of the kids on this. She keeps up the back and forth, answering questions, and letting kids show her whatever comes to mind, even if it's not strictly Lilian-related. "Yeah, um-- -- Hana, I think she only likes blue on other people. She usually wears red and stuff, herself, and black and gold. She would definitely think your blue ribbons are cute, though! -- That's right, she's like a hero. She saved me once too, and she's done stuff like fight off monsters the size of this whole island to save a-- no, she doesn't ride a dragon-- but, actually, she has, technically-- no, she's normal sized, not-- she's a little bit like a princess! -- Ahaha, I don't know, but you can send her a letter and ask, if you want!"
Petra Soroka	When she gets a moment of quiet, she lightly claps her hands together. "Okay. Okay. That's a lot of questions, but would you all want to hear a story, too?" Petra is silent for a second, thinking through all the times she's seen Lilian fight, and comes to a grim realization. Lilian has fought her as often as Petra's seen her fighting anything else. After a moment of reeling from that and internally vowing to change it, Petra decides which story to tell. "How about, um, the time she fought the Kraken? This was on a world that was completely covered in water, so the sea monsters got sooooo big, and..." Petra starts telling the kids about how Lilian fought the enormous Kraken underwater with Night Mist, occasionally mentioning her own role in the fight, but mostly gushing about Lilian. She's actually kind of a storyteller, it turns out, with the emphasis and pacing to keep the kids invested and excited, and it's easy to see that she's having fun with it too.
Touta Konoe	At this point, Touta's finds himself acting the support role now that things become more orderly. Once Petra starts asking a question, he starts scanning the room for the next kid from the group making sure there's some level of order so there isn't another outbreak of overly excited kids. Even now as she answers questions there's definitely a few hands that get raised as they bounce in their seats. Others are trying to flaunt their pictures to Petra in the moment. A few pictures with what they think Lilian looks like, one of them now with what looked like Lilian riding a dragon, but then crossing it out, but then trying to color it back in again where it was crossed out. One looks just like a princess with a sword. It's hard to tell from behind her but when she starts talking about being a squire there is some sort of sound that escapes Touta's lips. But his expression and the gesture of the noise are hard to make out with all the noise and her own story telling. That said, her enjoyment is easily contagious, for the moment she starts talking about the story of the kraken, the room goes quiet. All eyes are solely focused on her and the passion that encapsulates her story. It even reaches the point that Touta ends up stepping away when one of the kids starts waving him down behind her, only for him to return back with another sheet of paper and a couple of crayons. It's also at this point, while he's at the table that he's actually able to get a look at Petra's expression as she continues on. There's no readable expression on it, but well...He's just staring at for an instant before just getting up from the table to let her continue. It probably feels like quite a time, or perhaps no time at all with the fun she's having but eventually there's a voice that interrupts the silence. "Beating a kraken, huh? Sounds pretty cool to me." The return of Jinbei is almost right on queue as she finishes her stories. As though he'd been waiting for her to finish...Because he had been. He'd been back since around the time she started talking to Mika but kept to the kitchen so as to not interrupt. "Alright kiddies, we got supper to do and then bedtime." There's a symphonious 'Awwww' that escapes the room before Kanata, one of the cat-eared demi-human children speaks up this time.
Touta Konoe	"Can Petra stay for dinner? Pleeeeeeaaaaaase?" At this point, Jinbei looks at Touta who then just looks at Petra. "That's up to...Squire Petra..." Before she can attempt to respond, Jinbei speaks up again. "In that case, give the squire a moment to make sure she's not busy...But first...Everyone give me their letters for Lilian so I can make sure they're ready for the squire before she goes back." The children start lining up going to Jinbei as they hand him picture after picture, though rather than lining up to him, she can see Hina, the girl that had been hanging from Touta's neck earlier, starts walking up to her. She's still got the picture she's got hiding her face, but she holds it up to Petra instead handing it to her...The picture in question being one that must have been Lilian, and then Petra holding her hand based on the hair color. It's during this time that Hina runs away to hide. At this point whether the answer was to stay or go, another child starts tugging at her pant leg after she gives her response. Albeit...He tugs with enough strength to throw her off balance if she's not ready for it.. A boy this time, who honestly...Did not look like he was ten while standing up. He was a bulky child for sure, horns protruding from the top of his head like an oni or demon. While his stature seemed rather protruding his words do come off a bit reserved as he calls to her. He introduces himself as Toki. "Miss Petra...Mister Touta told us Miss Lilian's like a hero too...And you said she's a knight...Does that mean she goes after all the monsters...?" While the kids start going back to their seats to prepare for a meal, Toki finds himself waiting on such a question before even doing as such.
Petra Soroka	Of course, Petra pulls up pictures of Lilian to show the kids what she looks like and make sure their drawings are accurate. She's gently insistent on it, even-- 'No, her eyes are green, not red, see?'-- it's important that everyone respects how she looks, after all. At first, she scrolls through her phone camera to find pictures, because anyone would expect her to have personal pictures of Lilian at this point, but for whatever reason she closes the app hastily before anyone can look, and pulls up official Paladins pictures instead. The noise from Touta doesn't go unnoticed, but Petra's not about to interrogate him on it in the middle of her story, even if she briefly stumbles in her retelling because of it. When he stares at her, she matches him with a hard edge of challenge in her eyes, which the kids may or may not catch in the brief, nonverbal exchange. Petra's just finished recounting the final moments of the battle, with Lilian planting herself in front of the Kraken and fighting it face to face to force it back from advancing on the deck, when Jinbei speaks up and she whirls around with more tension should be necessary in the environmemt. "Swordfighting a zombie kraken the size of an island underwater." Petra corrects him, partly for the benefit of the kids who'd appreciate a summary, partly because she reads dismissal in his tone and automatically pushes against it. Petra sighs and steps back from the table when it seems like it's starting to be time for her to leave. She shoves her hands back in her jacket pockets, shifting her weight between her feet to burn off the residual nervous energy of being the center of attention for that long. I really got distracted. This isn't even what I came here to do. She watches the kids whine and tidy up for dinner with an unreadable expression, eyes gradually defocusing from the kids themselves to stare into the middle distance in thought. Kanata's question jolts her back into awareness. "Huh? Stay? I--" Petra looks over at Touta, taken off guard, then narrows her eyes at the repetition of 'squire'. The teasing is interpreted as an act of hostility, mocking her for her word choice, and Petra's hand spasms by her side before she clenches it into a fist. She doesn't give a response right away to the kids, implying that she's checking to see if she's too busy to stay while they start swarming Jinbei. "What's your fucking problem?" While the hubbub takes attention off of her, Petra looks aside at Touta, not speaking up so that her voice melds in with the ambient chatter. "Do you seriously have to keep needling me even right now? Do you just think you have the freedom to make fun of me just because I won't fight back? I know you wouldn't talk to me like that if you weren't actually totally certain that I wouldn't do anything about it around the kids." Petra's tonal switch at Hina's approach is immediate and complete, wiping away her hostility and crouching down slightly to look at the picture. "Oh my gosh, is that me? That's-- that's so cute, Hina. You're really sweet, thank you." Petra lingers on the picture for a few moments longer, then watches Hina's back as she scurries away. She's silent for a while, ignoring Touta while lost in thought. The surge of feeling that seeing that drawing gave her, the utter simplicity of two stick figures holding hands, is overwhelming. It threatens to choke her, bubbling out of her throat, and Petra takes a minute to try to recenter herself.
Petra Soroka	"... Ah, um, Toki? Well, she fights every monster she can." Petra responds loosely, before actually looking at Toki and focusing on him. "She isn't able to do everything, everywhere. That's why she has people like me, and the Paladins, to help her. 'Thou shalt use the fullest of thy competence at all times'." "That's one of her codes, like a set of rules that a knight always follows. It means she always tries her best. And she has another code too, about what kinds of monsters she fights." Petra crouches down, partly to regain her balance after being tugged. She starts counting on her fingers to demonstrate her response, showing it to Toki. "Because a hero only has to fight evil monsters, right? 'Thou shalt not heed the words of-- um--" Petra stumbles, trying to remember the lines of the Thirteenth Code. It's not like she's studied it. "Heed the words of that which consumes the flesh of man'. 'Thou shalt not heed the words of that which knows not death'. 'Thou shalt not heed the words of that which abides neither a-animosity or retainment'." "And there's a bunch of others, too. But what it all really means is just that she only fights monsters that hurt people, and only when they can't be stopped any other way. If they don't hurt people, she'll talk to them. If they can be stopped from hurting people in some way, she'll do that. She fights exactly the monsters she needs to, and doesn't fight the ones she doesn't." Petra glances up to Touta before sending Toki on his way, as if transmitting through her glare-- 'get it?'. Then she stands up, and to finally consider the decision of whether she should stay for dinner, she consults the most reliable mental paradigm she has. >Does staying here for dinner benefit Lilian? No. At best, Lilian would end up unaffected and likely unaware of Petra making this choice, because it's not very significant. She's already gotten what she needed from the orphanage, and staying any longer is basically just continuing to benefit from Lilian's generosity as a parasitic stand-in for her. At worst... this interaction is even more hostile than she's interpreting it to be. If being swayed by the kids to accept Touta's hospitality is analogous to him scoring a win over her, by demonstrating a way she can be manipulated, then that vicariously gives him a win over Lilian too, something Petra swore she'd never let happen again. >Does going home benefit Lilian? ... No, again. Probably. The idea that Lilian would prefer that she leave a bunch of orphans disappointed in her name so that she can go home and eat leftover cold cuts while sitting in her dog bed is kind of silly. If she's acting in Lilian's place right now-- oh god she's acting in Lilian's place-- then she kind of has a duty to make sure the visit goes as well as possible, right? So that no one has any reason to speak badly of her. "... Um. Yeah, I'll stay, if you all really want me to. I'd be happy to eat dinner with you." Hopefully, that's the right choice. Petra will have to consult with Lilian about it later.
Touta Konoe	The children closest to Petra hobble in as close as possible as she starts showing off the pictures. Kids coming out of their seats to the point that she can feel herself getting smooshed on both sides. Some press their cheeks against her own to stay face level with the screen and her if they can. The blob of children colliding on her is probably making for very warm manners, but even more than her bomber jacket the sensation is simply filled with warmth. It's forced to disassemble as kids are made to go back to their seats to get ready for dinner again. The moment that Petra twirls to meet Jinbei, he doesn't mind the push back. If anything as she corrects him, he lets out a whistle, "A whole island, huh? Very cool, don't you guys think?" The question gets deliberated to the group and Hana speaks up again asking if it was as big as the island they were on now. As the kids start imagining their own scenarios of what can and what can't Lilian fight is when her question reaches Touta's ears. At first the question leaves him surprised to hear, but then responds back in a hushed tone back. "I wasn't trying to needle you. That's how you described yourselves to the kids, don't throw it on me cause you're too embarrassed about your own made-up titl--" All of a sudden, Petra feels a hand rest on her shoulder and sees a mirrored hand placed on Touta's in kind. Jinbei's face lowers down in between the two. "Oi, Touta, go set the table. Miss Petra, remember our chat about the rules... " Up to this point, his expression had been carefree, but now it was a bit more neutral as it directed her attention back to the children. Specifically back to Kanata the cat-eared child from before and Mimi one of the Elven looking children. As she turns, she can see the subtle shift of Kanata's head as if avoiding eye-contact, but her cat ears start shifting a bit. Mimi's face never makes eye-contact at all but the way her ears had slowly dropped gave a certain impression of what might have happened. They likely heard them. Touta finds himself looking in the same direction before staring again at Petra. There's definitely an expression of disappointment, but it's hard to decipher if it's at her or himself, or both. "I'm not trying to make fun of you...You told them you were a squire and I was just going along with it for the kids. I'll keep to Petra from now on, so...Please consider staying for dinner." With those words, Touta leaves the room to head into the kitchen. Where with Jinbei, he seems to be just trying to start moving the kids along, making sure they're washing their hands before dinner comes out. This leaves the perfect opportunity for Petra to notice the small smile that Hina gives her at being told how cute the picture is before going into the other room. As for Toki, at first he's definitely confused when she goes over the code verbatim. He's definitely got a blank kid in class look for a second, and even a little bit of worry, though as she translates it there's a genuine look of relief on his face. Like saying those words alone were something that put his mind at ease. As she tries to send him on his way, she receives a rather abrupt hug from the bulkier boy. He's squeezing rather tight, and the way he's burying his head into her shirt she can probably feel the horns on his head prickling her a bit but then she hears it... "Thank you..." As he pulls away, she can see that his eyes appear a bit watery, though before she can say anything more on the matter he speaks up instead. "Squire Petra, next time please tell us more about the codes, kay?" There's not even time for an answer before he starts wandering away, likely to join the others to wash up.It's at this time Touta comes back from the kitchen, several plates in hand as he sees the final moments of that interaction. It's questionable if he 'got' what she wanted him to, but he did 'get' something.
Touta Konoe	The children return from washing up, and in doing so a few look already excited at Touta as he brings out the food. Mika's the first to speak up this time, "Hey, hey, Petra--" Mimi interjects this time, "/Squire/ Petra.", "Oh...Right...Sorry, Squire Petra, still you came on the best night! Touta's cooking tonight and he's really good. We're having his tonkatsu!" A smirk lines up on Touta's face, "Oi, oi, it's nothing fancy. I got a buddy from back home who's trying to be a real chef, compared to him this is just the basics. Also not everyone. If you're not a fan we got a tofu stir fry ready as well. Mimi and Riki don't eat meat." The two elven children turn to Petra as their names get called both nodding proudly at the fact as they wait to be served. Touta starts lining up the table with the plates carrying in a few at a time, though it's Petra who gets served first. "We have a rule in the house that guests get served first. I'd get scolded by all these very /well behaved/ kids otherwise." A few start giggling at the almost sarcastic tone he gives them with a smile, but others are quick to watch Petra again, as if curious what she'd think of the meal. On the plate she finds a panko crusted pork loin with a drizzling of what looks like a homemade teriyaki sauce, the sides include a serving of white rice and a couple of pickled vegetables.As for utensils, she has the option of either chopsticks or fork and knife...Though as more of the kids around the table get served it seems like the majority seem comfortable with chopsticks. Dinner goes on rather casually, albeit there's a mix of eating and chatting for certain with more questions that come in. Did Petra ever fight any giant zombie squids? Do Lilian and Petra come from the same place? How do you become a squire or a knight? For the most part, Petra's left to answer what she feels like, but in the moments where she finds herself stumbling she does hear a voice call out ahead of her. "Guys, let her eat her food first," before letting the topic fade away unless she chooses to bring it up again. Once dinner's had there's...Also apparently dessert. That was also apparently considered part of the meal that Petra was part of and hence she finds herself with a small chocolate molten cake and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Apparently there's no substitute for this one and appears to be universally well regarded. Eventually the end of the meals come and with it, Jinbei speaks up again. "Alright munchkins, we've held up Squire Petra long enough. Everyone give her a thank you before she goes." In a chorus of children she hears from all around the table, "Thank you, Squire Petra!" The children begin taking up their plates as they walk it back into the kitchen. Touta ends up taking Petra's plate for her when everything's done. Before she can even think of leaving to help clean though, or head out she finds that she's assaulted by a hug from Hina who comes out from the kitchen. Then Mika...Mimi and Riki...Toki gives that sturdy one again...She can literally start seeing a line form from the kitchen to do so for her. As they finish, Jinbei's the one that starts taking each into their individual rooms. He doesn't say anything, but he does give her a small thumbs up before his eyes nudge towards the front door. It's there that she can see Touta holding some sort of box in his hands, he opens the door to walk her out. Once the door's shut...The two find themselves alone in the quiet of the night, with only the sounds of ocean waves filling the air. Touta still doesn't say anything immediately. Rather, it feels like he's still trying to figure out /what/ to say still...
Petra Soroka	Glancing out of the corner of her eyes to Kanata and Mimi, Petra's flare-up of anger doesn't diminish at all, despite the implicit scolding. If anything, it intensifies, for a brief, horrible moment. Oh, boo fucking hoo. Did hearing a little swear word break their poor, delicate ears off? Adults fucking fight, they'll get used to it. They don't need to be fucking shielded from me just because they're-- Of course, she doesn't say anything more, not with Hina around, but there's not even a flinch of guilt or apology in her expression. She interprets that disappointed look as being directed towards her-- of course-- and before she turns to talk to Hina, her glare at Touta is caustic, gleaming with loathing. Petra is polite and outwardsly sweet throughout dinner, besides the grave sin of taking the fork and knife instead of chopsticks. She tries very hard to make sure that she's only pleased by the food a normal amount, even though the meal home-cooked with care is better than anything she's eaten in weeks, and certainly far and away better than her own cooking. Her stomach growls audibly when she's served, and she's happy, if a little embarrassed, to indulge the kids giggling about it, but the moment that Jinbei or Touta try to join in the teasing, she stiffens up dangerously, glaring at them. Petra answers every question she's asked, mostly. In the gaps between question-asking and otherwise goofing around with the kids, she becomes self-conscious and uncomfortable with her presence at the table, so she leaps on every question to fill the voids. "Did Petra ever fight any giant zombie squids?" "Yeah! I fought there with Lilian, actually. I had this huuuge mech with a big cannon, and I used it to fire out harpoons like the Kraken was just a big fish. Even with a weapon like that, though, I could never do nearly as much as Lilian, so my role was to stick it enough times to slow it down for her." "Do Lilian and Petra come from the same place?" "Ah... no." The place Lilian comes from... "How do you become a squire or a knight?" Is actually the subject of the next question. "Lilian's family is made up of alchemists and knights going back over a thousand years, so she's got all kinds of destiny stuff and ancient artifacts for being a magic knight. So... I think usually, knights get knighted by lords and ladies? Even without that, though, the important thing for being more like a knight," She's very specific to not say being a knight. That's not a title she's able to give away, no matter how disappointed the kids might get at not being unequivocally encouraged. "Is having a set of rules you live by. Most people don't think them out, you know? But the difference between someone who's knightly, and someone who's not, is that normal people do whatever they feel like is good from moment to moment. It's all just impulses, and impulses change too quickly to really be good. Heroes can be heroes by doing good, but without rules, without a code, there's nothing stopping them from feeling something in the moment that makes them do something awful, even when they think it's good." The hugs from the kids are emphatically welcomed. She gives each of them a few words in turn, just gentle little comments, but personalized just so that each and every kid knows that she paid attention to something they did that night. Hina is thanked again for her picture, Toki is praised for listening so well, Kanata for being so nice and inviting her to dinner, and on and on, every kid recognized as an individual person. That's a kindness that she vocally denies her peers, but here she's purposefully granting it to each one. No one left behind.
Petra Soroka	After heading outside, Petra's energy and posture drain away from her, and she gradually slouches back down. She glances at Touta, scowls, and lets her eyes flicker away to the ground. Her boots scuff against the dirt, laboriously shifting her towards leaving the island without another word, but then she stops. She turns back towards Touta, eyebrows furrowed, opens her mouth, and-- "Squire isn't even a made-up title! It's a real thing! They literally asked what the sidekick to a knight was! It's the closest thing to that! What, sure, I'm not fucking technically a squire, whatever, but you know what! I was talking to kids! It's the easiest explanation for it!" She's still mad about that.
Touta Konoe	For the duration of the meal there's no further teasing that follows beyond what perhaps comes from the children. Touta and Jinbei alike seemed to have both at this point decided to refrain from making any teasing remarks at this point for one reason or another. By the time that goodbyes are given, Petra's choice to offer each and every child their own proper farewell, to acknowledge their individuality, it definitely evokes a pleasant and unique expression to it. So many different ways to take the compliments she gives, and each one gives back their own unique response to it. If there's one thing that Petra can take away from those children today, it's that each and everyone seemed rather happy she came to visit. That brings things back to the moment the two are left alone outside. She may want to start walking away, but it's not like she could leave yet regardless. She still needed to take those letters from Touta. At this point not just for Lilian's sake, but for that of the kids. As she goes off on Touta, he doesn't deter one way or the other. He's taking the brunt of her anger as it comes and then just nonchalantly retorts back.. "I know what a squire is, I was saying that if you were going to have them call you that, you shouldn't get flustered about it if we do the same.. You saw Mimi calling Mika out about not putting the title, right? Would have gotten an earful for not doing it either. So either I gotta keep that up...Or would you prefer I just keep calling you Petra, and have them think we're friends enough to say without it...?" Knowing what he knows about her in general, he feels like that's as much a rhetorical question as any. Still he doesn't seem to be finished there, "Anyway, you work with kids before or something? Cause you'd be surprised how many check-ins just involve looking over the place and making sure the kids are looking healthy and then just go. Rare enough we get someone that checks-in and speaks to a few of the kids, let alone takes the time to actually work with them one-on-one." Knowing Petra, it's probably going to be taken some way. That it should be apparent that kids need to be handled this way, but he says this for the fact that it's just not. That the expectation and reality just don't mesh. At least in their experience, and hence despite the hassle she gives him, and all the potential distaste or feelings that the two have for one another's faults, he feels the need to say that at the very least. As he keeps talking though, he finds a rather perplexed feeling arise within him. Of Petra's own words, of her own thoughts... "I know exactly what I am, Tachibana. I'm a hero for one person, and all the rest of you can get fucked. Well--A couple people, I guess. But I never stopped working with Eggman. This is what I'm good at." "So...After you go drop that report to Lilian, that it? Cause...I was thinking..." That maybe you'd be good at this too.... "I don't really think being a hero is the only way to-- to be content. I mean, I'm not even capable of being one to more than a few people. Not more than...Four, it looks like. So for the rest... why not be fulfilled by doing the things I want to do to you all? Ishirou tried this fucking trick all the time, insisting that there's no way I don't want to be good, deep down. But maybe I just don't. And that has to be fine too." "Lilian might want to check this place out eventually, so I imagine she might want someone to check in occasionally between visits." And because you'd want this too. Touta knows he's had his own qualms, his own concerns when dealing with Petra for obvious reasons. It was only by chance that he found himself gaining some insights just as obvious and otherwise so. That this girl wasn't one who might desire to do things for goodness' sake, but because...
Touta Konoe	"Petra Soroka is a simp, you see. She has yet to care for more than one person." "Besides, now they're gonna want to hear more Lilian stories, right? I imagine you'll have more of them than me..." On this night he can't say for certain if those last remarks hold true on just that single person. But if it's true. If she's as much of a simp as people believe...For a simp, wouldn't getting to gush about that one person and spread her good word be considered rather fulfilling? Before Petra can attempt to answer, whether she can go about speaking about the fact that it should be his responsibility to be doing such things, or that she had no desire to be in the same world as someone like him, that there's no reason that she should be the one to do it, or that she tries to tell him that she has no desire to do it whatsoever...He passes the box of letters to her. It's a small box that should just be filled with paper, but there's a surprising heft to it as she holds it. "At least think a while before you make up your mind. Or get a second opinion..." She told those kids she was Squire Petra, not Hero Petra. So she shouldn't let feelings in the moment make her do something that might be awful, even if she thinks it's good, right?
Petra Soroka	Petra glares petulantly at Touta after going off on him, looking irritated and a little embarrassed rather than dangerous. "I could hear you scoff at it! You knowing what it means is actually worse, you know. Because that means you were looking down on me specifically, instead of just being a dunce about it, and I don't even know why you were." Petra uncrosses her arms and runs a hand through her hair, fingers brushing against the green-orange heart pins. She looks away from Touta, energy draining from her voice. "I mean. Of all things, that's usually the one that you people don't question. That I'm Lilian's sub--ordinate. I make it that obvious, and you call it made-up anyways. Fucking... whatever, though, your opinion doesn't really matter anyways." She looks at him out of the corner of her eye, arms crossed, exasperated that he's still talking but not interrupting him. "'Work' with kids? Talking to kids isn't, like, work. I'm not a fucking... health inspector or researcher or whatever, I'm not going to get anything out of just a quick look around." Petra fulfills the earlier narration, taking it some kind of way, and a bitterly angry edge enters her voice. "What, are you surprised that I didn't start randomly fucking hurting them? Because that's what you think of me, right? That I'm not fucking safe around children." Petra clenches her fist, nails digging into her palms, and roughly hisses out breath. "Of every fucking tone-deaf braindead thing you've done, Konoe." She opens her mouth as if she wants to say more, explain the vast and complicated tangle of feelings she has about every meaning of the accusation, from the baselessness of it, to the implicit slur, to the guilt and self-loathing she feels about the children of Applied Ontology, and ends up saying none of it. Not here, not to Touta, maybe not ever. She closes her mouth, teeth grinding together. Bringing up Lilian's name focuses Petra's attention back on Touta rather than her own internal problems. She lowers her chin at him, narrowing her eyes, waiting for him to finish his trailed off sentences. "Yeah? You were thinking... what? You're saying a lot of vague, tentative fucking suggestions rather than what you actually mean. You can't fucking mind control me by saying Lilian's name." Petra purses her lips, latching onto that thought, and lurches into pacing in front of Touta while she tries to translate it into words. "'Lilian might want you to do this', 'it'll reflect badly on Lilian if you do this', 'Lilian this', 'Lilian that'. You people use her like a weapon against me, fucking still. You try to fucking, take advantage of our connection and piggyback off of her to get me to do what you want. God. It's like you can't help yourselves from trying to use us to manipulate each other." She takes the box from Touta, that one motion gentle among her tense and agitated body language. She tucks it under her arm, taking a step back before turning around and leaving. "Know your place. I know what Lilian wants better than you. And more than that, Lilian knows what she wants the most. If she wants me to do something, she'll tell me, or I'll ask her, and you don't come into the equation at all."