[Monday, September 6, 2004.] * Veronica has quit IRC (Read error: Connection reset by peer ) * Rowyn has joined #secondstring [It's a nice day. Earlier that same day, there was major lesbian no subtext only text going on, what with Veronica threatening Krista and stuff.] [It's now either late afternoon or early evening - your call - and Veronica's just down the street from Shi's Imports and Pets!] [Minisession Start.] * Rowyn is now known as Veronica * Veronica walks down the street in the late afternoon, looking up at the signs and trying to see if she remembers the way. She looks sorta lost, but when doesn't she? * Veronica finally notices the store and perks up as she enters, barring complications. She looks kind of hesitant doing so though. * Kuaihong is balancing on one foot, up at the top of a very tall ladder to the highest damn shelf in the entire shop, humming to himself as he dusts what appear to be some rather delicate and expensive vases which are just barely within reach of the feather duster. As the bell on the door rings, he cranes his neck under his arched arm to see who it is. "Oh, it is you! Hello! I will be down in a moment!" * Veronica blinks as she looks up at the ladder, then cups her hands over her mouth as she calls up. "Should you really be balancing like that up there?" * Rowyn has joined #secondstring * Veronica has quit IRC (Read error: Connection reset by peer ) (Okay, I might be a little idle, because I'm going to help with dinner. Is that cool?) * Kuaihong tosses the feather duster, which lands on the counter in a puff of cobwebs, and then works his way down the ladder with no small degree of spryness. "Welcome to my shop! I remember you, from the very nasty and prolonged business with the Rodent Of Endless Belly!" He pauses. "Are yoo looking for a pet?" (I guess? ^_^; Except remember Veronica really wanted to talk to Sun- Niang.) (Good for me.) * Rowyn mouthes out the words " (Uh.) * Rowyn is now known as Veronica * Veronica mouthes out the words "Rodent Of Endless Belly," as if trying to parse it, then seems to settle on something. "Actually, I was looking for Sunny. Is she around?" (There's a reason for it, Rowyn. Namely, that Sun-Niang cannot be in two places at once.) (Ah. 'kay.) * Kuaihong shakes his head, as a cobweb comes to rest square on the top of it. "I am sorry. She is in very big trouble at school! Detention for two weeks! Ai- yah, she does not ever listen to her uncle." She's in-- * Veronica stares at Kuai and almost blurts out. "What ??" ( How DARE someone get detention before me!) (Exactly! No wait...) She has been in trouble many times, and now she has put another student inside a locker! How many times I have said, "San-Niang, Bha Gua Zhang is for goodness and for light and for fighting nasty demons with spines and guns!" and has she ever listened to uncle? Of course not! * Kuaihong grabs the feather duster and attacks a nearb shelf with it visciously. (viciously, not viscously.) Wow. What'd he do? And...uh...what the heck are you talking about? I do not know what the student did! The school would not tell me - I think that the principal does not think I do a good job raising my niece! But it is such a hard thing to do! * Veronica takes in a deep breath. "So you're the only family she's got, hmm?" * Kuaihong shakes his head, cobwebs flying. "My brother, her father, lives in San Fransisco with her mother." So why is she living here then? To learn the ways of Bha Gua Zhang, of course! What a silly question! * Veronica rubs her head. "And WHAT exactly is Bha Gua Zhang? I believe I've asked that before." It is a veeeery ancient martial arts style which has been passed down by my family. Reaaaaaally now... * Kuaihong crouches slightly into a pose which looks slightly reminiscent of a relaxed chimpanzee - arms curved, legs bent. Funny. That's half of why I wanted to talk to her. I mean, I heard she was pretty good at that sort of stuff. But why's she get into trouble all the time? * Kuaihong straightens out of the pose. "How am I to know her mind? She is angry often, and thinks I do not have 'hips'." He makes the air quotes. "I possess just as many hips as the average person! Perhaps more if you consider the box in the back room of which no one should ever speak." * Veronica stares at Kuaihong. "Do not have "hips"? You mean she thinks you're not hip?" Ah! This makes ... less sense now. I do not comprehend some of her words, often. * Veronica just stares at Kuaihong. "Are you for real?" I am not a ghost or projection, if that is what you mean. I am real enough to tell San-Niang that she must do twenty whole extra drills when she returns home! This is the price for detention! ...gee. No wonder she's so angry. * Kuaihong suddenly looks very serious. "She must learn discipline. It is not something that is taught to young people very much anymore." What kind of drills are these? Exercises, perhaps? Punching, kicking, weapons... practice for the art! You mean you don't even know? My father called them drills! I was looking for a better word to use. * Veronica leans on a nearby counter for support. Her legs are bothering her. "When is she getting back?" Soon, I am hoping, but I do not know for sure. (Back briefly. I'm learning how to make broiled salmon. o_o) (Sweet!) (And possibly sour!) * Veronica smirks slightly. "Mind if I help her out then?" * Veronica closes her eyes. "I really wanted to talk to her about the other day. And, I mean I guess I could talk to you about it, since you addressed me the same way, but I'd really like to talk someone my own age, if ya know what I mean." * Veronica does *not* add 'And to someone with some relevance of sanity' to that. * Kuaihong nods. "You may stay, of course! If you are insterested also in learning Bha Gua Zhang, I can teach you! For free!" * Veronica laughs. "You? I'm surprised. I don't know if they'd allow that in the tournament anyway though." Do not be decieved by appearances! I can still ... kick tail? Mule? Confound your young words! I guess tail works. And...young words? (Can he kick some shell?) The new words you young people make up to confuse old men like me! * Veronica rolls her eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure that's our sole purpose in life. Confusing old people." It doesn't help that you make it so easy. * Kuaihong sighs. "It did not used to be so easy." He twirls the feather duster idly and goes to work on another nearby shelf. Well, of course. That's when you were younger. * Kuaihong dusts. "While you are waiting, would you like to buy a pet? I have a brand new Mogwai! It is blue! I do not know how, but it is blue!" What is a Mogwai? It is a tiny furry thing! Like a living Furby! But you must NEVER feed it after midnight! And never get it wet! * Veronica stares and gets off the counter. There might be hairy things off it. "Uh, why?" * Kuaihong glares at Veronica, and the room seems, perhaps, to maybe get darker? "It is VERY BAD." (D:<) * Veronica backs off. This guy's scary enough as is. "Okay, okay! So, uh, why is it weird that it's blue?" * Veronica rubs her head. "Actually, a better question is why are you selling something so dangerous as a pet?" They are usually white! And I sell them because they are so cute! * Veronica rubs her head some more. "So were Gremlins." Ah, so you DO know what a Mogwai is! * Veronica blinks. "Wha? THAT'S a Mogwai? You've gotta be kidding me. That was just a movie!" Pfeh! You young people think you know everything! And you do not even know there were Mogwai? You need to come here more often! I will sell you many fine things of magic and dream! ... and bring friends! Yeah, right. I hope someone with some sanity left really *does* show up soon. * Kuaihong dusts happily. "I am perfectly sane! Ancient talismans of protection are not found in just any shop run by a crazy old man, you know!" Uh, yes they are. In fact, they're in shops owned almost exclusively by crazy old men. Didn't you know? * Kuaihong cackles. "This just serves to show how little you know!" * Veronica takes in a deep breath. "Look, I'm tired of this. I'm going to take a walk. Hopefully Sunny's back by then." I will be seeing you! * Veronica heads out and goes for a brief walk towards a nearby park or around the block or something. (Ha ha. Are we finished, or...?) (Well, presumeably we're going to fast forward, but that's dependent on Ard getting back and being able to give full attention.) (Cause I need to eat. ;_;) (Go ahead and eat. If Ard comes back first, can just say Kuaihong's busy working on something in the back or something and too busy to talk.) (Nod. Not sure how long I'll be.) (You eat, Cham.) (I need to eat, too.) (So, Rowyn! In about twenty minutes or whatnot, I will be back and full of food.) (And paying attention. That okay?) * Ardweden is now known as Ardle (Yes. In fact, I shall go to get food as well.) * Rowyn has joined #secondstring * Veronica has quit IRC (Ping timeout ) * Veronica has joined #secondstring * Rowyn has quit IRC (Read error: Connection reset by peer ) * Ardle is now known as Ardweden (Back! Let me know when you are, guys.) (ngh. I am. Feel ill, but.) (Why/how?) (Ate too much.) (I hope the food was good, at least.) (McDonald's. :p) (So, no.( (Boo. >_<) (So. Kitty found an apartment, we think. She has to call and make sure she can get it on Monday, and start the paperwork.( (Okay, back.) (Also yay for apartment findings!) (It's a pretty nice place. 15 minutes away ( :( ) but that's an eighth of the time it takes me to see her now, and a 24th of what it used to.) (15 minutes is nothing.) (Agreed, but it's still a downer in light of the fact that she was considering a place which was 2 minutes away. All in all, though, if that's the only dip in the road then we've come off with a light burden.) (Dude, only fifteen minutes. That's almost nothing, yes.) [Veronica goes for a walk! When she comes back, the sun's halfway to setting.] * Veronica opens the shop door again! This may become a bad habit. * Kuaihong is laying on one of the steps of the stairway up to the living quarters, leaning over the step backwards in order to dust another shelf. You are back! Welcome! Yeah I am. Look, this is important... Is she back yet? She has not returned yet. If she does not soon, she will be in more trouble than she already is, I will tell you! * Veronica rubs her head. "Yeah. Look, could you at least tell her to call when she gets back? I...hold on, you have a slip of paper?" * Kuaihong sneezes, head upside down and dangling over the shelf. "There is a pad on the counter." * Veronica finally eyes Kuaihong. "...why are you sitting like that?" I am dusting! [The man speaks truth.] Yeah, but can't you dust more, well, normal? How am I to reach the shelf from the ground, hmm? A step ladder? [Right about now, the little bell above the door rings.] * Veronica cranes her head and looks over at the bell hopefully. Too much work to set it up! I would have flown, but San-Niang hid the Rooster talisman the last time I did ... ah, San-Niang is here! ["I'm back, Uncle! Sorry it took so long, but-" Sunny blinks, having just walked in. She looks a lot like she did the last time Veronica saw her, even with a nearly empty backpack. "Hi."] Someone is here to see you, San-Niang! * Veronica runs over to Sunny quickly and puts both her hands on her wrist, looking at her pleadingly. "Oh thank god. Let's get out of here, PLEASE!" She turns back to Kuaihong. "Can I borrow her for a moment?" Not for long! She has drills to complete this evening before dinner is served! ["Good thing I already ate dinner," Sunny mutters to herself. Then she raises her voice. "Sure. Where're we going?"] * Veronica gives Sunny an "Anywhere but here" look. * Veronica then speaks up. "Just for a bit of a walk. I need to talk to you." ["Okay." She waves. "Be back soon, Uncle!" And then she gets out of there.] * Veronica steps outside the store and then lets out a deep breath. "Thank god. I thought I was going to go crazy if I waited any longer." [She looks a little embarrassed, letting the door shut behind them. "Yeah, he does that."] * Veronica sighs and then starts to walk. After a short while down the block, she starts up the conversation. "So what's this training he's talking about anyway?" [She blinks. "Huh? The martial arts?"] Yeah. He called it....Bua gau something or something. ["Bha Gua Zhang. That." Pause. "Yeah, it's an ancient Chinese secret thing that he'd totally teach to anyone who wandered in."] Mustn't be that secret then, is it? [She grins. "It's secret enough, right? I'm one of the only people in my generation that can do it. At least, that's what he says." She sounds a little proud.] Yeah, but what is it? ["His version, anyway," she continues, then shakes herself out of it. "Oh, it's just martial arts. You know, kick and punch stuff. It's mostly about turning the enemy against himself." ] * Veronica snickers. "Yeah. I heard you had to use it today." ["Huh? No I didn't."] * Veronica glances at Sunny casually. "Kid? Locker? Believe me, I can relate. There's a couple I wished I could stuff in there sometimes." ["... I didn't put anyone in a locker today. Who told you that?" She looks suddenly angry. "Are they saying stuff?"] Your uncle. [She forehead slaps. "He's exaggerating. And I didn't do anything today."] What happened then? * Veronica lets out a deep breath. "Look, I'm not one to judge. Hell, people think I'm a bully too sometimes. It's horrible what you get when you've got a rep." * Rowyn has joined #secondstring * Veronica has quit IRC (Read error: Connection reset by peer ) * Rowyn is now known as Veronica [" Nothing happened! I was in detention for something earlier. Did you just come here to ask me about this stuff?"] * Veronica sighs. "No." She looks in Sunny's eyes. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about what happened with your uncle before." [Sunny takes a turn at the end of the block. "You mean with Rat?"] * Veronica takes a deep breath. "So you saw it too, huh? And I guess Mister Mendel really was there?" ["Yeah, he really was there, and Uncle really *did* owe it a meatbun." She rolls her eyes.] (Stupid Rat! Only Rat would be hungry for forty years!) What for? Do you know? ["Nah, it's best not to ask. Otherwise, he'll tell you stories *all night*."] * Veronica rolls her eyes. "Don't I know it? Why do you think I waited for someone more sane to ask these questions to?" ["Yeah. But yeah, it really happened. Don't try telling people, though. They'll think you're crazy."] * Veronica snickers. "Yeah." She just sighs a little. "Yeah. I'm starting to wonder if I really am." [She laughs. "Not unless I am."] * Veronica grins. "I don't know. I mean your family's like *that* so..." She loosens it into a smile though. "Don't worry about it. Everyone's got weird relatives here and there. But it does make me wonder why you chose to love out here then." ("I HAVE TO SAVE THE UNIVERSE." "... from what?" "From my uncle.") ["... Love?"] * Veronica has quit IRC (Read error: Connection reset by peer ) * Rowyn has joined #secondstring * Rowyn is now known as Veronica (Gonna go z.) * Kuaihong has quit IRC (Quit: poof ) (Oh, that was supposed to be live out here by the way, not love.) (Oh.) (Nix her most recent question.) (^_^;) [She shrugs. "Someone's got to do it, right? He gets lonely by himself." She smiles, and this time she looks serious. "Besides, I already know the monsters are real."] * Veronica frowns slightly and says a little softly. "You mean the ones with the big teeth and the wrinkled foreheads...?" ["Oh." Pause. "Yeah, those. They're real." She looks at the sun, which is almost below the horizon.] * Veronica sighs and follows Sunny's glance. "So it wasn't just a dream..." [She shakes her head.] ["It's cool that you survived one of those. Most people don't. But most people aren't attacked anyway, so..."] So how do you know this? ["Uh. Family tradition?"] I'm...uh...not sure I did. * Veronica looks at her hand and turns it back and forth in front of her, inspecting. ... You didn't burn up yet, so I think so. [""] * Veronica looks off to the side. "Look. Since we're already talking about this stuff, I think you're the only one I can trust with this that won't look at me like I'm nuts or something..." * Veronica closes her eyes and sucks in her breath. "Actually, I wanted to ask you this to see that I wasn't crazy. I mean, you seem normal. Can't say the same for your uncle, but you..." ["Normal enough. I get it. What's going on?" She sounds a little worried.] * Veronica looks off sorta distant. "This summer, I went to this nightclub with one of my friends. Somehow, I ended up in this alley with my friend kidnapped. When I went after her, one of those...things was there. I tried to fight him and give my friend time to get away. I did good for a while, but his arms were solid as a rock. He said he was watching me for some time. I think...I think he finally got me. But then I woke * Veronica has quit IRC (Read error: Connection reset by peer ) * Rowyn has joined #secondstring * Rowyn is now known as Veronica woke up back on the dance floor. My friend said I passed out but..." ["... Wow. That is weird."] Yeah...well... * Veronica rubs the back of her head and looks vaguely uncomfortable but doesn't say anything more. * Rowyn has joined #secondstring * Veronica has quit IRC (Read error: Connection reset by peer ) * Rowyn is now known as Veronica ["Uh. Maybe you should watch out for guys who look like that? Or... maybe it did happen, or it could've just been a dream. I dunno. But it could've happened, and being careful doesn't hurt, right?"] You said I'd have burst into flames by now if it did though, right? Even so...this isn't the first time it-- * Veronica looks down at the sidewalk. [She blinks. "... We don't have to talk about this if you don't want."] * Veronica sighs. "It feels good that I can though without someone thinking I'm *totally* insane. I mean, even my friend. She's cool and all but..." * Veronica clenches and unclenches her fist and thuds it against the wall. Fortunately she has enough sense to pull back before seriously hurting herself, but on the flip side, it doesn't look that satisfying. "Dammit. I need to blow off a little steam." [Sunny nods. "I'd... um, offer to help, but Uncle's going to have me do exercises the second I get back."] * Rowyn has joined #secondstring * Veronica has quit IRC (Ping timeout ) * Rowyn is now known as Veronica * Veronica nods. "Yeah, I know. I offered to help with that. You're probably going to say I have no idea what I'm getting into, don't you?" ["Hey, as long as you know I can kill monsters with my bare hands." She grins and waggles her fingers. "You do martial arts?"] * Veronica smiles. "Muai Thai. I've got a tournament coming up soon enough. I really should be practicing more than I should though..." [Sunny thinks about that, then grins. "Could be fun. C'mon, I won't beat you up too badly." She heads back to the store.] * Veronica raises an eyebrow then walks back after her with a curious gaze. [And Veronica goes to get bruises!] [Minisession End.]