Into the House of Flowers: Persona in the Playground (Social Link)

[Mokou-tan]

Tsubaki was waiting in the common room for the others to get ready for the trip. Tsubaki had planned it on the previous weekend with Asami and invited Miyuki soon after. Friends would make this trip a lot more fun, and she'd get to see her sister, which is always a plus. She was dressed in her normal street clothes with her hair down as she sat in the windowsill.

[Kioku]

Asami comes stepping out in about her usual attire, picking grass out of her hair from her light run earlier that morning. "How did you get there?" She frowns at a spider now on her hand, that she's just removed from her person. "Hi Tsubaki, I'm just about ready, and I think Miyuki was nearly out too. Could you open that window for a moment?"

[A Rainy Knight]

Miyuki staggers into the room with a yawn and rubs at her eyes, but she's at least presentable today, having brushed her hair and changed into a proper shirt and skirt.

"H-hey, Tsubaki. Asami." She smiles, and makes her way over to lean against the wall by the windowsill.

[Mokou-tan]

Tsubaki slides out of the windowsill. "Eh? Sure I can do that." She opens the window for Asami with a smile. "Nice of you to toss that thing out. Most people would squish it." She didn't see the spider, but she assumed what it was by her friend's actions. "Alright, so you both all set?"

[Kioku]

Asami reaches out to put her hand next to a branch by the window and nods. "I just need to pick up my bag from over by the door, and I'll be set." She shakes her hand a little and finally brings it back inside, closing the window again.

[A Rainy Knight]

Miyuki pats at the bag she has hanging at her side by a shoulder strap.

"I'm r-ready, Tsubaki. Um... t-thanks for inviting me, by the way."

[Mokou-tan]

Tsubaki chuckles as she makes for the door. "Eh? Don't thank me for that. You're my friend. Unless plans were previously made to go alone, you guys are always invited to come with me places. My sister sounded excited to meet you two, actually."

[Kioku]

Asami scoops up her bag and slings it across shoulder to hip as usual and follows. "Excited to? Well, I suppose it makes sense, my brother mentioned that he wanted to stop by the city some time to meet... umm... you two. I shouldn't repeat his exact words." She blushes a little, but her small smile shows a little more at whatever the thought was.

[A Rainy Knight]

Miyuki tags along behind the two of them.

"Well, if they're l-looking forward to me... I guess I can't disappoint," she says, with a little smirk.

[Mokou-tan]

With that, Tsubaki and her friends set off for the train station.


Boarding the Train

Tsubaki was getting on after purchasing and handing out her friend's tickets. "So, when was the last time you guys rode the train? I do it in the mornings to get where I like to train, so I buy yearly passes, myself. Well my mother buys them under the condition that I visit sometimes."

[Kioku]

Miyuki tags along behind the two of them.

"Well, if they're l-looking forward to me... I guess I can't disappoint," she says, with a little smirk.
Asami blushes just a little more as though that had something to do with her previous thoughts, but also can't help but let out a small giggle.




Boarding the Train

"I had to take the train most of the way here when moving to the dorm. My previous school was in another place entirely, so everything has been new here... but I suppose that means I haven't taken it since then." Asami holds the ticket looking slightly ashamed, yet grateful, as she boards.

[A Rainy Knight]

"I used to ride the train every day when I started m-middle school," Miyuki says, as she boards the train. "I, uh, d-didn't have much use for it for a while, because... you know."

She takes a quick look around the inside of the train.

"At least it's not t-too bad today. I h-hated it when it got really crowded. People pressing you on all sides, and you never know if you're next to a p-purse snatcher or one of those perverts who tries to r-reach up your skirt."

[Mokou-tan]

Tsubaki gives them both a smile. "Don't worry about the ticket, Asami. My family is pretty well off and I'm dragging you out here. Don't feel bad about me doing stuff like this. And Miyuki, if anyone tries that with me around scream. and look away. You don't want to see the end result."

[Kioku]

Asami shuffles her feet a little and nods. "There are some seats over there... if you're worried, I mean. It's harder to do that to someone who isn't standing." She smiles a little and continues, "we won't let anyone squish you or anything, either. Hey, how far is the trip?"

[A Rainy Knight]

"I'm n-not really worried on a train like this. Especially not with y-you two with me..."

She glances over at the seats anyways.

"B-but if it's going to be a long ride, then it still might be a good idea."

[Mokou-tan]

Tsubaki hops backwards into a seat. "It's only a 20 minute trip, give or take a few seconds. These things move at over 240 kilometers an hour and aren't often more than a minute late. You also get a huge fine if you're caught on the tracks..." She winks to Asami after mentioning the tracks. "Though, as far as squishing, I'm probably the most likely to get squished. After all, I'm kinda small."

[Kioku]

"Twenty minutes? I suppose that means one of you will probably fall asleep before we get there. No worries, I'll be your headrest this time!" Asami declares this addressing both of her friends, giggling and unable to stop while taking a set next to Tsubaki.

[A Rainy Knight]

Miyuki slinks into the seat on Asami's other side, and sets her bag on her own lap.

"Well... I h-hope you're soft, then."

She settles back in her seat, and absentmindedly taps her fingers on her bag.

[Mokou-tan]

Tsubaki leans against Asami and giggles. "I'll take you up on that offer then! Miyuki gets the lap though."

[Kioku]

"Eh?!" Asami blinks several times and glances back and forth between the two before blushing. "I guess... if she likes... It'd be softer than my arm or shoulder anyway."

[A Rainy Knight]

"T-there's people here!" Miyuki stammers, glancing around the train car. "I'll j-just take your other shoulder. I d-don't doubt your lap would be n-nice and comfy, though..."

[Mokou-tan]

Tsubaki giggles at her friends. "Awww, Asami, you're blushing. That's adorable. I'm not overly worried what others will think. I mean, I'm not likely to see them again most of the time, and the ones I do see often who don't know me, are scared of me." She yawns, closing her eyes as she nuzzles into Asami's shoulder.

[Kioku]

Asami ducks a little, but is definitely smiling. Wait, when did I become the adorable one? Ah well... so long as I can help make them comfortable...

[A Rainy Knight]

"Ugh... I probably stayed up way too late writing last night..."

Miyuki leans her head against Asami's free shoulder, and quickly dozes off.

[Mokou-tan]

Tsubaki falls asleep on Asami, only waking up when she hears her stop called.

---
"Unyaa! We gotta get off here!" She bolts upright, grabbing Asami and Miyuki's wrists as she moves for the out the door in a hurry.

[Kioku]

Asami's eyes widen as she's swept out of the train, from the shock of the sudden change from her previous state of simply relaxing and enjoying the presence of her friends. "The doors won't close that fast, will they?!"

[A Rainy Knight]

"Bwuh?!" Miyuki awakens with a start. "W-we're going? Let's go!"

She slings her bag over her shoulder and stumbles off the train with the others.

[Mokou-tan]

Tsubaki looks down the hill just outside the stop. "Oh, yeah... They give you a minute after announcing. I'm normally bolting out because I fell asleep alone. Habit. She points her finger at a large Japanese-style house a few blocks down. "That's my home. Before you comment on it, it's been in the family forever."

[Kioku]

"What would we comment on?" Asami stands confused, and a little rattled from the departure. Does she mean the size? Is her family large enough to fill a house like that? Oh! Will we meet more than just her sister today?

[A Rainy Knight]

"S-she means it's a little old-fashioned, Asami."

Miyuki crosses her arms and takes a good, long look at the house in the near distance.

"It looks... c-charming, though."

[Mokou-tan]

"Well, it's quite big for just us five." Tsubaki chuckles as she starts walking down the hill. "I like the old style. My brother once joked that it'd be my dowry. He hasn't made that joke since. Anyway, Chika told me not to start a fight with him today, so I'll try to be good."

[Kioku]

"Oh! Umm... it is pretty nice, but what do you mean he hasn't made that joke since? Did something change?"

[A Rainy Knight]

Miyuki giggles under her breath.

"D-did you beat him up for that one?"

[Mokou-tan]

Tsubaki chuckles. "Well, he insinuated that I'd need to use an old, outdated system basically based on bribery in order to get married. He also may have slighted Chika too, which may have pushed me beyond the boundary of my restraint."

[Kioku]

Asami eeps and blushes, looking down and muttering something about her grandparents. "I must be really out of it today. You were absolutely right give him a thrashing over the slight to Chika-san though!"

[A Rainy Knight]

"S-sounds like it worked, though. Heh heh."

[Mokou-tan]

Tsubaki stops at the front gate to her house. "Well, we're here." She steps in the front door of the house and kicks off her shoes off before stepping out of the entryway. "Tadaima!" A girl who looked disturbingly like Tsubaki, just gentler, stepped around the corner. The easiest way to tell the two apart was the large scar going most of the way down her left arm. "Welcome home, Onee-chan." "Thanks. Asami, Miyuki, this is my little sister, Chika. Chika, these are my friends, Miyuki and Asami." She motions to each in turn as she speaks. "It's nice to finally meet you." Chika bows in greeting.

[Kioku]

Asami's shoes are barely off by the time the greeting is complete. "Nice to meet you as well, Chika-san," she replies with a bow.

[A Rainy Knight]

Miyuki bends down to take off her shoes, but quickly straightens back up.

"N-nice to m-meet you... Chika," she says, with a short bow.

[Mokou-tan]

Chika steps up to her sister and gives Tsubaki a tight hug with just her right arm. Tsubaki returns the hug being mindful of her sister's left arm. "It's a big house, we should probably show you two around. Right, Onee-chan?" Tsubaki nods. "Of course!" She motions for her friends to follow behind her, Chika in tow.

[Kioku]

Asami follows, naturally, and can't stop herself from noticing enough to make a mental map except on the few occasions that she squeezes her eyes shut from the high sensory input. She doesn't have especially much to say, wanting to avoid rudeness and let the hosts do their job.

[A Rainy Knight]

Miyuki follows along quietly as well, though her attention is diverted somewhat differently - whenever she thinks Chika isn't looking, she can't help but steal glances at the scar on her arm.

[Mokou-tan]

Tsubaki lightly steps through the house, pointing out bathrooms, the kitchen and guest bedrooms. They stop at Chika and Tsubaki's shared room. There was a single bed, but many objects that suggested Tsubaki lived in here too, when she was home. "This is our room. Well, mostly Chika's now because I live in the dorms with you guys." "You guys should wait here while I go make some tea. I'll be back in a moment." Chika gracefully darts out of the room to go make some tea for the guests.

[A Rainy Knight]

Miyuki glances curiously around the room, but once Chika has left, she hesitantly turns to Tsubaki.

"H-hey, Tsubaki. Is it gonna be a p-problem if I ask what happened to your s-sister's arm?"

[Kioku]

Asami bites her lip and shifts nervously, having wondered the same thing but unsure how to ask. I hope it wasn't...

[Mokou-tan]

Tsubaki sits on the bed and chuckles nervously. "If you ask, she won't take offense and so long as you aren't picking on her, I won't either."

[A Rainy Knight]

"Oh! I would n-never try to p-pick on her... I really don't have the r-room to do anything like that."

Her posture relaxes a bit, and she leans up against the side of the bed.

[Kioku]

Asami wrinkles her nose with a small frown. "Heyyy... you know us! Nobody here is the sort to pick on anyone, especially your friends or family!" She taps Tsubaki lightly on the nose with a fingertip as if to playfully scold her. "Although..." Asami shifts outward to make a triangle with the other two. "Are you sure she wouldn't mind? If it was something that you'd worry about someone picking on her about..."

[Mokou-tan]

Tsubaki gives a small smile. "The scar itself is what she'd get picked on for. I know you guys aren't going to be mean to her, so I'm not going to be overprotective of her, just this once. She won't mind, it doesn't bother her."

Slow Reply Day, not at home, replies will be sporadic. Sorry for the inconvenience. ^.^

[A Rainy Knight]

"T-that's good, then... I know what it's like to be s-sensitive about something."

While she waits, she looks around the room again.

"So you shared a room with your s-sister, then?"

[Kioku]

Asami slowly nods, a distant look in her eyes. "It's good. Protecting her is good. W-we... won't disappoint."

[Mokou-tan]

Tsubaki giggles as she motions to the room in general. "Room, bed and clothes now that she fits in mine. We share just about everything freely between us. She used to sneak into my bed at night, so our parents just let us move into a bigger room."

[A Rainy Knight]

Miyuki smiles. "Heh... you sure sound c-close. Was it t-tough? ...Moving into the dorm, I mean?"

[Mokou-tan]

Tsubaki chuckles. "About as hard as when I lived in the apartment before. Can't have my sister stay over for a week in the dorms, after all." Chika returns to the room, carrying a tray with a pot of tea and four cups with just her right arm. She trips on her way to the small table in the room. In reaction, her sister leaps from the bed and catches the tea while steadying her sister. "I've got ya." "Thanks Onee-chan." Tsubaki puts the tray down and Chika pours tea into each cup. "I overheard you, by the way. Onee-chan has trouble sleeping alone. Though, I suppose that's my fault." She gives a friendly smile as Tsubaki blushes. "Chika!" Tsubaki starts a playful swipe at her little sister but stops short, patting her head instead.

[Kioku]

Asami gives a small smile at the display of affection and a faint laugh about the trouble sleeping. Her balance is impressive... but is the injury that much worse than it looks? She bites her lip and murmurs "thank you" for the tea, but doesn't sip at hers quite yet, too busy trying to balance her surroundings with her thoughts. She attempts to put on the air of 'content to watch and listen' to not seem out of place.

[A Rainy Knight]

Miyuki notices the same thing, and surprisingly, musters the courage to ask about it.

"Hey, um, C-Chika. Y-you've got some pretty intense balance there... I don't think I could carry all that on one hand." Her eyes glance to the left arm, then back to the face. "I guess that, um, s-scar is pretty old, then? I, uh, n-noticed you don't use it m-much... S-sorry. Just curious."

[Mokou-tan]

Chika takes a sip of her tea. "I've had a few years to practice my balance with things like that. My left arm... She slowly raises the mentioned limb, wincing but smiling to try and hide the obvious pain. "It doesn't quite work right anymore." She slowly clenches and unclenches her left hand, to further demonstrate the difficulties in using it. "I got the injury in an accident. Someone broke in and Onee-chan saved me. Instead of losing my life, I just can't use this arm well anymore. It was an accident." As her sister explains, Tsubaki shifts a little, slightly uncomfortable with the situation. Sorry...

[A Rainy Knight]

Miyuki watches and listens in stunned silence.

"Oh, g-geez, I, uh... I didn't..." She wrings her sweaty hands for a bit, and decides to just take a sip of tea to save herself from saying anything else. "Y-you make some p-pretty good tea."

[Kioku]

Asami stares at Miyuki after her comments. She asked something on my mind that I wasn't willing to voice yet again? Isn't this usually exactly the other way around? Is it a reverse-day? Her gaze falls to Chika's motions with a wince, small shiver and sad look. I want to just give her a hug, even if it would be overly familiar. Although, for that she has... "I'm glad she was there. You seem nice, you deserve as good of a s-s-si-sist..." Asami squeezes her eyes shut and hides behind her teacup, taking a long sip until her composure returns. "A family member as good as Tsubaki."

[Mokou-tan]

"Hey, hey! Don't worry about it, you're my dear Onee-chan's friends. If you're her friends, you have to be good people. After all, she's my hero. She stopped that man from harming me." "I'm not that great. I'm just strong, is all." Tsubaki gives a gentle smile as she tries to avoid the praise. Chika sets her tea down and hugs Asami with her good arm, showing the same brazen disregard for the idea of seeming over-familiar as her big sister in these situations while moving at a hard to react to speed. As for who learned it from who, none could be sure. "You have trouble with the word sister. Whatever caused that, it must have been painful. I apologize for causing such thoughts."

[A Rainy Knight]

Miyuki chuckles under her breath.

"Heh. I dunno, Tsubaki, you can be p-pretty great."

She holds her cup of tea over her lap, and turns to Chika.

"Your sister saved me from a b-bunch of guys, too. B-back when we met."

[Kioku]

Asami gasps slightly as the tiny teleporting host hugs her, and pales at her words. "N-no, it's alright, i-it's not your fault. Please don't worry, it... can't be helped. If anything, I'm sorry for damaging the mood." She looks around with confused eyes and gently pats Chika on the back, trying to return the hug as well as she can without seeming weird about it. "Ah... so yes, your s... Tsubaki. She does kind of have a saving people thing that way, doesn't she?" Asami gives a small grateful glance at Miyuki for keeping the conversation going in a not-this direction.

[Mokou-tan]

"She did? You were fighting again?" Chika glares at her older sibling. "H-hey, it was for a good reason! Don't look at me like that!" Tsubaki stands up and backs away from the table. "I'm a hero right? I had to do it." Chika steps towards her sister and takes advantage of Tsubaki's unwillingness to retaliate against her to pinch her cheek and tug it a bit. "You didn't get hurt, right? Of course you didn't, and if you did, you wouldn't notice. She does have a bad habit of doing stuff like that. She's your Tsubaki, too. I don't mind sharing her. I just ask you to make sure she doesn't get too reckless, okay?"

[A Rainy Knight]

"She's m-my Tsubaki...?"

Miyuki nods, and sips her tea again.

"I'll d-do my best...!"

While she savors the tea, she spares a glance aside at Asami, noticing her aversion to that particular word.

[Kioku]

"That's not what I..." Asami leaves off with a small breathless laugh. "Sure. Of course. I'll patch her up when she needs it, and try to make sure she doesn't need it much too." She avoids looking at any of the three others with her for too long at a time, and won't meet their eyes for the moment, but tries to disguise this with, again, her tea.

[Mokou-tan]

Tsubaki pulls her sister's hand from her cheek. "Don't worry, I promised that I'd always make it back to you. I intend to keep that promise. So, what do you want for a gift?" Chika thinks for a moment on her sister's question. "Fabric... I want some fabric." "I think we can manage that. Do you want some thread too?" "Yeah, I'm almost out of red and black."

[A Rainy Knight]

Miyuki sits, thinks, and finally speaks.

"D-do you... do you sew?"

[Mokou-tan]

Chika giggles at Miyuki's question. "A bit. Someone has to repair Onee-chan's clothes. And make some new ones so she can avoid shopping in the kid's section. Since our sizes are the same, I can wear the clothes myself to make sure I got everything right. She's not a fan of anything too restrictive when it comes to clothing."

[Kioku]

Asami seems to be getting worse all the time, but manages to get out a few more words between hiding sessions. "Is that so? I'll have to remember that... I'm sort of the on-site seamstress while we're in the dorms, so I hope you wouldn't mind if I make a few things too."

[A Rainy Knight]

"S-so you can mend clothes, then." Miyuki almost chuckles under her breath. "That's... really f-feminine. I could l-learn from you..."

[Mokou-tan]

Chika giggles softly. "Please, go right ahead, Asami. Having you around should save Onee-chan the trip to bring me her damaged clothes. Though that doesn't mean you get to just go without showing up, you got that, Onee-chan?" She turns to Miyuki. "I just pick up the slack. The tiger here can't cook or sew, so I picked up some feminine skills to make up for her. I can teach you a bit if you want, but it is quite a trip for you to just come get lessons, and Asami sounds pretty confident in her skills."

[Kioku]

"I'm glad she can't cook," Asami notes. "It's what led to our first time of hanging out together without a much larger group around." She gets a hint of a smile at the fond memory. A slightly odd look takes its place after a few moments as she remembers something related to it, but is similarly shrugged off in short order.

[A Rainy Knight]

"Oh n-no," Miyuki says, declining Chika's offer with a wave of her hands. "I w-wouldn't impose like that..."

Taking a quiet moment, she listens in on Asami's recollection, and smiles a bit herself.

"I had fun," she says, simply.

[Mokou-tan]

Tsubaki gives a gentle laugh. "That was a fun day with a nice nap. I was Miyuki's pillow and Asami was mine." She smiles, remembering what she said to Asami before passing out. "So, I'm not the only pillow? And, Miyuki, it wouldn't be much trouble on my end. I can't participate in the clubs I used to with only one arm, so I have quite a bit of free time." "Hey, you used me as a pillow first!"

[Kioku]

"Speaking of which, I get to sleep on someone on the way back, right? It is a pretty long trip, as mentioned." Asami leans on the nearest non-Chika person with a playful half-smile and wink, seeming to finally start losing her melancholy, or at least becoming able to ignore it a little.

[A Rainy Knight]

Miyuki shies away for a moment when Asami comes leaning on her, but she ultimately gives in.

"F-fine," she says with a smirk. "No g-guarantees about me staying awake, though."

[Mokou-tan]

Chika leans towards the pair, holding her index finger to her lip as she examines them. A slight smile playing across her face."Tsubaki, I need a few numbers from you. Top to bottom. You're good at that, right?" Tsubaki avoids making eye contact with anyone as she hesitantly whispers her friend's sizes into her sister's ear.

[Kioku]

Asami looks between Chika and Tsubaki as the latter whispers to the former, noticing that she can't catch the latter's eye. She gets a slightly wicked, still playful smirk and reaches out a hand to ghost over the back of Tsubaki's neck, as if reaching to comfort her but being just too far away... even though she's easily within reach. "No need to be so evasive. I'm sure we don't mind. It's just a few numbers," she says gently.

[A Rainy Knight]

"It's c-called delicacy," Miyuki says, with a bit of a pout. "S-see, Tsubaki has her feminine points, too."

[Mokou-tan]

Tsubaki jolts backwards in surprise with a squeaking noise. "You sure? She has to have been staring at you to know these numbers." Tsubaki blushes a shade of pink at her sister's words. "H-hey! Don't say things like that!"

[Kioku]

Asami raises her eyebrows in surprise at Tsubaki jolting toward her light touch and giggles slightly at Chika's response. "Well, I don't mind at least," she amends, setting her tea down and starting to massage and tickle Tsubaki's neck, which her other hand is now pressed against. "Anyone who cares enough to get to know the real me is welcome to, if it pleases them. The fact that these two are the first I can say really matter to me in over six years is... Well, they've proven themselves wonderful people and there's little I wouldn't do for them." That could be misinterpreted easily, but I trust they understand what I mean. She puts her free hand on Miyuki's knee with a small squeeze and genuine smile.

[A Rainy Knight]

Miyuki looks back at Asami, before bashfully looking at the floor.

"Uh, I d-dunno how I feel about the staring, but... you're my f-friend."

[Mokou-tan]

"H-hey! It's not like that! We live in the same room and my body's so small..." Chika giggles a bit, her smile becoming a bit more sly. "I see, you're a flower too. Don't worry, this house is friendly to flowers." Tsubaki looks up at a clock, trying not to move her neck too much. "We should probably head out soon."

[Kioku]

Asami blinks from her leaning position. "I'm a flower?" She gives a confused and mock-disappointed sigh. "Soon? But comfortable... are we coming back after? Oh! Is it to get that fabric and thread?" Asami stretches a little gives Miyuki a quick 'thank you' peck on the cheek before standing.

[A Rainy Knight]

Miyuki blushes with a bit of embarrassment at the unexpected peck, but quickly gets to her feet and brushes off her skirt.

"We gotta h-head out, huh? I wasn't really watching the time..."

[Mokou-tan]

Tsubaki nods picking Chika up while moving to the door. "Yeah, we need to get the fabric and thread. We can head back to the dorms whenever. The lines go until midnight and start up again around six in the morning." "You could all stay for the night if you wanted."

[Kioku]

How am I a flower? Asami wonders on the way out. "Stay for the night? Nobody would mind? Hmm... What do you two think? I'm fine with it, wouldn't really mind if we were caught out on the last train either though."

[A Rainy Knight]

Miyuki shrugs. "I'll, uh... I dunno. I'll just f-follow you two, whatever you decide."

[Mokou-tan]

Tsubaki shrugs and puts her sister down. "I'll leave it to Asami then. This is my home after all, so I can stay here whenever as long as I make it to school."

As the group returns, a young man with short hair is seen entering the door ahead of them. Tsubaki clenches her fists upon noticing him. "Great...." "Onee-chan you said... "I know, I'll try not to pick a fight with Rentaro today."

Skipping the trip to the store. We already have one shopping thread. :P

[Kioku]

"I don't want to impose! But I would kind of like to stay..."

---

Rentaro? Asami shifts uncomfortably, sensing the change in mood but unable to do much with her arms full of cloth.

[A Rainy Knight]

Miyuki edges subtly closer to Tsubaki in the suddenly tense atmosphere.

"T-that's Rentaro, there...?"

[Mokou-tan]

Tsubaki takes a few deep breaths to calm down and unclenches her fists. "Yeah. He and I don't get along to say the least." "They get into terrible fights that sometimes take me hours to fix Onee-chan up properly after."

[Kioku]

Asami's eyes widen and fill with sadness. "Hours?" I hope we can keep them separated...

[A Rainy Knight]

At hearing Chika's explanation, Miyuki goes from subtly edging closer to Tsubaki to borderline hiding behind her.

"W-what's his deal? Should I be c-careful...?"

[Mokou-tan]

Tsubaki smiles to Miyuki. "Don't worry, he'll only pick a fight with me. He leaves others alone." "He doesn't like Onee-chan. Hasn't for a long time now. I wish they could get along again." "Bring that up with him, he's the one with the problem."

[Kioku]

"Don't worry, he'll only pick a fight with me. He leaves others alone.""That isn't better... well, not much better anyway. I doubt anyone would fight guests. Or in front of guests. Maybe he won't start anything if he knows you're serving as a host?"

[A Rainy Knight]

Miyuki shifts nervously.

"Either w-way, I'm not getting t-too close..."

[Mokou-tan]

Rentaro turns around, having heard the chatter behind him. "Oh, the little hitokiri has friends over. Don't stand around outside, come on in. Chika, you're a good girl, remember to tell our mother we'll be having guests for dinner." Chika gives him a cold glare. "If you're going to give me that look, can you at least make sure I deserve it?" His voice had an all-around happy tone as he spoke, even as his little sister glared at him. "Don't worry, she will. They'll be staying over too. Mother hasn't gotten a new policy on that, has she?" "Of course not! Hospitality is important, after all." Even as they spoke so casually, one could feel the tension between the two. Chika tugged at the two guests, one after the other, motioning for them to follow her inside.

[Kioku]

Hitokiri, in that tone- did he just call her a murderer? Does that mean when she saved Chika during the break in... I'm analyzing too much, it probably wasn't meant literally. Even thinking this though, Asami touches Tsubaki's arm with hers and tries to give a comforting look while letting the contact linger before letting herself be led inside.

[A Rainy Knight]

Miyuki quietly follows Chika into the house, keeping her eyes on the ground for most of the walk.

[Mokou-tan]

Tsubaki walks in behind her guests after Rentaro gives an 'after you' motion. "Have fun with your friends, little sister. I'll be in my room if you need me for anything. Otherwise, I'll see you all at dinner." Rentaro gives everyone a kind smile like the one Tsubaki normally does before departing to his room. Tsubaki pulls down her eyelid and sticks out her tongue at his back as he leaves. "I need to go inform our mother, so I'll be back in a bit." Chika hands her big sister the fabric she was carrying and departs in a different direction.

[Kioku]

"So..." Asami starts, trying to breach the palpable tension, "should we take all this fabric back to your room, or is there somewhere else for it?"