SW: A Childish Endeavor

[Dr. Nik Kenjutsushi]

Day two of the Hammel Spirit Week was Holi-day. While it amused the Japanese woman greatly, she was also exasperated because she had filed the request as a joke on behalf of her husband (who not only loved holidays, but puns as well). Still, what was done was done, and the time came to express her love of the holidays.

For Nik, her favorite holiday (though her children were too old to celebrate now) was Shichi-go-san - Children's Day, as it was commonly known. The celebration was to honor girls aged seven and three, and boys aged five. Gifts were given, often small ones of inexpensive toys and candy, and charms. And since Hammel had no children of age, Nik decided to simply hand out candy and fortunes to every child she met that day.

Basket of goodies under one arm, the doctor swept through the halls before first period, delightedly giving students the treats as they complimented her on her white, silver and blue kimono. It was something she couldn't wear often, as the heavy silk was easily too warm for most days, but Vermont had yet again been surprised with snow this morning, so that wasn't a worry. Plus, it was a pretty thing, and not her favorite, so it could afford being brought to the school.

Now she swept into the main office, ready and willing to pass out even more of the tokens with a smile on her face.

[Joelle McIntosh]

Joelle had been so excited over Spirit Week. In the weeks leading up to it she had merrily raided her closet, and after a bit of convincing from Kit, she had also hit the mall with her best friend in preparation for the upcoming events.

Today was just one example. As much fun as 90's day had been, she had been looking forward to the holiday themed day the most. The soft pink of her dress was something she had been antsy to wear since she'd gotten it, and paired with adorable heels, she was feeling amazing. Her make up had gone on flawlessly, her hair had cooperated perfectly, and she was absolutely ready for the day.

She was on her way to her first class, eager to start the day, when she spotted something she couldn't quite keep her eyes off of. Whoever it was had disappeared into the main office, and she couldn't help but follow, just to see.

She was rewarded with a stunning vision of blue, silver, and white. Pressing her hands to her face, she smiled brightly, unable to contain her excitement. "You. Are. So. Beautiful!" Like a princess, or something akin to that. She didn't even care what holiday the woman was representing, because it didn't matter. She was just stunning.

[Dr. Nik Kenjutsushi]

The gasps behind her gathered the doctor's attention, and she turned about to blink wide blue eyes at the vision of pink that stood in the doorway to the office. A rare blush overcame her pale cheeks - something that happened when people complimented her unexpectedly. "Thank you," she replied, bowing briefly at the waist. The build of the outfit constricted her movement, but not in that motion at least. "I don't hear that often save from my husband, but it's nice to hear regardless."

With a smile, she looked over the younger girl's outfit. "You look lovely as well. Valentine's Day?"

Such a romantic holiday, though if given the choice, both she and her husband would choose St. White's Day. Not because of the colors involved, but because Nik was a downright terror in the kitchen. No homemade chocolates from her.

"I especially like your shoes," the pale woman added. "I've never had the ankles for heels, but they suit you very well."

[Joelle McIntosh]

Ohhh. She bowed just like her trainer did! And she was so elegant when she did it. The idea of the beautiful white haired woman being a princess was firmly in place now. Smiling up at her, she dipped her head in a half-attempted greeting back. Apparently, Mr. Meian was rubbing off on her. "You're welcome," she chirped, wondering just why she didn't hear it very often. She was stunning.

Looking down as if she had forgotten what she was wearing, she smiled and nodded. "That's right!" Valentine's Day, while heavily commercialized, was still at its' center a romantic holiday. How nice it would be to spend it with someone special... well, it would happen. One day. "Thank you very much."

Heels had taken some getting used to, Jo had to admit that. Even now when she tried adding any extra height it took some time to get her bearings. The heels she had on now had been a splurge when she'd gotten her dress with Kit, because they were perfect. "Thank you. I really like them!"

Curiosity was getting the better of her, the longer she looked at the pretty woman's costume. "May I ask what holiday you chose?"

[Dr. Nik Kenjutsushi]

It wasn't exactly a secret that Nakia was married to (probably) the single strangest trainer in the school. However, given her lack of taking his name and that they didn't spend much time together on campus, it wasn't automatically known, either. Granted, the fact the they were both Japanese, both married, and both had a daughter that attended the school would clue most people into the fact, but it wasn't always an immediate realization.

The look of wonder really was humbling, though - her husband, children, and brother aside, few Japanese people found the albino woman any shade of lovely. Considering that was what she grew up with, it colored her perception of her own beauty for the longest time. Then... well, then Vincent came along and melted the Snow Queen's icy heart.

"You're quite welcome," she replied, smiling. "Pink is a hard color for me to pull off, so it's always nice to see someone wearing it better." Especially since, while blue looked best on her, Nik did actually like the pale red hue.

"Ah!" The fair skinned woman turned and grabbed her basket of gifts and beamed brightly. "My favorite holiday is from my birth country," she explained. "There, it is called Shichi-Go-San, which translates literally to 'Seven Five Three'. The more common translation is Children's Day, and it's a celebration of children reaching a certain age. My girls are too old to celebrate now, but I still love it as a holiday."

Holding out the basket, she then asked, "I have candies and fortunes to celebrate - would you like one?"

[Joelle McIntosh]

If asked, Joelle wouldn't call her trainer strange. He was formal, perhaps, but he was nice, and so far he hadn't given up on her when it came to training. His approach made her think less of strange, and more... dedicated. She may have heard things in the hall about him being somewhat... unorthodox sometimes, but she chose to ignore them. He'd given her no reason to think of him that way. But to know he was married to this lovely woman... wow. Talk about amazing.

"Pink isn't always the easiest," she admitted. "But you look beautiful in blue." The kimono fascinated her. She'd seem them before, but never in person. They were so... regal, and elegant. Part of her wondered that it would be like to wear one, but she wouldn't dare ask. That probably wasn't polite.

Her interest from the beautiful kimono returned quickly to the pretty white haired woman when she picked up the basket again. "Oh! That's so nice!" It wasn't a holiday she knew of, but it sounded lovely. Much nicer than many of the American holidays. "Is it... um. A Japanese holiday?" She hoped she was right. She was pretty sure kimonos were from Japan, but she wasn't positive. And the last thing she wanted to do was offend her.

"I'd love one!" She had no idea what candy or fortunes had to do with Children's Day, but she wasn't going to argue.

[Dr. Nik Kenjutsushi]

Nakia beamed brightly at the compliment, still a little flushed from the surprising words. "Thank you," she stated. "It has always been one of my favorite colors."

Kimono were certainly a lovely and upscale sort of outfit, very traditional and usually understated. While hers may have had a more modern and bold pattern, the ghostly woman loved the contrast in colors and the ombré through the lower portions of the garment. If she wanted something fancier and more historic, she could always wear the one she wore to her wedding. Though, that was definitely not something to wear during work - schools were generally pretty hard on clothes, and a metahuman school could only be more hazardous to her wardrobe.

Regardless, she very strongly agreed with Joelle on the subject, and thought that everyone who enjoyed them should have one. Caucasian, Japanese, whatever - interest in something was more than enough to justify its ownership and use.

"It is," Nik confirmed. Such a smart girl. Either that, or a lucky guesser, but it was still nice to be told you were right, wasn't it? It wasn't like a wrong one would be insulting, though. Neither she nor her husband was that much of a nationalist. "I was born and raised in Japan, and it's always been my favorite of our national holidays."

Holding out the basket, the doctor let Joelle pick her own fortune and treat. The candies were a mix of things; single-wrapped lollipops and chocolates, snack-sized gummies, that sort of thing. Japanese ones littered the bag in lesser quantity for those who were adventurous, but for the most part they were flavors like melon and apple rather than the pickled plum that she preferred. (Though there were a few of those in there, with their slightly salty sweet deliciousness.) The charms were omikuji, or shrine fortunes, and though they weren't made by a priestess and put in a sacred box, they were tied in neat little knots and sprinkled in with the candies, their ends poking up like feather down sticking out from a ruffled bird.

There were a good mix of fortunes from very good, to very bad. But they were just for fun, unlike the New Year's fortunes that were drawn from the local shrines (in Japan, that is).

[Joelle McIntosh]

Joelle had no problem issuing compliments where they were due. She practically glowed when someone complimented her, so why wouldn’t she want to make others feel good? “You’re welcome!”

So the mystery princess was from Japan too. Like Koty… and like her trainer! It was a nice thought if they all knew one another, but who knew what the chances of that really were? Probably slim. Still, she smiled. “Japan must be a lovely country.” It certainly produced some nice people, if the few she’d met so far were anything to go by. “And they have way more fun holidays than America!” Childrens Day sounded so… magical.

Curiosity got the better of her, and she eagerly looked over the goodies in the basket. She was instantly drawn to one fortune that seemed to be sitting on its’ own in the corner of the basket. It looked lonely, so she quickly adopted it. After a moment of contemplation, she grazed her fingers over a purple lollipop as her candy choice. “Thank you,” she said softly before pulling the fortune apart.

… Well, it was pretty. But she had no idea what it said. Looking up at the snow princess, she smiled sweetly and held it up for her. “Could you tell me what it says, please?” She didn’t exactly hold much stock in fortunes, but they were still fun to read.

[Dr. Nik Kenjutsushi]

Nik rolled her shoulders in a shrug. While she had known the country of her birth for four decades, it certainly wasn't the haven so many people thought it was. "Different" was frowned upon there, and some practices in the communities (including medical, much to her shame) were utterly barbaric compared to the rest of the world. There were some wonderful traditions and amazing history, and the landscape was second to none in her opinion. But it was not perfect. "I think any reason to have a party is a good one," she answered, smiling almost mischievously. "Most of my countrymen would agree."

"You're welcome." The doctor looked on in mild interest as the charm was unfolded and stared at. It was a small thing, and because she'd wanted to write them correctly, they only had enough space for the Japanese text. Maybe next year she'd write them in English. Then again, they sounded awfully silly when translated.

Still, she peered at the paper for a moment before answering with a smile. "You drew a lucky fortune," the pale woman explained. "It says chū-kichi, which is a medium blessing, if we were to go on a scale for such things. Let me see... it says that you will find a small fortune, you will discover a good soul, you will make a good joke at a tense moment, and if you travel, work, or marry it is blessed."

See, very silly.

"There are also a couple poetic notes here: this one is an allegory for adversity building a beautiful soul, and this one is a metaphor for being open and understanding to things that would normally frighten you." Nakia smiled again. Despite the phrasing of the fortune, it really was a good token. "You drew well."

[Joelle McIntosh]

Joelle honestly didn't know a lot about Japan, at least beyond the bits she'd learned here and there in various classes in school. But it probably wasn't enough to even begin scratching the surface. Still, it would be nice to learn more. Especially as Koty had lived most of his life there. She wanted to know more just to get to know him better. But the look on the pretty woman's face distracted her from that. It was unusual to see adults looking like that. It was kind of... nice. "I like that idea," she said with an impish grin.

Looking at the fortune, she was happy to wait as it was translated. The news it was lucky made her happy. As she listened, her expression softened into one of wonder. Of course she was too young to marry, but the idea that it would be blessed if she did was... magical.

The rest of it all sounded nice too. Smiling, she already had plans to keep the fortune somewhere safe. "Thank you. It's really nice of you to hand these out." She could only imagine the rest were just as pretty as the one she'd drawn. It might be similar to horoscopes, and Jo wasn't superstitious, but there was something about the little piece of paper she'd drawn that seemed special. ... Or maybe that was kind of dumb. But she still liked it. "I wish Children's Day was a thing here."

[Dr. Nik Kenjutsushi]

If it was one thing Nakia liked, it was a good party. Her husband didn't usually fare so well, and quickly became flustered with too many people around, but the fair doctor enjoyed being at any sort of gathering where she was not acting in a professional capacity. Talking, laughing, drinking - who cared if it was for a holiday or not? Just let her dress nicely (and force her tall companion to as well), and she was a happy camper.

The look on Joelle's face was beautiful, though it took the older woman a lot of effort not to laugh. She just looked so genuinely happy that the look of awe was just... ah, it was too cute, it what is was.

"Oh, not really," Nik replied, waving one hand as if to clear the air of the compliment. "There are plenty of minor curses in here, too-" and some very major ones "-so part if it is watching people's superstitions take hold. Thankfully, our traditions with these fortunes means that a bad one isn't inevitable."

A pale hand held up a bright crimson corded rope that hung from the other side of the basket. A few slips of paper already dangled from it, tied in knots along the length. "Since we don't have a wishing tree, I improvised and took a red rope for the tying instead. It's said that if you leave a bad luck script tied to a holy tree or ropes inside a shrine, it won't follow you home."

That was the basic gist, anyway. Still, Nik chuckled, an oddly (almost) masculine sound from such a delicate and feminine woman. "Mostly, we give out fortunes for New Years," she corrected, "but Children's Day does involve trips to a local shrine often enough. I really do enjoy it, but, as I said, my girls are too old for it now."

[Joelle McIntosh]

Joelle was also firmly in the camp that said that parties rocked. She genuinely liked people, and crowds didn't bother her. Any excuse to dress up was a good one. Case and point, Spirit Week. If only Spirit Week could be every week.

It seemed like she was going to learn a lot from Miss Nakia. Her eyes widened slightly at the idea of curses, though a slow, almost mischievous smile took over from the look of surprise. It was mostly born out of the idea that Jeff would end up with a curse if he happened to run into Nakia too. She loved her brother, yes, but he was also a big pain in the butt. Maybe a curse would kick him back in the butt just a little.

It was a fun thought.

"That's so neat!" Maybe she needed to start asking Koty about Japanese traditions and holidays. "I'd like to keep my fortune, if that's okay, though. I really like it!" She was already planning ahead for ways to possibly preserve it. Maybe if she pinned it to the underside of her pillow or something... If she kept it, maybe it would come true. Childish, maybe, but the idea made her happy.

"How old are your daughters? Do they come here too?" How cool would it be to have lots of metahumans in a family? So far only her and Jeff had manifested, but she kept wondering if David would eventually join them. It would be nice to have almost all of them together again.