Starring:
Meimei (as Yoko), Buyo
Date: October 21, 2010
Summary:
Having witnessed some rather interesting qualities of her new apartment mate's, Meimei decides to play a game or two with the previously homeless girl. She also brings up the subject of a possible name change. NOTE: Buyo changes to Risu towards the end of the scene. This is her new name!
"Names And Games"
Meimei's Apartment - Sunagakure
Day two of Buyo's grand adventure of living indoors! The little girl has bathed, of course, and Meimei has helped if needed for things like shampoo and drying off properly and brushing hair. She'd mostly just provide instruction when necessary, not wanting to do anything privacy-violating. She doesn't know how sensitive the blonde girl is about things like that. She certainly wouldn't want a near-stranger — even a very friendly one — to be that close to her if she were in Buyo's place.
But right now, she has provided a bathrobe that is a bit large for the younger female since it was originally intended for Meimei, but is not TOO large. Just would go down to her shins maybe. She is also waiting in the living room, kneeling at the table with a deck of cards. She has a game she wants to play with Buyo, something important to discuss, and… Maybe a test.
Buyo does prefer privacy when bathing. She's not really that modest, as she was living on the street and modesty was a commodity in short supply there to be sure. But mostly she wants to prove she can take care of herself some, and… she is a bit nervous about things. Plus she's heard stories… and doesn't really want to be too… close right off the bat. So it was an akward dance of how much privacy and how much help but the pair muddled through. Her blond hair was nice and clean, tied back with something or other into a little pony tail. She's cinched the bathrobe tight around herself and comes out, even wearing a pair of rather silly looking slippers since her feet are pretty small.
She pauses as she comes out into the living room, looking around then walking up to the table, looking down at Yoko since the woman is kneeling. "Hey, um, what's with the cards?" She asks as she glances down at the table then back to Yoko. She seems a bit unsure what is going on, but then half the time Buyo seems nervous, a bit like a feral cat who mistrusts everything at first.
Yoko/Meimei glances over as Buyo emerges and smiles. "The cards are for a game I thought you might enjoy. You said you wanted me to teach you, right? Well, this game is a bit different from other games. It's part of learning how to become as strong as me. But there are other games too, so if one doesn't work out, we can try another." She shrugs. "Not every game can be won by every person. So I guess… I'm just trying to see which games you learn the fastest, so you can have the most fun. You get it?" She smiles again, wondering why that sounded lamer out-loud than it did in her head.
Buyo blinks a bit but nods slowly, "Um, okay? I guess?" She is a tad unsure about this. She moves to sit at a seat across the table from Yoko, watching the table and cards, "You'll have to tell me the rules. I don't know any card games." She says as she tries to get a bit comfortable in the chair. As she squirms a tad to get comfy she says, "Most games have a winner and a loser, right? So… if I don't know the game I might lose lots to begin with but… when I know the game better maybe I'll win more. It's okay. Sometimes new things are hard." She gives a little smile and a shrug. She has a nice smile, even if she doesn't use it all that often yet.
Meimei nods thoughtfully. "That's true… If you work hard at something, even if it's difficult at first, just about anything is possible. That's very wise of you to say." She shuffles the cards a bit, and then pulls one off the top. "Okay, this isn't exactly a card game per se. It's more like a game that uses cards. To start with, you take a card." She points at the card in her right hand.
"Then you place it on your forehead…" She does so, pressing the card length-wise to her forehead and holding it there with one finger. "And then you focus only on the card. You focus on trying to keep it against your forehead… But you don't use your hands. Just your thoughts. Like so!" She then removes her finger and closes her eyes, focusing her Chakra to hold the card in place. "Whoever holds her card with her focus the longest wins! Pretty simply huh?" She opens her eyes, and the card falls off when she releases her Chakra. It flutters to the table top. "We won't play for real yet. It's not easy to learn how to do this. So you can have however long you need to practice."
Buyo blinks, as the card stays, and eyes the card as if it might be a trick, "You… huh…." She picks up the card that fluttered to the table top and peers at it, "There's no glue or anything, is there?" She rubs the back of the card but finds nothing. "How… how do you do that? You said… you focus. How do you do that?" She asks as she tilts the card this way and that, "Um…"
She presses the card you were using to her forhead, pressing it with her finger against her head. Then very tentatively she removes her finger. It sticks for a moment but that's just because her skin is a bit damp still, and then it slips and flutters down. She frowns slightly then looks questioningly over at Yoko, "How do you… um, focus to make it stick?" She asks, wanting more information it seems.
Meimei hmmms. "Well, how much do you know about ninja? Like… Have you heard the word 'Chakra' before? Even if you don't know what it means, I just wanted to know if you've heard rumors or whatever. It will help a lot with teaching you. Because I don't want to explain things you already know about. That would just make me look dumb, because no one wants to be taught something she already knows, right?" She smirks.
Buyo shrugs, "Um, Chakra? Isn't that like… uh… your life stuff? Um, like the stuff that comes out when you get hurt?" She apparently has heard something about chakra but has jumped to the wrong conclusion about what she heard and thinks it's like blood or something. She gives a bit of a confused look, "I don't really know what it is." She finally admits, "Isn't it something only ninja have though?" She tilts her head to the side, watching Yoko curiously, making it feel a bit like Buyo is studying her in some way.
Meimei does not laugh at Buyo's assumptions. "Nah, not quite. It's… Well, it's tied INTO life, but not in that way. Basically… A living being's body is made up of lots and lots of very small things called 'cells'. Skin is made of cells, blood is made of cells, and even your hair is made of cells." She indicates her long purple hair, which is currently uncovered. She's just wearing a shirt and long skirt right now, rather than her usual ninja get-up. "Every one of these tiny things produces energy. Like… Fire is energy, and electricity, and light. But this is a special energy, called 'Chakra'. So what some people — and even some animals — learn how to do is to gather up the Chakra from the cells, and put it in one place. That is what ninja learn how to do to make our crazy ninja powers work."
Buyo blinks as she listens. It is easy to see a lot of this is going over her head. Buyo's education is clearly highly lacking. She frowns a tad, trying to hide just how much she doesn't quite get. She tries to do something to distract from her lack of knowledge and picks the card back up, "Um, so how do you do that? How do you use chakra? Is… there a trick?" She asks as she peers at the card then tries to push the card to her forehead again. She tries to focus, tries to think the card into place, pushing it there firmly with her fingers then letting go.
The card quivers for a moment then… instead of just dropping down in front of her shoots forward a few feet then wafts down, almost into Yoko's lap. This leaves a very confused looking Buyo peering at the card as it acts so strangely.
Meimei watches with interest even as she pretends to just be explaining casually. "Well… It's like a state of mind, really. You know. Like how… 'Sleepy' is different from 'awake'? In this case, you 'wake up' a part of yourself that is normally 'asleep'. You just sort of clear your mind, think about one thing, and then… You do it."
When Buyo performs that feat with the card, Yoko takes notice. "Yes, just like that! Wow! You're a natural!" She grins. "You just 'pushed' the card with your mind — and your Chakra. I guess you'll be pretty good at this game with some practice. Better than me, maybe!"
Buyo wasn't sure if what she did was good or bad, she was afraid she had messed up and was already getting ready with an appology when Yoko tells her how well she just did. She blinks then smiles, "Really? You think I might be good at this?" She asks as she tilts her head, "Only, I did it wrong. The card went away, it didn't stay at all." She says as she thinks, "Why did it do that? I was trying really hard to put all my thoughts on that one spot." She says as she tries to figure out what she's done really. She touches her forehead, then looks at the cards on the table. "Can you do it again and let me watch then… um, I'll try again?"
Meimei hmmms. "Well, doing it at all, even if 'wrong' is better than nothing at all. Doing it incorrectly means you can learn from your mistake. And most kids take weeks or months or longer to gain any control over their Chakra. And here you are, on your second try!" Grinning, she places her index finger on top of the deck of cards, and then closes her eyes. "Here, maybe this will be easier. Or harder. Depends. First just put a finger on a card. Then focus every thought on nothing but the image of the card staying on your finger when you lift it. Don't actually lift it… Just focus on that image. Repeat it in your head, over and over, until you are absolutely SURE the card will stay stuck to your finger. Then… Slowly lift it." She starts to raise her hand, and the card stays stuck to her finger. "But don't think about what your hand is doing. Just think about the card. It WILL stick. It IS sticking. And then…"
She raises her hand further, turning it so that the card is facing her. "…Then slowly raise the card to your forehead, and press it there. Now imagine the same thing that kept the card on your finger, your own mind, is moving from the finger, to your forehead. Focus on keeping the card on your forehead. Then… Slowly remove your finger." She does as she is instructing to demonstrate. The card stays on her forehead when she moves her hand away. "Think of nothing but the card attached to your forehead. Don't worry about right or wrong. Don't worry about win or lose. Just… Think… About… The card."
Buyo frowns as she listens and watches. It isn't an upset frown but one of concentration instead. She eyes the cards then watches Yoko do her demonstration. She watches each movement. She listens to each word. Then… she eyes the cards. She hmms softly then puts her finger on top of the deck of cards and tries hard to concentrate on it. She focuses… focuses… trying to make sure the card will stay stuck even after she lifts her finger. There's a pause then the deck under her finger twitches a bit.
Suddenly cards start shooting out all over the place, the cards underneath the top card that is, not far, just a foot this way or that, spreading out in a fan away from the deck, all around it. Buyo winces as if she knows this is wrong, redoubling her efforts. The cards actually skitter off faster but… as they shoot off, she is left with one card, the top card, stuck to her finger, just… hovering there at the end of it, with no cards under it anymore.
Yoko watches calmly, not trying to seem like she's staring or scrutinizing. When the cards start going flying she flinches slightly but just makes sure nothing hits her in the face and otherwise tries not to distract. Well, it seems that Buyo has the right idea… She just needs a bit more control. Too much Chakra, rather than too little. Still… That's pretty good. She remains quiet, not commenting outloud her thoughts, and waiting for Buyo to proceed. She didn't say to stop at the finger stage, after all. So she waits and watches, not complaining or congratulating. The blonde will have to figure it out at some point. Why not now?
Buyo seems afraid to move her hand, as if the card might not stick if she actually moves it. The cards didn't really fly that far, at most a foot or two, not a lot of force but rather interesting none the less. Buyo hesitates, time drags on with her hand just… steady. She takes a deep breath and tries to lift her hand finally after over a minute of just holding it there. As soon as she moves her hand the card flutters down to the table, the connection broken as she has to change her focus from the card to moving her hand.
As soon as the card flutters Buyo sags a bit, apparently that took a lot of effort on her part. She sinks a bit into her chair, looking rather worn out all of the sudden. She looks up from the mess of cards to Yoko, eyes wide as waits for some kind of reaction, unsure how bad or good she did, after all she did hold the card to her finger for a bit, but… never got it to her forehead.
Meimei nods when the card falls and Buyo relaxes. "That's pretty good. You seem to be a natural. I'm sorry for setting such a high goal for you, but I wanted to see just how good you were. I think the problem is that you're using too much Chakra. But that's okay. The fact you can do it at all is amazing! And this is your first time, right? No training previously? Not even a little?" She hmms and strokes her chin. "Yes… I can see some definite possibilities. But for now, you can just relax. We can try again any time you like, once you're rested. Practice makes perfect, and all that." She grins and says, "And now for something else I wanted to talk to you about. You said people use that name… 'Buyo', as an insult, right? They're making fun of you when they use it, right? So I was thinking… How would you like a new name? One that is yours, not what anyone else put on you. One that is good at describing you?"
Buyo looks a bit relieved at the explaination from Yoko, hearing that she did okay, and didn't let her down. Still, she was definately using too much chakra, not focusing it right. She was able to use it but badly. Which is still good for a first lesson. She sinks a bit further down in the chair and pulls the bathrobe a bit closer around. Using all that chakra clearly wore her out. As the topic changes, on to her name, she nods, "Yeah. They'd shoo me away, calling me an annoying little Buyo… Sand fly…" She admits. "The orphanage didn't have my name, no one knew it who found me." She says as she looks sort of off to one side, "They called me another name at the orphanage, but it wasn't really… my name." She says softly, as she looks back to Yoko, "So… um, what… what else can I be called?" She asks, unsure as she tilts her head to the side slightly.
Yoko nods sympathetically. "Well… You can pick a name for yourself, of course. Though I have a suggestion. 'Risu'. Because you are fast and nimble like a squirrel, and clever like one too!" She smiles, apparently proud of the logic behind the name and having been waiting awhile to explain it. "Like I said, it's up to you. I just felt that one fits you."
Buyo thinks about it a bit. Then she tilts her head, "Um, what's a squirrel?" She asks. Being in the desert they aren't exactly native critters and Buyo hasn't exactly had a lot of education. While Yoko would know from her travels, poor Buyo is clueless. "Um, is it an animal then?" She ventures, a tad unsure. She doesn't want to really upset Yoko by her questions, "I like the sound of the name… Risu… It's a lot nicer sounding than Buyo." She points out, clearly not adverse to the idea but obviously a tad clueless on the whole squirrel concept.
"…Oh, uhh. Yeah, it's an animal. But a much nicer one than a nasty sand fly. I'll describe them, but I also have a book somewhere around here that should have a picture. One second." She hops up and starts searching the living room, as she explains, "Squirrels are rodents. Like mice, but bigger, with big fluffy tails, and smaller ears, and they can run up and down trees, and outrun cats and dogs, and they're smart too! There has never been a birdfeeder made that a squirrel can not get into. And they store nuts and things in secret places, just incase there is trouble in the future. Good ability to plan ahead, really. Ah-hah!"
She finds the book in a box of others, and wanders back over to Buyo. Opening it to the right page, she shows a picture of a common 'Grey Squirrel'. It is adorables.
With mention of the 'plan ahead' and 'hide things' Buyo peers at Yoko, as if maybe she knows something she isn't saying but… then her attention is taken by the picture. She blinks a few times. There's simply no critter quite like that in the Sunagakure she's known during her life. She blinks a few times and a small smile growns on her face, "Risu?" She says, as if trying it out for size, then nods, "Risu. Okay… I can be a Risu. I like that tons better than Buyo. I don't ever wanna be called /that/ again." She says firmly.
She looks up at Yoko from the picture book, "Thank you. Really. I just… it's so… much better here. I don't have to scrounge to eat, be afraid someone bigger will steal my food. Or worse… or live in houses about to fall over on me. I know it's gonna be hard but I'll do my very very best to try not to upset you or anything. Honest." She says, clearly happy but also still a tad fearful, maybe even now more so because of how things are turning out. When you have nothing there is hardly anything to fear losing but if you had nothing and now have something… it is so much harder not to be afraid of losing the new wonderful thing.
Meimei nods and grins. "Good. Risu it is, then. I'll make sure everyone I meet knows the right name to call you by! And… You're not the only one glad that you don't have to live like that anymore. I'm glad that I can help you. I'm glad to know you're glad. And as long as you stay you, I don't think there's anything you could possibly do to upset me… Risu-chan."
Then she settles down next to newly renamed 'Risu', and says, "The only thing you could do that might cause problems is if you spontaneously turned into… A… TICKLE MONSTER!" Then she begins trying to tickle Risu with her fingers right in the ribs and any other vulnerable tickle-targets. A fine way to end a fine day.
Risu smiles a bit, as Yoko speaks then… is caught totally off guard by the tickle attack! She has never been subjected to such a thing and… is left squealing and squeaking and laughing a lot. Turns out she is ticklish, something she never really knew until just now. She quickly gets out of breath, as she was worn out before but she does try to tickle back or squirm away. Either way she does her best, squirming and wriggling, obviously unused to such things. There's a slight tension in the air with Risu at this because it is so new to her, so unused to it. But at the same time it is fun with her new best friend and… that isn't a bad way to end the day at all.