Guardian Character's Guidance

"You're a bloody disgrace, you know that? You've brought shame on your people, you fiery devil!"
"I told you, I' not part of you any more. Sod off."
"You're still a former member of our organisation, you gormless plonker. I will not tolerate failure on my team - nor will I tolerate weakness."
The two Character Bearers stood in an isolated section of the park, staring each other down - though it was more like the General's Chair, Graham Browning, was staring down at John. Neither moved an inch, each as stoic and outright stubborn as each other. The tension around them was thick - thick being a gargantuan understatement. You could try and cut it with a knife, but such a utensil would only be caught. Eventually, John spoke, his voice flat - but irrefutably firm.
"We both know why I left. We both know why I can't come back. I don't care what you tell them, and I honestly don't care hat they think. If you are to take that secret to your grave, so be it. But know that, come what may, I'm not coming back."
"But your recent capture - you can still join as my subordinate."
"You don't understand me at all, do you?"
John simply turned and walked away, His guardian character refusing to even try and look back, while the other pair were glaring quite profusely at them
"I'll see you in school, then... Former Field Marshal's chair, John Norton."
 
Outside, Sen was still playing the cello. She had lost track of time and had begun to feel the music. However, she started to play "Ode to Joy" and was in the middle of it when she started to cry silently to herself. This song was a hurtful reminder of something, but the conductor could never figure out what. She always cried when she got about halfway through it and it was always played well. Kura-chan had gotten up from her brief nap. Sen's playing always put her to sleep. It was just so peaceful and it was one of her favorite past times. Kura-chan noticed Sen crying.

"You were thinking about it again." Kura-chan asked even though she already knew the answer.

Sen nodded her head down and hair hiding her face.

Kura-chan gave Sen the best hug she could manage. The two of them shared that memory but Kura-chan no longer cried at the sound of the music. Instead she looked over Sen as she was most vulnerable at this time. Kura-chan suggested the two leave as it was apparent that the other pair would not be coming back. Sighing Sen walked back into the school with the cello in hand and hair still blocking her facial expression. Sen didn't like to show others that she cried. It was humiliating.

In the distance she could feel an odd presense. It was probably another egg she would fail to purify. None the less, she would try her best. She prepared to leave through the window hoping no one would see her jump.
 
"John. You feel that?"
"It's certainly an odd presence. An X Egg?"
"Most likely. But you're in no-"
"State to cleanse it, I know. But have I ever been?"
"Just don't let the General's chair catch you..."
Dashing to the location - albeit with a slightly pained expression embedded upon his face - John had to limp partway through it, still feeling the effects of purifying when not at peak strength, but he continued nonetheless. He was determined to do what he had to - maybe it was a character change he hadn't noticed, maybe it was a sense of duty that still lingered after his days as the Field Marshal's Chair - the name given, as it was the highest rank in the country's army, and John had been the highest-ranking guardian before his little incident. Jet was worried, yes - but he saw no point in trying to stop John, as he would usually stop when he needed to. John made his own decisions, and he bore their consequences by himself - a benefit of not being particularly emotional about anything was that he could not care less for his well-being, unless he needed to. He spotted Sen jumping from a window, and wordlessly, ran to her side. He looked slightly worse for wear, though only enough to give the impression he'd just woken up.
 
Sen offers the other a weak smile. It is apparent she had been crying. However, she seemed to be trying to cover it up with a rather fake smile. She recognized the pair from before. She didn't stop, though. She continued to run as if she was running from something. Sen had quickly reached the area and saw that the egg had already hatched. She sighed a character transformed for the second time that day. She looked like a ninja, compliments of Kura-chan. The X Character was shooting a black energy at her and the blasts were pretty powerful. She could understand why John would be so tired.

"夢のハト (dreams of the heart) Kunai Rain," Sen whispered.

The X Character was probably laughing at Sen's efforts as she had seemingly missed all ten throws, but not really. She had not been aiming at the creature, but rather trapping it and surrounding it with booby traps. It was only something she had tried a few times before, but only because she was afraid of her own power. She awaited for the other to arrive. The X Character had no where to go.

"黒い夢行って！(parting of the black dream) spider trap." Sen whispered.

The strings attached to her kunai tightened around the X Character, purifying it hopefully.
 
Impressive. She really seems to know what she's doing. And there I was thinking she was incompetent.
John watched, his face largely blank, though not without a faint trace of intrigue being shown. To his mind, and to Jet's as well, she showed great promise in the field of purifying X Eggs and Characters - granted, he also thought her technique a little sloppy, but that was beside the point. While John bore his expression unfalteringly, Jet consistently held a mystified look - of sorts - and watched with great enthusiasm. Even if the two could help, they would refuse to - the pair taking action seemed to be able to handle themselves just fine, and their technique was far more subtle, and suited to using it around the General's Chair - so he wouldn't notice anybody was doing anything.
 
With a great effort, Sen managed to purify the egg. It was really tiring, but she would not show any signs of drowsiness. Seeing as the egg was now floating it's way back to the owner. Sen was happy that she managed to do something useful, but she noticed that the pair from before had seen her power. Her face was turning a slight pink as she wanted to really just hide behind a bush. Looking around, she realized that she could hide almost anywhere. Kura-chan's abilities and training allow her to do that. Sen seemed to be teleporting, but she really wasn't, she was just incredibly fast as always. Even without the character transformation she was pretty fast. Hiding in a nearby tree, she waited for the two to leave like everyone else, so she wouldn't have to face them, but then she realized she had to recover her kunai. So she reluctantly jumped down, collecting the ten Kunai that she thrown. Those two probably think I am weak... I really should just stop poking my nose around in matters such as these. I should just stick to studying...

Sen said nothing to the pair and her emtions would be readable had she not been in Kura-chan's body. Kura-chan hardly ever wore expressions on her face. She had seen and known many things. She knew the cruelty of the world very well and she accepted it. Thinking of such, Sen and Kura-chan separated. Sen's hair had covered her face again, trying to hide the expression that emanated her from in all directions. Shame perhaps. She had expected the two to take care of it, but with sheer luck she had managed to purify the creature.
 
"That was... Good."
A blank stare and an emotionless voice - the compliment, meagre in content alone, was made even less effective by the sheer lack of conviction with which it was conveyed. However, in a manner similar to some of the most famous bromances in fictional history, John's partner was there to step in and speak his mind for him. In this case, it was Jet, and he was interpreting John's apparent lack of care for what had just occurred. Sighing, he made his way over to Sen, nodding politely at Kura, so as to acknowledge her presence, and not appear rude - unlike his comrade-in-arms.
"I apologise for John," he began, his tone weary, indicating he had done this before, "But that's just the way he is. What he means to say is that your purification of that abomination was quite the feat to behold, and he sees that you have great talent."
In response to this, John simply cocked an eyebrow at Jet, who looked to his owner for approval. Shrugging nonchalantly, he turned back. "Please understand, that he doesn't speak much to many people, and for him to give out compliments is almost unheard of. You and your character must have really impressed him."
Giving a playful smirk, Jet put his hands behind his back, and chuckled a little. That was just his personality - the happy, confident, enthusiastic person John wished he was.
 
Sen looked around. Seeing as there was no one else here, she assumed they really had been talking to her.

Her voice was barely audible as she said, "Thanks."

Sen's cheeks had become a light shade of pink. She offered the two a small smile that did not reach her eyes. Her eyes were definitly filled with something other than happiness, but it was nearly impossible to tell what. She was a little happy to know that someone had complimented her. This was the first time she had purified in an egg in front of someone intentionally. At Jet's nod, Kura-chan just nodded back, but her face too, was expressionless. She began to speak for her partner as well. This was however, a rare occurence, but for today was another story. Kura-chan would not say much, only enough to satisfy the recipient.

"You'll have to excuse Sen. She has a lot on her mind right now. She isn't necessarily...," Kura-chan pauses and then continues, "comfortable with her transformation just yet. If she could have avoided it, she would not have shown you."

Kura-chan said nothing more and patted Sen's back. Kura-chan wasn't shy, but she spoke her mind when she thought it necessary. Sen wasn't exactly sure why Kura-chan was the way she was. She had not yet discovered all Kura-chan's qualities, but Sen was sure there was something that Kura-chan had that she wanted. Sen was still smiling softly at the other two, honestly wanting to run and hide out of sheer embarassment. She hated her shyness, but she couldn't help that she wasn't as strong as the pair before her. Awaiting a reponse, she sat down in the grass.
 
"I do not feel particularly strongly about a person's appearance post-transformation. What they look like is of no particular concern to me, as long as their powers in that form are practical and of use. Evidently, yours seem so, and therefore, your appearance does not concern me in the slightest."
Jet lowered his brow at this remark, once again feeling he had to interpret for John. This was a playful look of exasperation, however - John's personality was not something that would easily angered Jet, though it would probably irritate most others. He shook his head and sighed wearily once more, cocking his head to one side in an exaggerated manner, never ceasing his happy-go-lucky act.
"Looks like I have to translate for John again... Honestly, this bloke has to learn to speak like a normal person one way or another. Er, anyhow, what he means to say is that he doesn't think a person's looks matter, but it is their actions that count. Really, he means well, he just doesn't say it right. You'll have to excuse his significant lack of tact in this field."
John cleared his throat, in quite an over-exerted manner, clearly to grab Jet's attention. As such, the guardian character turned to face his owner, a puzzled expression stuck to his comparatively tiny face. "Hm? What is it?"
"Have you seen the time?"
"Er... No."
"Do you want to know what time it is?"
"If it's time for your lesson, then keep in mind they cancelled it today."
"And since when did that happen?"
The two bantered, the chatter incessant - but it was this kind of thing that made the pair who they were - a pair of jigsaw pieces you don't think go together, but when you try them, they fit perfectly. And though John refused to do so, if one knew him well enough, they could ascertain that he was quite contented, even if he didn't know himself that well, and even if he had quite few skeletons in the closet.
 
It was apparent that the two assumed that Kura-chan had been speaking of physical appearance, but in actuality were talking about Sen's powers. However, not wanting to repeat herself, Kura-chan said nothing more. The two didn't mind John's speech as Sen was intelligent herself and understood everything he had said. Kura-chan was secretly aggravated that Sen's intelligence was being unintentionally insulted, but a good thing about Sen, is that she understood very well what Jet was doing and she would explain it to Kura-chan at a later time. Seeing as the two were now going on about a lesson she knew nothing about.

"Farewell," She whispered.

Sen always made an effort to say good-bye, even if the recipient did not indeed hear her. She turned to leave the pair with their incessant rhetoric. She had a lot on her mind and she was just wanting to get to a place where she could be alone as usual. She tried to not to show it much, but Sen was pretty lonely. Her books often kept her company and Kura-chan too when she wasn't training on the course Sen had built for her. Sometimes the two built new ones and discussed obstacles, so that way they always had a new challenge. They practiced together when summer came along. Sen would build a larger scale version of the course. It helped her get her mind off the troubling things of everyday life.
 
Jet opened his mouth to deliver yet another retort, but stopped as soon as Sen left, but seemed to understand her departure.
"Well, there she goes. You know, if you were a but more friendly, you could have made a friend there."
"A friend?"
"You know, those people that have bonds formed with-"
"I know what a friend is. I was simply making light of the conversation."
"Oh, good, I thought that - hold up, WHAT?!"
"I was making a joke."
Jet simply stuttered at this statement, babbling incessantly, his mouth opening and closing in shock repeatedly. After a few minutes of this fairly odd display, Jet regained his composure somewhat, and sighed in an exasperated tone. This was evidently an event that did not happen very often, and had shocked the guardian character deeply - he shook his head, and perched himself on John's shoulder, as he had always done.
"Don't scare me like that again... Please."
"I shall do my utmost in order for you to retain your current attitude. Though I do believe I may have been influenced by some form of mild delirium..."
"Fine, come one then, champ. Let's get you home so you can rest."
Chuckling, the guardian character leaned onto John's cheek as he began walking, the two simply finding casual pleasure in everyday life. As the Field Marshal's chair, he had had little time to himself, and even less in which to sit down and rest - the workload was enormous. But now, he could simply be himself - or, he would, if he could somehow bring himself to be himself.
 
Sen had heard the other two talking and managed a small smile. They were quite the pair and interesting at that. She abrubtly stopped and turned around.

"わたしのともだちですか?" Sen shouted after them, realizing that she said it in Japanese, she mustered the courage to say it English, "Are you my friend?"

Her hair blew in front of her face and again her expression unreadable. Sen was expecting the two to say no, but for this one time in her life she had been bold and not a shy girl who always hid at the sight of another person. She waited for an answer wondering if the two had even heard her question. She decided that they hadn't and turned around again, heading home herself, to study once more on her own. It was nothing to her and she was used to it now. Sometimes Kura-chan would help her out with her studies and the two of them would laugh whenever Sen got one wrong that she obviously knew.

"I think that they were fond of you, Sen"

Sen's cheeks become a slight pink.

"They were not fond of me. They were simply being polite."

"おもいません。(I don't think so.)"

"やめてよ！(stop it.)"

"彼が好きですか？ (Do you like him?)"

"どっかいってよ。。。(Bug off...)"

The two continued bickering in a foreign language as such, Kura-chan making snide comments occasionally. Kura-chan had never seen Sen act this way and was curious as to why she had chosen now to do so.
 
Mouth slightly agape, Jet simply stared at where the other pair had once stood, confusion settling in once more.In order to break him from his trance-like state, John flicked his character lightly in the side of the head, not even bothering to look or change his expression in doing so, or even look towards him. There was a mutual understanding, and the two set off for home, with little else to do.
"Did you want to be her friend, John? Answer me truthfully."
Now adopting his leaning position once again, Jet now let a frown of sorts take place on his usually-smiling face, showing he was actually being serious about something - this was a topic he felt he had to be serious and straight-faced about. One of Jet's concerns was John's lack of human friends, and now that he had let one slip right through his fingers, he wasn't going to let it rest easily. In response, John hesitated - an unusual, uncharacteristic action - and then replied.
"She seemed like a person whose demeanour is one I could tolerate more than I could the average human being."
"Meaning..."
"Yes, Jet, I did want to be her friend. Though, acquaintance seems a far more fitting title for such a person as her."
"I really have to get you to be happier, you know that?"
Sighing in unison, home was once again set off for, with no thoughts to the previous events being thought, replaced with what dinner was going to be.
 
Sen woke up the next morning with the sun beaming down on her face as it normally did. Her butler was ready with breakfast and her mother and father had already left for work. Sighing, she walked down the stairs. Her butler had prepared poached salmon, with a side of scones, toast, and mint salad. The drink of the morning, herbal green tea. It all looked delicious as usual and she ate it with content, nothing having really changed. Sen finished her breakfast and got ready for school that morning. Kura-chan showered in the sink. It was a wonder to Sen about how she had managed to turn something like that into a shower.

Her driver opened the door to her stretch limosine and she hopped inside ready to start her day at school. She was secretly hoping to see John, but she didn't dare voice that out loud.
 
Bleary-eyed and groggy, John arose sleepily to the blaring siren of his alarm clock. With something that resembled a cross between a pained grunt and an exasperated groan, he forced himself to sit up, and eventually get upon his feet, while bringing his palm roughly upon the button that ceased the noise. Jet was considerably more tolerant of waking up, even going so far as to do some morning stretches - though he still seemed to be recovering from waking up. Breakfast consisted of a rather bland bowl of cornflakes, soaked in milk. John bathed in the afternoon, so as to allow himself time to sleep, the end result being him smelling passable.

Hair combed and uniform donned, he began his walk to school, staring callously ahead, without a single thought clouding his brain. He didn't have someone to drop him off - not that he would have taken such a chance anyway, he needed the exercise. The school's uniform was a simple affair, consisting of smart black trousers and shoes, a formal white shirt paired with a crimson tie, and a maroon blazer emblazoned with the school's emblem upon the left breast - a silver shield trimmed with gold, and the Latin for "Learn, Work, Survive" sewn underneath. He was impartial as to whether he saw Sen or not, but Jet hoped he would - the boy needed friends, so he thought, and Sen seemed to be someone suited to him.
 
Sen noticed John as she stepped out of her limo. She was too shy to say anything, so she just offered him a soft smile before calmly walking to class herself. She didn't have anyone to talk to in the hallways. Most people avoided Sen if they could. Sen wasn't hard to get along with and wasn't ugly. It was just that she had a habit of making others feel inferior to her, but they all knew it was never intentional. They just didn't like that feeling. Sen understood it well and didn't push the subject as to why she didn't have many friends. She was happy that John had even said a few words to her as he did yesterday. Thinking of it, her face turned a light pink, but her expression remained unreadable. Kura-chan noticed this, but said nothing. She only had a feeling as to why Sen's face had suddenly turned a different shade.

Kura-chan was thinking of something else. That pair had seemed oddly familiar and she never really noticed it before, but now that she had thought about it, she was almost certain that the two had class together and never really knew it. John seemed like a smart kid. It would only make sense for Sen and John to have the same classes. Kura-chan furrowed her eyebrows. Why was she thinking about it so hard? And then she remembered. Sen needed friends and it seemed as though John was the only one willing to make her acquaintance. It would only be natural that Kura-chan wanted Sen to have at least one person she could talk to besides her.
 
John simply nodded in response to Sen's smile, a polite and inconspicuous gesture that could be used on a daily basis. Jet was far more engaged in his response - he waved profusely, but upon seeing the pair walk away, he stopped, with a slightly disappointed look drawn upon his face. Naturally, this did not last for longer than a second, and they continued on the way to their form room, to be addressed by their form tutor before the day's lessons truly begun to start. Neither felt particularly compelled to say anything to each other, despite Jet wanting to suggest he go and talk to Sen, and possibly befriend her - an action he had not taken for a while now. Even he knew the importance of timing, and resolved to say something when he deemed appropriate.

Upon entering his class, he recognised Sen, though signs of recognition were scarce on his stony face. Nevertheless, Jet began to speak, in a hushed tone - he wasn't sure if anybody could hear, but he didn't feel like finding out.
"She's right over there," he said, his voice kept down, "Why not talk to her? She seems friendly enough."
"Point being?"
"You need friends, John. Take it from me - I am you, after all. Just someone you want to be."
"I suppose I have nothing else to do today."
Following through with his words, John walked casually to her side, not showing much in the form of enthusiasm, but instead just remaining casual - stoic, neutral even. "Good morning, um... Sen, was it?"
He knew who she was, vaguely - after all, they were in the same class, he was bound to have some sort of idea of her name. Registration was daily thing, and a name was bound to have been tied to a voice. Irrespective of his uncertainty, his tone was relaxed, the greeting nothing more than a standard formality. Not exactly conversation material, but a common form of starting one.
 
Sen looked up from her book. She was surprised to find John standing before her and actually giving her a greeting. Her mouth seemed to move on it's own as she replied, "Yes, you have it correct. Good morning to you as well."

Most people did not approach Sen willingly. She found herself with nothing to say for the first time. Sen rarely ever had a casual conversation and she realized that she had not developed the necessary skills to hold one. She found herself in a rather odd situation. None of this was on her face however and she wore a pleasant smile. She nodded at Jet too so that his prescence would be acknowledged. Kura-chan just smiled calmly at the two of them. Kura-chan was shocked more than anything. She had not expected one as stoic as John to even approach Sen, but she was glad that he had said something. She whispered something to Sen and then her face turned a slight pink, but her face did not waver.

Sen pushed the glasses up on her face, casually she asked, "Would you like to be my lab partner... for today at least?"

There was a groan from three other students. Sen was incredibly smart though she didn't boast it. She was sure that some of the groans were because she had asked someone else to be her lab partner. Sen was also certain that John could be smarter than her perhaps and thus some others' students hopes had been smothered as well. She was not in the least bit concerned by this. The others would have to pass or fail on their own. Sen didn't want to ruin her chances of getting a lab partner that was actually competent for once.
 
She's actually asking me to be her partner. This did not show up on the list of possible outcomes. Nobody asks me of their own accord, the statistics rendered the chance so low as to be negligible. What do I-

John's scrambled thoughts, akin to a master chess player whose strategies have all been upset by a single move, stood for what felt like ages, but in actuality, was a mere few awkward seconds. Jet rolled his eyes, and lowered his brow. Once again, like always, he would have to step in to provide a guide on what John should say, in order to be able to cope with social norms and standards. He murmured something into John's ear, prompting little more than barely-noticeable nod of his head, and then returned to his normal position in order to observe the event about to unfold.
"If you would like me to, then yes. I shall be your partner for today."
Being the kind of social hermit he was, John had less time to spend with friends, and often scoured books for hours on end. Though the areas were usually extremely select, or fairly broad, there were a few topics he had managed to become knowledgeable about, and he had learnt a sufficient amount in class to become considered "smart." Revision was something he did on a whim, and though he learnt, he never really saw what use it was - he could list off the facts, but that was about it.
Jet seemed satisfied with John's answer, and gave a subtle nod to Kura - he hoped, that from what he'd observed, that both had the mutual goal of having John and Sen become friends. Jet did not think the task easy - but he was ready.
 
It was now Sen's turn to be quite baffled by the other's acceptance of the offer. She had thought the reply to be no, but it turned out to be something much different from that. Befriending this person seemed highly unlikely, but becoming his acquaintance seemed to be more than possible at this very moment. Kura-chan nudged Sen's shoulder as she had tried reach for words that would not come, but after the slight nudge she managed to do something. She nodded as if to acknowledge his answer before silently offering him the seat next to her. Sen looked to the ground, her face a slight pink. Sen had never done something so bold as to offer someone the seat next to her. Even more bold offer a male the seat next to her.

Kura-chan felt that she and Jet shared the same goal also, but she feared that her efforts were not going to be enough. She was going to need the help of someone who knew John very well and who better than Jet himself. She wondered if she could perhaps receive some assistance on the matter. It was apparent that Sen didn't have the social skills to make an acquaintanceship let alone a friendship happen. Kura-chan wasn't sure John had the skills either, but she could not be sure.
 
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