Yasashii nihon no joochan yo...

[therealrisette]

Who: Rise Kujikawa and OPEN
What: A possibly familiar little girl, barely old enough for grade school, is wandering around the castle unsupervised. What do?
When: Today!
Where: The castle grounds, lobby, Four Seasons beach, Music Room - any of Rise's favorite places!
Rating: PG-ish?

[Well, it's been a few days now. Rise hoped she'd only be this small for her birthday and the castle would give up on its latest little prank. But after a day or two of going back and forth between sticking close to a convenient friend (new or otherwise) or sulking alone somewhere, it's getting really boring not going out when she wants just because she's not as big as she should be. She's even been a fairy before, and that never stopped her!

... Though, at least she could fly then. Having to run around everywhere makes the castle somehow seem even bigger now, against all logic. And no matter where she goes, everything looks different.

Before she knows it, a quick trip outside of her own room has become a full-blown exploration of the entire castle. From the hallways, to the grounds, to some of her favorite rooms to visit. She's not exactly alone, but not everyone notices such a small child running around.

... Of course, someone probably will sooner or later.]

Comments

[therealrisette]

[Rise knows exactly what Utena means. It's hard to miss that she's talking to her like a little kid. Telling her she's way too young for things, giving her advice...

... The worst part is, Rise can't be mad at her. She's used to people dismissing her entirely because she's "just a kid", and it really bugs her! But... Utena at least sounds like she cares. She's just trying to help. No one ever really did that for her, not when she was really this little.

She really should probably say something about the loss. But... it's too embarrassing! And scary, too... what if she doesn't believe her? Nothing would feel worse than being told you make a completely convincing child when you're really seventeen!

Fortunately, she's also an actress. A very good one. She can put on a convincing cheerful smile and nod appreciatively.]

Thanks. I guess...

[She'll have her own height and figure back soon enough, she supposes. No use worrying about it now. Now, she might as well distract herself with something a lot more fun than moping about being a kid!]

Anyway! Race you to the water~!

[And with that, she's off! If there's one advantage to this loss, it's having such a compact body with so much energy!]

[princelyspirit]

[Now that's more like it! Satisfied that Rise's been cheered up, Utena runs after her]

You're on!

[OOC: Do you want to cut things off here and focus on the newer thread, or would you like to go on for a bit longer? :o ]

[therealrisette]

{ooc: If you think you can manage more here, that'd be great! I wanna give Rise a chance to actually enjoy herself now that she's decided not to let Utena treating her like a kid get to her. xD}

[Rise's mad dash closes the distance between her and the "ocean" in no time! And she can't help but giggle along the way.

With a splash, she jumps in and waits for Utena to catch up. She's not the most accomplished swimmer, but she seems to be doing well enough for a girl her (apparent) age! ... In the shallow water, at least. Not that it seems shallow to her.]

C'mon! The water's perfect!

[She may have remembered just now that Utena's never been here before...]

[princelyspirit]

[She runs in, unthinking, but after a moment it hits her: this water is fake. This beach is fake. This entire room is fake. And yet...]

It's more than perfect - it feels just like real water!

[Splashes around a bit, as if she needs to prove that to herself a second time, and she can't help but look around the ocean in awe. This shouldn't be so amazing to her, but, well, she supposes that she's still new enough where little things like this can catch her by surprise]

[therealrisette]

Duh! It's magic!

[Rise gives her a playful wink. She totally gets why Utena's so enthralled - when you really think about it, an entire idealized beach in a room is pretty amazing!

Of course, Rise couldn't help but be tempted to help Utena with this experiment. With an impish grin, she makes as big a splash as she can aim at the pink-haired girl, unable to contain a fit of giggles. She seemed like she needed more proof that it's really like real non-magical water!]

[princelyspirit]

Hey!

[Utena puts her arms up to block the water, but alas, there's only so much she can do. But, she's not upset - surprised, but not upset. But, that doesn't mean she's going to let Rise off easy~]

Alright, now you've done it...

[Returning her devilish grin, Utena dunks her hands in the water, and splashes Rise right back]

[therealrisette]

[With a small shriek, Rise tries to dodge and swim to the side! But nope... she still gets splashed, right in the back of the head. Curtains of wet hair fall over her eyes, but she's still giggling uncontrollably.]

No fair!

[She makes a weak, blind attempt at splashing in Utena's direction with one tiny hand. Instead of doing the smart thing and getting her hair out of her eyes first...]

[princelyspirit]

[laughing]

Says the girl who hit me with a sneak attack! That wasn't exactly what I call fair...

[But, that said, it's no fun fighting an uneven fight. Utena stops splashing for a moment, waiting for Rise to situate herself; but, once she gets the hair out her eyes, she better be ready for another wave.]

[therealrisette]

[Rise lets out a frustrated little noise as she pulls her hair out of her eyes. The kind of frustrated little noise that sounds more amused and playful than serious.]

Your splash was bigger!

[She gives one of her dramatic pouts as she finally gets her hair under control, and has to look around a bit to find Utena...]

[princelyspirit]

What, so you want me to go easy on you now?

[Teasing, teasing. But, she's not going to attack her just yet. That just wouldn't be sporting]

[therealrisette]

You shouldn't pick on innocent little girls!

[Rise fixes her playfully overdramatic pout on Utena and even sticks out her tongue for a second. Teasing right back, because why not?

Of course, it's pretty obviously an act. Besides, Rise started it...]

[princelyspirit]

Hey, I'm not picking on you! I'm treating you fairly, honest. Besides, if anyone else tried to start a fight with me, I'd splash them twice as hard.

[therealrisette]

[Wait... was she really taking it easy on her? Or is she still teasing?]

Really?

[Her sudden look of surprise and wonderment probably looks entirely in-character for a small child.]

Well good!

[Her smug satisfaction as she nods doesn't even look remotely serious, and quickly gives way to a smirk as she makes another small splash towards Utena again and swims away!]

Bet you can't catch me all the way over here!

[She's... definitely a playful one.]

[princelyspirit]

We'll see about that!

[And with that, she starts to swim after her. In all honesty, she's not giving it her all, but it's not like she needs to, right? She can just take it easy for now]

[therealrisette]

[Utena really doesn't need to give it her all in the least. Rise's tiny arms and legs don't move her nearly as fast as she probably feels like she's going.

In fact, she looks over her shoulder after a minute and catches a glimpse of bright pink hair and a turquoise swimsuit practically right behind her. She lets out a little "eep" and tries to swim a little faster, but she'll be at the other girl's mercy in no time...]

[princelyspirit]

[And it's not long before she catches up. While she gave her a fair chance, dragging it out would just be mean. So, she just swims up to her side, and taps her lightly on the arm]

Tag! It's your turn, now.

[And with that, Utena starts to swim away, stroking backwards towards the shore as she gives Rise a cheeky grin]

[therealrisette]

[Oh, so that's what they're playing now, is it? Turning around, Rise puffs her cheeks a bit and gives Utena a not-very-convincing glare before swimming after her with all her might!

... And she's catching up, too! But Utena will probably still reach the shore before her, if that's what she's aiming for.]

[princelyspirit]

[Not all the way back to the shore! Just enough where they stay in shallow water. While Utena's not averse to taking a few risks herself, she doesn't want to put a kid in any danger. So, she'll keep swimming back, just to make sure Rise stays safe. Besides, she doesn't want to go too easy on her - Utena will let her catch up eventually, but an easy victory can't be that fun, can it?]