Nuriko (Chou Ryuuen)

every mighty mild seventies child

Thu, 31 Jul 2014 03:19:35 GMT

Adjusting to Darrow when Nuriko first arrived had been a trial, but all things considered, she thinks that she's managed to adapt to the place pretty well. Rarely are there nights that Nuriko doesn't have someone in the city to hang and kick back a couple of drinks with, and things like fashion and food have been easy sells, where more choices tend to be better than fewer.

But as soon as Nuriko thinks that she has a handle on everything that Darrow can throw at her everyday life, she doesn't. Being back on the clock with hero work makes it pretty clear that Nuriko hasn't nailed down all of the intricacies of human interaction in Darrow. It's a constant process of fine-tuning what she sees, learning what to be alarmed by, and what's more commonplace for the civilian populace.

For the most part, she keeps to her patrolling at night, when the chance of an honest mistake feels less, simply because fewer people bother roaming at such late hours. Today, City Hall's her target for poking around again, partially because she can't help but wonder if someday, someone at the building will slip up, and reveal more detail about what the city of Darrow is really about.

When she spots a suited individual in the area, Nuriko immediately perks up, and makes her way over as quickly as she can.

"Hey! Hey, Spider-Woman!" she hisses, before blinking and coming to a stop. Because that's… definitely not a woman.

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but one day soon, i'm gonna grab you by the collar, kiss you all i want

Fri, 04 Apr 2014 18:55:26 GMT

Nuriko has never been the sort of person to place too much stock into numbers, but even she has to admit — twenty is a major milestone. She's young enough that frozen time has yet to make its mark deeply on her skin. Not old enough to consider wrinkles, not old enough that Rin's time to even risk skirting ahead. Just old enough that worries she'd pushed to the side all her life are easy enough to continue ignoring.

After dying once, she's loath to waste time she could spend smiling instead.

Urahara Kisuke had an interesting proposition. A body that would actually give her a second life, no different functionally than the one she originally had. It didn't take much convincing for her to sign the dotted line — but only for a trial, a test run, to make sure there weren't hidden catches she had yet to consider.

She's wearing the new body today, curves filling out the folds of her dress, showing off bare shoulders as she tiptoes into the living room.

"Rin, are you ready?" she asks, coy as she peeks around the corner of the wall.

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i was a lonely soul, but that's the old me

Mon, 17 Mar 2014 00:53:38 GMT

Nuriko had been smiling all day, and now all she wanted to do was tear her expression off entirely. That wasn't how this was supposed to go, right?

Three days ago, the gigai that Urahara Kisuke had promised her was completed. As instructed, most of the body didn't differ in the slightest from the one Nuriko had grown up with — her features were untouched, her figure still slender. Slight curves were applied to the rest, lending it that feminine softness that no amount of careful movement could have grasped fully. Looking at it had been like both staring at a piece of art and examining a corpse alike.

Strange, how being born anew had almost felt like saying goodbye to herself.

The first couple of days were faced with bright optimism. Yes, everything about Nuriko's day was a little clumsier with her center of balance suddenly thrown. Some of her clothes no longer fit, and she had yet to master heels again. But these were all pains easily suffered in the wake of having the body that she had wanted for so long, that she had been willing to beg Miaka to help her obtain. Right?

It wasn't that Nuriko wanted to turn time back. It wasn't that she regretted the choice. But every morning felt like being chained in an unfamiliar host, and that ownership that she expected of her body had yet to settle. Not wanting to disturb Rin with the anxiety in her chest, Nuriko had taken the night off work and ran off in the direction of the boardwalk, arms wrapped around herself as she tried to catch her breath.

At least the sun dipping down under the horizon was familiar.

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one heart, but mine was in two; one half filled with the dreams of a saint

Sun, 16 Mar 2014 16:07:23 GMT

Most of the time, Darrow's beach is not a very forgiving one. Nuriko has known many beaches before, even though her own village stood well into the land, hours away from the ocean. For the first decade of her life, it had been all she knew, and all she cared to know. She had everything that made her happy in that small village — neighbors she loved, and a family she couldn't bear to part with. But after her sister died, something in Nuriko broke and ran hollow, bleeding her dry. She ran from village to village, from region to region, searching for something to fill the void. Learning how to dress as women dressed, to walk as women walked, on the off-chance that in herself, she could find Korin as well.

In those days, oceans had offered a time for reflection.

The warmth of spring has barely begun to tease Darrow in recent days, the clouds overhead allowing more sun to peek through and touch the cheeks of those who pass by the beach. But it's cold, and the waves run high with the wind, a pale green in the distance as Nuriko walks up to the surf and breathes the salty air in deep. Her long hair, reaching down to her thighs, is woven into a thick braid that she starts to release now. Maybe later, the tangles will make this more of a pain than it's worth, but when she feels the wind start to kick up some of her hair, she can't bring herself to care.

Spotting the fact that she isn't the only one on the beach today, Nuriko turns with a soft smile. She's searched for her sister so many times in places like this that even now, years after she's come to terms with what happened to Korin, the very feel of the ocean makes Nuriko ache.

"Kind of chilly, isn't it?" she asks her companion.

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now that your wallet is all lit up, you're gonna wanna wear it out

Sun, 05 Jan 2014 07:00:24 GMT

After months of being intimate with Rin, Nuriko's starting to wonder if it's the right time to take things a bit further. The most difficult part, of course, in bringing up the subject is both of their relative inexperience in the area, and furthermore for Rin himself, a sense of bashfulness about intimacy.

Nuriko can understand it to an extent. Rin was brought up in a strict environment, after all, where sex was relatively unwelcome. Perhaps the same should have been said for Nuriko herself, but if there was one secret shared among the women of the harem, it was how much they turned to one another in order to understand their bodies. Eventually, humility where everything physical was concerned was only affected towards the emperor during his visits so as to maintain their pure image; women meant for him and only him. But when sisters of the harem were together, there was no need to be so shy.

And it wasn't like Nuriko was an especially shy person to begin with.

With Rin constantly blushing and Nuriko with very few resources to turn to for her own edification, she decides to head to a popular sex shop in the city, hair carefully tucked underneath a cap to prevent people from recognizing her. (Again, mostly for Rin's sake, rather than her own.)

Stepping inside, she takes off her cap, violet hair cascading down over her shoulders in large waves as she gapes at all the products on display.

"Huh," she says, tilting her head curiously.

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medicine man, i'll lay my head in your hands; medicine man, you will clear my mind

Sun, 05 Jan 2014 02:58:14 GMT

Shrugging off her heavy winter coat, Nuriko stands in the middle of the back room to Urahara Kisuke's cat café, giving the nearest feline a suspicious look as it lingers a few paces away. To the side, a seat has been prepared with treats and sweets for Robin, who seems to be examining the contents of his plate with interest, though Nuriko suspects that he's still keeping his ears trained on herself and the shopkeeper, as per his agreement. His presence relaxes Nuriko, allowing her to follow Urahara's steps as he enters the room with careful confidence.

She has very little idea what to expect, but budgeted for the time just in case. As far as Rin knows, she's out running errands all night for the restaurant, only available by phone, and likely only to return until morning.

"So... it feels to me like there are two options. Either I stay in my body, which will let you examine whether or not it acts and behaves like a regular human body, or I step outside of it so that you can see the stone it will revert to," Nuriko says, folding her coat over her arm and resting her hands in front of her person. "Is there something I'm forgetting? What do you want me to do first."

Her hands tighten against the folds of her coat, and Nuriko bites down on her lower lip, looking slightly apprehensive.

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sheep go to heaven; goats go to hell

Sat, 28 Dec 2013 04:37:09 GMT

It's been weeks since Nuriko was discovered at the cat café and she still hasn't spoken to anyone about the encounter. The holidays have been too much, too loud, too busy for her to focus on anything more than doing a good job at work and coming home to make the space comfortable for Rin during the difficult time. With school on break, she's afraid of leaving him to his own devices for too long, unsure where his thoughts will take him.

When Christmas passes, she finally finds the space to think of herself again, slightly distracted as business slows and fiddling restlessly with her smartphone. Only when she notices Robin passing through the restaurant does she put the phone away, firing off one more animated heart in Rin's direction before trailing quickly after Robin in time to slip through his office door before it shuts.

Robin's been kind to her since they met, but still Nuriko feels her pulse quicken nervously. It's been a while since she's asked for a favor like this, potentially dangerous and definitely completely outside of her comfort zone.

And if there's anyone who knows the value of that, it's Robin.

"Hey, boss," she says, tone hesitant and wheedling as she knocks belatedly, offering a smile. "Do you have a minute?"

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listen to the breathing sea, listen to the colors, carry them inside you

Sat, 19 Oct 2013 09:04:05 GMT

When Nuriko complained of the quickly arriving autumn chill, forcing her to pile blanket over blanket, it didn't take very long before Rin began offering to spend the night with her. She enjoys the warmth of his body, and the steady cadence of his breathing is quick to lull Nuriko to sleep; even the soft noise of his snoring feels welcome in place of what would otherwise be a damning silence, too quiet after months of relentless conflict and war. Humming under her breath, Nuriko draws herself closer to Rin in the moments before falling asleep, lips quickly pressing against the line of his jaw before she lets down her walls, letting them be replaced by the snug embrace of Rin's arms.

Until now, they've always woken up somehow separated on the bed. Maybe Rin takes care to slide back before he falls asleep; maybe they're both restless sleepers and don't quite realize it. Either way, usually the distance is enough for them to wake peacefully, sneak off to the bathroom when necessary, brush teeth before morning breath becomes a problem.

Only today, when Nuriko wakes first, she still feels the weight of Rin's arm draped over her waist, and the soft sound of snoring by the shell of her ear. Peeking over her shoulder, she smiles, reaching out to brush her knuckles lightly along the curve of Rin's cheek.

Which is when she feels a slithering across her chest. Barely suppressing a yelp, Nuriko glances down her front, gaze settling on the tufted hair of Rin's tail as it winds up and swings across, hair tickling the line of her collarbone. Huffing a laugh, Nuriko carefully sneaks an arm out from under Rin's hold, fingers reaching to trace along the long length of his tail.

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now, this new scene

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 05:51:21 GMT

As the weeks have gone by, Nuriko's closed herself off to a lot of the people in the city. Not out of any inherent dislike, of course. People are people, and Nuriko's the type who's able to put up with quite a range of personalities thanks to all that she's seen. It's not that she can't handle the people she comes across, but instead, there's the simple matter of still needing to discover what it is about Darrow that Nuriko's been planted there for. Sometimes, additional people just end up being distractions.

Nuriko loves them so much that she knows she has to hold herself back, keep her network slightly narrower.

In the end, it turns out to be the first few people she met in Darrow that draw Nuriko's attention most. Such as the debonair young man crossing the street, shiny badge positioned just right to catch the sun.

"Jason!" Nuriko calls out, grinning as she looks both ways before crossing the street this time, easily avoiding any cars in the relatively deserted street, heels clicking as she catches up with the blond.

"Haven't seen you in some time," she remarks, falling in line next to him.

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split on a stranger

Mon, 24 Dec 2012 00:23:07 GMT

Nuriko loves working under Robin Goodfellow. That man is sharp, sweet, an asshole, and above all, decadent in ways Nuriko hasn't been able to enjoy since her time in Emperor Saihitei's harem. (Before the days of knowing him as Hotohori.) Even though there's much of the harem that Nuriko didn't come to enjoy until after she made it her goal to work up the ranks, that doesn't make her any less fond of the fine food, the intricate decorations, and the lovely clothing above all. Working for Robin earns Nuriko enough of a salary to purchase beautifully tailored outfits, deliberately showing off as much of her long legs as she can.

The styles here are at once freeing and restrictive, Nuriko's found, but she's never minded a bit of interesting fashion.

Making the most out of her break, Nuriko cuts herself a slice of chocolate hazelnut torte and sets about meeting some of her fellow employees. Figuring that height's as good of a starting point as anything, she sets after the tall, broody brunette, grinning as she seats herself down directly across from him.

"You know," she remarks, tilting her head. "When you're that tall and refuse to smile, it might intimidate a lot of people."

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baby, don't sweat it; you're not cut out to hold a job

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 20:06:22 GMT

There's a lot in the world that's more difficult than waitressing.

As a high-ranking courtesan in the emperor's harem, Korin needed to manage the politics of her wing, carefully weeding out girls who could serve as confidantes and girls who were conniving and to be held at a distance. She maintained a certain amount of decorum with the members of the court, stuck to a rigorous beauty regimen, kept an ear out for any opportunity to meet the emperor. The slightest amount of disfavor sent one barreling down the list, palace artists taking a few little liberties here and there on one's face cards — and if there was anything that Korin couldn't afford, it was for Emperor Saihitei to believe her homely. (He was a vain thing, after all.)

As a celestial warrior of Suzaku, Nuriko fought against rivals who bore powers practically unthinkable. The ability to summon lightning with a raise of one's hand. The ability to create searching, jarring heat with a bare palm. Teleportation, healing — sometimes, it felt that having superhuman strength was pretty low on the competitive bar.

It probably was, considering how Nuriko died on the job.

Waiting tables at a restaurant carries little to no risk at all compared to what Nuriko's seen before in her life, but still she finds herself thrilled to the tips of her fingers. It's easy to note at a glance that there are people in the establishment who aren't quite human. (Sometimes, she catches the gleam of a yellow eye that chills her to the bone, reminding her of seeping into the mountainous cold, but aside from that, Nuriko's been fine.) And the fact that all of them have a place to peacefully congregate is practically unheard of. Kind of nice.

But what strikes her interest even more than the patronage are the workers who willingly show the backs of their necks to such a crowd.

Her first afternoon's a pretty slow one, most of the customers just there to nurse drinks as the sun sneaks under the horizon. There's this one man that Nuriko's been meaning to speak to again, a man she met on her first day, and when there's a pause in their work, she makes her way over with a crooked grin.

"You know, when I realized that you worked here, I couldn't help but feel lucky," Nuriko chirps, seating herself on an empty stool and resting her chin in the palm of her hand.

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