savethecitydesu | Discovery?! The disciplinarians discern enigmas?

Who: Takeo and Tsuchi
Where: The Disciplinary Committee Room
What: Reading the scroll Mitsuya dropped here
When: After this thread.

Takeo had a bandage around the wound on his arm. He had made a point of cleaning up, because even when wounded he wanted to look dignified. "Alright," he'd said, as soon as he'd finished putting a safety pin on his sleeve to hold it up, nice and tidy. "Let's see what this is all about then."

He opened the scroll, and to his shock and surprise, words appeared on it-- literally manifesting as the blank paper was exposed, in a burst of purple flame that left behind inked text. It urged him, however, to say in awed tones: "Utazawa, come look at this...."

HELLO,
YOU HAVE CHOSEN THE SCROLL OF SWIFT INITIATION

Before Takeo could finish taking in what was before him, he felt as if he had been punched in the face, and the mysteries arcane being revealed to him.

He also shouted: "MOTHER FUDGECAKE!" because while most people would shout some obscenity when surprised by a punch, Takeo knew that, in his position as head disciplinarian, someone was bound to punch him eventually, so he'd been practicing.

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Tsuchi tensed almost completely. He was by then far too convinced that sticking his own hand on the hot metal kettle was suicide. It seemed to him that the only way to mirror such behaviour would be to stick his hand in a bowl of water. That was safe.

"You mean witchcraft, sir? Are you going to put a spell on troublemakers or something?"

If there was ever a moment for a villain musical number, it was that where Takeo's looked over his shoulder, expression dull, and ready to just wave off the ridiculous idea... but, instead of dismissing it, his eyes grew wide, his expression lit up as a kid's when they get to the Christmas tree and find their name on the biggest box waiting under it.

He smiled.

It was a smile like a razor. Sharp, bright, and inspiring of caution.

"Why not...?"

Tsuchi, in his agreeable manner, said nothing against it. He understood he had made the suggestion. But something about it moved him away. He seemed to glide, across the floor to the desk that took pride of place in the room.

"You gonna backdate these curses then or something? I can whip out some files. Though, I wonder if we'd be breaking any rules..." He fingered through paperwork.

Now, Takeo turned his full attention to the other boy. He was still smiling. "Do you not think I'm serious about this, Utazawa?" he asked, stepping closer to the desk.

The desk served to remind him that his assistant was taller than him. This really undermined the effect. And so, he shouted, dramatically.

"Arise! Sudden and convenient powers of telekinesis. Bring this chair betwixt Utazawa and the floor...!"

But the chair did not obey.

He spent a moment in silence before scowling. "Fair enough. My powers are not over furniture, yet."

Tsuchi sighed. "No, I just worry." He doggedly went on, through the whole system of indexes. His fingernail stopped above Osamu's card. "And I am quite sure were he to know about it, Oubai-san would have plenty to say to you."

Though, with his behaviour and focus on ethics it was confirmed he was ignoring the vocal display, he still could afford a smile.

"Plus, it bounces back to bite you on the ass, in the movies anyway."

Takeo picked out the student card that Tsuchi's finger had lingered on, observing it. A notorious troublemaker, this Osamu Hinomori... a perfect candidate, but then....

"Ahh, your clearly defensive and mood-defusing sarcasm once again sparks an idea in my mind, Utazawa, like a cigarette bud that starts a forest fire and sends many adorable animals and metaphors running for their lives," Takeo said, bringing a hand to his chin. "It is what happens in the movies... Now, could it be that's just the product of writers needing some sort of narrative conflict, or some ancient truth that has remained in our collective unconscious?"

He frowned.

"On that note, how many of the things we know about magic, aside from the decidedly erroneous notion that it's not real, might be true?"

As his friend remarked on his behavior, Tsuchi almost stopped at another card again. The slight frown on his face showed that it hadn't gone unnoticed. He failed to pull the card out of the holder and instead scratched his head.

"I don't know what to say about that," he said avoidably, "I mean, this is the first time I've ever been asked such a thing, you know? There's enough there we don't know that we ought to do something about it."

"Which is why I suggested we do research. In fact, we should take no action until then..." he said, still looking at the picture in his hand. "Though, oh, Utazawa... imagine the possibilities. The order, the justice, the fairness..."

He closed his eyes.

"The student council treasurer being turned into a frog."

Tsuchi laughed and rolled his head sideways a little.

"You'll enjoy that, no doubt." He looked bemused at the thought. "I had no clue you were into that sort of thing."

"I like living in fantasy," Takeo replied without much hesitation, but without looking back at Tsuchi. "I was already a resident in that wonderful place even before it became a refuge from the unhappier times. It's a nice place... it's where the idea of justice comes from, after all."

He finally turned about to face Tsuchi. "But if you mean turning people into frogs... yes, that too. I mean, don't you ever wake up in the morning feeling" he shuffled, as if embarrassed or as if he were about to say 'not so fresh', "like someone should be a squatting amphibian?"

"Well," Tsuchi began speaking, whitening his cheeks, "there's some people I'd aim such things at."

Nothing else was said then, or even for a while. Until Tsuchi took a hold of his nerves.

"And some I'd protect against it, but let's not talk about that," he added.

Takeo's eyes lingered on Tsuchi for a moment. His lazy gaze was a bit hard to read. Was that acknowledgment or gratitude?

In any case, he nodded. "Well, there's only one course of action now, one thing to do... Quickly, Utazawa!" he clapped his hands before himself, "To the-- to the bookstore!"

Discovery?! The disciplinarians discern enigmas?

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