"When Two Hands Crisscross..."

"Aha, yes, sorry...." Nadia took a bit of a hairpin turn suddenly, managing to keep Seimei wedged between her arms somehow. "Uh... just hold on as best you can? I'm going to have to drive a bit wild until I lose this guy..." Why was this guy so persistant? And why were there no narrow alleys around here?!

Seimei contemplated this, holding Kage tightly in place evn as she herself teetered back and forth when the bike turned, "...Why is he chasing you?" She asked in between turns. It was probable that the driver wasn't a 'bad person' - they had saved her instead of running her over. But similarly, they could have simply wanted to use her as a hostage... well, they would be in for a rude surprise if that were the case.

Nadia laughed a little nervously. "Well... uh.... I have something he wants, and he's willing to hit me with a truck to get it.... oh, this is getting nowhere. Graham is gonna be so mad I used this... sweetie, do you see a purple button in front of you somewhere?"

Examining the console, Seimei saw the button the driver was referring to. Probably. "What does it do?"

Nadia was about to explain that it would enable the anti-gravity field and thrusters... then figured 'this is a child, should put it more simply'. "...It will let the bike fly. Like a bird, you know."

Hm-ing, Seimei reached forward with one hand to press the button-

A car. Pain. Falling. Coldness. Water. Lights...

-only to freeze up as a particular memory struck her.

"Don't... let me fall," she murmured, less as a request or command and more as a prayer meant to be unspoken. Then she resolutely pressed past her trepidation and pushed the button as requested.

Nadia blinked a bit at that, then nodded. "Uh.. of course." With the press of the button, Nadia popped a wheelie on the bike as she felt the systems engage, and the bike shot into the air. Without as much worry for balance and traffic now, Nadia took one hand off the bike, wrapping that arm around Seimei to secure her. "Alright, let's get out of here..." She shot off in a random direction, over the rooftops, and  away from the scene as fast as possible.

When the bike took off, Seimei blinked. It really flew. Who created such a thing? Could the truck also fly? These thoughts disappeared when the driver wrapped a hand around her to hold her steady. It made her think of Eien-chan, Keishin, and Miyori-chan. Safety - security.

But...

"Why... did you pick me up?"

Nadia had been focused on where she was heading, and making sure they weren't being followed, so took a moment to register what she'd been asked. "Huh? Oh! Well, you were standing in the middle of the street... if I hadn't picked you up, that truck would have hit you..." Wasn't that obvious?

"But when you picked me up, you might have crashed as well. Two, instead of one..." Seimei trailed off. It wasn't as if she could simply say, 'I'm effectively immortal so it was a pointless risk. Taking that into account, she decided to trust this person. "...you're kind."

Nadia blushed slightly. "Wha... not really, hehe... it was the right thing to do, right? So, um... where do you live? I'll drop you off. Or if you'd prefer, you can call your parents to come pick you up from somewhere."

The girl didn't reply for several moments as she thought over her response. Was she allowed to reveal her full origin? Wasn't there some sort of unwritten rule about secrecy when one was travelling between worlds? Or was that just a fallacy retained by watching so much anime with Miyori-chan?

"My parents are dead. And my home is nowhere nearby."

Eventually, she settled for a lie of omission.

...that was probably also Miyori-chan's fault.

"...." Nadia wasn't sure how to respond for a moment, but she instinctively held Seimei a bit tighter. "I... I see... um... I guess I can... um..." She trailed off, thrown for a loop. It had been a stressful day, and now she was thrown off by the girl's response, and the fact that her conscience wouldn't allow her to do anything other than something that was incredibly risky. She checked to make sure they were not seen as she descended back toward the ground, landing within an alley and cutting the engine. "...So.... introductions? My name is Nadia Foster. May I ask yours?"

Seimei shifted somewhat awkwardly as the driver trailed off, unwilling to speak before they'd finished what they were trying to say, and unsure what to say herself regardless. Speaking - or, rather, communication in general - had never been her strongest field. If it weren't for Keishin, Miyori-chan, and Eien-chan, she probably wouldn't have ever interacted with anybody, save for the bare necessities. And on top of the anxiety from being in a social situation, the fact she was currently suspended in the air certainly wasn't helping her nerves, though she only realized this when the driver's grip around her tightened and she could feel herself tangibly relaxing. Somewhat. When the vehicle finally began to descend, she felt a queer mix of panic and relief. When it actually landed, relief took over and she almost sagged in place as her entire body sighed.

 "...So.... introductions? My name is Nadia Foster. May I ask yours?"

Seimei blinked, finally having a name for the person who'd 'rescued' her.

"Iyoku Seimei-" She answered automatically, before pausing, "or... Seimei Iyoku, here, right?"

Nadia paused, then giggled softly. "Either works, really. Cultures have mixed so much these days, people don't really bat an eye if you introduce yourself in a different manner... it's nice to meet you, Seimei." She waited a beat. "So... you are here by yourself, and don't have anywhere to stay?"

Again, Seimei thought out her response. Technically, Kage was with her. But that didn't really count, did it? She didn't have anyone with her here - at least, aside from Nadia - and certainly nowhere to stay. Not that it mattered to her particularly much. But Nadia was still expecting an answer, wasn't she?

"No. I have neither a place to stay nor a person accompanying me."

Nadia seemed to be thinking things over. The way Seimei acted, the way she was dressed, that puppet she'd yet to comment on, the things she'd said... "Seimei, are you from a different realm or world? There's been a lot more people arriving from different realms and worlds recently, so it's not exactly strange if that's what happened..."

Seimei blinked. "Yes. Was it that obvious? I am here to find my friends, who may have come here before me. Or they have not. Nao was not certain... but..." She trailed of, trying to choose words that would convey her feelings properly, "...I would like to see them again."

Nadia was pleased to see the girl being a bit more talkative, though the problem she had.... "Well... I can't guarantee I can help you find them, but...." She paused, and took a deep breath. "If your friends came to this world, then I know who could find them, if anyone. It's just... it's dangerous for him, and for me, okay? It's my brother, Graham... people are hunting us, and if they found us..." She shook her head. "So... so you can come and stay with us while we look for your friends, but you have to keep it a secret, okay?" Graham was going to be sooooo mad....

Seimei tilted her head, considering. It sounded somewhat shady. If Eien-chan were here, she would probably have escorted Seimei away from Nadia by now and dragged her home... but if Eien-chan were here, then this situation wouldn't have occurred at all. But... she was capable of taking care of herself. She had done so for ten years now. And she was a Milletian, so...

She nodded.

"Alright... I won't tell anyone."

She didn't have anyone to tell, anyway.

Nao probably already knew, if she was watching as promised, and who else did she even know that she could communicate with?

...Was this Miyori-chan's influence again? Ah. Perhaps it was shameful, as a friend, to use her friend Miyori-chan as a scapegoat to blame for such thoughts.

Then again, it wasn't unwarranted...

Nadia nodded, smiling. "Alright! Well, let me see..." She pulled out a device from her pocket, which opened up into what appeared to be a holographic datapad. When she touched the 'screen', she could manipulate it as needed. In this regard, she pulled up a map of the city. "Show me the nearest entrance please!" There was an error tone, and 'Invalid' flashed across the screen. Nadia sighed, then put a finger up to her earpiece. "Yeah, yeah, I know, proper phrasing... you and your security procedures.... meh. Activate Map Protocol 3." The map shifted, and points on the map lit up. "Okay... so the nearest entrance is... in the industrial district. Hm, little busy this time of day, so..." She shut off the datapad, and pocketed it, before digging around in her bag. "Seimei, are you familiar with cloaking technology?"

Cloaking technology? Nostalgic. Keishin-san and Miyori-chan argued about it a lot. About whether or not it was practical to equip Eien-chan with it. It was one of the rare occasions Keishin-san won the argument; if Eien-chan was caught using it, then it would be a potentially bigger mess than Miyori-chan's influence could clean up.

"Not... with its use, no." Seimei answered, watching curiously as Nadia searched her bag.

Nadia blinked at the odd phrasing, then shrugged. "Alright, well, shouldn't be an issue." She pulled out two silver disks, each about the size of a hockey puck, handing one to Seimei. "Place the flat end against your chest and press in the middle of the other side. It will stick, and cause a thin field to form around your body. Don't ask me how it actually works, I don't know. Suffice it to say, you'll be practically invisible, unless you stand directly in front of someone for too long in the light. And so that we don't have an issue.." She pulled out some rather high-tech looking wraparound sunglasses, but they were actually a computerized visor. "These visors have a couple of different viewing spectrums. Infrared, night vision, stuff like that, but they are also keyed to see through the exact frequency of the disks. This way, I'll still be able to see you. You go ahead and cloak, then take my hand, and then I'll do the same."

Taking the disk, Seimei glanced at it curiously, 'Keishin and Miyori-chan proposed using suits...' she mused. The disks were probably more convenient, though she wondered how the field detected the person's height and width. Following Nadia's instructions, she put on the visor and activated the cloak. It, too, was peculiarly nostalgic. It reminded her of the visors they used to play games. Seeing Nadia's outstretched hand, she hesitated a moment. But only a moment. Nadia had not led her astray so far, and it would have been easy... and, again, as a Milletian, there wasn't much that could threaten her if it came down to it. She took the hand.

It was warm. She couldn't feel Nadia's skin due to the gloves, but the warmth and feeling of someone's fingers around her own... More nostalgia. It made her remember all those times Eien-chan had led her home. A ghost of a smile crossed her face, and her eyes felt peculiarly damp. It was familiar. Nostalgic. And, with luck, she could hold the hand she wanted to hold once again, "...and never let go again..." she murmured softly to herself. Then she blinked, returning to herself, "So..." She started to speak, before her voice trailed off. She didn't know what to say.

Nadia activated her own cloak and visor once Seimei had taken her hand. She could hear Seimei's murmured words, see the change in her facial features, even if it was a bit blurry through the cloak. She wasn't sure what the deal was, but she could feel the shifting of Seimei's hand in hers. She smiled softly, giving Seimei's hand a gentle squeeze. "So, let's go! We'll get you a nice, hot meal once we get there. Not to toot my own horn, but I'm a pretty good cook!" Carefully, she began to lead Seimei through alleys and side streets, using the main sidewalks as little as possible; bumping into people could be an issue.