* Yoh looks up as Ao-Lang approache.  "Yo!  I hear you won."
* Ao-Lang grins a little. "Yeah." She sits in an empty seat nearby; who knows if
Yoh sits with others when he eats or not.
<Yoh> You look like you need to talk.
* Ao-Lang sighs and puts her chin on her hands. "Is it that obvious?"
<Yoh> Yeah.  Fraid so.
* Ao-Lang is sitting across from Yoh, chin on her hands.
<Ao-Lang> Damn.  Guess there's no avoiding it, then.
* Ao-Lang brings her hands down and composes herself for a moment, then says, "I
need your help."
<Isaac> <WE need your help.>
<Yoh> Really?
<Ao-Lang> Yeah.  We need a spirit detective, Yoh.  The sooner the better. 
Somebody killed Kai, you know, and we have to find out who and if there's any
chance to bring him back at all.
* Isaac nods.
<Ao-Lang> We already asked the principal if there's anything he can do, and he
told us that this is a student affair until we know who's guilty.
<Yoh> Well, Principal Nagawa knows best, right?
<Ao-Lang> Principal Nagawa is trying to make us grow up.  It's not right or
wrong, but it is what it is.  Can you help?
<Isaac> <We have no idea how to start, because normally we'd find some
authorities who'd take care of this.>
<Yoh> Well, I can try.  I can at least point you in the
direction of some people who know what to look for.
* Ao-Lang nods. "That'd help. Thanks."
* Isaac smiles faintly and nods.
<Yoh> Do you have an internet?
<Ao-Lang> We're gonna get a computer soon.  Somehow.  With money we don't have.
* Ao-Lang frowns a little, then shrugs. "Worst comes to worst, we'll look it up
at the library. Can you send us the info through a pep or something later
today?"
<Isaac> <I want net access in our room *so* badly>
<Yoh> Yeah, I'll talk to Anna and drop a note for you.
* Ao-Lang smiles. "Thanks. We really appreciate it." She stands.
<Yoh> Hey, whatever I can do to help friends, y'know?
<Ao-Lang> Yeah.
* Isaac nods. <Thank you so much.> ^^
* Ao-Lang looks distant for a moment, then shakes it off. "Well, we got a
victory to celebrate, so I'm off to shop for a while." She waves, ruffles
Isaac's hair (hee, she can ruffle his hair now) and goes back to the table she
was eating at, though she glances curiously at the Chinese kid watching them.
* Sai turns a little red and looks away real quick.
* Isaac messes his hair back to the way it was before. ~Hey!~
* Ao-Lang changes her path, walking up to Sai instead of straight back. She
doesn't answer Isaac. Nyah!
* Sai does his best to ignore Ao as she walks up, he must be
hoping she goes away.
* Ao-Lang takes this as encouragement. What a surprise. She leans forward and
around, getting in his line of sight. "Hi," she says with a grin.
* Isaac hmphs inaudibly and walks over torwards Sai. ~Are you going to scare
him?~
<Ao-Lang> ~I don't scare anybody~
<Ao-Lang> (!~)
<Isaac> ~Uh-huh.~
* It's just a little chinese kid by the name of Sai Saichi. 
He's a senior.
<Sai> Whadda YOU want?
* Ao-Lang gets out of his personal space, totally unfazed. "I could ask you.
You're the one who was staring."
<Sai> I wasn't staring.  You were just in the way!
* Ao-Lang smirks. "In the way of what?"
<Sai> Everything.
<Ao-Lang> Oh.  It's nice to know I can cover everything.
<Sai> You guys are good.  Better than most people thought.
* Ao-Lang tilts her head at the sudden change in conversation. "Thanks."
* Isaac nods and smiles. <Thanks!>
<Sai> You better watch out for the monkeys, though.  Don't get
uppity because you're doing better than most Alexander teams.
<Ao-Lang> Monkeys?  Son Wukong?
<Sai> Yeah.  The hall mascots have a lot more to do with who
goes in them than most freshies think.
<Ao-Lang> Tulpa's in that wing.  I'm not surprised.
<Isaac> <I'm worried about Tulpa.  He's scary.>
<Sai> Take it from me, you get arrogant against a monkey and
it's all over.
* Ao-Lang shakes her head. "I'm not that powerful. I know it, but that's not
always what wins fights."
<Ao-Lang> They put the bottom feeders in our wing, don't they.  Alexander can't
always pull up?
<Sai> Haha.  You'd tend to think that, wouldn't you.  But there
are two freshie teams in Alexander this year, and they're number two and number
three... right below some monkeys.
<Sai> Like I said, the hall mascots have more to do than most
people think, and that's all I better say.
* Ao-Lang looks thoughtful. "Sure."
<Ao-Lang> And we were bottom feeders.  At least, that's what I hear from before
I came.
* Isaac nods.
<Sai> Yeah, well, you're freshies.  Argo would say you're bottom
feeders by definition.
<Isaac> <Nice guy.>
* Ao-Lang snickers. "I guess we are."
<Ao-Lang> Thanks for the talk.  Nice meeting you... um... what's your name?
<Sai> I'm Sai.  Sai Saichi.
* Ao-Lang smiles and bows. "I'm Ao-Lang Shen."
* Sai holds up his right hand, revealing the Ace of Clubs tattoo
there.
* Ao-Lang blinks. "Oh. ... So you're in the Shuffle Alliance."
<Sai> I'll be seeing you in the big tournament.
* Ao-Lang grins. "You will."
<Ao-Lang> Nice meeting you, Sai.  Maybe we can talk again later.  It feels like
it's been forever since I saw someone from anywhere kind of like home.
<Isaac> <That's just because you're special.>
* Ao-Lang snickers. "Sure, Isaac."
<Ao-Lang> ~Damn, he must be powerful.~
* Sai stands up, revealing himself to be about an inch shorter than Isaac.  He
grabs his tray and heads for the garbage bins.
<Isaac> ~He's a senior.  Of course he's powerful.~
<Ao-Lang> ~Well, *yeah*.  But in the Shuffle Alliance, too?  They won last
year.~
* Ao-Lang waves, then walks back to her table.
* Isaac nods and waves to Sai, smiling and walking along with Ao-Lang.