After that first wild ride of a greeting, Shuko really shouldn't have been surprised when Tommy pulled her into a hug.  The boy's personality shone out like a beacon, as if his small body just couldn't contain so much warmth and energy at once, the excess spilling over and flooding into the world through his movements and speech.  A sudden embrace was only natural, for him.

On the other hand- how long had it been, since anyone outside of her family had shown her affection like that?  How long had it been since she'd [i]accepted[/i] it?

Her arms gingerly closed around him, for just a moment, and she made an effort to give him a small smile as they separated.  [color=8493ca]"I don't mind.  Anyone would be thrown off balance by a day like this."[/color]  Her hand fell smoothly into his, and she kept pace behind him, barely needing to be pulled.  It felt easier, letting him take the lead.

When he released her, Shuko's hand fell straight back to her side.

The plant girl- Akemi -was utterly adorable, and Shuko quietly imagined herself stepping forwards and simply burying herself in those soft vines, just as Tommy had done.  She stood back, however, and let him handle the introductions, her only contribution a small wave as he indicated her to Akemi.  It was sweet, watching the excited boy ramble on with effervescent optimism, setting aside the manners and rules of adults for a simple, innocent approach.

Almost too innocent.

Who really behaved that way, blurting out everything in their head to complete strangers?  An easy way to overwhelm people, to put them off balance or off guard.  An act, carefully tailored to induce an impression of harmlessness and endear oneself to a mark, setting up future opportunities to take advantage of-

[i]Stop.[/i]  He was a [i]kid.[/i]  Younger than her, even.

She broke out of her thoughts just in time to catch him looking over at his bags, and deftly stepped between him and them.  [color=8493ca]"Don't worry, I'll get those for you."[/color]  Giving him no time to launch into another monologue, she walked briskly but quietly towards his bags, carefully picking them up once she got there.

For a short while, this took her away from the center of attention, away from where the students were gathering as Boro asked for volunteers.  An excuse, in a way, to keep her from stepping up.  She let the babble of the other conversations fade into the background, and focused on the smoke still hanging around them.  What was it made of, how did it work?  She watched it, idly playing with numbers as they came up, while she retrieved Tommy's bags and moved to return them to him, in no particular hurry. 

By the time she'd done so, the others were already crowding around Boro, confronting him with voices loud and small. Shuko stayed silent, watching with wide eyes and a growing sense of dread. It was only when the devil guy had started ranting about sins that she slipped in among them and spoke, her voice quiet and wavering.

[color=8493ca]"Please, let's- let's not fight."[/color]  She was trembling just a little, not looking anyone directly in the eye.  [color=8493ca]"We came here to learn to be better, didn't we?  Mr. Boro, I'm sorry."[/color]  Here she glanced at him, a slight gleam at the edges of her eyes, and cast her vote.

[color=8493ca]"[i]None of us[/i] deserve to be here."[/color]

Her eyes dropped to the ground, as if in shame.  [color=8493ca]"None of us [i]would[/i] be, if not for Tumble."[/color]

Inwardly, she wondered if anyone had even heard her.