2022-10-26 - A Traffic Jam in the Nurse's Office? A Fateful Encounter!
| Title: A Traffic Jam in the Nurse's Office? A Fateful Encounter! | |
|---|---|
| Summary: Raiko is going through a rough time, and the kindly Infinity nurse, Michiko Nakahara, has called her in to check on her. But there's an additional meeting neither of them expected... | |
| Who: | |
| Where: Infinity Institute | |
| OOC - IC Date: October 26, 2022 - Friday, January 22, 2016 | |
| Next: 2022-10-26 - Found and Lost | |
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+ Infinity Institute +*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
The inner wards of Tokyo boast most of its largest skyscrapers, but there is
an unusual exception. Located in Hachioji District, the Infinity Institute
is by far the largest building in Tama, and the second-largest skyscraper in
Tokyo. At 52 stories tall, its glass and stone the sort of primeval obsidian
that shimmers like oyster shell, Infinity is commonly supposed, by visitors,
to house some megacorporation, but there is only a scrap of truth to that.
Infinity is, in fact, a school, and what a school it is.
Offering a complete education from elementary to university, this daring new
charter school offers talented students a literal and figurative chance to
climb in the world: its vertical campus has students moving up a few floors
every year. Black metal monoliths with lighted white globes flank students
as they approach the entranceway, itself styled like an abstracted
grandfather clock, purplish glass panes forming an arch on the facade.
Within, a lushly austere atrium whispers water-sound from its great
fountain, beams of light slicing falling water elaborately. The atrium's
ceiling is five stories tall, and so many balconies and walkways are visible
as one stands on the violet carpeted black granite.
There is considerable variation between the fifty two floors, but the
unifying theme is one of sleek modernity. Heavy use of polished metal and
glass lend the building the feeling of an appliance freshly peeled of its
plastic coating. The walls are painted in cool tones of purple and deep
blue, and the accommodations are lavish, if stark. At times, the architects
even seem to have played artful little tricks, making a hallway appear too
long, or bend in a way that it does not. It is just a trick of the eye,
isn't it?
<Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.
Much like the rest of Infinity Institute, the nurse's offices are high-tech, shiny, and advanced. More than just offices, there's plenty of modern equipment and a nice waiting room. Sleek, polished metal, and glass--purple, deep blue. And the receptionist currently sits behind desk to see to the needs of students who come out.
It's well known that one Michiko Nakahara is on duty today, as she is most days. That makes her easy to reach and talk to. In case someone needs to.
There's no one here for the moment besides the receptionist, though. It's a healthy day, apparently. The receptionist is currently working at her computer, doing... something. It's hard to say what.
And the chairs of the waiting room linger...
<Pose Tracker> Raiko Takashima [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
Raiko normally appreciates all things high-tech, including the nurses' office, in a way.
Though lately she's been preoccupied with so much that's hard to enjoy a lot of things. Between her lingering social issues, her grades, and most importantly, her missing grandfather and his missing familiar... adjusting to life in the dorms has been a bit of a struggle.
But Michiko asked to see her, to make sure she was adjusting well enough (bit of a mixed bag, there), and.... well, okay, she kinda liked the nurse, but would've felt obligated to go anyway.
Raiko pushed open the door of the office, glancing around to see if there was anybody else here, or anyone currently in line, and... apparently not. Well, okay then. Instead she just shuffles up to the receptionist's desk. "Um, excuse me, but Nakahara-san wanted to see me. Is she in...?"
<Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.
Michiko was expecting Raiko, so it doesn't take much. The receptionist looks up at Raiko and says, "Yes. Just a moment." She smiles, but it's very businesslike. A few moments later, Nakahara steps out, a woman of somewhat average height and dark hair. She looks over Raiko first, to assess her condition in a pretty clear way; physical, but also... emotional.
"I'm glad you could make it. How are things going?" A beat, "If you would prefer some privacy, I can take you back, of course."
Meanwhile, out in the corridors, a certain other girl steps out of the elevator, and starts to slowly trudge towards the nurse's offices. But that won't matter for a minute yet.
<Pose Tracker> Raiko Takashima [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
Raiko is... well, mostly okay, physically. She looks tired, which is perhaps understandable even withou how she sometime drives herself to late night. But then again, given all of the emotional stresses... There's probably more than one reason for her apparent tiredness. She's also polite and friendly enough but there's definitely a sense of her just going through the motions to some degree. (Even moreso than the receptionist's businesslike smile.)
She's of average height, though slouching just a bit, with long, bright blue hair and equally bright orange eyes. She is, of course, in her school uniform at the moment, backpack on her back.
Raiko does honestly try to be a little animated beyond just the rote politeness. It's not much, but there's a little bit there, at least. The smile is genuine enough but... not quite all there. "Oh, of course. Thanks for..." She frowns a little as she realizes what she's about to say, but doesn't have a better substitue. "... having me?" she finishes in a way that clearly indicates she knows that it's not quite right, and she expects the nurse knows it too.
Raiko takes a moment to consider that question. "Things are..." she looks down as she tries to figure out how to answer that. And leaves it unaswered as the nurse offers her to go in back. She glances at the receptionist for just a moment and then nods. "Um, sure, if I'm not interrupting anything."
<Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.
Michiko Nakahara is a sharp woman, and good at her job. She notices those signs in Raiko, the part where she's trying but not quite succeeding, he part where she's ired for more than just saying up late. It's not quite right, what she says, but--
"You're welcome," he older woman says. "And it's no trouble. It's nice to see you!" Then she steps back, starting to go, before--
The door opens! "I'm hee-ere o/~" Yumi Ohzora says as she steps into the office, "I've got the usual note and everything, they cleared me to come ba--"
Pause. "Oh!" Pause. "Sorry, I figured it would be empty like usual... I didn't mean to talk over you."
It's a little awkward.
<Pose Tracker> Raiko Takashima [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
Raiko is making even less of an effort to put up a false front for Michiko than the minimal amount of effort she's doing trying to be sociable and engaged, so she's pretty easy to read right now, especially for a trained and skilled health practitioner.
She nods a little as Michiko says she's welcome. Then there's a little bit of a smile when the older woman says it's nice to see her--still not quite all there, but the little bit that is is genuine. "Thanks." She takes a step to start to follow the nurse and then--
Another student enters, and Raiko turns to look at the new arrival. Like the older student, she didn't exactly expect to see anyone else here today. Sure there's a waiting room, but she figured that was mostly just to be seemly rather than a high demand for the nurse's services. And yet...
It's that sick girl. And she seems... almost cheerful to be here? Raiko doesn't really make an attempt to hide her frown as she tries to figure out why someone who's sick a lot would have such a... singsongy way of announcing her arrival. (And more distantly, she ponders the thought of just how often is she here if she feels comfortable announcing herself so boldly? That just makes it weirder still that she's apparently happy to be here.)
The name comes to her after a moment. "Ohzora-san?" Said in that questioning way as if she's trying to confirm that her recollection is correct.
Raiko looks from her back to the nurse. "Oh, um, we weren't talking, we were just..." To the nurse, and then to the door leading to the back, and then back to Yumi, and finally back to Michiko. "Um... I can wait...? If she's got a note it sounds like it could be serious. I've got my homework with me, so..."
Gotta do it somewhere. Better than being cooped up in her dorm.
<Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.
Michiko pauses, when Yumi comes in. She is a little surprised, herself, but if Raiko looks at her, she's happy to see the older girl. "Oh, so they let you out early?" she says, and it might solve some of the mystery of Yumi being happy to be here when she does.
But Yumi looks to Raiko first, setting down her bag without thinking about it in one of the chairs. "Oh, if you were busy, I--" But Raiko says they weren't. "Right," she says. "Takashima-san, right?" she confirms. She recognizes her--it's hard not to with the stories. Yumi doesn't like to judge people on rumors, but she can't help but hear some of them now and then.
"I won't take long," Yumi assures Raiko. "I just have to hand this over so I can get back to class."
Michiko glances between the two of them and then nods. "If you don't mind," she says to Raiko. "I'll be right back with you. I'll have the receptionist call you back."
Yumi and the nurse start to head back!!
<Pose Tracker> Raiko Takashima [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
Leaving the hospital early... that might do it.
Still seems kind of a weird attitude to have in a nurse's office, despite that.
Raiko looks to Yumi as she asks her last name and her gaze drifts downward a bit as she's nodding to confirm her name, as if she can't really bear to look at the other girl. Really, if the other girl isn't in her class, there's only a couple of reasons her name would be notable enough to know, none of them very good. "That's me," she says quietly.
Whether her reaction confirms or disputes some of the rumors is up for Yumi to decide, of course.
She just nods and says, "Okay" as Yumi reassure her it won't take long. And instead she's heading over to the chairs herself. She looks back for just a moment to nod to Michiko. "Okay."
And so she sits down and pulls her notebook out, along with a textbook. She gets to work though... to look at her she isn't moving very fast. There's a few furtive glances at the receptionist as time ticks on and eventually she just loses interest and--while keeping a watchful eye on the receptionist to make sure hse isn't being watched... puts her fingertips down on her textbook and summons something underneath them. A blue cell phone case appears there, with the outside seeming normal but all sorts of strange designs on the inside.
Any normal person might just see it as a kid decorating their stuff with interesting geometric designs (at best), or possibly some sort of witchcraft (at worst.) The latter would be right, of course, but entirely for all the wrong reasons.
A fellow magic student, would recognize it as the real deal. Though perhaps in a place and format that's not quite typical of how it's usually practiced.
Raiko stares forlornly at it as she traces her finger sthrough the incomplete design, pondering it and turning ideas over in her head as she waits to be called.
<Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.
It does a few things for Yumi, that confirmation--confirms that she's the one in the rumors, and confirms that she's not very happy about it. Yumi makes a note of her. ...They aren't in the same class, or anything, but maybe she can look into it, say something next time it comes up...
It indeed doesn't take that long, but it is a few minutes. The receptionist isn't watching Raiko; she's doing more paperwork on the computer, because she has a lot of that to do, especially now. ...She may or may not also be doing some non-work tasks on the side, because she's an adult.
But soon enough, while Raiko works with her case, Yumi steps out of the room, some obvious relief in her expression. "All right! Thanks, Nakahara-sensei. I appreciate it. I better be getting back..."
"Right," she says. "Take care. And come back if you do feel bad."
Then, she looks to the receptionist, "All right, ready."
"Raiko Takashima?" Yumi starts to step across the room, and waves again to Raiko. While Michiko... waits!!
<Pose Tracker> Raiko Takashima [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
Raiko doesn't look happy about a lot of things, these days. Those rumors definitely among them.
Raiko seems to lose interest in her classwork rather easily. Especially these days. Despite the briefness of the visit it didn't take long to give up on the homework for the moment to abandon it in favor of her craft.
She's apparently so absorbed in it that Yumi coming out and finishing her part of the conversation doesn't catch her attention... though her name being called does. Her head snaps up as she blinks, and tries to reorient herself on what she was doing. "Oh! Um... right! Coming!" She's already closing up her notebook and textbook and trying to get them back in her backpack so she can stand back up... and in her haste something blue slides right off of the textbook's page and onto the floor, apparently unnoticed.
She gets up and rushes to the door to the back, only slowing enough to make sure she doesn't bowl Yumi over in the process. "Um... bye," she says, offering a simple hand raise as a poor substitute for a proper wave.
In the waiting room that blue rectangle sticks out like a sore thumb on the white tile floor. Of course, the sensible and easy thing to do would be to just pick it up and give it to the receptionist.
Then again, once one notices the makings of a bonafide enchantment being inscribed on the inside portion...
<Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.
Students being a little awkward about being called suddenly is normal. Nobody particularly notices it, and nobody particularly worries about it... except the students in question. Yumi slips out of the way, noticing the 'bye' and replying with a small smile in that way you do when you want to acknowledge someone but don't want to stretch out the interaction too much.
Yumi starts to go... and then she notices the case. "Oh," she starts, looking to the door--but it's already closed. Michiko and Raiko are gone!
"...Hm," she says, and walks over to pick it up, planning to do exactly that--to hand it to the receptionist. But then...
"...Huh," Yumi says. "This is..."
It's pretty good, even if it's not finished, she thinks. "...Later!" she says to the receptionist, and picks up her own bag, slipping the case into it without a further worry.
She'll make sure to give it back later.
