2023-07-10 - Making the Grade
| Title: Making the Grade | |
|---|---|
| Summary: Raiko's been studying hard trying to make up for her past poor academic performance. Final exam results have been released—Raiko's last final exam as an Infinity Middle School student—so now it's time to see if all that effort has paid off...
... but a little moral support wouldn't hurt, so she goes over to Yumi's dorm before she looks. | |
| Who: | |
| Where: Dormitories (Tama Outer City - Infinity Institute) | |
| OOC - IC Date: 7/10/2023 - Thursday, March 24, 2016 | |
.******************** Tama Outer City - Infinity Institute ********************.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* Dormitories +*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
The main dormitories of the Infinity Institute are, like most other school
services, within the monolithic tower itself. The accommodations are
slightly more homey than the class and club levels, though, with dorm levels
having warmer lighting and wood paneling. Built-in furnishings are fairly
ordinary: A desk and bed for each occupant, a Japanese-style table for
sitting around, and, most luxuriously, a small kitchenette. Each room houses
two or three students, with separate floors for boys and girls, with floors
arranged by grade level. Each floor also has a live-in teacher of the
appropriate gender to make sure nothing goes too terribly wrong.
The communal accommodations are fairly lavish. The baths on each level are
enormous, laid out in the fashion of large public Japanese baths and
arranged with artful stones and greenery like a resort. Exactly which kind
of resort depends on the school level. Similarly, the gymnasium has lifting
machines that can support loads of multiple dozen tons and treadmills that
at least claim to be capable of going up to sixty miles an hour.
Although accommodations can be made for talented younger children,
officially speaking the dorm only accepts students once they reach middle
school. Although attending Infinity is free due to its charter status, the
boarding costs are steep, so poorer students tend to live at home or seek
scholarships. Much to Infinitys fiscal delight, the dorms remain a popular
choice for those who can afford it; parents consider them a safe and healthy
environment, and students enjoy the relative lack of supervision.
<Pose Tracker> Raiko Takashima [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
The day.... has been agonizing. Raiko could barely concentrate on her classes, knowing that final exam grades were due to be posted, and honestly still feeling exhausted from all of the studying and exam-taking she had just done. There are more than a few people feeling a bit burned out--everyone in their class had pushed themselves to their fullest, doing their best to make a good impression for their last final exams of middle school.
Raiko just hopes she did okay.
The grades were posted, publically, as was tradition, but Raiko couldn't deal with being around the throng of other students to look at them. She knew her reputation, she knew the other students knew it, and she knew the 'competition' would be fierce. The last thing she wanted was to deal with disappointing results in front of everyone else.
So... she'd gone to Yumi's dorm just before she was due to get back and waited for her. (She was still in her school uniform, so maybe she had come straight to Yumi's dorm without stopping by her own first. It's probably fine.) She'd offered a sheepish wave, asked to come in, and...
Now she was sitting at a table in Yumi's dorm. Her phone before her. She'd been working up her nerve for a couple of minutes now but finally she picked it up, logged in with her account, scrolled to the link that would open up the results and....
She suddenly held the phone out to Yumi. "I can't look. Just... tell me what it says? But don't tell me if it's bad! Well, it'll probably be bad, but it might be a better bad than it used to be, and you can tell me then but if it's a worse bad then don't tell..."
Raiko trails off, blushing. Her voice is quiet and shakey. "Sorry. I'm rambling. I'm just... really nervous. Can you look? Please?"
<Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.
Yumi's been hard at work for finals, too... But it's not quite as iconic as the middle school finals. She's kept up with them, and it's a lot of work--she knows when to take breaks--but she is not super worried about her score. SHe's feeling confident!
She's also feeling surprised, because when Yumi--likewise in blue Infinity uniform--comes back to her dorm, there's a Raiko there! She blinks, and then smiles at her. "C'mon in," she'd said.
There, the table. Yumi has set down her bag and sat on the side to a right angle of where Raiko is, listening along--until--
"Aw," Yumi says. "You should look yourself! ....But I get it," she says.
So Yumi takes the phone, and has a look, clicking the link... and then smiles.
"Not bad," Yumi says to Raiko. "You really turned things around." She slides the phone on the table across to Raiko so that she can see, too.
<Pose Tracker> Raiko Takashima [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
Raiko is immensely grateful for Yumi letting her in.
She hands over the phone, and is clearly bracing herself when Yumi declares... 'Not bad.'
She opens her eyes and blinks in astonishment. "Wait, really?" Once the phone is slid back her way she picks it up... and slowly a grin breaks out across her face. "Whoa! No way! Yumi-chan! Did you see this?!" She turns the phone to show Yumi... seemingly forgetting that she just asked her to look at it.
And then she turns it back towards herself to look at her score again, scrolling through to see her other classmates. "I mean, I could do better but the last two years were way worse, and honestly, with everyone trying really hard to do their best for finals this year, I didn't think..."
She falls silent for a moment, just staring at her phone screen with a big grin on her face. It's by no means the best score, but... it's definitely a marked improvement from past years.
<Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.
Yumi could've just let Raiko sit out there. But she wasn't ever going to.
Yumi beams at Raiko proudly, noticing that grin, and laughing a little as Raiko tnrs the phone to show her. "It's great!" she says. She doesn't call her out on that little bit--it's a nice moment, no sense in being mean about it. But as Raiko scrolls through...
"You did your best, and it paid off," Yumi says. "That's what counts, right?"
"I saw how hard you worked at it, too. I think a lot of people did."
<Pose Tracker> Raiko Takashima [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
Raiko is just that ridiculously excited, that's all. It's hard for her to muster that kind of excitement these days.
"Yeah... That was... a lot of studying. It's making me more tired just thinking about it." She sighs in an overly dramatic but clearly playful way. "But... maybe high school will be a clean slate of sorts? I mean, I still have a lot to catch up on, but I'll have more time now...."
A lot of people saw how hard she worked. "Yeah... Shiori's gonna be really happy to see these scores, I bet..." She falls quiet, contemplating something.
"... I wish I could show Grandpa," she says quietly. "He'd be really proud of me too, I bet." There's sadness in that statement... but not the absolute despair and melancholy it's had in the past. Maybe even a little bit of hopefulness.
<Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.
It is--and it's accordingly really nice to see. Yumi's happy for her!
Then she laughs. "A lot," she agrees. "I think it will be; sure, your history follows you and all, but high school... it's a new start. It was for me, anyway. If only a little."
Shiori will be happy. ANd...
"I'm sure he would. ...Maybe you should write this stuff down. Do you ever do scrapbooks? Have something to show him, when you see him again. That's a nice idea, right?"
<Pose Tracker> Raiko Takashima [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
History follows... "Yeah," she agrees, and there's an edge of exasperation... but then she brightens up. "Oh! Buuuuut you know what I just realized?! We're gonna be in the same school next year!" She's beaming at Yumi as she says that. "I mean, we're already in the same building, but I'll have a new uniform!"
Raiko shakes her head at the question of scrapbooks. "No, I haven't but..." She thinks about it, slowly nodding. "Yeah, I should. I could... include how I'm doing as a magical girl, too? Maybe? I... I bet he'd be happy to know I'm trying my best with that, too, right? And I'm still working on some of my projects...."
She blinks. "Oh! That reminds me... Um... I ran into your friend Ankou-san once, and we got to talking... I mentioned about my grandpa, and she mentioned she knew this divination thing. I mean, it's silly, the Magic Association probably has way better spells and rituals for this sort of thing but... it couldn't hurt to try, right? Just to see?"
<Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.
Same school! "That's true!" Yumi agrees. "It'll be fun--Personally I like the high school uniform best of Infinity's uniforms." They are in the same building, but now closer to the same floors!
She hasn't, but... "I think that's all a great idea. Include anythnig you'd want to tell him--I bet he'd be extra proud knowing that you're making that work." Then she pauses.
"Hm? Oh!" Nori! Yumi considers for a moment then. "A divination...? Well," Yumi says, "She'd know a lot of things like that..."
"She might have some specialized knowledge the Association doesn't. And if not..."
"Well, why not?"
<Pose Tracker> Raiko Takashima [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
Yumi likes the high school uniforms better. "Oh? Why's that?" She picks up her phone again and starts navigating though it until she finds pictures of the three girls' uniforms. "That reminds me, gonna have to talk to Ayase-san about getting supplies for the upcoming school year..."
Raiko considers a moment. biting her lip a little. "I... should maybe talk to him about.... how I'm a magical girl now, too?" she glances to Yumi, recalling their earlier conversation.
Include anything she wants. "Could... I include stuff about you?" Hastily she adds, "It's okay if you don't want me to, or you only want me to mention Yumi Ohzora but not Lost Ivy or Lost Ivy but not Yumi Ohzora--I don't know if he knows or not, but um..."
She slips out of her chair and walks over to Yumi and gives her a hug. "You're been really helpful with... well, everything, and you really mean a lot to me and, um... sorry if I bug you too much sometimes." She pulls away, blushing a little. "Having Shiori back helps a lot, but having someone like you around helps a lot too."
But Yumi says they should try the divination ritual, and Raiko nods. "Okay. I've been... way too busy, but maybe once the break starts, we can give it a try."
<Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.
"I like the color on the jacket, and it looks nice with the tights I usually go for." SHe just likes the designs! "That's important to remember, though!"
Then... Yes. Yumi nclines her head--and then she gives an easy smile and a V-sign. "That's just fine," Yumi says. "YOu can tell him stuff about me as Yumi and stuff about me as Lost Ivy. Everything you've said about him... If Shiori and Tama can trust him, and you trust him, then I trust him too."
Yumi hugs back Raiko, squeezing once and then smiling again. "I don't mind," she says. "it's what friends do, right?"
"...Sounds good. I really am proud of you, Raiko-chan."
<Pose Tracker> Raiko Takashima [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
Raiko, of course, doesn't need to look at her phone to see the high school uniform--Yumi's wearing it already! But she does pull up the middle school uniform since it's easier to compare it that way, since she's not in front of a mirror. "Oooh, yeah. I like that color, too. But, well... I might be biased." It is her favorite color, after all...
She nods as Yumi gives her permission. "Okay! Thanks! He's kept lots of stuff secret, so I'm sure he'll keep this secret, too. And thank you. I... wouldn't have been able to do any of this without you, so... I want him to know about you, too."
"Yeah! And if you ever need anything, I'll be there for you, no matter what!"
She blinks a bit as Yumi says she's proud of her, too. "Really...?"
The second hug is fast and maybe a bit tighter than it should be, but she does remember to relent after a moment. "I'll make sure I won't let you down!"
<Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.
"Haha. It's fine to have a little bias with this kind of thing." Yumi's favorite colors are green and pink, but she can represent both of those in the uniform, if she just makes her own little alterations. Which she does! It's fine.
"I believe you," Yumi says easily, smoothly. But just because it's easy doesn't mean it's not true; she can give her trust the places she wants to give it. "You've been a great help, yourself, you know."
Then--if she needs anything... Yumi smiles back. "I'll hold you to that."
There's a second hug, and of course there is, and even if it squeezes Yumi slightly more than is comfortable...
"I know," Yumi says. "I know you won't."
