2024-01-26 - Springtime Rain in the Library
| Title: Springtime Rain in the Library | |
|---|---|
| Summary: Ginka is studying in the library, staring wistfully out the window at the rain. Nori notices and comes over to introduce herself. | |
| Who: | |
| Where: Library (Yamanote High City - Ohtori Academy) | |
| OOC - IC Date: 1/26/2024 - Wednesday, May 11, 2016 | |
.******************** Yamanote High City - Ohtori Academy *********************.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* Library +*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Ohtori's library would be one of the least architecturally dramatic
buildings on campus, if it wasn't for the fact that the relatively mundane
facade is built around a silo-like glass dome. Polished golden metal braces
support the dome, and the tinted glass keeps the interior dim, since the
electrical lighting is subtle, and tinted purple from the color of the walls
it reflects off of.
Directly below the apex of the dome, on the marble floor of the ground
level, is an exceptional clock, set directly into the floor, its toothed
mechanism partially exposed. No railing prevents approach, but it would be
difficult to fail to notice the spikey hands of the clock. Seen from a
distance or the floors above, the clock's esoteric design is obvious; odd
circles are engraved around its diameter, their arbitrary spacing suggesting
a code or language, and it is dominated by a copper, sunlike circle
inscribed inside an iron pyramid.
The library around this clock is of typical Ohtori calibre, with an
exceptional selection of fragrant old tomes. Several wings have restricted
access, requiring teacher permission to enter, and a few stacks are outright
forbidden to students.
<Pose Tracker> Ginka Shimizu [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
It is an exceptionally drab, dull day today. A thick overcast cast the morning into a soft pallor, dark clouds threatening the advent of inclement weather, and by the time morning classes were underway the rain had started. The entire school day has been subdued: outdoor activities, obviously, were cancelled, leaving the student body cooped inside. But more tan that, the steady drone of rainfall has naturally invited everybody to be just a little bit quieter. There is a constant white noise that melds into the back of one's subconscious without ever fading away completely.
Ginka Shimizu is a new arrival to Ohtori Academy. She has been, by and large, a warm, friendly presence to all those she has met, with a kind smile or an encouraging word for anyone she meets. Long, wavy honey blond hair, warm brown eyes that are flecked with green, and a somewhat exotic set of features--not to mention that she is tall, quite a bit taller than the average. And of course, her appearance is always expertly put together.
But today, on a day like this, she is in a rare mood.
She's staked out a table in the library by a set of overly large, arched windows. Dim outdoor light just barely spills onto the table from outside. Near her there is a dark red raincoat and umbrella on a coat rack nearby that must be hers, and she has added on tights and a sweater to her school uniform for good measure.
The books are all spread out in front of her, but she barely seems to be paying them any mind. Instead, she is staring out the window. her gaze distant. The rain is still pouring as hard as it has been all day, and the seas are churning under the wind and the rain. There is no smile, but instead the barest of pouts, and her eyes are large and maybe very slightly troubled.
It's like she's looking at something far, far beyond the ocean's horizon, something she misses dearly.
Like she's missing her home.
<Pose Tracker> Nori Ankou [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
Is it drab? The sky has a rich textured gray, like selvedge denim, perhaps.
Is it dark? Some would say this level of light is ideal.
Nori Ankou always likes it when it's gray outside. (She wasn't squinting when she was out in the Kappabashi intersection with her transformed eyes, for a joke. It seriously did bug her.)
But today is far from bad.
Nori had been passing through the library, doubtless on some academic task -- a book on Heian-era literature is tucked into the crook of one arm -- when she saw HER: the new girl. The girl with the long hair and the tall look. Probably foreign, at least in part. And yet, she's there, gazing outwards, towards the seashore visible from much of Ohtori.
"Good afternoon," Nori says as she comes up nearer to where the girl is seated -- inwardly congratulating herself at being willing to say so, to a total stranger, heh heh, eat my dust, Nori of Two Years-ish Ago -- "I don't think that we have met... you're a recent transfer, yes? I hope you've been settling in alright. It's quite a complex campus, after all..."
<Pose Tracker> Ginka Shimizu [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
Ginka honestly does not mind the weather all that much, either. It is comforting, in a way, as it does remind her of a place she thinks about fondly. But there are other things that weigh on her deeply, connected to thoughts of that place she remembers fondly, that weighs on her.
Not that she can share such thoughts with others, of course.
She is seated, her cheek resting on her palm, as she watches the waves crashing against the shore.
Nori's voice startles her out of her reverie. Her eyes widen for a brief moment as she realizes she's been seen, and tries to turn to see who's approaching while simultaneously trying to put on that warm, social smile she's put on for everyone else.
It's taking her a moment to fully switch gears.
"Oh! Good afternoon," she says, pleasantly, with a smile that is still warming up. "Oh, yes, I am. Ginka Shimizu. Thank you, and I have, yes. Everyone's simply been lovely, and I've been doing my best to get up to speed on this breathtaking campus. And you are...?"
<Pose Tracker> Nori Ankou [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
Nori is probably a pretty pleasant interruption. Even if she is in her school uniform and has only token makeup on (mostly sunscreen, if we're honest, though she may not even be capable of tanning) she has the side effects of months and months of practice at modelling.
Which means poise, and it means her smile is unusually illuminating. "Welcome to Ohtori, Shimizu~" she says. Her hands have clasped together. "I'm Nori Ankou, and I think we're in the same grade... And I just want to tell you that this place is delightful once you get to know it. Will you be staying over the summer break? I imagine you had to come here when you came here, but transferring at this part of the year can always be difficult..."
"You see," Nori continues, "people come and they go... sometimes rather abruptly, but there's always a very good reason!"
"Do you mind if I join you for a moment...? I've been trying to find a copy of, hm, I think I wrote down the title," Nori continues, feeling around in her blouse pocket and bringing out a scrap of paper.
Which has ink.
Ink from a fountain pen.
... which has hopelessly smeared despite having been delicate, almost calligraphic kanji for -- some old author's name.
Nori turns it over. "This author -- do you recognize the name...?"
<Pose Tracker> Ginka Shimizu [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
Seeing Nori's dazzling smile makes it easier for Ginka to bring her own smile out--it's a little easier when you have something to mirror, after all. Ginka does not have modeling experience, but she was instructed in poise regardless, and she stands up to be polite as Nori introduces herself. And it might be here that Nori realizes that Ginka can, in fact, look Nori in the eye at the same eye level as her.
"Thank you so much," she says, with her own warm smile. "Enchanté, Ankou-san. And I do believe you're right. There have been so many new people to meet, I simply haven't been able to meet everyone personally yet." She nods, "Ah, yes, I will. The timing has been a bit awkward, non? To move and then to travel back home so soon after is a bit of an imposition." She sighs, in a way that is both bemoaning her terrible misfortune, but also signaling her acceptance of the situation and her willingness to forge ahead. "But one cannot help these things, sometimes."
People come and go. "I see. I suppose those who abruptly leave must have their own reasons, whether we are privy to them or not."
"Please do," Ginka says, gesturing to a chair and taking her own once more. "It is a rather embarassing state you caught me in, but... well, I have always adored the rain, and the sea. The sound is so soothing, is it not?"
She squints at the smeared Kanji with a throughtful frown, and after a few moments she shakes her head. "I am afraid not... the ink appears to have smudged. Do you remember what the book was about, perhaps?"
<Pose Tracker> Nori Ankou [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
"Oh! Parlezvous francais?" Nori asks, but it's a casual sort of bright spot. She takes a deep breath and lets it out. "Oh - so you're a traveller," she says, with an air of confidence.
"I've never had much of a chance to travel outside of Japan," Nori says as she sets down. "To Hawaii, of course; and I suppose in a sense I have travelled to Tokyo from the north... but..."
"Oh," Nori says about the note.
She looks at the letters.
(Darn, thinks Nori. I was hoping she might be able to make it out.)
"Hm, well... it's a literature class," Nori says, tap-tapping the top of the book she had been carrying. "This has translations into modern Japanese of some writings from the Heian period... I think I'm looking for someone who wrote in... the Kamakura period, immediately after, with the rise of Buddhism and everything. Someone who revisited those old works and compared them to... I'm not sure what."
she didn't pay attention.
"But I'm always glad to get into these books even if it's hard to find the patience to sit down, without a class assignment to guide me," Nori says. "Even if we may not always travel in space, with things like this, it does feel," and here she smiles as if at a private joke, "as if it is possible to travel through time. At least in our thoughts."
"And -- it is," Nori says. "It's very soothing... can you hear it well, from here?" The pit-pat-pit of raindrops, easily. The sea itself? Depends...
<Pose Tracker> Ginka Shimizu [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
"Oui!" exclaims Ginka with a bright smile. But a traveller? "Oh, yes, but only a little. The occasional holiday with my parents. Their business interests take them abroad quite frequently, you see."
"I'm from Kyoto, originally, myself."
She looks at interest as Nori indicates the book. "You're a fan of literature?" she asks, conversationally. "How wonderful. Well, if the author was mentioned in class--may I?" she asks, reaching for the note.
She starts going back through her own notes, trying to match up the smudged Kanji with several possible authors that were mentioned. She turns the notebook to show Nori, which reveals that her handwriting is neat and precise. "Was it one of these?"
Travelling through time... "What a wonderful sentiment. There are some poets I am rather fond of," she says, with another of those oh-I-am-so-busy-but-what-can-you-do sighs, "the demands on one's time can be rather formidable, can they not?"
"Oh the rain, certainly, but the sea... well, I shall have to imagine that, from here."
<Pose Tracker> Nori Ankou [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
"Oh! How beautiful," Nori says with a widening of her eyes. "Kyoto is gorgeous - and you would have been able to see it each and every day... Ah, it must have been wonderful. And to go overseas too!" Her lips pooch down.
"My father's business is almost wholly in the country," Nori sighs. "Crabbing... it feels so pedestrian, sometimes."
Only at Ohtori could you pout about such things.
After this, she turns the note over happily. "Of course," she says. "And hm, well, I don't know if I'm a fan fan, but I enjoy the class... it took me a little while, I suppose perhaps I had to grow, but I can appreciate the feeling underneath so many of these words."
She tilts her head. "Oh!" she says. "I think it wasssss..."
Nori points. "Him!"
She jots down the name, which your author will not look up because there are limits to everything. "And yes, they can be quite demanding," Nori half-sighs. "I miss spending more time on campus, even if I suppose my, hm, part time job is really quite rewarding~."
She doesn't clarify on this. "Speaking of which," she adds, "Have you met Utena-san? Long hair, sakura pink in most light... she's really quite a regal person, and I'm sure if you need anything at all to help you feel at home here, she'd be the one to talk to. (I'd offer myself but I live off campus.)"
<Pose Tracker> Ginka Shimizu [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
"Oh yes, it is quite lovely, though I am finding that Tokyo has its charms, as well. The Rainbow Bridge, for instance, is simply magnifique."
"Oh, Ankou-san, do not be so down on yourself. I am sure your father does very well for himself. And crabbing sounds delicious." She leans in, as if about to share a secret, and also lowers her voice. "To tell the truth... my mother is in the business of baked goods."
"It is nice to find something that truly speaks to you, c'est-ne pas?" Ginka smiles as Nori finds the name and hands the original note back. "Oh? A part-time job? And what is it that engages the attention of one Miss Nori Ankou, if I may ask?"
"Utena-san..." Ginka taps her chin with a finger as she contemplates that. "Ah, do you mean Utena Tenjou? The girl that dresses rather daringly and fetchingly in a boy's uniform? I have not had the pleasure of her acquaintance, though I could scarcely fail to notice her. Everyone has been so lovely but I will indeed seek her out as soon as I am able."
<Pose Tracker> Nori Ankou [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
"It's a legitimate line of business," Nori pouts (nonetheless), "but sometimes it just feels, I suppose, pedestrian? And yet..."
She smiles, wanly.
And then less wanly. "Oh," she says, raising her eyebrows. "Is she a baker or a patissier...? Now I'm quite curious. But," Nori says with a hand covering her mouth, "well, I suppose we haven't had a campaign in the last little bit so it's understandable but about a year ago you would have --"
"Here, I'll show you a photo," Nori says, as she searches. "And yes! You know, I've never asked her about that, but even so, you should say hello to her. Her, roommate, is a very remarkable person as well."
hm interesting pause there
"ah, here we are!"
Nori turns her phone to show some photos.
These images are from sample postersstickerslogotypes which can be found in finer detail at...
https://battlefantasia.pinksugarheartattack.net/AoAka
Her eyes half lid and her cheeks color just a bit.
<Pose Tracker> Ginka Shimizu [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
"It is only as pedestrian as you allow it to be, Akou-san," says Ginka, by way of encouragement. She has an awful lot of encouragement, it seems.
"I believe she started as a patissier, though she is rather less involved in that part of the business, these days. Still, she seems quite happy with her success."
"Maybe I shall ask, then. Whatever the reason, she certainly wears it well." She nods as Nori mentions the roommate. "Then I shall endeavor to make their acquaintance as well."
"Hmm?" She looks at the photos, with interest, though her eyes widen a little as she recognizes one of the models. "Why..." a sharp little intake of breath. "... you are simply stunning."
<Pose Tracker> Nori Ankou [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
"Oh, you're too kind," Nori says, but she says it in a way that suggests she is basking in it. "We have a line in several of the shops - there's quite the generous discount, but!" she says, raising an index finger, "You have to pick a side~."
("Though I encourage you to pick the one you like best, I won't be offended at all if Aohime suits you better. Think of it as a way to better build a personal image! ... Of course, you may already have one, you carry yourself quite well. In which case, just browse for any pieces you like!")
"Oof - I want to hear all about these pastries - but I think that I have to move along, Shimizu-san," Nori continues. "It's lovely to meet you, though!"
She really does seem like a nice person, Nori thinks. I wonder why she came to Ohtori from Kyoto?
<Pose Tracker> Ginka Shimizu [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
"Nonsense!" exclaims Ginka. "Oh? Well then, I shall have to seek them out." But a catch... "Oh, how interesting!"
"You wear it so well, how could I help but choose Akai Mirai? It never hurts to explore new ideas with expressing one's self, does it not? Perhaps, when the weather is better, I shall make a trip to see the styles for myself."
"Certainly, I will be more than happy to tell you about them another time. I should return to my studies as well, I fear. Good luck finding the book you were seeing though, Ankou-san. It was quite lovely meeting you. I would love to talk again sometime."
She tries to restart her studies, but slowly, inexorably, finds her attention drawn back to the rain and the sea.
