Returning to normality....? (Haruka thread)

[Liddo-kun]

Noting Viluy's subtle reactions, Haruka offers her a sympathetic glance.  She hoped that this uncomfortable atmosphere wasn't the norm, but by the looks of things, it seemed such was the case.

Never a companion to long standing silence, Haruka wore a discomforted look as seconds seemed to stretch on to hours of silence in her mind.

"So..." Haruka begins, trying to break the awkward period of conversational recession, "how have you been lately, Mrs. Bidou?  It's been some time since I've seen you last."

Oh please let this lighten the air, if even by a smidge, she silently prayed.

[Anastasia]

"Busy," is the reply, as she watches her daughter serve the meal. "Computer sales keep rising, so I'm on the go. It's almost enough to make me desire for them to hire an assisstant marketing director." With that, she turns to you.

Viluy silently serves the meal, her fingers gripping the spatula she uses quite hard. "After all," Yasuko goes on, "I should spend more than two days a week at home, hm?"

[Liddo-kun]

Haruka gives Viluy a quick glance at Yasuko's comment before offering her reply, "I suppose."

After a brief pause she adds, "Then again my dad would be gone for weeks on end sometimes when he'd be busy with work so not seeing each other much seems normal to me," Haruka finishes with a shrug.

[Anastasia]

"Ah, you poor girl," she notes, seemingly sincere. Starting her meal, "Your parents travel a fair deal, Haruka?  I suppose that's why you and Viluy spend so much time together lately?"

[Liddo-kun]

Haruka then smiles at Yasuko's assumption, "Something like that," she responds, shooting Viluy an amused look.  "She always tries to make sure I don't get too lonely."

"My dad comes and goes as he pleases.  He's a musician," Haruka clarifies for Yasuko's sake, "so he's out of the house a lot."

She was slightly taken back at the sympathy displayed by Viluy's mom.  Not that it wasn't welcome, but being apart from family was a rather normal part of life for Haruka - something she saw as being natural almost.

[Anastasia]

Yasuko smiles, clearly interested by that. "Really," she asks, showing honest interest, or so you think. "What sort of music does he play? He isn't well known at all, is he?" So asking, she quietly pushes aside her dinner and gives you her full attention.

Viluy stares on, tersely taking a bite of the fish as she watches. Her expression is faintly icy now in her mother's general direction.

[Liddo-kun]

"Classical, jazz... a bunch of stuff, really." Haruka answers after some thought.  "You might've heard of him.  Akiyoshi Uchida?"

She hummed aloud trying to drudge a few more details if the name alone wasn't enough.  "I know he's played at the Suntory Hall in Tokyo with the Yomiuri Nippon a while ago....  Sorry, I never really kept up with his exploits so this probably isn't helping much," Haruka says a bit embarassedly.

[Anastasia]

Yasuko perks up even more at this, "Dear, your his child," she asks fondly, already showing you more warmth than she has her own daughter. Said Viluy stews quietly, watching the scene mutely and probably coming close to breaking her chopsticks.

"He's wonderful. You have to tell him how much I appreciate his sort of music on long business trips to Europe or America," she gushes.

[Liddo-kun]

Haruka nods at that.  "I'm sure he'll appreciate the sentiments.  I'll be sure to tell him when I see him next," she tells Yasuko as she digests her seemingly gushing review of his work.

Sure she knew her father was good, but it wasn't really a conscious realization.  To her, he was always the eccentric, lazy, slob of a father that she'd grown up with.  He never really flaunted (or even made known, Haruka noted) his accolades so all this was rather strange.

Pushing her now empty plate aside, Haruka turns to regard the seething girl to her right.  "That was a great meal.  I'm glad you invited me over," she tells Viluy with a smile.

[Anastasia]

Viluy breaths slowly, nasally and with as much control as she can manage. Lightly touching her forehead with her fingertips, "You're welcome," she answers, rising and gathering the plates rather quickly. "I'll wash the dishes," she says plainly as possible, so overstressed that it's clearly bogus.

Yasuko nods, turning away from Viluy without a thought. "Why don't we go into my music room upstairs," she offers to Haruka. "I have a wonderful collection, if you'd be interested."

[Liddo-kun]

Haruka was feeling a bit torn as to whether it was best to stay with Viluy to help calm her down or to go with Viluy's mother to take the source of irritation away from her to allow her to calm down.

She glanced at Viluy's back as she scrubbed furiously, there was no doubt that stains weren't on her mind as she tackled the dishes vigorously.  I wish you'd asked me to come and help you, she thought, turning now to Yasuko.  "Sure," Haruka replied.

There was far too much friction in the air to her liking - needing only a propellant to set things off into a righteous conflagration.  The whole situation was setting her ill at ease.

[Anastasia]

Leading you upstairs and away from your girlfriend - who is currently scrubbing a pan like she's trying to find out of metal can get off, hard and fast - Yasuko takes you to a small little study that you haven't been in yet. The door is usually closed and it's away from Viluy's and the guest room, so you've never had leisure to poke in. A nice musical setup is here, speakers and soft chairs, along with a pleasantly low level of lighting form a small ceiling fixture. A bookshelf houses various records, CDs, and other items of interest.

You are herded into a seat, as she starts to go on about her collection, putting on a familiar CD. It's opening piece is one your father practiced when you were younger, as it took him a long time to get it right. "So," Yasuko goes on, "This is it. It's nice to have a relaxing atmosphere when hearing music, don't you think?"

[Liddo-kun]

Haruka nods almost absently as the song tugs nostalgically at her.  "I haven't listened to this in a long, long time," she comments.

She lies back, allowing the chair to mold to her form.  Haruka close her eyes for a brief moment, losing herself to the fond memories that the familiar song coaxes to the surface of her mind.

"It took him forever and a half to get the introductory portion worked out," she finds herself freely commenting as the tune shifts to the next movement.

[Anastasia]

Sitting more erectly than Haruka, Yasuko leans forward. "Really," she asks, lightly prodding you to go on. "It's such wonderful music."

[Liddo-kun]

"If you listen to the piece it's supposed to be happy and fairly upbeat," Haruka points out, "but it didn't sound anything like this before because he didn't really put his feelings into the song.  Your appearance on the outside can get affected if it doesn't match the inside, you know?"  She looks at Yasuko to see if she understood any of what she just said.