Arc 2 setup log: Michiru

[Anastasia]

> ---Arc 2 setup go! Good luck!---
> In Michiru's life there comes times where even school is enough. Simply enough and too much, so that the time after all is said and done requires rest. This rest today comes in the form of a small corner cafe. An outside seat in the fall weather, a few leaves seen blowing in the wind from a nearby sidewalked tree. A cup of tea is delivered as ordered to this outside table, the sidewalk within arm's reach. So she can see Tokyo pass by, walkers and cars both.
> So she can see Tokyo pass by, walkers and cars both.
* Retrieving #terrorofdunes modes...
* Michiru sighs and rehearses a smile as she smells the coffee... only to let her expression fade and sink inevitably into the fringe movements of the fumes. The afternoon went by Michiru as if its destiny was fluid - thus, never she would begin to grasp the very truth behind that vapid afternoon. But maybe, just maybe... that was fine. The people who passed by were all different and undistinguishable. And that weighed a delicate lump of... (cont.)
<Michiru> ... melancholy. Yes. It was a serene, unmoving day like so many others, and Michiru could just say she was alive, and dance, or sing... or just sip a cup of coffee, smiling scantly to things of no importance and making no shocking revelations. It was an afternoon of platitude, indeed.
> Like this day the drink is cool but not hot, merely somewhere pleasant to drink. The citizens of this fair and safe city walk about, lost in thier own lives - dancing to it, perhaps, or simply going to or fro.  There are a few tables about - at the one right ahead of you is a woman. She sips tea and nibbles at a danish. With brown hair in a ponytail and nice green eyes, she's quite appealing. Somewhere in her twenties maybe, as she reads a newspaper. (More)
> She hums to herself, scribbling in the classifies. She has a red pen, circling a large ad for 'maid uniforms' and nodding to herself.
* Michiru sips her coffee a little bit, and puts the cup down. Her eyes fixate momentarily on the woman, as if surprises were suddenly impossible and nothing else could change. And, indeed, while the lady looked somewhat comely, Michiru could see her every day for the rest of her life and it would be the same as if she did not exist. However, something was amiss. Michiru focused, absorbing a vast moment of silence onto herself. And there it was.
* Michiru suddenly raised her chin, the serenity in her complexion slowly drifting away to a shore of lethargic disappointment. Dum, de, dum. The sound pulsated into her ears. La, la, la. Ever crimson and strong. The humming... off-key. And spinning fast into a crescendo, like a toenail, as a man grew. It suddenly bothered Michiru. And then, she had to look more intently. Just enough for the woman to realize...
> She's humming to herself -a merry offbeat tune. You can read the ad - French Style Maid Uniforms! She's made a few notes- For Makoto is the most notable.  As she takes a bite of her danish, you notice she has white tee-"Yes," she turns, looking at Michiru directly.
* Michiru blinks and slowly regains composure. In the end, I was rude, wasn't I... yes. However, she had nothing but to mend a high-tension wire - regardless of the other end knowing such a thing existed. As if that was the first time their eyes ever met, Michiru exerted her best smile for an awkward situation an nodded gently. "Oh... sorry if I caused any inconvenience. I was just a bit curious, I've never seen a lady such as you before around..."
> "Oh, thank you," she blushes approriately, a hand o her cheek. "Curious about this," she asks, flashing the newspaper over. "Oh, I run a bakery and sweets shop. It's the uniform type."
<Michiru> "Hm. I see. Any priorities set for the uniforms?" Michiru realized out of a sudden she probably shouldn't speak so stiffly to a citizen. How such a pointless concern sprung over her mind was another question altogether, and she could run into these conundrums for days on end. As it was, however, Michiru just nodded her thoughts aways and smiled to the lady. That was vaguely surreal, she thought...
> "Cute and appealing," A chuckle follows this, the woman amused. "Yohko, by the way. Nice to meet you...and you don't happen to want a job. They'd look good on you."
> Tapping the paper, "You'd pull off French Maid very well."
* Michiru widens her eyes shortly and blinks, vaguely taken aback. That woman was rather blunt, she thought to herself as her fingers delicately grasped the cup. A sip of coffee later and Michiru was, once again, intimately masked for the conversation. "I see. While I am not looking for a job, I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Yohko-san, and... it would be rude to not introduce myself after so long. Please call me Michiru."
> "Michiru? Pleased." Yohko puts the paper down, a polite and interested smile. The sort you'd have for a distantly interesting but ultimately forgotten conversation come the next morning.  "Don't worry about it."
* Michiru nods gently, gradually bringing up a smile. Whether was it shining or terrifying, amiable or condescendent, only Michiru herself knew. And guessing was all part of her play. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you more, Yohko-san. I am certain that any girl would look adorable in those outfits, too. I hope everything goes well to you."
> "Mmm-hmmm." Raising her eyebrow pointedly, Yohko says gallons without uttering another word. She goes back to her paper, reading and flipping throught it as she enjoys her meal.
* Michiru sighs distraughtly, and looks at the now empty cup of coffee as her mind recoils a bit. The woman... Yohko... felt vaguely artificial in her speech. So did Michiru, although that was a simple prerrogative. Spontaneity was simply not Michiru's forte, and to that, she'd simply turn her back and live forward like a child, like a person... like a girl. Something was amiss, and Michiru could do nothing about it but exist blankly.

[Jo'ou Ranbu]

---Arc 2 setup go!---
> Aaah, T*A. On this drizzy, gray fall day in late October, Michiru can just watch the rain fall. She happens to have a seat in the mid back of the room right by the windows, so this is an excellent option. The trees outside sag with rain moisture and drizzle, Sister Shiyo going on about math. Not the most captivating stuff, but at least it's the last period of the day.
* Michiru smiles faintly, incomprehensibly sincere. There was a certain solemn dismay within the concept of rain that widened the lady's heart and suddenly brought her closer to a center - as a leaf drowning in the whirlwinds of a flowing river, patient, unnanounced. Math had a more accomplishable rythm under the rain, and that Michiru could certainly cope with.
<Michiru> As she treaded carefully between the inner duty of watching the rainfall and the more mundane tasks of Algebra, Michiru synchronized the melody of crystalline piano taps and straight lines, certainties and variables within a simple string. That was her melody - and that was her home. Resignant, maybe cheerful. And always scribbling notes.
> "Michiru." The voice is a crystal shot that shatters over her placid, relaxed mind. Sister Shiyo clears her throat after, tapping her chalk on the blackboard. Behind her isa long equation, full of twisty math. "Would you come up here and solve problem 15?" Tap-tap goes her chalk, impatient and waiting. "Hurry now."
* Michiru nods in acceptance and silently gets up. Her steps nearly silent, fluttering. As Michiru approaches the blackboard, she takes a piece of chalk by hand, delivering a last glance towards sister Shiyo. Nevertheless - the next second, Michiru was already fixated into the equation, pondering numbers and chalking up the problem, step by step.
> OOC - Mind check.
<Michiru> roll 2d6
* Hatbot --> "Michiru rolls 2d6 and gets 8." [2d6=6, 2]
> With a bit of work Michiru solves the math. Not too difficult, but it was abetter challenge than most of the practice problems. Arms crossed over her habit and face expectant, "Very good. X is 5 and Y is 43. Well done. So you did do your studying. Good, you can sit down now."
* Michiru smiles solemnly. "Thank you, sister Shiyo." Michiru returned to her desk as quietly as she left, but now, she had a bit of an excuse to move a bit more slowly. Once her mind lifted from the numbers, the rain felt more comforting and harmonious. The melody... yes. The melody that soothes a dream and cradles a child to the next day. A bit absorbed, Michiru sat, and fully focused on the drifting ceremony of rain.
> It's lulling. The rain doesn't stop or slow in it's descent to it's throne of grass and concrete. Drumming in unerring waves, it is beyond these tepid equations and quietly bored students. It is so much, and so unimportant at the same time? Just kathump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump...
* Michiru nods her head back and forth, appreciating, reminiscing. Once, she read in a book that the rain could be compared to a neverending mosaic that inadvertedly gains form as it touches the ground, raindrops falling and fragmenting into seemingly random patterns that continuously moved, reclaimed and rejected themselves - all at once. How would that translate into a string quartet?, she thought for a moment. Slowly drifting asleep...
> OOC - Body check, sleepy head.
<Michiru> roll 2d6
* Hatbot --> "Michiru rolls 2d6 and gets 5." [2d6=1, 4]
> "MICHIRU!" This time it's like a crystalline buckshot cocktail to the stomach and ears! The light rap of a ruler near her head reinforces this! Ack! Sleep? Michiru realises she wasn't fully concious within a second, but, "You were sleeping during class!"
* Michiru shakes her head and bursts out in shock. However, such short-lived sorrow is adrenaline. Once the thunderous rage subsides from her immediate skin tissues, she nods back and forth, once again, reassuring herself of an existence she could barely register as true, blinking and staring blankly at the room, her eyes sunk into lethargy. It could be considered even pathetic.
> Sister Shiyo doesn't seem to argue that conclusion a bit. Instead, she looks angry! Very angry. "Detention," she says shortly, quite irritated. "Oh, and go stand in the hall for the last 15 minutes of class. That was entirely inexcusable!" Like a thunderstorm of wrath she rolls on, striking Michiru over and over. "You're paying too much to sleep through valuable lessons!"
* Michiru nods in a half-awake stupor, leaving the room in ghostly, pale steps, heading for the hall in a mechanic, nearly thoughtless fashion. The reaction, in hindsight, seemed rather extreme - but Michiru wouldn't be one to argue, much less against a tutor. It was a waste of energy, and maybe of beliefs. Beliefs that, possibly, Michiru didn't even have.
<Michiru> Once the shock subsided, all that was left was the rain. Secure, impregnable as if the world was born under that curtain of life, Michiru kept her solemn (and sonambullous) vigilia towards the rain, expecting, aware. There would always be a next day to make up for the lessons, but... the rain... that was always irreplaceable.
> Wasn't it? As the rain falls in stattico eternities of it's own, a great object o beauty crosses Michiru's path. She strides down the hall as if she owns it lock and stock, steps radiating how sure she is to be here, how much she belongs. A saunter, her striking body and raven black hair mixing with a killer body and insane legs. So she passes on her business, happening to glance at Michiru, eyes meeting hers.
* Michiru blinks, a bit entranced still. The girl passed as a vague blur, but the piercing eyes of an amethyst suddenly brought her awake. Had Michiru a bit more heat, she could say it was even daring, but the school, the glasses, the lights... everything seemed half-asleep, and meeting those infinite eyes could make a thriving adult kneel and admit defeat. The only thing Michiru could certainly grasp from the stranger were... the foreboding, raven-like flows of hair, the annihilating eyes... and the sense of brutalized nobility. She could ponder about a bleeding heart for aeons, and never would she understand how could such a force of nature appear so boldly bruised, reluctant to give up. It was a sort of resistance Michiru herself could not understand... just observe.
> Sparks. A rain of sparks replaces Michiru's vision of rain for fleeting seconds, her skin crawling with lines of fire and itch. As if her beauty can scorch away the eternal rain with nary a thought, nature's power personified into a mere girl. She barely pays Michiru mind, turning her head away, but she tosses her fabolous hair as she strides off. "Looking at something," she challenges lightly, passing by at a very slow saunter now.
* Michiru sighs absentmindedly. "I... just thought I saw something strange. Pay me no mind, I'm certain you wouldn't anyway. Sorry..." - and, as she looked down, Michiru felt suddenly uncomfortable. There was no pain, but the insufferable heat and passion of those sparkling strings were claustrophobic, asphyxiating to the placid steps of nameless Sylphids that now were customary in Michiru's daily meanderings. That was the unforgettable fire.
> "Hmph." The beauty does slow down a little more, nary a crawl of movement as she looks Michiru over. Her gaze is warm; nay, hot. Her violet tinted eyes could be lavender flames of vengence if they were not so alluring. "Got in trouble," she follows up, mundanity from her nearly obssessive, supernatural gifts. It's almost creepy.
<Michiru> "It was nothing much, really. Just fell asleep during class." At that point, Michiru simply avoided contact. It was intimidating, terribly close. And in such short notice, even... had she known, Michiru could breathe deeply, smile like a fillet of milk blanks over a cat's fur and play a guessing game with a simple gesture, a knowing word. But flames wouldn't accept that. They'd require truth. And that was always awkward for Michiru.
> "Whatever." The stunning black haired girl puts it aside, going off as forces of nature are wont to do. Leaving Michiru back to her drizzy existance, her thoughts let roam again..or should, but she stops at the last moment, an amused smile. "Oh, by the way. In a club already?"
* Michiru nods. "Yes. I play the violin in the music club, and I also frequent the literature club." Her words came serenely, but frankly lacking in emphasis. There was no joy or excitement in her voice, just the pale stitch of gentleness that often sounded like a sacrifice - ending up as heavy-handed lethargy. And she blinked once again, as if she had to readjust herself to the fact she had a body everyday by the sunrise.
> "Good, good. So you can't join the Supernatural Club?" She seems oddly buoyed by that, uplifed by rejection.
* Michiru reflexively covers her mouth with the back of her left hand, feigning a cough. Her normally tense strings suddenly went loose, and the drizzle grew into a plummeting storm. Her humor was catarthically uplifted by the girl's words, chiming the worst of Michiru's. She heard the stories, and couldn't do but faintly snicker. Few things could spark condescension in Michiru like the tales of that club.
<Michiru> She giggled to herself a bit longer, suddenly assuming an unnaturally sunny exterior, as if a single awakening could never exclude the necessity of danger or patronizing cynicism. Still avoiding contact with those outrageous amethyst eyes, Michiru sighed, dispelling her giggle for good. "I don't think I would be an ideal addition to your ranks, but I appreciate your offer."
> "Heh, good for you," A smile is cracked in return, lighting up her face like a momentary bonfire let loose. "I can tell her that I tried now."
* Michiru blinks, a bit confused. "... her?"
> "Oh, the club leader. She's...." A long pause, "Something. Yeah, something, Kotono is." Whistling a moment at her own words, dim memories coming with them, "Seen her around goign on like it's a new religion?"
<Michiru> "... ah, yes. Sarashima-san, correct? I could say I heard a few whispers about her uncommon behaviour. I have never seen her, however." Michiru settles down slightly. For a moment, she thought there would be a shocking revelation and the sound of broken glass would be heard in an ubiquitous corner of the world, forever turning the streams of a river upside down. And nothing could be more painful than that. In the end, they were just lunatics.
> "Yeah, something like that." Rei brushes it off, but for some reason she scowls. As if she finds something lacking in all of that, a hand to her hip. "Polite enough for you already," she banters back easily, now fully frozen only a few feet in front of Michiru.
* Michiru sighs once again, subsiding and relenting once again into her shuffling obscurity, her body immobile as ever. At that point, Michiru was approaching the condition of chamber music, existing solely through a silence that, unless read and relived, falls short of anything but awkward. Even her muffled words seemed to reverberate into her veins, finally succumbing into her own void. "... I see..."
> "...right," Rei rolls her eyes, "Did I push too hard to pop your delicate little flower. Relax," Jauntily bantering back, mixed with fiery sarcasm, it's a potent potion of disdain, amusement and allure. "You sound like you're talking to your right proper servant about afternoon tea."
* Michiru nods forgetfully, paying attention to the rain once again, transfixed, impossible. At that exact moment, Michiru realized the retraction happened on purpose. She could only stretch beyond her world so far, truth be told. Her eyes hypnotically nodded to Rei, then to the rain outside, the murmurs coming out in a slow, daunting ceremony. "... yes, yes. I know. But why expect any less?" Vague, bemused. Probably not sure of her own meaning.
> "Oi." Snorting in both disgust and amusement, Rei tosses her hair again. So vibrant and alive, overshadowing Michiru merely by it's movement in the still air. It awakens the air, a gentle cimmamon scented breeze coming from it. Back to Michiru as she begins to move away, "Right. You have fun with that angst."
<Michiru> "I'm fine. Good afternoon to you." Michiru went back to the rain, noting the footsteps dwindle as time passed. Slowly. Plack-plack-plack. Now, she could finally breathe and nod to herself connivently. Michiru gleaned at Rei once more with the corner of her eyes with sly dismay - and maybe pity. Once the scorching fumes of amethyst were gone, looking down on her became easy, almost natural. And she had detention to mull over that pettiness.
> Michiru's ears are sharp today. Sharp enough to catch a vagary of sound and air as Rei fades down the hall, a muttered invective. "Bitch." So is Rei's verdict, striding off and out of Michiru's life again, off to dominate the rain or the sun or even the world itself - just out of Michiru's own little world.
* Michiru smirks. That was... an odd headstart, she considered. She had an offensive little word, which could mean a thunderstorm for any other girl - and possibly bloody pulps on the floor alongside - but, in Michiru's hands, they were little more than a sad little amusement. She could toy with it for an afternoon, like a cat and a ball of yarn, and then she would close the door, forever shutting off a possible fate. Michiru smiled faintly.
<Michiru> In the end, all she could do was sigh and move forward, desireless, one day at a time. And she knew offhand what Rei came off as, regardless. "In the end, even the princess has nothing but her self-importance? ... maybe. Interesting... if a bit pointless..." And, like that, Michiru resigned herself to her own murmur, and the rain.

[Anastasia]

---Arc 2 setup go!---
> Bed. Her bedroom. This is where Michiru sleeps, lost in her own dreams for now. Lightly moving on her bed, in the sway of deep misty images. (Go ahead and feel free to set up your room a bit, more coming in a few.)
* Michiru pondered a bit looking at the ceiling, far too awake for the nightly rest. Sleeping, sometimes, felt like a waste. Enjoying the night has its issues, I guess... a little bit of insomnia? Her mind was so empty at that moment, darkened like the room itself...
> It's just quiet. 2 PM glows on the alarm clock stand, but sleep is elusive. Unbidden memories from the recent days come - a strikingly beautiful girl passing you by, a slight twinge inside.
<Michiru> The clock murmured no news to the girl. However, she thought odd that the memory of a girl would keep her awake. "Funny, people in general tend to just go forgotten..." - she blinked and swayed a bit in bed. It feels like even my mind abandoned me by now, she thought, a bit tense...
> It just won't quite go away. Something about her - the way her eyes flashed, the way she talked. It stirs you deep inside, for reasons you can't put any meaning to.
* Michiru rolls in bed with unease. Gnawing on the discomfort, she ended up voicing her thoughts. "And she is such a rude little princess", as if picking on an exterior flaw would ever change the unease into mere dislike. Michiru could try to place all the wrong - but justifiable - reasons to be unsettled by that girl, but she knew her slight nausea had an unknown origin. And that, like usual, couldn't be explained by words.
> She was indeed - but like a Princess she commanded attention, even in memory. It just stirs you - something deeper. Something that...almost hurts at times.
* Michiru smiled bitterly, accepting defeat to an undiscernable entity for god knows what reason. Her heartbeats felt like a clutching claw to her innards at that point, and Michiru just had to do something. Thus, she got up and decided she was thirsty. Yes - a glass of water would do some good.
> The kitchen is quiet - a lovely place of memories and activity muted. The water pours smoothly into her glass - yet even that makes her think of Rei Hino. Just...the flow of it. It makes her want to watch the flow of water, too.
* Michiru smiles faintly. After pouring the water in the glass, she opens her palm and lets it approach the water stream. The calm, controlled stream, reminded Michiru of Rei in an association by antithesis. "Everything that this fillet of water brings - the comfort, the contemplative serenity - is what that girl's eyes could easily destroy just by staring. I wonder why bringing this out loud feels almost impossible..."
> OOC - Make a mind check and a soul check.
<Michiru> 2d6
-eternia.dejatoons.net:@#cowwoods- Kotono invited Reikobot into the channel.
<Michiru> [15:12] * Hatbot --> "Michiru rolls 2d6 and gets 2." [2d6=1, 1]
<Michiru> 2d6
<Michiru> roll 2d6
<Reikobot> Michiru rolled : 2d6 --> [ 2d6=2 ]{2}
> A flash of memory - it shatters Michiru's mind with it's sudden intensity. Princess Rei-Mars. A splurt and deluge of information that leaves you shaking, lost within a second of remembering it. Only a jumble remains - Moon, sky, world, Metallia, MARS. Yet as it does something stirs - thew ater from the tap stops, flowing to her hand and forming a perfectly still lake in her palm.
* Michiru shakes her head violently, in an unnatural - yet perfectly instinctive - reaction. The flames of Mars resounding on her mind, burning the silent strings of music, the crimson stars overwhelming Michiru's thoughts. Trying to subside the intensity of the feelings, she looks once again to the water, nearly giggling in madness, trying to calm her soul... and, as soon as Michiru sees that still lake... - she screams. Like a glass being shot.
> She feels the power - her power, a small part of her stirs - holding the water to her. It hovers in the air, as if gravity holds no more reign this evening, flowing straight to her hand. Mars...Uranus...Mercury...Saturn...Nep-It stops there, a spasm rocking Michiru's body.
* Michiru suddenly feels as if a stream virulently poured through her veins. Her body trembled, and her eyes, even wide open, could barely see beyond a blurry haze. The strings reverberated strongly, in a violent howl. What... what was happening? What was that power? "What in the world... am... I..."
> OOC - Soul check again. If you 2 again I'm going to scream.
<Michiru> roll 2d6
<Reikobot> Michiru rolled : 2d6 --> [ 2d6=10 ]{10}
> For a split second Michiru's body glows - a form is there, but it's gone as she falls to the floor. She feels faint and yet supercharged as water falls, the supernatural effect over.
* Michiru shivers and sobs, sitting in the floor, frail, oddly defeated. Water drops run down her cheek, her body soaked. "It's... it's cold... so cold..."
> A passing memory - Rei isn't cold. Somehow you know this, just the opposite. Hot, burning fire is what Rei is. But otherwise she sits there, the magic gone.
* Michiru nods her head in disbelief, the shroud of cold slowly being staved off by the intense heat of the haughty princess. With a deep sigh, Michiru tries to recollect herself. Sliding her hands through the face, wiping the water from the skin, she starts to get up, suddenly no more than a stranger to her own. What were those... and why did the warmth intimidate her so?
> No answers come now - only the memories of what she just had. That and Rei Hino, the Princess of T*A.
* Michiru breathes deeply and heads towards the bathroom for a towel. She had lost a night of sleep, but that didn't mean she needed to stay wet for its remainder.
> OOC - What are you going to do now, Michiru?
<Michiru> OOC - Hm. Dry up. From there, probably read a book. She's not going to sleep at this point anymore.
> OOC - Okay. Would she try to track down Rei or anything? Or would she write this off, or just think it over/
<Michiru> OOC - Think it over. Too little initiative to track Rei down.
> OOC - Okay. Do you wanna monologue or it or air your thoughts or anything?
<Michiru> Don't think it's necessary.
<Michiru> *OOC -
* Kotono nods. Okay. That was pretty good. Went waaaay off course due to those two dual crits. Insane.
> The odds of that are probably in the four digits.
* Michiru nods. So, we're done for now?
> For the mometn. I need to let #dunes resolve and get that in order so I know how free Rei is.
> I'll gnaw on you in a few hours.
<Michiru> Kay.
* Kotono nods. Okay, I think we're done here.