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Re: Swampie's Stories : Mirror Shots : 2 : 26/10/15

Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2015 8:55 pm
by swampie2
Sharp-O wrote:Pretty cute! The interaction between Emi and Rin is kind of what I had in mind for an alternate mirror-shoujo kind of deal.
Thanks! I did a lot of re-writing to get it just right.
Sharp-O wrote:I liked the detail of the more refined painting too. Good work, Swamp :lol:
I spent far too much time putting silly things onto that painting. :lol:

Shizune In America

Posted: Thu Dec 10, 2015 9:46 am
by swampie2
Shizune in America!

This takes place between 'Shizune in the snow: 5' and 'Shizune in the snow: Finale'

It's been sitting idle on my hard drive for a while, so I thought I may as well publish it. :lol:

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


POV: Hisao

I always hated how noisy airports are. There is always a child screaming or someone complaining about their flight is late mixed in the the natural hum of a working aerodome. This is a fact that Shizune has only just discovered, her face has been glued into a scowl ever since we checked in and began waiting. I decided to take pity and raise the hand wrapped around her neck to the hearing aid and flick the small power switch. Shizune looks shocked for a second before realizing what I've done and quickly signs her thanks, obviously having missed the idea that she can turn the thing off.

It was tough to get our professor to hand over our work for a week. Luckily we reached a compromise; he'd give me the last version of the prototype if I bought him lunch. I was quick to accept a permanent way for Shizune to enjoy the world and extend my thanks. I was able to fix most of the problems we had with that prototype rather quickly as we've already fixed them once, but Shizune was still overjoyed to hear that I'd gotten hold of it permanently, even if it's an older version.

She was very happy to hear that we're visiting Misha, and immediately asked how I was going to pay for it, she's pretty much become the accountant for our two piece family. It still feels strange to call us a family. I haven't proposed yet, we haven't even thought about it since we've both been so devoted to our studies after we both promised to get well paid jobs so we didn't have to rely on eachother too much. I suppose that's Shizune for you, always planning for the future.

The large screen mounted above us flickers to life with a loud beep and a large message scrolls across it.

Flight 815 to America now boarding.

I shake my companion from her quiet little bubble and point her to the sign, a quick nod from both of us decides our next move of action. We stand before checking to make sure we've got all of our light luggage and then begin moving towards boarding.

---

POV: Shizune

America is only a little different compared to what I expected. Large office buildings guard the skyline and smaller stalls selling various foods and items are scattered around the streets, much like they are during festival time in Japan, however it seems to be an all year round normality in New York.

Our plane ride was quiet; unlike the whiplash I thought it would be, but that's mostly because the... my hearing aid died halfway through the flight. I'm sure I would have turned it off on my own, but having the choice taken away from me was rather annoying. Hisao didn't mind cuddling while I fell asleep though, so I couldn't stay angry for long.

And now here we are; a tiny apartment building that took us a half hour to find, even once we were on the right street. Usually you'd have to buzz someone to let you in, but it seems we don't have that choice here. We instead let ourselves through the large iron gate as Misha had instructed and make our way upstairs while Hisao compares his phone to the room numbers, eventually stopping at Misha's room.

[Ladies first.] He signs while pointing to the door, his hands temporarily free from the baggage he's been tugging along. I raise my hand and knock on the door as usual. I've not knocked on a door since I got my hearing aid, so I'd never realized how violent I am. Perhaps that's why Hisao always looks a little extra groggy when I have to wake him. After a second or two and the clacking of the lock, the door swings open the reveal Misha. Her sleepy, slightly dopey expression quickly turns to surprise, as does mine; The girl has lost a lot of weight. I quickly force a smile onto my face as she stands dead still, about a second goes by before she launches herself at me, wrapping both arms around me as if I'd vanish in a cloud of smoke if she let go.

She shares a few sentences with Hisao before he motions towards the door, then Misha begins shuffling backwards while still holding onto me. Hisao only offer a chuckle as he picks up the bags again and steps through the door with a grin on his face. Myself and Misha awkwardly stumble into the room while she's still hugging me as tightly as she can.

---

POV: Hisao

I step into the apartment leaving Misha and Shizune to chat for a second before seeing that Misha has no plan to let go in the near future given Shizune's crushed expression. Misha's apartment is less of an apartment and more of a room. There is a large futon placed up against one wall, probably Misha's sleeping area, while the other side of the room is dominated by a large sofa and television set accompanied by her various game consoles from Yamaku. Behind me sits a small counter, and behind that a minimalist kitchen that seems to be made of up a microwave oven and portable stove.

By the time I've taken a look around, Shizune has freed herself and ushered Misha back into her apartment. Shizune flops down into the sofa shortly followed by Misha. If you were an outside observer you would have guessed that these two were a couple. I quickly unzip my backpack and pull out the four pack of canned coffee that I brought for the plane trips but never had a chance to open. Lightly placing them on the coffee table, I sit myself down on the small cushioned chair placed opposite the sofa, where I see that Shizune has moved to face Misha, crossing her legs in front of her.

"Nnnice to... s-see... you again." Shizune speaks softly, her voice barely registering over the rooms natural sound while doing her best to keep her hands in her lap to stop her from signing, something I had been trying to get her to do that seems to have stuck. Misha tilts her head to the side in confusion before bursting into laughter, much to Shizune's disappointment. I make sure to give her a thumbs up before returning my attention to Misha.

["It's great to see you too~"] Misha exclaims, laughing wildly. ["And you as well Hisao!"] She turns to me, her eyes glittering slightly.

["And the same to you, Misha"] I respond while leaning forward to grab myself a can of coffee. Misha quickly notices and jumps from her seat before skipping towards the kitchen and returning with three glasses, each holding a couple of ice cubes in the bottom. She slams them down and cracks open a can of coffee before emptying in into the cup.

["Iced coffee!"] She exclaims, still pouring the drink.

[Like Iced tea?] Shizune signs, holding back a laugh. I, on the other hand, have completely failed to hide my amusement.

["It's a real thing here!~"] Misha defends, now filling the other glasses with coffee. Don't knock it till you try it right? I take a tentative gulp of the coffee and find that It's actually pleasant in a way, at least more pleasant that room temperature coffee.

["Not bad."] I chuckle, having expected it to be awful.

[I agree.] Shizune adds her approval stamp before placing the glass back down, freeing both her hands for high speed communication. [So how are things?] Shizune asks, I'm sure she knows since they speak often enough, but hearing it in person must be nice.

["Pretty crazy; I've been working my butt of studying International and American sign for the last couple of months, that and working as a waiter has stolen all my free time, so It's nice to have a break."] She speaks, as she finishes she leans back into the sofa.

[You got time off work?] Shizune continues her interrogation.

"Mhmm" She nods ["I told my boss that some friends from Japan were coming hoping for a day or two off, then he gave me the whole week since you guys have come from so far!~"] She smiles, her finger swinging wildly in the air. ["So it's time!~"] She springs from her seat energetically before trotting over towards the TV and frantically messing with a tangle of wires.

["Time for what?"] I chuckle nervously, shooting glances to Shizune who seems to be just as lost as me given her exaggerated shrug.

---

POV: Hisao

Misha's alarm clock blares out intently, waking me from my rather uncomfortable sleeping position against the sofa. After a couple of seconds Misha's arm emerges from below her sheets and begins to swing around, eventually finding her bedside table and connecting with her clock.

SMASH

"Augh..." I slowly open my eyes and bring my hand to my face. "Did you just throw your alarm clock at me?" I chuckle, now rubbing at the dull pain residing in my forehead.

"Ohmygodi'msosorry! Are you okay?" Misha explodes. How can she be so energetic after just waking up?

"You're a good shot." I chuckle.

"Did I really hit you in the head?" She chortles in a rather un-ladylike fashion.

"Uhuh." I shrug. "I don't think you did any permanent damage." I shake my head and release a short laugh, what an interesting way to wake up.

"Where's Shicchan?" Misha questions, causing me to look down at my lap to find that it's currently less Shizune-d than it was during the 'super video game battle royale' we had last night.

"I think she's making breakfast." I retort while taking a deep breath, smelling early morning cooking. I stretch out and reach for the clock that Misha so thoughtfully provided, reading the time at just a little past eight am.

"Breakfast?" She mirrors, now rubbing at her eyes. After slowly standing and stretching out my back, I spin around to look into the kitchen; Just behind the counter is Shizune, doubled over and attempting to hide her amusement.

[I can't believe that just happened.] She giggles silently behind her hand. I take a deep breath and realize the hilarity of the situation and releasing a laugh of my own, it feels just like our time at Yamaku all over again.

---

["Thanks for the food!"] I bow my head forward and take in the aroma of the large traditional Japanese feast that Shizune has prepared for us.

"Actual Japanese food..." Misha mutters to herself as she attempts to remember how to use chopsticks.

[I bet it's been a while since you've eaten good food,] Shizune quietly giggles, seemingly predicting Misha's words, that or she knows the word 'food' already. [So we brought some things over with us.]

["There is tons of good food here! But nothing as homey as this... Thanks Shicchan!"] Misha retorts having finally managed to hold her chopsticks correctly on the second try. After bowing her head and giving her thanks again, we all dig in. Shizune took a liking to cooking shortly after we moved to Tokyo, luckily enough for me. If it weren't for her cooking then I'd be living off convenience store food every day, much like many of the other science students. For the first month or so she only had the confidence to make 'safer' dishes like Ramen or Yakisoba, but after that she began to experiment more. Now she even has a small notebook that she keeps all of her recipes in, and intendeds to 'pass it down to our children', apparently.

["That was great!"] Misha extends her compliments and places the empty bowl in her hands back onto the table.

["No problem, we though you'd enjoy something traditional."] I return with a smile, I'm glad we managed to get most of it over the border.

[Not like you helped at all.] Shizune retorts, now also finished with her meal.

["I tried, but you said it'd be awful if I cooked anything!"] I attempt to defend my pride, but I think that's all but shot at this point.

[You're a scientist, not a cook, Hisao.] Shizune giggles, causing Misha to explode into her trademark 'Wahaha' laugh.

["What about that 'Blumenthal' guy? He's both."] I retort, remembering the show we watched where he freeze dried a bunch of ingredients to make some freaky, half science, half cooking dish.

["You two got really close, huh?"] Misha reigns in her laughter, an ability she must have gained since coming over here.

["Well we are dating."] I chuckle in return, causing Shizune to blush slightly.

["Just dating? When's the wedding?~"] Misha laughs even harder, now causing Shizune to retreat behind her hands in an attempt to hide her rapidly reddening face.

"M-misha!" Shizune explodes, her voice cracking slightly, causing both of us to fall into silence. [You're embarrassing me!] She returns to sign as me and Misha both stare at her, jaws slack.

"Woah..." I mutter, attempting to put my thoughts in order, I've never heard Shizune's voice be that powerful. I suppose the power of embarrassment is a strong one.

[We'll get married after we're done with our studies...] Shizune signs timidly, her blush now covering her entire face.

["You better have a good DJ!~"] Misha laughs loudly, I had forgotten how loud she was. Shizune reaches for her aid and tweaks for a second, presumably lowering the volume down slightly.

---

{"I'll have two coffees, please."} I speak to the waiter as the feeling in my arms returns slowly, I've been the designated bag-carrier for the shopping trip today.

{"One hot chocolate for me please!"} Misha orders and the waiter gives a short nod before wandering off. ["I didn't know you were so fluent, Hicchan."]

["Yeah, lots of the science conventions we visit are mainly english, as well as all the papers I have to read."] I return with a short sigh, now stretching out my aching fingers.

["Looks like it's worth it though."] Misha giggles as she watching Shizune intently listening to the sound of the cafe.

["She gets like this a lot, she'll just zone out and listen forever if I don't stop her."] I chuckle, now able to feel my fingertips. Misha joins in Shizune's peaceful listening and we fall into silence for a second. My phone buzzes on the table, temporarily revealing the background image of myself and Shizune at the zoo we took earlier today before it's covered up by an email alert. I scan my eyes over the email and see that my professor has sent me an assignment to complete before I return to Japan. I was hoping that I wouldn't have to work while I was here, but it seems that's out of my control.

I place my phone back onto the table and look at the girl leaning her head on my shoulder, then the girl sat across the table, idly sipping on her hot chocolate. Shizune is smiling, Misha is smiling, and I find that I'm smiling as well. I'm glad we were able to visit, it's been a nice break for myself and Shizune so far, but I think the one who is getting the most out of the visit is Misha. When we arrived her smiles were forced and artificial, but each day her grin becomes more authentic. She spent almost all of today beaming like a madman, her signature laughter filled the air to the point where I started feeling tired of it.

Just like our student council days...

Re: Swampie's Stories : Shizune In America : 10/12/15

Posted: Thu Dec 10, 2015 10:01 am
by brythain
There were two funny moments in this one.

1. Flight 815 to America—I don't think there's any airline/airport that would announce a flight like that! Normally flight information gives the destination city.

2. Misha actually clocked Hisao! :D

Re: Swampie's Stories : Shizune In America : 10/12/15

Posted: Thu Dec 10, 2015 10:12 am
by swampie2
brythain wrote:There were two funny moments in this one.

1. Flight 815 to America—I don't think there's any airline/airport that would announce a flight like that! Normally flight information gives the destination city.

2. Misha actually clocked Hisao! :D
It's been a while since I was on a plane, so I really had no clue how that stuff works. :lol:

Glad you enjoyed it!

Re: Swampie's Stories : Shizune In America : 10/12/15

Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2015 2:42 am
by Hesmiyu
Yay for another good story :D
brythain wrote: 2. Misha actually clocked Hisao! :D
I see what you did there :-P

Re: Swampie's Stories : Shizune In America : 10/12/15

Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2015 7:59 pm
by Sharp-O
brythain wrote:2. Misha actually clocked Hisao! :D
HA! :lol:

YAY! I kind of assumed Misha was going to be okay but I'm glad to see that she actually is. I wouldn't expect video games to be Misha's first choice of activity with her now hearing friend but sure :P

Re: Swampie's Stories : Shizune In America : 10/12/15

Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2015 8:02 pm
by swampie2
Hesmiyu wrote:Yay for another good story :D
Thanks Hes!
Sharp-O wrote:YAY! I kind of assumed Misha was going to be okay but I'm glad to see that she actually is. I wouldn't expect video games to be Misha's first choice of activity with her now hearing friend but sure :P
There was a large chunk of story here about Hisao finding Misha's anti-depressants, but It was so thick it just wasn't fun to read. In the end I consider this extra to the story, it's not required but it's there anyway.

I think Misha was just happy that she gets to see her friends again at that moment in time, I should write a little piece where that information hits her and she has a moment of realization. :lol:

Re: Swampie's Stories : Shizune In America : 10/12/15

Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2015 8:09 pm
by Sharp-O
I think, personally, I would have had her turn on her stereo or grab her iPod, plop down next to Shizune and say "This is every song you ever need to listen to".

Swampie's Stories : Library Time : 12/12/15

Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2015 10:12 pm
by swampie2
"Hello?" I call out, the librarian's desk messy, but unattended. A dull thud resonates from below the desk, making me jump slightly, before a head of auburn hair emerges.

"S-sorry, sorry, hello?" Her voice is shaken, most likely due to the concussion she was just gifted by the desk.

"Hi... I was looking for the librarian." I attempt to battle forward through the conversation. Social skills have never been my strongest trait.

"That's me!" She beams, her smile disarming me. She doesn't look like the typical librarian, calm and quiet. She does have glasses though, +1 librarian point.

"Oh, great! I was looking for some books." My brain neglects to mention what kind of books I'm looking for. Great job brain. She stifles a laugh before her hand before responding.

"Well... what kind of books are you looking for?" Her sweet smile shines despite my faux pas.

"Uhh, European history." My brain jumps into gear, retrieving vital information as fast as it can.

"Oh! Oh! Great!" She practically jumps on the spot before dashing out from behind the desk and wrapping her hand around my wrist. The rather strange librarian begins to lead me, or rather, drag me through the library.

"You see, I'm hoping to study European history! Do you need any help?" It's hard to hear her over the wind rushing past my ears at the speed we're going at. We promptly grind to a halt as we reach the far wall of the library, presumably where the history section is.

"What era are you going to specialize in?" I regain my composure and rub my wrist free of the bondage marks she probably left given how hard she was holding onto my wrist. She turns away sheepishly, did I mess up again?

"I-I haven't really decided yet." She speaks with her back facing me. What to do in this situation? I could peace out and read my book? No, I worked so hard on making sure this conversation didn't collapse, I may as well push the boundaries.

"Then I'll help you decide, you've got a while until applications open given it's the start of the school year, right?"



Brain, what was that!? I just wanted to continue the conversation, not help decide this poor girl's future!

"Y-you would?" She spins on her heels, her entire figure practically coated with glitter given how excited she looks. Crap.

"Heh, S-sure, let's get a couple books then." A nervous laugh makes it's way into my sentence. Perhaps I should just make a tactical retreat and advance in the opposite direction.

---

"Thanks for asking me to come with you." She speaks quietly, her hand looming ever closer to mine. Or perhaps I'm just being paranoid.

"Y-yeah, same here." I stutter to response, my thoughts making the gap between her sentence and my agreement almost awkward. Close one. She begins giggling, and I realize my mistake. "I mean, I'm thankful that... yeah." I attempt to reel it back in. So close, yet so far.

"Loosen up, it's not like we're on a date or anything." Her giggling continues, though that statement is somewhat relaxing.

How did we get here? Well of course, I was planning a trip to the library in the city this weekend. That wasn't a split second decision at all. Suuure. Well that was how it happened the first time, but Yuuko has been looking forward to a weekly trip into the city so much that I could hardly turn her down. Today marks the fourth time I've accompanied her to the library so we can look into different forms of history.

We enter the large glass building through the revolving doors, and make our way to the second floor, where all the history books are, according to the maps plastered all around. Before long we're browsing the isles and my arms are being filled with various books practically tossed at me. It's a miracle this girl got a job as a librarian given how she treats books. This one here is barely holding together and it just made a majestic five meter flight into my hands.

"Alright, Yuuko, I think this will be enough for the moment." I whisper as loudly as I can, hoping to alert the ditzy red-head without annoying anyone else here. Luckily she notices that we've collected at least a thousand years of history on paper and silently agrees. She gives a solemn nod before leading the way over to an empty table in the back area.

As we dig into the literary resources, or rather, as Yuuko does, the silence begins to get to me. The only sounds around are those of pages turning or wood creaking. My wandering gaze lands on the woman sat opposite to me, her eyes are locked on the pages of the book, a large smile spread across her cheeks. Her eyes trace each letter intricately, deciphering as much information as she can from the paper in her hands. I guess that the library in Yamaku doesn't have that many books regarding this subject.

It's strange how my boredom fluctuates on these trips. Usually the trips here and back are filled with conversation, so I'm happy then, while the time spend collecting books is so boring it may as well be deadly, but the reading isn't actually all that bad. Not because I enjoy the reading, but because I enjoy watching Yuuko.

I admit, that sounds creepy, and I suppose it is, but that's not important. It's calming to see someone so enraptured with something, so excited by it that they can tune out the world and enjoy it for long stretches of time, usually ending up with us getting kicked out of the place by security. Either way, the last few trips into the city with Yuuko have stopped being boring, and actually have become a point in my week to look forward to.

---

"Heyy..." She drawls, her slightly drunken state only slightly outmatching my own. "How drunk are yuu?"

"I can handle my liquor, I'm a man!" I exclaim proudly, causing both of us to break into laughter once again. I am fairly drunk.

"Heyy..." She attempts to speak through her fits of giggles that come and go like a breeze. "I got you a present!" She borderline shouts, making me worry for my neighbors, hopefully we didn't wake them.

"Well... what is it?" My curiosity is piqued.

"Surprise!" She shouts again before falling forward headfirst, her lips meeting mine. Oh.

---

"Eugh..." Escapes my throat as I raise myself from the bed, my head throbbing violently. Why? My whole body aches... did somebody attack me? I need to run through the events of last night and figure this out.

We finished our usual trip to the library and grabbed some food. After that we ran into the store to grab some stuff for next week. Yuuko ended up buying whiskey... that can't have been the problem, I can handle my alcohol... then we got back to my room and drank... a good chunk of the bottle. Then...

Oh god.

We did it.

We did IT.

That's gotta be what happened to me. But how?

"M-morning, Kenji." Yuuko raises from the bed next to me, her body scarcely covered by the sheets, her hair a true mess. She doesn't look too bad besides the bed hair... so why do I feel so awful? I feel like I could throw up at any second. She? Would she?

"Y-you?" My gravely voice sounds out, causing Yuuko's head to swivel towards me. "You're a feminist?"

"What? Kenji are you okay?"

"No!" I scream. "And that's exactly the thing a feminist would say!"

"Kenji, what are-"

"Shush! I won't be fooled by you any more!" My fight of flight kicks in and I launch from the bed before exiting the room at terminal velocity.

"Fucking feminists. I knew that blog post wasn't bullshit." I mutter to myself as I escape the dorms and begin running towards the town. Damn it's cold, but it would have been to risky to keep any of my clothes, she could have sabotaged them. Naked will do for now. I'll move to another country, she won't be able to find me. They won't be able to find me, none of those fucking feminists. Energy draining, are you kidding me? That's like something out of a manga... I almost died!

Image

Re: Swampie's Stories : Library Time : 12/12/15

Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2015 6:38 am
by Mirage_GSM
I was suspecting Kenji from the start but I was having doubts because in the whole story there is no indication of his blindness...
One thing probably caused by autocorrect. Seriously, turn that off ^^°
the silence being to get to me.

Re: Swampie's Stories : Library Time : 12/12/15

Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2015 8:20 am
by swampie2
Mirage_GSM wrote:I was suspecting Kenji from the start but I was having doubts because in the whole story there is no indication of his blindness...

That's true, but I wanted to keep the facade up. :lol:

Thanks for reading!

Re: Swampie's Stories : Library Time : 12/12/15

Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2015 11:00 am
by Sharp-O
Well... That escalated quickly!

I always imagined this scenario playing out differently. The morning after being relatively pleasant but later, being alone with his thoughts would slowly drive Kenji to madness and to the neurotic mess we know today.

Up until then, it was really sweet though.

Swampie's Stories : Mirrormyth : 3/1/16

Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2016 9:56 am
by swampie2
Alternate universe? Alternate universe.

---

Misha and Shizune bicker between themselves, their hands swooshing through the air as the decide what kind of takeout is the best... at least I think so. With nothing left to do, my eyes wander the room lazily, the beige walls a surprisingly nice change of pace from the usual green and white that the hospital used.

My thoughts are broken when I hear the girl at the rear of the classroom shout something, and my head moves over to them instinctively and I throw a weary smile. The... larger of the three moves over and grins, offering a piece of paper towards me.

“Hi, newbie! Welcome to 3-3!” He announces proudly as I flip the paper, exposing a pencil sketch of myself...

“Umm, th-thank you?" I offer, as the thought 'why would he draw me' plays across my mind. "I’m Nakai but you can call me Hisao.” I continue. The girl moves over next and Introduces their small groups of friends, Akio, the guy with red hair sat at the back, Taro, the artist and Ritsu herself. I offer a small nod to each as they are introduced and return my eyes to the page. He even got that little tuft of hair that always stands up no matter how hard I try.

“Think of it as a welcome gift from me and the gang.” Taro raises his arm to his rub his neck, a nervous smile playing across his face, I guess I have been looking at this drawing for a long time without saying anything.

“Well, it certainly looks like me! Thank you again, Taro. I was just a little thrown for a second.” I elaborate, unable to explain anything besides 'It looks like me' due to my ineptitude with the arts. It's an impressive drawing given the time he had to draw it. Taro responds in english and whatever he said goes right over my head.

I offer another nod and turn back to Misha and Shizune, their decision seems nowhere closer to conclusion, and I need to find the library. With a wave, I sling my bag over my shoulder as I walk and begin making my way down the stairs.

I should get some juice.

---

The soft clang of the can dropping into the tray echoes through the empty corridors, as does the cracking of the top and the slurp that follow. The books in my bag rustle as I make my way down the corridor, my trip to the library was a successful one.

My footsteps fall into rhythm as I begin to make my way to the doors, only to be stopped by the new sound bouncing around the hallways... Piano?

I may as well have an adventure. I slowly navigate the corridors, making my way towards the sound with each step. Before I know it, I've reached the music room and the source of the sound. Peering through open door, I see a large upright piano against the far wall with someone sat in front of it, their hands gliding across the keys lightly.

Chopin? Whatever it is, it sounds complicated. Complicated and aggressive. Unfortunately, the sound is cut short with a small grunt as the pianist grabs at her wrist.

"Gah, fuck..." She moans to the empty room before forcing herself from the stool and spinning around, noticing me mid spin and almost falling over. "Woah, Jeez! At least cough or something, you almost gave me a heart attack." She curses, causing me to stifle a laugh at her expression. She softens up as I enter the room, her expression melding back into a passive smile.

"Sorry about that Tainaka, I didn't want to put you off." I explain as I glance around the music room. Almost everything is covered in thick dust, I get the feeling that she might be the only person who actually uses this room.

"Just Ritsu, please." She smiles as she tears the velcro on her arm braces loose.

"I didn't know you played." My brain kicks into drive, after the hour or two I spent reading it went into autopilot.

"Well duh, you've only been here a day, right?" She chuckles in return, her short hair bobbing as she laughs. She places herself down on the table in the centre of the room before throwing her braces into her bag and fishing out her phone.

"Yeah, I suppose I couldn't have known." I offer a sheepish smile at the backfired attempt to start a conversation. Luckily it doesn't throw Ritsu off her stride as she returns a wide grin.

"Don't worry about it. I don't really play anymore, but I used to a whole bunch."

"It sounded well practised to me." I offer as the empty can clinks into the small bin near the door.

"Ehhhh." Ritsu tilts her head as she evaluates her performance in her mind before offering a shrug. "It was okay until my damn wrist messed it all up." She stares angrily at her wrist, causing us to break into laughter.

"So how are you finding Yamaku so far, Hisao?" Ritsu continues once our chuckling begins to subside.

"I'm not really sure, I've only been here a day." I return almost instantly.

"Touché" She chuckles before flipping open her phone and scanning her eyes over the screen... and promptly going white.

"Are you okay?" Flows from my mouth without a thought.

"Come with me for a second, okay?" She explains as she grabs her jacket and bag, throwing each over her shoulder before leaving the room at an uncomfortable pace. "You can handle yourself in a fight, right?" she speaks as we move, and my brain freezes.

"What?"

Before she can respond, we grind to a halt at the top of the stairs and lay our eyes on the scene below us.

Sprawled out on the ground is a blonde haired boy grabbing at his face, and above him stands Taro, one fist balled up angrily. Akio stands to one side and a red haired girl to the other, each observing with rather shocked looks on their faces.

Ritsu explodes from beside me and rushes down the stairs, scolding Taro the whole way. I meet eyes with Akio, and he offers a nervous shrug as Ritsu turns her fury onto him, Taro now wandering off past the red haired girl, who on closer inspection, has no arms... Huh...

I make my way down the stairs and crouch down next to the guy on the floor, who's now holding his nose in an attempt to stop it from bleeding, and failing spectacularly as blood pours from his face. Taro must have hit him hard to do this.

"You feeling okay?" I offer a small pack of tissues from my bag and he snatches them from my hand.

"Fuck!" He slurs as he sits upright, the blood now dripping all over his uniform. "Asshole!" He shouts towards Taro, who now seems to be keeping his distance while pacing back and forth with a scowl on his face. The blond haired boy retrieves a hat from the ground and stomps off towards the dorms while Akio and Ritsu move past me, and towards Taro.

Well this has been an exciting day, to say the least.

---

Thanks to sharp for proofreading and allowing me to impose my whims on his characters.

Re: Swampie's Stories : Mirrormyth : 3/1/16

Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2016 12:46 pm
by Sharp-O
Your cheque cleared, that's all that matters. :wink:

But obviously, I'm interested to see what you do with this. You seem to be approaching some of the stuff that I didn't really expand upon.

Mirrormyth 2

Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2016 6:21 pm
by swampie2
"I texted you when they were arguing, what more can I do?" Akio protests as I step over to the trio, Ritsu looks like she's about to explode.

"What the fuck Taro?" She hisses towards him.

"He swung first, that fucker," Taro growls through clenched teeth, one hand still balled up and the other hanging loosely at the end of his arm. Ritsu releases a weary sigh and shakes her head, all tension draining from her body.

"We better get going before security arrives," She grabs Taro by the hand and begins leading him towards to dorms, most likely to bandage the raw skin on his knuckles. Akio hangs behind for a second, and I take the opportunity to get the scoop.

"Who was that?"

"Maeda... It's a long story, I'll tell you some other time," He shifts his weight and begins moving forward, his weight resting on his cane every other step. "I bet we look like a bunch of miscreants right now, huh?" He chuckles as I fall into step beside him.

"I don't know, it could be him that's the miscreant," I return as nonchalantly as possible, attempting to keep pace with Akio without racing ahead.

"You know, it could be either him or Taro," His mouth falls into a frown, and I decide that that topic should probably come to an end.

"Uhh, what about her?" My head swivels over my shoulder to scan around for the auburn haired girl who is now staring towards a large, half complete mural on the wall.

"Fruit loops? She'll be fine. The detectives won't be able to get anything out of her," Akio's face softens up slightly as he cracks a joke.

---

---

"Woah, woah, hold on." The teacher steps forward again, his light grey shirt fluttering behind him as he strolls over towards us. "Bar 29, there is a vibrato on the A, scratch that." He flips through a small folder as he examines the sheet for any other errors. After listing out a few changes, my companion flips through her own sheet and marks the changes with pencil, as do I.

"Once more." The teacher returns to his seat, removing his glasses and closing his eyes, inspecting the music in detail. With a short count in, each of us begin playing again. Piano to Violin, strings to keys.

The room is suddenly filled with the sounds of music. We each adjust our volume at various points, moving from front of stage to back again with elegance you could only expect from a piece of classical music. The song is wistful and sad, yet shows small promises of a major key like stones being dropped into water, making large ripples throughout it's surface.

Each note lies on the stave with precision, written with purpose, intended to be played with purpose as well. Each stave seems to stretch into infinity as the notes roll from the case into the slightly dusty air that fills the room.

As we reach the middle of the song our intensity escalates, only adding to the already defined peak of the song. Each carefully placed note from the violin harmonises with the piano incredibly, only to be quickly replaced with another and another.

We reach the final page all too quickly, and the song opens up allowing space for the violin to fill the room with saddening notes that spell the end of our small time together. The final chord flourishes into a major and I attempt to delicately draw and end to the song with a small flourish.

We each take a deep breath and turn our heads towards the teacher, who is still sat in his chair with his eyes firmly shut. "Egami, fantastic." He claps his hands together as he stands. "Tainaka... are you feeling alright?" He asks, his eyes locked with mine.

"Y-yeah, I feel okay?" I attempt to bluff as the dull pain thumps through my wrist with every heartbeat.

"Hmm." He places his hand to his chin and thinks for a while, a long while. "Egami, take a break, Tainaka, let's run through the song together." Egami takes her leave and as he claps his hands together once again before stepping over behind me, aligning his gaze onto my hands.

With as much confidence as I can muster, I once again run through the sheet music in front of me. After a tense three minutes the song draws the a close, and the teacher begins to step around idly, collating his thoughts.

"Well... I'm not sure what's up, but you're getting slower. Now I know you practice, and I know you study the songs, so I really have no clue what's slowing you down." He continues to walk in circles, and I decide to keep my mouth shut, nothing I can say can help at this point.

"I know you love the music, and I know we've been practising for weeks, so I'm not going to pull you off the audition." I breath a sigh of relief. "Just be careful, okay?" He offers as he reaches the large wooden door between this room and the next. After retrieving Egami, we once again launch into practice.

---

"Okay, you guys ready?" The teacher grins, a grin even visible through the darkness that surrounds the side of stage.

"I'm all good." I offer a similar grin and thumbs up, while Egami offers a slightly subdued "Ready."

After the last act, made up of a middle aged pianist and a violinist that looks around our age, make their way off stage, we step up, as does our teacher. I move to the piano, and Egami moves to her position just in front of the large black grand that sits on the stage. The teacher moves to the microphone in the centre of the stage and clears his throat.

"Good evening, everyone." He puts on his most pompous voice as he speaks. "I am Mr.Iwahara, and behind me are Ritsu Tainaka on piano, and Yori Egami on violin." The audience offer a small round of applause as we are introduced. "We've spent a lot of time working for this competition, so we hope you enjoy it." With a small bow, the crowd once again applaud. The teacher makes his way off stage and leaves the stage to us.

I scan my eyes over the crowd, it's mostly made up of middle aged men and women wearing formal suits and dresses, only broken up by the small panel of judges in the centre. Each of the judges are messing around with papers on their desk or clicking their pens in boredom. With a small nod to Egami, who seems to be thriving in this pressure, we begin.

one page, two pages, three, we flow through the song just as we'd practised many times before. Each page seems to increase the pain flowing through my wrist. I grit my teeth and bear it, if this one performance goes wrong then I'd have slandered the name of the school, the teacher and myself. four pages, five and more continue, as the throbbing in my wrist seems to demand more of my attention than the sheet, by page seven almost all I can think about is screaming.

"Gah, fuck." The pain peaks as I stumble over the keys before grabbing at my wrist. Our duet grinds to a halt as almost every member of the audience gasps.

It's over.

---

---

I step into the classroom sleepily, most of my night spent staring at the ceiling. Damn these meds. I wander over towards my desk and notice that the student council duo have yet to arrive. I'm going to have to put up with them all day, aren't I?

"He's in the slammer," Akio announces as he enters the room behind me, almost causing Ritsu to spring from her seat. I hadn't even noticed her since she'd been staring off into space the whole time. "Suspension for a week," He continues as he moves towards the back of the class. As he and Ritsu begin speaking, someone familiar enters the room.

The very same blonde guy from yesterday, Maeda, steps into the room, his nose bandaged between his eyes. He notices me and gives a small nod before making his way to his seat, only stopping to gaze towards Akio and Ritsu, who seem to be glaring back with similar Ire. The rest of the class file in behind him, including the entirety of the student council.

Before either party bursts into flames, Mutou enters the room with his usual dazed expression and addresses the class. "We'll be working in groups again today, you can group yourselves." He sighs as he flops into his seat, scattering various pages of paper across his desk.

Misha and Shizune quickly look towards me and my whole body shivers. Luckily, salvation hits me in the form of an airborne pen. I swivel my head behind me and notice both Akio and Ritsu both staring intently. Taking the hint, I grab my notebook and pen and stand from my seat.

"Where are you going, Hic-chan?" Misha almost screams.

"I thought I'd work with Akio and Ritsu today. Meeting all my classmates, you know." I bluff. Misha gives a large thumbs up while Shizune gives the impression that she'd rather I work with her. Shrugging my shoulders, I slide past them and move over towards the three tables that have been arranged together, one being Taro's.

"Thanks for the save," I mutter as my notepad slaps onto the table.

"Don't worry about it," Akio grins, while Ritsu stares at her books pensively. The rest of the lesson goes by slowly as each of us work on questions quietly, seems neither of them feel like cracking jokes today.