July 8/Just looking/PG/Open

[hannah]

Character(s): Ayame Natsuri, Mayumi Yoshida, and anyone else that wants to deal with us!
Time: 4:30PM
Location: Book/Movie store


The first time she'd been to the mall, she didn't get the chance to look at anything, but now that she was shopping with Mayumi, she'd have the opportunity. There were books everywhere, more than she'd seen in her life. For a little town, they were well-stocked with even the newest magazines and novels.

"Mayumi, you're into horror stuff, right?" she asked, looking around for a sign. She was never into gore considering she'd seen it so many times in her short life, but it was certainly interesting to see how others perceived it. Their reactions were the greatest. Some would be completely disgusted, and others would just stare. She, on the other hand, would just get bored. Once you kill a certain amount of people, the novelty of death and blood wears off.

Finally spotting the signed labeled "horror", she grabbed Mayumi's arm and dragged her towards it. It was still strange to be around someone who wasn't Ren, Yousuke, or a fellow swordsman, but it was also nice. It was a good reminder that she still had her humanity, or what was left of it.

[alyssa]

So this was what it felt like to have friends - shopping with them, hang out, speaking civilly - it felt... normal, like she had been doing it her whole like, that is, if Mayumi were being honest with herself. She and Ayame hadn't been out for long, but, already, Mayumi felt a lot better than she had days earlier.

The girls were in a large bookstore, standing in the middle of the an aisle gazing around in awe, or, Mayumi was at least. Not being from the city originally, Mayumi had never seen such a huge selection of books. She loved it.

"Mayumi, you're into horror stuff, right?" Ayame asked, her eyes fixated across the room.

Before Mayumi was given the chance to respond, her companion had grabbed her arm and was dragging her along through the aisles. She was stopped under a sign that read "HORROR" in sloping letters, and her eyes went wide. She reached up to run her fingers along the spines of a few of her favorite books.

Mayumi turned her eyes on Ayame. "I take it you're not a fan?"

[hannah]

Not exactly impressed by the selection, Ayame just crouched before the lower shelf, reading the titles for laughs. These books all sounded terrible. Monsterfrom the Ocean, The Girl from the Woods, Dance of the Dead. It was an old habit to read horribly written books just for the fun of it, and this was one of those cases.

"I take it you're not a fan?" Mayumi asked, looking amazed by the multitude of books.

"Well," Ayame began, standing up. "not exactly. But it is interesting to see what level humans can tolerate some things. If you just forced two people to watch another person be torn apart, they could have two completely different reactions. I guess you could say I'd rather observe another's response than be scared myself. So what interests you so much?"

[alyssa]

Ayame brought herself to Mayumi's level again, replying, "I guess you could say I'd rather observe another's response than be scared myself. So what interests you so much?"

Mayumi gave the blonde girl an almost-smile, chewing on the inside of her lip to hold back a laugh. That sounded almost exactly like the reason Mayumi had given her mother when she had discovered her daughter's collection of horror manga at home.

Giving Ayame a shrug, Mayumi turned to snatch a book from the shelf next to her. Turning it over in her hands, she said, "I guess I kind of feel the same," she sighed quietly at her lack-luster explanation. "It's the extreme opposite of composing and singing for me, yet it gives me the same kind of rush."

She put the book back, picking up another one. "When I needed an escape from music, or I needed an idea, I'd watch a horror movie, and write something based on what it made me feel." Glancing up at the girl, Mayumi asked, "Does that even make sense at all?"

[hannah]

"When i needed an escape from music, or I needed an idea, I'd watch a horror movie, and write something based on what it made me feel."

Writing? That was interesting, she'd never even thought of it before. Somehow, she was never able to put words to what she felt or thought, and so she was instantly hooked on what Mayumi had to say. Anyone that could do something she couldn't was someone she wanted to hear from, and to even learn from.

"Does that even make sense at all?"

"Y-Yes," Ayame quickly answered. "I've never been a good writer. I could listen forever, but I've never been able to put thoughts into words without losing something. I'm better suited for fighting than speaking, but I wish that wasn't the case most of the time." She sighed, and leaned back down to see what Mayumi had been looking at. "Find anything interesting?"

[alyssa]

Mayumi listened intently at the girl's response, noting just how different they really were. They were near polar opposites - fighting instead of writing, listening instead of speaking - Mayumi really didn't know how they had made it this long without a verbal spar.

Then again, Mayumi really did want a close friend, and she didn't exactly have a long line of people waiting outside her dorm room everyday.

"Find anything interesting?" Ayame's voice rang into her consciousness.

Mayumi blinked at her for a moment. "Oh, um, no. Not really." she set the other book down. "If you don't mind me asking, why did you come to Aozora?"

[hannah]

"If you don't mind me asking, why did you come to Aozora?"

She was expecting this question, especially with grades as low as hers. "It's kind of a long story, but to shorten it, I just have strict grandparents with high expectations. I'm supposed to graduate from a school of prestige and move on to be something great, even though I'm not. I learned how to act from my father and a few of his friends. In my opinion, pretending to be something than actually being it is a bit of a weakness, not a skill. However, if it can get me through school, I guess I'm fine with it."

Explanations were never her specialty, she knew this. She was far from an orator and she'd stumbled over most of her words, but it was better than awkwardly changing the subject. "And why are you here, Mayumi? I mean, you have talent, a lot of it, but...you're so smart, and so quiet. Why pursue something... like this?"

[alyssa]

For the fist time in her life, Mayumi honestly couldn't tell if the girl before her was being truthful or not, and that set her on edge a bit. As far as Mayumi knew, Ayame had no reason to lie, so she took what the blonde said as the truth.

"And why are you here, Mayumi? I mean, you have talent, a lot of it, but...you're so smart, and so quiet. Why pursue something... like this?"

That question took Mayumi aback quiet a bit. She... She had no idea how to respond to something like that. Sure, she knew that she was smart and had some talent, but she she couldn't do much else.

"I..." Mayumi looked down to her feet, "I can't do anything other than sing. I've never been able to do anything else." She sighed quietly. "For me, it was an easy choice - music or a horrible life of working at the temple under my mother's watchful eyes. That's what she would prefer anyway."

Mayumi sneered at the thought, turning her head to the bookshelf again.

[hannah]

"For me, it was an easy choice - music or a horrible life of working at the temple under my mother's watchful eyes. That's what she would prefer anyway."

Ayame smiled sadly and knelt beside Mayumi, gripping the hem of her skirt nervously, like she always did in a tense situation. "It's really none of my concern, but..." She let go of the fabric. "I think you should be doing what you want. If music is what you want, go at it with your whole heart. If it's just a backup plan, you should try to find something you really have a passion for."

She'd probably said too much, and with a lump in her throat again, she stood and pretended to be interested with something on a higher shelf. Was this what friends did? It just seemed like they were talking each other into walls.

[alyssa]

As Ayame stood up, Mayumi's gaze followed her. The ghost of a sad smile appeared on her lips, and she felt the urge to hug the other girl.

Not once in her seventeen years had Mayumi heard those words directed at her. Having only one person tell her that felt like a weight being removed from her chest. Though, the person she most wanted to hear it from wasn't Ayame, that didn't matter.

"Thank you," she whispered, and, quickly, her gaze shot back down to her skirt. She hadn't meant to speak that aloud.

Mayumi stood quickly, her eyes darting from the books to Ayame, wondering if she had heard her. "I don't really have a passion for anything else, that's why I'm glad I'm here." She folded her lips to hide her smile again. "Most of the time anyway."

Giving Ayame a shrug, Mayumi leaned her back against the bookshelf and averted her eyes to the ceiling. She started to hum to herself, thinking of something to add, but the words just weren't coming to her.

[hannah]

"I don't really have a passion for anything else, that's why I'm glad I'm here. Most of the time anyway."

A smile split across Ayame's face like a crack in glass. She held the grin and turned around, sliding down the shelf and sitting next to Mayumi, listening as she hummed a tune she'd never heard before. Initially, she was going to ask what it was, but decided against it to keep the peace. It was nice to have down time between balancing the chaos of school life, love life, and sanity.

"I'm glad you're here too." Ayame mumbled, hugging her knees to her chest. "I'm not sure if you could call us friends, considering the nature of our first meeting, but I consider you one of my first friends. I'm too abrasive to hang around with most girls, and too boyish to hang around with boys. You have a calming air about you. I feel like I can be myself around you."

It was all true. Sure she was comfortable around people, but that was when she put on her actress smile and pretended to be someone else. However, around Mayumi and Yousuke and Ren her true self surfaced. In a way, she wished that person could be her only self.

[alyssa]

"I'm not sure if you could call us friends," Ayame said, which caused Mayumi's head to snap to her right. Her mouth hung open, about to object, but Ayame continued. "Considering the nature of our first meeting, but I consider you one of my first friends."

Mayumi sighed, relieved, and brought a hand up to massage her now-sore neck. She would have been a bit upset if Ayame had left her statement at that.

Thank God, Mayumi thought.

"I'm... I'm glad we're friends. I don't think I'd have anyone if it wasn't for you." Mayumi leaned her head against the shelf again. "I'm horrible to everyone, so I guess it's deserved."

Mayumi stretched her legs out, the bottom of her shoes barely touching the shelf across from the girls. She didn't know what to say anymore. Ayame somehow understood whether she spoke or not.

"You're lucky," the dark haired girl said, closing her eyes. "You have Kiyama-sensei and Ren... I've never had a friend."

[hannah]

"I'm... I'm glad we're friends. I don't think I'd have anyone if it wasn't for you."
"I'm horrible to everyone, so I guess it's deserved."

Ayame frowned. Well, their meeting wasn't exactly nice, but she'd never consider Mayumi to be 'horrible'. Although, it wasn't a good time to decide, considering she'd known her for barely two weeks.

"No one deserves to be spoken to that way," Ayame said softly, curling a strand of hair around her index finger. "No matter what it is that you did. All wrongs can be atoned for, and no one deserves to be alone."

"You're lucky," Mayumi said, closing her eyes. "You have Kiyama-sensei and Ren... I've never had a friend."

Guilt suddenly washed over her. She'd taken those two for granted, hadn't she? More than definitely. "N-Never?" she asked. How could someone survive so long without a single friend, but still be so casual with other people. Surely, social skills were non-existent without any form of friendship at some point, and Mayumi's were especially strong.

[alyssa]

Why did Ayame sound so far away? Mayumi couldn't quite tell. She had closed her eyes and therefore couldn't see the girl sitting next to her, but when the blonde spoke, it sounded as if she was barely whispering.

Mayumi shook her head slowly. "Never." She chuckled once, continuing. "Unless you're counting siblings, then I had one. No one that grew up with me liked that I pointed things out that they couldn't see - or, at least, that's what Akemi told me."

Bringing her head back up, Mayumi opened her eyes and turned to the girl next to her. "I'm trying to be nice, and sometimes it works, but most of the time it just feels really... useless."

Mayumi didn't think she was explaining that right - she was having that problem a lot these days - but she couldn't find a better word. Useless, stupid, pointless, whichever worked better.

[hannah]

"I'm trying to be nice, and sometimes it works, but most of the time it just feels really... useless."

Ayame turned her head in unison, raising her eyebrows. She sighed to herself. The two of them were a lot more alike than she ever thought.

"Don't decide what's pointless until you've lived your whole life," she mumbled. "I thought waiting for Ren was pointless, and look at it now." She shrugged lazily. "But then again, don't decide what isn't pointless either."

Once again, Ayame was having issues putting her words together properly. Nothing new. She should have said something more connecting, and less correcting, but it would have to work for now.