persona rp Persona: Simulacrum - IC Thread

[Ace Tactician]

Murals on every floor of the school was something Katsumi could easily look forward to, and the first one would be up by the months end. She had no doubt the school would be a livier place with colorful murals on the walls instead of a single continuous solid color. "I can't wait to see the first mural when it's completed. My name is Katsumi Kuriyama," She replied to the painter, Clayton and introducing herself with a small bow. Just then the janitor, Mr. Retsuya arrived, greeting Clayton upon his arrival who he appeared to be friendly with. "Good morning Mr. Retsuya," She greeted as another student, looking rather tired arrived. If she recalled correctly, he had been in her class by mistake when he made his presence known by his interesting comment about 'all fights shall happen' during that first day of classes. He was also the one who Ken helped locate his runaway dog, which was why he didn't get much sleep it seemed. "Good morning." She greeted their new arrival. And just then another new arrival came wearing a bright smile, she didn't recall having seen him before. "Good morning. I'm Katsumi Kuriyama," She greeted the freshly arrived student who asked who they all were besides the janitor who he seemed to know.

[Raguna]

''Ahahah, yeah, you would be surprised at how clumsy people can be.'' Retsuya shrugged it off passively yet. He tried to keep his expression from showing his true underlying emotions and what a surprise consider many people do not remember his face. ''Damn this boy's sharp!'' were the thoughts he had been concealing. People like him were the types he'd rather avoid causing bad impressions on, but Retsuya felt he didn't really mean it so he calmed down easily. The guy was only trying to be nice, there was no reason to think so negatively. Also to his surprise came another by the name of Kinji, he had not recognized the boy from any past altercation so it was safe to say this was their first official meeting. ''Heya, the more the merrier right?'' he said towards Kinji. He knew that with enough people present, he could potentially gain some new info on the Ersatz Syndrome from the bunch.

''What up, Shades? You're up pretty early, come on over and socialize a bit.'' he called over. Mornings were supposed to be pleasant and soothing, but this guy came off as an exception because at least with all the vibrancy he gave off, he didn't come off as annoying. Plus, he felt Yuu was a stylish and cool dude.

[FrostyFireMage]

April 25th, 8:24 AM. An entire week since that... crazy incident. It still feels like a dream.

Ichirou reached the school gate, deep in thought. Last week's happenings gave him an awful lot to dwell over. Personas? Social Links? I still have no idea how to react to all this. It's like... a goddamn video game.

The past week had been a blur of school, home life and occasional assistance at Drei Hard. Ichirou didn't really pay attention to anything that had transpired. Multiple people had noticed he was distant.

Many attempts to summon his 'Persona' had been undertaken (all in private, of course), but none bore fruit. He concluded that they could indeed only manifest in that strange mirror world. Probably a good thing too - if he had summoned his Persona and didn't know how to make it disappear the entire military force of Japan would be breathing down his neck. They would probably even cut him up.

Gradually, Ichirou came to notice a group of people chatting a few lengths away from him. Oh God, please not another case of Ersatz...Ichirou decided to hang around a little longer just to eavesdrop and ameliorate his apprehension. Even though he knew that this outbreak was far from over...

Edited May 28, 2015 by FrostyFireMage

[Dandragon]

So many people had gathered. And some of them recognized each other. Perhaps a small circle of friends he wanted to make was going to turn into a large gathering of Borromean rings, several circles of friends interweaving with each other. Oh dear, did I actually just say that in my head? I'm such a nerd...

Despite wanting to contribute to the conversation, he didn't really know what to say. He simply stood their with a smile on his face, nodding occasionally while looking at the person speaking. He thought that was the right thing to do.

It was only when he looked away for a moment that he saw someone standing by themselves. Ken soon recognized him, and began to blush. Oh god, wasn't he one of the ones who found me sleeping on the bench like a bum? Oh god, does he remember that?! Ken quickly looked away, tempted to pull his hood over his head and run inside school.

[Garnef]

Getting a little impatient from being sleepy, and waiting for Ken to respond to his question, he blurted out, "Well, okay then, I guess I'll just sit by myself over here then."

He then started to walk around the school area, just overall sleepy. "I guess socializing really is not worth the time," he thought to himself. "Gah, when's school gonna start already?"

[Xinnidy]

Despite the dry rice, most of the meal was pretty enjoyable, and the rest of the day thankfully went with no other strange incidents.

Day after day passed mostly uneventful, to Eliana's respite. She could at least take her time to get used to the new disciplinary system and language. Though she didn't make any other friends ('yet', she reassured herself), falling in that conformity did help her brace the new environment. One day, to her surprise, Aoi even made plans for them to go to the pool!

[spoiler=Thursday, April 23rd 2015 - Pool Adventures]

School was over, it was a breezing Thursday evening, and Aoi actually had something to do! Well, other than go home and play video games, or struggle with her homework. She was gonna go out! With friends! That's what the nose said to do, right? Well, she'd been bugging Eliana at school and sometimes over Skype to help her with math, and she'd said hi to Akane in the halls whenever she saw her (not that the senior seemed up for talking, very much), but this was like, the first time she'd actually managed to wrap them up into a trip out, over the week. And they were gonna gooooo swimming! Eliana had said she liked doing that, Aoi was always up for more exercise, and Akane had finally agreed to go (after many poking texts from Aoi), so swimming it was.

And there Aoi stood, in front of the complex, waiting for them to show up. She had her shorts on, t-shirt ready, duffle bag with a swim suit and towel and goggles and yeah! It was gonna be great! She just hoped there was a free lane. It wasn't any fun if she couldn't get in a few laps, but... Maybe that was just for when you were swimming alone? She had no idea. Either way, she played some Tetris on her phone while she waited. She had to work her brain somehow... Even if she was pretty awful at it.

'I can't believe I got myself roped into this... oh well, it's a day at the pool, what's the worse that could happen?' Akane thought to herself, as she pulled into the lot at the public pool, and spotted Aoi waiting near the entrance. Luckily, there was also a spot close by... not that it was all that uncommon, vehicles weren't the most used things in this part of the city. Pulling up to said parking space at a slower pace, before dismounting her bike and putting up the stand, Akane stood up, and pulled off her helmet with a sigh, shaking her hair out a tad. Resting the helmet under her arm and slinging her bag over her shoulder, Akane made sure her bike was secure before walking over to Aoi, clothed in a leather jacket and jeans.

"You the only one here, so far?"

Whooooooaaaaa, that's so cooooool. Aoi stared at Akane's bike, as the older girl parked it, before giving her a once over. Hey, she's cool too! Wow! "Where'd you get that jacket?" were the first words out of Aoi's lips, staring perhaps a bit too intensely. "Er, yeah. Eliana's not here yet. I probably should've asked to meet her somewhere and guide her over, but, well... I forgot. She might've gotten lost." Aoi would go find her, if that was the case, but she hoped it wasn't. In any case... "Well... As long as we're here, uh... I never got to ask about all that mirror business. What'd you think about it? About that whole... Friend making, schpeal?" It was the only thing that really stuck for her. She'd forgotten most of the, saving the world junk.

"This? Bike shop in the shopping district." Akane replied to Aoi, with a bit of a smirk, as she noticed the younger girl giving her a once over, and allowing her vision to linger. Stepping down wind from Aoi, Akane lit a cigarette, and took a long drag of smoke, with a sigh. Soon afterwards, Aoi asked what she had thought of the whole... incident, from earlier.

"All seems like a buncha bull, to me. But then, if I hadn't been there, I'd have called bullshit on falling in the damn thing to start with." Akane replied, taking another hit from her cigarette.

"So, the hell if I know. All I do know is that it seems like a pain."

Eliana was surprised that it's been not even a week proper and Aoi had already arranged a day out. She's pretty eager... but she didn't have a lot of friends before, I guess that makes sense. Eliana sighed, it's not like she was much different. Not having a lot of friends either, the girl ended up talking often with Aoi and was pretty fine with the idea. She'd dressed for summer: Jean shorts, sandals, a blue blouse, and a green beret; Bringing her bikini, sunglasses, spare change and other necessities on her purse. All that mattered now was getting there.

Right, I was meant to take a turn... there? Unfortunately, she wasn't all that acquainted with Kyoshoku yet. I think I already passed that building... ah. She made another turn before the building. Apparently, there was a crossroads she missed right there. Some narrow streets... it's going to take get used to. Truth be told, Eliana still wasn't sure she was going where she was supposed to. She'd asked to some passerby or other where the public pool Aoi spoke of would be, but the reference points they gave were so specific...

Ugh, I don't think this is the right place... Eliana hastened her step as the surroundings became more suspect, realizing the street she'd been passing through was some alleyway that had seen better days. Next time, I'll just ask-- Thankfully, the end of that street gave way to a more discernible crossroad. Glancing around, Eliana finally spotted the complex, and sighed in relief. Thank goodness... this was definitely the wrong way, but I'm here.

Hastening her step, she'd finally discerned Aoi and Akane by the entrance. "Hiii!" Eliana waved her arm as she approached the two. "Sorry, I did not know where it was. I got lost, a little."

"How expensive was it...?" Aoi reluctantly asked then, wondering how much a bike like that would cost. You don't have a driver's license anyway... Besides, you should get a bycicle, not a motorbike. Keep in better shape. Still, it was nice to look at, and she took her time doing so, wondering if she'd ever own something like that. Akane must do really well in school.

No sooner was the cool illusion ruined than when Akane took a cigarette out. Aoi sighed, but at least she'd taken the courtesy to smoke where she wasn't going to get hit with every breath. I'll still never understand that. But it wasn't against any rules, smoking where she was, so Aoi didn't speak a word about it. There were definitely words to be spoken about Akane's views on their new jobs.

"Does that mean I'm a pain, then? I mean... If we're supposed to get along now, I figure, that doesn't seem like that much of a pain. Make friends, save the world-- I think. I didn't pay a lot of attention to the nose." All things considered, she probably was a pain, but Aoi was used to that.

Before any negative thoughts could invade and help bring things down, Eliana popped in with a lovely hello, Aoi waving back at her. "Heyyyy. You're not late, so it's okay. Alright! Let's get swimming!" Aoi pumped her fist and hopped through the revolving doors to the swimming complex, and heading straight for the changing rooms. The sooner she got in that water, the better!

"Not too much at all, really. About... twenty-five thousand yen, or so?" Akane asked, wondering why Aoi was so set on her jacket, of all things.

"You? Of course." Akane replied with a smirk and a laugh, making it about as obvious as physically possible that it was intended as a jab, not an insult.

"Nah, it's more the whole different world, thing. I mean, honestly, what's even up with that? Fighting monsters, saving people? That sounds like a job for some hero of justice or some shit like that, not a bunch of high-schoolers." The senior finished, before Eliana arrived, the girl apparently having, in fact, gotten lost along the way. Of course, before Akane could give a response, Aoi had bounded off, inside.

"No harm done, you made it, after all." She concluded, quickly finishing her cigarette and stamping out the butt, before following the hyper girl inside the pool.

"Oh. Is good, then? Whew." At least Eliana hadn't made them wait for so long, "O-okay, let's--" She couldn't even finish her line before Aoi hastily entered the complex. "Well." Eliana briefly turned to Akane, whom was already following the hyper Aoi inside, and did the same. "She is very excited, yes? It is the pool, so this will be nice. Mmhmm~" Humming to herself, Eliana also made for the changing rooms.

"That's the plan. Personally, I prefer the beach, though... you might not need it, but I'm not gonna tan at all, at an indoor pool." Akane replied, with a somewhat faked pout. It certainly wasn't a lie, after all.

"Ah, eheheh. It comes natural, I think." Eliana replied with a bit of a cheeky smile, not even minding her wording. Though it was nothing special at home, it was nice to take her skin tone as some sort of (very indirect) compliment here. "Next time, you can ask Aoi to go to the beach. We could invite more people, like her brother and his friend? Maybe your friends. Spend a day at the beach. Would be nice too, yes?" Eliana brainstormed said event, only comfortably so because it probably wasn't happening anytime soon. "Ah, well, I will change." Breaking off of her thoughts, Eliana entered one of the stalls in the changing room to put on her bathing suit.

One quick change through her stall, and Aoi was totally ready to swim! She left all her stuff in her bag, setting that in a locker, and locking it tight. Her bottoms had a small string to snap a key around, so she wouldn't lose it while swimming. But, she didn't want to dive in without her friends. So she stood there, in her kinda childish two piece. It was yellow. Not painfully so, but still bright. A little bit frilly. And... Well, she didn't really have a lot to conceal, so the top was a tube top, straps only there for aesthetics, really. Still, she thought it looked fine. Maybe it was cute, or something. It wasn't much concern, for her. She did get a few looks from some of the guys there, though... One of them was chuckling. She shot him a glare, and turned away. Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just 'cause I don't fit into proper swim stuff, blah blah blah. She sighed. While that was probably not what they were chuckling at, with that much six pack exposed, they probably weren't going to try anything.

Eliana also changed fairly quickly into her bikini. It was pink-and-white striped in design, but otherwise standard fare, and easy to string up. Grabbing a towel and her sunglasses, she put everything else in her purse and placed it in a locker. Ah... It was then she realized she'd have to keep the key in sight, with nowhere to hold it. Maybe one of Akane and Aoi will grab a table by the pool... this locker thing isn't such a good idea. Sighing, Eliana kept it in hand and walked outside to meet an waiting Aoi. "Looks cute, Aoi." Eliana commented innocently, smiling but quickly shifting her glance to the pool, with some expectancy. "Ah. It looks nice, mmhmm~." She hummed, "So... time to dive!" Before Aoi could react, Eliana shot into the pool. Almost like an arrow, it was a proper dive, though not professional.

It took Akane a little longer than the other two to change, and she stepped out of the change rooms just in time to catch Eliana diving into the pool, giving the younger girl a teasing whistle and a smirk, before walking up to Aoi.

"She's eager, huh?" Akane commented with a grin, stretching a bit as she did so. Her swimwear was rather basic, all things considered. A two-piece bikini, in all black, with a halter-necked top and side-tied string bottom. After her stretches concluded, Akane's arms came to rest at her front, just beneath her chest, crossed across her stomach.

"I figured you'd be the first in the pool."

"Oh, hey, Eliana... Cute, huh? I guess..." Was she cute? She didn't feel cute... But what did it meant to be-- ugh, stop thinking. Aoi shut herself off before she could get to any level of philosophy. Just because you do alright in that class doesn't mean you have to think about it outside of school. And that thinking didn't give her a chance to say anything about Eliana, as the dove straight into the water. "Whoa!" She's eager! Holy crap.

Her thoughts were echoed by Akane, coming out moments after... The both of them really had a different sense of apparel than Aoi, huh? "I was gonna be, but... No, never mind." There was no sense in telling her about the boys, shaking her head and giving the outfit a look. "There's a lotta strings. What happens if something unties while you're swimming? Wouldn't that be awkward?" Without any real sense of tact, Aoi asked, wondering a few things to herself on top of that. How does she stay floating with all that... Extra weight? Whatever... "Right! Pool time!" Aoi plugged her nose, and much less gracefully, cannon balled herself into the pool. ~Splash~

The water was wonderful. Eliana could feel the flow against her as she swam near the floor of the pool. The noises from above muted, it was somewhat therapeutic, she could be in her own world again...

*SPLASH*

Eliana gasped as somebody had jumped next to her, diving like some sort of ball and surprising the girl. Inadvertedly swallowing pool water, Eliana rose to the surface and coughed. "A-Aoi?" Eliana faced the culprit of her scare and, rather than being bothered, she giggled. "Gee, watch where you jump!" Turning to the side, Eliana waved at Akane, now dressed to swim. "Come in, it is nice."

"I've had worse, I'd live." Akane replied with a light grin, before Aoi took off, and cannonballed into the pool, nearly hitting Eliana in the process. Walking over to the edge of the pool, and lowering herself in like some sort of normal person, the older student let out a chuckle.

"Careful now, or you'll knock her out, next time. You okay?" Akane noted, and asked, to Aoi and Eliana, in that order.

Well. Things were going fine...ish. Aoi had almost taken Eliana out with her ass, but she'd missed, luckily, surfacing with a gasp after that splash. She floated for a bit until the other two were all up and ready to do pool things... Aoi was ready to do pool things, but that was for her, taking off and taking one of the lap lanes, and doing that for about an hour. Not exactly the best idea for a group of people, probably. What is, then? "Yeah, yeah, sorry. She's fine, don't chide me... Right, so I was gonna take off and start swimming, but... I-I guess I'll ask if you two have anything in mind. Never been here for anything other than exercise, so..." It was a bit embarrassing, honestly, but there it was.

"Ah, I am fine." Eliana replied, and became a bit amused at Aoi's question. "You relax! Chat, play, swim too, I think? We could... get a ball, and play volleyball, also?" Eliana wasn't actually the most social in the pool, she just enjoyed lazying around and idly swim. "Well, I could swim. What about you, Akane?" Eliana turned to the senior, she would probably have a word to give.

"All good, huh? Won't even let me give you a little just to be safe CPR?" Akane replied with a smirk, as the other two began discussing what to do.

"I mean, it's a public pool. There's not much to do aside from swimming. It's not like the beach where there is other stuff about."

"Oh! I like that idea! We could head over the shallows and throw one around." That way, Aoi would still get her exercise, and they could all have fun together. Wonderful~ Though, she didn't get why Akane was talking about CPR. "But we're in the water... You can't give someone CPR here. Besides, she's fine." This girl was really confusing, sometimes, but at least she's fun. "Or we could chat and float for a bit... But I really like that volleyball idea. You both okay with it?"

"CPR...?" Eliana stuck thinking of the more mechanical meaning of the word, until it hit her. "Ah... no, no thank you." Her face turned red again, and she decided to dive underwater to hide it for a short monent. She's really one, isn't she? Oh... Somehow, Eliana felt she'd be more conscious of Akane looking at her.

Feeling her face normalize quickly, Eliana rose and took a deep breath for air. Having time to think of Aoi's response, she changed the subject quickly. "Well, yes! Pool volleyball can be. Want to get the ball, Aoi?"

Akane couldn't help but giggle a bit, at Eliana's response. At least she wasn't entirely hopeless, unlike their friend there. Of course, after that came the suggestion of volleyball, which sounded... annoying, at best.

"Tch... why didn't we just go to the beach, again?"

Why is she turning red, now? Aoi was popping up figurative question marks between both girls as the conversation went on, deciding that it wasn't worth worrying about. "I didn't suggest the beach, 'cause I don't think any of us have a car, and I'm too poor to take a bus or a taxi all the way out there. Besides, this place is free for students! Sure, I'll go get the ball. Meet me in the shallow end?" Aoi started to swim on over, seeing those same boys from before. Hope they leave us alone. They hadn't seen her yet, so she ignored them as well, pulling herself over the edge of the pull and giving herself a stretch. It sucked having to get out of the water, but all the pool toys were kept on the side, so it couldn't be helped. One ball grabbed and one tiny hop back into the water, Aoi was swimming on her back towards the shallows. This is going pretty good so far... I think?

"Huh, maybe next time... if a Sunday, I could ask my dad to drive us. Or, do you guys drive?" Man, I forgot what age you can drive here... if it's not younger, I'm going to sound silly... Brushing off the thought, Eliana made for the shallows as Aoi picked the ball. "Here!" She rose her arms to the air, ready to start the game.

With a sigh, Akane made her way over to the shallows. Apparently they were playing volleyball, now. It could be worse, she supposed, but if they were going to be doing so many things that weren't swimming, she really would have preferred the beach, But, it was in the past, now. Besides, if she really wanted, she could probably get one of them to come along on her, bike either way.

"Not a car, no. I have a motorcycle, so I can only take one passenger at most."

I'm like a looooooog floating down a quiet riverrrrrrrr... Aoi's thoughts were rather serene, until her head bonked into the edge of the pool. You could only float for so long. Sitting herself up, and standing in the shallows, the water still came up to her waist. She didn't know if she was just short, or if the shallows didn't live up to their name. Either way, Eliana was open, so she tossed the ball at her, making sure to let up on the power as to not bean her with it. It might've been inflatable, but it might still sting if it hit someone in the head.

"There, Eliana!" Off the ball went, a light toss towards her. "We should wait for a Sunday, and Eliana's dad, then. Unless you two wanna take off without me, heheh." It was a possibility, but joking about it helped Aoi to not take those possibilities seriously.

"Huh!" Eliana bent her arms to receive the ball and then tossed it to Akane in a quick, but not strong, motion. "Think quick!" She chuckled, and listened to what Aoi had to say, "Yeah, a Sunday. Maybe we could ask more people, would be more fun, yes?" It was nice that her idea would be easy to work out.

Not as easy to work out was the joking that came her way. "Eh?" Was she egging Akane on, or...? "Ah, that is no good, no leaving you alone! You are my friend, Aoi." Eliana tried to play off with her own giggling, though she was starting to feel embarrassed. Wait, was that the right thing to say? Am I encouraging her? No, I must be thinking too hard. She probably was.

And then there was talk of going to the beach on a Sunday, and something about the pair of them going without Aoi... honestly, Akane was kind of spacing out from the conversation, Eliana's words directed at her snapping her out of it. Unfortunately for her, or perhaps for Aoi, Akane hadn't really played much volleyball, and didn't know how to do much other than spike. And so spike she did, straight at Aoi.

"Ah, geez...." Eliana was too nice. Aoi was just joking around, but having someone say that she was a friend meant a lot. She smiled. For about four seconds. "Huh--" That sure was a ball, coming straight at her. If this had been on the beach, things would've worked out. She tried to jump to give herself the breadth she needed to bump the ball back up, but jumping in waist deep water didn't work very well. So she didn't go high enough, and the ball beaned her right in the chest, knocking the air out of her and bouncing off towards Eliana.

Splash.

She popped up after a second, coughing. "S-Something on your mind, Ak--" cough, cough, "Akane?" She seemed kinda spacey. "Th-That was a pretty good hit... Oww... Plastic stings, going that fast." She would've patted her chest down if they weren't in a public place, but even Aoi had enough tact for that. Unfortunately, she could hear snickering, now. Seems that little spectacle had caught the attention of those boys from earlier. Yeah, yeah, whatever... "Set it up again, Eliana. I'm okay."

"Not really. Just not following the conversation, all that much." Akane replied, chuckling a bit as Aoi took the ball straight in the chest, and fell into the water.

"You sure, now?"

"Oh, oh no!" Eliana caught the ball, but observed Aoi as she rose and still seemed recovering from the impact. "Are you ok? Really?" She parroted Akane, it couldn't be that nice to take a blow right in the chest like that! "Well, if it hurts, we could do something else." Eliana assured, but set up again, throwing the ball up and at Aoi's way. "Anything you want to talk about, Akane?" She passed a comment, unsure if Akane was just not feeling talkative.

...Eliana could have sworn she heard some snickering, but it seemed to have subsided when she glanced around the pool. Who did that?

"Y-Yeah. It was just the shock of it all. You sure that wasn't intentional, Akane? Still upset about that punch?" She smirked, and knocked the ball over at the older girl, not spiking it out of spite because really, Aoi wasn't about that life. "It doesn't hurt, just stung for a second. I'm tough all over, so there's nothing to worry about." She heard another snicker, louder this time, and glared at the source for a second before it turned around and went back its business. Geez... What, they've never seen a tough girl? Boys are stupid...

"Nope, it wasn't. Never really played volleyball, so that's all I know how to do. If you don't think you can handle it, then we should stop." Akane replied, opting to grab the ball out of the air, rather than simply spike it right back again. Still, the snickering was getting rather... annoying.

There it was again, Aoi turned back to glare whoever was snickering at her. What an unlucky day. "Y-yeah, if the shallows are no good, we can swim, too." Eliana turned to Akane waiting for a serve, or anything.

"Whaaaaaaat? You don't know how to pass? Bump? Nothing?" That was... Kinda surprising. Akane's skill set probably settled somewhere else. Aoi just had her hand in every sport they'd done in P. E. because it was her favorite class. And first year, they did volleyball whenever the weather wasn't nice. "Well, uh, how about--"

"Hey ladies," came the voice of one of the snickering boys. He was a rather attractive blond, hand on his hip, some stylish swimming trunks. He ran a hand through his hair, obviously trying to impress.

Great... "Hey, buzz off--"

"Wasn't talking to your little sister there, just you two." He brushed off Aoi without a second thought. If she'd had the ball, she'd have beaned him with it. Little sister!? Where do you get off, saying that? She folded her arms and glared at him.

"That was a riveting game of volleyball, really. But, what say you two come along with us, and we spend some time together in the hot tub? Get to know each other. You seem like you're new in town, stripes," he said, obviously indicating Eliana. "I'm sure we wouldn't mind showing you around, after you two get outta here. What d'you say?"

As one of the boys decided to step forward, instead of just sitting back and enjoying the 'show', as it were, Akane began setting up to serve the ball again. Man, this guy had a smug looking face on him, didn't he? As the ball came down, Akane spiked it hard, in what appeared to any bystanders the direction of Aoi, who she had been playing with just a moment before. Of course, the speeding ball, instead of being served to Aoi, instead found itself slamming directly into the smug pretty-boy face of the newcomer, just at the end of his speech.

"Oopsie, I didn't see you there. Oh well, no big deal, right?"

Eliana saw a guy approaching them, and being immediately rude to Aoi. Seems like the cause of the snickering was found. Not very fond of the way they were making fun of Aoi, Eliana crossed her arms as well.

The guy actually had the gall to be asking her out too, to her surprise. 'Hot tub'? Really? What, is everyone really out to hit on me here? Seriously. This town. "No, that might not be a good-" Before she could politely decline the guy, Akane spiked the ball in his pretty face. The sight was pretty comic. "Mrmf." Eliana tried to hold back a laugh, for the sake of politeness. "Sorry, I think we will be fine." Eliana replied, as to not dismiss the guy in an aggressive note, and turned to Aoi. "So, swimming, maybe?"

"Hmrrkh!" Pretty Boy groaned as he took the pool ball to the face, Aoi a little surprised, but entirely fine with it. She even laughed a bit. Pretty Boy didn't like that. "Ugh... Figured there was only one muscle head amongst you. Guess I was wrong!" Now there was some spite. He threw the ball up, and Aoi knew what he was gonna do. So as soon as he spiked it back at Akane, she dove in front of it and bumped it out of the way, giving him the stare down of his life.

"Alright, alriiiiight! That's it! No more miss nice Aoi!" She rolled up an invisible sleeve and started making her way over to the pool edge, intent on giving this kid what for. He didn't like that, and walked off with a grumble and a scowl, his friends getting up and leaving with him. Aoi sighed. "Okay... Boys suck, huh?"

As soon as the guy grabbed the ball and threw it up, Akane was prepared. He'd regret what he was about to do, considering he was about to get the return of his life... or would have, had Aoi not blocked the thing, and bounced it away. That was a bit disappointing, but seeing them all back off as Aoi approached was a tad amusing, and Akane gave a light chuckle at the spectacle.

"Oh, they're not all so bad... just the ones who hit on girls in swimsuits."

"Oh..." Eliana got concerned when it seemed like a fight was about to happen, but it seemed Aoi deflected the ball and scared them away. "Sorry...?" Eliana wasn't too keen on the pretty boy's intentions, but the marks in his face made her realize it probably hurt a lot more than it seemed. Now I feel bad for laughing... ok, just a bit. Shrugging, she joined the girls again, now in peace, relatively. "Haha, well, I have no idea. I have not talked with a boy a lot." It was a pretty vague experience for Eliana. Now that she thought about it... maybe it was kinda sad? "Well, so, how about swimming?" Eliana changed the subject.

"The only good guy I know is my brother, and even he sucks." Aoi stuck her tongue out, before clinging onto Eliana's arm. "Girls are way better. Like, consider Eliana," she said, putting on a silly voice, "super nice, fun to talk to, cool with hanging out, loves swimming, good at math, and, doesn't treat you like a gorilla." She nodded decisively, letting her go. "I guess swimming would be alright... You, wanna have a race, Akane?" That was the only thing that came to mind on things they could all do together, while swimming... It excluded Eliana a bit, Aoi assuming the girl wasn't the most athletic at swimming, but it was something.

"Poor, naive girl. Well, hopefully you'll meet a nice man, some time. As for racing, I'm not particularly inclined, no. Not really a sports person." Akane replied, with a bit of a grin, leading into a somewhat dismissive shrug.

"What if I don't wanna meet a man?"

"Well, I'm sure there are girls on the market for the rough, tomboyish type... Eliana?" Akane replied, giggling and with a wide grin, as she lightly poked the aforementioned girl in the stomach with her elbow. The best part was that Aoi likely had no idea what she had just implied.

Eliana giggled at Aoi's comment. "Well, not all boys must be ba-" And then Aoi clung to her arm, and started giving her... quite a lot of praise. "Oh, that is normal, you are my friend, yes?" Eliana started to blush, Girls are way better? Gee, Aoi. Aoi was either too oblivious, being too obvious, or both. Eliana figured it could go either way at that point.

"Oh, I want to swim too. I can do that." Eliana tried to change the topic, but Aoi and Akane kept chatting... and Akane threw a curveball her way. "Ah, aha." Eliana wasn't dense enough to miss what Akane implied, cracking up with a bit of laughter and an even redder face. "There are, yes? Aoi will find someone she likes, for sure. Boy or girl... or whatever." Eliana deflected the question, sort of sinking in the water. Akane, please... "So, no swimming, Akane? Are you sure?"

Aoi didn't know what was normal, honestly. But this time, probably the first time, the implication didn't shoot right over her head. She caught it, and turned about as red as Eliana, much more apparent due to her skin tone compared to the foreigners. "Yeah, sure, Eliana..." came the tiny voice of defeat. She had no come back this time, no sassy remark (what she considered sassy, obviously) and simply puffed out her cheeks before taking a breath and sinking all the way underwater. Geez! Geez, that is not... That's not what I meant, geez... Wow that was embarrassing... Eliana, Akane, Aoi, they'd all just met, how could anything like that even happen? That's not how it worked! ...Right?

Well, that was a double knock-out, if Akane had ever seen one. The eldest student couldn't help but break into laughter at the pair's mirrored reactions, and Akane even had the pleasure of watching Aoi catch an implication... a world first, to be sure.

"Honestly now, you two are absolutely priceless." Akane teased with a wide grin, as she reached out, one arm about Eliana's waist, and the other dragging Aoi out of the water, before doing the same thing, and pulling both of them in rather close, and eventually against either side of her.

"After all, I mean... you'd have no reason to react so strongly, if I was wrong." And there it was, what was most likely the widest grin either of these two had seen out of Akane thus far.

Eliana just wanted to sink further, but Akane grabbed her by the waist before she did. "H-huh?" Eliana was pulled closer, and Akane had no intention to hide her grin, only making things more embarassing. WHY. "U-uh, yeah. Absolutely." She turned her head, which was reddening at an increasing pace. "N-No problem. But, we better not stay like this, yes?"

And so Aoi was hoisted out of the water and right up against Akane, still boiling red, though not over the contact. Implications and Aoi didn't mix, so when one finally penetrated that thick skull, it hit her pretty hard. "I don't know what you think you're right about, Akane. I've never had any idea about this stuff... That's why I'm so embarrassed." She pushed herself off of the older girl, and started paddling away, turning onto her back. "So are we gonna swim or what!?" she nearly barked, trying to cover up her embarrassment. I don't even know what to think... Eliana's cool or whatever, but feeling like that? Geez...

Well, Eliana was the one to walk right into it, this time. That was a bit different, but Akane was more than willing to take that, as Aoi broke away rather swiftly, asking if they were going to swim.

"I dunno, are we, Eliana? I mean, since I'm absolutely right, as you said, you might have other things in mind." Akane asked with a smirk, closing in a bit on the foreign girl who had not yet broken off, pulling her a little closer with a smile. Damn, she really was red. Adorable.

Eliana was about to follow Aoi out, but as Akane started speaking about how it was said she was absolutely right, the concern over misinterpreted words rose. "Uh, t-that is not it! I meant--" She turned to face the senior, and that was all Akane needed to close in the gap a bit too much.

"E-e-ehh?" Eliana wasn't only red, it was the reddest red to ever red her face, a nearly tomato palette as the poor girl felt immobilized. Akane's face had gotten a bit too close to hers for comfort. "N-no. Please. Look, people will see. Can we go swim, yes?" She was pretty much pleading with Akane's reason, Yet, it didn't occur to Eliana to break off like Aoi did. Eliana's voice was turning faint, her eyes shutting in disbelief.

"Oh, just shy of people seeing, hmm? Okay then, maybe later on, in private." Akane replied with a smirk, as she released Eliana, her smirk transitioning into a grin as she stepped back, a moment.

"I suppose we can swim a bit, but I'd prefer something more laid back than a race."

"Just let her go, yeah?" Aoi stuck her tongue out and sighed. Eliana was way too red-- could her skin even get that red? And it was obvious she was super embarrassed right now. Unless Akane's happy about that... Aoi started to think, putting a hand on her chin as she floated through the water on her back. But she didn't think for long. Thinking sucked. "So, let's just, like float around on our backs for a bit. We can hit the hot tub later, since those jerks are gone... That sound fine?"

It seemed that the reasoning got Akane to let Eliana go, for which she was thankful. Not so sure about the 'later' thing. Maybe she'll forget, yeah... let's think about now instead. Unfortunately, the swimming would be more casual than she had hoped, but that was fine too. "Okay, I... I will uh, I will swim around." Eliana hoped the water would put her mind off of things as much as it did at the start..

And much swimming fun was had! With awkward tensions slowly falling off as the three managed to get some casual swimming in (Aoi and Eliana having a small race, at some point) the public space began to slowly empty. Getting closer and closer to closing time, the girls were some of the only ones left, and the hot tub was definitely empty. Aoi took this as her chance to get some relaxing in, even if she hadn't swam as much as she wanted to. "Heyyyyy, you two. The hot tub's empty. I'm gonna hop in, before we have to leave." There was at least an hour left before they kicked everyone out of the pool, so ten, twenty minutes in the warm water, and then a quick dry in the sauna, would definitely leave her feeling refreshed. And the hot tub, being so empty, gave her room to stretch out and relax.

So she did just that~

Hopping in, she stretched her legs out and arms up, groaning and then happily sighing as her limbs relax back into the water. "So nice..."

The casual swimming helped Eliana mellow back again, she was glad she went! In the end, Eliana was floating around, until Aoi's suggestion. "Mmhmm~. Hot tub? I'll go too." And swimming her way to the edge of the pool, Eliana pulled herself out of the water quite quickly. "Ah, some warm would be nice now~."

Akane hadn't actually been in the water for a little bit, having opted to lay back on one of the pool chairs with a drink... sadly of the non-alcoholic variety, from around the time the other two girls had begun to race. Seeing Aoi move over to the hot tub, with Eliana soon to follow, Akane began finishing her cold drink, before standing and stretching a moment.

With all that free space, Aoi shifted over to the edge to watch her friends walk over, smiling wide. "This thing's really big! And there's a whole bunch of free space here! We could probably all stretch out and get total relaxation here. Just hop iiiiin... I'm already melting, this kinda therapy after exercise is always nice... Can't wait for the sauna." She sighed another happy sigh, relaxing against the edge of the hot tub, and letting her legs float up in the water, gently kicking her feet enough to get them moving, but not enough to splash.

Well, that was a nice stretch. Letting her arms down with a sigh, Akane tossed the now-empty bottle into a nearby bin, and walked over to the hot tub, and smirked at Aoi's behaviour for a moment, before gently lowering herself into the hot water a short distance away from her, and allowing it to sink in.

"Mmm, well, at least we're finally doing something we couldn't do at the beach instead, right?"

"Mmm. That sounds nice, yes." Eliana walked over to the hot tub, hearing Aoi's comments. She dipped her feet, "Ah." It was, indeed, temperature fitting of a hot tub. Hopping in, Eliana began stretching underwated. "Oooh. I really needed that." Feeling her muscles sting for a moment, Eliana let the hot tub do its magic, slowly floating next to a wall.

"Still talking about a beach, huh?" Eliana remarked as she realized Akane also joined them. "Next time, we go there, yeah..." The remark got Eliana thinking... "What else can you do in a pool, and not in the beach?" It made her curious. It bothered Akane a bit, so she'd probably have a better idea.

Fool me twice, shame on me! Aoi was a bit apprehensive as Akane sat so close to her, after their earlier debacle, but she didn't move or say anything. Even if she didn't get all of it, it was probably not a good idea to let the older girl know she was so embarrassed about it. "You really like the beach, huh?" she decided to ask, since it kept getting brought up. "Is it really that much better than the pool? There's just... Sand and sun." She shrugged her shoulder, stretching her legs out more, and continuing her tiny leg kicks. It seemed Eliana was thinking the same thing as her, about the beach. Yeah, what's so different? Is it the atmosphere, or something? Salt water tastes weird, too...

"It's more open, you can feel the sun on your skin, you can get a nice tan... well, some people tan, some don't... some just burn. I happen to tan, so it's an important point, as far as I'm concerned. The pool is probably better for just... plain swimming, but there so many more people to join in on things at the beach... we'd have had like, three or four sets of people looking for volleyball players, as an example." Akane began, thinking it over.

"Plus, even if salt water tastes bad, you're not supposed to drink it, regardless. And it's healthier than sitting in a bunch of chlorine, all day. Also, they have actual vendors and stores, at the beach. Here, it's all owned by the same people, so there's no competition, no real reason for them to put effort in... after all, no one else's food is allowed, at the pool."

"Oh..." Well. She had more than a few reasons. And most of them sounded pretty good. Suddenly, this whole pool idea felt kinda childish, on the whole. It had still been fun, but... The beach sounded like a more adult thing to do. She sighed, and spun herself around, sitting down on the hot tub's seat. "Then we'll go to the beach, next time... Sorry. You make a lot of good points. This was just the first thing that came to mind, that we all agreed on, so, y'know..." She blushed a bit, shrinking some. Oh, Aoi... You've gotta think stuff over more.

"Well, it was fun. I wouldn't call this a waste of time, even if the beach is my preference." Akane replied, relaxing into the hot water with a sigh.

"This is fine, for something close, anyway. If you're gonna go to a beach, make an event out of it, go to a nice one, with a nearby onsen resort to stay the night at..."

Eliana listened to the points and... they were pretty valid. Akane really knew her stuff about beaches, who knew! "Huh... maybe we could do that, then. An Onsen, huh? I wonder how one is." There were still a few twists about Japanese culture that Eliana wasn't familiar with... okay, a lot. "Yeah, we should do that one day!" It was something the girl quickly began to look forward.

"That... Actually sounds like a really good idea." Aoi smiled a bit, mostly because Akane had said this day hadn't been a waste. She was the one Aoi was most worried about having a fun time, so... "You know what an Onsen is, right? It's like a... An inn, mixed with a natural hot spring. The water's a lot better than something like this." This hot tub was still nice, but an Onsen? Aoi had only been once, but it was super nice. She smiled more, thinking about it.

"Y-You know, uhm..." she fidgeted a bit, "I'm really glad that I met you two." She gave them both a rather sheepish and out of character glance. "I... Got held back last year," she said, biting her lip a bit, "so anyone I knew or had made acquaintances with went on without me, and... A lot of them mocked me for it. Even before that, I never... Really made any friends. So, the fact that you're both willing to spend a day with me like this..." She even felt herself tearing up. "W-Well, it really means a lot." She had to wipe her eyes, trying to stop herself from crying. Come on, you're a tough girl. Act like it.

"Ooooh, an Onsen sounds so nice." Eliana was glad, making friends in Japan was really helpful. They knew a lot about the place to help her out, or, at least, Aoi and Akane seemed to!

Speaking of which, Aoi began confessing in front of Eliana, and got rather emotional. Whoa. It was really unusual to see Aoi like that, but Eliana could understand, if only a bit. "That is..." Eliana approached and hugged Aoi. "We are your friends, yes? It is fine. I, said I would help with school, it won't happen again, that." She reassured in a calm voice, slowly going over her words to not make a mistake. "This is not just today! We can spend another day, then another day, then another... we will have fun, as friends, yes?"

"Thanks..." she said, getting rid of the tears and giving a rather unsure hug back to the younger girl. The whole physically close thing, hugs and the like, was still a bit foreign, so the hug was probably weird, and she didn't let it sit for long. "As long as you both think you can put up with me, then sure. Let's do a lot, together." Aoi was back to smiling regularly, shifting a bit over to Akane, and poking her in the side. "Hey, uh... I had a thought earlier, and since I'd rather not sit here all sappy the whole time, I figure I'll just ask it." She cleared her throat and nodded. "How do you swim with those?" she said, pointing straight at Akane's chest. "Don't they weigh you down?" She was being entirely serious.

Akane had spaced out again, somewhat, not really having much stock in Aoi's near teary display, and not being particularly interested in her life story, either. Honestly...

Of course, when she was poked in the side and asked an absolutely absurd question, the senior student couldn't help but snicker.

"They float, actually. Very buoyant... to be honest, I was surprised you managed to feel yourself above water, considering you don't have any." Aaaand there was the iconic smirk.

"You are fine. No putting up." Eliana reassured Aoi past the awkward hug, "We will have fun and do many things!" With Aoi breaking the hug, and asking Akane a rather... forward question. With Akane's snarky answer, Eliana stifled a giggle. "Oh, it does not matter, does it? Boys can float, girls can float. It does not change a lot."

"What's so great about them, huh?" Aoi asked, turning a faint shade of red and scowling a bit. Yeah, she didn't have much of a chest, but she still had one! Maybe not... Compared to these two, b-but it was still there! She ended up sitting up straight, and looking down, before making multiple double takes between herself and the two girls. She sighed. "W-Well, what's so special about that, anyway?" She sort of ignored Eliana's comment, a bit jealous now.

"Oh, you wanna know what's so great about them, huh? What's so special?" Akane practically echoed with a smirk, as she stuck her chest out towards Aoi, with the sort of grin that basically screamed 'I bet you don't have the guts to actually do it.'

"Go ahead then. Give them a feel, I'm sure it won't even take you very long to figure it out, hmm?" Akane dared, not really fussed with whether Aoi did it or not. Either way, she'd have something to tease the younger girl over, and it wasn't like she was saving her first time for a special someone, or anything stupid like that.

Aoi gulped. And was never one to back down from a challenge! "Okay." She grabbed one, rather brusquely, and gave it a squeeze. She blushed. Soft, huh... She let go and crossed her arms. "Hmph! Maybe I'm just too dumb to get it, but whatever... They're soft, but that's about it."

"You blushed." Akane pointed out, seemingly not reacting at all to being grabbed in such a brusque manner, as she circled around Aoi, before pressing herself against the delinquent's back rather snugly, squishing her chest against the younger student, as she wrapped her arms about Aoi's waist loosely, and pressed her lips just shy of the girl's ear.

"So, just soft, hmm?"

"A-Akane! What are you doing?" Was all Eliana could blurt out when the senior made her dare, blushing and covering her face. Why did Akane always do that... bold stuff? Gulping, Eliana only uncovered her eyes again to look at the scene when Aoi actually went along and grabbed it, in all her unsavvyness. "A-Aoi, what are *you* doing?" These two...

Akane took that chance to get closer to Aoi, somehow reminding Eliana of nearly a week ago. "I-it is just that, Aoi. You do not need to worry about it, yes?" Maybe her interrupting would make the atmosphere normal again?

"So what!?" she barked, tensing up as Akane got close again. This girl... Aoi didn't have a response in her mind for this, so she sat there as Akane moved around her, and shivered. Eliana chimed in, seemingly trying to help, so she nodded, "yeah! J-Just soft! That's all..." But she was still blushing. And unlike earlier, she didn't have the will to push away. At least not yet. There was something... Oddly nice, about this.

"That so? Oh well, I suppose that's all, then." Akane replied, whispering right into Aoi's ear, letting a light breath wisp by, as she pulled back a step, and leaned back against the wall of the hot tub.

"Y-yeah, no need to worry about it, Aoi!" Eliana reassured, now that Akane disengaged. "Well, you might not be missing a lot. It can get in the way, I think." She leaned against the hot tub walls herself, trying to go back to relaxin. "Some times people look at and it is weird... some like it smaller, though."

That's all? Oh... Aoi stayed tense until she was entirely free from Akane, shivering again, and glancing back at her. She... Didn't know what to say. She could fight with bullies, or argue with teachers, but this was... This was all new, and really confusing. To try and give herself a bit more peace of mind, she swam over to Eliana, but... Well, she wasn't much less engaging than Akane. "People stare, huh?" she said, noticing herself glancing, dragging her eyes off and up to the ceiling. "What... Do you like, Eliana?" She gulped.

"Y-yeah, they do, you notice when they do, more obvious than they think." Eliana admitted, seeing Aoi swimming over next to her --and ironically doing the very thing, but only for a bit, quickly shifting to look at the ceiling. It was almost cute, if her following comment didn't immediately throw Eliana off. "Eh? Uh, I... I still... I am not sure, I guess." Immediately, Eliana started to blush again. "I..." She just stood there quietly, turning her head away.

"It's not that difficult a question, really." Akane interjected, coming up to Aoi's side, pulling her in rather close, and standing the both of them in front of Eliana.

"I mean, you've got two rather... opposite examples, right in front of you. Which one lights more of a fire in your loins then, hmm, Eliana?" Akane asked, an entirely serious expression on her face. Man, she had never seen a pair of more in-denial lesbians in her life. It was actually adorable to watch them fumble about.

"You d-don't, huh?" Aoi was so embarrassssssed. She couldn't actually look at Eliana after that-- seriously, you just looked right at her chest after you said that, what's wrong with you? She sighed quietly, but was then hoisted up by Akane, and held closer to her again. "Wh-What are you..." but she made clear what she was doing, Aoi squirming slightly to push off of Akane. What kinda question is that!? Fire in her loins? Stop it, geez! Too embarrassed.

"Huh?" Eliana's thoughts were broken as Akane interjected and brought herself and Aoi closer, only to ask that. "E-eeeeeh?!" Eliana would back away if she weren't already against the hot tub walls just as red as earlier today. "M-Me, choose?!" Why do you do this, Akane? Just... She wanted to sink in the hot tub and hide herself, but it wasn't large or deep enough for that thought. Instead, she just had to look... God, was she really looking? Dammit, Akane, what have you done to me?

"Uh, u-uh..." Eliana felt her voice start to stutter, dang it, what's the difficulty in just saying she wasn't interested? Why wasn't she just saying it? "I... d-do I have to? I do... I am not s-sure. How do I know??" That was a good question, "Y-you two are just standing side to side, please..."

"Feel free to get a closer look, if that's what you need. Maybe cop a feel, if it helps." Akane replied, adjusting herself so that both Aoi's and her own chests were more pressed out, the widest grin on her face. Screw it, they might not have a whole lot in common, but there two seemed to be worth hanging around with, if only for this. Absolutely perfect.

Cop a feel!? "A-Alright, l-l-l-let me go..." she stuttered out, squirming out of Akane's grasp and settling against the edge of the hot tub, giving awkward glances at the both of them. "E-Eliana doesn't have to answer anything," even if I want to know. To be honest, Aoi was scared of the answer, for silly reasons. Like, if she likes them bigger, d-does she like Akane more? That's silly, c-come on, Aoi... But with all of this talk, she couldn't help but find her eyes drawn towards both of their chests, rather aware of them now. The dunked her head into the water. This is so embarrassing...

WHY. Was the only thought that resounded in Eliana's head as Akane brought herself and Aoi closer with an cartoonishly wide grin on her face. You enjoy this, yoooooouuu-- "I-I-I--" Before Eliana could even process, Aoi made a break from Akane's grasp, immediately removing some pressure off of her. "O-okay..." She was glad for the extra space.

But Akane was still there. And still pretty much... offering that. S-Stupid Akane. Why is this so fun for you? She gulped, and raised her hand... A-Aoi did it, so it's ok, right? S-she keeps asking. She cupped one of Akane's breasts. Eliana's face was fittingly red, and something in the back of her mind was making a tantrum, she was really doing it. Eliana slightly, reluctantly stroked it for a few moments, gazing falling at it as it bounced...

"AH!" Eliana retreated her hand immediately, flailing back only to meet the wall she was already leaning again and hitting her head slightly, sinking in the hot tub. She didn't quite feel like coming back up. I make the worst decisions *ever*.

Well damn, she actually did it. Akane was honestly surprised, as Eliana took her up on her offer, moments after Aoi broke away. Smirking at Eliana, as she gently hoisted the younger student out of the water, so as to allow breathing.

"See, not so bad, right?"

"Uh... Uuh... Y-yes?" Eliana was honestly too agitated to think of anything else, or break away.

Aoi couldn't believe her eyes, as Eliana took a hold of Akane's chest as well, giving it a squeeze. S-So you, really... Eliana... She shook her head, this was getting ridiculous. "I-I'm getting out!" she announced, shooting up and making the climb over the edge. "G-Gonna go into the sauna... Geez..." she mumbled, quickly walking over and shutting herself inside. That was far too much to handle, all at once. Can't believe Eliana did that too... Oh my gosh...

"T-The sauna...?" Eliana repeated the words from Aoi as she turned her head to look at the girl leaving them. Then, suddenly, she began to hurry herself out of the pool. "I-I'm going too!"

-------------

After a rather long sauna session, despite tensions and interactions, the girls made their way out of the pool satisfied. It was getting late and ready to close, but it had been a fun day there.

Saturday it was, now. Eliana was still adapting to the concept of Saturday classes, honestly. Ugh, really, an extra day of rest would help a lot... Sighing, Eliana made way to the gate. Many people were gathered there, to her surprise and intimidation. Not feeling like facing crowds, Eliana walked by the sidelines, recognizing a face alone close enough. Wasn't that boy at... "Oh, hi! You are Saito's friend, yes? Uh, nice to meet you, my name is Eliana." She greeted with a bow, "Uh, y-your name is...?" Eliana asked Ichirou with some difficulty, but hopefully spending some time trying to actually socialize would make time go faster.

[Nanami Touko]

Gonna be late gonna be late gonna be late... Aoi kept yelling at herself as she rushed off the bus and ran like mad for the gates. She'd woken up at seven thirty, which gave her a whopping hour to get all the way across town and into class. She barely had time to shower before she was bounding down the stairs, running her legs off to catch a bus up into town, from the shopping district. She'd managed to make that, but it was nearing eight twenty four, and she had finally turned the corner for the school, gate in sight. "Yes!" she gasped, slowing down and trying to catch her breath, slowing down to a walk as the finally made it up to the gate and--

The crowd that had gathered there. That was a... Well, it was an odd sight. At least a few people she recognized were there. That kid that fell over, whatever his name was. That other senior that had been hanging around Akane that last week. That Ichirou kid, and... Eliana. With a bit of a stare, she tried to forget about the last week. It had been more than embarrassing. So as she strolled over to the group, still panting a bit from her jog, she decided to idle around it instead of speak up... At least the weather wasn't that warm yet, or she'd have just made straight for the school. Air conditioning was not to be ignored.

Edited June 6, 2015 by I have opinions

[Dandragon]

Ken was busy being embarrassed when he was startled by Kinji yelling, than storming off on his own. Had he been talking to him? And he didn't even respond back. Great job, Ken. You pissed someone off. It wasn't long before he saw another set of familiar faces. Two other students whom had woken Ken up off the sidewalk had arrived, one of them speaking with the lone boy, the other moving around the group, not bothering to get involved.

The number of people outside of school was growing, however Ken was getting awfully nervous. He wasn't used to taking part in this big of a group, if he could even call what he was doing 'taking part'. In reality, it seemed like the group was having a nice enough conversation without his input. They almost seemed to be ignoring him. Maybe talking to this many people wasn't his thing. Perhaps a smaller group. Maybe even a one on one. However, the only ones who seemed to be outside of the group were Kinji, who did not seem to eager to socialize from his last comment, the darker-skinned girl and one of the male students he bumped into on the roof, and the lone female who was one of the people who saw him fall flat on his face. What should he do?

Despite being intimidated by the single girl, Ken thought it best to talk to someone who wasn't really speaking anybody at the moment. He slowly walked over to her while taking off his hood, then realizing it messed up his hair, again. A little annoyed, he approached her, still a bit worried he would be laughed at. "U-uhm...H-hi," Ken said quietly. "I-I noticed you didn't have anyone to t-talk to. And, uh, I...didn't think that was right." Ooooh...Why am I so bad at conversation starters? Ken bowed ever so slightly, introducing himself. "M-my name is Ken Sunders. What's yours?" Why was he so anxious? Up close, he could tell the girl was indeed physically fit. She wouldn't beat me up, right? Not every person with an ounce of muscle on them is a bully, surely. Ken kept on smiling slightly, trying his best not to back down or run.

[Nanami Touko]

Aoi locked a rather bored expression on the stuttering student... He was her senior? He was wearing the colors, but he sure didn't look it. The stuttering didn't help. He's kind of annoying... Oh... Wait, he's the... "You're that kid that fell on his face, right?" she asked, ignoring his name for the moment, and pointing a finger at him. Well, she'd remembered that from the last week, but not his moment of laying down on the sidewalk. Whatever the case, she shrugged. "Aoi Saito. Hi, Ken." Well, to be fair to him, while he was dreadful at this, Aoi was also really bad. So after giving him her name, she... Stood there, not really trying to say anything.

[Dandragon]

After introducing herself as Aoi Saito, she stood there as a deafening silence between the two of them continued. Great, now what do I say? "Uhm...Yes, I did fall down that one time...I'm a bit of a clutz, I suppose." He said with a gentle laugh. It was then he noticed the colors on her uniform. She was a Year 1 student, however she looked...older than that. Only by a year, but still older than most first year's. But her grade wasn't the best thing to bring up, he thought. "So...how's school been? Enjoyable enough for you?" Well, it was something. Hopefully he didn't do anything wrong.

Edited June 9, 2015 by Dandragon

[Ether]

After having parked her bike nearby, and stuffing her leather coat and helmet away, Akane finally began making her way into school grounds, having just enough of a walk over to get a morning smoke in. Passing by a smallish gathering of students as she entered the grounds, Akane noticed that both Aoi and Eliana were within it. Giving the both of them each a light wave and smile as she passed by, along with a pair of rather stealthy winks, the senior continued along with little delay. She might stop to talk, later on, but she'd prefer to put her riding gear away, first.

[Nanami Touko]

Aoi snickered as he owned up to slamming his face against he pavement. It was amusing when anyone did something that stupid, even if Aoi herself did it, so she couldn't help it. "Eh? School? It's been..." Uh oh. There's Akane. And there's a wave... A smile-- a-a wink? Wh-what are you... Aoi gulped and found herself trailing the older girl instead of paying any attention to Ken. Her mind shot back to the swimming trip and it made her blush. That was last week, th-this is this week, come on... Shaking her head somewhat, she turned attention back to Ken, but now had a rather agape mouth, and a dreadfully red face. "Er, uh... Y-You, were you uh, saying something?"

[Dandragon]

Ken was slightly startled at Aoi's change in composure. All of the sudden, her face had become a bright shade of red, and she had become distracted for a second. He turned his head to where Aoi had been looking to see Akane walking past the school. Ken turned back to face Aoi, who had a look of embarrassment all over her. "I was asking about how school was. Hey, are you alright? Are you feeling well?" Despite not really knowing Aoi all that much, he was genuinely concerned. Had she seen something? Was it Akane that resulted in this reaction? What was going on? He knew he shouldn't pry, but his curiosity got the best of him. "Is there...something wrong?" His mind began racing, thinking of several possibilities that could result in such a reaction. And he did not like many of them.

[Nanami Touko]

"A-Am I alright?" She was almost asking herself, as Akane walked off, shaking her head again, and nodding. "Yeah! I-I'm fine! Why wouldn't I be fine!?" She snapped at him over it, deciding it was his fault for even asking that she was still thinking about it. "A-Anyway! School's fine, wh-whatever. Just... Gotta do well in my classes. Gotta ask Eliana if she can help me with my math..." She was sure she could brute force her way through the rest of the first year curriculum, but math was going to be a serious problem. How do numbers even work... "...What about you?" Aoi guessed it was proper social etiquette (like, seriously guessed, as she had no idea) to ask back when someone was trying to talk to you. He was a third year, apparently, so maybe his classes were harder.

[Dandragon]

He didn't expect to be snapped at for trying to be helpful. He was taken aback as to how Shinichi would get worked up over him. He quickly pushed those thoughts out of his head. No...Not everyone is Shinichi, he thought to himself. "Well, class is going smoothly for me. Although, that's mostly because our math teacher is late almost every day. I've heard tales about Mrs. Tsumara's...driving habits." He laughed nervously, recalling the stories he heard from other students gossiping amongst themselves. "If you have trouble with math, I could lend a hand...Unless you already have it covered." Aoi had mentioned someone named Eliana possibly helping her, and Ken didn't want to get in the way of anything.

Edited June 9, 2015 by Dandragon

[FrostyFireMage]

Ichirou was roused from his thoughts by the sound of a quiet voice addressing him and promptly turned around. Wasn't she the nervous girl from Kazumi's place? The girl who saw us enter that mirror world? "M-me? My name's Ichirou. Ichirou Nagi."

Regrettably, Ichirou wasn't particularly good at small talk, especially when caught unprepared. "So, uh... How long have you known Kazumi's sister? ...Aoi, wasn't it?"

Looking around uncomfortably, Ichirou saw the subject of his question rather aggressively chatting to a nervous-looking senior nearby. Did he do something to piss her off?

Shaking his head, he returned his attention to Eliana. That was rather rude of me...

[Xinnidy]

"Ichirou... I understand." Eliana made a mental note of his name, and had her attention shifted as Akane walked past the gates, giving a wave, a smile, a wink... and walking past the group. G-gee, Akane... A soft rosy tint came to Eliana's cheek, remembering her own questionable ideas... but that would have to be pushed aside, it was hardly the time for idle thoughts!

Flicking her hair and turning back to the conversation at hand (thankful that Ichirou had been somewhat distracted himself), Eliana attempted to recall the question he'd thrown at her. "Uh... about Aoi? Yes. She talked to me, the first day of school. Guess I stood out." Eliana had a weak, defeated smile at her own words. How wouldn't she stand out here? "She talks to me, and I help her. But Kazumi... I only talked to, that day." She hoped her explanation went over well despite the language barrier.

[MRDRHAWK]

As everyone carried on their conversations, they were interrupted by the ringing of the school's bell, as everyone rushed to their classrooms to go about their school day.

A rather uneventful day passed (though one student was nearly suspended for an incident involving a dakimakura which he had inexplicably smuggled into the school), and as the morning turned to afternoon, the school day eventually came to a close, leaving behind an afternoon free of worry...

It is now After School.

[Dandragon]

And so the school day had ended. He was finally done with the work he had been given. Before he was able to get up, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. There was a text from his mother.

Hey Ken! Could you look after the house? Thanks!

Ken sighed. Almost every day, his parents would ask him of this. Normally he would be perfectly fine with this request, but today of all days, he wanted to try and hang out with what few friends he may of had. After all, nothing ever truly happened to the house. He wondered why his parents always asked him to get back so quickly. Ken's things were soon all packed and his hoodie was on. He walked over to his classmate's seat. "Uhm...Hi, Akane." He said softly. "I was wondering...if you had any plans for the rest of the day." He hoped he didn't sound too awkward or creepy with that statement.

[Ether]

And that was another day over and done with. Akane sighed as she began gathering her things to exit, just before one of her classmates, Ken, walked up to her and asked of her plans. At least he was better than a... certain alternative. She honestly couldn't believe that he had tried to bring one of those things here, of all places... oh well, Mr, Yuuji was never the brightest bulb...

"Plans? No, I don't suppose I do, though I do know some spontaneous people, so who knows? Is there something I can help you with?" The senior asked her classmate, giving the boy a light smile.

[Nanami Touko]

Classes, ugh. What a bore... But Aoi had to try this year; no more repeating! So she did her best to pay attention in class, and managed to get some notes down, even if there was a bunch of shoddy doodles drawn around them. At least the day was short, because it was a Saturday, so there was plenty of time for her to spend doing things the rest of the day. Without a word to anyone in class, especially Eliana, she made her way to her locker at the front of the school and started swapping out her shoes. What can I do today, anyway? I mean... There was always Akane and Eliana, but after the pool, well... It felt difficult to start conversation with them. There was that Ken kid, but... Aoi felt he'd get annoying before he got enjoyable to hang around with. And there wasn't really anyone else. She slipped into her outdoor shoes and sighed, slumping against her locker. "Life's hard..."

[Dandragon]

"Ah, I see. Well, I was going to ask Katsumi if I could come over to her place, and I was wondering if you could join us."

Akane had said something about 'spontaneous' people, though he wasn't entirely sure what that meant.

Edited July 3, 2015 by Dandragon

[Ether]

"Kuriyama, huh? I suppose I wouldn't be opposed, but you must have something more in mind than just to go over, hmm? You'll never impress a girl with such a lack of planning or initiative, you know." Akane replied with a light smirk.

[Dandragon]

Impress? I wasn't trying to impress anyone. Ken thought to himself as he stood their. He hadn't really put much thought into what he would do once at Katsumi's house, it was true. He had hoped everything would just go from there. It was embarrassing. How WAS he supposed to make any friends like this? "I...I suppose we could go shopping then...," Ken began to twiddle his forefingers at the tips. "I heard...I heard there might be some shoes for sale..." Ken said it. Why did he go and say it? He looked to the side, expecting to be laughed at.

[Ace Tactician]

Katsumi remained seated at her desk after classes had ended, writing down her list of errands and chores for that day. At the top of the list was running to the convenience store for groceries, getting more food for her pet koi and pond maintenance supplies, buy a few new pair of shoes for school for her and her siblings, mainly her two younger brothers in addition to a nice non school pair for herself. She faintly heard Ken mention the possibility of shoes being on sale someplace. Being thrifty never hurts anyone. She paused writing out her do to list for a moment, "I need to go out and buy a few pairs of shoes. Can you tell me the name of the store that is holding a shoe sale?" She asked Ken politely.