|
Post by BloodValkyrie on Aug 29, 2012 9:26:34 GMT -5
Such a question was expected. After all, this half-elf seemed intelligent, especially when considering the several unusual pieces of equipment she had laid about the counter and the fact she desired to be a detective. Her question definitely stemmed from suspicions due to Aika's quick acceptance of her true nature. Now, what could she say in response?
The silver-haired woman considered merely answering with a yes. But that would only result in more questions and possible further suspicion. Why would she even continue to hide her own true nature when this woman in front of her wasn't even fully human? She was half elf, so that already gave them some common ground. If she was fully human, Aika wouldn't even consider revealing her own secret. After all, humans feared what they did not understand and, in turn, attempted to kill what they feared. In truth, humanity had not changed much since the time of Tamamo-no-Mae. Clara would be understanding. She was aiming to be a detective after all, and detectives were people who were never supposed to act merely on instinct and were, instead, supposed to think logically and reasonably as often as possible.
If she was uncooperative and reacted poorly though...Aika had little problem forcing Clara into silence with the threat of revealing her secret.
After all this thinking, which took place in less than three seconds, Aika nodded at her roommate. "Yes, I have indeed met other members of thine kind." She then held up a hand to stop Clara from responding just yet. "There is more, though."
The silver-haired beauty placed a finger on the jade megatama on her necklace and closed her eyes. The jewel glowed brightly and the two flowers atop her head turned into silver fox ears, while four fluffy tails sprouted from behind. Once the transformation was complete, she looked at Clara with her bright orange eyes and smiled.
"I, too, am a being of queer origins."
|
|
|
Post by Greed on Aug 29, 2012 10:54:16 GMT -5
Lyla whistled louded at Arkadi's credentials, mightily impressed by the shy, awkward guy. She had a deep respect for anyone who could be written off by a more scathing person as an egg head, an over achiever, or a try-hard.
"Wow, I could never do anything like that." The girl's voice was thick with wonder, as she found her room... and someone else in front of it? That was odd. She wasn't entering the room, it looked like she was... altering the nameplate.
"Oye! What are you doing there, I think that's my dorm!" Lyla called over. The girl was an odd looking person for sure. Messy, crimson hair with what looked like orange highlights, covered her head. She was muscular, lean and lanky, taller than her and about as tall as the huge guy helping her carry her stuff. She had a tight tanktop, her midriff completely being exposed. Even crazier, she wore a slit miniskirt over a pair of ripped denim shorts, and finally, a pair of sandals.
"Oh, you Lillian then? Yeah, your roomates refused their invitation, so enjoy some privacy. One of the dorm supervisors made me change the tag..." This girl sounded... not all there. In Lyla's mind, anyways.
"By the by, name's Juli, I live next door, sup and shit, lets party sometime." Okay, she had to crack a smile there; this girl was pretty chill.
"Mind helping me move in then? I'd appreciate it." Juli shrugged, as Lyla indicated her pocket; with no free hands, she still couldn't open the door anyways. The taller girl took the key from her pocket, opening the room, before lowering her tinted glasses, and whistling.
"How the fuck did you get a whole triple flat to yourself!?" The dorm was a large room, with the kitchen directly inside the room, and a window that allowed sunlight to pour in the room in a living room like area. Several rooms could be seen to the left and right; three bedrooms, a bathroom, and a closet.
"Well... I lucked out." Lyla couldn't hold back the growing grin on her face; this was going to be a FUN year.
|
|
|
Post by Jisui on Aug 29, 2012 18:48:01 GMT -5
So she had met other elves before... that would explain why she wasn't surprised in the slightest. So Clara had gotten lucky with her roommate after all. Elves however, were infamously known for their secrecy... to meet one would be a lucky feat by itself. And this woman had said she had met other members of her kind... not just one. Aika Kuroki... who was she really?
Of course, the silver-clad woman would soon answer her questions in their entirety. Clara had to cover her eyes briefly, a brilliant burst of light shining forward from Aika's odd necklace. When the young half-elf looked up, her normally calm expression couldn't help but gawk slightly at who was in front of her. The flowers on Aika's head had turned into silver fox ears, while a multitude of admittedly soft looking white fox tails had appeared behind her. This was... no, she probably looked like an idiot with her mouth open right now. This was familiar... she had seen someone that looked like this before, in her mother's old books. The name... what was it?
"...Kitsune..." The half-elf finally muttered in amazement after a period of silence, her eyes widening in a mixture of surprise and wonder. Kitsune's were supposed to be incredibly rare... Clara didn't think she would actually meet one in her lifetime. Truth be told, she felt somewhat relieved that her roommate was also "abnormal" like her. It gave her an odd sense of security, knowing that she could simply act as herself, and not be punished for it. But now, a new dilemma had come up. She knew that Aika had essentially shown her true self out of goodwill... but knowledge did not come without a price. Nothing did.
"...I won't tell anyone about you either." The half-elf smiled slightly in response to Aika's happiness, but the smile faded in a serious gaze quickly.
"But I can't lie for you. Even if you tell everyone about me, that's something I can't do." They were naive words, that started that day in a cold winter night, moon shining above her and her father. Her father had told her to do one thing, and live by one law as long as she was alive... never lie to others, no matter what kind of lie. In that way, this young detective-to-be was excruciatingly naive. In a job and career where she would have to deceive others to succeed, she would never lie. It was the same here. She wouldn't betray Aika's trust, or kindness in her. But if someone asked, then she could not break that promise she had made to her father that day, that promise that she had been upholding for 12 long years...
|
|
|
Post by BloodValkyrie on Aug 29, 2012 19:37:04 GMT -5
Ah, it was a wonderful feeling. It truly was. She had always adored the reactions of others when they discovered she was really a kitsune, a legendary fox spirit commonly associated with Japanese legends and mythology. It was like creating a beautiful piece of art and showing it to your friends, who would all be amazed by it and compliment your great talent. The situations were different, but the feeling of "satisfaction" was similar in both.
Aika was about to respond with a "thank you" for Clara's silence, but stopped when the woman said she could not lie for her. Why? What did she mean by that? How could she keep her true nature a secret, yet be absolutely unwilling to fib, if necessary? It made very little sense. Of course, no one would ask her "is Aika a kitsune?". But any questions similar to that, such as "is Aika normal?" would have to be answered with an honest "no". A feeling of dread began to grow in the kitsune's heart. She could still hide her ears and tails with her powers, but having people think something was truly odd about her would be an inconvenience. Many humans became obsessed with their curiosity and Aika was sure there would be at least one person in the school who would take extreme measures in order to find out her true nature. If that came to pass...
Clara was naive. She wanted to be a detective, yet was incapable of lying? Incapable of verbally deceiving others? What kind of detective is that? This woman...she was odd in more ways than one. She was confusing. Never had Aika spoken with a human who had such a quirk. This deepened her interest in her, but also gave the kitsune a reason to be cautious.
She couldn't show how she felt though. It would only ruin this moment, perhaps make it difficult for them to share a room together. Aika's smile visibly faltered, but that was all.
"An admirable quality, but also one unfit for the state of this world."
Her megatama flashed again and her ears turned back into flowers while her four soft tails disappeared entirely. She turned and walked back to her shelf, getting back to placing her books.
"Very well. I can hide my form with ease, as you saw, but thou cannot. What if one were to beseech thee of your hood? How would thee defend thyself?"
She was not intending to be confrontational. The silver-haired woman was genuinely curious on the matter. How would Clara defend her identity if one were to ask about her hood? Why did she wear it? What was she hiding? Someone would eventually ask her. So what would she do if she refused to lie?
|
|
|
Post by Shin RyuKen on Aug 29, 2012 19:49:46 GMT -5
Arkadi smiled. It was pleasant to see that he helped someone find their way, let alone luck out in every aspect of their rooming situation. Arkadi didn't mind having a room to himself...It would keep him more relaxed than he would be if he shared a room with somebody, especially that imposing brute of his, who could cause him to get distracted and lose his focus. He always worried over the idea of a roommate no matter how much his parents assured him that it would be okay and he would get along with his roommate no matter what. But the thought of having a share a room with someone he never met before in his life...well, it was a bit unnerving of a thought at first to say the least.
All of a sudden, he realized that there was some audible conversation nearby, and it sounded like it was somehow in Old English. It sounded interesting, like a theatre script being recited of some sort resonating majestically in the halls. Arkadi was somewhat curious as to where it was coming from, and noticed it was from a dorm room fairly close to that of Lyla's. In order to pique his unusual curiosity, Arkadi decided to approach the door, and see who was inside after a knock.
"...Hello? I...thought I heard a Shakespearean play being recited here?" The young boy mentioned loudly enough between knocks.
|
|
|
Post by Advix on Aug 29, 2012 20:25:17 GMT -5
Trevor found it hard to answer Neil's question properly. "No, I don't really know who your geology professor is, but I know one of the geology professors here. She's something of my mentor, and kind of eccentric." Not to mention hot, but he tries not bring that up. If you saw her, you'd think she was a senior, but she's actually 39. How does a woman like that stay so young looking? Well, it has to do with some of the stuff she taught him. It's kind of complicated, which is to say nothing about how they even met in the first place. Trevor knew her as "Raiga", but...
"If your geology teacher is a broad named Ruby Arum, tell her that you know me. Who knows, she might just get a kick out of that."
|
|
|
Post by Jisui on Aug 29, 2012 20:38:58 GMT -5
Her ideals might have been naive, but she wasn't an idealist herself. Clara understood Aika's point that she attempted to drive towards her, and her irritation at it, noting her bright smile falter ever so slightly. Clara wanted to become a detective, but couldn't lie to others. She was afraid of others discovering her elvish heritage, but could not tell others a lie because of it. She prized the truth and honesty above all virtues, yet hid it all away in her hoodie and draped it among her like a coward's veil. In other words, Clara Alvez was a paradox. No, she was more than that. The most apt description for her would a hypocrite.
Silently, the half-elf got up from the floor, turning her back to the kitsune as well as she attended to her gadgets. Her mouth slightly opened, as if about to answer Aika's question, before they were interrupted by a noise at the door.
"...Hello? I...thought I heard a Shakespearean play being recited here?"
...Shakespearean play? Quizzically, Clara turned to her roommate, raising an eyebrow in question of the strange visitor.
|
|
|
Post by Tokrochiru on Aug 29, 2012 21:13:16 GMT -5
While Arkadi went out to check out a completely irrelevant conversation, Kyle stuck around Lyla and soon dropped her goods on a nearby desk.
"Will that be..."
...all?
It was then that Kyle noticed the rather rugged looking woman in the room currently speaking with Lyla. She well built. Tough. Maybe she was part of a sports team. Maybe the track team? He wondered what the chances were of meeting one of his track teammates this early into moving in were.
He greeted her with a respectful nod of acknowledgment. He would have asked her a question or two, but he didn't really have the right given that this was Lyla's dorm. So instead, he looked to Lyla and asked...
"Is this it? You got anything in the trunk of your car that needs lifting?"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Neil scratched his head and chuckled....had Trevor said something funny?
"Sorry, fella. Don't mean to be rude, but it's a tad funny how you call her your mentor. Mentors are kind of an old fashioned thing, don't you know? Not many people have 'em, or at least they don't outright call 'em that. No offense meant of course friend. I just found it a wee bit amusing is all. You're certainly a character, Trevor, I'll give you that."
He did have a point. It wasn't exactly common nowadays for people to outright state others as their 'mentor'. Neil had a great appreciation for people's quirks, it seemed. Weather that would prove to be an endearing trait of his, or simply obnoxious, had yet to be seen.
|
|
|
Post by BloodValkyrie on Aug 29, 2012 21:49:42 GMT -5
Aika sighed quietly and looked at the door with a curious expression. She then stood up, quickly skipped over to Clara and flipped her hood back up, then went towards the door. Someone who actually recognized one of the origins for her speech? There were a few people before that did the same, but most simply said she talked weird and nothing else. Although the fact that their mysterious visitor actually felt the need to knock on the door and find the source of the old form of speech meant that they must have had some kind of interest in it.
Or they were simply too curious for their own good. Humans could go either way.
Aika opened the door and was greeted by the site of a young man in a very formal outfit consisting of a white dress shirt with a black vest. He had soft brown eyes and dull yellow hair. He was a very curious sight... No one else was dressed in the same manner as he. While practically all the other students were dressed normally, this unknown man was dressed as if attending a business meeting of the utmost importance. Aside from this, though, there was very little of his physical appearance that was unique.
There was a...strange aura about him, though. Aika's expertise with the mystic arts allowed her to feel this. It was faint, but there was definitely something there. Whether this young man knew of it or not was a mystery to her. But her interest had been piqued and she mentally noted to keep an eye on this one.
The beautiful silver-haired woman smiled lightly at him. "No, there is, in fact, no play being recited here. I believe thou art referring to my method of speech, correct?"
|
|
|
Post by Shin RyuKen on Aug 29, 2012 23:07:07 GMT -5
Arkadi was admittedly taken aback a bit. He was way off. There wasn't any recitals going on here. It was somebody's matter of speech! Surely, the tirelessness was beginning to diminish the boy's intuition as he mustered another awkward smile back in front of his new floormate.
Suddenly, he caught a closer glimpse of her. Barring the Old English lisp, the girl looked completely normal. Attractive, even. Nothing about her suggested that she was Victorian in any way, but if anything, she looked...particularly Asian. Arkadi could often tell that someone had a particularly Japanese look to them because he himself was half-Japanese, although if there was anything he learned from listening to his parents growing up, it was not to judge a book by its cover. The magatama on her necklace as well...she was an interesting character at the least. Arkadi didn't know what to think of her yet, but she was definitely unique.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Arkadi blushed slightly in realizing his mistake; there was definitely no script that was recited. "I just...got a little excited, that's all. It's always a pleasant surprise for someone to be appreciating Shakespeare even through...matter of speaking." Arkadi wasn't quite sure how to put his words together with her, hence his slight pauses while he thought of what to say, but the attempted smile on his face was genuine. He had just never heard of someone in this day and age talk like that in a way that wasn't completely ironic. Kids he went to school with marginalized Shakespeare and any typical Old English work, while Arkadi found a lot of it quite fascinating.
To make amends, the boy held his arm out for a handshake with the silver-haired woman. "My apologies at any rate...I'm Arkadi, I live down the hall. It's a pleasure to meet you."
|
|
|
Post by Jisui on Aug 29, 2012 23:27:56 GMT -5
Nodding in appreciation as the kitsune flipped her hood over her head, Clara resisted the urge to roll her eyes as the formal looking boy introduced himself to her roommate. Did Aika have an admirer already? Hopefully it wouldn't become a habit... that being said, she didn't really blame the young man for trying. Aika did have a mysterious kind of beauty to her. Really though, if he was going for a pickup line, he went for that weak excuse?
Regardless, the fewer people who knew of her, the less people would ask about her. Trying not to draw any attention, the half-elf silently tweaked with her gadgets on the table, fine-tuning them as an excuse not to say anything. She also flipped her headphones from her neck to her ears, her lithe fingers delicately poking about her hoodie for her music player. With a tiny flip, the noise of the two others in her room faded away, and a popular spanish love song began drowning the rest of the noise away.
Out of the corner of her eye, she kept a close watch on the young man however, while she played around with her gadgets. He looked ordinary enough, if not somewhat overdressed, and a nervous looking figure... but something about her sent a peculiar alarm in Clara's head. Was it detective's intuition that she felt this way? No, such a thing did not exist. There was something odd about him, that she did not have enough evidence to prove at the moment. Or perhaps she was just paranoid...? Sighing, she turned her eyes back to her table, trying not to attract any attention.
|
|
|
Post by Advix on Aug 30, 2012 15:29:31 GMT -5
Trevor just crossed his arms as Neil commented on his choice of words. "What's so funny about calling her my mentor? She teaches me stuff, I learn from her. I mean, she teaches a lot of people, but I'm talking about more on a personal level." Trevor scratched his head, as if doing so would dig up the words from his brain. "When I'm in a bind, or when I got questions, I ask her."
|
|
|
Post by BloodValkyrie on Aug 30, 2012 19:28:17 GMT -5
How cute! The boy was blushing! He must have thought it was silly for him to think anyone was reciting a Shakespearean play, but the fact he had assumed that was a bit of compliment for Aika. It meant her speech was accurate to that style, which she had always been aiming for. That or...well, he simply had difficulty talking to an attractive female. That was a common quality among human males, so it wouldn't be surprising.
Aika giggled and shook Arkadi's hand. "Do not apologize. I hath always adored the writings of Shakespeare and studied them ever since I was a mere child. I adopted that style within my normal speech, so thou may as well consider my very words as a way of appreciating the man's work."
She smiled sweetly at him. "Thou may refer to me as Aika Kuroki. Quite a pleasure to greet thee."
She wanted to introduce Clara as well, but she wasn't so sure she'd be happy about being forced into the conversation. If her roommate wanted to greet their visitor, she would do so of her own will.
|
|
|
Post by Shin RyuKen on Aug 30, 2012 20:36:58 GMT -5
Wait, she was giggling? Did she find it amusing that he caught himself in such an awkward position all of a sudden? Arkadi interpreted it as somewhat more embarrassing his blush remained on his face until she had told him he had nothing to apologize for. Needless to say, he was happy to have met the girl. She appreciated literature with such fervor that he nearly matched. Above anything, Arkadi spent a lot of spare time trying to read books, various novels that were praised throughout his time and his ancestry's time. He had a collection of Dostoyevsky's books shelved onto his desk and would've liked to share a conversation about them more than anything, but he felt that was far too seen as "geeky" and utterly fearful of how people perceived him, he remained silent about it. However, he remained curious of what else the girl knew.
Arkadi returned the smile back to her behind his blush and nodded. Kuroki...his hunch was right, she too was Japanese. The boy responded with a slightly less soft tone, "Kuroki...I'm half Japanese, actually! It's a pleasure to meet you, Aika!" He proceeded to stuff his hands in his two pockets in order to lessen his visible fidgeting any longer, considering he was meeting someone he would probably be seeing a lot more often as the year went on. "I think it's wonderful that you're into Shakespeare. So many people write him off as a part of a high school syllabus, so...it's really refreshing. What other literature interests you?"
Although Arkadi was starting to feel a little more comfortable talking to her, he couldn't shake off the feeling once again that he was indulging in his own nerdiness again and while his blush began to fade, he was beginning to fend off another nervous feeling overcoming the pit of his stomach. Arkadi then jerked his head to the side to see her roommate, immersed in her music and thought that he might've been unwelcome.
"O-oh...Am I interrupting something?"
|
|
|
Post by Greed on Aug 30, 2012 23:44:06 GMT -5
"Nah, nothin I can't get myself at this point. You're really bloody strong, you know that?" Lyla set her stuff down on the couch for the moment, since it was the safest place currently. She gestured for Kyle to put it down there as well; she was clearly strong enough to put everything where she wanted it, after all. However, the conversation across the hall caught her attention, drawing her back out of her room.
"Why hellooo there., how's it goin, neighbor?" Lyla popped up behind Arkadi, grinning as she did so, her disproportionately long hair swaying as she walked over to greet her silver haired neighbor.
Meanwhile, Juli ran her eyes over the tall guy that had helped Lyla carry her stuff... after a long, and hard examination of him, a wry smile overcame the tall girl's face.
"Let me guess, just for fun... lets see now... Track... wrestling, and maybe... swimming? No, judo perhaps?" It seemed she was attempting to guess which sports Kyle partook in....
|
|