Description: It's something she's been struggling with. Struggling with for a while now. But Acacia's reached a decision. She speaks to Hotaru again - she's come to trust her judgement. In the end, though, this is something she knows she has to do. To take control of the future.
The layout of the building is simple enough. A small entry-foyer comes first, with coat racks, a bathroom, and some closets all closed. A blue, Chinese styled long coat hangs from one of the racks. Off to one side of the lobby a door sits open, leading into a small room that had served as a pastor's office years ago but it is unoccupied now.
Beyond the loby is the main chapel hall itself. A thin layer of dust coats the surfaces here. Not the sort that would indicate years of neglect but perhaps a month or so since the last dusting. The typical furnishings one would expect in a chapel are present. A raised pulpit from which sermons which hasn't heard a sermon for some time. An electric organ in the front right corner. It hasn't been plugged in for ages and may not even work anymore.
Stained glass windows line the walls, allowing the outside light to flood the chapel with a myriad of colors. On a few of the wooden pews are blankets, suggesting that at least from time to time, people might drop by here to sleep, be they friends of this place's only caretaker or just random wanderers in need of shelter from a passing storm or frigid night.
In the back right corner are some school text books sitting on a table with a big, soft leather chair next to the desk. It was probably pulled out of the pastor's office at one point. In the back left corner is a mahogany shelf, mounted into the wall. At one time it served to hold racks of hymnals, but now it houses dozons of pictures in frames and a single bouquet of flowers that have dried up and died months ago - it's hard to tell that they were once a vibrant violet.
The owner of this property is seated on the floor, her back resting against the base of the pulpit at the front of the chapel hall. Her legs are folded in a lotus position, each foot resting on the opposite thigh and her eyes are closed, the girl in a state of what looks to be meditation. Hotaru's arm's rest against her knees, her hands held out in front of her. Every so often she breaths in deeply and holds her breath before exhaling slowly. During those moments of holding her breath, her right hand lights, burning with a small but vibrant red-orange aura, the color-wheel opposite of the deep blue her techinques in combat manifest in.
Across the church sanctuary, at the other end of the hall, a door opens. One of the broad wooden doors at the very front of the building, leading to the central aisle between the pews. It's not quiet - there's a squeal of hinges, and the door itself is heavy.
A figure steps through - Acacia Gillespie, her the heavy sound of her boots echoing through the quiet chamber. She looks around, blinking, before her eyes settle on Hotaru. And then she winces, looking somewhat sheepish.
But there's nothing for it. She's already in here. So she closes the door, behind her, dragging it shut, before turning fully to face the girl on the dias.
"Er," she murmurs, "hi..."
The sounds of the door closing and the subsequent thunk of boots against the old wooden floor fail to get notice from the meditating girl. But the sheepish and perhaps slightly reluctant voice gets her attention as her eyes blink open mid-breath. Even though the lighting within the building is subdued enough, consisting solely of that which pours in from outside through the colored windows, Hotaru squints a little, looking much like someone does when they stumble out of a dark room into a bright summer's afternoon.
But it's obvious when her focus comes to rest on Acacia, her mouth curling into a quiet smile and her legs uncrossing as she starts to push herself back up to her feet, using the pulpit behind her as support. She doesn't look tired, but she gingerly places pressure on her legs as she stands and her face grimaces a little, "Oof, legs fell asleep," she manages to force a grin as her hand rests atop the wooden pulpit for support.
"Come on in though! It's good to see you." She pushes herself away from the support only to limp over to a pew and lean against the back of the bench instead, shaking one of her legs a little. "Please don't mind the dust. I've been a little negligent as of late."
"Big place," Acacia replies, glancing around the expansive space of the old chapel sanctuary, noting the high ceilings, walls, windows, and pews upon pew. She gives a small shake of the head, as she takes it all in. "Keeping it clean..."
There's a little hint of awe and admiration in her voice. Her words are understated, but her tone isn't.
"...not easy," Acacia finishes, answering Hotaru's smile with one of her own.
She walks down the aisle, approaching Hotaru from the other end of the hall. As she nears the other girl, Acacia lifts a hand in a vaguely apologetic gesture.
"I'm not interrupting...?"
"Yeah," agrees Hotaru. It isn't easy to keep clean. Her legs must be feeling better because she finally stops leaning against the pew, stomping her foot a couple of times against the floor as if to get the blood flowing.
"Just interrupting me sitting around doing nothing," the girl replies. She's dressed in her traditional Chinese styled outfit, though today sees her in a forest green and deep brown color scheme instead of the usual blue and white.
"Which you're welcome to do any time. I think my feet might have fallen off if I stayed at it much longer," she adds with a short laugh. She's used to doing most of the talking when it comes to visits from Acacia, but that doesn't mean she'll babble aimlessly. "Would you like to sit down?" she asks, gesturing toward the wooden pew at her side. The long, wooden benches are pretty much the only 'useful' furnishings in the whole room besides the desk and chair in the far back corner.
"Thanks," Acacia replies. A brief, one-word answer - and typical Acacia. But then, Hotaru knows her by now. It isn't rudeness, or really even lack of social grace. She's just not a terribly verbose individual. She does, though, add another grin, the small twitch of her lip deepening.
She takes the proferred seat, sliding her lean frame into the pew, almost instinctively stretching her legs and arms out. Wooden pews are not, by design, the most comfortable of seats. Of course, the blankets and cushions Hotaru's strewn over them address the problem. Somewhat.
Acacia tilts her head at Hotaru. "Looked like," she continues, "a -meditative- sort of nothing. You sure...?"
Hotaru remains standing for now, leaning backward against the armrest of the pew opposite the one Acacia is seated in. Her attention is fully on the other girl now. If she had other things she was wanting to get to, there's no indication of impatience or being in a hurry to get elsewhere.
"Yeah," she replies, the uncertainty about explaining further is plainly evident on her face. Her left hand reaches over and clasps her right arm near her wrist, rubbing up and down her forearm a little. "It's something I've just started to try lately... It's... well, it's been helping me deal with some things."
The shrug that comes next is slight, accompanied by a smile that further insists that she doesn't mind in the slightest. "But there's plenty of time to do it later. Having someone stop by for a visit is a lot more important." Her eyebrows raise a little, the passive inquiry impossible to miss, an unspoken 'So, what brings you here?'
Acacia blinks at Hotaru, her expression quzzical. She's not the most adept person when it comes to reading body language and emotions, yet even she can tell that there's something Hotaru isn't saying. She doesn't push, though, doesn't press the issue - at least not now. She files the observation away for later, but now isn't the time. Acacia accepts the change of subject. After all, it's the polite thing to do.
Her face shifts, as she ponders the question, frowning faintly. Then, abruptly, she gives a wry little chuckle. Acacia rubs the back of her head with one half-gloved hand, running her exposed fingers through her messy hair.
In a dry voice, Acacia responds, "Short answer or long answer?"
The caretaker's hands find their place pressing against the arm rest that she leans against now, remaining patiently quiet while Acacia gives thought to what to say next.
When the wry chuckle and binary question comes, Hotaru's expression shifts, almost as if she's holding back a laugh. Acacia with a long answer? Surely the girl must be sharing a subtle joke.
But the laugh never comes, merely a grin brought about by the amusement that goes through her mind about the tough, quiet girl and her propensity to keep things oh so brief.
"How about the answer you feel most comfortable with. I have all the time you need," comes the reply after a little bit of thought.
"Oh, now," Acacia murmurs, "that's -hard-."
She gives another tiny, barely audible laugh. She shifts sideways on the pew. Her feet shuffle on the chapel floor, boot soles scraping against the ground. Fidgeting. She's feeling awkward, clearly. With an effort of will, though, she stills herself, regaining her lost composure.
"Well," she says, after a moment's pause, "had a couple serious talks. With you. Before."
Acacia regards Hotaru, carefully, waiting for the other girl's reaction. There's still a faint bit of guardedness about her.
At the comment about having given her a hard question, Hotaru's quiet grin remains though softens a little. Standing up, she gets off of the armrest and takes a step forward to slide down into the pew immediately in front of the one Acacia is seated upon.
"Nn," she nods at the mention of serious talks before. She pulls her legs up on the bench, sitting sideways, her arm resting over the edge of the back, her chin resting on her shoulder now.
"Is this about what we talked about last time?" comes the question. She would thank the girl for her help with the room construction project, but she doesn't want to sidetrack things now that Acacia seems to be getting to something.
"Morality. Selflessness..."
The last polysyllabic word trips from Acacia's tongue. But she recovers, finishing by pronouncing the last bit very carefully. Acacia waves a hand, indicating the vast expanse of issues that she hopes Hotaru understands.
Acacia leans into the pew seat, resting her spine against the hard wood back. She pauses, mulling over her next words, for a second or two. Unsure what to say.
Finally, she starts again, her voice low.
"Be graduating soon. High school."
An apparent non-sequitur - which Acacia seems to realize, almost as she says it. She carries on, though, moving towards the point.
"Diploma...meaningless, really. Did it...because. Felt right. But now..."
Her lip twitches.
"...well, what now?"
Hotaru's eyes widen slightly as the topic shifts to one of education, or rather, the culmination thereof. It's a question she's a year away from having to wrestle with, herself, which makes it seem so far away.
"Well," she starts, only to say nothing for a long moment afterward, her mind racing through possabilities. There's always the usual suspects. "You could keep going to school. College? Or maybe there's a trade you might be interested in?"
She doesn't sound certain though. If Acacia merely got through school because it was 'there', then further education might not be her kind of thing. "Or maybe take time off from that kind of thing. Um, travel the world some? That's what I did last year..." Which is why she's a year behind in school now, herself.
"Nah," Acacia answers, almost immediately, with an accompanying shake of the head. No.
She clapses her hands together, fingers interlacing, forming a hollow with her palms. She rests her hands on her lap, staring down. "I fight," she says, with a faint trace of irony, "nice to have other skills..."
She lifts her head, raises her chin, giving Hotaru a significant look. Fixing the other girl, once more, with her eyes.
"...still, I fight."
A simple statement. The truth of the matter.
She twists her wrists, keeping most of her fingers linked, but her thumbs sticking out.
"But that's not enough. Need something...more."
"Hn," Hotaru replies, sitting up a little bit straight now, her chin no longer resting against her shoulder though her arm continues to dangle over the back of the bench.
"Have you thought about your fighting? Maybe you would like to teach others how to do it? I volunteer as an instructor at the Youth Center and I find it to be fullfilling." Yes, in spite the... interruptions she gets so frequently there.
But then she tries to picture Acacia leading a class and she isn't so sure. Students need more than a few words to get by with. But maybe it could work.
"Or you could compete more. I bet you would do well by participating in more events. Though you wanted to branch out you said... are there other things you're interested in? Other hobbies or skills you want to explore?"
"One trick pony," Acacia replies, with more than a hint of self-depreciating humour, "old dog."
Putting herself down, yes - but illustrating the point, all the same. She brings her hands up, jabbing both thumbs inward. Touching her collarbone, through the fabric of her t-shirt. Acacia snorts, nostrils flaring, exhaling with a sardonic tinge. Not a terribly ladylike gesture, but she doesn't seem to care.
For a few heartbeats, she holds that pose, before dropping her hands.
"Actually," she says, "was thinking - the YFCC. Like you said."
Acacia grins.
"Teaching, I don't know...but maybe -something-. Think Towazu would...?"
Hotaru shifts, folding her legs back under her now rather than having them stretched out along the bench, giving her a slightly higher elevation over the pew's back.
"Really?" she asks, sound not surprised but rather pleased that the laconic girl had thoughts about the Youth Center. "You should talk to Alma," comes her next statement with a nod. Talking with Alma about these kinds of weighty matters in general tends to be a good idea, in her mind.
"I bet there's something you could do there. He would know better. He might also have other ideas. It's... well, it might be a chance to branch out a little."
"Branch? I'm not a tree," Acacia says, mildly.
Too mildly, really, with a sort of deliberate and excessive matter-of-factness. And a faint gleam of mischief in her eyes, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. She waits a second, just enough time for Hotaru to maybe get the joke.
Then she continues, regardless, speaking in a more normal voice. Or what passes as normal for Acacia, a low and measured tone. "Yeah, I should. But don't know Towazu...that well. How will he...?"
Hotaru's expression shifts to a wry smile at the joke and she shakes her head, giving the other girl a feigned look of disapproval for trying to change the topic with intentionally wrong interpretation of her words.
But she settles down quickly afterward, the amusement fading to be replaced by somber attention. "Alma is... Well, he's a good friend of mine, so I might be biased." the girl warns, lifting the hand that had been resting in her lap to point her forefinger upward.
"But he's a nice. And he's doing a great thing with all the time he puts into the YFCC. And I'm sure he would have some ideas about things that need doing around there and how you might be able to help." As often happens, her words start flowing faster once she gets an idea in her head, energy in her speech reflecting the enthusiasm she feels inside when something 'seems right.'
"If you would like, I could go with you to meet him? Introduce you to him?" It's possible, she realizes, that Alma's propensity for seeming to be almost always extremely busy might make it hard for the often quiet, slow spoken Gedo student to actually get him to hold still long enough to explain everything. Maybe she should be there just to act as a translator between Alma-speak and Acacia-speak...
"I've met him," Acacia murmurs, "just...don't /know/ him."
She says the word with particular weight. Words are words, they have different meaning. As her little pun proved. But this time, it's a serious thing. She's met Alma before, she's spoken to him. But she can't say she has any meaningful knowledge of the man, she can't say she really has his measure. As it stands, based on just the impressions -she's- gotten, Alma Towazu is a flake. A nice flake, but still a flake.
With a vote of confidence from Hotaru, though...
"But, yeah," Acacia adds, "that'd be nice. Else, don't know what I'd do."
She cocks her head to one side, expression blank.
"Hi, remember me? I punched you before? Any job vacancies?"
The emphasis is met with a slight nod from Hotaru. She knows what the girl is getting at. She has met plenty of people since her return to Southtown, but feels she knows so very, precious few. A condition she's slowly been getting used to.
The ironic humor coming from the perfectly neutral face of Acacia finally elicits the laugh Hotaru had been managing to stifle through all of the previous moments of amusement throughout their exchange. Sitting up straight, she shifts her feet to finally rest against the floor, twisting her body at the waist so that she can continue to speak with the tough girl behind her.
"Knowing him, that might just work," she finally replies, her tone suggesting she's serious but the sparkle in her eyes, acknowledging just how preposterous that sounds.
"It would make me happy to be able to be there when you meet him though." A good reason to see Alma again and a chance to help a girl that she has come to think of as a friend even though the paths their lives have followed would seem to have made that so very unlikely.
Acacia nods, once. Returning Hotaru's gaze, she smiles, and says one word:
"Thanks."
She means it.
Log created on 12:44:56 08/12/2007 by Acacia, and last modified on 09:47:04 09/03/2007.