Description: After hearing some troubling rumors about a certain Seijyun student Van Mitsubishi, Yurika decided to check things out and see if problems need to be nipped in the bud.. Or redirected for the, um, greater good. Yes, that's it.
It may not be immedietly noticable at first, but the grounds of Seijyun High School are getting pretty active. With it late in the spring, early to the summer, outdoor activities are increasing and electric bills are going up!
One person whom is spending most of her time indoors, however, is a certain drill haired student few within the school wouldn't know: The student council president, Yurika Kirishima. She's dressed as she always is, with her light blue attire, violin case in one hand and an armful of papers in the other, just having from from the school itself so she can finally go to her room and settle down with a nice cup of tea.
However there was something in the back of her mind that was bothering her; and that was the rumor mill spouting out a couple of names she just simply didn't recognize.. Van Mitsubishi would be one of them, of course, and well.. She supposed it would probably be a good idea to meet this girl at some point.
Perhaps after tea.
Rumors about Van Mitsubishi are actually not all that flattering: She was utterly crushed by Hotaru Futaba despite using a variety of unsavory tactics and weapons, she tells tall tales about how she grew up, she's some noveau rich girl with no sense of social decorum, and that she's horribly evil.
As fate would have it, however, Van Mitsubishi leans in the very hallway that Yurika walks through, watching the various girls pass by her with her face a mask of the sort of conceited mild interest that the very rich sometimes adopt when they have nothing better to do. No one gets too close to her, perhaps because of the rumors.
Her eyes slowly shift over to Yurika as she approaches, and she blinks, coming out of her snooty reverie for a moment as she raises her eyebrows slightly, her eyes focusing on the violin case as if it is a very important object indeed.
Well hopefully no unsavory plans about the violin case are to bloom, the musician needs the instrument, of course. That's the funny thing about the rumor mill, though, while there are all sorts of odd stories going about, it's really just a way for her to keep up what's going on from the students point of view.. And then take action to see things with her own eyes.
Her maryjanes clack lightly on the floor with each step, her dark, almost sullen eyes meeting Van's not long after the other girl catches sight of her! Well at first glance she doesn't look so bad, she looks quite approachable, she thinks. Yurika comes to a stop, greeting the other with a small, mysterious smile. "Good afternoon," she greets, "You must be 'Van Mitsubishi', correct? There's quite a buzz going on about you lately.. I'm afraid they don't seem to be very good things. Are you not getting along well here?"
Van raises her eyes from the violin quickly enough to be polite, but slowly enough to point out that she's not hiding the fact that she's looking at it. She bows to Yurika formally. "Good afternoon. You are correct in your presumption." She smiles back, faintly, with just a hint of warmth, as if she's genuinely pleased that Yurika's speaking to her. Of course, if she isn't on good terms with most of the girls here, she might just be pleased with any kind of social interaction. "If rumors trouble you, please do not concern yourself with me. I fear that the lies and exaggerations spread about me may come to taint you as well, for perception is more important than fact in such matters."
Yurika isn't exactly certain why her case is getting a look. It's just a simple black case to hold an instrument. Perhaps the girl is a music lover, it's difficult to tell. However Yurika's smile becomes more pleasent, as she shakes her head, "I am concerned, but not for the reason you'd think. I'd really like if all the students here could get along; a bit of far-fetched idealism I know, but.. It is a pleasure to finally meet you myself. I'm Yurika, this years council president. I'd offer my hand, but.."
Yurika raises the case-bound hand, as if excusing herself. "Do you have an interest in music, Miss Mitsubishi?"
Van's eyes widen slightly as Yurika introduces herself. "Ah, Miss Kirishima. Even in my relative isolation, I have heard of you. My apologies for not recognizing you earlier." She bows a second time. "Experience leads me to believe that people can only get along when offered a common enemy... although I would prefer if it was someone else besides myself." A faint self-deprecating smile, and then she dismisses it with a wave of her hand.
She coughs slightly at the question. "My knowledge is not so much in music, persay... as in weapons. While I enjoy music, I regret to say that I was provided little knowledge of it." Her eyes shift over to the papers. "...Regardless, it seems you are weighed down with things, whereas my hands are empty. If you could be so kind to as allow me to carry something, it would put my heart at ease."
".. Weapons?" Yurika repeats, not so much suprised about the 'interest' but more that there's confusion about the contents of her case. She could only assume, then, that Van must have met Sada in the past. That girl, what is she going to do with her?
"I see, I hate to disappoint you but there isn't a tommygun in my case, I assure you." Yurika giggles lightly, "And it's quite all right, I don't hold it against anyone I haven't met personally. It is rather rude to just assume everyone knows you after all. Ahh.. as for these things it really isn't that much, but.. If you insist."
The musician hands over the set of three manilla folders. Two are normal color, and one is orange, all of them unmarked and held togeather by a large, thick rubber band. "It'd seem to me, then, that you have some free time. Would you like to join me for tea? I was just headed to my room."
Van laughs lightly, covering her mouth with one hand. "But isn't it natural to assume everyone knows you, in your place, Miss Kirishima? Even with one such as me, as soon as I knew who you were, I knew what was inside there." She takes the folders, placing them carefully under one arm. "Thank you."
She blinks, seemingly blindsided by the offer of tea. Finally, she smiles. "I would enjoy that."
"Ooooh, oh yes, I see what you mean." Yurika replies, though really sort of just skirts on any sort of conflict there. In fact she seems to let it go from that point. She gestures forth, and would walk alongside Van. "I'm actually just in the second door from here.. So then, as you could probably guess, I've quite an interest in music. But for one interested in weaponry, I can't really guess what kind of occupation you'd be hoping to take part in in the future. Would you mind telling me what exactly that may be?"
Van smiles placably as Yurika drops the subject, and looks over to Yurika as they walk, then looks over to the second door from there. "I am afraid I have never really given thought what occupation I want to take part in. I was trained in weapons, and my parents sent me to Seijyun in hopes I would find a husband." She tilts her head a bit to one side. "What sort of occupation do you seek, Miss Kirishima?"
Yurika approaches the door and opens it; second door to the left. It appears to be a single-person room as opposed to most of the doubles that are about; and it's perhaps about as girly as one might expect. It's a square room, with a light carpet on the floor, three red cushions in the rooms center surround a low table. The bed and a dresser is to the left, desk in the back and to the right cabinet after cabinet of musical instruments and teacups. There's a stand behind the door, which has an unfinished sewn dress over it.
"Well there's no rush when it comes the future these days, though that is interesting, very traditional. I actually was to be prepared for engagement myself but... That somewhat fell through. So I thought perhaps I'd like to become the Prime Minister, instead of a housewife." Yurika motions to her desk, "If you could put the folders there, please. And feel free to make yourself comfortable. I know a few people who are in the same position as yourself.. They aren't very happy about it, it'd seem."
Van looks around the room briefly, her eyes first lighting on the musical instruments, desk, and stand, then she unfocuses her gaze slightly and lets herself take the room in in an purely aesthetic fashion.
"Prime Minister? It seems like a hard enough job to acquire, that it might be fun to pursue." She surreptitiously scans the desk for anything interesting before putting the folders down, then turns back to Yurika, walking backwards towards the small table as she does so. "Why should they be unhappy about such things? Aren't their parents simply looking out for their welfare?"
Yurika is.. A very careful person; though it also depends entirely on what someone may find interesting. If anything it might be a little -too- normal. But that's only if one is generally paranoid. She sets the case onto the floor and opens one of the cabinets; a hot water contraption inside of it. She picks out two cups as she replies, "Well.. Some people simply just don't enjoy the idea of having no control over their future. So yes, while you're quite correct.. They're correct as well, it's a difficult situation to resolve peacefully in many cases."
But Van had said something particularly interesting there. Did this girl have a weak will? That was a trait she could easily make use of if that were the case.. More study would certainly have to be done. "As for my goal, it certainly is a lofty one, isn't it? But I'm certainly having fun with it, even if it does keep me quite busy."
Despite her duplicity and manipulativeness, Van is not paranoid. She's lead a sheltered life, and tends to assume she's pretty much the only one who's not precisely as she seems. "It's not a matter of having control over one's future, is it? It's a matter of trusting one's parents." She smiles after a moment, watching Yurika open the cabinet and take out the cups. "They sent me to Seijyun, so I'm going to try it out, even if it seems hard. Isn't marriage the same sort of thing?"
She's silent for a long moment. "...How do you even go about becoming the Prime Minister? That seems like something that's above the political and economic levels that I really understand...."
Yurika places a teabag in each cup, and pours water in it.. It's a rather simple procedure, really. But perhaps only a fanatic would be able to tell by looking at the bags that Yurika had made them herself. Setting the cups on white saucers, she walks back to the table with one in each hand. "It depends entirely on who you ask, of course.." she replies with a patient smile.
"If it's a matter of trust, one could easily ask why the parents wouldn't trust them to make a responsible decision when they're ready. Of course one could argue it's for their own good, but then it gets rather ugly." She sets one before her company and then settles down, resting on her knees upon the cushion. "I've been in Seijyun for quite some time you could imagine. You seem to me like someone who could fit in quite well over time. I simply just recommend you continue on as usual, and the rumors should blow over eventually. You know, for some time people thought I was a ghost." She giggles lightly, with a light shake of her head, "Well, anyway the process of becoming Prime Minister is actually alarmingly complex. There's so much political and social riff-raff, know-how, contacts here and there; but there are actually only two words that wrap it up nicely: Persistance, dedication. In the end that's really all it takes."
Van takes the saucer in front of her and smiles slightly. "Ah, I see. I guess it might be different when you feel like you know a lot about the wider world, like your friends do." She raises the cup to her lips and takes a sip. "I'm relieved to hear that. A ghost, though...?" She's silent for a long moment, then her eyes widen, as if it occurs to her that there's a vague possibility Yurika actually is a ghost. She takes a deep breath.
"Persistance and dedication... I'm suprised there aren't more prime ministers, then. I mean, I have persistence and dedication, I think." A pause. "Not," she adds a bit quickly, "that *I* want to be a Prime Minister, but I imagine...."
Yurika murmurs something to herself thoughtfully, as something seems to click in. Seems like Van is sheltered; pretty much like herself really, and that somewhat raises the attatchment she feels with the other student. However to the gave she's given, she simply smiles, head tilting slightly as she confirms, "I am most certainly not a ghost, however. That'd be fairly inconvenient for me if I were. As for my friends, it's difficult to state my opinion on the matter. Though, ah, I suppose they're not really my friends.. Associates would be a better word. I don't really have a lot of time to make friends." Which may lead one to wonder how she'd gotten popular enough to get her position if that were the case.
"Perhaps you do have persistance and dedication.. To do whatever it is you'd like to do. They're the prerequistites for any occupation you want to persue. The ability to not take 'no' as an answer, will get you a lot farther than you might think. And speaking of what you'd like to be.." Yurika finishes her cup rather quickly, setting it back on the table. "Your interest in weapons.. I take it this also means you're quite interested in combat."
Van holds up a hand and giggles embarassedly. "Ah, my apologies, I wasn't saying that you were a ghost. I just can't handle ghost stories and that sort of thing." ...Of course, she realizes belatedly that if she *is* a ghost, this is probably the exact wrong thing to say. She manages to not let much of it reach her face, however.
At Yurika's last implicated quesiton, Van nods resolutely. "The entire world is my weapon... is the philosophy Mister Rei taught. Martial arts teach persistance and dedication, I think. And more importantly, the ability to nullify those who would use violent means against you and those you care about." She blinks, as if realizing the meaning of what Yurika said earlier, and her eyebrows furrow slightly in concern. "...I hope you at least have a couple of friends? To only have associates is...."
Well now that's just too amusing. Yurika doesn't seem offended in the least, but she's trying her best not to laugh in response to Van's hesitance of her ghostlihood. And she nods her head, "I see.. Well then I'll do my best not to tell such tales. I much prefer romantic stories anyway."
With that said, she takes in the philisophical words with clear interest, her brows raising ever so slightly. ".. Oh is that so? I've never heard that before, that's really interesting.. Touching, in a way. Though.. Well.. To be honest." Yurika's cheeks then redden slightly, now finding it difficult to keep eye-contact with her company. "There is one, one that I really care about. But I've learned not to make that mistake again. It just isn't something that, well.. Works for me." And she looks back to Van. "It's difficult to explain, really, and not something I'm comfortable talking about at the moment. But you'll be pleased to know we have plenty of high-grade combatants on our grounds. I just wish that the lot of them were a bit more 'graceful' and less 'rowdy'."
Van relaxes. Ghosts wouldn't prefer romantic stories... right?
She blinks as Yurika shows embarassment, and leans forwards, clearly very interested. She narrows her eyes as Yurika pulls this shiny-looking bit of knowledge back away from her, and slowly sits back in her seat. Perhaps this isn't the most productive time to dig further, however, and she pushes this desire into the back of her mind for now.
Van places a hand light on her arm and smiles. "Miss Futaba has already taught me her strength, but I did not know they were mostly rowdy." She pauses, then nods. " But I agree. If one wants to fight in a rowdy fashion, there are plenty of better places than Seijyun to do so."
"You'll see soon enough," Yurika replies rather quickly. "But I'm pleased to hear we're of the same opinion.. I think we'd get along quite well, so please.. If there's anything that I can do for you to make things easier here, don't hesitate to ask, Miss Mitsubishi. Mn yes, Miss Futaba. I understand she actually has a student, but you probably knew that already. There's a lot to learn here, don't hole yourself up just standing in halls and looking anti-social, all right?"
Yurika, that said, slowly gets to her feet and lightly brushes off her knees. "It's likely we'll meet again, and I must apologize but I really must start completing my work. I hope things will get better for you, and I had a pleasent time."
Van nods at the appropriate times to Yurika's questions and statements. "I will keep that offer in mind, then." She smiles, and gets to her feet as well. "With your advice, I am sure things will get better quickly. Your tea is equally excellent, you'll have to tell me where you find it sometime." She bows again, then turns towards the door. "Thank you for everything, Miss Kirishima."
Log created on 00:44:37 06/10/2008 by Yurika, and last modified on 05:24:37 02/11/2009.