Astronomika - Shooting Down Falling Stars (IC)

[Frantic Author]

Location: Pinefall High Dormitory
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

There are lots of things I don't understand.

There are lots of things I want to believe in.

There are lots of things I keep to myself.

But just because of that, it doesn't mean I can stop. Even if I'm so, ridiculously, absurdly, desperately trying to be something I'm not, I can't help it. Because in the back of my mind, there's a voice telling me that it's a waste of time, and I shouldn't bother at all. My room is empty of most things. It's a desk, a lamp, and a closet filled with secrets that I can't share. There's a window to a world that I don't really understand in it, but people keep telling me that I should just try a little, and I can understand it.

But that's unimportant. Because there's something I have to do here. There's something I have to seek here.

So... Just because it's difficult, doesn't mean its wrong. There's one person at this school who I factually know can help me with goals that I can't begin to grasp at, because he's the kind of person that surprises me with a food I haven't tasted in a year. A taste I'd tried to swear off, but the instant it touched my lips again, ahh...

You're really cruel, aren't you, Principal? To invite someone like me to a place like this. I'm not really meant for this side of the world, after all. I grew up in a place where if there was no light, someone would casually wave their hand, a spell of dust and ash would create a glimmering softness in the air. A place where non-humans and humans could get along in a blissful serenity. Me being here... I'm not the right person for this kind of job. I'm utterly useless at infiltration, and already multiple people know something of my true nature.

Mercedes West, after all, isn't the type of person to let what I've been doing slide. This kind of lie ends up with everyone unhappy. But I can't tell the truth, because that ends with my body in a ditch at the edge of a road.

I smile.

It's bitter.

There is one person here, however, who is already clearly twisted enough to accept someone as hopelessly inept as myself. And naturally, I will have to draw him to my side in order to move forward.

After all, Souma, I'm ever so curious as to how you managed to acquire such meat and serve it.

[Cheetose]

Hisa Momoi
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

With classes finally over, a sudden burst of energy surged through my body again.

The weekend was here; a few days of complete freedom.

And I knew exactly how I wanted to spend it.

Freshly showered, in...an arguably too light attire for the weather, I was now on my way to the common room to meet up with Pyry.

Though, as expected, the room was already filled with people; namely Inacio and Ramia, the artist guy, the blue haired girl, and the one person who gave me goosebumps just by looking at her - the hyperactive, always cheerful Ubon.

But it didn't really matter for the time being, since I mostly just wanted to hang out with Pyry.

"H-hey there," I said as I waved in the general direction of the gang, then turned towards Pyry, "Hey, Pyry."

Thinking about it...This wasn't like me. Normally, I would have just stayed in, read a book, done some reasearch, or wander around on my own...Or with her, but well, that felt kind of natural.

And yet, I just could not resist now, no matter how scared and afraid I was deep inside.

"What is the plan for the evening then?"

[Spinach]

Colt Davin
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

Standing in the doorway to the outside, Colt scowled at the rain overhead. His knee was still sore, he had a large package to pick up and to top it all off he’d be driving through the rain to go get it. Not only that, but loading and unloading it in the downpour as well.

“Rain, rain go away. Can’t you come back another day?”

Sarcastically asking the clouds overhead, he pulled his hood up, tightened it, and affixed a pair of goggles to protect his eyes. Giving his keys a twirl Colt hurried out into the rain, making a beeline for his bike.

[---]

Colt Davin
Location: Junk Garage
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

Beside the gas pumps, Colt found reprieve from the rain. Pulling up and out from the rain, he dismounted his bike and took his goggles off. Finger by finger he pulled his hands from his gloves, pocketing the handwear in his coat. That was the thing he really liked about leather. A lot of men were in it for the smell, the way it felt, the look, or just the idea of wearing leather.

But good, sturdy leather offered amazing protection from the rain. Sure, you had to be diligent about putting on water resistant oils and lotions to keep your leather from being damaged by the water, and it smelled like a nasty tannery after a day in the rain, but you could fly at 90 and barely feel the rain in a good leather jacket. Try doing that with any other material, you’ll feel like you just walked through an angry swarm of yellowjackets.

The boy glanced over at the barn, peering through the rain.

Hard to think Tommy would be anywhere else.

No doubt the guy would just think he’s an idiot for coming to pick his speakers up today, but better a drizzle than the downpour that tomorrow was brewing up.

Colt sped through the rain, arrived at the barn, and gave the door a firm knock.

[Verg Avesta]

Elise Pelltier
Location: Pinefall High Campus - Gates
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

If Elise had hoped that Travis would be deterred from his plans by the weather, that hope was dashed by the time she got to the old gates that led out of the Pinefall campus and out onto the asphalt road that headed towards town.

There, leaning against one of the brick pillars of the wall that went around the area, was Travis. He had thrown up the food of his fur-lined military jacket and there was a cigarette between his lips, the telltale cloud of smoke appearing along with a pinprick of light. As the cloud travelled ever higher and dispersed into the rain, the boy seemed to notice her as he threw down to the ground what remained of the cigarette and ground it down with his shoe. Then, lazily, Travis turned to face Elise, keeping his hands in his pockets.

And of all the expressions on his face, a mild surprise was perhaps the most unexpected one.

Though, of course, it was soon followed by a thuggish grin.

"Well, how about that? You actually showed up, Chipmunk," Travis greeted her. "And here I thought I was stood up already now that you had the weather for an excuse. Guess you're really into seeing what the hell's in that boarded up part of the school, huh?"

Travis snickered to himself, giving a once-over at Elise with his eyes, as if checking out if she was actually dressed properly to head out into the rain for a walk that might last... well, Travis hadn't actually said how long this whole thing would take them. Or anything else important for that matter. Indeed this whole task he had roped her into was a big mystery all things considered.

"Ready to hunt for wabbits? We've got a whole evening ahead of us," the boy continued with a rather sarcastic question.

---

Alexstrasza Lockhart
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory - Souma's Room
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

In the end, the person Alexstrasza was looking for was found in his own room.

A curt knock later, the blonde girl could hear careful, almost measured footsteps echo from inside the room and after that, a rattling of the lock. Apparently Souma had gotten some personal security for some reason, judging from the sounds - it wasn't just the basic lock everybody had on their door. Then, about ten seconds later, the door to the boy's room opened slowly, revealing behind it a scene that was... honestly even more barebones than the room of Alexstrasza herself. Souma had, apparently, even thrown away the carpet that had been supplied with each room. Perhaps that was why it echoed so well in the room.

But, that wasn't important.

What was important was the midnight-haired youth that stood in the doorway, staring straight through Alexstrasza with his one golden eye while the other one was hidden behind that eyepatch of his.

"..."

Souma Nubatama said nothing.

His expression revealed nothing.

In fact, his body-language was that of a stone statue - completely non-existent. He simply took in the fact that Alexstrasza, a girl he had had barely any interaction with, had turned up to his door and had knocked. Almost like acknowledging the passage of time or the fact that grass was green. No surprise, no nothing, not even a raised eyebrow at this sudden sight. Clearly he hadn't expected her, sure, but at the same time... he had expected her.

A paradox, almost.

Oh, well, actually, there was one reaction that Alexstrasza got as a reward for seeking out the boy.

".......... Heh."

He chuckled once in that soft, quiet, deep way of his and stepped out of the doorway, back into his room. Apparently Souma was inviting the blonde girl to step in further... or something. It was rather hard to get any read on him. If anything, that sounded almost like he had won a bet or somebody had told some sort of inside joke to him.

But nevertheless, the path was free now.

---

Colt Davin
Location: Junk Garage
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

"Well-well! If it isn't the Junkyard Dog himself!"

A cheerful voice greeted Colt's approach despite the rain as the door swung open. A wave of warm, dry air came along with it, the barn being apparently well-guarded against forces of nature. The figure of Tommy Horse stood in the doorway, and with a dry grin, he invited Colt to step inside before he'd: "Get soaked enough he'd need to squeeze the water out of himself!" as Tommy put it. So, in just a measly minute or so, the boy was shielded from the rain once more and in the blessed comforts of the junkyard barn.

Dozen or so various lights that originally belonged to various places and vehicles gave the place a nice, ambient and a bit orange lighting. Other than the few actual chairs and even one sofa, along with what must've been Tommy's workchair from the looks of it, the only places to sit were bales of hay that had been set up strategically against the walls of this main room. Workbenches lined up the place as well, along with remnants of a pool table that had been turned into a some sort of blueprint table or something... or, actually, were those 3D models of a various things Tommy had probably built, made out of scrap iron and whatever junk was lying around? That certainly was a way to plan your projects.

"Hell of a weather, eh? Hope the trip wasn't too bad, I know roads can be hell whenever it rains. Taxpayer money does nothing this far from Seattle, after all," Tommy asked and chuckled. "Potholes, cracks and hazards as far as the eye can see. Oh, grab a towel from the rack over there. Just... don't use any with oil in them. That gunk won't come out for a week."

Tommy pointed his thumb towards said rack, causing Colt to look over to where it was... and see that, as it turned out, he and the owner of this place weren't the only ones here. Sitting, curled up, on one of the La-Z-boys that had seen better days, eyes glued to an old-looking fashion magazine, was a girl with auburn her and a rather disinterested look in her eyes. From a quick glance, she might have been around his age, if not a year older. The way this girl was dressed was rather... modern for a town like Road's End, but stare any longer and it was clear that most of it was second-hand stuff - if very well coordinated and assembled to make the whole seem more than the sum of it parts.

"Oh, right! Colt, that's Cathie. Cathie Walker. She came over to have their diner's coffee machine fixed," Tommy said, nodding towards the girl. "Cathie, this is Colt Davin. He's one of the new students at Pinefall. A guy after my own heart, really. Sniffed out my little slice of heaven like a bloodhound... oh, and you should see that bike he rides. It's pretty damn sweet."

For a moment, Cathie raised her eyes from the magazine to meet the stare of Colt. The expression on her face was one of a typical teenager these days - disinterested, sort of lazy and nonchalant... all wrapped up in a burrito of clear attitude. Still, as a form of greeting, Cathie flashed Colt a peace sign.

"Yo."

And that was as much as he got, before the girl returned to her magazine.

"Eh... don't mind her," Tommy muttered quietly, a somewhat lopsided grin on his face. "Cathie's just like that."

[Daneel Rush]

Pinefall High School Dormitory – John Dove’s Bedroom
Evening Phase
09.09.1994
Rain



John Dove has a problem. An insignificant one, but a problem nonetheless.

Like everyone else, John Dove carries desires and ambitions, and he would rather devote his time to the achievement of those things. Unfortunately, he also happens to be an ordinary high school student—or, at least, that is the role the world demands of him at this stage of his life. John has made no plans for the future after high school, and he has certainly not put any thought on a career path. However, if he is to choose between the hassle of studying and completing high school and the inconvenience of being a high school dropout, he will obviously choose the one that, at least in theory, should help him navigate the murky waters of the colorless world more easily.

Just as unfortunately, John Dove, while possessing of a good—albeit biased—memory, is not gifted with great genius. He actually needs to put effort into studying if he wants to complete high school.

There will be a whole weekend for…more selfish plans. This evening, John Dove will be a prim and proper—and boring—schoolboy.

He checks his precious adornment is in his pocket, right where it should be. After a moment of hesitation, he also grabs his sketchbook—this first week’s workload is on the light side, so he might have time to draw a bit.

Locking the door behind him, John takes to the main building on steady footsteps. He might or might not have caught ear of Ubon’s voice somewhere in the distance, but that would be but a distraction begging to happen, so he commands himself to ignore it.

*** ***

Pinefall High – Main Building, 1^st Floor

John Dove is here to study. He duly ignores the temptation to knock on the Principal’s Office. As he turns around the corner, his gaze stops for a moment on the door to the as-of-yet-unused Computer Lab. It is tempting, very tempting, but no.

Study.

Get the bothersome things out of the way first.

With that motivation (?), John Dove sets himself up for a transcendentally boring evening at the School Library.

[Spinach]

Colt Davin
Location: Junk Garage
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

“And this dog is wet, evenin’.”

Free from the elements, Colt took off his jacket and went over to the rack. Finding an open space he hung his jacket on it, then began thumbing through the towels.

“Man I tell ya, ain’t nowhere with better roads than back home. You go as backwater, middle o’ nowhere as you want in Tennessee, roads are going to be smoothly paved or built on a nice sturdy foundation with a touch of gravel. Some special taxes for that and stuff, bordering too many states and all that jazz. All that traffic means the state pays extra special attention to the roads.”

Colt began to pull a towel out and bring it up to his face, before his instincts kicked in. The boy turned it over, revealing a gigantic splot of oil. The boy raised his eyebrows in mild, unspoken concern, before putting it back on the rack and reaching for another, cleaner towel.

“Thanks for the towel, and uh,” peering out from the towel as he dried off his hair, Colt looked at Cathy, “nice to meet’cha.”

The boy shot a glance between Cathy and Tommy, giving the older man a look that asked ‘is that how it usually goes.’

It struck him as a bit odd that she’d visit to get an appliance fixed, then sit around reading magazines. But Colt quickly wrote that off. The last man who could judge how another spent their free time was him, and he knew that all too well.

“Well, at the least, streets around here are still better than Kentucky, by god.”

Colt chuckled at the thought, then glanced around the barn.

He’d call it his aesthetic, but there just weren’t enough antique firearms on the walls. Or rock’n’roll posters.

“So,” Colt returned his attention to Tommy. “Figured I’d swing by and see if those speakers I ordered were in. The weather’s right down the gutter today, but I reckon it’s going to be even worse tomorrow, so I came by to see if there’s any chance of pickin’ em up.”

[Verg Avesta]

Vier Wolff & Hisa Momoi
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory - Common Room
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

Finding Aleen was easy enough. All Vier had to do was to follow the sound of people chatting merrily, with one rather familiar voice mixed in with them. That sound, of course, was echoing from the common room of the dormitory, along with the sound of TV showing some movie or another. Though, judging from the amount of talking, no one was really focusing on what was happening on the screen.

The same was true for Hisa, of course. Finding Pyry had been a cake, considering the boy's boisterous laughter could be well-heard from just about any part of the dormitory. Whatever was going on, or rather, whatever was being talked about, was apparently so funny that the group just couldn't keep quiet. She arrived only five seconds after Vier or so, the two girls nearly bumping to each other at the doorway of the common room.

"... And then, and then..."

That voice belonged to, of all people, Inacio Ilusão. He had taken over one of the comfy chairs, tuning his guitar while telling some story or another to the rest of the students. Next to him, on a recliner of his own, was Caleb Montjoy. The pink-haired artist was only paying half the attention to this conversation, his real attention being his sketchbook - though he still said a word or two to others every nod and then and even chuckled along with everybody else. To round up the boys in the common room was, of course, Pyry Leijonamieli. The lanky athelete was half-sprawled on the floor, enjoying the sensation of the fuzzy carpet against his bare feet. He was sitting against the wall, near the window, with a can of some soda in his hand... though, if one could judge by the jacket and the shoes laid nearby, he was ready to leave at a moment's notice.

Then, of course, there were the girls in the room. First one was Ramia Ramalsaqr, who was probably the only one paying any attention in the movie. She was sitting in the last free armchair, having apparently been playing a handheld gaming console of some sort... but that had been left aside. Instead, she was watching the movie on the TV screen with rapt attention, paying almost no mind to the rest of the people in the room. Then, of course, was Aleen, who had taken over most of the sofa. She was currently in the process of painting the nails of her toes, showing quite the relaxed side of herself. A high-octane person like her being able to do something like that in front of these people she had met not even a week earlier, well... maybe Vier's attempts at getting Aleen to be used to the presence of others weren't completely in vain.

Especially considering what Ubon Sĕeklêun was doing.

The cyanhead was currently... sitting(?) at the same sofa as Aleen was. Only she wasn't sitting. Her legs were high up in the air, propped against the back of the sofa, while her body went downwards, her head almost hitting the carpet as she dangled upside-down from the sofa. Yes. She was sitting upside-down. Without blood apparently rushing to her head and making things very uncomfortable. At the moment, though focused on the story as well, Ubon was staring with great intensity and mystification (and even confusion) at Aleen's efforts to paint her toenails. And judging from how the bluehead was, every now and then, making a quiet comment or two... maybe Aleen was actually teaching Ubon how the whole thing was done. Ubon certainly wasn't the type to use cosmetics, which -considering her natural looks- might have earned her the ire of some female students already.

But, back to what was going on...

"... My dad shot her, it was weird..." Inacio kept telling the story, causing the whole group to chuckle at whatever was being told.

Though, at that point, they had all realized that more people had joined them.

"H-hey there."

"Oh, hi! Both Virry and Hizzy! Hi!" Ubon exclaimed in bright greeting, wiggling her toes at the two girls. "What'cha guys doing? You both as supes bored as we all are?"

Aleen smirked at the girl next to her.

"Can't speak for Momoi, but I know Vier is. It's Friday evening but here she is, already coming to hang out with me instead of, I dunno, going out partying or something?" the bluehead said and chuckled, then winked an eye at Vier. "Talk about a girl with no social life."

"Heeeey! That applies to all of us, y'know!" Ubon protested with a pout. "We're all farting around here instead of partying, so there! And that's super depressing, actually. For realsies!"

Caleb, from his own seat, snorted at these words.

"We're trying to have a movie night. 'Trying' being the operative word," he reminded them all. "But instead we're just listening to Inacio drone on and on. Kinda defeats the point."

"Eh, I mean, it's just Mighty Ducks. Everybody's seen it like a gazillion times," Aleen retorted, rolling her eyes. "And didn't you also go on and on about that time you actually had to shepherd a herd of sheep across the London Bridge?"

At that, Ubon practically snorted out a chuckle, trying to hold it in a failing miserably.

"Hey, Pyry. What is the plan for the evening then?"

"Oh, hey! You came just at the right time, Inacio was telling--- Eh, nevermind," Pyry answered Hisa's greeting by raising his can of soda, but then shrugged and let the story be. "Anyways, the plan? Well, since it was raining, I figured we'd take my car and just cruise around, go visit some places... unless you guys had some actual place you wanted to go to? Gotta be honest, I don't know the town that well yet, like I said."

That seemed to catch attention of some people. Aleen, for some reason, had this smug, almost cat-like grin appear on her face and she wiggled her eyebrows at Vier knowingly. Meanwhile Ubon leaned in closer (how she did that while sitting upsidedown was anyone's guess) and her eyes practically sparkled with interest and curiosity.

"Waaaait, you guys are gonna go out and have fun? Unfaaaaair! We should totes all do that!"

Pyry shrugged his shoulder apologetically... though it seemed a bit awkward.

Hell, the way Pyry and Ubon were acting now that they were in direct conversation with each other... it was like both of them were treading on some thin ice that was just starting to reform.

Strange.

"Sorry. My car only seats four, see."

That earned a pout from the girl with the cyan hair.

"Booooo~!" she protested.

[Bloble]

Prushka
Location: Pinefall High - Dormitory
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 08.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

I enter a bit after Hisa, and catch only the tail end of what must've been a conversation.

"Sorry. My car only seats four, see."

"Booooo~!"

"Eh? But there's only three of us, right? Doesn't that mean we can take one more?"

I'm late. I'm late because I had to grab my helmet, and I had to grab my helmet because it's raining and I don't want my hair getting wet. As a result, I'm both late and ready to fend off a certain big bully's head pats. Walking into a crowded room full of people I know and don't know, I feel almost invincible. My indestructible self saunters past Hisa and Vier and crosses her arms, taking stock of the crowd.

Let's see... Pyry, Aleen, some blue-haired tan girl, and two guys, one with a sketchbook and another with a guitar. That's almost a quarter of the students in the school right there. Normally those I don't recognize wouldn't even be worth paying attention to, but considering how every person I've talked to here has been somehow weird, I'll try to acknowledge them anyway and assume they're not as awful as most humans. That tan girl alone looks like she's got a few stories to tell.

But this guy... I don't need context to get what's happening here: Pyry's trying to weasel out of something!

"If someone's got business in town, then the proper thing to do is give them a ride so they don't get soaked. Wherever we decide to go, it'll be on the way, right?"

Yep! Isn't it kinda of sad though? Even though I've never driven a car before, I already know better than Pyry what to do with it.

...

"Wait a sec. Why are all of you crowding around here, anyway?"

[Mormarth]

Elaine Winters
Location: Pinefall High - Science Class
Phase: School Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

Ah, so it was cloning, that's right. She remembered something like that, still, she thought, Hisa seems like she knows a bit about that sort of stuff.

Freakish, from an outside perspective at least, or at least unnatural method of reproduction to people back then, and now, really.

Like transplanting, or like centipedes where you cut it in half and then two centipedes grow out of the halves.

Ick.

She duly scribbled out a few notes, tapping the pencil idly as she considered her plans for the afternoon, making contact with one of the options Kean suggested is an option, as is going into town and seeing if she can sniff anything out, drop by the garage and maybe start up a project for one, indulge some tinkering, among other things.

Got a few things on the agenda, so to speak.

Probably need to bring Hisa up to speed on some developments at some point, as well.

Hrm.

Things to consider as time goes on, but may as well pay some more attention, never know when something as simple as book-learnin' is going to be something that'll save your life.

Still, got a few hours, may as well wait to see what comes up.

Location: Pinefall High Dormitory
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

Elaine whistled idly as she wandered into the common area, jangling her keys as she walked, she'd poke her head in before she checked out, see if there's anything particularly interesting going on, check if one of her PoI's was lingering around.

She peered across the room, Ubon, Hisa, couple of the guys, Inacio, the spanish guitarist, and Caleb, the artist from Britain, as well as the local non-figurative Big Man on Campus, Pyry.

Her eyes flicked back onto Ubon for a moment.

There was also Vier Wolff that Kean mentioned, as well as Miss Aleen King, she of the dubious last name, according to my source from across the pond.

As well as Ramia, from somewhere overseas, looked like a soldiery-type and Prushka, with no last name given, who'd apparently wandered in a few moments before I did.

A bit odd, but oh well.

"What's up with people needin' a lift somewhere?"

She held up her keys in a questioning gesture, leaning back against the wall, the faint shuffle-squeak of leather on the wall at the edge of her hearing.

"Was thinking about heading out on the town anyway, may as well make a night of it."

She shrugged, waving at her cyan-haired friend idly.

"S'that or go find something to blow up, an' I'd rather not make my introductions to the local police in an unfortunate position."

[Cheetose]

Hisa Momoi
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory - Common Room
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

Whatever story was being told seem to have been interrupted and the group's attention turned towards Vier and me.

"Oh, hi! Both Virry and Hizzy! Hi! What'cha guys doing? You both as supes bored as we all are?"

H-Hizzy? Is that supposed to be me? Just... what kind of nickname is that? And what is that position? Or this...weird, carefree and...energetic feeling I’m getting from her…

“Ah, we were supposed to go somewhere with the big guy over there…” I answered absentmindedly while trying to comprehend the strange girl...without much success.

What came next just shown how undecided the group was on what they wanted to do - even though all the ideas sounded fairly interesting, even though Ubon’s suggestion raised some questions in my mind.

“Partying...Is there like, a special occasion? Or...Just for the sake of partying?”

I wasn’t exactly sure what she meant; but clearly, it can’t have been anything like those parties...No, you can’t just replicate magnificent celebrations like that by normal means.

“But where? And with what? You’d need booze, food, music and...well, probably not this rainy weather - as beautiful as it is - for even just an entry level party...But anyways…”

My attention turned to Pyry, to inquire further about what I actually came here for.

And much to my relief, he still wanted to hang out. But with the amount of people here, and for the fact that we would actually have an empty seat - even with Prushka it was just the three of us - we were bound to bring someone along.

“I can’t see wh---”

"Eh? But there's only three of us, right? Doesn't that mean we can take one more? If someone's got business in town, then the proper thing to do is give them a ride so they don't get soaked. Wherever we decide to go, it'll be on the way, right?"

As usual, Prushka was faster than me, and for once, she actually said just about what I was thinking.

“Yeah, the two of you seem to know each other as well, so I can’t see why not?”

I wasn’t sure how I was going to handle such a person, as I was already getting tired without her even saying too much...just by looking at her, even - but if she was Pyry’s friend, then I would certainly try my best to endure her presence.

“Though, it is your car, so you choose the passengers, really.”

"What's up with people needin' a lift somewhere?"

At this point there were just a bit too many people in the common room, but Elaine’s arrival was actually somewhat fortunate - having two cars solved the issue at hand perfectly.

Turning towards the blonde, I eyed her with a somewhat troubled expression for a few long moments - we haven’t really had too much time to chat, or to continue our investigation since the first day, and...I wasn’t even sure if I was the sort of company the girl was looking for.

Though, I could sort of understand. Things have been piling up, and there is only so much time, not to mention that finding one’s preferable company comes down to trial and error - so it’s expected for people to just come and go, and that everyone would rather spend their precious time with the people they like.

But in this situation, how do I make such a decision?

I wish I was a time manipulator instead so that I could spend time with both of them.

Or maybe if it wasn’t Elaine with the car...Then we could all just go together.

But with neither being the case...

“...I guess we just have to decide who goes with who, then.”

[Kuroyuki]

Vier Wolff
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory - Common Room
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

Thankfully, finding Aleen was easy as I eventually just heard her voice echoing down the hall. Which meant I didn’t have to go to Aleen’s room and hear another of her… interesting sound effects. Which I kind of enjoyed to a slight degree even if my concern for Aleen tended to rise at the same time.

As I got closer to the common room, I started picking out people individually from their voices. Like Inacio telling some kind of funny story, people laughing at said story with Pyry and Aleen being the most noticeable to me, and… well practically running into Hisa.

Once I got into the doorway, I finally saw how big of a group that was in the common area. This was the biggest group, I’ve seen outside of school. With me knowing about half of the people in the room. I heard most of the people I know already. The people I don’t know were Caleb Montjay, Ramia Ramalsaqr, and Ubon Sĕeklêun.

Caleb Montjoy was drawing in his notebook which I found unusual due to how distractive environment was. Ramia Ramalsaqr was just normally watching the movie on the tv. I didn’t recognize it too well even if I didn’t see movies too often. It must have come out when I was up north... Ubon Sĕeklêun was upside listening to Aleen about nail painting it seems like. I looked at my fingernails and thought about how I’ve never painted my nails before.

”H-hey there.”

“Hey Hisa, everyone.”

I gave a quick wave to everyone as I quickly walked into the room. And thankfully, I did that because if I didn’t then Prushka and Elaine Winters would have run into us. Which would have been very awkward with all four of us standing there.

"Oh, hi! Both Virry and Hizzy! Hi! What'cha guys doing? You both as supes bored as we all are?

“Ah, we were supposed to go somewhere with the big guy over there…

Partying...Is there like, a special occasion? Or...Just for the sake of partying?”

Virry? Is this how Subaru felt when I gave her my nicknames? Because if so I could tell why she gave that response now. I gave Aleen a glance as if to ask ‘Is this how Subaru felt when I gave my nicknames?’

"Can't speak for Momoi, but I know Vier is. It's Friday evening but here she is, already coming to hang out with me instead of, I dunno, going out partying or something? Talk about a girl with no social life."

I saw Aleen give me a wink at the end to signify that she didn’t mean anything mean by it.

“You’re right… I’m just a boring gal who thinks hanging out with her close friends is the way to have fun.”

I lay it a little thick before breaking out in a smile and sending back my own wink towards Aleen.

“Besides it seems like there’s a small party going on here.”

I followed the conversation and it seems like everyone wants to go on a nice town outing. As long as it goes better than our last one, I don’t mind going. Even though, Aleen’s smug smile about knowing the area kind of irritated me. In my defense, I did memorize the map of Pinefall, but I thought that you would know it better than me. Well there was one issue.

"Sorry. My car only seats four, see."

He could only seat four people. And from the sound of things, there were a few of us who wanted to go.

"If someone's got business in town, then the proper thing to do is give them a ride so they don't get soaked. Wherever we decide to go, it'll be on the way, right?

Wait a sec. Why are all of you crowding around here, anyway?"

“Uh… I don’t know either. I just got here myself Prushka.”

But thankfully, I didn’t really have to say anything or mention a horrible idea because Elaine spoke up.

"What's up with people needin' a lift somewhere?

Was thinking about heading out on the town anyway, may as well make a night of it."

“...I guess we just have to decide who goes with who, then.”

“A town outing sounds nice... Hey Aleen want to take this opportunity to go get a Cherry Pie from Avery’s? Elaine and Pyry would save us the hassle of having to walk there.”

And we might be able to talk to Cathie and Mrs. Owner again which should be nice. It’s been a few days and I do intend on following through on my promises. On top of that, we might be able to introduce Cathie to even more people.

[Verg Avesta]

John Dove
Location: Pinefall Main Building - Reference Library
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

As expected, the school's reference library was completely empty as John entered it. Nothing but the sounds of rain outside, with a hint of wind rattling the windows every now and then. His footfalls were like those of a ghost as he walked through the aisles, flanked by shelves of books that had been neatly arranged according to their subjects. Everything in this place looked like it had some use when it came to studying or regarding the subjects being taught at Pinefall. In other words, not much in the way of more popular literature.

But that was fine. After all, John had come here to study.

Still... now that he was inside, and closer to the windows that showed a view of the campus outside, he realized that this sanctuary of school work wasn't completely detachment from more mundane, distracting things. After all, peering outside, he could see two figures moving about in the grassy areas of the campus. Well, one humanoid figure and one four-legged one.

That had to be Subaru Iburi and her dog, Tonkori.

The small Japanese girl was throwing a frisbee in the rain, laughing and giggling at the sight of the small dog running and jumping around in order to fetch the plastic thing. It was a normal sight, to be sure, and even though it was raining neither of the two seemed to mind it. Tonkori, being a dog, little cared about a rain. Meanwhile his owner was dressed in galoshes and a raincoat, her breath coming up in clouds of vapor in the air.

In other words, rain did little to stop the fun of a girl and her dog.

... Well, in any event, that was one way to spend a Friday evening.

---

Colt Davin
Location: Junk Garage
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

“So. Figured I’d swing by and see if those speakers I ordered were in. The weather’s right down the gutter today, but I reckon it’s going to be even worse tomorrow, so I came by to see if there’s any chance of pickin’ em up.”

Tommy nodded.

"Oh, for sure! They came in late last night, a trucker friend of mine dropped them off before continuing on his way," the man answered, moving over to one of the tables with a tarp of some sort thrown over it. "Take look-see. I think I found a pretty sweet set. Hell, they came in with adual cassette player stereos and all, but if I remember correctly you only wanted the speakers, right? Anyways, here you go!"

Tommy pulled aside the tarp, revealing within it something rather amazing. From the looks of it the thing was a Denver Hi-Fi stereo system with, just as Tommy had said, dual cassette deck and a record player on top to boot. The speaker, on the other hand, were massive things - jet black and sturdy, with only small details that showed they'd been in use before. They clearly weren't the ones that the stereo system had originally come packaged with, but something created by the previous owner themselves. The speakers wouldn't be hard to separate from the tower itself and, with a little jury-rigging, they could be connected to just about anything. In other words, Tommy had delivered what he had promised.

"If you guys are planning a barn party or something, this should serve you lot well," Tommy explained, patting plastic cover of the record deck gently. "Plenty in the way of bass, too, if that's what you're into."

At that, both of the guys could hear a derisive snort coming from where Cathie was sitting. The auburn-haired girl had just rolled her eyes at Tommy's words, clearly not agreeing with them.

"Party? In this bodunk town? Yeah, as if," the girl commented from the sidelines. "It'd just be some hoedown or a hootenanny or something else equally wack as that."

Looks like somebody didn't see what the big deal with these speakers was.

---

Vier Wolff & Hisa Momoi & Prushka & Elaine Winters
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory - Common Room
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

It had gotten rather lively at the common room, with people popping in, one after another.

“Partying...Is there like, a special occasion? Or...Just for the sake of partying? But where? And with what? You’d need booze, food, music and...well, probably not this rainy weather - as beautiful as it is - for even just an entry level party...But anyways…”

Ubon rolled her eyes, though not in a demeaning way, and giggled.

"Well, just to party, duh! It's not like there needs to be some supah serious reason!" She answered. "Though, um, you got a point there, Hizzy! I guess we could always ask Sarara for food, Innie here could handle music, and... well, if you guys need alcohol I bet somebody can get it? But really, it's not like a good party totes needs beer! You can have fun just as well without, for realsies!"

And just like that, Ubon had laid out a sudden plan for this... well, it somewhat felt like a party was forming somewhere in there, even if they didn't have a place to hold on and even if the weather was what it was. Maybe it was just that now that there were so many students here, and because they weren't in class, their combined boredom was bubbling over.

=Prushka"Eh? But there's only three of us, right? Doesn't that mean we can take one more? If someone's got business in town, then the proper thing to do is give them a ride so they don't get soaked. Wherever we decide to go, it'll be on the way, right?"

“Yeah, the two of you seem to know each other as well, so I can’t see why not? Though, it is your car, so you choose the passengers, really.”

"Err, no, I mean, I figured you guys wouldn't," Pyry started, getting his tongued tied. "I... I guess we have one more seat open, it's just... erhm..."

Pyry's face fell a bit, and he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. It was starting to be clear that while the boy didn't have anything specifically against someone else hopping in on his car, somehow the idea of Ubon bumming a ride from him made thing tense. Meanwhile Ubon herself, though slightly awkward too, didn't seem to have no such problems. Instead, she nodded enthusiastically at Prushka's words that came to her aid.

"Yeah, yeah! Plenty of space in the Pyry-mobile, then!" Ubon agreed... though her enthusiasm suddenly stopped when she properly laid eyes on Prushka.

... For some reason, the cyanhead ended up staring in a way that practically screamed this was the first time she had even seen the smaller girl.

"Wait a sec. Why are all of you crowding around here, anyway?"

Uh… I don’t know either. I just got here myself Prushka.”

That caught Inacio's attention, who turned his attention from the general conversation going on towards Vier and Prushka. He motioned vaguely towards the TV and the movie that was playing on it.

"Well, we were supposed to have a movie night today, but as it turns out, nobody here has any patience for flicks they've seen already," the musician explained. "So, in the end, it turned into a free-for-all gabbing hour to stave off boredom and to try to find something to do since the weather's, well..."

He nodded towards the window, outside which the rain was still falling quite heavily.

"Really, this whole fiasco's no place for a sensitive, brooding artist like myself," Inacio laughed and winked at Vier.

Meanwhile Caleb, who had been trying to focus on his drawings, simply gave up and put aside his sketchbook. With a slightly dry grin like he knew something others didn't, he turned his attention towards Pyry.

"Popular, eh? Having fun there, Mr. Martial Arts?" Caleb asked, causing Pyry to shoot an annoyed glare towards his direction.

"Choke on your beanie," Pyry shot back, causing the artist to chuckle at his misfortune.

"What's up with people needin' a lift somewhere?"

It was at that point that Elaine Winters decided to enter the room as well, and once more the place felt even more crowded. At the sight of the blonde girl, few things happened. Firstly, perhaps drawn from the movie by the loud conversation, Ramia Ramalsaqr switched her attention to the group.

"Wait, you're heading to town too? Any chance you might be swinging by Big Boy's?" Ramia asked from Elaine. "I've been wanting to visit that place for a while now."

This caused Inacio to raise an eyebrow.

"Oh? You as well?"

In addition to Ramia's reaction to Elaine, there was also a reaction from Pyry Leijonamieli. His eyes darted, for a moment, from Ubon (who was still transfixed by Prushka) to the blonde girl, and the lanky martial artist seemed to stiffen a bit, almost like he was expecting more trouble to head his way. Why that was was anyone's guess, but it was clear he was preparing for something nasty to happen.

"Was thinking about heading out on the town anyway, may as well make a night of it. S'that or go find something to blow up, an' I'd rather not make my introductions to the local police in an unfortunate position."

That caused a wave of chuckles to echo from various sources.

"If you need to blow up something, try the cafeteria. I happened to see next week's menu," Caleb commented with a smirk. "Cabbage casserole on Monday. They just lulled us to false sense of security. Next week the horrors begin."

"Hey, now! There's nothing wrong with cabbage," Ramia protested, grinning lazily. "It beats MREs any day. Well, maybe not Swiss or Swedish ones. Those were ridiculously delicious, to the point they cause fights. True story."

Aleen rolled her eyes.

"Ugh, maybe you can stomach that stuff, but not me. I need actual food not... wait, is cabbage even a vegetable? Fruit? Berry? I remember there were some weird classifications like that..." Aleen started, but quickly recovered. "Errh, anyway, I'm in favor of Elaine blowing up the kitchen if they start serving cabbage! Or broccoli!"

And speaking of food...

“A town outing sounds nice... Hey Aleen want to take this opportunity to go get a Cherry Pie from Avery’s? Elaine and Pyry would save us the hassle of having to walk there.”

"Pie again? Uh, hells yeah! I'm in!" Aleen agreed, grin appearing on her face. "If you guys haven't tasted the pies at the A.Ds, you totes should! They're to die for."

Ramia's eyebrows rose towards her hairline.

"Huh? That good?"

Both Inacio and Caleb nodded in unison, clearly having experienced the wonders of Avery's Diner themselves.

“...I guess we just have to decide who goes with who, then.”

Pyry grimaced, looking at the group of people that had gathered now in the common room.

"Yeaaah, I don't think we're gonna survive even with two cars," he admitted. "Few of us will have to walk, unless some people ain't going."

However, while this was all going on... something else was happening in the background.

Namely, Prushka suddenly felt the approaching tendrils of dangers from behind.

There, having slid down from the sofa like a snake and slithered up to the smaller girl was Ubon - now sitting sprawled on the carpet and hands up in the air like she was either about to grapple Prushka or wrestle her helmet from her in order to perform some Pyry-level atrocities upon her hair and head. And that was not all. The cyanhead's eyes were sparkling dangerously and her expression was somewhere close to a young, preteen girl seeing a 2-month old puppy or a kitty for the first time.

"... O... Omigawd..." Ubon whispered under her breath, slowly undulating closer and closer to Prushka.

-------- Danger, Prushka Robinson!

"Y-y-you're soooooo cuuuuuute!" Ubon squealed, practically unable to contain herself.

[Bloble]

Prushka
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory - Common Room
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

It's almost too much.

When I entered, I felt confident, but instantly that feeling vanishes and a thousand more take its place, crowding around me.

So many people in a single room. As I speak, more enter, some I know and others I never paid attention to. It's completely different from the classroom; there, we were quiet, restrained by the rules of the room, but here, everyone is interacting organically as they see fit. Casual chatter, lighthearted ribbing, jokes and banter and a hundred different subtle interactions within the space of a few seconds. People I don't recognize talking about things I don't know, and dynamics I have not yet had a chance to experience.

Why was Pyry looking at that blue-haired tan girl so strangely? What sort of pie were Vier and Aleen talking about? Who's this guy with a sketchbook and why does he consider himself a tortured artist? Why is that girl in the corner talking about MREs?

There are dozens of tiny mysteries here and I want to solve each and every one of them. But that can't be done. Slowing down is impossible here. Every second, more and more humanity is put on display, reaching out, twisting, mingling, evolving so quickly I can't keep up with it.

It's... not something I've never experienced before. In fact, I have, many times. This small gathering brings to mind another time, another place, another group.

It hurts.

Remembering the past like that hurts. It's a hurt that makes itself known in reality as a slight ache in my chest, right above my heart.

And then, right in my moment of weakness...

"... O... Omigawd..."

That person strikes.

"Y-y-you're soooooo cuuuuuute!"

"Huh?"

Something stops working. At the sight of this strange blue-haired girl staring at me as if I were a hamburger and saying something ridiculous, my brain short-circuits.

Cute? I'm cute? What does it mean to be cute in the first place?

But also, why is there a chill going down my spine? As if this girl is somehow more dangerous than Pyry, and I should flee right now to preserve my life? That glint in her eyes, those outstretched arms... and judging by the look Pyry gave her earlier, she must be a fearsome opponent that scares even the second-strongest in the world. Slithering in the carpet, arms outstretched, it's as if I'm a squirrel about to be devoured by a brightly-coloured python.

But also also... huh?

D-did someone just... but she's another girl... but nobody's ever called me cute before...

But...

"Wha?"

And so, without realizing it, I'm stuck in place, unable to decide whether to be confused or afraid of this strange creature, much like a deer staring down the shining headlights of an oncoming truck.

[Kuroyuki]

Vier Wolff
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory - Common Room
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

"Well, we were supposed to have a movie night today, but as it turns out, nobody here has any patience for flicks they've seen already. So, in the end, it turned into a free-for-all gabbing hour to stave off boredom and to try to find something to do since the weather's, well… Really, this whole fiasco's no place for a sensitive, brooding artist like myself,"

“A movie night… I guess it would be kind of hard for us to find a movie no one has seen out here. There isn’t even a rental shop let alone a movie theater...”

Unlike everyone here, I probably would be happy to watch any movies. I barely had time to watch movies when I didn’t live up in Sweden and when I had plenty of time in Sweden I didn’t live nearby a movie theater. I was resisting the urge to watch the movie playing on the TV right now.

”Popular, eh? Having fun there, Mr. Martial Arts?”

Pyry did seem a bit popular. After all, he had Hisa and Prushka push him down this morning. Subaru expressed jealousy (?) at Prushka even if I’m not entirely sure why. Then there’s this awkward atmosphere with Ubon who wants to ride with him… I think I’ll save my joke for later especially seeing as how Prushka and Hisa are here.

I kind of tuned out of the conversation about bad food especially since it’s hard to top the things I’ve had to eat before. Well until I heard the topic of MREs. I know MREs had the reputation to taste bad with a few exceptions, but really they weren’t that bad.

“As long as I don’t have to eat Surstromming at the cafeteria, I’ll be good. The smell from that thing… Ugh...”

"Ugh, maybe you can stomach that stuff, but not me. I need actual food not... wait, is cabbage even a vegetable? Fruit? Berry? I remember there were some weird classifications like that… Errh, anyway, I'm in favor of Elaine blowing up the kitchen if they start serving cabbage! Or broccoli!"

“Well, we don’t have to blow up the cafeteria… If you don’t like the food that much, you could always bring your own food or even cook your own food for lunch. The timing on the upcoming food makes me wonder if it’s on purpose though...”

Even if the food quality and taste are heading downwards in everyone’s eyes and possibly a plan of the faculty to promote self-growth and self-reliance by having interested individuals cook for themselves. I was still going to eat the cafeteria’s food. I didn’t really have the… spark or motivation to make anything but bland food. The only way, I could see myself making good food is if I followed a recipe. Otherwise, I just made something ‘okay’ in taste.

"Yeaaah, I don't think we're gonna survive even with two cars. Few of us will have to walk, unless some people ain't going."

“Well… I know this isn’t a good idea if you want to be a perfect law-abiding citizen… But we could always squish ourselves in, sit on top of each other’s laps, or have a few people in the trunk. I don’t mind ‘sitting’ in the trunk. It wouldn’t be the first time, I’ve done it.”

In fact, if we go that route, it might be best for me to do it since I’m the smallest person here aside from Prushka.

[Ayakashi]

--- Vivienne Bianchi Date: 08.09.1994 (FRI) Location: Pinefall Library Phase: Morning Phase Weather: Rain ---

A very late comer to the party arrived as chit chat about evening plans had been livening up in the common room. That person was a rare sight for a place usually as cramped and open as this one; indeed, she would usually prefer the quiet confines of the Library or the peaceful tranquility of her own room -- Vivienne Bianchi had somehow found a reason to enter the rowdy, lively atmosphere of the Dorm's common room.

Vivienne was clearly looking for someone, a someone that appeared eventually to be Ramia, judging from the girl's gaze when it became affixed onto the girl who was watching the TV. As she went there however, Vivienne also seemed to notice the other familiar faces of people she had been introduced to before, like Momoi Hisa. Since it seemed like the latter was busy discussing nightly plans of sorts however, Vivienne decided to not interrupt her and instead approached Ramia, who while busy seemed to be enthralled with less serious matters. A little pause in watching TV wouldn't hurt, right?

Vivienne waved at Ramia wordlessly, a drawing notepad in hand. The contents of said item were... quite self-explanatory as to why Vivienne was trying to get Ramia's attention, most likely...

The Drawing

[Mormarth]

Elaine Winters
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

Having gathered up some interest, Elaine moved further into the room, away from the wall closest to the door, observing the perpetually quiet Vivenne enter and make her way over towards Ramia, apparently with some manner of question, judging by the presented notepad, which seemed to be how she communicated most of the time.

Hm.

"Well, lesse, we got..." She counted off silently, "Round about ten people wantin to hit the town, Big Man's got room for four, and I can get five goin' in my beast, so goin' to have to make room somewhere."

She tapped her chin, moving strategically as she did so to head off the decidedly predatory-looking Ubon, keeping one eye on her.

She mumbled to herself under her breath, considering some options, then tapped her fingers along one arm speculatively, "Yeah, could have someone hunker down in the trunk," She nodded at Vier, eyes considering, "Or have someone play car-seat, my old boy's probably got a good bit of room in it, so probably wouldn't be that bad if people wanted to stack up in there."

She glanced back over at Ramia, "An' yeah, might head up by the station, looking to do a fair bit of running around this weekend, so I might top the beast off, already been up there before, so it won't be too much trouble."

Elaine decided to put her two cents in on the oncoming food debacle, "I can stomach most anything, but if it gets pretty bad, might be I'll just go lookin' for some game, been thinking about planning a hunting trip when the season hits, get some good meat, maybe ask Souma."

...

A low growl rumbled out of the blonde girl's stomach.

"Well, now I've gone and done it, hungry again."

[Cheetose]

Hisa Momoi
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory - Common Room
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

"Err, no, I mean, I figured you guys wouldn't. I... I guess we have one more seat open, it's just... erhm..."

Ooh? Certainly, they did know each other, but judging from Pyry’s reaction, things between them were more awkward than I thought...But just what exactly happened in such a short amount of time that would result in this?

I had a few guesses, but…

Instincts kicking in, I eyed Pyry as my lips curled into a smug grin; for sure, this was a matter that I had to dig myself deeper into, and embarrassing the boy was too much fun to miss out on.

Though, with this crowd and with the conversation moving on, it probably wasn’t the best opportunity.

Caleb’s remark, too, made me wonder just what exactly he meant. What was wrong with Pyry? Does it have something to do with...what happened in the morning? Was he being jealous? I could imagine him as someone who wants the attention of girls, considering how he just practically harassed that girl on the bus…

Or is this something different?

The amount of mysteries just keeps growing.

"Wait, you're heading to town too? Any chance you might be swinging by Big Boy's?I've been wanting to visit that place for a while now."

"Oh? You as well?"

Big Boy’s...That is where we were supposed to go with Inacio, though we did agree on today, but that is still a bit later…Would be a lot easier to pull off if we had Pyry with us as well…

Glancing back at Pyry, I was once again amused by his reaction - though, there was something else...something that I couldn’t quite describe.

“I did mention the thing we talked about yesterday to Pyry...In case you didn't already do that on your own.”

Somewhat lost in my thoughts, I missed most of the discussion about food.

But long as they are not serving something like Sakura’s or Pyry’s sandwich, I don’t really mind. Nothing can really beat the food from back there, but trying new cuisines is an experience anyways.

“Well… I know this isn’t a good idea if you want to be a perfect law-abiding citizen… But we could always squish ourselves in, sit on top of each other’s laps, or have a few people in the trunk. I don’t mind ‘sitting’ in the trunk. It wouldn’t be the first time, I’ve done it.”

That sounds wrong and not exactly fun on multiple levels. Traveling in the trunk...Doesn’t that kind of ruin the whole fun aspect of a car ride? And sitting in each others’ laps...I guess it could work in Prushka’s case...But it’s wrong, regardless.

I opened my mouth for a response, but then, out of the corner of my eye, I spot her - the hyperactive girl sneaking up on Prushka, rapidly gaining on her---

"... O... Omigawd...Y-y-you're soooooo cuuuuuute!"

I could only imagine what Prushka was feeling right now. Certainly, this isn’t something that I would want to happen not even to my worst enemies.

In the meantime, another person appeared in the doorway. This time, it was Vivienne; another one of the people with whom I wanted to hang out a bit more.

I greeted her with a warm smile, then my eyes wandered on the drawing she was holding - I could only assume that she was looking for Alex.

“Alex? I don’t think I’ve seen her...Was she even around for classes?”

I wonder if she way okay, though from what I got, attending school just might not have been the main reason why she was here.

"...Or have someone play car-seat, my old boy's probably got a good bit of room in it, so probably wouldn't be that bad if people wanted to stack up in there."

“I guess it’s settled then. Vier likes cramped places, so she should go with you. Ubon and Prushka should be...separated, for sure, to avoid any sort of catastrophe from happening, and since Prushka was supposed to be coming with us from the beginning…”

I gave Pyry a thumbs up with my hand at the side of my body, so that the gesture would be blocked from the view of most people;

“I guess Aleen would want to go with Vier, right?”

Even though I probably wouldn’t mind her company...she seems to be one of the more reasonable people in the group…

“Ramia wanted to take a trip to the gas station, so I guess she should go with you as well…I guess Inacio could come with us?”

Right, there was Vivienne as well. But did she even want to go out? Or is she just here to look for Alex?

“And Vivienne, if she wants to go out, though I think that...11 people might just be too much even for two cars?”

[Daneel Rush]

Pinefall Main Building – Reference Library
Evening Phase
09.09.1994
Rain



In the end, it was a losing battle. What’s the point of fighting a battle you already know you’ll lose? John Dove has a lot to learn.

Study materials left behind on one of the available tables, the boy walks over to the window and the sight of a girl playing with her dog. He thinks not much of it, yet it brings warmth to his chest and a hint of a smile to his lips.

There are no lies in here. The joy expressed before his eyes is utterly simple, completely natural, and unabashedly spontaneous. There are no pretensions, no ambiguities, and no self-deceptions. Subaru Iburi may be as much a colorless liar as everybody else, but at this moment, the scene before him is perfect in its authenticity, and John Dove considers himself privileged to be witness to it.

John opens the window, uncaring of getting wet—or the books getting wet. However, he reminds himself not to jump to conclusions. He thinks he caught a vestige of color from Adelaide, but that might just be him seeing what he wants to see just from…superficial similarities. He is already used to disappointment; nevertheless, he must persist. He has to grant Subaru Iburi the benefit of the doubt, and seek the color she might or might not have.

However, as he watches the heartwarming scene, arms resting on the now wet window frame, John Dove comes to an unsettling conclusion.

He has no idea how to start a conversation with Subaru Iburi.

What could he possibly use as an opener? Were it not for the unique circumstances of Mister Oceandrop’s project, their paths likely would have never crossed. In which way, honest or artificial, could he connect to this doll-like girl?

Thus, the somewhat unsettling image of the young man silently watching the little girl play with her dog stretches for a bit longer. Until it clicks, the one thing that bothers him about this scene.

Why is she doing this at this moment in time? Why did she choose to come out to play regardless of, or even because of this weather?

It feels like grasping at straws, but, well, he can only achieve nothing if he does nothing.

“Miss Iburi, if you will excuse me…”

In his mind, he frowns. Why “miss”? He is confident she is younger than him, so why does he feel the need for that? Is it because she is Japanese? No, that doesn’t make any…anyway, the deed is done.

Hoping his voice reaches through the rain, he carefully asks the question currently nagging at him.

“I hope I’m not being rude, but…by any chance, do you not get many chances to do this where you come from?”

[Verg Avesta]

Vier Wolff & Hisa Momoi & Prushka & Elaine Winters & Vivienne Bianchi
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory - Common Room
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

"Wha?"

It was all too late.

The predator struck when the prey was still confused and unsure whether it should flee or not---!

"Ohmygaaaaaawd, you're totes cute up close lemme hug youuuuuu~!"

It seemed that the sight of Prushka this close, close enough to touch, had broken Ubon in some way. Before anyone could even start thinking of stopping the cyanhead, Ubon had lunged forward and caught the smaller girl in a glomp there was no escape from. Prushka was hoisted up in the air, held by two arms who just as suddenly pressed her against Ubon's meager bosom, squeezing the daylights out of the helmeted girl with all the force of a teenage-girl who had seen something so cute it was irresistible. Air was drive out of Prushka's lungs, her ribs creaked, and for some reason she found Ubon nuzzling her cheek against Prushka's own in a fit of adoration.

"I just wanna eat you up for realsieeeees~!" Ubon squeed, refusing to let go of the girl she had caught. "Pyry, pyry, pyry! I got a deal for you!"

The lanky boy stared at the scene before him like a deer in headlights, unable to quite comprehend what was going on.

"H-huh?" He stammered.

"I wanna buy this girl! Gimme-gimme-gimme! I don't care about the price, sell her to meeeee~!" Ubon continued to undulate, still rubbing against Prushka like she had been a particularly precocious puppy. "Name your price!"

Pyry's eyes nearly bulged out of his head.

"Wha--- I don't own her! What the hell, Ubon!?"

Maybe this whole scene was better left alone.

“Well… I know this isn’t a good idea if you want to be a perfect law-abiding citizen… But we could always squish ourselves in, sit on top of each other’s laps, or have a few people in the trunk. I don’t mind ‘sitting’ in the trunk. It wouldn’t be the first time, I’ve done it.”

Meanwhile Aleen, who was doing her best to ignore the most heinous invasion of personal space that was going on on the other side of the room, turned towards her friend with a raised eyebrow and a dry look of both amusement and something close to pity on her face.

"Vier... dude. Dude," she started, shaking her head. "You're not gonna ride in the trunk. Like, seriously. You're not. That'd be, first of all, super embarrassing... plus, it's not a place for human to be in. If nothing else you can sit on my lap or something. Just... not the trunk, alright?"

She was being quite adamant about this, to the point that both Inacio and Caleb were chuckling at the back-and-forth between them. Inacio even nodded to Aleen's sentiment.

"I have to agree here. I can't imagine a trip in a trunk would do anything good to your fingers," he said. "And considering how well you played back at the Beach Party, it'd be a shame to lose an ability and skill like that."

At almost the other end of the room, Vivienne Bianchi had approached Ramia with a new drawing of hers, apparently looking for their mutual friend. The quiet girl's appearance had been met with slightly careful 'Hellos' and waves from the people in the room, most of them not exactly knowing how to take her sudden entrance to the common room. The only exceptions to this were Caleb Montjoy and Pyry Leijonamieli, who both stopped what they were doing for a moment and simply stared at the girl with strange expression... like someone had either sucker-punched them, or if they had something caught in their throats.

A fact that didn't go unnoticed by Ramia Ramalsaqr as she, when Vivienne got closer, cackled under her breath and made a strange gesture towards the boys - almost like saying: "You need to do better than that if you want to even try."

Still, when Vivienne showed her notepad to Ramia, she took a look at it, studied it, and then nodded seriously.

“Alex? I don’t think I’ve seen her...Was she even around for classes?”

"Oh, Alex? Hmm, haven't seen hair or hide of the girl today after classes. Though she attented those," the dusky-skinned girl admitted. "The last I heard yesterday, she had a project or something going on at the library at Owl's Nest. Apparently she met some weirdo over there and they hit it off, both being interested in the history of this town."

Ah, so that was where the reporter had run off to. Still... somebody at the library, huh? At Owl's Nest Hotel?

"Well, lesse, we got... Round about ten people wantin to hit the town, Big Man's got room for four, and I can get five goin' in my beast, so goin' to have to make room somewhere."

Pyry, who had finally torn off his gaze from the bizarre scene going on with Prushka and Ubon, nodded to Elaine... though he still seemed like he was treading on very thin ice when it came to the sporty blonde, not even capable of looking her in the eyes.

"Well, I guess we can fit five as well if we really squeeze..." he said, rubbing his chin. "So if we have some people sit on top of each other, we might make it somehow?"

"Yeah, could have someone hunker down in the trunk. Or have someone play car-seat, my old boy's probably got a good bit of room in it, so probably wouldn't be that bad if people wanted to stack up in there."

"I don't recommend anyone sitting on Inacio's lap," Caleb commented from the sidelines, nodding towards the green-haired boy. "I bet he'd try to work his latin charms. Getting close to him is dangerous."

That earned him a playful slap to the back of the head from the musician in question.

"Hey, I resent that!" Inacio complained, snickering to himself. "The 'Latin Charm' as you said is only for those looking to get wooed. Using it against innocent people is against the law, you know?"

Caleb rolled his eyes and made a wanking motion with his hand.

"Yeah, sure," he answered. "That explains why you've been making googly eyes at Vier ever since she entered the room."

That seemed to shut Inacio up, as the boy even managed to blush a bit... but he didn't have a retort, so the words stayed awkwardly in the air with no one to contest them.

“I did mention the thing we talked about yesterday to Pyry...In case you didn't already do that on your own.”

Finally, it was the word from Hisa that made Inacio gather his bearings once more. He took a look at the scarred girl, then glanced at the lanky boy who was currently pre-occupied by the almost literal war of squeezing going on near him thanks to Ubon and Prushka... and then, finally, looked back at Hisa and pointed his thumb stealthily at the boy with a raised eyebrow and a mischievous smirk.

Almost like he was asking: 'Ooooh? Him? Well well well well well...."

"Oh, no, I was preoccupied with other things," Inacio answered. "So if you still wanna go, well, the more the merrier. Considering if that person is performing there tonight, you might have chosen just the right battleground..."

Inacio chuckled in a way that was all too knowing and smug.

"All I can say is: Good luck."

That smirk of his was infuriating to the Nth-degree.

"An' yeah, might head up by the station, looking to do a fair bit of running around this weekend, so I might top the beast off, already been up there before, so it won't be too much trouble."

Ramia nodded at this.

"Oh, that works for me," she said. "I've been looking to go there for a while, pick up some stuff maybe. I mean, if you guys want booze, I think one of us has the ID for it, and unlike the woman at Store & Post, she might even sell us some... at least, if the owner is as rumours say they are. From what I hear, this person is quite the... thing."

Huh. Was the owner of Big Boy's really such an extraordinary person?

While Elaine did say more, talking about the possibility of the group getting something to eat, it was then that her stomach decided to make itself known to the general public. This earned some good-hearted chuckles from around the ground, most of them taking it in a good humour... even if Ramia almost immediately made a gesture that seemed to say: 'I feel you, sister' and Pyry practically swallowed his laughter, like he was afraid to chuckle at the rumble of Elaine's belly.

"Well, now I've gone and done it, hungry again."

Aleen snickered as she finished up painting her nails, patting Elaine lazily on the shoulder as she stood so close.

"Oh, believe me, A.D's got you covered. They make one mean steak as well, mostly local wildlife since, well, it's so abundant after... err, nevermind. Just believe me, that's the place you wanna go if you're hungry," the bluehead told Elaine. "Plus the owner is super nice. So, as long as you don't run into her asshole of a daughter, it should be all good!"

Whatever the emnity between the two girls that Vier had experienced first hand, from the sound of it it was still going on strong... even if she had tried to fix it. Perhaps there was still a long way to go.

“I guess it’s settled then. Vier likes cramped places, so she should go with you. Ubon and Prushka should be...separated, for sure, to avoid any sort of catastrophe from happening, and since Prushka was supposed to be coming with us from the beginning… I guess Aleen would want to go with Vier, right? Ramia wanted to take a trip to the gas station, so I guess she should go with you as well…I guess Inacio could come with us? And Vivienne, if she wants to go out, though I think that...11 people might just be too much even for two cars?”

Pyry flashed a hidden thumbs up back at Hisa, apparently glad that there was at least someone level-headed and sane to talk with in this... gaggle of randomness.

"So, uh... Vier, Aleen, Ubon and Ramia would go to Elaine's car? Thats five," Pyry spoke, counting the people with his fingers. "So that'd leave us with me, Hisa, Prushka and... well, if Inacio or Vivienne wants to go, they'd fit into my car as well. That'd be ten in total. If everyone's raring to go that means squeezing up a little bit. Hmm..."

Pyry took a look at Hisa, then at Prushka (who was still being assaulted by the innocent, overbearing love of Ubon), and then back at Hisa.

"Well, I think you, Hisa, could fit Prushka to your lap just fine. That'd free up one space so we could fit both Inacio and Vivienne," Pyry continued. "That just means we'd need someone else in either of the cars to sit on someone's else's lap and that way we could fit Caleb as well."

Pyry turned to look at the rest of the group.

"Any volunteers?"

In the background, people could hear the creaking of Prushka's ribs as Ubon continued to squeeze her tighter and tighter, all the while muttering:

"SocutesocutesocutesocutesocuteIwannaeatyouuuuuuuu p~!"

[Bloble]

Prushka
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory - Common Room
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

"Bwah-!?

It's too late. I hesitated, and as a result...

"Ohmygaaaaaawd, you're totes cute up close lemme hug youuuuuu~!"

A vice grip closes around me, the world turns several times, and I'm smushed against the blue-haired girl, who moved exactly like the serpent I imagined her as. There was no time to evade, no time to even consider a counterattack. In other words...

It's over.

"B... gha... let..."

It's no use. Her arms tighten around my midsection and any breath I was about to take is forced out, leaving me with no way to speak. She hugs me tighter, nuzzling her cheek against mine. Were this not life and death, I'd be embarrassed. But there's no time for that; if I don't get free soon, I'll be six fee under.

Is this it? Is this how I go?

No! I won't lose to a human! Fight, Prushka! Break out with all your might!

...

No use. Of course I wouldn't be able to force my way out.

She squeezes again, and something creaks in my chest. I feel like a doll that's about to break.

Stop it, you idiot! I know you're not trying to be malicious, but you're gonna kill me! That love of yours is too lethal!

"Lemme... gugh..."

"SocutesocutesocutesocutesocuteIwannaeatyouuuu uuuu p~!"

That's it. I'm dead. The world is already fading. The edges of my vision are going into the darkness.

It was... an awful life...