estoria | [open] Ain't it great, how we met each other

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[open] Ain't it great, how we met each other

Who: Rise Kujikawa and YOU! Yes, even you.
When: 6/1
Where: Lots of locations, CYA, etc etc.
What: Rise's getting back out in the colony and dragging people along for the ride with her daily routine.
Rating/Warning: Probably not yet.

[Even if by Cerealia standards it's her birthday, Rise doesn't think anything of it. Things are different here and she has a long day ahead of her. But at least it's nice to be on some kind of schedule again and get back to the way things were.]

A.) Catch a glimpse of the hollow world;

[The morning starts early for Rise Kujikawa with a bright and early call for a photoshoot. She never realized that a "sunglasses model" could be a real job but here she is bright and early when the sun is just perfect to capture the product without the glare effect. Did you happen to stumble onto the scene of this shoot? You might find Rise perusing a table of glasses that she's meant to put on her face and she'll turn with a small grin on her face.]

Which one do you think I should start with first?

[Alternatively, later in the shoot she's put on a pair that's a liiiiittle too dark and it makes it hard to see. Sorry if she happens to bump into you on her way to put them back.]

Sorry! Geez, these are way too effective…

B.) Turning misery into meaningfulness;

[Later in the day she's in front of a storefront in the shopping district with a plate of tofu samples. This feels a little more like home, weirdly enough, and even if she's dressed down in a work smock she seems oddly relaxed. She won't hesitate to stop anybody who wanders by, maybe even tapping the shoulder of the person if it's someone she knows (hell, maybe even the people she doesn't know.)]

Free sample? It's fresh…they're trying a new recipe in there. [She has opinions on said-tofu, but collecting information and backing said-opinions is never a bad thing.]

C.) Gaze in fascination so hard;

[Regardless, even if she has a busy busy day she's going to take time for herself even if it kills her. That's what this is about, isn't it? Relaxing, getting back to a normal life after the trauma that came from that weird, dark area. After her shift at the tofu shop she'll even text a few friends.]

Weather's great! Wanna come up?

[Friends who text back will get an answer, but for anybody who…happens…to be prone to being on rooftops they'll find that Rise's dragged a couple of chairs up to the roof of her apartment building, an umbrella tilted just enough for the slightest amount of shade and sprawled out in one of the lounge chairs dressed in a bikini with yet another pair of sunglasses on.]

It's perfect, isn't it?

D.) You know the stake in high stardom is near;

[And so the sun sets. The day goes on, and there's one more shift to take care of in her day before she's satisfied. Anyone in the Entertainment District may find that several colonists are heading for one particular karaoke bar. Entering the bar, you'll find that Rise is at the mic and it's here she's in her most natural environment as she continues her performance. When she finishes the song and the applause dies, she peers around before her eyes land on you, a playful smirk on her face as she speaks into the mic.]

I think it's your turn to sing a song for us! What do you say?

[Looks like the crowd agrees.]

[Or maybe you find yourself at the bar later and she finishes another song. No matter who it is, she'll slide into the seat next to you and she doesn't even appear winded as she speaks up.]

Who knew aliens liked music so much?

E.) Looking so different glaring street light;

[Or you can wildcard her! She can be found anywhere in the above locations, wandering the colony, or maybe you're a friend who happens to bump into her. Bring it on.]

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[She's still pretty elated still from her performance, so when Stahn smiles it only fuels her further and she can't help but laugh brightly in response.]

You really think so? Thanks! I'm still getting back into practice and I'm always a little nervous about performing for this kind of crowd, but that's so nice of you to say. You really liked it?

Mm, you definitely sound like a pro! It's really cool!

[the brightness of his smile right now is a surefire indicator of that—not that rise can know it. but since he hasn't been in the best shape since the excursion beyond the walls, it's a real change from the last week and a half or so. her performance definitely got his mind off of things.]

I haven't really heard many songs like that one before, but it sounded good. Very... hm... bright? [is that the word for it? he's not sure.]

[Stahn no please be happy always. She seems to find amusement in his response and she nods encouragingly. "Bright" is a good way to describe most pop songs, in her opinion.]

Bright sounds like a pretty good compliment to me. You've really never heard much like that before? What kind of music did you listen to back in your world?

[he's trying...]

Umm... whatever was around, I guess! My friend Johnny plays music, so it was usually just that. He had a lot of different songs he would sing!

That's just one kind of artist though. There's so much music in the world. You mean you really haven't experienced a lot of it? [It's a shock and it's sad. Stahn. Friend. Let her teach you.] There's even stuff here that I've never even heard of.

[he comes from a tiny town in the boonies, he's not very worldly.]

I've heard more things since I came here, but... That's it, mostly.

Then we really have to fix that. There's a lot of clubs and other places around here that play a ton of music, but you could probably find a music shop somewhere in the shopping district. I guess the words CD and MP3 don't mean anything to you yet?

I've heard people say it around here, but I don't know what they are. I never really thought to ask!

[the idea of a music shop... it sounds pretty cool to him, but he'll wait to here what else rise has to say before he starts marveling any more than he already has.]

[She pauses for a minute, giving Stahn a squinty sort of look like she can't quite fathom if he's serious or not. But she realizes soon enough that he is simply that sincere and innocent and she smiles, sliding off of her seat and looking back at Stahn.]

I can show you if you want! There's a couple of books behind the stage still. Maybe you can even help me pick out my next song.

You could? Mm, that sounds like it would be great!

[and a lot of fun, and that's what an outing like this is supposed to be about, right? it's made even better by the notion of making a new friend and learning about things he's never seen before.

kind of a win all around.

though he does realize...]

Ah! I'm Stahn, by the way. Stahn Aileron!

[What a cutie. She's not at all fussed and she gestures for him to follow as she leads him away from the bar and back toward the stage.]

Rise Kujikawa. It's nice to meet you. [The enthusiasm is what gets to her. It's refreshing. It's nice.] Have you been in Cerealia that long, Stahn?

It's nice to meet you too, Rise!

[he does his best to be energetic and positive when he can. in an atmosphere like this, it's pretty easy for stahn to let go of his troubles for a while. the energy in general is positive enough for that, the atmosphere is a good one.

so he'll follow her lead, minding the people around them as he goes.] I've been here for a bit... about two months? Close to that!

I've been here for almost a month, I think? Time moves so fast here, I can't believe it.

[And it's then something clicks and she looks back at Stahn.] ...Stahn...this is going to sound kind of weird but does the word "swordian" mean anything to you?

—Eh?

[that's not a sound that comes from a lack of recognition; it comes from the surprise of someone he's just met saying that sword.

"Be careful, Stahn." dymlos warns quietly, but stahn isn't paying much mind to that. it's still not in his nature to be suspicious first—she may have a good reason for knowing it.]

Yeah. [he'll confirm for a moment with a nod, but he's not offering much else.] You've heard of Swordians?

[it doesn't immediately connect that it may have come up through leon... namely because leon isn't very forthcoming about anything, ever.]

[Dymlos, she may very well be able to hear you. She won't say so, but it's certainly at the front of her mind and she watches Stahn closely due to his reaction.]

I've met one. He told me about you...um, Leon? When we were in that labyrinth place or whatever he was trying to find you and told me you were like him.

[dymlos isn't really used to the idea of normal people hearing him; most still can't and he prefers it that way since everything else disturbs the logistics of how it all works. swordians are meant to be heard by swordian masters and they share a special bond because of it, so this makes it all complicated.

stahn, on the other hand, always feels a little relieved when people know about the swordians—swords that can speak are kind of a complicated thing, and he empathizes with his friends who constantly live having to get entire parts of a conversation explained to them after the fact. so unlike dymlos and his wary nature, the mention of leon just makes stahn smile brightly. that's a good reason for her to know!]

Mm! I didn't realize you knew Leon. [okay, and maybe he grins a little wider because for someone who's always bitching and moaning about what a pain he is, leon still looks for him when they're separated and is forthcoming about that much. best friends forever.]

I guess that makes sense why you've heard of them!

[Thank you, Tales, for continuing to confuse generations about how your mechanics really function. But since Rise doesn't know how this all truly works she's focused more on Stahn's reaction which is nothing but positive.]

I get the feeling he doesn't really like to talk about people he meets around here. [It's a matching grin. Leon fusses at her a lot and she sometimes loses her temper with him and he's frustrating and confusing...but he doesn't bother her. In fact, she actually finds him a little intriguing, and now knowing the connection between Stahn and Leon really is bigger than she might have guessed, it changes her perspective again.]

Chaltier helped us out when we were trying to figure out where we were supposed to go next. I've never really seen anything like it before but it was really cool to watch. [They've finally made it "backstage" and she leads Stahn to a table filled with little black CD binders. She pulls one to her to open it even as she continues.] Are there more of you here, or just the two of you?

Mm, Leon's that kind of person! I know he can be hard to get along with, but he always helps when it counts. He and Chaltier are a great team!

[which is a statement that dymlos doesn't entirely agree with, but he also knows a hell of a lot more about chaltier and his history than stahn ever could at this juncture. he remains quiet, but a bit unsettled by the way this conversation is going.

swordian dad is gonna dad. quietly. stahn, on the other hand, is content to watch what rise is doing, since this whole situation and atmosphere is so new to him in every regard.]

It's just us... I haven't seen any of the others since before I got here. [he misses them a lot, and he worries about their safety—all the same, he wouldn't wish this place on them for any other reason than to be able to see leon alive one more time.] There are three other Swordian Masters, and we have a few other friends that we fought with too.

[there's actually one missing from that number, but nobody ever told stahn about the sixth swordian and why he wasn't recovered with the rest of them. oops.]

They really did seem to work together pretty well. He seemed nice. [It's pretty clear she doesn't mean Leon either...]

A lot of our friends are missing from this place, too. Right now it's just me and Yu-senpai, but Yosuke-senpai used to be here. There's five more of us besides that but I don't know how they'd deal with a place like this anyway.

[...it's a little bit of a sad thought, so she shakes her head and turns the CD binder to Stahn.] Anyway, history! Music history, I mean. These are CDs. They're a little less commonly used now since a lot of music's going digital but places like karaoke bars and stuff use them all the time. You can put them in the player--[She points to the giant CD player behind her]--and the player will read the information burned into the disc and play it back as sound.

[it definitely seems like a better idea to get off that topic for he time being; stahn doesn't really like thinking too much about the "what ifs" with his friends, after all. he worries about them a lot, and there's little doubt in his mind that rise's much the same.

wouldn't most people be when it comes to their friends?

so it's a bit of a welcome shift to hear rise explain how cds work to him. naturally, he's a little puzzled at some of her words—going digital? he's not really sure what the difference is, or how music is "burned" to the disc exactly. it's a little confusing, but he understands the basic gist of what she's telling him.]

So... any music can be put on these and then played whenever you want in that thing, right? [he's just making sure he's got this right, even if it's in an extremely simplified kind of way.

stahn can figure it out and probably even get used to stuff like this—he's always interested in learning about things he's never seen before. but making sure he actually understands it comes first, of course.]

Right. [She holds up the CD, showing Stahn the bottom of it.] See these darker rings? That means there's music on the disc. [She pops it into the CD player and like magic, it begins to play the first track at a lower volume.]

Music's evolved a lot over the years. A lot of my stuff can be downloaded now but we still make CDs anyway. CDs are also great because you can make your own playlists and burn them so there's all kinds of music. And on players you can select randomize and it'll play the songs in a new order if you want it to.

[She ponders for a moment.] They're sort of old now, but I bet they sell CD players and mp3 players at that tech shop in the shopping district. I was thinking about getting a new one. If you want, maybe you can come with me sometime and I can show you. [She barely knows Stahn, but she can at least get the sense that he just likes to learn things. That's okay, she thinks. She likes to make friends, he likes to learn. That's fine by her. (Plus he's less frustrating with Leon which is an auto-win.)]

It sounds kind of complicated, but maybe that's just because it's so new to me.

[rise seems to understand it, but from the sounds of it, she's also used to it. it's probably not that bad—it still sounds cool though, even if some of it just goes right over his head.]

Going with you sounds like a great idea, though! I mean—as long as you want to. It sounds like fun, and... eheheh, I think some of it might make more sense if I can actually see it. [some concepts just go over his head when he can't see them. the basic of a CD? he can grasp with her showing it to him and playing it.]

I don't really think I get much about playlists or... burning? [burning something to make it work generally isn't a good idea; as the swordian master of fire, he knows a thing or two about this.]

Everything sounds complicated the first time you learn about it. [She's busy sorting through CDs to pick her next song now.] I wouldn't have suggested it if I thought I'd mind it. It's always more fun to go shopping and check things out with other people anyway. What's the point of doing it alone?

[More than anything, she doesn't like doing things by herself even after all this time. People are much better.] It's sort of funny how much we can all teach each other here. I'm still getting used to how many worlds are out there. Leon explained a little bit about the world you two are from and it's still a little confusing.

Mm, I think so too! It's always better to go shopping with a friend when you can. Not everyone thinks that, so I just wanted to be sure. ["not everyone" obviously just means leon, who has no idea how to have fun. things like window shopping or stopping because something looks interesting isn't apart of a shopping experience with leon, generally speaking.]

But... yeah, you're right. I'm learning a lot about other worlds, and this one too! I can see what you mean though, about me and Leon's world. There's a lot of things that are probably confusing if you're not used to it...

...And some things that are confusing even when you are. [he laughs a bit—learning about the swordians was an experience. he'd gone 19 years without ever seeing anything like it, but rutee and leon both had already been masters for years. and then there was what came from the ancient wars, which was all new to him too. there's stuff stahn knows that even leon doesn't, so he gets it.]

Well those people don't count. [HMPH. She can imagine he means Leon...considering...Leon, but at the same time she has a few friends who usually have to be dragged into shopping as well.] What's the point of shopping if you don't have someone to share opinions with and spend time with? That just sounds really lonely.

[She can't imagine the world of the swordians actually because even with the very very brief explanation Leon gave her part of it confuses her.] I think that's the way of every world though, Stahn. There's still stuff in our world I don't get either. I'm just glad this one's getting easier to understand.

[She's about to say something else when one of the hosts of the bar catches her attention. She looks apologetic suddenly, giving Stahn a small smile.] I have to go finish my set for the night, but when you're ready let's go shopping! You know how to look me up don't you?

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majinken - 2016-04-06 20:00 (UTC) - Expand

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