sagittariusly | (no subject)

How many blocks? Ah... Perhaps Ryusei had been hasty back there when he'd suggested taking the bike. He felt silly over worrying about the shop's closing time, too. Oh, well.

"Do you go there often?" he asked, making small talk as they strolled back to the bike. There couldn't be that many shops selling this kind of thing, surely.

She shook her head. "Only when the shop I go to has no supplies of what I'm looking for," Tomoko replied easily. "That store only sells books, relics, and equipments, and sometimes it carries dried ingredients like powders and leaves too. But if something needed fresh body parts, I need to go somewhere - and usually, the second store carries it."

She paused. "Someone told me that the two owners of the shops were lovers who had separated because of their beliefs, but I can't be sure." It was an interesting thought, though, and Tomoko often wondered why the two didn't end up together.

Oi, oi. Was that story supposed to be romantic? ...Not like Ryusei went there or anything. And maybe it made sense in a way: one store carrying what the other didn't. But... So pointless....

"Fresh body parts, though. That doesn't sound...." Wait, stop! Don't insult her. "—Uh, well. Is that the source of the differences?" What was the difference between the types of ingredients? Ryusei wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.

For now though, he picked up the two helmets and held out the second. "Try it on."

Tomoko squinted at him. She was certain he was thinking of something else about what she'd said, but for some reason he didn't pursue that train of thought. Others would have.

"I think it's because brews which call for fresh body parts are generally considered 'stronger' than those which don't. It's like delving into a deeper level of witchcraft and maybe the woman didn't want to do that." It's just conjecture on her part, though, since she hadn't talked to the man yet. He wasn't as easy to approach as the woman.

She stared in horror at the helmet, then self-consciously reached up at the side of her head. "But... Ryusei-san, my--my ribbon." The helmet would flatten it if she put that on! It would ruin her ribbon and she'd hate that a lot.

Edited 2012-10-11 13:39 (UTC)

Stronger, huh? Ryusei was totally not going to shudder at the thought; it was just that a breeze had blown by. "I...see." Just how strong was that brew? JK must have come down with a case of the serious jitters—possibly even medical in nature. He'd call Gentarou about it later and tell him to check it out.

"Don't worry about it," he said, putting the helmets back on the handlebars. "It isn't that far away, right? I'll walk you there."

And now she felt torn. On one hand, she was looking forward to riding Ryusei's bike since she had yet to do something as reckless as that. On the other hand, she was also reluctant to remove her bow in front of him, and not wearing it wasn't an option - she'd feel naked without it. While Gentarou and the others had seen her with incomplete get-up, she was careful not to let that happen again.

"B-But--" Her reluctance could be seen on her face, "--can I just not wear the helmet?" As soon as she said the words, Tomoko realized how impossible her question was.

"Definitely not," Ryusei said as gently as he could. There was no compromising on this safety measure, even if Ryusei was the most confident driver in the world.

"Is something wrong?" Was the ribbon some kind of safety charm? He could understand that—er, he knew the theory behind that kind of thing, but there was no substituting superstition for a piece of armor that was specifically built for protection. But the option to walk there didn't seem entirely welcome, either....

How about a compromise? "We can always ride another time."

"It's just--" Tomoko shrugged, tucked her head again. "--I don't want to be seen without it." No superstition involved, just a quirk that she had. Perhaps one day she'd share about how she got detention by deleting the entire photo library of Amanogawa because she found a single picture of her with her ribbon not in its proper place, but... maybe now wasn't the proper time.

She did look up when he mentioned the compromise. "I'd like that." Very much, she thought. "I'm sorry I'm being difficult."

Edited 2012-10-12 00:54 (UTC)

"—Not at all," he said quickly. It had been so sudden, after all; he'd sprung it on her out of nowhere.

He'd never given any thought to Tomoko's ribbon, though, and the way she'd worded her concern... Well, she'd just finished telling him about how some ingredients were more potent than others if they were fresh. (Toes.) So, why the concern over being seen...? It was just Ryusei.

...Maybe he'd ask Yuuki sometime. "This way, right?" He turned in the direction Tomoko had pointed out earlier.

"Yes," she said, quickly falling into step beside him. From this point it'd be a ten-to-fifteen minute walk, faster if they set a brisk pace, but for now Tomoko would take her time in getting there. It would still be a good three hours before it closed, anyway.

Then Tomoko remembered something as they were walking. "Ryusei-san, I hope you don't mind me asking, but..." She paused. "That picture in the cabinet. What happened...?"

Were they really returning to that? Damn....

"... Something some older kids decided to do as a joke," he said eventually. "I was just starting then—martial arts, you know—and they did it to make fun of me...." He was being vague, but that was on purpose. Why was beating some older kids something to be proud of? He hadn't won (they'd been disqualified) and he hadn't done it with any grace or skill. Everyone should just forget it ever happened. "It's... It's embarrassing for me to talk about."

So I'm changing the subject. "—Anyway, how'd you find out about these two shops?"

...oh. That experience was something she could relate with - being made fun of. Though, maybe Ryusei's stopped before he reached his age now, whereas hers still continued on up to the present.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I don't understand it, myself, why some people need to make fun of others--" But then Ryusei said this topic embarrassed him, so she'd oblige him.

"When I was very little, I stayed in the library - which was where I found this large book." Actually Tomoko was hiding from her classmates then, and she'd ventured deeper and deeper into the library until she literally stumbled upon it. "It was a history book, but it had a section that dealt with the occult - so I... took it home and read it. Interestingly enough, some of the pages have notes scribbled on them, and I realized they were ingredients for--" Here she cast a look his way, then, "--spells. I asked my mother where I can get some of them, but she didn't know, so I asked one of my aunts and she was the one who brought me to the first store - the one owned by the woman."

Tomoko paused, remembering that day. She was about eight, then. "The shop owner took an interest in me since she said she never saw anyone that young walk into her store willingly. I like her. She's very nice."

So did that mean... "How does she feel about you going to this other store?" Not that Ryusei wanted to accuse anyone of anything, but what had Tomoko said about stronger witchcraft?

...Maybe Ryusei shouldn't meddle with that. "It sounds like your aunt was good to you. Do you see her often?"

"Well... Manami-san doesn't forbid me to go to the other store. I suppose business is business, after all." Although maybe Manami still cared for Kyohei somewhat, which was why she often advised her customers to check his store should hers be lacking. "She wasn't the one who told me about their history, though - Ritsuko-san was the one who did." Ritsuko certainly knew a lot about the occult - more so than Tomoko could ever dream of. She wondered briefly where Ritsuko had gone after she graduated.

She grew a bit quiet after the second question. "She's... no longer with us," Tomoko replied, after long moments of silence. "She died three years ago." She paused. "Here, Ryusei-san - we'll turn here."

"I'm sorry," he said as they turned. Nice going, Ryusei you idiot! He stuffed his hands back in his pockets.

...

To return to an earlier topic.... "That book—History book? Did you find out why someone scribbled in it?" There were other books more suited to that, wasn't there? The book Tomoko was holding didn't look like her spells were in there secretly. Though, really, Ryusei wasn't so much curious as he wanted to not linger over the prior speed bump in the conversation.

She quickly shook her head. "It's all right. You didn't know." Tomoko didn't think she shared anything about her family to anyone in the club, and appreciated him asking about them. People rarely did, after all.

"I didn't. When I tried to borrow the book, the librarian said they didn't have a record of it and she didn't remember having acquired it. And, well--" Here she could feel her cheeks redden. "--I haven't returned it yet."

If the library didn't have any record of it, Tomoko probably couldn't return it in any case. Even so, that...was a bit of a coincidence. Should Ryusei be nervous now, or was the time for that long past? The goth talk wasn't exactly new.

"Why not copy down all the spells? You don't need the history book, right?"

"I-- don't. Not really." She shrugged. "There were too many of them and, besides, it just felt as though what happened in the library was meant to be. Like... maybe I was meant to see that book, and maybe I was meant to keep it."

Tomoko glanced at him. "Have you ever felt like that?"

Not even a little. "I can't say that I have." It had still ultimately been Tomoko's decision whether to keep the book or follow up on it, right? Ryusei couldn't imagine what it must be like to see the world that way.

Maybe he was looking at the question the wrong way. The book must have nostalgic value; it had led to this goth thing that Tomoko was still into. If anyone had asked him why he'd gone into martial arts.... "Well, maybe. It's... It feels right for you. Like that kind of feeling?"

She nodded vigorously as she watched him think about it. "Mm." It was another way of thinking, certainly, one that wasn't at all wrong. "What feels right for you, Ryusei-san?"

"A...lot of things." They were going to college soon, and after that.... Ryusei wasn't sure about it, but there were only a few career paths he was considering. Not to mention.... But he...shouldn't think about that right now.

"Seeing the Club again, for instance." He'd make it happened one way or another, even if he couldn't do it right now. "It'd feel like something's missing if it didn't happen."

Speaking of, he'd left something incomplete before, hadn't he? "Tomoko-chan," he started hesitantly. "... When's your birthday?"

"My birthday?" Tomoko repeated, surprised at the question. "It's on November 3." It's one of the minor gripes she had - why couldn't her birthday be during the first or second of November? All Saint's Day or All Soul's Day would have been more appropriate for someone like her.

"Why?"

"Just...wondering." He could make a quip about what they'd been talking about and horoscopes, but he didn't know anything about horoscopes. Would she buy it? Probably not; Ryusei was experienced enough with lying that he knew 'just wondering' was the most suspicious answer, and one that left the most to be desired. But he hadn't quite planned for his follow-up, like he hadn't planned on buying a present at all; he'd just done it impulsively and he couldn't exactly give someone a present without an occasion to go with it.

"About the Club reunion," he said after a pause. "We could meet up on someone's birthday. What day does yours fall on this year? Mine's on a Tuesday." That was detailed enough to seem truthful, right? It had the added bonus of plotting for one of his other goals, as well.

She thought about that for several moments. November 3rd would be next month, so-- "Friday, I think." Tomoko hadn't thought about the significance of her birthday other than what it was, but now that she thought about it-- "Mine's the next birthday in the club calendar, after Kengo-san's." She glanced up at him again. "I think a club reunion will be wonderful, but I have to check with Miu-sempai and Shun-sempai if they can attend it. Ohsugi-sensei too." Pause. "Will you be available by then, Ryusei-san? I was thinking of cooking for the club then, and it will be-- it will be very nice if you can be there to join us."

It would be more than very nice, actually, since she hadn't celebrated her birthday with friends. It'd be nice if she could start doing that this year.

"That'd be great." If it was this much in advance, Ryusei could just reject other plans as they came up.

... But they should probably prepare ancillary food in case Tomoko's food got too bizarre. Ryusei didn't want to be eating centipedes. "What...kind of food are you good at?"

Actually, he didn't want to be eating space stew, either. Maybe Ryusei could get a really big cake to compensate....