infinite_reflection

Entry tags:

campus,
open rp

April 9th

April 9th, 2012, early

It was a humid morning, and only the second week of school. A fine mist of rain clouded the sky, doing nothing against the damp heat that had invaded Eizou Academy’s campus. Beyond the misty and annoying weather, it was also irritatingly early! Students milled about from the main gates, slowly heading towards their campus buildings (it could be quite a walk, most had to arrive a wee bit early). Umbrella’s seemed to do nothing against the rain, but staff and students alike tried to use them regardless.

A scream sounded out, from the cluster of buildings that all the elementary and junior high students were headed toward. It was quite a distance away from the Highschool section, and the clouds and mist dulled the sound. Sirens, blaring through the morning air, pierced the quiet created by the mist. Where were those headed?

That exact thought filtered though Miho Tanaka’s head fifteen minutes later. She could see flashing lights of a police car, and probably an ambulance, from out of the front door’s of the Highschool building. The light filtered through the thickening mist, as the rain started to gradually turn into a downpour. The school seemed eerily quiet, and everyone’s attention seemed to be drifting out toward the elementary buildings. What happened?

Two girls entered, whispering in low fast voices to one another.

“Did you hear? A teacher jumped.”

“I heard she was pushed! The impact broke her neck.”

“I heard she splattered all over the concrete…”

“But we still have to go to class today? Jeez!”

"Mouu, I bet everyone in junior high will get the day off today. This is so unfair.."

Miho frowned slightly at the passing conversation, gaze drifting from the two gossiping girls out towards the lights in the distance. A jumper, huh…?

((NOTE: About half an hour after this initial post, the PA system comes on - everyone is informed they get the day off.))

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Still wasn't used to people bowing all the time, honestly. Greg pocketed his phone and then kept both hands firmly in those pockets and looked momentarily awkward with the gesture. That faded into his usual 'meh' expression rather quickly, though. "It's not that bad. In the end it's... Harmless." At least, Greg was pretty sure that it was. Some people were just flirty by nature! That didn't mean they expected anything to actually come of it. "So, dinner will be fun. Don't worry about it." Not that he sounded particularly enthused... Then again, Gregory never did about anything.

Wow... He'd actually made plans. With someone that could potentially now be described as a friend. This was unexpected, even to him. "... Huh." Greg didn't mean to vocalize that confusion, but out it came. "Hm. You think we're getting the day off? What with the, uh... Y'know."

“Oh! With the.. Hmmm. I wonder?” Speaking of classes, hers (or maybe theirs, as he had yet to answer if he was in 2-F or not) was going to start soon! The shoe lockers had gotten rather empty, minus the occasional late comer sprinting down the hall once they’d changed into their school slippers. Miho looked momentarily horrified. “Oh no, I’m going to be late – I can’t be late!” The poor thing was literally mid-turn on her heel when the P.A. system clicked on.

The voice of their principal, Kei Inoue, rang out amongst the mostly empty halls. “We regret to inform you that there has been an accident on campus. All years will have the day off today, as the police must perform a campus-wide investigation. Please head straight to the campus gates, and neatly return to your dormitories or homes. Thank you.”

“… I guess we get the day off!”

Gregory didn't want to say that he hoped they got the day off. It'd sound more terrible vocally than in his head, likely because someone had died to make their potential day off possible. Oh, did he say potential day off? The PA system confirmed that it was a definite day off. He breathed a sigh of slight relief, realizing that he would've been late anyways, and then nodded. "Yeah, I guess so. Does that mean..."

Well, how to ask this? He had to think about the things he said a lot, here. That was annoying. Greg couldn't very well invite himself over, but his apartment was a fair distance away. It'd be stupid to go all the way there just to come all the way back for dinner. Oh! Right, right, kids his age... Did that thing where they went places together. "Do you want to... Do something?" It came out awkwardly, mostly because he wasn't perfect with the language. "Together, I meant. There's no use in me going home if I'm just going to come back for dinner."

Her head tilted when he seemed to carefully think out how to phrase his question, and he was answered with a cheerful and bright smile. “You want to hang out? Okay! How about… Purikura? Or bubble tea? We could go to the arcade, in the mall, if you wanted? You like games, right?” Miho assumed so, at least, because of his phone! “I love shooters and stuff.” She laughed, forming her fingers into a gun, “Pew pew-..”

But then she flared red when she realized she was, in fact, not with someone she was very familiar with. Her throat cleared and she dropped her arms to her sides. “So.. yea! I want to hang out.”

On the plus side, Miho had managed to coax a vague smile out of the boy. The negative, of course, being that it seemed more like he was laughing at than with her. Greg rubbed his chin and raised an eyebrow, straightening out his lips once again, and then just... Shrugged. "Whatever you'd like. I haven't been around most of the city, so you probably know what's... Uh, fun."

It looked like the school was starting to empty; teenagers came out of the building's front doors in single file and headed right for the gate. "I think we should join them, huh?"

“Mm, probably! Let me just change my shoes again.” Miho turned away from him, flipping her locker back open. Her school shoes were carefully slipped off and tucked neatly away, and then she was pulling her normal shoes back on – they were black dress shoes, polished to a pristine shine. “I’m just going to text my Mom quickly, okay? But we can start walking.” Her locker was clicked closed, and then they headed on out.

It was actually a bit of a walk from the campus gates to their school, and she spent the time thinking about what they should do. “We could take the skytrain to the mall, and then get tea at the stop there… You’ve taken the skytrain before, right? How long have you been in Japan?”

Greg did the same, though the concept of multiple pairs of shoes at school was still a very strange one to him. His phone came out when Miho's did, and the boy busied himself with one of his games while they walked and she told her mother whatever. The small walk was relatively quiet, and she had to speak up in order to revive the conversation. "Hmm? Oh, I've only been to the mall twice. Uhh... I've been here a couple months. I don't go out much, though, so."

He was hardly making himself sound like an exciting or even well-adjusted individual. "I have been on the skytrain, mhmm. Sort of ironic, actually, back in New York City all of our..." Struggling with a word. "Uh... Trains, basically, are underground instead." Wait, he forgot to confirm or deny her idea. "Oh. Oh, and that sounds fine, sure."

Miho’s brows rose, and then she grinned slightly. “Subways, right? We have those too. And buses, and bullet train… Tons of public transportation, really. My household doesn’t even own a car, we have our bikes, or walking, for short distances, then we transit for the longer ones.” She rubbed at the back of her neck lightly, looking up in thought – by the way, both of them were probably getting misted with a light coating of drizzly rain. “I wish I remembered my umbrella this morning, gosh… It’s about a ten minute walk to the station. My house is around there, too.”

"Yeah, we don't have a car yet, either..." His father's been biking to work, and Gregory usually takes the bus to school. He's got to leave surprisingly early, actually. "If you want to stop by your house and get an umbrella, that's not a big deal. I don't mind the rain, so I didn't bring one." If Miho glanced over, she'd find his nose in that phone despite the fact he was carrying on a reasonably nice conversation with her.

And then he changed the subject, because she'd said something earlier that admittedly interested him. "You like arcade games?"

“Yeah! Yess, I love arcade games.” She smiled at him, despite his face being in his phone, locking her hands behind her back where her school-bag was located (it was one of those slim suit-case-esque models, although it looked full to the point of bursting). “My big brother, Satoshi, used to play them with me all the time, and I have his old playstation at home still.” Talk about dated! “Mm.. I really like RPGs, too!”

The rain was starting to become heavier very quickly, aw crud. Pretty soon it was going to be pouring. Miho squinted up at the sky. “Hey.. are you any good at running? I hate it, but.. we should probably…”

"A Playstation? Huh... You could probably use an upgrade." Then again, she also probably wasn't as avid with this stuff as him. "That's cool, though." Heeey, he called something cool. That was a first. Greg finally glanced up from the phone with the question about athletic ability, and then he slid it into one of his pockets. "Yeah, I have no problem with running. You'll have to lead the way, though." The boy looked like he was ready to start on that! "Might need a little breather, when we hit your house, of course."

“He took all the recent systems with him when he moved out, and my favorite games are on the Playstation, so it’s okay.” She nodded, with another quick glance to the darkening sky. It really looked like bad weather, today. It was getting a little foggy out, too, rather than just plain misty from the drizzle. Miho nodded again, this time to affirm to herself that they’d have to run. “Okay! Okay, let’s do this!” As if to signal ‘GO!’ a crack of thunder rolled across the heavens. “Eep!” The bespectacled girl took off at a sprint, leading the way to her apartment.

With both of them running, although Miho was gasping for breath quite quickly, they managed to make it to her house in about six and a half minutes and before it really started to pour. The girl seemed to live in a large apartment building, that looked relatively pricey and well kept. “We’re on the top floor, I hope you don’t mind the elevator?” In they went, large glass doors sliding open automatically. The lobby was very big, with high light coloured ceilings and dark marble tile flooring. The whole thing looked rather posh!

“Um, try not to drip anywhere… The caretaker gets mad if we track mud all over the tile or anything like that.” Her dress shoes clicked against the marble as she lead the way down an extensive hallway. About half way through they came upon a spacious elevator. Miho pressed the button, and then it was time to play the waiting game.

Gregory trailed close behind, or more like at her side, it seemed he had the edge as far as running went. The rain started coming down harder as they want, though it seemed they'd just narrowly avoided the sudden opening into a torrential downpour by a minute or two at best. The boy nodded while panting, slouching while he walked under the cover of the apartment complex.

Thankfully he'd wiped his shoes on the mat on the way in, so tracking mud wouldn't be too much of a problem! By the time they hit the elevator Greg had better control of his breathing, though it looked like they were both sort of drenched. Miho could change her clothes at home, but Gregory... Not as much. "If the rain gets any worse, we might just have to stay in, for the love of..."

Miho fanned herself as they waited for the elevator – currently it was at floor ten, and slowly lowering. Strands of her hair clung to her neck and face because of the rain, and all in all she looked quite mussed and out of breath. “M-mmaybe,” Pant, she really, really hated running. Her hands went to her knees (she flashed Gregory an apologetic smile before she bent over to catch her breath), “My mom will go out. We can hope.” Another rolling clap of thunder sounded out from outside, seeming to echo throughout the deserted hallway. “I didn’t think it was supposed to storm like this, today. The weather didn’t mention it… Does your phone have a weather app?”

Ding! The elevator had arrived. In they went, surrounded on all sides by full length mirrors. The floor was the same posh dark marble as in the lobby, and it gleamed from the overhead lights. “We’re really high up, so this might be a bit of a ride. “It’s 36 stories; we’re on the top floor.” Miho seemed to be getting her breath back at least, as she pressed the glowing ‘36’ on the door panel. The doors smoothly shut, and the elevator clicked back into life. The only sound was the sound of their breathing, they wouldn’t even be able to hear any whir of machinery.

Gregory stood up straight, he was catching his breath a little quicker, and watched the little glowing number count down until it hit 'L' for the lobby they were in. "Uh, yeah, it does. My phone, that is, hold on..." The boy slid his phone out of his pocket while they both entered the elevator, and he took note of the... Decidedly odd decoration choice. The four mirrors created an odd effect that made the elevator look deceptively massive and also full of a ton of Miho's and Gregory's. "Thirty-six? Wow..."

He slid his finger along the smartphone's touchscreen to unlock it, then pressed his weather app... The screen froze, though, and Greg shook it with a slight frown. "[C'mon, you piece of crap.]" The boy let out a somewhat dramatic sigh, he absolutely hated when technology got all difficult, and prodded at the touch screen a little more. "Just a second--"

A high-pitched and rather eerie cackle came out of the small speaker in the back of the phone, made somewhat tinny by the decidedly crappy sound card, and poor Greg almost dropped the damned thing. "[Fuck!]" He fumbled with it momentarily, watching the screen fragment oddly and then go black. "Sorry. One of my games probably messed up..."

“Yeah! We’re kind of high up, I’m sorry about the wait.” She didn’t bow that time, at least, with her apology! Progress! “It’s a nice apartment though, so I think it’s worth it. Um.. My Mom isn’t a big fan of traditional Japanese interiors, though, so… It might be more in line with what you’re used to?” Miho shifted her weight while they slowly ascended the building, glancing from the ticking number of the floor, to the stark steel doors. Being surrounded with mirrors like this, when they were both soaked, sure was depressing.

The poor thing nearly jumped a mile at the sound that eminated from Greg’s cellphone, and then actually gave a surprised little ‘Eeee!’ when the power abruptly flickered. The two were suddenly left in the dark, in a frozen elevator, as antoher clap of rolling thunder sounded dimly from outside. “Ohmyg-gosh!” A shakey laugh from the startled Miho, as she tried to peer through the pitch black. “Bad timing, bad timing, haha, this aha.. ah. Never happens. This’s never lost power before…”

"Sounds expensive, too." Was it okay to talk about that, here? Greg had the feeling it was okay to talk about a lot in Japan, actually, and he was just making weird assumptions. Oh well! "I'm sure it's, uh... Well, I'll like it. And if I don't, I'll tell your mother that I do anyways." Hey, that was almost a joke! The boy's shoulders hunched at the sudden thunder, and then there was the distinct bwwwrrrr of power going bye-bye. All of a sudden it was very dark, and he cleared his throat. "Uh.. Miho?" Yeah, because there'd be someone else there. Durrrh.

"Here, let me get-- There we go." There was a brief flash of light in front of the girl and then a catchy little jingle while his phone started back up. "Yeah, it was just a glitch, then. Kind of a... Freaky one, if uh... If I'm gonna be honest." Regardless, she could see his face illuminated in the dim blue light coming off of his phone's screen. Greg turned it her way, and then he could see hers. "I'm sure there's a generator, right? It'll kick in any second now."

“J-jeez, what is with this? The power's never gone out in this building.. And there's a back up generator that should kick in right away.” Miho licked her lips, a tad nervously. Not only did the anxiousness show in her stance (though Greg couldn't really see that, could he?), it was audible in her voice. She shifted closer to him, gaze darting to the pinprick of light his screen gave off. Somehow, in this elevator, surrounded by mirrors, she felt as though they were in a much larger space! Just the sounds of their voices and breaths seemed to echo oddly, as if they were in a large cave.

“I'm really sorry about this, I don't know what's going on.” CLANK! Clank! Grrrriind. There was a series of noises, loud and abrupt, like a wrench hitting something metallic followed by a screeching grind of gears. The lights flickered back on in full force. Everything seemed normal, as the elevator started to shudder back into life, but Gregory might notice... Out of the corner of his eye, his reflection seeming to flicker and turn toward him.

"Well, is there a backup generator for the backup generator?" Greg seemed oddly all right, at least. His calm might not have been contagious but it could certainly be comforting at a time like this. "Well, uh... At least we're not falling, right? I always figured that's what'd happen... Y'know, if you got stuck in one of these and the power cut." Oh, god, why'd he say that?! A cacophony of horrible metal-on-metal noises followed that, and for a second he thought it was some kind of sick corrupted wish come true thing. "[Aaaah, FUCK!]"

Oh, lights! Whew. The boy had hunched over a bit, like that'd help when they plummeted something like twenty or thirty floors. There was no drop, though, and then the lights were back... Something caught Greg's eye, though, and he turned his head in time to see... Himself.

It wasn't him, though, because it was facing forward with both hands on its hips and a little sneer on its face. "What--" Gregory blinked and then his reflection was normal, staring back with his same bewildered face and in the correct position. "I'm seeing things, ugh." He jammed the '36' button again, not wanting to spend too long in this box of terror.

Miho was standing relatively close to her classmate, now, smiling in her usual cheerful manner – it was laced with a slight undertone of nerves, however. Had she also seen Gregory's reflection flicker? “It, it was probably just a trick of the light. Our eyes adjusting, and everything.” The elevator continued to climb normally, relatively silent again (no horrific sounds of gears grinding, or metal clanking, at least). They finally reached the top floor, and the doors slid smoothly open to reveal a plush carpeted hallway. There didn't seem to be too many doors. “We're right at the end.” She sounded damn revealed to be home, and was damn quick to get out of the elevator.

A large window at the end of the hall revealed a beautiful view of the city (the acadmy was visible!) - unfortunately it was really rather foggy, and pouring so hard that it was all a bit obscured. “There aren't many apartments on this floor, because they're all kind of big, um.. Make sure to take your shoes off when we get in.” She lead the way to the last door in the hall, unlocking it and ushering him in. It was, needless to say, fancy and posh looking. There were a whole lot of windows to show a great view of the city, too!

Suffice it to say that he was quick to leave as well when the doors slid open. Gregory did his best not to scramble out but he definitely got a move on, happy to be on what felt like solid ground again. The view might've been pretty on any other day, but it was mostly obscured today... It made the city look really dreary, if anything. "I'm sure it's, uh... Nicer on a sunny day. So much for the mall, I guess?" Not only was it pouring, the boy really didn't have any desire to ride that elevator back down anytime soon.

He followed Miho, calming down rather quickly now that the apparent danger was gone. The reflection was bugging him, but he could dismiss it for now and think more on it later. "Uh... Oh, yeah. We take shoes off in my house, too. You're sure your mother won't mind..? I would feel weird just... Uh, staying." Gregory stepped in when she opened the door regardless, removing his shoes and then standing off to one side. He was still a little damp, see, and didn't really want to touch anything.

“She won't mind, it'll be okay.” Off her shoes went, and then neatly tucked to the side of the marbled entry way. It, much like the lobby, was done with a shining dark marble that had flecks of white and silver throughout it. Her apartment was really modern and fancy, featuring a white and black colour sceme, with the occasional splash of vibrancy in the form of a red or an orange. It was also noticeably large! The cost of living in Okachi wasn't as pricey as say, Tokyo, but it still wasn't cheap. Miho must have had a wealthy family, to afford this place.

She lead Gregory inside, and right into the living room. “Um, so, this is the sitting room. Further down the hall that way..” She pointed to the left. “Are the bedrooms. Mine, Mom's, and Lee-Senpai's- Oh! Oh, she's staying with me. Cultural exchange program, from Korea. Isn't that cool? She's so cool – aha, in both meanings. I wish she'd warm up a little.” Siiigh, and then she perked back up, clearing her throat. “S-sorry, sorry. Rambling! The kitchen and dining room are up there.” A northward gesture! “There's an infinity pool on the rooftop, if you ever want to come over and swim- do you like swimming- Erf, anyway! This is my house.” Miho tilted away from her guest somewhat, to call out “I'm home..!”

“Welllcome h~oome~.” Out stepped Akane, tall, slender, with dark burgundy-brown hair and a whole lot of leg showing. This woman knew how to dress to impress, and she was certainly doing a good job of it! She had the same beauty mark under her left eye that Miho had, as well – but beyond that, and maybe general face shape, the two didn't seem to share any similarities. “Oh no!” One of her hands, with it's nails fine painted (a vibrant red), rose to her mouth. “G-chan, Mi-chan, you're all wet! This just won't do. Miho, you can go change, but what about our poor guest? You'll have to strip and let us do your laundry.”

Gregory was very impressed, to say the least... His apartment was quite a lot smaller, and quite a lot closer to the ground on top of that. He followed Miho, absently trying to adjust his uniform so that it was too uncomfortable. That was impossible while it was damp, though! Ugh. "Yes, I think we've met. She seemed a little distant..." Coming from the guy who was nigh unapproachable in his own opinion. Then again, he'd somehow secured 'hanging out' and even going home with something like a friend, so...

"Uh... Swim? Hm." He could, but it seemed a little weird when he just barely knew her. Something to keep in mind for the future, though, sure. "Yeah, sure. And, uh, it's nice." The boy nodded and then took another look around... Wait, was she calling for her mother? Greg had just assumed that the woman worked during the day! She was home now? "Uhh--!"

And out came the woman. She looked pretty as ever, in a practiced sort of war, and Gregory bowed his head slightly with a greeting. "Uhh, good morning, Tanaka-san. I know you were expecting me later, but the rain's... Uh, severe." He gestured out one of the windows... Just in time for the woman to suggest that he take his damned clothes off. That said, it wasn't any different from their usual encounters! She just had a good reason for it this time. "Oh... You know, it's no big deal. I can manage..!"

Another apologetic smile goes out to poor Gregory, “Um! I'll be really quick, okay?” Her mom wouldn't try anything really crazy, right? That'd be like, assault. She was a cougar, sure, but she wasn't insane! So Miho scittered away down the hall and to her room. “Don't drip on the carpet, darling! That really wouldn't do!” That left G and Akane, the latter of which who was smiling like a fox. “I'll get you a towel, G-chan. I won't have you dripping all over my carpets until dinner, tsk tsk.”

The dress clad woman turned on her heel and sauntered away, returning moments later with a very fluffy looking and large white towel. “Go to the bathroom, won't you? We'll dry your clothes off and you can wear this until they're ready for you.” And with that, the phone rang! Akane's brows rose, but before she went to answer she quickly gestured Greg in the right direction.

Yeeaaah, Gregory was even less sure that Miho's mother wouldn't just pounce on him and do something horrible and unspeakable. In his head he wanted to believe that she was totally joking when she flirted and wouldn't dare, but there was a rather big and nagging doubt. "Soo-- Uhh, okay." The boy couldn't just say no, very unfortunately, and dripping all over their apartment would be incredibly rude... Probably get him sick, too.

The woman came back with just a towel, of all things, and he looked a little incredulous at the idea. Not even just that she'd be seeing him in a towel alone, it was more that he had to hang around Miho like that and if the other one came home it'd be her, too. They were classmates! "Uhh, this is all you've..." Right, they didn't really have a man in the house. At least Miho's mother wasn't offering to help him with the undressing part, he'd expected that. "All right, sure. I'll--" Ring ring ring. Huh. "I'll just go and do that, really quick..."

Greg tried not to run in fear to the bathroom, and it ended up in more of a brisk walk. He felt weird even undressing behind a locked door in a stranger's house, but it was technically necessary. He emerged several minutes later with just the towel wrapped around him... It was thankfully long, and even a towel-dress was better than simply being naked. Or, in his case, in his underwear. The boy hadn't taken that off because it wasn't particularly wet, and also as insurance if he did happen to drop the stupid towel by accident.

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