Casual: potential socializing with the deadpan girl

[forgottencarol]

It was a regular occurrence since the beginning of the school year. Every Tuesday and Thursday, Seung Mi stayed after practice to tidy up the music room. Sometimes she would even practice by herself; it wasn't uncommon for others in the hallway to hear the sound of a clarinet. Such behaviour quickly became routine for the girl. Her fellow club members admired her dedication, but the exchange student seemed to have an anti-social aura that deterred people from holding too long a conversation. Not that she minded. It was more time for work, and more time for practice.

Today, like most days, she would be the last one to leave the music room.

Comments

[americandiplomacy]

Apparently getting caught playing games on your cell phone meant you had to stay after class and clean almost everything yourself, while the rest of them went home or to the mall or wherever early. Punishment for doing something against the rules was okay in Greg's head, but something so time-consuming and stupid was not! All right, so it wasn't his first offense... And he'd received two warnings in the past... It was just annoying, all right? By the time he finished and the teacher let him go clubs had already let out and no one was left in the school.

Well, he'd assumed no one until he heard music coming from down the hall while heading toward the exit. Gregory, not so much a big music fan, couldn't really figure out what instrument it was on sound alone... That piqued his curiosity, and he headed for the music room where it seemed to be coming from. The boy poked his head inside the slightly ajar door, blinking a few times while everything registered. Oh! It was... Uh... Well, he forgot her name. 'That girl who lives with Miho' would do for the moment.

Greg wasn't one to interrupt people in the middle of doing something, so he leaned out of the door... Just in time to smack into another student who was passing by. The poor guy lost his balance, wobbling and then falling against the door and then into the music room when it pushed inward. All he got from the jerk he'd run into was a laugh and something about a 'clumsy American', to which he grumbled from his position on the floor. Well, she was bound to notice now!

(( Hi super long post YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THREE PARAGRAPHS IN RETURN I just got wordy ok cool ))

[forgottencarol]

More work was a strange thing to reward yourself with, but Seung Mi genuinely enjoyed the extra practice. The classroom was clean, and the last of her fellow club members had left around... Oh, half an hour ago? Possibly more, but she'd been paying little attention. The third year returned to her seat and grabbed her clarinet from its stand. She flipped through the sheet music until she came across her part, and soon music filled the room. The instrument produced a high-pitched, bright sound; and even the low notes retained its cheerful quality.

Seung Mi was lost in her music. The girl had an incredible talent for being focused – one that could surely be admired, should she ever display any actual emotion. At least her music didn't reflect her disposition! Her focus was about to be interrupted, however. The sound of Gregory falling into the room startled her and she hit a wrong note, the clarinet making a sound akin to a small dying animal. Then the music came to an abrupt stop.

She stood from her seat, attention snapping towards the door. The urge to frown was strong, but Seung Mi held it back. She sighed.

“Hello, Harman. Are you all right?”

((i like wordy ok))

[americandiplomacy]

Thankfully he hadn't landed on his head or face, so the initial daze that came with falling over faded quickly... Into embarrassment, but at least there wasn't the potential for any real damage as a result. "Uh, hey... Yeah, I'm good. I got..." What was the word for it? There wasn't 'detention' here, it was more a punishment for him and him alone. "Well, I had to stay late." That's all she needed to know! Greg wanted to change the subject, anyway, before she asked too many questions.

"That's a clarinet, right? Sorry for, uh, interrupting. You looked pretty... In the zone, or whatever." He stood up, rubbing the side of his head, and then glanced back out into the hallway. Whoever smacked into him was gone. What a dick!

[forgottencarol]

Had to stay late, huh? His words were met with a head-tilt from the girl, but she inquired no further. Curious or not, Seung Mi felt it wasn't really her business. “It is.” She nodded. “You don't have to apologize. There was no harm done.”

She straightened her chair (which had skidded to the side when she jumped up, creating a horrible screech to accompany those incorrect notes), and sat back down. Seung Mi was embarrassed herself for reacting such a way, but like everything else, she ignored it. But she was met with another dilemma: what should she say, now?

Needless to say, the third year was the last person to go to for conversation!

[americandiplomacy]

Well, Greg was here now... He had no other plan but to go home, and all that was waiting there were textbooks and maybe some television. Several hours of them, and that sounded honestly pretty boring. He could stay and chat a while, yeah? "Right, uh, yeah. Didn't break anything, thank goodness..." His knees were a little sore, which sucked, but it wasn't anything horribly painful. "I didn't know you were in, uh, music club. I don't really know a lot about you at all, really."

All right, should he tell her? It seemed like a mean thing, but if they were going to chat he had to use her name at least once! Guessing it would probably go badly... Greg sighed internally and then let it out, cheeks going a little pink and his normal flat expression taking a turn for the slightly embarrassed. "Jeez, I'm sorry. What's, uh... What's your name, again? The apartment was a little freaky, I think I just forgot in all that mess."

[forgottencarol]

"My name is Seung Mi Lee." That was easy enough for the socially inept Seung Mi to respond to. Her name was the one piece of information she cared to be so open with, anyway! "Yes, I suppose that storm was troublesome. It's okay."

The stormy night was one to remember, and one that embarrassed Seung Mi whenever she recalled her mishap. (Whoops, clinging to people -- how horrid!) Luckily, it wasn't a subject she brought up too often, if there was ever the off-chance she initiated chit-chat to begin with. She had a nagging feeling that she should perhaps try on occassion, though, lest her days in Japan be filled with nothing but practice and schoolwork... Neither of which she minded, but even she got bored sometimes. Today was truthfully one of those days.

"So..."

[americandiplomacy]

"Right! Okay, uh, I can remember that now." Remembering was easy, but figure out which of those words to add the '-san' after would be the real challenge. Oh, jeez. Y'know what? Fuck names, until he could ask Miho or something. "The storm was pretty crazy, right? There hasn't been one, uh... One like it since then, though, so that's good. I live on the top floor of our little apartment, so... Y'know, storms are really weird when you're up high." Greg had never really been asked to carry a conversation before, and if he ever had been asked he probably would've said it was impossible... He was almost managing here, though, even if he didn't realize it. That was something to be commended for, right?!

Greg shifted in place after that, still lamenting his sore knees, and glanced back and forth while he thought of something to say. It was after school, right? A little late after school, but there was still time to get to the mall if he (or she) wanted to. "Well... Since I'm here, uh, anyway. Do you want to..." What was the right word? The boy didn't often ask people to spend any amount of time with him. "'Hang out', or something?"