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Infected. (Finished.)
Topic Started: Apr 21 2013, 08:03 PM (680 Views)
Cipher
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Immediately after collapsing in Ravencroft's nurse's office, Rei Takeda found himself laying in a foreign (yet not too foreign) environment with a head full of jumbled thoughts. The first thing that came to his attention was the oxygen mask, then the white walls and sheets of the room came to his attention as he sat up.

Oh no. Oh no... the nurse didn't....


As the realization that he was in a hospital room came to him, Rei felt his pride shatter like a house made of glass in the middle of a fierce tornado. Yet, instead of said feeling of hurt, he felt more irritation as to his present location. Yes, in the bluenette's mind, a hospital was akin to a prison. Especially because he'd seen his fair share of them in his childhood and as a result, resented being there beyond all belief.

Sighing, the student soon closed his eyes, and forced himself to rest due to a dull pain in his lungs that he recognized as the haze finally cleared.

___________

It took Rei almost twelve hours of resting, and another god-knows-how-many to convince the doctors he was well enough to leave. Sighing, the student made his way into the world like a newborn. Said feeling was presented due to the unfamiliarity he had with his surroundings, and it took him several minutes to get his bearings. Several minutes which were spent looking up and down the street, trying to decide which way to go.
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Nyarlathotep
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[OOC: Hey there. Remember how Rei and Anri got off to a really bad start at the previous site? I thought we could give it another shot in a less tempermental setting.]

Inside one of the offices at the hospital, there was a man on a phone, a psychiatrist who had just finished with a patient.

"Yes, I just let her go. Listen, I don't know what you expect of her. She shouldn't be at a school like this, away from everything she knows. What in god's name possessed you to recommend her for Ravencroft, knowing her condition?"

"She is not a weak child, doctor. Her family and I agreed on this, that she should be not coddled, but spurred into action. Now, how is she?"

"She doesn't like to talk much, at least not about herself. The most I got out of her was about how she felt, described as 'Functional'. There's alot she doesn't want to remember or think about, and when I pressed her too far, she gave me this look like she was going to put my face through the wall."

"Hah! She might... That girl was like a well-oiled machine, superbly-balanced with potential you wouldn't believe. Someone broke her, and it needs to be repaired. A new setting, a different atmosphere, and especially the presence of her family may do it."

The other party hung up, and the shrink took an Asprin. He didn't want to tell the boy about the other stuff she'd been saying. Once you got her to talk, that Anri had some very very harsh opinions on her mind...

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Ah, but let us take away from that doctor for a moment and move onto the more pleasant setting of...outside. It was bright out, and into the sunlight stepped another figure. She was silent, barely making a sound in even footstep. A young girl with black hair to the neck, glasses, and dark brown eyes that - at times - might seem like a deep red. However, there was no fierce glare attached, so even if they DID seem that way now in the sun...it wouldn't be very intimidating. She was in a short-skirt attire, not altogether standing out except perhaps in a contradictory manner...that not drawing attention might gather it in by accident. However, the thing that might catch Rei's eye was not so much as her as what she was unfurling at this very moment: A MAP! Anri did not know her way around yet either, and so she had on her what the lost boy certainly needed.
Edited by Nyarlathotep, Apr 22 2013, 04:38 PM.
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Cipher
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Rei continued to glance up and down the street for a few minutes before finally giving up, and turning around. When he did so, he found his cold eyes fixated on one thing, not the girl... but rather the map she held in her hands.

It was said that there was a time in every person's life where they had to swallow their pride, and for the bluenette... that moment was the present and not many more would follow, or so he hoped.

As he debated on whether or not to swallow said pride (and by God, there was enough in the student's body that it could back up on itself), he adjusted his glasses, fixed his coat, and sighed before finally approaching the girl and speaking in the usual tone: stoic, with the standard note of kindness here and there to mask the self-resentment that came with asking for aide,

"I'm sorry to bother you, but I require some assistance. May I borrow your map for a second?"

As Rei spoke, he reflexively adjusted his glasses, then his pure white coat, and then repeated the process until at last he had finished speaking.
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Nyarlathotep
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You would think that she would just be able to reverse her course today and go home, but unfortunately there were a few things she wanted to handle, and one of them was to familiarize herself more with Rockport's surroundings. That much was important, otherwise it would be impossible to navigate this place as needed. All the side-streets had to be known as well as the mains. She had to see them for herself, to know them and to-

"I'm sorry to bother you, but I require some assistance. May I borrow your map for a second?"

Her heavy scrutiny of the map ceased, attention diverted from the appointedd task. The girl's eyes fixed on Rei in a sidelong glance, as though sizing him up, then returned to look at the map in her hands, as though considering it. Did she think that he ight run away with it? Perhaps. However, she decided that this was unlikely and, in a swift action, thrust her hand out with the map in hand for him to take and look at. She did not say anything, nor did her expression change.
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Cipher
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When the girl gave him a lingering sideways glance, as if she was trying to pierce his very being, Rei didn't bother to move and silently made eye contact as he scanned the rest of her appearance as though it would give some insight into what kind of person she was, or if it would simply allow him to understand her in the slightest.

When she showed him the map without a word, he took it in his pale hands for a moment and let himself scan its surface for several seconds with a pensive expression on his face, only to pass it back with a rather calm statement of thanks and give a short introduction that was little more than courtesy,

"Thank you. I'm Rei Takeda, by the way."

As he spoke, two questions formed in his head. Firstly, why was the girl in the hospital, and secondly... regarding the map... was she new to Rockport or simply forgetful? Either way, it wasn't wise to dwell on such things, so he dismissed the thoughts silently and waited to see if he would get any kind of response from the silent girl.
Edited by Cipher, Apr 22 2013, 06:22 PM.
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Nyarlathotep
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In her mind, there werre issues. Oh lordy, the issues... It was like a reactor running a little too hot, contained but at a severe disadvantage to all systems involved. You cover these problems with things like therapy, and the emotional wounds scab over, but not everything is fixed. These things take time. For Anri, the ability to socialize or even want to talk to most people was one of those systems you lock off when you contain the problem. Ironically, this is what developed her current outlook on things. She was not hiding within herself, per se. It was more like she'd taken refuge in a tank, seeing alot of threats out there in the world. That was why there was some reluctance to interact with this boy. Nevertheless, when he handed back the map...

"Thank you. I'm Rei Takeda, by the way."

...he also handed her the problem of being addressed directly. She knew that she had to talk to people eventually. That was what the therapy was for. As it stood, she hadn't spoken to anyone for a few years, and then only to Shiro, and then Hakuro, and finally her recovered family. Outside of that...nothing, and she knew that, rejoining school life, there would be at least questions to answer. There was little choice of that, though. Still, it was only a name. After she had taken back the map to determine her route for the day, she broke her self-imposed silence.

"Anri Fuyunaito..."

It was not spoken timidly, but rather with the inflections of someone not use to conversation, testing the waters as it were.
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The heavy silence was met with little more than calm disdain as Rei recalled the map's image and attempted to plan out a route that would get him home as quickly as possible. As he did so, he also tried his hardest to take in his surroundings. The songs of the birds, the cool breeze, the ruffling of leaves here and there, and even the "hospital smell" that clung to him like something tainted.

The silence was broken, and his thoughts soon scattered as the girl introduced herself. The volume of said introduction made it almost entirely unnoticeable if not for Rei's close proximity to the girl. The name's familiar structure created several thoughts. Namely the standard "what part of Japan are you from" and "how long have you been in America?"

Takeda was about as social as the girl was, at least inwardly. In fact, the following questions were born more out of a want of understanding and a deep seated curiosity than anything,

"I see. Well, it's a pleasure to meet you... may I ask what part of Japan you're from, or how long you've been here?"
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Nyarlathotep
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She had a good idea of where she was going today now. None of it was to do anything in particular, just to wander around and get her bearings...and to see just how well this town worked. If she had to live in it, she had to know its ups and its downs, the good people and the bad. She could no longer trust, only judge. Trust brings pain, trust breeds isery, trust was a lie... People were no good, undependable. They had to be watched, or else they would do anything...like stab you in the back or break your heart. She use to trust...but then that was turned against her from one so close at hand... She pinched the bridge of her nose for a moment, trying to push the thought away.

"I see. Well, it's a pleasure to meet you... may I ask what part of Japan you're from, or how long you've been here?"

Was he legitiately trying to get to know her, or was he just taking in free information to be used later in something less than scrupulous. Anri wished that she could let that line of thinking go, but if people closer to her could hurt her...what could be said about total strangers? Slowly, Anri closed the map. She would have to watch this one like a hawk, to make sure that his curiosity is just that and nothing more.

"I lived in Gishou once... We moved here two days ago."

This was a stronger voice, easier to hear, yet it had that distant quality...
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The notion was clear. That was to say, the notion that long pauses would become commonplace in conversations with others like the girl due to the lack of social skills both parties possessed. Sighing, the student ran his fingers through his hair and looked to the hospital in loathing as if to say that he would not return anytime soon, if he could help it.

As he turned back to the girl, Anri, his expression returned to stoicism while hers remained the same. Sharp, stiff, almost robotic. The almost mechanical nature the girl presented seemed to persist as she responded, this time in a higher volume, yet as distant as before. Ordinarily, someone such as Takeda would've gotten fed up at the girl's lack of readability as she gave her answer. However, there was something about the girl, an odd feeling that caused his curiosity to spike along with the want to continue speaking to her, though again... all that was said was simply the courtesy he often extended to others due to his lack of social prowess.

"I see... I'm from Osaka, originally. Are you... going to Ravencroft when school starts?"
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Nyarlathotep
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"I see... I'm from Osaka, originally. Are you... going to Ravencroft when school starts?"

It was strange... That look at the hospital just now. It seemed to fit her feelings towards it. She did not like having to check in there, needing psychotherapy and appointments because of the past. She did not want to think of the past, or to pretend that the doctor she had been talking to did not want to either. She was not a child, and knew that he was being paid precisely to do just that, to drag out into the open something she wanted buried. So, ironically, though neither of them were saying it, they did not like this place. In any case, she gave the boy a solemn nod.

"I will be... Today, I'm exploring the layout...so I won't get lost."

Committing to memory the way the streets are, to get an idea of what is where in relation to what else and so on. She would go over this area and gain the experience of what it is to be around town before the school year starts, so as to prevent her from losing her way. That way, people who need this map more than her - like Rei - would benefit from it. By the by, now that her voice was getting properly heard - a calm, yet sometimes stern voice - it could be noticed that Anri appeared to have no trouble speaking English, so she must have studied carefully, much like her eyes on the map. Finally, she closed said map and looked out towards...whatever was beyond the hospital.

"I must know what this place is made of."
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The girl's nod and response were met with a faint, knowing smile. Hands on experience was a way to learn about things, though it wasn't exactly the same style Rei preferred to use. The next statement that came from her... caused his thoughts to turn rapidly, namely because the latter portion of the statement could have been slang. But the formal nature of the preceding words threw that aspect off.


Obviously, the aforementioned thoughts had caused her fluency to escape his notice, and after a few minutes of silence save for the moving of feet and the chattering of people as they went about their daily lives, he spoke.

"I'm sorry, what do you mean, exactly?"

With that, the student began to walk amongst the sea of people, motioning for the girl to follow him, and provide some form of stimulating or interesting conversation as he moved towards the downtown area.
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Nyarlathotep
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"I'm sorry, what do you mean, exactly?"

He had invited her to follow him into the crowding of poeple, the act of which set her a little on edge. She followed, but it wasn't something she found ideal. Not that Anri had clastrophobia or anything, but the people were all people she didn't know, people whose intentions were not known to her. The girl did not answer immediately, as her scrutiny was - for the moment - on other people. Not trouble navigating them, of course, just keeping an eye out. Finally, she had something to say...and actually a fair bit of communication this time.

"I don't know Ravencroft. I don't know its ways, its people, its ins and outs, and - most importantly - its dark places. I have to know what to expect...and what to watch out for."

There you have it, an explanation as plain as the nose on her face. She did not trust this place. Granted, she did not actually trust anywhere nowadays, but it was her nature at this time to seek out what's wrong in this place...and handle it. And that...required the knowledge of her territory. This would, funnily enough, clear up ALOT of things about her later.
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As the two moved through the sea of people, Rei looked back every minute or so, if only to verify the fact that the girl was still following due to her footsteps being drowned out by the chatter and footsteps of others. Not only that, but there was a simply a feeling of being abandoned, a feeling generated out of a certain uncomfortable feeling he saw in the girl. Both towards the crowd, and himself.

When the girl responded, and with an actual lengthy bit of conversation as opposed to a simple answer, he nodded faintly to himself and made it a point to analyze the information presented to him. Of course it was the same as the feeling she gave off, only clearer, but what had caused such a feeling to be born in the first place? After a minute or so of attempting to find an answer to that question, Rei became mentally frustrated and simply wrote it off as "because the city's new to her." After coming to that conclusion, he spoke. Hilariously enough, now it was his turn to generate a simple response, having nothing left to say unless spoken to,

"I see."
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"I see."

It woul be fairly-easy to unerstand, though, that she did not trust it. She did not trust this town or anyone in it, couldn't...until she gave it her own personal scrutiny, of which she was embarking on now as she followed him. Why was the girl following Rei, exactly? No particular reason, per se, just that he was a whole part of this setting...and Japanese, so also a part of what's familiar to her. He was being figured out - or Anri was attempting so - as well. Individuals were hard. It wasn't exactly a big or rough crowd, but if Rei noticed at all...this girl was fairly swift and light on her feet, not bumping into anyone at all. One had to wonder...would she join any of the ore physical clubs, being that way, when school starts? Her eyes darted around, taking things in and committing them to memory like she was just trying to absorb all the details. Really, it woul take weeks to get it all down, but she was trying her hardest.

"At least it's a good day for this..."
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As they continued through the crowd, there was something of a pattern forming each time Takeda looked back. Not only was the girl seemingly light on her feet, but she moved with a bit of poise, and beyond that... it didn't appear to be easy for her to avoid the people altogether. Interestingly, there was always the question of where she learned to move in such a manner. Perhaps it was simply something she'd picked up on from her parents, or an instructor.

When they came through the crowd at last, it seemed to all disappear. For when the boy's eyes, more red than brown due to the Summer's brightness, scanned the area... he found there to be very few people in front of him. Continuing forward, he soon picked up on the girl's comment regarding the weather, and responded in a manner that shed a little more light on himself.

"You're right, I suppose. The climate here is fairly pleasant, but I prefer cold to warm and wet to dry. However, I can't explain why I feel that way."
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