2 // [action]

[windbreak]

[Man, it's that shitty time of year...

In between exams, Yosuke attempts to escape the heavy atmosphere in the already stuffy library by retreating to the quad. As for why he felt the need to claim an entire bench just for a couple of relatively thin textbooks - well, nobody else was using it at the time.

Neither the fresh air nor the ample elbow space are doing him as much good as he'd hoped, though. Even being by himself isn't enough to stop his mind from wandering. If anything, it's making things worse.]

It's been all cloudy lately, too... How's anyone supposed to focus?

[He sighs and lets his pencil drop. The bench shakes a little as he flops face-first into the notes he was supposed to be looking over.] Ugh, I can't do this!

[Without much fanfare, the pad of paper at the corner of the bench slides off its precarious perch and thunks onto the path - as well as, quite possibly, into someone's path.]

Comments

[espio]

[The pad of paper lands on Espio's foot. Sigh. He picks it up, and throws it at Yosuke's head.]

It's just some exams. Quit whining to yourself about it.

[windbreak]

[Yosuke glances up at the voice with perfect timing for the pad to hit him in the face.] Oww, hey! [He extricates his nose from the paper and puts the pad back down.] I know it's just...

[...Of course, since he glanced up, he doesn't see who's speaking right away. When he does, he does a very brief double take. That's all, though.]

I know it's just exams! That's the part that really bites!

[espio]

Tough luck. But whining about it and the damn weather is gonna help you through 'em... how?

[windbreak]

Dude, I wasn't whining! [He is, however, pouting.]

You've got a point, though... Sitting and spacing out like this won't get me out of them. [He sags a bit again, resting his chin on his hand.] Maybe I could tell 'em I was sick...

[espio]

That wouldn't get you out of it. That'd just be putting it off. Besides, you just said that to an instructor, so...

[windbreak]

Huh? You? Seriously!?

[Not that he sounds like he doesn't believe it. In fact, he's suddenly sitting bolt upright.]

Uh, just kidding! You know me, always spouting a load of crap he doesn't mean! Haha... W-Well, I guess you don't know me if I've never seen you around before, but...

[Yosuke's panic is palpable...]

[espio]

[Crosses his arms and just tilts his head.]

Done freaking out yet?

What's your name?

[black]

[ Yosuke may have been able to take up a good chunk of the bench, but not all of it. Saber had noticed him sitting there, but had long ago made up her mind that she had also wished to sit there.

And Saber had little concern for social etiquette, at least as far as asking if she could sit with someone first when they were already there. A bench was meant for more than one person, as she saw it, so Yosuke would be her lucky bench partner for the day.

Wearing her gothic lolita casual attire, Saber was relaxing for the day. The clunk the sounded at her feet, however, stopped in her in her tracks as she looked down at it. Picking up the pad of paper, it was set back down onto her stack of items on the bench.

She seated herself at the free side of the bench, as far away as she could. Saber had no papers or pens on her person, so she could either give the illusion of a non-concerned student or someone who wasn't a student at all. ]

[windbreak]

[Yosuke looked round at the sound of his fleeing stationery, and immediately started. Was he more out of it than he thought, or had she just... walked right up to him without a word? Huh. Awkward.

He could handle that, though. After all, he figured, it didn't hurt to remember that he was a misfit himself in this place; best to be charitable, right?]

Whoa, what are you wearing?

[...Wait, no, that wasn't it! He coughed hurriedly.] I-I mean, sorry... [Trying not to quaver too much, he reached over and tugged the pad of paper back towards him.] Um, do you want me to move over?

[black]

You're fine. [ Saber is looking out, straight ahead of her, as she speaks. ] And clothing.

[ Luckily, the Instructor has no reason to be defensive and has no sense of humor. Yosuke's outburst about her appearance is shrugged off entirely. Besides, this isn't the first time she's had a reaction like that to her clothing. Apparently, it's not very "Instructor-like" either. ]

[windbreak]

Er, yeah, I can see that...

[She doesn't sound too much like she's taking offense - she doesn't sound like much of anything, in fact - but Yosuke still can't help wondering if he did provoke that brusqueness. Ugh, him and his big mouth. How should he smooth this over? ...Is it even worth trying? She does have a certain air about her, going around in that kind of get-up...]

Well, in any case, thanks for picking this up. [He waves the pad of paper in his hand almost hopefully, as if fishing for a friendlier response.]

[black]

You're welcome. [ After speaking, she turns her head towards the boy and looks at him closely before continuing. ]

It's pleasant to see someone invested in their studies even between testing.

[windbreak]

[It might be the first time anyone has ever told him he gives that impression. That's only one reason he recoils a little as she fixes her gaze on him, though. Gold eyes... he would've liked to think he already had a decent enough weirdness filter in place for attending a school that frequently picks up the dregs of entire other universes, but apparently those can still catch him off guard.

On the other hand, she sounds relatively normal, if kind of curt. He's... probably on the wrong track. He takes a deep breath and tries to put the thought out of his mind, although the sudden tension in his shoulders isn't too subtle.]

Oh... that must make you one of the teachers, huh? In that outfit... [His tone of voice suggests that that just slipped out, not that he's actively trying to needle her. He scratches his head.] Yeah, honestly, it's just 'cause there's a whole week of them. If I took a break now, I don't think I'd wake up in time for the next one. [He manages a wry smile.]

[om_nom_namur]

Shit, smolt. Looks like y' need a break.

[Seems the Fishman is in nice mode, today.]

How long's it been since y' hung out at the beach?

[windbreak]

[He laughs bitterly, and doesn't look up right away.] All too long, it feels like...

[But in the end he does, although it involves more half-heartedly tilting his head than actually levering it away from the table.]

What about you, huh? How's this week been treating you?

[If he can find a sympathetic spirit, maybe he'll feel better about slacking off...]

[om_nom_namur]

[Namur squats down to his knees next to the bench.]

Not too shabby. Did most a the heavy stuff up in T-Garden 'fore I came here, so all I got's the magic classes an' assistin' Biology. Last week was the rough'n for me. Everybody handin' in their final papers 'n' shit, needin' 'em back quick so they could see how hard t' study an' all that. Shit.

[Namur shook his head.]

Still, y' ain't goin' t' learn nothin' if yer head ain't in it. Y' need oxygen up here. [Yes, he did just poke Yosuke in the forehead with a rough, pebbly-textured finger.] Y' know how t' surf?

[windbreak]

Ow! [The poke convinces Yosuke to sit up a bit straighter, if nothing else.] Uh... [He rubs at his head as he thinks.] I've tried it once or twice, I guess. Didn't really get into it. Why, are you planning another party or something?

[He can't help but sound faintly suspicious...]

[om_nom_namur]

Sheheh, plannin'? Naw. Jus' thought maybe y'd like t' go. Party'd be good for like, after everyone's finals're done. Y' think?

[windbreak]

You mean, like, right now?

[Yosuke looks uncertainly back down at his notes. He's studied just barely enough to be pretty sure he's boned for the next test if he doesn't do any more, and as unproductive as this session has been so far, somehow he doubts going for a dip in this kind of weather would help his concentration...

Rather suddenly, he springs to his feet.]

A-Alright, I give up! Count me in!

[trainedbywarlords]

[Kory was walking by with one of her own books. She wasn't sure where she was going at the moment, but she didn't like sitting inside. That was boring. She just wanted to be outside despite the weather.

As the note book falls to the ground she pauses a moment, then moves to pick it up]

I think you dropped this.

[windbreak]

[Yosuke looks up - and then, pretty blatantly, keeps on looking. Hot damn.

It takes him a second to remember himself.]

O-Oh, yeah, that's mine. Sorry. [He smiles sheepishly as he holds his hand out for the pad of paper. Well, mostly sheepishly.] All of this BS must be getting to me.

[trainedbywarlords]

[She smiles politely. She was well-aware how people saw her so she just didn't pay it much attention to it.

She hands him the pad of paper when he reached for it] Which subject are you working on?

[windbreak]

That's... a good question. [He glances at the notebook as he wipes the topmost page off with his sleeve, finds it less than illuminating, and looks back down at his notes, which aren't any better. It's pretty miraculous that a single page of writing can simultaneously manage to be messy enough that it's an ordeal in itself to reread and sparse enough that clearly reading it wouldn't do him much good. Someone should give him a medal, he thinks blearily.] The one on, um, limit break theory was next, right? One of the subjects I wasn't looking forward to, I know that much. Is it finals season for you too?

[trainedbywarlords]

[She glances over at the pages to see if she can figure out what he's written about but it's not legible to her. Maybe its just her. Her notes probably weren't legible to some either]

Oh, that class. I wasn't looking forward to that either. It is finals for me as well. I never look forward to that. I don't really like studying.

I'm Kory.

[windbreak]

Yosuke Hanamura. Nice to meet you, kindred spirit. [He grins, not unkindly.] So what're you doing in a place like this? Taking a break? Or... oh, did you want me to move along? [Maybe this study session won't be a total bust after all...]