(2017-11-07) Evening Chat
Evening Chat
Summary: Garrett is sketching people in the Sea Hub and sees a weird student. He chats politely with said weird student, Ryuunosuke.
Date: IC Date (2017-11-07)
Related: None
NPCs: None
Scene Runner: N/A
Players:
garrett..ryuunosuke..

Evening has vanished into full-on night, with only a few students passing through the Sea Hub, most heading in the general direction of the dormitories. Planted on one of the benches at the edge of the hub, though, is one of this year's new students, Garrett. One knee is drawn up in front of him, propping up a sketchpad as he watches people pass through, his pencil working its way across the page, a faint, steady scratching sound to accompany the occasional footfalls and quiet conversations of passers-by.

Ryuunosuke is just passing through, on his way to somewhere else no doubt. There's a few books under his arm, and he walks quietly. Thus, the footsteps following that one black-haired student are near soundless. In fact, one might have missed him entirely except that his eyes are quite a bright color. Bright RED, that is! And they have only a small triangular slit in his eyes for pupils. And there's a weird groove on his jaw, too. Of course, it might help Garrett noticing him that he turns to look in Garret's direction. Yep, those are definitely snake eyes. Well, maybe not, they don't look QUITE like snake eyes.

Garrett's glances upwards are brief for the most part, and his eyes are more on the paper than the students passing by. At least, until bright red eyes force him to do a double take, and then stare for more than is probably polite. "Um… hi," he says, offering a little wave, in an attempt to recover and appear friendly rather than weird. A small half-smile and nod accompany the wave, and Garrett pauses in his sketching for a few moments.

Most who had known Ryuunosuke a year ago would be surprised at what he does next. He offers a polite smile and a nod in Garrett's direction. He pauses, then moves towards Garrett. "I have not seen you here before. Have you recently arrived, or have you arrived during my… enforced hiatus?" he asks. He has a thickly accented voice — definitely an Asian accent — but his words are slow enough that they can be understood. He also has a very formal sound to his words.

If the accent impairs Garrett's ability to understand the stranger, he doesn't show it, and instead offers a bit wider of a smile than the tentative half-measure he had started with. "Yeah, my first year here, so I guess pretty recent," he confirms, nodding and dropping his propped up leg to the floor, sitting up a bit straighter. "Garrett," he adds, almost as an afterthought, offering a handshake.

Ryuunosuke has learned the customs of western people by now, so the handshake isn't strange to him anymore. He returns it firmly… though Garrett might notice that his hands are much cooler than normal. "Ryuunosuke," he offers in return. It's pronounced in three syllables, instead of the multitude of English letters it takes to spell it. "I am pleased to make your acquaintence."

"A pleasure to meet you, too, Ryuunosuke," Garrett responds, the name coming off his tongue comfortably enough, though he does give the cold hand a brief glance with a slightly furrowed brow. "Japanese?" he speculates with polite curiosity, head cocked a bit to the side. "And… enforced hiatus? Is that the polite verbage for being suspended or something?"

Ryuunosuke nods at the question of his nationality. "That is correct," he confirms. As for 'enforced hiatus'? That gets a bit of a smirk. "In a way. I did something I should not have, and my… keepers decided I would best be educated elsewhere for the interim. I have only recently returned."

Garrett listens intently, curiosity clear on his face, but all he says is, "Fair enough." He nods and lets the subject drop, not prying any further. "So, how long have you been going here, then?" He slides to the end of the bench he had been occupying, making it clear Ryuunosuke is welcome to join him if he'd like.

Ryuunosuke does indeed sit down on the bench near Garrett. He places the books on his lap as he does. "Thank you," he offers. The question gets a tilt of his head. "I came here in December of last year. But in January of this year, I went to the Yaegaki Shrine until… a week ago? So… collectively, not long."

"Here I figured I'd be one of the newer faces around here. I guess all things considered, coming in as a sophomore is probably one of the less-weird things that can happen at a place like this," Garrett muses aloud. "So, what do you think of the place so far? Pretty huge difference from schools in Japan." The last is definitely an observation, not a question.

Ryuunosuke nods. "I suppose I would be in a similar boat. Though… it feels like it has been longer than a mere month or little more." As for the difference between this school and a Japanese school? "Oh, it is indeed. Not too terribly, though, with the uniforms. I have memories of being in high school, but they are… someone else's. Somewhat."

"True." Garrett nods and glances down at his uniform before looking back up at Ryuunosuke. "Is that normal around here, then? People coming and going for… reasons?" he inquires, head once more cocked to the side, another half-dozen questions dancing behind his curious expression, but he limits them to one at a time.

This gives Ryuunosuke pause. He draws a breath, as if to speak… and then pauses. "…Actually? Yes. It seems to be. The situations tend to vary, but there are quite a few students to leave for personal reasons. Some return. Some do not. I spoke to one of late who had left permanently."

"…Oh. Well then." Garrett clearly expected his new acquaintance to be an exception, not the norm. It's his turn to pause, though, as he processes the last statement. "If they left permanently, how did you speak to them?" He rolls his eyes a moment later. "I'm dumb. Like it's impossible to meet someone outside school." He gives his head a little shake.

Ryuunosuke chuckles. "Indeed. I happened to run into her at the old park in the city," he explains. "I confess I have not been there enough times to remember the name of the town. But there is an abandoned park there. I went there to think, and she was there as well. We spoke at length."

"Got it, got it." Garrett nods his understanding. "I haven't really checked out town a whole lot yet, either, so even if you knew what the park was called, it probably wouldn't have meant anything to me." He covers his mouth as a yawn escapes him. "Sorry. Getting late, I guess." He pauses, then lets out a small sigh. "Alright, I'll totally get it if you tell me to mind my own business or bug off or whatever, but… what's your whole thing? Why're you here?" He finally asks, waving a hand vaguely in the general direction of Ryuunosuke's rather distinctive facial features.

With a bit of a smile, Ryuunosuke notes of the park, "I do not know if it has a name anymore." He doesn't say anything about the yawn. Though the question? That gets a moment of thought. The urge to puff up and proclaim his evil is there, but he suppresses it. This time. Instead of a long spiel about how great and terrible he is, he merely answers, "I am Yamata-no-Orochi, bonded to the soul of a teenage boy." No attempt to be scary is made, but he does square his shoulders a bit. "And yourself? What are you… 'in for', as it were?"

Garrett blinks several times. "Like… no. No. No." He just shakes his head, then closes his eyes to contemplate. Eventually they open, and his lips are pursed, and just a hint of concern is in his eyes. "I mean, I guess I met Demeter's son or whatever yesterday, why not, but… like, /that/ Yamata-no-Orochi?" As if there's more than one. "Um… nothing nearly as impressive as what everyone else seems to have going for them. Reflexes, strength, what might be going fast and what might be teleportation. Jury is still out, and until I can do it on command…" He trails off before remembering who he's apparently talking to. "…/seriously/?" he asks once more.

"Yes. 'That' Orochi," Ryuunosuke confirms. Though as to impressive talents? "Everyone — you as well — is here because they have impressive talents that the outside world cannot accommodate. To be greater than the world around you, to rise up from the throngs of people merely existing… that is impressive, no matter how you do it, or what anyone else is doing." He's… encouraging Garrett? A demon is ENCOURAGING him?! Ryuunosuke gives a half-smile at the second request for confirmation. "Yes. This boy's father did seek to call me back, to give me flesh again, but his attempt was foiled. Partly. It resulted in bonding me to this boy's soul. He is me, and I suppose I am he."

"Hm. Would explain why you introduced yourself as Ryuunosuke, then, I guess. And why there's less, y'know… death and destruction happeneing." Garrett scoots just a bit away all the same, perhaps subconsciously. "I mean, you're not wrong. Yeah, I can do stuff that the average human can't, and I need to learn to control it, but I think it's understandable if I'm feeling a bit… underwhelming, since my last two conversations have been with literal legends." He snorts out a small laugh. "Don't worry, I'm like ninety percent sure I'll get over it," he promises with a grin.

Ryuunosuke smirks slightly. "Well, that and 'Ryuunosuke' seems to fit better in a school — or indeed any mortal venue — much more than 'Yamata-no-Orochi, the Eight-Forked Serpent of Koshi'." That said, though, he nods to Garrett's words. "You may feel that at first. Believe it or not, so did I. Powerful or not, mortal affairs are still confusing to me, and only because the Boy's memories still exist do I even speak understandably." Here he looks a bit uncomfortable. "A mortal's emotions are… difficult. Particularly those of a child of this age." As for getting over it? He chuckles. "You will, in time. It will become easier. Everyone has an adjustment period in coming here. Besides, I'm no legend now. My legend has passed into history. What you see now is all that remains of it. And even that is diluted with the thoughts and fears of a mortal."

"There's a sword that was found in you that's still passed from one emperor to the next. I think you're still firmly in the legend category," Garrett counters. He ponders for a moment, then switches to speaking Japanese. "If you were just you, without the teenage boy bit, and for some reason conversing with me, would this make any sense? Or would your dialect be so old it would be effectively its own tongue? Or were you not much one for talking back in your day?" His accent maybe leaves somethign to be desired, but it's definitely Japanese. As for the dealing with teenage emotions, he leaves that alone, lacking the outside perspective and self-awareness of an ancient demon.

Ryuunosuke seems surprised when Garrett switches over to Japanese. He does not, however, compliment Garrett on his Japanese. That's only done, conversely, when the Japanese is actually BAD, to encourage a non-speaker to practice. And Garrett's command of the language is completely functional. However, he does switch over to speaking Japanese as well. It's more comfortable for him, since it's his native language. "The sword, mirror, and jewel were given to a mortal by Amaterasu herself. I merely ate the sword. I intended to eat all three, to sow chaos across the country." It's worthy to note that Ryuunosuke speaks the uber-formal version of Japanese, but it is indeed modern Japanese. "If I were merely the Demon, my Japanese would sound very strange. Have you ever read true old English? Not Elizabethan. It would be somewhere between the two."

Then he switches to the older dialect that the Demon tended to use. Oddly, this time it didn't sound like his voice was coming from his mouth. It possessed an unnatural growl, and seemed to emanate from somewhere roughly underneath his feet. The words are understandable, but their orders are all janky, and some of the words don't really have translations. But it more or less sounds like, "This thou understand? This, old Japanese is. It, very much not like modern Japanese is." All that SOVness…

"I see." Garrett sticks with Japanese, since that's what they're on now, apparently. He leans in a bit closer when the dialect changes, nodding slowly. "Alright, so, understandable, but not something either party would be happy about if modern and… that… were forced to converse with one another," he surmises after he takes an extra few moments to process. "And, I mean, that doesn't make the part where the sword was found in you less relevant. How it got there is just details," he points out. He gives Ryuunosuke/Orochi a long look. "I have nothing to compare to, but I think most people would very much prefer teenager-you, as opposed to big, horrifying you," he muses.

"Indeed not," Ryuunosuke agrees. His voice is back to normal now, the modern Japanese words sounding like it's coming out of his mouth normally and losing the unnatural growl. He does tilt his head though, in acknowledgement of the mention. "This is true. Perhaps it was merely the sword's will to be found and I was the instrument. But it is the right of any who wishes to take their future, if they can rise up from the rest, to make their own legend. You have already taken the first step in that journey. Whether you will go on or not is your decision. Mostly." He chuckles at the mention of preferring the 'big horrifying' version of himself. "Oh that is very likely. It would me much more difficult to house me, that much is certain. 'Larger than eight hills and valleys' is… a bit bigger than the school is equipped to deal with, I believe."

Garrett glances about as if surveying the size of the school, then nods. "I'm not an architect, but I'm inclined to agree. Pretty sure you eat less in this form, too, which makes things easier for everyone," he adds. And then another yawn escapes him and he shakes his head. "Alright, so I think it's time for me to call it a night," he says, through the yawn. "Nice meeting you. I hope all ancient demon-dragon-snakes I meet are as amiable as you," he says with a grin, offering a polite nod as he rises and makes his way towards the dorms. "Good night," he calls over his shoulder, offering a small wave as he departs.

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