sirenspull_logs | [OPEN] She took the train through the city at dawn

Who: Anya Lehnsherr and YOU
When: Anytime from this week!
Where: All over! Fred's hotel, the mall, the Port library, the towers, or just exploring the different sectors of the city.
Summary: Anya is meeting people and getting to know her new home.
Warnings: None so far.

Old habits die hard. She still tries to make herself inconspicuous, still hunches herself into small and unremarkable shadows, still slips along the edges of crowds. She's quiet and subtle and she doesn't draw attention to herself. But the longer she stays in the city, the more open she becomes. However briefly, she has her own job and her own apartment, space for her and her alone. The rare times she's spoken to people on the network - they listened. She feels almost like she's floating when she walks; she catches herself beaming at strangers as she wanders through the Port's streets.

She pours over books in the library, or at her desk at work in Fred's hotel when the phones are quiet. She spends the occasional night in the mall, just wondering at all the things she could buy with money of her very own, even though she spends only very sparingly. And in the evenings after work, sometimes she puts on soft music, and dances and dances and dances around the small, private haven of her crummy, temporary apartment until she falls on her bed in exhaustion, and sleeps without dreams.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

She knows the look of someone keeping to himself, the little movements that serve as the listening equivalent of glancing over one's shoulder. It doesn't mean he's afraid, not necessarily anything like that, but it is...cautious. A cautious habit, if nothing else, and that suggests he's unlikely to be a threat. He might be dangerous, of course - Anya herself is dangerous, powerless though she is - but he wouldn't want to invite the fuss that attacking her could invoke. And the stack of books is enticing.

She sits down near him, a few books of her own tucked up awkwardly under her arm, both hands cupped around a large cellophane-wrapped muffin as she sits.

"Hi," she says, soft enough not to disturb the atmosphere of low murmurs, but bright enough to be warm and friendly. "Mind if I ask what you're studying?"

There is a moment where the incredulous look Ritsuka gives the girl indicates he very might well reply with That's none of your business, go away. But he decides against that. She hasn't done anything too terribly nosy, at least not yet, and he's reminded of Yuiko back home, who only ever wanted to know more about him and make friends. He had been harsh to her most of the time and now it's been years since he's seen her for more than a day or two. At least this girl didn't ask who his favorite Morning Musume member is.

"Bullying," he says. "But most of these sources are old, from the outside world." Ritsuka taps his stylus against the edge of his tablet in annoyance.

"Oh," she answers, more subdued. "Is there, I mean." She bites her lip, caught between concern and enough understanding not to want to pry into someone else's pain. "Is someone, is it practical research?" Is someone hurting you, she doesn't say, not straight out like that.

Ritsuka's gaze goes a little bit wary at her concern. That's the sort of thing he really wish someone had asked him, before this place, and he's a little surprised to hear it now. He's fierce when he finally replies: "This city is full of stupid bullies. There are serial killers who go after newcomers, organizations dedicated to keep newcomer children out of school, prejudice in the workplace, and even little kids in school will single out other newcomers. In a city full of many different kinds of people, they still find an excuse to treat some people badly. I want to stop it."

He huffs a little bit of a sigh, his violet eyes keen in their study of the girl. "Can't just hit 'em back or yell, it doesn't get you anywhere. So I figure... well, I had to do a paper on problems relevant to teenagers, why not." His lips curl upward in a slight smile. "I'm sure my classmates are just gonna love it."

She smiles, and it's a sad, uneven expression, half-consciously rubbing one of her arms through her sweater.

"Yeah. That's how people act when they get powers, mostly," she says. "Or just in groups. I didn't really expect it to be different, here, but. I've already seen things, people just reaching out, or offering to help, making a stand. That's important, I think."

She looks down at her hands, embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to...make speeches at you, or anything. I think it's brave to take such a messy topic on, even if it starts with just a paper."

Ritsuka nods, his jaw set, serious. "People will bully when they sense someone's weak, but they'll also do it when they're scared of that person. In Japan, an entire classroom will pick one or two kids to just turn on. It's disgusting. Violence, whether it's action or words, is totally wrong." Her subtle movements don't miss his notice. The touch of an old injury, maybe? Don't his own bones ache that way sometimes? That's an uncomfortable thought. Better to keep this straightforward. He hates the way words take on a life of their own and always seem to mean so much more than what was said. It's a mystery of the spellcasting and adult world that he doesn't want to discover. Why don't people ever just say what's on their mind?

"I'm Ritsuka, by the way. Ritsuka Aoyagi." He nods, sort of a half-bow, no offer of a hand or any other information for now.

"Pleased to meet you," she replies, and despite the formulaicism, the intent seems genuine. "I'm Maddy Strauss." She does her best to mimic his gesture rather than offering her hand, inclining her head and shoulders smoothly.

"Maddy," Ritsuka repeats. He's heard that name before. "We chatted on the NVs before, didn't we? You're new." And a newcomer, but that goes without saying, since they're on the network together. It's nice to put a name to a face - even with all the video games and NV chatting he does, he still prefers a face-to-face interaction any day.

"Briefly, I think?" She nods. "You were talking about making a time capsule."

"Right. I want to do everything I can to make sure I don't forget the people I've met here." It's more than a bit of an obsession. Ritsuka knows, now, that it's not something he can take back with him to his own world, but at least here, in this moment, he'll never forget anyone. "And to ensure that others won't be forgotten."

Himself included.

"Well, I definitely don't think I'll forget you anytime soon. It's not often I meet someone with -" she gestures vaguely at her head, but the gesture is more casual than awkward. She isn't staring or weirded out, just...observant. "Are those ears or horns under there?" She can't quite tell. The question is mild, she'll happily retract it if he minds.

Ritsuka's eyes flick backward for a moment in annoyance, but don't remain there. At least she's a little less obnoxious in her observance than some people. She didn't ask to touch them, or freak out due to crippling ailurophobia.

"They're ears. I have a tail, too. Everyone in my world is born with them, and they lose them when they become adults. When I first came here, I found it disturbing that other kids didn't have them."

"Oh, I guess that would be pretty weird if you weren't used to it," she agrees. "I've known some people who didn't look like me, but I haven't seen just ears and tail before. Is there anyone else here from your world?" She hopes he isn't alone.

[OPEN] She took the train through the city at dawn

LIBRARY - Saturday Afternoon

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