LikeSpringRain (8:25 PM)
[ One on One with Leonor ]
Kotone was at Glass Hall, grabbing some lunch. The place was packed with students of all kinds, all chowing down and being rather noisy. Kotone, however, sat there rather quietly, her food untouched save for a bean moved here or a celery nudged there.
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TheTragicOrpheus (8:28 PM)
Unusual.
If one word could describe the sight, it was that. Leonor had also arrived in Glass Hall to grab a quick bite, but then she saw Kotone sitting all alone. Her expression didn’t bode well, and her untouched meal raised more questions. A cliché in stories that would usually mean one thing. Unlike a story, however, Leonor didn’t know how long Kotone was in this state. But for the musician to be in this state already raised red flags. Leonor, seeing that her quick snack would take some time, approached Kotone from behind. She embraced her friend from behind.
“Hey there Kotone.” She says, resting her head on her friend’s shoulder. “You don’t look too well.” She points out, before asking “is something up?”
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LikeSpringRain (8:30 PM)
Kotone felt arms wrap around her, and not before long she felt a head on her shoulder. Kotone’s mind snapped out of her trance, though relaxed when she realized it was Leonor. The blonde heard her questions though, the concern in her tone. She pauses, then speaks.
“I’m fine...” Kotone reassures “If there was something wrong I would tell you…” She adds, her voice trailing off. The musician looked to the food she had not touched, yet she finds her appetite was waning.
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TheTragicOrpheus (8:34 PM)
Hesitation, Leonor thought.
Something strong enough to allow her to be hesitant in speaking, or that’s how she interpreted it. The Little Red did not feel so reassured with Kotone’s words. So many thoughts came to mind, so many questions that wanted to be answered. All pointing towards one:
What was bothering Kotone?
She shifts her position. She breaks away but then takes the seat beside Kotone, sorry to whoever was planning to sit there earlier. She kept an eye on Kotone, still noting that her expression had not changed. She still looked so downcast. She decides to try again.
“Are you sure?” Leonor asked her friend “Like really certain?”
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LikeSpringRain (8:35 PM)
Kotone looked to Leonor, she only nodded. “I’m fine.” She says again, then turning back to her food. The musician grew quiet again.
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TheTragicOrpheus (8:37 PM)
Kotone did a poor job hiding whatever it was, everything about her expression proved that her friend was not fine. She wanted to speak up, but it could only be met with hesitation again. The mood will not change if she kept asking, so what else can improve it then?
An idea then came to mind.
“Why don’t you try to play some music? That usually cheers you up right?” Leonor suggested “Just like what we did in first sem? Just play anything. Might even give me inspiration for my stories.” She mentions.
“Pretty please?”
LikeSpringRain (8:40 PM)
Kotone heard the offer, then she looked at her food. She pondered, then nodded.
“Alright.” She says, pushing the food away and reaching for the guitar she carried. It doesn’t take long to open it, eventually, the instrument was in her hands. She looked at the instrument at hand, then lowered her head. She paused, then looked at Leonor.
“Leonor…Can you…hold onto this for a bit?” She says, then passing the guitar to Leonor. “I just…I’m not feeling well. I think it’s something I ate.” Kotone said, then standing up. “I’ll just go to the infirmary.”
Then she left.
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This didn’t feel right at all. Fruh looked at the screen and watched as Leonor too was shoved away. Although Leonor hasn’t replied, Fruh knew the thread had nowhere to go but to end.
The high school student began to worry. Two times it had failed, twice it had not gone to plan. Kotone should have been able to open up to Leonor, open up to the person who reignited her passion for music, but Kotone didn’t. She shoved them away instead. This feeling inside her grew worse. Strange thoughts surfaced but she shook them off.
Ping. A message from Leonor’s RPer.
| TheTragicOrpheus: Is everything alright? Did I do something wrong? |
Fruh didn’t reply, yet Orpheus persisted.
| TheTragicOrpheus: Spring?
Spring? Are you there? |
Fruh ignored it. She thought about where this was headed, where this was going. Two attempts did not work, even when they should. A third attempt then? There was still a lot of time until formal ended, but wouldn’t the result be the same? Maybe she could write a story post about Kotone talking to someone…
…It did not seem right. It wouldn’t work. Fruh knew it wouldn’t. She couldn’t tell Morgan, even if the two had gone through much with his own story. Neither could she tell Leonor, whom both helped to reignite each other’s passions. If Kotone didn’t talk to Leonor or Morgan, then would she tell anyone else? Who else could she rely on?
Ping. A notification.
Ping. A message.
| MortyMan87: Orpheus and Pasco told me about what was happening, and we sort of in-canon messaged each other. I was wondering if Mardock could talk to Kotone? Please set the scene if possible, I’m not very good with settings. |
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MortyMan87 (8:42 PM)
[ One on One with Kotone ]
Mardock had come back from the investigations that were going on. Leonor had kept messaging him about Kotone around lunch, then soon after Morgan. They both had their own theories, but he had his own. He knew she was an international dormer, so that’s where he starts. He didn’t need to go far to find her. Guitar case at hand, he approaches.
“Kotone?” He calls out “You forgot something with Leonor.”
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LikeSpringRain (8:45 PM)
10:00 in the evening it was, the shops were about to close for the day. The international dorm café would close up shop, except it was kept open by a blonde-haired student who didn’t want to be disturbed. She’s been there for quite some time, hogging up a table for two. She stared down at the table.
Kotone looked up to see Mardock. She looked at him in the eye, then looked at the guitar case he had with him. Her guitar case. She looked down again.
“…Sorry…” She replied.
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MortyMan87 (8:46 PM)
Mardock raises an eyebrow. There was definitely something wrong with Kotone as Leonor had described. He sets aside the guitar and took the chair adjacent to Kotone.
“Leonor is worried, you know. She said you were being troubled by something.” Mardock tells her. “Is there something bothering you Kotone?”
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LikeSpringRain (8:47 PM)
Kotone heard him, then looked at the guitar. She remembered what happened earlier, though her mind went elsewhere soon.
“…I’m fine…” Kotone replies, she doesn’t look up. “I…just need some time to think.” She tells Mardock.
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MortyMan87 (8:47 PM)
“You had a lot of time to think, Kotone.” Mardock says to her “Ever since lunch. And judging by your mood, ever since breakfast as well.” He adds.
“Kotone, what’s wrong?” He asks, “You know you can tell us.”
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LikeSpringRain (8:47 PM)
Kotone thought about it. She thought about the proposition, but she decided against it.
“I said I’m fine…” Kotone replied, “I just need some time…” She trailed off.
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MortyMan87 (8:48 PM)
“No, you’re not fine. You’re spacing out. You haven’t played your guitar. You probably haven’t eaten. You’re brooding right now.” Mardock points out “You can’t even look me in the eye.”
“Is that the same thing you told Leonor? to Morgan?” Mardock asks
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LikeSpringRain (8:48 PM)
“Mardock, I’m fine.” Kotone looked up at him, “Please. Can you respect my wishes? Can you not leave me alone when I ask you to?”
“You won’t understand anyway,” Kotone says, looking back down. “You won’t.”
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MortyMan87 (8:49 PM)
“If those wishes could possibly lead to isolation and self-destruction, then no,” Mardock replies.
“Kotone, I know that look all too well. I know where it’s going to lead.” He tells her. “You don’t want to go through this alone.”
“And I would understand. And so would Leonor and Morgan if you at least told us something.” Mardock says to her, “Listen if you just tell us we can help.”
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LikeSpringRain (8:50 PM)
“You don’t understand.” She told Mardock, looking up. Her expression shifted. Her expression now filled with anger.
“You won’t understand what I’m going through even if I explain it. So please, leave me alone.”
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MortyMan87 (8:52 PM)
“Doesn’t this make you quite the hypocrite Kotone.” Mardock tells her, “You expect us not to understand, but when Leonor and Morgan were going through their problems you wanted to understand and kept pushing us to tell you.” Mardock adds.
“Why then can’t we do the same back to you? Why can’t you tell any of us what you’re going through?”
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LikeSpringRain (8:57 PM)
“Because you won’t understand! None of you will!” Kotone shouted, standing from her seat and slamming her fists on the table.
“Because compared to what happened to Leonor and what happened to Morgan this is something serious! Something far beyond what they went through! It isn’t as easy as talking it out!”
“I know I may sound like Leonor and Morgan! I might sound like Morgan when he had trouble with taking care of his sisters alone and had to take those shady jobs! Or when Leonor was so afraid of writing because her parents put her down and wanted her to achieve!”
“But this is serious! This is totally different! Something only talking about will not solve! No one will understand anyway! No one will understand the pain I’m going through!”
“Not Morgan! Not Leonor! And not you!”
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Fruh paused for a second, she read the reply she had typed out. The emotion it showed, the tone Kotone had taken. She froze, feeling irked and shaken all the sudden. It felt so close for some reason. Some part wanted to change it and make it different, but another part wanted to send it as is. The latter scared her, she slammed close the laptop without sending it.
That was the first time Kotone screamed at someone, shouted at them. Fruh didn’t understand why, how it got to that point. She didn’t know what was going on with her character. First Morgan, then Leonor. Now even Mardock? The one who always stuck close to Kotone? What was going on?
The high schooler tried to fall asleep, but thoughts invaded her mind. She wanted to shut it all off, to get away from this feeling that felt too familiar.
“…I don’t understand…” Fruh mumbled, shutting her eyes closed.
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