Freaks and Friends

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Mirage_GSM
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Re: Freaks and Friends

Post by Mirage_GSM »

Unfortunately, there's two unused classrooms by the stairs, something she neglected to mention. With no real idea which is the right one, I randomly pick one and leave the door open so I can watch the other.
That doen't match up with the explanation you gave further down.
Besides if she realized at this point that there was ambiguity, she probably would have checked out both rooms, wouldn't she?
If somebody where to tell me
Heh, nice seeing another Suzu for a change. And nice to see this continue. Happy New Year!
Emi > Misha > Hanako > Lilly > Rin > Shizune

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motokid108
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Re: Freaks and Friends

Post by motokid108 »

And here i was worrying this was a forgotten thread.. Glad to see another chapter
Hanako≥Shizune>Lily>Natsume>Miki>Yuuko>Emi

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Re: Freaks and Friends

Post by UltimateShammer »

Well I know what story I'll be making sure to keep up on! This is a great story, save for some petty syntax errors. Don't worry though, those aren't very impeding of the clarity.
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I've watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost, like tears in the rain. Time... to die.
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Re: Freaks and Friends

Post by Oddball »

Mirage_GSM wrote:
Unfortunately, there's two unused classrooms by the stairs, something she neglected to mention. With no real idea which is the right one, I randomly pick one and leave the door open so I can watch the other.
That doen't match up with the explanation you gave further down.
Besides if she realized at this point that there was ambiguity, she probably would have checked out both rooms, wouldn't she?
Yeah, that was something that got shaved down in editing.

Originally it was wrote that she took a quick look in both rooms and when nobody was in either she picked one. I thought the idea was still clear though. Wouldn't be the first time i was wrong. :oops:
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Re: Freaks and Friends

Post by Oddball »

Guess who's back?

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Freaks and Friends
the return!

“Hey, it's been forever. I hope you didn't forget me.”

“I'm sorry. Who is this?” I say into my phone.

“It's me, Mihoshi,” the voice on the other end of the phone identifies herself. “You did forget me didn't you. I'd take it personally if I didn't know you had such a bad memory,” she teases.

“Sorry. I just wasn't expecting a call. How did you get this number anyway?” I say. Talking to one of my old friends while I'm away at Yamaku should make me feel uneasy but the shock of it has me more taken off guard than anything. It's like going to the library to check out a book only to find there's having a surprise rock concert inside. It just doesn't feel like it should mix.

Inside the library. Not the book. Having a rock concert inside a book would just be – Never mind. My metaphors are terrible.

“I went over to your parents place and asked about you. They gave me your number and told me to go ahead and call,” she pauses waiting for me to respond. I don't really have anything to add yet so I just mutter an 'uh-huh' and she continues. “Wow. I just don't even know where to start. Just ... I'm sorry I missed you at the hospital. I really mean that. Really. I had no idea.”

“It's not your fault you were out of town when I decided to redecorate my face. I'm not going to hold it against you.” My attempt at levity falls flat. “You've heard the details right?” I ask hoping that I don't have to explain again how I stabbed myself in the eye and had to have surgery.

“I did and I feel horrible that I couldn't have been there for you. I didn't even know anything happened until I overheard somebody talking about it today. I thought it was odd that you hadn't been around, but honestly … well ... I'm really really sorry I didn't get to see you in the hospital or send you a get well card,” she continues to ramble apologetically.

“'Get well soon' wouldn't exactly have applied to me, but thanks anyway. At least you're calling. That's something,” I say. I try to joke around, but there's a hint of uneasiness in my voice that I can't hide.

“That was a bit of shock. I think I almost threw up when Wein told me about that. I've know people that have broke arms and legs but never anything so bad. Are you doing okay?”

“I don't know. It's a lot to get used to,” my voice trails a bit as I speak. Do I really want to go into all this again? I could always just say my phone is dying or reception is bad. No. She's my friend.... or at least she was my friend back in my old life.

“Come on, you can tell me. In fact, you should tell me. Tell me everything. You know you want to. So, what's it like there?” the concern in her voice is replaced by excitement. Mihoshi always was one to get over enthusiastic about strange and foreign places and this could surely been seen in the strange category.

“Well, the school is nice. It's really big and very informal and green. I mean there's lots of green plants and grass. It's almost like a park, except it has it's own hospital building, so sort of a school-park-hospital.” God, I am so horrible at explaining things.

“That's kinda weird. Do you have doctors right there in the classrooms?” she asks.

“No, most of the school is just a school. There's always somebody in the nurses office, apparently, and it's a lot more in depth than your normal nurse's office, but there's nothing in the class.” I decide against mentioning my run ins with the nurse so far. It was my own fault anyway, and it was a rather stupid thing to be at fault for. “Oh, and I forgot something. Most of the students live here too so it's a school-park-hospital-apartment complex.”

“Oh, a boarding school!” she says making me feel stupid for not thinking of that. “You're living by yourself without parents? That's sweet!” she says.

“I hadn't thought much about that, but I guess it is,” I say.

“Yeah, going to classes and then hanging out with your friends all day... oh! Have you made any new friends there yet? What are the people there like?”

“That's the funny part. I hadn't even unpacked yet and people were knocking on my door to welcome me,” I say as I try to figure out exactly how to tell her about my strange new acquaintances.

“You got a welcoming party too. Now I'm jealous. Was there cake?” she laughs as I politely inform her that there was not. “So, I guess they're crippled too? ” Even knowing that she doesn't mean any offense, I cringe at the implications.

“They are,” I say “but they're a really nice bunch. I was pretty much welcomed into their circle of friends from the minute I got here.”

“Well, that's sweet of them. So, what are your disabled friends like?” she asks.

“It's an interesting group. I guess if there's an alpha-girl of the group it's Hachisame--”

“That's an odd name,” she cuts me off. “Is she a foreigner?”

“I don't think so. She looks Japanese, but I'm with you on the name. It's kinda weird. Anyway, she's kinda loud, impatient, tells you what's on her mind all the time, and constantly smiles really big.” I'm not exactly sure how much I should be telling her. Mihoshi was never my best friend or anything, but we dig hang out a lot and these new people … I don't know. It almost feels like I'm betraying their trust but I need to unload on somebody, even if I'm not really saying anything that you couldn't tell by looking at them. “she's also got a habit of clicking her teeth together a couple of times when she smiles. I don't still don't quite get what that's about.”

“And what's she there for?” Mihoshi asks.

“She says she has weak legs. I don't know if they're messed up or anything; she only seems to wear long skirts and dresses, loose stuff, never pants. She also uses a wheelchair most of the time, but she gets out of it too and walks around sometimes.” Mihoshi mumbles something as if to signal me to continue without actually saying anything. “It freaks me out whenever she gets up out of her chair. It just strikes me as something that people shouldn't be doing, you know?”

“Yeah. I guess I can see how that would be unsettling,” she says.

“Don't get me wrong, she's nice, but there's just something off about the girl,” I say.

“Maybe it's more than just one thing,” Mihoshi says.

“Maybe it's everything,” I mutter.

“Maybe. What about the other girls? All your new friends are girls aren't they?” she says suggestively.

“You put way too much emphasis into romance,” I say. I wouldn't let her set me up with anyone when she lived down the street, no way is she going to play matchmaker now that she doesn't even know who the other half of the match would be.

“Alright. I'll give up this time. Maybe you just aren't ready for the dating circle now that you've had your thing happen to you,” she says in a deflated tone. That's a good a cue as any to continue telling her about the people I do know here.

“There's another girl that always hangs around Hachisame. Her name is Tana. She doesn't react to things in time. I also don't think I've seen her wear anything that wasn't pastels or lacy yet.”

“I'm going to have to stop you now. What do you mean by 'doesn't react in time'?” Mihoshi asks.

“There's like a pause between when something happens and when she sees it or feels it,” I say trying to explain.

“Like she's not paying attention?”

“Like it just hasn't happened to her yet. Wait. I've got a better explanation. It's like the message is taking too long to get to her brain. That's why we call her Time Warp,” I say. “It's like she's in a different time than anybody else even when she's standing right there.”

“Sorry. Maybe I'm dense or something, but I'm not getting it.”

“I guess you'd have to see it,” I say adding a shrug as if she can see what I was doing.

“I could come visit some time,” she offers. That feels like a bad idea for more reasons that I want to think of.

“It's an idea,” I reply, keeping my answer as non committal as possible.

“So are they nice?”

“Yeah, they're very nice. They're just weird. They're not the weirdest thing though. There's another girl, she's kinda part of the group and kinda not, her name's Rin, she doesn't have arms.”

“I'm trying to picture that. Is it just like a flat torso?”

“No, there's definitely little stubs or some kind, maybe down to her elbows. It's kinda hard to tell. She always wears her shirts with the sleeves tied off. That's not half as odd as how she acts though. She just randomly seems to talk nonsense half the time.”

“She sounds fun,” Mihoshi says. For a minute I think about correcting her but decide against it.

“Then there's Suzu,” I say trying to move on past Rin. If Mihoshi didn't get Tana's reaction problems, there's no way I could explain Rin's personality to her. “Suzu has a sleeping disorder. She's always tired.”

“That sounds almost normal,” she says with a slight chuckle.

“Compared to the others it almost is. If you didn't know there was anything wrong with her, you'd think that there wasn't actually anything wrong. She acts mostly normal and doesn't have any obvious scars or eye patches. She's just sleepy all the time.”

“Well, enough about the others. How are you doing? What's it like missing an eye?” there's a slight pause as she makes a sound that's somewhere in between a sigh and clearing her throat. “I can ask you that right? That's not some out of bounds subject is it? I really never knew any disabled people before.”

I groan a little, but she's still my friend. I don't think some scars are going to change things that much between us. “I keep bumping into things. You never know how much you value your depth perception until you lose it. It's not fun, let's just put it that way,” I say flatly.

“Well, you've always been a tough one,” she says. I'm actually taken back by this. I've never really considered myself as strong. “I hope you get to feeling a bit better. You do sound kinda down,” she continues. It's not like I don't have a reason to be depressed. “I just hope your new friends can cheer you up a bit. They're not, like, moping around all the time too are they? I have no idea what a hospital-slash-school is like.”

Everybody keeps pointing out how bad everybody else's problems are how I got it so lucky. Hachisame, Time Warp, Rin, just about everyone I've met has worse problems than mine, but they all seem to be handling it much better than I do. It's disheartening. I can't even handle being depressed the right way.

“Is there someone with you?” Lilly voice asks emerging from a nearby dorm room.

“Hold up, Mihoshi,” I say to the phone before redirecting my attention to Lilly. “I was just talking to someone on the phone,” I say to her.

“If you need time to finish your conversation, I can wait,” Lilly says. “You were waiting for me after all.”

“It's okay. Just give me a quick second,” I say.

“Please, there's no need to hurry on my account,” she says with a soft smile.

“It'll just be a minute,” I say to her. “You still there, Mihoshi?” I say into the phone.

“I'm here, but if you're busy we can talk later,” she says.

“Yeah, that might be the best idea. I was helping my class rep get around. She was in somebody's room talking with them when you called but apparently she's done. Oh yeah, I'm in a class for blind students. I'll have to tell you about that later. Bye.”

“Bye, Hitomi. Take care of yourself. School just isn't the same without you,” she sounds genuinely sad. I didn't think anyone would actually miss me.

“Thanks,” I say. I click the button to hang up the phone and it takes me two tries. How do I miss something that close? Am I really that pathetic?

“Are you ready to move on now?” Lilly asks. “We do still have several more classmates to visit.”

“I'm ready when you are,” I say but her words hit me in a way she couldn't have intended.

Am I really ready to move on?

That, as they say, is the question.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The story isn't dead. It was just really sick for a while and needed to rest.
Forgot what you've read and haven't read? Read it all again. It's a good story. Trust me.
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Re: Freaks and Friends

Post by Oddball »

(and also)
Part 11

The students all stand, applaud as the assembly is officially over. For opening ceremonies, this school can certainly put on a show. I'll have to give them credit there. I could even feel my eye getting a little teary during some of the speeches, especially the one from the guy with the missing arm and charred up face. It's even more amazing that they could get that kind of impact after the silly “founding of Yamaku” skit. I don't know if it was meant to be a joke or not, but that guy in the … whatchamacallit outfit, Captain America? Uncle President? Something like that, I think. Well, whatever he's called he was hilariously over the top. Plus it explains a few of Yamaku's more informal customs and where the weird name came from. I'd been wondering what exactly a “Yamaku” was since I first heard it. It's nice to know the truth.

Since our class is sitting in the front, we're filed out first, with a bit of help, for those that can't see. Despite the rather formal way we file out, we don't really appear to be headed anywhere in particular. This is only confirmed when our teacher leads us to a tree a short distance away from the track where the ceremony was held.

“By my watch, you have just over twenty minutes before lunch begins. Feel free to handle whatever businesses you have and be back for afternoon classes,” Miyagi says. “Anyone needing assistance please raise your hand.” A few hands go up but not many.

“We got this,” Daisuke says.

“Thanks. I'll meet you all back after lunch. Consider yourself released. Have fun and don't get caught doing anything I wouldn't do,” Miyagi finishes. The class bows in her general direction, all except for one boy in a scarf who immediately takes off.

Looking over, we seem to be the only class that isn't going directly back into the main building. Somebody else asks what I was clearly wondering and Miyagi explains that the other students will be released once they reach their classrooms... or not. It's up to the teacher.

Twenty minutes and then lunch.

I don't really want to sit around doing nothing, but I don't really know any of my classmates either. Still, there is one person I want to talk to and she does stick out in the crowd.

“I am horribly sorry about yesterday,” I say to Lilly as I find my way to her. It's probably about the fiftieth time I've apologized.

“It was an accident. These things can happen to anyone,” she says, as if taking a tumble down the stairs wasn't anything important.

It's wasn't a full flight of stairs or anything, it was just three steps, but it was my fault. She was even crying after the fall but at no point did she seem even the slightest bit upset with me; I'd feel somewhat better if she did.

“Satou, you don't need any assistance, do you?” Daisuke says walking up beside her.

“I appreciate the offer, but I can manage,” Lilly says again. I can't say I blame her for not wanting help. I'd be a bit apprehensive myself if the last person that lent me a hand tumbled me down the stairs.

“Okey-dokey,” he says to Lilly. “And you...” he pauses and shakes his finger a few times at me as he tries to recall my name. “Fuku. Would you like to give your classmates any assistance?” I suppose there's still quite a few people that could use some help finding their way back to the main building.

“I hadn't thought about it,' I say to him. He simply smiles and me and nods in a manner that suggests this isn't something up for debate. “So … umm … does anybody else need help?” I say aloud to nobody in particular.

“As long as you're offering, sure,” a girl wearing the girls blouse and boys pants says. She holds out her arm. For a brief moment, I'm not quite sure what to do, then I realize what she's getting at.

“I rarely come out this way, so if you can get me to the cafeteria that'll be more than enough,” she says.

“Mind another tag along?” a muscular boy with short red hair asks. “Not that I need it or anything, but it'll get me to lunch faster.”

“Sure. That'll be okay,” I say just hoping that I don't trip and have them all come crashing down on me like Lilly did. We make the awkward kind of small talk that people who don't really know each other make as I lead them to the cafeteria. If it wasn't for the fact that I was holding one person's hand and had another person's arm wrapped around mind, it would feel remarkably normal.

I even manage to not horribly botch things up and walk them into a wall or anything.

“Thanks, beautiful, I've got it from here,” the red haired boy says as we reach the main building again. He lets go of my arm and starts to walk away as I blush at his compliment before something occurs to me.

“How do you know if I'm good looking? Aren't you blind?” I ask. He turns and smiles in my general direction.

“Me? Nah. I'm only here because I've got a fetish for crippled girls,” he says as he slowly walks away, tapping the ground with his cane as he does. A chill runs down my spine, the same kind of chill I get whenever I hear anyone make light of their disabilities.

“That's Moriya for you,” the other girl says with a shrug. “I know, 'the nerve of that guy', right?” the girl holding onto my shirt sleeve says with a giggle. “I do appreciate the assist though. You don't mind if I look at you, do you?”

“How--?”

“Feeling your face,” she says. “It's not anything weird. I just like to know what the people I'm dealing with look like.”

“N-no. No. Sorry, I'm going to have to ask—pass. I'll have to pass,” Yeah. That didn't come out sounding horribly nervous at all. I loudly clear my throat. “Umm. Sorry. Frog in my throat.” I say in order to cover my horribly botched refusal.

“Maybe some other time,” she says. “It was nice talking with you, new girl. You're alright,” she says. I watch her feel for the wall to get her bearings and then she's off.

Huh. Compliments and I did something useful.
I actually feel kinda good for once.

I wander around a bit after that. It's still too early for the cafeteria to open up but I have nowhere to go and nothing to do. Wandering isn't too much fun either, so I eventually find a nice place to sit just outside the cafeteria doors. I slump against the wall and zone out.

“And how are you doing, Fuku?” a gruff voice asks just as I get comfortable.

I look up to see the large man that Hachisame introduced me to on the first day carrying a Styrofoam cup of coffee in each hand. I cannot remember his name for the life of me. I'm surprised me remembers mine, since we only met for about five seconds several days ago.

“Oh, hello Mister..., ” I start, but fumble over the fact that I can't remember his name.

“There's no Mister. It's just Yoshi. I'd like to think we're all friends around here,” he says smiling. “You look like you're doing alright for yourself. How's adjusting?”

“I'm doing fine,” I say. It's not an actual thought. It's just become my default answer when people ask me about things.

“That's good,” he says taking a drink out of one of the cups. “You don't drink coffee do you?” he asks. I shake my head 'no'. I tried it before, but I never liked the taste. “Most people tend to be a bit shooken up when they arrive here, but there you are just sitting there with a big old smile on your face.”

Am I?

Huh. I guess I am.

“It's just … some good things happened,” I say not wanting to go into the details.

“Alright. I know when not to pry. Just whatever it is that's making you feel good, you might want to keep at it. Another useful bit of advice you want to remember is that everybody here is people. Maybe their eyes don't work or maybe they don't have the right amount of legs, but they're all people. Sometimes they need some help with things, sometimes they can help you, just like anyone else in the world.” he nods his head slightly with a tilt that manages to make it feel remarkably wise and easy going at the same time. “Anyways, that does it for my wise man on the mountain routine. I gotta get going before Kichida starts wondering what's taking his damned coffee so long.”

“Thanks,” I say.

“Don't mention it. See you at the cookout on Sunday if I don't see you before then,” he says as he walks away.

Maybe being in a class for the blind isn't such a bad thing after all. I might have embarrassed myself with Lilly, but other than that, I actually seem to be useful to people here. Plus changing classes will be all sorts of hassle and I don't want to make any bigger mess of things than I have to.

I'm also going to have ask somebody about this cookout.

….........
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Re: Freaks and Friends

Post by brythain »

Glad to see these most amusing misfits back again!
More mysteries unfolding?
I'm almost tempted to wonder what would happen if your story got crossed with Megumeru's...
Post-Yamaku, what happens? After The Dream is a mosaic that follows everyone to the (sometimes) bitter end.
Main Index (Complete)Shizune/Lilly/Emi/Hanako/Rin/Misha + Miki + Natsume
Secondary Arcs: Rika/Mutou/AkiraHideaki | Others (WIP): Straw—A Dream of SuzuSakura—The Kenji Saga.
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Re: Freaks and Friends

Post by HoneyBakedHam »

This is definitely an interesting story. Glad to have found it.
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Re: Freaks and Friends

Post by Oscar Wildecat »

brythain wrote:I'm almost tempted to wonder what would happen if your story got crossed with Megumeru's...
Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light. :D

Another fun chapter of everyday life with perfectly normal people. :)
I like all the girls in KS, but empathize with Hanako the most.
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Re: Freaks and Friends

Post by Mirage_GSM »

Ah, the annual installment of this story :mrgreen:
This has to be the story with the second-slowest update rate on this forum...

Still, it's nice to see you're still alive.
Most people tend to be a bit shooken up
Couldn't decide which form to use?
Emi > Misha > Hanako > Lilly > Rin > Shizune

My collected KS-Fan Fictions: Mirage's Myths
griffon8 wrote:Kosher, just because sex is your answer to everything doesn't mean that sex is the answer to everything.
Sore wa himitsu desu.
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Re: Freaks and Friends

Post by Oddball »

Mirage_GSM wrote:Ah, the annual installment of this story :mrgreen:
This has to be the story with the second-slowest update rate on this forum...
I guarantee at least two .. maybe even THREE updates this year! :mrgreen:
Most people tend to be a bit shooken up
Couldn't decide which form to use?
Yeah, I knew that one wasn't grammatically correct but it felt right for dialogue.
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Re: Freaks and Friends

Post by Oddball »

******WOW! It's ANOTHER CHAPTER! ******
Chapter 12

I don't know what I was expecting from lunch with Time Warp and Hachisame. Time Warp brings her own lunch and Hachisame eats a cafeteria meal enhanced with a brown paper bag full of various snacks.

“Well, I'm glad that's over with,” Hachisame says. She's obviously waiting for somebody to ask what she means, but me and Time Warp both have our mouths full of food at the moment. “The ceremony. I'm glad that's over with,” she goes on, with a look of disappointment. I know she wants somebody to ask why, so I do. “I hate sitting still for that long. Plus I had to miss swimming this morning to get my hair looking good. I had noticed her hair was pulled back tighter and far better combed than I'd usually seen her, but I didn't really think it was that big of a deal to her.

“I noticed that, actually. It looks good on you,” I say. In response, she sticks her tongue out at me and ruffles her hair up.

“You're always sitting anyway,” Tana adds.

“Yeah, but I'm not still, and I've seen the thing twice already,” Hachisame says. “Beef-stick?” she says holding out a small piece of dried meat about the size of a pencil.

“I'll pass,” I say dismissing her snack. “In any event, I thought it was a really good presentation.”

“I always enjoy it,” Time Warp adds. “If there's one thing this school is good at, it's putting on a show. Just wait until we get to the festivals.”

“Whatever,” Hachisame shrugs tearing into her food.

“Speaking of the school putting things on, I heard something earlier about a cookout. What's that all about?” I ask. Hachisame stops and looks at me. Her cheeks are both bulging with food from the huge bites she takes. She looks over at Time Warp who hasn't seemed to have gotten the message yet and resumes chewing.

“A big school welcome back get-together. The teachers and some of the staff bring in grills and basically everybody just hangs out and has a good time. It's nothing official like today was,” Time Warp says a moment later.

“Are we going?” I ask.

“The food's good and you get to see what horrible fashion sense some of the teachers have, so sure. Why not?” Hachisame says once she's managed to swallow about half the food she has in her mouth.

“Sundays are Hachisame's break from using the pool, so it's not like we have anything planned,” Time Warp adds.

“Yeah, stupid people waking up early on the day off to go swimming. Who do they think they are, me or something?” Hachisame says with a tone that seems only partially joking.

“Everyone needs a break once in a while,” I say in a somewhat tongue-in-cheek manner trying to get her spirits back up.

“Normal times are my break. Swimming times is my not break,” she says. I just raise an eyebrow at her. I'm not 100 percent sure what she just said. Whatever it was, either it or my reaction to it was enough to get a laugh out of Tana a moment later.

“I think you've been spending too much time with Rin. You're starting to sound like her,” Tana jokes.

“Rin could stand to spend some more time with normal people like me,” Hachisame says.

“and now you're implying your normal,” Tana says a moment later. One of the good things I've noticed about talking with her while eating is that you can stop to take bites between lines. Now that I think about it, I wonder how she manages to eat without choking if she can't feel the food she's chewing on.

“How about you? What do you think?” Hachisame says pointing to herself with both hands and smiling large as if somebody's about to take her picture. “Normal?” and now she's putting me on the spot.

“I guess, compared to Rin, sure,” I say.

“Normals about as good a word for you as 'vegetarian' is for a cannibal,” Tana says once she's caught up with the conversation.

“Just because you use big words doesn't mean I don't know when I'm being insulted,” Hachisame pretends to pout. “I will have my revenge, you know.” she momentarily stops eating and crosses her arms trying to look serious. A moment of two later, Tana rolls her eyes, signaling she's finally heard what we were saying. “Revenge! The other half of your sandwich will be mine!” Hachisame then cries moving her arm slowly, very very slowly, towards Time Warp's plate. It's fairly obvious that she's just doing this for show and actually wants Time Warp to slap her hand away and nobody is surprised at all when that's what happens.

Mostly.

Even in super slow motion, Tana hits her wrist instead of her actual hand. The idea was there. That's what counts.

“She's not letting me get revenge. Tell her to stop,” Hachisame says in a childish tone, holding her hand like it was really hurt.

“My food,” Time Warp says and she takes a huge bite of the sandwich Hachisame was grabbing at. “your food,” she mumbles with her mouth full and points at Hachisame's own plate.

“But I wanted that food! For revenge!” Hachisame says in an exaggerated whiny tone.

“You know, when I think of getting revenge, I usually don't think of stealing part of somebody's lunch,” I say to her.

“Stealing food isn't good revenge, you know,” Tana says much more to the point than I just did.

“Ah, but I wanted it-” Hachisame starts.

“Sorry, stepped on your line, didn't I?” she cuts Hachisame off and sort-of apologizes to me.

“But I wanted it,” Hachisame says again as if she wasn't interrupted. “I'm a growing girl. I need to put some meat on my bones.” while she was saying this, Tana noticed that she'd cut off Hachisame too, and gave her an apologetic shrug.

“You've got more meat on your bones than I do,” Time Warp says.

“Yeah, but I've got more ---,” Hachisame's voice stops dead leaving her sentence unfinished.

“More what?” I prod her to finish. “More bones?” I ask jokingly. I regret saying it as soon as I see her expression. This is apparently something she doesn't want to joke about.

“Never mind. Just forget it. Anyway, I have to go somewhere now. I have things to do,” Hachisame says with a tone that feels partially embarrassed and partially panicked. In a flash, she's wheeled herself away.

I have no clue exactly what she almost said, it's obviously rather embarrassing to her. In the end, I just stay sitting there and I stare at Time Warp.

“It wasn't you, don't worry about,” Tana says once she finally notices Hachisame has gone.

“What was that all about?” I ask. Then I sit and wait for her to answer. Awkward pauses are even worse when they involve Time Warp. Adding a pause to what's already an uneasy pause is nerve wracking.

“She's not comfortable with somethings,” Tana sighs. “She'll let you know when she wants you to.”

“Is it something bad?” I ask.

“It's … unique and she's sensitive about it. That's all I want to say on the matter,” Tana says as she finally hears me. She seems a bit disappointed, but otherwise responds like it's no big deal. It's like the reaction a person might have when they find out it's going to rain on a day they expected to be sunny. You might not like it, but it happens, and there's not much you can do about it.

The rest of the lunch period is mostly silent.

Today had been going so well too.
Last edited by Oddball on Sun Mar 15, 2015 11:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
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HoneyBakedHam
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Re: Freaks and Friends

Post by HoneyBakedHam »

Thank God we got another chapter.
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Oddball
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Re: Freaks and Friends

Post by Oddball »

And another chapter (Didn't expect that did you?)
Chapter 13

Being let out early each day is something that's going to take a little while to get used to ... much like the rest of my life.

I watch as my classmates slip away while I wait by the door for the rest of the classes to get out. Watching them, several things occur to me. First, the fact that I can actually watch things and most of my class can't and second, I've been doing an awful lot of waiting lately. Do I just not have any initiative of my own anymore?

Well, I'm going to do something right now.

I'm going down the hall and getting myself a drink of water and use the bathroom. If the others are out when I get back good, if not, oh well. I'll just go do … things by myself. Probably.

Actually, I'll most likely just end up going back to the dorms to change and then catching up with everybody. I tell myself it's not because I'm pathetic or lack initiative or anything, I just don't have anything else to do. I still don't know what there is to do around here.

As I exit the restroom, the school bell rings and the other doors open. I'm used to having to stay behind and clean the school at the end of the day but I guess they don't do that here. There's also no rush to leave the building. Everyone seems happy that the day is over, but the they're leaving in a much more orderly fashion that I'd expect.

Suzu is actually the first person I see that I feel I really know. “You're not supposed to just stand there, walk,” she says and she grabs my arm and jerks it slightly before letting go. I'm not sure if there's any rule I'm breaking, but just in case, I follow her. It's not hard. She moves really slow. “You're not doing anything after school are you? Up for a run to the convenience store?” she asks as we walk.

“Sure,” I say. I hadn't really planned on doing anything, but I don't have any problems going along. If I'm lucky I might just be able to pry whatever Hachisame's secret is out of Suzu.

“Thanks. I really appreciate it,” she says, slurring her words so horribly that they’re almost incomprehensible. She yawns, rubs her eyes, and clears her throat. “Yeah, sorry 'bout that.” she reaches into her pocket and pulls out a half a sheet of paper that's badly crumpled and a hand full of yen. “Here's the list. Take your time. I'm not going to need it until class tomorrow,” she says. “Again, I really appreciate it.”

“That's … no problem,” I say. I really don't know how else to respond. I feel embarrassed and slightly taken advantage of. It's moments like these when I realize I really don't know my schoolmates that well. This could very well be normal for her. She gets worn out just sitting through classes. Asking people to run to town for her is probably something she does all the time. Besides, backing out now would be far too uncomfortable.

I drop my school supplies off in my room and change. As I'm heading out, I knock on Time Warp's door in the odd chance that she wants to tag along, but there's no answer so I simply shrug and head off alone.

I don't bother knocking on Hachisame's. I decide she probably needs her space right now. I can apologize later. It's not that I think I did anything wrong, or know what it was if I did, but I imagine somebody needs to apologize. It might as well be me.

I'm just thrown by the whole thing. Hachisame seemed to have her act so together. Watching her flip out like that just really shook me.

...

Let's see, do I have everything?
Loaf of bread, cup o' noodles, various hygienic supplies, blue not black ink pens, grid paper, chewable fruit snacks, all check. Now for the final item on her list. “Whatever magazine you see that has guys with the least amount of clothes on,” the list says in those exact words.

Suzu is doing her own shopping from now on.

I end up grabbing a weightlifting magazine from the rack flip through it quickly, and decide it's good enough.

The cashier doesn't seem to pay me much attention as I pay, despite my eyepatch and the rather noticeable scar spilling out from beneath it. With the store being so close to the school, maybe she's just used to it. On the plus side, she didn't notice me knocking anything on the shelves over as I was shopping either.

I pull a juice pack out of my own modest groceries as I walk back towards the school.

About halfway up the hill, I notice a familiar figure approaching, as well as another figure that's not quite so familiar.

“Hi, Rin,” I say as I walk towards her.

“Hello,” she says stopping in her tracks. I had intended on just saying 'hi' without slowing down any. The sudden pause in her movements really leaves me with nothing to say. It's the dark skinned girl that breaks the silence.

“Hey, stranger” the girl with Rin says. Other than the greeting, it's fairly obvious that she doesn't care about me one way or another and just wants to get going again.

“So, what are you up to?” I say after a awkward moment of silence.

“Going to the store. I need things,” Rin says. “Sketching things.”

“Ah, okay. I just got back from the store myself,” I say. Rin looks down at the bags in my hand.

“I see,” she says.

“Yeah, Suzu asked me to pick up a few things for her,” I say, hoping that my explanation will actually prompt her to say more than a few words at a time.

“Really?” the dark skinned girl says. “I wonder why she didn't ask me. We're pretty tight after all. I mean, Emi's already got me taking Rin out so I was going anyway.”

“You make it sound like I'm a dog,” Rin says. “I'm not any kind of pet,” she says to me as if it's the most common expression ever.

“I can see that,” I say for lack of anything better to say. That just makes the dark skinned girl laugh.

“I meant I'm helping her shop because Emi's got stuff to do and I owed her a favor,” the girl clarifies will a roll of her eyes.

“It's easier to shop when you have hands. Or at least a hand. Two arms anyway,” Rin says in a tone that might sound wise if she had been saying anything else. The girl with her shifts slightly hiding her arm behind her back. I hadn't even noticed she was missing a hand until Rin said anything. “It's easier.”

“So, if you don't mind my asking, what exactly where you shopping for? You said sketchy thing?” I ask.

“I do art. Sometimes.” Rin says. There's a smile on her face that tells me she's just waiting for me to ask another question.

“Okay. How?” I ask. The one handed girl rolls her eyes comically.

“I use my feet,” Rin says with a large smile. I guess that makes sense. I've seen her using her feet for other things but it still seems like that would be a heck of a skill to master.

“So, what exactly do you draw?” I ask.

“Different things,” she says flatly, clarifying nothing.

“She was working on some pictures of people when I picked her up,” the one handed girl says coming to my rescue.

“I draw people at school,” she says. “Interesting people. I was drawing Hachisame earlier. I stopped, can't get her legs right. Maybe that was today. It could have been yesterday.”

“That's neat. You'll have to let me check them out some time, and if you ever want to draw me, let me know,” I tell her.

“I'm not sure you're interesting,” Rin says.

Ouch.

That hurt. That really hurt. There wasn't even a hint of insult in her voice. She said it like it was a straight cold fact.

“She's interesting and I'm not?” I say.

“Yes. Probably,” Rin says reaching up with her leg to scratch the back of her other leg.

“And Time Warp?” I ask.

“Don't worry about it,” the one handed girl cuts into the conversation. “Rin isn't exactly the final word on who's a good person and who's not around here.”

“I wouldn't say they're good people. They're interesting, but not good,” there a pause as she tilts her head one way and then the next and stares into the sky like she's looking for a cue card to tell her what to say. “They aren't bad people in the way that those people that kidnap girls and chop them up and put them into little boxes are, but they've got some bad thoughts on things.”

“We should probably get going,” the one handed girl said obviously trying to end the subject as quickly as possible.

“I'll talk to you later then, Rin,” I say. She looks at me odd, as if she's amazed by my statement.

“Can you see the future?” Rin asks.

“Why are you asking that?” I return the question.

“It's just a saying. She isn't one hundred percent sure see will see talk to you later, but she'd like to,” the one handed girl says with a shrug, and a tone that suggests she's had to translate things into 'not insane people talk' for Rin on more occasions than she'd like. Rin just nods wisely at this explanation.

“I wouldn't mind talking to you later either,” Rin says. The one handed girl slaps Rin hard across the back, making Rin stumble off balance slightly.

“Let's get going then,” she says. “Tell Suzu I said 'hi', will ya?” she says to me as she turns to walk off.

“What did you say your name was again?” I call out as she's already started to leave. “Sorry, I'm just horrible with names,” I add.

“Rin Tezuka. Or Tezuka Rin. Possible both,” Rin says.

“I was actually talking to her,” I say pointing to the other girl.

“So you were,” There's a slight twitch of her eyebrows and a microsecond of surprise in her expression as she registers what I'm saying.

“Miki,” the one handed girl says. “pleasedta'meet'ya,” she adds as though it's one long word.

Miki. … Miki.... why does that name sound so familiar...

Oh right. That's the name of the person Suzu said she hated.
Maybe I'm missing something. She seemed alright to me.
Last edited by Oddball on Sun Mar 15, 2015 11:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
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HoneyBakedHam
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Joined: Thu Dec 18, 2014 7:45 pm
Location: Toledo, Ohio, USA

Re: Freaks and Friends

Post by HoneyBakedHam »

1) Ouch. That has to seriously hurt, coming from Rin.

2) A scenario where Snoozu hates Miki? Talk about twists!
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