Toma Tanaka - Warakuma Streets
Toma accepted all of Hamada's bag without a single complaint, mainly because, if anything, he liked the extra weight. It made him work harder. With all the energy he had been spending today, it was a possibility that he'd pass out sooner than he usually did, meaning he'd get extra sleep.
Hamada prompted them to start moving. Toma couldn't help but feel like he was sort of being made fun of, judging by the girl's mannerisms, but he didn't pay the thought much mind, instead happy to just be out-and-about with something to do. Besides, there seemed to be no malice behind her actions -- Toma felt that that was just the way she was. Sort of like how he spoke with his tired cheeriness and always threw in stupid, noncommittal phrases like 'I guess' at the end of every sentence. It was simply what they did, without realizing or thinking about it.
As they were walking, the girl spoke up, asking him why he had moved. It was a standard enough question, one he had been asked a dozen times in the past few days. Every time, he had given his default answer: his father's work. He'd then steer the conversation away from the topic as best he could. While it wasn't completely an outright lie, it was very far from the truth.
He almost reflexively gave this answer, but stopped himself short. He wasn't entirely sure why - maybe he still felt bad about insulting her, or maybe he just felt like talking - but he decided to give the girl a decent response.
"You'd be better off asking my parents -- they were the ones who decided to move," he began. "My father insisted that moving here would help him out with his job, but he works from home, and deals with all his clients over the internet, so I don't know what he was talking about. My best guess is that he and my mother just wanted a change of scenery. They were both born and raised in Osaka, so maybe they finally got tired of all the hustle-and-bustle of big cities."
He shrugged and looked away, worried that he was rambling on too much, but decided to finish his train of thought. "I wasn't thrilled to move at first, but I think it's done me some good. Warakuma, at the very least, fits my... 'pace' better, I guess. In Osaka, everyone's always speed walking everywhere, looking all busy-like. Here, people seem to enjoy just strolling around. It's nice," he finished with a smile. What he had said still wasn't entirely truthful, but it was a lot closer.
"But what's this about cults?" he asked, amused. "I've heard about all the kids acting up, but I thought the cases were unrelated. I sort of just figured it was stupid people acting stupid."
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Toma Tanaka - Warakuma Streets
Toma couldn't completely stop his eyes from widening when Hamada accepted his help -- he had fully been expecting her to either ignore him or tear him to pieces. Instead, she explained why she had asked him if he was lost. And he really did look awful, so he couldn't very well fault her logic. He had spoken to her to see what she was actually like, instead of blindly believing the stories he had been told, but had unintentionally let those stories affect his first impression of her by automatically taking her words as an insult, completely defeating the purpose of talking to her in the first place.
Minute embarrassment flashed across his face as he scolded himself for his quick assumptions and stupid insult.
"I'm, uh, sorry. I'm not usually like this," he said, referring to both his appearance and more subtly his less-than-stellar attitude so far. "I've just... had a long day, I guess." It was a weak excuse, but at least she'd know he was apologetic.
He held out his hands, ready to accept any bags she decided to offload onto him, replacing his slight frown with a small smile which, despite his best efforts, came out a little sheepish. "Feel free to dump as much stuff on me as you'd like -- you'd never know it just by looking at me, but I happen to love menial labour."
Perhaps he'd be able to fix up her first impression of him yet. He'd certainly try his best to do so.
Toma couldn't completely stop his eyes from widening when Hamada accepted his help -- he had fully been expecting her to either ignore him or tear him to pieces. Instead, she explained why she had asked him if he was lost. And he really did look awful, so he couldn't very well fault her logic. He had spoken to her to see what she was actually like, instead of blindly believing the stories he had been told, but had unintentionally let those stories affect his first impression of her by automatically taking her words as an insult, completely defeating the purpose of talking to her in the first place.
Minute embarrassment flashed across his face as he scolded himself for his quick assumptions and stupid insult.
"I'm, uh, sorry. I'm not usually like this," he said, referring to both his appearance and more subtly his less-than-stellar attitude so far. "I've just... had a long day, I guess." It was a weak excuse, but at least she'd know he was apologetic.
He held out his hands, ready to accept any bags she decided to offload onto him, replacing his slight frown with a small smile which, despite his best efforts, came out a little sheepish. "Feel free to dump as much stuff on me as you'd like -- you'd never know it just by looking at me, but I happen to love menial labour."
Perhaps he'd be able to fix up her first impression of him yet. He'd certainly try his best to do so.
Toma Tanaka - Warakuma Streets
The first thing that went through Toma's mind is that it seemed that there was at least a little truth to the stories he had heard of this girl.
Or maybe she was just having a bad day. Or maybe he had gone about introducing himself wrong, thanks to having gotten used to meeting exceptionally friendly people like Kotori and Aiko.
Being this close to her, he could clearly see how put-together she was. Her clothing was tidy and clean and she wore a fancy-smelling perfume. Even the way she carried her bags seemed sophisticated. Meanwhile, he looked like he had just walked through a car wash.
Maybe he hadn't thought this through all the way.
She spoke to him with a practiced politeness -- a politeness that was no where near as genuine as Kotori's. Leiko clearly wanted nothing to do with him, and Toma was certain that she was intentionally trying to convey that fact. He gave the smallest of sighs as she continued.
And then she dropped the thinly-veiled insult, causing Toma to raise an eyebrow and give a small laugh. "Do I really look that out of place? That's unfortunate, but I guess that's what happens when I don't spend every waking moment worrying about my appearance," he said, meeting Leiko's stare with a confident and ever-so-slightly smug grin. A moment passed before he averted his gaze and sighed again, more audibly this time, deciding that being stupid and confrontational would get him nowhere.
"I thought it'd be nice if I offered you a hand with all the stuff you're carrying, seeing as we go to the same school and all," he said tiredly, looking back towards the girl. "But if I'm just bothering you, let me know and I'll piss off."
The first thing that went through Toma's mind is that it seemed that there was at least a little truth to the stories he had heard of this girl.
Or maybe she was just having a bad day. Or maybe he had gone about introducing himself wrong, thanks to having gotten used to meeting exceptionally friendly people like Kotori and Aiko.
Being this close to her, he could clearly see how put-together she was. Her clothing was tidy and clean and she wore a fancy-smelling perfume. Even the way she carried her bags seemed sophisticated. Meanwhile, he looked like he had just walked through a car wash.
Maybe he hadn't thought this through all the way.
She spoke to him with a practiced politeness -- a politeness that was no where near as genuine as Kotori's. Leiko clearly wanted nothing to do with him, and Toma was certain that she was intentionally trying to convey that fact. He gave the smallest of sighs as she continued.
And then she dropped the thinly-veiled insult, causing Toma to raise an eyebrow and give a small laugh. "Do I really look that out of place? That's unfortunate, but I guess that's what happens when I don't spend every waking moment worrying about my appearance," he said, meeting Leiko's stare with a confident and ever-so-slightly smug grin. A moment passed before he averted his gaze and sighed again, more audibly this time, deciding that being stupid and confrontational would get him nowhere.
"I thought it'd be nice if I offered you a hand with all the stuff you're carrying, seeing as we go to the same school and all," he said tiredly, looking back towards the girl. "But if I'm just bothering you, let me know and I'll piss off."
Toma Tanaka
Toma's legs felt like jello. He had to make a conscious effort to not wobble with every step. That was fine with him, though. It was proof that he had done something today.
The ten suicides he had been told to do by Arata had been tiring, but for whatever reason, he had decided to continue going. He'd lost count somewhere in the thirties, only stopping once Arata came up to him and told him to, wondering what was taking him so long. Toma had been blacking out by that point, the edges of his vision slowly going dark.
And then he had spent another hour with the other members, running around some more.
A gust of cool wind kicked up, ruffling his thrown-on uniform and displacing his messy hair -- which was even worse than usual after all the running and sweating.
As he pushed his bangs away from his forehead, he noticed a girl further up ahead, wearing Warakuma High's uniform, though instead of the jacket she had on some kind of sweater.
It was the sweater that helped him recognize her as Hamada Leiko. She seemed to be fairly popular at school, as whenever he saw her in the halls, she always seemed to have an entourage. Not only that, but he had heard about her from some of his classmates he had spoken with over the week. He had heard some not-so-pleasant stories, but felt that they were likely exaggerated or altered. Perhaps he could find out for himself by talking to her and seeing what she was really like for himself.
Toma decided there would be no harm in saying hi. Maybe she'd even recognize him, if only by his face. After all, he liked to think he had a presence. Maybe not as prominent and dominating as Leiko's, but a presence nonetheless. Holding onto a small plastic bag that held the things his mother had asked him to get, he quickened his pace until he caught up to her.
"Hello," he said with the subdued cheeriness that seemed to define him. "You're Hamada-san, right? I'm a third-year at Warakuma, Tanaka Toma. I just moved here this week."
There we go, he had introduced himself. Now he'd just wait for her reaction, and use that to judge whether she was up for a conversation or if he needed to make a quick exit.
Toma's legs felt like jello. He had to make a conscious effort to not wobble with every step. That was fine with him, though. It was proof that he had done something today.
The ten suicides he had been told to do by Arata had been tiring, but for whatever reason, he had decided to continue going. He'd lost count somewhere in the thirties, only stopping once Arata came up to him and told him to, wondering what was taking him so long. Toma had been blacking out by that point, the edges of his vision slowly going dark.
And then he had spent another hour with the other members, running around some more.
A gust of cool wind kicked up, ruffling his thrown-on uniform and displacing his messy hair -- which was even worse than usual after all the running and sweating.
As he pushed his bangs away from his forehead, he noticed a girl further up ahead, wearing Warakuma High's uniform, though instead of the jacket she had on some kind of sweater.
It was the sweater that helped him recognize her as Hamada Leiko. She seemed to be fairly popular at school, as whenever he saw her in the halls, she always seemed to have an entourage. Not only that, but he had heard about her from some of his classmates he had spoken with over the week. He had heard some not-so-pleasant stories, but felt that they were likely exaggerated or altered. Perhaps he could find out for himself by talking to her and seeing what she was really like for himself.
Toma decided there would be no harm in saying hi. Maybe she'd even recognize him, if only by his face. After all, he liked to think he had a presence. Maybe not as prominent and dominating as Leiko's, but a presence nonetheless. Holding onto a small plastic bag that held the things his mother had asked him to get, he quickened his pace until he caught up to her.
"Hello," he said with the subdued cheeriness that seemed to define him. "You're Hamada-san, right? I'm a third-year at Warakuma, Tanaka Toma. I just moved here this week."
There we go, he had introduced himself. Now he'd just wait for her reaction, and use that to judge whether she was up for a conversation or if he needed to make a quick exit.
Kissu, I'll have Toma miraculously run into Leiko if you're up for that.
Thomas sat on his knees, losing his mind.
His hand. Why couldn't he feel his goddamned hand. He could see it right there, where it had always been -- hell, at the very moment he could see three of the same hand, thanks to his swirling vision -- so why wasn't it moving when he tried to make it close.
It wasn't just the lack of feeling that was freaking him out. Everything around him felt alive and menacing. The trees and the weeds and the wind and the ground itself seemed to be trying to swallow him whole. Everything made more noise than it should have, loud noise that melted into taunts and mocking laughter. It all came together to give him a burning headache, keeping him from being able to think straight.
He was terrified. He felt like he was dying, being killed by something he couldn't see.
A loud, high-pitched screech stabbed his ears. Thomas yelled out in pain, doubling over and clutching his head with his good hand. "Shut up..." he muttered through clenched teeth.
He didn't want to die. He didn't want to he didn't want to he didnt want to.
He stared at his injured hand with wide, blood-shot eyes. He forced himself to think, through the all the noise and the screaming. The snake must have poisoned him. What was he supposed to do when poisoned?
He pressed his lips against the punctures and tried to suck out blood. The disgusting metallic taste filled his mouth, making his stomach churn. He spit it out quickly.
Thomas' mind continued to race. Was this even something that one was supposed to do when bitten? Or was he mixing things up? Was it already too late to stop the poison? Considering how terribly he felt, it seem unlikely.
Another screech. "Shut up!"
Loud movements that came from all around him. Falling leaves, and Thomas swore he could hear them hitting the ground. Metal grinding on metal.
More screeching.
"Shut the fuck up!" Thomas screamed, his voice breaking.
He looked around in desperation. The small vial of purple liquid that had been on the skeleton caught his eye. Maybe it could help him. It was a long shot, but in his state, Thomas would try anything.
He half-stumbled, half-dragged himself towards it, getting closer to the lantern as he did so. His symptoms, mercifully, lessened with every step. He gained enough presence of mind to remember that he wasn't the only person in this forest. He looked over towards the other boy, and was shocked to see him missing a part of his ear, the wound bleeding profusely.
While it looked painful, it didn't seem life-threatening, unlike whatever it was that was running through Thomas' veins at the moment. While, for whatever reason, the light of the lantern seemed to make the effects more bearable, he couldn't be sure that it did anymore than that. For all he knew, he was still dying.
Turning back towards the vial and reaching for it, he began to question whether drinking a strange liquid was a good idea or not. Whatever, he'd get it unstuck, inspect it closer, and decide then. After wrapping his fingers around it, he pulled.
I'll finally get a post down tonight.
Quick question though, is the skeleton exposed and easily accessible now, or did the cocoon cover it back up after it had its, uh, snack.
Quick question though, is the skeleton exposed and easily accessible now, or did the cocoon cover it back up after it had its, uh, snack.
Here are a couple short character sheets.
Toma Tanaka - Warakuma High School, Track Field
Toma was spotted the instant he stepped outside. Kimura Arata, the track club's leader, was in the middle of a warm-up, lightly jogging around the oval track. He immediately broke off, turning towards Toma and Aiko.
"Tanaaakaaa!" he half-yelled, half-whined. "You're late!"
"Only by a few minutes," Toma answered as Arata slowed to a stop in front of them.
"Nearly a quarter of an hour is not 'a few minutes'," the boy said in mock anger, hands on his hips.
"I have a good excuse," Toma said, nodding towards Aiko. "This is Yamamoto Aiko, a classmate of mine. He'd like to join the club."
Arata instantly lit up. "Ah! That's great, we'd be glad to have you, Yamamoto!" he said excitedly, taking Aiko's hand and shaking it with both of his. He then turned back towards Toma. "I guess I won't kick you out for your tardiness, then."
The tall boy snorted softly in response, knowing that that was something Arata would never do.
"But, you still need a punishment. Run ten 50-meter suicides, so out 'til the half-line of the soccer field."
Toma sighed through his smile. He turned and walked towards the door that lead to the change room.
Arata suddenly turned to face Aiko again, realising he hadn't introduced himself. "Oh! I'm Kimura Arata, from class 3 - 2, but feel free to call me whatever -- as long as it's not an insult, obviously," he said, speaking more than a little hyper-actively. "We do all of the basic events that'd come to mind when you think of track and field: high jump, long jump, all distances of running, but we don't really have the resources to do stuff like pole vaulting and javelin and stuff -- the teachers said it'd be too dangerous or something stupid like that -- I hope that doesn't disappoint you too much. Most of our members focus on running, which I guess I can sort of understand, but me, I love to practice as many events as I can -- it keeps things fun and interesting, and being well-rounded is always a plus. Oh, and -"
The boy's enthusiastic ramble was cut off by a young-looking female student poking him in the cheek. She wore track shorts and a t-shirt, just like Arata, making it clear she was a member of the club.
"Stop it, Arata-kun. You're going to scare him off," she said, unimpressed. After Arata recovered from the shock of her coming up on him out of nowhere, he opened his mouth to protest, only to be cut off again when the girl addressed Aiko. "I'm Yamada Tsuruko, in first year," she said with a bright smile and a bow. "Don't be afraid to tell Arata to shut up -- I do it all the time." With that she jogged back towards the track.
"Tsuru-chaaaaaan!" Arata whined after her. "Stop making me look uncool!" His eyes lingered on her receding figure for a moment longer, before he turned back towards Aiko with a soft sigh. His bright grin quickly returned. "If you've got a change of clothes and are feeling up to it, you can join us today," he said. "If you don't, you should still stick around and watch, maybe talk to some of the members. I hope you like the club!" He then also ran off.
Toma had kicked off his shoes and taken off his shirt when he received a text from his mother. He stood in the change room and read it, frowning. She was asking him to pick up ingredients she needed for supper, apparently feeling the urge to cook tonight. While it was slightly unusual for her to make a full meal, that wasn't what bothered Toma.
In the text, she called him Taiki. These instances were even fewer and farther between than his mother cooking, but they happened, and it always left him feeling... uncomfortable? Whatever the feeling was, he didn't like it.
And it was evidence that she was still hurt by his brother's death. That she hadn't gotten over it yet. Maybe that was a ridiculous thing for Toma to expect of her, but he had done it well enough. She was older and wiser -- she should understand that death is a part of life. She shouldn't let it pain her as much as it did.
But she also shouldn't have had to deal with it in the first place. Clicking his tongue, he typed out 'sure thing', even adding a stupid smiley-face for good measure.
Toma was spotted the instant he stepped outside. Kimura Arata, the track club's leader, was in the middle of a warm-up, lightly jogging around the oval track. He immediately broke off, turning towards Toma and Aiko.
"Tanaaakaaa!" he half-yelled, half-whined. "You're late!"
"Only by a few minutes," Toma answered as Arata slowed to a stop in front of them.
"Nearly a quarter of an hour is not 'a few minutes'," the boy said in mock anger, hands on his hips.
"I have a good excuse," Toma said, nodding towards Aiko. "This is Yamamoto Aiko, a classmate of mine. He'd like to join the club."
Arata instantly lit up. "Ah! That's great, we'd be glad to have you, Yamamoto!" he said excitedly, taking Aiko's hand and shaking it with both of his. He then turned back towards Toma. "I guess I won't kick you out for your tardiness, then."
The tall boy snorted softly in response, knowing that that was something Arata would never do.
"But, you still need a punishment. Run ten 50-meter suicides, so out 'til the half-line of the soccer field."
Toma sighed through his smile. He turned and walked towards the door that lead to the change room.
Arata suddenly turned to face Aiko again, realising he hadn't introduced himself. "Oh! I'm Kimura Arata, from class 3 - 2, but feel free to call me whatever -- as long as it's not an insult, obviously," he said, speaking more than a little hyper-actively. "We do all of the basic events that'd come to mind when you think of track and field: high jump, long jump, all distances of running, but we don't really have the resources to do stuff like pole vaulting and javelin and stuff -- the teachers said it'd be too dangerous or something stupid like that -- I hope that doesn't disappoint you too much. Most of our members focus on running, which I guess I can sort of understand, but me, I love to practice as many events as I can -- it keeps things fun and interesting, and being well-rounded is always a plus. Oh, and -"
The boy's enthusiastic ramble was cut off by a young-looking female student poking him in the cheek. She wore track shorts and a t-shirt, just like Arata, making it clear she was a member of the club.
"Stop it, Arata-kun. You're going to scare him off," she said, unimpressed. After Arata recovered from the shock of her coming up on him out of nowhere, he opened his mouth to protest, only to be cut off again when the girl addressed Aiko. "I'm Yamada Tsuruko, in first year," she said with a bright smile and a bow. "Don't be afraid to tell Arata to shut up -- I do it all the time." With that she jogged back towards the track.
"Tsuru-chaaaaaan!" Arata whined after her. "Stop making me look uncool!" His eyes lingered on her receding figure for a moment longer, before he turned back towards Aiko with a soft sigh. His bright grin quickly returned. "If you've got a change of clothes and are feeling up to it, you can join us today," he said. "If you don't, you should still stick around and watch, maybe talk to some of the members. I hope you like the club!" He then also ran off.
Toma had kicked off his shoes and taken off his shirt when he received a text from his mother. He stood in the change room and read it, frowning. She was asking him to pick up ingredients she needed for supper, apparently feeling the urge to cook tonight. While it was slightly unusual for her to make a full meal, that wasn't what bothered Toma.
In the text, she called him Taiki. These instances were even fewer and farther between than his mother cooking, but they happened, and it always left him feeling... uncomfortable? Whatever the feeling was, he didn't like it.
And it was evidence that she was still hurt by his brother's death. That she hadn't gotten over it yet. Maybe that was a ridiculous thing for Toma to expect of her, but he had done it well enough. She was older and wiser -- she should understand that death is a part of life. She shouldn't let it pain her as much as it did.
But she also shouldn't have had to deal with it in the first place. Clicking his tongue, he typed out 'sure thing', even adding a stupid smiley-face for good measure.
Toma Tanaka - Warakuma High School
Toma's eyebrows raised in surprise. Aiko hadn't initially struck him as a sporty person, what with the outgoing-ness and flair he demonstrated.
"There's definitely more room," Toma said, pulling a bag of chips out of his bag and cracking it open. "The guy who leads it, Kimura Arata, is a bit of a nut -- er, by that, I mean he's really passionate about track and field. I'm sure he'll be ecstatic to get another member."
He then tossed both his school bag and gym bag over his shoulder. "I gotta say, Aiko, I didn't think track would interest you. I would've told you about the club earlier had I known." After eating a handful of chips, he offered some to Aiko.
"Being honest though, while I do find it fun, I just kind of joined so I had something to fill my time," he added with a small smile.
The pair made their way down a flight of stairs, heading for the school's shoddy track field. Toma continued to munch away on his chips. What he saw when he reached the bottom of the stairs, however, made him pause mid-bite.
Kotori was speaking with a shorter boy, whom Toma did not recognize. After taking a moment to study the atmosphere of the situation, a knowing smile spread across his face. He finished off the half-eaten chip, the crunching noise seeming loud in comparison to the stillness of the hallway.
He turned away from the scene to continue on towards the track, assuming that Aiko had no interest in the two younger students and would follow.
Toma's eyebrows raised in surprise. Aiko hadn't initially struck him as a sporty person, what with the outgoing-ness and flair he demonstrated.
"There's definitely more room," Toma said, pulling a bag of chips out of his bag and cracking it open. "The guy who leads it, Kimura Arata, is a bit of a nut -- er, by that, I mean he's really passionate about track and field. I'm sure he'll be ecstatic to get another member."
He then tossed both his school bag and gym bag over his shoulder. "I gotta say, Aiko, I didn't think track would interest you. I would've told you about the club earlier had I known." After eating a handful of chips, he offered some to Aiko.
"Being honest though, while I do find it fun, I just kind of joined so I had something to fill my time," he added with a small smile.
The pair made their way down a flight of stairs, heading for the school's shoddy track field. Toma continued to munch away on his chips. What he saw when he reached the bottom of the stairs, however, made him pause mid-bite.
Kotori was speaking with a shorter boy, whom Toma did not recognize. After taking a moment to study the atmosphere of the situation, a knowing smile spread across his face. He finished off the half-eaten chip, the crunching noise seeming loud in comparison to the stillness of the hallway.
He turned away from the scene to continue on towards the track, assuming that Aiko had no interest in the two younger students and would follow.
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