[Video] flood o'posts

[forgetbeam]

Are any of you familiar with the legend of the Dragon's Gate? They say that there exists a huge waterfall running off a great mountain. Fish swim upstream against the harsh current, but most tire out and are swept away. But those who have the courage to persist and make it to the top of the waterfall are transformed into a beautiful, powerful dragon.

It's a good lesson, isn't it?

That's right! Even though this school has countless obstacles and hurdles and dangers looming quite literally right over our heads, if we give up, we too will be pushed back and will make no progress! We must press on through the unforgiving current, and when we make it, we will come out stronger than ever! All right! Let's do our best to reach the top!!

[What brought this up? Is someone trying to keep himself from going nuts at the idea of one last year here... probably.]

On another note... There are many Pokemon and trainers here, so if anybody has any advice on raising a Magikarp, I'm all ears!

[Ah. Ah. That's it.

ACTION TIMES: Kiyotaka can be found bonding with an ugly fish he lets swim in a kiddie pool out in the stadium some days. Most of the time he can be found studying. Livin' on the edge. Although whatever he's doing, he seems to be favouring his left arm a little.]

Comments

[thereyouare]

[ It was less the pain and more the shock of what happened that sent Vivian backwards. Her crouch became her planting her ass in to the ground, sore fingers in the air and eyes huge. She'd never been bit before... so she had no idea what it did! ]

I'm... sorry?? [ SHOULD SHE BE ow her finger kinda hurt but she kept it high in the sky. ]

[forgetbeam]

Never stick your fingers into something's mouth! You're lucky this one doesn't have any teeth!

[Still, he crouches next to her and takes her hand to take a look at her fingers anyway. Just a thick pink ring, but he expected that much.

She really is just like a naive child. There's so much he needs to teach her so she can function on her own. So she can protect herself. Fine, maybe he is pretty much her parent, but that doesn't mean he really knows how to be.]

[thereyouare]

[ but you didn't bite my fingers that one hot steamy night

The apology on her face is clear. She turns to the Magikarp as Taka checks her hand out. ]

I'm sorry, Magic Carp! It's my fault.

[ She looks back up at Taka. ]

It's okay. [ She curls her fingers around some of his to show she's fine, and to just kinda hold his hand. She rises to her feet, lips pressed tight as she stares at her swollen finger. ]

[forgetbeam]

[Magikarp just kind of listlessly gapes. Apology ac...cept...ed...?

Kiyotaka frowns at her hand in his, huffing just slightly.]

I hope you've learned your lesson about touching strange animals, then. Here--

[He moves over to the pool, dipping his fingers in the water to get them nice and wet before gently running the backs of them over the fish's scales.] Don't do this to just any fish, but you can do it to this one. Gently!

[thereyouare]

[ Rather than dwell, Vivian quickly decides to follow Ishimaru's lead. She rolls her sleeves up so they don't get wet, just like when she washes dishes or tries to cook toast, and dips her hands into the pool. It's done fearlessly, as if the fact she had just been bit wasn't an issue due to Kiyotaka's instruction. ]

Okay.

[ Then out comes her dripping hand to touch her fingertips to his scales. She pauses and flips her hand over to mimic him, smiling at her ability. ]

Mr. Carp is nice.

[forgetbeam]

One day, he'll grow up to be a ferocious dragon! What do you think of that?

[That's not a thing you tell little kids as they're petting it come on man.]

[thereyouare]

[ If only Vivian had any actual idea what the hell he was talking about... or any fear in her heart, really. ]

Oh...! [ She turned to the Magikarp and whispered to him. ] You'll be a dragon, Mr. Carp. It sounds good.

Uhm. [ And back to mom. ] Is that good, Taka?

[forgetbeam]

Of course! It means he'll have overcome adversity and come out all the stronger for it!

[He pauses, brow furrowing a little.]

It's important to remember how it ends.

[thereyouare]

[ She's watching him as he speaks, and for as long as they've been together through both her short lives, she understands many of his facial expressions to carry double meanings at times. She just continues to smile at him, still petting the dumb fish in his little pool. ]

Uhm, I read something... "Begin with the end in mind"?

[ who let her into the motivational section of the library ]

[forgetbeam]

[Oh, he knows that one well. He's actually pretty impressed that Vivian's been reading self help books, too. LOOK AT HIM, HE'S SO PROUD. Time for a pop quiz.]

Do you know what is meant by that?

[thereyouare]

I think so.

[ Vivian looks back to Mr. Carp. ]

Goals... And keeping... uhm, an eye on them? Watch them. [ SHE ISN'T SURE HOW TO SAY WHAT SHE WANTS TO SAY god ]

[forgetbeam]

[SHE'S TRYING SO HARD...]

It means to always know what you're aiming for, so you can ensure every step that you take is in the right direction! Otherwise, you go every which way with nothing in mind, waiting to see where you end up... Wasting time and effort for something you're not even sure you want.

But it... isn't always easy to keep your goals in sight.

[thereyouare]

Yes. That.

[ She sighs, a soft giggle tumbling off her tongue.

She looks a little guilty, like what she is about to say is a confession to a major crime. ]

I don't know what my end is, Taka. But... [ She pauses, seeming to zone out on her words. Hold the phone. Is she actually being... shy? ]

[forgetbeam]

But...?

[He might be bad at reading people in general, but when he's as close to someone as he is in Vivian, he can pick up on subtleties a lot more easily - even if he can't always interpret them. Something is up, he knows that much. It's a look that makes him think of normally well-behaved students caught skipping class.]

[thereyouare]

But... [ What was this feeling? She didn't like it. Her face felt hot, her cheeks tense and sore, and her stomach just felt hungry but... wiggly. Broken stomach. Broken face...!

Rather suddenly she swiped water at his face from the pool, tightening her lips together with a small whimper. ]

Ah - ! [ She.. uh...


oops. ]

[forgetbeam]

Ngah--!!

[OH GREAT a faceful of fish water. He sputters a bit and just kind of stares at her, unimpressed. Whatever she was going to say, it's clearly not going to happen, is it.]

What was that for?

[thereyouare]

[ She picks her hand up. ]

It... on its own...! [ She looked down at her soaked hand, watching the light reflect off her skin. She curled her fingers into a fist, not too tight but holding onto whatever made her lash out like that. ] I'm sorry. [ She got to her feet. ]

I'll go to my room.

[forgetbeam]

That's for the best.

[That's about as good as a detention. It seems extreme, but really, splashing him so violently like that was uncalled for in the first place. It would be one thing if she was doing it in some kind of playful way, but that was definitely some kind of lashing out.

The question is... is she bothered by something? Going through hormonal changes (it was about that time, or something, right)?

Or was it a bit of her previous programming peeking through?]

[thereyouare]

...Sorry.

[ She couldn't even look at him as she quickly dashed away. After all, she didn't know how to explain what happened. Just that it did. What she wanted to say?

'I hope you're there when I arrive.'

But why couldn't she say that? ]