Kaede "meddlesome minstrel" Akamatsu 🎶 赤松 楓 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
gotyourbach) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
balance_logs2019-08-02 11:03 am
gotyourbach) wrote in balance_logs2019-08-02 11:03 am
[mostly open!] collecting friendship fragments: balance edition
Who: Kaede Akamatsu (gotyourbach), Kokichi Oma (slieght), Maki Harukawa (erlebnisse), Shuichi Saihara (diffidentive), and YOU!
Where: assorted locations!
When: Within a few days of newbie arrival
What: a Dangan classtrial meeting, and Kaede introducing her old friends to her new friends! Please let her introduce her friends
Content Warning: DRV3 spoilers likely in thread A below, others will be marked as needed!
A. Closed to Kokichi, Maki, and Shuichidiffidentive)slieght)erlebnisse
gotyourbach), Kokichi Oma (slieght), Maki Harukawa (erlebnisse), Shuichi Saihara (diffidentive), and YOU!Where: assorted locations!
When: Within a few days of newbie arrival
What: a Dangan class
Content Warning: DRV3 spoilers likely in thread A below, others will be marked as needed!
A. Closed to Kokichi, Maki, and Shuichi
[Hardly anyone can be surprised that of all the places on the Moon she could have asked them to meet, it would be the Academy's music room. It's the place she feels the safest, after all! There's even a handwritten note on the door: CLOSED FOR A PRIVATE SESSION ♡♡♡B. Friendship Fragments - Shuichi (joint prompt with
Kaede sits at the piano bench, because of couse she does, while she waits for the others to arrive. She pulled some chairs down from the stack for everybody to use when they get here, and she brought some safe-for-consumption snacks from Bender's café, just in case. Like the perpetually warm and soft chocolate-chip cookies! Everyone likes those.
After that, she just has to ward off the urge to play piano. It's like, right there. But she'll have time to play piano later! It's fine!]
diffidentive)[Kaede is walking with Shuichi toward the Artificer's office, chatting animatedly about -- something. Music, magic, regaling him with tales about her adventures in the Bureau, always with the most positive spin on it. But when she spots one of her friends, she grabs Shuichi's hand without warning and tugs him toward the new person.]C. Friendship Fragments - Kokichi (joint prompt with
Hey, hey! Have you met Saihara-kun yet?
slieght)[It's nice that the Whomping Willow isn't so whomping anymore. Kaede remembers when it was literally attacking people on Maru. But it seems friendly enough now! She and a shorter boy are sitting under it, Kaede with some homework that she... hasn't started. She seems to be pouting at Kokichi for something he said until she spots someone she knows, then she's waving frantically, trying to gesture for them to come closer.]D. Friendship Fragments - Maki (joint prompt with
Hey, over here! I have to introduce you to someone!
erlebnisse[Or, maybe, you've come to get yourself some dinner. Kaede's set up shop at a table with a rather severe-looking girl, and seems to be instructing her on Bender's rather... esoteric methods of making food. There's a dish of melting green tea ice cream in front of her that she seems to have forgetten in her animated explanation, and a few other assorted goodies that Kaede's just gotten in case Maki wants them.E. Wildcard! OTA [Wanna meet the kids somewhere else? Did we discuss another prompt on plurk? Feel free to use this log as a catch-all for that kind of thing!]
She brightens when she spots a familiar face, though, waving for their attention. Maki tenses up as Kaede calls out, startled and uncomfortable. Her glare is intense, eyeing whoever approaches like she's sizing them up and judging them already.]
Hey, have you gotten to meet Harukawa-san yet? Do you have any recommendations for stuff she can order?
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I see...so are all familiars butterflies then? Or just yours? I'm guessing the latter, but...that parable could easily be applied to the concept of familiars in general...
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Especially now that she's gotten lost again.]
Huh? How could it apply to familiars in general?
[She looks between her two friends, mystified.]
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This is exactly what she would have expected of Kaede's close friend. It's astonishing in its predictability.]
That's right. It would make a lot of sense, though.
[Shuichi is on the other end of a meaningful, expectant stare. Care to enlighten Kaede as to why, here?]
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[He looks a little nervous, probably because of that piercing stare he's getting from Erika. It may not be aggressive, but it is a little overwhelming, at least for a meek personality like Shuichi. So he focuses his gaze on Kaede instead as he explains.]
The Butterfly Dream was a parable by the Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi. One night, he had a dream so realistic that he truly believed he was a butterfly, flying on the wind. Then he woke up, and remembered that he was a man. But it left him with the question of whether he was a man dreaming he was a butterfly or if he was now a butterfly dreaming he was a man. "Between a man and a butterfly, there is necessarily a distinction. The transition is called the transformation of material things."
[Sorry if you already knew this, Kaede. But he's assuming you must not know the story if you can't see how it relates to familiars.]
I don't know a lot about this kind of...fantasy stuff. But familiars were mentioned in one of the novels I've been reading. [You know, when he's not studying. Does this boy do anything other than read in his free time??] And the way I understand it, they're different than just a normal summon. They're kind of like...an extension of the summoner themselves, instead of an independent being that any mage could call upon, hence the term "familiar".
[He gestures to Erika's butterfly, giving the girl herself a look that seems to be asking for confirmation on some of his facts. His only knowledge of familiars comes from a work of fiction, after all. Fiction and a few comments from a friend of his who thinks she's a mage and once mentioned her own "familiar" to him.]
Mishima-san is the only one who can summon this butterfly because it's a part of her. So, in a way, familiars themselves can be seen as a parallel to the ultimate question of Zhuangzi's dream. Is Mishima-san a human summoning a butterfly or a butterfly summoned by a human?
[Make sense?]
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[She pouts at him, but lets him continue with his explanation as they walk, adjusting her grip on the books every now and then to make them easier to carry. A familiar is an extension of the mage themselves...? It kind of reminds her of how Gundam talked about his hamsters, except she's pretty sure that back home, they were just normal hamsters.
She hums in understanding, though, nodding every so often.]
I think I get it... Well, even if Erika-san were a butterfly dreaming of being a human, I'd still be her friend!
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[She makes it sound like she's admitting defeat, but her tone of voice is very pleased. The familiar lifts off abruptly, doing a merry little twirl in the air and landing on Kaede's head. Like a touch to the shoulder to say a silent thank you.]
That story is...very important to me. [She...kind of...sobers for a moment, as though masking fluster over the words coming out of her mouth.] Things like that, like, I could say..."whether I'm a butterfly or not, I'm here, and I can be your friend"... [mmmmmoving on from that real quick] Can't speak for why anyone else has the kind of familiar they do, but I'm sure there's a certain underlying logic. There usually is.
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[He looks a little sheepish. Sorry for assuming, Kaede...but it really seemed like you'd never heard of it!]
[But aww...look how cute and happy that butterfly is. Though Shuichi is still glad that it landed on Kaede, rather than him. He knows it's not really a bug and that butterflies are harmless but still.]]
Mm...it seems like the kind of thing that would have meaning and purpose. It's kind of neat, actually...
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A giggle as the butterfly alights atop her head, and Kaede tilts her head back to try to catch a glimpse of it perched up there. She doesn't know the full depth of the butterfly dream and Erika's background, but if it's important to Erika, that's more than enough.]
I'll play you one of those piano pieces next time you're free. Hey, hey, what do you think our familiars would be? Mine and Saihara-kun's?
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Huh? [Erika looks up, a little caught off-guard by the question. She opens her mouth as if to turn down the whole question, then closes them and looks at the ground, brows furrowed. This is a question she has very little capacity to answer! But she's trying to be creative for Kaede's sake.]
I don't know, [she says first on reflex, still obviously thinking.] Mmmm. [Still obviously overthinking.]
[It takes a little while.]
...Kaede. Maybe a songbird. Saihara...something like a mouse, I guess.
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.....
[God, he's made a pretty bad first impression hasn't he? If she already associates him with a mouse.]
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A songbird seems about right, then Erika calls Shuichi a mouse, and Kaede can't help but let out a little laugh, more from surprise than anything else.]
You really think so?
[She peers around Shuichi's shoulder as if to get a better look at his face, then giggles again and shakes her head.]
No way... don't you think he's more like a kitty? He's really quiet and soft on the outside, but on the inside he's really strong and cares a lot!
[Is this a "Kind Lie?" Because the mouse description does seem on the nose. On the snout, even.]
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[Crosses her arms. This judgment is final.]
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[He really...hasn't known Kaede for very long, has he? Objectively, he always knew this was the case but... "inside he's really strong and cares a lot!" really drives that point home. The killing game made time pass oddly, and so he felt like he'd known Kaede for much longer than a few days. But...she really doesn't know him that well at all, does she?]
[Because he's neither of those things. He's definitely not strong in any sense of the word and while he does care, he's not sure he'd say he cares "a lot". He's not like Gonta or Tenko or Kaito...those people who care so passionately about anything or everything.]
Ah, I suppose that's true. A mouse would be good for something like that. Though...I'm not sure that it really matters. A Chemist can't summon a familiar, after all.
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[She's still pretty sure her initial assessment is right? She could go on about all the reasons why she thinks he's strong and caring and much cooler than a mouse. But arguing with Erika is really an ordeal and Shuichi himself is agreeing, so...]
Yeah, bards and paladins can't, either. Oh, but it's fun to think about, right? What if you start studying one of those paths after you're done learning to be a chemist? I'm sure you'll get there in no time!
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[She half-mumbles that, sidelong commentary not really meant to be picked up on.
Kaede: still passively exerting conversational dominance, even on the moon. The natural order of things is maintained.]
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[Not that...he'd call being a chemist a strength per se, but it's a similar enough concept. Even if Erika didn't mean for it to be heard.]
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[Kaede takes the admonishment in stride. And also shoves her arms-full-of-books in Shuichi's direction.]
Hey, why am I carrying all these? You should carry some too, Saihara-kun!
[She... she is the one who took them in the first place... this is no one's fault but her own...]
Oh, right, Mishima-san... do you think you could talk to Miller-san again and see if he'll let you improve the bracers? You know, like adding cute filters and stuff for picture-taking.
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["Cute filters"....right, Kaede, that's the first priority. Thats definitely what makes Erika's eyes go a little wide at the news, and get that thinking-not-listening look in them.]
Whether it's access, or...yeah. I could do that. Where is he?
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[Being the doormat that he is, Shuichi doesn't point out that Kaede was the one who took the books in the first place, but just takes the entire armful with a small "oof".]
[This may as well happen.]
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[She lets him take the whole pile, then takes the top half back to carry herself. They can split it to both help Erika carry her things!
And then she looks back to Erika, raising both eyebrows.]
Well, the Director did put him in charge, so I guess he's allowed to do more things now. He's probably in her office?
[She'd point toward the ceiling if her arms weren't still full of books.]
We could drop these off at your room for you if you want to go see him! I'm sure nobody will move them if I just put them in front of the door. Oh, or if Aragaki-kun is home, I'll make sure he takes them.
[Shinji is just as much of a doormat as Shuichi when it comes down to it, at least in her experience. Just a bigger, scarier-looking one.]