Help, It's Spring and A Drama Student Has Appeared

[thestarknows]

⭐ Who: Junna Hoshimi... and you!
⭐ When: Throughout April!
⭐ Where: Throughout Yumemigaoka!
⭐ What: Various prompts within.

Comments

[shrieking_violet]

[ Chris was standing too - sways slightly, but manages to avoid turning this into a game of human dominoes with Junna. ]

...hn. Hope it's something, y'know. ...normal.

[thestarknows]

[Junna stops swaying... then looks sideways, back at Chris. She gives her an uncertain, worried look.]

...Probably normal, but... that really didn't sound good.

[shrieking_violet]

[ Didn't sound like a jumper or anything, so...

A mechanical failure was less distressing than that! ]

I really don't wanna walk.

[thestarknows]

[Junna frowns, as she considers that -- and looks around the train. Lots of people are doing the same and checking their phones.

Then, back to Chris.]

How... how long would it be from here, you think? To a station?

[shrieking_violet]

Probably faster than waiting.

[ If train broke. ]

Not that they'll let us off unless it's really fucked, though.

[thestarknows]

It's probably for the best, right? Since... it'd be dangerous to walk through the tunnels. Unless we really had to.

[Getting hit by a train if they got into the wrong one, for instance.

But also she's a rules follower.]

[shrieking_violet]

...that could be messy.

[ Chris isn't a rule follower, but she is risk-averse. ]

[thestarknows]

Not how I want to go.

[She groans and... and makes a bit of a face. Quite the mental image.]

[shrieking_violet]

[ Chris winces too. ]

So, we're staying put unless something bursts into flames.

[ That thought makes her wince... more? A stopped train shouldn't be enough to have her imagining Horrible Death this vividly should it? ]

[thestarknows]

Ch-Chris. Maybe we don't imagine unlikely but plausible worst case scenarios?

[Her eyebrow twitches a little.]

P-Please?

[shrieking_violet]

Y-yeah, we're totally safe!

[ At least she's not the only one getting nervous about nothing. ]

[thestarknows]

Yes. We just have... to sit here.

[a beat]

...for hours.

[another beat]

...and nothing to do.

[...sigh.]

[shrieking_violet]

[ Maybe Chris can just knock herself out to pass the time. ]

...sooo. ...up to... anything interesting lately?

[thestarknows]

Well... I... looked at auditions for a musical. I didn't audition. But I looked at them!

[Small victories.

She pauses, though, because it sounds lame.]

What about you?

[shrieking_violet]

Oh! ...I'm glad you're keeping it in mind.

[ It perks her up a little. ]

I've had enough on my plate with classes.

[thestarknows]

Yeah. I'm not sure, it's a big time commitment. But...

[She wants to. That much is clear. She looks a little distant, for a moment, then her eyebrows lift.

She nods.]

Yeah. New year and all, right? How do they look?

[shrieking_violet]

I'm managing.

[ Which is honestly already an achievement. ]

It's been cutting into Dreamer... stuff though.

[thestarknows]

It's hard to do both?

[There's a sympathetic look. Yeah, Junna does it...

By not quite sleeping enough and pushing herself harder than she neds to.]

[shrieking_violet]

...maybe if I was smarter I wouldn't need so much time for school.

[ Chris frowns. Asking for tutoring would sting too. ]

[thestarknows]

[Junna frowns. She hesitates. Maybe it's too much to say, but -- but after seeing everything Amane went through, after seeing the way Lisa could push herself so hard...

She should speak up, when she thinks it's right.]

...You're not lacking in smarts. It's okay to struggle with something and need help. It doesn't mean you've done something wrong.

[shrieking_violet]

[ Chris takes a deep breath. ]

Figured you'd say that.

[ She says it pretty neutrally. It doesn't feel like it should be true, but needs to remember to believe that Junna means it. ]'

...d'you think we could study together a little?

[thestarknows]

Figured you needed to hear it. But it's still true.

[She smiles a little bit.

Then, she blinks -- and, well, she wouldn't ever turn her away. But it is a surprise to hear Chris ask for help. Junna nods.]

Of course! Of course. I'd be happy to.

[shrieking_violet]

[ It's odd that Junna's the person she likes the most here so far - but the whole thing is odd. ]

Thanks. ...not much we can do about that here though.

[thestarknows]

...not so much, unless you happened to bring all of your books with you.

[...probably not. Junna smiles a bit.] Kidding!

[shrieking_violet]

Yeah, those don't go with me anywhere they don't have to.