Out with the old....

[sundead]

Who: Everyone
What: New Year's.
When: Dec. 31st, New Year's Eve, to Jan 1st, New Year's Day.
Where: Everywhere
Summary: It's New Year's, and the people of Luceti have a lot to reflect upon, and to look forward to. And on a more meta level, new journal names.
Rating: We'll see...

New Year's brings images of crowds, and songs, and fireworks; staying up til midnight and watching balls or bells being rung. But Luceti is a different time and place. Whether you're partying with friends or watching the sunrise, what are you doing today?

Comments

[etudes]

[ It actually takes a few moments before Kotomi even looks up from her book to stare at him curiously for a few moments quietly instead - maybe she's wondering if she recognizes him or not, but then she speaks up all the same. ]

... I think reading is a lot of fun..

[forgiatura]

[ Lucky for Kotomi (or unlucky, probably —) Spada has vast experience with dealing with bookworms and he's not leaving her at that. ]

But a celebration for the new year ain't really the place for it. [ A pause, glancing at the book just long enough to recognize enough words to lose interest again. ] What's the point of even sittin' outside if you're not lookin' at the fireworks?

[etudes]

[ for another moment she stares at him blankly, but then she looks up at the sky for a moment.. and then back to her book immediately. ]

I saw them now. [ as if just that is enough. ]

[forgiatura]

[ ... hummmnn. ]

That still doesn't answer why you're sittin' out here in the middle of the night readin' a book instead of just stayin' home.

[etudes]

I've read before that it is a tradition to go outside during New Year's and see the fireworks.

[ rather than realising herself it's a.. normal common social thing.. ]

So I decided that just maybe I should do it.. [ and then she took a book along. ]

[forgiatura]

So why not actually celebrate while you're at it instead of sittin' in your own world, huh?

[etudes]

[ for a moment she seems actually genuinely surprised. ]

I'm not celebrating right now..? [ reading a book out under the fireworks sounds like a legit celebration to her!! ]

[forgiatura]

[ How sad. Tragic, even. B( ]

'course not! You're missin' out on the lights and the partyin' and everythin'.

[ Possibly leaning down to get a better look at that book. Still not sure what it actually says, but ... ]

The hell could you be readin' about that's more interestin' than that?

[etudes]

It's a book about the theory of atomic structure and spectra. [ she says it as if it's nothing special at all, looking at him blankly. ]

It's a really, really interesting book..

[ more interesting than a party, apparently. ]

[forgiatura]

[ And that goes right over his head so he just goes to the assumption that it's boring. He's still trying to get something of use out of words, though. (A little baffled, maybe — she's even worse than Luca — but trying!) ]

But you could read that any time, right?

[etudes]

No.

[ as she says that, she turns her head back to the book again - as if she's reading and talking at the same time. ]

Tomorrow I'll be reading a different book, after all. [ Kotomi logic ™ ]

[forgiatura]

[ Welp. He takes a seat next to her, cocks his head back, and sighs in an extremely exaggerated manner — these kind of situations are so exhausting. ]

You can't live your whole life through books, you know.

[etudes]

Living.. through books?

[ she isn't entirely sure what he means, apparently, so she just tilts her head to the side slightly as if questioning him. ]

[forgiatura]

[ ... progress? He pounces on the opportunity to have her interest, in any case, leaning towards her, bumping shoulders. ]

Yeah. You're never gonna experience anythin' if you're just readin' all day.

[etudes]

[ Kotomi is so passively sitting there that the moment she's shoulder-bumped, she actually wobbles a bit into the opposite direction before she bounces back again, like some sort of doll. ]

I've already experienced a lot of things in my life, though..

[forgiatura]

Can't say you've experienced everything though, can you?

[ ... Casually nudging her side with his elbow. Seeing if it's anything like bumping shoulders ... ]

[etudes]

[ yup, it is, since exactly the same thing happens again - wobbling back and forth, although slightly less this time. ]

I don't think it's possible to have experienced everything in the world. Surely it would take longer than a single human life to reach that level.

[forgiatura]

[ Okay, this time he laughs a little at the wobbling. ]

Not everythin', but ... you can at least get the most out of it while you can, right?

[etudes]

But.. [ looking at the book for a moment again. ] What if I find just reading fun already..?

[forgiatura]

Why don't you at least give it a shot? [ Leaning into her personal space again. Spada's awful at actually respecting it. ] You spend the rest of the night without touchin' a book and see how you like it, you know?

[etudes]

[ now she seems to become a bit more uncomfortable - maybe it's the way he's that close to her, or maybe it's the suggestion of putting away her book (god forbid) - but it's easy to notice in her expression. ]

A-a.. are you a bully..?

[forgiatura]

[ ... wwwhoops. He's not sure why everyone pegs him as a bully, but it's certainly not his intention in this situation and he at the least returns a little bit of that personal space. ]

The hell'd that come from?!

[etudes]

[ to be fair, Kotomi considers 80% of the Luceti population bullies occasionally.. ]

Y-you want me to stop reading my book, s-so you must be a bully..!