open | why such a long face

[esperimental]

WHO: Ritsu, with closed threads with Nikolai, Garry, Charlotte, and OPEN in the post itself!
WHERE: At home, then around Apprassage
WHEN: Backdated, Closed 03/06 - 03/08, Open 03/09 - 03/10
WHAT: Ritsu's unfortunate history of head trauma meant he had to stay still and miss a week of class after suffering a silly (but deemed serious enough) bonk in the same place during the blackout. Most students would rejoice over this sort of thing, but Ritsu is not most students, instead he's fretting over his lack of productivity. And so, Ritsu talks more than he's used to, pettily causes trouble for his babysitter, then wanders about aimlessly.
WARNINGS: Talk of bullying and hospitalization with Nikolai, otherwise none

Finally free from house arrest, Ritsu still wasn't cleared for going to school, so he thought he should further familiarize himself with the city that, at the moment, didn't feel like home yet even after a few months of being here. Ritsu doubted it ever fully would, but his parents had been so enthusiastic about his scholarship there that he'd feel like he would let them down if he said he wasn't happy. What was happiness, really? The preteen with no hobbies other than studying--and even that he wasn't sure if he did for enjoyment rather than habit--sure didn't know.

Recollé History Museum

"Huh, you're not on a field trip or something kid?" Ritsu shook his head. The man at the counter looked amused. "Well, you sure are a rare type these days. Don't go getting lost now."

Stopping himself from making a snide remark that he's not that incompetent without an adult, Ritsu went inside, looking around for evidence that the Chocobo has indeed replaced the horse in all forms. Sure enough, he comes across a statue of a Chocobo with its rider, the feathery form looking like it must have been more tedious to craft than its original base that Ritsu would now never see. "No more horses, huh..."

"Horses?" A curator looked at him quizzically.

Ritsu's shoulders tense up at the realization someone heard him. "Oh, um. Nothing."

The curator moved on, and Ritsu looked at the statue again. Maybe he'd find other Retrospec users here? But he supposed there was no way to really tell. At the least, he'd be learning a lot and at his own pace, he always hated how field trips forced you to move on before you could read everything.

Recollé Art Museum

Personally, Ritsu never really cultivated his artistic sensibilities, so he wasn't sure why he was here. He must have really been that bored. Staring at a silly piece that just looked like a bunch of house items tossed and pieced together, he muttered to himself.

"Do people really make analytical essays over this type of thing?"

Some people blabbed about true art being incomprehensible but this was something else.

Apprassage Outdoors

"Excuse me..." Ritsu was getting peckish, and he wasn't really sure where would be a good place to get a bite to eat. Not in the mood to turn and head back home yet, he ends up asking a stranger for a recommendation. Or maybe he just doesn't recognize them from over the Internet.

"Do you know a good place to eat? One that isn't too expensive."

He'd appreciate not having to go all the way to Chata or Tisse which seemed to have the best eateries, but if he had to stick with street food he didn't mind so long as it looked clean.

[ Will match formats! ]

Comments

Nikolai - 03/06

[esperimental]

There's only so long you can avoid talking about traumatic incidents, or inconvenient slips of paper that leak out something you never would have outright said. Ritsu sat at the dinner table nervously scratching his knee in the silence. How long would it take until they turned to these topics? If he said nothing, would it be a relief, or did he just want it done and over with? As the tension he perceived in the air began to choke him, Ritsu loudly sighed. The latter, he definitely wanted the latter.

[voidedmemory]

"Hm?"

Nikolai, for his part, is...well, he's not thinking about that, exactly. He's more likely to be thinking about work, to be honest, or the play that's coming up...

But just because he's distracted sometimes doesn't mean he's entirely unobservant, so.

"...Ritsu, you've been quieter than usual. Is there something bothering you?"

[esperimental]

"What did it tell you." Ritsu raised his free hand, pointing it to the back of his shoulder. No mincing words now; once a large enough crack was made in his composure everything just spilled out. Not the prettiest of habits. He had to work on that, somehow.

"I thought I could just ignore it. It's different when you have to see that person everyday... Mr. Nikolai, what did it say about me?"

He couldn't bare to look at the man directly. Somehow, he felt it must have been worse than what had been published online, otherwise he would have just gotten a talk on how it was perfectly fine to not know what you wanted to be at age twelve.

[voidedmemory]

Ah, that. He'd been hoping to ease Ritsu's mind by staying silent, but obviously that hadn't worked too well...in fact, it'd probably done the opposite, which was upsetting.

(Even if it had been something that innocuous, he wouldn't really have talked about it. He had his own secrets, so it wasn't right for him to pry...and it especially wasn't right for him to talk about something Ritsu hadn't shared voluntarily).

Obviously Ritsu can't hear his thoughts, so from the outside there's a long moment of silence before Nikolai speaks.

"...It said that you 'drove your brother away'."

He simply answers the question, nothing more. If he has any thoughts on it, his expression doesn't change to reflect it.

[esperimental]

"... I see."

Ritsu's voice was trying, so hard to not crack. It was a vulnerability he hated, the feeling of guilt centered on his brother's disappearance. He stirs his soup, not raising the spoon up. Thank the heavens this wasn't happening around his parents, he thought. They had to think he was alright, Ritsu was always alright. Except that he's lost his appetite.

It was pointless to continue on that line of conversation, he lost so much blood Ritsu convinced even himself he could barely remember a thing from then.

How could he blame himself when he was the one who got hurt to begin with? He started the fight.
... But no, that was the bullies. He should have known better. They couldn't win.
He should have kept his head down. He shouldn't have said anything.
Who was more hurt in the end? Obviously, the one who fled his own family.

Repeating his inner mind's protests, Ritsu spaces out and absorbs the silence. It might take a bit before he goes ahead and elaborates, fortunately Nikolai was a patient man.

[voidedmemory]

Nikolai doesn't push him at all; rather, he goes back to eating like nothing had been said. Ritsu will open up in his own time, or not at all, so...

"...It's not my place to ask, so you don't have to explain if you don't want to. I have things I don't tell anyone either."

It's a vulnerable admittance, but it's not as if Ritsu was going to go and say anything to anyone, anyway.

And it's been a long time since he's spoken, even vaguely, of the things he's left behind.

Garry - 03/07

[esperimental]

Ritsu wasn't exactly stealthy about his disdain for having a caretaker, but despite all the weird looks he gave to Nikolai whenever the subject was brought up, it seemed there was no further arguing the matter. He supposed at least, maybe he could make Garry be the one to squash the giant bug if it was still lingering around somewhere. Then again, this man's nerves were so fragile he didn't have much faith in that either. With a sigh, Ritsu flips on the television to make sure he doesn't have to engage in conversation. That's probably not going to last long, however.

[rosebleue]

[ Well, Ritsu's not wrong about the bug thing, but if he needed to he'd take care of it for him...he is the adult here after all!!

Though for now, it looks like they're just sitting in the living room in awkward non-silence. The sound of the television does help take the edge off a bit...but Garry feels weird after a while of not saying anything. Sorry Ritsu. ]

What are you watching?

[esperimental]

[ Ritsu's just flipped this on at random, so it's practically an in medias res situation. ]

Well, this one looks like it's about a murderous terror on a train and... [ "You don't want me watching that." Fortunately the remote has a quick boop before anther poor bloke dies a horrible gruesome death. ]

... Oh, it's an art documentary. Do you watch stuff like this too even when you're main thing's designing clothes Garry-san?

Garry and Charlotte - 03/08

[esperimental]

Garry was convinced Ritsu needed more friends, and this wasn't objectively wrong. In fact, he couldn't be more right. Most can equate this sort of social awkwardness with being in ~a new environment~ or whatever, but Ritsu was objectively apprehensive at forming most bonds for whatever reason. The introduction of Charlotte into his life was some time ago now, Ritsu didn't really remember when exactly, but one thing was always the same: she always weirded him out (but at least she wasn't unpleasant).

Ahh, waiting for them to come by was a little tense. Maybe he should already prepare the tea...?

[magcat]

[ Fear not, Ritsu. They're approaching his humble abode as fast as they can! He might be able to hear Charlotte speak if he's close to the door, perhaps. ]

I wonder how Ritsu is doing... I haven't seen him in awhile-- have you, Garry?

[ She looks at the door curiously, then at Garry. It's not every day she actually visits his house, he is pretty anti-social. She's trying to improve that!!! ]

Do you think he'll like the snacks we brought? I hope so -- oh, oh, should I knock?

[rosebleue]

[ Back at it again at Krispy Kreme....this time with Charlotte. He really hopes having her around would help break the ice faster...Ritsu definitely needed more friends closer to his age!! ]

I've seen him just yesterday. He seemed to be doing fine. [ Or he thinks he was fine? Garry honestly couldn't tell, but he hoped he was. ]

I'm sure he will! You know what they say, the fastest way to a boy's heart is through his stomach. [ This ideom applied here too right?? Right??? ] And sure, go ahead. He's probably already waiting in the living room.

[esperimental]

[ THE VOICES, the footsteps... they are here. Is it too weirdly on edge if Ritsu just up and opens the door now--it probably is. Staying seated didn't seem appropriate either though. But if he walks toward the door now before they do the whole "we're here!" ritual it'll seem like he's excited to see them when he isn't?

What kind of social anxiety dilemmas. Crap. Okay whatever he's just going to wait for the knocking first. ]

[magcat]

[ Why is this all strangely relatable.

ANYWAY-- with a small nod, there she goes. Knocking! She'll knock three times so she's not obnoxious though. ]

Ritsu? Are you here?

I brought Garry too! Or... I think he technically brought me, but...

[ Garry is the one that brought the treats so she'll let him say the rest. ]

[rosebleue]

We... brought each other!

[ There, a fair compromise. ]

Hope we're not intruding-- [ He says, though it's not like they came by uninvited. ] We've got snacks too! I wasn't sure what things you liked so uh, we picked out different things.

art museum!

[meweh]

[ It so happens that Hizuru is studying the same piece, whose meaning somewhat eludes him, when he hears those words. He's not there for an assignment, much less as an art connoisseur, but the rhetorical question is open enough that he turns his head to the boy. ]

Do you think that's strange?

[esperimental]

It feels like it would be very... roundabout. People would pull the "eye of the beholder" statement then fill out a page requirement for their teacher or something. But maybe others enjoy doing that sort of activity that returns no solid answer? Hmm.

[meweh]

Those essays require historical knowledge of the piece. If you think about it from the perspective of the creator, you can start to guess the answer regardless of your personal opinion. That's how they usually work.

Like you said, though, it's still not very solid.

google youre disappointing me i want weirder

[esperimental]

That's true. But there's also The Death of the Author, wherein you judge it on its own; the question of if that's more respectful to the quality of the piece or not is debatable I'm sure. Even if it started with textual context, does it work with art?

[ These types of discussions should probably be like... some good number of years away, live a little less seriously Ritsu, but he won't listen ever. ]

... Rather, I guess discussion is more fruitful than putting down one's thoughts on their own on paper, like right now. If I were to do academic papers on most things, I have enough faith in myself, but that doesn't work with... this.

when will eli get the weird she deserves

[meweh]

[ To each his own? It's rather unusual to hear such thoughtful statements from a kid—he looks that age—but it's not something Hizuru would discourage. In fact, he lets the question sink in quietly before turning to the balloons. ]

You'd need a set of questions for this one.

[ He can't imagine writing something out of thin air on this. ]

art museum

[appraiser]

[ I once wrote a three page essay on this print talking about identity and one's journey from life to death, smh the entire time... Household items are infinitely easier to make stuff up about, or so Ryoji thinks as he pops over Ritsu's shoulder to look at the piece hanging in front of him. ]

Art is like a window into the artist's soul: you can learn a lot about their beliefs and world view by studying their works. Like this— [ His outstretched finger hovers over the mess in the foreground, a pair of scissors and a watch resting on a desk. ] ...Something about cutting ties, and... the fear of running out of time?

[esperimental]

[ SALUTES YOU... Ritsu is surprised by the sudden appearance of a teenager behind him, and tries to downplay his jumpiness by turning stiff instead; he eases well and good enough when he finds the other visitor was only making friendly conversation, maybe he shouldn't have been talking out loud. ]

That's a very... cynical way to look at everyday objects. But I guess that's not wrong, there's only so much time each person has in this world.

[ Now he just tilts his head. ] ... Are you an artist?

[appraiser]

It could mean other things: destruction as a prelude to creation, repetition of history... perhaps this is just the artist's favorite watches they wanted to show off.

[ He laughs, shaking his head, because he's not an artist by any means of the word. If he were capable of drawing, much of it would be simply day to day objects sitting right in front of him, just as this piece of artwork seems to be when one steps back and stops reading too deeply into meaning that might not be there. ]

But no... I don't often understand art very well, but I do find it interesting in trying to understand how the artists lived. Have you been on a guided tour here? Some talk about the artists' lives, others attempt to interpret the artwork if asked.

[esperimental]

No, not really. I just entered because I'm on sick leave from class right now.

[ Normally Ritsu wouldn't consider meeting chatty people a plus to his day, but... this was kind of nice? The guy had a comfortable enough aura, he didn't mind being with him for a while at least. ]

I mean, it is different between when creators view it, and just us as laymen... I've heard they change their exhibits here fairly often too. I might not get it, but an artistically flourishing city is never a bad sign.

[appraiser]

[ Ryoji's initial reaction is to protest, because sick people should stay at home in bed!!! But he doesn't, pressing his lips together in a hum because unless he's medicated and knocked out, he can't exactly say he's the type to be good and stay home either, when he's capable of standing and walking. Museums are a nice choice anyways: quiet, mostly empty, and the people here know to keep their voices down too, as if too loud a noise could damage the paintings. ]

Mm. Art is a sign of life, different cultures and experiences filtering through our little city. I love being able to come back every few months, and everything is different. Understanding doesn't matter, I think; I still love things I don't understand.