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 Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 8:54 pm
He sat with his sketchpad in his hand against one of the tables inside the mall, his hazel eyes watching a few people hustle and bustle there as they went about their daily routines. Every now and then the pencil he held in his left hand would flick down to the surface of the paper and scribble something in one of the few free spaces left on the cluttered page, Micajah's habit being to recycle books as much as one person could, and finally after the hand had moved for a while the face looked down to note the progress.
While Micajah had no particular reason to be out today other than perhaps trying to get new supplies for school, such as a new notebook and more pencils and pens, so he decided to kill some time before he went to actually do his errand by sitting around and just...watching.
He was dressed comfortably for the day in rather neat attire - a button up tri-quarter shirt that was a pale lavender in color, some slightly faded jeans that had white patches at the knee from constant kneeling, and the usual sneakers he wore when he wasn't going to places like class or open house. His hair was finally long enough that he could pull it into something resembling a braid, though he had to tie the end of with some lace ribbon he had leftover from his Halloween costume, and it hung slightly on his shoulder only to move when he moved.
"This will be my second winter here at ShinKami. I wonder why this year feels different from last yet. A bit more..."
Micajah couldn't think of the word he wanted to use just yet, and he turned the pages in his sketchbook until he reached a blank, white sheet.
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Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 12:17 pm
"A bit more, what?" Siona stood behind the boy, but not too close- she didn't know how he would take to someone else standing very close and surprising him, anyway- with the shawl of her favorite green salwar kameez draped around her shoulders and tucked into the crook of her arm. She had just come from the bookstore, her findings contained in a small bag on her arm. (Considering she still hadn't yet unpacked the books she already had, she felt a little silly buying more.)
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Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 2:00 pm
What was with people and their habit of startling him lately?! Was there a sign or something on his back that read 'concentrating - please scare shitless' ?! Micajah's hand had reacted to the nerves by drawing a large black streak across the rather interesting doodle he'd been doing of one of the walls of the shop, effectively ruining it, but for some reason or another he didn't seem to be as torn apart about it as one would think to have a picture scrapped. Instead he merely turned the page over to a new white one, ready to start again.
"A bit more...anti-climactic maybe? I don't know what word I want to use."
Micajah smiled warmly at the woman, his mind placing her as the very same person he had met at the Open House not too long ago. She seemed to have gotten the job, whichever one she had mentioned she was applying for (he remembered faces, not really words exchanged), and he wondered if any of the other boys in the school were already writing love letters to her. A woman on the island, other than Ms. Falcone whom most feared, was something no one would easily miss.
"How are you doing today, Professor?"
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Posted: Sat Nov 15, 2008 11:20 pm
She pulled up a chair from a nearby table, smiled apologetically at the nearby diners, and sat with the student. "I'm sorry, did I disturb your drawing?" Siona hadn't known the boy was artistic; that sort of thing hadn't come up at the Open House, and since he didn't look to join the Science division of the school, his file hadn't been among the ones delivered to her when she first returned (although she had been assured it was on its way). Taking a moment to set her bag down and adjust the wrap, she entwined her fingers in the metallic embroidery along its edges. "I'm doing well, thank you for asking. Yourself?"
Oh, she really wanted a journal or something here so she could start making notes on this boy straight away. Instead, lacking paper, she made a mental note to find out what had happened last Christmas at ShinKami that someone would want to have a more anti-climactic holiday.
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Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 6:28 pm
"I can't complain. This aren't that great, but they're not unbearably bad either, so I'm at a decently good middle ground."
Micajah reminded himself that he had to watch what he said around this woman, for some reason his body getting the feel that she was doing more than simply just talking with him. He didn't see too many teachers out and about, at least not ones of high merit at ShinKami, so for one to be traveling around and willing to stop and talk with him raised a yellow flag.
"And no, you didn't really. I tend to doodle without really thinking about it as it keeps my hands from feeling idle. I don't always have to be busy, mind you, but it helps pass the time between classes or anything else I want to be doing."
Every now and then a doodle did relate to class, but lately it focused on clothing and on puppets. He wanted to try and make somethign new for Christmas this year, perhaps something lifesized...
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Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 6:45 pm
Being as she had been at ShinKami for less than two days, Siona expected wariness from the students- at least until they got to know what sort of teacher she was, anyway. "No, that makes sense," she said, not at all as condescending as the thoughts in her head- possibly self-absorbed, too- in fact, she sounded quite motherly. Thinking that perhaps it was a good time to be quiet for a moment, she waited a beat before saying, "When I'm sitting still, I'm usually writing. May I see your drawings?" But she didn't hold out a hand; no pressure.
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Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 7:00 pm
"Sure, if you want. They're really messy though since I'm kind of tight on money and can't always afford a new notebook."
He slid the notepad over the table and towards Siona, making sure to not let any of the pages get any more bent then they had been suffering from his recent barrages on them. There wasn't anything in the book he needed to hide from anyone so he was more than willing to share.
"Also careful that you don't get pencil lead all over you. I tend to be pretty liberal with use."
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Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 7:35 pm
Siona appreciated the warning, and kept the pad away from her pretty clothes. "Thank you," she said as she flipped through the book, noting trends and the fact that yes, he really did use too much pressure on the graphite- some of the pages were torn, even. Moving at an even pace, she could get a look at all of the drawings and not pore over the ones she found fascinating. "Some of these are very beautiful." Gingerly, not wanting to smudge the pencil marks, she passed it back to him. "Do you like puppets, then?"
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Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 5:03 pm
"Quite a bit actually, and thank you for the compliment. Most of these I've forgotten I'd drawn considering I don't flip back through the pages too often. It's because of that habit that I sometimes redraw the same plans five times over in the same way without ever realizing it."
He motioned to a doodle on one page with the tip of his finger, turning a few pages afterward to reveal the same exact thing on a different sheet. Except for its location and the size they sketches could have been copied and pasted into place, their amount of strokes exactly the same.
"I've always liked making puppets ever since I was little. My mother and I used to make them together whenever she could and I sort of picked up the habit and love of doing so from her."
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Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 5:30 pm
Used... could. Past tense. Micajah's mother must not be active in his life at the very least. She didn't doubt the woman was dead. "You have an incredible memory, if that's the case," she prompted, letting him make of that what he would.
"Puppets? Are there any particular kinds you like?" Her goal was to get as much information now as she could without giving away her own prejudices against certain things, to build some kind of bridge, just like it would be with any other student.
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Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 5:41 pm
"In terms of puppets? I really like marionettes, they're beautiful to look at and fun to control, though I'm also really fond of Bunraku puppets as well. For things so massive they are works of pure art."
Micajah grinned at the topic, hoping he was steering her away from asking anything too personal. If she wanted to know about it he'd tell her all about his love for puppetry for as long as she sat in front of him.
"I'm not skilled at making them yet, so I mostly stick to finger or hand puppets. I have amassed quite a collection in the time I spend in my room instead of going to class."
He'd been making enough puppets by now he could probably put on his own Punch 'n Judy style show and never have repeat characters.
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Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 5:46 pm
She nodded, understanding the marionette reference but not 'bunraku'. "I'm not familiar with puppetry," she said nonchalantly. "Do you mind telling me what a 'bunraku' puppet is?"
Then, at his next few statements: "Why don't you go to class, Micajah?"
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Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2008 11:21 pm
"Bunraku is a Japanese style of puppetry. The puppets are large and very intricate in their appearance, and unlike other puppets that move with strings or sticks they are moved by an actual person standing behind them. Usually that person is dressed either in all black or in an outfit that complements whatever they're performing, so it's always fun to watch."
Micajah had never actually been to a performance, his Father not interested in the art so he never made an effort to allow his son to go, but he did watch videos from time to time whenever someone bothered to ask his interests and give them to him as a present or a bribe.
"If you've never seen it before I recommend you give it a try, you may like it more than you thought you would. The stories can be hard to understand if you don't speak Japanese, though if you simply watch the puppets it gets a little easier as it goes on."
He wondered if he should lend her a tape some time, if she was actually going to be interested.
"And as for why I don't go to the classrooms, it's because we can do classes in our own rooms, you know? It's easier for me since I have a pretty weird sleep schedule anyway, and I don't have to worry about things going to fast or too slow. I set my own pace."
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Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 6:49 pm
She nodded, murmuring an "ah" at the explanation. Personally, she had always found puppets and dolls a little creepy, which was probably (she thought) the result of some childhood trauma. Unfortunately, doing away with multiple personality disorder also did away with repressed trauma. That theory didn't hold water. "It does sound fascinating," Siona said diplomatically.
Far more fascinating, though, was the way Micajah explained what could only be called 'his antisocial tendencies'. "Then don't you lose the experience of hearing another person's- teacher, student, or otherwise- viewpoints on the subject?" She canted her head a bit to the left, genuinely curious and unafraid of showing it. Weird sleep schedules, too... This student was proving to be a regular Gordian knot!
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Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 7:33 pm
"It's true I lose listening to someone else's point of view, but isn't it best to form your own on something? I know that leads to beating heads with someone else when your opinions collide and facts don't match, but doesn't that make it all the more fun? Sure no one likes to argue, but that can create so many different relationships with people."
Micajah folded his fingers together and moved so his elbows were resting now on the table and he could prop his chin against the side of his hands. His eyes were still peering into Siona's, his gaze unwavering.
"Also, viewpoints are just that - viewpoints. Being by one's self allows you to get more facts then opinions and therefore increases your knowledge on a subject."
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