The Perk - Afternoon

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

Ichigo wasn't hiding out. That was just stupid. He was just hiding out avoiding going back through the lobby in case someone tried to talk him into that homecoming madness again. No one in particular, really. Nope. And there was nothing shameful about avoiding a messy situation. He might have been overreacting, but if there was one thing he learned about the girls at Fandom, it was that you could never be too careful.

So he was sitting at a table in the Perk, nursing a hot chocolate and reading a book on the afterlife in different cultures. No reason for that either.

[So very open.]

Comments

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

Hinata still had class later that afternoon, but she had plenty of time for the moment and had been feeling like something sweet and warm. She bobbed her head in greeting. "Kurosaki-san," she said, smiling slightly, before placing her order for a hot chocolate.

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

Ichigo glanced up from his book. "Hey, Hinata," he said with a smile. "No classes?"

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

"Alchemy still, for l-last period," she admitted, obtaining her hot chocolate with a murmured thank you, "but I have t-time enough to s-spend before I'm r-required there. And y-you? Taking it easy t-today?"

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

"Just Physics," he said. "We played pool. A lot easier than most of the classes." He kicked the chair opposite him out from under the table as an invitation to sit.

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

"Y-You find Physics d-difficult?" she wondered, smiling at the invitation and taking a seat.

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

"Some of it," he admitted, shrugging his shoulder. "I mean, I'll get it if I just study enough, but there's a few people in the class who seem to just know it already."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

That got a bit of a smile. "It d-depends too, I w-would imagine, on the m-material that is c-covered? Some of i-it is easier than other parts."

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

"Well, pool was easier," he grinned. "And more fun too."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

That got a soft laugh. "A-Are you good at i-it?"

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

"Well, I don't suck?" he allowed. "So it could be a whole lot worse."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

"I've n-never tried," she admitted. "So I w-wouldn't know if it was d-difficult or not."

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

"You could learn," he suggested, taking a sip from his cup. It might have been a sort of offer.

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

She blew lightly on her hot chocolate, waiting for it to cool slightly. "I c-could," she conceded, with an inquiring glance at him.

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

"Sure, if you'd like," he answered the question he assumed she was asking. "I could do that. I'm not the best player, but still..."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

"T-Thank you," she said, taking a careful sip of her drink. "I would l-like that, and t-they say that one w-way to g-get better at s-something is to t-teach it..."

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

"What if I teach it badly?" he asked. "I could be teaching you the wrong things."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

"Y-You know the rules," she said, smiling at that. "Y-You've said you a-are not bad at it. I a-am sure it w-will be fine enough."

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

"Don't say I didn't warn you," he teased. "So what's this alchemy class you've got?"

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

"It's a l-lot of things," she admitted, eyebrows drawing together slightly, "i-it's the hardest c-class I've had s-since coming here, h-honestly."

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

"I'll take that as a warning," he grinned. "You like it?"

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

She considered it. "I do not d-dislike it," she mused, "b-but it's n-not a subject I c-can see being u-useful outside of the c-classroom and that d-does dampen my opinion a b-bit. It's i-interesting, but irrelevant."

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

"Not everything needs to be useable," he pointed out. "Sometimes it's fine to just know things."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

"True enough," she conceded, "b-but I would rather be a-able to prove that k-knowing them is u-useful, whether as a h-hobby or in the l-line of duty."

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

"I think knowing something is always useful," he decided.

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

"P-Potentially useful," she said, flushing at correcting him.

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

"Or that," he allowed easily, not all too bothered.

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

She nodded. "W-What have you been u-up to, besides pool?"

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

Getting conned into homecoming?

"Not much. This place is making me lazy," he smirked. "Oh, I've got a challenge with Ino to see who will cave into talking to the other first."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

That got a laugh. "N-No offense," she said lightly, "b-but I would b-bet on Ino-san w-winning."

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

"Hey, no underestimating me," he protested. "I can outlast Ino. I'm better at staying quiet than she is."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

That got a slight shrug, as she didn't really know him well enough to say otherwise.

"Ino-san loves a c-challenge."

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

"No kidding," he sipped from his hot cocoa. "Have you considered that whole payback thing?"

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

Her own hot chocolate was cool enough by now to drink. She took a long sip of it before shaking her head. "I've b-been busy with o-other things to t-think of it."

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

"That's cool. What you've been up to?" he asked.

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

"P-Practicing my l-lines," she admitted. "Y-Yei doesn't m-make such a good audience t-though because she w-won't care how m-many times I mess up. A-And it's hard to be intimidated b-by a kitten the w-way a c-crowd would."

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

"Lines? Like acting?" he asked. "I didn't know you did that."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

That got a bit of a rueful laugh. "G-Geoffrey-san talked me into i-it," she admitted. "He s-said it'd be good for m-my confidence, but n-now I'm j-just worried that I'll m-mess up when the p-production goes l-live."

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

"You just got to pretend no one's watching," Ichigo decided. "Do you like it?"

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

"It's n-not so easy," she said, "w-when you've b-been trained t-to notice when t-they are. I d-do like it, at l-least the l-learning of lines and w-working with Geoffrey-san."

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, somehow I doubt it would be easy," he agreed. "I bet you have no reason to be nervous anyway."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

She flushed a bit.. "You've n-never seen me try."

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

"I could," he offered easily. He was bored anyway and if it helped?

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

She gave him a look of horror. "R-Right now?"

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

He recognised that look and tried to sound reassuring. "No. Whenever you think you might like it."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

That got her to relax a bit. "I w-will then," once she'd had the time to prepare herself for it, "as l-long as it's n-not a bother."