i'm getting a good grade in yogen lore, which is something normal people definitely try to get

[crystallomancy]

Who: Whoever's in the dormitories
When: Friday, October 1st
What: It's time for a little lecture. And a genuine information meeting. But mostly a lecture.
Warnings: N/A please don't make me change this.

( Early in the morning, a curious text gets posted. )

N.Sakasaki

DRM-STDYHLL
1800HRS

( ...In less coded news, the dormitory's study hall will have a note taped to it:

Yogen and You: A Quick Summary
Held by Natsume Sakasaki

For those who need a summary of events, whether because our meetings rarely get anything done in terms of information sharing or because you're freshly awakened. Come around dinner time for food, enlightenment, and the opportunity to share your troubles with those going through the same thing.

The room will be locked all day until about half an hour before six, at which point it will become unlocked... this is primarily for Natsume to set up a table of food, but people can come sit in early if they like. There's an overhead projector that's been wheeled into the study hall all the way from school, and the curtains are drawn over the windows. It isn't dark though, since he still has the lights turned on...

Several tables have been pushed together to make at least three groups, chairs around them like they've been readied for a dinner party, while a few more are pushed a little further back and have absolutely no chairs whatsoever; those are for the food. There's also a chair by the overhead projector.

Your food and drink for tonight: lemon and rosemary roasted shrimp, white rice, rosemary and thyme chicken, a make-your-own-salad area with all kinds of salad-making ingredients, three types of eggrolls (seafood, vegetable, and pork), and various drinks from the vending machine because some of us can afford to spend a bunch of merit points on things like that.

When a sufficient amount of people have come in, or the clock hits 6:05, Natsume shuts the door, turns off the lights, and moves to the overhead projector. To stand on the chair, so he's the tallest person in here, and claps his hands to get people's attention. )

Save all questions and outbursts until the END, ( he says, and then kneels down on the chair and flicks the projector on.

All of the slides are pre-written on some transparent sheets that project onto a wall without windows, which he reads one by one without rushing! But for ease of reading OOCly, you can find the entire thing here. There's also photocopied handouts for people on all of the tables, stapled of course, so people who aren't blind (sorry Helena) can follow along at home!

He lets the last sheet stay up, his face half-illuminated by the overhead projector, then sits down in the chair and leans forward the back of it like some kind of delinquent. )

Alright, you can speak NOW.


( ooc notes: go ahead and treat this like one of our meetings, aka mingle, jump around, actually get a chance to share information that hasn't been talked about yet, etc. thank you plenty to enh and peace too for reviewing and suggesting things for the presentation \o/ )

Comments

[mermaidcursed]

( nene pulls stephanie against her, gently petting her hair. )

If he were in your place, making mistakes, struggling, hurting, would you think he's not worth knowing?

[closewithnewintown]

[shakes her head slightly]

He wouldn't make mistakes. He never does. And he'd already have everybody out of here. There wouldn't be any time for struggles.

[she doesn't know if he'd hurt. she's never seen him be. she couldn't imagine anything that could.]

[mermaidcursed]

( you know what, no, she's not... going to crush childhood heroic idolism, she can't do that. )

Then... would you hate your other friends if they were having trouble? If they were in a bad situation and couldn't get out?

Do you think we're not worth knowing?

[closewithnewintown]

Of course not! [hold on give her a moment to come up with a reasonable excuse.] That's... That's different.

[that's the best she's got.]

[mermaidcursed]

It's not, though. You have to be kind to yourself, Stephanie. If you hold yourself to such high standards... you're only going to fall and break. It's okay to not be okay, you know?

[closewithnewintown]

[grimaces, for just a brief moment.]

... I don't know if I remember how. [it was hard enough back home. here, it seems impossible.]

[mermaidcursed]

Let yourself feel. Cry as much as you need to, rest, and make sure you don't neglect yourself. Eat and drink something, and when you're ready... then you can try again. But don't hate yourself for needing to. Don't hate yourself for falling. When you do wrong, apologize and be better. But making a mistake isn't a crime. Okay?

[closewithnewintown]

[all things she'd gladly tell anyone else. things she's told nene. but, when it comes to herself...

she nods, without really meaning it.]

... Thank you. [pauses] I'll... try. To be better.

[mermaidcursed]

... Just take it easy, for a while. Okay? Tonight was stressful for everyone. ... But... everyone who you said mean things to, you have to apologize to them. Not right now, but when you've all had some time to cool off.

( and if she has to tell her senpais that they need to apologize too she is going to be so goddamn disappointed. )

[closewithnewintown]

[man thank god nene can't exactly see her face right now because her exact feelings on having to apologize are very obvious.]

... Am I supposed to apologize to that shopkeeper or something? [pause] Everybody's falling over themselves to defend somebody who, at best, is just using us for money. At best.

[mermaidcursed]

I meant to Sakasaki-senpai, and Subaru-kun. You were cruel to them, Stephanie. And they care about them- you may think you're justified, but others have found a friend in them. Would you let people talk about your friends poorly when they aren't there to defend themselves? ... Would you want people to apologize to your friends if they did?

[closewithnewintown]

[she hunches over on herself further, having advanced into full-on sulking.]

They weren't listening... Nobody ever listens to me until it's almost too late. Everybody's fine with acting like they care about what I say until I say something they don't like.

[mermaidcursed]

When things have calmed down a little, tell people you feel this way. Okay?

( she's not budging on that apology though- and don't think she hasn't noticed that you've changed the subject, young lady. but she'll circle back to that shortly. ... is this how her mom felt, when she was younger? )

[closewithnewintown]

It won't change anything. They'll just get mad again, the next time I say something they don't like. [a slight shrug] If they'd rather be friends with this... stranger, than me... Whatever. I do-- I don't need that. Or them.

[which is why her voice didn't break there. that was just the wind. the dorm wind.]

[mermaidcursed]

It will. Senpai loves you, you know. He might not have shown it very well tonight, but he'd move stars for you.

( nene gently lifts stephanie's chin to look up at her, speaking softly all the while. )

He was extremely tired, and doesn't like being mistreated or accused of things because of something outside of his control. Subaru is protective of his friends. No one likes being yelled at. And you... you want to be heard. But so did everyone else. A lot of things clashed tonight, in a bad way. It doesn't mean that people don't love you. It just means they wanted to be heard just as badly, and all those voices together made a bad sound.

[closewithnewintown]

[her face is streaked with wetness, like she's been crying for much longer than it's been clear in her voice. she's looking anywhere but at her.]

... I'm sorry I don't believe you.

[mermaidcursed]

( oh- oh. nene's heart breaks almost instantly, and she holds stephanie closer, blinking back tears herself- )

I'm telling the truth, I promise. We'll get through this...

[closewithnewintown]

[she lowers her head, shutting her eyes. because if that's her reaction to that, she doesn't want to see what "I don't think I believe that, either" does.]

[mermaidcursed]

... Stephanie? Do you know that I love you, at least? Because I do. I want to be as good a sister as I can to you. A-and I love you so much.

( and if she can at least get a foothold in that, she can lead stephanie out from this train of thought. right? )

[closewithnewintown]

[a nod]

I know you do... You want me to be better. That's what people who love each other do.

... I love you a whole lot. As much as I'd love a blood sister, I think.

[mermaidcursed]

Good. Because if you thought I hated you too, I'd have cried a whooooole lot. ( she says it with a cadence that says she's joking, but... uh. she's super not actually? ) ... You are a really good girl, you know? You care a lot, and you've got a strong sense of justice. It's just that sometimes, you direct that to the wrong people. I promise that tonight was just a bad night, for everyone.

( tuck the stephanie under your chin for best hugging capacity. )

I'll stay with you until it's time for bed. Okay? But if you want more hugs... orrr a snack, or anything at all, come get me, okay? Me and Noah will look out for you.

[closewithnewintown]

Okay. It's not like I don't know where you live.

[was that a joke? it kinda sounded like it was supposed to be one. she's trying. she really is tired.]

I still go to bed at 8:08. I'll probably even fall asleep then, this time.

[mermaidcursed]

If you don't... I'll make you something my parents would make for me, warm milk with honey and a liiiittle bit of cinnamon. It used to put me right to sleep.

( but even if stephanie sounds tired, it's not 8:08 yet, so nene stays, holding her close still. )

[closewithnewintown]

[she rests her head against her, her breathing evening out further.]

My uncle makes me cocoa. It's pretty much the only thing he can cook without burning. [a pause, and a very slight laugh] Most of the time.

[mermaidcursed]

Daddy's the same way, I swear... but when he made that, it was always the best thing in the world. Momma.... Momma was better at cooking but she'd lose track of time. So sometimes we'd have to order delivery...