Lazy Hazy days of... [Maiko]

Well, this was a problem. 

She grabbed her head, and winced. It felt like it was splitting open. Maiko was stuffed in the corner of the shed, far end of the greenhouse. It was quiet, but hot as hell. So hot that beads of sweat started to run down her forehead. The girl had a migraine straight from hell, and at her side was a multi-tool, an oil lighter, a dismantled clock, and a laptop battery. The girl had an unfortunate tendency to forget what she was doing, and ending up extremely disoriented and confused. This was one of those times.

To make matters worse, she heard someone outside the shed. On top of the general weirdness that comes with just exiting an empty shed out of no where, the inventor wasn't very good with strangers. 

Sighing, she decided it couldn't be helped. She'd been sitting there in almost complete darkness waiting for her head to stop feeling like an over-inflated balloon, ready to pop. The pain had dulled a bit, but wasn't going away anytime soon. Neither was this person in the greenhouse, it seemed. Sighing, Maiko stuffed both the tool and lighter in her pockets, before opening the door. 

For a moment, the world went white, before her eyes adjusted to the light in the indoor garden. The first thing she was able to see was the green haired girl, hood pulled over her head. Breathing for a moment, the younger girl tried to keep her anxiety down, and look as inconspicuous as possible by stretching her arms a tiny bit. Her efforts likely made her look even more conspicuous though. She started to walk, hoping this girl wouldn't really notice her. 

Damn, just walking in this place was starting to bring her headache back up a notch. Once again, she rubbed her head a bit, wincing. Luckily, that distracted her a bit from how awkward this situation was. Just a bit, though.

Maiko stopped walking when she heard the coughing fit. She stared at the woman for a moment, wondering if she was okay, until a green Jolly Rancher was coughed up, landing on the stone path. Her face slightly contorted from pain to disgust. Obviously, the grape Jolly Ranchers were the best. Those disgusting green ones shouldn't even..

Wait. That wasn't important. Shaking her head a bit, the girl tried to regain her senses. She was still in such a horrible state of confusion, she couldn't even remember how long she was in that shed. Now, to her dismay, the other girl seemed to be trying to start a conversation. 

"...Uhm." She finally turned her head enough to look at the girl. Well, Maiko didn't recognize her, but she hadn't exactly been the most social student here, despite constantly telling herself to get out more. Letting out a breath, the inventor rested her hands in her pockets, trying to look a bit more relaxed. Just play it cool.. Just play it cool, Maiko.

"..Hey. Sorry, I was just s-sorta... taking a nap in there."


Brilliant. 

Well, not like she could just make a break for it now. The name sounded somewhat familiar, but Maiko couldn't really remember where she heard it. The inventor averted her gaze a bit, not meeting Mariko's eyes.

"Maiko Kasaomi.. I'm a second year." She shifted her weight a little, keeping her eyes off of her upperclassman. After a few moments, she spoke again, a bit quieter. "Nice to meet you too." She scratched her head, wondering if this situation could possibly get more awkward. After a moment, the inventor noticed the paper packet that Mariko had been holding all this time. She did seem to be reading it when Maiko left the shed.. Finally bringing her eyes back up, the nervous girl pointed at the manuscript.

"S-So, uh.." She paused for a moment, before clearing her throat, trying to sound a bit more confident. "What's with the, uh, the packet you're holding? Did I distract you from something?" Basically by instinct, Maiko pulled the multi-tool from her pocket, fidgeting with it a little. 

"..." She waited for a moment, expecting Mariko to top off what she was saying. The other girl seemed to have trailed off a bit, like she had no end to her statement. Well, at least Maiko wasn't the only awkward one for once. Scratching the back of her head a bit, she looked down towards the ground. "..Film Director, huh? That's a neat talent. Uh.."

Now that name, Mariko Nakazawa, sparked a few memories in the Inventors head. She heard the name mentioned here and there by passing students and staff alike, but she knew she had seen the name on a few movies she was fond of. Though, most of the time Maiko would just put a movie on as background noise, she did remember the name being right on top of the title in one of her frequently rewatched movies. Thank any god out there that the girl didn't get starstruck, or this encounter. would be hell.

Still, Maiko had to think of something to say before her upperclassman asks her what her talent is.

"Actually, I do recognize your name. I've seen it on some of my favorite movies." She watched as the woman tried to straighten out the crinkles in that script she was holding. "..Sorry, I really didn't mean to interrupt you though. B-But, uh.." C'mon Maiko, think. She wracked her brain a bit. Maybe she could leave, and let Mariko get back to work now. Or. Well, it's not like she was entirely repulsed with getting to know this person. She couldn't stay cooped up forever. 

"Would you mind having some company, though..?" As soon as the words escaped her mouth, she felt a mixture of accomplishment at the fact that she was trying to make conversation... and regret that she wasn't smart enough to leave while she could.

Amazingly, despite her head randomly shifting from light, to splitting pain, she smiled at the director, if only slightly. After a moment of standing there, awkwardly and silently, she decided to sit down, just a few feet from the girl. 

Noticing that Mariko popped another hard candy into her mouth, the inventor sat there, quietly, before rushing out a few words. "I'm.. also really sorry I startled you and made you choke, back there." Yep, as stupid as it may have been, Maiko felt a small amount of guilt over that little incident, and felt the need to clear the air first and foremost. She didn't meet Mariko's eyes, but she hoped it wasn't a big deal. 

Clearing her throat, she tried desperately to change the subject. "So, uh. Anything in particular bring you to this school, aside from just your talent?" 


The inventor's lack of conversation skills just made one phrase echo in her head. Kill me. 

"..Family, connections, huh?" Sitting back, she looked down at the evenly cut grass, twirling a bundle of blades around her index finger, before tearing it out. As soon as Maiko noticed what she was doing, she slapped her own hand. 'Damn it. I do not need to be doing things like that. I'll be tearing hair again in no time if I do. Once again, she pulled the multi-tool out once again, she fidgeted with it just to keep her hands busy.

Refocusing her frankly scatter brained mind on Mariko, she thought to herself. 'Well, it's only fair if I tell her why I'm here, right?' Staring at the multi-tool, Maiko spoke. "That's pretty interesting, didn't know so many people in one family would get accepted here. Just seems a bit coincidental, I suppose." She silently prayed that saying that wasn't somehow massively offensive, or something. With her luck, it might be.. "Me, I came here just cause.. Well, I suppose I thought it could really turn my life around, I guess?" 

Inventor girl frowned, though only to herself. Maybe she could phrase what she was saying a bit differently. That just sounded a bit pitiful.

"I-I mean.. Just, we were kind of tight on cash in my house, which.. is kinda the reason I got so good at just tinkering with stuff. So, maybe I can start actually making a life here. I was also kinda a shut in, so, I thought being in a school like this would help stop that." 

Kind of a shut in, she claims. As if that wasn't obvious. 

"H-Huh?" Maiko perked her head up, looking over to the green haired director. The girl seemed quite a bit more nervous than she had been before. Did Maiko strike a nerve, or something of the sort? Even if she wasn't exactly a people person, the inventor quickly connected the dots. That family connections comment probably made Mariko feel a bit inadequate. With that realization, her eyes widened.



"O-oh! No, that's not what I meant at all. I.. was just saying.. l-like..." She fell silent, looking towards the ground. She gripped her jacket cuffs nervously, trying to find the right words. Seriously, what kind of jerk was she that she just said something that stupid outta nowhere. It'd make sense if it was.. No, that wasn't important. While that person was on her mind when she came to, dwelling on it now was pointless.



"I mean.. Ya know, I-I think you really are talented though. Like, uh.." She seriously could not even look at Mariko anymore. Maiko likely had the same guilt as a child who steps on a puppy on accident. "L-Like, like I said, I love your movies. Some of the only ones I actually rewatch.. You have actual talent to be proud of.. All I have is..." She bit her lip. Her talent really wasn't anything to be proud of. It really, really wasn't.