Literary Intersection [Ellie/Yumeko]

Kindness is the  language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see The fact that Fukui Library had a section for braille books was already a massive gift that Yumeko had no heart to deny. But in the time frame of only a year, she had already exhausted much of the mystery novels that were available and now she was making headway into the science fiction. Of course, she could always grab an audiobook, either from the shelves or from online, but the author still held in high regard media that her hands could easily interact with. And the book that she had plucked from the shelves today was "The War in the Air" by H.G. Wells. Admittedly, due to the way the shelves were sorted in relation to Yumeko's height, it was easier to quickly browse and pull out another tome to read, and the vast bibliography of the English author meant that Yumeko could rely on this pattern of laziness just a little bit longer. It was a shame that the braille book that she kept tucked under her as she walked down the the narrow space between bookshelves were in braille only. If the words were printed as well as embossed, it would have been another wonderful opportunity to share the book with her best friend Hara. A metal cane hummed softly as it slowly tapped against the marble floor of the Library. The novelist was not wont to give into daydreaming or otherwise emotionally contemplative moods, but ever since the trip to the hot springs, her mind often drifted to the tall New Zealander, the words they exchanged as they sat close together, and the warm feelings she felt welling inside her. At least in the library, Yumeko was mostly alone and thus could walk about the corridors with little risk of running into obstacles unforeseen. That said, the opposite wasn't always true; sometimes, obstacles have the tendency to run into you. From below her ears, Yumeko unconsciously tracked the murmur of her cane as it was dragged across the floor in a sweeping motion while Yumeko slowly turned the corner. Admist the familiar grinding sound was a percussive dissonance, made muddy by the way it echoed between the wooden shelves filled with paper bound by fiber and leather. Instinctively, Yumeko pulled her cane back, lest it trip someone. Countless times Yumeko had run into and been run into by someone in the cramped space of the library, and often the novelist mused that even if her grey eyes did work, many of the incidents were likely unavoidable. Not that trying to avoid unnecessarily collisions was not worth the effort. As the sound of footsteps approached the corner, Yumeko held still. Any movement she made would distort the sound approaching her, and subtly the writer turned her head bit by bit in order to characterize where who approached. Ellie-Rose | #WORDS | NOTES:

KAI'K @ WICKED WONDERLAND

Being an avid reader, the library is a place that Ellie often finds herself in. Even though she gets along with most of her classmates, and is thus invited to hang out quite often, she always makes sure that she has time to visit the library.

And what a library!

The library building is obviously quite old. As are the heavy, hardwood shelves that almost completely fill it up. Most of the shelves are very tall, the ones against the walls actually touching the lower sections of the ceiling! And every single one of them packed full of books! Many of them leather bound and long out of print!

The building is also surprisingly big. Large, arched windows line the outer walls allowing ample natural light to fill the main areas. Vaulted ceilings rise in a circular manner at the center of the building. There are several floors, the upper floors leading to railed balconies and platforms where people can look down into the open center on the first floor. This open area is filled with tables for studying, computers and a printing station. This is also where the checkout and return counters are. Around a turn in the wall is where a few private study rooms are. On either side of the library is a set of stairs leading to the upper floors. Aside from these few open areas, though, the rest of the library is a winding maze of bookshelves with nooks and crannies and sitting places dotted throughout.

Thankfully, the aisles between the shelves are mostly wide enough for 2 people to stand side to side, shoulder to shoulder and still have some space between them and the bookshelves. But in some areas of the library, the shelves are closer together. Those areas of the library are also not the best lit, with the light sources being either too high up on the ceiling, or in the case of the large windows, completely blocked by the height and number of shelves. This, coupled with so many books jam-packed onto the shelves, makes it hard to tell when other folks are about. Ellie has lost count of the many times she's almost run into someone, or when someone almost ran into her, when turning a corner. If one's not paying special attention, it's bound to happen.

Ellie's not paying as close attention to her surroundings as she should be. For she's in a section of the library she's not visited yet. She mostly haunts the fantasy and classical literature sections of the library. And this library has a rather large fantasy collection, so she's not traveled far past that section. But she's gotten the itch for a genre change, and that itch has turned out to be science fiction. Normally most libraries keep these two genres either in the same section, or quite close to each other, since they have many similarities between them. But this library, oddly enough, keeps them rather far apart from each other.

So now Ellie finds herself wandering through the vast maze, trying to find the science fiction section. In her right hand she holds a card with book information and locations on it. Glancing all around her, she makes note of the numbers listed on the shelves and book spines. Raising her hand, while still walking, she squints down at the card, the low light making the tiny print difficult to read.

"It's gotta be around here somewhere..." she mutters to herself as she rounds the corner of one of the shelves... and almost runs right into another girl!

Letting out a startled noise, Ellie backpedals rapidly. Unfortunately, there's a small corner table nearby and whoever had used it last hadn't pushed in the chair properly. One of her feet catches the chair's leg and over she goes! She falls on her behind with a rather ungraceful "Ooof!" and a terrible scrape as the chair is dragged even farther out of place. The slip of paper she's holding goes flying out of her hand, shooting off into the darkened corner that the desk is in and hitting one of the desk's legs.

Groaning at the pain now radiating from her tailbone, Ellie looks up through her tears. With the poor lighting, and her tear blurred vision, she can't see the other girl all that well. But she does know that it was a rather close call. And that this time the fault is definitely on her.

"Sorry," she says, her quiet alto clear and apologetic, "I wasn't paying attention. I didn't get you, did I?"

Kindness is the  language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see Though her eyes were useless, Yumeko still had the reflex to close them as she heard the footsteps come closer, and now there was a voice to go with it. The author took a small step back and looked upwards towards the voice, another reflex, and then another step as she heard the footsteps turn the corner. But then...cacophony. The sudden crash of wood, metal, books, and person, caused Yumeko to flinch, as if she herself was the victim of the impact. It took a bit for the author to process that whoever had approached had somehow tumbled over the table nearby. How so would be a mystery Yumeko had no qualms remaining a mystery, and as the din faded, the write took a few cautious steps, the tip of her cane scraping across the ground to try and discern where things were located. "No, no, I am fine," Yumeko softly said, barely louder than the sound her cane was making. Side to side she turned her head, trying to capture even the faintest sound of breathing to orient herself, but unless she stood still (likely a social faux pas at this point), there wasn't any other way to try and keep the facade. Slowly and carefully, Yumeko kneeled, bending her knees and offering her hand out in the general direction of the voice. "Are you injured? Need I call the nurse?" Yumeko asked, with a more confident voice and still trying her best to face where she though the other girl's face would be. Despite the faint light, there was still enough to cause a glint, a momentary shine of Yumeko's glassy eyes. Ellie-Rose | #WORDS | NOTES:

KAI'K @ WICKED WONDERLAND

Now, normally, Ellie's not too much of a klutz. She has her clumsy moments on occasion, but they're not too terribly frequent. But every now and then, especially when she's in an unfamiliar place, it rears it's ugly head. So now here she is, her rear end smarting from the fall and causing a pretty loud disturbance with the scraping of the chair. At least she hadn't knocked anything over! Gotta take the small mercies, she supposes.

Then a quiet voice answers her question. Sighing in relief, for she'd been worried she'd brought harm to someone else, Ellie says in her oddly accented Japanese, "Oh good, I'd feel right awful if I'd hurt you." Smiling up at the girl standing before her, she watches as the other girl turns her head from side to side. Then, with slow and deliberate carefulness, the other girl kneels down and stretches out her hand, though it's not quite directly pointed at her. Eyes flicking over to the outstretched hand, then to the long cane the other girl holds, a suspicion rises in her. But it's the faint glint of light that shines off the other girl's eyes, which are not looking in her direction at all, that completely cinches is for her. She's blind!

Her surprise is broken into when the other girl asks if she's injured and if she needs to get the nurse. Giving an embarrassed cough, she hurriedly replies, "Ah, no, I'm not hurt too bad. The nurse is not needed. Just a sore rear and a bit of a bruised ego, is all." Reaching out, she grasps the offered hand. Her grip is strong, but not crushing, the hand slightly rough with callouses from working on the ranch. Her hand is a bit bigger than the other girl, and encompasses it in it's warmth. Being careful not to throw the other girl off balance, she rises from the floor in a slow and measured fashion with the the other's help.

Once up on her feet, she releases the helpful hand. Smiling, she says, her voice warm and grateful, "Thank you for the hand up. Ah, and sorry if I frightened you. I definitely didn't expect to fall like I did." Her tone turns apologetic at the end. "I bet that racket was heard throughout the whole library," she adds with a little laugh, her embarrassment still clear.

Smoothing down her rumpled uniform, she straightens herself up. Turning to fully face the other girl, she gives a friendly greeting.

"Ah, I'm Eleanor Harper. But you can just call me Ellie. What's your name?"

Kindness is the  language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see It was hard enough for the blind girl to treat her own wounds, how much more would it be to treat another's? And so a sense of relief washed over Yumeko as she heard that the other girl's injuries were minor, though the manner in which she spoke did stick out for a moment. But that thought was forgottem once Yumeko felt something in her palm, reflexively closed her hand and bracing herself while trying to stand up and follow the weight that pulled her hand upwards as well. As the hand was released, Yumeko could feel again the texture that passed through her fingers. It was a tad bit nostalgic, of her cousin who made the cane held tightly in the novelist's other hand. With both girls upright, Yumeko could now better gauge the height of the other girl as she spoke, this time more accurate looking towards the voice that introduced herself. But before Yumeko could made a quip regarding the acoustics of the library, her train of thought was derailed by a familiar name. Eleanor Harper. Ellie. That was a familiar name, and Yumeko blinked in surprise. "<Miss Eleanor Harper, was it?>" Yumeko echoed, switching to English out of reflex of hearing a Western name in Western order. And in the next moment, she remembered where she had heard the name before. In a dicussion of where to go when the Academy's cafeteria became stale, her cousin Mashiro spoke of someone she had met and had been convinced to help with her Japanese. It took a moment longer, creating a bit of an awkward pause as the sense of pondering became evident on Yumeko's face as she tried to recall the last bit of details. "Ah...right..." Yumeko finally managed, nodding as her thoughts returned to the present, looking again to Ellie and addressing her in English. "<Apologies for being rude. My cousin spoke of you in rather glowing terms.>" The novelist transfered the grip of her cane so that it was held horizontally in front of her knees as she bowed. "<My name is Yumeko Nakano, and it pleasure to meet a good friend of Mashiro.>" As Yumeko stood up straight, she stepped to the side, holding her cane close as if to give Ellie as much space as possible. "<Well...I do hope I am not currently in your way as well.>" Ellie-Rose | #WORDS | NOTES:

KAI'K @ WICKED WONDERLAND

The pause after she'd introduced herself and asked the other's name is long enough that Ellie starts to worry. Had she somehow been rude? Or, was it something to do with her almost running into the other girl? But before Ellie can ask if she's done anything to offend, the other girl suddenly nods to herself and then speaks. And in English, to boot!

Eyes widening at the other's words, Ellie snaps her fingers in recognition when the other girl introduces herself.

Switching to English, she replies, "<Oh yeah, Mashiro's mentioned you before! You're her cousin, who's a writer, right?>" Smiling when Yumeko gives a polite bow, she self consciously bows back. She's still trying to figure out the proper bowing etiquette, and finds herself sometimes bowing too low, or not low enough. She's not quite as worried about it right now, though, on account of how the other girl isn't able to see her.

"<Well Yumeko, it's a pleasure to meet you at last! I'm an aspirin' writer too. It's nice to get to know folks who are interested in similar things.>" Ellie's voice is warm and friendly, her southern drawl clearly present in her words. Noticing how the other girl steps to the side and draws her stick closer to herself, she shakes her head.

"<Nope, you're not in the way. Not at all. No need to worry about that.>" Glancing down at the chair, which had fallen to the side, she sighs. "<But I did kinda make a bit of a mess. Knocked the chair over and messed up a few of the books on the shelves when I fell. So now I gotta set things right.>"

Moving over to the chair, she picks it up and puts it back in the upright position. Being careful not to scrape the legs of the chair against the hardwood floor too much, she pushes it back into its spot at the corner desk. Turning back to the bookshelves, she crouches down and starts picking up a few of the books she'd accidentally knocked off the shelf when she'd been grabbing for support as she fell.

As she picks up the last book, she cradles all the books in her arms. Rising and turning to face Yumeko, Ellie asks, "<So what do you write about? If you don't mind me askin'?>"

She glances down at the books in her arms and realizes that she's got too many to easily read their titles, and thus find out where to place them back on the shelves.

Kindness is the  language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see Reflexively Yumeko looked towards the snap before smartly turning back towards Ellie's voice, nodding in confirmation. Even though she was told she wasn't in the way, Yumeko still bowed and positioned herself so that she didn't interfere with the chairs being moved back to where they rightfully belonged. There was a strange feeling of non-surprise when Ellie had mentioned Mashiro. The student body of Fukui was not by any means small, but it was tight-knit. In fact, Yumeko was more surprised by how she didn't get to meet Ellie beforehand, or even recognize her voice. Mashiro did tell the grey-eyed girl that Ellie was also a writer, and thus should be in the same department. Maybe she was from another year; Mashiro in the end never specified and now the point was moot. Fate had deigned that they meet, and Yumeko finally had her chance to sate her curiosity. Though it seemed like Ellie was the one who seized the initiative this time, not that the smaller novelist minded. With a nod of acknowledgement, Yumeko replied, continuing in English. "<Most of my work as been in the mystery genre, classic crime drama stories. Honestly, I am not much of a fan of into the high-action thriller types, more of...the slow burn...the mind-bending twists of logic.>" Speaking of her writing reminded Yumeko of the book that was tucked under her arm the entire time and what her original objective was, namely to get out of the library and get reading. But for the sake of conversation, she could delay that task, and if there was no time to read tonight, she could always go to Hara. In any case, she brought out the sturdy tome and held it in front of her. "<Lately, though I have been peering into the genre of science fiction. A recommendation by my publisher.>" There was a bit of a pause as her hand brushed over the front cover. For a moment, there was a worry that she wasn't showing the front of the book, but the tiny bumps that passed under her hand confirmed she was holding it correctly. Another wave of embarrassment passed as the novelist worried if there was actually any print to show in the first place, but then remembered that whoever was stocking the shelves had to see the name as well. "<And what about you, Miss Ellie?>" Yumeko continued, lowering the book slightly. "<It looks like while my dear cousin told each of us that the other was a writer, she never went into further detail.>" Ellie-Rose | #WORDS | NOTES:

KAI'K @ WICKED WONDERLAND

Shifting the books around in her arms, to make it easier to hold them, Ellie glances up when Yumeko replies to her question. Eyes lighting up at the answer, she grins in delight.

"<Mystery? That's pretty awesome! I've never written a mystery before! I find the genre interestin', and I enjoy readin' 'em. But I don't think writtin' one's really my strong suit. Takes a specific mindset to get a really good mystery goin', which I just don't quite got down.>" Then Yumeko holds out a book for her to see. It's kind of hard to read in the low light, so Ellie shuffles forward a few steps and leans in. Peering at the cover, she squints at the title.

"<The War in the Air by H.G. Wells... >" she reads out loud. Straightening up, she frowns in thought, her tone reflecting her expression. "<I ain't never heard of that book before, though the author's name is pretty familiar.>" Jiggling the books in her arms, she asks, "<Ain't he an older author? Are you goin' ta try and write in an older, more literary style? Or is that how you normally write?>" she asks, genuinely curious. She's met a few folks that write, but none of them wrote in that specific style. And no one she knows really reads any type of older style, outside of the required reading that schools make them do.

Then Yumeko asks her about what she likes to write. Nodding her head in agreement about her cousin's assessment, Ellie lets out a soft chuckle.

"<You're right, she never did tell me what you write. Only that you did.>" Frowning down at the books in her arms, she decides that she's tired of holding them.

"<Ah, hold on a moment.>" Turning to the corner desk, she places the pile of books on top of it with a soft thud. Stretching her arms and shoulders out, she cracks her fingers with a soft sigh of relief. Returning to standing in front of Yumeko, she says "<Much better! I was gettin' tired of  holdin' all them books!>" Clearing her throat, she starts idly twirling a strand of her hair.

"<Anywho, as you asked, I mostly write fantasy stories. I love character driven stories, where the character starts off somewhere and develops over the course of the story. Be if for better, or worse. But it's the world buildin' that really get's me goin'!>" As she speaks, she becomes more animated, her hands waving about, words coming quick and tone bright. Her enthusiasm is clear and easy to hear. "<I mean, whole worlds and experiences, made and immortalized in the pages of a book. Left to be enjoyed by anyone who picks it up to read. All created by the imagination of a single person. Or people. And those works can go on to inspire others to create their own stories and art, even! A gift that just keeps on givin'! Ain't that just somethin'?>"

Her hand movements create a small current of air about her, puffing her scent farther away from her body than usual. One of sun warmed, sweet citrus with a hint of soft wood undertones. It's a light, clean scent that one wouldn't normally be able to smell unless they were really close to her. But in her enthusiasm, Ellie has leaned forward, closer to Yumeko so her voice wouldn't get too loud and echo around the library.

A sudden thought hits Ellie. Of something that Yumeko had said previously. One that surprises her and makes her break into her own words with a question for the other girl.

"<Wait, you've already got a publisher?>"

Kindness is the  language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see Reflexively, Yumeko's head turned at the sound of movement, trying to understand what was going on around her. Leather and hardened cork softly met hardened wood, followed by the snapping and oppoing of joints. That's right, some of the other books fell nearby after the collision, and in her rush to make sure the other girl was okay, Yumeko realized she had neglected the literature, even as they were being recovered from the floor. Thankfully, Ellie clearing her throat was just the right cue for Yumeko to fix her focus, though reflex meant she was still looking at Ellie's neck. The shorter girl stood at rapt attention, holding her hand in front of her as she listened to her fellow writer explain the genre she had dove into. Fantasy and character-driven stories, was it? Yumeko nodded in understanding, starting to let her focus drift as Ellie waxed enthusastically. The other girl had a very, very different approach it seemed, yet Yumeko still found herself slowly smiling in respect. After all, it was why her publisher had pushed her to reach into other genres. Yumeko knew she leaned heavily on real-world settings to avoid world-building so that she could set up her mysteries better. But she knew she had to discard that crutch sometime, and here was a good opportunity to learn from another author about it. But something had distracted the tiny girl, blinking and shaking her head in confusion as she tried to suss out the smells that were reaching her. Without the ability to see, it took a moment longer for Yumeko to realize based on the louder voice and the scent that Ellie had stepped closer. Part of Yumeko wanted to joke that she was blind and not deaf, but conveniently the subject of the publisher came up. With a smile, Yumeko replied, "<Yes, I do have a publisher, though...as much as I wish people to succeed on merit, I have to confess it is in part because my family does work with a publishing company. If you wish, I can introduce you to them.>" As she spoke, Yumeko gingerly swung her cane around, the metal shaft lightly bumping against the bookshelves reminding her where they were. It was a way to remind her, reorient herself, mentally retracing her steps. "And...if you are not busy...I believe there is a reading room...ahead there." She paused, lifting her cane and pointing down a hallway, albeit at an angle. If one drew a line directly from the tip of her cane to the doorknob, it would be correct, but Yumeko had neglected to take into account the walls and turns of corner on the way. Unfazed, she lowered her cane and smiled as she looked in Ellie's general direct again. "<World-building...it's a bit of a tricky concept for me. If you have time of course...I'd like to hear how you do it...I mean...in a place where we do not need to be so...hushed.>" Ellie-Rose | #WORDS | NOTES:

KAI'K @ WICKED WONDERLAND

At the mention of Yumeko introducing her to a publishing company, Ellie's face heats up in a blush.

"<O-oh you don't need to do that!"> she stammers out, embarrassment coloring her words. <"I'm still not quite there yet. Still got a lot to learn. That's why I'm at this school.>"

Raising her right hand, she nervously twirls a strand of her hair.

"<Also, I haven't really decided where I want to make my focus. Visual storytelling verses pure written word, or a combination of the two. I also dabble in animation, though it's definitely not my strong suit.>"

A self conscious chuckle escapes her as she realizes how wishy washy this makes her sound.

Aware that she's started rambling again, Ellie falls silent as Yumeko lightly taps her metal rod around. When the other girl suggests they go to a reading room to continue their conversation, Ellie perks up. Smiling, she replies, <"Yeah, that sounds good to me!"> The enthusiasm in her voice is hard to miss. <"I'll follow you,"> she adds, at a lower volume, <"Since you seem to have a specific place in mind.">

Even as the words leave her lips, her eyes fall onto the pile of books she's left stacked up on the top of the corner desk.

"<Oh, wait, let me put these books back where they belong.>"

Hastily grabbing the stack, she makes her way over to the shelf she'd knocked them from and squats down. Making sure to place them in the correct order, it's only a matter of moments for her to complete her task. Rising from her crouch, she turns to Yumeko and steps up beside her.

"<Okay, all done. Lead the way.>"

Kindness is the  language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see Though she could not see the blush, the stammer reached Yumeko's ears clearly, elicting a soft chuckle from the dark-haired girl. But Ellie was right, for as skilled as they all were to get into Fukui, they were still students who had a lot to learn. Yumeko considered herself lucky that she would be able to learn from her peers as well as her teachers. In a way, she envied Ellie for her skill in animation, if only for the notion that the other girl had a wide range of talents versus her own laser-focused skills. As soon Ellie asked to lead the way, Yumeko set off, but thankfully only got a few steps away before Ellie verbally backpedaled. Yumeko stood still, listening to the shuffle of books being moved back into place. Though the shuffling stopped, she waited for Ellie to be standing beside her before proceeding onwards. At first, the metal cane in Yumeko's hand swept quickly, tapping along the bottom of the shelves as they walked. But as they got closer and closer to the reading room, the tapping became less and less frequent, ceasing entirely for the last few stretches save for one last confident tap against the bottom of the door. Defly, Yumeko reached up and grabbed the door handle, putting all her strength in opening the door, stepping aside to let Ellie enter, walking in right after and closing the door behind her. Without her sight, the novelist remained unaware of the state of the room: completely disheveled. The table was moved a bit out of place, and the chairs were scattered everywhere, in every possible arrangement except for the correct one. "Ah...as much as I do enjoy the quietness of the library, having to be overly-conscious of your voice does get a bit tiring." Yumeko said with a chuckle, unawares. Her hand reached out as if to grab something in front of her, but her arm quickly fell through the empty space in front of her. Then a few more empty swipes followed, then some sweeps with the cane in front of her, eventually hitting a chair a bit of a way ahead of her. After a few moments, she sighed, saying, "...I do hope whoever used this room last was rushing to their class and wasn't able to put it all back together..." Yumeko walked up to the chair and dragged it into position, based on what she could remember from the room's layout. Ellie-Rose | #WORDS | NOTES:

KAI'K @ WICKED WONDERLAND

Yumeko seems to know exactly where she's going, so Ellie follows close behind the other girl, being careful to not get in her way. She glances all around, taking in just how HUGE the library is. Man, I'm gonna have to come here more often! she thinks to herself as they reach the part of the library with reading/study rooms. She hadn't really been able to make the time to explore much of the school grounds due to the rush of getting things in order, and then starting classes right after arriving. After that, she just got swept up in school life and hadn't been able to come to the library as often as she'd like. She always makes time for it, but it never feels like enough. This is something she's gonna have to remediate as soon as possible!

Ellie's glancing up at the balconies of the upper floors as they reach the door. Hearing it open, she returns her attention to Yumeko as the other girl is entering the room. Stepping inside after her, she comes to a quick stop, narrowly avoiding running into Yumeko as the other girl pauses. Before she can apologize, Yumeko's cane is tapping and sweep around the room. Looking over the other girl's shoulder, Ellie can see what has caused her sudden stop.

"<Oh man, this room's a mess!>" she exclaims, exasperation clearly coloring her words. Along with the general disarray of the furniture, there's pieces of paper and some trash lying around as well. Yumeko drags a chair over to a specific location, making it obvious to Ellie that the other girl knows how the room is supposed to be set up.

Clearing her throat, Ellie asks, "Do you know where everything is meant to be? I can drag things back into place if you can tell me where things are supposed to go." She's switched over to Japanese, since she needs to practice the language as much as possible. Hopefully Yumeko doesn't mind.

Kindness is the  language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see A groan of disappointment escaped Yumeko's lips as her cane automatically sweeped the area for another chair to move. She was perfectly happy knowing only that the chairs were in place, so Ellie assertation that the room was a mess let the author's imagination run wild with various levels of disappointment in her peers. "Well, I hate to burden you with all of this..." Yumeko said with a sigh, her cane hitting against the metal leg of the table. "Is even the table...nevermind." She shook her head and turned to face Ellie as best she could. "Well, the table should be in the center of the room, running parallel to the walls. Three chairs on the long end, one at the short. Any extras...if there are, just go along the walls. The two sofa chairs, if they haven't been removed, are in the corner near the balcony. And the trash can, should be near the door, right here." Yumeko pointed to a space beside the door with her cane before walking about again, trying to locate more chairs to move into place. Despite her disadvantage, she seemed insistant to at least give a significant effort. However, she didn't make it too far when she noticed the traction of her cane suddenly changing, sliding easily over the floor. "...paper?" the shorter mutter to herself, kneeling to pick up from the floor what seemed to be various worksheets and handwritten notes. "...I have no idea what this is, who it belongs to..." Yumkeo said with a sigh, sweeping her cane around to find the table, barely tapping the leg of it and setting the papers down. With a sigh, Yumeko looked in the general direction of Ellie, saying, "I really, really hate to impose on you, but this is starting to reach the edge of what I can handle easily..." After a moment of though, Yumeko decided on trying to move the sofa chairs at least. Thankfully, she was still able to find them and mercifully they were not too far out of place. While Ellie would continue to put the rest of the room together, the dark-haired girl did her best to move what other chairs she could based on memory. Ellie-Rose | #WORDS | NOTES:

KAI'K @ WICKED WONDERLAND

Following Yumeko's instructions, Ellie drags the table to the center of the room. The feet of the table painfully screeches across the tile floor. Wincing, Ellie gives a quick "Sorry!" and then finishes positioning the table, trying her best not to do it again. Luckily the table is the largest piece of furniture in the room, so it's an easy thing to move the rest of chairs into place.

"Got it covered," she cheerfully replies to Yumeko's words about imposing on her. "And don't worry about it, it's no trouble at all."

While Yumeko is wrangling the sofa chairs back into their proper places, Ellie finishes up with the rest of the furniture. Lowering the last chair onto the floor (being careful not to scrape the legs) she pushes it under the table and then glances around. There's still quite a few pieces of loose paper and trash lying about the place, so Ellie goes around, picking them up. The pieces that are obviously trash she throws away in the small waste basket that's been provided in the room. For the papers and the ones that aren't obviously trash, she gathers them up. Once all the paper has been picked up, she places her pile onto the pile that Yumeko had made.

The stack of papers is surprisingly high.

"Wow! Whoever was here last sure did leave a lot behind. It almost looks like parts of a project, or maybe some homework?" Ellie shuffles through some of the pages, trying to see if there's a name on any of them.

"I wonder if maybe they didn't mean to leave these behind," she mutters thoughtfully.

Glancing up from the stack, she looks over at Yumeko and says, "Either way, I can't seem to find a name. What do you think we should do with these? I'd feel bad if we threw them away, only for the person to come looking for them later."

Kindness is the  language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see "Tch...!" The sudden screech of the table against the floor was more than enough to make Yumeko flinch, sending the dark-haired girl into an alerted state. An understandable accident, easilly forgotten as Yumeko finished pulling the sofa chairs back in place. Admist the sound of moving furniture, Yumeko could still hear Ellie pick up the other papers. And even more papers. And even more. Some she could hear going into the bin near the front door, while the rest sounded like they were being placed on the table. In the end, the shorter author never bothered to count the number of times she heard the papers move and by extension how much clutter was strewn about before their arrival, feeling that ignorance was the prudent choice. That said, hearing Ellie comment on it was not unwelcoming, and the tiny writer tapped the side of her cheeks in thought. "Hmm...a significant amount of scraps, all left behind and strewn about...unidentifiable, no names, so not worksheets of some sort..." Yumeko thought out loud, walking over to the table to pull out one of the chairs. Her useless grey eyes still seemed to stare into the distance as she continued to muse. "I would deduce it to be notes of some sort. If the writing is so illegible, likely made for one's self. Sadly, at this point...I cannot remark on how they were strewn about. But I would theorize that whoever left these behind did not do so intentionally." A broad smile crossed Yumeko's face as she took her seat. Deductions, inferences, clues, mysteries. It was the realm she was most in tune with. But now wasn't the time for spinning tales, though the dark-haired girl made a few mental notes, perhaps a scene to use or even the entire premise for a story. Looking to Ellie, or rather where she had last heard her voice, Yumeko gave her suggestion. "I would say, keep the papers here. Whoever left them likely did so in a rush, so when they remember or have time to return...I think it would be nice for her to find her materials intact. Else...when we leave the library, we can bring it to the front desk. Anyways..." As Yumeko trailed off, she pulled out a small tablet from her uniform jacket's pocket, drawing out a stylus from the top. Despite not being able to see the screen, Yumeko seemed to be able to pull up a virtual notepad, working solely off muscle mory. "Well..where were we...?" Yumeko asked rhetorically. "Worldbuilding, right? I try as best I can given my limits. I do...mimick, for lack of a better word, the examples of what I do read but...how do you do it? I'd like to hear the thought process from another author." Ellie-Rose | #WORDS | NOTES:

KAI'K @ WICKED WONDERLAND

Squinting down at the paper on top of the stack, Ellie still can't quite make out what's written on it. Her ability to read Japanese is still not the greatest, so that, coupled with the rather sloppy handwriting, makes it very difficult for her to read. Nodding her head at what Yumeko said about the papers, she steps over to sit in a chair directly across from the one that Yumeko is standing near. This time she's careful not to scrape the legs of the chair across the floor.

"They look like they could be notes. My ability to read Japanese is still a bit rudimentary. But also, the writing is pretty rough, which doesn't help."

Glancing over at her companion, Ellie catches the smile that flashes across the other girl's face. So she likes to puzzle things out, she thinks quietly to herself. A small smile of her own tilts her lips up. No wonder she likes mystery novels. She's clearly got the right kind of mind for it. 

"Then I'll just place the stack to the side, in the hopes that whoever left them behind might come back for them. If not, we can just drop them off at the front desk like you said."

Decision made, Ellie scoots forward on the chair a bit. Watching as Yumeko pulls out a small tablet from her uniform pocket, she leans forward a little and places her chin into her hands. Since Yumeko is blind, she's rather curious on as to what the tablet could be for. Before she can inquire, though, the other girl continues their previous conversation and asks her about how she goes about world building.

"Hmm..." Lifting her head, Ellie shifts in her chair. Leaning back, she lightly taps the table with the index finger of her right had as she thinks.

"Well, usually, I kind of envision some kind of environment first. Like a swamp, or a forest or a large city. Once I have that, then I try to come up with what's in that environment. Like the animal life, plant life, tribes and cultures. Those kinds of things. And then I think, what would certain characters do when placed in that environment? Why are they there? How did they get there? What are their motivations and goals?" Pausing her tapping, Ellie frowns.

"But sometimes, I come up with a character idea first. And then I wonder how they would act and react in certain scenarios and environments." Giving a soft laugh, Ellie shrugs.

"I've yet to come up with a consistent way to world build yet. I'm more of a free form writer. I just let the ideas and words flow out of me and write as they do."

Scratching the side of her cheek bashfully, she sighs.

"I've never been a meticulous planner. Which might be why I struggle to write sometimes. Gotta be in the right mindset for that type of writing, after all."

Shaking her head, the blonde leans forward once again, her hair shifting with her movement.

"How about you? How do you go about world building? Or writing in general, for that matter?"

Kindness is the  language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see It was still rather frustrating to rely on another's eyesight, and the fact that Ellie-san's Japanese was very understandably not helping made it workse. But Ellie-san was right, the matter was out of their hands for the most part. Reflexively, Yumeko's clouded eyes locked onto the tapping sound, then snapped towards Ellie's voice. Stylus in hand moved at a frenzied pace as she wrote her virtual notes into the tablet, echoing Ellie's words at times in a soft mutter to buffer her thoughts that were running faster than her finger. Every now and then she would nod lightly, one of her tricks to hopefully tell people that she was still listening. So first came an enviroment, the entire ecology. Then characters would be placed into it, a sort of mental experiment of sorts. For Yumeko, the image that she was getting was that Ellie was a gardener of sorts, placing elements in a beautifully ordained pattern and watched things grow. And the process worked the other way around it seemed - mold the world around a character instead. The notions were familiar and it made the dark-haired girl wonder why she didn't use them as much. But perhaps the crux of it was how...freeform the process was. 'Stream of concious' was the first term that she could think of. And Ellie was right - from Yumeko's experience the technique was too inconsistent. But perhaps it was also allowing for more creativity. "Well...I don't do much world-buildig. Most of my works tend to be in... realistic, real-world settings." Yumeko replied, tapping the side of her tablet to lock the screen so she could tap on it freely with the stylus. "I tend to box out events first. The ending. The beginning. The middle. The denoument. Then ask what characters would be in such events, why are they there, what pushes them forward, how do they hit certain story beats." A soft chuckle escaped her lips as she set the tablet down and leaned back into the chair. "My aunt in Tokyo works for the police, and she showed me how they sometimes pin all their evidence on some board and connect it with string. Well...I usually cut knotches into the cards so I can tell which is which but...that's how I spin my web of intrigue..." Yumeko sighed and shook her head. "In the end, I can write a compelling and logical sequence of events. But...the characters are barely passable. All business - they can solve a crime but...who are they outside the uniform? That's the hard part, I suppose." With a shrug, Yumeko looked to Ellie with a slight grimace. "It has been suggested to me, in part because they know I hate the genre, that I practice my characterization in...a romance novel." The mention of 'romance' was enough to make Yumeko visible shiver. Ellie-Rose | #WORDS | NOTES:

KAI'K @ WICKED WONDERLAND

Quietly she watches as Yumeko absentmindedly taps her tablet pen against the darkened screen. Her use of the device is filled with the ease of practice and familiarity. Once again Ellie finds her curious gaze drawn to the tablet.

I wonder how she uses that? Is it just for writin' or does she use if for other things too? Ellie ponders. But she's much too polite to ask such a thing. Also, she did just see her use it. It's just that she's not sure exactly how she goes about actually using it. Giving her head a slight shake, Ellie blinks away her distracting thoughts and returns her focus back to the conversation.

"That's amazing that your Aunt is a cop! I bet it really helps with your mystery writing with her there to explain things."

A sigh escapes Ellie's lips. "Most of my family is focused on the family business. Even most of their hobbies revolves around the ranch. So they're not much help when it come to my own interests." Twirling the ends of her hair with her fingers, she adds, "But that's all right. There's plenty of other resources I can use. And now that I'm at this school, I can actually learn from someone who knows what they're talking about."

Ellie can't help but grin at Yumeko's shudder when she mentions romance. That's actually a rather common reaction she's seen from most of the boys in her family. Romance? Ewww!

Granted, she's also not the biggest fan of the genre herself, but she doesn't mind if there's a bit of romance sprinkled into a story. As long as it's not the main plot, or deviates from the main plot so much that it replaces it.

Laughing softly, Ellie says, "I'm also not too fond of romance stories. Don't get me wrong. Character driven plots are fun and all. But there's so much more to the human experience than just love." Pausing, she raises a finger and lightly taps it against her lips in thought.

"You know, now that I think of it... Isn't romance as a genre one of the only story types that revolves around a single emotion?" A brief pause follows that question, before she tacks on, "And horror, I suppose. Horror's an emotion, right?"

"But yeah, the process I tend to use when it comes to writing is to just let it... organically take shape?" She shrugs, the fabric of her clothes bunching at her shoulders and pulling at her arms. "I usually have a rough idea of where I want the story to go, but I don't overly play anything out. And if it changes along the way, then I adapt to go in the new direction."

"Seems like we've got completely different writing styles, don't you think?" she asks, her voice warm with amusement. They're both writers, but with very different approaches to their methods.

Then a thought hits her. Maybe...

Leaning a bit forward, Ellie asks, "Hey, you know, I just had a great idea! I know we just met and all... but maybe we can help each other out with our writing?" She can't quite conceal her excitement at the prospect. She's never had a writer friend before, after all. "Maybe even write a story together, of we mesh well!"

Her pale greens twinkle in anticipation of Yumeko's answer.

Kindness is the  language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see It was somehow reassuring that Ellie shared a similar view on the romance genre while also giving a little bit for the dark-haired girl to think about. Yumeko mused for a moment - did she feel that the genre was so unrealistic because it was such shallow slice of emotion? But even her own work focused much less on the human element and more on the facts that were laid out in order to form some sort of logical conclusion. Perhaps the lack of emotion overall was what Yumeko was missing in her work. That said, she didn't have much time to ponder further. Though her eyes saw nothing, Yumeko blinked in surprise at the proposition that was suddenly made. "I've never quite done a collaborative project," Yumeko said, slowly leaning forward to take her tablet into her hands agian.. The prospect of a collaboration was tantalizing. She had no problems working with an editor to refine the writing or an advisor to ensure that what she was writing was accurate, but having a collaborator? How would that work? "To be honest, I am...interested. It seems like a fun project, even if just for practice, but I do worry if our genres are too separate. Unless you are wanting to do a crime drama in a fantasy world, I cannot current concieve what kind of plot we are going for. And...I would hate to bore or disappoint you." There was a pause before Yumeko immediately followed up with, "But yes, very much yes, I am interested in writing something together." Ellie-Rose | #WORDS | NOTES:

KAI'K @ WICKED WONDERLAND

At Yumeko's admission of not having collaborated before, Ellie gives a soft laugh.

"Honestly, I've not really done a true writing collaboration either. A few small group projects at my previous school. And a bit of storytelling with some family members. But not an actual collaborative effort towards a complete, properly written story."

Ellie can't help the raised eyebrow at Yumeko's words about incompatible genre's and about boring and disappointing her. Leaning forward, she props her left arm on the table and rests her chin in the palm of her hand. Watching the other girl pick up her tablet and lightly fiddle with it, Ellie lets out a soft sigh, and then a quiet laugh.

"You know," she says, "I've never come across a genre that can't be blended with another one." Reaching forward, she lightly taps the edge of the tablet that Yumeko is holding. "And as for boring me, well I don't see that happening. Your writing style and mine seem to be a bit different from each other. So the challenge of blending our styles will be interesting in and of itself."

Withdrawing her hand, she claps them together in appreciation. "A crime drama set in a fantasy world sounds fascinating! If you can come up with the mystery, I can come up with fantasy and we'll try and combine them." Her voice rises a bit in her excitement. 

Slipping her hand it into her skirt pocket, she fishes out her phone. Pausing briefly in thought, she asks, "Do you have a phone? If you do, would you like to exchange contact info? That way it'll be easier to plan our meet ups."