Irregular Odyssey [Tsuga/Yumeko]

Kindness is the  language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see One of the perks of studying in the Music Building was that Yumeko could listen to a medley of songs while writing. Of course, it was very much akin to open mic at a cafe - what genre you'll hear and how good the musician was varied immensely. Thankfully, most of the time the music was agreeable to Yumeko's ears, and at its worst, was no more than background noise that she could ignore. But today. Today, someone was really pushing the limits of what Yumeko could block out mentally. Despite listening to a lot of music, she didn't know the specifics, but there was something, like an extra note added where it shouldn't be, and it was just irritating. Yumeko was more than understanding that her fellow classmates like to experiment, but this...this was something the made Yumeko wish there were ethics rules regarding musica experimentation. Just a few more lines...and done. All of the day's homework was done, and her creative will that would normally go into freeform writing had evaporated out of frustration. Half of Yumeko wanted to give the source of the cacophy a piece of her mind. The other half wanted a piece of the musician's; what are they thinking of trying to make music. Deftly, the author packed up her computer and slung her bag over her shoulder. Nearby was the metal cane made by her cousin. Carefully, she wrapped her hand around the cool metal, her fingers feeling around the embossed and raised details. Her main cane, or what she used to call her main cane, was in her bag, and now the much larger and heavier one in her hand had taken it's place. She let the cane drag across the floor, reveling in how different it felt before stepping into the hallway. The sounds of various songs echoed through the halls. Yumeko stood still, turning her head side to side. She could still pick out that irregular melody, on another floor, but in the same hallway. And so the author added the sound of her steps and the grinding of metal on tile to the medley as she walked towards the offending song. By how quickly it got louder and louder, it wasn't too far of a distance to walk, and as soon as she heard it go softer, Yumeko froze. As expected, it came from a classroom, and as far as she could tell, there was only one person inside. The metal cane swept around her, lightly tapping against the doorframe. Not wanting to announce her presence just yet, Yumeko found the edge of the doorframe, tracing along the wall just a little longer so that she could lean against the wall out of sight. And so, Yumeko continued to listen, waiting for a break in the music. @tsuga | 477| NOTES:

KAI'K @ WICKED WONDERLAND

❊ ツガ 小芥子 ❊

Tsuga had never been the kind of composer that followed conventionality in music, at least not of her own accord. The current sounds that were drifting down the halls of the music department were by no means any exception to her experimental attitude towards jazz as a whole, nor to her own personal distaste for the rigidity of classical structure. Unfortunately, being creative had it's drawbacks. There was often no material for the young composer to reference, and musical structure was wrought with underlying themes that she seemed to subvert by ignoring them in their entirety.

The individual musical passages were, by no means, bad. In fact, most held a fair bit of quality. She let the final passage close softly, with an unexpected resolution to 4/4 time before she released a defeated sigh, setting her elbows on the wood floating gently above the piano's keys, her eyes vacantly staring at the scores of hand-written passages before herself. Another breath revealed her current state of agitation as crumpled paper sailed across the nearly empty room into the trash can once again. "Damn... Damnit all..."

Tsuga let her fingers wander the keys absentmindedly, sinking into a 6/8 rhythm in the same scale as her current piece, eventually falling into a verse-chorus type structure. It wasn't anything interesting, per say, but it was pretty at the very least. Empty air slowly swelled to fill the space in the room as the composer fumbled next to her seat, eventually finding her water bottle and indulging in a drink of what remained.

It was quiet in the music wing, sort-of. If you were used to the bevy of background noises you could drown everything out until the only thing sitting between you and your thoughts was utter silence. Tsuga deeply appreciated times like that, and had often used them for reflection while she was writing. Unfortunately, she didn't seem to be scoring any sort of progress whatsoever with her current endeavor, and the music wing was only making her increasingly more and more frustrated. Perhaps a change of scenery would do her some good. Clear her thoughts and allow her a thought process she hadn't yet explored. Or perhaps someone would do just as well.

Tsuga eyed the girl in the doorway. She was smaller than Tsuga, that much was certain, although it wasn't by much. She certainly wasn't an athlete either, the walking stick assured her of that. But there was a peculiar air about her, as though the girl had been watching with some kind of judgmental air around her. While her opinion wasn't something Tsuga particularly cared for, she did care that it would be misrepresented by an incomplete piece of music.

"I'm sorry if you intended to use this room for practice. I'm just stepping out to think about the piece I'm writing. I'll be back in a few moments." Tsuga pushed her frame up from the piano, twirling the key to the practice room around her finger as she began to move towards the door, the tapping of her shoes forming an echo in the room.

WORDS: 519 TAGS: Yumeko Nakano NOTES: Meep

XOXO SHIN OF GS + THQ

Kindness is the  language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see From the start Yumeko knew that she wasn't being stealthy after all, and was more surprised that she wasn't called out as soon as her cane hit the doorframe. Of course she'd be called out as another music student too. Despite Yumeko knowing the building's floor plan, wasn't privvy to what was inside the room. A piano made sense, and for a moment she mused on why her cousin preferred the piano in a far away corner of the building before realizing she had answered her own question already. The jingling of keys brought the writer's attention back. Yumeko subtly turned her head as she listened, trying to understand the mix of sounds reaching her ears. The echoing told her that the room must have been mostly empty, and each step got closer and closer. The author stood upright, noting that the sounce of the voice was roughly the same level as her ear. She took a few steps to her side to give the outgoing student room to leave. "There is no need to worry about the room," Yumeko said, trying to look at the other girl. She was guessing the height based on what she heard, but in the end seemed to be only able to look at the other girl's chin, and not even directly. "I am simply a curious wanderer at the moment, attempting to follow a rather eccentric melody that I kept hearing as I was working." The other girl's politeness blunted Yumeko's earlier ire, but the novelist kept her polite albeit aloof tone of voice. "And do pardon my curiosity, but it does seem like you are doing something rather experimental, are you not?" Yumeko asked, drawing her cane closer to herself, making a soft grinding sound. @tsuga | 302 | NOTES:

KAI'K @ WICKED WONDERLAND

❊ ツガ 小芥子 ❊

Tsuga had failed to notice the cane at first glance, but the math began to work itself in her head suddenly. The way the girl looked up at her chin, the way she faced just slightly off directly at her, and the tapping noise on the door earlier... It must have been the girl's cane. Although Yumeko couldn't see it, the stunned look on Tsuga's face gave off an almost tangible aura as she returned her schoolmate's misguided gaze, realizing that the girl was, at the very least, nearly blind.

A debate raged within Tsuga for a brief instant. Did she address the issue as she saw it, or was it more respectful too simply treat her as though she would any other individual she would have meet in the hall. Deciding on the latter, Tsuga gave a simple hum of affirmation before explaining.

"The timing is based of an old folk technique used in greek music where the musician adds a "lilted" beat into the traditional measure timing. I'm playing around with the off timing by adding an extra eighth note count to the third quarter note in the beat division. If it was counted out loud, it would be 1 and 2 and 3 and and 4 and, with that timing phrase repeating. I'm also trying to skip the fourth beat division and place the melody on the third eighth note on the third beat to try and create some unexpected space."

She moves through the door. "I'm closing the room. Just a warning." The click and turn of the key is followed by an audible sigh. "I've got no direction for this piece though. The musical idea is there, and it's weird, but there's nothing I can say emotionally through a lilted rhythm. Nothing that I can think of, anyway. Everything I've tried has sounded slightly off with the exception of freeform, but avant-gardism isn't what I'm going for here. I want something that's nice to listen to."

She scratches the back of her neck as an embarrassed tone seeps into her voice. "Sorry, I've just lectured you on something you didn't sign up for. I'm Kokeshi, but Ko-san is fine. Why don't you walk with me to the vending machine."

WORDS: 374 TAGS: Yumeko Nakano NOTES: Meep

XOXO SHIN OF GS + THQ

Kindness is the  language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see The sound of the other girl humming confused Yumeko, who turned her head slightly to try and catch the sound, letting the other girl see more clearly the writer's clouded grey eyes. But it was unnecessary in the end as the girl explained herself. Unfortunately it was all musical terms and Yumeko could only understand up to the notion that she was adding an extra note where there usually wasn't and changing the spacing of notes. So it's wasn't exactl deviating from what was known, but Yumeko had a suspicion that there was a reason why such a technique fell out of style. In any case, this girl, Kokeshi, seemed to be rather amicable and even inviting, and the rest of Yumeko's earlier annoyance had evaporated. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Kokeshi-san. Nakano Yumeko," the writer replied in greeting, taking a step back as Kokeshi closed the door and bowing. "And if you do not mind me accompanying you, then I shall accept your invitation to follow." Yumeko let Kokeshi lead the way, listening for the direction she was going towards before following after. The cane still swept in front of her, but at a smaller arc, trusting in the footing of the girl beside her. As they walking, Yumeko continued to speak her mind. "Truthfully, I am unable to really give you much advice for your work, and I think I should be upfront and warn you that my writing is of the more literary bent. Furthermore, as you explained previously, I am afaid that, in the words of Servilius Casca, it is indeed all Greek to me." The novelist chuckled softly at her own esoteric joke before cautiously adding, "That said, I can respect the notion of trying to revive a lost art..." She trailed off, deciding at the last moment to not finish the comment regarding how some things are lost for good reasons. @tsuga | 325 | NOTES:

KAI'K @ WICKED WONDERLAND

❊ ツガ 小芥子 ❊

The girl rolled her shoulders gently, shrugging on reflex before letting her tone of voice take over for her. "Eh... There's not really much I can do with no direction for a piece. Writing a song just for the sake of producing notes has never been my style. I'd rather have something to say and let the technique help me say it. I might have to sit this one back on the shelf for another day."

She clicks her heels together as she comes to a stop near the stairs, facing the vending machine in a little nook next to the steps. A thoughtful hum eschews from the musician as she peruses her choices, eventually tapping a button on the machine. A few coins and some whirring and clanking later, the cold can ends up in her hand, the soft click and pop letting the heavy, bitter smell of cold coffee wash across Tsuga's face. She takes a sip before inhaling the scent again, sighing in contentment.

"Did you want anything, Nakano-san? I can't really vouch for the braille on the vending machine, since I've never used it, but most of the drinks here are pretty good provided you don't mind coffee."

WORDS: 202 TAGS: Yumeko Nakano NOTES: Meep

XOXO SHIN OF GS + THQ

Kindness is the  language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see It was always interesting to hear the creative process of another artist. Yumeko was a staunch believer in Sturgeon's Law and felt that shelving was the natural fate of most work an artist does. Though it seemed like such a scattershot method wasn't useful for everyone and the author knew better than to protest. The sudden click of the heels froze Yumeko in place as she tried to understand what the sound was for. As various sounds started to reach her ear, the novelist turned her head subtly to better hone in on the position. She knew the layouts of the hallways in the Music Building to know that she was near a flight of stairs, but only though the sounds of Kokeshi pressing buttons, the jingling of coins, the mechanical whirring, and an unceremonious thud did Yumeko note that there was a vending machine nearby. "As far as I have seen, the braille here has been more or less accurate," Yumeko answered, approaching the vending machine. "And to be quite honest, the ubiquity of braille signage in this school has been, for lack of a better word, impressive. And no, there are no secret messages written in Braille." Sweeping in front of herself with the cane, Yumeko closed in on the vending machine until she heard the sound of metal on metal. Her hand reached out in front of her, and as expected, she felt raised bumps telling her that the button would dispense a cold bottle of Aquarius. "Ah, so it looks like it's the same model of most of the others. I think I'll hav some tea." Yumeko quipped, her hand reaching into her pockets to fetch a few coins, feeling them based on their size before smartly slotting them in and hitting the button for some cold green tea. "Now, where were we?" Yumeko asked as she shuffled sideways and leaned in to pick up her bottle of tea. "Right. If Kokeshi-san could indulge my curiosity, how do you find a direction for your work, then? To paraphrase Lewis Carroll - If you don't know where you're going, any road would get you there." @tsuga | 364 | NOTES:

KAI'K @ WICKED WONDERLAND

❊ ツガ 小芥子 ❊

"I play everything over and over until I find something that makes me feel. Work that lacks feeling, that's written purely for technical merit, is the most egocentric garbage that someone could do the disservice of calling a score. Excellent for practice perhaps, but not music. Music connects the composer, musician, and audience in something beyond what sound is capable of producing. Music is a near universal language that can express things in ways no other medium can. If I'm writing a piece because I can, then I'm doing every other participant wrong." Yumeko may not have been able to see the girl, but the conviction and determination present in her tone seemed to roll off her body in waves.

"Aldous Huxley once said, 'After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.' So anywhere isn't an end point for me. I want to produce music that allows me to connect with people when they hear it, even if it's in ways I never imagined." Another sip of the cold coffee seems to revitalize her. "I want to realize what he said. I want to share that experience with others. That inexpressible feeling, whatever it is, so I chase after it until I find something that I feel captures it."

"Any road could get me there, yes, but not every road will allow me to bring everyone else there with me."

WORDS: 234 TAGS: Yumeko Nakano NOTES: Meep

XOXO SHIN OF GS + THQ

Kindness is the  language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see Yumeko drank from her tea as she listened to Tsuga, doing her best to at least face towards the sound of her voice. At first, the author could follow - work that was mathematical and formulatic had little merit, and not even as practice. But everything after that, Tsuga might was well have spoken another language besides English or German. In any case, it was clear that the musican had a bit of passion for her work, though it was such that Yumeko had started to worry if Tsuga's passion was also starting to blind her. The quote was one that Yumeko was familiar with, and not just because of her familiarity with Huxley's literary work. It was one that her cousin Mashiro had often said, and one that Yumeko did agree with. But after that was a rather simple to understand summation, and Yumeko nodded in understanding. "Well, that's art. To impart an experience on a reader an experience, but..." Yumeko trailed off. The advice of her publisher suddenly came to her mind, where he feared that Yumeko's penchant for mind-bending twists and subtle clues would scare away readers rather than draw them in. If no one could follow what Yumeko would write, there was no point to it in the end. With a sigh, Yumeko shook her head. "...I digress." The writer cleared her throat before continuing. "I think I understand, Kokeshi-san. On one hand, you would like to make something as unique as possible, but if it is too esoteric, you turn people away. On the other hand, you would want to be able to take along with you as much of an audience as possible, but aiming for the lower common denominator risks turning your work into something...painfully generic." @tsuga | #WORDS | NOTES:

KAI'K @ WICKED WONDERLAND

❊ ツガ 小芥子 ❊

"Somewhat. I don't necessarily care if what I produce professionally sounds generic from a theoretical standpoint. I don't want it to feel generic. I want people to feel something unique about my music, rather than simply hear something unique." She shrugs, sighing in some form of unseen resignation.

She takes another sip of her coffee before she starts to laugh. It's soft at first, but she gradually allows it to bloom into peals of laughter at something that, at least to her, was very funny. "Y'know, for as much as I love jazz and all of these off-the-wall progressions and song forms, I've still written my best songs when they're simple pop tunes!" She laughs again, "It's kind of absurd that I spend so much time pursuing jazz when I could just write what I'm really good at but, hey, we do stupid things for what we really love."

She lets her laughter pass before turning her voice to Yumeko. "So, what do you write, Nanako-san? Prose, poetry, screenplay? There's more to literature than just novels, that much I know."

WORDS: 182 TAGS: Yumeko Nakano NOTES: Meep

XOXO SHIN OF GS + THQ

Kindness is the  language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see What a strange paradox. From what Yumeko understood, Tsuga cared more for the audience reaction rather than the quality of the work itself. In other words, the work was just a means to an end rather than further advancement of the art. And wasn't pop the very definition of lowest common denominator? Audiences can be fickle and be easily tricked and misdirected; something that may sound novel may be an age-old trick wrapped up in zeitgeist. Now things weren't making sense, and Yumeko's confusion was starting to show on her face for just a moment. But that's perhaps where the difference between the two of them was, the novelist reasoned, her gaze drifting away from Tsuga's voice and downwards to the floor. Yumeko got into writing novels largely because she had run out of stories to read. Tsuga really was far more committed to her audience, whereas Yumeko, much to her now present embarrassment, remembered the past days where she looked down upon those who found her work 'too complicated'. If her eyes worked, Yumeko mused that she would probably be looking at Tsuga as some sort of inversed mirror of herself, and for that reason Yumeko softly laughed alongside Tsuga. "My apologies, but I must disappoint you," Yumeko replied after another soft chuckle. "I am primarily a novelist. Most of my work tends to fall into the Mystery genre, though with the help of some friends and acquaintances I am attempted to write a few things in the Science Fiction side, to...varying degrees of success." A wry smile spread across Yumeko's face. She wasn't coy about the mishaps she's had with trying to expand her abilities. "But, if you have read anything by the pen name of 'Traumerei', that would be me." Yumeko bowed to Tsuga again before finishing her can of tea. @tsuga | #WORDS | NOTES:

KAI'K @ WICKED WONDERLAND

❊ ツガ 小芥子 ❊

Tsuga nods, starting to walk back towards the practice room. "Let me go pick my stuff up, then I can lock the room and get out of here." She nods to Yumeko out of habit before continuing. "I'll be honest, I'm not the biggest reader of mysteries, nor am I the biggest reader in general. Mysteries tend to take up way to much brain power for me to really follow along well, heh." She chuckles sheepishly, ruffling the hair at the base of her neck as a blush seeps over her face. "I have to spend most of my time with my head buried in headphones rather than pages."

A clattering and the sound of synthetic fabrics echoes in the room, Tsuga picking up her gear and turning the key in the door with a familiar clatter. "Y'know, Nakano-san? I'm glad we ran into each other. Maybe the reason my progress is stunted is the same reason you couldn't progress in sci-fi. Maybe I'm just trying to dodge being mainstream by taking something off the wall and running with it, rather than taking what I love and making it my own." Her words sound pensive, almost uncertain. "Maybe I should take a break from these older things, and see what I can do chasing something I'm good at, and that I like a lot."

She taps her toe into the ground, the tap echoing in the halls as she pauses near the door. "I feel like such a hypocrite," she snorts, suppressing a chuckle. "I give this whole, pompous monologue about how music isn't important if you can't reach your audience. Then I just sit there like an idiot, distancing myself because I don't want to feel like everyone else." Another snort leads into a huge laugh, the pealing noise slipping out into the evening air as Tsuga pushes the door open, holding it ajar for Yumeko. "Thanks, Nakano-san. Probably wouldn't have realized that for a while if I didn't just talk through it."

WORDS: 334 TAGS: Yumeko Nakano NOTES: Meep

XOXO SHIN OF GS + THQ

Kindness is the  language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see Yumeko turned her head as she tracked Tsuga's footsteps, then followed behind, her hand reaching out to follow along the wall until she felt the cold metal of a trash can, depositing the empty can of tea in before picking up the pace to walk beside Tsuga again. The notion that mysteries were cerebral was what drew her to the genre in the first place. She enjoyed the challenge of trying to put together the pieces of the puzzle and the elation that came with the eureka moment. Yumeko knew it wasn't for everyone, but it never really struck the writer how truely difficult it could be for some people. Yumeko grit her teeth in frustration as she waited at the side of the room the room, thinking to herself and tuning out the sound of movement. It wasn't until her name was called again that Yumeko looked into the room again. The fact that Tsuga seemed aware of the paradox was somehow amusing, though she wouldn't call it necessarily hypocritical if only out of a habit of trying to stay polite. The feeling of amusement was only compounded by how rather off the mark the musican was regarding Yumeko's problem with sci-fi, and the author could only help but crack a smile, stepping to to the side as she heard Tsuga approach, then bowed respectfully as she was thanked. "And I must thank you too, Kokeshi-san," Yumeko replied, standing up straight before heading through the doorway, pivoting around once inside the hallway. "To be quite honest, the problem that I have when writing Sci-Fi novels is that in the end, they turn into mystery novels that are set in a semi-futuristic world rather than sticking to what makes Sci-fi, well, Sci-fi. But...today, I think I understand my publisher's worries just a little bit more, thanks you too." The soft buzz of Yumeko's phone echoed in her pocket, interrupting her. With a soft chuckle, she tapped it to silence it. "I'm afraid that is my family calling for me." Once more Yumeko bowed. "Well, if you wish to find me after school, I'll be in this building. Fourth Floor, Northern Wing, lounge at the end of the northwest hallway. But, until we meet again, Kokeshi-san, farewell." Standing upright once more, Yumeko turned to walk down the hallway, her cane sweeping in front of her. Normally, she wasn't fond of small talk in short durations, but this was one of the better exceptions. @tag | #WORDS | NOTES:

KAI'K @ WICKED WONDERLAND