Echoing Reprise [Izumi/Mashiro]

“

Without music, life would be a mistake.

The rumours of a ghost in a storage room dissipated quickly, thanks to Hara's influence. But as a side effect, it did bring attention to the fact that were was a piano that was forgotten in a far-off room in the Music Building. Not that anyone would find fault in it, the descision was made not to move the piano, and instead repurpose the room as a full-fledged recital room. While not all of the stored books and instruments were moved out, at least some space was made for additional chairs and music stands, so that a quartet or quintet could practice in comfort.

But today's patron was a soloist, a white-haired girl carrying her own 88-key electric keyboard in a bag as large as herself on her back with her real backpack of school materials hanging off her left arm. Mashiro stopped just inside the doorway, looking out the window where the midsummer afternoon sun was pouring in, eliminating the need for lighting. It was nostalgic, in a way, and the composer paused just a little longer to take in the sight.

A year already? It was hard for Mashiro to believe. So much happened in a short time. New friends, new experiences, and lots learned. Beneath the windowsill the pianist set down her own keyboard, where she had always set her belongings down day after day, and took at seat at the stool in front of the keys. The stool wasn't new, re-appropriated from another room, but it still felt a bit out of place. Mashiro had gotten too used to the old one that showed its age clearly; she considered it part of its charm. Pale fingers rested lightly on the keys, free of dust. Perhaps someone was here earlier; with the piano being common knowledge, it was being maintained by her classmates far better.

Now, what to play?

Minor keys and somber melodies were Mashiro's trademarks, honed to perfection with all that she had learned so far in the past year and more. But now, it felt like cheating, to that she was leaning to heavily on the far-to-treaded path. Perhaps it was time for something different, something a bit more upbeat. Surely she had some melodies composed that fit that description?

Crimson eyes closed in remembrance, and Mashiro took in a slow, deep breath as her memories flowed to her fingertips. Keys pressed, faster than what she was used to, but it was all part of what made the melody so spirited and jovial. As always, Mashiro swayed side to side, this time only at every other beat, her eyes remaining closed as she focused on the music that drifted out of the room and invitingly down the hallway.

[ Izumi Shiraishi   | ♫The current song she playing ]

MADE BY KAIZU OF WW AND TWF

Yet another day in the life of Izumi.

Various thoughts flew through her mind, relating to what she was going to do in the future.
Shirayama-san's words about not pretending to be someone else, were stuck in her mind. She felt nervous in class earlier, and ended up being quiet like usual.
Izumi didn't know what was holding her back, but didn't try to act against it. She just felt uncomfortable amongst the majority of her classmates.

They didn't even decide on whatever production they were rehearsing. Izumi had the idea of Snow White, but didn't bring it up, while the others picked things that were more mature in comparison, some suggesting Romeo and Juliet, others suggesting various musicals or other things that Izumi didn't pay attention to. With said divide, Izumi didn't pick a side, and just decided she'd ignore her classmates again.

After doing this, she'd finished her class for the day, and decided to wander around for the rest of the afternoon.
She didn't feel like locking herself away, but more on the scale of getting as far a distance between herself and her classmates.
Izumi's loud, frantic footsteps echoed through the hallways, as she briefly sprinted through the hallways, stopping abruptly.

She'd gotten into a slight bit of trouble for running in the hallways, but as usual, she'd forgotten. 

Live music? A piano, too. 
She knew her attempt at being stealthy probably wouldn't work, but she could at least try to not bother someone else by being a spectator, her habit of staring at things resulting in a reputation of her being slightly eccentric in comparison to most of her fellow students.
Izumi usually listened to an odd mix of orchestral, classical, heavy metal, and pop songs that were trending about ten or so years ago, plus whatever her mother used to listen to at home.
Her interest was caught, and Izumi was drawn in magnetically to this, standing in the doorway after quietly advancing.

The pair of purple eyes stared wide open, not exactly being the most inconspicuous thing.
Izumi stood awkwardly still, arms to her sides, clutching a notepad in one hand, pen in the other.
What was she doing, just staring at another girl play piano?

Focus, say something and be polite. You need friends, after all!

Bowing suddenly, Izumi stood up, and waved with both of her hands in an oddly expressive movement for someone like her.
"Good afternoon, my name is Shiraishi Izumi, and I'm a third year in the theater course, specialising in acting. I apologise for the interruption, but I enjoy and appreciate your musical..."
She stopped talking, and remained in said position, trying to think of something to complete her sentence.

Did I sugarcoat that? I feel like I did. Is that even how we're supposed to introduce ourselves? I hope it was strong enough, otherwise this is a wasted effort. 

“

Without music, life would be a mistake.

Despite the immense focus on the melody, Mashiro's mind was able to multitask, her crimson eyes momentarily darting to the side to see a figure in the doorway. Her eyes narrowed momentarily into a glare before returning her focus back to the keys. The name registered as unfamiliar and it was only after another moment that the pianist realized it was because this Shiraishi-san wasn't actually a classmate of hers.

There was little need improvise an elegant coda; the musician simply cut off at the end of the current movement without additional fanfare. Pale fingers slid off the keys as Mashiro dismounted from the stool, her movements slow and floaty, almost like her presence was barely tangible. She stood up in order to immediately bow, a practiced and refined maneuver, one closer to the mannerisms of a high-class lady.

"Aah...Good afternoon, Shiraishi-senpai. I am Satou Mashiro," Mashiro replied formally as she bowed, her airy voice softly echoing against the classroom walls. It was not the first time the composer's solo affair attracted an audience nor was it the first time she was interrupted, but it was the first time in recent memory that someone immediately launched into an introduction of sorts. Was this other girl nervous? Mashiro's red eyes looked over Izumi for a moment, trying to discern any clues, taking quite record of the notepad in the other girl's arms.

"Aah...It is quite the distance from the Theatre Wing, but I am glad that you came all this way. Please, senpai, take a seat and be comfortable," Mashiro said, gesturing towards the chairs at the side of the piano, perhaps arrange as such for any choir that would have accompanied. The pianist took a seat herself, dragging her hand along the keys in a lazy glissando before looking back to Izumi.

"Aah...Is there any way I can help you? Is there a project on hand?"

[ Izumi Shiraishi | #WORDS | ♫MUSIC | NOTES ]

MADE BY KAIZU OF WW AND TWF

Senpai? Oh, right, she was talking to an underclassman.

Being addressed like that? It made her feel more important than she felt she actually was. Sure, she believed that she could do most things with relative ease, but this was the first time she'd been called Senpai, and not addressed with the usual honorific of "san" by another student.

Taking the initiative to not freeze on the spot, and show herself up in front of someone younger, she quickly shook her head. Truthfully, she'd entered the room due to the lure of the music, and wanted to hear some more.

Izumi was expecting someone in the year above hers to be playing, as she always assumed those older than her would likely be much, much more professional than Izumi herself. There were exceptions, but Izumi's mind tended to associate age with wisdom, and experience.

"No, no, Ma- Satou-san, please allow me to explain."
Izumi bowed quickly.
"I was interested in what you were playing, I was just walking through the hallways when I heard you playing, and decided to investigate, if that's not too rude?"

Having stated her purpose, she hoped she didn't come off as odd.
Was it too much to just run in, state who she was, and then suddenly ask with a polite tone if she could observe?

Izumi didn't know any better, and hoped bowing would make up for her rash decision.

Being honest, that was what she was supposed to focus on, right?
Just like what Shirayama-san said.
Hurriedly taking a seat at the side of the piano, she had her hands to her sides as she weakly smiled, a hint of shyness to her actions.
Her eyes moved from the piano, to Mashiro again.

"Please, I'd like to see, and listen to you play."
She smiled.

“

Without music, life would be a mistake.

No project, no objective. Just another wanderer lured in by song. A situation that occured so often that Mashiro was more than comfortable with it happening. Shiraishi-san on the other hand seemed a bit less comfortable, though it piqued the pianist's interest that the first name that came out of her senpai's mouth was almost the white-haired girl's given name. A faux pas, perhaps, but Mashiro knew better than to bring attentionto it.

"Aah...I that so?" Mashiro asked, positioning herself to properly face the piano again. "Aah. Well, that is fine with me. A concert for one then."

Mashiro started to press on singular keys once or twice, trying to figure out the best key for the melody she hand in mind. "Ah...Truthfully, I was playing another person's song? Not one of my own," she explained, starting to play notes more and more similar to each other. "Having a style of one's own is not bad, but neither is sounding the same all the time. so...trying to get a feel from another's music."

There was a pause before the composer started to press a single key rapidly before cutting off again. "Ah...this time I think, I'll play one of my own."

Crimon eyes closed fully, then only barely opened as Mashiro's fingers started to firmly press into the keys. A slow and simple theme floated through the room, higher notes carrying an uncomplicated melody supported by a ponderous bass line. Midway through, a slight key change to an uplifting major, lingering just a moment before falling back into the old minor key where complex chords started to fall into place, filling out the sound more and more until the climax. Finally, the complexity was stripped away again, leaving only the single-note melody to slowly close out the song.

Silence filled the room for a few moments, broken by Mashiro's sighing. Focus returned to her blood-red eyes as she glanced over to Shiraishi-san. "Ah. Still preliminary. Piano only perhaps I can expand to other instruments, but...Ah. A rather...usual display of my favorite way to write a melody," Mashiro explained with a weak smile.

[ Izumi Shiraishi | #WORDS | ♫MUSIC | NOTES: Click on "MUSIC" to hear the song ]

MADE BY KAIZU OF WW AND TWF

Izumi's small knowledge of music came into play here.
Her music taste contrasted from the gentle, refined melodies of a single pianist.
Moving on from her niche tastes, Izumi was able to judge that Satou-san was gifted. Perhaps she had always been like this as a child? Izumi could certainly relate if she did so, Izumi herself being invested enough in stage plays that she took the theater course at Fukui, it'd make sense if Satou-san had similar reasons for joining.. of course, that was a guess, but Izumi decided not to pry into the personal life of someone who she'd just met so soon. 

Professionalism was the best course of action. She could learn something today.
Just try not to be too deprecating towards her.. 
"So, a melody that builds off of something small? I do have to say, that's very appealing. Not to talk you down, but that's very smart for someone in our age group, no? I'm sure if you were to keep at it, you'd be part of some grand ensemble!"

She smiled.
"Although..."
Izumi's habit of pausing struck once more, going deeper into thought, unfocused on the world around her.
The comment of Satou-san's piqued her interest.
Izumi's analysis of things wasn't the best, but she made an attempt to make what she could, out of the words of other people.

If she specialised in one thing, was it better to specialise in another, or just keep doing her best at one thing?
Izumi never particularly tried hard enough herself to make a quick decision on that.
Shirayama-san was good at preparing food, and Satou-san was good at playing the piano respectively. It surely wouldn't hurt to try another thing.
"Personally, I believe that you could learn another instrument if you have enough confidence in it. I've never been willing to leave my comfort zone, so acting is all that I'm aware I am skilled in. I would like to think I'm not too bad when it comes to athleticism in regards to running, but I have yet to find a suitable time and place to put those to the test. If you're willing to put the effort in, I'm sure you'll do more than fine, seeing as you can already play the piano as if you were born with it. Musical notes aren't dependent on instrument, so I believe you'd be able to get your mind around it relatively quickly with the instrument of your choice. That brings me on, what sort of instrument would you be interested in learning as your second? There's many possibilities, after all."

“

Without music, life would be a mistake.

Mashiro scooted to the side of her stool as Izumi spoke, tilting her head at the praise that was offered to her. Something about it was bugging her, and her puzzlement showed in her quiet expression. Was it really a factor of being smart, the white-haired girl wondered. It was just that style of composition she had taken on from the start, inspiring the songs that she had first heard.

As the topic shifted to learning another instrument, Mashiro tilted her head again in the other direction, but her look of confusion faded back to her neutral frown. She already knew how to play another instrument, albeit nowhere near the level of mastery she had over a piano. Another puzzle perhaps, why Shiraishi-san had the impression that the white-haired girl only knew how to play the piano. And the more Shiraishi-san became verbose, the more Mashiro was reminded of some of the patrons of her family's shop, ones who seemed to talk nervously, propelled by some sense of inertia.

Mashiro sat up straight as a question was asked of her. There was no need for further contemplation or hesitation; she had her answer long beforehand. "Ah...the guitar," the pale girl replied, adding on, "Ah...though, I already know how to play it. I was taught by a friend of mine."

A friend. It was hard to really elaborate further, or rather, where would Mashiro start? She slipped off the stool and headed to the windowsill where her keyboard lay, still in its bag. Ah... We were part of a quartet in middle school," Mashiro said, making sure to raise her voice a bit louder so that Shiraishi-san could still hear her as she unzipped the bag and started to assemble the keyboard.

"Ah...there was myself, then our guitarist Ageha... our violinist Hikari... and our vocalist Tanya. Though in the end only I pursued a career in music," Mashiro explained, skittering off to the side to plug in the keyboard before switching it on, fiddling with a few of the knobs and switches. "Ah...Still. Guitars are nice. Adaptable, tunable..."

The pianist's fingers pressed against the keys, but instead of the sound of a piano coming out, it was an acoustic guitar. More fiddling ensured as the composer 'tuned' the virtual strings, repeating a single melodic phrase until she found what she wanted. And from there, was another song.

[ Izumi Shiraishi | #WORDS | ♫MUSIC | NOTES ]

MADE BY KAIZU OF WW AND TWF

"Oh, so you were in a band? That's... very admirable, honestly. Being part of a team sounds great, since you can all support each other, and learn things with less difficulty, picking up things along the way."
Izumi nodded, her attention focused more on Mashiro than her piano work.
Pausing to listen to Mashiro's melody, she'd continue asking some more questions after she could think of some.
The girl in front of her seemed so comfortable in her element, speaking so freely about her past experiences with musical intstruments.

Izumi felt more.. well.. confused, no intrigued at this. Her underclassman, in her own opinion was much more composed and dignified than Izumi thought of herself.
Already skilled at her pursuits, and a history of cooperation with others. Izumi thought she wasn't the type to jump to conclusions, but this proved otherwise.

"Wellll... please could you tell me about your ensemble? I'm quite.. impressed, yes. Seeing as well, that must've been middle school, I can't really say I was anywhere as near organized as you were, at all."
A little bit of honesty never hurt, even if Izumi's incident was practically the reason for her not being organized at all.

This wasn't really what was supposed to be happening, Izumi was more wanting to at least learn something from Satou-san. She'd learned to act more like herself, and be friendly when appropriate from Shirayama-san, so this lesson was being applied today, however awkward and possibly terrifying/confusing the sight of an upperclassman suddenly asking her underclassman to give her a solo demo actually was.
Music itself was an odd subject for Izumi. She preferred listening to it being played, rather than hopelessly messing around with a metallic triangular object like in kindergarten. Musical notes were completely alien to her, and it all just seemed like something that'd take years, upon years, upon years to get a decent knowledge of. Izumi did not have that luxury, and was focused on trying to get her bearings in the theater course.

“

Without music, life would be a mistake.

Even though music flowed from the keyboard, Mashiro's mind was not wholly focused on it. Instead, it was as if her hands were on autopilot, even as it transitioned to another task. She had one hand on the keys, the other manipulating switches and nobs. Though only one instrument played at a time, the melody repeated seamlessly into each iteration before returning to the sound of the acoustic guitar, repeating a single note before going silent.

"Aah...we weren't really a band. Each of us...had a different reason for turning to music," Mashiro said, pausing before proceeding with a new melody. Notes were scattered and intermittent, yet still formed a cohesive phrase as it moved slowly but with some sense of poise. "Ah...Ageha's guitar was her companion while she lived on her own, so her songs were based around the wistful sounds of an acoustic guitar. Minor keys, roughly Adagio tempo."

A hand shifted and quickly flipped a switch, turning the guitar into a violin. The melody repeated, but seemingly brighter, fuller, but maintained that tempo.

"Aah...Hikari's violin is the last...heirloom of her mother, who was trained as a classical violinist. Of the four of us, she has the 'oldest' style, so to speak. She actually was the least practiced of us, but you'd never know by how well she played and could even come up with melodies herself."

There was a quiet chuckle of praise before Mashiro hit another switch. Natural-sounding violins turned into a synth, but the pitch was near and familiar, close to a person's voice that was holding onto a note. The key went from minor to major, as the synth echoed in uplifting dones and the tempo advancing.

"...ah. Tanya's voice is...her breathing is weak, so she tried to sing just to train herself to...keep breathing. She's also from overseas, so she sang songs from her homeland. And then me."

One final flip of the switch and the keyboard became a piano again. The melody slowed to a crawl, simple notes falling out in a quiet yet firm way. Was it sad? Not quite. But the song had ended, and Mashiro looked pensively again. "So we ended up with four different styles. Perhaps it was more a group of musicians who played music together? I think...'circle' is the right word for it."

Blinking, the musician returned back to earth, turning to look at Shirashi-senpai in the eye with a slight smile. "Ah...? Senpai doesn't need to be so formal, does she?" Mashiro asked. It was strange how Shiraishi-senpai was so formal. Maybe she was one of those rich girls from a prominent family?

[ Izumi Shiraishi | #WORDS | ♫MUSIC | NOTES - click on "music" to hear what she is playing ]

MADE BY KAIZU OF WW AND TWF

Eye contact wasn't really something Izumi succeeded at, and she instinctively glanced away for a few brief moments when Satou-san spoke up to her, her plan to ask more about the music circle having suddenly fallen through with the new topic at hand.
"Formal? Hm, Satou-san? I always have spoken like this, apologies if I seem too.. how would it best be put.. proper? No, that's not it.. uptight? It's just the way I'm used to speaking when meeting new people, I try my best to present myself in the best light possible, and make a quick, and positive impression, if that really resonates with you in any way."

Izumi calmly made an attempt to hide her initial confusion to this. Any question that were about nothing that remotely had anything to do with her, were easy for Izumi to answer as they didn't involve her at all, and when they were, she found them quite hard to answer as she didn't feel she knew herself too well, as well as the fact certain things were better left unspoken at times, particularly Izumi's panicky side regarding more sensitive issues.

"No, no.. I'm just trying my best to get into the habit of acting mature, at least somewhat, that's what an upperclassman should be doing, no? Set the example for her juniors, even if she's shy as ever.."
Adding to what she said, Izumi sighed.

Being able to talk to a year below her let her get a clearer picture of what things were possibly like, to those who looked up to Shirayama-san, and the rest of her classmates.
Although reclusive, Izumi was conscious of her reputation, and would appreciate some more attention from those around her, even if what she got was enough already.

"Anyway, Satou-san, what piques your interest in regards to me being so formal? I'm more than willing to answer any question you give me, so please ask away if you do wish to."
Having asked Satou-san so many questions earlier, it was best to let the sides swap, to not make it seem like more of an interrogation, or at least in Izumi's eyes, get the closest thing to a functioning conversation between her, and her underclassman.

Admittedly, Satou-san's appearance was.. unconventional to Izumi, initially having been caught off guard, by the pair of red eyes that looked into her own.. purple, wait, was there even that much of a difference?
Blue and red were two components to Izumi's purple, after all.
Not the best when it came to compliments, the most Izumi thought, was that Satou-san's unique eyes were pretty to her. That's as far as her vocabulary went, as Izumi would get words mixed up, or not use the right words to describe things.

Bringing a hand to her chin, she'd sit back and let Satou-san speak.

“

Without music, life would be a mistake.

The way Shiraishi-senpai looked away caused Mashiro to immediately drop her smile, her expression returning to her neutral frown to hide her disappointment and exasperation. Was Shiraishi-senpai intimidated by something? It was probably her ghostly appearance; Mashiro immediately discounted the notion that it was something she said. Afterall, it wasn't like she was intentionally trying to say anything scary.

But the feeling passed quickly as Shiraishi-senpai spoke up again. Slowly, rhythmically, Mashiro's head swayed side to side as she listened intently, her white hair shifting back and forth. Indeed, the way her senpai spoke wasn't formal per se, but something that senpai said that struck a chord.

-Mature. What an upperclassman should be doing.-

"Ah..." A sigh was the first thing out of Mashiro's lips in response to Shiraishi-senpai's question, closing her crimson eyes and ceasing her movement, letting her long while hair fall around her as she spoke.

"Ah...My family...runs a confectionary. We have new visitors all the time. Some are...shy. And they act very formal. Unsure of what to do, overwhelmed by all the choices around them. But you're not acting like them no...you are..."

Crimson eyes reopened to a narrow frowning glare as Mashiro came to a realization. She opened her mouth but was silent for a few moments as she gathered her thoughts and tried to convert it to words.

"Ah...that's it. The way you talk...reminds me of my family in Niigata. My aunt and uncles there don't like me. They don't show it openly, but they'll be polite...as far as they are 'supposed' to. For all their antipathy, they are slaves to maintaining that 'noble' appearance." Mashiro scoffed, but her expression softened, smiling again and looking to Shiraishi-senpai, though she still had her white hair draping around her.

"The staff there are far less formal. I mean...they still call me things like 'ojou-san' but...I think that is the extent of it. For some reason...they don't try to maintain that kind of rigid image, and I enjoy that."

[ Izumi Shiraishi | #WORDS | ♫MUSIC | NOTES ]

MADE BY KAIZU OF WW AND TWF

A sudden silence enveloped the room, and the presence of the two girls for a few seconds, Izumi's eyebrow raised, her mouth slightly open as her purple eyes stared into the red ones of Satou-san before her.

"Satou-san.."

Such a peculiar statement to be made. Izumi didn't particularly know much for extended family, but it didn't seem to be so much about that anyway, seeing as Satou-san was talking about being formal, not that Izumi had any grasp of what was being meant currently, having stopped in her tracks to try and re-analyse what was said to her by Satou-san.


"You mean... no, no.. I.. one moment please." The best Izumi could really get out of her confused state was that for an answer. Satou-san's question just seemed ever so slightly, be an echoing to Shirayama-san's point made about others acting completely different to what they were truly like.

Was this an attempt at her character? No, no... an underclassman wouldn't be trying something like that on someone as obscure, reclusive and well-mannered as someone like herself, and thus Izumi had no need to worry about this. After all, she'd known Satou-san for about six or so minutes, why would they possibly have a reason to be on bad terms with each other?

"Satou-san."
Her gaze remained, her eyes narrowing somewhat, as she sat up straight, assuming more of a professional posture to go with what she was going to say.
"Regarding the rigid image... you mean, it's better if I don't force myself to act formally? I'm not sure where to follow you on with this, sorry. All I know is that honesty should be valued among all things.. wait, wait... I'm confused.. ahaaa.. please be a bit more forward, sorry.."
And so, Izumi started to trip over her words again. Not in a panic, but a state of calm disarray.

As stubborn as Izumi could be, maybe asking someone else for help was not too much of a far cry, seeing as Satou-san was not Shirayama-san, her ever so wise roommate.
"That's if it's not too much to ask, no? I just don't think we're on the same page, or I wasn't listening too well enough.."
She broke eye contact, her eyes looking at the window in the corner of the room, her head not having shifted much at all.

“

Without music, life would be a mistake.

Mashiro remained still through the silence, though her expression slowly returned to her resting frown as the setting autumn sun tinted the room in a warm orange. Her head tilted further, disturbing her hair, as Shiraishi-senpai spoke her name, looking expectantly, even through the subsequent silence. Then, she closed her eyes to hide her exasperation from watching her senpai straighten up even further.

"Ah...nervous customers at our shop are nervous because they do not want to embarass themselves by appearing ignorant," Mashiro said with a sigh, keeping her eyes close and with the frown still across her face. "But senpai said she acts polite...because she is an upperclassman."

Where to go from there? How much of did Mashiro want to talk about the past? The pianist found herself very unwilling to give further context behind her background. Her crimson eyes opened slowly, looking towards the floor before turning her whole body again to face the piano. Pale fingers placed themselves on the ivory keys and the room was soon filled with the sound of melancholic melodies as Mashiro used the music a means of re-centering her thoughts. Unlike past times where she swayed with the rhythm, she remained upright.

"Ah...in some places...you do need to be formal. Some schools I know...the girls are all...formal, polite, and..." Mashiro trailed off, shaking her head. "Ah, talking to sensei, or your senpais, you do need to be polite. But...this is a practice room of an art school, away from the rest of the world. I am just...a quiet pianist." She turned over to Shiraishi-senpai, relaxing a little and starting to sway again.

"Ah, senpai is senpai, and I will refer to senpai as such. But...is this really a place to be all...rigid and formal? No one is here to judge you..."

[ Izumi Shiraishi | #WORDS | ♫MUSIC | NOTE ]

MADE BY KAIZU OF WW AND TWF

While looking away, Izumi focused harder on what Satou-san was saying.
It seemed to her, that the younger of the two was expecting casual speech, and Izumi's habits, speech and whatnot were not akin to most casual talk.

Her mother's example was near enough in importance to some vital law, something that Izumi tried her best to follow, and not deviate from at all, save for that one incident some years ago, which she'd not like to get into detail about.

"Rigid and formal.. well... I'm not exactly how.. would you put it simply.. more of the casual, sociable sort? I find it hard to talk to more than one person at a time, and it's usually just for small amounts of time. Mother liked to keep things formal at home, and I have been told I resemble her in many ways, save for being shy of others."
Izumi admitted. Being honest about her situation wasn't too hard for her, while the younger Satou-san seemed more... shy? The archetype of the shy underclassman had more reality than it seemed in the books she'd read. Perhaps prying wasn't really the best idea, and Izumi decided she'd stop prying to learn more about Satou-san for the time being.

"I.. suppose.. well, I'd be much less formal if I wasn't such a shut-in. I'm from Okinawa, and that has its own unique way of speaking, and accent. A lot of people think I'm from Tokyo, but it's just that mother is from there, and I've wholly absorbed that. In my old school, I never really understood much of what the others in my class were saying, often confused by the variations in what they said, as well as all the slang terminology they used. I remember that one of the greetings over there was.. haisai? It's.. very informal, and I never used it, as mother never used it."
What else could she really say about Okinawa? The weather was nice? That was just common knowledge, besides the stereotype of the people who inhabited the Ryukyu islands being overly casual.. not that Izumi had ever seen much, if any evidence with her reclusive tendencies.

"You are correct about no one judging me, perhaps I'll have to learn from you and others, Satou-san."
She let out a soft, faint chuckle, smiling afterwards.

“

Without music, life would be a mistake.

A shut-in, senpai said of herself. The pianist mused a bit as the song from the piano changed, turning upbeat as Mashiro's mood became more relaxed. Perhaps in elementary and junior high, Mashiro could consider herself shut-in. And even though she had met her friends via Yuki-nee, she still had friends. The shop too - how many people did she end up talking to while working there?

Now that senpai did talk about the Okinawan people and their boisterous nature, the musician could recall one or two customers, clearly from the South, being loud and...cheerful for lack of a better word. Never rude - always polite. Perhaps 'unafraid' was a better word. Unrestrained. Yet, Mashiro better than to judge - for every one of those kinds of customers, how many other Okinawans had been to the shop?

"Mn, I don't think senpai not being very social is related to being so formal," Mashiro said. "I have a cousin who can act very formal. She's the student council president of a prominent school for...wealthy girls." There was a slight pause as Mashiro struggled for words. Never would she outright lie about her family, but some details were not to be freely given unless asked for.

"So all that...formal and princess-like stuffs...she does a lot of that, even though she talks to a lot of people, both out of duty and because she enjoys it. But of course, at home, for however... 'graceful' she is otherwise, she is at home she's much less rigid." Mashiro snickered at the word 'graceful' before looking back to Shiraishi-san. "Oh, and she's from the side of the family I do get along with. Very well. They're from Tokyo."

There was a soft giggle before Mashiro settled down, looking to her keys as she spoke again. "But it does sound like your mother is very much like my family in Niigata then." Mashiro paused. She wanted to say more, to know more, but how much further would it be before she was prying?

[ Izumi Shiraishi | #WORDS | ♫MUSIC | NOTES ]

MADE BY KAIZU OF WW AND TWF

A very interesting topic indeed. If the year below wasn't as intimidating as she'd been thinking, maybe talking to them every once in a while wouldn't be an instant mistake for her.

"Princess-like? Well, I would be lying if I wasn't trying to act like that at times? I am hoping to at least build a good image for myself, professionally speaking at least. Just not to an extent that makes me seem like I'm above everyone else.. I'd rather not appear to be untouchable, otherwise it'll give people the wrong impression, I'd rather not seem like I'm overly uptight about things, even if I am somewhat picky most times."

She nodded, softly chuckling.
"Mother usually just.. I wouldn't precisely know what to say she is for sure. She's very polite, somewhat overprotective of me at certain occasions, and does take care regarding both her own, and my appearance when possible. She usually picks out clothes for me, does my hair and a lot of things.. maybe she's closer to the fictional princess type.. no wait, she works a lot so.. Cinderella, minus the horrible family."
She'd trail off a little, just to attempt to find something that made a connection with the "princess-like" archetype she'd formed in her mind.

"But I think being too formal must hurt a lot, surely you'd never go to a.. fishing event and just start being sophisticated? I feel like it'd come off as condescending in some situations, of which I've never really been involved in to any extent."
She'd tilt her head, placing her hand on her chin.

"Coming to think of it, maybe mother's guidance on being formal.. not to follow it too religiously but... to an extent, being formal and dignified can most likely serve one well.. what's the term.. manners? Right, yes.. manners, I... seemingly forgot that, apologies."
She'd then go quiet, looking around the room in awkward silence, attempting to think of something else to say.

Satou-san did not exactly seem to be the most receptive to questions being asked about her, so she'd just wait to see what else she'd be asked.

Izumi was relaxed, albeit a bit confused that she was being so informative to someone she'd just met.

“

Without music, life would be a mistake.

The more Mashiro heard of Shiraishi-senpai's mother, the the more uncomfortable she felt. Her frown intensified and her fingers slowly halted, cutting off the song at an awkard point like a record suddenly stopping. Crimson eyes once more had a peircing gaze as the musician's facade started to crack. That concern over appearances, down to picking out clothes and doing the hair - it all screamed warning signs to the pianist. The creeping fear in Mashiro's mind was that sitting before her was a simulacrum of the 'perfect daughter' her erstwhile parents tried so hard to achieve.

So, what should she do? Mashiro found herself stuck somewhere between a feeling of disgust and worry. Was it really her business to interfere? Mayhaps Shiraishi-senpai's mother was just misguided and overprotective and not vain. Yet, the pianist found herself unwilling to let it slide.

"Ah... I am glad that...Shiraishi-senpai is now here. Here...in Fukui." Mashiro spoke slowly, clearly trying to find the right words to say. The gaze her held softened as she closed her eyes. "Ah...it must be overwhelming to be so far away but...I think it is for the best. Away from...Ah. You get to...to stand... on your own."

Mashiro's voice trailed off as she shook her head. No, this was far too much for her. A change in subject was in order, but nothing came to mind, except for music. She flexed her fingers for a few moments and looked back to the piano, silently contemplating what to play. Perhaps something from her personal favorite composer? Something calming and familiar. Once more, Mashiro's fingers pressed down again and music filled the room once more.

[ Izumi Shiraishi | #WORDS | ♫MUSIC | NOTES ]

MADE BY KAIZU OF WW AND TWF

Izumi herself, was also lost for words, mainly the fact she might've opened just a little too much about herself to an underclassman she'd only just met now.

The fact Satou-san was just staring at her like that seemed.. off-putting? No, like she'd managed to offend her underclassman in some form or another.
Addressing the issue was something that was the more interesting course but, it was impolite to suddenly ask someone she'd just met, such a personal question.

Especially seeing how Satou-san's talk of formalities, it just seemed to her as if she wasn't too fond of that sort of thing, at all.

Perhaps being silent worked?

Izumi's eyes shifted from Mashiro's stare, to the piano keys, and just focused on the music.

Being this young, with all of this skill, must've been a blessing and a curse, right?
The ability to wield the piano as if it were natural to her.
Yet, it would attract more attention from prying eyes, perhaps parents who had unbelievably high expectations.

This was another interesting point to ask but.. for politeness, and rather more of keeping Satou-san from giving her that obvious glare again, it was a better idea to not address that right now, and maybe discuss this situation with Shirayama-san further on.

She was now thinking of Satou-san alone in this room, just practicing and constantly perfecting her art, making it look easy to an uneducated outsider like Izumi.
Alone.

Perhaps she was like Izumi herself in those regards, preferring to spend her time on her lonesome, and just simply enjoying the things she did.
And...

She couldn't think of too much they had in common, seeing as Satou-san didn't seem too eager to open up, and Izumi wasn't going to be pushy on an underclassman, that was just downright mean of her.

Focusing on the music again, she'd think about her own art, the theatre course.
With still no roles on her part, what was there to do exactly?
Sit it out, or leave her comfort zone?

It did not help that she had little interaction with the others in her course, perhaps she'd be better off seeing someone else in her course if possible..

And as Izumi didn't exactly feel like prying Satou-san for questions.. she'd just keep quiet, letting those thoughts subside, and admire the skill at hand when it came to playing the piano.

“

Without music, life would be a mistake.

Familiar music, practiced for countless hours, realigned Mashiro's train of though and brought her back from her tense mental overdrive. Soon, there was no need to think about the melody anymore and muscle memory took over, letting her mind think about the past few minutes in a freshly lucid state. It all came down to not knowing everything relevant to Shiraishi-senpai. Mashiro felt the temptation to ask Misha for help, mayhaps her cousin being on the Student Council could learn of something, but the idea was shot down on the grounds that it would be leaning too much on family, an abuse of Misha's position, and perhaps being too prying in the end.

Out of the corner of her crimson eyes, Mashiro could see Shiraishi-senpai watching. That's right - if Shiraishi-san was part of the Theatre Department, they'd likely see each other again due to proximity, just like she had now. And perhaps more important of all...at least Shiraishi-san was away from her family's influence. There was no need to rush, no pressing sense of time.

Speaking of time...

From the bookbag beneath the window came another piano melody. It was brief but still well-defined leitmotif, reminiscent of more classical German compositions. Without any attempt to end the music she was playing gracefully, Mashiro hopped off the bench to rummage through her bookbag. From it was her phone in its ice-blue casing with an appearance that it wa made from wrapped cloth.

As the melody had warned it was from Yumeko, asking about dinner. Mashiro chuckled as she put her phone back in her bag as she slung it over her shoulder and turned to Shiraishi-san, the setting sun turning her pale hair a brilliant orange.

"Ah...it was a pleasure to meet you Shiraishi-san, but sadly, I need to attend to something," Mashiro said with a polite bow, adding. "...I'd like to see you again soon." Standing upright, Mashiro reached for her electric keyboard and slung it onto her back before heading to the door. With one step into the halway and the other fit still in the room, Mashiro pivoted around to look to Shiraishi-senpai one more time, finally smiling before heading out.

[ @somebody | #WORDS | ♫MUSIC | NOTES ]

MADE BY KAIZU OF WW AND TWF