Pride Goes Before A Fall [Ayano/Caia]

Oh girl, it's true I can never be away from you It's like you gloss your lips with glue Oh we kiss and I am ❖ ❖ ❖ s t u c k t o y o u ❖ ❖ ❖ Caia silently gave a moderate half-bow of her head as she walked backwards out of the office in the music and theater building. Despite it being well into the semester, the staff seemed to be as busy and frenzied as they were on the first; too busy to help her out much, at least. She turned on her heels and slouched outside of the office door as it closed behind her with a loud thud, the fingers of her only free hand fumbling to unfold the nearly crumpled piece of printer paper the secretary handed her in restless haste before going back to tend to other office business. Following the request of her father, she put in a request to be tutored for violin after such a long period with no practice. Her family had been so busy with packing, moving, getting her enrolled, and settling in their new home that the only free time she had was spent sleeping. Okay, and maybe some video games here and there. And there was definitely plenty of time for guitar. Room 110, 15:30 – 17:00, the paper read, Ninomiya Ayano, Year 1. The girl stood there for a moment, her eyes scanning the note repeatedly. Her eyebrows furrowed a bit from the confusion. Maybe she was misunderstood when she told the staff member that she hadn’t practice in a while. It had been a month or two at most, but that would not have knocked her down to beginner’s status. She could admit, at least to herself, that she had become a bit rusty. While dusting the instrument off and getting some practice in after school the following day, her violin did seem to fit strangely against her, and she found herself stumbling over parts of songs that she wouldn’t have had to think much about a few months earlier, but the violin was not completely foreign to her. Caia scratched her head and peered down the hall in the direction of Room 110. Whether it was a mistake or not, this Ayano girl was probably waiting for her to arrive and she was a bit late. She shoved the note into her pocket, leaving her middle and ring finger tucked beneath the fabric, and sighed as she started down the hall towards the room. Caia’s fingers clenched the handle of her violin case and she swung her arm back and forth slightly. She might have dreaded the thought to being tutored by someone younger than her in some measure, but this might have been exactly what she need to get herself back on track. It was safe to say that she was quite excited. She was more than willing to set aside what little pride she may have had in order to get back into playing the violin. She nibbled on her lower lip and hummed off-key, taking a peek into the small windows of each room she strolled past until she reached Room 110. It was about ten minutes after the start of the reserved tutoring time, so without knocking or peeking, she twisted the door knob and flung it open. tags: @ninomiya • words: 520 • notes: yell at me next time I take so long please

MADE BY KIROUKO OF GANGNAM-STYLE

Ayano's eyes watched the clock at the seconds passed by. It was a few seconds before Ayano was scheduled to tutor a student attending Fukui Academy in violin, and having been brought up by father with a military background, Ayano was strict on time. Ayano had experience in tutoring, albeit unprofessional, from middle school, having had a reputation thanks to her mother, and being well known amongst several music clubs at her school. While Ayano was by no on the same level as her mother, Ayano was exceptional at the violin, and thanks to her perfectionist nature, she rarely ever performed an incorrect chord or failed to match a piece's tempo. So why did Ayano offer to tutor students in the first place? While her parents did have a stable income, Ayano was a person of pride. If possible, she wanted to pay for her own education and for her own expenses, and not have to depend on her parents. She was no longer an elementary or middle school child, and was capable of making her own money.

The seconds continued to tick by, and it wasn't long until the appointed time had passed. Ayano checked her phone for any missed calls or messages, but there were none. Either the student was late, or was not coming. Ayano could help but let out a disappointed sigh; lateness without notice was not something Ayano was tolerant of. From what Ayano knew of this student, she was an older student in Fukui Academy. Caia Ocampo, a third year student, making her Ayano's senpai by two years. Judging from the name, she was from abroad, although Ayano was not familiar with the name enough to pinpoint where exactly.

"I suppose I will give her until the end of the lesson to arrive." The black haired student muttered under her breath in a tone of resignation.

However, if there was one thing Ayano hated more than anything, it was using time wastefully. Rather than sit around waiting, Ayano instead prepared her violin. An order made Kubota violin. It was no doubt a name that few had heard of, yet to those who have heard his name, they would know of his accomplishments. It is said that his violins were capable of producing the same sounds of the famous Stradivarius violins, a name any violinist would be familiar with. However unlike a Stradivarius, while the price remained high, it was by no means impossible for an ordinary person to purchase.

The melody that would play from Ayano's violin as the bow came into contact with the strings of the violin would be one that was well known to even those unfamiliar with the classics. Pachelbel's Canon. Perhaps it was a bit of a cliche song, but it was Ayano's favourite piece. There was no doubt it was the piece that Ayano enjoyed playing the most.

It would be around midway through the song that a tall, dark haired girl with a tom boyish hair cut walked into the room. She would only have a brief moment to listen to Ayano play, but she would no doubt have more than enough time to gauge Ayano's playing. Both the pitch and tune were perfect, and even the vibrato reverberated beautifully. However, the moment Ayano took notice of the student's arrival, she parted the bow from her violin, and turned to face her student.

"You're late. However, since this is our first session, I will let it slide this once. Next time, if you're going to be late, at least send a message." Despite being a first year student, it was clear from not only the context of the black haired girl's words, but also the tone that she was a confident and serious person.

From those words alone, it would have been clear what kind of person Ayano was. However, if the dark haired girl needed any more confirmation, all she would need is a single glance at Ayano's room. While the furniture itself was mostly plain and simple, what would catch the eye was how spotless the room was. There was not a single item out of place, and Ayano had even gone through the trouble of making sure everything had been perfectly aligned. If her eyes were to peer to the bookshelf, she would find text books for various subjects systematically ordered followed by music scores especially for the violin which, too, had been systematically ordered. If the tall girl was a fan of manga, she would no doubt be disappointed to find not a single comic. Not only was the room perfectly in order, but so was Ayano herself. Her hair was carefully styled, and her clothes were both spotless and perfectly aligned.

"Forgive me for having to start on a negative note, especially to a senior student of the school. I am Ayano Ninomiya, first year student, it is a pleasure to meet you. You must be Ocampo Senpai?"[/color] Falling into formalities, Ayano gave a timed bow that no doubt only reinforced the image Caia may of had of Ayano. Ayano had to admit, it was odd teaching an older student, and the massive height difference between them didn't help. Ayano was small by most girl's standards, but when placed together with someone who was considered tall, it really did make her height stand out a whole lot more.

Oh girl, it's true I can never be away from you It's like you gloss your lips with glue Oh we kiss and I am ❖ ❖ ❖ s t u c k t o y o u ❖ ❖ ❖ Caia stopped in her tracks upon entering the room, staggering only a few small steps through the door and stopping mid-stride. The palm of her hand stayed pressed to the door to hold it open as her eyes locked on the girl inside. Music which could not be heard from outside of the room’s soundproof doors immediately filled the air, but came to a stop all too soon. The tune was commonplace, so normally it would not have been so astonishing, especially not to Caia who had plenty of experience under her belt, and considered herself quite talented by all standards for her age, but it had been far too long since she felt the comfort of a well-played piece in person. She could even say that she was happy to hear a Baroque piece for the first time in her life. Her mouth was left slightly agape as her ears were filled with the sweet sound of a violin, a sound that she had not heard live, or decent, due to her on mishaps in trying to practice alone. Her dark, half lidded eyes remained fixed on the girl playing until she stopped and turned to speak. The girl’s somewhat harsh tone when she spoke was quite a surprise to Caia, especially in contrast with the sweet melody she had been playing before being interrupted by her arrival. Caia quickly snapped out of a trance-like state that as cast upon her partly by the intoxicating sounds of the violin, and also the natural shock instilled in her by both suddenly having her ears bombarded by music and being chided by the small girl that produced it. Before she could be penalized any further for her tardiness, she fully entered the room, shutting the door behind her. The thought of having someone two years her junior was originally a little embarrassing for Caia, who had previously been molded into the musician she is today by professors of music. In all honesty, she was more than capable of retuning her skills on her own, but her father figured it would be much faster if she got help, and could possibly allow her to make a new friends. With that in mind, he probably assumed that she would be matched with someone her age as she had. Fortunately though, this girl seemed like she just might know her stuff judging by the atmosphere of solid discipline that she gave off. In such a small amount of time, Caia was easily able to take note of her form and precision. At the very least, she could at least be relieved that she wasn’t being tutored by some spaz like she half-expected. “Ah, yes. Sorry about the lateness. I just found out the session time a few minutes ago, so it won’t happen again.” Caia shifted her weight to one side and gave a warm, sheepish smile, ruffling the hair on the back of head at the discomfort of being scolded by her junior. Even if she had been displeased with the thought of some goofy freshman being her mentor, Ayano’s stern aura and tone made things a lot more awkward than they could have been. She had planned to joke around for a while to relieve the tension between her and her young advisor, but the girl seemed a little more peeved than expected by the fact that Caia had come in late, so she decided not to fool around too much. “Feel free to drop the formalities if you’d like. Just ‘Caia’ is fine with me. I look forward to working with you this semester, sensei.” She fought a smirk from forming on her lips as she said these words, trying her hardest to not sound like a condescending jerk. She was teasing the girl, but there was some seriousness to the title. Ayano could be considered her sensei in this situation after all. She bowed to the girl before stepping aside to sit her violin case in a nearby chair. tags: @ninomiya • words: 670 • notes: meanie

MADE BY KIROUKO OF GANGNAM-STYLE

Nobody could blame Caia for being taken by surprise by Ayano's sudden harsh remarks. After all, after having heard a calming melody being played, the last thing you would expect is for the same violinist to scold you. Of course, Ayano did not intend the hurt the dark haired girl's feelings. Ayano was brought up being taught the importance of good time management. However, even the most organised person in the world can prevent some cases of lateness. In those situation, her father had told her the importance of communication. In business situation, lateness loses money. In friendship, lateness can cause concern. While most people do not like to wait, simply waiting will not make most people angry. It is when they are made to worry without good reason that they become angry. Well, careless lateness was also a cause for angry too.

However, fortunately for Caia, she did come with a good reason for her lateness. After all, it was the school who had contacted Ayano, and not Caia herself. Even Ayano found it sudden, as it had only been a few minutes before the lesson did the school call to inform her that a student that signed up for tutoring. Ayano could only give a disapproving shake of her head as Caia informed Ayano of her situation. "I see, so the school booked your lesson literally moments before they called me... I am sure anybody would be late in such circumstances. I will be sure to talk with the school's administration after the lesson." Ayano's tone was a lot softer, but her words did not lose their sharp edge. It would seem that even the school administration was not safe from Ayano's lectures about good time management.

Ayano was a little taken aback by Caia's relaxed attitude. Being told to refer to Caia by her first name, and dropping the senpai formality was certainly not something Ayano had been expecting. In fact, for a brief moment, Ayano's face would show that she was troubled. It felt rude to refer to an older student by simply their first name, but at the same time, it would have also have been rude to disregard her request. However, the expression would only last a moment before Ayano's expression returned to her usual professional smile. "I also look forward in working with you this semester, Caia senpai. I am afraid it will take me some time to get used to using your first name, so for the time being, at least allow me to keep the formality." Ayano replied, making an apologetic bow as she did, managing to find a middle ground. Using Caia's first name, while at the same time, retaining the formality. That way, Ayano was completely ignoring Caia's request, but at the same time, wasn't speaking down to an older student.

However, time was ticking by. The lesson was already late to begin with, and Ayano was sure Caia wasn't here to sit around and chat. "Shall we get started with the lesson? Since this is our first meeting, I am not entirely sure of your skill level, so I would like to use this lesson to get an idea of your level. From there, I can start on planning future sessions." Ayano kept her attention on Caia as she spoke. Her tone and way of speaking remained both formal and professional, and very unlike most other students around Ayano's age. After letting Caia know of what she planned for this lesson, she tidied the music sheets she was playing from, freeing the music sheet stand for Caia if in case she wished to make use of it. "Once you have your violin tuned, please play me a piece. If you wish, you can make use of the music sheet stand if you would rather play from a sheet."