Complete
WHO: Kanda (yu_kanda) and Lenalee (lenalee_lee)
WHAT: Their first talk after seeing each other in the dream.
WHERE: School library
WHEN: A couple of days after the dream class.
WARNINGS: Hints of angst?
She was having a little trouble with her homework. It wasn't that it was too hard, Lenalee was just having trouble concentrating. Dream classes probably have varying effects on everyone who takes them. She tried not to think about them too much once they were over. But after this past one...she just couldn't think about anything else. Kanda was taking the class too. She'd always known that there was a chance that her closest friends were in it, but she'd never come across any of them until now. Lenalee might be staring down at the Biology text in front of her, but what she was really seeing was Kanda's eyes...so empty, seeing her but not seeing her. That's what bothered her most -- not his violent actions, but the fact that she was like a stranger to him.
After a dream class or not, homework was always a problem for Kanda. There were some tricks he could do to help himself out though and aside from asking Lenalee and Rabi to tutor him whenever they had the time, he also knew there were study guides and additional things in the library he could go to for assistance. Kanda walks into the library, not noticing Lenalee in her study area at a table. He walks on past the sitting area and disappears into the tall shelves as he goes hunting for a text.
She was so lost in her thoughts that he passed by her as unseen as a ghost. There had to be a way of reaching him. Especially if she wanted to convince him to not look for the key. That thought brought a smile to herself. A selfish girl...that was her true dream form. Not butterfly wings or steel legs. She finally snapped out of her thoughts and turns her head towards the shelves. "Kanda?" She can't say his name very loud though. It's a library, after all! Lenalee pushes her chair back, tilting her head curiously as she walks in that direction.
Kanda steps further into the shelving area. He liked it back here. It was quiet, still, even a little dark in the looming height of the bookshelves. That musty scent of books and old pages was also comforting, even if he was never much of a reader. Actually, this was Rabi's kind of territory but Kanda could see the appeal in it, even if he wouldn't open most of these. There's a pause though and he turns to look over his shoulder, only to blink at seeing Lenalee coming toward him. An uncomfortable look seems to pass over his eyes for a second.
"So it was you..." Lenalee keeps her voice low and smiles faintly at him. "I wasn't sure at first, I thought I might be-" Dreaming. She lets the sentence end there though. Lenalee clasps her hands together and approaches him slowly. She knows they're outside the class now, but still... This is the first time she's seen or spoken to him since. Maybe she can pretend not to notice his uncomfortable look if he ignores hers. "What're you looking for? Maybe I can help." She turns her attention to the books instead.
Kanda isn't sure what to say though he knows it's something she's going to just let pass. Eventually Lenalee will want to talk about it. That's the way she is. He's the silent one and he knows it's not going to be easy explaining himself. Does he have to though? There are plenty of people in this school involved in the dream class. "History." He says, looking back to the shelves again. "The Napoleon wars.. something like that."
"Oh." Her smile warms and she nods her head gently. She can't seem to keep her gaze away from the bookshelves though. Maybe if she gives him long enough... "Uhm. That's European History." She waits to see if that'll be clue enough. No? "This is the American History section." Eheh.
A quick blink and Kanda looks around, just now realizing he's actually in the wrong section all together. His face actually colors a little before he turns and leaves the area of books. Ahem! "Right.. it's over here.." Somewhere. He looks around and heads down the next aisle. Eheh!
"Right." Lenalee smiles and quickly nods, hoping it gives him the confidence to find the right shelves. "It's..." She subtly points in the right direction when he falters, but always lets him lead the way. Lenalee takes a deep breath once they're in the right aisle. That's his warning that it's coming. "I don't want you to feel bad Kanda." She frowns gently and lowers her eyes to the floor. "I'm not saying that you. But if you do...you shouldn't." She idly reaches up to pull a book from the shelves. After reading the title she blinks and offers it out to him. Looks like just the one he was looking for.
Kanda says nothing at first, then looks over and reaches a hand out for the book, taking it gently and looking down at it. "Should I feel bad next time when I kill you?" Because that could've happened too. Just because it didn't this time doesn't mean it won't the next time. Maybe he will kill her in the dream world, when he gets the opportunity too and he doesn't feel the same tug holding him back.
"Mm." Lenalee shrugs one shoulder, making a non-commital sound to go along with it. "No. You shouldn't." If that happens, it happens. She's seen enough to know that not all dreamers are in control of themselves during the class. "But if you keep trying, I don't believe that you will!" She lifts her head to look at him again. "And I'll help you. Then we can help others! You're very strong in the dream Kanda. Not everyone is."
Help others? He should've figured she'd say something like that. "The point isn't to help others, Lenalee. It's to help yourself and win." And then be released from all of this. "You're not accomplishing anything that way. For all I know, I could have the key." Wouldn't that be ironic? But he's died before in the dream too and lost, and he doesn't -think- he's held the key any of those times.
She frowns at his words. "The point is always to help others." Lenalee murmurs the words though. She knows Kanda won't agree. But that doesn't stop her from persisting. "What exactly is it that you win anyway? You get the key and you can graduate. But if you leave school, you and me and Rabi..." Lenalee trails off and shakes her head violently. "That doesn't sound like winning at all!" She pauses there to catch her breath, her eyes slowly lowering again. "I've found the key before..." That's probably the last thing that he expected to hear! Especially since she hasn't graduated. She is just a sophomore, but the dream seems to make all the classes equal.
Kanda sighs and leans back against the opposite bookshelf, tucking the book he holds under his arm and folding his arms over his chest. He nearly jolts out of his position though because he's so shocked by the last thing she said. "What? You found it? How?" There's no way she would've killed someone and even if she did and found the key... "What happened?" Why is she still here?
Lenalee nibbles nervously on her bottom lip. "It was a few classes ago. I found this freshman girl who'd been beaten up pretty bad. She only had one bead left. We were running and someone came up behind her..." She trailed off and shook her head. For a moment it seemed like she wouldn't continue. Lenalee wasn't even sure herself. But at length she started to speak again. "Her last bead broke and this key fell onto the ground. I just grabbed it and started to run again. I didn't even look up." She didn't see who attacked the girl and broke the last bead. She was afraid to. "When I got somewhere safe, I realized what I'd found." She's quiet again for a few breaths, looking around to make sure that they were alone. Or maybe she was hoping someone was around considering what she's about to tell him. "I destroyed it."
Kanda had expected her to tell him something like that. He knows she doesn't want anyone to go away but they can't just stay here either. "What do you think will happen at the end of the year?" Kanda is a senior! What will that mean for him? "Will I just be able to leave?" Because he's supposed to graduate? "Will I not graduate?" And he'll be stuck here by some unforseen force? "Or will I just.. disappear?" He's actually thought about this a lot, and he doesn't really know what would happen to him when the school year is up.
She leans back against the bookshelf, pulling out another book and flipping through the pages. "...I guess this is a bad time to tell you that I've been giving you the wrong answers when I tutor you." That's one way of keeping him around...helping him to fail! She offers him a smile that suggests that she's only teasing. Right? Lenalee tilts her head thoughtfully at the options that he presents. But all she can do is be honest with him. "I don't know."
She what?! Kanda seems to believe her at first, but then he sighs. She is joking.. right? A frown and he shifts his arms again. "I guess if you don't hear from me after graduation you'll know not to throw away the next key you find." He mutters to himself. He doesn't know if anyone is still in contact with former students who graduated without keys, if it's even possible. "Thanks for the book." Kanda turns to step away from her.
Lenalee blinks at his advice. If she never hears from him after graduation... "Kanda, wait!" She's reaching out for him before she even realizes, catching the senior boy by the elbow. He doesn't have to turn around, but she's not letting go either. At least not until she says something. "You didn't kill me this time. And I believe that you won't kill me next time, if you just try..." Her voice softens and her fingers dig into his arm. She has to force herself to relax her hold on him. "....When you have to go, I guess you have to go. But don't leave before then. Okay Kanda?" She doesn't want to say goodbye to him until it's time. And even then she doesn't want to.
Kanda stops when his elbow is grabbed and looks over at her. He doesn't try to yank his arm away or anything like that, Kanda just waits. "If I can I'll get all three of us out of here." Maybe Rabi is trying the same thing, but he hasn't seen the other in the dream world yet so he doesn't actually know. "But if you see me in there again, you should just run. It's not really me." Well it is him but not the him he wants her to know.
He's trying to get them out of there? Lenalee's eyes widen in surprise. She never imagined that he'd be interested in something like that. But now that she thinks about it, that's exactly what Kanda would do. She lets his arm go and smiles at him. One of her natural smiles and not the awkward one of when they first saw each other. "I should tell you to run away if you see me. But that's not during the dream." He should run away when they're awake considering the things that she gets him into! "You wanna go over to the coffee shop? I can help you study. I won't give you the wrong answers. Promise." She even crosses her heart.
There's a faint smile at that and he looks down to hide it a little. Sometimes he does run from people but he's not really in the habit of running from her. She'd just find him anyway or chase him down if she really wanted to. Possibly while swinging a binder. Her offer gets Kanda to look at her again and then after a moment he nods. "Sure. Thanks." She doesn't have to go out of her way to help him all the time but she always does.
WHAT: Their first talk after seeing each other in the dream.
WHERE: School library
WHEN: A couple of days after the dream class.
WARNINGS: Hints of angst?
She was having a little trouble with her homework. It wasn't that it was too hard, Lenalee was just having trouble concentrating. Dream classes probably have varying effects on everyone who takes them. She tried not to think about them too much once they were over. But after this past one...she just couldn't think about anything else. Kanda was taking the class too. She'd always known that there was a chance that her closest friends were in it, but she'd never come across any of them until now. Lenalee might be staring down at the Biology text in front of her, but what she was really seeing was Kanda's eyes...so empty, seeing her but not seeing her. That's what bothered her most -- not his violent actions, but the fact that she was like a stranger to him.
After a dream class or not, homework was always a problem for Kanda. There were some tricks he could do to help himself out though and aside from asking Lenalee and Rabi to tutor him whenever they had the time, he also knew there were study guides and additional things in the library he could go to for assistance. Kanda walks into the library, not noticing Lenalee in her study area at a table. He walks on past the sitting area and disappears into the tall shelves as he goes hunting for a text.
She was so lost in her thoughts that he passed by her as unseen as a ghost. There had to be a way of reaching him. Especially if she wanted to convince him to not look for the key. That thought brought a smile to herself. A selfish girl...that was her true dream form. Not butterfly wings or steel legs. She finally snapped out of her thoughts and turns her head towards the shelves. "Kanda?" She can't say his name very loud though. It's a library, after all! Lenalee pushes her chair back, tilting her head curiously as she walks in that direction.
Kanda steps further into the shelving area. He liked it back here. It was quiet, still, even a little dark in the looming height of the bookshelves. That musty scent of books and old pages was also comforting, even if he was never much of a reader. Actually, this was Rabi's kind of territory but Kanda could see the appeal in it, even if he wouldn't open most of these. There's a pause though and he turns to look over his shoulder, only to blink at seeing Lenalee coming toward him. An uncomfortable look seems to pass over his eyes for a second.
"So it was you..." Lenalee keeps her voice low and smiles faintly at him. "I wasn't sure at first, I thought I might be-" Dreaming. She lets the sentence end there though. Lenalee clasps her hands together and approaches him slowly. She knows they're outside the class now, but still... This is the first time she's seen or spoken to him since. Maybe she can pretend not to notice his uncomfortable look if he ignores hers. "What're you looking for? Maybe I can help." She turns her attention to the books instead.
Kanda isn't sure what to say though he knows it's something she's going to just let pass. Eventually Lenalee will want to talk about it. That's the way she is. He's the silent one and he knows it's not going to be easy explaining himself. Does he have to though? There are plenty of people in this school involved in the dream class. "History." He says, looking back to the shelves again. "The Napoleon wars.. something like that."
"Oh." Her smile warms and she nods her head gently. She can't seem to keep her gaze away from the bookshelves though. Maybe if she gives him long enough... "Uhm. That's European History." She waits to see if that'll be clue enough. No? "This is the American History section." Eheh.
A quick blink and Kanda looks around, just now realizing he's actually in the wrong section all together. His face actually colors a little before he turns and leaves the area of books. Ahem! "Right.. it's over here.." Somewhere. He looks around and heads down the next aisle. Eheh!
"Right." Lenalee smiles and quickly nods, hoping it gives him the confidence to find the right shelves. "It's..." She subtly points in the right direction when he falters, but always lets him lead the way. Lenalee takes a deep breath once they're in the right aisle. That's his warning that it's coming. "I don't want you to feel bad Kanda." She frowns gently and lowers her eyes to the floor. "I'm not saying that you. But if you do...you shouldn't." She idly reaches up to pull a book from the shelves. After reading the title she blinks and offers it out to him. Looks like just the one he was looking for.
Kanda says nothing at first, then looks over and reaches a hand out for the book, taking it gently and looking down at it. "Should I feel bad next time when I kill you?" Because that could've happened too. Just because it didn't this time doesn't mean it won't the next time. Maybe he will kill her in the dream world, when he gets the opportunity too and he doesn't feel the same tug holding him back.
"Mm." Lenalee shrugs one shoulder, making a non-commital sound to go along with it. "No. You shouldn't." If that happens, it happens. She's seen enough to know that not all dreamers are in control of themselves during the class. "But if you keep trying, I don't believe that you will!" She lifts her head to look at him again. "And I'll help you. Then we can help others! You're very strong in the dream Kanda. Not everyone is."
Help others? He should've figured she'd say something like that. "The point isn't to help others, Lenalee. It's to help yourself and win." And then be released from all of this. "You're not accomplishing anything that way. For all I know, I could have the key." Wouldn't that be ironic? But he's died before in the dream too and lost, and he doesn't -think- he's held the key any of those times.
She frowns at his words. "The point is always to help others." Lenalee murmurs the words though. She knows Kanda won't agree. But that doesn't stop her from persisting. "What exactly is it that you win anyway? You get the key and you can graduate. But if you leave school, you and me and Rabi..." Lenalee trails off and shakes her head violently. "That doesn't sound like winning at all!" She pauses there to catch her breath, her eyes slowly lowering again. "I've found the key before..." That's probably the last thing that he expected to hear! Especially since she hasn't graduated. She is just a sophomore, but the dream seems to make all the classes equal.
Kanda sighs and leans back against the opposite bookshelf, tucking the book he holds under his arm and folding his arms over his chest. He nearly jolts out of his position though because he's so shocked by the last thing she said. "What? You found it? How?" There's no way she would've killed someone and even if she did and found the key... "What happened?" Why is she still here?
Lenalee nibbles nervously on her bottom lip. "It was a few classes ago. I found this freshman girl who'd been beaten up pretty bad. She only had one bead left. We were running and someone came up behind her..." She trailed off and shook her head. For a moment it seemed like she wouldn't continue. Lenalee wasn't even sure herself. But at length she started to speak again. "Her last bead broke and this key fell onto the ground. I just grabbed it and started to run again. I didn't even look up." She didn't see who attacked the girl and broke the last bead. She was afraid to. "When I got somewhere safe, I realized what I'd found." She's quiet again for a few breaths, looking around to make sure that they were alone. Or maybe she was hoping someone was around considering what she's about to tell him. "I destroyed it."
Kanda had expected her to tell him something like that. He knows she doesn't want anyone to go away but they can't just stay here either. "What do you think will happen at the end of the year?" Kanda is a senior! What will that mean for him? "Will I just be able to leave?" Because he's supposed to graduate? "Will I not graduate?" And he'll be stuck here by some unforseen force? "Or will I just.. disappear?" He's actually thought about this a lot, and he doesn't really know what would happen to him when the school year is up.
She leans back against the bookshelf, pulling out another book and flipping through the pages. "...I guess this is a bad time to tell you that I've been giving you the wrong answers when I tutor you." That's one way of keeping him around...helping him to fail! She offers him a smile that suggests that she's only teasing. Right? Lenalee tilts her head thoughtfully at the options that he presents. But all she can do is be honest with him. "I don't know."
She what?! Kanda seems to believe her at first, but then he sighs. She is joking.. right? A frown and he shifts his arms again. "I guess if you don't hear from me after graduation you'll know not to throw away the next key you find." He mutters to himself. He doesn't know if anyone is still in contact with former students who graduated without keys, if it's even possible. "Thanks for the book." Kanda turns to step away from her.
Lenalee blinks at his advice. If she never hears from him after graduation... "Kanda, wait!" She's reaching out for him before she even realizes, catching the senior boy by the elbow. He doesn't have to turn around, but she's not letting go either. At least not until she says something. "You didn't kill me this time. And I believe that you won't kill me next time, if you just try..." Her voice softens and her fingers dig into his arm. She has to force herself to relax her hold on him. "....When you have to go, I guess you have to go. But don't leave before then. Okay Kanda?" She doesn't want to say goodbye to him until it's time. And even then she doesn't want to.
Kanda stops when his elbow is grabbed and looks over at her. He doesn't try to yank his arm away or anything like that, Kanda just waits. "If I can I'll get all three of us out of here." Maybe Rabi is trying the same thing, but he hasn't seen the other in the dream world yet so he doesn't actually know. "But if you see me in there again, you should just run. It's not really me." Well it is him but not the him he wants her to know.
He's trying to get them out of there? Lenalee's eyes widen in surprise. She never imagined that he'd be interested in something like that. But now that she thinks about it, that's exactly what Kanda would do. She lets his arm go and smiles at him. One of her natural smiles and not the awkward one of when they first saw each other. "I should tell you to run away if you see me. But that's not during the dream." He should run away when they're awake considering the things that she gets him into! "You wanna go over to the coffee shop? I can help you study. I won't give you the wrong answers. Promise." She even crosses her heart.
There's a faint smile at that and he looks down to hide it a little. Sometimes he does run from people but he's not really in the habit of running from her. She'd just find him anyway or chase him down if she really wanted to. Possibly while swinging a binder. Her offer gets Kanda to look at her again and then after a moment he nods. "Sure. Thanks." She doesn't have to go out of her way to help him all the time but she always does.