Saturday December 31 - Evening

[shindo_sensei]

Gendo scoffed as his phone pulsed yet again, signifying the arrival of yet another email. The notifications responsible for alerting the user quickly and efficiently of an oncoming message was instead becoming a nuisance and a distraction. He had no desire to read the email, as it was probably just another colleague or an old friend from his alma

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[tsukita_hikaru]

Hikaru was out in the shopping district, looking for the perfect hat to finish off a costume for her young jazz students. They had a competition coming up soon and she intended to make every detail perfect, now that the Christmas ballet shows were finished. Unfortunately, the crowds were more than she'd expected.

She was jostled like a pin-ball until ultimately running into someone hard enough to make her fall and land on her rump about a foot in front of the teacher. Her back was facing the teacher, so she obviously couldn't see him. "ouch." she said under her breath.

[shindo_sensei]

((This comment didn't make it to my inbox. I apologize for not seeing it earlier.))

Gendo stepped off the train and moved forward with the flow of the crowd. When away from the station, Gendo scanned the area, looking left and right for any sign of books. The crowd had already flustered into what Gendo had been hoping to avoid. Ideally when people gathered, ideas grew. Nowadays, only stupidity resulted. Not to mention whenever in a crowd, people tend to forget courtesy, feeling as just a face in the crowd, forgotten as soon as seen.

It was right after this thought that Gendo witnessed Hikaru's fall. His eyes widen, and he hesitated to see if the person involved would lend a hand. When there was no immediate reaction, he moved forward.

"Are you okay, Miss?" He inquired, offering his hand.

[tsukita_hikaru]

((OOC: No Problem. ^^ ))

The person involved was already gone, having been shoved the other direction due to the crowd. Hikaru was surprised at the offered hand and half-turned to see who was offering it. Seeing Gendo, she blushed and took the offered hand, getting to her feet.

"Hello, Shindo-sensei. I'm fine...Just a bit embarrassed." Hikaru said, a sheepish expression on her face. She'd just told the teacher the day before that she wasn't a little kid and now she'd fallen on her butt. She couldn't help feeling embarrassed at the irony.

[shindo_sensei]

"No need to be embarrassed by someone else's rude behavior, Tsukita," Gendo replied, recognizing her. "The streets are a madhouse today."

[tsukita_hikaru]

"I've noticed...I had hoped to beat the crowd...but apparently I should have left a little earlier." Hikaru commented, giving the teacher a rueful grin. Her father was still out of town, so it was the perfect time for shopping. "Are you planning to meet with friends for the New Year, Sensei?"

[shindo_sensei]

"I'm not too fond of crowds myself," he said, glancing at the crowd. Claustrophobia was usually used to classify a fear of small spaces. Gendo liked to use the term to also describe his hatred towards crowds of people. He did his best to stay out of crowds. Even in elevators, he would stick to a corner to ensure that he would not be surrounded by people. Even worse was being the center of attention in a crowd. He could speak easily in front of a small crowd, but when it was enough people to trample him, his anxiety went haywire.

"I don't think I will be indulging in any social plans tonight. New Year festivities aren't really my thing, and I'm growing tired of the bar scene." Perhaps he shouldn't have included the reference to alcohol when talking with a student, but he figured she could differentiate that he was old enough to drink responsibly. Or something like that. "How about you? It seems a little late in the holidays to be shopping now."

[tsukita_hikaru]

"I need to find some hats for my dance students...They have a competition coming up, but I didn't have time to get the hats earlier because of the Christmas ballet shows." Hikaru said serenely. There wasn't much that impacted her general calm and she practically emanated that feeling of peace with her quiet voice and body language. She didn't actually recognize the signs of anxiety in another person, but she naturally reacted to even the smallest signs by making her voice soothing, regardless of the actual content of the words. She was the type that naturally helped people and did things for others without much thought for herself.

[shindo_sensei]

"Dance students? Do you teach dance as well, Tsukita-san?" Gendo was well aware that Hikaru participated in dance, but he was unaware that she had students. It would make sense, as he caught the compassion in her soothing tone.

[tsukita_hikaru]

Hikaru nodded. "Daddy can't afford to pay for my lessons...and really, I can only cover part of the cost with my part-time job, so I help at the studio with the younger students. Since I'm in the advanced classes, I'm allowed to help with intermediate and beginner classes. I work with one jazz class and one ballet class to cover most of the cost of my dance lessons. But, I'm more like an assistant teacher. I run the classes when the main teacher is out of town and I help the students who are falling behind. This competition is the first one that I've choreographed."

She gave the teacher a sweet smile. "Maybe I'll try becoming a teacher when I'm too old for dance. I like working with children."

[shindo_sensei]

The world of dance was no stranger to Gendo as his sister had been immersed in it since she was young. He came from a pretty wealthy family, the kind that made sure the kids made the most out of their childhood that money could provide. His sister was younger, and Gendo went from accompanying his mother to pick her up from the dance studio to picking her up by himself. He could never time it quite like his mother did, so he spent a lot of time in the studio waiting for her. The studio she frequented had a renowned coach, so she didn't get the opportunity to choreograph her own dance, but she would often make her own up when at home.

Gendo offered a smile. "Some of those dance teachers can be so strict, that the assistant teacher is the one that keeps the kids sane. I'm sure you act as a good role model for the younger kids. It's not everyday you get to choreograph a competition. You must be quite talented."

[tsukita_hikaru]

Hikaru simply nodded. "I practice often and I have the feet for it, so I'm not bad. I am still learning, of course, but I have been on pointe for a few years now and I have more experience in different types of dance than most of the other girls in my classes. They take classes because their parent's expect it. I take it because I love to dance."

She was simply stating facts and didn't seem shy about the fact that she was good at dance. It was her goal to become a professional.

[shindo_sensei]

Gendo nodded. He could recall his times at the studios with the mom's lingering, pressuring their daughters (and son as there was one boy in the class) to push themselves beyond their limits. "How does your father feel about you dancing?"

[tsukita_hikaru]

Hikaru shook her head. "When he's sober, Daddy thinks it's great. When he's drunk, Daddy forgets that I'm not a baby anymore. As long as I'm happy with what I'm doing, Daddy is happy with it too." She sighed softly. "Someday, Daddy's gonna drink himself into the grave. I just hope I'm out of school before it happens."

Her father's drunkenness was a problem that Hikaru had been dealing with since her mother died. The man wanted to follow his wife, but had to stay alive for his daughter. It caused him to drink and lose his job on a regular basis. Hikaru just hoped that he lasted a few months this time.

[shindo_sensei]

Aha, Gendo thought as Hikaru spoke of her father. He sensed something like this was up and wished he could provide her with more support than he could. His face remained untouched, having spent many years learning to mask his emotions from his face. "That is unfortunate. I hope that your father is more sober than he is drunk. You're passionate about dance. It would be a shame if your father did anything to take that from you."

[tsukita_hikaru]

Hikaru shook her head. "Daddy's not a violent or mean drunk. He's a sobbing drunk. He won't stop me from doing what I want." Hikaru might look like a frail and delicate little thing, but she had an obvious stubborn streak.

[shindo_sensei]

"I apologize if that came out like I was accusing your father of violence. I only meant that those who drink heavily tend to cause dreams to be put on hold. Say perhaps, by placing a financial burden on the household or a time constraint as one may have to spend more time dedicated to the one doing the drinking."