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Stepping over your lines; Sayoko, Ryou, [open] please ask
Topic Started: Nov 8 2016, 04:33 PM (736 Views)
Miharu Yoshikuni
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When Ryou mentioned the book Sayoko recommended, the young librarian had to do her very best in suppressing her giddiness. A student that actually liked and read a book she offered them! This was, for lack of more precise vocabulary of expressing her exact feelings, marvelous! Who knew what this would mean? Perhaps he would ask for another book? Perhaps they could share commentaries on the book's style and story and characters? Perhaps, if she was lucky, he'd bring more friends and they could have book circles! The possibilities were quite limitless, weren't they?

Sayoko calmed herself by taking in a deep breath and clapping her hands together gently.

"You've read the book, have you?" she said happily, albeit annoyed at her repeating the obvious. "My, I only gave you that the other day! Regardless, yes, I'd be happy to recommend other things. Hm, supernatural, supernatural...do you mean like ghosts? Or like aliens? If you'd like ghosts and whatnot, I suppose you might like Stephen King's The Shining or any of his better works really. However, if you want something a little older, maybe The Yellow Wallpaper by Gilman is more your taste. I can give you copies so you can glance at the first few pages before borrowing."

Mia spoke up in her own curiousness as well, and this made Sayoko even more excited. It really was nice to be surrounded by youngsters who were into literature. Sayoko had a feeling she was going to like this strange little city very much.

"Well, it was actually a small Arthur Miller play--The Crucible," she said. "It's about witch hunts and trials, and three devilish little girls behind it all. You might know Miller for The Death of a Salesman."

Ryou offered to fetch the manager and Sayoko smiled.

"Well, of course we'd love to meet him," she said. "If it's not too much of a bother, of course."
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Zesseract
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It was for the best -anyway-, as he'd more or less bungled his own introduction -he felt-, fetching Ishikawa-san away from his circle of patrons and fans, would better serve him before Mia and Sayoko. It was a strange sensation, being uncomfortable among others, though given his natural inclination would instead have him annoyed (or at least irked), it was a nice... if awkward departure. He was unsuited to such sensation, but then he was also unsuited to enjoying the company of someone, and Sayoko consistently managed to defeat his expectations of others. Mia was a different case altogether, as her mere presence cowed him, he was unsure if he was merely in awe of her of if he'd finally found someone he could respect, and while her welcoming demeanor would've been like finding an oasis midst the desert, he fought his natural impulse to suspect, to see it as something of a ruse.

Still, he felt something akin to relief as he took his leave, and bowing himself out, he deigned to look for the eccentric owner of the lounge. It didn't take long for him to realize that he wasn't in the lounge proper, but in a small area back-ways of the kitchen. As, even to the untrained eye, he seemed the exact sort of fit for a place like the Adyton. Sure-enough, he found him in one of the alcoves off to the back wall of the Adyton, entertaining a couple of the most frequent patrons; the pallor of his skin, distinctive paunch and wire moustache lent to the man's eccentric persona. Coupled with the sort of mellifluous voice that lathered into your ear, sending shivers down your spine, he was.... as he chose to be, a man of many strange habits... and completely owning them.

Looking back with admiration, he dared not approach... at least, not until his tale had been completed; it wouldn't take much for Ryou to turn him over to new customers, -he thought-, as what manner of host would he be if he didn't pay equal attention to potential new patrons? He hoped not to have to use such a base argument, but ... having made something of a promise to Sayoko and Mia, he nearly felt compelled to follow through.
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Nonsequitur
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Mention of the Shining summoned more visions of the legendary Kubrick adaptation than the Steven King novel itself. She probably saw that movie many times, and her first time was far younger than was probably appropriate for a little kid to see some of the scenes in there. She made a note of the other mentions so she could have perused them at her leisure when she found the time.

Ryou went off to summon the master of the house, so to speak, and that left her with the librarian all to herself. She thought that she'd done Death of a Salesman once or twice? The exact details of the role were a bit fuzzy to her, but it had a hint of familiarity that kept her from just dismissing it as something she'd never had any contact with. But the Crucible stood out to her for her own reasons.”Yeah, I think I've met a few girls back home, that in the right place and the right time might have even done the same. But my friends- No relation to what I just mentioned, by the way.” She very animatedly corrected this, even moving her hands apart as if trying to physically separate the notion that her old friends from America and the kinds of teenage girls she'd encountered who would be that malicious from each other.

”Anyways. They're doing something like that in Drama right now! Gonna put on the stage play and everything. I got photos of some of them in period costume and even made them promise to record the whole thing and send me a copy!”

…and for all that. She wasn't able to take part. She'd probably have never done anything like that with them again. She had plenty of fond memories of before but that definitely took a bit of the wind from her sails. Her smile was a bit more subdued, and it seemed her energy levels outright peaked after she made that realization.
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Miharu Yoshikuni
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Sayako managed a small wave as Ryou left. She then turned back her attention to Mia who, to her delight, mentioned the drama club in her institution doing something similar.

"Are you now?" Sayako said in delight. "Oh, it'd be such a delight to watch! I can't say I know the roundabouts of my own school's drama club, but I've yet to see them do something Miller-esque. Will the play be a school body exclusive event or are outsiders welcome to purchase tickets and watch? If it's the latter, I'd love to know more about it!"

For Sayako it was nice to see younguns who weren't only into literature but also the theatrical arts. With the library seldom occupied in her school, it was hard to find students to chat with about such matters, and the book cafe was definitely a refreshing experience from that. She briefly glanced around to see where Ryou was and if he was fetching the owner, but she assumed that as he was at work, he might be whisked away to do more employee-related things. She hoped she hadn't taken up too much of his time. Whatever the case, Mia was to Sayako's liking. Polite and rather well-read for someone of her age, she wouldn't mind a few moments talking with her at all.
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Zesseract
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Eventually, Ryou flagged the owner midst a circle of gathered patrons, as he seemed to regale them with some tawdry tale about his time abroad ... some place; he hadn't quite caught all of it, but he was sure it was someplace in Eastern Europe, seeing as he -once more- recanted the tale about the time he lost his passport, and had to find directions to the local embassy. He'd heard the story (at least the tail end of it), many times before, but had never managed to hear the whole thing; usually Ryou just minded himself as he cleaned around the gathered patrons, stocking book-shelves and manning the returns cart, with the occasional bit of housekeeping for the recently vacated tables, but tonight was a reading night. Walking up to the owner, he waited outside of the circle of gathered patrons as not to interrupt his story, before he could bring himself to get his attention.

Someone more familiar would've probably just lightly tapped him on the shoulder, but Ryou usually kept things well-beyond arm's length, both for his comfort as well as his employer's. Calling out to him, he made mention of some new patrons wishing to meet the proprietor of the establishment, and offered to lead him to Sayako & Mai. For the two people seated at the table, in came this elongated fellow with marble skin, what creases and lines of expression were set into him, seemed dug out of the stone itself, and set-in by time's passing. His elongated face, sported a squared jaw, beneath a ponderous eagle-nose. His eyes large and expressive, only barely hidden beneath the dark rings around them, and... most importantly, an excellently groomed wire moustache, framing the whole thing together.

His mannered movements, saw him emerge from the spot-lights hung over the tables, like a flamboyant specter. And throwing his arms to his side, he performed a bow befitting a mayordomo in what looked like an overly-romanticized allusion to something like Stoker's Renfield. "Welcome to my hermitage, I trust its must isn't so off-putting?" he seemed to smirk beneath his bow, as he turned -without betraying any motion in his bow- his head to meet on the level on which the two women sat. "How is this night treating you, ladies? I trust everything has been to your liking? " his tone maintained a sort of practiced level of elocution that was both silvery and deep, with a unique cadence that rung out each word's tonal syllables with marked pace. Withdrawing into himself, he finally gave some manner of introduction -though long and drawn out its lead-up may have been-, "-Ah!- but to ask such questions as a stranger, my father's face -I've forgotten- and in righting this, I speak -to you-, the name of my own choosing..." he said, and as though talking to an audience (or perhaps a Greek choir), turned himself only slightly away from Sayako & Mai, and in an exaggerated gesture, placed his up-turned palm near his mouth, as though sharing a secret with the audience. "...as not to upset the ancient compact..."

"My name, is Inoue-san, and this is the Adyton, the hermitage I share with those like-minded. How may I be of assistance?" He added, with a touch of servility, however ostentatious was his previous display. This was -pretty much- how he was at all times, without an off-switch, his movements, his speech, his person, as a character that moved through the stage, performing a play whose audience was he.
Edited by Zesseract, Feb 10 2018, 11:46 AM.
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Nonsequitur
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”It most certainly is!” She delivered her reply to Sayako's question most cheerfully. ”Besides, even if it wasn't I'd insist that you come along as my personal guest.”

She was still mainly floating along, buoyed up by the good company and good conversation when the master of the domain made his entrance. And my oh my, what a grand entrance it was. Erudite without pretension, striking without ostentatious. It put a smile on her face and left her quite curious about their host for the evening.

”The must as must with good tomes, is it not? Nothing that needs to be forgiven.” The wordplay was too amusing to not dip her toes into, but Mia spoke more seriously. ”I'm new to this, and I think the two of us would like to thank you for an enchanted evening~!” She of course referred to herself and the librarian.
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Miharu Yoshikuni
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Sayoko could not help but chuckle at Inoue-san's dramatic exposition, and it was pleasant that Mia had decided to play along with it.

"Truly, the divines have blessed us that we be graced by thy presence, my lord," Sayoko said. "And in agreement with Miss Mia, tonight has been nothing but delightful. I wish that there were more places like this in Nagashima. But that said, I believe we have all that could be asked for. However, I am curious as to what inspired you to create such a nice establishment".
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Zesseract
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Ryou watched from the sidelines, as Inoue-san seemingly took center of stage... he seemed bathed in an eternal limelight, that followed his every movement. This is how he always was, no motion of his was not exaggerated, as to give even people in the back rows a chance to see his "performance". Normally something Ryou found ridiculous, Inoue-san had a sort of practiced charm that made it work to his advantage, rather he knew how to sell it. While more at home with being in the sidelines, there was something of Inoue's personage that Ryou couldn't help but feel jealous of. Though any actual thought put into the matter would quickly see it discarded as nothing more than a passing notion, best left discarded -and ignored- for future encounters.

Shrinking away from the conversation, he reincorporated himself into the ring of darkness elastic that followed Inoue along, its speculative fringe expanding and contracting to an imagined source of light, thrumming all around him. This is where he was most comfortable, away from prying eyes and expectations; -this- he said to himself, in a brief attempt at self-conversation... was who he was. Not the man in the limelight, and certainly not the people being entertained, -no- he was -here-. Inoue-san was -always entertaining-, and he was not.

"The what..." started the impeccably dressed man, "... is a story best left untold. I fear that to peel the veil back any further, would deprive the world of some.... mystique. And I'd not be so callow as to make myself a murderer of this space... as for the why, let's say that I was possessed of an imperative to see a certain vision realized. There are certain things that one can't do without." she added -confidently-. "Though I must say that it pleases me that you've found enjoyment in this space. For people as -you- I'll keep the Adyton running, long after this passion project has ceased to become maintainable."
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