catch-all: caleb.

[txt]

i will find a shitpost eventually but if frumpkin isn't in any of these threads i'm rioting

Comments

saturday, week zero.

[txt]

[The RNG gods said the common area, so guess that's where they are now. Ichinose wanders in with her hands in her pockets, only lifting one hand to briefly wave at him before she's shoving it right back in.]

Goooooood morning, roomie! What are we up to?

[Someone's in high spirits? Whew.]

[katzepaw]

[He stares at her a little when she comes in in such high spirits. He's sitting in the common room, going through the contents of his pockets and finding them empty. Glancing up at her.]

. . . Guten morgen. Nothing, really. Forgetting I don't have any of my things.

[txt]

Oh? Guten tag!

[Terribly pronounced. But, anyway— She wiggles her hands around from inside her coat pockets.]

Sounds like you're in the same pickle as I am. Someone must have given us a thorough pat down while we were snoozing.

[katzepaw]

[Terribly pronounced enough that he can tell she doesn't really speak Zemnian, but he still smiles to hear the attempt.]

A very thorough pat down. I keep a lot of valuable things in these pockets of mine.

[txt]

[Fantasy German... She nods, crossing her arms.]

Awfully rude of them, right? Not to mention, suuuuuper invasive. I wonder where they stashed all of it...

[katzepaw]

[He definitely has a fantasy German accent, and he speaks with the cadence of someone speaking in their second language, choosing his words a little carefully and pausing sometimes to pick the right phrase.]

I don't imagine somewhere we'll easily stumble onto on our own.

[Sighing.]

So, what do you think? It's me and you two ladies, and then those young children. That part is disconcerting to me.

week 1; friday

[katzepaw]

[Later, he's back at the dorm, having made a few rounds, and will stop in the common area.]

. . . It seems we have a pattern?

[txt]

Yep. Same day. Even same general location to boot.

[katzepaw]

Ja. So, maybe we are expected to deal with this every week. Supposedly, no one told Kaoruko to do it, but there must be some reason for it.

[txt]

Did Kaoruko-chan tell you that herself? Or is it word of mouth?

[katzepaw]

She told me herself that at least the Principal and the dorm heads did not tell her to do anything. But she danced around the reasons she did what she did.

[txt]

Oh, yes, she was very vague about that. But if the Principal and dorm heads didn't ask her to do it, what about Extra Credit?

week 1; tuesday

[katzepaw]

[Well, he's hanging around the dorm, trying to write something in his notebook. Who knows what it is. But that's what he's doing.]

[txt]

[Sir, wyd... Ichinose has her eyes glued to her personal phone, but she lifts her gaze long enough to notice him.]

Keeping busy, Widogast-san?

[katzepaw]

[Closing his notes.]

I am. Trying to keep up with my studies.

[txt]

[Valid. She glances at the notebook, but her expression doesn't change.]

Oh, yeah? That's diligent of you. I didn't think you would care much for the classes here.

[katzepaw]

Not these classes. My personal research projects.

week three, tuesday.

[txt]

[They are now in the (throws dart) anti-grav room. Why is Caleb here? A mystery only you can answer, Siz. But Ichinose is chilling with some pillows, scrolling through her phone while sipping from a drink. She lifts her head when she notices him, and—

You're sitting at your desk, and your phone starts ringing...

—the memory ends right after Ichinose causes an avalanche in her office, quickly ending the call (11:54:30). Whew.]

[katzepaw]

[He probably hangs out in the anti-grav room a lot, actually, so that's fine. Ichinose, why are you bullying a bunch of teens.]

. . . I didn't realize you knew Futaba so well? You are helping them?

[txt]

[Sometimes, you are an adult supporting character in a game with teen protags. It's fine.]

... Hm, well, it is true that I'm helping her little group. But I wouldn't say we know each other that well. From Futaba-chan's perspective, we met at this school.

week 4; monday

[katzepaw]

[Well, here they are in 'asking strangers personal questions' class? Hmm. He's going over his list of course questions with his partner Ichinose?]

Um. . . have you ever been in love?

[His emotions are. Uncomfortable. Over the layer of sadness that's following him all week.]

[txt]

Nope, not even once.

[The vibes are bad here, fellas.

Which is to say, Ichinose's emotions are... there but also kind of not? The general sensation Caleb will get is that of emotional numbness. Like you've been depressed for so long that you've kind of switched off. It's fine.

Just as peppy as usual:]

What about you? Any whirlwind romances in your past?

[katzepaw]

[Oh. Well, that's fine. In some ways, it's a little less unsettling than her tendency for off color jokes. Sometimes you gotta turn off the 'ol feelings.

He considers how honestly to answer, given that she probably doesn't care, but he wants to pass the class?]

. . . Not since I was young. Very in love, but it didn't end so good. Since then, um. A little something, once or twice. Feelings that could have been something more but didn't go anywhere.

[txt]

... Oh, yeah?

[She hums, thinking. Maybe she would have dropped it there! But the professor walks past their desks, so she blurts out:]

How messy was your break-up?

[She, too, wants a good grade.]

[katzepaw]

. . . I burned her, and they checked me into a mental institution for ten years.

[He sort of says this as a joke, but also, emotion share, he is being 100% sincere.]

It wasn't really a romantic argument. We were also coworkers.