Open!

[ninponeil]

WHO: April and YOU
WHERE: Various
WHEN: Anywhere between Jan. 4th and Jan. 9th
WHAT: Exploring the ISC Eluvio, meeting peeps, working, etc.
WARNINGS: N/A at the moment. Prose or brackets.

A. Outside the Arrival Chambers
Every once in a while April can be found outside. Others may not take to their arrival as well as she did, it hadn't been her first time being forced onto a space ship after all, and most didn't bother coming back. What reason was there, really?

For her there were plenty of reasons.

She was sitting on one of the benches outside, a leg hanging down and the other on the bench with her. The orientation would be over soon and the freckled redhead looked up, blue eyes showing her hope that one or all of those reasons would walk out the door.

B. Residential Lounge Area, Northside
Taking up the end of one of the larger plush couches, a navy blue one, was a lone April. This one was becoming her perferred place to sit. It was by the bookshelves and near the games. Probably because it reminded her of the home away from home, on earth.

The table next to the arm of the couch had a pile of books and one in her hands. Her legs were crossed and stretched out before her and a small bag of chips were being crunched on as she went from one page to the next. Space Colonization may not be the first choice for some, but April was almost done with it.

As soon as she heard footsteps she asked "Want to read this one?" without even looking up from it.

C. Shopping Centre
A hot pizza box, drink and yellow laptop took up half the table April was at. It may appear that she was simply enjoying lunch, but that'd only be part of the truth. She was also working. When not biting into a slice of pizza she was typing away on her laptop. Except she didn't need to look at what she was typing. More that she was observing those in the shopping center with her.

Blogging was her assigned job, specifically the strange and bizarre. So she was starting with writing about anything or anyone that fit the criteria. Did she just avert her eyes when someone looked at her? Probably.

D. Training Facilities, Ballet Studio. Closed to Yuuri.
The martial arts room was rather packed and April needed to stretch now that she did her usual regimen. After finding herself without a place to do so she made her way to a much emptier facility. It even looked like a simple sparring floor with bars along the walls to stretch on.

Except she wasn't entirely alone. A dark haired young man was using one of those bars to stretch-

"Oh." It clicked. This was a ballet room. She walked over and tilted her head to indicate the spot next to him. "Mind if I join in?" The sleeves of yellow striped black jumpsuit were rolled up and the towel around her neck got used to pat down some sweat off her face.

E. Wildcard
Toss whatever prompt you feel like at me!

Comments

D

[yokunaru]

Without a rink to turn to when he needed to work out his frustrations, Yuuri had latched onto the next best thing instead: the dance room he'd found while poking around the training facilities. Being there made him miss Minako-sensei something fierce, but considering how empty and unused it was most of the time, it was exactly what he'd needed.

While it wasn't unusual to hear the door click open--there were a lot of newcomers exploring the ship, after all--it was unusual for anyone to stay once they realized what the room was for. Yuuri blinked at her, then straightened up out of the stretch with a nod.

"Um, go ahead," he said, gesturing at all the empty space. "There's enough room for both of us. No one else really uses this place."

[ninponeil]

"Thanks." She said with a relieved smile. He was nice and that's what she needed just then. "I don't think doing this in my quarters would have been that comfortable. They're so small."

April went to stretch her legs first, the bittersweet twinge of pain and relief came out with a sigh.

"Were you in ballet back on earth," And she quickly added. "or the dimension you're from?" Just for the off chance he wasn't human.

[yokunaru]

"They are sort of small," Yuuri says with a smile, watching her for a moment. "It's nice of them to give us our own rooms to begin with, though."

Just imagining sharing a room with a complete stranger makes him want to shudder. Nothing against them, of course, but Yuuri's a private person by nature, and he would've hated sharing his space with someone he didn't already trust.

As he slides down into a split, he glances back at her. "Yeah, I started learning ballet when I was pretty young. After that, my ballet teacher suggested I pick up figure skating. What about you?"

[ninponeil]

"Can't argue there. I had a room just like it at my friend's place for the same reason." No place to stay. "Not really a leg stretching zone though."

The split made her eyebrows go up in an impressed manner.

"Nice. Looks like it paid off." Not too many people she knew could do something like that. Not on purpose anyway. "I'm still in school. Or was." Obviously not what he was asking, but it did buy her some time to think of a semi-true excuse. "Self-defense, martial arts classes and stuff. Funnily enough, my teacher suggested it to me after a,"

Uhh.

"scuffle."

[yokunaru]

Yuuri's smile simply widens. "It's not really a big deal. Flexibility sort of comes with ballet and figure skating."

Then, it's Yuuri's turn to raise his brows in surprise. "You got into a scuffle and your teacher suggested that you learn how to fight?" Yeah, he's skeptical. Shouldn't it be the other way around?

[ninponeil]

"Guess it does. I know the ice skaters can do some incredible, and pretty, moves."

Then a delayed giggle brings out a smile. She's picturing her vigilante hardcore hockey friend doing ballet.

"Yeah. He didn't know me at the time, not yet. But he said I could take quite while to it, so here I am." Her life is so full of weird goings on that it seems completely ordinary to her. Bad conditioning from the turtle life.

"Balance is a big thing for it, but you've got that too from what I saw." That stretch didn't go unnoticed and neither did the perfectly executed split.

[yokunaru]

"The balance for what?" Yuuri asks, brows pinching together in confusion. Did he miss part of the conversation? Then, his mouth drops open with surprise.

"Wait, you mean for martial arts?" His head's already shaking in denial before he finishes asking the question. "No, no. I...don't think I would do well in classes like those."

[ninponeil]

April gives a teasing smirk and raises an eyebrow.

"Maybe not at first with that attitude."

But she's really just joking. Even she wasn't sure that was cute out for her at first.

"If you think about it, they are related. Except I don't think I'd be able to just jump right into ballet on the level you're at just like you couldn't just go right to sparring with me."

Is she challenging him or simply making a valid observation?

[yokunaru]

Attention caught, despite himself, Yuuri switches out of the splits and adopts a casual, cross-legged sitting position instead.

"I guess there are some things in common." He still isn't all that interested in learning martial arts of any kind, but the similarities can go both ways in this case. "What about you? Interested in learning some ballet?"

C

[slackbeard]

April may look like she’s enjoying her lunch to the casual observer, but Jughead is no casual. He can tell when someone’s attention is split between food and a lesser, other thing in their life that isn’t food. And that's not enjoyment! You can't work and eat at the same time. That’s just a waste. But also, maybe an opportunity to score some leftovers?

He swings by her table, both hands full of food from at least four restaurants. Somehow he manages to gesture to her pizza box without dropping anything.

“Hi. Hey, just an question— no pressure or anything, but are you gonna finish that?”

[ninponeil]

It's not often April does a double take, but she hadn't seen anyone with that much food since she was back at the turtles lair. She gave the exact same reaction she would have to that one particular turtle that this person's appetite seemed to match, or even top.

"You haven't even started eating your lunch-" Deliberate pause. "es."

Amazing.

"I was thinking about saving the rest for later." She said as she pushed her half-empty, or half-full, pizza box aside to make room for him. And yes, the did lower her laptop to hide what she was doing.

[slackbeard]

"Doesn't hurt to ask! It's a service I render, eating the stuff other people don't want to. Food waste is a crime," he says, putting his lunch(es) down in the now-empty space and dropping into a chair. "But as long as you're gonna save that for later I guess you're staying on the right side of the law."

He notices her lower the computer. Maybe she's one of those people who hates when other people look over her shoulder? Whatever, his curiosity is piqued.

"So what kinda work do you do that doesn't allow for a lunch break?"

[ninponeil]

"Wouldn't want a ticket." How seriously can she take food? Apparently not enough, though she's fairly sure he might have trouble writing anything when his hands are probably permanently occupied by food.

"The important kind."

No. It's not.

April points the crust of her latest pizza slice victim at him. "You ever heard of Strange Sightings, the blogging website?" Why and how they have some kind of internet here is something April's not going to question, she'll simply be thankful for it instead.

[slackbeard]

Jughead fishes a burger out of a bag, taking a bite and shaking his head. No surprise the name isn't familiar. Blogging's not his thing back home, and it's especially not his thing right now. Who even knew they had internet?

"Never. What's it all about? 'Cause I dunno about you but I'm thinking that everything counts as a strange sighting up here."

[ninponeil]

It's hard for April to tear her eyes away from the grocery-esque amount of bags he's plopped down, but she does and re-open her laptop.

She does keep the back of her computer mostly to him as she starts writing again. "You can say that again." Only a quip to herself as she starts a new entry on the potential food eating champion of earth being on the ship.

"Informs readers of anything weird or out of the ordinary that's encountered here or even out in space. I just started, but yeah, I'm going with the basics. Just the other that got stuck here like we did could be their own section."

[slackbeard]

"Yeah?" He chews thoughtfully.

"I guess. I haven't had the chance to talk to a lot of our fellow space hostages. But if they come with their own interstellar ships theeen yeah they totally count as weird."

More chewing. Pause.

"...unless you're one of the ones that came with your own ship in which case that's still weird, but cool as heck."

[ninponeil]

"Ha. No such luck for a student. I can't really afford to find or buy a spaceship on my allowance."

After a moment's consideration, April puts all but one slice on her paper plate and slides them over his way. Both being nice and seeing if he's actually willing to eat pizza and burger at once. May as well be productive with her work while talking.

"Some of them even look like they're a part of a ship. Or just straight up robots." Her tone grows serious on that note. Alt tabbing to bring up her file so she can have her explanations ready in case he's curious.

Or just bored.

A

[nodyinteam]

[Nekomaru happened to be passing through the area on his way back from checking another of the ship's restrooms, with some toilet paper stuck to the bottom of the shoe. But he pauses as he, from the side, sees the girl sittingb on the bench and looking towards the door so expectantly. It's easy to guess what she was doing... He may have some something similar shortly after his own arrival.

But there's one thing he knows for sure; whatever she's looking for, it's not about to pop up while she's trying to will it to appear.

So he steps up beside the bench and proceeds to speak in as blunt and loud a manner as usual.]

What are you waiting for?!

[ninponeil]

[The background noise of footsteps and chatter hasn't put April on alert, it's just ambient sound. Now she's paying the price for letting her guard down.

April practically jumps Nekomaru's full height off the bench and onto the floor in a ready stance, open hands out at her heart tries its hand at dubstep.]

Not that! [She says back, matching his volume before settling to her normal tone.] I was just seeing if there's anyone I might know.

[And not die from a heart attack in the process.]

[nodyinteam]

[Nekomaru stands there for a moment, surprised by her reaction, but it quickly fades in favor of barking laughter.]

Gahahaha! You've got some instincts, you know that? [She looked ready to fight and everything.]

So that is what you're trying to do... I see...

[ninponeil]

Yeah. I'm just a natural after getting a good scare.

[Instincts. Okay, yes, she can go with that excuse.]

I was just thinking that if I'm here then maybe my friends will be too. Whenever things like this happen it usually happens to all of us.

[nodyinteam]

[He watcher her with a sage nod.]

I get what you mean. It's like being part of a team... and now, you're separated from them. It's not easy. But you can't wait forever for them.

[ninponeil]

So you too, huh.

[Being a part of a team is literally the perfect way to describe her situation. She literally became one of them not long ago before getting here.]

This is the first time I've never had them around. Or my teacher. Or my dad...

[It never really sunk in that she's alone. April keeps coming here to prevent that from happening.]

[nodyinteam]

That's right. I'm a team manager, so I know that feeling all too well. [He wasn't sure if he'd see his classmates ever again. But now that more people have been showing up on the ship, he's not sure what to think. He watches the girl with a thoughtful frown.]

I'm sure that it will be hard to persevere without those important people. But they would want you to try anyway.

[ninponeil]

[Team manager. April actually gives a breath of a single chuckle. Not exactly her title, but sometimes...]

Yeah. I suppose they would. [It's not like her training hasn't really helped her prepare for this kind of situation, inadvertently or no.]

I guess I was just hoping I could be one of the lucky ones that have others from home show up. Without a team? Not something I'm used to anymore.